elegyofthemoon · 2 years ago
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What's an ice cream flavor you've never tried before but would like to?
YESSSSSSS A QUESTION MADE JUST FOR MEEEEEE
Well okay it's gelato but same diff. ANYWAYS I saw that there was a lotus flavor gelato??? I wanted to get it but I went with gingerbread instead bc I thought that was also really interesting 😭😭 BUT SOMEDAY I WILL GET THAT LOTUS FLAVOR GELATO !!!
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tea-and-secrets · 4 months ago
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so me and my ex gf of 5 years had a bad breakup last year, around the end of summer. when i moved out (we lived together, like we had an entire life and friends together) i didnt tell anyone. i waited until she was visiting family, i packed up and left while they were gone. i ended up taking her cat when i moved out of state (like FAR).
*brief reference to animal neglect, none actually occurred, but, well youll see*
ive been in this cats life for the 5 years my ex and i were dating, so its not like 😺 wasnt my baby. and ive been the one primarily taking care of him for those years (for a long time i was a stay at home or worked less than 20 hrs a week to ex's 40+ hr weeks, so it made sense). once we broke up - and there were a lot of reasons why, the biggest one being the "rescue" of a bait dog, and subsequent neglectful abuse of her in the resulting weeks. i ended up working 2 jobs at 50+ hrs a week, while taking care of an ex bait dog (who had SERIOUS behavioral issues, especially around colored men, which i am), a special needs cat, and all the house/yard chores for a 2b2b - she told me to "stay the fuck away from my 😺 and 🐶"....but would be gone for days at a time, rarely being at home for more than enough time to sleep & shower & [redacted]. suffice to say these animals would have greatly suffered, maybe even died, if not for my IMMEDIATE intervention. i was already so used to caring for 😺 anyways, and i grew up rehabing strays so im used to the bites and aggression
fast forward to when I'm about to go. the 🐶 had been rehomed properly through a shelter, and no one ever found out about ex's abhorrent neglect. i know taking her 😺 was wrong, they were together for 3 years before i came into the picture . 😺 was her ESA even! when they finally noticed 😺 was gone (5 days after id left. no idea if thats how long they were gone or if that's just how long it took to notice 😒) they said they filed a police report, but nothing ever came of it. no calls, no letters, no warrant for my arrest, nothing. but i genuinely believed it saved 😺 life.
i know i made the right decision, but i still feel so guilty about it, on top of all those icky feelings from a breakup 😞
*for those wondering 😺 is doing fantastic!! he's f i n a l l y up to weight, his ibs is 100% under control, his arthritis has been successfully accommodated & no longer bothers him, and hes reliabily getting his 3x a week intestine medicine. his fur is full and luscious, his teeth get brushed 1-3x a week, his hair is brushed everytime i brush my own, same with his nails. i also keep it fucking immaculate in my apt, unlike the very...unhygienic 🤢 environment i removed him from. which is huge, he was having a LOT of issues due to that, 😺 loves that i clean the litter box every 5-9 days (if i can smell it, if he complains, i scoop it) now
not only that, but 😺has all sorts of: toys, cat nips (theres like 6 varieties?!?!), treats (wet & dry), beds, blankets, hidey-holes, tunnels, and [human] friends who love on and help me take care of 😺 if im unable. 😺 even gets supervised outside time once or twice a week (in a backpack or on a leash), which they obvs goes fuckin nuts for!
all in all, dont worry, 😺 is very loved and cared for to the point where 😺 (10ish yrs) acts like youngin now... i just still feel guilty 😭 and had to tell someone other than my therapist
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eeveelotions · 2 years ago
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a life update
cw/tw, pet death mention, depression, suicidal thoughts, toxic home relationship
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so. I've kinda dropped off since the new year. been meaning to update you guys (gender neutral) but, well. it's been hard. so let me give you a summary of the first twelve days of 2023 for me
-girldriend broke up with me
-my own words caused a best friend to stop being friends with me. it's my fault. maybe if I apologized and begged, I could fix it.
-two weeks ago, on a Monday, the day classes for school started, I took my cat and emotional Support animal, Alfred, to the vet in-between classes
-alfred already had hypothyroidism, high blood pressure and kidney disease, and was on approximately three meds (two pills and a packrt of gel stuff for his kidneys)
-at the vet, they determined he has pancreatitis, hip and back arthritis (which is why he sits and walks weird), and one of his few remaining teeth is starting to go bad
-pancreatitis, I could handle. another pill, no problem, it's fine
-but the arthritis. he's in pain, and has been for I don't know how long.
-the only pain medicine is a shot they give him, which is 75 dollars once a month, not including the price of his other medications, wet cat food from lack of teeth, and check ups
-so, I. I made the decision, and I'm putting him down March 14th. its spring break, a Tuesday, so I can spend one full day with him, and not miss work or school while grieving
-we went back and forth for about an hour before I blew up, saying I was managing it, I was going to keep him comfortable while I processed it, then went to class
-went home, told my mom. she yelled at me, said I was being selfish for keeping him alive for so long. made me feel guilty for considering cremation, I wasn't being fair to Alfred
-two days of peace while my uncle was visiting
-thursday morning before class. I came downstairs, we talked, normal. then she said that it seemed like I cared more about my cat dying than when my grandma, her mother passed in 2021.
-for context, I was close with my grandmother. I visited her once or twice a month for almost a year prior to her passing, and it was incredibly hard on me. I took the whole week leading up to the funeral off of work.
-i guess my mom didn't remember, because she had the AUDACITY to tell me I didn't take a grieving period for my grandma, then she got upset when I said "how dare you"
-then I went off to class, and texted a friend whom had offered to let me move in with their family in the past, if the offer was still on the table and how it would work.
-ive lived here for two weeks now. it's a longer commute to and from work and school, but I havent been yelled at in two weeks as of tomorrow
-prior to 2023, I lost two cats in 2022. Family cat Smokey in August, baby 2yo kitten Princess in October.
-march 14th, the day I'm putting and have scheduled to put Alfred down, is eight days before my birthday.
-i still have class and homework. I have a comm I need to finish, and the person has been so understanding, but I feel awful
-i can't write. I've tried. gods, I've tried. I'm adding small tidbits onto current drafts, but it's so hard. I can't handle angst at all, and that puts several projects on hiatus
-im crying every few days because it hits me that my best friend, my constant companion, will be gone in less than two months
-Alfred is 12ish, I've had him for four years. five in August, but he. won't be here then.
-he was a rescue, so I don't know his true age. everyone, vet included, thinks he may be older.
-vet said nobody would judge me for my decision, and based on Alfred's medical condition and chart, I wasn't making a wrong one
-ive never had to put a cat, or any pet, down before. never had to make the decision myself.
-ive struggled with suicidal thoughts and major anxiety the past few weeks. I'm trying my hbest, but.
-im tired.
tldr: my life is going to hell and will be hell well into the year, and I'm sorry about the sudden halt of fics and posting. I'll try to write what I can when I can, but. no promises, unfortunately
if you got this far, thanks. I appreciate it.
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dadbodosamu · 3 years ago
Text
only you || part v
Stepdad!Osamu x Fem!Reader
WARNINGS: spit, semi-public sex, alcohol, oral (f+m receiving), male masturbation, female masturbation, daddy kink, breeding kink, squirting, hair pulling, cum eating
5.6k words
part i || part ii || part iii || part iv || part v || part vi || extras || only you, too
“Can’t I just stay the night?” Atsumu groaned as he got dressed.
“We’re going out tonight,” Osamu said, throwing Atsumu’s shirt at him.
You rolled over in the bed, pulling the blanket over your nude form. You propped yourself up on your elbow, appreciating Osamu’s strong body as he pulled his boxers up.
“Good morning, baby,” Osamu said, smiling as he leaned down to peck your lips.
“Mmm, morning,” you hummed. “What time is it?”
“Five in the afternoon,” he said. “You only slept for a few hours.”
You nodded, stretching out and yawning. “I’m going to shower,” you mumbled, sitting up.
You looked at Atsumu, who was still standing in your room.
“What?” He asked, finally noticing you staring at him.
“Get out,” you said, gesturing towards the door.
“Like I wasn’t just balls deep in yer pussy,” he grumbled, crossing his arms and walking out.
“Like you didn’t nearly cum in your pants while I choked you!�� You called after him. You smiled as you heard him grumbling from the hallway.
“Ya okay?” Osamu asked.
You shrugged as you stood up on wobbly legs. “A little sore.”
You took a step towards your bathroom and your knees buckled. Thankfully, Osamu managed to grab your waist before you could fall.
“Let me help ya,” he said, holding you steady as you shakily walked to the bathroom. He sat you on the edge of the tub as he started the shower.
“I’ve got it from here,” you said. Your legs shook as you stood up but they stayed under you.
“Call if ya need me,” Osamu said, helping you into the shower.
You showered quickly. You brushed your teeth and fixed your hair before joining the twins in the living room.
“You never said where we were going tonight,” you said, curling up by Osamu on the couch. “How should I dress?”
“Casual,” he said, wrapping his arm around you and pulling you closer. “What you’re wearing now is fine.”
You glanced down at the sundress you were wearing. It was longer than your other one, so it already had Osamu’s stamp of approval.
You nodded and rested your head on his shoulder.
“We’re getting dinner? Great, where are we going?” Atsumu asked, plopping down next to you.
“We’re getting dinner and yer goin’ home,” Osamu said.
“Worth a try,” Atsumu said, shrugging. “Kiss goodbye?”
“I’m gonna kick yer ass,” Osamu said. Atsumu stood with a smirk.
“Not even a lil one?” Atsumu said. You smiled and stood up, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
“Don’t forget to cover that bruise on your throat,” you said, sitting back down. Atsumu whipped out his phone, swearing loudly when he saw the hand-shaped bruise across his neck.
“Damn it, what am I supposed to tell the boys?” Atsumu asked.
You shrugged as you cuddled into Osamu’s side.
“That you like getting choked by cute girls?” You suggested. “Nothing to be ashamed of.”
Atsumu groaned out a goodbye as he left.
Osamu pulled you into his lap and peppered kisses on your face as you giggled.
“Not that I don’t like it, but what was that for?” You asked, smiling after he kissed your lips.
“What, I can’t kiss my girlfriend?” Osamu asked, kissing your nose again. “Just wanna remind ya who ya belong to.”
“Never forgot,” you said, pecking his lips. “Need I remind you whose name I was moaning the whole time?”
You cupped his face and peppered him with kisses. “I love you, Miya Osamu.”
“I love ya,” Osamu said, kissing your lips one more time. “Let me go get dressed and we can go eat.”
“I guess I can let you go,” you said, moving off his lap. You laid on the couch, watching him walk down the hallway.
You checked your phone, responding to a few messages from your school friends and checking your socials. As expected, your mom’s ‘it’s complicated’ status had garnered a lot of attention. Comments ranging from ‘oh, i’m sorry sweetie’ to ‘i never liked him anyway’ to, to your joy, ‘he was too young for you anyway, don’t you have a daughter his age?’.
You cackled as you scrolled through the comments. Your mom had even responded to some, stating ‘he knows what he did’. You rolled your eyes and closed your facebook.
“Ready?” Osamu asked, stepping in front of you.
“When you are,” you said.
The restaurant was small and cozy, with the scent of fresh bread filling the air. You smiled as Osamu led you to a table in a secluded corner, pulling out your seat for you before sitting across from you.
“Everything here is fantastic,” Osamu said as you read over the menu. “My friend from uni runs this place, he’s almost a better chef than I am.”
“Almost?” You questioned. “So humble, Osamu.”
“Miya-kun!” A man exclaimed, rushing towards your table.
“Takahashi-kun,” Osamu greeted, smiling at the man.
“It’s been a while!” Takahashi said. “This the wife?”
You winced.
“Ah, not yet,” Osamu said. “I’m actually in the process of getting a divorce. This is my girlfriend, L/n Y/n.”
You smiled widely. “Hi, nice to meet you,” you said.
“Nice to meet you! It’s nice that you managed to get Miya to drag you out here, he rarely makes time to come visit his old friends,” Takahashi said. “I think I met the wife once? Maybe twice.”
“I have my own restaurant to run,” Osamu said. Takahashi rolled his eyes. “You can also visit me.”
“I have my own restaurant to run,” Takahashi said with a small laugh. “Speaking of, what can I start you off with?”
Your food came out quickly. Takahashi made polite conversation before leaving you two by yourselves.
“So, tell me about your childhood,” you said. “I feel like we only ever talk about me.”
“What do ya wanna know?” Osamu asked, taking a bite of his rice.
“What are your parents like?” You asked.
“My ma raised us alone,” Osamu said. He smiled before continuing. “Our dad wasn’t that great, he left when we were still babies.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” you said.
Osamu shrugged. “He wasn’t a great guy, anyway. Leaving was probably the best thing he ever did for us. He used to abuse my ma. He tried to come back when Tsumu and I were in high school, but we ran him off.”
“Ran him off?” You asked.
“He got a lil too hands-on with ma, and Tsumu and I kicked his ass out the door and told him not to come back,” Osamu said. “And that was the last time we saw him.”
You hummed. “Good for you, then.”
“But yeah, ma raised us by herself, never remarried or anything. She worked two jobs just to support us and put us through volleyball,” Osamu said. “But she never missed a game.”
“She sounds great,” you said, taking a sip of your drink.
“She is,” Osamu said, smiling fondly. “I can’t wait for ya to meet her.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” you said, smiling. “Tell me something else, I want to know everything.”
Osamu smiled at you before reaching across the table and grabbing your free hand.
“Tsumu and I have always been really competitive,” Osamu started. You smiled at him as he spoke.
“I really enjoyed the food,” you told Takahashi as he cleared off your table. “And thank you for the dessert, it was amazing.
“Anything for a friend!” Takahashi exclaimed, stacking the two empty plates in his hands. “And don’t worry about the bill, consider it on the house.”
“I owe you one,” Osamu said.
“I’ll take salted salmon onigiri and your miso soup any day of the week,” Takahashi said, smiling widely. “It was nice meeting you, and Miya-kun, it was nice seeing you again. Don’t be a stranger!”
“I’ll try to come by more often,” Osamu said. You both stood after Takahashi disappeared into the kitchen. Osamu grabbed your hand, pulling you out of the restaurant.
“That was nice,” you said, swinging yours and Osamu’s arms.
“It was,” Osamu agreed. “What do ya want to do now?”
“I don’t know, do you have anything in mind?” You asked.
“There’s a club I like that’s not too far from here,” Osamu said.
“That sounds fun,” you said, smiling. “You’re buying the first round of drinks.”
“Deal,” Osamu said. He stopped abruptly, tugging you into his chest and leaning down. “I love ya.” He pecked your lips.
“You keep saying that like the world’ll end if you don’t,” you teased, standing on your tiptoes to kiss him again.
“Jus’ don’t want ya to forget,” Osamu mumbled. “Gotta remind ya.”
“I think it’s sweet,” you said. You intertwined your fingers with his and brought his hand up to your lips. “I love you, too.”
You smiled as Osamu handed you a glass.
“One vodka cran for my princess,” he said, sliding into the booth next to you.
“Thank you,” you said. You took a sip of your drink and made a face. “A little light on the cran.”
“Lightweight,” Osamu teased. He tossed back his glass of whiskey and shivered. “Ugh.”
“Lightweight,” you mocked, elbowing his side. You downed your drink. “Dance with me?”
“Of course, anything my princess wants,” Osamu said. He pulled you out of the booth and onto the dance floor.
Osamu’s hands rested on your hips as you ground against him. It wasn’t long before Osamu was turning you around, pulling you against his body as his hips moved to the beat. Your bodies moved together, grinding and bumping against each other as the two of you felt the rhythm.
You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him down to face you.
“Ya look like a goddess,” Osamu breathed in your ear. “Every guy in this club has his eyes on ya.”
You let out a shaky moan as Osamu’s hips dragged against yours.
“Come on,” Osamu mumbled, pulling you through the dancing bodies.
Osamu led you into the bathroom, locking the door behind you. He sat you on the edge of the sink, lips slotting against yours sloppily.
“Samu,” you said, running your hands up his shirt as he pushed your dress up around your waist. “Wanna feel you.”
“Later, princess,” he said, pushing his jeans down just enough to release his cock. “Gotta be in ya.”
He tugged your panties to the side and pressed the head of his cock flush against your entrance.
“I love ya,” he said, pecking your lips before pushing into you. You let out a high moan as he stretched you.
“Gen-gentle,” you stuttered. “Still sore from earlier.”
“Oh, princess, I got ya,” Osamu said, tip kissing your cervix. He held you tightly against him as he slowly thrusted into you. You moaned softly as you rested your head against his chest.
“Love ya so much, jus’ wanna fill ya with my babies,” Osamu said. You moaned, wrapping your legs around him and pulling him in deeper.
“Love you,” you moaned, kissing his neck. Osamu reached between you and rubbed your clit slowly, in time with his thrusts.
“Not gonna last,” he groaned. The fingers on your clit sped up. “Cream around my cock, princess.”
Your hands clenched in Osamu’s shirt as your stomach tightens. Your thighs trembled as you moaned in his ear.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Osamu groaned. His cock twitched as your walls clamped around him. You came with a soft moan, burying your face in his neck as Osamu filled you with cum.
“Samu,” you whined as he pulled out. A mix of yours and his cum slowly leaked out of your stretched hole.
“Hold on,” Osamu said, kneeling in front of you. He tossed your legs over his shoulders and licked a bold stripe up your cum coated folds.
“Osamu!” You exclaimed, legs twitching as his tongue licked deep into your hole. You moaned as he ate you out like a man starved, slurping up cum and spreading your pussy lips with his fingers to lick deeper.
“Taste so good with my cum leakin’ outta ya,” Osamu moaned. He stood up and kissed you, pushing cum into your waiting mouth. You moaned and swallowed instinctively.
You hummed and kissed him again. “Mmm, thank you,” you mumbled against his lips.
“Come on, I’m about ready to get ya outta that dress,” Osamu said, lifting you off the sink. Your legs shook as you stood up, and Osamu wrapped his arm around you to keep you steady.
“Let’s go home,” you said, smiling at him.
“Baby, no,” Osamu groaned as you sat up in your bed. He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you back down against his chest.
“We’re supposed to meet the boys in an hour,” you said, struggling to escape Osamu’s iron grip around you. “I need to shower and get my stuff together.”
“Can’t we just cancel?” Osamu asked, holding you tighter. “Just, I wanna spend the day with ya. We can do whatever ya want.”
“Baby, we still have three free days before my mom gets back,” you said. “Let’s just go play this game and then we can come back home and spend the rest of the day in bed.”
Osamu pouted but let you go.
“Thank you,” you said, crawling over him. You pecked his lips before you rolled out of bed. “Come shower with me?”
Osamu was up immediately, following you to your bathroom.
Your shower lasted longer than it should’ve, thanks to Osamu. As soon as the water hit your body, his lips were glued to your skin, his hands on your waist. Before you knew it, you were pressed against the cool, shower wall as he fucked you from behind.
“We’re gonna be late,” you complained as you got dressed.
“Didn’t hear ya complainin’ when ya were cummin’ ‘round my cock, princess,” Osamu said, kissing your head.
You swatted him away, glaring at him.
“You’re insatiable,” you grumbled, tossing a pair of black spandex shorts in your gym bag.
“I’ll show ya insatiable,” he said, hugging you from behind. His hand slipped down the front of your skirt, teasing the edge of your panties as he sucked on your neck.
“Samu, no,” you said, making no move to push him off. You bucked against his hand as his fingers circled your clit.
“Come on, baby,” Osamu mumbled, lips pressed against your skin. “Let me make ya cum one more time.”
You huffed. “Five minutes, then we’re leaving.”
“More than enough.”
“Hey, hey, hey!” Bokuto exclaimed, hugging you tightly as you walked onto the court.
“Bokkun!” You exclaimed, smiling widely as he spun you around.
“Y/n-chan!” Hinata exclaimed, hugging you as soon as Bokuto sat you down.
“My favourite niece!” Atsumu shouted, running across the court to greet you. Sakusa followed after him, offering you a casual nod as Atsumu hugged you.
“I might as well not even be here,” Osamu said, crossing his arms.
“Osamu-kun!” Hinata exclaimed, throwing himself at the man. Osamu immediately caught him, and tossed him back on his feet.
“Just a hello would’ve been fine,” Osamu said.
You giggled as he walked over to you, gluing himself to your side.
“Let us go change and we can get started,” you said.
“Locker rooms are that way,” Sakusa said, pointing towards the end of the gym. “Hope you don’t mind using the men’s, the women’s is locked up today.”
“It’s fine,” you said, shrugging. You followed Osamu into the locker rooms and changed quickly.
“Hey,” Osamu called before you could walk out. You turned towards him. “I love ya.” He pecked your lips before following you out of the locker rooms.
“Okay, let’s play!” You exclaimed, clapping your hands together.
Hinata whooped loudly as he jogged towards you.
“We’re gonna crush them!” He exclaimed. Bokuto high fived you both as Osamu joined Atsumu and Sakusa.
“Let’s warm up first,” you said, smiling.
You stretched out, rolling your shoulders before getting into position. You set a few balls for both boys before Sakusa called for the game to start.
The game lasted five sets, your team winning three of them. After Hinata scored the last point, Bokuto pulled you into a tight hug, spinning you around.
“Aha! Suck it!” You shouted once Bokuto put you down. Atsumu flipped you off, smiling regardless.
“We let you win,” Osamu said, ducking under the net. You rolled your eyes as he pulled you into a hug.
“Oh, sure,” you said.
“No hugging the enemy!” Atsumu exclaimed. Sakusa slapped him on the back of the head before hugging you quickly.
“You’re good, probably better than Atsumu,” Sakusa said. You smiled widely.
“Thanks,” you said as Osamu wrapped his arm around your waist. Bokuto and Hinata both gave you a look.
“I have something to tell ya,” Osamu said. You cocked an eyebrow as you looked up at him. “M/n and I are getting a divorce.”
“Finally,” Bokuto groaned. “I couldn’t take her hitting on me every time we saw each other.”
“So, you’re with her daughter now?” Sakusa asked. Your face heated up as Osamu nodded.
“And this isn’t just you trying to get back at her for trying to sleep with us?” Sakusa asked.
“No, I love Y/n,” Osamu said, glancing down at you with a smile.
“And I love you,” you said.
“As sweet as that is, isn’t it a little fast?” Sakusa asked.
“Probably,” you said. “But who cares? My mom’ll probably be remarried by the end of the year.”
“We know the relationship is a little taboo,” Osamu said, “but we just can’t help it.”
“Pay up,” Hinata said, grinning widely as he held his hand out to Bokuto.
“Fuck you,” Bokuto grumbled, handing a bill over to Hinata.
“What exactly did you two bet on?” You asked.
“When you two would get together,” Hinata said. “Bokuto-kun bet it would be the next time you visited.”
“Should’ve known Osamu-kun would move fast,” Bokuto said, hair drooping.
“Atsumu obviously already knew,” Sakusa said. Atsumu smiled widely.
“It’s a twin thing,” he said.
“Shut up, you literally caught us,” you said, shoving the blond twin.
“But it was my twin senses which led me to catching you,” Atsumu said. You rolled your eyes.
“Anyway, lunch?” You asked.
“Baby, you promised,” Osamu groaned as you sat up in bed.
“Promised what?” You asked, stretching your arms out.
“We could spend one of our days in bed,” Osamu said, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you back down.
“One, I never promised that,” you said. “And two, I need to pee. Then I’ll come right back to bed.”
“Fine,” Osamu said, pouting. He released you from his hold. You hopped up and walked to the bathroom. You showered quickly and brushed your teeth before redressing in your pajamas (Osamu’s t-shirt and a pair of his boxers).
“Ya take too long,” Osamu grumbled as you crawled back into your bed. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into his chest.
“I took ten minutes to shower and wash off, sue me,” you said, rolling your eyes.
Osamu rolled over, pulling you on top of him. “Why wash off when I’m about to make ya dirty again?”
You laughed. “That was so bad, Samu.”
Osamu pushed your shirt up and over your head, tossing it to the floor. He grabbed your breasts, squeezing them and teasing your nipples with his fingers.
“Samu,” you moaned, running your hands over his broad chest. “Let me.”
Osamu pulled his hands away from your skin as you leaned down. Your plush lips wrapped around his left nipple, your tongue teasing the cool, metal barbell as you pinched his other nipple with your fingers.
“Fuck,” Osamu hissed, lowly. His back arched as your free hand drifted to his half hard dick. You palmed him through his boxers, heart racing as you felt him harden beneath your touch.
You pulled back, a string of saliva still connecting you to Osamu. You pinched his swollen, spit-covered nipple, drawing out a high pitched moan from him as you switched to the other.
“Baby,” Osamu breathed, tugging your hair as you suckled his nipple. You hummed in response. “Feels good.”
You smiled against his skin as you continued to palm him. You pushed his boxers down, freeing his cock. You pulled away, straddling him.
“Wanna watch you,” you said, running your hands over his soft stomach.
“Watch me what, baby?” He asked, settling his hands on your hips.
“Wanna watch you get off,” you said. “Please, Samu, I wanna watch you touch yourself.”
“Why would I do that when yer right here?” He asked, moving your hips so you ground against his cock.
“Please,” you begged. “Please, I wanna know what you look like when you’re getting yourself off. Please, daddy, for me.”
Osamu sighed. “Fine, just for ya, princess.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” you said, leaning down and kissing him. You moved off of him, watching as he kicked his boxers off.
Osamu wrapped his hand around the base of his cock and let out a shaky breath. He pumped himself once, twice before letting his free hand drift to his puffy nipples.
“Y/n,” he moaned, softly as you leaned back, pushing your hand under the waistband of Osamu’s boxers you were wearing.
“I’m right here, baby,” you said, reaching out with your free hand to touch his shoulder. He relaxed at your touch and pumped his length slowly.
“Doesn’t feel like ya,” Osamu whined as he thumbed his slit. You pressed two fingers against your clit as he gathered precum on his thumb.
“Let me taste,” you said, grabbing his arm. He lifted his hand to your face, letting you suck his thumb into your mouth, licking the precum away.
“Just want ya to touch me,” Osamu said as you hollowed your cheeks around his thumb.
“After you get yourself off,” you said, rubbing your clit in slow circles. Osamu whined as you let out a soft moan.
“Samu,” you moaned, rubbing your clit. “Let me see you.”
Osamu gripped his cock once again. Precum leaked down the side as he slowly pumped himself.
“Baby, take ‘em off,” he said, tugging at the boxers you were wearing. You pushed them down and spread your legs as Osamu watched you dip your fingers into your wet heat.
“Fuck,” he groaned, pinching his nipple and pumping his length faster. His thumb teased the metal barbell as he moaned.
“Samu,” you said, holding your wet fingers up to his face. He groaned at the scent and sucked your fingers into his mouth, licking them clean as he gently squeezed his balls.
“Please, please, I want you to touch me,” he moaned as you pulled your fingers away. You pushed his hands away and straddled him. His cock slotted neatly in your wet folds as you ground against him. You moaned as the head of his cock rubbed against your clit.
“So fuckin’ wet,” Osamu groaned, intertwining your fingers with his. “Just for me, isn’t that right, baby?”
“Just for you,” you moaned, rolling your hips furiously.
“Let me fuck ya,” he said. “Need to be in yer sweet cunt.”
You shook your head. “Sore from yesterday.”
Osamu’s head fell back with a groan. “And with any luck ya will be sore the rest of yer life.”
“Just- just cockwarming,” you said. Osamu nodded and carefully slid the tip into your wet heat.
“Son ofa bitch,” Osamu swore as your gummy walls clenched around him. He slowly bottomed out as you moaned in his ear.
“Oh,” you moaned as his fat cock stretched and molded your cunt. You wrapped your arms around his neck and leaned your forehead against his. “Feels so good.”
“Takin’ my cock so well,” Osamu breathed. He wrapped his arms around you and leaned back against the headboard, holding you closely. “Good girl.”
Your walls tightened at his praise. You sighed as you rested against Osamu’s chest.
“I want this forever,” you mumbled.
“My cock?”
“You, dummy,” you said, smiling as you looked up at him. “I want you forever.”
“Ya can’t say shit like that,” Osamu said, rolling his hips. “Makes me wanna flip ya over and put yer ankles over my shoulders.”
“Do it,” you challenged. Osamu groaned as he flipped you over.
“Yer askin’ for it, lil girl,” he said, pushing your knees up to your chest. You moaned as he pulled out, only to snap his hips against your ass.
“Samu!” You exclaimed as he split you open over his cock.
“I love ya, baby,” he grunted, grabbing your ankles. You cried out as he spread your legs out. You fisted the sheets beneath you as he pounded into you.
“L-Love you,” you stuttered. His cock hit every spot in you, without trying. The cool metal that teased your walls only added to the stimulation.
“Want ya to squirt all over my cock, baby,” he said, putting one of your legs over his shoulder as he reached down to slap your clit. You squealed as he slapped it again before rubbing two fingers over it.
“S-Samu!” You cried as he pulled out. He grabbed your ankles with one hand and pushed them up, folding you in half.
“Such a cute, lil pussy,” he cooed, rubbing his fingers down your slit. Your walls fluttered around nothing. “She’s just cryin’ fer me.”
“Samu, please,” you cried. Osamu leaned down and spat directly in your hole before shoving three fingers in you.
“Clenchin’ ‘round my fingers like a whore,” he said. “Ya want my cock, baby?”
“Please, please!” You moaned loudly. “Samu, please, I want your cock in me!”
“Oh?” He asked, pressing the head of his cock against your clenching hole. He ran the head through your folds, pausing to tease your swollen clit and fluttering hole.
“Daddy!” You cried. “Daddy, I want it!”
Osamu pushed forward, shoving his cock in your tight core. You moaned as he bottomed out, the tip of his cock pressed against your cervix.
“Does my baby feel better with daddy’s cock in her?” Osamu cooed, dropping your legs on his shoulders.
You nodded. “Love daddy’s cock in me,” you moaned.
“I know, baby,” Osamu said. “Ya were made to take my cock. Isn’t that right, princess? Yer just a sweet, lil cocksleeve, meant to take daddy’s cock whenever he wants.”
“‘m jus’ daddy’s cocksleeve,” you moaned. “I was made to take daddy’s cock.”
“Good girl,” Osamu praised, slowly thrusting into you. “Yer gonna be my lil housewife, pregnant with my babies.”
You moaned, unable to speak as Osamu shoved three of his fingers in your mouth.
“Suck,” he ordered. You hollowed your cheeks, tears running down your cheeks as you gagged on his fingers. “Good girl.”
“Wanna be your good, little, housewife,” you moaned as he pulled his fingers away.
“Aw, baby, ya will be,” he said. He reached down to circle your clit. “Cream around my cock, baby.”
“Daddy,” you whined as your stomach tightened. Osamu thrusted into you harder. You cried out as your walls clamped around him, juices gushing.
“There’s my girl,” Osamu said, continuing to thrust into you. You whimpered as his cock twitched inside you.
“Cum in me, daddy, please,” you begged. “Breed me, breed me, I want you to fill me up!”
“Gonna give ya my babies,” he grunted. Osamu moaned loudly as your walls fluttered around him, finally milking an orgasm from him. His balls tightened as he filled you up. Cum dripped down your skin as he fucked you through his orgasm.
“Too much, too much,” you whined as Osamu rubbed your clit.
“Just one more,” he said. You whined as he pulled out. Quickly, before his cum could leak out, he pushed his fingers in you.
“Samu!” You whimpered as his thumb rubbed over your overly sensitive clit.
“Come on,” he grunted, rubbing your clit faster. You moaned loudly.
“Samu, Samu, Samu!” You moaned. He leaned down and wrapped his lips around your clit, sucking harshly as he fingered you.
“Cum in my mouth, princess,” he murmured. Your thighs shook as his tongue pressed against your clit.
“Samu!” You exclaimed as you squirted into his open mouth. A mixture of your juices and his cum dripped onto the sheets and down Osamu’s chin.
“That’s my good girl,” Osamu said, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
“You’re too much,” you huffed, relaxing into the bed. Osamu smiled at you as he laid next to you.
“Breakfast in bed?” He asked. You shook your head.
“We have to clean these sheets,” you said, glancing down at the wet spot below you.
“But then we can get back in bed, right?” Osamu asked.
You smiled and nodded. “After we eat and wash the sheets, sure. And you need a shower, you smell like sex.”
“Join me?” He asked.
“No funny business, Miya Osamu.”
“Omurice and onion soup for one princess,” Osamu said, setting a plate in front of you. You smiled at the cute, panda-shaped omurice.
“Thank you,” you said. Osamu sat next to you with his own plate.
“I was thinking tomorrow we could go visit the Izanagi shrine,” Osamu said, slurping his soup.
“I’ve never been to the Izanagi shrine,” you said.
“It’s dedicated to Izanagi and Izanami,” Osamu said. You nodded.
“Sounds good,” you said. “Izanami is the goddess of creation and death isn’t she?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Izanagi was her husband. The moon and sun were born from his eyes.”
“That sounds interesting,” you said. “I’ll go.”
You ate in silence, apart from music playing from the tv in the living room.
“Back to bed?” Osamu asked after washing the dishes. You smiled and nodded.
“Back to bed,” you confirmed. Osamu lifted you easily and pecked your lips as he carried you back to bed. The freshly made bed was quickly ruined as Osamu laid you on your back, gently.
He kissed you softly before kissing down your neck. He made quick work of removing your tank top and sucking your left nipple into his mouth as he teased the other with his fingers. You moaned softly as he switched then continued to kiss down your stomach.
“Samu,” you said softly, threading your fingers in his hair.
“Jus’ let me take care of ya,” he breathed, running his fingers down your thighs, pulling your underwear down. You sighed as Osamu kissed up your inner thigh, stopping at your pubic area.
“Such a pretty pussy,” Osamu said, running his finger through your folds. “Gonna make ya cum on my tongue, princess.”
“Samu,” you moaned as he licked broadly up your slit. He moved your legs over his shoulders and wrapped his lips around your clit. He alternated between teasing it with his tongue and sucking at it softly.
“One or two?” Osamu asked.
“Two,” you said.
Osamu slowly pushed two fingers in your opening. Your mouth fell open with a low moan as he scissored you open and tongued at your clit.
“Osamu,” you moaned, tugging his hair. Osamu groaned, vibrating against your clit. “Oh?”
You gave another experimental tug, receiving the same response.
“Ya keep pulling my hair and I’m gonna fuck ya without finishing down here,” Osamu said, pulling away from you. You stared him in the eyes and pulled his hair again.
He moaned then glared up at you. “I wanted to treat ya real nice before I fucked ya again.”
“And I just want you in me,” you said. Osamu crawled up your body, hovering over you as he kissed you deeply.
“What my princess wants, she gets,” Osamu said. He kicked off his boxers and flipped you over so that you were on top.
“Want you in my mouth,” you mumbled, staring down at his hard cock. Your mouth was watering as his cock rested against his lower stomach, head swollen and dark pink, leaking precum.
“What was that, baby?” Osamu asked.
“Wanna suck you off,” you said, looking up at him. You scrambled down the mattress before he could say anything, spreading his legs slightly.
“G’head, baby,” he said, putting his hands behind his head as you placed a kitten lick to the leaking tip. You moaned at the salty taste.
You ran your tongue down his length, stopping to tease his balls. Osamu hissed as you sucked one in your mouth, gently running your tongue around it.
“Fuck, baby,” Osamu said, reaching down to grab your hair. You pulled back and pumped his cock once, twice, three times before taking the tip in your mouth. You hollowed your cheeks as you pumped the rest of his length.
“I know ya can take more than that,” Osamu said. You ignored him as your hand came up to play with his balls.
“Leave me alone,” you said, pulling back. “Just let me make you feel good.”
You took the tip back in your mouth, swirling your tongue around it. Slowly, you took more of his cock in your mouth until he hit the back of your throat. Tears burned at your eyes as you gagged. Osamu groaned and bucked his hips.
“Good girl,” Osamu groaned, pulling your hair gently. You moaned around him, bobbing your head and wrapping your hand around whatever couldn’t fit in your mouth. Your other hand squeezed his balls lightly.
“Fuck, gonna cum,” Osamu grunted as his balls tightened in your hand. You pulled back.
“Cum in my mouth,” you said. You wrapped your lips around the tip and sucked. Your tongue swirled around, moaning at the taste of his precum.
“Fuck, fuck,” Osamu swore, pushing your head down his length as he came down your throat. You swallowed most of it before crawling up the bed and meeting Osamu with a messy kiss. Spit and cum ran down your chins as your tongues danced together.
“I love you,” you mumbled, as Osamu wiped your chin clean with a discarded shirt before wiping his own.
“I love you, too, baby.”
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ncssian · 4 years ago
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A Favor: Part Twelve
Nessian Modern AU
Masterlist
a/n: this took so long bc ive been reading chain of iron and in general agonizing over things i cant control instead of being productive 🥴 that being said, absolutely none of the events in this chapter were planned in my outline, but here we are with something new!
***
December brings more snow and bone chilling weather, to the point where Cassian has to drag Nesta out of bed, either physically or by phone call, to get her to therapy appointments on time. 
She’s in the waiting room one freezing morning when, in her utter boredom, she musters up the nerve to turn to the girl sitting next to her. “What are you in here for?”
The girl blinks her large blue eyes, taking notice of Nesta for the first time. Nesta uses the opportunity to take in her freckle-painted face, a little wan but beautiful. Reddish brown hair hangs around her face and shoulders, creating a thick curtain from the rest of the world, and Nesta’s curiosity piques like she’s just found a shiny new toy.
It probably isn’t right to compare people to toys, but then the girl says, “This isn’t prison, you know.” Her voice is deep, almost sultry— completely at odds from her huddled-in posture and sickened expression. “I didn’t commit a crime to have to be here.”
Is she insulted by Nesta’s question, or is she poking a joke? Nesta decides to play it safe by murmuring, “Sorry, never mind.”
She starts to turn away when the girl says, “We’re trying a new type of trauma therapy today. I had to get here half an hour early because I couldn’t swallow my nerves.”
Nesta might lack many social skills, but she isn’t stupid enough to ask what kind of trauma the girl is being treated for. Instead, she nods casually as if she understands the struggle. “I’ve been coming here for weeks now and I’ve barely discussed shit. That’s mostly on me, but you know…” She actually doesn’t know where she’s going with her train of thought. “It sounds brave to do whatever you're doing,” she states finally. “I don’t think I’ll be able to open up that much about myself, ever.” 
The girl gives Nesta a weird look that she immediately recognizes. Nesta uses it every time she doesn’t know how to respond to someone who takes her by surprise.
The door to Lana’s office clicks open, and the woman herself pokes her head out with a plain smile. “Ready, Nesta?”
Nesta bites down on her frown. She has a feeling today won’t be as easy as her past sessions.
She’s about to leave without another glance at the girl beside her when that low voice speaks up. “I’m Gwyn.”
Nesta looks back at her as she gets up from her chair, and says the first reply that comes to mind: “Good to know.”
***
Nesta is contemplative hours after she gets back from her therapy session, bundled up in her bed with a coloring book. The repetitive motion of filling in the mandala drawing lets her mind wander, picking up and dropping different thoughts like she’s inspecting stones. 
She keeps her wrist light as she colors in with red. She finally said Tomas’s name in therapy today, though the action left a slimy feeling in Nesta’s stomach that lingers even now. She also spoke about her sisters, which somehow ended up leading to a discussion of her uterus. 
“How have you been dealing with the endometriosis news?”
Nesta shrugged. “I’m getting treated, and my last period was more bearable than usual—”
“I mean mentally, how are you doing? With how your condition could affect your future?”
Nesta narrowed her eyes. “Affect me how?”
“Have you never considered the impact it could have on your ability to bear children?”
“Not everything in life is about bearing children, you know.”
“We’re humans. It’s definitely something to consider.”
“Not for me. I’ve never wanted kids.” A mistruth at best. “I don’t care what endo does or doesn’t do to me on those grounds.”
In a way, Nesta told herself, the health risks were actually for the best. If she ever did, by some stupid loss of sanity, try to have children, then her body would act as a safety net from her decisions.
Lana only said, “You’ll never know how much you care or don’t care until you talk out your feelings.”
“Then I guess we’ll never know.”
Nesta lets the memory of that conversation drop like a stone on a shore. That’s not something she has to face for a good long while. No, right now she has to face her past. 
Her sisters, and her ex, and even her father— 
I wonder if I came off too strong with Gwyn today. 
Her hand stops drawing, and she switches out her red marker for an orange one. This thought she doesn’t mind inspecting for a little longer: she and Gwyn ended up leaving their sessions at the same time, which meant they were forced into stilted conversation on the way down to the parking lot. 
Not forced, Nesta self-corrects. She willingly initiated a conversation, and it didn’t go terribly. She wonders if making friends in therapy waiting rooms is a real thing.
Her phone vibrates beside her, breaking her hours-long mental bubble. Blinking dazedly, she answers the phone call.
“How are you?” is the first thing Cassian says to her. He makes sure to ask her that at least twice a day, like a gauging of her temperature. It makes Nesta wonder what she’s ever done in her life to call for such… attention to her well-being. 
“I’m good,” she answers honestly. “My head’s a little loud right now, but I don’t mind it.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
“No, I’d rather hear you talk.” She slumps back against her pillows, coloring book forgotten. “What’s up?”
“Ah...” Cassian sounds hesitant for the first time since their relationship started. “It’s just that I haven’t gotten my Christmas decorations up yet, and I was going to ask if you wanted to help.”
Nesta takes a moment to absorb his words. “It’s December fifth,” she says.
“Yeah?”
“You just seem like somebody who does their decorations the day after Thanksgiving.”
“Well, this year is a little different, with you moving out and being busy with school…” He pauses. “I was waiting to do it with you.”
When she doesn’t reply, Cassian adds, “I don’t even know if you care about Christmas. I know you and your family sort of ignored holidays. It’s fine if you don’t want to—”
“I’ll be over right now,” Nesta blurts. 
Half an hour later, Cassian swings open his door with a smug grin on his face; a vast difference from the stammering hesitance he displayed over the phone earlier. Nesta’s own lips want to pull up into a smile just at the sight of him, but she holds back and narrows her eyes instead. “What’s got you so worked up?” she questions as she steps into the warmth of the cabin and out of the freezing cold.
“The way you ran over here as soon as I asked.” He looks her up and down, still amused. “You didn’t even bother to change, did you?”
It’s true: she’s in the same sweatpants and long sleeved tee she wore around home, and her socked feet are shoved into slippers. 
“Get that smirk off your face.” Nesta flicks his nose before tossing her coat off. “If this is a competition about who’s got a bigger puppy-crush for whom, you already won when you delayed putting up your Christmas decorations for me.”
“Fair enough,” he grins. The words send an unexpected pang through Nesta, because it’s partly true, isn’t it? He cares more openly for her than she does for him. 
She looks away in guilt, not knowing how to fix the imbalance. Her eyes land on the living room coffee table, where their half-finished jigsaw puzzle sits. It’s been stored under the couch for the past few weeks, forgotten by Nesta and Cassian alike as they moved on with their lives, but now it’s sitting out again.
“Have you been working on the puzzle without me?” She raises an inquisitive brow, about to feel— hurt.
“Never,” Cassian promises, saving her from that irrational hurt. “I just brought it out because I figured we should get to finishing it one day.”
She pads over to the table, picking up a puzzle piece and turning it over in her hand. “I don’t know if you remember, but we had a terrible time working on this,” she scoffs lightly.
“Oh, I remember,” he says, coming up behind her and stealing the piece from her grasp. “I think it’s safe to say those evenings were the worst fights we’ll ever have together.”
Nesta leans back against Cassian’s chest and hums. “It made us a stronger couple, don’t you think?” She turns her head up and back to meet Cassian’s eyes, finding that he’s already looking down at her.
Hypnotized, she leans into his warmth. She only manages to land the smallest kiss against his lips when his hand squeezes her ass cheek. “You’re here for a job, remember?” He taps her butt before pulling away, gesturing to the Christmas tree in the corner of the living area with his chin. It stands bare. “You do tinsel, I’ll do lights.”
Tinsel is harder to work with than Nesta remembers. She only manages to get half the tree done before plopping onto the Persian rug, exhausted and covered in silvery material. She doesn’t mind laying there while Cassian continues working; it’s her revenge for when he napped on her bed while she moved in.
“You know the stair railings still need to be wreathed, Archeron.”
Nesta declines to respond, tilting her head on the carpet for a better view of her boyfriend’s ass instead. “All this decorating,” she starts. “Is it just for you?”
Cassian turns to her, surprised. “Well…”
She pushes up onto her elbows, catching her mistake. “Are we doing Christmas together? Or are your friends coming over?” She hasn’t bothered to celebrate Christmas in years now, and she doesn’t care much what Cassian’s plans are either way.
“I was hoping for both?” He sounds hesitant. “Christmas Eve is all the way over in Velaris, but I was thinking we could go together, open some presents, and come back and spend Christmas here.”
Nesta purses her lips. She doesn’t actually hate that plan. Both Feyre and Elain have been pestering her with the annual texts asking her to visit for Christmas, and for once, she feels like responding to them. The invitation is more of a formality than an actual request at this point; she doubts her sisters want her there after years of rejections, but… what’s the harm?
“Is that a yes?” Cassian asks at her unreadable face.
“Yes,” she states unflinchingly. She refuses to overthink the possible consequences of this choice and chooses to focus on the broad grin overtaking Cassian’s face. “Really?” he says.
“But there has to be rules.” Nesta sits up fully now. “No one can know we’re together, no matter how much you trust or love them.”
“We already agreed to that, baby.”
Yes, but Nesta knows the secret weighs on him heavier than he shows— even if he agrees with her that it's for the best. “It’ll be different when we’re together in the same room as everyone else,” she says. Cassian wears his beating heart on his sleeve, and she doesn’t think he’s ever had to hide it before.
“You’ll also be different,” she adds. “It’s a huge change of pace.”
Cassian drops the remaining strand of lights and smiles confusedly down at her. “What do you mean, I’ll be different?” He sits across from her, before the blazing fire. 
“You know how you get around your friends.” Nesta shrugs without a thought. “Like your personality readjusts to mirror the people around you. I used to find it a mix of sad and adorable, like a neglected puppy desperate for love, but now I— okay, I still feel the same way.” She waves a hand in a dismissive gesture.
By the look on Cassian’s face, he does not find her words so easily dismissed. 
Coldness curdles in the pit of Nesta’s stomach, the realization that she’s said something wrong. She can’t fix it until she knows where she fucked up, though.
“Is that what you think of me?” Cassian finally says lowly. His usually expressive mouth is drawn tight and narrow. 
“Um… What would you rather I think of you?”
His eyes widen in disbelief. “Seriously, Nesta?”
Nesta’s back stiffens, refusing to cower. “I only described what I’ve observed in the past.”
“And what you observed was a desperate puppy?” His voice is cold in a way she’s never heard before.
Okay, she’s starting to see how that might be offensive. She forges onward, “Tell me what you think about yourself in the presence of your family, then.” It’s a private victory that she says family instead of clown circus. But she’s not trying to turn this into a fight.
Cassian is silent, but his stare continues to rage at her.
“Tell me,” Nesta repeats.
His hands curl into fists on the rug. “I think I’m empathetic, easy to talk to, and easier to be around. Is it a problem if I’m likable?” Unlike you are the unsaid words.
Nesta inspects the space between them like it’s a chessboard. “And what part of yourself are you giving up to be so likable, Cassian?” she says quietly.
“Nothing.”
Nesta disagrees, if only because she’s been watching him out of the corner of her eye for years. “I think you base your personality off of those you love, and you lose a little bit of your true self every time you put others’ needs before your own.” 
She shuts her mouth, not having expected such honesty to come out of it. Cassian is taken aback, too, she can tell.
“And I guess it’s natural that you’d see all of that as a bad thing, considering your history of being closed off and self-serving to a fault,” he fires back with the flatness Nesta utilizes so often.
One for one. Fair enough. “We’re both right then,” Nesta says. “You work for your best friend because you have no ambition beyond serving your family, and I have no such family because I can’t bring myself to care about those things. Are we even now?”
Cassian furrows his brows, those defensive walls melting away as he realizes she’s completely serious. “What? No, Nes—” He shakes his head. “Okay, so maybe you’re right about me. Maybe I agree with you a little bit, but… If we see flaws in each other, then we should be working to overcome them instead of weaponizing them.”
Now Nesta’s the one shaking her head, quickly lifting a hand to stop him. “Relax there, sweetheart. I have no expectations from you or myself to go on some self-improvement journey now that we’re together. Talking about my feelings with a professional every week is hard enough.” Yes, agreeing to go to Feyre’s Christmas party is improvement. Slow, barely there improvement, but enough to wear her out for the rest of the month. For Nesta to fully let people into her life, to treat them as lovingly as she treats Cassian— that’s a long way away. She can’t envision it, doesn’t even know if she wants it.
Cassian must understand some of what she’s thinking, because he nods and backs off. He gets back up and returns to stringing lights, tossing a handful of tinsel at Nesta as if to say Get back to work. 
She stands and obeys, thinking their not-argument is officially over when Cassian says, “You’re wrong about one thing.”
She looks up from where she threads tinsel through fir leaves. He doesn’t take his eyes off his work as he says, “You do have a family. And deep, deep down, you care about them as much as I care about mine.”
***
Nesta catches Emerie’s eye as the dark-haired beauty walks into the pub. Raising a hand and waving, she gestures Emerie over to the booth she’s sitting in. 
“Look what I found,” Nesta says with a hint of pride, pointing to the redhead sitting beside her. “A third girl for girl’s night!”
“I was kidnapped,” Gwyn speaks up. “Jumped on the way to my car.” She’s out of her usual hoodie and in a tight-fitting blouse, looking stunning even while seeming out of place in the dim bar.
“She came here consensually,” Nesta retorts. “Emerie, this is Gwyn. We met at therapy.”
Gwyn offers Emerie an awkward smile.
Emerie slides into the booth across from them with raised brows. She looks between Nesta and the new girl and back again. “You invited her here? All by yourself?” she asks.
Nesta nods firmly.
Emerie breaks into a wide grin and reaches over the table to grab Nesta’s hand. “I’m so proud of you!” If Emerie were anyone else, she’d be squealing in excitement, but Emerie does not squeal.
Nesta waves off her friend’s praise, though a part of her wants to beam at it, too.
Gwyn glances between the two of them with slight amusement. “I mean, it’s not that impressive,” she says. “She came on a bit too strong, probably a five out of ten on the asking-someone-out scale.”
“‘A bit too strong’ is all you’re gonna get with Nesta,” Emerie says, lifting her hand to order drinks. “She’s all-or-nothing, and most people would pray she doesn’t give them her nothing.”
Nesta doesn’t know if that’s a compliment, but she supposes there are worse things that could be said about her.
“So, Gwyn, what do you do?” Emerie leans forward. “All our friends are law students and it’s starting to get boring.”
Gwyn goes off about her librarian job as Nesta orders their drinks, and Emerie rests her chin in her hand and listens eagerly. Christmas music plays softly in the background and snow flurries gently outside. Nesta thinks she can’t be doing that bad in life, if she’s managed to carve out this little slice of happiness for herself.
***
a/n: i promise shit actually happens next chapter! we're getting christmas with nessian and the ic in the same room for the first time
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whatisthiswritingthing · 4 years ago
Text
When in Houston - Part Two - Alex Morgan x Reader
Part two to When in Houston. 
Little long, smidgen of angst, more feels. 
Alex had tried to remain at the hospital during the surgery, wanting to be there when Y/N got out of surgery. Kelley and Allie had finally convinced the forward she would be better showered, rested, and fed for the other forward. So she had reluctantly gone back to the hotel, waiting for the hospital to call when Y/N would be ready for visitors.
The hospital didn’t phone until late that evening, reassuring Alex that Y/N was out of surgery and was fine, but would not be able to have any visitors until early the next morning. Alex had tried to argue with the nurse on the phone with no success, the nurse gently informed her that Y/N was heavily sedated from surgery and under strong pain killers and wouldn’t be coherent until the morning. This did nothing to settle the soccer players nerves, Kelley and Allie again had to step in and keep Alex from storming the hospital.
The two friends did their best to not push Alex, desperately wanting to know about the relationship, Allie wanting to know more about the interaction she had seen earlier at the stadium. They also managed to keep the rest of the team out of the room to avoid any other players asking questions that weren’t Alex’s to answer.
Alex made her way to the hospital as soon as she could the next morning, remaining by Y/N’s side the as much as possible. She only left the long enough for team events and when the nurses would kick her out at the end of the night. Y/N was still fairly medicated for majority of the time, causing her to drift in and out of sleep.
Players came in and out during the week, Alex vigilant by her bedside the entire time. Sharp looks from Kelley and Allie stopped many other players from asking too many questions about the relationship; each fighting their own strong urge to ask. Y/N would try and fight sleep as other players would visit, Alex kicking many of the young players out, only allowing those closest to Y/N to remain.
After the fourth day, Alex returned to the hospital after practice to witness Y/N arguing with a nurse.
“Just get me whatever paperwork I need, I’m leaving,” Y/N was propped up her bed, frustration clear in her tone.
“Y/N, we can’t release you yet. We have discharge and transport plans for two days from now,” the nurse tried to calmly explain.
The team would be playing their last game the next day, travelling home the day after that. Alex, the team, and the hospital had all orchestrated a plan to get Y/N as comfortably as possible.
“I don’t care about two days from now, I want to leave now. So get me whatever paperwork to sign,” Y/N said, struggling to slide her way out of the bed.  
Alex rushed fully into the room, pushing her hands on Y/N’s hips to stop the motion while the nurse pressed her shoulders. Y/N struggled against both of them, but the pain and medication making it easy for the two to keep her in bed. Fatigue quickly won out and Y/N sagged back into the bed with a small heave.
The nurse quickly rushed to readjust Y/N’s injured leg while Alex pressed a firm hand to the middle of Y/N’s chest.
“What the hell are you trying to do?” Alex questioned the young defender, giving a sharp look to the nurse, before softening and looking back to Y/N.
“I want to leave,” Y/N said firmly.
The nurse moved away, remaining in the room to help fill in any blanks.
“Y/N/N, you are exhausted just from trying to get out of bed, you aren’t going anywhere,” Alex was confused. Y/N had been so compliant since the surgery, she struggled to accept the help, but never outright fought it. Alex could understand her wanting to leave the hospital, but everyone had agreed it would be better for her to remain there than the hotel until they left for Orlando.
“I want to leave,” Y/N tried to say firmly, suppressing a yawn.
Alex left her hand on Y/N’s chest, resting her other along her jaw.
Behind the agitation, Alex could see the fear behind the mask. Feel the tension over the pain. The way Y/N’s eyes darted around the room, looking for an escape. Y/N brought her hand up, gripping the wrist wresting on her chest; the grip almost painful at how tight it was. It was the most alert Y/N had been since her surgery. Alex softened immediately after taking in her girlfriend.
“What’s going on love?” Alex whispered softly.
“Nothing, I’m fine, I want to leave,” Y/N attempted to remain firm, unable to make eye contact with the brunette.
The nurse slipped out of the room when she realized her patient would no longer try and escape.
Keeping her hand on Y/N’s chest, Alex blindly reached back for the chair, tugging it as close to the bed as she could. Y/N turned her head to look away, Alex let her. The two remained in silence while Y/N continued to fight sleep, having pulled Alex’s hand off her chest, fidgeting with her fingers with both hands on her belly.
Alex knew Y/N would tell her what was going on, but clearly needed time to process. Y/N rolled her head to look at Alex twice before looking away.
“You want to be here, right?” Y/N softly, her chin dropping to her chest.
“What? I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” Alex declared adamantly, flipping her hand over, stilling Y/N’s fidgeting hands.
“You should focus on the game tomorrow, not here with me. I’m good to go, I can take a flight back tonight,” Y/N tried to pull her hands away, only for Alex to pin both to Y/N’s stomach.
“What happened while I was gone?”
“Nothing,” Y/N turned her head away again. “Phelycia showed up,” she whispered lowly.
“She showed up here?” Alex tightened her hold on Y/N’s hands, irritation leaking into her tone.
“I’m sorry Alex,” Y/N tried to forcefully pull her hands away. “I didn’t want her here, I promise Alex. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Alex brought their joined hands to her mouth, kissing her knuckles, then opened Y/N’s hand so her palm was open, pressing it against her own chest now.
“I know you didn’t Y/N,” Alex said sincerely, cutting off the start of an apologetic ramble. “I know. And I am not mad at you, I am mad at her for showing up here, and I am mad I wasn’t here to protect you. But I am not mad at you.” She repeats the last part firmly, making sure Y/N knows she means it.
Y/N could only nod, tears welling in her eyes, refusing to fall.
“What did she want?”
“Umm I don’t know, I think I had a panic attack,” she admitted, ashamed. “But I think there was something about got what I deserved for leaving. Umm you, that you, that um, you would leave.”
Her brows furrowed while she tried to remember what all was said.
“The nurse came in and she left, I don’t think she was here long. I can’t remember.”
“Did she hurt you?” Alex tensed, not overly wanting the answer.
“I don’t think so,” Y/N shook her head, “but these meds make everything so fuzzy.”
Alex nodded her head, processing what she was told. She slowly got out of her chair, Y/N panicked and tightened their clasped hands.
“Shh relax babe,” Alex soothed, “I’m just coming into the bed.”
Alex pried their hands apart, climbing into the bed as gently as she could. Pulling the girl as close to her chest as she could. Alex had learned early in their relationship that while Y/N was nervous of contact, once she was comfortable, she craved it. Alex squeezed both Y/N’s biceps, compressing them into her chest.
“I am not going anywhere Y/N,” Alex whispered directly into Y/N’s ear, placing a gentle kiss on the tip. “I love you Y/N.” She moved to kiss her temple. It had been the first time she told Y/N, worried saying it earlier would frighten then young defender, but knew now was the right time, that Y/N needed to hear it. She knew she wouldn’t hear it back, at least not anytime soon, and she was ok with that.
Alex wanted to say more but could already feel the younger woman going limp in her arms as she finally drifted off to sleep.
“Should we lock up the wheelchairs?” the nurse entered the room quietly.
“I don’t think so,” Alex whispered, shaking her head, making no move to get off the bed.
She nodded and made her way to recheck Y/N’s leg now that she had settled, moving up to check the IV when she was confident the leg was okay before slipping back out of the room.
That was how Kelley, Allie, Emily, and Kristie found them an hour later, the group crashing loudly into the room.
“I will kill every single one of you if you wake her up,” Alex whispered harshly at the loud group.
The four all halted where they were, silently awing at the way the defender clung to Alex in her sleep. Allie pulling her phone out to snap a quick picture.
“How’s she doing?” Kelley asked softly.
“She tried to escape this afternoon,” Alex said absentmindedly, running her fingers through Y/N’s hair  
“What, why?” Emily asked shocked, the other defender had been so agreeable all week.
Alex hesitated, realizing she had opened a line of questioning she wasn’t interested in talking about.
“What happened Janice?” Allie pushed.
“My ex showed up,” Y/N mumbled into Alex’s chest.
“Phelycia?” Kristie noticeably tensed.
The other three shared confused looks while Alex and Kristie made eye contact, Y/N just nodded into Alex’s chest.
“I’ll kill her,” the midfielder said gruffly.
“Who’s Phelycia?” Aliie asked, confused.
Kristie moved closer to the bed, sitting in the chair Alex had pulled up to the bed, placing a hand on Y/N’s thigh. Y/N’s tightened her grip on Alex’s shirt.
“The reason I left Houston.”
“A shitty human being,” Kristie mumbled.
Everyone else nodded along, being able to piece a little bit together with the minimal information. The three other soccer players could see now was not the time to not push at the time though. Emily and Kelley quickly joking and working to pull a smile out of the injured woman in the bed. Alex giving them both grateful looks when she felt Y/N’s relax in her arms again.
“I can’t decide if I am mad or impressed you kept it from us this long,” Allie pointed at the couple.
“Impressed!” Kelley jumped in, “this team is nosey as fuck, anyone who can keep a relationship quiet for more than a week is impressive, let alone two on the team.”
“I will end you if you hurt her,” Kristie said dangerously, looking up at Alex.
“Kris,” Y/N bristled, nudging her with her knee.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Alex squeezed Y/N.
Alex could feel Y/N burrowing herself back into her chest, trying to stifle her yawns again.
“Go back to sleep love, we aren’t going anywhere,” Alex encouraged. Y/N just nodded, already drifting off knowing she was safe.
After that day, Alex had managed to convince one of the staff to remain with Y/N at all times. Y/N didn’t attempt to leave after that and two days later Alex, Emily, Ali, and Ashlyn were making their way through the Orlando airport with an exhausted Y/N after a long day of travel.
Alex had decided without talking to Y/N that she would be moving herself into Y/N’s house while she fully recovered, her mobility still very limited. When they arrived at Y/N’s house, with the help of Emily, Y/N was gently deposited on the couch, where she quickly fell asleep.
“You sure you don’t need to me to stay too?” Emily asked, full of concern. The two young defenders had grown close over years of national team time and more so when she came to Orlando.
“Sonny, I think I can handle Y/N on my own,” Alex chuckled.
“No, no, I know you can,” Emily sighed, “I’m just worried, you know? She had been doing so well lately.”
Emily too had noticed the change in Y/N, but had been unsure how to approach her, then things began to look up. After seeing the adverse reaction Y/N had just to her ex showing up at the hospital, Emily regretted not pushing more sooner.
Alex’s eyes softened at the younger woman.
“You can come visit anytime you want Son,” Alex pulled her into a hug, leading her out of the house.
Leaving the other woman to sleep, Alex began unpack from there weeks gone, starting laundry and preparing everything to help Y/N bathe. After everything was ready to go for the bath and after it, she made her way to Y/N to wake her up.
“Hey gorgeous, wake up and lets get you in the shower,” Alex gently rubbed her chest to rouse her
Y/N groaned, trying to turn her head into the back of the couch.
“You can go back to sleep after the shower babe, we’ll get you some soup and pain killers too.”
Y/N again, but started to struggle to get up, grimacing in pain. The trip home had been long and incredibly painful, but she knew a bath would help her feel much better after the long day of travel.
Alex gently helped Y/N to stand, placing her crutches under her arms, the two began the slow trek to the bathroom.
“I’m not going to be able to sit in the tub Al,” Y/N moaned, disappointed at the realization when they entered the bathroom.
“I know beautiful. We will have a quick shower together, you just need to stand there, and I’ll do all the work,” Alex leaned Y/N against the counter, began undressing herself.
“Sexy,” Y/N deadpanned
Alex ignored her and turned to turn on the water on to warm up, before beginning to help undress her girlfriend. Alex moved everything to be in arms reach, preparing the shower as best she could.
The two worked together to get Y/N in the shower and cleaned, Y/N making little quips throughout. By the end she stood silent while Alex worked, Alex could feel her beginning to shake. She sped up and rushed to get Y/N out before fell. They worked to get her out of the shower, Alex sat her on the toilet, wrapping her in a towel before she started to change the bandage around the soft cast on her leg which would remain on until the staples were removed and the cast world be replaced with a hard plaster.
Alex quickly dressed, dropping to her knees and started to remove the gauze around the injured leg. Wincing when the angry red skin started to show. Alex gently wiped the incision to ensure it was fully dry, inspecting for any sign of infection before reapplying the fresh gauze and temporary cast plaster.
Standing up, Alex saw the amount of pain Y/N was in. Jaw clenched, eyes squeezed shut, fists clenched along the seams of the towel, head tilted towards the roof. Alex knelt again, pulling shorts on, leaving them loose to be pulled up fully when ready. Tugging the towel away, Alex pulled a sports bra and t-shirt over her head, then put both Y/N’s hands on her shoulder while her went to her hips to stand her up. Y/N tucked her face into Alex’s neck while the forward pull her shorts up before passing her her crutches again.
“Let’s get you into bed, I have your pain killers and water ready there.”
Y/N nodded, Alex dropped a towel to pick up any remaining water, kicking it out of the way as they made slow work towards the bedroom. Alex winced at every sound and expression of pain Y/N showed; the normally stoic woman not even hiding her pain at this point.
They both let out a loud sigh of relief when they finally had the defender settled into the bed. Alex immediately opened the pain killers, dropping them into Y/N’s hand who quickly swallowed them, not even waiting for water.
Y/N leaned back, intending to sleep.
“Don’t sleep yet babe, you need to eat with these remember,” Alex lightly ran her thumb along her jaw. “I’ll heat up some soup and then we can both go to sleep.
Y/N just nodded, willing the pain killers to kick in sooner.
Alex returned a few minutes later, seeing Y/N still awake, she handed her the large mug of soup. Alex moved to settle in the bed next to her, eating her own soup.
The two ate in silence, both exhausted from the trip. After finishing, Alex took the dishes back to the kitchen before returning back to the bedroom, turning the lights off along the way before getting under the covers again.
They shuffled as best they good to comfortable, finding some way to hold each other.
“I love you too, just so you know,” Y/N whispered once they settled. “I heard you in the hospital, I’m sorry I didn’t say it back, I couldn’t, I,”
Alex cut her off with a gentle kiss.
“I don’t care, I didn’t expect you to say it back. I just needed you to know I loved you. I love you.”
Alex placed another kiss on her lips.
“I love you too.”
241 notes · View notes
7wanderingpaws · 4 years ago
Text
Mess We Made - fourth/last (m)
Tumblr media
(gif not mine)
Pairing: Baekhyun x reader
Genre: arranged marriage au (not bbh), doctor AU, angst, fluff
Words: 7.5K
WARNINGS: language, mentions of blood, mature content, cheating (not bbh)
Quick A/N: Hiii! Im gonna hide... Ive never written sth like this omg. (pls let me know your thoughts). This is the final part so I feel accomplished I wrote such long chapters in such a short time >< 
tags: @byunfirstlady @blackon @puppyeoliepop @in3vitably3v3​ @mangobaek @bobohumyonlyboo @wooya1224 @exortedgoods @gureuma (if you want to be tagged/untagged please reply to this post)
parts: first – second – third -- fourth (last)
masterlist
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Mess We Made, last part
“What the hell did you think you were doing in the hospital?” you attacked him as soon as you arrived home after two days.
Frankly Minheob didn’t come to visit you anymore although you overheard some nurses gossiping that he went several times to the doctor’s office and had a chat with doctor Kim. As much as you wished to know why he would go the great lengths to try to tie you down, you also couldn’t care less as long as he didn’t come and see you.
Minheob frowned at you as he watched you cradle Hayeon. “Do you think I don’t know?”
“Don’t know what?”
He stepped closer to you and you wanted to move backwards but the baby’s crib was behind you, successfully caging you in. He grinned nastily. “Well, you really are so clueless. As soon as I found out your lover is also in that hospital, I rushed in to get you. You doing miscarriage and daring to cheat on me at the same time?” He scoffed. “That is unheard of.”
Your heart rate sped up at his words. There was no way you cheated on him. Baekhyun did come several times to check up on you, sometimes you even swore he was there while you were sleeping and felt something soft brushing your cheek, but you never did anything more than what a doctor and a patient would do. Did Minheob know about Baekhyun? If he did then how did he find out?
Minheob laughed out loud at your shocked expression, and reached out to caress Hayeon’s hair but you moved her away from his touch. “She is my daughter too, you know.”
“How dare you accuse me of cheating on you,” you muttered sternly, trying to keep your voice down so as not to trigger the baby.
“Well, then let me put you into perspective because the past year you’ve been amazingly oblivious.” He made a dramatic pause and you almost lost all your wits. He took a deep breath and like a snake, licked his lips in mischief. “How many times have you moaned his name when you were coming, huh?” he whispered, carefully watching you from up close. “How many times have you thought it was him instead of me? You were so full of him while in bed with me... What made you ever think I wouldn’t find out that you still kept in touch with him?”
Blood drained from your face and you knew you were done for. And Baekhyun too. Your stupid mistake would bring him into this huge mess that you created again.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you dared to lie through gritted teeth and hugged your baby even tighter. “Nor do I care what your twisted mind came up with, Minheob.”
He laughed, stepping away from you. “So this is the way you want to act? I will gladly moan out his name for you, maybe then you would remember?” he asked with a low tone.
You started walking towards the kitchen, deciding to mix the baby formula so that Hayeon could eat. You were not breastfeeding her, you only did so for two weeks before you gave up. Your breasts took too long to bring out the milk and even if they did, it was bloody. Another reason to be miserable. You couldn’t even feed your child.
“Stop pretending you didn’t hear me,” snickered your husband and grabbed your wrist, yanking you back to him.
You gasped, holding Hayeon tighter. “I didn’t cheat on you!”
“I don’t give a fuck whether you did or not! You just stayed in hospital for two days for nothing because he wanted you there!”
When you opened your mouth to retort something, he muttered: “Baekhyun wanted to keep you there for himself, didn’t he? Good way to make use of you,” he snarled. “A woman that lost her child. He could still fuck you over-“
Your hand flew out before you could think twice, landing a stinking slap on Minheob’s face. “Get him out of your filthy mouth,” you muttered lowly, sending him death glares. Minheob was shocked just for a moment before he was about to rebuke, but you beat him to it: “Baekhyun has nothing to do with me. Stop blaming innocent people-“
“I cannot believe you had me fooled! I had his best friend stalked to make sure he wouldn’t make moves on you, the Park Chanyeol kid, and then it was the fucking doctor the whole time!” he shouted but you didn’t flinch, only proudly noted how his cheek was becoming redder with each passing second.
“I never fooled you,” you answered, “it’s you who does the dirty job. Leave Baekhyun alone.”
“I can see how angry you are becoming. Protecting your secret lover.”
“He is not my secret lover.”
“I can see the way you are looking at me right now. You hate even the idea of me saying his name, don’t you? You hate your entire family for making you marry me when you could have him-“
“Enough.”
“But you’re stuck with me and he will most probably find another woman-“
“I said enough!” you screamed loudly, successfully making Hayeon cry in your arms while your husband had a victorious smile on his face. He paused for a moment and pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Turning away from you, he said: “Good luck taking care of that weeping machine. It’s annoying. I’ll be out.”
When you heard the door slam, you felt your cheeks burning up with anger while the tears you didn’t know you were keeping in, spilled. Quickly shushing Hayeon, you went over to grab the formula as you originally wanted to, while sniffing.
“C‘mon, Hayeon, don’t cry,” you tried gently but she was relentless.
You didn’t want her to be scarred by the toxic relationship you had with her father. Everyday you tried your best to be good for her and make her happy so that she would grow up well. But having Minheob breathing down your neck was making it hard.
It was almost one hour later, Hayeon still slowly sucking on the milk from her bottle while you had the big TV turned on with a comedy show when the doorbell rang.
Sighing tiredly, you walked over to the intercom to check the camera, and your heartbeat sped up when you noticed Baekhyun’s profile as he was waiting for you to let him in.
What the hell was he doing here? He shouldn’t be here!
Despite your racing thoughts, you let him in and walked over to the doors with Hayeon in your arms. She was tapping on your chest with her small hands as she was looking at you with huge eyes.
You were cooing to her softly, hoping it would ease your nerves. And it did. You didn’t hear Baekhyun approaching, only realizing his presence when he was two meters from you, casually leaning his shoulder against the wall, his arms pushed in his dark-blue jeans, and observing you with a warm, gentle smile. It made your heart skip a beat.
“Baekhyun,” you breathed and he lazily stretched his lips before walking over to you, standing a tad too close as he was looking down at your daughter.
“Being a mother really suits you,” he murmured softly, looking up to catch you staring.
Quickly recovering, you blurted: “You shouldn’t be here, Baek. I’m not sure when my husband will be back-“
“He won’t be coming for a while, don’t worry,” he replied calmly.
You frowned. “Did he go after you?” Just the idea made you dizzy with worry.
Baekhyun chuckled, taking in your expression. “No, but he is with doctor Kim.”
You frowned.
“Won’t you let me in?”
“Ah, right,” you stammered and moved aside, letting him in. You weren’t sure you wanted him to see the place you’d been living in with another man that wasn’t him. Baekhyun looked out of place as you followed him to the spacious living room. “Please, sit down. What can I get you?”
He did as you asked and looked at you with expectant eyes. He smiled sheepishly. “This is probably too much but… do you maybe have wine?”
“I do but… aren’t you driving?”
“My brother will come and pick me up. He is nearby doing some business.”
You nodded. “I’ll have a glass with you, too. Just let me put her-“
“I can hold her,” he offered smoothly which made you stop. “Only if you don’t mind. I’ve held quite a few babies,” he grinned proudly.
Smiling, you gladly handed him Hayeon and gave him her little bottle. You realized you were too close because when you glanced up, Baekhyun’s nose almost brushed yours. Pulling away, you turned to go when he asked: “Aren’t you breastfeeding? You shouldn’t drink.”
Preparing two wine glasses, you told him you weren’t. He was silent and when you came out with the glasses and two kinds of bottles he looked up at you holding the options up for him.
“Red,” he said with a smile.
You nodded and poured the both of you a glass and faced him. Humming, you noted: “Being with a baby suits you.”
He smiled knowingly. “Oh, yeah? Well… this one looks a lot like you, to be honest.” He gave a loving caress to Hayeon’s head and you felt your heart squeezing painfully.
“Luckily.” You cleared your throat. “What brings you here?”
Baekhyun cooed at Hayeon a little bit longer before he murmured, catching your eyes. “I was worried… he would do something to you.”
“But you never cared before.”
“That’s not true and you know it.”
You bit your lip. “Why is he with doctor Kim again?”
Baekhyun pressed his lips for a moment, thinking over your question. “He is…” he let out a perplexed laugh, as if unsure what to say, “I don’t know how to put it in words.”
Baekhyun earned your full attention now. “What do you mean?”
“He is in love with doctor Kim.”
Your mouth fell open, the news catching you off guard. “H-he what?”
“Shh,” he shushed gently like he always did with you, and nodded towards Hayeon who was drifting off to sleep in his arms. Your heart squeezed painfully once again, the sight was bittersweet. Your child in his arms. “I found out today too. He had been visiting her for a long time. Turns out they have known each other since high school.”
That sounded awfully familiar. “And now he is trying to get her?”
Baekhyun shrugged once and looked down at Hayeon, her eyes peacefully closed but still diligently sucking on the last droplets of milk. “Maybe?”
“And here I thought he went there to stalk me.”
He turned his head towards you. “Does it matter whether he actually wants doctor Kim?” he asked quietly, the unvoiced actual question palpable in his voice. Do you love your husband enough to be hurt that he wants another woman?
“I feel sorry for her,” was your blunt answer. “But if that means he will change I wish he would ditch me.” You looked Baekhyun in the eyes. “I’ve been wanting this whole nightmare to end for two years, Baekhyun. Two years of being completely helpless, not even able to see you properly. I want him to ditch me and I want to be with you.”
He was listening to you carefully, his eyes sometimes drifting to your lips and the way they shaped when you pronounced some words. “If I told you I have someone else…”
Within seconds your eyes burned up in despair. “No, you don’t.”
Without an answer, he was looking at you; observing the way your cheeks became red along with your nose while your eyes were full of unshed tears. You were so beautiful even after miscarriage. You were ethereal in his eyes even though he just made you cry. Now that Baekhyun thought about it, he didn't remember the last time he saw a genuine smile on your face; it was always either a tired, insincere smile or crying. If he only saw you like that, how many times must have you cried when he wasn't there?
“Please don’t tell me you have someone else,” you whispered when he wouldn't answer.
“It's only natural I would find someone else,” he reasoned matter-of-factly but in a gentle tone so as not to upset you.
“And you came here to tell me this?”
Baekhyun was helpless. He knew your jealousy could be blinding, but he thought with time it would simmer down. “I didn't come here to talk about my private life-”
You snorted sarcastically. “Right. Your private life is how we call it now?” You reached out for sleeping Hayeon and took her into your arms. Without a word you walked to the bedroom. In case you would become even more emotional, you didn't want her to wake. You heard Baekhyun shuffling after you, a conflicting gaze following your every more.
He waited by the door, silently watching you putting Hayeon into her crib. With teary eyes, you observed your daughter a little longer, thinking how wrong everything was at that moment before facing your guest.
Baekhyun didn't move when you closed the door behind you, instead he took hold of your wrist to make you look at him. “I'm sorry. It all came out so wrong.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” you said evenly. “It's your private life and it's none of my business. Which means you may go. Now that you made sure I wasn't dying on the bedroom floor - because you really care about my well-being - it's time to leave.”
Baekyhun was slowly losing his patience. “Stop acting so freaking stubborn.”
More tears welled up in your eyes. “You are right. So leave. I want to be alone.”
He sighed when you tried to push his hand away. “Sweethea-” he stopped himself, biting quickly into his lower lip. Your heartbeat sped up but then he murmured your name softly and you deflated again. “I didn't mean I'm in a relationship.”
“Then what did you mean?” you pressed.
“I was with other women while I wasn't with you. That's all,” he replied truthfully. “I haven't been in a relationship ever since you left me.”
“But you slept with other women,” you finished.
He nodded, staring into your eyes with pure honesty. He had his heart on his sleeve for you, and you still couldn't help the boiling feelings of betrayal. Maybe it was because you were still recovering from the happenings of the past three days or maybe it was just the way you would always feel when Baekhyun was with another woman, be it romantically or purely physically.
“I still don't get why you are telling me this. I still don't understand why you had to come here now, out of all the times.”
“I want you back,” he whispered. “Even though it is impossible, I want you back. With everything you are.” Your breath hitched in your throat and your heart restarted its wild beating. “It's so fucking difficult to keep my hands off of you, to not touch you, to not be there for you when I know you don't have anyone else to turn to and share your burdens with. I know your asshole of a husband mistreats you with your entire family helping him out. I'm tired of it and if it means going against all the rules, then so be it.”
Hope was making your eyes come alive, he could see it. Even though they were teary, hope sparked through and Baekhyun felt relieved.
“Are you doing this now because you know Minheob has feelings for another woman?”
He was shocked. “W-what? No, it isn't about it-”
“Yes, you are,” you said, not even listening to him, “you wouldn't have come here if my husband wouldn't be seeing doctor Kim right now. Otherwise-”
“No, wait, listen to me-”
“You wouldn't fight for me if it weren't for-”
He murmured your name in warning. “Listen-”
“I can't believe you-”
“For Christ's sake just listen-”
“Make me.”
Baekhyun was furious. Both of you were staring down each other, both of you hurt and desperate. “Make me listen, Baekhyun,” you said again with a steely voice and he grabbed your face and crashed his lips on yours. You let out a moan, his lips so soft against yours despite the kiss being anything but soft. He cradled your face and you didn't waste time in bringing your arms around his neck, bringing him closer. You heard Baekhyun inhale sharply as he sucked on your lower lip before licking it, asking for entrance. He growled when you complied but would fight him for dominance. It was a game of push and pull and he pressed you against the wall next to the bedroom door; the room which you shared with someone that wasn't Baekhyun.
It was thrilling, exciting and you wanted more. Baekhyun tasted much sweeter than you could remember and there wasn't a chance that you'd get enough. When it came to him, it was never enough for you. Thirstily, you pressed your middle to his, causing him to grunt while he sucked on your tongue, his hands on your neck to angle your face for him. You could feel your lips were already swollen but you didn't care. Your hands were buried in his hair, messing it up, pulling on it as you wanted more. More, more, more. You wanted him to devour you, to take you and to never return you.
But it was still Baekhyun. This was unfair to him. And so he was the first one to disattach, pulling away from you slightly to press his forehead against yours while the both of you were panting. You looked at his lips, the way the skin around them was turning a gentle pink, his lips particularly red. God, you loved those lips and how cutely they were shaped.
He caressed your jaw with his thumb, bringing your attention up to his droopy eyes. “I love you,” he confessed.
Your throat went dry for a second. It was like reliving all your happy memories with him all over again. “I love you, too, Baekhyun,” you replied, making sure you were staring into his eyes.
A soft smile spread on his face and he leaned in to kiss you again but stopped just before his lower lip could touch your upper one. “We shouldn't do this, though. You are married, have a baby and it's not right.”
“You already kissed me,” you urged him, not sparing even a heartbeat to think about his words, “it won't make a difference if you do it one more time.” You raised yourself on your tiptoes and kissed him before he could retaliate. He moaned so subtly it almost made your knees buckle. His hands travelled souther, caressing your shoulders before they went to your back where he drew sensual circles, making you feel all sorts of inappropriate things. You dared to bring your hands to the hem of his shirt that was tucked into his jeans and pull it out, wanting to feel his skin under. He let out another moan when he felt your fingertips trailing the outline of his abs- wait, abs?
You pulled away. “Since when are you so ripped?” you breathed which made him chuckle. You lifted his shirt slightly to see that he had a freaking six-pack. Your mouth went agape, but you still felt Baekhyun's hand on the sliver of skin that showed between your jeans and shirt. He didn't dare to go further than that, though.
“Where else can I use my frustrations if not in the gym, hm,” he murmured in a low voice that made your insides squeeze with want.
You rested your head against the wall, looking at him with content. “I caused it all. I'm sorry.”
He sighed and stepped closer, one leg between yours as he cradled your cheek. “I knew from the start it would go like this, you know. Don't apologize.”
“I'm still sorry 'cause I never should have made you go through the things that me and my terrible family did.” You paused for a moment. “Let's start over, together,” you suggested eagerly. “Let's run away.”
Baekhyun took a deep breath. “You know that isn't possible, love.”
“It is,” you insisted, “of course it is. Let's just disappear and not let anyone know.”
“I have to make a living. And I love my job. You need to take care of your daughter as well.”
“So is that a no? Even if I get a divorce and a chance to start over… is that a no?” you asked quietly.
“Look, doctor Kim knows about us. She knows about our relationship because I couldn't focus whenever I knew you were in the clinic. My behavior gave me away and she is a great senior that understood me well. She was the one to tell me to come here and she called your husband over. I'm sure she is lecturing him.”
“What?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, running his thumb over the naked skin of your hip. “I'm sure with time, we can slowly start over again, hm?” he prompted gently, tapping your skin a few times. “Time is all we need.”
“I have to wait more to have you?” You were being greedy. You knew you were. But you couldn't help yourself.
“We waited a long time for each other,” he breathed, “we can wait a little longer. Doctor Kim will help us.”
“Then kiss me one last time. To seal it,” you demanded. “As a promise that you will come back to me, Baekhyun.”
And Baekhyun did.
///
It had been weeks now that you found out about Minheob having feelings for the kind doctor Kim. You weren't sure if it was because you were aware of it, but Minheob seemed to become less interested in you overall. He didn't call you when you were busy with the shop, he didn't care if you came home a little later, and not once mentioned Baekhyun to you anymore. It was almost as if that argument never happened.
Even though that seemed to get better, you were still sour because Baekhyun kept the contact between you two quite limited even though he said he wanted you. Sometimes you would exchange texts, because you couldn't keep still; your need to know what he was doing, how he was doing and where he was, was stronger.
It could have been frustrating and maybe now you got a taste of how he must have been feeling the entire time after your break-up. You expecting him to be alone and wait for something to happen was so greedy it made you feel embarrassed. Of course he would have found a woman for pleasure.
You weren't disappointed; hurt maybe because you despised any idea of him being with another woman. After all, you wanted to be the only one to know how he was like in bed, how he would treat a woman after the love-making was done.
You groaned gently, the intruding thoughts not doing you any good. Plus, you were on your period. Maybe you shouldn't have thought about it too much. He confirmed he still loved you and that was all that mattered.
It was almost four months later, your relationship and communication with Minheob almost non-existent and Hayeon a curious toddler, when Minheob said a sentence you never thought you would hear:
“I want a divorce.”
You swiveled around from where you were sitting on the carpeted floor, watching over Hayeon while your tablet was sitting in your lap, going through the new lingerie sets that were supposed to arrive anytime soon. With it, finally, the “unlock, bbh” one as well.
“What?”
“You heard me,” he sighed, sitting on the sofa, emotionlessly looking at an ever-bright Hayeon. “I want to divorce you.”
You were silent, carefully thinking over what to reply next. Maybe you didn't seem as shocked to him as he would have expected you to, but he didn't care at that point.
“I am with another woman. And I want to become a better person for her.”
“I see…”
He rolled his eyes. “At least pretend like you're shocked.” “I am, Minheob. You never told me you are seeing someone else.”
“Just like you never told me you are cheating on me with that doctor of yours.”
“I never-” you started, offended, but all too quickly you remembered kissing Baekhyun in that very house. Minheob couldn't have known about that, though. “I didn't cheat on you. Not like that.”
He let out a dishonest laugh and looked away. “Either way, it doesn't matter anymore. I want it to be as soon as possible.”
“What about Hayeon? She is your daughter.” Minheob didn't care about Hayeon, you knew it. He barely ever tried to initiate anything with her, let alone ask if the baby was doing well.
“Yeah,” he rolled his eyes, “you couldn't even give me a boy. It had to be a daughter.”
You puckered your lips, trying hard not to pick a fight. “I'm sick and tired of you being a misogynistic prick,” you told him in a calm voice. “She is a healthy child and you should be fucking thankful.” You turned to look at Hayeon who was playing with huge baby-safe lego pieces. “I will raise her to become much more badass than any man ever will.”
“Sure, you will.” He was silent for a while. “I will try better. I will take care of my part on her behalf, of course. And the matter with your family - they are all to stay just as usual.”
Not turning to look at him, you hummed. “Good way to become a better person, Minheob.”
“I'll deal with all the paperwork. Let's get everything settled by next week. Since we both agree on divorce.”
Sudden eagerness ignited your hope to be with Baekhyun much earlier than you anticipated. Just the idea of it made you feel elevated.
“And about this house…”
You turned your head to look at your soon-to-be ex-husband. “I will leave with Hayeon, don't worry.”
“Good.”
“Good.”
///
You headed to Baekhyun's that evening. Packing up the baby bag for Hayeon, you put her in the baby carrier basket once you arrived. You knew his new address but not once you visited. Having Minheob as a husband had its perks after all; you could easily look into the employees' personal records.
Baekhyun lived in an upscale apartment building, typical for families that had money. It made you realize just how much he developed professionally.
Shushing Hayeon, you waited for Baekhyun to open the door and when he did, he still looked surprised, even after letting you in through the intercom. “Hi,” you smiled, “I came to talk.”
Baekhyun took you in, noting the sleeping toddler. “Sure, come in,” he said quietly, not wanting to disturb the sleeping child.
“Sorry for coming unannounced,” you muttered sheepishly, admiring the way he looked in simple grey joggers and a white shirt. 
Baekhyun stopped you from going further into his apartment. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”
“No,” you smiled softly, “I have some good news.”
Sitting close to each other, you talked for about two hours; about your future. About the current situation and about the way it all evolved. Baekhyun was surprised but you were relieved when you saw his eyes light up with the same hope that it did with yours. For amoment you were worried he wouldn't reciprocate the excitement but when he almost ducked to kiss you, you knew he still felt the same.
Your faces were so close, you could feel his breath on your cheek. “I was thinking about looking for an apartment…” you trailed off. “Maybe somewhere close to yours?”
“Silly,” sighed Baekhyun affectionately, “you'll come straight to my place.”
Your heart skipped a beat as you eyed his lips. “Are you sure? I will have Hayeon with me,” you admitted, not wanting to sound as sad as you actually felt. It made you sound like a bad mother and maybe just a little bit, you were. Hayeon was such a delight of a child, but she was Minheob's. Baekhyun didn't have anything to do with her and even though you loved her, it also made you mad that you didn't have a child with Baekhyun.
“You know I never had anything against Hayeon. She is innocent and too young. She is barely one, sweetheart. She is your child, how can I not love her?”
Baekhyun's words made your eyes snap up to meet his tender ones.
Slowly he lifted his hand, cradling your cheek. “She looks a lot like you, you know?”
You closed your eyes. “You already told me.”
“And I'm saying it again. She is gorgeous. I bet she will grow up into a beautiful lady just like her mother.”
You smiled, shaking your head gently as to not let his hand fall. “Will you help me raise her into a good and loving child?”
“Of course,” he breathed, his thumb wandering to your lower lip. “We will raise her together.”
Your smile grew wider, now opening your eyes. “I love you so much, Baekhyun. You really have no idea how perfect you are, do you?”
He smiled and leaned in, nudging your nose with his. “I would do anything just to see you smile like that again. I want to keep that smile on your face forever, baby.”
Electricity cursed through your veins. You leaned in, wanting to finally overcome the teasing distance between your lips but Baekhyun stopped you. “Hayeon is sleeping here.”
“She will sleep for a while now. She always sleeps the best after a car ride,” you muttered, still eyeing Baekhyun's lips.
He hummed, acknowledging your words. Then he grabbed your hand gently, intertwining your hands and made you stand up. Eagerly, you followed him to his bedroom and once he closed the door, you stared at each other for a moment before the both of you leaned in at the same time. Kissing each other passionately, he walked you towards his bed and sat down, making you straddle him.
You whimpered at the feel of his wandering hands. “You don't mind kissing me now?” you asked, wanting to be sure you weren't doing something that made him feel uncomfortable.
Baekhyun was looking up at you with huge eyes full of lust and love. The raw crave in his eyes was undeniable and it turned you on. “No. I should have just stolen you a long time ago.”
You giggled but he silenced you with another mind-blowing kiss. Letting him touch you everywhere, you found yourself needing air quickly and Baekhyun moved to your cheek, jaw and neck, sucking gently on the sensitive skin. Your hands were messing up his before they found the way to his shirt, once again wanting to feel up his abs that contracted under your touch.
“I missed you so much,” groaned Baekhyun when he squeezed your backside as he licked your collarbones before biting. You hissed, but he didn’t stop.
“I missed you much more,” you breathed, closing your eyes in pleasure. “You have no idea how much.”
He hummed and grabbed the v-line of your shirt, yanking it down to show your bra. Hungrily, he attached his lips to the swell of your breast and you moaned loudly, burying your hand in his hair. “I missed these, too,” he muttered, making you chuckle.
When his other hand wandered south to your jeans, you grabbed his hand in alarm.
“B-Baekhyun, I’m on my period,” you breathed shakily, your arousal growing with each touch of his. Because of your stupid monthly issue you wouldn’t be able to enjoy Baekhyun but to your utter shock, he muttered:
“I don’t care.” With that, he hoisted you up in his arms, making you let out a silent squeal as he smiled and brought you to his private bathroom. “Unless you mind,” he added warily.
“No,” you shook your head quickly. “I crave you too much to care.”
The doors closed shut and you were pushed against them, his middle pressed to yours causing you to let out a wanton moan. He wasn’t even inside you but you felt like a bone shattering orgasm was on its way already.
“Fuck, I missed you so much,” he whispered urgently as he sucked on your neck, his other hand supporting you on your backside, and the other wandering inside your shirt.
Your hand was in his hair, grabbing on it, pushing his head into your chest needily. “Jesus, Baek, I need you. No teasing, god.”
This would be a first time for the both of you to be intimate while you were bleeding. As much as it was a little off-putting, neither of you built up the boundaries that seemed to be nonexistent in your relationship.
He grunted as he brought you to the shower stall and gently put you down on your wobbly legs. You were already taking off your shirt and jeans and he was mimicking you, desperate to finally feel each other’s skin. When the both of you were naked, Baekhyun stepped closer to you and reached behind you to turn on the shower.
The first wave had cold water which made you squeal and jump, attacking and hugging Baekhyun to yourself who caught you with a handsome laugh.
“I’ll make you all hot and bothered very soon, princess,” he murmured in your ear, his nose pressed to your hair as you felt his hand caress you over your stomach before he let it slide to your womanhood.
“Baek-“ you started quickly, sudden anxiety eating you away because you were bleeding.
“Shh, no words,” he said and brought his face back to yours, diving in to bite your lower lip. “Just our bodies talking.”
“But-“
“I said,” he pressed and just then he spread your womanhood, his middle finger teasing your lips and the sensitive bud before he quickly let it dive into your hole. Your knees buckled at the sensation and Baekhyun was fast to press you against the wall, letting the water wash away your blood and arousal from his hand.
“Fucking gorgeous,” he grumbled and pushed two fingers inside of you, humming when he watched you open your mouth in an airy moan, your eyes closed in pure ecstasy.
You were panting heavily and when you opened your eyes to look at your lover, you felt like your chest would combust with repressed emotions. You grabbed the back of his head and smashed your lips together, bringing out another pleasurable moan from Baekhyun. The vibration of his chest rang against yours, connecting two wildly beating hearts.
He scissored his fingers inside you, pumped you slowly, in and out, making sure you were well stretched out.
A whimper was what made Baekhyun pull away from the heated kiss. “Do you think you’re ready for me?” he asked in a low voice, his eyes full of affection, desire and lust.
You nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes, just get on with it.”
You reached for his member that had stood up proud in the meantime, keeping close eye contact with his owner. “Since we are doing it while I’m on my period, I can feel all of you,” you breathed as you stood on your tiptoes to kiss him again while you wrapped your hand around his shaft, spreading the pre-cum over the tip with your thumb, closely checking your partner for any reaction. “You can come inside of me.”
Baekhyun hissed and followed with a deep groan as his arm slid around your waist bringing you to him so he could rest his head in your neck. He left open-mouthed kisses lazily on your skin and he squeezed your body when you played with his balls. “Fuck!”
Without warning, he pushed your hand away. “Do you trust me?” he asked, his hands already trailing down your sides, his member pressed to your stomach.
“Always.”
“Then jump for me,” he whispered passionately and was fast to catch you, your legs around his waist and your center just on his manhood. “I will fuck your brains out.” He informed you and you could only plead for him to finally move on. And he did. With just his tip at your center had the both of you close your eyes and moan into each other’s mouths before he slowly pushed in.
“Ahh, yes,” you let out and wiggled in his grasp. Baekhyun hissed sharply biting your earlobe when he managed to slide almost all of him in. “Shit your slick.”
Both of you looked down to where you were connected to see the water wash away a chunk of blood. “Ready?” he asked gently. “Tell me immediately if somethings off.”
You smiled at him deliriously and nodded in confirmation.
Baekhyun started with a slow pace, his thrusts careful, making you feel every single inch of his member, every vein and plain. Being on your period made your womanhood extremely sensitive and aware of every single movement inside you which was the reason your forehead fell into his shoulder, a moan after moan leaving your mouth.
He took your passionate reaction as a yes to speed up, and he set a faster, stronger pace, sliding swiftly in and out of you, each fraction sending pleasurable waves through Baekhyun’s body.
“Fuck yes,” he groaned when he slammed harshly into you, aiming for your gspot, sliding you up the wet wall while you arched your back.
“Yes, Baekhyun, right there!” you screamed, the slight cramps in your lower abdomen wonderfully changing into a wave of ecstasy bringing you closer to the edge. 
“I know my woman well,” he hissed, watching your erotic face expressions with hooded eyes as he gave you another powerful thrust. “Only I know all your secret spots.”
“Yes, yes,” you gasped and leaned in, pushing your tongue into his mouth, your teeth clinking in the process as his length kept filling you up, stretching you so well he was touching your cervix. You felt another chunk of blood releasing and Baekhyun panted, your walls starting to pulse around him, telling him you were close. He quickly fumbled with his hand and brought it to your lower lips, massaging sensually with long fingers while he pounded into you, chasing now his own release as well. The buildup was almost unbearable. Just the idea of him taking you would send him to another world and the fact that he truly had you in his arms, you wrapped around him inside and outside made him release spurts and spurts of cum, his panting coming out in high-pitched moans just when you started to milk him.
You screamed loudly and Baekhyun was mouthing at your breasts hungrily, just as he always did when he was releasing. He gave your nipple a bite as he turned his thrusts into lazy hip-rollings, helping the both of you ride out your highs.
The shower was still fully on but it did little to no help to block out the sexual pants both of you were heaving out.
You locked eyes with Baekhyun’s and caught him smiling in satisfaction. “Kiss me,” he muttered and you gladly leaned in, humming when he licked his way inside, meeting your tongue for a small battle for dominance. You pressed against him, pushing his tongue aside, wanting to win but he whimpered and bit you which made you withdraw with a hiss. You separated with a loud smack. “Cheater,” you whispered in disbelief, your lips red and swollen.
“Am I now?” quirked Baekhyun, flirting, and let you down slowly, slipping out of you. He cradled your face and kissed you innocently as if to make up for the ruined kiss, enjoying the touch of your lips as the water was mixing in.
“That was fucking amazing,” you told him in bliss, hugging his neck. You brought his ear close to your mouth. “Let’s do it again.”
“Nobody said we were done, princess.” Baekhyun had a shit-eating grin when he trailed his fingers up your sides and gently groped your breasts that made you sigh in pleasure right away. Your nipples were already hard and aching but his touch made you feel like you were levitating.
“You’re so damn sensitive. Who knew sex during your period would be this much fun? You are so responsive to every single touch of mine,” he murmured sexily as he let the tip of his nose trail your cheek, darting his tongue out to lick on your skin.
You were aroused yet again and begging for him to resolve this issue.
“You aren't leaving my house tonight,” he told you as he brought his head back to look into your eyes. “I'll take care of you.”
///
2 years later
Baekhyun squeezed your hand with a huge smile as you were both sitting on the ground opposite his parents while Hayeon was running around, playing in Baekhyun's childhood room. A room that held so many memories that were dear to you.
“Sweetie, eat a little bit more,” prompted Baekhyun's mother lovingly. “You are bearing a boy. You need to make sure he comes out all sturdy and ready to face this world.”
You giggled, as you caressed your baby bump, Baekhyun joining you.
“She is quite sensitive, mum. I don't want her to throw up everything afterwards,” commented Baekhyun.
He was right. As painless as Hayeon's pregnancy was, this little boy inside of you was making you nauseous 24/7. You found it quite ironic how your family wanted you to bring a boy into the family when you were with Minheob, yet now, when you were with Baekhyun, it was a boy. It was more exciting because Baekhyun did the ultrasound and finding out the gender of your baby had its own magic when he was the doctor.
The past two years, everything was so different yet the same. Living with Baekhyun was perfect despite typical arguments. He was understanding and you were trying to be okay with his busy schedules at the clinic.
Baekhyun wanted you to settle in properly in his house along with Hayeon before you would start a family with him. Being careful in bed was not the most fun for you, as you always wanted to feel everything he could offer, but once the both of you gave each other the green, your life became much more exciting. You were eager to get pregnant with Baekhyun's child. Finally, the old, rusty dreams you had as a teenage girl could come true.
After hearing some rustling, you stood up. “I'm gonna check up on Hayeon,” you said and strolled over to Baekhyun's bedroom. “Hayeon,” you muttered, seeing her going through some old biology books. You laughed. “Out of all the things in this room, this is what caught your attention?” you asked her, and walked over.
“Mama, look!” she pointed at some drawings Baekhyun had in the corner of the page.
“Oh, what is that,” you faked excitement and then you looked properly. Decoding Baekhyun's terrible scribbles, you gasped quietly.
hottest chickkk in the entire school >< and shes mine woow
love is not as bad as guys make it out to be
because i love herrr
“The hell is this?” you murmured, not even noticing Baekhyun standing behind you.
He laughed loudly and you looked up at him in question. “Well, what do you think it is? It's about you, silly,” he said and crouched, hugging you from behind. “Many guys were crazy about you, yet I got you.”
You snorted a laugh. “Sure, half of the school envied me and the other hated me for being who I am,” you said, looking at his side profile.
“Ah, look at you talking and talking instead of kissing your gorgeous husband,” muttered Baekhyun playfully, letting his hands slide over the baby bump. In response, you kissed Baekhyun's cheek.
“No kissing daddy!” Hayeon complained.
Hearing Hayeon calling Baekhyun her father warmed your heart. “I can't kiss daddy?” She didn't respond, instead observing you and Baehyun. “Together?” you tried.
She grinned with her tiny teeth and Baekhyun laughed at her cuteness. “Come over, my little princess,” he opened his left arm, not letting go of you. Hayeon squealed, jumping straight at Baekhyun which made him grunt. Without waiting, she pressed her mouth to Baekhyun's cheek while Baekhyun turned to you with a mischievous glint. He pressed his lips to yours and you smiled widely.
“Love you three so much,” said gently Baekhyun, looking at you and Hayeon while caressing your bump.
“Love you more,” you whispered and stole another kiss before Hayeon could notice.
Even though not everything was perfect, you finally were together as you should have been since the start of the mess. With most of it being resolved, you were excited to face a brand new chapter with Baekhyun and with the family you created with him.
//
.END.
/// /// /// /// /// /// ///
A/N: Hi! If you read till now, THANK YOU SO MUCH. My first angsty-smutty story phew. I am red and I do need to take a break lol. >< I really hope you liked this story and that you are satisfied with the happy end. ^^ I am satisifed. On this blog I have rarely a bad-ending stories soooo... Yes!
Thank you, pretty please leave a comment (cc) to let me know your thoughts?
See you soon!
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kim-miri · 4 years ago
Text
HALF(have a little fun) pt. iv
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→ one | two | three
→ Sayomi Zoldyck is the eldest child and twin sister to Illumi, of the renowned Zoldyck family of assassins. At the age of ten she’s taken away to Meteor City by her mother, Kikyo Zoldyck, unbeknownst to the rest of the family, as well as newborn Killua, and left to fend for herself. This is the story of the long-lost Zoldyck and those she becomes acquainted with, all while she just wants to have a little fun.
» part four / ?
» pairing: eventually - chrollo x oc x feat. hisoka
» warnings: swearing, blood/violence
» a/n: helloo~ this is my first write ever, and it’ll probably be a pretty long series. I’m also balancing school and a part-time job so forgive me for slow updates! If you’re reading this, thank you so much for showing interest and please leave comments below with your inputs!
» word count: 3,118
☾iv.
Name: Sayomi Zoldyck 小夜美 | "小" is small | "夜" is night | "美" is beauty |
Hair color: White
Eye Color: Purple
Nen: Manipulator (same exact abilities as Illumi)
Abilities: Same as Illumi Zoldyck - Body Alteration, Hypnotic Spell, Corpse Control, Needle People, Katana
☾iv. part iv: the mafia(1/2)
The ambience within the car was calm, or at least a calm for the situation at hand. 
Sayomi was curious about what kind of job she was being forced into, but at the same time, she wanted to maintain her composed facade by staying quiet.
She decided to start with a subtle question. “So… who exactly are you guys anyway?”
The man seated next to her answered without an ounce of hesitation, “The mafia.”
Well, shit. So much for a subtle question.
Sayomi was thrown off by the man’s response for the first time since they’d showed up.
The mafia… what would they want with a nobody from Meteor City? 
Her parents had often spoken of the Mafia. They had a reputation of harboring no-name assassins who’d overrun the market with their skill and mass numbers. 
No names… Mother once said that the most notorious criminals hailed from the dumps in Meteor City. Because… their records didn’t exist! They couldn’t be traced, but I wasn’t born there. Do they know that?
Sayomi was on edge now, having a vague idea of what they might be planning to do with her. “What, am I gonna be one of the Mafia’s little assassins now?”
The man smirked at her quick deduction abilities. “You’re a bright one I see, Sayomi Zoldyck.” His tone had roughed up at her last name.
He knows. 
“Well, seeing that you know who I am. You should also be aware that my family would never let me work for another group, right?”
He moved in his seat, turning to face her slightly as he sensed a long conversation. “And that’s why they left you here? Because they care about you?”
She grimaced at the hard truth behind his words.
In an attempt to hide her deflating ego, she replied an icy tone, “Don’t make assumptions. You people know nothing about my family.”
The man let out a monotonous laugh. “Ms Zoldyck, I’m not trying to start a fight here. We didn’t take you to use against your family or anything of that sort. We simply came to recruit our next line of assassins...  and what a coincidence! The family we were following called one day to say they had a proposal for us, and that’s where you came in. It was just the luck of our draw that you happened to stumble upon the exact family of who would’ve been our next assassin.”
Ayame. 
The man continued, “So please, rest assured we will not attempt to harm you or notify your family of your whereabouts. That would only be bad for both of us, correct?”
Sayomi nodded in defeat. She hadn’t stopped to think about the possibilities of her captors being a group so far up the food chain.
It’s true I don’t exactly want to go back home anyway. Maybe I’ll stick around and see what happens.
Sayomi closed her eyes as she leaned up against the cool glass of the window. Her head was throbbing from the sudden onset of overwhelming information, and all she wanted now was to let herself drift off into sleep.
Noting the lack of words from the teen beside him, the man made quiet movements to revert back to his original position, opting to stare out the window as the remainder of the car ride went without another word.
Deep in her dreams, Sayomi felt an emotion she hadn’t experienced since she was abandoned. 
Happiness.
☾ iv.
Inside Sayomi’s dreams.
Sayomi looked down at herself to see she was wearing the kimono she had on the day her mother left her. There’s no way it could still fit her now, having grown almost half a foot, but there she was.
Fine, black silk ran elegantly down her shoulders, arms, and body. The silver accents shone like moonlight reflecting off of her form, while a shocking violet color made up the wrap around her waist.
“Sayomi! Get your head out of the clouds! If I beat you this time I’m taking your new daggers!”
Her head whipped up at the familiar squeaky voice. “Illumi?” she mumbled.
At the sound of his name, the boy turned back towards her, mid-run. The wide smile on his face was replaced by a frown as he noticed Sayomi’s perplexed expression.
Sayomi said nothing, however, only running towards her twin as she reached out to envelop her ever 10 year old brother in a hug.
But upon contact with Illumi, he vanished into thin air, taking the familiar scene of the courtyard away with him.
In a split second, she was back in Meteor City. 
Sayomi blinked twice before slumping down into the sickening piles of junk and filth, sobbing as the absence of her other half sparked her back into reality.
“Ms Zoldyck”, a man’s voice echoed through her dreams.
“Ms Zoldyck”, once again and she opened her eyes-
☾ iv.
Sayomi blinked several times, spotting the reflection of herself slumped against the car door in the window. 
It was much brighter now, the sun having risen far overhead while she had been asleep.
She squinted at the scenery whizzing by outside the window, sighing in defeat when she failed to recognize her new surroundings.
“Good Morning Ms Zoldyck. We have about a half an hour left to our destination.” 
Bidding a slurred ‘good morning’ to the voice in return as she stretched her limbs, a weight dropped in her chest as she remembered why she was here.
Making use of the time left before her arrival, Sayomi attempted to wake herself further as she mentally prepared for the events to come.
15 more minutes in, and the nature that made up the scenery outside began to clear as Yorknew City came into view.
Worries aside, Sayomi stared at the rapidly approaching city in awe. She had yet to have visited Yorknew City, as her parents had felt she wasn’t ready for the big jobs yet. 
But now she faced the megacity at last. She couldn’t help but feel excited at the thought of being in the bustling city of Yorknew on her own.
She was like a teenager who had snuck out to the mall while her parents were at work. 
There was something so exhilarating about going against her parents’ words, even if it was unintentional. In the back of her mind, she felt crazy for cracking a smile in the situation she was in, but the 16 year old side of her ignored it as she let herself enjoy the moment.
Maybe this won’t be as bad as I thought.
☾ iv.
Arriving at their destination, the three black cars pulled up in front of a luxurious hotel.
Sayomi looked up at the building in awe, her breath fogging up the glass as she gaped at the forever extending floors of the hotel.
The driver of her designated car stepped out, followed by the man on her left. 
Rounding about the back of the car, the man opened the door on Sayomi’s side, gesturing for her to exit the vehicle.
She quickly obliged, slinging her katana over her shoulder as the men from the other two cars accompanied her into the lobby.
Sayomi was once again awestruck by the interior of the hotel, everything around her seeming to scream ‘high-class’ and ‘wealthy’. It was a stark contrast to the rags she wore, having no other clothes besides the now tiny kimono she’d left back at Meteor City.
Although the mansion was without a doubt far larger and much pricier than the hotel in which she stood, Sayomi was mesmerized by the people, walking around or sitting in groups, their friendly bonds shining through the crowds.
Back at home, Sayomi’s only ‘friends’ had been Illumi and the butlers. She had yet to experience what it was like to have real friends, her parents seeing them only as a distraction to her job.
She was pulled away from her thoughts as one of the men nudged her to keep walking, the group making their way to the elevators. 
Stopping in midway through the hall in wait of an elevator, the man who had been sitting next Sayomi in the car spoke up, “Welcome to your new temporary home, Ms Zoldyck.”
Home? I get to stay in this classy hotel? 
The man broke through her thoughts once again, “As I told you before, as long as you behave and prove to be a valuable asset to us, we will treat you with the utmost respect.”
Sayomi made brief eye contact with the man, still wary of the offputting kindness they were showing her. Nevertheless, she nodded, not wanting to ruin the rare opportunity.
A loud ding signified the arrival of their elevator, and the same man accompanied Sayomi into the elevator, the rest of the members turning to head back out of the building. 
Inside the elevator, the man held two buttons down at the same time, the top two floors: 49 and 50. Sayomi tilted her head, curious of the maneuver. “Why two floors?” she asked.
The man looked over his shoulder at her, raising his eyebrows at her question.
“It’s a secret floor. For the Mafia and our hired assassins. Just above the 50th floor.”
Sayomi’s mouth formed a round O, clearly impressed by the revelation of a secret floor. Just how influential are these people? They have their own floor and everything.
The two of them waited in silence for the remainder of the time, only moving when the elevator arrived at their floor. 
Sayomi followed the man out into the hallway ahead, mindlessly reading the different room numbers as they passed her by. 5102… 5104… 5106… 5108-
“Alright Ms Zoldyck, this will be your room for the time being. Inside you’ll find a uniform along with any other supplies you’ll be needing while we’re here. I’ll come back in about half an hour to get you started on the job, so in the meantime please change into the uniform and get settled.” And with that, the man handed Sayomi a room key while explaining how the elevators were locked, meaning she couldn’t escape.
Accepting the room key, Sayomi hummed in agreement before entering her new room.
Room # 5110
Two steps into the room, her heart raced with excitement at the view in front of her. 
The room itself wasn’t the impressive part, being a small square with a bed and bathroom. It was the view from the large window in front of her that made her exclaim in delight.
Having grown up on Kukuroo mountain with only the occasional trip to the outside world, the vast city and its bustling streets made Sayomi swoon, her heart restless for a chance to explore the beautiful city.
Noticing the uniform hanging in the closet as mentioned, Sayomi made quick work to change into the fresh set of clothes, ditching her rags.
It was a classic black suit with black dress shoes, matching the clothes of the men that had accompanied her here from Meteor City. The change in outfits restricted the usual placement of her band of needles, and she opted to tuck the band into her pocket instead. 
A knock on her door interrupted the silence, as the man asked through the door if she was ready to begin the job.
She replied with a “yes”, moving to sling her katana over her shoulder as she exited the room.
☾ iv.
“When we don’t have specific targets for you, this will be your job.” the man started to say.
Sayomi stared at the walkie talkie now in her hands. 
“You’ll be staged as a bodyguard for the VIPs that visit the hotel. It’s nothing hard, just a deal we keep with the management to keep our floor up here a secret” he continued.
She nodded in understanding. A bodyguard, huh. Maybe I’ll at least get some action this way.
“Ah, right. The walkie talkie I gave you will notify you of incoming VIP clients. All you have to do is accompany them with your assigned team to their room, where you’ll stand guard either inside or outside. 50 percent of the time the VIP will have a few assassins after them, but the other 50 percent stay and go with no problems.” He started walking back up the hall to the elevators.
Sayomi followed closely behind, asking a question once she stepped into the elevator. “For those 50 percent- the ones targeted by assassins, I mean. Is it fair game to kill their attackers?”
The man laughed out loud. “But of course, disposing of any attackers would only mean a safer client. Do as you wish as long as the VIP’s safety is ensured.”
The assassin blood that ran through Sayomi’s veins was bleeding through. It seemed her inevitable instinct to kill would always resurface, no matter how sympathetic or innocent she tried to become.
Back down at the hotel’s lobby once again, Sayomi now blended in with the numerous other bodyguards dressed in black suits. 
Sayomi’s escort pointed towards the main entrance of the hotel. “Ms Zoldyck, you’ll be stationed with Team 3 over by the fountain right outside. Introduce yourself or don’t, just stand posted until your team is dispatched through the walkie talkies.”
Before she could even respond, the man took off walking back to the elevators, leaving Sayomi to find her way to her post.
Wow, alright then.
Sneering at the man’s abrupt exit, Sayomi tied back her hair, taking a second to compose herself before walking out to the fountain to join her team.
Finding the line of bodyguards quite literally stationed in front of the fountain, the man’s instructions echoed in her head as she decided on the latter, keeping from introducing herself.
The team now had 6 members with the addition of Sayomi, and the others took a moment to size up their new member.
Sayomi did likewise, glancing down the row of suit-clad bodyguards. There were 4 men and 1 other woman, all of them looking to be around their mid-20s. 
Talk about a let down, they’re all at best D-ranked assassins.
Unimpressed at the lack of powerful auras amongst her new allies, Sayomi’s shoulders slumped as she turned to face the busy street with a lack of enthusiasm.
Figuring out a way to pass the time, Sayomi settled for analyzing the hundreds of people that walked by. She was curious about the so-called urban culture she had heard so much about from Ayame back in Meteor City.
Though Sayomi wasn’t completely detached from society, she had still spent a large portion of her life either trapped in the mansion or, recently, in Meteor City. This being, she was fascinated by the little things, such as the different types of clothing people in the city wore, or the billboards and neon signs that began to light up the streets as evening fell upon Yorknew City. 
I wonder what I’d look like if I wore a dress like that… nah but it’s probably impossible to run in anyway.
Looking down at the modest outfit she wore and back to the woman passing by wearing a rather revealing dress, she pouted. 
It must be nice to be able to enjoy the nightlife in a city like this. Maybe when i’m older-
The static sounds of her team’s walkie talkies cut through her thoughts, finally dispatching their assignment for the next few days.
“Team 3. VIP client Adachi Yuto is arriving in less than one minute. The vehicle is a black Maserati and the assigned room will be 4823. Current stay will be 3 days.” 
In unison, Sayomi and the rest of the team straightened their postures, now on alert while they awaited the VIP’s arrival.
Right on time at about a minute later, a black Maserati pulled up to the curb in front of the team. A few of the members began walking towards the car, and the rest including Sayomi followed suit.
The driver opened the door to the backseat in front of them, and a man looking to be in his early 20s stepped out, thanking the driver. 
Must be the VIP.
Her fellow bodyguards started to move almost automatically, forming a circle around the young man. Sayomi quickly found her spot in the formation, walking behind the VIPs right side as the group made their way into the hotel.
Her team seemed to be far experienced, as they walked straight to the elevators without another word or break in formation. It was a silent trip up to floor 48, the VIP remaining occupied on his phone for the entirety of the ride.
Once arriving at room 4823, one of the bodyguards finally spoke, addressing the VIP. “Mr. Yuto, would you like any of us to accompany you inside?”
The VIP politely declined, only looking up from his phone to briefly thank the team for their hard work.
With the VIP turning in for the night, the 3 day timer began for the team. They would take turns in pairs, staying posted outside the VIP’s room, the others going to get rest before switching in once again. 
One of the men volunteered to take the first shift, along with the other woman in group, leaving the rest of them to rest until their shifts came around. 
Sayomi was paired with one of the remaining men to take the next shift. He was a stocky, sturdy-looking man, most likely one of the older members of the group from the signs of age evident in his facial features. 
Agreeing to come back around to the post 15 minutes prior to their shift, the two returned to their rooms on the 51st floor.
☾ iv.
Sayomi flopped down onto her bed upon returning to her room.
Man, this job is getting boring already. 
Glancing at the clock on the wall, she decided to get some rest while she could. She had about 4 hours until the shift change, her break being in the most inconvenient time frame. 
Sayomi’s shift would be in the dead of night, from 1 am to 5 am. 
Not bothering to move underneath the blankets or even untie her hair, Sayomi fell into a deep sleep with her legs dangling off the side of the bed. Her mind and body were both exhausted from the day’s past events, and all she wanted now was to move on from what’d already occurred. 
Because the past isn’t important… right?
That’s what she chose to believe for now, but she also knew in the back of her mind that sooner or later the past would come back and find her. 
☾ iv.
to be continued.
a/n: my taglist is open!
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gloriafc · 4 years ago
Text
Baby
Slight greys anatomy mention
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You're Eddie's daughter. You were the product of a teen pregnancy, the reason your parents got married. They had Christopher as an attempt to save their marriage and it worked for a little bit. When your mom left you were also graduating high school and ready to go off to college.
"Dad I don't have to go. I can take a year off. You need help with Christopher." "I can handle it mija. You go and become a doctor like you want. Make us proud okay?" And you do just that, the year you graduate med school is the same year he joins the 118. You take a trip to visit them and help them move before your internship starts, Christopher of course is very happy to see you without a screen separating you two and your dad is happy to see how much you've grown.
You start your internship in Seattle, becoming a surgeon at Seattle Grace.
When the fire station finds out about Christopher, no one finds out about you, your dad not knowing how to bring up that he has an adult daughter.
When the incident with the bomb in the or happens, your dad is worried about you resulting in him finally telling the firehouse about you. "Why didn't you ever say anything?" "I don't know. I don't put pictures up, there was never any reason. But now." "Now she's been injured."
They don't get the chance to meet you until the mass shooting, you've been shot twice in your side protecting others. Your dad is your emergency contact and gets the call while he's at work. He freezes as he listens to the doctor talk, "She's alive though right?" Everyone can hear the worry in his voice an immediately question him when he gets off the phone. Bobby immediately gives him time off as he and Christopher head to Seattle to visit you.
It kills Eddie to see you injured, you're his baby girl after all, but you hide your pain well around Christopher. After you get discharged you decide to head back to LA during your time off to heal and to be with your family. So you finally get to meet everyone. Of course Buck quickly becomes the protective uncle you never had, and you're happy to see that your dad has a friend like him.
Halfway through your visit is when your mom comes back, and you don't really know how to feel. You've always bumped heads with her, but it got worse when she'd fight with your dad, even worse when she decided to leave and never made it to any of your graduations. And now you're an adult who watched you're dad build up everything she tore down. She didn't know that you were staying with your dad and tried to hide her reaction when she saw you sitting on the couch with Christopher playing a game of cards.
You tried to keep things civil but you can only do so much on your part. You kept your responses short or hardly spoke unless spoken too, until one night you both finally snapped. There was nothing Eddie could do, he loved you both, but he knew this was something you both needed to work out. "Admit it mom. If you knew I was here you never would've come back, not yet at least." "Y/N-" "No! I bet you don't even know the reason why I'm here. Fuck you couldn't even show up to my graduations. You say you left for yourself but what about your kids? You said dad never made time because of work, but he did. He was there. Me and Christopher forgave him for the things he missed because he made up for it. And you were too busy being pissed that once you got the chance you dipped. You probably don't even know that I went to medical school. That I put in so much effort I graduated early. That I'm a surgeon and one of the ones at the top of my class. And you can't even be proud because I'm a mistake." No one knows how to respond so you continue, "Admit it. You never would've married dad if I wasn't born, if I wasn't a mistake."
You leave the house and as much as Eddie wants to go after you he knows you better than that, better than your mom. He stands in the kitchen doorway as your mom sits at the table with her head in her hands, "She's always been difficult." He can only look at her, "No she hasn't. She's hurt and she has every right to be. She's right she was a mistake, but I wouldn't have it any other way. But what about you? She's here because she was shot twice in a mass shooting protecting others from the shooter, but you didn't know that. You didn't know your daughters a hero. You probably didn't know that she was injured by a bomb either. But I did because I was the first person she called, because I am her father. I made up everything I missed for them because of how much I love them, they both understand that I made a sacrifice to keep us financially stable. They learned love comes with sacrifices from me. You had your reasons to leave and I know that but she's right, you had no reason to leave your kids behind, you could've sent them post cards or something. I had the decency to write letters while I was on yours. I'm so proud of her, of the things she's done. She tried to take a year off of school to help me with Christopher because I had no idea what I was doing, but I figured it out. She lives in Seattle but she still finds time to call and text so Christopher doesn't think he's the reason shes gone. She's sacrificed just as much as everyone else, so if you still think she's a mistake, then what did you think our marriage was? Why did you come back thinking she wouldn't be apart of things like she's not your daughter as well?"
Athena's the one to see you walking the street at night, recognizing you from one of the pictures Christopher showed her. "You're Eddie's daughter right?" "Uh yeah, Y/N." She sits with you, "Athena, Bobby's wife. Why are you out here so late?" You don't know why but you vent to her, "My uh. My mom came back. And we got into a fight." You explain everything to her and she offers her couch to sleep on seeing that you don't want to go home just yet.
In the morning Bobby is the one to drop you off, your dad opening the door when he hears the car in his driveway. You walk passed everyone not wanting to say anything, but your dad follows you to Christopher's room where all your stuff is. "Where'd you go?" "I met Athena she let me sleep on her couch. I already ate, Bobby made breakfast." "Mija-" "Dad I just want to take a shower. I'll probably catch a bus and head somewhere. I'll be back before dinner." He can only sigh as he looks at the floor as you rummage through your bags, "She might be staying." "That's your marriage dad, not mine. You work out what you need to work out. I'm going back to work in a couple days anyways. I'll have to deal with a therapist there. Everything will be fine." He moves and pulls you into his arms sighing as you wrap your arms around his waist and press your face into his chest like you did when you were little, "When did you grow up?" "When I got boobs." You both laugh before he kisses your head and tells you he's heading to work leaving you in a quiet house with your mom in the kitchen.
You quickly shower and head out before your mom can even say anything to you, getting back just as your dad arrives. You end up leaving a note for your dad and leaving in the middle of the night with all your stuff, catching a cab to the airport and catching a early flight back to Seattle. Of course Eddie is upset but he understands that you and your mom will just continue to bump heads and if you think it's what's best for yourself, who is he to argue, you're an adult.
Of course you text and video call all the time, sometimes catching him when he's at the fire station and he's just happy to see you're happy and healthy.
When the plane crash happens he finds it weird that he hasn't talked to you in a few days but brushes things off thinking you're just busy. The day you call, he's at the firehouse with Christopher for a family dinner, he happily answers the phone. "Hey baby! We're having dinner, do you want to talk to Christopher?" His smile quickly faulters when he hears your shaky voice, "Daddy." He quickly walks off after checking that your brother was with Buck, "What happened?" "There. There was an accident. We had a case. We. We had to fly to Idaho. The uh. The plane. The engines were faulty and the plane crashed. My. My right side was, uh. They have to do surgery to repair my right side from my ribs to my knee."
Eddie can feel tears threaten to fall just listening to how scared you are but you continue talking, "They did enough to fix everything but they're sending me to LA for the rest of the cosmetic surgeries and physical therapy while they work out everything with HR. I'm already at the airport with some medical staff, were getting on the plane." Your dad runs a hand down his face as he tries to stay calm, "Uh okay. Call me when you get here. I'll meet you at the airport in a few hours."
Your mom is the one to find your dad outside, "What's going on? Christopher's waiting for you to play the game with him and Buck." "I'm uh I'm going to the airport. Tell him to start the game and I'll play tomorrow." "What happened?" "Y/N was in a plane crash they're flying her here." "I'll go with you." "No. Just stay with Christopher. We don't. We don't need a recap of what happened last time. Not while she's like this. And I need to be alone. Before I see her, with her injuries."
Your dad waits for hours at the airport, the staff tell him where the airplane will land and offer to take him out when the plane lands so he can stay with you. You're out cold when he gets to you, "She started freaking out before the plane took off, which was understandable we sedated her to keep her under for the plane ride, she should be waking up soon."
Your dad sits by your side as you sleep. He counts and recounts all the IVs connected to you, quickly standing when he hears Christopher, "Dad what happened to Y/N?" He looks at your mom and the rest of the firehouse behind them, "What are you guys doing here?" Buck answers, "You left without saying bye. We figured you needed some support, that she needed some support after we heard what happened. She's family too." While everyone is distracted Christopher makes his way to the spot your dad was sitting in and grabs your hand. You're laying on your left side due to your injuries and Christopher can only wonder what happened to you. After a few minutes you open your eyes squeezing the small boys hand in yours, "You're awake Y/N/N." "Hi Christopher."
At the sound of your voice your dad is immediately at your side, "How are you feeling?" Your sarcastic side comes out, letting your dad know you're okay for now, "Like I fell out of a plane."
Of course everyone quickly learns how bad doctors are as patients, "The stitches are wrong." "They should've done this, it's faster." Buck easily jokes with you, "The doctors are probably ready to discharge you and your whining already." "They wouldn't be if they knew how to do their jobs right."
After you get discharged your dad takes you home. Everyone can see you're out of it, so someone is always with you, even your mom, but the conversations stay short but trying for your dad and brother. One day Athena offers to take you out to lunch. "How've you been feeling?" "I don't know." "Your dad's worried about you. Everyone is. You're putting on a brave face." You blink away tears, something that doesn't go unnoticed by Athena, "What's wrong?" You look around thankful you got a corner table and it was a slow day for the restaurant. You take a deep breath before looking at Athena, "I haven't told my dad yet, but a few days before the accident I found out I was pregnant. I'm not anymore... Obviously."
Athena sits with you, talking about the news that is no longer news for anyone, "Are you going to tell your dad?" "I don't know. I think. I think I'm still trying to process everything. The baby. A miscarriage. The crash. The fact that I was only a few seats away from getting crushed to death." Athena nods, "Do you know what's happening with everyone else that was on the plane?" "Uh yeah. The hospital is taking fault for using that airline service with known cases of faulty engines, were basically sueing the hospital for damages up to 15 million each. It'd shut down the hospital, but we all plan on purchasing it." "So you're going to own a hospital." "Part of it along with the others that were on the plane. So I'm not actually pocketing anything right now, but over time."
After a few more days you tell your dad about the miscarriage as you both sit on the porch, "Did you tell the dad?" "No. Uh we were never in a relationship. At least I don't think we were. It only happened once and we were both pretty drunk."
After another month you go back to work to finish off your residency. You apply for fellowships, but know which one you're going to accept. You never tell your dad, opting on surprising him randomly. You show up at the firehouse, your dad running over as soon as Hen points you out, "What are you doing here?" You smile, "I decided which fellowship I'm taking." It takes a second for it to click in his head, "The one here?" You don't get the chance to respond before your dad's picking you up in a bear hug. "Wait until Christopher finds out."
You jump into working, even though you live in your own house now your dad and brother are both excited to have you close again. After a few years, and after your mom's death, things fall into a normalcy. You get invited to any family dinners Bobby and Athena throw and you always find time to spend with your dad and brother.
You manage to become chief of trauma, you still have your board seat in Seattle and occasionally fly out sometimes taking Christopher and your dad for a getaway.
The first time anyone in the firehouse actually sees you in your natural habitat is when they have to bring in a druggie with a gsw. Athena is also there since the patient is the one who had the gun. Buck was grazed by a bullet so the firehouse was still in the ER while he got patched up, as Athena asks you about the patient. "I wouldn't try questioning him yet. He's still whining like a baby." "Can't you give him something for that?" "If I give him morphine I'd have to pump his stomach. And considering he knows the exact name of the morphine I'd have to use. I'm deciding against that. It's one bullet that was at the surface and has been removed. He can suck it up, I'm not gonna be the one to aide in his addiction."
All the beds are in the open with curtains as dividers so everyone can hear the man complaining and pulling against his restraints. The firehouse can hear everything go down when you declare he's ready to leave. "You gotta give me something for the pain." You simply look at him before shaking your head, "I really don't." "You bitch." You push the man back down on the bed making him since since his wound is on his shoulder, "You're the bitch in this situation. The pain you're feeling is from withdrawal from all the drugs in your system you idiot. You want something for the pain fine but that comes with your stomach getting pumped. Do you really want that considering you're over here bitching about a small bullet wound?" The man looks at you before seething, "You don't know the pain I'm in!" "Try me. Your bullet was at the surface and has been removed, the area was numbed with cream so you didn't even feel it. I've been shot twice in a mass shooting both bullets imbedded in muscle. I survived a bomb incident, a plane crash, and a miscarriage while stranded during that plane crash. So tell me I've never felt worse." When the man doesn't say anything you look at Athena, "Get him out of here."
Your dad looks at the spot you were standing, he's never heard the things you've been through ever leave your mouth like that. Bobby sets his hand on his shoulder, "She's tough Eddie. She's fine."
When a natural disaster occurs the hospital sends out surgeons to aid first responders for the people who wouldn't make it to the hospital otherwise, you're one of the few that get sent out due to your trauma certification being more than qualified. The firehouse is lightweight surprised to see you in the field working the tent. "You got sent out?" "You do realize I worked in a trauma one center right? My first year we had a ferry crash." Everyone is amazed with how fast and calmly you work, half of the patients you get wouldn't of survived even getting on an ambulance otherwise.
There is one patient who's stuck under a piece of cement inside a building but is in critical condition. Unfortunately you're the only one small enough to fit through the gap to get to him. "No! She's not going in there!" You can only look at your dad, "We have no choice. We can save him." Reluctantly your dad lets you go knowing you'd go anyways and he doesn't technically have a say in what you can and can't do. They give you your dad's jacket and helmet as a precaution before you slowly slip through the hole. You yell out when you reach the patient allowing the firehouse to continue trying to get the guy out.
You manage to move the patient under a stable piece of metal before suddenly yelling out making everyone stop, "What's going on?" "It's starting to collapse!" Before anyone can respond the building shifts closing the hole they were making. You dad starts freaking out, "We have to get her out of there!" "And we will. Eddie calm down or sit out."
When they finally get to where you and the patient are they can see the patient is stabilized and sort of groggy but they find your body a few feet away. Due to you having your dad's protective gear he wasn't allowed to enter the building but Buck is at your side checking on you, "I got a pulse! She has a leg stuck under some concrete. She probably knocked out after she got stuck." Bobby nods, "Let's get them out of here!"
Your dad watches as Chimney and Hen bring out the man, "Where's Y/N?" Chimney sets the man up on a gurney as Hen talks to your dad, "She moved the man out of the way. She has a pulse but her leg was caught under some concrete." Just as she finishes Buck and Bobby leave the building with you in Bucks arms. Eddie is instantly taking you into his arms as he slowly sets you down on the ground, "Baby wake up." You let out a groan before slowly opening your eyes, "Why are you so loud?" Everyone chuckles, even your dad, at your ability to bounce back so fast even with a broken leg.
Everyone helps you out while your leg heals, Christopher decided to spend the night with you one night and before your dad left he sat with you on the porch. He looks at the cast that everyone has signed and Christopher has drawn multiple pictures on before throwing his arm around your shoulders and pulling you into his chest, "When did you grow up?" "The day you told me go to college to make you proud. Did I?" "You did... You're still not dating until you're 45." You can't help but laugh and shake your head as you both watch the street lights come on and the stars come out. "Aren't you the one that had a kid at 16? The irony." "You're my baby I can be as ironic as I want."
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xofanfics · 4 years ago
Text
String - Part IV
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Prologue | Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V
Genre: angst, fluff, suggestive themes
Pairing: Baekhyun x Female Reader
Word Count: 2.7k
Summary: You find yourself in a friends-with-benefits situation with your best friend. You have no business falling for him, but your heart begs to differ.
Things were not going as planned. That was evident yesterday when Baekhyun paid you a visit.  You felt a bunch of things—annoyance, anger, frustration, sadness. The list went on and your friends could see it in your face. Earlier that week, Evie and Sadie had invited you to sleepover at their dorm for Friday night. Though you hadn’t expected the week to go the way it had, you were grateful that you’d be spending your Friday night with friends instead of in bed eating easy mac and binge watching Vampire Diaries. 
As you sat on the train with your overnight bag, you couldn’t help but feel a little excited. You hadn’t had a girls’ night in a while. For the most part, you usually went out with the guys. This weekend though, you would be with the girls and the girls only. You needed a break. They promised drinks, music and movies in their dorm room. 
The train screeched to a halt as you arrived at 14th Street - Union Square station. You got off the train quickly as a woman nearly knocked you over just to get onto the train. If it was one thing that annoyed you about New York City, it was people like that woman who, for some reason, can’t seem to wait for people to actually get off of the train. People like her give the city a bad name. The station was crowded now; you saw people dressed up and ready to start drinking, you saw people in suits coming from work after a long day at the office, and you saw kids in uniforms in clusters with their friends.
The city always came alive at night as the sun was setting. As you passed the park you saw some street performers playing instruments, the sound of smooth jazz filling your ears. The walk to your friend’s dorm seemed to go more quickly than usual. You were excited to spend time with your friends but you were also disappointed how things went with Baekhyun. He texted you earlier today but you ignored his message and left it on read. You didn’t know how to respond to him after the other night. You stared at the message, unsure of how to react. He said: 
[7:48am] Morning! Sorry I had to leave last night. I’m on my way to the pool now. Hope you have a good day! 
You couldn’t respond to him because you didn’t know how and also because you didn’t know where your fingers would take you if you started typing. It was better, you decided, to ignore the message altogether. 
You signed in at their dorm and waited for Evie to pick you up from the lobby. She came a moment later. “Hey,” she said, waving at the person at the desk as you headed upstairs with her. “We ordered some Chinese food. We timed it perfectly cause it’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“What did we get?”
“Some dumplings, beef and scallions, general tso’s chicken, and shrimp fried rice.”
“That sounds like more than enough,” you said, laughing, as Evie opened the door to their suite. You put your bags down and hugged Sadie. “Hey.”
“So I had nothing else better to do so I put together some fun ideas for tonight,” she said, showing you her phone. “We’re gonna play some drinking games after we eat. Our suitemates are down to play uno and jenga. It’s gonna be great.” She held up a familiar vape pen with the oil that would lead you on a winding, neverending path up to the clouds, if not further. “Want a hit?”
*
You shrieked as you pulled out the wooden piece that sent everything crashing down to the floor. “Damn it!” You and your friends laughed, along with their suitemates. It was time to take a shot. You weren’t sure how many shots you’d had at this point since you and your friends agreed to do half shots so no one would get too drunk and result in the night ending with someone passed out in a corner or slumped at the table. 
Vodka was never good but it was cheap and good enough to get you drunk quickly. Everyone chipped in to get a bottle of Pinnacle earlier. You took the shot, feeling the liquid fire in your core, your friends cheering in the background.
This was what you needed: a night to take your mind off of things. No boys, no drama, just fun and games. You hadn’t thought about Baekhyun once since you got here. Maybe, in your own way, this just served as a distraction to the reality that you had absolutely no idea what was going on in your life but it was fine. As of now, it was fine. You were enjoying yourself and that was all that mattered. 
As your friends decided what games you should play next, you made the mistake of picking up your phone. Your screen displayed Instagram, where you’d left it last. You clicked on Drew’s story and saw that he was at Bar None with Baekhyun and Daren. They seemed to be having a boys’ night from what you could see. 
“Did Baekhyun invite you guys out with them?” you asked.
Sadie shook her head. “Nah. I talked to the guys earlier today but we didn’t make any plans with them. Why?”
“Just wondering,” you said. “I hung out with Baekhyun the other night and we were supposed to talk.”
Evie raised her eyebrows. “What happened?”
“We hung out as usual. Ordered food, watched TV, and we fell asleep. Just when I thought he was gonna come to bed with me, he went home.”
Sadie said, “So you didn’t talk?” You shook your head. “I think he likes someone else. I overheard him and Drew talking and—”
You stopped her, desperate for some inkling of what was going on in Baekhyun’s life. “What did he say?”
“I mean, nothing specific. He was saying that he ran into someone somewhere and that they got ice cream. He said that she was cute. I-I only caught a piece of it and to be honest, he could’ve been talking about anyone so I didn’t think much of it.” 
You rolled your eyes and picked up your phone again. You’d started the evening not thinking about Baekhyun and you let him get in your head yet again. The purpose of being here tonight was to hang out with your friends and gossip about any and everyone who wasn’t Baekhyun Byun. You found yourself on Instagram looking for Baekhyun’s account to look at his story. According to his story, last night he made instant ramen. Today around lunchtime, he had tacos and, from what he could see, he wasn’t alone. The person wasn’t in the shot but you could tell by the little bit of hand in the corner, that the feminine hand belonged to someone with perfect, powder blue nails.
You tossed your phone on the table and started looking for your drink. Evie looked at the phone and swiped backward to see what you were looking at. She cleared her throat. “Oh God.”
“It could just be a friend,” you said, refusing to accept this outcome as truth. “You know what? I’m gonna ask him.” You stood up, grabbed your phone and started putting your sandals on. 
“Where are you going?” Evie asked. “We’re gonna play UNO next.”
“I’m going to the bar.”
“No you’re not,” your friend said, standing in front of you. “Now is not the time.”
“Well I need to talk to him.”
You started toward the door, determined to see Baekhyun no matter what. Your friends couldn’t stop you. Evie started putting her shoes on, too. “Shouldn’t you try to do this sober or something?”
Sadie said, “I don’t think this is a good idea…”
“Look,” you said, shaking your head. “I tried to talk to him twice already. I say, fuck that. Third time’s a charm, right?”
*
This probably wasn’t a good idea but you were on your way, with Sadie and Evie at your side. They knew just as well as you did, deep down, that this was a terrible idea. There was no way that this would go well but you needed to know. You needed answers and you needed them now. You couldn’t go one more day without knowing where you stood with Baekhyun. You hated not knowing how he felt or where you were going.
You crossed the street, the alcohol making your legs feel like jello. The three of you were still pretty drunk and, with Sadie insisting on bringing the vape pen, you were crossfaded enough to deal with this situation. There were a million things you wanted to say, in a million different ways. You’d visualized scenarios that hadn’t happened in your head while you walked. Some outcomes you imagined were positive, with you leaving the bar hand in hand with Baekhyun, while other outcomes you imagined were more dramatic, ending with you hitting him in the head with a bottle of liquor you’d stolen from the bar. 
“What are you gonna say to him?” asked Sadie. 
“I dunno,” you said, turning the corner. “I’m gonna wing it.”
“Oh God,” you heard Evie say under her breath as you approached the bouncer standing outside. She had no idea what she was getting herself into and, to be honest, neither did you. On the way over, Evie was the main person trying to get you to change your mind about confronting Baekhyun. 
She said things like “This is going to end in disaster” and “Why not sleep off the liquor and call him tomorrow or something?” But she couldn’t change your mind. You had your mind set on one thing and one thing only. 
You showed the bouncer your ID before storming into the bar without waiting for your friends. You took in your surroundings. It was crowded now. It was after eleven now and the groups of friends that had dinner after work were beginning to make their way to the bars. You looked by the bar and didn’t find any of your friends there. You peeked over people’s heads walking by the bar and over by the seats. 
Drew and Daren were sitting in a booth, you noticed, as you got closer. Baekhyun however, was nowhere in sight. Did he leave the bar? Without greeting your friends, you said, “Where’s Baek?”
“Well damn, hello to you too Y/N,” Drew said. 
Daren laughed. “He’s in the bathroom.” You plopped down into the booth next to him. Sadie and Evie came up to the table. “What are you guys doing here?”
“We decided to come to the bar,” you said as Baekhyun approached the table. 
He glanced at you and the girls with surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“We’re bar hopping,” you snapped, turning to him. A flash of hurt crossed Baekhyun’s face but you didn’t care. “I wanna talk to you.”
“Uh,” he said, “sure.” He grabbed his drink from the table and downed the rest of it. The two of you walked out of the bar, leaving your friends behind. You stepped out into the cool night air. Baekhyun didn’t say anything. He could feel the tension and frustration radiating off of your body. He followed you around the corner into a back street.
You stopped in front of a tree, folding your arms across your chest. “I have a question.”
Baekhyun looked down at the sidewalk. “What’s up?”
“What’s going on with us?”
“What do you mean?”
“What the fuck are we doing, Baekhyun? You’ve been avoiding me…”
“I haven’t been avoiding you. We hung out the other day, like old times.”
You were pissed. Here he was acting like he was innocent, like he’d done no wrong. “Do you remember the conversation we had in May?”
Baekhyun looked up at you and nodded. “I do.”
“So,” you said, “what’s going on with us, Baekhyun?”
Baekhyun knew what you were upset about before you even said anything. You’d been wanting to talk to him for a few days and he avoided it every time even if it was just coincidence. The first time he didn’t notice because he was going to see you at brunch with your friends. At first, he’d thought it was just something small you wanted to mention casually. But you didn’t talk at brunch about anything significant and you didn’t get to talk at your place because he ended up having to take care of Daren. He didn’t put together your disappointment until later that night. He felt bad; he even thought of calling you back then. 
He had been avoiding you. He was guilty about it and he also felt guilty about Kira coming back into his life. He was seeing Kira last year before he even met you. Things hadn’t gotten too far with her then but he liked her a lot. Kira left to study abroad and then he met you the following semester. He had a bunch of classes with you and you got closer and closer; close enough to be inside you. 
It wasn’t that he regretted it or that he’d been using you because he ended up liking you. Baekhyun wanted to date you which is why he agreed to it in the first place. The thing was that he didn’t want to start dating you and then go to Korea for the summer a couple days later. He didn’t want to start the relationship off in Korea, arguing and struggling over the time difference and whether or not the two of you were seeing other people. So he wanted to wait. He made a reservation at a steakhouse called Wolfgang’s for September 20th—a Friday night. 
Today was September 20th and he was here at the bar with his friends instead of at that restaurant with you. He planned on asking you out officially then, had his plans not been derailed by a former flame coming back into the picture. He cancelled the reservation last night; that was the point of no return. He couldn’t ask you out when he felt this way about Kira instead of about you. He questioned whether the feelings he had for you had been real or not. He liked you, he cared about you, but you didn’t make his heart explode and fall to the ground in pieces. 
Baekhyun didn’t reply so you asked another question he couldn’t answer. “Do you like me?”
“Of course I like you,” he said. “I care about you.”
“But you don’t like me like that, right?” You bit your lip, trying to hold in the emotions that threatened to leave your body in the form of tears.
Baekhyun let out a sigh. This was the tough part. “I don’t think I feel like that…”
You nodded and headed over to the steps of an apartment building. You sat and ran your hands through your hair before looking up at Baekhyun. “Did you ever like me?”
Baekhyun grabbed onto your hand. “Everything that happened between us...it was real. I did have feelings for you. I never lied to you and—”
“So it’s better to lie to me now, huh?” you asked, pushing his hand away.
“Feelings can change Y/N!”
“Feelings don’t just change overnight. Two weeks ago you were in my bed. Your feelings just vanished into thin air in that short amount of time?”
“Come on, Y/N! I can’t help how I’m feeling. If you found someone you liked, wouldn’t you go for it?”
There it was: the truth. It didn’t come out in the way you thought it would but there it was. He liked someone else, just like Sadie said. You felt like a complete idiot, waiting around for him for this long when it wasn’t even a possibility.
“Don’t hate me for this,” he said. “You would’ve done the same. If things had gone well with that guy you used to like, we wouldn’t have even gotten to this point! There wouldn’t have been any confusion on what this was from the beginning…just casual sex between two people when we needed to get off, mutual entertainment!” He sighed. “Please don’t be upset. You deserve someone whose heart skips a beat when you smile...like yours used to do to me...” 
You let out a laugh and stood up. “Okay, Baekhyun. Fuck you.”
Baekhyun swore under his breath. “Y/N, please don’t take this the wrong way.”
“I think you made yourself clear tonight,” you said, a tear finally falling down your cheek. You turned on your heel and started walking away.
Crystal clear.
*****
Tag List:  @shesdreaminginoverdose @multistania​ @jeonchan26​ @myonlyaurora​ @keloiu​ 
Please DM me if you want to be added to the tag list! Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)
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midasinc · 3 years ago
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modern era bossuet hcs:
-first things first, bossuet uses he/they pronouns and really likes to present with feminine aspects to their style, but he isn't comfortable with she/her pronouns in the slightest
-bossuet immigrated to france from the DRC when he was four. he doesn't remember a lot about their life beforehand, but they visit once a year with their family to see his grandparents and cousins
-similarly to jehan, bossuet is really into nailcare. they go to salons, rather, and love getting acrylics. most often, he goes with musichetta to get their nails done together and they use the hour or so as the Gossip Hour
-so! JBM. bossuet is gay, he's only dating joly. they started dating first before bossuet introduced his best friend, musichetta. joly and chetta really hit it off and it sort of evolved into the poly relationship they have now. joly is bi and is dating them both, chetta is bi leaning towards men and only dating joly, and bossuet (like i said) just dates joly. they all live together and musichetta is bossuet's bestest friend in the entire world. a lot of their mutual friends really doubted the dynamic at first, but it worked out really really well. bossuet and musichetta don't get jealous of each other and they both really enjoy hanging out because, well, they were best friends before joly came into the picture
-bossuet is weirdly good at arcade games. youd think they'd be bad at them bc of their luck, but he is SO GOOD AT SNAKE. yall ever play snake? his high score is no joke over 100 on a normal game. whenever they're at meetings, they're on google play's version of snake and customizing the colours before absolutely annihilating it. whoever sits behind him always gets super invested (which typically is grantaire)
-(from every time ive ever mentioned bossuet in hcs) they have alopecia universalis! absolutely no hair. no eyebrows, eyelashes, nothin. bossuet is really into falsies though! they love big, dramatic lashes and often times, they will go with musichetta to makeup stores to pick out what they like best
-speaking of... bossuet is a fan of beat face. they have... phenomenal makeup skills. their first job was at a makeup store in a mall and they'd help customers find foundations shades and everything. their own personal makeup has evolved a lot since then and oh my god. the sharpest eyeliner. the most blended out, fantastic looks. he will come to every L'ABC meeting with a beat face.
-(from pet hcs) he also loves joly's service dog so much. bossuet has taught that dog every trick in the book. he's never walked her, though, because he's terrified of losing joly's dog like he did his bird when he was a kid
-bossuet and grantaire have matching tattoos of a paper crane. when they were still in high school, grantaire did survive a suicide attempt and bossuet folded him a thousand paper cranes when grantaire was in the hospital. it meant a lot to him at the time, so they got the tattoo together (with joly holding both of their hands because ouch!)
-they have a really close relationship with their parents. he was very very scared of coming out to them, but bossuet loved to help his mom out with makeup and clothes when he was little and she doesn't like to say that she assumed, but she understood them before they understood themselves. they call on the phone at least twice a week and his parents really like joly
-bossuet and musichetta both love skirts. long, flowy skirts. they've 100% had a "we r essentially wearing the same outfit and one of us needs to go home and change" argument before
-they're vegan! and they swear by the air fryer. do not bring up cooking around him because you will get the air fryer tangent. every vegetable cooked in the JBM household is made in the air fryer (because bossuet will burn the life out of it otherwise)
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ofieugogyshz · 4 years ago
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Fic;; Memories: Riolu IV
Word Count: 8900 officially over 9000 now
Summary: Sarah accepts Cynthia’s invitation to visit her in Celestic Town. On her second day there, she finds herself visiting Cynthia in her grandmother’s home, and, once again, facing an internal struggle that her Riolu, Lance, and Cynthia, were set on helping her with.
Warnings: Lots of bad mental health, self-depreciation spirals, abusive thoughts to self. Also some awkwardness. (But it gets better!)
Notes: This is the thing that’s just been. taunting and harassing me for weeks, and i am so done with it. i am so sorry that it’s like, 2x as long as the others. I really hope it’s worth it to you guys, because I am just so done with it. Edit: Fixed up some spots, and re-pasting it added paragraph indents, so ????
(Series Masterpost)
---------------------
After helping me with my Riolu, Cynthia invited me to visit her in Celestic Town.
“I'll be there for a while, researching more myths.”
I told her yes, but when she offered to take me with her, I declined. I said that I wanted to walk the rest of the route to fulfill my Pokedex.
“Oh, you're working on a Pokedex? That sure takes me back...” She had a wistful look on her face. “I went on a big adventure with a Pokedex when I was younger.” I told her to share with me some of those stories when I met up with her in Celestic Town. She gave me her number, and we parted ways for the time being.
I spent the rest of that day and the next playing with my Riolu named Lance to make up for the issues we had ran into. Totally not connected to the Lance of fame. Yep. Definitely not. But it wasn't like I had that much of a choice. My friend, his father's trainer, had named him that for me as a cute little joke. I suppose I could have picked a name and told my friend to name it that. But I wanted to know what a Pokemon was like before I named it; and without the Pokemon in front of me, it was so hard to find an appropriate name. But watching Riolu-- little Lance fight our way up Route 210, I couldn't help but think that maybe my friend Blaze had the right idea in naming him after him. He was definitely strong and determined like his namesake, and showed plenty of care towards other Pokemon.
<<Can we call my namesake today? I wanna tell him how strong I got!!>>
I laughed. Now that I had accepted it, it was cute whenever he asked to talk to Lance. Lance—the human-- thankfully couldn't understand what the little Riolu was saying, but watching him entertain the notion was cute. Endearing. Enjoyable.
I looked at the time. Lance might be available now...? I had tried calling him earlier, but it went straight to voicemail. Probably working, I thought to myself.
“Let's try again after we get to the Pokemon Center in Celestic, so you guys can see each other with the videophones.”
And so we went through the rest of the route. It was a rather annoying route; there were many obstacles in our way, not including the fog that limited visibility. It took a few days to traverse the rest of the route by foot. I was able to train up my Pokemon a lot more than I expected. But even with the great training it provided, I was so relieved when I finally saw the rustic buildings nestled away in the mountain range. Even if it hadn't been Celestic, I would have been grateful just to stay a few nights away from the mess that was the foggy mountainside.
It was daytime when we arrived. I immediately looked for the Pokemon Center and checked in. When my Pokemon were returned, I let Lance out of his Pokeball.
“You know what, I think I'mma call you 'Little Lance', if that's alright with you? It's a little confusing talking to my friends about the both of you...” That was only partially a lie. I thought it might help distinguish them, yes, but I also still felt a little embarrassed calling him by that name... I was hoping a working towards a middle-ground might help.
Lance considered it for a moment, then shook his head.
<<Nope.>>
“Aw, but c'mon! It's super cute, calling you 'Little Lance'. Ooh! I could even call you 'Lil Lance'”
But he wouldn't budge.
“Ugh, fine then.”
<<Can we try calling Lance now?>> he asked, pointing to the videophones. I thought about it for a moment.
“I suppose so... It's almost time for our weekly call anyways.”
<<Yes!>> Lance curled up his fist and pulled it back in excitement. It was so cute to see him emulating a human gesture; he must've picked that up from me in the last week.
I picked up one of the receivers and dialed Lance's number. My heart was pounding, as it always did whenever I called him. Often I worried that I was being a bother. Things like, “Maybe I should call back later,” would plague my mind. But for some reason, I felt less nervous about it now. Maybe because Lance the Riolu was there, just as happy as I was to talk to him, that it made me feel less scared.
No answer still.
“Hmm... Weird.” The landline recording asked if I wanted to leave a message; I hung up. It wasn't that important to me to miss once. I had to let it not be important.
<<What's wrong?>>
“He isn't answering. Hope everything's alright. He's probably busy with other stuff right now.” I wonder if they officially made him Champion yet, or if they're still filling out the paperwork on that, I thought. He had mentioned that a few weeks ago; though that had little to do with him not answering. My thoughts were wandering far away on the topic, musing on what that conversation would be like when he told me that it was officialized. Lance tugged at my pants.
<<Can we visit Miss Cynthia then?>>
“Yeah, let me just see if she's available.” I pulled out the number she gave me, slowly typing it in. It rang once before being answered. There was no visual, so I found myself staring at a screen that just said “No Visual”, accompanied by the image of a Chatot.
“Hang—Hang on a moment.” Cynthia's voice sounded far away and strained, like she was just out of reach of her phone. The distant sound made me curious on how she had answered it, but I didn't have time to think about that, because she suddenly came in much louder and clearer.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Cynthia? It's Sarah.”
“It is! I'm glad to hear from you! Are you nearby? I can go out and meet you if you want.” She sounded eager, excited. Had she been looking forward to this? I didn't think so. I was just a trainer she had met twice; and younger than her, I would later discover. Maybe the sound of her happy voice was because she just had a breakthrough with her research, and she couldn't wait to tell someone. I highly doubted she was excited to hear from me, after all. Not after the impression I gave last time.
Lance looked at me, his ears drooping a little as he examined me. Ah. Right. I shouldn't be thinking a thought like that. I guess that was something both Lances wanted me to work on.
“I'm already at the Pokemon center,” I told her. I scritched behind Lance's ears, making him feel better. It helped me, too. “I just got in.”
“Oh! That's perfect! I'll come get you.”
We hung up. She arrived in about fifteen minutes, brushing dust and dirt off of her coat as she arrived. Based on what I had seen of her in pictures and in person, I never would have imagined that she could look so disheveled.
“Where were you?” I asked. Lance and Pika both ran over to greet her.
“Oh, excavation. Have you learned about the Celestic Ruins yet? It's why I love coming back here so much! I can show you later, if you'd like.”
“N-no, that's fine for right now...”
We hadn't made any plans for the visit, so Cynthia gave me a short tour of the small town. In its center was a crater, and in the center of that crater was a small shrine. She told me that it dates back to ancient times; many of the town's residents still prayed to the deities and Pokemon they believed were tied to it. Behind the shrine was a cave; on each side of the cave's entrance were two large drawings, of what I presumed were ancient or mythological Pokemon. Beyond that, there was little of interest to passing trainers. The town was so small that it lacked a proper Pokemart. Instead, an old couple sold things from their home for any passing trainers that needed to restock between Mt. Coronet and their next destination. I wasn't sure if it was surprising or just interesting that the Champion considered this town her favorite.
For lunch, she took me to one of the few places to eat in the small town. While there wasn't much to catch Cynthia up on, I found myself excitedly telling her how Lance and I got along better since we last saw each other. She listened intently, speaking thoughtfully and giving me advice. I found myself asking her for a casual battle-- not one with her title on the line, but as between new friends.
“Very well then,” she said. “I should let you know-- I plan on going all out!”
“Couldn't ask for a better match myself!”
I sent out a Luxio and a Roselia, both Pokemon that I had caught here in Sinnoh. They were doing great at Gym Battles, and I figured the experience with a Champion might help them grow even stronger. Cynthia quirked an eyebrow, interested in the unspoken challenge of a doubles battle. She sent out a Garchomp and a Gastrodon. The double Earthquake duo had a huge advantage over Luxio; Roselia could handle Gastrodon, but that still left her Garchomp. As we battled, I did my best to keep my two Pokemon from fainting, but there was only so much they could do at their current strength. We both called back our Pokemon when the battle was over.
“That was a great match! The confidence in which you issued your commands allowed your Pokemon to trust you, and they responded well! I can't wait to have another battle with you when they've gotten stronger.”
“Tch...” Though she gave me high praise, the defeat still stung. “We should have another match with my aces.”
“Hmm. Perhaps another day... Don't forget that the key to growing as a trainer is to challenge yourself! Playing it safe is going to deprive yourself of new possibilities.”
She was right on both counts. One battle was enough for now. I had gotten a glimpse of what waited for me when I would challenge the Sinnoh Elite Four and its Champion, and I felt myself eager to train with my Pokemon for when that day would come. Beside me, Lance had looked on in awe, little tail wagging during the battle.
<<I want to battle too!>> he said to me. I knelt down to pat his head.
<<Maybe next time.>>
The next day, I headed over to where Cynthia was staying. We realized that we had a shared interest in mythology, so she invited me over to look at some of the texts that her and her grandmother kept. Pika followed behind me with Lance. I could hear the both of them talking happily amongst themselves, and I smiled. It was nice to hear him feeling like a member of the team again.
When I got to the address Cynthia gave me, an older woman answered the door. She adjusted her glasses, looking me up and down.
“Um, hi. I'm here because Cynthia invited me. This... is the right address, yes?” I looked at the address she had hastily scrawled down for me, and showed it to the woman. She didn't bother looking at it.
“That's correct. My granddaughter told me that she would be having a friend come over. Didn't think it'd be someone so young.” I winced. She motioned for me to come in, closing the door behind her. I took a look around. Stacks and stacks of paper were all over the living room, or what I thought was supposed to be one. Cynthia's grandmother followed my line of sight and sighed. “Pardon the mess. When we both really get into our research, it shows.”
“Ahaha, it's okay. Kind of reminds me of my room,” I said without thinking. Woops. Probably shouldn't've mentioned that. That wasn't a good impression, but hopefully it wouldn't mean something bad to them, if it came back up.
“In here.” Cynthia's grandmother had led me down the hall and stopped in front of one of the doors. “Cynthia's already in the library. She said she wanted to pull out some texts for you to read before you got here. Knowing her, she's probably already got a huge stack prepared for you. I'll be going out for a walk, so if you need anything, let Cynthia know.”
I was alone in the hall with my Pokemon. Lance and Pika stood on either side of me, looking up at me. I was a little nervous, and her grandmother's comment on my age left me feeling a little unsettled. Was she expecting someone older? How much older? I just realized that I don't even know how old Cynthia is! Is it really okay to call ourselves friends if she's much older than me? But I found the nerves paling in comparison to my excitement. I was excited to have someone else to call a friend; excited that the local Champion had called me a friend to her grandmother. But more importantly, I was excited to see the library that she had. All the books, all the texts, the myths and years of research that people had put into studying these things-- even if I was only interested in reading only the myths, being surrounded by so many books would be so exciting! Old books had that especially exciting aesthetic appeal to them, just thinking about it...
<<Are you okay?>> asked Lance. He tugged at my clothes, pulling me out of my reverie.
“Ah, yes. Thank you. Sorry, I got a little excited...”
<<You must really like books.>>
The comment made me smile. I took a deep breath and knocked loudly on the door.
“Come in!” I could hear Cynthia's faint response through the door. I turned the doorknob and pushed.
The sight of so many books greeted me. They were on the walls, stacked against shelving on the walls. Some stacks were so high that some of the desks and chairs were buried and hidden from view. Everywhere I turned was littered with books, folders, and handwritten notes.
“Sarah! I'm so glad to see you!” I could see Cynthia in the center of the room, holding a cup of tea. I could barely make out the sight of some fancy-looking seats centered around a coffee table in the middle of the room. I smiled, and closed the door behind me.
“Thanks for inviting me!” I said. I started walking towards her, my Pokemon carefully hopping from low bookstack to bookstack like the floor was lava. I began to talk excitedly, sentences running into each other as I couldn't wait to share what I had to say. “I'm so glad you asked me to come over, this is so amazing, and---L-Lance!!! W-w-what're y-you doing h-here?”
I stopped dead in my tracks, face flushing, unaware that there was going to be company. Much less company that I liked.
<<I'm sorry, was I not supposed to jump on the books?>> asked my Riolu. The sudden change in my reaction, the strange query mentioning his name, had left him confused. It took him a moment to realize what was going on with me. He looked to where I was stuck staring, as though I were stricken with a Glare attack and could not look away. I heard a happy yip from him, and he ran towards the red-headed trainer that was seated on the couch.
<<It's him!!! It's him!! My namesake!! We get to meet my namesake!!!>
“You must be the little Riolu that I've been talking to over the phone!” I heard Lance say. He caught the little Riolu, ruffling the top of his head. My Riolu looked up at him, starry-eyed, before turning back to me. I was still stricken to the spot. Cynthia came over to me, gently pushing me behind the back to lead me to a chair that was seated on the side, between both of theirs.
“Come on in! Don't be afraid to sit down with us!”
“I-I'm not!” I said quickly, the words out of my mouth before I realized what they were. I shut my mouth right then, glancing at Lance, before looking back at Cynthia. She gave no indication that this was intentional, but I had the underlying sense that it was... I was suddenly hyperaware of how I presented myself. I quickly placed my hands in my lap. I kept my legs together, though one foot would begin bouncing in place before I knew it.
Pika had heard the excited commotion and came over to me, peeking her head over a pile of books to look. When she saw who it was, she ran over and happily nuzzled Lance on the cheek.
I felt simultaneous embarrassment and envy of her at that moment. I could have cried. I wanted to cry.
Sensing the conflicting emotions, Lance-- the Riolu-- came over to me and climbed into my lap. He was emanating so much happiness from meeting Lance –the human-- that it started to put me at ease. I wrapped my arms around my Riolu, gently resting my chin on his head, wishing I could have fiddled with something instead.
I watched as Lance picked up my Pikachu and set her down on the couch, gently scritching her under the chin.
“And hello to you too, Pika! It's been awhile since we've seen each other, hasn't it friend?”
“Chu! Pika pikachu!!”
<<My namesake! My namesake!!!>>
This was going to give me a headache, if I didn't die from embarrassment first. I tried to suppress a groan, and looked to Cynthia once more, trying to get help from her. Any kind of help. But her attention was already towards Lance, ignoring my distress.
“I'm glad to see that you're such good friends with Sarah's Pokemon already.”
“I've met her Pikachu several times, both in and out of battle. The Riolu is new.” He turned towards me. “I hope he hasn't been giving you too much trouble?”
I sat up straight when he addressed me. “Hm?! Oh! Um, n-no, not recently,” I said, lying a little. But I could feel Riolu become a little angry with me for the lie. He didn't like me being dishonest, it seemed. “A-actually, Cynthia helped us with a, uh, misunderstanding about a week ago, so things are actually better than before!” I gave him a nervous smile.
“I see.”
“It was moving to see. Sarah really is passionate about her Pokemon.”
“Y-yeah, I am.” I turned towards Lance, asking him the same question that I asked earlier when I came in.
“W-what are you doing here, Lance? I thought you were busy, with, um. League stuff?”
“Cynthia invited me to come out. She said that she's found an ancient connection between Sinnoh and Johto, and asked if I was interested.”
“But aren't you supposed to be at the league right now?”
“Since we're still in the process of obtaining a new Elite Four member to replace me, the League's been closed. I normally have time off from the Pokemon G-Men when the League is open, so I haven't had as much to do for the time being.” He looked at me, a curious expression on his face. “Why, did you want me to be there?”
“W-what?! Uh, no, I guess? I think?” I didn't know if that was the right answer or not. This was making me so nervous, so on edge. I didn't know which way I should play into this. “I just thought that you wouldn't be able to come this far north, is all.” I looked away, cheeks flushing a little. “You never mentioned it in any of our e-mails or calls.”
“It was last minute,” Cynthia interrupted. I looked over at her; she had been watching the conversation. Her legs were crossed, one elbow propped up on a knee as she rested her chin on the back of her hand. She had an inscrutable smile on her face, but the body language told me all I needed to know. She definitely planned this. I felt my face grow hotter as I realized it, and all the implications that could mean. Riolu squeaked as my arms tightened around him.
Cynthia continued. “I had the breakthrough a few days ago, and I thought he'd be interested. I found some text that suggests that Sinnohans may have moved over to Johto, but the connecting thread mentions a cave that no one's been able to find in Johto. Not yet, anyways.”
“She thought that I might like to try and find it.”
“Ah.... I see...”
“Oh! Before I forget, these are some of the books I wanted to show you, Sarah.” Cynthia got up to grab a small handful of books. She placed a few of them on the table in front of me; I was so apprehensive of the situation now that I couldn't even glance at their titles. My Riolu looked at the books curiously. “You might enjoy familiarizing yourself with Sinnoh's myths and traditions. It's a region that's full of beauty and history!”
She handed Lance the other books she held. I watched as she spoke so passionately to him about the ruins that she had found mentioned in her texts. I found myself a little jealous. Cynthia was a beautiful, confident, and an amazing trainer. She had no problems talking to Lance and keeping him invested in a conversation. And I could barely talk to him without becoming extremely flustered, stuttering and stumbling over my words, uncertain of which ones to say at all. I wanted to say all of them, in all the ways and combinations, until I could find the best ones to say to him. But with that desire to talk to him came the same conflict of being noticed, of being watched, of being paid attention to. As much as I wanted it, I didn't want it; because if he saw me, then he was watching me. And if he was watching me, then that meant that I could be judged one way or the other over something I did. Something I said. The way I looked, the look I gave off. I didn't want him to think less of me because of that. Cynthia, on the other hand, didn't seem to care about the mess that her library was in. She knew who she was and confident that it was more than enough to be liked, to be respected. I yearned to have that kind of confidence, that fearlessness. But I had to be liked. I had to be well-liked. I couldn't stand letting someone think worse of me for an accident or lack of attention or knowledge.
So I sat there, quietly watching the two of them as they became more invested in their conversation, until I thought myself forgotten about. The things they spoke about were beyond my current knowledge, and I, for once, could not interrupt. The two of them got up to look at something else in the library, ancient maps I think. I sunk into my seat, letting out a long sigh. Riolu looked up at me from where he sat in my lap, confused and concerned.
<<What are you feeling right now? I know the confusion.>>
Jealousy, I thought back. I was jealous of her. Not to a bitter extent, but... She probably could have-- I couldn't finish the thought, the mere idea of it making me hurt. I wanted to cry. Riolu turned around to press his forehead against mine.
<<I don't understand your feelings, but I do know that you're in pain right now. I hope you can feel better.>>
“Thanks.”
I watched as Cynthia helped Lance find reference materials for the Sinjoh ruins that she talked about. He hadn't heard of it before, and Cynthia speculated it was somewhere far north of his hometown. Lance placed a hand on his chin as he thought, looking carefully at the maps she had on the wall and the documents she showed him. It looked natural, seeing them together. Perhaps if I was in a better place emotionally, I could have enjoyed watching him in a different element.
The two of them seemed to flow well together, I found myself thinking as I observed them. I didn't want to, but it came unbidden. They looked good together. People probably think... nicer things about the two of them together than if it were me with him. I was not pretty. Today, I didn't feel smart enough to even join in their conversation, though I obviously could have picked up the information. I couldn't deny that, and so, the argument inside my head began.
My thoughts struggled between telling me I was worthless as a trainer and proving all of it wrong. I was good at Pokemon battles, and I had defeated the Champions from Kanto and Hoenn, but I didn't choose to take that role of responsibility that came with being Champion. It wasn't something I could do. It required a lot of work, and I wouldn't have been free to continue on my own journey. On the other hand, it wasn't impressive to not take up the position. That was the only thing I was confident about. All those achievements didn't mean that I'd be interesting to someone. Someone that I struggled to initiate a conversation with, and sometimes procrastinated replying to text or email messages to, and thought for hours on a reply, just because I didn't want to worry about him thinking awful of me. But...
My eyes roved over to where the two of them talked. I felt something awful in the pit of my stomach. A pang of jealously.
I wish I could be like her.
Anyone but myself.
Ugh. I hated these thoughts. But once they started, they wouldn't stop coming.
If he got with me, it would be such a joke. The media would have a field day. And why would he even get with me? Because I have a one-sided crush? That's bullshit. Plus, she can talk to him about things, and hold a conversation, and, damn, even get him to travel to another region for just a myth that she thought he might be interested in? I can't even do that. I mean, I never asked him, but why would I? I know he won't show, even if he didn't have all those responsibilities. And I'm strong as a trainer, but I'm not as experienced as her. I can't even accept that my own selfish feelings might be hurting my Pokemon. I thought I knew a lot, but it's just as much hot air as Eusine. And then there's just... UGH. Expecting someone to get with me, looking like this? A Milktank, no a Snorlax-- wait what was that cat they have here? Purugly. I'm so ugly, so awful--
<<Sarah?>>
It was a sound like a cold drop of water. The burning, burdening chaotic swirl of thoughts stopped, for just a moment. Riolu's thought was like a cool, soothing balm. I opened my eyes. I hadn't even realized that I had them shut, tears welling up in the corner. He touched his forehead to mine. After a few moments, I felt a calming wave of energy sweep through my body, relaxing all the muscles that had tensed.
<<Better?>> he asked, thoughts full of concern.
Yeah, I thought back. I hugged him tight, closing my eyes again. That helped a bit. Thanks.
<<Good. Because you got Miss Cynthia's attention.>>
That made me jump. I opened my eyes again to see her standing nearby, a gentle smile on her face.
"Are you doing okay, Sarah?" she asked me quietly.
"Uhm.. Mm… y-yeah. I-I'm okay now."
"That's good. I'd hate for you to feel awful while we're all here." She gently ran her hand along the back of my head, and rested it on my shoulder. "Please, have some tea. Or, if you'd like, there are more beverages in the kitchen. I could get you something to drink.”
I looked at her, then looked over to where Lance was, still invested in the scrolls.
"Uh, um. No, I'm okay. I have water in my bag. Thank you."
It was strange. She had such a caring aura about her that I wanted to break down and cry to her. To let her know about everything that was upsetting me, including how I was both jealous of her, and that I admired her. That I hated my conflicting feelings. That I lacked the courage I would otherwise have, when it came to Lance. I wanted to ask her for advice, but I hated the idea of needing to seek it. Knowing that she showed so much care to me, a trainer she had only met a few times, was enough to make me want to break down.
But my Riolu, Lance, continued to emanate calm energy, keeping me from reacting in a way that I would have hated. He didn't understand it, but he understood enough to know that keeping me calm was what I needed most at the moment. Crying was one of the last things that I had wanted to do.
<<Thank you, Lance.>> I thought to my Riolu. I'd have to remember to give him a good treat later on.
"Do you want to step outside for a bit?" Cynthia asked me suddenly.
I blinked. I looked up at her, confused. Was she… Trying to get me to leave the room? But… did that maybe mean….
As though reading my thoughts, she quickly added, "I could give you a tour of the house. Though, I suppose we should avoid my room, it is a bit messy from all the paperwork…."
"I, uh…"
"Great!” She turned her head, calling out over her should, “Lance, we'll be back in a bit. If you're interested, there's some books I found on the Johto region, pre-dating the Tin and Brass Towers in that corner over there."
She got me to take off my bag and come with her. Riolu followed, though he didn't have much choice as my emotional support Pokemon at the moment. Pika stayed behind; she was enjoying the small snacks that Cynthia had left out. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her.
Cynthia gently guided me towards the back of the house. And by gently, I meant that she gently pushed me towards the back, ignoring all confused protests with cheerful replies. She led me outside, to where there was a wide, empty dirt yard. She let out her Lucario, much to the joy of my own Riolu, who now squirmed in my arms so he could say hello to his newfound hero.
"Gahhh… I'm sorry about all this. I should have thought more carefully about it or let you know that he was coming over."
"Wait, so it was planned?" I said, turning around on her. I didn't know if I should have been more angry or shocked that she knew all along about my feelings towards that Lance, and still let this happened. “Or at least the him coming over part…?"
Cynthia leaned against the banister of the porch. She didn't say anything for a moment, as though she was trying to carefully word her thoughts. I waited, trying not to be angry, trying not to be embarrassed.
"I thought it might help," she finally said.
My emotions decided: I was angry, mad at her, though I couldn't put into words why. But…. I believed her. She really was trying to help me. I could feel it. And as I stared angrily at her, I felt my conviction weaken. Her Lucario stood nearby, palms out; he was using his aura powers to connect our spirits so we could better understand one another.
"...You're really scared about this," she said with a mixture of pity and understanding. “And you're right to feel angry; I should have asked or talked to you about this beforehand.” She slapped her forehead, muttering a simple idiot to herself.
"Y-yeah. Yeah, I really am. Both angry and scared. Because I already did this once, like an idiot, and erroneously assumed that that's what you do to like people. That you just... Decide to. And then you tell them that you want to date them and then you become boyfriend and girlfriend or whatever and it all goes uphill from there. But it didn't. And I'm lucky at all that he still let me get to know him after that. But I guess not enough, if I didn't know that he was coming here..."
Cynthia paused, giving a thoughtful hum. Then, she said in a hopeful tone, "Well, what if he wanted to surprise you? When was the last time you guys got to see each other in person?"
Her questions gave me pause to think. I never considered that, but I also didn't think I was important enough for something like that. Like he'd come all the way out here just to surprise me, when my Pokemon journey meant that I could be anywhere between a city and a route, even stuck somewhere. Sure, I normally tell him where I was heading or planning to go; but there wasn't a guarantee that I would have been here. Or anywhere. Planning a visit was one thing, but a surprise one....?
"C-c'mon now…" I looked away from her, eyes searching ground for things to say. Burnt orange dirt greeted me as an answer. A single rock, a couple of weeds, more dirt. Nothing useful that could be said. “There's no way that he'd... wanna... I mean, I'm not someone important. I'm just a stupid, annoying teen, annoying some guy that I kn--” I stopped, horrified. “Oh Arceus, I should be leaving him alone, shouldn't I?! I bet I seem like some crazy stalker fangirl and-- ugh. Damnit, Sarah, how could you be so stupid!? You're bugging him so much--"
I was cut off as an unlikely hand-chop came down on my head, causing me more surprise than pain. Doink.
"Owwwowowowowow." I clutched at my head, tears curling up in the corners of my eyes from the pain. I looked up at Cynthia, whose hand was still vertical and poised to chop me on the head again. “What'd'you do that for!?”
“What about all those calls?” Her voice was stern.
"Courtesy. He's just doing them out of courtesy, or to be nice, or because I seem crazy enough that if he doesn't he's worried I might--"
Doink.
Another hand-chop to the head.
I rubbed the top of my head, tears welling up in frustration now.
“You need to stop the negative thinking! He wouldn't take the time out of his busy schedule to do all that just because you annoyed him, Sarah. Trust me; I've had my fair share of crazy fans, and I wouldn't let any of them near me like I've let you. I'm not saying this to get your hopes up, but it's clear that he think you're someone worth keeping near. For people like us, where we're constantly being hounded by media and trainers looking for personal gain and not much else, that's a lot. We have our own lives; but it's hard to let people in them. And with the frequency of those calls that you guys have--”
“E-EH?! W-w-wait, y-you know... a-ab-about.... th-those!?” The way she had so casually said it this time had caught me off guard. I don't know why I hadn't froze up at the first mention of the calls mere minute ago.
“Lance told me.” At the sudden deep blush that set across my face, she clarified. “Your Riolu, I mean. ...I see now why the name might have been difficult for you.”
“Oh.” I still felt alarmed, but I relaxed a little. That meant he wasn't sharing stuff like that with other people. Not that I wanted him to. I didn't want to think about what it meant if he was sharing that to someone else, especially not with Cynthia.
“I apologize, for not telling you that he was coming over. You were so afraid and scared to say Lance's name,” she said, nodding towards my Riolu, “that I thought having you come over while he was here might have helped. I didn't let you know because I thought that you might run away... And I thought that you might appreciate the surprise of getting to see him again, in person.”
“I--” I stopped to think about it. She was right; I would have thought about running away. But I realized that, despite all the fluster and frustration and everything else that just happened, it was nice to see him again, in person. I hadn't gotten to see him in person very often the last few years; part of that happily avoiding the awkwardness awarded to me by my thirteen-year-old self, while also us having our own, vastly different paths in life at the time. But, even with the information that Cynthia had now shared with me, I thought that maybe I should keep my distance from him. To leave him alone, and not bug him like I usually did. To not repeat the mistakes of the past. To make sure that I didn't do that.
I really wished I could have been better about that.
“You do like getting to see him again, right?” Cynthia asked me, noticing that my thoughts had started to spiral again. I felt myself flush right up, stammering out a reply.
"I-I… I'mma… Y-you're n-n-not… wr-wrong about… about that…." I crossed my arms, looking away for a moment so I wouldn't have to face the consequences of admitting it.
Cynthia laughed. "Who knows. Maybe this might help you get closer to him, so you're not always stuttering!"
"I'M NOT STUTTERING!!!" I shouted at her, face red. “I just…. Fumble… and stumble… over my, uh, words………."
"Can you even refer to him by name?" she asked, sounding concerned for a moment.
"Err, um… that is to say…. Uh…." I hung my head. "N-no… n-not r-really."
"Why do you think that is?"
"Um…." I paused to think. Why do I have trouble using his name? ...ah. That's why. I looked down, and I picked at the sleeve of my shirt. I didn't want to say the words.
"Because I don't think I'm worthy of saying it."
There was a solemn moment between the two of us. Putting it into words made it feel so surreal. It made no sense to think that way, or feel that way. After all, I was a human. I was a damn Champion; I've beaten his ass at Pokemon battles more times than it was worth, when I was much younger. So then, why did that not mean something? Why was I venerating a name that anyone could have? Even my own Pokemon had suffered because of those feelings.
Then, as I was contemplating the absurdity of it, Cynthia started laughing, wiping tears from her eyes as she approached me.
"Wh-WHAT?!" I shouted, embarrassed and confused. "I REALLY DO THINK- er, feel… That way… I guess."
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for laughing. But just… The way you said it--"
"Ugh! Why did I even come out here with you?! I should have just gone off and trained!" I turned away, crossing my arms angrily. She came up and gave me a consoling hug.
"You really shouldn't feel that way about yourself," she said quietly. "Regardless of whether or not you're in love. It's not good to hate yourself like that. You are worth so much, and I see so much potential in you, both as a trainer and as a person. Don't give up on your dreams, because someone told you to feel this way once."
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to will myself not to cry.
“W-what if...” It was a struggle to get the words out. “Wh-what.. i-if.... it w-was... m-m-more... se...several... people?”
“Not even then. Their lies are not what's true about you.”
Her words and compassion had finally gotten me to cry. Feelings that I kept pushed down inside myself burst forth. I turned around and pressed my face against her, trying to hide it, but so painfully aware in some part of my brain that it would result in some snot on her coat. It was embarrassing. But she didn't show anything other than kindness as I broke down. She soothed me with comforting words and hushes, gently rubbing my back. When I had finally stopped, spent of the emotions that I had kept bottled up, she recalled her Lucario and guided me back inside. We stopped in the kitchen for a moment; Cynthia suggested that I get something to drink before returning to the library.
Riolu had followed behind us, watching everything with quiet awe. I could feel that he had a query for me, but he couldn't quite formulate it clearly. And even if he had, I wasn't sure that I could answer him.
“Lance,” Cynthia called out sweetly to my Riolu. “Do you understand what just happened here?”
He shook his head, mouth slightly open.
“Ri.”
“Sometimes, when things hurt for us, we try to hide it. But if we keep doing that, then it gets to be too much to hold back. Sometimes you have to let yourself cry. Or scream. Or whatever it is that your emotions are making you feel. Sarah seems to be especially fond of holding them back. I can't say she's particularly good at hiding them, though.”
“Thanks, Cynthia,” I said wryly, face heating up as I took another drink. It was embarrassing having her explain things to my Pokemon, because it also felt like she was trying to wink-wink-nudge-nudge me about how to solve my own emotional issues. I should have been more than capable of doing that myself, without the explanation from someone else. She continued.
“So if you feel like she's ever in need of letting out her feelings, you might need to pull her aside and get her to open up to you. It might not be as easy as it was today. Sometimes, in order to protect herself from her feelings, she might fight you on it. But you'll have to be patient and wait her out, letting her know that you're there for her.”
“Ri...”
Riolu jumped up to hug me, startling me for a moment.
<<I promise to help take care of you!>> His feeling was sincere. The energy behind it, the strength of his feelings, almost made me cry again. I shook my head, trying to focus elsewhere.
When I calmed down, we walked back to the room. I was staring at the door again, mentally preparing myself once more to enter. The calm that I had gained was slowly giving way once more to nervousness. I found myself worrying that it would show all over my face that I had an emotional meltdown. (Cynthia told me it didn't look like I had been crying, but I wasn't convinced.) I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down while it felt like every fiber of my being was racing. My skin felt like ants were crawling all over it. I rubbed one of my arms and took a final deep breath.
Cynthia smiled at me.
“You ready?”
“Y-yeah. I'll be fine.” I picked up my Riolu, hugging him tightly. “I've got this Lance with me to help keep me calm.”
“Ri!” His tail wagged.
“We're back!” Cynthia called out when we entered. I could see Lance's tuft of red hair over by the table that we had been seated at earlier.
“Welcome back!” he replied. We walked over to him, and I could see Pika curled up beside his lap, taking a nap. I instantly felt envious of her. To just so casually....! Lance noticed that I was looking at her, and gave a small laugh.
“I came over to read some of the books, when I noticed that Pika had been left behind. I thought it was odd, but she didn't seem to be bothered by being separated from you. In fact, she curled right up next to me and fell asleep.”
I blushed. My Riolu looked up at me.
<<She felt confident that I could help,>> he said. <<I'm not sure why that is. Miss Cynthia was the one to help you the most! I think she just wanted to eat the cookies without sharing...>>
I frowned when he told me that. I put him down and picked up Pika, sitting down on the couch as I did so. I held her up, away from me, waiting for her to wake up.
Pika gave a sleepy little yawn. She squeaked when she saw me staring at her with an unamused expression. She squirmed, giggling as she tried to get out of my grip. I let go of her with a short sigh, and she fell into my lap. With a carefree attitude, she climbed back up the couch to sit on my shoulder, nuzzling me. She was definitely trying to be trouble.
“Honestly...”
“Is everything okay? It's not often that I don't see her without you.”
I jumped up for a second, forgetting that he was there. I tensed up, and feigned ignorance. “Hm? Oh, uh, Riolu said that she wanted to eat all the cookies and not share.” I gave him a nervous smile. “Some days, y'know?” I had no idea what I was trying to get at, honestly. But I hoped it was enough of an answer to avoid any future questions.
Now that I was no longer giving my Pokemon a condescending stare, knowing what her real motive was, I realized that I had sat next to him. On the same couch. I felt my face heat up and I slowly started to scoot away. Ah, but that's too obvious. Ah, quick! I patted the space next to me, motioning for Riolu to come sit there. He tilted his head at me, but obliged, climbing onto the couch. I scooted over more so he could sit between us; Lance raised an eyebrow at me.
“Ah, I forgot to mention it earlier, but Riolu's really excited to meet you!” I gave him a nervous laugh, and fumbled around for a further explanation. “Though I guess that much was obvious earlier... Ahaha... I thought, um. Well, uh... I don't really know how else to explain it, so just! Accept that he wanted to sit next to you!!”
Smooth.
As if picking up on the cue, Riolu turned towards Lance and wagged his tail. It wasn't disingenuous, as he really was excited to meet his namesake.
<<Hi, I'm Lance! I was named after you!!>> He stood up on the couch and held out his paw to Lance.
Panic coursed through me. My face instantly turned red and I grabbed Riolu. I pulled him away, hand over his mouth while trying to resist the urge to grumble something into his ear.
“What... did he say?” Lance sounded concerned, but I could hear muffled laughter from Cynthia, seated across from us. I had forgotten about her, but now wasn't the time to deal with her.
“O-Oh! Uhhh...ummm... y-y'know... how some.. Pokemon, just... say.... silly....things? To, um, their heroes?” I winced, feeling like the lie wasn't much better. My Pokemon wasn't satisfied with it either, and frowned. I could feel the dissatisfaction, right there, in my arms.
“I can't say that I know... Seeing as I haven't had any Pokemon talk to me in the same way that Riolu seems to with you.”
“Oh!” I let him go, and Riolu crossed his arms, pouting. “That's, um...” That's great! I wanted to say, but I knew that it was a very enviable thing to be able to understand Pokemon clearly. In specific words.
“That's, err, too bad, I think?” I relaxed, relieved that my Riolu hadn't somehow instantly been able to connect to and bond with Lance like he had with me. “I mean, it sucks, when they um, just have a lot of cool things they want to say to you! He thinks you're really cool!”
“And what else does Riolu think,” Cynthia said from the sidelines. I gave her a sharp look, and she stifled her laughter.
“Okay, I don't know what Cynthia thinks is so funny, but he really does look up to you!” I said, finally giving a genuine statement. “He's wanted to meet you for awhile now. And, it's, uh, it is nice to see you outside the league, for once. And not because of work!” I added, remembering that one time I had run into him. He was on a mission with the Pokemon G-Men, and somehow the events of that created this... issue. “I was just, um, surprised earlier to see you anywhere but Kanto or Johto, really. So I'm sorry if it seemed like I was being rude.”
Lance seemed to be confused by what I was saying, and I rolled my eyes and shook my head, frustrated at myself.
“Nevermind. Sorry if that didn't make any sense.”
He gave me a strange look, perhaps because my own words were strange enough without all the context on my end.
“I accept your apology, though I'm not really sure what it's for.”
“Um, 'cuz I thought maybe it seemed like I didn't want you here?”
“It didn't seem that way to me.”
I paused, trying not to overthink on what he just said. “I—oh, um. Good.” I nodded, trying to sound certain of myself.
An awkward silence followed, but it was shortly interrupted by Cynthia.
“Sarah,” she turned to me. “Where is your next badge located?”
Bless her for changing the subject to something less nerve-wracking. Riolu perked up at the mention of the Gym Challenge, and uncrossed his arms. I looked up at nothing in particular, trying to recall where I was told to go next. It was on the west side of Sinnoh, somewhere closer to Twinleaf Town than this side of Mt. Coronet.
“Umm... I think the city's called Canalave?”
“Then you should definitely make sure to train up your Riolu!” Cynthia looked excited, eyes brimming with energy and the teasing forgotten. “The Gym Leader is Byron; he's a steel-type user. Would you like to stay for awhile and train with me?”
I blinked. The offer was extremely honoring, and I couldn't figure out a reason to say no. “Sure, I'd love to! Thank you very much Cynthia.” I looked down towards the little Pokemon beside me. My Riolu jumped up, looking starry-eyed at Cynthia, tail wagging excitedly. “I'm sure Riolu would love it too, if he got to train with your Lucario!”
“Of course. I'd be more than happy for them to train together!”
“Would it be okay if I joined the two of you for your training?” Lance asked suddenly.
I felt myself freeze. I was not expecting that. I looked at him, scrutinizing him. Was there a joke in this? A prank? I was suddenly suspicious, wondering if somehow he and Cynthia were in on something. But if they were planning something like this all along, I couldn't tell; not from him. I quickly looked towards Cynthia, who clasped her hands together, smiling.
“That would be great! Incidentally, how long are you planning to stay in Sinnoh?”
“I've got a few days before I need to head to Blackthorn City.”
“Excellent! Then it's settled. We'll all train together!”
So maybe it wasn't planned. That didn't stop Cynthia from flashing me a devious smile right after. I couldn't help but feel apprehensive that she had something else up her long, black sleeves.
“That reminds me!” She pulled out a poster from under one of the books, and showed it to us. It had a drawing of a starry night sky, with what looked like shooting stars falling across it. Under that was the shrine, and the area around it was decorated.
“We're having a festival in a few days. Because we're away from any of the larger cities, the night sky is really clear. It makes it easy for us to see a meteor shower that happens once a year. It's one of the few things that draws visitors to Celestic Town, giving them revenue. The both of you should go! I'll be busy helping the town run it, so I won't be able to show you guys around, but I think you'll have plenty of fun exploring it without me!”
I felt my insides go hollow, instantly recognizing what Cynthia was doing. She was setting up an opportunity... for... a... I couldn't finish the thought, too frazzled to think it. I could only hope that, between the blanched feeling I was having and the inevitable blush that was to follow, my complexion looked relatively normal. Because I wanted to scream. And run away. And never come back.
Cynthia just gave me that, sweet, innocent, inscrutable smile, now decipherable, as a little nudge forward. She knew exactly what she was doing, and I hated that I wanted to thank her for it, too.
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nitannichionne · 4 years ago
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LUNA IV Chapter 6: Marketplace Meeting (A Henry Cavill / Syverson Fan Fic)
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CHAPTER SIX: THE MARKETPLACE MEETING
Within the hour, you are with Sy at the market. After a brief meeting with some of his men, he takes and holds your hand as you look at the different stands selling all kinds of goods and services. You nod stiffly as he introduces you to some of the merchants that he is friends with. Some look at you as if you are a criminal, and you hate the feeling, but he gave warning looks that made them avert their eyes if they were anything but respectful. You don’t’ want to be grateful for that but you are.
"Hey!"
Sy’s serious demeanor melts into an easy smile as he strides to a blonde woman with light eyes. Her hair is a short mop of curls, but neat. You feel your stomach twist as he picks her up and hugs her, spinning her around. You keep her eyes downcast, surprised at having to tamping down jealousy.
"Come here," he smiles, extending his hand. He lifts an eyebrow as you approach, hands folded and eyes downcast. "This is my sister, Helena. Helena, this is—"
"I know who you are!" she gasps. "You didn't tell me it was her!"
Your eyes rise and roll, making the brother and sister laugh.
"Hi!" Helena hugs you.
Your eyes widen at the open display of affection. Your eyes raise to Sy, who smiles humorously as you hesitantly put your arms around the woman. "Hi."
"You have to excuse Helena," Sy says sarcastically. "She's been a bit unbearable since she found out she was pregnant."
"With your very first niece, Captain Syverson, so shut up!"
You feel yourself relaxing, even laughing a little. Their affectionate banter makes you feel a part of something.
"I have some business to attend to," He nods. “Helena knows the place like back of her hand.” He leaves you alone.
"Come on!"
You find yourself being grabbed by the arm and brought up to speed on current gossip in mere minutes regarding people in the square, as well as who has the best goods and services. You can’t help but smile with her a little. Her mood is contagious.
"So...murder, huh?"
Your head snaps up. "Uh...yeah."
"I got your file."
You stiffen. What?
Helena puts up her hands in a defenseless gesture. "Okay, let me be honest. I am a counselor."
You step backward, feeling betrayed. "I am not a head case." You look around, feeling trapped. Where can you go?
"No, you are not." Helena shakes her head. "And believe me when I tell you, Sy doesn't think you are, either. He has never introduced me to someone unless..." She pauses to pick her words carefully. "There is something more."
You mind begins to race. What the hell does that mean? "Alright." You decide to wait for more information.
But instead, Helena walks you through the market one more time. She gives more information about the shopkeepers, and basically gives you inside information on how to negotiate prices. "So, you got it?" Helena's eyes spark at you.
"Yes, yes, got it."
Helena becomes a little more serious, but the warmth is still in her features. "How's it going?"
"Okay, I guess."
"Must be going well," Helena chuckled. "He does not call me to meet just anyone."
Seeds of hope sprouted in you, surprising you. The way he held you the shower stirred your insides, like he knew... "He hasn't had a prisoner in sometime, I heard—"
"Uh-huh," Helena nods. "New supplies come to merchants two days a week. How about we meet for lunch sometime?"
"Alright." It was then your attention averts completely, noticing an artisan’s stand. "What is that?"
"Jewelry and supplies to make it," Helena answers. "You wanna go?"
"Is it allowed?"
"Why not?" Helena smiles as she leads you over to look.
Your eyes light at all the stones and cords. Your memory clicks at most of it, causing tears to come to her eyes remembering your father.
Helena touches your shoulder, showing concern.
You clear your throat. "My father and I used to bead together."
"Your father?!"
You giggle at that. "Yes...my father." You looked. "That big box there? We had one like that full of our beads and cords. And when he came back from assignment—"
"You beaded and talked?"
You nod, feeling the grief engulf you again. You miss him so much and times like this it hurts in your chest. You take a deep breath. "He had this necklace that my mother made for him—a wedding gift, I think—and he taught me to make one for my husband someday." You frown at some of the necklaces. "They are like these, but they are—they are wrong..."
"Mass produced is more like it."
"They are wrong." Your father was way too careful about how he showed her to do this.
"I believe you."
You turn at that. "They are not real...not like the ones my father taught me to make."
"Oh," the shopkeeper interrupts. "These are not real. The real ones from the Orion are too expensive."
"Orion?" Helena's eyes grow wide as saucers. "Is your mother from Luna II, Zen? Is your mother from the warrior women planet?"
You blink. "I don't know. All I was told is that my mother and father loved each other, and they were rejected by each other's families. They fought to stay together. She died. He took me to Luna III when I was very young." You swallow hard to tamp down your emotions. "All I know."
"One question, Zen," Helena says slowly. "The first full moon of spring, what is it called?"
"The Diri D'jed?" Zen shrugged, keeping her head down as she tried to control her emotions. "That's what my father called it—"
"No, Zen," Helena shook her head. "On Luna III and IV it is called the season of giving and making prosperity. Zen, Diri D’jed is Orion culture. You are Orioni."
Zen blinks. "The Orioni—"
"Orion City is the capital of Luna II." Helena smiles gently, grabbing Zen by the shoulders. "No wonder you can't be claimed. Not only is it against your nature, it's against your upbringing. You're a warrior woman."
You stand there not sure what to think when Sy returns.
“She show you around?” he asks you.
You nod, still lost in your thoughts.
“I think she is Orioni, Sy.”
“Orioni?” his eyes widen. “Well, that would explain a lot.” He looks at you and takes your hand. “Thanks for everything, sis.” He gives his sister a one arm hug. “See you soon.”
Sy takes you to the kennels to visit Lysander Carter, the animal keeper for law enforcement. "What’s goin’ on? Everything okay?"
Lysander Carter was not as big as Sy but looked just as combat ready. His blue eyes were softer, too. He looks at you and back at Sy, unsure if he should speak.
"Go on."
Lysander's gaze travels to his trainee, Gabrielle. She looked like she was being taken care of, having gained some weight already. She pet the mother dog, cooing to her, scratching her ears while petting its pups who were already finished eating. "Gabrielle, why don't you go inside? Take the pups with you."
Gabrielle tenses, her eyes widening  as she moved nervously.
Lysander calls over his shoulder, "Would you brush the horses, please? I haven't had the chance."
She immediately brightens and gathers the three pups, carrying them inside as the mother dog followed her.
"What is it?" Sy asks.
Lysander nods, raking his hair. "She's been abused, Andreas. Severely."
"Lady?"
"Not the dog! Gabrielle!" he gives an exasperated sigh. "She's got scars all over her—cuts, burns, whips...I bet she was hospitalized before she was shipped here."
Andreas took a breath. "She may have gotten into—"
"No," Lysander shakes his head emphatically. "No. I did a little asking around. She got those before jail, and some of the women in this batch are protective of her. They watch me, Andreas—” he looks at you. “even the real criminals watch me."
"Did you introduce her to Helena?" Sy asks.
"Of course, and she’s great with her," Lysander nods, his chin lifting. "She is also in full agreement with me."
"Arrange for her to have lunch with Helena twice a week," Sy advises, impressed that he was taking a stand. He turns to you. “Would you mind going with her once a week?”
You are caught off guard. “Why?”
“You are brave and strong,” Sy says. “I think she can learn from you.”
“I suppose so,” you say, going into an at ease position. The idea of being with and helping someone like Gabrielle sounded good.
"She's really good with the horses," Lysander says softly, watching her in the distance. "Better than me."
Sy’s brows raise. "Better than you?"
Lysander nods.
"Has her conditioning started?"
Lysander's eyes dropped. "A little."
"Lysander!"
"This isn't easy, okay?" Lysander defends. "She's not a fighter, she's not manipulating. She's just there, and scared, damn near on the verge of tears half the time. And she tries so hard, Sy, because she is afraid."
"Then have you rewarded her?"
Lysander sighed.
“Start with that,” Sy suggests. “She’s not a virgin, is she?”
"I get the feeling she is," Lysander nods sadly. "In the way that counts, that is."
"Then teach her why it counts, Lysander," Sy puts a hand on his shoulder. "There's a reason you were matched. You are gentle by nature, so is she. Be patient, be gentle, dig deeper, and pay attention, okay?"
Lysander nods. "Thank you."
"And, would you have Gabrielle pick a pup for me?"
"Sure."
"Thank you."
Sy takes your hand, turning to leave. He takes you back to the artisan stand.
“What?” you ask.
“Buy whatever you want.”
“What?”
“Go on,” he nods. “if this makes you happy—” he frowns over the stones. “and get the authentic ones.”
You try not to cry as you get enough materials to make a few pieces. It is all put in a bag and you hold it, staring at it. “Thank you.” You whisper.
He kisses your cheek and takes you home. You feel scared for the first time in forever. This man frightens you. He frightens you because he has what it takes to touch your heart.
@fckdeusername @maan24  @rn7rocks @kaatelyyynn
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ficsilike-reblogged · 4 years ago
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Blood In the Rivers: IV
A/N: I’m sorry. (But, on that note, chapter V will be out soon, because I had parts of that written long before I thought of actually posting this fic.) Thank you to everyone who liked, reblogged, commented, and read the last chapter. You deserve nice things.
Pairing: Oberyn Martell x Ellaria Sand x F!Reader (Tully)
Rating: T for brief suicidal thoughts, canon typical sexism, my overuse of italics
Word Count: 7k (I have lost my chill, apparently) 
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Read Chapters I-III here! Or on Ao3!
Chapter Four: A Pentoshi Heart
Her mother once said, “You may have your father’s name, little one, but you have a Pentoshi heart.”
“What does that mean, Mother?” Y/N asked, eyes wide in childlike curiosity. Her little hands had grabbed fistfuls of her mother’s deep blue skirts as the wind rushed by, carrying the scent of evergreens.
“It means,” she paused and cleared her throat, words warbling on her tongue in her beautiful, Pentoshi accent, “it means that you fling yourself into adventures without thinking of the consequences. That you destroy what you cannot control.” Vaella bent and held her daughter’s face in her hands. “You must take care, little one, that you do not lose yourself to someone who will drive you to your worst impulses.”
The words meant little to young Y/N, but she nodded and smiled at her mother. “I will try, Mother. To not lose my heart.”
Perhaps she had been given too much time to think. Or maybe thinking was the only thing from teetering over the edge into despair. It had been almost two weeks since Tywin had announced that Loras had been raised to the Kingsguard. The second royal wedding was the day after tomorrow and she…hadn’t seen Oberyn since he’d kissed her in the Small Council chamber.
Ellaria had been scarce in her visitations, too. They’d met only twice in the gardens for a few brief moments. There was something Ellaria was hiding, Y/N was sure of it. But she was too sad to question it. To ask for answers. To ask where Oberyn had gone.
And the last time Ellaria had held her close, pressing a soft, lingering kiss against her lips, she whispered, “you must be strong, My Tully.”
The sound of the nickname on Ellaria’s tongue almost relieved the weight she felt on her shoulders. She was Ellaria’s. She had been Oberyn’s, too. But that had been nearly a week ago. She’d only caught a glimpse of them at Tommen’s coronation celebrations. A single view of their golden and yellow skirts and robes and then they were gone and she was left to swear her fealty to the new king by herself. Little Tommen seemed too kind to really be king—but she knew he had been king before that silly crown was placed on his head. As soon as Olenna had shared the news of Joffrey’s death, she knew Tommen was king. Everyone had referred to him as king the day after Joffrey’s funeral anyway, the ceremony seemed redundant.
Y/N was suddenly brought back to the present as something sharp sunk into her shoulder. The Maester had the good grace to look apologetic as he continued to haphazardly pull the stitches from her skin. “Nearly finished, my lady.” Daisy was standing at her back as the maester worked, trailing comforting fingers up and down her spine to distract her from the strange ache the procedure created. “These have been some of my finest work. The scars shall be minimal compared to what it could have been.”
Y/N wanted to tell him that the scars were still ugly no matter how “fine” his stitching may have been. It twisted from the edge of her collarbone to just under her arm, raised and discolored like a beacon of her misstep. There was a matching scar on her back. They’d had to cut her open to clean the wound properly, pouring firewine into her flesh to stop a possible infection. It was a small solace that she had been unconscious for that.
To keep her mind from focusing on the pincers in the feeble hands of the Maester, she tried to think of anything else. It was a bit of advice her Uncle Hoster had taught her when she was still a girl and she’d fallen off her horse and into the rocky bed of the Tumblestone river, earning herself a nasty cut along her leg that required stitches. Uncle Hoster, she thought, dead and gone now—he’d died when she was on the kingsroad to represent the Riverlands at court and ask for the Crown’s protection against the raiders. Word only reached her after she’d settled into her chambers at the Keep. Gone. Just like that. Then there was Eddard Stark, calm and strong and if not a little sullen at times. He always had a kind smile for her. He was gone, too. Bran and Rickon killed by Theon in a coup at Winterfell. Catelyn and Robb dead as well. Arya was in the wind, as was her father. Edmure was a captive of the Lannisters and Sansa was in hiding in Dorne. Jon was at the Wall. What a mess. They’d been scattered like sand in the wind.
This obviously was not a productive train of thought so she tried to focus on the dark but happy reality that Joffrey was dead. Dontos, too. Dontos who had tried to lead Sansa away from her teachings and plan.
“Dontos said he has a plan to get me out of King’s Landing,” Sansa whispered as they pretended to pray. She had told her of the note Dontos had placed beneath her pillow, swearing his fealty to Sansa’s cause as recompense for her saving his life. “He says he has a friend with a ship that will get me out. Take me home to Winterfell.”
“Do you believe him?”
“He seems to believe it.”
Y/N pushed out a long breath through her nose and tightened her clasped fingers. “Has he said anything else to you? Mentioned who this friend is?”
“No.” Sansa shuffled closer on the stone.
The older of the pair paused for a moment. The knight-turned-fool was easily manipulated. There was no possible way he could formulate a plan—the fact that he managed to smuggle a note beneath Sansa’s pillow was suspicious enough. “Tell me what else he says.” She reached out and tugged at the end of Sansa’s loosened braid and a small smile finally touched Sansa’s pretty, pink lips. “But you trust me to get you out of here, don’t you?”
“You’re my family. The only family I have left in this terrible place. Of course I trust you.”
The maester finished and she thanked him before he toddled out of her chambers. Silence stretched for a few moments, tense and sad.
“What can I bring you, my lady?” And poor Daisy continued to fret, noticing her lady’s dour mood. “There are fresh lemon cakes in the kitchens. I watched them bake this morning.”
Y/N nodded and stood from her chair. “That sounds lovely. And any juice you can find.”
Daisy nodded and scurried away, happy to see that Y/N was eating. Her meals had been sparse the last handful of days and had taken to only drinking water. It would be good for her to have something in her stomach.
As the door closed, Y/N caught Daemon watching Daisy as she walked away and smiled despite her own melancholy. They would make a handsome match—and as Daisy was the fifth daughter of a Landed Knight, it wouldn’t be a preposterous one either. Perhaps she could speak to Daisy when she returned. But, for now, she rolled her shoulder and felt the pinch that came with disuse and the presence of new scarring. The blades she once sewed into her dresses and hid throughout her chambers had been hidden away at the bottom of her chest and covered with chemises and underclothes to keep any prying eyes from discovering them. She pulled two from the depths and carried through the familiar steps Ser Maegyr had taught her. One position into two and then the third and then back again, swinging and stabbing the blades through the air. “Aim for the eyes, the throat, and the upper thigh, My Lady. All men bleed.” 
Her shoulder continued to pinch and quickly ached as she persisted in her steps.
“Move fast and sure. Indecision will cost you your life.” 
She turned and did the steps across the floor, moving with each new pass. Thoughts trickled by as she tried to think of only Ser Maegyr and his training—but the thoughts came just the same. Of Tywin and his proposal. Of Ser Gregor and his threats. Of all the ways her family had been betrayed. Of Oberyn and Ellaria and their soft lips and beautiful words. She arced the blade in her left hand down and buried it into the soft wood of her vanity. The wood cracked and splintered as she yanked it out.
She hadn’t meant to do that.
A knock at her door had her stashing the blades beneath a pillow and throwing on a dark blue dressing gown over her chemise before she opened it just a crack to see who was there—it was just Daemon. His light eyes searched her face as it was revealed, worry coloring his features. “My Lady? Are you well?”
He must have heard the noise and thought something was amiss. “I am, Ser. I am sorry to have troubled you.”
His dimpled smile appeared and he ducked his head. “You are never any trouble, my lady.”
Before she closed the door, she briefly thought of asking Daemon of Oberyn and Ellaria’s whereabouts. Daemon had been knighted by Oberyn himself—and of course, there had been whispers that Oberyn then took the young knight to bed. And where Oberyn went, Ellaria always was. Could she ask him? But her proper manners reared their head and quieted her tongue. “You are far too kind, Ser. Daisy should be back soon with lemon cakes. Please, take some for you and your brother in arms.”
His smile widened. “Thank you, my lady. They’re my favorite. But are you sure Daisy will not mind?”
“If you ask nicely and say I gave you permission, I suppose she’d be agreeable. Your dimples can work wonders, I’m sure.”
A pretty pink filled his cheeks and she laughed for the first time in almost two weeks. She smiled at him and they said their goodbyes before she shut the door again and she picked up her blades and started to resume her steps. But then there was another knock at her door and she once again hid her blades away under her pillow. She smiled, thinking it was Daemon again or Daisy with the lemon cakes, but her face fell when Bernadette, Cersei’s handmaiden, stood in her doorway.
“My lady, the queen has requested your presence in her chambers.” Her dark eyes slid down Y/N’s hastily tied gown and chemise. “Shall I help you dress?”
“No. I can do it myself.” She closed the door and scowled before pulling open one of her chests and retrieving a simple, pale blue gown that tied at the sides instead of the back. She dressed before pushing her feet into soft-soled slippers. Y/N opened the door to see Bernadette eyeing Daemon and his counterpart with unmasked contempt and she stepped in front of them. “If you’re done eyeing my guards, you may escort me to Her Grace.”
Bernadette flushed and dipped her head. “Yes, my lady.”
The walk was tense and quiet and Bernadette’s heeled shoes slapped against the stone floor and the sound echoed through the halls, grating on Y/N’s last nerve. It was a strange relief to see Cersei’s apartment door.
Bernadette knocked and glanced at Y/N before opening it, “Lady Tully, Your Grace.”
Y/N cast one last look at Bernadette before stepping inside and making sure the maid stayed out in the hall.
“Sit,” Cersei said, pointing at the chair on the other side of her desk without looking up from the parchment and ink she was focused on.
Y/N did as she was told and watched Cersei write, scratching away at the parchment with a subdued flourish. It was a silly little power play. One she knew well. But she still knew how to play the dutiful loyalist and could sit still for hours while Cersei pretended to not see her.
After a few moments, Cersei set down her quill and looked Y/N over. “You are healing well.”
“Yes, Your Grace. The maester relieved me of my stitches this morning.”
Cersei hummed and sat back in her chair. “There has been such whispers about you, Lady Tully. You just cannot seem to stay out of harm’s way.” Cersei’s cold green eyes stared at her shoulder, knowing where she had been injured. “It seems being aligned with my family has given you scars.”
“Nothing that can’t be covered up, Your Grace. Scars fade with time.” 
“Indeed they do. But, you have been remiss in keeping your maids beside you. Wandering the halls like a servant, unaccompanied.”
“I only have Daisy, Your Grace. I found it more timely to have her run to the markets or the kitchens for me than to follow me around the Keep. I did the same at Riverrun. I have never cared to have a shadow.”
“But you care for the Dornish guards outside your door?” Cersei asked, head tilting just so.
Y/N offered an easy, sad smile. “Prince Oberyn insisted, Your Grace, after the…wedding.” She pressed as much false sadness into her tone and dipped her head. “I have tried to tell him it was not necessary—that the Keep is safe. But who am I to argue with a prince? And the one that helped save my life, at that. I’m sure they will depart soon. I am terribly sorry if they have caused a fuss for the Kingsguard.” 
“I would have them replaced. Two of the finest knights from the Westerlands outside your door.”
Another scheme, it seemed. Another move across the board. “That is a very kind offer. But I am afraid I must refuse. The finest knights should be guarding King Tommen, should they not? But I shall send the Dornish knights away today. It is not a matter to me.”
“His Grace has the King’s Guard.”
“Of course, but surely his protection is paramount to mine. Dontos-”
“Is dead, Lady Tully. Have you not seen his head on the spike at the gate?”
Y/N shook her head. “I’m afraid my injury has left me inside the Keep’s walls aside from the coronation and funeral. I’ve not had the opportunity to venture out otherwise.”
Cersei took a sip of her wine and arched a blonde eyebrow. “I offer you a great service, Lady Tully. And you refuse it. Father told me you tried to refuse sitting at our side at the wedding. Have we done something to insult you so?”
Cersei’s hidden meanings and loaded questions had not dulled with the death of Joffrey. If anything, Y/N saw that the queen had started to lean more heavily into thinly veiled insults or threats. A tired game, to be sure. “Of course not, Your Grace. Your family has been far kinder to me than I feel I deserve.”
“And you feel you are not right to marry my father?” Cersei asked point blank.
“I am not sure if I would be a worthy Lady of the Rock,” she said simply. “I am the only daughter born to a second son and a foreigner. One is dead. The other is a traitor. I am not quite the match a man of your father’s station should require.”
“And yet, he’s inclined to choose you still. Despite your…shortcomings.” Cersei almost smiled and took another drink of wine. “You’re a pretty little thing, aren’t you?”
Y/N stayed silent, watching Cersei watch her over the rim of her chalice.
Cersei set down her chalice and steepled her fingers atop her desk. “I’m going to give you advice. The same advice I gave that bitch Sansa before she disappeared.” She leaned forward in her chair. “The more people you love, the weaker you are. You'll do things for them that you know you shouldn't do. You'll act the fool to make them happy, to keep them safe. Love no one but your children. Do you understand what I’m telling you?” 
“I do, Your Grace.” And she did. The advice was cruel but kind in equal measure, a way to survive the perils of marriage to man you could not love in any capacity. It was easy to see that bit of advice had seen Cersei through her marriage to Robert Baratheon. It was another crack in her armor.
Cersei nodded and sat back and took another gulp of wine. “It’s just as well, you know. Father loved Mother with a fierceness that can never be replicated.” The Queen Regent fixed her green gaze on the younger woman. “He will never love you. All the stories you’ve read in the dark of your rooms as a girl, of dashing knights and love, they do not exist.”
Y/N straightened her shoulders. “I never cared for fairytales or love stories, Your Grace.”
Cersei smirked. “And of what did you care to read?”
“War.”
Cersei pushed out a short laugh through her teeth. “Perhaps you are more suitable than you think, Little Lamb.”
A knock at the door broke the tightly wound atmosphere of the room and Bernadette stepped in. “Lady Olenna, Your Grace.”
Olenna then barged into the room and her dark eyes swept from Cersei to Y/N. “Ah, I was told you were here. I need to speak with you.”
Y/N turned to Cersei who had pursed her lips. Of course, seeming to look to the queen regent for guidance was just another way to masquerade as someone who cared about what she said. Cersei paused and then nodded.
“Come, Little Fish. I don’t have the virtue of time.”
Y/N sighed and rose and followed the Queen of Thorns back out into the hall after quickly curtseying. Bernadette started to follow when Olenna turned and eyed her up and down. “You can stay here.” Olenna looped her arm through Y/N’s. “We are perfectly capable of walking on our own. Thank you.”
The handmaiden essentially shriveled up into herself at that and curtseyed before retaking her place outside Cersei’s doors, red in the face. But all Y/N could see was the hulking mass of The Mountain now standing guard in the shadows. His dark eyes raked down her form as they had hundreds of times before and he actually licked his lips like a hungry dog. Thankfully, Olenna didn’t seem to notice or did not care and continued to pull Y/N along. Two Tyrell handmaidens followed several paces back.
“It is as if they don’t trust me,” Olenna said loudly.
Y/N wordlessly thanked her companion with a gentle squeeze to her arm and let the older woman lead her out of the Keep and into the godswood without much passing between them aside from trivial conversation about the preparations for the second royal wedding. As they were firmly planted within the shade and greenery of the godswood, Olenna pulled them both to a stop. The two handmaidens had stayed at the gate, surreptitiously turning their backs to give the two high-borns privacy and to keep others away.
“You are quite the challenge, aren’t you, Little Fish?” Olenna chuckled and they settled on the stone bench Y/N and Sansa used to favor. “Everyone thinks they want your loyalty. Everyone thinks they have it.” Olenna patted her hand. “You would have made a fine Lady of the Reach.”
“No longer wanting to marry me to Lord Willas? I’m almost insulted, Lady Olenna.”
Olenna chuckled. “The Lions have their games, we have ours. But, no, Little Fish. It seems as if you are not meant to be a Tyrell.”
“A shame. I have heard Highgarden smells much more pleasant than King’s Landing.” She bit back a sigh. “Why have you requested my presence? We no longer have anything to offer one another.”
A titter escaped Olenna’s lips. “Abandoning hope already? I must have mistaken you for a fighter.”
Y/N turned and tried not to glare. “Tywin Lannister has essentially proposed marriage. There is no fighting him. No other man in this damned city would dare stand against him.” But the anger she’d felt bubbling slipped out of her like a wave and left her sagging in her stone seat. “I’m going to be his broodmare and provide him with another heir and then I can only hope that my second son will become Lord Tully. My home in the clutches of lions. I’m almost tempted to leave it to the Freys. They’ll never hold it.” Y/N closed her eyes and sat straight to angle her face toward the sun, trying to feel its warmth instead of the turmoil in her stomach. “It’ll be besieged and seized over and over again until they abandon it. It will become a mess of rock and rubble in a handful of years.”
“Are you a witch, too? Such terrible visions you have, Little Fish.” The tone of her voice was as close to sympathetic as Y/N had ever heard it but she did not pull away from the sun. “But I, too, would rather see Highgarden in ruins than in the hands of the lions.”
Y/N nearly startled as Olenna gently touched her cheek. Her eyes opened to see Olenna smiling softly at her, a look she had thought reserved for Margaery. “You offer something very precious. In time, you will see.” She tapped Y/N’s cheek and then stood. “It seems you will make allies of us all.” Olenna paused and fished something from the pocket of her dress and handed it to Y/N. “For your scarring.”
It was a small, green jar about the size of her palm. Y/N twisted the top of the jar off and the scent of mint and roses hit her nose, filtering from the white paste carefully spooned into the jar’s depths. That was the closest thing she would get to an apology for being maimed.
“Let us get you back to your rooms. You need your rest.”
Y/N stood and let Olenna once again wrap an arm around hers and they walked back into the cold shadows of the Keep. As they neared her chamber door, Y/N noticed that only one guard was standing sentry—and her door was ajar. The guard’s eyes widened just a fraction as she neared with Olenna at her side. Y/N arched an eyebrow as she stepped from Olenna’s hold and pushed the door open completely, letting the hinges squeal.
Daemon and Daisy were half dressed on the silk rug beside her bed, obviously in a heated embrace. Crumbs of lemon cakes and droplets of juice littered the rug as they continued to kiss and tug and haphazardly try to get each other’s clothes off.
“I’ll leave you to it.” Olenna said, fighting a smirk as she peered into the room. Her handmaidens were on their tip toes behind her, trying to steal a look, too. She waved them back and patted the remaining, fully dressed, guard on the shoulder before the door closed.
Even then Daemon and Daisy did not separate.
Y/N tilted her head to the side as she watched them, half amused that they hadn’t noticed her, half heated at the sounds they pulled from each other. Little gasps, muffled moans, as hands slid across skin and slipped under armor and cloth. It took Y/N a moment to gather herself before clearing her throat.
That was what finally did it.
Daisy’s eyes opened and she gasped and shoved Daemon off of her and he flopped onto the stone with a slap. She shot to her feet and curtseyed, “My lady.”
Daemon was slower to rise, a smirk already pulling at his lips as he bowed, uncaring of his bare chest or half-tied breeches. “Lady Tully.”
Y/N reached out and righted the strap of Daisy’s chemise. “Did you at least save me some lemon cakes?”
Daisy’s shoulders dropped. “No, my lady.”
Y/N turned to Daemon before bending and grabbing his tunic from the rug and handing it to him. “When I said to ask her if she’d share lemon cakes, this isn’t quite what I had in mind, Ser Daemon.”
He pulled the tunic on and then reached for his outer robe which had been rolled into a ball near her vanity, as if it had been shucked off in haste and then forgotten. “She is a master negotiator, my lady.”
Daisy looked like she was trying to scowl but a giggle slipped out instead. “I am so sorry.”
“You both are very lucky no one else noticed your indiscretions. Will you be a bit more cautious in the future?”
“Will there be a future?” Daemon asked softly as he looked to Daisy, eyes open and hopeful as his small smile pushed his dimples to full display.
Y/N felt the urge to look away and she was thankful she did as she heard Daisy whisper, “perhaps, Ser.”
Both of them redressed as Y/N settled on the soft blankets of her bed, a little selfishly happy that they hadn’t used her bed. The pair avoided eye contact with each other (and Y/N) before Daemon slipped out. It was quiet for a beat and then two.
“Did you enjoy yourself?”
“My lady, I am so sorry-”
“You deserve to be happy, Daisy. I’ve told you that. If Ser Daemon makes you happy, I am pleased.” She reached out and touched Daisy’s hand with a smile and fought the urge to tease. “But please, take care to be a bit more discreet next time.”
Daisy’s blush continued and she nodded. “Of course, my lady.”
                                                       **
The ceremony came and went and Y/N felt her cheeks hurting with how long she had to press a fake smile to her lips. Kevan Lannister and his wife were once again at her side during the ceremony and Lady Dorna had taken it upon herself to link arms with Y/N as the group walked from the Sept of Baelor toward the Keep for the festivities. Dorna prattled on about her life in Lannisport and Y/N managed to interject a time or two to make it seem like she was listening but she begged off as they reached the grounds.
“I must admit I’ve worn the wrong shoes, my lady. If I am to dance, I must change them.”
“Oh, you must!” Dorna agreed. “But do not be absent too long. Your presence shall be missed.”
Y/N smiled again, teeth near rotting, and hurried away. But she did not stop at her chambers. Did not stop at the Holdfast. She raced as fast as she could to the top of the west turret and only drew in a full breath as she touched the rusted railing and the door slapped shut behind her.
Sleep had evaded her the night before. Every time she shut her eyes, she saw Tywin’s face, Gregor’s face, Cersei’s face. All of them snarling and slobbering and growing pointed teeth to devour her whole. The fleeting happiness she had found in teasing Daisy or Daemon for their newfound fondness for each other was short lived when she realized that she would never be held like that, kissed like that. The Prince of Dorne and his Paramour had not looked at her as they walked by when the ceremony was over. Ellaria’s arm had been tucked into Oberyn’s and they spoke softly to one another as Y/N craned her neck to try to get them to notice her. They didn’t.
And as much as she had said that she had not cared for stories of romance or fairytales, she did. She had wanted what her mother and father had: an all-consuming, passionate type of love that stretched into the grave.
It had been a childish dream to think she had tasted it on the tongues of the Dornish couple. She realized that now. All she had been was a game to pass the time. Surely that was all she had been. A childish game.
And it had been childish to run up here, thinking the air and wind could ease the pain in her chest or the slow constriction she felt about her throat. All it did was give her a view of the city she hated and a small reprieve from the stench.
“Lady Tully.”
She turned at the sound of the voice and was surprised to see Jaime Lannister standing near the door leading down into the Keep. The wind caught his white Kingsguard cloak and it fluttered in the wind, giving him the appearance of some roguish prince. His golden hand glinted in the sunlight. “Ser Jaime.” She dipped her head. “I thought His Grace would have you at his side.”
“It is for His Grace that I am here. King Tommen has asked where you were.”
Sweet Tommen. And the small smile the knight gave her reminded her of the smiles the prince, now king, had happily shared at Joffrey’s wedding. “I just needed a moment, Ser. Just a moment.” There was no chance she was going to start confiding in the Kingslayer—even if there had been rumors he’d been much changed since his captivity and the loss of his hand. He was still a Lannister. 
And it was because of his refusal to leave the Kingsguard that she had even come into this position.
A future at Casterly Rock. Unloved and used for the prize between her legs.
“You are standing close to the edge, my lady.” There was actual concern in his voice. How preposterous!
“I would not give anyone the satisfaction of throwing myself off a turret. And I would not spoil another royal wedding. Air, Ser, is all I needed. Away from…this.”
“Then I shall stand here until you are ready.”
And it was said with such soft conviction and that damned concern that it snapped in her chest. Maybe she should throw herself from this turret and be done with her warring emotions and the frivolity of wanting to be loved or thinking she could make a smidge of difference in this wretched world. To end it before it began. It would be a hollow victory, to be sure. She’d rob Tywin of another wife for a moment but he would find another. The Freys would hold Riverrun for a time but it would be destroyed and returned to the mud from whence it came as the riverlands devolved into infighting. The Crown would have to deal with that, again. But she would not see it happen. And Sansa would still be alone in Dorne, without an outside ally.
She was crying in earnest before she could stop it and the metal groaned under her tightening grip. Y/N heaved under the weight of it all. How stupid she had been. How optimistic. The only good thing she had done was save Sansa.
And, as she looked up into the clear, blue sky, she knew that had to be enough.  
Y/N sucked in a breath and calmed her tears, wiping the salt away from her skin with the dark blue cloth of her bell sleeves. The wind dried the rest. She took a calming breath, then another, before turning and looking at Jaime. “Shall you be my escort to the festivities, Ser?”
He looked like he wanted to say something, mouth open and expectant, but he closed it and nodded. “Yes, my lady.” He held out his arm for her and she took it and let him lead her back into the fray.
“I would…I would prefer if no one else knew of what transpired on the turret, Ser.”
“No one will.”
She nodded, almost believing him, as they entered the grounds. Once again, it was awash with Lannister red and gold and filled with food and people and entertainers. The famed knight led her through the throngs of people and toward the head tables reserved for the Tyrells and Lannisters and her stomach sunk at the sight of the empty chair at Tywin’s side. The smirk on the old lion’s face when he saw her only confirmed it: she would be sitting beside him.
“My son, you are kind to deliver Lady Tully to us.”
“I needed to change shoes if I was to dance, My Lord.” She smiled. “I apologize for my absence.”
“Think nothing of it, my lady.” Tywin stood from his seat. “If you would join me.” He held out a hand toward her as he reached her side.
And she left Jaime’s hold and slid into Tywin’s without blinking. There would be no fight. “Thank you, Ser Jaime. For escorting me.”
Jaime dipped his head and glanced at his father before standing beside the other members of the Kingsguard, hand over his sword’s hilt.
Tywin wordlessly led her out into the couples already dancing and pulled her close as he began the steps. The familiar scent of leather and clove swept under her nose and it took a concentrated effort not to wrinkle her face in an attempt to get away from the smell.
“Cersei has said you refuse to send your Dornish guards away.” The tone was reminiscent of Hoster scolding her as a girl when she would not eat the fish on her plate for supper.
“I only thought it polite.” Thankfully, the steps of the dance were easy and the turns kept giving her opportunity to slip from his grip, if even more a moment.
“Yes, you seem very polite with Prince Oberyn.”
“He saved my life, my lord. I would not repay his kindness with enmity.”
Tywin pushed out a long breath through his nose as he stepped back to let her turn under his arm. “You are overly concerned with politeness.” 
“It is a woman’s duty to make sure guests are respected and cared for. Prince Oberyn has a seat on the Small Council and is a renowned warrior, I would not deem myself above him in any circumstance. If he feels the need to put guards at my door, it would be rude to refuse him, would it not?”
Tywin’s thin lips pulled into a smile and she had never been so terrified. “A fine lady you are, Lady Tully.” The dance ended and they clapped but Tywin did not move from her side. “But Prince Oberyn has said he will no longer fill Dorne’s seat at the Small Council. He leaves in three days’ time to return to Sunspear. He has promised another will be elected to fill the seat.”
Tywin did not care if House Martell filled the Dornish seat on the Small Council. She knew it. He thought he had won the game against Oberyn and his quest for vengeance against the Lannisters and the Mountain. Perhaps she did not know Oberyn as well as she thought. But how well did she, could she, have known him? What were a handful of conversations and stolen kisses?
Nothing. They were nothing. And something cold and broken settled in her bones then. They were leaving. Even if they had not spoken to her in weeks, she still felt the news like a slap to the face. And perhaps that is what it was. She was tossed aside in the end, a sad little thing to be scooped up into the paw of a lion.
After another dance, Tywin excused himself to speak with Mace Tyrell and Y/N curtseyed as he left her side, thankful to see Margaery waving her over. It was an easier distraction, the fake smile was almost real. Tommen was smiling beside his new queen and their hands were clasped together, nearly hidden under the table cloth.
“It is good to see you well, my lady,” Margaery said.
“I am happy to be able to fully enjoy the festivities, Your Grace.” She turned to Tommen. “And you look happy in married life.”
Tommen’s cheeks pinked and he looked at Margaery who smiled sweetly at him. “I am. The Seven have blessed me with a fine wife.” His blush only grew as Margaery pulled their clasped hands up and pressed a kiss to his hand.
“You must ask your fine wife to dance then, Your Grace. Keep her happy.” Y/N winked as Tommen paused and then scrambled to his feet and held out his hand for Margaery to take. She did with a wide smile and the crowd parted for them as they made their way closer to the bard and minstrels. Y/N watched them dance, Margaery smiling as she coached Tommen through the steps. They were a pretty picture.
Tyrion stepped to her side and handed her a full chalice of wine. Y/N took it with a soft ‘thank you, my lord,’ and quickly drained its entirety. “You are not well, Lady Tully?” He took the chalice from her and signaled for it to be filled again as he led her closer to his table at the far end of the raise dais and away from some of the crowd.
“I’m waiting to be shot again, my lord. The last wedding I attended was much bloodier.”
Tyrion’s brow furrowed. “You are safe here,” he murmured.
“Is anyone truly safe anywhere?” She took the refilled chalice and took her time sipping on the burgundy liquid as she turned to look out over the crowds, half-hoping to see the Dornish prince and his paramour. She took a hearty gulp when she didn’t see them, in relief or sadness, she did not know. “But my feelings should not spoil your fun, Lord Tyrion. I thank you for the wine.”
Just as his brother did before, Tyrion looked as if he had more to say. But he didn’t and dipped his head. “I am at your service, Lady Tully.”
The rest of the festivities slipped by. Tyrion danced with her twice and then Kevan Lannister asked for a turn, too. Margaery pulled her from her seat when the minstrels played a tune and called for a dance for only the women to enjoy. She ate roasted boar and honey-coated carrots and drank wine and smiled when she needed but kept quiet in her seat for most of it. Tywin did not offer any conversation and she glad for it. Simply sitting beside him was exhausting. It was as if she was constantly waiting for him to do something, say something. But, as the sun started to set and painted the grounds a soft pink, a knight from the Westerlands approached their table and whispered something into the Hand’s ear.
Tywin’s lips pulled into a thin line and he stood. “Excuse me.”
Y/N watched him go and briefly wondered what had caused him to leave so abruptly. But soon calls for the bedding filled the air and Margaery and Tommen were carried away by a riotous crowd and the festivities were quickly devolving into more lecherous frivolity as they usually did at weddings—the dances were closer, the music faster and heady. Wine was gulped and kisses stolen as the shadows grew darker. Y/N let herself enjoy being a voyeur for a moment and waited until the sky was a beautiful, deep purple before she excused herself. Daisy was waiting for her near the gates to the grounds and they quietly walked back into the Keep, both tired for different reasons. They spoke softly of their time at the festivities, vastly different experiences glaringly apparent. Y/N thought Daisy must have managed to sneak away with Daemon by the blush still touching her cheeks.
They rounded the corner toward her chambers and froze as they watched servants carrying her belongings out of her room. “What are you doing?” She reached out and pulled a dress from a bundle in a girl’s arms. “Where are you taking my things?”
“Lord Tywin has said your rooms are to be moved to the Tower of the Hand.”
“No!” Y/N barked out, pulling more and more of her belongings out of the strangers’ arms and Daisy quickly followed suit. “I have not accepted this move. You cannot just take-”
“Of course they can. I ordered them to do so.”
Y/N spun to face Tywin, clutching her chemises and dresses to her chest like armor. “You overstep, My Lord. I have not accepted your proposal. It would be indecent of you to put me in such a position.”
“Accept my proposal and it would not be indecent.”
“I must have time to think.” She hated how weak she sounded, how desperate. “I have to speak with the Grand Septon, for guidance and prayer before I can make such a decision.” She didn’t and she never would but she hoped playing to his sense of chivalry, no matter how skewed it had become, may work in her favor. She felt her arms starting to shake with how tightly she was holding her mess of fabric to her chest. It felt like there was a hand over her throat, squeezing the air from her lungs as she stared at him.
Tywin stared at her, eyes hard. Then, he held up a hand and the flurry of movement ceased. “Bring Lady Tully’s belongings back to her original room.” There was a murmur of acknowledgment and she watched as they filed back into her room, like a group of soldiers from the corner of her eye. But she did not take her gaze away from Tywin as he stepped closer. “This will be the only time you defy me.” He then stepped away and disappeared into the shadows.
It wasn’t until Y/N was alone in her room with a chair against the locked door, did she collapse, struggling to pull in air as she wept into her blankets. Daisy had quietly left after helping her to refold her dresses and chemises and placing them back in her chests. Y/N curled into a ball on her featherbed and tried to remember something Oberyn and Tywin and Cersei couldn’t touch. Everything was slipping from her grasp.
“Let me be your champion!” Jon’s voice echoed, followed by Robb, “I am your Dragonknight!”
But where were her Dragonknights now? Dead or wearing a cloak of black. She had no knights. Not anymore.
“You must be your own knight,” she whispered into her pillow. But she knew she wasn’t a knight. She was a fish out of water. Surrounded by lions.
A/N: The next chapter will probably be up some time this weekend. Please let me know what you think! 
Beautiful people who asked to be tagged: @roxypeanut​ @lostinwonderland314​ @fandomreblogsnoshame
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marawritingstuff · 3 years ago
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ASHES
Gwen twisted her finger in her short black hair.  Normally, she loved the 500-mile drive from St. Louis to Detroit, the fields filled with horses and cows. Except on holidays, few cars cluttered the highway until she got close to the city.  She cherished her visits to her Aunt Ann with her oversized sweaters and non-stop cups of tea.    Aunt Ann wasn’t her destination today.
           Four hours on the road signaled the half-way point.   She pulled her rusty Camry into a rest stop.   Time to get, yuk, vending machine burning coffee to keep her awake for the rest of the ride.    Gwen even missed her boring job of entering columns of useless data, anything but visiting someone she was supposed to call “father.”   She downed the rest of her coffee and made her way back to the car.
           It had been more than twenty years since she had seen her father, and that was merely a glance across the room at her cousin’s graduation.    The situation was a dire one now.   The diagnosis of Stage IV lung cancer left only one outcome.   He squandered his life on two or maybe three packs of cigarettes a day.    Was it the guilt from what he did?   No, Gwen thought to herself, the man she knew felt no guilt.
           Dang.  She almost missed her exit.   Bringing her thoughts back to the present, she turned off the interstate and made her way to the medical center.   Due to all the problems with Aunt Ann, she was very familiar with Henry Ford Hospital, so it didn’t take her long to find the information desk and the bored volunteer behind it.
           “What room is James Harper in, please,” Gwen inquired.
           “OH! Are you family?”
           “Yes, I’m his daughter,” Gwen said, sighing to herself.
“He is in intensive care, room 201,” the flustered volunteer proclaimed.  “You will
need to stop at the desk at the ICU to gain access.  Do you need directions, I can . . .”?
           “No, I know my way,” Gwen said, already making her way down the hallway.
As instructed, Gwen checked in at the ICU and strolled to her father’s room.  She felt like covering her nose from the antiseptic smell of the hospital but thought twice.
           As she entered the room, she saw a thin figure laying on the bed hooked up to five or six machines. She supposed the purpose was to keep him alive.  She stifled a laugh when she caught sight of the thin frame in the bed, never remembering him under 300 lbs.  Though it disgusted her, Gwen sat in the chair next to her father.
           Within minutes, a nurse came bounding in.
           “Ms. Harper?”
           “Yes.”
           “A doctor will be in to speak with you in a few minutes,” she said, her body shaking at every word.   If the staff only knew how she really felt.
           “Thank you.”
           She continued to look at her father.   She wondered if he could hear her.  The relevancy was immaterial.   There were no more chances for confrontations.
           “O.k., asshole, the time has come. Forty-years later for you to pay.  No last rites for you. I may have only been five, but I know everything that happened that day.”
Gwen was transported back to her five-year-old self. On that snow bound day when
everything changed.  Six feet of oppressive snow trapped Gwen’s family in their tiny three
bedroom home.  The portrait of her family was the usual one; nine-year-old brother Luke watching tv, Dad eating a sandwich on the couch, mom outside working, and Gwen in the corner trying not to make noise.  Hours passed when Mom came in, tears streaming down her face.
           “What’s wrong with you,” Gwen’s father bellowed, his face scrunched up.
           “I can’t shovel anymore.  My back and my hands hurt so much.”
           “The driveway isn’t uncovered yet.”
           Gwen’s mom started to ball.   Gwen didn’t think she would ever stop.
           “Fine.   Give me that stupid shovel and I’ll do it myself.”
           Gwen’s father stomped out of the house.   Luke and Gwen ran to the window waiting for the emanate eruption.      As her father started shoveling, Gwen noticed a strange black figure coming down from the sky.  
           “Luke do you see,” pointing to the figure.
           “Stop making up stuff again, stupid head.”
           This was not the first time Gwen had seen things that others had not. Before she had time to consider the figure further, her mother let out an ear-piercing screech.  Their gaze turned to their father, now laying on the hard ice.  None of them wasted time getting to his side.
           The deep groaning.  Their mother’s scream. Her brother’s crying. These would be imprinted on Gwen’s memory forever.  But above all was the black figure descending upon them.   As it came closer Gwen recognized the shaped as a coal black angel, with wings spanning twice the size of the already seven-foot body.
           “I need to speak to your father, little one, “it said to Gwen, in a voice that shook the child.
           “I’m too scared.”
           “Shut up Gwen, we are all scared,” her mother screeched.
           “I’m talking to the black angel.  He wants to talk to Dad.”
           “Not your stupidness, now,” her mother said, tears running like a river.
           Gwen’s father’s eyes grew large.  It was then that Gwen knew he could see the angel, too.  
           “YOU’RE DEATH AREN’T YOU,” he cried.
           The black angel looked at Gwen and repeated:
           “He can’t hear me.  You have to talk for me.”
           “WHAT, I CAN’T HEAR YOU,” Gwen’s father squealed again.
           “I can hear him, Dad,” Gwen said, shaking, waiting for her father’s response.
           “Well, tell me fool.”
           “You are going to die now.”
           Gwen repeated the angel’s words and her father burst out in tears.
           “But you can sacrifice two for one.”
           Gwen tried her best to repeat again, though she didn’t understand the word “sacrifice.”     “I don’t understand,” her father said through the tears.
           “Choose two to take your place.”
           Gwen barely finished when her father began to shout out.
           “Take the girl and my wife.”
           Her mother, who had thought her husband was hallucinating, jumped in.
           “Take me where,” she began to ask.
           However, before she finished her thought, the angel swiped her mother into his large black wings and held her tight on one side.
           The angel reached for Gwen.
           “I never wanted that stupid child anyway,” her father said.
           “Do you truly want to make a sacrifice,” the angel said, and Gwen repeated.
           “YES.  YES,” My father shouted.
           The angel turned away from Gwen and swiped up her brother in its other wing.
           “What are you doing, take the girl,” her father shouted.
           “Only something you care about can be a sacrifice.”
           Gwen repeated to her father.
           Before he could say anything more, the angel closed his wings, and what once was Gwen’s mother and brother turned into ashes.  The black angel skyrocketed into the air, back where it came from.
           My father got unto his knees.  Perfectly fine but sobbing uncontrollably.  
           “My boy, it took my boy, and left me the little bitch.”
           The story simply became that Luke and her mother were lost in the storm.   For some reason, the police never really questioned the ludicrous explanation.   It became apparent that her father had no interest in taking care of Gwen and she spent the rest of her juvenile years living with aunt Ann.
             Now she was here, watching him die.  
           “Help me,” he whimpered.
           “Help you what,” Gwen asked.
           Gwen turned her head to the end of the bed already knowing what she would find. The black angel.
           “Hello, old friend,” Gwen whispered.
           This time she only got a nod.
           “Sorry, old man, there is no help for you this time.”
           Gwen slunk back into the chair and waited.  And waited.  Deep into the night, an unidentified doctor came in and told her some sob story about them doing “everything possible.”  
           Then it happened.   He began gagging.  All the machines seemed to go quiet.   The nurses came in, giving their apologies.   Then asking what she wanted to do with her “father.”
           “Burn it,” Gwen declared, winking her eye at the soaring Black Angel.
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omg-imagine · 5 years ago
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⊱ Forget Me Not (2/15) ⊰
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Pairing: Keanu Reeves x Reader
Summary: After you wake up from a coma and realize that your memories from the last five years have been erased, Keanu works to bring back what you have lost.
Words: 2.7k
Warning: Angst
A/N: Thank you all for the lovely feedback, I truly appreciate it! This series might turn out to be 15 chapters long unless I decide to tweak it. But anyways, I hope you enjoy this next part!
Part 1
There was a stillness in the air once you opened your eyes, a stream of daylight blinding you as it slipped past between parted curtains. Your head throbbed excruciatingly, but your body felt numb. When the bright light subsided, you glanced around the room but saw it as a blurry haze. Slowly, your vision settled, only then realizing where you were.
You were in the hospital.
You blinked once, then twice, trying to recall what had happened, but nothing was coming to mind. Deciding that your memory would return eventually, you took a moment to survey your surroundings. You couldn’t do much else, not when you have an IV needle hooked into your arm and were also attached to a monitor.
Fresh floral arrangements decorated your space, bringing some much-needed vibrancy inside the dull and gloomy room. In one corner, you caught sight of a sleeper chair with a white blanket folded neatly on top of a pillow. You wondered to yourself who would choose to stay the night, sleeping on that small uncomfortable recliner.
Other than those, there was nothing else remotely interesting about the room. As you laid in bed, you matched your breathing to the lulling sounds of the machine beeping at your side. You stared up at the cold white ceiling, counting each gray speckle that you could find on the panels above. You had reached fifty before you were startled by the door opening, a nurse then stepping inside the room.
“You’re awake,” the woman commented, quickly walking over to your bedside. She was around the same age as your mother, perhaps slightly older. Her graying hair was tied neatly into a bun with a few loose strands framing her face. Her kind eyes glanced over yours, and you felt calmness washing over you. “My name is Sam. I’ve been checking up on you for quite some time now.”
You opened your mouth to speak, but your throat was so dry that your voice came out as a rasp. The nurse took notice and immediately filled up a cup of water from a nearby dispenser then brought it over to you.
“Thank you,” you said once you finished drinking.
“You’re welcome, dear,” she responded, taking the empty cup from your hand and setting it to the side. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired,” you answered her after thinking the question over. Aside from that and the pounding headache, you were also confused. You still didn’t know why you were in the hospital.
“It’s the pain medication. The drowsiness is one of its nasty side effects, but it does the job,” she spoke, giving you a gentle smile.
“It’s a good thing I can’t feel anything else right now because my head alone is killing me.”
With a nod, Sam then went on to check your vitals. Judging by her relaxed attitude, everything seemed to be just fine. She jotted down a couple of notes on her clipboard before her attention returned to you. “I’ll let your doctor know that you’re awake, but it’s really a miracle that you’re up right now.”
“Why do you say that?” You asked her curiously. “How long have I been out?”
“Three weeks, dear,” she informed you, much to your surprise. “You got into a pretty bad car crash. Don’t you remember?”
You shook your head slowly, a puzzled expression appearing on your face. “No, I don’t.”
Sam sighed, clicking her pen closed. Her smile suddenly fell, and it worried you. “I’ll fetch Dr. Henderson so that he could do a full evaluation on you.”
“Okay,” you told her as she fluffed the pillows behind your head and smoothed out your blanket. “Are my parents here?”
“Yes, they are,” she nodded her head. “Your father’s waiting right outside while your mother and your partner are downstairs at the canteen. Don’t worry, I’ll let them know that you’re awake. They could all probably use some good news right now.”
Sam’s smile returned, reassuring you one last time before she headed to the door. That’s when you realized what she had just said.
“Wait, excuse me,” you called out, and Sam stopped in her tracks. “I-I don’t have a partner. Not anymore, at least.”
She furrowed her brows as you stared at her quizzically. Maybe, she might have mistaken a family friend for one, but you weren’t sure. You had just broken up with your boyfriend a month ago, but for a good reason. He was an asshole who had made your life a living hell, and it wasn’t until recently did you find the courage to end the relationship. Because of that, you were fairly certain there was no way he would be here along with your parents.
“Sure, you do, honey. I mean, that’s who he introduced himself as,” Sam replied. “He never stops talking about you, and it’s very obvious that he loves you. Ever since you got here, he’s never left your side. You definitely got yourself a keeper.”
“But I don’t… that’s impossible,” you mumbled. Again your mind tried searching through your memories, but doing so only triggered a searing headache, making you groan out in pain.
“Darling, you need to relax,” Sam warned you. “You may be awake, but you’re still healing.”
Once the migraine passed, your eyes welled up in tears. It was frustrating to not know what was going on. It felt as though chaos was swirling inside of your head, and you couldn’t understand why it was happening.
“Shh, honey, it’s okay,” the nurse murmured softly, calming you down. “Do you want me to turn on the tv? Maybe you should watch something while I get the doctor in here. It can help ease your mind up a little.”
“Alright,” you muttered, and Sam plugged in the television, handing you the remote.
She excused herself shortly after as you surfed through the channels available, trying to find a show or a movie to distract yourself for the time being.
Coming across a live weather report, the broadcast had left you baffled. The reporter talked about the temperatures in Los Angeles this week, which was unusual since you were living on the other side of the country. Not to mention, the date shown on the graphic on the bottom of the screen was wrong.
July 11, 2020, it had read.
But wasn’t it the winter of 2015?
---
Keanu had gotten used to the stale taste of cafeteria food though he didn’t have that much of an appetite to begin with. He would usually order the day’s special, eat one or two bites of it before pushing it off to the side. He must have lost ten pounds already from skipping meals these past three weeks.
“Keanu, sweetheart,” your mother Nancy began, noticing that once again, he wasn’t eating. “Y/N needs you to be strong for her when she wakes up.”
Letting out a sigh, his eyes then flickered up to the woman sitting across from him, a slight frown on her lips. She was right, of course, but he just couldn’t help it. Every time he visited the hospital and saw your unconscious body, it was like a piece of him wilted away each day.
Truth be told, Keanu was much worse in the beginning than he was now. He had spent the first several nights sleeping in your room, or at least, he attempted to. It was difficult staying asleep when every night, he was forced to relive the night of your accident. Unfortunately, it would always end up the same way with you losing your life, and Keanu not being there at your side.
The media had caught wind of what had happened and made it much more stressful not only for Keanu but for your family as well. There would always be paparazzi waiting by the entrance of the hospital, ready to bombard him or your parents with invasive questions and take pictures of them. Security had done the best they could to keep them off the premises, and Keanu felt horrible for subjecting your parents to one of the downsides of fame.
But both your mother and father had been understanding, and they didn’t want Keanu to worry more than he needed to. If it weren’t for them, he would have never left the hospital for any reason. They had convinced him to go home each night, reassuring him the best they could that you would be there the next morning.
Keanu listened and did just that. He was able to get some sleep in as the nightmares started to die down. He would ride his motorcycle for hours on end to clear his mind, and it had been meditating. Slowly, he was getting much better dealing with the aftermath. Still, it was only the uncertainty of the situation that continued to perturb him.
“I know,” he whispered, rubbing his eyes. “It’s been hard, you know. For all us, I mean.”
Nancy nodded, setting down her fork on the tray and looking at Keanu sorrowfully. “I know my daughter, and she’s a fighter. I’m sure that she’ll get better, and it’s only a matter of time. But the last thing she would want is for you to get sick because of her. She wouldn’t like it if you stopped taking care of yourself, Keanu.”
“Yeah,” he agreed after pondering for a minute. “She wouldn’t like that.”
“Good,” Nancy smiled as she pushed her tray next to Keanu’s at the edge of the table. “The food here isn’t the best. Let’s go out and buy lunch somewhere else instead, hmm? My treat, and you can’t turn down free lunch.”
“No, ma’am. I can’t,” Keanu chuckled as he stacked the trays before getting out of his seat.
The two of them had reached the exit when your father Peter came running down the hall. His chest heaved heavily as if he had sprinted all the way from the fifth floor to the first.
“Peter, what on earth was that all about?” Nancy asked her husband as Keanu held him steady. “You know, there are elevators in this building.”
“It’s our baby girl. She’s awake,” Peter panted, his eyes filled with so much joy that Keanu could feel it radiating from him. “Y/N’s finally awake.”
---
“Are you sure, Keanu?” Peter questioned him as he stood in the middle of the doorway. “You’re practically family, I can tell the doctor that.”
“It’s okay, go,” Keanu waved him off with a smile before sitting down in one of the plastic chairs right outside of the room.
Dr. Henderson had just finished evaluating you but had asked to speak with your parents first. It seemed a bit of an unusual request, though he didn’t want to overthink it. He was okay with giving Nancy and Peter time with you first. They were your parents, after all.
As he sat there out in the hall, Keanu cracked a smile for the first time in weeks. The last three weeks had been hell for him, and he was ready to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Very soon, he would finally be able to see your open eyes and hear your sweet voice. Keanu was already coming up with what he was going to say once it’s his turn for him to see you, and he wanted the first words for you to hear from him was that he was sorry.
It took a while until Dr. Henderson stepped out of the room, leaving you with your parents. Keanu got up from his seat, a thank you ready to roll off his tongue until he noticed the solemn look on the doctor’s face.
Just before he could ask if something was wrong, Peter appeared from behind him, his hand coming to rest on Keanu’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.
“Son, we need to talk,” Peter spoke with a downcast gaze. “It’s about Y/N.”
Keanu eyed your father nervously as he gestured for the two of them to sit. “What is it? Is she okay?”
Peter released a deep breath before shaking his head. “She’s doing fine physically, but mentally, there’s something wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
“Retrograde amnesia,” Peter stated, glancing at the tile floors beneath his feet. “Dr. Henderson said that she needs to undergo tests to confirm it, but he thinks she’s likely suffering from it.”
“Amnesia?” Keanu’s voice faltered as the word fell from his lips. “What did she forget? The accident?”
“Yes,” he revealed, pausing for a brief second before continuing. “Y/N can’t recall the accident nor anything from the last five years. Not a single memory, Keanu.”
Five years? That meant… No, it couldn’t be.
“What’s the last thing she can remember?”
Peter looked at Keanu regretfully. “She remembers breaking up with her ex Eric and moving back with us. This was way back in—”
“February,” he finished, shutting his eyes as he felt his chest tightened. “That happened in February 2015.”
Keanu was at a loss for words. Here you were now, finally awake after spending weeks in a coma, only to have five years worth of your memories erased. He could only imagine how confused you must be not knowing what had happened. There had been a significant amount of changes in your life within that time frame—moving to LA, getting a new job, meeting Keanu.
The last part hurt him the most. You had forgotten him and all of the memories you had together. Right now, Keanu was nothing but a complete stranger to you, and thinking about it made his heart feel heavy. Of course, he wanted to be there to help, but at the same time, he didn’t want to overwhelm you. What if you didn’t want him around? What if you pushed him away?
Keanu glanced at Peter, the question slightly trembling out of his mouth. “Did the doctor say it was permanent?”
“He doesn’t know. There’s a chance that it could be temporary, and the memories would resurface later on. But, it could also end up being permanent.”
Leaning back against his seat, Keanu ran a hand over his face. The silence which followed gnawed at his insides as nausea churned in the pit of his empty stomach. “I’m a part of those memories she’s lost. She won’t remember the last five years we’ve spent together. Y/N won’t even recognize me if I walk in there.”
“Keanu?”
Nancy calling out his name caused him to glance up. She stood before him with red eyes, cheeks still stained with tears. “Do you want to see Y/N?”
The answer was obvious, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to voice it out loud. “I-I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Nonsense, dear. Perhaps all Y/N needs is to see you, and she’ll remember everything again,” Nancy suggested with fervent hope flashing across her face.
“Maybe,” Peter shrugged, sharing a glance between Keanu and his wife. “It’s up to you, son.”
Keanu didn’t want to be disappointed, but he needed to at least try. He was reminded of the promise he made on the night of the accident, that no matter what, he would never give up on you. Pushing aside his fears, he stood by the foot of your door and opened it before stepping over the threshold.
Instantly, his gaze met yours as you sat up from your bed. Seeing you awake made him feel so relieved, and he had to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall. All he wanted to do was cross the room and gather you into his arms, hoping his touch would bring back the memories you’ve forgotten. But Keanu decided against it, choosing to linger closely by the door instead.
“Y/N?” He spoke your name in a soft tone, waiting for any reaction to come.
A pause. From the hospital bed, you looked at Keanu with merely a blank stare, not even the slightest flicker of recognition showing in your unwavering eyes.
“I’m sorry, but... do I know you?” Your voice was barely above a whisper, but the room was silent enough for him to hear your words.
You should know him, but you don’t.
You don’t remember him at all.
Part 3
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