#let them do paperwork and drink tea together in a calm room where no one is bothering them u.u

[benevolenterrancy]

this description made me realise what one of my favourite MXTX character tropes is: Over-Worked, Under-Appreciated Employee Who Is Not Above Becoming Somewhat Evil About It

[unloved-cadillac]

Can I get a story with Levi and a child reader (Chile, hear me out) who he sort of takes care of please? Like she doesn’t have parents and found her way to the Corps somehow. She’s curious and innocent, she loves to explore. However, she’s very anxious and relies on Levi to protect her. She only comes out of her shell when he’s at her side. He seems distant, but he secretly adores her and will raise all of Hell if anything ever happens to her. Thank you!

C/n: wait! This is…adorable!! I love it! I’m just picturing baby Caddy with grumpy Levi and I almost died. Thanks for requesting and I hope that you enjoy🤍

——————————————————————————

His Girl. (Levi x Reader)

How a child managed to get into the most dangerous army regiment without being seen was a mystery to everyone. But there she was. Sitting in the kitchen, munching on bread. “Who is she?” Eren asks and Armin squats down to get a better look at her. “Don’t know. Hey there. I’m Armin. This is my friend, Eren. What’s your name?” Armin asks but she doesn’t look at him nor answer. She just stares at the bread in her hands.

“Oi! Why is everyone gathered here?! Don’t you people have duties to attend to?” A gruff voice asks and Y/n looks up to see a man. “C-Captain Levi! There’s a child here and we don’t know how she got here!” Eren stutters and Levi looks at her. She stares at him with big e/c eyes with breadcrumbs all over her face. “Tch. All of you go. I’ll sort this out.” He orders and everyone dispersed leaving him alone with her.

“Can you talk?” He asks and he sees her nod.

“What’s your name?” She plays with the bread but answers. “Y/n. Y/n L/n.”

“Alright, Y/n. Why don’t come with me and you can tell me exactly how you got here?” She nods and slowly gets up and walks to Levi. Her little legs not being able to keep up with him and he scoffs. “Come here then, brat.” He says and lifts her up and carries her to his office.

Once there, Levi sat her down on the couch and sat next to her. “How did you come here? Where’s your mom and dad?” He asks and she looks around his office. “Mommy left and daddy died.” She says nonchalantly and Levi’s eyes widen. ‘Jesus Christ.’ “Oh. Well then, how did you get here then?”

Y/n continues to look around as she swung her legs back and forth. “Horses.” She says and Levi nods. “How old are you?” She looks at him and holds up five fingers. He nods and then looks at her attire. He gets up and goes to his bedroom to get a spare t shirt for her when he feels some hug his leg. “Oi. What are you doing?” He asks looking down at her, Y/n’s eyes staring at him. “Tch. Put this on then.” He says and gives it her. She takes the shirt and plops down on the floor as she plays with it. ‘Lord have mercy.’

Levi rolls his eyes and picks her up and sits her on his bed. He removes the torn shirt she wore and looked at the marks on her tummy. “How did you get this?” He asks and she shrugs. He sighs and puts the shirt on her. “We’re going to see a friend of mine. Then I’m going to give you bath because you’re filthy.” That makes her giggle and hold his face. “Wevi.” She says and he groans. “Levi. Say “Levi”.”

“Wevi.”

He shakes his head and takes her into his arms as he begins to walk to Erwin’s office. He knocked and waited for him to answer while Y/n stared at Levi. Erwin’s door opens and Y/n flinches at the loud sound.

“Oh! Levi, hello. And who is this?” He looks at the girl in his arms and Levi enters the office and plops Y/n in the couch. “Y/n L/n.” Levi says and Erwin squats down in front of the small girl. “Hello, beautiful. I’m Erwin.” He introduces himself but Y/n only stared at Levi.

Erwin turned and faced his friend as he tried not to laugh. “I think she likes you Levi.” He teases and Levi rolls his eyes. “Tell him how you got here, brat.” He tells her and she nods. “Mommy left and daddy died. I saw horses and came here.” She says in, possibly the sweetest voice Erwin has ever heard.

“Levi she’s adorable.” Erwin smiles and pinches her cheek. Her hands touch Erwin’s eyebrows and he chuckles. “Like them?” He asks and she nods. “Caterpillars.” She mumbles and Levi resists the urge to laugh. “Alright, I’m taking her to my room. Get her cleaned up and stuff. What do you want to do with her?” Levi asks Erwin.

“Well, I’m not going to send her to the orphanage, that’s for sure. Why don’t you take care of her? I mean, we all will. She’s safe here. What do you say?” Levi rubs a hand through his hair but nods. “I don’t think I have choice, now do I?” “No not really.” Levi sighs. “Whatever. Come on, Y/n. Let’s go.”

She quickly leaves Erwin and waddles to Levi begins to walk to the door. “Uh, Levi?” Erwin calls and Levi faces him to see Erwin point down. Levi looks down to see Y/n make grabby hands to Levi and he sighs.

“Come here then.” He takes Y/n in his arms and begins to leave. “Not a word, Eyebrows.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

~~~~

Levi bathed her and watched her as she played with the bubbles he made for her. Y/n blew the bubbles and one landed on Levi’s head which made her giggle. “Haha, very funny.” He sarcastically says and drains the tub. He wipes his head and then wipes Y/n down. “Arms up.” He orders and she puts her arms up as he wipes her tummy and legs and toes. Then he wraps her in the towel and takes him to his bedroom and sets her down on the bed.

He takes a new shirt and shorts and puts it on her to see it was massive on her. “Do I have to get you new clothes now?” He asks her but she just stares at her toes. Levi sighs and makes a plan to tighten the clothes around her. He pins them together and ties the t shirt. It worked but he definitely needed to get new clothes for her.

“Hungry or sleepy?” He asks and she blinks. Her stomach growled and he hums. “Hungry it is then.” He takes her into his arms and makes his way to the mess hall. Luckily he was the first time there so he got them both food and he sat her next to him.

She ate like hadn’t for months and Levi wiped her lips. “Slowly. We don’t want you getting sick.” He says and she nods.

Slowly, the mess hall started to fill up and when Levi’s squad surrounded the table to see the little girl from earlier sitting next to their captain:

They were smitten.

“Aww hello there!”

“You’re so pretty!”

“How old are you?! How did you get here?!”

“Such chubby cheeks. Lemme pinch!”

Poor Y/n was so overwhelmed by the attention she hid in Levi’s side. “Hey! You’re all scaring her. Calm your tits.” He ordered and everyone falls silent. But then they hear giggling and Levi looks down to see Y/n sitting in his lap.

“What’s her name, Captain?” Armin asks as she looks up at Levi. “Y/n L/n. She’s an orphan and she’s going to be staying there from now on.” He says and everyone smiles. Y/n looks around to see everyone looking at her and she eats her meat. “Levi?” She calls him and looks down. “What?”

“Thirsty.”

He takes her cup of water and gives it to her. She drinks and then looks at him. “Levi?” “Yeah?” “I want to see the horses.”

“Not now. It’s late.” Levi says and finishes his tea.

“Can we play with her?” Eren asks and Levi looks at him, thinking. “Fine. I got paperwork to do anyway. But, Armin is in charge,” he looks at him, “don’t let her out of your sight.”

When Levi places her on Armin’s lap, he leaves and begins to work on his paperwork.

“So Y/n, what do you like?” Eren asks and Y/n turns her face away and cuddles Armin. “Oh my god I think my heart just busted a nut.” Connie says and Sasha slaps his head. “What?!” “Don’t speak like that in front of babies, idiot.”

Y/n jumps down from Armin and walks to a barrel to explore. Everyone watches her as she walks around the hall. But as she walked, a very tall man cowered over her. “Hello there.” Mike greets and that made her break.

She started crying and Armin rushed over to her with Eren and Mikasa. “Y/n. What happened?”

“Levi. I want Levi.” She cries out and holds her face and Armin picks her up and goes to Levi’s office as he tries to calm her down. Levi immediately opened the door and sees Y/n reaching for him. “What the hell happened?” He asks as he bounces her to calm her down. “Squad Leader Mike said hi and she just bursted out crying.” Armin explains.

“The giant was bound to do that. Thanks Armin. You can go.” He dismissed him and shuts the door as he holds Y/n. “Brat, you need to be strong. You can’t cry for everything, alright?” He speaks to her and looks down to see her fast asleep. He rolls his eyes and tucks her into his bed.

“What a pain.”

~~~~

Y/n started to fit in nicely. She loved her Aunt Hange and Uncle Erwin and even warmed up to Mike. But everyone in the Corps realized that she was only smiley and laughing if she had her protector with her. Levi had to be with her whenever she went and it was tiring because her curious mind wanted to go everywhere.

One time, he had to leave with Erwin to the city and Y/n cried the whole time he was away. Hange had to make a baby potion to help her sleep and when Levi returned, Hange almost got killed by him because she allowed her to cry.

He won’t admit it, but the brat made her way into his heart. It was the little things at first. How she always looked for him when she woke up, how she “helped” him with paperwork. By helped, she wrote squiggles. Levi even caught himself hating being apart from her. He always worried about her in his own way.

“Y/n probably would want this, huh?”

“You think Y/n likes strawberries?”

“Y/n would love that show. I have to bring her here one day.”

Erwin had to listen to his friend speak about Y/n every single time they went to the city. Not shutting up once about her. It was refreshing to hear Levi speak that much.

Y/n was the reason Levi got sleep. She had nightmares and wouldn’t fall asleep unless her Levi was there. To her, if he was next to her, he will fight all the monsters that came for her. Levi ended sleeping a full six hours and Y/n ended up in his chest.

He won’t admit, not to anyone alive, but Y/n was his girl. Levi took her to see Hange and when Hange wanted to carry her, Levi just said no. “Your hands are dirty and I just gave her a bath.”

“But I-“

“No.”

Y/n was super possessive of her Levi. She never wanted him to go anywhere without her and he just had to suck it up and take her wherever.

Not that he minded. No, not at all.

——————————————————————————

“Genshin is taking over my life.”

🖤🤍Thanks for reading🤍🖤

-Caddy.

[asmo-ds]

I've seen alot of headcanons about Simeon turning into a demon, but how would everyone react if Luke managed to turn himself into a demon 🤔 Like maybe he didn't amount up to Celestial Standards (I headcanon the Celestial realm is kinda weird due to the events of the anelic event) and then he made some type of minor violation and they kicked him out of heaven to avoid the possibility of him growing up to be undesirable in the Celestial Realm

When a Child Falls

Luke-centric ANGST & FLUFF

Warnings: Pain, falling from heaven, Luke hurting :(

Summary: After failing to live up to the standards of his superiors Luke is kicked out of the Celestial Realm and becomes a demon. Luckily for him the exchange program had given him so many new and old friends who wanted nothing but to help the poor child despite any bitter past they may have had with him

a/n: i was gonna do headcanons but then i was like what if i make a whole one shot about him falling and everyone helping him adjust to his new life and uh yea <3

Also this didn’t come out as angsty as I wanted it to but demon brothers comforting a fallen Luke >>>>>>>

He tugged on his own arm, begging for the elder angel to release him and give him a second chance, his once hopeful blue eyes filled with tears and terror. 

“Stop, I swear I just need more time, PLEASE!” Luke cried, punching the elder’s arm and attempting to pry his wrinkly hands from Luke’s small forearm. The elder yanked Luke’s arm harder, resulting in a distressed cry from the short blond.

Luke tried to steady his breathing as they approached the boundaries of the Celestial realm, where he was to be pushed off for his failure to earn his wings in a timely manner. The Celestial realm saw him as useless and decided they would be better off discarding a weak angel like himself.

“LET HIM GO, PLEASE! DON’T DO THIS!” Luke could hear Simeon’s breaking voice screaming at the elders who held him back from Luke to prevent any interference, “JUST LET ME SAY GOODBYE PLEASE,” he begged to which the elder finally agreed and the two embraced tightly. “Luke you listen to me, you get to the Devildom you go STRAIGHT to Lucifer, he helped his brothers and himself through his fall he can help you, please, trust him with at least getting you through the transition then you can hate them again or whatever you want, pl-”

“I get it, Simeon, I promise I won’t let you down,” Luke interrupted, tears falling from his eyes onto Simeon’s broad shoulders. 

“Times up. Luke come to the edge, stand here,” an elder guides him into position. 

Luke’s hearing starts ringing as his adrenaline kicks in, the fear of death and disappearing from existing overwhelming him. His breathing grew fast, and before he knew it, he felt a push and wind pounding against his skin as he fell, and fell, and fell, until he saw the Devildom soil and he tensed, preparing for the worst.

Instead of hitting the ground he hears a fwoosh and finds himself caught in strong arms.

“Luke! What happened, where is Simeon? A young angel like you shouldn’t be down here all al-” Lucifer starts questioning the angel, concerned to see the small boy falling from so high. He was interrupted by a cry of agony, Luke pushed away from Lucifer, doubling over and screaming as the pain began to set in.

Lucifer recognized the transition immediately and how badly it hurt his brothers, so he gently approached the young boy, who glared at him with teary pained eyes, and he murmured a spell, before darkness washed over Luke.

- 

His innocent blue eyes fluttered open, not recognizing his surroundings, he sat up quickly, wincing and hissing as his back was suddenly filled with unbearable pain. 

Oh that’s right, I fell. They pushed me and now…His eyes snap open, remembering the feeling of falling, but nothing that happened afterward.

“I have… to find… Lucifer..” Luke spoke to himself, taking short breaks between every few words to take a painful breath, feeling his ribcage expand and contract as his wheezing continued.

“I’ve already found you, Luke, you’re in one of the bedrooms of the Demon Lord’s Castle. Please lay back and take off your shirt, your back is bound to be in a lot of pain, this serum will help.” The blond flinches as Lucifer rises from a chair next to the bed where he laid. 

Luke raises his arms and let Lucifer take off the shirt before laying on his stomach.

He hears Lucifer’s breath catch in his throat as he stares in horror at Luke’s back, where wings were starting to form, dark and mangled with feathers tangled and in need of a cleaning.

So like that, Lucifer kept Luke safe and took care of him whilst the other brothers prepared a room at the House of Lamentation for him to stay.

-

“Luke, I’ve brought you some tea and cake,” Barbatos walks into the bedroom carrying some snacks and drinks for the injured boy.

“Thank you Barbatos, I missed your cooking,” Luke smiles slightly before taking a big bite of cake and groaning. “Like, I really missed it-”

“Yes, Barbatos makes splendid food, which is why I keep him around!” Diavolo winks, nudging Barbatos with his elbow a bit.

“Actually sir, you only keep me around because no other demon has been able to keep up with your antics-”

“ANYWAY, Luke your wings look like they’re growing in nicely, and so do your horns,” Diavolo walks over to examine Luke’s new form. “You’ll probably be in a lot of pain for at least a few more days, but if you want to get situated into your new home we can let you go and just check in on you everyday.”

“Uh… I don’t want to intrude at the House of Lamentation, if it’s going to be any sort of burden to them-”

“Nonsense, my brothers and I are glad to take care of you and take you in, you experienced the same fate as us, albeit for different reasons, but still, we know your pain and we want to guide you so please, Luke, let us help you,” Lucifer places a reassuring hand on Luke’s shoulder as he says this.

“...Okay, BUT no calling me a chihuahua- GOT IT?!” Luke pokes Lucifer’s chest aggressively and earns a hearty chuckle from him.

“I agree not to call you a dog anymore,” Lucifer laughs out, “though I cannot speak for my brothers.”

-

“I can’t believe the chihuahua of all people got kicked out…” Mammon says, still in shock that the angel who had been so determined to make people smile just a year before during the exchange program had somehow managed to get himself thrown out of heaven.

“I remember when I almost didn’t earn my wings in time,” Asmodeus shudders at the memories of being threatened with exile and constantly pushing himself way too hard, “I got so many wrinkles from the stress.”

“Luke makes good food, I’m glad he’s staying with us.” Beel’s mouth was watering as he and Mammon moved a dresser, finally finishing getting Luke’s new room in order.

“Oi, try to be sympathetic when he gets here Beel. He may be a little annoying kid but he’s going through what we went through,” Mammon scolded his younger brother, an uncomfortable silence taking over the room as each and every one of them remembers the pain they were in as their bodies morphed into those of demons.

“God is such an asshole…” Belphegor mutters, getting extremely angry the more he thinks about it.

Luke had done nothing wrong, Lilith had done nothing wrong, so why? Why would he keep getting rid of the most determined of his angels over such insignificant things?

Suddenly all their phones go off with a text from Lucifer saying he and the boy would be arriving soon. They all gathered in the entrance hall, waiting for Luke to arrive. The front door creaked open, all of the brothers standing up straighter and nervous as Lucifer stepped through the entrance with Luke just behind him. 

The brothers all gasped quietly in shock at the state of Luke. He was pale and thin and the look of complete and utter despair in his formerly innocent eyes filling the room with a depressing atmosphere.

“H-hey there Fido- I mean- Luke, how’re you feeling?” Mammon tries to start up a welcoming conversation, getting a nasty look from Lucifer, who Luke was clinging to for dear life.

“Luke! As soon as you’re feeling able to, what do you say we bake something together?” Beel smiles sweetly, most of them getting nothing but nervous looks from Luke in response to their questions.

“I’m just going to help him get settled in. Satan you’re in charge of everything else around the house while I take care of Luke and my own paperwork.” Lucifer guides Luke up the stairs.

Satan rolls his eyes but mutters a small “fine,” before the two head upstairs to the attic, where they’d set up the room to look just like the dorm he stayed in at Purgatory Hall.

“Oh wow, it feels like I’m back in the exchange program,” Luke chuckles a little, clearly faking any sort of joy.

“Luke,” Lucifer kneels down, “you are one of my brothers now, you have nothing to fear, and Simeon will be able to visit at some point-” His attempt to ease Luke’s worries is interrupted by a loud sob.

“Don’t you get it?! Michael and Simeon will never look at me the same, ever again!” Luke wails, using his sleeves to wipe the tears that streamed down his face. “All I ever wanted was to impress them! To impress God and make humans happy and protect them! But now my natural instinct to hurt humans ruins any chance of me becoming the person I’d always thought I’d be!” Luke falls to his knees, sobbing and wheezing, his vision becoming blurry as a panic attack hits him like a truck. He can barely hear anything except for Lucifer calling out a name, and all he could make out was that it wasn’t his own name. A dark figure walks into the room and Luke hears muffled voices for a minute before he is suddenly extremely calm, his eyelids growing a bit heavy and he feels exhausted.

He then realizes someone was holding him and murmuring some sort of spell, causing him to panic once more, but this time he was perfectly aware and just jumped up ready to fight.

“Hey you dirty demon! Don’t use your dark magic on me or else I’ll-”

“Pfft hahaha,” Belphegor laughs hard, tears threatening to spill from his eyes, “you still look like a chihuahua when you get annoyed!” Belphie teases and Luke blushes, before running at Belphie and tackling him, leading to a wrestling match on the floor as Lucifer stands by and watches the two of them closely, to ensure nobody got hurt under his watch. 

-

Dinner was the worst, to be honest. Luke had asked Lucifer if he could cook to say thanks for taking him in, but now he sat awkwardly and all of the brothers remained quiet, watching his every move and watching him like he was an injured little puppy.

“I-is the food not good?” Luke questions looking around nervously.

“AH- no its great Fido- LUKE, ah jeez I’m getting a headache this is so hard to adjust to,” Mammon slams his head on the table, earning a glare from Asmo and Satan who he sat between.

“Anyways, I know you’ve been to the Devildom before and don’t really need a tour BUT you’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg, there are so many more places to go!” Asmo smiles widely at Luke, “So let’s go together soon, okay?”

“Okay!”

“Ooooh Luke, you have to tell me what Celestial Realm video games are like, GAH I wish we had waited to start a war until after the invention of video games. Anyway I got a new one so I can show you a Devildom game and-”

“Shut yer trap Levi,” Mammon leans over the table to attempt to cover Levi’s mouth.

“But let the GREAT Mammon show ya all the best spots in town~”

“NO-no do not take the child Gambling, Mammon,” Asmo smacks him.

“Asmo for all we know you’re gonna scar him and take him to a strip club,” Belphegor smirks, knowing he just started a war.

“I WOULD NEVER, COME HERE YOU BRAT,” both of them in demon forms chasing each other around the house and screaming.

Suddenly everyone hears a child’s laughter and looks at the blond who had barely even smiled since arriving.

“We can try to do everything you guys want to show me,” Luke smiles. Everyone lets out a sigh of relief seeing that Luke was feeling more comfortable around them. “Um, question though… how do I go in and out of my… demon form?” 

“HAH that’s easy, just relax and let the GREAT Mammon teach ya!”

“Mammon, not yet. Luke, I will teach you, but we need to wait a bit longer or else the pain of transforming will be unbearable for you,” Lucifer looked down at the disappointed boy.

“Oh, ok.”

“Don’t look so gloomy Fid-LUKE JEEZ LOUISE- there's a lot the GREAT Mammon can teach ya in the mean time!” Mammon stands up with a cocky smile, hands on his hips. “Think of me as ya new master and you are my apprentice!”

“NO do not think of him like that he will make you do his dirty work,” Satan says, hitting Mammon in the stomach.

“Thank you,” Luke looks at Lucifer, “thank you for taking me in, I-I know we don’t have the best past and I was super rude towards demons during the exchange program but-but I’m trying to change for you guys! Thank you!” Luke bows his head, tears falling down his cheeks. The knowledge that he can never go back to the way he was bringing on more tears, but they didn’t mind. They’d been through the same process. So silently they all comforted him and welcomed him into their home with  open arms.

[commander-hanji-zoe]

Hi~ can I request Mike and Nanaba with s/o who is stressing with college life like hw or study please? 🥺🥺🥺

Hey - of course! I imagine they'd both be very supportive and caring. In many respects I think their reactions would be very similar, so you may notice some repetition. Mostly I think they'd want you to remember your studies do not define you as a person and anything you're struggling with is not a failure and is nothing to be embarrassed of. They'd want to make sure you had plenty of water, snacks and took plenty of breaks (especially with fresh air as that's very important!) Breathing exercises, meditation, allowing you to vent to them without interruption. Tears with no shame. Lots of hugs and rewards at the end of difficult sessions. I hope you like the below and that it helps. ♡

Mike

Mike knows exactly when to leave you alone to your studying, when to leave you alone but occasionally bring snacks/drinks and when he needs to intervene and remind you to take a break. He’s someone who is very in-tune with those around him, especially those he is close to so he’s a good judge of when you’re pushing yourself too far and will step in to tell you.

At the beginning of your studies he’ll ensure to set up an area either in the space/room you share or in his room where you can study in peace. There might even be a little DIY involved. They’ll be a plant or two, plenty of stationary and paper, a stress toy and some lovely scented candles.

With his keen nose he’ll pick out candles that not only smell gorgeous but help to aid in concentration.

He’ll ensure you have a constant supply of water, occasionally bringing you tea, orange juice or whatever your favourite drink is. He’ll also bring snacks known for their ‘brain power’ like nuts and berries, but he also likes to treat you so he’ll bring cookies too.

If you need help setting up a study schedule he’s the perfect partner to assist with this and will create a

If you need someone to test your knowledge Mike will really get into the teacher role, which will likely make you giggle but it’s also a little bit hot. He’s incredibly patient with you and if you’re really struggling/there’s any gaps in your knowledge, he’ll design little note cards with the information on (and adds a little heart).

If you’re feeling super stressed with studying he’ll remove you from the situation, even if you’re panicking about time and feel you cannot leave the desk, he’ll remind you that if you’re running at 1% you’re not going to be studying effectively or retaining information. It’s better to take a break (away from the desk and the room) for half hour or possibly even the rest of the day if you’ve been studying for hours, than to burn out completely.

Mike makes sure that you get plenty of fresh air so if you have a break from studying you’re not just sat in the same place. Instead he’ll encourage you to go for a walk, he’ll come with you if you want but also understands personal space is important.

He’s very good at shoulder/back/head/neck massages (let’s be honest he’s great at massaging any part of the body). If you’re feeling tense/stressed but want to study a bit more, he’s happy to stand behind you and gently give you a massage to help release some of that tension.

There’s rewards whenever you finish studying, whether it’s a nice meal he’s prepared, a romantic evening, drinks with friends, a cake Mike has baked, a hot, romantic bath etc. Mike makes sure that your place is clean and tidy and dinner is sorted so it’s one less thing for you to worry about and you can focus your energy on studying.

He’s overall very supportive and will tell you how proud of you he is everyday. If you need a quick pick me up and you’re struggling to believe in yourself, he’ll get you to do some affirmations with him or help you write some that remain private.

Any tears when you’re studying and Mike will be there with tissues and plenty of hugs. He has a way of making you feel completely safe and secure when he wraps his arms around you. He’s happy to hold you as long as is needed.

Will remind you that you’re doing the best you can and that he thinks you’re amazing. Will also remind you that no one is perfect and that as long as you’re doing your best that’s all anyone (yourself included) can ask for.

At the end of every study session if he’s there or when he gets home he’ll press a kiss to your forehead in the same place every day. “Proud of you love.”

Any breakdowns you have or moments of extreme stress where you feel you can’t go on, Mike is there to hold your hands and let you vent. He helps you to take deep breaths and focus on a happy memory. He’ll remind you that your worth is not determined by how your studies go or your results in an exam. This does not define you and if you don’t get it this time you can try again and that is absolutely okay.

Nanaba

Having Nanaba around when you’re stressing about college is incredibly helpful, she’s a ray of sunshine who reminds you to take frequent breaks and ensures you’re looking after yourself as well as studying.

She curates the perfect study space for you that’s full of light and near a window so there’s plenty of air.

Makes sure you start the day with a healthy and brain-power inspired breakfast, she’ll say with

Kisses to the cheek and reassuring squeeze of your shoulders to let you know that she’s there for you if you need her. But Nananba is never over-bearing and certainly never treats you like a child. She appreciates that sometimes especially when you are stressed that you will need your space.

Like Mike she’ll ensure you’ve got plenty of water throughout your studies and if she’s home/around she’ll occasionally bring you snacks and ensure you take a decent break for lunch.

If the sight of paperwork and books is stressing you out and the words seem to blur into one, Nanaba will suggest going out for lunch - to sit on the grass with a picnic or buy lunch out. Something that is completely detached from the work you are doing.

Occasionally when you’re studying you’ll hear Nanaba singing or humming, half the time she doesn’t even know she’s doing it but it’s comforting and reassuring. When you point it out to her she’ll go a little red and feel bad for disturbing your study. But you explain, it actually helps you to focus, so Nanaba will sing a little every day while you’re studying. It’ll be in a different room so it’s quiet but somehow that makes you feel safe.

At the end your study sessions when Nanaba sees you she likes to know how it went, what went well and what didn’t go so well. She thinks it’s important you talk openly about it and encourages you to express any doubt rather than bottling it up. Together you come up with a plan to tackle the areas that are stressing you out the most.

If you start to cry or feel incredibly frustrated and stressed, Nanaba will guide you away from your work space to the window so you can listen to the birds, breeze, chatter of children etc. She’ll help to ground you and do some breathing exercises with you to calm your heart rate and make you feel more like you again.

She cooks the most amazing meals for you so you have a hearty dinner in the evening once you’ve finished working.

Nanaba will mostly leave you to study alone as she doesn’t want to disturb you, but she will pop her head round the corner every now and then to check you’re doing okay and see if you need anything.

Reminds you that even if you don’t do as well in the exam as you’d like, it isn’t the end - you can always try again and there’s absolutely no shame in that.

If you have difficulty sleeping due to worrying about your studies she’ll spoon you and stroke your hair, whispering soft affirmations and reassurances. She reminds you of how far you’ve come and how proud of you she is. Then she’ll paint a pretty picture with words, describing a dream day out with her so you fall asleep with this imagery instead of a busy mind.

[angel-letters]

snow days

PAIRING: levi ackerman x gender netural reader (can be taken as platonic or romantic)

DISCLAIMER: while not directly stated this story does deal with depression, and i understand that sometimes reading stories such as this one can make your own depression worse, so please feel no obligation to read it. your own mental health should be your priority. it is also important that if you are not feeling well that you reach out those around you, you’re not alone in your battle. there are also curse words, because apparently i can’t go without cursing.

WORD COUNT: 3551

DOLL’S NOTE:  did i project onto this because my own therapy session was cancelled because of the snow and maybe the fact that i just hate the snow in general because it makes me feel crappy? maybe possibly, but what can you expect when i’m supposed to get 4-8 inches when normally we get less than an inch? also, before i got the chance to finish writing this i had to go work and while i was working i was reading the web comic the maid and the vampire, so as i was writing the last part of this i kept thinking of millard, like the feelings i have for that man, oh my. also, once again, a thank you to @setenuma​ for helping me edit this garbage.

The Writing Room!

You hated the snow. You hated the way the cold of it seemed to seep deep into your bones, how it made your limbs feel like lead, and turned your fingers blue. But most of all you hated the burden of memories and feelings that flooded into your mind with each new snow fall.

You still kept up with your duties, completing training drills and paperwork the way you had always done. Appearing perfectly fine and normal to those in the regiment that did not know you as well, but to those that did they noticed plenty the sloppiness that took place during training, noticing how you seemed to not care if you put yourself in a position that on an expedition would have gotten you killed. There was also the new found sense of heaviness in the air around you, like you were Atlas, carrying the world on your shoulders.

Slowly as the days turned colder and colder you found yourself distancing yourself from your comrades even more, opting to spend all your free time in your office alone completing paperwork instead of staying in the dining hall with the other high ranking officers and squad leaders, drinking tea and listening to Hange ramble for hours about new experiments and discussing new training exercises.

Most still tried to interact with you, trying to cheer you up, Hange would come and try and drag you off to help with an experiment, Mike would try and hold idle chit-chat with you, and Erwin would ask for your opinions on new formations in hopes of distracting you. However in the end all of them decided that it was best to leave you be and let you come to them when you were readly. Well everyone except one person.

Levi Ackerman.

The man refused to allow you a minute of solitude. Always finding you wherever you hid, two cups of tea in his hands and a stack of paperwork under his arm. Even if no words were spoken between the two of you, for you, however, it was the most calming part of your day, when it seemed that the bombardment of memories and feelings finally slowed down.

You and Levi had always had a special sort of bond, perhaps that’s why being in his presence had such a calming feeling for you. A bond that had developed when you yelled at Flagen for being much too harsh to them and consistently offered all three of the newcomers help whenever they needed it. Helping Isabel learn to tack up her horse, answering all of Furlan’s questions about the world above, and even sneaking a tin of tea leaves to Levi after hearing about his liking of tea from Isabel. Then when Furlan and Isabel were killed you were the one that took their wings of freedom from their jackets to give Levi. It was a small gesture but it’s one that led to you being the closest person to Levi other than Erwin.

-

It was another one of those days where you had hidden yourself away in your office, busy signing and filling out paperwork when your door was opened, not bothering to look up as a familiar voice rang out into the room.

“Get your ass up brat, Erwins called an emergency meeting for some shitty reason,” the raven haired man grumbled, arms crossed as he leaned his back and right foot up against the door frame, staring across the room at you with steely grey eyes.

He was worried about you, yes, though he would never admit it out loud. Throughout all his time as a scout you had been one of the most consistent people he had ever met. You weren’t the cheeriest person around, but then again not many people in the scouts were (though it wasn’t without reason), but you had a kind soul and a warm smile that helped calm down even the most distressed soldier. The only problem with you was that you were secretive when it came to your own feelings. You would offer an ear and advice to any soldier that asked, but never did you let yourself show vulnerability, instead you hide yourself away until you can put a brave face on and Levi hated it. After everything that the two of you had gone through he felt like you knew more about him then he did you and he had tried everything to get you to open up to him. Asking Erwin to move your squad closer to his in the formations so that two of you could ride together, mixing most of your training exercise together, preparing tea for the two of you during late nights. He had placed himself within nearly every part of your schedule and you in his, but no matter how many inside jokes and late nights it still felt like you had a wall up that you refused to let down, even around him.

Placing the paper you had just finished on a stack to your right you placed the pen in your hand down as you stood up from your desk, and silently joined the shorter man at the door. A feeling like a knife went through Levi’s heart as you said nothing when before you would have come up with some sort of snarky remark to his jab. Instead of saying anything however he pushed himself off of the door frame and started down the hall, with you by his side, to Erwin’s office.

-

You sat at a large wooden table with the other senior officers. Erwin, as the commander, sat at the head of the table discussing the plans for the latest expedition outside of the walls, Mike sat to your left, Hange to your right (being loud as always), and Levi was directly across from you staring at you once again with those steely grey eyes of his. Normally you would have returned his gaze with one of your own, raising a brow and maybe throwing in a wink to make him roll his eyes and turn his gaze back to Erwin, but today you opted to turn your gaze downwards. Glancing at the papers in front of you attempted to read them, though you knew it was pointless, no matter how many times you read them over you never retained any of the information, similar to know matter how hard you tried to listen to what was being said you never seemed to be able to properly comprehend what was being said. It was frustrating to say the least.

“According to the weather experiments that Hange has been performing it appears that there will be a massive storm arriving within the next couple of days. That is why, after careful consideration, it has been decided that should a storm take place that all troops will be given the day, and following days off as it will be near impossible for any training to take place,” It was the last of Erwin’s announcements and though the blond spoke like he doubted the storm would take place, everyone knew that while often extravagant, Hange’s experiments often worked, with their weather experiments becoming fairly accurate in predicting the weather. So with the idea of maybe getting a little more sleep, and being able to escape your mind just a little, in a couple days you left the room with the others, returning to your office.

-

The storm that Hange had predicted did happen, starting with low howls of wind late in the night, as clouds burden with snow covered the sky, sending large flakes of snow down onto the earth. By the time that the sun had risen the next morning, though the winds had not calmed by much and the snow was still falling, large drifts of snow had formed around the scouts headquarters. With the lower ranked soldiers being informed of the day off, most stayed in the mesh hall, playing games of chess and idly chatting, while senior officers went to their offices, attempting to catch up with overdue paperwork now that they had a day not filled with training drills. You however were a different story.

You had woken up just as the sun was rising to be greeted with frosted window panes, and a chill that seemed to speed in from the outside, numbing your body even with the fire that was still going in the fireplace. The fatigue that was filling your mind also did not help the chill that had crept into your body, making you want nothing more than to sleep, and perhaps you could. Erwin had said that when the storm blows in they would all be given the day off, so perhaps, just once, you could give into your mind and just sleep. Yes a part of you screamed that no matter how bad you feel, no matter how hard it is to bury everything you’re feeling, you need to get up, go and eat breakfast and do your work. But the thought of food had your stomach in a knot and the thought of paperwork brought back the image of fog whenever you had been working the past days. So before you could tell yourself no you sank back into your bed and pulled the blanket up and over your head and went back to sleep.

-

Levi was in a panicked mood to say the least, though it did not appear so if anyone were to comment. He had waited for over an hour for you to appear in the mesh hall, and when you hadn’t he had merely shrugged it off as a day that you weren’t hungry (he’ll bring some bread alongside the tea he normally brings later), but slowly as the day went on and as he continually went back and forth between all of the places you went to be alone and his own office, you were nowhere to be found. He had checked the library, Mike, Hange, and Erwin’s offices, the storage closet on the east wing, he had even braved the cold weather and checked the stables. So now with just one place left, if he didn’t find you he was going to raise a high alarm, after all it was already late into the afternoon and not one person had seen you all day, if that wasn’t a reason to worry or panic then he didn’t know what was.

Arriving in front of the room that had you shared with Hange (though it was more of just your room as they tended to sleep in their lab), he tried the handle, finding it unlocked (thankfully he didn’t have to kick the damn thing down, he let himself into the room. Shivering slightly as he walked in, automatically noticing the dying fire in the fireplace, however he quickly turned his gaze to the bundle of blankets on the bed. Pushing the door shut with his hand he quickly turned the lock before he walked slowly towards the bed. Reaching his hand out to grab the blanket, he hesitated, was this the right thing to do? Should he bother you like this? But before he could decide to leave (he doubted that in that state you were that you had even noticed him) he remembered something, a promise the two of you had made.

-

The night sky had shone so bright that night, if felt like it was mocking him, with each night since their passing not even a cloud crossed the night sky. He may have chosen not to regret anything that happened, chosen to follow the man he had been sent to kill, but that didn’t mean grief did not find its way into his heart. As his mind clouded, silent tears falling down his cheeks, the sound of a cup being placed next to him startled him. Jumping to his feet, his hand reaching for the knife in his pocket, he was surprised to find you there, laughing softly as you held a cup out to him. Eyeing you suspiciously he glanced between the cup and you.

“It’s not poisoned if that’s what you’re thinking, I would drink it to prove it to you, but as much of a clean freak you are I don’t think you would appreciate that now would you?” Rolling his eyes he sat back down, (in the same spot he had sat every night he had come up here with Furlan and Isabel) taking the cup gratefully, though still eyeing you as you rested you arms on the way, now holding your own up between your hands, eyes aimed towards the sky.

He couldn’t help but wonder why you went through all the trouble, why you’ve gone out of your way since he first arrived, to try and befriend him (if that’s what you were trying). Even after knowing he had joined the scouts to kill one of your own friends, you had still cared enough to hand him the bloody wings of freedom that had belonged to Furlan and Isabel, and every day you made sure to greet him when passing by, or even dragging him off to train with your squad, because (and he could quote it), ‘Flagen’s an ass and you won’t learn anything from him’. Now even, you had sought him out in the middle of the night, when he was at his lowest, to offer him a cup of tea. Why, what were you gaining from this? Most everyone else still treated him like an outsider, so why were you so kind?

“You’re wondering why aren’t you? Why am I so kind to you?” you mused softly, speaking his thoughts out loud for him. Looking his way, you met eyes briefly before he turned his gaze away, silently answering your own questions. Another small laugh escaped you as he avoided your gaze.

“There’s no reason, if you must know, no reason other than I don’t think that you should be alone after everything that happened.” He scoffed at that, causing you to laugh once more, humans were selfish creatures, that much was true, so you had to have a reason, something that you wanted, but for the time being he would indulge you, you were rather calming to be around (and not just his curiosity getting the better of him). So he sat silently, occasionally speaking up, as you talked about random things to fill the silence. The two of you stayed like that for several hours into the night, and it wasn’t until you both were finally heading to bed to get the few hours of sleep that you could before you would be required to be up and training, did he ask what the both of you knew had been on his mind all night long.

 “What do you get out of this, what do you want in return? And don’t say nothing, everyone wants something.” You smiled softly nodding as you thought carefully.

“I really do want nothing, but if it satisfies you, I’m doing what I would want someone to do for me if I were in your shoes, so why don’t we say that what I want in return is for someone to kick me in the ass if I ever appear to lose hope in everything, okay? Does that work as an answer for you?”

Though shock coursed through his body, he rolled his eyes, letting out yet another scoff among thousands that he had made during the night, muttering, “I suppose that works.”

“Great, then it's a deal. I keep annoying you and in return if I ever get mopey and depressed I expect you to kick me in my ass and tell me to get over it,” you said, laughing all the while.

-

‘If I ever get mopey and depressed I expect you to kick me in my ass and tell me to get over it.’ That was what you said, so while you may end up being momentarily pissed at him for what he was about to do, you could only blame yourself, after all you were the one who said he could do it.

Grabbing the blanket with both hands he gave a hard tug as he pulled it off of you, shaking you awake. As the sudden cold hit your body and light flooded your face, blinding you, you blinked your eyes quickly, trying to adjust to the sudden light while giving Levi a look of, ‘what the hell are you doing?’

“You look like shit,” Levi said once you met his eyes, and it was true. Your hair was a mess, your eyes bloodshot and swollen, tear streaks running down your face, your skin looked duller than normal, but those were not the things that shocked Levi. The look of absolute defeat, of brokenness shook him to his core, never had he seen you look so small and helpless, causing him to yell at himself mentally for not realizing how badly your mental health had become. 

“Yeah, yeah, now what do you want,” you eyed the blanket that he had ripped away from you longingly, but made no move to try and take it back, your arms felt too heavy to move, pushing yourself to sit was hard enough.

“I’m here to get your lazy ass up, seeing as you decided to sleep all day.” You raised your eyebrows, glancing to look at the window, to see that long shadows had started creeping across the land outside of your window, the sun would be setting soon.

Sighing, Levi draped the blanket over the headboard, reaching a hand out to gently grasp your chin to turn your gaze back to him, “What’s wrong brat?”

“Nothings wrong, I just decided to sleep all day. What's wrong with that.” While you still denied it, one look, however, he could tell it was a lie. From the way your eyes watered and refused to look at any part of him, knowing that you would cave if you looked directly at him and not wanting to burden him with your own memories and feelings, he already dealt with more than his fair share.

“Don’t lie to me. And if I must remind you, you gave me special permission to beat your ass if you ever got like this.”

“I-,” you finally met his eyes, seeing for the first time the amount of worry that shone behind them, “fine,” you mumbled, slipping out of his grasp and resting your back against the wall, staring at your hands as you gathered you thoughts, trying to find a place to start. Slipping his boots off Levi joined you on the bed, resting against the headboard, arms crossed as he waited patiently.

Once your thoughts had been gathered you started speaking, telling the story of all the people you could never save. Your fellow cadets that had graduated from the same cadet corps as you, joining you as a scout (there had only been five of you who had joined that year), all of whom had died during their first expedition, leaving you alone. Of fellow squad mates that were killed saving you, fresh new cadets that you were given to train that never made it through their first expedition. The guilt you felt from not being there to save Furlan and Isabel. The screams of mothers when told that their child was dead and never returning home. Then finally, as your voice became shaky and tears had filled your eyes until you could no longer see clearly, you told him of your siblings. Of the snowstorm that rolled through your hometown, of the argument you had with your parents, how you had left right before the storm had it, leaving for a friends house, and how your younger siblings had gone out in the storm to search for you only to not be seen again until spring, about the blame your parents had placed on you, and the blame you placed on yourself. You told him everything as he sat silent, watching as your highest wall crumbled and fell to the ground.

He had known you were a kind soul, but he had never realized just how kind you were, how much you cared for people, and how much you blame yourself for not saving people who could not be saved. Stepping out of his comfort zone you reached his arms out, wrapping tightly around your torso as he pulled to his chest, whispering soft affirmations, and speaking of all the lives you had saved. And as he held you in his arms, speaking to you and rubbing calming circles on you back as you fell apart before him and sobbed your heart out, you realized something. You weren’t in this alone in any of this pain, there were others all around you who felt the same, friends, strangers, so many people in your own life who had also lost others and shared in the same grief and pain as you. You realized that as long as you reached out to those you cared, you would never be alone.

Wrapping your arms around the dark haired man, between your sobs, you whispered out a small thank you, for caring, and for reaching out.

[hoedorokishoto]

Trust - Part 5

Shoto Todoroki x Reader 

+ Minors DNI 

previous | part | next 

My lids felt heavy as I struggled to open my eyes to the bright room. The furniture in Hitoshi’s room becoming clear as my vision cleared, and I could take in all my surroundings. A very silent and stoic Mr Aizawa standing by the door, arms crossed, his face unreadable. I pulled the blankets up, becoming aware that I currently only had one of Hitoshi’s shirts on over my underwear. Something I was comfortable showing Hitoshi, but not so much the Erasure Hero.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, his voice deep and even though I knew he wasn’t accusing me of anything I still felt like I was in trouble. Guilt still seemed to be the only emotion I could manage.

“I feel fine. I didn’t have much to drink at all last night.” I answered, trying to laugh off his question.

“Even though I’m not thrilled about the underage drinking, I think you know that isn’t what I meant.”

I knew what he meant, my head dropping to my bare thighs where I fidgeted with the hem of the shirt. Memories of last night came flooding back and I couldn’t help but cringe at the feeling. The feeling of being overwhelmed with all those emotions, feeling things that I wasn’t meant to be feeling.

“I- um, I’ve got it under control now, I’m sorry about what happened last night. I should have um- I- It’s all my fault.” I barely got out before a tear ran down my face.

“Y/N. What happened wasn’t your fault, you and Sen are both almost adults and weren’t doing anything wrong. I think there was just too much alcohol and not enough communication which was the cause of the outburst. Don’t blame yourself for the actions of others.” Mr Aizawa said lowly, walking over and sitting on the desk chair across from me. Despite his gruff exterior, he was one of the most noble men you had ever met. Also, one of the best heroes.

“Um, did… Todoroki. Is he okay?” I asked, heat rising up my neck and making its way across my cheeks. My body betraying me and my intentions of trying to come across cool, calm and collected.

“He went to shower; he didn’t leave you at all last night. I’m sure it was quite cozy with all 3 of you in here last night.” Aizawa stated, standing, and making his way over to the door. He stayed? Why? What could Shoto Todoroki gain from laying on the ground like a dog and guarding me? Was he worried that I was going to have another meltdown and his ice would be able to help?

“Put on some pants, come downstairs. Everyone was worried about you, and they made breakfast.”

“I have to go finish some paperwork because Bakugo and Denki decided to defend you honour last night. Noble but stupid.”

My eyes widened; they really did that for me? I wanted to smile but thought it best to wait before the teacher was out of the room.

When the door clicked, I jumped up and found some spare clothes that I kept here. A pair of leggings that covered my bare thighs and a sweatshirt that added warmth to my cold body. I thought it best to have a quick look at my appearance before leaving the room and scaring any students. Knowing that sometimes my hair could be exceptionally large and in charge. Pleasantly surprised that someone, I would guess Hitoshi had taken off my makeup, and left a thick hair tie on the corner of the mirror, the tie perfect for restraining the small afro that had started to form on my head.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I left the room and headed to the direction of Todoroki’s dorm, wanting to thank him for all his help. My body moving before my mind could decide this might be the worst decision I had ever made.

                                                            *

The knock on the wooden door seemed to echo throughout the hall. The only noise in the empty hallway.

“It’s fine, just say thank you then leave.” I said to myself. Eyes closed and breathing in heavily. My anxiety through the roof. Caught between wanting to thank Todoroki for all his help but also never wanting to see him again because the last time I did, our faces were inches apart and I was hysterically crying. On the verge of an actual mental breakdown.

“Leave? You only just got here.” The voice shocking me out of my thoughts. My fidgeting hands stopping by my sides and going completely still. Maybe if I didn’t move, he wouldn’t notice me, and I could make a quick escape I thought to myself. My eyes still looking down at my feet, seeing Todoroki’s bare feet opposite mine.

“I hope you don’t think that if you stand still, I won’t see you.”

Feeling defeated, I looked up slowly. Taking in the sight before me. There was Shoto Todoroki, still dripping wet from the shower, towel hung low on his hips. Almost everything on full display. His whole body was toned and clearly built to be a Pro Hero. I didn’t think I had seen anything so sexy. The muscles of his body clearly from all the years of training.

“I- um. Thanks.” I choked out, trying to keep still, my eyes travelling up and down his body. Wanting to take it all in, knowing that I’d never be seeing this again.

“I told you I could see you naked.” I said quietly, recalling the conversation we had in my workshop. Wanting to relieve some tension. A hearty chuckle leaving his lips and reaching my ears.

“Do you want me to drop the towel? Technically I’m not fully naked yet.” He said back, voice flirty and lighthearted.  For a second you forgot the awkwardness you were feeling moments ago and laughed. His hand coming out and resting on your elbow.

“Are you okay?” He asked, the mood shifting again, becoming serious. His hands still firmly on me, warm to the touch. I hardly knew him, but he was comforting, his presence very quickly becoming one you didn’t know if you could live without.

He was charming, funny, smart and dedicated. All facts you had learned from him being in your workshop every afternoon for the past week. Both of you learning about each other, casually flirting and making jokes with each other. He had definitely come along was from the little first year who thought that if he smiled people would die.

“Thank you, seriously. I’m glad you were there.” I said honestly. Not sure what would have happened if he didn’t find me and help me get a hold of my quirk. The thought of feeling all those emotions for any longer making your stomach drop and fill with dread.

“You also didn’t have to stay with me last night, I know those cots aren’t too comfy.” I said, playing with a stray curl that had fallen out of the tie awkwardly. You felt bad for him really, you knew how small and not suited for someone so tall and broad they were.

“I wanted you in my room but Shinso took you off me. I didn’t want to let you go.” He admitted lowly, dropping his head and bringing it down next to my ear. His breath warm on the side of my face. My cheeks heating up, stepping back and out of his grip.

He looked sincere, his eyes honest as I looked into them, but I couldn’t fall for it. I wanted to believe him but deep down I knew how people really were. I knew that I couldn’t let anyone else in.

My friendship quota full, no matter how wet and handsome they currently looked standing before me.

“I’m going to wear you down Y/N.” He almost whispered, stepping out of his room to make up the space I made between us. His body pressed flushed against mine, the water from his torso wetting the material of my sweater. His hand came out and played with the bottom of the sweater, toying with the material between his fingers.

“Wear me down? Don’t say it like it’s so easy.” I admitted, looking up but not moving back. Our bodies, still pressed up against each other.

“I like a challenge.”

“I’m nothing like any of the villains you’ve face before.”

“I’m excited to find out just how different you are.” He said lowly, small smile on his face as his hand shifted under the sweater and rested on my waist, his other hand coming up and resting on my cheek. Holding me in place.

“I can feel it, this wall you have put up. From a past heart break or family drama, doesn’t matter. I’ll learn soon enough. Just know that I’m going to break it down and you are going to want to be with me just as badly as I want to be with you.” He stated so surely, his mouth inching closer to mine, his breath fanning my face. Stopping short of our lips touching, Todoroki shifting and kiss the corner of my mouth, right on the cheek.  

“We should go get some breakfast. Give me a minute.”

Without another word Todoroki turned and went back into his dorm, closing the door slightly to get changed. No, evidence on his face about what had just happened, or almost happened. Definitely the opposite of me who was beyond flustered, cheeks red and a little turned on.

                                                              *

The common room and kitchen looked different from when I saw it last. The couches were pushed back together, no empty bottles littered the floor and the space was completely bare of drunk teenagers unlike how it was when I left last night.

“Girl… so how are you feeling?” Mina asked, sitting next to me scooping food onto my plate.

“I have never been better; I feel so good about everything in my life right now. So balanced.” I said, looking over at her as she rolled her eyes.

“Sarcasm isn’t real humor extra. If you feel like shit you should just say it!” Bakugo said from the other side of me, nudging me with his arm. I had already thanked him for last night, feeling honored that he would stick up for me like that whereas Denki’s thanks would have to wait until he decided to emerge from his room.

“You have no reason to feel shit by the way. He is a fuck. He deserved the punch he got.”

“Not that I don’t agree with you, but I definitely think I should be held accountable for some of it. I mean he wouldn’t have acted like that if we weren’t sleeping together.” I stated, shrugging my shoulders and scooping food into my mouth.

“Just because you guys had sex doesn’t mean he can touch or talk to you like how he did. Once a dickhead always a dickhead.” Bakugo said back, sipping his tea.

You had to agree, the situation you were in last night had scared you. Watching Sen act like that startled you and reminded you that anyone was capable of anything under certain conditions. Before you could reply two large hands came down on your shoulders, squeezing lightly.

“Morning Y/N, sorry about last night. Sorry I couldn’t be there to help.” Kiri said sadly, concern clear in his tone.

“Where were you last night shitty hair?!” Bakugo yelled.

“I was with um Aiko… and Kameko and um whatever her twin sister’s name is.” Kiri said nonchalantly, scratching the back of his neck and sitting down in one of the spare seats at the table. I almost choked on my coffee, the fact that Eijiro Kirishima was casually talking about having a foursome over breakfast blowing my mind.

“Dude, you are my hero.” Mineta said, practically drooling as he looked at the red head.

“How do you even make that happen? What do you say?” Mineta asked.

“I do this thing called um respecting women and being a top guy. Something you clearly haven’t grasped.” Kiri said, slapping Mineta’s hand away that was held out for a high five. Bakugo chuckled to himself, turning back to his food as Mineta still probed Kiri for details. Which the latter absolutely didn’t divulge.

The mood felt nice. Comfortable. I was grateful to call these people my friends and know that we could talk and be like this together. As I looked around I didn’t miss Todoroki who kept his eyes firmly on me, which he seemed to be making a habit of and Momo, who had her eyes fixed on him

[echo-hiraeth]

Chapter 8: Agente Peña

Part of the “Ilicit Limerence” series

Pairing: Javier Peña x F!Reader

Summary: The reader comes to terms with the downsides of pregnancy and confides in Connie. Javier decides to spend some more time at home, taking his work with him.

Warnings: swearing, angst, explicit sexual content, unprotected sex, nudity, mentions of sickness/vomiting

Masterlist

Previous chapter

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Everything you knew about pregnancy you learned from watching television and so you’d expected the sickness and the glowing hair. But the migraines? Those were something you didn’t prepare for, your last week off work started out hunched over the sink, the nausea and continuous pounding in your head making you shiver.

It was just around noon now and you’d fought Javier over the phone, insisting you didn’t need a babysitter. He told you he’d head to your place on his lunch break, just to make sure you were okay. There was no stopping him, no amount of telling him off could change his mind.

He noticed it before he left this morning, the way you sat up a bit more in bed, eyes squeezed shut as you desperately tried to fall back asleep, telling him all he needed to know. But as soon as he offered to stay home with you another day, you pushed him away, rolling over on your side and just turning your back to him, literally. At the office he had to fight off the urge to call you every other minute, stomach in knots with worry. Was it normal to be that sick? He’d have to read up on some of those books Steve had been rambling about. Steve – that was the other thing, the tension was fucking horrid. He wouldn’t even look at Javier, just throw down the next folder on the desk. Javier was sick of it at this point, lighting yet another cigarette as he thought about how to go about this.

“I know we had.. words, but can we at least work together, like partners?”, he asked, puffing out a cloud of smoke.

“I’m sorry man, didn’t mean to be an ass, the girls just kept me up all weekend”, Steve sighed, reaching for the bottle of whiskey in the bottom drawer. “Con wouldn’t shut up.”

Javier shook his head slowly, taking another long drag of his cigarette. “I don’t fucking get them sometimes. One moment she’s practically begging me to stay with her and the next she’s just doing everything to get away from me.”

Steve quirked a brow at him. “Trouble in paradise? So soon?”

“I just want to check up on her, but she’s just so fucking stubborn”, he grunted, putting out the cig.

“Why don’t you take the paperwork home tonight, skip lunch so you can head home earlier.”

He looked at the phone, wondering if he should call to see if you needed him. “You’re probably right. She just drives me crazy man, in a good way, but still just crazy.”

His partner chuckled, knowing exactly what he was on about. He’d stay at the office another couple of hours and would bring the casefiles home.

A part of you had expected him to show up, a part of you really wanted him to be there, hands on your back, telling you it’d all be okay. You knew it wasn’t that big of a deal, just the morning sickness and headache kicking your ass as of right now. But you were too tired to deal with any of this, the dull aches of all your bruises and sore muscles not allowing you to get much sleep. You figured a warm shower would help, dragging yourself into the small bathroom, stripping yourself of your clammy and dirty clothes.

You put your hand under the stream, jerking it back when the water was ice cold. Shrugging a robe over your shoulders you sat down on the toilet seat, waiting for the water to heat up. It was well past one now, which meant any possibility of a lunchbreak visit was off the table. You got up again, only to find the same exact thing; freezing cold water. Not that you couldn’t take care of yourself, but you were no expert plumber. With a heavy sigh you made your way over to the landline in the living room, dialling up the landlord’s number, only to be met with his answering machine, over and over.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. You knew Connie worked parttime now, wanting to be home with Olivia more often, so you tested your luck and called the Murphy’s.

“Murphy.”

“Con, I’m sorry to bother you on your day off, but my shower broke and I’m all alone and I just feel so miserable and-“

“Shut up and get your ass over here”, she chuckled, Olivia babbling away in the back.

You smiled to yourself, already shrugging your robe off. “Dinner’s on me!”

A bag with a change of clothes and some snacks for the little one was all you brought with you. You had no trouble navigating through the busy streets and soon found yourself parking in front of the infamous apartment building. The days of sneaking out of the back entrance in the mornings were past you now. You sighed at the memory, feelings of guilt and shame now replaced by bliss and adoration. It wasn’t perfect, it didn’t have to be, but you were content.

The walk to Connie’s apartment seemed longer than ever. With shaky knees and heavy breaths you dragged yourself up the stairs, the elevator still out of order. You were lucky to have some friends here, it wasn’t often DEA agents had the privilege of keeping their friends from home, but Steve and Connie had made it abundantly clear that they were here to stay, Bogotá or not. They’d been there for you through the years as had you. You’d even been promoted to maid of honour at their wedding, and were put in charge of her hen party. The states were good times, but Colombia had been tougher on the three of you. While you and Steve had no problem leaving your families behind, Connie had proven to be rather close to her parents. That’s where you had come in, sweeping her out of her mellow state whenever she needed it to take her out into the city, dancing the night away. However, with you being pregnant and herself a new mother, it had become something of the past. Soon girls’ night would have a whole let alcohol and whole lot more diapers.

Connie opened up with a heartfelt smile, a giddy Olivia bouncing on her arm. “Towels are laid out for you, we’ll talk after.”

You smiled back at her, grateful for her understanding. She was the kind of friend that just had to take one look at you to know what was wrong and while it was really helpful sometimes, but God was it hard to keep a secret from that woman. It wasn’t hard to tell you were feeling like shit, your pale face and fading black eye were enough of an indicator. You kissed Olivia on the forehead, side-hugging Connie before heading to the bathroom.

With how tired you were, you didn’t even bother to conceal your injuries, even applying some loose powder had seemed too intense a task. You turned the water on, the warmth of it already fanning over your bare arms. When it hit your chest and stomach you let out a sigh of relief, the cold shivers finally faltering. You took your time, now that you weren’t on the verge of puking your guts out. You washed your hair twice, even conditioned it before moving on to the rest of your body, exfoliating and rinsing, just treating to yourself. By the time you wrapped the fluffy towels around yourself you were completely relaxed, ready to just hop into the bed and pass out for the day, but the wailing outside the door reminded you exactly where you were. You’d brought a long sweater, the evenings getting rather chilly mid-November. With half-dried hair and in some baggy jeans you stepped out of the bathroom, joining the two ladies on the couch.

“Thank you”, you muttered, slipping your hands around the cup of tea that was waiting for you on the coffee table.

“What’s got you down in the dumps?”, she asked, carefully sitting the baby down on the carpet.

You sighed, blowing at the hot drink. “I-I think it’s just registering now..”

She gave you a frown, scooting over a bit closer. “Do you regret it?”

The tears were burning in your eyes, a dull ache settling in the back of your throat as you tried to hold it together. “I’m terrified”, you breathed out.

That was your breaking point, the floodgates were open now and you were a sobbing mess as she wrapped her arms around you. “Oh hun, you should’ve called me”, she cooed.

While you and Connie talked about anything and everything, getting it all out, Javier was finishing up to go home early. Steve decided to stay back at the office, wanting “some damn peace and quiet”. With some casefiles in hand he left the embassy, stopping along the way to pick up one of your favourite snacks. Tonight would just be a slow night, he’d listen if you wanted to talk and if not he’d just work in silence. He really just wanted to have you close, so that he could personally ensure you were “fine”. He hated the way he’d left this morning, the way you were just curled up into yourself, shivering under the covers, but he didn’t want to get on your nerves, he was so scared to screw things up.

Treading up the steps to your apartment, he tried to think of something to say. He couldn’t help but feel guilty, you were sick because of his baby after all. Surely there was something he could think of. Your apartment was eerily calm when walked in, your heaps of blankets and pillows still there. He tiptoed his way over to the bedroom, heartbeat picking up a bit when he noticed you weren’t there either.

“Anyone home?”, he called out, checking the bathroom.

No reply. He scratched at his chin, contemplating what to do next. You did mention wanting to meet up with Connie over the weekend. Yeah, that seemed likely enough, no reason to panic (just yet). He sped his way back downstairs, panting due to all the climbing action and hopped in the car, heading for the other apartment complex. When he spotted your car he could breathe normally again, his worries somewhat soothed. His knock at the door was a loud, demanding one. Connie opened up once again, laying a finger on her lips so as to motion for him to be quiet. Javier stood there out of breath, nodding frantically before he stepped inside. And there you were, asleep on the couch with Olivia in your arms, a blanket sprawled out across the two of you.

He caught his breath, nodding at Connie as a way of saying thanks. She bumped her shoulder into his, smirking as she detected a hint of a smile on his lips. “She been here a while?”

“An hour or two. She came because your boiler broke, but turned out she really just needed to talk as well”, her voice was laced with a tone of sympathy as she nodded in your direction.

“Did she eat anything?”, he asked, not looking from you.

Connie shook her head. “We had some tea and then she fed the baby, they were both out soon after.”

They both chuckled at that, Javier planting his hands on his hips. “I’ll take her back to my place in a bit, so you can get some rest as well.”

“You’re always welcome, especially if she’s gonna put Liv asleep like that”, she joked, softly patting the man on the back.

“Is she err- is she okay though?” It was a dumb question, but he still felt compelled to ask it, counting on the fact that she was your best friend.

Now it was Connie’s turn to sigh, her head tilted as she answered him: “She’s really scared, just sit down and talk with her from time to time. I know it’s not your strong suit but she’s gonna need it.”

“Let me get my place cleaned up and I’ll come get her, sound good?”, he offered.

The blonde just nodded again. “Make sure to change those sheets, preferably not ones Freckles has seen.”

He flipped her the bird on the way out, heading down a floor to go clean up his own apartment. He hadn’t been there since you’d come back and honestly.. he preferred it that way. That apartment stood for everything he’d decided to give up on for you and he absolutely despised it. It was as if the small space was the embodiment of his bad persona, haunting him everywhere he went. But he found it too soon to discuss such heavy subjects and did not want to jeopardize his relationship for the life of him.

Even just opening the door brought back those feelings of disgust and self-hatred, but he tried to push past it as he made his way into the kitchen. He wetted a washcloth and laid it in the fridge, should your migraine come back. Next he made his way over to the couch, where he gathered all the old cigarettes and empty beer bottles, shoving them into a trash bag. Along the way he picked up the clothes scattered across the floor everywhere and found himself in the bedroom, ripping the sheets off the bed. You’d been complaining about being cold at night, putting your icy feet all over him. So he got out the thicker sheets, putting them on as neatly as he could. The bathroom was clean enough, so he decided to lay out some of his clothes for you to wear. He ran back down to get everything from his car and when he was ready he went back up to the Murphy’s place. You were still sound asleep, lips perked as Olivia’s hand held on to your thumb. Connie was in the kitchen chopping some greens.

“You here to steal her away now?”, she jested.

“I’m here to give you back your couch”, he retorted.

She carefully picked up the baby from your chest, peeling her little fingers of your thumb, which made you stir a bit. Javi took a knee by your side, pressing a tender peck to your temple before gently shaking your shoulder.

“Hermosa, it’s time to go home”, he whispered, caressing your cheek with the pad of his thumb.

You hummed a bit, not really giving away at his request. So he decided to slide his hands under your knees and neck, lifting you up off the couch himself. He’d expected some resistance but you really only nuzzled into his neck even more, his warmth and smell drawing you in. Connie held the door open, smiling at the two of you as he carried you out of the apartment and down the staircase. He mentally thanked himself for leaving that damn door unlocked, managing to open it with just his elbow. Once inside he laid you down on the couch, covering your chest with his jacket. You were slowly waking up again, he’d noticed, so delved into his cupboards, setting down a tray of cookies on the coffee table. He sat down in the armchair, grabbing the first folder of the stack.

You blinked a few times, feeling a bit confused as to what was going on, but as you found Javier sitting across from you, reading over something, deep in thought as he picked at his moustache, you didn’t really care.

“What time ‘s it?”, you mumbled, stretching your arms out over your head.

He closed the folder, leaning back in the chair as he looked at you. “Somewhere around five by now. Sleep okay?”

“Mhm, you’re back early”, you remarked, yawning as you sat up a bit more. “Should I be worried?”

He got up off the chair, plopping down next to you. “Just wanted to check up on you.”

You leaned in to kiss him, which he gladly reciprocated. “I meant to call.”

“Gave me a bit of a fright. Crazy girlfriend on the loose”, he taunted.

You poked him in the ribs, squinting your eyes at him. “I’m sorry about being snappy this morning”, you whispered.

He kissed you again, successfully shutting you up. “Want some dinner?”

“I’d love that actually”, you beamed pressing your lips to his.

“Eat some of those”, he suggested, pointing towards the tray on the table, “Quesadillas alright with you?”

You were chewing away at a cookie, covering your mouth as you gave him a thumbs up. He chuckled, getting up to start on your dinner as you sat back. “I’ll be there in a sec, Javi!”

 The two of you had made dinner together, and taken it to the couch, where you fed him as he read out the details of the files. Due to your absence, you didn’t really know what had been going on with the cartel as of late. You sat there long after dinner was over, discussing the new developments regarding Pablo’s “surrender” it was absolutely ridiculous and the government was giving him exactly what he wanted.

“No point in getting so worked up over it, amor”, you purred into his ear.

He heaved out another heavy sigh as his eyes glazed over the paper yet again. “I just don’t understand how they accepted this, it’s a fucking set up.”

You took the papers from his hands, throwing them onto the coffee table with the rest of them, pushing him back against the couch. “Why don’t we do something else, huh, blow off some steam.”

“Are you sure you’re up for it, we don’t have to”, he assured you, intertwining his fingers with yours.

“Let me do something nice for you”, you tutted.

He shifted beneath you, eyes a couple shades darker already, laden with lust and want. “I-I don’t know if I’ll be able to hold back, hermosa, you’re playing a dangerous game.”

You knelt down in front of the couch, looking up at him with big, innocent eyes. “I’m well aware of what I’m getting myself into, agente Peña.”

Fuck – that little nickname, he felt himself twitch beneath his jeans, desperate for some friction. “Do. Not. Tease.” He gritted out, two fingers hooked under your chin to make you look up at him.

His belt came off first, the metal of the buckle hitting the carpeted floor with a thud. Four hands fumbling around with the waistband of his jeans. You giggled a bit at his eagerness, finally dragging the restrictive trousers down his legs. His tented briefs made you lick your lips, fingers hooking themselves into the elastic. “What do you need, baby?”

“Mouth, now, please”, he stammers out, chest already heaving with expectancy.

You wrap a hand around his throbbing members, squeezing it just the way he likes it. His head falls back against the pillow, mouth hanging open a bit. Ever so slowly you lick along his shaft, paying special attention to the dripping head. He lets out a guttural grunt, biting back another one as you engulf him with your warm mouth. Nothing – no-one ever did compare to you, the way you worked your tongue nothing short of entrancing.

He wouldn’t last, the delicious pull and shove of your mouth and hands had him hurling towards his orgasm. He’d dreamt about it, seeing you down on your knees, just for him, just to please him. Fuck, it was so hot, even better than he’d imagined. He balled his fists, trying to resist the urge to manipulate your head with them. On the verge of his release, he flinched, grabbing a hold of your arm.

“Espera, para, para, para..”, he called out.

You leaned back on your heels, lips glistening with your dribble. He leaned forward, rubbing your chin and helping you up. “Something wrong?”, you asked with a slight frown.

“I want to fuck you”, he growled, practically ripping your sweater off of you.

His mouth latched onto your heavy breasts, eliciting a sweet moan from your throat. “Be-bedroom”, you whined, grip on his biceps tightening.

He tapped, your thighs, imploring you to jump up. Your legs wrapped themselves around his hips as his hands squeezed your ass. The journey to the bedroom was a passionate one, you swallowed his grunts as you merged your lips with his again, fingers tangling in his dark brown hair. He dropped you on the bed, immediately following suit, sucking and biting at that one spot on your neck. You gasped at the sensation, fumbling around with the button on your own jeans as he made his way down to your chest. One of his hands slid down to help you, the other supporting his weight next to your face. His tongue swirled around your nipple, making you arch into him.

“Tan ansiosa”, he hisses as he feels your jeans rub up against his erection. (So eager.)

You shoved your jeans down your thighs, rolling him onto his back to get them off all the way. With your panties still in place you went to straddle his lap. He quirked a suggestive brow at you, moving up against the headboard to sit up a bit more straight.

“You sure about this?”, he asks, mouth pressed against the nape of your neck.

You grab his face in both your hands, sliding your tongue across his bottom lip. “Paciencia, agente Peña.”

He gasps as you grab a hold of his cock, pumping a few times before sliding your panties to the side and sinking down. You rest your forehead against his, hissing as he bottoms out. He gripped at your ass, squeezing to keep himself contained. He loved having you on top, but seeing how long it had been since he’d gotten the chance to be this close to you, he was hungry for more.

“Move”, he demanded, one of his hands smacking your behind.

You let out a loud moan at the sensation and slowly started circling your hips. He watched you through hooded lids, head thrown back with that beautiful neck on full display. He started sucking there, making sure to leave his mark as you sped up your movements.

“F-feels so good”, you whimpered, bracing yourself on his chest.

He smirked against your skin, hands moving up to cup and play with your breasts. It was pure paradise, the fine line between pain and pleasure driving you completely insane. Your mind was ridden of any thoughts, there was only this, you and him, loving on one another. He noticed your panting and jerky movements, you were getting close. Pure lust made him do it, flipping you over so he was towering over you, still sheathed in your deliciously warm heat. He felt like he was on fire when he looked at you, cheeks flushed and glowing, biting on your lip as you touched yourself.

“Mírame”, you opened your eyes, his thrusts becoming harder and faster, “I want you to see what you do to me.”

You whimpered at his words, fighting off the incite to screw your eyes shut. It was then that he hit that spot inside you, making you cry out his name. His hands found yours, holding on to them as he rocked into you, hips smacking against yours. You couldn’t help yourself and let out a string of high-pitched moans as he embedded himself even deeper.

“I-I..”

“I got you, me too baby, me too”, he reassured you, giving a curt nod.

You nearly screamed when you hit your peak, clutching onto his shoulders as you arched up off the bed. Your nails digging into his back was all he needed, he grunted out your name as he filled you up, catching himself before he collapsed. The two of you laid beside each other, breathing heavily, one pair of hands still entangled. You felt like you’d been hit by a train, sheer exhaustion washing over you.

“Stay here”, he whispered, pecking your cheek.

He came back with a towel and washcloth, sitting down on the edge of the bed as he carefully cleaned you up. You just sleepily smiled at him, stroking your thumb back and forth over his knee.

“That was fun”, you murmured.

He huffed out a laugh, looking down at you while he slid your panties off. “Did I hurt you?”

You shook your head, sighing contently as he tucked the covers over your torso. “You were perfect, Javi.”

It was his turn to smile, resting a hand on your side. “We can stay here until your shower gets fixed”, he proposed.

“Thank you. I’ll call again tomorrow, I just want to lay in your arms for a bit”, you whispered.

He walked over to the other side of the bed, barely laid down before you curled up against his side.

Perfect – he thought – she thinks I am perfect.

Taglist: @pedritomando @peterhollandkait @ophelia-ingenue @radiowallet @phoenixhalliwell @diogodxlot @rosiefridayrogersunday @a-court-of-feysand-and-elorcan @asta-lily​

[fadedseas]

lessons.

nick amaro x fem!reader

summary: you get held hostage during a confrontation with a serial rapist - feelings ensue

tw: guns, violence, mentions of rape, cursing

(gif not mine but good lord, that expression...)

you knew there was an intrinsic reason you hated school. you knew it was a mistake to ever return to a classroom again. you knew this notion was affirmed as a serial rapist pressed his gun deeper into your skull so hard that you could feel the metal ring of the barrel.

there was something about the stuffiness of a classroom, the monotonous drone of an underpaid and overworked public school teacher (or that of an overpaid and underworked tenured professor) and the unrelenting stiffness of academia that made your skin crawl and your muscles twitch. it was probably why you had tried to get out as soon as possible. college as a scholarship kid with the four years passing quickly in a blur of all-nighters, coffee hangovers and then sweet relief during graduation. you had signed up for the police academy before the ink on your degree was even dry. and now you’re here. 

“now let’s just stay calm,” you closed your eyes at nick’s voice, trying to allow the deep tenor of his voice permeate your bones and calm your trembling. you hadn’t allowed yourself to make eye contact with him ever since the perp had grabbed you right when you had walked in. 

“i know you don’t want to do this.” nick moved slow, his muscles deceptively relaxed under his white button down as he moved slowly towards you and the professor. 

it was supposed to be a cut and dry case. a student from hudson university had walked into a squad room on a wednesday morning reporting a rape, her arms around her middle as if she were holding herself together. you and nick had pounded the pavement, interviewing classmates, boyfriends, administration officials that seemed less than pleased to have the nypd scaring off prospective students and donors. and one name kept appearing time and time again. professor daniel hershaw. english literature. tenured for the past fifteen years. 

“you really think it might be him? he’s the image of a family man. mentor. i mean the guy makes model planes for godssake - he’s a walking cliche.” you mused 

“one thing you learn on this job - most of the time, we’re not pulling rapists off the street. they hunt where they’re trusted.” nick said as he handed you a coffee from the coffee cart with his lips curved into a sad smile. your heart jumped as your fingers brushed. and oh. yes. that was another thing that was happening.

liv had assigned you and nick as partners given that you were the newest recruit and he was one of the senior members of the team. it was late nights, terrible coffee, greasy chinese food and floods of case notes that turned stagnant work chatter into deeper, more revealing conversations. you learned about his tendency to dance to the cuban music station on the radio (”we can work on your moves rookie”), his secret love for musicals, his divorce that had ended a year ago with an aggressive custody battle and long negotiations for weekends and holidays with his daughter, zara. you had learned more about his family, about zara’s obsession with anything disney, about his mother and her fretting, about his father and his tendency to communicate with his fists that made nick’s rage swell whenever your team handled a case involving women with black eyes and voices weak from sobs. 

and he learned of you. of your love for terrible reality tv shows and home cooking blogs that made you way too optimistic of your own cooking skills (”damn rookie, you burned water? i’ll have to teach you how to cook some ropa vieja someday - we’ll work up to it”); of your nightmares about each victim you’ve seen from your years in homicide and how their last expressions have been etched into your memory; of your parents and their incessant pushing for college and their disappointment when you joined the force. 

and you learned about the strong curve of his arms as he held you in his arms the first time you had shot and killed a perp who was raising a gun at you. the smell of his cologne and old spice filling your lungs as you tried to steady your breath. the flutter of his lips against your ear as he whispered that it was going to be ok. you learned about the roughness of his voice when he called you, late at night after drinking away his sorrows of his previous marriage at the bar and you learned about how he nursed his his hangovers the subsequent day when you curled up with him on his couch, not quite touching, after you had come over the night before to make sure he had gotten home safe and didn’t choke on his own vomit. you learned about the unfamiliar pressure of your chest as you realized that somehow, somewhere down the line of cold morning rides around the city, warm coffee, inside jokes, and progressively lingering stares across the squad room - you were in love. 

and now you were learning about his hostage negotiation skills.

it was a mistake to have spoken to the professor’s wife before you arrived at the classroom. she seemed entirely too calm about the matter, methodically pouring you and nick tea as she answered your question in short, snipped sentences. you made sure to note the gun cabinet as you left through the front door. you didn’t note the cell phone in her hand as she closed the door behind you. 

“stay back or i swear i’ll shoot her.” professor hershaw’s hand trembled as he kept pressing the metal into your head. 

“ok! ok! i’m staying back.” nick stopped his progress towards you. you could see the slight shake of his legs from the tension. 

“put your weapon down!” the professor barks behind you. 

 nick lifts his hands and your breath caught in your throat as he slowly kneels places his gun on the floor. he wasn’t wearing a bulletproof vest. you hadn’t expected a confrontation like this. he was completely open and exposed to a man with a gun.

since you had worked closely with the dead prior to this position, you had often thought about how you would die. you knew it was possible you could die in the line of duty. hundreds did every day. but you didn’t think it would be here. in front of nick. in front of the man you’ve been in love with for the past year. you didn’t think it would be before he taught you how to dance or cook or whether he would ever fix the radiator in his car. before you ever felt his lips against your and whether that would feel as slow and passionate as you had often fantasized it would. before you even had the chance to tell him how you felt. so many plot lines unfulfilled. so many questions left unanswered. but at the moment, all you could think about was how you wanted to look into his eyes once more before you died.

“you’re a good man. you got kids - good ones. i’ve met them -” nick’s tone was placating, slow.

“don’t talk about my children!” the professor jerked his gun, knocking your head a bit to the side, “i know they’re good. i raised them. better than the whores that walk through these halls. in these classrooms.”

“yea. yea i understand professor. it’s unfair - all of them just get to walk around like they own the place. like there’s no consequences for them -”

“exactly,” you could feel his spittle on the back of your head, “i showed them the lesson they deserved.” 

nick’s eyes moved from the perp to meet yours. and a shudder of warmth flowed through you as you saw fear, anger, determination - and something else that as more than you could process at the moment. but you did catch his slight nod. “that’s right. you punished them. rightfully so. because - it’s like you wrote about right? ‘Vengeance comes from the individual and punishment from God.’“

"you - you read victor hugo?” the professor stuttered, his arm slacked slightly in shock and there it was. you immediately ripped yourself from his arms as he staggered back in surprise. you dived for the floor as you heard the professor’s shout echo on the walls of the lecture hall and a gunshot. and then silence. 

you scrambled up, drawing your weapon quickly, your heart in your chest, terrified at what you might see. 

“call a bus!” you felt your entire body relax as you saw nick towering over the professor with his gun drawn and a bullet wound in the professor’s shoulder. 

later, much later, after you had been subject to medical exams by ems (albeit quite reluctantly) with nick hovering behind the paramedic’s shoulder like an unfriendly poltergeist that radiated anxiety, after liv had ordered you to take a few days, after you had returned to the squad room to fill out some paperwork in nick’s car as the both of you sat in heavy silence with too many things left unsaid between you two. you finally had a moment alone with your partner. 

most of the team had left with liv retiring to her office to have a quick call with the babysitter and say goodnight to noah. fin had clapped you on the shoulder and amanda had stopped by with coffee and an offer to let her know if you needed anything before she left to take care of the kids. the night shift had transferred in and you were finishing up the last words of the report when you sensed a presence and looked up. nick was standing by your desk, his lips in a firm line and brow furrowed. 

“can we talk?” he gestured towards the bunks. your heart flipped as you nodded, scribbling your signature onto the paperwork and shutting the file.

nick closed the door behind you. and you waited until the silence between you became unbearable.

“thank you for everything today nick. i mean - you saved my life. i could have died today and -”

“i know.” his voice seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet room. nick paced the floor, his hands gripping at his thick, dark hair. “i know you could’ve died. and i can’t stop seeing it. there’s just - i can’t describe how i felt watching him touch you. seeing how afraid you were. and how f**king helpless i was when all i wanted to do was just take your place - and when i finally got him away from you - i just wanted to -” he collapsed on a bunk and covered his eyes with his palms. 

you moved towards him, placing your hands on his shoulders, feeling the crisp fabric of his shirt crinkle under the heat of your hands. 

“you just wanted to what?”

nick lifted his head to meet your gaze, “you know you’re my partner. and there’s nothing i wouldn’t do to protect you. you’ve been there through everything this past year and i kept telling myself that i didn’t deserve everything you’ve been doing for me - didn’t deserve you.”  

you inhaled sharply, “nick - “

“i love you. there, i said it. and that was all i could think about today. losing someone else in my life that i love.” he sighed, rubbing his hand across his face, “i’ve been in love with you since that christmas party when you walked in with discount boy george - “

“kevin,” you automatically corrected the name of your old friend from college that you had brought as a date. 

“and you were just so beautiful. and i know that i don’t deserve you. but i just couldn’t stop wanting you. hoping for you. and it’s so selfish -”

he never got to finish his sentence. because by that point you had fully processed his words. you framed his face in your hands, bent down and pressed your lips against his. 

and suddenly all you could think, feel or taste was nick and his mouth moving against yours - warm, firm, steady - just like him. you were pushed back as nick got up from the bunk, his hands gripping your waist. you separated for a moment, drawing back to look into his eyes. beautiful brown. just like you never thought you would ever see again. 

and then nick pushed his body against yours, pressing you against the wall of the bunk room, his lips sweeping the corners of your mouth before exploring down your neck. 

“f**k - i thought i was going to lose you.” he growled, puncturing each word with a kiss and a nip at your neck. you gasped, your fingers diving deep into his hair. 

“never - you’ll never lose me nick. i never want to be apart from you.” 

nick dragged his face up to your, pulling you into a ferocious kiss, dominating you as his tongue swept through your mouth. his hands, large and seemingly burning, explored your back, and you shivered his his fingers played with the hem of your shirt. 

“everything about you,” his lips were everywhere, your hair, forehead, cheeks, “i cannot lose - do you understand me mi alma.” he closed his eyes, muttering in spanish as he held you close.  

you nodded, feeling intoxicated in his presence, his smell, the feeling of his body against yours. your hands gripped his shirt pulling him to you, anchoring yourself in the storm of his affection, “i got you. i love you too nick. i’m ok. i’m going to be ok.” you repeated the last sentence as nick’s body slowly went lax. 

he pressed his forehead to yours, and your breath caught at the vulnerability in his expression. “i know you’re going to be ok. it’ll just take a while before i get the image of you held at gunpoint out of my head every second of the day.” 

you smiled, pressing your hand against his cheek, “then i’ll be right beside you. reminding you that i’m right here.” his lips twitched as he grasped one of your hands from his chest, sweeping kisses across his knuckles.

“i know quierida.” 

you both stood in silence for a moment, basking in the presence of each other and the feelings you had just released. your heart felt lighter than it had in a very long time, and the butterflies in your stomach settled as nick’s body heat calmed you. 

“i’m tired, and i want to go home. come with me?” your request was bold but you trusted nick more than anyone to keep you safe. and you weren’t looking forward to the nightmares you knew would be resurfacing.

“i wouldn’t be anywhere else.” nick pressed kisses across your hairline. 

you both exited the bunks, and tried to suppress the red that bloomed across your faces. liv was exiting her office with her coat on and her bag slung on her shoulder. she raised an eyebrow as you both approached her.

“well i expect not you see you here for a few days,” she reiterated to you, “good night guys - try not to stay too late.” she turned and then paused, “and i expect the paperwork about your relationship on my desk by the time you get back from leave.” without another word, olivia exited to the elevators.

“oh god.” you placed your head in your hands, unable to stop the burning in your face and neck. nick strolled over to your desk, chuckling. 

“well she’s captain for a reason. you really can’t get anything past liv.” 

you rolled your eyes, “great, more paperwork to do then.” 

nick smiled as he swooped down for another quick kiss when no one was watching, “it’s all for a good cause. c’mon, let’s grab your bag and go. it’s late.” 

you laughed and nodded. grabbing your coat off the back of your chair and putting it on. as you and nick walked out of the station, hand-in-hand, a thought occurred to you - 

“when did you read victor hugo?”

[thewildomega]

Star in the Sand Ch.24

Going to pull his love back into his arms his felt nothing but the bed and his eyes snapped open, his breath catching in his throat. Seeing that she truly was no longer beside him he quickly tossed the blanket back and stood. Scanning the room he hurried to the bathroom but didn't see her there. Where was she? WHERE WAS SHE?! Noticing the bedroom door cracked he started moving through the house quietly, listening for any threat. As he got down the hall though and into the living room he heard a soft voice. 

"...if I could turn back the time I'd make it all right...something within your eyes said it could be the last night...." 

He knew that voice, the only voice to ever make his knees feel weak. Rounding the corner just as quiet he stood and watched with a small grin on his face as he saw her. She was standing by the counter in the dark, only the light of the moon coming in through the window lighting the room. She wore only his dress shirt that she had been wearing before bed and he felt his lip lift more when he noticed her swaying hips as, the faint noise and the glow from her phone telling him she was listening to her music. When he had produced the thing on the ship she had let out an actual squeal of joy, telling him how much she missed her music. 

"...Just wanna be wanna bewitch you in the moon light. Just wanna bewitch you all night..."

She sung without knowing he was there, her small bare feet tapping on the tile floor. He knew what song that was, it was one he quite enjoyed. Getting an idea he moved towards her. Looking over her shoulder he saw she was making...eggs? In the middle of the night? Had to be pregnancy cravings. Remembering he was on a mission he glanced down to the phone sitting on the counter beside her and grinned as he unplugged her headphones making the music play out loud. 

Yelping out of fright you quickly turned and looked up to him. "Are you trying to make me go into labor early?" you scolded. However he only grinned as he took the spatula from you and set it down, turning off the oven. Seeing a small smirk on his face made you furrow your brows, a light grin on your face as he took your hand and pulled you away from the oven some. Not saying anything as he moved your hands into place and slowly began moving and singing along with the music you could only smile. He was dancing with you. 

"There a sting in the way you kiss me." he sung in his deep voice. Dancing around the kitchen with both of them only in there pajamas he coudl only grin at the large smile on her face. "Just wanna bewitch you all night." 

Giggling as he spun you around and dipped you back you came up and laid your head on his chest "Whoawhoawhoa..." you smiled, closing your eyes as the song ended.

Sighing he continued swaying with her for a few moments, just enjoying this closeness with the woman he had missed so much. Bending down he scooped her up and sat her at the bar while he moved to plate her scrambled eggs. Placing the plate in front of her he saw her give him a smile as he moved to make them both some tea, making her lavender so maybe she will sleep. Taking them both over to the bar with one hand he sat beside her and heard her give him a small thank you. Watching her as she ate he could only sigh in contentment, grinning back at her when she would smile at him. 

.....................................

The next few days had went by peacefully, an odd but not unwelcome change to the past half year. Crocodile wouldn't allow you to do anything that he considered work which basically meant everything but laying about. So you spent you time when he was away playing on your phone, looking over books and planning out what you wanted to do with the baby's room. Sitting back against the wall in what would be your almost certain son's room you had your feet crossed under you and the sketch pad opened in your lap. Tapping the pencil on your finger you bit your lip as you glanced at the room and then back down at the paper, sketching out an idea of a mural you wanted to paint on the wall. Hearing footsteps you giggled when you saw the flamboyant man do a twirl out of the corner of your eye. 

"For the mama to be." Bentham spoke, bending almost in half with one foot raised into the air as he held out a freshly made smoothie on a tray. 

Smiling you looked to your friend and gave him a thank you as you took the drink. Bon had quickly took up making your smoothies in Sanji's place, adding in your vitamins that Chopper had made for you. Going to take a sip he stopped you. 

"Ahah... I almost forgot." 

Watching as he popped a tiny drink umbrella into your smoothie you giggled and shook your head. "You're too much." you told him as he took his seat beside you on the hardwood floor. 

Looking down at the beautiful drawing Bentham smiled. "Oh I like it. I think you should go with that little Croco junior will love it. "

"You think? You don't think it will be too much?" 

"Not at all. Plus it goes perfectly with the music box King Neptune gifted you." 

"That's what I was going for." 

"Besides what could go better for the son of a notorious pirates room than a sea theme?" he chuckled. 

"Very true." you smiled, starting to add in the last details. Holding it up you gave it a final look over. 

"Say what's that blocked area for then?" he asked when he noticed a part of the picture had a missing rectangle in the left side. 

"A door, Croc is having on put in so that way it can be directly connected to our room."

"That's a good idea. It'll make it easier for when you have to get up in the middle of the night to feed him too." 

"Yeah." you sighed. "Poor fella is likely to starve." you spoke glancing down to your small breasts. While the rest of your body seemed to be starting to get back to normal you 'girls' hadn't yet got the message it seemed. 

"Oh don't say that, they'll perk back up and once you have the little bundle of joy they will fill up with milk real quick." 

"I hope so." you said with a sigh. You couldn't help but feel self conscious as you thought on the manner. Ever since you were reunited with your soulmate he had made no move to touch you sexually and you couldn't help but wonder if it was your body, if maybe he didn't find you appealing anymore. Even last night when the both of you had retired to bed for the night you had tired sparking something but after your kisses just started getting deeper he had ended them and stood from the bed, telling you he had forgotten to finalize something on his paperwork. Watching him leave the room you licked your lips and blinked your eyes to keep the tears at bay as you laid back down.

Sensing his friend's sadness he kit his brows and tilted his head, "Y/n... is there something wrong? You know you can confide in me." 

Taking a deep breath you grinned and nodded before looking to him, "Thank you, it's nothing just hormones." you said with a roll of your eyes. 

Humming he decided to let it go for now, not wanting to upset her. "So what colors are you going to do for the bedding and such?" he asked, deciding to just get her mind off of whatever was bothering her. 

............................

There everything was ready for tonight. He had the location ready, a private gazebo on the beach that his men would made sure stayed private. The chiefs had been told what meal to prepare, something she would like but also something that wouldn't harm their child. He even told them to throw together some type of dessert to appease his woman's sweet tooth. Taking the dress he had bought her for this evening to their room he laid it out on the bed, setting the matching shoes and even a new necklace that had caught his attention in the shop. Having already set his clothes aside in one of the other bathrooms so when the time came he coudl change and freshen up he  glanced back to the bedroom door. He coudl hear her and Bentham in their son's future room still and let out a breath as he moved to the dresser to grab the hidden velvet box underneath his spare scarfs.  

Looking down at the ring he grinned, a warmth spreading through his chest. Tonight was the night, tonight he would ask his star to marry him, to become his wife. 

"Y/n absolutely not, get down from there.... Mr. Zero!" 

Snapping the box close he pushed it into his pocket and moved to the room next door to see Bentham trying to keep his soon to be fiancé from going another step up the ladder she had somehow gotten into the room without him knowing, where had she even gotten one?

"Oh Bon would you calm down I'm like two feet off the ground..." 

"And now you are three. You might fall... no...MR.ZERO!!"

"Stop yelling I'm right here." he growled out to the male before moving over to his woman who was now eye level with him. Seeing her look to him and smile he rose a brow. 

Seeing him raise a brow in what you knew was a silent 'what do you think you are doing?' you turned to start drawing out the mural outline on the wall. 

Ignorance, that was her play. Giving a small grunt he looked to Bentham and tilted his head. 

"See you tomorrow Y/n. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." 

Giggling you continued working, "That doesn't leave much." 

"Then you are sure to have a good time." the man laughed as he walked down the hall. 

Huffing out he shook his head even though he enjoyed seeing his darling having a friend. Once he heard the front door close he looked back to her and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched her draw on the wall. "When I said you had free design control of our child's room I didn't mean you would be the one doing the labor." 

"This isn't what I would consider labor, I'm just sketching out the mural." 

"And yet you are standing on a ladder, that I don't even know where you got ... while six months pregnant. I can't believe I am going to quote Bentham but, You might fall. I don't want you climbing things." 

"Croc, hun I'm fine. I had to jump from like two stories at Punk Hazzard." 

"What did that get you, oh yes, a concussion, three bruised ribs, a nice bruise on your face... shall I continue?" Seeing her shake her head he knew what face she was making imminently, nose wrinkled, brows knit together. "Get down." 

Hearing how deep and serious his voice was now you sighed and tuned around to look him in the eye. "If I let someone else do it then it's not going to be done right. It's my artwork in our son's room I want to be the one to do it." Seeing his face remain unbudgingly you gave a small whine and wrapped your arms around his neck. "Baby please... I won't have to be on the ladder the whole time just the parts I can't reach..." hearing him grunt you moved your face to his neck and whined again, beginning to pepper his jaw and neck that wasn't covered by his scarf in kisses. When you felt his arm's uncross and move around your body you knew you were winning, only a little more push. "Pleasssse." 

Closing his eyes tight he grit his teeth. Damn his pent up sexual frustrations. Her mouth on his neck was quickly making him loose his resolve on the matter. As her body pushed up closer to his he felt his cock twitch in his pants. He wondered if she knew how much control she had over him...hearing her beg him in such a sweet little voice he rolled his eyes behind his lids, oh yes she knew, little minx. Sighing he opened his eyes partially but didn't move away from her, enjoying the feel of her mouth on his skin too much. "You will only be allowed on the ladder when I'm in the room. If I am busy then you will not get on it until I am in here and you will not overwork yourself. Am I clear?"

Wasn't what you were going for but it was better than nothing. Smiling you pulled away to look at him and nodded. 

'She has you wrapped around her finger.' Huffing out he pulled her to him, slamming his lips into hers. Tightening his arms around her while still being mindful of their child in her womb he growled lowly when he felt her try to deepen the kiss. He shouldn't, he knew he shouldn't but he wanted it as well. Flicking his tongue out to tease her lips he grinned a little as she quickly parted them, allowing him entrance. Rolling his tongue around her mouth he felt his cock harden more in his pants. 

He was quick to dominate the kiss, as always but you didn't care, in fact you welcomed it. Melting more into his huge frame you felt your panties becoming damp, a pressure in your lower abdomen. When he lifted you up with his hook under your ass and his hand on your back you dropped your pencil to the floor. 

He wanted her, he wanted her so much his body was moving on instinct alone. Carrying her to their room all the while never breaking from her mouth he moved to lay her on the bed but just before he coudl he opened his eyes slightly and saw the dress he had previously laid out. Freezing he felt his muscles stiffen and sighed. Ending their heated kiss he gave a few more kisses as he tried to regain control. 

As he ended the kiss and slowly set you on your feet you couldn't help the ache in your heart as he refused to go any further with you once again. "C...croc did I... am I doing something wrong?"

Hearing how soft her voice was and sensing the sadness in it he closed his eyes for a moment before looking down to her. "No my little star you are doing nothing wrong, you could never do anything wrong. Right now is simply not the time." Seeing her confused and noticing the hurt still lingering in her eyes he kissed her lips and then forehead. Stroking her hair he breathed deeply, reminding himself of everything he had planned tonight. Clearing his throat you stood tall and looked down to her. "How about you go take a shower and get ready, I left something on the bed there for you. Then you meet me in the foyer and we will go have dinner."

You didn't really feel like going anywhere now, your hyperactive hormones making your emotions run haywire. 

"I think you will enjoy what I have planned tonight." 

Hearing this you breathed in deeply and nodded. 

Kissing her head he cupped her cheek, stroking her soft skin with the pad of his thumb. 

With one last kiss to the crown of your head he left you to get ready. Glancing to the bed you indeed saw a dress laying there, an elegant midnight blue dress. Noticing the matching shoes and solitaire diamond necklace you grinned a little. Not wanting to disappoint you moved to the bathroom to get ready for your apparent date.

................................

Standing in the foyer he turned when he sensed his darling behind him. When he saw her he felt his breath hitch in his throat and a smile come over his face. Smiling down at his soulmate he looked over her form. The dress that he saw hanging in the window at the store early this morning fit her perfectly, giving him glimpses of her soft skin and shaping her rounding belly. Running his hands down her bare arms he took her hands while he looked into her eyes. "You look beautiful, as always." 

Blushing you gave him a look over, seeing he was wearing a tie tonight as well as a full suit. He looked incredible and you grinned as walked over to him, placing your hands on his chest. "If Caiman inherits your looks then I sure do feel bad for all the girls hearts he is likely to break." Seeing him blink and then noticing his cheeks getting a little color you smiled. The black suit fit his bulging form perfectly, making his shoulders look wider if it were even possible. His tie the same color as your dress showing you how much he had planned this out. Then again Crocodile always dressed to impress. 

Clearing his throat he pulled away to completely take her in. Seeing her the new necklace he felt pride fill him at how lovely it matched with the star ear rings he had bought her all those months ago. He couldn't wait to add a ring to her collection of jewelry. She had left her hair down but had curled it a little more. Overall she looked stunning. Taking a deep breath he placed his hand on her back and opened the door for her. Walking with her down the street the two of them just talked about this and that, he pointed out different places on the island. Getting close to their destination he turned and blocked her view, "Close your eyes." he said and saw her look to him in suspicion before she obeyed and closed her eyes. Grinning he leaned down and kissed her lips, "Keep them closed." he told her in a deep, low voice. Carefully leading her down the path he was happy he had decided to get her flats. Getting to the secluded area he looked back to make sure everything was perfect before he pulled her slowly into the middle of the Gazebo.

You could hear the soft sound of waves in the background and the gentle breeze making you guess the two of you were close to the sea. His hand rubbed your hip and a little over your belly while his hook was placed on the other side, holding you in place. You coudl feel the warmth of his body on your back and smell his cologne. Feeling his breath on your neck you had to hold back the shiver that ran up your spine. 

"Open your eyes." 

Doing as your soulmate said you let out a small gasp when you saw where you were. Under a softly lantern lit Gazebo sat a stone table with a beautiful meal and two chairs on either side for the both of you to sit on. Around the area were blossoming pink and white flowers, giving you privacy and making the scene even more breathtaking. Feeling him still standing behind you, you moved to look back at him. "You did all of this? Croc this is amazing, it's beautiful." you spoke with a soft smile, looking up into his silver eyes. "Pirate, businessman, fashion designer, event planner. You're just a jack of all trades aren't you." 

Chuckling at her flattery he leaned his head down to place a kiss on her bare shoulder and run his hand and hook along her hips. Running his nose up the curve of her neck and breathing in her scent he sighed. When her hand cupped his cheek and she tilted her head to catch his lips he slowly wrapped his arms around her and held her to him. Moving his lips against hers he felt his member twitch, his arousal from earlier coming back and swallowed hard before pulling away. Kissing the tip of her nose he sighed and moved his hand back to her hip to walk her to the table. "Let's eat before it get's cold."

...................

Chuckling and shaking his head as she told him about how she had helped Luffy send Big mom a bomb he took a swallow of his drink. "She isn't going to be happy when she gets it." 

"I hope it blows up in her fat face." you grunted, shoving your spoon into the tart before placing a piece on your tongue. "Should have sent a note with it.... from your granddaughter, may you rot in hell." 

Huffing he set down his glass. He knew she despised her family, even though she had always wanted one. She would never say it but he knew it hurt her that she would never have the family she had always craved as a little girl. But he would do anything and everything in his power to give her their own family. Seeing her finish off her dessert he stood and moved over to stand by her. "Walk with me?" he asked as he held out his hand for her to take. Pulling her up as soon as her small hand took his he moved his hand to her back, feeling her skin under his fingers where the dress had a cutout.

Walking beside him down the stone path that led to the beach you grinned up softly at the star filled sky.

Seeing her looking up he stared at her shinning eyes and smiled, starlight. "How are your injuries?" he asked, breaking the comfortable silence as they walked down towards the sea. 

Turning you smiled up at him, "Better, that salve Chopper makes works wonders." 

"Good. You are taking the vitamins he made you as well."

"Yes. Nasty things." 

"Foul tasting or no I want you to take them like you are supposed to." Hearing her grumble he got to the area he had had picked out earlier this week and spun her around so she was standing before him. Looking down into her blue eyes he lifted his hand to cup her face, stroking his thumb over her cheek. "You will take them so that you and our child will be healthy. I want nothing more than for you to be as well as possible." 

Grinning you leaned into his touch and looked up at him. Blinking you knit your brows a bit when you noticed him just starring at you. There was a strange look on his face, one you so rarely saw, nervousness. "Croc... is something wrong?"

He had just been thinking of how much she meant to him, of how heartbroken he had been when she was taken from him. Licking his lips he cleared his throat a bit. He had been so sure he would never get this moment again and he wasn't going to mess it up. "I Never thought I would experience love. I gave up looking for my soulmate, assumed I didn't have one. My whole life I have always felt like there was something missing. I did everything I coudl to make that feeling go away, even tried to take over a whole country." he told her and heard her giggle lightly. "As it turns out though it wasn't a something I was missing but a someone, my other half, my soulmate. A much as I hate to admit it I screwed it up in the beginning, I pushed you away and I hurt you. For some reason though you forgave me, like you do every time I mess up, every time I fail you." He couldn't help but look down to the ground for a moment as he admitted his wrongs but quickly swallowed and looked back up to her. "I know I'm not an easy person to love, I know I make it difficult and I want to thank you for never giving up on me." His heart was hammering so hard against his ribcage he was sure it would soon burst from his chest. "You make me feel complete, you make me happy, happier than I can ever remember feeling. You are so loving and caring, beautiful and kind." he smiled and saw her blushing. "Truly if I was to stand here and list everything there was that I love about you we would be here until the sun rose above the horizon." Staring into her eyes he licked his dry lips as he pulled the velvet box from his pocket and moved to one knee. "I promise to care for you, protect you until the end of my days. You have and will forever be the only woman I ever love. I will provide for you and you will never want for anything. My only request of you is that you do me the honor of becoming my wife and I your husband." 

You felt your breath hitch in your throat as you listened to his kind words and then saw him drop to one knee. Sucking in a shaky breath you looked down to see he did in fact have a ring pulled out between the both of you. Snapping your eyes back up you saw him looking at you in pure adoration. "Y...you want to marry me? you asked in a whisper, not believing you ears. Your eyes were already filling with tears as you looked into his own eyes that were even with yours. 

"Nothing would make me happier my little star." Seeing her nod and the tears fall from her eyes he rose a brow, wanting to hear it himself. 

"Yes." you choked out. 

Smiling he had the ring on her finger and his arms wrapped around her in a heartbeat, pressing his lips to hers in a deep kiss.

He was quick to deepen the kiss and you felt your arousal coming back full force. Kneading your fingers into the hair at the base of his skull you grinned and pulled away enough to look up into his eyes, "What do you say we go back home and celebrate?"

Smirking he scooped her up into his arms and felt her mouth move back to his as he made the walk home, this time taking the shortcut. Locking the front door clothes hit the floor all the way down the hall towards their bedroom. Securing that door as well he removed his hook, holding her with his forearm while he dropped the heavy prosthetic to the chair. Feeling her hands quickly unbuttoning his shirt he growled as her hands rubbed over his bare skin. Shuffling out of his jacket and shirt he dropped them to the floor, the price of the clothing not even crossing his mind. Her dress had already been pulled off her shoulders to reveal her breasts and it took him only a moment to set her down to drop the satin fabric to the floor before he had her back in his arms. 

Moving to the bed he crawled onto it all the while holding her to him. When he got close enough to the middle of the bed he lowered them down and held himself up on his left forearm while his hand went to work groping the soft flesh of her breast. Pushing his clothed sex into hers he heard her whimper and grinned before his mouth moved down to her neck. Leaving his mark on her neck and over her collarbone he felt her hands rubbing over his back. 

Deep groans and growls were leaving his throat as he licked at your skin, soothing the pain from his teeth. When his love bites moved down to your sensitive breasts you gasped and heard him let out low hum, his lower half pushing his member into your core hard enough to make you mewl in need. There was no doubt your panties were soaked, dampening his pants as well. God how long had it been, over half a year. Before you were taken it wasn't uncommon for you and Croc to have sex at least twice a week. When he moved his hand between you both, having to arch his back to make room around your baby bump to unbuckle his belt and pants. Biting your lip when he took your nipple into his mouth you felt him suck once and just about came undone right then. 

Hearing her moan he smirked around her nipple, "You sure are sensitive here little star." he growled into her lower breast. He had heard how sensitive pregnant women's breast were but never did he imagine he would enjoy it so much. Giving her other nipple the same treatment he felt her nails dig into back making him growl and roll his now freed member into her panty covered sex. He was so hard it was painful, he needed her so desperately but he wanted to drag this out, to enjoy their first time together in so long. Kissing her belly he continued moving south to the top of her panties, nipping the lace with his teeth. Sitting back on the balls of his feet he gently pulled her panties down her legs. She kept her legs closed and her knees pulled up as he looked down at her body basked in the moonlight coming in through the curtains. 

Seeing him looking over your naked body but not saying anything made you feel self conscious. Although you had been eating better now you knew your body was not what he remembered. Licking your lips you swallowed hard, Adverting your eyes from his ever serious face as more negative thoughts filled your head. Subconsciously moving your arms to cover yourself you curled up and moved to get up from the bed when a strong hand grabbed your hip and pinned you back down. 

He had been admiring the beautiful body that he had only snapped out of his thoughts when she went to curl away and he snapped his eyes to her face to see the apprehension in her eyes. "No." he spoke quickly when he saw her go to hide away. "You are so beautiful darling." he assured in a low, gentle voice, leaning down to kiss her temple and massaging her hip and thigh. Leaning back to look back down her body and seeing her try to cover her belly with her arm he grabbed her wrist and held it down beside her. "This body is giving me a child, something I never thought I would want or have until that night. I wouldn't trade you for anyone in this world or any other for that matter." he said, placing a kiss to her swollen belly. 

Blinking back tears as your worries were pushed away you pulled at his arm until he leaned back over you, meeting your lips in a tender kiss. "I love you Croc." you said, cupping his face in your hands. 

"Not as much as I do you." he grinned softly. Kissing he he slowly pressed the tip of his tongue to her lower lip and felt as she granted him access. Kicking his pants, socks and shoes off the bed while their tongues danced along with one another he lowered his body to hers. He could have sighed at feeling their skin on one another's again. He felt pride fill his chest as he moved his fingers up her slit. Pressing his index finger into her he felt her shudder and grinned into the kiss. He was careful as he began working his finger in and out of her, preparing her for him. Bentham had told him what had almost happened to her in Impale down. He had been enraged to find out that his starlight had been moments away from being raped by those men before Bentham had shown up and he was sure that that had been why he had heard her call out for him. Oh how his heart ached to know that what might have happened to her and he wouldn't have been able to help her. It was one reason why he had shoved back any desire he had for her, not wanting to push her into something until he knew she was absolutely ready but feeling how wet she was now he knew she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

Adding another finger he rubbed small circles over her clit with his thumb. She was whimpering softly now, her hands gripping his shoulder and bicep. When he felt her flutter around his fingers he gave one final curl before pulling away, he  wanted to feel her come undone around him. Running his cock up and down her slit to coat it in her slick he situated himself between her legs. Lining up his painfully hard cock with her entrance he moved his only hand to grab her own and lace their fingers together. Then slowly he entered her. 

Being filled you both broke away from each other's mouth to let out noises of pleasure. Your own being a long, soft moan while his deep groan vibrated along your chest. It was slightly painful, the stretch reminding you of your first time together as your body readjusted to your soulmate's. Feeling his head drop to your shoulder and his teeth scrape against the thin skin of your neck as he pushed in to the hilt you shuddered, your hand that wasn't holding his gripping him for dear life. You wouldn't be surprised to find marks on his back tomorrow. 

He trembled in need as he waited for her to adjust to his girth, every muscle in his body as tight as a bow string. Placing hard kisses and bites to her neck and shoulder he tried to keep from fucking her like he so badly wanted to. She needed this time, she was so tight around him, her body unfamiliar to his cock after so long. Groaning he pulled out just a little to thrust back in and let go of her hand to grip the bedding beside her head hard enough to turn his knuckles white. Doing it again he heard her let out a moan and growled, gritting his teeth. 

As soon as he started moving you felt your body cling to him, your lips kissing his hard shoulder. You could feel his muscles tightening beneath your palms, his hips rolling expertly into yours. It was no time at all before you felt that coil in your belly growing tight, ready to snap at any moment.  

Clenching his teeth he grunt and groaned, wanting to last longer, wanting them to savor their first time together in so long but his climax was coming in fast. She just felt so perfect around. Licking along her jaw he heard her whimper, felt her clench around him. Seems they both were in need of release. Kissing back up to her mouth he pushed his lips to hers and moved his hand down to grip her thigh, pulling it to lay over his hip. "Mmmmm." he hummed into her mouth, being allowed deeper. Angling his thrusts to hit her sweet spot he gave a low moan of his own. Quickly moving his hand back to hold hers by her head he rolled his tongue around her mouth. With one last hard thrust they were both crying out in bliss. His whole body went stiff, holding her tightly under him as he pumped her full of his seed. 

You could feel his cock twitching inside of you before the warmth of his cum filled you up. Coming back down from your own high you slowly laid your head back onto the pillows and felt him kiss your forehead once before he was gently easing out of you, your body flinching as your still slightly spasming sex clung to him. Being pulled to his chest once he had moved to lay beside you, you laid your head on over his heart and listened to it slowly go back to it's normal rhythm.

They stayed there with their eyes closed for a while, him stroking her belly when a thought crossed his mind. "Are you alright? Was I too rough?" he asked in a low, deep voice.

Forcing your tired eyes open you grinned and craned your neck to kiss his jaw. ""I'm perfect, you were amazing." Giggling a little when you saw him smirk as you added to his ego you kissed his chest. Stretching you moved to get up from bed when a strong hand caught your wrist in a gentle grip. 

"Where are you going?" he asked softly, stroking her arm with his thumb. 

"To go clean up." you said with a grin but then saw that mischievous look in his silver eyes, one of his brows raising.

"Who said we were done?" he questioned and saw her blush. Leaning up he grabbed the inside of her knee and pulled her back across the bed to him, time to make up for lost time. Leaning down to kiss her binding mark he felt her fingers rub through his hair. 

[olivetreehugger]

SnK Scouts/Veterans as Health Care Workers

Note: features Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jean, Connie, Sasha, Levi, Erwin and Hange. A part two to my “SnK Warriors as HCWs” post found here. warning: mentions of blood, trauma, gore (it’s healthcare). Also, I know Hange is nb, I headcanon them as female, so I will be using she/her pronouns. 

Eren: this boy is definitely too involved in everything and has too many people depending on him at once to not be a nurse. The kid barely passed the NCLEX but that didn’t stop him from applying to every trauma center within a 25 mile radius of him. He got hired as a night shift trauma ICU nurse  and he frequently picks up shifts in the ER. He wears the cheapest scrubs he can find, often stained with ink in the pockets area. He isn’t a shitty nurse per se but there are tasks that still need to be done at the end of his shift and he gives a crappy report that’s missing too many details. Nurses hate picking up his patients, it’s always a mess. His charting is really spotty and he gets called into the manager’s office all the time to fix it. 

Still, he tries really hard to improve his time management and skills. He wants to be like his friends Mikasa and Reiner, who are the best nurses he knows. He wants to be involved in the traumatic cases and emergencies because he wants to learn as much as he possibly can. He’s really good at wound care, for some reason (hint hint). He’s kinda cocky sometimes too, which can be troublesome when Dr. Galliard is working. People know to steer clear of those two when they’re both  in the ER. Also, Eren always has a black cloud around him; whenever he works it’s gonna be a hella busy day in the hospital. Lots of emergency surgeries, intubations, codes and deaths. He’ll always jump in to help you if your patient is crashing, though, no matter how busy he is. 

Mikasa: she’s a prodigy. She was a straight ‘A’ student in nursing school, got a perfect 75 on the NCLEX and was immediately hired to the trauma ICU after doing a short internship there. She worked night shift for a year but her sleep schedule was so so fucked she started having night terrors, so she switched to day shift. Eren still calls her a traitor for it :/. She keeps trying to get him to switch over but he just hisses at her and threatens to chug a case of Monster energy drinks. She hasn’t given upon him yet, though.

This girl’s work ethic is beyond measure. She comes in exactly at 6:30 am, looks up her patients, takes report, gives a great update to the doctors when they round, and provides impeccable care to her patients. She knows exactly which treatments the doctors will order before they even speak. She’s incredible at inserting IVs--everyone in the hospital knows Mikasa Ackerman can put an 18g in a 90  yr old lady’s arm AND get blood return (just trust me, it’s flipping impossible). She has great skill when it comes to emergency situations and is a big believer in team work. If she notices your patient’s crashing and you don’t know what to do, she’ll calmly coach you and save your patient, too. All before lunch time. 

It doesn’t take Mikasa long to be promoted to charge nurse. When she’s in charge all the reports, paperwork and audits are completed before shift change. She divides the patient assignments really well and is very fair to the new grads. All around she’s an incredible nurse and leader on her unit, but don’t be fooled. If it’s been a rough day, Mikasa will get in her car and sob so loud her throat goes raw. A lot of people depend on her and working in a trauma ICU is really, really demanding. A lot of patients are demanding, rude and busy. She has a lot of trouble with stress management and is thinking of cutting her hours down so she can catch a break. Someone please hug her <3

Armin: for some reason my brain is just SCREAMING respiratory therapist. Like, I imagine this beautiful blond boy in gray scrubs (the color for RT’s in my hospital) going around helping intubate patients, giving nebulizer treatments and doing blood gases. I can just see him huffing and puffing when the attending doctor is overzealous about weaning vent support. -“Why are we changing the patient to pressure support? do you see how tachypneic he is on volume control?”

-“are you gonna put in the order? if not, your patient’s gonna be on PRVC all day, I’m not changing it without an order”

-“Doc, the patient looks like crap and their blood gas looks like death...oh, you still wanna extubate? ok, well I’m gonna leave the ventilator in here just in case. better yet, let me call a pastor in here, too.”

This kid is sassy af and he knows it. He’s smart af too, knows everything there is to know about the lungs and respiratory care. Knows every ventilator mode better than most doctors. Will certainly tell a resident off for ordering the wrong type of inhaler for a patient. He’s so damn intelligent that he even made the ice queen Annie melt like a popsicle. 

 He has no chill when it comes to his patients and even less chill (like -4078875874670) when a doctor gets in his way. For this reason, Armin has recently been toying with the idea of going to PA school so he can have a little more autonomy. He works al over the hospital, usually frequenting the trauma, CV, and medical ICU. The nurses there love him. 

Jean: Jeannie boy. Baby. Sweetie. He’s also a nurse. He is strictly dayshift and trauma. When he first started, he thought he’d do a year in the ICU and then go to CRNA school. He didn’t want to be around sickly patients with hopes and dreams and fears--it was too icky for him. But, over time, he learned that he LOVED trauma. Jean loves the controlled chaos that comes with the ugly, bloody messes that roll in through the ICU’s doors. He always gears up for trauma season (summer time) by bringing Dunkin Donuts iced coffee for everyone on the unit (day and night shift because he’s a supportive king). He gets really good at dealing with arrogant trauma residents and ortho docs who think they’re hot shit. When Jean sees a resident yelling at a nurse, he jumps in and threatens to have their license revoked. He will dig under their skin and page them incessantly throughout the day, too, just to get back at them. Jean is not a fan of lateral violence in the workplace, no sir. 

He always, always makes sure every room is stocked and new bags are hanging for the next shift. He has a thing where if things aren’t properly organized on the unit his brain just spazzes. He’s on the unit council and education committee because he also loves to teach the new grads. He also doubles as charge nurse, when management can’t be there (there can be one or more charge nurses amongst the staff, they usually work different days, though) He and Mikasa work so well together, teaming up to get tasks done, coding patients, running them down to get scanned, etc. People joke they’re the mom and dad of the unit. It makes them both blush <3 (Eren doesn’t like it, lol)

Jean loves to see patients healing from horrendous injuries, he’s constantly cracking jokes with the awake patients to try to make them feel better, and he’s really good at calming anxious family members down. Our boy just makes such good connections with people. He’s the guy you call when your confused patient is one second away from ripping his breathing tube out. He can convince the most restless, agitated patient to chill out. He’s got the voice for it. Also people love his mullet. It looks great. 

Connie: I really didn’t know at first but I feel like Connie would make a great physical therapist. He’s got great energy, he’s funny and I could see him dancing to Earth, Wind & Fire in front of his patients to hype them up for therapy. He’d be very sweet with them 

Sasha: I’m sick and tired of the food jokes, quite honestly. She’s more than that. In my mind, she’s an occupational therapist, helping disabled patients learn to feed, dress and clean themselves again. She works directly with Connie as they round on all their patients in the hospital, they make a great team!  She’s extremely patient and would make a very good nurse, but is unsure of where life is taking her. That is until she meets Niccolo the dietician in the cafeteria, and she falls hard. He encourages her to follow her heart and she does!  

Levi: Hm. This one stumped me. Levi is a bit...cold. It’s not like he has incredible social skills. He’s meticulous and focused and kinda mean? He reminds me of an anesthesiologist, tbh. Like he’ll sedate the shit outta you for surgery, makes sure you don’t die on the table, and then drops you off to the unit as fast as he can. He never takes off his mask while in the hospital and he scrubs maybe four times before surgery. He is very good at medication calculations and knows everything about nerve blocks, intubation, pain medication and sedation. He can look at a person and just KNOW what kind of sedative to give and how much. Your blood pressure will never bottom out while he’s there, he’ll warn the surgeon and immediately get that norepinephrine started.

 If Zeke is the one operating, Levi is on his ass to finish up the surgery ASAP and to not linger, because Zeke takes his time and ignores the tele monitor alarming in the background. After surgery, this 5′2 demon will scream at the 6′ resident about the importance of blood pressure management and sedation in neurosurgical patients. Levi plays no games and he also just really hates Zeke lol

He seems like a jerk but genuinely cares about getting his peeps through surgery. His favorite surgeon to work with is Hange Zoe, because she’s brilliant and fast, but also cognizant of her patient’s hemodynamics. Levi likes taking trauma cases as long as it’s with her. When he drops a patient off to the trauma ICU or goes there to intubate, he makes sure Jean or Mikasa are there because he knows everything is gonna go smoothly. He trusts them a lot. He likes Armin, too and even let him intubate a few times. On his breaks, he’s drinking tea and reading a Williams & Sonoma catalog or scrolling through cleaning Tik Tok lol.

Erwin: This man. This beautiful and hunky beefcake. Omg. I HC him as someone who went to nursing school, became a charge nurse on the trauma unit back in the early 2000′s and fell in love with it. Erwin would eventually fall in love with leadership and educating, too. He went back to school and earned his Doctorate of Nursing Practice (a practice doctorate). He managed the trauma unit for ten years before his brilliant leadership skills and wicked smart brain got him elected as the Director of Trauma Surgery recently. He is the first person with a nursing degree and DNP to ever accomplish this, so it’s very controversial. A lot of toxic doctors threaten to leave the hospital for this (because they’re assholes), but Erwin threatens to fire them in response and it usually shuts them up. 

He often holds lectures in the hospital auditorium. With a mind and voice like his, people are so drawn in by him. He advocates for nursing staff, for reimbursement when continuing their education, better staffing, parking, etc. He makes nice with doctors and gets them to sign petitions for the nurses to get these things. He’s a bit manipulative He’s also a fantastic manager and director, he’s really good at negotiating things. The nurses and residents all love him because he rounds on every ICU frequently, brings food, and asks them how he can help. He can be a bit daunting because of his height and deep voice but once he starts talking to you, you just get sucked in. All around an absolute king. 

Hange: This character reminds me of a trauma surgeon and intensivist (ICU doctor) we have, Dr. Omi. A great surgeon, really really smart, but takes absolutely NO bullshit. She will yell at you if you freeze during intubating. She wants you to recite every step before you take it, otherwise she’ll take the tube from you and do it herself. In surgery, she’s the same way. She wants you to learn, but by her standards. If she asks a question, you better know the answer or fess up right away, she doesn’t like the “uhms” of uncertainty as you try to search for a shitty response. Either you know it or you don’t. And if you don’t, she’ll teach you. Yeah she can be rough around the edges, but she’s got a big heart. She loves her trauma team. She buys them breakfast and gives them funny personalized gifts. One time, she bought an apply tree for Mikasa and brought it to her car at the end of a shift. Mikasa forgot to plant it and it died in her backseat. Hange will sometimes ask, “Mikasa, how’s your apple tree growing?” and Mikasa will lie through her teeth. “It’s growing!” Fess up, Mikasa. Those google search apple trees are starting to look familiar.

All around Hange loves to work and teach. She is a wonderful trauma surgeon and has saved tons of lives.  

[lilchibi-chan]

Hello again! I loved your work on my last request so I figured I’d go with another one! Could I request something where Oikawa, Kuroo, and Tsukishima go to the doctors office with reader to get a shot and the reader is afraid of needles? ✨

Of course!! I’m definitely not a fan of needles, so this should be fun. Thanks for requesting again 💖

Oikawa

You have a doctors appointment and you’ve asked Oikawa to join you because you’re feeling a little anxious. You’re not a huge fan of needles and you dread the time of year when you have to get your blood drawn, but having your boyfriend there would be comforting. Especially since you can’t eat anything before and you have to drink a lot of water. Although he does have “arrogant” and “flirtatious” persona, he cares deeply for you and wants you to be okay no matter what he has to do for you. He agrees to go with you and when they call your name in the office, he squeezes your hand and tells you that everything is gonna be okay. They found your vein in your right arm and as soon as you see the needle get taken out, your body tenses up and Oikawa takes note of this

“I’m right here, Y/N. Everything is going to be okay, just close your eyes or you can look at me if you want. I am quite the distraction,” he says causing you to laugh and calm down a bit.

Before the needle goes in, you close your eyes, bracing for the impact of it piercing your skin. Just then, you feel Oikawa grab your free hand.

“You can squeeze if it hurts. You can hold it until they’re finished taking your blood.”

You start blushing really hard and continue to look at him while the needle is in your arm.

After you’re finished, he takes you to a cafe nearby and gets milk bread (of course) and you get a boba tea for yourself.

Kuroo

As soon as you open your door, Kuroo is there waiting for you. He’s bought you a bottle of water and a snack so that you stay hydrated and have something in your stomach since he knew you didn’t have time to eat breakfast before your doctors appointment. When you get to the doctors office, you sign in and take the paperwork from the secretary working the desk that needs to be filled out. After you finish, you give the clipboard back to the secretary and take a seat next to Kuroo. You have to get a shot today, so you’re very anxious since you don’t like needles. Your leg is bouncing uncontrollably and you don’t even notice until you feel a hand on your trying to stop it from bobbing

“You’re alright chibi-chan~. I can see that you’re scared, but it’ll be over in like 10 seconds and you can go on about your day. You can look at me while you’re getting your shot. Just focus on me,” he says while rubbing your leg

You give a soft smile and nod in response. They finally call your name and you and Kuroo head back with the secretary to one of the rooms that the doctor sees patients in. You sit down on the bed and Kuroo sits in one of the guest chairs that’s in the room.

Your doctor enters, smiling as always. He greets you and Kuroo, then gets straight to business verifying what shot you’re getting today, while cleansing your arm. He heads over to his drawers and pulls out the needle and medicine. Your eyes immediately go wide and your anxiety comes back. Kuroo makes his way to sit with you on the bed and hold your hand in both of his, massaging them so you can relax.

“Just focus on me,” he whispers in your ear

He didnt say it in any kind of insinuating way, but it definitely made you feel something because you could feel yourself blushing like crazy. You did as he said and focused on him. He never broke eye contact with you. Not in a creepy way. In a romantic, I’m-here-for-you way. He did it in a way to let you know that he’s got you and he wasn’t going anywhere.

After you left the doctors office, he took you to a book store and you got some manga you’ve been wanting to read, along with some Fiction novels that peaked your interest. He got a couple of science books he had been wanting for a while. Then you sat in the park near your house and had a picnic with him. Music playing softly in the background, his head in your lap and you both reading your books.

Tsukishima

Last night you text Tsukishima telling him about your doctor appointment, basically begging him to come with you. He finally says yes and you tell him to just meet you in front of your doctor’s office so that you can go in together. In the morning, your doorbell rings and you’re wondering who it could be because you weren’t expecting anyone. You figured it was probably one of your neighbors, until you take a look at the camera.

It’s Tsukishima.

“TSUKI!!”

“Yeah, I’m here.Look, I didn’t want you to go all the way by yourself alright... so you gonna let me in or what?”

“Yeah hold on.” You say slightly flustered

You press the button to unlock your security door and let him in.

“Morning,” you say in a soft voice

“Morning, pipsqueak,” he says, a small smile on his face

“You almost finished getting ready,” he asks

“Yeah, just give me a couple more minutes and then we can leave.”

You finally gather everything you need and make your way to your doctors appointment. Once in the room where the doctor will see you, you start playing with your fingers. Tsukishima takes notice and decides to speak up.

“You nervous,” he asks genuinely

You nod

“Look, you can hold my hand if you want, just... don’t try anything alright,” he say blushing really hard

“What could I try by just holding your hand and having a needle put in my arm,” you ask with laughter in your voice

“S-shut up,” he says nervous, causing you to laugh

“You don’t need an excuse to hold my hand, ya know. You are my boyfriend after all and besides, I would’ve asked to hold your hand anyways. I’m terrified of needles,” you say laughing

This leaves him speechless. Your doctor comes in and asks if you’re ready.

‘Ready as I’ll ever be,’ you thought to yourself

“Mhmm” you say in response

He sanitizes the area when the needle will be injected and Tsukishima grips your hand a little tighter, gently rubbing small circles over your knuckles to try and relax you. Basically saying you’re alright without having any words escape his mouth. You watch his and your hand intertwined with each other and watch as he rubbed his thumb back and forth over your knuckles and fingers. This distracted you so much that you didn’t even realize your shot was finished.

You thank the doctor and you both leave the office. He takes you to the museum afterword because they were doing half price tickets today and they had a new dinosaur exhibit he wanted to see and asked if you minded at all.

You told him no and you both made your way through the museum to see the exhibit. After you finish, you go through the gift shop and you get matching Dino plushies. He named his after you and vice versa.

Tsukishima isn’t that great at showing his emotions, but he tries his best for you and wants you to know that he cares, even if it may not seem like it due to his attitude towards basically everything.

I hope you enjoyed this. I tried to make the stories as different as I could without being repetitive 😅 thanks again for requesting a second time 💖 if you would still like me to complete your third request then message me and let me know ☺️

[sopeyb23-blog]

The Three Rules

Rule #1, Rule #2, Rule #3

*not my gif

Summary: Spencer and F!Reader get engaged shortly before tragedy strikes

Warnings: explosion, crying, alcohol, angst, hospitals

Pairing: Spencer Reid x F!reader

words: 3.7 K

A/N: last part in this mini series, but let me know if you want me to make more like this!

*i do not own any CM characters.

~~~~~~~

Rule #3: never leave the other completely alone.

Spencer~

It was paperwork day at the BAU and the bullpen was starting to empty out as the day came to a close. That is, except for our team. Hotch told us that if we stayed late to finish all of the paperwork he would not only join us for our weekly family dinner at Rossi’s, but he would also sing with the karaoke machine, and that offer was just too good for any of us to pass up. Morgan stood and walked over to my desk where I was hunched over the files that laid in front of me.

“Pretty boy, please tell me it's happening tonight”

 I nervously looked over my shoulder to see Y/N over at the coffee station across the room staring intently at two boxes of tea. 

“Morgan, could you keep your voice down! She's right there!”

“Oh, calm down pretty boy, she has no idea!” he sat on the corner of my desk and proceeded to talk, though thankfully a little quieter.

“If you do it tonight it will be perfect, trust me! The whole family will be there and it will be beautiful, and we can help you out, and set up the atmosphere and it will be perfect! You have to do it tonight.”

“Do what tonight?” I could hear Y/N’s voice from behind me and I swear my heart stopped. Luckily Morgan is much better at covering things up than I am, so he took the chance to get me out of the hole I was in.

“Karaoke, I’m trying to convince your lover boy that he has to sing with me at Rossi’s tonight!” Y/N chuckled and handed me a mug before taking a seat on my lap.

“Ohh, trust me on this one Morgan, Spence may be a genus, but singing is not his forte.” Morgan laughed and I looked up at her with a pout.

“Really? I thought you loved my voice!” She laughed and shook her head at me while Morgan got up from my desk and walked back to his. I heard Hotch’s door open from above us and he walked down the stairs briskly.

“Well, it looks like we’ve done all we can for the night” He gestured to where Y/N sat on my lap with a small smile. Garcia walked in the bullpen from the back dancing her way over to Morgan.

“You know what that means my sculpted dancing king” he laughed and took her hand to swirl her around.

“It's party time!” Rossi came out from his office at the last second and we all quickly gathered our things agreeing to meet up at his mansion after a quick stop at our own houses to get changed.

Y/N~

As soon as Spencer and I got into our car to head home I noticed something was wrong. Usually he is only quiet on the way to work, but never on the way home. I even attempted to get him in a party mood by playing some bops from my phone, but still nothing, not even a crack of a smile when I sang horribly on purpose. On top of all that he was biting his lip. He only does that when he's nervous about something or if he's thinking, and I could hear the high whine from his IQ from the driver's seat that told me he was deep in thought. We finally arrived at our apartment and without saying a word we moved around the small place quickly, attempting to change into our party clothes. I threw on a dress that JJ had got me for my birthday and called Spencer over to me for help.

“Hey Spence?”

“Zipper?” I laughed as he made his way into the bathroom and smiled as he saw me. He slowly put one hand on my waist and the other on my back tracing the zipper line. Eventually, and very slowly, he brought the zipper up my back, moving his hand from my waist to slide my hair over my shoulder. He smiled at me in the mirror and spun me around to kiss me.

“You look beautiful” 

“Thank you my handsome prince” I laughed and he took a deep breath before grabbing my hand and leading me from the bathroom.

“You ready?” 

“Yup, you?” He gave me a little panicked look that I'm not sure was on purpose but then nodded frantically, trying to cover up his nervousness that seemed to come from nowhere. This time in the car he drove and played Brahms the whole way to Rossi’s. I saw him continue to bite his lip as he put one hand in his pocket and fiddled with something in it over and over again. Finally I got fed up with the silence and grabbed his free hand.

“Hey, are you okay? You seem a little nervous today.” he put his hand on my thigh and nodded.

“Yeah, I'm fine , I promise, just paperwork days you know?” I raised my eyebrows at him wanting a further explanation but he either chose to ignore me, or didn’t see as he went back to his silence and pulled into the driveway of Rossi’s house. 

Spencer~

 I knew she would notice my nervousness, that was inevitable, but I didn't quite think through how I was going to play that off. I saw from her face that she did not believe me one bit in the car, but now the time was coming closer and I wouldn't have to hide it at all from her anymore. We walked hand in hand up to the door and stepped inside to loud music and the sound of laughter coming from his enormous living room. 

“Yayyyy! The lovebirds are here!” Garcia ran up to us with open arms and hugged the two of us before Morgan dragged her back.

 “Lets slow down a little there babygirl” Y/N and I both laughed at what had become the usual weekly occurrence at Rossi’s team/family dinners. Next, Emily came up to us with a glass of wine in each hand. Y/N reached her hand out for one but Emily pulled it back.

“Mmmmmmmm, nope. These are for me now.” She slurred slightly and Y/N raised her eyebrows.

“Em, how much have you had to drink?” she put her glasses down and pointed at Rossi who was preparing food in the kitchen. He looked back and chuckled.

“An impressive amount I'd say” he replied and Emily smiled back at the both of us.

“Beautiful dress by the way” she moved on to Y/N as she began to walk away and JJ shouted from the corner.

“I did that! I knew it would be pretty on you!” 

“Thanks JJ, you were very right” Y/N responded and took my hand to guide me to the dinner table outside with the rest of them. 

As the dinner came to an end Hotch stood up from the table and raised his empty glass to us all.

“I just want to say, thank you all for making me come tonight, I don't regret it one bit. And now for the second half of my promise to you all…” we all got excited as we knew what came next.

“Karaoke and dance time is now in session!” We all cheered and got up to set up the dance floor in Rossi’s yard.  After all of us had equally embarrassed ourselves with the karaoke machine we moved onto the dance floor and the mood became peaceful as we all grabbed a partner and danced slowly to whatever Garcia thought was fitting. Derek and Garcia both looked over at me where I was swaying slowly with Y/N and nodded their heads before Garcia got up to change the song. She put on Y/N’s favorite slow song and moved back to Derek as we began dancing.

 “I love this song” Y/N lifted her head off of my chest sleepily and I smiled at her before taking her hand to dance. The nervousness that I had felt before went away completely as I looked at her serene face. I extended my arm to twirl her around and as she spun in a slow circle I dropped to one knee and waited for her to turn back around. 

Y/N~

Spencer spun me in a slow circle and as I faced away from him for just a split second I felt my arm lower. I turned around to find him kneeling on the ground in front of me.

“A-are you okay?” I took his hand worriedly and the rest of the BAU team chuckled at me as they watched. Spencer laughed and squeezed my hand.

“I am now.” there was a moment's pause before he continued.

“When I first met you, I knew instantly that everything I thought I knew about love was wrong. And you made sure to tell me that when we first started dating. You got me through the hardest time of my life, saw me at my lowest and my darkest and never failed to see the light in me. Every day that I wake up to see you laying next to me is a blessing and I could never imagine my life without you” we were both crying and all our teammates around us were teary eyed.

“I promise you that I will always be by your side. So, Y/N, will you marry me?” I dropped to my knees weakly and sobbed as I threw my hands around his neck and cried into his shoulder.

“So, is that a yes?” I nodded into his neck and lifted my head for a moment.

“Yes, that a yes you idiot!” the team around us laughed and he slipped the thin ring onto my finger and helped me stand up before pulling me into a warm kiss. 

Spencer ~

The next morning I woke up again with her in my arms. I smiled as I fondly remembered the events of last night and how we danced after I slid the ring on her finger. She grumbled something in her sleep and turned onto her stomach, reaching her neck out so that she could put her head on my chest. I heard my phone ring on the table and quickly reached out to it so that she wouldn't wake up.

“Hey Hotch, whats up?”

“I'm sorry to do this today of all days but we need both of you at the tarmac ASAP.”

“Alright, we’ll be there in 20” I hung up and slid her off of my chest as I went around the apartment getting everything together. After everything was ready to go I slid her into my arms and carried her along with all of our things into the car. As I set her down she shifted in her seat but remained asleep. We arrived at the jet quickly and while she still slept I picked her and all of our things up and carried them onto the jet. 

“Pretty boy what are you-”

“Hey, shh! She's still asleep, be quiet” I whisper screamed at Morgan and they all smiled and chuckled at me as I delicately placed her on the couch and took a seat by her feet so that she could still feel me near her. The jet ride was short and by the time Y/N woke up on the jet-very confused and slightly angry that I did all of that while she was asleep- we had arrived at the police station. We only spent a few minutes there however because Hotch sent us all out into the neighborhood to do group canvassing. I was paired up with Morgan but Y/N and Emily were on the same street, canvasing the other side so that every house was covered. Morgan walked a little behind me as I walked up onto the porch of a white house and knocked at the door. I heard Morgan say something behind me and I turned the handle of the door. Suddenly as if in slow motion I realized what he had said and pushed him backwards only a moment too late. 

Y/N~

Emily and I were in the living room of the house across from Spencer and Morgan when we heard the explosion. The thing about explosions like this is that the sound becomes very distorted and is almost impossible to tell where it has come from unless you wait for the rubble to clear. When you enter the academy everyone has to go through bomb training. We all get a little bit of it even if the field we are going into doesn’t deal with them often. They always tell you in those workshops to pay attention more to what you see than what you hear, especially if you are close to, or within range of the bomb. The thing is, neither of my senses would help me. The only sound I could hear was my own scream as I ran toward Spencer, and the only thing I could see was Emily as she jumped in front of me, preventing me from leaving the house.

“Emily you need to let me go!” I screamed at her and fought against her arms.

“Look at me! Look at me! You know we can't go out there! We have to wait! We have to wait!” I knew she was right but Spencer was out there. If I didn't know where he was, if I didn't know where the bomb was, how was i supposed to stay put. I continued to fight against her as she held me back in the doorway. 

“Spencer! No Emily let me go! Spencer!” my screams only got louder as she held me back with a horrified look in her eyes. Eventually we heard the sirens. When they stopped, signifying that they had arrived, Emily finally let go of me, allowing me to spring out of her hold and throw open the door in front of me. Only I wish I hadn't. I wish she had held on for a minute longer. What I saw when I opened that door was exactly the worst I could have imagined. I saw Derek, bleeding and stumbling around in the wreckage. But worst of all I saw the firemen and medics pulling Spencer’s limp body out  from the rubble. Emily stood beside me as I realized I had stopped moving. She called out to Derek and ran to him as the medics took Spencer into an ambulance. I unfroze myself and ran towards where they were taking him only to be stopped again by Emily.

“Emily, I need to be with him!” I had tunnel vision and felt myself diving into panic. Derek walked beside me with a limp and looked me in the eyes with an expression I had never seen on his face. 

“Y/N, you don't want to see him like that.” it was too late anyways. They had already started to drive away with him. I crumbled to the ground sobbing and ignored the blood on my hands and arms from the sharp glass digging into me. Emily sadly picked me up and walked me to a car. we drove towards Spencer in a haze and in that haze, I didn't even realize how I turned the new ring on my finger. Hoping. Praying that the man who gave it to me was still alive. 

Spencer~

When I came to, all of my senses were altered. I don't really know if I could call it being conscious other than the fact that there was a ringing in my head so intense I could feel pain. But that's really the only sense that was intact. I almost wish it wasn't. The pain was so bad it clouded all of my other senses and made them useless. I didn't know where I was or what had happened. All I knew was that I hurt, and I needed it to stop. The only thing that comforted me was that my thoughts never stopped. It's weird to have to focus on the fact that my mind was still working. But it was, at least in that one way. I could still order my thoughts. I could still picture things in my brain like the image of Y/N in that dress. Or that time last week when Emily brought in donuts and her face was covered in white powder. Or the other week when she went over to JJ’s house for dinner and she held Micheal the entire time on her lap so that JJ could eat.  Rule #3 of how we keep sane while working together is that we never leave the other alone. I remember why we made this rule as I lay wherever I lay picturing her face on the night we made these three rules. It was the same night that I had told her about Tobias Hankle. It was the same night she told me about a time when she was alone as well. We both had trauma. We both knew what it felt like to be alone. Completely and utterly alone. Like there was no one in the world who would even notice that you were drowning. But she noticed. She saw me drowning and reached a hand out to pull me up. It's because of her that I’m alive today. Or am I? The thing about the brain is that It’s so complex that we don't really know what happens when someone is dead, or unconscious. When humans are awake we only use 10% of our brains. But the funny thing is, when we are unconscious there is 80-90% of our brain that becomes suddenly available. And yet somehow, with all of that extra brainpower, I still can only think of one thing. One person.

Y/N~

When The doctors finally came to find me heaving and sobbing in the waiting room, they turned to Emily and Derek before me. JJ was beside me, a hand on my back trying to translate to me what they were saying. 

“He's out of surgery now, and we’re hopeful, but there was a lot of bleeding” 

“When will he wake up?” Emily and Derek continued the conversation as I stayed shell shocked in my chair.

“Well- i’m sorry, is that his fiancé?” she stopped before answering the question and gestured over to me. Derek nodded and the doctor came over to me and knelt at my feet.

“I'm very sorry about what happened to him. I know that this can be hard to understand but-”

“You still haven't answered the question” I looked up with red and puffy eyes.

“I know this is hard, but we need you to understand that it's not about when it's about if.” She proceeded to try and explain to me the extent of the damage that was done to his brain but saw that clearly I was not interested in hearing it, so she turned back to a nurse and told them to take me to his room. 

Spencer~

For days all I could do was hear. My eyes stayed shut and the pain continued. The ringing had started to subside just enough that I could even hear the quieter sounds from around the room I was in. Sometimes if Y/N fell asleep in the chair beside my bed I could hear her breathing, which calmed me. But mostly I heard her cries. The team came everyday, but she was the only one allowed to stay overnight. When they came at first they would try to cheer her up, bring her treats and coffee and attempt to convince her to eat something. But after about a week I think they started to lose faith in me. She didn't. She never did. The doctors and the team would come in and try to talk to her. They all tried to tell her that she needed to prepare herself. That maybe it was time. She never did. She fought for me. Every day. Today, the team came one by one, stopping by and trying to get her to eat, and leaving when she refused. She cried more than usual today, and I could feel her faith in me start to slip. But I also knew she wouldn't have to wait much longer. I knew a fair share of what was happening to me and I knew that once the ringing went away, more than likely I would wake up. And today, the ringing was barely a whisper. Out of nowhere it seemed she spoke to me.

“Spencer I love you.” With a shaky breath she continued.

“I need you to hear these vows just in case. Because even if you don't make it, I want you to know what I'm going to say on our wedding day, no matter how long I have to wait for it. The day that I told you my story I remember how quiet your apartment felt to me. For what felt like the first time in my life, the silence was because you listened. You held my hand and listened to me like no one ever had before. More than just listening to me, you believed me. When I showed you my scars you kissed each one of them and told me that I was beautiful. No one had ever done that before. For every problem that I helped you solve, you helped me solve ten, and I will be forever grateful that I got to see your beautiful mind first hand. The only regret that I have is that you've left me alone” her voice stopped and she placed her head on my chest before continuing.

“You promised me you would never leave my side” 

Y/N~ 

I cried on his chest and paused before saying it again

“You promised me i would never be alone!” there was a moment of silence before his hand came up on my back and I froze.

“And you never will be”

~~~~~~~

Back. 

[twisted-leader-of-something]

Week 1 - Classic Horror - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Author’s Note: Happy October everyone! Here is my promised start of TWST Halloween 2021! Starting off with a classic story, the story of Jekyll and Hyde, one of my favorite psychological horror/thriller books! It may not be super well-known, but it’s well known in the old literature community as most likely one of the first psychological stories about the human condition! So, as celebration of the story I love so much, I will be putting a spin on the classic tale with my OC Quentin! I hope I did the story of Jekyll and Hyde some justice!

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of death and rape, and an ending that. . . Is kind of ambiguous. 

Crow’s Dusk is a quiet town. 

It’s always been that way, ever since I moved into this small town with my spouses. 

I’ve always loved this small town. Despite the fact it’s mostly divided into eight parts and everyone mostly keeps to their part of town, it’s often so calm and quiet in this town, you can take a stroll at night, meet someone new without being afraid of being killed, and meet them again the next day at one of the many schools in this town and become friends. It’s so much different than my home where being murdered was a very real threat.  

For the most part, this town doesn’t stand out compared to others that make national news for things like plagues or mass murders despite this small town holding some of the most advanced schools in the country. Sure, we have bar fights that our police gave up on cracking down on, a church whose not really all that serious about it’s work, and celebrities that stop by the town so often or live here that I can call most of them by name. Hell, a world-famous actor came by my house the other day to ask for more sugar and flour and I called him by his first name and offered a drink at the bar next time I saw him.

It’s quite strange, thinking about this town in the grand scheme of things, really.

We’re all so different, and yet, we live in the same area.

It almost makes me-

“Quentin, darling?” Eadwine called from the balcony in a white shawl covering her nightgown.

“Yes, Eadwine, my love?” I called back, walking back to her.

“You’re still dressed, dear. Come inside, it’s almost midnight.” Eadwine pouted in that cute way she always did when she was worried, as she came and took my shawl that I wore. “Have you slept at all?”

“Forgive me. I just was clearing my head after an meeting.” I must’ve said, guilty, as she pouted more.  

“Geez. I swear, they keep you so late.” Eadwine said, opening the door to our home and putting my shawl on the rack. “I might have to go to a meeting myself to see what all those late night meeting are about.”

“Well, you know the council, paranoid as always.” I sighed, as I followed Eadwine to the kitchen. “At least I have no paperwork this time.” 

“With all these incidents happening, I almost don’t blame them for their worries, my loves.” Another familiar voice chimed in, and sooner after, I felt a warm kiss on the forehead. “I’m glad you got home safe, Quentin my dear. I was getting worried.”

“Indeed.” I smiled as best as I could at him. “I am home. And can eat some wonderful food instead of food from the bar.”

“Then, let’s go eat.” Eadwine smiled. “The fireplace is still going. You can tell me all about the meeting while we cuddle!”

“Yes, yes. No time to waste.” I joked, as I was guided to out living room by the loves of my life.

There was knock at the door. Strange, the paper came in a few hours ago, it wasn’t the milkman or mailman, way too late for them. 

Who was it at this early in the morning? 

“Ah, yes, coming!” I called, and opened the door to see. . . Epel Felmier. “Epel? What’s the matter?”

“Is Quentin up?” Epel asked very seriously, panting and out of breath. 

“Yes, she went to visit the asylum to check on the patients, as she normally does in the morning.” I said, “Why?”

Epel seemed relieved, tried to get inside the house. “I need to use your phone, right now.”

“Epel, please tell me what’s happening!” I said, preventing him from getting inside. “You can’t just say that and expect me to not ask any questions!”

“I can’t.” Epel said, trying to push past me. “Vil said this isn’t something I say to just anyone. It needs to be to council members only.”

“Well you know, so I’d say that’s off the table.” I said, sternly while holding my ground. “You clearly know! Just tell me!”

Epel seemed so surprised he stopped trying to push past me, blinked a few times. 

“Fine.” He said, stopping trying to push past me. “But we have to be inside and you have to swear to me not to say a word about this.”

I nodded. “Alright.” And I move aside, letting Epel in. 

So, after I sat him down and started to make tea right in front of him, I simply asked. “So, what’s the matter?”

“Old man Crowley’s been murdered.” 

“What?” I said, almost dropping the cup I was preparing for Epel. “I’m sorry, are you serious?”

“Yeah.” The lavender haired boy said. “He was found by Yuu while walking Grim.”

“I-I see.” I simply said, giving him his cup that he took and took a drink of.

Crowley’s been killed? 

Why?

Who would do such a thing? This town- It’s so quiet and peaceful. Nobody really hates anyone else. Sure, we fight with each other, but we make up soon after. It’s impossible to not in such a small town.

Who would be so mad that they would kill Old Man Crowley?

“Mrs. Eadwine?” Epel asked.  

“Sorry. I’m just so shocked. It’s just. . . It seems so strange in a town like this.” I said, as I stood up, fixed my dress. “Yes, you can use the phone. This way.”

“Thank you.” Epel said, as he followed me to the kitchen, but upon seeing a steak I’d made last night. He stood there, watching the steak. I stopped upon noticing, “Do you want it? It will take a few moments for me to get Quentin.”

To which Epel’s face light up, showing a genuine smile I haven’t seen from him yet. “’Eally Ed-wine? ‘Ank you!” He smiled, as he took the meat for himself, and after a few seconds, he seemed embarrassed. “A-Ah. Sorry about that. Got a little to excited there. Where are the cutlery?”

I laughed because of his cuteness, and pointed to the drawer he was standing in front of “Right below you.”

Which earned another smile and a ‘thank you’ from Epel as I picked up the phone, and put in the number to the asulyum. 

“Yes, this is Dusk Asylum. How can I help you?” A voice on the other side said. I didn’t know this person, nor did I quite care. 

“I’m Quentin Nighty-Sallow’s wife, Eadwine Nighty-Sallow. I need to speak with her right now.”

“Huh? I mean, yes, I can do that as Quentin is free right now, but what is the matter?” The other person on the other side asked. “It’s not often you call.”

“Something has come up in our family. And I need to tell Quentin about it.” I said, which seemed to make the other person on the other side of the line stay quiet for a few minutes but simply make a ‘hmph.’ noise. 

“Alright. Please wait a few minutes. I’ll be right back.” The person said, and sure enough, soon after the person came back. “Here she is.”

“Eadwine?” Quentin concerned voice made me soften for a moment. Her voice full of concern. . . It’s so. . . motherly it makes me want to be in her warm, loving embrace so badly. “What’s the matter?”

“Epel needs to speak with you. It’s urgent.” I said, making sure to be serious. 

Quentin was silent for a few minutes. “Is he with you?”

“Yes. I’ll hand it over to him.” I said, and made a gesture to Epel to make him come over. He did, and then he took the phone as I stood to the side, making sure to give the two space to speak, but close enough if Epel needed me he could see me. 

The conversation was actually quite short. Epel’s side of the conversation went something like this, “Good afternoon Mrs. Quentin. . . Yes, it is wonderful to hear from you, it’s been so long, but unfortunately I didn’t come to talk, I’m actually here for Vil. . . Yes. . . No. Old Man Crowley’s been killed. . . And we don’t know who did it but Yuu’s panicking really badly. . . .Yes. . . Yes. . . When can you get off work? . . . Ah? . . . Yes, he did. . . And, yes, I was planning on it, to help out. . . Really?!” Epel’s eyes lit up. “Thanks a lot Mrs. Quentin! I owe you one! I’ll go be with the others, then! Thanks so much!” 

And then he hung up with a smile. 

“Everything alright now?” I asked which earned a nod from Epel. 

“Yes, she said she’d take care of everything and I should go back home for today to rest from that startling revelation and she’ll pull some strings to let me get off school for today so I can be with Yuu and the others. She’s the best!” Epel smiled happily again, to which I nodded. 

“That’s why I married her. Go on.” I smiled. “Go enjoy your day off.”

Epel then nodded, and almost took off out of the house before he stopped. “Ah. Would you mind if we stop by since you, well, know and we have no place else we can be in?”  

I laughed and then nodded again. “No, I do not mind at all. But normally Amiel, Azazel and Quentin all come home around twelve to have lunch with me so I don’t feel alone in this big house all day. I hope you don’t mind if we all have lunch together.” 

Epel shook his head. “No, it’s quite alright. What’s on for lunch?” 

“Amiel asked for breakfast foods since his work has been hard lately. So I was thinking of egg sandwiches since our chickens have been making too many eggs lately.” I smiled, which earned a nod for Epel. 

“I see. Deuce will love it then.” Epel smiled, as he turned back towards the door. “I’ll be back then.” 

I waved to him as I walk towards him, and as soon as Epel left, I waved goodbye. 

“Oh dear. How am I going to make food for eleven people?” I then asked myself, as I closed the door. 

I'd never been to an emergency meeting before.

In a small town like this, meeting happened once a month, if at all that month.

So, to say I was nervous was. . . A bit understating things. Though luckily, I wasn't the only one who was a little nervous about this meeting.

"What? The mayor's dead?" Kalim Al-Asim, the head of the Scarabia district said, as if he wasn't informed.

"Yes. He's been killed." Vil Schoenheit said. "Someone stomped him to death."

"What?!" Riddle Rosehearts said. "How?! How do you stomp a person to death?!"

"You'd be surprised how easy it is for some." Azul Ashengrotto sneered, looking at Leona.

"Shut it Octopus." Leona Kingscholar growled at the mafia man. "Our guys said it wasn't them. They are at the bar when this shit went down."

"Moving on," Vil said. "Yuu and Grim need a home now. And, they said that they saw who it was."

The whole room went silent.

"They saw the person who killed Crowley?" Riddle clarified, which Vil nodded.

"Then who was it?" Ortho Shroud, who was standing in for Idia Shroud spoke up.

"According to Yuu, the person. . . Had really black hair. And didn't even look human." Vil said. "They couldn't even tell if was a boy or a girl."

"Eehhhhh." The group seemed to say.

"That narrows nothing down." Leona said. "We have lots of people with black hair and a black cloak."

"We'll be here all night debating who it is if we keep this up." I spoke up. "I'll take in Yuu and Grim. No matter the case, those two need a new home. My house is pretty big. I'll take them in."

"I figured you'd say that." Vil sighed. "Quentin, we can't tiptoe around this. We need that information."

"I know." I sighed. "But Yuu won't talk if they don't feel safe, plus, there’s no point debating this. We’ll just end up putting someone’s head in a noose without evidence."

Vil sighed again. "Fine. You're the master at this, so I'll trust you on this."

Mrs. Quentin’s Mansion was bigger than I thought it would be. 

Yes, it was rumored that she was pretty rich, but I didn’t think her house was. . . At least three stories high! From how she normally acts, she doesn’t seem to be quite as rich as her house says she is. She even has a fountain and personal gate in front of her house!  

“God, Quentin has a huge house.” Ace Trappola said. “She definitely can house at least you and Grim, if not a good amount of the city comfortably.” 

“I know she’s a world-famous psychologist and a diplomat for a royal family, but, it’s strange seeing her house when Quentin is so different than the other council members who are so stuck up with their money.” Deuce Spade said. 

“Yeah.” Epel Felmier sighed. “But I like her home. It has a homey-feel to it.”

“True.” Ace smirked. “It’s so much better than Section Mayor Rosehearts house. His house is so clean and proper it makes me sick sometimes.”

“Pffft.” Jack Howl laughed. “You should see Section Mayor Kingscholar's place. It puts all the others houses to shame.”

“Master Draconia’s house is the best!” Sebek Zigvolt piped up. 

“Yes, yes. We all know you like Section Mayor Draconia.” Ace sneered, causing Sebek to give a look of shock. 

“What’d you say?!” 

“Oh, there she is.” Das Alvah spoke up, and sure enough, there was a female figure coming towards them. 

A woman with long brown hair, wearing a green and brown dress, surprisingly not so formally dressed. The woman then opened up the gate, letting the young townspeople in. 

“Good afternoon!” The woman smiled. “Welcome to my home! I’m happy you all made it safely!” 

“Thanks for inviting us!” Deuce said, politely seeming rather embarrassed. 

“And thanks for you food~!” Ace smirked, as he walked towards the big house, with a few of my bags in hand. 

“Come now, no need to be polite since we all know each other already, Eadwine just finished lunch. Let’s all eat before it gets cold.” Quentin smiled, and gestured the group to come in. And, the group did and Quentin closed the gate behind the group, and lead the group inside the home. 

“Hey, Mrs. Quentin?” Deuce asked, as the group came inside the home. 

“Yes, what is it Deuce?” Quentin smiled at Deuce and then others.

“Where should we set Yuu and Grim’s stuff?” Deuce said, gestured to the things the others where holding for me. 

“Oh, anywhere is fine, really.” The council member smiled. “Eadwine said she’ll pick it up later.”

“Eh?! Is that really okay?!” Jack said, nervously. “This is your house after all.” 

Quentin laughed. “We’re here to have lunch and hang out together, not to worry about luggage.” 

“Are you sure?” I asked. “Because we can-”

Quentin sighed. “No, no. It’s alright, really. I know my house is pretty far from town and a lot has happened lately, so it must’ve been hard to get here. There’s no need to worry about things like luggage. We’ll take care of it later. For now, let’s eat and relax for a bit.”

“Yeah~!” Ace smiled, as he set down my stuff. “Quentin’s my kind of Council Member!”

“Alright, if you say so.” Deuce said, setting down my stuff with Epel, Jack, Sebek and Das following suit soon after, following Epel to the kitchen. 

"Hey! Amiel! You can't eat all of it!" A masculine voice said. "We have guests coming over!"

"Yeah, so?" Another voice said, as we entered unto the kitchen to see. . . Two men, one with blonde hair, one with dark brown hair. It seems the brown haired man was eating a bunch of food, while two blonde people where trying to stop him. "The chickens will make more!"

"Darlings, please!" A woman with blonde hair said, "The guests are here!"

As soon as the brown haired heard the guests where there, he stopped eating and looked up and upon seeing us, he blinks a few times, and then seems to turn into a prefect gentleman. “Ah! Welcome to our home!” Amiel said. “You must be tired! Come now, let’s all eat!”

The blonde male let out a tired sigh, while the blonde female let out a laugh. Though, it was hard to tell if it was awkward or mischievous in nature. 

“Ah~ Thanks for having us~!” Ace said, as he immediately started to eat some of the food. 

“Ah! Ace! Be polite!” Deuce said.

“Pffft! Not like you don’t want to do the same!” The red-haired boy said while gathering his food, which made the other boy nervous. 

“W-Well, you’re not wrong, but the host is here! Show some respect to them!” Deuce said, as he also started to gather food as well. The others started to follow suit, gathering the food and going into a sunroom, from all the windows in the room. 

And, for the most part, the day was spent in that room. I mean, we did explore Quentin’s house, but the sunroom was the place all of us decided to hang out with in for the day. Surprisingly, Ace, Deuce and the others stayed the night. Despite my insisting they go home, they stayed for dinner and we had a party until late into the night. 

Which, surprisingly, didn’t really affect our school day the next day. 

It became more and more often after the murder of Dire Crowley. 

More murders in the streets at night, but now more was happening during the nights. 

People where being raped by this ‘Figure in Black’ as the town dubbed them, houses where being robbed in the night as people slept with their valuables being destroyed, people being almost kidnapped by the figure, people being beaten in the streets by this figure, all sorts of bad things happening in the small town. At this point, everyone in this town had seen the figure and distrust was blooming like flowers in spring. Sections of the town where divided, gangs where formed in hopes of stopping this person, wearing black was practically forbidden, and rumors where spread of people possibly being suspects. Nooses where tied on trees, hoping the Figure in Black would happen to be nearby and be caught inside one of them. Innocents where being beaten in the streets in hopes of someone being caught. 

It was getting terrible. 

Years and years of trust and familiarity all out the window because of a figure we haven’t even seen. 

The Figure in Black haunts our streets, and the only thing we know about them for sure is they have black hair, yellow eyes, and look almost inhuman with a walking pattern. . . that seems both snooty and inhuman. Other sources contradict each other, like when Vil’s home was robbed he says the figure was wearing a full outfit under their iconic black coat that went to the floor. While local gangs who’d encountered the Figure in Black says the person wasn’t wearing anything underneath, and when the Figure would fight they’d see skin. Dirty skin, but skin nonetheless. There was just so much in the air about this Figure in Black. 

And, honestly, it’s so hard. I can’t do my job like this. 

Recently, there had been something left by the Figure in Black at one of the Professor’s houses. Professor Ashton Vargas specifically.

The word, “Narcissist” was written outside of the poor Professor’s house. In blood, according to some. 

And, it was a speculate. People from all over town came to see it in person, no matter the section of town you came from, people came to see. Council members, townspeople, all walks of life came to see it.

“Oh Gods! The Figure in Black actually wrote that in blood?! Whose blood is it?!”

“Maybe the person they murdered yesterday. Did you hear? They murder the head priest!”

“Argh! I’m gonna nab that guy myself! And in my territory too! He’s got some balls to pull that shit!” 

“I bet it was him! His handwriting is close to the writing!”

“Seriously?!”

“Urgh. I’m not cleaning this up. It’s so gross.”

“The gangs and police are useless. They aren’t even doing anything, look at them. They’re just standing there, dumbfounded. Absolute nimrods.”

“Yeah, useless bastards. What do we even let them around for?”

I’d come by just to speak with the council members there to inform them that Quentin. . . still refused to come out of her room. 

Quentin says she’s been sick the past few days, and from the crying and throwing up coming from her room, I’d be inclined to believe her. But, I myself haven’t really been with her in days, since she doesn’t want anyone to visit her while she’s like this. Yes, I’ve fed her, and helped her sleep and things like that, but other than that. . . She’s mostly kept to the bed. 

I hate when she’s like this. . .Because I can’t cuddle with her! She gives the best cuddles after she’s back from work! And her boobs are so warm and soft-

“Eadwine?” Riddle Rosehearts said, as the other council members turned around to look at what Riddle was talking about. “Tell me you have good news for me.”

I tilted my head. “I suppose that depends on what you mean by good news.”

“As in, your wife is suddenly better and can help us.” Vil Schoenheit said, putting a hand on his hip. 

“No. But she does feel awful for this happening. She’s tried to come out of her room multiple times, but she always ends up going back to bed or passing out.” 

“W-Well, that’s much better than yesterday.” Kalim Al-Asim offered, though he himself seemed pretty unsure of what to actually say to keep the mood up. 

“Not by much.” Azul Ashengrotto said. “What in Twisted Wonderland did she get sick with?”  

“But, there is a silver lining in this.” I stated. “She said she was up really late at night because she couldn’t sleep, and she made up some macrons.”

“Huh? Why was she baking at night? Doesn’t she know that she could get into trouble if she stays up?” Leona asked. 

I shrugged. “I asked, but she said she wasn’t thinking straight and she probably used up her luck for a year with not getting hurt by the Figure in Black.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Riddle said, as he took a macron and others followed suit. “That woman must’ve gotten pretty lucky.”

“Despite being sick, Mrs. Quentin Nighty-Sallow makes good food.” Ortho smiled, which Kalim seemed to agree with as he made a happy noise. 

“Indeed. I must get her recipe for this. it’s pretty good.” Azul said. 

“Meh. Trey does better.” Riddle simply said. “But it’s pretty close, I’ll give her that.” 

As the Council Members took the macrons, I looked at the writing on the wall. 

Wait. . . That handwriting. It look familiar. 

“Ah. I see you’re no better than the other housewives.” Azul teased.

“I suppose.” I said. “But, isn’t the Figure in Black right though?”

“What do you mean by that?” 

“Well, Vargas is a narcissist, according to Quentin. It’s well know throughout the town he is pretty full of himself, and Quentin says that it is also called being a Narcissist. While I don’t like the blood on the wall, why would they do such a thing if the town already knows Vargas loves himself?”

The other seemed quiet for a moment, but after a few moments of silence, Azul spoke up. "You're right. This narrows things down."

"It does?" I asked.

"Yes. Since Narcissist is such a lesser known word, even I didn't know what the word meant, only people like Quentin would know it, hence they could use it." Riddle said simply. "We just need to narrow down to Quentin and those close with her, and keep an eye on them, and we'll catch the culprit."

“Well, that’s one way to see it.” I sighed. “But, are we really going to track down every person who knows the word Narcissist?”

“If that’s what it takes, yes.” Riddle said. 

I sighed. It was a foolish idea. But, well, I didn’t have one that was better.

I don’t have much time now. I wish I had more time but. . . She’s done something that has sped up the process of finding out it’s me. 

But. . . I haven’t been able to stop her yet! 

What am I supposed to do?! It’s only a matter of time before they find out it’s me! My days are numbered!

I. . . I haven’t avenged them! They. . .They! They can’t rest in peace with a woman like her wandering the streets! She can’t be allowed to wander the streets! She’ll destroy everything in this world without mercy!

That monster-she has to erased from this world.

For all those who’ve suffered! 

No one know must ever know the truth.

I have to stop her! 

I don’t know how, but I will!

I don’t know if I can stop her anymore, but I have to try! 

I. . .I did this! I’m the only one who can stop this!

I may not know the difference between what is right and what is wrong anymore, or even have a say in it, but. . . she cannot be allowed to walk the streets.

Winifred must be stopped, no matter the cost!  

Mrs. Quentin. . . Hasn’t come out of her room in days. 

She hasn’t come out for anything. Food, water, not even to use the bathroom. 

Mrs. Eadwine, Mr. Amiel and Mr. Azazel keep trying to get her to open the door and help her, but she’s boarded up the door and she’s begged us to let her out.  

I’ve. . . I’ve never heard her sound so desperate. Every time we try to talk to her. . . She sounds like she’s crying. She screams for us to please leave her alone, and that she doesn’t want us hurt. . . But what does she mean by that?

She’s been screaming other nonsense as well. 

Talking about a woman named Winifred. . . Saying everything it’s all her fault and she’s so sorry for everything. . . How she should just die already. . . It’s scary. 

I. . . I hate to see the woman who took me in act like this. Mrs. Quentin. . . She’s worked so hard as a council member. . . She’s helped out so many people in Crow’s Dusk, and yet, I can do nothing as she rots away in that room.

 Mrs. Eadwine also is starting to break. She. . . Can’t listen to Mrs. Quentin cry. She’s become less of a housewife and has wandered town, crying in hopes Quentin will leave one day. Mr. Amiel and Mr. Azazel aren’t much better. 

What are we supposed to do? The Nighty-Sallow house is falling apart, and I-

What am I supposed to do?

It’s hard to go home anymore. 

Quentin. . . I love her but. . . She’s tearing herself apart. 

I don’t get it! 

Why?! 

WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS, QUENTIN? 

DO YOU WANT ME TO SUFFER? BECUASE CAN’T YOU SEE?! I’M SUFFERING! IT HURTS! I CAN’T BEAR MUCH OF THIS ANYMORE! IT’S TOO MUCH! I HATE IT! I HATE IT!

DOES IT HURT THAT MUCH?! WHY WON’T YOU LET US HELP, THEN?! WHY ARE YOU WAILING IN PAIN ALL DAY AND NIGHT! IT PAINS ME TO HEAR YOU! WHY?! WHY?! WHY ARE YOU ACTING THIS WAY?!

WHY WON’T YOU LET US HELP?!?!

Ah. 

I’d wandered off from town again. I’d gone to Professor Vargas’ house again. I don’t know why, but i keep coming here.

“Urgh. Now’s not the time for this.” I said, wiping away my tears and then I saw it. 

The message written on the wall of Vargas’ house. 

He still hasn’t washed it, has he? Gods, what a-Wait.

I got closer. That letter i. That’s looks like. . . how Quentin does her i’s. The way the dot is-Wait.

No. No. No. 

It can’t be! 

There’s no way! 

She won’t do such a thing! She’s too kind, yes, she’d get mad at others, but she won’t hurt others! 

This doesn’t make sense!

I raced to our home, straight to where Quentin had locked herself up. “QUENTIN DESMONA! OPEN THIS DOOR! RIGHT THIS INSTANT!”

Silence. 

“QUENTIN! DON’T YOU DARE GIVE ME THE SILENT TREATMENT! I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE! OPEN THIS GODFORAKREN DOOR, NOW! OR SO HELP ME GOD I’LL SMASH THIS DOOR DOWN!”

Still silence. 

“FINE THEN! THIS DOOR IS COMING DOWN! YOU BETTER NOT BE NEAR IT WHEN I BREAK IT!”

One hit. It moved.

Two hits. The door made a strange noise.

Three hits. The door broke, I could see on the other side Quentin has stacked chairs and tables by the door. 

Four hits. The door broke even more.

Five hits. The door was gone, and all that was left was the chairs and tables.

After some pushing they where at one side too. Until I could finally-

And on the floor, there laid Quentin.

Covered in blood.

“Quen. . .tin?” 

[sargeantwoof]

Well, I Got This Suit of Armor and A Sword I Need to Swing

Hotch has begun to express how much he cares about his team, like, physically.

They are... confused. ((and mildly delighted))

***

The first time it happens, no one realizes it until after Hotch leaves the bullpen, rushing off to pick Jack up from Jessica.

Spencer turns to Morgan, words spilling from his mouth until he pauses, his hand raised halfway to his hair. Emily, JJ, and Rossi immediately look up, all familiar with the way a sudden silence from Spencer normally signifies a break in the case.

Instead, he gently cards his hand through his ruffled curls and goes, "I think Hotch kissed me on the way out the door."

The next time it happens, it's to Garcia.

She's been busy, filtering through search after search with a massive pool of suspects. She knows she's close, knows it the same way she knows how to code, how to knit, how to pull something from nothing.

She standing in the tiny kitchenette, only the dim lights from Hotch's office and the BAU's briefing office lighting the way when she hears someone come down the steps. She turns, hoping it's Morgan, wanting some reassurance. Instead, it's Hotch, his face drawn and wane, as he heads for the coffee pot next to her.

"Garcia," he greets quietly, his eyes on his drink as he pours hours old coffee into his mug.

Garcia offers a weak smile. "Sir," she says. The two stand in the quiet for a moment, Hotch's eyes on his drink, and Garcia's eyes on him. She shifts eventually, as Spencer and Emily pass by in the office window, casting deeper shadows across the room. "Sir- I just- I want you to know that I'm trying, sir, it's just - these parameters and the pool," she says, gesturing, her bracelets clinking softly on her wrist. "I want to find them, and I know- I know! I'm close," she finishes before turning back to her tea, her eyes lowered.

Hotch reaches out, gently touching her shoulder. "Garcia," he says softly. "Penelope," he amends. "I know," he says. "We wouldn't be able to find nearly as many killers and abductors if it wasn't for your work." He shifts closer to her. "I've never doubted your ability to find out what we need."

"Oh God," Garcia says, her stomach knotting. "I feel like you've just sent me up to fail."

Hotch chuckles softly, the sound so out of place that Garcia freezes. "No," Hotch says, dropping his arm to press an absentminded kiss to the top of her head. "Now, I believe in you so, please, find me our guy." He turns and heads up the stairs, his gait steady and even, completely unchanged.

Garcia blinks after him, pushing her glasses up her face before pressing her fingertips to her cheeks. "Oh my god," she whispers, alone in the room. "Hotch just kissed me too."

***

When Garcia hands out the folder and begins reading the case to the group, JJ pauses. She sees it a split second before Garcia says it, the words he's killing siblings of those who had committed suicides, ringing around her head for a long moment before she tears her eyes away and looks up.

Everyone in the room is either very studiously not looking at her or staring straight at her. Only Hotch looks up in the pause and turns to JJ. "Take a minute before we go," he says, not unkindly but firmly. "This is going to be difficult for all of us, and I need everyone's head in the game."

JJ nods, her mind spinning. She's silent the rest of the meeting, only getting up when she registers the others rising as well. She turns from the room, heading out on autopilot. It's only when she realizes that she's in a dark and quiet place that she allows herself to take in the case.

The victim's faces stick in her mind - the original victims - the suicides - as her brain catches on them over and over again until their faces have become Roslyn, layered over each other in an almost horrific amalgamation of projection. Her mind sticks on the dates as well, so close to her anniversary, days away from when JJ would go to the graveyard and visit her older sister, bringing her Queen Anne's Lace, because even though Ros had been allergic they were her favorite.

She takes in a deep breath, closing her eyes and giving herself a minute to center her mind. She is calm, she is cool, she is collected. She breathes out, blinking her eyes open and taking in the room she had instinctively retreated to. Her old office comes into focus, stacks of miscellaneous folders and cardboard boxes surrounding her.

Behind her, someone knocks softly on the doorframe.

"Come in," she says, her voice quiet.

Hotch enters, his stride familiar. "You okay?" He asks in a murmur. JJ nods, still facing away from him. He shifts his weight, his clothes rustling with the movement. He reaches out for her, just as she turns, his hand heavy on her shoulder until he raises his other hand and places it on her other shoulder. She pauses, a flicker of something in his gaze that makes her hesitate before Hotch tugs her in closer to him. "We'll get him," he promises, his hands sliding up to her face before he tilts her head forward and pulls her into him even tighter.

JJ burrows into his circle of arms, tension sliding from her frame as her brain registers the tiny space of safety Hotch is offering. He brushes a kiss across her cheek before letting go, all traces of openness wiped from his face. "Come on," he says. "Wheel's up in twenty."

***

"Hotch," Morgan says, his voice low and warning. "I don't want to have to do this."

"Then don't," Hotch says quietly, his gaze on the folders in front of him as the plane banks sharply.

Morgan sighs, reaching out to halt his tablet from sliding across the table in front of them. The plane is dark around them, Spencer passed out on the couch across from them, Emily and JJ asleep next to each other, their heads tilted together. At the front of the plane, Rossi sits, staring out the window. Morgan sighs again and turns to face Hotch more squarely, angling himself so he can see the man sitting next to him better.

"It just doesn't feel right," he says.

"Well," Hotch says, lifting his gaze to meet Morgan's. "If it doesn't feel right, then don't do it."

"But -"

"But what?" Hotch interrupts, arching a brow. "The first thing we're taught on this team is to follow our instincts." He stares at Morgan, setting the file down. "So what are they telling you?"

"They're telling me it's a stupid idea to try - to try to even explain myself," Morgan says, almost snapping. "I don't want to have to fight it out every time I see my family."

"Okay," Hotch says evenly. "What does feel right then?"

Morgan shrugs, a helpless look on his face. "I don't know," he admits. "I'm just confused."

Hotch quirks a gentle smile at him. "I understand," he says. "It's hard to get even when you're in the thick of it."

Morgan nods rapidly. "And - I just -" he heaves a sigh. "You guys are my family." He blinks, leaning back his seat, staring at the ceiling. "I don't know what to do."

For a long moment, the two of them are silent until Hotch sighs. "I know you'll figure it out," he says softly. "You always do." Morgan closes his eyes, his feelings swirling in his chest. So lightly, he almost thinks he imagines it, he feels Hotch press a kiss to his cheek before turning back to his paperwork. "I believe in you," Hotch murmurs. "Just do what's best for you."

***

Emily blinks at Hotch as she stands in the doorway of his office. "Hi," she says. "Can we talk?"

Hotch looks up at her over his paperwork before gesturing for her to sit down. "Yeah," he says. "What's up?"

"Uh, I just-" She turns and shuts the door, the latch clicking behind her. "Does-" She cuts herself off, sighing and sliding down into the seat. Hotch furrows his brows at her before rising and coming around his desk, sinking into the chair next to her. She sighs again, a short burst of harsh air. "Do you talk to your father?" She asks abruptly, a strange look on her face.

"Well," Hotch says after a beat. "He's dead, so no."

"Oh," Emily says, her voice dropping. 'I'm so sorry, Hotch, I had no idea."

Hotch offers her a small smile. "It's not something I mention much," he admits, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. The room is silent for a beat before he narrows his eyes at her. "Why?"

"Oh, uh," Emily begins before sighing for the third time. "I just - I wanted to talk to you about something but I don't quite know where or how to begin."

"And you thought you'd start by asking about my father?" Hotch asks, arching an eyebrow.

Emily shrugs, quirking half her mouth up in a half-smile. "Wasn't a very smart move for a profiler, was it?" She says. "But no, I uh, I wanted to know if you would've made the same call as me tonight."

Hotch dips his head, running over the case in his mind, laying out all the facts - she had been cornered, at a clear disadvantage, with a gun held on her, and had made the judgment call to signal for a sniper to take the unsub out, rather than talking him down. He inclines his head in a quick nod.

"Yes," he says, cocking a brow at her. "Yes, I would've."

Emily sighs, tension sliding from her frame. "There just- there was something about his face," she says softly. "I thought I was going to die, for real, and I thought I panicked." She blinks at him, rising to her feet. "I - thank you."

"No," Hotch says, standing with her. He steps close, and pulls her into a hug, pressing a kiss to her hair above her ear. "You aren't dying on my watch." He tightens his grip on her before relaxing and pulling away, his face as fond and open as it got in the office. "You made the right call," he says, letting her go but keeping eye contact with her. "The correct call."

Emily grins at him, relief making her expression fierce. "Good," she says, striding to the doorway. "I'd hate to leave you all in the lurch," she says, wiggling her fingers at him. "Come out and get drinks with us."

"Okay," Hotch says after a beat, shutting the folder closed on his desk with a snap. "Lead the way then."

***

With Rossi, it's not a surprise to anyone.

They're drunk at his house, properly drunk, too many glasses of Emilys' infamous punch in, when Rossi decides that he needs to cook them a meal. He sits them down around his counter, pulling out pots and pans, their low chatter a welcome noise in the background.

He points a wooden spoon in Spencer's direction menacingly, at his low question of what the hell are all these for, before shaking his head. "It's like none of you have ever seen a real chef in the kitchen."

"Well," Spencer says, blinking slowly at him. "I drink coffee and eat stuff, so -" He blinks again, turning to Emily. "I eat those donuts."

She pats him on the shoulder. "And you do it so, so, well," she says, grinning at him when he hums in her direction, his attention back on watching Rossi.

Morgan chuckles from beside him, reaching out and nudging Garcia from where she's slumped over the counter. "C'mon babygirl, don't you want to watch the man work his magic?"

"Magic?" Spencer says, spinning to look at Morgan and getting up to find his bag. "Do you want to see magic?"

"Aw, hell," Morgan says, following Spencer from the kitchen. "That's not what I meant Pretty Boy!"

JJ leans further into Emily, her face open and fond. "We should do this more often," she says, rubbing her cheek against Emily's shoulder. "I've missed this kind of de-stressing."

Emily smiles down at her, tugging her even closer before looking over JJ's shoulder at Hotch. "You okay over there?" She asks, her grin blooming even brighter when Hotch turns to look at her with vaguely unfocused eyes.

"Yeah," Hotch says, pulling his gaze away to go back to watching Rossi at the stove. "I'm trying to see the chef."

Rossi laughs loudly from in front of the stove, striding around the counter and planting a loud smacking kiss on Hotch's lips. "And now you have," he says patting Hotch on the shoulder and heading back to the stove. "The food will be ready in twenty," he says, ignoring the looks from JJ and Emily who are alternating between staring at him and at Hotch.

Hotch blinks at him for a moment before smiling and letting himself slide deeper into his seat, taking a long sip from his cup of punch.

"Oh-" Garcia says, her face propped up in her hands as she flutters her eyes at the group in the kitchen. "I fucking love  you guys." From the room over, Spencer and Morgan burst into laughter, the sounds of a deck of cards exploding accompanying them. Garcia sighs deeply, lines of contentment etched into her face. "No," she says earnestly, as the others around her begin laughing too, as a deep swell of contentment rises within the home. "Seriously. Love you all forever."

[doctorreids]

folklore - spencer reid x reader

CHAPTER TWO - cardigan 

previous chapter | next chapter  

summary: reader reflects upon her first time with spencer, upon the loss of her father and whether or not she did enough to save their relationship. 

warnings: death/loss of a loved one.

word count: 2,494

“sequinned smile, black lipstick, sensual politics. when you are young they assume you know nothing.”

This case hit the team particularly hard. Child abductions could either end with a happy ending or… This one was not one of those times. She was sure Reid had a statistic but they were all too exhausted to even keep their eyes open on the jet. The air was somber and tense - everyone feeling all too guilty to indulge in any kind of conversation.

By the time the plane had landed, none of them had slept and it was completely dark outside. She knew she needed a drink and a strong one at that. Reid had sat by her the entire flight home, she noticed how he could barely focus on his book in front of him, his shoulders completely tense. The 20,000 words per minute was slashed to 10 minutes. She hated yet understood that they all felt guilty, but there was always a special sadness in her when Reid was upset. He was the one negotiating, all that weight fell on his shoulders and she just wanted to hold him and tell him that everything will be okay.

They all filtered into the office, Reid following sluggishly behind her. This was routine now, having only been at the bureau for just shy of a year, she had learnt how everyone took their coffee or tea, what time they all headed home with Hotch and Reid being the last out of the doors. She’d become accustomed to joining them in burning the late-night oil.

Reid didn’t even spare a glance at the kitchen as he sat down at his desk, a frown etched onto his face. She just wanted him to smile.

Making his coffee was second nature to her now; she knew exactly how much sugar he took depending on how he was feeling. Smiling to herself, she placed his mug on his desk and as he glanced up she walked back to her own desk to start working on the post-case paperwork and other cases she’d been asked to consult on.

She didn’t see it but he smiled. Only slightly but he did.

A few hours passed when she was finishing up her last file when a note was dropped onto her desk as Reid walked past her desk.

'Would you like to get a drink at Dan’s tonight? - S’

Grinning, she packed up all her files into her go-bag, grabbed her coffee cup and jacket meeting him in the kitchen. Silent words were exchanged as they met each other’s eyes, walking in sync towards the elevator.

“Didn’t take you for a Dan’s person, pretty boy.”

He blushed at the nickname, she rarely used it. “I-i just thought you could use a bit of respite is all.”

“We both could.” She giggled, nudging him with her shoulder. “You barely read your book on the way home and you couldn’t concentrate on your files, is everything okay?

She didn’t want to push him into talking to her, he would talk when he felt comfortable. However, his silence after her question and his eyes trained on the pavement made her nervous.

“N-not that you have to tell me! I just worry about you.”

His head snaps up. He meets her eyes with a slight smile.

“All I know is that I’m okay when I’m with you.”

After nursing a few drinks between them, despite both of them knowing they were lightweights, they stumbled out of Dan’s and into a cool January night. Pressed up against a streetlight, she grabbed onto the lapels of his suit jacket.

They’d spent the night talking about the case. How much she saw herself in the kids that were abducted. How he felt as though he had let everyone down. Her heart broke at his vulnerability.

Their noses were so close, she could feel his hot breath fan across her face; the smell of whiskey and wine mixed together. On a cold, winter night, they were each other’s warmth. Taking him in under the dim, amber streetlight she traced his features as if it was the last time she would ever see him, ever hold him, ever be this close to him.

His hair was short yet long, he was growing it out. She liked it either way. She’d have him anyway just as long as he was hers.

His eyes bore into hers, occasionally flickering down to her lips, filled with the same yearning and desperation she felt herself filled with.

His lips. She watched as he swiped his tongue across them. Suddenly she was sixteen again at homecoming waiting for that first perfect kiss.

In his embrace, she felt whole. No feeling of loneliness nor was this just pure lust. That underlying promise of something more made her stomach sink. She tried to figure out what was going on in his head.

“Penny for your thoughts?” She laughed.

They pulled back from a moment, the intimacy of their embrace broken.

“Can I kiss you?”

She nodded.

Their lips connected and winter disappeared. It was sweet, his lips soft against hers. Her hand rested on the nape of his neck, his on her hips pulling her into him. Moving together, they were intoxicated by each other. She could now taste the whiskey on his tongue, each of her senses was consumed with Spencer. Just Spencer. Running her hands through his hair, she doesn’t want to let go.

Their lips parted, the cold breeze cut between them. Giddy smiles graced before their faces as he brushed her hair out of her face. A mutual understanding that they need each other, unspoken they know how much they do. She’d never needed someone as much as she needed him.

She tries to calm her breathing, her heart beating so fast it might burst out of her chest, as they walk wrapped in each other back to his apartment. His hand rests on her hip, rubbing small circles into it as they walk home. She had never seen him as brave as he was tonight.

Yet nervousness surrounded them both. They were so young, they knew so little but so much about the other.

She wanted everything.

“when i felt like an old cardigan under someone’s bed, you put me on and said i was your favourite.”

The note he wrote all that time ago is tattered now and she toys with it. She’s kept all of the notes he’s passed her since her first day at the Bureau. She knew that he would profile her, it’s why he left the notes.

She knew that he understood that she sometimes needed a reason to smile, that he wanted to make her laugh and to make their working days just that little bit easier.

She wonders if he ever kept her responses.

The warmth of his cardigans that she used to wrap around herself when they queued up a new documentary on Netflix or when they watched an episode of Doctor Who together always reminded her of the warmth between them that first night they shared together.

Curling up further in her leather armchair, she tries to recall his touch. Trying to remember how his hands felt as they brushed her inner thighs, on the small of her back, or the place where she needed them most. She can’t remember where he used to hold her but she remembers how it made her feel.

Even on her worst days, the days were the grief, frustration and sadness were all too much, his embrace made her feel as though he was the sun; the centre to her universe and she was a whole galaxy of stars passing through. Old wounds healed and winter turned to spring in his arms.

But even that feeling has started to fade as his eyes no longer look at her as though she lightens up the night sky, now they just look through her.

It’s hard for her to pinpoint the exact moment things went wrong. Maybe they just left their rose-coloured glasses on for too long to avoid the reality that everything was collapsing around them.

The pain she held in heart, all the times she felt used or abandoned, became non-existent in his presence. The pure happiness he brought her she finds hard to describe; he reminded her of hot chocolate on an autumn night, but he also reminded her of the hot sun beating down on your back as you lie on the beach with nothing but the sound of gentle waves to keep you company.

She wonders if she ever brought him the same happiness he did for her?

It keeps her up at night. All the questions. What did she do right? What did she do wrong? Can it be fixed? But she reminds herself that it’s been months, if fate wanted them together she’d still be waking up on the other side of town to the smell of coffee and Beethoven.

“you drew stars around all my scars, but now i’m bleeding.”

The monitor flatlined, piercing through the silence of the blisteringly white, pristine hospital room.

She knew that she would lose him eventually. Just not like this.

This was her father - the one constant in her life since she lost her mother. He was her closest friend, confidant and companion. He taught everything she knows about life, love and good food. She needed more time. She was only young, she even believed their assumptions that she knew nothing and this was proof.

Finally, she allowed herself to weep. Hopeless tears rolled down her cheeks as Spencer wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him. Her head pressed against where his heart lay in his chest. Even his heartbeat couldn’t calm her down.

Too weak to carry herself, the doctor’s words to her barely registered to her. All she knew was that it wasn’t painful, he didn’t suffer. Her father was finally at peace.

That provided her no comfort in that moment.

She can’t recall the week leading up to the funeral. Every day felt as though she was outside of herself, watching everything else happen. She felt numb, frozen in one place, and unable to move. People tackle grief in different ways, she knows the stages, yet she never felt herself go through any of them. She was completely and utterly disembodied by grief.

She listened to the kind words at the wake, at the funeral. She tried to remember them all but all she could think about was Spencer’s hand in hers. His gentle squeezes brought her back down to earth, out of the turmoil in her mind.

She thinks about how her Dad told him to take care of her. She remembers overhearing a conversation about blessings but she let that go a long time ago, they were too young for marriage her father would always joke.

She knew he was trying to be there for her as much as he could be, he couldn’t take time off of work to provide her with the support she needed. All he could do was call, check in as often as he could. The distance only made her heart shatter more and more. He didn’t urge her to talk about how she was feeling, he knew it would come in time but she all she wanted was that embrace. She wanted to feel his hands lightly trace her skin, the feeling alone mended the scars on her heart. But he wasn’t there.

“i knew you, tried to change the ending, peter losing wendy.”

She didn’t blame him for not being there. Work was as demanding as ever, that was the excuse time and time again. Then again, they were both not ones for sharing their feelings - she knew that he agreed with her when it came to spilling their souls. Sometimes it felt as though they were burdening each other with the weight they both held on their shoulders. Despite all the instances where they told each other that they would be there for it all, they still held back.

She didn’t know how to trust him with it.

He didn’t know how to express how scared he really was.

Their love was reminiscent of first love; full of childlike wonder, hope, and open to the world and its seasons.

But everyone grows up. Everyone is faced with the reality of life. Things come to end, there is suffering and there is happiness - everyone, whether you believe it or not, is in the hands of fate.

She laughed at the thought of Spencer believing in fate, he was a man of science after all. She believed that it was fate that they met that day, that they fell in love. She always will but she wonders if it was fate that pulled them apart or just a set of cruel circumstances and their fears of vulnerability.

The loss of her father impacted her in ways she struggled to comprehend herself. Her heart started to come apart that day, the cracks starting to show.

She loved her father, she was grateful for all he did. Her mother passed when she was 7 and her father never faltered. He taught her all she needed to know about love, about who to love, and who to let go. She didn’t know who to be without him. She had so much more to share with him.

She needed Spencer there and he wasn’t. Somedays he was so quiet she wondered if he had left his or her apartment. He never made her a cup of tea when the jet landed late, he never left her any notes, he never touched her anymore.

She tried to convince herself that she had done all that she could to try and save the sinking ship that was their relationship; cooking his favourite meals, bookshop dates, movie dates, long walks whenever they could. She tried talking to him, to try and get him to tell her how he felt but he shut it down. She knew it was easy to point fingers and place the blame on him for the end of their relationship but it’s not that simple. Maybe she stopped paying attention to everything he said, maybe she was too closed off, maybe she missed the signs. Maybe she clung onto him too much or maybe she left him alone too often.

For now, the loss is too much. From her father to her love, it crushes her. Each glass of wine provides her with the liquid courage to press that call button. But each time she reaches for it, she retracts and her nerves kick in.

Letting go is easier said than done, but all she needs right at this very moment is his embrace. Maybe just one more glass. Maybe then she’d call and he’d come back to her.

[humanitysstrongestmidget]

Come back to me! Part 2

Requested by  @naturakaashi ; so sorry it took so long to post it, work and school had been a hell the past month. But thank you for liking the story and I hope part 2 lives up to your expectations. Please feel free to give some feedback, would love it a lot. Well I hope you have a good day/night.

Summary - After 3 years of being kidnapped, you were finally back home with your son. You were overjoyed to finally being back to safety, but how would you talk with Levi? How could you tell him that your son was his, without knowing if he loved you back or not? So you did the one thing that you believed was best, avoiding the man for as long as it was possible. Yet you would never have expected this outcome nor do you ever want to trade it with anything else.

Paring - Levi Ackerman x F! Reader

Warnings - mentioned murders (not in details!), tiny bit of angst, once mentioned death

Written by: Admin Accalia 🐺

REQUEST IS OPEN :-)

PARTS: 1 / 2 

Sons name: Hiroto

o   Meaning: Fly Far, Big Flight

________________________________________________________________

 FLASHBACK:

There you were walking towards him safe and alive after 3 years of missing, holding hands with a little boy who looked just like him.

PRESENT:

You had been home for two weeks now. All your friends wanted to know what had happened that faithful night you disappeared and how you had survived for the past 3 years, also where the little boy came from. Yet you explained to them that you were not fully ready to tell them about your kidnapping and you also had to make sure that your son Hiroto got well-adjusted to his new home. Even though they had many questions and wanted answers, they all were respectful of your decision and waited till the time you would be ready to tell them. They also were very kind and gentle towards Hiroto, helping you with him whenever you needed rest or had to do something else. Though there was one person you still have not talked with yet or introduced Hiroto to, Levi. Despite knowing you had to do it sooner or later, you chose later because you did not know how to start that conversation with him. How could you explain to a man, who you did not even know if he loved you back, that the little boy was his son and was the big reason why you left with kidnappers willingly. You did not even know how Levi had reacted to you being gone, although you could see on his form that he had lost some weight but that could be explained with hard training and missions.

 It was a little past dinner time and all the soldiers had already eaten and left when you and Hiroto came to the cafeteria. You laid out some toys on the ground for Hiroto to play with while you ate your dinner, Hiroto had already eaten his dinner. You sat down at the table and started to eat your dinner, while watching your son play, minding your own business till the sound of a cup being placed on the table brought you out of your thoughts. You looked to the side to see Hange sitting down beside you with a cup of coffee, you smiled at her, her smiling back at you. “It is so good to have you back Y/N, even with this new addition to the crew,” she nodded towards Hiroto, you glanced at your son happily playing on the ground before looking back at the woman, “May I ask you a personal question?”. You sighed, placing your fork down on the plate, and nodded, you knew it was about time for you to answer some of your friend’s questions. You also thought it was best to talk to Hange first. She could help you when it was time to answer the rest of the crew’s many questions, in case it got too overwhelming for you then she would be able to step in and answer for you. She quietly asked, “Is it his?”, you knew she was referring to Levi, and to that you nodded, Hange sighed softly, “Of course it is, he looks a lot like Levi, especially the expressions he makes yet he has your eyes”. You smiled at the comparison; you loved your son’s eyes the most mainly because they reminded you of Levi despite Hiroto having your eye color. You slowly turned to Hange and frowned, “Hange, could you tell me how Levi reacted to me being gone?”, the woman took a big sip from the cup before placing it down onto the table and took a deep shaky breath, bracing herself to tell you about the hardships her poor friend had been through since you disappeared.

 You were so focused on Hange’s story that none of you noticed Hiroto leaving the cafeteria and had decided to explore the hallways out of boredom. The little boy walked slowly down the hallways until he saw a butterfly, he started chasing the butterfly down the hallways not looking where he was going. Suddenly he bumped into a person’s legs and fell onto the ground with a soft thud and a little scream. A hand came into the little boy’s sight and he grabbed it, the person helping him to stand up again. When Hiroto finally looked at the person, he found himself looking into eyes that resembled a lot like his own, he gasped rather loudly at the man who was crouching down in front of him, “Hey you look a lot like me!”.

 You were running down the hallways towards the sound of your son’s scream, your conversation with Hange cut short when you both noticed that Hiroto was no longer in the cafeteria with you. You rounded a corner and saw your son talking to a person, you did not even check who it was before pulling your son into your embrace. Your hands then rested on Hiroto’s cheeks making him look at you, before scolding him softly, “Yah you little brat! What did mommy tell you about you leaving without asking for permission or telling her where you would go?”, you heard a soft chuckle at the word ‘brat’, yet you still didn’t look at the person. Hiroto looked at you a little sad before answering quietly “Not to run or leave without telling mommy because there is a lot of dangerous people in this world or I could get lost, I’m sorry mommy, I got bored!” you smiled softly at the boy and hugged him, his arms circling your neck, “ I know baby, mommy is sorry too, I should have played with you earlier but one of mommy’s friends had to talk to her”. Hiroto suddenly pushed you off him and smiled brightly at you, pointing his little finger at the person whom you have not even addressed, “Look mommy, I found daddy for you!” Hiroto was so proud of himself for finding his daddy, a man you had described and told a lot of bedtime stories of the man to him, you turned your head to the person not even masking your shock when you saw who the person in front of you was. Of course, it was no other than the man himself, Levi.

An hour later you were in Levi’s office. You had put Hiroto to bed after telling him you would explain everything to him in the morning and had asked Hange to watch him as you will talk to Levi. Hange was more than happy to help and that the two of you would finally talk, she told you she had some paperwork that she would finish while watching your son. Now here you were, in Levi’s office, alone with the man. You stood at the entrance too nervous to make any movements, Levi kept himself busy by making some tea for the two of you, as he was gathering his thoughts. He placed the two cups on the table and sat down in one of the chairs, looking at you with a rather soft expression, one only you had seen and one he had not used for the past 3 years. “Come, sit down and have some tea,” he gestured towards the chair, you sat down and took a sip of the tea he made, you were surprised, he remembered how you liked your tea sweet and not bitter like his. He placed down the cup before looking at you with a serious expression, “Care to explain to me what happened that night 3 years ago and how you have managed to survive, not only you but your son too,” softly placing the cup down, you sighed. You then started to explain to him how you had willingly left with your kidnappers, how they had made you do some of their dirty work which involved killing people who were far worse than them, how they had made you act like a housewife by cooking and cleaning and some other stuff too for them. Surprisingly by you doing all of that, they never put a hand on you nor your son and did not show any gruesome stuff to him, they were nice to you, only if you dismissed the fact of them being your kidnappers and murders. The only main effect they wanted from you being kidnapped was to break down Levi, as they had some unfinished business with him, the business you still did not what was and did not know if you ever wanted to know. As you were explaining it all for Levi, your hands had started shaking, flashbacks of the murders you had to commit resurfacing. Levi had noticed your hands shaking and placed his own on the top of yours, rubbing his thumb softly against your skin, an act that would usually calm you down, as it did now. When you were done, the man handed you your cup, making you drink something before gently taking the cup from you and placing his hands back on top of yours again.

 The atmosphere in the room changed, and the roles were reversed, instead of you being the nervous one Levi was it now. He took a shaky breath before looking at you, his face stoic but his eyes were soft, “Is… Is he mine?” you looked down at your entwined hands, and couldn’t help but laugh softly, “Captain – Levi, he looks so much like you, what do you self-think?”. The man shook his head, “Why did you not tell me? Why did you leave that morning? I – I thought we had something?” you let go of Levi’s hands before standing up, laughing dryly, “We had something? Levi, all we would do was get drunk and sleep together, then the next few days you would be ice cold to me, acting as if you did not even know me, as if I meant nothing. So, explain to me how I could tell someone, who treated me like a ragdoll, that I was pregnant with his son!?” Levi avoided looking at you, ashamed of his treatment towards you. “ I am so sorry of how I have treated you… you must understand that I mean it. I guess I was confused about my feelings and was scared…” confused you asked “Scared? Scared of what?” he took a deep breath, “I was scared that if I confessed to you, we would end up together and I would for once have some happiness in my life, only for it to get taken away from me, once again. What if a titan attacked you and I could not be there to protect you! What if you died! I would not know what to do with myself if I lost you, so I decided to act cold to push you away, yet I kept going back to you… but I cannot lose you, not again!”.

You crouched down in front of the man and took his hands in yours, “Levi, look at me,” he shook his head, he could not show you his teary eyes, he did not deserve to cry in front of you, not after the way he had treated you and the fact that it was his enemies that took you away was clouding his mind. You sighed, after talking with Hange and knowing how Levi had been for the past 3 years, you knew he would feel guilty, you just did not expect it to be this much. Softly placing your hands on his cheeks, you raised his head, making his teary eyes meet yours, “Levi I want you to listen carefully to what I’m about to say, can you do that for me?” you were being careful with your words and tone, you did not want to scare him off, not now when he was showing his vulnerable side to you, which was rare. He nodded, your thumbs rubbing his cheeks making him relax, “None of this is your fault, okay! You did not know what would happen, no one did. You’re not going to lose me, not again, I am not going anywhere”. Closing your eyes, you rested your forehead against his forehead, your breaths mixing, you waited for a few seconds in peaceful silence before whispering, “Both Hiroto and I are not going anywhere, not without you, never again”. By now tears were falling freely down on both of your faces. Levi grabbed your arms, pulling your body onto his lap, and held so tightly, scared if he let go you would disappear again.

 The moment was cut short when the door burst open, and in came a crying Hiroto, followed by a panicked Hange. You quickly bent down to pick Hiroto up, rubbing up and down on his back, trying to calm him down, Levi stood up too and looked at Hange, his eyes fierce by seeing his son cry, “Oi four eyes, what happened? Why the hell is he crying? What exactly did you do!?”. You placed a hand on Levi’s shoulder, as a sign to calm down and not yell when Hiroto was already crying, “I do not know what happened, I was doing paperwork and I glanced at him seeing him sleeping peacefully. So I continued doing work when he suddenly shot up screaming and crying for his mum, I couldn’t calm him down so I thought it was best to take him to you” Hange looked at you, sad that she could not calm the little boy down. You smiled at her softly, “It is okay Hange, this happens sometimes, you did the right thing by bringing him to me. Thank you for watching him even though you had work to do,” She finally smiled and nodded, waving goodbye as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

 After some minutes of pacing around the room, Hiroto finally calmed down, so you sat down on one of the chairs making Hiroto sit in your lap, Levi pulling his chair beside you also sitting down. You could see worry all over Levi’s face, so you explained quietly how Hiroto sometimes would get nightmares about the screams he would hear at the kidnapper’s house. Despite them never making Hiroto watch the gruesome stuff, the little boy unfortunately sometimes heard the stuff. Slowly and carefully, you lifted Hiroto’s head, making him look at both you and Levi, “Hey bud, you’re feeling better?” he nodded wiping his face with the sleeve of his pajama, “That’s good, do you remember this man? Do you know who he is,” You pointed towards Levi, wanting to see if Hiroto still remembered the dots he connected last time you bumped into Levi. The little boy nodded, looking at you with big shining eyes, “He is my daddy, right mommy? I remember the bedtime stories and he looks a lot like me” you smiled, of course, he remembered the bedtime stories, he would not go to sleep without you telling him one about his brave father. “That is right bud, this is your daddy,” Hiroto’s face light up, the biggest smile you had ever seen covering his face and his eyes got brighter if that was even possible, he turned his body and reached out his small arms to Levi, exclaiming, “DADDY, I’M BACK” you laughed at his outburst. You handed Hiroto over to Levi and laughed once again, the little boy was hugging his dad so tightly with his arms around Levi’s neck, that you were scared he would end up choking his dad with the grip he had, while Levi looked at you with wide eyes before relaxing, hugging back his son.

By Hiroto’s request, all three of you were now laying together in Levi’s bed, with the boy sleeping peacefully between his parents, something he had dreamt of. Levi could not sleep, not yet, his eyes taking in the sight before him, his arm over the two of you. His love and his son, sound asleep beside him. After years of different kinds of pain, mentally and physically, loss of friends who were family, he felt joy and peace at last. This was his, his own little family, and hopefully with the years to come it would grow bigger. He leaned over Hiroto placing a kiss softly on your forehead, “Thank you, thank you so much for loving me and bringing me this happiness. I will forever be thankful for you and treat you with the love you deserve, the love you are bringing me,” he then kissed Hiroto’s forehead, “I will always protect you and mommy, my little brave boy,” Levi whispered before laying down, sleep and peace filling his body.