#keith come home the kids miss you

[erynnn00]

I gave lance big puppy dog eyes and now I present, keith with lances beady eyes

[marleyybluu]

Another Man's Treasure

Oscar Diaz x f!reader

Word count: 6.8k (I am so sorry lmao)

Warnings: 18+, shitty husband, smut, p in v, unprotected (but pls don't be this stupid), creampie, dirty talk, cheating (but is it really if your husband is an ass), flirting, fluff, love at first sight type shit, Spanish/English pet names (pretty lady, hermosa, cariño), limited use of y/n(I literally used it once) idk lmk if I missed any.

(I only mention the first song but the other two are more for the… spicy scene😏)

——

The only escape from reality you had was the small moments of disassociation you had between the screaming of your children and the-

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

The shouting of your overgrown child of a husband playing his stupid games on his stupid PS5 that you wanted to set on fucking fire. This is not the life you pictured as a stay-at-home mom, yes the piles of dirty laundry were expected, and the mountainous dishes in the sink but you never predicted you'd be doing this alone. Your own mother stayed at home with you and your two brothers but your dad would still help her around the house so that she got the time to kick her feet up and relax.

You never got that.

You were living with this dark cloud over your head and deep regrets in your mind, why did you marry this man? You did think he was the love of your life, three years together before you got married proved your theory but never did you think it was going to end up like this. The amount of work you did was overwhelming, just one look at the number of toys on the floor made tears sting your eyes. You were tired, exhausted, drained and absolutely depleted.

If this was a job, you'd quit, you would take your children and quit. You wanted to so badly but the small hope of him changing clung to you like a piece of lint. You sighed holding your eleven-month-old on your hip while you made him a bottle, anything to keep him from wailing in your ears-- Jesus, half the time you couldn't hear.

"Babe!"

Your eyes rolled, you loathed his voice at this point. "What?"

"Can you pass me a water bottle?"

"Get up and get it, I'm making Malakai a bottle."

He groaned. "For fuck sake, you're in the kitchen already."

Your nostrils flared, and your eye twitched. You wanted to cuss at him, shout at him until your voice box shattered but you kept whatever calm you had left and ignored him. A small hand landed on your nose and you smiled kissing the tiny palm. "I love you too bubba."

He flashed a little smile and your heart sobbed at the fact that your last baby was growing so fast, teeth already emerging from his gums when just months ago he didn't have any. You could never regret your three little creatures, you loved them dearly, so much so you were willing to put up with the man that helped you create them just so they could have a two-parent household but you didn't know how much longer you could take this.

Heavy footsteps trailed inside the kitchen, you could tell he was angry at the fact that he had to pause his little game just to grab some water. He looked over the sink, utterly disgusted by the site in front of him and instead of just keeping his mouth shut or for once volunteering to do them he decided to spit out a sentence that made you want to knock his head off with the glass bottle you were holding; "You need to wash the dishes."

Your blood was boiling, if life was a cartoon you'd have steam coming out of your ears. "Why don't you get off of the game and do them?" You bit.

He cracked open the bottle cap. "Hey, I'm the one that works all week, you just stay home and do nothing."

Nothing? NOTHING!?

That was it.

That was the tip of the iceberg.

Your shoulders dropped and he left the kitchen, there was that ringing in your ears again that came and went every time you zoned out. Ever since you got married you'd felt nothing but unappreciated by him, you quit your job to stay home with your children and not even a thank you, you made sure he had a good meal when he went to work and all you got in return was an "it was okay." And the disgustingly dirty dish tossed right in the sink you'd just emptied. You were at the end of your rope.

You held back your tears and lightly kissed your son on his head handing him his bottle and putting him on a beam bag so he could lay down and drink. You trotted upstairs to check in on your oldest twins who were in their room colouring and getting along for once. Then you headed to the bathroom locking the door behind you, your body sliding down to the floor, you curled up in a ball burying your head between your knees you let out a long and heavy sigh before your river of tears took over.

A cry session your body and mind were so used to. You wailed into the void, muffling your weeps so that your children wouldn't hear you and come asking what was wrong, a question you couldn't answer without them turning on their father and you didn't want to ruin that relationship they had with him.

You were just so tired.

--

As night fell you remained mute when it came to your husband, whatever he had to say you didn't respond to, you were just happy that it was Sunday and soon he'd be out of your face for a few hours.

With the kids all asleep you were in the kitchen on FaceTime with your older brother. "The kids are great, they're sleeping." You conversed.

"And how have you been?"

There was no hiding how you felt when it came to your siblings, you were the baby and the only girl so when you were hurt they knew and they'd do whatever they could to fix it. "I'm okay... I'll be okay." You reassured. He was the only one who knew some small details about what you were going through and you begged him not to say anything not even to your mother until you figured out how to deal with everything yourself.

"Hey, listen, Jordyn is going on vacation next week, she's hitting Fiji, and I think you should go with her."

You squinched up your face, you didn't have a problem with your brother's wife, always so thankful for the sister you never got but what about your kids? Could you even trust that man to take over your duties even for a day?

As if he read your mind he continued. "I mean it'll be summer break next week, and they can stay by me if you want. I just, I really think you need time away from life. I want to see my little sister happy."

You pouted, it really touched your heart how concerned he was. A vacation would be wonderful, it was all you could dream of after the kids were born, you loved them but you just wanted to be by yourself.

"I'll think about it."

"Well, don't think too hard." He joked. "Whatever. I gotta get their lunches together, I'll call you when I make my decision."

"Sounds good, night."

"Night."

The call ended and you finished packing the twins' lunch placing the bags on the only empty spot on the counter. You huffed at the dishes and your husband's words replayed in your head. Nothing. You do absolutely nothing.

The longer you stared a vengeful plan began to brew. You were about to show him what doing nothing meant.

--

You decided you were going on that trip, Jordyn was excited and your brother was happy with your choice. The week flew by quickly, you kept up your normal appearance of keeping the house clean and to your husband's liking and by each day you grew more distant from him not like he cared in the first place.

On the last day of school you explained to the twins that you were taking a trip with Aunty Jordyn and they, unfortunately, couldn't come but they'd be staying with their uncle and they'd loved that man to death so they were excited either way. Your house was a mess and for once you smiled at it, you'd been letting everything pile up for the last two days, packing the clean clothes they did have in advance. The only explanation you gave your husband was that they were all staying by your brother for the week but you didn't mention that you weren't coming back.

You were leaving tonight and there would be no stopping you. You loaded the van with their stuff and yours and hollered for them to get their little butts in the car. "Last one in the car has stinky feet!" You laughed at the building volume of stomping feet coming across the hall and down the stairs, your twins were out and your youngest sat on your hip giggling at their antics. You happily wrote a short note.

Bye.

That's it.

You showered your baby in kisses and grabbed your keys before heading out the door, you locked it and made your way to the car, buckling in your baby and making sure the other two were in securely. You closed the door and first time in a long time you felt a weight off your shoulders, you smiled in satisfaction at how you left the house knowing you were not going to answer a single phone call from that man.

--

Jordyn squealed. "Ugh! I am so excited I don't even know what to do with myself!" You laughed at her enthusiasm as you put your hair up in a ponytail. It was day 2 of your trip and you were living life, you couldn't remember the last time you felt this relaxed. Now, of course, you missed your children it'd been the longest you'd ever been apart from them so you were a bit clingy with the calls but it was all understandable.

You two were hitting the beach today and you were a bit nervous, nobody had seen your body in almost a year not even your husband but Jordyn had persuaded you to find your behind in a two-piece bikini and you argued that you'd wear it as long as you could wear a cover-up so it was a deal. You looked yourself over in the mirror, you felt oddly confident. You looked fucking good. Three kids did your body right.

"You sure you want that cover-up?" She teased watching you admire yourself. "Hmm," You angled your lower half so you could check out your bum, how plump it had become over the years. "Maybe not."

She winked. "That's my girl."

You two grabbed what you needed and headed down to the beach which was right in front of the hotel you were staying at. The slight wind brushed against the water sending a cool and comforting breeze your way, your ears wiggled at the sound of the waves, and the giggles of other vacationers enjoying their time like you were.

The cushiony sand had greeted your toes after overflowing onto your sandals. You two travelled until you found a decent spot, it was close to the bar and the body of water. You set up your area as best as you could but you were in a battle with the beach umbrella Jordyn insisted on bringing. She watched with her hand covering her mouth to camouflage her laughter. "Okay, you know what, I'll handle this and you go handle us some drinks."

You childishly stuck out your tongue and strutted your way over to the bar, you hopped on an available stool. The bartender noticed you asking for you to just give him a minute. "No worries." You responded. You went on your phone and checked the many pictures your brother sent of your children, you smiled and a bit of sadness tugged at your heart. You missed your babies dearly.

The number of messages went up and it could only be one person. You promised you wouldn't look but you just had to, you swiped and tapped on your husband's name.

Where the fuck are you!?

The house is a fucking mess!

I'm not cleaning up, I hope you know that.

Baby, come on, we can work this out. Please.

You scoffed at the last message and put your phone down casually being greeted by the bartender who watched your various emotions while you went through your phone. "Everything's okay?"

Oh. Wow.

He presented a sweet smile, your eyes slightly widening at the sight in front of you. He was handsome, scratch that, he was fine as fuck. The shaved head didn't usually work on a lot of men but it did him justice, the scattered tattoos on his pretty and tanned skin, his broad shoulders that looked like they were made for legs to be hooked on and not to mention his big arms that looked like they could hold you snug and tight all through the night.

"Uh, yeah, everything's... everything is good." You stammered, a queasy feeling crept through you as it settled in your lower stomach. Butterflies? But you couldn't even remember what that felt like in order to come to that conclusion.

"Good to know. What can I get you, ma?"

You shuddered at his voice. He could talk to you all day.

"One Long Island, and one Piña Colada please."

He nodded. "Starting off slow I see." He chuckled. "Eh, we're on vacation, gotta soak it all up before we go back."

"I see," He multitasked making your drinks and conversing. "And when does the pretty lady go back?"

You blushed, should you even tell this literal stranger when you're actually leaving? But he felt... comfortable, easy to talk to and it's not like you'd ever see him again. "End of the week."

"Oh, you have plenty of time to get shit-faced." He encouraged. He'd finished your order and placed the liquored-down drinks in front of you. "Don't worry about paying yeah? It's on the house. Enjoy your vacation pretty lady."

"Y/n... you could just call me Y/n."

Not like you wanted him to, pretty lady was working just fine

"Nice to meet you. Oscar... Diaz." He winked. "Thanks, for the drinks."

"Anytime, pretty lady."

Your legs felt wonky as you walked away, and your breathing quickened. You did your best to walk back to Jordyn without looking back, if you did you were pretty sure you'd fall, just clumsy as fuck. "Girl, that man was watching you walk away." She whispered. "Stop." You poked, shoving her drink toward her. "Oh please, his eyes were on you." Jordyn gazed over to the bar, "He's still staring."

You casually whipped your head around and sucked your teeth when you noticed he wasn't. You glared at her. She snickered taking a sip from her Long Island. "Makes good drinks too."

You sighed, "Shut up."

The topic was silenced, you downed a few more drinks but sent Jordyn to get them instead while you swam around in the cooling water, floating around enjoying the peace the water brought you. But you couldn't help but occasionally look over to the bar. Oscar Diaz... nice name. Nice face. Cute little moustache that sat above his lips and a goatee that sat below. Pretty rosy pink lips...

Your eyes darted away. You're married.

Are you though?

You swam back up to the beach, it was beginning to get dark and the patrons on the beach became scarce. You wrapped yourself in a towel and collected anything Jordyn hadn't packed up yet. "You want one more drink before they close up? Maybe your new friend will allow it." She teased. You took off your flip-flop and threw it at her but your reaction only made her laugh.

A familiar voice was heard behind you. "So she's beautiful and she's got good aim, better watch out." 

You quietly gasped. "Hi... Oscar."

"Hey, uhm, listen I own a club not too far from here and you know it's a decent hangout for the locals... and the visitors." He winked. "Wanted to know if you two would like to come check it out?"

You fought back a smile. "We could try." You answer without even thinking. "I'll take that," He reached into his pocket handing you a folded piece of paper, you assumed had the address of the place he owned. Your fingers brushed against his, prickles felt like they were forming on your skin and those weird feelings returned in your lower stomach.

He sent you another wink and headed back off to the bar to close up.

--

Of course, Jordyn was down to go. You groaned internally as you two pulled up to a crowded place, looking up at the illuminated sign reading Cloud 9. Hmm, cute. You pulled down your dress as it rose up with each step, your heels clicking against the cold ground, the music booming so loud you could feel your body vibrating the closer you got to the entrance, flashing lights of different colours beamed through the door every time it opened blinding whoever entered. "Where's your friend?" Jordyn asked. "Have patience, I just told him we got here."

"Mhm." She sassed. Your heart thumped in your ears, it pounded against your chest. What were you doing? It was a question you asked yourself from the moment you got back to your room and began to get ready for tonight. You shook off your thoughts and shifted your eyes over to a black door that slowly began to open. "Hey, over here." Oscar waved you two over and you followed. "What's going on, pretty lady?... And pretty lady's friend."

Jordyn nodded at him as a silent greeting, she was just here to observe your anxious behaviour for her entertainment. "Come on," You followed him through a dimly lit hallway and up a flight of stairs, your nerves building and sudden regret forming in your bones until you entered a brighter atmosphere, the loud music returning to your eardrums. He had led you two to a section that only had a few people, you could assume it was the VIP section.

"Anything you two want to drink just let me know and I got you."

Jordyn raised her eyebrows at the tempting bottle of unopened champagne sitting in a bucket of ice. Oscar chuckled granting her permission to open it, she shimmied her shoulders in excitement and got to work. You shook your head at her, you travelled over to the balcony and looks down at all the patrons having the time of their lives, a few familiar faces from the resort and others that weren't recognizable which you could only assume were locals.

Oscar found his place beside you and nudged your shoulder with his. "You want anything to drink?"

"No, not yet, I'm good."

He slowly nodded. "So, what are you doing in Fiji? Besides vacationing."

You huffed, "I just needed time to myself... to get away from shit."

"I hear that." You could just feel those sweet and curious brown eyes boring into the side of your head, you poked the inside of your cheek with your tongue and looked down at your shoes, just anything to not make eye contact with him. You were shy, you were never shy not even with your husband when you first met him. It's like this was a new feeling, you were queasy and nervous and it honestly felt good in a weird way-- it felt good to not be comfortable, to get all flustered over someone like a schoolgirl crush.

"You really own this place?"

He scrunched up his face. "Half own, I guess. My brother and I came here for an escape just like you and we ended up staying. Now, we own Cloud Nine and I work down at the resort once in a while."

"Oh, you're a busy man."

"I try to be." Oscar chuckled. He was so easy to talk to, why was he so easy to talk to?

You found yourself moving a bit closer. "What were you trying to escape from?"

"Life. I wasn't happy where I was living and I wanted better but... given the circumstances, we just couldn't get it. So I threw a dart on a map, so to speak, it landed on Fiji and we've been here ever since."

"Where are you from then?"

"Originally born in Mexico, we moved to LA, and then out here."

"Would you ever go back to the States?" You asked finally looking up at him knowing he hadn't taken his eyes off you all night. He leaned forward, officially entering your bubble. "If I had a good enough reason... yeah."

You looked up at him through your lashes and softly smiled, meanwhile, Jordyn sat on the couch sipping and shaking her head at the sight in front of her. She would playfully scold you in the morning but tonight she'd let you have your harmless fun.

As the party went on you were getting a bit bored being upstairs so you grabbed your girl and headed downstairs to where the crowd was and of course Oscar was right behind you, he felt a sense of protection over you two tonight given this was your first time out here and inside his establishment. You had found enough confidence to start dancing around, a little two-step from left to right to get you going, but soon the constant flow of drinks Jordyn handed you helped you loosen out of that as well.

The DJ was beginning to play all the oldies, and that was your specialty. Oscar watched in adornment as you killed every lyric, every adlib and every beat to whichever song came on. It had transitioned from a bit of Hip-hop to something a lot slower.

  "Right now, we're gonna slow it down a bit, so grab your lovers and take your time."

The lights changed to blue and a recognizable first note had you close your eyes.

Mmm ooooh, my my my my my my my babyyy ouuuuuu

Jordyn had already found herself dancing with a random woman. She looked widened her eyes at you and quickly flicked them over to Oscar, trying her best to encourage you to make your move. But he was faster. You felt yourself being pulled into his warm embrace, his strong chest against your exposed back, his hands carefully snaking around your waist as if he was worried about you rejecting his touch but you gladly welcomed it.

Melting into his hold you two swayed side to side, he leaned down comfortably nuzzling his head into the crook of your neck. You were lost in the vibes of Keith Sweat's Right and a Wrong Way. You reached back hooking your arm around his neck lightly scratching his scalp with your nails. "You smell so good, mamita." He whispered, it was a miracle that you heard him. Your lips parted slightly as you felt his warm breath tickle your skin. His swift hands ran up your sides resting right under your breasts and gliding back down to your hips.

A thumping began between your thighs, now that was something you hadn't felt in a long time. You put that feeling to the side no matter how hard it was to do so. The rest of the night it felt like all the songs were targeted for just you two, you hadn't eased up on him once-- always in close proximity to him. He touched you in simple ways, ways you hadn't been touched in almost a year.

It was getting super late, almost three in the morning and you couldn't recall the last time you were out like this, it'd give you hell when you woke up but it was worth it. You and Jordyn rode back to the resort with Oscar, she exited the car first thanking him for the night out and wobbling her way inside. You giggled watching her walk away, "I should get in there before she tries the key on the wrong room."

But you didn't want to leave him.

And he didn't want to leave you.

"Thanks for tonight, I had a lot of fun."

"No problem, anything to help a pretty lady escape." He bit his lip. "What are your plans for tomorrow?"

"Recovering," You laughed, "But other than that nothing."

"Can I see you again?"

You gulped and nodded. "Mhm."

He laid out his palm your eyebrows furrowed as you rested yours on top of his, he brought the back of your hand to his lips and placed such a gentle kiss on your skin. "Goodnight, mamita."

You wanted to scream. You left the car putting a little swing in your hips as you walked away, you looked over your shoulder and sent him a cute little wave before disappearing behind the doors.

— —

And that's how you spent the rest of your trip, shamelessly flirting with Oscar. You got to know each other a lot more, when you weren't spending time with Jordyn you were with him. Giggling like an airhead and blushing red like Rudolph's nose.

Jordyn constantly teases you about the crush you'd seem to quickly develop.

"Is this stupid?" You ask shoving your face in the pillow. This all felt too good to be fucking true, a guy that you met only four days ago was treating you so much better than the man you married four years ago. Oscar had flowers for you at the front desk of the resort every morning and sent you the sweetest messages throughout the day about how he was thinking of you, how he caught a glimpse of you today and you looked stunning, calling you the prettiest woman he'd ever seen step on this island.

You convinced yourself they were all lies, sugarcoating you like he probably did every woman but who were you fooling? Certainly not yourself and certainly not Jordyn.

"It's not."

"I'm married." You argued tiredly to which she fake yawned. "I don't see a ring on that finger and I don't see that man treating you any better than Oscar has. Just saying."

The fingers on your right hand brushed your vacant ring finger, you'd taken it off the minute you got on the plane, you didn't want to be reminded of him on this trip at all and yet there was that piece in the back of your mind that reached out to him. Checking his messages once in a while but never responding, he was giving you the attention you wanted but it didn't feel right.

The fact that you had to spontaneously leave to get even a fraction of what you were asking for was bullshit. Downright bullshit.

You groaned sitting up the pads of your fingers now rubbing your temples, tired and stressed. The trip was almost over and you dreaded going back to that house that was no longer a home. He'd sent you pictures that he'd finally cleaned up but you had a feeling once you returned home things would go back to the way they were and you did not want that.

"I think your brother would agree with me, you've smiled more in these past few days than I've seen back home, I mean you two are always so distant when you come over. And don't think I don't hear your rants when you and your brother are on the phone. Now I don't condone cheating but, hey, I didn't see shit."

You sighed checking your phone for any recent texts from your husband but Jordyn caught wind of what you were doing and snatched your device. "Enough with him. Flirt and have fun before you have to go back to normalcy."

You heard your phone buzz in her hand, she looked at the message for you. "Speaking of, someone is downstairs."

You felt nauseous. "Where are you two going anyway?"

"Down to the beach, said he has to restock the bar... and I wanted to spend time with him so I offered to help."

"Mhm." She winked. You grabbed your phone back from her grasp and told her you'd be back soon. You left your room, entered the elevator and headed downstairs where Oscar was happily waiting for you. "Hola querida." He become more comfortable speaking Spanish around you, especially when he noticed how the little nicknames got a reaction out of you.

"Hi," Oscar noticed the shaky tone in your response and made note of it You had comfortably slipped your hand inside his, he immediately hooked his fingers in the spaces of yours. Like he was your puzzle piece.

You two headed down to the decent-sized Hut, your eyes widened at the number of boxes sitting on the sand. "Don't worry, I got the heavy bottles, you just get the small ones." He reassured pressing a kiss to the top of your head. You loved those, so innocent and sweet, although you wish sometimes he'd kiss you on your lips or you had to courage to kiss his. "Think I can't handle the big boxes?" You scoffed walking inside after him.

"I think you can, I just don't think my pretty lady needs to."

My pretty lady.

ugh!

With music playing in the background you two got to work, "Do you still think about running your own restaurant?" You asked sparking a conversation, you squatted down to the lower shelves and propped the glass bottles in an organized fashion, eyes tearing through the material of your sundress and you could feel them. "I do, yeah. Why?"

You bit your lip. "Would it still be down here?"

There was a beat of silence. "Most likely."

Another pause in the moment aside from your soft humming to the music. "You excited to see your kids?" He asked. You smiled at the mere thought of them. "I am. My three little headaches." Oscar found himself next to you, leaning against the counter, you stopped your movements and looked up-- he had one arm folded over the other and a bit of a scowl on his face.

"What?" You innocently question standing up to match his eye line, well more-like chest line. "Nothing, just trying to take my time to remember this face." He reached for your cheek, his fingers ghosting your flesh. "You flirt like this with all the girls here?"

A question that was supposed to come out jokingly but you were a bit serious. "Nah," You squinted at him watching his lips press together, his chest stuttering as he held back a laugh. "You asshole, I knew it." A dramatic hand to your heart as you playfully pouted at him and fake cried. Oscar's arms enveloped you in their warmth, you attempted to push him off but it was no use, your feet suddenly off the ground, you squealed and giggled as he switched positions with you plopping you on top of the counter.

He placed his palms flat on the side of your thighs while he was positioned comfortably between them. "To be fair, hermosa, it is kind of my job. But believe me when I say I've never spent any time with them. And I've definitely never brought them back here after hours." His thumb and pointer finger pinching your chin. "Just you, princesa."

You melted, your whole body could be seen physically slumping in his hold. His eyes sparkled while he looked at you, the crinkles in his eyes appearing as he smirked. Before you could comprehend anything his lips brushed yours, your head suddenly becoming foggy with the inappropriate images of him that you'd conjured up these past few days.

His nimble fingers danced along the hem of your dress, a rush of heat passing over you as he hiked it up further exposing more of your flesh.

This was no longer a want... it was a need.

Your hands landed right under his jaw as you pulled him in crashing your lips onto his and he happily reciprocated your energy, his hands wandered up to your hips tugging you closer to him as if it were possible. Your lips moved as one, tongues passing by in the heat of the moment, the only thing on your mind was him and you wanted it to remain so for as long as possible.

Tingles scattered around your body, both of you flushed with lust and arousal. Your hands travelled to the bottom of his shirt quietly begging for him to take it off, you needed to feel his skin, thankfully he got the message-- pulling away for a brief moment to remove his top. Your eyes glazed over his lightly tanned skin, little scars here and there you can only presume he earned before he got here.

You smiled at the strewed ink on his torso, chest and ribs. "What are you thinking about?" He inquired. You looked back up into his brown iris'. "I wish I had met you first." You mumbled drawing him back down, this kiss was a lot more passionate and slow unlike the first.

Oscar's hands gently tugged at the neckline of your dress, your breasts spilling over and his calloused hands finding them. You softly moaned against his lips, your nipples hardening from the cool breeze and his fondling. He pinched and rolled them between his fingers, your head tipped back and his teeth nipped at the column of your neck.

You were forming a small pool in your panties at his teasing. His tongue grazed your neck continuously licking and sucking a specific spot that was getting a squirming reaction out of you. You felt his devilish smile, he knew what he was doing to you and he liked it.

His hands moved from torturing your swollen breasts back down to your thighs shoving your dress up until your little black panties were on display. You sat on the edge of the counter making it a bit easier for him to remove them, the cool air hitting your soaking slit.

"Touch me, please, touch me." You whined not caring about how desperate and needy you sounded. Oscar listened to your pleas and dipped one hand between your legs, his fingers quickly finding your slick folds. You shuddered as he glided two fingers up and down, dipping them inside you once in a while.

You were soaking, you were throbbing, and you just wanted him inside you where he fucking belonged. He slowly plunged his fingers inside, you clench around them happy to have something pleasuring you. Your eyes are closed and your legs spread further for him, nails digging into his shoulder blade hopefully leaving little indents.

He pumped them in and out of you with the squidgy noise of your wetness to follow. "Yes... oh yes, like that."

Oscar felt himself twitch under his boxers using his other hand to undo his belt and pulled down his materials. His dick is hard and his tip a rosy pink turning cherry red oozing with a bit of cream, his hips buckled once his hand brushed over it-- equally as desperate as you were. Your erotic moans were like music to his ears, so much sexier than he could've pictured. You whined once he removed them your hole flexing around nothing as you caught your breath.

Oscar hooked your legs over his arms spreading you to his desire, you reached between your bodies firmly (but not too tight) grasping his length and guiding it to your entrance, his swollen head prodding inside you as the rest of him followed.

Your jaw slacked at the feeling of him deliciously stretching you out, he was so thick and it felt so nice. Oscar croaked out a moan while burying himself deep inside your warmth-- coating his dick with your sticky walls, so slick and welcoming that he didn't want to move.

You caressed the back of his neck as he pressed another kiss on yours, trailing it up the side and finally landing on your mouth. You giggled into the kiss, Oscar pulled back with a questioning look. "I can't tell the last time I felt like this." You mumbled under your breath but he heard you. He didn't want you to leave, hell if you didn't have kids he'd probably try to convince you to move out here with him.

He didn't say anything in response just pulled out and pushed back in. "Fuck." You both moaned.

His head dipped back down, nibbling on your sweet skin.

You whimpered through every tantalizing stroke he gave you, his tip poking right at your hot spot and you knew you wouldn't last. "You feel so good!" A sentence broken by little gasps. Oscar grunted, violently gripping your thighs as he pounded you, pulling the filthiest sounds from your pretty little throat. So loud and erotic he was sure they could hear you back at the resort.

Your eyes squeeze in absolute bliss, your head hazy from the constant pleasure you received, quickly feeling a sensation in your lower belly a wave of heat threatening to take over. Your palm lay flat on his back while the other gripped the edge of the counter.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! Oscar!"

He lifted you off the counter a bit, relentlessly slamming into you now. Your high getting closer and closer. "I can, shit, I can feel you mamita. So fucking tight."

Your toes curled and your eyes rolled. "Baby, ohhh, I need to..."

Oscar smiled. "You wanna cum for me, baby? Come, mi amor, all of it."

His words tipped you off the edge, your back arched and your body trembled from the shockwaves of your orgasm, he held you closely revelling in your pulsating pussy dripping down his shaft.

He quickly brought you off the countertop, your wobbly legs barely holding your support. He turned you around, you barely recovered from the first position.

You were sensitive and extra wet just how he wanted you. You flinched when he pressed himself against your entrance once again, pushing in ever so carefully. "Fuck... you."

He laughed menacingly, his hands squeezing your hips. "That's what I'm doin' pretty lady."

You wanted to give him a smart-ass answer but it was cut short when he began to move. Your nipples were hard against the surface, you rested your head down and whined. "So fucking good."

"Yeah?" He chuckled spanking you. He was enjoying the pornographic sounds that you provided, all going straight to his dick.

He wrapped his arm around your waist pulling you up against him, back pressed on his chest, his warm breath in your ear. "Can't get enough of you I swear." He admitted.

He poked and prodded against that familiar spot, tears of overwhelming pleasure threatening to spill when he pinched your nipple. "Fuck! I'm gonna miss you, so fucking much."

"You gonna think about me?"

"Yes! Oh!"

You felt him twitch inside you, you smiled egging him on. "I won't stop thinking about you, when I touch myself I'll picture it's you-"

"Fuck, cariño,"

"Ou, you're the only one I want inside me."

You convulsed around him feeling another orgasm quickly building and getting ready to fall apart. A few more thrusts and Oscar held himself still inside you, your body shivering at the warm cream he just spilled inside you. His high triggering yours. You reached behind hooking your arm around his now sweaty neck.

The sound of the wind against the water and the waves crashing describe exactly how you felt right now.

"Oh... my god." You said breathlessly.

"You're okay?" He asked with a laugh. You giggled tipping your head back on to his shoulder. "Better than okay."

He sighed kissing your back. "I meant it..." You said.

"What?"

"I'm gonna miss you."

He smiled sheepishly. "I'll miss you too."

--

Those moments replayed in your head constantly, it was the only thing getting you by once you came back home. You two still talked every day, called and FaceTimed but it wasn't enough. You would stare at the prices of tickets and sigh, you couldn't afford to go back right now.

Your life was the same, unloved and unappreciated, despite the embarrassingly desperate messages your husband had sent when you were on your trip. You stared at another pile of dishes, your shoulder sinking with exhaustion. With your two older ones at school and your son almost an hour into his nap you decided to just relax. You clicked on Netflix and attempted to finish Bridgerton's, Queen Charlotte.

Your eyelids felt heavy, sleep threatened to take over but the doorbell had them shoot open. It wasn't just one ring it was multiple and it was annoying so you assumed it was your brother. You groaned trudging to the door. You swung it open aggressively, ready to give him a piece of your mind. "You're going to wake-"

There he was. Standing in front of you, on your doorstep... at your house. "O-Oscar..." You poked his chest to see if he was really there. "Said I'd come back when I have a good reason." Your eyes softened, your arms reaching for him. His lips immediately find yours. "I," kiss, "fucking," kiss "missed you."

Your legs wrapped around his waist as he stepped inside closing the door. He carried you over to the couch and plopped you on the cushions. You laughed, your mood immediately changing with him around. "Jordyn told you where I lived didn't she?"

He nodded. You rolled your eyes. "Of course."

"Not happy to see me?"

You pulled him down for another kiss.

"Beyond happy."

I was going to wait until the weekend to post this but I am a little too excited to get this out.

Shoutout to my girl @darqchilddaydreamz for her input on a few things and her encouragement. Holdin it down ✊🏾

if you liked this fic feel free to like this fic, comments and reblogs are appreciated.

Alsooooo thank you for 800 followers, yall cool as fuck thanks for fucking with me and my antics.

Peace and love see you in the next one✌🏾

🏷: @darqchilddaydreamz @skyesthebomb @realhotgurlshit

[callsigns-haze]

A pilot? Again?

Pairing: Jake Seresin X detective, single mom reader

After investigating a crash at Top Gun for four hours, Detective Y/N, who lost her husband Daniel four years ago, finds no evidence of foul play and deems the case closed. During her time there, she reconnects with Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Daniel's younger brother, and meets his charming wingman, Jake "Hangman" Seresin. Hangman flirts with Y/N as he walks her to her car, and for the first time in years, she feels comfortable with the attention. Before leaving, Y/N gives him her card with her number, leaving the door open for future contact. Hangman promises to text, sparking the potential for a new chapter in her life.

This chapter contains references to past personal loss and emotional themes. It features characters dealing with grief and the aftermath of a tragic event.

Two Weeks of Silence

It had been two weeks since the funeral, but the house was still suffocating. The silence was unbearable, the only sounds coming from the occasional babble of 14-month-old Keith or the quiet shuffle of Logan, who had been eerily quiet since his father’s death. It was as if the life had been drained from the walls along with Daniel "Griffin" Bradshaw, Bradley’s older brother by two years.

Y/N stood in the kitchen, gripping the counter with trembling hands, her back turned to the door. The numbness hadn’t left. It clung to her like a second skin, tightening with every passing day. She had held it together at the funeral—everyone had said she was so strong. Strong for the kids. But now, without the distraction of people offering meaningless words, she felt nothing but an empty ache.

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw had been coming over almost every day since the funeral. Not that she’d asked him to. He just showed up, like he was trying to step into Daniel’s shoes. But he wasn’t Daniel. He never would be.

She heard the familiar creak of the door behind her. She didn’t bother turning around. She already knew who it was.

“Y/N,” Bradley said, his voice quiet but rough, the usual edge missing.

“What is it, Bradley?” she asked, her tone sharper than she intended.

“I came to check on you,” he said, stepping into the kitchen with a heavy sigh.

Y/N gritted her teeth and turned to face him, her arms crossed. She looked exhausted—dark circles under her eyes, her face pale and drawn. “You don’t have to keep coming here, you know. I’m not your responsibility.”

Bradley’s jaw tightened. He didn’t like the way she was pushing him away, but he wasn’t about to argue with her. Not now. Not after everything. “I know. But I’m here anyway.”

She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “Right. You’re always here.”

Bradley stared at her, his eyes flicking to the half-empty bottle of whiskey sitting on the counter. “Have you slept at all?”

“Why does it matter?” she snapped. “Sleep doesn’t change anything. Daniel’s still dead. I’m still stuck here raising these boys on my own. You think a nap’s going to fix that?”

Bradley didn’t flinch. He just nodded, the muscles in his jaw working as he tried to keep his emotions in check. “No. It won’t.”

Y/N turned away from him again, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. Keith’s babbling came from the living room, a small reminder that her youngest son needed her, even though she felt like she had nothing left to give. Logan, too, had been withdrawn, watching everything in silent confusion. He was too young to understand why his father wasn’t coming home, but old enough to sense the weight of what had happened.

“What am I supposed to tell them, Bradley?” she asked, her voice breaking slightly. “What do I say to Logan when he asks about his dad? That he died on some mission that went sideways? That he’s never coming back? When I do he asks why. How am I meant to know!?”

Bradley exhaled sharply, running a hand over his face. “I don’t know, Y/N. I wish I had the answers. But Logan’s going to need you to be honest with him. You can’t shield him from it forever.”

She let out a shaky breath, blinking rapidly to fight back the tears. “He’s only seven, Bradley. He shouldn’t have to grow up like this.”

Bradley stepped closer, his voice softening. “You’re right. He shouldn’t. But he’s tough—just like his dad. And you’re tougher than you think.”

Y/N shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper. “It'll ruin the kid. I’m just so damn tired.”

Bradley stood there, not sure what to say. He wasn’t good at this—the comforting, the emotional stuff. That had always been Daniel’s role. But Daniel wasn’t here anymore, and Bradley was all Y/N had left. He stepped forward, cautiously, until he was right next to her.

“You don’t have to do it alone,” he said quietly. “I’m here for you. For Logan. For Keith.”

Y/N didn’t respond at first, just kept staring at the floor, the weight of everything crushing down on her. After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice tight with suppressed emotion.

“You’re not Daniel, Bradley. You were barely ever here before that either.”

The words cut deep, but Bradley nodded, accepting them for what they were. He wasn’t Daniel. He couldn’t replace his brother, no matter how hard he tried. But he could be there for the family Daniel had left behind.

“I know,” Bradley said quietly. “But I’m still here.”

Y/N finally looked up at him, her eyes red and tired. There was no fight left in her, no anger, just a raw, aching grief that mirrored his own.

“Logan asked me yesterday if his dad was a hero,” she said, her voice barely audible.

Bradley’s throat tightened. “What did you say?”

She swallowed hard, her gaze dropping to the floor. “I didn’t know what to say. Fourteen times in my life I accused pilots of doing something wrong but never Daniel. I just told him… I told him his dad loved him. That was all I could get out.”

Bradley nodded slowly, his chest aching with a familiar sense of loss. “It’s enough. Logan doesn’t need the details. He just needs to know that his dad loved him. That’s what matters.”

Y/N’s eyes met his again, and for the first time since Daniel’s death, there was something other than anger or numbness there. Maybe it was acceptance. Maybe it was just exhaustion. But she didn’t push him away this time.

“I don’t know how to do this,” she admitted quietly.

“You don’t have to figure it all out today,” Bradley replied. “Just take it one day at a time. I’ll be here. For whatever you need.”

Y/N nodded, her shoulders slumping as the weight of it all threatened to overwhelm her again. But this time, Bradley was there, standing beside her, ready to catch her if she fell.

And maybe, just maybe, that was enough for now.

-----

Four years had passed since Daniel’s death, and life had moved on, even if it still carried the scars of that day. Y/N had thrown herself into her work, rising through the ranks until she became a detective, often working with specialized units like CSI. Her job demanded precision, focus, and a cool head under pressure—traits she’d developed while learning to balance being a widow and a mother to two boys.

It was 6:00 AM, and the alarm blared from her phone. Y/N groaned, stretching in her bed before she turned it off and rubbed her eyes. Another day, another case to solve. She threw the covers off and padded to the bathroom.

Standing in front of the mirror, she stared at herself. She turned on the faucet and grabbed her toothbrush, squeezing a small amount of minty toothpaste onto the bristles. The rhythmic motion of brushing her teeth was oddly soothing, a routine that anchored her at the start of each day. She brushed methodically, starting from the back molars, working her way to the front, the fresh taste of mint chasing away the dregs of sleep. After rinsing, she ran her tongue over her teeth, appreciating the smooth, clean feeling.

Next, she grabbed her brush and began working through her hair. Her hair had grown longer than she usually kept it, but she liked the way it looked now—professional but still a little wild. She worked through a few tangles, brushing from the roots to the ends until her hair was soft and smooth. She tied it back into a sleek ponytail, the style that was both functional and neat for her long days on the job.

Returning to the bedroom, Y/N opened her closet. She ran her fingers over the hangers, choosing a black tailored blazer and matching pants. A crisp white blouse underneath kept the look sharp but professional. Sliding the pants on first, she tucked in her blouse and fastened the blazer, making sure everything sat perfectly. She moved over to the full-length mirror by the closet door, adjusting her collar and sleeves. Her badge was clipped to the belt, a constant reminder of the responsibility she carried.

Finally, she walked over to the small safe tucked discreetly in her nightstand drawer. She spun the dial, opening the metal door with a quiet click. Inside sat her standard-issue Glock. The cold metal felt familiar in her hand as she checked it over, ensuring it was loaded and ready. She slipped the gun into its holster at her side, concealed beneath her blazer. One last glance in the mirror—she looked like a detective ready to take on whatever the day threw at her.

But before she could leave the house, there was one more challenge: waking up her boys.

Y/N headed down the hall to Logan’s room. At eleven, Logan was already turning into a miniature version of his father. He had Daniel’s stubbornness, for sure, and waking him up in the morning had become something of a battle over the years.

She knocked gently on the door. “Logan, it’s time to get up.”

There was no response. She sighed, opening the door and stepping into the room. Logan was buried under his blankets, only the top of his messy brown hair visible. His room was a mess, toys and clothes scattered across the floor, his desk cluttered with books and school papers.

“Logan,” Y/N said again, this time with more authority. “Get up. You’ve got school.”

A muffled groan came from beneath the blankets. “Five more minutes,” he mumbled.

Y/N smirked, walking over to the bed and gently pulling the covers down. Logan blinked up at her, his face creased from the pillow, eyes squinting in the early morning light.

“You said that yesterday,” she said, tapping his shoulder. “Come on. You don’t want to miss the bus.”

Logan groaned again, rolling over onto his back. “I’m not a morning person, Mom. You know that.”

“I do know that,” Y/N replied, crossing her arms. “But it doesn’t change the fact that you have to get up. Now.”

With a dramatic sigh, Logan finally sat up, rubbing his eyes. He stretched, his arms reaching above his head, and yawned loudly. “Fine, fine. I’m up.”

“Good,” Y/N said, walking back to the door. “Get dressed. Breakfast is in ten minutes.”

Logan gave a half-hearted nod, already shuffling towards his closet as Y/N left the room, leaving him to his slow morning routine.

Next was Keith. At five years old, he was still small and full of energy, but mornings weren’t his strong suit either. Y/N stepped into his room, where Keith was curled up in his bed, clutching his favourite stuffed animal—a well-worn bear named Buddy.

“Keith, time to wake up,” she said softly, kneeling beside his bed.

Keith stirred, his big brown eyes fluttering open as he looked up at her. He yawned, stretching his tiny arms out as he rubbed at his eyes. “Morning, Mama.”

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Y/N said with a smile. “Let’s get you ready for school, okay?”

Keith nodded sleepily, still half-asleep as Y/N helped him sit up. She pulled out a pair of pants and a T-shirt from his dresser, guiding him through getting dressed. His little fingers fumbled with the shirt buttons, so she crouched down and helped him fasten them.

Once he was dressed, she scooped him up and carried him to the bathroom, setting him down gently on the step stool by the sink. Keith blinked blearily as Y/N handed him his toothbrush, squeezing a bit of kid-friendly toothpaste onto the bristles.

“Here you go, buddy. Let’s brush those teeth.”

Keith obediently brushed, though his movements were slow and clumsy. Y/N kept a watchful eye, making sure he didn’t miss any spots. Once they were done, she wiped his mouth with a washcloth and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead.

“All set, champ. You’re ready for the day.”

Keith smiled, still a little groggy but looking more awake now. He reached for her hand as they left the bathroom, heading downstairs to join Logan for breakfast.

Y/N leaned against the kitchen counter, sipping her coffee and watching as her boys sat at the table. It was a non-uniform day at their school, which always meant a little more chaos in the morning, especially with Keith's boundless energy. The five-year-old was practically vibrating in his seat, bouncing up and down as he eagerly shovelled toast into his mouth.

"Keith, slow down," Logan said in a calm but firm voice, his tone carrying the weight of someone much older. At eleven, Logan had always been the quieter, more serious one—a reflection of his father in so many ways. While his younger brother practically buzzed with energy, Logan was a calm presence, though he often seemed like he was carrying the weight of the world on his small shoulders. she told Bradley everything would ruin him.

Keith barely paid attention, his legs swinging wildly under the table. “But it’s a non-uniform day! We don’t have to wear the stupid ties and stuff! And we’re bringing money to school! Can we buy sweets, Mama?”

Y/N smiled at the contrast between her two boys. Keith was practically bursting with excitement, his eyes wide and full of life. Meanwhile, Logan sat quietly in front of his cereal, poking at the milk with his spoon, his face expressionless.

“I gave Logan a tenner,” Y/N said, looking at her older son. “He’ll pay for both of you.”

Logan sighed and pushed his hair back, not too thrilled about his role as the responsible older brother but accepting it with his usual calm. “I’ll take care of it,” he said in his usual, even tone. “But Keith, you’ve gotta calm down. You’re gonna knock something over.”

Keith, of course, ignored the warning. “Can we buy, like, five packs of candy, Logan? And maybe some chocolate too!”

Logan raised an eyebrow. “No. That’s not what it’s for. We’re paying for the non-uniform day, not having a candy shopping spree.”

Keith pouted dramatically, crossing his arms over his chest, but he didn’t argue back. He knew better. “Fine,” he muttered, but within seconds, he was back to fidgeting in his seat, still brimming with excitement.

Y/N shook her head in amusement. “Logan’s right. The money is for school, not to load up on sweets. But maybe I’ll get you something after school if you both behave, okay?”

Keith perked up immediately. “Okay, Mama!”

Logan merely nodded, his expression unchanging. He took a slow bite of his cereal, clearly not as enthusiastic about the day as his younger brother. Y/N knew it wasn’t just about today—Logan had always been more introspective, more serious. He carried a quiet sadness sometimes, though he didn’t like to talk about it much. She knew he missed his father, even if he didn’t say it aloud. The weight of responsibility that had fallen on his young shoulders wasn’t something a boy his age should have to deal with.

Y/N glanced at the clock on the wall, mentally going through her schedule for the day. “I’ve got to work until four today,” she said, placing her mug down on the counter. “So Penny’s going to pick you both up from school, and you’ll hang out with Amelia until I’m off. That okay with you guys?”

Keith immediately bounced in his seat again. “Yay! I love hanging out with Amelia! She’s gonna let me play her video games, right? She said she would last time!”

Logan just nodded, taking another slow bite of his cereal. “That’s fine,” he said, his tone still calm and measured. “We’ll be okay.”

Y/N walked over and ruffled Logan’s hair, earning a slight frown from him as he smoothed it back down. “I know you will. You’re always a big help with Keith.”

Keith grinned at his brother, clearly not picking up on the subtle tension in Logan’s face. “Logan’s the best!” he shouted, practically bouncing out of his chair now. “He’s gonna let me sit with him at lunch too!”

Logan sighed softly, glancing at his younger brother. “Yeah, sure. Just… calm down, okay?”

Y/N chuckled, finishing the last of her coffee before setting the cup down. She leaned against the counter, watching her boys—so different from each other, but in some ways, inseparable. Keith was a bright light, always full of energy and joy, while Logan had become her steady, serious boy, even though she wished he’d let himself be a kid more often.

“Alright, you two. Finish up your breakfast and get your shoes on. We need to leave in ten minutes,” Y/N said, gently nudging them along.

Keith practically jumped out of his chair, already halfway to the hallway to grab his sneakers, while Logan moved with his usual calm, taking his time to finish his cereal before he stood up.

Y/N glanced at Logan, her heart aching just a little as she watched him. “Logan,” she said softly, causing him to pause and look up at her. “You don’t always have to be the grown-up, you know. It’s okay to just… be a kid.”

Logan shrugged, his eyes dropping to the floor. “I know,” he said, but there was a distance in his voice, like he wasn’t quite convinced.

Y/N sighed softly, resisting the urge to push further. Logan was like that—quiet, introspective. He’d open up when he was ready, and she’d be there when he did.

“Alright, let’s go,” she said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. “Non-uniform day and no rushing. It’s a good start to the day, don’t you think?”

Logan gave a small, barely noticeable nod, and together they all headed out the door, Keith still chattering excitedly about his plans for the day while Logan walked quietly beside him, always the calm to his little brother’s storm.

---

Y/N had barely finished her second cup of coffee when her phone buzzed with a new case. She was standing in the precinct’s break room, chatting with her rookie partner, Officer Miles Daniels, when her phone went off. Glancing at the screen, her stomach sank as she read the details. A crash at Top Gun—the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School.

“Miles, grab your gear,” Y/N called over her shoulder as she quickly gathered her things. “We’ve got a case. We’re heading to Top Gun.”

Miles raised an eyebrow, still fresh-faced and eager after joining the detective unit, but he moved quickly, following her lead. “Top Gun? Isn’t that, like, military?”

“Yeah, it is,” Y/N responded, slipping her badge and gun into place as they made their way out of the precinct. “But if there’s civilian criminal activity involved, or something suspicious, we get pulled in. Plus, this isn’t just a crash—it’s a potential aircraft destruction case.”

As they made the short drive to the base, Y/N filled Miles in on what they were walking into. The pilot was in stable condition, but there was suspicion that the crash wasn’t just an accident. With a $15 million aircraft destroyed, the stakes were high.

When they arrived at the Naval base, the military security waved them through after checking their credentials. Y/N parked the car outside the main lobby of the base, and the two of them stepped out into the bright morning sun. The sprawling complex of hangars, runways, and state-of-the-art fighter jets stretched out in front of them.

Inside the lobby, they were met by Sergeant Tim Bradford, a stoic and no-nonsense detective who had recently transferred from LAPD to work more closely with specialized cases involving military personnel. Y/N had worked with him on a couple of cases before. He was tough, by the book, and not someone to mess with.

“Bradford,” Y/N greeted him with a nod as she and Miles approached.

“Detective Y/L/N,” Bradford replied, giving her a quick, respectful nod. His sharp blue eyes shifted briefly to Miles, sizing him up. “This your rookie?”

“Yeah, Officer Daniels,” Y/N introduced her partner. Miles nodded politely, though he seemed slightly nervous under Bradford’s scrutinizing gaze.

“Alright,” Bradford said, moving straight to business. “Here’s what we know: A pilot, callsign ‘Raptor,’ nosedived his F/A-18 Super Hornet straight into the runway early this morning. He’s in stable condition at the hospital, but that jet? It’s totalled—$15 million down the drain. The Navy’s doing their own investigation, but we’ve been brought in to determine if this was an intentional act or negligence.”

Y/N’s brow furrowed as she listened. “Any indication so far that it was deliberate?”

Bradford shook his head. “Not yet. The pilot claims he lost control, but there’s speculation he might have been pushed into it—pressure from his CO, maybe. And if we find anything that points to foul play, the Navy’s going to press charges for destruction of government property. That’s where we come in.”

Y/N nodded, exchanging a glance with Miles, who was taking everything in, trying to piece it all together. “Alright,” she said. “Let’s get to the crash site.”

As they made their way across the base toward the crash site, Y/N kept her eyes sharp. The walk was long, but it gave her a chance to mentally prepare. Aircraft crashes weren’t her usual territory, but the stakes were high, and she was used to pressure.

“I read up on the case file on the way here,” Miles said as they walked. “The pilot’s got a clean record—nothing disciplinary, no indication he’d do something like this on purpose.”

“Keep that in mind, but don’t jump to conclusions,” Y/N replied, her tone firm but patient. “We’re here to look at the evidence, not get caught up in speculation.”

As they neared the crash site, the wreckage of the once sleek fighter jet came into view. The front of the aircraft was crumpled, its nose smashed into the runway with debris scattered all around. Military personnel were already on the scene, cordoning off the area, but the sheer destruction was undeniable.

Y/N knelt down near the wreckage, scanning the area. The nose of the plane was completely destroyed, and the force of the impact had created deep cracks in the runway. It was clear that this hadn’t been a controlled landing.

“Jesus,” Miles muttered under his breath, his eyes wide as he looked over the wreckage.

“Yeah,” Y/N agreed grimly, standing up. “This wasn’t a small mistake.”

She turned to Bradford. “Have they ruled out mechanical failure?”

“They’re working on it,” Bradford said, crossing his arms as he surveyed the scene. “But so far, nothing obvious. It’s more likely a pilot error, but the pilot swears he was fully in control before the nosedive.”

Y/N nodded thoughtfully, walking around the wreckage. Her mind worked quickly, analysing the scene, looking for anything that didn’t quite fit. “We’ll need to talk to the ground crew who prepped the plane and the other pilots who were flying with him,” she said, glancing at Miles. “Something doesn’t add up here.”

Bradford nodded. “Already got the names. Ground crew’s being interviewed, and the flight team’s in the ready room waiting for you.”

Y/N exchanged a look with Miles. “Let’s get to it. The faster we figure out what happened here, the better.”

As Y/N and Miles made their way toward the hangar, they passed a group of aviators, all wearing their flight suits and looking equally serious and exhausted. Among them, a familiar face caught Y/N’s eye. The short moustache, the tousled sandy hair, and that unmistakable stance—it was Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw.

Y/N’s breath caught in her throat for a moment. She hadn’t seen Bradley in years, not since Daniel’s funeral. He looked older now, more worn by the weight of life, but still very much the kid brother of her late husband. Her heart squeezed at the sight of him, a wave of memories flooding back.

“Bradley?” she called out, her voice hesitant but filled with recognition.

Bradley turned at the sound of his name, his eyes widening as he saw her. “Y/N?” he said, a mix of surprise and relief crossing his face. “I can’t believe it. What are you doing here?”

They approached each other, and Y/N gave him a warm smile. “Detective now,” she explained, gesturing to her badge. “Working a case on base.”

Rooster gave a small smile, his eyes softening with a mix of nostalgia and respect. “It’s been a while.”

“Too long,” Y/N replied, though the weight of that statement hung between them. The unspoken grief over Daniel was still there, lingering in the air. But this wasn’t the time or place for a deep conversation about the past.

Bradley shook his head, a half-smirk playing on his lips. “I should’ve known you’d end up kicking ass as a detective.”

Y/N chuckled softly. “I try. And you—you’re an instructor now, huh? Flying with the best of the best?”

Bradley nodded. “Yeah, something like that. Let me introduce you to my wingman.” He turned, motioning toward a tall, confident-looking man standing a few feet away. “This is Lieutenant Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin.”

Jake stepped forward, offering a charming grin that seemed to light up his entire face. “Pleasure to meet you, Detective Y/L/N. Heard a lot about you,” he said smoothly, extending his hand.

Y/N raised an eyebrow, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake. Jake’s grip was strong, but not overbearing. There was something about his demeanour—equal parts charm and arrogance—that made her feel like she needed to stay on her toes around him. He had that aura, the kind of guy who was used to turning heads and getting what he wanted.

“I hope it was all good things,” Y/N replied, her tone lightly teasing.

“All good,” Jake said with a wink, his southern drawl coming through in a way that made his words linger just a little too long. “Rooster’s mentioned how tough you are. Seems like you two go way back.”

“We do,” Y/N confirmed, glancing at Rooster with a fond smile. “Family.”

There was a pause as the moment settled between them, and then Jake spoke up again. “So, what brings you to our little corner of the sky? I assume it’s not just a social visit.”

Y/N shifted back into professional mode, nodding. “We’re investigating the crash. The pilot—‘Raptor,’ I believe—is in stable condition, but there’s a possibility this wasn’t just pilot error. We need to determine if this was deliberate or negligence. My job is to figure out what went wrong and, if necessary, who’s responsible.”

Rooster exchanged a look with Jake, both of them clearly intrigued but also guarded. “We’re the instructors for this group,” Bradley said. “But we don’t know much beyond that. Raptor’s a good pilot—this isn’t something you’d expect from him.”

Jake nodded in agreement. “Yeah, kid’s sharp. Cocky, sure, but we’ve all been there. He’s not the kind to pull a stunt like this unless something went wrong.”

Y/N folded her arms, considering their words. “So no inside information? Nothing unusual in his behaviour or flight patterns before the crash?”

Both men shook their heads. “No,” Rooster replied. “Everything seemed normal during the briefing and take-off. Whatever happened, it must’ve been in the air.”

“Or in his head,” Jake added, his expression thoughtful. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s going on up there, even with the best pilots.”

Y/N nodded, appreciating their input. “Alright, well, here’s what we’ve got so far,” she said, launching into a detailed explanation.

“The crash happened early this morning. Raptor nosedived into the runway, and while he’s alive, the aircraft is totalled. The Navy’s investigating the mechanical side, but they want us to assess whether there was any human interference—either pressure from above, negligence, or if this was intentional. The stakes are high. A $15 million jet destroyed can’t just be written off as an accident without a full inquiry. We’re looking into everything: the ground crew, flight logs, maintenance records, and Raptor’s personal state of mind.”

Bradley listened intently, his arms crossed over his chest, while Jake’s eyes narrowed, taking it all in. “That’s serious,” Rooster finally said, his voice low. “If there’s any suspicion of intentional sabotage or negligence, he’s looking at major charges.”

“Exactly,” Y/N agreed. “We’re trying to avoid that if it’s not warranted, but we need to be thorough.”

Jake leaned against the side of a nearby truck, his expression a mix of intrigue and something close to admiration. “Well, Detective, you’ve got your work cut out for you. Anything we can do to help?”

Y/N smiled at him, though her mind was already racing with the possibilities. “Just stay close in case we need anything. I might need to talk to the other pilots too.”

Rooster nodded. “We’ll be around. And hey, it’s good to see you again, Y/N.”

“You too, Bradley,” she replied softly before glancing back at Jake, who gave her one last charming grin as they walked away.

“Don’t be a stranger, Detective,” Jake called after her with a wink.

---

The four-hour mark at the crash site. The long day was wearing on both of them, but Y/N was no stranger to gruelling hours. She had spent countless days on crime scenes, sifting through endless evidence, and poring over tiny details that could make or break a case. Yet, this one seemed different—something about it felt dead in the water.

They had examined the wreckage from every angle, spoken to the ground crew, double-checked the maintenance logs, and even consulted with the flight team. But nothing substantial had emerged to indicate foul play. It seemed more and more like a tragic case of pilot error, despite the nagging feeling in Y/N’s gut that something wasn’t right.

She straightened up from where she had been crouching near the debris, wiping her hands on her jeans and squinting in the fading light. Miles walked over, notebook in hand, looking exhausted but still eager.

“What do you think, Detective?” Miles asked, his voice quieter than usual, likely from the hours of tension.

Y/N sighed, her eyes scanning the crumpled remains of the jet one last time. “I think this is a dead case for us,” she admitted reluctantly. “There’s no solid evidence of foul play, no suspicious activity leading up to the crash. It’s looking more like a tragic mistake than anything else.”

Miles nodded slowly, clearly taking her lead, though he looked a little deflated. “So, we’re calling it?”

“We’ll let the Navy finish their mechanical investigation, but as far as our end goes, yeah, I’m calling it,” Y/N said, her tone final but not unkind. “You did good today, Miles. I know it’s not the ending we were hoping for, but sometimes cases just don’t pan out the way you think they will.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, scratching the back of his neck. “I get it. But it’s frustrating.”

“It is,” she said, giving him a small smile. “But that’s part of the job. Let’s head back. I’ll debrief with Rooster and Hangman, and we’ll wrap this up.”

Together, they made their way back toward where Rooster and Hangman had been waiting by the hangar. Y/N could see them leaning against the side of a truck, deep in conversation. When they saw her and Miles approaching, Rooster straightened up, his expression expectant.

“How’s it looking?” Rooster asked, his tone hopeful but cautious.

Y/N shook her head. “Not much to go on. I’m calling it a dead case for us. The Navy can finish their investigation, but we haven’t found anything that suggests sabotage or intentional destruction.”

Rooster sighed softly, nodding in understanding. “Alright, thanks for looking into it anyway. I know Raptor’s not going to be thrilled, but it’s better than a criminal charge hanging over his head.”

At that moment, Miles stepped forward, looking a little nervous but determined. “Actually, Lieutenant Bradshaw, I still have a few more questions for you—just to tie up some loose ends.”

Rooster raised an eyebrow but gave a nod, turning his attention fully to Miles. “Sure thing, Officer. What do you need?”

As Rooster and Miles moved off to the side, Y/N turned to see Jake “Hangman” Seresin watching her with that signature grin plastered across his face. His charm seemed almost effortless, like it was second nature to him.

“Well, Detective,” Hangman said, pushing off from the truck and sauntering over to her with a slight swagger. “Since Rooster’s busy, how about I walk you to your car? It’s the least I can do after you’ve been out here all day in the sun.”

Y/N chuckled, feeling the tension in her shoulders begin to ease for the first time in hours. There was something disarming about Hangman’s confidence. Normally, she would’ve felt guarded, maybe even slightly intimidated by a guy like him. But right now? For the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel that way.

“Sure,” she said with a smirk. “I wouldn’t mind the company.”

They began walking across the tarmac together, the gentle evening breeze cooling the hot air from the long day. Hangman kept pace beside her, his hands tucked casually into his flight suit pockets, his easy smile never faltering.

“So,” he began, his tone light, “you’re telling me that after spending four hours out here investigating a crash and coming up empty, you still manage to look this good? I’ve got to say, I’m impressed.”

Y/N rolled her eyes playfully, though she couldn’t help but smile. “Is that your best line, Lieutenant? You’re going to have to try harder than that.”

“Maybe,” Hangman drawled, his Texas accent coming through thick. “But I figure, why mess with what works?”

Y/N shook her head, but she was still smiling. “Is this how you charm all the women you meet?”

He gave her a faux-hurt expression. “Not all the women, Detective. Just the ones who look like they could outsmart me and outshoot me in the same day.”

Y/N laughed, a real laugh, and she realized how rare that had become. Jake was flirty, sure, but in a way that wasn’t overbearing or disrespectful. He wasn’t pushing boundaries—just toeing the line, making her feel lighter after such a long, draining day.

As they reached her car, she stopped, turning to face him. Hangman looked down at her with a playful spark in his eyes, clearly not ready to let the moment end.

“Well, thanks for the escort, Lieutenant Seresin,” Y/N said, her voice softer now. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her work card, handing it to him. “Here. This has my number on it—in case you ever feel like texting. I’m… open to it.”

For a moment, Jake looked surprised, but that charming smile returned quickly as he took the card from her hand. His fingers brushed hers lightly, sending a small spark up her arm. “Now, that’s an offer I won’t pass up,” he said smoothly, tucking the card into his pocket. “You can expect a text soon, Detective. Count on it.”

Y/N felt a strange flutter in her chest as she smiled at him one last time, sliding into her car. As she closed the door and started the engine, Jake stepped back, giving her a two-finger salute before watching her drive away.

For the first time in years, the idea of someone flirting with her didn’t make her feel guarded or anxious. Instead, it felt… nice. Maybe it was Hangman’s easy-going confidence, or maybe it was just time for her to feel something other than the weight of responsibility. Either way, she wasn’t opposed to seeing where things might lead.

As she drove away from the base, Y/N glanced at her phone in the cup holder. And for the first time in a long while, she found herself hoping that a certain charming fighter pilot would follow through on his promise.

[midnottart]

Do you have any Shiro/Keith fic recs?

Yes, I've been making my way through the AO3 tag! These are from the first phase of getting into this ship, where I was still figuring them out. So reading about them when they're figuring themselves out was helpful.

everything stays (but it still changes) by isozyme - Keith/Shiro, explicit "angst and fluff and smut", post S07, first time, ptsd, friends to lovers I've read this one more than once, I really like the characterisation of everyone (Shiro talks to the other paladins too!) and the insights of living on board of the Atlas. It's Shiro's POV and he's longing for Keith but thinks Keith needs him as a brotherly figure. They share some not so sweet (hurting each other while sparring) and sweet (patching each other up) moments until Keith moves their relationship to a new level. And then there's the trauma of their fight (Keith against Shiro's clone) and they are working through that for some sexy times 😌

Long way forward by queerly_it_is - Shiro/Keith, explicit pining, angst, friends to lovers, passionate first time, Keith's POV This one is beautiful written, especially with describing the feelings and the scenery! I feel like it was written and playing after S01 perhaps? Shiro and Keith got lost in a wormhole. Very good and angsty survival situations happen, with the horror of being alone and lost in space - but they come across beautiful planets too. Only Keith is getting more and more angry, mostly over not finding the other paladins and Shiro's behaviour of taking the blame plus avoiding Keith. They talk, repair their lions, trying to find the way home and get physical, with fighting and as well in some really nice, gentle and healing way of caring for each other. The sex scene is hot too! Shiro's prisoner time gets mentioned, I think this is such a big part of Shiro and I always love when it is in the stories. And the author had some great ideas about Keith's time at the Garrison. My favourite line: “Because we care about each other,” Shiro says. “More than we should, maybe, but... I can’t look at you and not want to make things better. So please don’t ask me to.”

Unravel by stardropdream cute and funny, pining, Shiro's POV, post S07, friends to lovers The Atlas becomes sentient, connected with Shiro's mind and she's so curious about everything, still learning like a little kid. Shiro is very patient and tries to explain everything with words and memories - totally ignoring the fact how often Keith appears on his mind when he's describing positive things. And he tries to shield the Atlas from his negative memories, like nightmares about the fights he had in the Galra arena as the Champion. The Atlas is cheeky too, playing pranks on everyone with moving rooms around like trying to make Keith enter Shiro's room, but one time even pushes him into it because Shiro had a nightmare and Keith was suppose to help. And being the wingman for Shiro and traps him and Keith so Shiro finally talks to Keith. Keith cares very much about Shiro, in a nice reassuring and calm way. I really like when Keith is very secure in his love for Shiro even if they are not dating (yet). He even helps Shiro connecting again with the Black Lion something Shiro missed very much.

[livingintheupsidedown]

why didn’t you call???

Steve Harrington x Reader

[1.2k] - Steve forgets to call you.

Warnings - feeling neglected, steve being a bit of an ass without meaning to,  just all round kinda sad i guess?

A/N - i heard this song for the first time the other night and was inspired to write! this is completely based on the song “why didn’t you call???” by Saint Harison, lyrics have been used as a reference and are marked in bold. set in season 4 although the timeline may not be accurate. 

You’d had a pretty stressful week, work was kicking your ass. It had been non-stop, every time you thought you’d get a break another customer would come in with a stupid question, another rude remark. Your manager didn’t like you, which you already knew, but they were especially cruel recently. Picking up on any slight mistake and making you stay late to do things you could have easily done the next day when you just wanted to go home and see your boyfriend. All you needed was to hear his voice, maybe rant to him about your week and have him rant back. The last time you saw him was when you stopped by his work on your day off.

The bell above the door announced your arrival, although Steve already knew you’d be coming, as you stepped through the threshold. You had a love-hate relationship with Family Video. You loved the colours the place had, it gave it a cosy feeling that you adored and obviously the ability to rent out movies was always useful. You hated it for stealing your boyfriend from you. 

You found him behind the counter, along with Robin, Max and Dustin. You didn’t know the kids would be here, but you didn’t mind. You weren’t as close as Steve was to them but you adored them nonetheless. 

You worked your way around the store to the counter to hear them all muttering softly to each other, you peered around Dustin’s head to ask, “Who’s Rick Lipton?” 

Four heads simultaneously whipped around at the sound of your voice, all wide-eyed and mouth’s parted. You raised an eyebrow in response, clearly taken aback by their expressions. 

“No one!” Three of them shouted at you while Steve stared, no words leaving his mouth while he clearly tried to find something to say. He’d learnt pretty early on that he can’t lie to you, often he finds he just has to keep his mouth shut. 

“Steve come on we gotta go,” Dustin announced while picking up all his things and already making his way back around the front of the counter. Max followed while Robin hesitated slightly, momentarily thinking if they can leave one person to run the store. However, Steve didn’t move. 

He knew this meant he wouldn’t be spending his lunch break with you and he’d probably miss date night on Friday, which he really hoped he wouldn’t, depending on how things with Eddie went. But he also couldn’t tell you the truth, couldn’t get you involved, couldn’t lose you. 

“Now, Steve!” Max shouted which seemed to spur him into action. 

He grabbed his keys before turning to you, “Baby, i’m really sorry and i’ll explain everything later.” He placed a kiss against the swell of your cheek. “I’ll call you, i promise!” He left you there, stunned, as both employees ran out of the store. 

And now here you were, by the phone, still waiting for that same call. 

“Why didn't you call?

Are you away?

Are you okay?

I'm sat by the phone..”

You rested on the floor in your hallway, leaning against the wall. The phone sat in its holder on the wall as you willed it to ring. The soft pitter-patter of the rain outside kept you grounded as you tried to make sense of the situation. You hadn’t seen or heard from Steve in 3 days when he left you standing confused in the video store before Keith came out and insisted on staff only behind the counter. 

You couldn’t help but quietly chuckle to yourself, you imagined you looked pitiful right now. The radio playing softly in the background, candles lit as his dinner sat cold on the table while you ate yours where you were, although you seemed to have greatly lost your appetite. Popcorn and movies upon the coffee table, along with his favourite sweets you’d gone out and got specifically for him. 

Fresh sheets fitted on your bed, the extra blankets you use folded and put away because you knew Steve ran hot, a pair of his sweatpants and old Hawkins High t-shirt sat washed and dried for him to change into. 

Now you wondered if you even should have bothered. 

“Did you get into a car crash? …

God forbid, did somebody die?

There's just no way I slipped your mind”

Steve never missed date night. Unsurprisingly, it was his idea in the first place, and without much convincing, you agreed to do it once a week. “It’ll keep things interesting,” he’d said “and besides, it means i have an excuse to buy you flowers every week.” As you replayed the memory you turned to the kitchen, last week’s flowers sat wilting in a vase on the window sill. Your heart cracked at the sight, knowing you wouldn’t be getting a replacement pair anytime soon.

Your worry has definitely started to set in by now. Was something wrong? Did he need your help? Where the fuck was he? 

Maybe he’s stranded, you thought, broke down and he’s trying to find a way back. That seemed reasonable enough, if he had to walk to your house he’s expected to be a few hours late. Although… Hawkins is considerably small.

Maybe he crashed the car, you keep trying to reason with yourself, maybe he was driving back and someone crashed into him. But as his parents are hardly around you’re his next of kin, if he was hurt and in the hospital, you would’ve heard by now. 

Things just weren’t making sense.

“And you might be asleep

Dreaming of me

I know I'm just guessing”

Steve was exhausted. As soon as one problem began to solve itself another one started. He could feel himself slowly losing it, “barely sleeping for 72 hours will do that to a man,” he thought to himself.

And now, as Lucas agreed to stay awake with Max he could finally shut his eyes, could switch off even if it was just for an hour. His mind wandered to you and to how he felt bad the second he left you, guilt had been settled in his stomach for the past three days.

He thought about how he hadn’t had a chance to call you, how he’d definitely missed date night by now and how he felt like an awful boyfriend. He’d give anything to be wrapped up with you in bed, light snores softly filling the room while he admired you. 

He wanted to tell you how much he loved you, to whisper sweet nothings and promises of what's to come into your ear.

He wanted to feel your hands roaming under his shirt, foreheads touching and lips pressed together while the sound of heavy breaths fill the room.  

He wanted you to tell him that he’s doing the right thing, that this will work and everything’s going to be okay. 

The kids needed him right now, but he needed you. 

“This isn't like you

There's just no way I slipped your mind”

After accepting the call wasn’t coming you went back into the kitchen, pouring the leftovers into a container although you know it probably won't get eaten. 

Steve wasn’t forgetful. In fact, he may be the most organised person you know. How could he just forget about a date night?

“This is ridiculous,” you wondered aloud as your throat started to burn and tears filled your eyes. You realised it wasn’t the date night that he’d forgotten about, it was you. 

Steve had forgotten about you. 

“Why didn't you call?”

[hockeyboysimagines]

I know it’s a few days late, but any chance we can get a tiny Matt and Hallie winning the cup blurb? I miss them.

This is way late, but yes. I will always accept any suggestions about writing Matthew and Hallie. They are my whole heart🤍I hope you love this.

Hallie had never been more uncomfortable in her life as she shifted her weight in the seat, easing her way back down. The pressure in her legs and feet was immense, and the “comfy” leggings she’d opted to wear weren’t comfy at all, but they sure beat sitting in jeans for 60 minutes after she’d given birth.

5:45

That was all that was left in game 7.

A wild rollercoaster this playoff series had been. With wins losses, and a brand new baby tkachuk born between games 6 and 7. Thomas and baby Lilly, who wasn’t the baby anymore were seated between Keith and Chantal, Taryn was holding the newest member of the family Joshua, who had come roaring into the world only 3 days prior, and Brady was sitting next to her. Hallie was exhausted, excited, nauseous, and she had to pee more than she’d ever had to in her life but nothing could pry her out of her seat at this moment. Watching Florida fall last summer in Vegas had been awful. The fallout from a hard fought series had been even worse, and the injury that Matthew had suffered has been a terrible start to the summer, and caused weeks of turmoil in their homes. The result at the end when the final buzzer went off would make it all worth it. She hoped.

She glanced at the clock.

1:00 left.

She felt someone bump her and she looked over the find Brady grinning. Wordlessly he reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers and gave it a squeeze.

“I’m so happy to have you here with us.” He said so that only she could hear.

If the result at the end of the game wasn’t going to bring her to tears, Brady definitely did. She felt like it was only a short bit ago that he’d wiped her tears, held her hand and promised to keep her secret about Lilly back in Calgary, every bit as loving as an uncle and brother in law could be, should be, and was. As the minutes ticked by, and the clock wound down she and Brady made their way to their feet, still holding hands.

5 4 3 2 1

Everyone in the suite started to scream including Thomas and Lilly, and Hallie felt hot tears streaming down her face as she watched sticks, helmets and gloves fly all over the ice and the benches clear.

He had done it. Her Matthew was a Stanley cup champion. Brady too was crying as they turned to eachother, fingers still entwined and each let out a strangled cry before they leaned in to hug.

“He did it!” Brady whisper yelled in her ear as he squeezed her tightly and they swayed on the spot. When he let her go he leaned down to accept Thomas’s high five “Up top buddy! Daddy won!”

“Does this mean you will win one next year?” Thomas asked with a big smile “Because if you don’t, daddy will make fun of you.”

The group around them laughed as Brady slapped the brim of Thomas’s hat, pushing it down over his eyes while he giggled and straightened himself out, turning to look up at Hallie. He reached forward and squeezed Hallie’s leg, big smile full of missing teeth. He looked so much like Matthew.

“Thomas look!” Keith called. Hallie glanced up to see them on the Jumbotron and Thomas started flapping his arms around and making a big fuss.

She accepted hugs from Keith and Chantal, the other wives and girlfriends, and finally Taryn who gave her one and handed Josh back, as he started to fuss.

Hallie pulled out a bottle and sat to feed him. Her legs and lower body were killing her and she desperately needed some sleep, but this was all worth it now. Her kids had gotten to see their dad win a Stanley cup. How cool was that? Well not Joshua because he slept through the whole thing, but when they talked about it years from now he would know he was there. She let out a breath and turned her eyes to the Jumbotron to watch the festivities down on the ice. Families weren’t allowed out there until the handshake line ended, and the cup was passed from player to player so she had time to get her thoughts together before then. Everything seemed blurry around her as she watched the cup get passed, waiting with baited breath as it got closer to Matthew. He’d done a lot of great things since she’d known him, but this accomplishment would take the cake. His achievements as a hockey player now matched his achievement of being a great father.

She felt a hand on her arm “Hey mama. They’re ready for us.” Chantal smoothed a piece of her hair and gave her shoulder a squeeze “Proud of you honey. You made this week even better by giving us another little angel.”

She smiled and closed her eyes with a nod, another tear running down her cheek. As Chantal helped her to her feet they began to gather their things and make their way out of the suite to the steps.

“Do you want me to take him back?” Taryn asked from behind her.

“No I got him but can you grab my bag please?” Taryn hitched it over he shoulder and fell instep behind her as they formed a line.

“Brady stand in front of her so she doesn’t fall. Be careful walking.” Keith commented motioning at the stairs as she made her way slowly down them, sliding against the wall to keep her balance while she couldn’t grab the railing. She could feel her phone buzzing in her jacket pocket and the texts from friends and probably Carly and Noah, who’d promised they’d be watching, but she would answer those later. Right now, she just needed to see Matthew.

People were everywhere on the ice as media, families and staff began to filter on to it. People were crying, yelling and celebrating. Kids ran to dads, girlfriends ran to boyfriends, parents congratulated their sons with proud tears in their eyes.

“Daddy!” Thomas exclaimed pointing.

Matthew turned and spotted them, smiling so wide Hallie thought his face might crack. Thomas hurried ahead of her, nearly falling as he reached him and she made her way gingerly across the ice with the rest of the family. He accepted hugs, congratulations, and pats on the back from all his family members until it was just her left after she passed Joshua to Chantal. He put a hand on either side of her face reached a thumb out to wipe a mascara streak away.

“Why are you crying?” He asked leaning down to look at her.

“I’m just so proud of you.”

“Be proud of you too. Without you, none of this would have happened. My life sucked before I met you, and look at us now.” He motioned over her shoulder and she turned “We have a beautiful house, three beautiful kids, 2 cats and a Stanley cup. And it’s all because you agreed to go out with me. We should put your name on this cup.”

She snorted out a laugh and wiped her nose “Well if you insist.” She reached forward and squeezed him as tightly as she could, eyes closing as she listened to the roar of the celebration behind them.

He ran a hand over her hair and was quiet a second before he said casually “So when do you want to have another baby?”

She whipped her head up and started laughing, wiping the wetness under her eyes “Funny guy. If I hadn’t just had one 4 days ago, I’d indulge you but tough luck.”

“Damn.”

“Maybe if you win one next season we can talk.”

He grinned and kissed the side of her head before turning to look at Brady “Your gonna be an uncle again bro.”

Brady looked Hallie up and down and frowned, confused “Wait-what? But you-what?”

“Nevermind. Come on, they wanna do pictures. Let’s get one without the cup first.”

The Tkachuk’s hustled in to crowd around Matthew as his teammates took turns taking pictures with the cup. To his right, Keith, Chantal, Thomas in front holding Matthew’s hand. To the left Brady, Taryn and Lilly. She held baby Joshua, and Matthew reached an arm around her and gave her a squeeze.

This was her family. A family she once didn’t even want to be a part of. Anyone who said good luck wasn’t real had never experienced it. She smiled softly as she turned back to the photographer.

“Alright Tkachuk’s. Smile!”

[akutagawamydear]

I’ve seen a lot of, Keith being angry about the whole Voltron mission thing– and I agree!! That he’s angry about it.. but let me give you

Angry LANCE!! Lance who, didn’t want to be on the mission in the first place and was just going with the flow so he could get home to his FAMILY faster, Lance who didn’t think the mission would take as long as it has, Lance who burns in hatred for Voltron and Allura/Coran and the Lions because. Why? They keep prolonging the mission to save the universe by making STUPID decisions one after another after another, Lance, who seethes inwardly everytime Lotor or another Galra rescue mission comes up, because these STUPID aliens who don’t know their place and should sit down back at their weak little planet are keeping him from his family. Lance, who misses his family so much, who worries and misses them as much as they do him, Lance who’s heart squeezes with a sickness and guilt when he thinks about his family not knowing where he went. Lance who, undoubtedly has Undealt with violent thoughts, Lance who wants to ram his gun into Lotor’s face and pull the trigger at LEAST, 7 times, who wants to wrap his hands around Allura’s neck as he spits insult after insult. Lance who feels an unexplainable itching in his hands to pull on the controls inside Blue (or any Lion) until they snap and the wires are exposed, so he can pull and cut and yank them until she hopefully shuts down (no matter if he gets electrocuted in the process). And, I dunno about ya’ll but, I headcanon that the Voltron mission caused Lance to miss one of his nephew’s birthdays (which he has NEVER done, always being early because he loves his family So so sososoSoSO much that he can’t help but follow them everywhere they go so h can shield them from the world and shower them with his overwhelming love), and that, that SINGLE fact, IRRITATES him to his CORE, because– some stupid mission, caused by some no-good, weak alien princess and her dumb mechanical lions kidnapped him and decided he, a cadet who wanted to fly CARGO ships, was a perfect candidate to SAVE THE FUCKING UNIVERSE, to “save” and avenge the princesses kingdom, which was GONE, is GONE, and will FOREVER *be* GONE, because why? Her and her weakass kingdom could protect themselves from the way life worked? A prince who’s dad and mom don’t care about him and could care less if he lived or died (only really caring because he’s the only kid they have) and he let his issues get to his head and convince him that he needs to use violence to feel powerful.

in conclusion. I want batshit angry Lance, I want Lance to go feral inwardly until it becomes too much for him to keep bottled up and he goes apeshit Outwardly

[voltrontranscript]

VLD S7E9: Know Your Enemy

Season 7 Episode 9: Know Your Enemy

Transcript by @dragonofyang

Episode Summary: Hearing that Sendak has taken over Earth, the Paladins hide their Lions on Saturn before landing incognito and discovering all the destruction Sendak has wrought, as well as the innovation found within the last free stronghold on Earth: the Galaxy Garrison.

[Google Doc]

Pidge: Dad, please respond. Voltron is coming. Hold on.

Hunk: Are we too late?

Sam: Katie? Katie, is that you?

Pidge: Dad, it’s me. I’m here.

Sam: Katie, I’m so glad to hear your voice. Where are you?

Pidge: We’re within the solar system. Heading to Earth now.

Sam: Wait! You must stop!

Keith: What? Say again?

Sam: Stop. Sendak has invaded the planet. He’s taken over Earth. If he finds out that Voltron is here, he’ll threaten the people of Earth in exchange for the Lions.

Keith: Reverse thrusters!

Hunk: Copy that. Hold tight!

[Cut to Garrison Command.]

Sam: Pick up those Galra ships’ locations. We need to scramble any transmissions immediately.

Curtis: Scanning location. I got it. They’re opening a channel. Triangulating position for broadcast. Sending interference.

[Cut back to space.]

Sam: Paladins, we blocked the patrol’s transmission. You’re clear.

Lance: Roger that. Let’s take ‘em out!

Pidge: Wait! Don’t destroy that ship. We might need it.

Lance: Really? For what?

Pidge: I’ve got an idea. We can’t fly our Lions to Earth without being spotted, so they’ll have to stay here on this moon in Saturn’s rings, which should keep them hidden from Sendak’s radars. We’ll fly in another way.

Allura: I hope the mice and Kaltenecker aren’t too frightened without us.

Keith: Hang on! We’re entering Earth’s atmosphere.

Hunk: This is weird. This is almost exactly how we left Earth, crammed in the cockpit of the Blue Lion.

Keith: We’re overweight. I’m losing altitude! Brace for impact!

Hunk: Hey, I know this place. I’ve been here. This is Plaht City. It’s about a half an hour from the garrison.

Lance: Woah, I can’t believe this is all that’s left of it.

Keith: We need to get to the garrison. Stay together. Let’s move quick and quiet.

[Scene change to the interior of Plaht City.]

Lance: Woah! Take cover!

Keith: I’ll distract it, you take the shot. Don’t miss. I wonder how many of these things they have around here. Pidge, any chance we could see those things before they get to us?

Pidge: Already on it. Looks like we’ve got four more headed our way.

Shiro: It’s not drones. Look.

Rizavi: Stay down, we got this!

Keith: I had it!

Griffin: Drones send distress signals when they’re attacked. Our weapons neutralize those signals. So unless you wanna deal with a swarm of those things, let us handle it. Now let’s get out of here before more show up.

[Scene change to the Galaxy Garrison.]

Pidge: Mom!

Colleen: Oh, Katie, I’m so glad you’re home!

Veronica: Lance!

Kids: Uncle Lance!

Lance: Oh, hey!

Mrs. McClain: My son!

Lance: It’s so good to see you.

Veronica: We never gave up on you.

Lance: I missed you so much. Oh, my gosh. You two are so much bigger now.

Lance’s Nephew: You’re the same size.

[Flashback 1 begins.]

Hunk’s Niece: Hey, Hunk.

Hunk’s Nephew: We’re going to miss you so much now that you’re going to be a space explorer.

Hunk: Well, I don’t know about space explorer. I was thinking more of a mechanic for space explorers.

Niece: Can you build us a spaceship?

Hunk: Uh, well, I don’t need to because we’re already in one.

[Flashback 1 ends.]

Sam: It’s good to have you home.

Hunk: So, my family?

Sam: We’ll get them back soon.

Iverson: Officer Shirogane. It’s great to see you again. My apologies for throwing you in quarantine.

Coran: Ah, so you’re the one who strapped Shiro to a table. I heard about that.

Shiro: You were just following orders, as any good soldier would. It’s great to see you, too. Allow me to introduce you to our Altean allies. Meet Allura, Romelle, and Coran.

Iverson: The honor is mine. Your technology has been instrumental in defending this small corner of Earth.

Coran: Oh, yes. Pop-Pop was quite the genius.

Iverson: And Cadet…

Keith: Yes, sir.

Iverson: I owe you an apology as well. I’ve heard about all you’ve done. I was wrong about you. It’s an honor and privilege to see you again.

Keith: Thank you, sir. I guess I wasn’t exactly the best cadet back then. I probably owe you a bit of an apology, too.

Iverson: Ah, and who’s this little fella?

Coran: Oh, Kosmo likes you. But be careful. If you touch it, it could zap you to a different universe.

Iverson: Hm?

Coran: Seriously.

[Scene change to inside the garrison.]

Shiro: Adam… I’m sorry.

Iverson: It’s because of them that Earth still has a chance. It’s time for our debriefing.

[Scene change to the Garrison meeting room.]

Sam: Sendak’s forces remain at bay, but without a meaningful supply line, we’re slowly being suffocated.

Shiro: No one else is putting up a fight against Sendak?

Veronica: Small pockets of underground resistance have attempted to do so with varying degrees of success. Eventually, all were discovered and systematically wiped out. Earth’s offensive capabilities simply don’t stand a chance against the Galra.

Hunk: Why don’t we bring more people into this base?

Sam: We’ve had to put a halt on our extraction ops as they were proving to be too risky.

Hunk: But there are good people out there. They could be protected. My family’s out there.

Sam: I’m sorry, Hunk.

Hunk: But if we have an opportunity now–

Griffin: Hey, do Paladins not understand the chain of command? Your CO said it was too dangerous.

Sam: Officer Griffin, that’s enough. Believe me, I understand what you’re going through, Hunk. We all have family out there, but we have to weigh our options. We can’t lose ten people to save twelve. I’m sorry.

Allura: Well, then let’s find out what we can do. You said you’ve integrated Altean tech with Earth weaponry?

[Scene change to a hangar bay.]

Sam: The Mecha-Flex-Exo fighters, or MFEs, are extremely agile with advanced weaponry, but are only capable of short-range attacks. Sustaining power with Altean-infused technology is an issue we’re trying to overcome.

Coran: Maybe I can help you out with that. I do have some leftover faunatonium. It’s an Altean fuel additive, but also has some unexpected side effects, so don’t get any on you.

Sam: And this is our battleship. It’s large enough to house all of the Lions and an entire command unit.

Sanda: It’s built, but it can’t fly. Everyone, there’s a subject we can’t avoid any longer. Sendak attacked Earth because he wanted the Lions, and now they’re here. It seems that we at least need to discuss our options.

Shiro: Are you suggesting that we willingly hand over the Lions to the Galra?

Sanda: Our supplies are gone. We spent all our resources on a ship that doesn’t fly. The weapons we do have are not enough to mount an attack. All we can do is protect a small pocket of Earth. But for how much longer?

Sam: The universe needs the Lions.

Sanda: So does Earth. They’re our only bargaining chip.

Sablan: I agree with the Admiral. Earth has been nearly destroyed. Countless citizens have been lost. But it could all be over if we give up the Lions.

Iverson: We have a fighting chance now that the Lions have returned. We need to take it.

Allura: I’ll settle this argument right now. We’re not giving up the Lions under any circumstances. There is no negotiating with Sendak.

Sanda: Maybe you should leave the matters of Earth to the people who live here.

Shiro: Please, Admiral. I respect that you’ll do anything you can to protect Earth. But trust us, we’ve been through more than you could ever imagine. We have fought the Galra on the fringes of the universe and in their very home. I know there’s a way to defeat Sendak.

Sanda: How? We barely know what we’re up against. We need intelligence, and we just don’t have it.

Allura: Maybe we do. That information you downloaded from the Castle of Lions contains Sendak’s memories.

Sam: How does that help?

Pidge: It might give us some insight into Sendak’s plan. Allura, you’re a genius!

Sam: We just need some time.

[Scene changes to the server room of the garrison.]

Sablan: Everything from the castle is stored here. Processing the massive amount of complex Altean data takes nearly every node we have. Sifting through that much information is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Pidge: Then let’s get started.

[Scene changes to the IGF-Atlas.]

Coran: I’m actually quite impressed, despite the obviously crude nature of Earth’s technological capabilities.

Sam: It has a lot of potential, but I’m unable to recreate the power of a Balmeran crystal. Maybe your faunatonium will work for this as well?

Coran: Afraid not. A ship like this might need two or three battleship-class Balmeran crystals.

Shiro: I don’t suppose there are any Balmera nearby?

Coran: In this young galaxy? [guffaws] Oh, yeah, it’s right next to the Wizblattle. Uh, that’s a no. No Balmeras around here.

[Scene change to the server room.]

Sablan: Those are Officer Holt’s designs for some of the injured soldiers. They’re extremely advanced, but like everything else, we don’t have an adequate power source to make them viable.

Pidge: Here they are– Sendak’s memories. It’s just code until we find a way to interpret it.

Allura: I might know a way.

[Flashback 2 begins.]

Hunk: Found it.

Hunk’s Father: Good job, Hunk. Now, you remember what to do.

[Flashback 2 ends.]

Hunk: [groans]

Keith: Is everything okay in here?

Hunk: Yeah.

Keith: Look… I’m not really good at talking with people, and I… I don’t expect you to open up to me, but… if there’s ever anything on your mind–

Hunk: This situation stinks! I ca–I can’t believe we finally get back to Earth and it’s taken over by Galra.

Keith: I guess there is something on your mind.

Hunk: And I know–I know it’s stupid, but I used to daydream about coming home to a peaceful Earth. And that would’ve been great. But I realized that nothing… nothing would have been greater than seeing my family. But I can’t. And all I keep thinking about is that I wasn’t there for them. And I don’t even know if they’re okay. An–and I see Pidge and Lance with their families, and–I, I mean, I’m happy for them. I am. But it just… it makes me miss my family more. I–I just… I’ve never felt so alone and scared.

Keith: Look, Hunk, I never told you this, but of all the Paladins, you’re the one I’m most impressed by. It’s no secret that you’ve always been the most scared, but you’ve never backed down. Never. And to be brave is to go on in spite of fear. And that’s who you are, Hunk. I know you’re scared, but your family… they need you to be strong right now. Okay. Alright. Now we’re huggin’.

Hunk: Thank you, Keith.

Keith: Wha– Where’re you going?

Hunk: I’m going to get my family.

Keith: Not without me.

[Scene change to a vehicle bay.]

Griffin: You two heading somewhere?

Keith: This doesn’t concern either of you.

Veronica: No, but you’ll probably be concerned with the patrol drones that will spot you within seconds.

Griffin: And you might be concerned with the blast from Sendak’s automated low-orbit, long-range blaster satellite that takes you out.

Hunk: What’s your problem?

Griffin: My problem is I don’t wanna see our only hope for saving Earth get hurt. That’s why we’re coming with you.

[Scene change to the server room.]

Pidge: Uploading… And… there.

Sam: Whoa. Amazing!

Pidge: We’re mimicking the way the Castle of Lions interacted with King Alfor’s memories. Test it out. Ask him a question.

Sam: Um, alright. What is your name?

Hologram!Sendak: I am Commander Sendak, a royal officer to the Galra Empire.

Sam: Where are you from?

Hologram!Sendak: I am proud to say I was born with unquestionable Galra lineage.

Sam: Commander, explain to me your method of conquering planets.

Hologram!Sendak: There are as many ways to conquer a planet as there are planets themselves. Primitive species are the easiest. It usually doesn’t take more than one or two waves of attack to bring them to their knees.

Allura: What about more advanced civilizations?

Hologram!Sendak: There are always those willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. That’s why it is best to find something they value more than themselves and make that the target.

Pidge: What do you mean?

Hologram!Sendak: Citizens of advanced civilizations have the weakness of caring for each other.

Pidge: A military operation of that scale takes immense time and resources.

Hologram!Sendak: Our operations rely on the resources of the planet. They become our supplies and feed our occupation.

Sam: Have you ever failed in overtaking a planet?

Hologram!Sendak: Tenacity and time conquer all foes.

Allura: What if a planet refuses to give up, no matter the cost?

Hologram!Sendak: If a planet refuses to give up, then we annihilate it. But only one planet has ever refused. Altea.

Allura: I’m sorry, I think I need a break.

[Scene change to beyond the Garrison.]

Griffin: She did it. The signal’s sent.

Hunk: Okay, now what?

Griffin: Now we wait.

[Flashback 3 begins.]

Hunk’s Mother: Okay, just about done.

Hunk: Oh, I hate waiting.

Hunk’s Mother: But waiting’s the best part. It’s the time we get to spend together.

[Flashback 3 ends.]

Rebel: Come with me, quickly.

[Cut to a hideout.]

Rebel: Amazing. The rumors are true. Word of the Paladins’ return has inspired the resistance.

Hunk: Thank you for your help. Tell the resistance we’re gonna get rid of the Galra.

Rebel: Words we’ve waited a long time to hear.

Veronica: Is this where they’ve taken all the prisoners?

Keith: What are they doing down there?

Rebel: They have work camps operating day and night mining ore for Sendak. It’s been nonstop for months. He’s building something, but no one is sure what.

Veronica: I thought the labor force was outside the encampment.

Rebel: They were, but they’ve been moved in.

Hunk: What does that mean?

Veronica: It means… we can’t get you to your parents.

Hunk: No. No. Please.

Veronica: Believe me, if there was a way, we would do it.

Hunk: Can I at least see them from here?

[Scene change to a lab in the garrison.]

Shiro: You wanted to see me? I thought you were with Pidge and Sam.

Allura: Sendak’s memories were hard to hear. But it did remind me of something my father once said. He told me that there are those with the power to destroy, and those with the power to create.

[Scene change to the labor camp.]

Keith: I see movement. It looks like the workers are exiting.

Hunk: That’s them. My mom, my dad. Don’t worry, you just need to hang on a little longer. We’re going to get you out. I’m going to get you out.

[End.]

[autisticlancemcclain]

Okay so I haven’t read lance angst in forever and decided to read some and I have just binge read all of the Beauty and the Beast klance au you just made and I absolutely ADORE it!!! It is so amazing and I love it so much!

It did make me curious what the whole ‘rescue’ scene is going to be, is the three people in the family who didn’t want Lance to marry the prince try to save him? Or is it going to go the totally different direction?

Cause I can imagine a scene where the village sees that Lance and Keith are actually going to work out and the family gets worried that Lance is going to try to get revenge on them/the whole village so they try to take Lance away from Keith. Or try to make it so Lance wouldn’t become King when they actually get married!

But anyways yeah I love this story, and how you’ve changed it up a bit so it’s different that the original Beauty and the Beast! Thanks for listening to my rant!

anon i am kissing you for asking. you are the love of my life and the wedding is this spring.

HERE WE GO:

important to remember: lance’s family, although not conventionally, care for him deeply. he struggles to conform to what the town expects and they are scared for him, so they struggle to make space for him in a way that makes him feel loved and included. he can’t keep up with his fathers or brothers on the farm, he gets along with animals better than people (and as such refuses to hunt them, despite his stellar aim), he has no friends because he is an Odd Person, he gets obsessive over small things, he cries all the time, he’s headstrong, he argues with everyone, he’s a klutz, just…so many things. he has skills and they know that but his skills aren’t helpful in the context of the farm. he is, however, helpful in that he can send back money from marrying the prince, and if he’s married to the prince, his family knows he’s safe and cared for in a way they maybe can’t provide for him.

with this in mind it’s obvious that there’s a lot of tension and complication between lance and his family, but lance KNOWS that they love him. take the first chapter with lance and marco, for example. it looks bad and it is bad, and lance is hurt, and marco refuses to help lance do what he desperately wants — go home. but marco isn’t doing it without guilt, and he’s also doing his best to make lance’s transition easier: “You’ve always wanted to live in a castle, right?”. despite the fact that his home life isn’t perfect, lance is in that castle missing his family. he wants his sisters and nieces and nephews and brothers. he wants his mom. they may not understand him but they love him and he knows that, and in that castle with, and i can’t say this enough, NO OTHER PEOPLE, he is going to miss shit like getting hugged, for fucks sake. lance is a touchy person and as close as he and hunk are doing to become hunk is a Literal Block Of Wood, and keith is going to be too closed off to provide any tactile affection for a While.

my plan is that after a few chapters of slowburn and building friendships, lance is going to get all morose and miserable. and keith, who is well beyond whipped at that point, is going to want to help. so one day lance is going to muster the courage to ask to have his family for a visit (“They’ll stay outside! I swear! They’ll have no chance of even seeing you, Keith, please, I missed bothering my brothers so much —”) and keith won’t even come close to denying him.

and because chekhov’s gun is the only thing i’ve got locked and loaded, obviously one of lances family members (probably one of the kids) is going to go wandering inside. and lance is going to try to stop it but it will be Too Late. they’re going to see keith and freak out, and since keith’s freak outs are very scary, it’s going to make the whole situation worse, and they’re going to drag lance back home kicking and screaming and when they come back with with the town and pitchforks.

the gaston of the story is going to be james, i think, and i’m gonna change the story a bit bc i’m gonna spend longer with lance back in town and he’s sullen and furious and desperate to convince everyone that keith is kind and soft and loving, really, and they have him all wrong. which of course does not help his case. but you all know how the rest of the story goes

but yeah!!!! i’m really very excited i love this story too, and changing it was inevitable but it’s been super fun to plan how i’m gonna adapt it!! i’m rly looking forward to writing all the sappy falling in love parts teehee

[stefanmikaleson1864]

New Beginnings

Requested by @kzgsox

Jay halstead x female greader

Lindsey gets upset at her boyfriend Jay when she finds him comforting the girl he was in love with who served in the rangers with him and mouse,when a guy from the readers past is halled into the station and question the reader has a full blown panic attack having never told anyone what had happened an ends up being the solid source of the reasoning the guy gets put away for good and Jay stays by her side the whole time and they end up together

A/N: I Really hope everyone enjoys this ! And if you like my work please comment like and Reblog it means a lot to see interactions on my work

Y/N’s POV 

Things had been hard ever sense coming home from the rangers. You thought the moment you touched down on US soil everything would be okay.

 That you would be able to take off the uniform and put all those bad memories and feelings into the closet and lock it away. 

But that wasn’t the case which seemed pretty obvious now. Things were not doing okay and you were not where you thought you would be in live. 

You thought you would be married with kids and having a career. But that was from the life you had now. 

You were in bad relationship with a guy you had no business being with. He was a piece of crap guy. 

He always took every little thing out on you. And you always just ended up taking it. Not wanting to make the situation worse. 

With your PTSD and other things you had going on you thought life was as good as it was going to get. 

That you didn’t want to burden someone else with the struggles you were going through. Someone else didn’t deserve the weight you carried. 

Everyone you knew from the rangers had gone their own way. You never really kept in contact with them and decided it was best that way. 

Maybe seeing them would be to hard. Or that is what you told yourself anyways. 

The connections you had were just gone and it was honestly hard dealing with the pain of that to. 

You had 2 other people you were close with that you thought you had true connections to. 

Jay halstead and Greg Gerwitz aka Mouse. It was always the 3 of you together  and you seemed to have different feelings for Jay. 

The kind that missed him while he was gone and always got butterflies when he touched you. 

You thought about asking him out but you didn’t want to ruin one of the most important relationships you had. Besides he never seemed to recuperate so you didn’t want to get hurt. 

Once the 3 of you were honourably discharged and thanked for your service you all went back home.

 Conveniently you all lived in Chicago which is what also strengthen your bond. But once you all got home you went your separate ways. 

Maybe it was just hard on them to so you tried your best to understand. So you went into your little box and then just shut out the world. You didn’t even bother trying it all just seemed so pointless

But now it just seemed like someone was taking a hammer and breaking at the box making you come out.

  You tried to patch the holes but it seemed like it wasn’t working and you just didn’t know what to do. 

It wasn’t even a good thing that it was breaking at least right now it wasn’t. You knew your boyfriend was up to no good and know he was getting you involved in it. 

He was running drugs at first. You knew that and against your better judgement you didn’t do anything about it. He wasn’t getting involved so you didn’t say anything. But now he was upping his game. 

He was selling weapons and bomb materials. He was using your name on the weapons so they didn’t check his background. 

You didn’t even know until now because you got a letter in the mail about your background check 

You were shocked obviously , confused and hurt. You kept thinking about what you were going to do ?

 You knew you had a duty to protect the public it was in your blood. But then the other part of you was worried that no one would believe you.

You also wondered what the hell Keith would say ? I mean not that you cared what that horrible man would think but you also tried so hard not to even think about it. 

Right now you were sitting at the table in your kitchen biting your nails. Something you did when you were always nervous. 

Suddenly the door opened up and they slammed the door breaking your thoughts. You also jumped out of fear. 

“Y/n where the hell are you” The voiced barrelled out. 

Keith of course 

“Hey babe I’m in here “ You said quietly 

“We need to leave right now “ keith said. 

“What no i’m not leaving” You said 

“I really wasn’t asking let’s go” He yelled

“Why don’t you talk to me and we can work this out okay” You pleaded 

“I’m not talking about this anymore” He yelled grabbing your arm. 

You snatched it back and then stood up to look him in his eyes. 

“I know okay I know why you want to go” You said 

“How” was all he asked

“They sent me a letter in the mail from my background check” You said 

“Damn it” He yelled knocking stuff on the table.

It shook you up and you just kept starting down at the ground. Not knowing what the hell your next move should be right now. A little to scared to move. 

Suddenly the front door swung open again and you heard shouting 

“Chicago PD No one move” A familiar voice yelled out. 

You snapped your head up to the blonde hair man looking just as shocked as you. 

“Y/N Omg is that you” Jay asked 

“Jay what the hell is going on” You asked. 

“You know each other” A brown haired girl asked she was very pretty. 

“Yeah we were in the military together” Jay asked 

Some brown haired guy walked over and grabbed you 

“Come on put your hands behind your back” He said 

You looked over at pleading eyes to Jay. You didn’t even do anything wrong. This was all on him. 

“No let her go I got her” Jay said. 

He walked over to you and touched your arm slightly and nodded you for him to follow you. The brown hair girl looked at him with a confused and upset look.

He just seemed to shrug it off and walk past her and went straight outside. You didn’t say anything to him thought still a bit shaken up. You were just confused about was going on. 

Jay didn’t say anything either and you had a heart time reading what he was feeling or what he was even thinking. He walked you out to a black car and opened up the door and sat you in the back. 

Then he looked around for a little bit like he was making sure no one was looking and he got in on the other side. 

His face was reading like it was hurt and he didn’t know what to say because he didn’t want to hurt you. You knew he was pretty disappointed in seeing you wrapped in all of this. 

“ Do not say anything okay you hear me” He said 

“What do you mean I didn’t do anything” You pleaded with him. 

“Y/N look i know your name was pulled up in the damn report to buy the stuff” Jay said 

“That’s how far It got and I didn’t even know he was using my name at all I swear okay Jesus I would Never” You said 

“Okay if that’s what you say but when we get there not a damn word to anyone but me” He said. 

“Fine” You said just sitting back and not really saying anything. 

Jay got out and he walked away and you didn’t know where he went because the windows were tinted and you couldn’t even see anything. 

You just laid you head back and squeezed your eyes closed. You just hoped maybe when you would open them back up it would be some sort of dream. That this wasn’t really happening to you. 

You could feel the tears rolling down on your cheek. The salty water hitting your lips. God how did you get here and why. This wasn’t happening not to you. 

Suddenly you sat up and opened your eyes when the car doors opened up. You sat up and wiped the tears away. Jay and the brown haired girl got in. There was a air in the car like you could just tell they were arguing about something. 

You just sat up and put your seat belt on and they took off. No one was speaking and you could cut the tension with a knife. 

You just kept driving on the way to the station. You finally made it there and they pulled up in the front. They both got out and Jay walked over to your side and opened up the door. 

You got out and he kept right by your side without moving, It was hard to tell if it was because he was keeping you from running or was he protecting you. It seemed like the latter but it was hard to tell. 

You walked into the station and it seemed like everyone had stopped what they were doing and just stared at you. Or maybe you were just being dramatic. 

There was a lady at the front desk who looked up and gave a mean look towards your way. You wondered what the hell you did to her. 

Jay didn’t say anything he just walked you up the stairs and keyed in some numbers and the door opened up. 

You walked up the stairs and walked into a office/ work pen area. There were desk every where and you were surprised to see something on what was obviously Jay’s desk. There was a picture on the desk with you Jay and Mouse. 

It made your heart pound. And you can’t believe he kept it. DId it mean something or was it just sentimental ? You felt like you were getting in your head again. 

He walked you to a room and he pointed for you to sit down. He went and shut the door behind him. You didn’t see where the other girl went. She got lost in the crown downstairs. 

He just looked at you with concern in his eyes. Your pride was getting the best of you because you were going to start this conversation. Jay was probably thinking the same thinking because he wasn’t saying anything either. 

Finally he bit his tongue and spoke up. 

“What the hell is going on” He asked in a soft tone. 

You didn’t really say anything just kept looking down at your hands and playing with your fingers.  He grabbed your hand and gave it a squeeze and then you finally looked up at him. 

You didn’t know what to say or know where to start really. So you just took a deep breathe and tried to muster up some strength to start. 

“ I wasn’t lying I mean I legit just found he was using my name to buy weapons okay I was gonna say something” You said. 

“ I did know about the dealing and stuff I just figured it wasn’t that big of a deal” You shrugged. 

“Not that big of a deal we fought to protect to keep people safe now your sleeping with low lives what the hell happened to you” Jay yelled. 

You started feeling the anxiety creep up inside of you. You felt like your breathing was staggering and you felt like you were getting dizzy. You thought you were going to pass out. 

You closed your eyes and tried to calm down but it really wasn’t working. Then you felt these hands wrap around you. They squeezed you tight and you heard him whisper. It sounded like it was really far away. 

“It’s okay I’m here for you.” You heard Jay’s voice soften up. 

He didn’t leave your side and kept your hand on your back trying to soothe you. Finally after a few minutes you started to calm down. 

You looked up at him and didn’t even realise you were crying until you felt the tears on your face. 

You wiped the tears from your face and Jay took his hand and placed it on your face in a conforming manner. 

“I’m here I’m not going anywhere” He said. 

“Thank you” You said in a low soft tone. 

“Why don’t we walk through this together okay me and you” He said 

“ I swear okay I didn’t know about the weapons until like 2  days ago. I found out when I got the letter in the mail saying my background was clear” You said 

“What about the drugs” Jay asked 

You looked at him and nodded and just started crying again. 

He wiped those tears from your face and gave you a smile but his face said it was disappointed. 

“How did we get here” He asked. 

“Things just got bad you know I was struggling and thought if i just ignored it then the problem would go away. “ You said. 

“I get that but I’m here okay you don’t have to do this alone and I can get you some help okay but I also need your help as well.” Jay said. 

“I don’t know you don’t know him like I do” you hesitated. 

“That’s a good thing listen to me this is going to get you free and take a bad guy off the street save lives. This is also going to be a good thing for you a new beginning” Jay said. 

“Yeah yeah” You said 

“Its going to be hard and it’s not going to be easy but you are strong and you are brave and you are going to get through this” Jay said. 

“Okay” You breathed. 

“Tell me everything” Jay said. 

“I know he deals to some white people up North soccer moms and stuff but I don’t know about the weapons” You said. 

“You think he would tell you” Jay said 

“No I don’t think he would but his friends might” You said 

“Okay we will set you up with a wire and get the information that way” Jay said. 

“Yeah sure” You said 

“So that brown hair girl is she your girlfriend” you asked. 

“Yeah she is” Jay said

“Is it serious” You asked 

“Not really i guess we just been hanging out” Jay said. 

“What’s her name” You asked 

“Erin Linsday” Jay said 

“ she seems good for you and You deserve to be happy Jay and if she’s good for you” You said. 

“She’s just not” Jay was saying then the door opened and Erin walked in. 

“We need a statement from her and what’s going on” Erin asked 

“Nothing were just talking” Jay said. 

She looked like she didn’t believe him. She just nodded and walked out. Jay also had a look on his face where it was hard to read what the hell was going on. 

“I’ll be back okay” Jay said 

You nodded and he placed a hand on your shoulder and walked out and shut the door.  You just sat there  and took deep breathes.

You heard from the room there was yelling. 

“jay what the hell are you doing you are leading her this is going to throw this case this is way to personal” The brown hair girl yelled 

“It’s not Erin I told you I am helping her out okay she is not some criminal okay She is my family and she doesn’t deserve to be shoved in some box she earned better than that” Jay said 

You tried not to looka them and gave them their space.

There was a part of you that wasn’t sure if this was even the right move but you know you had to try.  Jay was right people’s lives were in danger and you could risk that. 

It was just hard looking in the mirror and seeing how you got here. Going from being a decorated solider to this a heaping pile of mess. 

The silence  was hard it just made you think about everything which is something you didn’t want to do. 

After what seemed like forever Jay walked back in and he looked at you and smiled. He was holding a small box in his hand. 

“I would say yes but your already seeing someone” You said smiling 

He looked at you and smiled and sat down. 

“Well good to know I have options” He said 

“So what is that thing” You asked 

“ A wire made like a necklace” Jay said. 

‘Yeah so this is real” You said 

“You can say no we will figure it out another way” Jay said 

“No I can handle this” you said looking up and smiling. 

“Hear come here” Jay said 

You both got up and he walked over and you turned to him and pulled your hair up. He put the necklace on you. 

You turned back and smiled at him 

“You ready to roll out” Jay said. 

“Yeah let’s do it I can text Jimmy to meet me down at the bar we hang” You said 

“Okay sounds like a plan I’ll let the team know we gotta get ready so you can hang at my desk while we go gear up” Jay said. 

You both walked out the room and you Jay walked you over to his desk. You sat down looking at the picture you saw earlier. Wondering what the hell had happened to you. 

The rest of his team all kind of scattered not really acknowledging you. Then after a little bit Jay signalled for you to come on. 

You walked out with him and Erin and got back into the same car as before. It was  quiet as no one was saying anything. 

After giving Jay address you all left to headed out. 

“Are you sure he’s gonna even be there” Erin asked

“Yeah I’m sure he practically lives there” You said. 

She didn’t say anything after that but her and Jay glanced looked at each other. 

The car ride was silent and the ride took a little bit to get there. It was just one of those neighbourhood bars. That sat on the corner and if you weren’t a regular you sat out like a sore thumb. 

Jay pulled up and you and Erin looked back at you with a serious look. 

“You got this” Erin asked

“I’m fine okay I was a ranger” You said not liking the tone she asked or maybe you were reading into it. 

You got out and walked over to the door. You stopped and closed your eyes for a minute taking a breath. 

Then walked in and looked around looking for Jimmy.  He was sitting at a table already a few beers in. 

You walked over and sat down in front of him. You grabbed a beer and started drinking and Jimmy looked at you and smiled. 

“Y/N how you doing where’s your man” He asked 

“Busy he sent me to talk about the plan” You said 

Jimmy looked up at you with a look on his face. 

“What plans Y/N” He asked 

“Come on man I know about the arms that’s it But Keith asked me to ask you about the plans he was drunk as hell but you know me” You said .

“Your right” Jimmy said 

“I do know you and you never really cared about this before always kept in the shadows why should I believe you” Jimmy asked 

“Fair point but look okay I got denied my VA benefits the one’s I been fighting for. All that trauma for nothing so now there gonna pay” You said.

“I like that so listen we got the weapons. Okay were planning to hit the Recruitment centres and then we got plans for some government buildings” Jimmy said 

“The guns where are they” You asked 

“Down in the basement at my place” Jimmy said 

“Good it’s a plan” You said 

You both sat and talked for a little bit more. To make it seem like you weren’t just fishing. The hate this man talked about it was disgusting. 

After a little bit you pulled out and headed back to the car. Jay was smiling at you and Erin even looked a little impressed 

“Nice job Y/N I knew you still had balls” Jay said. 

“See i told you i Had it” You said 

“So where to now” You asked 

“Were getting you home we deal with the rest” Jay said 

You just nodded and looked outside the window. It felt like you were getting a small part of you back. 

Finally you made it home and Jay got out and walked you out. You both walked up to your front door. 

Jay smiled at you and you smiled back and you both let out a laugh

“So what now” You asked 

“I told you I’m getting you help. I will be here every step of the way for you. I know the old you will come back and I’m so excited for her to” Jay said 

“Yeah I am to and thank you for everything” You said 

“Of course were family and everything that comes after” Jay 

“And everything that comes after” You said. 

You both pulled into a hug and when Jay let you go he kissed the top of you head. 

“Good night Jay” You said 

“Good Night Y/N” Jay said 

You walked in after that. You threw your stuff down and headed in. You looked around the house and cleaned it. From top to bottom. Then you took a shower and washed it all off. Everything felt like it was a brand new start to the next chapter of your life.

[erynnn00]

I need klance fanfic recs please‼️‼️ help 🙏🙏

[anns-works]

tell me about Defended By An Assassin im curious

Defended By An Assassin is a voltron canon-divergent-but-still-compliant-enough au i wrote in ye olden days. My hyperfixation has ended and am also out of motivation to finish it fully but a i still have a rough outline of the au notes. (I think it also helped me discover my gender so its kinda special to me despite it all)

The au mainly sees that an Altean ship w/ both a Galra and Altean inside it crash landed on earth in (an unspecified timeframe i never got around to calculating it) and the humans find their remains along w/ the cargo of raw Quintessence they were carrying w/ them. The ship lands on Russia and they hire a shady doctor i have titled as The Doctor to study the remains.

The Doctor then proceeds to (in predictably shady fashion) run human experimentation w/ his findings to form a being w/ both Nix (Galra) and Kaos (Altaean) genes inside a human combined w/ the Quintessence. Eventually the test subjects shift to children once it becomes apparent that they are the most receptive to it. Test subjects are kidnapped from all over the globe. Usually orphans that people won't miss. And young enough to still have all their baby teeth. Enter: Keith Kogane from texas yeehaw.

(In this au his dad died WAY earlier and he was plucked freshly from the chared remains of his house)

Keith has a fascinating dna which shows that it's half Nix dna. This is a new discovery and The Doctor really really wants to talk to the guy who banged the alien but hes fucking dead. But the results are already there w/ a human-Nix child, so why not add in the Kaos genes in there as well?

The vat of unidentified pure liquid energy they found in the crash (aptly named Ichor) proved to be very useful in this regard and The Doctor created more children with these human-Nix-Kaos cocktail and named them all Titans to aptly keep up w/ the theme.

These Titans then in ususal test subjects loosing their identity way were fashioned new names based on the theme. Also the whole shady experimentations were also very unethical (to say the fucking least) so a lot of people who funded the research but were kept unaware of the reselts are Very Not Happy abt the children thing. And oh! Would u look at that? The exposure to Ichor has led the Titans to develop strange abilities that can be harnessed in specific situations. Sure would be a shame if someone were to say, use this to silence the opposition.

So The Doctor basically made magic alien-energy-human 10 y/os who he manipulated into doing his dirty work and continuing his research on them.

The kids manage to get rescued and the facility destroyed cuz the fight involved Eris blowing up the afformentioned vat of ichor. Then the kids proceed to fuck off and disappear into various corners of the world to never talk to eachother again and bury all their problems and try to reintegrate themeselves into society.

Enter again: Keith Kogane, after having spent a brief stint as #02789nXs, before being Eris, spending half her time as Raven to assassinate people then back to being Keith again. He is Not adjusting well to society and then gets adopted by Shiro. He's now in the Garrison and James (Hermes. He was a fast little shit and it kept w/ the theme) is there and it was truly a devil's sacrament moment.

Then Shiro goes missing in a space mission and he gets himself kicked out if the Garrision. There is also a giant blue lion in the middle of the desert did they mention that? Wait what- SHIRO?!?!!! Who the fuck are you people. Dont come into my house and just- fine make yourself at home. Welcome to my cave w/ drawings and this big ass- how the fuck did you do that what the fuck. Are we in space. Is that earth. Is that a wormhole. What the fuck.

And now hes working as a fucking Defender of the Universe in a mecha lion w/ a 10000 y/o princess and Coran who call themselves Alteans but they are. Just. They're fucking Kaos people. And the main people are they're up against are called Galra, except she knows for a FACT that those bitches are Nix and there us also the uncomfortable fact of being half of the species (along w/ other things) that are taking over the unuverse. Shes not telling that to Allura.

And the whole thing about Ichor Quintessence comes up and hes just really trying to not deal w/ the mortifying ideal if being known and neither half Altean-half Galra prince Lotor or the Blade of Marmora are helping with it.

Some other notes is have written down abt this au:

Keith is 100% trans but no one knows in which direction. The Kaos shapeshifting powers are not helping w/ the problem even in the slightest.

During the Titan days there was some kind of love triangle thing going in w/ Eris, Hermes and Apollo and no one could tell who was into who either so it was just a source of angst and pining for the three of them and embarrassment for everyone involved.

On the plus side, Apollo and Hermes made Keith realize he has a thing for boys w/ blue eyes but on the downside: Lance fucking Mcclain

Lotor and Keith have a very complicated relationship cuz they are just dealing w/ similar things and Keith wants to help him w/ his place as a Galra/Altean but at the same time hes not ready to deal w/ his own issues either.

The whole returning to earth to find it under invasion moment has most of the Titans out of hiding and helping w/ their powers to beat the galra. Apollo is there but his name is Solace and the James-Keith-Solace pining trainwreck is back baby.

Keith also has very complicated feelings abt his mom.

The fallout of when Keith explains his human-galra-altean heritage to everyone involved one broken nose, several instances of the phrase "What the quiznak", 3 broken tables, 5 messed up lab equipment and many moments of awkward standing around by team voltron + Kolivan as Allura screams at Keith.

At one point Acxa just gets adopted into the Titans group. She's not even an honorary member they've 100 percent accepted her as one of them. Yes there was an initiation ceremony that involved a lot of stomping and chanting that called a lot of noise complaints. Yes Lotor was also in the corner as the actual honorary member wearing a hat that said "INTERN".

Thomas (Zeus) was literally the only one with the braincell in the Titan days and did not get paid enough to deal w/ all the bullshit. He has also been called many variations of mom/dad several times and has mainly accepted his fate.

The Titans also have these cool tattoo like patterns on their bodies that glow whenever they're using their powers.

Also Kosmo is the Titan's mascot and everyone (Keith) is willing to kill/die for it.

[bicayaya]

My dearest Beatrice,

I hope this letter finds you well.

I am writing to send you my wishes for a happy birthday, my soul sister. Your birthday is a joyful day for me, for it is the day we celebrate the life of someone very precious to me. And even if we are far, I hope you can feel my love and intentions through these words. I pray to the Goddess everyday to bless you and your family, and in special days like this I allow myself to be greedy and ask for double happiness, love, health and prosperity for you. I never forget to be grateful as well. You are gift to me, and your joy is my joy.

This letter may arrive after Luna's. She couldn't wait to send hers, and asked Liam to include it along with her father's letters to Rhodolite. He never says no to her. I hope you didn't think it meant I wouldn't send you one, or that I, Keith and the kids wouldn't send you gifts. You are important to all of us, and always bring us happiness whenever we see you.

Aster is sending you a pink orchid brooch because it's pretty like you. Helia made you a good luck charm. Iris wanted to give you a pair of gloves that I believe are more suitable for Winter. Aurora and Cosmos drew you pictures of everyone together in a tea party, in their own little style. Keith's gift will go with his letter, and I hope you like it (Yves helped him choose, but don't tell them that I told you - I just wanted to let you know once again that I'm happy he is a good and thoughtful husband to you).

Thank you for your presence in our lives. And thank you for being my best friend during all this time. You had received me with open arms in Rhodolite and had showed me nothing but love and kindness ever since. Words cannot express how precious you are to me. You'll always have a home in my heart, my dear sister.

Hope you have a great and beautiful birthday, and that all your wishes come true.

Happy birthday!

With love,

Maeve Howell

My dearest Maeve,

First of all, Luna is a gem. I figured she wanted to be the first one to send me something, she’s always so sweet. All your kids are!

Thank you so much for the birthday wishes, my dear soul sister. If you notice a few tear stains on this letter - no, you did not! Just kidding, you of alll people know how emotional I am, and reading your words made me feel so loved I couldn’t help a few tears - happy tears - from falling. Thank you for so many years of friendship, you’re a sister the universe gifted me with. I can’t wait to travel to Jade again to see you and your family.

Please say to your kids how much I loved all their gifts. I’ll treasure them forever, they’re all lovely. Aurora and Cosmos’ drawings are already framed in my library, Helia’s lucky charm is in my bedside table and I already told Luna that I’m wearing the perfume she made me almost every day. I’ll saving Aster’s brooch for a special occasion, maybe I can wear it at a summer festival there in Jade? And Iris’ gloves… well, they’re well kept in my wardrobe so I can wear them during the winter, they match perfectly with one of my favorite coats.

I’m sending a little note to Keith attached to this letter, to thank him for the beautiful gift. (Don’t worry, the fact that Yves helped him is a secret between you and I! Our husbands can be so adorable, am I right? Hihi).

I don’t even know how to explain how much I loved your gift. It’s so stunning! I can’t imagine the amount of trouble it must have been to send such a delicate and precious glass piece all the way to Rhodolite. It’s already decorating our house, and now it looks even better. You know me too well, thank you for the thoughtful gift.

Thanks again, my dear friend. For everything you do for me. I’m missing you lots.

With love,

Beatrice Kloss.

[corruptedplaylist]

act iii: final notes

edit: 4/9/2024: added some more stuff!!! i'll put this emoji 🫧 next to the new things so u know where to scroll.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH I FINISHED MY FIRST FULL LENGTH FIC HOLD ON LEMME JUST THROW UP IN THE CORNER REAL QUICK

i am sooooooo normal rn anyways let's get into it thank u for having me on the show, mr. kimmel. i've had a raging headache all day so the content underneath each sections will be kinda short. i'll go through and add more to it once i recover but i wanted to get this up before the week got too busy!

krolia

guys…. im so sorry for the angst….. it was necessary for the plot…….

maybe it’s just me projecting but in the actual show, i kind of wish we had seen more of the emotional fallout that occurred after krolia revealed that she was keith’s mom. because let’s be real here, there’s no way that keith’s traumatized ass would just willingly accept her back into his life. he’d have questions. he’d be in disbelief. it’s hard for him to open up to others and he carries a lot of hurt from being abandoned.

it was crucial in the course of this fic to have that confrontation between krolia and keith. it's not always going to be rainbows and sunshine, and even though they both missed each other deeply, you don't just automatically connect and forget everything that's happened. even if keith hadn't gone into the foster system, he definitely would have carried a lot of anger and hurt towards krolia when she shows back up. i'm sure that things won't just be smooth sailing and they'll need to hash things out multiple times as they rebuild their relationship but that first fight was a big hurdle to get over.

if you’re curious, i have a whooollleeee backstory for what happened with krolia and why she couldn’t get back to her kid. i couldn’t really fit it into the fic but i’ll put it right here for those who are interested:

2000: krolia in the US on student visa, first year of of PhD program

krolia meets heath and they fall in love

2003: krolia gives birth to keith

2008: krolia finishes grad school/PhD program/doctoral degree and applies for a work visa 

2009: she and heath and baby keith are living their life but krolia’s parents find out and are like girl you need to come home NOW or we will disown you 

krolia’s family are really wealthy and powerful 

krolia: i’ll come back for you guys idk how but i will 

krolia goes back to the states

2009-2011: she and heath write letters but then the letters start getting intercepted by the family and eventually peters out

krolia in arranged marriage and thinks her partner forgot about her or didn’t care

meanwhile heath doesn’t know what happened to krolia but can’t do anything about it bc she’s in a diff country and he doesn’t speak korean

2011: heath and keith move to texas for job or whatever

heath tells keith all about krolia and how she loves him but can’t be there and obvi that fucks keith up bc he misses his mom but where tf is she? how does he know she loves him if she’s not even there? he's a little kid

2013: heath dies and keith is put into the system

heath has no other family members

krolia put her english name on the birth certificate and so ofc she doesn’t exist in the US

texas social services try to reach out to krolia along with some friends but letters are intercepted

2016: someone reaches out to krolia after she finally gets facebook 

friend: thinking of you. miss you. so sorry about heath

krolia: …. what the fuck about heath?

friend: uhhhhhhhh

krolia goes on rampage to her family like wtf u mean u didn’t tell me that the father of my child is dead

cousin shows up with the intercepted letters (official notice from social services, heath’s letters and pictures, keith’s little notes and drawings)

krolia starts the process of legally and financially emancipating herself from her family (she basically was Britney’d)

2017/2018: finally is free and able to get a job in the states

starts tracking down heath (they only had a forwarding address for krolia so they’re like wtf who is this bih)

at this point, keith has already met the shiroganes and changed his name

krolia is in a different state and can only do so much 

spends the next few years trying to find him, hires P.I., again keep running into blocks bc social workers and case managers are NOT going to budge on giving up keith's personal information

2023, winter break: krolia reaches out to keith through facebook but it goes into his spam since they’re not facebook friends

allura

what better allegory for sacrificing yourself to save the universe is there than graduating college? in all fairness, i felt like sticking to the notion of allura saying goodbye and leaving the group had its merit, just y’know, i wanted to take a step down from the whole dying thing. i tried to pay homage to the canon material as much as possible while also providing my own spin on things.

one thing that’s been important to me is depicting allura as a college student. sure, while i think most iterations of allura as a kind and a great leader and intelligent are great, even in modern au fics, i just wish there had been a bit more... silliness? outside of her being like the girlboss, the hell yeah supporting character or love interest or bone-tired leader, i always wonder what she would have been like if she hadn't had to save the universe and was just trying to heal on her own terms. yeah, i nerfed her parents in this universe but i tried to showcase her doing normal college things as well, like presenting at research conferences, getting a bit messy drunk, having pizza nights and group hang outs. the funny thing about grief is that life does not stop for it, so you have to just figure things out along the way.

i also didn't want to elaborate too much on her relationship with lotor. she didn't magically heal from that one conversation with lance in chapter 8 but i wanted the readers to get a taste of what was going on in her head through their dialogue. plus, it was a little moment to show how she was allowing herself to open up to other people like lance. no one woman is an island, no matter how much of a bad b!tch you are.

🫧 also, i wanted to include it somewhere but basically, keith knew allura and romelle were hooking up since chapter 14! keith caught romelle sneaking out of allura's room early one morning and he just kept it to himself because snitches get stitches.

pidge

they are so precious to me. they're an amalgamation of 2 of my closest friends, and well, me.

i always knew that pidge was going to be a super important piece in klance development. while lance and keith are great friends, i think pidge played a crucial role in bridging them together in the beginning, before the two of them had cleared up their misunderstandings and made that truce. sure, allura asked them to be on the paintball team but pidge really forced the two of them into close quarters. lance might have extended the offer to keith to hand out without pidge or he might not have. honestly, i'm not really sure. but pidge inviting keith to hang out in chapter 4 was a quiet but big moment because both keith and lance are friends with pidge and will set aside their differences long enough to tolerate each other's presence in a shared space. pidge just has #babyofthefriendgroup privileges.

🫧 i honestly think that after the main two, pidge has undergone the most growth (physically and emotionally) throughout the fic, even though they're a supporting character. we can all benefit from community and friendship but i think pidge needed it a little bit more.

🫧 i partially wrote pidge to represent my younger self, especially when i first attended college. i was scared and alone and i had never been away from home and it was a struggle to form new relationships (and figure out my gender identity. mannnnnn fuck that). it was nice to see pidge find their place and niche among the greater social fabric of college, kind of like comforting my younger self for all the loneliness and uncertainty i endured.

hunk

i love hunk so dearly. ngl, i wanted him to have a bigger arc than he did but hopefully i did a decent job at making feel more well-rounded as a supporting character. i decided to actually kind of lean into this distance in the later chapters as well, esp from lance's pov, as they both got busier. at the end of the day, though, i knew that those two would come back together. hunk is a kind and sympathetic friend and his and lance's friendship will persevere because they're good communicators. their little talk in chapter 17 was me talking to myself and to anyone else who has went through a similar thing where they find themselves drifting a little farther from a friend.

people get busy and that's okay! there will be ebbs and flows in every relationship. even though shared history is a crucial part of a friendship but it can't be the only thing that will keep it going. you need to nurture it and tend to it in order for it to keep it alive and flourishing. hunk understands this and he and lance will be just fine after their talk. hunk is probably the most emotionally intelligent person after adam in the group, and i'm glad he was there to help both lance and keith out when they needed it.

adam

this man!!!!! got i have gotten so fucking attached to adam throughout this fic. he is so dear to me. i know in chapter 10 i wrote from adam's pov and he's a goofy guy in his twenties who's just trying to be a good dad friend but somehow he ended up being a voice of reason and comfort for klance in this fic. lance misses his family a lot and i think adam can not only relate to lance with the homesickness but also lance has started to rely on him a bit like he would with his siblings.

i wanted to try my own spin on adam and keith's relationship. i've seen fics where adam and keith hate each other, don't interact much, or adam takes on a parenting role towards keith as a kid. i wanted to look at keith and adam in the context of two people who both love shiro and then grow to be good friends/surrogate brother-in-law? idk. long story short, adam is very emotionally intelligent and i think he genuinely wanted to get to know keith outside of his connection with shiro and was patient enough to coax keith out of his shell. i tried to write in small ways adam takes care of keith like giving him LactoJoys because Keith likes the taste better than Lactaids, being there for him for his panic attack, adding food to his plate. things that won't draw too much attention, because we all know how keith is about receiving acts of kindness.

i mentioned this in a comment under one of the chapters but all of the advice adam gives keith is either advice i personally received myself or something i wish i could tell my younger self. i hope those words bring you comfort as well!

shiro

i had a lot more planned for shiro but goddammit i had no fucking time or space at this panned out. it's more so klance's story than shiro's.

look, there's a small moment in chapter 18 where shiro is very pleased (and a little surprised) that keith has talked about him with krolia. it has less to do with his faith in keith and more with how he sees himself. shiro has already acknowledged that he has heavy imposter syndrome and deals with his own struggles with self image. it's just always a jolt to your system when someone (could be your own family or your partner of years) validates your relationship.

shiro loves keith very much and just wants to be the best big brother. he has such eldest child syndrome, where he tries to pretend that everything is fine even though things are actually crumbling around him. the thing is, though, you can't build intimacy— real, lasting intimacy and depth in a relationship— without being vulnerable. shiro understands that even though he wants keith to work on opening up, he has to do the same and reciprocate the actions, or else neither of them will really get anywhere and be stuck in that loop of "are you mad at me/i feel like you're hiding something from me/i don't really know who you are."

i tried writing a bit from shiro's pov but i quickly realized that that would drastically change the tone of the fic so i had to scrap it. i might post a little oneshot in the distant future with adashi, though.

keith

🫧 i've talked about this before but although i think keith grew the most as a character in the canon show, that shit was WAY too fast and off-screen. also, i know that the whole found family trope is what drew a lot of fans to voltron in the first place (like me) but is the found family in the room with us rn? i felt like they all started to fall apart or at least weren't as close as the show wanted us to believe. it felt a lot like telling with no showing. other than some occasional moments in the show, the whole #teamasfamily felt hollow.

🫧 i wanted to build on this potential found family for keith's character. he's never had a support system before and he's used to pushing people away but now he has a whole ass friend group that's ready to fight for him if he gives the word.

�� initially, when i was writing keith's pov and trying to get a feel for his voice and tone, i struggled a bit. keith is one of those characters that i liked and sympathized with, but getting into his head was a whole different story. i'm more of a lance kinnie but once i got the hand of keith's voice, it was a lot easier. some of my best pieces of writing are from keith's pov! i tried to be as cognizant of keith's development as much as possible as i wrote (think me having various checkpoints for his journey whereas with lance i could just coast on vibes), and i'm pleased with how far he's come.

🫧 although both keith and lance's progress can showcased through their consciousness and thoughts (like duh ur reading from their povs), i leaned into keith's behavior as a way to portray his progress a bit more than lance. things like him being more open to physical affection, not sitting on the outskirts of group dynamics and sticking to shiro, and allowing himself to collect things, which by the way:

🫧 i like the idea of keith's room, once being so empty and ghost-like, is now full of stuff, mementos of his relationships that he's built. i tried to sprinkle in some relics from past chapters (paintball flag, polaroids, ticket stubs), as well add some new tidbits, like shiro giving him a cacti and that korean cookbook!

proud of u, keith bby <3

lance and marco

no i did not just torture lance for the sake of torturing him i would never do that to my boy.

i know this is a fanfiction, but from the start, i wanted to ground this fic in reality and breathe some life into it. lance's little arc with his brother having a substance abuse problem was loosely inspired by events in my personal life.

🫧 i'm not saying that everyone goes through something as drastic as a loved one going to rehab, but as young adults, when we leave home for uni, jobs, other opportunities, etc, there's this worry that something bad will happen while we're away. and often times it does. someone gets sick, a beloved pet passes away, it's all bound to happen. your childhood becomes a thing of the past, and things that you thought would stay the same just won't.

i projected a lot of my feelings onto lance ngl, and writing him work through his own grief and guilt over not being able to be with his family when they're going through a crisis helped me process a little bit more.

although lance had a happier ending than a lot of families might get in reality, i still wanted to show lance having a support system at college and realizing that he has a second family to lean on, and people who love and support him. he doesn't have to pretend to be okay for anyone and that's okay.

black paladin lance or as close to it as i could get

it was so important for me to make lance the new captain of their paintball team, as a stand-in for the black paladin arc he could have had in the show. he’s always been a selfless guy who puts others first and really pulls up when he needs to. he deserves to be recognized for that. not only did every single one of his friends validate him, but the person he looks up to the most literally endorsed him. lance struggles with his inferiority complex and the election scene was a little feel good moment for me, personally, so that he could receive the acknowledgement he deserves, especially with his growth. he's gonna be an awesome team captain (he'll be shuffling down to shiro's room at 2am covered in hickeys and talking about paintball strategies).

wrapping up loose ends

i tried to wrap up as many loose ends as possible and give all the characters a proper send-off. originally i wanted lance and hunk to also move into the house in castle street, like repurpose the basement or something but i realized that that just wasn’t possible because most college basements don’t even have heating or like,,,, a livable arrangement.

ultimately, i think it makes sense for pidge to be the one to take up allura’s room at the house. pidge has lived a single during the academic year but they also had lance and hunk right fifty feet away so it’s not like they REALLY lived alone that year. there was also the logistics of the house having a vacant room, and as much as i would have loved to have all of voltron under the same roof (hunk and pidge sharing a room, keith and lance sharing a room), i think they would kill each other. pidge filling in the gap felt like the right move. and lance and hunk are gonna be over a lot anyways, so it’s not like much has changed in the trio's group dynamic.

🫧 what was your favorite chapter to write?

i think i have different chapters in mind for different reasons, even if it's a copout answer. here are the chapters that are dearest to me:

chapter 4: recalibration this is the chapter where i really got to play around with character interactions. keith and lance's worlds were beginning to integrate in chapter 3 but in this chapter, i got to explore different friendships, like keith & pidge and lance & hunk, and the dynamics they entailed. you can see how important these friendships are to both lance and keith, and how their connection with others eventually helps them to reflect on their previous feelings toward each other, like "hmm maybe i've been too harsh with the other."

chapter 10: let's go to the beach the group dynamics were so solidified to this point, and it was so fun to write. i loved writing from adam's pov and being able to zoom out and showcase klance's relationship progression.

the winter break interludes i waxed poetic about these in a previous faq but to reiterate: i'm really pleased with the way each individual chapter turned out. i love a good character study, and it was a great challenge to my writing and characterization to dig deeper into their home lives and see how the past confronted the present, where their respective childhoods were brought into the light, and how long-held notions of belonging, home, and identity were challenged and remolded.

chapter 17: warm and light my beta reader drunkenguac said that this was some of my best writing and i've been coasting off of that validation for the past 4 months. keith's reunion with his mother was especially cathartic for me. as an adoptee, writing this chapter honestly helped me work through some of my feelings about my adoption as i pictured what it would look like if i was ever reunited with my birth mother. i'm very fortunate that i didn't have to go through the same experiences keith did, but i tried to imbue as much humanness as possible into his section.

chapter 18: moving on it just felt like a proper send-off, the one that we never got from s8 of voltron. i wanted the last chapter to basically have this vibe of "hey, things won't be the same but it's going to be okay because we have each other." when shiro tells matt in the end, "we'll still be here," that's me as the author, telling you, the reader, that this fic will still be here whenever you want to revisit it. it was a comfort to write and i've heard that it's a comfort to read, which is so so so gratifying. when i set out to write this fic in august of 2023, i didn't have any plans of grandeur or even expect like more than 100 people read it— it was just a passion project that i decided to share, and i'm glad that others have sought safety in it. outside of fandom, this fic is a love letter to my own college experience. i remember reading a college au fic when i was still in high school and lonely and closeted and repressed and wondering if i would ever be able to get out of my hometown and find a community as tightly-knit as the fic portrayed it. in a way, i got to reflect on my college experience by writing looking out for you. i find solace in this fic when i read back over it, and i can see aspects of my adventures throughout my freshman and sophomore and junior and senior years, waving from behind a thinly veiled curtain. this fic is dedicated to all the people who made my college experience.

anyways that's me rambling for now! thank you again to everyone who has tuned into looking out for you. this is the first piece of creative writing i've done in a long time, and i never expected to actually finish it. i'm so happy with the way it turned out and the love it's received. until next time!

[cocoshippertrash]

Small headcanon/moment

Kidge addition:

(This is my first time doing this in a long while.)

Okay, so picture me this. It's a nice sunny, cloudy day. A nice breeze. And the two paladins decide to go on a walking date. Like, to walk around the town, check out some small stores, get food, and look at small pop-up stands. It's similar to a shopping date but just wandering around and kind of enjoying the surroundings. Given that pidge and keith don't like being outside, that much.

They would probably endure it for one another. Anyways...

Their having a good time. Looked at some cool street performers, small attractions, and mural art that's along the builds they passed. Got some food and small snacks. Entered a few stores, especially the nerd stores that involved comics, toys, and games. (For mostly pigde) Keith didn't really care where they went, just as long as he was with her, and she was happy.

One of the stores they entered was a book store. Even if they both prefer to do their own thing, like training or tinkering. They both do like reading a good book or comic every once in a while with each other or in each others presents.

They entered the book store and it was 2 stores. Pidge, being a bit more excited, is in awe.

"OMG, this place is two stores!! And they have a manga and comic section. ARE THOSE LEGOS I SEE NEAR THE PUZZLES!?!?!" (Some book stores have toys for mostly little kids and also puzzles. Dont come at me.)

"Hm. This place is bigger than i thought. Where do you wanna start pidge?" As keith turns to face his girlfriend, he sees that she has disappeared.

Keiths mind went blank. His face is emotionless for a good few moments till it turns into worry.

'I lost her... she disappeared...shes missing..' his head is racing with statements and questions.

'How the fuck did she do that?!?! Where did she go?!?!? Please tell me that she didn't leave?!?! OH GOD, i lost her?!? Matt is gonna kill me. No shiro is gonna kill me. No. Everone is gonna kill me!!!'

Next thing you know, keith is on a pidge hunt and freaking himself out.

'This place is huge! And she's so small! This book store ate my girlfriend and i can't find her!!!!'

Soooo

Keith is losing it as he walks by the toy area.

"Not here. Not here. Not here. Not....... wait a minute"

As he slowly walked to the previous aisle. And there he sees his girlfriend with a small basket of books looking at Lego sets.

*sigh of relief*' Oh, thank god', keith thought to himself.

"Hmm, this one looks cool. Oh, this one, too. Heheh. Hm. Oh, Keith! Which one of these looks cooler? this Star Wars battle ship looks good and hard, but so does this Avengers set. Oh, and there's some cute plant sets as well, and the typewriter, too!" Pidge was having a grand old time looking and picking through the sets.

Keith walks over to pidge. Goes to give her a back hug and digs his face into her neck. Sighing from the relief he felt.

"Huh? You good?" Pidge asks while being semi confused.

"Please don't do that again"

"Do what again?"

They both continued on with looking through the bookstore. As keith was making very sure not to lose this short paladin again.

She showed him the Lego sets she likes the most, some books she thought looked interesting and some books for him that he might like.

He ended up paying for the Legos, and she bought the books. After walking a little more, they decided to finally head home and have a movie, dinner, and Lego building kind of night.

(Headcanon: keith loses pidge in a store because she's short)

[rorimoon9597]

They really didn't stay there for very long. It was barely a month, and Ulaz was picking them up to take them to a new foster home. Takashi packed up their things, put them in the car, and said goodbye to Emily and David and the other three kids. Ashton shouted goodbye to them, but Keith didn't say anything back. Just waved, then turned to look down at Mr Hippo.

Ulaz drove them through the city, to another suburb, and to another two story house. The lawn of this house wasn't filled with toys or bikes, but with flowers that were clearly well-loved. Takashi felt some sort of trepidation, because there was a good chance that this person was a total control freak. At least, Takashi knew how to contact Ulaz to get them out of there if they needed it.

It was the same sort of ritual as at the previous house. Grab their things, let Keith hide behind him as Ulaz introduced them, then go their new rooms as Ulaz and their foster parent talked.

Takashi took Keith into his room, first. He was... pleasantly surprised.

In one corner, there was a pile of stuffed toys. Dogs, horses, bears, dinosaurs and dragons, as well as a few cats. The bed was under the window, and there were glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. The walls had a medieval scene on them. A knight riding a horse with a sword raised, a castle, and a dragon. Takashi watched as Keith walked around, looking around the room. He investigated the toys, and the bed, and the scenes on the walls that had been painted red. He even opened and closed the drawers and the closet.

Takashi started to put all of Keith's things away, making sure that it was all neat and organised. When he was done, he put the duffle bag into Keith's closet. Takashi turned to face Keith, who was hugging Mr Hippo.

"What do you think, Akira?" He asked. Keith looked up at him, his purple eyes wide.

"There's no hippos," he replied, pointing to the toys. "She needs a hippo."

"You think so?" Takashi asked. Keith nodded, completely serious. "Maybe we can tell her that she should add a hippo to the pile?"

"Can we do that later?" Keith asked.

"Sure. Want to come and see my room?"

"Yeah!" Keith went across the hall, where Takashi's room was. Their foster mother, Sarah Cooper, had told them where their rooms were before they went up. Takashi was glad that she let them explore their new rooms by themselves.

Takashi's room was more mature than Keith's room was. The walls were a blueish purple colour, and the bed wasn't under the window. The desk, which was a deep brown colour, was set underneath it instead. The chair was one of those swivel ones. Keith went up to it and pulled it out. He sat on it and spun around. Takashi let him, and put his own things away. He hid the knife under the mattress, hoping that Sarah wouldn't find it.

He didn't want the last piece of his mother to be taken away from him.

When he finished, he put his suitcase into the closet, along with his bag. He turned around to see Keith lying on his side on the rug, watching him.

"Come on, Akira-Kun. Let's go and talk to Sarah some more, yeah?"

"I don't wanna," Keith mumbled. Takashi sighed and crouched down. Keith sat up.

"You have to," he said. Keith pouted. "Listen, we can't go home, and I can't take care of you by myself. I'll be able to do that when I'm eighteen, but for now, you have to let these people take care of you."

"What about okaasan?"

"She's gone, Keith. You have to remember that." Keith stared down at the ground.

"I miss her."

"I do too, bud," Takashi replied. He held an arm out, motioning to Keith. "Come here." Keith did, wrapping his tiny arms around Takashi as much as possible. Takashi pressed a kiss to Keith's head. They stayed like that for a little bit. "You ready to go downstairs?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Let's go."

They went downstairs, where Sarah was talking to Ulaz about something. They had cups of coffee (or whatever they drank) and they were clearly having a lovely conversation. They looked up when Takashi and Keith entered.

"What do you think of your rooms?" Sarah asked.

"They're really nice, thank you," Takashi replied. Sarah nodded.

"You two can add whatever you want to the rooms, personalize them as much as you'd like," she said.

"That- sounds like a nice idea. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Sarah said. She looked down at Keith. "What did you think of your room, Keith?"

"It's nice," Keith replied.

"Yeah?" Keith nodded.

"The toy pile needs a hippo." Sarah wasn't outwardly surprised.

"We can add a hippo to it," she assured him. There was a smile on her face, one that was gentle and genuine.

"I should be heading off now. There are other things that I have to attend to," Ulaz said.

"Bye, Mr Ulaz," Keith said.

"Goodbye, Keith, Shiro."

"Bye," Takashi said. Sarah led Ulaz to the door and let Takashi and Keith wave to their social worker. Then, when he was gone, she led them back inside.

"When would you two like to go shopping?" Sarah asked. Takashi looked down at Keith, who looked back up at him.

"Not today," Keith told him.

"He doesn't want to go today," Takashi explained.

"Alright. Just let me know when you would like to go, alright?"

"Okay," Keith said. It was the first word he said to Sarah. He'd just waved at her when they got there. Sarah smiled at him, apparently happy that he had said at least one word.

"You two can go explore the rest of the house if you would like."

"Thank you," Takashi said. He moved away. He could hear small feet following him, and he didn't have to look behind him to know that Keith was behind him.

Takashi explored the house, just as suggested. Keith opened a few cupboards, curious about what was in the house. The bathroom had sanitary products in the cupboard under the sink as well as a First Aid kit. Takashi pulled it out to look through it. He wasn't taking any chances.

He put everything back into the First Aid kit once he was done and moved on.

They steered clear of Sarah's room, letting her have that privacy. Instead, they went to see where the laundry room was, where the downstairs bathroom was, and where the backdoor was. Takashi and Keith went out to the garden.

There was a sandpit, and a slide and a swing set. Takashi noticed that there was also a little house, and a goalpost, too.

"She's got a lot of stuff out here, huh?" Takashi said to Keith.

"Hai," Keith replied. He walked over with Mr Hippo to investigate the playhouse, chatting in Japanese.

"So you speak a different language?" Sarah asked. Takashi had heard her coming up, but he had chosen to ignore her unless she spoke.

"Yeah. We're Japanese," Takashi replied.

"Ah. I haven't actually fostered any Japanese kids yet. I'd love to learn how to say some things, even if it's simple phrases like 'good morning' or 'welcome home'."

"I can teach you," Takashi offered. Sarah smiled.

"That'd be very lovely, Shiro. Thank you." The two of them turned to watch as Keith examined the sandpit.

"Nii-San! Can we play together tomorrow?" Keith called out.

"Yes, we can," Takashi replied. Keith bounded over to him, happy.

"What do you think of the yard?" Sarah asked.

"It's cool. Mr Hippo and I like the sandpit," Keith replied. Sarah smiled.

"I'm glad. Now, let's go see what we can do about dinner, yeah?"

"Yeah!" Takashi smiled. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

__________

He was slightly disoriented when he woke up. He forgot where he was until he remembered. Then his door opened, and Keith came in.

"Nii-San, Ms Sarah said that we can go shopping today," he said. Takashi nodded.

"Alright, then. I'll be dressed and downstairs soon. Do you want help to get changed?" Keith shook his head.

"No, I'll be okay," he replied. Takashi nodded.

"Alright. Go get changed, yeah?"

"Okay." With that, Keith walked out of the room. Takashi sighed. He didn't think that Keith would ever warm up to any of their foster parents.

That... would cause them to move around a lot. And that would be a problem, because they'd have an extremely unstable upbringing. Sarah was nice, but how long would it take for her to get sick of them? Of how Keith didn't speak all that much around her, and if he did talk, it was in either singular words or in Japanese that Takashi had to translate?

Would their other foster families even allow them to speak Japanese and practice basic things from their culture?

He shook his head, pushing the thoughts away for the time being. He had to get dressed.

He grabbed a spare change of clothes and went into the bathroom. He located the towels and turned on the shower. While he was showering, he thought of what they would be doing that day. According to Keith, they were going to go shopping. Takashi needed some body wash and deodorant. Keith needed more toothpaste, and maybe a new toothbrush. He'd try to get one similar to the one he had now.

Takashi turned off the shower and stepped out, drying himself and changing into clean clothes. Then he went to put his pajamas back in his room.

Keith was waiting for him, sitting on his bed with Mr Hippo in his hands. Takashi put his pajamas away.

"Did you put your pajamas away?" He asked. Keith nodded.

"Under my pillow, like Okaasan told me to," he said. Takashi nodded.

"Good job, Akira. Let's go downstairs now, yeah?"

"Okay." Keith followed him downstairs, content to just be behind his older brother.

That... might end up being a problem in the future. Takashi didn't know how he'd deal with the problem if it became one. Though, he guessed that he could just deal with it when it came up.

"Good morning, Shiro. How did you sleep?"

"Morning. I slept okay." Sarah nodded.

"That's good. Are you two ready to go shopping?"

"Hai," Keith replied.

"That means yes," Takashi translated.

"Ah. So 'hai' is yes."

"Hai," Takashi confirmed. Sarah smiled.

"I see what you did there. Anyway, I made pancakes for breakfast. Eat your fill before we go out."

"Thank you," Takashi said. He sat down with Keith, who was already eating his pancakes. Sarah had put some chocolate syrup and berries on his pancakes, probably because she asked him about it and he said yes to it.

The pancakes were really good, and Takashi ate as much as he could. When he was done, he took his plate to the sink. Keith followed, trying to put his dishes in the sink. He pouted when he was unable to reach the sink.

"Nii-San, can you help me?" Keith asked. Takashi took his plate. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Five minutes later, Takashi found himself in Sarah's car with Keith in the backseat, holding onto Mr Hippo, going to the store. Sarah had given them an outline of what they were going to do - go to Target and Walmart, get some bedsheets and some other things to personalize their rooms more, and get some food.

Simple enough, even for a five year old child that refused to talk in full sentences to their foster mother.

When they got to Target, Takashi got Keith out of his car seat and onto the ground. He clung to Takashi, looking around nervously.

"Hey, it's just Target, Keith, you'll be okay." Keith just nodded mutely.

Sarah got a trolley, and they went into the store.

"Let's go look at the little kid stuff first," she suggested.

"Sounds good," Takashi agreed. He followed her to the bedsheets for little kids. "Go find something you like," he urged Keith. He looked up at Takashi, then walked forward by himself. He'd look back to see if Takashi was still there from time to time, but he mostly looked at the bedsheets that were for sale.

"Space," Keith said, pointing to a space themed comforter.

"Yeah, it's space. Do you want the space blanket?" Keith thought about it. Then he nodded. Takashi grabbed it and put it into the cart.

"Do you like space, Keith?" Sarah asked. Keith nodded. "That's so cool! Do you want to go to space some day?" Keith shrugged. Sarah looked happy to get non-verbal responses from Keith.

They walked around some more. Keith went to the toys when he saw them, and picked out a new hippo. He put it into the cart carefully, which meant asking Takashi to pick him up so that he could put it in. Takashi complied. He was weak for this child.

They moved onto stuff for Takashi when Keith made it clear that he was finished. He picked out his own sheets, and some decorations for his room. Then they went to check out. Takashi helped to carry their things to the car and load them in.

They went to Walmart next. Sarah bought them food that they wanted. If she saw them staring at something for a long time, she'd encourage them to get it. When they were done again, they checked out and took everything to the car.

"You take your new things to your rooms, I'll take care of the food," Sarah said when they got back home. Takashi nodded, and called Keith, who was holding both hippos.

Once he lugged everything into their rooms, he sat down in the middle of the floor in Keith's room.

"What's the new hippo's name?" Takashi asked, nodding his head towards said toy. Keith studied it.

"Frankie," he said. Takashi nodded.

"Alright, then."

"Play with me, Nii-San. You said that you would yesterday."

"Alright. What do you want to play?" Keith grinned widely.

"You're going to be an evil purple alien," he declared. Takashi hummed.

"Does this evil purple alien have a name?"

"Hmm... Zarkon."

"Alright, I'll be Zarkon," Takashi agreed. Keith grinned.

"I'm gonna be the hero!" He said.

"Going to," Takashi corrected. Keith ignored him.

__________________________

Pt1 pt3