#i've been happily living but now i have a direction i wish to run towards- and i'm gonna chase after it

[blizzardfluffykpop]

why the fuck do i miss pigeons

[zodiyack]

Rude! (3,000+ Follower Fic Special 1/3)

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x Female!Hopper!Reader

Warnings: Swearing, Billy stuff, lyrics, fluff

Song: Rude by Magic!

Words: 1,798

Summary: Billy's love for Hopper's daughter is too strong to be stopped by the tough Chief Jim Hopper. Despite being told "not in a thousand years", he plans to love her regardless.

Note: Thank you so so much! I love you all, and writing your ideas, as well as sharing mine with you, has been so fucking fun and amazing! I'm sorry for my lack of words, I wish being an author came in handy with writing this, however, all I can say is that I love you all from the bottom of my heart. I've seen people do shout-outs, and ask-related stuff with their follower things, and I may do that, I'm not sure. For now, I hope you enjoy this... Thank you all, again!

Also 1/3 means that there will be two other fics released for the 3,000+ follower present!

Taglist: @urie-bowie-mercury, @matth1w, @redspaceace-writes, @fandom-puff, @darling-i-read-it, @simonsbluee, @sebastianstanslefteyebrow, @dpaccione

Masterlist | Stranger Things Masterlist

"Saturday morning, jumped out of bed and put on my best suit. Got in my car and raced like a jet all the way to you. Knocked on your door with my heart in my hands, to ask you a question, 'cause I know that you're an old-fashioned man. Yeah."

Billy was freshly graduated, working as a lifeguard whilst his girlfriend worked her own job, both saving up for their chance to ditch Hawkins and move to California. Sweet Cali. Billy was excited to show the love of his life around the place he called home. Though, physically, he left the salty ocean and windy beach behind, the place never truly left him.

You could see it in his eyes. The waves crashing in his blue orbs. He swore the scent had just barely clung to his belongings; the smell of the tangy air that followed a majority of the state. Working at a pool was the closest he got to the memory of California. Chlorine was most certainly not the salted ocean waters, but with the circumstances, he decided it'd do.

The way his face lit up whenever he talked about his home...it made Y/n more and more excited to see it. His girlfriend had grown up in Hawkins, stayed there her whole life. Never once did the Hoppers leave Hawkins.

But the second that was introduced to Billy, he knew it had to change.

Although they were saving for a big move, Billy had...other things in mind with what to do with his first large pay-check (or series, rather. Working as a lifeguard didn't pay well with just one check). He began to work more shifts to make up for the money he'd spent, and one day after calling in for a day off, he decided to put his plan into action.

"Billy, stop messing with the tie."

"It's annoying." Hands slapped away his attempts of adjusting the black silk tie.

"Well it won't stop being annoying if you keep fucking it up."

For the first time in a long time, Neil Hargrove was calm. Not happy, not amused, not pissed off for some unjust reason- just calm. He wasn't wreaking havoc and he wasn't being an asshole to his son. Billy hadn't seen this side of his dad in quite some time, in fact, he thought something important was going on and he was about to fuck it all up. And then, Susan retreated to the living room with a camera and a freshly ironed suit.

"You're not putting me in that."

"And who asked for your opinion?" Neil deflected with a raised brow. One heavy sigh later and Billy was leaving the bathroom, dawning the whole black and white getup.

Susan clasped her hands over her mouth, a tear leaving her eye, "You look so handsome! Just like your dad!"

Billy rolled his eyes, "Great."

However, his careless attitude was swept under the rug when the blue Camaro pulled up to the police station, interrupting a clearly distressed Chief Hopper bickering with his daughter. Billy had to get himself together before stepping out of the car, jaw slack after seeing the beauty he got to call his date.

"Hello Mr-"

"Don't even try play nice with me, Hargrove. She's not going anywhere with you. End of story." Hopper kept his eyes trained on the blond, body tense like a snake preparing to strike it's prey.

Y/n grabbed Billy's arm, slowly directing him to the car, "And in the sequel, we find out I am going with Billy. End of that story."

"There is no 'sequel.' The writer got drunk and lazy." She paused, turning to face her father who stood tall, arms crossed and face unamused.

"So his daughter picked up where her father left off, and then the sequel was published and the two lived happily ever after, the end."

While her dad attempted to search for a line that would better hers and force her to stay, she pushed Billy toward the driver's side and slid into the car as fast as she could, rolling down the window as Billy started it up. "Bye! I'll be back before midnight!"

The two drove off toward the school, leaving behind a trail of dust and very, very, pissed off Hopper.

Prom was better than Billy thought it would be. He didn't want to go at first, but after Max found out and spoke to her mom about it (the little redhead a cupid-in-the-making), Neil pushed him to go (as he was "doing something else besides being a lazy-no-good rebel"). It was then that he called Y/n and asked if she'd be going.

The suit came in handy. Clashing with his rocker aesthetic, he put it back on once more. The once-annoying tie proved to be somewhat okay in the end.

Can I have your daughter for the rest of my life? Say yes, say yes, 'cause I need to know. You say I'll never get your blessing "till the day I die, tough luck my friend, but the answer is no!"

Why you gotta be so rude? Don't you know I'm human too? Why you gotta be so rude? I'm gonna marry her anyway. Marry that girl, marry her anyway! Marry that girl, yeah, no matter what you say! Marry that girl, and we'll be a family! Why you gotta be so rude?

With a deep breath, he ran-over the conversation in his head once more. Like a script for an actor, he had thought of every possible outcome and every possible line for him to face it with. He almost chickened out as his fist rose to the door, but it was too late, for his knuckles rapped against it before he realized he was even knocking.

El opened the door, eyes wide when she saw the familiar mullet and button-down. "Papa..." She muttered as she backed away and out of view.

Hopper traded places with her, his lazy expression sobering up instantaneously, replaced with a grumpy scowl. "Hargrove."

"Mr. Hopper, sir."

"What are you doing on my front porch?"

He swallowed roughly, palms sweaty against his sides. "I was wondering if I could talk to you."

"You seem to be doing just that right now, Hargrove." Hop crossed his arms and clenched his jaw.

Well, this was certainly not something Billy had thought of. He was on panic mode internally, attempting to find any response that could save his hide and accomplish what he set out to do. Unfortunately, the word-vomit button seemed to be misplaced under the button labeled "help".

"I'd like to marry your daughter, sir."

Hop's eyes grew just as big in size as El's had when she opened the door. He choked on his own surprise, coughing it off, then glaring at the boy in front of him. "Over my dead body, Hargrove. If that's all, I'd strongly advise you to get off of my fucking porch while you're still alive."

I hate to do this, you leave no choice; can't live without her. Love me or hate me, we will be boys- standing at that alter. And we will fly away, to another galaxy, you know. You know she's in love with me, she will go anywhere I go-

"Billy, he's just stubborn."

"No, no, I don't think he likes me."

Y/n sighed, rubbing her boyfriend's back. He hadn't told her of his proposal plans, only that Hop seemed to have it out for him. "It'll take time, but he'll warm up to you!"

"It's been how many years since he's met me?"

"To be fair, your reputation wasn't doing you any good until now..."

"It's not like that was fucking obvious." He slouched further down in the front seat of his Camaro. To Billy, all hope was lost. If he couldn't get Hopper to give him his blessing, he was sure he'd lose his goddamned mind.

Y/n frowned. Her frown flipped around as an idea popped into her head, her lips finding Billy's knuckles and quirking his attention. "Even if he never likes you, I'm not going anywhere."

Billy laughed softly, "he'll fucking kill me if you go against him."

"Eh, that's only if he can catch us."

"You're out of your fucking mind, Y/n Hopper."

"I know."

The rest of the night was spent in the Camaro, of course, doing one of Billy's favorite pastimes. By the time the sun rose, Billy was sneaking a kiss to a giggling Y/n before dropping from her window in the cabin and running to his car, parked far enough that Hop or El wouldn't notice. He blew her one more kiss, which she pretended to catch, then he broke into a sprint.

Maybe, he thought, just maybe; there was still a chance.

His knuckles hit the door again, shifting on his feet nervously. It swung open to reveal Hopper, an unimpressed look bringing no surprise Billy's way. It was quite expected, honestly.

"What." His tone made it clear he wasn't up for fucking around.

"Mr. Hopper, if you just give me one chance to prove to you that-"

"No, no, no, no, no. Let me make it very clear to you that I want you to have nothing to do with my daughter whatsoever. No marriage, no friendship, I don't even approve of you guys fucking or whatever-"

"We're in a serious relationship, sir. It's nothing like you think it is."

This made Hop laugh. He continued to do so, holding his stomach, until he realized Billy was unamused. "Oh, you're serious?... My answer is still no, Hargrove. My answer will always be no. Go find someone else's daughter's heart to break. You're not hurting mine."

"It's not like-"

Before he could even get the words out, he was met with a door in his face. Turned down, again.

Can I have your daughter for the rest of my life? Say yes, say yes, 'cause I need to know. You say I'll never get your blessing "till the day I die, tough luck my friend, 'cause the answer's still no!"

Why you gotta be so rude? Don't you know I'm human too? Why you gotta be so rude? I'm gonna marry her anyway. Marry that girl, marry her anyway! Marry that girl, yeah, no matter what you say! Marry that girl, and we'll be a family! Why you gotta be so rude, rude?

Again, again, and again, Billy incessantly pleaded with Hopper. Different tactics were all met with the same answer; rejection.

He held up a sign outside the cabin, only for Hopper to close the curtain and chuckle as he sipped his coffee.

He asked at the door again, only for Hop to threaten to give him a black eye (which was met with "aren't you the sheriff? Isn't that illegal?").

He raced past the police station, Max leaning out the window with another sign, only for Hop to threaten them with holding cells.

He even went as far as to ask Max and El to help, but Hopper had none of that, and sent Max home with a rant full of nos.

However, if Jim Hopper thought any of it would get it into Billy's head that getting his blessing was just not happening- he was as wrong as Nancy when she claimed not to have feelings for Jonathan.

Billy had another plan in mind, and this one was impossible to say no to.

Can I have your daughter for the rest of my life? Say yes, say yes, 'cause I need to know. You say I'll never get your blessing "till the day I die, tough luck my friend- but no still means no!"

"Hopper." Billy stood before his desk, interrupting his nice date with a delicious doughnut, and earning a very annoyed glare. "I got Miss Byer's blessing. Aren't you two a thing?"

"You son of a-"

"I got Eleven's too."

"Hargrove, I'm gonna-"

"Before you cuss me out, I think you should know that I've got a stable job, an interview with a mechanic so I have a job when the pool closes for the winter, and I've got a house on the market I'm looking at. I'm devoted to your daughter and she's devoted to me. You may not like me, but I think you're a great dad, better than the one I was unfortunately stuck with. You raised a strong and amazing woman. She's incredible and I admit, she deserves better than me-"

"You don't have to say that twice." Hopper huffed, crossing his arms.

"I know she deserves so much better than me, I'm surprised she's even with me too. But she loves me, and I think you can see that. I love her too. I would never, in a million years, break her heart."

Jim stayed silent for a few minutes. The silence brought uneasiness to Billy, but that was intentional on Hopper's behalf. He finally piped up with a cough, clearing his throat, before his piercing eyes met Billy's blue orbs.

"I'll hold you to that, Hargrove."

Why you gotta be so rude? Don't you know I'm human too? Why you gotta be so rude? I'm gonna marry her anyway. Marry that girl, marry her anyway! Marry that girl, yeah, no matter what you say! Marry that girl, and we'll be a family! Why you gotta be so rude? Why you gotta be so rude?

Bonus:

(after the wedding)

"What was that about a no?" Billy quipped with his infamous smirk.

"You're lucky I'm sheriff, Hargrove."

Why you gotta be so rude?

[boxofbadaddiction]

The Missing Piece

Fred Weasley x Reader

George Weasley x Reader(Platonic)

All I Wanna Do Continuation

Warnings: Swearing. Angsty.

A/N: I know this was only meant to be a two part series...but I'm hopeless. So I present to you; Part II of (?)

It had been a couple days since y/n ran into George in Diagon Alley, revealing the hardest of truths to her long time friend. That being of her secret child to one Fred Weasley, conceived only the day before his death. The one whom she kept secret from her whole old life in London, after running from it. Marcos was the Weasley no one knew existed.

It had been more than difficult when George discovered the truth, seeing a young Fred with peircing y/e/c eyes barrell towards the two adults during a casual conversation between old friends. It'd hurt George more than he thought it were possible to hurt, no injuries sting ever coming close to the one he felt that day. However, after a night spent bonding with his newly discovered nephew and multiple nights of y/n explaining everything to him. From the night before the battle; which involved a little too much information in Georges opinion, to the day they accidentally crossed paths, he'd found a way to forgive her.

He'd been so angry in the beginning but now that they'd spoke and he saw her side none of that mattered. He couldn't stay mad. Not really.

It turns out though that y/n and Marcos had been staying in a small Muggle Inn as y/n searched for a place to relocate whilst Marcos reddied to begin his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Something which George refused to stand for, and so that's how for the past 4 days the two had been living happily above the store of Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, number 93 Diagon Alley.

George hadn't been happier in so long, to have someone else living within the flat with him. To have someone to come home to. A family no less. Y/n felt the same way. But that didn't mean the dread of letting the rest of the Weasley family in on her dirty little secret were any less prominent in her life. Even George had to admit he was nervous as to how they'd react.

Of course since Marcos had learned of the additional family members, he were yet to meet, he'd been pestering the pair as to when he'd finally get to see them. So, often y/n and George found themselves up late planning the right way to go about it.

They'd decided on a meal at the Burrow with the entire clan present. No exceptions - meaning Dragon Boy himself, as well as the Workaholic. They'd worked out all the kinks through countless Owls flown tirelessly back and forth and it was settled.

Tomorrow at 5pm, the three (two as the family expected) were to arrive via the Floo network, in accordance with the fact Marcos had never travelled by Floo before and was eager to experience it. Though if you asked Mr and Mrs Weasley the reasoning, they'd say the pair simply preferred that way.

At 4:52pm, the day of, Marcos could be found waiting eagerly and very impatient by the fireplace of the Twins flat. "Come ooooon, Mum!" He whined staring to his uncle and mother fussing over whatever he-knows-not, whispering seriously to one another by the kitchen counter. "In a moment, bud." George answered, receiving a huff in response.

George had his hands placed firmly on y/ns arms to steady her as he spoke sternly, eyes fixed directly onto hers. "Everything is going to be okay. I'll be with you the whole time. They're going to love him." "It's not him I'm worried about." Y/n croaked, voice thickly laced with emotion, "I know this is what's right and he'll fit in perfectly, that they'll love him unconditionally. But what of me George, I kept him from all of you. How could they ever look at me again. Let me in that house again. I know it sounds selfish but I'm not worried for him at all. Because it's what's right. But just because it's the right thing to do doesn't mean it makes this whole mess any easier. There wouldn't even be a mess if it weren't for me." Y/ns head dropped, picking at her nails in attempt to distract herself from the burning that set in behind her eyes and in her throat.

"Hey." Lifting a delicate finger to the underside of her chin, George pulled y/n's attention back to him, "You did what you thought was best for you at the time. What you did wasn't easy and I understand it now, just like they will. Once you explain and they meet him...there's no way they can stand against you. Okay? It's going to be okay." The whites of y/n's eyes burned red as she held back the tears which were ready to spill. All it took was a nudge, in the form of a tight comforting George Weasley style hug, to knock them over the edge.

"Can't you hug when we get there?" Marcos groaned, rolling his eyes in frustration this causing his Uncle chuckle. Y/n pulled back and looked to the clock on the wall, 4:59pm. Wiping the few stray tears still running down her cheeks she stepped toward her son. "Sorry sweety." She smiled sadly, fixing his hair. "Why are you crying?" her son asked simply. "It's just...it's just been a very long time since I've seen any of these people. It's got me a tad emotional. Don't worry, we can go now." "ALRIGHT!" The boy yelled excitedly, jumping into the large fireplace. George placed a hand to y/ns back, guiding her in next to Marcos as he grabbed a handful of powder and stood to the boys other side.

"Everyone ready?" George spoke with a wide-eyed, unnerved expression to y/n, "ready!" Marcos bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly while his mother, unknownst to him, offered back a grimace and shrug. "Yeah that seems about right" George spoke more to himself. Looking back out over his living room tight-lipped he grasped the boys shoulder, "The Burrow." He dropped the glittering dust in a swift motion and the three were quickly engulfed in vivid green flame. Here goes nothing.

This dinner would be the first time everyone had been together in years. Since the war if you were to include y/n in the family head count, which Molly did. So as you can imagine she had been fussing over every nanodetail to ensure the whole night went perfectly.

"Molly dear, you must try to relax. You've out done yourself, everything looks splendid and they'll love it." Arthur assured his wife, with a light kiss to her cheek. "I just haven't seen her in so long, not since...well-"

Y/n and Molly had shared such a close bond as she grew up alongside the Twins. The sort of connection Mothers dream of having with their daughters. Y/n came to her about absolutely everything; classes, grades, bullies, boys. There was nothing the two couldn't talk about. So when y/n disappeared after the War, well to Molly it were as if she'd lost another part of her family: the pain she felt neared that of losing another child. That day Molly Weasley very well lost a piece of herself.

It was no wonder her emotions were currently running ragged at the thought of finally seeing her again.

"I have so missed her." "As I'm sure she has you but that is no need to overwork yourself dear, come sit in the lounge." Arthur directed his Wife back from the kitchen to where the rest of their family were gathered.

"Jeez mum, wish you loved us that much." Charlie joked over his mother's flustered form. "It's just y/n" Ron groaned. "The house looks lovely, Molly. But Arthur is right. You must relax." Fluer spoke from her place beside Bill. Though she appreciated the sentiment, their words did little to soothe her excitement and nervousness over tonight. "I know, I'm sorry everyone I'm just so excited to have her back. It's been so long after all." Arthur had his arm placed over her shoulders, stoking her arm contently as she stared to the clock on the wall. 4:52pm.

The group fell into comfortable conversation as they awaited the final two guests, all far more excited to see y/n than they'd care to admit aloud. This would be the first time any of them had seen her in over a decade.

A loud crash and a flash of green from the kitchen alerted the family huddled within the lounge just as the clock struck 5:00pm.

"Oh! They're here!" Molly spoke excitedly. George was the first to step out of the fireplace, ruffling his hair to rid the ash which coated it's ends: appearing like smoke from a flame as it hung from the ginger locks. The family moved quickly from the room, essentially jumping from their seats, to come greet them, however they were suddenly halted.

"Before you all swarm us!" George declared with palms raised towards the group, "there's a little uh-...announcement to be shared first. Or rather an introduction. You see we've brought someone with us." He looked back over his shoulder to y/n who was staring up at him with scared eyes as she trembled slightly in fear of what was to come. She glanced back to her son, hidden by the corner of the large stone wall of the fireplace before looking back up to George as if to say 'it's now or never'. "Just...try to have an open mind." His eyes were pleading for his family to understand even if they hadn't the foggiest what was going on. All their faces contorted as they looked between one another in confused anticipation.

George lowered his hands with a nod satisfied no one was going to tackle them in a crushing embrace or otherwise hectic greeting typical to that of the Wealsey family. Turning to the side so he no longer stood infront of y/n and the wall of the fireplace he encouraged his friend to continue. Y/ns eyes barely left George, aside from a quick nervous flick back over the gathered audience.

Turning back determinedly she reached her arms out for Marcos to hold, helping support him as he stepped down from the slightly elevated floor. There's a kind smile on his face as he moves toward the sitting room where the family is waiting. George places an arm on the back of Marcos nudging him forward slightly, with a nod to y/n, who is staring teary-eyed at him, breath hitching as she starts to panic. "Everyone..." he turns back to his family, "this is y/ns Son, Marcos." "Hello" he says simply with a warm smile.

Everyone looks like they've seen a ghost. Staring silently with mouths agape.

Though covered head to toe in soot his firey red hair sticks out like a Dragon in a flower patch. The Weasley hair. Not just that, it's his face. His entire body. His voice. It's everything but his eyes.

Marcos is quickly becoming uncomfortable as everyone just stares at him, this wasn't what he'd expected. He looks back over his shoulder to his mother. She steps forward and grabs his hand, placing her other on his shoulder, looking to George for strength as she speaks quietly, "I know I have a lot of explaining to do" she swallows hard looking back to the pale faced Weasleys, "but this has been too long coming and it couldn't wait any longer. If George's reaction is anything to go by I know you all have quite a few words to say to me. And I'll hear them all. I deserve it for what I've done."

Marcos looks up to his mother confused, what had she done? For all he knew they hadn't met simply because they lived in different countries. That's no reason why she'd be in trouble is it? He looks back around the room then to George who smiles warmly to him in reassurance. "Sorry isn't enough I know, but I am. Truly. It's time though, Marcos needs you. He needs his family."

No one says anything. Though all silent there's a mixture of strained emotions held within the room. Many teary eyes. Some white knuckles and poorly hidden anger. But mostly it's shock.

Bill's looking around his family, worried, someone needs to say something. They can't just stand there any longer gawping. Dropping Fluers hold he walks forward, heads turn at his sudden movement. He squats infront of Marcos smiling as he shakes his nephews hand with both of his "It's nice to meet you Marcos. I'm Bill," he turns slightly on the spot to point towards his partner, "that's Fluer, my wife." She offers a small smile and wave, then Bill turns back to face him "I'm the eldest of your uncles." He states proudly, "And the coolest" he winks speaking the final line in a whisper. Marcos smiles, whispering back "But Uncle George said that he's the coolest" "yeah don't listen to him, or any of the others - there'll be a lot of that going around." Bill chuckles.

Marcos starts to relax at his uncles attempt in conversation. Y/n and George smile sweetly to one another but with nerves still evident in their expressions. "How did you get your scars?" Marcos asks abruptly. "Marc-" y/n warns, "ah, now THAT is a pretty awesome story" Bill grabs both his hands in his once more, bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet etching ever closer to his nephew as he readies to tell the story, "you see there was this fight, at Hogwarts, before the War where I was up against this Werewolf-"

"Alright, alright, Bill, don't hog the boy with your boring old Greyback story." Another redhead interrupted, walking forward from the group to push his brother to the side, Marcs face contorted in confusion, brows furrowing and head falling to the side. Did he just say his story, with a werewolf, was boring!?

"I'm Charlie" the man knelt before the boy smiling widely "and I am by far cooler than these ones don't listen to them." "How are you cooler?" Marc asked "I work with Dragons." He widened his eyes in mock surprise before smiling again. "REALLY!? DRAGONS!?" Marc lit up like a Christmas tree. Charlie turned his head over his shoulder with a smug shit-eating grin on his face as he taunted his siblings for the reaction he'd elicited from such a simple statement. "Yep. Dragons." "Do you have one!? Can I see it!? Are they really as dangerous as everyone says?" Marc was firing questions at him quicker than his breath could carry, his enthusiasm endearing and contagious as the rest of the family made their way to make their introductions.

"Move it Charlie" stated a firey haired young girl "Merlins bollock!" "Marcos, Language!" Y/n warned but her son paid no mind to the woman too engrossed in the individual before him. "I know you! You play for the Hollyhead Harpies!" It was Ginnys turn to grin smugly to her brothers as they were pushed to the side. "It's lovely to meet you Marcos." She hugged him warmly. George and y/n stepped back a couple paces to allow the family more room for introductions.

Y/n was quietly crying as George had his arm placed securely around her back listening along to the excited conversation of everyone present, her son in particular, each time he was met with a new face. Until it seemed to reach a peak.

"YOU'RE HARRY POTTER!" "There it is." George whispered amusedly in y/ns ear. "The one and only." Harry smiled, "I must say, you look so much like your father. Except the eyes of course you've got-" "-my mothers eyes. Yes. So people keep telling me." Marc nodded with thin lips, this being maybe the hundredth time he'd been told so. "Sorry, trust me, I know that line gets a bit old." Harry smiled to himself.

Y/n was wrapped up in the various pieces of conversation that met her ears as more introductions were made. She always felt something had been missing from her life, she assumed it were simply Fred. She was wrong. This is what she was missing. They were missing from her.

They were her missing piece.

"Hello, my boy, I'm Arthur - your grandfather it'd appear" he stated warmly very much liking the sound of that. "What do you do?" His grandson asked curiously. "I work with the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts in the Ministry. Tell me..." Arthur began in a firm murmur, "do you know how exactly a 'microwave' works? I've been told it is a box which produces heat a-" "Daaaad not now!" Ron had grumbled. "I'm Ron. I'm an Auror with the Ministry" "like Mr Potter?" "Exactly." "Wicked".

"Greetings, Marcos. I'm Percy" came the next, posh, voice. "Hello, what do you do?" "I work within the Ministry-" Percy began before being interrupted by a sarcastic voice, "yeah don't worry about that one, Mate. Percy is in no running for the favourite uncle." George had spoke loudly causing a wave of chuckles to issue through the room.

Everyone was so warm and inviting and excited, it made y/ns heart swell. Hand placed to her chest as the other muffled her quiet gasps as joyful tears fell from her eyes. It was perfect, until she noticed something.

Where was Molly? Her eyes scanned the room, she was here not a moment ago where had she...

George noticed her shifting gaze and tensed posture. "Something the matter?" He whispered before his own eyes scanned the crowd of people. She needn't say a word as realisation struck swiftly, causing him to straighten himself. Dread flooded his body. "Don't fret, love" he whispered once again, gently rubbing her shoulder blades before taking a step towards Charlie - the closest member of his family - tugging on his shirt sleeve. Charlie leaned himself back towards his brother, eyes not leaving Marcos, nor the smile leaving his face. "Where's mum?" George asked. Charlie shrugged in response with a slight shake of his head "no idea".

Worry set in across Georges face, caught by Ginny across the room, whose head fell to the side as she silently asked the question, mouthing a simple "what?" To this George mouthed back "Mum?"

Her gaze quickly fixed to the room, brows furrowing as she noticed her mother's absence. Ginny looked back to George, shrugging she mouthed "up stairs?" George grimaced. It wasn't like his Mother simply to disappear. He certainly hadn't expected such a reaction. Given the circumstances, she should have been the first greeting him. With a suffocating hug and some offer of food.

"One sec" Ginny mouthed, holding up a finger while she quietly ascended the Burrows staircase in search of Molly.

George placed a firm hold around y/n again as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Ginny returned a few minutes later, arms wide with a shake of her head to let him know her search came up empty. George nodded a thank you, turning his head over his shoulder toward the kitchen. Empty. But the door...the door wasn't latched.

With a final squeeze to y/ns shoulder and a light comforting kiss to the top of her hair line he left her side for the first time since they'd arrived.

Y/ns arms wrapped around her body feeling far too vulnerable in the moment without George by her side. But she knew he had to be the one to find her.

Charlie's attention had been turned to the pair as he noticed Ginnys shrug in their direction. Looking just in time to see George walk towards the door as y/n tensed, insecurities and anxiety setting in.

He was unsure how to react. On the one hand he was ecstatic to discover he had a Nephew, one which oozed confidence and joy. One exactly like the Brother he'd lost. He fit like a puzzle piece into their lives, filling a hole they thought would never be filled. Though the cracks were still there, and he could never truly replace Fred - not that they'd want or expect him to, Marcos was the missing piece they needed in their lives. More than any of them probably realised.

On the other hand, however, Charlie was angry. Worse than angry. He was full-fledged fucking furious. Not an emotion usually acquainted with Charlie Weasley, the most carefree and open minded Weasley in the clan. To think someone he considered a friend, no. family. For years could just up and disappear from their lives, hiding this boy from them, this part of their family from them for more than a decade...it was a thought that made him sick. Feeling his throat close over and stomach turn at the disgusting lie he'd been unknowingly living. Talk about hard pills to swallow. Could he look past this?

Staring at the girl infront of him he did what he's always done. He began to reason. As painful as this is he knows there's two sides to every story and lashing out in anger is not going to solve anything. So he looks at it from her perspective; she'd just lost the man she loved. Perhaps she didn't know at the time she was pregnant? After that she ran, he remembered the last time he saw her. She'd broke down saying she can't stay in England any more, he'd thought it was just the emotions talking but she was gone days later, once everyone who'd died were buried. So she ran, and found out she was pregnant. She was alone and grieving and terrified. Still he couldn't see why she didn't think she could come to them. That was beyond even his reasoning, he assumed she'd explain all of this in due time. Until then what she really needed was for them to be there for her.

So, swallowing all those festering venomous thoughts he stepped toward her. Placing a tentative hand to her shoulder with a brief half smile. She looked to him defeated, his name falling from her lips in a sigh the beginning of an apology followed as she trembled before him. He silenced her with a shake of his head, wrapping her within his arms in a hug to let her know everything would be okay. "We're here for you" he whispered simply.

As George stepped out of the house in search of his Mother, eyes squinting as they adjusted to the bright unfiltered sunlight beating down overhead, he scanned the hills and the veggie patch - where she wasn't. Walking slowly he headed for the back garden - where she was.

Sitting with her back to him on their concret garden bench, her posture was stiffly straight but her head hung low. The light sniffle of her nose told him everything he needed to know about her current emotional state. He had been fully prepared to find her seething with anger, afterall she had never been afraid to cry infront of the family before but anger was something she rarely liked to broadcast. Unless of course a scolding was in order for her children's bad behaviour. But here she was crying.

He placed a gentle hand to her shoulder unable to think of the words to make his presence known. She jumped at the touch before placing a hand atop his own. "Mum?" He asked hesitantly, she didn't speak, only wiped the fresh tears which had fallen from her eyes with the corner of her appron. George moved to sit next to her, hand not leaving her shoulder. He patiently waited for her to speak knowing it best not to force any conversation.

His eyes travelled over her face; eyes puffy and red, lip trembling slightly. Then down to her hands which both now played tensely with her frayed appron ending. He always hated to see his mother so upset, usually he had a joke to crack making her smile but since Fred he had trouble 'picking up the slack', as it were. Never able to break an awkward silence the way Fred had. He needed that first line from another to prompt any sort of sarcastic or witty remark. Hate to admit it but he were a tad envious of his twin in that respect.

After several long minutes Molly spoke. "Oh, George..." she sobbed defeatedly. His attention was immediately back on her face, waiting for her next strangled set of words. "He-he...he's..." "he's not mine." George nudged playfully in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere but it comes out a tad sad in his opinion.

"He's so much like him. Exactly like him if not for the..." "eyes." George spoke, smiling fondly at the thought, "he has his mother's eyes." Molly faced him finally, "Why'd you leave?" He questioned. Gingerly running a hand through the hair above her sons scar she replied sadly "It was just too hard." And more tears fell.

"It's hard for all of us Mum, I know it's a lot and this would be the last thing you'd ever expect to come from the fireplace but it's what came. And through all the bad and confusing you need to see the good. You have a Grandchild. Your first. What you've always wanted." "But George, it's not-he..." "he looks exactly like Fred, sounds exactly like Fred and acts exactly like Fred. But he's not, I know. He's not Fred. But he's a piece of him. More than what we had." Molly was shaking with tears now as George spoke with her. A similar burning taking root behind his eyes, but he had to hold strong. The family needed that right now. "I know it's hard, believe me when I found out I-well...let's just say some bystanders were scared they were about to witness a murder" he chuckled. "I'd never been so angry. But y/n explained everything. She talked me through it and she'll do that with you. With everyone. You just have to give her the chance."

Molly scoffed slightly as she let out a long breath. Looking up to her son her heart swelled to think she was able to raise such a strong, passionate and caring young man. She'd never been prouder of him. Seeing how, through everything; the war, losing Fred, finding out the truth about Marcos. How he managed to stay that compassionate and loving young man she always knew...it was beyond her how he could do that.

She'd lost so much during the wars. In the first she lost her brothers, and countless friends, then she lost a son to the second. When had she lost herself along the way? It was then she knew she needed to be the mother he deserved. That they all deserved, stronger than she had been before. She had to be with her family now. The family which just grew by a member. "What do you say, Ma, Ready to meet your Grandson? Cause you know I've been telling him all about how his Grandmother is the world's best cook. Don't know how much longer he's going to be able to wait for one of your homemade apple pies I've been telling him so much about."

Molly began to smile through her light tears before her face dropped completely. "Oh no!" She'd near shouted placing hands to her mouth, jumping from her place on the bench and startling George in the process. "I didn't cook any apple pies! I didn't think to! Usually we only eat those on very special occasions and- well, yes of course this is the most special occasion...but I had no idea!" Molly paced back and forth fussing over the fact she had no pies prepared "oh, George, you don't suppose he'll be too disappointed do you? I'm sure I can whip up a batch before dinner. Oohh but I haven't any apples! I'll have to run to the store".

George sat smiling fondly as his mother twidled her fingers together stressfully. It was endearing he thought, how quickly her priorities change. It wasn't till she started running her hands through her hair and down her appron he knew she needed to be calmed down.

He stood, placing both hands to her elbows to stop her pacing, looking down to her with a grin "Mum...relax." "oh George but the pies!" "MUM! How bout, first things first...you meet the boy." Silent laughter radiated through his chest as her eyes flew open "oh of course! How could I be so selfish! Do I look okay? I don't want to come across as some nutter" "doesn't matter how you look, you'll ways be a nutter." Molly smacked her son's arm as he laughed.

Slowly the two made their way back inside, his arm tight around her shoulder. He found it concerning at how slow she were walking but knew this was a difficult situation.

As the kitchen door swung open all eyes fell to the pair. Marcos was sitting on the small coffee table of the sitting area as everyone was gathered around, filling him in on anything and everything he wanted to know. Y/n was tucked closely under Charlie's arm on the sofa. Everyone went quiet once again as the two rejoined. Y/ns eyes flew to George who nodded at her, letting her know everything was okay.

Y/n was the only one to move as George and Molly approached the group. She stood, grabbing Marcos by his hands and moving him towards his Grandmother.

He stood straightly, smiling before her as y/n knelt beside him. "Marcos, this is Molly. Your Grandmother" y/n smiled sweetly but nervous up to Molly who only had eyes for the boy infront of her. She had a hand placed to her mouth as she held back glistening tears. "It's nice to meet you" he held out his hand for her to shake, but she didn't move to take it.

"Wait for it" George smirked knowingly. Marcos dropped his hand slightly, head falling to the side in confusion. Wait for wha-

Molly instantly swooped down, engulfing the young boy in a bone crushing hug as a heavy breath left her throat. "We're so glad to have you here, my boy." She let him go, leaning back to place his face between her palms smiling brightly through joyful, unfallen tears. "Bit peaky, what's say we begin dinner" she asked warmly. "That sounds nice" Marcos mumbled through squished cheeks.

"Come, this way Dear," Molly placed a hand to his back directing him to where they'd be eating, fussing over the boy more with each step.

George and Y/n watched on as her son happily seated himself at the table and Molly began piling various foods onto his plate as the rest of the family did the same from the lounge, basking in the small moment shared between Grandmother and Grandson.

'This is how it should always have been' Y/n thought with a heavy heart. There was a calmness in her mind as she watched on, replaying the way the family had greeted the pair as they entered. Things might just work out better than she had feared. Might.

[girlmaster132]

(Yan)Childe x Reader: Remember Me?

This is like my first in this app please bare with me lmao.

Rated: Mature Words: 3.1k Warning: Kidnapping, Name Calling, Bullying.

Second-Person POV:

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

You wince as you pick up the burnt food on the ground. You accidentally poured in too much oil and you threw the fish away. This was a simple Grilled-Tiger Fish yet you can't even do it. How clumsy are you? You picked up the failed meal and threw it in the trash. You sigh as you shook your head and went to the table to eat one of the fruits on the table.

    You moved to the window and opened it. The sun shined bright, the sounds of people enticing customers to their stalls can be heard up to your house. Liyue Harbor is such a calm and relaxing place. Well, as long as you don't evade tax that is.

    It's been years since you've lived in Liyue, in contrast to most people here who have a specialty in cooking. You only ever bought food here. You took a bite into the apple and got ready for the day.

    You leave your house and walk down the stairs. Opening the door you're met with the friendly people of Liyue.

    "Goodmorning Y/N off to work?" You turn around and see Ganyu walking towards you.

    "Yes Ms. Ganyu, it's the last day before a week's break. I decided to get there earlier so I can get all my work done. I hate going on the weekends. Also, it's rare to see you out of your workplace, what brings you here?" You say. Ganyu giggles and pats you on the back.

    "Well, I have some important business to do. Don't waste time and off to work you go! Can't miss any seconds, time is gold!"

    You smile at Ganyu and continue your stroll to the outskirts of Liyue. You pass children playing with their kites, tag, and some even roleplayed as the Millelith. The vendors yell as they advertise their product in any way they can. You reached the bridge and continued your way to the statue of the seven.

    You bow down to the statue of Rex Lapis. He was such a different god from the previous one you had. Reaching the building of your office, you fixed your clothing and walked proudly. Opening the door and walking, Something felt off. There would usually be people welcoming you inside. The room should have open lights and a warm temperature. Instead, the building was dark, and it's eerily quiet. You sharply inhale.

    "Guys? Where are you?" You shouted as you searched each room you pass through. Was it a holiday and you accidentally went to work? But Ganyu would've told you earlier.

    The moment you arrived at the secluded area, you felt a hand with a handkerchief pressed over your mouth. You look back and attempt to punch them. Your heart beats rapidly and you squirm. More men appear and one of them punches you hard in the stomach. You fall to your knees as they hold you down and suffocate you. Black spots forming in your eyes as the world around you is rapidly fading quickly.

    "Is this one of the people on the list?"

    "Yeah, he's the last one." The man says.

    You try to struggle one last time as you close your eyes and drift to sleep. You squirm, punch, do anything. You struggle.

    And struggle, and struggle.

    And for the last time, you—

...

Struggle.

    You were being held down by Alek. He has always done this to you for as long as you can remember. Your face smeared across the snowy floor. It was cold and freezing, why is your life like this?

    "Y/N! I thought you wanted to be in the military!" He laughed, "Is it because your father is so poor he'd sacrifice you anytime to get money!"

    You sob and try to push yourself up, but Alek steps at your back. Leo, your other tormentor kicks you in the face, "How about your mom? Is she selling herself again to earn money? What a whore!"

    "My... Mom's not a whore..." You whimpered as the two boys made fun of you more. Blood trickles down your nose, you have a black eye and a broken self-esteem.

    "Hey!" A familiar voice shouted. He aimed his arrow and shot it right beside you threatening the two other kids. Your eyes light up and you see your best friend Ajax. He slides down the snow hill and directs the bow at the two boys. "Let him go! Or I will shoot."

    The two boys stare at Ajax. "And who might you be? We haven't met you before."

    "Someone that will kick your ass and make you fear my name." The two looked at each other and laughed. They glance back at you and Leo picks you up. Ajax glare would be enough to kill these two. Without warning rushes at them. He raises his fist and punches Alek right in the nose. Leo drops you roughly into the ground and before he could do anything, Ajax swings his bow at him and uppercuts him in the jaw.

    Your eyes light up as you watch Ajax beating them up a bit too hard. He strikes them with his bow without mercy. "Don't you fucking dare, return to this village. You got me!"

    "Ajax..." You call out, he stops and faces you. "I think they had enough." He shoves Leo into a tree and approaches you. The two boys ran away with fear. He crouches and touches your face.

    "Ajax, thanks for saving me again." You breathe out. He hugs you and lifts you. "Hey! This is embarrassing!" You hide your face and he bursts out laughing.

    "You can barely even stand, don't get shy of a friend helping you out." He carries you and runs you back to his place. The wind was a gentle breeze you blush slightly as he passes through the village. He sits you on the porch and opens the door.

    "Wait, is anyone home? I might disturb them,"

    "Nonsense!" He pulls you into a room and opens the lights. "Stay here, I'll get something for that black eye and a broken nose." He rushes into a room. You hum and wait, he returns with an entire medkit.

    "You don't have to, that's a waste of supplies. I thought you were just going to give me a cold compress—"

    "Here have some of this, your nose is bleeding," He ignores your complaints and brings you a cloth. "Now for that eye," He takes out a cold compress and gives it to your other hand. You apply it to your eye as you wipe your face off the blood. He happily sits beside you.

    "I wish I can be like you, strong, powerful, and brave. Do you ever wish to be part of the military?"

    "Nah, I don't think I'll ever join the military soon. I like to fight but you're more fit for that."

    "You're just wasting your time, thanks for being my sparring partner and the person that always saves me but..." You trail off.

    "But what?"

    "I'm someone you can leave behind. I'm the one getting prepared to become a soldier but I can't even fight those two. You don't even get training yet you're better than me. I bet you're just doing this because you don't want to hurt my feelings."

    "Y/N don't think about that!" Ajax smiles, "I enjoy your company! Even if you win or lose as long as you learn with me I am fine with that!" your face heats up and you look down at the floor.

    "That's sweet of you to say..." You whisper.

    Silence.

    His demeanor changes, "Y/N I've always wanted to tell you something, I've—"

    The door opens, "Y/N I knew you'd be here. Your father is calling you, he orders you to go home now," He walks towards you, "Yeesh, what happened to you kid?"

    "Oh just Alek and Leo doing their thing again... Your son saved me again sir! He's such a nice friend," You compliment. "I'm sorry I used some of your medical supplies."

    "It's okay boy, I don't mind. No hurry, your father needs you."

    "See you Ajax and thank you so much for helping me!" You bow down and run outside, waving goodbye.

...

You walk through the snow and trees. You arrive home and see a carriage and a ton of boxes everywhere. "What's this all about?"

    "We're leaving, pack your things before afternoon." You stand there in shock. Leaving? To where?

    "W-what! Father, why do we have to leave again? Where are we even going? Aren't we fine? You say if I trained and got in the military we'd be safe. W-why?" You stuttered. Looking at your father who's hastily fixing the bags. He grabs your shoulders.

    "Liyue, we have the biggest chance of surviving there. We can't pay off our debt anymore, they'd kill us!" He yells at your face, making you shake in fear.

    "B-but where's mom? And Ajax— I still haven't said my goodbyes to him." He grabs your hand and pulls you roughly.

    "Your mom won't be returning any time soon, we have to hurry. And as for Ajax, I told him about the two of us leaving for Liyue. You're not good enough, look at you. Whenever you get back here you get beaten up by such a useless piece of shit. There's no time so get your goddamn stuff and let's leave this hell hole!" He pushes you and his words echoed through your mind. You wipe a tear threatening to fall down your face.

    You pack all your clothes and whatever you can hoard in a box. You throw it in the carriage and your father commands you to get in. You are sad, at the sudden change.

    "Hey! Wait up!" Ajax shouts. You see him out of breath, his eyes full of worry.

    "It's best if you don't follow us..." You say. Your eyelids get heavy and hide your face. You look back once more to see Ajax chasing you with full speed. Your father grunts and whips the horse to go faster. You watch as he fails to match the speed.

    "Wait, Y/N! Don't leave me please!"

    And that was the last you've heard of your best friend.

...

The room is silent and uncanny. You squirm around and freedom has no avail. Your eyes are covered and your hands are tied. You start to panic and hyperventilate.

    "Looks like the last one woke up," you hear a voice.

    "Are these the hostages?"

    "Yes, we're just waiting for the boss to return," says the other. Footsteps were circling the room. You feel like you're about to vomit. Your insides churn at the fact that you're kidnapped by other people in the room.

    "This one seems to be eager for a beating!" The agent jokes. The blindfold tightly wrapped around your face stops you from absorbing info about the matter. Your hair gets roughly pulled and you gasp. They laugh at your attempt to escape from them. You hear the door creak open.

    "Well hello there, you did a great job you two, now would you mind if you avoid touching the hostages?"

    "Yes sir!" And with that, the two men drop you down. The newcomer arrives and clears his throat.

    "All of you calm down. We're waiting for your greedy scum of a boss to pick you up from here in about an hour. There are 6 people in here, If he arrives early and pays, we'll set you free. If he doesn't," You hear him chuckle. "Every 10 minutes wasted I will pick one of you and make sure none of you get out of here without a broken bone or two. So hopefully he responds and gives the money he owes us. Just hope this boss of yours is kind."

    Time ticks the sounds of your co-workers begging for freedom gets hushed by threats and punches.

    10 minutes had passed.

    "Looks like one of you is lucky," You hear a loud slap and a person groan. You witness your co-worker get beaten up. You flinch every time he begs for mercy. You hid in the corner of the room, hoping to dear god your boss would arrive now. You didn't even know nor want to do anything about this debt they were talking about. With one last punch, you hear a thud, ending one's suffering.

    You try to calm yourself down but you can't stop it. You huff and puff loudly, sweating bullets, stomach-churning, dying from the anticipation. All of these give all the attention to you.

    Another 10 minutes passed, it didn't even feel like it. Time was ticking too fast you've lost all hope of getting out of here.

    "Sheesh, that old geezer really does not care about you folks does he? Now, who should the lucky winner be?" His steps got louder and you know he's going to hurt you. He grabs your hair and pulls your blindfold and throws it. He raises his fist ready to strike. "Now you little-"

    "Ajax? Is that you?" You asked, blinking to clear the light. He's taller and has a Fatui mask on his face. He still looks as handsome as you remember. He halts and stammers.

    "H-how do you know about that? Are you one of Liyue's spies? Or are you an eavesdropper that knows too much?" He studies you before saying, "Keep an eye on the other 5, I have to deal with this one." You gulp as he harshly tugs your arm. He drags you into the room beside and throws you into the wall. Your heart sinks, whatever happened to your best friend? You feel the tears swell up in your eyes as sadness overtakes you.

    "A-ajax don't you remember me?"

    "As far as I can remember, I don't know anyone that's part of an organization that borrowed money from us. I only know your boss, and his subordinates are going to get a good beating if he doesn't arrive with the money."

    You stare at his eyes, it's devoid of the sparkling light of hope and kindness. It's empty and dark, soulless and heartless. You gulp and a tear escapes out of your eye.

    "I'm a coward..."

    "Save the tears and sad story for later. I'll get back to you after your boss returns." He rolls his eyes and scoffs. He stands up and he quickly walks to the door.

    "I'M A COWARD THAT LEFT THE MILITARY AND YOU ALONE!" You shout as you reach your hand up to him. "I was never fit to become a soldier! And I made you suffer!" You sat down and tears streamed down your face.

    Childe stops walking and looks back at you. His eyes widened and his mouth agape.

    "Y/N? How're you— alive? My father told me you were taken away and you... died...."

    "W-what? My father said that he informed you about the two of us leaving Snezhnaya to hide in Liyue. We couldn't pay off our debt, and mom never returned the same day you rescued me from those two asshats."

    His eyes softened like every memory of you two together came crashing to him. A small smile appeared on his face as he approached you slowly. Each step he takes, you take one back.

    "I'm sorry I- just hurt me..." His hand reaches for your face and he looks directly into your eyes. He leans in and you feel his soft lips touch with yours. The moment was bliss, you close your eyes and hold onto him. You breathe in sharply as he pulls out. He wipes away your tears and lets out a laugh.

    "I can't believe you're alive Y/N. I missed you, and you aren't a coward," he says. Your stomach somersaults and you hug him. "Now, let's get to it." You look up to him and then A sudden sharp pain surges and paralyzes you. A knife digs into your abdomen. You widen your eyes and more tears stream down your face.

    "A-Ajax?" You whimper and your body numbs. Your legs weaken and Childe catches you. He chuckles as he runs his hand through your hair. You cough out blood and he whispers into your ear.

     "Shh... it will be okay. Y/N just relax, you'll be fine with me. Just sleep, we'll talk in a bit."

...

You flutter your eyes. Everything was so blurry, your body is ready to fall apart from exhaustion. The pain of your best friend betraying you loomed and haunted your thoughts. You sluggishly move and the pain shoots through your stomach. You wince and attempt to cover it. You realize something is attached to your wrists. You move your hand and hear the clanks of chains. You dart in that direction and see that both of them were chained in the wall. The room is pitch black.

    Your heart races and you panic. You struggle but your efforts are futile. Something heavy was weighing you down. You look down to your feet to see chains shackled on your ankles.

    Your breathing gets erratic, and adrenaline rushes through you. The sounds of footsteps came near and you waited for the danger. The door loudly opens and you see Childe enter.

    "You're finally awake! Took you long enough, I know you don't like to keep friends waiting," He exclaims while crouching down to your level.

    "Where am I? Ajax why the fuck am I chained?"

    "You'll never be able to leave me anymore. We're going to be together just like before! Aren't you excited! We have so much to catch up to, after you left I thought you died! So I chased after you and fell to the abyss—"

    "Abyss?! Is that why you've cracked your head and went mad!" His grin widens and he giggles.

    "You've always been funny Y/N I've loved your jokes. The abyss was such a fun place. I always thought that if you weren't in this world anymore, you'd be there! But foolish little ol' me remembered you are an angel, they don't fall into the abyss. They fly up into the sky," He rambles with a twisted smile on his face. You raise your brow, scared for dear life.

    "This isn't right Ajax! Y-you fell into the abyss?! What happened to you! Why are you doing this to me? Let me go!" You yell. His face drops and he laughs maniacally. He comes closer and rubs your shoulders. His hand runs down to your chest. He licks his lips and stares at your eyes, piercing through your soul.

    "We're going to have some fun."

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Author's Note: I swear to God idk what I just wrote ;-;

If you enjoy whatever the hell I wrote you can follow me on WP too! 

https://www.wattpad.com/story/264619512-genshin-impact-oneshots-x-readers-x-characters

[justcafewriter]

The Warmth of Family

Pairing   : Aizawa Shouta x Fem! Reader

Genre    : Fluff

Warning : None

Prompt  : Fireplace

Summary : Just as Shouta enjoys the winter night with you and a special someone in front of the fireplace he set up, he decides to take your  relationship to another level.

Word Count: 1.4K

a/n : this is a collaboration that I do with some friends from haikyuu simp discord. You can check the -> masterlist <- for other stories. Also, a special thanks for my sweet friend Clio (@akaashirin ) and my twinnie, Sky (@moonlitspring ) for helping me beta-ing and improves this story, ily Clio and Sky ❤.

"The dinner was delicious, thank you!" Aizawa hears your words while you're busy moving the dirty plates from the dining table into the sink.

"You're welcome… It's just a simple dish actually." He replies after he put the used glasses into the very same sink.

You smile at the rough looking guy in front of you before you pull him closer and kiss his lips. There, you can feel how he smiles upon your action before he kisses you back.

"Uhm.." Both  you and Aizawa break the kiss before you look at the source of that voice who's suddenly 'interrupting' you. "Sorry, I just want to help by bringing this."

Smiles are forming on both of your faces as you see a little girl with long pale blue-gray hair standing not too far from you. Her red irises move back and forth between you and Aizawa which makes her already cute face look way cuter.

"Eri-chan, thanks for helping out." You say and you invite her to get closer to you. "Let me put this in the sink okay?" You say  once she's standing in front of you. You take the plates and cutlery from Eri and she nods her head, a big grin appearing  on her beautiful face as you thanked her.

"Remember to only bring your plates and cutlery, okay?" Aizawa says to the little girl.

"Okay! I might hurt myself if I bring the non-melamine one right?" Eri states, repeating what Aizawa has told her about helping after the meals.

You look at the scene in front of you, a warm feeling creeping inside your heart as you feel like you would melt into the sensation of seeing Aizawa and Eri;how they look like a father and daughter, and how you wish that you are the mother.

"Y/N?" Aizawa's voice calls you back from your thoughts. You look at the tired looking man before you put on a warm smile and let out a single hum. "Eri and I will be waiting in the living room." He says and you nod in response.

You continue to wash the dirty plates as you look outside through the small window in front of you, admiring the snow that fell from the sky. It's the time of the year when Aizawa and you will spend the night cuddling in each other's arms after a nice dinner, in front of a warm fireplace. You think that this time is gonna be a bit different, as you  have another special guest accompanying both of you in this special time.

You heaved a satisfactory sigh as you put the last plates into the cabinet, then you dry your hands before  walking towards  the living room. There you see Aizawa sitting on the big couch in front of the fireplace and Eri laying flat on her stomach not too far from the couch as she draws something on a  piece of paper.

"Thanks for washing the dishes." Aizawa said after he senses your presence. You walk faster, saying it's not a problem before you squat beside Eri, asking her what she's drawing.

"It's a secret." Eri giggles and tries to hide her drawing. "I'll show you once it's done!" She says again, a wide grin appeared on her face.

"Okay! I'll be there with Shouta." You respond while you pat Eri's hair. She hums happily before she continues to draw.

You get up after that and walk towards Aizawa. You look at that man before you slip inside his embrace, resting your head on his toned chest as he wraps his arms  around your body.

"Hmm.. this feels so nice." You state. "I missed you. Both of us have been so busy."

"I missed you too." Aizawa replies, one of his hands caressing your back while the other one rubs your cheek softly before he plants a kiss on your crown.

Both of you stay still in that position, as if  saying that you both feel blissful in  each other's company. Your mind feels at ease as you listen to Aizawa's heartbeat and Aizawa feels like he's finally home as he's cuddling you like this. Everything about you screamed home to him; your scent, your voice, your smile, everything.

"I'm done!" You heard a joyful scream from Eri as she sits down and now she's looking at her drawing.

"Oh, is it time already?" You heard Aizawa say before he unwrapped his arms around you so he could get up from the couch.

"What time?" You ask, a confused look decorating your face.

"Y/N-Sensei please wait here." Eri says before she's running into her room and there you heard she called for Aizawa.

You were so confused. But after 10 minutes had passed you finally saw Eri finally come out from her room, wearing a cute Santa costume and in her hand you saw that piece of paper which she was drawing earlier.

"Whoa Eri-chan you look so cute!!!" You squeal as soon as you see Eri. "Can I take a picture?" Eri nodded and you began to take her picture. You saw how cute she looks and you can't help but to take a few more pictures after she gives you permission.

"Y/N, you act like a paparazzi now." You heard Aizawa's voice and as you're about to protest, you saw him standing not too far from Eri, his hair is already tied in a bun and you give him a questioning look.

"Do you need to go somewhere?" You ask.

"No?"

"Okay…" You say, still looking at him with a confused look as he's walking to you and finally sits beside you on the couch. He then tapped on the empty spot in between his legs, asking you to move there so you did, you sit there, your back facing him and you rest your head on his left shoulder.

"Are you guys trying to do something?" You ask which makes Eri let out a soft giggle, amused on how confused you are.

"Yes, we are. I've told you that I'll show you what I drew." Eri says and you feel like a light bulb appeared on the top of your head.

Eri then walks forward so you and Aizawa can see what she drew.

She's holding that paper up and you can see three figures inside the picture, one adult man, one adult woman and a little girl. They're all cuddling in front of the fireplace and on top, the word "FAMILY" was written with a green crayon.

Your heart filled with mixed emotions, is Eri missing her family? Did you and Aizawa not give her enough care?

"This is Aizawa-Sensei, this is Y/N-Sensei and this is Eri." You heard her explain and you suddenly feel tears starting to form at the corner of your eyes. Aizawa is now holding your hands, playing with your fingers and rubbing them in a comforting manner.

"Eri-chan, that is so cute." You say as you feel overwhelmed by her action. "I'm glad that you're thinking of me as your family."

"Aizawa-Sensei said that we're gonna be a real family now." Eri states and as she's saying it, you feel a cold metal lingering on your ring finger.

You look at it and find a simple diamond ring decorating your finger beautifully. Your heart is beating so fast and you look at Aizawa, a sly smirk hiding the nervous feeling he felt.

"I told Eri that you're the one who will decide." Aizawa says.. "Whether we can be a real family or not."

Tears start running down your cheeks, you can see how confused Eri looks when she realizes that you're crying. But then you open your arms wide, inviting Eri to come into your embrace while you're still inside Aizawa's warm hug. With a smile beautifully decorating Eri's face, she runs into your embrace.

"So, Y/N-Sensei, what's your answer?" Eri asks.

"I don't think you should call me Y/N-Sensei from now on, because you need to learn to call me Mom instead." You answer which only makes Eri's eyes shine brightly. 

You feel the hug from Aizawa getting tighter so you look at his direction which only gained a sincere kiss from him. You know that it's his way of thanking you, of telling you that he feels thankful for your answer and he's glad that you're accepting his simple proposal.

"Thank you." He says after he broke the kiss.

You smile while you're looking at the love of your life before you say, "I'm the one who feels so thankful, Shouta."

collab taglist: @animatedarchives @azxmii @yamaguchi-stan

[goldenmazzello]

Lay all your love on me | Part 3

(I don't own this gif. Credits to the owner)

Warning: Language, angst, cheating, stress, innuendo?, mention of songs. 

W/C: 5.6k.

MASTERLIST

~

Friday. It was finally friday, the day for the audition. You spent the last four days rehearsing for the audition, maybe the biggest and most important one you've ever had. You were so nervous that you could barely close your eyes and sleep. Now, you couldn't remember how many times you watched Grease on Netflix or how many times you watched videos on YouTube in such little time.

Now, you were with Joe in his living room. You asked him for help since you felt a bit mousy to ask Aaron to practice with you because you've just met him. However, he sent you some messages giving you some tips to remember during your audition. You were so glad he told you that because he had experience in Broadway, it wasn't his first time there. And for the same reason, you wondered if you were really going to get the role or if you were going to make a dog's dinner of it again as the last one.

You put Grease on his tv and rapidly pause it at the very beginning where Danny and Sandy were at the beach, the place they met vacationing, holding each other's waist and looking at each other with love and angst at the same time as they were going separate ways due to the end of the summer and Sandy had to come back to Australia.

"Okay so, now, come here please." You grabbed Joe's arm and made him get up from the sofa. Joe chuckled. You indicated him how to pose his hands on you and posed yours on him. "You remember this line, don't you?" You asked raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, we've watched this the whole morning!" He laughed and you shrugged.

"Yeah, but remember they changed the original story and some dialogues a bit to make it more interesting. She's from Utah now. Let's start." You closed your eyes and sighed. "Danny I don't want the summer to be over, I may never seen you again." You said Sandy's first lines in the musical, while staring at Joe.

"Sandy, don't talk that way." Joe replied as Danny and you interrupted him.

"But it's true, I've just had the best summer of my life and now I have to go back to Salt Lake, it isn't fair." You said complaining as you moved your eyes to the floor. Joe put his hand on your chin and lifted your head gently, so his eyes could meet yours again.

And Joe got lost in your eyes. He felt waves of running feelings on his body. For him, time stopped, the whole wolrd stopped and it was only you and him.

He thought about what was next in the script, the kiss. What if he kissed you now? Of course it would be part of acting, it wouldn't mean anything at all, but for him, oh, he didn't know how he would feel if he kissed you right now. He didn't want your frienship to be at stake, but he had to do it anyway.

Joe moved his hand on your cheek, you kept staring at him and when he was a few inches away from you, your phone started ringing and you both jumped.

"Fuck, it scared the shit out of me." You said taking a breath with a hand on your chest and moved to take your phone. Aaron is calling.

As you answered the call, Joe went to the kitchen. He rested his back against the wall and closed his eyes. He was so close to finally kiss you and he couldn't believe it. He was so close to your face, to your lips.

When you finished talking with Aaron, you went to the kitchen and found Joe there, in silence.

"Joey, are you okay?" You asked as you walked towards him. He opened his eyes and nodded. "Are you sure?" You weren't very convinced at all.

"Yes, I was just thinking about a few things I have to do with my agent." Hi moved his hand on the nape of his neck.

"Okay. Aaron just called and offered to take me to the theater with him but I turned it down." You said and Joe furrowed his eyebrows. "I want to go with you, I need you by my side." You beamed. So did he. "We should leave now,  or we won't have enought time."

The car ride was full of laughter, Joe knew absolutely well how to make you laugh and forget about everything. He was trying to make you feel relaxed and it seemed that his attempts were working out. You really appreciated it.

As you realized you were near the theater’s street, your face was pale.  Al Hirschfeld Theatre. You were there.

Joe noticed your expression had changed and squeezed your hand. You closed your eyes. He parked a few feet away from the theater and you both got out of the car.

“Listen (y/n).” He looked into your eyes while holding your shoulders. “No matter what happens today, don’t ever hesitate how talented you are, please never forget that.” He gave you a tender smile and you hugged him.

“Thank you Joey, you don’t have an idea of how much I appreciate and love you.” You closed your eyes and rubbed his back.

“I know you do, and I love you too. Good luck.”

Joe stayed inside his car, waiting for the audition to end. He knew he would be there for a long time so he brought with him his notebook where he kept writing ideas for his future directing projects.

When you entered the theater, you saw Aaron reading the script. He was really focused on it.

“Hey, how you doing?” You asked and sat beside him.

He lifted his head and kissed your cheek. “I’m great, and you? Nervous?”

“You’re absolutely right.” You sighed.

“Remember what I told you, just be yourself and imagine you are dancing alone in your room in front of your mirror.” He chuckled.

“I’ll try.” You looked at his script. “Which role are you auditioning for?”

"I'm going for Danny Zuko, your lover, Miss Sandy." He blinked.

You? Starring opposite him? At first it seemed absolutely crazy, because he had a lot of experience. That's when you remembered what Joe had said Don't ever hesitate how talented you are, and you couldn't help but beamed happily. You were so lucky to have him in your life, such a tender and loyal friend.

You were still confused about your feelings. Perhaps, you were feeling like this because you've been single for almost a year and the need of being loved was taking over you. You didn't truly believe you were falling for him.

As soon as the casting crew called you, Aaron wished you good luck and you went to the scenario. You introduced yourself to the casting crew who was waiting for the music to start. The instrumental music of You're the one that I want was playing loudly at the background while you gracely moved your body to the rhythm of the music and started to sing. Your hips were loose and your feet seemed to never touch the ground. Your movements were fluent, they were done without any effort and the lightly way you were dancing could have been seen from every little part of the theater. 

When you finished your audition, they asked you to wait outside. A few minutes later, a tall woman in her 20s holding some papers showed up.

"Are you (y/n) (y/s/n)?" You nodded. "I'm the director's assistant, he wants to see you."

You walked towards the scenario again and found Aaron in there. He smiled as you stood beside him.

"We want you to perform the opening scene, where Danny and Sandy are saying goodbye at the beach. We'll give you thirty minutes to prepare it and then you'll be called to do it." The director expossed as he and the casting crew left you alone.

"Do you know what that means? It's 80% probable that we got the role." He said excitedly.

"Oh my..." You moved your hand to your mouth. "I really hope so."

"So, let's prepeare the scene." He started reading the script. "What about the kiss? Do you want to practice it or just let it happen?"

"Hmm...I prefer practicing it at least once, just to be sure that everything will be perfect."

"That's a good point." He left the script on the floor, so did you.

"Danny I don't want the summer to be over, I may never seen you again." You said Sandy's first lines while staring at Aaron. He was holding your waist. You placed your hands on his toned arms.

"Sandy, don't talk that way." He nodded.

"But it's true, I've just had the best summer of my life and now I have to go back to Salt Lake, it isn't fair." You moved your eyes to the floor. Aaron put his hand on your chin and lifted your head, you looked at him again.

It felt completely different from when you did it in the morning with Joe. You felt you were really acting now, doing your job, but with Joe, it was difficult to focuse on the lines and everything, but why? You were so close to each other that you almost kissed if it wasn't for Aaron's call.

And that's when you felt Aaron's lips on yours. You closed your eyes, trying to examine the situation. His lips were rough because of the windy winter and his hands moved softly on your skin. You followed the kiss and he held you closer, embracing you, but you quickly moved him away.

"Danny don't spoil it." You fixed your eyes on his.

"It's not spoiling. It's only making better."

"Is this the end?" You asked sadly. He held your hands again.

"Don't think about that, just be here on the moment. All that matters is what's happening right now." As he spoke, you posed your hands on his cheeks and kissed him deeply. He did the same and followed your kiss.

"That was fantastic, I have no doubt that we got the role!" Aaron said, cutting off the kiss. You were still close to him.

"I really hope so."

"You are a great actress and a great kisser as well." You moved your eyes to the floor and Aaron giggled. "I'm telling you the truth."

You looked at him again and his lips mashed against yours again, you hungrily pushed back. It wasn't like one of those close-mouthed kisses you had when you were at elementary school, it was full on, open-mouthed, with pure lust. He nearly knocked all wind from your lungs. His hands drifted to your hips, pulling you closer. You inhaled, sharply. It's been so long since you last kissed someone like that and you couldn't deny it felt so good. When you heard the director and the casting crew coming back, you pulled apart and acted as if nothing happened.

They sat in the front row and asked you to start. You repeated what you did before, but this time, everything went on more naturally. It seemed like Aaron and you had known each other for years. You really had chemistry.

When you finished the audition, the director and the casting crew discussed about it and finally decided that both of you got the role. You were thrilled to bits when they said they couldn't praise you enough and you did an brilliant job.

You ran out of the theater happily and when you saw Joe waiting for you inside his car, you called his name and he got out, leaving his notebook there.

"I got the role!" You yelled and jumped into his arms. There was nothing in the world that's gonna kill this mood.

~

The next day, you and Joe were walking in the city. Joe was holding his phone, checking his To do list to see your plans for the day. He was very excited, you could see it on his face.

“Are you going to tell me where are we going to or not?” You asked while crossing the street.

“Hmm...I see you are very impatient.” He chuckled and you rolled your eyes.

A few minutes later, he stopped walking. You moved your sunglasses and gave a glance at the familiar tram station. “Are we going to Roosevelt Island?”

“Yes, I haven’t gone there in ages and I thought It was a good idea.” He said happily.  

The Roosevelt Island Tramway is an aerial tramway that brings you from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island in less than five minutes. There are some amanzing views of the city. It’s a very attractive option for people who want to get away from the crowds in Manhattan and enjoy the peace and quiet of the beautiful island. And you can enjoy it at night too, that was one of your favorite activities to do when you moved there a few years ago, admiring the wonderful skycrapers through the window.

After waiting for like fifteen minutes, you finally took the tram. Joe suggested going to a café and you agreed. It was a friendly place with a few tables outside. The peculiar smell of coffee made you feel hungry, especially because it was 10:00 am, so you ordered and sat outside the shop. It was a perfect sunny day to be outside.

As soon as you started having breakfast, Joe’s phone buzzed and when he saw his notifications, his expression changed, now, he looked haunted.

“Joey, what happened?”  You leaned forward.

“Nothing.” He said tautly. He blocked his phone and had a sip of his coffee. You knew he wasn’t telling you the truth.

“That’s a lie. You know you can trust me.”

Joe sighed. “I’ve never told you about my ex...she sent me a message saying she wants to see me to talk about something, but I blocked her.”

“What happened with her?”

“We’ve been together for so long, seven years to be exactly. Everything seemed to be fine. We lived in Los Angeles, that’s where I met her. One day, I was on my way to the airport, I was going to visit my family because it was Christmas season and I realized I had forgotten my passport, so I quickly came back home and when I opened the door...” He stopped and moved his gaze. “A friend of ours was...he was fucking her in our couch, our house...” He sighed again. “The excuse she had for not going to visit my family was that she had to work and obviously, it wasn’t true. Whatsmore, she had been cheating on me with him for over a year.”

Your jaw dropped. How could someone be so cruel? Nobody deserved that, especially Joe, he had a heart of gold. He was a person that believed real happiness lay on doing good for others, for him there wasn't anything that made him feel better than it.

He always seemed so happy but you could feel that behind that beautiful smile he had, he was in pain.

You moved and hugged him. “I’m so sorry Joey, you don’t deserve this.” He held you tight, in silent. “Someday, you’ll find somebody who will care about you.”

Joe wanted that person to be you. It was as if he had built his walls up high and didn’t let anyone enter his heart, but now, they were falling and you were the reason why. His heart has been locked away since that day he found out his girlfriend betrayed him. He was afraid of being in the same situation again. He supossed you were waiting too, to fall in love with someone who was worth the wait, after some failed relationships. He wanted to tell you that you were the person he was waiting for, that he had been searching so long for a feeling like this, but he was afraid, not only about being hurt again but also because he was convinced that feeling wasn’t mutual.

“I hope so.” You heard him say. “After that, I moved back to New York and all my dates failed, so I think I’m staying alone for a long time.”

“Don’t say that, I bet you have a lot of girls behind.” You moved you eyebrows and he giggled.

"And what about you? Have you had a date recently?"

"No, I haven't gone out with someone in six months." You replied as you finished your coffee. Joe almost choke. "What?"

"You have to be kidding me."

"Why?" You laughed.

"You are telling me that you haven't been with someone in six months, for real? Not even a kiss?" He was amazed.

"Well, I kissed yesterday but..." He interrupted.

"But that doesn't count, you were acting!"

"Actually, we kissed more than once." You blushed and Joe raised an eyebrow. He had to pretend he wasn't jealous of his friend for doing what he wanted the most, to kiss you.

"So, you like him."

"No."

"Yes, you do." He insisted.

"No, well, I'm not sure, okay?"

Joe nodded and took another sip of coffee. Inside, his heart was breaking. But outside, he seemed he didn't really care, he was a good actor.

If you change your mind

I'm the first in line

Honey, I'm still free

Take a chance on me.

~

Six weeks passed since the audition. The last days of winter were almost gone and spring's arrival meant that the musical was about to be released.

But things started to get pretty hectic, especially with Joe.

Rehearsals had taken over your life that you could barely have time to relax. The To do list that Joe had planned on set while filming Bohemian Rhapsody in january was practically forgotten, the only activities you did was going to the Central Park and going to a Yankees' game. You knew Joe wasn't mad at you for not having enought time, he knew that theater involved a lot ot rehearsals for a perfect performance but the fact that you hanged out with Aaron and not with him made him feel replaced.

The worst happened two weeks ago. It was friday and Joe was waiting impatiently for you at the Sky Room Rooftop in Manhattan. He was excited to catch up with you after seeing you like three times the last month, but you were late, you both agreed to meet there at 10:00 p.m and thirty minutes later, you haven't showep up yet. Two, four, six calls and you didn't anwer.

You weren't in New York. You were staying in California for the weekend since you and Aaron had been invited to a promoting event for Grease in Los Angeles and you forgot that you had made plans with your friend. When you saw his missed calls, you almost pass out. There was a message saying he was going home and asking where the hell were you, you explained him everything. You had a horrible sinking feeling when you saw he left you on read. You deserved that although you didn't do it on purpose, you had totally forgotten about it.

He felt so dejected by your behaviour. And it upset him even more because he loved you, he really did.

Saturday. You were at another event but this time there was a surprise for you, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John showed up at the place and sang You are the one that I want with you and Aaron, you were over the moon.

Meanwhile in New York, Lucy was staying the weekend in Manhattan to attend to an event she had been invited to. Rami couldn't make it there, although he was in the same city, he was filming Mr. Robot's last season and not only he played the main role, he was also one of the producers, so Lucy asked Joe to go with him and have fun, especially after the bad night he had waiting for you.

What Joe didn't know was that Lucy invited a friend of her too. Her name was Julia, she was a blonde blue-eyed girl that was around Lucy's age and she lived in New York too. She was a new friend, they met on set filming The Politician, a new Netflix series that will be launched by next year's end.

Joe and Julia got on really well.They exchanged intense glares the whole night and laughed at each other's jokes. They even followed each other on Instagram and posted some stories together. When the event finished, they went to a bar and had some drinks. This time, Joe was sober.

He and Julia went to dance. He kept his hands on her hips to guide her. At one point, everything started to get hot. Joe kept her tight to him with his hands on her waist while dancing and she began to feel hot and tingly when she felt his breath near her ear. He asked her if she wanted to do something after the bar and she said yes.

So when Lucy decided to call it a night, Julia invited Joe to her appartment.

When they entered the building, she didn’t even say a word, she just led him to the elevator and kissed him. His hands continued to explore her body, almost slipping under her dress a few times.

And they spent the night together. But Joe didn't sleep, insomnia took over him. He kept thinking about you and how you were slowly falling for Aaron and forgetting about your friendship with him.

I wasn't jealous before we met

Now every man I see is a potential threat

And I'm possessive, it isn't nice

You've heard me saying that acting was my only vice

You and Aaron have been on a few dates but nothing too serious. You were convinced that the chemestry you had on stage was making you confused and you didn't want to be direspecful so agreed going out with him. You felt you were behaving like a fifteen-year-old girl.

On monday, when everybody was at their respective places, Gwilym organized a group video call to catch up with the six of you. You placed your phone on your kitchen counter while you prepare your kettle for a cup of tea after a tough day.

You couldn't stop looking at Joe and he tried to avoid you. The tension between you both could be felt. You were sure your friends noticed it.

"How was the event, Luc?" Ben asked while lighting a cigarette in his garden.

"It was great, I had so much fun with Joe and Julia! And I'm glad they got on very well." Lucy was lying on her couch, resting after an exhausting weekend.

"Yeah, we all know that." Gwilym giggled while cleaning his glasses.

Wait, what did they know? Did you miss anything?

You kept your gaze on Joe, waiting for his next words while your hands grabbed the kettle that just boiled. He was lying on his bed.

"Have you heard about it, Lu?" Ben asked mischievously.

"Shut up, Benjamin Jones." Joe warned him, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, c'mon! We all know, Joe." Rami's eyebrows were bobbing up and down while walking to his hotel room. Lucy didn't have an idea of what was going on. So did you.

"What did I miss, hmm?" Lucy wondered. Joe's face blused.

"Mss. Lucy Boynton, your friends slept together." Ben confessed, entuthiastically. Joe rolled his eyes again. He was annoyed.

"Oh my god!" Lucy yelled in surprise, moving a hand to her mouth.

As soon as you heard Ben, you felt your heart dropped to your stomach. The kettle that was on your hands was now on the floor and an amount of countless swearing were heard from your mouth. Your skin was burning like hell.

"(y/n), what happened? Are you okay?" Gwilym asked worried and all eyes were on you.

"I've just dropped my kettle, call you later guys." You left the video call and run to your bathroom. You could hardly walk. You let the cool running water to cool your burning foot for like 20 minutes and covered the burn with a moist bandage. It wasn't that bad so you didn't need to go to hospital and in a matter of days it will be gone.

You were cleaning the kitchen when phone rang and you knew it was one of your friends, wondering what happened to you on the kitchen.

Lucy is calling.

You spent the next two hours talking with her. She kept telling you that you were in love with Joe, she knew it, it was obvious. You told her that you weren't sure about it and explained everything that had been happening the last weeks was making you feel out of your head. She said that it would be better if you talked about last friday with Joe and tried to apologize again.

You couldn't stop thinking about him, he's been stuck on your mind for the last weeks.

~

8:00 a.m, rehearsals again. You were sat on the floor, yawning. You haven't been sleeping properly, waking up every two hours or getting only 3 hours of sleep. Your head was aching so hard that you could scarcely open your eyes.

Aaron showed up, holding two cups of coffee. "Hey, good morning, here you have." He extended his arm so you could grab a coffee but you didn't.

"Sorry, I don't feel like having breakfast today." You sighed.

"Today, yesterday and the day before yesterday, what's going on?" He sat by your side.

You knew that your situation with Joe didn't leave you in peace and the stress you had for the countless hours of rehearsals a week was making it worse. Fault was the only thing that you could feel.

"I don't know, I haven't been sleeping well and I'm not hungry. I'm worn out." Your eyes were closed by now. He was listening carefully. "But, let's dance anyway." You put your hand on the wall and got up.

"Are you sure? I don't think you.. " you interrupted him.

"Aaron, I wanna do this. Let me try, at least." You insisted.

As the music started playing, the choreographer indicated your dance moves. Your body moved lazily, muscles aching as if you've been hit by a truck. Your sight was numb, so you stopped, moving your gaze to the floor. Your knees started shaking. There was no way you could finish even a song.

"I've told you it wasn't a good idea." Aaron grabbed you by your waist and placed your arm around his neck. He guided you to a chair and left you there. "Do you have your phone here?"

"I don't even know if it has battery. It's in my jacket." You massaged your forehead trying to calm the ache but it was helpless.

Aaron talked with the director and then grabbed your phone, he called your emergency number. "Hi, is anybody there?" He could hear someone breathing but it was silent.

"Aaron?" Joe spoke, his voice was husky, he must have been sleeping because it was pretty early.

You'd chosen Joe, he was the only person who could help you if you found yourself in times of trouble since your family lived in another state and it would take them ages to get there. But if you had to call him now, you weren't going to do it.

"Joe? It's me, listen. (y/n) isn't doing good so I've just called her emergency number and here we are. I didn't know it was your number. Can you pick her up? I asked the director to give her a break and he agreed. She looks terrible."

Joe was still mad at you, but he wasn't going to let those feelings interfere with the situation. He was a kind person and he loved you, so the only thing he was going to do was to leave you home and continue with his day.

"I'll be there in 10 minutes."

Aaron came back with you. "You're leaving in a few minutes, here you have." He gave you your phone.

"What? Are you going to leave with me?" You frowned.

"Actually, no. I asked the director and he wants me to stay but he said you could go home. Joe is coming."

Your eyes bugged out, you hadn't seen Joe in weeks and you felt it wasn't the right moment to do it.

Aaron was holding his phone. "Joe sent me a message, he's out."

He helped you to get to the front door of the theater. Joe didn't say anything, he opened the door of his car and helped you get in. You couldn't see his eyes because he was wearing sunglasses. And he was glad, because when he saw you like that, his heart broke. He wanted to hold you in his arms and take care of you, kissing every little part of your face and telling you everything was gonna be alright.

Once you were in your appartment, he helped you to get in bed and prepeared a cup of tea. When he came back, he sat on the edge of your bed. He didn't say a word, you knew he was hurt.

"Thank you." You took a sip of tea.

He looked at you and pursed his lips, as if he was going to say something but he didn't.

"Please, say something. Don't be like that, I know I was wrong, I'm sorry." You pouted.

"Okay, I forgive you, are you happy?" He said expressionless.

"Joe." You left your cup on your nightstand and moved closer to him. "Don't say it because that's what I want to hear, say it because you feel it."

"I'm feeling this, but you're too busy with your new friend that you don't seem to know me anymore." He gave you a glowering look and you sighed.

"Joey, please, look at me." You took his hand and rubbed it softly. He looked at your hands and then moved his eyes to meet yours. "Forgive me, please. You don't have an idea of how much I miss you." You were already in tears. He sighed.

"I miss you too." He opened his arms wide and pulled you in for a warm hug. You let out a small sigh while sobbing and hid your face in his neck, you could smell his scent, it's been so long.

You both stood there for a few minutes while Joe caressed your back. "We have to talk about it."

"I know." You wipped your tears with your thumb. "But please, can we do it later? I feel my head is going to explode at any moment."

"Okay but just tell me something, what's going on with you?"

"I'm tired, that's all." You assured him.

Joe hesitated a few seconds until he decided to ask something he was afraid to.

"Are you pregnant?" Joe murmured.

You burst out laughing. "Are you kidding me?"

"What? I don't know about your dating life." He shrugged.

"No Joe, I'm not pregnant."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I need to sleep, that's all."

He stole a glance at his watch. "I better go, I have a meeting." He moved from your bed.

"Will I see you soon?" You asked hoping he would say yes.

"Of course, when you'll get better."

~~~

It was 08:00 p.m when Joe came back home. He lay on his couch and watched tv. Two hours later, he was sleeping when he heard the doorbell riging. He was so sleepy that he didn't remember falling sleep.

When he opened the door, he frowned. Aaron and you were standing there, beaming cheerfully. You looked better than you did in the morning.

"Surprise! Are you going to make us wait any longer? This pizza is waiting for us!" Aaron had a pizza box in his hands.

"We wanted to visit our dear friend." You confessed. Joe let you in and told you to sit on the couch. But before, you hugged him. "I know we've seen each other in the morning but I missed you."

He smiled. "How do you feel? You definetely look better."

"I do!" You kissed his cheek and took a seat beside Aaron.

"I'm glad. I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back."

He disappeared for a minute and when he was walking down the hall, he heard some noises. He leaned against the wall, hiding himself and peeped. He couldn't believe his eyes. A pang of jealousy ran through his veins. He gulped, his heart was racing so fast that he swore it would jump out of his chest now. His stomach was sick. "It's all in my head" he thought, trying to convince himself but it was helpless.

You were sat on Aaron's thights, your hands playing with his hair as he held you. His strong arms were around your waist and his hands placed on your ass.

Warm lips pressed against yours. You were kissing as if you were the only people in the world, as if you weren't in your friend's house. You didn't care about anything except that kiss.

He pressed your body against his and a soft moan scaped your lips. He giggled and told you to be quiet so as not to be caught. Then, he continued devouring your mouth.

Joe was perplex, he didn't know what to do. He wanted to stop looking at you, but he couldn't.

When Aaron put his hands on your breasts, Joe knew it was enough. He couldn't look, it was killing him.

He came back to the bathroom, waiting for things to cool down a bit. "It started out with a kiss, they were acting. How did it end up like this?" He thought. This has gone too far.

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

Near-Death Experience || Mike Wheeler x Reader

Requested: "Billy enters the house in season two and is beating up Steve and the reader steps in to help and Billy ends up hurting her. so after Max stabs Billy in the neck, they're in the car and the reader is seated between Mike and Dustin while Max is driving and Mike ends up getting a little angry at the reader for risking her life to save Steve? He was so worried Billy would kill her which is why he's angry and the reader was defending herself and saying he would have killed Steve and stuff then when the car turns and stuff, the reader and Mike end up falling on each other as they're arguing sksk"

Warnings: several mentions of blood, graphic (?) descriptions of violence. Broken bones.

"I said, does anybody understand that?" You looked at Steve in disbelief as he scolded the five of you, waving a dish towel around. "I need a yes."

You guys were trying to convince him that you all could give El and the chief time to get to the gate if you drew out the demo-dogs by setting fire to the hub.

Honestly, the idea wasn't half bad.

But of course, Steve wasn't having any of it.

You rolled your eyes dramatically and groaned.

"Whatever, mom!"

His face scrunched up at your remark but before anything else could be said, everyone's attention was pulled outside when you heard the obnoxious revving of an engine.

Your legs carried you into the living room and Max ran to the window. She jumped onto the couch and peered out into the night, Lucas joined her. You could see faint white lights, from what you could only assume to be headlights, crawl across their faces.

"What is it?" You asked.

"It's my brother." Max said, and you could sense the panic sneaking up on her. "He can't know I'm here. He'll kill me. He'll kill us."

She looked desperately around the room and your face hardened in worry. You looked from Max to Steve, hoping he would know what to do.

Steve wore a similar expression on his face, but then he stormed outside.

The rest of you all squeezed onto the couch together, peering outside to watch everything unfold. You had to squint a little, but then you saw a guy step out of the car, around Steve's age you guessed, and Steve joined him on the lawn.

None of you could make out what they were saying but based on context and their body language, you could tell the air out there was thick with tension.

Lots of words were exchanged, and just as you had wished you could hear what they were saying, Max's brother Billy looked over at the window, at all of you and gestured.

You all dove under the window, hiding behind the couch, panting.

"Shit!" Dustin exclaimed. "Did he see us?"

There was beat or silence and then you could have sworn you heard a thud and groaning, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps growing closer.

"I think he saw us," Dustin panted.

"No, shit Sherlock!" You hissed, and you suddenly got an idea. "The back door in the kitchen. Quick!"

You guys all abandoned the couch and make your way to the kitchen, hoping you could make it out in time but then the door burst open and you all turned to see Billy.

This was the first time you actually saw him in person and he immediately creeped you out.

He stood in the doorway, and he looked at all of you. His eyes landed on Lucas and they zeroed in on him.

"Well, well, well," he said flatly, though he was seeping with rage.

He stalked forward and we all subconsciously backed away.

"Lucas Sinclair," he growled. "what a surprise,"

He now stood in front of Max and Lucas and his attention turned to Max.

"I thought I told you to stay away from him, Max."

"Billy, go away." Despite her words, her tone gave how frightened she really was, not that you blamed her.

"You disobeyed me," he said and you cringe in disgust. "And you know what happens when you disobey me,"

"Billy," her voice wavered but he continued.

"I break things,"

Everything happened so fast. He turned on his heel and grabbed Lucas by the shoulders, and forced him across the room and into one of the shelves.

You and your friends cried out frightened protests.

"Get off me, you--" Lucas struggled against his grip but Billy was too strong.

Billy shook Lucas by the collar roughly, forcing Lucas to look him in the eye. You stood frozen, telling, no screaming at your body to move and help your friend but your limbs were numb and you watched tearfully in fear.

"Since Maxine won't listen to me, maybe you will. You stay away from her." He shook him violently once more, raising his voice. "Stay away from her! You hear me?"

Before you know it, your legs were carrying you across the room, you grabbed at his shoulder trying to pry Billy off of him but he didn't even have to turn around to stop you.

He shoved his arm back roughly and suddenly, his elbow struck you sharply and it knocked you back, taking the wind out of you, and you heard Mike call out your name in fear.

You stumbled back and caught a glimpse of Billy shuffle backward, and doubling over, reaching between his legs. Lucas must have injured him, going right where it counted.

He looked up, glaring holes into Lucas.

"You are so dead, Sinclair! You're dead."

You felt someone push past you and you exhaled in relief. It was Steve.

Steve put a hand on Billy, roughly turning him around to face him while simultaneously getting him away from Lucas.

"No," he said simply. "You are."

Steve reeled his hand back and punched Billy square in the jaw, knocking him back.

You and Duston chuckled happily, in relief, but Max only grew more grave.

"Steve!" She called out warningly.

Billy stood up, cackling maniacally, turning to look at Steve.

Lucas slipped quietly behind him and you reached out and grabbed his hand. He gladly accepted and you pulled him into a quick hug as you led him back to the others. You stood in front of them like a shield. Your eyes never left the fight, making sure Billy didn't come after Lucas or Max.

Billy smiled smugly, still laughing as he talked down to Steve.

"Looks like you got some fire in you after all, huh?" Billy was yelling, and he gestured to Steve. "I've been waiting to meet this King Steve everybody's been telling me so much about."

He strutted over to Steve, getting in his face, blood was dripping from his nose. While he wore a smile, his eyes were dead and expressionless. It was enough to scare you senseless.

Steve seemed equally disgusted and he spoke in a much quieter tone. He gently pushed Billy away, using only his forefinger and Billy shuffled back, gears in his head turning. He was planning his next move.

"Get out."

He stood rooted to the spot, and he licked his lips. Suddenly his arm was flying through the air, headed right for Steve's temple. He didn't even have to reel back.

But Steve caught on and ducked just before the boys fist could collide into his head. He stood quickly and swung his left fist, hitting Billy in the side of his face.

Billy stumbled back into the kitchen table and looked up Steve, still laughing.

Mike and Dustin came alive from behind you.

"Yes! Kick his ass, Steve!"

"Get him!"

Before Billy could strike again, or even pull himself up from the table Steve swung again, knocking him back into the kitchen counters.

"Murder the son of a bitch!"

Steve was still advancing. Throwing punches left and right.

"Now! Now!"

"Get that shithead!"

"Kill the son of a bitch!"

Billy was now against the kitchen sink, head now rolling back with laughter, blood dripping from his face on his exposed chest.

All too late you saw Billy reach for the plate and he crashed it into Steve's head knocking the wind out of him.

"Steve!"

"Billy!" Max yelled, pleading for him to stop.

It was Steve who was now tumbling back into the kitchen table.

"Holy shit!" Mike breathed out.

Steve was stumbling in your direction, his back to Billy and you saw Billy advancing on him.

"Steve, look out!" You cried out.

He lunged himself into the wall, narrowly missing Billy's fist. He collided into the shelves and then pushed himself off, missing another one of Billy's attacks.

Steve made his way into the living room and you shuffled your friends to the side, getting out of the way of the fight. Billy trailed after Steve and grabbed him by the shoulders roughly.

"No one, tells me what to do!" With a loud grunt, he headbutted Steve in the face.

Steve collapses on the floor and you shuffle on your feet, your mouth hanging open and you silently prayed that he would get up.

Billy hollers in triumph and stalks towards Steve curled up on the floor. The map of tunnels that were taped to the floor, the ones Will had drawn, were crumpling and tearing under Steve's body as he pushed himself away.

"Get up!" Billy spit.

"Come on, Steve!" You cried.

"You're gonna kill him!" Dustin exclaimed.

Billy stands over Steve, one leg on either side of him and he throws his arms back and pummels Steve into the ground. He throws punch after punch, strike after strike. Steve is bleeding out all over the floor. You watch in horror, knowing now Billy wasn't gonna stop until he went too far. Until Steve was dead.

He was screaming, spit flying everywhere as he did so. Some of the spit was mixed in with blood and you saw Steve losing consciousness.

Everything was in slow motion now. Your face hardened and you stomped noiselessly over to Billy, his back turned to you. You felt the ghost of a grasp on your arm, trying to stop you but your arm slipped out easily. It was Mike. You tuned out his cries of protest, he was soon joined by the others but you couldn't hear them now. All you could hear now as time seemed to stand still was the thunderous pounding of your heart in your ears.

You focused on Billy's form like a target. Like a bull storming after the matador, all you could focus on, all you could allow yourself to think about, was the red of his shirt.

You were running now and a deafening cry tore through your throat as you sped at the man. Arms outstretched and you tackled him into the door, knocking him off his feet.

Everything went back to normal, you were back in reality and your friends shocked exclaims echoed in your ears but all you could focus on was the look on Billy's face.

Shock flickered over his features, but he quickly recovered. He chuckled dryly and muttered your death sentence under his breath.

You were too slow to dodge the sudden sweep of his leg, and you crashed onto the ground, hearing the paper crumple under your body.

You looked up at him in fear and you scrambled back desperately. But you didn't get very far, your hands scrambled for grip on the hardwood floor but you found next to none. The paper tunnels moved from under your sweaty palms, causing your hands and feet to slip continuously.

He now towered above you and you could barely make out the cries of protest from Mike and the others.

"Don't hurt her! You son of a bitch, DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!" It was Mike and his voice was cracking with fear.

You looked quickly to the side, hoping by some miracle Steve would jump to his feet and save you but he was out cold.

By the time you looked back at Billy all you saw was his fist. Your head, which had been previously craning up, was slammed into the ground.

You heard a crack and pain exploded in your nose and the back of your head, confusing you. What you hadn't registered yet was that when he had punched you, it sends your head into the floor so hard you could have sworn you felt your brain hit the back of your skull.

White filled your vision and your ears were ringing slightly. You were in too much pain to hear the cries of fear from your friends.

Your legs began moving, squirming every which way. Attempting to kick him, or to worm you out from under him you didn't know which one. But then you felt a heavy weight on your right leg. It still moves violently, trying to get out from under his giant rubber boot.

You then felt an enormous pressure on your shin before it stopped briefly. You were still recovering from the blow to the face and head, you couldn't move much anymore you panted. Forcing your head to turn. It rolled on the ground as it moved, though it felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. All you could do was watch and you saw him bring his left leg up. He looked you right in the eye, teeth clenched as he through his foot down onto your shin. Just as your ears stopped ringing you heard a crack and you cried out in pain.

He applied pressure on your leg with his foot and twisted into your leg, smashing his foot into the wound like you would a bug you just squashed, making sure the thing was dead.

You cried out in pain and terror, begging him to stop but he kneeled down closer to you as he flared at you.

You whimpered on the ground, reaching your forearms up in the form of an 'x' to shield your face, your arms felt like lead but it made no difference. He grabbed both your wrists in one hand, taking down your arms with no effort at all. With his other hand, he grabbed your hair close to your scalp and pulled your head up before slamming it into the ground.

The world was quiet and your vision grew dark. The last thing you saw was Max storming after Billy, syringe in hand.

×××

The next thing you feel is your body swaying slightly back and forth.

You were moving but your eyes were still closed. You heard the roar of an engine and your senses prickled at the familiar sound.

Everything came back in bits and pieces.

You remember hearing that sound when he showed up. You remembered running. You remember feeling fear. Lucas. Lucas was in danger.

Then you recalled punches being thrown and Steve.

Most of all you remembered red. Blood?

Yes, there was blood, a lot of it but that wasn't it. There was something else.

Billy!

Your eyes shot open and although it was dark, your eyes still seemed to adjust to the light. You were in a car.

Squinting from the bright lights that flashed over your face. The lights you realized, were from the road. Headlights.

You tried moving your head and you caught a glimpse of Dustin to your right. He was icing someone. Steve.

Steve was still passed out.

Dustin looked up and saw you were awake. He smiled gently at you.

"Hey buddy," You frowned, your mouth parted slightly.

You then felt how cold and simultaneously hot your upper lip felt. Was your nose running? You tried licking your lips but you immediately tasted the familiar metallic taste on your tongue.

"Y/n!" The voice came from your left and you moved your head to face the familiar voice. As soon as you did you winced, hissing slightly at the intense throbbing of your head.

You had a horrible migraine.

"Mike?" You croaked.

You blinked several times but you saw him breathe a sigh of relief.

"Y/n, oh thank God." He held up three fingers and you squinted. "How many fingers?"

Your vision doubled briefly as you tried to focus but it returned to normal just as soon.

"Three," you mumbled. "W-What happened?"

"You got the shit beaten out of you." He answered, his tone turned stern and his voice began to rise. "What the hell were you thinking?"

As your ears began picking up more sounds around you, your senses coming back, you picked up on the sloshing coming from Mike's direction.

Your eyes fell on his feet and you saw a can of lighter fluid in his stashed between his feet.

"Whas' that?" You slurred.

"Are you even listening to me?" Your eyes trailed back up to Mike and you peered up at him.

"I said you could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Nobody was doing anything," you said.

But apparently you hadn't actually said anything out loud and he just stared at you, still waiting for an answer.

"Nobody was doing anything!" You cried. "Steve was getting killed!"

"You were getting killed!" Mike retorted but you weren't listening.

Where was Steve?

Forgetting about your throbbing head you whipped your head around to your other side and saw him passed out on the other side of Dustin.

Oh, yeah. You thought.

It seems you had also forgotten you just saw him when you woke up.

You had to keep your head still for a few moments, just to recover from moving your head too fast. Mike, as it turns out, was still lecturing you.

You slowly rolled your head against the back of the seat to face Mike once more.

"He's twice your size, he could have snapped your neck! Seriously, what the hell were you thinking?! Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Your face scrunched up in a wince, and you groaned, reaching up to cover your ears.

He realized what he was doing and calmed down a bit.

"Sorry,"

"He wasn't stopping, Mike. He was gonna kill him." You managed. "Then he was gonna kill all of us."

Then something clicked in your head.

"Wait, wait, wait," you grew frantic and Mike had reached out to calm you.

"Who's driving?"

Before you could get an answer you looked up and saw a flash of red hair in the driver's seat and then two hands ripped the steering wheel to the side.

The car turned so suddenly and with such a force it rolled you over and you cried out. Unable to physically stop yourself - pain exploded in your leg as soon as it so much as shifted and the memory of your leg snapping came flooding back to you - and in a mad scramble to get your weight off your bad leg combined with the sudden shift of gravity you were rolled over onto something indistinguishable.

When gravity centered and the car adjusted you groaned from the pain, and you strained to crane your neck, wanting to know what you landed on.

More specifically, who you landed on.

You were now face to face with Mike, he was violently pink as he met your eye and quickly looked away. You could feel his breath on your face and yours was probably on his.

You had been bumped into by Dustin and completely flipped over onto Mike's lap. You were practically laying on him.

You both were immediately flustered but you were cut short by the pain. Everything had happened so fast the pain hadn't caught up to you until now. Your head, nose, and leg were throbbing and you winced harshly.

"Y/n," his voice came out in a whisper. "Here let me help."

He had abandoned his lecturing tone, his anger completely forgotten and he was now using a soothing tone. He half cradled you as he helped place you back on the seat.

You thanked him under your breath, your voice was weak and spared a glance up at him.

You were now positioned so you were leaning against him. His shoulder became a pillow but you didn't adjust anymore. You were still blushing and so was he, profusely in fact. And you opened your eyes, seeing a mischievous smile on Dustin's lips as he looked between you two.

Okay, now would be a good time to pass out again.

[yayitsjay]

Luhan was not the ordinary guy he wished he could be. He could be a ferocious fighter, he was lonely and inexperienced in living a real life, and he's never felt the love he yearned for. He's tired of running, but if he wants to survive, he'll have to continue to do so. That is until he meets him--

Sehun.

Sehun didn't have parents, they abandoned him when he was but a boy and doesn't remember much about them but he's never felt the void they left. He had his friends. His real family. He's felt all the love they could offer him and never thought things could change, but he always hid something. Afraid others would hate or fear him. Little did he know that a certain boy was destined to barge into his life and change things.

"Who are you?" Sehun asked as he eyed the beautiful boy before him.

"Um, I-I'm Luhan." replied Luhan nervously, not knowing what to do when he was suddenly caught.

"I'm Sehun," said the taller boy when he noticed the other had begun blushing and fidgeting.

What's wrong with me!?! Come on Luhan, get yourself together. I lost them at least, good thing too, I was beginning to get tired and would've stopped running soon if I had kept going. But... What do I do now?

Sehun had noticed that the boy had calmed down a bit and seemed ready to leave but he didn't feel like parting ways with Luhan, but he knew he had to speak up.

"W-would you like to hang out with us? I-I mean you don't have to if you don't want to, but u-um..."

Stupid! Why are you stuttering!?! Why even ask? This cuti- I mean guy probably has somewhere else he has to be and he wouldn't like someone like m-

"Sure"

Sehun, hmm... he' seems really nice. I haven't smiled this much since, since... I don't remember.

Luhan, his smile is really cute and his deer eyes seemed cold just a few seconds ago and now they have such a beautiful shine. He's different, but what's that feeling I got earlier? Is he like me?

Nichkhun just couldn't help it, not loving Wooyoung seemed impossible to him. Even when he watched his relationship progress with his new wife, he'd think how incredibly kind of a person Wooyoung was. But the pain he'd begun to feel was unpleasant. He knew he wouldn't be able to live without him in his life but he also knew he couldn’t have the other. All he knows is that he loves the boy with his all.

"Damn, that boy is whipped!" exclaimed Taecyeon as Wooyoung's first episode of WGM was ending on the screen with nothing left but the credits to finish.

"..." Nichkhun could say nothing but fiddle with his fingers, replaying all that had happened these past few weeks over in his head.

"Shut up Taec, it's only the first episode it's not like you can have feelings for someone so quickly" replied Junho as he continued playing with Chansung's fingers while sitting between his legs on the couch.

"Well you never know baby, you and I were the same," said Chansung, holding the other tighter.

"Bleh, whatever. But seriously, I've never seen Woo act like that before. He looked like a schoolgirl confessing to her crush."

Jun.K stayed quiet, eyeing Nichkhun from across the room on the other couch. He's known of the boy's feeling for the younger and couldn't help but pity the boy. Wooyoung had been out, filming for the next episode so he was glad that Nichkhun could be away from the other to sort things out on his own. Wooyoung had always been oblivious to the other's feelings and never gave a second thought when his hyung would display so much skin ship and affection towards him. Jun.K had approached Nichkhun when he noticed something between him and the other seemed different and when Nichkhun confessed to him his feelings for Wooyoung, they became closer. He hoped Nichkhun could cope with it.

"I don't know, maybe you're right." Junho admitted. The discussion on Wooyoung's feelings continued.

Nichkhun took his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number he hadn't in a while waiting for the other end to pick up the call. He stood up to leave, walking to his room when the other answered.

"Hi Nichkhun"

"Hey Victoria"

All heads turned in his direction, shock evident in their faces, silence enveloping the room. He shut the door and held the conversation he had hoped he could overcome with her help, laying on his bed placing his forearm over his eyes while tears began to escape his eyes.

What if Baekhyun dating Taeyeon was a lie?

What if it was nothing but a fling gone wrong, something meant only to satisfy their needs and never to be discovered?

What if there was someone in the background watching everything that went on, having their heart crushed, only seeing moving on as their sole option?

Well, concealing your feeling is never easy but when Chanyeol sees an opportunity to finally repair his aching heart and move on, will his feelings get in the way?

After an attitude change, scandalous encounters, and a withering friendship, will Baek finally realizes what's been going on?

Will he be too late to fix anything?

"I can't keep living like this, it's not the same anymore! I can't- I can't do this anymore..."

-Park Chanyeol

"There's nothing between us! You know this! What does that even matter? Why are you being like this?"

-Byun Baekhyun

"It meant more than you think it did."

-Kim Taeyeon

Kyungsoo has been living in America since he was six years old and has been happily dating his gorgeous and sappy younger by a year boyfriend, Jongin, since his second year of middle school. He has everything he could want and is content with how his future is coming along.

His family accepts the relationship between the two boys and are happy with the fact that the other seems to care for their son with all his being.

Having just celebrated their fourth year dating, Kyungsoo couldn't be more heartbroken when his mom has a job transfer back to Korea and his whole family will have to move back to their home country along with her.

Kyungsoo was really getting fed up with people not believing him by now. Why would he lie?

What the hell?!

"But he is real!" continued the short boy, continuously trying to convince his classmates.

"Sure, sure Soo. You're just too cute y'know. We won't make fun of you or anything, it’s okay" said Yixing, one of his fellow peers who along with the rest of his group of friends would deny the younger's claim about having a boyfriend back in the States.

"B-But I'm not making him up. We just have a long distance relationship for now." countered the shorter, become annoyed yet sensitive with them thinking that he'd lie about the boy he loved.

They'd come to believe that he was the shy and innocent type.

Little did they know that he really did have a boyfriend. A gorgeous one back in the states who at that very moment, was thinking up a very big surprise for his little doe-eyed boyfriend.

[takaraphoenix]

OK OK OK So I really really fell in love with your Helios x Apollo story and I've been toying with asking you about writing a small thing about Helios' reaction to Zeus banishing Apollo? And what he does about it. Or just his reaction to Zeus /trying/ to banish Apollo. A sort of fix-it-so-it-never-happens type thing. Totes get you're bogged down with stuff so if you don't have time that's totally okay. If you do decide to do it, could I get it by January 4th?

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || (You are here)|| The whole thing on AO3

Helios was exhausted.

His duties were straining in on themselves, but in the past years in particular. After all, his lover was very busy with Olympian duties - mainly so related to his prophetic gifts. So Helios, being the good, caring boyfriend he was, of course took over some of his lover’s duties. Mainly the sun-related ones.

Only that his duties had been very straining and distracting lately. Especially the closer the Giant War drew. Helios hated that. He wished to stand by his lover’s side, have Apollo’s back.

Apollo had smiled sweetly at him, those mismatched eyes sparkling brightly as he had leaned up on his tip-toes to kiss Helios’ cheek and then shove him hard.

His little sunshine was a fighter, not just a lover. Helios knew that. Of course did he know that. The only one matching him with a bow and arrow was his twin-sister Artemis. Apollo could hold himself in a fight if he had to.

That didn’t mean Helios wanted him in the middle of a fight though. A war no less.

Yet this one… was different.

Gods loved using demigods as pawns. But this war required the gods to also fight themselves. To slay the Giants at the demigods’ side.

Helios trusted his sunshine. He knew Apollo would be fine during the war. And now that the war was over, Helios was looking forward to embracing his lover again, just grab Apollo, take him home and live in peace for a century or two.

Maybe take some time off to spend in Alfheim? They did have this cozy little vacation home there… It would be nice. And Apollo surely would be happy to spend more time with his best friend Frey. That might sway Apollo.

And to be honest, that idea wasn’t so spontaneous. Helios had spent the past few weeks preparing said vacation home, making it as homey as possible for his love. Apollo deserved the rest.

“Helios, my dear, old friend.”

Helios paused. He didn’t turn around. That sweet voice, like poisoned honey. A scowl etched its way onto his face as he took a deep breath to turn around and give Loki Laufeyson a piece of his mind. Said piece of mind was stuck in his throat when he noticed that Loki wasn’t alone.

“Hel Lokisdatter. A rare pleasure, milady”, stated Helios, voice very soft as he bowed.

He knew to respect a king or queen when he met them, regardless what pantheon they were from. Hel offered him the smallest smile in return, a shy one. Her long hair fell into her face, covering the rotting half and only revealing the beautiful one. Her dress, long sleeves on one side, a glove that reached all the way up to her shoulder in addition to it. She half hid behind her father and Loki, as always, stood in a protective stance in front of his only daughter.

The trickster had a pleased half-smirk on his face as he regarded Helios curiously, fingers playing with his well-groomed goaty as he tilted his head. It were his eyes that had always unsettled Helios, if he was being honest. Green as poison, shimmering silver with lies and danger.

Helios stood straight, looking at the two Norse gods curiously. What were they doing in Alfheim? Loki preferred… Well, none really, he was always everywhere - wherever he could cause most mischief. But Hel? The queen of Helheim? Why would the Ice Queen seek the realm of the sun god? Helios could see how clearly uncomfortable the goddess was, looking a bit red-cheeked there.

“Listen, this isn’t a favor for you, Titan”, stated Loki, voice unusually serious.

“A favor?”, echoed Helios surprised. “What do you want, lie smith?”

Helios was startled as Loki threw a golden apple at him. Helios blinked slowly, eyes wide as he stared at the holy fruit. The immortality granting fruit, guarded by the Goddess Iduna for all the gods and pantheons (though she had gardeners assisting her from all the pantheons too. The Hesperides from the Graeco-Romans, for example). Not many knew that ambrosia, the food of the gods that granted them immortality, was actually made, among other ingredients, of the golden apples.

“Father speaks the truth”, pieped Hel up, looking displeased. “That’s why I’m here. I know how unreasonably unrealistic that statement is.”

“Hey. A bit more respect for your old man”, grunted Loki with a glare.

Hel gave him a deadpan look before returning her attention to Helios once more. “Your Olympians have decided to strip one of your own off his immortality. Your king couldn’t make that decision without Hades knowing. After all, a god now runs the danger of being killed and dying. And, well, when I was in the park with my puppy Garm last week, we walked with Hades and Zerberus for a while and he mentioned it. And when I heard who…”

Helios didn’t like where this was going. He gripped the apple tighter. Loki’s smirk grew more knowing and wicked. Helios had the urge to throw the apple into his pretty face.

“My dear daughter told me and I could not let it stand like that”, drawled Loki. “I mean, he is my best friend’s favorite brother. Hermes would be quite unbearable if something happened to precious Apollo.”

“Then why not go to Hermes?”, asked Helios, still suspicious.

“Ah”, grunted Loki with a careless shrug. “Daddy issues. You know the guy can’t go up agains Zeus. You? A Titan? This could be… entertaining.”

Helios gritted his teeth and averted his eyes to stare at the floor. Loki and Hel remained for a long stretch of silence. He really didn’t like Loki - mainly because Loki and Apollo had kind of a fling prior to Helios and Apollo getting together. Helios wasn’t a fan of how much Loki enjoyed reminding him of this.

“Thank you, Loki. You… have my grattitude”, grunted Helios out unwillingly. “You too, Queen Hel.”

The self-satisfied smile on Loki’s face made Helios really want to throw the apple. “My, it would be a shame if something so pretty would be wasted. Just… take care of this, Titan.”

“I will, Eldojotun”, replied Helios sharply, watching with satisfaction how Loki flinched.

The Aes did not like being reminded that his status as a god was an earned one and that, foremost, he was still a born Fire Giant. Loki sneered at him briefly before returning to his charming smile.

“Very well then. Come along, sweetie. Grandma invited us for tea and cake”, declared Loki, waving a dismissive hand in Helios’ general direction.

“Oh! Grandma Laufey makes the best cakes. Bye, Helios”, chimed Hel, seemingly far more motivated by that prospect.

With that, the two Norse gods disappeared. Leaving Helios with his apple.

“W–Who in the world…?”, grunted a startled teenager.

The boy, with messy black hair, stared up at Helios with surprised, sea-green eyes. Helios only spared the human one glance before turning to the one in the boy’s company. A scowl found its way onto Helios’ face as he threw the golden apple at his boyfriend. Apollo smiled brighter than the sun as he caught it.

“Oh! Wonderful. Early rescue. Just started wondering where our new little dynamic duo was going to head next to solve this little… problem of mine”, chimed Apollo happily, rubbing the apple against his robes. “Huh. Those things are not handed out easily. Iduna is possessive of them. How did you…?”

“A thief dropped it off”, growled Helios and grabbed Apollo by the arm. “Come.”

“…I don’t like it when you’re angry”, noted Apollo dubiously. “Are you… angry with me?”

“No”, replied Helios, the growl growing darker as the sky above them clouded over. “Someone else. I’m glad you’re fine, my love.” His voice grew gentler at that as he cupped Apollo’s cheek and checked him for injuries before turning toward the human. “Thank you, for protecting my sunshine. I am indebted to you. If any god gives you a hard time again, call for Helios and I will stand by your side.”

“A free favor from a god. That’s a new one. Cool.”

Apollo wrapped one arm aroung Helios’ neck, the other hand still holding the apple as he brought it up to his rosy lips and took a large bite from it. To grand immortality, one needed a whole apple. The tiny bit that was mushed into the ambrosia was enough to keep the immortality going for the gods, but it would never be enough to restore Apollo’s godhood. Apollo yelped as Helios teleported them away.

The sky around Olympus darkened as though night had come early. Zeus frowned confused. He knew Helios was taking care of the sun - it was the main reason why he had even gotten his punishment for Apollo through.

“How dare you”, roared an angry, dark voice.

Zeus sat up straighter on his throne as the Sun Titan materialized in front of him, looking like a vicious, avenging angel. There were still many Titans around and the general rule of thumb was to perhaps not anger them. They were ancient and also powerful in most cases. Zeus blinked as he spotted his son behind Helios. The son Zeus had only just banished from Olympus.

“Apollo”, growled Zeus in warning.

“No”, hollered Helios.

“You broke an Oath of Styx twice, siring two demigods.

You interfered and turned one of them into a tree to cheat Death himself.

You are the king and were responsible to keep things such as Tartarus secure yet you allowed for your Father to reform and nearly overthrow you.

You let a teenage boy steal your symbol of power.

You let your son Ares allign himself with Kronos during the Titan War without repercussions.

You let your wife make a fool out of you by playing with the memories of the heroes and having Romans and Greeks mingle, single-handedly throwing all of Olympus into an identity crisis that very well nearly cost you all your lives and this war.

And yet here you are, acting like you are the one, true king who does no wrong. Punishing Apollo for… What exactly did he do wrong? He has helped your little pawns during both wars. He has done his best to restore the Oracle after it had been lost because you had to anger Lord Hades.”

Helios had stalked up to Zeus and by now was lifting the young god up by his throat, a nasty expression on Helios’ face as he squeezed. No amount of thundering and sparks was going to get Zeus out of the supernova-hot burning fury of a Sun Titan.

“You will never lay a hand on Apollo again or you will find yourself right down there alongside your father”, growled Helios in warning. “Believe me, no one is pleased with you and Hera anymore. The past handful of years alone have proven what incapable rulers you have become. You allowed not one, not two, but four major wars to happen right under your nose within the last century alone. And so far, the only thing keeping from a revolution is that everyone is still licking their wounds. But so help me Chaos herself, if you ever lay hand on Apollo again, I will personally throw the first speer.”

Zeus looked positively mortified as Helios just dropped him. Still glowering, Helios went to his lover and picked Apollo up bridal-style before teleporting them to Alfheim. Apollo blinked dazed up at him as he slowly oriented himself.

“That was… really fucking hot”, grunted Apollo stunned. “My knight in golden-shining armor.”

Grinning and batting his eyelashes playfully, Apollo pulled Helios down into a kiss. “We’re taking a vacation. Right now.”

“No arguments from me, babe”, hummed Apollo pleased.

THE END

So you caught me on the right foot there. Because I just got back from seeing Thor: Ragnarok and I needed some comfort. Fics are comfort. And I found a nice way of including Hel and Loki in this too. Pleased by that. I hope this was the kind of comfort you were looking for too there? ;)

[duketheman]

Generation 4 Part 4

Skipping ahead seven months

Sunday November 24, 2019

"John Ross comes home for the Holidays"

It's 4:30am & I'm finishing up my cup of coffee & Mary is asleep as she's getting close to the Delivery date & I want her to rest. I'm sure she'll be up before I get back from the Airport with JR! His flight is scheduled to arrive at 6:00am & I'm being cautious as to have plenty of time to park & meet him at the gate! We don't miss Church, so we'll attend evening service tonight! It's 4:45am & I'm on my way to Miami International to pick up JR. Mary is so excited & as for Kellyanne, I've asked George to bring her to the house later! JR wanted to surprise her, so we didn't mention him coming home yet! It's 5:30am & I've arrived at the airport. I park in the Garage & walk across to the terminal to the arrival gate! I go to the coffee shop & purchase a Cinnamon Bun & a cup of coffee, sit down & wait for the flight to land! Ahh, his flight is landing! It 6:15am & late. But no matter, it's here, safe & that's what counts! The airport is just starting to get crowded Thanksgiving holiday & all! It's 6:40am & JR is just getting through Security! I tell: ~JR!!!!~ He sees me & walks towards in my direction. First words out of his mouth: ~Dad, how Kellyanne, God I miss her! Oh you to Dad, how have you & mom been, Is she showing big now?~ I reply: ~We've been fine & yeaaa! She showing real big son! Did Kellyanne tell you she's got a baby sister coming around the same time as you new baby

brother?~ He replies: ~Yea, that's something, isn't Dad! Weird but I like it. They can be best friends! Let's go home Dad, I really want to to see Mom. I miss her so much! Sometimes when I was down & stuck on something I thought I couldn't do; Mom encouraged me & told me I can do anything if I put my mind to it! Just like when I was a kid! She called me allot Dad!~ I reply: ~She's that way son. Always has been. She loves you more than anything! Let's go, she's probably awake & cooking us breakfast as we speak!~ We pick his bags out from the Baggage Carousel, left the terminal & walked across to the garage where my Beamer was parked! It's 7:55am & we're headed for home! We're pulling into our Driveway & it's 9:00am. JR darts for the house! He really missed his Mother! I get the bags & carry them into the house! I open the door & the two of them are hugging each other like it's been years! My wife is crying she's so happy to see her little man! I walk by them with the bags & carry them upstairs to JR's room! I smell food & I welcome it, I'm starving! She's got Bacon, sausage, Biscuits, white gravy, eggs & grape jelly on the table. Grape is JR's favorite! We have Orange juice, milk, coffee & apple juice for Mary. My wife says: ~You boys dig in now, while it's hot!~ Nobody has to tell me twice, I'm hungry! I'm finished eating, & I get up, pick up the table & clean everything up. That gives time for Mary to catch up with JR! Afterall, at 12:30pm, Kellyanne will be here & they're going to be spending an awful lot of time together! I'm done with the dishes, those two are still at it, so I go into the library & read up on seaman regulations! They're constantly changing! Wow, two hours & my eyes are killing me, I need a break! Doorbell is ringing, it 12:25pm. It's George, Lucy & Kellyanne! I invite them in & before I can say anything, Kellyanne sees JR. She yells out in Joy: ~John Ross! 'O John Ross, I didn't even know you were going to be here! When did you get in?~ He replies: ~I wanted to surprise you! I got in early this morning! I've missed you so much Kellyanne!~ She replies:

~John Ross, I've missed you terribly! I'm so happy you're home! How long are are you home for John Ross?~ He replies: ~ I have to leave on January 2, 2020. I'm here until after the Holidays!~ The go into the other room so they can talk! Man, I can't tell who's belly is bigger! Oh well, next month the new ones will be filling everybody's hearts with joy!

Skipping ahead to November 27

It's 7:00am & Mary, myself, JR, George, Lucy & Kellyanne are getting ready to board a flight to Valdosta Regional Airport Headed to spend the Holidays with my parents! Mary's Parents & Julia's Mother will also be joining us at the Mansion! We've checked our luggage & it's 7:30am. Our flight leaves at 8:00am & we're going through Security now! It's 7:55am & we're boarding the plane! The trip is expected to be smooth & take approximately 4 hours with 1 stop. We should be landing at about 12:00pm! I will be happy to see my parents & JR certainly will enjoy seeing all of his Grandparents in one place. This will probably be the last time he'll see his Grandma Rachael! She's been in poor health lately. I'm glad she'll have time with JR! It's 12:05pm & we're landing. We disembark the plane & run through Security. It's 12:45pm & we're heading towards the Baggage Carousel! The ladies are seated so not to put strain on them. They are just about a week from due date! My Father has sent a Limousine service to pick us up because of the amount of people! I spot the Chofer holding a sign with our name on it! I signal him to come & give us a hand! We get a Baggage cart & load the luggage onto it & head for the door. The Car is parked at the loading zone. We help the ladies in the we get in. The Chofer loads the luggage in the trunk! We're on our way to Madison County, just across the State line. About 30-35 minutes from here to the Mansion! It's 1:30am & we're pulling onto the Grounds of Newport Mansion! George says: ~Dang Harry, dis place be beautiful! I ain't neva seen a place be like dis!~ I reply: ~It's just a place to live George! Too big for me!~ My Parents are both outside waiting for us as we pull up! My Mother is quite famous for her Sweet tea & Lemonade! My Grandma Nippy's recipe! She welcome everyone. She kisses me on the cheek & my wife & says:

~We've missed you!~ She shakes the hands of George & Lucy & says: ~You're most welcome here, consider yourselves part of the family. My name is Candace, you may call me Candy!~ She looks at Kellyanne & says: ~Now, who do we have here child? Such a Beautiful young Lady!~ She replies: ~My name is Kellyanne Mam, Pleased to meet you! Mother replies: ~ So polite! Well then Kellyanne, you can call me Grandma if you wish. ~Now everyone, this is Charles, my husband Harry's Father!~ She turns to JR & says: ~Now John Ross, come here my boy & let you Grandma give you some love!~ He walks over to Mother & holds out his arms & my Mother gives her Grandson a hug to remember! She says: 'O John Ross, I've missed you so much! I'm so proud of you & I'm so glad you could make it & spend the Holidays with us!

Rachael, will be flying in tonight, Will & Laura are driving & should be here soon! Our family keeps growing! Now for you two expecting Mothers, arrangements have been made with Madison County Memorial Hospital! I have a Dr Jameson on call in case of an emergency! I believe your Doctor is Kleinpeter? Dr Jameson says that he knows him!

Dr Jameson has with your permission agreed to take over while you're here? Both Mary & Lucy simultaneously say: ~Of course, & thanks Mom, Mary adds!~ Mother calls for Huntington: ~Huntington, please show our guest to their rooms!~ He replies: ~Yes Mam, (looks at us) right this way please?~ George asks: ~Harry, a Butler, well day beat all! Dis place be Beautiful Harry!~ Mother says loudly: ~We've had a late lunch prepared for you, if you're hungry!~ I reply: ~Yes, thank you Mother, I'm quite

hungry!~ George adds: ~Me too, me belly be achin, really achin! Me be thirsty too! Harry, Rich people drink beer?~ I reply: Yes George, my Father was born in Texas. He enjoys a cold Bud once in a while! But he quite likes his Brandy!~ He replies: ~Me too!~ I leave my wife upstairs to change & come down to say a real hello to my Father: ~Hello Father, I've missed you!~ He turns to me & says: ~Son, I've missed you too! I'm so happy you came to spend the Holidays with us!~ He hugs me & says: ~ I love you Son!~ I've always been close to my Father! He's a Good man & has always done his very best for his family! I ask: ~Father, will my Sister & Brothers be joining us?~ He replies: ~Jaime had to make a choice! She's spending Thanksgiving with Bill's parents! They'll be joining us for Christmas! You're Brothers have to work through Thanksgiving because of some bureaucratic meddling! They'll be joining us this weekend!~ Everyone is coming downstairs, let's go into the Drawing room, Huntington will be serving a late lunch! Just some horderves & little stuff like that to hold you over until dinner.~ We all enter the Drawing room & Father asks: ~Drinks anyone?~ George is ready: ~Bud please?~ Father replies:

~Of course George, Would you be a Seaman by any chance my good man?~ aye, Me would Sir!~ Both our wives reply: ~Sprite if you don't mind?~ The kids have already got Coke! I request: ~Scotch on the Rocks~ In comes Huntington: ~Horderves!~ He's serving us one by one! Shrimp, Caviar, Olives, Rolled Ham, & other various treats! Kids ask him if he'd just make the a couple sandwiches & he happily agreed! We sat, enjoyed each other's company toasted the expecting Mother's & my Parents as well as Mary's & of course Rachael! It's nice being around family & friends. I'm really glad we made this trip!

4:00pm & Mary's parents just arrived from Raleigh, NC. They've got to be tired, that's at least a 11 hour trip; allowing stopping to rest & eat! Straight through, mmmmh, I'd say 8 1/2 hours! Either way, it's hard on them at their age! Mary & Mother & myself meet them at the car, & I get their luggage out of the trunk! Laura looks at her daughter & begins to cry out of happiness! She places her hand on Mary's belly, giggles & says: ~I can feel the little guy kicking in their!~ Mother walks up to Laura & says:

~Welcome my Dear Friend, we're so glad you could join us for the Holidays!~ She replies: 'O Candice, we appreciate you guys so much. I wouldn't miss it for the world, & besides; my Baby is having a Baby! Now where is John Ross?~ I reply: ~He's somewhere around here with Kellyanne!~ She replies: ~Kellyanne? Our Little man is not so little anymore, is he?~I reply: ~No Laura, he's in love!~ She remarks: ~Well, that sounds serious!~ I say: ~Yes, it is!~ Mary hugs her Father & kisses his cheek, hugs him again & says: ~'O Daddy, I've missed you so much! How have you & Mom been doing? Have you stayed well?~ He replies:~Yes my Dear, We've been well! I get quite bored with myself since I retired from the University, but it's worth it to spend more time with your Mother! We've missed you too!~ Candace he says: ~Where's Charles?~ She replies: ~Charles has gone to the Airport! Rachael's flight is scheduled to arrive at 5:00pm from Dallas! They'll be pulling in before you know it! Let's go inside?~ We all go into the Mansion & Mother calls for Huntington: ~Huntington, please show my Dear friends to their room?~ He replies: ~Yes mam~ She adds: ~Will, Laura, We'll let you freshen up! We can talk after!~ Huntington grabs their bags & shows them to their room! It's 6:00pm & Father's arrived with Rachael! Mother & I meet them at the car. I open the rear passenger door & help Rachael out. I hug her & say: ~Mom, I'm so glad you could make it! The Holidays wouldn't be the same without you!~ She replies: ~I almost didn't come Harry, I was hurting, but I want to see you & my Grandson one more time before I join my Baby & Jimmy in Heaven! Where is that boy?~ I reply: ~I'll find him for you Mom! He's around here somewhere, he doesn't know you're here yet!~ Mother asks: ~How was your trip Rachael? How are you feeling?~ She replies: ~The trip was fine Candy, I'm just a little tired! How are you doing?~ Mother replies: ~I'm doing pretty good for an old Lady! Come inside & rest, I'll have Huntington take your bags to your room!~ They go inside & I'm in search of my son! There they are, on the swing! I call out: ~JR! Your Grandma Marcantel is here! Go see her!~ He replies: ~Grammy's here, come on Kellyanne, you'll just love her!~ He takes Kellyanne by the hand & heads for the house to see his Grandmother! She has pancreatic cancer & it's spread beyond control! There's no more they can do! This is the last time he'll see her! She's all that's left of Julia besides my son! I go back to the house & go inside! Everyone is sitting in the Drawing room talking & getting to know each other! I ask George: ~How's it going Buddy, enjoying yourself?~ He replies: ~aye Harry, ya be havin a huge family ya be Harry! Me like very allot!~

It's 7:00pm & Huntington announces: ~Dinner is being served in the Dinning room!~ We all go towards the Dining & are seated! George's eyes have doubled in size! I haven't seen this table filled in years, since my Wedding! The food looks Delicious. Tomorrow is the Big one, Thanksgiving! Mother goes all out! We finish dinner & retire to the Drawing room. It's 9:00pm & my Father offers drinks. The kids are drinking soft drinks. The ladies all, except for Mother, request just water. Rebecca needs to take her meds. The remaining four of us have Brandy! We sit & visit & we are truly family! It's 10:00pm & we're all tired! Rachael calls me over & whispers to me: ~Harry, please take me to see my Julia in the morning?~ I reply: ~Of course I will Mom! First thing.... We say Goodnight & retire to our rooms respectfully! My poor Mary, her legs are swelled up, so I run her a warm bath. I wash her back for her, I love pampering my wife! I take a shower & we both get into bed. I rub her legs for her to make them feel better! We lay down & I put my arm around her, resting my hand on her belly! I can feel the baby moving around inside of her, God is Good! Goodnight all!

Thursday, November 28

Thanksgiving Morning

Julia's Grave

It's early, 6:00am, & My son & I are up drinking coffee! The others are still sleeping. I promised Rachael that I would take her over to the East side of the property to see Julia's grave! JR wanted to come along to see his Mother's grave & asked if he could come along! It's 7:00am & Rebecca has come down stairs. I ask: ~Coffee mom?~ She replies: ~No, but thank you Harry! Coffee doesn't agree with me anymore. Maybe some juice diluted with water?~I reply: ~Sure mom, Apple juice okay?~ She replies: ~That will be fine Harry, Thanks!~ She takes out this pharmacy of medication out & begins to take them a few at a time! She asks: ~Harry, can I have a piece of toast, no butter? Just to settle my stomach!~ I reply: ~Sure mom, I'll fix it for you now!~ I give a plate with toast & she nibbles on it until it's gone! 

It's 8:00am & I borrowed my Father's car! We're enroute to the East side of the property where our Family Cemetery's located! It's about a twenty minute drive. It's 8:25 & we've arrived at the cemetery. I help Rachael out of the car & the three of us walk over to Julia's grave. Rachael puts her hand on the Gravestone & talks to her daughter with tears in her eyes: ~I'll be with you & your Daddy soon Baby! We all miss you so much! John Ross is here! He misses you too Julia! But he's doing fine! You'd be so proud of him, he's grown into a fine young man!~ She closed eyes and said a prayer. JR took hold of her hand & prayed with her. He said: ~I love you Mom, I've never forgotten how you use to hold me! I never will Mom, I promise!~ I too had my own private talk with Julia, I shall keep to myself! Rachael asks: ~Harry, what a beautiful Headstone! I've never quite seen one like this before!~ I reply: ~Julia always loved the Dolphins! I only thought it right to have them watch over her!~ She replies:

Thank you Harry for that! She always thought they were the true Mermaids of the Sea! She had a whole shelf full as a little girl!~ I place an array of Julia's favorite flowers on her grave! I say: ~Mom, you know we all love you. You know JR & I love you. My Parents love you! Mom, we'd like to move Dad from Shreveport & lay him to rest beside Julia with your permission! Mom, we've a spot here for you too! She's got tears in her eyes & replies: ~Harry, we have nobody in Shreveport! Yes, of course you have my permission! Harry, our Julia loved you very much! God Bless you

Harry!~ We get back in the car & ride back to the Mansion! Throughout the day we all had time to catch up. Later that evening......

Thanksgiving Dinner

6:00pm

Huntington rings a bell: Dinner is being served! May I offer my Heartfelt Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Mother announces: ~Today is Thanksgiving Huntington, & you are considered part of this family. You'll be eating with us tonight Huntington!~ He replies: ~Yes Mam, thank you mam!~ I've never seen Huntington smile before, but he's smiling now!

The twelve of us all go to the Dining room & are seated as such: Mother & Father at each end. Rachael is seated on Mother's right & Huntington on her left. Kellyann is seated next to Rachael & JR next to Huntington. Lucy is seated next to Kellyanne & her George next to JR. Mary's Mother is seated next to Lucy & he Father is seated next to George. Mary is seated on my Father's left & I on his right! My Father says Grace over the Thanksgiving Feast. Amen. The table is set in a Formal matter & with a Feast fit for Royalty, everything anyone could imagine. My Mother always does it right!

We eat drink & be Thankful for the food, love of Family & all God has provided us! God is Truly Good! God Bless us all!

We're finished with dinner & all retire to the Drawing room for Drinks & conversation! Mother decides that it's time that we put some Christmas music on! Tomorrow she will be putting up a tree! She has a 21ft Douglas Fur being trucked in from Atlanta in the morning.

We're singing Christmas Carols, we've only 27 days till Christmas! It's 11:30pm. Rachael looks tired. She needs to rest, I help her upstairs to her room! She's in pain & I ask: ~Mom, is there anything I can do?~ She replies:

~No Harry, It'll pass! I just need to rest! Thank you Harry, for everything! I reply: ~Goodnight Mom, Sleep well!~

I go back downstairs & join the rest of the Family! It's 1:00am & we decide to end the night & retire to our rooms.

Mary's Water Breaks!

We say our Goodnights & go upstairs. While in the bathroom, Mary calls me in: ~Harry, it's time,my water broke!~ I reply ~Darling, it's too early!~ I'm quite anxious by now! She has a bag ready & I proceed to take her downstairs, only stopping to knock on Mother's door to let her know & Mary's parents, who's wanting to accompany us. They'll drive since their car is here! Mother's calling Dr Jameson to meet us at Memorial!

We make Madison County Hospital & its 2:15am. Professor Covington drops us off at the Emergency entrance & I grab a wheelchair & wheel Mary in. I'm going out of my mind & Mary is cool, calm & collective. We get her admitted & Dr Jameson arrives. He examines her & says: ~How are you doing young lady?~ Mary replies: ~I'm having a Baby!~ He turns to me & asks: ~Your the Father, Are you going to be in there with her~ I reply I can be there too?~ He replies ~Yes, of course, better hurry & get ready! She's almost fully dilated, it won't be long! He tells the nurse to have me wash my hands, get me a gown & mask. He has Mary get in a gown & lay on a gurney. The wheel her I to the delivery room & I follow. They transfer her to a Delivery table. The Dr asks: ~Want an epidural?~ She replies: No Doctor, I want this to be natural!~ The nurse says: ~She's fully dilated Doctor~ He replies: ~Good, I want you to breathe!~ I'm watching this as he reaches between her legs, gently grasp this little head coming out of my wife!

Friday November 29, 2019

Time of Birth: 4:11am

Harry Jr. 7 lbs 13oz

He's crying as he comes out. I always thought they had to swat the rear end. I'm evidently wrong! He hands him to the nurse who places him on my wife's belly as he cuts the umbilical cord & cleans the fluids out of his mouth & nose! They wrap him in a blanket & hand him to me, while they clean Mary up! He's perfect & healthy & his Mother his okay too. God is Good, thank you Lord!

They're done cleaning her up, I kiss her & say:

~I love you Mrs Newport, he's perfect. ~ She replies: ~'O my Harry, I love!~ They hand her the baby & she's as proud as she can be! She crying & says: Harry: ~His name is Harold Joseph Jr.!~ She named him after me!

They tell they're taking her to the room & will let me know when I & the Grandparents can come in! I go to the visiting room & give Mary's parents the news. They are ecstatic that they have a new Grandson. It's 5:30am & I call my Mother. I spoke to JR & told him he has a new baby Brother. Everyone is excited to hear the news & are making ready to come to the Hospital. It's 8:00am, my parents, JR & Kellyanne arrive to visit Marry! The Baby is in the Nursery for now & can be viewed through a window. George & Lucy will visit later when I come back to the Hospital! Rebecca is not feeling well & is resting in her room. Mother has hired a nurse to stay with us as long as Rachael needs her! It's 10:00am & I kiss my wife, tell her I love her & I need to go get a couple hours rest & check on Rachael! We'll ride home with my parents & I'll return this afternoon. We head home & Mary's parents will follow so she can get her rest. We get home, it's 10:50am. I go upstairs to check on Rachael & find she's in pain. I ring for the nurse & she explains that she just gave her a shot of Morphine & anymore would be dangerous! She get some cool towels so to bring her temperature under control. I ask: ~Mom, how are you doing?~ She replies: ~It'll pass son, thank you~ She told me to get the envelope out of the Nightstand next to the bed: ~Harry, that letter gives you my Power of Attorney to handle any & all my business if necessary! I'm leaving the house to John Ross! It's his Mother's Childhood home! Please see that it's taken care of?~ I reply: ~Mom, you're not going

anywhere!~ She replies: ~Sure Harry, please do as I ask?~ I reply: ~I will Mom!~ The Morphine's doing its job & she falls asleep! She's a good woman & when she's gone, JR's only link to Julia will be too! He loves his Grammy & she loves him! Cancer took Julia, her Father & now it's taking Rachael!

The Christmas tree’s Delivered

It's 11:35am & The delivery truck is here from Atlanta with the Christmas tree. Beautiful tree Mother has them bring it into the house & set it up in the Grand Foyer. She loves to go big! I'm going to lay down for a couple hours so I can get back to the Hospital! It's 2:30pm & I'm headed back to the Hospital, George & Lucy are accompanying me! Lucy's looking pretty tired & I hope she's okay! George is getting excited about having another child! It's 3:00pm & we arrive at the Hospital! We park, go inside & we pass Mary's parents on the way out! Laura says: ~The Baby is perfect Harry!~ Professor Covington adds: ~Yes he is, congratulations my boy! We're going back to the house. See you there!~ I reply: Thanks, I just want you to know, I'm really glad you could be here! Talk to you when we get back!~ We go up to Mary's room, she's breastfeeding the baby! George is immediately embarrassed so she covers he breast & he relaxes! Lucy say: ~How are you feeling Mary?~ She replies~ Alls well Lucy, the baby's healthy & is a perfect little guy! He looks like Harry~ She smiles & winks at me! I'm so happy they're both okay! Mary asks Lucy: ~How are you Lucy?~ She replies: ~Oh, I'm Ooooo, ahh, I'm doing, ohhhhh, George: I think it's time~ as she holds her belly... George replies: ~Time for what me luv? Oh, Oh naw, now?~ He runs out in the hall yelling for a nurse. Lucy calmly walks out & sits in a wheelchair. Mary says: ~Go with them Harry, until he settles down! I'll be fine, not going anywhere!~ I tell George to settle down, & I ask the nurse to call Dr Jameson! Lucy's water just broke & now George is frantic: ~Calm down George, everything is fine. That's supposed to happen! Weren't you there when she had Kellyanne?~ He replies: ~Me wasn't here Harry, Navy, on a

Ship!~ I reply: ~Okay old man, everything's good!~ He settling down, Doctor's here & he takes her into the exam room! Been fifteen minutes & the Doctor comes out & asks George: ~It's time Mr Richards, coming?~ I say: ~Go with the nurse George! She'll show you where to wash your hands!~ He replies: ~Fer what? I reply: ~So you can be in there with her!~ He replies: ~Me, in der, me can be wit me Lucy? Ohhh, Okay, Me be seein ya Harry!~ He looks awfully nervous, I sincerely hope he doesn't faint! I tell him to let me know when the baby comes. I go back to my wife's room, she's holding the baby! She hands the little guy to me. He's grabs my pinky finger. His grip is strong. Just like when JR was born! I'm holding a miracle in my arms, a new life. I'm worried about Rachael too, I don't think she's got long. She says she's ready, she wants to be with Julia & The Rev!.......

Friday, November 29, 2019

Time of Birth: 7:03pm

Anabel 6lbs 2 oz

It's 7:15pm & George comes into the room: ~Me little girl be born at 7:03pm. She be Beautiful Harry, but Me need a beer!~ I ask: ~What's her name George?~ He replies: ~Anabel Josephine Richards, after me Mum!~ I reply: ~That's a Beautiful name George, is she in the Nursery?~ He nods his head Yes, & we go to see the Annabelle! She's really quite a beautiful baby. George says: ~She got me mum's eyes~ I reply: ~She's Beautiful George, Congratulations old man!~ He replies: ~Well then, Me be thankful to God, & Harry, ifin ya not be mindin, Me & me Lucy be wantin fer ya & ya Mary to be da Godmuder & Fadder, dat is, ifin ya not be mindin?~ I reply: ~George, we will be honored!~ Next he takes me to see Lucy, she had a rough time of it. She went natural too, but was in labor four hours! She's doing well now! George says: ~Me neva see nuttin like it Harry! Dat der Doctor reach down der & he pull me little girl out! Harry, she be so little, when I be holdin her, be like a bird! Awhh Me be Lovin her Harry & me Lucy too!~ I reply: ~I know old man! You call Kellyanne yet & tell her she's got a new Baby sister?~ He replies: ~Nay, Me ferget Harry! Me do now!~ I tell him I'm going back to Mary's room, there's only twenty minutes of visiting time left. Both our wives need to get their rest. Mary & Harry Jr are scheduled to be released tomorrow. I'm back in Mary's room. The nurse just gave me a ten minute heads up! I say: ~Darling, you sure gave us a Beautiful baby. I love you with all my life!~ I kiss & hold her in my arms for a minute. It's 9:00pm straight up & the nurse reaffirms it by telling me, Visiting hours are over. I say thanks, kiss my wife & tell her I will be here at 8:00am to sign her & the baby out! I meet George out in the hall, head downstairs & to Father's car! We head back to the Mansion. It's 10:00pm & we arrive, followed by my sister Jamie & her husband Bill Langley. They drove in from Little Rock! We step out of the car & greet them. I introduce George & fill them in with the news. Been a busy last couple of days. Jamie asks: ~How is Mary & the baby?~ I reply: ~They're doing well & Jamie, Little Harry is absolutely perfect!~ She hugs me & kisses me on the cheek: ~I'm glad Harry, you two deserve all the happiness in the world!~ Then she turns to George & says: ~How are your wife & baby doing?~ He replies: ~Good, me be thankin ya fer askin~ We go I to the house & our parents are waiting for me. They didn't know that Jamie & Bill were coming in tonight? Mother sees Jamie, & is surprised: ~Jaime, I wasn't aware you were coming in tonight! She hugs & kisses her hello, hugs Bob, he's a man of few words! Jaime sees Father, & like a little girl, runs into his arms: ~Daddy, 'O I've missed you Daddy! How have you been?~ He replies: ~Quite well Jaime! I've missed you too! I wish we could see more of you!~ They hug & my sister is reluctant to release him. She's always been a "Daddy's Little Girl". Mother calls for Huntington: ~Huntington, please show my Daughter & Son in-law to their room?~ He replies ~Yes Mam! He takes their bags & shows them to the room! Mother says: ~Tomorrow's the first day of December Son! Everyone will be here, the girls will be home from the hospital & we're going to decorate the tree!~ I reply: ~Yes Mother, I'm bringing Mary & the Baby home tomorrow morning. Lucy & their little one should be getting the next day! Right George?~ George replies: ~Right, Sunday!~ Mother replies: ~Good then, this is so wonderful, I just love Christmas time! God has graced us once again with two new lives, what can be better than that?, Goodnight you two! We tell my mother Goodnight & she goes upstairs! My Father says: ~You both look like you can use a drink! I reply reply: ~Scotch please Father?~ George replies: ~Me too, please, Me be thankin ya fer it Sir!~ My Father says: ~Very well~ He pours us both a Scotch on the rocks. We toast each other, drink our drinks & say Goodnight! Its been a long couple of days but we're Blessed!

Continued

[dukereviewsmovies]

Duke Reviews: Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Hi Everyone, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews Where Today We Begin Indiana Jones Month!

By Talking About Indy's First Adventure, Raiders Of The Lost Ark!

This Film Introduces Us To Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones Jr. Who Is Hired By The U.S. Government To Find The Ark Of The Covenant Before The Nazis And His Nemesis René Bellaq, Played By Ivan Ooze, Do. WIll Indy Get The Ark Before The Nazis?

Let's Find Out As We Watch Raiders Of The Lost Ark...

But First...

The Movie Starts Spoiler Alert!

Also, If You Own The Movie Or Have The Means To See It On Netflix I Suggest Watching The Movie With The Review As It Will Be Better That Way...

The Film Starts In South America In 1936 As Indiana Jones And Doc Ock, (Yes, That's Alfred Molina In One Of His Early Roles) Go In Search Of A Golden Idol Going Through Booby Traps And Dangerous Insects Just To Get It...

After Getting The Idol, A Trap Activates, Forcing Indy To Run...

That's The Last Time I Trust Someone With 8 Arms...

Swinging Over After Molina Leaves, He Finds Molina Dead, For Him To Grab The Idol Where He Then Has To Run From An 80-Ft Boulder

Escaping, Indy Runs Into Bellaq, Who Swipes The Idol From Him When Him And His Hovito Soldiers Threaten To Kill Him...

Indy Runs From The Hovitos, Only For Him To Get Away With The Help Of Jock And His Pet Snake, Reggie...

Returning To The U.S., Indy Teaches His Class At Marshall College, As Marcus Brody Comes In To Tell Him That 2 Agents From Army Intelligence Wish To Talk With Him To Inform Indy That The Nazis Are After A Professor Indy Studied Under Years Ago Named Abner Ravenwood, Who The Nazis Know Is A Leading Expert On The Ancient City Of Tanis, And That Ravenwood Possesses A Headpiece Of An Artifact Known As "The Staff Of Ra".

Deducing That The Nazis Are After The Ark Of The Covenant, Indy Tells Them That The Staff, When Placed In A Certain Area In A Map Room, Will Show The Way To The Well Of Souls Where The Ark Is Buried.

Marcus Visits Indy's House That To Tell Him That The Agents Have Deputized Him To Get The Ark Before The Nazis Do And Once, The Agents Have Had Their Fun, They Get The Ark...

Travelling To Nepal, Indy Pays Abner's Daughter....

A Visit, Only To Get Chewed On After Their Previous Affair Went Sour...

Geez, Lady Calm Down!, Take A Deep Breath!

Realizing Marion May be Going Through That Time Of The Month, Indy Gives Marion 3,000 For The Medallion As He Leaves Saying He'll Be Back Tomorrow, But That Doesn't Stop The Nazis From Making Marion A Better Offer...

Wallace Shawn, What Are You Doing Here?

Not Keen To Taking Orders, The Nazis Torture Marion Only For Indy To Come And Save Her...

With The Bar In Flames, Him And Marion Are Stuck Together As They Fly To Cairo To Stay With Gimli, Son Of Sallah, Who Says They Dug Up The Map Room This Morning And That Bellaq Is Working With Them...

Looking Around The Marketplace, Indy And Marion Are Confronted By Arabian Warriors...

But Indy Soon Has A Bigger Problem As Marion Is Kidnapped And Placed On A Truck, Which Unfortunately Explodes...

Mourning Marion, Indy Gets An Invite By Bellaq, Who He Meets At A Cafe...

What Is With Bellaq In This Scene? I Swear By The Way He's Talking With Indy, He Sounds Like The Joker But Then Again What Can I Say About A Guy That Would Later Give Us This?

With Indy About To Kill Bellaq, Sallah's Kids Intervene To Take Indy To Sallah, Who Takes Him To See A Wiseman To Translate The Headpiece...

But First A Quick Question, Why Didn't The Nazis At The Cantina Kill Indy And Sallah's Kids? Think About It, These Are Nazis, People Who Have No Remorse About Killing Men, Women And Children, All They Had To Do Was Take A Few Shots And There Would Have Been No One Going After The Ark And It Would Have Been Theirs . So, Why Didn't They? Because Bellaq Didn't Tell Them To? Bellaq Is Basically An Employee Who Cares More About The Ark Than The Reich So, They Should Have Been Like, "Screw It, This Guy's Gonna Be Trouble Later, I'm Gonna Kill Him" But Then Again There Wouldn't Be A Movie So, I'm Divided On This...

Taking Indy To See A Wiseman, Sallah Says Bellaq Has Made His Own Headpiece, Which He Used In The Map Room As The Wiseman Translates The Headpiece, Which Says To Not Disturb The Ark, While Mentioning Staff Measurements Which Is Aproximatly Six Kadam High (72 Inches) But It Mentions To Decrease A Kadam To Honor The Hebrew God Who's Ark It Is, Which Means Only One Thing, Bellaq's Staff Is Too High...

Going To The Dig Site, Indy Enters The Map Room To Use The Staff To Find The Well Of Souls

Finding The Location, Indy Goes Through The Camp And Into A Tent Where He Discovers That Marion's Alive

But Unfortunately He Can't Save Her Now Or They'll Search The Camp...

I Love You, But Shut The Hell Up!

Taking Workers To Dig, They Uncover The Well, Only For Sallah To Discover Something...

Dropping His Torch, Indy Sees Thousands Of Asps On The Ground...

Oh, If Only The Chippettes Were Here To Sing A Song That Could Control Snakes...

Freeing Marion, She Has Dinner With Bellaq, To Distract Him From Finding Indy, However, That Doesn't Prevent Wallace Shawn From Talking To Her...

Going Into The Well, Indy And Sallah Dump Gas On The Snakes To Get Them To Back Off, So They Can Get The Ark, However, After They Get The Ark Out, Sallah Climbs Up, But Before Indy Can Climb Out, Bellaq Arrives At The Dig Site...

The Nazis, Tired Of Bellaq Pussyfooting Around, Toss Marion Into The Well Of Souls With Indy, As They Take Off With Bellaq, Leaving The Two To Die...

But Do They Die? Hah! Of Course Not!

Knocking Down A Statues Into A Wall, They Manage To Create An Exit Where After A Scene Which Looks Like It Was Directed By George Romero, They Escape, Headed Toward An Airplane Field Where He Takes Out All The Nazis But Has A Hard Time Taking Down A Nazi Jesse Ventura

Marion Enters The Cockpit Getting Stuck While Indy Fights Ventura, Only Taking Him Out With Luck...

Saving Marion, Indy Gets Her Out As The Plane Goes Up. Running Into Sallah, He Tells Indy And Marion That The Truck Is Loaded On A Truck For Cairo. Riding Off On A Horse, Indy Boards The Truck, Taking Out The Soliders , The Driver And A Few Cars, Managing To Get The Ark To Safety

Loading The Ark On A Boat, They Say Goodbye To Sallah As They Board The Boat For The U.S. But After A Night Of Lovemaking Which Probably Gave Birth To Shia Labeouf...

The Nazis Catch Up, Taking Both The Ark And Marion, With Indy Following Incognito Aboard Their Sub To Their Headquarters, Where He Follows Them To The Desert, Where Bellaq Intends On Doing A Jewish Ritual To See If The Pieces Of The Ark Are Intact, However, Grabbing An RPG, Indy Intends On Blowing The Ark Up

Lowering His Weapon, Indy And Marion Are Tied Up As The Nazis And Bellaq Preform The Ceremony To Discover...Dust, But Then Thousands Of Ghosts Appear To Have A Swinging Wake With The Nazis...

But Of Course, It's Always Their Way...

Shutting Their Eyes. Indy And Marion Are Spared By The 999 Happy Haunts As Bellaq Is Placed In A Hyperlock Chamber For 6,000 Years And The Nazis Are Killed By The "Wrath Of God"

A Few Days Later, Indy And Brody Talk With The Army Intelligence Agents About The Ark With Them Only Saying That It's Being Examined By Top Men

Indy, Upset At The Situation, Walks Off With Marion To Live Happily Ever After (For Now) While The Ark Ends Up In The Same Place As James Woods And The Bush Sisters, See You In Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull...

And That's Raiders Of The Lost Ark And Did I Mention How Good This Movie Is?

What Can You Say About It? It's A Classic And You Can't Really Judge It, Harrison Ford Is Indy, There's No Denying That Though I Do Admit I've Always Wondered What Tom Selleck Would Have Done With The Role Had He Not Gone Back To Do Another Season Of Magnum P.I.

Actual Footage From Tom Selleck's Screen Test

The Villains Are Good, Marion While Not Half As Annoying As The Love Interest In Next Week's Movie Is Still A Good Love Interest. There's More I Could Talk About But I Think You Get The Gist At The Fact That I Love This Movie And Anyone Interested In A Good Adventure Flick Should Probably Check It Out...

Till Next Time, This Is Duke, Signing Off...

[kylux-fic-hell]

Kylux fic- "Something Special: Part Two"

Pairing: General Hux/Kylo Ren, Hux/Ben Solo. Background Finn/Poe. OMC/OMC

Summary: Sequel to “Something More” and “Something Worthy”, and a continuation of “Something Special: Part One”. Sixteen years after defecting from the First Order, Hux and Ben live happily at the Resistance base with their three children. Their oldest son, Anakin, dreams of being a pilot but his overprotective parents fear that Snoke will find him and tempt him to the dark side. As Anakin grows more arrogant and distant, Snoke plans his revenge…

Warnings: Mpreg- I don’t really go into the science here; this is set in a universe where men can get pregnant and this is the norm. Carriers are referred to as the “mother”, regardless of gender.

**********

When Anakin opens his eyes, he can still hear that voice.

I have come for you now.

As he sits up slowly, he’s relieved to see that he hasn’t injured himself, although his head is still thick with dizziness. He feels a slight chill run down his spine, something that makes him uneasy. What he’s most concerned about though is the silence.

No screaming. No blaster fire. No distant sound of hurried talking or laughter or life. Nothing.

Anakin pulls himself to his feet with a distinct amount of effort and takes his lightsaber in his hand, ready to use. He stumbles from the training room, shaky on his legs, heart pounding and blood roaring in his ears. The corridors are silent. Deep in his mind though, Anakin senses that something is not right. He tries to reach out to his mother through the Force, but he is too weak.

“You there!”

Anakin turns to find two stormtroopers marching towards him briskly, blasters poised to fire. “You there! Halt!”

He fumbles with his lightsaber, managing to deflect the blaster fire that is directed at him. He attempts to disarm the stormtroopers with the Force, but he panics and can’t focus; he tries to think back to his training but it’s too much-

“Drop your weapon,” a smooth metallic voice says calmly behind him as he feels the press of a blaster against his back. He’s surprised to hear that the voice is female.

Anakin obeys, dropping his lightsaber to the floor. He is ashamed to admit defeat so soon but his mind is still hazy and disorientated.

“Return to your posts,” the female voice commands. “I will deal with the boy.”

The stormtroopers salute before marching back in the direction they’d came. Anakin swallows, trying to calm himself, to focus on the Force. But everything he’s ever been taught has gone from his mind, hidden in a place where he can’t access it. He turns to face the stormtrooper behind him.

She cocks her head to one side. “You look like your father.” She lowers her blaster. “Except the nose. You clearly got that from your mother.”

Anakin hesitates. “You’re from the First Order.”

“Astute observation,” the stormtrooper says dryly. “Pick up your weapon and follow me.”

Anakin fumbles for his lightsaber on the floor quickly, surprised. “Why should I follow you?” he asks as he ignites it. “Where is everyone?”

“We don’t have much time,” the stormtrooper says quickly. “The First Order has occupied this base. Your Resistance fighter friends have been captured and are being held in one of the hangers, awaiting execution.”

Anakin feels his heart sink, holding his lightsaber up ready to strike. “And my parents?”

“Alive, for now. I’m going to take you to them, but you’ll have to put your weapon away. Have it on you but keep it out of sight.”

Anakin frowns, lowering his lightsaber hesitantly. “You’re letting me keep my weapon?”

“Do you want to save your parents or not?” the stormtrooper asks, agitation in her voice. “I’ve been ordered to bring you to Supreme Leader Snoke. If you want to have a fighting chance then just do as I say.”

“Why are you helping me?” Anakin does as he’s told, returning his lightsaber to his hip and hiding it beneath his tunic.

The stormtrooper looks at him a moment, expression unreadable beneath her helmet. “Your parents and I worked very closely together, long ago. Your father was the closest thing I had to a friend.” She raises her blaster and points it at him. “Now walk, and do exactly as I say.”

He allows her to guide him through the corridors, his nervousness increasing as he realises he’s being led towards the command centre. His thinks of what the stormtrooper had told him. I’ve been ordered to bring you to Supreme Leader Snoke. He’s here.

Anakin imagines his friends, terrified in the hanger, awaiting death. He thinks of Thayer and his heart aches. He prays that his parents are unharmed and is thankful that Han and Jaina are far away from here.

When they make it to the command centre, his sense of unease grows even stronger. Anakin hesitates at the blast door, sensing that something terrible is waiting for him behind it, but also knowing that it is something he needs to face.  

They don’t have to open the door; it opens for them.

“Ah, Anakin. So good of you to join us.”

The voice is cold. The eyes are colder.

The man who stands before him is terrifying in every way imaginable. Anakin isn’t entirely sure if it is a man; he is taller than any man Anakin has seen, and the bone structure of his face is nothing like any species Anakin is familiar with. He knows who this is though.

It is then that he notices his parents on their knees at Snoke’s feet, terrified eyes fixed on Anakin. He’s never seen them looking so scared. Hux has a stream of blood trickling down the side of his face and he looks tired, as if he’s been awake for several days. Ben looks relatively unharmed but there are tears in his eyes.

“Thank you, Captain Phasma,” Snoke says with a dismissive wave. “Leave the boy with me. Return to your post.”

The weight of the blaster disappears from Anakin’s back as the stormtrooper gives a small bow before turning on her heel and leaving.

Those eyes observe Anakin with curiosity, raking over him from head to toe. He feels as if those eyes can see into his very soul, right into his heart.

“I've been eager to meet you for a very long time,” Snoke eventually says, sounding pleased. 

Ben chokes out a sob from his place on the floor, which tugs at Anakin’s heart. He wants to do something, to comfort his mother, to protect him-  

Anakin feels a mixture of fear and anger as he reaches for his lightsaber and activates it, only for it to fly from his hands to the other side of the room. He finds himself frozen in place, not by terror, but by invisible hands keeping him from moving.

Snoke’s lips curl upwards as he turns to Hux. “He looks just like you.”

“Don’t fucking touch him!” Hux snarls, face contorted in rage. Like Anakin, he seems to be held in place, fighting against his invisible restraints.

Snoke chuckles, turning back to Anakin. “Forgive us. We were just catching up. I haven’t seen your parents in quite some time.” He takes a step closer to Anakin. “Tell me, child. Did they ever speak of me?”

“I know who you are,” Anakin spits, trying not to show his fear. “I know what you did to them. How you manipulated them.”

“Manipulated them?” Snoke’s voice is soft, menacing. “My, my. How very…ungrateful.” He circles Anakin’s parents slowly, observing them as though they are nothing but insects, tiny and helpless. “I only ever gave them things they wanted.”

Snoke stops in front of Hux, holds out one hand and flexes his fingers slightly. Hux lets out a guttural cry and his body shakes slightly, as if it longs to writhe but is prevented from doing so by the invisible restraints. Anakin can do nothing but watch with horrified eyes as his father is tortured in front of him.

After what feels like forever, Snoke lowers his hand and Hux falls forward, coughing and struggling for breath.

“Your father,” Snoke continues, “dreamed of ruling the galaxy. He wanted to crush the Republic and all your Resistance friends. I gave him a positon of power to do so. Did you know he slaughtered billions?”

“You bastard,” Hux rasps, still gasping for breath. “You fucking-”

Hux writhes on the floor this time, his scream almost inhuman. When he stops, Anakin can hear his mother shouting.

“-it was all my idea!” Ben is screaming, tears streaming down his face. “I used the Force to control his mind and make him run away with me! He didn’t know what he was doing! They’re both innocent; punish me instead!”

Snoke pauses and looks at Ben with an expressionless face. “You didn’t need the Force to do that. You seduced him with more than your mind, and he went with you willingly.”

Those cold eyes find Anakin again. “I saved your mother, Anakin. I saved him from a life of loneliness and neglect from your careless grandparents. I taught him everything he knows. He took great pleasure in wiping out the Jedi. Children, Anakin. Children even younger than you.”

Anakin’s eyes are stinging with tears. His parents told him all of this when he was old enough to train, but hearing it come from Snoke is so much worse.

“I looked after him, Anakin,” Snoke continues. “I took him in when no one else wanted him. All this, I did for your parents.” His eyes fixate on Hux and Ben. “I introduced them. And how did they repay me?” He reaches out one gnarled hand to caress Ben’s hair with mock affection. "With betrayal.“

Anakin wishes he still had his lightsaber so he could cut off the hand touching his mother.

"I sense your anger, Anakin,” Snoke’s eyes are still focussed on Ben as he addresses Anakin. “I sense your frustration. You are more powerful than you could ever realise and your parents are holding you back. I can train you. I can help you to use the Force in ways you can’t possibly imagine.”

Anakin feels the rage boil up inside of him. “I don’t want anything from you!”

Snoke tuts. “I don’t think you understand what is at stake here, my child. Come with me. Let me show you your incredible potential. And in return, your parents will remain unharmed.”

“Don’t listen to him, Anakin!” Hux shouts desperately. “He’ll kill everyone here! He just wants you for your power-” He lets out a pained cry as he writhes on the floor again.  

Anakin closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. There is a small part of him that urges him to consider Snoke’s offer. Perhaps Snoke really will let his parents go. Perhaps Snoke will teach him all the things his parents never could, perhaps he will give Anakin the responsibility that he’s never been allowed.

Anakin open his eyes and takes in the sight of his parents, looking smaller and more afraid than he’s ever seen them. His father, who taught him how to fly, who read him bedtime stories, who impressed upon him the importance of integrity and respect. His mother, who helped him to build his first lightsaber, who showed him the ways of the Force, who kissed his forehead and stroked his hair when he had nightmares…

Anakin looks Snoke in the eyes. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Snoke’s expression is unreadable, but he gives a gentle nod. “So be it.” He pauses a moment, his cruel eyes fixing on Hux. “Armitage Hux, you are hereby sentenced to death for high treason and conspiracy against the First Order-”

“No!” Anakin screams, struggling against the invisible hand holding him in place.

“-your execution will take place publicly tonight by firing squad, in front of all the Resistance.” Snoke turns to Ben. “As for you, Kylo Ren. As your son is unwilling to join me, I will have to take a different strategy. I have learned now that I have left it too late in the past to acquire an apprentice. It seems I must train one from birth if I am to instill true allegiance to the dark side and extinguish the light. You will return to the Finalizer, where you will be bred by the remaining loyal Knights of Ren to give me a worthy apprentice.”

“I’ll kill you!” Hux screams, face red and eyes bloodshot. “I’ll fucking kill you, Snoke!”

Blue lightening shoots from Snoke’s fingertips, engulfing Hux and silencing him as his body convulses.

“Take him away,” Snoke says softly. 

Two stormtroopers enter, taking Hux by the arms and dragging him from the room. Anakin watches helplessly as his father disappears from sight, desperately wishing there was something he could do.

Ben looks defiantly at Snoke. “What will happen to my son?”

“He will die with your Resistance friends. He has made a foolish choice, much like you.”

Another two stormtroopers enter the room, saluting Snoke before coming to a halt.

“I’ll come willingly,” Ben says, “if you let him go.”

Snoke laughs cruelly. “You have no choice in the matter, Kylo Ren.”

The defiance returns to Ben’s eyes. “My name is not Kylo Ren. It’s Ben Hux.”

Snoke gives a wave of one hand and Ben loses consciousness, falling into the arms of one of the stormtroopers, who places one arm under his knees to lift him and starts to carry him away.

“Mom!” Anakin screams, heart pounding and tears streaming down his face. “I love you! Mom!” He knows how childish he must sound, but he doesn’t care,

Ben doesn’t react though, and Anakin feels the hopelessness overwhelm as he watches his mother being carried away.

“A pity,” Snoke says softly. “He was just thinking about how much you must hate him."     

Anakin starts to sob now, not caring how weak he must look.

"Take him away,” Snoke says to the remaining stormtrooper. “Leave him with the others.”

Anakin’s whole body feels numb as the stormtrooper takes hold of his arm, Snoke’s words still echoing in his head.

He was just thinking about how much you must hate him.

**********

Anakin can’t even bring himself to feel relieved when he is taken to one of the hangers where the rest of the Resistance is being held captive.

Dozens of stormtroopers guard the doors and it makes Anakin feel even more hopeless as he’s shoved inside. A quick glance reveals that pretty much everyone he knows has been captured. He wonders if they are aware of Snoke’s plan to execute them all. Nobody appears to be particularly distressed though; people huddle in corners and sit in circles on the floor, talking quietly.

“Ani!”

Anakin brightens a little when he hears a familiar voice, and smiles when he feels Thayer dive into his arms.

“Oh Ani, I thought you were dead!” Thayer babbles, gripping Anakin tightly. “I thought they’d killed you. I’m so glad to see you.”

Anakin hugs Thayer back, trying to ignore his pounding heart. “It’s good to see you too, Thay. I’m glad you’re safe.”

Thayer smiles and turns to gesture to Finn and Poe, who are just making their way over. “Mom! Dad! Ani’s here!”

“Boy are we glad to see you,” Poe says with a smile. He has a black eye and he’s bleeding from a cut on his temple. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Anakin swallows. “No…I’m fine.”

“Where are Han and Jaina, buddy?” Finn asks worriedly.

“In the Dagobah system,” Anakin sniffs, feeling hot and embarrassed and overwhelmed. “With Luke and Rey.”

“Oh good, there’s no safer place to be right now,” Finn says with a reassuring smile.

Thayer takes one of Anakin’s hands in his own. “What about your parents, Ani?” he asks softly. “Have you seen them?”

Anakin can’t help but let out a choked sob. He hates himself for crying in front of Thayer and the General, but all he can think of is his parents on their knees in front of Snoke. Every time he closes his eyes he sees his father being dragged from the room, his unconscious mother being carried away to a fate worse than death…

“Hey kid,” Poe says gently, pulling Anakin in for a hug. “It’s okay. It’s okay buddy.”

“Snoke’s gonna kill my dad,” Anakin says in a trembling voice, muffled slightly against Poe’s jacket. “Tonight, in front of everybody.” Poe rubs his back soothingly. “And…he’s gonna take my mom away and let his knights…” Anakin can’t bring himself to say it.

“Listen to me, Ani,” Poe says firmly, looking Anakin in the eyes. “That’s not gonna happen, okay? I’m not gonna let it happen.”

“What are we gonna do?” Anakin asks, tears flowing freely. “How are we gonna get out of here? Snoke’s too powerful; we’ll never be able to stop him.”

“We’ll think of something.” Poe’s eyes are kind and determined, but Anakin knows there’s nothing he can do.

They huddle in a corner with some of the other Resistance pilots, but Anakin doesn’t pay much attention to the hushed whispers as they try to formulate an escape plan. His entire body feels numb. He would do anything to be held in his mother’s arms right now, to see his father’s warm smile.

He rests his head in Thayer’s lap and lets the younger boy card his fingers through his hair. Anakin has never felt more tired in his life and the agonising knot of worry in his stomach makes him feel sick. They lay there like that for what seems like hours. Anakin loses track of the time, and despite his anxiety he finds himself slipping into a tortured sleep, with images of his parents’ terrified faces haunting his mind.

**********

When Anakin finds himself drifting back to consciousness, he temporarily forgets where he is. He expects to wake up in his room to find Han jumping on his bunk, or to hear his mom calling everyone to dinner.

Then he remembers.

He blinks a few times, and is suddenly aware that Thayer is gripping his shoulder tightly. There’s blaster fire coming from outside the doors and everyone in the hanger is silent, listening to the commotion outside.

“What’s going on?” Anakin whispers, sitting up.

“I don’t know,” Thayer whispers back. “Something’s happening.”

Poe and some of the other pilots are crouched near the door, listening intently and creating a barrier in front of everyone else. It sounds as though there’s a fight going on outside, and for a moment Anakin wonders if maybe his parents have escaped and have come to rescue them all. He knows it’s optimistic but he can’t help but hope.

When the blaster fire ceases and no more shouts can be heard, everyone waits with bated breath. Anakin clutches Thayer’s hand as the blaster door opens and Poe and the other pilots brace themselves for a potential attack.

That moment never comes though, as the glow of a blue lightsaber temporarily brightens the room until it is deactivated.

“Uncle Luke!” Anakin cries, relief flooding through him.

Luke Skywalker gives a kind smile as the room erupts in cheers, limping slightly as he enters, followed by Rey, Jaina and Han, each with their own lightsabers still activated. Chewie follows soon after, carrying what looks like a large stolen blaster.  

“Anakin!” Jaina and Han rush over to pull their older brother into a crushing hug as the rest of the Resistance begin scurrying around looking for weapons.

“Boy am I glad to see you guys,” Anakin says, trying not to sob. He is so overwhelmed by seeing some familiar friendly faces that he can’t help a few tears from escaping. “How did you find us? How did you know we were in trouble?”

“Luke sensed it through the Force,” Jaina says, eyes shining. “He knew something bad had happened and that you needed our help. He said…he said Snoke is here.”

“Snoke is here. I saw him.”

“You saw him?” Han asks in disbelief. “Where is he now? And where’s mom and dad?”

Anakin swallows, feeling the relief of being reunited with his siblings wash out of him. “I don’t know. Snoke has them. Dad was taken away- they were gonna execute him, here in front of everyone. And mom was gonna be taken back to the Finalizer.” He sniffs. “I couldn’t stop him. I was too weak.”

“Anakin,” Luke says softly. His eyes are warm and knowing in a way that only Luke Skywalker can be. “You were so brave. Snoke is a powerful opponent even for a fully trained Jedi.” He rests one hand on Anakin’s shoulder. “We’ll get them back, I promise.”

There’s something about the way that Luke says things that always makes Anakin believe him. He’s always viewed his Great Uncle as the mythical figure that legend has always made him out to be- someone almost superhuman, almost too good to be true. Luke has a way of inspiring courage in people even when they’re up against the odds, a gift that Anakin has always appreciated.

Luke gives him a smile and clears his throat to address the whole room. “Alright everyone, here’s the plan. Rey and I will search for Snoke, giving you all a chance to search and secure the base. Make sure you stay in groups at all times Finn- you take Han and Jaina and rescue Commander Hux; I think you’ll find he’s being held in one of the cells in sector four. General Dameron- you take Anakin and Chewie and go get Ben.”

The steady thrum of noise fills the room again as people quickly disperse to carry out their tasks.

“He’s in your grandmother’s old quarters,” Luke says quietly to Anakin. “Be careful. Stay with General Dameron and Chewie.”

“I will,” Anakin promises. He gives Luke a hug, filled with a renewed sense of hope. “May the Force be with you.”

Anakin says a quick goodbye to his siblings and to Rey. He knows that Han and Jaina will be safe with Finn, but he can’t help but wonder how well Rey and Luke will fare against Snoke. Both are powerful Jedi, but Luke’s lightsaber skills aren’t as slick as they once were (even though he argues that he was trained by a 900 year old Master who could put most Jedi to shame).

“Be safe, Ani,” Thayer says gently, pressing a quick kiss to Anakin’s cheek.

Anakin flushes and tries to ignore the amused look on Poe’s face.

*********

Getting to his grandmother’s old quarters turns out to be easier than Anakin was expecting.

They encounter a few stormtroopers along the way, who are easily dealt with, and when they arrive at Leia Organa’s former quarters there are only two stormtroopers standing guard. After Chewie has thrown them in the air and banged their heads together several times, Anakin rushes through the door as soon as Poe has entered the access code.

Relief flood through him as he spots Ben right away lying on the couch, still unconscious.

“Mom!” Anakin drops to his knees beside the couch, taking Ben’s hand in his own and squeezing. “Mom! Wake up!”

Ben doesn’t move. Whatever spell Snoke had cast on him must have been powerful; Anakin shakes his mother’s shoulders but receives no response.

“Ben?” Poe kneels beside Anakin and checks Ben’s pulse and breathing. “Ben, buddy, wake up. It’s Poe, you’re safe.”

Anakin closes his eyes and tries to reach out to Ben with the Force. The presence of his mother’s mind is faint, but it’s there. Anakin takes slow breaths, just like Luke had always taught him, and gently brushes Ben’s mind with images and memories- their family picnics by the lake, Han building his first lightsaber, Hux nearly burning down their quarters trying to make them all dinner one night, the whole family bundled under blankets watching holovids together-

Ben’s eyes flutter open, fixing on Anakin’s face but still unfocussed.

“Armitage?” Ben whispers uncertainly, voice filled with confusion.

“No, mom,” Anakin laughs with relief, so happy to hear his mother’s voice again. “It’s me, Anakin.”

“Oh, Ani.” The confusion disappears from Ben’s face as he reaches up to stroke Anakin’s cheek. “You look so much like your father, for a moment I thought…I thought I was somewhere else, a long time ago. Where is he?”

“We’ll see him soon,” Anakin promises as Poe and Chewie help Ben to sit up.

“Are you alright?” Ben asks, taking in his surroundings. “Did Snoke hurt you?”

“I’m fine, mom. Everyone’s fine. C'mon, we’ve gotta get you out of here.”

Ben manages to stand himself but Poe wraps one arm around his waist to steady him. Anakin has never seen Ben so weak, and certainly never so terrified.

“We have to leave,” Ben babbles as they make for the door. “We have to get away from him. He’ll take Anakin away.”

“I’m right here, mom,” Anakin says quickly, taking Ben’s hand in his own. “I’m not going anywhere.” He reaches out to Ben reassuringly through the Force. I love you. I’m with you.

**********

They find Han, Jaina and Finn in the mess, huddled around one of the tables. It appears that they’ve managed to retrieve Hux, but Anakin’s breath catches in his throat when he sees the state his father is in. Hux is lying limply on the table, his clothes soaked in blood.

“He’s been beaten,” Han says in a shaky voice, stroking his father’s greying hair. “It looks like some of his ribs are broken. They might have punctured a lung or something.”

Anakin takes in the sight of his father, broken and bloodied, and feels that familiar rage boiling inside of him. He wishes he could have impaled the stormtroopers who did this on his lightsaber, torn their limbs from their bodies and beheaded them-

No. That’s how Snoke would like him to think. Anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering…

“Hux,” Ben says, voice thick as tears spill down his cheeks. “Armie. It’s me.” He grasps one of his husband’s hands tightly his own.

Hux’s eyes fix on Ben’s face, his lips curling slightly as he struggles to breathe. “Beloved.”

Ben chokes out a sob and lays a shaking hand against Hux’s cheek. “I’m here.”

“I-” Hux coughs violently, his eyes now unfocussed. “I was a General once,” he wheezes in a faraway voice. “I had my own ship.” Another violent cough.

“Don’t speak, dad,” Jaina urges, “you need to rest.”

“Ran away with one of the Knights of Ren,” he continues, eyelids fluttering. “He was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.” His eyes find Ben’s face again. “You look just like him.”

“Shh,” Ben soothes, kissing his husband’s forehead. “Rest." 

Anakin reaches out to his father with the Force, pouring his love into Hux’s mind- feeding him with the same happy images he’d sent to his mother. He can feel Ben, Han and Jaina doing the same and can only hope that Hux is finding some comfort in this. 

The warmth he can feel through the Force slowly drains away though and is replaced with something much colder.

"How very touching.”

Anakin feels the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he turns to find Snoke standing before them, observing them as though they’re animals in a cage.

Poe and Chewie both aim their blasters, only to have them torn from their hands and flung across the room by invisible fingers.

“He’s dying,” Snoke says softly, ignoring the attack and fixing his eyes on Hux. “You all feel it.” Those cold eyes shift to Anakin, looking right into his soul. “You can still save him, Anakin. The dark side is the only way to defeat death.”

Anakin stands protectively in front of his family. “I won’t join you.” He hopes his voice doesn’t betray how afraid he is.

“Then this is the end for him,” Snoke says, almost sadly, as he steps closer. “I suppose he was as poor a father as he was a General."   

"You’re wrong!” Han cries, the tremor in his voice evident.

Snoke chuckles, low and cruel. “I could tell you some stories about your father and his incompetence, boy. About how his failures resulted in the destruction of the greatest weapon the galaxy has ever seen. Or how he used my apprentice as his own personal whore.”

Anakin grits his teeth, wishing he still had his lightsaber on him.

“Or,” Snoke continues, so close now that Anakin can almost feel his breath, “how he abandoned his ship and ran like a coward, taking my apprentice with him. He was weak and gave up everything he’d worked for just for the first pretty thing that walked aboard his ship.”

Snoke turned to focus on Ben. “And you, my apprentice. Weak for a man who is the epitome of weakness. A man you only followed because he’s the only one who’s ever wanted you.”

Ben lets out a guttural cry and summons Han’s lightsaber with one hand, igniting it and lunging at Snoke.

Anakin watches with terrified eyes as Snoke activates his own lightsaber and a frantic duel ensues. Poe and Finn fumble for the blasters that were thrown across the room, but any shots they fire are stopped mid-air before they even reach Snoke.

“Ani!” Jaina cries, as she and Chewie try to manoeuvre Hux out of harm’s way. “Help him!” She throws him her lightsaber, which Anakin catches with ease before igniting.

Snoke is skilled with a lightsaber and Anakin finds it difficult to keep up as he joins the fight; it takes every ounce of his concentration to block Snoke’s blows and avoid impalement. Were Ben not fighting beside him, he is sure he would already be dead. The years they’ve spent training together are clearly serving them well; they move gracefully together, each taking some of the strain off the other as Snoke strikes at them mercilessly.

Anakin feels an unwelcome presence in his mind; it’s definitely not his mother and he panics as he tries to remember how to block mind probes like this. It’s cold and terrifying and he finds his concentration waning as icy fingers search through his memories.

Give up, boy. You are just as weak as your parents. 

Anakin grits his teeth and tries to push the presence out like he did with his mom, but it’s no use.

They were both destined for greatness, had it not been for you.

He blinks back tears and blocks another blow as Ben gives out a cry when Snoke’s lightsaber grazes his arm.

I could have done so much if you hadn’t been born. The voice in Anakin’s mind is Ben’s now, except that it isn’t. The presence in his mind is still cold and cruel.

I was a General once. Hux’s voice now, but again far colder than the real Hux. I had my own ship.

Anakin feels himself weakening but soldiers on, muscles aching and head pounding. He can feel Ben starting to tire beside him too, but Snoke seems to be maintaining the same level of energy.

You are such a disappointment, Snoke whispers in his mind using Ben’s voice. And now I’m going to die because of you. 

Such a disappointment, Hux’s voice repeats. All I wanted was a whore to warm my bed, and now I’m stuck with you.

Anakin tries to push Snoke from his mind, sweat dripping down his forehead, but all he hears is a cackle echoing in his ears. He wants to cry with frustration and collapse with exhaustion but most importantly he just wants to protect his family and keep them away from this evil creature.  

Snoke fills his mind with an image now-

Anakin’s parents in a passionate embrace. His father, young and handsome in his General’s uniform, and his mother, still Kylo Ren but hopelessly beautiful. “The child will only get in our way,” Hux tells Kylo, stroking the curve of his stomach. “He’ll ruin everything for us. How could we have been so careless.”

Anakin cries out at the indignity of this manufactured memory; he knows how happy his parents were to have him, he knows in his heart how much they love him, how proud they are of him, how glad they were to escape that life and have a family, he knows all this, so he pushes and pushes and pushes and-

He feels Snoke’s presence being expelled from his mind with such force that he staggers back a little, and even Snoke has a look of bewilderment on his face, not quite comprehending what just happened-

- and the momentary distraction provides just enough time for Ben to plunge his lightsaber straight through Snoke’s heart.

The creature falls to his knees, cold eyes wide with surprise and fixed on his former apprentice, before his lifeless body hits the ground with a heavy thud.

Ben is white and shaking, disbelief on his face as he stares at the corpse of his former master. After a moment he seems to remember that Anakin is still there, and lets out a wild sob as he pulls his son into a hug. Anakin can feel that something has changed through their bond; it’s as if Ben feels lighter somehow, as though a great burden has been lifted from him. After over thirty years of being haunted, he is finally free.

Anakin squeezes Ben’s shaking frame. They are all free now.

**********

The mood at the base is strange over the next few days; people are in high-spirits following Snoke’s defeat, but no official celebrations have taken place given the number of people still recovering from injuries. It’s almost a little anti-climatic, but Anakin is just relieved that his family are safe now.

Luke, although now conscious, is still confined to the med-bay having been brutally tortured by Snoke. Rey won’t say what happened during their encounter with him, but it is clear that she has been affected by the experience too, her brown eyes sadder than usual as she sits by Luke’s bedside and holds his hand. It’s the first time Anakin has thought of Luke as anything other than invincible.

Hux is also still confined to the med-bay, and had it not been for Jaina’s quick thinking and basic medical knowledge, they might have lost him. Anakin tries not to think about that; it is difficult for him to imagine a life where he doesn’t have his dad to fly with, or help him with his homework, or reprimand him for not cleaning his boots properly.

Ben stays by Hux’s side throughout his recovery, refusing to leave. The medical officers attempt to get him to go back to his quarters one evening to get some rest, and Anakin has to stop himself from laughing when they receive a glare so violent they quickly scamper away.

“So stubborn,” Hux laughs weakly, his voice still scratchy and dry. “I still pity anyone who gets on the wrong side of your temper, beloved.”

Anakin visits his father with his siblings every day. Jaina tells Hux all about the latest history book she has been reading and Han talks about the droid he is helping Finn to repair. Anakin doesn’t say much, preferring to sit quietly with his mother and listen to the gentle banter of his family. Hux is looking healthier now; the colour is returning to his cheeks and he certainly doesn’t look as exhausted, and he carries out conversations with the intelligence and wit they are all used to.

One evening, when Han and Jaina head back to their quarters, Anakin opts to stay behind a little longer with his parents.

“I owe you an apology,” Anakin says quietly, addressing both of them. “For being so disrespectful to you, before. Especially you, mom.” He looks at Ben, giving a weak smile. “I said such awful things to you and I didn’t mean them. I know you were only trying to protect me.”

Ben smiles back and strokes his son’s hair. “It’s alright, Ani. I’m so proud of you. You were incredibly brave and I wouldn’t have had the courage to take on Snoke if I didn’t have you there beside me.”

Anakin feels pride swell in his chest. “I’ve had a good teacher. You were so awesome. Grandma would have been proud. Grandpa too.”

Ben’s eyes glisten with tears and his smile is blinding. Anakin never met his grandfather, but he knows that Ben has spent every day of the last sixteen years regretting what he did at Starkiller Base, and were Han Solo here now, he would be extremely proud.

“Anakin,” Hux says softly, looking smaller and more tired than he’s looked in some time, “I can only imagine what you must think of us, after what Snoke said-”

“I don’t care what he said,” Anakin cuts in. “I know what you did when you worked for him, and I know you’ve spent the last sixteen years hating yourselves for it. But you were brave enough to leave that life and you’ve worked so hard to try and make things right. You’re my parents and I love you.”

Hux’s face softens. “We were only brave enough to leave because of you.”

Anakin opens his mouth to reply when there’s a gentle knock at the door.

“Hey,” Poe says with a grin as he pokes his head round the door. “Am I interrupting?”

“No, sir,” Hux says, attempting to sit up. “Come in.”

“C'mon Hux, none of that ‘sir’ crap while we’re off duty and you’re recovering from acts of heroism.” Poe saunters over to Ben. “What’s this I’ve been hearing about you scaring the medical officers half to death when they asked you to leave?”

“Is it really so unreasonable that I want to stay with my husband?” Ben asks with a raised eyebrow.

“It is when you’re neglecting your own wellbeing,” Poe says firmly, pulling up a chair and sprawling over it. “Kid, take your mom home and make sure he eats something. I’ll stay with your dad tonight and you guys can come back in the morning.”

Anakin smiles and begins to usher Ben away before he can argue and unleash his temper on Poe. The shouting matches held between the two men have become almost legendary on the Resistance base.

“Oh, and Anakin?” Poe calls as they’re nearly out the door. “Drop by and see my son on the way home. You’re all he’s talked about for the last few days and it’s driving me crazy!”

Anakin ushers Ben from the room as quickly as possible, ignoring his father’s laugh and the blush on his face.

**********

Poe’s advice, as it turns out, is very sound.

No sooner has Anakin knocked on the door of the Dameron family’s quarters than Thayer is in his arms, kissing him frantically as though they haven’t seen each other in years. Anakin kisses back, ignoring the fact that his mom is awkwardly standing a few feet away, squeezing the younger boy tightly and sighing against his lips.

“You really like him then, huh?” Ben asks teasingly as they're walking back to their quarters.

“Yeah,” Anakin replies, his heart still pounding. “A lot.”

“Good. But make sure you keep it to kissing for now.”

“Mom!”

“Look, I never had a boyfriend when I was your age and I never got a lot of attention from other boys, but I know what teenage boys get up to. Believe me, I hear enough stories from your father about he what he did with other boys at the Academy-”

“Mom, stop. Please." Anakin is desperate for this conversation to end.

"All I’m saying is take your time. There’s no rush. The only person I’ve ever been with is your dad and I didn’t meet him until I was ten years older than you are now-”

Anakin groans loudly.

**********

After Hux is released from the med-bay, Anakin’s life returns to relative normality.

He resumes his training with Luke, who has also recovered from his injuries, and Ben, who seems a lot more relaxed and less edgy. He finds himself able to complete exercises that he struggled with in the past, and he’s even able to keep up with Rey when he duels her.

He mostly spends his evenings with Thayer, watching holovids together while they share lazy kisses and talk about all the places they’ll visit when he’s a Jedi knight. Sometimes he stays for dinner and smiles when Poe and Finn bicker good-naturedly, wondering if he and Thayer will ever be like that.

One evening Anakin returns to his family’s quarters after training with Luke to find Hux talking to a middle aged woman with short blonde hair who he doesn’t recognise. Even though they’re sitting down he can see that she’s tall- taller than both is parents, and has a strong build. She’s watching the holovid of his parents' wedding with fond amusement on her features, her eyes softening a little as she watches a young Hux lean in to kiss a heavily pregnant Ben.

“Ani,” Hux says, noticing his son has entered. “I wasn’t expecting you back this early. I was just catching up with an old friend- this is Phasma.”

The woman stands, revealing her enormous height and towering over them both. 

“I believe you’ve met Anakin, my oldest.” Hux says to Phasma with an amused smile.

“Your oldest?” Her voice is recognisable even without the distortion of a helmet, and Anakin realises this is the stormtrooper who’d allowed him to keep his weapon. “You have more children?”

“Two more,” Hux says proudly. “Twins. Han and Jaina.”

Phasma smiles. “You’ve had your hands full then. They’re all Force-sensitive?”

“Yes, they’re very gifted. I like to think they get some of their talents from me though. Anakin here is becoming a very skilled pilot, and Jaina is top of her class in nearly every subject. Even Han is showing early promise as an engineer.”

Phasma turns slightly to look at the hologram that’s still playing, where young Hux and Ben are now slow-dancing in an intimate embrace. “You’ve become soft, Hux.”

“Perhaps.” Hux gives Anakin a fond look.

“It’s done you good. You used to be so tightly wound.” Phasma gives Anakin a wink. “He’d walk round the Finalizer like he had a stick up his arse.”

Ignoring Hux’s splutter of indignation, Phasma strides over to where Ben is sitting at the kitchen table, reading something on his data pad.

“For you,” she says, handing him a datachip. “From the Knights of Ren.”

Ben takes it and examines it curiously. “I thought they were loyal to Snoke?”

Phasma shrugs. “So did Snoke. They’ve been keeping him off your scent for the last 16 years though. They’ve occasionally been in contact with me and they wanted me to give you this. They said if you ever need them they are always willing to provide assistance.”

“Oh.” Ben stares at the chip, dumbfounded. “Um, ok. Thanks.”

“Look after each other.” Phasma claps Ben on the shoulder before heading for the door. “It’s been nice seeing you. I’ll come back and visit.”

“Where will you go?” Hux asks.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Phasma replies with a smile. “I’d just like to disappear for a while. Your General has kindly decided to turn a blind eye to me staying quiet on a remote planet at the other end of the galaxy.” She gives Hux a light friendly punch on the arm. “Glad to see you’ve finally found some peace. You’ve got something special here.”

That night, Anakin lies in bed mulling over Phasma’s words to his father. You’ve finally found some peace. You’ve got something special here. He hopes she is right, that both his parents have finally found some peace.

His thoughts are interrupted though when he hears a loud muffled moan coming from his parents’ bedroom next door. Oh no.

“Oh, Armitage.”

Anakin notices that Han is sitting up in his bunk on the opposite side of the room, a disgusted look on his face.

“They’re doing it again,” Anakin says, scrambling out of bed as Ben’s sighs and Hux’s grunts become more frequent. “Let’s get out of here.”

The two boys make their way to their sister’s room before they’re subjected to anymore of the sounds coming from their parents’ bedroom.

“Oh for kriff’s sake,” Jaina mumbles when her brothers climb into bed beside her. “You two have the bigger room. I don’t need you taking up more space in here.”

“We’ll switch with you any day,” Han yawns, hogging most of the covers.

Anakin smiles to himself as he snuggles up with his siblings for what he hopes will be a relatively peaceful night, and he can’t help but think of Phasma’s words again.

You’ve got something special here.

END