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klaus-littlestwolf · 4 months ago

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Unconsummated -Aemond T.

Aemond finds himself quickly falling in love during the week long celebration of Aegon and Helaena’s wedding. Sadly his perfect lady is already married to a Baratheon. Happily, the idiot has yet to consummate their marriage as he never wanted to marry Y/n Arryn in the first place.

Aemond sets out to take the sweet girl for himself and he will not take ‘No’ for an answer…

It was much too loud for her tastes.

Y/n’s husband lived for parties like this, being honored that he was invited to the wedding of Aegon and Helaena and enjoying himself in every way he could. He was drunk 10 minutes after the ceremony and would be for the entirety of the next 6 days that the week long party went on for.

Y/n left the room as soon as it was acceptable for her to do so, her husband being locked on another noble woman, one who would happily spread her legs for him in a dark hallway later that night and she could do without the embarrassment of that. She ended up locating the library on her walk through the castle and she couldn’t help but stop. The room was huge, 10x the size of her husbands library as his father, his fathers father and on and on before had never been able to read (and neither could her husband).

He forced her to read all of his ravens to him in private as if he believed that no one was aware that he couldn’t read them himself. Y/n ended up knowing quite a lot about the houses and their leaders, her husband threatening to kill her if she ever breathed a private word of it. She was privy to quite a bit of sensitive information because of his illiteracy, knowing that many houses had secretly sworn to follow Aegon as the true born King or people like her husband who were sworn to Rhaenyra as the King commanded. She honestly didn’t care who ran the realm, all Y/n cared about was her small life, her duties, and her children (of which her husband didn’t seem to care to give her). He was too busy with his whores to give her a child.

She found herself a book that interested her, it was a book on High Valyrian which she had always wanted to learn. She had been teaching herself for only about 20 minutes before she heard a throat clear and she jumped up in fear, the book landing on the floor as her eyes met with one purple one staring back at her.

‘My Prince! I am so sorry! I did not know anyone would be here while the celebration went on…’

He stared at her for a moment before responding. ‘No reason to apologize, I understand more than anyone not wanting to celebrate with drunken strangers.’

‘Thank you for your hospitality…I will leave you be then-‘

‘No!’ He insisted, startling her a bit. ‘I’m sorry, I mean no, you don’t need to leave. Please, sit.’ He moved to take the seat beside her, picking up her book and looking at it before smiling. ‘Teaching yourself High Valyrian? Impressive…I am Aemond by the way, might I know my beautiful company’s name?’

‘Y/n Baratheon, my Prince. It is an honor.’

The two of them spent the next 3 hours by the fire in the Library just talking. They got to know each other very well and Aemond even gave her her first lesson in High Valyrian which he admitted she was a quick study at. It wasn’t until Aemond asked about her family that any of their conversation became uncomfortable.

‘You’re married to the eldest Baratheon son, are you not? I knew he had a wife but I did not know he had brought her with him while he-’ Aemond stopped himself as if he was unsure if she knew what her husband was up to.

‘I am aware of his indiscretions. It is how he has always been, nothing to concern yourself with my Prince.’ Aemond’s face was stoic as always but she sensed sympathy like she got from most other people. ‘He never wanted to marry me, his father wanted my name and the alliance of certain supporters. He had hoped marrying me to his son would stop his…activities and make him happy to have a family…he has no interest in such things however and I am left 6 months after our marriage unloved and childless…I’m sorry…you don’t care about that.’ She laughed though Aemond could tell it was hollow.

‘Your husband is an idiot if he does not want you my lady. I have known you for mere hours and I know that you are a smart, kind hearted girl without a judgmental bone in your body. You would be a good mother, of that I am sure.’ Aemond had no clue where that came from. Seeing this girl all alone and feeling unloved was breaking his heart…what is she doing to him?

‘Thank you my Prince, you are too kind.’

Y/n retired not long after, in bed hours before her husband joined her, collapsing into the bed in his clothes and for once she did not move to take care of him, Y/n left him in his clothes and on his chest in the bed.

Her days went on like that for most of the week. She would have breakfast and enjoy a walk in the gardens before finding her way to the library again and spending the rest of the entire day with Aemond. They both made an appearance at the party every night as was expected before abandoning the noisy, drunken mess and enjoying each others company again.

Aemond continued teaching her Valyrian and they could hold conversations now (albeit simple ones) as she was a fast learner. He also told her all about Vhagar, loving her interest in his dragon where most ladies were terrified.

She had raged when he told her of how he really lost his eye, furious that his nephew would do such a thing, all of them. She also condemned the ladies in the court who had made Aemond feel ugly just because of his injured eye. She swore to the heavens that he was one of if not the most beautiful man she had ever seen and she would not take his negative words into account.

Aemond had quickly come to love Y/n and she loved him as well, they both knew but neither of them crossed the line to say it. Though as her husband had never consummated their marriage Aemond had decided that he was going to ask his father to annul the marriage so that he could marry her instead. It would be a good match for his family, Y/n originally being an Arryn, and he knew that her father would take insult from the Baratheons for not taking care of his daughter or making their marriage legal. He was determined to convince her that night, the second to last day of the celebration, however his soon to be Princess never arrived.

Aemond waited for over an hour before searching the party. He found her husband, nearly as drunk as Aegon and with his tongue down a ladies throat but Y/n was not there.

He then left the castle and walked the gardens in search of her as he knew she enjoyed the Red Keeps gardens. After about 5 minutes he found her sitting on a wall overlooking the beach.

‘You are difficult to find, my dear.’ She jumped, turning slightly but not looking at him, turning back to the view.

‘I am sorry my Prince. I have enjoyed our time together but it must come to an end, please forgive me but I wish to be left alone now.’ He was stunned, unsure of how to respond but knowing that he wasn’t about to leave her like this.

‘Whatever I have done, please forgive me Byka Zokla? I do not-‘ (Little Wolf)

‘You have done nothing my Prince! It is I who is in the wrong. I have led you to believe that we could be friends and that was wrong of me. My job is to be there for my husband and I have not been doing my duty-‘

‘Your duty? What about him? He has not taken care of you as is his job as your husband and protector! You’re not waiting on him hand and foot anymore so he is upset, yes? Please? Do not push me away Y/n, I can help you to-‘ he cut himself off as he turned her head to make her look at him and he finally saw what she was hiding from him. Her right eye was black and blue, her bottom lip was split in 2 places and her throat was bruised, clearly in the shape of hands. ‘Oh my Love! No! This will not stand! Come with me.’ He insisted, holding out his hand. She hesitated but he looked down at her softly, giving her time to decide. ‘Trust me?’ After another few seconds Y/n took his hand and allowed him to whisk her off and they arrived in the Small Councils meeting room where the Queen walked in not a moment later having been fetched by a guard for her son.

‘Aemond…what is the meaning of this?!’ Alicent snapped, storming over to the girl and seemingly thinking that her son had done it but she changed her tune when the girl flinched away and hid behind him instead.

‘Mother. This is the girl I spoke to you about, her husband has proved…ungallant. I wish to take her as my bride.’ Alicent was looking over his ladies face when she fully understood what he had said and jerked her head up.

‘My son, she is married already. You cannot just take another man’s wife, even as a Prince of the Seven Kingdoms. You-‘

‘Their marriage has not been consummated.’ She stopped speaking and looked between them in shock.

‘Well…that changes things…she will need to testify it to the King and he will need to annul the marriage before anything else can happen. It will take time. I will speak to the Hand and start the process for it, we will find a room for her here to keep her safe from now on.’ Alicent turned to Y/n and held out her hand. ‘Come, let’s get you out of those dirty, bloody clothes and put you to bed.’

‘I will come and say “Goodnight” in a bit. You have a bath and relax…I will take care of you, I promise.’ Aemond swore, kissing her hand and watching her blush before she walked off with his mother.

Aemond straightened himself as she left the room and turned to head back to the party where he almost immediately found the man he was looking for.

Y/n’s husband was holding a full goblet of wine with his arm around a ladies waist looking quite content. Aemond moved beside him to grab himself a cup of wine, purposefully causing the idiot to bump into him.

‘Fuck! I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.’ He laughed obnoxiously and Aemond found himself wondering how Y/n ever stood being around him at all.

‘Evidently.’ He rolled his eyes and could instantly see that this man didn’t appreciate the action.

‘You may be a Prince but you’re still only a second son, and no where close to Daddies favorite. Watch yourself. I am the head of Storm’s End and soon enough the Vale, you are nothing and even less than that without your Dragon behind you.’ The man was clearly drunk as fuck but Aemond was happy with that. It would make this easier…

Aemond smirked as he leaned in close, the young Tully girl that he had had on his arm long gone, not willing to upset a Prince, let alone the one eyed prince himself. ‘I fucked your wife.’ He mumbled, close enough that only he could hear and he absolutely did.

‘What the fuck did you say?’ He snarled, eyes nearly catching fire in his instant rage but Aemond stayed calm. He needed to control himself for this to work.

‘I fucked…your wife…Gods knows you weren’t doing it. Such a lonely girl, desperate for a man’s affection and all she was given was an insolent child. It’s pathetic. Don’t worry though, soon enough she will be raising my son and she won’t be worried about you anymore.’ The boy was practically shaking in his rage, fists clenched and men were beginning to take notice, several of the women moving to alert the guards so Aemond would need to do this quickly. ‘Give it 9 months and everyone will know exactly who your wife strayed from you with, the silver haired boy suckling on her tits will be evidence enough. I’m sure with enough words to the King I can ensure my son will inherit all of your lands when you die. Too bad you weren’t man enough to impregnate her yourself or y-‘ He was finally cut off by a truly pathetic punch to his face but he played into it, falling dramatically to the ground and biting his tongue, spitting blood out to make it seem worse than it had been.

He was grabbed instantly and held back from coming at Aemond again who smirked up at him, the boy only seeming to now realize what had happened. ‘Chain this drunken fool and take him to the Black Cells for-‘

‘No!’ Aemond snapped, cutting off his Grandsire. ‘It was me that he assaulted and as a Prince of the realm it is my decision what happens to him.’ He declared and though Otto looked at him strangely he nodded nonetheless. He reached out, grabbing the collar of the drunk and yanked him forward, dragging him from the party and outside through the front gate.

‘Aemond-‘

‘He dies tonight, would you like to argue?’ The one eyed Prince hissed at his Grandsire who knew not to argue with him in this state.

Vhagar peeked her eyes open at the sound of men approaching her beach, seeing her rider dragging along a man that was trying very hard to get away or hurt him making her bare her teeth and hiss instantly.

‘Dokimarvos Vhagar! Umbās!’ He spoke to her and she sat her head up and waited for her rider to speak. *Pay Attention Vhagar! Wait!*

‘This is a message to anyone that thinks to defy me or Gods forbid, harm the people I care about. I am not merciful, you can find mercy with my family but not here. Anyone who wants to disagree with this will not end up in the Black cells, but with my Dragon as their punishment!’ Aemond ignored Otto who was trying to stop his rushed decision. ‘Dohaerās Vhagar! Kisās!’ *Obey Vhagar! Eat!*

Everyone watched on as the giant she-dragon lifted her head over the abusive asshole and opened her mouth wide before chomping down on the man and seeming to swallow him whole which had several people screaming and one man actually fainting.

Aemond was proud of himself, he had saved his girl and it barely took an hour.

He quickly made his way back into the Red Keep and up to the room that he knew his mother had put his soon-to-be wife in. As he entered, knocking softly as to not frighten her, he saw her in a sleep shift and he couldn’t help but stare. His girl was beautiful and she was going to be all his now.

‘Did you have a nice bath?’ He asked, moving to pull the blankets back for her and enjoying her soft blush as she crawled into the bed.

‘It was very relaxing. I’ve never had servants to wash me like that before.’ She teased, though Aemond was surprised by that.

‘You are a lady, are you not? How-‘

‘My mother took care of us as children and when we grew she insisted that we were able to bathe ourselves. My husband however, did not want anyone seeing me in a state of undress…it was strange but nice I suppose. A lady could get used to such treatment.’ Her soft laugh was everything Aemond loved as he reached out and cupped the side of her face.

‘You will get used to it. You are to be my wife, and my wife will have the best of everything. I will bathe you myself if it brings you happiness.’ He teased her, kissing the side of her head before standing again. ‘Get some sleep my lady, no one will bother you, you have my word-‘

‘Will you stay?’ She asked and though he was startled he did not let it show, knowing she was still probably feeling afraid after all that had happened, especially now that she’s in a strange place that she’s sure to never leave again. She would need to get used to being his and knowing that she is completely safe here, she would learn to trust what he said when he told her that he would never let anyone harm her again-let alone another husband. Aemond removed his shoes and coat, as well as his weapons before crawling onto the other side and feeling her head rest on his shoulder. He was careful not to touch any of her injuries as he let her drift off to sleep. He knew his mother would be upset at his sleeping here but he didn’t care. Y/n would be his wife by the weeks end and he would give her everything that bitch of a “husband” could not.

Aemond Targaryen Masterlist

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yowumi · 9 days ago

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Hotshot surgeon Gojo x Medical Student Reader Ft. Hotshot Surgeon Suguru [ modern au ] TW. Pregnancy & Love Triangle

shotgun wedding CH. 02 | Diagnosis

summary. Satoru Gojo, The states #1 Neurosurgeon, known for his wealthy clan. He was known for his success, parties, and his willingness to fuck anybody and everybody in a 10 mile radius. Unfortunately, one unlucky night, you make the wise decision to do what any hard working young medical student would do when faced with a sexy doctor…you sleep with him in which changes your life forever.

warnings. Accidental pregnancy, no protection (wrap it before you tap it), love triangle, roommates (they all live together), arranged marriage, satoru is a bit of a meanie, plot twists, angst, smut, you only end up with one.

A/N. this is my first time writing a fanfic, although i’ve always wanted to! i’m always open to take constructive criticism or any tips to make my writing better! I hope you guys enjoy and definitely lemme know if you have any suggestions, read well luv <3

keep up! // ch. 1 // ch. 2 // ch. 3 (coming soon)

─── ⋆⋅ ♰ ⋅⋆ ─── ─── ⋆⋅ ♰ ⋅⋆ ─── ─── ⋆⋅ ♰ ⋅⋆ ───

getting used to Satoru’s house wasn’t easy, for all the woman dreaming to be feet away from him at all times should think again.

one of the major problems was the noise. he must have some type of superhuman strength on his dick or something because whenever he was home, he was using it like there was no tomorrow.

from the room over you could hear the moans from the room across the hall, soft chants almost religious screaming ‘Satoru’ and lewd comments you wish you had forgotten.

on top of that, he hated wearing clothes around the house. his poor maid is probably traumatized from the things she has seen because he is allergic to clothes when he’s at home, constantly walking around shirtless or in his boxers.

just the second day in, the creek of his door was open and you caught a glimpse of his bare ass just out in the open.

never in your life did you think a man’s ass would look edible…

although, not even Hercules himself could get that information out of you.

Suguru on the other hand was a great house mate, constantly cleaning up behind you, offering to cook for you and do your laundry.

he didn’t make noise and wouldn’t bring woman home, although he definitely used to considering satoru’s life concerning comments on how suguru has changed his habits of being a man whore since you’ve moved in.

“I wouldn’t want to cause noise for the woman, she doesn’t need more extra stress, she already has to deal with you as the baby father, satoru” he grins at his cheeky remark as satoru pouts.

one thing you couldn’t complain about though was how spacious and comfortable everything was in the house. it was no secret satoru was rich and came from money but seeing his wealth in person almost felt overwhelming.

you wake up to vomiting once again, the whole stress of the situation now has been a bit overwhelming and you can’t deny pregnancy is taking a toll on you.

your maid is holding back your hair as you vomit straight into the toilet, perhaps maybe it was from all that thinking of satoru.

“Ms. Y/n L/N, Mr. Geto has suggested you stay home from work until you feel better” she says while patting a hand on your back comfortingly.

“I should be fine, it’s nothing i can’t handle and besides, i’m in a hospital so if push comes to shove, i’m in the same building as the two of them, although i doubt anything horrible would happen. it’s nothing more than pregnancy sickness” you say reassuring her seeing the worry across her face.

you give her a comforting smile and she seems to relax just a bit.

“hey, you’ve worked her for quite some time right?” you ask

she replies with a nod, “yes ma’am”

“well…i have some concerns, i don’t know satoru or geto too well before all of this and i would like to know your thoughts on them, they are obviously playing a huge role in my life now that i’m carrying satorus child and staying here, i would just like another persons opinion on who they really are.”

she pauses for a second almost surprised you would ask her that question out of all people but to be fair, you didn’t have much options to choose from, it was either her or megumi.

[ megumi would have said to run for the hills ]

“well, i was hired by satoru when he was just barely an adult so i would have known him for about a decade by now, but my personal opinion is that he really does mean well, he’s a good person and has a big heart, he can be a handful but he means well deep down, to be fair, he is letting you stay in his house rent free-“ she catches herself in what she’s saying and she lets out a gasp,

“oh i’m so sorry miss! i didn’t mean to offend you or anything-“ she starts apologizing frantically as she bows down in apology.

you giggle at her motions and stop her from bowing “haha it’s okay, i suppose you do have a point”

she blushes at your understanding of her behavior, “when i first moved her, i didn’t have much money and made my living off of being a maid, i’ve dealt with many house owners but satoru is by far the most generous. he has helped me pay for my child’s schooling and has helped me more times i could count, i don’t know what kind of father he will be or person he will be towards you but i know he will try his best at whatever it is you need him to be…for you and your child.” she says giving you a light hearted smile, you can tell she truly means what she says.

“and suguru…?” you almost forgot, you almost feel embarrassed asking about him. after all, you didn’t really need to know about him but you were still interested…just as any other person who lives with someone new would be…right?

“oh yes, suguru! he’s a very kind man, he has lived here for about 5 years with satoru, the two seem to get along very well. he’s a generous man and very friendly although it’s hard to see his interior..” she says

“interior?” you ask now curious.

what did that mean?

“well…it’s almost like an empty smile, it’s warm and gentle and it makes you feel welcome but something about him almost feels unreal, like it’s a mask he uses to perhaps hide how really feels. even when him and satoru argue, he seems to keep his good attitude but it makes you wonder what’s really going on, you know?” she is now seeing the worry in your face as she says this and continues,

“oh but i’m sure it’s nothing to be worried about, he is a generous man and very helpful, he seems to care about you a lot nonetheless! his intentions seem very pure and kind hearted, i was just stating that he seems like he has more depth underneath his smile” she says patting your hand in comfort and you smile.

you appreciate her advice towards the boys, it almost helps you have a better understanding of the two.

*knock knock

you hear a deep voice echoing behind the door, “mind if i come in”

satoru.

your maid turns towards you looking for your approval and you nod as she opens the door for satoru to come in and he sees you on the bathroom floor.

“is everything alright in here? don’t tell me you’ve thrown up again?” he asks walking closer to bend down to speak to you.

“it’s just morning sickness, i’ll be fine” you say as your maid passes you a glass of water from your nightstand.

“hmmm” is the sound satoru makes as he thinks to himself, “you’re taking the day off today, i’ll let shoko know for you, i’ve gotta go in anyways to sign some stuff anyways” he says making a groaning noise at the mention of signing papers all day.

“yeah yeah i get it dad” you say rolling your eyes as you get up off the floor, satoru offers out his hand so you can use it to help you stand.

“will you be okay for the rest of the day, should i bring you anything back? do you need ibuprofen or something”

“some gummy bears would be nice” you say and he shoots you finger guns as he makes his way towards the gun

“you’ve got it” he says as he makes his way out with a light wave goodbye as he walks out.

a small alarm beeped from your maids watch as she seemed startled by the noise, “oh that’s lunch, i will be back here in the afternoon, if you need anything Mr. Suguru should be home soon, i suggest some rest for now” she says as she sees her way out.

this gave you time to rest up today before going back to work where you’ll have to work up the courage to tell nobara, yuji and megumi about the news.

you’ve been dodging their messages, there was probably about 200 messages from nobara and yuji themselves meanwhile there was no text or anything from megumi.

maybe he was pissed about the whole gojo thing?

after a long needed nap you wake up and the sun is already going down, no sign of gojo or suguru as the house seemed unusually quiet.

you make your way towards the kitchen and scramble for a pot to make yourself dinner on, although it seemed impossible considering satoru had a million cabinets.

you groan as your finding no sight of the pans growing frustrated before a large arm comes up behind you reaching up at one of the top cabinets that you hadn’t even acknowledged until now revealing tons of pans.

you look up and see suguru put on his signature smile as he pushes his long black bangs behind his ear, the rest being held in a bun.

“oh” you say as you look towards the pans like an idiot.

“this what you were looking for?” he says with an amused grin,

you nod and put your head down in embarrassment,

“well go on, get what you need” he leans back with arms against him as he is eager to watch you grab the pan

you then realize how high it was, that dick.

you step on your tippy toes hoping he wouldn’t notice your struggle as he lets out a soft chuckle behind you as you’ve now retorted to climbing the counters.

“you need some help over there?”

“shut up…yes”

he lets out a laugh as he brings the pan down from the cabinet.

“so that dumbass knocked you up, hm? how are you feeling about that?” he asks in a playful tone although the concern was still there.

“oh you mean how much of an honor it is to carry THE satoru gojo’s child is? just amazing, brilliant” you say sarcastically.

before you knew it time flew by in an instant talking to suguru, you guys talked about work, life and satoru.

it was dark out and you both were comfortably sat across from each other of the couch that laid in the middle of the living room, the dim light lit down on the both of you, it felt homely almost.

you and suguru were mid conversation when you heard the chaos coming from the opening front door with a loud drunk satoru with a blonde wrapped around his arm, satoru not paying attention to him nearly leaning his whole body weight on her as they walked in.

they both must have came from some sort of party because they were both dressed in fancy clothing, their outfits had to be worth someone’s house.

satoru stumbles across the kitchen searching for the alcohol in one of the cabinets, “hey suguru, where did we leave that whiskey we got back at that one party shoko threw a few years back”, he stutters over his words.

“left top cabinet above the oven, but go easy on it”

“why? you feeling greedy suguru” satoru says in a teasing tone as he finds his way back towards the woman he walked in with

“perhaps, but shoko said that’s some strong stuff, you get all bratty when your hungover darling” he remarks back at him.

satoru let’s out a laugh

your eyes turn towards the woman he’s s with in which you come eye to eye with as she’s already staring at you, she seems almost disgusted and you feel a sense of intimidation.

you weren’t jealous or anything but it was no secret that you clearly didn’t belong, they were both dressed nicely and suguru’s house clothes themself are well kept meanwhile you look like a mess

you didn’t bother to care since suguru was the only person here but being around satoru just felt…

humiliating.

you’re interrupted by your thoughts when it’s almost as if suguru reads the uncomfortable situation and places a soft comfort hand to your back, rubbing it slowly

you’re brought back by satoru’s voice once again, “hey suguru, wanna join me with this one”

it was like you weren’t even there.

the woman carrying his child and he hasn’t looked at you once let alone acknowledge that you were even in the same room as him.

the woman next to him laughs and gives suguru bedroom eyes, you look towards him to see that his eyes were staring down at his cup with a hint of annoyance as if he was embarrassed by the way satoru is acting as of now

he places a firm hand now still on your back.

“nah. she ain’t my type” he takes a sip of his coffee now grabbing the side of your waist gently, protective like

you see satoru let out a frown before noticing suguru’s hand placement, staring directly at you now.

the first time he has the whole night.

“ahhh i see. hey there” he greets you with a wave,

a wave? why the hell is he greeting you as if he hasn’t seen you before, as if you don’t live in his house, carrying his baby.

satoru continues, “is this one of your girls? damn you must’ve messed her up real bad, she looks a little beat. you alright sweetheart?” he teases but leans down to look at you examining your face.

you look down, not answering him

suguru notices your upset expression and squeezes your hand softly before standing up to look at satoru

“Satoru, why don’t you show your companion the guest house, i’m sure she would find it much more amusing” he says as he starts to lead satoru out of the house

“haha i get it, want some alone time with the lady, i wouldn’t go to hard on her, she already looks worn”

satoru says nothing as he walks them to the door before satoru turns around towards you again, “oh right, where are my manners, nice to meet ya darling”

and he left.

suguru comes back you, now kneeling in front of you

“are you okay, y/n?” he asks looking up at you for any sign of anger or tears

you nod, “yeah, think i’m ready to sleep, night” you say as you get up to walk towards your room without looking back at suguru

that night, as you lay in bed with tears staining your pillows, you wonder how you ended up here.

could you have had a child the right way? with someone you love?

why did the father have to be satoru gojo.

06:25

beep beep

the alarm goes off on your phone, not bothering to scroll down at the concerned messages sent from nobara and yuji.

still nothing from gumi.

today would be the day you would have to face them, still having no clue what to tell them exactly

the morning was quiet, not bothering to talk to anyone as you make your way out in your own vehicle as you go to work.

you are faced with yuji when you walk in, noticing your face he lets out a smile and big wave motioning for you to come his way

“hey yuji” you say as you walk up to him

“hey l/n, where the hell have you been, kugisaki has been like losing her marbles and has been taking her insanity out on me! she hits so hard” he frowns at the thought

you laugh, “sorry i’ve just been really busy lately and it’s a long story but i’ll make sure to explain to all of you when i find the time to sit down and talk with all of you today, that way she doesn’t end up shaving you in your sleep”

yujis eyes widen playfully holding a shushing finger to your mouth, “shhh! you never know when she’s listening, don’t give her ideas!” he says looking around paranoid

you’ve got to admit, you missed hanging out with the gang again, it reminded you that you were still young and distracted you from the fact that you would become a mother soon.

you made small talk with yuji as he caught you up with how things were at the hospital and with the gang,

“how is megumi? has he said anything?” you ask

“surprisingly not, i thought he would’ve made some comment by now about how you ran away to per-sue a life of becoming homeless and popping pills from the stress finally breaking you but he has been unusually quiet!”

“oh, uh-“ you were interrupted by being tapped on the shoulder behind you as you turn around being met face to face with familiar white hair,

asshole.

“hello Mr. Itadori, would you mind if i borrowed Ms. L/N from you?” he gives yuji his signature persuading smile and yuji nods

“yeah sure, my break is about over anyways but nice talking to you y/n- I MEAN UH MS. L/N!!!!” he says as he waves you off and walks away,

you turn your attention to satoru and without a word he grabs your hand to pull you

“where are we going? the hell do you want Gojo!” you ask annoyed

he pulls you aside to an empty closet and locks the door behind him with a key he had in his pants,

“what the fuck satoru? why did you lock us in here?!” you grow angry at his lack of communication.

the anger doesn’t last long because moments later you are faced with the white haired man on his knees now hugging your hips,

“i’m sorry y/n, i’m so sorry. suguru told me what happened last night and i was hammered and wasn’t thinking at all and i’m so fucking sorry, i promise i wont be bringing any of my ‘friends’ to the house anymore.” he says as he catches his breathe, leaning against your stomach leaving a small kiss on your stomach that held his baby.

“i don’t care if you bring your fuck buddies to the house, you’re a grown man, that isn’t my problem” you say not looking at him as you keep your hands to your side,

you were trying your best to keep your composure, satoru has a habit of getting exactly what he wants so his affection wasn’t gonna work on you.

“then why wont you look at me? i know we aren’t together or anything but i mean you’re carrying my child so the least i can do is respect you, and the drinking thing isn’t a thing that happens a lot i swear…i’ve just been a little stressed and worked up because this is all new…”

the way he acted wasn’t okay but you did understand this was a lot, it’s a lot on you too so you couldn’t really blame him for having a drink, you would too if you could.

“It’s okay, satoru” you say helping him get up from his knees so he can stand again and you help him fix his composure and he looks at you with a smile

the smile that could always make you forget how much of a dick head he can be sometimes.

but he meant this one.

his walkie talkie goes off as he hears his co worker stating that he’s needed in for last minute surgery

“gotta go” he says as he gives you a soft pat on the head

“be careful, if you need anything you can come to my office” and he rushes off.

work was pretty slow today, most of the patients had very minor injuries thankfully, it’s nearly the end of your shift before you get a last minute patient

“hey listen y/n, i know this is so last minute to ask but can you stay a little late today and take this last patient, i’ve got an emergency back at home, good news though! you’ll be working with kugisaki, i know how close you two are” shoko says as she smiles, “thanks again”

nobara stares at you and waits for shoko to leave,

“y/n where have you been, i’ve been texting you like a million times, i thought something serious happened to you”

“I know, i’m sorry just- i need to tell you something, i was going to wait til everyone is all together but i’ll just say it now” you say and this catches nobara’s attention as she looks at you with worry

“spill the tea, what is it?” she asks

“i’m pregnant..”

nobara pauses and you think she’s upset before her jaw nearly drops to the floor

“WHAAAAAAATTTTT???? BY WHO? OH MY GOD DID YOU HOOK UP WITH ONE OF THE MEN AT THE EVENT??? OH MY GOD I BET IT WAS SUGURU” she says invested as she begs to hear more details dying to know who the father is

“i would rather not say who but that’s why i haven’t been answering you guys texts, it’s just been a lot to take in lately” you say

and she finds her composure and hugs you

“don’t worry about it girl, i just wish you would have talked to me sooner, i wish we could’ve helped you” she says

you smile and let her know it’s okay before you make your way to meet your next patient,

you read over the information listed in your check board about the patient, the patient was minority injured in a car crash but needs to be checked for concussion

this shouldn’t take long

you look up to meet eyes with the woman from last night that was around satoru’s arm.

nobara now takes the clipboard, writing things down as she watches you examine the woman

“oh so you’re that one girl who looked sick last night with suguru, wow never would’ve guessed you would work in a place like this” she cockily laughs and nobara looks up at you with a slight hint of confusion and excitement at the mention of you being with suguru last night

“don’t know, you probably have me mixed up with someone else.” you say trying to stop this conversation before nobara gets any ideas.

“oh no i never forget a face. you know…” she scoots in closer to try and get under your skin, “i’ve never seen you around before and trust me i’m over there a lot”

you can tell she’s lying but you don’t really care enough to correct her.

“listen, i saw the way you were looking at satoru all lost puppy like and shit and i know you want him and all but me and him are kinda a thing and know each other really well and he was telling me last night about how he can’t wait til i get all swell with his kids and birth his baby, so you should probably pregnancy test me, you never know!” she says

it’s obvious she’s trying to get a reaction out of you and nobara is obviously catching on to a hint of annoyance from you but she knows not to push on or ask more, especially from a bitch like the woman sitting in front of you.

nobara figures it’s better to ask you yourself than some delusional woman who probably has a concussion.

“Ms. L/N I think we should discuss these papers, we will be just a moment, you just sit tight!” she gives the woman a fake smile before leaving the room with you

she grabs your arm and pulls you to the side,

“what am i hearing about! oh my god..geto??!!…ughhhh hes such a sweetheart! and doctor save a hoe? oh my god what about all this? you never told me you moved in girl!”

“keep your voice down nobara” and nobara giggles,

“so it’s true then!” she might as well start jumping from excitement, “oh my god this is like the stuff you see in movies, i’m high key jealous of you rn!” she says as she pokes your arm and you roll your eyes playfully at her

“yeah yeah whatever, what about the woman’s results?”

“oh yeah, she doesn’t have a concussion although she may be a tad bit delusional” she says and you both laugh

“could you walk her out? yuji has been waiting in the parking lot for like an hour complaining”

“yeah, no problem” you say

you both go your separate ways as you are now walking the woman to the entrance as she blabbers on about the details of satoru gojo, as if you cared to know more about the famous satoru gojo. not like you were carrying his child or anything

you both make your way to the checkout desk when you see satoru walk towards you both in his formal work attire rather than the scrubs he was wearing earlier, hes wearing black shoes and dress pants with a blue button up shirt, leaving the top buttons undone

the classic sexy doctor get up

the woman next to you waves at him trying to get his attention and he formally waved at her as he would any patient

“hey Mr. Gojo, last night was amazingggg!” she draws her words out and satoru looks confused and nods and waves her off wishing her a nice day

did he not remember her?

“Y/n, when does your shift end? we should ride home together, suguru and i came together but he left early so do you mind?” he asks turning his attention fully towards you

you see the woman give off a small scoff of jealousy as she marches away

“my shift ends now and yeah sure” you say bluntly

as you both walk silently to the car. watching his tall shadow trail behind you, your curiosity gets the best of you.

“did you uh get her pregnant” you stop in your tracks,

he stops to stand in front of you and gives you a look of confusion, “huh? uh i got you pregnant if that’s what you mean but you know that already obviously so..” he lets out a nervous laugh,

“no uh i mean the girl just now, like um did you uh…finish inside of her…?” you don’t know why you felt so nervous asking about this, was it really your place to ask if he got another woman pregnant? “she said y’all are a thing and you were talking to her about how you can’t wait for her belly to get swell and for her to birth your baby? did you get her pregnant?” you continue, not being able to hold eye contact with him

“oh uh i had no clue who that girl is, must have been a one time thing, pretty sure i just picked her up from a bar, but uh no i didn’t finish inside, pulled out..” he sounds nervous and a little embarrassed.

you nod somehow relieved, maybe you just didn’t wanna live with her, you thought to yourself

“okay…good then, uh let’s go home”

“mhm” he hums

he follows you like a dog as you grab your things and he takes them out of your hand to hold. the car ride home is silent and he places a gentle hand on your stomach softly pinching your hips, you feel a little awkward at first before you let yourself embarrass his touch. you can feel satoru’s eyes on you as you doze off, leaving satoru watching you with a hint of a soft smile across his lips.

A/N. this took forever to write but im excited on writing the next chapter, which will hopefully be done by thanksgiving, i hope you enjoyed luvs <3

let me know if you want to be on the tag list for this series!

tag list: @jeannieboys @maskedpacific @muimuiwisteria

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papriikau · 2 months ago

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I miss us sometimes

JAMES WILSON x FEM!READER

SUMMARY You and James Wilson hadn't spoken since your divorce. You still care for him after all this time, but choose to avoid him to avoid getting hurt. But when a family emergency forces you to reconnect with your ex-husband, you struggle with your feelings for each other.

WARNINGS sex mentioned, nothing too bad.

NOTES I started this and half way realized I didn't know where I wanted to go with it so the last half is kinda rushed, but its still cute.

It had been 5 years since you had spoken to James Wilson. Once the divorce had been finalized, that was the end of it. For James, he had already gone through two divorces before you, but it had only been your first. You truly were enamored by him; he was 6 years older and he seemed like he had it all together when the two of you met, but that facade slowly faded away after only 3 years of marriage.

You avoided the hospital he worked at whenever a hospital visit was required, that was until last night. You received a phone call that your mom had a stroke and was taken to Princeton-Plainsboro hospital. Obviously your need to avoid James was a lot less important than your mom, so you drove over to the hospital.

“Dad what's happening?” you ask your father and the doctor he was talking with informs you that she's in the ER and all you can do is wait. And that’s what you do, you wait around until you hear a familiar voice call out your name.

“Good evening House,” you say tiredly.

“Here for a conjugal visit? I can call Wilson down,”

“Please don’t, I'd rather not know I’m here,”

“Too late. Wilson! I didn’t know you ordered a stripper,” House yells out as your ex-husband walks into the room. You curl up in the chair you’re in, hiding your face in your hands. He walks over and House promptly takes his leave.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” he says awkwardly, as if he isn’t sure what to say to his ex-wife he hasn’t seen in 5 years. You sit up and take a big breath in. You're not in the best state at the moment, bags under your eyes, messy bed head and pajama pants and a sweater.

“My mom had a stroke, what about you, what are you doing here?” You ask.

“Oh, how's she uh- how's she doing?” James asks, ignoring the stupid question you asked.

“I don’t know, I just got here and no ones told me anything yet,”

“Give me a moment,” he walks off, and you watch as he talks to some of the other doctors for a couple of minutes before returning to you.

“Did they say anything?”

“She's stable, they have been moving her to her own room soon, but they'd like to keep her overnight to monitor her,” he informs. You're glad he is keeping this interaction fairly professional, you don’t know how you’d act if he started trying to talk about your personal life. The two of you stay silent for a while. You intend to keep it that way, but knowing James, he's bound to start a conversation about something.

“Do you still work at the University?” he asks.

“Yeah, I was promoted to department head four years ago,” you play with your nails awkwardly.

“I have to get back to work but maybe we could catch up over lunch some time?” he offers. You look up and he has a kind but nervous smile on his face, looking down at you.

“I don’t know if this is the best time to be asking me out to lunch,” you say slowly. He winces and runs a hand down his face.

“Right, I'll see you around then,” he says, an embarrassed haze over his expression. You nod, letting him get back to whatever he was doing. Not long after your mom was moved into her own room where you could be with her. Considering it had been the middle of the night when you received the call, you were tired and ended up falling asleep.

It wasn’t until afternoon that you saw James again. You had called in and canceled your classes for the day so you could be next to your mom. Your dad had gone home to grab a few things and your mom was asleep in the hospital bed, when you hear small knocks on the door. You turn and see James in the doorway. You wipe the sleep from your eyes and stand up.

“How's she doing?” he asks.

“Doctors said she’s gonna be fine, she should be discharged tomorrow morning,” you nod, keeping your eyes on the floor, not wanting to look at him.

“That's good, how are you doing?”

“I think I’m doing alright, just worried about mom,” James got close to your parents when you were together. They had grown fond of him and when you cut contact, they were devastated but decided to do so as well to support you.

“Have you eaten today?”

“Not since last night,”

“Why don't I buy you lunch,” he offers.

"You don’t have to do that, I’ll probably get something when dad gets back, I don't want to leave mom, so,” you ramble a little bit. You blink a ew times, trying to clear your head. Talking to him again brings you back to being 24, flirting with the cute doctor at the Oncology seminar.

“We can just go to the cafeteria and bring it back here, how about that?” He offers a kind smile. God he still had it.

You think for a moment before hesitantly nodding, “okay.”

He takes you out to the cafeteria, suddenly self-conscious of your state, “House is working on a case right now so he won't be bothering us,” James calms your nerves a little.

“Thank god, don't get me wrong he's great, but not really,” you let out a quiet laugh.

“Tell me about it,” he rolls his eyes playfully. You walk through the cafeteria and grab some food, your appetite hasn’t quite come back yet so you only grab enough to hold you over. James, being the gentleman he is, pays for your lunch and walks you back to your moms room. She’s still sleeping, but your dad is back so you go sit next to him. James gives him a polite nod and exchanges brief pleasantries before leaving, squeezing your shoulder reassuringly before stepping out.

James checks in again before he leaves his shift, and the next morning, your mom is discharged. Your dad helps her into the car, telling him to take her home and that you’d be over soon after. They drive away and then you go back inside of the hospital, working up some nerves, deciding at the door that maybe you don't actually want to do it, but you push through the nerves and turn back around.

Three knocks on the office door and James peeks his head out, opening it all the way when he sees it’s you. “Hey, how's your mom?”

“She just got discharged, dads are taking her home now,” You nod nervously.

“That's good, is there anything I can do?” he asks, curious as to why you're knocking on his office, very clearly searching him out.

“Are you free Saturday? Around noon?” you say, nervously playing with the hem of your sweater. “You asked me to lunch and I thought I’d take you up on that offer,” He stares for a moment, not sure what to do, but nods his head unconsciously.

“Yes, absolutely,” he clears his throat and invites you into his office. “Where uh- where do you want to go?” he asks.

“How about that lunch place we always went to, the one down the street from our old house?” you suggested, not sure if you should have suggested such a staple in your relationship.

“Okay, Saturday at noon, I'll meet you there,” he agrees and you offer him a smile before leaving the hospital.

—

James taps his foot nervously, looking at his watch. You're running 20 minutes late, and James was about to leave when the bell on the door jingles and he looks up to see you.

“I’m so sorry, I had to come into work today to mark papers,” you apologize, internally cringing at your own lateness.

“You're okay,” he says, remembering the days he came home late or missed date night because of work, he is fine excusing 20 minutes. For two hours the both of you hang out in the restaurant, just talking and catching up on the last 5 years.

For the longest time when you thought of James you thought about the reasons he pissed you off, or what got on your nerves, the reasons you got divorced, but talking to him after all this time makes you remember a lot of the reasons that you married him in the first place. It feels natural talking to him, it feels good talking to him and you hate it.

You hate that you feel good around him.

The lunch date ends and you both go your separate ways, promising to do it again sometimes. You exchange numbers and the next week try to make plans, but busy schedules get in the way and the two of you aren't able to pick a day and then it dies out quickly, and you go back to not speaking.

—

You're sitting on your couch, watching a movie when the phone rings, it's late at night so you're not sure who could be calling.

“Hello?” you say into the phone.

“Hey, can I ask a really big favor?” James says from the other end. You look at the clock to see it’s 11pm.

“What is it?”

“I don’t have my car right now, or my wallet and I missed the bus and I don’t know who else to call so-” you cut him off.

“You're at the hospital?”

“Yes,”

“Can you wait 40 minutes?” you sigh.

“If your busy then I can ask someone for money for a cab,”

“Okay, I’ll leave now,” you hang up the phone before he can argue and get in the car, throwing on a jacket and some shoes before leaving. It starts to rain and when you pull up in front of the hospital, you flash your headlights and James runs out, covering his head with his jacket.

“I didn’t know you lived so far away, I could have-” you cut him off again.

“It’s no problem,” you yawn, not looking forward to the drive home. He thanks you and directs you to his apartment, which is 20 minutes in the opposite direction.

“Thank you,” he says and offers you a warm smile.

“No problem,” you wipe your eyes and yawn. “Maybe call me earlier than 11 next time,” you laugh tiredly.

“I’ll make sure to,” he gets out of the car, thanking you again and heading inside. You sit in the car, trying to wake yourself up before driving an hour home. You turn the car back on and as you put the car in drive, James knocks on the window, his jacket over his head, you put down the window a little, not wanting to get your car seat too wet.

“What’d you forget?” you start looking around the passenger's seat.

“I forgot you,” he laughs.

“What?” you narrow your eyes.

“You shouldn’t drive while you're that tired, stay the night,” he offers and a red haze covers your cheeks.

“I don’t know if that's the best idea,”

“Sleep on my couch, please,” You think for a minute before shutting the car off again, quickly getting out and running with him to the front door. You walk over to his apartment and he opens the door, letting you in. He shakes off his jacket and hangs it up. You stand there awkwardly, your eyes watching him roll up the sleeves of his shirt, unable to take your eyes off him.

God this was a mistake.

I'll grab you some blankets, get comfortable and make yourself at home.” That simple, and commonly used phrasing comes off very different to you, and he felt it too. He swiftly exited into his bedroom while you sat on the couch, your hands in your lap, looking around at the books littered around, coffee stains on the table, and of course a few pieces you remember as being in your shared home. You remember picking out the couch cushions with him the night he proposed.

“Here,” he says, another memory in his arms. He handed you the blanket and you couldn’t help but just look up at him. “Everything alright?” he tilts his head.

“I think so, thanks for letting me stay,” you recover quickly.

“Your welcome,” he says and sits in the arm chair, leaning back in it. “Sorry if this is weird,” he says after a moment of silence.

“It is a little,” you say, looking down at the blanket.

“Well it's not like we're strangers,”

“We kind of are,”

“We know each other,” he says.

“We used to know each other,” you correct. He runs a hand down his face, letting it fall into his lap.

“It has been a while hasn’t it,” he sighs, looking over at you, wanting you to look up at him too. You could have him if you wanted. He invited you back into his place, he had to know there was even the smallest possibility that could happen, but you knew it would be too hard to leave if you did sleep with him. You have to remind yourself how shitty he had been close to the end of your marriage; he was negligent and never home, and when you were in a state of vulnerability and needed someone, he wasn’t there to help you.

But God the sex was good.

“I’ll let you rest,” he nods and heads to his own room. You let your head fall into your hands. How could you be so stupid, you didn’t fight for him back then, and you're still too much of a coward to do it now.

Eventually, sleep overtook you and you woke up to James sitting in his kitchen, sipping a coffee. “Morning,” you rub your head tiredly, wiping the sleep from your eyes.

“Sleep well?” he asks

“Good enough,” you get up and stretch, “mind if I have some?” You point to the coffee pot.

“I can’t drink a pot on my own,” he laughs and you laugh with him, search through a few cabinets until you find a mug pouring yourself some.

“Not sure how I’m going to explain to my boyfriend I spent the night at my ex-husband's place,”

“You have a boyfriend?” he says, the slightest bit of outrage in his voice,

“No,” you smile coyly into your mug. He rolls his eyes.

“Any luck in that department?”

“Not really, I’ve been focused on work,” you shrug. He says the same thing.” You were my first like, real relationship,” he can't say the same.

The two of you sit in silence for a little while before you break it once again.

“Being divorced sucks,” you admit, sipping on your coffee.

“Tell me about it,” he sighs. The both of you finish drinking your coffee in silence. It's not that you don't know what to say, you just have nothing else to say.

“I should be heading out, I got some things to do today,” you put the mug in his sink.

“Thanks again for last night, if I had known you lived so far away I would have found another way,”

“I’m glad you called me,”

“Really?” he tilts his head.

“I miss us sometimes,” you look up at him, a bit of a shocked, awkward expression on his face.

“Only sometimes?” He takes a minute to respond.

“Only sometimes,” you repeat, silence filling the air once again. “Maybe we could get dinner tomorrow?”

“Uh- yea, I'd love that,” he stutters, his cheeks dusted with a bit of pink. You love when he gets flustered.

You smile, heading for the front door, “I’ll pick you up at 7.” “It's a date,” he takes a step forward, deciding to not get any closer.

“It’s a date,” you repeat before slipping out and into your car. It takes you a moment to recover; the butterflies in your stomach impeding your ability to think straight. Eventually you make the drive home, thinking about your date with your ex-husband.

—

“So who’s the unlucky girl,” House bursts into Wilsons office.

“I don’t know what you're talking about,” Wilson deflects.

“So there is a girl?” House concludes.

“There’s no girl,”

“Then who was this from?” House shows him a little sticky note you wrote him. Wilson furrows his brow.

“You ate my lunch?” he accuses.

“Who is it,”

“No one! I’m not seeing anyone!”

“Liar!” House accuses. That's when there's a knock on Wilson's office. House, being the one standing, opens to the door, only to find you standing there with two coffee cups.

“Am I interrupting something?” You ask and watch as House looks between you and Wilson.

“You’re dating your ex-wife?!” House says overly loudly. You wince, walk into the office and shut the door.

“Good to see you too Greg,” you say, forcing yourself to be polite before making your way over to James and sit on his desk, ignoring House.“ Thought you could use some coffee,”

“You didn’t happen to bring lunch did you?” James rolls his eyes.

“No, we could go out real quick, on me,” you offer.

“Anything to get out of here.” he stands up and gives you a kiss before leading you out of his office, his hand on your back.

“Am I invited?” House calls out after, to which you both just roll your eyes.

“Where do you want to go?” you ask, leaving the hospital.

“How about our usual lunch spot?” James suggests.

“Aren’t you tired of that spot?”

“Not one bit,” he looks over at you with loving eyes and grabs your free hand with his. You both lean in for a quick kiss, then go to lunch.

#fanfiction #house md #dr wilson #wilson #james wilson #x reader #wilson fanfiction #james wilson x reader #dr wilson x reader #laukethauntings fic

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ani-iu · 5 months ago

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[𝟏] 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐂𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐒 | angel 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐦 × female human 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: After your boyfriend’s untimely death, as you try to find a place to hide from an upcoming storm, you find the cover inside an occult store. It turns out that if you can strike up a conversation with the owner, she will be more than glad to show you all the cool stuff in the back, like, for example, a portal to the afterlife. Just your luck, because said contraption is powered by lightning. Want to see your recently deceased lover? Step right in! That man was no angel, so when you teleport yourself to Hell while it's in an active battle against Heaven, you go straight to the little man in charge and ask him to bring your man back to life. Witnessing such devotion and loyalty as your tiny human self stands up to the literal Devil from the Bible without an ounce of fear does something to the first man’s heart. And the best thing about this whole thing? Your ring finger looks awfully empty. Adam can fix that in exchange for the unconditional love you have for that unworthy sinner.

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬: marriage of convenience; forced proximity; angst; domestic; first chapter inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice; crackfic; possessive Adam; he falls first and harder; misogyny; Adam being Adam; explicit language; religious imagery & symbolism; sexual tension; eventual smut; happy ending; not canon compliant.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 4,7k.

// who is this irresistible creature who has an insatiable love for the dead?

𝐒eth and you were classmates from sixth grade until high school. From that point, when you started dating his best friend Marcel, you two became deskmates up until graduation. Now, as the two of you are scrubbing Marcel’s blood out of his studio apartment floor, you wonder what that makes you. Acquaintances? Friends?

"How is he?" Seth asks without looking up at you. He has been scrubbing that particular spot in front of him for a while now. You would be lying if you said that it didn’t annoy you. At this rate, he will ruin the parquet.

"Getting better, actually. They moved him into an intensive care unit. I can finally sit next to him, although I had to pull some strings. They only allow family members to visit." You offer him the bit of information just like you would a piece of salmon to a starving but frightened cat, knowing that he won't ask for it himself, even though he wants to. The feeling of guilt is overshadowing any common sense in him, doing more harm than good. It wasn't like he shot Marcel himself. He just thought it was smart to bring a gun around your dumbass boyfriend. But that’s what makes them best friends — shared stupidity. "I’m going to visit him later today. Would you like to come?"

When you don’t receive an answer, you sit back on your heels and give your full attention to the man trying his hardest to avoid it. He shifts a little, his mouth drawn into a straight line. A moment passes before he speaks up.

"I will go another day."

You nod and the silence befalls the two of you again.

» » »

Even though the hospital, for the most part, has been freshly renovated, you don’t need to look very closely at the cracked, pale walls — in colour and lack of any decorations on them — to know that the intensive care unit is still left untouched by the spackling paste. The sole fact that you can still pick up the nostalgic buzzing from the lights overhead is enough of a sign. Nowadays, it is a rare sound to hear as fluorescent lights are being replaced by LEDs.

Your hands are resting on the elevated part of the nurse station’s counter, fingers drumming against the glossy surface to stop them from trembling and eyes cast to the side, while you wait for the nurse to look through the patient list for the name you gave her. An astringent hand sanitiser stench is prevalent in the air and you can already sense the incoming migraine. Now that you think about it, you don't have any medication for it. You should buy some on your way home; maybe even get some bananas for a smoothie. The pharmacy is in the same building as the grocery store—

"My condolences, miss."

"Sorry?" You raise your eyebrows, not fully comprehending what she just dropped on you.

"He passed away this morning. We already informed the immediate family."

The white noise from the lighting fixtures above, which was calming and familiar just a moment ago, grows dreadfully louder by the second inside your head as you stare off into space. Your eyes sting with unshed tears as you try your hardest to keep yourself from bawling in front of the poor, overworked nurse, even if, at that moment, you felt like your entire life just crumbled right in front of you.

Your mouth goes dry, yet you still try to swallow a lump forming in your throat before you attempt to speak, your voice barely rising above a whisper, "The doctor said his condition was stable." It had to be a mistake. She must have read it wrong.

"I’m sorry, miss, but everything can change in a moment."

Your fingers are now holding the edge of the counter, so you won’t fall to the ground. "I see. Thank you for the information."

You turn away from the young nurse’s apologetic face and take big strides towards the exit because if you walk any slower, your knees will simply give out from underneath you. You can't really see anything through the tears. You bump into the corner of the wall when you take a turn and are not able to make out the first number you press to call. Luckily for you, it's Seth. You hear him say your name and something else, but it all sounds foggy.

"Hi." You manage to squeak out as your throat tightens.

"Are you okay?" His voice is clearer now, but you can't speak the words out loud. Because if you do, then that would mean all of this is true and not a nightmare. "Hey! Speak to me—"

"He’s dead." You get the words out and sink your teeth into your bottom lip to stop it from quivering. "Can you come now? Please."

You don’t know how long it took Seth to get to your current location at one of the many unoccupied benches near the entrance of the hospital, but judging by his short-winded and dishevelled self, standing in front of you, he at least tried to come as quickly as possible. He doesn't say anything as he places a warm cup of what appears to be coffee into your cold hands, yet it fails to provide any warmth. You are freezing from inside, but what you feel is nothing compared to what Marcel’s dead body is feeling, stuffed into the fridge of the hospital’s mortuary. Oh God...

"Why the fuck did you bring that fucking gun to him?!" You scream at Seth, who grows stiff when you throw the coffee to the side in a burst of anger. You regret your outburst almost immediately, putting your face into your hands and letting out a heartbreaking wail. "I'm sorry, Seth! I didn’t mean it! I’m sorry!"

Seth instantly moves to sit beside you, letting you unleash everything in his sweatshirt. The sound coming out of your throat is not human; it's more akin to that of a wounded animal, to the point that it even scares you. You couldn’t believe that you could make that kind of noise. But all that the man does is hum and stroke the back of your head, allowing you to cry your heart out as much as you need.

"When are they giving his body back for the funeral? Do you know?" Seth places his hands in his lap, putting some distance between the two of you after you calmed down. You once again look like two strangers, with the only thing connecting you to one another being the bench you two are sharing at this moment in time.

"In the eyes of the law, I am nothing to him. Only his sister has access to that information."

"Fuck." Seth grunts, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. "That bitch is off the grid! Are they really going to keep his body in the morgue until they reach her? If they reach her?!"

"Yeah, they can keep him for up to a month." You hug yourself, head cast downward. You are fidgeting, not knowing what to do with yourself. "So, I guess that’s it for now. My arms are tied."

Seth sighs. He knows that’s true. There is no need to lie to yourselves. "You’re right. We can’t change anything, so all we can do is wait. Come on, I will drive you home."

"No, it’s fine. I will take the bus. I have a lot on my mind that needs to be sorted out. Thank you, though, for coming and, uh, for the coffee too. I will repay you."

He looks at you for a minute before shaking his head and chuckling.

"Text me when you safely get home."

« « «

You should have accepted the offer from Seth.

It seems that the sky is in a mourning mood as well; what were once cyan-blue clouds have now darkened to decay-black, presaging a storm. The streets are partially empty, too. If you do see other people in your way, then they are scurrying to find shelter before the storm starts. Great idea. You should probably do the same.

You turn your head to look for a shop where you could wait out the storm, but most of the storefronts lining the sidewalk are either closed or not open to the public.

The first drop of rain falls on your flushed cheek and rolls down, plopping on the hot asphalt. You brace yourself mentally to get soaked. Maybe it wouldn’t even be that bad. You could cry your heart out in the rain and no one would see or hear you. But the moment you come to terms with your wettish fate, that’s when you spot an old one-story building, its wooden exterior sticking out amidst the polished, modern architecture like a soar thumb.

LED lights spell out — OCCULT SUPPLIES. TAROT READINGS. SÉANCES — on a sign in the storefront window. Now that it’s darker outside, due to the rain clouds swallowing the mid-afternoon sun, the neon purple glow draws you in like a moth to a flame. You never believed those things, meaning you would never step inside this particular store under normal circumstances. But the second and then the third raindrop falls and you don't even register that you are walking up a few stairs towards the slightly cracked open door.

The bell at the door jingles as you try to inconspicuously step inside, ruining your attempt at a subtle entrance. Startled by the sound, you turn to walk out, but that's when the rain starts pouring buckets, effectively trapping you inside.

A strong waft of incense assaults your nose, making you dizzy from the heady smell, while the ethereal music gives the place a dreamy, calming ambience. Strings of warm-hued lights hang from and illuminate the ceiling while tertiary colour-shaded lamps light the lower parts of the store as well as the merchandise on display. Everything has its place. Crystals, big and small, are placed inside the glass cube displays or poured into little, square, ceramic plates. Spell candles, incense and tarot decks line the wooden counters while dream catchers hang down from the exposed beams — it's cluttered but not messy.

Walking around the shop, you notice that, while it certainly has much to offer in terms of saleable goods, the business lacks clients. The place is completely empty; no one is even sitting behind the cash register.

Just as this thought crosses your mind, an older woman walks from behind the silk brocade curtains.

"Oh! I didn’t hear you come in, dear."

"You are not closed, are you?" You joke, given the deathly silence of the store.

She shakes her head and throws a glance behind you towards the shop's open door, through which the cold gusts of wind carry the tasty smell of petrichor inside.

"We are going to be trapped here for a while. Are you looking for something in particular?"

"Hm? No, I’m not. Um, I was never into this kind of stuff. Just seeking shelter from the rain."

The woman hums and looks you over with a curious eye. You feel exposed under her gaze, fearing she might think you are shoplifting.

Finally, she ends the nerve-racking silence with a question, "Then would you like a reading to pass the time? On the house."

"...sure."

The shop owner opens up the curtain behind her and smiles, letting you know that you can step inside. In the backroom of the store, there is a table with a fringed tablecloth and a few cushioned chairs placed around the round, antique furniture. A single lamp in the middle illuminates the setup while keeping the surrounding area in relative darkness — like a spotlight cast at an actor on stage, making it clear to the audience where their attention should be directed — and guides you to where you should sit.

While you fidget in your seat, the woman takes her place in front of you. She puts her forearms on the clothed table, her palms facing upward. You warily present your own. Her skin is soft as she takes hold of your right hand and the heady lavender incense smell, cloying your senses, helps you put down your defences.

"Our right hand represents all of the characteristics we develop as we age. The left is supplementary." She explains. Her fingers gently graze the middle of your palm, making it tingle. She lifts your hand closer to her face and her thumb brushes over the mound formed at the base of the thumb of your palm. "Your mount of Venus is quite prominent. Your nature is sympathetic, gentle and you are blessed with the ability to find fulfilling romantic relationships." At that observation, you simply hum, not knowing what to say. But it doesn’t seem like the fortune-teller needs a penny for your thoughts. Instead, she turns her attention to the plump mound at the base of your little finger. "Your marriage line is straight and long. It indicates strong and long-lasting love! And it's curved upwards quite a bit too. That’s also a great sign! Reflects consistency in love and marriage." The woman looks you in the eyes and smirks. "You have the perfect groundwork in yourself to live out a fairytale love story if you play your cards right. Tell me, have you found your true love yet?"

You curl your palm into a fist and dig your fingernails into the skin, leaving a few more crescent lines on your skin, and in turn, you close yourself off to the woman. This had to be some sick joke. Some higher-being must be laughing at you with this palmistry nonsense.

"I lost my true love today. No marriage, no happy ever after." Your response is curt and cold.

"Oh, I’m so sorry, dear. I did notice that there is an island mark in the middle of the line. That usually symbolises uncertainty or some kind of interruption. You are still young. There are bound to be at least a few twists and turns in your love life."

"Sorry, but I don’t believe there is another man on this earth for me." You swallow down your hurt, not wanting to cry and burden the poor shopkeeper with your emotional baggage. "I just wish I could have at least said goodbye to him."

"Would you like to talk to him?" The woman lights up, confusing you a bit. Does she get so invested in every client that walks through the door? That must be draining. Then again, she doesn’t seem to get many people through the door…

"Like through an Ouija board? I would rather not. I think it’s bad juju."

"No, I don’t believe in that childish board game nonsense. To really channel the dead, you need a lot of strong, naturally sourced energy, the right invocation and a piece of equipment, of course, through which you can distribute that energy so it can be purposed the way you want. In this case, to create a link with our world and the afterlife."

You hear the thunder blare outside, putting a period after her speech. What did you get yourself into?

The shop owner walks up to a floor-length bookcase lining the room’s walls. Her tan finger softly grazes the jewel-toned linen spines of the hardcovers with the same care they touched your skin during your palm reading. "But we first need a specific incantation. What would your guess be about where your lover went? Heaven," her finger stops at an ethereal sapphire-blue tome and then quickly slides towards a fiery garnet-red facsimile, "or Hell?"

You stare at her, confused and wide-eyed, as you finally snap back to the present and digest her question. You silently point to the ground.

"Are you positive?"

"I love him, but there is no way he got past the pearly gates of Heaven." You shake your head in disapproval when reminded of Marcel's lifestyle prior to his passing and because of the fact that you are actually going through with all of this. You blame it on the grief. "What now?"

She steps to the side and reaches for heavy velvet curtains, pulling them to reveal what you surmise is a portal, although it is more akin to an antique brass mirror frame without the reflective part in the middle. "Now," the woman puts your attention back on herself. "We just need to turn on the portal and wait for the lighting to strike it. As soon as it lights up, read this incantation here while stepping through." She thrusts the weighty book into your hold.

You look at the line in Latin and then back at the woman. "Have you done this before?"

"Only a handful of times, but it works."

Just at that moment, the portal sparks to life, followed by a vicious roar of thunder. You panic while the woman feverishly gestures at the book. With a shaky voice, you croak out the foreign lines and when you are finished, the shopkeeper grabs the book from you and pushes you through the portal.

"Wait! How will I get back? And is it possible to bring him back with me?" The words spill out of your mouth.

"Believe me, they have no need for you there, so they will send you back. And as for the last part, you will have to find out for yourself. But I have a feeling you could figure something out. Good luck bargaining with the devil, dear!"

And with that, you are pushed all the way through the electrified portal. You feel yourself falling, as if you are on a rollercoaster that just plunged down.

Terrified to open your eyes, you hug yourself and simply accept your fate, whatever it may be.

A sudden heat wave washes over you and you choke on the noxious fumes when you try to take a breath. The air is thick and leaves a sulphurous aftertaste at the back of your throat with every intake, but you have no other choice, still needing to sate your very live human lungs.

After what feels like an internity down the Earth’s crust, you finally collide with a hard surface and your eyes snap open from the impact. Your first instinct is to look up and see where you came from. From where you fell.

The sky above is a colour of congealed blood, spilled from all the satanic sacrifices offered through the ages. In the sea of red floats a huge, satanic star sphere, currently obstructed by vermilion streaks of smog, floating around like a personification of the plague. A substitute for the moon, you suppose, as it doesn’t glow like the angelic white core next to it — the glow from it is so lustrous that it illuminates the hellish sky like a sun it does not have. That small pearlescent centre is protected by matching multitudinous rings that themselves are surrounded by wing-like silky clouds. It looks cold and clinical compared to Hell's ambience.

You attempt to push yourself up from your sitting position with the help of your right hand, but the ground underneath is scorching and immediately melts off the flesh of your palm. All of your 'character development' is gone. What is left is a pulsing, meaty mess.

Hissing from the sudden pain, you grab your wrist and, with all of your fate put on the strength of your calves, push yourself up from the ground. Only now that you are standing on your own two wobbly feet, do you finally acknowledge your surroundings at eye level.

Only to find yourself at the dead centre of attention.

You have never felt so petrified and tiny in your entire life. God, you were really in Hell!

In front of you, amongst the rubble and brimstone, stand giant demons with all kinds of features — most notably a spider demon, so nightmarishly tall and furry that your arachnophobe self almost said fuck it and went to scramble for an out, forgetting why she ventured here in the first place. But you quickly gather yourself by directing your attention to its side, where a white-skinned female demon, with bright rosy cheeks matching her red, knee-length dress, looks absolutely flabbergasted at you.

The atmosphere has dried your mouth to the point where your voice comes out painfully raspy.

"Oh, wow, the hellfire is no joke, huh? It’s hot in here." You awkwardly smile at the demoness, fanning yourself with your injured hand to make a point. "I really don’t want to intrude, but you wouldn’t know where I could find Lucifer?"

She gawks at your human presence in silence and then points to your side. You turn your head in that direction to see— oh! He’s... short?

"I’m here to plead a case!" You go straight to the point, turning to face the devil himself, who is very similar to the demoness in appearance. Not that you care much about that. It's not what you are here for. "My boyfriend just got here, not long ago, and I think it’s not his time yet! I would like to bring him back, um, please." You finish off with a smile.

More silence. You guess it’s not a daily occurrence for the living to venture down here of their own volition, if at all.

"And you were sure I would go here?!"

A sudden lightness washes over your whole body when you hear Marcel's voice coming from somewhere in the crowd. You didn't realise how tense you were. Your heart starts to flutter with undescribable longing and you fight the urge to look for him. You will have enough time to kiss and punch him — in that exact order — after you successfully bring his ass back to life. Right now, you’re a woman on a mission.

But Lucifer, like everyone else, is more than taken aback and stays silent. This is so awkward. I hate situations like these. Marcel better be thankful—

"Hey, bitch, you are kind of interrupting something."

You turn your head a little bit and cast your wide-eyed gaze to your side, where black, long, talon-like claws have at some point coiled around your bicep. Before you can fully comprehend what’s happening, you are forcefully turned to face your rude assailant. The tip of your nose brushes against a soft fabric, so you pull back your face a tiny bit and trail your determined gaze upwards, only to lock eyes with a hellish creature. Your knees buckle underneath you, but determination is stronger than fear at the moment. Or maybe you're just suicidal.

"I’m sorry for the interruption, but this will only take a minute." Your words take the horned demon aback. As you turn your attention back towards the most hated being in the whole of creation, who was your only chance at the moment, you resume your plea in hopes Lucifer starts talking soon. It was getting very difficult to breathe. "As I was saying—"

Suddenly, you feel a gust of warm breath tickle your ear, making you shudder. The demon is not done with the conversation, it seems. "What would you do for his soul to be returned?"

"W-what?"

Now both of your biceps are in the creature's hold as he holds you with your back against his front like a human shield. "You heard me."

Was your perseverance not plain to see to these creatures? You went to Hell, for God’s sake! "Anything."

"Hmm, marry me."

"..what?" You whisper under your breath, confounded with wonder if you heard his words correctly or if the pernicious air managed to cause auditory hallucinations in such a short time.

"What?!"

"WHAT?!"

Honestly, you didn't expect a hue and cry from Hell's inhabitants, who are just as surprised as you are at the proposition. Although, their exclamations did confirm you weren't hearing things, presently, that gave little comfort to you. It was the least of your worries. You are more concerned with what the words entail. You did expect a demon to ask for your soul, but not in that way. Marriage?

Your breathing quickens, but you have to stay level-headed. "Will you bring him back to life?"

"No," he shrugs. You inhale, about to respond, but the conniving tone of voice is quicker. "But I won’t snap him out of existence." Your eyes widen when you watch the black claw bend to make a finger gun and slowly move to point at— oh my God, Marcel... "Either he ceases to exist altogether, or he at least gets to live out his miserable afterlife here. Imagine coming all this way only for him to get double-killed..."

Seeing your demon boyfriend being held at a literal finger-gunpoint, you come to realise what a biblical mess you got yourself into by realm-hopping. By trying to meddle with faith, you only made things worse. And you can only blame yourself.

"Adam, what the fuck?!" Finally, the devil talks. His forked tongue spits out his words in unadulterated fury and now you understand why Adam is tugging your fear-stricken and pliant body closer to his soft stomach — he IS using you as a human shield. Confusing because why would Lucifer, the fallen angel himself, be opposed to harming a useless mortal?

Adam leans down next to your ear, his breath hotter than Hell's air itself. "You have three seconds, babe."

Not enough. You need at the very least three business days to wrap your head around all of this. You lock eyes with Marcel again, who is currently being held back by the spider demon from running towards you. Really? Out of all the demons in Hell?! You can't even look at your lover for the last time without your body violently recoiling.

"Listen to me, you have to go home!" Marcel's voice is pleading. Does he really think you would give up on him this easily when you travelled to Hell for him?

"Three."

"Leave! You wouldn’t have brought me back either way! What were you even thinking?!" His words take on a sharper tone out of desperation, but they have little effect on you. You know that, at heart, he's a good guy who never said a bad word to you or, God forbid, raised his voice.

"Two."

There is no time left; a decision has to be made. No result is going to be satisfactory. You have to choose one of the two evils. And based on how Marcel’s face twists in despair and anguish, you know that he understood that you would not be changing your mind. That’s what he found so endearing about you. You never backed down.

"I love you." Marcel stops struggling and all he can do is watch as you make your decision.

"One—"

A tear rolls down your cheek, but when it reaches your chin, the drop has already evaporated.

"Okay."

You feel Adam's body vibrating as he lets out a chuckle. "You should have stayed in the living world, girlie. Ladies, we are retreating back to Heaven!"

Heaven?! This cruel ploy was the work of an angel?

Adam grabs you by the waist and hoists you up, throwing you over his shoulder like you weigh nothing. You probably did weigh less at the moment, because you are pretty sure that your soul has left your body since you heard that the grinning demon behind you was an angel this whole time.

You are amidst turning back to look at the love of your life for the last time, but before you can do so, Adam grabs your face, painfully squishing your cheeks and turning you to look back at him. "Don’t look back now, wifey, or you will turn into a pillar of salt."

His golden wings flare out behind him, ready for takeoff and you tightly shut your eyes as you dig your nails into his purple ecclesiastical vestments.

You should have stayed in the rain and dealt with your grief by crying your heart out. But now Marcel is still dead in Hell and you just gave your soul away to the demonic angel.

#hazbin adam x reader #adam hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel #adam x you #adam x reader #adam hazbin hotel x reader #adam #hazbin hotel adam x reader

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drewdrop7 · 6 months ago

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Summary:Adam wants to marry m!reader and asks him before going to battle the Hazbin Hotties

Warning: sad post

He left a halo shaped hole in my heart

You wake up as the warmth next to you is gone.

“Babe?” You call out.

You open your eyes and the first man is gone. You hear the shower running in the bathroom. You sigh and go lay on his pillow which smells just like him. You let out a yawn as you start to close your eyes once more.

“Hey babes do you know where my robe is?” you hear Adam ask

You open your eyes and look at the brunette. He’s standing there with a towel around his waist and his hair damp. My God does he look like a masterpiece as droplets run down his chest.

“No but you can bring that sexy ass back to bed.” You open your arms to the first man.

“Very tempting but I got to go kill these fuckers. Don’t you remember we moved up the fucking extermination? Gotta get these fucking bitches.” Adam says.

You sigh since you hate when he goes down to hell. You know he’s having some sort of beef with Lucifer’s daughter but you hoped for once he didn’t have to go with the exterminators. For once you wish he’d let Lute take charge and stay in heaven with you. You know your boyfriend is strong but always fear for his safety.

“Let me iron it before you go.” You get out of bed.

You are just wearing shorts and no shirt. Adam loves seeing you shirtless. He always tells you how divine your body is.

“fuck yeah that’s my sexy house husband.” Adam says before slapping your ass.

You look at him before pointing at your ringless finger.

“If you are going to call me your husband you better put a ring on it.” you inform him.

Adam grabs your hand and kisses it. He looks into your eyes lovingly.

“Babes you know I want to fucking marry you. You want to be the first man’s first husband? You going to claim the OG dick?” Adam asks

“First husband? Baby I’m going to be your only husband.” You smile at your boyfriend.

Sometimes you think he’s ridiculous but he’s yours and you wouldn’t want him any other way.

“How about when I come back we make it official?” Adam asks giving you that dashing smile of his.

“Wait, are you being serious Adam?” You ask shocked

“Fuck babe I want to marry you. Just say yes.” Adam says holding your hands in his.

He looks at you with those beautiful golden eyes. You can see worry flash his eyes since you are taking a second to process he wants to marry you. After two failed marriages he was ready for hopefully the last marriage.

“Yes Adam. I will marry you.” you answer before kissing his worries away.

He holds you close and deepens the kiss. His hands roam your body and you pull away. You wish you can stay in his arms all day.

“I’m going to iron your robe right now. Faster you finish down in hell the faster I get to marry you.” you smile at him

He gives you one more quick kiss before letting you go. You iron his robe happily making sure there is no wrinkles. Adam stands by watching you. He has a huge smile on his face. Adam has never had a healthy relationship until you. He thinks he finally got it right. He can’t wait to get back to you.

“okay all good. I love you Adam.” you smile at him.

“I love you too (y/n) so fucking much. I’ll show you how much when I come back. I promise” he said smirking

You smile and peck his lips and let him get ready. You plan on having a nice meal ready for him when he comes back since he’s always hungry when he returns.

After a few hours you are waiting for Adam. He should have been home already. You sigh and turn off the candles you lit. You run your hand through your hair. You hear a rapid banging at the door. That’s not Adam because he’ll usually slam open the door and make the most theatric entrance every time. You are so confused but you go and open it. You see a distraught Lute there. She’s missing an arm and you see blood on her. You have never seen fear in her eyes until today.

“Lute? what’s wrong? where’s Adam?” you ask looking around confused.

Then you notice it.His halo in her hand. Your heart sinks and you feel sick to your stomach.

“No.” you gasp

“I’m sorry, I-I let him down. That demon came out of nowhere.” Lute said tearing up.

You fall to the ground and let out the most heart breaking cry. Your one true love, he’s gone. You were suppose to marry that man. Lute looks at you and bends down to hug you. She promised Adam she’d look after you as he was dying. That’s why he smiled at her because he knew she’d keep her promise.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel adam #m!reader #male reader #adam x reader #hazbin #adam x male reader

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odyssean-flower · 8 months ago

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The Winding Path of Fate Chapter 12 first part

honestly im not even gonna say when the chapter is gonna be ready anymore...it'll be done when it's done...

anyways here's the first part. It's unbetaed but hopefully it compels/entertains you in some way as I finish the chapter up

“My dear Iudex, are my eyes deceiving me, or is that a smile on your face?”

Neuvillette raised his gaze from the documents spread out before him. Furina was standing on the other side of his desk. Of course, he had heard her enter his office before she even spoke, but he was so used to her unannounced intrusions these days that he treated it as a part of his daily routine now. I only hope that she makes this quick. I have a rather heavy agenda today, and I would like to return home before dark.

Furina leaned over his desk, her heterochromatic eyes eagerly scanning the desk for some sort of incriminating evidence to grab onto. Of course, she found none. Neuvillette wasn’t so foolish that he would make such a careless mistake.

“Hmph, I didn’t know that paperwork could inspire such a joyous expression on one’s face. What a contrast you make with the Gestionnaires outside your door! You really must get out more.”

“Indeed, I have, thanks to your urging. I believe you’ve already read the note I left you.”

“Ah, yes, that sorry excuse for a note,” Furina sniffed. “‘Will be away for a day due to personal reasons.’ No mention of where you’re going or who you’ll be with.”

“I see no reason why I should have included either of those things. I followed all the necessary protocol for requesting leave, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

“Oh, I am. But Neuvillette, aren’t you getting tired of constantly having to avoid my questions and fend me off every single day? You know exactly what I want, why won’t you give it to me? Are you truly intending to keep doing this forever?”

“And you know very well that I will not change my position on this matter. There is no need for you to get involved in my marriage, nor do you have the right.”

Furina and Neuvillette glared at each other silently for a while. Throughout this week, she had constantly needled, badgered, and pestered him in an attempt to fish for any information about his day off, but he remained an immovable stone wall. He knew that revealing anything to her would only pour fuel on the fire, so to speak. Knowing her nature, he doubted she would let this go any time soon, but he could at least not give her any openings to pounce onto.

“No right to get involved in your marriage, huh,” Furina repeated, arching an eyebrow. “Don’t forget that you have me to thank for it. Would you have ever even considered marrying this woman if it weren’t for me?”

Neuvillette did not say anything. They both knew the answer to that question.

“Even so, I do not owe you anything,” he said with a firm tone that signaled the end of their talk. “Now then, Furina, allow me to get back to my work.”

“Fine,” Furina said with a toss of her head. “It looks like I’ll be visiting you again tomorrow.”

“Please do so during my coffee break.”

Furina spun on her heel and was about to stride away when she suddenly turned around again. “You know, Neuvillette, I just don’t understand why you won’t let me meet the person who clearly brought you so much joy.”

Neuvillette narrowed his eyes at her. “I believe we were done here?”

Furina put her hand to her heart and made an expression of exaggerated joy. “How heartless! I do hope your wife never sees this side of you.”

He watched her until she left his office and the doors closed behind her. Letting out a heavy sigh, his gaze drifted to the misty painting hanging at the side of his office, almost by instinct. This was also something that had also become a daily routine for him.

He wondered what the painter was doing now. Around this time, you were sure to be in the garden, devoting all your attention to the sunflowers.

Were you waiting for him to come home? He hoped you weren’t. It looked like he would be returning late today. Well, to be honest, he usually returned home late at night, but now with you as his wife, it would be terribly uncouth of him as your husband to come home too late. In addition, he found that his willingness to work into the late hours had decreased considerably. Still, there were times when he truly had no other choice.

But, there was a small part of him that would very much like it if you did wait for him.

Neuvillette did not know what to make of this new development in his feelings. He examined it, turning it over in his head as one would do with a particularly interesting-looking rock or seashell, then put it away for later. He needed to concentrate on getting through the stack of paperwork on his desk if he wanted to leave work earlier.

But before that…

His hand moved to his desk drawer, which contained a recently-delivered envelope. It was a stroke of good fortune that it had been delivered before Furina’s visit. He’d never hear the end of that if she saw its contents.

He opened the envelope and took out a stack of newly-developed photos. He flipped through them until he reached the photo of a young woman standing stiffly in front of an azure-blue willow tree. His finger idly stroked the edge of the picture. The colors were so vivid and crisp that he felt as though he could reach into the photo and touch the ribbon of your hat or the soft fabric of your sleeve.

It was strange. You were not a particularly cheerful or spirited person, but when he was with you, his heart felt lighter, freer. Not to the extent of forgetting himself or his responsibilities, of course, but… Was this what Furina meant by the “joys of matrimony”?

He couldn’t say he disliked it.

He carefully put the photos back in the envelope. What sort of face would you make when he showed them to you? Or when he showed you the other surprise he had for you? Would you smile at him once again? Would you take his hand in yours? A feeling of anticipation filled his heart. Unconsciously, his fingers brushed against his cheek.

The sunflowers were coming along nicely. They now reached the height of your hip and formed small, tightly closed buds. There were no yellow petals peeking through yet, but you were confident that they would appear in the coming weeks.

You brushed your fingers against the leaves. They were the size of your palm now. You could see little bug bites dotting them. Perhaps you should ask Marie if there were any pesticides on hand.

It was evening now, though the sun was still in the sky. Neuvillette should be back by now. Maybe he had a lot of work today? You couldn’t help but feel a sting of disappointment. You had been looking forward to showing him the buds. Was Furina pestering him again?

It had been a week since the date. Neuvillette had sent the photos out to be developed, and you would be getting them today. You were a bit excited to see them. I don’t think I’ve ever taken so many pictures in my life.

After you finished taking the last measurements, you returned to the house and went up to your room. Your eyes automatically went to the plump azure flower tucked into a vase on your desk. It brought a vibrant splash of color to your elegant but sparse room, and you liked looking at it. It gave you a sense of pleasure. You wondered where Neuvillette put his flower.

I wonder if it will deflate like a balloon if I stuck a pin into the middle, you thought as you sniffed the flower’s cool fragrance. That would make it easier to press, wouldn’t it?

Perhaps it was because you talked about pressing flowers on the date, but it had been on your mind lately. Your fingers itched for your old flower press, sitting in your closet back home. The lily would look striking against a white page. If only you picked some of those wildflowers you had seen on Erinnyes and in Merusea Village... they could serve as accompaniment to the lily, which would obviously be the centerpiece, and a strand of blue leaves from the Weeping Willow could be the finishing touch, forming a wreath that framed everything neatly. It would be a beautiful memento of one of the most beautiful days in your life.

It was strange. Even though your days went on like usual after the date, you felt a little different. A little lighter. Reinvigorated, if you had to describe it in a single word. Your childhood hobbies, which you once considered frivolous and backwards, beckoned to you once more.

For a long time now, you felt like you were barely holding yourself up by the sheer force of will, like a sunflower with shallow roots and a too-heavy head, in need of a support to stand tall and erect. Well, now you did have one.

I guess this is what marriage all about. Two people supporting each other for life. Although, it is rather one-sided in our case.

You bit your lip. It was irrational, you knew. Neuvillette was the powerful and respected Iudex, while you were an impoverished baron’s daughter from the countryside. Your presence in his house was proof of just how much more you relied on him than the other way around. You knew that Neuvillette didn’t expect anything from you, which only made you even more determined to do something for him.

You despised the feeling of owing someone. You hated having to completely depend on someone. That was one of the many reasons why you chose your career path.

But more than that…

Neuvillette’s distraught face flashed through your mind. Though you only saw it once, you never wanted to see that look on his face again.

Neuvillette finally returned home by the time the sky was dark. You had already eaten dinner without him and was reading in the parlor when you heard the front door open.

“Neuvillette,” you called out to him as you went into the foyer. “You came home so late. Did something happen?”

As you approached him, you thought that he looked a bit fatigued, but the tiredness in his face seemed to vanish as he fixed his eyes on you.

“Madame,” he greeted you. “My apologies for worrying you. I had a rather busy agenda today. I hope you’ve already eaten dinner?”

“I have. But have you eaten as well? If not, I can warm up the leftovers for you, or I can ask Marie to cook something fresh if that’s what you prefer.”

“No need for that. I’ve already eaten. But there is something else I want to talk about,” Neuvillette paused. It took you a moment to realize that he was doing it for dramatic effect. So even he has that side to him...how cute, you thought, trying to hide your smile. “I was able to receive the developed photos today.”

He took out an envelope from his coat pocket and handed it to you. “They turned out quite well, I must say,” he added.

The envelope was thick and heavy. You must have taken more than a hundred photos.

You decided to look through them in the parlor. Neuvillette followed you, and the two of you sat side by side on the couch as you spread the photos out on the coffee table. Neuvillette was right, they did turn out well. You had been a bit worried that they might come out blurry or at odd angles, but overall, they all looked pretty good, considering the fact that you hadn’t used a Kamera in a long time.

“You have a very good eye for photography, Madame,” Neuvillette remarked as he picked up a photo of the Weeping Willow. “Have you considered pursuing a career in that field?”

“Oh, not at all. My old drawing teacher was much better at it than me, enough to make a living out of it, and she taught me a few tricks.”

“‘Was’? Do you mean...” Neuvillette trailed off.

“Yes. It was a few years ago.”

“Ah...I see. I'm sorry to hear that.”

There was a brief, awkward silence. Neuvillette looked as though he wanted to say something more. You would rather not deal with that, so your eyes roamed around the scattered photos on the table before they landed on something silver. “Oh, my pictures of you!” you said, leaning forward to grab them. “See, what did I tell you, Neuvillette. There’s nothing more picturesque than beautiful scenery and a handsome man.”

Neuvillette leaned closer towards you to examine the photos for himself. His hair brushed against your shoulder, and you could feel the heat of his body against your arm. A thought suddenly struck you. If you turned your head right now, your lips would brush against his cheek in the same spot where you had kissed it before.

Inexplicably, your face turned warm at the thought. The back of your hand tingled.

Perhaps things didn’t quite remain the same after the date.

It truly had been a spur of the moment move. Your roiling emotions, aided by the instigation of the Melusines, had pushed you to do it.

Later that night, as you laid in bed, your mind replaying that scene over and over to an infuriating degree, you had rifled through all the emotions you had felt at that time. Embarrassment, disbelief, a strange sort of elation…

But the one emotion that had been missing no matter how hard you searched for it, was regret.

Overt acts of affection had never been your forte, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

Well, cheek kisses don’t inherently mean anything significant, you had told yourself. Friends do it with each other all the time. And Neuvillette is my friend. A very dear friend. So it’s perfectly fine. Case closed.

Indeed, Neuvillette didn’t seem to look at you or treat you any differently after the fact, so why should you? No doubt he was used to receiving such acts of intimacy—most likely even more intimate—from people who were far more glamorous than you. A brief brush of lips against his cheek probably meant nothing to him.

As for the hand kiss, well, that was something that gentlemen like him did. It also didn’t mean anything. It couldn’t.

The thought that these kisses were all meaningless did sting a little bit, but considering the circumstances, you had no right to complain.

“I must confess that I do not see what makes these pictures any better than the ones you took of the scenery,” Neuvillette’s voice interrupted your thoughts. His eyes were fixed on the photo, so thankfully he didn’t notice your reddened cheeks. “Or of the Melusines, for that matter.”

“Well, even if you don’t appreciate them, I do. I’ll treat them like a family treasure.”

“A family treasure? That’s a bit excessive, is it not?”

“I don’t think so. These are pretty rare items, aren’t they?”

Since Neuvillette didn’t appear in public much, there were not many pictures of him outside of the rare interview and official events. Hmm, I wonder how much they’ll sell for? Not that I would ever do that, of course. …Well, maybe if I’m in dire financial straits. I’ll ask for Neuvillette’s permission beforehand if it ever comes to that.

You went through the remaining photos. Each one sparked a memory. The Weeping Willow, the sea, Merusea Village underwater—you really had been to all of those places. With Neuvillette, no less. The entirety of that day was only known to the two of you.

The days after your date had been so mundane and normal that you were half-convinced that it had all been a strange dream. Thoughts and memories were such mutable things, after all. Someone like you on a date with the Chief Justice? Not even in your wildest delusions would something like that ever happen. But these pictures were proof that it did.

You knew that you would probably think back on that day for the rest of your life, holding it close to your chest like a treasured gemstone and taking it out whenever times got tough. A sparkling memory of your youth that you would smile back fondly upon in your autumn years, a lone glimmering star in the dark that would inspire you move forward…

Wait, why am I getting so sappy and sentimental? Just because of a date? Ugh, come on now.

You glanced at Neuvillette, who was currently enjoying a glass of water (imported from Inazuma). You doubted that he felt the same way as you about the date. It was probably just like a drop of water in a vast ocean to him.

That thought pricked at you, but you chose to ignore it.

You sifted through the pictures until you came across a certain snapshot. Just as you were about to flip it over, a gloved finger pressed down against the photo, stopping you.

“This one is my favorite,” Neuvillette said. Once again, his face was right next to yours, but you couldn’t read his expression.

“Because you were the one who took it?”

“No,” he said, then turned his head towards you. “Because it’s of you.”

“Neuvillette…” you said after a short silence. You fidgeted with your reddened fingertips. “I don’t understand how you can say things like that with such a straight face.”

“Is it truly so strange?” Neuvillette looked perplexed. “I was simply saying my true feelings. And it is not as though you have refrained from such comments either.”

“You do have a point,” you conceded, although that still didn’t mean it didn’t catch you off guard. You turned your attention back to the photo of you. To be honest, it didn’t turn out half bad. Sure, you looked incredibly stiff and awkward and your hair was a mess and you had no idea what you were thinking when you matched that sweater with that skirt, but…it could have turned out worse.

“May I keep this photo?” Neuvillette asked.

“Of course, but what will you do with it? Surely you aren’t going to put it on your office desk or anything, right?”

“No, of course not. I would put it in a drawer, so I may take it out and look at it whenever I like.”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Is it so wrong for a husband to want to look at a picture of his wife every once in a while? Many of the Palais staff also keep pictures of their loved ones on their desks. Why shouldn’t I?” Neuvillette paused for a little bit before adding, “And it would be one way for me to see your face more often, considering how I don’t get many chances of that during the day.”

“Hmm…very well, then,” you didn’t quite get why he would want to see more of your face, but if it made him happy, then you supposed there was nothing to complain about. Neuvillette is actually quite good at this kind of thing, you thought to yourself. Just imagine what it would be like when he gets married to someone he loves.

Now you really felt bad about your (hypothetical) future plans about selling Neuvillette’s photos. I’m an insensitive boor compared to him.

You reached the last of the photos. It was the one of you and Neuvillette standing in front of the sunset.

“You made two copies for the both of us,” you said as you looked at them. “How thoughtful.”

As you gazed at the pictures, you couldn’t help but feel a complex mixture of emotions. There was a surrealness to this photo that the others lacked. If this were a novel, this would be the point where you would wake up and return to reality after discovering something out of place in your life. No matter how you looked at it, you and Neuvillette were mismatched. Two people who were only brought together because of a weird quirk of fate.

But on the other hand…it was a beautiful photo. You had been somewhat worried that the two of you wouldn’t be centered in the frame, but it turned out well. The sunset made for a lovely backdrop. Even though both of you were looking very stiff, and neither of you were smiling.

You remembered that moment clearly. In those few minutes, you felt as light as a feather, like there was nothing tying you to the ground.

Would you ever feel that way again?

“I’m also very fond of this one,” Neuvillette said next to you. When you turned your head, you saw that he was not looking at the photos, but at you. It was then that you realized you were smiling. For some reason, you turned your head away.

“I just realized something,” you said, to cover up the awkward moment. “I’ve taken so many pictures, but I’ve got nowhere to put them all.”

“Ah, about that,” there was an excitement, subdued but present, in his voice. He sounded the same as he did when he introduced you to some new exotic variety of water. “I have a surprise for you. Please, come with me to my study.”

A surprise from Neuvillette? You had an inkling as to what it could be, but that didn’t stop you from putting all the photos back in the envelope and following him upstairs to his study, a domain you had yet to step into. It was a smaller version of his office at the Palais Mermonia, with its large desk, soft rugs, and tall bookshelves that lined the walls. There was also a fireplace here and a cozy-looking couch.

As Neuvillette went to take something out of a cabinet, you covertly examined the shelves. They were mainly filled with books on law, human psychology, history (most of which you’ve already read, having borrowed them from the library), and other similarly serious topics. Oddly enough, you spotted a few children’s picture books. Gifts from the Melusines? Or for entertaining them whenever they visit?

“Madame, here it is,” Neuvillette said, and you walked over to the desk, where there was a large, leather-bound album with metal corners.

“Oh, Neuvillette, you shouldn’t have!” you exclaimed, flipping through the album. There should be just enough space to put all the pictures from your date in it. You looked up to thank him, but was met with the sight of Neuvillette taking out yet another album from the cabinet. This one was wider, with a ribbon tied into a neat bow on the spine. Perhaps Neuvillette bought a second album, just in case the first one wouldn’t fit all of your pictures?

But, as though to dash all reasonable explanations, Neuvillette took out another album from the cabinet, then another. It seemed never-ending, this deluge of albums. After a while, it became sort of funny, like a comedy sketch. You watched, open-mouthed, as the desk became covered with albums of all shapes and sizes.

Finally, after the tenth one, the deluge stopped. Neuvillette looked at you expectantly. “Well, Madame, which one do you prefer?”

“Wait a minute, let me get this right,” you said, backing up a step and surveying the desk. “You bought all these albums just for me to choose one?”

“Yes, I did,” Neuvillette said, nodding as though this was a perfectly normal thing to do. Was this how the minds of the wealthy worked? It was beyond your comprehension. “I was unsure which one would be most to your liking, so I decided to buy them all.”

“Oh, Neuvillette, you really shouldn’t have…” you said. “This is too excessive. Why didn’t you ask me to come with you when you went shopping? And you know I’d like anything you picked out for me.”

“I wanted it to be a surprise…” Neuvillette said. He looked a bit deflated, and you felt bad.

“Can you return them?”

“It would be highly inconvenient for the shopkeeper if I did so,” Neuvillette said, then added in an abashed tone, “And I was told that all sales are final.”

“How unfortunate,” you looked down at the desk again. Was it possible for anyone to fill up all these albums in their lifetime? Maybe if they had a lifespan as long as Neuvillette’s. “Maybe they could make an exception for the Iudex?”

“I would rather not use my position in such a manner.”

“Well then, how about we give them away?”

“Give them away…” Neuvillette considered your words. “I-I suppose that could work… it is a reasonable idea. Yes, quite reasonable indeed.”

Neuvillette…if only you could see the look on your face right now. He looked like a kicked puppy. However, you decided to hold your tongue.

“Hmm, on second thought, it would be quite rude of me to give away presents from my generous husband,” you said. “I’ll keep them all. Thank you, Neuvillette.”

You patted his hand. He looked down at your hand on top of his, his eyes unreadable. He lightly brushed his fingers against your own.

“You need not force yourself to accept them if you do not want them,” he said quietly.

“But I do want them. They’re from you, after all. We’ll just have to take plenty more photos to get your money’s worth.”

“‘We?’”

“Yes, ‘we.’ Did you expect me to fill up these albums all on my own?”

“Certainly, it would be more efficient if we worked together,” Neuvillette nodded to himself. “Very well, then, Madame. I will assist you in this endeavour.”

With that settled, you decided to put the date photos in the first brown leather album. It had a vintage look to it that you liked.

“It’s getting late, Madame. You should be going to bed soon,” Neuvillette informed you.

“What about you?” Neuvillette didn’t seem to be making any moves to retire for the night just yet.

“There are a few more matters that I need to take care of, but do not worry, it won’t take very long.”

“Okay then,” you nodded, stepping towards the door. But just as you were about to leave the study, a thought suddenly struck you. “Oh, by the way, Neuvillette.”

“Yes, Madame?”

“Has Lady Furina been bothering you about…about me lately?”

Neuvillette blinked. He was silent for a moment before speaking. “She has. But it’s nothing for you to worry about. I’m quite used to handling her.”

“But…”

“There is no need to worry, Madame. She will never need to know about you,” Neuvillette’s tone was firm. “I will do my utmost to make sure it stays that way.”

“…Alright,” you said, but it wasn’t relief that flooded your heart. “Good night, Neuvillette.”

“Good night, Madame.”

You closed the study door quietly behind you.

#neuvillette x reader #the winding path of fate

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dira333 · 3 months ago

Text

The Road Not Taken - part 18

Shibi x female reader with a name - arranged marriage

Summary: Airi Nara seems a hopeless case, until her grandmother sets her up for an arranged marriage. But was marrying Shibi Aburame the right choice after all?

Masterlist ; Character sheet (now with Natsu)

Taglist open if you want to be added

As hard as it is, you have to change some things.

You cut your hours at the hospital even more, down to one day per week that you use to train someone as your replacement.

With the help of Shibi and Chiasa the entirety of the Aburame Clan is informed about the regular hours you will take patients, making sure that you have enough rest each day even if an emergency should occur.

The last part is the hardest.

You sit down Iruka, cry silent tears the whole time you’re explaining what’s going on.

“It’s okay,” he promises, grown so much in the few months he’s been a teacher now. “It’s okay.”

But it’s not, you can’t help but think.

Naruto deserves so much more than he’s getting and you’ll never be able to give him all you want to give.

Explaining it to him seems a little easier, though who knows how much of it he understands right now.

“You can always come over,” you promise. “Have Dinner with us whenever you and Iruka feel like it, okay?”

Curiously, the boy touches the swell of your stomach.

“There’s something growing inside?” He asks, clearly confused.

“Yes. A girl. Her name’s going to be Natsu. Torune picked that name.”

“Natsu.” Naruto grins. “That’s a cool name. Hey Natsu, you need to get out of there fast, so that we can play together.”

You politely decline Yori’s next invitation for lunch, delivering the overdue news of your pregnancy through Shibi.

For a whole week everything turns blissfully silent on her end. It’s clear that she’s mad. As a Clan elder you should have informed her earlier, but you can’t feel guilty. It has become clear that you need to limit contact.

Her next invitation comes through Shikaku, his tired eyes telling you more than his words.

“Don’t agree to it,” he follows up. “I didn’t tell you that if anyone asks, but you really need to rest. I can see how much good it has been doing so far.”

Natsu chooses that moment to kick you and you flinch.

“I’m not sure if the baby agrees or disagrees with you, but I’m not in the position to waddle all the way to the Nara compound anyway. Not in this heat at least.”

Shikaku grins. “I’ll let her know. If she wants to see you, she’ll have to come over during business hours.”

“Something like that. I’m sure Shibi will be delighted to see her again.”

The door opens, Torune peaking through.

“Hey,” you smile, waving him over, “You’re home already? Come here.”

“I don’t want to disturb.”

“Nonsense,” Shikaku straightens a little, watching him with a smile. “Airi mentioned you’re showing great progress. Have you ever played Go?”

“A little,” he admits, leaning into you now, careful not to touch you with any bare skin. “Shino showed me.”

“Great. Are you up to a game? Your mother always gets distracted.”

Torune blushes a little at that, like he always does when someone calls you his mother. But he slides into the chair next to you, leaning close as he plays.

Soon, he’s going to be signed onto missions, gone for days or weeks on end. You don’t want to think about it, want him close a little while longer.

“What do you think about going to the Onsen on the weekend?” You ask when the first game ends and Shikaku sets up the next. “Just the two of us?”

Torune smiles. “I’d love that.”

-.- Shibi -.-

Natsu is going to be born in the winter.

With everything else going on, the renovations aren’t going to be done in time for her birth but he agrees with you that next spring is going to be just as well.

After all, he still remembers how tiny Shino had been those first months, the crib too big for him.

Still, planning everything is taking a toll and he’s starting to understand why you left that to him, going to the Onsen with Torune instead.

“Do you want to have your bedroom downstairs?” He asks Shino, going through the sketches. “We could have you and Torune sleep downstairs. Natsu could take your room and Torune’s room turns back into an office.”

Shino considers that for a moment. “Someone has to sleep downstairs, right?”

“Yes,” Shibi nods. “Someone will have to sleep downstairs.”

“Natsu should sleep downstairs. Why? I had my room first,” Shino begins, stubbornness audible in his voice. A knock on the door cuts him off before Shibi can do so.

“We’ll talk about that,” he tells his son before making it over to the door, surprised to see Yori standing there.

“I am here to visit my great grandchild,” she announces with that air of arrogance Shibi has always disliked.

“Shino,” he calls for his son. “Your grandm-”

“Not-” Yori’s face turns red with barely concealed rage. “Your unborn child. My great grandchild.”

“Ah.” He doesn’t move and confusion appears on her features.

“Well? Aren’t you going to let me in?”

“No.”

“What’s that supposed-”

“You are not welcome here,” he tells her with the authority of a Clan Head and a Shinobi, stepping forward and closing the door behind him, keeping this conversation from Shino’s ears. “Until you change your ways. You are belittling my wife and you are belittling my Clan. Your great grandchild will be raised as the Aburame it is and as you don’t seem comfortable around insects, I suspect you should cut your losses now.”

“It will be half Nara-”

“So?” Shibi stares her down. “This child will know that it is loved and cherished. If you cannot do that, you are not wanted here. Goodbye.”

“You cannot do that!”

“Watch me.” He closes the door in her face this time.

The Aburame Clan might often be forgotten, but they have learned to turn the tables.

Your cheeks are glowing when you return, Torune’s just as pink as he trudges next to you up the stairs, hair mussed and limbs loose.

“Was it nice?” Shibi asks, hugging Torune and kissing you as long as his children’s watchful eyes allow.

“Very,” you beam before flinching. “But Natsu’s just as energetic as ever.”

“I am beginning to think she wants more attention. Why? She only kicks when we’re seemingly forgetting about her.”

“That could be true,” you agree with a grimace, rubbing a hand over your stomach. “Though she could be a little nicer about it. Are you guys hungry? I think we’re going to take a quick nap before Dinner.”

“Rest,” he agrees, kissing you again even though Shino’s already groaning in the background. “I’ll prepare the food.”

-.- Airi -.-

Kaede Aburame is born on a sunny morning in September, your legs numb from being up for hours.

Toshiko’s sweaty and teary-eyed, thanking you profusely as you hand her her second child.

“Look at him, oh, look at him Kenji,” she whispers, sinking into her husband’s chest as he brushes a single finger over Kaede’s plump cheeks.

And it’s not your first birth but it hits different this time.

Maybe because it’s Toshiko, who’s quickly turned into your best friend, who’s your sister in law and so much more, or Natsu’s birth drawing closer.

You long for Shibi’s hand to hold, surprised to step him into the room only half an hour later.

“Muta is awake,” he announces quietly, Torune and a sleepy Shino by his side. “The elders will be here soon.”

Shino cuddles into you, arms wrapping around your torso to press his face against the swell of your stomach, a greeting you’ve grown accustomed to.

“The Ritual,” you guess and Shibi nods, leaning into brush his lips across your cheek in greeting.

“You can go home if you need to rest,” he offers quietly but you shake your head. “I am fine. I want to be here.”

“It’s my first time attending too,” Torune admits just as Shino nods as well. “Mine too.”

“Oh?”

“They’re family,” Shibi explains briefly. “Family members should always be present if possible, each of them offering one of their own insects to the new host.”

“So Kaede could become host to any of the insects that are present?”

“Or a different one,” Torune adds quietly. “My father’s and my Rinkaichū were not part of our family before.”

You want to ask more, but the Elders arrival disrupts the bubble of calmness you had occupied.

Soon enough, you find yourself pressed against the wall in the small room, Torune to your left and Shino to your right, both boys holding your hands.

Toshiko’s resting, watching Kaede who’s being offered as a host, alone, in the middle of the room.

You can’t help but think of yourself in her position.

Soon you will be, watching as Natsu is presented, your family members surrounding you and the baby.

You wonder if Toshiko is afraid. Does she think about the possibility of Kaede taking to Torune’s Rinkaichū? Becoming a host that cannot be touched?

Are you afraid?

You squeeze Torune’s hand at the thought and he squeezes back as if he knows what you’re thinking.

Then, all of a sudden, Kaeda squirms, letting out a wail. Just a few steps away, Kenji lets out a sigh and Muta, usually so calm, presses his hands against his mouth, breaking his posture.

You want to ask but you don’t dare to break the tense Silence, don’t dare to step forward even as Kaede starts to cry.

Anxious, you watch as Shibi eventually moves forward, picks up the baby and delivers it to Toshiko’s arms.

“The Ritual is complete. Kaede has become host to the Shōkaichū.”

“That’s Muta’s kind, Mom.” Shino explains as Muta crosses the distance, settling next to his mother, reaching for his little brother. “I wonder if he’s proud.”

“Would you be proud?” You ask. “If Natsu got your kind?”

Shino considers that for a moment. “I don’t really want to share,” he eventually admits and you can’t help but bark out a laugh.

“You’d only have to give them two, though.” Torune points out. “They will take it from there. They’d be your Kikaichū’s children.”

“I’m to young to be a father,” Shino points out and you’re fighting the laughter that wants to spill out.

“What’s so funny?” Shibi asks, walking over.

Instead of answering you move to kiss him.

Later, when you’ve rested and the two of you are alone, you will tell him that you can’t wait. Just a bit longer and he’ll hold Natsu, will present her like he did with Kaede. You can’t wait for him to meet his daughter.

Snow comes early this year.

A thick white blanket covers the Aburame Compound, weighing down your steps as you make the distance to check in on Kaede, Shino sometimes traveling after you.

Muta’s often training with Torune, but his free time is now filled with looking after his little brother, so Shino responds accordingly, watching his youngest cousin with curious eyes.

“Is Natsu going to do this too?” He asks often, when Kaede burps or ends up covered in spit up.

He doesn’t seem to mind though, Kaede’s quiet character making him easy to love.

Shino’s old crib gets refurnished, Naruto almost making enemies when he proposes to paint it a bright orange on one of his visits.

The world outside has fallen into an almost peaceful slumber, the mission count going down in both risk and quantity.

You’re almost ready to burst by the time it’s ready for the yearly celebration of Konoha’s founding, but this time you get there early, stuffing yourself on the buffet next to Chouza while Shibi talks to the Clan Heads he needs to talk to alone.

“When is it due?” Chouza asks over Yakitori. You’ve begun to eat meat when you’re eating out, at least until the baby is here. Your iron levels have thanked you.

“In two weeks,” you tell him, flinching when Natsu kicks. “She’s ready to get out.”

“Ah,” Chouza nods. “An overeager one. Now, I know, Shikamaru took his sweet time coming out, but I still remember how we felt safe knowing Chouji’s due date was still a few weeks away only to have him surprise us a few days later. The little guy just wanted to taste real food, I’m sure.”

You laugh.

“I am keeping an eye on it, but her position isn’t right yet.”

“Ah,” Chouza smiles. “Like that would stop a determined baby.”

“Aburame-san!” Takeo Lee interrupts you at that moment, stepping closer. “My, how you’ve changed. Have I told you about my grandson before? Let me show you some pictures.”

Shibi’s quiet on the way home.

The peace outside of Konoha’s walls doesn’t seem to bring piece to the inside. The tension between some Clan’s is stifling and you wonder if he’d like to talk about it.

He hasn’t, so far. You know it’s safer for you that way, but you wish you could take those worries away from him, if just for one second.

“Do you wanna take a bath?” You ask, despite the late hour and the fact that you both showered in the morning. “I want to hold you.”

Shibi stops on the stairs, emotions flickering over his face before he nods.

It’s a quiet thing, these moments between you, the warm water kissing your skin with every movement

Shibi’s hands find your stomach, protective even when his mind is muddled. You draw a path into the mess of his hair, scratching his scalp softly.

“In case I haven’t told you yet, I am so so so glad that I got to marry you,” you tell him in the dim light of the bathroom. “You are the love of my life.”

The next morning brigns a fresh wave of snow, the paths the boys shoveled yesterday no longer visible.

You send them all of with a kiss and a Bento Box, too restless to read yet not willing to step outside and make the short trek to Toshiko for second breakfast.

You change the sheets on all the beds, fluff up more pillows for the living room and the master bedroom before finally lowering into the bathtub with chocolate and the book you’ve been wanting to read.

Five minutes in you realize something’s wrong.

Natsu’s coming, but she’s still not turned the right way.

You try to get out of the bathtub, panicking. This isn’t the moment to be left alone.

But the water has made everything slippery and you almost crash onto the tiles, catching yourself at the last minute.

“Breathe,” you tell yourself, “Breathe. You’re a doctor. You can do this.”

Dressing yourself in a towel you go through the options you have.

You can’t very well perform a C-Section on yourself, so you will have to try and turn her. You’ve only done that once before, the theory of it still in your mind even though the process hadn’t been successful back then.

“Who can help?” You mutter before realizing the obvious, creating a Shadow Clone. “Get dressed and get Chiasa. Tell her I’m giving birth and I need her help.”

Natsu is unwilling to move, her stubbornness already reminding you of Shino.

Chiasa’s calling your name from the hallway and you never felt as relieved to hear her voice than today.

“Bathroom,” you call out weakly. She enters without knocking, something you would have hated on every day but today.

She takes one look before crouching down next to you, pressing a hand to your stomach.

“She won’t turn,” you explain, fighting against another panicked sob. “I can perform a C-Section if you help, but-”

“She’s an Aburame,” Chiasa cuts you off. “She will listen. Why? It is in her blood.”

“What’s that supposed to-” The baby’s movement cuts you off. Whatever Chiasa is doing seems to work.

“Even though she is not a host yet,” Chiasa explains calmly and this time, just for your sake, your sure, “Natsu is already responding to the hive. Were you bathing? She probably didn’t like the water.”

You sigh. “Fussy Aburames,” you joke.

“Now that you’re out of the water and she’s turned, it might take a while until she is ready to come out,” Chiasa offers but you shake your head.

“Nope, this girl is already on her way out. She’s an impatient one.”

And you’re right, less than an hour later the squirming bundle is resting on your naked chest, wailing at the injustice of a world that dares to bath her right away.

“Shibi is on his way,” Chiasa announces. “Do you want me to bring you clothes?”

You sigh. “That would be amazing.”

Now you’re in Toshiko’s place, resting on the bed as Natsu is offered as a host. She’s not the least bit like Kaeda, squirming and wailing and just overall unhappy about it all.

Shino and Torune are pressed against the wall next to Muta, both of them wearing serious expressions.

You should have known, you realize, that you would not be scared.

Wether Natsu receives the Rinkaichū or not doesn’t really matter. She’ll be loved either way.

“The Ritual is complete. Natsu has become host to the Kikaichū.”

“Which one?” You ask as Shibi move to sit on the bed beside you, not yet willing to give Natsu back. You lean into him instead, cradling her tiny head as she raises her fists, her face a dark red.

“Chiasa’s,” he explains quietly as the people filter out of the room, one after the other. You know most of them will be back tomorrow to congratulate you.

You catch her eye as she moves to leave and you shake your head, beckoning her to stay.

“Thank you,” you tell her as Shino climbs onto the bed as well, peering down at Natsu as Torune hides behind Shibi. “For everything.”

To your surprise she flashes you a rare smile.

“Of course.”

“Do you want to hold her?”

To your surprsie, Shibi pulls Natsu closer. You laugh. “As soon as Shibi is willing to let her go, I mean?”

A soft red bloom on his cheek. “Just one more minute,” he asks and as you catch Chiasa’s eyes you know she doesn’t mind.

-.- Shibi -.-

He doesn’t sleep that night, his body restless next to yours.

But he doesn’t mind, content to stay awake and listen.

Natsu moves in her crib, the Kikaichū inside her multiplying by the minute. His mother’s kind is strong, resilient. Shibi has no doubt his daughter will be the same.

Would he feel different if she had taken to his kind? Would he be able to feel more joy than he already does? He doesn’t know.

You sigh next to him, your body warm and pliant against his.

You are alive. Still, even after today’s events. Yes, you are tired and recovering, but you’re already laughing, teasing, living just like before.

You turn to your side and fart and he can’t help but laugh, rub your back as you snore softly.

Shino is sleeping on the other side of the hallway, Torune one door further down. His family is safe and he can’t hep but marvel at its beauty.

With a sudden sound, Natsu wakes, wailing. You move to rise but he stops you, already out of bed.

“I got it.”

But it’s not that easy.

Natsu keeps on crying, loudly, as he takes her down the stairs and into the kitchen, away from the sleeping members of the family, prepping a bottle for her.

She latches onto it with fervor, drinking it down only to spit up on his shoulder the moment she’s done, crying softly as he rocks her to sleep.

Shibi thinks back to Shino, the first year after his birth. He’d been a quiet baby, only letting out a noise when his hunger seemed unbearable or his diaper needed urgent changing.

He has a feeling that Natsu will be different.

Shibi kisses the crown of her head as she falls asleep in his arms.

“Welcome to the family,” he tells her and feels her Kikaichū respond in kind.

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#my writing #shibi x reader #shibi x oc #shibi fluff #shino fluff #torune fluff #torune aburame #shino aburame #shino #torune #shibi #aburame fluff #aburame x reader #naruto x reader #naruto fluff

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ray4hotchner · 1 year ago

Text

Fate's Gentle Nudge

Chapter 6: Unbreakable (part two)

<<previous chapter

❀ 𝕡𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘: aaron hotchner x reader

❀ 𝕤𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪: fluff, fluff, angst, happy ending

❀ 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: 23k (part one and two together)

❀ 𝕒𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣’𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕖: Hi, besties! Sorry for taking so long to finish the last chapter. It's finally done, and it's a long one. Since it took me a while, I wanted to complete it entirely and not leave you guys with a cliffhanger. I hope you enjoy the last chapter. I'm thinking about writing small drabbles for this story, so let me know if you have something in mind. Anyway, I love you all. Thank you for reading!🤍 [18+ MDNI]

❀ 𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤: blood and violence, stalking, knife attack, mention of suicide and murder (let me know if there are any missing)

❀ 𝕞𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕒𝕔𝕔: @iyv-ray24

┌─❀*̥˚──❀*̥˚─┐

On Ao3

└──❀*̥˚──❀*̥˚┘

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

Emily and Derek return an hour later, and Emily hands Y/N a bag with some of her clothes and essentials.

"Sorry that I had to go through your stuff," Emily apologizes.

"Are you kidding me? You guys are my heroes right now," Y/N smiles at her with appreciation.

At the same time, Derek informs Aaron that the apartment is clear, with no signs of forced entry or anyone being inside.

"Did Garcia find something new?" Derek asks.

"No, she didn't. The security camera was a dead end, and there are no other leads," Aaron responds with a frustrated sigh.

"Then, for now, we can't do anything but keep her safe, Aaron."

"I know, whether I like it or not, we have to wait for now," Aaron answers, looking through the glass of his office where Y/N is talking to Emily.

Aaron and Y/N spend the rest of the time in his office. She looks around at his trophies, awards, and pictures while he works on some papers. She asks questions about things she finds interesting, and he always answers. She walks around his desk and stands beside him, taking the framed baby picture of Jack and coos, “he was so tiny.”

Aaron puts his pen down, slings his arm around her waist, and rests his head on her stomach. “Yes, he was. Every time I picked him up, I would get scared. He seemed so fragile,” he says.

Y/N takes the frame next to it into her hand, a picture of Jack and Hailey, and says softly, “She was so beautiful. She resembles Jack a lot.”

“Yes, she was, and she was a great mom. So selfless and loving.”

"You must miss her a lot," she says, caressing his hair.

"I do, but we were separated long before she passed. And I can't say that I was home most of the time during our marriage. I made a lot of mistakes with her that I regret now. But mostly, I'm sad that Jack has to grow up without her."

“You didn’t know any better. You couldn’t imagine that things would go this way. And Jack, he is incredible. You are raising him to be a great person,” Y/N reassures him.

Aaron looks up at her and says, “I know, I am not the same person I was then. And I don’t intend on making the same mistakes I did with Haley. I can’t mess this up with you, and I can’t lose you.”

She puts the frame down and cups his face, whispering, “I’m right here, and you won’t lose me,” before she kisses him tenderly.

Her growling stomach interrupts their kiss, and he chuckles as her cheeks turn red. He stands up, gives her a kiss on her rosy cheeks, and says, "I’ll get us some food.”

Aaron walks up to the glass window and looks down into the bullpen. Most of the team has already left, including Emily, who offered to take Y/N home with her. However, Aaron wanted Y/N to stay with him as long as possible and assured her that he would drop her off later.

“Let’s get you to Penelope, Derek is probably there too. They can keep an eye on you until I get back. I need to talk to Strauss too before she leaves.”

“Why can’t I wait in your office until you come back? We are in the FBI building, Aaron. What could happen here?” She asks, confused.

He walks up to her, holding her hand. “You, my love, won’t be alone until we find out who that person is. Not even for a second,” he says in a sweet voice and leads her out of his office to Garcia's.

Penelope's door is already open as they enter, and to their surprise, it's JJ who's sitting there with Penelope.

"Guys, can I leave Y/N with you for a little?" Aaron asks.

"Of course! Come into my casa," Penelope instantly agrees, pushing a chair toward Y/N.

"I'll be back soon. Have you girls had dinner?" Aaron inquires.

"Yes, we're good, Hotch. Thanks," JJ replies. Aaron nods, then turns around and leaves the three women settled in Penelope's office.

"I'm sorry that you guys have to play babysitter", Y/N apologizes as she sits down. JJ looks at Y/N with a warm smile. "You don't need to apologize, Y/N. It's not a problem at all. We're more than happy to have you here."

Penelope chimes in excitedly, her eyes sparkling. "And we've been dying to meet you finally. You and Hotch, are adorable together!"

Y/N blushes a bit at the mention of her relationship with Aaron. JJ leans in a bit, her curiosity getting the best of her. "How did you two meet?"

Y/N smiles at the memory. "We met at a parents night. Jack's previous teacher had a baby and I replaced her."

Penelope remembers the time Y/N brought Jack to the office and how they briefly met. "I remember when you brought Jack here. He's such a sweet kid. You seemed really nice back then, too."

Y/N nods. "Thank you. Jack adores the team. He's always talking about everyone."

"Does Jack know about you two?" JJ asks curiously.

"No, he doesn't. Not yet at least. All this is a little complicated because I’m his teacher, that's why we were really reluctant at the beginning," she explains. JJ nods understandingly. "I can imagine it's not an easy situation to navigate. But from what we've seen, you and Aaron seem really happy together." Penelope adds with a knowing grin, "Love always finds a way, right? So how is Hotch as a boyfriend,”she asks shamelessly and the three share a laugh, and Y/N feels grateful for their support and friendly curiosity.

Later, Aaron and Y/N have a quiet dinner together in his office. As the night grows late, they make their way to Emily's place and she welcomes them warmly and shows Y/N the guest room, leaving them alone for a private moment.

In the middle of the room, Y/N hugs Aaron, her emotions a mix of gratitude and concern. "I wanted to ask you something," she begins.

Aaron, holding her close, responds, "Of course, sweetheart. What do you need?"

Y/N sighs, her worry evident in her eyes. "Liz has been calling me all day. She knows something is up, but I didn't tell her, like you said. But you know how she is, she's worried, and she's threatened multiple times that she'll just come over to my place. Can I please tell her what's going on?"

Aaron considers this carefully and Y/N adds, "I'm telling you if she goes over to my place and I'm not there, and I haven't told her where I am, she will storm the FBI building next."

Aaron smiles softly, though there's a hint of concern. "I know you're joking, but I'm also worried you're not," he chuckles. "Okay, fine, you can tell her."

"Thanks, honey," she says, giving him a grateful kiss. "You should go. It's getting late and Jack should see you before he goes to bed." Their shared concern for Jack is palpable as they part ways for the night.

Y/N changes into comfortable clothes and joins Emily in the kitchen, where Sergio, Emily's cat, has taken a liking to her lap. She dials Liz's number and answers, trying to calm down her frantic friend. Emily prepares tea for both of them, listening to Y/N's side of the conversation.

Liz's voice on the other end is filled with anxiety and desperation. Y/N does her best to reassure her. "I'm safe, Liz. This is the safest place I can be right now, and I have the best agent watching over me," she says with a playful smile at Emily.

As Y/N continues to speak with Liz, it's clear that her friend is not easily swayed. Y/N protests Liz's insistence to come over, but Liz remains determined. Y/N finally hands the phone over to Emily with an apologetic look. "She wants to talk to you," she says softly.

Y/N is left in confusion as Emily communicates with Liz on the phone, only hearing vague responses from Emily like "yes" and "no." Emily finally ends the call and Y/N watches as she texts something on her phone, then hands it back to Y/N.

Y/N looks puzzled. "What just happened?" she asks.

Emily sighs. "Your friend is scary, and I just texted her the address. She's coming over."

Y/N's eyes widen in disbelief. "What the hell did she tell you?"

Emily shakes her head. "I don't think I can repeat that," she says with a bemused expression.

Not long after Liz arrives and Emily buzzes her in. "I'll kill Aaron the next time I see him. How could he stop you from telling me right away," Liz exclaims, engulfing Y/N in a bone crushing hug.

Y/N chuckles. "Maybe you shouldn't threaten an FBI agent in front of his friend and colleague," she jokes, playfully nodding toward Emily, who stands nearby.

Liz smirks and turns to Emily. "And you must be Agent Prentiss," she says, looking Emily up and down with a raised brow, her tone slightly challenging.

Emily doesn't back down. "And you need to be on the FBI watchlist," she counters with a playful smirk. "I'll get you guys some drinks. Go get comfortable," Emily says, heading off to the kitchen, leaving the two friends to catch up.

Liz turns around and mouths a silent "OMG" to Y/N. "Why didn't you tell me how hot she is? I wouldn't have been that harsh on her," she says, and Y/N laughs, pulling her towards the living room.

The three of them sit together, discussing everything that happened that day. Emily explains the usual procedures in their line of work, and Y/N can't help but notice the glances Emily and Liz exchange throughout the night, making a mental note to tease them both about it later. It's already the middle of the night, when Liz decides to head home, and they all stand at the door saying their goodbyes.

"Are you sure you can make it home? It's already late so feel free to stay," Emily suggests.

"I'm a big girl, Agent. And if you're trying to get me into your bed, at least buy me dinner first," Liz says in a suggestively low voice, poking Emily on the chest, before walking out the door, leaving Emily open-mouthed. Y/N bursts into laughter at Emily's reaction, thoroughly entertained by the exchange.

Unable to shake off the creepy feeling that had haunted her earlier in the day, Y/N finds it difficult to fall asleep. Alone in the quiet of the night, her mind races with thoughts. Grateful that Emily had packed her laptop and journal, she distracts herself until sunrise.

In the morning, Y/N makes a call to the school, informing them that she won't be able to come to work for the week. Midweek, the team receives a new case, and Y/N can't help but feel guilty that Aaron and Emily are staying behind to watch over her. Though she understands it's for her own safety, she can't shake the feeling of being confined in the apartment. The days drag on, and she feels like a burden, especially since no new messages or threats have been made. She cries a few times, once into Aaron's shoulder, finding solace in his comforting embrace as he reassures her how much he loves her and that she's not a burden at all.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

On Friday morning, Jack enters the kitchen still in his pajamas. Aaron, while preparing breakfast, notices his son's unhappy expression.

"Why haven't you changed, buddy?" Aaron asks, looking at Jack with a raised eyebrow.

"Dad, I don't want to go to school today," Jack protests. Aaron looks at him with a raised eyebrow. Jack typically loves going to school and has never refused before. Aaron picks him up and sets him on the kitchen counter so they are at eye level.

"Why? Aren't you feeling good?" Aaron looks directly into his son's eyes, waiting for an explanation, his expression a mixture of curiosity and worry.

"No, I'm fine," he just answers still not giving him a real explanation.

"Then why don't you want to go, buddy?" he asks lovingly and ruffles his hair.

"Miss Y/L/N is sick, and she wasn't in school the whole week. It's no fun when she's not there," Jack explains, and a warm feeling spreads through Aaron's chest.

He places a gentle hand on his son's shoulder and speaks with comforting warmth. "Don't worry, bud. I'm sure Miss Y/L/N will be back at school soon. Sometimes people get a little sick, she'll be fine."

“But is she really really bad sick?" Jack asks, concerned.

"I don't know, but I don't think so," he reassures Jack, patting his shoulder gently.

"But aren’t you supposed to know?" Jack asks in an almost accusing tone.

"What do you mean, how would I know?" Aaron asks back, confused.

"Aren’t boyfriends supposed to know when their girlfriends are sick?" Jack asks as if it's the most obvious question, and Aaron can only look at him with an open mouth.

"What are you talking about, bud? Where do you get the idea that I’m her boyfriend?” Aaron asks so caught off guard.

"Dad," Jack protests with a whine, "I’ve known for a while now."

Aaron sees no point in denying but still confused he asks, "What… how?"

"Dad, I’m not 5 anymore, I’m almost 8," Jack explains with a serious expression, resembling Aarons, "You ask about her every day after school. And then you smile really big. And when you see her, you look at her all funny and stuff."

"I guess you’re right, my big guy and little profiler," Aaron says and pulls him into an embrace. He steps back and asks, “And you are alright with this?”

“Yes, Miss Y/L/N is the best. But I want her to come back to school already,” he whines.

"She will, honey, really soon," Aaron promises, "but until then, you still need to go to school, or she will be really upset." He carries Jack to his room to get him ready for the day, their bond stronger than ever.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

After dropping Jack off at school, Aaron makes his way to the headquarters. The team returned last night after a thankfully short case. Rossi joins him in his office for a morning coffee.

"How is she holding up?" He asks about Y/N.

"Slowly going crazy in Emily's apartment, but at least she's safe."

"I'll suggest something, and I know you won't like it, but just hear me out. What if she just returns back to her normal life,"

"So she becomes a target, Dave? No, definitely no."

"She won't be a target if we’re all around. We can take turns again and watch her. You'll be by her side most of the time anyway. Without any new leads, we will not make any progress, and you know that."

Aaron considers this idea, realizing it might be a way to keep Y/N safe while not making her feel like she's in hiding.

Aaron listens to Rossi's suggestion, clearly conflicted. After a moment of contemplation, he finally responds, "I don't like the idea of putting her in harm's way, Dave, but if it's the only way we can move forward, then I'll talk to her about it."

Rossi nods, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Let's hope this stalker reveals themselves soon so we can put an end to all of this."

Later in the day, Aaron goes over to Emily's apartment. It was Spencer's turn to watch over her. He thanks him for keeping her company, and Y/N hugs him goodbye before he leaves.

"That's new," Aaron says, pointing at the closed door Spencer just left.

Y/N looks puzzled. "What's new?"

"He usually doesn't hug people, especially the ones he's not close with."

They go over to the kitchen, and Y/N puts the coffee mugs into the dishwasher as Aaron takes a seat at the kitchen island.

"So, I wanted to talk to you about something," Aaron begins.

Y/N hums in response, encouraging him to continue.

"We don't have any new leads or threats, and Dave suggested something."

Y/N turns around, closes the dishwasher, and sits down beside him, her curiosity piqued.

"He's thinking that maybe it’s the best you return to your daily routine."

Her eyes light up with enthusiasm. "Yes, yes, Aaron, please, I’m suffocating in here."

Aaron hesitates, his worry still evident. "I know you want to get out of here, but I'm so worried that something will happen."

Y/N leans in closer, her expression earnest. "Please, Aaron, let's do it. I don't want to sound ungrateful for all the things you guys are doing for me, but I'll go insane if I stay here any longer. I feel helpless and like the biggest burden to everyone."

Aaron sighs, giving in to her pleas. "If this person is really stalking you, we should try some of your usual activities."

Y/N immediately throws her arms around his neck, grateful that he is giving in.

"But," Aaron continues, "if we do this, you will follow my every order, okay? We can't risk putting you in danger."

Y/N playfully teases him, "Yes, my big, strong FBI agent, anything you say, sir."

“Stop it”, Aaron's smile widens and he pokes her sides. "Jack told me to say hello to you and that he misses you."

"Aww, I miss him too, but wait...” Y/N's expression shifts to one of surprise, “why is Jack telling you to tell me?"

Aaron hesitates before answering, "Well, he kind of figured out that we're dating."

Y/N's eyes widen in shock. "He did what!?"

"The school told them that you're sick, and he asked me how you're feeling. I said I don't know, and he scolded me for not knowing how my girlfriend is feeling," Aaron explains with a grin.

Y/N looks at him, blinking away the shock, and bursts out laughing. Aaron watches Y/N's reaction with a mixture of amusement and affection. Her laughter fills the room, and he can't help but chuckle along with her.

Y/N continues to laugh, her eyes sparkling with glee. "I can't believe he figured it out, and I can't believe he scolded you!"

Their laughter fills the room, temporarily pushing aside the worries about the stalker that have been hanging over them.

Y/N's laughter subsides, and she smiles warmly at Aaron. "Thank you for telling him, even if it was unintentional. It means a lot."

Aaron reaches out and takes her hand, his gaze locked onto hers. "Y/N, I would've never kept our relationship a secret anyways, if the circumstances were different. So I'm really happy that he knows actually."

She leans over and gives him a tender kiss before asking enthusiastically, “So when can I go back to my place?”

“Let’s pack up, and I'll drive you over.”

She immediately jumps up and almost sprints to the guest room, starting to pack up her things. Before she leaves, she takes a piece of paper and writes Emily a note expressing her gratitude for everything Emily did, adds Lizzie's number at the end with a tiny heart, and pins the note on the fridge.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

After almost a week Y/N finally returns to her apartment. Aaron is right beside her when she unlocks the door but he can’t help but notice the subtle shake in her hands. She steps in and lets out a breath she felt like she was holding. Nothing is unchanged, exactly like she had left it on Monday.

“You ok?”, Aaron asks putting her bag on the couch.

Y/N takes a moment to look around her apartment, her heart still pounding from a mix of anxiety and relief. She turns to Aaron with a faint smile.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay," she replies, though her voice still carries a trace of unease. "It's just... strange being back here… I don’t know."

Aaron steps closer to her, his protective instincts still in full force. He wraps his arms around her and holds her close.

"We'll make sure everything's safe, Y/N," he reassures her. "And if anything feels off or you get even the slightest bit uncomfortable, you call me immediately, okay?"

She nods, feeling comforted by his presence. "Okay, Aaron, I promise."

They spend the next hour checking the security of her apartment, ensuring all windows and locks are secure. Aaron insists on it, even though Emily and Derek have already double-checked everything.

Finally, when they're satisfied that her place is as safe as it can be, Aaron pulls her into another warm embrace.

"Now that Jack already knows about us, you could stay at my place you know," Aaron suggests, his concern for her safety still evident.

"I know, baby, but I missed my home so much. And even if he knows, let's not put too much change on him at once," Y/N responds with a soft smile, her eyes reflecting the exhaustion of the past week.

Aaron knows she's right, she always is, but he can't bring himself to leave her alone.

"Alright," he concedes with a sigh, "but I want you to promise me something." Y/N looks at him attentively, waiting for his request.

"If anything feels off, even the slightest bit, you tell me or call me immediately, okay? I don't care what time it is or how trivial it seems. Your safety is my top priority."

She nods, understanding the seriousness of his request. "I promise, Aaron."

His face breaks into a warm smile as he says, "Let me take you out on a date." "Right now?" she asks, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Yes, why not," Aaron replies. "Dave said to do our usual activities. We had to cancel our dinner date, so why not go now? I'll be by your side the whole time."

Y/N's eyes sparkle with excitement. "So where are you taking me?" she asks, her fingers lightly playing with the collar of his shirt.

"Well, since we're making up for the canceled dinner date, I was thinking of taking you to that Italian place you love so much. How does that sound?" Aaron suggests with a charming smile.

Her face lights up at the mention of her favorite Italian restaurant. "That sounds perfect, Aaron. I'll go get ready."

Y/N heads to her bedroom and quickly rummages through her closet. She chooses a long black elegant dress and slips into black stilettos. Not wanting to keep Aaron waiting for long, she swiftly curls her hair, creating natural waves, and expertly applies her makeup. She knows Aaron appreciates it when she wears jewelry, always commenting how much it suits her, so she carefully selects some pieces to complete her look.

Minutes later, she emerges from her bedroom and Aaron can't help but be captivated by her beauty as she walks up to him.

Aaron stands up, his eyes filled with admiration as he takes Y/N's hand. "You look stunning, my love," he murmurs, planting a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

"Thank you," she chuckles softly and steps closer to him. Her hands find their way to his shoulders, sliding down to his tie. Aaron looks at her with curious eyes as she slowly loosens his tie and removes it entirely. With a skillful hand, she opens the first button of his shirt, her fingers adjusting his collar with a playful yet affectionate smile.

"Now we are ready," she says, her fingers gently patting his chest. They both grab their coats and head out for their long-awaited date.

At the Italian restaurant, soft candlelight flickers on the cozy table for two. They enjoy a delicious meal of pasta and wine, engaging in conversations filled with laughter and love. Aaron can't help but admire Y/N's smile, her eyes sparkling in the intimate ambiance of the restaurant.

After dinner, they take a leisurely walk through a nearby park, holding hands under the starry night sky. The city's hustle and bustle fade into the background as they savor each other's company, cherishing the simplicity of the moment. It feels nice to pretend that everything is alright, forgetting their worries for a short time.

As their date comes to an end, they stop by a gelato shop for a sweet treat. Sharing a scoop of their favorite flavors, they talk about their dreams and the future.

Aaron's insistence on staying over at Y/N's apartment prevails, and they settle into the comfortable atmosphere. As they get ready for bed, Aaron admits, "You know, I've missed being here with you. It feels like we haven't had a moment to ourselves in a while."

Y/N smiles and nods. "I've missed it too honey."

He gently cups her cheek, his thumb stroking her skin. "Well, tonight, we have this place all to ourselves. Anything special you'd like to do?", he asks with a mischievous smirk. She leans into his touch, her voice playful. "Hmm, I could think about one or two things." Aaron grins and pulls her into a warm embrace. "That's what I was hoping you'd say."

In the middle of the night, Y/N stirs and finds Aaron wide awake, standing at the window, arms crossed, looking outside. She sits up in bed, covering herself with the sheets. "What are you doing?" she asks in her sleepy voice.

Aaron turns to her, a faint hint of worry in his eyes. "It's nothing, go back to sleep, my love."

She can sense that something is bothering him. Y/N protests softly, "Aaron," as she stands up, pulling the sheets close around her. Aaron's distant gaze worries Y/N as she joins him by the window. Wrapping her arms around herself, she leans against him, trying to see what has caught his attention. They both gaze outside at the quiet, dimly lit street. The moonlight paints a serene landscape, but Aaron's expression remains pensive.

“Talk to me please”, her voice filled with concern. He takes a deep breath, his eyes still fixed outside.

“I can't help but think about the stalker, Y/N. I know we've been taking precautions, but I can't shake this feeling of helplessness."

Y/N turns her gaze to the street outside, and in the dim light, she sees nothing unusual. "You've done everything you can to keep me safe," she reassures him. "We're together, and we have the team looking out for us."

Aaron holds her a little tighter, afraid that she might slip away. "I know, it's just... I can't help but worry about you."

She notices a black SUV parked outside, similar to Aaron's but clearly not his car.

"Did you put agents outside to watch my apartment?" Y/N asks, with curiosity in her voice.

Aaron nods, his arms wrapped around her as they stand near the window. "I told you we'll have someone watching over you until we find this person."

She turns around in his arms, her expression puzzled. "Then why are you not in bed with me, If someone is already watching the street?”

A smile tugs at Aaron's lips, and he doesn't need further encouragement. He lets her lead him back to bed, the worries of the night momentarily forgotten as they seek solace in each other's arms.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

The next morning, Aaron and Y/N are having breakfast together and he's trying to convince her to come to Jack's soccer game, knowing she's hesitant about it.

"Using your son to manipulate me like this, Hotchner is just dirty," she says playfully, giving him a teasing, dark look.

Aaron chuckles, always enjoying her playful banter. "Come on, it will be fun, and..."

She raises an eyebrow, completing his sentence. "And you'll be able to keep an eye on me."

He nods with a smile. "And yeah, maybe that too."

"But isn't it dangerous for the kids if I'm there and the stalker shows up?" she asks with concern.

Aaron reassures her, "According to our profile, no, it won't be. There were no signs of violence or new threats at all. So we don't think there will be a lashing out towards anyone else."

"Okay, if you say so," she replies, still somewhat hesitant.

"I do," he says, giving her a gentle peck on the lips. "And also, I can finally show you off as my girlfriend, now that Jack knows."

Y/N lets out a soft laugh, her resistance melting away as Aaron's sincerity and Jack's longing tug at her heart.

Y/N smiles, unable to resist his charm. "Fine, fine, you win. I'll come to Jack's soccer game. But you owe me ice cream after this."

"You got it," he replies, sealing the deal with a kiss. It's a small victory for Aaron, knowing that she'll be safe with him.

As Y/N hops into the shower, Aaron calls up his team, making sure they are ready. He informs them that they'll be at the soccer field in the park, and he shares how they should set up surveillance. Y/N is unaware of all the precautions Aaron is taking because he knows how guilty she feels about all the work they put into her safety.

"Rossi is my co-coach, so he will be close by," Aaron explains over the phone. "There are multiple parking spots that have a clear view of the field, and walking around in the park should not seem suspicious either." The team acknowledges the plan and prepares to ensure Y/N's safety without her knowledge.

As they arrive at the soccer field, Aaron and Y/N spot kids running around in their red uniforms, a clear sign of the soon beginning soccer game. Y/N takes a couple of deep breaths to calm her nerves, and Aaron gently grabs her hand, providing reassurance.

"I'm nervous," she admits.

"You've been to a game before, and you see Jack almost every day," he says, caressing her hand with his thumb.

"I know, but it's the first time I'm seeing him officially as your girlfriend," she confesses, looking at him with slightly terrified eyes.

"You'll be fine, my love," he reassures her, giving her hand a comforting squeeze, and then leads her toward the bustling soccer field.

As they approach the group of parents and children, Jack spots them. He calls out enthusiastically, "Miss Y/L/N!" His eyes shine brightly as he runs toward them. Y/N kneels down and opens her arms as she sees him sprinting without slowing down. He collides into her arms, hugging her tightly.

"Hi, sweetheart. How are you?" she greets him.

He pulls back with a big smile. "I'm fine. Are you feeling better?"

"I am feeling much, much better,” she pokes Jack's tummy and he giggles.

"So, are you coming back to school?" he asks with hopeful eyes. Y/N looks back up at Aaron, questioning, and he nods.

"I guess I am," she says, ruffling his soft blond hair, and Jack's face lights up with joy.

"School was so boring without you, Miss," Jack says, and Y/N chuckles.

"You know, Jack, when we're not in school, you don't have to call me Miss. You can just use my first name."

"What is your first name?" he asks curiously.

"It's Y/N," she answers with a big smile. Aaron stands beside them, watching them talk and not disturbing their moment.

"Y/N? That's a nice name. Can I call you that because you're Dad's girlfriend now?"

"Yeah, I guess. How do you feel about that?"

"Will I see you more often now that you are together?"

"If you want to, yes."

"Then I'm alright with it," he says and hugs her again, sealing their newfound bond. Aaron smiles, his heart warming at the sight of Y/N and Jack getting along so well.

As they stand together, Aaron's arm wrapped around her waist, Y/N feels a sense of warmth and belonging. Jack rejoins his friends, and Aaron leans down to whisper, "I love you," into her ear, planting a gentle kiss just beneath it.

Jessica approaches them with a kind smile, expressing her sympathy for what has been going on. Y/N thanks her sincerely for her understanding and support.

More families start to arrive at the soccer field, and among them is Rossi, carrying a large clipboard, clearly ready for his coaching duties. The park is buzzing with activity as the game is about to begin, and Y/N feels a mix of nerves and excitement, grateful to have Aaron by her side.

“Hi Aaron!!”, YN hears an annoying voice yelling across the field. Aaron turns around, taking her with him since his arm is still wrapped around her. Nancy's overly enthusiastic waving comes to an abrupt halt as she takes in the sight of Aaron with his arm around Y/N.

Nancy approaches them with a forced, tight-lipped smile, her discomfort evident. Y/N can't help but feel a touch of amusement as she observes the awkward encounter.

"Hello, Nancy," Aaron greets politely.

"Hi, hi!”, Nancy's voice is even more elevated than usual as she responds, "The teacher from the museum, what was your name again?" Her head tilts to the side in an almost comical fashion.

"Y/N," she replies with a forced smile.

Nancy's insincerity becomes painfully evident as she exclaims, “You guys are such a cute couple, so adorable."

"Thank you," Aaron acknowledges with a nod before turning his attention back to Rossi, effectively dismissing Nancy. But her overly cheerful facade doesn't go unnoticed by Y/N. Her disingenuous compliments send shivers down Y/N's spine, and she can't help but feel like Nancy's eyes are still on them as Aaron turns his attention back to Rossi.

As the game begins, Aaron and Rossi switch into full coach mode, and Y/N can't help but find it somewhat amusing. They're clearly passionate about the team, and their intense focus on the game is endearing. Y/N tries to concentrate on the soccer match unfolding in front of her, but that lingering feeling of unease gnaws at her heart.

Unbeknownst to Y/N, Emily, Derek, and JJ are discreetly keeping an eye on their surroundings, ensuring her safety without drawing attention.

Throughout the game, Nancy inches closer and closer to Y/N, standing now uncomfortably tight beside her and cheering far too loudly. Suddenly, she makes a pained sound, as if someone punched her in the gut. Y/N immediately turns to her, concerned.

"Are you alright?" Y/N asks, worry etched on her face.

Nancy hunches over slightly, clutching her stomach. "No, no, I don't think so," she replies, her voice strained. She grabs Y/N's arm to steady herself and continues, "I'm pregnant, it's still really early but something doesn't feel right."

Y/N's initial instinct is to call for help or an ambulance, but Nancy stops her abruptly.

"No! No, there's no need for that," Nancy insists, her voice shaky. "Could you just help me get to the bathroom? I don't think I can walk there on my own."

Y/N nods, her concern deepening. She quickly turns to Jessica and informs her that they're heading to the bathroom, then gently assists Nancy in walking away, supporting her as they make their way to the restroom.

As Y/N and Nancy make their way to the public restroom, Nancy continues to make pained sounds, and Y/N's concern deepens. She regrets not telling Aaron about the situation.

"We're almost there," Y/N reassures Nancy, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "It's just around the corner."

They enter the bathroom, and Y/N immediately scans the stalls, searching for the cleanest one.

"Here, Nancy, come to this one," Y/N says, turning around to guide her. However, as she turns, she's taken aback to find Nancy standing by the door, her expression completely devoid of pain.

Y/N feels a rush of alarm as she senses the anger emanating from Nancy's eyes. Her instincts kick in, and she goes into fight-or-flight mode.

"Are you feeling better?" Y/N asks, her voice calm, though she's ready for any potential confrontation.

Y/N's heart races as she hears the faint click of the bathroom door, and she instinctively scans for another means of escape, but there's none in sight.

"Nancy, what's going on?" Y/N asks, her voice shaky, as Nancy approaches her with deliberate slowness.

Nancy's eyes are filled with fury as she accuses Y/N, "You whore, just couldn't keep your hands off my man." She spits the words, advancing closer and pushing Y/N further against the tile wall with each step.

"What are you talking about?" Y/N tries to reason, her back now firmly pressed against the wall as Nancy corners her.

"Did your mommy teach you how to steal another woman's man?" Nancy seethes with rage, and Y/N desperately attempts to defuse the situation.

"Nancy, you're not making any sense. Let's go back to the game," Y/N pleads.

"Shut up!" Nancy screams, and to Y/N's horror, she pulls out a pocket knife. Y/N's eyes widen in fear as she stammers, "Nancy, what—?"

Fear courses through Y/N as Nancy's rant continues, each word laced with venom.

"For months, I've been flirting with him, trying so he would ask me out," Nancy seethes, the knife swinging dangerously close in front of her. "I already knew you were trouble when you came to the first game," she accuses Y/N. "The way you threw yourself at him," she adds, her voice dripping with malice.

"What? No! We weren't even together back then," Y/N tries to reason, but her pleas fall on deaf ears.

"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT THE HELL UP!" Nancy's voice rises to a dangerous crescendo, her grip on the knife tightening, “and when I saw you two at the museum, I had my confirmation. The way you were grinding on him like the little whore you are,” she yells and it finally dawns on Y/N and her anger begins to flare.

"You sent the picture?" Y/N asks, finally connecting the dots.

"Ding, ding, ding!" Nancy taunts. "But I guess that wasn't enough. Who knows how you manipulated him into sleeping with you."

Y/N's patience wears thin. "Did you force him? You definitely threw yourself at him," Nancy continues her tirade.

"I didn't do anything. We love each other, Nancy. Move on!" Y/N's voice rises in defiance, pushing back against Nancy's unfounded accusations.

“And waste months of work? I even tolerated his annoying kid. What's his name Jeff or John?”, But Nancy doesn't stop there. She continues her verbal assault.

Y/N can't tolerate it any longer. She snaps, her patience worn thin. "Don't talk about him or his son," Y/N warns. She clenches her fist and lands an unexpected punch on Nancy's cheek. Nancy stumbles back, surprised and hurt, clutching her jaw.

"What the fuck you slut!" Nancy yells in response and swings the knife toward Y/N. She manages to dodge to her right, narrowly avoiding a direct hit, but the knife still grazes her arm, causing her to wince in pain.

Y/N's heart races as she tries to stay calm and assess her situation. Nancy is still holding the knife menacingly, and Y/N knows she needs to find an opportunity to escape. She remembers the self-defense classes Liz had convinced her to take last year, and it suddenly feels like a lifeline.

As Nancy continues her tirade, Y/N carefully gauges the distance between them, searching for an opening. She knows she needs to act fast.

Meanwhile, JJ notices Y/N's absence on the field. She immediately radios Emily and Morgan, who are patrolling the area.

"Guys, do you have eyes on Y/N?" JJ asks urgently.

Derek and Emily pick up their pace as they jog back to the field. Derek responds, "We're coming up to the field now."

Emily adds, "Is she not there?"

"I can't see her from here. Maybe she's sitting down somewhere," JJ replies.

Derek and Emily arrive at the field and begin scanning the crowd, searching for any sign of Y/N.

Aaron's heart races as he sees Derek and Emily approach. The urgency in JJ's voice is evident, and he knows something is wrong.

"What's going on?" Aaron asks, his concern evident. He turns around, scanning the area, and quickly realizes that Y/N is nowhere in sight.

"Where is Y/N?" he asks urgently, his voice tinged with worry.

"We don't know," Derek replies, furrowing his brow. "She was just here."

Aaron's anxiety deepens. He turns to Jessica, who seems to have some information.

"Y/N?" Jessica repeats, "She went to the bathroom with one of the moms."

"When was this?" Aaron asks his voice tight with anxiety.

"Just now, a minute ago," Jessica replies. "I don't know her name. The blond one with the long hair that flirts with you all the time."

Aaron's face pales as he processes this information. He knows exactly who Jessica is talking about. Dread washes over him as he realizes that Y/N might be in danger.

Aaron's voice cuts through the tension like a command from a general. He quickly assigns tasks to his team before they run off to the park's restrooms.

"JJ, Rossi, get the kids and the families away from here. Tell them the game is postponed," he instructs urgently. "Number 11 is Nancy's kid, take him with you. Derek, you take the restrooms on the west side. Emily, you're coming with me."

His team nods in acknowledgment, and they split up to cover more ground. Every second feels like an eternity as they rush to find Y/N and put an end to this terrifying ordeal.

Inside the restroom, Y/N is putting up a fierce struggle. She manages to kick the knife out of Nancy's hand, but the deranged woman still has a tight grip on her. Y/N is pressed on the ground with Nancy on top of her raining down io punches down on Y/N's face as she desperately tries to escape.

With a surge of adrenaline, Y/N finally pushes Nancy off of her and scrambles to her feet. She races towards the door, her hands trembling as she reaches for the lock. But before she can unlock it, Nancy grabs a handful of her hair, yanking her back with brutal force.

Y/N cries out in pain, and her voice carries through the restroom, reaching the approaching team members. Aaron's heart clenches at the sound as he reaches the locked door. He calls out Y/Ns name and relief washes over her as she hears his voice.

The door crashes open, and Aaron rushes inside, his heart pounding with a mixture of fear and anger. Emily is right behind him.

Y/N is on the floor, her hair disheveled, and her face bruised. Nancy stands nearby, shocked by the sudden intrusion. Aaron's eyes narrow in anger as he sees the pocket knife on the ground.

Her eyes land on the pocket knife on the ground and Aaron follows her sight. "Stay right where you are," he growls at Nancy but she makes a swift attempt forward to grab it.

Emily acts quickly and grabs Nancy, restraining her and ensuring she can't reach the pocket knife. Nancy struggles and curses, but Emily keeps her under control.

Meanwhile, Aaron focuses all his attention on Y/N, gently helping her sit up. He checks her injuries, his worry evident in his eyes. "We need to get you to a hospital," he says softly, his voice filled with urgency.

Y/N nods, still feeling shaken but relieved to be in Aaron's protective presence.

He gently cradled Y/N's face. "Are you okay?" he asks, his voice filled with concern. Y/N nods weakly, her eyes locked on Aaron's. She's battered and trembling, but at least she's safe now.

As Aaron helps Y/N out of the restroom, she clings to him, she knows she's safe now. Outside, Nancy is apprehended and handcuffed, ready to be taken into custody. The team springs into action, calling for an ambulance and coordinating the transfer of Nancy to Quantico.

Aaron, his protective instincts still in high gear, holds Y/N close. "Let's get you checked out by a doctor, just to be sure, okay?" he says to her softly. He wants to be absolutely certain that she's okay, not willing to take any chances with her health.

As they ride in the ambulance to the hospital, Aaron keeps a reassuring arm around Y/N. Luckily she has no big injuries other than the cut on her upper arm. Her right eye and cheek are bright red, swollen and already turning purple and she has scratches on her neck and arms. But to be honest, Nancy didn’t look any better and Aaron is so proud of her for keeping up a fight. He's relieved that her injuries aren't more severe but still upset that she had to go through this terrifying ordeal. He can't help but feel an overwhelming amount of guilt.

Once at the hospital, Y/N is promptly attended to by medical staff. They cleaned and stitched up her arm, addressing her other minor injuries as well. Aaron watches closely, his concern never leaving his eyes. He remains by her side throughout the process, offering comfort and support.

Y/N breaks the silence when the nurses leave the room, her voice still shaky but determined. "What's going to happen now?"

Aaron gently brushes a strand of hair from her face and answers, "First, we'll make sure you're well taken care of here. Then, I'll do anything in my power to ensure Nancy is brought to justice. You won't have to worry about her anymore. You were really brave in there," he says softly, taking her hand in his. "I'm so proud of you." She manages a weak smile.

They drive back to the BAU, where the team is already waiting for them. Aaron gives her a sweater from his go bag, and JJ lends her some clean pants so she doesn't have to walk around in the same clothes she rolled on the dirty restroom floor.

With her wounds cleaned and now wearing new clothes, she feels more grounded as she joins the team in the briefing room. Penelope immediately stands up, walks up to her, and embraces her in a big hug, which she gratefully accepts.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so glad you're okay," she says.

"Me too, Penelope. Me too."

"Take a seat. I have some information you all need to hear," Garcia says, and Y/N takes the seat beside Aaron. He instantly holds her hand and pulls her closer.

Garcia begins with her briefing, detailing Nancy’s complex past. "Nancy Harris, 37 years old, originally from Texas. She's been married four times, and interestingly, three of her husbands died of what appeared to be natural causes, even though they were relatively young and had no prior medical issues."

The team listens intently, absorbing the information about Nancy's suspicious history. Garcia proceeds, "Nancy has a son from a previous boyfriend who is currently in prison for unrelated charges."

Y/N, still holding Aaron's hand, can't help but shiver at the thought of what could have happened if they hadn't intervened in time. She leans into Aaron's comforting presence, grateful for the support of her newfound family in the BAU.

"Now it gets really interesting," Garcia continues, "three of her husbands were divorced right before they got married. One was a single dad. Her last husband, who is still alive, pressed charges for aggravated assault, obtained a restraining order and now resides in Canada. She has restraining orders against her from different states, all with almost the same statement. These are either single dads she knew from proximity, like work, school, or straight-up married couples but all with children. She would stalk the husbands and try to get them to cheat," Garcia finishes.

"So this is her thing?" Y/N asks.

"Apparently," Garcia confirms, "her phone is filled with different dating apps and social media accounts, all portraying a different persona.”

Rossi's voice filled the room, "It seems like her pattern involves manipulating dads, and yes, trying to push them into cheating if they're in a relationship. She's been using various dating apps and social media accounts to identify and approach her targets. Her history of restraining orders suggests that she doesn't take rejection well."

Aaron's grip on her hand remained steadfast as he listened intently, his expression a mix of concern and determination.

"So, we have a woman who's obsessed with taking other women's partners," Emily summarized.

Rossi nodded. "And it looks like Y/N became a target because of her association with Aaron."

Y/N furrows her brow and speaks up, "She seemed convinced we were together before we actually were. She said I was trying to 'steal' him from her."

As the team discusses Nancy's situation and what will happen now, Y/N can't help but feel a sense of guilt and she speaks up, "What is going to happen to her son?" Y/N asks, concerned.

"CPS picked him up. Sadly, she was already on their radar, but they moved so much over the years that no one could really keep track of them. They will reach out to other family members so he has someone to take care of him," JJ informs, and Y/N nods.

“She told me she was pregnant. She acted like she was in pain and needed help. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone with her."

JJ reassures her, "She knew you have a soft spot for kids. She used your kindness. This is not your fault."

Aaron remains unusually quiet throughout the conversation, and Y/N looks at him with concern. He's just watching their intertwined hands, lost in his thoughts.

"Where is she? Tell me where she is!" They hear someone yelling downstairs from the bullpen.

"Liz?" Y/N asks, standing up and walking out of the room toward the commotion. The rest of the team follows her. Liz is in the bullpen, arguing with a younger agent, but when she catches sight of Y/N, she rushes up the stairs. The agent is about to follow when Aaron signals to him that it's okay.

Liz wraps her arms around Y/N and hugs her tightly. Y/N lets the emotions she'd been trying to repress flow freely, and tears stream down her face as she cries into Liz's shoulder.

Aaron's heart shatters into a million pieces as he watches Y/N cry. He takes a step toward her, but Liz's angry eyes halt him.

"Is this happening because of you?" she snaps at him. Y/N pulls away from the hug, wiping her tears.

"Liz, please," Y/N implores.

"Y/N, you got attacked," Liz says, her voice laced with concern.

"How do you even know what happened?" Y/N questions.

"I called her," Emily speaks up from behind them. "I'm sorry I should've asked before, but I thought you might want her here."

Rossi intervenes, "Girls, come on, let's get you to a quieter spot." He guides them both into his office, closing the door behind him.

Aaron turns to the rest of the team and says firmly, "I’ll interrogate Nancy."

"Hotch, do you really think it's the best idea for you to question her?" Derek asks, concern in her voice.

He doesn't answer, instead, he simply walks over to the interrogation rooms.

Aaron entered the interrogation room, and Nancy's demeanor shifted as if she were meeting him at a coffee shop rather than sitting with her hands cuffed to the table in the FBI headquarters.

He wasted no time and got straight to the point. "Nancy, let's talk about what happened."

Nancy smirked, her eyes cold. "Oh, Aaron, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

He ignored her taunts and got down to business. "Why did you attack Y/N today?"

Nancy leaned forward, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Why, Aaron? Isn't it obvious? She's stolen you from me. I had to do something."

Aaron's jaw clenched. "Nancy, there was never anything between us. We never had a relationship."

She laughed a manic sound that sent shivers down his spine. "Oh, Aaron, you always were good at pretending."

Aaron used his years of experience to rattle Nancy, knowing that he had to push her buttons to get the truth out of her. He leaned in closer, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Face it, Nancy. No one will ever want you. You're a pathetic woman with a history of failed marriages. Your husbands divorced you or... maybe they just wanted to escape. Maybe they were having affairs, cheating on you, and they wanted out."

Nancy's face reddened with anger. "You're wrong!" she shouted. "Those idiots were lucky to have me. No one would ever dare to cheat on me."

Aaron continued to press her, stoking the flames of her anger. "You would let them leave, huh? Maybe they died, maybe they killed themselves just to escape from you. They realized you were suffocating them, and they wanted freedom."

Nancy's voice cracked with fury. "No! I loved them! I did it because I knew they would never find a better woman than me. No one would ever dare to cheat on me, and they wouldn't dare to leave anyway. That's why I killed them!"

Aaron's tactic had worked. Nancy's confession was now on record, and they had the evidence they needed to ensure she faced justice for her crimes. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw a smirk form on Aaron's face. Then she realized what she just had done.

He stands up and leans in over the table, his voice low and controlled. "Listen to me carefully. I'll do everything in my power to ensure you rot in jail for daring to lay hands on Y/N. Do you understand me? You will die, alone and unloved in a cold cell, forgetting what freedom feels like, and that is a promise," he says before leaving the room.

Returning to his office, he's relieved to have secured her confession. Rossi enters right after him, holding a file.

"What is this?" Aaron asks.

"Y/N's written statement. She felt comfortable talking to me," Rossi says. Aaron nods, opening the file and reading the detailed account.

The pain in his heart grew with each word as he absorbed the details of what Nancy had said to her.

"Talk to her, Aaron. Don't close off," Rossi advises, then leaves him alone.

Rossi's words echoed in his mind, and Aaron knew he needed to talk to Y/N, to be there for her. He entered the room where Y/N, Liz, and Emily were seated, ready to offer his support and comfort.

"I could drive you home now if you want," Aaron asked, his tone tinged with a hint of shame.

"Yes, thank you," Y/N replied.

"I'll stay with her," Liz interrupted, but Emily intervened with a gentle touch on her knee, whispering, "Let them have some alone time." Then she spoke louder, "You guys go I will drive Elizabeth home." Liz blushed at Emily's use of her full name.

Aaron took Y/N's hand, and they left the building, driving to her apartment. She promptly took a shower and changed, though she kept Aaron's sweater on. In the kitchen, Aaron prepared a meal, and they ate together in mostly silence. As Y/N settled into the couch, Aaron moved restlessly around the room, and she couldn't bear it any longer.

"Aaron, enough, please don't do that," she begged. "Don't distance yourself from me now. Don't push me away. Right now, I need you to hold me as close as you can," she said, her voice breaking, her eyes brimming with tears.

Aaron listened to Y/N's heartfelt plea, her voice filled with emotion and her eyes teary. He knew that he had been distancing himself, perhaps as a way to protect himself from the pain of seeing her hurt. He understood now that what she needed most was his support and comfort.

Without hesitation, he walked over to her and sat down on the couch, wrapping his arms around her. Y/N leaned into his embrace, her head resting on his chest, and he held her as close as he could.

"I'm here, Y/N," he whispered softly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I won't push you away. We'll get through this together."

“I don’t know if you can ever forgive me but,” Aaron began, “But I am so, so sorry that this happened to you, Y/N.”

She looked up at him and put her hand on his cheek, “There is nothing to forgive. I told you this before, none of this is your fault.”

"But it is. My life, my job, everything I do seems to put people I love in danger."

"This has nothing to do with your job, Aaron. That person is sick, she did this to so many different people and could have done this to anyone else too" she assured him.

As tears welled up in both of their eyes, Aaron shared his fears with Y/N. "But it was about my job once, and I couldn’t save her that time, and I almost didn’t save you," his voice breaks.

Y/N's heart ached at the pain in his voice. She gently cupped his face and said, "But you did! You did save me," burying her face into his neck, seeking comfort in his embrace.

"I feel like I attract the evil, and being with me gets people hurt, eventually," he continued, his voice trembling.

Y/N immediately understood what he was implying and pulled back to look him in the eyes. “Aaron, I am not going to leave you, you understand me? I love you like crazy, you are my heart.”

At her words, the tears in his eyes overflowed, and they both cried, holding each other tightly, finding solace in their love and shared pain.

They ended up cuddling in Y/N's bed, Aaron shared details of the interrogation, and Y/N listened, her head resting on his chest while he gently caressed her hair.

“I just feel bad for his son," she said. "Growing up without a parent is hard, and not having both… I can't imagine.”

Aaron continued to stroke her hair. “She wasn't a good mother. She used him for her games. I hope he will have it better from now on.”

“I hope so too,” Y/N agreed, her voice filled with compassion.

They enjoyed a comfortable silence before Aaron broke it. “How about we go away for a couple of days? You, me, and Jack.”

Y/N lifted her head slightly to look at him. “Like a weekend getaway?”

Aaron nodded. “Yes, just to get our heads cleared for a while. What do you think?”

A warm smile spread across her face. “That sounds amazing, actually.” Her expression turned a little more serious, and she said, “I've decided that I'm going to tell the school about us. There's really no point in hiding it anymore. Some parents saw us at the game, and I'm sure everyone knows about Nancy already.”

Aaron considered her words. "I guess you're right. When will you tell the principal?"

"Tomorrow morning, I'll drive there first thing. I'm on sick leave next week, but I want to get it over with already."

He nodded in understanding. "I'll come with you," he offered, and she agreed with a nod, appreciating his support.

The next morning as they drove to school they decided, to purposefully choose a time when the kids were in the classrooms so they wouldn’t see her injured face.

As Aaron waited in front of the office, he heard footsteps approaching, and someone stopped beside him, leaning against the wall just like he was. He didn't need to look up to know it was Liz. The two of them stood there in silence for a moment, both lost in their thoughts.

Finally, Liz broke the silence. "She's strong, you know," she said, her tone a mixture of admiration and concern.

Aaron nodded, not taking his eyes off the hallway ahead. "Yeah, she is."

Liz continued, "I want to apologize for the way I talked to you yesterday."

"No, I deserved that," Aaron replied, his voice laced with sadness. "I promised you I'd take care of her."

She sighed, her expression troubled. "I just hope she'll be okay. I hope you both will be."

Aaron glanced at her, seeing a mix of emotions in her eyes. "We will be," he said with conviction, his gaze returning to the office door where Y/N was talking to the principal. "We just have to."

Y/N left the principal's office a couple of minutes later, letting out a breath of relief. She walked up to where Liz and Aaron were waiting.

"And?" Liz asked eagerly.

"I still have my job," Y/N began.

"Thank god," Liz exclaimed.

"But boy, I don't want to a talk like this ever again with her. She is scary,” Y/N whispered the last part.

Liz led them into her empty classroom, and Y/N continued speaking. "God, I felt like a teenager getting caught with her boyfriend. Anyway, she basically scolded me, and, like I guessed, everyone is already talking about Nancy and what happened. Some crazy rumors are going on, let me tell you that."

She continued, pointing at Aaron, "About us dating, she was definitely not happy that we kept it a secret. But she told me no school policy could force us to end things. She won't force me to change classes. I just have to have meetings with HR every month where they will basically lecture me about… I don't even know."

Aaron listened as Y/N recounted her conversation with the principal. He felt relieved that she didn't face any drastic consequences for their relationship but couldn't help feeling annoyed by the HR meetings she would have to endure because he knew how insufferable these could be.

Liz crossed her arms, "HR meetings every month? That doesn't sound pleasant."

Y/N shrugged a genuine smile playing on her lips, “I can handle it. It's better than losing my job or having to transfer to another school."

Aaron nodded in agreement. "As long as you're safe and still teaching, that's what matters."

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Y/N appreciated Aaron's unwavering presence and care during her recovery. His commitment to staying by her side reminded her of how lucky she was to have him in her life. The wounds on her body were gradually fading, but the love and support he showered upon her were the real remedy for her soul.

As she healed, the two of them spent quality time together, cherishing the moments they had. Aaron's dedication to changing her bandages and tending to her wound showed the depth of his love and concern.

When a new case came in midweek, Y/N initially tried to persuade him to go. She didn't want to hold him back from his duties. But Aaron was resolute.

"I told you, I won't make the same mistakes I did with Haley. You need me right now, so there is no more important place for me to be."

Y/N couldn't argue with his heartfelt words. She realized that having him close was exactly what she needed for her recovery, and she welcomed his presence with open arms.

Spencer came over to check up on Y/N because he was away in Vegas with his mom when everything happened. His visit was a pleasant surprise for both Y/N and Aaron. Despite the relatively short time they had known each other, Spencer seemed to trust Y/N a lot, which Aaron found surprising.

After lunch, when Spencer left with good wishes and a warm hug, Aaron couldn't help but express his amazement. "He really trusts you a lot, that doesn't happen too often," he remarked.

Y/N smiled at Aaron's comment. "Spencer is an incredible person, and I'm grateful that he's comfortable around me. We've had some meaningful conversations when I was staying at Emily’s place and it's clear he values you as a boss and your friendship."

Aaron nodded, appreciating how easily Y/N seemed to connect with people, even those in his own team. "You have a way of making people feel at ease, and it's one of the many things I admire about you."

Y/N blushed at his words, feeling a warm sense of contentment. They shared a sweet moment, both grateful for the support and trust they had in their relationship.

The weekend trip to the beach was a much-needed break for all of them. As they arrived at the cozy beach house in Virginia Beach, Jack's excitement was contagious. The weather might have been a bit chilly, but the beauty of the landscape made up for it.

Y/N wrapped herself up in a warm sweater and a scarf, enjoying the sound of the waves crashing against the shore as she and Aaron walked along the beach. Jack was busy collecting seashells and building sandcastles nearby.

"It's so peaceful here," Y/N remarked, leaning against Aaron as they watched the sunset over the ocean.

Aaron smiled and held her close. "That's why I chose this place. We all need a break from the chaos."

The weekend was filled with beach walks, cozy moments by the fireplace, and watching movies with Jack. It was a time to heal, reconnect, and create beautiful memories together.

Y/N's return to school was met with a heartwarming reception from her students. The flowers, welcome back card, and the kids' eagerness to hug her filled her heart with immense joy. She felt truly appreciated and loved by her students, and it was a touching moment that brought tears to her eyes.

Jack, now fully accustomed to having Y/N around, had grown attached to her presence and he would get cranky if she didn't come over at least a couple of times a week. So Y/N started staying over, and it soon became a regular occurrence. Whenever Aaron returned from a case, they would have baking and movie nights together, creating special memories as a trio.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Y/N stood in front of the mirror, calling out, "Babe, could you zip me up?"

Aaron emerged from the bathroom, wearing his new sweater vest over his button-up shirt. "Wow, look at you, handsome. I knew this would suit you," she said, giving him a peck as he approached.

"Thank you, darling. Now, let me help you with that," he replied, gently turning her around to zip up her dress. As Aaron lovingly zipped up Y/N's dress, his fingers gently traced the path of her scar. It had become a daily ritual for him, a reminder of the day he almost lost her and a testament to their enduring love. He placed a soft kiss on top of the scar, cherishing each moment they had together and vowing never to take a single day with her for granted.

"You are breathtaking, my love," he complimented her, his arms enveloping her waist as they made eye contact through the mirror. "Maybe we should skip the party and stay home," he groaned in her ear, kissing her jaw.

She sighed and leaned back against him. "It's Christmas, and Dave would kill us," she chuckled. Turning around in his embrace, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "But I promise you, you won't be disappointed by your present later," she added suggestively, brushing her lips against his, causing him to whimper at the enticing thought.

At the Christmas party, the warmth of the season enveloped them. The house was beautifully adorned with twinkling lights, wreaths, and a towering Christmas tree that seemed to touch the ceiling. Laughter and the chatter of friends and colleagues filled the air.

They indulged in a delicious holiday dinner filled with traditional dishes, and Jack couldn't resist sneaking cupcakes when he thought no one was looking.

As Y/N watched Liz and Emily share a feisty kiss, under the mistletoe, with Emily pressing her against the doorframe, she couldn't help but smile at their ongoing game of cat and mouse. It was evident to everyone around them that there was something going on between the two, but neither seemed willing to make the first move.

She had seen Emily sneakily placing extra mistletoes around the house earlier, a clear sign that she was hoping for a chance to steal a kiss from Liz. Y/N secretly prayed that this Christmas might finally be the time when one of them would confess their feelings but both were stubborn as hell.

The room was filled with the joyful sound of Christmas music as everyone danced and swayed to the rhythm. Y/N was carrying Jack in her arms, his small hands resting on her shoulders as they moved gracefully together on the dance floor. Her smile was radiant, and Jack's laughter echoed in the room, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Aaron stood across the room, watching them with a heart full of love and gratitude. Seeing Y/N and Jack dancing together, so full of happiness, was a sight that filled him with an overwhelming sense of joy. He couldn't help but feel lucky beyond words.

As he gazed at them, he knew, without a doubt, that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Y/N. The love in his chest was so profound that it felt like it might burst. He felt blessed to have found such a wonderful woman to share his life with, and he was determined to cherish every moment they had together.

As the lively Christmas song changed into a gentle, slow melody, Y/N carefully lowered Jack to the ground. The little boy, still filled with excitement from the festivities, joined some of the other kids nearby, leaving Y/N free to turn her attention to Aaron.

Their eyes met, and there was an unspoken understanding between them. Aaron extended his hand, and Y/N took it with a soft smile. They stepped onto the dance floor together, finding their place in the gentle sway of the music.

Wrapped in each other's arms, they danced with a tenderness that spoke volumes of their love. Aaron's warm breath brushed against Y/N's ear as he whispered sweet nothings, his words filling her heart with warmth.

The world around them seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them, lost in the moment. The soft glow of Christmas lights added to the enchantment of the evening.

He leaned in, brushing his lips against her forehead, a sweet and tender kiss that spoke volumes of his feelings for her. "You are my world, you mean everything to me, Y/N," he whispered. "I can't imagine my life without you. I love you more than words can express."

Y/N looked him in the eyes and whispered, "You are the love of my life, my one and only. I love you." They both felt the weight of their pasts lifting, replaced by the promise of a bright and beautiful future together. And for the first time in a long while, Aaron felt a sense of hope and anticipation for what lays ahead. With Y/N by his side, the stars seemed to shine brighter, and their love illuminated the path before them.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

𝕋𝕒𝕘 𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥: @mrs-ssa-hotch @aaronhotchswife @aaronhotchner135 @lambsheepsheeping @teenagegoateecollectorposts @hmett20 @callm3c0nfus3d @superskittles @carolinelec @emobabeyy @prentissim @perpetuallyconfused10 @topguncultleader @ttzamara @wingedcoffeechaos @gffesegjoiegj tags don’t work if your blog is private

#aaron hotchner #criminal minds #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotch hotchner #hotch x reader #criminal minds imagine #thomas gibson #aaron hotch imagine #emily prentiss #emily prentiss is not straight

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chaosclimber · 7 months ago

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teacher

“Sir.” The word was clipped and formal. “Your son is doing just fine in his classes. We called Robyn’s father in, not you.”

Dream took a deep breath in, silently, fighting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. So, this was how the math teacher was going to play it. Well, there was a reason he was here and Hob was not, and it was purely because he was much better at the kind of political posturing that would actually get this sort of teacher to back down.

Robyn’s accommodations were not being respected in his math class. And that…well. Dream, certainly considered that a problem.

“Odd. I know for a fact we updated both Orpheus’s gender markers and my marital status with the school–the secretary was grumbling about it, but accommodating. My child is not a boy, ergo, not my son. But Robyn, by marriage, very much is.”

Mrs. Smith blinked a bit at that, but carried on. “Very well. If Mr. Gadling could not be bothered to attend this meeting, this will have to do.”

Dream interrupted once more. “You did not ask for a time to schedule this meeting. If you had, you would have known that there was no possible way for Mr. Aeturnus-Gadling to make this meeting, as he had already committed himself to his undergraduate students. But you never reached out to us, you merely sent Robyn home with a note saying we were to meet you at this time.” He maintained a level tone, staring just below her eye line. This promised to be a long meeting, and a frustrating one, and he was certain he would have to make true eye contact with her later. Best approximate it for now. “But no matter. This, as you say, will do. I expect you are going to explain why Robyn was not allowed extra time on his test. Or extended due dates on his homework.”

“Those sorts of things just don’t happen in my classroom, Mr. Aeturnus.” She pronounced his name Atturnis, as though he hadn’t corrected her during the parent-teacher conferences at the beginning of the year. And she ignored the second half of his name entirely. “See, I don’t think Robyn actually needs any of it. He’s a very smart boy, and if you give him excuses to be lazy and disorganized, he’s never going to learn.”

“He has a documented learning disability. Intelligence has nothing to do with it. We have provided all the information needed, it is now your legal responsibility to honor his accommodations. If you continue to refuse, I will be taking this matter over your head.”

“Principal Latimer supports his teachers against bully parents.”

He was the bully? For ensuring Robyn got what he needed? Oh, that was rich, indeed. He shifted his glance so he was making eye contact with her, maintaining it in silence. As the moment stretched on, she clearly began to feel the weight of his unflinching gaze, because she started shifting in her seat. He kept staring for another few moments, then broke the silence. “Principal Latimer will be part of my complaint to the school board, as well, then. If anyone is being the bully in this situation, it is you.”

Well. Maybe this wasn’t going to be that long of a meeting after all. Mention of the school board seemed to shut her up rather quickly. “Robyn will not be serving that ridiculous detention for homework that he was able to turn in the very next class. If any action is taken against him, or if his accommodations are not honored going forward, you will be hearing from me.”

She paled and nodded, a clear dismissal.

Dream glided out of the room, hiding his smirk until he was out of Mrs. Smith’s line of vision. Hob would love hearing this. @domaystic

crossposted to AO3

#tw ableism #dreamling #dream of the endless #robyn gadling #domaystic2024 #slice of life #dream getting assertive for Robyn's sake is <3 #Hob is very much gonna reward him when he hears about this

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hyunnows · 1 year ago

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SHATTERED PUZZLES | 10

“a rude and arrogant patient with no identification wakes up from a year-long coma and develops temporary amnesia. Assigned to you, a volunteer who’s not going to put up with his attitude, you’re both in for a rough ride.”

PAIRING(s) | Hyunjin x reader, ft Minho x reader

THEMES | fluff, angst, a slight love triangle (i gotta stop with the skz love triangles–), amnesia!Hyunjin, Doctor!Chan, Rude!Hyunjin, car accident, trauma

WORD COUNT | 2.7k+

RATING | pg13

NOTE | ... well hello there. i know its been a while, and im so sorry for that. im still not really back yet, since i havent gotten into any sort of writing schedule or anything. but i wanted to finish this part up for you guys since i felt you deserved it. i also want to say thank you for all the support while ive been away, and hello to all my new followers and new readers for this series! i cant believe ive been working on this since i was 15 T^T its crazy to think ill be 18 in december... really thank you guys, all of you, im grateful for those who are new around here and those who have been with me since the beginning! please enjoy and have a great day/night!

Series M.list | SKZ M.list | Taglist

It’s been about three weeks since Hyunjin was betrothed to Yuna. The two have grown closer, but not as their parents believe. Now, she’s become more of a sister, and Hyunjin her brother.

She shares her crush on the shopkeeper she’s so fond of, asking for advice and tips. In turn, she gives Hyunjin the same—as well as tricks to keep his hair healthy. He likes having her as a friend.

In between their normal chatter and hanging out, they scheme. Researching legal documents, checking to see if there’s any way they can get out of marrying each other. It’s tiring work, but love is a powerful driving force.

“Do you know of any close family members that might be willing to take your spot?” Yuna raises her brow at Hyunjin. “I mean, I know I have a cousin or two that wouldn’t mind being in an arranged marriage for a few years. If you have someone to take your spot, then I think that they’ll let us off the hook.”

“That’s a good idea, except for the fact that I don’t know any of my family. The only family in my memories are my parents, and Minho I guess, but he’s not blood.” The blond frowns, sighing. Why did he have to be born to money hungry control freaks?

Yuna purses her lips, “I’ll have someone look into your family and see if you have any candidates. Until then, we have to just hang in there, I guess.”

——

“I’m dying.” You whine, hanging off the couch dramatically.

Minho and Chan shake their heads. “You’re not dying [Y/N],” the younger sighs, “I know it's hard, but you’re both safer this way.”

You know what he’s saying is true, but…

It's been over a month and a half since you were ripped away from Hyunjin, and you’ve thought of him every moment since then. You just want to see him--just be in his presence again. Unfortunately, you know that's not possible. At least, not according to Minho’s information on the blond.

So, while you may not be literally dying, you most definitely feel like you are.

And so when a particular idea pops in your head, you decide you have nothing left to lose, and voice it out.

“Let’s kidnap Hyunjin.”

----

“Yuna! Yuna! Where are you?” Hyunjin scrambles around, excitement all over his face as he races to find her. He’d been up since the crack of dawn, brainstorming ways to get out of their arrangement, and he finally came up with something. Now if only he could find her--

“Hyunjin? What? It’s early as hell,” she yawns, glancing at her phone and shoving the digital numbers in his face, giving him a good look at the time. 8:40 am. “What do you want?”

“They can’t force us to get married if one of us is already married.” He grins, panting slightly from the running around he’d done. Luckily, it isn’t odd for a fiancé to sleep over--or else the entire Hwang staff would be giving him a weird look all day.

Yuna curls a brow. “What do you mean? You want to run away and marry [Y/N] to get out of this?” She yawns a bit towards the end, rubbing her tired eyes with confusion.

His face is covered in shock for a moment before he picks up his jaw and shakes his head. “No, I love her, but she’s not ready to marry me yet. I barely confessed the day we were brought here.” He scoffs at the idea that he’d rush your relationship, which she rolls her eyes at. “You should marry Jay.”

Yuna flushes at the idea, mouth turning into a circle in surprise. Hyunjin knows she wants to marry the boy--she’s talked about it almost every day since they met, after all. “I-I don’t know… what if he doesn’t want to?”

Now it's Hyunjin’s turn to roll his eyes. “He wants to, trust me. I’ve seen the way he looks at you through the shop windows. He’s probably written his vows to you already,” he chuckles, his words making the girl redder than ever, which earns him a shove from her small hands. “Just ask him. If you two get married before our wedding, they won’t be able to force us together.”

Pursing her lips, she sighs. “Fine, I’ll ask.” Her agreement makes the blond cheer in satisfaction.

“Thank you Yuna!”

“Yeah yeah,” she waves him off, stepping back into her room and closing the door, “Let me get back to bed now.” Hyunjin apologizes and waltzes back down the hall to his room, and she can’t help but shake her head at his antics. “Weirdo.”

----

“You want to do what?” Chan all but yells, eyes wide in confusion. Sure, he’d heard a lot of crazy things pertaining to Hyunjin’s situation but you want to kidnap him? That’s a bit too much for the Australian to handle. “[Y/N] you know that’s illegal, right?”

You shrug. “Let's kidnap him. They kidnapped me already. Plus, Minho has pretty much done this before.” Your reasons just make the doctor sigh. “What? I can’t just sit around and do nothing anymore.”

Chan sees where you’re coming from, he really does, but as a doctor, he’s not sure he can condone this idea of yours. “But [Y/N], there’s no way you’re getting through their security and getting back here with Hyunjin safely. By the way, you could be arrested for kidnapping too. And you don’t have the money to get out of it.”

All of his stupid, logical reasoning makes you groan and roll your eyes. You know Chan likes to play by the rules—you usually do too—but for once, you just want him to support you and your bad idea. “Whatever, I don’t care! With or without you Chan, I’m gonna get Hyunjin back. I know he’s miserable, just like I am,” you frown, arms crossed loosely over your chest. “He deserves to be free, no matter who his parents are.”

As you strut away from the living room, Minho can’t help but stare at you in wonder. All this time, he’s known you cared for Hyunjin. What shocks him though, is that you seem to be the only person that can rival Minho’s love for his friend. ‘I can’t believe I’m going this again,’ he sighs, standing to follow you to your room so you can start discussing plans to break Hyunjin out. With the bright smile you give him when he agrees to your idea, he knows why it was so easy for him to fall for you. “So, what’re you thinking?”

Chan is completely flabbergasted, as well as disappointed, with Minho’s reaction. Sure, he knows Minho’s in love with you--everyone knows--but to go along with kidnapping Hyunjin? That sounds like more than love. It's insane. But then again, Chan also knows how much Minho cares about the younger boy, and how much he misses hanging out with him freely. “You guys are ridiculous, you know that, right?”

You glare at the Australian, but you can tell with the way he sounds stressed that he’s about to give into whatever plan you throw at him.

And so, you begin explaining your master plan to the two boys.

It wasn’t anything complicated. You would go as Minho’s date for the upcoming gala, disguised as one of their rich guests. While the two of you worked to find Hyunjin, Chan would pretend to be a security guard, and make a safe escape route. This was the base at least. You had also hoped to bring Han, Jeongin, and Seungmin along, have them act as caterers (if they agreed) and keep attention away from Minho, Hyunjin, and yourself as much as possible. Then, Minho would excuse himself, drive one of his cars around the side, and they would all slip out unnoticed.

So here you were, dressed all fancy, surrounded by about a hundred other guests. They’re all too busy trying to either get to Mr. or Mrs. Hwang to notice you, but you feel as if all their eyes are on you, judging you, picking you apart, and getting ready to notify the security of your suspicious presence.

It makes you shuffle forward a bit faster, and you bump against someone’s shoulder on accident. “I am so sorry--”

“Don’t worry about…” her eyes lock with yours within seconds, “What ar--”

You hold your finger vertically against your lips, telling her--Hyunjin’s arranged partner (who Minho warned you about and who was well aware of how you looked due to the social media pictures of you Hyunjin had shoved in her face)--‘don’t say anything’ and reconnect to Minho’s arm. Minho, who’d seen the whole thing, gives you a curt nod for not going off script.

Striding to the buffet table, you spot Jeongin in your peripheral vision, keeping the attention off of you. He seems to be doing a great job, considering all the older women were by him, gushing over the “adorable young waiter” less than discreetly. You’d seen his fiancée, now where was Hyunjin?

“I’m gonna go look around upstairs, you keep an eye out down here, yeah?” Minho leans down to whisper to you, looking at you for agreement.

You squeeze his arm and shake your head, “No Minho, everyone’s gonna know I don’t belong here if they see me without you.”

He sighs, stopping the two of you in your tracks. “Nobody’s going to know [Y/N], as long as you don’t do anything to attract attention, you’ll be fine. Just walk around and smile at people.”

You’re about to argue why that isn’t true when he slips out of your hold and walks off--meaning it would look too odd if you were to speed walk back up to him. ‘Damn you’, you think, before turning towards the art wall and deciding that would be a good place to start.

----

You were wrong.

As it turns out, the art wall isn’t actually just a small hallway with lovely paintings on the wall and a statue or two on display. It was an entire gallery bigger than your apartment by a landslide. You couldn’t help but be amazed at the family’s collection of fine pieces--but damn it if this wasn’t inconvenient to your search. You’re about 15 minutes into the gallery and still no sign of Hyunjin. You’re beginning to get cold feet about this plan and getting ready to call the whole thing off when a mess of blond hair and dark roots catch your eye. He’s admiring a painting, two bodyguards beside him, one on either side.

You want to run up to him, hold him so close you’re practically in his skin, his warmth all around you.

But you can’t, otherwise, all your planning, arranging, and sneaking around would go to waste. You dial Minho’s number and tell him the situation, and he’s by your side within minutes. He smoothly makes his way to Hyunjin, you trailing close behind and listening as Minho tells the guards something to get them to leave.

“Hyunjin, I brought someone with me,” Minho smiles, catching the younger male’s attention. Stepping aside to make you visible, Hyunjin’s jaw drops and Minho has to catch his glass out of his hands to keep him from shattering it on the floor. “Say hi.”

You can see his eyes get watery, his lip trembling as he takes a step towards you before he stops himself. “What are you doing here? It’s dangerous for you [Y/N].”

Despite his words, you can’t help but melt at the way he sounds saying your name. “We’re getting you out” you whisper, staring into his glistening eyes. “We couldn’t just leave you here.”

“How? My clothes have trackers, there’s guards everywhere-- I don’t think you guys are getting out of here with me,” he frowns, grabbing his clothes to the light flickering in the seams. “I’m stuck here.”

“We know about the guards and everything. We weren’t prepared for the trackers, though,” your brows curl in worry as you look at Minho.

He mentions that he has extra clothes, then moves on to explain the plan to Hyunjin. He seems worried, but at this point, he’ll do anything to get out of his parent’s hold. With a sigh, he asks, “Do you know when Chan will be ready?”

“I was actually about to check,” Minho states, calling the doctor up quickly. He mumbles into the phone, hand covering his face, making it hard enough not only for bystanders and strangers to hear, but difficult for Hyunjin and yourself as well. However, the nod that's accompanied by the movement of his chin let you know enough. “He’s ready whenever you are,” he gives Hyunjin a look, before gesturing to a particularly broad-shouldered security guard standing by a door off to the side of the gallery with “SECURITY” written in bold print on it.

You begin tugging the blond towards the Australian, suddenly remember you’re all on borrowed time, and that the guards assigned to stay by Hyunjin could return at any moment. Upon this reminder, Hyunjin begins rushing towards the door as discreetly as possible, and Minho decides now is as good a time as ever to excuse himself as the getaway driver.

“Hey man,” Chan greets quietly, swiftly opening the door to the security room and ushering the two of you inside. Hyunjin nods, glancing around in confusion and paranoia. Upon seeing the younger male’s fright, Chan calms his fears, “Don’t worry about the cameras seeing us. I know a guy who fixed that for us.”

Han’s voice comes out muffled from Chan’s headset, making Hyunjin and your own eyes widen. You knew he had some interest in computers, but you didn’t think he actually had any knowledge to help with something like this. At least now you know how he never seems to get viruses from downloading so much questionable software (he would really do anything to get free streaming services). “Yeah I covered for you guys, but you only have like 5 minutes left before the cameras start capturing live footage again. In other words, hurry up please.”

You all begin moving through the route, which is incredibly clear. The security room connects to dozens of other security rooms through hidden hallways. You suppose it only makes sense, considering just how rich the Hwangs are, for them to have such an intricate hidden system within the walls of their household.

Within 3 minutes, you three make it out the back door, where Minho is quietly pulling up, undetected. Hyunjin had removed his shirt during the walk, and ditched his shoes when you guys left the first security room, only needing to change his lower half’s garments now. He hops into the back, quickly replacing his own clothes with those Minho had given to him, ridding himself of the trackers. You hop in the back soon after beside him, Chan and Jeongin piling in soon after with the elder taking the passenger seat and Jeongin squishing himself beside you, barely buckling in when Minho steps on the gas.

“Alright, cams coming on in three… two… one-” just as Han’s voice finishes the count down from Chan’s phone, Hyunjin’s phone goes off with alerts, which are quickly followed by a spam of phone calls that make him throw his phone out of the window in fear as Minho begins speeding down the road towards your side of town.

Hearts pumping with adrenaline, you and the blond face each other simultaneously, tearing up immediately as you lean in to embrace each other’s lips for the first time in far too long. His forehead presses against yours as tears run down his cheeks, his hands caressing and wiping your face. “I missed you so much.”

Your bottom lip trembles, and you lean into his neck, arms wrapping around him to pull Hyunjin close to you, afraid he might disappear if you let go, “I missed you more.”

He lets out a painful laugh, squeezing you tighter to him, and shaking his head as if to gently disagree with you. He can’t fathom you missing him any more than he missed you. “I love you.”

A wistful sigh escapes you, a choked sob following not long after, “I love you too.”

The three boys glance back at you, each of them wearing a soft smile. However, Chan found it difficult to see only joy in Minho’s eyes after hearing your proclamations. He doesn’t mention it though, allowing you all a moment of peace.

----

After arriving at Jisung, Jeongin, and–at this point–Minho’s apartment and settling in, one question plague’s your minds.

“So…” Jisung begins, “What now?”

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lanitalay · 9 months ago

Text

Among Flames and Starlight Chapter 6

a/n: oh my god this took so much time. let me know your thoughts pretty please

Warnings: angst, bad mental health, unwanted marriage, mentions of violence

Word count: 3.2k

Other Chapters

Having a reception after the ceremony must have been the High Lord of Night’s idea. It was in the Forest House ballroom. Many guests were already drinking and dancing when the newly wedded couple walked in. Irene held her bouquet with both hands, if someone looked closely enough they would see that it was the only way to keep from shaking.

A few seconds later Victoria ran up to her, scanning her face not sure what she hoped to find. “Do you mind if I steal the bride to freshen up?” Eris shook his head and Victoria guided Irene out of the room. “Where is your room?”

She knew the way to her chambers well enough to not get lost in the connecting halls of the Forest House. Once inside, Victoria closed the door behind her and crushed Irene in a hug. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. How have you been?”

“I can’t say I’m doing great but I’m doing better than I was the first week.” The princess of Night held her friends face, studying the new hollows and gauntness “have you been eating? They are giving you food right?”

“Yes, I can’t keep much down. But I eat when I can.”

“And Eris? Has he hurt you?”

“No, I haven’t seen him until today.” Victoria sags in relief “good, that’s good. The boys have been trying to come up with a plan to get you back home. You just gotta hold on a bit longer.”

“That’s impossible without starting a war.”

“We’ll see about that. I’m just so happy to see you. It’s not the same without you, Ire.” Victoria hugs her again. They hold each other until a knock on the door startles them. “It's me.” Rhysand's voice is muffled by the door but Irene instantly knows it's him. He opens the door slowly and asks Victoria to give them a moment. “Make it quick, we don’t want anyone to get upset.”

“Rhys…” the door clicks behind him. He goes to close the distance between them but her hands stop him. You reek of him Eris had told her once. He had kept away this month but tonight she knew they’d be forced to spend it together. “It’s better if…” He got the message and took a step back.

“I came to tell you that I’ll hold up my end of the bargain. If he touches a hair on you in any sort of malicious way, he’s dead. Consequences be damned.”

When Irene and Victoria returned to the ballroom Mora quickly pulled the bride away telling her it was time for the first dance. Eris was standing just off the dance floor “just a simple waltz around the room and then others will join.”

Eris held out his hand for Irene to grab and then the music started. She could not deny that he was a gifted dancer. In all her years of dance lessons and parties in the Rainbow she had never been led so gracefully by a partner. For a moment as brief as the blink of an eye she let herself enjoy the music and the movement. “After this we will be going on a honeymoon.” Irene’s brows furrowed. “I figured no one has informed you and it would be an unwelcome surprise.”

“Nothing about this situation is welcomed.” He continued the waltz for a few more beats until others started to join. Eris led them off the dance floor, letting go of her hand the second they stopped moving.

“I must say, I’m surprised to see you on your feet, Vallier.” His shrill voice never failed to make a cold sweat accumulate on her back. “It 's Vanserra now.”

“The Autumn Court will do you good. Beron has always had a gift for putting people in their place.” He wrapped an arm around Irene in what seemed to be a friendly embrace and squeezed the burn that Beron had left there hours before. Irene winced, skin still raw, as the scratchy fabric of the dress scraped off the still forming scab.

“We must be on our way,” Eris said as he approached them. Until now, Irene had never been glad to see him. “Of course” the High Lord let go of her.

Victoria and Celene hugged her before she walked down the steps of the Forest House and into a horse drawn carriage. Rhysand, Azriel and Cassian just watched. In twenty steps, Irene and Eris were gone.

She was the first to break the silence. “Thank you for… well for stepping in.”

Eris only nodded in acknowledgement. Maybe it was the fear of what was to come, the grief of having to say goodbye to her family or the realization that only death would free her from this bond but Irene felt the need to keep talking.

“Do you know where we’re going?”

Eris looked through the small window of the carriage “to a cottage near a lake.”

“For how long?”

“A week.” That was longer than she expected. At least in the Forest House Mora was a comforting presence and even Lucien was pleasant company. But seven days with Eris, with whom she’d only ever exchanged crass words and more recently vows…

When the carriage stopped it was dark, night took over on the long ride. The cottage was small. Irene spotted a kitchen, a table, a sitting room and three doors upon entering. “There are two bedrooms, take your pick.”

Irene’s heart stopped, eyes bugged. Eris read the question on her face. “I have no interest in bedding someone who looks like an orphaned fawn.”

“But- isn’t the whole point of a wedding night to consum-” he cut her off before she could finish. “No one is expecting an heir anytime soon.” But an heir was expected of them, eventually.

The room she had chosen was plain, as was the rest of the cottage. A mattress on a wooden bed frame, the blankets a pretty berry red. There was a dresser with a mirror on top. To her surprise, there was a bookshelf filled with different types of books. From a quick overview Irene saw some romances, a thriller, a history of Prythian and a few anthologies.

She threw herself on the bed, face first and groaned. The relief she felt when Eris walked into the other room and locked the door was still coursing through her veins. She had been running on fear and panic for a month and for now, she could breathe.

Morning took her by surprise. Irene woke up to the sun shining directly on her face through the still open curtains. It was the first night’s sleep she had gotten in a month. A bath was desperately needed, still in her wedding gown and cosmetics smeared all over her face. So she stood and washed up. She put on a lighter dress, not knowing what to expect for this so-called honeymoon.

Eris was sitting at the table, eating something that Irene had to admit smelled delicious. “Good morning.” He looked up like he hadn’t noticed she was standing a few feet away “there’s food over there.”

With a plate assembled she joined him at the table. Eating was getting easier as the shock of her new reality was being replaced by resignation. “I wanted to say that I had no say in this whole arrangement.”

Irene stopped chewing, lifting her gaze to his. “I figured, why would you want to marry a half-blood concubine?”

His fist clenched around his fork. “There’s animosity between our courts, I said those things to upset Rhysand.”

“Then you should have insulted him, not me or my father for that matter.”

“You got in the middle of a fight that wasn’t yours to begin with. You should have stayed quiet if you couldn’t handle it.”

“You were being cruel to my friend.”

“Your friend is big enough to defend himself without losing his temper.”

“Says the male that burnt my hand.”

“After you drew blood first. Everyone might be convinced that you are a harmless female, but not me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You won’t hesitate to strike.”

“You won’t hesitate to be an ass.”

“Nice one.” With that he stood up to wash up the dishes he had used. Then he put on a green jacket and strapped on a blade “I’ll be hunting. You can do whatever you like, just do me a favor and stay out of that lake.” Before Irene could ask why he had winnowed away.

The last thing Irene wanted to read was a romance. Not when the person she loves- or loved- was miles away. When she had vowed her hand to another. When the last time she was with Rhysand he had stated she was one of the people he cared for. The same way he cared for Mor, Azriel or Cassian. The same way he cared for the people of Velaris. The ache in her heart had subsided after seeing him at the wedding. If he had looked more disheveled. If he had sent a letter… maybe she’d still ache for him. She guessed her love for him would always be there, waiting to be returned. But given how the floor was ripped from under them, she wouldn’t hold her breath.

The thriller did not appeal to her either. She’d be bored to tears by the History of Prythian. So an anthology it was. Fables for Young Fae, Tales from Across the Sea, Spring Court Creatures: Poems and Chronicles, The Secret Life of Witches, Court Wars: Fictional Retelling of Conflicts in Prythian.

Irene picked Fables for Young Fae. It told stories to let children know not to wander off into a heavily wooded area or to swim in dark waters or to talk back to their parents. All of the characters were woodland creatures and she thought that the illustrations were adorable.

It was sunset when Eris came back, butchered meat in his hands. “This is dinner.”

“What is it?”

“Venissen, I’ll make a stew.”

“Doesn’t the house do that?” Eris looked at her like she had two heads. “No?” His expression combined with his tone gave Irene the distinct impression she had just said something really dumb. “Oh, there’s just a cabin similar to this one in the Night Court and it cooks… and stuff.”

“This is really just a lodge for when any of us go hunting, no special charms or anything like that.”

“I see, can I help?” Eris was cutting the meat into uniform pieces “no, I’ll let you know when it’s done.”

Irene stood from the spot on the sofa where she spent most of the day and walked outside. The air was crisp in this Court, unlike Night’s biting wind and Summer’s warm breezes. Here it was fresh, enhanced by all the fragrant plants that grew in abundance. She spotted a berry bush near the cottage and thought it would be nice to pick some for dessert.

The berries were large and plump. Ready for harvesting. Irene ate as she picked them, creating a sort of basket with the skirt of her dress. Her meals mostly consisted of stews and pies. It had been a while since she had fresh fruit. Even longer since she had something as delicious as those berries. When her skirt could not fit any more and berries were spilling from the sides, she went back inside.

“I got dessert.” She announced to Eris as she spilled all of her pickings on the kitchen table. She found a bowl large enough to fit all of them and said “I could make jam tomorrow.” Irene realized she didn’t know if he even liked jams, or berries, or her for that matter. “Do you like these?” Eris looked away from the pot he was working on “yes.”

“Is it going to be like this forever?”

“Hm?”

“One word replies, fighting, generally despising each other until one of us dies?”

“I don’t despise you, Irene.”

“Don’t you?”

“No.”

They were eating in silence when Irene asked “if you didn’t want to get married why would your father force you? And to me of all people?” She suddenly noticed how tired he looked as he stopped eating and answered “he wanted to remind me who is in charge and I think it was you because of how the High Lord of Night feels about you. He actually despises you.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“Do you know why?”

“It has to do with something that happened during the war. I was too young to remember it all, but one day my family was all together and the next my father was sent to war and my mother sent to the Prison. I know he wanted me gone as well but somehow Celene convinced him to spare me.”

“The Night Court has always been shrouded in mysteries.”

Two days had gone by in a similar routine. But on the fourth, when Irene went to get more berries, she noticed the bush had been picked clean. By now she had been on a few walks along the perimeter of the cottage to know that there wasn’t any other bush nearby. So she decided to walk into the forest, hoping to find more berries or maybe an apple tree. Irene made a point to look in all four directions, noting that the cottage was North and if something spooked her she would just run back. She was looking up, trying to see if any of the trees had fruit when she stepped on a small anthill. It was so small and inconsequential that she did not feel the ants climbing up her legs until they started biting.

Within a second she fell, the ants now reaching her torso. With each sting she lost more sensation to her legs, then her arms. She could feel her face muscles start to twitch, warning her that soon her whole body would be useless. “Eris!” She yelled as loud as she could and tried to yell again but her tongue wouldn’t move and then her mouth refused to open, lastly her eyelids went limp and the world went dark.

She could hear him. Heard him curse when he found her. Grunt when he picked her up. Heard his boots smack on the wooden floor of the cottage when he winnowed. “I know you won’t like this but I need to take your clothes off to get all the ants.” Heard the rip of fabric. Then the splash of water. Scrubbing, he was probably scrubbing her skin but she could not feel a thing. Towels rustling. Blankets shifting. “You’ll be alright, you’ll be alright, you’ll be alright.” She heard pacing, and pacing, and pacing.

Irene must have drifted off into sleep because eventually she awoke and her eyes could open. She tried to wriggle her fingers and toes but failed. She could tell that Eris had put her in a nightgown and tucked her in tightly, the blanket smooth from her lack of movement. “Can you speak?” She opened her mouth but her tongue was too heavy and all that came out was a gurgling noise.

“It 's alright. You stepped on pernicious ants, they bit all the way up to your neck. Usually so much venom would be deadly, paralyzing every organ until not even magic can bring you back. I think because of your witch blood the venom didn’t affect your vital organs. It has been two days, if you continue to heal at this rate you’ll be on your feet tomorrow.”

Irene blinked, the only thing she could do. She had a hard time grasping that she was viciously attacked by ants. The fables she had been reading warned against huge prickly creatures, not tiny little insects. Even Eris had told her to stay out of the lake, not to watch where she stepped.

An hour later she regained control of her mouth. Eris had fallen asleep on the floor, leaning against the wall. “Eris” it was pretty much a whisper but he immediately awoke, quickly rising to his feet. “Can you move anything?” She tried her fingers but nothing. “No.”

“I was going to wait until later to ask but” he looked away from her face and to her torso, hidden beneath layers of fabric “the handprint on your ribs, was it Beron or one of my brothers?”

“Oh, it was Beron.” Her voice was so low and her words slurred together. “Before the wedding he told me I better get my shit together or he’ll…” she paused, trying to remember the exact words “burn me to embers.” Her eyes closed again and did not open until the next day.

Finally she could feel her body and the uncomfortable stiffness in all of her muscles. When she awoke Eris was gone. She raised to a seated position slowly then carefully placed her feet on the ground. She held onto the mattress as she placed more weight on her legs until she eventually stood up fully. Her balance was off so she aimed to step closer to the dresser so she could have something to lean on. But her feet were not receiving the messages she sent them. She toppled and fell to the floor with a thud of dead weight.

Eris practically tore the door down. “What are you doing out of bed?” It wasn’t really a question though. “I felt like I could walk.”

“Are you- nevermind. How are you feeling?” She flexed her hands and massaged her face. Lifting her brows, pursing her lips. Her head twisted in a way that had her joints popping and finally she answered “good.”

“You’re gonna give me one word answers now?”

“Don’t pretend you weren’t about to insult me, Vanserra.”

“Why would you jump out of bed after being paralyzed for days.”

“Because I could.”

“Let me get you off the floor.” He bent down and scooped her in his arms, then set her on the bed.

“Thank you. I'm surprised you didn't leave me in the woods. You could have been rid of an unwanted wife with out getting your hands dirty.”

“Just because I don’t want this marriage doesn’t mean I’d leave you for dead, Irene.”

“I wouldn’t leave you for dead either.” She meant it. While their predicament was undesirable and his past unsavory, he had warned her about the honeymoon, cooked for the both of them and cared for her while she was recovering. Irene couldn’t say she was happy. The last few days alone had been a new kind of hell, locked within her own body. But she was less scared.

Nothing is forever, Victoria had written. Avoid Beron at all costs, Mor had warned. Carve out happiness, Mora advised. Eris didn’t leave her to die- or decompose. It was not the makings of a fairytale, by any means. She had no choice but to keep living and to spite the High Lord of Night, to spite Beron she would live and learn to thrive. She would avenge her father and free her mother. She would be their doom. Irene Vanserra, crown princess of the Autumn Court, vowed to make them pay.

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