#it's sad :( but anyway these are just floating around in my head. we have cream cheese brownies n matzo ball soup

[pseudowho]

hi Haitch, its relationship anon again 🤡🫶🏻

Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your kindness and advice! You’re helping me stay level headed here and not become delusional.

Okay now onto the tea-

Following last week’s little club moment, things went (briefly) downhill. I decided to be an adult and take a break from the female friend that I mentioned in the last update. She proceeded to go around our workplace and tell EVERYONE, including one of our managers, that I was mad at her. I was trying really hard to involve everyone else in my business and it really upset me that she did this. In addition to that, I had to take my sister to the ER on Monday and had an incredibly difficult cardiac test on Tuesday, so a bitch was going through it.

When I got out of my clinical on Wednesday, I was exhausted but I really wanted to see my male friend before he left. Was I exhausted both emotionally and physically? Yes. Had I been running around trying to help one patient with Afib and another who needed a midline placement ? Uh huh. A girl just needed some ice cream and to hang out with her favorite a loser.

So, I asked him if he wanted to get ice cream and he said yes :). I showered and put on the most causal outfit possible. My sister asked if I was goin to get more dress up to which I was like “no I just off a 12 hour shift, he should be happy I’m even leaving the house.”.

Anyways! We didn’t end up doing ice cream bc I was nervous, but we instead went out to get drinks with one of our other male friends. I didn’t have to be DD so I was able to actually get somewhat drunk (which was super needed after this week) and my loser was taking care of me. Our other friend kept making excuses to get up and walk away from our table so just the two of us could talk.

Some highlights:

•He was teasing me about falling at work. When I asked him how he knew, he said “I ask about you, duh”

•The way we were sitting, our legs were pressed up against each other. If he moved his legs, he’d still find away to make sure they were touching mine.

•I was showing him my Choso costume and he said “oh you’d look so good in that” and told me he’s going to try to come down for Halloween. I told him that if he came down, I’d dress up as Yuki so he can be Choso. He told me that I wasn’t allowed to show him my sexy Choso costume and then not wear it for him.

•Told me he wanted me to come visit him when I have time off from school, but he understood if I can’t.

•I was talking about cigarettes after sex and he said he knew maybe one song. I got all excited (drunk) and asked him which one. He looked at me and told me it was the one on his sex playlist and then said he was sad that I didn’t save his playlist. I told him I’d save his if he’d save mine.

•I showed our friend a shirt that said “don’t let my big tits scare you, I’m actually a nice person” and I said that I want it, but mine would have to do say moderately sized. My loser said “oh they’re more than moderately sized” (thank you for noticing 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️)

•He was taking really good care of me and was constantly asking me how I was feeling.

•We decided it was a good idea to look up nsfw anime figures and I was pretty much leaning on him as he showed me them and we kept reading each other about them.

•When we were leaving, we hugged for a hot minute and he told me to text him as soon as I got home. When I did, we talked for a bit, but he told me that I really needed to get some sleep.

Nothing too crazy happened, but I’m still calling this a somewhat success! I didn’t get my back blown out but I think I’ll survive 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

Okay. It's clear. You don't need this tacky 'friend' in your life at all. They're a whole bucket of shit. You're undoubtedly younger than me, but I assure you, in just a few short years you, too, will be ruthless about cutting out shitty people like this from your life.

At this point, Relationship Anon, you and this guy are two dolls that I'm floating towards each other, and I'm about to make you kiss.

He has a more than moderately sized boner for you.

He want you.

*spinning like a fucking top here*

Love,

-- Haitch xxx

[thewisaaaaad]

GOOD EVENING

i changed my mind im releasing this now >:)

i finally got to the cliffhanger

AND NOW Hypnos is offered a choice.

I told you it would be fine :)

...if Hypnos can bear to go on, after all that has happened.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hypnos opened their eyes to darkness.

Their whole body ached, every part of them felt like it had been run over by a carriage. their face was sticky with blood and Ichor, and they couldn't remember why. Why do they hurt? Was Narinder playing with the kits again? Maybe they should find the fox, if he's here...

Then the events of the last few years started to flow back in. Shamura and their second betrayal, the torture, the rescue by Leshy's agents, the hasty escape into the sea, Kallamars ministrations, the training in curses, dodging and healing, the plan...

and how that plan went so horribly, horribly wrong.

fresh, warm blood, mortal blood, streamed down their face.

Narinder was probably playing with the twins. in the worst possible way. And it was all their fault.

Hypnos scrubbed their face with their forearm, no matter how it hurt, and took a look around themselves. It looked like the void, but it lacked the warmth they remembered it having when they were with the fox.

How long had it been since they last saw the fox? Were they worried?

Hypnos doubted it. Who would worry about an oath-breaker like them, anyway?

So this must be it. This is the fading of souls that happens to those who die in the after. the place beyond death.

Hypnos was surprised that they had died so soon. Shamura- no, the Purple Crown had been shure to You are not yet dead, child.

Hypnos opened their eyes, searching for the voice echoing in their head. Something was behind them, but the puppet struggled to turn around to get a look at it, feeling like they were floating with no anchors to steady themselves. The voice, to its credit, did not laugh at the lambs flailing, only letting the feeling of bemusement seep into the lambs mind.

Hypnos, for their part, felt no amusement at all. especially when they saw what the voice belonged to.

An eye. sitting in the darkness, floating just out of reach, at a massive scale. It seemed sideways, as if it was laying down, but as the false lamb slowly rotated in the void, the eye rotated with them, continuing to lay sideways to them. It was cream colored, with clouds of other bright colors danced at the edges, like a hidden aurora borealis.

But the lamb knew of eyes like this one. It belonged to a crown.

You merely dream. The voice sounded elderly, tired. A fine disguise for a horrible creature.

"What do you want!?" The lamb shouted, after staring at it with barely concealed hatred failed to elicit answers. Actually, it probably wasn't concealed at all.

The crown just blinked slowly at them, before finally responding.

Child, I have come to grant you a chance. a chance to save "I AM NOT BECOMING YOUR BEARER, PARASITE!" The lamb interrupted, swinging their arms down in impertinent rage.

The crown waited patiently for the lamb to catch their breath, seeming almost... sad.

the gall...

I know you have met the sins. I apologies that my compatriots were unable to protect their bearers.

This was... not what the lamb expected, but they kept their guard up-

I know you think us vile, child, and not without reason. but consider this: that we may not be the infection, but instead are infected ourselves by Sin.

All the wind had been taken out of out of Hypnos's sails at this point, as curiosity won out over caution. "what do you mean, 'possessed by sin'? I had been under the impression that the crowns controlled sin, using it to further their power. Or was that a lie too!?" Hypnos shouted, a bit of their righteous rage returning to them.

It was not a falsehood, child, but it was not the full truth either. We crowns were made to control Sins, yes, but as with all things, we are imperfect. Each of us has a Sin we are vulnerable to.

For War and Wisdom, it is Envy.

Chaos and Order, Their enemy is Wrath.

Plague and Cure's poison is Sloth.

Feast and Famine fell to Gluttony.

And of course, death must kneel to pride.

But even the Sins of Gods can be purified by another crown.

The lamb considers this. They were given an enemy. something that could be fought, something that could be solved.

there was only two questions left to ask.

"whats your sin? Your weakness?"

I cannot speak its name, lest I invite it to roost within me.

"...what do you get out of this?"

I get the chance to exist again, and serve a bearer once more.

A light began to shine from behind the crown, revealing its shape. It was pointed, resembling a mytre, the same kind of hats the followers used to command the refineries back at Kallamar's temple. The eye rested in the center, indeed set sideways.

they could save Kallamar. They could save the others.

they could save Narinder, and keep their promises.

the question was, did they trust it?

Promised liberator of The One Who Waits, will you take me, the crown of sleep and wake, as your crown, and command dreams and nightmares as you wish

to keep the promises you made?

ACCEPT ⟻⤛⦿ REFUSE

[8lah8lah]

thinking abt hospice the antlers again

specifically bc these are too long to put in tags i am thinking about the lyrics; "wearing silver rings with nobody clapping" (two), "i've been repeating your speeches but the audience just doesn't follow because i'm leaving out words, punctuation and it sounds pretty hollow" (atrophy), and "hundreds and thousands of hospital beds and all of them empty but mine" + "the bed was misshapen and awkward and tall and clearly intended for you" + "my hair started growing, my face became yours, my femur was breaking in half" (shiva) (also the femur line makes more sense if you know the album is (mostly) abt 2 ppl and the other person having a broken femur is a bit of a theme in it, at least for some of the songs)

[darkakacademia0]

𝓐𝓫𝔂𝓼𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓕𝓲𝓻𝓮

The cream-and-gold dragon flew and hovered above her head, and the green-and-bronzeone prostrated itself at her feet. The black-and-scarlet beast was draped across her shoulders, its long sinuous neck coiled under her chin. They made a beautiful picture together, the three of them, like one creature, like a family of dragons and their riders…

She stared down at the red dragon, then looked up to where Katsuki should have been. He wasn’t there, and she could feel his familiar presence in the air around her. She knew that he had left the estate early this morning, as if he didn’t want to miss out on anything else of importance for the rest of his day; something about how he hated waiting, or something along those lines. And yet…

He couldn’t hide from her forever. After all these years, the bond between them still existed; it was simply stronger now. So why did his absence leave her feeling so empty?

No, no…it would be best not to think of him right now. Not when the task ahead of her was so important. She turned to her companion, and smiled warmly. “So what are you going to do today, my lovely boy?” she asked.

The brown dragon lowered his head, allowing her to stroke his smooth scales. His tongue flicked out, tasting her face affectionately. The sensation reminded her of their first meeting, almost thirty years ago. How many years had passed since then? She had lost count after the hundredth. It didn’t matter. As they had become more familiar with each other, as they learned more and more about each other, the number seemed to decrease; until finally, the only thing that remained constant about them was their bond. Their connection. That was all that mattered to both of them—and even though time moved forward, it was always present in the moments when their bond still lingered. She felt its comforting weight across her back like an extra wing. It was a comfort that came from the dragon, not herself—not yet, anyway. Soon enough, she promised herself. But she wouldn’t force herself to rush into things yet; she wanted them to take their time, and enjoy the simple things in life. It took effort, after all, to maintain such strong ties between two creatures who had been so disconnected from each other for nearly fifty years. She didn’t want to risk breaking her promise to herself and jeopardize the moment when their bond became permanent. Besides, she had plans, and she was looking forward to them very much. She just had to wait, and give the opportunity a chance to arrive. Her dragon nuzzled her cheek again, before moving away from her. The green dragon curled itself behind her, making herself comfortable in the crook of her arm. Its soft purr rumbled through her body. Her eyes flickered closed, taking comfort in the sound. In the midst of the storm raging outside, she knew that everything would be okay in the end. No harm would come to either of them, because their love endured. She never doubted it. The bond they shared was indestructible.

And when the time comes, we will know, she told herself firmly, I know that the time will come soon, and then everything will go according to plan. For now, it was enough to just hold onto each other, to be close, to know that nothing bad would ever happen to either of them. And she knew that this feeling would last. It was too precious to be ruined.

The wind gusted, blowing strands of h/c hair across her face. She pushed the locks away impatiently, ignoring their tickling, and instead watched as they floated upward until they caught on a gust, dancing across her face. She blew softly upon them, watching as they settled gently onto her nose, lips and brows, until they completely covered her entire face. The wind carried them away, swirling and billowing with a hypnotic grace, while the sun glistened overhead like a golden coin held high over a city of gold. It was a moment that would always remain etched deep within her heart. The sight brought her joy, but it also made her sad, because soon… soon, she would lose it forever.

When the sun set completely and the moon rose high, she pulled the blankets up higher over her, and closed her eyes. She drifted off, lulled by the comforting rumble of her dragon and her own steady breathing, and hoped that tomorrow would bring better fortune to her beloved. When the sun came back up and the sky shone with a brilliant blue, she slept.

When she awoke, she felt strangely refreshed, and despite her fatigue, a sense of urgency coursed through her veins. Something was definitely wrong. Her senses were on fire, buzzing with energy, and she had never felt anything quite like it. Her stomach lurched unpleasantly, her heart started pounding faster than normal, and her palms were wet with perspiration. Her body screamed with pain that she hadn’t felt in centuries, but somehow, inexplicably, she refused to open her eyes and investigate the cause of the discomfort. She wanted to stay where she was—just as her body was. Just as she felt safe. As long as she stayed here, she could keep the darkness at bay, keep the pain at bay. She could live like this. Forever and always, she could.

But, she couldn’t. It was too late. Her eyes popped open, and suddenly, the light hurt. Her vision blurred, and as if through water, she could see nothing but bright, white light.

It was hard to breath, to move, and to think. Everything was slow motion, and she struggled to understand what was happening to her. The pain was intense, like being stabbed through the chest repeatedly, but she was grateful that it was so intense; if not, it would drive her mad. She needed something to distract her. Anything would do at that point—so long as it distracted her.

There was a distant sound, and when she heard it, her blood went cold. It was a voice, calling her name; an unmistakable, familiar, sweet voice. She strained to hear it, trying desperately to recognize that voice, the same way she tried to remember every detail of the past few months.

“Y/n!” A woman shouted, somewhere near the front of the house. “Are you alright? Where are you?”

Y/ni? Was she Y/n? Did she know that particular voice?

As her thoughts whirled and spun, she tried to grasp onto something. Anything. There was only silence, and the agonizing agony that coursed through her chest. Suddenly the sounds stopped, and all she could do was scream. Her throat burned with every sob, and there was so much pain… so much pain…

Then…

Suddenly, everything went black….

[donaweasley]

What If

Pairing: Loki x Fem! Avenger! Reader

Plot:

A silly game of “What-Ifs” between two friends eventually leads to the realisation that the future, if spent together, may not be as bleak as they had anticipated it to be. A dialogue-based best friends-to-lovers cliché.

Warnings: Relationship angst, too many dialogues, long read, happy ending!!!

Read time: ~28 mins

Author's Note:

It's a long read with far more dialogues than can be deemed healthy. The reason is, I didn't want their arc to feel rushed. It had to be cooked slow. Another reason is that, I can't help hearing my characters, and it triggers a flood of dialogues! I'm trying to work on controlling it. 😬 Hope you enjoy!

Now has a sequel: Their Little Secret

“C’mon! You’re breaking the rules now,” Loki casually waved his hand at his best friend.

“I’m not. There’s nothing to answer really,” (Y/N) replied with a shrug.

“There must be something on your mind!”

She pretended to think for a second, and shook her head.

---------------------

It was a usual night in the compound. It was just another night when one of these two friends had called the other in the middle of the night for some midnight snack. It was just another of those happy times when they had tiptoed into the kitchen like thieves because...no, no one would mind some missing nachos or ice creams, but because it was fun!

It wasn’t easy for Loki to open up to someone, let alone to allow the other person in. Neither was it easy for (Y/N) to trust somebody, given her past, especially when that somebody was infamous for betraying almost everyone, at every step, not to mention his attempts at ruling Earth and causing massacre.

But time is a healer and a magician.

And here they were now, looking at the moon-washed night life through the west-facing glass wall, and playing a game of “what-ifs”. One would say that it was silly and immature; some would even call their talks gibberish. But when the night was so relaxed and carefree, why wouldn’t they be?

The pale yellow orb hovering above the western horizon cast a soft ray of light through the glass wall. Oblivious to its movements across the room, Loki and (Y/N) were wrapped in a thin blanket on a couch, their feet resting on two separate pouffes.

It had all started with a silly question, something like, “What if you weren’t stuck in this building tonight?”, or something along those lines; they didn’t even remember correctly anymore.

One question led to the other, and soon they found themselves tangled in a game of questions that would have been enough to create an alternate reality. But eventually, they found themselves, not answering with imaginary scenarios, but debating over one particular question:

“What if you find the love of your life tomorrow?”

This question was posed by Loki, rather theatrically, amidst the many others that had tossed different possibilities of their near future. And it was here that (Y/N) refused to play along anymore because, as she stated, it was “the most silly question ever”.

---------------------

“So, you claim that my question is even worse than your ‘What if you were a Jotun cat’? What kind of a question is that anyway?” Loki teased.

“Of course, it is. Undoubtedly!” With one wave of her hand, (Y/N) dismissed his appeal.

“And how is that even logical, may I know?”

“C’mon, this entire game is out of the boundaries of logic,” she claimed. “Your behaviour is like that of a cat. Don’t make that face; it brings you closer to being a cat. And...a Jotun cat sounds cool!”

Loki sighed. “And my question is ridiculous! If the game is beyond all reason, then...” he shrugged, “say something...weird, and move on!”

“Fine! If I-if... If I meet the love of my life tomorrow,...I’ll stab him. Or her. Or them. I don’t even know.” She huffed.

“Ouch!” Loki made a face, ”Didn’t see that coming. I would enjoy the stabbing part though. Thank the Norns, you never declared your feelings for me!”

She looked at him sideways with a stern face. Loki noticed the irritation simmering just beneath her skin, ready to burst out at the next prodding.

“Hey,” he placed a hand on her arm, “what happened? Was it something I said?”

She turned her face away. But Loki wasn’t giving up that easily.

“(Y/N),” he gently tugged at her arm, “look at me.”

When she finally turned towards him, he held her by the shoulders just to make sure that she couldn’t move away again.

“Now, you’ll tell me everything. What happened?” He inquired again. “I thought you were having fun.”

“It’s nothing Loki, it’s just that...you know I don’t like discussing my non-existent love-life. It’s...it kind of makes me...sad sometimes. Especially in a setting like this!” She waved her hands at her surroundings. “I mean, look at it, a full moon, a silent night, blankets and… It just leaves me with this reminder that I’ll be alone all my bloody life!”

Loki’s hands slowly retracted from her form and folded themselves on his chest. And just like that, they both found themselves staring out of the window.

“I’m sorry,” Loki’s voice audibly reflected the guilt that had formed within, “I never intended to...”

“No, you shouldn’t be. It’s...I overreacted. I’m sorry, Loki. I just ruined the mood. Shit! And it’s not my hormones, mind you!”

“I know,” Loki chuckled. “And you did not ruin anything. It’s natural to feel, isn’t it?”

She looked at him with a raised brow, “Somebody’s learning!”

“Somebody’s got a good teacher,” he smiled.

“Aww!! I love it when you acknowledge my awesomeness!” She wrapped an arm around him, pulling him in closer, and pinched his cheek.

“Ugh! Let go of me! Let...go!!”

The room was filled with (Y/N)’s cackles and Loki’s threats as he wriggled out of her grip.

“Do that one more time, and I’ll stab you!”

But it wasn’t enough to stop her chortles.

“Would you now?” she teased, and raised her hands again in a faux attempt at squeezing his cheeks.

He swatted them away.

“Stop it!” He warned again, only to emanate snorts from her.

But the next second, his voice changed into a compassionate one, “Why do you think you’ll be alone all your life? How old are you anyway? 80? 90? Isn’t that supposed to be old in human years?”

Once again her cheerful mood fled behind a thick curtain of annoyance. But this time she did not look away. She simply rolled her eyes, and pulled her legs from the pouffe to sit cross-legged, and shifted to face him.

“No, I’m not that old. But why are you suddenly so interested in this topic?”

“Because suddenly, you seem to have found an interest in getting annoyed.”

“Then don’t annoy me.”

“Not in my nature, I’m afraid.”

She couldn’t decide whether to hit him or laugh at him.

“Loki-” She curled her fists and shut her eyes.

“I’m listening, darling,” he smirked.

Of course, she knew how stubborn Loki could be!

Who else would know that better than me?

“Okay,” she placed her palms flat on her thighs, “the thing is...I can never make a relationship last more than two years. I waste my time trying to establish a...a proper, long-lasting relationship - something permanent - and end up with a heartbreak. Every. Fucking. Time. I’ve given up. I’ve had enough! Now, even if anyone makes a move, or if I’m interested in someone, I just remind myself that it’s not gonna work! I just don’t put any effort anymore.”

Loki hummed in response; his eyes were focused on her as if he was trying to decipher a mystery.

“And,” she continued, “given my current ‘job’,” she air-quoted the word, “I’m more sure than ever that no one will last more than two months now!”

Once she voiced the storm in her head, her eyes softened and she looked down at her lap. Through hooded eyes, she stole a guilty, fleeting glance at her friend, who seemed to be musing about something really serious. His eyes were strained on the carpet, while his chin rested on a fisted hand balancing itself on his thigh.

For a long moment neither said anything. Only the distant buzz of the sleepless city floated through the air and filled the room.

It was Loki who disrupted the silence with a long and heavy sigh.

“I knew that Midgardian men were impatient, narcissistic-”

“Look who’s talking,” she smirked as she interrupted him.

He gave her a quick deadpanned stare before resuming, “-imbeciles, but I was beginning to think that they have good tastes in women. It’s disappointing, not surprising though, that they have proven me wrong.”

A small laugh almost made its way to its escape, but she pushed it back. “You think so?” She quipped.

He shrugged, “From what you’ve said, there is no reason to think otherwise.”

She sat a little straighter. “Really? Do go on!”

Loki immediately noticed the effect that he had planned for. Without giving away the joy of his small triumph, he continued, “Indeed! Look at you! You’re an amazing woman! You’re brave, witty, independent...smart...excellent with knives! And that’s my favourite thing about you, by the way. ”

Feigning offence, she exclaimed, “And I thought your favourite thing about me was that I tolerate all your tantrums, and keep up with your shenanigans.”

“I don’t throw tantrums, darling,” he pushed the accusation away with his silky tone, “and don’t tell me that you take no pleasure in the havoc that we wreck together.”

At this, she could no longer suppress the evil grin that spread across her face, “I do love a bit of chaos. It’s fun.”

“To think of it,” Loki added excitedly, “had you been on Asgard, you might have been the Goddess of Chaos!”

“Oh! Thank you!” She replied with a dramatic wave of her hands.

Both laughed at the way their words were unfolding.

“Thank you, Loki,” (Y/N) said after their little whirlwind of laughter had calmed down, “I guess I needed to hear something nice about myself. It’s been a long, long time since I heard it.”

“I meant every word of it,” he replied in a solemn tone that made something flutter in her chest.

Was it gratitude? Was it joy? Was it love for her best friend?

It was hard to tell. It seemed to be everything at once.

She simply smiled at him. “Even the ‘Goddess of Chaos’ part?”

“Especially that part,” he asserted, and she laughed.

“You’re the best, Loki!” She gave him a half hug.

“That, I definitely am. But you’re not too shabby yourself. And you should never ever be sad for someone else’s failure.”

“Alright, I get what you’re trying to do here,” she landed a playful punch to his shoulder. “I’m fine! Really! I just got a little carried away.”

“No, I really mean it,” he tried to assure her. “You are one of the most magnificent women I have known! And mind you, I’m rather picky in these cases.”

She laughed, “Of course, I’d know that! ... Loki, it’s...it’s alright. Some people just don’t have it in them to sustain relationships no matter how wonderful they are. I’m okay with it.”

“Come on! A narcissistic God is showering you with genuine compliments! And you’re still not convinced that it’s not your fault but of all those who failed to keep up with you?”

She tried another attempt at convincing him, “It works both ways.”

“Norns! I can’t believe you’re so foolish!”

“Enlighten me, please,” she drawled.

“I believe I have already established the fact that you are phenomenal.”

When she giggled and nodded, he carried on.

“Good. Now, your job, as you put it, shouldn’t be a hindrance in your relationship. You’re doing the marvellous job of being a guardian to thousands of people. People you don’t even know! How many would put their necks out there to do it?”

“C’mon, Loki, when duty calls, you have to leave everything behind and just go! Who’d tolerate that for days? They will snap one day.”

“I’d never do that!” Realizing his mistake, he quickly corrected himself, “What I mean is, had I been in their place, I’d have never done that.”

“That’s because you’re on the team,” she argued. “So, it’s normal to you.”

“No, it’s not because I’m on the team. I’d-” He sighed. “Fine, why don’t you try finding someone from this field? Stark’s parties are a great place to hunt humans.”

“‘Hunt humans’?” She snorted, “I like the sound of that. Nay, haven’t found anyone. Besides, mixing professional and personal life can be fatal. You never know when your personal life might get jeopardised because of a mission gone wrong. Y’know, the usual blame-game and all. I hate all that!”

Loki brooded over her words for a few seconds before asking, “I don’t get it. Why would it be fatal? I mean, look at us,” he gestured in between them. “We have a perfect understanding. We’d never blame the other for any petty thing. Or-or let it affect our friendship.”

“That’s because we have the perfect understanding, Loki! You said it yourself. It’s a rare thing that we have. And I can’t expect it to be with anyone else. They’re not you, Loki.”

“They’re not us,” he corrected her.

Joy seeped through his senses as he watched her face brighten up at his words.

With a nod, she continued, “You see, all that spark, excitement, promises - these sound really great at the beginning. As time passes, as the real world pushes in, love moves to the backseat. Love is not enough. There comes a time when you have to balance everything together, and love becomes one of those things. It becomes a chore.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t follow you,” Loki stated with a frown. “That sounds so sad!”

“It is!”

“Well, it shouldn’t be! Loving you shouldn’t be a chore! Let’s say...hypothetically...if I’m in love with you, then you’d be my passion. And passions never become a duty, not even in the worst of times. Instead, they help us breathe when everything comes caving in. You’d be my...my moment of peace in a war. How could I not be tempted to embrace this beautiful moment?”

“Unfortunately, Loki, that’s not how it works. See, when you have a lot on your plate, say your job, your dreams, your daily life and all the pressure that comes with these, you’ll find less and less time for your loved one. Things get hectic and eventually frustrating. You won’t be able to keep that flame alive even if you want to. And one day, you’ll come to realize that you have distanced yourself from your moment, even if you never wanted to. But it’d be too late. There’d be no going back.”

“I’d never distance myself from you! I mean, from my moment. I’ve been a king, and I know how taxing royal duties can be. Sometimes, it seemed like a luxury to get even a minute to myself.”

“See? So, how could you have found time for me?”

“I would have, darling. Not plenty, but whatever little time I’d have gathered, I’d have made them memorable. For you. For us. And maybe we could have gone on long rides occasionally. Rekindle the old flames? Or-or we could have gone on visits to other realms...for political reasons, of course, but could have taken the opportunity to spend a small vacation with each other. What do you say?”

Painfully tempting images of a life that could have been floated in her eyes.

“And what if we came back to Earth, and I got involved in...say, a job that was all hectic and left me all frustrated, and with little time for you?” She shrugged.

With a sigh, Loki shifted to face her fully. “We will take care of each other, (Y/N). If one gets low, the other pulls both up. And I know that together, we can do anything! I believe in you more than I believe in myself.”

She smiled brightly as she acknowledged, “That is...that sounds doable, yes.”

“You’re special,” he placed a hand on her cheek, “and you need to be treated in the most special manner. One that befits my queen.”

A moment passed between them as they looked into each other's eyes, both seeing the same beautiful picture.

His queen!

My queen!!

Wait, what is he...?

Damn! What am I doing! What will she...!

Loki cleared his throat as he abruptly pulled his hand back to his side.

“I’m sorry, I...”

“No, it’s okay,” she cringed at the way the words squeaked out of her. Clearing her throat, she continued, “We were just giving examples.”

“Yes, just examples,” he agreed.

“It’s fine! I understand.”

“Great! It’d have been quite...awkward...otherwise.”

“Oh no! It’s...uh...totally fine. We’re best buddies!” She gave his arm a light punch.

“Right!” He nodded, and focused his gaze on the floor.

After taking a minute to calm his heart, he wore his witty persona back.

“See, having a relationship is not at all tough. All you need is a good partner. And I’ve proved myself right again! No, wait. There’s something you mortals do. It’s...uh...about throwing something...”

“Goblets? We don’t do that. It’s you-”

“No, not throwing, it’s about dropping something...after you have proven a point...”

“...Mic drop?” She chuckled.

His eyes lit up.

“Yes! ‘Mic drop’. So, as I was saying, all you need to have a happy and successful relationship is a good partner. Mic drop!” He concluded as he mimicked the action.

She sighed. “There’s just one tiny problem. I’d probably never find the right person. The ones that flirt with me, don’t understand me, and the ones that understand me have friendzoned me.”

“I’ve never friendzoned you,” Loki quickly replied with a frown. “J-Just clarifying...in case you were talking about me.”

“Of course, I’m talking about you, you big oaf!” She flicked his arm.

“Hey! You friendzoned me.”

“No…? It was you! Well, yeah, I never tried to flirt with you or anything but...anybody could see that you were being just my friend.”

“I can say the same about you,” Loki playfully accused.

“Whatever,” she shrugged.

A thought started playing in her mind. And a couple of seconds later, she decided to say it aloud, “I...umm...Just curious...y’know, don’t take it in any other way. Did you ever think of flirting with me?” She put forward each word very cautiously.

Loki furrowed his brows, and opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, she warned him, “Be honest!”

Immediately, his confident attitude changed into a helpless one. “Yes, I did. Maybe once. Or twice. But that was all! I assure you!”

She could hardly contain the amusement that was bubbling inside.

“What’s so funny about it?” Loki asked with furrowed brows.

“Nothing,” she shook her head as she tried to hold back her laughter, “nothing at all. It’s,” and then she lost it, “I’m sorry! It’s funny! I don’t know why, I find it funny hearing from you!”

“Look who’s laughing!” He said wryly. “I could clearly hear your thoughts the first few days after I stepped into this structure. Every compliment that your little mind cooed at my divine persona. And may I dare say that not all of them were decent.”

Her hysterics were long forgotten as her face went red at the comment.

“How dare you invade my mind?” Her hand had balled into a fist, ready to hit his arm when he caught it.

“I didn’t invade it, darling. You were practically shouting inside that pretty head of yours. I could have heard it from the other side of the planet!”

“That was a long time ago,” she refused to meet his eyes. “I make better choices and better decisions now.”

“Do you?”

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it without uttering a syllable, and crossed her arms.

Loki nudged her with his elbow. “Hey, it’s fun to tease you. Don’t be a spoilsport.”

“I hate you,” she peeked at him through the corner of her eye.

“What can I say,” Loki sighed. “Alright, if you say so.”

She smirked as she glanced at him sideways.

Loki cleared his throat in a not-so-subtle manner. “So, the next time Stark throws a party, I’ll find someone for you.”

Immediately, she face-palmed, and groaned, “No.”

“What?”

“Please drop this topic. And you’d probably find me a psychopath, anyway” She joked.

“That hurt!” Loki exclaimed with a hurt look masking his humour, “do you think so little of me? Can’t I find a proper partner for my best friend, my darling?”

“No, it didn’t hurt. Don’t fake it. I know you better than anyone.”

“No, you don’t. You-”

“I do. And...I’m fine, Loki” she reassured him, “being with myself, with the people here, being with you.” She gently bumped her knee into his.

“Will these be enough?” His tone had left the playfulness behind. “Will I be enough? For all your life?”

She shrugged, “I think so. You...stick with me all the time, you understand me, you...make me feel good. What more could I want to be happy?”

“You know what more you are missing. A friend can never touch the boundaries of what a lover can give you.”

“I don’t need a lover. Just be with me all my life, and I won’t need anyone else.”

He gave her hand a light squeeze. “I will. I promise.”

Her playful smile was back. “Thanks for all the pep talk, my dearest God. But turns out that I’m better off alone. Now can we please go back to the game? It’s my turn to ask you.”

“Alright,” he smiled back, “if you say so.”

“Stop saying that!” A defeated sigh left her. “You won’t be convinced, will you?”

“Probably not. Because I know that this will gnaw at you again a few days later. I know you’ll be sad again. And that I won’t allow on my watch.”

“God!”

“Right here, listening to you!” Loki quipped.

Rolling her eyes, she muttered, ”Damn you!” And proceeded to put forward a proper argument.

“The reason why I’m avoiding a new relationship is because I don’t want another heartache. I can’t handle breakups. That’s why I’m...”

When Loki didn’t make another attempt at dissuading her from her arguments, she added, “I just...try everything to avoid a heartbreak. Because when I get one, I lose control over myself.”

“Yes, I’ve seen. Once.”

“Then you must have noticed how vicious I become. Sarcasm drips from my mouth all the time, I say things that I shouldn’t, I...I hurt people. And in turn, I hurt myself. I yell at those who want nothing but good for me. But...”

“But being mean seems to be the only way to mask the pain,” he finished her line.

“It does, yes!”

She looked at him, and into his eyes that silently spoke of the pain that was resurfacing. She remembered something.

“You and I are so...alike!”

He nodded with a smile. “And maybe that is why we understand each other more than anyone ever could. … But we’re more than just being alike, if you think about it.”

She noticed how his voice gradually rose from its usual calmness to an excited tone, and his hands moved with his words.

Loki continued, “You point out my mistakes but don’t accuse me like everyone else does. You show me what’s right. And there’s this-this thing about you, which is so scary...the way you make me do all the things that you want. I-I mean, I am the God here! But you…a mortal...how can you have so much power over me?”

He sighed as his voice dropped to a compassionate tone, “You make me happy, (Y/N). You’ve taught me to forgive when I can, to forget what I can’t fix.”

“Don’t always do that,” she interrupted with a smirk.

His evil smile made a brief appearance before he resumed his warm note, “I like being with you. No...I love being with you! You make me feel good. You make me feel...I don’t know.... You make me feel…”

“Complete?”

“Yes!” He observed her, “You complete me.”

For yet another time, silence enveloped them. The only difference was that this time, it was comfortable. Even in their hushed moments, they could hear each other, know what the other wanted to say.

After a while of exchanging quiet stares, (Y/N) spoke, “All this time I believed, but now I know for myself, that you are indeed Silvertongue!”

Loki looked at his lap and laughed, but in the pale light of the setting moon, she noticed the pink that had crept up his ears and cheeks.

“I meant every word of what I said,” he reassured her once again that evening.

“I know, Loki.”

Loki watched her as she shifted to a kneeling position, and leaned towards him. He felt his face becoming hotter as she supported herself on his shoulder with one hand, and placed a soft kiss on his cheekbone.

As she settled back, her lips tingled with the memory of Loki’s skin on it.

They had been best friends, yes, but she had never allowed herself more than a quick hug because she knew that Loki wasn’t someone open to random touches. And she wanted to respect that. Always.

But this peck felt right. It felt necessary. And it felt...different.

What happened next wasn’t guided by logic anymore, but only by their senses.

Loki put his legs back on the pouffe, and scooted a little closer to (Y/N). Taking the cue, she shifted so that her leg was stretched out, and back on the pouffe - not on hers but his - and sat close to him. He arranged the blanket so that it covered them both again.

Another stretch of silence enveloped them. To them, the moment was beautiful. To Loki, who had never experienced anything similar before, it was precious. If he could stop time, he would have done it right then and there.

“Why haven’t you found anyone yet?” She asked him.

“Royalty has its disadvantages,” he replied without taking a moment to think.

She leaned back slightly to get a good look at his face, “Didn’t you ever find anyone from the royal...uh...what do you call it? Of royal blood?”

Loki laughed at her naivety. “Can’t say I didn’t. But none of them were the one. Besides, most people chose my handsome brother over me. And if anyone chose me, well, it was mostly because of my royal title. None of them were real.”

“That’s awful! I would never have done that to you! I’d have chosen you for the wonderful being that you are. But, I get it; happens on our planet, too.”

“Everywhere,” he asserted.

“So...who do you think is the one for you?”

He looked down at her face, which was mere inches away from his. For the first time in months of their friendship, he felt something swell inside his chest at the closeness.

“I still don’t know,” he whispered, “but I think the Norns might have started giving me clues.”

He didn’t need to explain, obviously. All the tension that had been building up throughout the night had placed them both on the same page.

Without thinking, Loki moved his wrist so that his palm was facing the ceiling. And instinctively, (Y/N) placed her hand in it, their fingers closing around each other.

"It's odd," she announced after a while.

"Indeed."

"It's weird. I mean, what were we even thinking!" She huffed, although she was still clutching his hand, as was he holding hers.

"Exactly what I was thinking. You and me?” Loki laughed nervously, “Come on!"

"Yeah!"

"Right".

Silence, their faithful companion for the night, visited them once again.

"Could it be? You and me?" Loki’s voice was a little more than a whisper, and bordered on the edge of confidence and doubt.

"Doesn't sound so bad. Not after all these... Talks?" She whispered back.

"Right!"

"Right."

And once again, they fell quiet.

The strangeness of the moment pushed them both into a whirlpool of thoughts. From acquaintances to partners to friends to best friends to...lovers?

Can this even be possible? What if it’s just a passing phase? What if everything goes back to normal tomorrow? Will we still be able to talk normally? But… This feels right. Just...right.

With a sigh, (Y/N) put her head on Loki’s shoulder.

"I don't want to rush into anything and ruin what we have," she confessed in a hushed tone, eyes staring into the night outside.

"Neither do I. You're the only one I have."

With a raised brow, she looked up at him.

"And Thor," he corrected himself with a small smile.

"Glad you remember him "

"Shut up.

Slowly, hesitantly, Loki put his free hand around her. Unsure of the appropriateness of the action, he kept his arm loosely hanging around her frame.

He waited for a while. Had Loki looked at her face, instead of looking straight ahead in fear, he would have noticed the small smile that had formed on her lips.

When she didn’t flinch or protest, he began to rest his arm properly but gently on her. He even went ahead and made the slightest possible effort to pull her closer to him.

The smile that had started forming on her now spread wide enough to turn into a grin. Its reflection was found on Loki’s face, too, who could finally muster the courage to look at her, although he was equally worried that she would be able to hear his heart trying to hammer its way out of his chest.

With every minute that passed, Loki became more baffled, for he couldn’t decide which moment he’d frame and hang on the wall of his heart as the most precious one.

"Are you feeling hot?" She asked without looking at him.

"A bit, yes. You, too?"

"Quite a bit, actually," she gulped.

"Is it normal?"

"I guess, yes. Totally! Had we been cool about it, it'd have meant that there's no spark between us. It’d have felt awkward, wrong."

"So, you agree that there's a spark between us?" He didn’t even attempt to hide the mischievous smirk that shone on his face.

"I had always suspected," she nodded.

"Hmm. When was the last time we went out for dinner?" He asked.

“Probably last month...or was it-”

(Y/N)’s head snapped up to look at him. She could barely put a lid on her excitement.

"Are you proposing to take me out on a date?"

"Well, if we are going to do this, then I'd like to court you properly."

She felt like she'd burst out of sheer excitement.

"If you'd agree to it, that is" Loki clarified.

Taking a large breath, she replied, "I'd love it."

The night was going better than either had expected. Who would have thought that a game of weird questions and a few confessions could change their lives!

(Y/N) put her head back on his shoulder, and let her body slump against him. He held her confidently this time.

“It still feels weird though,” she declared.

“It does, yes, but...maybe this is...right?” In a long time, Loki was hopeful about something, and he wasn’t going to let it slip away. No.

“I hope so.”

“Me, too.”

“Just so you know,” she sat up straight, “Thor is handsome, yes, but you are devilishly charming. You’re intelligent, well-read, witty, sarcastic, great at combat...uh...”

“Go on,” Loki smirked, earning a playful glare from her.

“You are,” she continued, “seductive! And who can resist a sorcerer who knows his way around everything!”

The evil smile that Loki had put away found its way back on his face. “As far as I remember, I did nothing to seduce you. I wonder what will happen if I try...”

“Shut up, Loki! You know I give away raw compliments. I didn’t really mean...I didn’t think...”

He laughed heartily at the furious way she was blushing.

“I was only pulling your leg. I had imagined you to be wise,” he clarified.

“I am! It’s just... I was...” She shook her head.

“So,” Loki resumed, “you think I’m devilishly charming?”

“Drop the topic, please!”

“You can’t resist my sorcery, ha?”

“Please change the topic! Forget what I said!!”

Loki laughed as he continued teasing her. It wasn’t going to be an easy ride, she realized, with the God of Mischief, but it was going to be the best ever!

“(Y/N)?”

“Hmm?”

“I know it was your turn to ask but, what if...you and I are indeed meant to be together?”

She smiled as she rubbed her cheek on his shirt, “I think we’ll have a gorgeous future together. And...I’d love that more than anything else.”

---------------------

The next morning...

“Morning, Wanda-”

“Shh! Shh!!” The red-haired witch silenced Natasha, and pointed towards the couch.

Curious, Natasha’s eyes followed the direction that Wanda’s finger was pointing at.

There, snuggled in a blanket, fast asleep, sat (Y/N) and Loki, their legs spread on a pouffe, tangled with each other’s. Loki’s arm was wrapped around her shoulder while she was holding his waist. Her head lay on his chest and his on hers.

“Aren’t they cute?” Wanda whispered.

Before Nat could reply, Tony’s voice cut the conversation.

“Who’s cute?”

This time, both the ladies shushed him, leaving a perplexed expression on his once sleepy face.

When they pointed towards the couch, Tony huffed, “These two! God knows what’s taking them so long to realise! They’re just so-” His face lit up. “Know what? I have an idea! I’ll make them confess. Who’s up for it?”

***

Now has a sequel: Their Little Secret

And...a song for keeping the feelings floating...💕

[nnatsume]

Hiii, Hiyori and Ritsu conforting their s/o after they had a bad day? Tysm in advance!

a / n : ahh yes. just what i need after a long day as well. business class absolutely murdered me. anon, i hope you’re doing well!! <3 if you had a bad day, maybe this little thing can make you feel better about it. if there is no bad days, you can’t have good days. without bad, good has no definition! i would like to offer more advice on this but this is an authors note on an ensemble stars fanfiction blog and not nietzsche's notebook. anyway! thank you for requesting, i hope you enjoy <3

also about time i got a hiyori request. my little green amongus <3

✦ — hiyori & ritsu comforting their s/o after a bad day

☆ — TOMOE HIYORI

HIYORI is surprisingly perceptive of your emotions. you’d think with that flippant attitude he wouldn’t even notice if you told him to the face, but hiyori cares very deeply about your well-being. all it takes is a sentence from you to let hiyori know–there’s some rainy clouds floating above your head, and they‘re ready to start weeping and thundering very soon if nothing is done about them. and really, who could get rid of them better than hiyori, the sun on earth?

“goodness! i can’t be seen around with a corpse! they’ll think i’m a killer, no-no, we can’t have that, now..”, hiyori will always coo at you, squishing your cheeks lightly.. truly, your sad face breaks his heart as well. don’t you worry though, he has so many ideas on how to cheer you up! you won’t even know what to pick anymore.

would you like to go out on a pretty little date? perfect, so would he. and then you’re dancing after his flute again–hiyori takes you everywhere, into all kinds of shops and restaurants, even venturing into the shadier ones when you do so much as look in the same direction.

price tags? what do you mean? for you, that’s for free. he throws money left and right for you. pretty clothes, the expensive kind, and the fanciest desserts on tokyo’s main road. he buys the kinds of desserts and drinks that you can share, so he can feed you himself–he’s spoiling you like crazy. but hey, you know, if you’re tired of tokyo, you can go to paris for the night. they have nice crepes.

hiyori looked at you as if you were made of gold, holding up a generous spoon of ice cream–the kind of sweet that stops right before too much, leaving you wanting more. a delicacy that you were sure you couldn’t afford with an entire months salary, hiyori was sharing with you like it was nothing. “eat, eat! you know, sweet things have been proven to make you feel happier in moderate amounts.”

“moderate amounts.”, you repeated, looking at the not-so-moderate glass.

“moderate! mhm mhm!”, he parroted again, shoveling some of the treat into his own mouth, “ah, i see.. is it not enough? it tastes great, doesn’t it? i can order more if it isn’t enough for you, darling!”

it seems that your hiyori had no idea what moderation was.

you come out of shops looking like fashion stars–hiyori does a surprisingly good job as your stylist. you’re pretty sure you’re making a statement when you walk down the street–does hiyori think you’re on a runway or something? he’s always shining with pride and confidence–isn’t it a bit contagious? don’t you want to flip your hair and twirl in the middle of the sidewalk like a disney princess.. or like hiyori? you know, you don’t get such nights everyday. better make the most of it, now!

a visit to bloody mary and jun-kun would be great, wouldn’t it? don’t you want a servant? really. poor jun. it’d take a lot of convincing to get hiyori not to pester jun for one minute. but you get to play with your little bloody mary! isn’t she cute? your camera roll ends up filled with cute pictures, some of which hiyori has managed to sneak into and stamp his signature smile on them.

you’ve got the sun wrapped around your finger. treasure it dearly! the sun loves you lots, and won’t let some nasty clouds part you from him.

☆ — RITSU SAKUMA

RITSU is on a whole different plane of perceptive–can he smell the sadness on you? how he does it, you can only wonder. he seems to know exactly when you’re feeling good or bad–and on those bad days, he’s quick to drape himself right over your shoulder and curl his arm around you like the tiny blood-sucking leech that he is. getting him off of you proves to be harder than you thought. you look very tired. you’ve had a looong day..

you know, he’s very much different from his anija, he wouldn’t ever leave you when you were sad, not even if you would insist. ritsu would like to spend time with you–and if you don’t know how to cheer yourself up, he’ll think of something nice if sleeping your problems away is not an option for you. isn’t he so considerate of you, staying awake for you? doesn’t he deserve a little pat on the head? or a few more?

regardless of your pick, you’ll end up nicely on the floor–and instead of petting ritsu, he’s petting you, playing with a lock of your hair as he hums a tune, looking you in the eyes with those mysterious, almost mythical eyes of his own. you know, he enjoys coddling you a little too. you look so small and down that day, he doesn’t want to crush you under his weight, you know?

outside, the sun shone prettily. it was starting to drop already during the colder seasons, leaving an orange hue behind. you could see the dust dance in front of you, between you and ritsu, who was sitting just perfectly in the line of shadow from the curtains, shielded from the burning rays and staring down at you.

“i don’t like that.”, ritsu suddenly concluded, eyebrows furrowing in what seems to be frustration. it’s not a face you commonly see on him. a finger poked at your cheek, tugging your lips slightly upwards. “you still look like that. i hate that. you’re still sad, aren’t you? i guess doing nothing will result in nothing..”

suddenly, he was shifting and sliding out from underneath you, dragging you up with him by your arms. “stand up, will you? we’ll do something else. ah.. i think i know a place. come. ♪”

surely, that tenshouin won’t be mad if he snags some of that high-quality tea from the batch. while hajime was hesitant, in the end he was convinced by his fellow clubmate to brew you some tea as he does so nicely. ritsu always had this irresistible charm to him–hajime was another victim to it, just like you. but you have some nice tea, no? ritsu picked the sort himself–rose tea, the kind that makes you feel fluffy on the inside. and a little rose plucked freshly from the bush to go with it.

you end up having some nice tea over a chat in the garden, under the umbrella. while it was a bit cool, the tea and the look in ritsu’s eyes kept you nice and warm. you’d be surprised about how ritsu can keep a conversation long as well as interesting. you can tell him about all of your worries–he’s also surprisingly good at getting to the root of the problem and dismantling the issue from there. analytic, smart thinking. that bad day will be nothing but a distant memory just tomorrow.

but you know what’s still nice to have at the end of a bad day? a good, long nap. you thought you would get around it, but really–you look so exhausted it makes him feel even more tired. and he’s got his nice little corner in knights practice room. a little mat, a blanket and pillows–you can squeeze in there with him, no? then you can rest nicely, tucked into his chest and safe from all the bad things in the world. locked away into the land of dreams. dream of him, will you?

[lovetorn]

Okay okay so pool day with the world of r!dream! I believe that the pool would be at Karl house because it fits for some reason. Quick reminder these are just my personal small ideas

-Tommy brought water guns and he makes it his solid mission to just attack you and Wilbur. Tubbo and Ranboo also get in on this and it leads to a war of water guns fights and Tommy getting tackled into the water by Wilbur.

-George and Sapnap bully dream about how nervous he gets when looking at you in your swimsuit. They even go as far as to when all four of you are together complimenting you and watching dream react.

-quackity and sapnap both have many times during the day picked you up and tossed you into the water. One time qauckity did it you were able to grab and drag him into the water as well.

-tubbo starts a very chaotic game of Marco Polo where half of the people who were It would throw themselves into the sound of someone voice.

-You, dream, Wilbur, and Tommy all played a game of chicken and it ended with tubbo and ranboo helping you take down Wilbur and Tommy.

-Karl and quackity would at random attack you with water in the pool.

-You, Niki, jack, and Wilbur would play pool volleyball together and it quickly gets competitive and you at some point would try to hit jack in the face with the volleyball.

-Karl is in charge of the music but will queue songs if someone has a request.

-When you take breaks out of the pool niki will join you and the two of you will sit and gossip about random things.

-George would probably bring water balloons and attack Dream and sapnap with them at the most random time leading to a water balloon fight.

-in the end you and dream will get in the car to head home and he would surprise you with a stop at a ice cream shop. Getting you both ice cream he would park in a empty parking lot and let the two of you enjoy the sun setting with the music comping from the car as you both sit on the trunk looking at the sky. -🍀

omgyes! i'm expanding on your ideas under the cut :) <3

firstly, shirtless dream in the pool? you're gone, bye bye y/n.

karl would be the only one with a house (and a pool) (as everyone else lives in the college apartments) and it comes in handy more often than not.

tommy would 100% bring water guns for himself, ranboo and tubbo, and not the pissy little dollar store ones, like the ones you get from a toy shop and they're so over the top HA. and everyone would curse because omg wilbur why did you have to bring your younger brother?? but it's not that serious, because without him and tubbo and ranboo, it would be pretty calm and we don't do calm.

lmao yes sapnap and george (& sometimes wilbur :o) would totally compliment you and dream would be in his own personal hell because he can't tell anyone to quit it because it's not his place :) (which leads to the boys bullying him because of that exact reason >:))

quackity!!! dragging him in the pool with you after he's pushed/thrown you in like 5 times in the past hour makes me laugh ahahahahah he would bob to the surface, his wet hair covering his face and would just cackle.

marco polo!! yes, love that game. it would be so chaotic because there would be so many injuries from people cheating outside of the pool (cough sapnap) and like you said, throwing themselves at the sound of a voice (ending up with a few eggs on heads from knocking into the side of the pool). there would need to be a few ice packs on hand after a game of marco polo.

when you asked dream to be your chicken partner, mans short circuits. he really locks up because omg your thighs on his shoulders? 😳i don't mean to make it dirty, but he's really struggling here. winning against everyone you play because dream is so competitive that he has to win.

karl and q would continually splash you in the pool, even after you said you just want to float and relax. nOPE. they are so annoying and you actually get pissed off because omg just leave me alone for 5 minutes. but then they act all sad (you know how they are) and you have to forgive them to stop them from moping around. dickheads. but you love them <3

hitting jack in the face with the volleyball would cause so much chaos AHAHAHAAH you and niki would be dying of laughter and wilbur would try his darndest not to, but he can't help it.

karl is the music man. he has his giant speaker set up and he's playing dj (sapnap tries to take over, but everyone complains, so he doesn't).

gossiping with niki! omg i love. she asks you about you and dream and you go all quiet and heat rises to your cheeks when you make eye contact with him on the other side of the pool and he has this cute boyish smile on his lips at that exact moment and nothing could've gone better for niki. she continues to tease you even after the pool day because once you started rambling about him to her, she can tell how much you like him.

george secretly packed some water balloons and asked you to help him with something inside quickly. you knew the plan all along. so, once you had filled like 50, you and george race outside with them all in your arms and start attacking dream and sapnap, who now lay on their towels in the sun. the plan is so great and you and george definitely don't shut up about it for weeks.

dream had been asking karl all day if he had any ice cream (even though every time he asked, karl said no). so, on the way home, dream pulls into a car park on the side of the road and you're confused because wtf? then you see the sign for the ice cream shop and it all makes sense. he gets 4 scoops of vanilla 😐anyways 😐then he drives to the other side of the carpark, where there are no cars, and opens his door and gets out. he pops the trunk and sits in it, all while you're still in the passenger's seat. some playlist plays loudly and then you get the gist and follow him, scooting in next to him in the trunk. and as the sun sets, pinks and purples paint the sky and the sun dips just below the horizon and its perfect.

🍀 ily like i literally love u hahah thank u

[glassesandswords]

Of Wings And Wheelchairs

Pairing: Levi Ackerman & Onyankopon, Levi Ackerman/Hange Zoe (mentioned)

Summary:  Levi and Onyankopon sit in a coffee shop, waiting for Gabi and Falco to return from their small detour during their vacation together. Levi reminisces about the old Survey Corps veterans and their times together as Onyankopon listens. Soon, the conversation makes its way to a person the two knew very well- Hange.

Ao3 Link

“Let’s wait here.”

Levi and Onyankopon stopped at a coffee shop. With so many people bustling about, it was hard to find a place to relax for a while, especially with all the walking they had done. Well, at least all the walking that Onyankopon, Gabi and Falco had done- as Levi had been pushed around on a wheelchair by Falco the whole time. But the kids had spotted an ice cream vendor and left together to buy something to eat, and the older men decided to get a quick drink before continuing on with their journey.

The coffee shop had outdoor seating shaded by giant blue umbrellas that flared briskly over the round tables. A florist sold bouquets nearby. The scent of roses and lavenders wafted through the air, mingling with that of roast coffee.

“Are you sure letting Gabi and Falco go off on their own in a foreign land a good idea?” Levi asked as Onyankopon looked around for an empty table.

“They are fifteen now. They will be alright. Us, old men, shouldn’t be interfering with a pair of love-birds, so let them enjoy this vacation on their own.”

“You might be right about that.”

Onyankopon decided on an empty table on the opposite end of the florist and parked Levi next to him as he pulled a chair for himself. “Fifteen, huh?” Levi muttered, adjusting his wheelchair close to the table. “If they were in Paradis, they would have graduated from the cadet corps. But these two- they have had their fill of the battlefield way before that, being Marley’s warrior candidates and all.”

“Yes. That’s why they deserve to live like the carefree and free-spirited children they are right now.”

“Not that any child needs a reason to live like that. They all are equally deserving of happiness.”

“Of course,” Onyankopon called the waiter over to them. “A black tea and a black coffee, please.”

Levi noted how Onyankopon kept his favorite drink in mind and ordered it for him by default. Over the past three years, the two men had bonded over their shared losses and he had been a constant companion for Levi after the war. Onyankopon had helped him start a new life and set up his own tea shop after he retired in Marley, taking care of all the paperwork and technical details required.

“I heard you spent your childhood in the underground district within Wall Sina,” Onyankopon said as he watched the waiter leave with their order. “I wasn’t allowed there due to the restrictions on the volunteers, but I heard it was a rough place to live in.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. That piece of information was hardly common knowledge. 

“I think I might have an idea of who babbled to you about that,” the face of a certain four-eyed abnormal popped up on Levi’s mind. “Yes. I was raised as a thug in order to survive that hellhole.”

“Did you have anyone close to you at that time? Your parents? Any siblings?”

Usually, Levi would have found it annoying if people dug into his past. But with Onyankopon, he did not really mind. “I was an only child,” he replied, leaning back on his wheelchair, “My mother died when I was young and the closest thing I had to a father was an uncle who abandoned me as soon as he realized that I could take care of myself.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, it’s an old story,” he waved his pity off, “I did have two close friends there. Farlan and Isabel. They were as good as a brother and sister to me.” A fond remembrance flitted over his face, as if he could see them in his mind’s eye as he spoke. “The three of us thought life above the ground, in a land touched by the sun would be better. Turns out it is all the same.”

It wasn’t hard for Onyankopon to make out that Farlan and Isabel were probably no more from how Levi’s voice dipped. He changed the topic to something lighter.

“But you finally retired from all your duties and responsibilities. How does it feel to go on vacations to foreign countries?”

“I’m surprised you are dragging me along. Not like I could be of any service anyway, after being permanently bound to this wheelchair,” Levi tapped on the metal armrest. 

“You are too humble, Levi,” Onyankopon shook his head, “I’ve seen you offering guidance to Armin and the others whenever they need it.”

“I help them as much as I can, but in the end, it is nothing more than an old man’s advice.” Levi sighed, remembering a certain someone’s soliloquy in a forest. “Times have changed and perspectives are different. After the rumbling ended, Armin offered me retirement and I took it. But even if I were in top shape, I honestly don’t think I would want to do anything with the Alliance anymore.”

Onyankopon watched Levi as he gazed at the busy road. The man looked broken, like he had lost way too much in life. He reminded him of some of the volunteers who had seen their families killed and hometowns destroyed in front of their own eyes. For previously being known as ‘Humanity’s strongest soldier’, Onyankopon had not seen Levi in action a lot. But the way he held himself together during that day- exactly three years ago, after Odiha- was a testament to his immense internal strength. The man in front of him was a fighter, but the fight had taken its toll on him.

The waiter arrived with steaming drinks and served it on the table.

“How do you drink that bitter bean-juice?” Levi asked as Onyankopon took a careful sip, trying not to burn his tongue in the scalding liquid.

“Six years and you still haven’t warmed up to coffee, have you?”

“I prefer tea, usually that of my own shop.” He sipped his tea, holding it by the rim with his left hand. “But I have to admit, the aroma of coffee is quite enticing.” His voice went back to its hazy tone. “Mike would have liked it. That guy had a sharp nose for things like these.”

Though Onyankopon did not know the details, he knew Mike was probably one of Levi’s previous comrades.

Levi had a habit of talking about his fallen comrades now and then. He did not seem to care if the other person knew them personally or not. Onyankopon assumed that it was to remember and acknowledge their existence and stories, being the last living veteran from his original group.

He heard about the battle of Shiganshina that resulted in the complete decimation of the earlier Survey Corps and wondered if Mike was one of the people who died there. Or maybe he had been one of the many unfortunate victims who were killed by the hands of the pure titans long before. Onyankopon felt a small stab of guilt for following Zeke, who had caused nothing but pain for Levi and the rest of the Survey Corps, but he had his own circumstances. Choosing sides had blinded them from appealing to their common humanity, until Yelena had revealed to him the plan to offer assistance to Paradis before their first scouting expedition six years ago. He had almost convinced himself that the Paradis military would crush them with their titan power before they could put forth that proposal, but then, a certain Survey Corps Commander gave them the warmest welcome they could have received in the island of ‘devils’.

“Brings back memories,” he hummed over his coffee, “Remember, the first time we chatted was over a cup of tea in that tent?”

“Ah yes,” Levi nodded grimly, “Another one of that person’s stupidly optimistic ideas. It was a surprise that you volunteers actually agreed to it.”

There was a silence as Onyankopon knew exactly who he was referring to.

Levi sipped his tea. “Honestly, they’d come up with the most reckless ideas, that Four-eyes.”

Onyankopon gave a small, sad smile. It seemed safe to talk about them. “I have to admit,” he said slowly, “I was shocked when they pointed the barrel of that gun over their one good eye, even if it was unloaded.”

“You don’t know half the trouble Hange caused back in the Survey Corps,” Levi shook his head disapprovingly. “Always blabbing about their latest hypotheses. Putting my entire squad in danger for another titan capture mission. They’d have had their head bitten off by a titan long ago if it wasn’t for their trusty assistant, Moblit. Hell, they went days without taking a damned bath just because something more interesting caught their attention. Sometimes, when I couldn’t bear the stink, I had to knock them out and clean them myself.”

Onyankopon chuckled at his ramble. He had observed Levi and Hange’s inseparable relationship from his time at Paradis. Maybe it was because they were the last ones to survive from their generation, or maybe it extended a little deeper than that. Onyankopon was not completely sure. He gazed at the long scar across Levi’s face, crossing through his one blind eye. If Hange were there, the two of them would have made quite the one-eyed pair.

But Hange wasn’t there as they had sacrificed themself so that he and Levi could sit in peace under a blue umbrella, drinking hot beverages on a sunny day without worrying about anything else.

Levi was still rambling on, “...all those stupid naming ceremonies for the captured titans. At least three Garrison guards used to throw up after each of their experiments. The tantrums they’d throw in Erwin’s office whenever he denied their requests. That Four-eyes once talked to me about titans and their planned experiments for two days straight after we first found out about Eren’s abilities. Can you believe it? Two days!”

There was a bitter aftertaste in Levi’s mouth and he knew it had nothing to do with the tea. A memory of Hange floated in his mind, of them carefully dabbing medicated cotton over Eren’s face after he had kicked the hell out of him in the courtroom all those years ago. He remembered Hange chiding him for having gone too far and declaring that they’d never kill Eren.

His stomach twisted at the irony of how everything played out in the end.

Onyankopon’s voice stirred him out of his thoughts. “It must have been hard for them to pursue their scientific research after they became the commander.”

“It did take a huge toll on them,” Levi agreed, “Erwin’s shoes would have been hard for anyone to fill. But he himself chose them as his successor and they did their job well, even if all odds were against them.” He gave a short sigh through his nose. “But over the years, they changed too much.”

Levi had noticed all the times when Hange had faked a smile to cover up their exhaustion. They tried to maintain their cheerful façade through all the uncertainty to keep their subordinates from becoming concerned about their mental well-being, but from his time with the past two commanders, Levi knew the bone-crushing pressure they were under.

He had spotted the missing tea from his shelf during all those late nights when Hange had fallen asleep on their desk after pulling multiple all-nighters. Although they weren’t new to burning the midnight oil, the commander’s work was grueling. Adding to that, the knowledge and responsibility of dealing with an entire world full of potential enemies weighed them down incredibly. Only he knew how tired and defeated Erwin had looked during his last moments with him. In a way, the role demanded much more from Hange than it did from Erwin himself.

“You mean they were more excitable before?” Onyankopon asked, “I really did not think they could look more starry-eyed than while they were being introduced to all the new technology from Marley.” He chuckled, “The way they whooped after the success of the new improved 3DMG test session was unforgettable.”

Levi set down his empty cup. “Hange was always a vocal advocate for technological advancement. Their inventions helped to get rid of all the pure titans in the island without much loss of human life. When they were given the hope that the rest of the world was not as cruel as we thought it was- but a place where they could learn and discover- that was when I saw them truly happy for the last time. They hoped to make peace when we left off for our first Marley visit. But we both know how that ended.”

Ah, yes that Marley trip, Onyankopon thought as a tense silence settled between them, The time when everything spiraled out of control. To ease the heavy pauses, he decided to bring up some good memories from back then.

“Remember the time when Hange bought that lollipop from that clown just so that he’d stop stalking you? And the time when they tried to feed carrots to a car?”

Thankfully, it seemed to work as Levi snorted. “Shitty-Glasses was supposed to be the smartest of us all,” he said, “Yet, that was still better than the way they squealed after the camera flash the first time we took a picture in Azumabito's place. Now that was just plain embarrassing.”

Onyankopon smiled. When Levi's squad was out drinking, he had insisted Levi and Hange to take a photograph with himself and the Azumabitos as a keepsake memory of their first official trip outside Paradis. Hopes were ripe that night, with the peace conference scheduled for the next day. To keep their optimism up, they had a small dance session in which Hange had dragged Levi with them and had successfully managed two rounds around the ballroom before Levi remarked that it was ridiculous and sulked in a corner for the rest of the night with a wine glass on hand. After which Hange teased him and invited Onyankopon to give them company instead.

When the camera was ready, they were all suited up- with hats placed on their heads despite the fact that it was evening- just for the sake of the photograph session. Onyankopon knew that the Paradisians had never taken a picture before, so his eyes were on Levi and Hange instead of the camera.

Their reactions did not disappoint.

Hange squealed as the flash lit up the room and Levi flinched, grimacing at its sudden brightness. The photograph was quite comical when it was developed: Hange with their mouth slightly open, Levi with his eyes half closed and Onyankopon’s lips in an amused half-smile as he gazed at them.

“To be honest, you looked quite shaken at the flash yourself,” he pointed out to Levi.

“Yes, but I did not wake up everyone in a fifty mile radius within the building.”

“It didn’t seem to wake the kids up, though.”

“What do you expect? Not even Hange can wake up a bunch of hungover brats who had drank all night and ended up passed out on each other.”

“The three of us had to carry them back, didn’t we?”

“Only for Sasha to puke all over the new suit I wore for the photoshoot.”

Onyankopon laughed at that memory. The waiter came over with the bill and he paid it before Levi could reach for his own wallet.

“I told you before,” he said to Levi as he handed over the money, “This vacation is entirely on me.”

“Thanks,” Levi kept his wallet back inside his pocket, knowing that arguing about it would not change Onyankopon’s mind.

They sat in silence for a while, gazing at the people walking around, exploring the shops. Levi got a few quick stares now and then because of his heavily scarred face, but he did not care. He was used to people staring at him; the annoying looks of envy and awe when he was considered as humanity’s strongest soldier, glares of anger from the military higher-ups after he had brought back Armin instead of Erwin during the battle of Shiganshina, and gazes of pity after he had been severely injured due to the thunder spear, thanks to that shitty monkey.

“I wonder what happened to that photograph,” he murmured, his mind wandering back to that day in Marley.

“It was left in Paradis,” Onyankopon replied, “The militants probably disposed of it along with the rest of our belongings after we were declared traitors. It’s been three years after all.”

Levi’s heart sank. That was the last piece of Hange he had left, apart from the scars they had stitched across his face. If everything was disposed of, that would mean that the badges he had collected from the uniforms of his former comrades, his letters, Hange’s research notes, Moblit’s sketches from the night they visited a bar after work, all of their personal belongings- everything had been burnt or destroyed. Apart from Erwin’s grave, there was nothing left for him back in Paradis- the place the Survey Corps dedicated their lives and hearts for all those years.

He masked his bitterness, “It was just a piece of paper anyway.”

Onyankopon did not say anything. The cost of freedom had been incredibly heavy for both of them.

“It’s been three years, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Levi remembered that moment when the spirits of his comrades appeared in front of him as he sat battered and broken. The old Survey Corps, with whom he had spent so many years fighting, resting, experimenting and pushing through every loss, every death and every failure together. He had finally finished their job. He had taken all of their dedicated hearts with him and won for them.

His final salute both crushed his soul and set him free.

A part of him wanted to depart with them. His duty was done, Zeke was killed, the rumbling was stopped and the world was finally free of titans. What use would he be to anyone anymore?

But he knew that the others would want him to live the life that they couldn’t. To explore the world and all it had to offer. To make the dream of world-peace come true.

So, he decided that he would go on, and when his time finally comes, he would stand tall among his noble comrades and tell them stories of the world they never got to see.

Levi hesitated for a moment before turning to Onyankopon.

“Do you think they’re still watching over us?”

Onyankopon didn’t miss a beat.

“I’m sure they are.”

Gabi and Falco reappeared from the crowd, with half-eaten ice cream cones in their hands. The brats had grown so much since the first time he had seen them, all beaten up and bruised on that zeppelin three years ago. Now they looked happy and content, their eyes shining with hope, optimism and love.

Hange’s words from all those years ago played in his mind.

I want everyone to feel safe again soon. I want this to be a world where people can live without fighting each other.

There was still a long way to go for that, but with the threat of the titans gone, they only had humans to negotiate with. Though that probably did not make it any easier, peace was still an option. He’d leave that to Armin and Historia.

Erwin and Hange would have loved it here. All the new places and technology, exotic food, new discoveries; it would have blown their minds. Sometimes, he wondered what would have happened if that bastard Floch did not show up to shoot holes in that fuel tank. Hange would have been alive, they would have boarded the plane together, they could have seen the flying titan and the previous titan shifters. It might have probably returned them to their normal, curious self again.

They could have survived together.

What would Hange have done now that the titans, their life’s work, were gone forever? The two of them had never really discussed such situations, for they never imagined such a day would actually come to be. For them, a world without the threat of titans was a distant fantasy. But if Hange were alive, they’d have probably headed the peace talks. They were never the one to stay out of the action anyway.

“Sorry, we were a little late,” Falco said as he approached them, “Shall we go?”

“Sure, no problem.”

Falco popped the rest of the ice cream in his mouth before silently pulling the wheelchair by its handle without being prompted to. He was a sweet kid. Erwin, Hange and the rest of his old squad- Petra, Oulo, Eld, Gunther- would have liked him.

Levi picked up a newspaper from a vendor, to see if there were any mentions of the peace committee who had set sail for Paradis earlier that day. As they made their way through the street, he winced as the wheel stumbled over a small pothole.

“I’m so sorry,” Falco exclaimed.

“No, that’s fine,” he rubbed his back. “Times like these are when I really miss Four-eyes.”

Onyankopon laughed, “They’d have come up with a crazy convenient wheelchair, custom-made for you.”

“Knowing them, they would have probably attached an engine and the 3DMG trigger-anchor system complete with a safety belt into the wheelchair,” he shook his head. “Then again, I think they might have also pushed me down a slope as a test run, so maybe I’m safer this way.”

A distant hum of an engine made all of them look above.

A plane, similar to the one they had taken off from in Odiha, flew past the sky, its shadow falling on them as it streaked by.

For the kids, it was just another ordinary plane they stared fascinated at. But for him, something about it felt reassuring.

It was almost as if…

Levi glanced at Onyankopon, who gave him a knowing look.

So, they were watching us after all.

[cassava-49]

Death 1

Part 2/ Part 3/ Part 4/ Part 5/ Part 6/ Part 7

The water looks so inviting mostly after all that has happened to you. Marinette felt numb, not really caring whether or not people, other than her family, would care. She didn't feel like the bubbly girl that she was since the start. She didn't feel the responsibility of being Ladybug surge through. All that filled her head was how everyone in class turned against her because of Lila's lies.

"Marinette can you stop being so jealous and possessive and manipulative for once!" Alya shouted at her. "Alya, can you stop blaming Marinette for once!" Adrien shouted back. "I know that Lila's lying and I know Marinette's telling the truth. Can you stop! For once, stop thinking that Lila's such a perfect angel!" he added. "Adrien, just stop, please," Marinette pleaded him. "I-i-it's a-alright Alya, Ma-ma-marinette didn't mean to," Lila cried, hiding her victorious grin. "Sh, sh, don't worry Lila, but it's not okay," Alya comforted her. "Dude, you should apologize," Nino said to the pair. The two then scowled at their ex-best friends, but before they could retaliate, Natalie appeared to the scene. "Adrien," she sternly called. He flinched, knowing what will happen. He then took Marinette by the wrist and walked towards the exit with Natalie following behind. "I'm sorry Adrien," Marinette said as he got into the car, he then gave her a sad smile and a curt nod.

That night she waited for his call. Anxiety teasing through her body, finally after dinner, she heard her phone ring. She immediately answered it and heard Adrien's shaky voice on the other line. "What happened? How did it go?" she asked. "H-he, m-my father," he stuttered. "He's pulling me out of school," he said. "What! Why?" she asked, worry slowly sunk in. "He said that you're a bad influence and so is the school, he's sending me to New York," he replied. "I-I'm so sorry Adrien," she replied, feeling the tears attempting to escape. "It's alright, it was my choice anyway. It was either going to school but ignore you, or go to a different country but be able to contact you," he replied. "If I chose the former, it would break my heart seeing you, and it's not like I have any other friends," he added. "Promise that we'll keep in touch," she whispered. "I promise, but I've got to go now, I need to do something," he answered. "Yeah, sure, good night," she replied. "Good night," he responded.

Once the call ended she summoned her transformation to vent out by swing across the city. She arrived at their rendezvous point to find a crying Chat. Without hesitation she walked to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Chat, are you ok?" she asked. "My lady," came his response. She then sat beside him as she let go. "What's wrong?" she queried. "I'm leaving," he replied. "Why?" she asked. No please, not Chat, I can't lose them both at the same time, she thought. "My father, he wants to transfer me to New York," he answered. "That's why I have to give up being Chat Noir. I'm sorry," he said in between sobs. "When?" she pressed. "Tomorrow, he already got the papers done this morning, with all his connections and money, I never doubted it," he let out a strained chuckle. "I planned to give up my miraculous after patrol. One last taste of being Chat Noir. Never had I wanted an akuma attack so badly," he cried. He then felt Ladybug pull him up to his feet. "Let's go have one last run together, until you come back," she said with tears in her eyes as she wiped his. He gave out a small smile as they raced on the rooftops of Paris.

After their run they heard a blast, making both of them smile and eagerly defeated the akuma. With five minutes remaining, they raced on the Paris rooftops with Ladybug leading. Ladybug grabbed his arm and pulled him onto her balcony. "Why are we at Marinette's?" Chat asked. "I want to tell you who I am," she replied. "A-are you sure?" he asked. "I've never been more sure. I want you to know," she replied as both of their transformations fall. If they were not crying earlier, they were crying now, crouched down in each others arms. Adrien Agreste WAS Chat Noir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng WAS Ladybug. They smiled at each other and hand in hand entered her room The two then spent their time in her room as Plagg floated next to Adrien, knowing that he'll miss his presence. It was one in the morning when Ladybug returned Adrien to his room with a longing kiss goodbye, promising to be together once he's back.

That was our plan, Marinette thought as she leaned on the railing if the bridge. The bridge where she and Adrien bought ice-cream from André's. This was the bridge where she and Kagami became friends. This was the bridge where she shared her ice-cream with Luka. Unfortunately, Adrien's plane crashed in the Atlantic, the cause was still unknown. If he had the horse miraculous, he would have survived, she thought again. Ever since his death, she gave up her miraculous giving it to the new ladybug holder as she apologized to Tikki. She also told her parents the truth and asked them to be part of the order of the guardians, and taught them the secrets to the miraculous.

It's been weeks since Kagami and Luka became the new Lady Luck and Monsieur Noir of Paris, they still reminded Paris about the original Chat Noir and Ladybug, who will always remain in their hearts, they even asked the mayor to make their debut Ladybug and Chat Noir's day. As for Lila, she began making more lies as to why Ladybug quitted like, "She felt too much pressure and wanted me to become the new ladybug but I had to refuse since I didn't feel worthy and it would be too obvious because I'm the new Ladybug since I'm her best friend, but I helped in picking out the new recruits."

Lies, lies, it was all lies, Marinette was the one who gave Kagami and Luka the cat and ladybug miraculous. It hurts, it hurts, so much. With one last look at the stars, she fell into the icy cold water of the Seine. She didn't feel anything else, until her head collided with a sharp rock at the bottom.

...

Marinette woke up with a massive headache. She found herself in an hospital ward, but her clothes were what she had been wearing when she tried to commit suicide. She watched her parents stare animatedly at her but said nothing. She then realised something, her parents were not looking at her, but something behind her. She followed their line of sight to find herself. She had her head wrapped up in bandages, her hair was down, a pipe was in her throat for food. Her nose also had the typical dexterous to help her breath, another was connected to her large intestine for excretion. That was when she knew, she was in her astro form. Her soul left her vegetable body and is free to wander since she was in a coma.

She got up and began walking towards her parents. Their tear strained eyes watched her wistfully, hoping that she would wake up soon. Her grandfather's bread was in a basket next to her bed. Her Nona's helmet was found in one of the chairs, signifying that she was there. She touched her father's cheek, only to have her hand pass through his face. She was a ghost, or a spirit, either way she was neither dead nor alive. She went to her mother who was walking towards her body taking her hand, she felt warmth, a sign that she can still feel and not exactly dead. She watched as the monitor showed that her heart beat was normal and resting.

All of a sudden her classmates, along with Lila were inside her room. All with devastated faces, even Lila, which surprised her. Alya and Nino was crying along with Rose, Mylène, Chloé and basically everyone was crying except for Lila who still had shock written all over her face. Although the same couldn't be said for her parents. Tom got up as Sabine moved closer to Marinette's body. "Leave," he said. "What? Why? Marinette is our friend, we have to be here for her," Alya exclaimed. "Really, so you have no idea as to why she committed suicide?" Tom asked with a growl this time. "Isn't it obvious? It's because Adrien died," she answered. This time Sabine got up and threw her Marinette's note. Alya dropped to her knees as she read it out loud, causing everyone to cry harder. There she explained that Adrien was not the reason as to why she died. He was the reason as to why she still lived even though he passed, but she said that she could not take it anymore, all the bullying, all the rumours, all the lies and the threats. After reading the note, Alya turned to Lila asking for an answer. But this time she was crying, was it guilt or were they real.

"Get out," a growl erupted from behind them, to find Marinette's grandfather. "I-I'm so so-" Alya tried to say. "Don't give us your half assed apology, the damage has been done, now get out!" Sabine shouted. They all but rushed out of the room with Marinette's ghost. Once the door was closed they all turned to Lila for an explanation and as if some divine intervention, Jagged Stone appeared with his mascara dripping down with his tears as he pushed past the teens to enter her room.

"Mr. Stone?" Kim asked. "What! Can't you see I'm in a hurry to see my niece!" he exclaimed. "Niece? But isn't it just Marinette in there?" he asked. "Just Marinette," he says in a low voice. "Just Marinette! This is my niece we're taking about, the sweetest, kindest girl I'll every meet!" he exclaimed as Penny arrived. "But what about Lila?" Kim asked. "Lila? Lila! That crazed girl who thinks I have a kitten and deliberately bullied my niece! She's here? Where is she!" he exclaimed with outrage only to be held back by Penny.

If Marinette was still alive, she would have enjoyed watching Lila's lies crumble down, but now she doesn't feel anything. "What a mess?" she heard someone say from behind. She turned to find a boy around her age standing beside her. Not really minding, since he couldn't see her, she returned her attention towards Jagged and her classmates. But she turned her attention back to the boy when she saw a nurse pass through him. "Y-you're a ghost?" she asked catching his attention. "You can see me?" he asked. Now looking at him she thought that he resembled Adrien, like a lot. He was blond with green eyes, a head taller wearing a grey Polo shirt with a black vest she tie. "I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng," she introduced herself unconsciously. The boy stared at her and replied, "I'm Felix Graham de Vanilly." They turned their attention back to the commotion as they watched Alya punch Lila letting out her anger once she found out the truth.

"I'm sorry, they're my classmates," she huffed. "What's the deal with the girl in the glasses and the Italian?" he asked. She sighed and replied, "It's actually a very long sob story. Are you sure you want to hear it?" she asked. Felix smiled and replied, "There's nothing wrong with a long story, it's not like I'm going anywhere." Marinette smiled as Felix lead her away from the commotion as she began telling him her story.

[kotachii]

Fate

Pairing: Ace x Reader | Soulmate! Au

Synopsis: Soulmates had matching tattoos. When you met Ace, you were certain that he was your soulmate.

  Fate

  Raindrops slid down the glass, like melancholic tears from the sky. Your reflection only so faint on the window. Even if you were decorated with the finest jewelries from the top to bottom, tailor-made dress, most expensive heels nothing can fill the void in your heart.

       “It was fate that brought you to me otherwise I would of drowned”, he used to say.

Fate.

       It was a beautiful morning when you mindlessly strolled towards the river. Without a place to go, a reason to be, you found a man floating down the river. He was unconscious. With all of your force, you pulled him up on the riverbed and checked for pulse. He wasn’t dead. For the rest of the day, you camped out beside the man waiting for when he wakes up. He was quite peculiar, shirtless, no weapon, a hat that is completely soaked, the raven locks of hair framed his freckled face.

       It was around mid-afternoon when he finally woke up. When he did, he enveloped you in a hug.

       “Oh god, I thought I was dead! Thank you so much for saving me,” he said while you struggled to get out of the hug.

       You would later learn that his name was Ace, Portgas D. Ace a traveler looking for adventure. When he asked you to join him on his adventure, you accepted. He was charming, nice, stupid at times but he always made you smile. The two of you went on so many adventures.

       “Do you believe in dragons?”, Ace asked you.

       “Umm...not particularly,” you replied.

       “I heard that there is a dragon in Tamya forest, want to go check it out?”

       “Sure!” you said with a grin.

       On that day, you and Ace slaughtered one overgrown lizard and made more money than you could ever imagine selling the dragon parts in the nearby town.

       “(Name), look at all of this money! There is more than enough for a lifetime! We could go anywhere, be anyone we could have feasts and not care about what anyone thinks of us,” Ace said.

       “This is so great, let’s go eat something to celebrate,” you suggested.

       “No, first, let’s get you the most expensive dress there is and get rid of that plain and ugly peasant dress you are wearing now,” he replied with a grin.

       You laughed and said, “I can’t tell if that was supposed to be an insult.”

       “Just stating the facts,” he said and winked.

       In this world, you can’t just be anyone, there is a red string of fate that connects two people together. They are each other’s soulmates. The destined counterpart always bears a matching tattoo on their upper thigh.

       “This grilled octopus taste so good!”, Ace said.

       The two of you were in the Full Moon Festival at the Eastern Country. The streets were full of people, street food, performances and liveliness. The real reason you two came here was mostly for the fated technology called “fireworks”. They were described as on the best inventions of the Eastern Country, flowers that blooms in the sky.

       “Ace,” you called. He bent down slightly so that he was at your height, “there is so much people here, let’s go find a quieter spot so we can enjoy the fireworks,” you said.

       “Sure (Name), don’t get lost though,” he told you with a warm smile and you could feel his grip tighten on your hand.

       Together, you found a nice and quiet spot by the river and awaited for the fireworks to appear. You leaned your head on Ace’s shoulder and enjoyed the calm moment.

       “(Name), can you promise me to keep a secret?”, he asked you.

       “Of course,” you mumbled.

       Ace shifted from his position causing you to slightly fall backwards but he caught you and made you look into his eyes. The glow of the moon illuminated his face with an off white colour, the stars shone brightly in his eyes.

       “Then pinky promise me,” he said.

       You looked at him amused by the odd request but still obeyed anyways.

       “Alright, I thought it was about time I told you, do you remember that one time when we were in the Southern Valleys and we were chased by a whole lot of knights?”, he asked you.

       “Um...I think so. Yeah so what about it?”

       “Those people weren’t after us. They were after me. It’s because I am the child of the last King. The one that was overthrown,” he said grimly.

       “And…,” you continued.

       “That’s it,” Ace said and he saw the look of confusion on your face, “Aren’t you surprised? Or angry? My father was known as the corrupted King. People hated him.”

       “But that’s just him. You are you and that is all what matters to me,” you replied while staring right back into his eyes.

       You two slowly leaned in for a kiss, and thus the vow was sealed. You could feel the strings of fate tugging you and Ace together into a bind. You were no longer travelling companions but a couple.

       The fireworks erupted into the sky and created beautiful flowers of more variety than you’ve ever witnessed. Sparks of multicolours danced within the sky.

       “(Name), do you feel it? I think we are just meant to be,” Ace said when he pulled away from the kiss.

       You nodded with a smile and rested your head on the crook of his neck and enjoyed the moment. You wished the story could of ended here, it would of been perfect. But fate had other plans.

       You remember later that night when you showed him the tattoo. In this society, it was considered inappropriate to show another person your tattoo before you can feel the strings of fate pulling you two together. However, you are positive Ace is your soulmate, there is no other way. Though one should not underestimate fate.

       “How….how is that possible?”, you looked at him, not believing your eyes. Tears threatened to fall down and all of your senses felt numb.

       Ace didn’t say anything and stared at the ground. The tattoo on his leg, a fire pattern mocked you as it did not match with yours. Yours were flowing like water, not the abrupt flames that he had.  How could this be, you were positive it was him. You didn’t want to be anyone else but with him.

       “Screw this!”, Ace shouted as he stood up, “Why does some dumb tattoo get to decide who I spend the rest of my life with.”

       “It’s just fate,” you replied back depressed.

       “Screw fate! Then it is also fate that brought you to me, otherwise I would of drowned that day by the river.”

       “But Ace, fate gets to decide everything. It will keep on trying to separate us if we don’t listen to it. There is nothing we can do about it---”

       “Until that happens, I am not abandoning you. Fate can try to separate us but we just have to be faster, more clever. We can escape it. We don’t have to listen to it. Let’s run away and don’t look back. I don’t care who we have to betray, who we have to abandon, I’ll do anything just so we can be together.”

       Ace panted with harsh breath and anger seeped through his usually carefree face. You stood up and walked over to him and hugged him. You agreed with him, you don’t ever want to be with anyone else but him, he may not be your soulmate but he is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. No regrets.

       Life went on as normal but you two traveled at a quicker pace than before. Ever since that night, you could feel your surrounding altering it. It was because fate wants to punish you for not listening to it. For example, you’ve lately noticed that you tend to lose each other easily. Even if it is just walking in a crowded city, for a brief moment, you will lose sight of him among the sea of people. That was what you feared the most. What happens if one day you can’t find him anymore.

       Also, more and more people that has been hunting for Ace. He is the son of the previous king and naturally, he brings a lot of enemies. But the appearances of conflicting parties has been more often than before. In fact, you even heard the name of the very man chasing after Ace. He would sometimes be in the front lines on this operation and there was one time when you and Ace almost didn’t escape. A piece of your dress was ripped off during the escape leaving your tattoo exposed. Ever since that day, a grim feeling has possessed you.

       “Hey, (Name), have you heard about the town of Ethelia?”, Ace looked at you.

       Today was a normal day, so you wished. No one chasing you, the sun was shining bright and life was pretty good.

       “Yeah, isn’t that the big city up north?”, you replied.

       “Let’s go there, today. I heard they have some nice ice cream shops,” Ace said.

       “What’s that?”, you asked confused.

       Ace chuckled, “I think it is something cold and sweet. That’s what I heard.”

       “Cold? Like ice? I hate ice,” you stated bluntly.

       “I don’t know but we will know once we go.”

       “Fine.”

       And little did you know, that day was the day fate finally won. On your journey there, you were stopped by the very group of men always after Ace. Lead by their leader, Akainu, there was nowhere left for you two to run. Ace was injured but he tried his best to stand up. He blocked you from the enemies.

       “Leave her alone, what you want is me. Not her!”, Ace shouted at them.

       “Move you little runt,” Akainu said, “Are you her soulmate or something? Last time I checked, you didn’t even have matching tattoos.”

       “That is none of your business!”, Ace shouted back.

       “Of course it is my business because that lovely lady behind you, she happens to share the same tattoo as me.”

       Shocked. Sadness. Unbelief. It all swallowed you like waves trying to suffocate you. On that day when your dress ripped, it must of been that day when he saw. And later you did witness for yourself when you saw the familiar tattoo on his leg, that disgusting man was your soulmate.

       It has been six months since then. It is also the day before the scheduled execution for Ace. He did nothing wrong but of course, Akainu was a powerful man and he is capable of pinning crimes onto Ace to make his execution justified. Ace is locked in a cell, underground, beneath this castle. You only saw him twice. The first time, he didn’t say anything and the second time, he told you to not come see him again. He didn’t want you to see him in this pitiful state. Chained to walls and wearing rags.

       “Wanna take one last look at lover-boy down there,” Akainu mocked you when he walked into the room. You can’t believe he is your soulmate.

       “There is no point.”

       “Glad to see you finally came to your senses. He is just a swine,” he huffed before walking out of your room again.

       There is no point because you’ve already planned the escape. It took you six months but you have acquired the keys to his cell, you also have found the gap flaw within the guarding system and an escape room.

       When the night turned dark, shadows swallowed the castle, chains were removed and the caged became free. Two lone figures silently escaped the castle and never looked back. They dissolved into the night and once again they cheated fate. No one noticed them until a couple hours late when they were long gone and never had they caught them again.

[strawberri-blonde]

The Big Sads - George Weasley

Summary: You’re sad and George sucks at cheering you up.

Warnings: None

The frown on your face could be seen from a mile away. You’re arms where wrapped around your pillow as you leaned against your dormitory wall. The cold stone sent chills down your back that snuck it’s way all the way down to your legs, but you still didn’t move. Two knocks followed by a familiar voice floated your room, but you didn’t reply. “Knock, knock!” Your door opened revealing the pair of red headed twins that you’ve known since your first year. Not only that but they were your best friends; well Fred definitely was and sadly George. You’ve been in love with the older twin ever since he casted a spell on a boy in his third year who wouldn’t leave you alone. The poor boy had frogs spewing out of his mouth for two days.

“Did a bug crawl in your ear and lay eggs?” Furrowing your eyebrows you looked towards Fred with anger in your eyes.

“Man if looks could kill.” George laughed as he hopped on your bed, but you scooted away from him clearly showing how you weren’t interested. Noticing this the Weasley looked at each other and communicated with their eyes. “Y/n?” Clenching the pillow you flinched away from George’s caress from your cheek, feeling the emptiness rise in your soul.

“Hey what’s wrong?” Fred asked as he crouch down in front of you leaning the top half of his body on the bed and rested his head on his hand.

“You can tell us.” Closing your eyes, the rumors fled your eardrums once more making you squeeze your eyes then shake your head before laying down at the foot of your head away from the two.

George and Fred were concerned. They’ve only seen you this sad only a hand full of times. Taking charge, George nodded his head towards the door and Fred understood. “I’ll be right back okay?” Not saying a thing, you continued to lay there not really wanting to be left along with the oldest Weasley twin. Once you watched as George and Fred did there weird communication with their eyes thing, Fred left the room and you felt George rub your back. “Ooh, Y/n.” You let out a whine as you let his arms wrap around you to bring your body closer towards his. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” You finally mumbled out, hating the fact that you felt the butterflies in your stomach.

“Just tell me.” Rolling your eyes, you pushed against his chest to sit up and he followed in pursuit. As your mind raced with thoughts, frustration and anger hit you like a semi.

“Why do you need to know so bad.” George was shocked at this sudden outburst but it didn’t steer him away. Instead he let a smile cover his face before he responded.

“So I can cheer you up.”

You turned away from him pressing your hands against your face then sighed. “It’s not your job to cheer me up.” Not understanding the underlining text, George furrowed his eyes in confusion. Throughout y’all’s friendship it was George who was the voice of reason while Fred got the essentials that always put you in a good mood.

“Yes it is.” Hearing his words, you shook your head in protest and crawled past him to stand up looking at the door with your arms crossed. “Cheering you up,” he followed after you and grabbed your waist to turn you towards him. “Is my job.”

Looking up at him, you tired to ignore the feeling of his hands on your hips. “Well then,” you sneered. “You’re fired.” Fred began to smile at your sassiness; secretly he loved it when you got like this.

“You can’t fire me. I’m union, bitch.” Instantly a stupid grin made its way onto your face but as soon as it got there you turned away from the Weasley trying to build up your words.

“I-I heard a rumor.” Your throat started to close thinking of admitting what made you feel so down.

“Yes...” George noticed you’re hesitation so his thumbs began to draw small circles in order to bring you some comfort. But instead it made you more scared so you lied.

“Um,” pushing some hair behind your ear, you looked down at your hands that were fiddling with one another. “Some guys were talking about how I didn’t have a bum.” George had to blink a couple of times, processing what you had said.

“Wait.” Moving his hands away from you, he then folded them over his chest. “That’s what this is all about?” You nodded your head not waiting to admit the truth.

“You know how sensitive I get about my bum.” George raised his eyebrows, as he let out a sign and put his hands on your biceps.

“Y/n, listen to me when I say this okay?” You didn’t reply hoping to get this over with. “Your bum’s great.” Hearing this your eyes doubled in size. “I mean, if we weren’t friends I’d totally...” Your mouth dropped as he looked away smiling towards himself. “Anyway, don’t let those assholes make you feel like that again; and if they do, let me know who so Fred and I can fix it. Okay?” He asked with a nod and you couldn’t help was reciprocated. As his words replied in your head you couldn’t stop the words from spewing. “Now let’s-”

“That’s not the only rumor I heard.” George squinted his eyes and dropped his hands feeling you pull away hugging your arms tighter towards yourself. “I heard about you and Angela.” Quickly as you said it you turned you head away from him starting to feel the heat rise towards your cheeks. “I mean, you could’ve told me-”

“Wait that’s why you were upset? Not because of the bum thing because you even know you have a nice ass.” Looking down at your feet you were too scared to face him in the eye. “Y/n, you have nothing...” pausing for a moment to slide his hands down his face, you finally found some courage it look into those hazel eyes. “Angela and Fred are talking not her and me.” Embarrassment flooded your mind alone with a little relief. “You didn’t answer my question?” The older twin pulled you into his arms causing some air to get stuck in your throat. “Is that why you’re upset?” Without saying a word, you simply nodded your head, letting George continue. “But you know you’re my girl.”

“That’s the point George.” Sucking in a deep breath you mentally prepared for what was to come after your next words. “I’m not.” His face screamed that he was shocked by the height of his eyebrows and gapped mouth.

Painstaking 30 seconds passed by as the Weasley thought over your words. Finally coming to, George cradled your face in his left hand draw small circles on the jawline, making your heart flutter. “Y/n I-”

“Knock, knock, I’m here with the food.” Pulling away from each other the two of you turned towards Fred. The younger Fred had two boxes of pizza in one hand and a pint of Oreo ice cream in the other. “Well, I’m glad you’re finally up. George must’ve took real good care of ya.” Fred set the stuff down then turned back towards you and his brother. George had this longing expression while you looked more so embarrassed and it had Fred confused. “It everything okay?”

Without missing a beat, the both of you replayed “Yeah.” Not buying it Fred nodded his head slowly observing the two. Finally after a while he shrugged his shoulders and opened the pizza box.

“Okay whatever, I’m going to eat this pizza that I got from the muggles with or without you.” You watched Fred take a bite and decided to push down the rejection and just act normal.

“Oh shut up, Fred.” Pushing the red head out of the way caused him to laugh as he watched as you grabbed the pepperoni pizza, taking a big bite.

“That’s my girl.” Instantly your heart stopped hearing Fred’s words because it just confirmed that George only called you his girl because you’ll always be just his friend and that was a hard pill to swallow.

[static-fanatic-1]

Tattooed-Uvogin

(Tattoo Soulmate AU- Where tattoos are shared by soulmates, if a soulmate dies then the other looses their ability to have nen and the tattoo disappears. I love soulmate AU's, they're fun. Also when Uvogin gets the spider tattoo he will be 24.)

(Female Reader)

College is usually portrayed in two ways, absolutely fantastic where breaking into song is the norm, or a horrid experience akin to horny Lovecraftian creatures. In this case the song song type of college is the norm.

Most individuals in college receive a tattoo, whether it be their own or their soulmates. Usually it is a happy occasion when that happens. Most would flaunt their new mark and spit out how much they wanted to meet their soulmate, but (y/n) was an exception.

Junior year, the hope of a new age of adulthood quickly coming up. The twenty-two old started to strip. Why strip? Well because she had decided to wait her junior year to get her athletic credit, and because she wanted to see a tattoo if she were to get one. But the first reason is what people think. Practically tearing off the jacket she wore and tossing it onto a bench, (y/n) jumped at the sudden shrieks and hollers from across the room.

"Lilith! Holy shit look!" Deciding to see what the commotion was about, (y/n) leaned over to watch the event unfold. On her lower back, almost covered by her shoulder length blonde hair, was a beautiful koi tattoo. As if swimming the splash of blue, orange and cream colors contrasted beautifully with her deep skin tone.

"What?! Oh my god show me!" Lilith squealed, pushing away girls to get to the nearest mirror. The brightest smile decorated her pink lips and when she finally saw the new mark on her shoulder, she waved around her hands and jumped with unrivaled joy. "I can't fucking believe it!"

"Do you think he just turned 21? Like today's his birthday or something?" Another girl exclaimed, staring at the inked shin with awe.

"Probably! Most people get them when they turn 21. God I'm so excited! I'm posting this everywhere to see if someone answers."

More girls crowded around Lilith, the light tapping of gentle fingers bringing (y/n) back to her senses. Turning around the female met with her dearest friend. "What?"

"Ms. Venal will snap at us if we aren't ready, best not to get on her bad side again. She might make us do push-ups for a warm up again." The soft voice and her light brown hair and eyes pairing nicely with her shy personality.

"Oh shit you're right." Swiftly (y/n) moved back to the back of the locker room, pulling off her pants at the same time. Replacing them with gym shorts with the school logo she quickly followed by her favorite shirt.

Grabbing the school shirt she jumped when someone grabbed her shoulders from behind. "(Y/n)! Your back!"

Before (y/n) could protest she was pulled to her friends locker with a hand mirror shoved in her face. Hesitantly she grabbed it and moved it around her face, trying to see what Jessy was talking about. Finally, a large dark tattoo revealed itself on her lower back, spider legs and a white eleven in the center.

"Looks like a spider, but with twelve legs? Weird." Jessy replied, lightly tracing the many legs now inked into her friend's skin. "You seem... disappointed? (Y/n) you good?"

(Y/n) shrugged, surprisingly it was underwhelming compared to what she thought it would be like. I mean the weird spider on her back was the key to finding her soulmate right? Yet it still felt like a normal school day. "Kinda underwhelming I guess."

"Hey (y/n), you got one too? I honestly thought you wouldn't get one." The snarky voice of Lilith echoed in the locker room, a new hand placing itself on (y/n)'s shoulder. "A spider, really?"

(Y/n) gritted her teeth, Jessy moving to put on the last of her clothes. "They probably just like spiders, so what?"

"Looks like they don't know how to count, that's sad." Lilith remarked, poking at the inked flesh. "Didn't you get a tattoo not too long ago, what was it again?"

"A (favorite animal)." (Y/n) mumbled grabbing her school shirt and putting it on.

"Wow, classic."

(Y/n) pretty much had enough of this and turned to the blonde with vigor. Placing a figure on the new koi fish tattoo. "Wow, classic cunt."

The blonde scoffed, but was quickly interrupted when the teacher called out. "Girls, hurry up or you all are going to do more push-ups!"

Lilith mumbles underneath her breath, venomous words that didn't pass (y/n). "Go fuck yourself." She had said.

In a last ditch effort to get some satisfaction, the (h/c) haired girl turned to the blonde and smiled. "After you."

Man school was just dandy.

~~~

For some reason the drive home felt longer than usual, the songs uninteresting and slow.  But that didn't stop the sigh of relief when entering her home. Maybe telling her parents about the tattoo would bring up her spirits? They always wanted to see what it would end up being.

"Momma! I'm home!" (Y/n) yelled, letting the fact sink in to any occupants.

She walked into the kitchen, grabbed a snack, and paused. Her dad, usually sitting with his back straight and glasses on, now held his lenses with his face in his hand. "Hey dad, you're home early. Everything alright?"

Swiftly his head shot up, (h/c) hair messy unlike usual. "Huh? Oh, yeah yeah I'm fine, just a lot of work is all. We're still trying to find who stole Ruby Red, that jewel is worth a few billion Jenny."

The man's daughter pulled a chair and sat down across from him, opening her snack to start eating it. "I still can't believe someone was able to take it, isn't the security pretty high?"

"Yup, and Ruby Red wasn't the only thing they took. They took a few other gems too." Her mother butted in, placing a kiss upon her husband's cheek. "Whoever did it defiantly had help, you're dad placed too many security guards for it to have been one guy."

(Y/n) furrowed her brows, the fact it was more than one person sans all too surprising, but how did they get past the armed guards in the first place? "So what exactly happened? Like to the guards I mean."

"Well... that's just it. We don't know." The dad rubbed the back of his neck, trying to relieve the tension that had built. "They just vanished... poof, gone. No sign of a struggle, no blood, all of it gone."

The mother removed her hand and pulled up a chair, sitting down and taking a sip of whatever is in her mug. "Yeah, pretty crazy stuff. I've been looking through the cameras and I think they have been tampered with. Whoever took the merchandise wasn't a rookie. They knew what they were doing."

"Who do you guys think did it? The mafia?" The daughter asked, looking at both her parents.

"A new group has been floating around, something called the Phantom Troupe. They are pretty much the worst of the worst." The brunette mother replied, placing her cup down and getting more comfortable.

"Worse than the mafia?" (Y/n) questioned.

"Pretty much, this gang took out the entire Kurta clan just a few months ago. They took their eyes and everything." There was a pause, easily taken up by the gravity of the situation her parents were in.

Her father butted in. "Anyway, anything happened at school? How's Jessy doing, she can come over for dinner tonight too. Martha said she was making lobster claws and steak."

"Ah, well, Jessy's doing fine and I'm sure she'd love to come over again. I'll go ahead and text her." (Y/n) pulled out her phone and did just that, asking if her friend wanted to come over again.

"What else, I feel like your hiding something." Martha asked, leaning closer to her daughter with a sly smile.

Small bits of sweat started to form on her brow, right now didn't exactly seem like a good time to talk about an odd tattoo. "Well I cursed someone out, that was fun."

Her dad groaned and rolled his eyes dramatically. "Oh my god was it that Lilith bitch again?"

"Edgar!" Martha snapped, slapping the man on his shoulder and she lightly scolded him. The both of them knew their daughters relationship with that girl. All they had to say is if the coward ever threw a punch, to lay her ass on that ground. (Y/n) was still waiting for her to throw it.

A small ping from a phone ringed, the daughter pulling hers out and slightly smiling. At least when Jessy comes over she would have emotional support over the weird tattoo. "Yeah, it was her again. Anyway, mom do you want any help, Jessy said she would come over."

"Sure, honey. I'd like that."

~~~

The air was tense, sweat slowly forming on (y/n)'s brows as her dearest friend babbled on and on about her early day bravery. "Lilith couldn't say a word to us for the rest of the day! It was hilarious." Jessy boasted, laughing at the sense painted in her head.

Though Martha and Edgar looked at their daughter dumbfounded. "Sooo, is there a reason why you didn't tell us about your new tattoo?" The mother asked, leaning on her elbow with her head in her hand.

"Ah, well you know, it's kinda embarrassing."

"Seriously, you didn't tell them?!"

"I said it's embarrassing!" (Y/n) reinstated, moving her hands in front of her face to attempt stopping the forming blush.

"So! Show us!" Martha exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

(Y/n) grumbled a bit and stood up from her chair, lightly pulling up the back of her shirt. On her lower back the sideways spider laid, twelve legs spread out for the world to see.

Silence followed, the air thicker than it once was. "Yeah, it's a little weird. Honestly it was underwhelming getting it." (Y/n) tried to release the growing tension with a light laugh, though it didn't do much.

"Y-Yeah, it is a little weird isn't it?" Edgar had replied, moving to lightly trace his fingers on the inked skin. "Well I don't think most people have twelve-legged spiders on their backs so it shouldn't be too difficult to find out who this guy is."

~~~

Those words meant so much now, after seeing the news talk about Ruby Red's disappearance and how it was linked to a group of mass murderers, the words felt heavy.

Changing to homeschooling was the first thing to happen, as having people see such a dangerous tattoo could endanger your family. Hunters would travel far and wide to catch the soulmate of a Phantom Troupe member, to sell or kill them for the highest price tag. So being around other reckless students was a big no-no.

Next was their home, moving to the outskirts of York New city to start fresh, where no one would know who they were. Getting a new job wasn't too difficult for Martha and Edgar, as security personnel was important everywhere.

Though (y/n) herself wasn't allowed a job, too risky they would say. And Jessy, well at least she was still there. The friend would visit every so often to catch up, and texting each other became an everyday occurrence.

It had been five years since that dinner, and now fear and anxiety ruled over (y/n)'s life. Walking on the streets it seemed every passerby was a possible hunter, just waiting to catch her and slit her throat.

(Y/n) could only trust Jessy and her parents.

The ringing of a phone smacked the female from her train of thoughts, papers she was once working on discarded. Picking up the device and placing it on her ear, a sweet voice rang with an excited undertone. "Yo, (y/n). Whatcha up to?"

A delicate smile pulled at the (h/c) haired lips. "Fine, just doing mom and dads paperwork. Kinda the only job they'll let me have."

There a was a light hearted laugh on the other side of the phone. "Well I'm going to have a few days off of work it you want to meet up and have a few drinks. I'll be coming in sometime tomorrow evening if you want to meet up then?"

"I'd love to, I'll just have to ask mom and dad, you know how they are."

"Yeah, can't blame them though. I mean it's scary."

"Yeah... I'll call you a little later with an answer okay? See you later Jessy, tell me when you get here and I'll pick you up from the airport."

"Alright, sounds good to me! Bye-bye!"

"Bye." Her smile faded when the phone call ended, at least it wouldn't be too bad. Now she just had to get on her knees and beg her parents.

Searching through the apps on the phone she ended up on the calling one, but paused. 'I'll just ask them when they get home, I'll drive over there soon.' Tossing the electronic on her bed (y/n) sighed and leaned back in her seat.

~~~

After plenty of begging and a semi-long drive to the airport, the now ecstatic girls drove around the city to wherever this bar was.

"Okay okay, (y/n), don't get mad at me but I invited a few other friends." Jessy timidly said, scrunching her body as close as possible to her seat.

"Who?" Was all said, making the other girl all the more afraid of an anxious outburst.

"Just a girl I met the bar once, her name is Shizuku. She said she's bringing another friend over, another girl. Don't worry though she's a bit of an airhead, an absolute sweetheart once you get to know her." Jessy relaxed, not noticing any changes with her friend's behavior. "Sorry I wanted to tell you but if you told Edgar and Martha they probably wouldn't have let you go! I just really wanted to hang out with you."

"Don't worry, mom and dad don't have to know." (Y/n) turned and gave a small wink before turning back to the road.

Jessy sighed, relieved to finally have some fun without much worry. "Oh oh! Right here!" The car slowly drove into the parking lot, the two searching for a spot to park. "Oh! They're over there." The two girls exited and quickly made their way to another pair.

The first girl Jessy walked to and hugged had shoulder length black hair and large round glasses. Large, plum doe like eyes gazed at (y/n) with innocent intrigue. Her casual wear consisting of a long black sleeved shirt and black shorts complimented her hourglass body type. She honestly looked adorable.

The other was a blonde clearly taller than her ravenette friend. Calculating eyes, short hair in a bob and a hooked nose gave her a demanding audience. The woman wore a red, low cut baby doll dress that ended on her mid thigh, and black heels making her even taller.

"Okay guys, this is (y/n), she's been my friend ever since middle school." Jessy placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, (y/n) shyly waving and saying hello. "And (y/n) this is Shizuku and her number two, Pakunoda." They too did the same thing.

"Alrighty! Now that we have all the introductions out of the way!" Exclaimed Jessy, grabbing (y/n)'s hand and waving for the other two to follow. "Let's get absolutely trashed!"

Pakunoda snorted and followed, all four of them entering the not-so-much-a-bar-as-it-is-a-club building.

Jessy grabbed a table, putting some of her things down to mark it as her own. "I'll go ahead and get something to get this party started! Anything in particular you guys want?"

Shizuku places a finger on her chin, deep in thought. Pakunoda wrapped an arm around the ravenette and shook her head. "Surprise us."

(Y/n) quickly waved her hands. "Don't get me something strong, I'll be the designated driver." She laughed, Shizuku finally making up her mind.

"Something fruity!"

She did somewhat seem like an airhead.

After plenty of drinks for the four, and pleasant conversation between the girls, Jessy was finally breaking under the alcohol. Her slim build swaying even when she sat in the booth's chair. "Y'all wanna hear a funny story? Or at least its funny to me." She slurred.

Pakunoda, sitting on the outside of the curved booth, leaned in. "Sure." Elbow now on the table and head in her hand. A delicate smile etched onto her lips, her eyes calculating as an extra hand served her drink.

(Y/n) listened to her start talking about Lilith, the old school bully having many stories about her. "I'm going to go to the restroom." She tapped Jessy's shoulders and moved over and out of the conversation.

Shizuku listened carefully to the slurring female, Pakunoda doing the same. Slowly the story became interesting, talking about receiving tattoos and snapping at the girl named Lilith.

But more importantly, a tattoo received on a lower back. (Y/n)'s lower back.

By the time said female returned all had paused, both Shizuku and Pakunoda silent but attentive. Jessy moved over to let her friend back in the booth they had claimed, Pakunoda placing a slender arm across her shoulders. "You have quite the temper don't you?"

Remembering what they had been talking about, the comment didn't surprise (y/n) all that much. "Lilith? Haha, yeah I hated her. She was difficult to deal with, always trying to one up everyone." (Y/n) waved her hand around to dismiss her temper, truly she couldn't stand people like Lilith. "Don't worry I'm much better now." Again she lightly laughed.

"You seem like it, you're so shy. I honestly didn't expect a story like that." Paku replied, leaning in a little closer.

"Which one was it? I've kinda snapped at her a lot."

"The one where ya' finally got yer tattoo~!" Jessy replied, sandwiching the poor girl between the two.

(Y/n)'s entire body went rigid, her breathing slightly labored by her hammering heartbeat. 'No, no, no Jessy couldn't have told that story, she wouldn't. She knows how dangerous it is for me already, telling people would make it worse!'

She would be hunted by hunters and the Phantom Troupe alike if the wrong people were to find out.

Doing her best to relax, her shoulders not so tense anymore. "Ye-Yeah, it's a bit of a strange one but I don't mind it too much. What time is it?"

Shizuku looked at her phone, her mouth wishing to yap about how Uvogin would love the girl. Or how Uvogin is just a call away from finding his soulmate. OR ANYTHING RELATED! But alas, the bone crushing grip placed on her thigh along with straight up saying it earlier, told her to shut it.

Now with a pouting face she checked the time. "It's 12:48."

Mumbling a short 'shit', (y/n) grabbed her purse and stood up. "Sorry! I was supposed to go home an hour ago!" She examined her phone with a pale face, not just from her tattoo being revealed, but the endless messages from her parents. "Does anyone need a ride?"

Jessy leaned in more, her lips ghosting (y/n)'s ear. "I would love to ride."

Pushing her drunk friend off, (y/n) made her way out of the booth, Jessy wrapped in her arms as the girl stumbled. "You two?"

Shizuku lifted her finger, her mouth opening to speak, but was quickly stopped when a hand smacked itself on her lips. "Don't worry about us." Paku replied, waving a dismissive hand.

"Al-alright. Well we'll be off then, take care!" Quickly grabbing her things, and Jessy, the two slipped out of the club.

Shizuku smacked Paku's hand away and pushed up her glasses. "What was that for?!"

Pakunoda shifted out of her seat, looking around at the other inhabitants of the establishment. "You were going to say something about Uvo, weren't you?"

The ravenette pursed her lips and turned away, scooting out of the booth as well. "So what if I was? It wouldn't stop us from getting her anyway." Whined the girl.

"It would have made getting her harder, she's already cautious of everyone." The two girls exited the bar, stopping to watch (y/n)'s car drive away. "Besides it won't be too difficult for Shalnark to find her."

"Didn't you touch her?" Shizuku pushed her glasses up once more, turning to wonder off to home base.

"Of course, she was very anxious the entire time, and she was weary of us from the beginning."

The ravenette hummed, both wondering through the lit up city. Smoke polluted the air of the alleyways they traveled through, the moonlight basking the criminals in an ethereal glow. The alleyway became too quiet, the once light sounds of buzzing insects feasting on the dumpsters silenced.

The girls stopped, looking at the empty sidewalk in front of them. They could sense two individuals, on in front of them and the other behind. Were the stalkers going to try and jump them? Did they know who they are? Well it doesn't matter, the stalkers will be dead soon.

"Well well well," A gruff voice echoed from behind. "Looks like the butterflies flew into the spider's web. How about you two be sweethearts and tell me about that friend of yours? The one with the (h/c) hair and (e/c) eyes."

Shizuku turned around to face the man, noting the switch blade open and poised in his hands. "He has a knife, Paku."

The man 'tsk'ed slowly walking closer to the girls. Paku stared straight ahead, the other stalker finally revealing himself, a scrawny man with a baggy shirt and large knife.

Pakunoda sighed and pulled out her revolver, aiming straight between the scrawny man's eyes. "Never bring a knife to a gun fight." A quick pull of the trigger and a loud bang caused the man to fall over, a small hole oozing blood and smoke between his glossy orbs.

Shizuku summoned Blinky and with a quick bonk on his head, the gruff voiced man collapsed to the ground.

"Shizuku, is he dead?"

"I didn't hit him that hard." With a hum and a finger on his neck. "Nope, he's alive."

"Good." She swayed over to the man and placed a hand upon his cheek. A rush of memories and emotions entered her mind, like the ripples in water. "They weren't alone, they called others before following us. We should hurry before they find her first."

"They'll kill her won't they?"

"Probably."

"Uvogin would loose his nen if that happened, hmm, we can't let that happen."

Nothing new happened after their encounter, the dark streets now baron by the late night and the rundown buildings. Turning the corner to enter the hideout, a face revealed itself, young and distressed, their thin black brows furrowed.

No words were exchanged, the girls entering without a care. A sigh left the short man's lips as he walked with them into the church. "Machi had a feeling again. What happened?"

Shizuku hopped her way onto a pile of rubble and sat down with an impassive expression. "We were attacked by some thugs on our way back. Though, it was more like a one-way-massacre."

The entire Troupe was in the broken down office building, there were preparing to infiltrate a museum filled with priceless artifacts, but it might have to be postponed.

Feitan didn't look at Shizuku, already knowing her information may very well be useless. "Paku?"

"Shizuku's friend brought a number two as well, she just so happened to be a soulmate." Pakunoda teased, crossing her arms.

The small group playing cards stopped, even Chrollo averted his eyes from his book of interest. Feitan's brows lifted slightly, probably in surprise.

"Ah! That happened too."

Franklin snorted, placing down his cards and shifting to face Paku. Shalnark, Nodunaga, Machi, Kortopi, Bonolenov, and Franklin were huddled up in a small circle playing cards, though the game was now paused. Uvogin, the secret star of the show, was rooting for Nodu to finally win a game. "Who?"

A delicate smirk etched itself on her features, a slender finger pointing to the bear-like man sitting behind Nobunaga.

With that action taken, the bear-like man grabbed Nobunaga and wrapped his arm around his head. The other hand pulling out the ponytail and messing up his hair as a boisterous laughs echoed throughout the building.

Franklin smacked a hand on Uvogin's shoulder and congratulated them, Nobu yelling for Uvo to let go. Once he finally let him go, the shorter man smacked Uvo.

Uvogin didn't exactly care, all he knew is that his soulmate was found and that she was his next target. "Keep talking Paku." Uvo kindly ordered, curiosity taking hold.

"Well she's pretty cute, (h/l) (h/c) hair, bright (e/c) eyes. She's pretty attentive." Pakunoda waved her hands around, finding a seat on the opposite side of the large room.

Another hearty laugh escaped the bellows of his chest. "Finally! Took her long enough." He exclaimed, clapping and rubbing hands together. "Where is she?"

Pakunoda shrugged. "Her name is (y/n) (l/n), Shal will have to figure that out."

Chrollo hummed, grabbing the attention of the room. "Uvo, once you find out where she lives I want you to get her, it would be a shame if you lost your nen." He paused and placed a bookmark in his spot. "Paku does anyone else know?"

The blonde nodded her head. "Yes, the thugs overheard and called a few of their friends. I don't know how many."

Chrollo hummed once more, leaning in a bit closer to the group. "Once Shal figures out her whereabouts I want you and Nabu to go with Uvo. And be cautious, we don't know how strong the hunters will be."

Uvogin laughed, hands on his hips as he threw his head back. "I will."

"Found her!" Shalnark yelped, a bright smile stretched across his cheeks. "(Y/n) (l/n), lives in the New Found Apartment Complex about three blocks from her parents. Oh! Edgar and Martha (l/n), they work as security managers for the museum we were targeting." Shalnark excitedly exclaimed, waving his phone around in the air. "I'll send you the address, Uvo."

Feitan quirked an eyebrow. "She might know which hunters were hired to protect the exhibit."

Chrollo hummed once more, returning to his book with a calm expression. "That might be the case, if so then there we could be better prepared." The sultry voice of the boss explained further her use, not just for Uvogin but the entire team.

Uvogin cracked his knuckles, waving to Nobunaga and Pakunoda to follow. "Consider it done."

~~~

(Thats it everyone! Sadly Wattpad allows for larger chapters so this will be put into two parts to accomadate.)

[cyborg-franky]

I've owed my wife @rosiinante something cute for a moment. A thanks for the love and support and cute art <3

Corazon x OC SFW CANNON VERSE AU Word Count: 638

Bouncing pink curls, swishing red skirt, bright smile, Acacia looked adorable right now Corazon thought to himself as they walked along the grass, bubbles floating up and around them, his partner tried to pop one that got too close but missed.

It was about time they escaped from the stress of everyday and came to the park. Acacia had told him for months they really wanted to come, and they happened to be in the right part of the sea at the time to visit. He was dressed casually, white pants, pink shirt, his hair flopped on his face, no shades to help keep the blond from getting in his face.

“Wow this place looks fun, thank you so much for bringing me” Acacia smiled and took his much larger hand in their own. Walking into the park everything was fighting for their attention, the sounds, the smells the bright colours.

Pastels and bubbles, it was like a dream.

The pink haired partner pulled Corazon along, wanting to go on all the rides but unable to decide which, everything was grabbing their attention, Corazon couldn’t help but laugh at their eagerness, it was sweet really.

Part of their charm he mused, he felt them tug his hand once more and headed towards an ice-cream stand “This isn’t a ride” He teased, playful tone in his deep voice. They poked their tongue out at him for his comment, getting in line for the frozen treat.

“I thought we could get an ice-cream and go on the wheel?” They suggested, pointing their pointer fingers together, a habit they’d picked up somewhere.

“Alright that sounds good”

They beamed brightly as they ordered two cones, piled with ice-cream and toppings, Corazon managed to drop his, thankfully the vender was kind enough to give a replacement. They walked along hand in hand towards the large wheel, it was lit up with lights, a jaunty tune coming from it.

One of the cars came down and opened for them, Corazon bumped his head on the side and mumbled, at least they were mostly suited to people of bigger mass they mused when he settled in, able to stretch out his long legs. They stared out the window as they got higher and higher, watching the world from a vantage point.

Everything shimmering, the atmosphere was wonderful. Corazon places a hand on their knee, feeling their smaller hand sit on his. They exchanged a smile and watched as they climbed higher and higher, all the park on display, Acacia making notes of where they wanted to go next, licking their ice-cream they leaned out the car, just a little took much and dropped their cone.

They turned with a sad look, unhappy expression as their lip jutted out. Corazon chuckled and handed them what he had left of his “No your too sweet” Acacia said taking the cone.

“Says no but takes it anyway hmm?” He chuckled seeing them pout, but they soon joined in with his laughter, it was infectious after all.

Walking around the park, going on things, playing games, getting something to eat, the day was going so well, the sun had sunk in the sky, the park looked like an entirely new wonderland when the night had settled over it completely,

The lights looking more magical in the darkness. Corazon felt them stop in their tracks suddenly, and he glanced down. “Hey?”

“Cora… today has been… amazing and.. it makes me realise how lucky I am to have you, how much I love you” He could hear the tears in their voice before they could let out the tears. He knelt and pulled them into his arms.

“Shh don’t cry.. I love you too, with all my heart” Acacia nodded and clung to the man, wishing this moment would never end.

[omahasnakes]

2011: Sorry for Party Rocking

Song of the year: “Party Rock Anthem” LMFAO. The plot of the music video is that people become zombies who can’t do anything but dance to this song. The plot of this week’s chart is that I had a hard time listening through the chart because I only wanted to replay this song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ6zr6kCPj8

Amy and I once fell asleep on the Train des Pignes and woke up at the end of the line in Dignes-les-Bains, where we were kicked off the train and wandered into town. We passed a group of grumpy men playing pétanque and went into a tiny grocery store to get ice cream. This song was playing, a perfect thematic element for the random, dreamlike experience.

A close runner-up is LMFAO’s follow-up hit, “Sexy and I Know It.” I just think they’re so cool. It doesn’t make sense.

“Blow” Kesha. This is literally my favorite Kesha song.

“Super Bass” Nicki Minaj. I like this song a great deal. I associate it with running the 10-mile loop around the Back Bay in Newport, since it’s on my running playlist. I was sad this week when the version on the Billboard playlist obscures the audio when she names the product that her gentleman friend is selling. (It’s coke.)

Me: Is Nicki Minaj the one whose cousin’s friend? With the swollen balls?

Amy: *rolls eyes* yessssssss.

“Give Me Everything” Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Afrojack, Nayer. I have thoughts about Pitbull, that Charlie-Brown-looking mfer. I don’t like looking at him, but something about his music is, maybe not good, but definitely compelling. I’ve had this in my head all week. ¡Dale!

I’ve noticed my tendency as a white person to post videos of white people parodying the music of non-white people, but maybe as a white Cuban person (I googled the term for this, but now I don’t feel like it’s appropriate for me to use) Nick Kroll’s Señor Feeture isn’t off limits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9fYaJs7B7o

“Six Foot Seven Foot” Lil Wayne, Cory Gunz. This song is for riding the spin bikes in our apartment gym, back when our apartment gym was not crawling with Covid. I like Lil Wayne, because he’s not afraid to use a truly obnoxious sample.

I swore I’d never heard an Adele song other than “Skyfall”, but it turns out that I had heard “Rolling in the Deep,” I’d just never recognized it as an Adele song. Clearly she has a great voice. I want to hear nothing about her weight, ever.

“The Show Goes on” Lupe Fiasco. My brain will not hold onto this song. I keep seeing it and having no memory of what it is, even though it uses a sample/idea from “Float On” by Modest Mouse.

“Black and Yellow” Wiz Khalifa. I don’t often mention that I change the lyrics to songs to sing them to the cats, not because it’s embarrassing, but because I assume everyone does and I’m not special. Anyway: brown and orange brown and orange brown and orange brown and orange

“The Edge of Glory” Lady Gaga. This song is really growing on me, especially the truly weird Philip Glass vocal intro. In addition, I like Lady Gaga’s motorsona on the cover of this album. It makes me think of the cover of a Chuck Tingle novel, which makes me happy. Pounded in the Butt by the Idea of Lady Gaga as a Sentient Motorcycle Who Doesn’t Have Hands, and Somehow Her Not Having Hands is Very Important, but It’s More Like Thinking about Myself Not Having Hands and Now I’ve Said Too Much for Facebook.

Country music barometer for 2011: 16%?! What in the Actual Fuck is happening to society? Were the ancient Mayans right?

[heavenunderthemoon]

Doctor, Doctor- Luke Alvez x Reader

Summary: Luke gets injured on a case and you’re his doctor

warnings: mentions of assault

The team had found themselves on a rather hard case, harder than most. Those that were in their home territory tended to do that.

Cases at home meant that, suddenly, that tiny, invisible, practically none-existent barrier between them and the monsters was ripped away.  That fine layer of protection that seemed to encase them every time they got off the jet, stepped off that plane and hailed their cabs back home, back to their family, back to their safety, was gone. Every twig snap, shadow, and eerie noise had their senses on edge. Not only did it cause the team to become more tense but it also awakened a protective rage. Monsters weren't supposed to follow them home.

But this one did.

A man, of course, white and in his mid-forties, avenging a mistake his mother made long ago. The team had split up, attempting to cover as much ground as they could in the abandoned warehouse. That was how they had caught him, the unsub leading them to a rather dilapidated part of the building. The floorboards creaked under his weight, and the team had shuffled in to follow uneasily. Distracted by the seemingly unstable building, they hardly had time to react when a blur of movement halted them in their tracks.

Luke had been the unlucky one to be closest to it. The hammer in the unsub's hands rained upon his head with a sickening crack and he collapsed to the floor with a groan. Already, his head was pounding, eyes fluttering in an attempt to shut them but he forced himself awake. His survival instincts kicked in, ignoring the team handcuffing and escorting the unsub out, only focusing on his breathing.

The team had been worried, extremely so. They practically had to hang up on the technical analyst, the Garcia woman  screaming into the phone as the team forced the former ranger into the ambulance bay and shuttling him off to the hospital.

He had protested the entire way. Sure, his head hurt, but he wanted to go home. Besides, it was a tiny little cut, how bad could it be?

After hours of pacing the waiting room and too many cups of cheap, hospital coffee, the team was informed by a nurse that they could see the man once more. With spirits high and hopes higher, the group made their way into room, surprised to hear a familiar laugh roaring through the space.

Sitting up in a hospital bed, gown disheveled and far too small on his muscular body, Luke wore a large, woozy grin. His hands clutched two slender fingers, his eyes never quite leaving the y/e/c orbs before him.

The room smelled like most hospitals, like sterilization and freshly laundered beds. The walls were covered in a pastel green color, as if reflecting its patient's illness on the walls. The tv played a re-run of FRIENDS, but the volume was almost non-existent, closed captioning dancing across the screen.

Beside the bed sat a small table, a small clipboard of notes lay across it, and a pen scribbled against the paper before the hands were returning to Luke's face. Y/n's hands floated before Luke's eyes, her soft voice telling him to follow her fingers before she was nodding with a smile, scribbling down something else.

With a lopsided grin, the man was speaking again. "How am I doin', Doc? Are you gonna need to amputate?"

From the minute Luke had been wheeled into your examination room, the man hadn't quite stopped looking at you like that. The way he looked at you made you blush, which was rather juvenile and not entirely something you would admit aloud, but true all the same. He looked at you as if you were wearing designer clothing rather than the two day old scrubs you had on. The scrubs you hadn't had time to launder because you had been working for thirty four hours straight, ones that had a stain on the sleeve that you weren't entirely sure what it was from.

Your hair had been thrown into a messy bun, the fast paced environment not giving you time to do anything fancy. And your makeup- well, you weren't wearing any.

But still, he looked at you as if he couldn't quite take his eyes off you. And it wasn't in the creepy, stalker way you had experienced men doing so before. No, because Luke was different. Just the man's demeanor told you so. The way he talked, voice slow and steady (maybe that was just the pain meds), or the way his eyes, two pools of melted chocolate, reassured you that being around him was probably the safest you'd ever be. You didn't need to see his badge on his hip to know that.

At the man's words, you let out a chuckle, clicking your tongue and sliding your pen back into your pocket. "I don't believe we'll be needing any amputations today, but keep landing on the wrong end of a hammer and we might have a different story."

Turning to the large group walking into the room, you smiled warmly. They were a large bunch, the jackets they adorned matching the one Luke had worn before he had been forced to change into a hospital gown. 'FBI' the breast pocket read. Briefly, you wondered what they did, but realized it didn't quite matter. They were here because they needed you to do your job, not to learn about theirs.

Patting Luke on the shoulder to indicate he could sit back, you grabbed your chart, going to stand near the team. They stood adjacent to Luke, and the small room allowed everyone to be in talking distance.

"I'm assuming you're the family? I'm Doctor Y/F/N Y/L/N, head of Neuro." Your easy smile was enough to release the tension from the team. Seeing Luke crumple the way he had made them worry, but the bright smile on your face reassured them.

"When he came in, the wound was looking a bit nasty." They listened intently while you talked and they didn't seem to miss the way Luke's eyes never quite left you as you spoke. "The swelling went down with some cream, and we took a CT to clear him of anything internal. Now, there was a small hemorrhage-" You watched as the team's eyebrows furrowed in concern, and you brought you hands out, a gesture for them to calm. "But his symptoms were small. Once we got the scan we saw that the bleed was tiny. Most bleeds will actually resolve themselves, so no need for me to go in where I'm not needed."

"Doc, you're welcome in my brain any day." Luke smiled cheekily, and your lips quirked, eyes narrowing playfully.

"I'm who you call when you need the big guns, you don't want me in your brain, Agent Alvez." His lips twitched when his last name rolled off your tongue and you would be lying if you hadn't gained the tiniest bit of satisfaction at the reaction.

He clicked his tongue, playfully grabbing his chest. "How you wound me. We went over this, it's Luke." He corrected, and he realized how desperately he needed you to say his name. He needed to say his name whether you were angry or sad or happy or excited. He needed you to say anything at all to him because your voice was something he hadn't even realized he needed until he heard it and now that he had he wasn't sure he would be able to live without it.

His actions made you chuckle, shaking your head at his antics. "Alright, Luke," You conceded, going to hang back up the man's medical chart on the bed. The nurses would take over from here, the former ranger only needing to be discharged after the rest if the pain meds wore off. The ones you had given him weren't too strong anyways, it wouldn't take much longer. "Try not to piss off anymore toolboxes, your head isn't as hard as you think it is."

The man smiled and just the sheer brightness of it made you suck in a breath. "I don't know, the screwdrivers in my shed were giving me a funny look the other day, I may have to teach them a lesson." He quipped smoothly and you rolled your eyes despite the large grin that grew on your features.

When you turned back to the door, the large group of agents seemed to be split between giving knowing smirks to Luke and impish looks to you. A certain blonde adorned in extremely bright colors seemed to want to interject, but the only other blonde clasped her hand onto the woman's shoulder tightly, stopping her from whatever she was going to say.

"I suggest that he doesn't go in the field for at least three days, and I would like to see him in a week for a precautionary scan to check and see if the bleed resolved itself. Other than that, he's good to go.  If you all have anymore questions feel free to ask Nurse Cassidy, she'll be in in just a moment to help you with discharge paperwork and medical prescriptions."

They nodded and, before they could respond, your pager was chirping, signaling the need for your presence elsewhere. Your hand grabbed at the pager clipped onto your waistline, eyes scanning the message before your eyes were flickering back to the agents.

"Duty calls. It was nice meeting you all." You gave a final nod, moving to leave the room, but just as you were about to exit a voice stopped you.

"Hey, Doc!" Luke called out, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

You turned, one hand gripping the doorway as your head peeked out from the side. You hummed in response, eyebrows furrowing.

"See you next week!"

Maybe it was childish, or unprofessional, or wildly inappropriate. Perhaps it was the fact that you were sleep deprived, hungry, and running on fumes, or maybe it was just the charming nature of the Alvez man, a gravitational pull toward the comfort he naturally exuded, but you found yourself smiling widely, a pink tint covering your cheeks.

"See you next week." You nodded in confirmation, leaving before you could say anything else.

[atlafan]

My Everything - Part Eighteen

A Take it Slow Sequel

What happens with Harry and Y/N after he proposes? How will the two navigate the engaged life while also continuing to juggle their jobs, friends, and families? Let’s find out.

Warnings: fluff, smut, angst. TW: mentions of past abuse!

Words: 9K

a/n: So, the courtroom stuff is literally like an SVU episode, it’s probably not very accurate. I just wrote what I wanted to happen. If you know more about how courtrooms and prosecutions work, I apologize

Masterpost

“Oh, fuck.”

You were trying to stifle your moans. You and Harry were simply spooning early in the morning, when you innocently adjusted against him. He pressed up against you harder and things just sort of escalated from there. He was fucking you from behind while still in the spooning position. His fingers were rubbing circles into your clit and you had your arm hooked around his head so you could tug at his hair.

You got cleared to have sex a couple of weeks ago, but you hadn’t done anything since Anne had stayed with you to help out. You and Harry had agreed on condoms, not that you were using one now. You didn’t care right this second, it just felt so good.

“Y/N.” Harry groans in the back of your neck.

“I’m so close, don’t stop.” You pant.

You arch back into him as you feel your release coming. Once he knows you’ve ridden it out, he pulls out and pushes you fully onto your stomach. You gasp when you feel his come shoot onto your back and ass. You feel him get off the bed. You look over to the bathroom where he’s going into to grab a rag. He comes back to wipe you clean, even between your folds. Harry leans down and kisses your cheek before bringing the rag back to the bathroom. He gets back on the bed and pulls you to his chest.

“That was incredible.” You breathe. You drape and arm and a leg over him and hold him tight.

“Much needed, that’s for sure.”

“We need to buy some condoms.”

“I got some, I just didn’t wanna kill the vibe by stopping to reach for one.” He chuckles and you look up at him.

“You sound like a teenager.” You laugh. “Although, it was nice to just feel you. Maybe I should just suck it up and get an IUD.” You sigh.

“You don’t need to decide right now.” He kisses your hairline. “I’m really glad Jack’s been staying in his bed, it was nice not being interrupted for a change. As much as I like when he comes in to cuddle, don’t get me wrong.”

“You know what he told me last night? I’m a big boy, Mumma, I’m three now.” You giggle. “He’s been three for three weeks, now he thinks he’s so grown.”

“You know what’s cool? He can form, like, real sentences. Like, I can have a real conversation with him now.”

“It’s great. He’s got a nice personality.”

“Well, he should, we both have great personalities.” He scoffs.

You loved this. Harry could have pillow talk with you and not have to leave for work. You were dreading when he’d start half days at the end of the month. You were being spoiled. He stretches out and groans.

“Alright, I’m gonna get up and make sure the pool’s good to go. You wanna get Jack started?”

“No, I wanna stay snuggled up with you.” You bury your head in his chest.

He rolls you both over so you’re pinned down underneath him. It looks like he’s about to say something, but you hear Jessica cry over the baby monitor. You both sigh heavily.

“Okay, let’s start the day.” You say.

You both put swim suits on and do your morning routines before going to check on the kids. Harry slips downstairs to get the pool ready. You go into Jessica’s room first.

“Good morning, angel.” You coo. “I know, you’re hungry. Don’t worry, after I change you I’m gonna get you your bubby.”

“Mumma?” Jack comes into the room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Good morning, my love.” You get Jessica on the changing table and undress her. “Could you go put on your swim trunks for me? And then I’ll help you get washed up.”

“We’re going swimming?!” He perks up.

“That’s right. Daddy’s getting the pool all cleaned up as we speak. Of course we’ll need to eat breakfast first and make sure we go potty before we go in.” You look at him. “I don’t want another poopy emergency.”

“Okay!”

He runs back into his room to get changed. You get Jessica in a little onesie and make sure to get plenty of sunscreen on her. You strap her to your chest to so you can walk around easier. You find a little bucket hat to put over her head too. You help Jack brush his teeth and get sunscreen on him as well. When you get downstairs, Harry hands you a bubby for Jessica, and gets Jack a bowl of cereal.

“Is the pool all clean, Daddy?”

“You bet! Nice and warm out there today too.”

“Mumma, you’re gonna swim?”

“I’m going to sit in my pool float with the baby for a bit.”

“You never swim.” He pouts.

“Mummy’s don’t like to swim, Jack. The water’s too cold for ‘em.” Harry smirks at you and you glare at him.

“That’s a dumb stereotype. I swim when we go to the beach.”

“When was the last time we even went?”

“No idea…isn’t that sad?” You think for a moment. “Why don’t we go this weekend? We could see what Sarah and Niall are doing.”

“Won’t it be a lot to bring the baby?”

“Not really.” You shrug. “We have one of those little tents, we’ll keep her in the shade. Jack, would you like to go to the beach this weekend?”

“Yes! We can make a sandcastle!”

“That’s right!”

After waiting for Jack to use the bathroom, you all head outside to the pool. Harry goes in with Jack at first and plays with the various pool toys they had gotten. You get onto your float with Jessica and cradle her to your chest.

“Mumma, look! I can swim to the bottom!” You watch as he dives under the water and then shoots back up. “Did you see?!”

“I did, well done!” You smile.

“Daddy, will you throw me up?”

“Yup.”

“Harry, if you splash me, I swear to god…”

“Cover her head then, he makes a pretty big splash, babe.”

Harry picks Jack up and throws him in the air. He tucks his knees in to almost do a cannon ball when he comes back down. He makes a decent splash, but you manage to keep Jessica dry.

“Again, again!”

“Only once more, I don’t want you getting dizzy.” Harry laughs, and throws him in the air again.

Jessica starts crying a little while later so you take her inside to change and feed her. She fell right back asleep once she burped. You set her up in her stroller outside in the shade. You didn’t need to hold onto her every two seconds, after all.

“Mumma, can Buster come in the pool?”

You look down at your dog, and see he’s perfectly content sitting next to the stroller.

“No, honey, he’s a little too big for this kind of pool. He can really only swim at Uncle Niall and Auntie Sarah’s.”

You climb back into the water and dive in. It felt good to really swim again. You come back up and shake your hair out.

“Good thing I bought that chlorine shampoo.” You get the elastic out of your hair and dunk your head again.

“Yeah, we’ll have to scrub those curls out later, huh, Jack?” Harry says to him.  

“No, I hate it!” He pouts.

“That’s a pretty strong word.” You pout back at him. “You could say you don’t like it instead.”

“I don’t like it.” You pick him up and swim him around with you, which makes him smile big. “This is fun, Mumma.” He snuggles close to you. You give his cheek lots of kisses.

“I think it might almost be nap time.” You whisper to Harry and he nods.

Jack falls asleep in your arms and you hand him over to Harry so he can take him out of the pool. You lay a towel down in the shade and make a little outdoor bed for Jack. Harry lays him down and you both smile.

“How cute is that?” He whispers.

“Too cute.” You whisper back. “And look at her, sound asleep.”

“Buster’s pooped too.” Harry chuckles. “Want me to get the grill going for lunch?”

“Great idea. I got us some vegan hot dogs and buns.”

“You’re the best. Do we have any actual hot dogs for him?”

“Mhm, they’re in the fridge.”

You and Harry didn’t feel the need to keep Jack on the same diet as you. When he gets older he can decide on if he wants to eat meat or not. Harry gets the grill going, and Jack wakes up right when everything’s done being made. You sit down with Jessica and feed her while Harry helps Jack with his hot dog.

“Let me burp her, I haven’t held her all day.”

“Alright.” You pass the baby to him.

“Hi, little girl.” He burps her and cradles her in his arms.

“Was that a good hot dog, Jack?” You ask your son.

“Yeah! Daddy’s a good cook.”

“He’s a very good cook.” You wink at Harry. “What about me?”

“I like when you cook too.” He gets up from his seat and crawls into your lap. “I like when you’re home with me, Mumma.”

“Me too, baby.”

“Oi, and what about Daddy?” Harry says, a little offended. “She’s home with you anyways.”

“I like when you’re home too, Daddy!” Jack giggles. “Can we take Buster for walk soon?”

“Sure, go inside and put a shirt and your sneakers on. I’ll help you tie them up.” You reach for your cover up and throw it on. “Come on, Buster.” You whistle at him. “Stay with her, we’ll be back.” You kiss his forehead and hers and, go inside.

After your walk, you return with a surprise.

“Daddy! Mumma let us get ice scream from the ice cream man, here!”

“She did?!” Harry was lounging in a chair, using a scrunchie to keep his hair off his face. Jessica was back in the stroller in the shade. “Thank you very much, Mummy.”

“You’re welcome, Daddy.” You sit down and grab another scrunchie to put Jack’s hair up. “There, now you won’t get your hair all sticky.”

“And I’ll look just like Daddy.” Jack smiles and licks his ice cream pop.

“You didn’t get anything for yourself?” Harry frowns.

“Nah.” You shrug. “Don’t need it.”

“Y/N.”

“It’s fine! I have some low fat treats for myself in the freezer.”

Harry rolls his eyes at you and you start chuckling.

“What?”

“Nothing, just, remember how mad you used to get when I would do that to you?”

“Haven’t you learned by now that everything’s okay when I do it?” He smirks.

“Mumma, can we swim again?”

“You have to wait a little bit. You just had all that ice cream after all.”

“Niall called while you were gone, by the way.”

“Did he?”

“Yeah, wants to know if we can get a sitter tonight to go out to eat with them. There’s a new seafood place they wanna try.”

“Do we need a sitter? Is it not kid friendly?”

“I asked the same thing.” He shrugs.

“I don’t know if I want a sitter with Jessica just yet…as much as I like ours…” You think for a moment. “I could call my mom.” You grab your phone. “I wouldn’t mind an adult night out.” You call your mom. “Hey, mum.”

“Hi honey! How’s the pool treating you?”

“It’s great! How would you like to come use it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…Harry and I got invited out to dinner tonight. We thought you might like to come babysit. Or I could drive them out to you, whatever’s easier.”

“You know, I’m actually free tonight, I could come over there for a bit. It’ll be good for you to get out for a while.”

“Awesome! Could you be here around five?”

“Sure thing!”

“Thanks, love you!” You hang up and pick Jack up to look at you. “Guess who’s coming to visit later.”

“Who?”

“Mimi!”

“Yay! I love Mimi.”

You kiss his forehead and hold him close to you.

“Great, I’ll tell Niall we’re in.”

//

“Sex, and a night out! It feels like Christmas.” You giggle as you finish doing your makeup.

“I know! They even said they’d drive. Think they wanna get us drunk.”

He walks into the bathroom to talk with you. You were just getting some lipstick on. You had a beautiful red sundress on along with a sleek high ponytail. You looked gorgeous.

“Jesus, might need to have a quickie before we go.”

“You’re funny.” You smack your lips and boop his nose. “Come on, we need to get back downstairs. Mum probably thinks we’re fucking up here as it is.”

“It was cute watching her help put the kids to bed.”

You both walk downstairs just as Niall and Sarah pull up to the front door.

“Thanks again, mummy, we won’t be out too late.”

“Take your time. I brought my overnight bag, so I’m happy to stay if you kids wanna make it a late one.”

“Thanks!”

Harry hooks an arm around your waist and leads you outside. He opens the door for you and gets in on the other side.

“Hey guys.” You say, leaning to give Sarah and Niall each a kiss on the cheek. Harry does the same. “Thanks for inviting us out.”

“Of course! The school year is officially over! We’re celebrating.” Sarah says. “We’ve been dying to go to this place too.”

“It’s gotten really good reviews.” Niall says. “How are the babies?”

“Good, we had a pool day today. Jack got really excited because I actually swam.” You laugh.

About twenty minutes later, you get to the restaurant. It was nice for a seafood place, you were happy you were sort of dressed up. You’re sat at table for four. The tablecloth was a nice baby blue. Waters and a basket of bread are brought over to you to start with.

“How about a bottle of wine for the table, would that work for everyone?” Niall asks.

“Sure!” You say. “After all, we’re celebrating. Another year down, Sarah.”

“I know! I love this school so much. I started tenure this year too, it’s incredible.”

Niall orders a bottle of red wine for the table while you all look over the menu. Harry was being rather quiet, but he seemed fine. His hand was on your knee, nothing out of the ordinary.

“Harry, what are you thinking?”

“Maybe these broiled scallops? That sounded good.”

“Mm, I might do the same. I can’t remember the last time I had those.”

“Y/N, any news on the trial?” Niall asks.

“Next month…I have to go testify.” You sigh. “There’s so much going on. I guess they have a kid, so if he’s not convicted enough to go to prison, she’s at least fighting for full custody. My testimony along with the other women could help either way.”

“You’re so brave, Y/N…” Sarah says. “I don’t think I’d have the guts to go into a courtroom like that.”

“It won’t be easy, but it’ll be worth it for some justice.”

A waiter comes over with the wine and pours you all a glass. You all order your dishes and clink your glasses together. Harry’s hand was still on your knee.

“So, Harry, you’re home through the end of June?” Sarah asks.

“Through the first week of July, actually. Isaac and Mariah asked if we could close for the fourth.” He shrugs. “I was perfectly fine with it.”

“And everything’s still going well?”

“Yeah, it’s great. Usually businesses struggle within their first five years, but our numbers get better every year. We’re lucky.”

“I think it’s the location too. The convenience of that park across the street must make a difference.” Niall says.

“Plus we sell other things, so people can come in and buy pictures and frames as well. My social media lady helps a lot too.” He looks at you and winks. You kiss him on the cheek, leaving a nice lipstick mark behind.

“We were thinking of going to the beach Saturday, would you guys wanna join?” You ask Sarah and Niall.

“Sure!” Niall says. “That would be Jessica’s first time at the beach, wouldn’t it?”

“Mhm.” You smile. “We haven’t brought Jack in forever either, thought it might be nice.”

“You know what would be cool once they get a little older? Now that Rachel and Mariah have Ricky, and Seth and Isaac have one on the way, we could all, like, rent a vacation house or something and go on a family vacation.” Sarah Says.

“That would be so much fun!”

“We should just do that for your birthday, but without the kids.” Harry smirks.

“Right, because turning thirty-two is sooo exciting.” You scoff. “Besides, I like the idea of all the kids getting to know each other better. Ricky is so cute too, they really lucked out with that adoption.”

“Yeah, I thought Mariah would’ve wanted a baby, but she seems to be doing just as well with a five year old.” Harry says. “She brings him in sometimes when Rachel can’t be home with him. He loves seeing her in action. Plus, he likes playing with Buster.”

“Wait, I like where Harry’s head is at. You birthday is always the perfect excuse to get away for a weekend in the summer.” Niall says.

“I wouldn’t want to leave them for that long.” You say bluntly. “A night here and there is fine, but a long weekend like that…I just don’t see it. I’d want to bring them, and I know that would get annoying for the two of you.”

“No it wouldn’t.” Sarah says. “Just because we didn’t want kids of our own doesn’t mean we don’t love yours unconditionally.”

“But…tonight, you wanted to have dinner without them…”

“Well, yeah. This is a nice place, plus I could just feel that you two needed a break. You’ve been cooped up. It’s officially summer now, and Auntie Sarah is here to help.” She smiles.

//

You and Harry get home at a reasonable time so your mom didn’t need to spend the night. You sigh as you slip your shoes off, and start to get undressed. You catch Harry taking his shirt off and smile.

“Could you help me with my zipper?”

He hums his response and comes over to you.

“You got some color today, babe.” He says to you.

“I know, my summer tan is in full swing.” You chuckle.

You step out of your dress and get the rest of your clothes off before grabbing one of his t-shirts to throw on. He strips down to his boxers and crawls into bed.

“Tonight was fun.” You look at him and roll over to fully face him.

“Yeah, good little date night.” He puts his hand on your hip and trails up to your back to give you a little rub. “You looked so pretty in your dress.”

“Thank you. I feel like I’m slowly becoming myself again. The treadmill in the basement has been great.”

“Babe.” He sighs. “Why do you always do that?”

“Do what?”

“Turn a compliment into something that makes you insecure? I wasn’t even…” He sucks his teeth. “I just said you looked pretty.”

“I know, and I said I feel like my body is going back to normal. You have no idea how hard it is to look in a mirror and barely recognize yourself.” You look down and then meet his eyes again. “I’m not trying to turn this into anything, but I do feel insecure sometimes. You met me when I looked a lot different. I didn’t have as many stretch marks, my skin wasn’t as loose…ugh and it’s so frustrating because I’d do it all over again.” You flop onto your back and cover your eyes with your forearm. Harry moves on top of you to straddle you.

“You would?”

“Yes.” You groan. He moves your arm away so you’ll look at him.

“How many more times?” You feel his length hardening against you.

“As many as we feel like.” You raise your hips slightly to his and he groans. “Within reason, of course.”

“I know you don’t love the changes your body makes, but you’re so sexy when you’re pregnant. Even now, nearly three months after having Jessica, you’re still glowing.” He leans down to kiss you. “I’d put another one in you right now.” He says into your ear and it sends shiver up your spine. “You’d like that wouldn’t you? To be full of me?”

“Harry.” You breathe and grind your hips up towards his again. “I’m not ready yet, but…maybe soon. I don’t wanna wait another two years like we did with Jack, but we just had her and…”

“I was just trying to, um, say something to get you in the mood, babe.”

“Oh.” You start laughing. “Well, I’m in the mood so go put a condom on.”

“Wow, twice in one day, look at us.” He hops off the bed and rummages through the night stand for the foil packet.

“I know, it’s just like the good old days.”

“I’d still fuck you any second I could if we didn’t have two little roommates to worry about.”

You giggle as he slides the condom on. You lift up slightly to take your shirt off. His hand slides between your legs to make sure that you’re wet. He teases you a little before pushing inside you. Your nails dig into his shoulders. It really was a nice treat having sex twice in one day. When you were younger it would happen all the time, but life got in the way.

“Harry, kiss me.” You pant as he thrusts in and out of you.

His lips meet yours and you grab for his hands. He pins them down by the sides of your head as your fingers intertwine. Your tongues mold together and he swallows every one of your moans.

“Feels so fucking good.” He grunts.

“God, fuck, don’t stop.” He was hitting your g-spot in just the right way. You were close already. “Yes, shit, right there.” You gasp as you come undone under him.

He kisses you before pulling out to flip you over. He pulls your hips up to his so he can slide back in. The sound of his moan is heavenly as he fucks you from behind.

“Y/N.” He pants.

You move your ass back against him to move in sync with his thrusts, and that just about does it for him. He spills into the condom and nearly falls on top of you. He kisses the back of your neck before pulling out. You both use the bathroom to clean up and then get back into bed.

“I feel like we either do it a lot or not at all.” He chuckles, pulling you to his chest.

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“But I like having sex with you.” You pout. “I just get so tired.”

“I know, so do I. I like the early morning shags, those are really nice.”

“Mm, yeah, great way to start the day off.” You kiss him one last time before turning over. He turns over with you to hold onto you. It doesn’t take long until you’re both fast asleep.

//

The day you all went to the beach was absolutely perfect, not a cloud in the sky. Niall helped set up an umbrella to give the kids some shade. Jack fusses when you put sunscreen all over his face, but once it’s done, he’s good to go. He grabs the sand toys and gets to work on his castle. Harry has Jessica nestled to his chest, hat covering her head.

“He has a doctor’s appointment Tuesday.” You tell Harry. “Boosters.”

“Okay.”

“You’ll take him, right?”

“We can’t all go together?”

“No, I’m taking Jessica to visit my dad, remember?”

“Oh, right.”

“Y/N, wanna check out the water with me?” Sarah asks.

“Me too!” Jack perks up.

“Alright.”

You stand up and grab one of Jack’s hands, Sarah grabs the other. Harry and Niall watch as the three of you have fun walking into the water.

“I hate when I have to take them to the doctor.”

“Why?” Niall asks him.

“Because…the nurses always flirt with me, it’s annoying.”

“Oh, boo hoo.” Niall rolls his eyes. “They know you’re married.”

“That’s the annoying part. It’s like they think I would actively cheat on my wife. The receptionist slipped me her number last time I had to take him.”

“Are you serious?!”

“Yeah!” Jessica fiddles for a second, but Harry soothes her. “Yeah.” He says quieter.

“Did you tell, Y/N?”

“No.” He sighs. “We both really like Dr. Philips, and Jack likes her too.”

“Did you say anything to the receptionist?”

“I threw the paper she gave me into the trash right in front of her.”

A few moments later the three of you come back up to your spot.

“Jack, I need to reapply your sunscreen.”

“No! I don’t like it.” He whines.

“You’ll like a sunburn even less, now come here.”

“No! I don’t-“

“Jack.” Harry says sternly. Jack looks at his father and pouts.

“But, Daddy.” He whines.

“I like when mum puts sunscreen on me, why don’t you?” You smile as Harry looks at you. You put some sunscreen in your hands and rub it onto Harry’s face. “See?”

“Okay.” Jack sighs.

Jack lets you put more sunscreen on and then he goes back to his sand toys. You grab a bowl and pour some water into it for Buster.

“There you go, sweetheart.” You pat his head and sit down. “Hand her over.” You grab a bubby from the cooler. Harry passes Jessica over to you so you can feed her.

“Wow, Harry, you really shut that down.” Sarah says.

“He does everything I do if he sees her do it to me, we’ve slowly learned. If I wear a bandana, he has to wear one because he knows she likes when my hair is out of my face. That’s how we got him to eat his veggies too. Total copycat.” He smirks.

“Jack, are you getting hungry?” You ask him as you burp Jessica.

“Yeah!”

He runs over to you and climbs into your lap. You sigh when he gets you all sandy. You look over at Harry.

“I’ll, uh, get his lunch out of the cooler.” He says.

“Thanks.”

“Jack, come sit with me.” Sarah says. “Auntie needs some loving.”

He giggles and goes over to her. Harry hands him his sandwich.

“Thank you, Daddy.”

“You’re welcome. Here, honey.” He hands you yours.

“Thank you.” You pucker your lips and he leans down to kiss you.

“Let me hold the baby.” Niall says. You happily hand her over to her uncle.

“Daddy, will you take me swimming?”

“Gotta wait a few minutes after you eat, buddy, but yeah.”

“Think I’m gonna lay out for a bit.” You say and stretch. You lay a towel out and lay on your stomach. “Harry, could you-“

He was already putting sunscreen on you. Jack hops off Sarah and plops down on your bum.

“Oh!”

“Jack.” Harry chuckles. “S’not very nice.” He picks him up off of you. “Let’s go to the loo and then we can go swimming, alright?”

“I’ll come with.” Niall says. He puts Jessica in the shade in her carrier. She was fast asleep. Sarah lays on a towel next to you.

“They certainly keep you both busy, huh?”

“Yeah.” You smile. “But you know me, I like being busy.” You watch them all walk away towards the bathhouse. “You know the other day, we were talking about having another one.”

“Are you serious?! You realize you have an infant right over there.”

“I’m well aware.” You giggle.

“So why would you want to have a third so soon?”

“I’m gonna be thirty-two soon, Sarah. I don’t wanna wait another two years to have another baby. I’m not saying I’m going to get pregnant right now, but soon I think. And then we’ll probably be done.”

“Probably.” She laughs. “You two are wild.”

“He likes it when I’m pregnant.” You grin.

“It does look good on you.” She chuckles. “What do you think the school would say?”

“I’m on the tenure track, they can’t say shit. Also, I’ve been pretty convenient having them both at the end of the spring semester. It’s not like I’ve needed to take extra time off.”

“True. What do you think you’d want to have, another boy or girl?”

“I have no idea, it doesn’t really matter to us. You know what Harry said before Jack was born? He wanted to know the sex of the baby so we could start calling him Jack instead of just Baby Styles, and he said the sex itself didn’t matter because Jack could realize he was supposed to be a girl when he gets older. It was so sweet.”

“God, that’s so progressive. We have some trans students at the prep school. You should see some of the parents that look at these kids when they get dropped off.” She rolls her eyes. “It’s not your kid, don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll never really understand why other people care so much. You are who you are.” You shrug.

Harry and Niall come back with Jack, and take him down to the water.

“That srunchie in his hair is so cute.”

“I know, he loves them too. We have one in every color for him. I’m so glad he has Harry’s hair. It’s beautiful.”

“Did you have to buy a special shampoo for it or anything?”

“Yeah, actually. My mom told me what to get. Never been so thankful that she’s a hairdresser. He loves when she comes over to cut his hair. He likes when she scratches his head.” You laugh.

It was a perfect beach day. Jack knocked out on the car ride home. You were able to give him a quick bath and put him to bed easily. Jessica went right down as well. You and Harry put some comfy clothes on and plop onto the couch with Buster. He throws his arm around you and pulls you in close.

“I like our family.” He says.

“Me too.” You look up at him and kiss him on the cheek.

//

Tuesday morning, Harry drove Jack to the doctor’s office for his physical.

“Where are we going, Daddy?”

“To see Dr. Philips. She’s gonna see how much you’ve grown from last year.”

“How come?”

“Every year, after your birthday, you have to have a physical. It’s just to make sure you’re in tip top shape.”

“You get one too?”

“I sure do. But I go to the grown up doctor for mine.”

Harry gets Jack up to the office. The receptionist is a little too happy to see him.

“Hi, Mr. Styles.” She beams.

“Checkin’ Jack in.”

“Of course…where’s Mrs. Styles today?”

“Out with our daughter, having a visit with Grandpa.”

“Jessica got to see Grandpa?!” Jack nearly bursts into tears.

“Jack, remember if you’re good you get a lollypop afterwards.” He pouts and goes to sit down. “Sorry ‘bout that.” Harry signs whatever forms there are.

“Happens all the time.”

Harry sits with Jack who was now being grumpy.

“You’re really upset, huh?”

“I like going to Grandpa’s.” He huffs.

“Are you really upset because mummy’s there?” Jack looks up at Harry and nods. “Sorry, mate. We’ll make time to go see Grandpa. You can have a whole day with him without your sister, okay?”

“Jack?” Dr. Philips comes out and smiles. “Ready?”

Harry and Jack stand up and follow her back to the room he’d be examined in. She takes his height and weight.

“He’s right where he’s supposed to be Harry.”

Harry hums his response. He lifts Jack up to put him on the bed. Dr. Philips moves his shorts up a tad so she can see his little thighs.

“This is gonna feel cold, Jack.”

“What are you doing?” He asks, big eyes looking up at her.

“I have to give you some shots so you don’t get sick later on. They’re called vaccines. You get a few when you’re a baby, and you get some now. It’s like your flu shot.”

“Does Daddy get them too?”

“Yes, but his own doctor gives them to him.” She looks at Harry, and he nods at Jack.

//

You get home with Jessica later that day. You and your dad went out for breakfast before hanging out at his house for a bit. You walk up the basement stairs with her and head into the living room. Jack was curled up in Harry’s arms.

“You.” Harry glares at you.

“Not exactly the greeting I was expecting.” You smirk. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t you ever make me do that again.”

“Do what?”

You set Jessica down in the pack and play that was in the living room. Harry gently puts Jack on the couch.

“How come he’s napping with you and not in his bed? How was his physical?” Harry yanks you into the kitchen.

“How was his physical?!” He whisper screams. “Hm, let’s see, I almost strangled Dr. Philips.”

“What?! Why?”

“She gave him three shots!”

“She was supposed to!”

“Yeah, well, you didn’t have to hear him whale out and cry. Then I started crying.” He groans. “I wanted to kill her. He didn’t even want his lollypop after. So, I will not be takin’ anyone for any more shots in the future. That’s all you.” He crosses his arms. You smile slightly. Harry’s accent always got thicker when he was upset, and it was sort of funny.

“You think it would be easier for me?”

“You’re way stronger than I am when it comes to that stuff. He cried for you, by the way.” He huffs and looks away. “This is something mums are supposed to do.”

“How was the rest of it?” You sigh.

“Good. His weight is on track and so is his height. He did great up until the shots.”

“Alright.” You wrap your arms around his neck. “I’ll take them for shots next time.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I did it when he was a baby, and I can tell you I didn’t want to kill the doctor.” You chuckle.

“It was too much.” He leans his forehead against yours.

“Mumma?” Jack comes into the kitchen, baby blanket cuddled to his face, thumb in his mouth.

“Hi, darling.” You let go of Harry and scoop him up. “Daddy told me you were really brave earlier.”

Harry raises an eyebrow at you.

“He did?”

“Mhm, so I think you should have a little treat for being so good. What do you say after dinner tonight we all go out for ice cream?”

“Yeah!” He hugs you close. “I got shots, Mumma.”

“I know, wanna show me your band aids?”

You walk him back out to the couch and sit down with him. Harry picks up Jessica and snuggles her. He sits down next to you.

“Oh, those are nice. She gave you dinosaurs just how you like.”

“How was my baby girl today?” Harry asks.

“Oh, I was fine. We went to a diner for breakfast-“ Harry starts laughing. “What?”

“I meant Jessica.” He smirks.

“She was fine too.” You swallow. “Good snuggles with Grandpa. Jack, would you like to see Grandpa later this week? He wants to come over and swim.”

“Yeah! I love Grandpa.”

“He loves you too.” You kiss the top of his head.

“You make everything better.” Harry says.

“Oh stop it.”

“I mean it. He was a mess earlier, and I was too much of a mess to-“

“He was asleep on you when I got in, you calmed him down plenty. You’re such a good dad, babe.”

“Thanks.” He kisses Jessica’s cheek and it makes her giggle. “We have the cutest kids in the world, I swear to god.”

“We sure do.”

//

You didn’t get to celebrate your thirty-second birthday because you were called to testify in court. Harry had been working half days, and you knew he was stressed and felt guilty for leaving you at home with the kids, so you didn’t let on about how nervous you were about seeing Jake again.

Sarah and Rachel would come over to see you when they could. Jack really liked playing with Ricky. The girls would often ask you how you were feeling about everything coming up, but you didn’t really want to talk about it.

“You don’t have to come to court with me.” You tell Harry the night before.

“Sure I do. I need to make sure you’ll be alright.”

“But you’ve been craving alone time with the kids, and now you’ll have it.”

“Y/N.” Harry sighs as he gets into bed with you. “I’m going, and so is Niall. Sarah said she could babysit. It’s all taken care of. You’re not going there alone, and that’s final.”

“Apparently after my testimony they think the jury will be able to make a decision. The other women have come in already. I’m a little nervous…I haven’t seen him in years….what if I freak out and I can’t say what the lawyer has been prepping me for?”

“That’s why we’re going. You can just look over at Niall and I.” He cups your cheek and you lean into you. “And then our kids are gonna know how brave their mum is.”

“And once that asshole is convicted I’ll be able to finally feel free from all of this. That trauma is always going to be inside me, and I’ve learned to cope, but he….well, it’s his turn to suffer.”

Harry kisses you and pulls you close to his chest. Tomorrow was going to be really difficult, and he’d be damned if he wouldn’t be there for you.

//

You put on your nicest pant suit and did your hair and makeup early the next morning. You’d need to meet your lawyer before the hearing. Harry got Jack and Jessica good to go before Niall dropped Sarah off to watch them.

“But where’s Mumma?” Jack asked when Sarah walked in.

“Mummy…had a work thing this morning. She’s getting her classes together for fall. She’ll be home a little later. You and your sister get to spend the day with Auntie Sarah, isn’t that nice?” Harry explains.

“Where are you going?”

“Uncle Niall and I have some errands to run. Adult stuff, buddy.”

“Yeah, it’s really boring Jack. We’re going to have way more fun.”

Jack shrugs and plops down in front of the TV. It was too early for him to even think about arguing. Sarah gives Harry a quick hug before he goes out to Niall’s car.

“How come Daddy was all dressed up?” Jack asks Sarah as she sits down next to him.

“He and Uncle Niall have to be dressed up for their errands. Daddy looks nice in his suit, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah.” Jack smiles.

//

Harry and Niall don’t say much on the way to the courthouse. They were both sweating, and it wasn’t because it was August and they were wearing suits. Harry wished he could see you before going in, but he knew they had you in a private room.

“I just hope the cross examiner isn’t too awful to her.” Harry says. “I mean, she has a way of winning any argument she’s in, but those people can twist your words all over the place.”

“Your lawyer’s been prepping her, I bet she’ll be okay.” Niall gives him a reassuring smile. The two walk in and grab seats before it gets too busy.

People start shuffling in. Everyone rises when the judge comes in. Harry’s leg wouldn’t stop bouncing when they sat back down. Niall puts his hand on his knee and gives him a squeeze.

“It’s gonna be okay, mate.” He whispers. Harry nods at him and gives him a reassuring smile.

“Your honor, we’d like to call another victim to the stand.”

Your name is announced and you’re brought in through a side door. You don’t dare look around you, you just walk in a straight line. It felt weird swearing in on a Bible, but this was how the court system worked. You sit down in the area next to the judge. She was a female, but that didn’t guarantee she’d be sympathetic. You look out and see your lawyer, and Jake’s ex-wife and her lawyer. Your eyes dart over to Jake and his lawyer. You look out and see Harry and Niall, suddenly feeling grateful they were there.

“Dr. Y/L/N, thank you for joining us today.” The lawyer says to you. “Can you tell us who this man is?” She points over to Jake.

“Jake Robinson.”

“And how do you know him?”

“We dated for about a month back in 2018. We went out four times.”

“And what did these dates consist of?”

“Dinners mostly. We went to the movies once as well.”

“What was Mr. Robinson like on these dates?”

“Nice, for the most part. He seemed like a gentleman, that’s why I continued to see him.”

“Why did you two stop seeing each other?”

“He…assaulted me.” Your eyes meet his. You watch him roll his eyes and shake his head.

“Can you further explain this for the jury? Just so we’re all on the same page on what assault means here.”

“Well, he had driven me home from our dinner date, and he came up to my apartment, just for a night cap. We were talking and then we started kissing.”

“So you willingly invited him up to your place?”

“Yes. At this point I thought I knew him well enough to invite him into my home.”

“Where did it start to go wrong?”

“We started kissing, like a lot of people do. It was the first time we had really kissed outside of one of our cars.” You swallow hard and look over at Harry. He nods encouragingly at you. He wished he could hold your hand through the entire thing. “Anyways, he asked if we could move to the bed. I was living in a studio at the time. I just figured he wanted some room to stretch out.”

“So you said yes to moving to the bed?”

“Yes, but that was all I said yes to.”

“What happened next then?”

You squeeze your hands into fists. Your nails start digging into your palms. You take a deep breath and begin.

“It all happened really fast. He got aggressive all of a sudden. Before I knew it my head was being shoved into the pillow and he had…forced himself inside me. It hurt and I was crying.”

“You didn’t want to have sex with him?”

“No.”

“Did you tell him to stop?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I was afraid. If he could flip a switch like that I didn’t know what else he might do to me if I told him to stop or to get off me. It felt like I was paralyzed. I just sort of suffered through it. I didn’t want it.”

“What happened afterwards?”

“He left. He acted like everything was normal. There was a ton of blood on my sheets, and between my legs. I passed out and landed on my floor. When I woke up I put all of my clothes and the sheets into bags.”

“Why did you do this?”

“In case I decided to press charges, I wanted there to be evidence of his DNA or something. I’ve seen enough cop shows to know that’s what you’re supposed to do. I called out of work all week, and barely spoke or ate, or bathed. I was trying to process everything. I ended up seeing a therapist, which I signed a waiver for to free up the documents of our conversations.”

“Yes, we were able to look all of that over, thank you. We were also able to look over the DNA on your things. It was Mr. Robinson’s, just like it had been on the previous women’s things.” She looks at the judge who is making notes. “Did going to therapy help?”

“Yes. I only went a few times, and then took a break. I was suppressing a lot. I went back after a little while because I started having flashes when I started dating my now husband.”

“What are flashes?”

“They’re…like…we’d be doing something and all of a sudden I’d get triggered and get scared like it was Jake on top of me again.”

“Thank you, Dr. Y/L/N. No further questions, your honor.”

Jake’s lawyer stands up to cross examine you.

“Mrs. Styles, -“

“Dr. Y/L/N.” You correct him. Harry and Niall smirk to each other.

“My apologies, Dr. Y/L/N.” He clears his throat. “You mentioned you kept everything as evidence, but you didn’t press charges until a few months ago, why is that?”

“A friend had driven me to the police station about six different times. At the time, I just wanted it all to go away, and a court case terrified me. I was scared of seeing him face to face again. I also hadn’t told many people yet, and I was afraid of a lot of things. I had just turned twenty-three, I was young and didn’t really know how to properly handle things. If I could go back, believe me, I would have gone right to the police.”

“Maybe you didn’t go before because you knew Mr. Robinson didn’t actually assault you. It was just something you made up.”

“No, it was assault, rape, actually. He raped me. I didn’t consent to having sex with him. He didn’t ask me if I wanted to, he didn’t ask me if I was alright, he didn’t even check to see if I was enjoying it.”

“Maybe he just thought you liked it rough.”

“How would he have deduced that from the few dates we had been on? Like I said, he didn’t ask me if I wanted to or if I was enjoying it. He forced himself on me. I’ve consensual sex before, that wasn’t it.”

“You’re married, correct?”

“I am.”

“So every time you have sex with your partner, you both ask to make sure it’s what you want?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes. We always check in and make sure it’s something we both want in that moment. Every partner I’ve ever had, actually. Even if it was just a hook up back when I was in college, I was always asked if I wanted to, and when I said no, that was respected. I would give that same respect and courtesy back to them as well.” You take a sip of water from the bottle they put out for you. “Are you saying you don’t check in with your partner when you’re getting intimate?”

“No further questions, your honor.”

“Dr. Y/L/N, you’re free to go. Thank you.” She says to you.

You stand up and you’re lead out of the room. The judge announces there will be a brief recess to allow the jury some time to think everything over. Harry and Niall go out in the hallway to meet you and your lawyer. You tear up when you see them, and you run into Harry’s arms. He holds you close to his chest. His eyes were watery as well. Niall rubs your back as you breathe in Harry’s cologne for comfort.

“You did so well, love.” He whispers to you. “I’m so proud of you.” You look up at him and smile.

“Thank you.” You let go of him and hug Niall as well, briefly. “I’m glad you’re both here.”

“You really shut that other lawyer up when you flipped the script on him.” Niall says. “Well done.”

“Do you want to stay, or do you want to leave?” Harry asks.

“No, I wanna hear what the jury has to say. Even if they don’t believe me or the other women, they at least have to agree she should have full custody of their kid.”

The court is called back into session an hour or so later. Everyone rises when the judge comes back in.

“I want to thank the jury for their months of service on this case. I know hearing all of these stories has not been easy. I would also like to thank the brave women who have come forward in support of Mrs. Robinson.” She looks at Jake and then to the jury. “Has the jury reached a verdict?”

“Yes, your honor.” A woman stands up. “We find Mr. Jacob Robinson guilty on all counts of rape, including predatory.”

You gasp, but try to keep your composure. Jake’s parents and some of his family were also in the courtroom. You thought they should be ashamed raising someone like that, but you’d keep your thoughts to yourself.

“Mr. Robinson, you showed very little remorse during these last few months. I haven’t been very impressed.” The judge says. “We had three very brave women forward to make sure you wouldn’t hurt anyone else, and you easily could have. There could be others and we may never know. I sentence you to twenty years in prison, no parole. Mrs. Robinson will be granted full custody of the child. No visitation rights granted.” She pounds the gavel. “Court dismissed.” She stands up and exits.

You watch as Jake’s ex-wife hugs her lawyer and then who you presume is her family. You hadn’t even noticed that you had started crying. You stand up and throw your arms around Harry and Niall. It was over, it was finally over. The three of you walk out of the courthouse. There were news vans and reports out there waiting to take statements, as there often were with cases like this.

“Dr. Y/L/N?” You turn around to see Jake’s ex-wife. “We haven’t formally met, I’m Jane.” She shakes your hand. “I just wanted to say thank you, and that I’m so very sorry. I remember you, sort of, from years ago. We bumped into you at the ice rink in the city. You ran out after you saw him.”

“I remember.”

“I almost broke up with him that night, but he convinced me there was nothing to worry about. I was young then too, I didn’t realize he was manipulating me. Thanks to you, and the other women, I can go back to my daughter and tell her she’ll be safe from now on. We’ve been divorced for a couple of years, but he just wouldn’t leave us alone.”

“I’m sorry you had to be put through all of that. If I had-“

“Don’t. The other women all said the same thing. It’s hard, when there’s a history of people not believing women, or the fact that your life could have been destroyed by going through this process…it makes you so tired you don’t even want to try. I understand completely.” She looks over at Harry and Niall as well. “Can I ask you two something?”

“Anything.” Harry says while Niall nods.

“Did you ever see him again? Rough him up a little? The weekend of our wedding he had to wear makeup because he had gotten into some bar fight at his bachelor party.”

“Yeah, that was us…mostly me.” Harry says.

“Another red flag I ignored.” She scoffs. “Well, I just came over to thank you.” She gives your hand a squeeze. “I hope you’re able to live a little more peacefully now.”

“Thanks, same to you.” You smile as she walks away. “Okay, I’m ready to go home. It’s too fucking out to be wearing all these clothes, and I miss my babies.”

//

The three of you get back to your house and walk in through the front door. No one was inside, Sarah must have the kids out back for some pool time. You go upstairs to go put your suit on. Niall drives home to change. Harry goes upstairs as well. Once you’re both changed you head outside. Buster barks excitedly when he sees the two of you.

“Mumma!” Jack yelps as he swims over to the ladder. It nearly makes Sarah flip out of her pool float.

“Jack, don’t run!” Sarah yells as she gets out of the pool. Jessica was snug in the shade in her stroller.

“Hi my sweet baby.” You scoop Jack up and hold him close to you.

“How were your fancy errands, Daddy?” Jack asks, looking at his now dressed down father.

“Good.” He jostles his hair.

“How’d it go?” Sarah asks, giving you a side hug.

“He’s going away, for a long time.”

“That’s amazing!”

“Who’s going away?” Jack asks.

“No one you ever need to worry about.” You kiss his cheek and set him down. You snatch one of the water guns on the ground and his eyes grow wide with excitement. “Wanna play?”

Jack grabs another loaded water gun and the two of you start running around the yard spraying each other.

“She did amazing. Really kept it together.”

“I’ll bet.” Sarah says. Niall comes into the backyard and wraps his arms around Sarah from behind.

“Have fun with the kiddos?”

“Mhm.” She turns to kiss his cheek. “You two got lucky with such easy babies. She’s just as good as Jack was when he was that small.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty cool.”

Harry grabs another water gun and joins in on the fun with you and Jack.

“Oh no!” You squeal. “Let’s join forces, Jack!” You both try to get Harry, but you run out of water.

Harry grins at the two of you, and soaks you with the gun. Jack squeals and runs over to Sarah and Niall. Harry gets his hands on you and lifts you.

“Harry, please!” You laugh hysterically as he lifts you higher and throws you into the pool. You emerge, and splash at him.

“Just thought you could cool off, babe.”

“Mhm, yeah.”

“Do it to me, Daddy!” Jack comes running back over so Harry can lift him up. Harry tosses him into the pool so you can catch him. Harry comes into the pool as well to keep having fun.

“They’re a cute little family.” Niall kisses Sarah’s cheek.

“Yeah, they are.” She sighs happily. “I like our little family too, though.”

“Oh, me too. Wouldn’t change a thing with yeh.”