#i catch them some bugs in my backyard every few days and then watching them hunt it down gets to be my entertainment for the day

[purrusaurus]

have i told you guys yet that im spiderkeeping this summer. i started to get pissed off at how much i stare at screens and wanted something else to keep me busy so i spent a day making a spider jar with curly leaves to hide in and a bark arch for them to web on and the very next night I found a false widow spider hiding in my blankets at the foot of my bed. and a few days later i found an itsy bitsy weaver spider right before bed and made her a lovely horizontal grass filled container. so i named them zarra and sybaris and have been keeping them for the past month and grown earnestly emotionally attached. it's worth mentioning im so arachnophobic that my legs tremble around jumping spiders but these creatures have become ten thousand times cooler and more beautiful to me after observing and caring for them for a small amount of time

[koenki]

More Late Night Writings

The first time Darling met Neo, Gage really had forgotten something at home. He was still adjusting to the new job and schedule so he had to call or text Roomie to bring it by. Neo trips over himself when they meet, struck by their bold nature and confident smile- only to feel a weight on him when this amazing creature asks to see Gage. Later that day back at the apartment, eating whatever takeout they decided to pick up for both of them, Roomie asks about the cute guy at the front office making Gage almost choke on his food when he hears it. "Gross, you think Neo's cute?" Roomie laughing at his reaction, recognizing the name as the one Gage has come home saying he'd gotten in an argument with- again. There was def a conversation about asking Gage to make up scenarios where they have to go by his workplace now and again. "And what do I get out of it?" Gage would do it anyway, just to see Neo fumbling over his words in front of his crush was funny enough, but Roomie agreed to pay him back somehow. Home cooked meals, getting his favorite snacks on their way home, going out for the night with friends so he and Bug had the place to themselves for night- nothing unreasonable. That's his friend so it's not like he wouldn't help them get with someone they're interested in. Gage's ability to help get friends together is second only to Lauren.

Dion, with the help of the internet, has been taking over a lot of the cooking now and does pretty well. Bunny coming home to some nice home cooked meals so they and Dion can hang out and play games or watch movies, or even take a night stroll on the beach has become something they come to look forward to now. They still need to work out the contract part of their dynamic, but they feel safe and happy with the current arrangement, and want to give Dion something that he'd really love since they can't stay home all day every day. One day Bunny brings home a kitten for the flame demon. They explain that they will help care for the kitten since before Dion showed up they were considering getting a pet anyway (neglecting to mention details of maybe feeling lonely living in the house by themself before the demon showed up.) The wide eyed look asking if this is real and not some sick joke to mess with him makes it all worth while to Bunny to take on any extra responsibilities just to see Dion so happy to (almost) be brought to tears as he loves on the small cat talking about how soft its fur is to the gentle purring it emits as it rubs back against his warm skin. When the kitten is resting and Dion needs to set it down, he clings to Bunny, not able to thank them enough for the little pet that's now "ours", much like everything else in the house, it was shared at this point.

It's supposed to rain later in the day so no park to go to today. Instead Law and Sweets start setting up a tent in the backyard while the sun is still out. Gathering up a few books, lamps, and food, they bring Nat out to the tent to spend time together, telling stories like at campfires around the lamp, having laughs and sharing food as if it wasn't raining cats and dogs outside around them. Eventually Nat would fall asleep, little ones need their naps after all, and as she rested in a warm blanket Law tucked around her, the pair would cuddle on the other side of the tent, either reading their own things or whispering sweet nothings to the other as they listened to the rainfall. On another rainy day Sweets decides to let Law cook dinner and keep Nat preoccupied. Getting her dressed in her rainy day best, boots, coat, hat, they set out and splash in the mud, maybe find some frogs and catch them just to watch them hop away enjoying their best froggy life. Obviously they would need to give her a warm bath before any chill set in from the cold rain and sitting down for dinner. (Both these instances I have been in Nat's place and these are things I did either on my own or with my dad on his weekends, so took the ideas from a special place in my own heart) There's more but this is all I felt like spending time spellchecking and all the fun stuff of having written most of this on my phone today. Altair thank you as always for these lovely characters, they're always fun to think about in different scenarios. 💙

[lemonjoonah]

The Garden Thief (M)

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader Word Count: 9.3K Genre: Hybrid AU, romance/drama/comedy, enemies to lovers Warnings: Unprotected sex, oral sex (fem. rec.), they get down and dirty outside but no one else is there to see them, cum play? (just a little), there’s also a bit of mud (sorry, but also not sorry, they’re outside what do you want from me?!?!), referenced hybrid neglect and oppression (hybrids are wrongfully deemed as pets by law and the majority of society).  

Summary: Your beloved vegetable patch has once again been victimized by a hungry thief in the night. The prime suspect? Jeon Jungkook, your neighbour's rabbit hybrid. But when you finally confront him, he pleads innocent, and proposes a plan to clear his name.

A/N: I wrote this fic’s premise and opening scene for the ‘A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words Game’ that I played oh so long ago and now I’ve finally finished the tale!

...

“Oh for fuck’s sake, not again!” You swear upon seeing the leafy green remains of several carrots lying in your garden, inches from where they used to be buried. This maddening mystery of the vanishing vegetables has been playing out all summer. You’ve set out deterrents for every possible garden pest, rolling out chicken wire and spraying natural remedies to repel anything from bugs to small rodents. Yet you still wake to find that your garden has been robbed in the night. The only possible suspect you haven’t been able to protect against resides just next door, in fact—

You squint up at the boarded fence, spotting a pair of long dark ears peeking out over the posts. “Jungkook, is that you?”

The ears immediately disappear, ducking down behind the barrier. The sound of his hurried footsteps trailing away are followed only by the slamming of a door.

You rush into and through your own house carrying the wilted carrot greens. Exiting out the front, and over to the house next to yours, where you repeatedly press the bell.

The entry whips open on the fourth ring to reveal Jungkook. His face is flushed, beads of sweat racing down his brow, and a shirt that one would normally use to cover their chest, is instead thrown over his shoulder. “Something wrong neighbour?” He asks with a carrot stick in hand. Bringing it to his mouth, he taunts you with a bite and crooked grin.

“Is-is your caretaker home?” You stutter trying your best to swallow your nerves. Concentrating hard on his face, you plead with your eyes not to wander down. That’s exactly what he wants, a reason to put you off your mission, to make you so flustered that you have to walk away. He’s always trying to use his allure against you, and you hate how often he succeeds doing just that...  

“No, he’s at work.”

“When will he be back?”

“Not sure, maybe a week, or two? He’s on a business trip.”

Your gaze falters in it’s determination for a brief second as a drop of sweat descends from his neck to his chest. Holding your breath you watch it’s path, tracing the valleys between his muscles. When Jungkook finally wipes it away your brain catches up and scolds you for your weakness. “And he left you here, alone?”  You ask, while trying to recollect your dignity, reminding yourself of how much grief he has put you through.

“Of course.” Jungkook’s smile grows. “I’m not just some common pet. I know how to behave myself.”

The statement makes your brow twitch, enraging you enough to overcome his tactics. “I know you haven’t been here long, but you should know, people typically don’t like it when someone steals from their yard.” You lecture him, waving the carrot tops in front of his face. “So stop treating my garden like your own personal snack bar!”

“Now why would I take from you? I have plenty of food here, even got another delivery this morning.”  The hybrid kicks at a box next him filled with a vibrant collection of fresh produce and grains.

“I don’t know why. I just know it was you.”

“Prove it.” He prods, while taking the last bite of the vegetable from his hand.

The loud crunching gnaws on your composure, stripping you of any patience you may have had for the hybrid. “This all started when you moved in, and I’ve ruled everything else out!” You shout, but as good as it might feel to finally vent your anger, you feel as though you’re somehow playing into his hand.

“That doesn’t seem like very good evidence. It’s circumstantial at best. If you want to find out who the real culprit is you should have a stake out.”

“A stake out?”

“Yeah, you know, watch over the garden for the night, catch the criminal in the act. I could even help if you’d like.”

You scoff at the ridiculous notion. “You really think I should invite you over to guard my crops?”

“I do, so I’ll come over tonight? Say around seven?” You open your mouth to object, but the rabbit hybrid jumps from one statement to the next casually inviting himself into your own home. “Perfect. See you then.”

“I didn’t-no wait, that was sar-” The door closes between you before you can finish. Leaving you baffled and alone on the doorstep. You ready to knock but stop just before your knuckles hit the wood. Trying again right now is a lost cause, it’ll just play into his game. So why waste your breath when you know it’ll just end the same way? Tonight then, as he suggested, that’s when you’ll be ready to hit him with some hard evidence that he won’t be able to refute.

Admitting defeat for now, you retreat back to your garden to pick the surviving vegetables and contemplate the encounter. You wish your could have just spoken to Jungkook’s caretaker—fuck what was his name again? You’ve only seen the man a couple times since they took the house, but at least he doesn't give you a nervous knot in your stomach, or leave you confused and speechless like his hybrid does.

It’s been three months since they moved in. You were excited at first, to have new neighbours in your almost vacant cul-de-sac. Buyers don’t seem to be interested in the old houses with large lots in your area. Too much work to maintain, and not enough good job prospects to go around. So when you saw the sold sign go up you were beyond thrilled. Greeting the new residents with a fruit basket and a smile.

The rabbit hybrid you now know as Jungkook appeared rather shy at first, you did your best to welcome him. Always greeting him when he was outside, trying to engage him in small chat, but the first time you caught him during his workout everything changed. Until that point you had not considered him as anything but a prospective friend. You were stunned to see him in such a confident state, throwing around his weights like they were nothing. In that moment, with you too nervous to admit that you found him attractive, you became the anxious and blubbering fool in his presence, and he, unfortunately, took note. The once quiet and cute rabbit, became a flirtatious and bratty bunny.

And since then, whenever you would work in your garden he’d be on the other side of the fence grunting and panting. Staying close to the gap in the divider, a missing panel you had yet to replace. On days like today you would often look up from your radishes and accidentally lock eyes with the hybrid, drenched in sweat and showing off his skills.

Out of respect and self preservation you tried your best to not to pay attention, to keep your nose buried in your garden, but as the weeks went by the vegetables under your care started to disappear. The ample crops you tended to in the evening, lessened by morning, with only the refuse remaining to indicate it’s former presence. You didn’t want to point fingers immediately, but today was the final straw, and tonight no matter how hard he tries to distract you, you will find him guilty.

After harvesting the choice crops for the day and watering the rest. You dust yourself off, settling inside and in front of your computer; opening the visitors page for your place of work, the city's greenhouse conservatory. To help promote the centre in the community the staff all take turns writing articles revolving around their own projects or home gardens, and you’re up next in the rotation. You stare at the blank document for several minutes trying your best to concentrate on the task, but you are unable to think of anything other than the mischievous hybrid next door.

Embracing the topic of your aggravation, you start the post off with a title sure to catch the eye of any reader, ‘Garden Thieves.’

‘We’ve all been there, finding a tomato just about to reach its peak ripeness. We give it another day to grow into perfection, only to find it missing later on. In your absence something else has taken it into its own clutches. I myself have been dealing with a vegetable thief for several weeks, so if you are struggling like I am, here are a few things that might help. ’

You proceed to outline several garden pests uploading photos of their damage, along with quick remedies to deter their presence. Netting to block the sparrows, raised beds and fences to keep out most rodents or mammals, and a caffeine solution to stave off slugs.

‘I hope this may help you all in your efforts to keep your plants safe, but I must add a disclaimer. Unfortunately nothing here is completely foolproof. Even if you do follow all of these steps you still might lose some of your crops to a crafty critter. But I wish you the best of luck on all of your backyard battles. I myself plan to face off with my own long-eared menace tonight.’

You finish your post with a smile. Sending it off to your coworker Namjoon to get his approval before you make it public.

He calls a few minutes later, his laughter carrying through the speaker. “That was easily the best article you’ve written all year. You should definitely post it.”

“Thanks.” You chuckle, hitting the submit button. At the very least feeling a bit relieved to have one less task weighing on your mind. “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem. I take it you’re still having trouble with that hybrid neighbour of yours?”

“Yeah,” you groan. You’ve complained to Namjoon about the issue several times in the past month. It must have been all too easy for him to read between the lines and see what set you off to create this specific entry.  “But he refuses to admit it was him. It’s like he’s trying to make me question my skills as a gardener and I hate it! I went over to talk to his caretaker but he’s away on business for a couple weeks.”

“He left him alone for that long? What about food?”

“He’s been getting deliveries. By the looks of it, he has a healthier diet than I do.”

Namjoon pauses on the line giving you only a simple, “Huh...” in a long break.

“What?”

“Well it’s just-” A loud buzzing sound erupts through the phone line cutting off his answer. A noise you know to indicate someone is at the back door. “That’s weird. I didn’t think we were supposed to get anything delivered today. No one else is here.... did you have anything scheduled to come in?”

“No.” You double check the calendar sitting on your desk. “I shouldn’t have anything until next Monday.”  

Namjoon puts you on hold while he checks on the reason for the interruption, returning only a minute later. “It’s a delivery all right, but are you sure these aren’t yours? I’m seeing a lot of tropical species on the invoice. Combretum rotundifolium, Heliconia angusta, Myrciaria dubia-”

You mouth a swear as Namjoon carries on with his list. It’s obvious they are indeed the specimens of your expected batch. You're in the process of redesigning one of the tropical habitats. The lead director was adamant that the conservatory host a butterfly exhibition in the next coming year, and in order to support the grandiose endeavour you are required to introduce a vast amount of new flowering species over the next few months. “How many in total?”

“About two dozen. Looking pretty rough from the journey too.”

You’re not surprised by their current state. This summer is already one of the hottest and driest on record, and all the stock you had received this season was excessively wilted and near death because of it. “Do we have any holding houses with humidifiers available?”

“Not at the moment,” There’s a clatter in the background as Namjoon sorts through what must be the slack of clipboards. “But I’ve got the inspection chart here and your last delivery did just finish it’s quarantine. No signs of pests or illness, so they’re clear to plant. That should free up some space for you.”

“That’ll have to do. Thanks for checking.” Standing up from your desk with a sorrowful sigh. You mourn the loss or your afternoon off as you start to dress for a day of hard labour. Throwing on your work-issued overalls over your t-shirt and shorts. Unfortunately you can’t just leave the new stock to sit out under the beating sun. With little humidity outside and no protection they’ll be burnt to a crisp if you delay too long. But the worst part is that your planting staff isn’t scheduled until later in the week, and that volume of work will put you well into the middle of the night before you complete it. “I’ll be in soon to deal with it.”

“That’s a lot of planting to do on your own. I can help if you-”

“I can’t take you away from your trees, isn’t there a bonsai exhibition next week you have to prepare them for?” He’s been agonizing over this showcase for so long you couldn’t possibly inconvenience him now with your own troubles. “It’s fine, really. I’ll call to see if anyone else is willing to come in today.” You hang up letting Namjoon return to his tasks, and work your way down the contacts for the gardening staff as you prepare yourself to leave. Though as expected, all of those who answer have prior commitments and won’t be able to assist.

Grabbing your badge and plans for the updates to the garden you slip back out into the noon-day sun, so strong it’s turned your car into an oven on wheels. You’re just about to pull it into reverse when you spot the blinds shift in your neighbour’s window. Prompting you to recall the plans he had made for tonight.

With all the work you have, it’s doubtful you’ll be back home for seven. You return to Jungkook’s door to give him the news. He has it open before you can even knock, his usual smirk crawling across his face as he greets you.  

“About tonight... something has come up at work and I really don’t know how late I’ll be.”

His ears perk up. “You’re going into the conservatory?”

“Yeah,” you respond, somewhat shocked that he remembered where you work. It’s been a couple months since you mentioned it while introducing yourself to him and his caretaker. “An order came in earlier than expected. I’ll likely be planting all day and night.”

“I can help,” he offers, already stepping out to join you, and locking the door behind him.

“You want to help?”

“Of course, isn’t that the neighbourly thing to do?”

“Yes, but I wouldn’t want it or expect it from someone who terrorizes my own garden.”

“Allegedly,” Jungkook corrects. “And wouldn’t you rather have me with you, under your supervision, than here, all alone with only a measly fence between me and your impressive bell pepper harvest?”

“Stay away from my peppers!” You scold, pointing your finger at him. “Even if I wanted to take you, what about your caretaker? Don’t you need his permission to leave and work?”

“He’s never paid attention to my whereabouts before, and it’s not work if you don’t pay me. I’ll just be a volunteer. You have people volunteer all the time right?”

“Yes but-”  

“I’ll be on my best behaviour.”

“Alright, fine.” You finally agree though with a heavy dose of reluctance. Namjoon often brings his own hybrid in so it shouldn’t be a problem. “But if I see you nibble on even a single leaf, you’re coming straight back here.”

“Deal.” He rushes past you straight to your passenger seat and buckles himself in. Practically bouncing with excitement beside you as you pull out and head towards the conservatory.

The minutes pass and you try your best to focus on the road but you’ve never been so close to Jungkook in such a small space. And with his built frame taking up most of the car, he’s hard for you to ignore. His ears folded against the roof and his shoulders so wide they brush repeatedly against yours.

“Ever been to the conservatory before?” You ask, trying to divert your mind from the battle which builds inside you. A wavering war between frustration and attraction, with the former trying it’s best to pin down the latter, a move which only arouses the latter more...

“No, I’ve wanted to go ever since you mentioned it but my caretaker hasn’t had the time.”

“Oh.” A sense of pity joins the ranks of your emotions, nudging at you as you pull into the lot. “Sorry, I didn’t-”

“Why are you sorry?” Jungkook asks in a low whisper, snapping back to his flirtatious behaviours. His mouth turns up at the corner as he leans into you, so close that his drooping ears graze the top of your head.  “Would you have taken me earlier if I had mentioned it?”

“N-no,” you choke out. Placing your hand on his solid chest, you push him back and away. As tempting as his advance might be to accept, you know his forwardness to be nothing more than an act to make a fool of you. Why else would he try to both seduce you, and steal from right under your nose?  “You’re only here today because I am in desperate need of help, and I can’t trust you to be alone.”

...

You lead him through the unoccupied greenhouses. The conservation is closed to the public today (as it is every Monday and Tuesday); which usually allows for some time off, but at least now it’ll give you a chance to work unimpeded by visitors. Your own curated section is located in the most humid of all the houses, set in such a way to mimic the tropical environment you are attempting to represent.

The first stop is the holding house where the carts of new stock wait just outside.  Grabbing an empty trolly you enter and start to load up those that are ready to plant. Jungkook following your actions does the same, easily lifting the heavy planters that you yourself struggle with. “Thanks,” you whisper as he relieves you of a particularly burdensome tree. To which he smiles in return.

After making the switch, by placing the recent delivery in the house for it’s quarantine, you lead him to the supply closet. Where you collect a couple shovels, trowels, and two pairs of gloves. As you continue to scan for anything else you might require, Jungkook pops in behind looking at the shelves with a sense of curiosity. He reaches up and over you to a spray bottle labeled ‘slug repellent.’

“We won’t need that, it’s for the outdoor gardens,” You explain. “It’s just a mixture of ca-”

“Caffeine and water?”

You snap your gaze to him. “How do you know that?”

He bites his lip as a snicker starts to escape. “Just a bit of morning reading. I found an interesting article with that particular tidbit. One which also happened to reference the exploits of a long-eared menace.”

“Y-you read the conservatory blog? You read my post? No one reads that, there can’t have been more than ten views!”

“Which is such a shame.” He goads you. “I’ve found your work to be both informative and comical. You really have me rooting for you in your quest to catch your thief.”

You groan in utter fury. “Why must you be so-so-”

“Handsome? Funny? Caring?”

“Antagonizing!”

“Because you seem to take more notice when I am.” Jungkook answers, with a turn of his heel, his tail poking out from under his shirt as he starts to walk away with the cart. “And I like seeing that perplexed look of yours. Your nose is cute when you scrunch it up like that.”

You remain in the shed, your traitorous heart beating erratically over the fact that he called a part of you cute. While your more sensible side grabs your nose and smooths out the wrinkles he referenced.

“Should we get to work?” He calls out after you. “The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go home and expose that bandit of yours.”

You roll your eyes and follow him out, before taking the lead to your tropical glasshouse. The air sticks to your skin the moment you enter. Jungkook lets out a long exhale behind you tugging on the collar of his shirt. “Is it always like this in here?”

“It’s a bit warmer today, but not by much. Are you already regretting your decision to help?” You tease him.

“Nope,” he answers, slinging a shovel over his shoulder. “Show me where to dig, and I’ll get to it.”

Pulling out your plans for the new exhibit arrangement, you select a couple species placing them on the empty plots of garden as directed, careful to allow for future growth. Jungkook follows behind digging out their new homes faster than at least three of your staff members combined.

You stare at him for a second, unable to believe the pace at which he’s going. “Something wrong?” He asks, pausing to lock eyes with you.

“No, I just didn’t think you’d be so quick at digging.”

“I’m part rabbit, what did you expect?” Jungkook boasts with a chuckle and a raised brow. “I share their strengths. Especially when it comes to burrowing and fu-”      

His words are cut short when a fresh breeze from the outside washes over the both of you, a  sure sign that someone must have entered the greenhouse. Your neighbour goes rigid, his nose lifts into the air and his ears fall back flat against his head. “Jungkook what’s-” Leaping up he closes the gap and grabs you. Tucking you into him with his chin resting on your head, where a  warm and earthy scent envelopes you.  His breaths are quick and deep, causing his chest to rapidly rise and fall against your back.

Namjoon’s voice calls out to you. “... are you in here?”

“Over here!” You yell out in reply, before turning back to the hybrid who still has you locked in his clutches. “What the hell Jungkook? Let me go! Now’s not the time for your games.” Sure it might feel nice to be wrapped in his arms, to get lost amidst his aroma. At any other time you might even consider taking a moment before chastising his boldness. But here? Now? And with Namjoon coming to greet you? No, this is too much.

You try to push him away like you have before, but this time it’s as if he’s set in stone, and not registering you at all. He focuses only on the direction your coworker's voice hailed from. “That scent, he smells like-”

“There you are.” Namjoon interrupts stepping around a flowering bush and into view, looking surprised by your guest. “Oh, hello there.”

The point of Jungkook's chin rubs against your head as he grips you even tighter. Embarrassed and confused by the hybrids embrace. “Jungkook, this is Namjoon.” You introduce your coworker while delivering an elbow to Jungkook’s gut. He finally snaps out of his trace and lets you go though he continues to hover behind. “He works with the bonsai of the conservatory.”

“You must be the neighbour I’ve heard so much about, it’s nice to finally meet you.” Namjoon extends his hand to the hybrid, but Jungkook ignores the gesture, choosing to glare instead, with his nostrils flared and his ears pinned back.

“Jungkook?” You whisper trying to chase him from his mood.

Namjoon gives him a nervous smile. “You probably smell my hybrid, on me don’t you?”

“A hybrid?” Jungkook confirms, his eyes narrowed at Namjoon.

“Yeah, sorry, I didn’t intend to scare you. I’m sure the scent of a predator, especially a tiger, is a bit of a shock. He’s harmless, I promise.”

“Is Taehyung here?” You ask, hoping to see his affectionate part-feline companion.  

“Nah, he’s with a friend today. I needed to get some work done and he’d be more of a distraction than a help... but it would seem that didn’t stop him from scenting my shirt before I left.” Namjoon explains, and then turns to your neighbour again. “Jungkook would you mind if I borrow her for a second? I need help with one of my tropical species.”

Jungkook gives a solemn nod. For the first time since you’ve known him, he looks frightened, and somewhat hesitant to release you over to your coworker.

Worried by his current disposition, you reassure him with a squeeze on his arm. “Just keep digging where I’ve placed those pots and I’ll be right back.”

Namjoon leads you into the adjacent greenhouse where you can continue to keep watch of Jungkook through the pains of glass. But the instant the doors close between you, Namjoon starts bombarding you with questions. “Why didn’t you tell me? How long has it been going on? ”

You take a step back having been caught off guard. “Tell you what?”

“About you and Jungkook! Is the feuding neighbours just a cover story?” Namjoon’s eyes are wide and hopeful as he carries on, not letting you fit a single word in. “Don’t worry, I won’t inform anyone you're together. I know it’s not easy having a human-hybrid relationship out in the open. But I think you should be careful about going out into public because he’s far too obvious about it.”

“We’re not- we’re not a couple. Why would you think such a thing?”

“Because the way held you, he looked like he was marking you with his own scent. That’s what rabbits do isn’t it? They rub their chins on what they want to claim as their own.”

“They do what?” You ask, stunned by the possibility, before the realism settles back in. It must just be Jungkook’s idea of a joke. “No, that’s not what he’s doing, our connection is nothing remotely like that. Don’t get me wrong he’s very attractive, and he knows it.” You mutter the last part under your breath. “But-”

“But you really are having trouble with him. It's not a cover?”

“You think I would keep something like that from you?” Namjoon over the years has come to be your closest confidant. A good friend and coworker, you would never dream of hiding something like that from him.

“I suppose not.”

“Is that why you brought me back here, to question my relationship status?”

“Not entirely.” Namjoon shakes his head with a small dimpled smile and changes the subject. “I do actually want to get your help with one of my new acquisitions.” He points out an unusual tree on his work bench, much too big for the pot it’s currently situated in. It’s extensive roots spill out over the top and threaten to swallow the pot whole. “A Ficus microcarpa, far from the most sought after species when it comes to reputable bonsai, but I couldn’t pass this one up. It has such good character.”

“What made it grow in such a way?” You examine the plant and it’s container with care, prying between the roots and taking note of cracks starting to form in the terracotta.

“The last owner neglected it for far too long. It sat hidden in the back of a commercial greenhouse, still under the watering and fertilizing system, but since it was confined to such a small space it tried to root it’s way out. If I were to guess, it probably hasn’t seen a new pot for at least five years.”

“It’s a miracle it survived.” You nod impressed by the tree’s determination. “What’s your plan for it?”

“Give it what it wants, let it leach out. I doubt I would be able to pry it out entirely without causing significant damage to the roots that are gripping the sides, so instead I want to put another bellow to catch it and give it the fresh soil and room it needs.” Namjoon lays the tree and pot down on the table, and asks you to hold and support the trunk, while he taps and pokes at the bottom of the vessel with a metal trowel.  Enlarging the cracks, but not breaking the pot fully. It’s a tedious process. The small chunks of clay are removed piece by piece, giving him access to see and free some of the tightly bound roots inside.

While your coworker continues his task, your eyes are free to wonder. You check on Jungkook through the glass, as he kneels in front of the garden bed digging even faster than before.

Namjoon appears to notice your distracted state. “How's he doing?”

“Fine I guess.” You whisper. “He’s acting stranger than usual today though. He stole from my garden again. Invited himself over to my house, then here, and you saw what he did back there.”

“Huh...” Namjoon mutters, trailing off the same way he did on the phone.

“What is this ‘huh’ you keep giving me? You know I don’t like games Namjoon. If you have something you want to say, say it.”

“It’s about what you said earlier, how his caretaker leaves for extended periods of time. Usually if an animal is alone for too long they look for ways to stimulate themselves and resort to their natural instincts, scavenging and such. But he’s a hybrid and therefore part human, so if you were isolated and restricted to your house what would you do?”

“Probably look for the closest person I could find. So he’s acting out in my garden and teasing me, because he’s lonely?”

“I think so.” Namjoon responds as he extracts another root, freeing it from its confines.

“But why?” You ask, worried for the answer to come. “Why wouldn’t he just say something?”

“There could be a number of reasons. He might not understand what he’s doing on a conscious level, or he might be afraid to show any sign of weakness to you or anyone else. Jungkook is part prey animal, and humans are all too often predators.”

“If that’s the case...” You curse yourself for not realizing it sooner. The fury you held for him slowly fades away as you replay every encounter in your mind. He was literally jumping at the chance to spend time with you, to help you with your work, and you were to blind to see it. Your anger over your missing vegetables is so trivial in comparison to what he must have been going through. The loneliness he must have felt, and the inability to admit it, you can’t imagine how he suffered through it alone. “What can I do to help him? I have no legal claim to him Namjoon. What can I do within such limitations?”

He looks down at his work in progress. “The way I see it  you and he, like this small tree, have three options. You could maintain the status quo, leave him be, but how long will he be able to survive like he is? Creeping over the edge but grasping on to nothingness?”

You shake your head vehemently rejecting the idea while Namjoon continues.

“You could report his caretaker for neglect, breaking the container entirely, but that too could be very damaging to him, tearing him away entirely could put him in a state of shock, and in a home that is no better for him, while the legal battle is decided. Or...” Namjoon grabs another container, slightly wider than the one in which the plant is seated. Filling it with substrate he takes the tree clinging to it’s partial pot and places it on top. Pressing the newly freed roots down into the soil.

“You could support him, give him a better home just outside of his own where he can be himself and access what he needs. I personally think it’s your safest option for now.” Namjoon leads over inspecting the bonsai and lowers his voice to an almost inaudible whisper. “Until the day, when it is possible to fully cast the pot aside.”

You nod, though now left to grapple with what you could possibly have to offer the hybrid.  “I’m not sure I would be the best person to care for him.”

“I think Jungkook would disagree. He was already trying to scent you. That to me, implies his desire for something more in the realm of an intimate relationship.” You choke on your breath as Namjoon comes to an additional conclusion. Upon seeing your distress he makes a suggestion. “Of course you could keep it strictly to friendship between the two of you and I’m sure that will improve his situation, but his other needs will need to be met for him to feel completely at home...”

“His other needs? You think he wants to be with me? Intimately?! No! Surely he would have acted differently if that was his intent! He’s done nothing but tease me when he catches me even remotely looking in his direction.”

“So you have been looking at him!” Namjoon taunts you with a massive grin. Apologizing a second later when you proceed to glare at him. “But to answer your question, no, not necessarily. You have to remember most of society deems him a lesser being. He could be feeling a lot of guilt and pressure not to engage with you in that way. Though he might not outright say it, I bet his instincts will continue to shine through. I’ll even prove it to you.” Namjoon takes off a glove and rubs your head. “I bet this rabbit of yours will take less than a minute before he tries to replace the smell of my hand with his own again... trust me.”

You shake your head in disbelief. “I should probably get back to him.” You are just about to step away when your thoughts return to the long neglected plant. “Where do you plan to house that when you’re finished? Ficuses naturally belong in a more tropical location don’t they?”

“They do, especially if I want to give it a better chance. It’s going to need a place far more humid than this space.”

“Was this all your calculated way of guilting me to store it in my greenhouse too?”

“The thought might have crossed my mind.” Namjoon gives you a sly grin.  “But my logic is still sound in regards to Jungkook. He needs someone, he needs a better home... and it would seem he’s chosen you.”

...

You wander back to your greenhouse, still full of doubt. Finding Jungkook to have finished most of the required digging.

“Sorry for leaving you.”

“You-you okay?” He asks, upon seeing the dazed look on your face and then scowling in the direction that Namjoon led you.

“Fine, he just needed help with one of his plants. Sorry about earlier, I didn’t think you’d be affected by the scent of his hybrid, Taehyung is rather sweet though, you’d like him.”

“You trust him then?” Jungkook grumbles as he pierces his shovel into the ground. “You trust Namjoon and his hybrid?”

“Of course, why shouldn’t I?”

“Because it wasn’t just a tiger that I smelled. He’s been around a lot of hybrids. Every scent on him told me to run, all of them put there by dangerous predators.”

“Oh,” you shoot back in surprise. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Taehyung is rather popular, he has a lot of friends and Namjoon often caters them at his place. You don’t need to worry, you're safe here.”

“It’s not myself I’m worried about.”

Jungkook inches closer as you crouch to place the plants in the holes he dug. His nose twitches as he takes a deep breath, his eyes watching while you bury the root ball in the warm soil, firmly securing the trunk of the young tree.

While you are leaning down, Jungkook reaches across to the other side of you. Grabbing the trowel to your right despite the fact that the same tool can be found on his left. The bottom of his chin grazes the top of your head and lingers for a spell. Your heart stops in that moment while questioning his motives. Though Namjoon said he’d do just this, you still can’t be entirely sure that it proves him correct; Jungkook might just not have seen the other option available to him, and he’s never bothered about invading your space. This could be nothing, though there’s a small growing part of you that wants it more and more to be something.

“He’s a good guy,” you promise, returning to the conversation so as to not dwell on his actions. “He even suggested that I should bring you along more often, if you’re interested in spending some of your days here.”

“He did?”

You nod.  A small white lie, but not entirely incorrect, and if it gets him to accept Namjoon easier you’ll all be better for it. “I wouldn’t expect you to work, but you're more than welcome to just hang around. The staff here could always use some company and I’m sure it would beat staying at home alone all day.”

“I would like that. I would like that a lot, but would you want me to keep you company too?”

“If that’s what you want to do.”

“No, I need to know if that’s what you want.” He looks over to you pinning you down in his line of sight.  

“I suppose I would....” You answer and turn your head, unable to bear the nerves that his gaze brings. The both of you fall quiet. Knowing what you know now, being free of your anger for him leaves you vulnerable, open to his persuasion, and now you are no longer certain of how to act. So you start to rely on what has made him comfortable in the past, and interject with a new condition to bring an end to the awkward silence. “As long as you treat this garden better than mine back home.”

Jungkook lets out a long laugh. “I have nothing but the highest respect for your garden.”

...

When planting is finished your clothes are entirely saturated in sweat and your muscles aching from use. It’s hard to believe how much you’ve both done in such a short amount of time. While carting up the supplies, Jungkook’s eyes catch on something behind you. You look around spotting the newly potted bonsai on a back table. Namjoon must have dropped it off while you both were busy.

Looking at it now you can’t help but notice how even the shape of its leaves remind you of the hybrid’s ears, long, pointed, and reaching up to the sky. You consider your friend's words one more time and while Jungkook leans over to inspect the tree. Reaching out to his back, your hand shakes with hesitation before setting down on a spot just below his shoulder. He softens under your touch, a low hum leaving his lips. His attention turns from the plant to you. With your hand still in place, your arm is now wrapped around him, leaving only an inch between the two of you. You stand there fixed and unmoving, but content in the knowledge, that you seem to have left him speechless this time. His eyes darting away from yours, to your lips, your neck, and finally the hand you place upon his chest.  

Only to have the moment broken when you can hear and feel the rumble from his stomach. His nervous laugh follows as he reaches up to scratch behind his ear.

“Hungry?”

He nods in response, his eyes wide as he remains unusually silent.

“Come on, I’ll buy you dinner.” You offer as you turn him around to head to the car.

...

You both settle on a take out spot, and return home to wash up and eat.

After finishing your meal and tearing off your overalls, you both settle down on the hammock in your yard. With Jungkook’s legs long enough to touch the ground, he slowly rocks the seat back and forth.  He’s been near silent since that close moment together. He’s never had a problem with banter and flirtation, but now you’ve come to notice that any attention which can’t be passed off as a joke causes him to flounder.

Laying back in the hammock, both full and content, your eyes threaten to close after the long day as Jungkook continues to sit beside you. The sound of crickets lulling you to sleep. “Keep an eye out for that thief of mine will you?” You may not like games but if it makes him comfortable, and keeps him talking, you’ll continue to play this ruse with him.

“You trust me to keep watch without your supervision?”

“Are you suggesting I shouldn’t?”

“No, it’s just a lot more credit than you usually give me.”

“I think you’ve earned it.” You whisper as you finally drift off.

It feels like only a few minutes of rest before the sun sets and the air turns cool. Jungkook’s chin comes to rest on the top of your head like it did back in the greenhouse. He shifts his weight, burrowing his arms around and behind to cover you as he takes deep breaths. You lean into him seeking the warmth of his chest. No longer restricted by your childish anger to enjoy his company is a welcome relief, you only wish you could relinquish him of any of his own troubles and doubts.  And then, you feel it, a drop of cold rain hitting your neck. The hammock moves again as he adjusts, the back of his fingers running across the damp spot. Another finds your cheek and he wipes that away too, your skin shivering in response.

But when a speck lands your mouth he stops. You wait, a second, then two. Your anticipation grows with face heating up and your chest tightening as you continue to crave his touch. You want him to wipe it away, to touch you, to act on whatever desires he might be keeping. You part your lips with the desperate hope that he will take the hint. Rejoicing when the warm pad of his thumb spreads the drop across the delicate skin.

He comes down on to you, his mouth catching any and all remains of the droplet as he encases your lips. Jungkook places a hand on your neck while the other grabs the ropes of the hammock, his legs straddle your hips. The scattered rain turns to a downpour as he remains fixed to your mouth, even his form isn’t enough to shield you from the current washing down from the sky.

As your hands reach up to his own damp and curling locks entwining your fingers in the strands he moans and nips. But as quickly as it started, so too does it end. When Jungkook snaps up as though jolted from a dream. His ears point back as an apology flows from him. “I-I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Jungkook,” you call out to him but he ignores you as he tries to detangle himself. When one foot hits the ground. You grab his waist and try again. “Jungkook, you don’t have to be sorry.” But instead of stopping he merely pulls you off and along with him, sending you both to the muddy ground, but this time with you on top of him.

“Are you okay?” He asks the loud pouring of the rain forcing him to raise the volume of his voice.

You chuckle at his concern considering he’s the one flat on his back. “I think I should be asking you that question instead.” You pause as he mirrors your grin. “Why did you stop? Did I do something wrong?”

“No.” He looks up at you, his brow furrowing. “You did nothing wrong. It was me. I was the one acting on my instincts. I shouldn’t have done that when I know how much you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you...” You explain, trying your best not to be drowned out by the water cascading down. “The things you did might have annoyed me, but I get it now. I’m just sorry it took me so long to notice.”

“Notice what?”

“How fucked up your situation is. For not realizing how alone you must have been. How caged you must have felt. I’ve been so focused on my own little world that I didn’t realize what was happening or why you were acting the way you were. I like you, a lot, but I was too wrapped up in my frustration to say how I felt...”

“It’s not your fault.”

You shake your head. “I am not innocent in this. I should have been paying more attention.”

“Then pay attention to me now.” He begs with his round eyes shining up at you.  

“But in what way? As a neighbour, as a friend, or maybe something more?" Your voice cracks in desperation, trying to find his needs while also hoping they are the same as yours. “Is that why you were always teasing me the way you did? You wanted something more?”

“You really want to know?” Jungkook’s tone is low as it grips on to his every word. “I did it because it was the only thing that could distract me from my incessant need for you. Seeing your reactions and having your attention kept me in check. I’m very different from you and I’m aware it could cause a problem. I wasn’t sure if you could ever fully want me because of that.” He reaches to rub around the base of his ears. “But every day that I looked over I wanted to hold you, to claim you, to take you right here on this very spot. So often I dreamed of jumping the fence and coming for you instead of...”

You smile down at him, noting his near admission. “Instead of?”

“Instead of watching from a distance.” He smirks, catching and narrowly fixing his statement. Pleading guilty only to his longing for you.

“Then do it.” You demand of him.

He groans from his position beneath you. “Don’t tease me like that.”

“I’m not. You weren’t the only one peeking through the fence Jungkook.” Reaching up to your collar you tug off your shirt. He follows your lead with his own to reveal his sculpted chest he’s taunted you with so many times. “I don’t care if we’re different from each other. I don’t care if it causes a problem.” You shift back on his body traveling from your seat near his stomach down to his hips, his clothed dick firm and pressing against you. A moan escapes his lips, confirming that you’ve made your point. “There’s no one else nearby, so if you want me so much that you’re willing to fuck me out here, in the rain and mud-”  

His hands come to grip your waist, and in one swift motion, he lifts you off, maneuvering out from underneath, to fall into place behind you. From there he pushes you down to your hands and knees, his body bent over yours. “You have no idea how much I want to.” He whispers with a kiss to your bare shoulder damp from the rain that continues to pour.

He takes off your bra before his face moves down your back, nose trailing against your skin and pausing at your shorts. Unfastening the button he pulls them down, freeing you of your underwear too before they are both cast aside. “I want to smell you, and taste you.” Jungkook takes in a deep breath, wrapping an arm around your legs, and barring your thighs. He buries his face between your legs, his tongue reaching out to deliver a long lick to your folds pausing after every lap.

Your palms dig into the ground, the cool mud coming to the surface to meet them. You buck against his tongue but the forearm holding you remains firm, sending your squirming downward to bury your elbows in the soggy grass too.

Jungkook chuckles as you inadvertently give him a better angle. From behind you can hear the zipper of his own shorts. Rubbing the head of his cock against your damp folds, he covers it with the slick of your slit, and with a long groan he eases it inside. He’s slow at first, letting you savor the girth and warmth of him. So you start to edge back and forward on his cock. Taking the time to enjoy every inch, along with the sounds that leave him. But when he returns to take control, the first thrust is so powerful, his thighs hit your ass with a loud clap, and every jolt of his hips after, drives you further down each time.

A stuttering groan escapes him as he fills you. Thinking he’s finished you lean forwards and until his cock pulls out, but in response he grabs your waist. Turning you over, back to the ground on top of the discarded clothes and facing him.

He lowers himself pressing his chest against yours. His fingers reach to grab your chin and take a kiss. His cock, despite having come only moments before, is hard once more and poised to enter once again.

“How are you-” You manage to squeeze a few words in the gaps between his kisses as he draws breath. “Ready for more-” Another pass of his tongue. “Already?”

“You have my hybrid traits to thank for that.” He moves to nibble on the side of your throat. “I have more to give you, if you want it.”

You nod unable to emit any noise other than a gasp as his mouth finds a sensitive spot on your neck. His dick forges in again, your slick and his cum dripping out of you as he fills you with himself instead.

You’ve avoided touching him with your own hands as they are patched with mud, but as his thrusts grow more powerful than even before, you’re forced to grab on his arms and chest. Leaving behind streaks of dirt which display the path of your grip. Jungkook doesn’t seem to mind though, in fact looks rather encouraged by your touch, and the marks you leave him.

“What a dirty woman you are, and getting me all messy too.” He scoffs while admiring your handiwork. “Can I return the favour?”

“Help me come first and you can do whatever the fuck you want.” You gasp on the brink of your climax.  

His ears perk up and a grin streaks across his face. “Close are you?” He grabs your calf and wraps your leg around his back, the other follows suit and his hand comes to rest on your lower back pushing you up and into him effectively grinding your mount against him.

You gasp and flinch with the sudden pressure, but he holds you firm as your back arches to meet him.

His hips beat on at a rapid pace, a small whimper escapes him as you reach the peak, tipping you over the edge. The chilling rain can in no way can douse the searing heat that spreads through you. You're still gasping when his jaw clamps down hard, his teeth poised upon your skin. The first pulse of his cock comes inside, but on the second he pulls out to splatter your chest and stomach with the rest. His hand comes to clutch his shaft, spilling more out and on to you with each stroke.

After every remaining drop has been cast on you he smiles, dragging his fingers across the rain drenched mess of mud and cum on your skin. “Never thought I’d ever see you so thoroughly soiled.”

You giggle at his remarks through your deep breaths. “And now that you do, what do you think?”

“I think it suits you, the dirt, the rain, and me...” He lowers himself down onto you, with his head now resting upon your shoulder. “It’s too bad though. Now I just want more, but we’re both far too filthy to carry on like this.”  

You turn to whisper at the base of his ear. “Who says we can’t continue in the shower...”

...

You wake early the next morning with the sun spilling into the room, lighting up your bed, and the hybrid sleeping next to you. His ears and nose twitching as he continues to rest. Slipping out from the covers, and into a set of clean gardening clothes, you exit the room with as little sound as possible.

On the tile floor of your hall, muddy footprints trail from your backdoor to your bathroom.  A smile pulls at your lips as you recall the events which brought them there. Jungkook had been so excited to keep going he picked you up and rushed you inside.

The feeling from the warm water and hands in contrast to the cool rain was enough to bring back the waves of pleasure. He was so thorough in washing you down, you might have to ask him to join you for another this morning and repay the favour.  

Outside in the garden you find all your harvest from the day before present and untouched. You’re pleased by this new development, but it’s not the fact that your crops are intact which makes you happy, it’s the comfort in knowing that Jungkook didn’t feel the need to take them.

A few minutes later the hybrid in question comes up behind you wrapping his arms around your waist pulling with him a blanket he took from the bed to cover the both of you. “Morning.” He mumbles, as his nose finds the crook of your neck where he exhales with a deep and relaxed sigh.

“Morning.” You respond, enjoying the tickle of his breath before you turn around to better see him. “It seems the thief didn’t strike last night. ”

“I guess they found a new garden to plunder and devour?” Jungkook suggests, giving you a sly grin, before he opens his mouth again. It’s easy to see that he’s getting ready to confess, his face shifts to a stern expression as he looks down at the ground, the guilt weighing heavily upon his brow. Placing your index to his lips you stop him. No longer needing to hear those words of admission, you offer a new proposal instead.

“Maybe, but that was just one night. The thief might still come back. So if it’s alright with you I would like you to stay here. Until we can be sure they won’t return.”

Jungkook lets out a satisfied chuckle, pushing aside your finger and pulling you tighter into his warm embrace. “You’re right, I suppose it would be safer if I stayed.” His lips plant a kiss on the top of your head where he then rests his chin. “A temptation as enticing as this, shouldn’t be left alone and unattended.”

...

[drabbles-mc]

Nightfall

Angel Reyes x F!Reader

Inspired by Day 19 of the July Prompts: fireflies

Warnings: alcohol, language, light angst

Word Count: 2k

A/N: I really had no plan going into this fic and it completely took on a mind of its own. Truth be told I’m not totally sure what this is haha. Something in me is telling me I need to continue this storyline but I have no idea what I would do with it lol. I got a little into some feelings while writing this but I hope you guys enjoy it! xo

Angel Reyes Taglist: @helli4nthus​ @angelreyesgirl​ @starrynite7114​ @queenbeered​ @sincerelyasomebody​ @sadeyesgf​ @thesandbeneathmytoes​ @appropriate-writers-name​ @tomhardydallasstarsgirl​ @sillygoose6969​ @beardburnsupersoldiers​ @louisianalady​ @gemini0410​ @paintballkid711​ @chibsytelford​ @yourwonkywriter​ @sesamepancakes​ @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead​ @plentyoffandoms​ @georgiaaintnopeach​ @twistnet​ @garbinge​ @bucky-iss-bae​ @enjoy-the-destruction​ @withmyteeth​ @encounterthepast​ @lilacyennefer​ @rosieposie0624​ @mylittlelonelyappreciationtoo​ @mijop​ @xladymacbethx​ @blessedboo​ @holl2712​ @lakamaa12​ @masterlistforimagines​ @luckyharley1903​ @kkim120​ @toni9​ @shadow-of-wonder​ @black-repunzel99​ @crowfootwrites​ @redpoodlern​ @lexondeck​ @mrsstevenbuchananstark​ @berniesilvas​ @lovebishoplosamiguelgalindo​ @amorestevens​

The air was warm still despite the fact that the sun had set a little while before. It was just you and Angel sitting on the back steps at his house. There wasn’t a whole lot to see back there, but it was nice to not be looking directly into the next row of houses. You were mirroring each other’s position—leaning forward with your forearms resting on your knees, beer bottle loosely held in your hands. Neither of you had said anything for a little bit, content to just listen to the sound of the wind blowing and the scattered noises of whatever critters were brave enough to come out at night in Angel’s edge-of-civilization neighborhood.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been somewhere so quiet,” you finally broke the silence.

He chuckled, “Oh yea?”

You nodded, taking a sip of your beer before continuing, “Moved from one apartment complex to the next with my family growing up. Traded in one city for another over and over again. It was never quiet—there was always some kind of chaos happening.”

“There’s still chaos,” he smiled and playfully bumped your shoulder with his.

You laughed, “I guess. Just, you know, different kind of chaos. It’s nice to not have chaos at home.”

Your tone was light enough but he could see the faraway look in your eyes and he knew that you were thinking about all the different homes and lives you lived growing up before you somehow landed in Santo Padre. Truthfully, he had always wondered how it came to be, but he never had the courage to ask.

“Hey,” he started, a tentative hesitation in his voice, “I was, uh, thinkin’ tha—”

His sentence was cut short by the sound of your gasp, followed by you eagerly setting your beer bottle off to the side and jumping up off the steps. His brows furrowed in confusion as he stood and followed you down off the steps, his long legs easily and quickly closing the distance that you’d put between the two of you. The dew on the short, unkept lawn slicked the bottoms of your bare feet but you didn’t care. Angel saw the smile on your face as you headed towards the tree-line and stood back to watch what you did.

“This is gonna sound stupid,” you were speaking to him despite the fact that you weren’t turning around to face him, “but I’ve never actually seen these in real life.”

“Seen what?”

“Fireflies,” you got closer to the edge of his tiny little yard as you tried to guess where the little creature was going to blink next.

“Really?” he sounded genuinely shocked.

“Something tells me that they hate the city chaos as much as I do,” you chuckled as you reached, trying to cup one in your hands and failing.

“EZ and I used to catch these little fuckers all the time when we were kids,” he found his place next to you.

“Yea?”

He nodded, “Yea. For the longest time I wanted him to smush one and use it as face paint on me but he never did.”

You laughed and shoved him lightly, “That’s awful!” you paused, “Why didn’t you just do it?”

“’Cause that’s fuckin’ gross. I don’t want dead bug all over my hands,” he chuckled.

“Just all over your face?” you raised an eyebrow, shaking your head before returning to the task at hand, “How’d you do it?”

“What?”

“Catch them.”

You could see the focus take over his features as he looked around, trying to find one, “Gotta try and see their fat little bodies when they aren’t lit up,” he brought his hands up, expertly cupping them around something that you couldn’t quite see, “Because if you try to catch them when they blink they’re already gonna be gone.”

He nodded for you to come closer as he lowered his delicately cupped hands. A smile spread across his face when he saw the excitement in your eyes. He partially opened his hands at the top so you could peek in, your eyes lighting up as you watched the tiny creature blink inside the enclosed space of his large hands.

“Wanna hold it?”

You shook your head, “I wanna catch my own.”

He smiled, nodding his head, “Alright,” he opened up his hands and it took off into the night, blinking every so often as it got farther and farther away.

Angel was content to stand back and watch you walk back and forth along the perimeter of the little plot of land that passed for his backyard. He crossed his arms over his chest, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips as you tried again and again to catch one of the little bugs. Each time you came so close, but not quite close enough to succeed. He noticed that you weren’t getting frustrated, though. And, honestly, he had the feeling that you had completely tuned out the rest of the world. He could’ve been trying to talk to you the entire time and you wouldn’t have heard a single thing.

He heard the snapping of a twig underneath your foot and realized that you were halfway into the trees on your expedition. The thought of you running barefoot through the little spit of woods was entertaining, but the last thing he wanted to happen was you splitting your foot open on something. He walked over and slid his hand into yours, giving you a slight tug and bringing you back to reality.

You allowed him to back you up a little bit before picking a new target to focus on, one that hopefully wouldn’t evade you like the last few had. Your eyes had adjusted better to the darkness, and you figured this was going to be your best shot at it.

You slowly crept up on one, like the sound of you was what was going to scare it away. Angel was biting back a chuckle as he watched you crouch slightly, feet moving slowly and deliberately across his lawn. You spread your arms wide, hands cupped in the optimal bug-catching position. Your face was contorted in focus as you slowly but surely brought your hands closer together.

Connecting your hands, you gasped as you spun back around to Angel, a giant smile on your face as you ran over to him, nearly slipping and falling in the process. He chuckled as you skidded to a stop in front of him, practically bouncing on the balls of your feet.

“I think I got it!”

“Take a look, querida,” his tone was softer than you expected it to be given your excitement in the situation.

You opened your hands just the slightest bit, and were greeted with the yellow glint of the firefly in your hands. You squealed, cupping your hands back together. You looked at Angel expectantly, “Do you have a jar I could put it in?”

He smiled, “I’ll see what I got,” he pressed a light kiss to the side of your head before walking back towards the house.

He reemerged a minute later with a mason jar and a paper plate. He held the jar out to you, “Put it in here, then I’ll flip it and set it on the plate.”

You nodded, trying very carefully to get the bug into the jar without it flying away. You quietly clapped your hands together when Angel flipped the jar over and set it on the surface of the little table on the deck. You immediately sat down, crossing your arms on the table and resting your chin on them. Angel sat down across from you, elbow propped and chin set in the palm of his hand as he watched you watch the firefly.

It flitted around the jar, not landing, but not bumping into the sides either. Angel saw the wonder in your eyes and while he found it endearing, he also felt a heaviness settling on his chest that he couldn’t quite explain. There was an innocence in your expression and your excitement that directly juxtaposed itself with all the things he knew that you were capable of, things that you probably had to go through to get to the point where you were at now.

“So what did you do?” he finally asked.

“Hm?” you raised your eyebrows but kept your gaze fixed on the bug in the jar.

“In the city. What’d you do for fun as a kid?”

Your eyes flicked over to him for a moment, trying to gauge his emotion, “Not a hell of a lot,” you answered honestly.

Your mind flashed back to tiny little one-bedroom apartments, loud neighbors, sirens blaring down the street. It was hot, but not the way it was in Santo Padre—back then the heat felt heavy, and filthy. You had nowhere to go, nothing to do but wait for something else to happen that made you all pack up and move to the next place that felt exactly like all the others.

Angel saw the tears gathering in your eyes and he knew that you didn’t notice them. He could see it in your eyes that you were somewhere else entirely as your eyes followed the bug inside the jar. He didn’t know what to say, if he was even supposed to say anything in a moment like that. He was about to reach out and rest his hand on your arm when you sat upright, shaking your head slightly as you blinked away the tears.

You could see it on his face that he was going to try having a conversation about it all, but you weren’t up for that just yet. You watched the firefly in the jar for a few more seconds before placing your hand on the bottom of the jar, curling your fingers around it. Taking a deep breath, you lifted it up and watched as the small bug found its way out and took off, leaving nothing but a trial of blips in its wake.

Something resembling a smile was tugging at the corners of your mouth as you set the jar back down. You drummed your fingers along the glass sides, lost in thought again. Angel watched as each emotion crossed your face, and he wished that he could get a glimpse of what was going on inside your head.

“It’s alright, you know,” he said, dragging you back to the present.

“What?”

“You can…you can be honest with me. If shit wasn’t good you can tell me that. You’re not gonna scare me off. I get that family can be…rough.”

You chuckled dryly, “Rough. Right.”

He could see your walls going back up and he knew that there was no getting to the bottom of it tonight. Reaching, he placed his hand on top of yours and gave it a light squeeze, “I’m glad you made it here.”

You could tell by the look in his eyes that he was being sincere. Taking your other hand, you placed it over his, “I’m glad too.”

“If you think that catching fireflies is fun,” Angel smiled as he shook his head, “One time EZ came home with a whole fuckin’ hare.”

“A what?”

“A hare. Ears were this big I fuckin’ swear,” he held his hands dramatically far apart to indicate the size the animal’s ears has been.

You laughed, shaking your head, “I don’t believe you.”

“Ask him next time you see him,” he got up and grabbed both of your beer bottles from the step and handing yours to you before drinking from his own, “Pops was pissed.”

“I can imagine,” you smiled.

As you listened to Angel tell you other stories of antics that he and his little brother got into, you felt the heaviness of your own memories beginning to subside for the time being. It was easy to get lost in the way that Angel’s eyes crinkled slightly when he laughed and smiled, the way that he spoke with his hands. You pressed the bottle to your lips as you listened, your eyes straying every now and then to the fireflies flitting around in the background, blinking in and out of existence.

[fridayfirefly]

Retirement

Read Retirement on AO3

Masterlist

For Maribat March Day 21 - Domestic Bliss

The first time Marinette and Garfield ever discussed retirement was before they even started dating. For superheroes, retirement was just a fact of life. One day, if you make it long enough, you'll put down the suit and you'll never pick it up again. Maybe someone will take your place. Hopefully, no one will need to. But no matter how strong you are, not even if you're Superman in his prime, the simple fact was that someday you would retire.

"What do you think you'll do after you retire?" Marinette mused to Garfield. Out of all the Titans, Marinette spent the most time around Gar, simply because the two of them spent a lot of time in the living room. Marinette liked the ambient noise that his video games provided when she worked on her projects, and Gar liked to have someone to talk to while he played. Most of Marinette's current focus was on the embroidery in her hands, as she stitched vines running down the sleeves of her shirt, but she still took the time to start a conversation with Gar.

"I dunno..." Gar glanced up from the game he was playing. "What'll you do once you give up being Ladybug."

"That's a tough question. I used to think that I wanted to run a big fashion company, like Agreste Fashion, but now I think I want something a little more low-key. In my ideal future, I own a little boutique where I make custom clothing. There would be a fabric store and a café on the same block as me, and I would never have to leave the neighborhood."

"That sounds nice. I think I might try going to college and see where that takes me. I applied to Jump City University right before Christmas, and they accepted me. If I went, I would start classes in the fall.”

Marinette’s head jerked up as she gave Gar her full, undivided attention. “I’m going to JCU next fall!” she exclaimed excitedly. “We might have classes together. What are you planning on majoring in?”

Gar shrugged, “JCU has a veterinary program that I'm interested in. I'd be taking animal behavior, biology, chemistry, and a whole bunch of other science classes.”

“That’s so cool!”

“It’s nothing much. I didn’t expect them to accept me, anyway.”

Gar seemed oddly subdued about the idea of going to college. He was a naturally enthusiastic person, which made it very out of character for him to be so dismissive. It worried Marinette. “No, you deserve praise for your accomplishment. Jump City University is a very selective school.”

“I’m not a genius. I’m just me.”

“You’re smart, Gar, I know you are. Getting accepted to JCU is just one of the many reasons why you are brilliant.”

“Are you gonna name them all for me?” joked Gar.

His question was rhetorical, just a joke, but Marinette wasn't finished convincing Gar that he deserved all the praise in the world. “For starters, you can finish any video game in less than a day. Even the ones where you need logic and strategy, you fly right through them. Secondly, you’re a genius when it comes to animals. And it’s not just because of your superpower. You taught yourself animal behavior so that you could blend in with the animals you’re imitating. Thirdly, you pretend not to be invested in politics, but I’ve seen how you keep yourself informed about environmental policies and activism. You really care about the planet. Fourthly-“

"Alright, Buginette,” laughed Gar, a slight blush on his cheeks. “You’ve proven your point.”

Marinette set her embroidery down on the coffee table and moved to Gar's couch. "Is this game multiplayer?"

"Yep. Do you want to play a few rounds?"

"Hmm... I think I could spare a few minutes to kick your butt."

"Please. I'm going to squash you like the little bug you are."

"You wish!"

----------

The next time Marinette and Gar discussed retirement was well after they started dating. They got together in their Junior year at JCU after spending two years in relationship limbo, with both too nervous to make the first move. They finally confessed their feelings for each other after Dick and Starfire locked them in a closet together until they admitted that they liked each other. They graduated college as a couple, with Gar planning on attending veterinary school and Marinette planning on starting up her fashion business. That summer they spent a lot of time talking about the future.

"I've been thinking of recruiting someone to take over as Ladybug," remarked Marinette as she cuddled up next to Gar on the couch.

"Really? Who do you have your eye on?" asked Gar.

"Wonder Woman recently took on a new protege, Cassie Sandsmark. The Ladybug Miraculous already has some connections to Wonder Woman and her home of Themyscira. Her mother, Queen Hippolyta, was a wielder of the Ladybug Miraculous for quite some time."

"If you gave up the Miraculous would you still fight crime?"

Marinette shook her head. "I think it might be time to give up crimefighting. It's been ten years since I took up the Ladybug Miraculous to fight Hawkmoth, and six years since Hawkmoth was defeated. I wasn't ready to give up that responsibility then, but I think I'm ready now."

"When would you give up the Miraculous?"

"Soon. I talked to Wonder Woman about it last week and she's enthusiastic about the idea. I would need to spend some time getting to know Cassie, just to make sure she's a good fit, and Tikki would need to vet her as well, but I have a good feeling that she'll pass any tests of character we put her through." Marinette turned to face Gar. "I didn't want to make any concrete decisions before I talked to you. I know that we've always fought crime together, but I'm ready to move on with my life. I'm ready to retire."

Gar nodded. "I understand and I fully support your decision. I've been considering leaving the Titans as well. I know I could continue living in the Tower and attend veterinary school at JCU, but last week I got an acceptance letter from UC Davis for their School of Veterinary Medicine."

Marinette's eyes widened. "Gar, that's amazing! I remember looking into UC Davis when you were applying, and their program is nationally ranked."

Gar grinned. "The best in the country. It's too good to pass up."

"You have to go!" exclaimed Marinette. "This is your dream!"

"I think I'll send in my acceptance tomorrow," decided Gar. "Maybe we can go to Davis this weekend and scout out an apartment."

"And fabric stores," chimed in Marinette.

Gar laughed. "Anything for you, Buginette."

----------

The final time Marinette and Gar discussed retirement was years later. Marinette and Gar had gotten married and had moved back to Jump City. Marinette opened her fashion boutique, which had very quickly exploded in popularity. Gar started working for a non-profit veterinary clinic, which provided free veterinary services to lower-income neighborhoods. They had both achieved their dreams, and yet neither seemed content with their lives.

"Maybe we just need a change of scenery," suggested Marinette, leaning her head against Gar as they both sat on the beach watching the sunset. "I'm so tired of the city."

"Maybe," said Gar. "It would be nice to have a house with a backyard, rather than just an apartment."

Marinette sighed. "I know that I always said that I wanted to be the owner of a successful boutique, but this wasn't really what I had in mind. I'm so busy that I feel like I never get to spend any time with you anymore. Every day my inbox is filled with emails asking me to sell my company or expand to more locations. I'm tired of it. My passion is for making clothes, not running a business."

"I know how you feel. Every day I encounter another neglectful pet owner who brings their animal to the clinic for help but refuses to listen to me when I tell them that they need to change the way they treat their animal. It's exhausting."

"We could both just quit our jobs and move into the woods," joked Marinette.

Gar nodded, but he wasn't joking. "I've actually been thinking about that. There are a lot of remote regions with a real need for veterinary practices to provide medical assistance for the farm animals out there. I would feel a lot more useful taking care of animals that don't have anyone else."

Marinette turned to face Gar. "I wouldn't mind moving. I've been sending all of the offers to buy my boutique straight to my email archive, but I'm sure if I looked through them all I could find someone who would be able to take care of the business aspect of Ladybug Designs. I could retire from the business and design on my own time, when the inspiration strikes, instead of forcing myself to churn out design after design."

"You really wouldn't mind?" asked Gar, a hopeful look on his face.

Marinette shook her head. "I was serious about moving out of the city. There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while, but I've been waiting for the right moment. I think that moment is now. Gar, I'm pregnant."

The deer-in-the-headlights look on Gar's face was comical, to say the least. Marinette giggled, "Well?"

Gar snapped back to reality, transforming into an elephant, trumpeting his joy. He turned back into himself and wrapped his arms around Marinette. "I'm so happy! This is the best news I could have ever heard, Buginette. Now we have to move. I want our kid to have a backyard and a dog and a big driveway where I can teach them how to ride a bike and a pond where they can swim in the summer-"

Marinette cut Gar off with a kiss. "One thing at a time," she giggled.

"I think this will be the best decision we have ever made," declared Gar.

Marinette agreed. "I think that partial retirement will be good for us."

----------

This was bliss. The feeling of grass under Marinette’s bare feet as she walked back to the house from the lake, hand in hand with Gar. The sound of their daughter's laughter as she danced around them, catching fireflies. The taste of homemade apple pie and vanilla ice cream, eaten rebelliously early as Gar proclaimed, "Dessert before dinner!" The sight of the stars up above them, no light pollution to mask the beauty of the heavens. The sound of Gar's voice, whispering, "I love you, Buginette," into Marinette's ear. And as Marinette settled into her husband's arms, she knew for certain that retirement was the best decision she had ever made.

@maribatmarch-2k21

[s-creations]

Oh, That Imagination

Kids will always have active imaginations. But how the adult handles it depends on what the child is afraid of.

Fandom: DuckTales 2017 / The Three Caballeros         Rating: General Audience         Relationships/Pairings:  José  Carioca/Donald Duck/Panchito Pistoles Additional Tags: Growing up, Uncles with their Nephews, Facing Fears, Worries, hunting a creature, Krampus (character), giving a speech, watching a scary movie, protecting the boys, the passing of time, names OCs.

Part of a Series Called: We’re the Three- Sorry, Six Caballeros!

Author Note: I finished Student Teaching and passed my Content Test, so I’m getting back into writing! I do have a new job lined up for the school year. We’ll see how consistent I stay with uploading. XD

“Unca Donald, Unca Donald, Unca Donald!”

 Even with the loud warning call, Donald still staggers when something blue collides against his leg. “Dishes! I’m doing dishes. Go and sit on the counter please.”

 6-year-old Dewey gave a quick nod before clamoring up. The older duck impressed by how quickly the duckling could climb. 

 “Now, what can I help you with?”

 “Benny said there’s a-a monster living in the sewage of Duckberg! I wanna go catch it!”

 Donald let out a low hum as he washed the soap from the glass. This was twice in two weeks that neighbor Benny had told some story about some ‘creature’ they had seen. Dewey, always on the lookout for new adventures, ate each story up with determination and gusto.

 “I see, very interesting. What does this monster look like?”

 “Like...Like an alligator. Only bigger!”

 “Ooooh, that sounds scary. And you’re going to catch them all by yourself?”

 “Yep!”

 “Well, aren’t you brave. Are you going to bring them back to be studied for science?”

 “I’m gonna do it to rub it in Huey’s face. Cuz he says the creature isn’t real. But I’m gonna prove him wrong!” 

 “It sounds like your afternoon is full.”

 “It sure is! Oh, wait, I wanted to ask you if we have a large net that I could use?”

 “I don’t think we have a ‘large’ net. You’ll have your bug catching net.”

 Dewey let out a contemplative hum. Hand resting on his cheek while his pointer finger tapped out some unknown tempo. A habit he picked up from José. “That’s not great. But I suppose it’ll have to do.”

 “Look at you compromising. What are you going to use as bait?”

 “Do we have any old lunch meat?”

 “No and you’re not using what we have in the fridge.”

 “You’re ruining the search Unca Donald! I need bait.”

 “How about you take Tio Panchito with you? He had to help his grandpa search for farm animals when they got out of their pens. Didn’t have to use bait to get those animals back.”

 “Tio worked on a farm?” Dewey’s eyes lit up hearing this new piece of information.

 “Spent a few childhood Summers there.”

 “What did he do?”

 “Why don’t you go and ask him? I’m sure he would be more than happy to share stories with you and your brothers.”

 “Okay, bye Unca Donald! I’m gonna learn about cows!”

 Donald silently laughed as Dewey raced out of the kitchen. Childhood stories continued during dinner and only ended when the triplets were put to bed. 

 “So...should I question why Dewey furiously ran at me this afternoon? All while screaming his demands for me to tell stories?” The rooster asked as Donald joined him and José on the living room couch. 

 “Apparently, Benny had seen some ‘creature’ in the sewer system. Dewey determined that he was going to hunt said being down. I told him you would help in the search because you’ve helped with finding lost farm animals. That caught his attention and now you know the outcome.” Donald sighed as he leaned against the other, relaxing. 

 “Do you think the thrill of the hunt will call out to Dewey tomorrow?”

 “We’ll see.” Donald replied back simply.

 The hunt did not call out the next day. Dewey focused on creating a backyard zoo, he didn’t have time to worry about some creature. A few days later, a pet iguana was rescued from the neighborhood sewers. It appears Benny had actually seen something. It just wasn’t the towering creature he’d claimed before.

 ________________

 The holidays were busy for all the adults in the household. Donald focused on getting the shopping done and holding down the fort while the ducklings raced around during their school break. Gleefully talking about Santa and what present they’re excited most about. José would be gone for weeks on end leading up to December 25, helping with numerous flights to make sure he had that day off. Starting from October through December, this time saw Panchito with booked weekends of different performances to help get other families into the festive feeling. 

 Even with having busy and exhausting schedules, they made sure to make time for the triplets. Baking, decorating the house, helping them pick out gifts for the other family members. Every year it was the goal to keep the ducklings as happy as possible.

 Which is why Panchito became worried when 7-year-old Louie started acting...strange. Almost what the rooster would call ‘stressed’.

 The duckling had started being overly helpful around the house. Doing more tasks than what would be required. Going out of his way to ask if he could help. And, most worriedly, he’d become quiet. Not in his normal way of just relaxing in front of the television. But almost fearful that he was being listened to by some unseen stranger. Eyes even darting around as he moved through the apartment. 

 Unfortunately, Panchito wasn’t able to approach this possible problem until a weekend late into the duckling’s break. 

 The rooster let out a sigh as he collapsed onto the couch. Thankful that he was done until the New Year’s celebrations he had the coming weekend. But he was able to relax for the rest of the week to celebrate Christmas. Cautious footsteps drawing closer caused Panchito to open his eyes. Finding Louis standing nervously in the middle of the room.

 “Hola Louie, what can I do for you?”

 “Um, do you need me to get you anything?”

 Panchito raised a brow. “No, I’m fine. Why don’t you join me until dinner’s ready?”

 “Oh, um, that’s okay. Maybe I should see if Uncle Donald needs any help.”

 “You’re on break. Why don’t you just sit for a while?” The duckling frowned, eyes darting around before settling onto the couch. Still tense. “So, how has school been? I haven’t heard you and your brothers talk about it for a while.” 

 “Uh...good.”

 “Just good? ...Try out any new schemes lately? I know Uncle Donald isn’t so thrilled when you do that. But you always have such clever ideas, makes me laugh.”

 “Nope, I’ve been good! No crazy plans from me!” 

 Panchito sat up a little more when Louie started shouting at the ceiling. “Okay Louie, what’s going on. Are you feeling okay? Did something happen at school?”

 The duckling dressed in green wrung his hands as he peered around. 

 “...Abby told me about the Krampus…” Louie eventually whispered.

 “The who?” 

 “The Krampus! He’s the opposite of Santa Claus! A big creature with long horns and wears a cloak! And he comes after bad boys and girls! He takes them away in his large, greasy bag and they’re never seen again and-” 

 “Okay, Louie, come here. You’re getting yourself worked up.” Panchito easily and quickly moved the duckling onto his lap. Wrapping arms around the smaller form to help keep Louie grounded. “Breath with me. We’re going to take a few deep breaths, okay?”

 Louie gave two quick nods. They remained this way for a few minutes, Panchito holding the duckling close and controlling his breathing for Louie to follow. The rooster only pulled away when Louie had calmed down enough to talk. “Okay, so, you were told a scary story. Why are you worried?”

 “Because he goes after bad kids and I know I’m...not good.”

 “Why would you say that? You’re a wonderful kid!”

 “But I get the most detentions and I’m lazy and I know I don’t do my homework when I need to and-”

 ‘Louie… Yes, we would like you to work a little harder than what you do now.  But you’re not bad. You...take risks. You have a point of view that I’ve never seen before. You’re a clever kid. And, well, between you and me.”

 Panchito leaned closer. Louie’s eyes widened with curiosity. “You fight the system and you don’t let them beat you down.” 

 “...Does that mean I don’t have to wash the dishes?”

 “Don’t push your luck. What I’m trying to say is that you’re not bad. You just think differently than others. Plus, if you’re this worried, this might be a sign you should help out more. But I doubt any Krampus will come after you.”

 “Really?”

 “Really… Also, you know your uncles and I would beat up any creature who dares try to hurt you.” 

 Louie laughed. Beaming and squirming as Panchito placed a kiss on his cheek. Christmas Day arrived with no mysterious creatures knocking in their front door. Louie was still safely tucked away in his bed. Joining his brothers with running out to the living room and unwrapping presents. Curling next to Panchito as all enjoyed the afternoon glow while watching a marathon of movies.

 ________________

 Huey took to the Junior Woodchucks like a duck to water.

 From day one it became a large part of his identity. He carried his handbook around with him everywhere. Writing his own notes and entries to add to the already thick volume. Gleefully patting his knees as he patiently waited for whatever uncle was going to take him to the weekly meetings. Even learning how to iron his uniform to keep it in tip top shape. 

 Dewey may complain that the eagerness was annoying. But nothing seemed to damper Huey’s spirit.

 Until Huey was tasked to write a speech. As he was top ranked among the troop, he was given the honor of addressing the new member that would be joining that year. A banquet being held with the duckling presenting a speech of his own at the beginning of the event. The duckling was absolutely thrilled at first. Telling everyone he could about the great honor bestowed onto him. 

 All in the family thought he would triumph over this just like many other things in his life. 

 José was humming softly one evening, making his way to the kitchen when he heard sniffing coming from the bathroom. The door opened a crack and, taking a risk, José peered in. He found 8-year-old Huey, curled up by the tub and far away from the door. A stack of paper was at the duckling’s feet. Red rimmed eyes glaring at said stack. 

 “Huey?”

 Said duckling’s head snapped up hearing José. Wiping his eyes frantically. “T-Tio José…”

 “Criança doce, what is wrong?” José  entered, leaving the door open in case Huey wanted out.

 The duckling sniffed weakly. “...I’m scared.”

 “Of what?”

 “My speech…”

 José frowned, knowing how excited Huey had been only a few days ago. “Can you tell me what you are scared about?”

 Huey let out another sniff. His hand starting to hit the side of the tub as time went on. Which José put a stop to by reaching out to take the duckling’s hand. “I’m scared...that people are going to laugh at me. I keep practicing my speech to make it perfect and I read a bunch of tips but… All I can think about is messing up and people mocking me. Then my scout leader will see me as a failure and strip me of my badges and-”

 The parrot pulled the duckling closer, humming a lullaby softly. Huey instantly clung to José, burying himself away in his guardian’s chest. It took a few minutes before the duckling finally relaxed, slumped against the older, hand still keeping a good grip on José's shirt. 

 “Huey, I would like for you to listen to me. Can you do that for me?” José received a nod, “I will help you with your speech. But you have nothing to worry about. Your scout leader seems to be nothing of the kind who would take away what you’ve achieved. And no one will laugh. We all know you will be doing your best.”

 “...But what if my best isn’t enough?”

 “It always will be Huey. Never doubt that.” José peered up hearing the floorboards creek. Finding Donald standing in the doorway wearing a look of worry. The parrot gave a quick shake of his head. A silent message that he had a handle on the situation. Donald gave a nod of his own before sneaking off. “Feeling better?”

 “...A little. I’m still scared.” 

 “That is fine. How about we make some cookies? I think I saw your Uncle Donald heading that way before. And while we are doing that, you can show me your speech.” 

 Huey sniffed weakly. Pulling back slightly to look up at José. “Chocolate chip?”

 “Of course.”

 The duckling smiled weakly and nodded. Donald greeted the two with wide arms and a smile when they walked in. Huey beamed as he was picked up and given a sturdy hug from his other uncle as José started the process. But uncles gave Huey their undivided attention when he gave his speech. The other members of the family joined them as the cookies started to bake. Dewey and Louie keeping their ‘helpful’ comments to themselves and clapping along when Huey finished. 

 At the night of the banquet, Huey beamed as he gave a flawless speech. His family cheered the loudest.

 ________________

 “This is such a bad idea.” 

 9-year-old Louie huffed, rolling his eyes as Huey bemoaned at his flawless plan. “If you’re going to be a stick in the mud, then don’t watch.”

 “But I want to see it.”

 “Then what’s the issue?”

 “The movie is PG-13! We need parental guidance to watch.”

 “You know they won’t let us watch.” Dewey added.

 “But-”

 “You get two options here Hubert,” Louie interrupted. One hand holding up a finger to keep Huey quiet. The other holding the latest zombie movie that had just recently been release to DVD, “You either watch with your mouth shut. Or you leave and keep your mouth shut in the bed while you listen to the amazingness that is this movie from the closed doors. What’s it going to be?”

 Huey frowned. But he ‘zipped’ his bill closed and crossed his arms. Which the green-hoodied triplet took as keeping his mouth shut. With a nod, Louie popped the movie in and sat next to his brothers. All three were huddled together in the closet. Eyes glued to the small t.v. screen that was crammed in with them as well. The movie menu soon appeared and Dewey pressed play.

  Donald let out a content sigh as he relaxed further between his partners. Panchito clinging to him as Donald’s head was tucked under the rooster’s chin. While José was curled up at Donald’s side, using the duck’s chest as a pillow. That night was quiet and calm. There was a weekend ahead of them that was just filled with nothing. A relaxing time with his partners and kids. It was going to be great…

 A chorus of screams sounded from the triplet’s room. All adults were up and racing out in only a few seconds. Even hard to wake José was on full alert. Donald reached the door first, flinging it open. Fully expecting to see an intruder standing in the middle of the bedroom. Only to find Huey and Louie, sobbing as they clung to each other on the younger triplet’s bed. Dewey was waving his plastic sword  at the open closet. His entire being was shaking as wide, fearful eyes were on the open space. 

 “What is going on here?” Donald called out over the noise. 

 “There’s a zombie in the closet!” Louis answered.

 “It touched me!” Huey added.

 “I’m fighting it off!” Dewey finished. 

 “What- okay- Dewey stop swinging that around!” Panchito walked over and pulled the sword from the duckling. Collecting the blue cladded triplet as he continued to shake.

 Donald gathers the other two. Both of them desperately slings to the protection that was their uncle. José took to the closet, making sure it was empty. The parrot raised a brow, finding the t.v. that was still on and playing a movie. 

 He reached in to eject the movie and brought it out for the other two to see. “Donald.”

 The duck looked it over. Frowning, seeing the topic, letting out a slow breath. It was clear the triplets were in no condition to have a stern talking to. Plus, he was honestly too tired to worry about it at the moment. “Okay...let’s go back to our room.”

 The other two adults nodded. José turned off the lights as he was the last to leave the boy’s room. Donald rested himself back into the middle of the bed, only with more bodies pressed around him. Panchito cleverly left the bedside light on before he laid down on the bed, Dewey resting on his chest. The triplets flinched when José walked in.

 “It is just me.” The parrot assured. 

 Donald let out a sigh as he gently preened the top of each head. “You’re safe here. Nothing’s going to get you.”

 The bed was pressed further down as José laid down. Huey clamoring over into the parrot’s hold. Donald was free to wrap both arms around Louie. Three voices began to hum a familiar lullaby in hope of calming the triplets further. Even with their comforting presence, it took awhile for the three to fall asleep. It was not the way Donald wanted to start his weekend. But he should have known nothing he plans ever goes his way. Even with this hiccup, he was happy to have his family close. Falling asleep with a smile on his face.

 Donald was able to take his pent up frustration on the idiot who had allowed children to rent a horror movie. Panchito coming as back up to make sure the duck didn’t kill anyone.  

[xplr-beauty]

Ateez: August Dates ~ Week Two

Second part to the Ateez date series! (If you haven't read the first part, it's fine they aren't super connected)

Also it's 4:24a.m. and I did not proof read so sorry for any mistakes I am the tired.

Hongjoong:

Drive-In Movie

You and Hoongjoong got dressed up and headed to the store to buy snacks for your movie night

One of your favorite movies was playing at a park near your house and your boyfriend thought it would be fun to take you to go see it

At the store you guys raced through the aisles to get all the snacks and drinks you wanted, then to checkout in a hurry so you wouldn't be late for the movie

Hongjoong kept telling you to calm down and relax, saying you have plenty of time before the film starts as he laughs at you softly and slowly looks at all the options just to annoy you a bit

You would pull at his arm telling him to just hurry up and pick a snack so y'all could go, at this he would tease you with a 'hmm but maybe I want this snack? Or to try this one?" As he grabbed several packages and read the ingrediates in them very slowly

You would pout a little, or give him an angry glare, either way it would be enough to make him hurry up and choose a snack much faster

Finally leaving the store you guys drove to the park that the movie was being held at, everything was set up old school cinema style and looked pretty retro and 50-60's themed

Making it in plenty of time before the movie started, Hongjoong drove up to the perfect spot and parked the car asking you if you'd rather sit inside the car and watch or if you wanted to sit on the trunk/outside of the car

Whichever you decide, you guys began setting up.

OUTSIDE THE CAR: Hongjoong took the blankets and laid them out on the hood or back of the car while you grabbed a couple pillows and set them up. Joong took out the snacks and set them between you guys before picking you up and sitting you down on the car, before sliding up beside you. He took an extra blanket and covered you up, asking if you were warm and comfortable. After you were ready to go, he laid his head down on you shoulder and leaned up just far enough to kiss your cheek

IN THE CAR: climbing into the backseat together, HongJoong plopped his feet up onto the middle console and you laid your legs over his lap. He pulled you onto his chest and got you all comfy, he made sure you had plenty of blankets, sat the snacks within arms reach, got whatever else you needed set up for you before he wrapped his arm around your shoulder and began eating snacks while staring at the screen waiting for the movie to start

Soon, the movie began to play!!

You guys laughed together, said the lines in perfect timing with the characters, he pointed out his favorite part "ah, this is my favorite scene!" With an excited squeel like tone as he edged closer to the screen a bit

Every now and then he would kiss the top of your head or feed you some of the snacks, offer you some drink silently or squeeze your shoulder/hand just as a reminder he's there

Once the movie was over he 'woow'd the film and complimented it, discussing the film with you before cleaning up the mess and either walking around with you for a bit or driving you straight home if you were too tired

If you fall asleep on the drive home, he'll be in pure heaven with how adorable you are! He wouldn't even bother waking you, he would carry you straight to bed once you got home. (Even if you don't live together, he would also pay respects to your parents/roommates before he leaves thanking them for letting him carry you to bed so you didn't have to wake up from your precious dream) of course, he would leave you with a kiss on your forehead

Seonghwa:

Amusement Park

It's been a while since Seonghwa has been to a good amusement park but hearing you talking about them for weeks on end now, he feels like it would be wrong not to take you

Once you both have free time on a day of nice weather, Seonghwa would take you to a fairly new amusement park only a couple hours away

On the way to the park, you guys would decide what rides you were most excited to try out, discussing taking pictures together and eating some good food. You were both really excited

The worst part of the day was standing in the line to get into the park. You were so eager to go on rides and see the park it felt like hours before you got inside

Once in the park however, it was worth the wait! Everything was better than you imagined, more magical than you were expecting. Every single ride looked tempting, all the characters in the park walking around looked fun and so cool, there were little food stalls full of unique and aesthetically pleasing foods, you didn't know where to start.

Seonghwa pulled out his camera secretly while you were in awe of the park and he managed to snap an embarrassing photo of you in front of the entrance, in the photo you looked like you had drool running out of your gaped mouth in excitement!

Seonghwa pointed out three rides for you that were all at the entrance, suggesting you start with a ride to get your blood pumping before heading around the park

The first option was a Go-Kart themed bug mobile racing arena, the second a 'BATMAN' rollercoaster ride, and lastly the 'CYBORG' a 7 story high anti-gravity thrill ride

GO-KART: if you choose the Go-Kart racing, Seonghwa would chuckle slightly as he takes you by the hand and leads you through the crowd of people and towards the colorful building near by. Inside you both got to choose your carts, he got into a purple and orange spotted beetle with a silly face as you got into the one beside his. Seonghwa struggled to put on his seatbelt, looking around the kart in utter confusion. You roll your eyes a bit before hoping out and running over to help your man buckle up, teasing him lightly before getting back in your kart. Once the race started, you guys drove around the garden like track racing up and down the four lane track as you cheer and laugh as you pass by one another. The ride was short but oh so sweet! You would hollar at him a bit as he sped past you on the last lap, though you were able to quickly catch up!

BATMAN ROLLER COASTER: If you decide to pick the roller coaster, Seonghwa would nod in slight anxiousness as you run towards the ride and he follows after you slowly. After waiting in line for a good while with Seonghwa squeezing your hand beside you, its finally time to ride the coaster. Sitting beside you, he would shake the bar a bit to make sure it was locked in tight before the roller coaster began creaking it's way towards the tall climb. The ride was really cool and full of high top drops, loops, and swirls. Sometimes you were upside down, sometimes you were dropping down 15 feet at 50 miles per hour before going on a wingover corkscrew descent fast enough to plaster you to your seat

CYBORG: heading down to the metropolis section of the park that was close by, Seonghwa made a few jokes saying you may be too short to ride and teasing you a lot. However once you made it, it became clear you are not too short! Getting onto the gondola side by side, Seonghwa locks his harness in place and checks yours to make sure it's tight and secure enough, feeling very overprotective in this moment. Soon the ride would start lifting off the ground and spinning on all three axis flipping you guys upside down and all around as it goes fast and then faster and you fly head over heels. The ride had you laughing, maybe screaming, maybe aloud Maybe on the inside. It just had Seonghwa making that 'what am I doing with my life?' Face as he questions silently how the rest of the day will go. Soon the ride lowered to the ground and you were let out of your seats. You would ask Seonghwa if y'all could ride again as you teater totter side to side finding it hard to stay balanced on your own two feet

After this, you walk around for a bit and take photos, either with Characters or fancy props around the park

Between photographs, you two go on more interesting rides, maybe stop for food and some drinks. He takes you into a couple gift shops if they look interesting enough. Basically, he let you dictate the day for the most part

Every now and then he would go all 'mama Hwa' mode on you, yelling for you to stop running, telling you to take his hand as you walk through crowds so you don't get lost, squatting down to tie your shoes, wiping your face as you eat. He would pull you into a gift shop and purchase sunscreen, helping you apply it in the middle of the store saying its too hot and you're gonna get burned if you don't take precautions. He would scold you a bit if you hurt yourself before taking care of your injury for you. He was just, very protective! He even had you guys stand in the shade after every few rides just to make sure that you wouldn't over heat

As the day went by, you guys rode most of to every ride you wanted to go on, he bought you a few things you wanted even if you insisted he didn't have to. He got a keychain with your name on it to add to his key ring so he'd always have a piece of you with him

Before you guys went home, Seonghwa with you on his back and bags in his hand, he stopped to buy a year round pass so you could come back whenever you wanted to. Afterwards, he carried you to the car and buckled you in, kissing the top of your sleeping head and scolding you quietly for making him carry you (though he really didn't mind and he actually quite enjoyed it!)

It was quite dark when you guys ended up leaving and Seonghwa struggled a bit to drive the few hours home but every time he looked over and saw your peaceful face, he felt stronger and was able to get you home safely

Yunho:

Stargazing

You both were very excited to watch the stars together tonight, all day you walked around looking for the perfect spot which ended up being; the roof OR the garden in the backyard right

Either way, Yunho carried out blankets and set them up to make it more comfortable for you both, he also took out a telescope (if you chose backyard) to make things easier to see

BACKYARD: Wrapped in blankets and standing at the telescope, Yunho looked first in order to place it prefectly in a gorgeous spot before passing it to you to look through. You took turns using it, either him bending down to see little things as you gaze between him and the sky, or you looking through the scope as he holds your waist from behind

ROOF: Sitting on the roof together and pointing to different sections of the sky he traced random patterns out with his fingers, one eye squinted shut as he talks in a cartoon voice pretending the stars are cartoon characters and trying to make you laugh

Throughout the night you look for the constellations and Yunho 'helps' you look for them before eventually asking what they look like and what exactly should he be looking for cause all he can find is an octogon cluster, a few small hearts, Spongebon and Patrick playing leapfrog and a pirate hook

Upon successfully making you laugh, Yunho would grab you by the waist and lay both down together with you in his lap as you stare up at the stars and talk about how peaceful the night sky is

You share your dreams, talk a little about astrology, and discuss your future together as you hold hands and cuddle closely while crickets chirp quietly near by and the faint sound of an owls howl fills the air

Soon it begins to run and Yunho runs you inside so you don't get wet and sick before he grabs the blankets & other things to keep them from getting damaged and unusable

Inside together, you a little wet but mostly dry since he covered you with his body and Yunho soaked from head to toe, you guys both laugh a little

You pull out a towel you had grabbed while he was getting the blankets and things, and you immediately begin to pat him dry as you scold him for risking getting sick

"If I get sick it just means you'll have to nurse me back to health." He whispers a bit while staring into your focused eyes

Yeosang:

Skateboarding

At the skate park, Yeosang was teaching you how to skate (or teaching you a new trick if you already know how to skate)

He would demonstrate the steps going very slowly so you could learn and understand what he was doing before letting you try step by step

Teaching you how to kick off for this special move Yeosang would show you 2-3 times before helping you onto the board (if you need it) and watching you try to do the same thing he did as he follows semi close behind to help prevent you from falling off just in case

You guys would practice as many times as you needed too before you got it right and he would fist bump nothingness in excitement before cheering you on and letting you know he knew you would get this. "Yes, I knew you could get it! Fun isn't it?"

He would help you step by step repeating this as many times as possible until you learned the full trick, he would catch you every time you began to fall, teach you in different ways if he saw you struggling to much and even when he got frustrated he just took a deep breath and let you know he's proud of you even if you are struggling to get a hold of this

Once you finally nailed the trick he clapped and jumped up into the air cheering in joy for you before running over and pulling you into a big hug or high fiving you, or both as he shows that big smile of his and asks you to do the trick once more as he secretly records you and saves the video to a private file full of photos and videos that he has taken of you

Before you guys leave the park, you both free skate a bit, you may both stand on the skateboard together as he holds you waist and takes you around in a circle, or you may play a little game of skateboard tag together

If you get tired and want to sit for a bit Yeosang would ask of it was okay for him to skate alone or if you'd prefer he sat with you, he didn't want you to feel alone but he really wanted to skate as well and today was the perfect day for it

Eventually you guys leave hand in hand, Yeosang lets you ride his skateboard on the way back home as he holds your hands and guides you, confusing him as he skips the turn onto your street and instead leads you to the ice cream joint and pizza parlor near by insisting ice cream & pizza tastes best after skateboarding all day, you would have to agree to this!

San

Beach Volleyball

Playing volleyball together on the beach, you and San ran back and forth on your repsective sides chasing after the ball and taking turns hitting it back to each other

You both let out little grunts of exhaustion as you ran, occasionally you would fall and he would let out little laughs before going up to net and checking on you

You would get so happy when he fell so you could laugh back at him before checking on him

You both were being very competitive today not wanting to lose, but also not really keeping track of points

One time you went to hit the ball and it bounced off the net hitting you in the face instead. San laughed so hard he fell to the ground holding his ribs unable to breath, you laughed as well which is why he didn't feel bad for laughing

In the end, you were alright but slightly annoyed at your lovers behaviour

Soon, another couple came up and asked to play against you guys meaning you and San had to work together

You thought it would be really easy since you guys are dating after all meaning you know each other pretty well but uh no, no it wasn't so easy

Throughout the match you and San kept running into each other, accidentally tripping over one another, or just avoiding the ball all in all cause you thought the other one would get it

The couple asked for a lunch break, upon seeing you guys struggling

During lunch, you and San discussed your game plan, one of you would take the front the other would take the back and you would call out your moves as you went to hit the ball

After getting back to the game you again realised that maybe this isn't as easy as you thought

Yes, one of you took front the other took back and yes that made it easier but you both forgot to call out your moves ending in each of you chasing after the ball or running into each other

Eventually, you got things worked and you were able to work well together resulting in a good game! And a fun time

After the game once it began to get dark, the couple invited you to a beach bonfire and roasting food for dinner. San let decide what you guys should do, he was fine either way!

Mingi:

Driving Through the City

It was about 10pm and you and Mingi were driving around the city, blaring the radio and dancing as well as singing along to all your favorite times

As you drive past buildings you point out special memories together. "That's where we went to watch that musical for your birthday" he pointed to a Broadway studio. "We used to get ice cream over there when you were stressed and needed an escape from work!" You pointed towards an ice cream joint two buildings down

This continues for a while as you turn down random streets and explore the city lights and the beauty of the nightlife after hours. Suddenly 'Photograph' by Nickelback (or any song you like about fond memories) plays and you both sing along, or really belt out, the song while holding hands and being very dramatic and extra with your little car performance

The windows were down and your hair was flying all over the place, the sunroof was open and the moon was shining perfectly onto your face it was a picture perfect moment straight out of a music video or movie

Until Mingi handed you his phone and asked him to take a picture of him at a red light. "Make me look sexy!" He joked loudly as you laughed and rolled your eyes taking pictures of him and treating him like he's your own model "oh right there, ah yes, perfect! That's the one, okay I see you!" You cheered and complimented him making him turn red

Handing him back his phone Mingi asked "do I look shmexy baby?" He went all geeky on you but you still told him he looks perfect before asking why he cares so much just for him to reply with

"I'm sending these to a hot girl!"

You were turn to him so slowly and smack his arm so hard it turned red in an instant. You kept hitting him a bit and yelling at him asking who this 'girl' is as he only screams 'ow' repeatedly

Soon your phone dings and you back away slowly, turning to look at your phone to see he sent all the pictures to you, with some random lettering from his hand slipping between you smacking him

"YOU! You're my hot lady/baby. My sexy girl/man!" He faked cried as he held his arm before the light turned green and he started driving again

You kept apologising and laughing awkwardly, to which he would only stick his tongue out at you and 'tsk' at you

Soon he pulled over to a cookie place on a not so well corner of a secluded street, you guys come here a lot. They have the best white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies ever! And even better fudge chocolate cookies. Actually, all there cookies are bomb.

Getting out of the car and running over to Mingi you kiss up and down his sore arm as he opens the door and walks in after you

You guys order your cookies and grab some drinks before sitting on a staircase outside, Mingi makes you sit in his lap as your payback for the car incident. As you sit together he keeps begging for a bite of your cookie even though he ate all of his without sharing

You have to deal with his 'aaahhh's the whole time you eat, even if you did decide to share he would keep doing this with his mouth wide open like a baby bird

After eating, you walking up and down that one street hand in hand. Mingi usually runs ahead of you but with it being night time, he wanted to stay close by you in case something happened to you or someone came by

After your little walk y'all hop back into the car and finish up your drive home

Wooyoung:

Spa Day

You and Wooyoung decided to stay inside today

You made homemade face masks, that you are each currently wearing, you did foot soaks and you have him a massage as a way to relax him

Currently, Woo was laying on the floor on his tummy his legs crossed in the air as he hums and paints your toe nails his favorite color, black.

You were falling asleep on the sofa, laid back a towel in your hair that Wooyoung washed for you, your face mask on and cucumbers over your eyes. Your hands flat on top of news papers on either side of you, the polish on your finger nails still needing time to properly dry.

Wooyoung began to sing acapella softly belting out and singing one of your favorite songs as you lay there relaxed

After he finished painting your nails he set the heels of your feet up onto a fluffy cushion to give you the utmost comfort

Next he took a bottle of lotion/cream and began rubbing it into your legs, slowly massaging the lotion from your ankle and rolling it up your calves, behind your knee and back down again giving both of your legs a massage as he continued to sing

You whispered words of thanks that be smiled too and felt happy about

He moved onto your arms and shoulders after finishing your legs

After that you both washed your faces off and took silly pictures in the mirror before Wooyoung asked you to please do his eyebrows

YES: You hopped onto the sink counter, tweezers in your hand as you pulled your boyfriend closer to you. You began plucking away stray hairs and he began complaining about the pain while still asking you to keep going. You were as gentle as possible and finished soon

NO: If you don't feel comfortable with this you would simply explain to your boyfriend that his eyebrows are perfect and they don't need to be plucked or touched up.

Your Spa Day was full of relaxation and spending time with Wooyoung, win-win for you!

You end your day by cuddling together on the sofa/in bed and taking a nap together peacefully

Jongho:

Summer Festival

The two of you wore your flower crowns that you mafe each other at the last stall as you walked from stall to stall chucking out goods and participating in lots of activitred

They had an archery stall where if you won you got a teddy bear, it was really cute. A brown bear in a sunflower tutu wearing a sunflower crown

Another stall was for pottery, either making your own pot or you could buy someone else's

The booth next to that one was full of beads for making necklaces or bracelettes, there were a lot of tutorial sheets available to help out

Of course food stalls were located between booths - spread out of course but you did have options - from Indian food and some great Chicken Tikka or Tacos a few stalls down. A Korean stall offering tteokbokki and gimbap a little ways off, or you could eat at the food court on the other side of the festival

After visiting all the stalls that caught your eye, you and Jongho set up a blanket in the shade and sat down to play some card games and other games such as Mancala and whatever small game fit in his bag

After hours of playing games, maybe kicking a soccer ball back and forth, the concert finally began.

You guys turn to face the stage, your drinks in your hands as you lay together in the back away from everyone else

Mid concert you would stand up sort of wobbly and reach your hand out to Jongho, pulling him up and making him dance with you as you laugh with him side by side

You both had fun as you swirled in circle to the melody, waved your hands in the air and jumped up and down. The night was beyond perfect

[woah-were-halfway-there]

Along For The Ride.

Word Count: 10.9k

There was just something about the off-season that Carson loved. But realistically, how could she not? 

The weather was warm. Carson got to spend loads of time with her loving fiancé seeing as he wasn't busy playing hockey. She could even work from home during it all after landing her managerial position around six months earlier. It was a pretty great setup if Carson was honest. 

However, this summer wasn't as peaceful as it had been years prior. 

It was the beginning of July. Carson and Auston had been back in Scottsdale for no more than a few days, and it was pretty lowkey. Like always, it took Carson a bit of time adjusting to not being at her home in Toronto. However, this specific year was even more difficult because she was insanely sick. 

She wasn't feeling the greatest leading up to their departure from Ontario, which was part of why she and Auston were so late leaving once the season had concluded. Almost every morning, for about a week and a half, Carson woke up at an ungodly hour with the need to vomit. 

She convinced herself it was just a bug of some sort or the flu, seeing as some days she wasn't as sick as others. Auston, however, thought it was a bit more severe than that. But, he gave Carson her space because she knew her body best and rescheduled their flights from Toronto until finally, she felt well enough to travel. 

Carson's first night back in Arizona was fine. The second, however? Not so much. 

After a lowkey day relaxing by the pool with her fiancé and cuddling with their almost fully grown puppy, Frank, Carson, and Auston had plans to go over to his parent's house for the evening. 

Seeing as Carson and Auston got engaged during Christmas and didn't have much time to spend with family because of Auston's hockey schedule, they never really got to celebrate the engagement with his family due to how rushed their last visit was. So, Ema took it upon herself to cook a massive meal for the whole family as a way to congratulate the two of them once they were back in Arizona for the summer. 

It was nice, too, because Carson has always been relatively close with Auston's family. Ema and Brian considered her to be like a third daughter, while Alex and Breyana welcomed her with open arms and accepted her as someone else they could plot against their brother with. Carson really did love spending time with them, so she was pretty excited about this dinner. 

But then things didn't go as planned. 

Once Carson and Auston arrived and were greeted by Auston's family, Carson was ushered away so that Ema, Alex, and Bre could all catch up with her while Auston went off with his dad to look at something in the backyard. 

Carson was telling Alex how work was going as they walked into the kitchen but then was met by a scent that made her stomach churn so intensely that she had no other choice but to bolt to the nearest washroom. 

Concerned over what had just happened with Carson, Auston's mom and sisters followed after her to make sure she was alright. Once she was done throwing up, Carson apologized to them for just running off as Bre grabbed her some Listerine to rinse her mouth out with, and Ema handed her a glass of water. 

"I really thought this sickness was passing," Carson sighed as the four of them made their way back to the kitchen. 

"Do you know what's wrong?" Alex asked while climbing onto one of the barstools at the island. 

"Not a clue," Carson shrugged and sat between Alex and Bre after Ema refused her help with dinner. "Thought that I might've eaten something that didn't agree with me, but I've been sick for well over a week now."

"Have you consistently not been feeling well?" Ema asked as she rinsed off some vegetables and glanced up to her future daughter-in-law. "Auston was saying you'd wake up sick most days and, for some of them, couldn't even get out of bed because of how nauseous you felt."

"Yeah, it's been pretty weird," Carson explained. "Aus has been trying to get me to go to the doctors, and I really should have before we left Toronto, but yesterday and the day before, I felt fine and didn't get sick once. I don't know. Something I smelt as we were walking in here just did not hit me well, I guess, which is strange because you know how much I love your cooking Ema."

Auston's mother smiled at Carson's comment as she turned off the running water and looked away thoughtfully as if debating something. 

"Mom, what're you thinking?" Bre asked with a pointed gaze. 

"Nothing!" She replied. "I'm just wondering." 

"About what?" Alex pressed, causing Ema to sigh. 

"Carson, sweetheart, please do not take this the wrong way or that I'm assuming anything," Ema started and looked at Carson. "Just from what you've told me, it got me thinking about how sensitive to smell I was when I was pregnant with these two and Auston. It's common in expectant mothers, as is morning sickness… Do you think pregnancy could be a possibility of what this is?"

Carson's instinctive response was to say no. She didn't think she was pregnant. She and Auston were always so careful, but before she replied, she got thinking. 

There's always the possibility of a slip-up, and Carson knew that. She also knew a bit about the symptoms of being pregnant, such as morning sickness and sleepless nights, but then she began thinking about her period and how it had been over a month, maybe two, since she last had it. That's when her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh my..." Carson gasped and covered her mouth as tears began pricking her eyes. "I'm late. I'm so late."

 Alex and Bre looked at each other on high alert and spoke in unison. "No way."

Carson glanced around at the three women, who looked back at her with nothing but love and support, but it did nothing to ease her nerves. 

Could she be pregnant? It was never really something Carson and Auston talked about. Sure, they made comments about having babies one day, and there wasn't anyone else Carson would want to be the father of her children, but she and Auston never talked about it in depth. She knew that Auston loved kids, but they had only been engaged for all of six months. Was it too soon?

Carson wasn't sure what to think or feel about the possibility of being pregnant, but the symptoms were there and the fact that her period was unnaturally late just added to it all. 

"How could I not notice these things?" She groaned and dragged her hand down her face in defeat. "There's just been so much going on, and oh my god, what if I actually am pregnant? How am I supposed to mother a whole child?"

Carson could feel herself begin to panic, but Ema was around the island and pulling her into a hug before it could get too bad, even though she still cried a little bit. Both Alex and Bre joined in, too, trying their best to make Carson feel better and make ease of the situation. 

"You don't know for sure," Alex said. "But you know that we're all here to help you regardless, right?"

"Yeah," Carson sobbed while moving away to wipe away her tears. "It's just a lot to take in."

"Everything will be okay, but I will say that I, for one, would not be mad if I became an aunt soon," Bre chimed in, causing everyone to chuckle. 

"When you and Auston are heading home, why don't you stop by the store and pick up some tests just to see," Ema suggested as she moved over to the other side of the counter again. "We can also make you a doctor's appointment for early next week."

"I will, and yes, that sounds great," Carson told her with a nod. "Cause even if I'm not, you know, expecting, an appointment wouldn't hurt, seeing as I have been sick. Thanks, guys. I really appreciate the support and love. Now I just need to figure out how I'm going to tell Auston."

"Tell me what?" Auston's voice sounded from behind Carson. It wasn't long until his arms wrapped around her waist, and he was placing a soft peck to her temple before looking around at his mom and sisters. "Did I miss something?"

"Just something you and Carson can talk about later in private," Ema told him and sent Carson a wink, knowing she'd tell Auston as soon as she was ready. "Why don't you four go watch some TV? Your dad and I will finish up dinner, and then we can eat?"

Immediately, both Alex and Bre locked eye contact with their brother as they stood up from their seats, but unfortunately, Auston was faster. 

"I'm picking the show!" He yelled before bolting from his spot behind Carson and out of the room. The girls weren't too far behind him, leaving Carson and Ema to watch and shake their heads. 

"Children, all of them," Ema said before coming around to Carson again and pulling her into one more hug. "You tell him when you're ready, sweetheart. I know you're probably nervous, but he loves you so much, and everything is going to work out just fine. Alright?"

"Yeah," Carson told her future mother-in-law with a smile. "Thank you, Ema, I mean it. If I am pregnant, this child will be so insanely lucky to have you in their life. I'm just… really nervous."

"Are you trying to make me cry? Because I will. And I understand, Carson, but there is no one else I'd rather my son experienced this with if that is the case. You're going to have an amazing support system, and you know you can come to talk to me about anything or ask any questions you have, right?"

"I do."

"Good," she said with a smile while giving Carson one more squeeze. "Now go with the others before they start complaining about me hogging you."

As soon as Carson arrived in the living room, she went to walk past Auston so she could sit with Bre, but he prevented that from happening by grabbing her hand so that she'd stop, then glance up at her with somewhat of a pout. 

"Can I help you?" Carson asked with raised eyebrows, earning chuckles from both of Auston's sisters. 

He looked at her with a bit of a pointed gaze in response before pulling her closer, indicating that he was hoping she'd sit with him. "What were you and mom talking about? Everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah, everything's fine," Carson responded before letting out a small huff. "I, uh, I just got a little sick again shortly after we first got here..."

"Again?" Auston asked, making no attempt to hide the worry that laced his voice. "Carse-."

"I know, Aus," Carson cut him off while shaking her head. Auston sighed as she looked to Alex and Bre for help. They weren't quite sure what to say because both knew Carson needed to be the one to tell Auston what she really thought was going on, but luckily Bre was quick to the rescue.

"Auston, would you hurry up and pick a show already?"

He scoffed and immediately looked to his little sister with a scowl. 

"Yeah, let's go," Alex chimed in. "And can you please pick something that's not The Office?"

"What's wrong with The Office?" Auston asked in a tone as if saying that was the most offensive question he'd ever received. 

Carson chuckled and squeezed his hand. 

"We can talk when we go back to the house, okay? But I want to catch up with your sisters first. I haven't really gotten the chance to do that yet."

Carson didn't leave much room left for argument, so with a nod, Auston let go of her hand and observed as she went over to the girls to talk before getting comfy and putting on The Office anyways. 

The rest of the evening went by quickly. Carson didn't eat a whole lot at dinner, having lost her appetite from getting sick, and she could tell it was worrying Auston. He watched her like a hawk the entire time, and it just made her feel even more nervous to tell him about the possibility of being pregnant. 

Once everyone finished eating, Carson and Auston helped Brian do the dishes so that Ema could finally have a break, while Alex and Bre cleaned off the table and went to pick out a board game. After a few competitive rounds of Jenga, Carson and Auston called it a night and headed home, but not without making plans to be back later in the week for another visit. 

On the way back home, Carson asked Auston to stop at a CVS so she could run in and purchase some pregnancy tests. She didn't tell him that's what the two of them were stopping for, but after a quick dash inside and an interesting look from the cashier, Carson went back to the car and tried to keep the contents of the bag hidden until they were back at the house. 

Throughout their relationship, Carson quickly learned that Auston was much more observant than a lot of people gave him credit for. He caught onto the small things like her mood changes, mannerisms, and so much more. So, it wasn't surprising that with the way she walked out of CVS, chugging a bottle of water before moving to a second before the two of them got home, he knew something was up. The fact that Carson bolted upstairs to their shared en-suite almost as soon as they walked through the door was a dead giveaway as well. 

Auston was worried. How could he not be? Part of him wanted to make a doctor's appointment right then and there because he knew the way Carson was acting had to do with how she hadn't been feeling well. He just wished that she would talk to him about it. After about 10 minutes, he became fed up with his nagging thoughts and followed after her to the washroom. 

Carson was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, hunched over with her head in her hands when a soft knock sounded on the door, and her fiancé soon peeked his head inside. 

"Hey," Auston greeted softly, worry prominently shown on his features as he observed her rough state. 

"Hey."

"Did, uh, did you get sick again?" He asked hesitantly as he sat down beside Carson and gently laced his hand with hers. 

"No," she told him and shook her head. "I feel like I could, though."

"Carson."

"Not in the way that you're thinking, Auston. From nerves. I'm so nervous I feel like I could throw up."

"What do you mean?" He questioned and squeezed her hand. "Did something happen?"

"Yeah, well, when we were at your parent's house," Carson started with a sigh. "After I got sick and was talking to your mom and sisters, I got thinking."

Auston watched as Carson used her free hand to reach over and grab the phone that sat beside her on the bath's ledge. He couldn't help but smile as he looked at the picture of her and him in front of the tree at the Leafs team Christmas party from the year prior set as her lock screen, but then she unlocked the device and opened an app with a tiny pink flower on it. There was no way he'd ever know what the app was for, so he just watched as a calendar opened up and Carson started scrolling through the months. 

Carson stopped once she reached April of that year and looked down at the only highlighted week that indicated significant dates she never thought of twice during the last two months before handing the phone to Auston so he could look at it as well. 

"What's this?"

"The app I use to track my period," she explained, not taking her eyes off of him as she waited to see how he would react. "That week in April that's coloured was the last time I had it." 

"Baby, that's almost two months ago."

"I know."

Carson continued watching him as he processed this information, it not taking much longer before his eyes widened and looked back at her. "Wait, you don't think you're -."

"Pregnant?" Carson finished for him. "I don't know. Like, the symptoms are there, and it makes sense..."

Auston kept staring at her, absolutely stunned but was quickly brought back to reality when Carson's phone alarm went off in his hand and caused him to jump.

"So, I took three tests that I got from CVS," she continued. "They're over there on the counter, and the results should be showing by now."

It was then Auston's gaze finally left his fiancee so he could glance at the three pregnancy tests sitting in a row on the vanity that he didn't notice before but remained utterly silent.

"Auston, please say something."

"I- this is why you think you've been sick?" He asked, and Carson nodded. "Holy shit, Carson, I-I don't even know what to say."

"Tell me that it's going to be okay," she pleaded, not being able to stop the sob that escaped her mouth or the tears that formed in her eyes. "That regardless of what those tests say, we're in this together, and it'll all be fine because right now I'm absolutely terrified, Aus, and I really need you with me for this."

"Hey, Woah, who said I was going anywhere?" 

"No one, it's just… we've never talked about having kids. I didn't want to just spring this on you. You still have your entire career ahead of you and-."

"And you being pregnant is not going to impact any of that negatively," Auston told her firmly as she sniffled a little bit. 

Carson then smiled slightly at his words, beginning to wonder why she was so worried to tell him in the first place. "I'm scared."

"You do not need to be," he assured as he reached over to grab her left hand so that the two of them could look at Carson's engagement ring together. "There was a reason I got you this and asked you to marry me, Carson. It's because you're the one I want to do this whole life thing with. There's no one else I'd rather start a family with than you, okay? You're it for me. And I mean, we already have Frank."

"You're right," Carson chuckled and reached up to wipe away a few stray tears that still spilled. "I love you, Auston. So much."

"And I love you," he replied and pulled Carson in for a kiss. Once he pulled away, he looked back at the counter nervously and gave her hand another squeeze. "Think we should go check those out?"

"Ready whenever you are."

Carson and Auston slowly stood up with a deep exhale and made their way over to the counter. Neither of them let go of the other's hand as they walked but jumped slightly when Frank strutted his way into the room, making the entire thing a real family affair. 

After one final glance at her fiancé, Carson looked down at the three tests and felt her breath hitch when she saw that each of them had a positive symbol. 

Auston wasn't long pulling her into his embrace so he could mutter sweet things while placing the softest pecks to her head. "We're having a baby."

"Oh, my God, we are," Carson replied and squeezed him a little tighter. "I need to make a doctor's appointment as soon as I can, though, Aus. I don't know how far along I am. Right now, this is all a guessing game."

"We can call first thing in the morning and get it all figured out," Auston assured while leaning away slightly so that he could look at her. "But tonight, we'll just take it easy, alright? Maybe try to find a way to break it to Frank that he's not going to be an only child anymore."

"Oh, I'm sure it'll devastate him," Carson teased before leaning down to pet the miniature Goldendoodle that laid at her feet. "But, I do think there may be three women who live pretty close by that are anxiously waiting for news about whether or not they're getting a new family member. Think we should call them?"

"Probably not a bad idea," he told her with a smile before leaning in to press a soft, loving kiss to her lips. "Then we can call your family if you want to."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

~*~

The rest of the summer went by in a blur. The day after finding out she was pregnant, Carson and Auston went to the doctors together to confirm everything and make sure nothing was wrong. After some tests, the doctor assured the two of them that their baby was healthy, explained how Carson was roughly eight weeks along based on the information given regarding Carson's last period and gave tips on how to deal with specific pregnancy symptoms like nausea. 

Carson spent time with Auston's family almost every day, which she was completely okay with. If she wasn't shopping and spending time with Ema, or just talking about life in general with Brian, she was hanging out with Alex and Bre; and those two sure never made any attempt to hide how excited they were about becoming aunts.

"I'm convinced my family is going to steal you away from me one of these days," Auston said one night he and Carson had gone out to dinner.

"They're excited, Aus," she replied while shaking her head at him. "We're not the only ones who can't wait to meet our little one."

He smiled at her response and watched as Carson mindlessly placed her hand on her stomach, smiling even wider as he thought about the baby she was creating. Their baby. It was surreal. 

Telling Carson's family that they were expecting was interesting. The first people they shared the news with were her dad and his girlfriend, Alice. The day the doctor confirmed how far along Carson was and everything, she immediately wanted to call her dad to share the news. He and Alice were ecstatic and were curious about how she planned on telling her siblings that they would be an aunt and uncle soon. 

With Carson's sister Mya living in Vancouver and her brother Nate residing in Montreal, it was difficult for the three siblings to be in the same place simultaneously. Still, they always had FaceTime calls to catch up with and torment one another. That summer, after finding she was pregnant, Carson didn't tell them right away. Instead, she waited until she visibly had a bump to show off, then during one of those FaceTime calls, she stood up so they could see. 

"Is that a bump?" Mya asked as she squinted and leaned closer to the screen of her phone, unsure if she saw correctly. Once she saw her sister nod and smooth a hand over her belly, Mya gasped and threw her head back dramatically. "Carson!"

"Shut up," Nate said, his jaw-dropping open as he realized what Carson was indicating. "Did you eat a watermelon seed?"

"I hate you," Carson replied and rolled her eyes at how her brother was making fun of how she used to think women got pregnant by eating watermelon seeds when she was little. "You two are going to have a little niece or nephew pretty soon."

"I'm going to cry," Mya stated. "I just need to see my pregnant sister in person, goddammit."

"Is Auston there?" Nate then asked.

"Yeah, he's right here," Carson replied and shifted the iPad she was calling on so her siblings could see him.

"Hey, Auston."

"Yes, Nate," Auston said, unable to keep a straight face because he knew what was coming.

"So, uh, next time I'm in Toronto, or you're in Montreal, I'm going to have to kick your ass for knocking up my sister."

"Nathan!" Carson gasped. 

"I'm just giving him a fair warning that the next time I see him, it's on sight," Nate replied with a shrug, earning a laugh from Mya and another eye roll from Carson. 

"You know, that's valid," Auston chuckled before Mya and Nate went on to congratulate him and Carson. 

The next person they told over FaceTime was Carson's oldest and best friend, as well as her old roommate, Lexie, who just screamed with joy and excitement before crying over the fact that her best friend was going to be a mom. 

Everyone else, Carson and Auston, wanted to wait to tell. 

Nearing the middle of September, Carson was about 20 weeks pregnant and well into her second trimester. It could not be assumed that she was already halfway through her pregnancy to an unknowing eye, but Auston saw the changes. 

He noticed them in her appearance, how there was a subtle bump when she wore tight-fitting clothes or walked around in one of his t-shirts. Even noticed them in her mannerisms, with mood swings and weird things she'd crave at the most random times, learning the hard way of how difficult it was to tell a pregnant woman she couldn't have poutine regardless of how bad she wanted it because she was not in Canada. 

But what he noticed the most was how Carson carried herself. Auston knew damn well that she was always one to take excellent care of herself, but from basically the moment Carson found out that she was pregnant, it was like that motherly instinct kicked in immediately. She didn't overwork herself so she wouldn't get stressed, ate the best foods she could, and spent so much time researching ways to bring a healthy and happy baby into the world. It truly blew Auston away, and he was so insanely excited to meet the little one the two of them made together because he undoubtedly knew they were going to have the best mom in the world.

When the time came to leave Arizona, it was hard to say goodbye to Auston's family, but it was more of a see you later, seeing as they already had plans to visit Toronto in the upcoming weeks. 

Carson was excited to be back in Toronto and experience whatever was left of the summer weather, even though it was stupid hot. It almost felt like she never left Scottsdale with how intense the sun was, but at least she was home. And that made it much more bearable. 

Auston was always there, adjusting the AC to the perfect temperature in the condo so that she'd be comfortable and making sure that she stayed hydrated at all times. Carson loved seeing the fatherly instincts Auston developed as well, and it sure made her feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside, but she also made sure to tell him if he was a little too much and remind him that she was capable of doing things herself. 

The two of them were back for only a short amount of time before Auston delved into practicing and having to leave for preseason training in the Muskokas with the Leafs, but in that time, they did a lot. 

The first project Carson and Auston tackled was starting to redo the condo's office, which no one used, and beginning its transition into a nursery. This project required a lot of planning, but with a couple of trips to IKEA, much to Auston's dismay because he was ready to drop an unnecessary amount of money on luxury baby items, they got a good start on it all. 

Carson had a few doctor's appointments within that week as well. Her doctor in Toronto wanted to make sure everything with the baby was okay, and once she determined it was, she rescheduled for Carson to see her again so she and Auston could find out the sex of their child. 

Unable to contain her excitement and nerves, Carson slept a little restlessly leading up to that appointment. Auston noticed this but didn't give her a hard time about it because he was excited too. 

But then the two of them agreed not to learn the baby's sex. 

Carson still went to the appointment, and the doctor was able to tell the baby's sex as she performed an ultrasound on her growing belly. Still, instead of telling Carson and Auston, she wrote if their baby was a girl or a boy down on a piece of paper and sealed it in an envelope so that if either of them changed their mind, they could look at the results. 

A few days later, Auston had to leave. Training luckily meant that the guys weren’t away from Toronto for long, even with the preseason games. But, Auston was still very reluctant to go. 

"Aus, you have to go," Carson told him as she crawled from her space on the bed to where he was sitting at the end of it, placing soft pecks to his exposed shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "It's only for like two days."

"Not a selling point," Auston replied and turned to face her. His eyes then flickered down to Carson's stomach, taking in how it had grown even more in size and how prominent it was in the lilac tank top and pair of Roots track pants she wore. However, Carson still managed to hide her bump whenever she went out in public somehow, which was fair because no one else knew she was expecting outside of the family. "Don't want to leave you… or the baby."

Carson smiled as he reached over to gently place a hand on her stomach before leaning in to kiss her. The gesture made her melt a little bit, but Carson was still the first to pull away. "I know, babe. But, we're both still going to be here once you get back."

Auston didn't respond but sent her a narrowed glance instead. 

"Don't look at me like that," Carson told her fiancé. "What are you going to do during the regular season when you're gone for much longer?"

"Bring you with me," he deadpanned, and this time it was Carson that gave him a look.

"I don't think so. The more weeks that go by, the more even the thought of flying makes me want to vomit. Coming back to Toronto was enough of a challenge. Plus, I'm going to start going into the office for work again now that we're back."

"Guess I'll just have to fly back as much as I can," he stated with a shrug. "Cause I refuse to be away from you for long, especially with your due date approaching."

"We've got until February, Auston," she explained. "Nothing to stress about."

"Not yet, at least."

Carson shook her head in frustration at his stubbornness before climbing off the bed so that she could help gather a few last-minute things before his departure. "I think you're being dramatic."

"Why? Because I'm afraid, I might miss the birth of my child?" He unintentionally snapped and immediately felt horrible when he saw Carson jump in response to his sudden change in tone. She was shocked at his outburst and remained utterly silent as the two of them stared at each other. "Fuck, I'm sorry, Carse, I didn't mean-."

"Is that what you're worried about?" She asked before setting down the t-shirt she was holding and walking over to him again. 

Auston sighed. 

"I- yeah, I've been thinking about it a lot actually. I'm just scared that I won't be here when you need me, and the last thing I want is to be away when you go into labour and..."

"Auston," Carson started while linking her hands with his and pulling so that he'd stand up from the bed. "I need you to tell me when things like this are bugging you. That way, we can try to figure something out together. We still have lots of time before we need to start worrying about any of that, babe. And even then, I think we'll be fine. You play for a great franchise and have amazing teammates. When we decide to tell them that we're going to be parents, I'm sure they'll be insanely supportive and understand if you have to miss a game. That's even if it comes to that."

Auston just looked at Carson for a moment with an unreadable gaze, and she wasn't quite sure if anything she said got through to him, but then a tiny smile danced its way across his lips, and he was soon pulling her into his embrace. "How do you always know what to say?"

"I don't," Carson explained while cuddling closer to him. "I really wish I did, but I'm just as scared as you are, Aus. However, I know that we're in this together, and it's all going to work out... So that helps a lot."

"God, I love you so much," he stated while leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

"Good, cause the feeling's mutual."

"Well, I would hope so!"

"No one else I'd rather be stuck with, Matthews," Carson replied, causing Auston to scoff. She then pulled away to look up and smirk at him before patting his chest and nodding towards his suitcase that still needed to be packed. "Come on now, Steph will be here to drop Mitchy off soon. Then you guys need to go."

"Yes, dear. Still don't know how you plan on telling those two we're having a baby."

"I'll figure it out."

The day after Auston left, Carson spent time relaxing with Frank. It was nice to chill, but the day after that, she had plans to get lunch with Steph at a nearby restaurant, and Carson was extremely excited to see her. It'd been a long summer not seeing one of her best friends, and Carson knew Steph was ecstatic to spend some time with her as well.

However, Steph was a little thrown off by how Carson was acting at lunch. 

Carson had taken a bunch of time that morning to look nice. It took her over an hour to do her hair and even longer decide what to wear. She ended up wearing a long, flowy maxi dress that hid her bump exceptionally well, then paired it with a pair of strappy sandals and some bangle bracelets. All in all, it wasn't anything about her appearance that threw Steph off, but rather how she was acting. 

What started it was how Carson barely talked about herself at all. Steph filled Carson in on all the details about her and Mitch's summer that she hadn't already shared with Carson over FaceTime and expected her to do the same. But she didn't. 

"It was, uh, pretty uneventful," Carson somewhat lied and started picking at the Caesar salad on her plate. "Spent a lot of time by the pool and with Auston's family, but other than that, it was pretty lowkey."

"You're joking," Steph stated and leaned back in her seat with crossed arms. 

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, Carson," she said and threw her head back in a dramatic groan before looking back at her friend. "You always have the funniest stories whenever you and Auston come back from Scottsdale. Did something happen? What are you hiding? Oh my god, did the two of you elope?"

"What? No!" Carson screeched, causing her to burst out laughing. "We're still engaged, Steph. You and Mitch would've been at the wedding even if it was in secret. Pretty sure Mitch would disown me as his twin if I didn't want him there."

"That's what I like to hear. And I'm just messing with you, hun. I'm really glad you're back, but you're sure everything's okay? You just seem I don't know… off."

Carson gulped as she attempted the most natural smile that she could. "I'm fine."

"Carse…"

"No, really, Steph," she assured, feeling a little anxious all of a sudden. "I just haven't been feeling all that great lately. Actually, I'm just going to run to the washroom real quick. I'll be right back."

"Oh, okay," Steph replied as she watched Carson stand up and grab her bag to take with her. "Take your time. I'll order us some sangria."

"Uh, none for me, thanks," Carson told her, earning herself a surprised look. "I'm good with water."

Steph didn't reply, just looked at Carson, wholly shocked over the fact that she turned down sangria, something she'd never done before. 

Unsure of what else to say, Carson awkwardly nodded towards her before fleeing to the washroom. 

As she was going, she took out her phone and texted her fiancé. 

Carson

This is proving to be rather difficult.

Auston

What is? Everything alright?

Carson

Yes, everything's fine. It's just really hard not telling anyone we're expecting, y'know? Please remind me why we haven't told Mitch and Steph we're having a baby yet cause this is getting painful. 

After hitting send, Carson waited for a second to see what he'd respond with; but when he didn't, she tucked the phone back into her purse and entered the washroom. 

A few minutes later, once she finished washing her hands, Carson felt her phone buzz with a new notification and moved to pull it back out, freezing as she did so. 

Auston 

… Mitch knows.

Before Carson could even react, her phone started ringing, and Mitch's contact picture showed up. Still a little shell-shocked, she answered the device and held it up to her ear.

"H-hello?"

"You're going to be a whole mom!" The oh-so-familiar voice of her cousin, Mitchell Marner, sounded from the other end, and Carson couldn't help but chuckle at it slightly. "Congrats, wow."

"Yeah, I guess I am," she told him with a smile while shaking her head. "Thanks, Mitch."

"So, when were you planning on telling me, hm?"

"I was still trying to figure out how," Carson told him honestly. "Didn't want you to freak out."

"Oh, I'm trying really hard not to murder your fiancé right now," he stated casually. "But luckily, my happiness for both of you overpowers that."

  "I can't with you. Now, speaking of my fiancé, you wouldn't happen to know where Auston is, would you?"

"Right here, babe," Auston's voice called from nearby, indicating that Carson was on speaker. "We just got back to the hotel, and I was driving, so it was Mitch texting you from my phone."

"I see, so that's how you know?"

"Yeah, the two of you didn't plan that out very well, if I'm honest," Mitch replied. "All the guys are kinda nosy. Literally, anyone could've been looking at his phone."

"No, pretty sure it's just you," Auston stated loudly, causing Carson to cover her mouth in an attempt to silence her laughter as the boys started bickering. 

"Okay, that's enough, you two," she said while putting the call on speaker as well so that she could gather her things and head back to the table. "Steph's gonna think I got lost on my way to the washroom if I don't go back soon. Now I'm going to have to figure out a way to tell her that I'm pregnant."

"Wait, you haven't told her yet?" Mitchy asked, a bit of concern lacing his voice. 

"No, not yet. Why?"

"Uh, no reason!"

"You told her already, didn't you?" Carson heard Auston ask, her mouth falling open when Mitch's silence confirmed the answer to her fiancé's question. "Bro, you haven't known for five whole minutes yet!"

"So?" Mitch argued. "I got excited!"

"That doesn't mean-."

After that, Carson zoned out a bit and did not hear the rest of Auston's response because, as if on cue, the washroom door swung open, and a familiar voice called out, making her jump. 

"Carson!?"

Although she couldn't see her from where she stood, Carson knew it was Steph that had just barged in, and it seemed that Auston and Mitch knew as well. 

"Oh, you've done it now," Auston snapped while Mitch scoffed. 

"How is this my fault?"

"Because you literally have the biggest mouth."

There was no way Steph didn't hear the conversation happening on the phone, so Carson stayed silent as she waited for her friend to come around the corner to where the sinks were and braced herself for impact. 

As soon as Steph appeared around the wall with an unreadable expression, Carson was more terrified than ever. 

"Is that Auston on the phone too?" Steph said as she walked up to Carson. Still unsure of how to approach what was happening, Carson kept quiet and nodded. "Great. So I get to ream him out as well."

Silence. 

"Uh, so, we're gonna go," Mitch finally spoke up, and Carson could briefly hear Auston say he'd call her later. "Bye!"

Once the line went dead, Carson hung up and tucked the phone back into her bag, all without looking from where Steph stood in front of her. 

"So, um…"

"You're PREGNANT!?" Steph cut her off, and Carson couldn't help the sigh of relief she let out, seeing as Steph sounded more excited than upset.

"I am," Carson replied and chuckled a little bit. Steph just stood there shocked, but then Carson turned to the side and started pulling the back of her dress so that the front would be tight against her body, showing off the bump that had been hidden the entire time. 

"Oh my god!" Steph squealed before rushing over and engulfing Carson in the biggest hug. "How? When did this happen?"

"I'm not going into the details of how it happened, Steph," she explained, causing Steph to laugh as she pulled away. "But we found out during our first week back in Scottsdale. I just thought I was sick, but after talking to Ema, I decided to take a few pregnancy tests and sure enough…"

"Oh babe, congratulations, I'm so happy for you and Auston. Wow, my best friend is going to be a mom!"

"And you're going to be an honorary aunt!"

"Ahhh, I am!" She screeched excitedly but was quick in going straight-faced and looking serious again. "I mean… what the hell Carson, why didn't you tell me?"

"Okay, drama queen," Carson told her with a scoff, easily breaking her facade. "To be fair, outside of me, Auston, our parents, siblings and Lexie, you and Mitch are the only people who know."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, knowing your cousin, there's going to be a lot more people who will know very soon."

"Yeah, I'm just waiting to talk to Auston again tonight and find out that the entire team knows."

"That is exactly what's going to happen," Steph replied before gently smacking her hand to her forehead, both of them laughing as she did so. "Do you know what you're having, or your due date, or anything? Wait, how far along are you even!?"

"Oh geez," Carson began with a smile. "Well, Auston and I decided not to find out the baby's sex, but the doctor wrote it down and put it in an envelope for if we changed our minds. So that's currently sitting in a drawer at home."

"That must be killing you."

"It is! I'm trying really hard not to look, but who knows? I'm weak. And I'm almost 20 weeks along now. My due date is February 4th."

"20 weeks?" She gasped. "Damn, mama, you look good."

"Why, thank you," Carson laughed and quickly struck a pose.

"Anytime," she replied with a wink. "I hope you know just how spoiled this child is going to be. Oh, and that there's no way I'm not throwing you an over-the-top baby shower."

"I don't know; I think Mya, Alex and Bre might have you beat to that."

"Fair enough. That's fine, though. We can plot together."

"I'd expect nothing less," Carson said and reached out to pull her in for another hug. "You know, I was terrified at the thought of being pregnant. But having people like you and Mitch and my family here to help and just having Auston go through it all with me, I realized I did not need to be. So, thank you, Steph. I really wouldn't be able to do it without any of you."

"Excuse you, I wasn't prepared to cry today," she mumbled and gave Carson another squeeze. "This baby is going to be so loved, and they're going to have the best parents."

"Well, now you're going to make me cry." 

After that, the two girls moved away from each other and wiped away the tears that had formed before finally going back to the table and finishing lunch. 

~*~

Time started going by insanely fast once Auston was back from training, and before Carson knew it, hockey season had started. 

By that point, it was next to impossible to hide her baby bump. During the month of being back in Toronto leading up to the Leafs home opener, their little one started making themselves known, and Carson was just too exhausted to keep a secret that didn't need to be kept. 

The entire team knew she was pregnant. Carson had received quite a few congratulatory texts a month prior within only hours of Mitch finding out, and even more in person whenever she was around any member of the TML franchise. 

The best part, though, was watching Auston whenever someone brought up the fact that he was going to be a dad. He'd always smile a little wider, and there'd be this tiny glint of excitement in his eyes whenever he talked about it. Carson was getting excited too, but watching him just made the whole duration of her pregnancy that much better. 

Even though Auston wasn’t playing in the home opener because since his wrist was still recovering from surgery in the summer, his family flew in and Carson was going to join them sitting in the stands for the first game of the season. She spent the entire day with them taking Frank for a walk, grabbing some dinner and then getting ready with Alex, seeing as Bre was still in Arizona for school, before heading to Scotiabank Arena. 

Once they arrived, everyone walked down towards the glass to watch a bit of the pregame warmup. Carson, Ema, and Alex found a few open seats to set their coats on before turning their attention back to the ice. After a few minutes, Carson sent Steph a quick text to let her know where they were since she would be there with her aunt, uncle and cousin Chris to cheer on Mitch. 

As soon as she put her phone away, Carson's gaze immediately fell on Auston as he stood over near the bench, dressed nicely in his suit, waiting for the opening ceremony to start. He spotted her, then winked and waved before going back to talking to one of the assistant coaches and pointing to Carson and his family as if to show that they were there. 

Carson blew him a kiss back, to which Auston smiled, but then she watched as he looked to the right a little bit, and that smile faded. Curious about what caused his mood to change so quickly, Carson followed his gaze and eventually saw a reporter and a cameraman with their camera pointed directly at her. 

"Alex, is it just me or are they taking pictures of us?" Carson asked Auston's older sister and nodded towards the reporter. 

Alex looked towards them and scrunched up her face a little bit. "I think so? That or a video, I'm not sure. They must be, or else Auston wouldn't be looking at them like that." 

Carson wasted no time looking back to her fiancé Sure enough, Auston was glaring at the two people. His face was unreadable, but his expression was stern, and Carson knew he would not start that game off happy. 

"I wonder why," Ema said as she noticed Auston’s hard expression and the reporters.

"I think I know why," Carson whispered loud enough for them to hear before looking down at her belly, which was rather prominent in the jersey she wore, then protectively placed her hand on it. Carson could have easily bought a newer, larger Matthews jersey, but the one she wore still fit comfortably enough that she didn't feel the need to do that yet. Sure, her pregnant belly was quite visible, but she didn't really care because Carson knew she would be surrounded by people who weren't going to judge her and knew she was expecting. But at that moment, thanks to the reporters who were undoubtedly about to make Carson's pregnancy their next big headline, she had never felt more self-conscious. "Can we go up to our seats, please?"

"Yes, of course," Ema said and started ushering Carson and Alex out of the row they were in and back up the stairs to their actual seats. She kept a comforting hand on Carson's back as they went, which Carson thanked her for as she tried her hardest not to cry. 

Once they reached their row, Carson looked down at the ice once more to see Auston give her an apologetic look before having to turn his attention away from her get ready for the game. 

Being in their proper seats relaxed Carson because they blended in with the entire crowd. She didn’t see the reporter again, but she was still upset when Brian joined them, looking more confused than ever. 

"Hey, Woah, is everything alright?" He asked, looking between his very upset-looking wife and daughter, before landing his gaze on Carson and seeing that she was on the brink of tears. "Oh, Carson. Did something happen?"

"Um, there were reporters," Carson explained. "They were filming us, and... I don't know. Maybe I'm being dramatic, but I can't help but think that as soon as the game is over, everyone's going to know I'm pregnant."

"I see," Brian replied and looked at Ema. "They didn't approach you guys or anything, did they?"

"No, I don't think they would have," she told him.

"But still," Alex spoke up from beside her mother. "That's not fair. This is Carson and Auston's business, not anyone else's."

"That's the thing," Carson added while shaking her head. "I don't care if people know we're going to have a baby, and I know Auston doesn't either, but not like this. I didn't want it to be a big spectacle, and now I feel like that's exactly what's going to happen."

"I guess all we can do is wait," Brian said with a sigh. "You can talk to Auston about everything once the game is over. Hopefully, nothing will happen between now and then."

Carson nodded in agreement and took a deep breath to calm herself down a bit. "You're right. Let's just watch the game; it's not worth getting upset over. I'll just talk to him once he's home tonight."

Everyone agreed and settled into their seats just as the entire Leafs roster. Carson went to sit on the other side of Alex but was stopped by someone's hand on her arm, causing her to snap her gaze to its source and see Ema. 

"Carson, you have every right to be upset," she said quietly but firmly. "You're going to be a mother soon, it's in your instincts to want to protect your baby, and the only way to do that right now is by protecting yourself. So don't think you're being dramatic or have no need to be upset over those reporters because you do. You never liked being in the spotlight, and this is worrying you, isn't it?"

Carson let out a breath and nodded. 

"It is, and I just feel so helpless. Like I knew my pregnancy becoming public knowledge was bound to happen, but I was hoping it'd be on my terms. Something I'd have control over."

Carson paused as she heard someone from a couple of rows back start talking about something they saw on Twitter. 

“Woah, is Matthews having a kid?”

At that, Carson’s eyes started welling up again before she groaned and frustratedly pushed her hand through her hair. Eventually, she looked back to her future mother-in-law and fought the urge to cry all over again. 

"As I said before, I really don't care if everyone knows," Carson explained. "But the last thing I wanted was for this to be a whole big thing that distracted people from the team because that's what we're all here for, right? This is already getting out of hand and-."

Carson's voice cracked as a sob involuntarily left her mouth, and she was no longer able to keep the tears in anymore. She sat down quickly to attempt not to draw any attention to herself, while Brian, Ema and Alex tried to console her.

"I'm okay, thanks, guys," Carson told them after taking some deep breaths and being able to calm herself down a bit. "I'm so over these hormones already."

"Perks of being pregnant," Ema told her with a smile before giving her arm one last squeeze and moving away. 

"Are you sure you're alright?" Brian asked sympathetically, and Carson nodded. 

"I can go back to the condo with you if you need to leave, and we can watch the game there?" Alex offered. "I'm sure Auston would understand."

"No, no, it's alright. Thank you. But, there's nothing I want more right now than to watch my favourite hockey player with some of my favourite people. I might head out a little early and just meet Auston at home, but until then, let's just try to enjoy the game."

"Sounds like a plan," Alex replied with a smile.

 Once the game concluded, Carson left. The Leafs had won, and she wanted to give Auston the chance to see his family once he finished all of his postgame stuff with the team. Carson also didn't want reporters asking her any questions if she went to see her fiancé, so instead, she and Steph went straight to the parking lot and drove back to the condo once Steph and Mitch’s family caught up with her and were filled in on what happened. 

Steph offered to stay with Carson until Auston was home, but Carson assured her that she'd be fine. After saying goodbye and telling Steph to text her once she was home, Carson went up to the condo and changed into comfy clothes. Once she was done, she curled up on the couch and watched the post-game interviews and highlights before sending a quick text to Alex about plans for breakfast the following morning.

However, Carson's train of thought was disrupted because as soon as she turned on the TV, Auston appeared. 

He was being interviewed about the game, like always, answering questions about how he thought the team played even though he couldn’t comment on his own performance. It was nothing out of the ordinary, so Auston responded to the question quickly. Just as he was about to leave, Carson could hear a reporter from off-screen pushing for one more question and watched as Auston's expression visibly hardened. 

"Auston, before you go, can you answer one more thing for us?" A voice asked, and Carson could see the debate in Auston's eyes of whether to stay and answer their question or just leave. But, her fiancé knew how bad it looked just to cut off a reporter without reason. So, with a deep breath, he nodded and waited for what it was they wanted to ask. "We were just wondering about your girlfriend, Carson. How is she doing?"

"Fiancée," Auston corrected, not missing a beat. "And she's doing just fine, she was here tonight with my family, but I think she's gone home by now. What does this have to do with hockey exactly?"

"Is there a reason she left so suddenly?"

Carson knew exactly where the reporter was going with their questions and started feeling anxious all over again because of it. Although she was aware of how well Auston could handle the media, that didn't stop her from scrambling for her phone and texting the first person she thought of. 

Carson 

Mitch, please get him out of there if you can.

Part of her didn't expect her cousin to text back right away, seeing as he did just finish a game and all, but the other part was hopeful that maybe, just maybe, he was near his phone and saw it go off since he had already done his interview for the night. Carson waited for a second, watching her phone screen as she heard Auston start speaking again and had to avert her attention back to the TV.

"She, uh, she was pretty tired, had a long day hanging out with my sisters," he replied calmly, but Carson could very clearly hear the annoyance in his voice. "Again, not sure what this has to do with the game we just played or why it's any of your business."

"Oh no, no, no," she muttered and burrowed herself further into the fuzzy throw blanket she wrapped herself up in. Frank seemed to notice Carson's distress and wasn't long in hopping onto the couch so he could curl up on her lap and provide some reassuring hand licks as she continued watching the television. 

"It's just that she was seen before the game and didn't look too well," the reporter continued while Auston looked at them with raised eyebrows. "Is she sick?"

Although Carson was thankful they didn't just flat out ask if she was pregnant, she still groaned at how badly they beat around the bush as a way to confirm or deny their suspicions.  

"No, she's quite healthy."

Her phone then buzzed with a new text, and she couldn't help the audible sigh of relief that left her mouth as she saw who it was from. 

Mitch

On it. 

After typing back 'thank you,' Carson moved her gaze back to the TV, completely missing what the reporter asked but catching what Auston had to say in return. 

"You know, I think you've made some type of assumption for when it comes to Carson… is there really a need for me to confirm or deny whatever it is you're digging for?"

No one spoke again after that. It was just the sounds of cameras flashing and the odd mutter in the background. An awkward moment of silence went by, and soon enough, Mitch appeared behind Auston and tapped him on the shoulder, telling him to leave. The two boys disappeared off camera, and Carson was quick in shutting off the television altogether so she wouldn't have to hear what anyone had to say about everything that just happened. 

Carson wasn't sure how much time went by of her just sitting in silence petting Frank, but soon enough, she was met by the sound of the door being unlocked and Auston entering the condo. Frank was immediately off her lap to greet him, and she wasted no time in hiding the small envelope she was holding behind one of the cushions before going to see her fiancé as well. 

"Hey…"

"I'm going to have that reporter fired," Auston stated firmly as he hung up his coat and eventually looked at her. "I don't know how I'm going to, but that was a complete disaster. There has to be something that can be done. That was too much."

"I know, I saw," Carson told him quietly in hopes of calming him down a little bit, but he didn't have it.

"Like, who do they think they are just asking someone that as a way to get a story? The fact that they were trying to dig into our personal lives apparently wasn't enough. They had to make a big scene about it. I'm surprised they didn't just ask your due date or something like that."

Carson hated seeing him so upset and just felt so crappy about the whole situation, but she wasn't sure how to approach it. "Aus, I know this sucks… a lot. I was there too. But it's really not worth getting upset over. They wanted some sort of a reaction from you."

"And they got one," he huffed while frustratedly pushing his hand through his hair. "Did I seem as big of a dick as I feel I was? I tried so hard not to snap at them, but..."

"I know," Carson replied and gently reached out to grab his hand. "I appreciate you defending our privacy, and I know all the guys don't blame you for how you handled those questions. It's just- I can't help but worry that you're going to get in trouble with management because you did lose your cool a little bit, babe."

"I don't care. I'd do it again. Management can get me in all the shit they want, but it won't matter because I refuse to let a reporter, or anyone for that matter, go after you and our baby again. God, I'm so sorry, Carse, this is all my fault. You shouldn't have had to deal with any of this."

He was livid, that much was evident from the moment Carson saw him glare at those reporters before the game even started, but he needed to calm down. Auston beating himself up over something he had no control over wasn't beneficial to anyone. However, Carson knew for him not to do that was easier said than done. Which was why after turning off the interview, she thought of a way that might ease his worries and wasted no time rushing into the kitchen and grabbing a tiny envelope she knew resided in one of the drawers. 

Carson thought about waiting until Auston was home to open it up and look at the envelope's contents together. Still, her curiosity got the better of her, and she snuck a peek at the small sonogram of their baby from the appointment she had almost a month prior, then read what was written on the back of it. 

Now Carson was left figuring out how to tell him what was on the back of that picture, but Carson just knew that telling him would help ease the current situation the two of them were in. So, without a second thought, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled until her head was able to rest on his chest.

The gesture caught Auston slightly off guard, but he quickly reacted and soon enough had his arms wrapped around her while placing a soft peck to the top of Carson's head. 

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Auston," Carson stated while squeezing him a little tighter. "You were being your protective self and looking out for the ones you love. You're incredible, do you know that? And it's just things like this that I can't help but think of how our little girl is going to have the best dad on the planet."

At that, he went stiff, and Carson couldn't stop the enormous grin that began stretching its way across her mouth. Auston eventually pulled away just enough to look down at her with wide eyes and a shocked expression. 

"Little girl?"

"Yeah," Carson told him and let out a tiny sob as the happy tears began pricking her eyes. "Baby Girl Matthews will be making her debut here pretty soon."

"What, I-," Auston started but stopped himself as he pulled her in for another tight hug and just held her there for a minute. "We're having a girl?"

"We are," she confirmed while reaching up to wipe away her tears. "I'm sorry I looked without you."

"That doesn't even matter," he said before moving away so that he could lean down to place a soft, sweet kiss on her lips. "I'm just- wow."

"I figured if the world is going to know we're expecting, at least this could be our little secret for the time being."

"You know my sisters are going to lose their minds over having a niece, right? Although I really would have been happy with whatever we were having."

"Me too," Carson agreed. "But this way, us girls get to keep you outnumbered for a bit longer."

"A bit?" Auston asked and looked at her questionably. "Are you suggesting that we have another baby before the first one is even here?"

"I mean, I don't hate the idea," she explained with a smirk. "Not that we need to think about that yet or anything, but yeah, I could see myself having a few kiddos with you."

"I like the sound of that," he replied and gave Carson another peck on the lips. "But after this little one arrives, I think I actually want to marry you first."

"Not opposed to that idea either."

[ciggylungz]

Butterflies and Bandaids pt.7- Anniversary

Butterflies and bandaids chapter.7 -

Anniversary

word count. 5.3k (lord)

warnings: smut (finally)

Y/n feels like she’s been on cloud nine the last new weeks, and she woke up with a surge of happiness yet again today because it marked her and Harry’s one month anniversary. She was ecstatic, she knew he had planned a special little evening for them since they were lucky enough that their anniversary landed on a Friday, and even more lucky Anne was going out of town this weekend so they had his house to themselves without the threat of toddlers or parents intruding on their night. Y/n was also extremely excited because she’s been having some rather intimate dreams about her boyfriend for the past few days, and she thought this night would be a good night to try and bring those dreams to reality.

Harry on the other hand, felt a bit nervous about his date he set up for them in honor of the day, he wanted everything to be perfect because she deserves the best. He refused to settle for any less for his angel. He felt confident enough about his schedule for the evening, he decided he’d take her to their favorite little diner, snag some booze Gemma had agreed to buy him and walk to the treehouse his dad had built him when he was little in the woodsy part of his backyard. Her and Harry still hung out in there from time to time, when some alone time was needed and he definitely liked that her siblings didn’t know about it and his mother never checked it since he told her it’s full of spiders (it isn’t, he always cleans it so Y/n doesn’t panic over bugs that may be looming inside the wooden structure, but he needed an excuse for his mum to never check up there) .

He brought up the battery powered Christmas lights and strung them along the trim on the ceiling and made sure to clean up any leaves and rouge spider webs from the corners, sweeping the throw rug that decorates the floor and tidying the small couch and few beanbags that sat in there. He wanted it to be perfect, romantic, cozy and exactly how his girl likes it to be. He even brought in her favorite blankets he has and a few extra pillows, stashing the bottle of vodka behind the sofa and putting the presents he got her on the cushion making sure it all looked good.

He knew it was silly to be so nervous, but he always wanted to make Y/n feel special. She’s the girl he loves, and he loves the way her eyes light up when he does something she finds endearing, the way she cuddles into him when he brings his laptop up there with an extra long extension cord so he can keep it charged from the outdoor plugs while they watch movies and random YouTube videos together. He certainly doesn’t mind the make out sessions she awards him with when he makes her really happy, and he never fails to melt when she giggles at his corny jokes while they lay together up in their tree house, in their own little world.

Harry had set everything up perfectly, even grabbing a door stopper and extra lock incase they decided to spend the night out there so he could feel 100% confident that no rouge tree dwelling burglar could get in and take away his princess. He knows it’s rather dramatic, but he doesn’t want any chance of anything bad happening to her.

He gave the space a good once over, making sure the rather spacious treehouse was up to his standards, making sure the little glass windows were sealed, and the curtains were drawn, the door was maintained enough to not be so squeaky and he had enough extension cords to keep the computer, and their phones charged. Once he decided it was perfect he made his way back down the ladder and went to get himself cleaned up and ready.

__

 Y/n was finishing taming her curls and putting on her makeup when a light knock sounded on her bedroom door, a smiling Harry peaking his head in after and giving the girl a coo.

“Hey love, you ready for our date?” he felt like he sounded a bit awkward and cliché the way he said it, like a badly scripted Disney teen movie, but his insecurities washed away when she gave him her biggest smile putting her mascara down and jumping to her feet to hug him. Her little body fit right inside his arms, his nose breathing in the scent of her freshly washed rose smelling curls and her floral perfume that he loved. He’d even made her spray his bed with some of it so he always smells her when he’s going to bed.

“Missed you H, know I saw you yesterday but I still missed you and thought about you all day.” She was beaming as she tipped her head up, chin resting on his sternum as she spoke to him, receiving a happy hum and few smacking kisses to her cherry flavored lips. “You ready doll? Got everything set up for us.”

When she nodded and broke free from his hold to grab her bag he couldn’t help the wide grin on his face, watching her have a little bounce in her step since she was excited grabbing his hand and leading him towards the front door, managing to dodge the babies and prying eyes of her older siblings as they made a mad dash out of the crowded home.

__

 “guess what?” Y/n proposed as she finished chewing her bite of melon she had ordered with her food, she always chose fruit salad as her side yet had a bad habit of snagging a few (most of) Harry’s typical side of fries.

“What’s that darlin’?” Harry had his chin resting on his palm as he played into Y/n’s playful tone, he swears he’s never felt more content then he does sitting in the dingy little family run diner with his girl then he’s ever felt in his life. “I got you a present!” she clapped her hands for a beat before squirming excitedly in her side of the booth, doing a little happy dance as he chuckled at her silly antics. “Yea? I got you one too babe, goin’ ta’ give it to you after dinner.” Y/n gasped lightly and shifted to sit on her knees, “Really?! I’m so excited!”

The older boy laughed before leaning forward to peck her a few times, “ ‘m excited too, can swap gifts. Hope you like yours. After 10 years of friendship I still sometimes draw a blank when figuring out what to get ya’, gotta work on being so picky love.” His tone was teasing and he gave a playful eyeroll which she stuck her tongue out at. “I’ll love it, because it’s from you and I love you.”

Harry swears his heart did a back flip in his chest, he’s heard her say it thousands of times yet every time it still makes him putty in the palm of her hand. He wasn’t ashamed to admit, he was deeply, helplessly in love with her.

The pair never let go of each other’s hands as they made the trek back to Harry’s home, him giving her a slight fond squeeze of her hand when she got giddy realizing he was leading her to their special hang out spot. She always adored that treehouse, they went from playing ‘house’ in it as little kids to now using it as their own little sanctuary where they got to be in their own little world together. Two young people in love, happily in their own little house where nothing could bother them. She think’s it might be her favorite place on earth.

“you go up first, love. Gonna come behind you incase ya’ lose your footing. Bit hard to see, forgot how dark it gets in the fall.” Harry stood at the bottom of the ladder while she quickly climbed up, turning to scoot her bum up over the ledge onto the little deck that wrapped around the structure. Getting herself steady before standing up and leaning against the railing that secured the deck, waiting for Harry to climb up so he could unlock it. “oh my god!” her voice was an octave higher showing her surprise and joy seeing the cozy set up he prepared for her. The lights twinkled as they hung from the ceiling, their writing and carvings illuminated by them showing the scribbles of ‘Y/n and Harry allowed ONLY!’ and little flowers and stick figures they carved into the wooden walls and floors as little kids when Harry got a pocket knife from his boy scouts troop.

“You like it?” Harry scratched the back of his neck bashfully as he took in the joy radiating off her, stumbling a bit as she threw herself into his arms, her legs wrapping around his legs as he managed to catch her and hold her up spinning in a circle giggling with her while kissing all over her pinched up cheeks. “I love it! Aw Hazzy I love you so much! You’re the sweetest boy in the whole wide world!” she planted exactly 6 kisses on his lips while he fumbled around closing and locking the door while keeping her held in his arms. “I love you more sweetness, I’m glad you like it. C’mon got presents waiting princess.”

Once Y/n had her feet firmly planted on the ground once more, she tossed herself onto the couch taking the box he had waiting for her into her lap, rummaging through her bag to grab the box she had for him.

“Open yours first H.” Y/n insisted as she thrust the pastel, wrapped box into his lap. She used her special wrapping paper, the nice expensive one with a darling design of clementine’s and cherries on it along with other assorted fruits. The paper was special, Harry even knew the back story about how her grandmother had given her the wrapping when she was young and how it was twenty whole dollars. She had adamantly told him she was saving it for a special occasion and he couldn’t help but coo knowing he was special enough for her most prized decorations. “c’mon! Open it Harry” if Y/n had one flaw, which he doesn’t even consider it a flaw because to him she’s perfect, it’s her impatience.

“alright alright, don’t get ya’ knickers in a twist love.” Harry made sure he was careful when unwrapping it, going along with the tape so he could save the paper later in his little memory box he has with all the special things and memories he has of her, she has one of him too and of course their siblings teased them for being cheesy when they first started collecting items when they were 8 and 10.

When he managed to perfectly strip the box of the paper, he felt butterflies invade his tummy, his own excitement building as he opened the gift. He was met with a soft velvet interior lining the jewelry box. Inside was a second box but littering around it were pictures of the two, the notes they’d passed to each other in class, a pack of bubblegum and a gift card to his favorite clothing store. Harry blew out a breath taking it in, his eyes crinkling in their corners from his wide grin. His dimples sunk deep into his cheeks, and his eyes almost teared up. “This is absolutely adorable..” he pried the second box out of the wooden jewelry box, taking in his girlfriends excited feet tapping on the floor and her giggles as he cracked open the second part of the gift, finding a gold locket in the shape of a heart. He held it up by it’s chain seeing the charm dangle and shimmer in the gentle lights, his heart becoming a puddle in his chest as he saw the date they got together engraved on the front of the heart and her name engraved on the back, opening it to see a tiny picture of the duo both blowing bubbles with their favorite pink bubble gum. As silly as it is, they hold their sweets close to their hearts because if she hadn’t been chewing it the day he met her, she wouldn’t have the nickname he gave her, they wouldn’t have a special treat they only share with each other, and they wouldn’t have a shrunken down picture of them at 10 and 12 years old, blowing bubbles right at the camera with an ‘I love you’ carved on the rim of it. Harry felt his eye’s get misty as he took it in. “I love it honey…this is the best gift I’ve ever gotten thank you bubble gum.” She blushed and batted her eyelashes a bit as she secured the jewelry around his neck, “I love you Harry”, his arms wrapped around her bringing her into his lap as he mumbled how much he loved her and appreciated the gift, kissing her a couple times before allowing her to sit in his lap so she can open her gift.

He watched her pink painted nails undo the ribbon, popping the top of the gift box off squealing excitedly at the pile of treasures he gave her. Her favorite sweater of his, one she wears all the time and never wants to give back, a little notebook with pressed flowers in it, little love notes to her written on the pages around the plants and a jewelry box similar to the one she gave him sitting on top. “Looks like we had the same idea H” she smiled as she held up the chain that had his name on it, while a bit narcissistic she loved that he was a bit possessive over her and how she got to wear her love’s name above her heart, “Great minds think alike huh?”.

The pair continued to gush over their gifts as he used his nimble fingers to fasten the jewelry onto her. her fingers toyed with the necklace as they talked, endless ‘I love you’s’ and ‘i’m never taking this off’ were said over the next few minutes while he prepared the laptop for their viewing.

  “This movie is awful but I can’t look away.” Y/n commented as she watched the horrible lifetime movie, the actors sounded like they were first graders being forced to read in front of their class. “She sounds like she’s in pain” Harry snorted taking a sip of his vodka fruit punch mixed drink he held securely in his palm, he didn’t plan to get drunk but it’s always nice to have a little buzz going.

“I don’t know why I love terrible movies so much, at this point I think I may just enjoy bullying actors.” Y/n smacked his chest lightly and grabbed his cup taking a sip before cringing a bit as she swallowed it, Harry laughing at her pained expression, “Bit strong for you eh? Maybe that’ll teach ya’ not to steal my drinks ma’am” Y/n flipped him off before taking another sip sticking her tongue out before handing it back. “Yea…I’ll stick to wine coolers and sugary booze.” “what did I tell ya’ about being picky?” this only got him an eyeroll before she turned towards him, laying herself down so her heads in his lap letting him toy with her hair while she watched the laptop screen. Both of them simply content with being in each others arms.

“Harry?” “yea love?” “wanna know a secret?” she had a playful little smirk decorating her pretty face and she looked up at him, both of them feeling a tad bit warm and fuzzy feeling a small buzz take over their bodies. “Ooo a secret? Do tell!” Y/n sat up and leaned against the back of the couch her cheek pressed to the leather. “You sure you wanna know? It’s a little naughty” This got the boys ears to perk up and his eyes to meet hers, “Naughty?” “very” Harry took a deep breath while searching her eyes, coming back with a look he’s seen before but never on her, her eyes looked almost sultry with her bottom lip caught slightly between her teeth, “Tell me” he swallowed hard watching her lean forward to whisper in his ear “I’ve been having naughty dreams about you” she leaned back with a playful smile on her face while he licked over his lips. He set his cup down before leaning back into the throw pillows, resting his arm along the back of the couch “Oh yea? Care to elaborate…set the scene for me baby” his eyes flicked from her feet to her eyes, lingering for a tick on the imprint of her perky breasts on her shirt. Y/n giggled quietly walking her fingers on his knee still too shy to make eye contact. “Not sure I should, told ya’ it’s naughty Harry” she blew a raspberry through her plump lips, leaning back over to whisper in his ear cupping her hand around the shell of his ear, even though they were the only people around “I dreamed about going down on you…and f-fucking you” she pulled away with red cheeks and his eyes widened, the butterflies returning to his stomach and his muscles tensing for a second.

“Yea? You dreamed about playing with me doll face?” he got a shy nod and giggle in return, but Harry wanted more than that. “No no, tell me. Say it out loud, tell me what you dreamed about princess” Y/n took a deep breath, letting him pet her cheek a bit “C’mon can tell me, won’t get upset tell me baby” he leaned forward to kiss her gently before pulling away, and Y/n felt a bit of confidence surge through her, “I was watching porn before I went to bed.. and playing with myself…and I had a dream about sucking your…-“ “say it princess, c’mon can say it” “dreamed about sucking your cock” she said the dirty word with a hint of nervousness, her shyness peaking through a bit. Harry couldn’t help the groan that fought it’s way through his throat hearing her say such dirty things. God he loved it. “Really? Played with your pussy before dreaming about putting my cock in that sweet mouth? Yea? What else, go on tell m’ pet.” Y/n chewed on her lip a bit, scooting a bit closer to her boyfriend. “I dreamed about you putting it in me…taking my virginity…and when I woke up I had to…touch myself in the shower”

A smirk tugged at his lips, her words getting his cock to plump up a bit behind it’s denim confines. His tongue darting out to wet his lips yet again, “Is that what you want love? You want me to fuck ya’?” she slowly nodded her head before popping her lips, “I do…but not yet. Tonight I wanted to try…sucking you off and..i wanted to know what it feels like for someone to lick down there.” she was adorable, her shy innocence fighting with her hormone, and it made Harry even more turned on. His fantasies he repressed for so long coming to life, to say he was willing was the largest understatement of the century.

His hands quickly darted out to pull her into his lap, getting a squeak from her out of surprise her giggles showering his ears as she got situated on his thighs. “Ya’ wanna give me a blowie and let me eat your pussy for our anniversary? Fuck doll, I’m down.” His deep chuckle vibrated her ribcage as he pressed her body into his, “I’ve never done it before…you got ta’ teach me how to do it Harry” “would be a pleasure, princess.”

 Soon the pair found themselves with their tongues in each other’s mouths, massaging them together as they tugged on each others clothes. Harry guided Y/n’s hips to grind down on his very prominent bulge, his thumbs pressed into her hip bones as he dragged her back and forth over the tent his groans getting swallowed by her mouth that’s locked on his, her breath hitching every time he nudges her clit on the seam of her jeans, tugging them a bit to define her cunt through the material making sure she’s getting as much friction as he is. “G-god fuck love, cmon I’m gonna cum in my pants if we keep humping like rabbits. Think you’re ready to try giving me head?” he held her chin with his fingers to make her look at him, getting a dreamy “uh huh” in response as she slowly drifted from his lap onto her knees on the floor. Letting Harry take his belt off, sitting back and letting him undo his button and zipper pushing his pants off his hips, letting them rest on his mid-thigh while she comes face to face with his lightly clothed manhood. “C’mon, take me out pet. Don’t gotta be scared, ‘m not gonna hurt ya’.” Harry was trying to keep himself from squirming in his seat while he watched Y/n slowly reach forward to pull the waistband of his boxers down, seeing her flinch slightly as his cock popped out hitting his belly button through his shirt as he sprang free.

Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of his cock, bare and bobbing with every beat of his heart from how hard he is. He was big, intimidatingly large. She looked at the vein running up the underside of his cock, his pubic hair and his swollen balls. She admired how his foreskin retracted behind the crown of his cock leaving his red leaking tip fully out to see. “Woah…i-it’s bigger than ones I’ve seen” Harry loved the praise, how could he not? His girlfriend gawking at his junk while telling him how big he is, he felt like he’d bust just hearing her talk. “Touch it…wrap your hand around me…ah fuck yea like that…squeeze a little bit there you go. Good fuckin’ girl lovie.”

Y/n smiled a bit at the praise, feeling herself get a little surer of herself as she stroked his cock like he instructed her to, feeling her chest swell with dirty pride as he continued to praise her. “Alright, lick the tip right there, tongue flat there you go” she did as she was told, giving the crown of his cock kitten licks before taking her own initiative and licking from the base of his shaft to the little slit in his tip loving how he moaned for her and tugged her hair a bit. “Don’t tease me baby, put the tip in your mouth and suck like a lollipop.”

Y/n pushed his tip between her lips, sucking on it like a sweet a she taught her feeling his thighs clench as she sucked harder moving to take a bit more into her warm mouth sucking till her cheeks hollowed around him, the flesh of her cheeks massaging his cock like velvet. Warm, wet, velvet.

“feels so fucking good darlin’, got no idea how good you’re doing…tuck your lips under ya’ teeth try not to bite down…just like that, doing so good such a fast learner baby. Good girl y/n, good girl.” His eyes struggled to stay open as she started inching deeper bobbing her head slightly. He felt her constrict a bit as his tip pushed her uvula back, he quickly pulled her head off giving her a chance to breathe,

“Don’t push too hard baby, don’t want ya’ to get sick on me. When you try to take me in your throat keep it open, like if you’re singing or yelling, open that pretty throat up. If ya’ spit up a bit on accident it’s alright. It’s your first-time sweetheart.” He gave her cheek a gentle petting before letting her sink down on him again, taking his advice and keeping her throat relaxed and open while his tip brushed the back of her warm, slick throat. He was a moaning mess as his eyes screwed shut, feeling her salivate so much at the stimulation of her throat it was dripping down his shaft and puddling on his balls.

He was in heaven. He knew he didn’t have much time left when he felt her small hand move to massage her spit on his swollen balls moving back a bit so his cocks not as deep letting her tongue massage the underside of his shaft while suckling his tip. “sh-shit, shit doll I’m gonna cum…fuck atta girl, where do you want it? Your mouth? Fuck baby s-stop sucking yo- oh- fuck!” Harry couldn’t control the bucking of his hips while his balls constricted, pulling towards his body while still in her grasp spilling his cum into her mouth and onto her lips some dribbling onto her chin as she pulled off him.

Harry was dazed for a minute, post orgasmic haze overtaking his mind as he experienced the wave of euphoria. When he finally opened his eyes he saw his girl still on her knees holding his cum in her mouth, looking at him with big doe eyes with some of his seed dripping off her face onto her shirt. He chuckled a bit seeing her, “Can swallow it if you want” she squinted her eyes a bit and he breathed out a bit “Don’t want to? Doesn’t taste nice? Salty innit? Can spit love, here” he held a empty red plastic cup under her chin watching as she spit his rather large load into it, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. “Sorry…but Harry it was really salty…like sea water” she cringed a bit and he laughed. “Yea, I’ll start eating more fruit and staying hydrated so my cum doesn’t taste as bad next time. Sorry baby.”

“it’s okay H…did I do a good job?” she rested her palms on his knees, eagerly awaiting his response a proud grin plastered on his face as he nodded. “Fuck yea, did amazing baby. Made me cum like a gallon, you’re a natural just gotta work on watching the teeth. You did great, you’re a good girl princess. So proud of you, made me feel amazing I promise.” Harry didn’t care about the lingering taste of him on her tongue as he kissed her, tongues battling for dominance ad he pulled her up and laid her down on the sofa. Her back came in contact with the cool leather, her warm body relaxing into the comforting coolness.

“Think it’s your turn angel, want me to eat your pussy love? God, I’m gonna be the first person to get a taste of your pretty peach. Gonna make ya’ feel good yea? If you don’t like something then tell me, got it?” Y/n nodded quickly, letting him rid her of her shirt lifting her back so she could undo the clasps. When her tits finally came into his view, Harry made a pathetic whimpering noise, she’s fucking gorgeous. His hands groped at the buds while his mouth and tongue worked on her neck. She was already a writhing moaning mess just from his simple touches alone. He knew she was hyper sensitive, she had mentioned she started her cycle soon so he assumed it was her ovulating time. he learned in health class that during ovulation women are more sensitive, and he honestly loved the fact she was so sensitive for the first time he eats her out. He wanted her to feel every single movement of his tongue against her.

He slowly made his way over the valley of her breasts, sucking on and toying with her pink, taunt nipples while using his knee to grind against her still clothed cunt. The friction was driving her up the wall, feeling close already. She knew she wouldn‘t last too long but she didn’t care, she felt amazing.

His fingers made quick work of her pants, tugging the tight jeans off her legs revealing her pale yellow, lace panties that were sticky with her arousal, slippery even through the fabric, so much so she was dripping down her thighs. “Christ pet…look at you, making a mess huh? Who got you this wet sweetheart?” “Y-you, god you Harry please touch me, please it’s aching now” her pleads had his eyes rolling back, hooking his thumbs into her waistband and dragging them off her body, shamelessly bringing the crotch of her underwear up to his face to inhale her scent and suck her juice off the lace.

His senses were on high alert while he did it, he swears he could feel every nerve in his body tingling, every taste bud on his tongue dancing with her sweet, heady slickness. Her panties were shoved into his back pocket, deciding he’d keep them for later when he tugs his cock when he can’t sleep, he wanted to smell her pussy while he thought of her.

Soon, his body was situated stomach down on the couch, face level with her dripping quivering heat, his fingers running over the trimmed pubic hair she chose to keep on her mound, his other hand tracing the shape of her sex, teasing her, watching her pussy quiver every time he ghosted over her split lips her hips shaking as he finally gave her what she wanted, he went nose deep between her pretty lips breathing her in as he lapped at her core. He had to pin her hips down, her sensitive womanhood being serviced by his tongue was making her body jolt and buck into the air, and he wouldn’t have that. No, he was going to keep his mouth attached to her peach as long as he could. He was like an addict taking a hit while he was between her legs, his drug of choice was definitely Y/n .

“H-harry oh shit! O-oh god I f-feel it my tummy, i-im go-gonna… Harry I’m gonna cum!” her voice wavered as she took in frantic breaths, one hand tugging his hair harshly the other toying with her nipples. Harry replied only with a grunt and a speeding of his tongue on her clit, using his thumb to pull her hood back so he had direct access to the bundle of nerves she had tucked between her legs, and soon enough she was convulsing, dribbling down his chin and gasping for air like a fish out of water. She was a quivering mess as he sucked her juices right from the source, not letting up till she had to push his head away, snapping her thighs shut from the over stimulation. Letting himself linger over her watching her face a she drowned in pleasure, pleasure he gave her.

His thumbs gently rubbed against the apples of her cheeks while he watched her try to even out her breathing, her lips trembling a little from how intense she’d just came. “My pretty girl, hi sweetness I see you there. C’mon come back to me, deep breaths you’re alright. Are these good tears bunny? Felt so good made your eyes water? Good, that’s okay, don’t worry it can happen. You did such a good job tonight sweetheart. Proud of ya’, look so beautiful could stare at you forever. Open your eyes princess, eyes on mine wanna see my girl, there you go..”

Y/n used all the strength she had left to look back at Harry, her eyes misty from the intensity and her body trembling under him, “You okay love? Just a bit overwhelmed huh?” she nodded, swallowing harshly trying to wet her dry throat after all the moaning and screaming she’d done. “F-felt go-good, liked it h-harry” she couldn’t help the stutter from her shaky jaw, but Harry didn’t mind. He stared down at his girl with so much love and adoration, she had never felt better.

“I’m glad honey, can do it for you any time you want, yea? Lets go inside, wanna get cleaned up? Can go to bed then, see you’re all sleepy now huh? Cmon, think we’ve celebrated this anniversary right. Can’t wait till next month.”

[reyesstrand]

not sure if I’m allowed to send another but, what about 85 for tarlos?

sorry for the wait for this, but this idea got in my head and it kind of got out of control — a good ending to this series, i guess!! i hope you enjoy! 

prompt taken from this list. also available on ao3!!

Three weeks to the day after the solar flare, Carlos receives a cryptic text from his mom: come for lunch today?

He mulls it over; he loves his mother, and it’s no secret to anybody that knows him that he’s a total mama’s boy, but there’s got to be a reason behind her impromptu meal, and an evil part of his mind tells him it has to be bad news. She doesn’t mention anything about his sisters joining them, and Carlos doesn’t know if that should stress him out more or less. If it’s something bad, he’d assume that he and his sisters would find out at the same time — but that only leaves him more confused.

She’s a strong woman, and is a complete health-nut — ever since his abuela started having mobility issues, his mother’s been a champion for organic eating and natural sleep aids and doing yoga every morning. Carlos can’t put bad news from the doctor completely off the table, but he starts to drift towards the other countless possibilities — and so he can’t say no to her. Even if it’s his only day off that lines up with TK’s schedule, he spares a glance at his softly snoring boyfriend before figuring the man’s close enough with his own father that he’ll have to understand a shift in plans. And so Carlos finds himself more alert than he’d been when he’d rubbed sleep from his eyes and initially checked his phone five minutes ago, thumbs hovering over the screen before he sends her a simple of course, mami, and sets about getting ready for the day after pressing a quick kiss to TK’s hairline.

He’s showered and had his coffee and is trying to quietly get dressed when Carlos hears TK groan and grumble, clearly fighting between catching a little more sleep and getting out of bed. Carlos watches with a small smile as TK slowly sits up when he realizes he’s alone in bed, before their gazes catch, and his heart soars as TK’s eyes visibly light up at seeing him.

“Everything okay?” TK asks, voice still deep and groggy, and Carlos nods as he starts on buttoning up his shirt.

“We might have to change our plans today,” Carlos says apologetically. “I really—fuck, I really wanted to spend he day with you, but my mom wants me to come over and she usually doesn’t spring stuff like that on me unless there’s something wrong, and—”

“Hey,” TK cuts him off, and Carlos raises his brows at him. “It’s okay, seriously. Marjan’s been bugging me to take Buttercup to get some pampering, anyway.”

“You’re the best,” Carlos says, and TK grins at him.

“Damn straight.”

TK tilts his head up, clearly looking for a kiss. Carlos huffs out a laugh and comes in close, so their mouths are nearly touching, before he whispers, “You have no shame, do you.”

“Nope,” TK grins, eyes crinkling in the corners, popping the p before he closes the space between them and gets the kiss he wanted. “I’ll see you later, though?”

His eyes shine with hopefulness, and Carlos nods earnestly. “I’ll text you when I’m on my way home.”

There’s another brief kiss, before Carlos sighs as he presses their foreheads together.

“I hate just leaving on you,” Carlos admits, even though the thoughts surrounding what his mom’s intentions are with lunch are swirling around his mind.

“I’ll be fine,” TK says, ducking forward to press another kiss to the corner of Carlos’ mouth. “Say hi to your mom for me.”

It’s only half a joke — TK’s been talking, metaphorically, about meeting Carlos’ family for a week or so. He mentions it whenever Carlos talks about childhood memories or a story from one of his sisters, noting that Carlos has known his dad technically even before he knew TK. But it never evolves from a few jokes, and even though Carlos wants nothing more than to continue to make their relationship solidified through introducing each other properly to the people that mean the most to them, he doesn’t know how to seriously approach that subject.

Instead of trying now, Carlos leaves with a promised, “I’ll see you later,” before he grabs his keys and phone and makes his way out of his home.

The half-hour drive goes by mostly in a blur, because he’s too caught up in what might unfold at the lunch. They usually try to have big family dinners bi-weekly, due to everyone’s work schedules and his sister’s kids’ schedules, but he can’t remember the last time a meal like this was just dropped on him the day-of. He does have the right state of mind to stop and grab his mom a bouquet of lilies, her favourite, before he pulls up to the humble farmhouse he’d lived in his whole childhood.

“Is everything okay?”

The words are out of his mouth within seconds of stepping into the house, half-startling his mother as she pours out two glasses of sweet tea.

“Can’t I ask my favourite son to have lunch with me when I know it’s his day off?”

Carlos flushes a bit, handing the flowers to his mom as she pulls him in for a hug. “I’m your only son.”

“Still my favourite,” she grins, smacking a kiss on his cheek before she gestures toward the back deck. He follows her, taking a deep breath as he goes.

* * *

“I know something is up, baby.”

He'd been expecting something regarding her own well-being or health, or his abuela's, so when the conversation turns to him he's sort of confused. And Carlos has grown up hearing from people that he has his mother’s eyes, and as he looks into them now, he thinks he sees the similarities as she looks at him with a particular warmth laced with concern he’s been accustomed to since he was born.

“You know, I saw an interesting photo of you the other day,” she says it off-handedly, but Carlos still manages to choke on his drink. She doesn’t hesitate, going on to describe the picture he knows intimately because he posted it to his Instagram only forty-eight hours ago: him and TK, smiling as they stand close, too close to just be friendly to any onlooker, taken by Paul in the late hours of the night as they strolled around downtown after their shifts. He hadn’t even considered his family seeing the photo, and he silently rues the day his sisters made their mother various social media accounts so she could keep up with their lives. Her voice turns soft, as she squeezes his arm and asks, “Is there something you want to tell me?”

“Uh, I have to pee.”

He says it quickly enough that he can run off to inside the house, where the remnants of their lunch sits scattered over the counter. Carlos beelines for the bathroom and leans against the sink as he pulls out his phone.

how do you feel about my mom knowing about you?

seriously.

Carlos sends the messages to TK and taps his phone against the heel of his palm as he waits for a response. He thinks back to his mother’s implications — that she knows about them, is okay with them — and figures that he could always lie. It’ll look suspicious as hell, of course, after he just fucked off like that, but he’s never really brought any boyfriends around before. Mainly because he’s never been in a serious enough relationship to warrant that. But he thinks — he knows that there’s something real between him and TK, and he wouldn’t hate his mom and eventually his sisters knowing about him and meeting him and welcoming him into the fold of their family dynamic. But he needs to make sure this is still something TK’s okay with, that it’s going at his pace.

TK texts him back quickly, like always. i was serious about wanting to meet her someday. maybe even soon. so if you want to talk about me i support you.

you’re sure? Carlos texts back, as he feels his nerves starting to both tamper off and confusingly grow at the same time as he walks toward the backyard again, preparing to let his mother into this part of his life.

100%. tell her only the good things, i wanna impress her, TK replies, along with a string of heart emojis. Carlos huffs a little, quickly typing out, she’ll love you no matter what, before pocketing his phone and sliding back into his seat across from his mother.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, meeting her eyes, and as he opens his mouth to continue, she quickly interjects.

“Don’t lie to me, Carlos,” she warns, though there’s warmth behind her words, a desperate plea to tell him that she wants to be included in this part of his life, no matter how new it might be. "You know you can talk to me."

So Carlos takes another deep breath, not really looking at his mother as he whispers: “I met someone, mami.”

He stares down at the ground; after a few seconds, he shifts his gaze to stare at the blooming gardens that live in clusters around the yard, various vegetables and flowers alike growing with vengeance as the summer welcomes them back into the world. When she makes a noise and he finally meets her gaze again, she’s looking at him with nothing but fondness.

“Oh, baby,” his mom is smiling, now, and she brings his face close to press a kiss to his forehead.

“It’s only been official for a few weeks but, um, I really like him,” Carlos admits, as his mother lovingly squeezes his hand. With a laugh, he adds: “I like him a lot. And I’d love for you to meet him.”

His mother leans forward and curls her arms around him, like she did when he was a kid and he felt too small to conquer the world, and he immediately feels calm wash over him. “I would love to, mijo.”

(Carlos has a flash of a memory, then, coming out when he was fifteen years old and terrified but desperate for his truth to be known. He first told his older sister Camila, and then his mother a couple of days later, and he remembers so vividly how they hugged his then-tiny frame, all knobbly bones and a height he was getting used to, both of them supportive and loving and adamant that nothing would change how much they love him. He towers over both of them now, but he feels protected in his mother’s arms, like he always has).

As they pull out of the hug, his mother elbows him good-naturedly. “Alright, tell me about this boy then.”

His mama’s grinning at him teasingly as she says it, and Carlos sits back and huffs out a laugh of his own, rubbing the back of his neck.

“His name’s TK. He’s a firefighter,” Carlos says, barely holding back a bigger smile when his mother makes an approving face at that tidbit of information. “He’s—he’s funny and beautiful and has the warmest heart.”

“I’m so happy for you,” his mother says, eyes bright with love, as if just listening to him talk about TK has made her realize how truly happy he is. And maybe it's allowed himself to look at inside retrospectively and figure out that yeah, he is happier than he's ever been. “I’m sure I’ll love him. You’ll have to bring him around.”

“I will,” Carlos promises, feeling like he’s floating on air. “Oh, and he’s from New York City.”

He says it pointedly, knowing his mother’s always wanted to travel to the Big Apple.

“Well,” his mother says, “I guess we’ll have to show your city boy how we do family dinners, then.”

She brings him in for another hug as she smiles, before she goes off to refill their glasses. Carlos sits back, considering the idea of TK being a part of his family, for good — and he finds that he wants nothing else in the world.

[qweeby]

Nine Lives To Short Part 7: And the Ugly

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡💜

Paring: Shinsou x Reader

Genre: Angst

Taglist: @bakuhoetoedoroki @foxypuppy

A/n: MAKING THIS HURT. AAAAAAAAAaaa-

Plot: You only have nine days to tell him how you feel but maybe 9 days just isn't enough.

Bang

.

.

.

You close your eyes bracing for the bullet's impact. But nothing happens. You open your eyes to see Shinsou standing in front of you his body trembling .

He looks back at you and smiles seeing that you're unharmed.

" G-good looks like....I made it in time huh?"

"H-hitoshi...you..."

Hitoshi then takes a knees while holding his shoulder grunting fighting back the pain.

"HITOSHI! OH GOD ARE YOU OK!"

"Y-yeah I'm ok it's nothing b-but a scratch"

Hitoshi moves his hand from the gun shot wound the blood completely covering his palm.

"THAT BASTARD! HE GAVE ME A REAL BULLET! UGH THIS THING IS FUCKING USELESS!"

Your father throws the gun to the ground and run to the door trying to escape but he bumps into someone unexpected.

It's Hitoshi Father Hajime Shinsou.

" H-Haji-!"

Before he can finish even saying his name Hajime gives your father a nasty right hook knocking him out cold.

" That's for shooting my kid".

-A few minutes goes by-

The police and the nearby pro heroes are already on the scene, the police go inside the house to retrieve your still unconscious father and the pro hero finds your mother pulling up in her car and proceed to take her out and arrest her.

"HITOSHI MY BABY ARE YOU ALRIGHT! YOU'VE BEEN SHOT OH MY GOD!"

The lady rightfully freaking out is Mihoko Shinsou.

"Mom please stop screaming. Dad please hold her back If she hugs me I'm pretty sure I'll bleed out" Hitoshi says while a paramedic a tending to his shoulder.

"I'LL BE GENTLE I PROMISE" she cries out.

"Knock it off, Hitoshi has more things to deal with than that shot wound".

Hajime points at the spot you were just standing at but there's no one there.

.

.

.

You hide behind a tree slowly making your way to a weird looking fence. But of course "death himself" catches the "sinner" mid escape.

" And where do you think you're going Y/n?" Yokai turns his head watching struggle to hop over the fence that leads to Shinsou's backyard which also leads to the woods.

" There's no way I'm staying here".

"Running away again? Isn't this song and dance getting old"

"I just....need to go"

"And where are you gonna go"

"I DON'T KNOW the woods maybe! I just can't be here with pros and police around....my parents are apart of the yakuza....a-and there gonna get locked up then the next thing you know I'm getting pulled in jail!".

" Correct my foolish user, Right now your mom and dad are villains...twisted people wanting to clean a mistake that they made. NO the curse they made."

"That's you."

You stay quiet because sadly he's right...

"Y/N! HEY WHERE DO YOU THINK YOUR GOING!".

"S-SHINSOU?!".

You see Hitoshi running towards you at fully speed, as you lean on the fence trying to hop on over it once again. Surprisingly it turns out the fence was gate that just needed to push open .

" ARE YOU SERIOUS!"

"Dumbass there's even a sign that says push".

You run to the backyard trip on garden hose, as Hitoshi jumps over the gate you spends years trying to hop over.

"YOU'RE SUCH A SHOW OFF!"

"WELL YOU'RE STUPID! There's no way I'm letting you run off."

Hitoshi walks up to you holding out his hand "Come on get let's get you up".

"But...What if the police take me away! I won't know for how long they'll hold me for! T-they can't take me you can't let them!".

Hitoshi holds your face rubbing your check in the process.

"Hey hey...it's ok they won't take you it's just your parents don't worry kitty..." he exhales "No need for the waterworks".

" I can't help it...it's just.." you grab onto Shinsou hands with tears streaming down your face.

"I want spend the rest of the time I have on this earth with you Shinsou!".

Hitoshi hands suddenly get real sweaty as his face turns red with embarrassment.

"A-AND YOU WILL OBVIOUSLY! I'LL BE HERE 100% EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!".

Right.

Hitoshi has been with you since way before the curse came along.

Even though you lied to him.

Even though you made him worried

Even though your time is limited....and he's basically wasting his time talking to you

He's still here.

"As you can see I'm here for you now aren't I?, as soon, as I left off the bus I followed you right inside the house and you never suspected a thing ! Then I peeked at you holding a bird mask and that's when I knew I had to call mymhphh-"

Y/n cover Shisou mouth not saying a word.

("Shit! Did I pull a Izuku and rambled on for to long! Dammit...my bad..").

"Shinsou...promise me that you won't say anything until i say so...even when i move my hand y-you can't say anything".

He nods and says "I promise" but it's muffled.

After hearing him promise.... you take a deep breath then move your hand from his mouth.

That night was such a cold night for the two of them but in this moment it didn't matter nothing mattered, as Y/n slowly inches her way towards Shinsou.

He notices that you started to move forward and he can't help but to do the same, as Shinsou moves in he can't help but to look at Y/n.

("Her eyes did they always look this innocent.....and....did her lips...always looked soft.)

Hitoshi gets way to eager and rushes his and gives you a quick peck on the lips.

.....

Shinsou starts stomping his feet as he tries his hardest to not scream at himself. (FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! NOOOOO! I DID ALL.IF THAT BUILD UP JUST TO FUCK IT UP! I- I WANNA REDO I WANNA REDO! I WANNA-)

" Hitoshi I'm in love with you!".

Y/n says before she kisses the angry cat out of his split second rage.

(" She....i-..h-her lips are so fucking soft..)

Hitoshi runs his finger through your hair and you loved that...

You love how Shinsou touches your body, when he's pulling your waste or rubbing your leg or even when his fingers brush up against you.

Y/n loves this feeling and couldn't help but to moan his name.

S-shinou~

.....

"AHEM!"

"AH! S-SHINOU!"

You quickly snap out of if shoving Shinsou back.

"SHINSOU DON'T RESPOND!"

He has completely curled up into a ball rolling on the floor and that can be heard from him is a muffled scream.

" I can see the steam coming off of his head, Y/n is that normal".

Y/n turns her back on Yokai and Shinsou.

"Hitoshi Shinsou".

Shinsou peeks out of his hood looking out the hole with one eye "Hm?".

" Whatever happens from this moment on you can't fall in love with me. Also you can talk now."

"I-I can't fall in love with you? W-what do you mean"? Why does that almost make feel sad.

"This isn't the time nor place to having this conversation"

"BUT I WAS A TIME TO KISS ME! This is just some sick little game to get me to kiss you wasn't it.

"HITOSHI DON'T BE SO LOUD! AND STOP TALKING ABOUT IT SO CASUALLY".

.

.

.

A lot of time has pass since then. You fill the Shinsou family in on everything explain your unfortunate quirk and your unfortunate fate that has yet to come.

Hajime sips his coffee " So 9 days huh damn that sucks dont it"

" Well Y/n you know you can stay here as long you need"

"That you aunty Mihoko but...I don't think I'll stay for long".

Hitoshi flicks your forehead like always.

"I doesn't matter how long you stay for. When you leave I leave so don't even think about taking off".

"OW! I-I WASN'T THINKING THAT AT ALL!...that really hurts you know."

Mihoko gasp very loudly before screaming realizing her baby boy is gonna leave along side her."HITOSHI YOU'RE GONNA LEAVE ME TOO!"

"Well yeah I wanna spend all the time I have left with Y/n so I won't leave her side".

Y/n and Hitoshi then stare at one another blushing.

Hajime see the two of you making googly eyes at each other. "Ohhhhhhhh....now it makes sense "

"WHAT WAS THAT OHHH FOR!?"

"Nothing Toshi nothing at all".

All of you have a great time just taking and chatting and all around having fun together. Hajime...Mihoko...even though you aren't related to them in any way the Shinsou's are willing to take you in. Saying thank you wouldn't ever been enough to express your gratitude.

But the fun stops abruptly when Hitoshi has to steps outside for moment.

" I'll be right back..."

"Ok kid just don't run away now "

"Shut up old man! I'm not a run away cat!".

"And where are you going~" You say holding up Kabuki like baby. "You're such a cool cat Kabuki! Way better than another cat I know.

"Oh bite me!" Yokai then bites your legs

"OW YOU LITTLE SHIT I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU BITE ME!"

"That's what you get for going in the backyard, there's bugs everywhere back there I'm not surprised you got bit".

As the joints in your leg start to tighten you begin to break out into a sweat.

"Yeah....nothing but a big bite".

Hitoshi stands outside in front of Mei Hatsume. "Why did you answered any of my calls Shinsou".

"Well as you can see-" he waved his arm that's wrapped in bandages " I've been pretty busy. Plus I just got your text...all 65 missed messages and 15 miss calls".

"WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"Eh nothing really I only got shot".

" SHINSOU THIS IS SERIOUS!".

" Look I know you didn't come here to talk about my injury, so why are you here".

" Us. I want to talk about us".

"What are you talking about".

" You been avoiding me...why! Don't tell me it's because of that girl again!"

"That's not her name".

"I DONT CARE! AND YOU SHOULDN'T EITHER! SHE'S GONNA DIE AND YOUR STILL GONNA BE HERE".

...

"Hatsume do yourself a favor and leave now..quietly".

"No-no! NO! I WILL NOT LEAVE AT ALL I CAN'T BELIEVE YOUR SO ATTACHED TO HER! EVERYONE KNOWS SHE'S A LOST CAUSE-".

Mei's body goes stiff and her pupil dilate.

Shinsou let's out a sigh, as he walks up to Hatsume seeing how this is the second time he had to use his quirk on someone he cared for.

Like your dad at the hospital.

Even though your parents were apart of yakuza Shinsou knew them for basically his whole life. He remembers the time his family would go over Y/n's for a big family dinner, he remembers all the trips they would go on like the beach or that one time they took everyone to America.

Then he thinks about Hastume and can't help but to frowns.

"Hatsume I want you to forget about what we had...whatever we had....and I want you to just go home. Please".

Hatsume does just that. Turning and waking away as commended.

.....

Shinsou walks back inside trying to shake off what he just did.

"So care to explain that sweetie?"

"I would rather not", he looks around "where's dad and y/n?"

"Y/n leg was hurting so Hajime carried her to your room so she could rest".

"Oh ok so I'll just-"

Mihoko yanks his hood.

"Don't make use my quirk on you now, Hitoshi"

"....fine I'll talk I'll talk."

"This girl Mei I guess was going around and tell people that we date...it caused a lot a problems so I chose to not talk to her anymore.

She raises one of her eyebrows questioning her son's words.

"We didn't even have anything I just gave her my number after so we can talk about the support item she's making for me".

Mama Shinsou pats her son on the back

"That just means your a lady's man right!"

" M-MOM!"

After his mom picks on him some more Hitoshi finally makes it to his room to see you fast asleep, he walks up to his bed and lays next you watching you sleep.

"I can't blame you for being tired...you've been through a lot today".

.

.

.

Hitoshi can't help but to think about what you said in the backyard.

" Hitoshi I love you! "

Why does that make his heart beat 10 times faster, the way you stared into his soul why does that make him wanna look more. The way you said his name....

"Hitoshi~"

God! He'd give anything just to hear you say one more time. Just thinking about it makes his the tip of his ears turn pink as they twitch slightly.

But then that praise fades, when Hitoshi realize what you really wanted him to remember from that moment....

"Whatever happens you can't fall in love with me".

He lays a kiss on your cheek.

"No promises".

....

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡💜💜

Now...officially...your first life has been lost but at least your wasting away with him by your side.

[punkpoemprose]

I Hate You (And I Hate That I Don’t Really Hate You)- A Kristanna Oneshot

Universe: Modern AU Length: 3432 Rating: M (Mature, because there’s some sexy bits)

Notes: Happy Unbirthday @thesvenqueen! Sorry it took me a while to post yours. I’ve been rewriting and deleting and rewriting it all day. Enemies to lovers man, it’s just got to be perfect, you know? Hope you like it!

Her distaste for Kristoff Bjorgman had started early, when she was just five years old. He was the boy next door, with messy blonde hair and spirited brown eyes who was always playing outside, earning freckles on his nose from the sun. She’d despised him more than anything because he could do all the things she couldn’t.

She’d ask her parents, “Mama, Papa! Can I go ride my bike down the street?”

And in return they’d given her hundreds of reasons why it wasn’t an option. She was too small, it was too dangerous, what if she fell and hurt herself and they didn’t see? What if one of the other kids was mean to her?

No, they always said, better for her to take her little bike with its training wheels up and down the same short stretch of hallway in the house where they could keep an eye on her, or up and down the driveway for a few short minutes when her father could tear himself away from work long enough to watch her. And in the meantime, Kristoff would ride by the front bay windows, like he was taunting her.

He was three years older, he was a boy, and he wasn’t their son. Those were always her parent’s reasons when she saw him doing something she wasn’t allowed to do, and after a while she started hating him for those same reasons. He was older than her so he was able to do things that she wanted to do without having to have training wheels of any sort. He was a boy so he was allowed to get messy and do the things she and her sister could not in their nicely pressed little dresses. He was the neighbor’s son and that meant that all his rules were different than hers.

It was unfair, how he’d wave to her through the window with a smile on his face, telling her to join him like she had a choice, and walking away disappointed when she didn’t come out. She wanted to play in mud puddles and pretend to sword fight with sticks. She wanted to catch bugs and ride her bike down the road. She wanted to leave the house. She wanted to play like the other kids did.

She didn’t hate him so much on the days where Elsa felt well enough to play, the days where they’d play with their dolls in the front window and wave to the other children as they walked by. Those days his smiles and waves seemed a little kinder, almost like he meant he wanted to meet her.

She did meet him when they went to school. He was in Elsa’s grade, not that Elsa went to school very often. Anna hadn’t understood then, just a little thing herself. She didn’t know that being nervous could keep someone from living a life, for her being nervous was something that she just got over. Being angry though, being so angry she couldn’t think of anything else, was something she could understand.

She understood it when she would see him through the classroom window, playing on the playground with the other kids, and heading inside when it was her turn to go out with her class. They were polite enough to her, her classmates, but they didn’t pick her for kickball. They treated her like a china doll, not to be played with, but to be looked at in her little pretty dresses and perfectly shined Maryjane’s. She’d longed for clothes like Kristoff wore, jeans worn at the knee, t-shirts from the discount store with dinosaurs on them that were meant for playing in, that were meant to get dirty.

She’d see him get on the school bus at the end of the day when her parents would send a car to get her. Other kids would be talking to him and they’d laugh. She always felt like he was laughing at her.

When Anna had turned twelve, she’d been allowed a little garden in the backyard to grow flowers and strawberries. It was ladylike enough work to please the housekeeper and governess their parents had hired for her and Elsa when Anna had turned six. Gerda was a kind woman, but a strict one, with very specific thoughts about what Anna should do with her life. Those thoughts included a preparation and boarding school, but her mother hadn’t wanted to separate her daughters.

She’d go out to weed and neaten and harvest every evening in the summer months, and when school rolled around, she’d tended to it after finishing her homework. It was the dirtiest work she’d ever been allowed and she’d been so proud of it. Everything was meticulously neat, the opposite of the way she liked to keep her room, and she’d done such a good job of it that the house staff and even her parents had noticed and gave her a few quick words of admiration. It had meant everything to her.

One day when she returned home from school and finished her homework, she’d had her heart crushed to see the whole thing destroyed. Apparently, the neighbor boy had gotten a dog and he’d gotten out without them noticing and had dug up all her hard work. She’d cried over crushed plants, holding broken little flowers in her hands and blaming him, blaming Kristoff for what had happened. Afterall, she thought, if he’d just been better at training his dog, if he’d just kept track of him, she’d still have her garden. It had been her only comfort as Elsa had been locked in her room most days and her parents had been increasingly preoccupied with doctors, trying to figure out what had happened to her that she’d just stopped speaking.

He’d come over to apologize, but she’d made someone else answer the door. She hadn’t thought that she could accept his apology without telling him that she hated him and never wanted to see him again, and she knew that if she had been that rude, her parents really would have had her sent off to a boarding school to learn manners befitting a young lady.

So she kept on hating him, but she’d been quiet about it. The grounds staff had seeded over her destroyed safe place, grass growing where her flowers had to “beautify” the place that she’d once loved, and it was all his fault.

Her parents died in a car crash when she was fifteen. It had been bad weather, they’d slid off the road and hit a tree. She hated Kristoff for it.

Not because he caused the rain or because he told them to go out driving because he hadn’t. He had had nothing to do with the death of her parents, but he’d come to the funeral with his parents. He’d come through the receiving line where Elsa had stood shaking at her side, Anna’s broken sister and legal guardian at the tender age of eighteen and fresh out of a mental health counseling program that had only succeeded in making her functional, not the sister that Anna remembered from their childhood years.

He’d shaken their hands solemnly, eighteen himself and barely a man even in a legal sense. She still saw that little boy of eight in his face, in his eyes when he’d touched her. She’d hated how he still had his parents. How he still had someone who loved him while she and Elsa were all alone in the world.

He went off to college that fall, and Anna hated him for being able to leave while she was stuck in a too-dark too-quiet house with Elsa trying to manage the family business and go to school online and spend more and more time away from her and in her psychologist’s office.

She hated him for leaving. They hadn’t been friends. She’d hated him since she knew how to hate someone, but there was a comfort in seeing him through the window, a comfort in seeing him walk through the halls in school, and it was gone.

She was twenty-one when she saw him again.

Of course he’d come home, she’d seen him summers and on holidays walking into his parent’s house and down the street like he’d never left, but she’d tried her best to not pay him any attention. She hated him, and it should have been easy, but she’d really needed to put the effort in after he left to pretend that she didn’t care whenever he came home.

More accurately, she was twenty-one when she saw him in any context other than him visiting home. She’d been a senior in college, just finishing up her degree, and out at a bar with friends celebrating. She’d seen him, two beers in, and all the hate and pain and fear from an entire childhood spent hating him welled back up in her, but his hair was tousled just right and he was watching hockey on his phone and she was willing to pretend for a moment that it wasn’t him. Because of course she knew that he lived in the town she’d gone to college in. It had been an accident. She’d picked the school then heard through the grapevine that he lived near it and she’d just had the good fortune to not run into him in nearly four years.

But that was a lie and she knew it. Because she’d gotten into every school she’d applied to and she’d accepted the offer after she heard he lived there, and she’d looked for him in every shop, in the movie theater, at the gas station ever since. She’d told herself that it was because she hated him and she wanted to tell him as much, but that wasn’t why she crossed the bar and sat next to him, daring him to look at her, to see her, with her thoughts as she finished beer number three.

She hadn’t been drunk when she’d kissed him in the back corner of the bar. Not really anyway, at least she was sober enough to blame it on the beer. She kissed him with her mouth open, with something slow and soulful playing over the speakers as he swayed with her to the rhythm. She didn’t know the song, but he’d been humming it and she’d asked him to dance.

Waking up in his bed had been an accident. At least she told herself as much when the morning light found them both fully clothed in his bed with a dog, the dog that had destroyed her garden, at her feet. She’d slipped out while he was pretending to sleep, and she hated him for it. She hated him for not holding her tight and telling her not to go.

She’d patted the dog, Sven, on the head on her way out though.

The second and third times she’d wound up there, staying the night in his arms and waking up fully clothed, were mistakes too. Because she hated him, and she wouldn’t seek out a man she hated at the bars, she wouldn’t ask him where he worked so she could accidentally pass by wearing her Wonderbra under a tight shirt, so it had to be an accident.

It was an accident now too, with his mouth on hers, totally sober, pulling him toward his bedroom.  It had to be an accident, because she couldn’t put want and hate in the same room in her head and stay sane unless it was a mistake. She knew, she’d known for over a week, that she didn’t hate him anymore, but she was having a hard time letting go of it.

As she tried to pull him towards his bedroom, her motion was halted by his large hands scooping her off the floor. It felt all to natural for her to wrap her legs around his waist and let him carry her to his bed. Her fingers fisted into his hair as she resumed kissing him.

A groan in appreciation came from the back of his throat and his hands squeezed her bottom as he knocked the door open and then closed behind them.

She cursed when he dropped her to his mattress and immediately descended to kiss down her neck. Her fingers were already fumbling against his belt, tugging his shirt out of the waistband. She hoped that he’d unbutton it himself, because if not she thought she might just tear it off him.

He’d grown so much since they were young. His jaw had taken the set of a man and his beard scratched against her skin as he mouthed across her skin to the place where her dress’s top gave the slightest peek into her cleavage.

When his hand went for the zipper on the back of her dress, she leaned up into his kiss, giving him access and encouraging his mouth to dip down as far as her could under the fabric to kiss the tops of her breasts.

They’d been on a date. An honest date, because he’d said “we have to stop meeting this way” at a bar, and she’d understood it as “I need to stop bringing you home drunk because I want to do things to you I can only do sober.”

The dress was thrown to the floor quickly, along with his shirt and her bra and then her panties.

It wasn’t long before he was asking her, begging her, to let him go down on her.

She writhed under his attentions, his tongue first, and then his tongue and his lips, and then his tongue and his lips and his fingers curled in her just right. His beard had certainly helped the matter, and she wished she had been able to get a better look at him when he was between her legs, treating her so reverently, pulling the pleasure from her in waves. It had been over before it started. In fact it had been over twice within minutes. She thought that maybe he’d want to try for a third, but she’d pulled him up for air, feeling shaky legged and overstimulated.

His fingers in her had been so much better than her own, her own experimentations had been nothing compared to his abilities. She almost wanted to ask if he was experienced, but somehow she knew that the answer would be no, that this, all of this, had been just for her.

He’d licked her from his fingers, he’d kissed her open mouthed, letting her taste herself on his lips. It was as debauched as it was gentle.

In the aftermath he’d covered her with his bedspread, turned the lights out, and curled around her tightly. He hadn’t asked her to reciprocate, he hadn’t said anything. He’d just kissed her and held her for what felt like forever and no time at all until the mood shifted from heated to simply warm.

He’d kissed the crown of her head, and then down to her neck and shoulder, he’d pulled her in close, and then when he seemed content himself, he spoke.

“You hated me. I could always see it in your eyes. You hated me so much.”

It wasn’t accusatory. It was spoken like a fact, and she nodded to confirm it.

His fingers carded through her hair gently and she cuddled into his side. She couldn’t change the past, but she realized that she was starting to remember a hundred little things she’d made herself forget.

Kristoff at age eight slipping a paper airplane through her mail slot, and the pair of them playing, Anna tossing the paper plane out the window and him catching it, walking it back to her mail slot and repeating the process over and over until it started to rain. Kristoff at age fifteen leaving a potted peace lily for her as an apology for her garden, a lily she’d mourned the death of her freshman year of college when it had lived out the last of its longevity on her windowsill. Kristoff at eighteen holding her hand a little longer than necessary at her parent’s funeral, bringing her a glass of water and a slice of lemon cake at the wake, inviting her to his grad party. She thought about Christmas cards from his family every year, and how she’d watch him from the window, hand delivering them through her mail slot. She thought about the way he always looked for her in the windows and how his smiles and waves really had never been teasing or mean, but honest and hopeful.

“I had to make myself hate you,” she whispered into the stillness of the dark room, “Because it hurt too much to know that we could never be friends.”

His lips found her bare shoulder and pressed down gently, like it was natural, like they did this every night before they fell asleep.

“Because of your parents?” he asked quietly, pulling her back into him in a gesture she read as protective. She wondered how long he’d known she was unhappy, how hard he’d tried to do what he could. She wondered what might have changed if she’d just gone to his graduation party years before, whether finally being free to see him would have made her happy. She couldn’t quite imagine a whirlwind summer romance. She’d been too young for romance, but she could imagine him in that crap truck of his bringing her for ice cream or down to the lakeshore or them not going anywhere at all, watching crap movies in his living room. She could imagine a summer where she’d made him her friend, and then months of letters and texts and emails. She could imagine a few years of friendship, him coming to her graduation, him helping her pick colleges, him realizing that he was falling in love with her, and her picking her college because he’d be there to love her.

She nodded. “It wasn’t really their fault I don’t think… or at least I don’t think they meant to keep me indoors so much. It was just Elsa was sick, and then she had the mental health problems, and they had the business and her to think about all the time… it was just easier for them to keep me safe if I were inside and proper and… I think they would have been different if the situation was.”

His beard scratched against her skin, reminding her of the way his mouth had felt elsewhere. She only felt a little bad thinking about how he’d made her see stars now that they were having a serious conversation.  

“I can understand why you must have disliked me so much. Even though I was adopted I always had family, I didn’t have much for friends, but I had a few and I had Sven… and I can see how you probably wanted that.”

“I did… I do… A lot’s changed since we were kids, but not that. Elsa’s family now. She did her best for me those three years, she’s gotten better now. We talk a lot.”

He hummed, like he already knew. She wondered if he’d been checking in on them. His parents had always been good neighbors to them, especially after her parents passing, so she imagined that his mother had been able to update him on how they were doing.

“And I have some friends now, at school… and… I just I guess I’m realizing that it’s not too late.”

“Too late for what?”

She took a deep breath, taking in the way it felt easy to breathe for the first time in a very long time. She hadn’t realized how much baggage she’d been carrying around until she’d seen him that first night in the bar.

“I don’t think it’s too late for us to be friends.”

He chuckled and pressed his lips to her neck again, his body warm and solid against her back.

“I don’t mean to be crass Anna… but I think we might be a little more than friends already.”

“Lucky thing,” she said, blushing as she pressed her rear into him a little closer, feeling the press of his cock against her, “Because I think I want to get a little friendlier with you… it’s only fair after all.”

A growl of appreciation had her letting out an easy and warm laugh.

She felt light and warm, and for the first time since she could remember, she felt like everything was alright.

[inkribbon796]

Days of Childhood

~::~ 10 Years Ago ~::~

Summary: 5+1, Visitation Day. Yancy palling around with his family. All taking place within the same week.

A/N: Bim and Yan are currently 21, making Yancy and Kay 22, and Illinois and Arthur 23. Meaning that here they are 11, 12, and 13 respectively.

5. Arthur- Bugs Alive:

“Come on, hurry up,” Arthur called out, his notebook clutched to his chest as he ran off, Yancy was struggling to keep up with all the rocks and tree roots.

The two boys were running around the spooky woods surrounding the Manor. No wild animals, except for insects and rats, could be found. Normally people who entered the woods became lost and died. Dark took great pains to hide the skeletons that could be found within the unhallowed woods.

Yancy only caught up when the young Author had stopped at a fallen tree that was covered in mushrooms and other fungi, moss covering the rotting wood in sickly patches. He looked giddy and excited, holding a large jar along with his notebook.

In later retellings, Yancy would admit to this being a huge red flag.

“There you are slowpoke,” Arthur shoved the jar into Yancy’s hands. “I need some bugs so I can study them for my stories.”

Unsuspecting, Yancy smiled, “Can I look at them too?”

The young author shrugged, “Sure, whatever.”

“Did you hear?” Arthur started, smiling mischievously, cracking his notebook open. “Dark gave me a nickname, like the kind his network have.”

“I thought we weren’t allowed to join,” Yancy reminded in confusion.

“Well I’ve got one, that means I’m better than Illy,” with a couple quick words, the entire tree trunk violently flipped over, exposing dozens of types of teaming insects out in the open. “No one else here has one but me.”

Yancy frowned at the snide look on his older adopted brother’s face, “Bim goes by Junior.”

“He doesn’t count,” Arthur snapped angrily, and ripped the jar away and started scooping up insects, uncaring if they crawled over his hands to get away from him. “Wil gave him that.

“So what’s your nickname then?” Yancy asked.

“Dark calls me “his little Author” neat huh?” Arthur smiled proudly as he screwed the cap on and smiled at the jar.

“Yeah,” Yancy leaned in to look at the bugs. “So where are you going to hide them? Dark’ll get mad if you bring them into the house.”

Arthur wrote another couple of words and his bat appeared at his feet, a smile on his face, “What do yah mean, Yanc?”

Yancy scurried back with his hands as Arthur brought the bat onto the jar, crushing many insects as others frantically tried to escape. The young author crushed one trying to flee, bringing up his notebook and making sure they all froze in place. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Sick to his stomach, Yancy tried to scoop up some of the insects, the little crawlers freed from Arthur’s powers when they touched his hand, and he flung them into the safety of the bushes.

“Hey, they’re mine!” Arthur shouted. “Don’t throw them away.”

“Run little bugs,” Yancy scooped up some beetles and a worm and threw them into the bushes.

With a couple flourishes of his wrist, an equal number of bugs that Yancy had saved, exploded. “I can kill them faster than you can take them.”

Yancy stuck out his tongue, scooping up another beetle, “You can’t stop me!

Their game continued, Yancy running back to the Manor with a bloody nose and Arthur more than a bit scratched up.

4. Illinois- Heroes and Villains:

Inside the Manor there were two young boys running around the house, one as, and the other who was in a kid’s brown fedora that tended to fall over his eyes was 13.

“Stop running,” Illinois yelled at Yancy. “You’re the hero, you’re supposed to chase me.”

“Youse always play the villain, I’s want a turn,” Yancy yelled back at him and tripped over the rug, crashing hard on the ground.

“Oww,” Yancy grumbled as Illinois jumped onto him and started tying up his feet.

“Gotcha!” Illinois cheered, “now it’s . . .”

The older boy paused for a bit, “You okay.”

“Yeah it just hurts,” he complained.

“Oh,” Illinois stopped and finished tying him up, grabbing a blanket that had been left on the couch. “You can be the villain for a little bit long if you want.”

“Youse gonna ta drag me ta jail?” Yancy asked, smiling and giggling when Illinois rolled him onto the blanket.

Illinois grabbed the blanket and began dragging it towards, “You’re going to jail for stealing a candy bar!”

“No!” Yancy yelled overdramatically.

Illinois picked up a corner of the blanket and began dragging him towards the nearest closet. They passed Dark who was outside his office and looking at them, unimpressed.

“You two aren’t playing that game again are you?” He asked.

Illinois adjusted his hat so it wasn’t over his eyes, “Yes?”

Dark groaned, “Play that outside, you’re going to break something.”

“OK, Dad,” both Yancy and Illinois agreed and Illinois began dragging Yancy and the blanket towards the door.

Because both of them were turned away they missed the scared look on Dark’s face at the title they’d give him. Fear that quickly gave way to a colder mask. “It’s Dark.”

Both the boys frowned,, correcting themselves before Illinois finished dragging Yancy onto the back patio and then carried him down the stairs to the lawn where he grabbed a couple croquet pins and made a little small fence around him. Both boys unaware that Dark was watching them from the balcony

“There,” Illinois said proudly, hands resting on his hips. “I won.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Yancy complained. “Whatever. Untie me already.”

Illinois tapped his chin, “Nah, untie yourself.”

“Noisy!” Yancy yelled. “Get back here!”

Then Yancy noticed a danger sticking out of the ground. Quickly Yancy rolled over and grabbed the knife and began cutting himself free.

“Hey!” Illinois began racing for the patio stairwell door as Yancy finished cutting himself free. Since the knots were tied by a thirteen-year-old and Illinois hadn’t actually meant to keep him trapped indefinitely, it didn’t take long.

However, now Yancy was chasing Illinois around with a knife in his hand as the boys ran up the stairs. Dark quickly snatched the knife out of his hand the first chance he got.

“Dark, he cheated!” Illinois called out.

The Entity was just sipping from his coffee cup as the two boys raced around him. “You’re the villain now, get away from him.”

Yancy and Illinois kept running around the backyard until they got exhausted and Dark brought them inside for a nap and a snack.

3. Kay- The King of the Squirrels:

Kay was arranging some of the stuffed animals he owned into a pile. The young boy had a red blanket tied around his neck. Dark and King were in a bit of an arms race. King always asked for a pet, every birthday, Christmas, and Thursday. Dark, sick and tired of always saying a two-letter word over and over again bet he could find any stuffed animal and if he was ever unable to, Kay could have that animal as a pet.

It was bet Dark had yet to lose, which led to an arms race of Kay finding different names for animals, and a very extensive stuffed animal collection.

Yancy jumped out of the pile, and raised a stuffed platypus above his head, “Found it!”

“Uh, they don’t hunt squirrels,” Kay reminded him.

“What do they eat then?” Yancy asked, trying to get out of the pile without knocking the whole thing over.

“Bugs, worms,” Kay shrugged and grabbed a leopard plushie. “Here, cats can eat squirrels.”

“But I’s like the platty-pus,” Yancy complained.

“Bring them both,” Kay shrugged, and Yancy took the leopard and held both of them in his arms in a warm hug.

Out of all of his siblings, Yancy liked spending time with Illy, but he always thought Kay was the nicest. The boys ran outside, to where Kay had hidden some of his favorite stuffed animals, his squirrels, up into a tree towards the edge of the tree line into the creepy forest. Wil had magicked them all up a treehouse. Dark had been less than impressed, only agreeing to keep the kids’ new “wooden death trap” when Wil demonstrated its sturdiness by getting up and jumping up and down on the thing and not fall through the wood.

King usually spent all his time up in the treehouse. And Yancy waited at the bottom until he could throw the toys up and climb up.

The afternoon was spent peacefully playing with the stuffed animals.

2. Bim- Starlight, Starbright:

Yancy and Bim were out on the front lawn, sneaking out late at night to catch fireflies. Normally Dark let them stay up late all summer collecting bugs and sleeping in the backyard. But for the last few days he’d been keeping them all inside, constantly watching them any time they went near the backyard. He promised them that whatever was lurking around the area would be gone soon and they could go back to enjoying the stars and bugs.

And if Yancy heard Dark screaming and fighting something in what he was pretty sure was a dead, haunted forest, the young boy was too nervous to talk about it with anyone else.

Bim jumped, his glasses almost falling off his face. He caught another firefly in his hands, cupping his hands around it, “Yes!”

Yancy was catching another firefly and carefully putting it in a jar where there were already a dozen fireflies buzzing around inside. After the fiasco with Arthur, he kept a tight grip on the insect jar, even though Bim had never ruthlessly tortured insects before.

The two boys kept putting little lightning bugs into their jar until Bim was finally satisfied. “Yeah, look at them,” Bim cheered. “Aren’t they cool, their little butts glow.”

“Yeah, ain’t they something,” Yancy agreed, before noticing that the fireflies were disappearing from their backyard, as if they were being chased. “I’s think Dark’s comin’ we should get inside.”

Bim frowned, “I didn’t even get my wish.”

“We’ll make it inside, come on,” Yancy began running inside, both boys missing the slowly gathering black mist that was in the treeline as the two boys raced inside and up into Bim’s bedroom. Only then did they giggle a little bit in the darkness, the only light was from the little bugs in their jar.

“Let me make the first one,” Bim reached for the jar.

“No, you’ll let them all go,” Yancy reminded, holding the jar away from him. “Come on, I’s never get the first one.”

He pouted, folding his arms like Wil tended to do, “Come on.”

Yancy moved over to Bim’s window and began to open it as Bim swiped the jar and grabbed one of the bugs, pinning it to his hand with his almost invisible aura. Yancy lunged for the jar to close it, but two glowing bugs escaped through the window. “Hey!”

“I want to be just like Daddy when I grown up,” Bim wished, blowing gently on the insect and allowing it to fly off.

Yancy was carefully getting another lightning bug on his own finger so he could make his own wish: “I’s wanna be a good person.”

Bim scoffed at that, but only ordered, “Give me another bug, I’ve got more wishes to make.”

Glaring at him, Yancy fought over the fireflies until they were all gone and Bim closed the window, all their troubles safely locked out of Manor.

1. Yan- Teddy Bear Picnic:

Yancy was sitting out in the back lawn with Yan, a little table between them and as many chairs as the little table could fit with a teddy on each chair. Each bear had on a bow tie and a frilly hat and a full tea party in front of them.

Yan was in a nice little red dress while Yancy was in a bow tie,

Two of the bears belonged to Yan and Yancy respectively, and the other three were politely and quietly “borrowed” from Kay’s collection.

Yan kicked her feet a little bit as she poured tea for the bear next to her.

“Why do you always give tea to her first?” Yancy complained.

“Because Ms. Talia is a lady,” Yan said.

“Youse been sittings’ there pouring her tea fer ferever,” Yancy reminded.

Then suddenly the whole table jolted, Yan and Yancy froze and leaned away from the table, Yan gasping in horror as her hard work was mostly tossed to the floor.

“Rawr! Rawr!” Artie began growling excitedly as he moved underneath the same tablecloth.

“Artie!” Yan got up and stomped her feet angrily. “You wrecked my tea party!”

“I’m not Artie,” Arthur said. “I’m a sea monster.”

“There’s no sea monsters at tea parties,” Yancy reminded sharply.

Arthur frowned, “Then you’re having a lousy tea party.”

“No,” Yan spat. “I don’t want sea monsters at my tea party!”

The young author frowned, before growing a bit and running off with the table cloth.

A chase ensued on the back lawn, the two kids chasing their older brother until they could rip the cloth away and slowly start rebuilding their little tea party. With Artie the sea monster in sea monster jail until the end of the tea party.

+1. Dark and Wil- Bruised Egos and Bloodied Knuckles:

It began simply enough. Arthur had brought a rat into the house, and Kay had been excited. A secret little pet to hide from Dark for a while.

Kay named him Pretzel.

The poor creature barely lasted an hour. It was in debate for the rest of Arthur’s existence on what had happened to the rodent. Whether he was jealous of the rat spending more time with Kay, or he simply got bored of it.

Either way when Kay snuck off to check on Pretzel, the rat was gone with only a couple specks of blood on the floor of its cage.

He angrily went to confront Arthur, who was watching a show with Wil and the other kids. Arthur feigned ignorance and Yancy jumped Arthur for killing another creature, trying to separate him from his notebook and hold him down.

The fight resulted in Arthur getting a black eye, Kay getting some scratches to the face, and Yancy getting one of the last of his baby teeth getting literally kicked out of his skull.

Wil was trying to separate the three boys with his aura, and looked relieved when Dark ran in and grabbed Arthur, the two porting over to the young boy’s room.

With Arthur gone Kay finally stopped fighting and just started crying, Yancy crying a bit at how upset he was.

Yancy was given a lollipop as Kay spoke through his tears. “He killed my rat, he killed Pretzel.”

“There, there,” Wilford waved another lollipop into his hand and did a little magic trick. “You’ll see Pretzel again. He didn’t die.”

“Wil!” Dark walked in, looking unhappy. “Don’t make it worse.”

“Kaylor if you wanted another rat toy I could have given it to you,” Dark reprimanded, summoning up a little rat plushie in his hands and holding it out to the boy. “You shouldn’t be fighting with Arthur over a rat.”

Kay glared at the toy and pushed it away, “I don’t want a toy, I want Pretzel.”

Dark took a deep, audible breath, and handed Yancy the toy instead. “We can’t have a pet, and this is why. Be lucky you got as long as you did with the thing.”

“Pretzel,” Yancy corrected.

Rolling his eyes, Dark corrected, “Pretzel, fine. Be lucky you got any time with Pretzel. No one in the house can control themselves, and any other pet will not last. Hopefully Pretzel escaped on his own.”

Dark picked Yancy up with his aura, setting the boys side-by-side as he talked to them. “Just imagine that Pretzel escaped and is living with the other rats. If that makes you feel better.”

Kay nodded and Dark smiled as he dried Kay’s eyes, “I’m sorry we can’t have the pet you want, and maybe one day you’ll get to actually own a pet.”

Giving a small smile, Dark smiled back and smooth out Kay’s slight curly hair.

Then he turned to Yancy, “As for you.”

“What?” Yancy argued back.

“What were you thinking?” Dark demanded.

“Artie killed Pretzel an’ might use his book ta hurt Kay,” Yancy accused.

“How do you know he killed it?” Dark quizzed.

“Because he smashed a jar a bugs an’ he hit me,” Yancy answered as Dark just stoically stared at him.

When Yancy finished, Dark summoned up his favorite candy bar and held it up in front of the young boy.

“Listen to me, Yancy, you need to always protect your siblings, even if sometimes you have to protect them from each other.” Dark had the softest look in his eyes that Yancy had ever seen. When Yancy reached for the candy bar, Dark’s looked hardened and he pulled it away.

“This isn’t a free license to beat up on your brother, do you understand me?” Dark demanded.

“Yes,” Yancy replied earnestly.

Dark smiled and gave him the candy bar. Turning back to Will he said, “Well hopefully Arthur’s calmed down a bit. Can’t leave him in his room all day.”

Dark ripped open a portal in the Void and walked through it, leaving Wil to take the kids back to the living room where then TV was waiting for them.

[selfishsunnies]

I wish you sidewalk pennies // JJ maybank x named reader

summary: Alice, Kiara’s cousin, comes to stay with her for the summer. for the first time in seven years. She attempts to remember all the memories, piece her family back together, and make the best friends. Maybe a little romance never hurt anyone.

warnings: nothing more than the show

word count: 2,200

Ch. 1

Alice had grown up in the city her whole life. Each summer, her and her parents would come to the Outer Banks to visit her mother’s family for a few weeks. She had gotten used to the idea of spending a month with Kiara and her friends, helping out at her aunt and uncle’s restaurant. The two girls were inseparable. They’d stay up late making up nonsense scenarios and messily trying to bake cookies well after they should’ve been asleep. It was where Alice could leave the school year behind her and act like she was one of the islanders.That is until her family stopped visiting. Alice didn’t understand why when the girls turned 11 they stopped coming around. She had even gotten a new number and had no way of contacting her cousin since then. Now, at 18, Alice was being driven, with a whole summer’s worth of luggage in the back of her mom's car, to the Outer Banks. 

“But, Mom, I don’t get why now is a good time?” Alice asked, she had been asking her mother this since they told her she was leaving. Two weeks ago. Alice was angry to say the least, she wanted to spend her last summer before college with her friends. The ones she went to high school with and not Kiara, who she wasn’t sure would even still like her, and her friends, who’s names she could barely remember. For all she knew, they weren’t friends anymore. The possible scenarios ran through her head as her mother sighed, giving her the same answer she had been for weeks, “Your aunt and uncle want to see you and it will be good for you to get away for a little, see some things.”

“Three months is not a little,” she murmured. Alice didn’t understand. Why did her family just now want to see her? They hadn’t been there for her while she was growing up. Not when she broke her leg at a dance competition, when she went on her first date, or graduated high school. She didn’t understand why they stopped coming and neither of her parents gave her a straightforward answer. She just learned not to ask. 

Alice thought back to the past seven years, her anger and resentment building. She tried to shake it, but she felt it coursing through her body. It was in her hands, her teeth. 

“Well, it’s too late now, we’re only a few minutes away,” her mother responded, snapping her back to reality.

Alice watched the trees disappear into water and felt a sense of anxiety in her stomach. The air smelled of salt water and dirt, bringing back a vague memory she couldn’t quite visualize yet. The feeling her stomach only grew as the car drove down the dirt road to the house. It looked familiar in the way that she knew she should remember it, but didn’t. Her mother barely parked the car for Alice to get out. 

“Now, be good for you aunt and uncle and give Kiara a hug from me. I’ll see you soon, bug. Love you,” her mother said. Alice sighed at the use of her old nickname, but it brought a warmth to her heart for a moment. 

Alice stood there, watching her mom drive away, back down the dirt road they had come up on and struggled to pick up her bags. She didn’t have much, but it was enough that she had to make two trips from the steps to the curb. She marched up the steps the final time and knocked on the door lightly, it was loud enough for someone inside to hear and soon enough she was settling into the guest room. 

Alice tried to put new images to the memories she had. Her aunt and uncle were older now, showing a few gray hairs and wrinkles where there weren’t before. The house was painted differently and it smelled like a new car in almost every room. She tried to remember how she felt here, afterall, this was home for a little. She placed a few personal items around the guest room, making it feel more familiar before passing out on the bed.

**

A few days had passed since Alice had arrived. It was awkward to say the least. She felt out of place in their routine, like everyone was making sure she wouldn’t fall over and break something. Kiara had been trying to be friendly, a lot changes in seven years though, Alice couldn’t blame her for the uncomfortable air lingering. The hallways rang with laughter from days passed, but Alice couldn’t quite place the memories. They talked about school for all of thirty seconds before they both realized it wasn’t important. Kiara had told her stories about surfing and the beach and even this crazy treasure hunt her and friends had gone on. It seemed a bit exaggerated, but Alice didn’t push.

“So, do you still have the same friends as the last time I was here?”

“Oh, yeah. John B, you remember him?” She asked, Alice nodded her head in agreement, although she didn’t. At least, she didn’t think so. You would’ve thought she’d remember someone with two first names.

“Yeah, and then he’s dating Sarah, who I don’t think you’ve met before. She’s great. Uhm, then there’s Pope. We’ve been together for a little bit.”

“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend,” She saw Kiara blush slightly, “He’s the real smart one, right?”

She laughed at this, “Yeah, he’s got this crazy scholarship lined up for the fall,” she paused, “and then there’s JJ.” Alice tried to remember, but everything got mixed together. 

“Sounds like a good crew,” she laughed. 

“They’re the best,” Kiara answered, “I’m sure they’d be down to meet you, since you are spending summer with us. There’s a party tonight at the beach, I wasn’t gonna say anything in case you didn’t feel like going.”

Finally. “I’m so down,” Alice replied. Maybe this will break the tension she felt in the house. If not, it was an excuse to drink and meet some new people. 

The two of them got ready to leave. Kiara effortlessly braided a few pieces of her hair and let them fall. She wore her swimsuit underneath a pair of shorts and a knitted tank top. Alice, feeling a little nervous again, threw on some makeup and let her hair down. She was wearing jean shorts and a black tube top. 

“You two be careful,” a voice called from the kitchen, “stay out of trouble.”

“We will!” Kiara called out, letting the door shut behind her.

When they finally arrived at the party, the sun was setting and a cool air was settling in. Alice secretly wished she brought a sweatshirt with her, but knew that soon she’d feel warm from the alcohol. Kiara poured them both some drinks from the keg and said hello to a few people on the way over to a few logs with a group of people. 

“Look who decided to show up?” a boy with shaggy brown hair and an open hawaiian shirt yelled when we got close enough, “Kie!” 

Kiara lifted her drink as if to say hello. Alice subtly slid out from behind her and tried to look more confident than she felt. The boy who yelled at her, got up and hugged her before sitting back down next to a blonde with a pair of reflective sunglasses on her head. John B, Alice inquired. 

“Alice, these are my screw up friends, John B, Sarah and Pope. Guys, my badass cousin.” And that was it for introductions. 

“You used to visit when we were younger, right?” Pope asked.

She smiled, happy to be remembered, “Yeah, that seems like a lifetime ago.”

They sat down, Kiara throwing her arm around Pope’s waist on a log directly across from where Alice had laid down a blanket. Sarah and John B were to her right.

“Isn’t there another one of you?” Alice asked, taking in the scene and realizing they were missing someone.

“Yeah, JJ,” John B chuckled. 

“He’s off macking on some poor touron.” Pope said, moving his hand as if to dismiss the question.

Alice’s confused expression must have been enough because soon Sarah realized and explained, “Uh, touron just means tourist. And JJ does this at every party. Kinda his thing, you get used to it.”

“You guys talk weird down here,” Alice responded, making everybody laugh. The pit in her stomach was soon gone and the group was laughing and telling stories like they’d known each other forever. Well, Alice thought, they practically had. Not just Kiara and the boys, but her too. She had spent so many summers here without even realizing it. Alice thought back to old hide and seek games with the kids in the neighborhood, inquiring that these were the same kids she’d team up with. They probably spent nights running around barefoot through backyards, catching fireflies before getting called in for the night by their parents. This wasn’t much different, she thought.

A few drinks in, the group seemed ready to leave. The music was bad and the alcohol was slightly warm even though the air had quickly gotten colder. They all agreed to head back to John B’s. As soon as they found the keys. After searching in the sand using their phone flashlights, someone spoke up, “Do you think JJ has them?” 

“He shouldn’t. God knows he’s probably wasted right now.” Pope said, rolling his eyes and collapsing back into the sand. Pope was deemed the designated driver tonight after he lost a bet with John B earlier in the day. He was beating himself up about not having the keys. 

“Shit, you guys.” He muttered to no one in particular. Kiara rubbed his back gently.

“Why don’t you just call him?” Alice asked.

Kiara replied, “Phone towers are down. Happens most of the time after storms.”

“This is just typical JJ though,” Sarah started, but was soon interrupted by a figure walking towards them. It was stumbling, but Alice couldn’t tell if that was because of the uneven sand or because of the possible alcohol consumption. 

“Hey!” He yelled. Upon coming closer Alice noticed his blonde hair was falling in his face. He was wearing a muscle tee and had a cut just above his lip. 

“JJ!” everyone, but Alice yelled in unison. JJ, she thought. Memories flooded back, he looked a lot more grown up then last time. 

“Who’s the kook?” He asked, looking right at Alice. She felt her face light up, but luckily it was too dark to realize. What the hell was a kook?

“She’s not a kook!” Sarah responded quickly. 

“Sorry, dude, you can’t tell me she doesn’t look like your people.”

“My-” Sarah started only for John B to cut her off, “Hey!”

JJ put his hands up in defense, “Well, she’s not a pogue and she’s definitely not a touron. I just got done dancing with about every single one.”

“She’s my cousin, JJ.” Kiara said, tense. There wasn’t even a slight change in his disposition upon hearing this. His face remained blank, his eyes far away. By the way everyone was acting, this wasn’t surprising JJ behavior. Alice didn’t bother introducing herself, she was sure he wasn’t going to remember any of this in the morning.

There was a tension in the air that hadn’t been there before he showed up. 

“You guys talk weird,” Alice muttered, once again. Sarah chuckled at her comment, breaking up the stale air. 

“What’s your problem anyway, J?” Pope asked.

“Uh,” he glanced in Alice’s direction before continuing, “things got a little messy out there.” They waited for him to elaborate, “I guess this one touron has a boyfriend and he might have just seen me macking on her. I don’t know, but I ran out of there.” There were a few laughs from the boys and knowing looks shared between the two girls. Once again Alice felt out of the loop.

One awkward car ride later, they were all at John B’s house. Alice had since learned that John B and Sarah lived alone, with the occasional JJ sleeping in the spare room. She had also learned that they call themselves Pogues and the rich, snotty kids from the other side of the cut, kooks. She was still confused about the whole label thing, but didn’t question it. It was like a different language half the time.

The six of them naturally ended up in the living room, sprawled out on couches and chairs, a few laying on the floor. JJ had immediately grabbed another beer from the fridge upon getting home. There were a few looks from the others, but no one spoke up. Alice noticed though. They told stories until everyone was too tired to move and ended up crashing on the floor. Alice felt balanced for the first time since arriving. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Thanks for the love you guys! feel free to ask questions or just comment. new chapter will be up soon

[xweofmanyfaces]

Finding Love in Neverland

@compcndium​

     She had worked so hard on it, fixing her mother’s dress. She had taken it in to match her own measurements, fixing the slightly frayed hem at the bottom of the dress. No one had worn it in years, not since her mother had been alive. She didn’t think it would be a problem, since it didn’t run her stepmother up any money. The first comment she had made after the death of her father was what they were going to do about money, yet she had no problem spending a small fortune on gowns for herself and her daughters for the prince’s ball. What could it possibly hurt if she took in her mother’s old dress? It was nothing special. And it wasn’t as if she would meet the prince anyway, she simply wanted to be like all the other girls in the kingdom and be allowed to go. 

     Perhaps she was naïve for thinking they would let her go, but after all this time in the same home that perhaps she had rubbed off on them and taught them some semblance of kindness by never complaining when they asked anything of her. She had never talked back when being told what to do without any please or thank you, she had never stopped them from calling her Cinderella no matter how much it upset her, she never complained when her stepmother tricked her into giving up her room. She had let life happen to her, had done everything she could to be overly kind to them. Only to be repaid with a broken heart and a ripped up dress.

     It seems like one moment she had a heart full of hope, the next it was being shattered. She hoped that perhaps her gentle argument that the king had requested every unmarried maidens in the land attend the ball would somehow make her stepmother realize it was unfair for her to take Anastasia and Drizella but not to take her. What a foolish thought, a naïve and hopeful thing. She really thought that it would work. At least that was until her stepmother started to slowly walk towards her, her daughters and tow right behind her. It all happened so quickly, almost a blink of an eye. She made a comment about how her mother’s dress was practically falling to pieces before reaching up and ripping the sleeve away from the bodice, making a comment as if the fabric was already frayed before she got there.

     She reached up to the trim along her neck line and ripped it off, sounding amused as she accused her of wearing a dress that was falling to bits. Only a moment later, Drizella had reached up and ripped off part of the skirt and called it a ridiculous and old-fashioned joke. Her stepmother looked so pleased, as if she were a child that had just stepped on a bug that was a million times smaller than her. She cared not for her stepdaughter’s tears, she cared not for the disrespect, she cared not for the heartache. She cared only for herself and what happened to her daughters. Ella had half a mind to say she didn’t even care about her daughters, only what their marriages could bring to her, only what the status of their future husband could give her as far as wealth and entitlement. She had hoped that maybe one day her stepmother would grow fond enough of her to simply be tolerant of her, perhaps even kind. But after this moment she knew there was no going back. Her stepmother was the very definition of cruelty and her daughters just the same. It wasn’t fair, but when was life ever fair?

     “How could you?“ She whispered, her tone disgusted. Her stepmother knew very well what her mother had meant to her, she knew her father had told her. But she didn’t care. She would never care.

     “How can I otherwise?“ She asked, the look of amusement on her face changing to that of astonishment, as if the question was so silly that she couldn’t believe she actually bothered to ask it. “I will not have anyone associate my daughters with you. It would ruin their prospects to be seen arriving with a ragged servant girl,“ She said, leaning in closer to her, though Ella was a bit taller since she still stood on the bottom step of the staircase. “Because that is what you are. And that is what you will always be,“ She said, reaching up to point her long finger in her face. “Now mark my words!“ She said, raising her voice in a way that made Ella flinch and her muscles tense as if she thought she might be struck. “You shall not go to the ball!“ She shouted in her face. Ella stood frozen, watching as her stepsisters giggled and walked towards the door where the carriage waited out front, her stepmother recoiling away from her as if disgusted by standing too close to her, as if she thought she might catch moneyless filth simply by standing too close.

     They had left the door wide open, a practice that they often kept up because they didn’t think they needed to shut it behind them. Cinderella would close the door. It was just like everything else in life. Why clean up after themselves if Cinderella would clear the table? Why make their own food if Cinderella would cook for them? Why offer to help with the animals if Cinderella could care for them? Why get themselves dressed for a party if Cinderella could do it? Why take care of the house they had overtaken if Cinderella could do it? Why tend to the fires and clean the silverware if Cinderella could do it? Why run the errands and do all of the unpleasant things that need to be done in life if stupid and worthless Cinderella could do it? That was all she was to them. Stupid and worthless.

     She had been standing in the open front door as she watched them load themselves into the carriage and pull away, her eyes burning with tears that were rolling down her face, once she hadn’t bothered to try to hold back. She grabbed a hold of her skirt and she ran a few feet out the door, stopping at the archway in the middle of the front yard before breaking down and falling to her knees, bracing herself on the stone pedestal that sat there. She began to sob, unwillingly though she couldn’t stop it. She tried to catch her breath though she couldn’t, the pain in her knees radiating up her thighs and making it hard to breathe. She looked up at the sky, as if she were looking up at someone that she was disappointing. And in her mind, she was.

     “I’m sorry mother,“ she sobbed. “I’m sorry. I said I would have courage, but I don’t. Not anymore. I don’t believe anymore,“ she said, her crying only becoming harder as she gathered up the skirt of her ankle length dress and running around the house, through the backyard filled with animals and to the back porch where she braced herself on the cement that outlined the ground. This was a nightmare, absolutely a nightmare. There is no way around it. How could this possibly be real life? This kind of pain, this kind of life. This wasn’t life, this wasn’t reality. Perhaps if she closed her eyes tight enough, she could open them once more and her father would still be alive and her mother had never died and this would all just be a very very bad dream brought on by having too much sweets before bed.

     She stood there and allowed herself to cry, her mind racing and never able to stay on one thing. She cried for her father, she cried for her mother, she cried for what her stepmother had done to her dress, she cried for the fear of what she thought might happen when her family came home. She cried over her ripped dress, she cried at being deprived of the chance to go to the ball of a lifetime, but most of all she cried because she thought that she would sooner die than get out of this place. She had nowhere to go, she had no money to leave with. And if by some chance she did leave, they would destroy her parents home. But at this point, what was Home anymore?

     “Excuse me?“ The voice asked from behind her, startling her and causing her to turn around. “Can you help me Miss?“ Asked an old woman who was standing in the corner, hidden by the shadows as she held onto what seemed to be a walking stick. “A little crust of bread or a cup of milk?“ She asked, looking almost dazed and confused. Ella no longer seemed to care about her problems, because they didn’t seem important anymore because someone needed help. She was still so lost in the fog of her own pain that it didn’t seem to occur to her that this woman was standing on her back porch instead of her front porch, one that she shouldn’t have any way to get to unless she wandered in through the back of the property which would have required her walking through the woods near where her mother was buried.

     She looked at her curiously as she walked onto the other side of the cement wall to get her a bowl with milk, sniffling softly, her blinks now rapid as she tried to clear her vision. “Why are you crying?“ The old woman asked, her tone still slightly pleasant, albeit curious .

     “It’s nothing,“ She said, shaking her head as she forced to smile while filling a bowl with milk. she didn’t want to force her problems upon a stranger, especially a stranger who seemed to need help. The older woman seemed to begin mumbling to herself about the bowl of milk and about kindness, though Ella had trouble hearing her because she was mumbling so much. As she drank the bowl of milk, she dribbled all over herself, eventually burping softly which caused a little laugh. She needed that at that moment, something to feel carefree about. She knew she would go back to her misery as soon as this woman had left, but what more could be done? For at least this moment, she had a distraction..

     The stranger bent down to put the bowl on the ground, looking back up at her as if she were talking about the weather. “I don’t mean to hurt you but you really haven’t got long Ella,“ she said, gesturing at her as if she were missing something.

     Ella raised her brows, her mouth opening just a little bit in surprise. “What… How do you know me?“ She asked, her eyes whining. She knew that she didn’t know her, she had never seen her before in her life. It was a small kingdom, she had met everyone. “Who are you?“

     “Who am I?“ She asked, slowly smiling. “I should think you had worked that one out,“ she said, only smiling a bit more when Ella shook her head in confusion. “I am your hairy dog father,“ she said, her arms opening as if she were presenting something so grand Ella was supposed to understand, though that simply left her more confused, tilting her head down and she studied her. “I mean – fairy godmother!“ She exclaimed, trying not to laugh at her own mistake.

     The woman was preening, as if she was expecting Ella to start jumping with joy, though Ella seemed to laugh without amusement. “You can’t be,“ she said, as if she were about to tell a small child the truth about Santa Clause.

     The older woman’s smile fell “Why not?“ She asked, clearly confused by her reaction.

     “They don’t exist,“ Ella said, as if it were so matter-of-fact. And if you asked anyone else in the world, it was matter-of-fact. “They’re just made up for children,“ she said, wondering if this woman was mocking her pain.

     “Well didn’t your own mother believe in them?“ Her supposed fairy godmother asked, causing a pit to grow in Ella‘s stomach. “Don’t say no, because I heard her,“ she said, wagging her finger as if to prove a point.

     “You heard her?“ She asked in confusion. She began mumbling to herself again, that strange old woman,  as she began walking past Ella and speaking about getting changed into something more comfortable. Ella didn’t understand, thinking that perhaps she was simply going to take off her cloak. Oh how wrong she was. She threw her walking stick up into the air, a glittering substance falling from it as if being shaved away to be left with a sparkling and much smaller stick, looking down at the older woman who is now younger and more beautiful, dressed like a princess in a story

     “Oh!“ Her fairy godmother said, leaning her head to the side and cracking her neck. “That’s better!“ She said, Ella moving closer out of surprise and interest. “Now, where was I?“ She asked, it was clear to Ella that she was asking herself and not Ella this question.

     “How did you do that?“ Ella asked in astonishment, watching as her fairy godmother began looking for something that she thought spelled out coach. What does she mean by coach? She wanted something that resembled a carriage? Her stepmother and stepsisters had already left in their carriage! What did she need a carriage for? The woman clearly had magic. “What are you doing?“ She finally asked.

     “Well dear! I’m glad you asked! We have to make your coach, the night is young but still aging away! And we have to get you to that ball somehow!“ She said, as if it should’ve been so obvious. Something an Ella’s heart fluttered, the idea of being able to go to the ball. Meeting the handsome young apprentice that she met in the woods, she could show up her stepmother and stepsisters by showing up to the ball even though they had told her no. But there was a part of her heart that feared the abuse that may follow if she truly went, even with the help of magic. But why should she want to go anyway? What was so great about the ball.

     “I’m not sure I really want to go anymore,“ she said, her words hesitant, though she still stuck by them.

     The other blonde turned to look at her, her features screwing up in confusion. “What do you mean you don’t want to go anymore? Ella, this is the chance of a lifetime. It’s a chance to be a princess for a night,“ she said, her eyes searching hers. Though they had only just met, it was clear this woman had been watching out for Ella her entire life, because she was looking at her as if she knew her so well.

     “It won’t really make me happy I don’t think,“ she said, shaking her head as she looked down at her ruined dress. “Because even when the night is over, I will still be unhappy. I will still have to come back here to this place with these people. I don’t have anywhere to go and I don’t know what to do. All I know is that one night in a dream won’t make up for the rest of the nights spent in this place,“ she said. “I’m sorry… I know you’re only trying to help. But I don’t think going to a party and pretending to be something I’m not is going to help. But I do appreciate your offer, so very much,“ she said kindly.

    Her godmother studied her for a moment, looking her up and down, taking a moment to notice the shreds in her dress before looking back up at her face. “Then what can I do to make you happy?“ She asked, reaching out to hold Ella’s hands. “I can give you one thing in the world, whatever it is that would make you happy. Within reason of course. If sending you to the ball won’t make you happy… Then what will?” she asked, her tone meaningful and helpful all in one. Ella thought deeply for a long time, thinking of all the things she could wish for. She wanted her father back, to sit by his side and read to him once more. Ever since her mother had died he was not the same, as though he were a shell of the man he once was. She wanted back the memory of her father that she oncw had, the man who used to dance with her on top of his feet. She wanted her mother back, in full health with rosy cheeks and bright eyes. She wanted her family back, but she knew that even magic couldn’t bring them back now.

     She looked up into the eyes of the other woman before looking down at their hands, thinking about what life could be like without her stepmother and stepsisters. But something about sending them away didn’t feel right. She wasn’t thinking about how she would be able to support herself, her first thought was where they would live and what they would do. They were cruel, they were monsters to her, but they were still people, and taking away their ability to have a home seemed wrong. “I want to leave,“ she said, lifting her head once more. “I want to go somewhere new, somewhere that no one knows me. I want to go somewhere far away, somewhere so far I cannot see this kingdom anymore. I want to go somewhere that I can find happiness, where I can find joy. Somewhere far away from my family… Somewhere that I can truly be happy, even just for a moment,“ she said.

     Her godmother raised eyebrow for a moment, staring down at the grass as if she was lost in deep thought. “There is something I can do for you, but all magic comes with a price,“ she said, looking up at her. “No magic can last forever. If I send you away, it won’t be forever. When the magic is done, you would have to come right back here,“ she said, squeezing her hands apologetically. “If I could send you away forever I would. But I can’t,“ she said.

     Ella sniffled softly from her old crying, looking at her hopefully. “How long would you be able to send me away for? A day? A week? A year?”

     “I don’t really know,“ she said. “Magic is a very fickle thing, I don’t really control it, I simply bring it out into the world. If your wish is to go somewhere that you will find happiness, I can send you to a place that happiness waits for you. But it is most likely that once you finally find that happiness, the magic will wear off and you will come right back here,“ she said. “I worry that perhaps it is more cruel for you to find happiness only to lose it,“ She said in worry.

     “I would rather know happiness, true happiness again, for one moment than to dream about it here and to never be able to find it again,“ she said. “Send me somewhere I can find happiness on my own, even for a split second, a place I could know freedom and love, where I can really be happy. If that means coming back to this place and dreaming about that happiness for the rest of my life then I will. If only I get to have that happiness for a little while,“ she said.

     The other woman looked hesitant but she nodded, squeezing her hands before taking a step back and holding her wand up in the air. “I don’t know where this will take you, only the magic knows. But wherever you go, however far, I won’t be able to hear you and you won’t be able to come back until the magic is done. Do you understand?“ She asked, causing the younger woman to nod enthusiastically. No matter the outcome or the location, anywhere was better than here. With what was still hesitance as clear as day on her face, the older woman raised her wand and slightly flipped it in Ella‘s direction, pale colored magic coming out of the end of the pointed stick and heading for Ella, wrapping her in it until she felt like her feet were floating off the ground.

     “Godmother!“ She cried out in panic, her feet dangling but touching nothing. She heard her godmother shout something to her about remembering the magic wouldn’t last forever. And then the energy around her seemed to get worse and worse, gliding around her until she was blinded. She could hear air around her, the scents in the air changing from the smell of the farm to some thing like cinnamon and fruit. The air felt thinner, as if she were farther away from the ground. It was the way her father once described what it felt like the one time he had flown in a hot air balloon, but it was similar to a feeling she got when she climbed the tallest tree in the kingdom when she was small, it was a tree in the woods behind her house, one that her mother was now buried under. She felt weightless, but at the same time she was grappling for ground out of fear.

     She couldn’t tell you how long she was in the air, seconds or minutes or even hours, but the next thing she knew, the glittering light all around her seemed to dissipate, so now she could see the blue sky above her until suddenly she was falling with absolutely nothing to catch her. She screamed before falling into the water, having not had the chance to take a deep breath before hitting it. The water was warm, something she was grateful for since a cold splash of water probably would’ve shocked her caused gasping and taking water deep into her lungs. She pulled herself up to the surface, coughing and gasping for air. Her godmother couldn’t have landed her anywhere on the ground?! Where was she? Was she still in England? She wiped at her eyes as she noticed she was only a few yards off of a beach, no ships or people or civilization of any kind in sight. Where was she?

     She was thankful her father had taught her to swim when she was small, making her way to the shore and dragging herself out of the water. In a way it was good that her mother’s dress was already ruined, at least she wouldn’t have to worry about the fact that the water had further damage the old fabric. She wasn’t sure if her shoes had fallen off when she was in the air or when she was underwater but she noticed she was suddenly barefoot as she walked up onto the beach, sand sticking to her wet feet and legs. She was panting heavily, so full of disbelief. This night had not gone at all how she planned. Her stepmother and the girls were going to be so angry when they saw she was gone. How long is she going to be here? Her godmother had said it would be until she found happiness, though if she were being honest seemed almost cruel for her to find happiness only to let it go. But she was willing to do anything to know happiness even for a moment, she had said it and she had meant it..

     She heard rustling in the trees near the beach, swallowing thickly as she looked up while trying to catch her breath. “Hello?“ She called, swearing that she heard more wrestling. “Please, is anyone there? I have no idea where I am I… Is someone there?“ She called. What if she had just landed somewhere terribly dangerous? She had no way of defending herself, she had no idea what to do or to say and she didn’t exactly have a weapon hitting up her wet dress.

     Out of the lining of trees came a small boy with curly hair, what looked to be paint on his face and close even more messed up than her own. They stared at each other, her with confusion and him with curiosity. He walked up to her, staring up at her in we and wonder. “Are you our new mother?“ The small boy asked. Ella seemed to freeze, goosebumps forming on her arms as her eyes widened.

     “Your mother? I… Did you say our? Are there more of you? Please… Could you tell me where I am?“ She asked. The small boy smiled and reached out to grab her hand, not giving her much choice before dragging her up the beach and towards the trees. Where was she? Why was she running into a child instead of an adult? The boy dragged her through the woods, her feet scratching up on the ground causing her to wince. “Where are you taking me?“ She asked, though he didn’t answer as he continued to drag her through the woods. She had no idea how long he had been dragging her before they came to what seemed like a small colony in the middle of the woods, houses in trees and lights everywhere.

     “Lost boys! Lost boys! I finally found us a mother!“ The young boy screamed. Ella looked down at him in confusion, looking up at the houses where little boys seemed to all come rushing out. Some of them jumped down and hit the ground on their feet, others swung down on ropes. They were all talking at once, all of them rushing over to her. The boy who had grabbed her seemed to be about eight years old, all the children here seemed to range between his age and probably twelve years old, maybe maybe thirteen or fourteen but it was hard for her to tell.

     “Please, can anyone tell me where I am? What is this place? Do you all have a mother or father who I could talk to?“ The lost boys all stared at her, as if confused by something she had said, something that should’ve been obvious.

     “We don’t have any parents, that’s why we’ve been looking for a mother!“ said the boy who had dragged her into the forest. No parents? None at all? Who was in charge of them then? Who is taking care of these children? Even she had a father, even though it sometimes seemed as if she was parenting him because he had changed so much after the death of her mother.

     “No parents at all? But then who takes care of you?“ She asked. In a way, she supposed she was just as much an orphan as these children.

     “We take care of ourselves!“ said a boy who was a few inches shorter than her. “But you can be our mother now! You can take care of us!” he said excitedly, all of the other little boys cheering on with him.

     “Please! I’m too young to be a mother yet, I don’t even know where I am. Is there no grown-up I can speak to?“ She asked, in hopes of finding answers as to what was going on.

     “All grown-ups are pirates,“ said a boy who suddenly appeared, though he wasn’t standing behind them, he was floating in air a few feet off the ground. She stared at him, bewildered and confused. He seemed to be taking in her wet attire, studying her as if she might pose a threat to him and the other boys.

     “Pirates?“ She asked in disbelief. “I didn’t think they existed anymore. And how… How are you flying?“ She asked.

     “Fairy dust of course!“ He said mockingly, laughing at her as if she had said something so funny. “Of course pirates still exist! That’s exactly what a pirate in disguise would say!“

     “No Peter!“ Cried the little boy who still had hold of her hand. “She’s our new mother! See? All the Pirates are men! She’s a girl! That must mean she’s our mother now!“ He cried.

     “That’s exactly what they want you to think! They’re trying to win! They want to win our trust and make us weak by sending us what we think is a mother. We don’t need a mother, we have each other! I take care of us! She’s a spy!“ He said, causing the boys to quickly turn on her and back away, pulling out what looked to be miniature swords.

     Ella gasped loudly, taking a step back and putting her hands up. “Please! I’m not here to hurt anyone, I don’t work for anyone! I don’t even mean to be here! I don’t know how to get home, I don’t know where I am!“ She said. This could not be happening, this cannot be happening, this cannot be happening. She could not be killed by small children with tiny swords today.

     “Exactly what a pirate spy would say!“ Peter shouted. “Tie her up! Hang her from one of the trees! If the Pirates want to play spy, they can come and get their spy!“ The boy named Peter had shouted, taking off from the ground again. Ella didn’t even have time to run before the boys had all surrounded her. She didn’t want to hurt them, even though if she was really trying she could have. They were all so much smaller than her, but it would’ve been cruel to hurt a bunch of confused children. One of them pointed his sword at her, making her flinch as she was walked towards the tree houses. In only a few moments flat, they had tied up her wrists together and made her sit in the middle of a net that they had hung over a tree branch. They tied up the top of the net and pulled on the rope that would raise it higher and higher until it was hanging from trees that were taller than any she had seen in her kingdom back home. Suddenly she was afraid of heights, unpredictable heights.

     “Please! You’ve made a mistake! I’m not a pirate!“ She shouted, watching as the boys tied the rope around a raised stump coming out of the ground, hoping that the way they tied the rope would hold enough that at least she wouldn’t fall to her death several feet below her on the ground. She was tied so high she couldn’t even make out the freckles on the boys faces anymore.

     “Excellent! The games can begin! Hook can come get his spy! And we will defeat him!“ Peter cried, a battle cry seeming to leave him and echo through the woods. All the boys echoed back, laughter irrupting from them. Ella felt tears burning her eyes again, trying to pull her wrists apart though it was no use, the rope burning her skin. This was a nightmare. She had gone from one Hell to another.

     “Help me! Anybody! Please! Help me!“ She screamed, her wet hair sticking to the sides of her face as she continued to try to pull her hands apart, though eventually huffing, tears rolling down her cheeks. This has been the worst day of her entire life. And now she had been kidnapped by children, accused of being a pirate, and now she was hanging from a tree that was a hundred feet tall. She had been sent here to find happiness, but so far all she was finding was humiliation, confusion and a very very wet dress.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #275

i’m anxious and my head is hectic so i can’t think of a single song lyric to put here lmao

Have you ever dated anybody online? Yes, but we met up in person for a week+ at a time multiple times. Ever been stalked? No. Ever stalked someone? No. I never got to that point with him because shit’s creepy. Have you ever been called a slut, hoe, skank, whore? Only playfully by close friends because that’s how we show affection sometimes lmao. Have you ever snuck out before? No. Do you eat meat? I wish I didn’t, but I do. If so, do you like meat? Yes. If not, do you have anything against people who eat meat? N/A Have you ever gotten a manicure or pedicure? I went with my old friend and sisters on rare occasions just to hang out. Have you ever been close to getting kidnapped? Jc no, thank fuck. HAVE you ever been kidnapped? No. I’d be so goddamn terrified. Do you listen to Lykke Li? Never heard of ‘em. Have you ever self-harmed? Yes. Do you have any eating disorders? No. Have you ever met a celebrity? No. Do you like Monster Energy or do you prefer other energy drinks? Astonishingly with how much I love soda, I am nooot an energy drink fan. They taste like straight-up poison. Describe the best day of your life? I don’t really know what that would be. About how many times a week do you skip class or just school in general? When I was in school, I’d fake sick as a kid rarely, then in high school I had quite a few mental health days. College, too. Have you ever been suspended from school? No. Have you ever been expelled? No. Do you role-play? Only on designated forums and in serious stories. I need substance behind it. Irl, sexual, and pretty much any other RP doesn’t interest me. Do you watch Degrassi? I never did, no. What is one of the saddest novels you’ve ever read in your lifetime? Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. Jesus fucking Christ. Orbit or 5 Gum? Honestly can’t even remember their tastes… but I THINK I preferred the latter. Have you ever been in a love triangle? No. How bad are your hangovers? I’ve never had one. Do you think Taco Bell is nasty? No. Do you have a jacuzzi? Definitely not. Have you ever broken a bone? If so, what was the cause of it? No. Do you think vegans/vegetarians look down on people who choose to eat animal products? That’s a very generalizing statement… You can’t say that of them all. Some absolutely do, others don’t. Do your friendships tend to last a long time or are they short-lived? Definitely the former. Name the best and worst things about your current or most recent relationship. The best thing was absolutely that I felt accepted for entirely who I was, like I needed to hide not a single thing. The worst thing was easily distance. Fuck distance. How are you? Aggravated at a lot of things. What part of your body are you most insecure about? Absolutely my stomach. What’s one food you would be surprised to hear that someone doesn’t like? Chocolate. I mean I know at least one person who doesn’t, but boy does it catch you off-guard. Do you think your voice is higher or lower than average? It’s definitely lower than the average woman’s. Do you and your parents like any of the same bands/singers? Oh, loads! I couldn’t even begin to list them all. Is there any food in your bedroom? No. Do you know anyone who has road rage? MY YOUNGER SISTER. GOOD LORD. Riding with her is always a trip. How far away do your grandparents live from you? My only (barely) living one is in New York with family, probably until she dies. It’s like ten hours away. What kinds of cereal are in the cupboard? We have chocolate Special K, Honey Nut Cheerios, a Food Lion rip-off of Rice Krispies, and… maybe one more? Is your mom a big health freak or your dad? Or neither? Neither, really. Given her cancer, high blood sugar, and diabetes though, Mom is much more conscious of what she eats. Do you know anyone who wants to be the president one day? Not that I’m aware of. What kinds of chips are in the cupboards? We don’t have any. Mom and I try to keep snack foods out of the house because we know ourselves well enough to know we WILL eat them too fast. Do you have your mom’s or dad’s hair? Absolutely my mom’s. It’s thick as hell like hers was. What’s the first thing you see when you walk into your bedroom? Probably my massive Nightmare Before Christmas poster above my bed. Do you have any friends who have naturally red hair? Yes. Have you ever cried when a teacher retired? Yep. I’m never going to forget my first band teacher; he was a real comedian with a massive heart. We all adored him and got so excited when he would come back to substitute if our instructor had to miss and he was able to come. Oddly enough, I don’t remember his name… When’s the last time you wore heels? Oh Christ. Maybe Ashley’s wedding? Did I even wear heels? Do you have your mom’s or dad’s eyes? Neither. What’s the best date movie? I am such an average white bitch in how my answer to this will always and vehemently be The Notebook. How long has your current best friend been your best friend? Around three years. Have your parents ever been out of the country? No. Do you swear and yell while playing video games? No. I might curse under my breath. Is there any alcohol in the fridge? Oh I WISH. Do your pets chase after bugs? YUP. Roman loves hunting flies. When’s the last time you were so excited you couldn’t sleep? Why? Excited? Probably not since I was going to see Sara. I don’t know. What is your mom’s favorite movie? Oh shit, good question. How much older is your dad then you? Don’t make me math, please. 30-something years. Do you have any relatives who really spoil you? No. Do you know anyone who has security cameras in their house? Probably. What was the last movie to make you cry? No clue. Has anyone you know ever pulled the fire alarm in school, joking around? I think so? Who was the main character in the last book you read? Starflight. Is the last person you said goodbye to single? No, he’s married to my sister. Who are the last people you saw kiss? Like romantically/on the lips? Ummm probably a couple on Facebook or something. Have you ever posted a fan fiction on a website? No. Do you ever fantasize about your future wedding? Who’s the bride/groom? Not anymore. Do you have any relatives who are expecting a baby really soon? No. My high school friend did just announce she’s pregnant with her second child though. When you get married, who will be the maid of honor/best man? My mom. Does your best friend get along with their parents? Yes, they’re fantastic. Have you ever been in a wedding? What were you? Yes; I was the hideous bridesmaid that just cried all through my sister’s wedding. That was a fucking nightmare. Does it matter to you what kind of shampoo you use? I don’t really care, no. Do you have a sensitive gag reflex? Like STUPID fuckin sensitive. Where are you the most ticklish? Don’t touch my fuckin feet. What was the last situation to upset you? It was a petty envy thing that shouldn’t have upset me, let’s move along. Have you ever had an online argument? I’ve been socially on the Internet since I was 11 and am now 24, take a guess lmao. The general subject of your last text conversation? Asking Sara for permission for something RP-related. What is just down the hall from where you’re located? There’s not really a hall at all; my room opens up into the living room. Do any of your friends know you fill out surveys? Well besides the online friends I have here, no. Do you like the controversial/political surveys? ”It depends on if I have enough opinions (and energy) to give good answers or not.” <<<< Exactly this. Who/What did you last spend time worrying about? Myself and my future and my newfound fear of ending up homeless and hopeless after my parents pass away because I’m a very sorry Adult™. What was the last thing you prepared in the oven? Whoa, who knows. The oven scares me, so I don’t use it myself. When were you last offered something illegal? I don’t think I ever have been, actually. Did you accept or decline that offer? N/A When was the last time that you saw fire? On the way home like a week back or something. Someone was burning stuff in their backyard. Have you ever seen somebody get shot? No. What are you listening to? “Little One” by Highly Suspect. Gorgeous song. Do you chew on your hair? Um no???? Can you talk on the phone while having the tv/radio on? No. What size are all the televisions in your house? I don’t know the measurements, but it’s a large Vizio. One of the few really nice things we got when my parents were together. Do you have health insurance? Yes. How many times have you been pulled over by the cops while driving? Zero. What is one of your favorite movie lines? I don’t know, they’re not really something I memorize. What is one thing you look forward to every day? My morning Mountain Dew lmao it’s my coffee, essentially. What is one thing you dread every day? The inevitable part where I’m bored shitless by early evening. Ever lived through a natural disaster? Lots of hurricanes. What’s the longest you’ve lived without electricity? I wanna say around two days? Maybe even three? I don’t remember. Name all the drugs you have tried: None. Name all of the alcoholic beverages you have tried? Margaritas and sangrias with different types of alcohol that I don’t know. Oh, hard lemonade. Oh yeah, wine too, which was fucking repulsive. Name all the types/brands of cigarettes you have tried: None. What is one thing you stand strongly for? Fucking TRY ME on gay rights. What does your doormat say? We don’t have one. Who was the last person you were on hold with (on the phone)? I don’t remember. Who do you know that’s had a baby recently? Ummm I don’t think any *very* recently. Do you know anyone who got married recently? Again, not very. Do you know anyone who has died recently? No. Do you change songs in the car often? I use my iPod to play over it, where I select the songs to play, so I let them play through. However, if I was actually the driver, I definitely wouldn’t; it wouldn’t really matter because I’m so terrified of driving that I need almost no radio at all. What street sign do you find totally pointless? I’m not familiar enough with them all. What drinking games have you played? None. What made you pick up the last book you started reading? Sara got me into the series. Have you received any bad or troubling news lately? Welcome to 20fuckin20, y’all. When was the last time you were relieved about something? *shrug* What about your life concerns you the most? That I’ll waste it. Is there a common thing most people seem to do without trouble, but it scares you (talking on the phone, driving, interviews, etc)? When was the last time you had to do one of these kinds of things? When I went to the doctor a couple weeks ago, I signed myself in. Yes, that sets my anxiety off because I don’t know how to Talk. When was the last time you went somewhere for the first time? Uhhhhhhhh good question. I don’t go anywhere. What is a situation that makes you feel especially confident? Talking about meerkat behavior ha ha. If you’ve moved out from home, what was the scariest thing about it? What was/is your favorite thing about it? N/A Are there any fictional characters you like even though they’re “bad” or “evil?” What qualities draw you to a character? BITCH yes. I just like charisma. For villains, I really like when there’s a *reason* they’re bad, too, and not so just for the sake of it. And I am a SUCKER for sarcastic lil shit villains. What are your thoughts on “forgiving” murderers, rapists, attackers, etc? Do you think it’s even possible to forgive these people? This is a tough question, after I looked past my initial “hell no.” Like, people change. I suppose it varies case-to-case. What was the last series you finished watching? Do you have any plans to begin another? Actually finished, Ginga Densetsu Weed. I’m sure Sara and I will keep watching Avatar: The Last Airbender next time we see each other. What is one way in which you are different from a year ago? What is one way in which you are still the same? I definitely hate myself more than I did. And that’s the problem: I haven’t developed at all in a year’s time. Is there anything you’ve promised yourself you’ll never do again? Multiple things. Do you prefer fake tanning or real tanning? I prefer not tanning at all. Would you date someone who was addicted to drugs? No. I’m not getting into that shit. If the person was recovered, yes, but I wouldn’t hesitate leaving if they relapsed and didn’t seek help. Sounds brutal, but I’m serious about the damage drugs do, and not just to the user. Do you still talk to the person you had your first kiss with? No. It’s probably best we never do again. Can you make yourself cry? I’ve never really tried, but I don’t think so. Are you ready for kids? I’ll never be. Have you ever woken up crying from a bad dream? Plenty of times. Thanks, nightmares every fucking time I sleep. Do you eat breakfast? Yes. Cannot relate to people who don’t like wtf that’s the best part of the morning. Have you ever trusted someone too much? BOY OH BOY OH BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How did you get your last bruise? I don’t recall. Last time you got a text message and smiled? Idk. What was the last kid’s movie you saw? Ummmmm good question. Have you ever shared a shower or bath with someone as an adult? Noooo, not into it. Sounds dangerous but also just… weird to me. Like let me clean myself in peace??? Are you bitter about anything? Oh, am I. Do you use emojis? Occasionally. I’m too biased to emoticons, growing up using those every sentence, lol… but I’m starting to move towards them depending on the platform, and the ones I use are very limited. Do you have any hidden piercings? (this includes bellybuttons) No. I took my snake eyes out. Has anyone called you perfect before? *lips against mic* that was a motherfuckin lie Have you ever liked someone that was in a relationship? Yes. Have you ever gone through a period of mass weight-gain/weight-loss? What was that time like for you? Both, actually. First, mass weight-gain happened due to a medication I was on that murders metabolism + I was a bad emotional eater after the breakup, and those two don’t mix. Then, through recovery, I lost over 50 pounds in around a year from being off of that fucking medicine and my eating habits returning to normal. What’s one incident that has majorly affected your self-esteem? Was it for better, or for worse? THE BREAKUP. It made me feel like an absolute waste of space and time. Do you have a close bond with your sibling(s)? Was it always this way, or has it been better/worse? Not really, but I wish I did. Ashley and Nicole are very close, then I’m like… awkwardly on the sidelines trying to find times where I can insert myself and be a proper sister. Ash and I ARE closer than we were as kids, while it’s a harsh opposite with Nicole. We shared a room and were very close, but now I feel like she doesn’t even like me. Have you used Limewire before? Ha, yuuup… Who do you envy the most, if anyone at all? I’m uncertain about the most.