#it's fine guys she was just whining in her sleep she's snoring again bless her

[hailsatanacab]

Chapters: 12/? Fandom: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Danny Fenton & Damian Wayne, Batfamily Members & Danny Fenton Characters: Danny Fenton, Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth Additional Tags: Good Sibling Damian Wayne, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Danny Fenton and Damian Wayne are Twins, Danny Fenton Needs A Hug, Implied/Referenced Torture, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Not Phantom Planet Compliant (Danny Phantom), Bad Parents Jack and Maddie Fenton, Gun Violence, Blood and Violence, Gunshot Wounds, Mugging, Medical Torture, Vivisection, Panic Attacks, Anxiety Attacks, Child Neglect, Past Child Abuse Summary:

“If you ever find yourself in danger, go to Bruce Wayne. He will help you.”

His mother had loved him, in her own way. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have helped him escape. If she hadn’t, she would have dragged him back to the League of Assassins, to Grandfather. If she hadn’t, he’d be dead.

She loved him, but she loved the League more.

Jack and Maddie Fenton loved him too, they did, but they loved their work more.

They loved their work more.

--

After his parents react poorly to his reveal, Danny escapes to the only person he thinks can help him - Bruce Wayne. He doesn't know what to expect when he gets there, but it has to be better than where he is, surely? He certainly doesn't expect to be reunited with his long lost twin brother Damian. It's funny how things work out that way.

Danny is 16 years old, not Phantom Planet compliant

--

Chapter 12!! Chapter 12!! Chapter 12!!

[lihikainanea]

I miss the horny pills blurbs from the beginning of this account. It was so funny and cute.

 Anonymous asked:lei i sent an anon ab loving the horny pills blurbs from way back, and i’ve expanded. bill has just had the most intense, frustrating shoot of his LIFE. he’s been going on ab it and tiger knew he’d be wanting to dominate when he got back, he didn’t say it, but she knew. when bill gets home, he sighs with relief at her, still pent up but says it’s not working down there. usually she smiles and helps him unwind and they do their uniting tomorrow. but now? she’s a sobbing mess, hormones on over drive. she shamefully admits to taking the horny pills so she’d be able to keep up with what he gave her and now she’s in physical pain from how pent up she is. bill knows he needs to scold her about doing stupid shit FOR him, but his poor heart, shes wearing the cutest little panties and when he glances at how it’s soaked through? he debates just popping some of the male ones she had left over from before. (does he take it? does he just let her sit uncomfy to prove a lesson? or does he just help her out with his hands and mouth?)

Omggggg baby, you're an OG! you been here for a long time. Thank you so, so much for sticking with me throughout the years, and for still being around. I think that is just so cool.

And indeed, those little blue pills--oh my god, it was a fave of mine too. Poor Bill and his terrible hay fever, and he probably considers it more than he's willing to admit when tiger absolutely breaks his biology, because Bill is a good due and he wants to give his girl what she needs.

SO LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS. Allow me to perhaps take some liberties because horny pills are a bit of an unknown area for me.

So one delicious thought I had is like, what if Bill took a little blue pill because he had to?

Hear me out.

We all know that sometimes, Bill is just so tired. It’s after a long shoot, when his body is beat up, his mind is toast, he’s a walking zombie. His most basic brain functions don’t even compute, let alone any ahem, extra curricular activities. He sees tiger and he just kind of collapses into her arms, hugs her as tight as he can--but then he’s practically snoring on her shoulder. He needs rest, lots of it, he needs proper food, he needs to reset his circadian rhythm.

And listen, it usually only takes him a few days to catch up on his sleep to the point where he feels human again. He sleeps for hours at a time, but every time he wakes up tiger is fluffing his pillow, pulling him so he’s sitting up, and putting some delicious smelling thing in front of him--soup, stew, pasta--anything nourishing and hearty, that isn’t the jar of peanut butter he’s been known to eat when he’s on set during his 18 hour days.

“You look like you gave yourself fucking scurvy,” she grumbles, “All thin and gaunt and shit. What is this? Look at this.”

She pokes at his rib sticking out, and Bill whines--loud and exaggerated. Then he pouts.

“I’m sorry big guy,” she placates, giving him a kiss.

And like, after about two days he’s all caught up on sleep and on good food. After about two days, suddenly he’s noticing the tiger is just puttering around the apartment in booty shorts, and Bill? Bill loves the booty. Suddenly he’s becoming painfully aware of just how long it’s been since he's been with her, since he’s had her moaning for him, since he’s felt that delicious wet velvet grip around him. His mind is all in, the filthiest fantasies running through his head, but right when he’s supposed to feel blood rushing to his groin--he doesn’t.

There’s nada. Nothing. Not even morning wood.

It’s fine for another day or two, but then he’s just starting to get pent up. That warm body pressed to his at night, those soft lips sucking on his thumb, the sheer weeks it’s been since they’ve been together. And tiger, bless her heart--tiger never pushes. She knows that sometimes he’s ready to pounce her the minute he walks through the door, and some days he needs a bit more time to get back right. She’s ready whenever he is--but she doesn’t push. And when she wakes up one morning to him rutting against her, his soft and sleepy moans in her ear, she smiles and sighs in relief--she’s pretty goddamn pent up too. He smells so fucking good, he’s so warm, and it’s been too long since she’s felt the delicious stretch of him filling her out.

There’s only one problem. She scoots her ass back into him and grinds down, but there’s....nothing. The morning fog clears from her brain and she opens her eyes.

“Just keep doing that,” his gruff voice in her ear commands, “God I need you.”

She moans, reaching back to run her fingers through his hair as she grinds her ass into him again. His hands snake to her front, cupping her breasts as he rolls his hips into hers. But after a few minutes, there’s still....nothing. And suddenly his soft groans in her ear turn into a frustrated huff, and he pulls away all too abruptly.

“Fuck,” he mutters, throwing himself onto his back. He presses his palms into his eyes.

“Easy Billy,” she soothes, rolling over.

“No,” he says petulantly, “I need you. I need you so fucking bad kid, and I’m...I’m broken again.”

“You’re not broken,” she eases over, putting a leg over him and settling on his waist, “You’re exhausted. And you’re more of a visual guy anyway, so let’s see if this works.”

She pulls her shirt over his head, taking his hands and placing them back over her breasts. She steadies herself, and then she grinds down on him--hard. He moans long and deep, his hips jutting up automatically.

“There we go,” she sighs in pleasure, “Just like this.”

She cups her hands over his, gazing at him as his jaw slackens.

“I need you big guy,” she purrs, “Only you can make me feel good like this.”

And like...it should be working. For all intents and purposes, she’s hitting every single one of his bullseyes. But while he should be harder than a rock, there’s still just...there’s nothing happening south of the border for him. And after a few minutes, his face goes from slack with pleasure to worried, concerned--and then angry, all over again.

“Oh come on!” he cries, lifting her off of him and sitting up in bed, “Seriously?!”

He lets out a frustrated cry, his head in his hands.

“Alright,” tiger says, “You’re just not ready, bud. It’s no big deal.”

“Oh I’m ready,” he snaps, glaring at her, “I’m so fucking ready. And this is a very big deal, tiger!”

She sighs.

“I’m broken,” he flops back onto the mattress dramatically, but tiger pulls him back up.

“You’re not broken,” she says, “You’re exhausted. You’re beat up. You’re a mess. Give yourself a break, bud. Your mind says yes but your body clearly has some catching up it still needs to do.”

He whines again, but she swats at him playfully. He grabs her, moving her so she’s straddling his waist again.

“I can...” he offers, hooking a finger into the waistband of her panties.

“No,” she says immediately, “I want it with you. It’s been so long, bud. It’s better when it’s with you.”

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, but he’s silenced with a kiss.

“Nothing to be sorry for,” she says, “We’ll try again in a day or two.”

She lets it go for now. She needs it just as bad as he does, but there’s no sense in dwelling on it--she knows it’s the worst thing to do. And she knows that the more he obsesses over it, the worse it’s going to get.

But like, here’s the thing. Maybe this time Bill’s biology is legit broken and just needs a bit of a push--because by the third or fourth day, Bill is so pent up that he’s in legit physical pain. He’s walking funny. And tiger giggles a little, as he glares.

“My balls are full tiger,” he snaps at her and he palms his crotch for emphasis, “Full, alright? I’m dying here. It actually hurts.”

“Bill, why don’t you--”

“No.”

“Why not? It’ll help.”

“No.”

“Come on, don’t be a drama queen,” she sighs as she goes to loop her arms around his waist, “Bill, plenty of guys have this problem.”

“I don’t have a problem, tiger.”

“And it’s an easy fix. One pill. The most prescribed pill in the entire world. Just to give your body the little push it needs,” she reasons.

“No.”

She thinks for a moment, and then she changes her approach.

“Please, big guy? Just think about it,” she says, her voice much quieter now, “I...I need you, too.”

And like, that’s the thing that gets him. Knowing that she needs him, and that he’s not giving her what she needs. He hates that thought, and it’s the small kick he needs to drag his mopey, impotent ass to the doctor. The visit takes all of 5 minutes and is far less traumatizing than Bill imagined. The doctor barely examined him. Just asked a few questions--30 years old, smoker, under lots of stress--then the doctor scribbled the prescription without even another glance. Bill makes tiger take it to the pharmacy for him, which she understands--fans lurk everywhere, and she knows it makes him uncomfortable. When he finally has the small packet of pills in his hands, he heaves a heavy sigh.

“We are not to speak about this ever again,” he glares at her, “Promise?”

“It’s really not a big deal bud. But yes, I promise,” she holds out her pinky and he loops his through hers.

“For you,” he sighs, and then he pops open the pack and dry swallows one.

It takes about half an hour to kick in. Tiger is in the middle of cooking dinner when it does, but Bill just runs in and frantically shuts off all the burners on the stove, picks her up and throws her over his shoulder.

“I’m hard!” he announces, “I’m hard as a fucking rock, kid.”

“Amen,” tiger says.

But like, the problem is it doesn’t go down for like, 4 hours. Which is fine, because they have some catching up to do--but 3 hours in and tiger is begging for mercy. Bill’s on overdrive, his stamina never ending, and tiger already can’t feel her legs. Bill decides the little blue pill ain’t so bad after all.

(a massive, huge, colossal THANK YOU to @ilovetheideaofu for finding this blurb that I literally SPENT HOURS TRYING TO FIND)

[malereader-inserts]

Unlikely Trio

Fandom: Criminal Minds Pairing: Spencer Reid x Male!Reader x Derek Morgan Summary: As you sleep on the jet, your boys talk about how lucky they are with you. Word Count:  1,385 Request: “could you do a spencer reid x male reader x derek fic? it's fine if you don't want to do the poly but if now a psycho male reader instead?” A/n: I’ve already written almost five chapters for the Remus Lupin!Son x Harry Potter series so like, first part on Friday (BST)?

“Can you stop staring, I’m trying to sleep.”

JJ snorted as she hears your very tired voice from one of the corners of the jets, you leaned against the wall as your two significant others sat across you. You had your eyes closed, but you were getting conscious as their eyes harden their stare. You sighed as you opened your eyes, looking to your left to Emily.

“Don’t look at me, I don’t have control over them.”

Hotch chuckles, hearing the conversation, “Alright, boys, let (Y/n) sleep.”

“Thank you, at least someone comes to my rescue,” You exclaimed, shifting yourself and leaning against the wall.

“You can pester him later when we’re off the jet,” Hotch finished as you let out an exasperated sigh, making everyone on the jet chuckle.

It’s not your fault you got injured in the latest case, it was supposed to be an easy investigate house and leave kind of job, and yet, the unsub had trapped the house. So, whilst you opened one of the doors, you had triggered one of the wires - shooting an arrow right into your shoulder. You wear a bulletproof vest to avoid getting critically harm if shot. They don’t prepare you when you get shot with an arrow, then again you don’t know what the odds are on getting shot with an arrow in your daily life.

And, you rather not ask Spencer on that statistic. 

So, here you were in the jet on the way home, trying to sleep. You’ve tried to say to your boyfriends that it wasn’t that much of a deal. It wasn’t that deep of a wound and the doctors said you’ll be healed two weeks tops and in that time, you’re on desk work - not that you were complaining. 

But, they refused to take your word for it. They are way too observant, they saw you wince when you accidentally moved it, groaned when a police officer had patted you against the shoulder. They had noticed that you were losing concentration quicker than usual because you were too distracted with the throbbing pain in your shoulder. 

You get it, they were concerned for you and you would be too. But, they’re your boyfriends, not your mother. You just wanted to sleep before your boyfriends overwhelm you with excessive worry. You let out a sigh of content when you feel both their stares divert somewhere else.

Emily had suggested that they play poker, she had felt that you were uncomfortable and tense under their stares, and whilst she found the whole situation amusing - you really did need your rest. After five minutes of their game, they see you visibly relax and your breathing even out signalling that you were out cold.

“You know,” Emily hummed, “You two getting together, predicable, but then adding (Y/n)? Unpredictable.”

“Why do you say that?” Spencer asked, tilting his head, “We’re very lucky to be with him...”

“Is that so?” Emily wondered, eyebrow raising as a soft snore could be heard from your end, “Bless him, he seems tired out.”

“I don’t blame him,” Rossi mentions, also listening to their conversation, “I don’t think he could sleep well after getting hit by an arrow. I heard him muttering about if he hadn’t moved that was straight to his throat - I wouldn’t be so surprised if he’s been dreaming a different outcome.”

Emily cooed as your boyfriends looked over to you, your arms wrapped around your stomach as you had one of those neck pillows around you, your head against the wall. It seems like they get baffled on how quickly you fall asleep, you could be the most talkative person and yet fall asleep mid-sentence.

“I don’t doubt your love for him,” Emily continues, “I like you three happy together. You guys seem so lucky.”

“Of course, we are,” Spencer nodded, a smile creeping on his lips as his eyes light up.

“I mean, there are so many great things about (Y/n), what’s not to love about him?” Derek continues, laughing and shaking his head as he remembers your little quirks and such, “I mean he’s already great at work, but off-work, you see a different part to him.”

“I heard he teaches baseball for little league,” JJ speaks up, looking up from her book, “I was considering to send Henry for it.”

“That’ll be adorable,” Spencer gushed, “And yes, (Y/n) does do little league, you should see him and Derek play, I always get concerned that one of them will get hurt.”

“Yeah, I always forget how fast (Y/n) is,” Derek shakes his head, “I mean who would have thought this man could play the piano blindfolded? Or when he was younger, was that type of kid you hated in high school because he was all about sports.”

“God, I hated them,” Emily rolls her eyes as she exclaims her opinion, “I mean, they were always rude, and our sweet (Y/n) being a jock, it just doesn’t add up.”

Derek nods, agreeing, he might like sports as he grew up but you were more a sports fanatic than him, “You should come by his apartment and you’ll see his high school photo album, he looks good in a varsity jacket.”

“Also, on top of that, he has a passion for piano and has a great vinyl collection,” Spencer continues, “He’s a horrible dancer, but there’s never a day in his apartment where there isn’t music playing. He’s adorable when he tries to dance, but without a fail, he always seems to get both of us to join him.”

The game of poker was abandoned as they continued to talk about you and their relationship with them, they didn’t know how long they were even talking - could be half an hour, could have been an hour. The three of you was an unlikely trio. Everyone remembers how you guys got together, it wasn’t Spencer and Derek asking you out - in fact, they had been pitifully pining over you at work. They just didn’t know how to invite you into their relationship without getting rejected.

But, unexpectedly, you had come bouncing into work with the brightest smile on your face. Holding up three tickets to a shared love for musical theatre, inviting them two with you, as they agreed. You smile turned into a charming smirk, everyone witness how quickly your aura changing. 

The soft sunshine boy switching to a smug charming lad as you exclaimed it was a date with a wink, before heading to Hotch’s office with your files. Since then, whilst Spencer and Derek was a great pair, with you, it was perfect as if you were the glue between them, the middle of their personality, their sunshine. 

“He can get cocky, it’s in his nature...” Spencer complains as Emily chuckled, shaking your head.

“Shut up,” You mumbled, “You like it.”

The three of them turned to look at you, as you slowly opened your eyes. Blinking awake before stretching yourself into regret as you whine in pain when you awkwardly shifted your shoulder. Derek and Spencer cringed because they didn’t want to see you in pain.

“How long have you been awake?” Derek asked as he could feel Spencer tense up next to him, Spencer’s awkwardness emitting to everyone as his cheeks blushed red as you catch them talking about you.

“Dunno, five minutes?” You shrugged, then moaning, “I mean, you guys get excited when you talk about me so you started to get louder...”

“Oh, we apologise,” Spencer looks at you sheepishly as you shake your head.

“No, please continue, I would love to know the story of how you know you were in love with me...”

There was a smirk on your face as Derek’s and Spencer’s smile fall flat, causing JJ and Emily to burst out into laughter.

“You’re a dick,” Derek mutters as you give him a look, “Yeah, yeah, don’t say it. We already know. We like it.”

“Like?” You teased, licking you lip then biting it, “I think you mean love it, sweetheart.”

Derek and Spencer looked at you, you cheekily raised an eyebrow, you might be untouchable now, but you were so going to get it later back at home. You might as well have your fun with it.

[sombreboy]

Love Maze »15

Previous  » Next Series Masterlist ▎ 18+ ▎ pairing: Taehyung x Jungkook ▎ genre: School AU, crack humor, smut, angst, ETL, slow burn, fluff. ▎ word count: 8.1k ▎ ch.warnings: cursing, homophobic slurs (censored), angst, they have another argument smh these boys never catch a fucking break

Co-writer: @velvetwicebang​​​ ♡♡♡

The early morning’s blinding rays invited themselves in through the curtain cracks in Jungkook’s bedroom, landing on a sleeping Taehyung’s puffy face.

The elder’s distracting snoring bounced off the walls of the room, not bothersome to him as he peacefully slept through the noise. Honestly, it was a surprise how much Jungkook was immune to the sound..

The one noise that always did manage to wake Taehyung up, however, was the familiar ringing of that goddamn alarm clock.

As per usual, Tae went through his daily routine consisting of whining about how he’d been pulled out of his slumber, begging Jungkook for a few more minutes, cursing out early morning practices.. same old.

“I’m gonna skip out on showering this morning..” Taehyung drowsily mumbled into the pillow, desperately seeking for a few extra minutes. His body was sore, and Taehyung was one of those people who needed eight hours of sleep.

“Wake me up when you’re done, will you?” A small pause, followed by a raspy, “I love youu~”

Jungkook drowsily turned off the alarm before groaning, for once he didn't actually want to leave his bed.

''You sure?'' he sat up properly, hand reaching over to stroke the elders back carefully, the sudden verbal affection from his boyfriend still surprising-- yet welcomed. It was something the younger needed a little time to get used to, and it made his chest flutter every single time.

''Love you too~'' He cooed back, giving Tae's ass a soft pat before getting out of bed, completely naked from last night. he rummaged through his closet for some clean clothes, stretching the joints in his body before slowly heading towards the bathroom.

Jungkook winced lightly when the hot water hit the scratches on his back, but quickly got used to it as he stood there for a while, washing up and losing himself in his thoughts, everything from what had happened yesterday to Jisoo. He really owed her an apology for not coming back...

When finished, Kook ruffled his wet hair before patting his body mostly dry and throwing on his boxers and sweatpants-- leaving the shirt off to head back to his bedroom. He walks over to the small mirror hanging on the wall, turning his back towards it to check out his back.

''Wow you've got some claws.'' He chuckled before crawling up on the bed to lay down next to Tae again, nuzzling his nose into the elders hair, ''Wake uuup....~''

Taehyung slothfully stirred in his spot, groaning out in groggy distaste when he felt the bed dip, signaling that his boyfriend was out of the shower.

“Yah..” He turned his head to the side, cheek pressed against the pillow whilst his eyelids hung barely open, “you yourself said I have some claws, don’t make me use them..”

Tae contemplated life for a few more seconds before giving in to his boyfriend’s soft pleads, sitting up on the bed with a loud yawn, hands busy rubbing the fatigue out of his eyes.

God, school hadn’t even started and the elder was already dreading stepping into those halls.

''Maybe I liked it..'' Jungkook wrapped his arms around Taehyung to pull him closer into a hug, pecking kisses against his cheeks to annoy him in his sleepy state.

''We have to get ready, like, right now!'' He pressed one last kiss on his lips before getting off the bed, grabbing a snug, black long sleeve to pull over his torso.

Taehyung slowly made his way out of bed, butt-naked as he searched for last night’s clothes.

Thankfully they’ve dried up quite a bit, but the rain’s aroma still lingered in the fabrics.

The elder wasn’t especially thrilled to waltz into school looking.. like, well, put together.

But he didn’t want to bother Jungkook, so black, tight jeans would have to do.

Tae stared at his reflection in the mirror, quickly running his fingers through the waves. He grimaced, nothing seemed to tame the wild curls.

“Fuck it.. let’s go,” the elder fished for the keys in his pocket, throwing on his shoes— double-knotting the laces like always.

Once he got in his car, Taehyung nearly had a heart attack.

That goddamn stuffed animal. It was smiling at him through the rear view mirror.

Shit, he still didn’t know what to do with it.. did Jungkook still want it? Does he throw it in the dumper?

Maybe he’d give it to Jisoo, something told him that Yuna would love it..

Jungkook quickly followed, ignoring the fact that the bear was mockingly smiling at him as well as he sat down. He clicked the seatbelt on before patting Taehyung's thigh reassuringly.

"Don't worry too much. I'm not angry anymore, okay?" He nudges his chin towards the bear.

"I don't really want it...." he felt kind of bad for saying it, but he knew he wouldn't be able to stand staring at it after what it is associated with.

"But we could give it to noona?" He mused-- he still owed her a fucking apology. Maybe this would serve as an apology...

"Anyway...don't worry about that. Let's go." Jungkook sunk into his heat, eyes focusing back ahead.

Taehyung sighed, but nodded nonetheless. He didn’t blame the younger for not wanting to keep the stuffed animal. Truth be told, Tae himself wouldn’t be fully comfortable with seeing its cheery face every time he visited Jungkook’s apartment.

One, it was creepy as fuck. And secondly, it was a mere reminder of his selfish doings.

Taehyung just... he wanted to move past that. He wanted to do better, for his boyfriend.

“Yeah,” he started the car, “noona’s kid would probably like it.”

~

Practice was over in the flutter of an eye— thankfully. Tae didn’t know how much more physical activity he was able to bear with a noticeably sore ass. It was a blessing that he managed to keep his nonchalant facade intact for so long. Trying to act like his boyfriend didn’t just make sweet love to him last night was hard..

Sweaty from working out, Taehyung briskly stripped out of his practice attire, using his jersey to wipe at the dampness on his glistening neck.

“Tae, should I be concerned?,” Hoseok looked, well, concerned.

“What’s up with the giant teddy bear in the back of your car?”

“Yeah, Chim and I saw that too.” Yoongi casually chimed in, pointing over at a half-naked Jimin who was busy typing away on his phone, deaf to the chatter surrounding him.

Taehyung—who was growing annoyed by the topic of that stupid bear— simply brushed it off. “it’s for a friend. She has a little girl, so..”

As if knowing exactly whom it was for, Namjoon defeatedly shrunk in his spot, too much of a wuss to make eye-contact with Jungkook.

He wondered if the younger was still mad..

Sitting in their usual lunch table, they talked about a plethora of topics. However, the newest conversation specifically aimed at Jimin; everyone wanting to know what was keeping the latter so invested.

“What’s got you so hooked on that phone, Chim?”

“More like who..” Hoseok teasingly nudged at his friend’s side, encouraging him to spill it out. Jimin was extremely defiant at first, but his hyung’s loud presence wasn’t something you could just ignore.

“Nothing.. it’s stupid, but— long story short, I downloaded a dating app.”

A series of “oo’s” traveled around the table.

“Oh yeah? Did you meet a girl or something?”

Jimin turned to look at Namjoon, expression so distraught yet.. confident. With a soft exhale, he corrected the elder.

“Actually.. It's a him. His name’s Mino.”

Taehyung abruptly stopped chewing on his cereal, sharing a curt glance with his boyfriend.

“Mino..” Jin pondered out loud, “like the rapper from WINNER?”

“Obviously not, hyung.” The younger rolled his eyes, a bit frightened by the lack of words.

Seeming to notice his distress, Yoongi softly encouraged Jimin to expand on it further— after asking if every single one of his friends were gay.

“I don’t know, we’ve only talked for a few hours.. but he’s really cool. Sweet, too— oh, and he’s also obsessed with strawberries, just like you Tae!”

The boy’s eyes lit up at the topic, obvious to all he had a massive crush.

“Yeah? What else do you know about the guy.” Taehyung took a bite of his strawberry, interested in knowing more.

Finally growing more comfortable, Jimin’s shy smile resurfaced.

“Uhm.. he’s twenty-three, and he teaches little kids. How cute is that? He’s into video games, if I remember correctly.. Animal Crossing is his favorite. Halsey! He enjoys listening to her music... also, he’s really pretty.”

“Damn, Jimin. Just marry the guy already..” Jin snickered.

“Chim’s whipped.”

The subject of the matter pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Am not.. it’s just— ah, he texted me!”

Taehyung snorted in amusement, shaking his head before looking at Jungkook.

“Wish you’d text me more. You’re a horrible texter, you know.”

Jungkook's eyes had been balling back and forth during the conversations, from half-glaring at Namjoon (even if he'd calmed down, honestly--Namjoon was just a clutz. She seemed fine... he hoped.), to his gaze softening at the way Jimin was swooning over his new crush-- a boy, even!... The way his eyes lit up was heartwarming.

Then, during his entire daydream, Taehyungs words burst his little bubble. The younger breathes out a chuckle through his nose, nudging his boyfriend back.

''Why would I text you when you're with me every day?'' He wrapped an arm around Taes shoulder to pull him closer with his strong arm-- from any outsider it would simply look friendly. ''Or do you miss me that bad during class too?''

 Taehyung kept his eyes trained on the tray in-front of him, mindlessly picking at his cereal as a distraction from Jungkook’s hold.

Now that their friends knew about their relationship, they didn’t miss the opportunity to coo at the couple-y sight.

As a natural response, his cheeks got stained with a rosy pop of color. Tae shrugged out of his boyfriend’s grasp, though, a petty attempt to seem unfazed.

“Duh..” He sassed, aggressively munching on his buttered toast.

“Why else would I send ‘everyone here sucks, kinda wish you were here’ texts? And you know how you repay my affection? By leaving me on read.”

Taehyung childishly huffed, coming across as needy for the younger’s attention.

Jungkook withdrew his arm and flashed a toothy grin towards the elder, shrugging as well in response.

''I will reply next time, promise.''

He glanced at the clock, ignoring the repeated cooes from his hyungs.

''Speaking of class, it's almost time to go,'' He nudges his boyfriend once more.

''I'll make sure to check my phone often then, but don't expect me to be glued onto it like Jimin..'' He jokes, the rest of the group snickering-- however Jimin remained unfazed, too caught up in his own little bubble that is his cellphone.

As they all separated to go to their respective classes, Jungkook sat down by his desk, placing his cellphone by his stack of books, only paying the lecture half of his attention as the other half was constantly glancing over at his device. This time he would reply.

A few minutes into the lecture, Taehyung already had his cellphone in his hands.

His boyfriend’s contact was displayed on the screen, a picture he snuck of Jungkook sleeping set as the younger’s profile.

Biting at the corner of his bottom lip, he began typing away, curious to see how fast it’d take Jungkook to reply.

To: Kook🐰🤟🏼 i’m trying to pay attention in class but my ass is still sore 😒 be glad I love your big dick just as much as I love you 😙

Jungkook picked his phone up much quicker than he'd like to admit, swiping the one sided wall of previously sent texts sent by his boyfriend. The last text received made the younger's cheeks flush in pink along with the small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

He immediately began tapping at his screen, a foreign concept to everybody who caught a glance at jungkook in the classroom.

To: Tae🐯💜 Haha... you took it pretty well. Maybe next time you can give me the same treatment🥴 now I can't pay attention either... love you!

The elder chuckled— a bit too loudly, but he brushed it off as a cough.

To: Kook🐰🤟🏼 maybe.. 😏 if you keep replying I might just have to give you a big surprise

Taehyung sat his phone down, but the emptiness in his hands didn’t last long. Soon enough, he was back to texting Jungkook.

Tae wasn’t fully pleased, the sudden drive to see his boyfriend was too overpowering to ignore.

To: Kook🐰🤟🏼 actually, meet me in the secret spot behind the school?? ‘m needy for a kiss

“Uhm, Mrs. Jung?” Everyone’s head swiveled towards Taehyung, “can I use the restroom?”

The elderly teacher seemed to think about it for a while, the creases in her forehead wrinkling even further as she visibly frowned.

“Sure. But be quick.”

The boy nodded, sliding back on his chair before practically jogging out of the classroom, excited to hold his boyfriend.

Jungkook held his promise of replying once, but didn't even bother sending anything else, his phone shoved back into his pocket as he excused himself. As soon as he left the classroom, he too sprinted towards the hidden spot behind the building. If he had this kind of speed during practice, he surely would have been deemed the golden maknae all over again.

Jungkook rocked on his feet as he waited for his boyfriend, actually fishing up his phone for once to send a quick text.

To: Tae🐯💜 I'm here!! come!!! T3T

“Maybe next time I can give you the same treatment, huh?” Taehyung’s cheeky smirk shifted into a genuine smile when he approached Jungkook, teasingly recalling what the younger had sent him over text.

Unable to take the distance for a second longer, Tae ran into his boyfriend’s arms, not wasting any time peppering his face with loud kisses.

Fuck.. Taehyung was the definition of whipped.

Not worried about anyone catching them, the elder slowly drove Jungkook’s back against the rusty wall, lips attached to the younger’s in a gentle kiss.

When he pulled away, Tae’s hooded eyes were drawn to his boyfriend’s face, raking over every little detail.

“You replied,” he broke out into a silly grin, playfully squeezing at Kook’s hips. “You’ve grown~”

Jungkook hummed into the kiss with content, hands reaching up to run his fingers through Tae's messy hair. He obviously didn't even bother fixing it up since last night,

''I kind of get why Jimin can't unglue his phone from his eyes, anticipating a text is dreadful.. I couldn't focus on anything.'' He sighed in a fake dramatic voice, leaning his head back against the wall. His gaze was in complete tunnel vision for his boyfriend, a grin widening on his lips as he proudly announces his terribly awful joke--.

''If you're gonna keep kissing and praising me like that something else will grow.''

Well, it did have some truth in it.

A raspy laugh emitted from the back of Taehyung’s throat, who shook his head in utter disbelief. By the time the hearty sound gradually quieted down, the elder’s tongue swiped over his still swollen lips; which had yet to simmer down from their previous make out session.

“Oh yeah? What else..?”

Taehyung pressed his thigh against Jungkook’s crotch, playing with his boyfriend’s senses whilst he wore a shameless lopsided grin.

“I dunno what you’re talking about.”

He pressed on it harder, somewhat making out the thick shape of the younger’s cock as he faintly moved his leg, practically kneading the spot in between his boyfriend’s legs.

Acting as if he didn’t just do any of that, Taehyung outstretched his arms over his head, holding back his prickling smile.

“The weather’s lovely today, isn’t it?”

 A not so subtle sigh emitted from Jungkook's lips, morphing into a low whine at the way the elders knee massaged his length.

"Oh, fuck off..." he smiled, the light tone of his voice indicating the affection in his curses. His boyfriend surely knew how to tease back-- it must be a revenge from the countless times the younger had teased him first.

"We're gonna end up skipping the entire day if you keep going--" his voice was cut off by another shameless gasp, kooks fingers curling into fists as they grasp Taehyung's shirt to pull him back into a needier kiss, teeth almost clashing together between the heavier breaths, "making me needy" he murmurs his muffled words between their kisses.

Taehyung’s teeth tugged at Jungkook’s bottom lip, lightly nibbling on the soft skin as if asking permission for his tongue to intrude in the pit of warmth. His hands grasp his boyfriend’s waist, roughly manhandling the boy as he pulled him towards his body, deepening his deprived hunger for their kisses.

“Maybe I wanna make you needy.” The elder's velvety voice purred into his ear, one hand placed on the slope of his boyfriend’s nape, drawing him all the more closer.

"But we shouldn't.."

It was too risky, the lust wasn’t worth the hassle.

With a quick glance downwards, Tae’s chuckle rang once more. Their hard-ons were prominently poking at the fabric of their pants and with the little space between them, they inevitably brushed against one another.

“Later tonight. Get ready,” He leaned in to press an innocent kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek, purposely leaning in closer than needed for additional contact, their hardened, clothed cocks pinning together for a teasing second.

“I don’t wanna leavee..” Taehyung groaned in annoyance, finding their alone time to be more entertaining than class.

Jungkook whined in annoyance, a small pout on his lips as his doe eyes stared at Taehyung, "And you call me a tease...." he sighs with a smile, still keeping a tight grip on Taes shirt, hesitant to let go. Eventually, however, he did; instead letting his hands fix Taehyung's mess of a hair once more. Or at least attempt to.

"Let's head back then before I change my mind, I'll drag you to the ground if you even look at me." He scrunch his nose in a giggle, leaning in to kiss his boyfriend on the nose.

Much to their disclosure, they weren’t alone, someone else had been recording their supposedly secret interaction.

What they planned to do with the footage? No one else knew but them. And whatever the outcome was, it wasn’t going to be pretty.

~

The last class of the day was soon done and over with, making Taehyung ecstatic as he hastily packed his things (packing as in shoving his loose pieces of paper in his backpack), aiming towards the door with hurried steps.

Ever since his last interaction with the younger, Tae’s been awfully.. needy.

His sexual hormones were bouncing off the roof, tauntingly chanting ‘Jungkook, Jungkook,’ again and again until that was all he knew.

As Taehyung made his way to the common common area, he shamelessly wondered if his boyfriend would be up for fucking in his crappy car again.

The elder knew he’d said they would wait until tonight, but ‘tonight’ wasn’t right now.

Damn, Tae would love to try out different positions in such a compact space..

It was thrilling.

Oblivious to him, students’ un-welcomed stares dug holes in his back, watching the boy’s every move with utter shock— utter revelation. It was as if they were the camera lens themselves.

There was no way Taehyung was the other guy in the newly surfaced video, right?

Jeon Jungkook was one of them— for sure. He was unknowingly facing the shot, kissing another boy— who appeared to be Tae— with a bunny grin on his beaming face.

The video started with them making out; Jungkook’s doe eyes fluttered shut as Taehyung held him close, head slightly tilted to the side.

The frame zoomed in on the two boys’ comfortable posture, the elder could be seen rubbing his knee against Kook’s crotch, the latter slyly smiling in response.

Then more kissing, Taehyung whispering little things in his boyfriend’s ear..

To wrap things up, the footage cut off at the soft kiss on the elder’s nose, proceeding to zoom in on their tangled hands whilst they walked out of sight.

It was messy.. to everyone else but Taehyung. He waited for Jungkook in the same area as always, brushing off the ill looks thrown his way.

Jungkook hurried from the lecture room as soon as class was dismissed, backpack thrown over one shoulder as he walked in brisk steps through the hallways-- not as oblivious to the drilling looks coming his way. However, he was rather used to it by now-- so it didn't phase him as much as it probably should..

But then again, why? People haven't looked at him that way since he came out... and he rarely checked his phone, so he was completely unknowing of the circling video.

He shrugged it off, heading towards the common area to find his boyfriend idly waiting for him, the younger opted to jog to close the distance between them & nudged Taehyung on the shoulder.

"Hey! Waited long?" He grinned up at Tae, but it quickly faded as he once again noticed the murmurs and looks of basically everybody around them. Jungkook's eyes roamed the room, but decided to let them land back on Taehyung.

"Lets go?" He started to feel weirdly uncomfortable with all the stares, he wanted to get out of there.

As they headed out, a group of guys-- specifically the jocks that had called Jungkook a f*ggot without him knowing to Tae, had started to whistle and throw slurs towards the boys.

"The fairy put you under his spell huh?" One chanted, the others quickly laughing and motioning taking a dick in their mouth, "Hey, Taehyung! Are you the girl or the guy?!" Another snickered.

The more time they spent displayed in the common area like a plague, Taehyung’s natural obliviousness slowly diminished until all he became was hyper aware of his deafening atmosphere. The murmurs were exceptionally quiet, but they hit his ears like breaking glass.

He mindlessly nodded at his boyfriend whilst he challenged the students’ nosy stares with his own, asserting his dominance over the situation as they aimed for the nearest exit.

Unaware of the next obstacle they were going to have to face, Tae hesitantly parted his sealed lips, about to ask Jungkook the burning question they were both thinking— ‘what the hell was that?’— when Kai and his clique approached them with confident strides.

“W-what..?” Very much disoriented, Tae forced out a strained chuckle, “funny..”

The boy tried to play along with their obvious joke, his awkward laughter blending in with the group’s taunting snickers.

“No, dude..” Haechan amusingly corrected, “who takes a dick up the ass? Who’s the girl in the relationship?”

The elder’s chest shriveled up into an uncomfortable knot, and so did his throat as he was barely able to utter back a word.

What..?

“What— what relationship?” He shakily asked, completely disregarding the other foul comment. Glancing over at Jungkook, the look of fright on Taehyung’s face was evident.

“This relationship,” a phone was shoved into their faces, replaying the invasive video that had been going around all day.

It seemed like it would never end..

Taehyung swore he felt his heart drop.

“Uhm—“

“Fucking disgusting if you ask me.”

“N-no.. it’s just..” His breathing was uneven, eyes blown wide as they stared blankly ahead.

Fuck— this was too much too soon.

By now, a small crowd had gathered around them, only adding salt to Taehyung’s aching panic.

“F*ggot!” One of the guys deliberately spat in the elder’s face— not literally, but it sure felt like it.

Tears rushed to the brim of Tae’s eyes, which had yet to decipher into their normal shape.

He was having trouble breathing, clear in the way his chest vigorously heaved in its place. His face was drained of any color, and the buzzing in his ear was getting hard to bear.

Taehyung hadn’t even noticed their close friends had stepped in on their behalf, Yoongi’s vulgar curses sounding like pure gibberish.

He couldn’t move, it was as if he was glued to his place.

Shit, Tae wanted to disappear.

And so did Jungkook. He was frozen in place as he watched the video, their privacy suddenly open for all to see. Not that he was ashamed of them, but because whether this was a secret or not; it was their moment of privacy, invaded.

Kook quickly glanced over at his boyfriend, mouth parting and closing several times as he struggled to find his words, his worry for the elder growing more important than the worry for what everyone else thinks of him.

He wondered what Taehyung felt... even if it was an invasion of their privacy, he seemed ashamed of them. That didn't go unnoticed.

However he decided to shrug it off, instead focusing on getting them the fuck out of there, tugging at Taes arm.

"Come on." He murmured as he pulled the elder with him, grateful for his hyungs shooing everybody away. He'd have to thank them later; but now all he could focus on was taking his boyfriend out of this situation.

After finally being able to pull Taehyung out of his frozen spot, Kook guided him towards a more secluded area next to the school building to wait until the parking lot would be less crowded.

"Hey," Jungkook softly uttered as he cupped Taes cheeks to try to get in contact with him-- he seemed completely out of it. The younger doe eyes were blown wide with concern.

"Hey, it's okay."

Taehyung didn’t believe that for a second.

It wasn’t okay, their relationship was just outed to the whole goddamn school! What.. what if his father finds out one way or another?

What if he gets ridiculed for the rest of his senior year?

The elder forcefully withdrew from the other’s grainy hands, his cheeks beginning to sting from Jungkook’s touch.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you,” was the first thing Taehyung muttered, gripping at his hair in agitation. “I-I shouldn’t have.. fuck!”

More fresh tears rushed to his eyes, glazing over the anger that was still present, raven fringe shielding the hurt they obtained.

Jungkook took a step back like he'd been punched in the gut by Taehyung's reaction, his hands falling limp to his sides as he stared at the male in front of him. Tae was almost unrecognizable in Kook's eyes.

''Wha-- Tae, calm down...'' He took a breath of his own, as if trying to take his own advice and remain calm.. But it was fucking hard, it felt like Taehyung was shoving the blame on them, or him for this.

Jungkook curled his hands into fists, unsure what to do when his growing uncomfort hurled over him. He wanted to hold Taehyung, but the elder didn't seem to even want to touch Jungkook, acting like his touch was comparable to fire.

''Taehyung, sit down--''

“Yeah,” Tae scoffed, “calm down..” he boldly mocked the younger, jaw tightly clenched in its place out of anger. Finally, he shifted his anxiety-drunken gaze to his boyfriend’s dimmed eyes, nostrils flared up as his overwhelming emotions once again got the best of him.

“What the fuck is that gonna do, Jungkook?!” He roared in the boy’s face, remaining composure unwinding with every barbarous word.

“The damage is already done! Great, we’re the f*ggots of our school now.”

Taehyung breathed out a soft, saddened laugh, running his hand down his face in boiling regret.

Shit, how much he wished he could go back in time and prevent this bullshit from happening.

“Wha— you were facing the camera anyways, why didn’t you notice?!”

'F*ggots of our school.'

Another verbal punch thrown into the younger's gut, causing him to flinch at the mocking tone. Now it was Jungkook's turn to feel his anger slowly boiling up in his veins that were growing prominent in his arms through the hard, clenched fists to his sides, nostrils flaring as he took deep breaths.

''Why are you blaming me?! I didn't see anybody!'' His voice no longer had any sign of worry, instead laced with frustration. What the fuck was going on with the sudden, undeserved hostility?

Jungkook took a step closer to his boyfriend. ''It's not the end of the world!'

Taehyung stumbled back a couple steps, ensuring there was a noted distance between them.

“I know it’s not the goddamn end of your world!” He angrily retorted back. “but for my fucked up.. trashy, hell of a world it is!”

The elder’s brittle voice wavered, the veins in his neck significantly strained.

“Jungkook.. if— if my father finds out..” The corner of his lip twitched at the mere thought of his worst nightmare, curtly snapping his head to the side when he felt his eyes sting with more tears. Sadly, Taehyung feared for his well being whenever he was around that monster. If he found out that his son was dating another guy...

The elder didn’t want to think about the possible consequences.

“This is—“

“Hey! Guys, we were looking for you..” Jimin and Seokjin ran towards them, gradually stopping midway when they made out the tense aura oozing off of the wanted pair.

Their postures were rigid, and judging from the look in Taehyung’s face, things weren’t looking too good.

“You can get a ride from them, right? I’m leaving.” The elder left Jungkook on his own, unbothered to wait for a clear answer before walking off towards his car, the tightness in his chest having yet to cease.

“Jungkook..” Jimin hesitantly reached out for his friend, resting his smaller hand on the younger’s shoulder.

Jungkook was left speechless at the sudden turn of events, again.

He hadn't even been able to process what the fuck had just happened-- just an hour ago they were excited to go home together, and now Taehyung left the younger alone without even a single look.

Kook flinched when he felt Jimin's hand on his shoulder, not even registering that they were there until Tae was out of sight.

''I'm gonna... uh, walk home.''

God knows he needed it.

''Jungkook, no, let us drive you?'' Jimin tried, but he knew it was useless. Their youngest was obviously upset-- for good reason probably, and his much needed space was understandable.

''Nah, just-- I need to go.'' Jungkook sighed, glancing over at the worried looks of his hyungs, ''Thank you.''

Without another word, Jungkook threw his backpack over his shoulder and headed towards his apartment, mind constantly replaying the words thrown at him just mere minutes before.

He stepped inside of his apartment, letting his bag fall to the floor along with his jacket, mindlessly kicking off his shoes before slumping down into his couch with a thud, fishing his phone out. He knew he shouldn't, but he pulled up the video circling on the snapchat stories, seeing peoples terrible commentary to the event. Anything from the overused slurs to mocking the two. But what kook truly focused on was the two men in the video, the zoom of their intertwined hands walking off at the end. It hurt to watch-- because he missed Tae’s touch, the mere memory of Taehyung flinching away from his touch made his chest ache.

Should he text him? Jungkook rarely did.. Or did he need time alone? Fuck, he needed to relax. It's fine, right? Like every other fucking time they fought, they'd bounce back.

Jungkook decided to simply put his phone down and go to bed instead, hoping things would have cooled off by tomorrow.

~

Taehyung disregarded the sound of the familiar alarm, letting him know that it was time to get ready for practice.

He barely slept last night, feeling alienated in his spacious bed. Taehyung had gotten too comfortable with Jungkook, even his own bed felt.. strange, like it wasn’t the right fit. His room— in which he’d spent most of his time hiding— didn’t feel the same, either.

With an unpleased groan, Tae blindly followed the dreadful ring with his ears, finally taking his phone into his hand before putting it on silence.

He didn’t want to get bombarded with judgemental stares during the day. He didn’t think he’d be able to handle it. So.. Taehyung didn’t bother to find out for himself. The elder had barely any energy left in him, proved by the way his eyelids threatened to close with every passing second.

~

Jungkook drowsily turned his alarm off as soon as it rang, arm automatically reaching over out of habit towards the empty space next to him. He sighed deeply. So it wasn't just a fucking dream, then.

He wondered what today would be like.

Hopefully Taehyung had calmed down and rationed things.

But, to the younger's surprise-- Taehyung was nowhere to be seen as he stepped into practice. His eyes roamed the court, craning his neck to find the face he wished to see.

''Hey Kook!'' Jimin chimed, hopping towards his younger friend, ''How are you feeling? Are you okay?''

Jimin put an arm around Kook, leading him towards the anticipating group, their eyes flickering between Jungkook and each other.

''Hey, uh..'' Namjoon began, but was quickly interrupted by Yoongi.

''Where's Taehyung?''

Yoongi flinched at the kick on his shin from Hoseok.

''I, uh...I don't know? I thought he'd be here.'' Jungkook shrugged, masking his obvious worry and frustration. Maybe he just needed more space than Kook thought.

The entire day was dreadful, from enduring all the stares and whispers from what felt like every single student in the school, to attempting to focus in class. It was useless. All he could think about was Taehyung.

Finally, the bell rang-- the younger able to head home, his phone glued to his face on the way. Still radio silence. It wasn't like his boyfriend to go this long without any contact...

When Kook finally got home, he opted to try to send a text:

To: Tae Hey, are you okay?

Jungkook read his text over and over, even added a 'Miss you', but decided to delete that part before hitting send. It was simple, but the least he could do was reach out.

A deep sigh left his lips before he repeated the same routine of worrying, showering, eating a half-assed meal and heading to bed. Tomorrow he'd surely come.

~

Taehyung spent the majority of the day laying under his covers, safely tucked away from his troubles.

The only excuse for his feet to touch the ground was when he needed to use the restroom, or when his stomach audibly protested for its first bite of food.

He’d seen Jungkook initiate a text, but unlike the previous times, he wasn’t extremely eager to answer.

Even the slightest bit of movement was physically draining.

When his father came home, Taehyung had yet to move from his lying position.

Now he had more of a reason to stay put.

He’d fallen asleep soon after, and by the time Taehyung checked his phone, it was 10:34 in the morning.

Fuck.. well, why bother going to school now, right? His first hour class had already passed.

Taehyung didn’t think about sending one of his friends a text, mind too foggy to act unselfish.

They probably weren’t even worried, and with that incorrect thought in his head, Tae fell back asleep.

~

If that first day wasn't already long and dreadful, the second day was next level for Jungkook.

Once again, Taehyung hadn't shown up to practice, nor did he show up to school at all.

And it didn't help that his hyungs were up his ass about it too.

'Where's Taehyung?'

'Is he sick?'

'Are you guys okay?'

Were they okay? Jungkook didn't fucking know. He couldn't get a hold of the boy. And to think of it-- the elder hadn't even replied to the text. Worried was an understatement at this point.

Jungkook got through the routines of the day, minutes felt like hours without his boyfriend, and as the day had started to melt together, the bell rang once again, the day over.

He headed towards the common area once more, internally cursing himself out for automatically expecting Taehyung to stand in his usual spot-- only feeling his chest tighten when he wasn't.

Kook walked home slowly this time, oddly enough checking his phone more frequently for any sign of Tae, but to no avail. If he wouldn't show up tomorrow, he'd definitely have to do something about this.

~

To everyone’s surprise-- Taehyung’s included-- the boy went back to school after his two-day streak of absence. He figured he couldn’t skip out on his remaining months, no matter how tempting it was to just.. vanish. As a side effect of his profound anxiety, Tae was more reserved than usual. He feared getting flooded with any unwanted questions, and his peers’ shameless murmurs only worsened his internal turmoil.

Maybe toughening up was a shitty idea; the second he stepped in those halls the wall he’d built for himself came crashing down.

With his hood shielding him from the outside world, Taehyung walked into the locker room. His steps were far from confident, and to anyone with a pair of working eyes it was obvious Tae was practically pushing himself to not curl up into a ball and feel bad for himself.

The elder feared hearing that word, it was weird in its own way. Whenever the slur was directed towards Jungkook, Taehyung didn’t think twice before throwing a punch. However, when it was meant for him he felt weak. He hated it.

However, nobody had uttered a single word towards Taehyung as of yet, only murmurs amongst themselves-- not even his friends. Not even Jungkook, who kept at a distance as he watched the elder ignore everybody like he was in his own bubble.

Kook was surprised to see him, and still seemingly in a weird state of mind…

Was Taehyung gonna say something? Should Jungkook say something? He felt weird about it-- and the constant glances from everybody else made him hesitate. He didn't want to make it worse..

Instead, the younger opted for throwing quick glances every now and then, hoping Tae would be looking at him as well for any indication that they'd talk. But he got nothing, and it was almost eerie.

It was frustrating as hell.

Jungkook hoped that as the locker room emptied out, Taehyung would stay around for a private conversation, but that was apparently not part of the plan as Jungkook watched the elder turn to leave without a word once more, kook following behind in silence. This day was gonna be long.

The elder failed to make every basket during practice, his aim was off, and his overall stance was stiff. It worried Namjoon, not only because one of his best players was lacking, but because his friend had his head in the clouds.

He’s never seen Taehyung this out of it..

But then again, when someone’s been forced to come out by a silly video roaming around the school, it was reasonable to be scared.

Namjoon just would’ve never guessed Tae was one of the people who were easily affected by useless chatter. He’s always deemed the younger as strong, fearless.

Joon had yet to be proven wrong.

Taehyung showed up today, and the elder found that to be the epitome of bravery.

If he was in his shoes, Namjoon wouldn’t know what to do. Not show his face in school, that was for sure.

In that moment, it had been established that Tae was far stronger than he was.

“Joon, can I get a drink of water.”

He’d been in the middle of a speech when Taehyung interrupted. Usually Joon would’ve scolded him for it, but with the way the morning’s been going, the elder simply nodded like a bobble head.

All watched the gloomy boy step out of the gymnasium, all the while Joon’s eyes were glued on Kook. There was definitely something going on between the two.

Namjoon waited a couple of seconds, anticipating Taehyung’s return.

Either the latter was extremely thirsty, or he used that as an excuse to leave mid practice.

“Uh.. I need someone to fetch me some extra basketballs. Jungkook? Can you do that?”

Really Namjoon was just giving the younger one a reason to chase after his troubled boyfriend, hoping they figure things out amongst themselves.

Jungkook didn't hesitate for even a second as soon as Namjoon gave him a chance at chasing after his boyfriend. A quick, grateful look given to the captain was all he gave before heading out the door, mind still swirling with his thoughts. Anxiety was a bitch, always amplifying and spurring on his worries-- and the way Taehyung was acting didn't help at all.

Jungkook finally found the familiar male bent over the water fountain. A part of him felt relieved just seeing him in the flesh, he wasn't randomly gone-- and by the looks of it, he hasn't gotten hurt..

Before, Jungkook had been hesitant, even cautious to talk to the elder, but after this amount of time, he'd grown tired of this shit. It wasn't his fault, none of this!

"Taehyung." Jungkook breathed the words out, as if he hadn't said them in so long that it felt.. weird, yet familiar. He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for his boyfriend to tell him anything. Why weren't they talking this through?

Taehyung’s muscles tensed under the intrusive voice, slowly straightening his posture as he made a great effort to meet Jungkook’s hardened gaze.

“Look.. I’m not in the mood to talk, alright?”

Taehyung attempted to walk around the younger, feeling as if there was a vacuum sucking all the air out of his lungs.

For all he knew, someone could be recording them right now, stepping into their personal problems without an invite.

Jungkook swiftly stepped in front of Taehyung, blocking the way with his wider frame. His eyes squinted in frustration, fingers digging his blunt nails into his own biceps to keep himself as calm as possible. Tae really had the nerve to say he doesn't want to talk?

"Are you serious? I've worried for two days and that's the first thing you say?"

Taehyung breathed out in exasperation, wanting nothing more than to push Jungkook out of his way. The latter was visibly stronger so Tae decided to stay put, at least for now..

“You didn’t have to worry about me, I’m fine.” He mirrored the younger’s stance, arms tensely crossed over his chest.

Jungkooks common ritual of frustration appeared in the form of his tongue prodding the inside of his cheek, the annoyed head tilt following as he tried to read the expression in Taehyung's face. Why did he suddenly feel like a stranger? Why did he suddenly feel like the old Taehyung?

"You're kidding me... stop acting like this, just fucking talk to me!" Jungkook untangled himself from his own arms to place his hands on his hips. "I can't stand the silence."

“Maybe I don’t fucking wanna talk to you! Ever thought about that?!”

The elder’s chest heaved, bigger hands balled up into tight fists at his sides. He let out a shaky exhale, lowering his brittle voice after a few seconds of scraping around for his inner serenity.

“Ever thought about what I fucking wanted?” His fragile tone was a distraction from the deafening silence.

As if Jungkook was a contagious disease, Tae cowardly stepped back.

“I— I tried to please you, Jungkook,” the elder continued, “even when I wasn’t comfortable with— with showing public affection, or letting you hug me in front of other people, I still did it.”

Taehyung shook his head, as if not believing he allowed himself to fall so deep.

“Hell, I wanted to make you happy. I couldn’t say how scared I felt.. or my take on the situation. And you know what? I wish I would’ve put me first.”

More silence..

“I wasn’t fucking ready like you were! I-I just... wasn’t.”

Taehyung ran a hand through his hair, breaking down with every truthful word.

“Maybe if I listened to my gut, none of this shit would’ve happened.”

Jungkook took in every word, each one of them building to his whirl of emotions clashing in his chest. He wasn't sure what to say, arguing with the elder is like talking to a wall sometimes...

He exhaled a shaky breath, eyes averting Taes as he stared down at the ground. A short nod followed, his jaw muscles clenching. Jungkook just wanted them to be good again, but the elder continuously pushes that thought away with his words.

"Fine." He murmurs, no longer feeling the need to speak to Taehyung when all he got thrown at him was blame. He took another step back, slowly distancing himself as well before he would lose his temper-- the urge to fucking punch him was burning. And yet... the other part of him wanted to cry. This entire situation was just pure shit...

Taehyung didn’t build on what he had to say, simply walking around Jungkook now that he seemed more inattentive of his surroundings.

The elder saw the millions of thoughts flashing through his boyfriend’s glazed eyes.

He felt guilty; Tae didn’t particularly get off on angering the younger, or leaving him close to tears. But he had to get that off his heavy chest, he was already short of breath. Leaving the uncomfortable mass to linger would’ve been deadly.

Jungkook took a deep, silent breath as he waited for Taehyung to be out of sight until he came back down to reality. He still didn't entirely get the uncomfortable tension between them. It was so sudden...

Jungkook had to take a moment, fighting his fight or flight instincts telling him to get the fuck out of there. He pushed the emotions down, completely forgetting about the instructions from Namjoon to get the basketballs as he headed back to the court. Hopefully practice was over soon anyway. He just wanted to go home.

~

The rest of the long day Taehyung spent avoiding Jungkook, succeeding in doing so considering they didn’t share any common classes. Before, that was something Taehyung wished was different.

He wanted to be in the same class as his boyfriend, anything to be close to him.

Now? He was glad that wasn’t the case, it would hurt too much to make eye contact with him from across the room.

Tae’s blurry mind wasn’t on board, however, the younger was all he thought about.

Jungkook was all he knew, in a sense. It felt weird not being able to talk, to send him pestering messages only for Kook to ignore them, picking out the marshmallows in his cereal to give them to him..

It sucked, but Taehyung knew space was the medication they needed.

The elder was up in his room, shaky thumbs hovering above his phone’s keyboard whilst he stalled on Jungkook’s contact.

He’d been thinking about how unstable their relationship was; how they always fought more often than not— how most of their loud bickering was because of something he’d done.

Taehyung didn’t know how the fuck to act in a relationship, he was a piece of shit.

His boyfriend deserved better.. he deserved a guy who’d proudly show him off, kiss him without any fears, hold his hand without worrying about outsiders’ stares. Someone not nearly as messy.

Tae harshly wiped away a stray tear, inhaling softly to stay grounded.

He’d already made up his mind, but /fuck/ was it hard to actually go through with it..

Exhaling, Taehyung quickly typed out the same phrase that’s been haunting him all day, pushing ‘send’ once he was done.

To: Kook I think we should break up.

Taehyung knew that if he read over it once again, he’d lose all courage to end things.

He was only looking out for Jungkook, after all.

On the other end of things, that was the exact opposite of what Taehyung did.

© sombreboy 2020. Do not edit, repost or translate.

[ms-maj]

Do You Hear What I Hear

All the thanks in the world to the amazing @theheavycrown​ for the incredible header. I think I’ve said it before and surely I will say it again but, Sarah is best. This is for prompt #29- A very special present has a fluffy, four-legged surprise inside requested by the lovely @reinhartdeyes​. Enjoy!

“Do you see anything?” The flashlight shook in Betty’s hands, biting cold working through her mittens as she tried to illuminate a path for Jughead.

“Do you?” Her husband questioned back from deeper inside the garage. 

She took a step in, the snow and wind blowing at her back. “If I had seen anything, Jug, I wouldn’t have torn you away from your last-minute wrapping.”

At that he stood, shined his flashlight at her and sighed. “I’m not saying you were hearing things, Betts, but...maybe you were hearing things. It’s not exactly a nice night.”

The snow had been falling steadily for a couple of hours, turning their very green Christmas Eve into what would undoubtedly be the white Christmas everyone had been dreaming of. “I was not hearing things, Jughead. I heard a very specific sound. It was crying!”

“Then why haven’t I heard anything? We’ve been out here for fifteen minutes and all I can hear is your teeth chattering,” he took a step toward a pile of haphazardly stacked boxes, carefully trying to weave his way through the maze in the dark.“Betty, it’s close to midnight,” Jughead took the first box down and set it aside. “It’s nearly blizzarding, and we still have to get everything ready for the morning. Five more minutes and I’m…”

Squeak. 

“Did you hear that!?” Betty moved closer to her husband.

“No, I didn’t, shockingly enough,” he muttered, heaving another box off the pile. An old plastic dollhouse sat between him and the wall; his boot caught on it as he tried to turn in the dark space. “Shit!” 

Keep reading below or check it out here

Jughead managed to keep his balance but had apparently stirred something in the darkness.

SQUEAK.

Betty’s light cut a swath in the dark before them, his boot now purposefully tapping at the dollhouse.

The squeaking amplified; not just in volume but also in frequency. 

“Jughead, if you try to tell me you still don’t hear anything I’m going…”

“No, Betty, I hear it. I can’t unhear it. I think that if I move—oh my god.”

Betty rushed over with her flashlight. “What? What is it?”

“It’s a little...” Leaning over the dollhouse, after a little bit of a struggle, Jughead pulled up a very small, very loud puff of fur. “...kitty.” 

Betty had set her flashlight down on the snowblower before rushing over to her husband and taking the very tiny kitten from his hands. “It has no tail! Oh my gosh, Jug, we need to go get milk and bottles and—”

“Whoa, whoa, it’s Christmas Eve, Elizabeth,” he said, retrieving their flashlights and walking back to the door. 

“Fine, Forsythe, you take it and I’ll go,” the too-young-to-be-alone kitten is held out in front of her, nearly lost in Betty’s hands. It was blizzarding now with at least six inches covering the driveway and sidewalks. The one store that was sure to be open was a good thirty minutes away on a good night, but Betty knew that if she continued to look at him in just that way he’d cave. Jughead craned his neck back, gloved hands pulling his well-worn beanie back over his head.

He sighed. “Go start a fire, get it warm or find something for it to sleep in. I’ll take care of everything else IF you finish my wrapping for me.”

“Deal!” Betty lunged forward, cradling the small creature to her chest as she kissed her husband in thanks. Unzipping her jacket, Betty stuffed the kitten inside and ran off to the house, her less than enthusiastic husband following behind her. 

“I’m gonna start the car, maybe shovel a little bit, you’re not listening to me at all so I’m just gonna go and hope to God I make it back before daybreak.”

Betty waved him off, too busy trying to figure out where to put their newest little friend for the night. The door closed in the distance, taking a resigned Jughead with it when she spied the tote full of presents by the tree. Of course, not one of them was wrapped. She nodded to herself in acceptance, she could make short work of that and have a place for the kitten to sleep. The kitten, however, had different plans. 

“Fire, right,” she mumbled to herself, setting the kitten down in an attempt to set up the wood. The small, terrified cat began to cry as soon as her paws hit the hardwood, crawling back up Betty’s still-booted foot before she could get any logs laid. “Okay, okay, I’m not going anywhere.” Betty picked up the whining fluff ball and realized it could do with a good cleaning, it’s bright blue eyes searching the room for something familiar and only finding Betty. 

Softly she smiled as she kicked her boots off next to the fireplace. They made their way up the stairs, kitten firmly pressed to her chest so she could grab throw blankets and old towels from the linen closet. It was careful dance to not instigate the kitten into alerting the neighborhood of their presence. 

It was well after two but the fire was lit, the kitten was bathed and currently curled up in an old blanket in the tote and all the presents wrapped and arranged under the tree. Betty was starting to fill the stockings when the kitchen door blew open, bringing with it her snow-covered husband with multiple bags of supplies. 

“Jesus, Jug. You look like the abominable snowman!” Laughing, she steps into the room, garlands still lit in the windows and takes the bags.

He shakes off the snow, mostly on his still laughing wife, and drops his coat over the back of a kitchen chair. “Well, it’s a blizzard, Betty. I’d say a good foot of snow has fallen since I left.”

Grimacing as the bags transfer from him to her, Betty sets them down quickly before she grabbed Jughead’s slippers and threw them to him. “Wonder if we’ll be leaving the house then.”

“Hopefully not. Which is why I also grabbed extra food,” he dropped into the recliner, pulled the lever on the side and groaned.

Betty was getting the morning coffee ready when the crying started.

“Uh-oh. Someone knows the food’s here,” Jughead sing-songed from his reclined state. Betty just smiled, dealt with the groceries and checked out the directions on the kitten milk replacement. One of the many bags he walked in with also held some toys, a bed, and a collar with a bell that looked far too big for the hungry kitten in her living room. 

“Just like a Jones already,” Betty muttered to herself while readying the bottle. She grabbed the rest of the kitten’s gear and walked into the living room where the scene before her had her heart catching in her throat as she spied her husband with the tiny cat curled up on his chest. 

She pulled a blanket from the sofa and draped it over their two sleeping forms, Jughead’s gentle snoring provided the soundtrack as she finished the last of the stockings and ensured the fire was out. The bottle was sat next to him on the side table in case it woke, but, knowing her husband, they’d be out until first light.

“Mooooooomm, come on!” In his excitement, their five-year-old son Christopher practically pulled his mother down the stairs Christmas morning. He had been sitting on the edge of her bed for nearly an hour, prodding her to wake, but having gone to bed past two, Betty managed to convince him to wait for his sister.

It was just after six-thirty when the three descended, Jughead still asleep in the recliner by the tree, the kitten now nestled into the crook of his neck. 

“What’s on Daddy?” Adeline asked, peeking from behind her mother.

Betty placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulders and guided her and their son over to where the kitten had begun to rouse. “That is your very special Christmas present.”

As if on cue, the kitten began it’s wailing, so loudly that Jughead nearly flew out of his chair and into the tree. Unable to contain their excitement any more, the kids ran from their mother to the small grey puffball that cried out from their yawning father’s embrace. 

“What is it?” Christopher asked.

“It’s a kitten!” Adeline pushed in front and climbed up the chair to sit on the arm, pulling the cat off her dad and holding it up for her brother to see. 

Christopher looked at it confused. “Uh, where’s the rest of it?”

“It’s a baby, bud, we’re going to have to take real good care of it too because we’re it’s family now.” Jughead sat up in the chair and pulled his son up on the other arm. 

“Why’s it squeaking?” 

“And where is its tail?” 

“That squeaking is because it’s probably very, very hungry. Your daddy fell asleep before it could eat. Do you two want to help feed it?” Betty walked back into the living room, cup of coffee in hand that Jughead took from her gladly. She swapped the old formula for new and handed the bottle to her husband. “And we don’t know, sweetie. It doesn’t look like anything happened so maybe she was just born without one.”

Jughead fed the kitten who greedily slurped down her bottle as his kids watched enrapt. “We’ll find out when we take her to the vet?”

Eyebrow raised in question, Betty turned to her husband. “Her?”

“Just a hunch,” he shrugs as the bottle falls from the kitten’s mouth. It mewled loudly, pawing at Jughead’s practiced hand before the bottle found its way back to where it was most needed. 

“Do you guys want to open any presents?”

“Not right now, Mom,” Christopher said mesmerized. 

Addy waved her off and laid her head on her father’s shoulder. “Maybe later.”

Betty nodded, swooning at her husband before grabbing her phone and uploading a picture to InstaGlam. Her family was completely caught up in the kitten with the tree glowing behind them. Cinnamon and pine and snow in the air, Betty, though extremely tired, had never felt more blessed. The picture was pretty, but it would never do justice to what she was feeling at that moment. 

Meow-y Christmas from the Joneses! Baby kitty is currently nameless, but the kids have just met it so I doubt it will be that way for long.

Update: Kitty is named Meowth. Of course.

[frickfracksnatchisback]

Too Little, Too Late (Monster AU)

Oh boy, here we go again! Couldn’t resist writing some lovely angst/fluff as a gift for @teenytinyhatkid , so here we are! (By the way, if you haven’t already, go follow them! They’re the one who came up with this amazing AU, and they’re an awesome writer/artist! ^^) And if you’re wondering what the prompt is, basically a hangry vamp Snatcher is forced to join movie night and it doesn’t end up going too well. But there’s a good ending this time, so don’t worry! However-

(Warning! Heavy mentions of blood and vampire angst ahead!)

***

“Out of all the movies that we could’ve watched, did you have to pick this one?” Snatcher growled under his breath, for the third or fourth time in a row.

“Oi, at least it ain’t ‘The Wolf Man’...” Conductor piped in, grumbling a bit at Snatcher’s whining.

“Well, you’re right on that one! I don’t have to watch a movie to see an ugly beast. All I have to do is look right next to me!”

“Why ye no good son of a-”

“Shush! I haven’t seen this one before!” Hat Kid lightly slapped both of their arms, receiving a light growl from only Snatcher in return. But she didn’t seem to notice, as she went back to excitingly munching on her popcorn. And Snatcher let it slide as well, crossing his arms and huffing to himself.

“Whatever.”

Snatcher adjusted his position on the couch, slouching more into the cushions. It was a bit difficult considering he was already sharing the couch with four people. Conductor who was on the very far left, Hat Kid sitting in between the both of them (so as to break up any sudden fights), and Crowley sitting right next to him quietly. Very quietly, since Crowley had scooted as far away from Snatcher as he was able to. The only other person who was with them was Mu, who had already passed out halfway into the movie and was now snoring on the floor.

He did have a point though. Out of all the days that they could have monster movie night, did it have to be this one? The one day where he was absolutely starving? One, he was out of blood bags. Two, online dates had been harder to come by, which was usually his fail safe option for food. And three, no matter how many times he asked, there was no way that he had been able to feed off of Crowley. And that might have been the reason why Crowley was acting so tense around Snatcher lately. And it was driving Snatcher crazy. The way he could heard Crowley’s heart beating so clearly and quickly too. Pounding non-stop in his head...

Snatcher let out a hiss of pain, rubbing his forehead. And at this, Crowley immediately startled, his heart rate spiking even more for a quick second. But Snatcher’s eyes snapped open anyways. Now, it was almost like he could hear the blood rushing in Crowley’s veins. A gushing, squishy noise that was oh so tantalizing-

Snatcher quickly put some of his fingers in his mouth and began to gnaw on them. It certainly hurt, with his now sharpened fangs piercing into his flesh. But to distract himself from the pain and hunger, he grabbed a bit at his hair, tugging on it. Crowley gave his an odd, if not slightly worried, glance for a moment. But Snatcher was used to that by now. He was well aware of what he was doing. And yes, he was well aware of what he looked like by now. Dark bags under his eyes, messier hair than usual, constantly drooling and biting all the time, his body having slight tremors. But he kept in mind that at least CC said she would be back with some blood bags for him soon. Soon...

But one thing was for sure, this movie certainly wasn’t helping.

Snatcher groaned again, as a woman’s scream could be heard from the television. The movie, which just so happened to be Dracula (of all things), had come to a scene where the poor defenseless victim was trying to escape from the vampire. And as he kept on watching, Snatcher could feel himself biting on his fingers harder. Before he could bite them off however, he began grabbing onto his shoulders and squeezing them tightly. He could seen the “vampire” appearing on screen now. Of course, it was nothing but some putz in a cape and pale white makeup. And oh boy, did those “fangs” of his look terrible. But even he had to admit, something about this guy was somewhat similar to himself. Like the way he bared his “fangs” and hissed, hiding in the shadows and stalking his prey in the darkness. Coming up from behind, closer and closer until-

Snatcher’s eyes widened, as Dracula had managed to capture his prey and hungrily chomped down on her neck.

“OH COME ON!” Snatcher yelled out angrily, making everyone close to him jump in surprise. Except for Mu, who only twitched a bit in her sleep and rolled over to her side.

“Snatcher...are you alright?” Hat Kid gave him a curious glance, reaching for his hand. But Snatcher could feel himself panic, as he noticed could hear her heartbeat as well. Clear, small, but loud as ever. And he quickly realized the danger of this, jerking his hand away from her touch.

“I’m fine” he lied, catching himself almost hissing.

“Ye sure about that, laddie? Yer actin’ worse than when Grooves watched ‘Frankenstien’ with us last movie night!” Conductor mused, a smug grin appearing on his face. And he chuckled a bit, remember just how ticked off Grooves had been about the movie. But Snatcher didn’t find it as amusing.

“I-I don’t think the movie’s that bad...” Crowley finally spoke up. “I mean...it’s perfectly fine if you’re offended by it, Snatcher. I get it if-” he gave an awkward smile while rambling, before noticing that everyone was staring at him. “...N-never mind. I’ll be quiet.” he pulled up the cuff of his trench coat, trying to hide himself in it. The others silently went back to the movie, except Snatcher.

“No, no, keep going. If anything, you’re actually helping.” Snatcher said, in a not-all-amused tone. But he was slightly telling the truth. Crowley’s ramblings had blocked out the sounds of the movie for just a moment, distracting him from what was currently happening on screen. Yet he found that he had spoke too soon, with Crowley giving him a nervous but pleased grin.

“Oh! Well it’s actually quite fascinating! With such an old representation of vampires and all, it does make you wonder if vampires really existed by the time this movie was in production! And I feel as though-” the rest of Crowley’s words were drowned out to Snatcher, as Crowley began rambling like a true monster hunter. Or a huge nerd, Snatcher thought to himself bitterly, as he pretended to listen to Crowley go on and on about “vampire culture”.

“Uh-huh. Sure. Totally agree with that.” Snatcher would say occasionally in a dreary voice, somehow fooling Crowley into thinking he was actually paying attention. Part of him wondered if this was really better than watching the movie for a second. He could feel his eyes becoming heavier, and he couldn’t help but yawn. Even on an empty stomach, sleep didn’t seem so impossible right now. And he hadn’t been able to get any for quite some time. So his eyes slowly started closing, as he felt himself absentmindedly staring at Crowley’s long neck, instead of processing any of what he was babbling on about. Crowley didn’t seem to notice though, as he kept talking to Snatcher, unaware.

“I just find it surprising that such things of the supernatural kind can affect the human sub-culture and-” Crowley suddenly stopped talking, feeling his nose twitch. “A-and. Ah! Ah-”

“AH-CHOO!” Crowley sneezed loudly making everyone jump. Even Mu, who was startled awake, letting out a sleepy and annoyed growl afterwards.

“IwaslisteningIswear!” Snatcher woke up panicking.

“Bless you!” Hat Kid, Mu, and Conductor said in unison, in their own way of course. And Snatcher sat there confused, until he saw Crowley holding his nose. But there was something...off about him, as Crowley almost seemed to be holding his nose in pain.

“Ow, ow, owww...” Crowley whined, confirming Snatcher’s suspicions. “My nose...ow.”  Snatcher wasn’t even surprised when he saw Crowley begin to tear up.

“What ye cryin’ about, lad? It can’t be that bad.” Conductor grumbled, without a hint of concern in his voice.

“Oh goodness...d-does anyone have any tissues? I think I’m having a-”

Snatcher perked up, as Crowley slowly removed his hands. And he immediately froze, not moving a muscle, as he stared at Crowley with blank eyes. Blood. Red, dripping, and plentiful blood came pouring out of Crowley’s nose in tiny streams. Some of it even coated his hands, just tiny droplets and smears, which Snatcher was quick to notice. And to Snatcher, the blood seemed brighter red and smelled stronger than it actually did. He could hear Crowley’s heartbeat again, the thumping of his heart and blood rushing through his veins at a faster pace now. And it kept on getting louder.

“...nose...bleed...” Crowley’s words trailed off, as he noticed Snatcher staring at him now. And he quickly realized that maybe revealing his nosebleed to the starving vampire wasn’t such a good idea. He shrank back as far as he could on the couch, seeing that Snatcher’s eyes had reduced to only slits and were glowing now. And his mouth slowly turned up into a snarl, revealing sharp pointed fangs, ready to bite. “Uhhhh...haha! Q-quick question, Snatcher!” Crowley began to laugh awkwardly, even though Snatcher wasn’t listening, and gulped before asking. “W-when’s the last time you fed on-”

“Ah wouldn’t ask that if ah were you, lad.” Conductor said bluntly. He was simply staring at the television, not even acknowledging what was happening over at Crowley’s end. Unlike Hat Kid and Mu, who were both alerted by Crowley’s fearful expression. “Ye rile him up like that an’ he’s gonna-”

As if on cue, Snatcher let out an inhuman growl and shoved Crowley off the couch.

Everything turned into chaos. Before he even knew what was happening, Crowley fell on his back and hit the wooden floor with a thud. Hat Kid quickly started to panic, dropping her popcorn bowl and letting it spill onto the floor. And Mu began to bark fiercely, getting Conductor’s attention along with Hat Kid’s scared shouting. But Snatcher paid no attention to it. To him, all of it was meaningless noise. And in a swift moment, he got off the couch and lunged for Crowley. His knees crushed some spilled popcorn underneath him, but it was all so fast he didn’t even notice.

But Crowley noticed, as the sound almost signaled that he was in deep trouble now. Though it was too late to escape, he tried scrambling back up, only to be pinned down by clawed hands grabbing his wrists. The back of his head hit the floor with force, and he groaned his pain. But it was cut short, as he noticed Snatcher’s shadow looming over him. With nervous sweat pouring down his face, he slowly turn his head to look up-

Only to find himself eye-to-eye with a true monster.

The dark circles under Snatcher’s eyes seemed to enhance their yellow glow. His fangs seemed bigger, as drool leaked from the sides of his mouth. His hair, ragged and unkempt, made him look even more like an animal...or a beast. Crowley tried to struggle, but Snatcher painfully strengthened his grip.

As the other three screamed for Snatcher to “snap out of it”, everything seemed to move in slow motion to him. While Crowley was staring up at Snatcher, his heart practically beating out of his chest, all Snatcher could see was veins. Big, juicy veins filled to the brim with sweet crimson. Everything else, near and outside of his vision, was darkened to pitch black. The only thing that mattered now were Crowley’s multiple veins, all connecting to his still-beating heart. They glowed a bright, piercing red, enticing Snatcher to bite them. Tear into them. RIP INTO THE FLESH AND DRAIN THEM-

And Snatcher mindlessly obliged, sinking his teeth into Crowley’s neck.

It all happened in one, lightening fast movement. Crowley let out a shrill, shriek of pain, as Snatcher’s fangs felt like small daggers cutting into his neck. Hat Kid joined him, screaming and wailing for Snatcher to stop. But he didn’t stop, and instead hastily started sucking on Crowley’s wound, which was now filling up his mouth with fresh blood. It was warm and delicious, if slightly gamy. (Since Crowley was still a Werebeast, after all) But Snatcher didn’t mind. All he wanted to do was feed. Slowly, slowly feed on the living morsel-

Conductor had gotten up from the couch, as he kicked Snatcher in the ribs. Snatcher could almost hear the old man’s yelling through his haze, as he went for another strike lower at his mid-section. It only perturbed him for a moment though, as he growled while feeding, a small bit of blood dribbling out of his mouth. But Snatcher didn’t let it bother him too much. He was almost numb to the pain as he continued feeding on his still squirming, still breathing, still screaming prey. And he wasn’t planning on stopping, until all the blood was sucked dry.

That is, until Mu bit down hard on his leg.

Snatcher quickly let out a yelp of pain, removing his mouth from Crowley’s neck. And it was all the time that Crowley needed to get away. He pushed Snatcher off of him then gave him a, slightly flimsy, punch to the face. And Snatcher certainly wasn’t expecting it, as he was knocked back onto the floor. Mu quickly let go of Snatcher’s leg, and Crowley scooted as quickly and as far away from Snatcher as possible. But after a moment of silence, it seemed like Snatcher wasn’t getting up. His eyes were closed, blood still dripping off of his mouth, and his fangs still clearly visible. And while he simply laid there, everyone had a chance to catch their breath.

“Is everyone okay?!” Hat Kid whispered fearfully, drying the tears from her eyes.

“No, you dummy! Snatcher just went crazy!” Mu nearly screamed.

“Oi! Quiet, the both of ye!” Conductor snapped at the two, and they quickly shut their mouths. He turned to Crowley, who was holding onto his still-bleeding neck. “Are ye...alright there, laddie?” Conductor muttered, almost out of breath and secretly worried about Crowley. But Crowley just gave him an annoyed glare in return.

“Oh, I’m just peachy.” Crowley growled, before hissing in pain while holding his neck with both his hands. “I mean, I’ve only been bitten by a vampire and nearly had the life sucked out of me! I’ll be just fine!” he nearly shouted. Until he saw Conductor’s surprised, and almost hurt, look. He shrank back in a mix of fear, guilt, and shame. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over-”

“It’s fine, lad.” Conductor put up a hand to stop him. “Ah...ah think we’re all a lil’ on edge after what just happened. Ye should be more concerned about...uh, cleanin’ yerself up.” he gestured as Crowley’s wound. And all Crowley could do was give a shaky smile and nod, while trying to stand himself back up. Conductor wasn’t paying attention though, and was looking down at Snatcher instead. “Oh boy. I think ye knocked the poor bum out cold! Don’t think he’ll be gettin’ up until-”

He spoke too soon.

Snatcher’s glowing eyes snapped back open. And seeing him begin to move, both Hat Kid and Crowley let out high-pitched screams. But Conductor and Mu bared their teeth, ready to fight back. Snatcher had managed to prop himself back up, and he looked livid. He snarled and hissed at the group, like a feral creature. His eyes were glowing red now, instead of golden yellow like they were before. His meal had been interrupted. And he hated when his meals where interrupted. Vampire claws tensed as they scratched and scraped on the wooden floor, leaving huge claw marks. His angry, twitching eyes went from Hat Kid, to Mu, to Conductor, back to Mu, then back to Conductor again. Which traitor should he attack first?

But then his eyes trailed to Crowley. His was still holding his neck. It was still bleeding, as Snatcher could see blood leaking out from Crowley’s fingers. His heartbeat could still be heard, pumping loudly, yet it was getting slightly slower. And Crowley looked rather woozy, as he seemed pale and ready to pass out. Which couldn’t have been more perfect for Snatcher. It was easy prey. Slow, weak, and easily reachable prey. And in Snatcher’s mind, even though Crowley was looking rather ill, he had not had nearly enough blood.

Just as swift as he did before, claws sharpened and ready, Snatcher jumped up onto his feet. It caught all the others off guard. And none of them could stop him, as he went to push through them and get to his meal-

“SNATCHER! STOP!”

Snatcher fell back once more, as a wall of fire suddenly burst in front of him. It roared and crackled loudly, immediately snapping him into his senses. And once he hit the floor, his eyes never left the fire as he stared at it in scared shock. He had nearly ran into it, and it would have scorched his flesh before he even made it through. Luckily though, he managed not to become a pile of ash and simply ended up on the floor again. But there was something about this fire that seemed almost familiar…

“...kiddo?” he said weakly, as the fire kept burning in front of him, almost licking the top of the ceiling.

But to his surprise, the fire quickly extinguished itself before him. And it revealed, standing right in front of him, Hat Kid, with the others taking cover behind her. Her form shocked him though. She had created the wall of fire, as he noticed she had turned into her true form. An imp. Scales of red adorned her skin, her hat and been fallen off to shown her small horns, her tail was also visible behind her, and her slit eyes glowed with power and anger. But...he quickly noticed the anger in her eyes burning out, just as the magic fire had, being replaced with sadness. Tears, which almost seemed to be glowing gold, welled up in her eyes as she looked at Snatcher.

And now that Snatcher was finally out of it, his eyes shifting from the imp child to the friends behind her, it was all clear now. He realized, with dread forming inside him, just what he had done. But it was too late, as Hat Kid ran into the hallway towards her room, sobbing.

“W-wait! Kid! I didn’t mean to-” Snatcher started, trying to get up so he could reach for her before she left. But he was cut off by the sound of a slamming door. He just stood there in the silence, with the others carefully watching him. And for a good moment, he did nothing. Until he suddenly started slamming his fists against the floor.

“Idiot! Idiot! IDIOT!” he paused in between pounding his fists in anger, gritting his teeth. Then, just as quickly as he started, he stopped, his back hunched over the floor. His eyes weren’t visible to the others, with his messy hair blocking them. But if the others could see them, they would be able to see Snatcher blinking away tears.

“Okay...so is no one going to tell me what the peck just happened?!” Crowley broke the silence, surprising everyone by cursing aloud.

“What are ye going on about?”

“Um?! Hello?! The little one just made a giant fire in front of all of us?! She had horns, and a tail, and-”

“Oh yeahhh. I guess we forgot to tell ye about that.” Conductor paid no mind to Crowley’s panicking.

“Wh-?! Forgot to tell me about what?!”

“Don’t worry about it now, lad. Go. Clean up.” Conductor said bluntly, slapping Crowley’s on the back so he could to get a move on. And Crowley did so, carefully heading towards the hallway. But not before keeping a close eye on Snatcher in case he decided to get up again. “That goes for you too, lassie.” Conductor said after nudging Mu with his foot. And she gave him an unsure glance, before huffing and bounding over towards her room as well. He almost thought he could hear her saying something under the lines of “no fair” in the hallway. But he quickly waved it off once he heard the door to her room squeak open and shut close.

Once Crowley and Mu were out of sight, Conductor walked up to were Snatcher was.

“I bet yer real proud of yerself, huh?” Conductor spat out, with a hateful venom in his voice. And he could see Snatcher tense up at his words. “Ye finally got what ye wanted. Are ye happy now? Ye better be, otherwise ah’ll be the one to-”

“Shut. Up.” Snatcher hissed, still not looking up. But Conductor simply kept staring down at him.

“Oh? What, ye feeling guilty now? Admit it, ye enjoyed that-”

“SHUT UP!” Snatcher roared at him, startling Conductor. He looked up, not caring that Conductor could see the burning tears in his eyes, or the now drying blood still left on his mouth. “If you think. I wanted any of this to happen. You’re dead wrong.” he growled through gritted teeth. And Conductor was almost at a complete loss of words for a moment.

The sound of the front door unlocking startled them both.

“I’m home! Is everyone alright?” CC called from the hallway with her naturally cheery voice. Her shadow was visible on the walls, as she was steadily coming closer to them. Snatcher could feel his throat tighten in anxiety. He knew what things she would say once she saw inside the living room. And none of them would be pretty.

What on earth happened here?!

Snatcher...what have you done this time?!

The one thing I ask you not to do, and you did it anyways!

I thought you knew better! I thought I could trust you!

Snatcher hastily lifted himself off the floor, making a break for the attic stairs. Conductor noticed this, trying to grab Snatcher before he could make his mistake. But Snatcher was quick to dodge him, weaving his way out of the situation, leaving Conductor to fall to the floor with an angry cry. And Conductor had fallen flat on his face. He almost thought to stay like that, with everything that had happened so far, before remembering that the culprit was getting away.

“WHERE DO YOU THINK YER GOING?!”

Snatcher sprinted towards the hallway entrance, making to run way down the hall-

“CC? Is that y-”

Before bumping into Crowley.

They smacked into each other, almost knocking themselves back onto the floor. Once they got their bearings, however. they both gave each other fearful looks. Crowley noticed the dried blood on Snatcher’s mouth and clothes, and felt his body begin to shudder. And Snatcher couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of the stained cloth on Crowley’s neck, which he had only wrapped haphazardly there. But once Snatcher heard CC coming closer, he let out a helpless groan and was quick to push Crowley out of the way.

“Crowley? Snatcher? Is everything alright?” Snatcher could hear CC ask worriedly from behind him. But he pretended not to hear it, his footsteps thudding loudly up on the staircase leading to the attic. He rushed up them, before any of them could come running after him-

Snatcher swung himself inside his room, slamming the door behind him.

It was quiet up in the attic. The air was still, with the moonlight from a single window bathing the entire room in blue. Snatcher could feel himself shaking, panting for breath. Until he could hear their muffled voices from behind the door, breaking the small silence. He panicked, squeezing his grip on the doorknob. He struggled to lock the door. Then he heard the satisfying snap of the lock, and let out a sigh of relief, before sinking down to the bottom of the floor. He had his back against the door now, resting his head up against it. All the while he could hear bits of their conversation from behind the door. CC’s voice was the clearest of all, with Conductor and Crowley’s speech being hushed.

“Is Snatcher alright? What’s gotten into him?”

“Oh, honey! Your poor neck! What happened?!”

“...wait...don’t tell he actually did it-”

Snatcher could feel the tears falling down his face now, as CC sounded not at all disappointed at him. Not at all angry, or hateful towards him. But worried, sad even, about him of all people. He covered his mouth, letting a shaky whimper become muffled. He tightened his body into a ball, hiding his head in his arms. All the while he shed bitter tears, his breath hitching and hiccuping. He had done this. It was all his fault. But it wasn’t CC or Conductor’s words that had hurt him the most. It wasn’t even the thought of if had actually killed Crowley. The one thing that stuck him, was the look of betrayal that Hat Kid had given him from before.

There was no way he could forgive himself for that.

***

Morning pasted eventually, and the afternoon had come just as quickly. Snatcher didn’t even seem to notice though, as he had his back towards the window. He was curled up in his rickety bed, lying on top of his messy bed sheets. He had only moved from his spot at dawn, to shut the blinds tightly and clean his face off with a few tissues. (As best he could, anyways) Nothing else since then. No other movements. His eyes were sunken and red, but still open. He hadn’t been able to get any sleep last night. And how could he? The others had probably been restless as well. Especially the kid. He must have scarred her for life.

He curled up into an even more uncomfortably tight heap on the bed at that thought. His stomach growled and groaned, like it had been all day. Shut up, Snatcher thought bitterly in his mind. You got what you wanted. Why can’t you just leave me alone? His stomach growled again, as if to spite him. If you think I’m going to go back downstairs just to get some food, you’ve got another thing-

“Snatcher?” a knock at the door grabbed his attention. “Sweetie? Can you open the door please?” he recognized it as CC’s voice. But he didn’t get up to open the door. He simply waited, hoping that she would go away. And to his surprise, there was silence for a short while. “Snatcher, please open the door.” Snatcher groaned at her returning voice, grabbing his pillow and putting it over his head.

“Go away. Nobody’s home.” he grumbled, though she couldn’t hear him since it was muffled. Instead, he heard the unmistakable sounds of her fiddling with the doorknob. He smiled to himself from underneath the pillow, in a strange sort of way. Go ahead, he thought to himself, almost amused. You can mess with that lock all you like! But it isn’t going to-

“Got it! I’m coming in!” CC’s voice filled the room, as the lock came open with a click and the door swung open. And Snatcher’s eyes widened in surprise, with him frantically removing the pillow and looking up to see her. She was giving him a cheeky smile, which is not at all what he was expecting, while dangling a key from her finger for him to see. “Skeleton key.” she replied simply, without him speaking. And Snatcher was pretty much astonished. Did she really just break into his room? In his mind he almost found it funny, if not even laughable.

It didn’t last for long though.

“Whoop-de-freaking-doo.” his bed creaked, as he smacked his head back down onto his pillow. “What do you want? Have you come to scold me now?” the resent in his voice came back again, making CC frown.

“No...I just wanted to check to see if you’re okay.”

“I’m fine.” Snatcher lied, before his stomach growled again, louder this time. He winced as he held his sides in pain, but the feeling slowly subsided. CC looked worried, as always, but he tried not to notice it. “See? Fine. I’m just starving like I always am.” he let out a sigh, closing his eyes so he wouldn’t have to look at her sympathetic face. It became eerily quiet once more.

“...I’m sorry.” CC finally spoke up, breaking the tension.

“Don’t say you’re sorry.” Snatcher groaned in annoyance. “Please. If anything, I should be the one who’s-”

“No. You shouldn’t be.” CC cut him off, her voice cold and stern, which honestly caught him by surprise. “I know it’s hard for you to keep yourself under control. All of us were asking too much of you to leave you with no food like that. I should have been home sooner and-”

“OH, WOULD YOU PLEASE CUT THAT OUT?!” Snatcher stood up in his bed, glaring at her to keep quiet. “Don’t make it sound like I’m the innocent one here! Don’t try to justify it or...or say I didn’t know what I was doing! Because I did, alright?!” he let it all out, grabbing onto the sheets of his bed. But he stopped yelling once he noticed CC face. That same look of pity, one that he loathed yet appreciated at the same time. “Do you know what could have happened? If the others hadn’t stopped me?” he shuddered at the thought, along with CC.

“...did you see the look on the kid’s face?” Snatcher whisper, his grip becoming tighter and the tears from last night returning. CC said nothing, not wanting to interrupt him at a time like this. “She...the way she just...looked at me-” he felt his voice cracking, and took a minute to pause. He wasn’t going to full-on sob, but there was no stopping the tears that fell. “You can’t tell me that’s not my fault. You just can’t.” he didn’t cared that he, a grown man, was crying in front of her. The humiliation could not even compare to the guilt he was feeling right now. CC kept silent, before opening her mouth to speak.

“It’s not your fault.” a different, yet still familiar voice made both of them perk up, stopping CC from speaking. They both looked towards the door, and there was Hat Kid. Standing in the doorway with a firm expression. She was still in imp form and still in her pajamas from last night. How long had she been there?, the two wondered. She then slowly walked over to where Snatcher and CC were, going in the direction of Snatcher’s bed.

“Kid?!” Snatcher quickly went to dry his eyes, wanting to at least have some scrap of decency left. At least in front of the kid. “What are you doing-” he started, before being tackled into a hug. He immediately tensed up, as the small child latched her arms around him. How could she hug him? How?! After everything he did, there was no way she could forgive him!

“I’m sorry, Snatcher.” Hat Kid sniffled, and he suddenly noticed that she had been crying too. “I shouldn’t have picked that movie. I shouldn’t have made you watch it. This is all my fault. I’m sorry.” she whimpered, crying into his shirt. And then realization struck Snatcher, as he finally closed his arms around her to comfort her.

“Shhh, it’s okay, kiddo. It’s not your fault.” Snatcher hummed to her softly, carefully resting his chin on her head. “It’s fine. Everything’s alright. It’s not your-”

“It’s not anybody’s fault.” CC said with a smiled. And to her relief, Snatcher looked up at her and smiled back.

“Right.” he nodded and gave a thin smile, glad that she was still helping.

“So...so you’re not mad?” Hat Kid looked up at Snatcher, with slightly teary eyes.

“Mad? Why on earth would I be mad?” Snatcher nearly laughed, confused as to what she meant.

“Because I almost burned you! I panicked, I didn’t know what I was doing, and you could’ve been-”

“Aw kid, no, no, no! It’s alright! You were just protecting yourself, that’s all.” Snatcher cooed to her reassuringly, which was very unlike him in CC’s eyes. But she didn’t mind at all, as she went to rub Hat Kid’s back with him. “Trust me. You’re the real hero here, kid. If you hadn’t stopped me...” he trailed off while looking in the distance, grabbing both Hat Kid and CC’s attention.

“You didn’t know what you were doing, Snatcher. I’m sure of it.” CC said firmly, putting her other hand on Snatcher’s shoulder. “It’s just like Conductor or Crowley when they shift during a full moon. They can’t control it, and neither can you. But that’s okay.” she smiled at the both of them. “We all know you didn’t mean to.” she finished, and Hat Kid nodded at Snatcher to agree with her.

“Uh-huh! Crowley even said to tell you ‘no hard feelings’!” Hat Kid beamed at him. “Um, does that also go for me too?” she asked hopefully, fidgeting with the collar of her nightgown. And Snatcher simply smiled wide, before hugging her even closer.

“It sure does, kiddo.” Snatcher sighed in relief and squeezed her affectionately, before remembering that CC was still there. “Uh...thanks, by the way. I really needed that.” he said to CC after letting go of the hug. And CC gave him a patient smile back.

“Of course! We couldn’t just leave you all alone up here, now could we?” she said, patting his shoulder in reassurance. Before Snatcher suddenly doubled over in pain, groaning. “But...from the sounds of it-” she began rummaging around in her apron pockets. “-seems to me like you need something else too.” she pulled out a blood bag from one of her bigger pockets, quickly grabbing Snatcher’s attention. But Snatcher didn’t take it immediately. Instead, his gaze switched from the blood bag to her.

“Are you sure?” he asked, very unsure of himself. He was reluctant, and of course he would be. Did he really deserve food, after what he did? But the look on CC’s face, determined and caring as ever, told him that yes. Yes he did.

“Take it. I’m not going to leave you on an empty stomach, I swear on it now.” she insisted, shoving the bag in Snatcher’s direction. Hat Kid even helped, by taking the bag from CC’s hands and pushing it into Snatcher’s chest.

“Alright, alright! I get the message.” he joked, ruffling Hat Kid’s hair for good measure and making her giggle.

He then took the blood bag in his hands, brought it up to his mouth, and slowly sunk his teeth into it. And to his delighted surprise, it was still somewhat warm! He didn’t want to indulge in that too much though, as he didn’t feel all that comfortable feeding with an audience. But hey, he was hungry. And it didn’t seem like either of them were going to leave until he at least got some blood in him. It was strange, but he appreciate the thought nonetheless. He drank and drank, until all the blood was sucked dry from the package. Then he brought his mouth away from it, licking his lips after his meal.

“I have to admit, I needed that.” he let out a pleased sigh, as CC was quick to take the empty bag away from him. “Now...if you two don’t mind, I think I’m going to lay down for awhile.” he yawned, stretching his arms for a moment and feeling his eyelids start to become heavy. But just as he started to crawl back into his bed, Hat Kid grabbed onto him once more. “Uh, kid. I kinda need you to let go of me know.” he said sleepily, trying to pry her off of him. She wouldn’t budge.

“Noooooo! Don’t fall asleep!” she fake pleaded, hugging Snatcher tightly.

“Sweetie, I do think he really needs some rest. Why don’t you come downstairs and we can-”

But the sound of Snatcher snoring lightly cut her off. Snatcher had already fallen asleep, his shoulders sagging and the food coma already set in. Both Hat Kid and CC stared at the sleeping vampire, who was somehow still keeping upright, and giggled to themselves. Hat Kid quickly got off of Snatcher, and both her and CC carefully laid him back down on the mattress. CC even tugged out the cover from underneath him, tucking him into bed just like a mother would. And Hat Kid took off her hat for a moment, rummaging around in it, until she pull out a plain teddy bear. She pushed it into Snatcher, before he instinctively wrapped an arm around it in his sleep.

“Come on, sugar. Let’s leave him alone for now.” CC call quietly to Hat Kid, already walking out the door.

“Okay! Be there in a second!” Hat Kid called just as quietly, before leaning in and giving Snatcher a small kiss on the nose. “Night, BFF!” she whispered, before trotting off to the door and closing it and quietly as she could. And unknown to her, Snatcher open a single eye for a brief moment and smiled.

“Thanks, kiddo.” he muttered quietly, before closing his eyes once more and embracing sleep.

[the-everlasting-dream]

Playing Hooky - Drake x MC

Summary: Why go to work when Drake can spend all his time playing with his three adorable kids?

A/N: SEE I CAN WRITE HAPPY I’ve given you a LONG fluff fic in case anyone thought I was only able to write angst and sadness. Most of its dialogue but worth for the toothache you’ll get from all the sugary sweetness. 

See if you can spot a little cameo from someone familiar later on...

NB: Khoobsurat refers to a Bollywood movie starring Sonam Kapoor, the fc for Elizabeth. Trailer linked (ps there’s a broody prince whos super hot too!)

Word count: 8k its worth it I promise

Warnings: Slight implied NSFW at the very end. 

Darcy Rhea Walker: Top right, Avery Sonam Walker: Top middle, yes i poached random people’s kids as my fc okay dont judge Cameron Ishaan Jackson Walker: Bottom via our very own DDT’s wife’s ig. 

Permatags:  @chantelle-x0x , @choicessa, @meeraaverywalker , @drakewalkerwhipped , @quartzandarrow ,  @mfackenthal , @srawesleyghuewrites , @topsyturvy-dream , @enmchoices , @gardeningourmet @debramcg1106 , @alesana45 , @meladoridarcy, @blackcatkita , @tmarie82 , @annekebbphotography , @lizk77 , @jayjay879 , @tornbetween2loves , @akrenich , @theroyalweisme , @likethetailofacomet , @sleepwalkingelite , @littleblossom-18 , 

TRR only: @speedyoperarascalparty , @carabeth , Drake: @fairydustandsarcasm

Monday

The first rays of sunlight had barely filtered through the curtains lining the master bedroom of the duchy of Atlantea when Drake Walker felt something soft and squishy collide against his chest. Or rather two somethings. One set of chubby hands grabbed at his face while another shook him vigorously. 

‘Daaaaaddy… Daddy wake uuuup.’ 

Fighting a smile, Drake feigned a huge snore and as he intended, soft giggles immediately filled the bedroom. 

 ‘Daddy you’re faking.’ 

 ‘No I’m not,’ he answered, eyes still closed.   

‘Daaaaa.’ That was the sound of a hungry two year old on the brink of throwing a whiny fit. 

He sighed internally, hoping for a couple moments more of sleep, before running a hand down his sleeping wife’s arm. ‘Your son is awake.’ 

Elizabeth barely moved. ‘Before 8am, he’s your son.’ 

‘Daaaadddyyyy we’re hungwy…’ That was his daughter now, she barely whined unless she was really hungry. 

 Forcing a grin onto his face — he didn’t really have to force it at all— Drake opened his eyes to find two dark heads perched on his chest. ‘Why I think a couple of monkeys found their way into my bed this morning,’ he began slowly, sitting up and creeping his hands towards his children. ‘Guess I’ll have to… catch them!’ 

He lunged forwards grabbing his two year old son Cameron and four year old daughter Avery in his arms, showering down a barrage of kisses and tickles onto their giggling faces. They were only interrupted by Elizabeth’s loud grunt of protest. 

 ‘Let’s leave Mummy to sleep and I’ll fix you two some breakfast hmm?’ Drake suggested, getting to his feet and taking his children by the hands. 

 Cameron glanced back at his mother’s sleeping form and stated as-a-matter-of-factly. ‘Mummy gwumpy.’ 

‘I heard that.'

Drake bit back a laugh. Elizabeth Richmond-Walker wasn’t known for her affinity with mornings but he didn’t mind. He was the one that usually got them ready for the day so she could get a few extra minutes of well deserved sleep. He loved having this special time with his kids, this bubble of calm before all the craziness of the day could begin.

‘C’mon little man,’ he tugged on Cam’s pudgy hand. ‘Let's go check on your big sister.’ 

Darcy Rhea Walker was in almost exactly the same position as her mother, spread out eagle flat on her tummy in her bed, eyes fastened shut. Drake took a moment to savour the sight, feeling a little nostalgic as he thought of the day they'd brought her home. She had been so tiny back then and look at her now… They’d have to get her a new bed in a few months, her legs would be hanging off this one soon, thanks to Liz and his tall genes. 

 Hoisting Cam onto his hip, he gently shook her with one hand, ‘Darcy.’ 

His first born remained motionless so he tried again, this time eliciting a groan of protest not unlike her mother’s earlier. 

 ‘Come on Darce,’ he cajoled, ‘Don’t make me let Cam at you. You know he’s just gonna jump on the bed until you wake up.’ 

‘Ugh Daaaaaad.’ His eldest child glared up at him. ‘Five more minutes?' 

‘Hah, I’m not falling for that one again squirt. Come on up, up. You’ve got that project today remember.’ 

 She finally relented, inching her way out of bed. ‘Ugh fine.’ 

Drake dropped a kiss on her head as she shuffled past him towards the bathroom. ‘Good. I’ll be downstairs making breakfast. Pancakes, your favourite. And don’t even think about getting back in bed young lady!’ he called over his shoulder. 

-

‘Here you go Avie,’ Drake smiled, passing a plate of freshly made pancakes to his daughter, flicking her nose as he did so. 

Avery had been their miracle baby.  She’d been born premature with cleft lip and palate and for while things were touch and go with her. Thankfully it certainly helped when your godfather was a literal king and Liam had kindly seen that she’d received the best medical care possible. Four years later and one corrective surgery later, all that was left of the surgery was a small scar where they’d fused her upper lip together, she’d probably have that for the rest of her life. 

It was all the more appropriate that her middle name, Sonam, meant gifted because she certainly was a gift to them. And she was quite gifted herself. At four years old, her drawings constantly littered the walls of her bedroom, playroom and both her parent’s offices and he could tell that the quiet, gentle girl had talent for music unlike anyone else her age. Drake couldn’t help but count his blessings for the most perfect little girl sitting before him

‘Thanks daddy,’ she chirped before digging in. 

‘My pleasure jelly bean,’ he couldn’t help a smile. ‘You’re getting better at that. I guess those visits to the speech path are paying off huh.’ 

Avery had barely nodded when Cam decided to spray his apple juice all across his high chair. In the time that he took to clean that up, Darcy materialised at the table, dressed in her uniform and Drake immediately set to doing her hair as she dug in to her breakfast. Despite Elizabeth's braiding lessons, he still had a way to go and had just secured her ponytail with a matching ribbon when his wife waltzed into the kitchen, dressed for her day of meetings.

‘Morning babe,’ he greeted his wife with a grin. ‘You’re looking well rested.’ 

She leaned in to give him a quick kiss. ‘Mmm no thanks to you last night.’ 

‘Hey you weren’t complaining at the time!’ 

‘Maybe,’ Elizabeth returned his grin as she stole a piece of pancake from his plate. ‘Are you ready Darcy girl? Your solar system project is already in the car and if we don’t leave in,’ she checked her watch. ‘2 minutes ago, we’re gonna be late.’ 

Darcy let out a yelp of surprised and shot up to get her shoes as Drake watched Liz shower kisses on her other two children. 

 ‘Good bye kiddos I’ll see you later. Drake babe, Nita will be here soon to bath Avery and Cam. I’ll pick up Darcy from school and bring her home.’ 

Drake caught his wife by the hips and pulled her close for a kiss. ‘You know I could stay at home and do all that.’ 

‘You could,’ Liz replied. ‘But you’ve got those meetings with Liam about the developments today remember?’ 

He groaned. ‘Yeah how could I forget.. I’m sure I could get out of them' 

‘Drake Walker don’t even think of playing hooky from work..’ His wife gave him a look before grabbing her bag. ‘Darcy! Car’s leaving in 30 seconds!’ She glanced back at Drake as she walked off. ‘I’m serious, don’t even think about it..’ 

Drake sighed and looked down at his kids currently having a mini food fight with bananas and syrup all over their face. ‘But you guys are adorable...' 

-

Eventually he had to leave for work and throughout the full day of meetings Drake couldn’t for the life of him get the image of Cameron and Avery attached to his legs, begging him not to go as he made to leave that morning. 

‘Say Liam,’ he caught his best friend as they exited the meeting room. ‘You guys can manage without me for the rest of the day right?’

The king of Cordonia frowned a little. ‘I mean I guess we could. After you secured that deal, I’m sure Bertrand’s got the rest of it handled. Something wrong at home?’ 

’Nah,’ Drake rubbed his neck sheepishly. ‘Its just… Cam and Avie looked so sad when I left this morning since I barely got to see them last week so I was thinking…' 

His best friend nodded, understanding shining in his blue eyes. ‘I get it. Go on. We’ve got this.’ Throwing a thank you across his shoulder, Drake took off in the direction of his car. 

  ‘- know baby but Daddy will be home late today. He’s got a very important meeting today.’ Drake heard his wife’s voice echo from their lounge room as he walked down the hallway. 

 ‘He worked all of last week,’ Darcy’s voice replied. 

‘An he’s neva home to play wif us!’ That was Avery now. 

 ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ Cameron gurgled. 

 ‘I’ll see if we can call him to talk to him later okay,’ Liz tried to placate them as she entered out into the corridor almost colliding with her husband. Drake planted a deep kiss on her surprised lips and stepped into the lounge room. ‘Did someone call?’ 

 ‘DADDY!!’ 

Three bundles came rushing at his legs, wrapping themselves firmly around him as he let out a loud laugh. There was no meeting worth attending would ever replace the rush that he was experiencing. He heaved all three of them into his arms and spun them around as wide grins split their giggling faces. 

 ‘But Mummy said you were at work?’ Darcy queried. 

 ‘I know but I missed you munchkins so much I just had to come back early,’ Drake replied, setting them onto the floor again. ‘Now who wants to go on a picnic?’

-

They ended up having dinner out in the open wide estate of Atlantea, having ridden the horses down to the riverside. In the light of the dying sun, Elizabeth leaned into her husband as they watched the kids chased each other across the field. 

 ‘Do I wanna know what excuse you gave to Liam to be here?’ She asked dreamily, tracing lazy circles on his arm around her waist. 

Drake’s chest rumbled in laughter from where it was pressed against her back. ‘I told him the truth.’ 

’Sure.’ 

He shifted to look at her. 'Did you really think I’d lie to my best friend?’ 

‘You’re taking advantage of his fatherhood and Liv hasn’t even given birth yet,’ she quipped before snuggling in more. ‘But I’m glad you did.’ 

‘Daddy! Mummy! Look the fireflies are out!’ 

‘Guess that’s our cue to join them?’ Liz asked. 

 Drake pulled his wife to her feet. ‘Come on Mrs Walker, I bet I can catch more fireflies than you.’ 

She grinned. ‘You’re on.'

Tuesday

ACHOO!! 

A loud sneeze shook Drake out of sleep and his eyes flew wildly around the room to land on his wife who was currently in the bathroom, rubbing her nose furiously. 

 ‘I thig Ib sick,’ she mumbled, lowering the tissue to reveal her watering eyes and red nose. ‘My head hurds. Fuck I should hab listened to you bout wearing a jacket last night.’ 

‘I’d say I told you so but I have a feeling that would get me in even more trouble,’ he replied, coming up to her and receiving a glare. 

 ‘And Ib got that impordand meeding wit dhe artist’s guild doo ugh. I’ll be fine,’ Elizabeth reasoned, sniffing loudly. ‘I’ll take something and I’ll be fine.’ 

 ‘Nuh uh Liz you’re sick. You need to rest babe,’ he replied, stepping into her path and giving her his best dad look. ‘You’re staying home today.’ 

‘But whad bout dhat meeting?’ She began to protest but allowed her husband to lead her back to bed. 

 ‘I’ll get Hana to send you the minutes later.’ 

‘The kids?’ 

‘I’ve got them. Avery’s playdate at 10 til 3 at Penelope's then Cam’s baby gym at 11.' 

‘The charity dinner?’ 

Drake chuckled, tucking his wife back into bed. ‘I’m sure Atlantea will last one night without their beloved duchess. I’m gonna get you something for that headache then I’ll drop Darcy off. You just relax.’ 

‘Hmm okay..’ Elizabeth grumbled and was about to close her eyes when something else occurred to her. ‘Wait aren’t you going to work?’ 

‘Just relax babe! I’ve got this.’

-

Within the hour he had all three kids dressed, piled into the car and ready to go. Drake was just about to back out of the garage when Darcy suddenly yelled, ‘WAIT!’ 

He hit the brakes and they all jerked forward. ‘What?! What the hell Darcy!’ 

‘Daddy, Mummy said that’s a bad word,’ Avery put in. 

 ‘Its Tuesday,’ Darcy exclaimed, eyes wide and expectant as if that was supposed to excuse her sudden outburst. 

 ‘And?’ 

‘Its sports day,’ his eight year old burst out, wrenching the door open. ‘I’m in the wrong uniform!’ 

Moments later she was back in the car decked out in her sports gear and exactly 19 minutes later they'd pulled into the car park of Greenacre Private. 

‘Bye Dad!’

‘Have a great day squirt! I’ll pick you up later,’  Drake made sure that she got safely inside the gates before turning back to the two in the backseat. ‘How about another joyride kids?’

 Before Avery and Cameron could make their enthusiastic replies, a loud honk and a burst of colourful language erupted from behind them. 

‘Jeez, we’re at a school for gods sake’ he shook his head.

-

‘Come on you two,’ Drake urged. ‘Quietly now.’ 

Realising he’d had a bit of time before dropping Avery at her playdate, he’d decided to pull by the palace to pick up his work laptop and together they tiptoed down the hallway to his office, in hopes of getting in and out unnoticed until- 

‘Drake buddy! There you- You brought Cameron and Avery!’ 

‘Uncle Max!’ His daughter ran up to the other man who picked her up and spun her around. 

 ‘Man why didn’t you tell me it was Bring-Your-Kid-To-Work day!’ Maxwell Beaumont exclaimed before setting down Avery and picking up Cam. 

 ‘Its not,’ Drake replied. ‘And you don’t even have kids of your own Maxwell...’ 

‘Like that’s gonna stop me!’ His friend exclaimed, swinging Cameron around while making rocket noises. ‘What are you guys doing here anyway? Besides coming to see their favourite Uncle Maxwell? 

Drake rolled his eyes. ‘I’m pretty sure the whole point of it is to bring your own kids. And we’re not staying long. I just came to pick up my laptop then we’ve got a full day ahead.’ 

‘I didn’t know you were working from home today. We’ve got that meeting with the finance committee-‘ 

‘Yeah.. about that, but Liz is sick today so I’ve got the kids today.’ 

‘You know there are babysitters for that kinda thing right?’ 

Drake rolled his eyes. ‘Can you cover for me or not Beaumont?’ 

Maxwell’s face lit up with a grin. ‘Are you playing hooky Drake?’ 

‘Daddy play with us,’ Cameron put in, his little brow creased in confusion. 

‘Ahh I see little man. I’ll cover for your dad so well they won’t even know he’s gone,’ He winked conspiratorially . ‘Maybe I should get a disguise? Or even better a decoy!’ 

‘Do whatever you want Beaumont,’ Drake replied, laptop now in hand. ‘Just don’t get me in trouble for it.’ 

His friend raised his hand in a salute. ‘Aye, aye sir!’

-

‘Looks like it's just you and me now Little Man.’ 

Drake glanced in his rearview mirror after dropping Avery off for her playdate to where his son was happily munching on rusk. 

 He took a moment to marvel at how amazing the last two years had been since Cameron Ishaan Jackson Walker came into their lives. After two girls who he loved to death, he didn’t think he could be happier until the day Elizabeth told him she was pregnant again. That had been a surprise because unlike with Avery they hadn’t been actively trying and to be honest he’d been a little nervous about having two children within three years. 

That all changed when the ultrasound results came through saying that they were having a boy. Drake had teared up at all the first ultrasounds — there was nothing like seeing the little life that he and the most amazing woman in the world has created together, growing inside — but from that moment on there was a special place in his heart for him. 

When he came into the world, Cameron had certainly made his presence known with an ear splitting shriek befitting his middle name Ishaan — meaning master or lord. Everyone quickly learnt who was in charge the day Cameron came home, as coupled with his powerful cry and big hazel eyes he had everyone wrapped around his little chubby finger, Drake included. 

 Though Cam was still developing, Drake couldn’t help but see so much of himself in his son. His stubbornness and hardiness were especially highlighted during baby gym where he’d manage to manoeuvre himself up onto the most complicated structures. Drake couldn’t help but watch with pride as his son quickly outpaced the other kids his age in both size and abilities and for a moment wished he could slow down time just so he could savour the time with him more. 

At this rate, I’ll never be going back to work, he thought wistfully to himself as he strapped the two year old in before doing the school run. 

-

Once everyone was home, after dinner it was time for his favourite part of the day: bath time. 

 ‘Mr Shark is coming closer, closer, clooooooser,’ Drake quipped, inching the shark toy towards Cameron and Avery who were pressed against one side of the tub. 

‘He’s coming to eat your TOES!’ He lunged the toy at them, pretending to munch on their tiny digits as squeals of laughter filled the bathroom. 

‘Having fun you three?’ 

 Drake turned around to see his wife standing in the doorway, wrapped in her dressing gown, smiling down at them. 

 ‘Mummy!’ The kids cried in unison, reaching their little hands towards her. ‘Daddy’s got Mr Shark on us!’ 

‘Is that so?’ She knelt down beside the tub. ‘Good thing I have the magical protection dolphin!’ Elizabeth whipped out another toy from the basket on the ledge and thus began an epic battle between the two. 

‘Feeling better babe?’ Drake asked after the magical protection dolphin’s triumph. 

 His wife gave him a grateful smile and kiss on the cheek. ‘Much better. How were they today?’ 

He couldn’t help but grin in return. ‘Absolute angels. Avery’s play date went well and Cam dominated at baby gym today. You should see him Liz, I swear he goes for the biggest obstacles on purpose. I picked up Darcy from school - she’s in bed reading now. Helped her with maths. I told you I got this,’ he affirmed with a kiss on his wife’s head. 

‘At this rate you’ll be a better housewife than me!’ Elizabeth chuckled as they each picked up a child to put to bed. 

 Drake took a moment to ponder her joke. ‘You know I wouldn’t mind it all that much… I mean you’re way better at all the courtly stuff than I am...' 

 Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at him. ‘ Nah uh Mr Walker. You’re not leaving me alone against all those crazy nobles. Who will I sneak out with?’

Wednesday

‘Morning babe!’ Elizabeth’s cheery voice filtered through the earpiece of his phone, filling their shared ensuite. 

 ‘It must be a really good morning because for once you’re awake and out of the house before I am,’ Drake chuckled as he reached for the shaving cream. 

‘Laugh it up,’ she replied sarcastically. ‘I’m calling to let you know that Darcy’s school rang. They’re pupil free today, apparently some pipe burst so they’re closing the school to fix it up.’ 

‘Heh she’ll be glad to hear about that.’ 

‘Tell me about it.’ He could practically see her rolling her eyes. ‘Hana sent me the minutes from yesterday,’ she continued, her voice taking on a serious tone. ‘And it looks like I might have to stay back late to prep for our trip tomorrow. Will you guys be okay to fend for yourselves tonight?’ 

‘Sure can,’ Drake replied as he jogged down the stairs. 

‘Okay but just in case I’ve got some dhaal in the fridge that they can have for dinner tonight or you could whip something up?’ Elizabeth said before sighing. ‘I knew I should have made something for you guys this morning, I was up early enough.’ 

‘Don’t worry about it babe,’ he reassured her. ‘I’ve got this.’ 

‘Yep, yep, house husband of the year,’ she chuckled. ‘Nita will be there at 1 so you can have the morning with them then actually go to work for once. I’ll see you later. Love you.’ 

‘Love you too.’ Drake clicked off the call then stared at himself in the bathroom mirror, deliberating with himself. In less than 20 seconds, his phone was ringing again and this time it was a very apologetic Nita sorrowfully admitting she had to cancel today because she’d caught a cold. 

 ‘Its alright,’ he placated her, trying to hide the grin that was growing. ‘Something must be going around... You rest up. I’ll take it from here.’

-

‘Morning munchkins.’ 

‘Hey daddy,’ Avery gave him a sleepy smile while Cam cooed from his cot. ‘You gonna work today?’ 

 Drake knelt down beside her bed, pressing a kiss to her soft cheek. ‘Would you like it if I stayed home again today?’ 

 ‘Mmhmm,’ she nodded, wrapping her chubby arms around his neck and he nuzzled her gently with his nose, earning a little giggle. 

 ‘What do you say we go fishing today hmm?’ 

His daughter’s face clouded over as she shook her head. ‘Daddy I’m scared…' 

‘I’ve got you jellybean.’ He reassured her, gently patting her hair. 'I’ll be with you the whole time and we’ll all be wearing life jackets. I won’t let you fall.’ 

Avery fixed her big brown eyes on him in a serious stare. ‘Promise?’ 

‘I promise.’

-

‘Dad! Dad! I think I got one!’ 

‘Reel it in Darce! You’ve got this!’ 

Decked out in matching life jackets, all four of them were seated on the jetty over the small river that ran through Atlantea, Darcy’s shrieks of excitement echoing off the valley surrounding them. 

 Watching the intense look of concentration on her face, her tongue protruding out from her lips a little, Drake marvelled at how quickly she’d picked this up. Darcy held a special place in his heart — he’d say that for all his kids because it was true, they did — but with Darcy he’d become a father, something he’d never thought he’d get a chance to be. 

For a long time, he’d resigned himself to a lifetime of solitude but that all changed the moment Elizabeth had walked into his life. He thought he’d never be happier than the day he married the love of his life until the moment he’d his daughter's first cry in the delivery room. She’d looked so small and fragile in his big arms and he swore on his life that he’d do anything to protect her.

Although she was a lot like her mother, in so many ways right down to the looks she gave him, Drake could see so much of himself in Darcy. She had inherited his love for the outdoors for one, and he was more than happy to indulge it - she could already put up a tent faster than he could, she was mastering fishing right before his very eyes and of course, in true Walker style, make the perfect s’more. He’d happily taught her everything he knew and he was proud to see her surpass him in no time. Darcy had recently taken up soccer, to his delight and most days after work and school were spent outside with him teaching her all the skills his own father had taught him. Drake had a feeling that wherever he was, Jackson Walker would be smiling down at them and he only wished he could have been there to see it for himself. 

‘Hah!’ Darcy’s cry of triumph brought him out of his reflection and he glanced over to see her holding a small but impressive fish wiggling on the end of her pole. ‘Look!’ 

‘Great job squirt! Avie, Cam come see what Darcy caught,’ he beckoned the other two over. 

Cam happily toddled up, barely able to keep his balance wearing the life vest while Avery inched her way forward, her own rod untouched, keeping a wary eye on the water flowing beneath them. 

‘Come on Ave, its not that scary,’ He reassured her, reaching behind him to stretch out a hand to his daughter. 

 No sooner had the words left his mouth there was a small splash and he whipped his head around to see Darcy shrieking out her brother’s name and pointing to the water below them. Drake immediately jumped in after his son and in a matter of seconds had scooped him out. The current was pretty slow and the water wasn’t very deep but it must have been quite a scare a scary for the toddler as he began to yell loudly as soon as he was back in his father’s arms. He immediately raked him over for any cuts or bruises and when he found none, hugged the little boy to his chest, relief throbbing in his veins. 

‘You’re okay little man, you’re okay,’ Drake soothed, unsure if he was talking to his son or himself. ‘Pass me a towel Darcy and lets pack up. I think we’ve had enough fishing for one day.’ 

That afternoon as the little boy slept on his chest, Drake gently ran a big hand over his back. If anything had happened to Cameron, he would have never forgiven himself. That was the same for either of the girls too. He glance at their sleeping forms tucked up next to him in his and Elizabeth’s bed. He’d gotten so caught up in the moment, that he’d lost focus and little Cam had almost paid the price for his mistake and he vowed never to be so careless again.

-

‘Daaaad did you find it?’ 

 'I think we’re out of naan bread squirt. Will regular bread do?’ Drake replied, riffling through the contents of their fridge, Cameron hoisted on one hip. The toddler had seems to have recovered from his earlier shock and was happily tugging on his father’s hair. 

‘Ugh I suppose so,’ his daughter replied with a tone far beyond her age. Paired with an exasperated look and her freshly washed hair bundled up in a towel, Darcy looked a picture of Elizabeth. ‘And its just naan, not naan bread.' 

He spun around to regard her. ‘Hang on missy I think I’ve got a few years before the terrible teens get here.’ 

‘I really want naan Dad. Can’t we just make it? Mum does so it can’t be that hard.’ 

Drake laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. ‘I think that’s a little above my skill level Darce.’ 

‘Please Dad. We gotta at least try. You’re always saying we can’t give up so easily.. Pleaseee,’ she pleaded with him, her big brown eyes taking a pathetic look before pointing to her brother in the high chair. ‘Even Cameron wants naan.’ 

‘Naan!’ His son announced happily, completely unaware that his oldest sister was taking full advantage of him. 

Drake thought for a moment then conceded. ‘You kids… Alright Darce you find Mum’s recipe and I’ll get the ingredients. Avie watch over Cam.’ 

Forty-five minutes later, they were no closer to achieving their task than when they started. 

 ‘Easy on the mixing Darce!’ Drake cautioned but it was too late and their third attempt at making the Indian bread exploded in a powder cloud that filled the air. He took a moment to survey the flour and yoghurt stained countertop utensils and more ingredients strewn around the kitchen. He looks down at their first attempt, a sorrowful bowl of stringy dough that was supposed to have been cooking on the iron skillet but had disintegrated on first touch. Avery and Cameron were perched on the high chairs, giggling as they played in the remnants of the flour with little dough people they’d made while Darcy… Darcy would need another shower as her damp hair was covered in the snowy powder as he was sure his was and Drake knew he had to admit defeat. 

 ‘On second thought, I’ll just get you guys takeout. But on one condition..’ he looked each of his children in the eye. ‘We do not speak a word of this to your mother.’ 

‘You got it Dad.’ Darcy even had the gall to wink at him.

Thursday

‘I’m calling Hana and telling her I can’t go.’ 

‘Babe we’ll be fine, I promise.’ 

Elizabeth fixed her husband with a steely look. ‘My son fell into the lake and now he’s down with a cold Drake. All while his father was supposed to be watching him. How can I just leave like this?’ 

Drake winced. His blunder was still fresh in his mind and it didn’t help that Elizabeth had been kept up all night looking after Cameron the night before her trip to Italy. ‘I’ll keep my eyes on him every second of the day. He won’t even sneeze without me knowing it.’ He cringed internally, realising his mistake too late. 

‘He shouldn’t even be sneezing at all,’ his wife shot back, letting him know by her tone that he was not going to live this down for a very, very long time. ‘I can’t believe you would be so irresponsible Drake! How could you let this happen to our son? He could have drowned. The current could have been stronger, the water could have been deeper. One false move and he might have died!’ 

‘But he didn’t okay?!’ Drake cut in. ‘He didn’t! I jumped in right after him and got him out right away. He’s fine.' 

 Elizabeth stared at him. ‘Yeah sure he’s fine this time but what about next time? How can I trust you after this?’ 

He hung his head in shame. ‘I know. But I promise I’ll-‘ 

‘I can’t leave like this. They’ll have to manage without me,’ Elizabeth wasn’t hearing any of it as she riffled through her bag for her phone. 

 ’No! Elizabeth don’t,’ Drake lunged for the device. 

She had been preparing for this trip for the last month to negotiate certain tax reforms with on imports and if she missed this trip it would be a major setback to Liam’s overall development scheme for Cordonia. 

‘You need to go to this. You’ve been preparing for so long and its just a couple of days. We’ll be fine. Cam will be fine. And I’ll-‘ 

‘You will go to work!’ She replied sharply, holding up a threatening finger. ‘And leave my poor kids alone. Nita’s all better and she’s medically trained so  she can look after Cam. All you need to do is take Avery to her speech therapy appointment and pick up Darcy from soccer training. Do I make myself crystal clear?’ 

Drake nodded solemnly and when Elizabeth deduced that he looked suitably apologetic, she held her hand out. 

‘Gimme my phone and get out of my way. I’ve got a plane to catch.’

-

True to his word, Drake marched himself to the palace and resigned himself to a whole day of paperwork that had piled up over the week. He was about two-thirds through the enormous stack when his phone began to ring. It was Nita. 

‘Your Grace, its time for Cameron to take his medication but the Her Grace didn’t mention where she’d kept it. I looked all over but I couldn’t find it.’ 

He slapped a hand to his forehead. ’Shit sorry Nita. I should have remembered I gave him the last dose before I left this morning. I’ll pick some up and come home now.’ 

‘Its fine Your Grace I can pick some up myself,’ the nanny began to say but was cut off by the sound of Cameron wailing in the background. 

 Drake’s heart sank a little at the sound, knowing that the little boy was sick because of him. ‘Its fine,’ he rectified. ‘I’m pretty much done here anyway, I’m coming now.’ 

 Clicking off the call, he shoved the rest of his papers into his briefcase and was out the door in seconds.

-

Cameron’s pained cries reached his ears the moment Drake walked through the door with the medicine. Rushing into the kitchen, he found his son mid-tantrum in the arms of his nanny. Unbidden he immediately opened the medicine and measured out the right dose. 

 ‘Oh Your Grace, thank goodness,’ Nita gasped, taking the syringe from him and guiding it to Cameron’s mouth. The screaming toddler refused to take the syringe, instead spraying it all over his matronly nanny. 

 Drake reached for the syringe. ‘Here, let me try.’ 

 Nita gratefully passed Cameron over before ducking out. Drake cuddled his son, running a hand down his small back as he tried to reciprocate the soothing noises Elizabeth usually made. And it worked. In a few moments, the two-year-old’s cries had been reduced to quiet sobs and Drake kissed his sweaty forehead. 

 ‘Its alright little man. Daddy’s got you. You just missed your dad thats all. Now lets try this again,’ he suggested, raising the refilled syringe to his son’s mouth. 

Not long after the medicine had been administered, Cameron was asleep and Drake bent over the cot, poised to place him inside when his son gave out a small whine in his sleep, clutching his shirt, unwilling to let go of him. He sighed and settled onto the couch, Cam on his chest and his computer on his lap in the hope of getting through some of that paperwork.  

-

‘Daddy, Daddy wake up. Nita said its time fer my appoime.’ 

‘Huh?’ Drake glanced around still in a daze not realising he’d nodded off himself until his daughter was shaking him awake gently. Cameron had disappeared, probably with his nanny in the kitchen by the sounds of it. Glancing at his watch, he shot up. 

‘Dammit Avery we’re late!’ 

Fifteen minutes later, Drake was rushing through the halls of the clinic, painfully aware that he was at least fifteen minutes late. ‘Avery Walker. She’d here for her usual appointment with Dr Chang,’ he told the receptionist as his heart hammered in his chest from the exertion from running. 

 ‘Dr Chang is on paternity leave but there’s a slot with Dr Windsor our newest speech pathologist available if you want?’ The young man informed him. 

 ‘Yeah let's go with that,’ Drake answered in relief, his life momentarily flashing before his eyes at the thought of how mad Elizabeth would have been if he managed to stuff this up too. He had barely dropped into the chair when- 

‘Avery? Avery Walker?’ 

Drake picked his head up to see an attractive brunette with a clipboard entering the small waiting room, scanning the room until her gaze landed on him. 

 ‘Ahh Duke Drake Walker I believe?’ She approached them with a pleasant smile on her face, her intelligent brown eyes sweeping over him appreciatively. 

‘Um yeah,’ he mumbled, confused. 

The young woman’s smile grew and Drake noticed a pair of dimples appearing. ‘I’m Dr Crystal Windsor. I’ll be running Avery’s speech session today.’ 

‘Nice to meet you.’ He had not been expecting a ‘Dr Windsor’ to be so young. Or attractive for that matter... 

‘And I’m Avewy!’ His daughter chimed in, saving him from his awkwardness. 

Dr Windsor laughed, a sound like tinkling crystal, befitting her name. ‘Of course you are. Now lets see how you’ve been going hmm?’

The young speech pathologist seemed to elicit the best responses from his daughter and Drake was quite impressed with Avery’s improvement in that hour long session alone. 

‘Now make sure you practice those ‘puh!’ sounds Avery,’ Dr Windsor reminded her as the session grew to a close before turning to Drake, her lips curving up into a smile automatically, dimples on full display. ‘Your daughter has made impressive progress with that cleft lip. Better than most kids her age with that same condition. Regular practice of her sounds and phonetically sounding out words should see this improvement continue.' 

Drake nodded studiously as he helped Avery with her jacket. ‘Thanks doc.’ 

‘Please,’ she placed a soft hand on his arm, her dark eyes dancing a little as they found his. ‘Its just Crystal. Here's my card. Don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything at all.’ 

 Catching her obvious message, Drake reached out and took the small piece of paper she handed him, nodding in thanks. ‘Thanks, I’m sure my wife will be in touch if we do.’ He didn’t wait to see her face fall a little and caught his daughter’s hand. ‘C’mon Avie lets go get your sister.'

-

‘How was training squirt?’ Drake called his daughter as she climbed into the car from the soccer pitch, receiving only a slam of the door in response. ‘That bad huh?’ 

Darcy didn’t respond, a dark look over her face and he decided not to push. Later in the night after dinner, Drake tried again, knocking on the door to her room. 

 ‘Darce, what’s up?’ 

‘I don’t wanna talk about it,’ came the response. 

 He tried again. ‘Come on squirt, you know you can talk to me about anything.’ 

‘Go away!' 

Drake sighed, wishing Elizabeth was here. She was better at handling things like this. He was just about to walk away when something occurred to him. ‘Okay you don’t have to talk to me but at least come watch a movie with us?’ 

‘But its a school night..’ His daughter’s hesitant voice came through the door. 

The corner of his lips perked up. ‘I won’t tell if you won’t.. And we could watch Khoobsurat…' 

There was silence on the other side of the door as Drake tempted her with her favourite Bollywood movie. Moments later it swung open. 

‘The whole movie?’ 

‘Every second,’ he replied with a wink. 

 By the time the main protagonist, Millie had managed to knock over the antique suit of armour, Darcy was laughing out loud with her brother and sister. Despite the obvious language barrier, Drake loved to watch them laugh at Millie’s silly antics and he couldn’t help but see some of his and Liz’s relationship in the plot: The annoyingly optimistic stranger who basically irritated the dark broody prince into loving her and changing his entire outlook on life. Now that sounded familiar didn’t it? 

Drake certainly wasn’t a prince but he was grateful to have his very own Millie and for the three beautiful children they had made together.

Friday

A loud drumming on the windows woke Drake up from his sleep and he glanced around in momentary confusion until it occurred to him that it was raining, storming in fact. Glancing down, his heart melted at the sight of Cameron sleeping on his chest with the two girls curled up on either side of him.

 If only Elizabeth were here too, the scene would be perfect, he mused, lifting his arm lazily to check his watch. Precisely two minutes until Darcy had to be at school. Drake shifted, too comfortable to move. Ehh.. she can have the day off...

The rain was still pouring down just as hard when Drake placed a soccer ball at Darcy’s feet in the ballroom of the Atlantean manor. All of the kids had been fed and changed for the day and Drake had just managed to spring the truth from his daughter that she’d been embarrassed when one of the boys on her team - the goalie - had told her she’d never make the team next year because she ‘kicked like a girl’. 

A bolt of fury shot through him but it was her pleading look that had kept him firmly in his chair. Drake was particularly mad because he knew how much Darcy loved soccer and how good she’d been getting recently in their practice sessions. He didn’t have the heart to see her give up just because some boy told her she wasn’t good enough.. 

‘I told you Dad. I’m not playing soccer.’ She told him stubbornly, crossing her arms. They were currently standing in the empty ballroom in the manor where Drake was setting up makeshift goal posts on either end. 

 ‘I know I know. Just kick the ball squirt.’ Darcy gave it a half hearted nudge causing him to shake his head. 

 ‘C’mon Darce I know you can be better than that. Try again.’ He took a few paces backwards. ‘Pretend I’m Brian. Kick the ball and try and get it past me.’ 

Darcy hesitated and gave the ball a sharper tap. 

 ‘Darcy... I know you can do better than that,’ Drake cajoled. They repeated the exercise again with only marginally better results. 

‘No I can’t!’ His daughter yelled, hot tears pouring down her face. ‘I’ll never be able to get past him.’ 

‘Not like that you’re not. Come here squirt.’ He motioned for Darcy to come closer and knelt down to get a better view of her face. ‘I’m going to tell you what my dad said to me when I was your age. He told me, If you want something, its up to you to go get it. It's not always going to be easy, nothing worth having ever is. You’re going to have people like Brian tell you that you’re too small or you can’t kick hard enough. You gotta keep pushing Darce. Keep trying again and again because thats  you prove them wrong. Besides I know you’d love to see him take a ball to the face next week right?’ 

That made her giggle and when Drake was satisfied that she looked suitably cheered up, got to his feet and gestured for her to try again. This time her shot was much better and they continued to practice, Drake giving her tips here and there while Cameron and Avery cheered her from the sidelines. 

 Face set in determination, the tip of her tongue protruding a little from her pursed lips, Darcy wound up and with almighty kick sent the ball sailing high into the air in the direction of the goalposts. Her shot however went higher than anyone expected, grazed the old crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Everyone was frozen as they watched it swung wildly and a few shards came tinkling down. 

 Drake laughed uneasily. ‘I think you’ve convinced the chandelier Darce. But for safety’s sake I think we better take this outside next time.' His daughter nodded in agreement but he couldn’t hide the sense of pride that filled him. 

Like father, like daughter right?

-

An hour later, Drake collapsed on the grass, all three kids following suit, landing on his chest as they panted hard to catch their breath. 

‘I don’t know about you kids but I’m ready for a nap.’ 

‘Daddy nooooo!’ Avery whined. ‘We haven played puzzles yet or done hair or painted nails!’ 

‘Vroom, vroom,’ Cameron put in, slamming his toy car into his father’s side decisively. 

 ‘Ouch okay, okay,’ he conceded then looked at their collective muddy clothes. ‘Lets get you guys cleaned up first.’

-

On the doorstep of her home, Elizabeth Walker was digging through the contents of her bag looking for her keys when something tickled her ears.  Is that... Darcy? She frowned, checking her watch. She should still be at school. Sure enough her daughter’s laugh reached her ears followed by the deeper sound of her husband. 

Finally managing to getting the door open, she wandered into the house following the sounds and her eyes widened at the sight she found. Their lounge room had been transformed into a pillow fort palace, couch cushions and blankets strewn across the space. Darcy was laughing and jogging around the room closely pursed by Avery and Cameron who were currently straddled across on the back of their father who was on his hands and knees, rearing like a horse. 

 At the sight of her husband, Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open. Never in their ten years of marriage did she ever think she’d see the day when Drake Walker had sparkly pink hair clips and elastics in his hair, holding his brown locks up in haphazard waterspout. Looking down she realised that his nails had also been painted metallic purple. 

 ‘Mummy’s home!’ Avery’s joyful announcement broke her out of her trance and all four heads turned to look at her. In a second, the kids had leaped off their father’s back and came rushing at her, wrapping their pudgy arms around her legs. 

 ‘Hey darlings,’ she planted kissed on their heads before addressing her eldest. 'Darcy! What are you doing here? Are you supposed to be at school?' 

 ‘Dad gave me the day off!’ Her daughter beamed enthusiastically. 'And we practiced soccer in the ballroom!’ 

‘You did what now?’ 

‘It was so cool Mum! You should have seen me kick! The ball went like woah then the chandelier went like..’ Darcy mimed the ball’s trajectory complete with a sound that sounded suspiciously like broken glass. ‘Then it went right into the goal!' 

‘I’m sure everything is completely intact and nothings broken,’ Elizabeth replied dryly, raised a deliberate eyebrow at her husband. 

 Drake merely shrugged, kissing his wife on the cheek. ‘What can I say? She’s a Walker.’

-

After the kids were safely in bed, Elizabeth plopped down onto the couch beside her husband who handed her a glass of whiskey from which she took an appreciative sip. 

‘Would I be right to say that you didn’t go into work at all this week Drake?’ 

‘That’s not true,’ he replied sheepishly. ‘I went in for a little bit.’ 

‘Oh Drake, what am I going to do with you?’ She shook her head lightly. 

 ‘Let me stay home more often maybe?’ His dark eyes twinkled at her.

Elizabeth cuddled in closer to his side and his arm came around her. ‘I’m glad you had a good time with the kids…. How was Avery’s speech session?’ 

‘Yeah it was good. She and he's like it was good but they gave her a different speech therapist this time..' 

Beside him, Drake felt Elizabeth’s body stiffen just a little. 'Crystal Windsor right? The one with the dimples?’ 

‘Yeah thats her.' 

Elizabeth shifted out of his embrace to reach for the bottle of whiskey. 'What did you think of her?' 

 'She's nice I guess... Good with Avery. Don't think I've seen her respond so well before. Why?’ He asked, quizzically. 

 ’No reason,’ she replied, taking a deep draught.   

Realisation sparked in him and he leaned forward. ‘Richmond... are you... jealous?' 

'No.. Why would I be jealous?’ She laughed shakily, caught off guard by the use of her maiden name. 

 Drake raised an eyebrow and watched his wife’s dark skin flush a little shade of pink from behind her glass. ‘You so are.’ 

‘Am not!’ 

‘I’ve been married to you for a decade Liz. I know your tells.’ ‘

Fine,’ his wife conceded. ‘It just… Its been 10 years and…' 

‘And..?’ 

‘Nothing I’m just being immature,’ she replied. 

 ‘Liz,’ he tipped her head to look at him. ‘If its bothering you I wanna know.’ 

 ‘I was just thinking about Thursday and how I yelled at you about Cam… I’m.. I’m afraid you’ll lose interest,’ she admitted, eyes sliding down from his. ‘In me... Say we were having this really big ongoing fight, like a build up of things that finally exploded… What’s to stop you from running off with someone like Crystal Windsor… I know I’m not-‘ 

‘I’m going to stop you right there,’ Drake interrupted. ‘Every couple goes through a few rough patches here and there and believe me I deserved it yesterday but that’s no reason to throw in the towel just like that. We love each other and we’re willing to fight for us no matter what’s thrown at us. I told you: you’re my wife, my family, my whole world. You’ve given me three beautiful children. I have no reason to want anyone else but you.’ 

‘Drake..’ Elizabeth started to reply but he cut her off with a finger to her lips, his dark eyes carrying a spark of heat that ignited a fire in her belly. 

‘Our three little tots may be heavy sleepers,’ he gently guided her back down to the couch, hands slipping under her clothes. ‘But you better be quiet coz I’m gonna prove to you that you’re the only woman in the world for me.’ 

 Elizabeth couldn’t help but capture his lips in a deep passionate kiss that left her breathless. She was lost in the sensation of his lips on her neck and fingers tracing their way towards her centre until something occurred to her. 

 'Drake wait,’ she groaned.

He lifted his head in alarm. 'What is it? Too much?' 

Elizabeth shook her head and looked right into his eyes. 'Next time you play hooky from work, I want in.' 

 Drake’s mischievous smile was the last thing she saw before she gave into the ecstasy. 'You got it baby.'  

[positiveparker]

the sting part 3 {series}

hey loves!! sorry it wasn't working at first eeeek :/ but hopefully this one works, do let me know if it doesn't :)

- main masterlist

- series masterlist

not my gif

Sam and I trudged happily back down the stairs and back to the sleepy boys. Harry was still snoozing away with his head rested limply on Tom’s wide shoulder. Tom had one had clutched around the TV remote and the other clasping a piece of buttery toast. 

“hey, is everything okay?” Tom’s face sort of smiled and then fell when he glanced at me. I guessed my face was still red and tear stained.

“no, no everything is fine” Sam said hanging his arm around me and rubbing my arm. I smiled at Tom and he nodded understandingly. 

“is Haz not up yet then?” I announced, Sam and I crashed down onto one of the sofas. I snuggled into his t-shirt. 

“nope, Harry checked in about an hour ago and he was still snoring away”

“awh bless” Sam chuckled “he’s gonna be so mood” We all laughed tiredly. I hadn’t had a good night sleep but I somehow had energy injected into me from the boys. We were still laughing and joking on around 2 hours sleep. 

“Harry wants a full English breakfast today and I said-“ Tom started 

“oh come on bro we have to have a full English” Harry interrupted whining and grumbling through a husky voice.

“mate, you aren’t even hungover” Tom replied breathily, he shrugged Harry’s limp head off his shoulder cruelly. Harry’s head hung down and then quickly jolted back up. 

“you’re so annoying” Harry whined, closing his eyes and slumping his head down onto a nearby pillow. He curved his arms around the fluffy material and pulled his face closer into it. 

“Tom, it will be fun.” Sam said

“yeah but-“

“you want to be healthy, we know, we know” Harry interrupted. I laughed and giggled at Tom. Whose face was flushing scarlet in embarrassment.

“are you hungry (y/n)?” Sam asked, squeezing my arm with his hand. 

“hell yeah!” I announced 

“fineeee” Tom whined at all of us. He pushed himself up and walked out of the living room. The room still smelt of dried alcohol and puke. It was a reminder of the whirlwind night we had had before. The plan Sam and I had come up with was still whirring in my mind. Possible ideas pumped through me. 

Sam and I dragged a sleepy Harry off the sofa and up the stairs to check on Haz. We pressed open the door to Sam’s room to see Haz, in the exact same position. His eyelids deeply shut and small breaths echoing out his lips. 

“Haz” Harry whispered, he clutched Haz’s limp arm and shook it gently. Haz’s eyes started to flutter open more as Harry’s shaking got more violent. 

“hey” Haz grumbled, his throat was exhausted

“hi” I said softly back.

“you were fucked up mate” Sam giggled

“shut up” Haz said rolling over, his voice became stronger at every sentence he churned out. Soon we were able to pry him out of bed and down the stairs. 

We were all still in pyjamas when we left the house. Cold wind hung down the stairs of the apartment building but outside was worse. A mist hung on the pavement. As soon as my heated body hit the air my teeth immediately started chattering together.

“fuck it’s cold” Haz retorted rubbing his red fingers together “where are we going then?”

“to get breakfast” I replied, linking my arm in his and resting my head on his arm.

“good, I’m hungry” He chuckled through his clenched jaw. I could feel his body shivering against me. Tom, the twins and I were in pyjamas whilst Haz was still in his costume with a hoodie pulled on top. I could imagine the cool wind seeping through the gaping holes of his torn shirt. 

It was weird seeing the street lit with early light. No one was outside, just like the last time I had sat on the pavement with Harry. We were all silent, in a sleepy arrest. Tom said the breakfast place wasn’t far but the more we walked the more my belly ached for food. My mouth watered at the thought of sausages and bacon dripping in fat, paired with pancakes soaked in sweet maple syrup.

“(y/n)?” Sam whispered from next to me. I jolted my head up from Haz’s arm and looked beside me. Sam was ushering me over to him with his hand. I unlinked my arm from Haz and stepped over to Sam.

“yeah?”

“well I was thinking, you know for our plan”

“yeah”

“we should probably discuss it with the others over breakfast”

“yeah sure” I smiled up at him. He nodded and pulled a straight smile through his freckled face. The holland brothers all had the same entrancing chocolate eyes. Ones you couldn’t say no to. Sam’s hair was curled on top just like Harry’s but longer on the sides. 

We finally reached the breakfast place. It was a small cafe sandwiched between two nail bars. It’s sign was flashing bright red and blue and a greasy smell was wafting out of it. I stared through the window at all the empty booths. Harry eagerly pressed his hand on the clear door and pushed the smell further into us. A warm feeling sunk over me as we walked inside. The cafe was desolate. 

“oh my god that smell” Harry cooed, lifting is head up and taking a deep breath through his open nostrils. 

“mmmmmmm” Sam grinned. We all slipped into an empty booth with a round table and clutched the plastic menus. 

“Hiya can I help you?” A small voice uttered. I looked up to see a beautiful blonde haired girl with crystal blue eyes. She was wearing a blue apron over a white shirt and purple skater skirt. She smiled through bright pink lips and high cheekbones.

“yeah” Haz smiled at her from next to me. “harry?”

“y-yeah c-can…” Harry stuttered blushing, his eyes were completely transfixed on her. His chin moved up and down but no words came out of his lips. 

“he’ll have waffles and bacon just like me” I interrupted the awkward silence. Harry looked over at me with thankful eyes. 

“I’ll get the caesar salad” Tom announced, passing the blonde girl all of our menus. She clutched them under her arm and noted down our orders in a small notebook. Harry was still gawking up at her, Sam nudged his arm and laughed. Harry nudged him back and furrowed his brow angrily. 

“I’ll have the stack of golden pancakes with maple syrup” Sam grinned through a muffled giggle

“Then I’ll have the full English with brown bread” Haz said lastly

“Coffees all around?” The girl asked

“y-yeah” Harry stuttered softly

The blonde girl blushed at him and walked bouncily away.

“someones got a crush” Sam teased

“oh shut up” Harry punched

“awh its cute” I mumbled

“I don’t even know her name” Harry chuckled, trying to play off his actions.

“well then lets find out” Haz suggested smirking. He glanced over at the counter, the blonde girl was talking to a small plump chef with a plumed white hat on his head. The chef was nodding at her every word. Haz caught her eye with a wave. She grinned and nodded, she neared us and Harry started fidgeting and protesting at all of us.

“GUYS NO NO NO” he started muttering more quietly as she neared closer.

“yes?” She smiled whipping out her notebook

“no, uhhh, we wanted to know your name so we can give you a review” Tom declared at her

“oh” she chuckled sweetly “I’m Scarlett”

“Scarlett” Harry whispered from next to me, I watched his eyes fall deeper for her. 

“Thank you” Haz replied softly. She smiled again and walked off. 

For the rest of our breakfast we all teased Harry over cups of coffee until Sam caught eye contact with me from next to Harry. 

“the plan” he mouthed

“oh yeah” I whispered back “guys? Sam and I have an announcement”

“yeah?” Tom asked his eyes eagerly looking in our direction. 

“so, (y/n) and Haz like crime right?”

“right” Haz nodded

“Harry, Tom and I like photography, film making and cameras right?”

“yes, and what’s your point?” Harry chuckled, bringing the white coffee cup to his blushed lips. 

“The Duke and Duchess are coming to a grand opening of a new jewellers in London. The Duke recently gifted the Duchess an 100 carat necklace worth any of us combined…”

“we were thinking of stealing it” Sam interrupted with a low voice, he leaned his face further into us making sure no one could here.

“are you fucking crazy?” Haz breathed

“is this a joke?” Tom asked

“come on guys, all of us are going to end up living boring lives with boring jobs. We might as well do something radical!” Sam announced

“so this was the radical thing you were talking about” Harry suggested at me

“yeah…” I replied awkwardly

“guys, you realise we could go to jail for life you this” Tom announced

“not if we plan it well” Sam smirked lowly. Tom rolled his eyes and sipped his coffee, curling his lips together at the black bitterness. 

“how much is the necklace worth?” Haz chimed

“55 million” I replied lowly through a nervous breath

“55 MILLION” Harry repeated loudly

“shhhh” Sam whispered at him

“that could be life changing” Haz smiled at us

“you guys aren’t serious are you?” Tom asked bitterly

“but what if we did do it, and we succeeded, imagine how much our lives would change” Sam said

“and if it doesn’t work we will go to jail for life” Harry whispered 

“guys, come on have some hope” Sam grinned “we are all smart and we can plan this”

“guys, its worth a shot” I chimed

“we have to make a pact” Tom announced

“what do you mean?” Haz asked

“like an unbreakable pact”

“like in the movies where they slit each others hands and have a scar forever” Harry whispered nervously 

“exactly!” Tom replied

“here you go?” Scarlett said from above us, she set down all our steaming plates. We all quickly munched on our food. Dipping waffles into syrup and spreading butter on thick brown toast. Every so often Sam and I would catch each others gaze and smile, we both smiled at the plan and how our unbelievable plan was actually working. 

We payed Scarlett and all bouncily left the cafe with full stomachs. Sam hung back and started speaking to Scarlett. We all stared through the front window. She was laughing and smiling.

“what is he doing?” Harry asked through nervous teeth. Sam turned away from her and came out to us.

“what were you doing?” I asked

“Harry my bro I have her number for you” He stated holding his veiny hand out at Harry, between his index and middle finger was a small piece of white paper. Harry quickly snatched it from him and opened it up. His face lit up and erupted in a grin. 

“you got me her number” Harry chuckled happily

“yup” Sam said boastingly

“thanks bro” Harry smiled. He stared at the piece of paper as we walked across the road.

“where are you taking us Tom?” I shouted 

“we are going to do the pact” Tom replied loudly

Tom took us into a nearby park, the grass was long and dewy. The sky was finally being injected with more warm early November light. He stopped all of us at a random spot and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a bright Swiss army knife with a deep red coating. He tapped it and a sharp silver knife flicked out of it. 

“hold out your hands” Tom muttered surely. I took a deep breath and walked over to him with my fingers spread out. He smiled awkwardly at me and started digging the sharp material into the inside of my hand. He dug and long line from two corners, a long droplet of dark mahogany blood trickled from my hand done my arm like a long vein. It stained the sleeve of Sam’s hoodie. Tom proceeded to do the same to everyone else, all of us grunting as soon as the sharp pain hit our guts. Tom handed me the knife and opened his pale hand out to me. I took a deep breath and took the knife in my hands. I slid it down his hand, Tom took small breaths and squeezed his face in pain. He folded up the knife and we all looked at each other. Our chuckles ended the stern silence. 

Tom ordered us to hold hands. I took Tom’s hand from next to me and Haz’s on the other side. I could feel all our warm blood mixing through forced touch. I opened my mouth and words started blurting out. 

“we have to promise that this scar we have forever is a reminder of what we are about to do. That even if we are stuck somewhere we hate, with people we don’t like, we are all with each other. What we are about to go through with is life or death now, so if we die, we are gonna do it together” I announced, I made sure to look everyone in the eye. It was weird and hazey, I had only met Harry and Sam the night before but somehow we all clicked. It felt right, all of us as a team. Nothing was superficial like everything else I loved. It was so real and raw. 

taglist ;

@tomsfireheart @feelingsareharddd @lovelyh0lland  @hazeyholland @t-o-m-holland @lookclosernow @choke-me-sweet-pea @whatareyouhidingpeter @spidey-pal @cutiepie-holland @radd-but-saddd @pinkcutepug @peter-parkers-pizza

[thatpaperlife]

I have another WIP that I’d like to share...

Totally random, I know. I’ll only post a little bit so you guys don’t get bored.

--

          Hawthorn Valley was quiet during the winter. Most of the people in our small village barricaded themselves in their homes to wait out the snows. Further south in Mulberry my cousins had a milder winter, but that was a month away by foot. Their winters might be milder, but our crops were healthier for the winter breaks.

         Our little village in the valley between mountains was peaceful, our greatest worries being the inevitable harvest and the odd wolf attack. We knew little of the outer world, and cared even less. Oh sure there was a King out there, somewhere, that we were beholden to, but Hawthorn Valley was too far away for him to visit. We were so deep in the mountains that he and everyone else forgot we were there.

         Until this, my eighteenth winter, when the King decided to take a survey of his lands. Down in Mulberry he must have heard whispers of us and came tromping up the mountain with his horses and soldiers, servants and wagons. They made a mess of our road and they were very unsatisfied with mother’s inn, The Hawk’s Roost.

         I wasn’t in town for their arrival; mother had sent me out to the mountain side to look for mushrooms. My brother wanted to come with me, but he was only eight, and didn’t know the mountain like I did. I knew all the little corners where the mushrooms liked to grow so I was able to gather them with speed and efficiency. Mother’s favored basket for mushrooms was too much of a nuisance, so my apron would suffice. It was easier to tie the ends up and leave my hands free to pull my cloak tight against the wind.

         Seeing so many horses overflowing the stables was something new. Until then the most I had seen in there were a party of five; now they numbered closer to fifty-five. Their livery was sharp against the white snow and rotting wood—blues and purples of the royal line, with much yellow from the soldiers. Despite having never entertained the King before, everyone knew of their colors. It was something we all learned at our parent’s knees.

         Even out in the stable I could hear the voices of the soldiers and the servants clamoring for attention. It would have been too much for Mother and Papa alone, but when Flit passed by the window, I felt my ease return. Obviously Mother had called upon our neighbors for help. Flit was like a little sister, a scarce three years my junior, and quite energetic.

         As the front room was too crowded, I snuck in through the back door directly into the kitchen. All three cooking fires were going, and my brother was helping by carefully slicing the vegetables. Papa turned away from the pot and nodded at me.

         “Leave those with Rowe and go wash up. You’re needed.” To help make up the rooms, he meant. And play dog to our visitors, fetching them what they wanted when they wanted. This was fine, the sooner they got what they wanted the sooner they would leave.

         I couldn’t imagine anyone in Hawthorn wanted the King and his entourage to stay. Royals away from their palaces tended to attract trouble, and we in Hawthorn wanted nothing to do with trouble.

         Our inn was blessed with a handful of secret passages which I used to get to the room Rowe and I shared and wash off the dirt of the mountains. One clean dress later and I was ready to face the men of the Sycamore Palace.

         They were rowdy, demanding this or that food, many of which I had never heard of, much less could bring them. Beer was a popular demand, and I knew with the same certainty that the sun would rise that they would drink us dry before they left.

         As much as the soldiers were noisy and demanding, the palace servants were even more so. They sniffed at our woolen sheets and whined about the cramped quarters.

         Flit was cheerful through it all, as were the other helpers--Ava, Lucy, and Tait, all neighbor girls between myself and Flit in ages. They were gossipers, the lot of them, and having visitors meant they had something newer than Farmer Arnu and his strawberries to talk about. I caught Lucy making cow eyes at some of the soldiers. Mother did as well, and pulled her aside to warn her of the dangers of soldiers away from their homes.

         A broken heart hurts, no matter the cause. Bearing a child would only rub salt in the wound.

         When the food was ready we served the soldiers; Flit and I braved the servants to bring them their meals as well. As we were expecting the servants to find fault with our cooking, we weren’t disappointed by their reactions. Too hot, too cold, too bland, too salty, over cooked, under cooked; every excuse possible was brought up as to why they couldn’t eat what my family provided.

         “Then you shall have to eat what you brought with you, for this is the best of the Valley.” I told them. They scowled at me but ate our offerings, grumbling and complaining the whole time.

         With the last tray in my hands I went to the largest room at the end of the hall where I hadn’t yet been today. Imagine my surprise when Mother opened the door at my knock and took the tray from me.

         “Check in on your father and see what he needs.” She told me and shut the door firmly. Whatever was in that room, she didn’t want me to see it.

         The King, perhaps? Unless he was masquerading as a servant, then I hadn’t seen him yet.

         I didn’t waste time pondering it and did as I was told, returning to the kitchen to check on Papa. He needed help getting more beer to the soldiers and I swept up the mugs he had ready.

         The night passed in a blur of color and noise until finally the soldiers were asleep in the common room, being too numerous to fit into the scant twelve rooms of the inn. It didn’t help that those rooms were taken over by the palace servants, either.

         Papa had taken Rowe to bed, leaving us women folk to clean up the kitchen and for the younger girls to gossip.

         “Did you hear it, Ava?”

         “I’ve heard so much tonight, I don’t know where to start! What did you hear?”

         “The soldiers said their King is looking for something, some treasure that went missing generations ago. Something that belonged to the previous King that disappeared when he was just a lad.”

         “Who, the King or his father?” they all giggled.

         “Maybe he’s just looking for a bride!”

         “What happened, were all the princesses too ugly for him?” more laughter. “He’s a King, he can’t marry a commoner! No, what he’s looking for is an amulet of some sort.”

         “Is it magical?”

         “Of course it is! Why else would he want it?”

         “Yeah, a King wouldn’t wear ordinary jewelry! Plain old gold wouldn’t suffice for him!”

         “So then what? Is it made of Dragon’s Gold and Unicorn Horn?”

         This time I shushed their laughter. I didn’t want them to wake up the soldiers and began the fetching cycle all over again.

         That was a good question though. What could a King possibly be looking for in our tiny village? There isn’t anything here that he couldn’t get in the Lowlands closer to his palace. Why risk the journey?

         Papa appeared in the door and beckoned me closer. I dried my hands on my apron and followed him up the back stairs to the third floor.

         “Wait for us here.” He said and went back down to check on the girls. Papa was always a man of few words. So I went to the room he and Mother shared and sat in Mother’s rocking chair to await my parents return.

         I wasn’t waiting long. They returned and Mother gestured me over to the big bed in the corner. Papa disappeared under the bed for a few heartbeats before reappearing, a small box in his hand.

         The sight of the box birthed a lump of dread in my heart. Why did it bother me so much? I didn’t know what was in that box, I had never seen it before.

         “This is yours now, my daughter.” Mother opened the box and removed a sharply colored emerald set in iron and hung from an iron chain.

         “I don’t want it.”

         “You have no choice. I thought I could escape the fate that comes with this by running to the furthest corner of the kingdom, but I was wrong. The King is here to claim the amulet and its wielder.”

         “I know nothing of it. I cannot wield it.”

         “The knowledge will come to you. For now you must take it and go with the King to the Sycamore Palace. You are needed there.”

         “The amulet is needed there, not me. Give it to the King and have done with it.” I felt like a brat for speaking this way, but I did not want to leave my family.

         “He cannot touch it, it was not meant for him. Only you may touch it, may wield it, may master it. Do not allow yourself to become drunk with power, and remember your roots.”

         Mother ended the argument by placing the chain around my neck and a kiss upon my cheek. “You are a stubborn one, my daughter, but I have faith in you. You will do well.”

         I could not speak, what with the pain in my heart and the anger in my head. The amulet was both lighter and heavier than I expected. Lighter, in that such a gem should have been at least as weighty as any rock of similar size, and heavier, in that I was now carrying an unknown expectation upon my shoulders.

         Mother helped me stand and walked with me to my room. Rowe was asleep, the tops of his copper curls just visible over the edge of his favorite quilt. In silence she helped me pack my few personal possessions then gestured for me to sleep as well. When she had left, taking the candle with her, I crept over to my brother’s bed and watched him sleep. This time tomorrow, I would not see him.

         Tears burned at my eyes but I blinked them away. If I began crying now I might never stop. Upon his brow I left a kiss, a last kiss. He stirred, then rolled over and slept on. I would miss him most of all.

         Sleep was a long time in coming for me, and it left me earlier than usual. Dawn was only now beginning, and the Valley was still in the land of dreams. I shouldered my pack and left, habit guiding my feet around the floorboards that creaked and down the hidden stairs.

         Snoring tumbled out of the common room, all of the soldiers still asleep. None of the palace servants were up either, nor was I surprised by this, spoiled children that they were. I was surprised by an unknown man in the kitchen, drinking from a mug and looking out the window.

         “I beg your pardon, sir. I hope you weren’t awake for long.”

         He didn’t turn away from the window, so all I could see of him was his back; the fine purple tunic, the thick black pants, and his dark hair, pulled into a messy braid. “Not long, no. The tea was easy to find.”

         I cringed. Mother would throw a fit if she knew our guest had made himself his own cup of tea. “My apologies, sir. You are our guest.”

         “It was no hardship. Don’t tell the servants, but sometimes I enjoy doing things for myself.”

         Don’t tell the servants…

         He’s the King!

[a-simple-imagine]

Tell Me You Love Me (Christmas Special)

Requested by me: It’s Christmas time. You’re spending it at Demi’s parents and you have a surprise for her

Pairing: Demi Lovato x fem!reader

A/N -  Its officially christmas here so MERRY CHRISTMAS!! or HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! my lovelies. Consider this my gift to you guys, I’ve been so hyped to publish this one so I hope y'all like it. 🎄💕

PART 2

I remembered that day like it was just yesterday. Christmas would always hold a special place in my heart which was why I had planned to do this tomorrow. It was the first time I heard those three little words from my girlfriend. I love you. Demi and I had been dating for a while and it was our first Christmas together. We weren’t doing anything particularly special. Just cuddled up watching Elf. I had originally planned to say them first and on that day too but I was much too nervous. So much so that I almost didn’t say them back. I love you too. To this day those words still rain true. If anything they mean so much more now. Our relationship was no longer new. We’d been together for a few years. We were different people now, than we were back then. We’ve grown. And matured. This year we were spending Christmas with Demi’s family. I was actually looking forward to it. Although I was a little on the nervous side. We lay together in what I assumed was Demi’s old room. Demi’s arms wrapped around me as she slept. I honestly couldn’t understand how that was comfortable for her but she was snoring away. I, on the other hand, was struggling to get any shut eye. I just lay in the dark waiting for the appropriate time to get up. Careful not to wake my sleeping girlfriend, I reached over to grab my phone off the bedside table. Clicking the home button, I was almost blinded by the light. Time; four, thirty nine a.m. Despite my caution, Demi seemed to wake.

“Y/N?” She mumbled, arms slipping from around me to gently rub her droopy eyes. “Can’t sleep?”

I nodded slightly. “Not a wink.”

“Are you excited for tomorrow?”

“You could say that, yeah.” Lips curling into a small smile, I shifted to look towards my girlfriend.

“I’m excited too.” The woman snuggled up closer to me. I kissed her gently on the forehead. “You should…” She lost a battle with a yawn which was admittedly adorable. “try to sleep though.”

“Trust me, I’m trying.”

Demi fell back to sleep after that. I moved a stray lock of hair behind her ear as she nuzzled against me. I wrapped my arms around the brunette. Holding her close as she slept. No matter what happens. No matter the answer. Tomorrow would be the day our lives changed forever. I lay in the darkness. In the silence. Just waiting until I finally drifted off.

My body shook rather violently, awaking me from my slumber. A long groan emitted from my throat. Turning away from the source of the shaking, I clutched the sheets tighter. Yanking them to my chest. No part of my wanted to get up now that I had but a taste of unconsciousness.

“Y/N, get up!” Demi whined, trying to pull the covers from my grasp.

“Just five more minutes, please.”

“Last night you couldn’t wait for today, so get up.” Demi climbed onto the bed. Legs either side of my body, She hoovered above me. Moving to lay on my back, my eyes fluttered open. Demi smiled, pecking my lips. “Get up!”

“I swear you’re like a child. Go away.” I chuckled. Closing my eyes and turning away from her once more. “I need my beauty sleep.”

“Fine.” Demi left the room without another word. I buried myself within the sheets. A few peaceful minutes until paws clawed at the sheets rapidly. Opening my eyes, I saw Batman. Demi’s Black yorkiepoo. His tail wagging excitedly. I attempted to push him off to the side but the dog kept coming back. His tongue lapping at my face.

“Okay, Okay, calm down. I’m up.” I ran my hand through the dogs soft fur. Sitting up in bed, the dog jumping down to run over to the brunette. Demi picked him up in her arms.

“Good boy, Batman.” She gave him a treat before placing him back down. Throwing off the covers, I thought it best to finally embrace this Christmas morning. I was a mix of exhausted and excited. Today was the day. I’d been looking forward to it for what felt like months. Glancing towards Demi, even in my state I couldn’t help but smile at the Christmas onesie she wore. It matched mine but it didn’t look nearly as good on me as it did her. I only wore it per her request. The girl made her way over to me, took hold of my hand and planted a kiss to my lips. That was before practically dragging me downstairs. As we approached, I could hear her family chatting. Everyone must already be up and I guess they were waiting on me. I was slightly embarrassed as I was lead into the room; walking just a little way behind Demi. But we were greeted by warm hellos and holiday cheer. I sat beside my girlfriend on the plush sofa located next to the Christmas tree. My head almost instantly falling to her shoulder.

“Tired?”

I nodded.

“That’s what you get for staying up most of the night.”

She patted my cheek softly. And I groaned. As much as I hated to admit it, it was my own fault. I was too anxious to sleep so it was technically out of my control but still. Demi’s mother insisted that she should have let me sleep in which I totally agreed with. I kept feeling myself beginning to nod off to sleep before jolting awake again. My ears hardly even registered any of the conversations happening around me. That was until I was given food. French Toast to be exact. It smelt divine, tasted It too. The coffee that accompanied it was also a blessing. I felt more awake and ready to face the day. The family chatted, this time I joined in though. They asked typical questions about how I’m doing. About my job. All that fun stuff.  I answered of course. I wasn’t about to be rude to my girlfriend’s family and they were just making conversation. When it came time to finally open the presents dotted under the tree, that all too anxious feeling returned. I being one of the closest to the tree was tasked with help handing them out. It was always nice to see the way people reacted to getting gifts. You could tell almost instantly if someone liked something. And I enjoyed the mental challenge of figuring it out. we finally came to the point where there was but one present left under the branches. I had made sure to keep it off to the back. Purposely ignoring it. Reaching for the parcel, I checked the label despite already knowing who it was for. This was it.

“Seems like you missed one, babe.”

Her head tilted a little out of what I assume was curiosity. I placed the gift upon her lap. Demi pulled off the lid of the moderately sized box. An amused smile tugging on her lips. Everyone seemed to just watch her.

“Really?” She rolled her eyes and pulled out a slightly smaller box. And as she opened that one, a chuckle slipped past her lips. Again she pulled out a slightly smaller box. This continued to happen and I could see Demi was getting annoyed. Her family was still rather amused though which made me think they were in on it. I had spoke to Eddie in advance after all. The girl eventually got to a rather small box. It was tiny compared to the one we started with.

“I swear to god if there is another box in here-”

“Just open it.” I interrupted sharply.

Pulling off the lid, her brows furrowed. There was another box inside, only this one wasn’t covered in Christmas paper. Nor was it made out of cardboard. Instead, Demi pulled out a velvet red box. She lifted the lid with caution and my stomach began doing somersaults. This time I wasn’t gonna back down though. Demi couldn’t do this for me. I had to be the one. I positioned myself on the floor so I was down on one knee.

“Do….” I swallowed hard. “Do you remember our first Christmas together, Demi? That was also the first time you told me that you loved me which is why today is my favourite time of year.”

“Y-Y/N-”

“And everyday since then, I-I’ve  fallen more in love with you. At this point I’m… ridiculously, head over heels, in love with you. And so I, uh… got to thinking about the future and I want a future with you, Demi. Nobody else but you. And I think this s-should be the first step. So, Demetria, Devonne, Lovato, will you please do me the honour of becoming m-my wife?”

Her brown eyes drifted from the ring to meet my eyes and then back again. There was a sinking feeling in my gut. I’d messed up, I was too nervous. Nobody said anything and the silence was painfully awkward. I expected Demi to answer relatively quickly. Maybe she didn’t want to marry me? And she was trying to work up the courage to say no? I was really starting to overthink so I got to a point where I was about to tell demi it was okay to say no when she took the lead.

“…Yes.”

I hesitated. “Yes?”

That lost look that was plastered on her face broke into her signature bright smile. She looked so happy. And so beautiful. Grinning ear to ear, Demi nodded eagerly. Her family seemed overjoyed. I caught a glimpse of Eddie who gave me a little nod. I had told him in advance because it was a tradition to ask the father of the bride if you could marry their daughter. I didn’t so much as ask because Demi isn’t his property to give away but I told him that I wanted to propose. And that I wanted to do it on Christmas Day. He gave me his blessing. I rose to my feet and demi instantly wrapped her arms around my neck. Pulling me so there was no distance between us. I stared into her eyes. A warm smile to match hers. I was about to speak when I felt her lips on mine. The kiss was slow and tender but full of a passion that was relatively new to me. It had a need behind it. My arms secured themselves around the girl, keeping her as close as possible as I kissed back. For a split second I forgot where we where. I forgot that there were even people around us. It was just Demi and I. Sharing a moment that would undoubtedly change our lives. While she may have pulled away from the kiss, her arms remained tight and she caught my gaze once more.

“I remember our first Christmas perfectly. It was one of the few I hadn’t spent here with my family. It was just us two and you had eaten way too many candy canes off the tree.”

“Let’s not relive that part. I was so sick after that.” I laughed.

“I remember the shake in your voice as you told me you loved me. I heard that same thing today. You were nervous. Scared I was gonna reject you. But you had no reason to be because I’ve known for a while now that there is no one I’d rather spend my life with than you, Y/N.”

[blissfullylostinarabbithole]

Split Heart Pt. 3

Pairing: AU Bucky x Reader, Reader x Wanda x Natasha x Clint (friendship)

Word Count: 3.1k

Summary: Though Bucky's head is still in the clouds after meeting ‘Esmeralda’, another girl catches his attention.

Warnings: Abusive home situation (nothing too detailed), some swearing, underage Reader (no smut, but still).

A/N: I’m torn between saying ‘Friendship goals’ and ‘Don’t skip school’... well then.

<< Prev  .  Next >>

You were wrong about not falling asleep. Hitting the snooze button twice,  you knew you were going to be cutting it close and likely would have to skip breakfast. Still, the extra twenty minutes of rest would be well worth it.

Approaching your usual morning meeting spot, you noticed your friends looked just as tired as you did. Clint was chugging an energy drink, and Nat and Wanda had large cups of coffee. Nat handed you your favorite caffeinated drink, careful not to move too much so as not to exacerbate her pounding headache.

“Morning,” you mumbled, receiving unintelligible grunts in return.

The bell rang, making Natasha’s hand shoot up to cover one ear as she pressed the other into her shoulder. Clint had turned his hearing aids off, so he wasn’t as bothered as the rest of you. Groaning at the day ahead, you all shuffled to your respective classes. You passed by Sharon on your way to math, and felt bad about the hangover she clearly had.

“Shiiiit,” you whined, stopping in your tracks. You’d forgotten you had a club meeting after school, so the hours until you could crawl back into bed just increased.

In your class, you took your seat and lay your head on the desk. Mr. Pierce never looks away from the board unless there's too much talking, so you wondered if you could get away with sleeping through it as you began to drift.

“Hey, Y/N!” Peter greeted a bit too loud, snapping you out with a start. “Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Are you alright? You look tired.” His eyes widened and he began to speak way too fast for you too keep up. “Oh wow that was rude of me I didn’t mean it like that I'm so sorry!”

“Shush, Parker. It's fine, I am tired…” you whispered. “If I start to snore, wake me up, yeah?”

“Ha! Yeah ok.” He took his seat behind yours, still a little embarrassed, but glad you didn't take his transgression personally.

You groaned softly when your math teacher began the lesson. You don’t know how long you’d been drifting, when your phone began to vibrate in your pocket.

It was Clint, addressing you all in the group chat.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Clint: Guys, I can’t do this. Let’s bust out, grab some breakfast, and head back to mine for a nap.

Natasha: We can’t, we need to turn in our JC essays for English.

Clint: :(

Clint: Please? I’m too tired.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

You turned in your seat, smiling at Peter.

“Hey Parker, if I had to leave, would you turn in my English essay for me?”

“Oh, uh, yeah, I- I guess so.”

“Would you turn in Wanda’s, Nat’s and Clint’s, too? Or, you could come with us, if you like.” You knew the others wouldn’t mind if he agreed, but you also knew the chance of him agreeing was nonexistent.

“I can’t, I have a chemistry test today,” he frowned. “But yeah, I’ll hand your papers in.”

“Thank you so much.” Relieved, you went back to the chat.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Wanda: Would we be skipping out on the meeting this afternoon, too?

Clint: No, I just can’t handle being talked at today without some food and some Z’s.

Y/N: Guys, I asked Parker if he would turn our essays in for us and he said yes.

Clint: Bless him! See Nat? Everything’s fine.

Wanda: Yes!

Clint: Let’s go to that diner off Third. I want a giant omelette.

Natasha: How are we going to give him our papers?

Y/N: We sit by the window. Give them to me through there.

Wanda: Ok, we’ll be there shortly.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Pulling your backpack up to your desk, you began to look through your binder for your paper. You pulled it out and shut your bag, setting it down on the floor before you turned to Peter again to give it to him. He took it and put it in his own binder next to his. Not long after, something outside the window caught your attention.

Clint peeked in, looking for your seat before moving to the right window. Making sure that Mr. Pierce’s back was to you, you approached and took the three essays offered.

“Thanks again, Pete,” you offered him a grateful smile as you handed him the papers. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“It’s no problem,” he blushed, smiling back.

You grabbed your backpack from the floor and slipped it through the window. Ignoring the eyes of half of your class, you hopped up on the ledge and prepared to slip out yourself.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“It’s too early, Steve,” Bucky complained. “Why couldn’t we come later?”

Steve sighed, shaking his head at his friend. “Peg’s cousin left her notebook at Tony’s and she’s going to need it later.”

Bucky hung his head, dragging his feet as they approached the guard post by the main gate.

“Good morning,” the guard greeted. “Is there something I can help you with?”

Steve smiled charmingly. “Yes, we need to give this to a Sharon Carter.” He lifted the notebook for emphasis.

“Do you want it taken to her or do you need her to retrieve it?”

“Retrieved, please. I need to make sure this gets into her hands ASAP.”

The guard nodded, and asked for Sharon to be sent to front gate through walkie-talkie.

“Alright, hang tight and I’ll be back with her shortly.”

“Thank you.”

The guard left his post, and as soon as he was out of earshot, Bucky began to complain again.

“Why couldn’t Peggy bring her own cousin her book?” he whined.

“Because she had class this morning,” he sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Why’d you drag me along, then? I was happy sleepin’ in my bed.”

“I needed you to give me directions,” he shot back defensively. “And anyway, weren’t you the one who just last night said you wanted to explore the city?” As if it were a reminder, Bucky reached for his phone and checked it. “Has she messaged you?”

Bucky took a steadying breath, meeting his friend’s concerned gaze. “No.”

“Don’t worry,” he clapped him on the shoulder. “she’s probably still sleeping. Why are you so tired, anyway? You didn’t even drink that much last night.”

“I was writing… I didn’t read her wrong, did I?”

“I don’t think so. I saw you two talking at the bar, and she certainly looked interested. Hey, maybe she’s a firm believer of the three day rule,” he tried to comfort.

Bucky’s mind wandered briefly to the night before, and the lips he wanted another taste of. He left the party shortly after, overcome with the need to write about the beauty he’d just met.

“Buck,” Steve whispered, giving his arm a soft smack. “Look over there.”

There were three people. Students, he figured, by the way they were hugging the wall, not wanting to be seen. The two friends shared a look, smiling.

“Hope they get where they wanted to go before security gets back,” Bucky chuckled.

“What are they doing?” Steve squinted, trying to get a better look.

They watched as two of them handed some papers to the the third, and the third lifting them toward a window. Shortly after, the third pulled a backpack out the same window.

“Someone’s sneakin’ out,” Bucky commentated.

“In the middle of class? Won’t the teacher see?” Steve’s eyes widened when legs appeared, then a torso. One of the people outside grabbed the girl by the waist to help her the rest of the way down. “I don’t believe it,” he giggled.

Bucky watched on, mouth slightly open in amusement, as the four of them ran to the chain link fence. The boy quickly scaled the fence, catching the bags the others tossed over. The red headed girl went next, landing steadily on her feet on the other side. The girl in the cargo pants and t-shirt that they watched climb out the window paused, freezing on the spot when she caught their stares. The last girl began climbing, and called to the one staring back at them by the look of it.

“I think she told them,” Steve said when the others looked their way. She turned back with a nervous smile, and brought her finger up to her lips before starting to climb.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Once your feet hit solid ground, you all made a run for the fence, waiting for Clint to get to the other side to take your things. Nat went next, landing gracefully beside him. Giving a final look around before you began your own ascent, your chest tightened at seeing two familiar figures watching near the gate.

“Y/N!” Wanda whisper shouted. “Come on!”

“It’s Bucky,” your voice was slightly shrill.

“What?!” they all exclaimed, eyes darting toward the fence.

“What are they doing here?” Clint asked.

“They don’t look like they recognize us. Maybe they’re just entertained,” Nat chuckled. “Let’s split before they decide to alert someone.”

Turning back toward them, you mustered up a smile and brought your finger to your lips in a silent plea to keep what they’re seeing to themselves. You climbed up and over to the other side, turning to watch the two men while you waited for Wanda. Suddenly, they faced away from you and their backs stiffened, Bucky waving his arm behind his back. He took another quick glance your way, and you could tell he looked a little uneasy. Checking on Wanda’s progress, you noticed she had just reached the top and was pulling one leg over.

“Hey!” All of your heads snapped toward the gate, but neither man was facing you. “Thought you forgot about us for a second!” Bucky shouted, eyes flicking toward you, warning of someone’s approach.

“Wanda,” Clint hissed. “you’re gonna have to jump!”

“What?!”

“I promise I’ll catch you, but we need to go now!”

Wanda took a deep breath and launched herself off the fence, landing right into Clint’s arms as promised. You took one last look behind you and caught Bucky’s wink. Feeling a surge of bravery, likely from the adrenaline, you blew him a kiss before running off toward Clint’s car.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Bucky tried waving you off when he saw the security guard returning with Sharon. Seeing your confused expressions, he called out to the guard to get the message across. He turned back just in time to see the last girl jump off, and send a wink to the girl in the cargo pants. She brought her fingers up to her mouth again and kissed them, blowing it at him and making him blush hard before hightailing it out.

“Hey guys,” a sunglasses clad Sharon approached. “What are you so happy about?”

“Rough morning?’ Steve teased, eyeing the car that pulled into the parking lot, getting the guard’s attention.

“She blew me a kiss, Stevie,” he grinned, making Steve roar with laughter.

“What?” Sharon asked, confused over the conversation.

Steve leaned closer, ensuring the still distracted guard wouldn’t hear. “We just saw some students sneak off campus. Which one?” he turned to Bucky.

“The one that came out the window.”

“Who?” Sharon asked, unable to keep from smiling herself.

Bucky described you all, and Steve didn’t miss the way he was more detailed with your description than the others.

“Then they just drove off,” Bucky finished.

“I know who you mean,” she nodded. “The Four Horsemen.”

“Huh?”

“Last Halloween they came as the Four Horsemen. They won the costume contest, and the nickname just stuck. Anyway, that’s not surprising,” she shrugged, taking her notebook from Steve. “They often skip school on Fridays. Thanks for this, by the way. I needed if for this afternoon’s meeting to cover our upcoming field trip.”

“Where you going?” Steve asked, forgetting about you guys for the time being.

“Avengers. Have you guys been yet?”

“No,” Steve replied. “What’s that?”

“It’s an amusement park. They have these really cool attractions, especially around Halloween. I’d like to be able to raise enough funds to rent a bus and get discounted tickets, but we’ll see how that goes.”

“Hey, since we brought you your notes, can we come?” Bucky asked, earning a warning look from Steve. “What? You’re not curious?”

Sharon chuckled. “Sure! The club needs to sell a certain amount of cookies. If you help, you can come.”

“You wouldn’t get into any kind of trouble?” Steve did want to go, but not at the expense of Sharon’s good standing.

“I’ll put you guys and Peggy down as chaperones. She was president before me, so it should be fine,” she smiled reassuringly.

“See?” Bucky nudged Steve. “It’ll be fine. We have an appointment with our counselor this afternoon, though, so what’s gonna be covered at the meeting?”

The bell rang, making both Bucky and Sharon wince. “I’ll have Peggy explain it to you and drop off a few boxes this weekend. I have to go now though, so I’ll see you later.” She waved goodbye and headed back in.

As they turned back and headed toward Steve’s car, he said, “You know, we could’ve just gone to this place ourselves, without having to sell cookies and riding in a bus.”

“Right, and third wheel with you and Peggy? Or worse, go with Sam? No thanks,” he grumbled. “Anyway, you should be thankin’ me; I just saved you gas and admission.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Oh god,” you groaned, covering your face as your friends snickered. Once the high wore off, you were left feeling mortified over your behavior earlier.

“I bet it was cute,” Wanda soothed, rubbing your shoulder.

“I think it’s awesome,” Nat piped up. “Some of your confidence from last night is still in there. Besides, it’s not like you’ll see him again.”

“Uh, one: that’s what we thought last night… this morning… whatever,” you waved your hand dismissively. “Two: we don’t know why they were at school, so it is possible for them to return.”

“Hey, since you let him go,” Clint started giggling, barely able to get the words out. “and he came back, does that mean he’s yours?”

“Shut up!” you laughed, smiling so wide your cheeks were beginning to hurt.

“Oh, or did he follow you and now you get to keep him?” Wanda teased.

The server brought your breakfast, and Clint dug right into his omelette. The more you ate, the less you talked, drowsiness overtaking you all again.

Back at Clint’s, he directed you and Wanda to the guest room, while he and Nat headed to his own. His brother was at the pizzeria, and wouldn’t be home until the evening, giving you the opportunity for a long, uninterrupted nap.

The alarm sounded, waking you just before school was to end. You stretched out, feeling refreshed, and gently shook Wanda awake. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled sleepily. You both freshened up, and went to the living room to wait for Clint and Nat.

The drive back to the school was relaxing, the nap having done all of you good. Most of the students had already left, so Clint entered the parking lot and found a spot close the the building where the club meetings were held. You all walked in, and Sharon smirked at you.

“I heard you guys took off.”

Clint couldn’t hold in his laughter, “Yeah! We were tired, man!”

Sharon’s brows furrowed, and gave you all a scrutinizing look. “Did… were you guys at the party last night?”

“Yeah,” Nat replied. “We said hello, but you were already halfway smashed.”

Sharon groaned, rubbing her temples. “I’d say I regret it, but I kind of don’t. Anyway, take your seats; meeting’s about to start.”

She began the meeting, telling everyone you did a great job at the downtown cleanup project, and decided you all deserved a reward. It was two weeks until Halloween, and Avengers was having their annual horror nights event. Of course, you needed to raise the money for it, but she had managed to piggyback on another club’s fundraiser order and ended up scoring a great deal for the club.

“The downside is, we’re going to be competing with the other club for sales, but I know we can do it,” she beamed at everyone. “You guys will be selling the cookies for $3. In order to cover the price of your tickets and the bus, I need you guys each to sell three boxes.”

Everyone was excited about going to the theme park, so Sharon ended the meeting early and handed out the first boxes of cookies. When you got to the front, she asked you how many boxes you wanted to take.

“I’ll take all three,” you said confidently. Your friends all asked for three as well.

“Are you guys sure? There’s no rush, really. We have two weeks.” She briefly wondered if she had seemed pushy when she told you about it, but as everyone else only took one box, she figured that probably wasn’t it.

“We’re sure,” Wanda assured.

“Alright, three it is. Good luck!”

You all gave your thanks and headed out to the parking lot. When you got home, you left the cookies on the table and started making yourself a sandwich.

“What’s this?” your dad asked, wandering into the kitchen.

“Cookies I have to sell for the club. It’s for a field trip,” you swallowed hard, growing nervous. “Can I go?”

“Where to?” he asked gruffly.

“Avengers. It’s for their Halloween thing, so it’s going to be at night…”

“It’s for school?”

“Yeah, for the club,” you replied a bit more confidently. “There are going to be chaperones and everything.”

“Who’s driving?”

“We’re taking a bus.”

“Ok, but I’ll pay for your cookies,” he said. “I don’t want you going around trying to sell things.”

“I know. Thanks, Dad.”

He kissed your head and ruffled your hair. “You’re welcome. Let me know how much you need for the cookies and you can pay first thing Monday,” he called as he headed back to the living room.

A sigh of relief escaped you, and you were soon overtaken with excitement over your upcoming field trip.

Monday came and you met with your friends, none of which had any cookies with them.

“Hey everyone. You guys sell everything?”

“Yup,” Clint replied. “Sold them to Barney to resell at the pizzeria.”

“I sold mine to Piet and his friends.”

“I sold them at my mom’s work,” Natasha chimed in. “Dinner’s on me at Avenger’s, by the way.” She snorted at the puzzled looks you all gave her. “I sold them for $5.”

You all doubled over in laughter, amazed though not entirely surprised.

“Come on,” she said, still smirking. “let’s go find Sharon and turn in the money.”

You found her and gave her the filled envelopes, and she stared at you, slack jawed.

“How… Wow. Do you guys want to take more boxes?” she asked. “You don’t have to, no pressure, but it would help us out.”

You all looked at each other, having a silent conversation.

“We’ll pick them up Thursday,” Clint affirmed.

Sharon shook her head, a knowing smile on her face. “Alright.”

~ ~ TAG LISTS ~ ~

Permanent -  @melconnor2007 @ria132love @psychicwitchphilosopher @sireennotsiren  @silence–in–the–library @thefridgeismybestie @hymnofthevalkyrie

Avengers - @majd943

Bucky - @cassandras-musings

[lindseyluvsdrag]

Afterbirth Part 1

Aesthetic by @xximagoddamnmermaidxx

TW: Smut

6 months old, December 24th

---

Susan watched with judgmental eyes as Violet carefully applied the organic diaper rash cream to Clark's inner thighs.

“I don't know why you're paying $89 for a two ounce tube of shit that probably works as well as the $3.99 jar.”

“Because,” a clearly agitated Violet emphasized, “I don't want to just put random chemicals on my baby. I use organic and natural products only.”

“Well, I used the $3.99 jar on Matty and he turned out just fine.”

Violet scoffed. “Matthew claims that he can smell colors. I don't know what fried his brain, but it won't happen to Clark.”

“Yeah, with organic diapers that probably gave her the rash in the first place.”

“All babies get diaper rash at least once,” she said in exasperation. “Anything that irritates their sensitive skin: frequent bowel movements, chafing from the friction- don't act like I'm a bad mother, Susan.”

The woman defensively raised her hands. “I didn't say that. I just think you're wasting money.”

“It's my money! If I want to ‘waste’ it on my baby, then I can!”

Fresh out of the shower and still covered in a few suds, Matt swiftly descended the stairs as he secured the towel around his waist. “What's going on?”

“Your mother is judging my parenting skills!”

“Am not! I just said that organic products are unnecessary. Matty, you turned out fine with chemicals, snack cakes and full sodium foods. You've had so much sodium in your life that you could probably crap a salt lick.”

“I don't even…want that imagery,” Matt grumbled as she shook his head. “Mom, just please let Violet do her thing.”

“So I can't have an input on my only child's child?”

“You can have opinions, but don't judge her.”

“These are my opinions!”

“But it's not constructive criticism. It just comes across as attacking,” Violet retorted.

Susan scoffed. “You're just sensitive.”

Violet exploded so the woman shouted back, effectively startling the baby who immediately began to wail.

“Look at what you did,” Violet groaned as she cradled Clark before storming up the stairs. “When you're ready to apologize, we'll be in the nursery!” She slammed the door closed behind her.

“Good job, Mom,” Matt whispered as he rushed to remove the small box from its secret hiding spot in the grits box before dropping it into the pink stocking hanging on the mantle above the fireplace embroidered 'Violet’.

“Why do you have to play on Violet's hatred for me to manipulate her? Why can't you just propose like a normal person?”

“Ssshhhh!” he desperately hushed. “I've planned this thing, step by step, for weeks. She's mad now and maybe Clark got a little scared but it'll all be worth it once she sees the ring.”

“Can I see that thing again? Are you sure she'll like it?”

Matt grabbed the box and ushered his mother behind the massive evergreen that Violet and Clark had covered in shimmery pink ornaments. He lifted the lid.

“Yeah... I don't know, Matty,” Susan said as she assessed the custom made heart ring with an 'L’ stamped into the middle of it. “It's certainly not... traditional.”

“We’re not a traditional couple so, of course not. She will have the imprint and I'll have the imprintee.”

“Huh?”

“Have you ever seen the rings Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy on SpongeBob have? They interlock like puzzle pieces or something! My ring will have an ‘L’ and it'll match perfectly to this one so that when we fist bump, it'll be all matchy and romanticcc.”

“What's the 'L’ stand for? Lent?”

“Love, Mom! God, keep up!” Matt returned the box to Violet's stocking and gave his mother a giddy look before going stoic. “Now, to repair the 'damage’ you've done,” he joked before rushing up the stairs two steps at a time. He opened the door to the nursery but froze when he heard a sobbing Violet venting to their baby.

“God, I just feel so fucking trapped sometimes. I love you, Clark but why did Matthew have to be your father? I just can't fucking stand Susan. He doesn't even stand up to her. Like, are you even a fucking man? I don't regret you, baby, but why the fucking Lents? It's just, ugh.”

Matt pulled the door to a soft close and returned down the stairs.

“Well, that was fast,” Susan said. “Wait, what are you doing?” she asked as she watched Matt snatch the small box from Violet's stocking prior to storming into the nearest bathroom and flushing the symbol of love down the toilet. “Matty, wha-”

“The only reason I'm with that woman is for Clark's sake,” he sniveled. The declaration was made to protect his own feelings as the tears began to brew. Before they could, Matt rushed out of the back door to be with his dogs.

“Once he's with the boys, let him be,” Susan mumbled as a reminder to give the man his space. ---

“No, I don't mean that,” Violet sighed as she wiped her eyes. “I'm still shaking this postpartum shit off and I swear that I love you and your father and I wouldn't change either of you for the world. I just...ugh, I hate being so emotional, you know?”

Clark reached up and grabbed her mother's nose.

The woman smiled. “I love you too.”

---

Once the baby was down for her nap, Violet slowly descended the stairs into the living room.

Susan glanced at her. “I'm sorry for being such a judgemental bitch. I'll keep all future opinions to myself. If I want to raise another baby, I should have one instead of forcing my dated ideals onto you,” she robotically recited.

Violet folded her arms. “Thank you, but you have to apologize to Clark as well.”

The woman rolled her eyes. “Will do.”

“Where's Matthew?”

“Out back.”

“He's in the snow with no clothes on?!”

“The dog house.”

“Oh…” Violet knew that it was serious when the man opted to spend time in the dog mansion that he'd built for his buddies rather than attempting to sneak them into the basement while her head was turned. The woman geared herself in a coat, cap and boots before rushing out of the back door. She sloshed through the foot of fluffy snow until she reached the heated dog playhouse. “Hey,” she greeted, closing the door behind her.

“Where's Clark?” Matt asked without looking at her.

“Napping. You okay?”

“I'm fine,” the man said coldly. “Here, Loki,” he cooed as he blew kisses. “Heyyy, buddy.”

“You don't look fine,” Violet replied.

“Then break up with me,” Matt said nonchalantly.

The woman made a face. “I meant that you're in a blizzard with nothing on but a towel, not that you're not ‘fine’ as in attractive. You know that could never be the case,” she said suggestively. “You're sexy, babe.”

“Dr. Doom, be niceee.” He laughed. “Oh, you guys kill me.”

Never the one to be ignored for an animal, Violet stormed over and stood in front of her boyfriend. “What's your problem?”

“I don't have a problem.”

She pouted. “You're ignoring me.”

“Oh, boo fucking hoo. You're not the center of attention for once. Go cry about it, or better yet, dump me.”

“Matthew, I don't want to dump you! Why do you keep saying that?!”

Matt thought about Clark. “I'm sorry,” he sighed. “I'm just under a lot of stress at work.”

“Really? I thought you loved your job.”

“Of course I do. Doesn't mean that there isn't the competition of the next guy trying to come along and take your spot.”

“Oh.” She softly grazed her fingernails along his hand. “Is there anything I can do to help you relieve some stress?”

“You could leave me alone with my boys.”

“Shit, true. Doing it in front of dogs isn't cute. I'll see you inside?”

Matt nodded. “Unless I get blessed with invisibility.”

Violet laughed, stole a kiss and rushed out of the front door. Loki followed her out of the doggie entrance flap but quickly returned inside when he was reminded of the snow.

The man chuckled. “See? Don't chase women. They do nothing but lie, freeze you out and break your heart.”

---

With a little wine, lit candles and sexy holiday lingerie, Violet was thoroughly prepared for Matt when he finally returned inside.

“Ho, ho, ho,” she said seductively.

Matt couldn't deny that the woman looked amazing and he couldn't fight his manly urges, so when Violet beckoned him over, he complied.

---

“Oh my God, Matthewwww,” Violet moaned as the man aggressively slammed into her from the behind. She wasn't used to his masculine grunts or him roughly tugging on her hair, but she definitely wasn't complaining. “Fuck, babe! It's all yours!” Violet squealed as her legs began to tremble in the midst of her Earth shattering orgasm while Matt panted as she filled his condom.

After pulling out and cleaning up, Violet was used to cuddling so it took her by surprise when Matt rolled onto his side away from her and went  straight to sleep.

“I love you,” she whispered.

The man replied with a snore.

---

“And then he just fell asleepppp,” Violet whined into the phone.

“Maybe he was just really tired, Vi,” Naomi said in attempt to calm her friend. “Was the sex bad?”

“No! It was the best it's been since I was pregnant, maybe even better but there wasn't any intimacyyyy.”

“So would you rather have lackluster, cuddle sex or cold, amazing sex?”

Violet sniffled as scheduled thought. “Cold and amazing,” she finally rushed. “Sorry for bothering you with this nonsense.”

“It's not nonsense, we all need a push towards the obvious choice sometimes.”

---

On Christmas morning, everyone was up bright and early. Clark was showered in so many trinkets and toys that she didn't know what she wanted to play with first. When the six month old was occupied by the plush Superman blanket that her father had given her, it forced her parents to interact.

“She looks so happy,” Violet sighed. “That's all I ever wanted, for her to be happy.”

“Me too.”

The woman smiled at her boyfriend. “Having both her parents here makes all the difference.”

“Agreed,” Matt said as he entered the verbal agreement that made him tolerate a woman that he didn't think loved him for the sake of his child.

Violet held the fresh mistletoe over Matt's head. “Oh, wow what do we have here?”

The man chuckled. If the beautiful woman wanted to pretend to be in love with him, he didn't see a problem with going along with it. Matt wrapped his arms around Violet and pulled her into a kiss.

---

2 years old

“Are you ready Clark?” Violet asked as she compulsively adjusted her daughter's dress and curls. “You have to smile big when you go down the aisle. And try to throw the flowers as evenly as you can. Okay?”

“I'm going to throw them everywhere!”

“No, baby, you can'tttttt. You have to make it nice and neat for Aunt Naomi and Auntie Raven, okay?”

“But I want to go crazy!” she giggled.

“Fine,” Violet sighed. “They knew what they were getting themselves into when they asked you to be the flower girl.”

“I'm the best flower girllll.”

“Of course you are, my love,” she said as grabbed the girl's hand and led her to the room where Naomi was getting dressed.

“Hi, Aunt Naomi!” Clark greeted excitedly. “You look so prettyyyy.”

“Aww, thank you, CC! So do you!”

The toddler spun in her puffy white taffeta dress and nearly toppled over.

“Be careful, sweetheart,” Violet pleaded.

“I ammmm.”

She looked at her friend and immediately became emotional. “Naomi, you look...so amazing. I couldn't imagine a more perfect dress.”

The woman gave a slow spin in her simple, fitted boat neckline dress. The draped cowl back gave the classic look some sex appeal and it was phenomenal on her flawless, statuesque figure.

“When we were five years old, did you ever imagine this day?”

“No,” Naomi said honestly through misty eyes. “And especially not to a woman,” she laughed.

Violet chuckled. “Raven’s not just any woman. You guys have been through so much together and you deserve all the happiness in the world.”

“Awww,” Naomi said as she wrapped her arms around her best friend. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Let's go get married.”

“Me too! Me too!” Clark cheered.

---

Raven anxiously waited at the altar in her fashion forward ivory jumpsuit with a plunging neckline until she heard the music that queued Violet down the aisle. As both maid of honor and the best friend of several years, the woman desperately wanted her Pippa Middleton moment. She slowly slinked towards the altar in a skin tight, sheer dress that only had delicately placed beaded embroidery to cover up her naughty parts, but the dress still left nothing to the imagination.

She winked at Matt and he smiled from his seat. Next down the aisle was Clark who marched in her ballerina flats as she, to her mother's dismay, tossed her white rose petals all over the place.

“Is it pretty?!” the toddler asked.

“Awww,” people said collectively. “Yes!”

Clark beamed from ear to ear as she continued and when she passed her father, she made sure to sprinkle a generous amount of petals on him.

“Now you're pretty,” she whispered before rushing to her spot next to Violet.

“Did I do good?”

“It was so good,” her mother assured.

“Here have some.” Clark scooped out more petals and offered them to her mother.

“No, no. You keep them in your basket...niceee and neat.”

Moments later, Naomi was walked down the aisle by her father who initially didn't understand her being transgender, but now he was definitely confused by his transgender daughter marrying a woman. But the man loved her enough to bite his tongue and support whatever she decided to do, even if she wouldn't take him up on the last minute offer to skip town in his Corvette.

He gave her away and the floodgates that were opened when the couple began to recite their vows didn't leave a dry eye in the house.

After the ceremony, Violet watched her friends first dance with a melancholy heart.

“What's wrong, Mommy?” Clark asked when she approached.

“Hm?” Violet turned to look at her daughter and nearly screamed at the sight of blue frosting that covered the girl's hands and area around her mouth. The woman pulled out her wipes and  immediately went into cleaning mode.

“Are you sad, Mommy?” Clark asked again.

“No,” Violet sighed. “I'm just...do you know that you're two years old now?”

“Yes.”

“So that means I've been with your father for nearly three years.”

“That's a lotta years!”

“I knowww and…” Violet leaned in, “we haven't even talked about marriage.”

“Marriage?!” Clark squealed in excitement. “You wanna marry Daddy?!”

“Sssshhhhhh!” she hushed as she looked around. When she saw Matt at the bar, she exhaled and turned back to Clark. “Of course I want to marry your father. I love him.”

“Well then he needs to marry you so that I can put on another pretty dress.”

Violet frowned. “All of the dresses that I buy you are pretty.”

“Yes but I never get to wear them to weddings.”

She smiled. “Touche. Hey, listen, don't tell your father about this conversation, okay? You've always been my little confidant. Hell, I've been venting to you ever since you were a baby. Let's keep it a secret.”

“I can keep a secret,” Clark assured.

Violet kissed her head and finished wiping the last bits of frosting off of her daughter. “Thank you.”

“I have to get more cupcakes nowwww.”

The woman made a face before relenting. “Take these with you.” She gave Clark the wipes and watched her as she made her way to the dessert table. Clark grabbed two cupcakes and skipped towards her father.

“Here, Daddy!”

“Oh, thank you, sweetheart!”

Matt lifted the girl and placed her on the counter. Once he accepted his cupcake, they toasted with the baked goods and took a big bite out of each them.

“Are you having fun?” he asked.

“Yes. I like weddings. That's why you and Mommy should get married.”

Matt's eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

Clark nodded.

“What if I told you that I wanted to marry your mommy a long time ago but she said no?”

The girl gasped. “No way!”

“Yes way! Well, kind of. I just heard her say some things once and,” he sighed, “I just know she doesn't want to marry me.”

Clark frowned. “But she loves you.”

Matt grabbed his daughter and began to tickle her. “You know who loves who? I love you and that's all that matters!”

The girl giggled as she squirmed. “Heyyyy, you're driving me coconuts!”

Matt cackled and gave his daughter a firm squeeze before kissing her head. “Just because your mom and I aren't married, doesn't mean that I don't love you.”

“But you guys kisssss. Doesn't that mean you love each other?”

Matt cleared his throat. “Um, yes. I do love her bu-”

“You both love each other! People who love each other get married!”

“I'll think about it, okay?”

“Promise?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, ladiesss,” Naomi said into the microphone. “Who's going to catch my bouquet?”

Matt watched as Violet elbowed her way to the front of the crowd.

“3...2...1!” Naomi tossed the flowers over her head and Violet practically shoved a middle aged woman to the ground in order to catch them.

“Yayyyy, Mommy!” Clark cheered.

Violet raised her arms in victory before she glanced over at her family. She gave Matt a soft smile and the man sighed as he turned his attention back to the bartender. “Can I get another shot?”

“Can I have a shot?” Clark asked as she batted her long lashes.

“Yeah, a shot of milk, little lady.”

“I'll take that.”

---

Matt carried his milk and cupcake wasted child into the house as Violet followed suit.

“Give her to me. I'll wash her up before you put her in bed.”

“She's already sleeping, you can bathe her in the morning.”

“Matthew, I'm not putting my child into bed sticky and dirty.”

“Violet,” he retorted with attitude, “I'm not going to let you wake her to bathe her and make her cranky just for you to get frustrated and have me come in to fix it. Going to bed a little sticky will not kill either of you.”

“No, but I'm this close to killing you,” she retorted.

Matt scoffed. “You probably would, psycho. And then clean up the crime scene like I never lived here to begin with.”

“I wish you didn't live here.” The woman didn't mean it, but her pride never failed to get in the way when the couple argued.

“Oh, tell me something I don't know. You never wanted me around and I don't even know why you bothered to fake it all these years.”

“Fake what? I've never been fake in my life!”

“Fake the obvious lie that you love me! I know that you'd rather have anyone be Clark's father but me. That shit hurts but I fucking stuck around because I don't trust you. If we broke up, you'd probably take her away from me and God only knows who you'd have around her playing 'daddy’.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?!”

Clark stirred and whimpered in her sleep.

“Just shut up,” Matt hissed before going up the stairs. He entered his daughter's room and placed her in her princess canopy bed prior to tiptoeing out. The second that he closed door, he was caught off guard by Violet's hand slapping him across the face.

“Don't you ever tell me to shut up!”

The man simply pursed his lips and descended the stairs.

Violet quickly followed him. “Matthew, I'm sorry,” she offered. “You're saying that I'm fake and that I don't love you and I don't know where that's even coming from.”

“So you hit me,” he chirped sarcastically. “

Brilliant logic.”

“I’m sorryyy,” she sniffled.

“Yeah, you are.” Matt grabbed the bourbon from the cabinet. “But not as sorry as you will be, love,” he said as he dropped the bottle and let it crash on the floor.

“What are you doing?!”

The man began to pull anything and everything he could get his hands on to the floor, making the biggest mess possible. Dishes, food and even the paintings on the wall were sent crashing to the hardwood in the man's rage fueled tantrum.

“Matthew, stop!” Violet pleaded.

Matt smashed a jar of pickles against the wall. “Oh, sorry, I didn't mean it!” the man said sarcastically. “I'll just hurt your feelings or slap you and then take it all back because I didn't mean it!” He paused to catch his breath before knocking the toaster over. “And then I'll leave you to pick up the pieces.” Matt stormed out of the room leaving Violet to sob and hyperventilate over the enormous mess.

Matt made his way up the stairs and froze when he saw Clark in the doorway of her bedroom.

“Is there a hur-a-cane?” she groggily asked as she rubbed her eyes.

“No, baby, there's not a hurricane. Go back to bed.”

“I don't wanna go back to beddd.”

“Then what do you want to do?”

“Paint.”

“Arts and crafts, huh?”

---

Violet cried until she was able to compose herself enough to trek to her cleaning closet. She opened the door and frowned when she didn't see her hazmat suit. Violet heard Clark giggle.

“I like this one, Daddy!”

The woman rushed up the stairs, opened the door to her daughter's bedroom and screamed when she saw that the father/daughter duo had cut her hazmat suit to shreds so that they could use it for their artwork.

“Look, Mommy, I made you a flower,” the girl said excitedly as she rushed to hand over the bundle of glitter covered hazmat plastic.

“Thank you, sweetheart. Matthew,” Violet said through a clenched jaw. “May I speak to you outside for a second?”

“Nope.”

“We're busy, Mommy.”

“Clark Christine Lent, was I speaking to you?”

The girl pouted. “No.”

“Precisely, therefore I didn't need your input. And look! You've got glitter and paint in your carpet! What did I tell you about using that stuff in your room?!”

“But Daddy, said it was okay,” Clark sniveled.

“It is okay,” Matt said nonchalantly as he grabbed the bottle of blue paint and squeezed a glob into the light colored carpet.

Violet swore that she heard something inside of her snap. She calmly made her way downstairs,  grabbed her phone and called her sister.

“Hello?”

“Rose, do you think Clark can spend the night with you? I don't want her to see this.”

“See what?”

“Me killing her father.”

---

A few minutes later, Rose arrived and Clark was ushered towards the front door.

“Wait, you didn't ask me if it was okay if Clark could go somewhere,” Matt said.

“But I want to go, Daddyyyy,” the toddler whined.

“Fine,” he sighed. “I'll miss you.”

“I know.”

“You know?!” he asked dramatically as he pulled the giggling girl into his arms. “See you later, munchkin.”

The second that Clark rushed out of the door with Rose, Matt was ambushed by Violet jumping onto his back and wrapping her arms around his neck.

“What the-”

“Die, motherfucker!”

The man dropped to his knees and when her chokehold began to cut off his air supply, he purposefully drooled on her arm; a surefire way to get her to let go.

“Eww!” Violet squealed as she released and then shoved the man before pulling him into a headlock.

Matt grabbed the woman's thighs and pinched them as hard as he could.

“Owww!”

“Let me go,” he wheezed.

“Not until you're dead! Now apologize for making such a huge fucking mess!”

“Kiss my ass!”

Violet tightened her grip on the man's neck while he twisted the sensitive skin on her thighs even harder. They both groaned out in pain and demanded for the other to give up when Clark burst back into the house, pausing when she saw them.

“Clark, baby,” Violet panted in a shaky voice. “What are you doing back?”

“I forgot Lex Luthor,” she said as she grabbed her teddy bear while her eyes stayed curiously fixated on her parents. “Is this what Mommy and Daddy time looks like?”

“...Yes,” her mother replied unconvincingly.

“Okay. Have fun!” she cheered before rushing back out, closing the front door behind her.

Her parents sighed in relief before their quarrel continued.

“Say uncle!” Violet shouted.

“As soon as you let me go!”

“Never!”

Violet swung her arm and delivered a punch to Matt's face. The man couldn't believe that she'd hit him like that. Completely annoyed, he used his arms to knock Violet on her ass and with her arms still wrapped around his neck, she took Matt with her.

The man bit into the woman's left boob and she hollered as she finally let go.

“You fucking animal!”

“You punched me!”

Violet attempted to swing again, but Matt slammed her arms against the hardwood.

“Oww,” she whined.

“Stop trying to hit me in the fucking face!”

“You're getting out of control! You and Clark drew on the walls: Fine. I let it go and we played in the water. But then you let her go to bed all sticky, look at what you did to the kitchen! And worst of all, my hazmat suit! You went too fucking far, Matthew!”

“No, going too far is having a baby by someone you don't even love!”

Violet's bottom lip began to quiver. “You don't love me?”

“You don't love me!” he shouted as he pushed away from her. “I remember it like it was yesterday! Christmas Eve, two years ago, Clark was like six months old. You were fighting with my Mom and you stormed upstairs with the baby. I go up there to see if you're okay and you said, and I'll never fucking forgot it, ‘I just feel so fucking trapped sometimes. I love you, Clark but why did Matthew have to be your father?’”

Violet didn't recall saying it, but she didn't put it past herself as something she'd say while upset.

“Who else would be her fucking father?!” he shouted as he punched the wall, effectively leaving a fist sized hole. “Without me, she wouldn't even be Clark and you wouldn't have that amazing little girl as a daughter! Bitch!” the man fumed as he released two years of pent up anger and resentment. “I've stayed this long for the baby, but fuck it. I can't live like this anymore.”

At this point, the woman was sobbing but she managed to get her words out clearly. “Matthew, this is all some big misunderstanding, okay? You have to believe that.”

Matt rolled his eyes as he made his way up the stairs and quickly Violet followed him, barely catching the door in time so that he couldn't lock her out. She watched in pain as the man began to pack.

“What are you doing?” she sniveled.

“I’m leaving.”

“Matthew, you can't do that. What about Clark?”

“I'd prefer it if my child grew up with parents who hate each other rather than no parents because one is dead and the other is in jail for their murder.”

“But we do love each other!” Violet cried. “Nobody wants to murder anybody.”

“Speak for yourself,” he grumbled as he messily tossed the rest of his things into his luggage. He locked it, snatched it up and began to make his way down stairs. “I'll be back to see Clark tomorrow.”

“But you can see her all the time if you just stayed! Matthew, I love you! What am I supposed to do without you?!”

Matt opened the front door but then paused, making Violet's teary eyes grow wide with hope.

“Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn,” he said coldly prior to continuing out of the door, leaving Violet to fall to the hardwood as her sobbing became uncontrollable then hysterical before she passed out on the foyer floor.

---

Violet had no idea what time it was when she crawled up the stairs, but when she found a mirror and saw the dark bags under her eyes, her matted curls, her uncountable bruises and ripped gown, the woman burst into tears all over again.

---

Matt strolled up to the hotel counter and the wide eyed receptionist reluctantly greeted him.

“Can I get a fucking room?” he asked.

“Umm...ye-yes. Should I call an ambulance as well?”

“Why would you call an-”

She held up her phone's reflective case and the man was finally able to see all the damage that Violet had done.

“Well damn,” he exhaled. “I didn't know that I was bleeding.” The man snatched a few Kleenex out of the box on the counter and placed them against his nose. “Bitch can't weigh more than 118 soaking wet and she manages to black my eye and put me into a fucking chokehold that almost made me black out. How was I supposed to react to that? I leave before I kill her, that's what I do,” the man angrily ranted to himself.

The receptionist slowly moved her hand to trigger the alarm, but she froze when Matt turned to look at her.

“I need a room for three nights,” he demanded.

“We’re all booked!” the woman shouted in fear before rushing out of the door behind the counter.

---

“She put you in a headlock?!” Shea asked over the FaceTime call before bursting into laughter.

Matt puffed out his marijuana smoke. “That's not funny!”

“It is though! I didn't think she had it in her.”

“She's a psychopath.”

“True, but you love her.”

Matt scoffed. “Fuck all the way off.”

“You do. You're just hurt over what happened and you held that in for so long that it's driving you crazy. But if you didn't love her, you wouldn't have given a fuck and you would've left a long time ago.”

“I stayed for the baby.”

“Oh, bullshit. I hate when people use their kids as an excuse to stay miserable. You stayed because you love her and you won't convince me otherwise. In fact, every time you call me, it's to talk shit and complain about her.”

The man took a puff of his blunt. “You look really pretty in that lighting.”

Shea rolled her eyes.

“Leave your boyfriend so we can get remarried.”

“You're funny.”

He chuckled as he blew out smoke. “I love you. Always have, always will.”

“Ditto, babe.”

“I'm going to try and get some sleep. I need strength in case she wants to go for a round two in the morning.”

“Take it easy on her. Wouldn't want to break your baby mama’s arm.”

Matt cackled. “Maybe I do.”

Shea simply shook her head and blew her ex-husband a kiss. “Later.”

---

“Please don't stain, please don't stain,” Violet whimpered as she scrubbed the tomato paste out of the hardwood. She heard the doorbell ring and reluctantly left the mess to go answer it.

“Oh my God,” Rose gasped when she saw the red spots on her sister's dress. “You really did it didn't you? That's his blood!”

“What? Oh- no!  This is tomato paste, I'm cleaning.”

“Violet, you can be honest with me. If you did do it, let's get you out of the country now.”

“Matthew is alive...but I don't know if I am,” she sniffled. “He left.”

Rose pulled her sister into an embrace. “It'll be okay.”

“Mommy, Mommy!” Clark shouted as she rushed inside, followed by Clover. “I had waffles and Clover and me made cookies! See!”

Violet quickly put on a happy expression but Clark knew better.

“That's wonderful, sweetheart. I'm sure those cookies taste amazingggg.”

“What's wrong, Mommy? What happened to your dress? You stayed in it the entire night?” she asked, knowing that it was strange for her mother to do such a thing.

“Yeah, I was really busy last night.”

“With Mommy and Daddy time?”

Rose and Clover made faces.

“We'll take Clark to get ice cream,” her aunt offered. “You want ice cream, Clark?”

“No, I want to stay with Mommy.”

Violet nodded, assuring her sister that everything would be okay.

“Do you need help with anything?”

“No, we're fine. I'll see you guys later.”

The family shared hugs and kisses before Rose and Clover exited.

“Your dress is dirty, Mommy.”

“I know, sweetheart, it's okay. I'll get another.”

“Where is Daddy?”

“He's not here right now.”

“Are you mad at him?”

“Um…no.”

“Did you talk to him about a weddinggg?” she asked, large blue eyes full of hope.

“No,” Violet said honestly.

Clark frowned. “Grownups are so slow.”

Her mother laughed. “True. Let's go get cleaned up.”

“Can I pick you something to wear?”

“Of course, darling. And then we'll play the clean up game, okay?”

“Okay!” she chirped as she skipped along.

---

Matt took a deep breath as he made his way up the cobblestone path to the front door. With donuts in hand, he reluctantly entered his home and wasn't surprised by the floral scented cleaners that wafted through the air.

“Clark?” he called.

“Daddyyyy!”

The toddler came sprinting out of the living room and into her father's arms.

“Heyyy, princess!”

Clark gasped when she saw Matt's cuts and bruises. She placed both of her hands on her father's cheeks. “What happened to youuu?”

“I got into a fight.”

“With who?”

“Umm...Harley Quinn.”

Clark scowled. “I'll kick Harley Quinn's ass.”

Matt couldn't help but cackle. “Baby, don't say ass.”

“Well, if she kicked your ass, I'm gonna have to kick her ass.”

The man snorted. “Thank you, Clark. But say kick her butt because ass is a bad word.”

“Ohh...well, Mommy and I will both kick her butt! Mommy!”

“No, why are you calling her?” Matt rushed in a whisper.

“She has to see this and access this situation.”

“Access?” he chuckled at her misuse of the word.

“Yes! Mommyyyyyyy!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Matt intervened. “I brought you donuts.”

She paused. “Jelly ones?”

He scoffed dramatically. “Of course jelly ones.”

“Yayyyy!”

Matt sighed in relief over the girl's short attention span as he placed her to the floor and handed her the box.

Clark swiftly accepted the gift and ran to find her mother. “Mommyyyy, Daddy brought donuts!”

Matt groaned.

When her daughter rushed back into the living room, Violet closed her book. “What happened, sweetie?”

“Daddy brought donuts because Harley Quinn kicked his ass.”

“Clark Christine,” her mother chastised.

“I mean, kicked his butt. Look at his face, Mommy! You have to make his boo-boos better!” Clark waited for her father to round the corner, but when he didn't, she placed the donuts in Violet's hands and rushed around the corner. Matt was nowhere to be found. “Daddyyyy!” she shouted up the stairs. The man didn't respond, leaving the toddler with no choice but to cry as she rushed back to her mother.

Violet placed the donuts to the side. “What's wrong, Clark?”

“Daddy is gone! He's hurt and he's gone!” she sobbed.

The woman sighed. “Do you want me to call him?”

“Yes!”

Violet pulled out her cell phone and called the man who took at least six rings to answer.

“Hello?”

She quickly handed the phone to her daughter. “Hello? Daddy?” Clark sniveled.

There was nothing worse in this world to the man than hearing his daughter cry. It made him feel ten times as worse as Violet's tears used to, and it was truly his kryptonite.

“Baby, why are you crying?” he asked weakly.

“You left me!”

“No, I didn't, Clark. I'm in the driveway and I'm coming back into the house now.”

The girl dropped the phone and sprinted towards the front door, making perfect timing to jump into her father's arms. When she continued to sob, Matt squeezed her even tighter.

“Baby, I'd never, ever, ever, ever, leave you without saying goodbye. Do you know that?”

“Yes,” she sniffled. “But you upset meeee.”

The words felt like a dagger to Matt's heart. “How did I upset you?”

“You have to let Mommy and me fix your boo-boos before they get injected!”

“Injected?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, sweetheart,” Matt sighed as he kissed her head. “I'm so sorry for upsetting you. It won't happen again.”

Clark wiped her eyes. “Okay.” She shimmied out of her father's arms and pulled him along until they reached the living room. “See, Mommy! Look at what Harley Quinn did!” the girl fumed as she folded her arms.

“Oh nooo,”  Violet said, barely convincing the child.

“Well?! Go get your first-aids kit!”

“But he's not bleeding.”

“But he is hurt!” Clark shrieked, quickly growing exhausted by her parents lack of understanding for the severity of the situation. “You love him so fix it!”

“You're right, Clark. I do love him...so I'll do my best to fix it.”

Matt understood the underhanded nature of the comment and rolled his eyes.

“Sit down, Daddy,” Clark ordered. “Mommy, we need that first-aids kit, now!”

“Is this the emergency room?” Matt asked.

The toddler nodded.

“Are you a nurse or a doctor?”

“Nurse.”

“May I please have some water then?”

“Coming up!”

While Clark rushed into the kitchen, Violet returned to the living room. Matt refused to even look up at her.

“Listen, um,” the woman began, “I want to be in this uncomfortable situation just as much as you do. All I can say is that I'm sorry, but I don't know what else I'm supposed to do to fix this.”

“Hmmm, have you tried eating a pound of garlic?”

“But I'm allergic to...oh.”

“Here's your water, Daddy,” Clark chirped as she rushed around the corner with a bottle.

“Thank you, Nurse.”

“You're welcome. Now, be a good patient and let Mommy doctor fix you. Don't be a crybaby.”

Matt laughed. “I'm never a crybaby.”

“You are sometimesss.”

“What?! When?”

“When Mommy plucks your eyebrows.”

“Hey, hey, that was once and only because I lost a bet.”

Clark giggled.

“Why you laughin’ at yo Daddy's pain, girl?”

“Cause it's funny sometimes.”

“Fair enough.”

Clark climbed onto the couch and stood next to her seated father while Violet retrieved her first-aid kit. She grabbed the Neosporin and gently began to dab it along his black eye and cut nose bridge. Matt winced.

“Sorry,” Violet said softly.

“It’s okay,” Clark assured.

Matt fought the urge to smile.

“Is that better, Daddy? Is Mommy a good doctor?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

Matt sighed. “Yes, Mommy is a good doctor.”

“She takes care of both of us.”

“Mm hmm. She surely does,” he said dryly.

“This is why we need to do a wedding!” Clark squealed.

“What wedding?” her parents asked collectively.

The toddler threw her arms in the air out of sheer frustration. “Your wedding!”

“Clark,” Matt exhaled. “There won't be a wedding.” He cleared his throat. “Um, Mommy and I are breaking up.”

Clark frowned. “What does that mean?”

“We... I-I won't be Mommy's boyfriend anymore.”

The girl gasped. “Why not?!” She aggressively grabbed Matt's cheeks. “Mommy is the most beautiful woman in the world!”

“I know she is.”

“No you don't if you don't want to be her boyfriend!”

“It's not that I don't want to be her boyfriend, I just...hey, do I really have to explain my relationship problems to you?”

She squeezed her father's cheeks even harder. “Yes!”

“You want me to be to honest?”

“Yes.”

“I don't think your Mom loves me as much as I love her.”

“No,” Clark protested. “She loves you and thinks you're more handsome than Thor.”

Matt laughed.

“She does! Don't you, Mommy?”

Violet bashfully tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “I do.”

“See, Daddy? She thinks you're hot stuff.”

Both her parents laughed.

“Seeeeee, you guys love each other.”

“Of course I love your Mom, but I can't be with her.”

Clark dramatically fell back onto the couch. “That doesn't make senseeee!”

“It doesn't have to make sense to you, little lady. All you need to know is that we love you and that you'll always be taken care of.”

“But I'm not happyyyy,” she groaned.

“Why not, Clark Lent?” Matt asked as he placed his hand underneath his chin.

“Because I'm only happy when Mommy is happy and now she's not happy! She wants to marry you but you don't even want to be her boyfriend! You're driving me coconuts!”

Violet pursed her lips in embarrassment over the girl's revealing rant. “Um, I have to go to the bathroom.”

When Violet left the room, Matt turned to Clark. “Mommy wants to marry me?”

“Yes! She told me.”

“Wow…” Matt exhaled.

“She loves you and you're being so self-righteous.”

“Self-righteous? Where are you getting all of these big words?”

Clark folded her arms.

“Are you ignoring me?”

“Hmph!” the girl huffed as she turned away from the man.

“Oh noooo, not Grumpy Clark. What can I do to fix it?”

She continued to ignore him.

“So, when did Mommy tell you that she wanted to be married to me?”

“Yesterday,” the toddler grumbled.

“Oh…” So did her opinion on me change over the years or is she just saying that to tell Clark what she wants to hear? the man asked himself. “I'll go with the ladder.”

“Hmm?”

“Nothing, sweetheart. Want to go to the zoo?”

Clark jumped up. “Yes!”

“Go get dressed.”

“Okay.” The toddler raced out of the room and up the stairs.

When Violet finally exited the bathroom, it was obvious to Matt that she'd been crying.

“Hey.”

“Hi,” she said quietly.

“I'm going to take Clark to the zoo.”

“Okay.”

“So...yeah.”

“Daddy, can I wear my cape?!” Clark shouted down the stairs.

“Of course, sweetheart!” Matt pushed himself off the couch. “Do you need anything while we're out?”

Violet shook her head just as Clark skipped down the stairs. “I’m ready!”

“Alright.”

“Are you coming, Mommy?”

“No, I'm a little tired, baby. You'll have fun with Daddy.”

Clark frowned. “But the go-ril-lasssss, Mom!”

“They'll be there when I go next time.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “Let's go, Daddy!”

“I'm coming. I'll start the car, you say bye to Mommy.”

Clark rushed towards her mother and Violet groaned as she picked her up. “You're getting so big, my love.”

“I'm growing up,” she chirped before cupping her hands around her mother's ear so that she could whisper. “Don’t worry about this, Mommy. Daddy will marry you because I have a plan.”

Violet sighed. “Okay, sweetheart. Have fun at the zoo. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

She kissed her daughter's cheek before returning her to the floor. The woman watched as Clark's cape floated through the air while she rushed out of the door. Violet was close behind to make sure that the girl made it out safety. After she was buckled into her carseat, Clark waved goodbye to her mother as the car sped away.

“Fuck, she's getting so big.” Feeling nostalgic, Violet made her way to the living room and dug out all of the old home videos. She popped in the first DVD and tears were brought to her eyes nearly instantly.

“Oh my Goddddd. I was so fatttt.”

Push, Violet, push! Matt encouraged on the video.  

“I need a glass of wine for this.”

After settling onto the couch with her Merlot, Violet laughed at Matt's Spider-Man costume.

“Crazy man.”

---

Say Mama. Sayyyyy Mama! Violet prompted.

Her first word will be Dada, Matt intervened. Mark my wordsss.

The woman laughed. “I can't believe he was right,” she said as she took another sip of wine. “But of course. Dada has simpler syllables than Mama.” Violet popped in the next video.

Oh, fuck, Matthewwww, the woman moaned as Matt sucked on her clit.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Violet panicked as she rushed to eject the sex tape. “Why is that with Clark's baby videos?” The woman marked the DVD with a big red X before moving on to the next.  “I'll watch that later.”

---

Matt held onto the chubby 10 month old’s hands, but once she steadied herself he let go.

Come to Mama. Comeee to Mama, Violet urged from across the room as she crouched on the living room floor. Come on, baby.

The toddler took one cautious step, then another before she lost her balance and plopped to her butt.

Awe, it's okay, Matt assured as he grabbed her hands to help her up. You can try again.

Clark babbled and took one bold step towards Violet before tumbling.

Babe, she needs the cape.

Matthew, that cape looks ridiculous.

Noooo, I swear she took more steps last time with the cape on.

Violet huffed. I guess it won't hurt.

Yes! Don't worry, Clark, help is on the way! Matt said as he bolted up the stairs while Violet turned towards the camera as Susan continued to film.

So ridiculous, she mouthed to the lens.

Moments later, Matt rushed back down the stairs with the bright red toddler sized cape in had. He secured the velcro loosely around his baby's neck.

Be careful, Violet ordered. Her top is Burberry.

Matt smoothed the baby's cape and clothes prior to helping her to her feet again.

Come on, Super Clark, he encouraged. You can do it.

Dada, she cooed as she reached for him.

Within a second, Clark was in Matt's arms. He kissed her cheek and blew air bubbles against it causing the baby to laugh.

Don't spoil her, Matthew. I can barely get her to try walking as is.

The man sighed and returned his daughter to the floor. He held onto her tiny fists until she could find her center of gravity prior to letting go.

Come on, Clark. Come to Mommy.

Matt blew a gust of air underneath the baby's cape to make to flow. Super Clarkkk.

Clark giggled.

Matthew, stop distracting her.

It wasn't me. Her powers are activating.

Violet groaned in exasperation and it made her baby frown.

Mamaaa, she whined as she took a step towards her. Always in tune with her mother's emotions, Clark used the woman's frustrated expression as motivation to get to her.

The woman extended her arms. Yes, baby! Come to Mama.

The toddler began to wobble, but she refused to give up as she took one unsteady step after another.

Mom, is the camera still on? Matt practically squealed.

Yes, Susan excitedly replied. She's doing so good.

With one last shaky step, Clark fell forward into her mother's arms.

Yayyy, everyone cheered in unison while Clark laughed and clapped for herself.

It was totally the cape, Matt assured.

---

The next video started with the camera facing Violet as she walked. Do you want to know what happens when you leave your baby daddy alone with the baby? she asked as she entered Clark's nursery and turned the camera to Matt.

Babe, babe, look, Matt barely got out through his laughter. He'd placed the six week old baby in the front pocket of his apron. She's like a kangaroo.

Violet cackled. “I can't believe she was tiny enough to fit in thereeee. Well, hell I remember her fitting in one hand as a newborn.”

---

Clark's first Christmas was printed across the screen before it faded into Violet holding the chubby baby as they hung ornaments.

It looks good, ladiesss, Matt complemented, circling them as he filmed.

Dada, Dada, Clark babbled as she bounced on Violet's hip.

Hi, babyyy. I love you.

Clark flashed a toothless grin. Matt reached for her but she turned away.

How rude, he gasped.

Say go away, Daddy. We're decorating.

Clark spewed out an unintelligible rant that made her parents laugh.

Violet watched the endless footage of Christmas Eve and then their party on Christmas day as her sister filmed.

What are you expecting to get today? Rose asked.

Violet scoffed. I'm not expecting anything. She looked around and laughed. Wait, where's Matt?

In the snow with Clark.

Oh, okay so get this. He asked me for my ring size a few weeks ago, she squealed.

Oooo, you know what that means.

I need ten carats, henny.

The sisters laughed.

I have to practice my surprise faces for when he proposes.

Violet paused the video and took a large gulp of her wine. “I never got to use those fucking faces.”

---

Every time that Clark would bring up Violet, Matt would distract his daughter with toys or treats. The father/daughter duo made their way around the zoo twice and when the toddler passed out from sheer exhaustion, Matt loaded her into the car and took her home.

“We're backkk,” the man announced as he entered. He didn't hear a response but he made his way to Clark's bedroom and tucked her in anyway. “Violet?” he called when he returned to the main floor. The man entered the living room and found the woman passed out on the couch with a bottle of wine next to her. “Drinking alone is never a good lookkk,” he whispered.

Matt turned to leave, but stopped out of curiosity when he and saw the paused shot from a video that he'd never seen before on the television. He pulled the remote control from Violet's hand and pressed play.

Show me the face you'd make if he proposes, Rose continued.

Violet placed her hands on her cheeks and gasped dramatically. Matthewwww, it's so beautifullll! Yes! Yes, of course I'll marry you!

Rose giggled. Perfect! And I better be your maid of honor, bitch.

Wait, what's this about maid of honor?! Naomi shouted from across the room.

Nothinggg, Violet assured. At least not until we open presents, the woman said hopefully. Keep the camera rolling.

“Damn,” Matt exhaled. “Wait, this is...after I overheard her, so-”

What'd you get, Vi? Rose asked as she continued to film everyone open their gifts.

I don't know yetttt, Violet said excitedly as she pried into the small box. And it doesn't say who it's frommm. The woman beamed from ear to ear only to have her face fall when she finally got the box open and saw the watch.

Do you love it, sweetheart? her father asked.

Oh, this is from you, Dad? Yeah, it's beautiful.

As Matt continued to watch the video, he noticed how Violet became more and more anxious after each gift. At the time, what he thought was bitterness and resentment, was actually disappoint that he hadn't gone through with his proposal.

Are there anymore gifts for Violet?! the woman shouted.

Once you have a baby, all your gifts become gifts for them, Rose informed.

Yeah but... nevermind. The camera caught Violet pushing herself off of the couch and making her way towards Matt.

“God, I look miserable,” the man groaned when he saw himself on the screen.

Violet's words couldn't be made out, but Matt did his best to read her lips.

Are you okay?

I was, he replied as he downed another glass of eggnog.

Oh...well, I hope you're having a good time. Clark is really enjoying her first Christmas.

I'm only here for her, Matt slurred before the camera panned the room.

“Damn it,” the man hissed as he paused the video. “So much fucking time wasted…for nothing.” Matt reached out to stroke the woman's hair but then stopped. “All those times I was mean or when I knew she wanted affection-”

“Hmm?” Violet groaned as she stirred in her sleep.

“Baby,” Matt cooed, sliding onto the couch beside her. He kissed her neck then her jaw.

“Matthewww,” she slurred. “It's too hotttt.” When Violet attempted to push him away, she ended up rolling herself off of the couch, hitting the hardwood in a muffled thump. “Ow.”

The man suppressed his laugh until he saw the woman's expression. “You look like Grumpy Clark.”

Violet snorted. “Help me up?”

Matt leaned over to assist the woman, but she pulled him onto the floor next to her. The man didn't seem to mind as he walked his fingers along her collarbone.

“Violet?”

“Whattttt?”

“You know I love you, right?”

“I don't know. You want me to eat garlic and break up and-”

“No, no, no, I didn't mean it. I mean, I did at the time, but I was mistaken.”

“But when I say I don't mean something, you get all mad,” she hiccuped. “I hate your double standards and I hate youuu.”

“You don't hate me,” he said as he rolled on top of the woman.

“Oh my God, you're fattt. You're going to make me puke.”

“Puke on me if you have to, I deserve it.”

“Nooo, Matthew,” the tipsy women groaned. “You're beautiful and you deserve the world.”

“Awe...you really feel that way or are you just drunk?”

“Both.”

Matt laughed and kissed her. “I'm sorry for being such an asshole to you all these years.”

“It's okay, Matthew. Just get off of me.”

The man stole another kiss before finally giving Violet some breathing room. “You won't believe what I found earlier,” she slurred as she struggled to get to her feet. When she did, she popped in the DVD marked with the bright red X.

Oh, fuck, Matthewww, Violet moaned on the screen.

“Whoa!” Matt exclaimed. “When did we make this?”

“I don't know...back when you still cared about me. Back when we made love and not that rough, cold stuff that makes you just roll over and go to sleep when you're finished without kissing me goodnight.”

The man knew that he was guilty of making the woman feel that way and he wanted it to end. Matt pushed himself off of the couch and approached Violet from behind. As he wrapped his arms around her waist his lips found her neck.

“Mmm,” she exhaled.

Matt eased the straps of the woman's nightgown off of her shoulders causing the silk negligee to fall to the floor, leaving Violet in nothing but her favorite pink thong. The man smiled as he slowly ran his hands along her arms and then her breasts. Violet turned around and their lips met in a tender kiss. Matt gently glided his hands along her curves, stopping at her ass which he cupped to lift the woman. She wrapped her legs around his waist, making it even easier for the man to walk backwards until they flopped onto the couch.

They laughed and continued to kiss while Violet's hands fumbled with Matt's belt but he stopped her.

“I wanna take care of you tonight. I have two years to make up for.”

The man eased the woman onto the cushions but she wouldn't release her legs.

“Not on the couch,” she whispered.

Matt smirked and kissed her. “Come on, big baby.”

He lifted her off of the couch and bolted towards the stairs.

“Waittttt, don't forget my nightgown.”

“You don't need that,” he assured.

“Yeah, but neither does the floorrrr. If you don't get it now, it's all I'll be able to think about."

Matt groaned and retaliated against the woman's difficultness with a firm bite on her neck before doubling back and picking up the negligee then rushing up the steps. Instead of tossing her onto the bed,  Matt gently eased his lover onto the mattress and took his time to practically worship every inch of her body with tender kisses.

“Nooo, Matthewwww,” Violet squealed. “Not my feetttt.”

The man laughed and tussled with the woman until he was able to kiss the top of her foot.

“I'm never kissing you again.”

He laughed. “You kiss me after I go down on you.”

“Yeah, but my cooch is pristine.”

“And your feet aren't?”

“I guess you have a point.”

Matt kissed the woman's freshly pedicured big toe. “I have no problem appreciating every part of your body, whether you think it's gross or not.”

Violet smirked while she rolled her eyes. Those same tawny brown eyes rolled into the back of her head when Matt kissed her thong. The thin cotton was the only thing that separated her throbbing clit from the man's eager mouth.

The woman gently gnawed on her bottom lip as Matt's nibbling and warm air from his exhales gave her new and exotic sensations that quickly began to drive her crazy.

When Matt could feel how wet the woman was through the thong, he knew that he'd teased her enough. He pinched the thin pink straps that clung to her hips and slowly slid them down.

“I hate youuu,” Violet playfully grumbled.

He frowned. “Why?”

“Stop teasing me.”

The man grinned and tossed the woman's panties over his shoulder.

“Nooo, Matthew, you have to put them in the hamper.”

“Can't it wait? I-” Matt relented when she gave him the look. He retrieved the thong and sniffed it as he made his way to the bathroom.

“You're so grossss,” Violet said as she bashfully covered her face.

“If loving everything about you, inside and out, is gross, then I don't wanna be... whatever the opposite of gross is.”

The woman laughed but didn't remove her hands from her face as Matt positioned himself between her legs. He returned to giving the woman soft kisses along her inner thighs and vaginal lips, but he didn't want to torture her completely so he took her clit into his mouth sooner rather than later.

The man started with gentle sucking with the occasional firm lick thrown in.

Violet finally removed her hands from her face. One found its way to the sheets while the other found Matt's hair as she gripped it. “That feels so good.”

“I'm just getting started,” Matt assured as he added the swirling of his tongue to the mix. The man traced rhythmic patterns along Violet's entrance and love button, listening as the woman's breathing became more labored.

“Matthew, you never do thissss,” Violet panted. “It's usually so r-ushed!” she squealed when the man began to shake his head from side to side with her clit still nestled between his smooth lips.

It only took a few more minutes of this before she began to tingle all over.

“Oh my Godddd. I'm cominggg.”

Matt didn't even need the heads up as the sweet and tangy taste of the woman flooded his mouth. He didn't waste a single bit of it and even used it to lube up his fingers before slowly sliding them into the woman. In addition to his gentle sucking,  Matt knew exactly what angle to thrust his fingers in order to find her G-spot. He always knew that he'd found the tender bundle of nerves when Violet arched her back.

“Fuckkk,” Violet moaned as she arched her back.

The man curled his fingers upward and firmly massaged the sensitive spot.

“Ahh,” she groaned in pleasure as she tightened her grip on the sheets and Matt's hair. “You're so good, baby, oh my Godddd.”

It wasn't long before the woman was climaxing again and Matt enjoyed every second of her sugar walls contracting around his fingers. He took advantage of the human slip-n-slide as he began to vigorously work his hand up and down.

Violet tried to pull away but Matt held her in place and continued until she begged him to stop.

“Fuck,” she whimpered weakly.

Matt kissed the woman all over her trembling body as he undid his belt. After dropping his trousers, he distracted Violet by taking her lips so that she wouldn't notice him toss his clothes to the floor. The woman heard the soft thump, but she was too far gone to care.

Matt fished a condom out of the nightstand and ripped it open prior to sliding the rubber onto his rock hard dick.

“Are you okay?”

Violet nodded.

“Are you ready for this?”

“I don't know, but I'm willing to try. I mean, I feel so amazing already.”

“Welp, I told you I'm just getting started.”

Matt grabbed the woman's thighs and slowly pulled her towards him prior to rubbing his cock against her clit.

“Mmm.”

After making sure that the woman’s engines were still warm, Matt aligned his dick with Violet's entrance and slowly slid into her. They both sighed in pleasure as they adjusted to being so intimately connected.

“That never gets old,” Matt exhaled.

“What never gets old?”

“Your face when I put it in.”

Violet blushed. “It feels good.”

The man smiled and kissed the woman as he pulled out and then slowly pushed back in. He made sure that Violet could feel every inch of him as he kept his strokes steady and deep, causing her to pant with each movement.

Matt took advantage of the missionary position and stared into the woman's tawny brown eyes. The couple hadn't been this intimate during sex in nearly two years and the man nearly forgot how perfect the woman's expressions were.

“Fuck, you're so beautiful,” he exhaled.

Violet buried her face into the crook of Matt's neck as she secured her arms and legs around his body while the man continued to thrust into her.

“I'm gonna come.”

Matt was surprised. “Already?”

“Yes,” she whimpered before digging her nails into his back.

“That's not an orgasm,” Matt scoffed as he sat up, pulled the woman's legs over his shoulders and began to roughly pound into her.

“Oh my God!” Violet moaned out as her toes curled and her fists twisted in the sheets. “Shittttt!”

“Now that's an orgasm,” the man proudly panted.

The woman continued to moan, groan and convulse.

Matt kissed her foot. “You okay?”

“Yes,” she managed to get out.

“You had enough?”

Violet shook her head. “It feels too good.”

Matt grinned and repositioned them so that Violet was on top.

“Shit,” the woman moaned as she adjusted to Matt being so deep inside of her. She closed her eyes and slowly began to ride the man while Matt caressed her breasts.

He loved seeing how Violet's hair fell to the sides of her face and how she exhaled through parted lips, letting out the occasional 'Fuck’ whenever the stroke was just right.

Matt caressed the woman's body all over but when he reached her hips, she stopped him.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she panted as she returned his hands to her boobs.

He made a face. “What's up?”

Violet sighed. “I don't want you to feel my ripples.”

“Ripples?”

“My stretch marks!”

Matt attempted to look but Violet palmed his face. “Stopppp.”

“Babe, you don't even have stretch marks.”

“Yes, I do,” she sniveled. “You just haven't noticed because you're used to a quick fuck from behind.”

“Not even,” Matt retorted. “I like when you're on top too,” he joked. It earned him a playful pop on the chest. “In all seriousness, I've never seen a stretch mark on you and if there is, there's nothing wrong with that.”

Violet frowned and guided the man's hand to her hips so that he could feel the scars. “I noticed it a while after Clark was born. My body went through the craziest fluctuations.”

When Matt saw that the woman was visibly upset over the change in her body, he grabbed her hand and interlocked their fingers.

“Can I look at it?”

Violet paused before she reluctantly nodded and dismounted when Matt eased her off of his lap. The woman laid on her stomach and buried her face into the pillow while the man examined the two pale scars on her hip.

“Babe, these are badass.”

“Really?” she replied, voice muffled by the pillow.

“Well, for one, they're barely noticeable. But babe, guess what? You carried a life. Without you, Clark wouldn't be here and I'm so grateful for that. You should be proud of these tiger stripes. I know I am.”

Violet peeked up at him. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, woman! Do you need proof? Like-” He licked her hip where the stretch marks were.

“Ewww!” Violet squealed.

“I told you that you look amazing. You're perfect, you're beautiful, you look better than Linda Evangelista, okay? You're a model. No part of your body grosses me out. You could sneeze on me and I'd probably thank you.”

The woman laughed before Matt met her lips and stole a kiss.

“You ready for more?”

“Mm hmm.”

Matt climbed off of the mattress and when Violet  followed suit, they smooched before he gently bent her over the bed. The man showered the woman's shoulders, back and ass with more kisses before he slid his cock into her entrance. He started off with slow and steady strokes prior to adding deep, forceful thrusts that made the woman moan his name every time he tapped her G-spot.

“You feel so good, baby,” he panted.

“So do yo- fuckkk,” Violet groaned as her legs began to shake. “I'm coming,” she squealed.

“How many orgasms is that?” Matt smugly asked.

“I don't knowww,” the trembling woman groaned into her pillow.

Matt pulled out, lifted Violet back onto the bed and positioned his head between her legs before wrapping his mouth around her clit.

The woman's back involuntarily arched. Her body was near the brink, but she didn't want the pleasure to stop. In addition to licking and working his tongue, Matt added his fingers to the mix. Once they found Violet's G-spot the woman began to tremble even harder.

“Fuck! Shittt! Matthewwww, okay, okayy! Stop!” she pleaded as she squirmed.

After pulling away, Matt sat up and slid his cock into Violet's sensitive entrance. The woman winced, but she didn't tell him to stop as he began to pound into her.

Matt enjoyed every moment of Violet's animalistic moaning and as his own toes began to curl, he buried his face into the crook of her neck.

“I'm coming,” he whispered against her goosebump covered skin. “Fuck.” As Matt moaned and filled the condom, Violet convulsed and whimpered when the man pulled out.

“I love you,” Matt exhaled, kissing her face, neck and collarbone while he waited for her pleasure induced convulsions to stop. “Did you get enough?” he teasingly asked as he gently touched her clit.

Violet flinched at the contact. “Don't,” she whimpered. “God, it's so sensitive.”

“I hope this makes up for the past two years.”

“It m-m-makes up for the last five years, plus a t-ten year cr-credit,” she managed to get out while she steadily trembled. “God, Matthew!”

“Whatttt?”

“It was amazing. I literally can't stop shaking.”

“Did I rupture a nerve or something?”

“I don't knowww.”

“Well, you're still beautiful. Even if you are all twitchy.”

Violet laughed and pulled the man into a kiss. The couple's lips remained connected until Violet's body finally managed to calm down. Matt pulled her into a cuddle and when the duo was practically asleep, Violet grumbled.

“Matthew.”

“Hm?”

“Put your clothes in the hamper.”

---

“Good morninggggggg!” Clark shouted into the  walkie talkie her parents had gifted her to prevent awkward moments such as walking into their bedroom to see her father's naked butt in the air.

Matt groaned as he blindly reached for the device.

“Are you guys awakeeeee?”

When he found the walkie talkie, Matt pushed the button and spoke into the microphone. “Good morning, Supergirl. How did you sleep?”

“Good,” she chirped. “What about you?”

“I'm still tired,” he grumbled.

“Well, I would let you go back to sleep, but I'm hungry. Can I have pancakes?”

“You certainly can have pancakes. Start brushing your teeth and washing your face. I'll be right out.”

“Thanks, boss man,” she said with a giggle before hanging up.

Matt turned to Violet who was flat on her back and snoring. He knew that the toxic combination of alcohol and great sex would have the woman out for awhile. The man smirked as he kissed her cheek prior to pushing himself off of the bed. After he brushed his teeth and splashed water on his face, Matt made his way to Clark's bathroom. He peeked around the corner and found the toddler brushing her dark curls.

“12...84...26...19...41,” she said as she counted the brush strokes.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Matt greeted.

“Hi, Daddy!” Clark squealed, dropping her brush prior to jumping into his arms.

“Gonna help me cook?”

“Mm hmm.”

Matt carried the girl down the stairs then into the kitchen.

“Okay, chef Clark, get your Batgirl apron on and we'll get started.”

After he grabbed a medium sized bowl, Matt let the toddler dump in the the pancake mix and pour in the water before he stirred. When the ingredients were lump free, he dolloped some of the mix onto her nose.

“Heyyy!” In retaliation, the toddler stuck her finger in the batter and smeared it on her father's cheek.

“Ahhh, you got me!”

Clark laughed as her dad guided her to the barstool, far away before he proceeded to pour the mix onto the hot griddle, making the mini pancakes just the way that Clark liked them.

When he was finished, he presented the toddler with a plateful of tiny pancakes and a generous helping of syrup while he settled next to her with his BLT.

“Yummy, yummy,” she said, kicking her legs while she ate.

“Clark?”

“Yes, Daddy?”

“I need your help with something.”

“You need my help with what?”

“I want to marry Mommy, so I need your help figuring out how to propose to her.”

Clark slammed both of her sticky hands onto the table. “Now you want my help?! I told you that Mommy loved you a long time ago and you did not want to be her boyfriend but nowwww,” she said as she rolled her eyes, “you want to marry her?!”

“Sssshhhhh! She'll hear you. And yes, little lady. I want to marry her.”

The toddler groaned and stuffed another mini pancake into her mouth.

“Are you Grumpy Clark right now?”

The frown on her face didn't budge as she continued to eat her pancakes.

“Come on, boo, don't be like that. Don't you want to help Daddy?”

Clark rolled her eyes.

“Heyyy, if we have a big wedding, you can eat all the cupcakes you want.”

She paused. “Cupcakes?”

“Yeah, cupcakes. And you get to wear a pretty dress. Maybe even with a cape.”

Her eyes grew wide in excitement. “Okay, I'll help you!”

[kunderdogs]

Daddy Duties

Simon Dominic (AOMG) x Y/N (Reader) Genre: Family / Romance Count: 2,083 Warning: Fluff Rating: G Requested: By @thessamd and also a few other anons who wanted Simon D fluff! Sorry for the long wait! I hope you all enjoy it :) P.S. I’ve always wanted to call Simon daddy ;) ayeee

"Kisa, come on, baby," Simon urged as gently as he could in his gravely voice. His one and half year old daughter was currently trying to rip off a leaf on the plant in the lobby of the AOMG building. When she didn't budge, he took her tiny fingers in his grasp and lead her down the hall, smiling when the front desk girls cooed at her.

His dark eyes trailed after the little tyke when she unlatched herself from his hands to run down the hall and into an open elevator. Her curly hair was tied in two messy pony-tails, obviously done by none other than himself, and bounced just as she did when the door closed behind him. Her Jordans matched his, as well as their coordinated outfits, which was just light denim jeans and black long sleeves since it was nearing fall. She was babbling in her baby language but when the doors slid open, she was sprinting once again.

Since she was constantly around the building, it didn't take her long to find the room she was looking for. Kisa pushed her small palms against the door, smiling when her father turned the handle for her. Yelling her baby greeting, the two figures sitting in front of the large Mac computer swirled around to face the newcomers.

"Kisa!" Jaebum shouted back, arms scooping her up and snuggling her into his neck. "Hey, cutie pie!"

Kiseok smiled at the display of affection before sitting on the couch against the wall. Seonghwa smirked when he noticed the oldest male's tired slouch, "You look even worse than usual, hyung. Is Kisa giving you a run for your money?"

Definitely not having the energy to argue, he just sighed loudly, "I forgot how tiring kids were. I don't know how Y/N keeps up with her all day."

"That's only because you're old and Y/N is young," he commented with a snicker.

Kiseok glared before focusing back on his co-CEO's intense conversation with his only child. "I can't wait for when you have kids so they can give you hell."

Jay planted her feet on the ground to let her roam around, shaking his hair with one hand, "Kisa isn't bad though. She's really good, actually."

Nodding his head in agreement, Kiseok let his eyes trail on her small form. "She is, but I know nothing about taking care of little girls."

"Isn't Y/N a little girl? You should be an expert th-" Seonghwa couldn't finish his teasing as one of the throw pillows was thrown into his face, causing him to chuckle.

"Shut the hell up, brat."

Interrupting their banter, Jay nodded towards the toddler, "You did her hair this morning?"

"Yeah. Y/N left before Kisa was done with her breakfast so I got her ready. Why?"

"'Cause it looks terrible. Come here, Kisa, Uncle Jay is gonna fix your hair," he beckoned her with a few flicks of his wrist.

Seonghwa chuckled into his hand once again at seeing his hyung's eye roll. Jay took down the pig-tails with a bit of difficulty since they were tangled in her curls before separating her hair down the middle. He pulled her hair into two identical, neat pony-tails and patted the top of her head once he was completed. "See? It's not that hard."

Simon dismissed him with a wave of his hand, "Yeah, yeah. I tried, alright?"

They laughed at his obvious pouting before turning their attention back to the toddler, who was pressing keys on the switchboard with her chubby fingers. After visiting with a few of her favorite uncles, it was time for them to get some lunch, so without much convincing, all four of them (plus Hyukwon and Hoody) decided to go grab a bite. Kisa was shoving fists full of spaghetti in her mouth, half of it missing completely and ending up on her shirt, when Kiseok's phone rang. He picked it up, balancing it between his ear and shoulder while he attempted to wipe his daughter's pasta covered mouth over her whining.

"Hey, baby, how's everything?" Your sweet voice was music to his ears.

Upon hearing you, his lips curled into a smile, ignoring the fact that Kisa was slurping noodles at this point. "Hey, yeah, we're doing fine. Kisa is...eating right now."

"Great! I was just calling to check in. We're at the resort now, checking in and all that. Oh! You gave Kisa her cold medicine at eleven, right?"

For a brief moment, his dark eyes grew wide before quickly coughing in his closed fist. Fuck, he totally forgot about the medicine! It was already almost one in the afternoon too. Hoody, who was across from him, raised an eyebrow before helping Kisa grab her sippy cup full of water. "O-Oh, yeah, I did but she doesn't look sick to me..."

He heard you huff from the other side before reprimanding one of your friends, "Yah, turn the key the other way. Babe, she needs to finish the medicine to make sure her cold is gone. Doctor's orders. Shit, Taeyeon-ah, I need to pick up the cake for tonight- I'll call you later, okay? Remember Kisa needs another dose around five today! Bye, love you!"

Kiseok didn't bother to say bye as he heard the dial tone before grabbing the device and setting it down. Hoody gave him a questioning look, which he tried to ignore. After a few seconds, he leaned forward so she could hear him over the ruckus of the restaurant, "Is it bad that I forgot to give Kisa her medicine at eleven?"

His answer was a small chuckle and a quick head shake. At her lack of response, Kiseok sighed before leaning back, taking in how his daughter grabbed fist fulls of pasta and proceeded to shove it in her mouth. Of course, majority of the noodles slipped passed her chubby fingers, creating a huge mess all over her as well as the table and floor. It's going to be a long two days without you.

The second day went a little more smoother for the clueless dad. He took your advice and decided to take Kisa somewhere educational but also fun, not that the studio wasn't fun but it wasn't as educational as Jay proclaimed it to be. They spent the day at the zoo and had a great time. She was a little scared of the bigger animals like the elephants but she was brave and didn't let that fear get in the way of marveling at the creatures. He spent the time following after her, recording her on his Instagram and Snapchat as well as sending you and the rest of his family three minute long videos of her pointing and running around. He even took a selfie with her eating her ice cream under an umbrella, her wide smile flashing the pink of the strawberry dessert to the camera.

By the time they got home, Kisa was knocked out in her car seat, snores coming from her deep sleep. As he carried her into her room and tucked her in, Kiseok called it a successful day. However, as he walked into the living room, he couldn't help but groan. He forgot to clean up from yesterday, which meant there were all kinds of toys scattered around the living room, dolls and pink plastic cars taking over the coffee table as well as the dishes piled in the sink from their snacks and meals over the last two days.

He cracked his knuckles and got to work. Tomorrow he had plans to take Kisa to the amusement park that was about an hours drive, so they wouldn't be at home much. After putting away all the toys and tidying up in the kitchen as well, it was finally time for some sleep. He was definitely going to need it for tomorrow.

In the morning, Kiseok woke to Kisa climbing into the bed and draping herself over him in an attempt to rouse him from sleep. His phone rang and she took it upon herself to grab it and press the green button, her dark eyes lighting up as she heard your voice through the device. After your daughter had rattled off what they had in store for today in her baby language, Kiseok took over the conversation for a little bit, smiling when Kisa dashed out to pick out her outfit today.

"You'll be home around three?" He asked, the phone balancing between his shoulder as he pulled on jeans.

"Hm," You paused from the other side, "Maybe a little earlier, depending on the traffic. The wedding starts in two hours and I'm leaving after the reception anyway."

He hummed in acknowledgment while rummaging for a shirt. "Okay, we'll probably beat you home then."

"We'll see~ anyway, babe, I think I hear Heejin coming to take group pictures. I'll see you later, love you guys."

Almost as soon as he hung up, Kisa barged in, handing her father a little pink hair brush and some rubber bands for her hair. With no other choice, he sighed and mentally prayed this would go smoother than yesterday's disaster. To his amazement, Jay's advice actually worked better than he expected, although he'd never tell the young CEO that. His ego was big enough without more compliments.

It didn't take long to get to the amusement park since it was rather near by. Kisa was rather fidgety by the time they got in so he thanked God she got distracted by all the rides and let her lead the way basically the whole day.

Spinning in an over-sized tea cup, Kiseok took a moment to lean back and admire his daughter's bubbling laughter, smile as wide as her muscles would allow. It was times like this where he realized just how blessed his life has been so far. A successful career in his dream occupation, a loving wife and a healthy, happy daughter, who could ever ask for more than this? There wasn't much he wouldn't do for his child, and he knew very well once the doctor told you both it was a girl, he would spoil her. She was a daddy's girl in every aspect of the word, even if he had to be away for work for long periods of time.

A little after lunch, he realized that he probably shouldn't have spoiled her too much with all these toys since you'd definitely get on his case later on tonight. But she was too cute in that purple princess tiara!

"Do you want that crown, baby?" He asked when she reached for another color.

"Oh, lord, you've got your father wrapped around your pretty little finger, don't you?" A smooth voice teased from the left of the two.

Instantly placing the voice, both of them turned to see you, hands on your hips and an amused smile on your lips. "Oppa, why in the world did you buy her so much toys?" You asked, gesturing towards the full plastic bag in his grip.

Kisa launched herself in your direction, wrapping her tiny arms around your legs and burring her head in your knees. Smirking at the display of affection, Kiseok brought up his free hand in surrender. "She gave me no choice. I don't stand a chance against her puppy eyes."

Rolling your eyes, you picked up the talkative tot and gave her a big kiss that had her squirming and giggling in your hold. "Yeah, yeah, just admit it. She's got you whipped."

Laughing, he shook his head before moving closer to give you a kiss in greeting. It would've lasted much longer had Kisa's tiny hands not moved your faces apart as she made a face accompanied by a high pitched, "Ew!"

"Ew?" Kiseok raised one brow before snatching her up and rapidly placing kisses all over her face while she giggled and wiggled away from him.

You smiled to yourself. As much as you needed the alone time, you really missed your little family in those two days. It was good to be home.