#jokes even if i did think he was guilty my daddy issues wouldn’t let me

[fuutaenjoyer]

observation made my other people but i just figured i’d weight in on it— the man at the wedding is the bartender from half, that’s been established now. what i’m saying is that this means that it’s likely that kazui and this guy new each other in some way, and we’re likely close (unless he knew his wife, but i feel like that’s unlikely). also, when kazui hits his “hey, so what if i said i liked- liked you? what would you do?” he is. at the bar. we don’t see anyone else in the shot, so it’s likely the bar is empty. so who on earth could he be talking to if not someone else at the bar? well, probably the one person who HAS to be at the bar, aka the bar keeper, aka this man we know he knows, and is likely very close to.

so yeah, i’m still a kazui gay truther case in point, and i haven’t looked at other peoples interpretations too much so i’m probably just echoing what other people have said, but i needed to put it into words

[hxseok-honee]

sundress || part 5

written portion under the cut!

sundress [part 5] || stalker behavior

previous || masterlist || next

a/n : [it’s crazy what you do for a friend] daddy issues x the neighbourhood

taglist [open] : @deepseavibez @thetrueghostqueen @reddeathraven @dingzerenistall @skyrro @unadulteratedlyunique @ramyagovindraj @itismochirice @wwhseokjin @drpepperobsessed @monamone @thekookiecorner @army-moa75 @burningupp-replies @lele-bb @pb-n-juju @red-kebab @heonsbebe @peachyyoongs @superloverpielamp @marifujioka @butterflylion @heyitsgigi @lochness-butmakeitsexy @miki-chi @cahowlkook @worshiphoseok @lilacdreams-00 @bongsbeforebibles @miriamxsworld @oasiswithmyg @peonyplace @annewrighthglc @calling-dips-on-j-hope @yoongiofmine @loveyoongles @instantspot @missmadwoman @x-xjaeminx-x @luvtaeha @vanillxangxl @renhold-nightspear @taeshuworld

___________________________

Friday, 17 September, 8:12pm

“What. Did. You. Do?!” Yoongi winces as Y/n slams her Herbology textbook into his shoulder yet again for a total of four smacks, one for emphasis on each of her words. Her phone sits on the table in front of them, open to the text thread with Jungkook, her last messages reading--

Because I’m dating Yoongi now, okay?? So leave me alone already.

He’d arrived not even 30 seconds ago, crossing the room to reach Y/n. Her back had been to him, so he’d seen the text thread between her and Jungkook, her ex's messages crystal clear as he read over her shoulder. Without a word to her, Yoongi had plucked her phone from her hand and started typing, Y/n unable to see what he’d been doing until he’d set her phone down on the table, the damage done with those few little lines. Now, he’s paying for his idiocy in the form of a very angry Gryffindor.

Across the table from them sits Jung Hoseok, sipping at his butterbeer with wide eyes, awkward and unsure if he should be here right now -- but Y/n isn’t even looking at him. She’s too busy staring at the side of Yoongi’s face, her own expression enraged as she points down at her phone.

“In what world was it okay to take my phone and say we’re dating?! How are we supposed to undo that?!” The Slytherin won’t look at her, only staring down at the table with a guilty smile on his face as he attempts a response.

“We… can’t?”

“We can’t!” He flinches at her explosion, entirely deserved. He turns slowly to face her, looking not unlike a scolded puppy.

“At least now… that he thinks you’re with someone… he’ll stop bothering you?” As if by some cruel joke, Y/n’s phone immediately starts ringing, Jungkook’s name flashing back at them. Yoongi can only groan, dropping his head into his hands as Y/n stands from the bar stool, a noise of frustration leaving her.

“Yoongi! This is somehow the one situation in which letting you do whatever you want has made things worse!” Yoongi slides off of his own seat, following her around the kitchen as she paces.

“Okay, I see how this might look bad, but I promise my heart was in the right place!” She stops short, turning to look at him with a deadpan expression.

“Yeah? And what exactly happened in your heart-to-brain-to-mouth filter that fucked everything up?” They take to glaring at each other now, knowing that they need to stop talking before things escalate -- after all, they’re both in the wrong here. Y/n for being too hard on Yoongi when he’d just wanted to help, and Yoongi for acting recklessly in the first place. But neither of them wants to admit it, both annoyed. The only thing that cuts the tension is Hoseok, who’s reached the end of his drink and is sipping loudly through his straw. He looks up when they turn to him, smiling sheepishly with an awkward giggle.

“Maybe I should… let you guys talk?” Yoongi sighs and looks down at his feet, hands on his hips, while Y/n shakes her head at Hoseok.

“It’s okay, we’re done fighting… I think...?” She looks to Yoongi then, who’s frowning slightly at her from where he stands. They don’t say a word for a moment, Yoongi finally dropping his hands and crossing the distance to her, his frown becoming a full-on pout when he grabs at her shoulders.

“Y/n… I’m sorry I acted stupid and sent that text without your permission. I didn't mean to make a mess of everything, but you’re right to be mad anyway.” Y/n sighs, matching Yoongi and lifting her hands to his shoulders. She’s sure that, from where Hoseok sits, they must look pretty stupid.

“Yoongi… I’m sorry I insulted your heart-to-brain-to-mouth filter. I know you were just trying to fix things… I shouldn’t have been mean to you.” They keep eye contact for just a second longer, both nodding simultaneously and dropping their arms when they’re satisfied with the mutual apologies.

“… That was the most impressive form of efficient communication I’ve ever seen!” Hoseok’s looking between them with wide eyes, a smile on his face as he spins slowly in his bar stool. Yoongi snorts, remembering just how long it had taken them to perfect their open communication method, and he mumbles a half-hearted response.

“Years of practice will do that for you.” Y/n nods in agreement before she’s turning to the table, her phone lighting up in yet another call from Jungkook. A groan leaves her, and she looks to Yoongi, who’s also staring at her phone, eyes guilty. He glances over when she turns to him, a sigh on his lips.

“Okay, look. He’s been bothering you for weeks, Y/n. After everything you’ve been through -- after all that time and work you put in to get over this fucking asshole, he won’t leave you alone! It was infuriating, so I… I don’t know, I felt like I had to do something…” Y/n’s gone back to the table while he’s been talking, and she’s watching him with resignation from where she sits. She knows exactly why he’d done it -- she had told him over the summer that he wouldn’t be allowed to start problems with Jungkook. All she wants is for their friend group to return to normal, and that would never be possible if Yoongi’s looking for reasons to start a fight with the Gryffindor.

They’d both assumed Jungkook would leave her alone and maybe even avoid her this year. They certainly hadn’t been expecting this relentless torture, constant texting and calling, and she knows Yoongi’s been getting irritated. She knows how protective he is, and he had seen what a mess she’d been this summer, so of course he’s angry. She’s angry.

So even though she hadn’t expected Yoongi to go this far, she should have known he would break eventually. But if he’s not allowed to openly prevent Jungkook from contacting her with threats or aggression, he’d do the next best thing -- he would get in Jeon Jungkook’s way. And what better way to put a wall between Jungkook and Y/n than becoming that wall? After all, Jungkook can’t have her if she’s already taken.

[gyll-yee-haw]

Hi babes 🥺 , So this my first time asking if u could, (If u want to) write a little Hc or whatever u want of Daddy Dom Jake trying to ask reader for cuddles or kisses because he needs some luvin but doesn’t know how to ask 🥺 I love your writing u are one of my favorites💞 and I hope ur having a good day :))

Hi, babesss! It's an honor to write something for you, you've been here for so long making my posts better with your reactions pics 😭❤

So... it got quite long. Like 2.5k words... but you deserve it. Hope you like it!

Warnings: some kind of friends with benefits/sugar daddy energy, daddy kink, commitment issues, mentions of toys, spitting, slaping, Jake being a sad boy :(

---

Let's say that you and Jake had a connection that was just too strong to ignore

But none of you were looking for something complicated at that moment of your lives

You could still have fun, though

Go on dates, laugh, dance, spend some money

And, of course.. if you wanted someone to fuck you hard, he was just the kind

So you started some kind of relationship that couldn't even be called friends with benefits, cause you weren't exactly friends

He would call you and tell you to be ready at 8pm and you better be

Then he would take you out

Some fancy restaurant or a night club

He would tell you what to wear cause he wanted to show you off

And you had him just that easy too

A pic in your new lingerie or nothing at all and he was already at your door step

I'm taking about fucking on club bathrooms

Touching in public

Motels

Cars

Or maybe at home, if you weren't in the mood to go out

But it wasn't some relaxing evening at home, like, watching a movie, ordering pizza and smiley make out sessions after a bottle of wine

It was all about him having you on a leash, literally

Down on all fours for him

Heavy degradation

"Beg for my cock, that's all I wanna hear from you, slut."

And he wasn't afraid to spent money on you. Every single night you went to his house there was something new for you. I'm obviously not talking about flowers or diamonds. I'm talking about lingerie for him to tear off. Toys. All kinds of toys… from vibrators to all sizes of plugs

He was so rough to you that he wouldn't even call you "babygirl", your name was slut. Babygirl is too sweet, he doesn't do that…

And if you dared calling him anything but "daddy", you were in trouble. Not even Jake. Only daddy. Didn't matter if you were in the bedroom or in front of other people. He would make you call him daddy in front of the waiter at a restaurant, for example

His life was definitely nothing but pleasure and power since you came along. Felt like a dream

But he was so miserable

He was miserable when he woke up alone

When he ate alone

When he listened to love songs on the radio

He was alone all the time. Even when he was surrounded by his family and friends

But he noticed it was different when you were around

When he saw your face, he felt some kind of warmth… not like warmth from the fire and the lust

Warmth as in... comfort. Like he forgot how much his life sucked when you weren't with him

And the minute you left, it was like you took all the light with you, all he could do was crawl into the darkness and wait until you came back

And while you didn't, he would think about you 24/7

Buy you new stuff and plan what he would do to you

Sometimes he wanted to call you and ask you to come over, but he wasn't horny at all and he would be absolutely incapable of getting hard, cause he was so fucking sad

Imagine how humiliating that would be, though? So he didn't call

He wouldn't admit he liked your presence. He acted like all he liked was your pussy and thats it

Something deep inside him was changing

He thought it was the sadness that was turning him soft

But it was obviously you

And you noticed there was something wrong on the day you were on his bed, had your ass up for him, and he flipped you over

It was weird. You had tried so many different positions, but he ALWAYS fucked you from behind

The closer to eye contact you got was when you sucked him off

Now there you were. Missionary position. Of course, his hand squeezing your throat at his movements were rough, but still… it was some new kind of intimacy. Your bodies were closer than ever and he kissed your lips 80% of the time

You thought about that night for so long. It was so good. So intense… and he couldn't get it off his mind either. The way he saw your eyes rolling back and you moaned loudly, because that was probably the best way to hit that special spot inside you... and he was facing you the whole time… he watched how desperate you were and how hard you were coming, clenching around him, legs shaking and he wanted to say something like "Shhh baby it's okay, I got you…"

Thank God he was able to hold himself back, huh?

Yeah, he kinda did. But that night changed everything

Maybe the next thing he bought you wasn't an anal plug, but a pretty dress

Like not an scandalous dress to show you off, but something he genuinely thought you would like, he wanted to see you smile

And he took you to the movies when you wore it for the first time

He kept his hands to himself during all movie, while you eagerly waited for something risky to happen in the dark

And then you walked out of the cinema

His hand holding yours

Walking around the city talking about the movie plot and not about your tits

You knew absolutely everything about each other's body, but definitely nothing about each other's soul

And that nice evening changed that. He told you a few things about himself, but nothing too personal. He was still extremely close. He liked to hear you talk, though. He listened very carefully. Asked questions. Laughed and felt a huge admiration during your stories

It had a real first date energy

Then he drove you home and didn't come inside

Both of you were confused. You spent the whole night trying to figure his new game out. And he just crawled deeper into his own darkness. If he wasn't sure that he was in love with you yet, after that date, he knew he was completely fucked

He planned on disappearing for a while. Only until he forgot about his feelings. Maybe see someone else

But the mere thought of being inside someone who wasn't you disgusted him

He managed to stay away for 2 weeks. No texts, no calls. You thought you had lost him. You tried to find a reason why he wasn't attracted to you anymore... He didn't have sex with you the last time cause he was only trying to say goodbye. But he was never that good with words

And at this very moment there was probably another woman in his bed

You were so angry that you didn't dare to call him

It was like you forgot how many times he spit on your face and overestimated you until you cried (not that those weren't great times too). All you remember was that one time he fucked you on a way that felt like he actually cared about you. Like he would make love to you one day. But that was only another one of his tricks to humiliate you. And it hurts more than when he used to spank you

You were convinced that you had enough. That if you saw him on the street one day, you wouldn't even look at his face

But the minute his name finally appeared on your phone again, you picked up eagerly

His voice was sweet. He called you by your actual name

He asked if he could pick you up

Not like he used to do: "You better be there"

He said "please"

And you were scared. You missed the times you knew exactly where this would end. When you would use each other's body, get dressed and leave. But now? You had no idea what he had in mind. Or what YOU had in mind when you said yes… but you said yes

And at the exact time he said he would be there, he was there

You got into the car and smiled at him

He looked like a complete mess. There was something wrong with him… for a moment you felt guilty for hating him when he stopped calling

Maybe he just had problems and wasn't in the mood for sex

Judging by the look on his face, he clearly wasn't. So what were you doing there? Another movie night?

Apparently not. He drove you to his house

He held your hand as you walked in and guided you to his bedroom

He stood in front of the bed and looked at you for a moment

"You're so beautiful, have I ever told you that?" He sighed, caressing your cheek with his fingers

"Yeah, you called me pretty little fucktoy once or twice." You shrugged

You made that joke to relieve the tension. He wasn't the kind of guy who would caress your cheek on a normal day. But your joke seemed to make him feel worse

"I'm sorry." He whispered, looking at any corner of that room, anywhere but your eyes

"Don't be." You assured him. "We agreed on this. That's us. It's fun, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess." He chuckled. "We're pretty fucked up, aren't we?"

"That's why we get along." You agreed

He clearly had something stuck on his throat, but he wouldn't say it, so you tried to change the subject

"So what's tonight's plan?" You asked

He looked like he was about to suggest something outrageous. But, honestly? After all you had already done in that exact place where you stood at that moment… you couldn't imagine what would be so shocking

"Would you mind spending the night?" He asked nervously

"Well, your own rules say we aren't supposed to sleep on the same bed, but..." You watched him curiously. "If you want me to, I'll stay."

He nodded and thanked you with his eyes

It was an unusual request, but it still wasn't what he was trying to ask

"What should I do now, daddy? Do you have something for me? For me to put on for you?" You whispered, wrapping your arms around his neck

His arms were crossed on his chest, and they hesitated for a moment

He was supposed to place his hands on your waist or on your ass and throw you on the bed

But instead, his arms wrapped around you on a hug. Yes, a hug. You were confused, but you enjoyed every second of it. He was so soft, so comforting. Even though he was pretty lost. He pulled you as close as possible and hugged you so tightly that you felt like he was gonna break you

"Okay, stop, hey…" You pushed him away and took at step back

His body felt cold without you. His heart broke. The look on his eyes could hurt the most heartless person in the world

"Listen." You told him. "I'm not gonna let you play with me like this. I know you must be going through a really hard time right now, and I'd love to help, but… I can't do this. Cause when everything goes back to normal, I won't be able to stand this, Jake. You're too fucking important to me, don't do this, please… don't give me hope."

"Do you have hope?" He asked. "That I can be good to you?"

"You are good to me, Jake." You replied. "In our own fucked up way."

"Yeah, but that's exactly what's wrong with me right now." He admitted. "I fell in love with you. I want things to change, but I'm just as scared as you are."

You didn't know what to say

Love? Was that why you were angry at him? Did you fall in love too?

"What are we gonna do now?" You asked. You were terrified he would tell you that you couldn't keep seeing each other. You just learned that two weeks away from him are too hard, you couldn't imagine your whole life without him

"I don't know." He sighed. He was exhausted, looked like he haven't slept these days. "I don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow, or after that, I just know that I need you here tonight. And I don't wanna fuck you, I just want you close. Just need your love."

He felt physically lighter after getting that off his chest

You smiled at him and sat on his bed, taking your shoes off

You crawled to the center of the bed and patted the spot next to you

It was a relief. Finally. That's all he needed

He joined you and you both just lay down there, staring at the ceiling for a while

Like you were two teenagers who had a crush on each other and were sharing a bed for the first time

Like he never absolutely wrecked you in there

You rested your head on his chest and his arms automatically wrapped around you

As time passed, you (specially him) started to get more comfortable

Before you knew, you were there, kissing each other's noses, cheeks, chins, lips… smiling and saying the sweetest things

You didn't know that side of him, maybe not even he did

Then you fell asleep in each other's arms

When you woke up, he was looking at you with a new sparkle in his eyes

He definitely wasn't that same broken man you saw the night before

"Be my girlfriend?" He asked after you had barely opened your eyes

"Good morning." You laughed

"Oh no, I already wasted too much time." He laughed too

"So what's the new deal? What comes with that title?" You asked

"More night like this. Some like the old ones too." He smirked. "You're gonna be officially introduced to my family and will have to go through a lot of boring and awkward meetings... oh, we can also hold hands in the park? Sounds romantic, I don't know. Fuck deals. Let's just figure this out together, okay?"

"Sounds wonderful." You smiled and kissed his lips. "Call your mom, ask her what's for dinner."

[nooneelsecomesclose17]

Am I a fool to think that there's a little hope - Part 4

This fic is growing yet I feel like I'm only writing a tiny bit at a time. Anyway I'm playing fast and loose with prison visiting here because Victoria has feelings and her brother needs to hear what an idiot he's been...Aaron's had his turn.

Robert's surprised but also he's not when the guard tells him he has a visitor the following afternoon. The rule is one visit a fortnight and he's got two in two days. He knows it's Vic even before he goes into the visiting room. He dreads to think what she's done to wangle another visit and decides he's probably better off not knowing.

Since Aaron left the day before he's done nothing but worry about what he'd said, about Liv, about the business and cursing himself for thinking Aaron would be better off. It sounded like it was anything but. He'd wanted to ask, wanted to know everything but Aaron couldn't get out of there fast enough.

He'd barely had chance to think about his case, if there was one, too focussed on Aaron, and he knew Victoria would be wanting answers, answers he just didn't have. He needed to talk to his solicitor. He'd asked for her to be contacted but nothing moved that fast in here, it'd take time for her to visit he knew that.

"Robert!" He smiles as she hugs him, gently pushing her away when one of the guards glares at him.

"Hi Vic. Are you alright? Aaron said you weren't up to much."

"Oh no, I'm fine now. Speaking of Aaron, what did you say to him, he was in a foul mood all night long."

"Never mind that." He can't stop smiling, her mood is infectious like that and he realises just how much he's missed her. "Just how did you manage to get another visit?"

"Oh...well I tried explaining that I'd been ill and when that didn't work I got on to your solicitor and...well she might've implied that it was a family emergency."

"Vic! You can’t do things like that."

"You would." He opens his mouth, then shuts it because she's not exactly wrong. "Anyway, it is. You could get out Rob! That's massive."

"Hold on, Aaron said it was a tiny chance, and besides, are you alright? Must've been a shock, Luke coming out like that and all this." He's stalling, he knows she wants him to jump for joy but he just doesn't have it in him.

"Oh I'm fine, I'm better off. You need to talk to your solicitor, and then we can get started on an appeal."

"Vic, slow down. I pleaded guilty, I took responsibility. Are you sure anyone's going to care?"

"I will, your nephew will." She paused. "Seb will."

"Don't." There wasn't a day went by without him thinking of his little boy, wondering what he'd be doing, if he was still cheeky, if he even knew who he was anymore. In his darker moments he imagined him calling Ross 'Daddy' and the three of them being the perfect happy family. "How is he?"

"I don't know. Rebecca's pretty much cut us all off. Diane managed to get to see him a few months back but she's heard nothing since. You know she stopped Aaron seeing him, not long after Christmas last year, right after the divorce papers arrived." He stares at her, wished she'd say it was a joke. He knew they hadn't had any kind of formal agreement but he'd never expected Rebecca to do that. She knew how much Seb loved Aaron. He was beginning to realise just how much he'd messed up, and Aaron had every reason to be mad at him.

"I've made such a mess. Is he...he said the business isn't good and Liv's in a mess." He reaches for her hand. "How is he really Vic?"

"Things are...difficult right now. We've not really been close the last few months, he had issues with Luke and Wendy and everything, and now I realise how much of an idiot I've been."

"It's not your fault, Vic."

"He's lonely. Even with..." She trails off and he knows she was going to mention a bloke, he's not stupid. He'd wanted this after all, he just hadn't realised just how much it would hurt.

"He's with someone?"

"Sort of, I think. Ben. He's alright, and they're...I don't think it's anything official, they're just hanging out, and Ben's helping with Liv. You can't be mad about it Rob."

"No I know. Hurts all the same."

"You might be my big brother but you're a proper idiot. Cutting him off like that, and me! What were you thinking?"

"I've been through all this with him, don't you start."

"I will start. You'll say it was for the best and that, but it wasn't. Not for me, and definitely not for Aaron. Neither of us care that it'd be a pain making the journey down here, or that it's for years. We love you, but you won't let us!"

He shakes his head, he knows she's right. He knows why, it's always been the same. Ever since he was sent away all those years ago, he just never feels as though people will stay with him, that they'll get fed up, that he's not worth it. So he gets in first, pushes them away, cheats, anything rather than be hurt.

"Vic, stop, please."

"No. You're my brother and I lost you before. Andy's gone, you're stuck here and it's just been me. I needed you, even if it was just a phone call or a letter. You've been all alone because you're stubborn."

"It was for the best. All of you should just get on with your lives and forget about me."

"Well tough, it doesn't work like that! You know, Aaron wasn't going to come with me, even though I asked, but he did because he wanted to see you despite everything. Left Ben to do it, what does that tell you?"

"That he's a good mate."

"No, that he misses you. First mention of you and he goes all Aaron, storming off and hiding away. He still loves you, you idiot." He shakes his head, doesn't want to believe it. He's managed to push all those thoughts aside and he doesn't want them coming back up again and torturing him.

"Didn't feel like that yesterday."

"Of course it doesn't. He thinks you don't want him. Honestly the two of you drive me mad. Look, say you do get out of here, wouldn't you want him back?"

"Of course I would, but he's with this Ben now."

"Pfft." He laughs a little and her face. "He'd take you back the second you walked in the village and you know it."

"Maybe once."

"You're so infuriating."

"So are you. I don't want to talk about Aaron anymore. Tell me what's been going on in the village." He let her chatter wash over him, too much going on in his head to even start to sort out. If he was lucky enough to get out, would he want to go back to the village where most of the residents didn't like him. He wasn't stupid he knew they tolerated him for Aaron. No doubt the Dingles hated his guts, and then there was Wendy. Maybe it'd be better all round if he just started afresh, or stayed where he was. He just didn't know what to do for the best. He needed time.

--------

Aaron throws his keys on the table, glad the house is quiet. He's exhausted. Vic had tried talking about Robert all the way home, so much so he'd contemplated getting the train home. Trying to tell him he still loved him, knew he'd been an idiot. He didn't care, no that was a lie, of course he did, but he was afraid to believe it. Besides what good would it do unless Robert changed his mind and let him back in.

He should call Ben, try and explain, try and make it up to him, except he really wasn't sure he wanted to anymore.

He's half asleep when his phone rings and he doesn't recognise the number.

"Hello?"

"Hi." The gasp sounds loud in the quiet room, the voice so familiar and so unexpected. "So, you married an idiot."

He can't help it, he starts laughing, hears Robert joining in and that's all there is for a good few minutes.

"I missed you." He doesn't say anything. "I know it's my fault, all of it and it shouldn't have taken my little sister pecking my head about it all afternoon, but...I'm sorry."

"I know. I missed you too." He feels the tension leave him, Robert always managed to do that.

"If I'm...Vic said, about Ben. If I'm...if you want me to go that's fine, I will, I just...I...wanted you to know."

"Yeah. Ben's...he's a mate." Not strictly true, but deep down he'd known it'd never be more than that, no matter how hard he tried. "I'm still mad at you."

"Yeah. Kinda mad at myself too. Listen, Vic said...about Rebecca stopping Seb visiting. I'm so sorry Aaron, I never thought she'd do that."

"Yeah well, I think she was just waiting for the chance. You know she never really liked me all that much." It hadn't mattered when Robert was there, he'd put up with it because as long as Seb was happy he didn't care.

"Still...if things go the right way, that's the first thing I'm changing."

"You're going to appeal then?"

"You have met Vic, right? As if she'd let me do anything else." He sighs and Aaron can hear a commotion in the background. "I've nothing to lose have I? If I lose I'm still in here the same amount of time. If I win then I get my life back, at least some of it."

"All of it." Robert pauses, and Aaron knows he's thinking he's misheard.

"Yeah?" His voice sounds just like it had so many times, when he couldn't quite believe what was happening.

"Yeah. I'm still mad as hell at you and we will be talking about you making stupid decisions all by yourself, but yeah...throughout our lives together, remember?"

"And if it takes a while? Or...if it doesn't work?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

They talk a bit longer, about nothing at all, just chatting like they used to and he realises just how much he's missed it. When they finally have to hang up he's smiling. He knew there was one more thing he had to do.

"Ben? It's me. Can you come over? We need to talk."

--------

It'd taken months, of legal wrangling, of trying to find Luke, months of visits to the Isle of Wight, of expecting every time to be turned away because Robert had changed his mind, but now it was the last time.

"Quit your pacing, you're making me dizzy."

"I can't help it. What if..."

"What if nothing. You heard the judge. He's free. He'd be here now if he'd been in court." He nodded, he knew that, but the restrictions still meant video appearances, so here they were waiting for all the paperwork to be finished before they could see Robert.

Vic had wanted to come with him, only Harry having a raging temperature had stopped her, so he'd asked Cain, the only member of his family who hadn't tried to talk him out of it all.

"Daddy coming?" He turned to see Seb poking his head out of the car window. Robert had somehow managed to convince Rebecca to restart their visits and he and Seb had been slowly getting to know each other again.

"Soon mate, promise."

"I'm hungry."

"I know. We'll get something as soon as he's here." Satisfied the little boy goes back to the game on Aaron's phone. "Do you think...is it wrong that I don't want to go back?"

"To Emmerdale? Why."

"You've seen what it's like. Mum, Paddy, everyone telling me what they think, how bad he is for me."

"Do you care what they think? You know the truth, they'll come round. If they don't, you've got your family Aaron. Your Mum's the one who'll lose out."

"I know. I just wish she'd try."

"Yeah well, she's stubborn. Just like him." Aaron follows his gaze, sees Robert standing outside the entrance to the prison, looking around, as if he can't quite believe he's out. "Go on then, go get your husband back."

He doesn't need telling twice, runs across the road, probably startling Robert as he throws his arms around him.

Everything would be alright now. He had Robert back.

[css1992]

could u do more high school au's pls? I was thinking maybe rich popular peter who seems untouchable and then grungy tony who just doesnt care for appearances and hes been pining after peter his whole school life

+

could u make it so that tony is rich and everyone knows it but he just doesn't care about his money and doesnt act rich so it's one of those things that u know but dont acknowledge. also if tony's daddy issues made an appearance id be so happy ty.

I’m so sorry for the delay, but I really do hope this scratches your itch! 

***

He had that sort of beauty that almost hurt to look at. So pure and soft. Pink cheeks, small eyes that squinted when he laughed – which was often –; brown, wavy hair, so shiny and silky-looking; thin, pink lips, always stretched in a smile. He had the most beautiful smile Tony had ever seen, too. Honest and wide, happy.

He was never alone. Of course he wasn’t. He was too magnetic, there were always people drawn to his light, following him around, laughing at his jokes, making him laugh in return. Everyone seemed to want a piece of him, a scrap of his attention. And he, being the lovely human being that he was, made room for anyone who wished to bask in his light.

Jocks liked him. Peter was great at team sports, he was light on his feet and good with his hands. He wasn’t in any teams, though, claimed he didn’t have the time, but he was always picked first in P.E. group activities. Tony knew, watched him at practice way too often – from a distance, of course, as he did his stretches and sit-ups with Rhodes.

Nerds liked him, too. He was really smart, an asset to the Decathlon team, and was always willing to help anyone having trouble in class. Even the weirdos from drama club, glee club and the school band loved him – he never made fun of them, on the contrary, he was always very vocal about how talented they were and how he wished he could be a part of their clubs, too.

Girls swooned at him. He was kind and sweet, a good listener, and gorgeous. Guys weren’t immune to his charms, either. The ones Tony knew for a fact that were gay or bi didn’t even try to pretend they didn’t watch him when he walked down the halls, but even supposedly straight guys, like Steve Rogers, sneaked a peek now and then, face flushed, if he was wearing specially tight jeans.

Tony was jealous of all those people, but he learned to deal with it. He’d been, well, admiring him from a distance for years. He was used to seeing people make passes at him, ask him out. Peter was discreet, though. If he ever dated anyone, nobody ever heard anything about it. He was a mystery, Tony wasn’t even sure if he was gay, straight, bi or whatever – there were rumors that he had made out with Wade Wilson in freshman year, but neither of them confirmed or denied it. Tony hated the guy anyway.

“If you keep staring, people are gonna know you’re in love and not actually dead inside,” Rhodey spoke up right next to him, taking a huge bite of his tuna sandwich. Tony averted his gaze from Peter’s table for a minute and looked at his friend, annoyed. “It’s gonna ruin your whole aesthetic.”

“Very funny,” He rolled his eyes and looked back at Peter. There were so many people around him he could barely catch a glimpse of his smile, which was annoying.

His dad’s company, Parker Innovations, had just released a new phone a few weeks earlier, it was ridiculous how many people thought they could get one for free if they kissed his ass hard enough. At least Tony didn’t have to endure that kind of nonsense anymore. People in that school learned very early on that even though he was related to Howard Stark, he wanted nothing to do with the guy – or his company, or his money. They also learned sucking up to him did nothing but annoy him, so they kind of just forgot he existed over time and he blended right in with everyone else – a blessing in its own right.

“Rhodey is right, you’re drooling, it’s a little embarrassing,” Natasha looked at him with boredom as she nibbled on her fries. “You should just ask him out, you’ve been pining for ages.”

“I’m not pining,” he huffed, irritated, and the redhead smirked, raising a perfectly manicured brow.

“Right, yearning might be more accurate. Bruce?” She glanced at their other friend who scratched his chin, pretending to think about it.

“I think obsessing sounds more like it. Rhodey?”  

“Fuck you guys,” he barked before they could keep the game going, and all three laughed at him. Someone got up from Peter’s table and he caught a glimpse of his beautiful face, their eyes made contact for half a second and Tony looked away.

“No, but seriously, Tones. Just go talk to him, he’s a great guy, I’m sure he wouldn’t be an ass about it.” Bruce adjusted his glasses and said that like it was simple. Like he would have the guts to do it if he was in Tony’s position – he wouldn’t, he’d pined for Thor, an exchange student, for a year, and never worked up the courage to ask him out. The guy went back to Norway or whatever and Bruce never even said hi to him.

“I know, of course he wouldn’t, but I don’t wanna be one of those people begging for his attention, just look at that.” He pointed at the little crowd around him, people were almost literally fighting for his attention, the poor guy could barely finish his lunch. “It’s ridiculous.”

“Yeah, but you’re not them,” Natasha said that like it was the most obvious thing in the world and Tony frowned.

“How am I different?”

“You’re a certified genius, you and him have similar interests and you look hot in a ‘I’m gonna fuck  you raw in the back of my car’ kinda way. I don’t know, maybe he’s into that.” The redhead shrugged, again, saying all that like it was obvious and an unquestionable truth.

“Yeah, right, sounds just like him,” Tony scoffed.

Peter was perfect in so many ways – perfect face, perfect body, perfect grades, Tony was sure he pooped out candy or something – of course he wouldn’t go for a guy like him. He had a bad reputation, he was in detention more often than not and people in general considered him an asshole – all because he didn’t partake in their little games of social climbing or whatever. No, Peter wouldn’t go for his grungy ass. He’d probably go for all American, apple pie, boy-next-door Steve Rogers.

“No, she’s right, I’ve seen him looking at you several times.” Bruce pointed out, not for the first time, and Tony scoffed.

“Oh, yeah? When?”

“AP chemistry class. I’m his lab partner, remember?” How could Tony forget? As Mr. Erskine called out their names, Tony prayed to a God he didn’t even believe in that he’d be paired up with Peter, but no such luck. “He stares at you whenever he has a chance or an excuse. You know, when you blow things up, for example.”

“Yeah, which is why he must stare, he must be afraid for his life.” Tony hated to admit that he was way more prone to causing explosive accidents when Peter was in the room. It was fucking embarrassing.

He sighed, drinking the last of his coke. No matter what his friends said, he knew he didn’t stand a chance with Peter. He was… Untouchable. He was too good for him, Tony wasn’t even sure he’d want to taint him if he had a chance –  no, scratch that, he definitely would.

He chose to watch him from afar, allowing himself a few fantasies and daydreams. He had this really stupid and lame one, where he walked up to Peter in the hall, people just parted to let him through, then he gave him his trademark, lopsided grin and asked him out. Peter smiled brightly up at him, holding his books to his chest, cheeks flushed, eyelashes fluttering as he whispered a shy “yes” and leaned up to kiss him. Yeah. That was the whole fantasy.

Peter was so untouchable to him that he didn’t even dare to dream further than that. Of course when he was alone in his room, late at night, relieving himself, a few… less pure fantasies popped up unsolicited, but he felt so guilty then, dirty even, like he was disrespecting him somehow. It was all very confusing, but he still came, shamefully, to the thought of his beautiful face scrunched up in pleasure as dream-Tony fucked him.

The bell rang and everyone hurried to get to their next period, Peter was no different, he gathered his things and stood up, looking around the cafeteria like he was looking for someone. Their eyes met again for a second, but Tony quickly looked away, grabbing his backpack in a hurry to leave.

It was Thursday, the worst day of the week for him, none of his friends were free to hang out with him until later, so he either had to head home and deal with Howard or he had to find somewhere to be for a couple of hours, until Rhodey was done with football practice so they could go to his place. That day, Tony decided to just stay by his car, smoking a cigarette and singing along to Black Sabath’s Iron Man, it wasn’t like he had anywhere to go. He was so distracted watching the smoke dissipate into thin air that he didn’t notice when someone approached, and jumped almost a foot in the air when they spoke.

“Aren’t you afraid of getting caught smoking on school grounds?” Tony almost dropped dead when he registered the angelic voice. He was already having a heart attack as it was, but the boy was so close and he had that beautiful smile in place, blushing cheeks and all. It took almost a full minute for him to calm himself down.  

“I won’t tell if you don’t.” The older teen answered when he finally found his voice and got his breath under control enough not to make a fool of himself. Peter smiled wider, biting his lower lip.

“Your secret is safe with me.” He fake whispered, leaning a little into the older boy’s space and he almost choked on nothing. Peter’s smell was inebriating, expensive and sweet, but not overly so – perfect. He recomposed himself quickly, though, and nodded, but didn’t say anything else. He wasn’t sure why Peter was talking to him and, frankly, he was too fucking nervous to think of anything cool to say. The younger teen deflated a little faced with Tony’s silence; he looked around, seeming a little lost. “You’re Tony, right?”

Fuck, the way he said his name. His name. It was fucking music to his ears, the most beautiful tune. But how did he even know his name? Sure, he was Tony Stark, so not really anonymous, but people often forgot about it.

“Yeah. And you’re Peter.” Tony didn’t play games, he didn’t even try to pretend like he didn’t know who Peter was. It would be dumb anyway, everybody knew him. The other boy nodded shyly, it looked like he wanted to say something else, but he kept biting his lips and looking around nervously. Tony frowned. “Is everything okay?”

“No. I mean, yeah, sure, it’s fine, it’s just, uhm. I have a flat tire and the wheel bolts are really tight and I couldn’t get them off, so I thought – I mean, could you, uh –“ He gestured wildly as he stuttered out his answer, looking in the general direction of his flashy, cherry red sports car. “I mean, it’s okay if you’re busy, but I –“

“Sure, I’ll help, don’t worry.” Tony threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stepped on it. He was a little more at ease now that he knew why Peter was talking to him – he just needed help – and the best thing was, Tony was really good with cars. Of course, one didn’t need to have a PhD in mechanics to change a tire, but it still made him feel really good that he would be able to help properly.

“Thanks, you’re a life saver.” The chirpy attitude was back, as well as the smile, it made Tony’s heart flutter. He nodded sharply, looking away from his face, and gestured for Peter to lead the way.

When they reached his car, Tony whistled lowly, crouching down to look at the completely flat tire, as he tried to find the source of the problem. He was surprised to notice a two-inch cut on the surface of it, and it didn’t seem accidental.

“Fuck, Peter, it looks like someone sliced your tire.” When he looked up at the younger boy, he didn’t look surprised, but nervous. It was an odd reaction. Tony wondered if Peter already knew that – maybe he knew who did it and was scared of them? It made Tony’s blood boil. Why would anyone do that to Peter?

“Wh-what? How do you know that?” He bit his lower lip nervously, scratching his arm, and Tony frowned, worried.

“Here, look.” He gestured for Peter to crouch down next to him and pointed at the cut. “This is clearly a stab mark. Judging by the size and shape of it, I’d say this was probably done with a pocketknife.”

“Oh. Yeah, of course. Clearly.” He face-palmed, like he felt stupid, maybe for not seeing it before, but Tony still worried.

“If you want, I could go with you to the administration. We can ask them to check the security cameras. I think that one might have caught whoever did this.” He pointed at a security camera nearby, Tony knew where all of them were in the parking lot area – he’d been caught smoking way too many times not to know.

“What? There are –? I mean, look, it’s okay, it’s probably just someone trying to play a prank, it’s no big deal, it’s fine.” He stood up quickly, shaking his head, and Tony was positive he felt threatened somehow, he was acting so weird.

“If you’re sure… But if you change your mind, I’ll go with you, ok?” Tony stood up and took off his leather jacket. The weather was nice, just a bit chilly, so he was wearing a thin, white t-shirt with short sleeves underneath. He thought he heard Peter’s breath hitch for a second, but it was probably just his imagination. “Can you hold this for me?” He held out his jacket and the boy blushed, blinking rapidly.

“S-sure.”

Tony bit his bottom lip to refrain from asking, again, if everything was fine. Peter looked so freaking nervous, he was even sweating a little at the temples. Tony was positive he knew who did that to his car, but didn’t want to tell him for some reason. Maybe he wanted to protect whoever did it, maybe it was a boyfriend, or an ex. He gritted his teeth, hands closing in fists, but didn’t say anything, just crouched down and got to work.

The first bolt came off easily, it wasn’t tight at all, so he thought maybe Peter had already loosened it when he tried earlier. The second and third ones came off just as easily, though, only the fourth one was a little trickier, but nothing the younger teen couldn’t have handled himself. Tony thought maybe he hadn’t tried too hard, maybe he was afraid the person who did that would show up or something. He was so glad he was there to help, he wondered if Peter felt safe with him around, and the thought made him feel oddly proud and protective of him.

He made quick work of changing the tires, making sure not to screw the bolts too tight, then put the sliced one in the trunk of the car. When he turned around to look at Peter, he was looking intently at him, almost hypnotized, holding his jacket close to his chest like it was a puppy.

“All done.” Tony smiled and the boy seemed to snap out of a trance.

“Oh, thank you so much, really, you’re too kind.” He smiled broadly and the older teen scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Don’t mention it.” They were silent for a few seconds after that, but Peter kept holding his jacket and didn’t make any move to give it back to him. “Uhm, could I–?” He gestured towards the jacket and again the boy jumped up in surprise.

“Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, here.” He handed it to him and quickly crossed his empty arms over his chest. “So, uhm,… Your dad is having a gala this weekend, right? Are you gonna be there?” Ah, so Peter did know who he was, not just his first name. The older teen leaned against the car and stuck his hands in his pockets, shrugging.

“Not if I can help it.” He smirked, trying to act cool, but now that he didn’t have anything to do with his hands, he was growing nervous.

“Oh,” Peter looked… disappointed? He dropped his gaze to the floor, shuffling his feet, and Tony stood up straight, frowning.

“Why?”

“Nothing, it’s just – my parents are going, so I thought I’d tag along to, you know... but it’s okay.” He kicked an imaginary rock and avoided Tony’s eyes. The older teen stared at him with wide eyes, heart beating fast – what was the end of that sentence? Peter couldn’t possibly mean–

“I don’t – what, you’d go to, like, hang out with me or something?” He felt stupid when he stumbled on the words, but Peter didn’t seem to notice, his cheeks were burning red and he was looking anywhere else but at Tony.

“I mean, you must have much better things to do, of course, I was just –” He chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head, finally looking up at Tony. “Sorry, just forget about it, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“No, wait!” He rushed to interrupt him and Peter looked back at him with huge, Bambi eyes. Tony coughed awkwardly, blushing a little. “I mean, like, uhm… If you – would you wanna go as my date? To the gala?” He blurted out, finally, because what the hell. The worst that could happen was Peter say no, and he could deal with it. He would survive, for sure. It wouldn’t be a big deal. Really. It wouldn’t.

But he didn’t say no, he smiled broadly, eyes twinkling in excitement.

“I’d love to!” He answered quickly, and Tony’s heart fluttered, Peter looked genuinely happy.  “Could you – uhm, text me what color of tie you’ll be wearing? If you want! I understand if you think it’s lame, but I thought–”

“No, it’s fine.” His heart was beating so loud, Peter Fucking Parker wanted to coordinate ties with him, it was fucking corny and cliché and he loved it. “Uhm, here, give me your number.” He fished his phone from his back pocket and gave it to the younger teen.

“Cool.” Peter typed in his number and as soon as he gave his phone back, Tony sent him a smiley face so he would have his number, too. “Cool, cool, cool...” He rocked on the balls of his feet and looked around, like he was looking for something else to say.

“So… Do you have to be home soon or…?” Tony stuck his hands in his pockets again, wondering if maybe he was pushing his luck, but Peter shook his head quickly.

“Not really, no, my parents don’t really mind what time I get home as long as I let them know. You?”

“They don’t really care.” He shrugged, taking one step closer to Peter. “So… are you hungry, by any chance?”

“I’m starving.” He nodded, looking up at Tony in anticipation. It drove the butterflies in his stomach crazy.

“I know a place where they serve great burgers. We could go in my car and I could drop you off here on our way back, I’m just a little worried someone is gonna try to fuck up your car again. I mean, what if they’re targeting you or something?” Just the mention of what happened earlier made Peter nervous. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his bomber jacket and shook his head.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, I’m sure it’s fine.” He didn’t look worried, though, at least not anymore.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, trust me, I am.” Tony found the sudden change odd, but thought maybe he was just trying to play it cool, so he let it go.  

“Okay, then, c’mon, my car is right there,” Tony gestured to his car and Peter smiled, taking his hands off his pockets. When he did, though, something slipped out and fell to the ground with a metallic noise. Tony quickly crouched down to get it for him, when he noticed what it was. “Wh – is that…?” He frowned, examining the pocketknife as if it was alien material. He was confused at first, because Peter didn’t seem like the kind of guy to carry one around, but then it dawned on him. When he looked at the younger teen, his face was so red it looked like he was about to explode.

“Uhm… If I told you I’ve never seen this before in my life would you believe it?” He chuckled nervously, scratching his arm, as Tony stood up. The older teen raised a brow at him.”Sorry, I just – I wanted an excuse to talk to you.” He said quietly, dropping his gaze.

“You know, you could have gone with the weather or whatever.” Tony answered, amused, and it made the younger boy look up at him.

“You’re just very intimidating,” He looked at him with huge, scared eyes, and Tony cocked his head to the side.

“Me?” He raised a brow.

“Yeah.” Peter answered pointedly, and Tony smirked, offering him his knife back.

“You do realize you just sliced your own tire so you’d have an excuse to talk to me, right? And I’m intimidating?” He joked, but Peter didn’t seem to find it funny. He winced and covered his face with his hands, clearly embarrassed.

“You must think I’m such a freak,” He groaned, voice muffled by his palms.

“Hey, hey, yes, I do think you’re a freak.” He grabbed Peter’s thin wrists and marveled at how perfectly they fit in his hands. He definitely saved that thought for later. “But you’re a really cute one.” He grinned and Peter chuckled, a delicate flush rising onto his cheeks.

“I feel stupid.” He admitted, worrying his bottom lip, but Tony shook his head, working up the nerve to cup Peter’s face in his hand.

“I feel flattered,” He said, honestly, and Peter’s breath hitched. He stared up at Tony, eyelashes fluttering, moist, pink lips slightly open. The older teen leaned down slowly and when the Peter closed his eyes, their lips touched. Just like in his fantasies, Peter tasted sweet, his lips were soft and his arms circled Tony’s neck in a warm embrace. When they parted, Tony smiled down at him, stroking his blushing cheek. “Just promise that if this doesn’t work out you won’t, like, key my car or something.”

“Oh, God,” he groaned, but they both laughed out loud, as they walked hand in hand across the parking lot.

[jadoue1999]

Wanda and the life she deserved (she’ll make sure about it) Epilogue

Summary: thank you for everyone for reading this story! Remember to read the end notes for the surprise I was talking about!

Previous parts:  chapter 1,  chapter 2 , chapter 3, chapter 4, chapter 5, chapter 6, chapter 7, chapter 8, chapter 9, chapter 10, chapter 11, Epilogue

Chapter 12: Epilogue

And that was it. Everyone she cared about was gone. She stood in the foundation of her house; her grief so strong it made her numb. She pulled up the hood of her vest desperately wanting to be left alone. Monica soon joined her side.

“You did it,” she remarked, “you actually did it.”

Wanda didn’t answer, she just pressed her lips together and nodded in agreement. She had seen many movies and shows portraying people fixing their mistakes as a good thing, something that made them feel better. She couldn’t relate. She simply felt like disappearing into the unknown and never being seen again.

“You know, I don’t think I would have had the strength to do it, had it been me,” confessed Monica. “I would have done anything to get my mother back, I can only imagine what you’re going through.” The woman gently put her hand on Wanda’s shoulder, making sure to be slow enough so she wouldn’t intrude her personal space. When no protests came, she squeezed lightly. “I’m here for you if you need me.”

As they reached the town square, Wanda did her best to ignore the hateful glare of the citizens she had tortured over the last week. She wished she could tell them she didn’t know, but she was sure no apologies would be enough. Lost in her self-deprecating thoughts, she was surprised when Monica spoke once again. “So, who was the guy who played your brother? We never could identify him. Yet I can see that his family found him.”

Wanda didn’t answer as she looked up at the X-Men. Her brother was deep in conversation, probably telling them about his time in the town. She quickly changed outfits, feeling more comfortable in her newest costume. The Scarlet Witch, as Agatha called her; she liked the name. She was about to fly away when Peter suddenly appeared at her side.

“Wanda, don’t go.”

She froze in place; he didn’t seem mad at her, but she didn’t want to push her luck. Hatred came in many forms. Since she wasn’t talking, Monica spoke up.

“Hi again, I don’t know if you remember, we escaped the witch’s house together?”

Peter chuckled and nodded. “I do, that was wild.”

Wanda could feel Monica’s question, and the hesitation that came with it. “I know I’ve asked you before, but who are you?”

The silver haired man looked at the redhead, silently asking for permission. She couldn’t figure out why he’d even care about her opinion, but she nodded, nonetheless.

“I’m Peter Maximoff, I’m from a different universe.”

That certainly took the S.W.O.R.D. agent by surprise, she looked at both of them, wondering if it was a joke. She had many more questions, but she felt that the Maximoffs needed to talk. With a nod, she walked away to join an Asian man. Probably a friend of hers. That left Wanda and Peter alone, both wondering how to start the conversation.

“So,” started Peter, scratching the back of his neck. “Thanks for releasing me.”

Wanda scrunched her face in shame, why had she even thought it was a good idea? “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I just wanted my brother back and you already wanted to leave, and I just couldn’t-“

“Hey, it’s alright. I mean, obviously it wasn’t fun, but it wasn’t as bad as witchy over there,” he said, pointing at Agnes who was seemingly flirting with police officers. “You wanted me there, so I wasn’t really controlled, I was just sure I was Pietro Maximoff.”

Running a hand through her hair and taking a deep breath to shake away her teary eyes, she finally looked at him in the eyes. “So, you’re not... mad?”

Peter blinked and cleared his throat, “Well, obviously I’m not pleased, but I think I would have done the same thing, had I been given a chance to see Wendy again.”

They walked over to a secluded bench that somehow hadn’t been destroyed by the battle. Wanda kept fidgeting with her fingers, the occasional glares of people mixed with the grief and guilt she felt made an interesting combination of emotions. Peter pulled her into a hug, and she held on for dear life, not wanting to be alone again. “I like the outfit by the way,” whispered Peter in her ear. “Might not believe me but it’s very similar to my dad’s. Irony of the multiverse I guess.”

She couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her lips, he soon laughed too, and let go of her. He looked around the town, taking in the situation.

“You know, it might not have been real, but our little life was good,” commented Peter. He looked at his team, “I didn’t have any superhero duty to think about or daddy issues to deal with. It was simple.”

Wanda looked at him, not sure if he was being serious, when she realized he was, she simply nodded. “Yeah, that’s why I wanted this. I’ve never had a shot at a normal life, not since I was 10 years old.”

Peter smirked in agreement, looking a little lost in thought for a moment. “Yeah, I remember, your life wasn’t easy, uh?”

The redhead suddenly widened her eyes, realizing the weight of his statement, “oh, I’m so sorry, I can remove his memories from your head if you want.” She tried to put her hands on his temple, but he shook his head.

“Nah, I’m good. I’ve had enough people messing in my mind for a century. Plus, I’m not really sure where my memories end and his starts.”

Wanda was left feeling even more guilty, how did she even think that it was a good idea to keep him? She looked at the ground once again, why could she never do things right?

“So... where will you go?” Asked Peter. “Cause I know how this usually goes, you leave in a remote place, isolate yourself and either build a new life or you get even worse than what your current low point is.” Wanda looked at him, raising an eyebrow. He chuckled as he raised his hands in front of him, “hey, you might be from another universe, but my dad basically did the same thing.”

She thought about her options, she had considered isolating herself, she had Agatha’s book after all, she wanted to study it. Before Peter stopped her from leaving, she truly wanted to be left alone. Knowing he didn’t hate her changed things. She wanted him by her side, willingly this time. After a minute or two of waiting, he spoke up, scratching his nose anxiously. “You... you could come with us, if you want.”

She turned her head towards him, eyes wide at the proposition. He gently took her hand and got to his feet. “From what I gathered here; you’re sort of a wanted person? No one knows you in my universe. Plus, powers like yours aren’t unheard of, you’d fit right in!”

He didn’t let her respond as he dragged her to his team. Anxiety was building up in her stomach, how would they react? She had, after all, kidnapped one of their members, even if accidentally. After a quick discussion with the bald man, the professor as he called himself, it was settled that she’d leave with them. The two blue people were polite, but obviously still suspicious of her. Peter’s father was, well, pissed to say the least. He didn’t talk to her and barely acknowledged her when she told them she’d create a portal to get them in their universe. She wasn’t sure how she had already mastered universe hopping, but she assumed it had to do with the scarlet witch thing Agatha had mentioned. After saying goodbye to Monica, who seemed glad Wanda had found people like her, they were off. Portal jumping wasn’t a pleasant experience, but it didn’t feel as bad as the first time she experienced her brother’s superspeed. The first thing she noticed upon arrival was the giant mansion, followed by the dozens of children freely expressing their gift.

That nearly made her breakdown right there.

She adjusted quickly, even made friend with a girl possessing similar powers named Jean Grey. It took a while for Mystique and Nightcrawler to fully trust her, but they eventually did. Erik still blamed her, but he had stopped glaring at her every time she came into a room. She had also learned to astral project herself, giving her more time to study the spell book. It had given her insight she never thought existed.

She had grown closer with Peter, who had confessed one day that his birth name truly was Pietro. They had both lost a twin and while they were both aware that it wasn’t the same; dealing with it together had helped them. Also, being the only people who truly knew Vision and the twins, they felt it was only right to grieve them together as well. Both had had their moments where they tried to talk to them, waiting for an answer, only to realize that they were speaking to shadows. It hadn’t really gotten better; Peter missed his nephews and Wanda missed her family.

Sometimes, when the mansion became too much, she preferred to keep herself in her room. In those time, she usually used it to study the Darkhold and it’s secret. That’s what she was doing, in the middle of the night, when voices pierced her concentration.

“Mom!” Screamed Billy. She gasped as she heard her son in her head. It was Tommy’s voice who followed, “mom, help us!”

Her eyes widened in shock. Her children were alive, they were somewhere. She snapped out of her trance, her mind returning to her body that was laying in her bed. She ran out of her room to join Peter who was listening to music on his Walkman. He looked at her, questions in his eyes, she smiled at him.

“Tommy and Billy, I hear them.”

In a blur, he was in front of her, his hands on her shoulders, hope gleaming in his eyes. “Really?”

Wanda nodded, barely able to contain her excitement, “really.”

In less than five seconds, Peter had packed a bag and was holding it at his side. He offered his hand to Wanda, who gladly took it. He grinned, “let’s go get the rugrats.”

***

Notes: so it’s done! I hope you guys liked it!

As for the surprise, both my father and girlfriend wanted to know more about how the X-men got to Westview so I wrote another fic of their point of view! I’m nearly finished writing it, and it should be about 30k words. Each chapter being approximately 3k words. Now, question is, when and how often should I publish it? I had thought about publishing it every Sunday, unless there’s a day where it’s easier for you guys to read.

[wickedmilo]

BASEBALL AND SPIDER MONKEYS | MILO & ORION  PART 1

PLACE: Orion’s house TIMING: 11:12 PM SUMMARY: Orion hosts a vampire movie night to help Milo feel better about the changes in his life WRITING PARTNER: @3starsquinn​ CONTENT WARNINGS: Some brief NSFW humour

Milo wasn’t sure what he had been expecting. Rio wasn’t the type to lie, and had been pretty clear about living in a large property alone. Maybe he was developing trust issues, because standing in the kitchen now, staring out at the expanse of space, he felt guilty for ever doubting his friend. It was a large property, a nice one too. He was glad he had somewhere decent to stay. If anybody deserved that, it was Orion. The fact that he had put himself on the line, had created such a permanent rift between himself and Dani, for the sake of keeping him safe… it was something he still considered when he allowed his mind to wander. He wasn’t sure he was ever going to be able to repay him, though showing up for movie nights felt like a pretty good place to start. He had a sneaking suspicion Orion had organised this particular watch party in an attempt to make him feel more grounded, to make him feel more at ease with his new life… or death. But he was really hoping his company had something to offer Rio in return. It must get lonely sometimes, such a big house with nobody in it. 

Turning his attention back to the popcorn as it began to pop in the microwave, he leaned heavily against the kitchen counter. The smell was already overwhelming, but he had been the one to insist. It wasn’t a movie night without popcorn, and something about the mundane routine was incredibly comforting. “So,” he said, turning briefly to Rio who was sitting beside him on the kitchen counter. “What did you say was on the list?” Still watching the timer as it continued to count down the seconds, he used his fingers to tick off the list of franchises he had been given by his friend. “Twilight, of course. But you said The Vampire Diaries, right? Specifically episode one? Did you make this list? Or did you steal it from a teenage girl’s tumblr account? Be honest with me.” 

Sitting on the counter, Orion listened to the microwave’s buzzing as the kernels slowly started to pop. For once, the sound of the microwave and the distant sound of the pool filter wasn’t the only thing to keep Rio busy. He wasn’t sure anybody had been in the house to hang out with him since Skylar had left. It was such a relief to have somebody occupying space in the kitchen with him again. Even if this was only temporary, it was worth it. For just today at least, he wouldn’t feel so alone in this house. “Stop looking like that.” Rio warned, catching his eyes as they floated around the place, “I know what you’re thinking. I’m not a real housewife or whatever those rich people shows are. All of this was purely by chance. And it’s not mine. I’m just staying here for now.” Rio smiled, but he truly didn’t want Milo thinking the wrong thing. He didn’t know why he hated the idea of people thinking this was actually his house, but something about it felt wrong. Like he was living a facade. It was partially true, but not because of this house.

“Not necessarily in that order.” Orion checked his phone for the list he had compiled. Most of the media he had never consumed himself. His parents had never been fond of their children watching such inaccurate depictions of supernatural creatures. They didn’t want Athena and Rio to get the wrong idea of what they were weak to, but more than anything else they didn’t want them romanticizing the idea of what they considered monsters. Clearly, something had gone wrong along the way with Rio. “I did my research from multiple sources.” Rio countered, not necessarily disclosing where those sources came from. “I never got to watch this stuff growing up, so I’m going in just as blind as you. But I have seen some scenes from Twilight. Personally, I think it could have been worse.” 

Milo laughed, unable to help himself. “I’m not looking like anything.” He insisted, holding up his hands in surrender. “I am, however, wondering who your sugar daddy is and how I can get in on the action.” His eyes were shining with mischief as he teased Orion. He knew his friend wouldn’t mind, and sometimes he just made it so easy. “Oh, because the order is important?” He asked, sarcasm dripping from his tone. “Trash is trash, Rio. Sometimes you just gotta sit back and enjoy it.” Pulling open the door to the microwave as the alarm began to sound, he shook the bag of popcorn before emptying it into the bowl he had ready. His fingertips burned with the heat. It was strange no longer needing to worry about that. “Multiple sources being tumblr?” He raised his eyebrows, chewing absentmindedly on a piece of popcorn. The taste was pretty close to how he remembered it, only dull, and one note. Wrinkling his nose, he took another piece for the sake of it.  

“Wait, you never got to watch vampire movies?” He had wrongly assumed Rio’s childhood largely consisted of vampire movies, and scary supernatural YA. It made sense considering what he was, what his parents were hoping he would grow up to become. Realising that may not be true was a reminder of just how much he didn’t know, just how much they still had to talk about when Orion was ready. If Orion was ready. “Wouldn’t that be like… homework for you?” He was genuinely curious to know. He hadn’t been allowed to watch much TV because his own parents had made it very clear they wanted him to study in his free time. But surely watching shows about the supernatural, learning about the supernatural, was studying for a hunter. “I guess we’re in it together then. Maybe we should start with Twilight after that glowing review.”  

“I know you’re joking and that you don’t actually think I have a sugar… dad.” Orion scrunched his nose at the thought of saying the word. He didn’t have the emotional capacity to have a relationship like that. “It was a very specific and weird order of events that led to me being here. Including but not limited to my parents sucking, invading a girl’s privacy, getting attacked by a man eating watermelon and eventually the only person I’ve ever dated and I breaking up.” He was shortening events obviously, but this provided a very small glimpse of the life that Rio never disclosed to Milo at the comic book shop. They had never talked much about personal lives there, avoiding it altogether to chat about comic books instead. “My sources prefer to remain undisclosed.” He crossed his arms and pouted, abandoning Milo in the kitchen with the popcorn to head to the living room. 

“It’s not really considered homework when it’s not accurate.” Rio spoke normally, but figured Milo would be able to hear him from where he was in the kitchen. Rio started setting up the tv to get their first pick of the night ready. “Not to say all of them are inaccurate, they all get a little bit right. But they thought it would do more harm than good.” Rio still found time to watch a few when he could. Whether it was through the movie theater or at the Scribrary when he not so formally moved in there. “Besides, vampires were never my families focus anyways.” He nodded in agreement with Milo on the movie pick and found the movie, starting it up before pausing, “Ready when you are.” 

“But am I joking though?” Milo teased, laughing at the term Orion chose to use. “You can say daddy, you know. It isn’t going to kill you.” He laughed again, surprising himself with how easily the sound escaped him. Hugging the bowl of popcorn to his chest, he couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so at ease, couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so warm. “Was the specific order of events signing up to a sugar daddy website? Going on a date? And then securing a sugar daddy?” Falling silent when Rio began to elaborate, he was reminded not for the first time of just how strange his life had been. Nobody who hadn’t grown up with the supernatural could ever drop a carnivorous watermelon into the conversation as though it was on the same level as a break up. “Huh, no kidding about the complicated…” He muttered, deciding not to ask any further questions. He didn’t want to bring the mood down, but he also didn’t want to make his friend uncomfortable. There was a time and a place for serious conversation, and the start of a trashy movie marathon didn’t feel like either.  

Chewing on another piece of popcorn, he didn’t immediately follow Rio to the living room. Instead, he took the time to enjoy the moment, observing the mundane aspects of the kitchen, and appreciating them in a way he never had before. His life had been turned upside down, for a month before meeting Harsh he had spent his time between the abandoned buildings, the streets of town, and the woods. No kitchens, no bathrooms, no comfortable living space. It felt good to be back, to be grounded again. Listening to Orion as he explained why his parents had kept him away from certain shows and films, he could almost understand the logic. Not knowing whether Hunters had hearing on par with his own, he finally wandered into the living room to reply. “I guess that makes sense… though I can think of a few films that would probably help if they were trying to make you see these people as monsters. I mean basically every horror movie ever, let’s be real.” Raising his eyebrows at the mention of vampires not being the family's focus, he set the popcorn down on the coffee table. “Oh, yeah?” He asked, dropping onto the couch, making himself comfortable without any kind hesitation. Couch surfing in the years before his death had left him more than capable of relaxing in other people’s houses. “Do I want to know what your family’s focus was?” Nodding towards the screen, he let Rio know he was ready without potentially interrupting an answer to his question. There was still so much he needed to learn.  

“I really feel like it could kill me. For my own sanity I’ll just avoid saying it altogether.” Milo was saying the word daddy way too many times for Orion’s sanity. Was this what Rio had set himself up for when he stayed in Skylar’s house? Sugar daddy accusations? The idea might be a bit less shocking if normal, no strings attached sex didn’t terrify Rio to his core. He couldn’t even sleep with his ex, who he adored. He couldn’t say he was surprised when Milo didn’t ask for any elaboration. Life here was complicated. They wouldn’t actually get to watch anything if they waited around for Rio to tell his life story. 

“They had plenty of stories all on their own.” Rio remembered his parents' stories vividly. They spared no detail of the gore they had witnessed. They liked to talk about the death and destruction werewolves or fae would leave behind. Though they never spent as much time talking about what they would do to it in turn. Ironically, the ending always included some kind of heroic intervention. Their parents or their grandparents swooping in at the perfect time and serving justice. His sister used to fall for those stories every single time. Rio used to be afraid of those stories. It wasn’t until he got older that he realized exactly what he should have been afraid of. Rio pressed play on the movie and let it get started, but continued talking with Milo. “Depends on how much about the supernatural you want to know. Both of my parents came from different families of hunters. So Athena and I got to focus on two things growing up. Werewolves and Fae. But my… abilities were always focused towards werewolves.”  

Milo made a big deal about pouting in disappointment. “Is that because you’re only allowed to say it in Daddy’s company?” He asked, before raising his arms in surrender. “Okay, okay- I’ll stop now, I swear- I couldn’t resist.” His smile fading as the conversation became serious once again, he leaned back against the cushions behind him, listening intently to what Orion had to say. His own parents had been strict, and rigid. Growing up, their expectations of him had been unreasonably high, and in his opinion, put him under an unnecessary amount of stress. But they had been loving, and caring, and they had never resorted to scare tactics. He couldn’t imagine the trauma Rio might be carrying from being intentionally scared by the people who were supposed to protect him. Had they really told him stories equal to the horror movies he used to binge watch? Surely it had to be worse if they were based on the truth? On experiences they had been through?  

Laughing quietly, he reached forward again to pick up the popcorn bowl, somehow feeling more comfortable when he was holding it. The smell reminded him of watching movies with his parents, as did the action of occasionally eating some, even if the taste wasn’t quite there anymore. “I mean, it isn’t as though I can just ignore it…” He pointed out. He could bury his head in the sand, but there were too many things out there he had a feeling he should know about. Supernatural life had to be easier when you understood the full extent of the world you were living in. He wanted that to be true, at least. “Huh… so werewolves really do exist.” He muttered, more to himself than to Rio. It was something he had suspected for a while, but his friend was now the first person to confirm the fact. “Fae?” He echoed, realising he wasn’t familiar with the term. Pausing for a moment, recognising the way Orion hesitated, he chewed thoughtfully on a piece of popcorn, offering the bowl to him as though it might remind him he was in a safe environment. “So, forgetting the- you know, the bad stuff, what can you do?” He asked curiously. “You’re different, right? You told Dani you barely counted as human so… are we talking Spider-Man backflips? Or is it something else? Was one of your ancestors bitten by a radioactive werewolf?” He wanted to give Orion the chance to talk in a playful way, in a way that almost trivialised the darker aspects of his life. Rio had begun to make vampire jokes, and the relaxed environment they created helped to lift some of the weight from his shoulders. Maybe, just maybe, he could return the sentiment. 

Orion was mostly happy to ignore the beginning scenes of the movie in favor of talking with Milo. Even if the topic was his least favorite to discuss. For some reason, things with Milo just seemed easier. He could casually talk about topics he would usually avoid unless absolutely necessary. “Sorry to ruin your fun. I’m sure you wanted to find out about werewolves naturally.” Rio laughed, gesturing for the bowl of popcorn and then opening his mouth to see if Milo would try to throw it to him. “Fae are a lot more complicated. That’s a supernatural lesson for another night. But they have their own sect of hunters.” He didn’t need to overwhelm Milo with all of that knowledge. There were too many fae to describe in a single setting anyways. Not that Rio knew all of them as it was.  

Rio couldn’t but laugh at the radioactive werewolf comment. The comic humor didn’t escape him, but it was the irony of the theory that made it even better “Oh god I wish. If hunters found out they were actually descended from werewolves I think their heads would spin.” Rio might actually go back to the Silver Bullet if he got to see that. “Yeah. I guess. I have this sort of… sixth sense I guess. If a werewolf is around I can feel it.” The gift that kept on giving. He had never figured out if there was an off switch to it. He mostly just dealt with it until he went numb to the tingling sensation. “I have faster reflexes. I’m kinda strong. I heal a bit faster than normal humans. Oh and I can see in the dark.” Rio tried shrugging them off. He never liked his abilities. No matter how great they might be objectively. “I could probably do a spider-man backflip if I trained. Any more questions?” 

“Oh, no. I’ve already found out way too much without anyone to guide me through it. I’m done with finding things out on my own.” Milo assured his friend. In reality, it had been an incredibly difficult, and jarring process, but sitting here with Orion now made it more than easy to shrug off. Raising his eyebrows when he realised what he was being asked to do with the popcorn, he laughed, shifting on the sofa to give himself a better angle before aiming carefully. He so nearly missed, but with a sharp tilt of his head Rio caught the popcorn on his tongue, and he felt a ridiculous sense of accomplishment that definitely wasn’t warranted. Nodding in acceptance of Fae being too broad of a subject to cover without ruining the evening, he shelved his curiosity, ready for another night, another conversation. Offering Orion a grin when he laughed, he was genuinely proud of himself for being able to draw it out of him. He knew him well enough to understand this subject wasn’t one he was overly comfortable with. And he was not only talking about it now, but willing to joke about it. He enjoyed that.  

“The ultimate plot twist, right?” He agreed, listening to the description of a sixth sense, wondering if it felt anything like being able to sense the blood pumping through a person’s veins. There were some moments it was all he could think about, hearing their heartbeat, feeling the heat of their skin, the pulse in their neck… he swallowed, pushing away the thought before he could make himself thirsty. That wasn’t going to be productive. And it certainly wouldn’t do anything to help his case in proving to Orion he was the same person he had always been. “So kind of like Spider-Man?” He confirmed. “I was almost right.” At the mention of any more questions, he sat up straight, attempting to look as serious as he could. “Only two. Potentially the two most important questions you are ever going to be asked. Number one; are you Team Edward, or Team Jacob?” He waited for his words to register before continuing, gesturing to the screen where the Cullen’s were entering the school cafeteria. They were walking in slow motion, their skin white, and pale against the film’s dramatic colour grading, and their faces were striking, intense, so obviously intended to be sexy. “Number two;” he added, maintaining his mock sincerity. “Do I look like that now? There’s only one right answer to this question, okay? Don’t hurt my feelings.”  

Orion hadn’t exactly spoken about his history with the Scribrary. Or rather, two separate scribe buildings that he had access to now. The drama with Dani and the discovery of the hunter heritage all felt so fresh that RIo didn’t feel the need to pile on top of that with the Scribe history. But Milo might have lucked out in friendship when it came to finding someone with supernatural knowledge. Milo accommodated Rio’s request and tossed a piece of popcorn that Rio just barely managed to catch. The surprise took over, and he shot his arms up in the air in a triumphant cheer, maybe an overreaction but not one he was going to regret.  

“I’m not that lucky. My family was convinced that the powers come directly from God. So take that as you will.” Rio was glad Milo was getting such a kick out of this. It was surprisingly easy to talk about it when the conversation wasn’t so… depressing. “Basically. I’m not nearly as cool or pretty as Peter Parker though.” He had gone through a long Peter Parker phase when he was younger, for obvious reasons. Rio was ready for his follow up questions until Milo actually asked them. He rolled his eyes and groaned in response, but felt his posture relax slightly at the change of subject. “I’ve seen enough memes to know the only right answer is Bella’s dad. I mean like… look at him.” Rio pointed at the screen, even though he wasn’t actually on it at the time. His point stood. “What’s so bad about looking like that, huh? I think you’ve always sparkled to me.” Rio laughed to himself and shot an innocent smile in Milo’s direction, “You look much more alive than they do.” 

There was something so endearing about the way Rio celebrated his win, that for a few seconds following Milo found himself entirely speechless, overwhelmed by the affection he felt for his friend. “Maybe you are God.” He teased, barely putting any consideration into the joke, knowing Orion would appreciate it regardless. “Maybe you’re going to get older and suddenly inherit your omnipotence. If you don’t know what to do with your powers, please come to me. I have some pretty great ideas, you know. Tequila in every water fountain would be a good place to start...” Laughing at the mention of Peter Parker, he wasn’t sure he had met anyone who hadn’t crushed on the character at some point in their life. Sexual orientation didn’t come into play in relation to Spider-Man. “Hey, don’t put yourself down like that. You’re every bit as great as Peter Parker. I’d choose you over him any fucking day.”  

Feeling a spark of satisfaction at the reaction to his questions, his eyes were shining with mischief. He was unapologetically proud of garnering such a response. “Okay, but is Bella’s dad hotter than Jacob, is that what you’re trying to tell me here?” If he had a heartbeat, he knew he would be blushing at the comment on sparkling. It was such a stupid thing to get flustered over, but he was rarely ever the recipient of compliments. He didn’t know how to accept them. “You know…” He shifted on the couch, readjusting the popcorn bowl. “That’s probably a good thing because if you try pushing me into the sunlight it isn’t going to end well. Let me sparkle in the dark, please and thank you.” Glancing back up at the screen, he wondered if the vampires in Twilight had reflections. Surely they must, how else would they look so flawlessly put together? “I do?” He asked curiously, pressing his fingertips to one of his cheeks as though he would be able to feel what Orion was talking about, the difference in complexion, the difference in demeanour. “I guess I don’t really know what I look like anymore… it’s weird only seeing myself on my phone screen, it isn’t like I can use any natural lighting either. The whole thing is just… really fucking weird.”  

“You’re getting way too deep for me.” Orion laughed, lowering his victory arms and pull his legs up until a fetal position instead. “I’d have to get old in the first place. Hunters don’t exactly have the same life expectancy as an average human.” Sure, that was mostly due to the dangerous nature of their lives. But Rio had already decided long ago that just turning away from his hunter heritage and trying to live a normal life wasn’t enough. He had to actively try to protect the supernatural. In a way, he might be cutting his life even shorter. He was siding with people that may want to kill by going against those that would protect him. He wasn’t going to be getting much love from either side, in some cases. “I’ll make sure to keep your suggestions in mind though. In case I ever meet them.” Not that he really believed in any of that. “Now I know you’re just being nice. Everybody would choose Peter Parker.” 

With a shrug, Rio tried to defend his statement, “I’ve been spoiled on some parts of this series. There’s a lot to be left desired about Jacob. Mr. Swan seems like a nice guy. I mean he’s older than what I would be comfortable dating, but honestly I’m just not comfortable dating.” Honesty was a virtue, or so they say. Rio spent so much of his life lying that when he finally met those he could tell the truth to it seemed to all erupt at once like a volcano. “Yeah. Suddenly the night hang outs make a lot more sense.” Rio considered what Milo talked about. It was so strange, the idea that he could no longer see himself. Something that was so trivial to most people that they don’t think twice about it as they pass by a mirror and check their hair. “Sure. I mean, I’m not like… I don’t know studying your features or anything but…” Not off to a great start, “You just look like… you. The movie seems to over exaggerate the pale features and stuff like that. I don’t think you look much different. Which is nice.” Jesus, his face felt like it was on fire. He thought he had moved past this by now? 

“Hm, I don’t think anybody has ever called me ‘deep’ before.” Milo admitted, doing nothing to hide how amused he was. “I kind of like it.” His smile fading rapidly at Orion’s second comment, he suddenly found himself eyeing his friend with an open, and unguarded concern. It was a strange thing to say so casually, especially when it was clearly not intended as a joke. He hadn’t considered the life expectancy of Hunters until this moment, and he wasn’t sure it was something he really wanted to dwell on. Orion was safe, because Orion wasn’t a Hunter, right? How could you be a Hunter when you weren’t actively hunting? He wasn’t stupid enough to believe it was that simple, but for now, he was happy to convince himself otherwise. “Please do.” He said, easily falling back into their banter. “I think Tequila on tap would make the world a much greater place to be.” Offering Rio a warm smile, he needed him to see how serious he was. “Rio,” he said, his voice slow, and sincere. “I promise I would choose you. I mean, fuck Peter Parker. Come on...” Peter had a lot to offer, sure. But in his own mind Orion also had powers, Orion was just as interesting, if not more interesting because unlike Peter, he had actively saved his life. Or… unlife? He still wasn’t sure how that terminology worked.  

His smile only growing when his friend proceeded to announce just how much he really knew about the Twilight series, he couldn’t bring himself to tease him for it. Not after the reminder of how grateful he was to be in his company. “Hey, you know what? Neither am I.” He admitted, quite possibly for the first time out loud. You only had to look at his history, at the ridiculous patterns of repeated behaviour for his commitment issues to become apparent. Even he knew he had them, he wasn’t about to deny it. His childhood had been too structured, too rigid. It had left him with a determination to be free. He still wasn’t entirely sure what his definition of ‘free’ was, especially now. But he did know it didn’t include dating. “Honestly, people are probably better off without having to deal with my bullshit anyway.” He absentmindedly took a handful of popcorn from the bowl, eating the pieces one by one before speaking again. “I was always more active at night anyway.” He shrugged off his new limitations. Life didn’t feel all too different in that aspect. The days had always been reserved for sleeping off hangovers and comedowns, the only thing he really missed was working. And Tower Comics usually had late shifts on offer, so hopefully he wouldn’t have to miss it for very long.  

Pausing for a moment, hand halfway back to the popcorn, he realised Orion was observing him, carefully taking him in. It made him feel strangely exposed, but not uncomfortable like he might have assumed. There was something about his friend that made him feel so at ease, he couldn’t explain it even if he wanted to. He could only hope the sentiment was shared between them. The relief he felt when he was assured he still looked like himself was unexpected, until the words escaped Rio he had been entirely convinced it didn’t matter, he didn’t care. There was something so grounding about realising his appearance hadn’t changed. It was only further validation of the fact that he was still Milo, regardless of what Dani believed. Regardless of what Hunters and Slayers were taught about his kind. A half smile tugging at his lips, he didn’t hide how vulnerable he felt, because he didn’t want to hide how vulnerable he felt. He wanted to be honest, Rio deserved that much from him. “Thank you.” He murmured, his voice barely louder than a whisper. It didn’t take very long for him to push his vulnerability to the side though, because it became all too easy to make a joke as the blood rushed to Rio’s face. He believed Rio when he said he was over his crush, but he was always going to enjoy watching him blush. “You know, blushing in front of a vampire kind of makes you look like a snack.” He grinned, hoping his play on words would be obvious, and Rio would realise he was paying him a compliment.  

“Do you want me to repeat it again so you can hear it more?” Orion laughed, resting his chin on his knees and shifting his tone to an only partially faked form of admiration, “Wow, Milo. You’re just soooo deep. I’ve never met anyone as intellectual as you.” Rio grinned after finishing, leaning back against the arm of the chair, “Hope that helped.” Despite the joking nature of the conversation, Milo seemed all too sincere when doubling down that Rio was better than Peter Parker. As absurd as that sounded, Rio couldn’t help but be a bit flattered. More than that though, he felt embarrassed by the compliment. One that he didn’t exactly know how to reply to. He was always terrible at accepting compliments. Instead, he switched guys. “Right. Well you should be careful who you promise stuff to. It’s a whole fae thing, I’ll explain later. But just be mindful of words like that to people.” Rio had learned the hard way just how dangerous a promise could be in the wrong hands. “But uh… thanks.” 

Rio didn’t know how to respond to Milo. Rio wasn’t good at relationships, though maybe for different reasons than Milo. He didn’t know how to tell Milo that he didn’t seem like a hassle at all without it sounding like Rio was trying to date him. He shrugged the question off instead, choosing instead to show minor interest in the movie again until Milo mentioned being more active at night. “Yeah, I guess I sort of am too. I get the most done at night.” Less distractions to worry about, he figured. 

Having his red face pointed out to him probably made Rio blush even harder. At the very least, it made his cheeks light on fire. “A joke about eating me? That’s just in poor taste.” Rio couldn’t even pretend to be serious, not with his giggling and the smile that wouldn’t leave his face. If compliments made him so awkward, how come he also couldn’t stop grinning? “Most people think I’m one missed meal away from snapping in half. This town thinks I’m like a saltine cracker or something. Just waiting to be stepped on and crumble.” Was that how Rio avoided dealing with the possibility that the vampire had just called him cute? Definitely. 

“Obviously.” Milo countered quickly, tilting his chin in an attempt to look proud, and smug, as Orion elaborated on his intelligence. “Thank you, thank you.” He teased. “I don’t try at all, you know? It just comes to me naturally.” Quickly dissolving into laughter, he caught his friends eye, joining him in sinking back down into the cushions. “Oh, it did.” He assured Rio. “I appreciate the confidence boost.” A frown creasing his brow as he listened curiously to the warning, he hadn’t forgotten their unwritten agreement to put off the difficult conversations, to keep things light-hearted, and fun, and deal with the real world at another time. But he had a burning desire to know more, to understand. He felt as though he had been living in the dark, metaphorically, of course, for far too long now. Orion had become his light. “Okay, how about swearing? If I swear to choose you over Peter Parker, is that going to put me in danger?” He asked, genuinely wanting to know. “Hm, you don’t need to thank me, you dork. Thank Parker for being lamer than you are.” He nudged him with his shoulder, encouraging him to smile. “Who knew that was possible, huh?”  

Dropping his head back against the cushions behind him, he turned his attention to the film as Orion insisted he was also a night owl. He kind of figured, given how they had reconnected, but it was a nice detail, one he was very happy to know. With every day that passed he could feel them trusting each other more, getting closer, and more comfortable with being who they were. What they were. He used to have that with Dani… not so much now. And he was so, so grateful he wasn’t alone. Laughing again, even harder this time, he couldn’t help himself. The situation was so ridiculous, so beyond funny that he had to laugh. If he didn’t laugh he would cry, or go insane, whichever came first. “Oh really?” He demanded, his eyes shining as he looked back at his friend. “You started it with the whole pointing out my lungs don’t work for shit, so… do you know how rude it is to tell someone they’re dead? How do you think Edward would feel?” Humming quietly, making his amusement abundantly clear, he chewed on another piece of popcorn. “Yeah, well, the joke’s on them because Saltine Crackers taste fucking great. Hey look,” he feigned surprise, wondering if he could elicit another blush. “Another joke about eating you.”  

Orion had to appreciate Milo’s commitment to this Peter Parker debate. He wasn’t Rio’s favorite character by any means, but he was one of the most popular characters in probably all of comics. Being compared to and even rated above him was a surprisingly good feeling. “Swearing is tricky too. Though I guess not for a statement like that.” Unless there were any real Peter Parker’s in the world whose life came in danger soon. “It’s best to avoid any potentially binding statements like that. Just to be safe.” Rio needed to take his own advice. It was pathetic how easily he fell into Lydia’s grasp when he had grown up with two wardens constantly warning him of the dangers of fae. “Well I’m going to make sure my headstone reads that I was less lame than Peter Parker. Probably my biggest accomplishment in life.” 

It was so nice not sitting on the couch by himself like he normally did every night. Even if they were watching a movie that Rio didn’t particularly care for. Things could be a lot worse. Right now with Milo things seemed pretty okay. Good even. “That’s old news now, you can’t use that against me!” It didn’t matter that it was barely a week old, Rio just wanted the spotlight off of him again. “I’d like to think that he would have a sense of humor about it.” He paused, glancing at the screen and trying to think of more than once in the entire movie so far that he had actually smiled, “Actually, never mind. Point taken.” Oh god. Did Milo just making another joke about eating Rio? Far past the vampire reference, this made Rio heat up even further. He dug his forehead into his raised knees and curled up into a ball so Milo couldn’t get the satisfaction of seeing his face. “No fair. You’re doing this on purpose!” Rio yelled, the sound slightly muffled from pressing against his jeans. 

“Hm, okay.” Milo agreed, nodding as he took in what Orion was telling him. Until the real conversations, until they could sit down and talk about everything he didn’t know, he was going to hold onto the snippets of information he was given. He was smart enough to understand if Rio was telling him now, on their supposed night off from the world of the supernatural, then it was important. “No binding statements, got it. I stand by what I said though.” He added, grinning at his friend. “Only slightly less lame, but, you know... it’s enough.” He didn’t want to imagine any gravestone for Rio, the idea of mortality versus immortality was something he had strictly refused to let himself think about, but he had to admit the thought of the tagline was amusing. “You’re not going to top that, so you may as well give up now.” He teased, catching Rio’s eye and feeling an undeniable rush of affection. He needed this, a reminder that all hope wasn’t lost. There were things, and people, worth living for.  

Laughing at the response to the previous joke being dragged back to the present, he shook his head, allowing himself to focus on the now. He got lost in his own head far too often, and he didn’t want to miss a second of this night with Orion. “Nope, that so isn’t how it works.” He insisted. “I think you’ll find I can, and I will.” Laughing again as they both turned to watch Edward on screen, the vampire’s mouth a thin, straight line, his body filled with obvious tension, he couldn’t remember laughing this hard since his death. He couldn’t remember feeling so normal. Who knew Twilight was going to be his saviour? Only tearing his gaze away from the screen to watch Rio hide his face, he playfully reached out to tug at his arms. “Doing what on purpose?” He asked, his innocence very obviously disingenuous. “Doing what? I don’t understand, Rio. My mind is pure, and innocent, and virtuous. I’m only trying to compliment you.”  

“I’ll take what I can get. Slightly less lame is just fine.” Orion laughed, revelling in this moment. Where all that seemed to matter was Milo, Peter Parker and the sounds of twilight distant in the background. It was a good moment. “Clearly I’ve peaked in life. No reason to go on from here.” It had been so, so long since he had been able to laugh like that. It almost made him sad, thinking about how lonely he had felt lately. But he pushed aside that butterfly in his stomach. Good vibes only tonight. 

Rio wasn’t going to budge as Milo pulled at his arms, refusing to give him a win on this. A small bit of light shone through as his leg shifted and he peaked up to meet Milo’s eye, “I don’t believe you.” Rio pouted, readjusting to shut his leg again. “I don’t think you’re pure, innocent or virtuous.” Eventually, Rio had to end the facade and lifted his head back up. He feigned annoyance, narrowing his eyes at his guest and crossing his arms. “You know if you had ‘complimented me’ like that like a year ago I probably would have melted to the floor right?” He used his fingers to make air quotes. They both knew that was true. Until Rio met Winston and started dating them, Milo was one of the small list of pretty guys that Rio could barely form words around. Another being Ricky and Adam. Thankfully, that had passed. Or Rio sure hoped that it had. The redness in his face seemed to be arguing against that. “Don’t you have a movie to watch? Notes to take? Like about baseball and spider monkeys?”  

“Good.” Milo teased. “I would hate for you to be disappointed.” Laughing at Orion’s comment, he gestured to where they were sitting. “I mean, you’re sitting on a couch watching Twilight with a vampire. You’ve definitely peaked.” Picking up a piece of popcorn and throwing it lazily at his friend, he rolled his eyes, splitting his attention between their conversation and the movie. “That doesn’t mean you get to tap out though, asshole, so you can quit with no reason to go on. When I say give up I mean spend your life getting high, and eating pizza. Because we both know those are two excellent motivators for staying alive.” His laughter only coming more easily to him as Rio refused to budge, he eventually let go of his arms, allowing him re-emerge from the darkness in his own time.  

“Excuse me, I am all three of those things.” He countered, pretending to be offended by the apparent lack of faith. “But I guess I can forgive you, I’m a complicated person, so difficult to understand.” He was being overly dramatic for the sake of it, but wasn’t that what was so great about this night? They could be young, and dumb, and make stupid jokes. They could shut away the outside world and pretend the only thing that mattered were their ridiculous attempts at humour, and the emotionless, super hot vampires on the television screen. “Yeah, I know, I’m sad I didn’t realise at the time.” He grinned mischievously. “Although maybe that would have driven you away and then where would you have bought your comics from?” Shoving Rio gently when he told him he should be taking notes, the popcorn bowl spilled over, but he paid no attention to the scattered pieces. He would clean them up when necessary, but the whole point of right now was being free, living in the moment. “Yeah? Maybe we should try out for the same team. You’re every bit as weird as I am, you know? With your X-Men Hunter mutation bullshit. We’re in this together now.” He did nothing to hide how much the closing statement meant to him, allowing the warmth of his words to remind him he was cared for, and protected. They both were. 

“That’s what you call peaking, huh?” Orion laughed sarcastically, “I’d love to say I have higher standards. Clearly that’s not true.” And it wasn’t. His two best friends now were a werewolf and a vampire. It was like something out of a dream. Or maybe one of his parent’s nightmares. The majority of his friend group was supernaturally inclined in some way. Whether that be spellcasters or one of the supernatural beings his parents tried and failed to raise him to despise. Rio plucked the piece of popcorn from the couch that Milo so rudely launched at him and popped it in his mouth. “I don’t smoke though, so that’s already one reason eliminated. I do love pizza though.” Rio glanced up at the ceiling to consider that prospect. Pizza did sound pretty appealing. Actually, pizza sounded good right now. “Hmm, maybe we should order a pizza.” 

“Not right now, you aren’t.” Rio refused to give him anything while he teased him for the crush Rio had before the two were legitimate friends. It felt like a lifetime ago admittedly, though in reality it had probably been less than a year. Rio had a habit of developing feelings like that for just about every pretty guy that spoke nice words to him. At least until Rio moved in with Ricky and Winston and Rio practically fell in love with Winston instead. Rio hadn’t felt anything quite like that since Winston left town. “Don’t be. I wouldn’t have known how to date back then even if I had the opportunity.” He barely figured out how to date Winston, and that had been an entire saga on its own, “And don’t smile at me like that!” Though he detested the idea of being compared to a hunter, he understood Milo’s sentiment and at least appreciated that he veiled it with comic book references, “I’m only going to take that as a compliment because you compared me to the X-Men. But absolutely not. No sports for me.” 

“I’m offended by the implication of you settling for my company.” Milo teased. “But I’ll choose to let that slide because I’m comfortable and I don’t want to waste my energy on a dramatic exit.” Laughing quietly when Rio ate the popcorn he had dropped, he carefully contemplated the suggestion of pizza. It was another food he hadn’t tried since becoming a vampire. If his experiences with eating and drinking were anything to go on, it would be nowhere near as enjoyable as it used to be. But wasn’t that what you were supposed to do? You ate popcorn until you were genuinely hungry, and then you decided to order takeout. The familiarity of the routine was too strong for him to say no. “Want to order after Twilight?” He asked, glancing back towards the screen. They had to be reaching the middle of the film, they might even be two thirds of the way through. “Heads up, though. If you put garlic on it, then you’re going to end up on the menu.” 

His smile only growing as Orion continued to insist he wasn’t pure, innocent, or virtuous, he finally abandoned his claims. “Maybe not.” He admitted, content to give in now that he had pushed back just a little. He had to at least remain indignant if he was going to accept defeat. Forgetting the makeshift disagreement, he settled further down into the cushions, pulling his legs up beneath him, listening to his friend explain he wouldn’t have known how to date. It was hardly surprising, given what he had come to know about Orion’s quiet, and gentle nature. But if he was being honest, he hadn’t either. Hell, he still didn’t know how to date. They had met just under a year ago, but it was clear a lot had changed for both of them over such a short period of time. “Screw you, I’m allowed to smile at you!” He countered, his tone petulant, but filled with affection. “And yeah, I knew the X-Men talk would do it, you’re very predictable, you know?” 

“Well I’m offended by your attacks on me tonight. And for using my old crush against me to tease me. Both are very rude.” Orion hummed matter-of-factly, “So we can both be offended together. But only one of us gets the dramatic exit at the end.” He didn’t get many relationships like this. Teasing and comfort didn’t come naturally to him. It was hard to find his groove in a conversation when he had to spend so much of it planning ahead and second guessing every single word both before and after it came out of his mouth. Normally, he spent just as much time stumbling through a sentence as he did actually speaking. It usually took a lot of time and a lot of effort and patience on the other parties side to crack through some of that anxiety. Even then, he had only really achieved that sense of ease with a few people. Ariana, Blanche, Winston and Skylar were the first that came to mind. Now Milo too. It was comforting knowing that there were at least some people in town he could be his unfiltered self around. “You don’t have to ask me twice.” Rio shook his head passionately, the idea of pizza far too good to pass up. “Oh ha ha. Very funny. No garlic crust for us apparently.” 

A yawn escaped Rio, and he stretched before readjusting on the couch to lay on his bed across it. He kept his knees bent and his head propped on the arm so he could still look over at Milo. “But I like you anyways” Rio reassured the vampire and gave him a thumbs up from his new position on the couch. “You’re allowed to smile at me. Just not like that.” Rio was still joking, but it had definitely been different than the other grins the two had exchanged. Rio didn’t have the energy to try to discern why it felt so different. Besides, he didn’t want to ruin the mood. He kept shifting his view between the movie and Milo. “Being predictable is exactly the vibe I’m going for. Nonthreatening, predictable, totally normal non-hunter Rio.” 

“This is your house, moron, so obviously I get the dramatic exit.” Milo pointed out, very pleased they were in something together, even if the comment had been trivial, and light-hearted. It felt good to be side by side with Orion. He knew, to a certain extent, they really were in this together. In everything together. His friendship with Rio was quickly becoming his main source of support, and he couldn’t imagine it any other way. “You don’t need to tell me, I know I’m hilarious.” He added, watching as his friend stretched lazily, curling up on the sofa in a way that stupidly made him want to find a blanket, fetch him a hot chocolate, and make sure he was comfortable. He looked so innocent, it would be impossible to know all of the terrible things he had seen in his life. The struggles he had to face on a daily basis. Turning his attention back to the film, he couldn’t say anything particularly interesting had happened, but he had to admit he had thoroughly enjoyed the viewing experience. Despite not knowing what like that meant, he hummed quietly in response. “Sure, whatever.” A quiet laugh managed to escape him as he made a start on what was left of the popcorn. “I don’t know about labels, but whoever you are, I like you very much. I appreciate your vibes, you know.” He was only half teasing, needing Rio to know he genuinely enjoyed his company, that moments like these meant more to him than he could ever possibly say.  

Keeping his gaze fixed on the screen, he didn’t want to embarrass Orion further, even if he was desperate to see his reaction to the admission, so he fell back into a comfortable silence, patiently allowing the end of the story play out. Simultaneously, it felt as though it was over in minutes, and took hours to finally draw to a close, but as the credits began to roll, accompanied by a tacky love song he embarrassingly recognised, he turned back to Orion, ready to ask him whether he still wanted pizza. It didn’t take him long to realise his friend definitely wasn’t hungry, though, and he stared, almost in shock, as Orion slept soundly on the cushions beside him. It wasn’t as though he was surprised he was tired, or surprised he had been lulled to sleep by what he could only assume was a vampire satire. It was the fact that he had fallen asleep next to him. Next to a vampire. Dani had made it perfectly clear he couldn’t be trusted, that nobody should be left alone with him. And although he knew Orion didn’t agree with her, being alone with somebody fully conscious was very different to being alone with them and unaware. Being alone with them and vulnerable. Biting down on his bottom lip, repressing a smile, he shrugged off his hoodie without jostling the couch, carefully draping it over Orion’s form. He could try and find a blanket, but wandering his house without his permission felt too much like a violation, so hopefully the item of clothing would suffice. He didn’t need to sleep, he didn’t need to rest in the same way Orion did, but as he settled back down again, unable to tear his gaze away, he realised he was in a position to protect. To care for somebody he was fairly certain wasn’t used to being cared for. “Night, Rio… I’ll be here when you wake up.”  

[starrybethany]

Clayton Keller: Part 6

Word count: 2252

I groan, stirring against whatever hard surface I’m laying on. Wait, why am I laying on a hard surface and not my bed? My eyes open and I recognize the legs of my dining room chairs before anything else. Did I really sleep on my kitchen floor last night? Why would I do that?

My muscles cry as I lift myself into a sitting position and my head throbs as I rise to my feet. Oh, I passed out while drunk. That’s why.

There’s already a bottle of Tylenol and a glass of water sitting on my kitchen counter, along with a note from Tyler wishing me luck after getting as blacked out drunk as I did. I guess all of the stress got to me last night with the cherry on top being the fight with Clayton that I figured the only way to make it better for a little while would be alcohol.

My muscles and my headache relax significantly as I shower, pulling on some leggings and a baggy sweatshirt, letting my wet hair fall over my shoulders as I gag over some crackers in the kitchen.

My phone is nowhere to be found in this room and I didn’t see it in the bathroom or my bedroom, so I head to the living room to find it. It takes ten minutes but I finally find it in between the pages of a book, which I should have noticed immediately since the width increased immensely.

All I want to do today is sleep and watch movies from the early 2000s, but I grab my backpack and head towards the library knowing I should study for these midterms so I don’t flunk out of this college that I’m oh so desperately trying to afford. It’s not as hard with a paycheck from Clayton, though.

I’m two units deep into my early American literature class when someone slides into the booth across from me. I finish the line I’m reading before looking up, smiling when my eyes meet Paige’s eyes.

I feel bad for leaving her last night, especially just to have a shitty interaction with Clayton. Instead of that I could’ve been comforting my old friend and shoving some more Oreos down her throat.

“I wanted to thank you for being there for me last night. I know we’ve kind of drifted apart, but I’m glad to know that I can always turn to you,” she tells me in a hushed voice.

My chest gets warm at her words. I was feeling so guilty for ditching her but all along she just cherished that I was there in the first place. “You’re welcome, Paige. Andrew’s a douchebag, you know that, right?”

She shrugs. “I’m getting there.”

I turn back to my laptop while she pulls out a notebook, scanning along the pages with her finger. An hour passes before she speaks again.

“So what are you doing Wednesday night?”

I bite my lip in thought. “Probably the same thing I’m doing right now.”

“Well, if you’d like to take a break for a couple of hours, let me know. I got tickets for the Coyotes game against the Blues and I was supposed to take Andrew but-”she shakes her head. “Just let me know by tomorrow if you’d like to go.”

“I’d love to go,” I smile at her. I might not know how hockey works despite the WAGs trying to explain it to me, but I am a woman who loves to see a bunch of hot, grown men sweaty and beating each other up. Plus, Clayton will be playing, and I want to watch and partially understand this time to see what he does that makes him so rich.

“Okay, cool, I’ll pick you up at six. You still live in the same apartment, right?” She asks, packing up her stuff. Some people give her looks as her volume has risen out of excitement, but I ignore them, nodding to her question. “See you then.”

“Bye.”

I watch her leave, pulling out my phone and beginning a text to the hockey player himself.

Hey, sorry for how things went the other night. Just wanted to let you know that a friend and I will be coming to watch your game against the Blues on Wednesday. Score a goal for me.

I hesitate before sending the message. I don’t like to apologize, deep down I know when I should apologize but I tend to not do it because of the issues I have buried within. It isn’t fair for the other person, especially for someone who might as well be putting his name on the check for Debbie, and I identify that it’s an issue that I need to work on.

I click send before I chicken out. I’m afraid of the response- I don’t know if he’ll still be angry with me, or perhaps even more angry- angry enough to cancel our contract or lower my pay.

He responds right away, just asking me where the seats are. I’m a little annoyed at the question, feeling like he should at least acknowledge the apology, but let him know that I have no clue where we’re sitting.

He leaves it at that and I go back to studying.

When Paige texts me details about our hangout on Wednesday night I tell Clayton where our seats are. Section 205, the middle section of the rink on the home side. He gives me a one word answer so I’m still left in the dark of how he feels.

Paige doesn’t own a jersey and neither do I so we just wear nice sweaters and jeans to the rink, unsure of how you exactly should dress for a hockey game. We find our seats and sit down, making small talk as we wait for warmups to begin.

When the players skate onto the ice, everybody cheers in excitement and my eyes find Clayton almost immediately.

It’s electrifying to watch him doing what he loves. He skates with a passion and a purpose, like every step and every move he’s going to make will be better than the last. He lifts his head towards the two hundred section and I lean in to talk into Paige’s ear. “Um, I should probably tell you something.”

She looks at me curiously. “What is it?”

“You see number nine? On the Coyotes?” I try my best to point at him. She nods. “He’s actually my uh, sugar daddy.”

She laughs, raising her eyebrows at me. “Are you kidding?”

I shake my head.

“You have a sugar daddy?”

“I have to pay the tuition somehow,” I defend, surveying her expression.

“I’m not judging,” she quickly reassures me, “That’s very progressive of you. Get that coin, girl.”

I grin at her, returning my attention to the ice. Almost as soon as I do my eyes meet familiar green ones. Green ones that I was looking at the other night while he was telling me that I’m not spending enough time with him.

I see him smile behind his helmet and the pressure from my heart lifts with the action. Thank god he’s not still mad at me. I don’t know why I cared so much anyways- I know he wouldn’t break the contract or pay me less, that’s not the type of guy that he is.

Maybe it’s because I had just a little bit of fear that he would leave. If he left I wouldn’t get to hear his crappy jokes anymore or listen to him talk about Fortnite or ignore Christian’s smirks in the morning as I leave their house.

Clayton maintains eye contact with me, lifting his hand to his ear in a phone motion. My eyebrows furrow in confusion.

“He wants me to call him? Right now? But he’s on the ice right now,” I ask Paige.

He must sense my confusion because he puts his hand in front of him, pointing at it with his finger like he’s pressing different ‘buttons.’

“Oh, he wants me to text him?” I inquire.

“I think he just wants you to watch your phone for when he texts you,” Paige clarifies.

“He’s not good at this whole charades thing,” I giggle, watching all of the players skate around the rink, stretch, and shoot pucks at the net.

They leave the ice and I pull out my phone, waiting patiently for it to ring or vibrate or do whatever the hell Clayton’s going to do.

It vibrates with a text and I open it, immediately rolling my eyes.

Clayton: Stay after the game.

Of course he wants to instantly get back into the argument as soon as I think we’re done. The game starts and hockey is a lot more confusing without help than I thought it would be. I would ask Paige a question and she’d give me an answer of what she thinks the answer is, and when she has a question I return the favor. When we definitely don’t know the answer, we use Professor Google.

The Coyotes win in the end, that much I know, and Paige and I remain in our seats searching up the answers to our questions while we wait for some more communication from Clayton.

A woman appears after a while, leading us downstairs to wait outside the locker room. Some of the players leave the locker room in their suits, giving us curious glances on their way towards their cars.

Christian grins like a cheshire cat as soon as he lands his eyes on me and I roll my eyes, giving his shoulder a shove.

“Oh hey, Y/N. Are you coming over tonight?” He questions, wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive way. Paige giggles at that and I see Christian’s eyes sparkle at the sound.

“I don’t even know anymore, Christian,” I answer.

“Who’s your friend?” He asks, eyeing Paige with a flirty smile.

She looks shy and I grab her hand, feeling overprotective since she just had a traumatic and recent breakup.

“Out of your league, dude. Get out of here.”

He rolls his eyes but gives us a wave, heading down the hall. “See you at home, Y/N!”

“Sorry about that, Paige,” I apologize to her.

“No, it’s fine, um,” she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, “He’s actually kind of cute.”

I give her a soft smile. “Just let me know when you’re ready. I can give him your number.”

She nods. The intimate moment is broken as Clayton leaves the locker room, heading our way as soon as he sees us. I introduce the two to each other and the brunette turns to me.

“Are you coming home with me tonight? I won’t be playing Fortnite, don’t worry,” he adds a snarky comment.

I raise my eyebrows at that. “I apologized, okay? Remember when I apologized on Monday and you completely ignored it?”

“Remember how you completely ignored the fact that you’re in a contract to spend time with me?” He retorts.

“I don’t have to spend every second of every day with you, Clay-””Hey, uh, guys? People are starting to stare,” Paige interrupts us worriedly.

I look around. It’s true. Some of the workers and lingering people are so clearly eavesdropping on our argument- well, now they know that Clayton has a sugar baby. Even though I’m shameless, I know better than to continue this argument in a public place.

“Let’s go back to my place,” Clayton nods towards the hallway towards the parking garage.

I turn to look at Paige but she nods at the tall man. “Go, I’ll be fine. Work out whatever you need to work out.”

I give her a gracious smile, falling into step beside Clayton as we head down the hall. “Go to my place, I have some studying to do tonight after this conversation.”

~

Clayton and I sit down after getting back to my apartment, having a conversation where we’re both completely honest with each other and laying out all of our thoughts and emotions. I think we’ve both come to the realization that although we both lead busy lives, we need to make time for each other. However, that doesn’t mean dropping everything at the other’s beck and call.

“Say it,” Clayton gives me a toothy grin.

“I promise to make time for you.” I stick out my pinky finger. “Now you say it.”

“I promise to respect it when you can’t make time for me.” He attaches his pinky finger to mine and we shake on it.

“Okay, now I need to study before we do anything else,” I inform him, grabbing the textbook from the coffee table and pulling it into my lap.

He pulls me across the table into his lap, looking over my shoulder. “What is this?”

“Anatomy,” I answer, trying to find the place I left off at when we left for the game.

“Gross.” He says that but I can feel him reading over my shoulder, even resting his chin on my shoulder to get a better view.

A half an hour passes before Clayton gets antsy, shifting below me and turning his head.

“Okay, time to pay attention to me now,” he declares, pushing the book off of my lap and onto the floor.

“Clayton!” My protests fall on deaf ears as he yanks me below him, hovering over me and pressing his lips onto mine.

I can’t even help but to laugh.

[mikauzoran]

Adrienette: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: Kiss Forty-Four

Read it on AO3: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: ...out of lust.

“Am I doing this right?” Adrien looked nervously to Luka for guidance.

“Perfect Fifth, you’re a natural,” he chuckled, grinning fondly as he set the drinks he’d just fetched from the kitchen down on the side table. He sat on the couch next to Adrien and gently nudged Adrien’s elbow a little higher. “There you go. Just like that. Just keep her head supported, and you’re good.”

Adrien frowned uncertainly. “You’re sure? I don’t have much experience with babies, so please tell me if I’m doing something wrong.”

Luka rolled his eyes and tussled Adrien’s hair, causing Adrien to relax a bit. “Don’t worry. You’re not going to hurt her. Xavier-Yves uses her as a free weight sometimes, and if he hasn’t hurt her doing bicep curls, I doubt you’re going to do any damage sitting with her on a nice, safe couch.”

Adrien looked up wide-eyed at XY sitting in the armchair cattycorner to the couch. “Do you really?”

“Hey, she likes it,” XY snorted defensively, jabbing at the air at Adrien. “And I am very, very careful with my daughter.”

Adrien nodded and would have put up his hands in surrender if not for the baby in his arms.

He looked down at little Élodie Couffaine-Roth and smiled as she gave a wide little baby yawn, blinking her enormous aquamarine eyes sleepily.

Adrien chuckled as a surge of warmth welled up in his chest. “She looks a lot like you, Orpheus.”

Luka laughed, reaching out to stroke his daughter’s head with a knuckle. “Technically, she looks like Juleka, but…”

“She looks more like me,” XY corrected brusquely, crossing his arms. His foot bounced with nervous energy as he watched Adrien holding his daughter, Luka hovering with his arm along the back of the couch behind Adrien.

“She definitely has your nose,” Adrien agreed, looking up with a grin that faded as he realized that XY was scowling at him. Adrien’s brow furrowed in worry. “Am I doing something wrong, Xavier-Yves?”

XY looked away, jaw clenched. “Nah. You’re doing it right.”

Luka glanced up from supervising Adrien with Élodie to find his husband pouting and antsy. “…Prune? What’s wrong?”

XY shook his head, trying to play it cool. “Nothing.”

Luka arched an eyebrow knowingly, his expression clearly reading, “Come on. Seriously”.

XY shrugged. “Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s totally dope.”

“Xavier-Yves,” Luka gently pressed, stretching out his leg to tap his husband’s foot with his own. “Talk to me.”

XY pursed his lips, giving Luka and Adrien a gauging look. “…Don’t get, like, all defensive or mad or whatever.”

“I won’t,” Luka promised.

XY let out a weary sigh.

He’d never been good at putting names to his feelings or picking them apart to figure out what they meant. Bob Roth had strongly discouraged his “imbecile son” from thinking too much and had never really cared anyway about what XY was feeling or what was going on inside of his head. It wasn’t until XY met Luka that he’d started to learn that it was okay to express himself. Nearly ten years later, he was still in the process of figuring out how to do so.

“Okay,” he finally agreed, meeting Luka’s eyes with a guilty expression. “I don’t really like it when Adrien holds Élodie.”

Luka’s brow furrowed in confusion as he tried to push down his own hurt so he could focus on XY’s feelings. “What? Why not? I thought you two were friends now.”

“We are,” XY assured, fidgeting under Luka’s searching gaze. “Me and Adrien are cool. It’s just…” He bit his lip and muttered in a rush, “It just makes me uncomfortable watching you go all goo-goo-eyed over your ex with our daughter.”

Luka’s jaw dropped.

Quickly composing himself, Luka slid off the couch and onto the floor to kneel at his husband’s feet. He took XY’s hands in his own and leaned into XY’s space to rest his forearms on XY’s lap.

“Xavier-Yves,” he cooed softly, fixing his husband with an intent look. “It’s not like that. It has never been like that between Adrien and me. You know that, Prune.”

XY looked away, mumbling, “Yeah, but that doesn’t change the fact that you love him.”

“No,” Luka agreed patiently. “It doesn’t, but the important thing to think about is that Adrien and I are both very happily married, and we wouldn’t trade our partners for anything.”

Slowly, XY looked back at Luka, studying his face for even a shred of dishonesty.

“I get why you’re upset, and it’s okay to feel uneasy or insecure, but remember that I picked you,” Luka coaxed, giving XY’s hands a squeeze. “There’s no need to be jealous. I’m yours.”

XY’s shoulders hunched up to his ears as he grumbled, “I know. I know it doesn’t make sense to get all pouty. I don’t really get my feelings; I just have ‘em.”

“It’s okay,” Luka comforted, leaning in to give his husband a quick kiss. “Are we okay?”

XY nodded, relaxing a little. “Yeah. We’re good.”

“Good. Thank you,” Luka breathed with a warm smile, giving XY’s hands one last squeeze before letting go and going back to his place on the couch.

“Xavier-Yves, if you’re not comfortable with me holding Élodie, I won’t hold her,” Adrien offered turning to hand the baby back to Luka as he got settled.

“Nah, it’s cool,” XY assured, pushing himself up out of the armchair and coming over to the couch. He motioned for Luka to get up. (Which Luka did with a puzzled expression.)

XY took Luka’s vacated seat, even going so far as to put his arm along the back of the couch and around Adrien’s shoulders. “The problem isn’t you holding her. It’s him looking at you like he wants to have babies with you when you hold her.”

“Oooooh.” Adrien stretched the word out over three syllables, grinning impishly as he scooted closer to XY until their knees were touching. “Good to know I’m not the problem.”

“Nope,” XY snickered, resting his hand on Adrien’s knee and sneaking a look at Luka’s reaction.

Luka rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and shook his head as he smiled good-naturedly. “You two are such dorks.”

“He thinks we’re sexy,” Adrien stage-whispered conspiratorially.

XY nodded, giving Adrien’s knee a squeeze. “He has a thing for blondes with daddy issues,” he confided solemnly.

“That explains so much,” Adrien chuckled.

Luka groaned. “Guys.”

“Sorry,” Adrien apologized with an innocent smile. “Is our combined sexiness overwhelming you?”

Luka’s eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. “I hate you.”

“Not in front of the baby, Six Strings,” XY chided. “Don’t be teaching our daughter to be a hater.” He turned to Adrien. “Sorry about him. He gets cranky when he’s all hot and bothered.”

Adrien broke out in a startled burst of laughter.

Luka glared at his husband. He then took a deep breath, went over to the armchair, and decided to be grateful that peace had been restored, even if it had been at his own expense. It was good to see XY and Adrien joking and playing around.

“All joking aside,” Adrien remarked when he’d recovered from his giggle fit, “thank you for letting me come over to learn about babies and letting me hold Élodie. I learned a lot today.”

“Of course,” Luka assured. “Always more than happy to train a willing future babysitter.”

“I don’t get why anyone would want to watch someone else’s kid,” XY confessed, leaning back and removing himself from Adrien’s personal bubble now that the joke was over. “I mean, I like Juleka and Rose, but their kids are little terrors.”

Luka arched an eyebrow as he tried not to smile. “You do remember that you’re the biological father of one of them, don’t you?”

XY shook his head. “Yeah, but I’m not Violetta’s dad. Trust me on this one. Just because a kid is biologically related to you, that doesn’t make you their dad.”

Adrien and Luka both mumbled their assent, thinking of their own experiences with fathers.

“So, yeah,” XY sighed, reaching over to stroke Élodie’s hair gently. “I don’t get why you’re so excited about learning how to make a bottle and change diapers and all the not-fun stuff.”

“Well, it’s never too early to learn,” Adrien responded with a sheepish shrug.

XY tipped his head to the side. “You thinking about having one?”

Adrien blushed, looking down at Élodie thoughtfully. “I mean…I’ve always wanted a family…and I really am jealous of my friends who have settled down and started having babies already, so…”

“So make your own baby,” XY encouraged, gently elbowing Adrien, mindful of Élodie’s position. “If two dudes can do it, you and your wife should have no problem,” he laughed, not seeing the way Adrien’s face lost all colour.

“Prune?” Luka called gently. “You haven’t shown Adrien that new track you made yet, have you? He made this crazy remix of the Promenade theme from Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.”

“Oh, yeah!” XY glowed with excitement as he easily took the bait. “It is mad sick ballin’! Let me go get my laptop. You have got to hear this.”

Without waiting for a response from Adrien, XY was on his feet and heading for the bedroom.

“You okay?” Luka inquired softly when his husband was out of earshot.

Adrien shook his head, gently bouncing Élodie as she began to fuss. “…Just busy wishing I was allosexual. You know. The usual.”

Luka got up and went over to sit on the couch beside Adrien, placing a comforting hand on his back. “Hang in there. You have a wife who loves you exactly how you are, and you guys are going to figure this out together. You’re not alone, Adrien. You two are Paris’s greatest team, aren’t you?”

A small smile peeked out from the corners of Adrien’s lips. “Yeah. Yeah, we are.”

“You are,” Luka confirmed, ruffling Adrien’s hair. “And you’ve got plenty of time, so don’t stress. You guys will make it work, and, someday, you two are going to have beautiful babies. Just hang in there, okay?”

Adrien nodded, beaming with gratitude at his brother-mentor-friend. “Thanks.”

“Any time,” Luka assured, giving Adrien a pat on the back as XY came back into the room.

“Hey. Hands to yourself, Six Strings,” XY pouted. “He’s mine.”

Luka rolled his eyes fondly at his husband’s antics while Adrien got caught off guard by a laugh.

“Oh, really?” Adrien chuckled. “When did this happen?”

XY snorted as he took a seat on the couch on Adrien’s other side. “Dude. Like, five minutes ago. Keep up, Agreste-Dupain-Cheng.”

 “I’m home!” Adrien called, locking the front door behind him.

“Living room!” Marinette responded from the back of the house. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah, I did,” he replied, making his way down the hall. “Élodie is a real cutie, and it was nice spending time with Luka and Xavier-Yves. What are you up to?”

He turned the corner to find her sitting cross-legged on the couch, her sketchpad propped up on her knee and reference materials scattered all over the coffee table in front of her.

She looked up with a wide grin. “I got inspired out on my walk this morning for a new line of autumn smart casual dresses, and I just finished getting my initial ideas down. Wanna see?”

“Sure,” he agreed with a fond grin, loving her enthusiasm.

He went to sit beside her, and she flipped through her designs, chattering excitedly about potential fabrics and colour schemes.

“You’re so talented,” he breathed as she finished explaining her plans for a pumpkin orange dress that zipped down the front with a cute, front-tying cloth belt and zipper pockets.

“I know,” Marinette chuckled, chest puffing up with pride. “That’s why you married me.”

“I married you because I couldn’t live without you,” he corrected, leaning in to capture her lips in a needy kiss.

Marinette hummed in pleasure, setting her sketchpad and pencil down on the coffee table. Her arms wrapped around him, her fingers twining in his hair in encouragement.

He gently pushed her back and down onto the couch, moving with her so that his knees were to either side of her thighs.

He pulled back to catch his breath and steel his nerves. He swallowed. “Marinette…let’s make love.”

She responded with a passionate kiss, pulling him down on top of her.

“I meant…make love for real,” he clarified the next time they stopped for air.

Marinette paused, eyes widening as she understood his meaning. “Really? But you hate sex. Like, you hate sex as much as I hate oysters. Are you leading up to telling me you broke another one of my flowerpots, or did I forget some kind of special occasion or something? Not that I’m complaining,” she quickly added with a coy grin. “I am more than happy to have my husband spoil me, but…”

The teasing tone dropped out of her voice, and she gave him an earnest look as she stroked his face. “You don’t have to do this to make me happy. What we normally do really is enough, so don’t push yourself. I know how uncomfortable it makes you. I know you don’t like it.”

“I want this,” he stressed, voice only shaking slightly. He looked away and sheepishly admitted, “This…This is for me.”

Marinette frowned in confusion, searching his face as she gently pushed his hair out of the way. “You want this?”

He nodded, face reddening not just from the physical exertion of making out.

“I want…I want to have a baby,” he confessed in a whisper.

Marinette’s lips rounded into a silent “o” as understanding hit.

“I know we could pay for in vitro, but it would be a huge hassle, and most of the burden would fall on you, and that’s not fair. This is my problem, and I just want—”

She cut him off with a kiss.

“Adrien,” she cooed lovingly as their lips parted. “This isn’t a problem, and, even if it was, it wouldn’t be yours alone. We’re a team.”

“I know,” he mumbled shamefacedly. “I just…”

“I know.” She gave his cheek a soft peck. “Here. Let me up.”

He quirked an eyebrow but did as requested, backing up so she could get out from under him. “Are we…not making love?”

She shook her head, taking his hand and threading her fingers through his. “There are only a couple days a month I could potentially get pregnant, and I don’t track my cycle closely enough to know where I am because it’s never been an issue.”

Adrien deflated, shoulders slumping and expression turning mopey. “Oh….”

She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll start keeping track so we can figure out what our best window of opportunity is. We can start trying next month.”

His ears perked up as his mood immediately lifted. “Really?”

She nodded, smiling sweetly. “Yep. And, until then, we’ll start researching what we can do to increase our chances.”

He grinned, leaning in to plant a sloppy kiss on her cheek. “You’re the best. Have I ever told you how much I love it when you come up with a plan of action?”

She shrugged, glowing with pride at his praise. “Yes, but I won’t complain if you tell me again.”

“I love it when you come up with a plan,” he sighed, happily, pulling his wife into a hug.

His joy was short-lived as a realization hit him. He pulled back slightly to gaze down at her in concern. “…It occurs to me that I didn’t ask if you wanted to have a baby right now. It’s…kind of a big deal. I mean…I would understand if you didn’t—”

She put her fingers over his mouth to cut him off before he could slip into a downward doubt spiral. “Adrien, I don’t think there’s ever going to be a good time to completely upend our lives and start a family. We’re both always going to be busy with our careers, and nothing is ever going to be ideal, so…and I do want children with you, so let’s just do this now. We’ve been married for about a year, we’ve settled into our new house, our careers are going well, and our finances look good, so…let’s have a baby.”

“Thank you.” His voice almost cracked with emotion as he leaned in to kiss her in gratitude.

[heyyyharry]

Chapter 13: Prenatal Visit

(from the Flatmate Trilogy: Two Hearts, One Home)

…in which Y/N and Harry run into her ex at the doctor’s office.

Warning: Smut. Beware, kids.

Word count: 4.5k

Chapter 12: Daddy Issues - Y/N is locked out of her flat with the wrong Styles.

Wattpad link

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Harry thought he was hallucinating.

He might've sobered up a little after a shower, but to be sitting in the same room with his father and his wife and be the one who got left out of the conversation, made him feel like he was still under the influence of alcohol. This wasn't something he would've expected to experience even once in this lifetime. But it was happening right now.

They were talking about her job. Devlin had always looked down on Y/N and her little position in the company, but at the moment, he seemed more than interested in the stories she was telling. He asked her questions and gave her advice, like...a father would.

Who was this man? Harry had assumed that it was the soon-to-happen divorce that had turned Devlin crazy. But then he realized that his father wasn't so different from him. In fact, they were more alike than he was willing to admit. Both couldn't hide their true feelings no matter how hard they tried, and both had grown to love the girl they had claimed to hate.

It was pretty late when they walked Devlin to the front door and said their goodbyes. Before leaving, he gave Y/N a long hug and thanked her for tonight. Then he turned to his son, who was standing awkwardly on one side with his hands in his pockets.

"Come here," Devlin said, and without hesitation, wrapped his arms around Harry. The hug was stiff and bear-like, but it was also heartfelt. It made Harry feel good, so instead of being weirded out by it, he eventually relaxed and placed his hands on his father's back.

To his surprise, his father whispered, "I'm so proud of you."

Harry instantly pulled away, looking slightly puzzled as he questioned, "for what?"

"For everything you've achieved..ever since...ever since you were a little boy," the man said, squeezing his shoulders. "Forgive me for waiting this long to say it...But I-I've always been proud of you."

Harry knew for someone like Devlin, saying those words wasn't easy at all. His mother had told him that his father had struggled so much to be able to say 'I love you' to her for the first time. But after that, he couldn't go through a day without saying it. So maybe after tonight, Harry would get to hear those words more often.

"Thanks, dad," he said at last. "Take care, okay?"

"You too. All three of you." With a smile, his father walked to the lift.

Now that he was gone, Y/N couldn't contain her laughter anymore. The look on her husband's face cracked her up as he leaned heavily against the doorframe and heaved the longest sigh of relief. "What the fuck? Did you cast a spell on my dad?!"

"What can I say? I'm just very good at dealing with the Styles men."

"Oh, really?"

"Really."

Swiftly, he pulled her into the flat, kicked the door shut, and pinned her against it. Her laughter turned to a moan when he sucked at her neck and dug his fingers into her hips. His voice was so gruff it sent shivers down her spine. "You're my little enchanter, yeah? Making everyone love you. Making me love you, and now my grumpy father. God, you're incredible."

Pulling his head up, she kissed him softly and smacked her lips together afterward. "You taste like a whole bar."

"Sorry. Drank a bit much." He gave her a silly grin and leaned in again, only to have her stop him with a hand on his chest.

"Brush your teeth first. I don't wanna throw up in your mouth."

"Oh, right." An airy laugh rumbled in his chest. Sometimes it slipped his mind that she couldn't stand certain smells now. "If my breath smells bad—" His pupils dilated as he pressed his forehead against hers. "I can kiss your other lips."

Y/N smirked at the playful grin he was wearing and draped her arms around his neck. "You must learn to be careful with your words when the baby finally grows ears."

"It's weird."

"A baby growing ears isn't weird, Harry!"

"No, I mean calling our baby 'the baby' is weird." He snorted. "You know, we have this rule in my company that we should refer to each other by names rather than what that person is. Like, I don't refer to my assistant as 'my assistant'. I would call her Marie, because it's more intimate."

"But we don't even know the gender of our baby."

He nodded and pressed one kiss to a corner of her mouth. "We can come up with a list of names first."

"Good idea!" Y/N exclaimed, suddenly enthusiastic. "I'll go get my notebook and a pen!"

"Wait!" Harry attempted to grab her, but she had skillfully swerved around him and ran straight to their bedroom. "Hey!" he shouted, throwing his arms in the air. "No more kissing then?!"

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On Sunday that same week, Y/N had a prenatal check up. But instead of visiting the same doctor, she'd asked Harry to drive her to this new one his father had suggested. He was a friend of Devlin's and pretty well-known, so although he was more expensive than the previous doctor, the couple didn't mind spending a bit more on what was best for their baby.

"I feel guilty though," said Y/N as she turned from the car window to look at her husband. He had his eyes on the road and a smirk on his face for what she'd just said.

"And why is that?"

"We've been going to Dr. Smith since the beginning. I just feel bad for switching to another." She let go of a breath. "And the new doctor is costly—"

"I told you not to worry about money," he interrupted her, frowning. "We're taking you to the best doctor we know and that is that. It wouldn't matter if it costed an arm and a leg."

"I would never cut off my limbs for doctor visits," she joked, and he nodded to agree.

"Me either. We could just sacrifice Niall."

The way he said it with a straight face made her giggle. "I love us. Only we would think that joke was funny."

"I was so desperate for someone to appreciate my sense of humor that I married the first one I found. Too late for a divorce now!" He faked a sob and wiped off his nonexistent tears. Immediately, she smacked him on the arm and told him to keep both hands on the steering wheel.

"Okay—" Harry cleared his throat and his dimple appeared. "This morning, I was taking a shower when I came up with some new baby names. Thought you might like them."

"Wait a sec!" She quickly held up a finger, pulled out her phone and opened the note app. "Okay, go."

"Sofina, Jade, Joy, Maya, Rayne—"

"Slow down, H!"

"Arya...Daenerys...Sansa..."

"Hold up! Why are these all girl names and three of them are from Game of Thrones?" She stopped typing and chuckled as he gave her a shrug.

"Because I'm still not over Game of Thrones. Aaaand...I'm already mentally prepared to have a baby girl."

"Really? What if it's a boy? Will you be disappointed?"

"Of course not!" He shook his head. "It's just easier for me to come up with girl names. Hmm...Alec sounds cool for a boy, yeah?"

"Oooh, yes! And Isaac too!"

"Nah!"

"What's wrong with Isaac?"

"I don't know. I just don't like it."

The way he puckered up his lips made her laugh. "Why? Did an Isaac steal your girl in another life?"

With a lopsided grin, Harry only rolled his eyes and went on, "Ryder sounds good?"

"Oh yeah, maybe Ryker, too? How about Asher?"

"Lachlan."

"Aryan, Roman!"

"Wooo, we are on fire baby!" He suddenly hit the horn and she hit him again for doing that on purpose. By the time they arrived, they had got a long list of options for their baby names, but there wasn't one they liked more than the others, so they decided to save the discussion for when they got home.

An intern welcomed them at the door and took them to a waiting room. She explained that the doctor would show up later than usual due to personal reasons. Pre-pregnant Y/N wouldn't mind being told to wait, but pregnant Y/N couldn't stand even the slightest inconvenience. She didn't say anything, yet the way she huffed, crossed her arms and puckered up her lips like an angry little girl, let Harry know that it was now his job to keep her entertained and distracted before she got grumpy.

"So he's Dr. Dante, right? Dante could be a great first name too," Harry said as he intertwined their fingers and brought her hand to his lips, kissing the knuckles.

She gave him a nod, resting her head on his shoulder. "I used to know someone whose last name was Dante."

"Yeah?"

"Yup, I already told you. He was my—" Y/N couldn't even say the last word because her mouth got stuck and her eyes popped out. The doctor, who had paused before he even walked into the room, had the same reaction when he saw her. They both recognized each other from the very first glance, leaving Harry the only one without an idea of what was going on. He shifted his questioning eyes back and forth between the two of them, while trying to figure out what he'd missed in the previous second.

Y/N suddenly let go of his hand and rose from the couch. At the same time, the doctor marched toward them, looking overly elated. No need for a proper introduction, he pulled her into a strong hug that sent Harry right out of his seat. He was fuming, almost breaking them off, but the way his wife reacted had him confused. She returned the hug and pulled away to give the stranger a once-over.

"You haven't changed one bit!" she said, making him smile.

The son of a bitch has dimples! Harry thought to himself. I have dimples, too! She loves my dimples!

"I hope that's a good thing," said the doctor as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his white coat. Yes, keep those hands to yourself, the voice inside Harry's head commented again. And this time, when that irritating smile reappeared, he could no longer stay silent.

He cleared his throat a bit too loud, giving his wife the cue for including him in the conversation. She intuitively reached for his hand, but instead of letting her hold it, he locked one arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side.

"Are you doctor Dante?" he inquired, staring the man down.

With the same annoying grin, the doctor told him, "yeah, I am. But I'm just here to substitute for my brother, the other Dr. Dante. He's out of town this week. But don't worry, I guarantee that Y/N's in good hands."

IS SHE THOUGH, dimple guy?!

"So...you two know each other?" Harry rose an eyebrow at his wife, who seemed pretty chill about the awkward encounter.

"I've already told you about Noah, baby," she said with a hand on his chest. "Noah and I used to date."

"Oh..." Harry said with a cool smile. But that wasn't his 'that's great to know' smile, it was more like 'what the fuck is going on and why the fuck is this happening right now?'. He had never been subtle with this kind of stuff, so not only did Y/N realize how awkward this was for him, Noah quickly caught on too.

"I don't wanna waste your time, so shall we proceed?" Noah said and told them to come with him.

Y/N was about to follow, but Harry pulled her back as soon as the doctor had left the waiting room. "That's the Noah you told me about?" he whispered. "The guy who broke up with you before your first year of college? The one before me?"

"Yeah. I've told you everything about him."

"Didn't tell me he was going to be a doctor, and...he had dimples."

She snorted, her eyes squinted. "Dimples? Baby, you have dimples too."

"Yeah, but—" He pouted petulantly. "Don't worry. It's fine."

That lie couldn't have been more obvious.

Cupping his cheeks, Y/N leaned in and nudged his nose with her own. "My husband's a CEO," she said. "That's much hotter than some doctor. But if you feel uncomfortable with him examining me, we can just go back to Dr. Smith."

"No. I'm fine, baby. Let's go."

"Are you sure?" She held back his wrist when he turned away. "Like...really sure?"

He pressed his lips into a smile, giving her a firm nod and kissing her cheek. "I'm a grown man," he said. "These things don't bother me."

The problem was, they did bother him. He might be a grown man, but when it came to her, he was always the nineteen-year-old when they first fell in love. He got jealous, all the fucking time. Since they found out she was pregnant, he had gotten even more possessive and protective of her. But now wasn't the time to be petty. He wasn't here for him, he was here for her and the baby. This could be just like the other checkups they had done with Dr. Smith. Or so he told himself.

"I don't believe you," his wife cautioned as she lifted an eyebrow. "But...if you said you were sure—"

"Totally, I'm totally sure," he blurted without giving himself time to think. "Come on, darling. Let's do this...so we can leave."

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"So..." Niall trailed off with a sigh as his eyes traveled back to Harry, who was lying on his stomach on the couch, face in the pillow and Treasure on his back. "How long has he been like this?"

"A couple of hours now. Ever since we got back." Y/N shrugged as she joined her two friends at the kitchen table. "He's usually passive-aggressive when he's jealous. Now that I'm pregnant, he's just...passive."

"Can I poke him with a stick to see if he's alive?"

"No, Layla, you cannot poke my husband with a stick." Y/N rolled her eyes. "He can't stay like that forever though. Treasure would pee on him again."

Layla turned around to check on Harry. He was still lying in the same position but now Treasure was sitting on his head.

"He's overreacting." She chuckled.

"No, he's not!" Niall eagerly chimed in. "I wouldn't want my wife's ex to 'examine' her vagina. Even if he was a doctor."

"He did the same thing any doctor would! With gloves!"

"Gloves or no gloves, he's still your ex, Y/N."

"Honestly, if I had an ex who was a doctor, I would've married him instead."

"Heeeeeey!"

Layla cackled as she grabbed Niall's pouty face and kissed it to apologize.

The couple stayed for another hour and then they had to leave, but Y/N didn't think Harry noticed that they were gone. He hadn't even moved since the last time she looked.

"Okay, that's it. Give daddy back to mummy," said Y/N as she shooed the cat off Harry's back and pulled him up by the arm. He groaned, but letting her do whatever she pleased. She spread his legs and got on her knees between them, scooting closer and pressing him down on his back so she was lying on top of him. She brushed his hair out of his face with her fingers, smiling as he held her cheek, gazing up with hooded eyelids.

"What will it take for you to get over this?" she asked, trying not to laugh at how adorably grumpy he was.

"Get over what? I'm fine."

"Oh, are you?" She arched an eyebrow when he confirmed with a nod. "So you're not upset that my ex saw my—"

"No," he blurted, not wanting her to say the word, which made it even more funny.

"It's fine if you're upset though. It's...kinda hot."

His eyebrows furrowed as he zeroed in on her fingers toying with the button of his shirt. If all these years being with her hadn't taught him how to read her body language, her seductive tone would've already given her away. She found it funny that he was jealous and didn't want to be a pain in the ass and admit it, but at the same time, it turned her on. For the first couple of weeks being pregnant, she would've felt ashamed of her random horny moments, but now she had come to accept it and make the best out of it.

Words weren't much needed when she unbuckled his belt and tugged down his pants and boxers in a flash. He gasped, his erection sprung out, red and heavy, demanding attention. It was slightly embarrassing how fast he'd got hard without her touching or kissing him. But, God, just the idea of her would turn him on. Who the fuck was Noah? He couldn't even remember what the man looked like now that his mind was empty and he was watching her brushing her hair out of her pretty face and twisting it into a bun.

When she tapped him on the knee, he reflexively bent his legs, making it easier for her to sit inbetween them. Her hands rested on his thighs, her hair fell into her face and over his legs, and he was mesmerized. He could spend another twenty years with her and he would still get this flustered every time they got intimate. He wanted her so much. Always wanted her.

Her hands were small, wrapped around him, making him tense and "baby, please, ah," was all he could get out. He felt almost relieved when she finally put her mouth on him. The warmth and dampness made him shiver, suck in air and exhale shakily. "Yeah, that's it," he said. "Yes, Y/N, so good."

Her lips wrapped firmly around the head, sucking him in. His toes curled and he could only see white light behind his eyelids. "More," he begged, mouth falling open, gasping. "S-suck me, baby." He could feel his throat going uncomfortably dry as his voice went hoarse but the way he hit the back of her throat made him feel like he was in heaven. He subconsciously reached down, touching her cheek to feel himself inside. His mind was blown. She was enthusiastic and there was something so hot about that, or maybe just that it was her. He stroked her hair and left his hand on the back of her head as he thrust gently, unable to stop himself. He propped his upper body up on the other elbow, completely mesmerized by the way his cock disappeared in and out of her mouth.

His thighs started to shake, stomach clenching as his breaths came out unsteady. "Gonna come," he warned. Y/N acknowledged him with a quiet hum, but only sucked harder, cupping his balls with her other hand and rolling them gently.

He came hard. So hard that he didn't even realize he had a handful of her hair in his grip and was chanting her name. His wife pulled back, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand before flashing him a smile. And he had to drag her up and kissed her passionately.

"God, you taste like cum," he joked, groaning as she giggled against his lips.

"Rude." She pulled away to graze his bottom lip with her thumb. He looked absolutely fucked out, still catching his breath. "Still upset?"

Harry only muttered "fuck" before combing her hair out of her face and tucking the strands behind her ear. Forgetting her question, he asked, almost terrified, "does swallowing cum harm the baby?"

"No." She snorted at how pale his face had become. "In fact, sperm consumption could benefit pregnancy."

"You sound like a Google search result."

"It was a Google search result."

"You googled 'does swallowing my husband's cum harm the baby?'" Harry chortled with an eyebrow raised.

Biting her lip, Y/N shook her head. "Layla sent it to me, actually."

"Of course she did." Harry rolled his eyes at the response, partially relieved that him getting his dick sucked didn't affect his baby's life. Otherwise, he would've been the worst dad in the history, without even officially being a dad.

.

.

.

Several days later, Harry had long forgotten the awkward encounter with Y/N's ex. Y/N was glad that the busier her husband was, the more his memory resembled that of a goldfish. He had too many important things in mind to stay bitter about the ex she would never meet again.

Well, at least not again for the third time...

It was a regular Thursday. She had just got off work and decided to stop by the grocery store on her way home to get some eggs. She was always prepared to run into acquaintances in this store, but certainly didn't expect to see her "substitute doctor" here. It was weird that she'd gone through a couple of years without hearing from him, and now she couldn't stop running into him!

"What are you doing here?" she asked, mentally rolling her eyes at her own question. He's not in a grocery store to get a facial massage, dumbass!

Still, Noah didn't mind the silly question as he happily said, "I'm getting some vegetables for dinner. You?"

"Eggs." She lifted the basket to show him, as if he needed proof, but they just laughed it off and fell back to silence. She thought it'd be weird to stand silently in line at the cashier counter, so she decided to speak, "how long will you be in town?"

"Just for this week to visit my brother's family."

"Oh, the doctor?"

"Yeah, the other doctor." He broke into a smile. Harry has prettier dimples, sorry, she randomly thought, not knowing why she did, but she didn't have time to question herself when he continued, "sorry I couldn't chat with you the other day. Wanted to ask how you'd been but your husband didn't seem to like me."

"No, he liked you! He was just...having a bad day." As if. "What about you? Are you married?"

"Nope, I'm not as lucky as you." He adjusted his glasses and pushed his dark hair back. "Haven't been in a serious relationship for so long though. Guess it's just me and my commitment issues."

"Well, it's not something you can just rush into. It takes a lot of time and effort," she answered, but then noticed the cryptic smile he was wearing. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no! It's just—" He sucked in a breath. "I'm so glad you don't hate me."

That sentence took her by surprise. Her jaw dropped as her eyes bulged out. "Why would I hate you?"

"Well...I moved away and broke up with you through a text. That was such a dick move."

"It was a long time ago." To be honest, I forgot that you existed... "But...now that I think about it. If it hadn't happened, I might not have met Harry. So maybe we were meant to end that way."

Noah didn't comment, only nodding his head to agree. "So..." he inhaled, his lips curved into a smile. "How did you two meet?"

"We were flatmates in college." She beamed. "But it's actually a very long story. I could just write three books about it."

"That's very sweet," he said. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you."

"Have you two picked out names for the baby? I mean, a lot of parents have already got a few options by now."

Y/N glanced at the ceiling as she groaned in frustration. "We're making a list actually. It's so hard because we want unique names but at the same time don't want them to sound too weird. Um...any suggestions?"

Tapping a finger on his lips, Noah thought for a moment. "My brother's daughter's name is Astria. I've never heard that one before."

"Asteria is such a pretty name."

"No, Astria."

"Pardon?"

"Astria, not Asteria." He gave her a smile. "But you're right, Asteria is a pretty name. Did you just come up with that?"

"No. Asteria is actually a Titaness in Greek mythology. She—" And then she paused, her eyes lit up. "That's it! Asteria!"

Noah was dumbfounded when she took the eggs from the cashier, paid the money and dashed right out of the store. She would probably never meet him again, but thanks to him, now she'd got the answer she'd been searching for.

"Baby, baby! I've got it!" Y/N stumbled into the room and threw herself onto Harry, almost knocking him off their bed.

"Why are you so happy about eggs?" He chuckled, holding her by the arms so she would stop bouncing.

"No! I've found a great name for our baby girl!" She didn't even wait for him to ask. "Asteria! I can't believe I forgot! But...but I used to be so obsessed with Greek Mythology when I was fourteen. And...and Asteria is the Titan goddess of nocturnal oracles and falling stars! Remember in my vow I said we were made of stardust? Our baby girl would be the goddess of falling stars!"

What she received was the opposite of her excitement. He was just gawking at her, no reaction or even a comment, and her smile dropped as she pulled away to sit on her legs. "You hate it?"

"No!" He chuckled, squeezing his eyes shut as he pinched his temple and took both of her hands, bringing them to his chest. "I love it! God, I love it so much and I-I love you and...I just...I was just thinking about how I really loved you. And Asteria, too. We'll name out baby Asteria, okay?"

"Wait!" She giggled as he started showering her face with tender kisses. "We still need a boy name!"

"Jasper," he said immediately. "Let's name him Jasper." Without waiting for a 'why', he hurriedly added, "so I spent the entire afternoon ignoring calls and emails just to google for more names. Then I came across Jasper, which means 'Treasure Keeper'." His eyes twinkled and he squeezed her hands. "Get it? Because—"

"Our non-human daughter is Treasure."

"Our non-human daughter is Treasure!"

He looked so proud of his little discovery, and Y/N's heart suddenly felt so full. She looked into his eyes, biting her lip as she whispered, "Ria and Jas," to get used to the sound of those names on her lips. "I love that."

"Yeah?" He raised both eyebrows. "Not because you want to make me happy?"

"Not at all! Jasper is a great name!" she said and kissed him softly. "But God, I'm so in love with you, baby. You could've suggested a stupid name like Cheesecake and I would've said yes like a fool."

"You know what?" He broke the kiss, peering intensely at her as if he was going to make a serious statement. "Let's name our baby Cheesecake."

"Harry, no!"

[aidenoes]

Im kinda bored so this is a little story time about a toxic best friend i had for many many years

Tw : s*lf-h*rm, s*icid*l thought, forced coming-out

To make the story easier let's call her Fish.

So... it started in primary school, i had moved out into a new city when i was in 3rd grade. That's when i first met her and we never really talked much. Then came 5th grade when we actually became friends.

And middle school happened and that's when everything went downhill real fast. In 6th grade i was still friend with her and i tried to get along with her other friend who was a bitch at that time, and i was too, so we never got along (even tho she is now my best friend bc we realised how much Fish was toxic lmao). So i had made new friends and she had too but we still made up over time and the other girl wasn't hanging out with us anymore.

Moving on to 7th, there was a new girl that came at the school at the beginning of the school year (who is also my bestfriend, props to her for staying with me all these years) and Fish immediately started talking to her. Eventually we have a group of 5 friends :me, her, our boyfriends and the new girl. The thing is that there was a trend of s*lf-h*rming yourself just to pretend to be depressed and sad, and Fish was one of the people who followed that trend. Me, being an absolute idiot, had no idea of the gravity. Well, i mean, i knew it was bad but my bestfriend was doing it so it's fine right ? No, it was not and i almost gave in to but i was afraid to harm myself so i never did. And that example is just to show how much i copied her, i destroyed my relationship bc i wanted to be like her and my ex-boyfriend was so good to me. Her relationship was like an light switch, you never knew when they were back together or not. We also had a skype group and messenger group of just three people: me, her and the new girl. Me and the new girl would badly roleplay and she would tell me, and only me, that i was cringy and leave the group chat like that. And i had no right to tell her i didn't like something about her, but she could though ? I let it slip anyway. I thought i was really happy, then came the worst year of my school life.

8th grade. At this point, Fish and her boyfriend had broken since he apparently abused her (im not sure since she is prone to lying) but i was still in good terms with him. Well we were not the best of friends but i wouldn't punch him (now i would bc he became such a fucking dick). But Fish started to become distant, as if she didn't want me around anymore but i ignored it thinking it was all in my head. One day, our teacher assigned us new places in class and i was next to her ex-boyfriend. We of course talked in class and laughed together. But out of nowhere, she started doing the sign where you slit your throat with your finger, y'know ? I thought she was doing it for kidding and i was just really confused, it was break after that class anyway so i can ask her wtf that was. She came to me and thought i was plotting against her with her ex-boyfriend and just told me to go fuck myself basically. I waited for my now ex-boyfriend and my friend to come-out of their class and explained to them what happened while containing my tears. They tried to go to her and try to understand wtf went wrong and funfact: nothing went wrong and she was just being a bitch and i later learned she just wanted to move on and discard everything from the past year, including me. But i didn't know that, i thought i broke everything, i thought i broke our group friend, i felt guilty and i felt, alone. My boyfriend that got out of school just before me went to my mom that was there to come pick me up, that i wasnt really well and he went away when i got out. My mom did ask me what was wrong and i told her that i'll explain when we're home. At home i explained everything and broke down in my moms arm, i dont know if i cried out of anger or sadness, but seeing me cry was enough for my mom to hate her with all her guts. I've felt so lonely after that. I had no one to eat lunch with, i had no one to be in group in class with and i had no idea of how to occupy my brain when i had no one to talk to, i read in the morning waiting for the friends i had left, i would draw whenever i had to wait alone and i would eat fast to get out the fastest possible. I also lost everything i was since at that time i was like a sponge of personality and just squeeze out whatever the personality people wanted out of me. I had lost everything and i didn't want to be here anymore, i just wanted to die honestly. And i think i wouldve if i didnt think there was my family and my friends. However, it does not end here ! Bc my dumb ass made so many more mistakes ! Bc one day in our technology class i had to work with her for an assignment and we gradually made up until we became friend again, but i was still wary of her and my s*icidal thoughts were still very present. So i was still very toxic and pushing the people that were there for me away. My boyfriend broke up with me. I didnt know what to do, but looking back this was such a good decision for him and for me. I am so thankful for him to have broke up with me, but at that moment i was a bit hurt but at the same time i saw it coming so i had so time to grief about it. A month later my mom decided to bring me to Mauritius (where she is from) bc she thought i had a hard time no having her around for the first time which is kinda true but not all the truth. I had no wifi and no way of contacting anyone. That was so refreshing ! That's when i started to understand that i had the right to think for myself first and not be a fucking carpet for everyone to walk on. I was not out of the shit but i started to understand how to get out.

9th grade, was my savior. This was the best year of my life with nothing to worry about except an exam at the end. You remember the girl in 6th grade that was a bitch ? Yeah we became close friends during that year bc i realised she was a bitch bc she was badly influenced on in 6th and 5th grade. And the new girl remember her ? That's also the year when we got close, the year where we became best friends, when i learned to be and love myself and the year when i started to stand up for myself. I have some bad daddy issues and i have almost always shared my problems with Fish but i started sharing less toward the end of 8th grade. One day i was complaining that i had to be basically the messenger bird of my parents and she looked at me annoyed and tell me 'why don't you go to the police ?'. Like we didnt ??? Like she thinks that my dad was harassing my mom and we didnt ?? That's basically saying 'don't be' to someone who is sad. And i explained that to her and she was like 'don't complain to me if you're going to flip off like that when im giving you a solution', excuse me bitch... what ? I was hella mad. She came fake apologising like a few weeks later. And one day she came out to me as pansexual, great for her, and i was also questionning my gender and thought i was genderfluid so i came out to her. She was like 'oh ok' and i sent her some memes about genderfluidity and she was like 'stop this is annoying'. So i shut my trap. I also learned that during a school i didnt went she faked some anxiety and was being a bitch bc her friend wouldnt come to a shop with her even so another one was ok with going with her. I eventually started to understand that she was bad for my mental health, so i just started ghosting her bc i just didnt want to talk with her anymore and i didnt know how to confront her. She came up and grabbed and pulled me by my backpack that was full of shit just to ask me why i didnt answer to one of her text. I was so scared i just told her i wasnt feeling well and just told her i needed time. The year went by it was great and i didnt want to be in cold with Fish but i also didnt want to be her friend, i wanted to just be classmates, however when she was told this she understood : 'they want to be friend again'. So she clung with us next year.

10th grade, was last year and was full of drama. And we only had 6 months of school. 10th grade is the first year of highschool and the only year where we don't have an exam. I also had a forced new friend that we're going to call Taz so we don't get mixed up. She was also very clingy and it felt like having a leech stuck to me. And Fish was being very, let's say embarrassing and making us feel uncomfortable. She would make ton of sexual joke and we told her it was making us uncomfortable but she would apologise just to do it again the week later so we just gave up. She also outed me in class, thankfully the class was really noisy and only my bestfriend heard it but this fucking bitch just asked outta nowhere 'so you're still on this whole thing about being genderfluid or what ?' And she wasnt talking low, she was talking loud and clear. I felt so embarras and i hoped that no one else heard it. I answered as very quietly 'no.. i think im genderqueer now' and she just said ok. That's also around when i discovered im bi so i was so glad that i didnt tell her about that. And a few months later there was some shit going around about bullying and Fish was one of the targets. And let's say that our english teacher held up a trial so i opened up my big ass mouth to talk and defend Fish. And guess what, Taz just blurted out that i and my best friend were bullying her. Excuse me ? I defended her ass and when i talked to her about it she told me 'no you didnt, you just yelled at me once in physics'. So bc i yelled at her bc she wouldnt listen to me when we had to work i bullied her ? What a thank ! And when i tried to talk it out with Taz, she fucking ignored me and left. I was enraged. I was crying out of fucking rage and still aced a test in english. At the end i explained everything to my crush while i was walking home with her bc she lived next to my moms restaurant. When i stepped into the restaurant, there was my moms friend, which im kinda close to, and my mom who asked me how was my day i cried out of anger. They comforted me and supported me. At school, one day the assistant director called me and my best friend in his office. And told us that in highschool there are no bullying only misunderstandings (i dont really agree with that but anyway) and asked us our side of the story. We explained that we didnt get along with her anymore and made it very clear that we were uncomfortable with her but she wouldnt take a hint. And we left the office just like that. The assistant director probably told Fish our side and she never went to talk with us bc of covid.

Now, im in 11th grade, we do not talk anymore and this feel so much better. Now i'll just drop some bonus drama

She accused me of drowning her when it was her ex-boyfriend that did and made her scared of water, while i was there to support her when she was dealing with her phobia.

And her mom thought that i was a bad influence for her sweet sweet daughter when she was the one to incite me to c*t myself like paper, wow ok.

This is just a personal share and just maybe a way for others to recognise the toxic behaviors of fake friends.

[avengerscompound]

Legacy - Chapter 7

Legacy: A Hawkeye Fanfic

Series Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing:  Clint Barton x  F!Reader

Word Count:  1929

Rating:  E

Square filled:   @clintbartonbingo - Nightmares

Warnings:  Pregnancy, domestic abuse, post-endgame, angst, developing-relationship, hurt/comfort, smut, Laura and Clint have broken up.  Comic Clint/MCU Clint mix.

Synopsis: Nothing is the same after the events of Endgame.  When Clint has trouble returning to a life where his family hasn’t changed but he has lost everything, he moves back to the city and tries to move on as a single parent. When Nate finds you bruised and pregnant in the stairwell of his building, he decides that there might be another way that he can make Nat’s sacrifice worth something.

Chapter 7

As your pregnancy progressed so did your relationship with Clint.  There was this lingering feeling that maybe you were moving too fast.  Maybe the two of you carried too much pain and the fact that when you were together things felt easier was making those feelings of love you had for him too intense and you were worried that they might not actually be real.  You worried that you hadn’t given yourself enough time on your own to let yourself make your own way and figure yourself out.  You’d just jumped out of an abusive relationship into the arms of the first person who treated you kindly.

The thing was, you did actually love him.  Part of that love was how he made you feel.  How he protected you and made you feel safe.  How he made you laugh.  How much he’d done for you.  It wasn’t just that though.  You loved all those other things about him.  How vulnerable he let himself be with you.  How good of a dad he was to his kids.  How he still had a good relationship with his ex.  How much of a dork he was.

The simple fact was, that being around him was better than not being around him.  So things did move quickly.  You went from neighbors to basically living together within six months.  So as the due date for your baby rapidly approached you began to wonder if the nursery you were preparing in your own apartment was even worth it if you spent all your time at Clint’s.

You were a little reluctant to bring it up though.  Things were going fast and if he wasn’t ready to ask, then you didn’t want to push it.

The problem was that with all the pregnancy hormones and stress and anxiety you’d have over the past relationship ending, making it on your own, new job, new relationship, baby things, the vivid stress dreams were now starting to get to you.

“No!”  You shouted, snapping awake.  Sweat clung to your skin and your heart was hammering as you found it hard to pull in air.  Clint reacted quickly, grabbing his hearing aids and rubbing your back.  “Shh… it’s okay.  You’re safe.”  He soothed as he put his aids in.

You rubbed your chest and as Clint wrapped his arms around you, you leaned into him.  You still felt tense and anxious even as he held you.

“What was it this time?”  He asked.

“I had the baby and I was in my own place.  I was asleep…”

“You were asleep in your dream?”  Clint asked.

“Yeah.  I must have been because she woke me crying.  I was alone and I went to the room and Richard was there.  He took her.  He said I wasn’t a fit mother and that she was his now.  And I tried to get her off of him but he hit me.  He knocked me down and walked off and then when I chased after him there was nothing outside the door.  It was just a void.  I was alone in my apartment and nothing else existed.”

“Oh, babe,”  Clint soothed.  “He’s never getting his hands on you or your baby.  I promise.”

“What if he gets out?  It’s his baby.”  You said.

Clint held you rubbing your back.  “Doesn’t matter.  It’s not his kid.  It’s mine.  Remember?”

You were about to argue with him when the bedroom door opened.  “Daddy?”

Nate’s tiny little voice sounded so frightened and concerned, you began to feel guilt on top of the anxiety and fear you’d already been carrying.

“Everything’s fine, bud,”   Clint reassured him.

Nate looked at you and tiptoed toward the bed.  “You okay?”

“Yeah, sweetie.  I had a bad dream.  Thank you for coming and checking on me.”  You said.

Nate climbed up into the bed with you both and cuddled up to you wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his cheek on your shoulder.  He patted your shoulder, his little hands tapping out a pattern on your skin.  “It’s okay.  You don’t need to be scared.”  He said softly.

You hugged the little boy back and felt yourself relax a little more.  “Thank you, Nate.  You’re very sweet.”

“We’ll look after you.”  He said softly.

You smiled and kissed the top of his head, looking at Clint in the low light.

“Hey, buddy.  You think you want to go back to sleep?”  Clint asked.

Nate seemed to think seriously on the issue.  “Umm… no.  I’m okay.”

Clint started laughing and picked up his phone.  “It’s 6.  What do you think?”

You shrugged.  “I mean, I’d like more sleep but I can do 6.  I nap in the afternoon these days anyway.”

Clint chuckled.  “Alright.  You hear that, bud.  We can go make pancakes and watch some cartoons.”

Nate jumped out of bed and ran out into the living room.  Clint gave you a kiss on the top of the head.  “I am gonna need a whole pot of coffee.”

You laughed and poked him.  “How is that different from any other day of the week?”

The two of you slowly dragged yourself out of bed and made your way out to the kitchen.  Nate was pulling bowls and pans out of the cupboards he could reach and carefully putting them up on the bench.  “Your son is very sweet you know?”  You said as you watched him.

Clint smiled and went to the pantry and pulled out the flour, sugar and baking soda.  “I know, he’s related to me.”

You laughed and went to the fridge.  “That must be it.”

Clint lifted Nate off the ground and put him on the kitchen counter.  “Alright, kiddo.  Let’s make some pancakes.”

You went and put on the coffee and then watched as Clint helped Nate carefully measure out the ingredients into a bowl.  “You know what’s a little weird.  Tony and Pepper had a kid like four years after this guy was born, but because of the blip she’s actually the same age as him.”

“That is strange.”  You said going to heat up a pan.  “We should ask Pepper out for a playdate.”

Clint gave a half smile.  “Yeah… that’s a good idea.  I think … yeah, they should be friends.”

You leaned over and kissed his cheek.  There were things he wasn't saying.  Feeling he wasn't quite ready to express.  Tony Stark’s daughter was going to grow up without a father because he gave his life doing the thing that brought his children back.  He was going to get to see his kids grow up.  He could have more kids if he wanted.  Tony, even after all he sacrificed, would not.

Clint offered you a small smile, and had you not had a pan heating up on the griddle and a five-year-old sitting on the kitchen bench, you would have pulled him in your arms and kissed him and told him that he didn’t have to keep carrying these burdens with him anymore.  That his friends had wanted him to live a good life, not just feel guilty that it wasn’t him.  Instead, you rubbed his back and let your hand slide down, pinching his ass before taking it away.

The small smile turned into a soft laugh and a shake of the head and he grabbed a ladle and scooped a blob of pancake mixture into the pan.

“So I was thinking,”  Clint said.

“Don’t strain yourself.”  You teased.

“Ha-ha.  Very funny.  I’m the dad here, you leave the dad jokes to me.”  Clint teased.  Nate started giggling and Clint ruffled his hair.  “Anyway… what was I saying?  Oh yeah, I was thinking if we took this wall down, we could extend the kitchen out.  Have a floating bench in the middle.  Be better than this dinky little kitchen I’m always banging my head in.  And then the living room in that apartment could be a dining area and we’d have five bedrooms. Which means the kids could all have their own room and poor Coop wouldn’t have to share with this little terror.”

You stared at Clint, open-mouthed, holding the flip in your hand.

“Daddy.  The pancake.”  Nate said.  Clint reached forward and guided your hand, using it to turn the pancake over using the flip.

When you finally seemed to come unstuck and started processing what he’d just suggested you turned to him.  “What … what… what…?  Why would you do that?”

Clint let out a huff and shook his head a little like he was a little annoyed.  You wondered if maybe he’d been trying to avoid a conversation that you’d just forced him into.  He took the flip from you and took the pancake off the pan and put it on a purple plastic plate.  He put Nate on the ground and put syrup on the pancake before handing the plate to the little boy.  “Okay, bud.  Go watch cartoons.”  He said grabbing a fork for him.

You watched Nate carry his plate to the couch and turn on the tv.  Clint moved you to the side and took over cooking.  “I want you to move in with me.”  He said.

“Is this about the nightmare?”  You asked.

“Yes.  No.  I mean…”  He shook his head.  “You’re obviously worried about being alone, but I’ve been thinking of asking you for a little while.  I know it’s fast.  I do.  But I want it.  You basically already live with me.  I hate the idea of you going back over there alone when the baby’s born.”

“Clint, you don’t owe me…”

“I know.  I know I don’t.  I love you.  I want us to live together.  Will you move in with me?”  He asked, turning to you.

“It’s really soon, Clint.”  You said.

“I know.”

“We could get really hurt.”

He put his hands on your arms.  “I know that too.  I think it’s worth the risk.  If you don’t, I get it.”

You took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  “Okay.  Let’s do it.”

He smiled and leaned in and kissed you.  You melted into it, letting him take the lead.  He pulled back slowly and leaned his forehead against yours.  For a moment the two of you just looked at each other and he pulled back and went back to cooking.  “So what do you think?”

��Five bedrooms is so much for New York.”  You said.

He shrugged.  “I technically own the whole building.”   He said.

“That’s true.  I guess it would be good for Cooper to have his own space.  And I like the idea of a dining area.”  You said.

“Plus two bathrooms.”  He said.

“Oh god, yes.  We definitely need two bathrooms.”  You agreed.

“Alright.  We should get a start on it.  Won’t be long before this little girl joins us and we run out of time.”  He said putting his hand on your stomach.

You looked down at his hand and put yours on top of it.  “Did you mean it about her being yours?”

He nodded.  “Yeah.  She’s mine.  He’s not going to have any claim to her at all.  Okay?”

Tears pricked your eyes and you tucked yourself into his side and nuzzled his neck.  “I love you so much, Clint.”

He kissed the top of your head.  “I love you too.  And I’d love you even more if you’d go pour me out some of that coffee.”

You chuckled and went and grabbed him a mug, letting yourself relax and just be excited for things to come.

// NEXT

[msjr0119]

One Temptation

Part 6

*This new series is based on The Royal Romance characters who belong to Pixelberry - AU Plot switch*

Riley Brooks moves back to New York after leaving five years prior- struggling to get by in life she wanted to go home. After getting mugged, a woman and man come to her rescue and offer her a job at their strip club. A rich business man Liam Rhys is forced to visit the club as part of his bachelor party. What will happen that night?

Warnings: Swearing, Abortion, Driley smut, horrible Liam 👎🏻

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*******

“Ah so he is the infamous Drake? Your baby daddy. Did you tell him?” Riley felt guilty lying to him when he had asked her. If he had of been persistent in asking her she would have probably broke down and told him. That brief interaction between the two of them, proved that he was sincere and cared for her.

“No, and I’m never telling him about something that isn’t going be there anymore.”

“You don’t have to go through with a termination.”

“I don’t know him. That isn’t the main issue, the main issue is my ex. He beat drake up because we slept together. Imagine what he could do if he found out I was pregnant. I don’t trust Liam. I will go through this hurt on my own to protect everyone.”

“Just talk to Drake. He may step up to his responsibilities. You two may be able to give it a proper shot?”

“No Merc. My mind is made up. I’m damaged goods because of Liam, I’m not allowing him to ruin anyone else.” Mercedes shook her head, she had grown fond of Riley ever since meeting her. Deep down she knew that Riley was a strong person even with all the past hurt, but she needed to let it go and put herself first- make herself happy.

“Okay, I’m not going to argue with you- but I’m always going to be here for you. Support you with whatever decision you make. Come on, Rita will be going nuts.”

*****

“So, you were a while. What happened?”

“Nothing. We just spoke like people do in general.” Leo knew Drake was lying- he could read him like an open book. There was more to the “general talking” that he was letting on. Assuming he was playing it down because of Liam.

“Just because Liam’s sat near us doesn’t mean you can lie to me Walker!”

“Fine! I asked if she was pregnant, she said no. Nothing more to say.”

“Are you happy that she’s not pregnant? Or are you slightly disappointed.”

“Why would I be disappointed? I don’t know her. It was stupid of us both to not use protection. Irresponsible.”

“What would you have done if she was?” Drake looked at Leo, wondering why he was asking all these personal questions. Looking over towards Riley, he could see that she wasn’t herself- if he had the guts he would drag her out of here and persuade her to open up.

“I’d have persuaded her to move with me to Texas, to live on my family ranch- away from that psycho you call your brother. But it doesn’t matter, she isn’t pregnant. So can we change the subject?”

“Okay, so why haven’t you beat Liam up yet? I mean he kept you locked away in an apartment. They beat you.”

“Because I’m not stooping to his level. He’s a joke of man, he had a diamond and threw her away. I’m not going to upset her anymore by fighting over her.” Not realising that Liam had purposely overheard the whole conversation, Drake was annoyed he had interrupted their ‘private’ discussion.

“Don’t you think that I feel guilty enough Drake?”

“So you should! You think because you are rich that you can get what you want at the click of your fingers. Just move on Liam. I swear if you touch me again, I will report you to the police this time.”

“Why didn’t you do that the first time? Scared that I was going to do it again? Don’t worry I’m not. Riley will eventually come back to me, if I want her back I need to remain calm and civil with everyone. Did you find out if she was pregnant?”

“Yes, and it’s none of your business if she was. Why can’t you just leave everyone alone Liam?”

“Leave him alone Liam before I wipe that smirk off your face!” Leo decided to defend his friend over his brother- his own flesh and blood.

Riley witnessed the commotion occurring in the booth- rolling her eyes back she was going to be homeless soon with all the shit her friends cause. Storming up towards Liam she pulled her fist back aiming it straight into Liam’s jaw.

“Riley what the fuck?” Holding his jaw, he couldn’t believe that she out of everyone decided to hurt him in such a manner. He never knew she had it in her.

“You don’t know how many times that I have wanted to do that. You think you can cause shit, torture Drake, cause shit in my workplace - TWICE. I thought you was going to be civil Liam? You will never change and I truly don’t know who are you anymore. I’d like you all to leave.”

“Ri, I’m sorry.”

“Apologise not to me but to Leo and more importantly Drake. If they don’t accept it I don’t blame them one bit. We can be friends Liam but that is it. Now goodbye. Max I’ll ring you at some point tomorrow.” Providing sorrow in her eyes towards the others, she knew that throwing them all out was for the best.

*****

A few days later, Riley had arranged to meet Maxwell at his apartment- he promised that Drake wouldn’t be in and that they could talk like the friends they used to be.

In the last few days, she had kept debating about whether to tell Drake the truth- she had imagined what type of father he would be. Would he be distraught if she continued with the procedure? What if he wanted to support her and the baby. Maybe if they learnt from this mistake, they could move on- if there was a future between the two of them they could try again when the time was right for them both. All these questions didn’t help her- she wanted advise from her closest friend who knew both her and Drake the best.

“Hey. Erm. I didn’t expect you to be in. Is Maxwell in?”

“No, he’s gone on a date.” That son of a bitch! Why would he arrange to meet me.... ohhh...

“Oh right. Well let him know that I’ll rearrange another day with him.”

“Riley, you don’t have to avoid me you know. You’re welcome to wait for him. He’s only taken her to Coney Island.”

“Typical Maxwell. No it’s fine, I don’t want to be a gooseberry.”

“What and I aren’t going to be? He won’t bring her back- he doesn’t do that on first dates.”

“Oh I know, but he could do. I suppose I could wait for him for a bit.” Drake moved out of the way- allowing her in. He noticed that she looked a bit pale compared to usual.

“Make yourself at home, I mean it was your home once upon a time.”

“Yeah, back when everything in life was simple. I’m sorry for throwing you all out the other night.”

“You did me a favour. I don’t know how much more of Liam I could have taken.” “Do you want a drink?” Riley nodded and insisted on a glass of water. Handing her the drink, their fingers brushed against each other- sending a shock of electricity through their veins.

“Thanks.”

“No probs. If you need anything, I’ll be in my room.”

“Before you go, can we talk? Please.” Whilst it was just the two of them, Riley believed it was now or never. Tell him the truth.

“Sure. What about?”

“Us.”

“There is no us...”

“Maybe not, but I need to tell you something whilst I have the courage to tell you.” Drake stared at her, wondering what on Earth she was eager to talk about. Pointing over to the couch, he sat down- Riley sat next to him her body facing him, but her gaze was down towards the floor.

“So, I lied to you about many things.” Finally focusing her eyes on his, she continued. “I lied when I said you was a rebound and a shit one night stand....”

“It’s fine, I said hurtful words too. It’s in the past. Don’t worry about it.” Hearing his phone ring constantly, he didn’t want to seem rude by answering it- it was only Savannah. Riley noticed his eyes flicker from her to the phone and vice versa.

“Answer it, it’s clearly important.” Nodding he put it on loudspeaker, not really wanting to pay much attention.

“Hey Sav, what’s up?”

“Well I’m not going back to Texas. When Maxwell contacted me about what that prick did to you- I thought I’d only come short term. But then I started to fall for Bertrand...”

“I really don’t want to hear about your love life Savannah, you’re my sister.”

“No I just wanted to let you know that you’re going to be an uncle. I’m pregnant. Myself and Bertrand are going to be parents.”

“That’s great Sav. We will celebrate soon. I have to go though. I love you and that little bean. Talk to you later.” Hanging up, he looked immediately towards Riley who looked more pale than she did before she arrived. Placing his hand on her forehead, she had a temperature- he wasn’t a bastard, he would look after her until Maxwell arrived.

“You’re so warm, and you look pale. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, just the shock that Bertrand is going to be a father. He was my babysitter when I was a kid you know? A poor one at that. He was so strict, I feel sorry for your nephew or niece.”

“Cut the crap Riley. What is up with you? Do you need me to take you to hospital?”

“Okay I lied to you again. I can’t tell you. I want to tell you. I just don’t know how to.” Beginning to cry uncontrollably, he shuffled closer towards her. Asking if he could place his arm around her, she nodded. Holding her tightly, she felt safe in his arms.

“What’s up beautiful?”

“Why did you call me beautiful?”

“Because you are.”

“You wouldn’t think that if you knew what I’m about to tell you.” Pausing, Drake still fixated his gaze on hers keeping eye contact.

“Drake... I... I lied to you because I didn’t know what to do, I still don’t. I’m pregnant. And it’s yours.”

“Why would you lie to me? I don’t understand? If you wanted to keep it, I would support the two of you. As you said it takes two to tango, I should have more responsible. I’m so sorry.”

“I lied because I have options- options that I still don’t know which path to follow. I lied because I was considering a termination- not that I want to, but I need you to be safe. If Liam can do that to you because we sleep together, what else would he do?”

“Why the fuck are you thinking about him again? This is about our baby. Our baby that you are going to kill because your ex is a psychopath! I will protect you both. I’d move you to Texas to live on my parents ranch- I already had it all planned then you said you wasn’t pregnant.”

“I’m thinking about you. I’m thinking about the baby. I don’t have my own place, neither do you- you share with Maxwell. We don’t know each other...”

“I wanted to get to know you, I like you a lot Riley. This is my mistake too. Please just think about it and reconsider. I can provide for us all, I’ll get us a home....”

“I have been thinking about it non stop for two weeks... my mind is about to explode due to it.” Drake wanted her to keep their baby, somehow they would work through it.

“Whatever you decide, I’ll support you. It’s your choice.” Riley nestled into Drake, still not knowing what to do for the best.

“Thank you for being there for me. I think I better go, I don’t think Max is coming back anytime soon.”

“Stay with me for the night? If it’s the last time we are going to be a family, I want to spend it with the two of you.”

*****

Riley agreed to stay, mainly due to guilt. Believing her mind was already made up. Falling asleep immediately as her head hit the pillow, Drake stripped down to his boxers- pulling her towards him, he placed one arm under her neck the other one over her stomach. Holding them both protectively, tears formed in his eyes.

“I’m so sorry little one. I think your mom has made her mind up. I will always love you, and your mommy.”

*****

A few days later, Drake met up with Riley outside the clinic. There was silence between the two of them, he still disagreed with her decision- but couldn’t force her or persuade her to keep it. He had spoken to Maxwell when he had returned from his date.

“Hey, how did the date go?”

“Better than expected. I can smell a certain lady. Where is she?”

“She’s erm. In my bed.”

“So you’ve rekindled then?”

“Not really. It’s a goodbye ‘sleepover’” Drake could see confusion written across Maxwell’s face- so continued talking.

“She is pregnant, but she doesn’t want to keep our baby.”

“Shit man, why?”

“She doesn’t know me that well, we don’t share a house or have our own house, she doesn’t want Liam to hurt me anymore... I’d protect the two of them. I’d love them both- my little family.”

“I see her point, but I’m sure the two of you could work things out for the baby- even if you aren’t technically dating?”

“Max, if I pretend that it never existed I’m sure I’ll get over it.”

“Buddy...”

“I’m going to spend the night holding my baby and the mother of my child before I have to say goodbye. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Softly smiling at her, she returned the gesture- guilt constantly going through her mind.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be, I’m here with you for every step.” Walking to the reception area, they both sat quietly- hoping to get this over and done with quickly.

“Miss Brooks please.” Riley slowly stood up. Turning around Drake was still sat down in a trance.

“Drake? Are you coming? If not it’s fine.”

“No I’m coming. Sorry. I said I’d be there every step supporting you.” Sitting down, the nurse completed a pre operative assessment- before introducing the Obstetrician who would be completing the procedure.

“Good morning, before we begin the procedure- id just like to do an examination and an ultrasound to ensure exactly how far into the pregnancy you are. Is that okay?” Riley nodded, laying on her back- the cold gel was placed on her stomach. Biting her lip, she stared upto the ceiling- attempting to ignore the bleeping sound coming from the machine. Drake held her hand, regretting coming- it was shattering his heart. Whilst his sister was celebrating her pregnancy and child, he was about to lose his without even getting to know it.

“We’re all done. You are around nine weeks pregnant. We can do the one day abortion, which means that you can return to work immediately tomorrow. The procedure itself- if completed under local anaesthetic will take no longer than ten minutes. If you are confident that you would like to continue- sign this consent form. I’ll give you both a bit of time together.” Signing the consent form, she felt slightly relieved but still upset. Drake pulled her towards him- forcing a kiss on her lips, he needed to somehow let her know that he still cared for her deep down.

After the procedure, Riley was in recovery- the cramps due to the procedure were excruciating to begin with but eventually calmed down. A bit of spotting began shortly after the procedure but after an examination- the staff were happy to discharge her. Grabbing the nurse before she left, she needed to ask her for something. Walking into the reception area, she saw Drake holding his head in his hands- once he noticed her, he shot out of his chair.

“Hey, are you okay? Are you in any pain? I’ll take you home.”

“Drake, I’m fine. I’ll meet you outside. I need to pay.”

“I’ll pay. Don’t worry about it.”

“Please let me pay, this was my decision to do this. I don’t want to make it any harder on you.”

Riley paid her bill, and called a cab for the two of them. Arriving at the strip club, he stepped out of the cab- ran around to her side to open the door.

“Let me know if you need anything, I’ll be there straight away.” His kindness was breaking her heart, she had potentially broken his with her decision.

“I’ll be fine. Thank you though. Don’t go awol on me again.”

“Ditto. See ya around Brooks.” Pulling him in for a quick kiss, she knew it would take time for them both to come to terms with what had just happened.

“See ya around Walker.”

*****

Arriving back at his apartment, Maxwell looked concerned- he had hoped that Riley would change her mind once at the clinic. Sitting at the island, Drake poured himself a tumbler of whiskey- before pulling something out of his jeans pocket- the scan.

“Hi, my girlfriend- not girlfriend, has just gone in for her procedure. I was just wondering if I could have a copy of the scan she had done.”

“Of course you can. We always print off two copies, one for mom and one for dad for instances such as these. Riley Brooks wasn’t it?”

Pulling the scan up to his face, he kept whispering I’m so sorry, Daddy will always love you. Unable to control his tears- Maxwell felt like the shittest friend alive.

*****

Riley stormed through to her room, immediately locking the door behind her so no one would disturb her. Pulling out the envelope from her bag- she immediately fell to the floor, regretting the decision. Tracing her shaking finger across the picture, she whispered I’m so sorry, I’ll always love you. Mommy loves you, please forgive me?

*****

Six months after the termination, Drake and Riley spoke every so often over text and phone call, for the first few months. Neither knowing what to say or do. The last month or so, they hardly spoke- they had drifted apart.

Today was Savannah’s baby shower, they had found out that they were due to have a little boy in five weeks time - give or take. They had decided to call him Bartie after Bertrand’s father.

Maxwell had persuaded Riley to come after many attempts- he knew it would be hard for her giving her personal circumstances. But Bertrand was like family to her. Maxwell stood with the other proud Uncle Drake- nervously waiting for Riley to show up.

“What’s up with you? Do you need to pee or something?”

“No just nervous.”

“What for?”

“Nothing Drake.” Fuck me I hope these two talk, if she arrives.

“What the fuck is he doing here?”

“I don’t know?”

“Gentlemen. How nice to see you.”

“Go away Liam you’re not welcome. Family only!” Maxwell spat towards his so called friend. Ignoring Max, Liam turned to face Drake.

“Drake how are you doing?”

“I’m going, I’m not dealing with you.”

“Jesus what’s up with you both?” Drake grabbed Liam by the collar- his hot breath lingered on the billionaire.

“You want to know what’s up? You was one of the main factors for why I’m not celebrating the fact that I was due to have a baby in five weeks also!” Not knowing how loud he was, they soon had an audience around them.

“I don’t possibly see how that was my fault.”

“Oh really? You beat me up, leave me for dead. Threaten that I leave New York- all so you could try and win Riley back. All that time you was trying, she was pregnant with my child. Our baby... that she chose...to end its life because she was scared about what you would do to me.”

“Or maybe she did it because she knew how much of a mistake it was?” Drake pushed him towards the floor, punching his head uncontrollably. He was releasing anger that he had built up over the months.

“Drake! Leave him alone!” Hearing her voice, he looked at the damage- regretting immediately what he had done. He was now as bad as Liam. Slowly standing up- he needed to remove himself from the scenario before he ruined his sister’s special day anymore.

“Drake! Wait up! I can’t run in heels.”

“What’s up Ri?”

“Are you okay? Let me look at your hand.” Holding his swollen hand, she gently kissed it.

“It’s fine. I’m sorry. I hate him.”

“I don’t blame you for doing what you did. It was revenge right? But you could have taken it somewhere private. Bertrand and Savannah didn’t look thrilled that you and Liam were gaining more attention than they were.”

“I’m sorry Riley, I’ve never got over the fact of what we did. I should have been more open with you.”

“I’m so sorry Drake. Before they discharged me, I asked for the scan- here... you can have it if you want.”

“I don’t need it. I did the same. It’s never left my side.” Pulling the scan out of his pocket- she wiped his tears away before wrapping her arms around him.

“I should be happy for them, but I’m jealous. That should have been us too. I keep imagining what it would look like, what their personality would be like.”

“Well if they were like me they’d be stubborn, and continue to make poor life decisions. If they were like you, they’d come out of my vag expecting a whiskey on the rocks.” Seeing a smile on his face, she was happy to make him see the funny side to a sad situation.

“That is possibly quite true, don’t criticise me for appreciating a good drink. They would have been a good looking kid with both our looks.”

“Oh definitely... best looking kid ever. They’d have your infamous smirk.”

“Your beautiful blue eyes.”

“Your charm.”

“Your strong attitude, they wouldn’t allow any one to mess with them.”

“We better stop before our egos burst. We better get back.”

“Wait!” Riley turned around, wondering what else he needed to say.

Cupping her cheeks, he had missed her immensely- forcing a kiss onto her lips, he didn’t give her the chance to breathe. Pulling her up into his arms, she wrapped her legs around him- not breaking the kiss. The kiss became more passionate, deepening at every movement. Feeling his hot breath on her neck, then the brush of his lips. His calloused hand ran through through her natural curls that were flowing effortlessly, as the kisses became more and more urgent. Placing her back on the ground his hand slid around her waist, pulling her closer to his all familiar whiskey scented body. Eventually breaking the kiss, he wasn’t sure what had overcome him.

“I’m sorry. I’ve missed you so much. I know we hardly know each other- but you are on my mind every second of the day.”

“That’s exactly how I feel. I wish things would have turned out better.”

“We could start over. I’ll take you out for dates, get to know each other properly. Fuck Liam. Fuck whoever. You’ve never put yourself first, or trusted anyone because of him. But I’m a good guy Ri. I’d treat you like you deserve to be treated. Just give me a chance? In the future, we could become stable- be a family when it’s more suitable. What do you say? Go on a date with me?” Before Riley could respond, they were interrupted by clapping and a sinister cackle.

“How very touching Drake. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

[unbrckenwallsxinspo]

Trigger // SELF PARA

When: April 1st, after midnight

Where: Devon and Alyssa’s House

Summary: Kinsley Maxwell decides to play an April Fools prank on Devon, but it goes horribly wrong.

Trigger Warnings: Guns, mentions of death, murder, suicide, and drugs

Mentions: Devon, Ryan, Tavin, Alex, Kinsley 

@thewiildthings​

🖂 Incoming message! From: ronimaxwell@gmail.com To:devprescott88@gmail.com I found some old pics of Jade that I thought you might like to have.

A few years had passed since Jade's murder. Devon was now only a couple weeks away from his 25th birth, he was raising their daughter as a single parent, and still lived in the two story cabin home that his in-laws had helped them purchase.  He wished he could say that life was good, but deep down, there was still pain that just wouldn't disappear no matter how hard he tried to ignore it. No matter what he did, he still lived with the memory of watching Jade take her last breath.

It was after midnight in Nashville. He should've been asleep, but instead he was on his laptop, looking at the email that his mother-in-law had sent. Four pics of Jade that he'd never seen before. The first one being when she was only about four months pregnant with Alyssa and went to a late night diner with friends. The second being her with friends at a hotel about a month before she and Devon got married. The third was her wit friends atsome electronics store in a town they didn't recognize. The fourth was one that Devon had taken of her while on a lunch date after their wedding. So many good memories. No more to be made.

A year after she died, Devon tried to take his own life. Months of therapy followed until he finally stopped going. In his mind, he no longer needed the help. For a few years, that mindset worked. Until recently. Lately he'd begun to sink back into a depression, suicidal thoughts and all. Alyssa was the only reason he hadn't ended his life. She was his reason for living. Still, he was haunted by nightmares of Jade's death. He blamed himself for it happening. After all, he shouldn't have tried to escape, then the robber wouldn't have felt the need to fire his weapon. So it had to be Devon's fault, right?

"Daddy?"

He clicked out of his email and closed his laptop as soon as he saw the seven-year-old in the doorway, clinging to her teddy bear and rubbing her tired blue eyes. "Hey, love, can't sleep?"

Alyssa shook her head and climbed onto the bed, nuzzling her face against Devon's shoulder. She knew how to make him feel safer without even trying. Wrapping his arms around his little girl, he laid back against the pillows, a heavy sigh leaving his lips as he looked at the clock on his nightstand. It was 12:30 AM. He'd surely be awake until it was alright daylight out. That was often how his nights turned out.  Good thing he had tomorrow off from work.

"Daddy?"

"What's up, kiddo?" He ran his fingers through her hair, forcing himself to smile as he lovingly kissed her head. 

"Do you think I'll ever see my mommy again?"

The question was anything but simple. He believed they would see Jade in the afterlife, but he knew what Alyssa really meant, and he couldn't give her the answer she wanted. That broke his heart.

"Someday, baby." He gulped, rubbing her back. He was kind of relieved when she didn't push the issue farther. Normally she had a lot of questions about pretty much anything and everything, but he preferred that she not ask too many questions about her mom. He never had the right answers.

Their brief conversation was interrupted by something outside. Something that Devon didn't recognize. He supposed that it could have been the wind or a trashcan falling over or a bird or something, but it sounded like none of those things. So Devon's fight or flight response was quick to kick in. 

"Stay here. Try to get some sleep." He murmured as he got up from the bed. A few months after Jade died, he purchased a pistol without telling anyone. He kept it in a safe in his closet and only he knew the combination. Maybe right now he didn't need the gun, maybe there was a logical explanation, but that knocking...it didn't sound good, so of course his first reaction was self defense.

"Dad--"

"Stay here!" He whispered before he walked into the door, shutting the door behind him. He was about to head downstairs when he heard the familiar ring of his phone, which was coming from Alyssa's room. Huh. He must have left it there when he was putting her to bed earlier. 

He hurried into her room and grabbed the phone, answering with urgency. 

"Hello?!"

"Hello, friend. Remember me?"

"Who is this?!" Devon snapped as he pointed the gun in front of him, inching slowly out of the room and towards the stairs. 

"You mean you don't remember me? From the Flash Mart?"

Chills went down Devon's spine. The Flash Mart was where Jade was killed. But her killer was in prison! He couldn't possibly be calling. This had to be a joke. A sick, evil joke. 

"Come on, Devon. I met you and that lovely wife of yours for a few minutes. Lovely couple, you two were."

"Whoever you are, you better leave me alone or I'm calling the police!" He yelled before promptly hanging up. He choked back sobs as his shaking hand clutched the gun tighter, walking slowly down the stairs. To his horror, his front door was wide open, wind blowing leaves across the floor. And in the doorway was a tall, hooded figure wearing a hockey mask and holding what appeared to be a machete. A bloody machete.

BANG!

Devon didn't notice that the man had practically jumped back through the doorway in fear, as a bullet struck the floor and another at the wall. His mind was spinning, but he was focused enough to fight back against the perceived enemy. This was not happening. This was NOT happening.

"BRENDON, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE JASON VOORHEES OR SOMETHING, NOT MY SISTER'S KILLER, YOU MORONIC ASSHOLE! Tavin, seriously, get over here now. Devon's got a gun! Shit shit shit...No, I'm hiding behind the car!"

Devon paused at the sound of Kinsley's voice. He knew this was some kind of prank that she'd come up with, but his mind was racing and his muscles were so tense that somehow he still felt like there was danger. So the gun never left his hands and his finger never left the trigger as he searched the surrounding area for Kinsley's "friend."

"Devon, it was a prank!"

Devon no longer heard a word Kinsley was screaming at him. He was focused entirely on finding the asshole she'd used for said prank. The scary thing was that he wasn't even thinking of the potential consequences of his actions. He didn't think about the possibility that he might hurt or even kill someone. He was definitely not himself in that moment.

"W-where are you..." He murmured, panicked tears in his eyes. The flashbacks were playing over and over in his head, and he felt nothing except a desperate desire to protect himself and his daughter. In that moment, he wasn't at his home. He was back at that convenience store and he was fighting for his life.

He was so deeply trapped in his own mind that he didn't hear the slam of the car door a few feet away. He heard someone call his name and he cried out softly as he whipped around, pointing the gun in the direction of the voices. Then, all of a sudden, he felt a pair of arms grab him from behind, the gun falling from his hand.

"Ryan, did you just forget that he has PTSD?! You don't sneak up behind someone who--" Was that Alex or Tavin speaking? Devon had no idea. He was too busy crying and trying to get out of Ryan's grasp, panicked breaths escaping him. 

"Well, did you want him to shoot someone? Because I don't know about you, but I like liv-Thank you, Devon, for your knee making contact with Ryan Jr." Ryan groaned as he let Devon go, gripping his crotch as if that would relieve the pain Devon just inflicted upon him.

Devon was spiraling. Heavy breathing, sweat dripping down his face, barely holding back sobs as he combed his fingers through his hair. He was going insane, he was sure of it. Maybe he was even dying. At this point, he didn't mind that possibility too much. He just wanted the pain to stop. He didn't want to live in fear anymore and if dying would relieve that fear, then so be it.

"Okay, I got pot, coke, or molly. Take your pick." Dammit, Alex. No one gives a shit about your stupid drugs.

Suddenly, Devon's mood changed from fear and panick to pure anger. "Alex, I don't want your drugs. I want to take that pistol and put an end to me misery, that's what. I'm sure you can relate, right? Besides, we all know that you'd rather keep that shit for yourself."

Alex had a stricken expression on his face now and if Devon were in his right mind, he'd feel guilty. But he didn't. He didn't care if Alex got his feelings hurt. He had just as many problems as Devon did, if not more, and it was time someone called him out on it.

"Dude, that wasn't cool and you know it. Let's just...go inside, okay?" He felt Tavin's hands on his biceps and he relaxed only slightly, shaking with panic and anger as he was ushered into the house. He was close to breaking down again, but whatever. Tavin had seen him break before. In fact, he was the one person that Devon felt comfortable being vulnerable in front of. 

"I'm gonna use the restroom." He gulped, shaking off his friend's hands and hurrying into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind him. He took the time to look at his reflection. Messy hair that he hadn't washed in days or really maintained at all, heavy bags under his eyes, pale skin that was currently sparkling with sweat, obvious weight loss...clearly life had been kicking him in the ass and he hadn't done a damn thing to make it any better. He didn't see the point.

Momentarily, he saw Jade standing behind him, then he saw a dark, hooded figure drag her away. He sobbed as he threw a punch at the mirror, watching the glass shatter. What followed was a few knocks on the door and Tavin calling his name. Devon figured if he stayed quiet long enough, maybe he'd be left alone. But of course not. Within a few minutes, the door somehow opened. Ryan had picked the lock. Lovely.

"Dude, what the--" Tavin grabbed his hand and said something to Ryan about getting the first aid kit from the kitchen. Then he felt Tavin's arms around him and he finally broke completely, tears soaking his friend's shirt.

[indigoire]

It Read-through Chapter Three: “Six Phone Calls”

God. One hundred pages into IT and I only just got done with chapter three. This book can and will kill me. 

Warning for racism, suicide, blood, gore, abuse, assault, misogyny, and Bill Denbrough’s shitty opinions.

Intro Chapters One and Two

Silly me thought, oh, twenty-four chapters, one thousand one hundred and thirty-eight pages, that’s about fifty pages per chapter, I can crank that out no problem. I was reading full novels over the course of a day when I was in school. Easy peasy. 

Real whoppers like this chapter have me doubting myself. I’ll probably have days where I’ll break the chapter in half just so I’m not reading for three straight hours like I was tonight. 

Anyways, on to the chapter itself. It’s really more like six chapters crammed into one, all introducing us to an individual Loser with the exception of Mike. 

Let me sum up my reaction to these intros with my own tweet, having just finished Bev’s introduction:

And like, I’ve seen the movies, I’ve read the fanworks, I know a lot of the lore. I even read past chapter three as a kid, I remember Bill’s intro so clearly now. I feel like I have my own form of amnesia, but the shitty memories I’m uncovering are of reading this book. So believe me when I say I knew going in that the Losers would be an amalgamation of mommy and daddy issues or just plain issues, anti-Semitism, misogyny, repression, trauma, long-buried PTSD, abuse…like, there’s a reason they’re Losers. 

But King feels like he needs to beat us over the head with this information. 

For example, let’s start with Stanley. Good old Stanley. Hey, did you know Stan was Jewish??? A simple mention wouldn’t be enough though, let’s throw every anti-Semitic word at the wall, but it’s okay because it’s from the viewpoint of a Jewish character, his wife. The Jewish wife can call herself a kike all day long, why not, let’s just go ahead and do that. 

Like. Come on Stephen. My notes say “at SOME point this just feels fuckin’ racist, dude.” 

Stan himself is lovely. We get to see him from Patty’s point of view (and, point of order, I just realized that all of the Losers are introduced from the viewpoint of another character, with the exception of Richie and Eddie), and Stan is a level-headed, smart, steady man. He seems to be “preternaturally confident” about his life choices, whether that’s choosing where Patty should apply to for work or starting his own accounting firm, and he always seems to find success. 

Stan also finds out about Bill and his books, but before the telephone call from Mike, before the Derry memories are supposed to rush in. Stan is reading Bill’s new book when he gets the call in fact. 

He also makes an oblique reference to the Turtle around Patty, “the Turtle couldn’t help us”, and then seems to shake it off without going into it with her. 

So. Either Stan remembered more than he let on, or something happened that made him aware. More aware than the rest of the Losers. Like, the Losers all seem to find wild success, supernatural success really, but to them it all seems to happen suddenly, at random. Not so with Stan. When Patty and Stan try to have children but can’t conceive, Stan says he knows the problem lies with him, he just doesn’t know why exactly. He then goes on to say that he’s in the eye of some storm, the calm between something terrible in his past and something terrible in his future. 

Of course we soon learn what terrible something is lurking in Stan’s future. One evening he gets a call from Mike Hanlon, telling him to come back to Derry. Stan answers the call, responds to Mike’s questions, then tells Patty he’s going to take a bath. She ends up watching TV a little too long, then realizes something is Off. She finds him locked in the bathroom with slit wrists and the word IT written in his own blood on the wall. 

The neighbors call the cops she screams so loud. 

We then move from Stan to Richie, whose name I have never been more happy to see in my whole life. Finally, finally, one of my favorite characters. Richie answers Mike’s phone call with nary a hiccup. He puts on a Voice to answer, not something silly but a sort of adult “everything’s going to be okay” Voice. He then arranges things with his travel agent and somewhere along the way he has to go back to his normal voice. “Now he had to go back to being himself, and that was hard–it got harder to do that every year.” Richie is building walls around parts of himself with his Voices, avoiding the real him. 

He does a couple of voices for the travel agent, she laughs hysterically, and he arranges his trip to Derry, and calls out of work. After it’s all taken care of, the memories start to rush back, the people, and he thinks of Georgie, with his arm ripped off, and then and only then does Richie vomit. He makes it to the toilet at least, but he empties himself entirely. He then removes his contacts. 

A rather short intro, but to me a nice reprieve. 

Ben’s intro is a lot better than I remember it being. I think I conflated it with his intro in the miniseries, where he brings home a girl and tells her about him being fat before they have sex. Here, not a whisper of that. There’s actually a bit where a woman asks Ben’s local bartender if Mister Hanscom is gay. “Mister Hanscom ain’t no sissy.” Cool. Thanks, Stephen. 

Basically, Ben haunts this one tiny bar in Nebraska in this tiny podunk “town”, where he gets to know the bartender, a Ricky Lee, very well over the years. He comes every Friday and Saturday night, no matter where he is. When he’s working on the BBC Communications Tower in London he still flies back home every Saturday to get his drinks. He never takes anyone home from the bar and he consistently tips well. The bartender enjoys his company. 

The night of the phone call, we see Ben head into the bar and there’s a terrible desolation hung over him. He tells Ricky there’s been bad news from home, and Ricky is sympathetic. He goes into some of the memories, of Bowers carving the H into his stomach, and shows Ricky the scar. He then orders a STEIN of whiskey, which Ricky, somewhat foolishly, gives to him, on the house. 

Ben then, mentioning an anecdote about the natives in Peru, snorts straight lemon juice and then downs the whiskey like beer. He then gives Ricky Lee three pure silver dollars that his father gave to him before he died. He makes mention of a fourth one that he gave to Bill…and a mysterious reference that Bill or Bev somehow used that silver dollar to save his life at some point. Meanwhile, Ricky is horrified. He keeps thinking of a bar patron that once hung himself after coming to the bar, and how Ben has the same look about him. He’s suddenly struck that Ben is dead, a dead man walking. 

But Ben walks out of the bar all the same, drives off, even while the waitress scolds Ricky for letting Ben drive, saying “he’ll kill himself”. And Ricky, who had thought the same thing not five minutes before says no he won’t. 

It’s a common through-line, the Losers being dead men (and woman) walking, everyone comments how scared they seem to be, how overwhelmed by fear, with the exception of Richie, who has no one with him, but Richie notes that he’s a dead man walking all the same. 

We move on to Eddie. In my notebook I wrote “EDDIE!!!” and immediately felt a renewed zeal to read. 

Eddie is introduced not by physical description but by what we find in his medicine cabinet. I couldn’t tell you the purpose of half of the items listed, a lot of them no longer exist, and as much as I’ve been busting out google for this book I wasn’t keen on looking up an entire pharmacy. I did note that one, there’s a lot of products for, as the book puts it, “moving the mail” (I wrote down “get the feeling Eds gets constipated a lot, needs more fiber in his diet”), and then I noted that Eddie also has some serious painkillers, along with some uppers and serious downers. You know a book was written in the eighties when “Quaaludes” gets name-dropped. 

I also wrote “Eddie is balding :C”, just so you know where my priorities lie. 

Of course we wouldn’t be able to talk about Eddie without mentioning Myra. Right after Eddie basically empties his medicine cabinet into his bag, Myra comes thundering up the stairs. Oh yeah, chalk down some good ol’ fatphobia from King. Literally every shitty character is fat in this book. 

Myra gets a bit of an interjection, though Eddie remains the central viewpoint for most of the chapter, and in her interjection she notes that she somewhat wants to trap Eddie (in the closet, jesus, very subtle) until “this madness had passed”. 

Eddie presses Myra into taking over for him in his driving business, and she hasn’t driven in years so she’s terrified, all while half trapped in his memories. He remembers his mom laying into his gym teacher for making Eddie take Phys. Ed. with asthma, but the teacher notes there’s nothing physically wrong with him. All the same, Eddie goes for his aspirator, takes a deep puff of it. 

He reflects that he knows how fucked up his marriage is, he knows he married his mother. Before he’d taken the plunge he’d placed a photo of Myra on the mantle next to his mother. He noted then that the two of them could be sisters. But he’d been weak and fallen into old habits. The jabs he could take, the jokes about Jack Sprat from his coworkers, but he really does seem ashamed of himself for taking the easier path, the one familiar to him. 

He truly cares for Myra if nothing else. He doesn’t want to hurt her in any way. Even semi-harsh words make him feel guilty and remorseful. He contemplates telling her everything, but it would only make her anxiety and distress worse. 

Also, two things of note: Eddie mentions that Myra “was really very sweet and had had even less experience with men than he’d had with women.” 👀 This and his pet-name for her, that makes her giggle to hear it, is “Marty.” I feel like this is far more telling of Eddie than the “marrying his mother” thing. He has affection for this woman, to be sure, but far more because she is safe, she doesn’t know much about men, she reminds him of familiar routines, she keeps him medicated and stable. He affectionately calls her a man’s name. 

And she? She wants to lock him in a closet to keep him safe and docile to her. 

As he leaves he briefly sees her transform (only for him, only mentally) into someone older, his mother back from the grave, “old and fat and crazy”, and a memory of his mother terrifying him in a shoe shop comes to mind. He shakes it off and asks her for a kiss, while saying to himself “if we were in water she’d drown us both.”

And then he flees to his taxi, on his way to the station and Derry. 

The next introduction is terrible. It made me so mad to read, I remember it disgusting me when I was kid, but it just infuriates me now. 

King’s only female protagonist, the only female in the Losers Club, Bev Marsh, is a walking punching bag. 

This part is told from the viewpoint of Tom Rogan, Bev’s husband, and he talks about how he got her under his thumb, how he could sense her vulnerability. And one, it reads like how every man assumes female abuse victims work, secretly wanting the abuse and having the choice to leave at any time but unable to, and two, it is some highly toxic misogynistic shit. And obviously it’s told from the viewpoint of a highly misogynistic character, an abuser through and through (who, by the way, is also fat, so there’s that fatphobia popping up again). 

But Tom knows that in times of extreme stress Bev is able to find her inner strength and push through. She becomes manic to do what she needs to do, and in those times Tom knows that his abuse wouldn’t be able to touch her. 

I filled up a quarter of a page with the words “FUCK TOM >:C” just so you know where my head was at as I read about him “teaching Bev a lesson” and beating her until she “learned”. He even knows that when he beats her she regresses back to being a child. A *gag* sexy child at that. His disgusting words, not mine. 

Of course Tom has parental issues of his own, of course! Match made in heaven. His mom beat him with a belt and he intends to do the same to Bev, put her in her place, give her a “whuppin’” as it’s phrased in the book. But Bev isn’t having any of that tonight. As Tom attempts to beat her for smoking and packing and daring to defy him, she fights back. She throws glass bottles at him and, as he gets more crazed, eventually tips the vanity on him. That isn’t even close to enough to keep him down though, so she snags the belt and whips him, first across the face, and then across the balls. Then and only then does he go down. 

She flees, shoeless and penniless into the night, and laughs once she realizes she’s out and probably out for good. My notes read “Tom can and will rot in hell.” 

Then my notes segue smoothly into “oh boy it’s Bill :|” and honestly, that could be the mood for the whole segment on Bill. 

Bill…Bill is so obviously Stephen King. Any time there’s a writer in a Stephen King novel you can bet that the writer is a stand-in for Stephen King. This is why it was amusing to me to have his cameo in It: Chapter Two roast Bill, his self-insert. I also should note that in the last chapter Adrian is noted to have been working on a long-languishing novel, and being in Derry inspired him, and just reading that made me groan. Not because I have anything against writers, lord knows, but because I know King included that detail to tie Adrian to himself and to Bill. I know it will come up later. I know King has to make every character him before he can empathize with them. 

Anyways, Bill gets the call from Mike all the way in England, where he’s staying in a cottage with his wife Audra. Beautiful, statuesque, red-haired Audra. “Why can’t you be the woman I want you to be” indeed. Not a line Bill says in the book by the way. At least not yet. 

Audra wants to know why Bill is shaking and why he pours himself a stiff drink before breakfast, so Bill begins filling her in on the details. And as he does we’re treated to memories of Bill in college, in his creative writing class. 

Now. Here is where I begin to lose patience with Bill and with King. King is clearly writing from experience. I know he had issues with his own college creative writing class. 

Basically, the class is pretentious, concerned with inserting political opinions into everything they write, going on about how war is sold by sexist capitalists and so on and you can just TELL that King is projecting hard. Bill’s works, fun sci-fi stories and mysteries, are given fairly low scores by the professor.

Then one day in class, during a period when another student is talking about her work, filled to the brim with socio-political commentary, Bill stands up and basically says that he doesn’t get what they’re talking about and “can’t you guys just let a story be a story?”

Which like, dude, okay, I get it on some level, this shit sounds pretentious as hell. But it’s COLLEGE. If you can’t get a chance to be pretentious in college then when else can you be? Also, you know for a fact that King is twisting this story to make himself look favorable, because it is clearly a story from his own past. So obviously the students have to be talking about buzzwords that have no meaning, instead of, oh I don’t know, expressing their political beliefs? Everything has politics in it dude! Even your shitty ass story reflects the political landscape of America in the eighties for fuck’s sake!! It, the novel, would not be what it is if it weren’t mired in politics. It has a lot to say about race, gender, and class, and if the message is muddled and directionless it’s only because the author, Mister King, didn’t put any thought into what he was trying to say, but rather wrote a story that was meant to shock. 

Anyways, Bill says the story thing, and it’s just the sort of malarky you would expect to see on the front page of r/braincels, with the top comment being “and then everyone clapped” because it is ridiculous. The teacher reprimands Bill, and Bill slinks out of class.

But OH BOY, Bill shows him! Because he writes his first horror story shortly after, and the story damn near pours out of him, and he brings it to class. The professor gives it an F and calls it pure pulp. 

Bill sells it for two hundred bucks to a shitty magazine, drops the class, and with the drop out note, well. I’ll let King take over here:

“Bill Denbrough staples the drop card to the assistant fiction editor’s congratulatory note and tacks both to the bulletin board on the creative-writing instructor’s door. In the corner of the bulletin board he sees an anti-war cartoon. And suddenly, as if moving of its own accord, his fingers pluck his pen from his breast pocket and across the cartoon he writes this: If fiction and politics ever really do become interchangeable, I’m going to kill myself, because I won’t know what else to do. You see, politics always change. Stories never do.”

“Bill Denbrough,” my notes read, “kill yourself.” 

The rest of the section continues with Bill falling into the lap of success with his stories, meeting Audra while working on a screen adaptation of his novel, the shoot going unnaturally well according to Audra, and his following years of success. He slowly fills Audra in on the blanks. His brother’s murder. His scars, from the Losers’ vow, which have suddenly reappeared on his hand after the phone call. How Stan was the one that cut their hands, before turning the glass on himself. How Stan at first mimes slashing his wrists, as a supposed goof, but Bill almost stops him all the same. 

He then realizes he can’t tell Audra everything about what went down in Derry, but makes her promise not to come with him, to stay away from Derry. His stutter, which has slowly crept back in over the course of the conversation, scares her into promising

““And when do I see you again?” she asked softly. He put an arm around her and held her tightly, but he never answered her question.”

With that, thus ends chapter three. 

This chapter took it out of me. It was all so familiar and yet all so new and horrible at the same time. I honestly can’t say I’m having a good time, but I’m certainly interested in what I’m reading. It’s like reading about a parasitic wasp, what it does to the host. It’s gruesome and disgusting, but you keep reading because you want to see the end result. But the fun’s only just beginning.

Catch you all tomorrow, bye for now. 

[markipwiwer]

Following up on the angsty kid fic, may I request a fic about maybe a scared kid running from someone (could be a stranger or abusive family,) and running into Wil? Bubblegum boi being a protective dad, and taking care of the kid as long as he can get away with, and either him, Dark, or Anti, probably causing an “accident” to whoever was hurting the kiddo

Oh my god. It’s 4:30am and I finally finished this. It was such a difficult concept to make believable and not forced in this universe which is why it carried on but… I hope you like it!

-

Wilford had never previously thought he was good with children. He spoke to them in a respectful manner and treated them as equals and that was that.

And children typically found him to be quite an interesting adult. He was loud and improper and laughed at their jokes and paid real, genuine attention to their words. Not to mention he was magic. That was nice, too.

So every now and then, Wilford would find a stray child and entertain them appropriately before their parent or guardian showed up to whisk them away. And Wilford got… mixed responses.

Because as much as children often seemed to be at their very best when spending time with Wilford, even if they were previously afraid or upset, not all parents liked the look of Wilford. He looked suspiciously nice, almost too friendly, like a Willy Wonka type who was looking to take children away to some sort of magical place that would curse them or suck their souls out or make them bad at mathematics.

It didn’t help matters with those from older generations that took one look at Wilford and honest to God probably thought his name was Mr Gay Man McStereotype.

So when people attempted to scold him for doing something wrong by existing and also being around kids, he just shrugged it off and let people think what they wanted. He knew he wasn’t being unsavoury, so it mattered very little.

One day, Wilford waited with a girl whose parent didn’t come for her. She was maybe ten years old, sweet as pie, with just enough sass to keep Wilford on his toes and laughing merrily, and she had a tint of an accent that Wilford couldn’t quite place. Her name was Claire.

When he asked about her parents, Claire shook her head and went a little quiet. He tilted his head, not wanting to probe the issue, but it wasn’t like he could sit in the mall with her forever. Or, well, he probably could if he really tried, but he had a life and other things to do.

“Listen. I’ll ask them to make another call over the intercom, and we’ll wait some more, but beyond that, we’ll go to police.”

That promise was easier said than done, since Wilford had issues with police, but he’d figure a way around it. Or rather, maybe he didn’t need to because as soon as police were mentioned Claire was shaking her head furiously, hands out, begging him not to contact them.

Wilford furrowed his eyebrows.

“Why is that so bad?”

Claire looked at her hands and fidgeted for a moment.

“…Mom wouldn’t be happy if we brought police home.”

Wilford tilted his head again.

“We?”

“Yeah. I’ve got a brother, Jonothan. He’s pretty cool, he’s two years older than me and he loves video games and stuff, like Daddy.”

“Well, what about your father? Where is he at the moment?”

Claire shrugged, and looked kind of unsure about what to think of the situation.

“Mom kicked him out, it was weird. Now Auntie Kate does nothin’ but go in the other room and talk about Daddy, like ‘blah blah, Chase is so useless!’ And they think we don’t hear ‘em but we do! Don’t even wanna go into that room anyway, it smells weird.”

Claire seemed to just… go on a tangent, making voices impersonating her aunt and making hand gestures, the lot of it. If it had been anyone else, any other Ego who was a little more aware of their surroundings, perhaps they would have made the connection. But Wilford didn’t. All he saw was a young girl from a broken home who was struggling. And there was clearly something up with that police situation.

So he took her back to the Ego house. The reaction was… less than optimal from Dark.

“What on Earth were you thinking?! This is no place for a child! I know you want to… you know what? It doesn’t matter. We don’t have the time to deal with a kidnaping case, I’ll have Blue get onto this and we can just send this child back home before anything ridiculous happens.”

Dark quietly scolded Wilford in the living room while Claire sat in the kitchen and ate from Wilfords private cookie collection. Wilford tried to explain his concerns, that there was something going on with this kid, he just had a feeling, but Dark was persistent as ever.

Finally, once they were done and Wilford felt properly solemn and downtrodden, Dark walked into the kitchen and loomed over Claire. She seemed… weirdly unfazed. What had this child seen? Dark shook it out of his mind, and he spoke down to her.

“Authorities will be here shortly to take you back to your mother.”

Dark looked… stiff, in the way that he spoke, and Wilford stood behind him, rubbing his neck awkwardly. For the sake of not scaring the child too much, Dark had deliberately pulled in his aura, despite being incredibly annoyed. And then they heard a buzzing.

“- ye bastards wouldn’t know good tea if I shoved it up yer arse!”

Anti had clearly been having half a conversation with himself, wearing denim short-shorts and a shirt that was obviously Wilfords. He was holding a mug and getting rid of the teabag in it, turning around to bin it when he saw the small figure staring at him.

There was a beat.

“…Claire?”

“Anti!”

Claire jumped up from her seat and ran up to Anti, hugging his middle, not giving a damn about his attire or why the hell he was here in the first place, why either of them were there.

Anti looked shocked only in the fact that she was here right now, not that she’d hugged him, because he immediately put a hand in her hair and ruffled it lovingly.

Dark and Wilford looked at each other, utterly confused, as Anti started babbling to her and she babbled right on back. They were clearly comfortable with each other, and Claire’s accent became an awful lot stronger when she was around someone who shared it. She was some sort of wise old soul, and surprisingly enough, Anti treated her with the same kind of respect that Wilford had. Just… different.

“Haven’t seen ye in yonks! How’s the Ma?”

“Makin’ ends meet, as ye do. She banned Nerf guns in the house but Jonothan still does it, obviously. Auntie Kate’s being…”

“Auntie Kate’s bein’ Auntie Kate. Let’s just put it like that, huh?”

Claire giggled at that, and nodded. He finally looked up at Wilford and Dark, since he’d crouched to the ground to be on Claire’s level.

“So where is ye father, then? Guess he brought ye to visit?”

Wilford looked… awkward. Dark explained for him.

“No. We didn’t know this was Chases child. Wilford found her at the mall and her mother couldn’t be located.”

Antis brows furrowed and he looked back to Claire. Claire looked like she wanted to avoid his gaze, like she knew what he was going to ask.

“What’s she been doin’, Claire? What’s Stace been up to? Is…”

Anti hesitated, looking up at Dark and Wilford, then leaning in, cupping his hand over his mouth and whispering in her ear.

She listened and nodded, shyly.

Anti glitched in place. He looked like he was trying to keep a straight face.

“Jono’s still there, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Alrighty. Don’t ye worry about a thing. We gotcha now. I’ll call ye father and we’ll take it from there.”

-

Claire and Chase sat in the kitchen together after something of a teary reunion. There were many kisses and hugs and thanks in Anti and Wilfords general direction. Dark stood mostly in the background, as something of a mediator over the situation. Once Chase and Claire were settled, however, Anti found himself pacing in the living room, muttering and glitching.

Dark was the first to step in and ask Anti what the exact problem was, since he seemed to be somewhat oblivious. Wilford wondered how on Earth Dark managed to be so cool towards children.

Anti barely managed to keep his voice under control, obviously containing a lot of rage.

“He only started hittin’ the drink after she fuckin’ left! And now that’s exactly what she’s doing twenty four fuckin’ seven with the kids in tow! Ain’t lettin’ Chase be a goddamn father, bitchin’ to Cunty Katie and clippin’ em across the ear or screamin’ her tit off whenever they, God forbid, interrupt her fuckin’ drinkin’ sessions!”

It was a little hard to follow along. But the picture was clear enough. Stacy was an abusive drunk.

Dark looked guilty. Really guilty. He’d almost sent this child back home to an environment that was, at the very least, incredibly toxic, when the more than capable, biological father was just a phone call away. He felt ridiculous. Wilford looked more determined than ever though. Dark couldn’t quite place what sort of… determination it was, except for the fact that any time Wilford got determined about anything, someone was either about to be in for a treat or a lot of trouble and there was no in between.

-

Chase already looked tired and teary-eyed before they put Claire to bed in a guest bedroom. But afterwards, when he finally let go of everything on the couch, and Dark watched as Anti poured more genuine care and sympathy into Chase than he usually did with anyone, that was when Dark solidified a few things in his own mind.

Chase sobbed into Antis shoulder.

“She hasn’t even called! Not a text, nothin’! As far as she knows, our daughter is missin’ and she wouldn’t even tell me that!”

At that was concerning. That Stacy cared so little, either about her children’s welfare or Chase knowing what was happening in a crisis situation or both, to not contact him. Even Dark found that inherently wrong. Wilford sat, shaking his head the entire time.

Chase eventually stopped crying and was leaning on Anti. Anti held him in a curious manner, in a way that he held Wilford sometimes, but more… obviously comforting. It was strange to watch.

“So, ye comin’ to visit sometime?”

Anti nodded, running a hand through Chases hair, softly.

“Yeah. Gotta check in with Marv, and Jamie. And the nazi, fuck. And especially you.”

Chase tsk’d at the notion.

“Ye don’t have te ‘especially’ me, y’know.”

“Well… maybe I want to. Because ye’ve been workin’ hard and ye deserve some special treatment.”

Chase went silent, and he shifted a little as his eyes seemed to flicker over to Dark and Wilford, who had paid them the courtesy of mostly staying quiet and not staring too much, despite how sweet it was to watch Anti being so soft with anyone.

Chase buried his face into Antis chest, likely to hide the blush forming on his face. They didn’t really talk about the kinds of things Anti did for Chase sometimes. It helped alleviate some of the… crippling loneliness that came with a divorce. To Anti, it wasn’t a huge deal, and he’d be more gentle with Chase than he’d ever be with Dark or Wilford, because it was a totally different dynamic. Anti barely had it in him to be a dick to Chase when life was already crushing his soul more than any of Antis antics ever could.

-

When Wilford passed Chase and Antis door later on, he made sure to check that it was locked from the inside. God knows privacy could be difficult to get in this house. Wilford and Dark headed off to bed, both a little more quiet and contemplative than usual.

“You should haunt her, Darkling.”

Dark sighed.

“I won’t lie, I was considering it. But it’s an invasion of privacy. You know I don’t use it for… personal reasons.”

That much was true. Dark was picky about when he literally invaded people’s dreams like that. He didn’t like doing it unless totally necessary for a mission or something along those lines. But…

“Oh, come on. You look Chase in the eyes tomorrow morning and you tell me that horrifying excuse of a woman isn’t deserving of a good scare at the very least.”

Dark was silent for a little while.

“Alright. At the very least, she won’t be keeping the children full time.”

-

And that was that. A few days later, Jonothan was dropped off at Chases own apartment with a decent collection of his and his sisters belongings. There was still very little explanation from Stacy. All Chase knew was that she wasn’t trying to take him to court or press charges or anything of the sort. They spoke just enough to arrange for her to see them on weekends, and that was it.

And Chase, despite having the wind knocked from him in terms of the quick turn over, was looking happier. So much happier. To the point where Anti was down right chipper for a few days following the good news.

Wilford was… content. He was a little saddened that he didn’t get to spend any more time with Claire, and he hesitated to express this to Dark. But Anti made him feel infinitely better about things when he approached Wilford on the side.

“By the way… thanks.”

Wilford cocked an eyebrow.

“For what?”

“Bein’ yerself. None of this would’a happened if ye weren’t so goddamn loveable.”

Wilford blushed, maybe a little harder than the situation called for. But he supposed, If he was loveable to so many different kinds of people, demons and glitches and children, then maybe he wasn’t so bad.