#literally getting woken up by a phone call from my dad this morning for an early christmas lunch that turned into a several hour excursion

[rossithepixie]

one power nap and a shower later and i feel much much better

[lexisecretaccx]

A+ Student FINALE

Masterlist!

(Femreader, pretty long, drama, fluff, I didn’t rlly know how to end this bro, not proofread!)

Summary: Y/n is a great student in her college, always getting good grades. Her college professor Matt, thinks she can get even higher ones with some “extra credit.” That is until she meets her new gym teacher..

Y/n POV

I get woken up by my phone buzzing, it’s 2am who’s calling me? I sit up and grab it off my bedside table. Chris? I answer it, “hello?” I ask sleepily. “I’m so sorry I woke you up,” he spoke softly, “it’s okay, what’s wrong?”

“Please don’t drop Matts class, I had a talk with him everything’s okay he just doesn’t want you to throw away something you’re good at.” Chris replies. “Everything’s good with you and him? And me?” I need to make sure, “yeah he said he wants you to be happy and he’s not going to mess with your feelings, he knows how much I like you.” I can’t see it but I know he’s smiling.

“Really? That’s great!” I sit up further, “Fine, I won’t drop his class then, I do enjoy the subject I just didn’t wanna be in the same class as him but if it’s all good then okay!” I say enthusiastically.

“Can we meet up tomorrow? After college?” He asks me, “Yeah sure,” I groan as I stretch. “Go back to sleep y/n, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He chuckles, “Goodnight.” I mumble as I fall further into my pillow. He hangs up as I instantly fall back to sleep peacefully.

I’m glad everything is good between them, I feel bad for being mad at Matt but.. I did have a right to, but him and Chris also had a right to be mad at me.. I won’t dwell on the past.

My alarm chimes, “Fuck..” I sit up and shut it off, I go to shower and get dressed before applying makeup and getting my bag ready. I walk downstairs, toast a waffle and eat it up to my table.

“Hey sweetie.” my dad walks down the stairs, “Morning dad, you sleep well.” I ask him as he makes a coffee, “Eh, same as usual.” He groans, he sits down opposite me, “No syrup or anything with that?” He points at the waffle on my plate, “No I didn’t want any.” I smile, “Weirdo.” He laughs sipping his coffee.

I check my phone, and he checks his and then it’s time for me to leave. “I’m gonna head off, see you later dad!” I stand up, “See ya Pumpkin.” He waves from the table, “Wait dad I forgot,” I turn around, “I’m going out with a friend after college so I’ll be back late.” He smiles, “That’s okay I’ll be in work anyway, but stay safe!”

I leave and start to walk, I make it to college early and walk in and sit in the library. “You’re here early.” Matt spoke, my head flicked up from the book I was reading, “I underestimated my walking speed.” I chuckle quietly. “Can I sit?” He points opposite me, I nod.

“Chris talked to you yesterday right?” I whispered, we’re in a library even though literally nobody is in here. “Yeah, I just want you to know that there’s no hard feelings, I liked you but not the same way you liked me whereas Chris.. you’re one of the only things he talks about.” Matt chuckles.

It hurt hearing him say he didn’t like me the same way I liked him but, I don’t have those feelings for him anymore so it doesn’t matter. “Really?” I smile, “Yeah it’s always, y/n this.. y/n that.. and in between he talks about some bullshit nobody really understands.” He grins, “I really like him Matt.”

“I told him I didn’t wanna get in the way of you both, I mean.. he literally quit his job for you, that’s something I couldn’t do for anyone.” Matt sighs, “And I apologise.. for messing with your head and lying and everything. Just know I won’t do that again, you and Chris can be happy and I won’t ruin that.” He smiles softly, “Thank you.” I nod.

“Thank you, for not dropping the class, you’re the top student.. You’re an A+ Student.. even without ‘extra credit’ and you will pass the course easily.” He spoke quietly. “It’s okay, I’m sorry for being rude to you yesterday, I was just upset.” I added.

“It’s alright it’s understandable-” he goes to speak but he gets cut off by his phone pinging. “Oh shit I gotta go to set up class, I’ll see you in a bit.” He gets up and walks out the library.

After 10 minutes I leave the library and turn down the hallway, I see Lizzy, Mason, Ethan, Myla, and Kelly all talking and laughing. I walk over to them, “Hi.” I smile, they instantly stop talking and turn to face me, “Oh hey.” Lizzy spoke awkwardly. Kelly is staring into my soul, why have they all stopped talking when I show up?

“What are you guys talking about?” I try to break the awkwardness, “Oh nothing much.” Mason nods, “You can continue talking, don’t let me stop you.” I chuckle nervously, “Uh.. Mason and Kelly how did your date go yesterday?” Ethan changes the subject, I look to Mason and Kelly who are both blushing.

I guess she has a type.. anyone who shows interest in me. I’m joking but still, “It went well.. we’re sorta dating now.” Kelly giggles, “Yeah.” Mason looks directly at me for a response, “Congrats.” I smile. I’m not jealous at all, I’ve got Chris.

“Did you know Mr Sturniolo quit his job?” Ethan says to Mason, “What why?” He replies, I fiddle with my hand’s anxiously. “He had ‘more important things to focus on’,” Ethan scoffs, “My mom is the headmasters assistant so she told me, but if you ask me.. I think he was fucking a student.”

I look to him instantly, “What made you think that?” I ask him, “Apparently he had Hickeys on his neck, but here’s the thing.. he didn’t have them when he got here.. he must’ve got them from someone here.” He chuckles, “Are you sure he wasn’t dating one of the staff here?” I tried to hide my nervousness.

“Why are you defending him,” Ethan laughs, “Are you the student he was sneaking around with.” He crosses his arms, “What no! I wouldn’t date a teacher.” I try and defend myself, “I never said date, plus he quit his job so he’s not a teacher anymore.” He snarks.

“Can you just stop, I’m too tired to deal with bullshit.” I sigh, “Tired from fucking Mr Sturniolo is it?” Lizzy joins in, “Liz what?” I scoff, “I was joking.” She awkwardly chuckles. Kelly doesn’t say a word, “You okay?” Mason wraps an arm around her, I know what she’s thinking, she’s fucked Matt and is nervous anyone might find out.

“Yeah, great.” She replies. “You a teacher fucker Y/n? Hm?” Ethan leans down to my ear, I shake my head. “Ethan I said stop.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Everything okay here?” A familiar voice, Matt. Kelly turns around so quickly you would think someone was offering a million bucks for free.

“Yep professor, everything’s peachy.” Ethan fake smiles and places his hand on my shoulder. “Ethan’s being a dick.” I spoke out, his expression shifts to betrayal or some shit. “Yeah well y/n is a teacher fu-” Ethan goes to speak and cuts himself off as Matt is Chris’ brother.

“Kelly you didn’t do your homework that was due Friday.” He spoke to her, her face so sheepish you woulda thought she saw a ghost. “Sorry Mat- Professor.” She stutters, I try not to laugh because of how nervous she is. “It’s fine but get it done by tomorrow.” He nods going to walk away until he stops and turns on his heels.

“And Ethan?” He calls, Ethan looks up.. “Don’t spread rumours about my brother, I could get your mother in trouble for telling you confidential information.” He tilts his head, “Sorry sir.” He looks down at his feet. Matt walks away.

“What was that about Kels?” Liz asks Kelly, Kels? Since when were they that close friends, “What?” Kelly stutters, “Your little nervous moment then.” Liz chuckles, “You gotta crush on Professor Sturniolo?” She smiles, “No!” Kelly shakes her head, Mason looks down at Kelly confused.

“It’s fine, I know someone else who does.” Liz looks at me and smirks, “Nope, not anymore.” I look at her, “Mhm sure.. what about Mr Sturniolo, you told me you liked him.” She teases, “Whatever.” I roll my eyes I’m sick of this what is she doing?

“I’m gonna go to class.” I push past Mason and Ethan, “You got another 20 mins, do you just wanna see Professor Sturniolo?” Ethan teases, “No, I just wanna get away from you all. The only one who isn’t being an asshole is Kelly.” I nod at her, “I’ll go to class with you, so you aren’t alone.” She smiles and walks next to me.

“Yeah okay.” I nod, and we walk to class. I knock the door, before walking in with Kelly. Matt turns to us, “Everything good?” He asks me, “No they pissed me off so I came to class early, Kelly came aswell.” She walks in next to me, “Hi.” She waves nervously, “Hey you okay?” He smiles, she nods.

I never thought I’d be friends with the girl who Matt fucked without me knowing, but she’s nice. We sit down next to each-other in my row, just until class starts. “I feel bad that they were teasing you.” Kelly whispers so Matt doesn’t hear, “Yeah it’s fine.” I sigh, I pull out my notes. “If I’m being honest, I also had a crush on him.” She points at Matt who is sat at his desk writing stuff down.

“I know.” I chuckle a bit, “How did you know?” She tilts her head, “I could just tell by your body language whenever he would talk to you.” I smile at her, “Oh that’s so embarrassing.” She covers her face, “It’s fine don’t worry.” I start to write down some notes.

“Ethan said he saw your insta story the other day.” Kelly whispers, my head turns to her, “The car one?” She leans closer to me so she can speak quieter. “Don’t ask me how I know but, that was his car right?” She points at Matt again, “yeah but.. not him.” I sigh, “Oh shit.” I speak again as I realise what I was talking about.

I don’t even know her enough and I basically just admitted to the thing that Ethan was accusing me of, “It’s fine, wanna know a secret?” She smirks, “What?” I reply and she sighs “don’t tell anyone please?” She looks at me, “As long as you don’t tell anyone what we’re talking about in general here.” I nod.

“I promise not to,” she puts her pinky out and we pinky promise on it. “I fucked him..” she signals to Matt, “I feel super guilty about it too because I shouldn’t have but.. it was in the moment and you know.. but I called things off almost instantly. I still feel awkward though but he said it’s okay.” She sighs.

“It’s alright, I won’t tell anyone.” I smile at her, I’m glad I’m making a new friend because Lizzy has changed. Little does Kelly know, both of us have fucked Matt but I’m not gonna tell her that. “So you and Mr Sturniolo did.. fuck?” She whispers, I nod, “So Ethan was right?” She sighs.

“Yeah.” I scribble on the plain paper infront of me, “Your secret is safe with me I promise, I fucking hate Ethan in general and he made me so annoyed when he was pressing you about it.” She scoffs, “He usually tells his mom everything.” She rolls her eyes, “Ugh.” I groan.

We talk for a bit and class starts, Kelly returns to her seat and people come in, Matt starts the lesson.

Halfway through the class Ethan and his mom walk in, my heart sinks. What are they doing here, I pretend to continue doing my work and Matt walks up to them. I look up and see Ethan pointing at me, Matt walks up next to me and leans down “They want you to go with them, I think Ethan said something about what he was talking to you about earlier.” Matt pulls an awkward face.

“Oh shit.” I stand up and walk down to them, Ethan grins and I roll my eyes, “Y/n we have to talk to you, Ethan go back to class.” His mom dismissed him and walks to the principals office with me, my heart is beating so quickly.

She lets me in and instantly I’m greeted by the principal. “Sit down.” He’s a tall man, like super tall. 6ft 4 at least. He looks down at me as he demands me to sit. I do exactly that and sit in the seat across from his desk. “We’ve had a very serious accusation..” he sits down opposite me.

“Mrs Winters’ son has told her some information you need to clear up.” He signals her to come closer, “Ethan has revealed to me that he has suspicions that you had a physical relationship with a teacher here. Is that true?” She stands infront of me, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ethan was accusing me of it earlier and stuff but it’s not true.”

“He also told me that you had told him some information, but that was confidential information so that’s not good.” I turn the tables and start accusing her, her eyes widen. “Do not switch the topic.” She demands, “Oh no I’m not, it’s very much on the same topic.” I lean back in my chair. The principal looks at her, “Is that true?” He asks.

“I had only told him about the situation with Mr Sturniolo and the hickeys on his neck, and the reason he quit his job and I told him I thought it was suspicious!” She defends herself, “That was private between Mr Sturniolo and us, you shouldn’t spread that. But on the topic of Mr Sturniolo.” He directs his attention to me.

“Did you, or did you not.. have a sexual relationship with Christopher Sturniolo during his time teaching here?” He spoke more sternly. “I did not.” I lie, “Why was there footage of you and him in a car together, not long ago? Also an instagram story that shows different.”

Fuck.. my own actions coming back on me, something I did just to make Matt jealous is coming back at me. “Well..” I try to defend myself but get interrupted. “The car you had on the instagram story is the same one that Professor Sturniolo drives, and if I’m correct, he shares that car with his brother Christopher Sturniolo.. right?”

I nod, “So you’re admitting it?” He tilts his head, “He’s not a teacher anymore so there’s no problem with it.” I cross my arms, “So you do have some sort of relationship with him?” Mrs Winters asks me, I shrug. “It wasn’t bad. We didn’t do anything until he quit his job.” I lie but it was a good lie.

“But the hickeys on his neck?” He looks at me, “It was just a make out session, I didn’t know I did that.” I pretend to feel guilty but I don’t, I meant every single one of those marks I left on his neck. “Y/n you know what this means?” He leans forward and sighs, “If your grades weren’t A’s and A+’s you would have to be expelled.”

“But, since you’re a good student, you’re good for our public scores so selfishly of the school we will keep you here, but if we catch any suspicious activity we will not refrain from taking immediate action.” He spoke sternly. I nod, “okay thank you, I’m sorry.” I sigh, I can feel Mrs Winters’ eyes burning into me.

“What happens now?” I ask quietly, “We will have to send you home until tomorrow.” He looks at me with disappointment. I get out of the chair and walk to the door, “I’m sorry again.” I look back, he nods before signalling for Mrs Winters to sit down. She was telling personal information to her son that’s gotta get her in trouble.. right?

I walk past the English classroom and remember that I left my jacket in there. “Shit..” I mutter under my breath. I knock the door timidly and walk in, the class still full of students learning. “I need my jacket.” I mumble, “Are you not staying?” Matt tilts his head and I shake mine, “I got sent home.” I turn away from the class and widen my eyes at him.

He gets the idea of what I mean and nods quickly, “Oh.. okay.” He goes back to his desk, I walk to my seat next to Kelly and grab my jacket off the seat. “What’s happening?” She whispers to me, “You know what I told you?” I whisper back to her, “Yeah..” she leans to hear me better, “They had evidence or something, I’m not expelled but just suspended for a day.” I sigh, “Oh no.. I’ll see you tomorrow though.” She smiles gently.

I walk out the English classroom, giving a small wave to Matt and walking down the hall and out the school door. I grab my phone out and text Chris, he can pick me up now. “We can meet up now. I’ll explain, can u pick me up? xx” I text him. Not even 5 minutes pass before his typing bubble pops up.

“Ok ma On my way! x” I chuckle, his text was followed by an “omw dk why it auto corrected x” I smile to myself and wait outside the school gates until I see the minivan pull up. The window rolled down he leans over to me, “Matt took the Porsche.” He rolls his eyes and I hop into the passenger seat.

“Why are you out early?” He looks at me, “I got kicked out, just for today but they found out about us.” I put my seatbelt on, his eyes widen, “Oh shit, how?” He starts to drive and rests his hand on my thigh, “Mrs Winters was telling Ethan about your personal meeting with the Principal and Ethan borough up the insta story and everything and you know..” I sigh.

“I’m sorry ma.” He gives a gentle squeeze to my thigh, “No it’s okay, if I wasn’t an A+ Student I would’ve gotten expelled according to the Principal, they need me for their publicity purposes.” I laugh, he chuckles too. “Selfish fuckers, but it’s good for you.” We stop at a stop light and he looks at me, “Wanna go for food?” He smiles.

“Yes please, I’m starving.” I pretend to rub my stomach. “What does your stomach crave my dear?” He puts a fake posh English accent on and leans closer to me, “McDonald’s.” I nod grinning. “What fine cuisine.” He jokes still in the awful English accent. “You’re bad at the accent.” I smirk.

“We aren’t going to McDonald’s if you hate on my accent.” He huffs before smiling lightly. “It’s really bad though.” I snark, “don’t be bratty.” He scoffs at me and squeezes my thigh tightly. “I’m sorry, I love the accent.” I lie. “Okay we can get McDonald’s now.”

“What do you want, in advance?” He asks as he drives towards the McDonalds sign in the distance, “Hm, McNuggets please.” I ask in an overly polite tone, “Alright.” He replies, “We can get a share box if you want.” He pulls into the drive thru, “Yeah sure.”

He orders the nuggets, fries and drinks and we pick it up after he pays. We pull into the parking lot to eat the food, “You should’ve had a large fry like I did.” He spoke, stuffing his mouth full of fries. I laugh, “What?” He asks me, “Swallow your food before talking.” I continue laughing.

He finishes his fries before talking, “Y/n I have something I want to ask you, a serious-ish question.” He turns to face me fully, “Yeah? Ask me anything I smile at him admiring his features. “Would you.. do you think you- will you be my girlfriend?” He whispers slightly, my eyes widen and I smile at him. “Really?” I smile widely.

“No I’m just joking,” he sarcastically spoke, “Yes really? Will you?” He smiles, I nod quickly, “Yes! Of course.” I lean to him and grab his face before pushing my lips against his. His hand makes its way behind my neck to deepen the kiss. We part our lips and sit back down normally, “I’m glad it’s official now.” He eats some chicken McNuggets.

‘Yeah.” I smile, my cheeks flushed. I look down to eat the nuggets, “Chris!” I raise my voice, “What?” He asks. “You’ve eaten almost all of them! We said 10 each, you’ve eaten 14.” I pretend to cry, “I’ll go buy you more if you want? Sorry baby.” He goes to get out, “No it’s okay,” I laugh, “just let me eat the rest of them.

I snatch the box out of his hand and eat the rest of the 6 nuggets that are left. “Can I have some of your drink?” He asks me, “Drink your own.” I chuckle, “I did, it’s empty now.” He sighs, I scoff. “Fine have a sip.” I look at him to make sure he is, he gulps twice. “That was two sips.” I joke, “Don’t boss me around or I’ll chug it.”

“I’m breaking up with you if you chug my drink.” I laugh, he instantly puts it back down. “Also.. what you said yesterday?” I bring up the conversation we had yesterday, “Yeah?” He hesitates probably trying to remember what he said, I speak again..

“I think I love you too.”

A/n: Omg u guys it’s finisheddddd, I hope the ending is okay, I couldn’t be bothered to explain like any more of the school stuff in the story bc I felt like it was taking too much time but I hope y’all liked this series I loved writing it. New series at some point but I might take a slight break for a bit and only put out one shots for a bit js bc I need a break for a bit❤️❤️ love y’all!

@blahbel668 @mattsleftnipple03 @rac00ns-are-c00l4 @hysteria-things @mattybslover @jakevwebber @braindead4l @mattybearnard @st7rnioioss @junnniiieee07 @bueckerslover @fratbrochrisgf @sturniol0s @alwayssublimedelusion @certifiednatelover @freshsturns @riasturns @sturniololvrrr @maryx2xx @whicked-hazlatwhore @cammie4298 @sturnsjtop @sturnzblog @chr1sgirl4life @evie-sturns @milasturniolo @jaxyy219 @mattsturniolosbae @h3arts4harry @littlebookworm803 @realqueenofpepsi @elsxz1 @jnkvivi @nayveetbhh @sturnsmadl @mattspleasure @m0r94n @raysmayhem-72 @flamethrower313 @carolinalikesthings @itssophiasstuff @joemamaaa42069 @creamoncreamoncream2 @conspiracy-ash

[newtonsheffield]

Hi Molly, I know you've given us a LOT this weekend already, and honestly you deserve a break. but if you are planning on doing a spicy sunday, can we see our taylor swift loving elder siblings' first date and then some?

Oh Lordy.

Here we go

Kate genuinely hadn’t thought he would call. She really hadn’t. They’d filed out of the stadium, Anthony’s sister on his hip, falling asleep on his shoulder and he’d smiled at her.

“I um- I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sure.”

He’d ducked his head, and his smile had been so adorable, “We’ll get something to drink or maybe… if you eat dinner?”

“I eat dinner sometimes, yeah.” She’d shrugged, trying not to let her stomach swoop.

“Cool, right. I better get these ones home.”

“It was nice to meet you, Anthony.”

She’d woken this morning with her throat a little scratchy to the sound of her phone ringing. She picked it up, not really paying attention

“Kate, we need to talk!”

“Dad?” She sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Is everything okay? It’s really early.”

“I don’t know!” He squawked, “Are you okay?!”

“Um… I’m fine, the concert was really cool.”

“Did your fiancé enjoy it?”

Kate’s stomach dropped, “Fucking Edwina.”

“How could you not tell me you were seeing someone this seriously?!”

“Dad, I dropped my bracelet. He didn’t propose to me.” Kate rolled her eyes, scratching Newton behind the ears as she stood from the bed.

“Then why did you kiss hi?!”

Kate froze, “I didn’t realise the video you saw went that far.”

“Kate!”

She rolled her eyes, “Dad, it was literally just a kiss. We got carried away. I’m never going to see that guy again.”

“Well I-”

“Katie.” Mary’s voice sighed, cutting off her dad. “I’ll manage Dad’s panic attack, I’m glad you had fun, sweetheart.”

A beep sounded in Kate’s ear and she sighed, “Mumma some else is trying to call me, tell Dad I’ll see him tomorrow.”

Kate sighed, frowning a little at the unknown number before she picked it up. “Hey, this is Kate.”

“Kate, Hi.”

She recognised the voice from last night, soft and warm like his hands gently cupping her cheeks had been. “Oh.”

“It’s um… it’s Anthony.” He cleared his throat, “ We um… we sat next to one another at Wembley last night?”

“You’re going to have to be more specific.” Kate chuckled, unable to resist the urge to tease him.

“Oh, um… you and I… we kissed?”

“Eh, you might have to be more specific again.”

“Oh! Well, I’ve got dark hair. And-”

“Anthony I’m fucking with you.” Kate sighed, her heart fluttering in her chest, “I remember the kiss. You are a very tender kisser.”

“I’m tender when I do a lot of things.” Anthony breathed, his voice deepening, “I want to take you out tonight.”

“I actually… don’t know if I’m going to eat dinner tonight.”

“That’s okay.” Anthony clicked his tongue, “I’m opening to eating a lot of things besides food if you’re willing.”

The wind had been knocked out of her lungs, “Jesus fucking- Where do you want to meet?”

She should have felt more nervous. She had in the cab on the way to the restaurant. And she had when she’d waited nervously outside until Anthony’s head had popped out of the restaurant.

“Sorry! I already grabbed our table, I’m a bit of an early bird.”

He smelled lightly of cologne when he kissed her cheek and her cheeks burned as he showed her through the restaurant, his eyes dancing at her.

“You are really beautiful. I don’t think I said that last night I just… you caught me by surprise is all.”

Kate nodded as she sat down across from him and awkwardness swelled between the for a moment before she sighed, “Sorry, this is really awkward.”

“Eh, doesn’t have to be. We’ll order drinks first and if you hate to you can go.”

They’d ordered drinks and fallen into conversation oddly naturally until his phone rang and his face fell as he excused himself, hissing into the phone.

“Well I’ll never get the chance to marry her if you don’t hang up the phone mum!”

Ridiculous laughter bubbled in her chest as he hung up, his cheeks flushed and when the waiter came over she took a menu and watched Anthonys boulders relax.

Anthony walked her to the front of her building when the waiter had nudged them out ours later and his jacket was draped over her shoulders something awkward between them.

“I um… I don’t want you to think I… expect anything from this.” He cleared his throat. “I… just… I had a good time and I like you and-”

“Technically half the internet thinks we’re getting married.”

“True.” Anthony clicked his tongue. “That being said… Maybe we should…”

“Wait to sleep together?”

His body moved closer to hers and she felt her hand twist in the front of his shirt even as he nodded, “Yeah we should… we should wait.”

“So we’re waiting.” Kate had felt breathless as she tugged him inside the building, “You’re just coming up to get out of the cold.”

“Yeah, I’m freezing.” Anthony groaned as the lift opened behind them and he stumbled forward.

Their lips were only millimetres apart and Kate could feel the rise and fall of his laboured breathing and the warmth of his body and a moan rumbled in her throat. She reached forward pressing the emergency stop and Anthony’s lips crashed against hers.

It was different than it had been last night, when they’d been carried away and their lips found one another while the crowd cheered. This was quieter, and Edwina’s hand was patting her on the shoulder but Anthony’s kiss was nowhere near as tender. His hands were tight on her waist and the wall of his chest was firm as he pressed forward until she was stuck between him and the lift. His tongue swept roughly over hers, stoking the fire that was slowly burning between them and she felt her legs fall open. Anthony’s hands tightened and he lifted her onto the railing, the palm of his hand warm over her calf as it slid up her leg and a satisfied purr rumbled through his chest.

His hair fell into his eyes and it made him somehow even more handsome as she pulled him closer.

“We’re not going to have sex.”

Kate shook her head but her hips arched against his as he nipped at her neck. “We’re not having sex.”

Anthony nodded and his hand slipped further up the leg hooked around his hip, drawing him closer again and Kate could feel her fingertips on the edge of her underwear as heat licked at her stomach, pushing her forward.

“But on the other hand.” Anthony’s teeth bit into her neck, “What kind of internet husband would I be if I didn’t make you feel… something for me?”

Kate could stop the whine that fell from her chest, and her voice was breathless “Not a very good one.”

“Well, I want to be a very good boy.”

His eyes were asking her, begging her and Kate nodded as her hips rocked forward against his fingers.

“oh, fuck Kate, I can feel how much you want me.”

They hadn’t even slipped into her underwear yet and already her eyes were rolling back in her head and her leg drew him in impossibly closer. They were breathing the same air now. Every breath that left her was drawn into his lungs and passed back and the tension in the elevator was thick as Anthony’s hand moved slowly against her. His lips were still on her neck, sucking gently and he whispered filthy nothing in her ear as they moved slowly together.

Her entire body was on fire, it felt like as her hand cupped his neck and drew their lips back together in a filthy kiss and her mind couldn’t quite keep up. The sweet man who’d taken his sister to a concert had her grinding against his fingers in the lift of her building.

“Oh Good girl.”

His fingers slipped under the fabric, pushing inside her and a whine fell from her lips as he circled her gently. Anthony caught her hand from his neck and his eyes locked with hers as her hips bucked against the feel of his hand. he held her hand against his lips and sucked her thumb into his mouth his eyes darkening and Kate’s eyes rolled back in her head.

His fingers started moving faster and she could feel him against her thigh, his hips searching for friction as he ground against her. Anthony’s hand fisted in her hair to prevent her head banging against the wall as he started moving faster and faster pushing her closer to the edge as heat coiled tightly in her stomach. She was so close she could almost taste it. She could taste Anthony on her tongue and smell his cologne and his voice in her ear made her spine shiver against him.

“Come. Kate.”

She fell over the edge with a sharp shout and her vision blurred as her body shook against him, her legs holding him in place.

Her legs could barely support her, When Anthony set her down, kissing her quickly before he drew his fingers into his mouth sucking loudly. He winked at her as he let turned off the emergency brake and stepped out into the lobby as the door opened.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, Kate.”

And Kate was left staring after him “What the fuck?!”

[aladaylessecondblog]

Miraak's Lounge

There was a lull in business at the moment, and Miraak took the chance when he had it. Let the sous chef know he had to make a phone call and headed off to the back office. He dialed his sister's number and waited for her to pick up.

"Miraak?" Sadrith sounded tired. It was mid-day, she'd probably only just woken up. "How're you doing?"

"Well enough," he said, "You don't sound good, are you still working at the club?"

"Yeah, I am," she replied quietly.

"You know you don't have to keep working there, right? I can get you a job at the Akaviri place I manage."

"Miraak, we've talked about this. It'll pay the student loans off faster, I'll be a lot more comfortable without that hanging over my head."

"Yeah..." Miraak paused, and looked at the picture on his desk. The graduation photo she'd taken with him three years ago. Things had been bad then, but not as bad as now. "Listen, are you free Tirdas, say, at eleven in the morning?"

"What for?"

"Granddad's dead. Dead dead, and his lawyer called me the other day to say we've been left something. You and me both."

"Why would he leave us anything?" Sadrith questioned, "When we cut ties with dad, he cut ties with us."

"I don't know, he just says we're in the will, thought I'd let you know. Are you free?"

"Yeah, but can you pick me up? I had to junk my car."

"How've you been--don't tell me you WALK to work!"

"Miraak, don't be silly. I don't walk to work. I walk BACK."

"At FOUR IN THE MORNING? In the neighborhood you live in--" For a few moments Miraak was practically hysterical, before calming down. "Yes. Yes, I'll pick you up."

"Miraak, I'm a Dovah. I have literally nothing to worry about. The crime stats in this neighborhood are incredibly overblown...." There was a pause of her own there. "Dad's going to be there, isn't he?"

"When has dad ever missed the opportunity to reach for some of his father's money?" Miraak gave a rueful laugh. "We should be glad Vile's office is small, he'll be forced into his mer-ish form."

"Good. ...good."

They said their goodbyes and Miraak hung up, heading back into the kitchen when he heard a shout.

-----------------------------------

Sadrith was usually outspoken, but any proximity to Alduin and she clammed right on up, giving answers as short as possible. Miraak figured he'd do the talking - it was how things had always worked when it came to their intimidating father.

It started when they were seated in the office, before Clavicus Vile entered. Their father's mer-ish form was tall, pale-skinned, and covered in several places in the black scales that showed he was only the disguise of the true dragon beneath.

"I suppose," came the glare from those slitted eyes Alduin favored, "That you are still making a spectacle of yourself in front of strangers?"

"That's my job, yes." Sadrith's tone was muted.

"Disgusting. You had many better options and that was--"

"Father," Miraak said in a warning tone. "We have talked this to death."

"The talk did not end when you decided it did."

"The talk is OVER, father." Miraak let an edge slip into his voice. "As I told you four years ago, we aren't fighting with you any longer."

"Weak," Alduin growled, nearly slipping into a Shout. "Nikriinne, ney hin."

(Sadrith, seated on Miraak's other side, had suddenly grabbed at his hand and squeezed. He squeezed back.)

"No, we are simply taking our ball and going home."

"Home to a common slum, no doubt, which is where you belong when you--"

"Ah, my dear dovah family!" The polite tone of Clavicus Vile sounded off then, "Apologies. My expertise was needed on an emergency matter...but here I am. Let us proceed to the reading of the will quickly, and not waste any more time."

The first part of Akatosh's will regarded his donations as expected to the church of the Nine Divines. Miraak could still hear his father's familiar ranting on the upstart Talos, but kept focused on the reading at hand.

The donations to various charities took up the first third of the will, and after a few small bequests to friends it then moved on to family.

"Let me begin by saying it is also part of this contract's terms that any attempt to contest the will, will result in partial forfeiture of ones own share."

"You daedric swine," Alduin growled again, this time at Clavicus Vile.

"And of course," Vile showed no signs of being afraid, "Threatening the lawyer's person will result in a consultation fee's worth of gold being cut from the threatener's share. Are we clear?"

Brimming with anger, Alduin sat back. Showing a bit of his fangs as he spoke, he replied, "We are clear."

Alduin retained a great deal of things. Dovah Manor, a trust fund, an insurance policy, the position in the company he'd filled for the last few decades. Still, it was less than he expected, and he said as much.

Clavicus Vile merely went on with the reading. To the two children of Alduin went a manor house in the upper east side of Solitude, and another in Ald'ruhn. If either of them wished not to occupy these houses, offers were already on hand for their sale. A joint trust fund, and individual sums of money - for the remainder of their student loans, and the Dovah Lounge, an Akaviri restaurant in Vivec City with an incredible reputation.

"Gods, the weight this'll take off my shoulders..." Sadrith breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Had you not insisted on dual-majoring in art, you would already have paid it off," Alduin snarked, "Art is for Dibellans, and you are a Dovah."

"Father," Miraak interjected.

"Alduin, if you don't mind, my paralegal--" Clavicus Vile gestured to a plump and rather nervous looking imperial woman, "Has paperwork for you to sign. If you don't wish to risk a conversation that will result in any losses, I highly recommend you get on that."

Still brimming with anger, Alduin left.

"Always angry, that one," Vile went on. "Now, decisions do not need to be made about the houses now..."

"What do you think?" Miraak asked Sadrith, "You want either of those houses?"

"Wouldn't mind living in Ald'ruhn again," she replied, "I don't imagine you'd care for being a nord in Dunmer territory, though."

"I've been in Ramsay's kitchen, there's nothing they can say that'll faze me," Miraak huffed. "I'd prefer to be close to the Dovah Lounge...that, that's a bit more to my taste than a house in Solitude. Provided you don't mind having your big brother in the same house over your shoulder all the time."

"With dad ready to shout us down at every chance, I WANT you there. He didn't care about us before, he'll 'care' now. I'd...rather have you close."

"Does this mean you'll want to be rid of the house in Solitude?" Vile asked.

Miraak and Sadrith both nodded, and the lawyer drew out another envelope. "A list of contacts for you, then, of those who are interested in its sale. And may I say..."

"If we ever need a contract written, you're available. We know," Sadrith said, "How much did you get out of our grandfather for this will?"

"Enough," Vile said with a smile, "But he knew if he wanted something Alduin couldn't find loopholes in he needed to come to me. I am the best choice for writing ironclad contracts - period."

----------------------------------

It was a breath of fresh (ashy) air, going back to Ald'ruhn. They hadn't been back in years; when they were a lot younger Alduin hadn't much cared for the ash-blasted city of Ald'ruhn. But it felt - right, to Sadrith, it felt like home. The foul weather outside was nice to watch from inside.

Miraak, of course, wore his mask outside, and only lifted it once he'd come inside.

"How you can feel at home here, I don't know," he laughed, "I feel like I've smoked two packs even with the mask on my face...but I guess your mother took you here often enough."

"When dad was...a bit too much. Before she..." There was a pause. "She said here it didn't matter, everything would turn to ash anyway, that it was pretty to watch."

Another pause.

"Do you think you'd want me waiting tables at the lounge?"

"Thought you didn't want to work for me."

"That was before. The loan's paid off. I can actually breathe." Sadrith took a mocking sort of deep breath, and coughed slightly as she inhaled the slightest bit of ash. "I hated stripping but I was making a fortune doing it."

The evening news here seemed to be handled by some dunmer who also wore a mask, and he looked only long enough to see the weather tomorrow was going to be ashy but sunny in both Ald'ruhn and Vivec City.

Good. It would make things a lot easier.

Miraak put a blanket over Sadrith when he realized she'd fallen asleep and then headed to the kitchen to see what was in the fridge.

[maddieladner1999]

Bad Idea Right? chapter 11

Ricky loved thinking back on his relationship with EJ. Sometimes he thought back to before. Before they were together. When they met. All their interactions before he graduated. That summer at camp shallow lake. Reminiscing was fun because even though they didn’t start out great but they became friends even after everything. 

Ricky notices EJ had now woken up too. He stayed over after dinner the previous night on the condition of no sex. They didn’t need to do that though and his dad being home would’ve made it weird anyway. 

EJ rolled over and looked at Ricky, “morning, what you thinking about?” 

Ricky can’t help but love his partner’s morning voice says, “just us”

EJ looks slightly confused says, “what about us?” He’s worried slightly too

Ricky noticing EJ’s reaction says, “no nothing bad just us before we got together. Thinking back on our history. Moments that I recognize as different than before”

EJ relieved says, “oh yeah? Like what?”

Ricky remembers one particular moment very well, “when I tried to apologize to you after hitting you in the face with a basketball. Then I was being sincere but thinking back I think I wanted to kiss you”

EJ smirks, “yeah that is definitely not what I expected. Especially since I was so mad that day. But thinking back I was so forcing being with Nini. I mean there was definitely a moment I thought of kissing you though. Not the same one as you though”

Ricky looks at EJ with a questionable look, “what time are you thinking of?”

EJ smiles bright, “when you wanted me to go on for you as Troy. I mean you literally stepped in front of me and took your shirt off. I had total gay panic”

Ricky with a suprised look on his face says, “I would’ve never known that”

EJ now getting up from bed, “good thing you started the conversation then. You got any other times you can think of where you wanted to kiss me?”

Ricky thinking more about their past, “oh yeah at summer camp. I think I hid behind my feelings for you and convinced myself I had feelings for Gina.”

EJ putting on his shirt, “really?”

Ricky getting up to get dressed too, “oh yeah. I kept thinking I was jealous of you but really I was jealous of her. I mean I totally meant it when I said friends, enemies, lovers as something I really wanted to play but you know emphasis on lovers”

EJ with a big grin on his face, “so why’d you go after Gina at all then?”

Ricky putting on his shirt, “I guess since you were going off to college and called us brothers I thought you didn’t want me like that so I chose her. I mean I did like her just not like I like you.”

EJ happy that things worked out, “ I’m glad Gina didn’t get too upset and understood. I’d never forgive myself if I played a part in breaking her heart”

Ricky having a realization, “she knew. Had to have. She never pushed me when I didn’t get all couplely with her. I never asked her but she was so fine on the phone in that conversation. So understanding she must’ve known something”

EJ questionative, “you think she knew it was me?”

Ricky unsure, “no I think she just knew it wasn’t her. Idk maybe I’ll ask her about it.”

EJ making Ricky’s bed, “yeah you are still friends right?”

Ricky looking at EJ with glee, “yeah you are too right? And you don’t have to make my bed you know.”

EJ realizing his OCD kicked in, “I know I just you know- *staring at ricky* habit”

Ricky, who was changing his shirt, “so aren’t you still friends and what was up with that pause”

EJ back to his senses, “oh I was distracted by you, um yeah we’re still friends.”

Ricky happy to know he can be a distraction, “good. So you like what you see then?”

EJ positively beaming from ear to ear, “yeah always. I thought we established that”

Ricky now smiling too as he starts toward the door, “oh we did. I just like the reminders. I mean you are the more handsome one”

EJ blushing, “I am? I was thinking it was you with those curls and dimples”

Ricky now blushing, “you think I’m handsome? More than you?”

EJ taking Ricky’s hand, “of course babe. And look I can make you blush.”

Ricky smirking, “yeah but can you distract me from something important?”

EJ grabbing his stuff, “we both know if I was shirtless during this conversation you would’ve stood there in awe”

Ricky grinning, “yeah that is true. Thanks to that 6 pack of yours. Ugh so hot my man works out.”

The boys finally head out the door and are off for the day. EJ has work and Ricky is going to the skate park. It’s a good summer. EJ is planning on going to his aunt and uncles tonight so he text Ricky before clocking in, “can’t stay again tonight but last night was fun”

Ricky beams as he reads it, “just glad we can have fun with my dad possibly interrupting us”

EJ responds quickly before work, “yeah it’s good. Gotta go work time. We’ll talk later. Love you.”

Ricky just sends a quick love you too before spending a few hours at the skate park. He finally gets hungry and decides to head home for lunch. His dad is at work too so he finds what he can and eats quick. Then he decides to visit GINA. 

[wonwoonlight]

my daisy / kim mingyu | chapter 9

➝ CEO!Mingyu x Secretary!Reader

➝ strangers to lovers // single dad!Mingyu // fluff // lighthearted // non idol!au // like pls dont expect any dramas here lol // tiny bit of angst ig

➝ series warning: mentions of sex, no smut but there’s implied sexual activities, insecurity (as always jshbdjhsfshbf am sorry), curses, food, let me know if theres more ^^

➝ word count: 4.7k

➝ song rec for this particular chapter: KyoungSeo - Shiny Star (2020) ((yes, like that Wonwoo fic I posted lol))

➝ A/N: wow.. one more chapter and we're done already? how time flies 😭😭 i.. know a lot of you might be expecting something...big but, as i said, this fic wasn't made to be dramatic so i hope it wasn't disappointing to say the least hehe. enjoy and pls dont hesitate to drop by my ask!

when your cousin asks you to be her substitute at SVT Inc. as she takes her maternity leave, you’re pretty sure this wasn’t what you signed up for.

series masterlist

You’re awoken because of the constant banging on your door, and when you try to look at your phone to see the time, you don’t expect to see almost 30+ missed calls and 99+ texts from God knows who. You don't have the time to check just yet, as whoever’s on your door is insistent about being let in.

Your short-circuited brain isn’t even awake enough to consider that you should check through the intercom first. You just straight up open the door, about to scream at Soonyoung—because who else would be banging on your door on this fine Saturday morning?—only to find Mingyu on the other side of your door.

Blinking at the sight of him, you don’t even have the chance to ask what’s going on when Mingyu quickly pushes you in and closes the door behind him.

When you’re looking back at him, his hands are holding on to your arms with panic stricken on his face.

“Why haven’t you been answering my calls?!”

“I… have just woken up?” you answer in confusion. “Did something happen? How did you get here?”

He mutters something about the security guard recognizing him and helps buzz the elevator to your floor before brushing it away and turns back to you. “But you’re okay, right?”

“Of course I am. I told you I’ve just woken up,” you frown, only now registering his heavy breath and tense posture. You pull him with you, sitting him down on your sofa before you take the space next to him. “Gyu, are you okay? Do you want a drink?”

Mingyu shakes his head when you’re about to stand up, gently pulling your wrist so you’d sit back down. He takes a deep breath before he reaches for his phone, and then apologizes in advance which makes the whole thing even more confusing than it already is.

The silence enveloping the two of you is so heavy as you skim through the article, and Mingyu’s pretty certain he’d be able to hear a pin dropping in the room if this keeps up. He doesn’t know what to make of your reaction, there’s a visible frown on your face but you’re much calmer than he thought you would be—though he wasn’t sure what to expect, really. He’s seen not only the blatant comments against you, but also the amount of speculations about who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish by being with Mingyu. Mostly, he’s just really afraid this would drift you two apart and, most importantly, it would affect your relationship with Gyuri altogether.

“Where’s Lili?” is the first question you ask after you’re done looking at his phone, your worried eyes piercing through his. “Is she okay? Her face isn’t exposed, right?”

Mingyu wants to kiss you right there and then, very much in disbelief that you’re first and foremost concerned about his daughter when he knows you’ve read how the comments paint you as some kind of gold digger trying to get his money. Some of them are way too much when the article literally states nothing about you except for the speculation that you might be the mother of this child whose identity is still unknown—there isn’t even an initial. He's also seen ones that say you’re using Gyuri to charm Mingyu and plan to make your way up the social ladder, making all kinds of assumptions about you and the child in the comment section.

That’s also why he has rushed his way here, worried out of his mind because you didn’t answer or even check any of his messages. Almost as soon as he’s finished reading the page, he has quickly washed up and left Gyuri with his mom to make his way to your place. He didn’t tell her where he’s going, but he has a hunch that his mom knows because she’s always been a little too perceptive for her own good.

“She’s with my mom,” he explains, telling you he was with her when he found out about the article. “It was her who told me about it, too.”

Your face falls for reasons that Mingyu’s unsure of, but he quickly reassures that his mom didn’t say anything and has only asked why he didn’t tell her he was dating.

“She… thought we were dating?” you ask, suddenly nervous at the thought of his mom being aware of your existence.

“Yeah,” he gives you a tight smile, as if carefully treading on ice and too afraid that it would break. Before the topic lingers, he quickly addresses the issue at hand. “I’ve asked Seungkwan to contact our lawyer and security team to track this down. You don’t have to worry about your details getting leaked, okay? I told them to make sure your privacy is intact and we’re already planning to sue them over this rumour. Can’t believe they’d dare bring you and Gyuri into this.”

It is then that you truly realize how stressed Mingyu actually is. Not only is his whole body tense, the frown has barely left his face since the moment he’s stepped into your place. His fingers are also balled into fists, even his blunt fingers would probably leave marks on the inside of his palms if he keeps it up.

But you remember how much effort Mingyu has put in making sure Gyuri’s out of the public’s eyes. You remember the amount of time Mingyu has told you about how he rarely brings Gyuri out to the public, that she usually just goes with Jooyeon when she feels like it.

You also remember the way Jennie and Seungkwan didn’t tell you about the little angel at first, pretty sure you’d have nothing to do with her if you’re just going to work there for 6 short months. The way even Kim Jisoo, your own best friend, didn’t mention anything about Gyuri when she found out you work for Mingyu and even after she showed you a picture of Seungcheol, Mingyu, and Gyuri together. That’s how much the people around him help in making sure Gyuri isn’t exposed to the people who don’t matter.

On your last night in Japan, Mingyu finally told you about Gyuri’s biological mother. Someone he accidentally got pregnant out of carelessness. She was just someone he casually shared a bed with from time to time. When they found out she was pregnant, she wasn’t sure she wanted to keep the baby. Mingyu did. Eventually, she agreed wholeheartedly to carry the baby if Mingyu promised he’d take a good care of the child and he’d take care of all the necessities to support her pregnancy.

Mingyu readily accepted her conditions, even agreed with her when she herself said she doesn’t want anything to do with the child once she’s born. They had the agreement signed under the name of law to make sure both parties keep their words to each other. Mingyu simply asked for her to never disclose Gyuri’s identity and relation to anyone but her direct family at any given point unless it’s Gyuri who asked, and she agreed after making sure the compensation of carrying a baby within her for 9 long months is worthy. She even added a clause that made sure Mingyu will raise Gyuri until she’s 21 years old, telling him she doesn’t want this kid to be abandoned just because Mingyu decided to have the baby now.

At first, Mingyu wasn’t even sure why he had wanted to keep the baby. But as time passed by, he couldn’t have been more glad that he gets to have little Kim Gyuri in his life. She’s the best gift he could have ever asked for and he’ll do everything to make sure Gyuri is safe and sound.

Mingyu is borderline celebrity, it’s something that you’ve only noticed after you started working with him. On top of him being the sole heir of one of the richest families in South Korea, the fact that he’s handsome and very much single brings a lot of attention to him in the business world everytime he does something.

That said, you know how hard it must’ve been for him to hide the love of his life all this time. Exposing Gyuri to the public when she’s only three would mean she’d be getting that attention early on, and if there’s anything Mingyu would rather Gyuri not get, it’s that.

To be constantly under the spotlight is tiring, whether or not you’re into the attention. He’s lucky his family is on the low profile side, only indulging the media every now and then so the press knows not to bother them. It’s already a miracle itself that he’s able to hide Gyuri for three years straight, and even though they know better than to reveal her face (though they probably blur her face because the speculation was about Gyuri being your child instead of his), it’s still unsettling for him that there are people in the media who has an idea that Gyuri exists.

“Gyu, drink,” you tap his shoulder softly, handing him a glass of water. When did you even stand up to get it? Nevertheless, Mingyu thanks you and takes a sip out of it, only now realizing his throat has been dry since earlier. “Breathe, okay? It’s going to be fine.”

“I just…” he sighs in frustration as he throws his weight back against your sofa. “I can’t believe how absurd this whole thing is. I’m not even a celebrity, why would they do this?”

“You’re practically one, you know,” you smile a little, trying to disperse the heavy atmosphere. “It’s just that they don’t get a lot of stuff out of you because you’re either in the office, out with Wonwoo and the others, or at home with Lili.”

Mingyu shakes his head at your words, well aware that you’re right. He knows the media would eat anything up. Whether or not he thinks he’s a celebrity, if they consider him a bigshot then they’d take anything they can scrape out of him regardless of the truth. He can think of a few media companies that would do this, as he knows most of them have good relations with his family and would never release anything without confirming stuff with them. The more he thinks about it, the more his anger about the whole thing blows.

“Gyu,” your voice calls for him once more, your hand softly touches his forearm to get his attention. “Talk to me? Maybe it’ll help you calm down.”

“I just really don’t get why anyone would do this,” he repeats his words from earlier. “And even if it’s true, it’s really not their business. But now people are judging you when it’s not even confirmed?”

“Aww, you care about me that much?” you playfully nudge his shoulder in hope it’ll make him take the whole situation lighter.

Mingyu isn’t really in the mood for it, though, instead looks at you pointedly before he says, “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

“I’m fine, Gyu,” you try to convince him, though you can’t deny the way your cheeks are getting warm because of his words. “My face is blurred and the people who matter know it’s not true, that’s enough for me. But it is concerning that they’re bringing Gyuri into this.”

“Mom says it might be a good idea to deny the story myself.” Mingyu sounds way too tired for your liking, the whole thing probably affecting him more than he’d like to admit. “But I’d rather not make an appearance myself and I truly think it’d be better to just sue them under the company’s name and be done with it. My appearance would just spark more stories.”

For a moment, silence envelopes the both of you and there’s pressure hanging in the air. You know you both have to talk about it, not exactly about the rumour but about how it comes to be. What’s happening between you and Mingyu feels both too fast and too slow. It’s only been barely three months since Mingyu has made his way into your life, and even though you’ve always believed two people with genuine feelings for each other could fall quick and deep and time can’t always guarantee its sincerity, you never thought it would happen to you.

You’ve seen Seokmin fall instantly in love in the span of a month and ended up being in a relationship with the person for a good three years until they ended it on a good note. You’ve also seen the way Jennie only took about six months dating Jaebum and they went straight to marriage not long after, their love still going strong until this very second and you’re a strong witness of that.

But you’ve also witnessed Jisoo and Seungcheol progress from being friends until their relationship turns romantic after years of knowing each other. You remember thinking if you’re going to be in a relationship, you’d rather have one like theirs. Wouldn’t it be better to be together with someone you’ve known for long? Already well aware about the good and the bad from the beginning? Having an idea about the way they think and what might turn into problems instead of fighting about all these along the way?

Three months sounds a bit too fast for your liking, but you know whatever you’re feeling for Mingyu is as real as it can be no matter how much you deny it if anyone asks. It’s the same with how, deep down, you know Mingyu is about in the same wavelength as you are. You’re both lingering, stalling time because you’re too afraid to take the first move and leap just in case you’d fall off the cliff of uncertainty instead of flying high up.

Once, you dare yourself to think about what if it works out? But then you remember it’s not just about you and Mingyu—there’s also Gyuri. Small little Gyuri between the two of you who would be too confused with the situation between you and her father. She knows you already, even likes you enough to regularly call you from time to time when she feels like it; but what would she think if you and Mingyu take the next step? What would happen if you fight and you break up? Then you’d have no choice but to step out of Gyuri’s life and that means she’d have to go through confusion beyond her comprehension.

You don’t know how long you two sit in silence, too deep in your thoughts even though you’re practically thinking about the same thing. But it’s the sound of your phone ringing that breaks the silence between the two of you, and you quickly take the call after you see it’s Jennie who’s calling.

“You alright? Why haven’t you checked my texts? I’ve been freaking out with Jisoo because of you!” she rumbles the moment you pick up, the concern in her voice clear as days.

“Sorry,” you apologize, and Jennie’s tone turns gentle when she hears how small your voice is, making sure once again if you’re okay. “I’m fine. They blurred my face so it should be okay. And Mingyu’s here, that’s why I haven’t been checking my phone.”

“Oh? He’s there? Put me on speaker.”

You blink at her request, confused eyes meeting Mingyu’s. You put your phone down and click the speaker button, telling her you’ve done what she asked you to do.

“Gyu, make sure my cousin’s safe, yeah? You know how crazy these media can be,” she says gently but strictly. “You’ve contacted the company’s lawyer and security team, right?”

“I will, Jen. Don’t worry,” he reassures her. “I’ve already asked Seungkwan to call them and I’ve told him to sue the company no matter what. Not only are they spreading rumors, they’re bringing Gyuri and [Y/N] into this.”

The three of you talk some more after that, because Jennie is a little too worried and you let her be because you know she’d be stressed if you just brush her worry away. The atmosphere is lighter once she hangs up, because if there’s one thing you both are familiar with, it’s Jennie’s tendency to worry over someone like a mom.

“She really loves you, doesn’t she?” he says after the phone call, looking at you with something that you can’t quite decipher.

“Yeah, she’s practically my sister,” you smile fondly, always thankful that you have her in your life. You send a quick message to Jisoo and Seungkwan to tell them you’re fine and that you’d text talk to them later, that they don’t need to worry about anything before you put yourself back down and lean back next to Mingyu. “She’s always the first person to make sure I’m okay once she finds out something might possibly have happened to me.”

“So she’s always been like that?” he turns his body to you, his posture finally relaxing a little.

“Yeah. She’s always been protective over me in particular. She’s always wanted a little sister so I guess that’s a part of the reason,” you explain, suddenly remembering a particular episode during high school. “Once, she tracked down my ex-boyfriend and confronted him for cheating on me, you know? The next time he saw me, he sounded genuinely sorry that it freaked me out.”

Mingyu grins in amusement, picturing Jennie going against some guy bigger than she is to the point where he’s probably traumatized for life. “Does that mean she filters your boyfriends?”

“Basically. But not in a bad way! And only because I asked her opinion on it. She… can read people very well and, more often than not, she’s right when she says she doesn’t like the possible candidate.”

“Does she still do that?” he asks curiously, something crossing through his mind when you nod in confirmation. It’s now or never, he decides. Might as well bring it up now that the topic has arisen. “Did she say anything about me, then?”

At first, it seems like you’re not too sure if he wants to take this seriously or not, which is why he figures you choose to take the safe road of taking it as a joke. “Are you a candidate, Gyu?”

“Am I not?” he asks with his deep voice, his eyes never leaving yours to make sure you know he’s being serious. He sees something within you shift after that, and he lets you take your time answering because there’s no need to rush if it’s not going to give him a genuine answer out of you.

“Do you want to be?” Your voice is small, almost hesitant, but Mingyu understands that it’s not going to be easy talking about this. The both of you have been treading between the line of romance and friendship intensely, never bothering to put a frame on it even though Mingyu himself is well aware that everything he does with you, he never does them with other people.

He’d be stupid to say he doesn’t feel anything for you. But it’s only been barely three months, and it’s been long since Mingyu finds himself being interested in someone that way. He understands your hesitation because he’s deep in it himself.

“You know if… we decide to… try this out, it’s not going to be casual?” he shoots straight to it, surprising you even though it’s not exactly a bad feeling. Maybe, deep down, you’ve always wanted reassurance about whatever’s between you and him.

“I know, Gyu,” you softly reply, a small yet genuine smile gracing your face. “I think we’re old enough not to casually date people just to see where it’d take us at this age. Between the two of us, I feel it’s more appropriate to ask you if you want to go down that path with me.”

“Because I have Gyuri?”

“Mainly, yeah,” you truthfully say, knowing that Mingyu wouldn’t take it the wrong way. “And because you’re literally SVT Inc.’s heir.”

Mingyu looks borderline offended at your words, but he sees where you’re coming from whether he likes it or not. “You know that doesn’t matter to me, right? I told you my mom didn’t even blink an eye over the allegations. She simply asked why I never told her I was dating someone. She’s always been like that.”

“It’s… still not going to be easy, Gyu,” you confess in advance. If you’re going to make it work, you figure it’s best that Mingyu knows the kind of baggage that you’d be holding over yourself. “I’m not… used to your lifestyle. There will be times when I’m insecure because of your… social standing and you might need to convince me over and over again until you’re tired of it.”

“Hey, we haven’t even started and you’re already thinking about me getting tired?” he chuckles to lighten your mood, his hand hesitantly reaching for yours. When you don’t move away and let him be, he securely envelopes your hand in his. “I appreciate that you’re already telling me about it, but I hope you’re not going to deny me a chance to be with you because of it, yeah?”

It’s baffling to think that the Kim Mingyu would be the one saying this. You feel like this should be reversed; that it should be you asking for a chance and looking at him with hopeful eyes instead of the other way around. But here he is, in your apartment that’s probably only as big as his living room, holding your hand as he gently asks if you’d give him a chance.

“The insecurities would go both ways, you know?” he adds as he shifts closer to you. You can see the mole on the tip of his nose clearly and it’s taking you everything not to just reach up and bop it with your finger. “I’d wonder if I can treat you right, because you, of all people, know how busy I can be with work. And then there’s Gyuri, she’s always been my only priority and I’d wonder if you’d feel like I don’t prioritize you enough over her. She’s my child and she’s the most important existence in my life. But, then again, as much as I love her and I’d be fine if I don’t end up finding a new partner, it’s not everyday that I find someone who genuinely cares for both me and Gyuri.”

“Gyu, any sane person would love Gyuri at first sight,” you frown at him.

“That’s the thing,” he says instead. “But what if it’s months later and they decide a kid is too much? Gyuri isn’t going to always be cute. She’s a child; she has needs and she has feelings. I’ve never bothered dating because I know it’ll be a waste of time if they end up not liking Gyuri or the other way around. But you’ve met Gyuri before you even knew she was mine, and she seems to be really taken to you for reasons that I can’t comprehend though I’m glad she is.”

“To me, this is a chance I might not encounter again if I don’t take it right now,” he continues, though his tone isn’t pressuring you at all. His voice is calm and collected, and you can feel the sincerity of it—he’s telling you the ball is in your court, that he’d be fine if you want to back out after this talk. “But if you don’t think you can take both me and Gyuri in the long run, I understand and I’m not going to push you. I won’t hold you against it.”

You stay silent at his words, looking down at your hand that he’s holding on his lap. When did you two move closer again? How come he’s now sitting down right in front of you, his knees touching yours? When did he get this close that you’re able to see all the stars in his eyes and the defeated smile in his face because you still haven’t said anything?

His hand gets tighter around yours and you can almost feel the desperation of it.

“Are you… sure Lili would be okay with this?” you decide to say, prompting Mingyu to release a relieved sigh because he knowsthis is you being hesitant despite wanting to say yes. Plus, he knows it’s a valid reason for you to hesitate over, and the warm feeling inside him couldn’t feel any more content when he thinks about how much you prioritize his daughter.

“You do know Gyuri asks about you everyday?”

“That doesn’t mean she’d understand about our arrangement, Gyu,” you say, trying to be stern even though you’re already in a losing battle the more you lose yourself in his eyes. There’s a sentimental look there that you can’t quite describe, but you know for sure that it’s the reason why a giddy smile is threatening to flash across your face.

“We’ll… take one step at a time, okay?” he settles as an answer. “We can be careful around her as we ease her into the idea of it. We don’t need to prioritize one over the others. We can just… try to go through both at once.”

You bite your lip as you contemplate over his words. You know he’s true and, if you’re being completely honest, there’s no better solution than the one Mingyu is offering. You can’t possibly ease Gyuri into it if you don’t take the chance first, and it’s stupid to try the relationship without easing the kid until she’s old enough to understand. It needsto be parallel.

“Okay then,” you tell him, your voice barely a whisper. Mingyu probably wouldn’t have heard it if he hadn’t been sitting so close.

“We’re doing this?” he asks once more to make sure, no longer bothering to hide his grin.

“Yes, you big baby,” you pretend to roll your eyes out of annoyance even though the smile on your face is betraying you in the best way possible. You squeal when Mingyu suddenly pulls you into his embrace, his arms a little too tight against your figure.

But you can’t really get mad when Mingyu’s soft laugh vibrates against his chest and the warmth of his lips meet your forehead. The both of you stay like that for a moment, basking in the warmth you’re sharing with each other in content. The only thing you can hear is his soft breath mixed with yours along with the steady beating of his heart against your ear.

When he finally loosens his hold, you pull away to meet his eyes. There’s a kind of love that you haven’t seen in a long time reflected there, one that tells you it still has room to grow and you’re excited to find out about. But you don’t really want to ponder about how long it has been since you have someone looking at you like you’re the only thing that matters because it’s not important now. It has passed and you don’t really care anymore.

What you care about is Mingyu’s low voice that gets your heart running once again when it has just finally settled into its usual rhythm, questioning you in a whispered breath if asking to kiss you would be too much. Furthermore, you only care about the way his lips perfectly mold with yours after you shake your head at his silly question, giving him your answer by leaning up first to meet his lips.

The kiss is short, not short enough to be called a peck but long enough to make your head dizzy and your cheeks flush once he pulls away. He’s sprouting a similar look though; his eyes are a little unfocused and you can feel his cheeks heating up against your palms.

Nevertheless, he drops another peck against your lips, and again, and again, and again until you burst into giggles despite his kisses because they tickle and you’re just too giddy about the whole thing.

Mingyu thinks it’s the most beautiful sound he has ever heard in his life.

©wonwoonlight – all rights reserved.

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[creativeashproductions]

Change of Scenery // Evan Buckley

IN WHICH: Captain Bobby Nash has kept a secret from his friends, his wife and his step children since 2015 when he came to LA. Bobby’s eldest and only surviving child comes to LA to reconcile and make amends all the while she catches the eye of a certain blue eyed firefighter.

Warnings: Swearing, death/familial loss, pregnancy, blood, angst, injuries/medical emergency, and fluff

Words: 8k

A/N: Back at it with another 9-1-1 fic. Hope you enjoy, and I may just have to do another crossover with 9-1-1 and Julie and the Phantoms.

TO BE TAGGED SEND AN INBOX/ASK PLEASE!

Masterlist

There are moments in our lives that define us, whether it can be known as a positive or negative, but the outcome is always the same. A six-letter word that strikes fear and excitement into the souls of humans is change. The fear can be for ourselves or as a result of a child, a sibling, or a parent branching out on their own. Unfortunately, you had gone through a harsh and cruel experience on a cold winter night in the city you grew up in.

A typical Thursday filled with classes at the college you attended in Minnesota on a scholarship, nothing out of the ordinary. The plan had been to drive to your parents’ apartment to catch up with them for the weekend. Saturday morning was already reserved for a girls day with your little sister Brook and your mom. In the afternoon, you’d promised to take your brother Bobby to the ball diamond.

Your bag was packed, the plan to drive straight from class to St. Paul the following day to arrive in the daylight. Your dad struggled with worry when it came to you driving in the dark and especially in winter with icy roads.

“Y/N!” Dottie screeched from the living room of the four-bedroom dormitory. The pretty and curvy brunette had been the first friend you made in college.

Typically Dottie was on the quieter side, so when she screamed, you practically sprinted to the girl.

“Where’s the fire?” You demanded with a smirk at the reference to a topic that was a constant in your family. 

The fire drills your father conducted every four months for an exit plan in case of a fire and general information to save yourselves. He had also trained you to remember fire hazards and how to call dispatch with clear information if that time ever came. It never did and hopefully never would.

“The Lakeview Apartments in St. Paul.” Dottie’s dark brown eyes spoke only of pity and concern. The five foot ten roommate literally caught you as you tumbled into her arms with a loud grief-stricken scream.

You were forever indebted to the brunette for the plans she sacrificed to drive you back to St. Paul. There was absolutely no chance Dottie would allow you to both drive and be alone with no news. The media hadn’t released the names of the 148 deaths the fire relentlessly tore from the land of the living.

“I want to prepare you for what you’ll see. Your mother suffered severe third-degree burns over the majority of her body.” The kind nurse, also one of your friend’s parent, explained as she guided you to the Burn Center in the Regions Hospital, “I don’t want to lie and tell you she’ll be fine. You’re an adult Y/N. You deserve the truth and not be coddled.”

“Is she gonna survive?” You quietly asked, “Has she woken up since she was brought in?”

“The doctor placed her on a high dosage of morphine for the pain. Your father hasn’t left her side.” Lucinda informed you with sympathy written as over her face, The hazel eyes unable to adequately meet yours.

“I’ll check on her, then could you take me to the rooms my siblings are in?” You asked, completely unaware Brook and Bobby had been DOA at the hospital.

Your father hadn’t answered the text messages or the voicemails you had left on his phone—radio silent. You couldn’t be mad when he was with your mom, but a text would have been nice.

“This is where your mother is staying for the unforeseeable future. If you need anything, you can call me.” Lucinda softly replied before turning her heel to head back to the Burn Centre’s front desk.

It was horrific walking into a room with no idea if the occupant who had raised you would survive. The confident, gorgeous mother you had for the past nineteen years was unfamiliar to you, the extensive gauze covering nearly every inch of her body. You almost couldn’t even recognize the man sitting in the chair with his hands wrapped. 

“Dad? What happened?” You questioned the grieving man. The only person left in your family as you would soon come to know.

“Y/N?” Bobby gasped, pushing himself to his feet, staring at his only living child. The guilt ate at him just staring at you with those light brown eyes, “Oh, sweetheart.”

Your dad crossed the room in a few steps. The scent of smoke was still clinging to every part of him, but it was fine. Your dad was okay, minus the wounds on his hands. You’d always been closer with your father than your mother.

“Dad, what happened?” You quietly asked the ashamed firefighter that had to reconcile his feelings on the fire and his career—that struggle ending up pushing you away when he really just wanted you as close as possible.

“The building caught on fire after an ember from a heater lit a blanket on fire,” Bobby informed you with his eyes pinned on his wife. Bobby knew the chances of Marcy surviving were incredibly low, and he had to tell you that.

Bobby only knew the details passed on from a firefighter who pitied the man who’d lost most of his family. 

“Is Mom gonna be okay?” You questioned, and the said injured woman in the bed weakly responded.

“Baby?” Marcy quietly questioned from her absolutely still position on the hospital bed, “Uh, Bobby.”

You left your father’s side to be as close to your mom as possible, with the clear plastic separating you for her safety. Your heart shattered at the sheer exhaustion in her pretty blue eyes. 

“Hi, Mom.” You shakily spoke with one hand lightly pressed against the plastic divider. You didn’t even notice when your dad stepped up too.

“Marcy?” Bobby called out from right beside you, just as torn up, but Bobby carried extra weight on his shoulders, “We’re right here, Marcy. It’s okay. It’s okay.”

The muffled grunt of pain, your mom’s attempt to save you from grief, Marcy let out as she turned her head to look at you. You knew deep in your gut that this was the time place you would see your mom alive. And by the look in her eyes, she knew too.

“The...kids…?” Your mom’s breathing became more erratic as she questioned the man she viewed as her hero. The man she believed had saved her and their youngest children, “Where...are they?”

“The kids are fine.” The way your father said it and the tears led to the knowledge once kept from you.

“No.” You whispered, seeing the total grief written clear on his face. The pain meds and agony kept your mom from knowing the truth.

“They’re safe.”

“I knew you’d come and save us.” Your mom breathed as her eyes started hiding the pretty blue you’d now only see in pictures. In your dreams, until even those faded as father time cruelly pulled you along.

Then your worst nightmare happened. You watched as the woman you looked up to flatlined with the thought of her children safe. You’d always know she’d held on just long enough to find out the state of her children. You could only hope she’d forgive your father for lying to her as she died.

“Mom!” You screamed, fighting the arms of an orderly restraining you. You barely noticed the resistance to your frantic attempts.

One minute you were staring at a team unsuccessfully trying to revive your long-gone mother, then you were in a hotel room. The atmosphere tense and quiet between father and daughter, with the ghost of your dead family to keep you both company. You could hear Brook gagging every time you’d kissed your now ex. You could see Bobby toddling after you years ago.

At least you had your father—a father whose guilt festered until he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“It was my fault.” He murmured, staring at the barely eaten burger that tasted solely just cardboard. He couldn’t bear to look at your face, “I didn’t mean to leave it on.”

Your head snapped to stare at him in disbelief, “What do you mean you didn’t mean to leave it on?”

“I-I went to the roof to sleep after your mom kicked me out. I didn’t have my keys to the apartment I had below ours.” Bobby began spilling the lies he’d told to you about his addictions. Of the apartment, you’d had no clue was even in his possessions.

The pain of losing your family tore into you, “You took my mom away from me. I’ll never get to share my wedding day with her. Shopping for a dress and gossiping about boys. I’ll never be able to wipe Brook’s tears during her first heartbreak.”

Each word broke Bobby more and more.

“You stole my future. You’re selfish, ungrateful and utterly pathetic. You cost so many people so much, all because you sought out your next high.” You spat, glaring at someone you’d never expected to hurt you. You didn’t notice your hands grabbing your possessions nor opening the hotel room door, “You couldn’t even properly try to get clean.”

“Y/N-”

“Get your shit together before you kill anyone else. I never want to see you again.” You sobbed with regret already festering in your body, but pride held you back from apologizing.

Upon your return to your dorm with Dottie by your side, you immediately began the process to enter an exchange program. Within a month, your feet entered Sydney Airport. You didn’t return to America for several years.

You took a job as a casual lifeguard on Bondi Beach, met Lucas in a meet-cute situation at the grocery store. You graduated college and found a job as a paramedic as you began becoming a flight paramedic. In 2020 Lucas and you discovered you’d be bringing in a little baby into the world.

Learning about your little Cashew growing safe in your womb fanned the flame of desire to reconcile. Ultimately the pride kept pushing the urge to apologize for the cruel words you told your father further away. You naively believed you had all the time in the world.  

Remember the six-letter scary word? If losing your mom, siblings, and father was a devastating blow, losing Lucas was nearly tied. Your little Cashew lost their father before they even got to meet him. That was push enough to pack up your home and fly back to America with your father’s new address as soon as you could.

In the fallout of the apartment fire, your father relocated from Minnesota to Los Angeles. 

Los Angeles, 2020

As soon as you’d found the nicest but cheapest hotel to stay in until you found a place, you walked the streets of LA. The first order of business of approaching your father at his workplace as you had no personal address. Residing still in Minnesota, Deputy Chief Evans had only given you the address of Bobby’s work.

You could only hope Bobby wouldn’t turn you away. That he was willing to bridge the gap, you’d widened over the years. That he could forgive the silence to each email, he sent when you changed numbers.

“We should go out to dinner.” The female voice was what brought you back to the present time. The woman was beautiful with her buzzed head and clear skin.

Right by her side was a dark-haired male of Asian ethnicity with a bag thrown over his shoulder, “If you’re paying, you bet I’ll be there.”

The two continued to converse in their own world until the man had to literally dodge you when they finally noticed you.

“Does Chief Bobby Nash work here?” You inquired, having no desire to enter small talk when the baby was sitting on your bladder again. You nearly retched when the man stared down at your swollen midsection, shocked, “It’s not his baby.”

Hen caught the evident disgust on your face, “He’s in his office. I’ll guide you there…”

“Y/N.” You supplied the firefighter. Hen smiled in response, “And your name is…”

“Henrietta Wilson, but you can call me Hen. That was Howard Han. He goes by Chimney, and I’ve been sworn to secrecy on the name.” Hen chuckled in her steps to the closed door of the fire chief. Hen swiftly knocked on the door to give Bobby a heads up.

“Come in!” Bobby called from his pile of paperwork he had pushed and waited to work on. It had slipped as the date came closer. Your twenty-seventh birthday, the seventh one since he last saw you.

“Cap, a woman is asking for you,” Hen told her friend and boss. It’s a good thing you didn’t choose to surprise your father because Hen was shorted, and your bump made manoeuvring around tricky.

“What can I do…” Bobby trailed off when he saw the girl waiting to talk to him. The pen in his hand dropped to the table in shock.

Hen glanced between the two equally taken aback individuals, “Am I missing something here?”

“Hey, dad.” You whispered to the man who’d been dreaming of this moment since the minute you left. He’d searched for you at your previous college and nearly made a missing person report.

“Dad?” Hen couldn’t pick her jaw up from the floor if she even wanted to because this was juicy information. Sure, Bobby had caved into telling his team, his family that he’d lost his wife and two children in a fire.

He rarely talked about his life before the 118, but he’d never mentioned having a surviving daughter. Not in the handful of times he’d talked about the tragedy, nor did he have any objects or photos of you. 

“You’re really here?” Bobby lightly chuckled with a twinkle in his eye. Hen had only seen a handful of times. All of them had Athena in the scene, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” You beamed, stepping closer to the man you’d missed dearly, “I’m so sorry for the way I left. What I said was cruel and untrue. You aren’t selfish, and I can’t blame you for something you couldn’t control.”

Bobby grinned. He’d stepped around his desk only to halt when he took in an undeniable development—the baby bump you carried.

“Is-”

“I’m pregnant. Six months along with a baby girl.” You laughed to the apparent disbelief in your father’s light brown eyes. His gaze continued to shift between the bump and your e/c eyes.

“Wow. Sorry, this is...wow.” 

“She’s one of the reasons I wanted to come back. To fix our relationship because I want her to know her grandpa. You’re the only grandparent Poppy will know.” Bobby was quick to tug you into his arms as soon as the first tear dropped down your cheek.

There was so much you wanted to tell your father, but that overwhelming grief rose higher. You’d left Australia where Lucas laid in a plot in a cemetery. You left the friends you’d found in the city. Left the lifeguard job you’d come to love.

“Where are you and your partner staying?”

“He...uh...Lucas passed away recently.”

The arms holding you tightened in response to your confession, “Oh sweetheart.”

“I didn’t know where else to go. I can’t stay in the home we bought. Not the place he died when I couldn’t save him.”

“I don’t know what happened, but it wasn’-”

“Don’t coddle me. I was...am a paramedic. A flight paramedic, to be specific, so I know that my hesitation could be the reason he died.”

Your career took the father by complete and utter surprise because you’d always planned on a different job. Before the fire that claimed so many lives, you’d never entertained a career in the emergency field.

“We have a lot to catch up on. First, you need to know that I’ll always love your mother no matter what, but you need to know. I met someone when I first moved here, and we were friends at first. She divorced her husband. We started dating...sweetheart, I remarried.”

A wave of emotions flared in your chest, from betrayal to sadness and ultimately happiness. Having lost your first love, you understood and knew if love came around for you, you wouldn’t ignore it. Lucas wouldn’t want that.

“I can’t wait to meet her.”

Re-entering into Bobby’s new life was a difficult adjustment for everyone included. Tension had risen between Athena and Bobby for a brief period. Athena hadn’t even been aware of your existence, but she could fault Bobby. Athena had even told her first husband about her late fiance Emmett when they were still together.

It was difficult for you with the new addition of two step-siblings in the same birth order as Brook and Bobby had been. The Grant siblings had welcomed you into the family without any reservations.

“Did you ever get to fly the chopper?” Harry asked as he scrubbed the dirty dish from the Sunday family dinner. 

It was the first dinner that had no awkward tension since you arrived back in the country. Athena had taken a bit to warm up, but it was nothing personal. She’d actually been the one to find you you’d been staying at a hotel. Mama Athena did not like her pregnant step-daughter living at a hotel. She’d actually stormed your room with Hen and Karen as back up to pack your room and leave for the Grant-Nash house.

“No. I had to help keep the patients alive. If I’m telling the truth...sometimes I didn’t even notice I was in the air.” You whispered to your stepbrother. He was just invested in your career as he had been when Bobby first entered their lives.

“That is so cool!” Harry enthused with soap suds splashing your thin knitted sweater. Harry’s mouth formed an ‘o’ when you flicked water onto his face in retaliation.

“Do you know Bondi Beach in Australia?” You inquired the youth with the chore of dishes completed.

“Yeah! There’s a tv show called Bondi Rescue! I watch the clips on YouTube!” Harry exclaimed, hot on your heels to the couch. Out of May and Harry, he followed you around with questions about your life in Australia.

“I was a casual lifeguard. I’m not featured on that show, but I would get called in when a lifeguard was needed. It paired well with my job as a flight paramedic.” You half-smiled, remembering the Bondi lifeguards who had welcomed you into the family. You became one of them when they started pranking you.

“Did you ever see a shark-”

“Harry, go brush your teeth. Leave Y/N alone.” Athena informed her youngest from the open patio doors. Your father, Athena and May had been outside as soon as the table had been cleared.

“But-”

“Harry,” Athena warned the youngest Grant. Harry didn’t attempt to argue with his stern mother; all he did was hug you quickly. You watched the young boy disappear into the hallway.

“He reminds you of your little brother?” Athena questioned. In your time of reminiscing, the older woman had settled in Harry’s previous position.

“A little.” You whispered, “Thank you for welcoming me into the family. For making my dad happy.”

“You know I may have some baby clothes put away if you’d like to use them?” Athena offered with that smile that made you feel at home. Athena was far different from your late mother, with her presence commanding respect and intelligence. Your mom was similar, but I suppose it could be described as a softer touch.

“Anyway, saving a penny is appreciated. I have a question for you also.” You hesitantly started with a bundle of nerves deep in your belly. Athena turned to give you her full attention.

“Well? Out with it.” Athena pushed, but she had a slight feeling of what you were about to ask her.

“My mom was one the strongest women I know. It hurts that my baby won’t get to experience her love and guidance, and you can say no. We’ve only known each other a short time, but would you consider...maybe being a grandma to my baby?”

Giddy was the feeling Athena developed along with the laughing smile that only came from happiness. The woman could only nod her head in response to your hesitant question. To Athena’s knowledge but not yours, Bobby was softly smiling, watching his formerly estranged daughter getting along with your stepmom.

“Oh!” You gasped as your baby kicked hard enough for her foot imprint to be seen through your knitted sweater. 

Bobby was by your side in concern the second he heard your startled sound, but Athena wasn’t that concerned. Athena remembered having the same reaction.

“Are you okay?” Bobby frantically questioned. He faltered when the woman shared a belly-deep laugh at the sheer fear written in the seasoned firefighter’s eyes.

“Poppy was kicking.” You chuckled as your father’s shoulders dropped in relief, “Here.”

Your nimble fingers clasped around your father’s wrist to bring his palm to the spot Poppy was kicking. A certain lightness flooded your entire body, being capable of sharing this experience with Bobby. Watching tears well up in the grandpa to be’s brown eyes.

“Whoa.” Bobby breathlessly spoke as Poppy kicked against his palm. The feeling building in his was exhilarating with the small amount of grief mixed in, “I remember when your mom was pregnant with you. We didn’t know if we were having a girl or boy, but she was adamant you would be a kickboxer. So active.”

Athena watched as the relationship between father and daughter started healing directly in front of her eyes. The Sergeant was about to give you two some privacy when you caught her hand in your free one.

“Here.” You informed the older woman shifting to place her hand where your father’s hand had previously been. Your e/c eyes sought the wonder-filled different shades of brown eyes the couple had.

“You should get some sleep,” Athena spoke, staring at her hand resting on your bump. Her dark chocolate brown rising to find your gaze, “You won’t be getting a lot once she arrives.”

Bobby and Athena watched as you turned the corner to the spare room Athena’s parents used when they visited. For the time being, you’ve moved into the room, and the Grant-Nash house hoped you would stay. May had always wanted a sister, and Harry loved all the stories you told about Australia.

“You know, at some point, you’ll have to talk to her.”

“I just was-’

“-without anyone else being the buffer. Bobby, both your lives is evidence enough that some things are too trivial to stress over.” Athena pinned her stern gaze on her husband. The same husband is actively trying to avoid her penetrating gaze.

“What I did-’

“Is in the past, Bobby. You have a second chance with that wonderful woman in that bedroom and our grandchild. Now, are you sure that having the party at the firehouse is okay?”

A hand supported the base of your back where an ache tended to stay for most of the day. That ache wasn’t the worst symptom of your pregnancy. You had heartburn constantly that tied with unfortunate constipation that had thankfully lessened. Your purse always had a cardigan for the hot flashes as well.

“Perfect! May has my car, and Bobby needed that.” Athena beamed from the open bay of the 118. One of the firefighters, Eddie, if you recalled, snagged your purse and the specific ingredient for a recipe.

“You could have borrowed Bobby’s-”

“His vehicle is in the shop Buck.” Athena interrupted the only member of the 118 you had let to officially meet.

Now there were two suspects of the sudden shortness of breath you started experiencing. It could be Poppy in the limited space in your body or the handsome firefighter. Buck had to be hands down none of the most attractive men you’d ever encountered. His dark blonde hair had minimal height, but the soft waves made your fingers itch to feel it. His ocean blue eyes crinkled at the corners with mirth.

“Ah, so you’re flesh and blood of Cap?” Buck questioned from in front of you. His blue eyes centred solely on you, with half a mind thanking himself that he could navigate the station blindfolded in the dark.

“For the last twenty-seven years, I have been.” You retorted, stopping at the edge of the stairs to the apparatus. Your keen sense of smell catching one of your favourite meals your father had dug up from the recipes he hadn’t used in years.

A zing of electricity trailed off your arm when a calloused palm met yours. Your e/c eyes followed the path of tan skin until it reached the shirt sleeve of Buck’s t-shirt. The shirt emblazoned on the chest with the department’s insignia. The man in the casual uniform guided you safely up the stairs with his hand on your back.

The pressure of Buck’s hand on your aching back muscle nearly brought what would be an embarrassing moan from your lips. Thankfully a gasp of surprise fell out instead at the banner hanging with other decorations.

“What?” You choked, cupping your hands to your face. Pure unadulterated shock and affection flooded every inch of you.

The entire 118 squad intermixed with their loved ones surrounded the open area with grins. On a table behind everyone was many wrapped gifts. But the cake was the most impressive.

A large rectangular cake in the realistic shape of a fire engine parked in front of a fire hydrant with a fondant hose going to the truck. On top of the fire truck was the turnout boots next to the matching helmet, the 118 proudly on it. You adored the turnout coat draping off the top to hang off the side.

“If you look at the helmet, it says Poppy.” Buck enthused, guiding you even closer to catch the immaculate cake, “It has to be the best cake we’ve gotten from them.”

“Hey, my rebar head cake was phenomenal!” Chimney called with a belying grin on his face. His hand encased by a brunette woman about his height with her heels on.

“It’s a long story.” Buck offered as soon as you gave him a weird questioning look, “Let me introduce you to everyone!”

For the next five minutes, you spend it by meeting the family of 118, including Eddie’s completely adorable son. Christopher was happy to sit next to you as soon as Harry had found you. Slowly the others came closer to hear the stories.

“What’re the most common injuries on the beach?” Denny, Hen and Karen’s ten-year-old son questioned.

“Bluebottle Jellyfish stings. On one day, we had hundreds of people come to the tower for stings, and the treatment for the minor ones is stingose spray and ice.”

“My question is how a girl from Minnesota is a lifeguard in Australia. Especially on Sydney’s most dangerous beach.” Chimney inserted, waving his bottle of pop at you, his eyes kept moving towards the wine Maddie brought.

Unfortunately, the 118 wouldn’t be celebrating with the wine until their shifts ended in a few short hours. It was a damn miracle they hadn’t been called out yet.

“This former Minnesotan spent summers at my best friend’s parents’ place in Cali as a lifeguard. Also, Bondi is not the most dangerous beach in Sydney. That’s Tamarama.” You pointed towards the man who raised his hands in surrender.

“Have you ever seen a dead body?” Harry asked, bringing a sobering silence in the question’s wake.

Your body language changed as soon as he asked, “Unfortunately, I’ve seen death as a paramedic and as a lifeguard.”

“You’re a paramedic? I thought you were just a lifeguard?” Buck asked, interested in the new information. Buck could feel his Captain’s eyes on the back of his head; he was sure Bobby could smell the attraction on Buck.

“Casual lifeguard. Called when needed as a backup.” You turned your e/c eyes towards the arguably youngest member of the 118.

“How many dead-”

“Harry.” Athena warned her son from continuing a topic that killed the ease and happiness you’d shown previously, “Why don’t we stop talking about-”

“Too many, Harry.” You interrupted your stepmom with a gentle smile towards the woman, “It’s not just drowning that claims lives but also the cliffs surrounding the beaches. Lifeguards patrol more than the beaches and water. Lifeguards respond to medical emergencies, mostly spinal until the paramedics arrive.”

“Oh-”

“I had a fellow lifeguard leave the job because of the suicides we deal with.”

“...who wants cake?” Karen used the quiet interlude of the much too serious topic for a group of kids barely in the double digits of ages. All referenced children followed Hen’s life to the beautiful baked creation.

“Sorry for getting dark there.”

“We all know the dark side of the jobs we chose to do. You sound like you miss Australia. Are you going to return there?” Eddie questioned with one eye pinned on his son, consuming more sugar than he wished.

Eddie’s question did raise self-doubt, but you knew that ultimately living in Australia was no longer a viable option. 

“There’s nothing there for me.”

Eddie, Buck and your father understood that mentality to a ‘t’ with family complications keeping them away. Your father for obvious reasons, whereas Eddie and Buck each had a living family with opinions only they saw right.

“You’re always welcome here. Especially when you bring that little cutie to the firehouse.” Maddie cooed towards your baby bump. The 911 dispatcher had asked many questions about your pregnancy.

 Maddie was the type of person who could make a stranger feel like they had known for their entire lives.

“Here.”

A plate of the cake was thrust in front of your face courtesy of Maddie’s brother Buck. It is quite literally the perfect size you could ask for. In his other hand, he had a new bottle of water waiting for you to grab.

“Thank you, Buck.” Your shock must have shown in your voice when his cheeks flushed.

“This whole party is a celebration for you, so you shouldn’t have to get up...unless you want to!” Buck rushed to respond, getting more flustered with the amused look of his older sister on him, “You’re already doing something absolutely amazing, so you should get to rela-”

“Buck!” You laughed, ending the older man’s rambling thoughts. The entire party attendees had started watching Buck’s failed smooth attempt.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

Buck mutely nodded in response, “No prob-”

The bell was the one to interrupt him instead. The on-duty firefighters rushed down from the upper levels to the lockers. The swift suiting up impressed you as it was like you blinked, and the bay was empty.

“Should be the last call before they get off shift.” Maddie, still occupied with the cake she was eating, “That wine looks so good!”

Your attention snapped from the vacant spots the 118 vehicles parked to the woman ploughing down on the cake. Sure it was good, but not that good. Maybe you could tell as a pregnant woman, or perhaps you just caught some of the symptoms you felt.

“How far along are you?”

Maddie froze, “What are you talk-”

“You’re pregnant, right?”

“Don’t tell anyone. Chim and I found out recently, but we want to wait on telling people. Once the first trimester is over, everyone can know.” Maddie pleaded with two hands cupped under her chin in a prayer position. The pretty brunette using the puppy dog eyes on the new friend she’d made.

“You should tell Buck-”

“We will once we enter the safe zone. So tell me about your baby’s father.” Maddie swiftly changed the subject, unaware of the ache developing in your midsection.

“Lucas Gowan.” You mussed, recalling the freckled half Australian half Scots man with the thick red locks.

“Ooh, is he still in Australia?”

“Technically, he is. I met him at the grocery store near the university campus. I’d transferred to escape my grief. It was purely an attraction at first sight before developing into love at first sight. We convocated and moved into a cosy little place. We’d only just found out about the baby when Lucas passed away.”

As you told Maddie, your hand had moved to cradle the only remaining piece of Lucas. 

“His death was unexpected and sudden. He’d taken a run the morning of our scan to find out baby Gowan’s gender. He fell off the side of the cliff. I was told he died instantly. The investigator believes his shoelace untied, and he stepped on it. Fell right off the side.”

“I’m so sorry.” Maddie breathed, leaning closer to hold your hands in her own, “He’d be so proud of you. For returning to the states. Do you keep in contact with his family?”

“He was an only child. Parents died in a car accident when he was ten years old. He was in foster care until he aged out of the system. Poppy is named after his mom.”

Maddie instinctively knew talking about Lucas was, “You know you get along pretty well with Buck... I’ve never seen him so flustered.”

“Maddie, I can tell you are a very intelligent woman, but you’re wrong here. Why would a guy like Buck be interested in a pregnant woman with a reconciling relationship with her father and his Captain while grieving her baby’s dad?”

Maddie tilted her head to the side, “Because I know my brother. He’s only ever had that look when I first moved to LA. Back when Abby was still important to him.”

“We’ll just have to agree to disagree.”

Maddie’s mouth opened to speak, but you were saved by the bell when Athena called you over for pictures. Then her attempts got thwarted once more when the 118 returned to the house perfectly synced to the end of shift.

“Driving here was the last time until the baby’s here. You’ve got precious cargo-”

“I’m seven months pregnant; I can still drive. There’s no law saying I can’t-”

Never argue with Athena Grant-Nash, “It may not be illegal, but I won’t endanger my daughter or my granddaughter.”

“I have to get to my OB/GYN appointment tomorrow. You and Dad each have a long shift during my scheduled appointment. Harry is both too young to drive and in school. May has a shift at dispatch. There’s literally no one available to take me.”

Bobby watched as two of the most important women in his life argued over something as trivial as driving. Harry shook at listening to someone fighting against his mother; she could be terrifying.

“I can take her.”

Everyone in the fir house turned to the voice who’d offered suddenly and found the sheepish form of a tall firefighter. Eddie’s eyebrows raised at his best friend.

“I don’t work tomorrow. I’ve got no plans. Albert’s got some date with a girl at her place.”

“I couldn’t put you out.”

“You need a ride, and I’ll be bored, so why not take my new friend to her baby doctor.”

“Baby doctor?” Hen parroted to her wife in astonishment towards her coworker and close friend. Both the women found the blatant flirting from Buck to the soon to be mother.

“She’ll take you up on the offer. She’s staying in our guest room. Come early for breakfast before you go. We’ll be having waffles.”

Buck found any excuse to visit the Grant-Nash home with the motive to hang out with you ever since the baby shower. From delivering baked goods from your favourite bakery to insisting on driving you to appointments. Didn’t matter if Athena or Bobby could take you; Buck was adamant he drove you.

The friendship was easy going and very natural, like a ball glove still moulded perfectly to your hand. The hangouts in your home evolved to weekly visits to restaurants with guidelines to the current event happening worldwide. 

Ultimately it even led to a test date.

“You look breathtaking.” Buck breathlessly informed you once he’d gently pushed your chair closer to the table.

“Thank you.” You kindly responded despite thinking the complete opposite to the charming man sitting across from you.

Athena and May had helped you get ready for the date with calming words on how going on a date so far into the pregnancy was okay. Then, your father had tentatively inserted himself with sage advice on re-entering the dating scene.

“I thought we could grab some ice cream after,” Buck spoke up as soon as the waiter had taken your drink order. Buck had decided to refrain from alcohol and went with glasses of lemonade and water.

“You shouldn’t say that. I’ll just want ice cream.” You snickered, caressing the taut belly you’d grown to love. In fact, the firm push of a heel announced Poppy’s agreement with ice cream as dessert.

“How is Poppy?”

“The doc says she’s right on track. Healthy all around and in the position, she’s supposed to be at this stage.” Buck adored the affectionate smile that always appeared when the topic of your pregnancy was brought up.

“That’s amazing! Bobby gushes about you and Poppy. The fridge has an entire door dedicated to sonograms of Poppy. Even a few from that maternity shoot Hen and Maddie surprised you with.”

A few weeks had passed since the baby shower the 118 had surprised you with. Maddie had announced her pregnancy to the joy of the chosen family she had. Bobby had put together a crib he had painted. Michael, Athena’s ex-husband, had started making plans for adding on to the house for a room for the baby.

Despite informing the architect, you planned on moving out when you had saved enough, he’d made a sound argument. Athena would want a place for the baby to stay when you visited, or the woman demanded to babysit.

Now you found yourself in a National forest not far from Los Angeles, posing in front of nature. A surprise photoshoot Hen and Karen had organized with Karen’s brother Trey. Maddie and Athena had been the ones who drove you.

“Hold the teddy bear on your bump,” Trey informed you from behind his professional and intimidating camera. The photographer praised you in the rapid movement to listen to his offer.

“Hey! Maddie! You should take a few photos. I need a pee break.” You didn’t wait for Maddie to respond in your rush to the somewhat rustic bathroom hut.

By the time you returned, Maddie was taking a couple pictures. Then you took some with Athena to have on the nursery walls and for Bobby to have a photo for his desk.

“Now one with all three of you.”

Present

“So a daredevil.” You stated unsurprised that the firefighter had a history of recklessness. You don’t go into firefighting without a taste for danger.

“The bruises and blood fit better than the awful bleached hair during my time in Peru.” Buck laughed, recalling the questionable choice in his fashion pre-firefighting. Sometimes he missed the people he encountered in his period of self-discovery.

“You didn’t wear puka sh-”

“I did. Bleached hair, puka shells and Hawaiian shirts were my staples during my bartending years. I fit in with the aesthetic of the bar I tended.”

“Buck!” You nearly gasped at his raw honesty. Buck didn’t hold back any answers to your questions, but you each strayed from the topic of family.

Talking about the tragic family history wasn’t a good idea on the first time regardless of the time you’d known each other.

“You’re telling me-” Buck halted as soon as he caught the flash of discomfort flicker over your beautiful features, “Are you okay?”

“She shifted. Been sitting on my blad-” You cut yourself off with a hiss of pain. Buck’s eyes widened at the pain taking over your features, “Oh, that hurt.”

Buck went straight into work mode, “Have you been in pain for long?”

“No. A few cramps here and there today, but my doctor said it was nothing to worry about.” You informed the experienced first responder resting level to your knees.

Buck didn’t want to say it, but he was sure that you’d gone into early labour. There was no indication your water had broken, but he kept over the last hour together. Every once in a while, you shifted or pressed a hand to your bump.

“Has your water broken?”

You shook your head, “No, but...oh... that’s not a cramp.”

With that statement out, you clenched your fingers tight on the edge of the table as pain rippled in your belly. A contraction that stole your breath momentarily. In your contraction, Buck had dialled 911. Buck recalled that sometimes a woman’s water doesn't break until right before the birth.

“We’re not getting that ice cream, are we?” You snorted upon being lifted onto the gurney. How fortunate or unfortunate you were to have the 118 right there.

Hen had taken a position at your feet to check on your lower body while Chimney took your vital signs. You honestly didn’t like the look Hen and Chimney shared with Buck.

“What is it?”

“We’re gonna need to deliver here.” Hen sighed, giving you the facts that terrified you. When you envisioned having the baby, it was in a medical centre. Not in a restaurant.

“My office is large and away from the crowd if you want. I can show you the way.” Sophie, the restaurant manager, offered already starting to lead the way. Sophie would never know how thankful you felt for being able to have privacy.

“Okay, Y/N, is it okay if I check how dilated you -.” Hen breathed with her hand, gently disappearing until the thin blanket Chimney procured from the stocked ambulance, “Y/N when I saw I want you to do that.”

Hen didn’t need to check your dilation when she could see the baby’s head already.

“I’m right here.” Buck cooed in your ear. He had held your hand as his coworkers did their jobs around you.

“This isn’t the way I envisioned you seeing my pu-”

“Push.” Hen urged, cutting off your almost vulgar language, but it eased the tension in the small restaurant office. You couldn’t even see Buck’s flustered reaction as you bore down with the contraction, “Good! Take a breath.”

“You’re a strong woman. It never ceases to amaze me the strength women have.” Buck spoke, keeping your e/c eyes on his blue ones. His hand raised to push a strand of your sweaty hair off your temple.

“Once more push!” Hen called out just in time with the last contraction. The feeling of the pressure between your legs popping was moan inducing.

Poppy was silent. Your entire body froze, yearning for the sweet sound of crying instead of the eerie silence. The world stood still as Chimney worked on your baby girl.

“Pulse is strong,” Chimney announced, keeping his attention on the task of clearing Poppy’s throat and nose. And that sweet sound of crying commenced, “Congratulations Y/N, you have a beautiful baby girl. Let’s get you to the hospital.”

Your father beat the ambulance to the nearest ER in pure anticipation at meeting his granddaughter Poppy Nash Gowan. He barely noticed as Buck stuck to your side like glue. Bobby waited outside the door as you got checked over in the room.

“Quite the first date.” You mused towards Buck, who hovered in awe over the life form you had carried for nine months. You’d been pregnant for three quarters of an entire year to his fascination. 

“All my meaningful relationships started with a medical emergency.” Buck finally looked up at you. He’d kept Poppy company in the bassinet while you delivered the afterbirth upon entering the hospital.

“Seriously?”

“Had a tracheostomy on Valentine’s Day with Abby, an earthquake with Ali and a newscaster in a crashed helicopter.” Buck listed off. He hadn’t even noticed scooping the newborn into his arms until he’d sat in the chair by your bed, “Why not add a sudden labour and delivery.”

“He would have liked you.”

The sentence came out of absolutely nowhere. Almost like something had ripped it out of your vocal cords. At the look of confusion, you elaborated.

“Lucas. He would have liked you. I think if it is possible, he might have pushed me into meeting you. I’ll still need to take it slow, but I’d like to give this a shot.”

That was all Buck needed to lean in closer to kiss you—the first of many kisses.

Some might disagree on how quick your relationship with Buck developed, but they didn’t know yours at all. It was natural with the firefighter who stepped into the role of father figure for a growing Poppy. By the time Poppy was one, you’d moved into a house not far from your father’s place with Buck. By the time Poppy was three, a pretty ring had sat on your finger. By five, the young girl had a baby brother. 

“Your parents spoil Poppy.”

“You say that like you didn’t crawl into her crib during her afternoon naps.” You deadpanned towards your husband. Buck had the nerve to sheepishly grin, “You give in each time she says ‘pwetty pwease’ for a cookie.”

“It’s a crime to make her sad!” Buck defended himself, but a grin of amusement threatened his act, “Besides, you crack each time too!”

“Mhm. Just wait until Theo can talk.” You pressed a kiss to the sleeping infant strapped into the baby carrier. Theodore Robert Buckley could fall asleep in a thunderstorm if he was in Buck’s arms.

“Oh! Maddie wants to have Poppy over for a play date. Madster’s been begging for her cousin to have a sleepover.”

Maddie and Chimney’s daughter was only a few months younger than your daughter, but the two were thick as thieves. Buck had referred to the Han daughter as Madster with how similar her mannerisms were to her mother.

“Think they’d take the rascal?”

“Is this code for you wanting to have another?” Buck questioned with a twinkle of mischief in his blue eyes. The same blue Theo had inherited along with a birthmark like Buck’s on his bicep.

“I-” You choked, blinking furiously, “Evan, I pushed Theo out of my body barely three months ago!”

Buck inconspicuously winked in response with the sudden scream of excitement coming from Poppy. The rambunctious five-year-old ploughed into Buck’s legs full force. Falling into the practised ease, you’d unstrapped Theo from Buck’s chest and promptly had his tiny body stolen into his grandpa’s arms.

“There’s my boy.” Bobby cooed to the sleep drunk tiny infant. The little baby is crowded by his Gram Athena and Aunt May, “Gonna have to get you a Minnesota Wilds jersey.”

“Hell no. That boy is LA born and bred. He’ll be wearing a Kings jersey like the civilized.” Michael announced with the sudden arrival of Theo and Poppy’s Uncle Harry.

“Mommy? When are we going to Stralia?” Poppy inquired from right beside your leg. Her tiny handheld is the giant one of her dad.

“In a few weeks. Are you excited to see the mommy’s old friends again?”

“Hm. Can we see Dada?”

Buck may be Poppy’s father, but he’d never let Poppy go without knowing she had two fathers in all. Her first one waiting to meet here decades from the time she was born and solely referenced Lucas as Dada. Buck was grateful for the man who brought Poppy into existence; the little green-eyed tot Buck could never regret. Unlike Buck’s parents keeping his older brother’s existence a secret, the firefighter refused to follow in their footsteps. He’d continue to shower the late Lucas in gratitude and respect. He refused to make the same mistakes as Phillip and Margaret Buckley.

“Of course. C’mon Poppy, time to say goodbye.” Buck guided the little girl to the extended family showering her little brother with love. The little girl was quickly swung into Bobby’s arms, and Athena cooing at your infant son.

Changes. The six-letter word doesn’t have to be terrifying. It can be breathtaking, memorable and beautiful to experience. 

Tag List(s):  (PLEASE SEND AN INBOX TO BE ADDED! I CANNOT GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE ON THE LIST VIA POST COMMENTS!)

9-1-1 Taglist:

@julessbrown 

Julie and the Phantoms Taglist:

[babymilkawa]

quarantine dad headcanons with:

todoroki shoto & bakugou katsuki

gn!reader, fem!reader for bakugou

parent!reader

todoroki shoto

so the two of you work at home

shoto’s boss has given him a break so he’s taking care of the kid

but you’re still working and you’ve got daily zoom calls

so you’re kid is cuhlingyyy ok, like shoto

but they’re not loud and whiny to disrupt your work

the only thing is that you always feel like this weight on your leg, or your stomach

they’re just

slumped over you

your toddler is either leaning on your leg and playing with their toys quietly, or laying on your stomach, face down, knees on the ground

it’s adorable but shoto is tryna get them to leave you alone

they’re not that much of a distraction rly

if he pulls them away and says “you can nap with daddy ok”, they’ll just get up, walk over to you, and resume that same position

they fall asleep on you a lot and their snores are p loud for a kid wth

so you ask shoto to carry them to bed, he’s like “yes, yes,sorry y/n” whispering and trying to not get himself in your camera

he’ll help clean around the house and if he’s got nothing to do and the kid’s asleep, he’ll just sit across the room and watch you work

he’s admiring how focused your face is or how passionate and professional you look if you’re talking to your colleagues

if work drags on for too long, HE’ll start getting clingy

mimics his kid and rests his head on your lap, sighing contently when you run your fingers through his hair

omg if ur kid got woken up and saw their dad sleeping on you, they’d rest on your other leg POOR YN JDGGH

so you’ve got both legs occupied and it’s making it really hard for you to get things that are out of your reach

and you don’t wanna wake them up because they look like precious babies 🥺😫

shoto will also make sure your water bottle is ALWAYS full, if he even sees the water level dip down a little, he’s grabbing the water jug

sometimes he’ll take your kid out on a walk or out in the open, keeping them close to him, fully protected with masks and all

and aww sometimes they’ll even have baths together 🍵🛁

you’re almost done with work and you can hear them having fun in there and ugh it makes you wanna join them too

if you’re done with work and your kid still clings on to you, shoto will entertain them and say that you’re tired even though he’s also been taking care of them all day 🥺💘

bakugou katsuki

so you’re a teacher and you’re teaching online, right so it’s a lot of talking

this man’s not even trying to stay quiet or shush his kid up

your kid is the opposite here, they’re lOUD and mostly cling on to bakugou except when he’s disciplining them or getting them to eat, take a bath, etc

your students will literally see him chase them around the house

one time bakugou walked past behind you only wearing a tank top and shorts and your students were like “Ms. L/nnnn, is that what your hubby looks likeee oooo”

so yea he’s not tryna hide himself at all

another time bakugou was tryna get your kid to put their clothes on but they were just running in their little legs all “MAAMAAA” and jumping onto your lap

that was when your students met your kid for the first time and they were shirtless so squishy tummy

but all of a sudden when they see like 30 faces on the screen they get shy and give a smoll wave awwww 😫😫

“Ms. L/n they look just like your hubby!!”

now your kid will always join you in the beginning of class and say good morning

if people are still taking time to come in and settle down, they’ll bring their favorite stuffed animal and do a little show n tell 🥺🥺

bakugou will cook lunch for you guys during your break and he’ll always leave some snacks on your desk too

mostly fruits lolll no junk food

your kid sleeps aNYWhere so you always see bakugou just picking them up and throwing them over his shoulder to put them on the couch

he’ll also take your kid out for a walk and once they’re back, he’s disinfecting every INCH of your kid like prepared a bath right away

poor baby is all “papaaa I already said I didn’t touch anything”

bakugou’s like “but are you suRe??? 😑

if he’s got nothing to do, he’ll sit across from you (away from the screen) and just go on his phone while warming your feet up under the table

when you finally close your laptop, he’ll jump to his feet and massage your shoulders, taking you towards the bathroom where he’s got your bath all set up 😭

a/n: I'd like to thank my professor and her kids for inspiring me on this one ☺️

bnha masterlist

[louiseleblancdiggory]

Speedy one night stand

Ok, so this is an old scene that i never posted because I never thought it was good enough, but since I wanted to post smth before ‘Tis the Damn Season, here it goes! I’m sorry for any typos, it’s 3 am and I don’t have the patience to proof read rn. There are mentions of a car accident but I swear it is not a sad or angsty scene. It’s bad and not at all a believable situation, but I hope it’s ok enough to be mildly enjoyable!

Aelin was having a spectacular day.

She had woken up around six, laying near the hottest man to ever walk on this Earth. In the previous night, she had drank enough to practically guarantee her a bitch hangover, but apparently her beautiful, silver-haired stranger had fucked it right out of her. A few times.

Not so proudly, Aelin sneaked out of his house without making a single sound. Maybe she should have stayed, maybe asked for his name. But she was also almost sure she had given him her number yesterday, and so if he wanted to continue things, he could call her. If not… Well, it had been a fun night.

Understatement of the fucking century.

And thanks to her stranger, once she got home, Aelin felt energized and inspired enough to finally give the painting a try.

The painting had become Aelin’s nightmare for the past year and a half. She had the idea, had the ability, but didn’t know how to do it, how to tackle it. She tried a few times every few days, and left the room hating it more and more. The painting started to be a mock to her abilities— she would finish other works, beautiful works, and yet the messy canvas would always stare at her from the corner of the room.

Aelin was mainly a sculptor, not a painter, and so she didn’t even know why it bothered her so much but it did. Oh, it most certainly did.

For the past eighteen months, staring at that taunting canvas was like staring at yourself on the mirror for too long. The vision started to blur, and it didn’t look real, evoked a deep panic.

For the past eighteen months, Aelin hated that fucking painting.

And yet, when she got home earlier, all she could think is that she might be able to finish it. The painting was supposed to be of Oakwald, a beautiful forest that extended for the whole expanse of the west of Terrasen. She hadn’t been at home for so long now, and all she wanted was a painting of how she remembered the forest to be. She wanted to capture its light, its life. She wanted it to look exactly how it was in her memory, but the colors never seemed right. Her fondness of the memory was becoming stained with that stupid canvas.

All she needed was the right palette.

And he had walked in a bar and sat by her side yesterday.

Her stranger was the literal embodiment of her memory, so much so that for a split second, Aelin had thought she had gone officially insane. His silver-grey hair was the exact shade of the sky on the cloudy mornings when she and her dad would go for a walk. Eyes a combination of a few shades of green and small specks of brown that reminded her of how the trees were. His demeanor was cold, and yet Aelin found him somehow so welcoming— just like she felt back at Oakwald, back home.

Her stranger had given her the thing she had needed for the past eighteen months, even if he hadn’t given her even his name.

Aelin was staring proudly at the now finished painting when the phone rang. She was glad her roommate wasn’t at home to witness her staring at the painting for that long like a crazy person, and honestly hoped it was Lysandra calling to ask if she wanted to go out and grab something to eat.

Or maybe it’s your stranger.

Aelin forced herself to shove every single spark of hope down until they were nothing more than cinders. To be honest, Aelin knew that she probably wouldn’t get a call from him. It was his first day in town, they both had been drunk, and, even though the sex had been great, her stranger didn’t seem like the dating type.

At least not the dating type with a woman who left his house unannounced at six in the morning after leaving him with no note other than her number that could potentially be wrong since said woman was already tipsy when she gave it to him.

A fucking shame.

“Hey.” Aelin said, putting the phone to her ear as she looked for her car keys. She wanted to be in the elevator by the time the word “eat” left Lys’s mouth.

“Is this Aelin?” A female voice she had never heard in her life asked, uncertainty and hesitation lacing every word.

Aelin withdrew the phone from her ear and looked at the unknown number.

Aelin rarely gave her phone number to strangers, and lately it had only been to…

Oh fucking shit.

He had a girlfriend?

Fuck fuck fuck.

“Hum, yes?” Aelin sounded as uncertain as the girl. “I’m sorry, but who is this?”

Maybe it wasn’t what she thought. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe—

“Do you know a Rowan?”

Well.

“Maybe?” Aelin wanted to bang her head against a wall. Almost seven months without touching a guy, and the first one in her way back to the land of the social people had a girlfriend. At least she knew his name now. Rowan seemed fitting, matched his appearance somehow. “Silver hair, green eyes, looks really pissed even when he’s sleeping?”

Please say no.

“Oh, yes.” The woman said, sounding… relieved? “I’m doctor Towers, and—“

“Doctor?” Aelin blurted out, all anger and nervousness being substituted for confusion. “Doctor?”

“Yes. Well, actually an intern since I’m still halfway through my first year here and—“

“I swear I mean no offense, but I am a little confused.” Aelin interrupted her after she started mumbling. “You’re Rowan’s girlfriend?”

“No!” The woman shouted loud enough that Aelin had to take the phone from her ear. “Gods, no. I thought you were his girlfriend.”

A moment of silence passed through the two women.

“What the fuck?” Was everything Aelin managed to say. She cleared her throat, mind trying to catch up with what was happening. “Why would you think that?”

“You’re the only contact on his phone.”

“I am?”

“You are.”

“I am.”

“You are.”

“I— Why are you calling me?” Aelin shook her head, her grip on her keys strong enough that started to be painful. She didn’t know if this was some type of joke her friends were pulling on her, or if Rowan was just some sick asshole that was fucking with her now that he had her number but she sure as hell wasn’t enjoying the experience.

“Well, you see.” She cleared her throat, voice tone becoming more serious, more professional. “Rowan was admitted into the Torre’s hospital a few hours ago. He was involved in an accident, and all the emergency contacts we could find are not in town as of now. I know it is not protocol, and I’m breaking so many rules here, but I went through his phone to see if I could find a contact of someone who was around. We didn’t know if his injuries were serious or not, but…”

Doctor Towers didn’t finish the sentence, and dread mixing with some type of anxiety started rolling inside Aelin’s stomach. “But?”

She didn’t respond the question, instead changing the subject. “You’re the only contact, Miss Aelin.”

Aelin slowly sat down, the dead silence of the apartment mixing with the expectant silence from Doctor Towers. She didn’t know the guy, didn’t even know his name until two minutes ago, and yet the image of the painting in the other room kept flashing in her mind, the colors in the canvas mixing with the colors she saw on his face. “I— Is he alive?”

“Yes, yes. He’s in surgery, I believe.” The initial apprehension came back to the woman’s voice. “I don’t know, actually. Again, just an intern. People don’t tell me much here.”

“And I suppose hiding somewhere after stealing a patient’s phone isn’t the best way to pick up on any information they might be sharing in the halls right now.” Aelin said, some amusement for the girl showing through her voice. “Where are you? Storage room?”

“Coma patient room.” Doctor Towers laughed nervously. “I thought I was helping.”

“It’s fine.” Aelin said even though she didn’t feel it.

The line went silent once more, and after a minute, Aelin said. “Well, bye, I guess.”

“Wait.” The doctor’s apprehensive voice sounded again. “Couldn’t you… Can you still come? Even if you’re just his friend?”

Aelin sat frozen on her chair. “I’m not his friend.”

“Oh.” She sounded disappointed. “Ok. Sorry. Have a great night, Miss Aelin.”

Before Aelin could respond, the call was ended.

—————

The first thing Rowan noticed when he opened his eyes was that he was not at the rented apartment he and the rest of his friends had gotten for the summer.

The lights were too white and too artificial, the bed too uncomfortable to be the same one he had slept the previous night.

And there was also the fact it felt as if he had been thrown from the top of a building, broken every single bone in the impact and, somehow, survived.

He tried opening his eyes a little bit more and acute pain shot to his brain.

Unfortunately. Unfortunately survived.

Shit, maybe he was in hell.

“I don’t know if the struggle is amusing or pathetic.” A low and sultry voice sounded from the left corner of the room. “Maybe try not staring directly into the light and then try opening your eyes.”

Rowan turned his head to where the soft voice had come from, pain burning his neck with the movement but he found himself incapable of not looking at her direction. But the woman was right, and Rowan managed to open his eyes enough to see her seating in one of those uncomfortable hospital chairs, legs crossed in front of her and fingers laced on top of her stomach.

Rowan mentally scratched his last thought. If he had actually died, that certainly was tilting a lot more towards heaven than hell even with the killing pain.

“Fuck, I think I died.” Rowan blurted out.

“I’ll pretend you just compared me to an angel, not to the devil.” She said, getting up and walking in his direction. Despite her hurt tone, she was smiling as she approached his bed. “It’s the least you could do after you ruined my perfectly perfect day. I was having a blast, you know?”

Hell, heaven, or Earth— it honestly didn’t fucking matter because the pain was the same, but her voice seemed to soothe his muscled, make the pain secondary to the pleasure of listening to her voice.

“Yeah?” Rowan rasped out, hoping she would continue talking.

“Oh, yeah.” She sat by the edge of the bed, straightening his sheets. The light wasn’t so blinding anymore, and he could see every detail on her face.

Heaven. Definitely heaven.

“I’m an artist, you know. Sculptor mostly, but I’m a decent painter. There’s this painting I’ve been trying to get done for over a year now, and today I did not only make progress I liked, but I also finished it. I thought today was going to be a terrible day, you know? Yesterday I found out my flight back home had been canceled and I would only be able to get another one by the end of summer, so I went to a bar and planned on getting drunk. Today was a day for tears and hangovers.”

“But?” Rowan asked automatically, all too focused on the woman sitting next to him.

She smiled, raising a hand to brush his hair from his face, fingers intertwining with the shoulder-length knots he most certainly had after whatever it was that had happened. She seemed too focused on her hand gently undoing the knots, but thankfully kept talking. “But I met this guy, you know? Definitely not from here, accent gave it away immediately. Also not from where I am from. Just that made him interesting enough. And,” she turned her eyes to him, eyes glinting with mischief. “Very, very fucking hot. That definitely made him even more interesting.”

“What a guy.” Rowan could feel some of the life coming back to his body, and even managed to weakly match the grin she had on her face.

“Oh, yes, what a guy. Fucked the hangover and artistic block right out of me. A hero, if you will.” Her grin extended into a smile, and she shook her head. “So imagine how ruined my day was when I got a call saying my amazing bar guy had been in a car accident.”

Rowan let out a broken laugh, his ribs screaming in pain when he did so. “So irresponsible of him.”

She assented solemnly. “And there I was, hoping he would have called me to go out on a date. I’m not picky but hospital is a huge downgrade from mind blowing sex in his expensive apartment.”

Rowan laughed again, not even caring about the pain.  “I’m sure the guy would have asked you if you hand’t left the expensive apartment at the crackass of dawn without telling him.”

“And instead of calling he let his car be smashed by a fucking truck to get my attention? Tsk, tsk, tsk… Maybe I didn’t dodge a bullet with this idiot.”

Rowan’s lips were taken by a grin. “Well it worked, didn’t it?”

“Next time try something a little less dramatic.” She said, eyes narrowing but Rowan could see how she was trying to contain a smile.

“The girl really seemed into dramatics tho. Gave it away last night when she—“

“Since I didn’t know your name until your doctor called me, Rowan, I’ll save you the embarrassment of asking mine.” She interrupted him, slender fingers going from his hair to the top of his lips. “I’m Aelin.”

“Aelin.” He said against the finger sushing him. “May I ask how you got here?”

She blushed a little, taking the finger from his mouth and straightening her spine. “I was the only contact in your list. They called me.”

“Lost my phone in the airport yesterday and had to buy a new one. Still doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, small nose frowning. “You’re very talkative for someone who could barely open his eyes a few minutes ago.”

“Am I?” Rowan said, hoping to push some of her buttons. Consciousness had been coming back slowly, and Rowan certainly remembered every single detail. Remembered being pissed by losing his phone, impatient because he would have to wait two more days for his friends to arrive.

Remembered all the pissy and impatience leaving his body once he sat on the bar by the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had been quick-mouthed, with no filter, and absolutely hypnotizing. She wasn’t just fucking beautiful, but also funny, smart, and had the ability to make him forget every single thing that was making him irritated.

And the rest of the night… It was a shame Rowan was bedridden, he certainly wouldn’t mind reenacting last night again.

And again. And again.

And again.

Rowan had wondered earlier if she had been that amazing because he was drunk. The answer was obviously no.

Aelin pursed her lips, red coloring her cheeks. She cleared her throat, rolling her eyes. “The doctor guilty tripped me.”

“Yeah?” Rowan knew he was smiling like an idiot.

“She said you were in surgery and she didn’t know how serious.” Aelin finally looked him straight in the eyes, and Rowan noticed how beautiful hers were. “No one deserves to have no one in this situation. She said your friends were out of town, and the girl sounded desperate enough that it sounded as if you were fucking died. Again, no one deserves to die alone. Specially someone this good in bed.”

It took Rowan a second to understand everything she had just said. When the last sentence finally registered on his brain, Rowan laughed. Aelin shook her head, a small smile appearing again.

“Also, you’re the first guy I slept with in seven months. Letting you die alone seemed like bad luck.”

“I am honored you put so much consideration into coming to stay with me.”

“Shut it.”

“If it makes you feel less embarrassed—“

“I’m not embarrassed.”

“I would have come too. Make sure my best fuck wasn’t dead.”

“Awn, best fuck? You’ll make me tear up like this, Ro. So romantic.” Aelin pretended to clean fake tears the moment the doctor in darker scrubs and a few on lighter ones entered the room.

“Good to see you awake, Mr Whitethorn.” The man smiled at him, checking his charts. “It’s always good to see wives crying of happiness rather than sadness around here.”

“Of course.” Rowan agreed, turning to Aelin and raising an eyebrow.

“They wouldn’t let me stay if I wasn’t family.” She whispered low enough so that only Rowan would hear. Her face slowly broke into a grin, and she winked at him before turning to the doctor. “So he’ll be fine, right, doctor?”

Rowan had to bite his cheeks from laughing at how obviously fake she sounded, but no one other than him noticed. “Yes, yes. Other than a fracture to his right wrist, your husband is completely fine. Some bruising and soreness that painkillers can help, but nothing major. You two are free to enjoy your vacations when he’s discharged tomorrow.”

“Oh, great.” Rowan said, nodding seriously. “My wife here has just informed me that a hospital is no adequate place for a first date.”

All the people in the room laughed, thinking Rowan meant their first date in Antica.

Not their first date ever.

“I’ll leave you two. Anything you need, ask a nurse and they will page me.” The doctor in darker scrubs said, leaving the room with all the ones in lighter scrubs following.

“Where do you live?” Rowan asked the moment the doctor was out.

Aelin turned to him, fingers going back to his silver hair. “Have been living here for the past two years in an art internship. Going back to Orynth, Terrasen by the end of the summer.” She curled a strand around her finger before looking to his face. “You?”

“Have been and will continue to be a very happy resident of Orynth.” Rowan said, a smirk appearing on his lips. “Definitely happier after the summer.”

“Haven’t even asked me out and you’re already thinking about the end of the summer.” Aelin shook her head and clicked her tongue even though she was smiling. “No surprise you got into a car accident, so speedy.”

His smirk grew into a smile. “My dear wife, would you like to go on a date with me?”

She narrowed her eyes, taking her sweet, sweet time to answer. “I’ll think about it.”

“And, seeing how the doctor talked about all my grave injuries—“

“Grave.” She snorted.

“Do I get kisses to feel better?” Rowan’s tone was full of mockery and some laughter.

“If I kiss every place you’re hurting after being hit by a fucking truck, I think we’d be here for a long while.”

“You didn’t complain yesterday.”

Aelin half laughed, half snorted. Rolling her eyes, she bent forward, and even though she was trying very hard not to, Rowan could see the start of a smile just before she pressed her lips against his. They were sweeter and softer than he remembered, and despite the pain on his arms and specially on his right wrist, Rowan raised his hands and put them in her golden strawberry hair.

“One more thing.” He said against her mouth.

“Has anyone ever told you that you ask for too much?” Aelin said impatiently.

“As our situation is already as fucking weird as it’s gonna get—“

“You don’t say!” Aelin said, voice dripping with so much fake surprise Rowan couldn’t stop but smirk up at her.

“As our situation is already as fucking weird as it’s gonna get,” he repeated forcefully, eyes narrowing at her as her smile widened. “Tomorrow, when my friends arrive.”

“Yes?”

“Can you please still pretend you’re my wife?”

Aelin stared at him blankly for a moment before letting out a full, lovely laugh. The bed shook with her laughter, and Rowan joined her— a little weakly due to the pain, but joined her nonetheless. She bent down to kiss him again, nodding as she did so. “Of course. What type of person would I be if I didn’t help such injured person find some happiness in their lives?”

Rowan kissed her back, fingers playing with her hair. “So this means you’ll go out with me?”

“We’ll see.”

.

.

.

.

.

@in-love-with-caramel-macchiato @jlinez @courtofjurdan @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln @ladywitchling @lexflame @sleeping-and-books @annejulianneh111 @perseusannabeth @linshryver @mu-si-ca-l @camilamartinezdunne @dank-queen7 @minaidss @starborn-faerie-queen @booksofthemoon @loveofbooksandwine @jesstargaryenqueen @bluejaberry @multifandommessblog @yesdreamblog @superspiritfestival @ireallyshouldsleeprn @woollycat22 @julemmaes @claralady @abookishfreak @faerie-queen-fireheart @morganofthewildfire @queen-of-glass @heirofthenightcourt @booksbqueen @heirofthrnightcourt004 @fromthelibraryofemilyj @rowaelinismyotp

* if your name is in bold i cannot tag you

[sometimes-love-is-enough]

re: your last ask about the time travel shenanigans—holy fuck yes please more of this. like, not only is it funny as hell, which i appreciate, but it's also a. more c!thomas and b. points to just how interestingly both the plot and characters of this series have grown over the years and i am ALL for it

"Janus!" is the first thing Thomas exclaims when he sees the Side Formerly Known Exclusively As Deceit rise up where Logan would usually stand. Which just might be a mistake, if Janus’s expression is anything to go by.

Okay, in Thomas's defence -

This is a really, really weird day, even by his standards. Because, like, Logan's currently standing in front of the stairs, and that's not where Logan's supposed to be, and his shirt and tie are all wrong. And had had been grinning. Openly. He had been openly grinning when Thomas had first woken up and looked in his wardrobe and realized that his favorite t-shirt apparently doesn't exist anymore and all his clothes are a half-size smaller than he's used to but also they still fit and - okay, no, back to Logan. He'd gone downstairs and tripped over a chair that wasn't supposed to be there and called out Logic. And he'd been about to ask him what's going on and why everything feels so off and also why Logan's standing in Virgil's usual spot instead of over to the right of the stairs. But then he'd noticed all the aforementioned Very Weird Clothing Things. And he'd stopped and said, "Uh, Logan?" and Logan's grin had dropped and he'd stared at Thomas for a full ten seconds then whispered, "what the fuck," with great emotion.

And then Patton had shown up with a ridiculous amount of pun-riddled cheerfulness that Thomas had been able to clock as sixty-percent fake within about half a second. And his clothes had been all wrong, too, and after a lot of confused, borderline-incomprehensible yelling at each other, Roman had showed up and added to the chaos.

"I am scared and confused and on the verge of completely losing it!" Thomas had declared at some point, which had been the cue for an ominous music sting somewhere to Thomas's right that made everybody jolt in terrified unison.

"Did somebody say scared and confused and on the verge of completely losing it?"

"Virgil, thank god!" Thomas had practically yelled, and just about thrown himself across the room to get to him - before pausing midway and allowing his brain to process... wrong hoodie. Wrong amount of eyeshadow. "Wait. No, hang on, is this - "

"FUCKING WHO," Virgil shrieked, leaping backwards half a flight of stairs, which had led to another round of confused yelling, with Thomas trying to assure them all that he's fine he hasn't had some sort of strange head injury or whatever, he's just really happy to see Virgil and no of course that's not weird, what do you mean who's Virgil, that's Virgil right over there, Roman please put down that sword things are already out of hand -

And at some point Thomas had got it into his head that the most reasonable course of events was to summon the one person who always seems to know everything that everybody else doesn't, which brings everything up to speed, more or less. Roman had gone, "Thomas, what are you doing," and Thomas, feeling slightly manic at this point, had said, "I'm trying to summon a demon, obviously," because the best way to get hold of a certain someone probably is blatant lying, and boom, instant Janus.

"Jeee-sus Christ on a cookie-shaped canoe, what is he doing here?!"

"Janus!"

So, Janus pops up, he looks literally the same as he always has (except maybe with shorter hair? Wait, they all have shorter hair, including Thomas, wait a second -) with his half-snake-face and his hat and gloves that cosy-looking capelet of his. And although his expression reflects faint bewilderment and that very particular 'wait, what' emotion that results in being pulled abruptly away from something you were busy with, he looks so normal that Thomas thinks for a moment he might be the only sane person left.

But then Janus makes a series of start-and-stop noises of incomprehension, and gestures wildly towards Virgil, who's crouched midway up on the stairs behind Logan, looking like a cornered wild animal, and snaps, "Why for the love of everything that's holy would you tell him my name?"

"You think this is me?" Virgil retorts, hands going up to grab desperately at the bars lining the side of the staircase. "I don't understand anything that's going on! He somehow knows my name! He's - he's being nice to me!"

It suddenly occurs to Thomas that this might just possibly be a time travel sort of thing. It would explain the clothes shift. And the altered layout of his house. And the fact that when he'd checked his phone this morning it had told him it was 2016, and also it hadn't been his phone, it had been the one he'd broken a few years ago in a tragic piano-moving-related accident.

...Okay, yeah, this is absolutely a time travel thing.

"Is somebody going to explain why Thomas ruined all of our heartfelt name reveal moments in one fell swoop?" Roman demands. "I thought we agreed we were going to do them gradually and draw them out as long as possible for dramatic effect!"

"I agreed to none of that," Virgil snaps from his position halfway up the stairs.

"Yes," says Logan, "yes, I think we all would like to know what's going on. Thomas? What's going on?"

"Uh - " Thomas, who has just come to a rather startling realization about time travel and also about how shitty his Sides' taste in costumes were pre-wardrobe change, doesn't really have a prepared answer for this. "I have... I am - I just - "

Thomas struggles for words. Really struggles. And everyone's just standing there, watching him with expressions that range from terror to confusion to suspicion, and they all look so weirdly young in a way that's hard to pin down. It's the clothes. It's probably the clothes, or maybe it's the way they hold themselves. Roman, carelessly confident, without a doubt in the world. Patton, still wearing a fixed dad-grin, politely baffled and looking back and forth. Logan, who hasn't been systematically beaten down and pushed back over the course of many, many years. Virgil, who's basically just a ball of grey-and-black anger and acerbic anger at this point. Janus, who's... Janus. Who's looking at him in a way that Janus has never looked at him before.

And Remus is probably lurking somewhere in the back of his mind, too, doing whatever Remus does, and - would Remus be any different now, four years prior? Thomas hadn't had any significant problems with intrusive thoughts, not back then... or, well, back now. Maybe he's calmer, maybe Thomas could actually talk with him. Try to work something out, try to understand.

But wait, he's still got to give the Sides right here and right now an answer.

Hm.

...Thomas has been through a lot in the past four years. Not, like, fantasy protagonist a lot, but more like a extended psychological journey of self-discovery and mental health crises. Now, he wouldn't trade any of this for the world, because he's learned a hell of a lot about himself in the process - but also? The Sides have put him through a lot of horrifying realization-type things.

Which is why he absolutely one hundred percent deserves to do what he's about to do next.

"I," says Thomas, with an extraordinary amount of confidence and self-assuredness, "am psychic."

And the dead silence holds. Now even Patton is staring at him in disbelief. Janus has graduated into outright horror, his face twisted up into a oh god no I am somehow responsible for letting him delude himself this far expression.

"Thomas!" Roman gasps, almost instantly lighting up with genuine enthusiasm. "Oh, Thomas, I'm so proud, we've been working on this for years. Tell me, does this extend to telekinesis, or just somehow knowing all our names and nothing else?"

"What?" Janus says. "What - no. No, you can't seriously be going along with this - what? That... what? That doesn't even make any sense?" He turns wildly from left to right, and - okay, it's very enjoyable to see him out of his depth, to be perfectly honest. Thomas likes Janus a lot, knows he has his best interests at heart, but the whole courtroom thing had been a major dick move. This is satisfying. "Are any of you getting this? Does anyone here understand what's going on?"

"I'm psychic," Thomas repeats doggedly. "I acquired magical psychic powers and now I know all of your names and tragic backstories. Surprise! I unlocked my full potential and the ninety-percent of my brain power that I wasn't using."

"That's - that's a widely-perpetuated and wildly incorrect myth," Logan says weakly.

"Nope. Turns out it's true, and I was only using ten percent of it, and now that I've gone full big-brain, I know that Patton's repressing all his bad feelings because he doesn't want to bother anyone with them, Virgil acts all scary and menacing because he thinks it's the only way that I'll ever listen to him, and Janus is secretly a huge dork with a heart of gold - uh, yellow, I guess."

"How dare you," Janus breathes, looking horrified.

"Wha - " Patton suddenly looks very pale indeed.

"Also, Roman, you're my hero; Logan, please never stop smiling like that ever again, it's literally my favorite thing in the world and if you ever stop being enthusiastic about teaching me things I will cry - and Virgil, I love you."

Virgil lets out a choked little noise like he's just been punched directly in the stomach.

"I love all of you," Thomas adds, an afterthought. "I never say that enough. Janus, that goes for you as well. You're right, I need to take care of myself more."

"I'm - " Janus is still looking around at everyone in complete disbelief, but now his gaze fixes onto Thomas, his eyes wide. "I'm what?"

Thomas is now on a roll. An extremely cathartic sort of roll. "And Remus -"

Everybody immediately panics. Virgil and Logan's hands both immediately leap up to clasp over their mouths, which seems to be a reflexive reaction on Janus's behalf. Patton lets out a deranged-sounding high pitched giggle that edges into genuine hysteria.

"Brother? What brother? I don't know what a brother is!" Roman says loudly. "I've never had a brother in my life! Thomas, your glorious psychic powers are malfunctioning. Have you tried turning them off and turning them on again?"

" - I'm not going to lie and say I love him, but -" Thomas stops abruptly, and staggers  backwards to catch himself on the couch as a thought strikes him out of literally nowhere. "Son of a bitch -"

"Does being psychic make you swear a lot?" Patton asks weakly. "Because, uh. Not sure I like this side of you, kiddo - "

"Logan," says Thomas. "Logan, what's the date today? This is so, so important, what's the date."

"It's... October," Logan says, very slowly. "October twentieth. 2016?"

"Holy shit," Thomas whispers, and then says it louder, "holy shit. Okay, listen. I was going to sort out all of our collective psychological issues in one impressive emotional speedrun, but I've realized we have something much more important to do." He pauses, and takes in a very deep, shuddering breath. "Guys. We can save Vine. Excuse me. I've just realized I’ve got to make a lot of calls."

[preciousthingsareprecious]

That Time Tim Totally Terminated Ra's Al Ghuls Entire Empire Part 1

So. I wrote something very silly. The title says it all, except it doesn't because this bad boy spiraled out to being over 10k and deserving of 2 chapters. Anyway, here is the first chapter featuring all the times Ra's kidnapped Tim because he wanted to recruit him.

Summary:

"Let us not beat around the bush,” Ra’s started, after taking a sip from his tea, “I have brought you here to make you an offer.” Tim nodded, that was obvious enough. Ra's had no reason to kidnap him this time beyond something like this.

“As you know, I’m always on the lookout for enterprising young individuals with both leadership and fighting experience to join the League of Assassins. Right now I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect person to fill a brand new executive role in a new chapter of my organization.”

AO3 Link

~

Tim wasn’t entirely sure how he’d ended up in this situation. No really. One moment he’d been in Gotham, crouched behind an old BMW that had been in the same spot for a month, waiting on Batman’s signal, the next he’d woken up in some lavishly decorated room. Was that silk? Or maybe velvet? He had no idea what was hanging around the bed he was laying in, but Tim really didn’t care.

What he was concerned about was his own personal state. He raised his arms --that alone was a good sign-- and confirmed that his mask was in place. He pushed himself up on the ridiculously plush bed, -which was unreasonably plush by the standards of a kid who'd grown up rich, and then gone to live with a guy who had both more money and even better beds.

The point was, the bed was so soft Tim actually had a bit of trouble sitting up.

When he did manage to right himself, he finished taking stock of his own situation and his surroundings. His Robin uniform was intact aside from his belt, but he saw that set on a trunk that looked at least as old as Bruce, a few feet away. The room was, as he already determined, lavishly decorated.

Tim pushed himself out of the bed and onto a carpet so thick he kind of wanted to pull off his shoes and curl his toes in it, but seeing as he still had no idea where he was, who took him, or why, he figured that was probably out of the question. He did make a mental note to ask Bruce for some better carpet when he got home. As a kind of gift for surviving a very weird kidnapping.

Instead, he moved to walk carefully around the room. He found no obvious traps, no cameras or speakers or microphones that were either hidden or out in the open, and both doors were unlocked.

The first he opened revealed a bathroom. The second he cracked open to peer out of. His eyes locked on that of an honest to goodness ninja standing guard outside the door. The man locked eyes with him and Tim snapped the door shut with a click.

Welp, that answered the who and maybe even the where of Tim’s abduction. Ra’s Al Ghul. He was pretty sure if he gave the ninja ten minutes to go find Mr. al Ghul himself, he’d have the why too.

While he waited, Tim snapped his belt back around his waist, comfortable to have its weight back, even if being in a League stronghold meant all the tricks in his pockets were basically useless on his own. Still, it was nice to feel fully like Robin again.

After that it was a matter of waiting.

Tim paced an actual trench into the thick carpet as he waited. Batman was of course looking for him. That was a given, he just had to wait for the man to find him. Or for Ra’s to send him home? He really wasn’t sure why the Eco-terrorist would have taken him in the first place beyond a really weird obsession with Batman's various sidekicks.

How come all of Bruce’s baddies seemed to have a strange fixation on Robins? It was weird how many went out of their way to kidnap and attempt to recruit him, Dick, and if the stories were to be believed, Jason too.

Just as Tim was starting to turn that particular thought over in his head, the door to his room opened and Ra’s himself strolled in.

“Timothy.” the man drawled.

“Ra’s.” Tim replied, suddenly totally and completely unsure what to do with his hands, voice, feet, and general self. This wasn’t a fight after all.

He settled for crossing his arms and being terribly glad his domino hid his eyes.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I brought you here.” Ra’s said.

Tim shrugged, “It doesn’t take the world’s greatest detective to guess that.”

The man frowned at him, and Tim started to wonder if maybe he should be watching his words a bit. He wasn’t in Gotham with Batman at his back after all. But then again, Ra’s must need something from him right? So a little sass was okay, what was Robin without a smart mouth after all?

“I mean--” Tim started, unable to stop himself now that he was thinking about it, “I can probably start to guess. You didn’t kill me and I’m not in a dungeon so you’ve got to want something from me right? I bet this is some blend of trying to win me over and also hold me above Batman because you--” he paused for a moment trying to remember if Bruce had been on Ra’s’ trail at all lately.

He dropped his arms and clapped, remembering, “You’ve been trying to break into energy and you want Wayne Enterprise to back you and legitimize your business. So you’re holding Tim over Bruce, but you probably want Robin because you and like half of Batman’s rogues have this weird obsession with teen heroes for some reason."

At some point he’d stopped looking at Ra’s and actually started pacing again. When he stopped talking his feet stilled and he looked back up at Ra's and grinned, ""So, am I hot or freezing cold?”

He expected Ra's to looked angry or irritated, instead he looked amused.

“You are quite warm. Though I would contend the assertion that I have a weird obsession with teen heroes. I am only interested in the exceptional, and you Timothy, are exceptional indeed.”

Tim gulped, “I mean--not really? But thanks.”

Ra’s waved him off, “We will speak more later. You are correct, I do intend to use you as a bargaining chip against your guardian--”

“Dad.” Tim interjected.

The man raised an eyebrow but continued, “However you are not a prisoner in the traditional sense. You may wander the compound with one of my men by your side to ensure you do not get into trouble. If all goes well you will be returned to Batman within a reasonable amount of time. Unless, of course, you do decide you would like to stay and learn from me.”

“I don’t really see that happening.” Tim said, “But I'll be sure and let you know if I make a sudden turn towards world domination.”

Again, Tim expected some kind of retaliation, but he was thankfully ignored. Ra’s left him with a warning not to cause undue trouble and soon Tim was alone in the room again.

He spent the next couple days wandering the compound somewhat aimlessly. He had a phone call with Bruce where he promised his dad that he was totally fine if a little bored, and spent the rest of his time trying to avoid Ra’s. The man was kind of relentless in his attempts at winning Tim over to his side and sought him out at meals, when Tim was trying to train a bit at one of the many gyms, and even once while Tim was wandering a rather fantastic garden. Each time, Tim did his best to wiggle out of the man's suggestions and just get back to wiling away the time between then and getting home.

Thankfully, it was all over in four days when Batman came crashing in with Nightwing and Batwoman to rescue him, and soon Tim was home and settling back into normal life.

He’d actually almost forgotten about the whole Ra’s kidnapping him until it happened again. Once had been a surprise, two times was starting to look deliberate.

This one lasted a week with Ra’s claiming it was because he still really wanted that energy deal and he just couldn’t understand why Bruce wasn’t willing to trade that for his ward (son Tim had ground out in irritation).

Tim almost believed him, until he woke one morning to find a pamphlet had been slipped under his door, it was literally a flyer promoting hiring in the League. Tim looked over it and had to laugh out loud. The text was done in a mix of papyrus and other fonts and whoever made it had used clip art. It looked like someone had typed it up in Microsoft word in like half an hour.

He spent the rest of his time there re-designing the flyer, with a ninja hanging over his shoulder as he used one of the League computers. The new one wasn’t the best flyer in the world, but Tim was pretty proud of it, and it was much better than the first draft.

When he was done, he pocketed the original, then pinned a note to the new one that said: Ha! Not until you get better designers.

Batman rescued him again, and Tim pushed the double kidnapping and Ra’s’ weird obsession to the back of his mind until the next time he was with Steph.

They were in the manor watching a Chopped marathon and Tim was telling her about both kidnappings.

“So he’s super into energy? How come he didn’t nab Dick? We all know he’s Bruce’s favorite.” Steph teased, popping a chip into her mouth.

“Setting aside that obvious lie, that’s the thing,” Tim continued, digging out the flyer he’d kept, “It has nothing to do with energy or Dick. I’m pretty sure Ra’s is trying to recruit me.”

He showed her the paper and Steph snorted, spraying chips out as she laughed, “No. Freaking. Way. I have to tell Cass. Let me show her this, please I’m begging you.”

Tim groaned, “Yeah, sure, but don’t you think it’s weird?”

She shrugged, taking the flyer to look it over, “Of course, but the B-man attracts weird like ice cream dropped on the ground attracts ants. Give him six months, and Ra’s will move onto a different way of trying to piss off Batman.”

“I hope so.” Tim said.

The third time Tim woke up in the elaborate room he was getting really sick of the decor and the headache that came with being knocked out and dragged halfway across the world.

“You know.” Tim started, the moment Ra's walked into his room (and it was actually Tim’s room he’d learned from one of the ninja guards), “You could have waited a month this time, to at least pretend this wasn’t all about your super weird plan to try and convince me into letting you adopt me.”

Ra’s opened his mouth to respond, but Tim wasn’t done.

“Which, by the way, I’m taken already. B did the whole adopting thing, so you missed that window. Though, I guess that probably doesn't really matter to you in the grand scheme of things since you keep kidnapping me. You are aware that kidnapping isn’t the best way to convince someone that your way is the right one, right?”

“Also, would it kill you to pick up some --I don’t know-- books on recruitment or something? I don’t understand how you’ve managed to get so many guys on your side it’s--” Tim started, but Ra’s had caught on to Tim’s mood at this point, conceded temporary defeat, and made a hasty retreat.

Tim didn't see him the whole rest of the day, and by the next morning Batman showed up, swinging in for another rescue and all was fine and good and normal for a while.

Until, of course, it wasn’t.

It was the fourth kidnapping that really set Tim off.

He woke up back in that stupid room with it’s stupid decor and those stupid posters ready to burn the place to the ground. But something stopped him, a premonition. Like if he was patient for just a little longer he’d find a good and proper form of revenge to take on Ra’s for his total inability to take a hint.

At some point two ninja came by to take Tim to meet with Ra’s. As they walked Tim couldn’t help but notice the posters literally lining the hallways they walked through.

They were of two wildly different styles, but both struck a thought of familiarity in his mind. One was obviously a play on the classic “I want you in the army” poster. The other ripped off old “pin up” recruitment posters. Both made him laugh, and Tim pulled a couple of each down to save to show the Titans. He had a feeling Bart and Kon would lose their minds over these.

He had just folded them up and shoved them in his back pocket when they reached an office. Inside, Ra’s sat in a chair and motioned Tim to sit in one across from him.

“Thank you for joining me, Timothy.”

Tim sat and shrugged, “Not like I had much of a choice.”

Ra’s waved him off. As he did, a different ninja from either of the ones who’d escorted Tim to the office came in with a tray of tea. He handed Ra’s a cup, then gave one to Tim, and left the set on a table between them.

The whole vibe was kind of awkward and strange. Tim felt very much like he had one time a year ago when he’d realized halfway through a date that things were not going to work out. He hadn’t been able to end the date then and there, and had spent another two hours awkwardly making small talk and trying to avoid promising a second date.

“Let us not beat around the bush,” Ra’s started, after taking a sip from his tea, “I have brought you here to make you an offer.”

Tim nodded, that was obvious enough. Ra's had no reason to kidnap him this time beyond something like this.

“As you know, I’m always on the lookout for enterprising young individuals with both leadership and fighting experience to join the League of Assassins. Right now I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect person to fill a brand new executive role in a new chapter of my organization.”

Tim took a sip of his tea in an attempt at avoiding having his mouth drop open in shock. Ra’s sounded like something out of a “Executive success seminar” that was just a veiled multilevel marketing scheme.

“To put it plainly, Timothy, I want you to become my apprentice. I know you and assume you might be hesitant to accept this lifestyle so I’ve prepared for you something of a presentation on what that might entail.”

Tim couldn’t stop a laugh from bursting out of him, but he did manage to turn it into a kind of cough.

“Wait--wait.” he said, almost choking on his tea, “Are you about to show me a powerpoint?”

Ra’s looked a bit put out at that suggestion, almost like he wanted to sigh, “Of course not, it’s more interactive than that.”

Tim held up his free hand, incredulous, “Is this--a job interview Ra’s? I thought you were pitching this to me.”

“No, no. It’s an interactive presentation designed to show you just what you have to gain from joining me.” Ra’s explained, as he did so Tim took another sip of his tea.

He lifted his cup and waved it lightly, “Oh yeah, so I’m just in one of those fairy tales then where you make me do three impossible tasks and at the end I get the happily ever after dip in the lazarus pit?”

“It’s only one trial--”

“So it is a task!” Tim declared, almost standing.

“Timothy.” Ra’s snapped, sounding a bit like Bruce whenever Tim and Steph’s antics pushed him a bit too far.

Tim crossed his legs and leaned back into the chair, “Tell me I’m wrong.”

Irritating the man was a bad idea, Tim knew that, but this was just ridiculous. He wasn’t going to be sent on a wild quest that might end up with him dunked in a Lazarus Pit or whatever else Ra’s had in mind that would supposedly prove how great it would be to work for him.

“If you are not going to take this seriously, then there are other ways of showing you why joining me is a good idea that are not nearly as pleasant.” Ra’s growled.

Tim held up his free hand, “I’d rather not find out, give me your pitch or send me off with your best ninja or whatever you were planning.”

He figured playing along would work for now. He could put off giving Ra’s an answer until Bruce came in for a third rescue. When he was home, they were going to have a serious conversation about ninja proofing the manor. Ra’s could not keep kidnapping him like this, they had to have some kind of security measures in place.

“Wonderful. I’m sure after your tour you’ll have a better understanding of what I have to offer you.”

Tim ended up following someone Ra’s called his “best general” around the compound for an hour. The guy showed Tim the training rooms, the medical suite, sparring rings, a variety of ninja’s actually practicing, and at one point they even ended up in the library. The general had been given instructions to pause anywhere Tim wanted him to, and so they lingered in the library for a bit.

He had to admit, Ra’s had a fantastic library.

The general didn’t seem worried about Tim getting lost, or escaping, and waited by the door while he wandered the massive room.

And boy was it huge. It was bigger than the main floor of the cave, with stacks and stacks of books on two floors. Some of the volumes looked ancient, and there were even scrolls shelved on the second floor.

He gingerly pulled one out to examine.

“That is worth more than you could ever imagine.” a sharp, young voice, declared, behind him.

Startled, Tim dropped it back onto the shelf and spun. Before him stood a kid, probably 8 years old, with tousled dark hair, dark skin, and a face that almost echoed some of Bruce’s school photos. It was startling.

“Hi.” Tim said, dumbly, “I know, it’s Ancient Sumarian right?”

“Tt.” the boy crossed his arms, “You are not an idiot then.”

Tim shook his head, “Nah, apparently I’m smart enough to be selected for recruitment.”

The kid nodded, “So you are Grandfather’s young detective. He speaks highly of you.”

Grandfather? Tim’s brain spun. This kid was Ra’s al Ghul’s grandkid? He ran the numbers, the kid’s mom was either Talia or Nyssa. If he had to put money on it, Tim figured the boy before him looked more like Talia than her sister. And his other features--like Bruce’s?

No.

No.

No. Freaking. Way.

“That is hardly language to use here.” The boy said, arching an eyebrow at him.

Tim hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud, but apparently his surprise had been so great he had. He cleared his throat, “Sorry, I just never expected Ra’s to have a grandkid.”

“It is not surprising to me, I am his heir. Born to inherit the League and rule the world one day.”

Okay, that was a lot to unpack. Just a totally wild amount, but Tim wasn’t super focused on the world domination thing just yet (maybe later when he had a chance to process all of--well, all of it), “Sorry to keep pressing but, doesn’t having an heir kind of--I don’t know, put his whole Eternal Ruler of the League thing in jeopardy?”

“Tt. It is not my place to question my Grandfather’s plans. I simply know what I have been told, that I will inherit the League one day in his stead.”

“Well,” Tim rocked back on his heels casually and grinned, “That might be a long loooong time.”

The kid’s brows furrowed as if he had not really considered that idea before. He opened his mouth to say something else, but seemed to decide against it, dropping his arms to his sides to shrug, “If that is his wish then so be it.”

“True.” Tim said, not really knowing what to say. Instead he settled on changing the subject, “You know, if your grandfather gets his way I’ll be spending more time here, so I guess introductions are in order. I’m Timothy Drake-Wayne, but most people just call me Tim.”

He held his hand out to the kid, smiling at him. If he really was Bruce’s then they’d be getting to know each other for sure. Just not here. Tim had zero intentions on letting Bruce’s child stay with the League. Did B he even know he had a kid? Tim thought he’d better figure that out first before kidnapping his little brother.

Little brother. Just that idea made something flutter in Tim’s chest. He’d always wanted a little brother.

The boy scowled at his hand, and did not take it, “You may be correct, even if I do not see what Grandfather seems to. I am Damian al Ghul, heir to the Demon’s Head.”

Tim bit back a grin at just how serious this kid was. He sounded like a little prince, all imperious and haughty. Damian, even his name fit him. He wondered how Damian would do around Dick? Or Stephanie. They’d figure out how to bring a smile out of him.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Damian.” Tim said, “I know we’ve really only just met, but I’m sure you’ll see what Ra’s does in time.”

Damian looked him over again, then gave a sharp nod, “I am interested in seeing what you have to offer.”

“Damian, I found it, where’d you go?” A voice sounded from deeper within the stacks.

Tim started at the sound of the voice. He knew it. Knew it from nights spent chasing shadows, from recording’s Bruce had watched a hundred times when he didn’t think Tim was watching. From Tim’s own desire to know and learn more about his predecessor. It was Jason Todd’s voice.

But that couldn’t be. Jason was dead.

“I am coming.” Damian returned, his tone more childlike than Tim had heard in their whole conversation. He turned back to Tim, “Do not ruin that scroll, I will see you later.”

Then he spun on his heel and walked away.

Tim stepped forward, reaching out for the kid, “Wai--”

“Master Tim, we really must be going.” Tim’s guide was back, stepping into his view as if from nowhere, and stopping Tim’s chase as short as it had been.

“Can we wait just one more second?” he asked, “I wanted to ask Damian something else.”

The man’s mouth turned down in a frown, “I do not have clearance to let you speak with Master Damian. Come, we have more to see.”

Frustration bubbled up in Tim, but unless he wanted to start a fight he wasn’t going to get a chance to talk to Damian right then. The kid had promised to see him later, so maybe he’d seek Tim out. If not, Tim would find a way.

As he followed the man out of the library, he kept searching the stacks of books for a sign of the others. It wasn’t until they’d left the room that Tim caught sight of Damian again, his small form waving animated at a taller, broader one. One that, while older, was unmistakably Jason.

Before Tim could say screw everything, the two turned around a corner, and someone else was clearing their throat. His guide seemed eager to move on, and so they did.

Tim tuned out most of the rest of the tour, and eventually found himself back in the office from before, once again seated across from Ra’s.

“Timothy, I hear you have met my grandson on your tour.” Ra’s started.

“I did.” Tim said, a bit hesitant to go into detail, his guide had seemed like talking to Damian was a pretty serious thing, and suddenly Tim was afraid he’d gotten the kid in trouble.

Ra’s smiled, “He is magnificent is he not? Already he is a skilled warrior, and well trained in his studies.”

“He said he was your heir?” Tim ventured.

The man waved a hand dismissively, “Of course he is, he is my grandson, but that does not mean he will inherit. The boy is valuable to me, for many reasons. He is an excellent tool to wield against my enemies already, and will only become more so as he grows.”

Anger bubbled up in Tim. There was something in Ra’s’ tone that made Tim sick, to call a kid a tool. To plan to just use him his whole life?

“And what, do you want to do that with me too? You said you wanted me to be your apprentice, but if your Heir is just a tool then--”

“No, as I said I want you to take over a branch of the League. You have talents and skills Damian will not. The boy is--” Ra’s shrugged, “Let us call him a vessel. A shell for me to wield in one way or another.”

Well, that just made Tim even more angry. Damian was his grandkid. What Tim wouldn't have given to still have his grandparents, and for Ra’s to just--If Tim wasn’t already dead set on getting Damian home, he would be after this conversation.

“You know what, Ra’s. Let me think on it a while. I’ll get back to you on my answer. I kind of want to see Damian in action a bit, learn what this training looks like in someone closer to my age.”

The man considered this for a moment before nodding, “I will let you watch his sparring session tomorrow. For now, I think we’re done. Have a good evening, Timothy.”

Tim nodded, and left. His mind was racing, he wanted another look at Jason. Wanted to tell Damian about his dad. Wanted to make sure both his brothers were okay.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he missed the black and blue clad arm that reached out from behind a curtain and yanked him back. Nightwing put a hand over Tim’s mouth to quiet him, and then pulled him out the window the curtain had been hiding. They dropped, into nothing--except it was solid?

Tim found himself inside the invisible jet. Inside, and flying away from his newly discovered siblings before he could even argue they needed to be rescued too.

One flight with Wonder Woman and Nightwing later, and Tim was home again, being told in stern tones by both Batman and Nightwing that he really needed to stop allowing himself to be kidnapped by ninjas (like he didn’t know that).

Then he was in his room, in bed, staring up at the ceiling, his mind whirring. He had learned two things on this trip. Two impossible things. Two things he was going to leverage as soon as he could.

It was late, and he should be sleeping, but instead he texted Steph and Cass in their little group chat.

Tim: Want to cause some chaos?

Immediately he received a response:

Steph: Always

Cass: Who are we going after?

Tim smiled, his fingers dancing over his phone:

Tim: Ra’s.

Cass: Time to teach him a lesson?

Steph: I've been waiting for this, I’ll get the kerosene

Tim: There’s more.

Cass: Tell.

The light flashed on out in the hallway, Tim could see it flicker to life under his door.

Tim: Tomorrow, lunch at that place with the sweet potato fries. Come ready to plan a kidnapping or two.

The next day Tim found both Steph and Cass waiting eagerly for him at the restaurant, a heaping plate of sweet potato fries between them.

“Spill, Bird Brain.” Stephanie said, as he sat down, pushing some fries towards him, “I want to hear everything about this crusade against Ra’s.”

Tim rolled his eyes, and snagged a fry, dipping it in one of the sauces they’d gotten to accompany it.

“As you’ve probably already guessed, I had another visit to the League compound yesterday.” Tim started, “It was more of a day trip this time, but Ra’s did his very best to sell me on signing up.”

“More posters?” Cass guessed, then shook her head seeing Tim’s expression, “What did he do?”

Tim snagged another fry, “Yes more posters, but more than that he gave me a speech right out of a How to Recruit for Dummies book, then sent me on a tour of the building.”

Steph snorted, “Please tell me you recorded it.”

“I did not, but you will never believe what I found on my tour, or to be precise who.”

Both girls paused their snacking, waiting on him to continue.

Tim dropped the first bomb, “Jason Todd, alive and breathing.”

“What, no way.” Steph said, “How’d he even get there? I thought He was buried here?”

He shrugged, “I don’t have any of the details, but they’ve got a Lazarus pit, and Ra’s is weirdly obsessed with recruiting Robin’s, so I’d say his resurrection tracks.”

“Who else was there?” Cass asked, brow furrowed.

Now this he knew neither of them would be expecting. Tim hadn’t expected it. He still couldn’t believe it.

“Ra’s al Ghul’s grandson, Damian.” Tim said, watched both girls look even more confused, then added, “The son of Bruce and Talia. At least, I’m pretty sure he’s their kid.”

The fry Stephanie was holding dropped out of her hand.

Tim watched Cass processing the information, saw her realization that there was another child being raised in the League, then saw the determination cross her face at her own personal decision.

“We are taking them both, correct?” Cass asked.

“We’re taking them both, and burning the place down.” Tim confirmed, “That should properly pay him back for all the time’s he’s kidnapped me this year.”

Steph’s lips turned up into a sharp grin, “The law of equivalent exchange.”

Tim laughed, “You’ve been watching too much tv.”

“It’s prepped me for this very moment.” she shot back, voice falsely grave.

“Batman prepared you for this very moment.” Cass elbowed her.

“No.” Tim said, “I’m going to prep you. And then we’re going to put everything in action.”

They talked, and planned, and debated the pros and cons of letting Tim get nabbed again over just going himself, and eventually after many many sweet potato fries and sodas they were ready.

It was to be infiltration first, fire and kerosene second. Obviously the place was going to go up, but only after they set the stage for rebellion and convinced Damian and Jason to go home with them. Tim didn’t think it’d be a hard sell for Jason, but the kid was another matter altogether. If Tim couldn’t convince him to come along, they may actually end up having to kidnap Damian.

A key to the plan was that only Tim, Steph, and Cass were in on it. There was no way Bruce was giving the green light for such a thing. Besides, Tim wanted to see his face when they presented him with not one, but two, rescued sons from the League.

Over the next week Tim made himself the most kidnappable he’d ever been. He wandered outside, kept to himself, and tried to look as wide eyed as possible. He lingered in parking lots, and took shortcuts down empty alleyways. Basically, he did everything he could to signal he was alone and vulnerable besides hanging a sign around his neck that said “Take me to your (ninja) leader”.

At one point he even stopped, dead center in the middle of an alley and declared, “Wow this sure is a dangerous place to be! I hope I don’t get attacked and kidnapped by ninjas!”

The only response he got that time was from an older woman who stopped at the edge of the alley and very seriously called out, “Careful, young man. Don’t you know there are killer clowns out? You best be on your way before you get hurt.”

Then, at long last, Tim caught sight of one of the League members ducking behind a shadow. He paused his walk, and leaned over as if fascinated by something on the sidewalk in front of him. By the time he’d stood, the ninja was in front of him.

Tim held up his hands in surrender, doing his best not to actually look excited. Then, he was successfully kidnapped for the fifth --and if Tim’s plan worked successfully-- final time.

[fruitcoops]

I love your babysitting jules fic and the tell me how you know your boyfriend won't cheat on you fic. I was thinking, like remus and sirius have a day off and spend it with jules, and sirius goes somewhere and comes back to find remus and jules sleeping on the flour and they look similar and he just smiles.

Idk, hope this makes sense, I love all your fics.

It totally makes sense and it’s super cute! Thanks for such a wonderful suggestion <3 This is Part 4 of Adventures in Babysitting (1 2 3)

Sweater Weather credit goes to @lumosinlove!

As much as Sirius loved hockey, he had to admit break days were his favorite part of the week. Most weekends, he and Remus would roll out of bed sometime around eleven, have lunch, go for a walk, and then turn into total couch potatoes if they didn’t have anything important to do.

But they had a kid now, so that plan had to change.

They managed to stay in bed until nine before soft rustling sounds began in Jules’ room—Remus’ aggressive cuddling delayed them for a bit longer, which Sirius did not have any complaints about, but eventually they knew it was time to move.

“Dinner’s at six, right?” Sirius asked as he washed his face while Remus tracked down a t-shirt. Shirtless mornings were another tragic sacrifice while Jules was around.

“Yep. Dumo said we could get there at five-thirty, though. Apparently, Katie’s been dying to see Jules again.” Remus kissed the back of his shoulder as he reached for a toothbrush. “I was thinking we could just let him choose what we do today.”

“Makes it a lot easier on us.”

“And it makes it extra special for him,” Remus mumbled around a mouthful of toothpaste. “We still get veto power, though.”

“That’s probably for the best.”

Jules was still in his bedroom when they went downstairs and for a fleeting moment, Sirius wondered if they had woken up early for nothing. “He’ll be down soon,” Remus said as if he could read his mind, pressing two coffee cups into Sirius’ hands. “All those cool knickknacks in the guest room will keep him distracted for a bit.”

Sure enough, excited footsteps followed a sharp gasp less than ten minutes later. Remus smiled over the rim of his coffee cup and walked over to the pantry to pull out the pancake mix. “Morning—"

“Is it true you won the regional All-Stars when you were in high school?” Jules blurted as he skidded into the kitchen and shoved a small trophy into Sirius’ hands, panting like he had run a mile.

Sirius squinted down at the little figurine; in all honesty, he had forgotten he even had it. “Where did you find this?”

“In the nightstand. Is it true?”

“Uh, yeah, it is.” He set it on the counter with their other random items. “Thanks for finding it, bud.”

Jules glowed under his approval and Remus bit his lip to stifle laughter. “Re, can we have chocolate pancakes?”

“We don’t have any chocolate chips, sorry,” Remus said as he mixed the batter. Liar. Sirius shot him a look, and he stuck out his tongue playfully behind Jules’ back. “We’ve got some fun news, though.”

“What?”

“There’s no practice today and you get to decide what we do.”

Jules’ jaw dropped. “Really?”

“Mhmm.”

“Awesome! Mom and Dad never want to see the cool stuff because they’re busy with museums and games and friends but there are so many places I wanna go,” Jules said in one rushing breath. Sirius blinked in shock, but Remus seemed unfazed as he handed the spatula over. “Thanks!”

“Sure thing.”

“Sirius, what are your favorite places?” Jules turned to him, still licking the spatula like his life depended on it.

Sirius took a moment to think and suppress a smile. “I like the roller rink, and the aquarium, and the park.”

“We already went to the park.”

“We can go again if you want,” he laughed. “You made friends, right?”

“Yeah, but I probably won’t see them again.” Oh, to have a child’s nonchalance when it comes to friends. “The aquarium sounds really neat!”

“It’s pretty cool,” Remus agreed as he ladled out batter into the pan. “They put in a new exhibit recently.”

“Sweet! Can we go now?”

“Don’t you want pancakes?” Sirius asked. “I know I do.”

Jules nodded rapidly. “I do, too. Can I ride on your shoulders?”

“Now?”

“At the aquarium.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“How tall are you?”

Sirius paused, then gave him a conspiratorial look. “Eleven feet tall.”

Remus burst out laughing and nearly burned himself on the pan; Jules rolled his eyes. “Come on. I’m ten, that doesn’t work on me anymore.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Sirius took a sip of coffee. “I’m 191 centimeters tall.”

“Huh?”

“Almost two meters.”

Jules looked over to Remus, who shook his head with a smile. “He’s six foot three, Jules, and he’s messing with you by being fancy and Canadian.”

“How tall are you?” Jules asked, folding his knees under himself to reach the butter with his fork as Remus passed him a plate of pancakes.

Remus sighed. “Five foot eleven and a half.”

“Ha! Short.”

“Shut up, you’re still an Oompa Loompa.”

“I’m more than a foot taller than Oompa Loopmas,” Jules said haughtily, shoveling pancake into his mouth. “I looked it up the last time you called me that.”

“Look at you go! Gold star!”

Sirius cheeks were starting to hurt from holding down his laughter and Remus winked as he passed another plate over. “Thanks, love.”

“Why do couples have nicknames?” Jules asked. “I always thought it was a little weird. Mom and Dad have actual names, but they never really use them. It’s always honey, darling, other sappy stuff.”

Remus shrugged as he sat down with them. “Why do you call me Re? That’s not my full name.”

Jules thought for a second. “Partly because ‘Remus’ sounds like a stuffy old museum name.”

“Oh, and ‘Julian’ doesn’t?” Remus teased. “Usually, people give nicknames because they care about each other. Couples just have an extra level to that.”

“I don’t really like it when people call me by my full name, either,” Sirius added.

Jules frowned. “But people call you by your first name all the time.”

“They do. But my friends usually don’t. There’s Cap, Padfoot, whatever your brother comes up with that day…”

“I call you Sirius.”

“I don’t mind as much when you say it.” Because you’re adorable and I would literally do anything for you. “You can call me whatever you want.”

Jules seemed satisfied by that answer and turned back to his pancakes; Sirius caught Remus quickly looking away when he glanced back up and smiled, giving him a quick nudge with his foot. Baby, Remus mouthed with a slight smirk. Sirius rolled his eyes.

-------------------------------------

The aquarium was busy, but it was a weekend, after all. They only had to wait in line for ten minutes; during that time, Jules made three new friends and every single one of the parents thought he was their son. Even the ticket salesman offered them a family discount that Remus politely declined.

But…it wasn’t a bad thought. Sirius let it ruminate in the back of his mind as he helped Jules onto his shoulders and Remus grabbed a map from the kiosk for when they inevitably got turned around. Definitely not this year, or the next, but someday Sirius did want to say ‘yes’ to the parents and kids discount, though he couldn’t place his finger on why.

And then they reached the whale exhibit. A huge humpback skeleton hung from the ceiling in a smooth curve, its mouth open to reveal perfectly preserved baleen. Jules reached up and trailed his fingers through the space below its massive ribcage—he was too short to touch it still, but the pure awe on his face took Sirius’ breath away more than any deep-sea creature could.

“Baby, can you get a picture of us by the glass?” Remus asked. Ahead of them, a huge tank stretched into a tunnel that lead to the tropical exhibit; Sirius nodded and bent to let Jules down.

“Race you there!” he called, running across the well-worn blue carpet at full tilt. Remus followed him with a laugh and caught him just before they reached the glass, swinging him off his feet by the armpits and turning to face Sirius.

His throat tightened a bit as he took his phone out for the picture. They beamed at him with almost-identical smiles, right down to the dimples. That. That right there, he thought. That’s what I want. “Got it.”

“Awesome, your turn.” Remus put Jules down and began walking over, but an older man motioned to Sirius just before he put his phone away.

“Excuse me, would you like me to get a picture of all three of you?” he asked. A little girl—his granddaughter, perhaps—watched them shyly from behind his legs.

“Oh. Yes, thank you.” Sirius handed him his cell phone and went over to the glass, wrapping one arm around Remus’ waist and draping the other over Jules’ shoulder. They smiled, backlit with blues and greens and aquamarine.

“Alright, I took a few.” The man gave Sirius’ phone back and patted him on the arm as the little girl tugged his sleeve. “You have a beautiful family. Have a good day!”

Sirius didn’t fully snap out of his daze until they were in the tropical tunnel, where fish in colors he could never dream of darted back and forth and fascinated Jules. The aquarium used to be his favorite place in Gryffindor; now, it was probably his favorite place in the world.

Remus led them through a series of corridors, pausing every now and then when Jules scampered toward the next tank, though he seemed to have something on his mind. When Sirius shot him a questioning look, he kissed his cheek and held his hand instead of answering. They wandered past the sting rays, the turtles, and the sharks, until Sirius recognized the multicolored lights from the next room over and stopped in his tracks. “No.”

Remus grinned. “Yeah.”

Jules looked between them in clear confusion. “What?”

“I gotta show you something, c’mere.” Sirius crouched down and helped him back onto his shoulders, then ducked into the adjacent exhibit. Immediately, he heard Jules gasp as jellyfish surrounded them.

“Woah.”

“Isn’t it cool?” His smile was staring to hurt his cheeks. “Here, this in my favorite part.”

Sirius walked to the twelve-foot arch near the middle of the room and stood beneath it, basking in the warmth of the bright lights below as jellyfish of a billion sizes floated overhead. He sighed and leaned his head back slightly to get a better look.

Jules stretched his arms up, trying to touch the glass. “Wow,” he breathed.

When Sirius looked back down, he saw Remus lowering his phone with a small smile. “Had to get a good one,” he said as he stepped under the arch with them and leaned into Sirius’ side. Jules reached down and flipped his baseball cap backwards. “Thanks, buddy.”

“I’ve been waiting to do that for ages.”

“Good to know,” Remus laughed. “Ready to move on?”

“Just a second,” Sirius said, pulling Remus’ arm around his waist. “Just a bit longer. We’ve got nowhere to be but here.”

-----------------------------------------

They did, in fact, have somewhere to be, though Sirius didn’t remember that until 3:30 pm. He also remembered that they were supposed to bring dessert that night and unless Remus wanted to out himself as a liar by busting out the chocolate chips in the cupboard, they needed a plan B.

The grocery store was blessedly empty when he arrived, which meant he could use self-checkout for the two containers of cookies he bought—thank god. As much fun as the aquarium was, there were so many people, and they were everywhere.

I need a nap, he thought as he walked back out to the car and watched his breath steam in the December air. And, like, half an hour by myself to listen to music.

The first thing he noticed was that the house was quiet. Hattie didn’t bark when he got out of the car, or when he unlocked the front door, or called out a hesitant “hello?” while he took his shoes off. Nothing seemed amiss, other than the fact that Jules had been bouncing off the walls when he left.

The living room held the answers to all his questions. Hattie was passed out on the couch, splayed with her belly to the ceiling. Jules and Remus were asleep on the carpet with The Fellowship of the Ring between them; clearly, they had been mid-chapter when they dozed off. Sirius set the cookies on the counter and carefully slid the book out of Remus’ hands, setting it on the coffee table before pulling the thick knitted blanket off the couch.

Hattie grumbled at him and cracked an eye open. “Shhh,” he said softly, kissing her forehead before laying the blanket over the other two. They looked so alike—their hair was nearly the same shade, and Jules’ jaw was only slightly narrower than Remus’. Sirius bet that in ten years, it would be hard to tell them apart in photos.

He crept upstairs and set a timer for 4:30. James had recommended a new band ten minutes before midnight, and Sirius figured he should at least give it a shot if it was so important. He grabbed his headphones, pressed play, and let out a deep breath as he sank back into the pillows.

Half an hour went by too fast, and before he knew it the alarm was ringing instead of the steady bass of the new song. He squinted at the clock, praying it would be wrong, and sighed when he saw that technology had won out once again.

Remus and Jules were still asleep on the floor, though they had cuddled closer at some point and the blanket nearly covered Jules entirely. Sirius crouched down next to Remus and brushed his hair off his forehead before gently shaking his shoulder. “Re. Sweetheart, it’s time to get up.”

“No,” Remus murmured.

“Come on, mon loup, dinner’s in an hour.”

“ ‘m tired. C’mere.”

“I would love to, but we promised Dumo we’d be there.”

“Sirius?” Jules blinked up at him sleepily.

“Hey, buddy.”

“We hafta get up?”

“Don’t listen to him,” Remus said without opening his eyes.

“Love you, too,” Sirius laughed quietly. “I got cookies.”

“Cookies?” Jules sat up fully at that and rubbed his eyes; Remus groaned and rolled onto his back.

“Technically, they’re for after dinner, but an exception can be made.”

Remus stared at him for a moment, then sighed and held his hands up as Jules hurried into the kitchen. “Alright, fine.”

Sirius pulled him to his feet and kissed his forehead. “We’ve got about forty-five minutes before we need to head out, okay?”

“So we could’ve napped for thirty more.”

“You could, but then you’d both be cranky.” Sirius leaned back to look into the kitchen. “Just one, Jules! Save some for Katie and the others!”

There was a beat of silence, then a heavy sigh. “Okay.”

“Thank you.”

Remus wrapped his arms around Sirius’ waist and leaned his forehead against his chest, nuzzling into his sweatshirt. “You’re so soft. And warm.”

“It’s a gift.”

“Perfect place to take a nap.”

“Oh, no you don’t.” Sirius carefully detached Remus’ grip and he exhaled slowly.

“Thank you for picking up cookies, baby. Was there anything else we needed to bring?”

“Just ourselves.” He placed another kiss to his cheek and Remus stretched his arms over his head.

“Oof. Okay. I’ll go get a different shirt on and wrangle the kid if you want to find a plate to pretend the cookies are ours.”

“You read my mind,” Sirius said, earning himself a proper kiss before Remus turned and headed into the kitchen.

---------------------------------------------

They pulled into Dumo’s driveway at 5:40, which wasn’t bad, all things considered. Jules and Katie disappeared in a hurricane of excited rambling as soon as the door opened and Dumo burst out laughing the second he saw them. “Welcome to parenthood,” he said, pulling them each in for a hug. “How are you liking your free trial?”

“I’ve never been more exhausted in my life.” Remus shook his head as he took his coat off. “But I love it, for some reason.”

“That sums it up.” Celeste stood on her tiptoes to kiss each of Sirius’ cheeks. “Did you bring dessert?” He wordlessly held the plate out and she raised an eyebrow. “You remembered at…4 pm.”

“3:30.”

“You’re getting better, mon fils. Marc, Adele, come set the table!” Upstairs, two different sets of footsteps tumbled over each other as they came running down the stairs; both crashed into Sirius for hugs, just like they had when he first moved in.

“Bonjour,” he laughed, squeezing them tight and planting kisses to the tops of their heads. “I hope Regulus hasn’t been driving you too crazy.”

“I think he’s still asleep,” Adele said as she stepped back. Celeste shooed them both toward the dining room as Sirius raised his eyebrows.

“Un moment, s’il vous plait.” Dumo and Remus wandered off to supervise the kids while Sirius headed for the basement door. Regulus was nearly twenty years old—it wasn’t like he needed those blankets at six in the evening, anyway, and Sirius was only too happy to give him a rousing wake-up call. It was his right as an older brother. 

[moonlit-han]

stray kids’ reactions when finding out that you’re pregnant ↠ all members

genre: reaction, fluff, angst word count: 3.3k warnings: discussion of pregnancy (obviously), mention of abortion, discussion of sex & kinks, swearing, suggestive request: yes (anon) a/n: i tried to make this inclusive of anyone who can and decides to bear children. this is in no reflects stray kids in reality, as this is purely a work of fiction. also, thanks to lin for the cheesecake and twirling bits~ reminder: respect a person’s right to choose whether they will have a child or not. it’s their business and their’s alone. if you have a problem with that, then perhaps this fic isn’t for you. and, please remember to practice safe sexual habits and always, always, get continued and enthusiastic consent!

✧ masterlist & tag list info in bio ✧

↠↞

bang chan

a year after getting married

the two of you had decided to have children

and had been trying to conceive for maybe 5 months

for the first couple months, you’d both been stressed and so your bodies hadn’t exactly cooperated

but just this last time you’d tried, everything had been perfect

the mood was just right, you’d moved seamlessly together, it was exactly the right time of the month

everything was as it should be

so, a few weeks later

you’d called chan into the bathroom and taken the little test

having woken up feeling a little off

…..well, not necessarily off, but just different

you thought it’d be a good idea to take the pregnancy test

you sat on chan’s lap as the test slowly revealed the information

and since you’d done this several times before,

you leaned your head back against your husband’s shoulder, waiting with bated breath

after a few minutes, chan, who’d been looking down into your lap, rubbed your belly excitedly

“oh love, you’re pregnant!” he said,

you turned in chan’s arms and began to cry from sheer relief and happiness

you’d had a little nagging worry in the back of your mind that you might not be able to get pregnant

but it was just that now: meaningless worry

you couldn’t believe it

you were going to have chan’s baby

and honestly, you couldn’t think of a better person to be a father

chan was practically vibrating

because, oh my gods, he was so excited

i mean;;;

really!!

fucking!!!

excited!!!!!

he now gets to channel all his dad energy into

actually being a dad!!!

eeeeeep!!!!!

he’d been wanting to be a father and now he was!!!!

he was on cloud 9

and so he scooped you up to carry you to the bed, gently laying you down

“i’m not going to break like fine china” you giggled, and chan just kissed your nose

for the rest of the day, chan absolutely worshipped you (and your body)

making it extremely obvious that he was even more in love with you than before

that he would love you until the end of time and beyond

lee minho

you hadn’t exactly been trying to get pregnant

but pregnant you were

you’d used protection—two kinds!

and were careful

but sometimes that’s just not enough

you noticed that your period was late

only by a couple days but your cycles were freakishly regular

so, you went and got a pregnancy test

minho was at work when you called him

(he’d had to go in on a saturday to finish something ajhskjfh)

so you really just couldn't wait to tell him

when he picked up, you didn’t waste any time

“minho, i’m pregnant”

“WHAT??!!!”

you could practically hear minho’s look of shock through the phone

“i’m pregnant, minho. can you come home early so we can talk about this?”

“yeah i’ll be home as soon as i can!!”

you just curled up on the couch with the cats, waiting for him to get home

minho was a little panicky bc neither of you had planned for this

not now, if ever

the two of you were neck-deep in your careers

and had been doing perfectly fine without children

while the idea of it was nice, you knew that, realistically, you probably wouldn’t be able to support children

it seemed like you were being tested by the universe or something

as much as you didn’t want to admit it

the decision was fairly clear to you

so when minho came home

you’d been thinking about the situation for a long time

and had already cried once

“i can’t, min,” was the first thing you said when he sat down next to you

“i know, honey. it’s okay.”

“i feel horrible but i can’t have this child. we haven’t planned for this or anything. this wasn’t supposed to happen.”

your voice was a little shaky as you laid your head against minho’s shoulder

“so, what are you thinking you’ll do?”

minho’s voice is gentle and leaves all the space in the world for whatever answer you’ll give

“i— please don’t be mad?” you’re starting to worry now

“y/n, love, it’s completely your choice. you know that. i support you whether you decide to have the child or not.”

minho wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you closer

“i don’t think i can see this through right now, min,” you said quietly

he nods, knowing what your next words will be

“i’m going to get an abortion. it’s still so early—it’ll be fine.”

minho just held you as the weight of what you’d just said crashed down

but you knew it was the right choice

there was no way you were ready to have a child

minho was the most supportive and understanding he could be

you were glad that you’d chosen him as your life partner

and, if you ever did decide to have a child, you knew that he’d make a great father

just his reaction and support in this situation alone told you that much

maybe, just maybe, you’d try in a few years

seo changbin

you and changbin were kind of neutral on the whole “having kids” thing

you weren’t trying to get pregnant

but then again, you weren’t trying not to get pregnant

plus, you’d just found a new kink of changbin’s

he’d come home one night and was ~very much in the mood~

he was just praising you over and over, and telling you exactly how he was going to make you feel incredible

then one little thing slipped out, one totally new thing

“i’m gonna fill you up so well”

but there was no denying that it was insanely hot

especially in his slightly husky voice

he’d continued, over and over, his face buried in the crook of your neck

and by the end of the night, you’d felt a bit like an eclair with too much cream in it

it wasn’t your period that had alerted you

no, not that because your period was annoyingly irregular

it was when you started to feel a bit funny in the mornings

that you decided to take a pregnancy test

you’d been shocked (well, only a little bit) to find that you were indeed pregnant

you waited until changbin got home

and then sauntered up to him quite sexily

you trailed your fingers over his chest and whisper “hey baby”

changbin looked more than a little excited and was all “just give me a minute and then i’m all yours”

and then, you just dropped the news into the conversation like a child drops a particularly large rock into a pond

knowing there will be a splash but not really caring

“i’m pregnant” *y/n grinning like a fox*

changbin spluttered and had to lean against the wall for a moment

he finally got himself back under control

changbin: “well, i guess my impregnation kink paid off”

AKLJDHAKLDJFHGAKJDFH

y/n: “fucking hell bin, you’re not supposed to say that!”

changbin: “i’m right tho…..”

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

yeah okay changbin was right

and it had been a hot several weeks in the bedroom since he’d realized that kink

you definitely couldn’t complain

the two of you decided that you’re ready to be parents

and that, of course, you’d stay together

the child would have two completely devoted parents

who, when the child turned 25, would insist on telling them the story of their conception

changbin was absolutely over the moon

he couldn’t wait to cuddle you while your belly grows

bc you’d be even softer than usual

and absolutely lovely

just knowing you’re carrying his child makes him even more in love with you than he already was

hwang hyunjin

mild panic

nothing major

just thE FACT THAT HE GOT YOU PREGNANT

FUCK

F U C K

…………..

what if his mother found out

he’d definitely be dead as a doorknob, then

aNYwAy

hyunjin would be nothing but incredible

yeah, he wasn’t expecting that he’d get you pregnant

and you’d been on birth control and being very careful

he also completely expected you to not want to have the baby

and, really, he was okay with that

it was your body, after all

but when you told him that you were pregnant

and that you wanted to have the baby

he immediately went into full-on support mode

telling you he’d never, ever, leave you

and that he’d always be there for the kid, too

he snuggled you for hours

(literally some of the best snuggling you’d ever had)

just talking about how you’d be parents

and what color you should paint the child’s room

hyunjin voted for peach, since it’s a warm color that would both brighten the room and calm the little one

you also talked about whether, now that you were pregnant, you wanted to get married

“while i’d be heartbroken if i couldn’t marry you, y/n, i understand if you don’t want to.”

you’d immediately shot down that idea

“nope, i’m marrying you, hwang hyunjin. you’re not getting out of that one so easily!”

hyunjin was extremely relieved, since all he’d wanted to do since you’d started dating was marry you

and now he was going to!!!!

you’d kissed him thoroughly and were well on your way to doing more

when hyunjjin remembered that he should probably tell his mother that

a) he was getting married

and b) he was going to be a father

you promised to tell your parents, too

everyone was surprised, but not too surprised

your mother actually said she’d been waiting for one of those two things to happen so the two of you would just get it together and be together for the rest of your lives

(ajfgakjdfghalkj moooooooom;;;;; )

you decided to have the wedding after the baby was born

after all, you were committed to each other

and there was no reason to think otherwise

all you could think of as you lay in bed that night was how your child would definitely be taller than you by the time they were twelve

as hyunjin lay beside you, all he could think of was that the baby would have your smile

he was sure of it

and he knew that everything would be okay

as long as he kept you smiling

han jisung

jisung’s immediate response was:

“oh my god, we need cheesecake to celebrate!!!”

and proceeded to drag you out the door to buy cheesecake

he’d be just as excited as chan

and had definitely been thinking about what it’d be like to have kids with you

so when you’d told him you were pregnant

jisung was ecstatic

he’d already been thinking about names

and wasted no time in telling them to you

the day after you told him

you spent an entire day in bed, just talking about what you’d name your child

how you wanted to raise them

what you’d like to be called as parents

if there were things that you were completely against in parenting, you’d discuss those, too

aaaand after a particularly lovely morning in bed,

jisung just kinda mumbled to you

“baby, you’re gonna be so hot”

“ji what’re you talking about?? i’m not already hot?“

“you’re gonna be even hotter. when you’re showing. like, holy fuck!! just knowing you’re pregnant with my kid is the hottest thing ever. you’re gonna be an amazing parent—it’s all you! there wasn’t, um, much for me to do…”

“hmmm, enjoy it while it lasts, because i’m gonna have dark circles under my eyes for the next 10 years”

“you’ll still be hot as fuck, though, baby”

AKFJLHALKDFHSJKFH

he’s just really sweet and excited hhhhhh

jisung would also try to learn everything he could to support you

and make sure that you and the baby stay safe

oh and then that one time you went to the obstetrician for a routine check early on

and welp you’re having twins

jisung kind of freaked out

but mainly around his friends

to you, he was nothing but excited and totally ready to take on the challenge of raising two kids at once

yikes

but he would be determined to do everything right for the kids

and would be such a fun and loving father

lee felix

felix hadn’t said anything about it to you before

but once you’d gotten married

he’d really wanted to have kids

felix, though, being a sweetie, hadn’t brought it up because he wanted you to have full choice over whether you’d have kids

but he’d secretly hoped that you’d decide that having kids with him was what you wanted

so when you told him that you wanted to go off birth control

bc you thought it was time the two of you should start a family

felix felt like it was his lucky day

when you told him you’d waited long enough for the birth control not to affect you

felix had texted your friends, who were supposed to meet you for dinner, that something unavoidable and important had come up

and that you had to cancel

then, he’d pulled you into the bedroom and you hadn’t gotten any sleep

two months later, you told felix that you were, indeed, pregnant

he picked you up and spun you around, squeezing you so tight!!

and then put you down quickly, a look of horror on his face

“what if i just hurt you and,,,,the baby,,,,”

“felix it doesn’t work like that, you know that”

“true, sorry. just paranoid.

BUT OH MY GOD WE’RE HAVING A BABY!!!!!”

he kissed you so deeply that you thought he must have some merman in him

no normal human could go without proper breath that long

felix then called every single one of his friends and family to tell them the good news

he called chan twice by accident

and chan just acted like he’d never heard the news before

(chan texted you shortly thereafter, wondering if felix was okay)

felix was all smiles for weeks after,

telling anyone and everyone that he was going to be a father

he’d leave little post-its around for you with baby names

or would add random things to the shopping list, just to see if it was something you were craving

on more than one occasion, your cravings found new and surprisingly delicious food combinations that felix managed to create proper recipes for

once the baby was born,

felix’s favorite thing was to fall asleep with the baby on his chest

he’d sing soft lullabies to them, usually putting you to sleep, too

all he wanted to do was show both of you all the love in the world

kim seungmin

you’d called seungmin a month after a surprisingly wild night together

you’d been seeing each other off and on

just casually, nothing serious

mainly just physical but with a nice friendship

it was the perfect thing for two graduate students who sometimes needed to take the edge off

but now he—

fuck

he’d gotten you pregnant

he couldn’t believe it, especially since the two of you were always careful

you sounded so bewildered over the phone

and seungmin insisted that you meet up to talk about it

when he saw you, he immediately wrapped you in the tightest embrace possible

and just whispered “i’m sorry” over and over again

then, you had a long conversation about next steps

you wanted to have the baby,

since you’d wanted to have a child someday

and thought, seeing as you could actually provide for the child, you were fine with being pregnant

but you also wanted seungmin to be in the child’s life

he wholeheartedly agreed

and then…

and then you suggested actually dating

seungmin, who’d “caught” feelings months ago, was overjoyed

he was all for becoming a couple

and being there for you and the child in all ways he could

he began by asking you out on a date

and all you could do was laugh

bc here he was, the man who’d gotten you pregnant, asking you on a date

it was mildly ridiculous

but you said yes to him faster than you’d said yes to anything else before

seungmin researched the things pregnant people should and shouldn’t do

and then made sure not to suggest any of those things for dates

oh and he always had a little note in his wallet with the foods you shouldn’t eat, too

he just wanted the best for you

and completely spoiled you

seungmin felt a little guilty, as if he’d somehow tricked you into dating him

but you insisted that it was nothing like that

you truly wanted to be with him

and had, honestly, just been waiting for a chance to broach the subject

even after you decided to be life partners

and even after the baby was born

seungmin still felt amazed that he’d been lucky enough to end up with you

you were amazing

and the baby had your laugh,

which only made his world all that more brighter

yang jeongin

jeongin absolutely smothered you in kisses when you told him

it was as if he wanted to show his purest self

totally and unashamedly in love

and intent on showing it at all times

he’d carried you to your bedroom and told you to just rest

you’d giggled, insisting that you didn’t have to be bedridden yet

meanwhile, he’d gone to the kitchen and made you breakfast

he was determined to do everything for you

after all, another life was growing inside you

it was the least he could do

later that day, he started dismantling his office so it could be the child’s room

and insisted on going out and buying you every single piece of maternity clothing you could ever want

he researched all the right foods for you to eat while pregnant

and make sure to do a lead test on the paint in your slightly older home

(it was all okay, but he just wanted to check!)

jeongin was so, so excited that he was having a child with you

he couldn’t stop talking about it when you went to a small get-together of friends

he definitely told all his co-workers

and was just glowing with pride

jeongin had a list as long as his forearm of all the different baby names he loved

and he hoped that you would want more than one child

he was incredibly excited for the whole experience of being a father

after being the youngest in his friend group and being babied so much

he wanted to show that he could be responsible and mature

(even though he was already 34 years old and mature enough)

sometimes he acted a little silly and giddy

but who could blame him?!

bc after months of careful planning and attempts

you were pregnant!

and jeongin couldn’t be happier

he would show you and the child (or children!)

that life was sweeter than ambrosia

and that he’d love you with his whole being

completely and utterly, as deeply as he could

[thisnoodlewritesao3]

Doodles and Dicks | Nishinoya Yuu/Reader

Characters: Nishinoya Yuu, Reader, and a bunch of the other Karasuno team, and Ushijima Wakatoshi

Pairings: Nishinoya Yuu/Reader

Word Count:  2364

Summary:  You'd waited your whole life to see what your soulmate would write to you on your 17th birthday; you longed for sweet messages from him. Luck wasn't on your side as ink traced over your skin. Are you meant to be upset by the dicks on your arms?

A/N: Okay, so I wrote this a little bit ago when I was on a mega fluff run, and I love it so much. You can also check it out on AO3 and give me a little love there if you want uwu

-------------

You wanted to be mad as you stared down at your forearm; you wanted to scratch profanities into your arm in the hopes he’d subconsciously get the message. Surely you had every right to be upset, your friend said you had every right to be, yet you couldn’t be.

Every single day since you could remember you’d longed to turn 17 so that you could see sweet messages from your soulmate; you’d write how much you couldn’t wait to meet them in the cutest handwriting you could, because maybe they were older than you?

As you got ready for school on your birthday, October 10th, you couldn’t help but feel excitement at what your soulmate would say to you. You were a bundle of nerves the entire day.

And then you felt it; the familiar feeling of ink in your skin, but you hadn’t drawn on yourself, so that only meant one thing. Your face shot down and you stared with wide eyes as your soulmate doodled on himself. At first it was innocent enough, a few faces, some equations for his work. But then it got worse. You watched with excitement, too much excitement, as he started to doodle again. Your face dropped, followed by your heart, a lump formed in your throat as you watched the worst thing he could have drawn appear. A penis.

By the time it was lunch, you had so many over your arms that it was embarrassing. You wanted to bury your head into the dirt and never come out again; you felt lucky to have such comforting friends. They took out their pens and tried to write out for him to stop, when that didn’t work, they deduced that he probably hadn’t turned 17 yet.

The real question would be: when was he going to turn 17?

----

Everyday your soulmate made it slightly harder to like him.

After the third day of non-stop, rude drawings over your arms, your class decided to make a guessing game of what would be drawn on you that day. You only seemed to be able to get a break on weekends, so you could mostly relax around your family.

He’d pushed you over the edge one day when you’d woken up to doodles all over your face - the real kicker was that he could wash it off, but it would stay stained on your skin until you woke up the next morning. Your dad had snapped a picture of it, laughing softly at your scowling face.

Everyday you wrote some form of profanity back, not sure what your goal was.

About a month in you’d started to take pictures of the doodles at the end of the day, donning a tank top and shorts. Some days you’d pull a silly face, other days you’d flip off the camera to really let him know how badly he’d fucked up. More often than not, you’d circle your favourite drawing, whether it was a particularly well done penis, or a small doodle of a happy face.

You printed them out, kept them safe inside of a photo album like a sick reminder of all your suffering - you wouldn’t admit it outloud, but your favourite was the day he’d drawn on your face. It never failed to make you laugh at the scowl you were pulling mixed with the clown nose and whiskers.

It had been an entire year, you woke up on your 18th birthday with a small headache. How young was your soulmate? You were starting to worry until you felt the familiar pen ink on your skin.

Can you read this?

You furrowed your brows. Had he just turned 17 today? On your birthday? You shared a birthday with your dick-drawing soulmate?

Where do you live? I need to see you. You wrote back.

Wow! Nice to meet you too. I have practice today at Karasuno, could you meet me there?

The name was familiar, you’d heard some of the boys on the volleyball talking about them. You pulled up directions and figured out it was only a forty minute walk to you.

What time?

He gave you what information you needed to know and you sent him back an innocent smile before hopping out of bed to get ready.

----

Should you have been nervous to meet your soulmate? It felt kind of relieving, like any tension or stress you’d built up was finally leaving you; you couldn’t seem to care that he was definitely immature, that was part of the charm you’d learnt to appreciate.

“I’m not lost…” you grumbled down the phone to your friend who had been, not-so-lovingly, giving you directions. Maybe she was right, that you were just a little lost, but you weren’t going to admit that to her.

You looked around, noticing a building, Sakanoshita shop, a small group of boys huddled up outside. “I really doubt it.” She huffed.

“I’m just going to ask someone else, you’re giving me a headache.” You clicked off the call before she could berate you for ‘being so disrespectful’ and ‘you’d probably be kidnapped if it weren’t for me’ or ‘would you talk to your mother like that’. Blah, blah.

Shoving your phone in your pocket and adjusting your grip on your photo album, you jogged up to them, ignoring the slight ache in your legs. One of the boys with long hair and a goatee turned around, catching sight of you. You felt slightly intimidated until he smiled, “hello?” He called out to you.

“Do you know the way to…” you pulled up your sleeve, checking the address, “Karasuno high school?” They looked a little shocked but nodded nonetheless.

“We’re heading there actually,” a boy with short brown hair said, “why do you need to go there?” He slowly started walking, ushering for you to follow.

You quickly caught up, letting out a breath, “I have to meet someone. Well, more than just someone.” You shrugged, trying not to make it seem like such a big deal. “Just my soulmate.”

“Oh, that’s a big deal!” The third boy with grey hair smiled down at you, “I bet you’re so excited to finally meet him.” They shared glances, like they knew something you didn’t, but you didn’t read too much into it, just focused on trying to match their pace.

“I guess,” you shrugged again, “I’ve been waiting a year. Literally, a whole year.” You tried to seem more gleeful, these boys looked trusting enough, but if you needed to fight them you doubted your abilities.

“Wait, it’s your birthday today?” The first boy asked.

“And his, too, apparently. Either that or he was drawing dicks on his arm just to piss me off,” you snickered, absentmindedly tracing the back of your hand.

“Happy birthday,” the third boy smiled softly. You continued to walk with them, chatting lightly about things that didn’t mean anything. They introduced themselves to you, and so did you. It didn’t take much longer for the school to appear into view, a small hoard of boys stood at the front gate, chatting amongst themselves until they caught sight of the four of you.

You scanned your eyes over the boys, watching as confusion painted their face. “Of course you three pick up a hot chick before you even get here!” A boy with a shaved head called out, jogging over and introducing himself to you. Tanaka Ryuunosuke.

“She was actually trying to find this place.” Daichi chuckled. “Looks like she has a meeting with her soulmate.” You slowly rolled up your sleeve to reveal this morning's conversation written onto your arm. “Where’s Noya? I’m amazed he hasn’t come to meet the birthday girl.” Tanaka shrugged before turning back to you.

“It’s your birthday?” Tanaka asked, eyes widening.

“Obviously,” you rolled your eyes, “I’ve had to wait far too long to meet the boy who doodles dicks on his arm, and on his birthday, too.”

“What’s with the book?” A tall blond with glasses walked over.

“This contains almost every single day of last year, minus a month; the doodles that… Noya?” You looked at Daichi who nodded, “that Noya forced me to wear to school.”

“What school do you go to?”

“Shiratorizawa.”

They all looked surprised, opening their mouths to yell before someone came running up behind you. You barely managed to avoid the sudden attack, watching a small boy with spiky black hair expertly roll in front of you. He turned to face you, eyes lit up like a wildfire and a grin splitting his face in two. A small section of blond hair fell onto his forehead and you couldn’t help but smile - he’s so adorable.

“Soulmate?” He excitedly thrusted his wrist at you.

“Don’t ‘soulmate’ me.” You shoved the album into his arms and started ranting. “Do you know how embarrassing it is to be in the middle of class and suddenly have dicks up and down your arms?” He slowly opened the photo album, immediately greeted with your scowling face with doodles on it. “And don’t get me started on that, why would you do that?” He slowly flipped through the pages, taking his time to read each reason as to why a certain doodle was your favourite. “I was so happy to turn 17 but then you cursed me with these doodles for a whole year, I’m just happy my friends took it so well. They made it a game. It couldn’t have been worse until Toshi started betting money; that’s when it went from a game to a war.” A small blush tinted his cheeks.

“You took pictures of them for a whole year?” He asked, voice softer.

“Well, more like 11 months because I was too busy being made for the first month,” you mumbled, sitting down at his side, “but, yeah, basically a whole year.”

“Alright, birthday couple, we have to head to practice.” Daichi sighed, looking at you both with wonder in his eyes.

“Birthday… couple?” Noya asked, looking at you.

“I waited a year exactly to hear your response. So, yeah, happy birthday.” You stood back up, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet.

“I didn’t get you anything!”

“I don’t think anything you got me could make up for last year.” You giggled.

“You’re so cute!” He blurted out, making you blush. “I got a hot girlfriend, soulmate, everything! I’m so happy I get to meet you, this is the best day ever.” He jumped up and down excitedly, following close to you as you started to head into the school.

“Just feel lucky I’m not mad at you,” you sighed, not resisting the smile on your lips.

“So, what’s this about you going to Shiratorizawa?” Daichi pressed you further on the matter.

“Oh, right, well. I just go there. It was more for convenience but I had the grades for it, and my boyfriend at the time was going there on some volleyball scholarship.” You waved it off as if it was nothing but they all stared at you.

“You dated someone on the volleyball team?” Someone to your left blurted.

“Who were they?” Someone on your right yelled.

“You got into Shiratorizawa and I didn’t.” Someone else sighed.

“You had a boyfriend?” Noya looked sad.

“Everyone calm down,” Sugawara did his best to ease their overwhelming questions.

You took a deep breath and answered them all, “yes, I did. We were together all of middle school and for most of high school until he turned 17. It was Ushijima Wakatoshi,” another round of confused noises blew from them and you rolled your eyes, meeting Noya’s. “At the time, I thought he was my soulmate, we worked really well together. But we don’t have any hard feelings now, and his soulmate is super sweet even if they are taking it slow.”

Noya seemed to accept your answer, though he didn’t seem happy about it. How could you expect him to be?

Cupping his cheeks and forcing him to meet your eyes, you spoke, “hey, what are you worrying about?”

“He’s just…” he sighed, looking away, mumbling, “so much taller than me…”

You snorted, surprising him, “and? You’re my soulmate. Besides, I think you’re cute. Talls guys piss me off too, so you’re my sweet spot.” You nuzzled your nose against his and felt heat hit his face at record speed.

----- Noya thought he’d hit the jackpot with you. You were smart, funny, supportive, and so caring that his heart would melt.

He loved seeing you during the week, walking so far just to see him for a little while, taking silent pictures of his face in concentration during practice. He loved hearing you laugh with Kiyoko and Yachi. He listened to your endless rambling about something that had happened in your class.

You came to watch all his games, his numbers painted on your cheeks and sporting a Libero outfit that matched his, cheering so loudly from the sidelines.

When they made it into the battle against Shiratorizawa, he’d sworn that you would cheer for your school that he was surprised to see you donning his numbers again; cheering with no shame for him. He’d had to hold back giddy smiles when he heard you chastising Ushijima for injuring Tsukishima and nearly hurting Noya at some points.

The biggest shocking point was watching Ushijima stand in front of them, pride gone to the wind, you stomping your foot behind him like an angry mom, apologising for hurting them. When you were satisfied, you smacked him on the back and congratulated him for doing so good.

Noya was happy when you revealed that you planned on travelling the world after school instead of going to college. He was happy when you said he could join. Happy when you agreed to move in with him after you finished high school.

His heart nearly stopped when you agreed to marry him with tears streaming down your cheeks. He thought he might die when you walked down the aisle, a small tattoo on your wrist that had been difficult to explain. A small doodle of something you now thought of so warmly.

A penis.

[scorsoneamelia]

HIIII!! i wrote something fun and cute about amelia bringing scout to work with her :))) 

           It was only two days, three nights without Link but according to Scout he has been gone foooorever. Scout says it’s been years since he’s seen his father, even though it has been two days and he even saw Link over Facetime the day before. He had to fly out of Seattle for a surgery because the patient wasn’t stable enough to travel to the orthopaedic surgeon, so Link had to go to them. Scout was upset, saying he hadn’t seen daddy in a very long time and that he missed him, so Amelia let Scout share the bed with her that night.

           She was woken up from the morning sunrise rays creeping through a space in the closed curtains, the little bit of sunlight managing to light up the bedroom. There was a soft breathing beside her and it was Scout, in the middle of the bed and curled into her side as if he didn’t have any room on the other side of the bed. The corner of the blanket was only covering his legs, the rest of his body uncovered and he was laying on his back. One of his arms was laid across his belly, and the other was laying flat above his head and his shirt was slightly bunched up, revealing his belly button.

             He looked so calm and peaceful, and his sandy brown hair was messy, pieces of it falling in front of his closed eyes. The day before, Scout refused to go to school because he didn’t want to, and his excuse would be because daddy wasn’t here, and that was all he would say when Amelia would ask why. It took her to promise him that he could join her at work for the day if it meant he would go to school, so today, as she promised, it was bring your kid to work day.

              “Angel,” Amelia whispered softly, sitting up from the bed and sitting up, her back against the head board. “Scout.” She said a bit louder this time, a free hand brushing through his hair.

               His long eyes lashes revealed his deep blue eyes, matching Amelia’s, (she likes to think he has her eye color, even though Link would disagree saying they both had blue eyes) and he was letting out a huff, before stretching his body out. “Good morning, angel.” She saw Link in him so much, and no matter how many people said they saw her in him as well, all she could see was a mini Link and it made her heart flutter everytime.

                “As I promised, you’ll be coming to work with me today,” she said, the corners of her lips curling into a soft smile. “But we have to get ready.”

                 There was excitement all of his face and it was like he forgot why he was so sad the previous night, because he was already jumping—-literally jumping out of bed. He squealed out a yay and was already running to his bedroom to try and find himself some clothes, even though Amelia knew she’d soon have to go and help him because the clothes he’d be pick would be awful.

                After the two of them finished getting ready for their day, they both stood facing the mirror and Scout was standing on a stool because otherwise he would have barely reached the sink. (His height is definitely from her.) Scout pulled out his own toothbrush and mirrored his mom, the two of them brushing their teeth and Scout was messy, but at least he was doing it. There was toothpaste all over his face and it was running down his hands and he wasn’t exactly clean when he was spitting it into the sink. He made sure to match his mom, brushing his teeth for the same amount of time as she did before they had to leave.

               She gave him the run down on the way to work, saying he had to be on his best behaviour because she was working and that sometimes her job can be busy. She’s never had an issue with Scout misbehaving but sometimes, his energy, especially when he’s excited, can be high and around patients she needed him to know that he had to be good.

               She didn’t have any surgeries scheduled today, she made sure that her day was light, a couple consults and follow-up on post-ops. Scout was going to be her lefthand, assisting her whenever she needed, or at least she was going to let him think he was helping her.

              He wore a white coat, Link’s to be specific, and he was drowning in it. It came down past his knees and the sleeves were longer than his own arms but Scout insisted he continued to wear it because it was his dad’s.

              He came with her on rounds, and she allowed him to carry around the tablet, it being too big for him to carry with one hand. They were stopped in between patients because nurses and other doctors would stop them, introducing themselves and because some would just squeal and talk about how cute he was.

              There was a consult in the pit that she got paged to, and she brought him along. He was no longer carrying the tablet, instead he put both hands in the front coat (very large) pockets because his mom had her hands in her coat pockets and he wanted to be like her.

             “What do we got?” Amelia asked, pulling the curtain open to reveal a patient on the table, a few scratches and bruises covering his body and Meredith was there, giving a consult as well.

             “MVC,” Meredith started, pulling her blue gloves off of her hands. “Has a head lac.” Turning around, she bent down to get eye level with Scout before he was giggling and throwing his arms around her neck.

             “Auntie Mer!” He was yelling now, excitement flooding his face. Amelia was examining the patient, using her flashlight to check his pupils.

             “It just looks like a mild concussion, but order a head CT to rule out any bleeding, just in case.” She told the nurse, her hand was put back into her pocket along with her small flashlight.

             “Dr. Shepherd-Lincoln,” Meredith nodded, a smile pulling at her face because the look of her nephew in an oversized white coat was too cute. Meredith could see Link in him, as well, but he had some of Amelia’s qualities.

             “He looks so much like Link,” Meredith commented before she stood up, facing Amelia. “He’s got your smile though.”

             Scout went to stand next to his mom, matching her posture, (trying to) with arms crossed over his chest, just like she was. Amelia looked down at him while Scout was looking between the two, happiness radiating from him. “He’s definitely going to be a heartbreaker.” Amelia joked, causing a chuckle to come from Meredith.

            “Mommy let me come to work with her today, instead of school!” He was cheering, his smile reaching his eyes.

             “Well, I think you’re going to have a lot of fun here!” Meredith replied, her smile was warm and her eyes met Amelia’s. They were both thinking the same thing; if only Derek were here to see this.

             After they shared their goodbyes, they were leaving the emergency room and making their way to the attendings lounge, because she needed a coffee. Upon entering, Scout was talking about her job as if he was a doctor, saying that he was the best worker in the whole building, better than her, too. In the attendings lounge they were met up with Bailey, Webber and Jo, who squealed and immediately stood from her seat.

             “Oh ..my ...god,” Jo said, pulling out her phone to take a picture. “He’s a mini Link!” Bailey and Webber adverted their eyes from each other, to look over at Scout who was smiling for the camera, the smile taking over his face and one arm of the jacket falling off of his shoulder.

              Pouring herself a coffee, she also grabbed one of the doughnuts that were provided and handed it to Scout, who looked like he had just won the lottery. “Someone is one lucky guy.” Bailey spoke up, walking over to the three of them. “I’m Miranda—Dr. Bailey.” She held her hand out as a casual greeting, as Scout’s small hand grabbed her and they were shaking hands.

               “I’m Scout!” He introduced himself, as if nobody in the building knew him. “Dr. Shepherd-Lincoln!!”

               “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Dr. Shepherd-Lincoln.” Bailey was laughing, Scout gently shaking her hand. He was making his way around the room, going up to each person to show them the flashlight he borrowed from Amelia, and showing off his jacket.

                She was watching him in awe, he was perfect. She never imagined her life with kids, but now she can’t imagine her life without him. It was crazy to her that it was possible for her— anyone, to love someone this much. Sometimes she could feel all of her love in her entire body, she just wanted to hug him so tightly and never let him go. He is her entire world.

               “Alright, well,” Amelia was heading towards the door. “We’ve got work to do.”

_____

                It was her lunch break, Link made sure to call at least twice today because he wanted to talk to Scout and he wanted to remind Amelia that he loved her. The two of them had rounded on her post-up patients, Scout putting a smile on all of her patients faces. For most of her patients, Scout would try and repeat whatever his mom was telling them although he failed because he couldn’t pronounce half of the words; nor did he understand. Amelia ended up finding a second flashlight and she let Scout hold onto it, shining it into peoples eyes at the same time she did it, pretending he knew what he was looking for. 

              At the table sat her and Scout, as well as Meredith and Maggie. Scout was telling Maggie about her day, and the sleeve of the jacket was getting into the ketchup and fries that was on his plate, and she’ll made a mental note to wash it before Link saw it. “Baby, let’s take Daddy’s jacket off before it gets dirty.” She was reaching over now, pulling the jacket off of both of his arms and placed it in her lap where it will be safe.

              Link called just before he had gone into surgery, mentioning that Jo had sent him the photos of Scout earlier and he made sure to tell Scout that the jacket looked better on him than it did on himself. So now, Scout was telling everyone that the jacket was no longer Link’s but that it was his. He told Maggie about how he looked into everyone’s eyes and how he helped her treat a patient (even though he didn’t), and he also told her that he was the best doctor in the whole entire world. 

             Before she had a chance to finish her lunch, her pager was going off and she was being paged to a surgery, her now light day not being so light. “I’m being paged to OR 3,” she was standing from her chair. “Okay, Scout, you’re going to have to stay with Aunt Maggie just for a bit because I’m needed somewhere and you can’t come with me.” She was glancing over at Maggie now. “That’s okay, right?

“Perfectly fine.” Maggie nodded and she was kissing Scout before she left, making her way to the OR. Scout continued talking about his day with Meredith and Maggie, completely forgetting about the french fries and hot dog that he begged Amelia for. 

[wanderingchocolateeclair]

A little birthday ramble for my favourite jean man~

It’s my favourite characters birthday??? Woah! That means I gotta try and actually make something-

So here, have this rather rushed birthday edgejeanist ramble for my favourite lanky jeanist because I love them too much.

Tagging: @chaotic-trash-can @kouricaesar @kiriderp @theshisthings @chiggersmcnuggies :)

TW: none! It’s fluff!

*buzz*

Tsunagu blinked slowly, his eyes adjusting to the morning light as he woke up to see two silver eyes staring straight back at him.

*buzz buzz*

“Good morning~” A familiar voice cooed.

Startled by the sudden greeting, the blond man grumbled and opened his eyes to see Shinya facing him, head perched in his hands as he smiled at his sleepy husband.

*buzz*

“Hm.....good morning....” Tsunagu mumbled, stretching his arms out and plopping them back down over the duvet.

*buzz*

“What....uhhh.....buzzing...huh?”

The silver haired man chuckled slightly at the other man’s confused expression. “Messages, love. It’s 7am. A rather special day, too, might I add~”

A rather special day?

What?

Was he missing something?

Tsunagu now felt even more confused than before as he laid there trying to piece things together.

“Wha-” he started, before being interrupted by Shinya letting out a loud laugh and pulling him into a big hug. “-hmmph?”

“Hahah! Ahhh, you are so stupid in the mornings, I love you so much hahaha~” The smaller man snickered as he buried his face into the crook of his husbands neck.

The still-very-confused giraffe blinked. “Did- did you just call me stupid?!”

“Heheh...”

“Oi!” Tsunagu pouted, blushing slightly at the sound of Shinya’s adorable laughter. “Don’t make fun of me......I’m really confused, I don’t know what’s happening, and I’m worried now that I’m missing something very important-”

Shinya simply chuckled and rolled his eyes in response to Tsunagu’s weary mumbles.

“Yes, dear~”

Yawning loudly, Tsunagu slowly sat up and started to gather his thoughts. Did he have work today? Or was it his day off? He wasn’t sure. But he could definitely tell he was missing something.

“Love?”

“Hm?” Shinya hummed inquisitively as he also propped himself up, hooking his arms around Tsunagu’s waist and resting his head on the other man’s shoulder.

“What....what day is it?”

Shinya smiled and let out a small sigh.

“Tuesday!” He exclaimed brightly, his eyes sparkling mischievously as he toyed with his partner’s confused morning brain.

“Ah.....wait, no, I mean the date. ‘Cause it might- oh come on, Shinya, stop-” Tsunagu huffed, realising the smaller man’s intentions to mess with him even more than he already was. That little sneaky ninja....

Shinya simply chuckled at the taller man’s response and slid off the side of the bed, making his way to go and get ready for the day. “Heh...it’s the 5th of October....ring any bells?”

The 5th of October????

The 5th of October........

“Ah!” Tsunagu jumped up, accidentally startling the other man with his sudden enthusiasm. “It’s my sister’s birthday!!!”

Wow.

Shinya stood there for a moment before bursting into laughter, though trying very hard to stifle it. ‘Oh my god he’s a fucking idiot-’

Tsunagu blinked. “W-why are you laughing?”

The silver haired man shook his head and tried to keep a straight face, thinking incredibly hard about his response before simply settling with a small, “it took ya long enough!”, before turning to head out of the bedroom.

“I’m phoning Ai, gonna pester her until she answers me- wait, where are you going?” Tsunagu questioned, rapidly unlocking his phone and dialling his sister’s number while managing to completely ignore the various messages and notifications that he had received.

“Ahh, it’s getting kinda late, I need to go and wake Izumi up for school, I have work, and I’m pretty sure you have a morning patrol, do you not?” Shinya scratched the back of his neck as he made his way out the door. “Make sure ehe- ahEm- make sure to tell her happy birthday for me!”

“Ah....yeah you have a point....okay then.”

Tsunagu looked down at the phone, making sure it was ringing, and waited for it to be answered.

*click*

“Hello?”

“Hey, dumbass, happy birthday!! Hope you have a great day, love you lots!” Tsunagu sang down the phone, showing no hesitation to greeting his beloved sibling.

“Thanks, you lanky shit, happy birthday to you too! Sending love from all of us, have a great day yourself!” Ai chirped in reply. “Don’t get lost on patrol this time either, stupid, last time we waited for hours at mom’s for you to finally show up.”

Tsunagu blinked. What was that? “Happy birthday to me too?”

“Huh?”

That’s when he finally fully woke up and actually realised what a literal dumbass he was being. A massive idiot. No wonder why Shinya was acting so smug and snickering to himself earlier.

“Oh my fucking god-” Tsunagu covered his face with his hands as he wallowed in his own embarrassment. “Ai, I’m a fucking idiot, it’s my birthday isn’t it?”

The line went silent for about ten seconds before the woman on the other side erupted into fits of laughter.

“OH MY GOD!!! HAHAHA THAT IS FANTASTIC-”

“Ai...”

“AHAHA TSU FORGOT- AHAHAhA-”

“Ai, stop, it’s my birthday-”

“OUR birthday! You somehow remembered that it was mine and forgot that it was yours as well- we’re TWINS Tsunagu, we have had the same birthday for over 37 years!! Hahaha~”

“Yeah, yeah, okay, whatever....” the blond man sheepishly muttered as he continued to hide his face in shame. This was going to be a long day...

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

After what seemed like a while of embarrassment and one-sided laughter, Tsunagu ended up hanging up and threw his phone to the side, huffing as he tried to shake off how embarrassed he felt.

He sat thinking about the day ahead of him for a little while before noticing some hushed whispers and muffled laughter coming from behind the door.

Smiling to himself slightly at how adorable his husband and daughter were, he rolled his eyes, laughing as he opened the door to reveal two sneaky silver haired troublemakers staring up at him with big mischievous eyes.

“Gotcha~” Tsunagu sang, reaching down to tickle Izumi under the chin playfully.

“Wahhhh!! He caught us!!!” The small child exclaimed, giggling as she jumped into her fathers arms. “Happy Birthday, dad!!”

“Oh, why thank you, sunshine!” The blond man happily responded, twirling his daughter around as he exchanged a soft gaze with his partner, who was now leaning against the door frame with a cup of warm tea.

“So you finally remembered? Got that old brain woken up finally~~” Shinya teased, a sly grin spread across his face.

Tsunagu chuckled. “Hey now, you’re only a few years younger than me y’know! And I’m only a year older than I was yesterday, leave me be!”

“Ahh, sorry sorry~”

“You better be. You weren’t any help this morning when I was oh so lost and confused! Laughing at me, unbelievable!”

“Papa said you were very silly and forgot your birthday!” Izumi chimed in, sticking her tongue out at her taller dad as he ruffled her hair.

“Did he now?” Tsunagu raised an eyebrow as he looked back up at Shinya.

“Noooo......” the sly ninja pouted, winking at their daughter in a very over exaggerated manner.

“I see.....”

Sharing plenty of mischievous joy, the three of them laughed and headed downstairs to get ready for the day.

Watching as their child whizzed around gathering all of her school items, the two parents stood silently together, smiling at Izumi’s enthusiasm as she twirled around.

Shinya wrapped his arm around Tsunagu and looked up at the taller figure gently as he felt the other return the same action, smiling as he felt his face heat up, ever so slightly, and familiarly.

“Happy birthday, hon.” The smaller figure said as he leant into his husband’s warm embrace. “Love you.”

Tsunagu sighed happily in response, feeling his heart flutter slightly as he looked down at his small husband, before leaning down and pecking Shinya’s forehead and smiling as he rested his head gently on top of his. “Thank you, dear.”

“Love you too.”