#ive been sleeping with a towel on my pillow all my life and now i cant do without

[relto]

omfg i JUST realized i left my towel at the hotel. fuck i KNEW i missed something but it just blended right in and i didnt see it while checking.

[peterrparrkerr]

Hanahaki disease - read on ao3

Tagging: @lokitonypeter @just-things-things @thegreenmetblue @someonepostedart @andacheesyoneliner @bluestarker @lilcoffeecup @useless-fanfictions-for-mcu

*-*

Peter's known for a long time that he was in love with Tony. Since he was seven, and Ironman saved his life. Since he came home to Tony Stark on his couch, talking with his aunt.

Since the trip to Germany, and everything else leading up to now. The more time he spent with the older man, the more in love with him he became.

Peter never really thought he'd be the one to get sick. He thought he'd been immune. He's had crushes before, been in unrequited love before, and he never got sick.

But with Tony, it came on so suddenly. One day he was fine, and then the next, blue petals were in his sink after a coughing fit.

He'd been so shocked he'd stumbled back and almost hit his head on the bathroom door.

That was six months ago, and its not gotten better. He's been lucky enough to hide it from everyone.

With May's long hours at the hospital and his school's wacky scheduling, and the Avengers keeping Peter on the outskirts, its easy to hide the blue flowers.

He's read stories about people with the disease getting better on their own, or even learning to live with it for the rest of their lives.

He's also read about it killing people.

But he can't tell Tony how he feels. He just can't. Tony thinks of Peter as a kid. Plus, while the age difference doesn't bother Peter at all, it might bother Tony.

The man was old enough to be his dad anyway. So Peter decided to hide the flower petals. For as long as he could.

"Hey, Pete, you getting the popcorn or what?" Clint calls from the living room. Peter coughs again, hunched over the trashcan beside the kitchen island.

"Yeah!" He shouts, coughing again. He reaches into his mouth, picking the petals off his tongue before straightening. He glances down at the trash, covered in wet, wilty petals and feels his stomach roll.

He quickly grabs a bunch of paper towel, throwing them into the trash to cover them, then pushing it all down as far as it'd go.

After a second, he grabs the two bowls of popcorn and makes his way back into the living room.

"Sorry, I had to melt the butter," he excused, handing one bowl off to Clint -who would be sharing with Nat, Bruce and Steve.

Peter handed the other bowl off to Sam, who was in reach of Tony, Thor, Bucky and Peter.

"What are we watching again?" Peter asked, clearing his throat. It was always worse when Peter was around Tony.

"Halloween," Sam said, smirking over at Peter.

"Its August," Peter exclaims.

"Yeah, and we were going to watch A Walk To Remember but Tony doesn't do chick flicks, and the grandparents haven't seen it yet."

"Hey, Tony hasnt seen it either," Steve yelped, waving a hand at Tony, sitting at the corner of the couch, beside Sam.

Peter tried not to think about how close they'd be if Sam and him just switched places.

"That's because Halloween is a terrible series."

"It not!" Peter can't help interjecting. "Its right up there with Nightmare on Elm Street and  Friday the 13th."

"How do you even know what those movies are?" Clint asks, laughing on the other couch.

"I watch old movies," Peter shrugged, feeling the familiar sense of self-consciousness creep into his chest, tickling at his lungs.

"Old!" Tony barked. "Kid, the 80s aren't old."

Peter forces himself to laugh and shrug and make a joke about hanging out with people twice his age, and the conversation moves on.

But it just reminds Peter that Tony would never see him as an equal because of his age. There was no way he'd ever accept that Peter loved him. Or would love him back.

The movie plays, and Peter chews handfuls of popcorn to keep from coughing up a lung.

Bucky and Steve are on the edge of their seats, fully invested in the corny horror film when Tony starts coughing.

Everyone glances over in concern, but the man just waves his hand, mouth pressed into his elbow.

"Pop-corn-" he chokes out between coughs.

"You're supposed to chew it," Nat laughs. Peter tries not to outwardly show how worried he is when Tony's face grows red, the coughing so bad he has to get up and make his way to his bedroom down the hallway.

Everyone returns to watching the movie, but Peter can't help but wonder if Tony's okay, especially when he doesn't come back right away.

"Uh, I gotta take a leak," Peter lies, climbing to his feet.

"Thanks for sharing, little man," Sam huffed. Peter doesn't say anything else,just makes his way down the hallway.

Tony's bedroom is all the way at the end. The only people who live in the penthouse with him are Steve and Bucky, and Wanda and Vision -though they're out on a date for the night.

He passes the bathroom door, and his frown deepens when he hears Tony hacking in his bedroom.

He keeps light on his toes, reaching the bedroom door that's not all the way closed, and pushes it open just a little.

"Ton-" the sight before him cuts him off, and he ducks back a little, worried maybe the older man might've seen him.

He feels his chest tighten at the sight. Tony, leaned over with a bedside trash can between his knees, coughing up little pink flowers.

Peter's eyes widen when the man spits a glob of blood into the basket before continuing to cough.

Tears burn at Peter's eyes and he quickly backs up, rushing down the hallway and past the living room.

"Hey, where you going? Where's the fire?"

"I-I gotta go home aunt May- uh, I gotta go she wants me home," Peter shouts, snatching up his keys and phone on the way out.

He's in the elevator, and he can't stop the sobs from tightening his throat.

Tony's sick. Tony's in love with someone who doesn't love him back. Tony's in love with someone and its not Peter.

Be chokes on tears and petals all the way to the main floor, shoves the petals into his pocket and runs from the building.

He knew his love was unrequited. He knew there was no chance, but to see Tony so in love with someone else -it was like digging a knife into his heart and twisting.

He makes it to his bedroom and buries his face into his pillow, muffling his crying so May won't hear when she gets home. Hopefully she'll think hes still at the tower and won't check on him until the morning.

He cries himself to sleep, eyes gritty and heavy.

*-*

"Hey, kid, how's patrolling going?"

Peter jolts at the sudden sound of Tony's voice in his ear, momentarily forgetting he has a connection to the tower now. New upgrades.

"Uh, good," Peter huffed, swinging from building to building. "Stopped a mugging, and helped a couple people with the parking meters."

Tony chuckles over the coms. "You gotta stop showing people the coin on tape trick."

Peter can't help but smile through his mask. He clears his throat when he feels the familiar tickle at the back of his throat.

"Fuck capitalism, Mr. Stark," he says.

"You do know capitolism is kind of my job?"

"Its not," Peter countered. "I mean, it relied heavily on it in the beginning -what with the weapons and war profiteering- but you've come a long way! Sustainable energy and you're even recycling!"

Tony chuckles again, and Peter has a moment to regret his words -Tomy probably thinks he's just a dumb kid- before a coughing fit hits him out of nowhere.

It's so bad, Peter loses his momentum and drops onto a rough of a small cafe. Hes on his hands and knees, crawling from the edge of the roof as he coughs and hacks.

"Pete, you okay? What's wrong?" Comes Tony's worried voice.

Peter feels the petals coating his mouth with nowhere to go and frantically tugs on his mask. He's choking, suffocating.

He rips the mask off and heaves a mess of petals and blood onto the gravel roof.

Its never been this bad. Panic grips his chest when he coughs and wretches more than he can get a breath in. He's suffocating.

Tears burn his eyes as he struck less desperately to take a breath. Just one breath.

His head begins to spin, chest heaving and he drops from his knees to his hips, legs curled off to the side as he holds himself up with shaky arms.

There's so much blood and petals, Peter doesn't know where its all coming from.

He's too busy dying to notice the suit of armor that drops onto the  roof, or that Tony's suddenly rushing towards him.

"Jesus, kid!" He breathed.

Peter lets out a sob, blood and petals continuing to fall from his mouth. His stomach hurts from the heaving, his chest from lack of oxygen.

Tony grabs him by the arms, pulling him forward until he's away from the pile of bile, blood and blue wilting flowers, nearly cradling him in his arms.

"Its alright, you're okay, you're gonna be okay," Tony repeated, rocking Peter while he continued to cough and sob.

He shakes his head, even as exhaustion and lack of air flow has his eyelids drooping, body settling further into Tony's hold.

When he wakes up again, he's in a hospital bed. Theres an iv in the back of his hand, and a tube running down his throat from his nose.

He swallows around it and has to fight back panic at the strange feeling.

There's a heart monitor on his index finger, and a few on his chest -which is bare.

Peter moves shaky hands to the blanket and pulls it up just enough to see. Someone had taken his suit off, leaving him in his red boxers.

He blushes at that. Who had taken his suit off? Damn, he hoped it wasn't Clint or Sam.

He drops the blanket just as the door opens. He looks up to see Tony step inside and he wants the bed to swallow him whole.

"Hey, kid," he greeted, shutting the door behind him and making his way towards Peter's bed. "You had us all pretty worried."

Peter drops his eyes to the itchy white hospital sheet, picking at a loose thread and not saying anything. What was there to say?

Tony sighs as he settles down into the chair beside the bed.

"Your aunt May is in the middle of a shift, but she'll be stopping by when she's got a break to check up on you."

"Okay," Peter barely manages to murmur.

"The doctors had to pump your lungs," Tony continued. "But its not a cure, Pete. They'll come back."

Tears burn at his eyes and he quickly brushes them away, sniffling as he does so.

"I know," he said. "Its alright, I'm okay."

"Peter," Tony sighs, grabbing Peter's hand. He looks up then, seeing the concern in the older man's eyes. "You're not okay, you're really sick."

"People live with it all the time," Peter brushed off.

"Who is it?"

"What?" Peter asked, heart monitor matching his fast pulse.

"Who is it? How long have you been like this?"

and it must be because Peter is tired -exhausted and drained and so sick of being sick- because fresh tears bloom and he pulls his hand from Tony's.

"Long time," is all he can say as he presses his palms into his eyes, rubbing at the tears.

"Who," Tony presses.

Fuck it, Peter thinks. He's already dying, he's already humiliated. Why not just confess?

"You," he says, pulling his hands from his face. "I've-I've been in love with you for- for years."

He can't handle the shocked look that filters through Tony's features, so he looks down at the iv in his hand, lower lip trembling.

"And I know you don't think of me that way," he continues. "I know, so its okay, I'm fine, I'll get over it or, or get the surgery or something-"

"Peter," Tony interrupts, moving from the chair to the side of the bed. He grabs both sides of Peter's jaw, forcing him to look up at Tony. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because," he says on a wet breath. "Because you've always thought of me as a kid. You- I'm still just a kid to you, and thats okay, Mr. Stark, I'm-"

Tony's eyebrows furrow as Peter has to stop talking. He's getting to the point where he's babbling, not understandable.

"I don't think of you as a kid," Tony says.

"Yes, you do," Peter huffed, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself down. "You do, and thats okay, I promise, I've live this long with it, I'm okay."

"Has it always been that bad?"

Peter shakes his head.

"What made it worse?"

Peter's showing his hand already, he might as well expose the card up his sleeve too.

"I saw you," he murmured. "During the movie. You're sick too. I didn't mean to, I was just- checking to make sure you were okay but-"

"Peter, sweetheart," Tony interrupted, and Peter looked up at him, realizing suddenly the man's eyes are watering a little.

"I'm sick because of you."

Peter feels like someone punched the air from his lungs, and he blinks up at Tony, eyebrows drawing close as he tries to process what Tony's said.

"What?" He asks feebly. A small smile pulls at the corner of Tony's mouth and he leans forward, kissing Peter softly on the mouth.

It's a simple kiss, but it sucks the air from Peter's lungs.

"We're really bad at communicating, kid," Tony chuckled wetly, their noses brushing. Peter can't help but sniffle a laugh as well, his hands moving to grip the front of Tony's shirt.

"M'not a kid," he mumbles, pressing his forehead against Tony's. The older's hands are still cradling his face, thumbs brushing against his wet cheeks.

"No, you're not," Tony agreed.

[weathergirl8]

Master of Deflection - Part 6

Finally found time to post this sucker during this crazy week of graduation prep! Graduation practice tomorrow and actual ceremony Friday night for my associate's degree!

This is for you @ak47stylegirl and anyone else who enjoys Alan whump/smothering. Of course, there will be some extra Virgil in there too, because I just love the big guy.

@misssquidtracy @gumnut-logic @godsliltippy Thank you for your support on this fic!!

I bring you some Sky Turnip and Land Cabbage 💙💚

As a friendly reminder, I originally came from the TOS and TB 2004 era. I’ve tried to write a few TAG point-of-views, but my comfort zone is the previous. This will take place with Gordon as the redhead, and Virgil as the middle bro. Sorry!

Summary: Being the youngest of five is always hard, especially when they pounce at the slightest hair out of line. Sometimes the art of deflection can sting.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

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

Virgil tried to suppress a yawn as he grabbed the needed medication from the infirmary. Alan’s fever had climbed nearly another degree. The medic of the family instinctively made the call to start antibiotics quickly. Virgil was confident they were now dealing with more than the common cold and that a bacterial infection was beginning to set in.

Entering Alan’s room, the middle Tracy was concerned to see the bed empty. Only the sight of the strewn sheets and a pile of used tissues remained. “Allie?”

“I’m in here,” Alan’s hoarse voice called from the bathroom.

Virgil sat the meds down and met the crumbled form of his baby brother. Alan sat on the bathroom floor, the wall seeming to be the only thing holding him up. “Sick again?”

“Yup,” Alan grumbled as he reached to flush the toilet. Virgil handed him a towel to clean himself up. “Thanks.”

Virgil helped him up but quickly took hold of his younger brother’s waist as the teen’s legs nearly crumbled. “Alan, you okay?”

“Yea,” the teen panted as another cough erupted from him. “Brain and body just don’t want to cooperate at the moment.”

“C’mon, let’s get you back in bed,” Virgil urged as they made the short walk to Alan’s bed. “If you don’t start keeping things down, I’m going to have to start an IV, kiddo. I’m worried about dehydration.”

“You’re preaching to the choir. This isn’t exactly a party,” Alan wheezed, letting his head sink back into his pillow.

Virgil observed him as Alan coughed and tried to take in a deep breath. “How long has that been going on?”

“I dunno,” Alan shrugged. “Awhile, I guess. It’s not like I’m writing all of this down.”

The middle Tracy handed Alan two pills, motioning for the teen to take the antibiotics. “When you’re not exerting yourself, is it hard to breathe?”

Alan gave his older brother a weird look but decided against the first thought that entered his mind. He wouldn’t exactly call laying in bed exerting himself, but who was he to judge? “If you call breathing with my mouth mostly, then sure.”

Virgil now wished he had kept the kid in the infirmary so he could ease his mind and have all of his equipment at his disposal. Knowing it wasn’t something the baby of the family would do, he opted for what he had in front of him. “Alright, if it gets worse, let me know immediately. Here’s something that will help with nausea, and something to hopefully help with that cough,” he said, handing Alan the tiny pill and cup of cough suppressant.

“Why do these always have to taste so gross?” Alan complained as he quickly swallowed several gulps of water.

“That’s how you know it’ll work,” Virgil smirked, winking at his annoyed sibling.

-TB-

The sunrise was Scott’s favorite part of his morning run. The smell of the morning dew across the island jungle and the colorful orange and yellow hues that rippled across the water.

He slowed his pace to a jog as he came across the broadest part of the beach on the Island. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, the oldest Tracy paused as he noticed a figure ahead. Confusion met him as he recognized the build of the person. Scott quickly jogged forward, calling out to his younger brother. “Virgil?”

“Hey, Scott,” the chestnut-haired Tracy greeted, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel.

Scott struggled for a moment. He knew he was treading on thin ice for his brother to be up this early. Virgil was always active, but athletically the medic was more of a gym guy. He found more solace in lifting weights and punching bags. Sprinting and running were always something the other brothers had enjoyed, barring John. It was rare to catch Virgil on a run outside of the gym, especially on one before the sun had been up for at least one hour in the sky.

“Pretty view, huh?” Virgil interrupted his thoughts, almost sensing his brother’s unease.

“Always is,” Scott smiled in appreciation. “No sunrise seems to be the same.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Virgil replied, taking a seat along the sand.

Scott’s concern only increased, but he followed his brother along the cool sand. His blue eyes searched the ocean while taking small glances at Virgil.

“You can ask,” Virgil exhaled, surprising the elder. “I know you’re wondering why I’m out here so early.”

Scott tried to suppress the grin that he knew was also on Virgil’s face. “Didn’t want to push.”

Virgil nodded in understanding, letting his hands rest on his raised knees. “Bad dreams and worried about Alan,” he stated plainly.

“I checked in on the kid before I started my run. Al was sound asleep, but he still felt warm and sounded congested. I think that humidifier might be helping,” Scott said, watching Virgil as he stared out into the water. “I didn’t want to disturb him. He needs his rest.”

“Allie’s exhausted,” Virgil admitted. “Between the coughing, vomiting, and congestion, his sleep has been interrupted. I gave him a round of antibiotics and something to help with the other symptoms. Alan’s definitely caught something bacterial for sure. Those cold waters from the rescue didn’t do him any favors.”

“I’m sure those will help,” Scott reassured. “He just needs time for the meds and his immune system to work.” The elder Tracy studied his brother once again. “Do you want to talk about the dreams?”

Virgil sighed as he threw a rock he had been playing with toward the water. “It was about the last mission.”

“I figured,” Scott added. “I would’ve been surprised if you didn’t. I know what it felt like being on the receiving end. I can only imagine what it was like in the moment physically.”

“Definitely won’t be in my top 20,” Virgil chuckled solemnly.

“Who said it was getting past the top 50?” Scott laughed, nudging Virgil.

“Point taken,” the middle Tracy smiled.

“All jokes aside,” Scott started. “Are you okay?”

“Okay is a relative term, Scott. We compartmentalize and move on-“

“-Virg, you know that’s not what I meant.”

“I do,” Virgil acknowledged meeting Scott's intense gaze. “Look, you know what happened. I don’t have to tell you again. I just…. I can’t get the image of the gun shoved against Alan’s neck out of my head and that look on his face. That look… Damnit, Scott. He’s too much like you!”

Scott tried not to laugh but empathized.

“I could tell Alan was scared, but the kid refused to show it. He was so trusting. Trusting of me to get us out of that situation.”

“You did, Virgil. Allie is safe because of you, and so are you. I was just as worried about you as I was our baby brother,” Scott countered. “You did what you had to, and no one was harmed.”

“That’s not the point, Scott. You have no idea how close it came.”

“What do you mean?” Scott asked, confused.

“There’s a bullet hole in the floor of the rescue platform. A hole that was inches away from hitting Alan when he hit the deck.”

Realization dawned on the oldest Tracy. “Is that what your dream was about? That the bullet actually hit Alan?”

Virgil remained silent as he collected his thoughts. He felt Scott turn to face him, the older pilot’s knees resting against one of his own. “Mostly, but what stuck with me most was that look. Like I said, having a hard time getting it out of my head.”

Scott placed a comforting hand along Virgil’s knee, squeezing it. “I know you don’t need me to tell you about how great you are when quick decisions need to be made. That goes without saying, but Allie trusted you with his life because so would I. Any of us would. The next time a lunatic threatens one of my brothers with a gun, he’ll wish neither one of us were around.”

Virgil smiled. “Thanks, Scott.”

“Anytime. You good?”

“I’ll be fine,” Virgil replied. “We probably should head in. Breakfast will be started soon, and I need to check on Alan and make sure Dad isn’t camping at his side.”

“Dad was still asleep when I checked on Al,” Scott said as they began to walk up the path that led to the main villa. “Besides, he has an early call with one of the new brokers, if I remember correctly.”

“Good, that should keep him occupied,” Virgil grinned.

TBC…

[krisdreaming]

A/N: Today is a special day because it’s Em’s birthday, @imaginethathaikyuu​!!! Em is such an amazing writer and a warm & caring person, and I’m so glad that I’ve had the chance to get to know her. This is my humble birthday offering, I hope you enjoy!

This is a college AU!

Here’s the 4+1 masterlist

Four times Keiji thinks he loves you, and the one time he finally says it out loud

i.

When Keiji gets to your dorm, you immediately pull him inside, closing the door quickly behind him. “I’m sorry,” You’re already apologizing, “I didn’t know who else to call.” You lead him to your bed, and there, in a shoe box laying on top of a folded towel, is a tiny kitten. It’s laying eerily still, and he can hear a slight wheezing sound every time it’s small chest rises and falls. 

“I found him on my way back from class, he was laying all curled up by the sidewalk. I couldn’t just leave him there. He needs help.” You reach into the box and ever so gently caress the top of the kitten’s head with your fingertip. 

He’s silent for a few moments, looking into the box and turning the situation over in his head. “I’m pretty sure there’s an emergency vet in town,” He says finally, “I can drive us there.”

You look at him, and there’s a relieved smile breaking across your face. “Really?” You breathe, “Keiji, thank you! You don’t have to do this,” You add quickly, looking back to the frail kitten. If he’s not mistaken, there’s a sheen of tears in your eyes.

“I want to,” He says firmly. You’re bustling around your dorm to grab a jacket and an extra blanket to swaddle the kitten, wondering aloud if your parents will let you keep the kitten at home if he recovers, but he’s completely still, just watching you.

It’s not the first time he’s caught a glimpse of your big heart. He knows how much you care, it’s part of what drew him to you in the first place. It’s just that now, especially, something is swelling up inside his chest, and it feels an awful lot like I love you. It’s the first time he’s felt it so clearly, and he can’t help the small smile that finds its way onto his face.

ii.

Keiji rests his head on his arms and closes his eyes, just for the few minutes until class starts. He’s lucky if he got three hours of sleep last night, and he hopes he’d studied enough. This midterm is a huge part of his grade, and despite the hours he’d spent in the past week preparing for it, he still doesn’t feel too confident.

He feels a gentle touch on his arm. “Keiji,” at the sound of your voice he looks up, surprised to see you standing by his desk. You aren’t supposed to be here - you have your own class starting in about five minutes. “I thought you might need this,” You laugh softly, and he finally notices the cup in your hand when you set it down on the corner of his desk. It looks like the largest cup of coffee the campus has to offer. He’s never seen anything more beautiful in his life.

“Thank you,” He wraps his fingers around it, pulling it closer to himself, but he doesn’t take a sip yet. He’s still looking at you. “This is perfect,” He smiles.

“Good,” You smile back, even bigger. “Good luck today, Keiji. You’ll do great.” You lean in and press the quickest peck to his cheek. The feeling of your lips lingers even after you pull away. 

“Thank you,” He says again, because he isn’t quite sure what else to say. “You should get to class too, right? I’ll see you after.”

“Yup! You’ve got this!” You grin before you lift your hand in a quick wave and duck out of the classroom. He watches the door even after you disappear from view, his hand resting absently on his cheek at the spot where you’d placed your kiss. 

he muses that it’s probably a good thing you hadn’t stuck around any longer. Something like the words I love you might have slipped out past his sleep-deprived brain.

iii.

Keiji glances from his spot on the court to the place he knows you’ll be in the stands. When you see him looking your way, you immediately lift both both hands above your head in an exaggerated wave. He waves back at you, quickly, before the next volley starts.

Even though he’s only on the intramural team and the stands are rarely packed, you still show up at every single one of his matches. Even though this is nothing like the Black Jackals match he took you to once, no roaring crowd or big, bright stadium lights or fancy official uniforms with sponsor patches, you’re always telling him how exciting it is to watch him play. You mean it, too. He can tell.

“You don’t have to come every time, you know,” He says, afterwards, as he walks you back to your dorm. “It’s nothing special, so I don’t expect you to always be there.”

“I want to be there, silly.” You shove your shoulder against his, and he uses it as an excuse to reach for your hand, sliding his fingers between yours. “You love volleyball, and I love watching you play. If it’s important to you, then it’s important to me.” You’re important to me. I love you. He thinks it, but somehow he can’t make himself say it out loud. Instead, he gives your hand a squeeze and tugs you a little closer.

“Thanks,” He says, stopping just for a moment to press a quick kiss to your lips.

You giggle softly. “What was that for?”

He shakes his head, a small smile playing across his lips. “Nothing in particular.”

iv.

Keiji is trying very hard not to move. The train is jostling enough as it is, and you had fallen asleep on his shoulder almost as soon as the train had started moving. He can’t blame you. It had been a long day, and you’d done a lot of walking. 

He can just make out your face in the reflection on the train window. It looks so soft and peaceful. Your lips are slightly parted, and you let out the softest sigh. Something washes over him, then - an overwhelming desire to protect you, to keep you safe, to stay by your side for as long as you’ll have him. He’s not sure where it came from.

While he’s still lost in thought, your stop comes up. Gently, he nudges you awake, and you blink at him blearily, confusion on your face for a few moments before you remember where you are.

“Oh, sorry,” You murmur, “Didn’t mean to fall asleep. You could’ve woken me.” You rub some sleep from your eyes, and he gives your cheek the softest pinch. You scrunch your nose at that, standing to exit the train.

“Nah, you looked so peaceful. I couldn’t bring myself to do it.” He rests his hand at the small of your back for a fraction of a second as you step off the train, and when you’re on the platform, you turn to him and grin.

“Oh?” You ask cheekily, a teasing glint in your eyes.

He nods, then quickly changes the subject. “Okay, let’s go. We need to get you to bed.”

v.

This day is definitely not turning out the way Keiji had envisioned it. When he woke up to the patter of rain hitting the windowpanes, his heart sank. He’s been planning this romantic little picnic for a few weeks now, as a way of celebrating your six month anniversary and, as a bonus, the perfect time to finally, finally tell you what he’s been feeling for so long. And now it’s raining. Even if it stops raining, the cute little park near campus is going to be soaked. 

“We can do it some other time,” You say over the phone, and he sighs. Who knows when ‘some other time’ could end up being? The end of the semester is getting closer, and he’d been lucky this weekend had worked out for both of your schedules. He lets the gears turn in his head for a few moments before responding.

“No. Come to my dorm. We can still hang out.” He looks around the room, already figuring out what he’ll do to make the place look even a little bit nicer. All he’ll have to do is make sure his roommate keeps himself scarce, and it could work.

“Okay,” You say, and he can hear the smile in your voice, “I’ll be over around noon?”

“Perfect,” He agrees. It gives him just a little more than two hours to make some preparations.

When you get to his dorm, he watches the way your expression changes when you walk into the room. You look from the blanket and pillows spread out on the ground, to the candles he’d lit (and paid his roommate 2,000 yen not to tell anyone about), and to the big bouquet of flowers. Your lips form a small, surprised O, and he pats the spot on the blanket next to him, inviting you to join him.

“Keiji,” You breathe as you sink down, still taking everything in, “This is beautiful. Honestly.”

“For a dorm room,” He chuckles, handing you a bottle of your favorite drink. “Would’ve been better in the park, but...” He shrugs and gestures to the window, where you can see the rain outside still falling.

“This is so cozy, though!” You murmur happily, scooting in a little closer so you’re just leaning against him. He shifts so that the arm bracing him up is also resting against your back. “All this, just for six months.” You laugh softly.

“Of course,” He says, his nose just brushing your cheek when he turns to see your face better, “These last six months have been wonderful. Truly. I’m really glad that I could spend them with you.” 

“Keiji,” Your voice is almost a squeak, “So am I. It’s been perfect.”

“Yeah,” He agrees, turning so you’re practically face to face and reaching for your hand, holding it loosely and brushing his thumb across the back of it. Your smile drops off and you study his face, then, almost as though you’re waiting for something. He’s been waiting too.

“Y/N,” His voice drops lower and softer, “You’re incredible. I’m amazed by you, every day. Sometimes I don’t know why you’d want to be with me,” He chuckles softly at the frown that puckers your brow at that, “But I’m glad you do. And... I love you, Y/N. So much. And I will keep on loving you for as long as you’ll let me.” For a few moments, the only sound is the rain falling outside as his words sink in. Then, all at once, you close the distance between you and throw your arms around his neck.

“Keiji,” Your words are muffled against the skin of his neck, “I love you too. Oh my god, I love you so much.” You pull back, then, and with the way you’re looking at him, like he’s the only person in the world, he can’t help himself. He cups your face in his hands and kisses you like he means it, because he does. More than anything.

4+1 taglist (let me know if you want to be added!):

@luna-barnes14​, @herow1n​, @disgruntled-gay​

[momentofmemory]

FICTOBER 2020 - day twelve

Prompt #12: “Watch me.”

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Characters: Melissa McCall, Scott McCall

Words: 1306

Author’s Note: A series of four vignettes featuring Melissa & Scott’s relationship, culminating with the fallout of 2x10 (Fury). Fluff that slowly descends into angst. Melissa POV.

>> i saw your eyes (they looked like they were mine)

“Watch me, mama!”

Scott’s head just barely peaks up over the counter, his hands reaching up to grab for her attention. “Look!”

Melissa laughs, gently hip checking him to the side so she can cover the bolillos with a towel to rise. “Just a minute, mijo, I’m coming. You don’t want flies to get into your food, do you?”

Scott pauses, having somehow managed to get flour in his hair already. “Do flies need it?”

“I’m very sure they can get food somewhere that isn’t my house,” Melissa says, dusting Scott’s nose with flour until he falls back, giggling. “Now, what’ve you got for me?”

Scott’s eyes light up as he grabs her by the hand, decorating the floor with even more flour, and drags her into the living room.

“I fixed Roxy!”

The dog in question is sitting placidly on one of the couch pillows, the McCall’s medicine kit open and its contents strewn all over the floor. She’d gotten into a fight with the neighbor’s cat the day they’d gotten her, and while the cut she’d sustained on her ear had long since healed, Scott’s been rather taken with making sure she’s okay ever since.

Which is probably why there appear to be over a half dozen bandaids covering the poor terrier’s ear, along with an incorrectly though painstakingly placed Ace bandage.

“Wow,” she says, making sure to give Roxy a few extra scratches as a reward for her patience. “You do this all by yourself?”

“Yeah!” Scott bends Roxy’s ear up, eager to show off his handiwork. “I even got one on the—scapha, like Dr. Deaton said.”

“Oh ho, I see. Scapha’s a big word.” She moves from ruffling Roxy’s fur to Scott’s hair. “You gonna be doctor someday? Dr. McCall?”

Scott shrugs. “Is that what you do?”

“Sort of, sweetie. No doctorate here, but. Yeah. Close enough.”

“Then I’ll be close enough,” Scott says. “So I can be like you.”

Melissa feels a swell of warmth, and kisses the top of Scott’s head. “You’re already far better than that, mijo. And I’ll be there to watch the whole thing.”

_________________

“Mom.”

Melissa looks up from the pamphlet she’s been reading, and Scott looks so small on the hospital bed. “Yeah, sweetie?”

“Am I breathing?”

Melissa’s heart twists in her chest. “Yeah, baby. You’re breathing. Does your chest feel okay?”

Scott nods, his lips pursed close together. “It felt okay before, too.”

“I know.” The signs were there—the coughing at night, the perpetual fatigue, the muscle and determination for sports but not the stamina. “But you’re okay now, I promise. The doctors have got you fixed all up and you’ve got plenty of medicine in case it happens again.”

Scott frowns, staring down at his hands. “So it’s going to happen again?”

“Not this bad, mijo. Not this bad.” She nods towards the inhaler on his bedside table. “That’s what the medicine’s for, remember?”

She wishes, sometimes, that she didn’t know quite so much about everything that was happening in her baby boy’s body. The bronchodilator via nebulizer to open his airways. Corticosteroid drugs in his IV to lower lung inflammation. Oxygen via nasal cannula to bring his blood oxygen levels back up. The trigger that’d caused the swelling and mucus production to threatened him to begin with, still lurking in his genes to strike at any moment.

Not that she’d tell him that.

“You’re okay, Scott,” she says. “I promise.”

“But what if it happens again while I’m sleeping?”

Melissa sets the pamphlet down and goes to sit on the edge of the bed. She takes his hand into hers. “Then I’ll be here the whole time, okay? If you stop breathing, I’ll make sure you start again.”

Scott bites his lip, tracing patterns on the hospital sheets. “You’ll watch me?”

“I won’t look away for even a second.”

She doesn’t, and Scott sleeps, uninterrupted and unafraid and breathing, through the entire night.

_________________

“You couldn’t have picked literally any other extracurricular?”

Melissa frowns at the dollar signs on the sign-up sheet, mentally tallying the costs of the uniforms, equipment, and not to mention rescue inhalers he’d need to play lacrosse, of all things.

“Lacrosse is like, the football of Beacon Hills!” Scott says, all but bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I can definitely do this.”

“I don’t know, Scott,” she says. “Your asthma’s been even worse than usual this season, and I don’t want you to commit to something like this and have to bow out halfway through.”

“I won’t,” Scott says, with all the total confidence only a teenager could have.

“Uh-huh.” Melissa sets the paper down and folds her arms over her chest. “Scott, I know you’re angling to get more popular than you were in middle school—”

“Mom!”

“—but I don’t think picking something that’s going to be—” Melissa hesitates, fishing for the most tactful word—“unconducive to your health is the best way to go about it.”

Hurt blossoms across Scott’s face. “You don’t think I can do it.”

‘Oh, no,” Melissa says. “You wander around the house without a shirt on more than enough for me to know you’ve got the muscle tone for it.”

“Mom.”

Scott’s incredibly tenacious once he gets his mind set on something—which is what moves his chances up from snowball’s chance in hell to snowball’s chance in, say, Nevada.

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt,” she says.

“And you won’t. I can do this, mom—just watch me.”

It’s a bad idea. From definitely a financial standpoint, and probably a health one, too..

She sighs. “What time to tryouts start?”

“You’re coming?”

It’s painfully obnoxious and incredibly adorable how quickly he goes from sullen and determined to exuberant.

“Yeah, you dumbass,” she says. “If you’re going to go on some ill-fated mission to rise through the ranks at risk of life and limb, I’ll be there.”

His answering grin is so bright, she thinks he might actually do it after all.

_________________

“So.” Melissa licks her lips, fingers threaded together on the counter in front of her. “You’re a werewolf.”

They’re standing in the kitchen, the single unburnt bulb in the ceiling light shining down on them. Scott’s slouching, or maybe hunching, in the corner of the room; the island staking out the neutral ground between them. He’s not meeting her eyes, or maybe she’s the one that’s not meeting his.

Scott clears his throat. “Yeah. I’m, uh—a werewolf.”

It feels like the setup for an interrogation.

(She wishes she knew which of them was on trial.)

“Uh-huh.” Melissa taps her fingernails on the granite, waiting for him to expound. He doesn’t. “Okay, so how does it—is this a once-a-month thing? You change when the moon’s out?”

"No. I can—I can shift whenever I want, now.”

Now implies it hasn’t always been that way. Now implies a then. Now implies her son’s been a werewolf (a werewolf) for more than just a few days, and she hasn’t noticed anything other than a few slipped grades and out-of-character absences. Now means he did all that without her.

“Do you want to watch me do it?”

Melissa flinches before she can think twice about; Scott flinches in return. “Watch…?”

“Watch me shift,” he says. “I can control it really well, I could—we could just do claws maybe, or my eyes?”

Scott’s beautiful, deep brown eyes stare hopefully at her, eyes he got from her, and the thought of them turning the angry gold he got from someone else hurts too much.

“That’s okay, baby,” she says. “Maybe—maybe not right now.”

“Okay, yeah. Sure.”

His lips quirk up in a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes, and Melissa can’t get her mouth to open far enough to handle the promises he needs.

She says nothing.

[fragmentedink-archived]

Hell to Pay: Part Forty- Five

I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, IX, IX, XX, XXI, XXII, XXIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XVIIII, XXX, XXXI, XXXII, XXXIII, XXXIV, XXXV, XXXVI, XXXVII, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XL, XLI, XLII, XLIII, XLIV

cowritten by @lux-scriptum

Lev scrunched his nose at Nik, and flicked some water at him. "I think we need more scenty stuff," he said, sighing. "This wasn't enough with the last bath." It'd been a few more days, and Lev still had that lingering undercurrent of death to his scent.

Nik chewed on his bracelet. "I mean, it might be permanent?" Nik said, watching Lev carefully.

Despite himself, Lev's bottom lip trembled. He scrubbed at his face to get rid of the expression. "No," he said stubbornly. "It'll fade. I refuse to smell like roadkill forever. I just need to keep- to keep scrubbing at it." Even if he was already tired just sitting here.

"You don't smell like road kill," Nik said. "Amara's just a bitch."

Lev frowned. "She's blunt," Lev said. "And you agreed! At least that I smell... dead. I don't like it." He held up his rag. "So. Scrubbing."

Nik looked offended. "I didn't say I agreed," he protested, and went on to add petulantly, "If it bothers you that much, you can get axe body spray."

"I think I'd rather smell dead," Lev muttered, scrubbing at himself half heartedly.

"Are you sure?" Nik needled.

Lev threw his rag at Nik and blew a raspberry at him.

Nik caught the rag, smiling a little. "Well, apparently there are worse things to smell like than death, then, aren't there?"

"Hmph." Lev reached for one of the bottles of oils, and poured some in.

"See? I was right."

"Hmph," Lev muttered again, sinking lower in the water. It was hot enough he was flushed gold, but he doubted the warmth would last more than a few minutes out of the bath itself. He lifted a leg and draped it over the bathtub so he could poke Nik. "How long do I have until dinner?"

After grabbing one of Lev's toes and tugging, Nik said, "Until Cameron comes and yanks us out of here."

Lev wiggled his toes at Nik in response, before sighing and sitting up. "Get me a towel?" he asked, pulling the plug.

"Sure thing, Princess." Lev got out while Nik tracked one down, and let Nik rub him down when he got back. He kissed Lev's cheek when he was done.

Lev booped noses with Nik before he went to go find some clothes. Nik wasn't far behind, so Lev just grabbed the first sweater and pair of pyjama bottoms, and backed out of the closet again. He pulled them on and turned to make a beeline for the bed.

Nik caught him around the waist gently. "We gotta eat. Cameron will yell if we don't. Also... I'm hungry."

"We can eat in bed," Lev said, lifting a finger with each point. "I'm sleepy. Cameron never yells, and... we can eat in bed."

"Lev. No. We eat in the kitchen like civilized people do."

"I'm not civilized, I'm a zombie," Lev joked, even as he padded for the hallway.

"You're not a zombie," Nik said sharply, as he pulled Lev towards the kitchen.

"I know," Lev said apologetically as he followed willingly. "I was just joking. I thought it was funny, Nik."

He decided to ignore the look Cameron shot them, and settled at the table, immediately putting his head down.

"Did you not get enough sleep?" Cameron asked dryly.

"I'm sleepy," Lev mumbled.

There was a long stretch of silence, before, "I can see that."

---

Bedtime had become Lev's favorite part of the day. He felt less guilty about sleeping then. Once he was free of dinner, Lev all but dove into bed, and just peeped out from under the covers at Nik. Nik joined him indulgently.

That was all Lev needed to suction himself to Nik's side. He pressed his face to Nik, sighing happily.

"You're not an igloo anymore," Nik said.

Lev hummed. "Good," he said, sitting up and peeling out of his shirt. He flopped back down, closing his eyes. "Maybe the sleeping is helping."

"You mean it isn't my fantastic body heat that's helping?"

"Cuddles help," Lev agreed. "And taking the baths like Ash said probably helped too. Finally."

Nik hummed. "I mean, I guess."

Lev was too sleepy to argue. "Hey, Nik?" he asked, bumping Nik's head with his own.

"Hm?"

"Can you say it again?"

"You mean, 'You're not an igloo anymore'?"

"No," Lev mumbled. "The love thing."

Nik kissed Lev's nose, matching Lev's mumbled tone as he said, "I love you."

A smile crossed Lev's face. "I love you too. So much," he promised sleepily.

"That's because you have taste."

"Not according to Cameron."

"Yeah, well, that's because Cameron's a snob."

Lev laughed softly, but he was already drifting off.

---

Darius had spent the last week and a half, for lack of a better phrasing, hiding. The moment Destris had laid eyes on him, Darius had made good use of the last five hundred years of ghostly practice and kept his distance the best he could.

And the best way he could do that was by keeping Nate company in his house; even if that meant not keeping an eye on his mate in this time. He had barely had a moment where he could go back and just see Cameron and make sure he was getting back to his routine now that Lev was back.

He had spent the last hour or so in Nate's art studio watching Nate paint while his baby napped in a bassinet soundly next to him. At nearly four and a half months Lucas seemed to have grown a bit of chub in his dusted tan cheeks and had seemed to sleep almost completely through the night- especially since Bay and Nate moved Eden to a different room.

The little monster seemed to enjoy screaming in the middle of the night to wake everyone up in the house, especially the little boy who had been sleeping deeply across the room from her. Nate kept side eyeing him from the painting, watching Darius play with Lucas' dark brown locks. "...If you want," Nate said, "I could. Let you hold him? I know you won't hurt him."

Darius hummed faintly. "I know," he said, after a long moment. "However, I'm not too sure that your mate would be as agreeable." Especially since there had probably been a total of two or three people besides Bay himself who had held Lucas.

And that included Nate in the equation.

Nate sighed and leaned back, eyes turning back to the colorful painting he was working on. "Yeah," he agreed. "That's true. Though I think he's getting better." There was such a fondness in his voice, right along with amusement. "He even let Ash hold him, without threatening to break his fingers if he dropped Lucas. I think that's progress to be quite honest."

"Absolutely," Darius said, solemnly. "Besides I don't want to worry about waking the little one up. I'm sure with Eden's shrill lungs it makes nap time a bit difficult."

"The worst. I have the feeling Baylor fights the urge to smother Eden with a pillow on a daily basis."

"He has remarkable self restraint," Darius said, moving up to his feet from the floor. "Would it be alright if I went to check on them?"

Nate flicked him an amused look. "Well you don't need to ask my permission," he said. "Ash said that they seem to be settling back into some kind of normal now that Lev's home. Though I understand if you want to go see for yourself."

Darius gave him a smile before disappearing out of Nate's house to Cameron's. He showed up just in time to see Nik take a sleepy Lev presumably to the bedroom, and while he watched them for a lingering heartbeat, he then turned his attention back towards the kitchen where he knew Cameron would be.

He started his way and settled at the counter, watching as Cameron went about systematically cleaning the kitchen. He had watched Cameron, countless times, in how he cleaned. There was such a meticulous orderliness to it that was fascinating to watch. The kind of order this brought seemed to soothe something jagged within Cameron.

Cameron finished cleaning the kitchen; had wiped down the counters three separate times before finally leaving. He followed Cameron back to the office, settled at the far end of the house from the bedroom, and went to the desk where he promptly went back to doing paperwork.

Darius settled across from him in one of the leather chairs, out of the way. There were carefully stacked blueprints Cameron seemed to be going through while taking and making calls. He did not miss the carefully folded blanket and pillow on the leather couch against the wall, either.

After a while Darius slipped silently from the room and wandered to the bedroom Lev and Nik were sequestered in. He found Lev curled into Nik's chest, out cold while Nik played with Lev's dark waves, half asleep himself.

"It's sad isn't it?" a voice said, from behind him. "Once again you're all alone and left with me. You'd think five hundred years would be enough for you to finally realize you are nothing."

If Darius could actually draw in air, he'd definitely be heaving a long sigh. It wouldn't be worth the energy it would take and instead, he looked squarely at Destris. "I do not need five hundred years to tell me something false," he said. "We're all something and someone, however you just. Happen to be an ass. Are you planning on spending your afterlife watching after Cameron. With me? You could move on... be somewhere not trapped between life and death."

"Have you considered taking your own advice?" Destris asked, mildly. "Or is your infatuation for Cameron just that strong?"

"My love for Cameron is that strong, yes," he corrected. "Not that you would understand, of course. I think any love you had for your family was bled out of you long before Cameron was conceived. And anything that was left was twisted into jealousy."

Destris gave an amused huff of a laugh. "Are you suggesting I am jealous of a bastard?"

A bastard who happened to have admiration and respect earned instead of outright given. "I'm suggesting you find a way to forgive yourself and find peace," Darius said.

The growing amused look on Destris' face was enough that Darius decidedly left and went back to Nate's house, where he knew Destris would not be fool enough to step foot. He found Nate still in the art studio, but this time Lucas was awake and wiggling around on his stomach on the floor.

Nate instantly looked up from his spot on the floor next to his son. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned. "You look... upset."

Darius shook his head and settled down on the floor next to him, watching Lucas wiggle and babble happily at Darius. "Hi baby," he said, softly.

Happiness lit up Lucas' face like a thousand little suns. Nate looked fondly at his baby. "He clearly takes after me," he said.

"I can see that," Darius said. "He has a beautiful smile."

"He's a beautiful boy."

While Nate and Darius went about gushing after the baby, Lucas decided to reach for the closest toy he could get his tiny gums on.

---

Lev woke up burning hot. He swallowed a whine, and sat up. Sweat slid down his back as he rubbed his face. After a second, he leaned over and took Nik's pillow from under Nik's head. Nik whined at him, still half asleep, but Lev just got up and crawled in the closet. He closed the door behind himself and set Nik's pillow down right up against it while he dragged his nest closer, and then flopped down, confused.

This was definitely his heat, which made how tired he'd been make so much sense. But with his fever rising, it was getting hard to focus. He couldn't explain why he needed to be here, in the closet, and not out there with Nik.

A few moments passed, and then he heard Nik sit on the other side of the door. "Are you okay? Do you need me to get Cameron?"

Lev watched Nik's fingers wiggle as far under the door as far as they could. "No," he managed. The only thing he could get his omega to tell him was that he had to protect Nik. Not from what, just that he had to do right by Nik and that meant keeping space between them.

"No, you're not okay, or no, don't get Cameron?"

Lev curled tighter. "I don't know," he finally mumbled. His throat tightened. "I don't know," he repeated, but his voice began to rise with barely contained hysteria.

He could hear and smell Nik leaving quickly. The distance between them sent pain spiking through him. He whimpered, bit down on his pillow, tears rolling down his cheeks.

A knock on the closet door startled Lev. Judging by how the pain eased, Nik was back, but it was Cameron who said, "Talk to me."

Lev pushed his back against the door firmly. "My heat- I didn't know- didn't want-"

"I know," Cameron said. "Do you want my help?"

"No," Lev said abruptly. He thumped his forehead against the door, muddling his way through the conflicting instincts. "No, I can't- you can't- no. We didn't talk about- anything before."

"We're talking now. What do you want?"

"No," was all Lev could manage. "I can't think." His fingers found their way to his hair and dug in. "It's so hot. I have to protect Nik. I have to do right by- no. I can't think. I can't- no."

Nik's voice was very high. "What do you mean you have to protect me?"

"I have to- my omega-"

"Let me help you. I want to help you." Nik paused. "Please."

"No." Lev closed his eyes. "No."

"Nik, go call Ash."

The door rattled a little as Nik sat down against it. Lev could hear him calling Ash as told, and he could smell how close Nik was. Lev shoved himself against it, and then he backed up somewhat. He buried his face in the pillow, sucking in a few ragged breaths.

He blocked out whatever conversation was going on on the other side of the door. All he could focus on was how hot he was. Shivers crawled down his spine, and even just laying there was unbearable even with the soft blankets and pillows with him.

For a few minutes, Lev wrestled with his instincts until he could drift into a half conscious doze. Cameron knocking on the door dragged him unwillingly from it just as he was adjusting it.

"Open the door, Levant," Cameron said, alpha firm.

Lev whined, but he scooted away from the door until his back hit the far wall, dragging his Nik-pillow with him. Cameron knelt in front of him. All he wore was a pair of black silk pyjama bottoms, and he had an open bottle of water in his hand. "Drink."

Lev took it warily, but half of it was gone in one go. It helped a little, but Lev just stared blankly at his alpha. When his alpha brushed his fingers against Lev's forehead, his cheeks, Lev held still. His head was spinning, and he could feel the heat radiating off of him.

"It's just a heat," Lev mumbled. "I can't- I can't think. I can always think."

"It's not just a heat. You were dead."

Lev pressed his palms against his eyes. "It's too soon," he whined. "I don't like this."

"You disliked being dead even more."

Another whimper came from Lev. He hunched over, at least until the water bottle started to spill. He sat up enough to stare at it blankly. In the end, he just held it out to his alpha hesitantly. Once the bottle was taken from him, almost gently, Lev folded in on himself again.

"You need to let Nik take care of you."

Lev shook his head. "I hurt- I'll- no. I can't." He didn't know how to explain the sheer conviction that he had hurt his omega before and that he would do it again if he wasn't careful. They hadn't discussed his heat. No one could consent in this. Not while Lev couldn't think straight and the other two would take care of him whether they really wanted to or not. It was how they showed they cared.

"Then what can you do?" His alpha was being so patient. Lev wanted to cry.

Instead he swallowed hard. His thoughts were racing, disjointed. "I can sleep." He pulled at his hair. "I can eat when I need to. But I can sleep through this."

His alpha nodded. "Fine. But Ash is on his way."

Ash. Ash. Lev had to blink a few times before the name clicked. Right. Ash. "Okay," he said in a small voice.

"Are you staying in here? We can move your nest to the bed, if you want."

Lev shook his head fiercely. "No."

His omega poked his head around the closet. "Can I come in there?"

Oh, the tone in his omega's voice. It hurt to whisper his, "No," but he just listed to the side and curled up. "I need you safe."

"Safe from what?" His omega asked, voice rising in confusion.

"Me," Lev mumbled, shrinking back into his nest and trying to crawl under the blankets.

That got his alpha's attention. "Lev, stop that. You're about as threatening as a piece of toast." Lev just closed his eyes and clutched the pillow close. Everything was so warm, and his head was swimming. His alpha put his hand in Lev's hair. "You're not going to hurt him."

It- it made sense, and yet- there was some sort of- voice, deep down, that his alpha was wrong, and he couldn't risk it. He couldn't. Logic had no place in a heat.

"Fine," his alpha finally said, resigned. "Nik's not going to leave. I'll be back in two hours."

Lev was confused until it clicked that it was probably almost three in the morning. Cameron usually got up before the sun, and that's when he started breakfast. At least he was keeping his routine. Lev just curled tighter.

---

Lev heard Ash before he saw him. The beta had the decency to knock on the closet door before he stepped inside. Lev's sleepy yes was enough invitation for Ash to kneel beside Lev's nest. Ash had questions for Lev, but when Lev just stared at him blankly, struggling to form a coherent thought, much less an answer, his omega took over for him from outside the closet.

"Why aren't you letting Nik in here?" Ash finally asked him directly.

Lev burrowed under his blankets. "I said no," he mumbled.

Ash sighed. "You need to stay hydrated," he finally said. "If he gets worse, call me."

"You're not going to make him?" His omega asked.

Lev almost wanted him to. He ached to be curled up in his boyfriend's lap, not huddled alone in a pile of blankets.

As soon as Ash was gone, Lev wiggled out of his clothes, throwing them out of the closet forcefully. Better. Better.

"Lev?" His boyfriend sounded so small and anxious. "Are you mad at me?"

Tears pricked at his eyes. "No," he choked out. "I love you. But I can't-" He had no idea how to explain the sheer conviction that Nik was safer away from him.

"You can still be mad at me and love me."

"I'm not mad," Lev said, finally starting to cry. "I'm not. I'm not. I just want- I have to do right by you. I just need- I need-"

"What does that mean?"

Lev flinched at the yell. "I don't know," he yelled back, and started crying harder. "I can't think."

"You don't have to think, you just have to let me hold you."

Lev wanted it. Wanted it so bad. His instincts were begging him to go, but he just curled tighter. "Just let me sleep," he said wetly.

"Okay," he heard his boyfriend say, and Lev could hear the tears in his voice too. Lev turned to face the wall, clawing for sleep. Maybe that would help.

---

Two days later, and everything was worse. His nest was soaked in sweat, and if Lev had been in any state of mind to be grateful, he would have been about the fact that he wasn't even a little aroused this heat. Instead he was hot and in pain. Every breath felt like swallowing glass, and he wanted to tear his skin off. It hurt.

Some time in the afternoon, Lev couldn't help it, and started to sob. That hurt too, but he couldn't stop. "Nik," he choked out, digging his nails into his arms to stay grounding. "Nik," he tried again.

The pain spiked as Nik's footsteps retreated. Lev muffled his cry with a pillow, curling tightly around himself. His alpha's scent appeared, but that wasn't who Lev wanted. "Nik," he whimpered.

His alpha grabbed him by the scruff. It was an old hold, one alphas used to make an omega go limp and make them easier to carry. Lev was honestly grateful for it; no matter how much it hurt, his body loosened enough for Cameron to carry him out of the closet. He found himself dropped in a lap.

"Let your mate take care of you," his alpha said firmly.

Lev couldn't argue with that. Not now. It felt right, with his mate's arms around him. Lev immediately started pulling on Nik's t-shirt. Nik hesitated, but let Lev undress him. Skin pressed against him, finally soothing most of the pain. Lev's tears lessened.

"Thank you," Nik mumbled as he held onto Lev.

Through his swimming thoughts, Lev managed to pluck out what he wanted to say. "You were right," he rasped.

"Of course I was. I'm always right." His mate sounded petulant, but all Lev cared about was the arms around him and the heartbeat against his hand.

---

Nik hadn't let go of Lev the moment he managed to get his claws into him. For the next day Lev's body temperature hadn't fluctuated in the slightest. Instead it had remained at a constant sweltering temperature, clinging to Nik the whole time.

He tried keeping his stomach not so pressed against Lev without his shirt. Amara's words about his weight were still ringing in his ears and he didn't need Lev's heightened instincts picking up on any of that.

Nik's head shot up when he heard someone knocking at the doorway. A growl was sitting deep in his chest before he even realized it was Ash at the doorway. That still hadn't stopped Nik from pulling Lev deeper against him.

Lev's only reaction had been a small whine and to dig his nails into Nik's back. Nik gave a small nip in apology before glaring at Ash. It was an effort to remind himself that this was Ash, even as annoyingly preachy as he was at times, he did in fact know what the hell he was doing.

"Can I come in?" Ash asked, from the doorway.

Nik was very aware of how firm his arms were around Lev's shoulders, keeping him as pressed against him as possible. He pressed his lips to Lev's shoulder before looking him in the eye. "Can he?"

Lev only stared at him blankly, eyes fever-bright and beyond gold. Nik took that nonanswer and looked back to Ash. "...sure," he finally said. But he stopped short and said, "Slowly." Unless Ash felt like getting a mouthful of teeth in his carotid. If he was a demon, that would hurt like hell.

Ash took that at the promise it was, and slowly came into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed a healthy space from them both. Ash's face was drawn tight. "Can I look him over?"

"Do I have to let him go?"

"No."

"Then go ahead."

Ash maneuvered around them, clearly having to do something like this before, quite possibly with other omegas in heats. The idea of having to deal with Bay during his heats would be nearly hysterical.

"Any changes at all?" he asked, Nik.

"His body temp has stayed the same, and Cam made him get out of the closet and come up here with me. Before that he was crying and in hysterics." When Lev didn't react to Nik's observations, he added, "That too. He just. Doesn't move and only responds when or if I try to move away from him. I think... he's been ignoring his base instincts, right? That's why this is so bad of a heat?" He fought the rising panic in his voice and kept himself carefully around Lev.

Ash's face was drawn tight. "Yeah, I think so. I wish Cameron had moved him to you sooner."

"He was trying to respect Lev's boundaries," Nik muttered irritably into Lev's burning skin. "And Lev got upset if I tried to come into the closet with him." Though that didn't stop Nik from also not wanting to be in the closet in the first place. And the guilt felt like acid.

That seemed to catch Ash's interest. "Why wouldn't he let you near him?"

"He said he was trying to protect me...?"

"Did he say what from?"

"Himself?"

Ash's face turned thoughtful, if a bit rueful. "Maybe he's trying to atone for trying to keep you dead."

Nik winced at that. "Okay but that doesn't even make sense. He doesn't remember doing that so why would he be trying to protect me from that idiocy now. If you haven't noticed, Ash, Lev is a little more alive? Telling me to be dead now would be a moot point."

"Are you, the most neurotic person I know, going to tell me that Lev would be using rational thinking during a heat at this current moment in time?"

When Nik moved to get just a little more comfortable to stop himself from smacking Ash upside the head, Lev whined and pressed deeper into him, promptly halting Nik's impulsivity. If it had been any other time he'd probably be sulking about it. If Ash didn't get a regular dose of a popping then he got unmanageable and too annoying. "We haven't been able to get Lev to eat very much," Nik admitted. "Not even Cam can until I try to help."

"I'll get an IV set up," Ash said, pulling out his phone to make a note. "Also I'm taking the room next to this one. I'm sure Cameron will be fine with it, if not he can get in line with everyone else who seems to have a problem with how I conduct things."

"Go nuts," Nik said, closing his eyes. "I'm sure he'll be fine feeding you as long as you prove to be useful to him."

---

When Bay said sit, Silas sat. He waited patiently on the couch, but when Bay put Lucas in his arms Silas went very still.

"You drop him and I break your arms," Bay warned.

Silas tucked Lucas close obediently, gazing down at Lucas. "Hi, baby," he cooed happily. Lucas babbled back, which only made Silas grin down at the infant.

"Lev's been alive for a week."

Silas stilled. "What?"

Even if Bay's firm look hadn't kept him in place, holding an infant would have. But still. "Hell of a thing to drop on me with no warning."

"Would you rather me have not told you?"

"No," Silas muttered, but he looked down at Lucas, and let the little boy grab onto his finger. That boy had more Nate in him than Bay, and  that was probably a good thing.

"That's what I thought. If it makes you feel any better, Nik didn't know either until a few days ago. It was a need to know basis, and you didn't need to know."

Silas made a face, leaning back. "You thought I'd run right over the moment I knew?" Silas asked, lifting a brow.

Bay mirrored his look. "If you're suggesting I don't know you're whipped for that boy and would drop everything for him in a heartbeat, you're sorely mistaken. As far as I'm concerned, this was two birds with one stone. Be mad about it all you want."

"He's hardly a boy," Silas grumbled. "If Lev wanted me to come see him he would have called. I didn't barge over there before he died, I won't now."

Bay looked at him for a long, long moment. Gaging. "With the amount you coddled, him, maybe I just assumed you didn't actually know he was an adult. I apologize. Next time your ex boyfriend dies, I'll make sure to act accordingly."

Silas grimaced. "Ouch," he said dryly, before, "Touche."

Bay looked satisfied. "Good." He watched Silas for the longest minute before saying, "If I leave for five seconds to go get my book, can I trust you not to drop my son on his head?"

"I won't budge an inch, Bay," Silas promised. He pressed a kiss to Lucas' forehead, grinned a little when the infant giggled at him around his knuckle.

Bay was only gone for a few seconds, and when he returned, he curled up on the couch opposite Silas and started reading. Silas watched Lucas, humming at him. So Lev was back. And he hadn't called. Which- fair. Not his omega. And Silas had been a shit friend. Maybe everyone was right. Enough people tell him to move on, maybe they had a point.

---

Amara flopped down beside Cin. Once she was settled, he started running his fingers through her hair. "When can we move in again?" Amara mumbled.

"Next week," Cin promised. "Tu pulled some strings."

Cin had found a nice house. Three bedrooms, a kitchen Cin swore up and down he would learn how to use, and two overly large bathrooms. He'd paid for it, and wouldn't let Amara know how much it'd cost. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. She'd promised him she'd let him take care of her.

"I'm assuming we're getting rid of most of my furniture."

"I told you you could keep the things that are sentimental," Cin told her sternly. "Even if it's everything in this apartment."

Amara sighed. "There's not much I want to keep," she admitted.

Cin tugged on her hair. "That's okay."

"Cin?" Amara mumbled.

"Hm?"

"You sure you want to be mated to me?"

Cin pulled her hair again. "I'll say it again, as many times as you need me, Mar. Yes. I wouldn't have asked if I hadn't wanted it."

Amara sighed again, louder, refusing to look up. "I want kids."

"I know."

"And you're okay with that?"

Cin was quiet for a long moment. Eventually he said, "Yes."

"You sure there, Cin?"

"Yeah," Cin promised. "I'm old, Amara. And I actually see a therapist. I think I can handle some kids by this point."

It was Amara's turn to be quiet. "I don't know if I can conceive or carry to term," she admitted quietly. "Not that I've tried, but fuck if I ever managed to keep it longer than a few weeks. Never fucked with protection, didn't care."

Cin let her ramble, and eventually pressed a kiss to her hair. "You've never tried to keep one," he pointed out. "And you've never been sober this long." He hesitated, and then added lightly, "And you're friends with a damn good healer."

"Who, Ash?" Amara asked. "He hates me right now."

"He doesn't hate you," Cin promised. "You should ask for his help, or at least his advice."

Amara grimaced. "Fine. I'll ask. But he's gonna say no."

---

Lev's fever broke two days later. He felt bone tired, and he ached, but he could focus for the first time in days. For a little while he reveled in the closeness, running his fingers down Nik's side, but eventually he looked up at Nik. "Hi," he rasped guiltily.

Nik's face was drawn, and Lev could see the exhaustion on his face. "Hi," he replied.

"I think my heat is over," Lev said in a small voice.

"I can see that. Why don't we get you something to eat?"

"Okay," Lev agreed easily. He hesitated, and then, "Are you mad at me?"

"Are you?"

"Mad at me or mad at you?" Lev blinked.

"At me," Nik clarified.

Lev shook his head a bit. "No?" He touched Nik's cheek lightly. "I wasn't and I am not mad at you. I- I don't know what that was. I can't explain it. My omega- my instincts were- strong. But they didn't make any sense. I wanted you. I promise."

The disbelief in Nik's face made Lev defensive, but he bit his tongue. Eventually Nik just said, "Can I put my shirt back on?"

"Oh. We're naked," Lev said, startled. "Right. Uh. Yeah?" He scooted away enough for Nik to be able to get his shirt. It hung loosely off of Nik. Lev watched him for a long moment, and then, "...mates?"

Nik lifted a brow. "So you remember that?"

Lev shook his head. "I remember what I felt. And I remember needing you. It got more fuzzy once Cam made me leave the closet." He tucked his face in the pillow briefly. "After that it's like my heat kicked into gear for real, and all I remember is it being hot."

"Yeah, you looked pretty out of it." He pinned Lev with a look "Please don't do that again. I thought you were out of the closet years ago."

Lev sat up slowly. "I won't," he promised earnestly. As Nik slid off the bed, Lev scooted towards the edge to follow. Nik was in the process of trying to pick Lev up when Ash barged in.

"Put him down," Ash snapped firmly.

Lev, who had barely made it of the bed, found himself plopped right back down. Nik looked guilty, but he glared at the bed rather than turn and face Ash.

"Hi, Ash," Lev said sheepishly, peeking around Nik. "I think my heat's over."

Ash glared at him, eyes glowing green with his magic. "Yeah, I can see that."

"I thought you couldn't see anything," Nik muttered.

Ash ignored Nik. "How are you feeling?"

Lev watched Nik sit down beside him before he said, "Better. Tired. Kind of achey, but- honestly I'm kind of hungry."

"I mean, probably. You haven't eaten anything in two days."

Lev blinked. "Oh." He stared at the IV in his arm for a good long moment, and then said, "I didn't mean to be such a-" He paused, frowning. "I can go eat now, can't I?"

"A little bit, yes," Ash said. "Your stomach is probably sensitive again."

Lev made a face this time. "Back to broth?" he asked sadly. He pushed himself up, holding onto the IV stand.

"If you hadn't ignored your instincts, we wouldn't be back to step one," Ash reminded him.

"I know," Lev replied. "I'd say I should have thought that through, but I wasn't exactly thinking at all." He looked back at Nik apologetically, and then said, "At least I'm better now."

Ash pointed to the bed. "Sit back down. You lost your standing rights. I'm getting you a wheelchair."

Lev blinked at him sadly. He would have argued, but his knees were already weak, and his head had been spinning lightly since he stood. He opened his mouth to agree, but even taking the step back to the bed was apparently a bit much. The ground rushed up to meet him.

Between Nik and Ash, Lev didn't actually hit the floor. Nik leaned over him as soon as they had him in the bed. "Are you okay?"

"Apparently not," Lev muttered, rubbing his forehead. He looked to Ash. "A wheelchair is probably a good idea."

Ash sighed. "Isn't it?"

"Can I do anything?" Nik asked, still sounding a bit panicked.

"I was going to get some pants," Lev said. "If you could get me some...?"

Nik was gone instantly. Lev peered out at Nik, and then at Ash. "I can still go get dinner, right?" Lev asked anxiously. "Just- with a wheelchair?"

Ash nodded. "It would do you good to get you out of this room."

"Can we go eat by the pool?" Nik asked in a small voice, setting Lev's pants down on the bed. Lev blinked, startled. He hadn't even known they had a pool. Of course Cameron had a pool.

"As long as Lev doesn't try to swim or drink the pool water, I guess."

Nik looked pleased, and looked to Lev, almost as if for permission. When Lev nodded, he all but beamed, and leaned over to kiss Lev's cheek. When Nik pulled away, Lev tugged him close again, pressing their foreheads together. He kissed Nik, soft and chaste. To his relief, Nik kissed back, if a little hesitant.

Lev pulled away before Ash could get annoyed, and looked down at the pants Nik had brought. "How am I gonna get dressed if I'm not able to stand up?" He asked pitifully.

"I'll help you," Ash replied.

And, well. That was that, Lev supposed.

Tagging: @incandescent-creativity @idreamonpaper @solangelo3088 @halstudies @littleyellowdinosaur @caelisis

[whorphydice]

When the Bones are Good

So.. I wrote this over the span of a few days and I want to give proper warning. He’s physically counting the bones on her ribcage and if thats in any way triggering/upsetting I just wanted to put that warning on this now. 

Also special acknowledgement to @waitformereprise who had to help me come up with scenarios and to @bloomsinthebittersnow who has been dealing with me talking about this and reading it for days. 

I. 

She is sleeping on her side, the bare skin of her back pressed flush with that of his chest, head resting on his upper arm as her own pillow. She has both hands entwined around the his, even in her sleep she anchors herself to earth with his arms.  He cannot sleep, he cannot pull his eyes away from her. He watches her nose scrunch, her lips part slightly as she dreams. His other arm is around her waist, holding her as tightly as he can. 

I’ll never let you go again. He repeats over and over in his head, bringing his hand to brush her hair out of her eyes. Orpheus leans down to kiss her temple, his hand trailing up her ribcage. 

One. two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

His fingers dip into the deep valleys between her bones, each of the twelve pairs such prominent ridges under his thumbs. His heart nearly stopped when he helped her unwrap the cotton bandage from around her chest, helped her step out of the leather overalls and pile them at their feet. She was beautiful, flawless, always would

Twelve sets of ribs. Twelve hours since she came home. 

The immediate move had been to pull her into his arms, and promise to never fail her again. He brought her inside and helped her into the bath, made her as much of a meal as he could with the things on hand. He made note, to get to the market before she woke, if he could drag himself away from her. 

He watched as she held their daughter, and though she did not have the strength yet to lift her, he couldn’t look away as she held their daughter in her arms.  He watched her feed her, helped her bathe her,  and as they laid her in her bed, only a room away suddenly he wanted nothing more than to hold his family and never let go. 

There was the bliss of learning each other’s bodies once again, despite his fear of hurting her. His Eurydice. Somehow the strongest woman in the world but he was scared of breaking her. Fragile. Eurydice was not fragile, no matter how she looked, which she reminded him of as she dug her nails into his shoulder. 

And now she slept. Exhaustion from the journey home, hard labor, and emotional stress claimed her into a deep sleep. Their daughter would likely not want to be apart from her all night, the little girl already fighting her as she laid her in a separate bed. There was time, later, to bring her between them, Eurydice insisted. She wanted some time to reclaim her husband.

She slept with their skin together, every sharp edge of her body exposed. His fingers traced from her ribs to her hips, sharper than they had ever been before. Eurydice was anything but fragile, yet how she was able to have Ophelia was lost on him. The year of physical labor and starvation left its mark on her. She had no need to eat, and that all came crashing down as life breathed into her on a train ride out of Hadestown. 

His Eurydice. 

Orpheus kisses her shoulder again as he tucks their thin sheet around them, wrapping his nearly weightless girl in his arms. He’s humming a song, one he hadn’t found the will to sing in ages, as he follows her into sleep. 

He is up the next morning, gathering groceries at the market, and home before she even wakes. 

II.

His hands flit over her sides, grasping at her through the thin fabric of her white dress. Gifted by Persephone, it had fit her like a glove, tailor made satin that clung to her tiny frame.

There is noise around them. The band from the bar playing some impromptu tune, Persephone’s joyous laugh as she entertains the people of the town. A tired whining that he can place as their daughter, who was fighting sleep in the arms of Hermes. 

His attention, though, is only on Eurydice. His wife. The late summer wedding had been a gift from Persephone, who insisted that they let her and those around them celebrate the young couple properly. A chance to celebrate them, the love they have for each other, and the way they changed the world. 

They would have had each other in Hermes’ bar if he had let them, insisting a party was too lavish for them. There were better uses of money. 

When he had seen her that afternoon, this ivory slip dress falling down her body like a water fall, red flowers of his own creation clutched in her hands and top her head, he was so glad they lost that fight. 

She had her head against his chest, all he can see being the flower crown of red carnations atop her dark curls. Her arms are around his shoulders, as he holds her against him with his hands on her lower back. She is humming along to the music,eyes shut as she soaked in the pure bliss of the evening. 

He can feel her fingers drumming in rhythm with the music, feather light against the thin cotton of his shirt. He had felt underdressed upon seeing her, his nicest trousers held up by worn leather suspenders didn’t compare to her. Looking at her was like looking at the sun. Radiant. Beautiful. LIghting up the world. Holding her was what he could only imagine harnessing sunlight would be like. 

They are just swaying. Not quite dancing so much as holding each other as the world spins around them. He is content to just look down at her, watching as her face twists from where it was pressed into his shirt, to face the side. He follows her gaze to their daughter, finally settling, this time in the arms of Persephone. There is never a moment when Eurydice is not keenly aware of the location of their daughter, always ready to take her and run if danger struck. 

He is watching her watch Ophelia when her voice breaks through to him, pulling him from the trance like state. 

“Orpheus?” Her voice is soft, dreamy even as she looks up at him with doe like eyes. 

“Hmm?” Orpheus responds, one hand leaving her back to cradle her face. He pushes a bit of hair behind her left ear, before his palm holds her cheek. 

She smiles, her eyes crinkling with the joy that she exudes. “I love you.”

He only smiles back at her, leaning in to kiss his wife. He keeps his head pressed to hers as he sighs in contentment. “I love you too, Eurydice.”

His left hand is still on her side, thumb noting each rivulet as his hand grazes over her ribcage. 

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven.

Seven. Less than Twelve. That’s progress Orpheus. She’s healing.  He links his hand down under her knees, holding her bridal style across his arms, intent to carry her to their home.  

She lets out a giggle as he scoops her up, which are silenced when he captures her lips with his own. 

His hand flattens on her back as he pulls her closer, kissing her deeper despite the audience around them. 

III. 

The next time he takes note of her protruding ribs is mid winter, a good eight months since her return. 

She’s stripping her wet clothes, from being caught in a particularly heavy snowstorm on the way home from work, ready to step into a warm bath to ease the frost from her skin. 

He catches her from the corner of his eye, as he is working on warming some towels near the fire. Ophelia is napping, in their bed albeit, warmed and unaffected by the winter storm raging beyond their walls. He takes solace in knowing their daughter has never known a winter like they did. 

Orpheus lays the towels at her side, wrapping his arms around her before she can step into the warming water. 

His fingers strum over her sides, fingertips dipping into the valleys between her bones. 

One . two. Three. Four.

Four. Three less sets than last time. He notices the difference around her hips. Where despite a rough winter, she’s less sickly, less fragile. 

Healing. Eurydice is healing. 

Orpheus buries his face into her shoulder, kissing along her collarbone. “I love you, my Eurydice.”

She hums constantly, holding his arms with her own. She leans her head against his, letting out a breathless sigh as he peppers her collarbone with kisses. “Mmm..I love you too.” She practically purrs,  brushing her thumb over his forearm lightly. 

“Join me?” Eurydice asks, turning in his arms to press her chest to his, wide, dark eyes looking up at him. “We could save on water...:” 

Her hands slide into the back pocket of his pants, lips claiming his, before he can even agree. 

IV. 

“Ophelia, gentle, baby” Eurydice instructed, gently placing her hands over Ophelia’s ontop of her ever so gently curved belly, her palms keeping the toddlers flat there. “You can’t knock of her, she won’t answer.” Her voice is gentle, teasing as she kisses Ophelia’s head. “Be gentle, sunshine. Gentle.” 

Orpheus watches as their toddler smiles at her mother, laying her head down ontop of her midsection. She is rambling in something that is not quite coherent, though words about mama and baby and dada come through clear as day. 

“You’re such a nice girl, what a great sister you’re gonna be.” Eurydice praises, cupping her daughter’s face in her hand. Ophelia grins, laying her head against Eurydice’s palm briefly, before leaning down to kiss her tiny belly. Sweet Ophelia, who had been fascinated with the idea of a baby since they told her not even a week prior. 

“Night night baby.” Ophelia cooes, before crawling up Eurydice’s body to lay her head against her chest. She yawns, and buries her face against her collarbones. “Night night mama, luff you.” 

Eurydice wraps an arm around her, kissing the top of her hair as she does so. “Goodnight baby, I love you too.” Her fingers trace through her hair in calming circles, watching closely as she brings fist to her mouth to soothe herself to sleep. She’s kissing her, over and over in gentle kisses to her hair, relishing in the scent of clean, fresh baby hair. 

Orpheus is watching from his side, watching the way she holds their daughter so naturally to her.  His eyes trail from her hips to her middle, where just the slightest bit of a bump shows evidence of their little twelve week old secret that they kept between the two of them and  now their toddler.  Even on her little frame, it’s a secret they kept well. 

His eyes follow up, a smile gracing his face as Ophelia’s little feet on either side of her chest block his view of Eurydice’s torso under her shirt. 

He strains his eyes to count, to examine for changes in her health. 

One? No thats a shadow. 

Is that one? No, just a bit of dirt from the garden. 

None, Orpheus. There’s none. 

Eurydice doesn’t realize he is watching until she hears a soft cry escape him, jumping at the feeling of a single feeling against her side. “Orpheus?”

“You’re okay. Eurydice, you’re getting better, You’re okay.” He gets out through a choked sob, his index finger intently running over her side, over the thin fabric of her night shirt that had been pushed up so Ophelia could talk to her future sibling. When he feels nothing, no valleys or ridges indicating palpable bone, his hand comes to splay out on the skin of her stomach, thumb strumming softly.  His whole body moves closer, so his head can lay beside the place where his hand resides. He can feel her fingers come down to stroke his cheek, easily one of the most soothing motions to him. “You’re going to be okay.”

[khiphop-stories]

Getting Off The Wrong Foot

[Christian Yu | Chapter VIII]

Previous Chapters: Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V | Chapter VI | Chapter VII

“What?“ You stared at him dumbfounded, for a moment your whole body froze.

“It’s way closer than driving all the way to your office, then back to your apartment and I’ll also have to get home. Plus, we’re both tired,” he reasoned and you knew he was right, your office was way too far away, yet you still felt a bit uneasy.

“It’s not the first time, Min,“ he chuckled as he noticed your reluctancy. 

You looked at him with hesitation as you thought about his offer. It sounded very appealing to you. You were dead tired and all you wanted to do was sleep. You didn’t have the energy to cruise around Seoul in the middle of the night and Christian was exhausted as well. You didn’t want to burden him more than you did and you knew he wouldn’t let you take a cab, so you eventually agreed.

~*~

“I’ll take the couch then,” you stopped in your tracks once you arrived in the living room. He turned around to you, giving you a weird look.

”We had sex…how many times? And now you’re afraid to sleep in the same bed as me?” He laughed out loud, cocking up his brows at you.

”No, it’s just…”

”Take the bed, Minhee. I’ll take the couch.” He didn’t wait for you to finish your sentence, instead he walked into his bedroom, picking up a spare pillow and blanket. 

”You’ve already done enough. This is your home, I’d feel bad if you’d have to sleep on the couch because of me,” you walked to him and took the blanket and pillow from his arms. As stubborn as he is, he usually would have insisted to sleep on the couch so you could have the bed, but you both were too tired to fight, so he gave in without further protest.

~*~

It had been a long time since you last slept in. Although the couch wasn’t the most comfortable place to be spending the night, you slept quite well and if Lori didn’t jump on you, you would probably have slept until through the entire day. You cuddled with Lori, until the smell of your hair bothered you so much that you had to do something against it. It smelt like a mixture of liquor and nicotine and that certainly was not a nice scent. “Go wake your Daddy up,” you instructed Lori, because you didn’t want to overstep boundaries and walk into his room to wake him up yourself. But you also couldn’t just use his shower without asking him either. Hence, the only solution was to send Lori. 

“Hey little girl,” you heard his voice from the other room. You heard him let out a hearty yawn, some rusting and shortly after he came walking into the living room. 

“You’re already awake?” He blinked at you surprised, a small smile played on his lips upon seeing you.

“You’re hungry?” He asked you. 

“Yeah, I’m starving!” You nodded your head at him. “Can I take a shower? I smell horrible.”

“Sure, I’ll get you a towel.”

~*~

The moment you stepped out of the bathroom, a sweet, savory aroma wafted through the air, finding its way to your nose. Your nose tingled with that familiar scent. The table was set, the food waiting to be devoured. Your lips turned into a smile at that sight. “I could get used to this,“ you joked as you sat down.

“Maybe you need to sleep over more often,” he winked at you playfully. 

The food tasted surprisingly well. You didn’t know whether it was because you were starving and hungover, or because he was actually a good cook. 

“Do you think you will be able to finish the video before the deadline? We already lost two days.” You started to make some small talk with him, since he had been awfully quiet and you just didn’t like the silence. “Really?” The bottom half of his face turned into an amused grin. “It’s your day off and you’re talking about work?”

All you ever talked about was either work, your messy life, or sex. You realized you barely even knew anything about him while he knew the most embarrassing details of your life. 

“Why don’t I know anything about you?” You thought out loud, as you narrowed your eyes at him in suspicion. 

“You never asked,” he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

“You never asked to get involved in my messy love life either, yet here we are,” you chuckled at him lightly. 

“What do you want to know?” “I don’t know. Anything.” “Actually, there’s something I wanted to tell you,” he said out of the blue, his eyes widening as though he had just remembered something.

“Ok?” You raised one of your brows at him. “It’s more like a favor?” “How is that telling me something about you?” You broke into laughter. “It involves my family.”

“I still don’t get it,” you shook your head with a chuckle, nonetheless you motioned him to go on.

“My aunt’s birthday is in four weeks. She’s hosting this huge party. All my relatives are going to be there,” he began to tell you, slowly touching on the topic. His eyes remained on you, observing your reaction. He couldn’t really judge if he could ask this favour of you, so he carefully set the groundwork.

“Go on,” you instructed him with a nod.

“My relatives are really nosy. Especially my aunts. They’re all up in my business, constantly trying to set me up with someone.”

“Don’t tell me you want me to pretend to be your girlfriend?” You joked with a laugh, the way he was saying it made it easy to guess what the favour was about. 

“Basically,” he sheepishly mumbled under his breath.

“Lying to your family never works well,” you pointed out. “You have experience with that?” He teased you with a grin on his lips. “We’re not talking about me right now,” you didn’t allow him to change the topic. 

“It’s just…every time we gather I have to listen to the constant nagging, pushing for marriage, introducing me to girls I have no interest in, forcing me to take them out on dates.“

“‘Oh no too many girls like me. I don’t want to choose.’,” you teasingly imitated him with a low voice. “You got some first world problems, Christian.”

Christian laughed at you embarrassed, his eyes avoiding yours. “Doesn’t your family get on your nerves? I mean you’re at the age where—“

“You’re saying I’m old?” You asked him with a stern voice, your face frowning as though he had just offended you gravely. “N-no… I-I meant…” he stumbled nervously trying to save himself from an awkward situation. “I’m messing with you,” you broke out into laughter. Then you face turned serious again. “I haven’t told them about Kiseok yet.”

“They still think you guys are dating?” “They love him. Like seriously. They adore him. And I’m not ready to hear them say ‘you’re making the biggest mistake of your life, you have to forgive him, men have their needs and whatsoever’. Because then I’d seriously start doubting my decision.”

“You made the right choice.” “I know, but you start losing confidence when the people closest to you are saying you’re making a mistake....but anyway...your aunt’s birthday?”

“Do you want to be my girlfriend for one day?” He asked you straight forward, raising his brows with anticipation, hoping you would agree to it. “Why don’t you just find yourself a girl instead of pretending to be in a relationship?” You asked him, amused at the fact that he would go all out to deceive his relatives.

“It’s not that easy.” “Literally every girl finds you attractive. The choice is yours,” you chuckled. 

“I don’t want to force myself to fall in love with someone. I want to do it the old school way, going on dates, getting to know each other, falling for each other. And there needs to be some kind of attraction for that to happen.”

“I didn’t know you were such a romantic,” you commented in a teasing tone, wriggling your brows at him.

“I didn’t know either,” he chuckled. There was a hint of embarrassment in his tone. 

“Ok, I’ll do it,” you eventually agreed.

~*~

As you finished having breakfast, Christian told you he would drive you to the office to get your keys, but he wanted to take a quick shower first, so you waited for him in the living room. You checked your emails and played with Lori. You were so focused on Lori that you didn’t even hear Christian entering the room. He leaned against the door frame a smile on his lips as he saw you with Lori. “She really likes you.”

You jumped a bit in surprise, his voice being closer than you had expected. You quickly turned around to him and gave him a smile.“I’ve always wanted a dog, but Kiseok was allergic to them.”

His hair was still wet from showering. You saw how the water accumulated at the tip of his hair, before dripping down on his body, running down his chest, then to his abs. Your eyes lingered on his body longer than you intended. 

“Like what you’re seeing, yeah?“ Christian called you out on staring. A smirk appeared on his lips as he noticed your gaze.

“You’re running around half naked, you’re asking for it.“

Christian sat down on the floor next to you, watching you with a soft smile as you continued to play with Lori. It was a huge turn on for him seeing a girl getting a long with his dog. Lori was rather shy, she used to always hide when there were guests around. But she seemed to like you a lot and anyone who had Lori’s approval automatically also won his heart. 

You didn’t pay him much attention, until you felt a hot breath against your neck, then the tender brush of his soft lips. His hand gently glided through your hair, brushing them aside. You didn’t lean in, because you didn’t want to seem too eager, but it was exactly what you wanted the moment you saw him when he got out of the shower. You tried to be indifferent, you didn’t want to let someone with an ego like his know how much power he had over you. Your skin was burning with desire. You felt an icy droplet of water which fell down from his hair, run down your skin. You turned your head to him and he captured your lips in a kiss, earning a soft moan from you. You felt his smirk against your lips as he heard the moan you were trying to suppress. You held him gently, cupping his face in one hand as you let yourself get loss in that kiss. He gently lay you down on the floor, climbing on top of you. He pulled the t-shirt you were wearing over your head and threw it somewhere on the floor.

“Fuck,“ he groaned as his eyes wandered down your body. His breaths grew heavier and his eyes turned dark with lust. 

“I’ve been wanting to do this since yesterday.“

“You talk too much.“ You grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down into a kiss. 

“Let’s move this to the bedroom.“ He got onto his feet and pulled you up with him. Lori got excited as she thought he was going to play with her. But right now, he didn’t have that much interest in playing with her at all, his mind was somewhere else. 

“Lori, stay,“ he instructed as the two of you disappeared into his bedroom.

~*~

[Time Leap]

You haven’t talked to Christian for the past week which did feel a bit weird, because he usually texted you everyday with no particular reason and you got quite used to it, but it didn’t bother that much, since the DPR crew had already warned you about his habits. 

Whenever he was in the process of editing he would shut himself off from the world. He wouldn’t talk to anyone during that time because he didn’t want to have any distractions around him.

You had grown closer to Scott since Christian wasn’t available anymore, so he became your contact person for anything related to the Nike collaboration. You had several meetings to discuss the launch of the new store in Gangnam and the release of the shoe collaboration. Dabin was scheduled to perform the new song at the launch party for the first time and he was quite nervous about it, yet excited at the same time. His passion reminded you of your own when you first started in this industry. It was like taking a trip down memory lane. You saw a lot of yourself in him. Back then things weren’t necessarily easier, in fact it was tougher than now in a different way. It was a struggle day in, day out, trying to get acknowledged, to make a name for yourself while also trying to make a living out of something you loved. You didn’t have the support, respect and money you had now, but it felt as though the whole world lay beneath your feet, as though nothing was holding you back and you could be anything you wanted to be. The canvas were blank and you could draw anything your heart desired. But once you swept the brush against your canvas, it couldn’t be erased anymore. There was no going back and somewhere along the way everything became routine, a chunk of passion was lost and was replaced with pressure and anxiety. 

~*~

[Time Leap]

“What are you doing here?” Christian’s face was washed blank with surprise, like his brain cells couldn’t take in the information from his wide eyes fast enough.  Every muscle of his body just froze before a small smile played on his lips. Having you standing in front of his door at the middle of the night was certainly a surprise to him, but it was one of the surprises he quite liked.

Christian wasn’t wearing a t-shirt, like always, almost as though he was allergic to them. He always ran around shirtless in his own four walls. You had gotten so used to seeing him half naked, that it didn’t even faze you anymore.

“Scott told me to check whether you’re alive since he hasn’t heard anything from you for days.” You shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly. It was only half of the truth. You were actually also worried about him. They had told you that Christian wouldn’t leave his apartment and sometimes even forget to eat when he was in his flow. You wanted to make sure he was alive and fine. In addition to that, you also had to check his progress with the video and since his phone was literally shut down, the only option was to meet him personally.

You waited for him to step aside, so you could enter his apartment. It was freezing cold outside, you almost couldn’t feel your face anymore. The warm air from inside that brushed against your skin made it a little bit more bearable. Christian noticed your shattering teeth, so he quickly pulled his door wide open, inviting you into his home. 

You hurried inside the warmth. 

“Since when are you and Scott so close?” Christian lifted up one of his brows at you, his lips stretching into a naughty grin. He walked straight into his kitchen and began to boil some water. 

“Jealous?“

“I might just be,“ he smiled at you playfully.

“Tea?“ He asked only after he already had taken out a cup from his cupboard.

You nodded your head shortly in response, as you joined him in the kitchen. You gently placed the plastic bag in your hands down on the counter next to you and hopped on the counter, legs dangling from above as you watched him. Anything that warmed you body now was good. He put the cup on top of the counter and filled it with hot water. 

“Watch out,” he gently held your head with one hand as the other reached out to the cupboard above you. You quickly duck your head to avoid being knocked down by the door. He took out a tea bag and dipped it into the water. 

“He said he was scared,” you said as you watched him preparing your tea. 

“Of me?” He raised his brows, mustering your face.

„Apparently you can be very grumpy if somebody breaks your flow…and if you didn’t get enough sleep.“

“Oh, so you’re bitching about me when I’m not around, yeah?” He stood in front of you with his arms crossed in front of his chest, trying to keep a stern expression on his face. But you knew he was joking. The smile in his brown eyes gave it away.

“Among other things,” you stuck out your tongue teasingly while shrugging your shoulders nonchalantly. 

“So Scott sent you into the lion’s den? You’re not scared?” He wriggled his brows teasingly.

“I know how to tame a lion.”

“Do you?” Christian stepped in between your legs, resting his hands on your thighs. He leaned his head in until your forehead touched. You moved in closer so your lips would slightly brush his, but before he could capture you in kiss, you quickly pulled back. “I think the tea is done,” you turned your head to the side, looking at the cup.

Christian groaned and threw his head back in frustration, his hands still on your thighs. Then he inspected you, nodding his head in defeat.

“You came here to tease me, yeah?” He stepped away and threw the tea bag into the trash.

“Just making sure you’re not dead,” the corner of your lips stretched into a grin. “That’s it?” “And maybe I want to get a glimpse of the video.”

~*~

With your hands around the cup of tea, you carefully sat down on the pillow Christian had placed on the floor next to him for you.

“Where’s Lori?” You asked realizing it was strangely quiet in his apartment. The tapping of Lori’s little paws against the wooden floor was missing. 

“She’s with Dabin. I haven’t gone out the past few days,”

“Poor Lori.” “She’s in good hands.”

“She’s been abandoned by you.”

“I didn’t want to get distracted and Lori’s really needy. I can’t give her all the attention now,” he laughed. His eyes were now fixed on the display, he quickly saved his progress, before he played you the excerpt he had already finished editing. It was only around 30 seconds long, but what you saw blew you away. You knew he was talented, you had already expected it to be great, but somehow he managed to exceed all your expectations by far.

“Wow.” That word was the only thing you managed to say as the display turned black again. You were too impressed with the outcome that you were momentarily at loss for words. 

“It’s amazing, Christian,” you turned your head to him in awe. “The editing, the color coding, the quality....everything is just perfect.”

A huge grin played on his lips. Of course he knew the excerpt was good, he wouldn’t have shown it to you otherwise if he wasn’t confident in it. But he didn’t think you would like it that much, it was only 30 seconds long after all. He loved being showered with compliments for his work and he loved it even more that those compliments were coming from you.

“I’m glad you like it.” “I love it,” you corrected him, “but...” you clapped your hands together and got up on your feet. “I should go now and let you do your thing.”

“Already?” He asked you and you could have sworn you heard a trace of disappointment in his voice. “I don’t want to distract you and I rather leave before you throw me out like Lori,” you joked.

“I’m not gonna throw you out.” “There’s food on the table. Make sure to eat it, before it turns bad,” you said as you walked towards the door.

“What food?” “Do you think I came here empty-handed?” You chuckled and pointed to the white plastic bag on his counter. He was too busy staring at you earlier that he didn’t even notice when you had put the bag on his counter. He didn’t even smell the food, but maybe he was too distracted by your perfume that he didn’t sense anything else.

“Thanks, Min.”

~*~

[Time leap]

Today was the day; the day Nike would be opening their new store and launch their collaboration with DPR. It was one of Nike’s biggest and most anticipated public events this year. You had checked the guest list earlier this week and numerous celebrities were invited, ranging from athletes to A list celebrities. Among the names of invitees you had also found AOMG. You weren’t too fond of bumping into your ex, especially on such an important night for you. You could have easily asked the crew to cross out his name, but you decided to be the bigger person. It was time to stop with those petty games so the both of you could move on. So you left his name on the list hoping the evening would go by smoothly.

“Wow.“ A familiar male voice from behind exclaimed in awe. You swirled around on your heels to confirm who he was. As you greeted him with a bright smile, you noticed how he eyed you up and down biting on his bottom lip. 

“Done staring?“ You rolled your eyes at him.

“You look beautiful,“ he said in a whisper. His gaze cruising your figure, lingering a little bit too long. You suddenly felt embarrassed under his unrelenting stare and your cheeks took on a faint pinkish hue. You felt an unexpected urge to hide yourself so you shifted in your position awkwardly and adjusted the white blazer that was hanging over your shoulders.

“I can’t believe you’re still that shy around me,“ a smirk covered his lips. “I’ve seen you in less than that, babe,“ he whispered into your ear teasingly as he leaned forward to give you a hug. “Shut up, Christian!“ You gave him a punch in retaliation. He really didn’t have a filter. No matter where and when, he had the ability to turn every conversation dirty.

“So…are our work together has officially ended,“ his eyes rested on you gently, not blinking. 

„Finally! Working with you was a pain in the ass.“ It was your turn to tease him, but he didn’t let it get to him.

„I’d still like to see you though.“

„We’ll work something out,“ you winked at him. 

~*~

The second time you met his eyes that evening, he was surrounded by female celebrities. Of course he was, he was Christian Yu after all. He was charming, sweet and insanely attractive. Although he was surrounded by all these beautiful women, it seemed as though he just couldn’t take his eyes off you. He was staring at you from the corner of the room, a smile creeping on his lips when your eyes locked. It didn’t last long though, you broke it quickly turning your eyes back to the person you were originally talking to.

“Are you here with Christian?“ Jay questioned you, his eyes piercing through you. There was this judgmental look in his eyes again which you just couldn’t get used to. You tried to brush it off, but knowing someone whose opinion mattered to you was slowly starting to doubt your decisions did make you feel bad, almost as though you had let him down.

“How did you get that idea?“ „I saw you two talking earlier…more like eye-fucking,“ he added teasingly as he wriggled his brows suggestively. Jay always hid behind his goofiness, because he had difficulties finding the right words to say. Just like he was doing now. He was worried about you and he didn’t like the fact that you were spending so much time with someone who in his eyes could and would possibly hurt you. “We worked on a project, Jay. Nothing more, nothing less,“ you sighed.

“I know when you’re hiding something,“ Jay pointed out, his tone softer than before as though he was trying to show you that you could trust him.

“Fine. We’re fucking. Is that what you wanna hear?“

“Do you like him?“ “I wouldn’t sleep with him if I hated him,” you said matter of factly. “Turn around,” he instructed you. 

„Why?“ You furrowed your brows at him, the irritation visible in your voice. 

„Just turn around.“

You slowly turned your head to the side, trying not to make it obvious that you were staring. You weren’t even sure what you were looking for in the first place, but then you saw Christian on the other side of the room. He took his phone out and handed it to one of the girls.

“That’s the kind of guy he is. He might make you feel special, but to him you’re just a quick fuck.“

You turned back to Jay, letting out a long sigh. You knew he was just looking out for you. But despite your knowledge, you just found him incredibly insufferable right now. Since meeting Christian, you had finally gotten your life back under control, instead of crying or drinking yourself to sleep every day. Of course, it wasn’t solely because of Christian, but he definitely played a part in it. He distracted you when you needed to be, he comforted you when you were caught up in feelings, he lend you an ear when you just wanted to talk.

“He’s getting her number, so?” “It doesn’t bother you?” “No,” you shook your head. “I don’t care whom he’s screwing.” “You don’t mind sharing the guy you’re sleeping with with other girls?” Jay cocked up one of his brows, not believing a word you were saying.

“As long as he uses a condom, I’m good,” you shrugged your shoulders.

“Sex used to be something meaningful to you.”

“Well, things change,” the irritation was now evident in your voice.

“I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

”I don’t need to be protected, Jay. I’m not a child. I know what I’m doing.“

“I really hope you do,” Jay nodded his head with a sigh of defeat. He decided to let it got since he hated fighting, especially with you. He was more of a pacifist who would always try to find a compromise. But there was no compromise here, either he would have to stop judging your decisions concerning Christian or he would push you further away while trying to protect you. You knew Jay had good intentions, the fact that he picked a fight with you only showed how much he cared and was concerned about you. But you didn’t need him to mother you. You just needed the friend who had your back no matter what.

~*~

You had successfully managed to avoid Kiseok since the beginning of the event. You knew he would hang around the DJ booth with other musicians, so you spend most of the time far away from there, conversing with directors and managers. Networking was part of the job after all. But of course it was only a matter of time Kiseok would seek you out. It wasn’t like him to stay quiet and act like he didn’t know you. No, he had to make sure you knew he was there as well...

Sorry for ending it here lol, but this chapter was way too long so I had to divide it in two parts.

[sansaurora9904]

Chapter IV

San has never run this fast his whole life.

He can feel Wooyoung's breath shorten, his temperature dropping quickly.

San runs faster, going over the pack's border and yipping for help. He stops and sets Wooyoung down gently, he shifts back into his human form and picks up the freezing Omega. Hongjoong opens the door and San walks in going upstairs to his room, he kicks the door open and walks in setting the Omega onto the warm bed, he grabs as many blankets as he can and puts them over Wooyoung.

"You'll be okay Youngie."

San notices the door is closed and he mentally thanks Hongjoong for being so kind and understanding. He sits down on the bed and stays close to the shivering wolf, he places Wooyoung's head on his lap and kisses his head softly.

"You're safe Youngie. No one can harm you now." San watches as Wooyoung's body relaxes completely, the Omega stopped shivering a little and his breathing is more calm down.

San lays down and pulls the blankets even more over them, he rests his head on the pillow and closes his eyes, sleeping finally catching up to him as his mate sleeps next to him.

After San walked in his room carrying Wooyoung, Hongjoong closes the door and walks to his and Seonghwa's room. The 3 month pregnant male waddles a little to their bed and sits down, body shivering a little.

Seonghwa feels his mates discomfort and quickly rushes to their room."Joong baby?"

"I'm okay Hwa." Hongjoong replies.

Seonghwa nods and walks to him, sitting down next to him and pulling him close. Hongjoong rests his head on his shoulder and closes his eyes feeling Seonghwa rests his head on his.

"Hwa."

Seonghwa looks at him and sees Hongjoong staring at him with wide eyes, his mouth formed into a small pout and his thighs squeezing.

Seonghwa takes the hint and lays down the white-haired male on his back gently, he gently kissed his cheek softly and proceedes to take off their clothes slowly and tosses them on the floor.

Hongjoong spreads his legs wide as much as he can and watches as Seonghwa grabs a pillow and places it underneath him under his back, raising his lower half and legs up.

"Feeling comfortable love?" Seonghwa asks softly.

Hongjoong nods softly, shifting his body and spreading his legs as much as he can. Seonghwa leaves small, wet kisses on his inner thighs, marking the skin softly and tracing the milky flesh.

Hongjoong twitches at the touch and moans softly, small whimpers leaving his mouth as his body naturally produces the slick from his arousal.

"A-Alpha please-" Seonghwa looks up from between his legs and leans up, leaving kisses on the skin around his neck and throat."Soon baby, soon."

Hongjoong nods and whimpers again, hips bucking up into Alpha above him. Seonghwa decides that the Omega has been teased enough and pulls away, grabbing the small bottle of lube and pouring it on his length.

He grabs his hands and rests them above the Omegas head. Seonghwa slowly slides his length into Omegas needy hole, he groans at the warmth of Hongjoong's walls around his cock and bucks his up a little, watching as the Omega releases soft moans.

"A-Alpha need your k-knot." Seonghwa coos at his Omega and kisses his forehead softly, thrusting slowly and kissing the skin softly.

"You'll get it baby, you'll get my knot. Gonna pump you full of my seed. Wanna see your belly filled up with my cum. Gonna put another pup in you."

"P-please Alpha. Put another pup in me."

"That I will baby."

Seonghwa grips his hips, but not too tightly to injure the unborn pup. He speeds up his thrusts and noses along the Omegas scent gland.

He leaves a kiss there and pulls away, he sits up on his knees and watches his cock slide out of the Omegas hole, slick pouring and creating a sticky mess on Hongjoong's thighs.

He looks up slightly and sees the outline of his cock on the Omegas stomach. Hongjoong lifts his head up and sees the Alphas bulge in his stomach.

"A-Alpha."

"Soon baby."

Seonghwa feels his knot forming and speeds up his thrusts. Hongjoong's walls tighten around his length and he groans lowly, watching as the Omega comes and sprays their chest with cum. He thrusts a few times,  gripping the soft skin and coming inside his Omega, his knot catching the rim and snuggly fitting in.

"So full Alpha." Hongjoong whines softly, whimpers leaving his mouth as the Alphas cum fills him up.

"You're carrying my pup baby." Seonghwa leans down and captures his lips into a sweet kiss. Hongjoong purrs softly and returns the kiss pulling his Alpha close and biting his bottom lip softly.

He leans down and noses along his scent gland, biting gently and licking the skin softly.

"You smell so much like me now baby."

"As I should be."

Seonghwa chuckles and pecks his cheek softly. He wraps his arms around the Omegas small frame and lays them down on their sides before removing the pillow and setting it behind Hongjoong's head so he can rest his head on it.

"Rest baby." Hongjoong chuckles and rests his head on the soft pillow, closing his eyes and enjoying the affection from his mate. Seonghwa kisses the crown of his head and strokes his cheek softly, watching his mate purr from the affection. He smells the air, his rosemary and Hongjoong's strawberry scents mixing together, his however is more present from the love making.

Hongjoong turns on his side and rests his head on Seonghwa's chest, closing his eyes and resting comfortably. He soon falls asleep to Alphas calming breathing and scent. Seonghwa pulls the covers over them and kisses his mark softly, resting his head on the pillow and closing his eyes letting sleep fall over him.

(¿-¿)

Wooyoung wakes up with his heart beating fast and panic on his veins. He looks around and than spots the blond male laying next to him, lips parted and chest going up and down slowly indicating that the Alpha is still sleeping.

Orchid wraps up his senses and his wolf howls a little, enjoying the calming and sweet scent.

Wooyoung moves closer to the blond-haired male and rests his head on his chest, snuggling closer when the Alpha pulls him close.

"Young-ah." Wooyoung looks up from his chest and locks gazes with San's amber eyes. The Alpha is looking at him with the same gentle smile and stare just like when they met for the first time.

"Sannie." Wooyoung breaks down into tears, his emotions a mess as the Alpha pulls him closer to his body and kisses his forehead softly.

"I got you baby. I got you pup." San rests his head on Omegas and kisses his forehead, temples, nose and cheeks softly.

"Y-You didn't come that d-"

San cuts him off and pulls him impossibly closer, kissing his head softly."I know baby, I know. I'll explain everything to you later. Okay?" Wooyoung looks at him with shiny eyes and nods.

San nods and strokes his hair softly."Are you hungry baby?" Wooyoung looks at him with a pout and nods.

San nods and gently gets up from the bed, he carries the Omega to the bathroom and sets him down gently, explaining how to use the controls and that he can use whatever shampoo or body wash he wants.

With a small nod from Wooyoung, San walks out of the bathroom giving the Omega privacy and goes to his closet pulling out the undergarments, fluffy purple sweater, sweatpants and fluffy socks. He walks into the bathroom again and sets the clothes on the counter. He hears the shower stop running and closes his eyes.

He can hear Wooyoung walking around him, drying himself off and putting the comfy clothes on.

"Sannie, you can open your eyes now."

San opens his eyes and sees that the Omegas silver hair is still wet so he grabs a dry towel and gently starts to dry the silver locks. Wooyoung lets him and purrs happily, his Omega howling in happiness and joy.

Once San is finished, he sets the towel back to let it dry and grabs a hair dryer from a cabinet and starts to actually dry his hair. He runs his fingers through the silver locks once dried and sets the hair dryer back, grabbing a hair brush and brushing the Omegas hair.

San smiles at Wooyoung's purrs and continues to do it. Once done he sets the brush back down and styles the Omegas hair similarly to his hairstyle.

"There. All good now baby?" Wooyoung nods.

San takes his hand gently and leads him out of his room, walk down the stairs and explaining where everything is.

They walk into the kitchen, hand in hand, where the rest of the pack is minus Seonghwa, Hongjoong, Sooyoung, Soojin, Soomin and Byeol.

"Where are the rest?" San asks Yunho.

"Hwa and Joong are still in their room after their little, ahm, activity. Min and Yeol are babysitting the twins in their room." Yunho replies to San.

San nods and walks to the kitchen island, sitting down on the high stool and pulling the Omega onto his lap. Wooyoung lets him and makes himself comfortable, he jumps a little when San wraps his arms around his waist and rests them gently on his hips. San taps his waist a few times in apology and pecks his head softly as well.

Yunho sets a large plate filled with cooked meat, rice and some kimchi. Wooyoung looks at the Beta confused. There's no way in hell he could finish all of this by himself.

Yunho notices his stare and chuckles, patting his head softly."Eat as much as you want. San will finish the rest."

Wooyoung turns his head around and looks at San with a raised eyebrow. San looks at him and chuckles, pecking his cheek and temple softly."Eat baby. I'll finish the rest." Wooyoung pouts a little and nods, grabbing his spoon and eating the rice.

While the Omega eats, Seonghwa and Hongjoong finally come down. The Alpha gently helping his Omega walk down the stairs with his 3 month old baby bump in the way. They walk into the kitchen and everyone bows their heads down in respect.

The eating Omega doesn't notice and continues to eat, happy and safe in San's arms as he eats his food.

Seonghwa chuckles and lets Hongjoong sit down, the Omega sighing in comfort and swinging his legs a little. Seonghwa grabs a plate for his mate and places a apple, bananas cut into small squares, strawberries and some blueberries. He sets the plate in front of his mate and kisses his temple softly.

"Woo baby." Wooyoung raises his head up and looks at San with a confused look.

"Do you want me to introduce everyone to you? That is if you want me to. I won't force you."

Wooyoung looks at everyone and nods.

San nods and looks towards the two leaders."The white haired is Hongjoong, he's a Omega and our Luna. His mate is Seonghwa," Wooyoung looks at the two mates who are happily watching him with fond gazes."Hwa is a Alpha and our Head Alpha. They're the leaders of Serenity Pack."

San looks at him and Wooyoung nods, confirming that he understood.

"Next to them are Jongho and Yeosang. Jongho is a Alpha and our strongest pack member and fighter, he's also the youngest. His mate is Yeosang who's also a Omega like you and Joong." Wooyoung takes a glance at the two and notices the size difference.

The two stand at a similar height but Yeosang seems shorter than Jongho. While Jongho is taller, broader and bigger, Yeosang is small, not too short with a soft feminine look. He also noticed that's the same case for Hongjoong and Seonghwa as well.

He turns his gaze to Yunho and waits for San to explain.

"Yunho is our only Beta and the tallest too. He's mated to Mingi," San points to the red haired make next to him."he's a Alpha and second in command."

Just as San finished his sentence two females carrying two children in their arms walk into the kitchen. The white-haired female sets the two children in their respective chairs next to Hongjoong.

San notices the confusion on Wooyoung's face and take his hand gently, squeezing his hand softly and stroking his knuckles.

"That's Soomin, Byeol, Sooyoung and Soojin. Soomin is a Alpha, she's a older sister to me and younger twin sister to Seonghwa," San makes sure Wooyoung understands and continues.

"Byeol is a Omega, she's the younger sister of Hongjoong. The two are mates as well. As for Sooyoung and Soomin, well, it's self-explanatory as to who their parents are."

Wooyoung scans the two children and takes a quick note that the two wolfs look exactly like mini Hongjoong and mini Seonghwa.

"Oh."

Everyone chuckles and San pecks his cheek softly.

"Okay since the introductions are done, you need to know the rules. They're pretty simple but it would be easier if Seonghwa explains them since he created them."

The rest of the pack get up from their stools and set their dishes in one box and walk away. Yunho takes the box and sets it on the kitchen counter, Mingi comes next to his mate and helps him with washing. Hongjoong turns his attention to the children and keeps them distracted.

Seonghwa goes around the counter and sits down next to the couple.

"Okay, they're pretty easy to follow. Don't worry though, there are no punishments unless they're needed."

"The only punishment you get is Hongjoong or Seonghwa, sometimes both, lecturing you. Like a mom and dad thing since they're the parents of our pack." San says behind him and Wooyoung nods.

Seonghwa gently smacks San's head and turns his gaze to Wooyoung and places a gentle hand on his hand.

"Rule 1: No disrespecting other wolfs ranks; we don't care if you're a Alpha and rude to others. You're kicked out and banished out of the pack.

Rule 2: Only true mates can mate. There is no Omega or Beta slavery here. This is because of Alphas who can't keep their dicks in their pants.

Rule 3: No disrespecting the Head Alpha, your Luna or your pack mates. You'll be banished and kicked out instantly.

Lastly, rule 4: Freedom. Everyone has their own freedom to do as they want but do not cross the unnecessary lines. You'll be an outcast and a rogue."

Seonghwa watches as the gears turn in Wooyoung's head, the Omega taking all of the information silently. After a bit Wooyoung locks his gaze with Seonghwa's and nods.

"Okay." Seonghwa smiles softly and kisses the Omegas forehead softly.

"If you have any problems such as heat, thoughts, bullying, you can talk to any of us. However with heat, you can talk to San, Hongjoong and Yeosang about it. San is your Alpha and he needs to know about it. Okay? If you haven't experienced it fully you can ask Yeo and Joong."

Wooyoung nods and Seonghwa gives him another kiss on the forehead and gets up, walking over to Hongjoong and the twins.

Wooyoung turns his body around and looks at San."Is that allowed? Kissing someone else when you're mated?"

San looks at him and chuckles."It's completely platonic don't worry. Hwa and Joong do it to all of us. It's just their parental instincts kicking in. We honestly don't mind."

Wooyoung nods. San pecks his forehead softly and gives the plate to Yunho who's still washing the dishes. San tugs at his hand gently and pulls him up, Wooyoung lets him and follows him, letting the older male drag him back to his room.

Wooyoung than remembers Seonghwa's words back in the kitchen.

"San is your Alpha and he needs to know about it."

Wooyoung blushes at the thought.

My Alpha?

He looks at San and smiles softly as they enter his — no, their —room.

My Alpha indeed.

Previous Chapter : Next Chapter

[jackbabewang]

Chapter 1 — Intro: All about him

Word count ‧ 7,194

Chapter summary ‧ Just how did you got yourself into this with Jung Yoonoh?

Masterlist

At the age of twenty-four years, already a married woman, while your husband, who was your bitterest enemy since young—Jung Yoonoh. 

“Weren’t you two had always been going at each other like cats and dogs? Why are you married to him?”

Regarding this query, whoever knew you, or him, the question had been asked numerous times and for which your answer was always the same: “Harsh words or deeds can demonstrate one’s love. Couples who fight the most, love each other most. What you saw was our distinctive way of bonding.” 

However, coming face to face with your confidante and most intimate friend, Jennie, you could not help but burst open and spewed up all the pent-up misery you had kept inside. She was in a state of shock still with the news of your marriage, especially with the man, that she was yet to have a proper rest after being newly returned from New Zealand. 

“It’s a long story.” 

“Keep it short then.”

“It was a dark and dismal night, a whip of lightning streaked across the sky and then came the rain…”

Jennie’s face numb and all, “Forget about the scene and cut straight to the point!”

“Here’s where the point begins, be patient, you…”

“Stop. My bad. Keep going!”

That night, your parents had not returned home. Because you were starving so you simply cooked yourself a bowl of ramen. Right when you were about to dig in, the front door was suddenly flung open. It was unlocked. And quickly afterward, witnessed a completely drenched figure barged into your house uninvited. Dripping water on the living room floor and dirty footprints as he stalked towards you with his face darkened similar to that of the Grim Reaper. 

You stared at him, stunned and had not realized that the noodles slipped from your chopsticks and created a messy pile on the table. 

“____, let’s get married.” Yoonoh uttered no unnecessary words and directly confronted you on the subject of marriage. 

You staggered for a moment or two before going to the bathroom and fetched a large soft white bath towel and tossed it over his head. 

“The rain must have seeped into your brain. Talk to me again after you regain your consciousness.”

He did not reach for it, nor ward it off, letting the towel collided with his face and fell to the floor after. “My mom had a sudden heart attack, the doctor said she couldn’t sustain any longer.”

Although speaking of a matter so horrifying and yet no matter how terrifying, there was no expression or emotion on his face at all. But you could see the underlying dejection and fear in his eyes. 

People always say, those who understand you the most, in fact is not your loved ones but your enemy. You and Yoonoh were indeed destined to be natural enemies, therefore you could pronounce that you grasped him mentally. 

So…

You agreed to him, because you knew, the last thing his mother wished for was to see him getting married, and hoping for her only son to be blessed with consummate happiness.

On the day of your wedding, his mother was seated in a wheelchair. She was both pale and thin, but on her white sick face there was no pain or torment instead of a blissful smile. 

The next morning, his mother was then left the earth. Unlike a newly wedded couple, your first night was not spent in the bridal chamber. Rather guarded through the night by her sick-bed, yet still unable to reclaim her lost life. 

Upon the day of his mother’s burial, relatives and friends had long dissipated though Yoonoh stood before her tomb, unmoving for a long time. In the faint drizzle, his lone figure appeared intensely glum and dispirited. 

As you moved to hold the umbrella above him, astoundingly, stream on stream of tears rolled down his face. It was ever since you were little to witness the cold, arrogant and wicked man crumbling in distress for the first time. In this lifetime, perhaps even only once, you did not have the courage to look, not wanting to look, nor bear to see. 

From now on, he no longer had a family in this world. What kind of sorrow could it be?

Albeit unintentionally, the reminiscences had been going on for an indefinitely long period of time. If it was not for Jennie who snapped you out of your trance, you were afraid that the events for the past three months would be recalled vividly to your recollection.

Jennie’s return from New Zealand was unbeknownst to her parents, in case they would show up early in the morning at the airport waiting for her. By the time she gone back home, the Kim’s were genuinely surprised, overly excited, and ended up preparing a feast. You were, undoubtedly, coaxed to stay over and had a sumptuous dinner with them.

With your belly filled, you left the Kim’s and returned home as well. Inside this large house spread over two levels, it was quiet as always and almost deserted. Besides you, there was no other. 

Yoonoh was always busy with work that it was close to inhumane, he returned home late at night when you were asleep, and when you woke up in the morning, he was ready to leave for work. You could only catch a glimpse of him and neither of you exchanged a word. 

After taking a warm bath and tossing and turning restlessly in your bed, you went down to the kitchen and made yourself some supper, deciding to treat Yoonoh as well. 

When you finished eating, you retired to the living room and sat back to watch TV while resignedly cushioning your small body into the soft pillows of the couch. Not realizing the time, you fell asleep just like that. 

Awakened the next morning however, every joint in your body hurt and your nape felt stiff as if bruised or sprained, your legs were numb and you did not dare to move a muscle. Your body felt as though it was not yours anymore.

*Click* 

It was at that very moment, there was the sound of the door being unlocked and opened. You bore the ache and twisted your neck to the direction of the entrance. Yoonoh was finally back.

Seeing as he approached, you immediately looked up at him through tear-filled eyes and sent out SOS. He did not spare you a glance instead his eyes swept over the table of a plateful and an empty dishes, coldy he said, “Why didn’t you clean it up?”

“……” Whatever.

“My legs are numb, lend me a hand and carry me to my bed.”

Hazel eyes slanted ever so slightly beneath ebony dark brows, narrowed and judging. “Can you be more decent? Do you not have a bed to sleep?”

Last of all, he was not willing to provide help anyway. He went to get a document in the study and headed out once again. 

You had to endure the discomfort and led yourself hobbling back to your room. Then you felt your head spinning and began sweating profusely although the weather gave you no reason to. 

The next thing you knew was you woke up in a hospital bed, sitting beside you was Yoonoh flipping through document or magazine of some sort. 

You pushed yourself up into a sitting position and immediately felt the trickle of something wet from your nose. You jolted, thinking that it was blood and when you tilted your head down to expect redness on the white sheets, it only left a damp spot. You felt the dripping once more so you lifted your head in panic. A hand that was not yours, happened to be one step ahead and tossed a box of tissues to your side.

Pulling out sheets of them you wiped off the snot and then turning to him pitifully, pitiably. “How did I even catch a cold?”

His brows scrunched together and warned, “If you ever sleep on the couch again then don’t sleep on the bed anymore. I’ll move the couch into your room.”

“……”

The dramas, the novels; when a woman made supper for her man and fell asleep on the couch while waiting, even catching a cold because of it, in that case would not the man feel touched and guilty, and even showed pity and care for her?

But why was it when it came to you and Yoonoh, resulted in a plot twist? Sigh. It was the reality after all.

“I’m hungry.” You gave up any attempt to explain further and changed the topic instead.

He tossed his phone over, “Order it yourself.”

Then, utterly indifferent, you took his phone, brushing off any fat hopes you had for him. At least you were kind enough to order his portion as well.

Of course, he paid for the food. 

Catching of common cold was not such a big deal other than infusing drips of IV into your vein, but it did consume quite some time therefore when you were discharged from the hospital and returned home with Yoonoh, it was about 10pm at night.

Two plates that was once left on the table were already gone. Yoonoh chucked the package of prescription cold medicine over the couch and went upstairs to run a bath, while you were sitting on the couch watching TV. You were kicked back to your room the moment he came out after he had had a shower. 

Yes, you and him slept in separate rooms. The two of you had never been under the same blanket ever since your wedding day because your marriage meant nothing more than a show. 

You both had clearly understood that this marriage existed in name only. Even though his mother had passed away, you still had to keep up the pretense before others and could not get a divorce just yet. 

That was because your family and relatives did not know about the truth. When Yoonoh said he wanted to marry you, your parents agreed unhesitantly. 

As for the reason that you readily accepted him, besides being voluntary, it was also for the reason that…

Yoonoh had always been the pride of the neighbourhood, came through with flying colours in his studies and had received numerous awards. Looking all handsome and picturesque, he was an exceptionally well-behaved child in every way.

After graduating from university, he started a business and became the CEO of his own company. Whoever’s parents from a decent family background would not want to marry off their daughter to an outstanding son-in-law as him?

After taking two tablets of your medication and putting away your mug in the kitchen, it started raining heavily outside. Immediately you made your way upstairs to shut the windows. But, as you walked down the stairs, you remembered that Yoonoh had no umbrella when he left in the morning so you ran upstairs again, changed your clothes and picked up an umbrella as you headed out.

Once you reached his building, you called but he had not picked up so you waited outside instead. As autumn weather set in it commenced the approach of cool weather, even though it was just drizzle, it was cold. That was probably because you had not fully recovered, you sneezed only at the touch of a little breeze.

At a few minutes past five o’clock, most of the employees had left for the day however there was yet a sign of him.

You called his cell phone. Again, nothing.

Around five-thirty, you were contemplating whether or not you should go inside when he finally showed up. However tagged along next to him was a woman dragging her wheeled suitcase behind her. 

Certainly you knew the woman, and needless to say, she was Yoonoh���s sweetheart—Park Sooyoung.

When did she come back from overseas? Judging her stance, she must have darted to his company as soon as she got off the plane. 

No, perchance, Yoonoh could have picked her up from the airport and brought her to his company straightaway. 

He saw you, and his brows scrunched slightly in what you could not comprehend the perplexed expression in his eyes. You considered for a moment the gaze that would give you an inkling. 

You walked towards him, arm outstretched, “Mr. Jung, here’s the umbrella you’ve ordered, thank you for supporting Gmarket. It’s our pleasure serving you and we certainly look forward to doing that in the future.”

The furrow cleaving his brows deepen, the gloominess in his eyes suggested the forecast of his outburst. 

You kept the customary smile fixed on your face, indisputably shoving the umbrella into his hand. “Please give us a five stars rating if you’re satisfied with our service. Your support is our motivation. I’ve orders to be delivered so I’ll leave you two alone then.”

With that being said, you scampered off. Yet merely a few steps away, your nose tickled and worked up a loud sneeze. 

You were of a weak physique which had to do with your menstrual periods. It was winter when you first had it. You did not know any better and forewent appropriate preventive and protective measures which resulted in having a cold womb, consequently a poor body condition. You were more tended to commitment than anyone else in the aspect of taking medicines or injections. 

You changed your clothes on the return and laid in bed for a few minutes then, Yoonoh was back as well.

You listened for any stray noises downstairs and wondered why did he even come home so early? Shouldn’t he be catching up with his old flame? Suddenly the door pushed open and Yoonoh stepped inside with a glass of water which he sat on the nightstand next to your bed. 

“Take your medicine,” he said in a commanding tone. 

“I did.”

“Really?”

You fumbled with the aluminium strip and explained as you pointed the hollows, “It’s taken three times a day, two pills at the same time. I took once last night before I went to bed, once this morning, and once this afternoon. It’s evening now so I took another. Look, there are eight little holes, just about the four times I took them.” 

He went silent for some time, “Drink the water then.” 

“I’m not taking any pills, why should I?”

His face went a shade darker than it already was, registering annoyance and impatience, “Drink more warm water to recover quickly.”

He couldn’t possibly cared about me, could he? But his face said otherwise. 

You lifted the glass and blew across it before taking a sip. As a token of appreciation.

For a few minutes, there was silence. No one spoke a word. 

The warmth of the glass radiated through your hands as you clutched it. You hesitated to say anything. But then, you asked a question that you should not have asked. “She probably didn’t know about our marriage, did she?”

Whether he may be feigning ignorance or not, he questioned back, “Who?”

“Sooyoung!” As soon as it left your mouth you regretted them. 

Beyond doubt, his facial expression changed to that you could not tell if he was shocked or grew alarmed. 

“You know her?”

You mentally rolled your eyes, how could you not? You and him were both from the same high school and it was not all that rare you saw him sending her back home, ate together in the canteen and also tutored her in the library.

“Oh, she was our high school’s beauty queen, how could I not know her?” You were faking it.

It was as if he had a flash of remembrance of the fact that you were, indeed, from the same high school as him. He nodded and hummed. 

Tch, tch! Sooyoung was not even our high school’s beauty queen, it was Jieun!

It had been a year since Jennie left Korea, afterall she was born and raised as a legit Korean, eventually her lifestyle still bore traces of her origin. At those times she was in New Zealand, she was skinnier than she once was and spent less money on clothes than she once did. Which pretty much gave her the reason to go all crazy shopping and challenging the possibilities in an unlimited credit card. 

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Just take it as a wedding gift.” And she did not miss the chance to pamper you as well. It was not like you could object her intention anyway, but it would be better if she stuffed your pockets with cash than buying you that overpriced piece of denim skirt. Just saying.

At some point in time, you underestimated her energy after all the walking and shopping, she was livelier than you were, who was already flopping on her king-sized bed like a dead fish. She pulled at your arm, practically dragging you up to a standing position and forced you into slipping on the newly bought skirt. Then she began dolling yourselves up for her #mirrorselfie and uploading it to KakaoStory with the caption: Couple look with Wifey! It’s been awhile! ♡

You could not help but giggled lightly. It was like you were back to college years once again, where in the dormitory reenacting roles in historical dramas and addressing each other by Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness and My Lady. So you left a comment: Thanks Hubby for the gift!

No longer after the post was reacted by your old classmates and friends. You scrolled through the chains of comments until you reached the bottom, where you surprisingly saw a comment from the one and only Jung Yoonoh. 

What? That lad even comments on social media now? Is he out of his mind?

That replied though, he was definitely out of his mind. It was only a single word, and the word that women hated the most: Ugly.

You contemplated for a moment, had you wanted to fire back at him. However just when it was about to send through, a surge of brilliance stopped you and reminded that all your basic needs were benefited from the saint, you had to mind your words and not to offend the lad. 

Another day of scrounging dinner at the Kim’s, it was only eight when you returned home. The first thing that greeted you was the sight of Jung Yoonoh sitting on the couch with a towel wrapped around his waist and a laptop perched on his lap. 

“Oh? You’re early today!” You said to him while switching into your pair of fluffy room shoes.

His long, lean fingers walked and leaped across the keyboard and he did not lift his head to look at you. “This is my house, do I have to report it to you when I come back anytime?”

You rolled your eyes but wisely held your tongue. You were about to make your way upstairs to freshen up when he called after you, in which you turn to him as you tried to keep the annoyance off your face, “What?”

“Make dinner.”

“No, I already ate.”

“I haven’t.”

“Go make it yourself then!”

Finally, he lifted his head and the look of impatience painted over his face. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”

“What does that have to do with me?”

He barked, “That’s what women supposed to do!”

You roared back, “Ask Sooyoung to make it for you then!”

After you spoke the hasty words, you regretted them. 

You both instantly went silent. A fraction of a minute later, Yoonoh closed his laptop with a loud *smack* and turned to go upstairs. 

You stayed rooted to the spot, feeling a strange, distressing internal conflict. In saying so, didn’t you just indirectly tell him that you knew there was something going on between him and Sooyoung?

You took a shower and sat in your room, towel drying your hair while listening for any sound of movement from downstairs. Assumably he would make dinner for himself since you refused to, however, there was no sound at all.

Your hair was half-dried, and in the end you were not able to continue being hard-hearted so you pretended to go downstairs to fetch a glass of water and, in coincidence, walked past the kitchen. But there was no silhouette of Yoonoh.

Your mind immediately relived the time where his mother held onto your hands so dearly and exhorted you to take good care of Yoonoh, words about handing over her only son to you and some sort as he could not take care of himself well. For the sake of his mother, you made him a hearty meal. 

It was nothing fancy, just basic home cooking of the most you could do. Then you went upstairs and knocked on his door. There was no answer. You knocked again. No answer. With your patience wearing thin, you scolded behind wooden door, but even so there was no response. 

Is he seriously being ridiculous right now? How old is he? Five?

You took the spare key to his room, opened the door and switched on the lights, but there was no one inside. So you went to his bathroom. Saw none. Rounded his study, still nobody in sight. 

This jerk, he couldn’t possibly went out when I was in the shower?

A sudden unanticipated disappointment filled you, then it slowly grew into grievance. Without a second thought you dashed downstairs and dumped platefuls of hot food into the bin. 

While washing the dishes, a slippery plate slid from your hands from harsh scrubbing and dropped to the floor where it shattered into pieces. 

You felt worse than before and your intelligence plummeted as your mood did that you picked up the wreckage of the plate with your bare hands and in the process you accidentally cut yourself.

You had no idea if it was because of the excruciating pain or the oppression you had gone through, tears streamed down your face at such an intensity that you thought you were walking in the storm. 

Next day when you woke up, inside the kitchen sink there still remained unwashed dishes, glass shards still littered the floor, there were still blood stains, and Yoonoh still had not come home. 

He probably had a feast last night, right? A man like him that wouldn’t have to trouble himself, how would he be left to starve, right? Moreover, he would’ve spent on Sooyoung as well, a fancy candlelight dinner even! Pft. 

Whether Yoonoh was throwing a tantrum, or had he already became fed up with wherever you were, ever since that night of bickering, he had not been back for three days. And there was not even a call from him. Though he got on your nerves all the time and you disliked every bit of him, you worried about him. It was inevitable.

In the end, you could not hide your concern and went to his company in search of him. Found out that he had went on a business trip and would be back by a week. 

Right when you reached home, you were informed that your parents flew over from Ulsan. When you went to pick them up at the airport, the two oldies kept glancing over behind your back, you knew what they were up to but much to their regret you had to tell them, “Stop looking. Your dearest son-in-law went on a business trip. He couldn’t make it.”

It was only then they held back their bulging eyes which almost popped out of their sockets. 

Wheeling their suitcases and walking a few steps behind your parents, you breathed a silent sigh…

You and Yoonoh had grown up in the same neighbourhood where your doors faced each other, and eventually developed a strong bond between both households. You were always at each other’s houses when little, Yoonoh was an only child and his mother had always wanted a daughter, but his father had passed on at an early age and his mother refused to remarry as well. And because you had always scrounge for free meals at the Jung’s, his mother then claimed you as her own child. 

Even if Yoonoh was discontented with your regular visits, he could not utter a single word of complaint before his mother. However behind that, he called you shameless for doing so. 

But you, avoided all costs of verbal dispute and resumed chomping down the cookie that his mother gave you where he had none, was enough to drown him in suffocating anger. 

It was as if he was putting on a revenge on you that he showed up at your house as well for good food. Though he had a better understanding than you in pleasing the adults. He would wash his dishes and put it back in the cabinet, while the kids in your family would just throw everything aside and skipped away for cartoons. Which explained why your mother adored him more than her own seedlings. 

He needed not to munch on cookies, merely the way your mother compared you all to him was enough to trigger your bunch of siblings. 

Yoonoh had already been a bad-tempered boy when he was born. Besides his mother, practically no one was in his line of sight. He frequently bruised the kids in your neighbourhood and even though those adults told their children to stay away from him yet you were not afraid of him at all. 

Though he did not like you any better, he would never hit you. Because you were not dumb like others to always get to his bottom line. Contrastingly, in a corner, you would throw pebbles to whoever he was fighting with. However every single time those wicked losers would come over his house with their parents seeking for justice, and it was unavoidable for Yoonoh to be punished by his mother. It be kneeling in repent and some spankings.

You had always wanted to tell his mother that it was never his fault, instead it was the others who had thrown awful insults at him. But often when you were about to speak up, his death glare immediately shut you up, as if he would pounce on you once a word left your mouth. 

Over time when one another grown a little, the kids in your regional neighbourhood were humorously defeated not only in terms of stature, but his personality, modesty, gentility, excellence in education, as well as his outstanding looks. Whereby the kids no longer had the guts to provoke him to anger, and would not want to pick a fight on him. He did not bother about those disgustingly dirty kids who played marbles on the ground either way. 

It was truly despondent that you were still unpleasant in his eyes. No matter what, as long as you were involved in even the tiny littlest thing that, unfortunately, he caught on to, he would mock and ridicule you about it. 

And of course, unlike the others in your neighbourhood, you would not change your perception towards him just because of his transformation, regardless his exceptional qualities, he was still the Jung Yoonoh who seeks revenge for the smallest grievance, the Jung Yoonoh who was short-tempered. 

The past was of such flash-like episodes, yet in your childhood was all about Yoonoh’s, his forbearance, his incisive wit, his irreconciliation, his courageousness, his senselessness, and many many more, even of the simplest recollection of the past, it was limitless. 

Apparently your parents were not here with the prime intent to see you, it was your nephew who recently got admitted to the hospital so they were here to pay a visit. And it was only then they remembered that you and Yoonoh were in Seoul as well so they decided to drop by along the way.

Even if they dropped round your house for awhile, it made you wary of the current situation where you and Yoonoh were seemingly in a cold war. Yet your parents chose the wrong timing. 

You tiptoed into the bathroom and made a call to Yoonoh while your parents were not looking, but you were left wondering what was the point of him getting a phone if he never answered. 

Just in case, you sent him a text, and to be honest you had no expectation of a reply. But as soon as it was transmitted, the lad called you back. The tone of his voice did not sound so good as he began. 

“What do you mean pretend?”

“Well… I…”

“I was on a business trip in the first place, don’t make it sound like I’m you.” He was making an oblique reference to your parasitic lifestyle. 

The contents of your message were:

So here, the current situation was that you had a request to make to him, so you passively accepted his humiliation and refrained from biting back. While he was still on the line, hurriedly you stepped out into the living room. 

“Hello? Jung… Yoonoh, you must be tired, aren’t you? Did you eat well and get enough sleep?” In order to have your parents believed that you both were truly and madly in love, you spoke in a voice so soft, so gentle. 

However the jerk he was saw it as a chance to poke fun of you, “You think that I’ll have the appetite with your voice sounding like that?” 

You had really wanted to scold him for it but your mother came to you and reached for the phone. As you handed it over, you did not miss the chance and indicatively cleared your throat and said, “Mom wants to talk to you.”

Then, you heard your mother murmured abstractly. Unsure of what Yoonoh said to her, just that she was glowing brighter than a rainbow trout if you had not noticed.

You dug in the refrigerator and pulled out ingredients for dinner when your mother barged in and snatched away the kitchen knife and shoved the phone back into your hands. “There’s nothing for you to do in here. Get out and have a nice talk with your husband.”

With the phone clutched in your hand as you stomped into the living room, your father was seated comfortably on the couch reading newspaper, while for that someone over the line, you were lost for words. 

To be frank, there was nothing you could talk about with him!

You did not say a word, he did not sound like he was going to, you both were quiet for a little more and lastly you were the one to break the silence. 

“Oh? You’re having a meeting? Alright, I’ll hang up now. Yes, yes. I’ll take care of mom and dad, don’t worry.” Without hesitation you ended the call. 

Ever since you got married to Yoonoh, it had been awhile since you had eaten your mother’s cooking, it was what you missed the most. As soon as you hung up the phone, you skipped into the kitchen to snatch a mouthful or two but once again your mother kicked you out.

There was some time before dinner was ready so you went upstairs to take a shower. However it was never to your expectation that, during the interval of having a complete shower, another being showed up downstairs in the living room. 

With surprise at what you saw, you stood atop the steps for a moment. Rubbing your eyes as to confirm the reality of his presence, you stumbled over and questioned him in disbelief, “How did— back— here?”

In normal times he would definitely be lifting his chin in an arrogant sneer, “This is my house, why do you even care?”

But thankfully he was humane as he spoke before your parents, “Mom and dad came to visit us once in a while, how could I not be back?”

Your father was undeniably moved and said, “Work is important, we’re here for a short while only. Don’t let it interfere with your job.”

A gentle, harmless smile was still on his face as he spoke, that for a second you almost forgotten his true nature. “Don’t worry, dad. I’ve arranged everything before I came back.” 

“That’s good.”

He sure was a great actor. 

Your mother used to be the head chef of a restaurant and therefore it had become a practice to prepare a table of food of a vast variety. 

Yoonoh courteously pulled out a chair for your mother and seated her at the table, then it was as if he was out of his mind, he went round to pull out a chair for you as well, acting like a complete gentleman. 

During dinner, your mother occasionally picked up a morsel of food and filled his bowl but never once for you. Right when you were stuffing rice in your mouth in nothing but insane jealousy and doubting if Yoonoh was her biological son instead, the man with the surname Jung picked up a piece of meat and put it in your bowl, then added, 

“Honey, eat a lot. You’re getting thinner!”

*Intense choking*

You were not expecting that and surely were taken aback by the intimate form of address. The grains were on their way down your throat as you started choking and coughing and sputtered on like a useless engine. With your tear-filled eyes, you went to fetch a glass of water. After a few sips and a bit more coughing you calmed down again. 

All the while you glared at him but he pretended as if nothing ever happened and continued his ministrations of apple-polishing your mother. 

It was kind of late when dinner was over. Your parents had been visiting at your aunt’s for the day before hopping to another stop at your house. You understood that it was beyond tiring for the elders of nearing fifty years of age so you made them stay for the night. 

You did not forget to evaluate any changes of expression on Yoonoh’s face, after all he was the homeowner. It was to your consideration that if he did show a slither of unwillingness, you would take it as an excuse that the guest room was yet to be organized and cleaned up and tagged along your parents to stay at the hotel. 

Though you never thought that he was sensible, there was no sign of disapproval, yet with greater fervour than you when he insisted your parents to stay for the night. Which he even said how the house was desolate and quiet with just the two of you and it was then finally the household was liven up. 

Your parents were easily persuaded in that case, there was a moment’s hesitation before agreeing. However you suddenly regret with the idea of their stay, because your mother broke into a wide grin as she eyed your belly, “You two should work hard while you’re still young. Very soon you’ll have a jolly time.”

Simultaneously you and Yoonoh were drowned into awkwardness and your eyes drifted towards one another for a second. 

That night, it was like your parents were truly heading for the goal of giving life to this dullsville, they strongly disagreed to your ‘aabb’ rooming system and insisted upon ‘abab’. There was no room for discussion even though they were supposedly the guests and then you and Yoonoh were forced into the same room. 

You looked back to the door that was slammed shut behind you in total despair, something within you was stirring. The heck, why does this feel so awkward?

To conceal your agitation, you ignored his presence and glanced around his room, scanning everywhere. Honestly, though you were three months married, on the fingers of one hand you could count the number of times you had entered his room. And those times were no longer than a minute. 

You did not expect his room to be this simple and… bare. Not in a way that the finishings were improperly done, his room was basically decoration-free. 

A desk was set directly before a large floor-to-ceiling windows, a nightstand by the bed, a book sitting on top of it, two wardrobes occupied the other end of the room. Other than that, there was not even a small-sized pot of air purification plant. 

It was monochromatic and painfully neat like a hotel suite. Was it to him that just a place to sleep?

On the east was the ensuite bathroom. Yoonoh was already disrobing himself as soon as he got in. You knew that he wanted to take a shower, which he clearly was not implying anything else, however…

“Can you— Can you go inside to change…” You could feel your face burning crimson. Even though you were cool with anything and brazen all along, it did not mean that you would not be shaken up when a man openly put up a strip show before your very eyes. 

Yoonoh cast a careless glance in your direction, his hands that were unbuttoning his dress shirt paused with the job half done, his face demonstrating the slightest bit of hesitation as if he too, realized that it was inappropriate to take off his clothes in front of a woman. 

Nonetheless, Jung Yoonoh who was haughty and high-minded in the extreme as ever would never yield to you either way. His moving hands that stopped for no more than ten seconds began undoing the buttons once again. 

“This is my room. I can take off my shirt wherever I want.” As soon as he finished pronouncing the last word, the garment slid off completely and showcased his milky skin, physical strength evident in the muscles of his forearms, lines that ran in to his waist and then down over the cut of his hips, thick ridges sculpted his abdomen. 

It was unbelievable he had such great physique. He must have gone to the gym often. 

Your body, your face burned still more when you heard the unmistakable metallic clinking of a belt being unbuckled. Immediately you whipped your head away from him. 

After all the scuffling of Yoonoh removing every article of clothing in existence, he stepped into the bathroom. Only when the door swung shut with a loud swoosh and clicked closed you dared to turn around. Subconsciously taking a peek over the pile of clothes on the floor, it was purely accidental you saw a pair of navy Calvins.

This pervert, how dare he stripped naked and not even be cautious that you might turn around without warning?

When Yoonoh was finished he emerged with a towel wrapped around his hips. Not even once he spared a glance in your direction as he headed to the nightstand while drying his hair with a smaller towel. He picked up the only book and took a seat on the chair by the large windows and began reading in leisure. 

You were still stood in the same spot, still contemplating whereto your feet should set upon. Truthfully you were already feeling drowsy. Yet, in spite of that, you had not had the nerve to climb onto his bed. There was only one bed in his room, other than that you could sleep on, you had no choice in the matter. 

He kept no extra blankets in his room and could not even make up a bed on the floor. You felt unsettled and perturbed inside, you riddled with anxiety over him fixing you up for the night. Well, you were definitely overthinking it. Thought the kind of person Yoonoh was would be aware of your existence? Dream on. Until his hair was dried, he climbed into the bed, giving absolutely no thought at all to where you were going to sleep. 

The weather had been very cold for several days, had on your thin clothes, your skin broke out in goosebumps for being exposed to the chill air. There was no way you were going to stand there forever waiting for a miracle. On what basis you were to bear the freeze while he was sleeping so comfortably on the warm bed? Being therefore thick-skinned from the thought of injustice, you proceeded to climb into the other side of the bed, pulling the blanket over your shoulders until you were cocooned in its warmth. 

You were pretty sure that Yoonoh would pick on you and you had a ready comeback for that. With every second that passed, however, his eyes were fixed on the book as he flipped through the pages before he switched off the bedside lamp, slid under the covers and went to sleep with his back turned to you. 

You were faced with the floor-to-ceiling windows, the curtains were opened and the bright city lights of Seoul looked like fairy lights in a distance. You attempted to distract yourself with the view and trying to actively suppress the feelings of nervousness. The more you suppress, the more they erupted with volcanic force and your heartbeat increased threefold. 

For it was the first time in your entire life, to share a bed with a man. The man was Jung Yoonoh and most importantly… he was completely naked. 

Your face flared for the umpteenth time that night. You squeezed your eyes shut with all effort to keep your mind from wandering far and wide, across topics best ignored. The world fell to a blank, dead silence but it was strange, unusual. As if there was a significant heat radiating from his body had seeped through that you felt yourself heating up even more in response. You wiggled your way upward, getting ready to lift the thick covers—

“Move again, you’re getting off.” Yoonoh growled suddenly and you were too scared to stir around by then.

After a brief internal struggle, sleep finally claimed you without knowing yourself when or how, but it was not the peaceful sleep. You began tossing, turning and shuffling the covers trying to get in a comfortable position. Abruptly, you felt something warm and soft which gave you an illusion of your fluffy white throw pillow. You reached over and hugged it tight, nuzzling into the puff of cloud and blissful contentment permeated every cell of your body. 

However, it seemed like it was getting warmer and warmer, like an electric blanket on a cold December night. Your skin burned and stung. You wanted to lift off the covers, but strangely, you found yourself unable to move. 

At that moment, you were sure you were sleep paralyzed, which you had experienced a couple of times during your life so it was not new, but even so it felt unusual. You had only felt numbness throughout your entire body, you could not open your eyes. Or speak. The weight crushed on you this time radiated the heat of boiling mercury, and there was something unknown that tunneled beneath your shirt. 

[axbxlx]

Hell to Pay: Part Forty-Five

I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, IX, IX, XX, XXI, XXII, XXIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XVIIII, XXX, XXXI, XXXII, XXXIII, XXXIV, XXXV, XXXVI, XXXVII, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XL, XLI, XLII, XLIII ,  XLIV

cowritten by @lux-scriptum

Lev scrunched his nose at Nik, and flicked some water at him. "I think we need more scenty stuff," he said, sighing. "This wasn't enough with the last bath." It'd been a few more days, and Lev still had that lingering undercurrent of death to his scent.

Nik chewed on his bracelet. "I mean, it might be permanent?" Nik said, watching Lev carefully.

Despite himself, Lev's bottom lip trembled. He scrubbed at his face to get rid of the expression. "No," he said stubbornly. "It'll fade. I refuse to smell like roadkill forever. I just need to keep- to keep scrubbing at it." Even if he was already tired just sitting here.

"You don't smell like road kill," Nik said. "Amara's just a bitch."

Lev frowned. "She's blunt," Lev said. "And you agreed! At least that I smell... dead. I don't like it." He held up his rag. "So. Scrubbing."

Nik looked offended. "I didn't say I agreed," he protested, and went on to add petulantly, "If it bothers you that much, you can get axe body spray."

"I think I'd rather smell dead," Lev muttered, scrubbing at himself half heartedly.

"Are you sure?" Nik needled.

Lev threw his rag at Nik and blew a raspberry at him.

Nik caught the rag, smiling a little. "Well, apparently there are worse things to smell like than death, then, aren't there?"

"Hmph." Lev reached for one of the bottles of oils, and poured some in.

"See? I was right."

"Hmph," Lev muttered again, sinking lower in the water. It was hot enough he was flushed gold, but he doubted the warmth would last more than a few minutes out of the bath itself. He lifted a leg and draped it over the bathtub so he could poke Nik. "How long do I have until dinner?"

After grabbing one of Lev's toes and tugging, Nik said, "Until Cameron comes and yanks us out of here."

Lev wiggled his toes at Nik in response, before sighing and sitting up. "Get me a towel?" he asked, pulling the plug.

"Sure thing, Princess." Lev got out while Nik tracked one down, and let Nik rub him down when he got back. He kissed Lev's cheek when he was done.

Lev booped noses with Nik before he went to go find some clothes. Nik wasn't far behind, so Lev just grabbed the first sweater and pair of pyjama bottoms, and backed out of the closet again. He pulled them on and turned to make a beeline for the bed.

Nik caught him around the waist gently. "We gotta eat. Cameron will yell if we don't. Also... I'm hungry."

"We can eat in bed," Lev said, lifting a finger with each point. "I'm sleepy. Cameron never yells, and... we can eat in bed."

"Lev. No. We eat in the kitchen like civilized people do."

"I'm not civilized, I'm a zombie," Lev joked, even as he padded for the hallway.

"You're not a zombie," Nik said sharply, as he pulled Lev towards the kitchen.

"I know," Lev said apologetically as he followed willingly. "I was just joking. I thought it was funny, Nik."

He decided to ignore the look Cameron shot them, and settled at the table, immediately putting his head down.

"Did you not get enough sleep?" Cameron asked dryly.

"I'm sleepy," Lev mumbled.

There was a long stretch of silence, before, "I can see that."

---

Bedtime had become Lev's favorite part of the day. He felt less guilty about sleeping then. Once he was free of dinner, Lev all but dove into bed, and just peeped out from under the covers at Nik. Nik joined him indulgently.

That was all Lev needed to suction himself to Nik's side. He pressed his face to Nik, sighing happily.

"You're not an igloo anymore," Nik said.

Lev hummed. "Good," he said, sitting up and peeling out of his shirt. He flopped back down, closing his eyes. "Maybe the sleeping is helping."

"You mean it isn't my fantastic body heat that's helping?"

"Cuddles help," Lev agreed. "And taking the baths like Ash said probably helped too. Finally."

Nik hummed. "I mean, I guess."

Lev was too sleepy to argue. "Hey, Nik?" he asked, bumping Nik's head with his own.

"Hm?"

"Can you say it again?"

"You mean, 'You're not an igloo anymore'?"

"No," Lev mumbled. "The love thing."

Nik kissed Lev's nose, matching Lev's mumbled tone as he said, "I love you."

A smile crossed Lev's face. "I love you too. So much," he promised sleepily.

"That's because you have taste."

"Not according to Cameron."

"Yeah, well, that's because Cameron's a snob."

Lev laughed softly, but he was already drifting off.

---

Darius had spent the last week and a half, for lack of a better phrasing, hiding. The moment Destris had laid eyes on him, Darius had made good use of the last five hundred years of ghostly practice and kept his distance the best he could.

And the best way he could do that was by keeping Nate company in his house; even if that meant not keeping an eye on his mate in this time. He had barely had a moment where he could go back and just see Cameron and make sure he was getting back to his routine now that Lev was back.

He had spent the last hour or so in Nate's art studio watching Nate paint while his baby napped in a bassinet soundly next to him. At nearly four and a half months Lucas seemed to have grown a bit of chub in his dusted tan cheeks and had seemed to sleep almost completely through the night- especially since Bay and Nate moved Eden to a different room.

The little monster seemed to enjoy screaming in the middle of the night to wake everyone up in the house, especially the little boy who had been sleeping deeply across the room from her. Nate kept side eyeing him from the painting, watching Darius play with Lucas' dark brown locks. "...If you want," Nate said, "I could. Let you hold him? I know you won't hurt him."

Darius hummed faintly. "I know," he said, after a long moment. "However, I'm not too sure that your mate would be as agreeable." Especially since there had probably been a total of two or three people besides Bay himself who had held Lucas.

And that included Nate in the equation.

Nate sighed and leaned back, eyes turning back to the colorful painting he was working on. "Yeah," he agreed. "That's true. Though I think he's getting better." There was such a fondness in his voice, right along with amusement. "He even let Ash hold him, without threatening to break his fingers if he dropped Lucas. I think that's progress to be quite honest."

"Absolutely," Darius said, solemnly. "Besides I don't want to worry about waking the little one up. I'm sure with Eden's shrill lungs it makes nap time a bit difficult."

"The worst. I have the feeling Baylor fights the urge to smother Eden with a pillow on a daily basis."

"He has remarkable self restraint," Darius said, moving up to his feet from the floor. "Would it be alright if I went to check on them?"

Nate flicked him an amused look. "Well you don't need to ask my permission," he said. "Ash said that they seem to be settling back into some kind of normal now that Lev's home. Though I understand if you want to go see for yourself."

Darius gave him a smile before disappearing out of Nate's house to Cameron's. He showed up just in time to see Nik take a sleepy Lev presumably to the bedroom, and while he watched them for a lingering heartbeat, he then turned his attention back towards the kitchen where he knew Cameron would be.

He started his way and settled at the counter, watching as Cameron went about systematically cleaning the kitchen. He had watched Cameron, countless times, in how he cleaned. There was such a meticulous orderliness to it that was fascinating to watch. The kind of order this brought seemed to soothe something jagged within Cameron.

Cameron finished cleaning the kitchen; had wiped down the counters three separate times before finally leaving. He followed Cameron back to the office, settled at the far end of the house from the bedroom, and went to the desk where he promptly went back to doing paperwork.

Darius settled across from him in one of the leather chairs, out of the way. There were carefully stacked blueprints Cameron seemed to be going through while taking and making calls. He did not miss the carefully folded blanket and pillow on the leather couch against the wall, either.

After a while Darius slipped silently from the room and wandered to the bedroom Lev and Nik were sequestered in. He found Lev curled into Nik's chest, out cold while Nik played with Lev's dark waves, half asleep himself.

"It's sad isn't it?" a voice said, from behind him. "Once again you're all alone and left with me. You'd think five hundred years would be enough for you to finally realize you are nothing."

If Darius could actually draw in air, he'd definitely be heaving a long sigh. It wouldn't be worth the energy it would take and instead, he looked squarely at Destris. "I do not need five hundred years to tell me something false," he said. "We're all something and someone, however you just. Happen to be an ass. Are you planning on spending your afterlife watching after Cameron. With me? You could move on... be somewhere not trapped between life and death."

"Have you considered taking your own advice?" Destris asked, mildly. "Or is your infatuation for Cameron just that strong?"

"My love for Cameron is that strong, yes," he corrected. "Not that you would understand, of course. I think any love you had for your family was bled out of you long before Cameron was conceived. And anything that was left was twisted into jealousy."

Destris gave an amused huff of a laugh. "Are you suggesting I am jealous of a bastard?"

A bastard who happened to have admiration and respect earned instead of outright given. "I'm suggesting you find a way to forgive yourself and find peace," Darius said.

The growing amused look on Destris' face was enough that Darius decidedly left and went back to Nate's house, where he knew Destris would not be fool enough to step foot. He found Nate still in the art studio, but this time Lucas was awake and wiggling around on his stomach on the floor.

Nate instantly looked up from his spot on the floor next to his son. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned. "You look... upset."

Darius shook his head and settled down on the floor next to him, watching Lucas wiggle and babble happily at Darius. "Hi baby," he said, softly.

Happiness lit up Lucas' face like a thousand little suns. Nate looked fondly at his baby. "He clearly takes after me," he said.

"I can see that," Darius said. "He has a beautiful smile."

"He's a beautiful boy."

While Nate and Darius went about gushing after the baby, Lucas decided to reach for the closest toy he could get his tiny gums on.

---

Lev woke up burning hot. He swallowed a whine, and sat up. Sweat slid down his back as he rubbed his face. After a second, he leaned over and took Nik's pillow from under Nik's head. Nik whined at him, still half asleep, but Lev just got up and crawled in the closet. He closed the door behind himself and set Nik's pillow down right up against it while he dragged his nest closer, and then flopped down, confused.

This was definitely his heat, which made how tired he'd been make so much sense. But with his fever rising, it was getting hard to focus. He couldn't explain why he needed to be here, in the closet, and not out there with Nik.

A few moments passed, and then he heard Nik sit on the other side of the door. "Are you okay? Do you need me to get Cameron?"

Lev watched Nik's fingers wiggle as far under the door as far as they could. "No," he managed. The only thing he could get his omega to tell him was that he had to protect Nik. Not from what, just that he had to do right by Nik and that meant keeping space between them.

"No, you're not okay, or no, don't get Cameron?"

Lev curled tighter. "I don't know," he finally mumbled. His throat tightened. "I don't know," he repeated, but his voice began to rise with barely contained hysteria.

He could hear and smell Nik leaving quickly. The distance between them sent pain spiking through him. He whimpered, bit down on his pillow, tears rolling down his cheeks.

A knock on the closet door startled Lev. Judging by how the pain eased, Nik was back, but it was Cameron who said, "Talk to me."

Lev pushed his back against the door firmly. "My heat- I didn't know- didn't want-"

"I know," Cameron said. "Do you want my help?"

"No," Lev said abruptly. He thumped his forehead against the door, muddling his way through the conflicting instincts. "No, I can't- you can't- no. We didn't talk about- anything before."

"We're talking now. What do you want?"

"No," was all Lev could manage. "I can't think." His fingers found their way to his hair and dug in. "It's so hot. I have to protect Nik. I have to do right by- no. I can't think. I can't- no."

Nik's voice was very high. "What do you mean you have to protect me?"

"I have to- my omega-"

"Let me help you. I want to help you." Nik paused. "Please."

"No." Lev closed his eyes. "No."

"Nik, go call Ash."

The door rattled a little as Nik sat down against it. Lev could hear him calling Ash as told, and he could smell how close Nik was. Lev shoved himself against it, and then he backed up somewhat. He buried his face in the pillow, sucking in a few ragged breaths.

He blocked out whatever conversation was going on on the other side of the door. All he could focus on was how hot he was. Shivers crawled down his spine, and even just laying there was unbearable even with the soft blankets and pillows with him.

For a few minutes, Lev wrestled with his instincts until he could drift into a half conscious doze. Cameron knocking on the door dragged him unwillingly from it just as he was adjusting it.

"Open the door, Levant," Cameron said, alpha firm.

Lev whined, but he scooted away from the door until his back hit the far wall, dragging his Nik-pillow with him. Cameron knelt in front of him. All he wore was a pair of black silk pyjama bottoms, and he had an open bottle of water in his hand. "Drink."

Lev took it warily, but half of it was gone in one go. It helped a little, but Lev just stared blankly at his alpha. When his alpha brushed his fingers against Lev's forehead, his cheeks, Lev held still. His head was spinning, and he could feel the heat radiating off of him.

"It's just a heat," Lev mumbled. "I can't- I can't think. I can always think."

"It's not just a heat. You were dead."

Lev pressed his palms against his eyes. "It's too soon," he whined. "I don't like this."

"You disliked being dead even more."

Another whimper came from Lev. He hunched over, at least until the water bottle started to spill. He sat up enough to stare at it blankly. In the end, he just held it out to his alpha hesitantly. Once the bottle was taken from him, almost gently, Lev folded in on himself again.

"You need to let Nik take care of you."

Lev shook his head. "I hurt- I'll- no. I can't." He didn't know how to explain the sheer conviction that he had hurt his omega before and that he would do it again if he wasn't careful. They hadn't discussed his heat. No one could consent in this. Not while Lev couldn't think straight and the other two would take care of him whether they really wanted to or not. It was how they showed they cared.

"Then what can you do?" His alpha was being so patient. Lev wanted to cry.

Instead he swallowed hard. His thoughts were racing, disjointed. "I can sleep." He pulled at his hair. "I can eat when I need to. But I can sleep through this."

His alpha nodded. "Fine. But Ash is on his way."

Ash. Ash. Lev had to blink a few times before the name clicked. Right. Ash. "Okay," he said in a small voice.

"Are you staying in here? We can move your nest to the bed, if you want."

Lev shook his head fiercely. "No."

His omega poked his head around the closet. "Can I come in there?"

Oh, the tone in his omega's voice. It hurt to whisper his, "No," but he just listed to the side and curled up. "I need you safe."

"Safe from what?" His omega asked, voice rising in confusion.

"Me," Lev mumbled, shrinking back into his nest and trying to crawl under the blankets.

That got his alpha's attention. "Lev, stop that. You're about as threatening as a piece of toast." Lev just closed his eyes and clutched the pillow close. Everything was so warm, and his head was swimming. His alpha put his hand in Lev's hair. "You're not going to hurt him."

It- it made sense, and yet- there was some sort of- voice, deep down, that his alpha was wrong, and he couldn't risk it. He couldn't. Logic had no place in a heat.

"Fine," his alpha finally said, resigned. "Nik's not going to leave. I'll be back in two hours."

Lev was confused until it clicked that it was probably almost three in the morning. Cameron usually got up before the sun, and that's when he started breakfast. At least he was keeping his routine. Lev just curled tighter.

---

Lev heard Ash before he saw him. The beta had the decency to knock on the closet door before he stepped inside. Lev's sleepy yes was enough invitation for Ash to kneel beside Lev's nest. Ash had questions for Lev, but when Lev just stared at him blankly, struggling to form a coherent thought, much less an answer, his omega took over for him from outside the closet.

"Why aren't you letting Nik in here?" Ash finally asked him directly.

Lev burrowed under his blankets. "I said no," he mumbled.

Ash sighed. "You need to stay hydrated," he finally said. "If he gets worse, call me."

"You're not going to make him?" His omega asked.

Lev almost wanted him to. He ached to be curled up in his boyfriend's lap, not huddled alone in a pile of blankets.

As soon as Ash was gone, Lev wiggled out of his clothes, throwing them out of the closet forcefully. Better. Better.

"Lev?" His boyfriend sounded so small and anxious. "Are you mad at me?"

Tears pricked at his eyes. "No," he choked out. "I love you. But I can't-" He had no idea how to explain the sheer conviction that Nik was safer away from him.

"You can still be mad at me and love me."

"I'm not mad," Lev said, finally starting to cry. "I'm not. I'm not. I just want- I have to do right by you. I just need- I need-"

"What does that mean?"

Lev flinched at the yell. "I don't know," he yelled back, and started crying harder. "I can't think."

"You don't have to think, you just have to let me hold you."

Lev wanted it. Wanted it so bad. His instincts were begging him to go, but he just curled tighter. "Just let me sleep," he said wetly.

"Okay," he heard his boyfriend say, and Lev could hear the tears in his voice too. Lev turned to face the wall, clawing for sleep. Maybe that would help.

---

Two days later, and everything was worse. His nest was soaked in sweat, and if Lev had been in any state of mind to be grateful, he would have been about the fact that he wasn't even a little aroused this heat. Instead he was hot and in pain. Every breath felt like swallowing glass, and he wanted to tear his skin off. It hurt.

Some time in the afternoon, Lev couldn't help it, and started to sob. That hurt too, but he couldn't stop. "Nik," he choked out, digging his nails into his arms to stay grounding. "Nik," he tried again.

The pain spiked as Nik's footsteps retreated. Lev muffled his cry with a pillow, curling tightly around himself. His alpha's scent appeared, but that wasn't who Lev wanted. "Nik," he whimpered.

His alpha grabbed him by the scruff. It was an old hold, one alphas used to make an omega go limp and make them easier to carry. Lev was honestly grateful for it; no matter how much it hurt, his body loosened enough for Cameron to carry him out of the closet. He found himself dropped in a lap.

"Let your mate take care of you," his alpha said firmly.

Lev couldn't argue with that. Not now. It felt right, with his mate's arms around him. Lev immediately started pulling on Nik's t-shirt. Nik hesitated, but let Lev undress him. Skin pressed against him, finally soothing most of the pain. Lev's tears lessened.

"Thank you," Nik mumbled as he held onto Lev.

Through his swimming thoughts, Lev managed to pluck out what he wanted to say. "You were right," he rasped.

"Of course I was. I'm always right." His mate sounded petulant, but all Lev cared about was the arms around him and the heartbeat against his hand.

---

Nik hadn't let go of Lev the moment he managed to get his claws into him. For the next day Lev's body temperature hadn't fluctuated in the slightest. Instead it had remained at a constant sweltering temperature, clinging to Nik the whole time.

He tried keeping his stomach not so pressed against Lev without his shirt. Amara's words about his weight were still ringing in his ears and he didn't need Lev's heightened instincts picking up on any of that.

Nik's head shot up when he heard someone knocking at the doorway. A growl was sitting deep in his chest before he even realized it was Ash at the doorway. That still hadn't stopped Nik from pulling Lev deeper against him.

Lev's only reaction had been a small whine and to dig his nails into Nik's back. Nik gave a small nip in apology before glaring at Ash. It was an effort to remind himself that this was Ash, even as annoyingly preachy as he was at times, he did in fact know what the hell he was doing.

"Can I come in?" Ash asked, from the doorway.

Nik was very aware of how firm his arms were around Lev's shoulders, keeping him as pressed against him as possible. He pressed his lips to Lev's shoulder before looking him in the eye. "Can he?"

Lev only stared at him blankly, eyes fever-bright and beyond gold. Nik took that nonanswer and looked back to Ash. "...sure," he finally said. But he stopped short and said, "Slowly." Unless Ash felt like getting a mouthful of teeth in his carotid. If he was a demon, that would hurt like hell.

Ash took that at the promise it was, and slowly came into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed a healthy space from them both. Ash's face was drawn tight. "Can I look him over?"

"Do I have to let him go?"

"No."

"Then go ahead."

Ash maneuvered around them, clearly having to do something like this before, quite possibly with other omegas in heats. The idea of having to deal with Bay during his heats would be nearly hysterical.

"Any changes at all?" he asked, Nik.

"His body temp has stayed the same, and Cam made him get out of the closet and come up here with me. Before that he was crying and in hysterics." When Lev didn't react to Nik's observations, he added, "That too. He just. Doesn't move and only responds when or if I try to move away from him. I think... he's been ignoring his base instincts, right? That's why this is so bad of a heat?" He fought the rising panic in his voice and kept himself carefully around Lev.

Ash's face was drawn tight. "Yeah, I think so. I wish Cameron had moved him to you sooner."

"He was trying to respect Lev's boundaries," Nik muttered irritably into Lev's burning skin. "And Lev got upset if I tried to come into the closet with him." Though that didn't stop Nik from also not wanting to be in the closet in the first place. And the guilt felt like acid.

That seemed to catch Ash's interest. "Why wouldn't he let you near him?"

"He said he was trying to protect me...?"

"Did he say what from?"

"Himself?"

Ash's face turned thoughtful, if a bit rueful. "Maybe he's trying to atone for trying to keep you dead."

Nik winced at that. "Okay but that doesn't even make sense. He doesn't remember doing that so why would he be trying to protect me from that idiocy now. If you haven't noticed, Ash, Lev is a little more alive? Telling me to be dead now would be a moot point."

"Are you, the most neurotic person I know, going to tell me that Lev would be using rational thinking during a heat at this current moment in time?"

When Nik moved to get just a little more comfortable to stop himself from smacking Ash upside the head, Lev whined and pressed deeper into him, promptly halting Nik's impulsivity. If it had been any other time he'd probably be sulking about it. If Ash didn't get a regular dose of a popping then he got unmanageable and too annoying. "We haven't been able to get Lev to eat very much," Nik admitted. "Not even Cam can until I try to help."

"I'll get an IV set up," Ash said, pulling out his phone to make a note. "Also I'm taking the room next to this one. I'm sure Cameron will be fine with it, if not he can get in line with everyone else who seems to have a problem with how I conduct things."

"Go nuts," Nik said, closing his eyes. "I'm sure he'll be fine feeding you as long as you prove to be useful to him."

---

When Bay said sit, Silas sat. He waited patiently on the couch, but when Bay put Lucas in his arms Silas went very still.

"You drop him and I break your arms," Bay warned.

Silas tucked Lucas close obediently, gazing down at Lucas. "Hi, baby," he cooed happily. Lucas babbled back, which only made Silas grin down at the infant.

"Lev's been alive for a week."

Silas stilled. "What?"

Even if Bay's firm look hadn't kept him in place, holding an infant would have. But still. "Hell of a thing to drop on me with no warning."

"Would you rather me have not told you?"

"No," Silas muttered, but he looked down at Lucas, and let the little boy grab onto his finger. That boy had more Nate in him than Bay, and  that was probably a good thing.

"That's what I thought. If it makes you feel any better, Nik didn't know either until a few days ago. It was a need to know basis, and you didn't need to know."

Silas made a face, leaning back. "You thought I'd run right over the moment I knew?" Silas asked, lifting a brow.

Bay mirrored his look. "If you're suggesting I don't know you're whipped for that boy and would drop everything for him in a heartbeat, you're sorely mistaken. As far as I'm concerned, this was two birds with one stone. Be mad about it all you want."

"He's hardly a boy," Silas grumbled. "If Lev wanted me to come see him he would have called. I didn't barge over there before he died, I won't now."

Bay looked at him for a long, long moment. Gaging. "With the amount you coddled, him, maybe I just assumed you didn't actually know he was an adult. I apologize. Next time your ex boyfriend dies, I'll make sure to act accordingly."

Silas grimaced. "Ouch," he said dryly, before, "Touche."

Bay looked satisfied. "Good." He watched Silas for the longest minute before saying, "If I leave for five seconds to go get my book, can I trust you not to drop my son on his head?"

"I won't budge an inch, Bay," Silas promised. He pressed a kiss to Lucas' forehead, grinned a little when the infant giggled at him around his knuckle.

Bay was only gone for a few seconds, and when he returned, he curled up on the couch opposite Silas and started reading. Silas watched Lucas, humming at him. So Lev was back. And he hadn't called. Which- fair. Not his omega. And Silas had been a shit friend. Maybe everyone was right. Enough people tell him to move on, maybe they had a point.

---

Amara flopped down beside Cin. Once she was settled, he started running his fingers through her hair. "When can we move in again?" Amara mumbled.

"Next week," Cin promised. "Tu pulled some strings."

Cin had found a nice house. Three bedrooms, a kitchen Cin swore up and down he would learn how to use, and two overly large bathrooms. He'd paid for it, and wouldn't let Amara know how much it'd cost. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. She'd promised him she'd let him take care of her.

"I'm assuming we're getting rid of most of my furniture."

"I told you you could keep the things that are sentimental," Cin told her sternly. "Even if it's everything in this apartment."

Amara sighed. "There's not much I want to keep," she admitted.

Cin tugged on her hair. "That's okay."

"Cin?" Amara mumbled.

"Hm?"

"You sure you want to be mated to me?"

Cin pulled her hair again. "I'll say it again, as many times as you need me, Mar. Yes. I wouldn't have asked if I hadn't wanted it."

Amara sighed again, louder, refusing to look up. "I want kids."

"I know."

"And you're okay with that?"

Cin was quiet for a long moment. Eventually he said, "Yes."

"You sure there, Cin?"

"Yeah," Cin promised. "I'm old, Amara. And I actually see a therapist. I think I can handle some kids by this point."

It was Amara's turn to be quiet. "I don't know if I can conceive or carry to term," she admitted quietly. "Not that I've tried, but fuck if I ever managed to keep it longer than a few weeks. Never fucked with protection, didn't care."

Cin let her ramble, and eventually pressed a kiss to her hair. "You've never tried to keep one," he pointed out. "And you've never been sober this long." He hesitated, and then added lightly, "And you're friends with a damn good healer."

"Who, Ash?" Amara asked. "He hates me right now."

"He doesn't hate you," Cin promised. "You should ask for his help, or at least his advice."

Amara grimaced. "Fine. I'll ask. But he's gonna say no."

---

Lev's fever broke two days later. He felt bone tired, and he ached, but he could focus for the first time in days. For a little while he reveled in the closeness, running his fingers down Nik's side, but eventually he looked up at Nik. "Hi," he rasped guiltily.

Nik's face was drawn, and Lev could see the exhaustion on his face. "Hi," he replied.

"I think my heat is over," Lev said in a small voice.

"I can see that. Why don't we get you something to eat?"

"Okay," Lev agreed easily. He hesitated, and then, "Are you mad at me?"

"Are you?"

"Mad at me or mad at you?" Lev blinked.

"At me," Nik clarified.

Lev shook his head a bit. "No?" He touched Nik's cheek lightly. "I wasn't and I am not mad at you. I- I don't know what that was. I can't explain it. My omega- my instincts were- strong. But they didn't make any sense. I wanted you. I promise."

The disbelief in Nik's face made Lev defensive, but he bit his tongue. Eventually Nik just said, "Can I put my shirt back on?"

"Oh. We're naked," Lev said, startled. "Right. Uh. Yeah?" He scooted away enough for Nik to be able to get his shirt. It hung loosely off of Nik. Lev watched him for a long moment, and then, "...mates?"

Nik lifted a brow. "So you remember that?"

Lev shook his head. "I remember what I felt. And I remember needing you. It got more fuzzy once Cam made me leave the closet." He tucked his face in the pillow briefly. "After that it's like my heat kicked into gear for real, and all I remember is it being hot."

"Yeah, you looked pretty out of it." He pinned Lev with a look "Please don't do that again. I thought you were out of the closet years ago."

Lev sat up slowly. "I won't," he promised earnestly. As Nik slid off the bed, Lev scooted towards the edge to follow. Nik was in the process of trying to pick Lev up when Ash barged in.

"Put him down," Ash snapped firmly.

Lev, who had barely made it of the bed, found himself plopped right back down. Nik looked guilty, but he glared at the bed rather than turn and face Ash.

"Hi, Ash," Lev said sheepishly, peeking around Nik. "I think my heat's over."

Ash glared at him, eyes glowing green with his magic. "Yeah, I can see that."

"I thought you couldn't see anything," Nik muttered.

Ash ignored Nik. "How are you feeling?"

Lev watched Nik sit down beside him before he said, "Better. Tired. Kind of achey, but- honestly I'm kind of hungry."

"I mean, probably. You haven't eaten anything in two days."

Lev blinked. "Oh." He stared at the IV in his arm for a good long moment, and then said, "I didn't mean to be such a-" He paused, frowning. "I can go eat now, can't I?"

"A little bit, yes," Ash said. "Your stomach is probably sensitive again."

Lev made a face this time. "Back to broth?" he asked sadly. He pushed himself up, holding onto the IV stand.

"If you hadn't ignored your instincts, we wouldn't be back to step one," Ash reminded him.

"I know," Lev replied. "I'd say I should have thought that through, but I wasn't exactly thinking at all." He looked back at Nik apologetically, and then said, "At least I'm better now."

Ash pointed to the bed. "Sit back down. You lost your standing rights. I'm getting you a wheelchair."

Lev blinked at him sadly. He would have argued, but his knees were already weak, and his head had been spinning lightly since he stood. He opened his mouth to agree, but even taking the step back to the bed was apparently a bit much. The ground rushed up to meet him.

Between Nik and Ash, Lev didn't actually hit the floor. Nik leaned over him as soon as they had him in the bed. "Are you okay?"

"Apparently not," Lev muttered, rubbing his forehead. He looked to Ash. "A wheelchair is probably a good idea."

Ash sighed. "Isn't it?"

"Can I do anything?" Nik asked, still sounding a bit panicked.

"I was going to get some pants," Lev said. "If you could get me some...?"

Nik was gone instantly. Lev peered out at Nik, and then at Ash. "I can still go get dinner, right?" Lev asked anxiously. "Just- with a wheelchair?"

Ash nodded. "It would do you good to get you out of this room."

"Can we go eat by the pool?" Nik asked in a small voice, setting Lev's pants down on the bed. Lev blinked, startled. He hadn't even known they had a pool. Of course Cameron had a pool.

"As long as Lev doesn't try to swim or drink the pool water, I guess."

Nik looked pleased, and looked to Lev, almost as if for permission. When Lev nodded, he all but beamed, and leaned over to kiss Lev's cheek. When Nik pulled away, Lev tugged him close again, pressing their foreheads together. He kissed Nik, soft and chaste. To his relief, Nik kissed back, if a little hesitant.

Lev pulled away before Ash could get annoyed, and looked down at the pants Nik had brought. "How am I gonna get dressed if I'm not able to stand up?" He asked pitifully.

"I'll help you," Ash replied.

And, well. That was that, Lev supposed.

[readbeneaththelines]

His Possession Pt. 10

A/N: Debts are collected, one way or the other. Unfortunately, you were the collection for your father’s debt.

Yoongi is ruthless, cunning, and obsessive.

Characters: Yoongi x Reader

Warnings: violence, language, major character whump and injury, angst

Word Count: 3762

This chapter has someone being very agressive physically to reader, IF THIS IS A TRIGGER PLEASE READ AT YOUYR DISCRETION!!

This is NSFW, PLEASE READ WITH DISCRETION.

cr to gif owner

Yoongi made the mistake of searching for you when he felt the piercing heat of a bullet hitting him. The force and pain took him down instantly. Your look of fear was the only thing he was focused on before he helplessly watched those men take you away from him. He closed his eyes but could still hear voices ringing in his ears as cars took off, and his men slid across the pavement towards him. 

“Yoongi!” Jimin called, lifting Yoongi’s head in his arms. “Jin! Hobi! Someone!” his voice cracked at the thought of losing the man who had protected him so many times in the past. Jin came up beside Jimin, his hand pressing to the open wound in Yoongi’s upper chest. Bright red blood oozed from between his fingers as he tried to stop the bleeding.

 “Don’t you dare die on us!” he screamed at Yoongi, who laid lifeless in Jimin’s lap. Time, and thoughts, came and went as he was loaded into an ambulance, his men following close behind. The emergency room was chaotic, people moving in hurried paces, doing everything to keep him alive, his men helpless as they waited for any information on his condition. Several hours later, a doctor, covered in bloodied scrubs came into the waiting room. “We managed to stop the bleeding, but he lost a lot of blood. He just came out of surgery, but I can’t tell you much more than that. The rest is up to him.” He shook their hands and walked away, leaving six men standing there with their heads hung low. 

Taehyung and Jungkook spent the night waiting on any news of Yoongi’s improvement. Miles away, you were carried to a small prison-like cell, hands cuffed to a wall as your body tried desperately to recover from the beating you had received. Yoongi lay in the hospital bed, sedated and incoherent as time slipped by. 

The next morning brought new horrors for you. Your head throbbed and your body screamed out at even the slightest movement. Trying to move took excruciating effort, and finally you gave up, letting your body fall against the cold wall. “I see you have decided to wake up. Now are you ready to discuss our merger like a civilized woman?” Siwon asked through the barred door. 

“I would rather die slowly in here than give you what you want.” you could all but whisper your reply, your throat sore and burning from the pressure he had held it in the night before.

 “Dammit, woman! You will either give me what I want or you will die in here, just like your lover, Yoongi died by mens bullets. What? You didn’t know he got hit yesterday? Yes, your ‘owner’ took a hit, probably a fatal one from what I have heard. So, now you belong to me, and you will give me everything, one way or another.” His deep throaty laugh bounced off the empty walls, beating against your eardrums. You felt as if your life had finally given you over to the cruel fate you thought you deserved. You would soon be joining your parents in eternal slumber, and you didn’t have any fight left in you. 

Across the city, Yoongi was slowly waking up, his own body painfully aware of what had happened. “Take it easy, boss. You had a lot happen to you yesterday. The doctor said you need to rest and recover for a few days, then we can get you home.” Hoseok and Jimin were on the morning rotation of staying with him. 

“Where is she?” Yoongi asked, and both men gave a solemn look. “They took her. It was Siwon and his men. We don’t know where they took her, but we’re looking for her.” Yoongi struggled to sit upright, wincing at his body telling him to stop. Jimin helped him up, then sat on the edge of the bed. “We’ll find her, we have people searching everywhere.”

“That’s not enough, Jimin! No one really knows what he wants, but I have an idea.” He tried getting out of bed, Hoseok, gently pushing him back onto the pillows. “You aren’t going anywhere until you are told so by the doctor. When you get home, then we can decide what to do.”

“I’m leaving here, now. Go get the car, and help me get ready. Move!” Yoongi screamed, causing the nurse to rush into his room. “Sir, you can’t leave right now. You just had surgery.” Yoongi looked at her, and if looks could kill, she would have been dead on the spot.

 “I am leaving here and neither you or the doctor are going to stop me.” That being said, Yoongi ripped the IV from his forearm, slightly taken aback from the blood now trickling down his arm and dripping off his fingertips. Jimin wrapped it quickly in a towel, applying pressure to the site. Within minutes, Yoongi, Jimin, and Hoseok were driving away from the hospital and heading home. The only thing on his mind was you, and what could be happening to you. 

You were drug from the small barricaded room and back into the office. Your face was swollen and you couldn’t even see out of your right eye. But sure enough, there on the desk were the papers from yesterday, a pen lying on top of them. “I’m not signing anything, Siwon. So go ahead, beat me some more if you want, but I am not giving this family over to you, under any condition.” Rage filled Siwon, and true to form, he took you back to your prison, chaining you back to the wall and not leaving before his foot connected with your gut, laughing maniacally as he left. You didn’t know how much longer you could take this, but you willed yourself one more day. Just one more day to refuse his wishes, then you could go from there. 

Yoongi lowered himself down into his chair, several men from other families in alliance with his, were gathered around the table. Easing back, he motioned for silence. “Y/N has been taken by Siwon Choi. From what I am thinking, he wants to merge his family with hers. That would give him the power he wants to try to take us over. I can’t let that happen, we can’t let that happen. We have to find where he is keeping her, and get her back safely.” There was a unanimous agreement throughout the room. He dismissed the others, leaving only his men. “I have to get her back. I need her to be safe and with me.” 

“Guys, can you leave us for a minute? I need to speak with Yoongi alone.” Jimin waited until the others had left before turning to Yoongi. Yoongi spoke before Jimin had a chance to.

 “I know what you’re going to ask, and yes.  I still love her, even after all this time. I care for her as if my life depends on it. But now, it’s different. Now, I think I’m falling in love with her.” Jimin came up to Yoongi’s side, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It’s about time you realized that, boss.” With a huff, Yoongi swatted at Jimin’s hand.” Yeah, but I hope it isn’t to late to tell her, if she’ll even listen to me after everything I’ve done.”

Taking it slow, he rose from his seat, his right arm cradled against his chest. Pain was something he didn’t have time to worry with. He took his time making it up the stairs, his head fuzzy and body aching. He tried to stay quiet, but let out a loud groan of pain as he pulled on a shirt and pants. Namjoon and Jin can running in. “Everything okay boss?” Yoongi kept his back to them, shaking his head. “I’m having the damnedest time getting dressed, that’s all. I’ll meet you all downstairs in a bit.” 

Twenty minutes later, Yoongi was dressed. He rang for Jimin to help him change the dressing and elp with his shirt. Afterwards, all men wer loading up in SUVs and cars, heading in different directions. The main purpose was to obtain any information as to where Siwon was keeping you, and Yoongi told his men to use any means necessary to get it. Yoongi rode with Hoseok and Namjoon, visiting known warehouses of Siwon’s. Taehyung and Jungkook met up with other allied families to gather any intel they could on what Siwon could be planning on doing if the merger was his plan. Jin and Jimin headed for your parent’s house. There was no sign of life present, and their hopes began to falter. It was as if you had disappeared off the face of the planet, and so had Siwon.

Everyone gathered back at the mansion, Yoongi agitated and in pain, which was not a great combination for talking like a level-headed civilian. He was cursing everything, snapping at his men who were trying their best to help.

“Yoongi, please. You really need to get yourself together. This is not going to get her back any quicker. You have to understand we are doing our best. We will go back out tomorrow and search again.” Jin was standing in front of Yoongi, unwavered by Yoongi’s death stare. 

Another day and night passed. Your stomach growled from lack of food, and you shivered in the cold darkness that encompassed around you. Your muscles screamed for relief from being chained to the wall like an animal. You began to doubt that anyone would rescue you, and almost resigned to giving Siwon what he wanted. Then a thought crept slowly into your brain. What if Yoongi wasn’t dead? What if he somehow survived? Would he find you? Would his men be looking for you? All the what ifs where the only thing keeping you from giving up and giving in just yet. Any last strand of hope you could cling to, you held onto it for dear life. 

Yoongi didn’t sleep all that night, racking his brain for any clues where siwon could be holing you up. Hoseok and the others found him in the early morning hours, sitting on his back deck. He refused to take anything for pain, worried that it would cloud his judgment or slow him down. His thoughts were consumed by you. It wan’t until he heard on of them clear their throat that he realized they were with him.

“Let’s get going.” He struggled to his feet, nearly collapsing when he was upright. Jin reached out for him, but he shrugged his hand away. He simply looked to Jin, his eyes saying more than any words ever could. 

“Come on, load up and move out guys.” Jin told the others. They once again drove off, heading in different directions than the day before. This time Yoongi was with Jin and Jungkook. 

“I want to go by her house, just to check again.” Yoongii told jin as they pulled onto the main highway. 

“It was empty, Yoongi. No sign of movement anywhere.” 

“I don’t give a fuck if it was. I said I want to go back there. I feel it in my gut. Just drive.” Yoongi was at the end of his rope, the end unraveling before his very eyes. With each day that passed, his chances of saving you slipped through his hands. He was damned and determined not to lose you a second time. The first time nearly killed him, if it happened again he knew he wouldn’t survive. 

They pulled into an empty storage lot across the river from your home. From this vantage point, they could see nearly the entire house. Taking his binoculars, he used his good arm to focus on the interior. What he caught sight of made his heart fall to his stomach, the image making bile rise to his throat. 

In the window of the office he could see everything. You were slumped over your father’s desk, tattered and beaten nearly beyond recognition. Behind you as Siwon, his hand fisted in your hair as he pressed your head downwards. He saw no signs of fight left in you, but his rage boiled over. He handed the binoculars to Jin who witnessed the same thing. Jin his the speakerphone call button on his steering wheel, calling the others.

“We found her. Met us at Y/N’s home, and come prepared. We’ll meet you the end of the street that leads to her driveway.” He hung up, looking over to Yoongi who was shellshocked at what he had seen.

“He going to kill her, Jin.”  He voice was barely above a whisper. 

“We are going to get her, don’t worry. She’ll be safe with you soon.” Yoongi shook his head. He knew he needed all the back up he could muster in a very short amount of time. Jin, Yoongi and Jungkook were immediately on their phones, calling all families they were in alliance with to come to their aid. By the end, there were eight families worth of backup on the way. 

Within the hour, everyone was meeting up at the pulloff next to the hidden path to your family estate. Using the hood of his car, Yoongi discussed what the plans were.

“Get her out alive. I don’t want to lose any of you men today, but I need to save her. If you have to, kill whoever you need to in order for us to get her out of their safely. Leave Siwon to me, I want to face him as he takes his last breath.” There was a new fire ignites in Yoongi, and it was the only thing that was keeping him going through the physical and emotional pain. 

Inside, you struggled to fight back with every last ounce of strength you had. You should be feeling the pain of Siwon’s hand clutching your hair and the weight of his arm pushing against your head, but pain was relative by this point. Every fiber in your being was numb, not even registering the sensation of pain anymore. 

“I can’t believe how insolent you’re being, Y/N. If you sign these papers, your hell will be over, and this will end well. Don’t be stupid.” You could hear the frustration in Siwon’s voice, the anger reaching a fevered pitch. What did you have to lose? YOu could wait it out, have him kill you and never get what he wants without a huge struggle on his hands. You refused to hand over the last thing you had to him. If anyone was to get it, it was to be Yoongi, and no one else.Yoongi had rightful heirship to the family after what your family put him through. If you were to die today, it would be your dying wish and you wanted to make sure Siwon heard the words come from your own mouth. 

“I will tell you again, as I have every day Siwon. You will have to kill me, because I refuse. Yoongi will get this family, not you, not ever.” You placed your fingers at the corners of the papers, running your fingers over the edges slowly. Siwon watched with bated breath, hoping you would finally cede. Instead, you took the papers in your hands, grasping the top of the pages. With a swift downward tug, the papers tore in half. You let them fall th your sides and onto the floor below. 

The sound that Siwon emitted had you wincing involuntarily in fear. You felt a few strands of hair being pulled from the roots as he jerked your head back, nearly toppling you in the chair. You prepared yourself for the worst, clamping your eyes shut as you awaited your fate. Your heart thrummed in your ears, your hands shook as you tried to reach behind you for his wrist. 

Then suddenly, with a chaotic flurry of sound, you were released. Siwon pushed you backwards, your head hitting the floor with a resounding thud. Gunshots fired from the foyer, men yelling at one another as door flung open with a crash. 

Yoongi saw your falling as the door swung open. His first instinct was to run to you, but he wanted to insure that Siwon would never touch you again. Without fear, Yoongi walked in as bullets brushed by him. All sounds disappeared as Siwon came into focus. Their eyes met, a sickening smirk on Siwon’s and a flat affect on Yoongi’s. 

“I’m taking her home.” 

“We’ll just have to see about that.” Siwon’s voice was dripping with a dare for Yoongi to make the first move. Just as Siwon raised his arm to aim at Yoongi’s head, you used your last bit of strength to grab at his ankle. Tugging as hard as you could, you distracted him enough for Yoongi to get off the fatal shot. The last thing you heard was silence falling over the chaos.

“No! No. No. No!” Yoongi yelled as he rounded the desk. He fell to his knees scooping you up into his arms. “Come on Y/N, baby. Please, hold on. I’m going to take you home.” He rocked you back and forth as the rest of his men filtered in and took over. “Wake up Y/N. Don’t you fucking leave me again. You can’t leave me again! Don’t you fucking dare lave me!” He cradled you in his arms, ignoring the searing pain that radiated through his chest. You wer in his arms and that was all that mattered. 

Jungkook came up beside him, wrenching Yoongi’s arms from around you. He gathered you in his arms, lifting you up and carrying you out the door with Yoongi by his side. Getting in the back seat first, Jungkook slid you inside the back seat, allowing Yoongi to lay your head in his lap. His hands searched your face, brushing stray hairs back to look you over. The agony his heart felt overshadowed and physical pain he could ever feel. 

Jungkook slid into the drivers seat, Jin clambering in the passenger seat just before Jungkook took off. Yoongi begged for him to go faster, ordering him to run every red light to the hospital. 

“Hang in there,princess. You’re safe now.” He repeated over and over, wanting to trust his own words. 

Jungkook pealed into the emergency room ambulance bay, running in to get help. IT took Jin convincing him that you were in good hands, before Yoongi finally let you go. He refused to leave your side until he absolutely had to. The rest of his men arrived, doing their best to keep him calm while they awaited any news about you. 

A few hours later, the nurse who had worked with him on getting you registered in the system, came back out. Everyone rose to their feet, standing behind Yoongi. 

We have her stable, Mr. Min. There were a few broken ribs, and a broken wrist, but thankfully she should recover rather quickly. She is a resilient woman. She will be in a room soon.”

Yoongi grabbed her hand, startling the lady slightly. “I want her in a private room. I’ll pay whatever it takes, but I want her by herself. I also want a spare bed so I can stay with her.” The nurse nodded, heading back to the nurses station to make his request known. 

“Yoongi, you need to be seen too.” Taehyung pointed to Yoongi upper chest, which was now showing blood soaking through. It took some pressuring and force, but he finally relented. By the time you were placed in a room, Yoongi was finishing up being checked over and resutured and bandaged. When he made it up to your room, you were asleep. A few stitches here and there scattered your face, salve covering the bruised areas. Your arm was casted above the elbow, and your chest was wrapped. 

Yoongi slowly entered the rom, afraid to wake you. The others dismissed themselves to give him space. He came up to the bedside, placing your hand in his. He smoothed your hair down, the back of his hand gently caressing your cheek. 

“I’m so sorry Y/N. I wish I could have kept you safe. I’m sorry I let you down, that I couldn’t protect you. I can’t lose you, princess, not again. I’m sorry for everything I have put you through. If you come back to me, I promise I will change. I will treat you how you deserve to be treated. I will do whatever it takes to make up for everything I have done, for every wrong i have committed to you.” Yoongi let his tears fall for the first time since he could remember, not caring if he appeared weak or not. Deep guttural sobs came from deep within his soul, echoing off the white bare walls of your hospital room.

“If you don’t stop crying so hard, I’ll have a headache.” Your voice was soft, but sounded like angels to Yoongi’s ears. He quickly wiped away his tears, chuckling at your comment.

“I’m sorry princess. Please try to rest.” He gave your hand a tender squeeze as you opened your eyes. 

When your eyes met his, you knew you were safe. You knew that with him, you were going to be protected at all costs. 

“If you ever let me go again. I will kill you myself. Understood?” your vain attempt at being stern lightened his heart.

“Yes ma’am, boss.” Yoongi leaned over the railing, placing a kiss to your forehead. It was the first show of gentleness, outside of your two  kisses, that he let himself show. 

“Go to sleep, I promise I will be here when you wake up.” You closed your eyes, letting the fatigue from the past few days take over. You had a long road ahead of you to recover, but Yoongi swore to be there every step of the way.

@min-shookga-yoongi @beautifulseoulliar @agustd-suga-yoongii @astronomyturtle @aspaceformyself @dreamyoongi @holy-yoongi@trashkazuya @maxinaptak @micky1518 @rosiemilas @karri570

@seoulsunshineandstories @kwonnansi @xjamlessparkx @berryjam17

@zombiewerewolfqueen @crazybutcutecatlady

[thebritishblabbermouth]

Peaceful storms

Heyya beautiful people!!

Its been a year since ive been active on tumblr and my gosh a year through med school has been insanely exhausting! Glad that’s over

This piece is a little hello from my side.

I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think! 

I love you guys and thank you for sticking with me for the year

Feel free to message and just say hi :3 

SUGA FANFICTION 

I’d pick your thunder and your rain over anyone’s sunshine any day – anonymous

The pastel green wall clock struck 2 am, the wind stood steady and calm as the moon hid between dark clouds that hung like blots of ink in the sky. There was no light in the living room, just me and the darkness. Just like it had always been without him. 

6 months ago, I was living a dream. My boyfriend, my job, the weather. What I wouldn’t do to go back to those 3 days. He’d just returned from their most recent stadium tour, hungry for me and for our time together. 3 days of love, food and a whole lot of sleep. But mostly, it was 3 whole days of Yoongi. The peculiar smell of fresh laundry and citrus that I had grown to associate with him, the way his warm eyes crinkled as he smiled, lingering touches and promising words. The sun had beamed down on us, soft clouds in the sky, and streaks of light playing games on our skin as we held each other. Perfection in its prime.

But, 3 days of extreme happiness obviously had to match with 3 days of stormy nights. It had been a misunderstanding, something trivial as it always is. Tour dates or a spontaneous fan meeting on the other side of the world. Something to take him away from me again, something to keep him from my arms and the safe haven of our apartment. Perhaps it wasn’t fair, perhaps it was meant to be. The long distance, the time difference, the lack of trust, empty phone calls with broken syllables and dried tears. Maybe that was all we would get, raging skies with angry clouds- thunder and lightning appearing as we hurled words at each other. Words that held no meaning – just remorse and regret.

And, 6 months after those storms, on this peaceful night. It felt like the storm was inside me. It wasn’t that things no longer made sense, wasn’t that I’d forgotten how to function. Rather, it felt like every breath I took was pointless- for there no life in my being. I was numb to everything, almost frozen with time.

I wouldn’t have noticed him entering the room for I had not heard the keys turning the lock or the shuffle of his heavy boots against the hardwood floor- I was too busy listening to the crickets and the dull voice inside my head, rather it was the lamp he’d switched on that shook me from my trance, its light, bathing the space in a moody yellow.

Auto-pilot mode. That’s what they call it. When you do things without thinking about them. That must have been it. I hadn’t realised id walked over to him until his eyes met mine- steely and tired.

‘’I haven’t…haven’t washed my hair in 2 weeks.’’

His voice was gruff, but not quiet. The noise pulled my from the numbness, jolting me into action. I am not entirely sure what it was he said. But it had been words and apparently I knew what I had to do.

A bath.

Min yoongi had somehow managed to make his way into the shared bathroom, hovering at the door way as I set up the large round tub with a pink bath bomb. Rose and tea tree drove away the smell of disinfectant and surface cleaner, the noise of the tap filling the tangible silence of the room.

He stood in front of me, waiting, watching. Noticing my moves as if he expected me to do something new. He wasn’t in luck.

‘’Unbutton.’’

I thought I’d forgotten how to speak.

Huh. I guess not.

I watched him sigh in retaliation- his slack arms and worn face highlighting his fatigue. The dark circles seemed defined under the vibrant lighting, usually rosy lips devoid of makeup and bruised at the edges- the constant biting having taken its toll on the soft skin.

‘’Too tired.’’ He said, his chin tucking into his chest like a little school boy. Was this defeat? Was this him coming back to me? Was this him tired of running away?

My heart sped up at the thoughts, my own grubbing mind had suddenly been startled awake by the act of Suga casting away his defences. What was this man doing to my sanity? Was he stripping me of it or teaching me how to live? I didn’t know. And at that point, it couldn’t have mattered less.

I began unbuttoning the baby blue dress shirt, my hands trembling as we stood close, breathing the same air. Our eyes too afraid to meet. The shirt was stripped in seconds and his dark slacks pooled at the tiled floor. He stepped into the water timidly, checking the temperature with is pale toes. Suga was ever the baby boy- his fans understood him spot on. But I’d always wondered if I’d ever understand Min yoongi the same way.

It was unspoken I wouldn’t be joining him in the bath, I had another task at hand. His hair. Currently dyed at a marron red, at least this time it hadn’t matched the colour of the bubbles in the bath. I smirked inwardly at the memory and sat down near his head as it perched at the edge of the tub.

‘’It’s really dirty Yoongi.’’ I said, soaking his scalp with warm water. This would take at least 2 large pumps of shampoo and perhaps an extra dollop of conditioner.

‘’You called me Yoongi again.’’

I am not sure what I had expected in reply, perhaps a smirk or a defence. But his words brought a shiver to my spine and I halted, his eyes were wide open- boring into my own as he watched me- gauging for a reaction. I tugged at his hair, the distraction successful as he groaned and turned away- momentarily forgetting the interaction I had not yet prepared for.

Washing his hair should have been relaxing for him- and it probably was because I was sure I heard a snore 10 minutes into the second rinse, but for me it was heaven. The strands were rough and dry from years of hair colour and damage but they felt soft in my palms, the shampoo working its magic as I watched his face in peace, memorising every contour and dip, the way his eyelashes curved and his nose twitched as I massaged his scalp, the slight overgrowth of a moustache he so hated and the acne that remained from years ago. It was imperfect and untouched yoongi at his most natural form. My yoongi.

‘’The water’s getting cold.’’ He said, once again driving me away from my thoughts, but this time as I watched him, I noticed his eyes flood, his bottom lip nipped between his teeth as he struggled to maintain composure. Had he been crying? Right in front of me? How had I not noticed?

I nodded and he swiftly retched away from my hands. The white towel wrapped around his waist, hair dripping wet and cheeks flushed as he realised that I’d noticed his reddened face, the tinge to his waterline implying unshed tears and unsaid words. My hands were still wet and he hastily wiped them down with a small rag, his fast movements leaving my still slow mind confused.

‘’What? What are you doing yoongi? You’re going to fall!’’

Suga attempting to multitask was a sight to behold, he failed drastically- often paving way for multiple scratches and gentle kisses to take the pain away. Attempting to wipe my hands and his hair, all the while trying to find a pair of his old boxers from the shelves- ones I hadn’t had the heart to throw away.

‘’We need to get to bed now.’’ He said, grabbing my wrist and pushing me out of the closet, leading the way to the bed.

Had I been anticipating this? Somewhere hidden within my subconscious, he was back in the apartment and id just washed his hair? Why? It made no sense. Had I no self-respect? No life beyond this reckless man? Was I going to let him destroy me all over again?

My thoughts clouded my actions as my back lay against the cool sheets, his hot hand snaking its way around my stomach, teasing the skin as he pulled me towards him. My back melted into his front, head tucked under his chin and arm propped out as my personal pillow. His bangs dripped water into my own hair as I sighed deeply against his skin, breathing him in as I did.

‘’You’re right. I am reckless and this whole thing is crazy.’’

I tried to turn against him, tried to stop this whole vocal declaration but it went to vain, I couldn’t budge. Had his muscles grown in 6 months? Can muscles grow that fast? How does he know what I was thinking about? I took to curling into the pillows and his hand stretched out to touch under the swell of my breast. My breath hitched as he moved, gentle and slow as if he were coaxing me out of my doubts.

‘’I shouldn’t be here. In bed with you, it makes no sense. I swore I would walk away. It was the right thing to do. You were miserable. It hurt.’’ His voice rose an octave has he spoke, words almost trembling.

‘’But I am selfish and clueless and there is nowhere else I would rather be than right here.’’

‘’that’s a terrible combination.’’ I said, rubbing my thumb over his calloused fingers.

Perhaps it didn’t make any sense. Perhaps it didn’t need to. Why he was here and what we had been thinking all those months ago on that stormy night. I didn’t actually remember a word he had said. What was that fight about? I didn’t know. It hadn’t mattered then and it doesn’t matter now. But this, my heart that was finally beating again.

This felt like it mattered. Yoongi and his citrusy smell that came back to fill the room, the damp hair and his warm skin scorching my own under the thin cream covers. His legs tangled with mine as he spoke. This moment right here, this feeling, this would never be replaced.  

‘’it’s a good thing I am both of those things too.’’ I whispered into his arm, wrapping my hands around its width and pulling it towards me. He curled into my form and relaxed, his muscles loosening as he did.

Nothing more had been said that night, as it seemed no words were needed, we fell further into sleep and into each other as the skies broke and rain thrashed against the windows, the violent streaks of lightening falling against our cuddled limbs, playing against the exposed skin as it did with the thunder of the storm.

[something-tofightfor]

The Punisher Season 2: Episodes 1-5

My reactions as I watched these episodes: 

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT. SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT. SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT. I literally tagged it four different ways for spoilers so if you read them after this it’s your own damn fault. 

1: Roadhouse Blues HE IS IN BED WITH A WOMAN THINKING OF KAREN WHAT THE FUCK “Take the good when it comes” AND HES THINKING OF BILLY ALONG WITH THE KIDS MY FUCKING MIND IS BLOWN Frank is so comfortable around kids. This is going to end horribly. He’s gonna go back to this bar and all hell is going to break loose. Frank with blood dripping out of his nose is a MOOD Bathroom fight = Bar fight... not even an episode in and he’s already shot. Sucks to be you Beth. MADANI. Drinking at the foot of Billy’s bed. “Sweet dreams asshole” IVE MISSED THOSE EYES. 

2: Fight or Flight Oh look they’re in Ohio. PLEASE OH PLEASE LET HIM SAY RACHEL BECAUSE HEARING JON BERNTHAL GRUNT MY NAME WOULD BE HEAVEN Aaaaaaand there’s his ass HE IS DIGGING A BULLET OUT OF HIS ASS AND NOW SHE IS YIKES And now he’s grunting “get it” - I CANT. She’s lying. She’s a liar. Lying. And he knows it. He’s gonna be pissed when he realizes how young she is but she’s now ziptied to the bed - and now he’s duct taping her mouth shut this is wonderful and i hope it stays this way for 11 more episodes MADANI IS A GODDAMN MESS Broken Billy is going to be a problem for me. And at this point I feel like he genuinely doesn’t remember. Beth is lying for Frank. Interesting. ....  nevermind HE JUST SAID MY NAME .... you did have to get involved didn’t you, Frank. I DO like this girl calling him out though .... back to the tape and zip ties. My god billy is so anxious about his face he turns to the side to take his medication. the last thing he remembers is fucking being in the barracks. “Frank was your friend?” “My brother” OH MY GOD His memory is only there for a few minutes at a time. GODDAMN. Pilgrim doesn’t want to hear swearing... hmmmmmm - he’s connected to this girl in a more meaningful way than i thought before. HI RAFI. I AGREE WITH YOU. Madani is convinced that billy is faking. LET IT GO this girl is pointing a gun at frank. Yeah that’s not going to end well Oh look he killed a bunch of people and then ended up arrested .... Rachel, you’re.... a fucking horrible liar ... FRANK IN A DRUG RUG DINAH DREAMING ABOUT BILLY ON TOP OF HER AND NAKED - SAME MADANI SAME. that fucking little smirk. OH MY GOD “They died from terminal stupidity” 

3: Trouble the Water hello, Beverly Marsh. I see you in this creepy ass cult. The cadence of Pilgrim’s voice is both soothing and unsettling at the same time, how is this possible? So pilgrim is covered in faded white supremacy tattoos. That’s.... interesting. Frank is trying to warn these people. They should listen. Billy is avoiding sleep. His mannerisms are making me really nervous. He’s doing a good job. Holy shit he just handed those cops their asses. Why is Dumont limping BYE BILLY . Gif ... is.... Pilgrim trying to prove his faith to save his wife? Madani in a big friggin hurry to prove she was right, acting concerned - she still doesn’t get it Unless he’s truly playing them all LMAO DUMONT CALLING MADANI OUT ABOUT NOT KNOWING HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REALITY AND FICTION hi, brett! Good to see you! Madani stole the journal. Hmmm As always frank is the most aware person in the room and he still has no idea what’s going on Ogden’s gonna die. Nice knowing you kid. Picking them off one by one by one... this cult is full of snipers “Sweet boneless Jesus” is my new statement Oh the girl finally did something useful Police station shootout is actually pretty intense Ogden literally got shot in the stomach and still wants to help. That’s how we DO IT in Ohio Marlena is a bitch, but she is focused on frank. This very quickly became personal for her. .... oh. Frank castle literally set two men on fire with one bullet. My fucking hero Him sprinting around in this forest is incredible he’s like a murder gazelle Dinah shows up at the exact right time to save frank and to tell him that Billy broke out of the hospital... guess it’s time to go back to New York. WHAT IS ON THESE ANCIENT ASS FILM ROLLS?!?! who even uses film  cameras anymore 4: Scar Tissue I NEED TO SEE BILLY RUSSO IN THIS I GOT A BIG DICK T SHIRT Ok but where are you going IN YOUR SOCKS, sir? HI HELLO I SEE YOU IN THOSE GLASSES Madani still chewing her aspirin i see   Two locks on her bedroom door, madani is scared This crazy bitch is sleeping under the bed ... nevermind she’s crying not sleeping IM SO SAD HE PUT THE GODDAMN SHIRT ON INSIDE OUT Holy fuck the look on his face and in his eyes when he sees himself for the first time before the injuries. Oh my god oh my god Floriana Lima sucks. Billy went 6 months without decorating the mask. His eyes are so expressive goddamn Frank and Madani hate each other 6 week coma.... facial reconstruction... Billy was biding his time. Madani with his bloody punisher vest casually in her closet, ok. HI CURTIS. i see you’re better prepared Curtis believes Billy doesn’t remember. And he was listed as Billy’s next of kin... heartbreaking. Curtis is describing Billy and Frank with this single conversation. Interesting. Holy shit is he back at the group home?! Casual billy in jeans and a beanie.... yesssss WAIT ITS A FLASHBACK OH HELL YES BUT WHOSE FLASHBACK IS IT Moments of sleep... the mask... Oh fuck. Billy’s going to kill the dude that hurt him Oh fuck oh fuck Finally this dumb girl is opening up. And Frank just decided to keep himself inserted in this, but there’s never really been a choice for him I guess. Billy went to the group home and it was gone and thats the only place he had to go. Jesus, they’re really making you feel for him. He had nowhere and no one to go to so he went to his GODDAMN ABUSER. “You were a good looking kid. It’s a damn shame” FUCK HIM UP BILLY DONT YOU TAKE THAT SHIT Amy’s expression while listening to Madani and Frank 🤣🤣🤣 Oh this motherfucker just poked him in the chest and is bragging about what he did. COME ON BILLY KILL HIM Amy figuring out who frank is and what he did... hmmmmm Madani showing up at the house like a psychopath HOLY SHIT HE STABBED HIM IN THE CHEST WITH A MOP HANDLE ..... fuck. I swear if she takes advantage of him I’m going to scream Billy knows that he deserves what’s happened to him, but not WHY. That’s big. She’s suggesting redemption. ... he wants to see the best version of himself again. He wants to fix things. And i think he’s serious. I’m very conflicted 

5: One-Eyed Jacks Stack the deck - gotta be the dealer... good advice frank. Hi, Turk! Setting up a meeting.... interesting angle frank. Madani is having a nightmare at the same time billy is actually sleeping. Interesting. WHO SLEEPS IN A SILK NIGHTGOWN LIKE THAT madani is seeing billy without scars in her nightmares and sleeping with s gun under her pillow. “I don’t want to feel it, I want to kill it” ... She’s helping him, but i don’t know WHY. And i want to trust her but i just CANT Billy Russo just said “please” and “thank you” in the same conversation... and meant it. WHAT ARE THESE SCARS ON HER ARMS Frank agrees that Billy was right to kill Arthur. Ok back to the creepy cult Leave your dad alone, kid... he’s a little busy Oh frank is going to kill every single person in this gym. I could have done without the  Amy-splurging montage... unless she bought something worthwhile. NOT A DRILL BILLY FUCKING RUSSO IN A TOWEL holy hell is he ripped. I literally had to watch this scene like 4 times because i know it’s important but i couldn’t focus The snake and the rebirth idea is really interesting to me. “The sick are transformed by the healer’s art” .... she’s trying to transform billy. She’s trying to cleanse him... but for what purpose? Madani with Curtis. This is good. Maybe he can help her. Nevermind they’re lying to each other about frank. Madani opening up in the group.... interesting. She feels her life is ruined. Billy and this airman getting drunk is the buddy comedy i didn’t know i needed ... here comes the gym YIKES THAT DUDES FACE These people taking selfies in the bar... Billy’s going to get his photo taken He’s just trying to reconnect with another military man. I didn’t even think about that before   SWEAR TO GOD IF BILLY STARTS DOING COKE INTERESTING. He knows who billy is. Krista is horrified of heights.... interesting as hell. So she’s just as fucked as billy Ah fuck. Pilgrim is in New York.

[civilians-of-nothingtown]

“ Be careful. ”

Jakkal's low, rumbling voice echoed from the couch, where he's been sleeping. He wasn't about to have Rose sleep on the couch -- so he took it instead and let her sleep in his bed.

“ I should be alright, Jak. I'm bringing my pistol. ”

Despite being off-duty, she shakily took the familiar gun off the table and shoved it into her waistband. She was wearing a heavy sweatshirt and jeans, not caring to conceal her wings and tail. It was nighttime, after all.

The door creaked as she opened it, starting out onto the cold street. It was rainy season; it made the usual lively neighborhood dim and lifeless. The streets shone with the light from the florescent signs of still-open motels as she walked.

‘ That thing has been here for ages. I thought they were tearing it down..? ’

She thought this to herself as she passed a huge old warehouse. It was a restricted area -- private property. As an upholder of the law, she strongly refused the urge to go inside, but it's usually dark interior was aglow with an eerie light. It was a soft purple.

The place was in disrepair -- more than a dozen eviction notices were stapled and taped to the rotting wooden door, and it stunk of garbage and something Rose couldn't put her finger on. She drew her pistol and begrudgingly decided to investigate -- she had her badge with her anyway, if anyone tried to stop her.

She pushed the door open, yelping when it simply fell off of it's hinges and splashed into the mud. The light was coming from the main room.

Once she got there, her shoes were caked with mud -- but that didn't matter.

Medical equipment was set up and strewn all over inside the room, all surrounding a glowing glass tube. The instruments were disgusting, caked with blood and dirt. She was glad she couldn't see what the floor was actually covered in -- it may not have been mud at all.

She carefully made her way up to the tube, cautious as to not touch anything. She's planning on reporting it immediately, and getting a team out here. But for now...

A sudden sob made her stumble backwards into a medical table; cursing in surprise. So much for not touching anything. She went up to the tube again, wiping the grime off of it so she could peer inside.

A small figure with soft white hair and odd marking on their skin sat curled into a ball. Oddly, their hair was the only clean thing about them. Everything else was caked in their own blood, including the floor of the tube itself. They cracked an eye open, and gasped upon seeing her face. They backed up against the wall, revealing an equally dirty tail.

“ Hey, hey, calm down, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a good guy. ”

Rose said quietly, trying to get them to calm down. She searched for an opening, or a door of some sort, but there was nothing.

They didn't move, they simply stared at Rose with their milky white eyes, filled with fear. Tears left clean patches of skin where they washed away the grime.

Finding no other way, she made a difficult choice. She's going to have to shoot the glass.

“ Hey, little buddy, I know you're scared, but I'm going to have to shoot the glass to get you out, okay? It's going to be loud, but I'm doing it to help you. ”

She hoped the person understood, but they still didn't move. She sighed softly and aimed at the bottom of the tube, and fired. The person screamed loudly and started to sob again, glass shattering all over them both.

Rose stepped into the remains of the tube, extending her hands out to the person -- but they scrambled away, slipping off the metal pedestal and into the mud below. They didn't care.

Right then, Rose realized something. She realized why she's so compelled to this person. They remind her of herself. When Leo still had his hold on her mind. She shuddered just thinking about it.

She stepped down into the mud, carefully approaching the person again. They looked at her fearfully at first, but oddly seemed to relax ever so slightly when they saw her wings. She got close enough to grasp their hand softly, their little claws digging into her palm. They were trembling.

“ I'm not going to hurt you... ”

She repeated, still murmuring. She put her gun to the side and held their other hand, right before they lurched forward and grabbed onto her for dear life. Rose tensed up at first, but with how much they were shaking, she realized that she had to be the strong one here.

She yanked the sticky probes off of their head, but left the IV and the cuffs on. She didn't want to hurt them anymore.

“ This is gonna tickle, really quick... ”

Rose gently caressed their cheek as they cried into her chest, the long cuts and scrapes on their face slowly closing up. Whatever markings on their skin flickered dimly, like a dying lightbulb.

They still said nothing.

“ Here... Let me get you someplace safe. Jakkal'll take good care of you. ”

For the first time, they acknowledged what she said with a small nod. Rose stood up, her lower half covered in mud, and carefully picked them up out of the glop and carried them. They were surprisingly light, despite the mud caking their tail.

It had started to rain outside, and she regretted not bringing an umbrella.

‘ What are they? ’ She thought, having taken her hoodie off and slipped it onto them. They'd likely freeze in the rain without it; she had neglected to realize that they were naked until the rain had washed away some of the mud. The walk home wasn't long, but by the time she rang the doorbell, they were both soaked.

“ ... Mmh, welcome ba -- ”

Jakkal, who had answered the door, paused. He looked at the sopping wet person she was carrying and asked no questions; he simply let the two in and sat the person on the table in the kitchen with towels. For having such a big house, he had only one guest room -- which was reserved for emergencies.

Which this definitely was an emergency.

Jakkal slipped the hoodie off, the person too cold and in pain to react to his presence. Rose healed up the minor cuts the best she could, while Jakkal worked on the bigger cuts. He stitched them up nicely and wrapped them with gauze, scrubbing at the dirty skin with a warm, damp cloth.

“ You say you found it in the electrical warehouse? I thought that was abandoned. ”

“ They're not an it, they're a person. And yes, I did. It was filled with weird medical supplies, and they were in a tube... ”

Jakkal carefully worked out the IV from their arm and pulled the cuffs off. His ears twitched, the smell coming from the person's infected wounds making him gag a little.

Rose took a small flashlight and opened their eyes, observing their pupils. Unnoticed before, they were shot wide. Like they had been drugged.

“ They must've been pumped full of sedatives and painkillers to not have been crying beforehand. They only reacted when they saw me. ”

“ That sounds... That sounds like the way I found you. They must've been abused, or... ”

Jakkal then wrapped them in warm blankets and carried them into the guest room. He mumbled something about them feeling better in the morning, hopefully. Rose, in light of his other comment, spoke up.

“ I'll stay with them. ”

“ What? No, you need sleep, Rose. ”

“ No, Jak. They need help. Would you have left if it was me? ”

Jakkal was about to argue, but closed his mouth and huffed.

“ Fine. But if they try to hurt you, I'll kill 'em. ”

“ They won't. ”

He left to go back to sleep, but Rose simply changed into pajamas and pulled up a chair. The person was asleep now, gripping a pillow like it was a lifesaver. She held their hand for a bit, rubbing circles into it.

She couldn't help but see herself in them, again. The way they were cuffed, and the cuts... She shuddered again. What if...? No. Leo was dead. Dead and gone. He couldn't have done this.

But the cuts from that same knife... The same iron cuffs? The burn marks? It was all too familiar.

He was dead. He was supposed to be dead. But until she could confirm it, see his body, lifeless, with her own eyes? She wouldn't let this person out of her sight.

[cryinggameff]

Seventy-Four

Randi

I woke up in a lot of pain that morning,  just pain all over my body. I could barely get out of bed which was not normal. Cayden wanted to go to the doctor right then and there but I told him I didn’t want to be sitting in the hospital all day. So I decided I would get into a bath because that always relaxed me. He ran it for me and helped me inside.

“I still think we should go,” he said, looking down at me.

“If I don’t feel better soon we can go. The bath is helping though,” I said, closing my eyes.

“Aight,” he said, “imma be in the room.”

In the bath my muscles released and the aches were better. I sat there for a long time, until the water was cold. My stomach had started hurting again. And I figured warm water would help. I opened my eyes to let out the water and add some warm water but stopped short when I looked down.

“Cayden,” I said in a shaky voice, on the verge of losing my sanity and giving into panic. The cramping suddenly intensified and I clutched the edge on the tub. The water was bright red like paint, or some kind of fruit juice. After a bit Cayden finally strolled into the bathroom and saw me frozen in the blood bath. All the colour left his face and he froze too where he was.

“Randi, what the fuck,” he stammered,  coming to the tub to see. I started to panic then and I began to cry because I was terrified. That seemed to shake Cayden out of his daze because he started running around the bathroom, getting towels, pads from under the sink and a bunch of other stuff. I was still scared and confused.

“Don’t worry, I got you,” He said, trying to comfort me, or himself, I wasn’t sure. I remembered him saying those same words to me when I told him I was pregnant. I was scared then, but this was a new level of fear. I was just sobbing and shaking when he reached in and picked me up in his arms. I screamed out in pain because moving hurt. I could feel burning and immense pressure at my pelvis that could only mean one thing at this stage. “We gonna get you to the hospital. Let me grab some clothes,” he tried to let me go and I clutched on to him for dear life.

“I think the baby is coming now, like right now,” I cried, scared out of my mind for my baby. I had to bend over, I couldn’t stand up straight or close my legs. All this couldn’t be normal and I wasn’t in a hospital with doctors telling me what to do or what was wrong. It was a few weeks early, but I knew now with everything in me that this baby was coming today.

“Shit. Okay, that’s fine,” he said, picking me up. He walked out of the bathroom and put me down on the bed, putting all the pillows behind me. “I’m gonna get my phone and call 911, see if someone can help us, ok?” He said. I nodded quickly. He started to walk away and I grabbed his arm. “Imma be right back baby,” he said, kissing my forehead. He left me to go get his phone downstairs and when he came back he had it pressed to his ear. I couldn’t really pay attention to what he or the person on the phone was saying. I was just screaming. He tapped my legs for me to open them and I did which hurt. I heard him say something about the head and crowning and I lost it.

“My baby,” I cried, hopeless. He was really tryna come out. There was no way we could do this on our own and I just felt hopeless.

“Randi, I got you, ok? I got you, just lay back,” he said. “The lady is gonna talk me through it and he’s gonna be fine ok?” He said sternly. I nodded, needing to believe him. I could hear the lady talking and Cayden saying yes, yeah, or mhm. I drifted out of it for a while, focusing on breathing through the intense fire spreading all over my body and when I opened my eyes again Cayden was yelling my name, I guess he had been calling me for a while.

“Stay with me Ran, the lady said you gotta start pushing when you feel a contraction,” he told me. I nodded. I couldn’t even think about how weird it was that Cayden’s face and hands were currently all in my coochie and god knows what it looked like down there right now. A few minutes later a contraction came and so I started pushing. I was gripping the pillows.

“You doing good mama,” he encouraged. I pushed again and it felt like I was actually ripping in half. “His head is out, he has so much hair,” he said. That gave me motivation to push even more but the contraction ended and I had to wait. After a while another contraction came and I began pushing again.

“She says I gotta pull him out, this gonna hurt,” he warned. I shook my head.

“I don’t care,” I gasped, “just get him out,” I told him. Sure enough that shit hurt. There was one serious moment of absolute pain and horror and I could feel him coming out. I collapsed back on the pillows, head spinning. I couldn’t believe this was happening. A loud cry filled the room and I laughed in relief. “Is he ok?” I asked Cayden, trying to sit up.

“He’s perfect,” He said, and he lifted him up so I could see him. He was very small and perfectly caramel with very curly hair. Cayden put him on to my chest and I held him close to my chest where he belonged, not caring about all the gunk on him. I felt a sense of relief and calm wash over me. It was like I instantly knew how to be a mother.

“Shhh,” I cooed as he cried, I put a sheet over him so he wouldn’t get cold,  “mommy’s got you” I said, looking up at Cayden who was smiling like I’d never seen him smile before. He leaned down to kiss me. I was overcome with joy and love, but my head was still spinning. I’d lost a lot of blood.

“Can you hold him,” I whispered, when I felt myself start to fall. Cayden took him from me, asking if I was ok. I knew I wasn’t but I nodded anyways.

“The ambulance is almost here okay? I can hear it, “ he gripped my hand in his.

When the paramedics arrived they cut the cord and put me in the stretcher after setting me up with IVs. The baby was on my chest while we rode in the ambulance and i just took in everything about him, his smell, his body temperature, his slow breathing. I also took in the feeling of Cay’s firm grip on my hand, safe and secure, daring anyone or anything to separate us. For the first time ever I felt...a complete and total love for life and all it’s ups and downs. If it meant having this, then it was all worth it.

They said they had to separate me and the baby so we could both get checked and taken care of but leaving him gave me anxiety, especially after I’d feared for his life. He was so small.

“Go with Cameron” I said.

“What?” He asked, baffled.

“That’s his name,” I said. He looked like he wanted to cry and I lifted my hand to his cheek. “I don’t want him to be alone, ok?” He nodded and hesitantly followed the nurses with the baby while I was wheeled into the operating room.

It was a whole week later when we were finally able to leave the hospital with our baby. He was bigger now, which was the best thing to see as a mom. Cayden drove us home and my mom was already there and waiting. God I had never been so happy to see her. She was staying to help us for a while.  My mom helped me upstairs while Cayden got Cameron from the car. I wanted to get some things from the nursery which I hadn’t even got to finish, so Cam could come in our room. To my surprise, when I opened the door the nursery was decorated and set up. The walls were painted and all the furniture put together. There was pictures on the walls and stuffed animals everywhere. I wanted to cry.

“How...?”

“Cole, Jada and China worked on it all week,” my mom said with a laugh at my surprise. The tears came rolling, I couldn’t help it.

“Everything ok?” Cayden asked, now at the top of the stairs.

“They finished the nursery,” I said around my tears.

“Oh ya, I knew. Who do you think let them in?”

“I’m so lucky,” I said, thinking of all our friends.

“Come on sweetie, lets get you into bed,” my mom said. I left the nursery and went into my room. I set up with a hundred pillows and then Cayden handed Cameron to me so I could breast feed him. He was wearing this stripped onesie and I just wanted to eat him. I played with his tiny feet while he ate and took in his smell. Cayden went to open the curtains and my mom left to go make us some food. Suddenly I remembered the last time I was on this bed.

“You cleaned everything up” I said. Cayden chuckled.

“Ya, the whole mattress had to go,” he said, sitting beside me and rubbing his thumb over Cameron’s full head of hair.

“I can’t believe I gave birth on our bed, and that you delivered our baby. How were you not freaking out?” I looked over at him, remembering how strong he had been. Things had been moving so fast that we hadn't really had a chance to talk about it all.

“Trust, I was freaking out . But I just did what I had to do,” he shrugged.

“Most guys would have fainted, are you traumatized now?” I teased.

“It was weird as fuck, but I mean it wasn’t my first time down there,” he shrugged and I died of laughter. That kind of hurt and I winced. Everything past my waist was just sore, but apparently that was normal. “You ok?” He asked, concerned. I nodded.

“Seriously though, what would I do without you?” I leaned up to kiss him and he met me since I couldn’t really move with Cameron on me.

“You did all the work. Seeing you in pain like that...” he shook his head. “Women really are amazing. YOU, are amazing,” he kissed me again. “And Cameron is amazing, thanks to you.”

I smiled down at the beautiful boy in my arms.

“He is Amazing," i whispered. It was crazy how natural taking care of him was and it was scary how much i loved him. It was even more intense than what i felt for Cay, which i didn't know was possible.

Cayden

When she was finished feeding and burping the baby I took over so Randi got to eat too. After that she was yawning like crazy. She was understandably tired.

“Go to sleep Baby, you need to rest,” I told her.

“I don’t wanna miss anything,” She said, yawning.

“He gonna be the exact same when you wake up,” I told her. “Me and him are gonna watch some basketball. Gotta start em early.”

“Ok just an hour, wake me up” she said, leaning back into her pillow fortress. I leaned over and kissed her forehead, then left with Cameron so she could rest.

I let Randi sleep for more than an hour because she needed it and so far Cameron hadn’t started crying for food yet. I switched off with her mom to get some food because I still hadn’t eaten. I was feeling tired too but I knew it was nothing compared to Randi.

After all the shit she had been through I really owed her everything. She went through so much pain and took it all like a beast, no medicine or nothing. I didn’t think it was possible but I loved her even more now. Cameron was everything I imagined and more. It’s impossible to describe looking down and seeing me but also Randi.

I was watching TV with him on my chest when he finally woke up, looking for food. I was about to go upstairs and wake Randi up but she came downstairs first as if she sensed that he was awake and looking for him.

“I was about to get you, Cameron just woke up,” I said.

“He must be hungry, and my boobs are leaking,” she said, pointing to the huge wet marks on her shirt. She sat down and I handed her the baby, wrapping my arm around her. This was exactly where i wanted to be.

I started thinking then that i was glad i had left all that street shit behind. I had a family to take care of and that life was too dangerous. My focus now was just being here and taking care of them, and giving my wife and son the best life possible

****two months later****

I woke up with Cameron like I usually did, while Randi slept in since she was up at night with him. That was our routine. I would get him washed up and changed, and give him a bottle. Then we chilled for a bit while Randi got ready.

My parents came over that morning and it felt good seeing them be grandparents. They were over all the time, and i hadn’t seen them be this happy in a long time.

“He’s getting so big,” my dad said, holding Cameron.

“He eats like crazy,” I said.

“That was you as a baby,” my mom smiled. “That makes you happy though as a mom trying to figure out breast feeding and making sure your baby is healthy.”

“Where is mom?” Pops asked, talking about Randi.

“She’s getting some rest upstairs,” I said simply. Truth is I wasn’t sure what she was doing, usually she would be down by now but she hadn’t left the room yet so I figured she was just really tired.

“I’m glad I raised a sweet boy who helps his wife so much,” my mom said, pinching my cheek. I smiled.

After my parents left I went to put Cameron down in his room and to check on Randi. She was in the bathroom getting ready in front of the mirror.

“Hey baby,” I said.

“Hi,” she said, tying her hair in a messy ponytail. I could tell something was up.

“You ok?” I asked.

“I’m going a little crazy honestly” she said. I wrapped my arms around her waist.

“I think you need some time to yourself, you spend so much time taking care of Cam. You can go out if you need to,” I told her. I felt bad because I got to leave whenever i wanted but she usually had the baby attached to her all day.

“I can’t be away from him for a long time, what if he gets hungry?” She said.

“There’s bottles in the fridge,” I said. “Go,” I said, “I got this.”

“Ok. Just for a little bit...” she said. I smacked her butt.

“Good, because I already called Cole and he’s coming to pick you up.”

Ty came to chill with me while Randi and Cole were out. I was laughing at him because he always refused to hold Cameron.

“Man he too small, i can’t be doing all that,” he said.

“You his uncle, you gotta hold him” I said, trying to hand him over, "how yall gonna bond if you never hold him?"

“Bruh babies scare me, we can bond once he's not so...fragile” he shook his head.

“You killed niggas but you scared of a little baby? Here,” I said, pushing Cam into his arms. He looked so uncomfortable which made me laugh more.

“I guess it ain’t that bad...” he said, adjusting.

“So what’s good with you and Cole?” I asked. They were living together now, and he was finally being serious about being with him for the long haul.

“Things are good...really good. Our families met each other for the first time, and nobody fought so, that was good.”

“Honestly, I never would have guessed you and Cole ending up together man,” I shook my head. That still blew my mind.

“It surprised me too...we were really just friends first, then It started feeling different than, like you and me. I didn’t wanna believe I was falling for a nigga, and it was...way more intense than how I ever felt for a girl,” he explained.

“That's how it was with Randi, intense. It kinda makes sense tough, you was always suspect,” I shrugged.

“Fuck you Cayden,” he threw a pillow at me.

“Man if you weren’t holding my kid I’d beat your ass right now.”

When Randi and Cole got home me and Ty were playing 2K in the living room. They walked into the living room but we were too into the game.

“Hey mama,” I said, eyes glued to the TV.

“Hi,” she said.

“Did you have a good time?” I asked.

“Mmhm. I really needed it,” she said. I finally looked up from the game and that’s when I saw her hair. It was shorter now and the ends were a blonde colour.

“Woah” I said, taking it in. She blushed.

“Do you like it?”

“You look hot,” I said, putting the controller down. I went to grab her and she giggled. I kissed her and forgot where we were or that Ty and Cole were there. Randi and i hadn't done anything since Cameron was born, first because she was still recovering. But once she was healed she still wasn't feeling like herself and we hadn't done much other than kiss. Something was different today though and that same energy we had before was back. After a while Cole cleared his throat.

“Should we leave or....?” he said. Randi pulled away but I couldn’t stop looking at her.

“Sorry,” she said with a laugh. "How was Cam?"

"Easy, only woke up twice to eat, other than that he been chilling."

"I'm gonna go upstairs and... check on him," she said, looking at me meaningfully.

"Imma come with you..." i said, looking her over.

"Ew. Ty let's go, before they smash right in front of us," Cole said.

"I wouldn't mind," Ty shrugged. Cole grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to the door.

We got upstairs and immediately came back together, our lips connecting. We moved to the bed and just as we were getting into it and i got Randi's clothes off, crying came from the baby monitor. I groaned, putting my face in her neck.

"This is gonna be our life now isn't it?" I said. She laughed.

"Yup, mommy duties call" she said. She grabbed my shirt and put it on.