#she might’ve spoken it with her kids but they don’t remember any

[sluttywonwoo]

你说汉语吗？

no 😔 in my family the language died with my great grandmother

[avatarkv]

V ! I Know it's for the better. Know it's for the better.

✎ Synopsis ! You've been thrusted to carry the burden of the eldest after his passing.

Content & warning Jake sully x Daughter!Reader, Sully kids x Sister!Reader Neytiri x Daughter!Reader. Mentions of death and violence! (wc; 5057)

Song: Waiting Room, Phoebe Bridgers.

“Can you hear me, corporal?” He chuckles, “Yeah. I think you can.” 

"If you so much as lay a finger on her, consider yourself a dead man.” Your father seethed through the intercom that you could feel his very rage– it frightened you, almost more so than being captured by Quaritch. Jake wasn't the kind of man who liked to make idle threats; it was his commitment that made him the perfect olo’eyktan, but it was purely love that made him the father he is today. 

You knew very well what he was capable of. 

You tugged at the binds, desperate to loosen them but to no avail. Squirming uncomfortably in your seat, despair settled into your chest like lead and you felt helpless. You didn't even put up a fight to begin with; all those training, just to end up at the root of it all. You could only glare at Quaritch while he looked down at you, fingers pressing the pager on his ear.

“Now don’t look at me like that, sweetheart, you have your father’s eyes.” His remark made your gaze falter, disgust coursing through your body. “You know what to do, Jake.”

“Don’t touch her, asshole! She’s just a kid–

“Might’ve gotten a few scratches in, but nothing a few bandaids can’t fix.” Quaritch looks you up and down, a smirk playing on his lips,  “Don’t worry, we show visitors the utmost respect here. I’m certain you’d know our customs around these parts, marine.” His tone is slightly aggressive and there's an air of smugness in his words– he’s provoking him, taking pleasure in knowing that he has the upper hand.

Scratches my ass. They gave you one hell of a shot on your side when they tried to kill off your ilu and they did nothing but put some ragged cloth to stop the bleeding. You knew it wasn’t any deep, but it still hurt– not to mention you’ve lost a lot of blood from their harsh tugging. You wince, thinking about it. If it wasn’t for the adrenaline coursing through your body, you would’ve been in a whole lot of pain.

“What the hell do you want?” 

“Same as before. You for her.” 

Their voices melted into the background, like a low hum of static passing through your ears. Despite the noise, you feel yourself attune to it after a while and allow yourself to drift away. Eventually, it tuned itself out and you were surrounded by an almost eerie silence.  

Your father had said something, you remembered, something you had missed.

You had missed the looming aircraft above– unlike the usual helicopters you knew, this one flew stealthily, as if it was designed to lurk and catch even the slightest of movement. At first, they thought it was merely a lone ilu; they were now at the reef, after all. Your color blended almost perfectly with its skin, movement as fluid as the raging sea. They had shot it, grazing its fin. 

“Mawey, mawey!” You had screamed in panic, trying to hold on to its thrashing body. “Dad–”

The ilu struggled, bellowing in pain. It was impossible to form a bond, let alone control your breathing– the bluish-green waters were now tainted with a faint, crimson hue. Blood; familiar blood, painful red. 

“__, listen, I’m gonna find you, okay?” It was difficult to make out the words he had spoken over the loud static of the pager. The radio waves were making it hard for either of them to hear properly. Trying again, he shouted,  “Sweetheart, I’m–” 

From there, they had spotted you; a forest na’vi, sticking out like a sore thumb. Quaritch had most certainly hit the jackpot upon seeing that it was none other than Jake Sully's eldest daughter.

You wondered what he could have uttered in that moment before Quaritch and his people had rushed to get to you. Could it have been an apology– a sorry you’ve been longing for? Sweetheart, I’m sorry for being so tough on you. I’m sorry we had to leave home– leave him. I’ll find you and you’ll be okay. We’re going home.

But the thought of facing his disappointment again plagued you; once it had been his love that held you together, but now this fear kept your feet firmly planted on the ground.

Sweetheart, I’m disappointed in you– how could you put yourself in this situation? How could you put everyone in danger again? What would Neteyam think? I’m tired, __. You tire me. 

Yeah, that was surely it. 

Your eyes wandered around the room; the unfamiliar white walls reminded you just how far away from home you were and perhaps this time, you could never return.

Quaritch grabs your braid in his fist, tugging on it with a vice-like grip and forcing you to look up at him. You stifle a cry of pain, feeling the throbbing ache all across your scalp as his grip tightens around it. He tugs on it further, wanting a sound out of you, but all you could let out was a loud hiss. “Can’t hear your father, darling, think we have to put on a show.” He sneers, “You must not really love your children, Jake.” 

“I understand already–! get your fucking hands off her!”

“I don’t think you understand, really.” Quaritch taunts. 

A beat of silence passes before your father's desperate voice echoes through the intercom. “Please,” he pleads, “Don't hurt my daughter."

“There we go,” He finally releases your hair, “I’ll be waiting, Jake.” 

Quaritch removes the pager, discarding it on the table just in front of you. 

“You must be very disappointed in yourself,” A low hiss erupted from your throat as you gazed upwards. He sat in front of you, mockingly close, yet far enough that you couldn’t do anything but glare. “Does this not remind you of a familiar night?” 

“They are coming for you,” Your tone was menacing– livid, as the words snarled from your lips. “And when they do, you’re gonna wish that you’ve let yourself rot in that shack.”

It flashed through his mind– a glimmer of your mother that burned fiercely; a warning. Quaritch straightened his posture, chuckling. “That traitor is coming to save his dear daughter in distress, much like your brother had. We know how it'll end.”

“Not until he kills you first,” 

“You’re in a different boat, kid, away from the main one. What happens if I tell him he’d been too late and I got bored?” He shakes his head, snickering, like he had figured it all out– like he had carefully planned for everything to work out just so.“That this kid had too much of a mouth on her that I had to cut her throat?” 

His words had struck you– a low blow. You feel as if your mouth has suddenly gone dry and the lump that appears in your throat lodges itself there stubbornly, refusing to move. No words came out of your lips, but a pathetic low sob. He was going to kill your father and he could succeed in doing so. “You’re one sick man.”

“You know your brother didn’t have to die,” His voice held no remorse and you wondered how someone could sleep so soundly. He stands up, dusting his pants, “But your father had it coming. Now stay here and be a sweetheart.”

Before he walked out, Quaritch had looked down on you one last time. There, you realized that you doomed yourself beyond salvation. You were nothing and he made sure of that— had cut you on a barely healing wound and now it reopened, bleeding more than ever.

Eywa must’ve turned her back. No child of hers would have suffered such trouble– and you were young. So young, you think that the stories of her were absurd. One more miracle, you needed just one more. 

The lights dimmed when the doors closed, leaving you in the dark with your thoughts. 

They were arguing again. 

Tuk was nestled close to Kiri, the two of them huddled together in front of the table. Lo'ak sat on the other side, rising slightly from his seat in an effort to eavesdrop and make out whatever he could hear from their parents’ conversation.

Something was off and gravely so. Nothing ever good rooted from a fight and they barely do, not until the past occurrences. It had to be the sky-people.

“I don’t feel so good,” Tuk muttered, her grip tight around her belly as if she could hold in the pain. “The last time this happened was when we left our home.”

“We’re not leaving, Tuk.” Kiri quickly assured her.

Their meal had gone cold and the silence was deafening. They all waited with baited breath, trying not to fidget or move. The suspense was growing thick in the air and they didn't know how much longer they could bear to remain idle, wondering what the hell was happening.

As if their prayers had been answered, Jake hurriedly walks inside, eyes falling to his panicked children. It made his heart more and more heavy, but he couldn’t bring himself to comfort them. Neytiri had already gone to Ronal’s

“Kids,” His voice was low and firm, and it made his shoulders stiff in anticipation, “Make sure everyone stays here. No one goes out the reef, understand?”

“Wait—” Lo’ak abruptly stands up, staggering to his feet. “What’s happening? Where’s __?”

“They took her.” It was all the answer he needed. The sky-people had found them. “Lo’ak, stay here with your sisters. I mean it.”

“You can’t expect me to stay here while __ is in danger—”

“I need one child! One child to listen when I tell them to stay,” He raises his voice with every word, but it wavers as he speaks— Jake could barely keep himself together, eyes betraying his authority. His gaze sharply shifts to his daughters, watching intensely as the scene unfolds. “Kiri, please.” She only replies with a curt nod and Lo’ak visibly deflates.

He needed them to stay here— here, where it’s safe. Here where Quaritch couldn’t touch them.

From afar, he embodied the fierce olo’eyktan that he is, but truthfully, he trembles as a father. He blamed himself for that night– blamed himself for everything that had happened. Jake couldn’t risk losing another one. Not only will he be failing his family, he’d fail Neteyam again, most of all. 

Lo’ak slumps his shoulders, pushing past Jake. “This isn’t fair,” He mutters under his breath. Jake’s eyebrows knitted tightly and he knew damn well there was no going back from talking back to a parent. “You aren’t being fair– how could you ask us to standby?” 

“I’m not asking, Lo’ak. It’s an order.”

“That’s even worse!” He shouts in reply and Jake is taken back. 

There it is. The emotions desperate to claw out of their throats. If toughening them to an extent was a good thing, why was it biting him in the ass right now? Jake’s bottom lip quivered slightly. He didn’t need this– not now. He would’ve dealt with it properly, if it wasn’t for the situation at hand. Jake didn’t need his kids reminding him how he fucked up. He didn’t need another heartache when he had to toughen himself out.

“This isn’t the time for attitude, Lo’ak–” Jake exhales a deep breath, his eyes squinting as he clenches his jaw. He tries hard to keep himself in check, the last thing he wants is to lose his temper. Talk to them. Calmly. “You think I have the upperhand? Your sister needs me right now, what don’t you understand?” 

“This would not have happened if you could just listen!” 

“Well I’m here now, Lo’ak– just what do you have to say?” He stares back at him with an intensity that matches his own, voice slightly raised.

A million thoughts raced his mind. Will he blame him for bringing him here–? Here in awa’altu where they had to unlearn everything they have known– here in awa’atlu, away from his brother; but when silence had only replied to his outburst, he sighed wearily. 

“Right now, we do not see eye to eye, boy.” His tone turns gentle, surprisingly. It causes Lo’ak to become rigid– unmoving as he takes in his father’s unfamiliar nature. The atmosphere shifted so somewhat awkward. Lo’ak only knew how to deal with his father’s anger.  “And that’s on me. I know you blame me for being a shit father, and I want you to. I messed up and I keep messing up.” 

“Then why can’t you be better?” He said so casually, like  it was something Jake could accomplish with a flick of a switch, as if it was an easy task she simply hadn't put in enough effort for. But that was never the case. 

Truthfully, he didn’t know what to answer. Didn’t want to tell his son that this was already his best. He liked to think that no father is perfect– eased him just a little knowing that there were far worse than him. But maybe he was no better.

When he knew that Neteyam’s eyes would never open again, he thought that hurt had hit the lowest of lows. But here he was, watching his son’s hateful gaze and had never been so wrong. 

His ears flattened. “Stay here Lo’ak, please.” 

Coward. Jake was a coward.

Lo'ak let out a frustrated scoff, quickly turning his head away and storming off in anger. He left the Marui so hastily that Jake was left alone with a crestfallen expression etched on his face. His expression was enough for Kiri to run after him, Tuk trailing behind. She jogged hastily, her breath catching in her throat as she eventually managed to match Lo'ak's pace.

“Lo’ak, they asked us to stay here.” Kiri tried to grasp on his wrist, only for him to retract harshly. They continued to walk towards the shore in an argument, “Lo’ak!” 

“They have __, I’m going.” He continues to march towards his ilu, caressing its head in greeting while it mewls in return. “I’m not losing another one, Kiri. She’s my sister.”

Kiri grabs his hand, turning him around to face her sharply. Tuk’s head peeps to watch from behind her legs, “I’m your sister too! You’re scaring Tuk, just let them handle it.”

“What’s going on?” Ao’nung calls. Tsireya had heard of the commotion and immediately went to find Lo’ak and it was no surprise that he’d want to go after his parents. 

“This is the sky people we’re talking about! The same people who–” He had exhaled loudly in frustration, his movements jerking and violent as he ran his hands through his braids repeatedly. His face contorts in stress and disbelief, and he yanks on his hair lightly, an attempt to shift the focus of his energy to something tangible instead of this hopelessness that has crept up on him. 

“I have to be there.” 

“Keep your skxawng ass here, I swear to Eywa.” But her threats fell on deaf ears as he continued to mount his ilu, spear in hand. He threw them one last glance before he sped away, leaving Kiri to call out his name. 

Rotxo’s expression grew worried as he watched Lo’ak’s figure disappear amongst the vast spread of water. Forehead creased in concern as he looked around where everyone had been standing, “Are we supposed to let him?”

“Eywa, of course not.” She had clapped towards the Ilus, beckoning them to ride. “Let’s go, people.”

Life was simple back then. 

Jake knew he had to pull on his weight, lengthen his patience, and learn fatherhood from scratch. He was far from perfect, but he was sure that even his best efforts would still be better than what his own father had done for him when it came to parenting. His old man had never been there for him in any sense of the word. 

“Alright babygirl, your turn.” Jake beckons you to take Neteyam’s place as he lends you his bow. 

“He’s gonna come out behind those big rocks,” Your father instructs. He grabs your arm and moves it just a bit higher, steadying your aim with his firm grip. “Slowly, steady. Watch your aim.” You squint your eyes, focusing your sight as the fish comes to sight, stuck between the current and the rocks. With a deep breath, you release your hold, striking it right through its body. 

“Good job, sweetheart. Go get it!” He shouts, giving you a big smooch on the cheek as he pushes you to claim your hunt. You giggle, feeling absolutely proud. 

As you and Neteyam proudly display the fish you have both caught, he watches with a big smile. “My mighty fishermen, now let’s go home and show mama.”

Bracelets were enough to make his kids happy back then; beads and trinkets he found along his hunts. They would keep it for years to come and Jake thought he had cracked the code. But the gifts turned to few and then none and the ones they kept had burned along the crossfire. He became stricter– tougher on them.

He knew being a marine best than a father. 

When his children looked at him, it wasn’t of love— he wasn’t dense with how their shoulders stiffened around him. Jake thought it was a good thing, to keep them all in a straight line, for them to learn discipline early. But as they grew older, they were getting harder to reach and no amount of presents could make them come back. 

“Lo’ak started it!” Your eyebrows were heavily knitted, fangs bared as you showed him the broken bracelet. You tightly held onto the beads, afraid that you’d lose more of it. 

Your brother had immediately turned defensive, shoulders tense. “If you hadn’t been in the way, it would’ve been avoided!”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Jake quickly interrupted you both, massaging his temples. “One night. One night without any of you bickering. You’re older, __, why can’t you be the bigger person?” 

Your heart sank a little. You weren’t growing younger and so was your dad. Jake never took the time to craft, unlike before. The bracelet was from him and it would’ve made you feel better if he had listened. 

“No more of this, you hear me? It’s just some stupid bracelet. Jesus Christ.”

Jake wasn’t perfect. He knows that– knows his children deserve better. He fears that when people ask them of him, they’d tell them how great of an olo’eyktan he is– how he fought against the sky-people, but never how he was as a father. 

Your father loves you– loves everyone dearly. He would burn the whole world for his children– but the thing about fathers, they have an odd way of showing it.   

As they finally near the large battleship, his hand pressed on the pager. “Babygirl, do you hear me?”

Your head perked up at the static coming from the pager discarded on the table right in front of you. Your body jerked against the binds desperately, “Yes, yes– sir I’m here!” 

But he couldn’t hear you, not without you pressing on its button in return. 

“If you’re listening, I’m coming, okay? Mama and I are coming to get you.”

You let out a stuttered breath, the beginnings of a sob bubbling up from somewhere deep inside you. It was no use anyway. You felt deflated as you sank down into your chair. Tears welled in your eyes, building itself up like a dam. 

Jake anxiously waited on the other line, expecting to hear something back from you, but all he heard was the thump of his own racing heartbeat resonating in his ear as time seemed to stand still. His lips trembled as he softly spoke again, “I love you, kid. You know that, right?”

But you didn’t. You didn’t since everyone arrived at Awal’tu and for months, this was the first time you’ve heard of it again. It made your chest tighten in response, stomach knotting. 

Oh Eywa, you missed your father. Missed him dearly. 

This one time he had told you he had loved you. This one time where you needed to hear it the most and you couldn’t say it back. It’s true that your father had stopped being affectionate– but you’ve grown and stopped being as loving as you were as a kid too. You will always be your parent’s child– your daddy’s girl. 

“I love you too.” 

Life was so much simpler back then, and if Jake had just spoken to you, he may have figured out that his words had more value than any presents he could find. He fears that he might be too late. 

“We have to split up.” 

“Split up?” Kiri shouts incredulously, holding onto Tuk tightly. 

“There are at least three ships here, she has to be in at least one of them.”

“We’ll take the one from the south,” Ao’nung says, Tsireya quickly trailing behind. Kiri groans, knowing she couldn’t do anything but follow. Roxto followed her as they all nodded to each other, speaking in unsaid terms. Be safe. Please. 

Lo’ak trots ahead, letting out another eager yip as they make their way towards the distant ship far up north. You had to be on one of them. You had to. 

As he stealthily moves through the area, searching every nook and cranny, Lo’ak is determined to find you, leaving no stone unturned nor any corners checked. The lack of people around was suspicious and it made the atmosphere more eerie. As he scanned every cell, his eyes caught a battered Na’vi, head hung low– you. Quickly, he broke down the door with heavy locks.

“Lo’ak!” 

“__!” He immediately rushes to you, taking off the restraints with brute force. Without a second thought, you engulfed him in a hug, nearly pushing him off his feet while he frantically searched for any serious injury, eyes swiftly scanning the cuts on your skin. “We have to go now.” 

Both of you hurriedly try to exit the ship, steps heavily thumping across the metal floors. It was silent. Too silent. Like there hadn’t been a war at all. The ship was quiet, other than the crashing waves and footsteps. Not to mention the lack of recoms surrounding the area, you grew more and more nervous. “Where’s dad? He’s–” 

“On another ship, we have to go.” He pulled you closer the edge where his Ilu had been waiting, 

“Lo’ak, we’re not leaving him, are we?” 

“Dad can handle it, I’m only here to take you home. Now please, come with me–” 

“I know you don’t want to leave him too.” his lips drew into a thin line in response, immediately growing silent. His heart was thumping wildly, knowing that the decision was his to make. “Lo’ak, we can’t leave him.” 

“Fuck it. Let’s go.”

“Run– run, go!” Lo’ak's call was still echoing in your head as you sprinted, bullets whizzing past in all directions. Fear and adrenaline coursed through your veins as you darted and weaved throughout the area, momentarily hiding behind a steel wall. 

Both of you had been searching for Jake and everyone but despite your best efforts, the only thing you were ever able to find was more trouble. What was supposed to be a relatively straightforward endeavor had quickly become an arduous task. You feared for your life and your brother’s. 

“We have to jump now, __.” He pulls you out from your thoughts, panting heavily.

“We haven’t found dad yet or anyone– they could be in danger!” 

“Listen, I’m not about to lose you in another dumb decision of mine. We’re going, do you understand?” He tugs on your wrists tightly. The look on his face told you that his decision wasn’t open for any negotiation anymore– this was about you and your safety. You offer a solemn nod, feeling a knot forming in your chest as your frown deepens.

As the shots come to an end, the avatars begin to disperse, frantically searching for both of you. Lo'ak forcefully pulls you to your feet and dashes towards the edge ready to take a leap, but the ship lets out a sharp screech as it leans further and further downwards into the vast ocean, both of you caught completely off guard. Water quickly rushes up to bathe the deck in a sea of white froth and foam, its relentless waves rocks the boat back and forth so harshly that you fall to your knees. 

Lo’ak frantically looks around for something to hold onto, but it all happens too quickly; just as his hands latch onto a railing, it snaps and he begins to tumble along with the current and down an open trapdoor. He quickly holds on to its rusty edge, “__!”

You immediately slide towards him, grabbing his wrist. “I got you, just hang on.” While your other hand clutched your bloodied side, you groaned as you felt the skin surrounding it stretch, ripping more and more as you tried to hold on. “Lo’ak, please.”

“I can’t– I can’t!” Both your grips are loosening and you choked out a sob, feeling absolutely helpless. You could feel it– his fingers slowly slipping from your wrist. Your heart hammered on your chest as you extended your other hand. 

“Brother please, grab my other hand,” 

Another wave crashes towards both of you, and in that moment your grip on his wrist slips. You can feel the panic rise within you as you shout out his name desperately. His body falls, water completely engulfing him.

Without any hesitation, you jump down after him.

You hastily scramble out of the water, eyes wide and scanning the wreckage that surrounds you for any sign of Lo'ak. All around you there is nothing but the ship itself, pushing you down with it. It loudly creaks once again, the sound vibrating off the walls. 

You try to regain your composure– breathing slowly and steadying the beat of your heart, only for it to race yet again as another body emerges from the water, coughing violently.

“Lo’ak–!” 

“I can’t find an exit.” He says, breathing heavily. 

“I’ll go check again, you stay here.” The water was already rising and your frantic state wasn’t helping. 

you said as the water level began to climb higher and higher. Your frantic state wasn’t helping either of your cause, but there was no time to think of that now. In order for the two of you to make it out alive, one of you had to remain calm and focused. You had to be just that– the bigger person. The big sister Lo’ak needs right now.

“No! You’re bleeding, I’ll go look.” He protests and you both exchange banters.

“I am your older sister, Lo’ak, listen to me– just let me do this.”

“I don’t care. You’re hurt already.”

“Lo’ak, don’t be so stubborn right now.”

“I’m a better swimmer than you!” 

“Why are you being so stubborn, just stay here–!”

“Just let me do this for you, Neteyam!” 

And that stuns you both. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He croaks, the words barely escaping his trembling lips. His guilt is palpable in the air as he hangs his head low in shame, trying to swallow the lump in his throat that is threatening to choke him. Lo’ak had to let it out now. Now that you’re here– now that you and him might never come out alive. “Maybe if I didn’t insist on coming there, we would still be back at home– with him. Maybe if I didn’t force everyone to come along, he would not have the need to save us.” 

“Lo’ak, please..” 

“But I did– I did, and now he’s gone. I lost him and I can’t lose you too,” You stayed there, like the water surrounding you was anchoring you on that very spot. You could only stare at him as he poured his every guilt. Your heart ached for Lo’ak– Lo’ak, your baby brother. Lo’ak who tried so desperately to be seen. “It’s my fault, __. I was just so jealous– so jealous that I forced you to join in because maybe then, you’d want to spend time with me too. I wanted what you had with Neteyam, what Kiri was to Tuk.” 

“But I miss him, I miss my brother so bad.” Lo’ak continues to weep, tugging on his hair– hurting himself. “I hate that my body didn’t move towards you– towards him that night. Maybe then, I would’ve said goodbye. Maybe then, I would’ve told him I was sorry.” 

You slowly swam to him, awkwardly taking his hands. Siblings were such a funny concept. They could say the harshest, most meanest thing– hurt you to an extent because they know you more than anyone else. But they would do anything– absolutely anything, just to keep you safe. Hell, would give a kidney if it means that you’d live. You miss Neteyam, terribly so, but does losing him make you less of a sister?

“I’m sorry, __. I’m sorry that it took me this long to tell you this, but every time you looked at me, all I could see was him. I miss Neteyam. I miss home. I want to go home.”

“We’re going home, okay?” You pull him close in your arms, burying your head on the curve of his neck as you try to contain a sob. “I see you, brother.” 

“I’ve been nothing but difficult.” You feel his breath hitch as he tries to steady his breathing, heartbeat slowing down. “I don’t like how everyone has become since he died.” 

“Me too, Lo’ak. Me too.” You whisper, rubbing circles on his back.  “I’m so sorry. I’m here now.”

As the two of you hold each other tightly, the water continues to rise around you with no sign of relenting. You both know that it will only be a matter of time until this ship finally gives in to its fate and sinks beneath the surface yet neither of you want to let go. There was something comforting with having Lo’ak near now that he had spoken of his troubles– something light. 

“We’re going home.”

This was it, you thought, this is the end.

☆ mauve here! i know this has been long overdue ;( BUT FINALLY, IT'S HERE. don't really know if i should be adding another chapter or just stop with an open ending hahah hopefully this was painful enough because my brain is bleeding and i can't wait to start another series. -

please tell me how i did! i really enjoy interacting w my moots nd readers ;( it's like a reward (ALSO i'm sorry if i forgot to tag someone! some of the names don't really pop up too ;(

smooch!

tags: @eywas-heir @aonungsmate @cappsikle @dearstell @minkyungseokie @wwwellacom @aleracrovn @fangzyz @bobojojoba69 @alohastitch0626 @gcldtom @dumb-fawkin-bitch @navs-bhat @jo1818 @ladylovegood-69 @kahlowy @neteyamforlife @mochiivqi @heart-an0n @strnger @abbersreads @historygeekqueen @anxietydrogz @kau7itz @winxschester @1mawh0re @thefirst-ofus @tsoomie @wheeeelys @lunamhm565i @ayanelisa @sully-stick-together @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @jackiehollanderr @dreamsholdpowers @aimsro @violilaqrs

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[sonofthetrigod]

Discussion

The track Oscar’s life is on starts to shift.

Juniper Yew, June to her friends, has been working for Esmerelda Pine for years now. And that meant the fox faunus was also quite familiar with her boss’ nephew, Oscar Pine. He was a good kid, if a bit quiet. So, when she hears him chatting merrily away to the cow, she’s surprised. When she hears him talk about becoming a Huntsman, she’s even more surprised. Oscar had never really expressed interest in leaving the farm before, to the best of her knowledge.

The idea he might’ve had wishes beyond being a farmer had never occurred to her before, though she supposes it makes sense. His father had been a Hunter after all and, while June had never met him, Em’s always spoken highly of the man and how he would defend villages that other Hunters wouldn’t because they were too poor to be particularly profitable. So, the idea that Oscar admires him and seeks to live the same way shouldn’t be much of a shock.

She’s happy for the boy, being that dedicated to something is an idea to cherish. And with this new information in mind, the times she saw him training with his father’s old staff take on a new significance. But then she watches the boy’s face fall, and become clouded by worries about doing right by Em. About the farm. June shakes her head. “You’re too young to be worrying about stuff like that,” the faunus woman says in a low voice so that he won’t hear. “We can take care of your aunt just fine. You should be free to live your life, Os.”

June brings it up with Em later, and the older woman smiles sadly. “I should’ve known,” June’s boss says. “That boy’s always had too much of his parents in him. He’d never be happy stuck on this farm forever, not really. But he’s not interested in hurting anybody, either.” Em smiles wistfully. “He really is just like Cy was…”

“Ma’am?” June says confused.

“I’m not the first owner of Pine Farms,” Em says. “It was my parents before me, and my mother’s parents before them. We Pines have lived on this farm for a very long time. But that wasn’t enough for my brother. The first chance he got; Cyrus left for a combat school. My parents tried to talk him out of it, but Cyrus was too stubborn to ever stop when his heart was set on something. He took every job he could get in town and then some to pay for his tickets to Vale, and then worked the entire time he was a student to keep himself enrolled.” There’s a bittersweet smile on Em’s face. “That brother of mine couldn’t stand being cooped up here when people needed help. And Jade was the same way, even though she wasn’t a Huntress.”

“Jade was a field medic, right?” June asks, trying to remember what she’d been told about Em’s sister-in-law and Em nods.

“That’s right. It’s no coincidence that we lost my brother not long after he lost his wife,” the older woman said sadly. “When he got in over his head protecting the latest village that couldn’t afford more than one Huntsman, and one willing to work dirt cheap at that, she would patch him up. But she died not too long after the boy was born… and, well, Cyrus never could bring himself to slow down.”

“You’re going to have to talk to Os,” June says. “I doubt that he’s going to bring it up himself.”

Em hums in agreement. “His birthday is coming up,” the elder Pine notes. “But the next term won’t be until next fall. I think that’ll be as good a time as any, don’t you?”

June’s purple eyes sparkle. “If it’s alright with you ma’am, I want to tell the other farmhands,” the young woman said. “Oscar’s a good kid, we all like him. If we pool our lien, I’m sure we could get something nice to help him out.”

Em chuckles. “Go right ahead,” she says merrily. “What you all do on your own time isn’t any concern of mine.”

[drabbles-of-writing]

Stitched Back Together

AO3

first Owl Fight attack, woo! The prompt for this one was “Luz and Raine hanging out”

Summary: Free of Kikimora's control, with scars carved into their skin, Raine is taken back to the Owl House. Awake in the middle of the night, unable to sleep after their whole ordeal, they officially meet Luz. Talking to one of Eda's kids really shouldn't be as intimidating as it feels.

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

When Raine first saw the kids, truly and consciously, there were thorns retreating from their eyes and scars etched onto their skin as Eda held them tightly.

Eda’s sclera had turned black, hands hooked into talons with wings arched over their heads, and was at least two feet taller than when they had last seen her. And there had been a lot to ask about there, and possibly some gawking, but this isn’t about that.

Because as soon as Raine could stand, Eda holding their hands tightly and almost brought to tears at how relieved she was to see them alright, to know there would be no more harm done to them, Raine noticed the two figures far across from them, holding back the few guards trying to intervene.

They recognized them quickly, from the photo that had twisted a hole into their chest, because Eda had kids and she had spoken of them with such desperation and love--

The girl had turned, and Raine knew then they hadn’t been imagining the round ears when they first saw the photo. She had the young demon they recognized earlier clinging to her back, and they both looked at Raine with confusion. The demon’s had been accusatory, but the humans, she had to be a human, looked nothing but curious.

It had all passed by in a blur, the escape from the guards and Eda bundling them into the Owl House, frantic as she continued to check them over, never slowing in her talking as the wings and sharp edges retreated back into her body, which Raine may have quietly mourned the loss of. They suited her.

The human and demon had watched from the background, occasionally offering assistance towards or around the two, but more or less giving them space as Eda fretted and explained all she could to Raine, clinging like she was afraid if she didn’t, Raine would vanish again.

They heard of what Kikimora had done to them, of what Belos had done to them, of what they had done. Of Eda’s acceptance of the curse, of the rest of the BATs being in the Conformatorium (something they both agreed on fixing as soon as they could), of everything that Eda could think to catch them up on.

There would be time to unpack all of that, to formulate plans, to talk about everything beyond what Raine had missed out on. But that could wait until another day, could wait until Raine had gotten rest, and a moment to reorient themselves.

And yet, they still found themself in Eda’s kitchen, nearing midnight, with a cup of tea that looked suspiciously like the one Lilith had liked in their hands.

They knew they should be asleep, it was late, and knowing Eda, there would be far more to fret about in the morning. Eda had offered her nest, but Raine had taken the couch, not exactly willing to voice their opinion on how Eda’s nest did not look comfortable.

They were thankful for it later, too, when they awoke after barely an hour of sleep with the feeling of vines wrapped around their throat and muffled, begging cries as their hands moved of their own accord.

They sighed and slumped against the counter, setting down the cup for a moment to rub at their wrist, where scars from the reaching thorns still lay. They faded the further the scars stretched up their body, but they figured the ones along their wrist and arm would last for the rest of their life.

It wasn’t too bad, a scar was really the best thing they could’ve asked for. They stared down at their tea, thoughts swirling and not even bothering to try and sort any of them out. Later, when their wrist didn’t have a phantom ache.

“Oh, hey.”

Raine startled, almost knocking their cup over as they whirled their head around.

The human stood in the doorway, looking a bit surprised at Raine’s reaction. She had clearly just woken up, hair a frizzy mess and eyes still blinking with sleep.

“Oh, um, hello.” Raine said, forcing themself to relax. “Sorry, is there something you need?” They asked, wrapping a hand around their tea.

“I just came here for a snack,” The human shrugged, breezing right by the counter and towards the cabinets. 

Raine nodded, mostly just to themself, and went back to staring into space, trying to pretend the awkward tension hadn’t suddenly arisen.

They realized after a moment that the girl had paused in what she was doing, hand still in the cabinet door, but taking nothing out. They looked up for a moment, and caught the girl watching them with a contemplative look on her face until she realized she had been staring and jerked back to shuffling through the cabinets.

“So,” Raine said, in some attempt to break the tension, leaning their arms across the counter. “You’re Eda’s kid?” They said, grimacing slightly at how off that had come off sounding.

“Er, yeah,” The human said, frowning at the cabinet before shutting it again and opening a different one. “And you’re...Raine.”

“You’ve heard of me, then?” Raine guessed, taking a sip of their tea.

“Vaguely,” The human admitted, opening another cabinet door. “I know you’re--er, were, the head of the Bard Coven. I know Eda mentioned some group called the BATs you lead. I know that...Eda knows you.” She said, voice becoming more mumbly as she spoke.

“Ah, Eda didn’t speak of me much, then?” Raine inquired, telling themself that they shouldn't really be surprised.

“Not until you, uh, had the whole...thing happening.” The girl nodded. “Then Eda got really worried and me and King asked why she was so worked up, and then she told us you were an old friend, which I maybe halfway trust, and that you had this group with the BATs...and I still don’t think I understand it completely.” She admitted with a sheepish look.

“Sounds like Eda.” Raine chuckled, shaking their head slightly as they smiled down at their tea. “Wait, halfway trust?” They added right after, back straightening.

“I mean, I trust you mean a lot to Eda,” The human said, her raiding of the cabinets forgotten. “And I trust Eda means a lot to you,” Raine did not flush at that, thank you. “But pretty much everyone Eda knows she has a very complicated relationship with, and I’d be surprised if you were the one exception.”

“Ah,” Raine said, rubbing the back of their neck. Is this what it felt like to be interrogated by a kid? “You got me there. We haven’t...seen each other in a while.” They admitted.

“How long?” The human asked, interest sparking in her eyes as she leaned next to the cabinets.

“Erm, two...maybe two and half decades?” Raine said, lifting a hand and tilting it. “Titan, it sounds much longer than it feels when I say it out loud.” They murmured.

“Oooh, another piece of the mysterious backstory!” The human grinned, perking up, all the hesitation from earlier melting away at a probably concerning speed. “Why’d ya stop talking?”

“Ah, well, you know,” Raine said, flushing again as their ears pressed back. “Just...a split, really. Seeing other people. Eda had some things she still needed to work out, and I suppose I had to reflect a bit, too.” They mumbled.

“Wait,” The girl narrowed her eyes, and when Raine focused on where she was again, they pulled back when they realized Luz was on the other side of the counter. “Are you one of her exes?” She gasped, eyes wide.

“Oh dear,” Raine sighed, face falling in their hands.

“You are!” The girl exclaimed, and they sincerely hoped it didn’t wake anyone else up. “Man, and I thought all her exes hated her from how she talked about some of them.” She whistled. “Explains a bit, though.”

“Is that so?” Raine mumbled, knowing that they were blushing up to their ears.

“Yeah, I mean, explains why she seemed so freaked out. She's gotta know you pretty well.” The human said casually. “She goes all out when she gets attached, as I’m sure you know.” She added with a light tease.

“Oh, I know.” Raine sighed, memories of holding back a feral Eda back in Hexside from mauling Odalia still vivid in their mind. “And, since we’re talking, I apologize, but,” They said, raising their head from their hands when they were sure they didn’t look like they’d had a nasty sunburn across their face. “I don’t believe I...caught your name.”

“Eda didn’t mention it?” The human blinked, graciously taking the change in conversation.

“She might’ve, but I’ll be honest, I caught maybe two of every five words she said.” Raine admitted, flicking an ear. “I’m sorry, but I figure I should ask now before it turns into something where I ask at a much worse moment.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” The human waved her hand. “You went through a lot. My name’s Luz.” She said cheerfully, offering a hand. “The other little guy is King.”

Raine blinked at it for a moment before reaching out and taking it, giving a single shake until Luz pulled back. She was practically rocking on her heels from how excited she seemed, and Raine may have allowed a small half-smile in return.

“Have you lived with Eda long?” Raine asked, because they could still remember Eda’s pained explanation that the kids weren’t hers hers, and found themself wondering where in the world she had picked up a human.

“Few months,” Luz said. “Four, maybe? I dunno, the calendars here are different from the human realm.”

“Four months?” Raine blinked, surprised. “I would’ve thought you’d known her longer.”

“Nah, I’m just a recent addition.” Luz shrugged, looking away with a hint of nervousness. “King’s been here for years, though.”

“Huh, odd.” Raine said with a shrug as they went back to drinking their tea. “You act a lot like her, I would’ve thought you’d have picked up those habits from her.”

“I do?” Luz repeated, straightening.

“Yes?” Raine lowered their cup. “When she was younger, at least. Very curious, couldn’t leave any questions unanswered. And stubborn. And maybe a little too attentive for her own good.” They added with a lighthearted tone.

“Oh, yeah, that-that sounds familiar.” Luz coughed into her fist, and Raine smiled at her embarrassment. “You knew her when you were younger, then?” She asked, and Raine chose not to comment on the slight diversion in conversation.

“Since Hexside,” Raine nodded. “I want to say we were eleven or so? Maybe twelve. Never had a moment of peace since.”

“Aw, Eda’s backstory just keeps getting more and more convoluted. At least yours isn’t as crazy as Lilith or her moms. Even after the whole mind-control thing.” Luz said with a fiery curiosity in her eyes, and Raine was impressed at their lack of visible reaction to how casually Luz brought up the mind-control. Another thing like Eda, Raine thought. No amount of answers would be satisfactory, and treated every odd thing like it was just another day.

“Well, I’m glad I got her daughter's approval. Wouldn’t want to fight my way in now, would I?” Raine chuckled, tilting their cup back and finishing the last of it.

When they lowered their cup again, Luz was staring at them like a spooked rabbit, hands gripping the counter. They blinked slowly, brow raised in confusion.

“I-I’m not,” Luz stuttered, coughing to clear her throat and forcibly releasing the counter. “I’m not her daughter, you thought I was her daughter?”

“You aren’t?” Raine frowned, ears perking up. “But you said you were her kid.”

“That’s--I thought you meant--like when Eda just casually calls me and and King kids, or when I’m out with my friends and she’s watching us we’re just ‘her kids,’ you know?” Luz said, looking a little frantic as she did so, wildly waving her hands around. “Not--no I’m not, related to her or anything--”

“Oh, I knew that.” Raine brushed it off. “But Eda told me you and King were her kids?”

“I--when did that happen?” Luz asked, near sounding like a demand.

Raine hesitated, for a brief moment. They doubted someone like Eda would so casually tell a teenager and young demon about that time she, you know, almost died, and it really wasn’t their place to tell them as such if she hadn’t.

“The last time we spoke.” They settled on. “Before the...thing.” They said, mimicking Luz’s words from earlier. “I learned she had kids, and I told her that if she had something to lose, she had to get back to them.”

“I...oh.” Luz said quietly, slowly relaxing and turning her head down to stare at the counter.

“I’m…” Raine hesitated. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep, I didn’t know it was a touchy subject--”

“No, no! It’s not, you’re fine.” Luz waved them off. “I just...didn’t know Eda had said it like that.”

Raine would’ve thought something along the lines of ‘Eda didn’t tell you she thought of you as her kid?’ if they didn’t know that Eda was the same person who hadn’t even truly thought of them as dating until Raine had introduced her as their girlfriend with earshot. She’d been so touched over the whole ordeal that Raine had to remind her, repeatedly, that they had been dating for over a month. Apparently knowing, and having a title for it, were two very different things.

They wouldn’t be surprised if this kid was the same. 

“She cares about you, you know that, right?” Raine asked softly, and Luz looked up to meet their eyes.

“Yeah,” She said, cracking a small smile. “I know.”

Raine nodded in satisfaction, stepping around the counter to set their cup in the sink. It was late, they could wash it in the morning. How Eda could've ever thought about leaving a kid like her, they don't think they'd want to know.

“She cares about you, too.”

Raine paused, going still as one hand lightly gripped the edge of the sink.

“I know,” They said, almost surprised that they believed it so easily, inhaling as they set their shoulders back. “It’s almost scary how little that seems to have changed.” They mumbled.

“For the both of you, huh?” Luz teased.

Raine whirled around, ears pressed back as their face lit up again, being greeted with the girl's smug face that she had to have picked up from Eda, it was almost uncanny. 

“I--you--she just--there was--shouldn’t you be asleep at this hour?” Raine managed to strangle out, getting a gleeful giggle out of Luz as they did so.

“I got hungry,” Luz shrugged simply, her smug expression never falling.

“Then grab a snack and go to bed.” Raine huffed, crossing their arms, as if that would hide the embarrassment as they stepped aside.

“I will, once I find where Eda put the cookies. She keeps hiding them from King and doesn’t tell me where she put them.” Luz muttered, stepping up to the cabinets again and opening a new one.

“I think that means she’s hiding them from both of you.” Raine raised a brow.

“She should find better hiding spots, then.” Luz said, retracting a hand from the cabinet with a container full of cookies in her hand, shaking them. “Cover for me if she asks why some went missing?” She asked, a pleading look on her face.

“I’ll cover you if one goes missing.” Raine bargained, and Luz gave them a disgruntled look before sighing and taking a single cookie from the container.

“Can’t believe you.” Luz huffed good-naturedly, putting the cookies away.

“Just because you're Eda’s kid doesn’t mean I’m going to let you get away with everything, Titan knows how Eda would’ve ended up if that happened.” They muttered, shaking their head. “I fear the day you and Amber meet.”

“Who?” Luz tilted her head, taking a large bite of her cookie.

“One of my crew, she’s about your age.” Raine said simply. “I think you’ll get along. Now go, shoo, I’m willing to bet tomorrow will be quite hectic, and you need your sleep.” They said, herding Luz out of the kitchen.

“I’m going, I’m going!” Luz said, smiling as she lightly batted at Raine’s hands, darting out of the kitchen. “Remember, you saw nothing.” She warned, walking backwards as she narrowed her eyes on Raine.

“Lips are sealed, I was fast asleep the whole night.” Raine said, leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. “Though I figure she’ll find out, anyway.”

“Yeah, but I’ve got backup now.” Luz said, shoving the last half of the cookie in her mouth before slipping away through the doorway that led to the staircase.

Raine chuckled, shaking their head as they pushed themself off of the doorway. They should probably hit the couch again, too. Eda would only fret more if they were falling asleep all day tomorrow.

“Oh, almost forgot!” Luz said, head suddenly poking through the doorway and causing Raine to pause. “Welcome to the Owl House,” She said cheerily. “Since I take it you’ll be staying a while.”

Raine’s ears flicked back and they mumbled under their breath as Luz’s smile only widened, and Raine couldn’t help but mirror it.

“Night!” She chirped, vanishing around the corner yet again.

Raine watched the place where she’d vanished again, rubbing their wrist and noting it didn’t ache as much as before. 

“Goodnight,” They said to the empty air.

[fallout-drabbles-n-stuff]

Can I ask what it would be like for Solsu having to take care of drunk romanced companions? Bonus points if they're told about their shenanigans afterword.

Cait:

(Angry drunk)

•It's best that you don't drink in polite company with her. She's already a feisty individual with a burning passion for inflicting pain, you make her drunk and it's only a matter of time before she incites some horrible fight.

•Sounds funny, but it's really not. Reign her back. Please.

Curie:

.......you aren't really gonna let her drink, right? I highly advise you don't....

Danse:

(Horny drunk 👀)

•Danse hardly ever partakes in more than a couple glasses with company and this is exactly why.

•At first it all starts off nice and smooth, just Danse beginning to gradually relax- which is "outstanding" considering his usual rigid disposition. However once that fine line of too many drinks have been crossed, all hell breaks loose.

•It'll start with comments on your appearance, simple incessant "you look beautiful"s spoken with dazed eyes...then it escalates to Danse pulling you into his lap where you're met with his obvious "intentions" prodding you in the ass, all while being held in a bear hug from a blushing, smiling Paladin who happens to look like a kicked puppy when you make him calm down with a drink of water. Don't worry, he might mope but he'll quit if you tell him to.

•Perks back up when you tell him it's time to go to bed...only to mope even more when he realizes that no, it isn't for sexy times. No worries, he'll be happy so long as you let him hold you..

•Is absolutely ashamed and horrified of his behavior when he wakes up and you tell him what went down. Probably will hide his face in his pillows and try to disappear. Swears he won’t drink again and make a fool of himself like that….will totally drink some more.

•Just be lucky he wasn’t feeling melancholic like a post BB Danse would.

Deacon:

(Stupid drunk..)

•Ever seen that one video of that guy busting through drywall like Kool-Aid Man? That's Deacon's level of maturity when properly intoxicated.

•No worries, Desdemona is going to bitch at him from the time he does something too stupid until he isn't even drunk anymore. Frankly, he deserves it too- he's destructive, reckless, and...well..hilarious, but that doesn't mean it's redeemable!

•He seems to perfectly remember all his antics, some he even reflects upon with a proud grin..until his hangover ends up making him wince in pain. Just...take care of him, there isn't any point in trying to scold him. Des has that covered anyways.

Gage:

(Emotional drunk)

•A drunk gage was both extremely rare because of his genuine hate for alcohol and also very shocking. Sure, one may assume that someone so rugged and tough like a raider- especially Gage- would have no issue handling his liquor....oh how wrong you could be...

•You weren't entirely sure what happened, much less where he got the idea, but somehow Gage got the absurd notion that you decided he wasn't good enough for you and you were going to just leave him behind. He'd keep it in for a while, slowly growing more quiet as he took practical gulps of his drink. That doesn't last.

•Eventually he starts to cry, silent tears pouring from his good eye. Whenever you actually notice, it's too late. Just pray no one else is around when this next part happens.

•All it takes is you coming to his side, placing a comforting hand on his back and he crumbles. He'll grab you and push his face into your chest and start sobbing, wailing incoherently as he begs you to not leave him.

•It might seem humorous, but it raised several questions.

•The morning after his outburst, you wake up extra early to present him with a half way decent breakfast in bed- extra grease on the food for good measure. Once he seems to be more coherent, you make sure to talk to him about his apparent fear of you not loving him...which brings him close to tears once again whenever you finally convince him that you do in fact love him and won't ever leave his side so long as he loves you back.

Hancock:

(Stealthy drunk)

•Unfortunately, the mayor of Goodneighbor doesn't really have any fun antics..well at least any that would point to him being intoxicated. Sorry.

Macready:

(Over indulging drunk)

•Mac is arguably the best one to get shit faced with, especially if you like drugs and food. Oh yeah, something about eating while intoxicated is irresistible to him. Think of it like munchies, but in Mac's case, five times as bad.

• After a couple drinks, Mac nonchalantly will reach into his pocket- gesturing for you to come close- before putting a cigarette in your mouth and lighting up- using your's to light his own. If you don't set a stopping point, the two of you will wake up down two packs, several empty containers of jet, and crumbs everywhere.

•When faced with the consequences of his gluttony, Mac will just sit there and whine as his stomach does cartwheels. That's punishment enough...

Maxson:

(Mr. Vomits-a-lot drunk)

•It takes a whole hell of a lot for Maxson to get shitfaced thanks to his rather strict habitual drinking. After all, it would be a strange day if you didn't see him knock a bottle of whisky out before finally turning in..which was kind of sad come to think of it..

•Nonetheless, he does occasionally push his limits when he's especially stressed and it's never pleasant when he does.

•It was sort of funny, in retrospect. One minute you and him were sitting on the flight deck together, casually talking whilst finishing off a bottle of shitty vodka (unknowing that he had already burned through countless bottles before meeting you) when suddenly Arthur started to look pale. It just kept getting worse until eventually he was frantically motioning for you to follow him as he ran to the railings, sticking his head over before throwing up whatever was on his stomach..sending it to a several hundred foot drop below.

•It's a good thing you held him, otherwise the brotherhood might've been short an elder and you short a partner.

•When confronted with his..let's say "overindulgence", he'll sort of look away and try to change the subject. It's probably best if you try to hide liquor for a while. 

Nick:

(Doesn't drink....)

Old Longfellow:

With his age and experience? He's the same as Hancock.

Piper:

(Daredevil drunk)

•Hope you're sober, because if you aren't- there's a good chance you'll be spending the night in Diamond City Jail.

•Piper is reckless on a good day, putting alcohol with that in mass quantities and she's wild. Just hope you have strong will, because she sure as shit isn't going to back down easy.

•It's kind of funny, but her go to is to do crazy shit. Jump off the roof? Hold her cup. Want to vandalize the great green wall? Fuck yeah. Nothing beats the time she wasn't careful and threw a lit cigarette down Ann Codman's cleavage during a heated argument with her.

•She has no regrets either, so don't expect her to be remorseful in the morning whenever you tell her what she did. If anything, she'll just laugh next time she sees Ann.

Preston:

(Over thinking drunk)

•If it wasn't lowkey annoying, you'd probably think Preston's drunken neuroticism was hilarious. Not to be gotten wrong, but even sober, your love could be extremely insistent..mix his anxious attitude with liquor and you end up with a terrible night.

•You knew better than to let him have more than a couple beers, seeing as his tolerance wasn't exactly the best, and yet here you were. Preston pensively sitting at the bar beside you, rich eyes narrowed and focused on the liquid in his glass- his hands resting against his head.

•"I know you're dying to ask...." "Okay babe, since you brought it up...do you think putting electrical wire around our people's settlements would be a bad idea? It might closely resemble a prison but it's for their own good. Wait- shit, what about the kids? Oh god..."

•He may just sheepishly rub the back of his head and apologize in the morning..but he'll be quick to revisit some of the key points and ideas with you if you so much as give him a chance.

X6-88:

(Ridiculous drunk)

•It was only one time..thankfully.

•You, and your whole group of friends had to convince him to try it out- but once he started, he couldn't stop.

•This asshole would throw down drinks faster than Hancock..which was terrible considering his painfully low tolerance to alcohol.

•One thing goes to another and next thing you know, "The Wanderer" is playing in the background, X is singing and dancing like an idiot, and everyone is gathered around- terrified at what they were seeing. It's sort of like seeing a deathclaw do ballet- so, totally understandable.

•He dares you to bring it up later, dares you.

[twilightdruig]

help?

pairing : george weasley x fem!reader

summary : “hi i’m your neighbor and while i know we’ve never spoken but you’re a single parent of two and my sister recently died leaving me to raise her infant and i have no idea what i’m doing, help?” au

warnings : swearing , mentions of character deaths , fluff , au where george lives alone with his two children in a cottage near the burrow , au where fred and cedric live.

words : 2.6k

a/n : this is my first fic so it’s probably gonna be shit (as you can probably tell i’m not good with titles either) but yeah hope you enjoy :> and i might do a little part 2 on this soon

holly l/n was loved by multiple. a sweet hufflepuff student who was favored by all the teachers and students. her sister, y/n was a scary and intimidating gryffindor who hung out in the library.

ever since the battle of hogwarts death eaters have been imprisoned in azkaban. but, that didn’t mean all harm was gone.

now here y/n l/n was, standing in the heat of the summer, her nephew connor l/n mourning the death of a family member.

the service was beautiful. a few hogwarts students came including luna lovegood and neville longbottom and professor sprout and professor flitwick decided to pay their respects. headmistress mcgonagall sent her condolences through a letter as well.

conner wasn’t old enough to go to hogwarts yet. there was no one else for holly to leave connor with. her husband, ronan died during the war, all connor’s grandparents died and the only appointed godparents were holly’s best friend cedric diggory and her sister y/n.

cedric diggory was now teaching first year flying at hogwarts and is married to cho chang.

y/n was currently doing nothing with her life. she wanted to live alone in a cottage, reading, stitching, picking apples and getting drunk on fruity cocktails. but now? she had to take care of her sister’s spoiled son.

y/n hated children more than she hated the people in her own hogwarts house. more so, she didn’t know how to take care of them.

she had to enroll her nephew in hogwarts, teach him basic life skills and other stuff like that. there goes her life goal on being that cool stoner aunt that hates love and children.

—

“shit, connor!” y/n exclaimed as her 3 year old nephew accidentally ate a ton tongue toffee made by the joke shop in diagon alley owned by the weasleys.

“sorry aunty y/n”

she was never close to the weasleys. all of them, stereotypical gryffindors, loud and chaotic and always the main characters.

the only thing she knew about them is that one of the twins live next to her. y/n didn’t know how to shrink his tongue and thought it was quite the convenience that he lives next door. he was a single dad with two daughters, maybe he could help her control her nephew and technically her adopted son, now.

she sighed. “put on your coat, we’re visiting our neighbors, ok con?” the little boy nodded in response

—

went the small cottage came into view, there were two little girls picking flowers on the front yard and a tall red-headed man on the porch watching them.

“hey! weasley!” she yelled with a small smile as she approached the small gate.

“l/n? what are you doing here?” george asked

y/n gestured to her nephew who was holding his now 3 foot long tongue. “he accidentally ate one of your products and i’m not entirely sure how to fix it”

“right, right” he laughed “come on, connor right? i’ll reverse that”

y/n felt a tug at her oversized cardigan. she looked down to see two identical ginger twins.

“hi there!” one smiled.

“hello!” y/n tried to sound as nice as possible. looking back at her teenage years she remembered laughing at kids who fell of their brooms their brooms when she’d watch first year flying. she remembered laughing at seamus finnigan when something blew up in his face. or when she’d laugh at any kid accidentally getting hurt.

“these are for you! they’re pretty just like you” the other twin exclaimed.

“i’m charlotte and she’s billie” charlotte giggled.

“how do u know our daddy?” billie asked

“oh! um, we went to school together and i live just next door” y/n replied

“do you know our uncle freddie?”

“i know all your uncles and your aunt ginny, aunt hermione and uncle harry. they were all famous when we were in school”

“wow!” they both exclaimed

george and connor came back out. “look aunty y/n! my tongue’s normal again!”

“aunty?” george questioned. “holly. she died quite recently.”

“oh! i’m so sorry. i heard about her. yeah. i believe mum sent some flowers for the service”

“yeah we received them”

“i’ll see you around?” george inquired

“yeah, yeah. and i might need some parenting advice? you knew how i was back at hogwarts”

“i am flattered, dear l/n”

“oh hush. and they get along.” she pointed to the three children running around.

“they do. and yes, i would love to help you tame that little rascal” george laughed.

“thank you, george. really.”

“i’m just next door, yeah?”

“yeah” y/n smiled “come on, connor. we’re going home. but we’ll definitely be seeing these lovely ladies soon.”

“bye pretty lady!” y/n heard two young voices call after her

“daddy, who was she?”

“is she gonna be our new mommy?”

—

george and y/n had been hanging out for the past weeks. he had given her advice on taking care of connor and how to deal with children. they also spent time talking about family and their time back at hogwarts. she was told about the attack of death eaters at one of his brothers’ wedding and how his daughters were named after his brothers bill and charlie.

a knock at y/n’s door interrupted her reading.

“oi, l/n!” she heard a familiar voice on the other side of the door.

“weasley” she muttered.

connor recognized george’s voice and the twins’ giggles, he decided he would take matters into his own little hands. connor knew how stubborn his aunt was at the young age of seven.

“hi billie! hi charlotte! hi uncle george!” the little boy squealed.

“hey there, con!” george ruffled his hair while billie and charlotte ran over to y/n.

connor and the twins were two years apart. connor was going to hogwarts the next year. no doubt would he be trouble to professor mcgonagall but everyone knew they were always her favorites.

“aunty y/n! uncle george brought cookies!” connor yelled excitedly. y/n was never the type to bake or cook. she did try to but it always ended in almost burning the house down. she usually fed connor fruits or store bought food.

“you didn’t have to” y/n responded while taking the plastic box.

“oh yes i did” he teased “i heard you’ve been starving this poor little fellow”

“daddy didn’t bake those cookies” charlotte stated “grandma did” billie continued

“oh” she smirked at george then turned to the twins “tell your grandma i say thanks!”

“uncle george! i wanna show you something outside! the twins can come too!”

“connor, what are you gonna show them?” y/n grumbled.

“your paintings! they’re amazing” her nephew jumped.

“paintings, eh?” george smiled “okay, let’s go, champ. see those paintings of your aunt.” the two scurried outside, two redheaded girls following after.

y/n groaned and fell back into the couch, finishing her book.

—

it’s been a few days since george and the twins came with cooking to y/n and connor’s cottage. she wanted to throw connor a little surprise birthday party.

connor has loved the twins and george so much, he thinks of them as blood relatives. y/n decided to call up cedric and cho to look after connor while she’d do some errands.

the two arrived exactly on time as y/n was preparing to go out. she had on a simple cardigan and loose denim pants.

“ced! cho! hi, how are you guys?” y/n greeted as she saw her old friends apparate into the cottage.

“hi y/n!” cho greeted “hey nerd” cedric snickered.

she sent cedric a small glare before connor jumped at the two.

“uncle ceddy! aunty cho! you’re here” he shouted.

“yeah buddy! your aunt’s gonna run some errands and visit your uncle georgie?” cedric winked at y/n. she had been owling cedric about george and how he’s been helping her with connor.

“are you going out with uncle george?” connor asked, eyes twinkling.

“i don’t know, actually. i might check him out next door.”

“george weasley?” cho teased.

“yes, cho,” y/n rolled her eyes “but on that note, i have to go”

“bye, connor! behave okay?” she crouched down and squished his cheeks.

“bye, ced! cho!” her voice faded when she dashed out the door.

—

y/n passed george’s cottage to see if he actually might want to come with her and do errands.

she was standing outside the small gate, hesitating. ‘maybe he was busy’ ‘he wouldn’t want to do errands with me’ ‘maybe he would if i told him it was for connor’s birthday’ she thought. y/n didn’t know why she was overthinking her choices. the first time she was standing right outside the gate she bursted in and demanded george to fix whatever happened to her nephew. now, she was nervous. her palms were sweaty and clammy.

she pushed herself in and walked to the front porch. she knocked a few times and was met with a head of messy brown hair.

“hermione?!” she squealed

“y/n!” hermione jumped to hug her old friend.

there were overlapping voices in the background and when they pulled away she was met with multiple mops of ginger hair, a head of blonde hair and another with black hair behind hermione.

“l/n?” ginny weasley asked, quite shocked what she would be doing outside george’s door.

“oh! did i interrupt something? i am so sorry!” she said feeling a bit nervous.

“oh! you must be the dearest y/n george keeps talking about!” an old woman she thought was mrs. weasley approached her from behind her children.

“hi there!” y/n said feeling a little embarrassed she might’ve barged in on a family reunion.

“ah! l/n? i have heard of your family! muggle-borns right?” arthur weasley joined his wife.

“uh, yeah!” she pursed her lips “i am so so sorry i interrupted! i should go. tell george i’ll swing by next time”

“oh it’s absolutely alright, dear” molly reassured her.

“george! there’s a really pretty girl! get your arse out here!” fred yelled to george who was probably inside the house.

“is she here?” charlotte and billie ran to the door.

“hi girls! tell you dad i was here yeah? say i’ll come by next time” most of the weasleys came back in. she took it as her time to go on with her day.

“oi! y/n! wait up” the voice she recognized as george’s called after her.

“george, hey”

“where’r you off to?” george pointed to the small bag that was swung over her shoulder.

“errands. connor’s birthday is coming up so i thought i’d prepare something for him. first birthday without his mum, you know”

“his birthday’s coming up?” george looked as excited as a child on christmas morning.

“yeah. why?” she smiled

“you’re talking to one of the best party planners there is. you also did talk to another one of them… i think”

“fred?”

“oh yeah”

“i wanted to ask if you wanted to come but seeing as to your family is in your house… i’m gonna take a wild guess and say you aren’t available right now” she giggled.

“maybe if you went another day” he said sympathetically. george really wanted to go and prepare connor’s party with her. he treated him like his own and boy did he remind him of how fun it was to be a kid. he loved his aunt so much it was adorable.

“george. seriously, it’s okay. spend time with your family” she laughed.

���yeah, yeah. i’ll see you when you get back” he waved.

—

connor’s small birthday gathering was in full swing. y/n became acquainted with george’s siblings. bill, charlie, percy (whom she was actually friends with back in hogwarts), fred, ron and ginny. hermione was a very good friend of hers and so was harry. she recognized fleur from that day in the cottage as beauxbatons triwizard champion.

connor had quite a bunch of guests for his birthday. cedric, cho, luna, neville, fred, percy, ron, harry, hermione, bill and fleur and their little victorie. of course, billie and charlotte helped george and y/n fix up the party. mr. and mrs. weasley sent a small cake for connor when they heard about y/n not knowing asingle thing about cooking.

fred offered to take care of the twins and connor while george and y/n ran off somewhere. the two found themselves near a small creek. y/n explained how the cottage was where she’d go off exploring and the only person who knew was holly. she was overjoyed when her sister got the cottage she used as a hideaway.

george was surprised when there were lights and blankets and everything. the soft sounds of running water was calming.

the two were pretty intoxicated when they sat down; stumbled onto the picnic blanket. y/n was sober enough to not spill her deepest darkest secrets. george on the other hand…

“have i ever told you how pretty you are?” george mumbled next to her. y/n only snickered and blushed.

“um, can i hold your hand?” he continued, taking a look at the girl next to him.

“sure” she winked.

“you know” he started again “i actually fancied you a bit back in school”

“yeah?” she rolled over to her side “i wonder… what did you like about me?”

“i don’t even know. my heart just felt so full with you. still does, right now, holding your hand, under the stars by a stream.” he had this glint in his eye when he looks at her.

“hey,” she brushed some hair out of his face “these past few months have been great. and you’re a huge help with connor. you know i’ll always be there for you, right?”

“yeah darling,” he yawned “yeah”

“wait, george!” she sat up “no. don’t fall asleep!”

“fuck” she groaned before falling back down on the blanket.

“i think i love you” she whispered.

—

morning rolled around and they were still lying somewhere in the forest behind the cottage. some childish chatter and laughs were heard from where they were still sleeping soundly.

until, a red ant bit y/n and george’s intertwined hands. “ah shit!” y/n woke up from the bite. her yell also woke up the sleeping man next to her “what?! what happened?” he jumped.

“oh. did i wake you up?” she asked.

“no. it’s honestly no worries” he said “but i do have a killer headache”

“an ant bit me” she muttered, wanting to scratch it.

“hey, no don’t scratch! i’ve had a lot if experience with insect bites” he explained “want me to kiss it better?” he teased.

“oh, ha-ha” she rolled her eyes but blushed.

“we should probably head back” he checked his watch while standing up.

—

“ah! there the lovebirds are!” fred exclaimed.

everyone was cleaning up from last night. there were children running around while chasing balloons and each other.

“yeah,” george started “we, um, fell asleep”

“sure ya did” this time ron teased the two.

“i’m gonna clean up here,” y/n offered “you guys should go home. you know, get some rest”

cedric gasped “y/n l/n! are you kicking us out?” he said in mock offense.

“technically, yeah. i doubt connor got any sleep”

“maybe we should,” fleur said with her accent “victorie was very excited for the party she is very worn out”

george snuck behind y/n “i think i love you too” he muttered under his breath. he wasn’t sure if she heard it. she did.

“i’ll see you later, y/n!” he yelled “come on, princesses, we’re going home. we’ll see connor and y/n later”

connor and the twins hugged while y/n said thank you’s to all the guests.

maybe it wasn’t such a bad decision to ask for help.

[robinrequiems]

hey any1 want some superman jon and batman Damian hcs? too bad cause you’re getting them

• damian realized why no one wanted to be batman when he turned 18 and Bruce decided to give him batman when he was 22.

• jon realized why jon didn’t want to be superman when he also turned 18

• oh and right, by gave, I mean bruce sorta can’t be batman anymore. medical reasons…

• damian sorta uh. persuaded clark into giving jon superman.

Damian: look. I don’t wanna be worlds finest with you, old man.

Clark: im- im not old—

Damian: listen here, jon and i? we are gonna surpass you and my dad. so give it to jon and let me prove it.

Clark: this doesn’t seem like a good idea— you aren’t ready— neither is jon

Damian: wait- wait, you don’t believe in your son and i??? wow. WOOOW. okay. i see.

Clark: that’s not it!-

Damian: sure. sure. don’t worry. I see now.

Clark: wait I do!

Damian: no, no you don’t.. it’s— it’s okay, I get it, it’s me, huh?

Clark: no!

Damian: I get it

Clark: please i do! I’ll - oh my rao, you’re playing me

Damian: i am. i cant do this without jon though. please, Clark.

Clark: *sigh, how did he get manipulated by a kid he used to babysit* okay.

• okay so now jon may be a little overwhelmed because one day he’s flamebird, the next, he’s becoming superman? huH. it’s extremely uh. worrying. and really just? wow.

• does Damian feel bad? oh yeah. he does. so bad. but he really can’t do it alone. they always dreamed of being their parents. or being better than them. but they grew up and realized that they really didn’t want to be their parents.

• but here they were, getting fitted for their suits and adding their own details to it.

jon: hey, you look hot

damian: please. shut up.

• they could do this. they could do this. shoot they can’t do this.

• damians own anxiety was going 50 mph. look, okay? remember before heretic when Bruce thought that Damian would become a satanic batman and basically rain hell all over gotham? yeah. that’s what is going on in damians mind.

• he doesn’t want to be that. ( “you won’t be like that, cmon, d, we’re gonna be better.” ) and how Damian wants to believe jon so bad..

• he doesn’t want to become obsessed with Batman like his father did, he still wants to have a life. he doesn’t want to isolate himself away and adopt kids as a coping mechanism. that’s why he needs jon to be superman. jon helps him, he helps him not go off into his own little world and stay there. he believes that with Jon, he’ll be okay. he has to be. maybe he uses jon as his own coping mechanism, but that isn’t the point.

• together, they will outshine their parents. the supersons can do this. they are the next generation, and it’s not like they are alone. they have so many other people to help them. they’ll be okay.

• they have been preparing for this their whole life, but they both feel like they got it too soon. they thought they had more time. Damian does feel guilty when he hears jon talking about how stressed he is about superman and not living up to whatever the hell he has to live up to, but Damian does fear what would. or could. have happened if he didn’t have jon with him. becoming batman took a lot out of him, more than he would like to admit. he just got constant flashbacks to heretic and that whole fiasco he thought he put behind him a loong time ago.

Jon: are you sure you’re okay?

Damian: yes idiot, quit worrying.

Jon: I’ll always worry about, d.

• jon somehow becomes MORE sappier when he becomes superman.

• okay, also, funny story. ( Clark and Bruce don’t find it funny AT ALL ) superman and batman? yeah they sorta kissed after an almost alien invasion. in their suits. uh. in front of an alien who they were arresting for the green lanterns. most people believe that when people say it, it’s a lie, kidding. no they don’t. there were pictures.

bruce: you want to explain this?

damian: not really, no.

• the public knows there’s a new Batman and Superman since yk. Jon’s face is public and was seen as superboy flamebird and now superman, and batman was slightly smaller and had some different moves

• but here’s their main line up: batman ( dami wamie, obvi ), superman ( jonnyboy kent ), nobody ( maya:)) ), green lantern ( tai pham, my baby boy ), lace ( wallace west 2, he goes by lace instead of flash because i said so. ), and shazam ( billy b ).

• fun fact, they have a den mother even though they are all in their 20s. poor dinah.. yeah black canary is their den mother. ( stole it from from yj )

• dinah makes sure they get their injuries checked out, train regularly, and you know. don’t blow up a building.

• again.

• ( when damian and jon were younger, in their teen years, they stupidly accidentally blowed up a building. in their defense, the building was owned by the penguin. and there were no civilians in the area. but they also got a lot of men sent after them.. oops. )

• they are very chaotic. they are the definition of dumbass energy sometimes.

• damian tries to keep the pda down whenever he’s batman, BUT JON DOESNT KNOW HOW TO DO THAT

• hence the amount of photos of jon hugging Damian or kissing him

• damian has never once initiated one in suits

• ( that one time jon almost died does not count )

Damian: thought you were gonna be batman.

Tim: nah, i don’t wanna be bruce. i saw what it did to dick. I would’ve became just like him.

Damian: am i like him??

Tim: god no, bruce would never kiss superman or date him or spray paint the new justice league logo— nice logo, by the way— onto villains bases

Damian: is that a good or bad thing?

Tim; good, that means you probably won’t be a total emotional stunted person using crime fighting as an outlet for unresolved childhood trauma.

Damian: you do realize why i became Robin right

Tim: .. not the point im trying to make. I mean now, brat.

• sometimes you can see some of the heroes dropping by to surprise kids, they heard that their old mentors used to go to children’s hospitals to visit sick kids, so they did that too. on a rare day where there isn’t any crime, which is really rare, they go to a school and talk if it’s a weekday, or they drop by an orphanage to hang out with kids.

• they have gotten into a lot of trouble though. they’re still learning how to work as a team. jon and damian are used to being solo and working with each other, Tai had tagged along a few times when they were younger and knows how they work, along with maya, but billy and Wallace do not.

• they often all get into arguments.

• damian lacks a filter and will criticize everyone if they mess up. and he often goes off alone or is too blunt.

• it takes a long time before they all realize that Damian is just: Damian, he doesnt mean to be mean. ( surprisingly )

• billy is used to being the big kid stuck at the kids table, it’s funny that he’s actually the second oldest when he used to be the youngest. ( lace is like.. 27? shazam is 25.. nobody 24. & the supersons 22. pulled all those ages outta my ass. you’re welcome. )

• dinah is also their therapist. poor dinah.

• like really giving pity to dinah. but dinah loves those kids, she has known some since they were kids. she used to take damian out for ice cream and train with him, and also babysit him. ( AUNT DINAH IS MY FAVORITE GOODBYE ). and she did the same with Jon.

• dinah actually does help a lot of them get over their trauma, not completely, but most have finally spoken about it. they began talking after they all got hit with fear gas.

• that was a bad night.

• they had almost disbanded before when they thought lace had died by the hands of captain cold. they had been arguing all day, and if they didn’t, they might’ve saved him:

• but turns out he wasn’t dead.

• but the argument was still there, and it was strong. it took a while for them to actually work together without dinah forcing them.

• then soon came another new member after maya left to go do some undercover mission for the justice league regarding some alien tech being distributed some place. it was a sad goodbye, but she would be back and she would have a place here.

• welcoming: yara flor. yara was a bit headstrong and wild. damian has screamed at her a lot and almost got into a fist fight with her before being dragged off by his boyfriend 💋

• but she settled in fine. minus the fact damian really wanted to shove a batarang up— anyways. she just had to learn teamwork and shit, she was used to being a solo and she was somewhat new. so they helped her out and she became a solid member of the team.

• sometimes damian and jon just go and sit on a rooftop like they did as kids togeyher. just alone with each other. thinking about how their life changed so quickly.

Damian: i thought we’d ruin our fathers’ legacies and plummet to the ground.

Jon: *he coughed* ..what?

Damian: yeah. i didn’t think we’d get this far, but here we are.

Jon: of course we got this far, and we’re gonna get further.

Damian: i know.

• oh yeah. so. superman. fucking proposed after they defeated darkseid. ( the battle was long, so many people were left injured and on the brick of death, Damian and jon had been separated when it all started. Damian had stayed on earth at first before going to apokolips. Damn he hadn’t seen it since he got resurrected.

Darkseid: oh. I remember you.

Damian: mhm?

Darkseid: ah yes, the little boy who was resurrected here.. the chaos share, your father used it on you.

Damian: i know. i remember what happened. I was there afterall.

Darkseid: I wonder if you are as smart as the original batman.

Damian: i am.

• damian was buying time. he was waiting for reinforcements, namely the people who had powers and could take him down. damian wasn’t stupid. he realized darkseid liked to talk. his friends were fighting off the female furys or whatever they were called. he just had to wait and entertain.

Darkseid: quite the ego there.

Damian: i saved the justice league when i was 13, i deserve to have an ego.

Darkseid: oh, you are by far more talkative than the original.

Damian: thanks.

Darkseid: not a compliment, you fool.

• yeah so. darkseid tried to kill damian, with a beam thing. Damian was about to flip away like the baddie he is, but. jon. went out and yk. took the hit. dumbass.

Damian: you have such a big hero complex.

Jon: wow I just saved you and that’s what you say?????

Damian: yes.

• anyways, after they defeat darkseid, jon pops out a ring from his pocket and asks damian to marry him on apokolips.

Damian: you seriously couldn’t wait til we got on earth?

Jon: dames you almost died. what if- what if something happens, I’ve been putting this off for so long. cmon please?

Damian: you’re seriously asking me to marry you here where, I’m pretty sure, a lot of shit happened to our parents here.

Jon: no time like the present.

Damian: fair. okay.

Jon: just okay???

Damian: im sorry, do you want me to cry or something?

Jon: ughh, you can be so extra and petty sometimes.

Damian: i am not being petty.

Jon: just because I ask you to marry me here you wanna be like “okay” and that’s it

Damian: you’re so dramatic. I’ll marry you. I wanna marry you. Better?

Jon: yeah:)

[nameless-shrimp]

SILENCE || CHAPTER TWO

Pairing: Gojo Satoru x F!Deaf!Reader

Warnings: Swearing.

Shrimp Notes: More Gojo Satoru love. Sorry for the short chapter, but it's gonna get interesting and cute. ʕ •ᴥ•ʔゝ☆

previous chapter || next chapter

He had left the school around seven at night, after an immense training—though he knew deep down that he let his arrogance get the best of him and Satoru was very much capable of handling his ground—and a small mission earlier that involved a grade one curse, Satoru knew that he needed to get his sweet tooth taken care of.

A convenience store lit up in the black darkness with flickering street lights. Satoru sighed, walking inside the store as he pushed his sunglasses farther up his nose. It didn’t take long until he was near the candy aisle with a basket swung around his wrist and he plunged multiple candy bars in the red basket.

However, he didn’t expect to come across you, though it wasn’t that late at night. Nonetheless, accidentally make contact with your fingers, though his Infinity had stopped him from touching your fingers, and you could only slightly gasp at the sudden touch you felt on your fingertips. It was a new, thrilling feeling, and you had never felt that type of touch before from anyone; it was almost as if you were being stopped by some type of force, and Satoru could only make eye contact with you.

His sunglasses were clearly covering his eyes and you smiled at him. You didn’t hesitate, and you grabbed onto the chocolate bar and then tossed it in his basket. Without a word, you only winked at him, leaving him in disbelief, and then you turned around.

Satoru didn’t know what just happened. He tried to reach out for a candy bar, and you did the same, and then he might’ve scared you off with his Infinity, though it wasn’t uncommon for him to do that. He still had it on during his pleasurable nights with other women, though it was different in a way, not like any of the other women were able to recognize that they weren’t completely touching his skin.

Satoru followed you, looking down at the candy bar. It was a milk chocolate bar, and maybe you had cravings like him or something. He didn’t know. Though, it wasn’t his business. But you wouldn’t even speak a word to him; only a wink—were you flirting? Perhaps you could’ve been a type for him to fool around with, for the time being, you were cute to him, and you most certainly grabbed his attention quickly.

“Hey,” he spoke up, wondering if you’d actually turn around this time.

And you did.

You glanced up at him, wondering why he wore sunglasses when it was dark out. At first, you thought he could’ve been blind, or maybe he was just a weird guy who liked to cover his eyes at all parts of the day for some reason. Knowing you heard him, you could only smile at him in response.

“Oh, so you can hear me?” Satoru smirked, raising a brow.

You only chuckled, but no other words were spoken.

“You remember you ran into me the other night, right?”

You nodded.

“I—” he had no idea where this conversation was going; you were supposed to be a stranger to him. A girl who ignored him and bumped into him and most likely ran away from the curse in that alleyway though you captured his attention very clearly. Satoru didn’t plan this through. Usually, he can smooth talk his way with his words as if it was honey on the tip of his tongue. However, you were different. Probably because you didn’t mutter one damn word to him.

You tilted your head in confusion, lips parted.

“Ah, I just—” Satoru gripped onto the shopping basket. Why the hell was he nervous? He shouldn’t have him. He had arrogance and confidence mixed in his blood; he was able to tease other women with no problem, yet he didn’t know how to properly speak English. Satoru could only conclude it was due to the fact that you couldn’t say anything to him.

He didn’t know how to react, really. He grabbed the candy bar you were trying to reach on the shelf from his basket and then handed it to you. You only stared at him, puzzled by his actions. “Here,” Satoru spoke. “I think you saw it first. I’m sure you can tell that I have enough candy here.”

You grabbed onto the candy bar and then stared at it.

What the hell was wrong with you?

It seemed as if you blanked out a lot or there were a ton of thoughts in your head. Not like Satoru could complain because he wasn’t in the most confident position right now. All he could do is raise his eyebrows and wonder if you would ever say anything. Not even a ‘thank you', ‘hello’, or whatever—Satoru just wanted to hear you say something. And God, why did he care?

You smiled at him, very thankful for his generous act. You turned around and then made your way to the counter, and the cashier didn’t even speak a word to her. Almost as if he could sense that she wasn’t the very talkative type; this was odd. Every woman he met would shower him with endless words, regardless if it was bickering or flirtatious comments, yet you didn’t speak a word to him.

Satoru felt a mild irritation in his head. He wanted you to say something. But you didn’t. And you didn’t even say a ‘thank you' to him after he offered to give you the candy bar you were both reaching for.

He sighed, shaking his head. His phone vibrated, and once he waited in line after you were done at the register, he took his phone out of his pocket. Satoru noticed the messages from his Yaga, who was his sensei at Jujutsu High, and he sighed. Perhaps it was another mission he had to take in for tomorrow—the usual. No big deal.

Satoru didn’t bother to read the messages thoroughly, but he felt a shift in his position once a plastic bag was placed in the red basket. Confused, he turned and he realized you were next to him once again, a smile on your face.

He rummaged through the white plastic bag and he realized that there was a receipt and the candy bar that he handed to you. On the back of the receipt, there was legible handwriting, and his sunglasses shifted down his nose a little bit as he attempted to read the handwritten message.

‘You saw it first. :)’

Satoru’s lips parted and when he glanced up, you were already making your way to the exit of the convenience store. You looked at him, flashing him a kind smile, and then waved goodbye at him. He only stood there in awe before glancing down at the candy bar in the bag. He didn’t expect you to buy the candy bar for him, even when you didn’t say a word to him.

“Hey kid, the register’s open.”

“Oh.” He muttered, walking towards the register. The man behind the counter had a scruffy beard and a tight long sleeve shirt on. Once Satoru took out the items, he placed all the unpaid candy on the counter.

Satoru held out the plastic bag in his hand and before he could protest, the man behind the counter said, “I know. That girl paid for you. I saw everything.”

“Yeah, okay,” Satoru said, putting the bag on the counter before handing the man the empty basket.

As the cashier began scanning the items, he glanced up at Satoru, who was lost in his pool of thoughts. It was such a kind gesture, yet Satoru was lost in awe with it; it wasn’t that big of a deal. It really wasn’t—yet, his heartbeat began to race quickly, and he could feel himself getting a bit heated at the thought of something so small yet so generous.

“Did you know that girl?” The cashier asked, the beeping noise of the scanner fading out from Satoru’s ears.

“No, I don’t know her,” Satoru responded.

Though, he wished he did.

[my-unmanageable-mischief]

Arranged Marriage Part 2

Part two of my arranged marriage series (Part 1 here, Part 3) 

Draco's parents arrange a marriage for him, and at first he's pissed, but then he meets her and she's pretty and his type and he winds up really enjoying her?

If people like this I would be more then willing to write a part 3 for it! Let me know!! :)

Draco Malfoy x Reader

Draco brought you to his parents, who were currently talking to your parents, joined by Crabbe and Goyle’s parents, two men who were rather fierce looking. Draco couldn't help but think they wouldn’t look nearly as scary if they weren’t as wide as they were tall. 

“Draco,” Mrs. Crabbe greeted him as you both approached, “He’s growing handsomer everyday,” She commented to Narcissa who smiled smugly at the woman.

“Isn’t he? Just like his father.” You looked to Lucius at her words and couldn’t help but notice all the differences. Draco might’ve had his platinum hair and ice grey eyes, but frankly that’s where the similarities stopped in your opinion. Draco was taller than his father, less broad and more slender. His face reminded you more of his mother’s with high cheekbones and a sharp nose. His eyes, while sharing the color of his father’s, were less narrow. Unlike the unpleasant man in front of you, Draco wasn’t stuck in a perpetual glare, there was a warmth behind his eyes that both his parents lacked. 

“And Miss Y/N.” She continued, “Absolutely beautiful as always, you look so much like your mother.” You tensed, biting back a comment. You wished to tell her how that was an insult, you knew you were leagues more beautiful than your mother was, that’s why she was always so critical of you; jealousy. But you watched as your mother brimmed with pride for one of the first times in years, taking the complement for herself rather than you. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Crabbe.” You curtsied politely, remembering your manners in the face of your parents. It was simply easier that way. 

“Congratulations on the engagement.” Mr. Goyle extended a hand to Draco who released yours to accept it. You immediately felt colder and more vulnerable in the presents of these people whom you secretly feared. 

“Thank you, I’m truly a lucky man.” He smiled, glancing sideways at his mother who seemed over the moon that you were getting along. His father’s face had yet to change, ever set in a glare. 

“It’s lovely to see two fine pure-blooded families coming together in such a union.” Mr. Crabbe commented and your father nodded. 

“It’s nice to create this allyship.” Allyship, you rolled the world over in your mind. Of course that’s what your father thought of it. While he was nothing to sneer at it was known that your family didn’t possess nearly as much wealth or power as the Malfoys, he was just happy his only daughter was getting him into the it crowd. 

“This will be the second best thing to happen to Draco this year.” Lucius commented lightly. 

“Second best?” You questioned, wondering what possibly could be the first best, while Draco at the same time asked. 

“This year?” With slightly wide eyes. His mother smiled tensely. 

“Yes my love, we’ve been talking. Sooner the better, we will plan the wedding for this summer, before your 7th year.” 

“Before you take your oath,” His father added proudly, “He’ll be the youngest one yet.” Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle smiled for their friend, raising their glasses in a cheers that your father joined in on. You tensed, fingers twitching as you fought the urge to wrap your arms around yourself for comfort. His oath, you didn’t need to ask what oath that would be. You were surrounded by death eaters and you felt sort of like a lamb being led into the lion's den. An ironic muggle saying given the situation. Draco reached for your hand again and you fought the urge to flinch and turn and run. He took it, squeezing it, and shot you a small smile. Both of your parents were watching you intently as the other’s resumed their previous, dull conversation. You returned the smile with a small one of your own before looking down at your feet. 

“Getting along well?” His mother asked hopefully, you looked to Draco to see what he would say. He nodded his head at his mother and you saw some of the worry leave her features. 

“Swimmingly.” He assured. You could tell that brought her joy, even if she refused to show any real emotion in front of her husband. Lucius smirked slightly glancing at his wife before looking sternly at his son. 

“Frankly, it doesn’t matter how well they get along. As long as she’s been raised to be a good wife to my son, they will be fine.” He looked to your mother, “He simply needs a pure-blooded wife to keep house and raise his children. I assume you’ve managed to teach her that much.” He bit out the last sentence and you would have smirked at your mother’s face if it weren’t for the words that came from the man’s mouth. Keep house? Raise his children? Draco looked at you again, trying not to seem outwardly worried. He saw the way you had spoken to your father earlier, daring to call him daft, and he was worried you might snap in front of his parents. And his father would have no problem making an example out of you. 

“She’ll make a fine wife and mother, I assure you.” Your father spoke for your mother, “Isn’t that right.” You didn’t speak immediately and Draco squeezed your hand slightly, silently pleading with you to get through this conversation.

“Yes sir,” You nodded, swallowing hard, the grip you had on his hand tightened. Lucius nodded before waving you off with a flourish of his hand.

“Gone with you two, let the adults speak.” Draco frowned. He wanted to argue with his father, to tell him if he was old enough to take the oath and get the mark then he was certainly old enough to be included in this so-called adult conversation. Merlin, maybe you were rubbing off on him. The longer he thought about it though, the less he actually wanted to stick around for the conversation, and Blaise had gotten you drinks anyways, his Fire Whiskey called to him. He bowed slightly at the group before turning and tugging you with him back towards your table. 

“Alright?” Draco asked, leaning down slightly to speak to you as you walked. You wore that same blank expression you had first worn when you told him you didn’t want to marry him and he found himself worrying about you. Worrying! He mentally scoffed, Draco Bloody Malfoy did not worry, especially not about some bird he just met. Not some bird, a voice in his head reminded him, your fiance. His fiance. He looked at you and you shrugged up at him, smiling slightly but your eyes were still blank. 

“Fine, thanks.” He wanted to press the issue further, but then you arrived at the table, Blaise was still seated there, and Pansy had rejoined the table, along with a few additional members; Crabbe, Goyle, and a 7th year Slytherin girl named Addia Artwell. Draco pulled your chair out for you again where you had been previously seated and you thanked him, taking the seat. 

“Alright?” Blaise asked, and Draco had to chuckle at the question he had just asked himself. 

“Alright, just talking with the parents.” He informed them, taking his own seat and taking a long draw of his Fire Whiskey, relishing in the feeling as it burned it’s way down his throat. You picked your own drink up taking a generous sip. You couldn’t believe this was the situation you had found yourself in. You felt like screaming and crying and ripping your hair out and the only thing you could do was shut down. Your mind drifted to Paris as the group around you chatted and chuckled amongst themselves. 

“Y/N?” You looked up, raising an eyebrow when your name was called, it had come from Addia.

“Yes?” You asked, sipping from your glass, hoping at least one good thing may come from tonight- you getting piss drunk. 

“You’re in Ravenclaw, right?” She asked and you nodded your head at her, setting the cup down.

“I am, why do you ask?” 

“I just assumed they’d marry Draco off to a Slytherin girl.” She wasn’t as harsh as Pansy, but you noticed the other girl tuning into your conversation with a smirk. “Does that mean you’re like, really smart?” 

“I do alright,” You shrugged, “As for marrying a Slytherin, I don’t know how we ended up paired up.” You admitted. 

“I know my parents wanted me to marry him,” She continued, unaffected, “I guess his parents said no, so I’m marrying Clyde Inkwell, he graduated a few years back, remember him?” You didn’t not really. Only in passing at a few balls over the years, you thought you might’ve danced with him once at your mother’s request. You smiled politely and nodded your head. 

“Yes, good for you, a very good family.” 

“Not as good as Malfoy,” Pansy commented and both girls shot her a glare. You picked your drink up again, needing something to do to feel less awkward and out of place. Across the room you saw a few people you were relatively well acquainted with, older Ravenclaw kids whom you usually spent your time with at these kind of events, you found yourself wishing you were there and not here surrounded by snakes. Draco shifted in his seat, his arm draping back around the back of your chair. Your first reaction was to wince again at the slight brush of contact, but you scolded yourself. He had been kind to you so far, much kinder than you had expected, there was no reason to go running and screaming from him yet, besides the fact that you didn't wish to marry anyone. 

“Finished?” Draco asked as you set your empty glass down again, you glanced into it and smirked slightly. 

“No I was gonna sit and drink the air.” He chuckled, brushing his knuckles slightly over your shoulder. 

“Want me to get you another one?” He asked, surprised at himself that he was trying to initiate even casual contact with you. You shrugged your shoulders and nodded your head, feeling the inkingly of a slight buzz coming on. 

“Sure, thank you.” 

“Of course,” He assured, getting up, placing a hand on your shoulder, before disappearing into the crowd. You were surprised by how you immediately missed the man’s presence. You glanced around uneasily at the group who sat around you.

“That dress makes you look wide,” Pansy commented. 

“I think she looks sexy,” Goyle commented crudely, his eyes racking over your body. You flushed, not in a good way, biting down on your tongue. 

“Oi piss off you lot!” Blaise announced, scooting into Draco’s empty seat and throwing his arm around your shoulder, pulling you into him as you stiffened. He was drunk and smelled like a mix of alcohol and too much aftershave. 

“Slag.” Pansy muttered, Addia glanced at her before chuckling. 

“Honestly, no offense,” When people said that it was usually followed with something offensive, “But really, why you? It’s not even like you’re that rich. What? Are you a good shag?” 

“Excuse me?” You asked, mouth opening in slight surprise. You thought she had been nicer than Pansy, but the claws were coming out. 

“Did you sleep with Lucius first?” Pansy asked and this time everyone laughed. You wanted to get up and run, you found yourself looking around wildly for an exit, for Draco, for any sort of life line. 

“I bet she did,” Crabbe added, “That’s the only way someone like her would be set up to marry someone like Draco.” 

“Are you going to take the oath?” Addia asked, leaning her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands as she stared at you like she wanted to eat you alive. 

“No,” You scoffed.

“They probably won’t let her,” Pansy smirked, “She’s not pure-blooded enough. I hear they’ve got several cousins who have married below them, disgusting.” 

“She’ll be at home doing the cooking and the cleaning, I bet they wanted a slave for Draco, not someone his equal, that’s the only thing that makes sense.” Goyle joked causing another bout of laughter from everyone. You stood up suddenly, your chair failing back with the sudden movement, everyone continued to look at you laughing. 

“You’re just jealous, you bitter hag.” You snapped at Pansy. Draco approached the table as your chair flew back and you stood, he came to a stop beside you, two drinks in hand. 

“What’s going on?”

“She’s mental,” Pansy chuckled, “You’re going to marry an imbecile.” 

“I’m a hell of a lot smarter than you Parkinson,” You reached for your wand and Draco put the glasses on the table, grabbing your wrist in his own large hand. 

“Y/N,” He spoke.

“I’ll show you how daft I am when your head rolls across the dance floor you blithering cow!” You shouted, causing some of the nearby tables to look towards you, Pansy had the common sense to look slightly frightened by your outburst. 

“Y/N,” Draco repeated urgently, looking around to make sure your parents were far enough away they would miss the commotion. You snatched your hands from him.

“Hell, I don’t even need my wand, I could beat you with my bare hands, say it again. Say it all again while he’s here.” No one said anything. 

“I don’t know what you’re going on about,” Addia spoke shrugging. Draco glanced around the table, not buying it. He’d known them for years, he could guess what type of words had been exchanged in his absence. 

“Shut it, Artwell.” He snapped once again grabbing you, both hands on your shoulders as he began to steer you away from the group, sending them all a look that could kill. 

“You’re just a bunch of arse kissing cowards, you hear me!” You called as Draco moved you away from the group, turning you so you were walking ahead of him, his hands firmly on your shoulders. 

“My dearest future wife, let’s go.” He demanded, pushing you through the crowd back towards the french doors they had entered through earlier. He could take a punishment from his father if they were caught sneaking off, he couldn’t take you getting in trouble for ripping Parkinson limb from limb in front of everyone. He got you to the door and opened it pushing you through. You immediately stalked away from him, beginning to pace the foyer.

“Who does she think she is?” You asked rhetorically, “Bloody bitch, you should have let me hexed her, she deserves it.” Draco nodded his head, leaning against the wall as you got it all out. He hated to admit it, but you looked fit like this. Hair slightly falling from it’s previously neat braids, eyes ablaze with anger and passion. 

“Won’t argue with that, but this is neither the time nor the place.” You didn’t even seem to hear him as you continued to pace wildly around the room. 

“Stupid, wretched, hag! I hate this, I hate all of this, I want to bloody go home, I need- I need-” Merlin, you didn’t know what you needed, and suddenly you were crying. “I want to go home, I want my life back, I don’t want to get married, I don’t want to be some homemaker, some mindless slave to my death eater husband.” You ranted and Draco couldn’t help but wince slightly at your words, pushing himself off the wall. 

“So go.” 

“What?” You asked, stopping your pacing to look at him, eyes wide and red, mascara streaming down your cheeks. 

“Go,” He repeated calmly, going to the front door and opening it, you winced as the cold winter air hit your bare skin, and he felt bad, but he needed to make his point, he needed you to understand. “Go to Paris.” You stood there glancing between him and the darknesses outside. “I’m sure you’ll make it there alright. Maybe even find some job at some muggle place. Maybe you’ll even find yourself a flat.” Where was he going with this, you asked yourself. He wanted you to leave? “That is, until they notice you’re gone.” He raised his voice slightly, “It won’t take long, I’m sure they’re announcing our engagement soon, they’ll notice you’ve left. They’ll hunt you down, sure it might take a few days.” You looked away from him, wrapping your arms around yourself as tears welled up again.

“Stop.”

“No, go! Let them hunt you for sport, I’m sure even your own father would join just so he didn’t seem like a trader.” You winced again, this time from his words and he felt guilt rising in his chest. But he needed you to understand - this was life or death. He came away from the door, leaving it open as he approached you, “They will hunt you down and they will kill you for being a trader.” He stated bluntly. “Or maybe you’ll get lucky and they’re simply torture you into maddness.” He put a hand on your shoulder and you allowed yourself to lean slightly into the touch. “You’ll never be a healer, you’ll never be anything. You will simply cease to exist.” 

“Merlin help me,” You whispered, a few more tears falling from your eyes. He used the back of his hand to brush them away.

“I’m trying to help you.” He admitted. 

“How?” 

“Marry me,” He wasn’t sure if he was asking you or telling you but it certainly wasn’t a regular marriage proposal. “I will keep you safe.” He promised, and you looked up skeptically into his icy grey eyes. “I will protect you. You will be a healer, you will be my wife, a mother, perhaps a bit of a homemaker,” He smiled softly and you allowed yourself to smile watery up at him. “But never my slave.” He promised. “I’m a Malfoy, no one will lay a finger on you once you’re a Malfoy too.” You considered his words and watched as he pulled back gesturing towards the door again, “We could even see Paris someday.” You laughed, wiping at your eyes and sighing. 

“Has anyone ever told you, you’re a good man?” Draco fought the urge to say ‘no’. Instead he winked and smiled again.

“What are husbands for?” He shut the door and came back to you, pulling you towards one of the hallways leading off the main foyer, to a door, “Go get cleaned up, they’re going to notice were gone soon, I don’t want them to think I wasn’t being a gentleman.” He teased and you chuckled, going into the bathroom before stopping and turning to look at him.

“Draco?” You asked, and he relished in the sound of his name coming off your lips. 

“Hm?” 

“Thank you,” You leaned up placing a kiss on his cheek before pulling back with a coy smile, shutting the door on his face. Draco smiled to himself, resisting the urge to touch the spot on his cheeks your lips just touched. It wasn’t a sneaky snog, like he had hoped, but somehow this was better.

[neonponders]

👀 👀 👀 👀  Oh jesus oh lord. Deeper Than Skin is finished so I’ll enable another wip.

@ghostofjellyfishforgotten I hope you don’t mind me using your tags on this vampire!Billy / blood donor!Steve post as inspiration! Your brain is just too big for me not to pass up an opportunity to write vampire shenanigans.

Read on ao3 ~

🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹

Steve didn’t judge people who worked as donors—

Fine, as an adult with a better awareness and compassion, Steve didn’t judge donors. He might’ve said some shitty things to Jonathan Byers when he worked to make his family extra money.

Honestly? Steve admired that. Jonathan being underage and having the guts to figure out how to get into the donation clinic, and then to let…

Steve knew he was a coward in a lot of ways. He knew it when he called Jonathan a queer who enjoyed leeches sucking on him. He knew it when he lost to the punches Byers threw. For a skinny, half empty blood bag, the guy could really hit. And Steve knew it when he almost ran away from Nancy and Jonathan fighting off the rogue vampire who kidnapped little Will Byers.

But Steve didn’t run away.

Just like he didn’t run away from the couch he sat on with his mother while his father explained…a situation that left Steve digging deeper and deeper into the gap between fear and bravery. Maybe call it disassociation. Or confused shock.

“You what?”

Harrington senior never took well to being interrupted. But he sighed from across the coffee table and reiterated, “The family is in debt.”

“No. You. You’re in debt. This is your problem.”

The man certainly didn’t take well to having his own mistakes shoved under his nose. “This isn’t for debate. This is the way things are and need to be.”

“No,” Steve repeated like a broken record clinging onto its song. “This is your fault. Who’s made me work minimum wage jobs to teach me a lesson? Who’s refused to pay for me to go to community college? Who hasn’t let me work in their company? And who made the shitty gambles with your company’s stocks? You shoved me out, so it’s definitely not my problem���”

“The contract has already been signed.”

Now his mother shifted her posture on the couch beside him. “Excuse me?”

Steve’s father moved his blunt nails over the armrest of his wingback, fidgeting. At least something put fear into the old bastard’s heart.

“There’s nothing I could do. The market has been evolving ever since vampires gained their rights and opened up their decades and centuries old bonds—”

“Vampire legislation passed over a century ago,” Mrs. Harrington purred. Sometimes the worst anger was the quiet kind. “You have no excuse. You lost the game, and you sold our son. Is that what we’re to believe?”

“That’s not possible,” Steve intercepted. “Slavery isn’t a thing anymore. Even I picked that up in history. And I would have to be there to sign the contract! It’s my—”

“Steve,” his father silenced. “When enough money is involved, anything is bought. And you’re not like anyone else.”

Mrs. Harrington fumed, “Do not talk to him like he’s a prize pony!”

“Except to a wealthy vampire, he is.”

Steve could only sit in weighted silence for a moment. He always joked to himself that he’d be disowned one of these days. For being a disappointment. For all of his bad grades. For giving his friends alcohol and cigarettes. For only being able to get jobs that required no qualifications or experience level at all. For discovering he liked kissing boys at the grimy music venues Robin took him to. Maybe living at home for too long. Or leaving the smell of burnt pancakes in the air too often because he always struggled with the first one—

“Vampire?” he croaked. For some reason it hadn’t dawned to him until now but…shit.

Holy shit.

Steve wasn’t being sold off to be some billionaire’s secretary for life. He was being…truly sold. Like…goodbye, Steve, who likes spring nights and summer mornings. His favorite food is breakfast and he wishes he kept with the music lessons his mom paid for instead of being peer pressured into sports. Whose best friend was Robin Buckley because she was brave and funny and stuck with him during his ironic and a little bit terrifying queer awakening…

Hello, Donor 0235. Blood type O. Allergic to nickel and checks off all vaccination requirements.

“Steve’s not wrong,” his mother echoed like a voice deep in a cave, drawing Steve out of his thoughts. “He is the one to sign the contract. Not you.”

“He is still classified as our dependent and on our insurance,” his father refused.

“So being an adult means nothing in this country?”

“They have our family records, Annette!” he exclaimed. “There is a dual government in this country even if nobody below upper-middle class sees it. The human government had to cede a great deal because the vampire population is massive. And they’ve kept track of all the Sanguis families! Name changes, and two World Wars did nothing to save us—”

“The what?” Steve all but whispered.

His mother rotated her hips to face him. “We only have legends about how it happened. Paleolithic gods making deals, vampires crossbreeding humans to make a certain kind of blood donor, human evolution after symbiotic deals were struck—but that doesn’t matter. The point is that there are people in this world with abilities that preserve themselves against vampires. That’s why you healed in less than two days after that silly fight by the movie theatre.”

His father intercepted, “The genes skipped your mother but fell to you.”

Steve’s eyes widened as his mother confirmed, “To protect us, girls have been promoted in the family tree for generations. Through marriage, their names could change, and make them harder to track.”

Steve countered toward his father, “So this really isn’t your place to sign my life away. Like five times over.”

“I quite agree,” his mother turned back to the man she’d married. The man who was supposed to protect her and her children with his name and promising, growing business.

At least Steve wasn’t the only failure in the family.

His father massaged his forehead and defended, “As I said. Humans’ government is far easier to corrupt our way into forgiving any debt. The vampires, however, are inconsolable. The bastard would have my business, the cars, our house, and taken his time discovering Steve on his own if I hadn’t—”

Steve took after his father, but he was his mother’s son as they both stood up from the couch, furious that this man had thrown his own kid under a vampire’s bus—

“Get out of the house, Steve.”

His head whipped around at her. “I-What?”

“Get out of the house,” she seethed, but not at him. “I don’t care where or what you do. Go.”

Steve didn’t need to be told twice but he hadn’t managed to grab his car keys or his shoes before the house and his ribcage trembled with his parents’ arguing. He went in his socks outside and put the shoes on in his car.

Then…he didn’t know where to go. Running the hell away seemed like the obvious solution, but if vampires really had such a network, what was the point? And if he left, what would happen to his mom?

Steve drove on autopilot to the video rental store. Robin. All he had was Robin, who took the lollipop out of her mouth when the bell on the door twittered. “Hey, dingus, it’s your day off—Steve?”

He couldn’t really remember driving. That probably should have raised more red flags than he already had, but for now, the black and neon carpeting of the Family Video was blurring and swirling…

“I’m gonna throw up,” he heard himself say.

And Robin in that distant, echoing cave his mother had spoken from, “Outside! STEVE!”

[egyptian-sun-god]

Never Have I ever S2

SPOILERS.....Turn back now I’m serious.

I’m waiting....

Okay cool your fault at this point

I was fairly critical of NHIE S1, I won’t lie. And I’ll be real I still stand by the fact that NHIE S1 was fairly meh overall. 

But holy shit, they knocked this season outta the world man. The show really really found its proper footing this season. They were smart to keep the cheating for only two episodes and explore the repercussion for the other 8. 

1.Devi Vishwakumar.

Let’s start with the main character.  Devi still does immensely fucked up shit this season. Dating two boys and have them find out in the MOST humiliating way possible. Yikes. Being a really sucky friend to Aneesa and starting that rumour about her (inadvertently) and pretending to her. Stalking her mother and being possessive of her. The really awful apology that was pretty self centred, a bit not good. 

 But she really does do her best to improve and I am SO proud of that. She uses her father’s advice and apologizes better to Aneesa, she actually handled the Ben and Aneesa dating WAAAAY better than I’ve seen some people handle things like that. I might’ve blown a fuse if two of my friends had 4 tickle fights and had major PDA sessions when we were trying to do a group project. Like she handled that shit fairly well all things considered. Devi actually gets into the beginnings of delving into her trauma and her temporary paralysis and healing from it. I

 really see how the label ‘crazy’ weighs on her and how she blew up with it and the message of destigmatizing mental illness. (Crazy Aneesa and Crazy Devi)  Her properly bonding with her mother and watching videos of her father and remembering/honouring his memory hit REALLY HARD (since I lost many people in my family recently and that fear of forgetting them has been real). Devi is actually beginning to heal from the loss of her father by strengthening the relationship with her Amma. And the slap from Paati was so so needed, it really gave her a better respect of her mother and fixed the problem I had with Devi mouthing off so much to her Amma. I live to see good maamiyar marumagal relationships. Her relationship with Paxton is really good and it gets developed very logically and having her be scared of being pathetic but in the end she accepted her own self worth and stopped chasing after them which was good. 

Overall Devi really blossomed into her own developing person and I actually like her so much more this season. 

2. Paxton Hall Yoshida

I was honestly, like genuinely sad last season he was like 80% eye candy with not much else going for him. Paxton had so much faith as a character and Ms Kaling has really pulled him into such a better person this season. 

Paxton got hit by a car before swim season, lost his ticket to college and wow, got two timed by a girl he liked all in two episodes. If he was salty about that for more than one season I would’ve completely accepted it. Cause that’s a bad public humiliation. 

Paxton episode really really made me love him as a character (honestly more so than Ben) I think because I heard Paxton’s entire worry and irritation that he was being underestimated and no one really expected him to go to college from a friend of mine not more than a month ago. That shit is real, and it hurted my friends a lot that people were really underestimating them and just seeing them as a dumb athlete who has no hope of college. It’s really nice to see Paxton actually want to go to college and learn Japanese American side with his Oji-chan giving him advice and supporting him. And him bringing his grandfather to speak about the internment camps, that seriously do not get spoken about enough.

Also him putting effort and making a genuine effort to work hard and bring up his grades with Devi and therefore bonding with her was really nice to see. I wouldn’t mind them being endgame but Devi does really work a lot better as his pushy Indian mom/best friend/tutor.  And Devi getting mad at him for him expecting him to hold his hand throughout really hit well. Was it deserved yeah. But Devi also did blow him off after promising him to study so his anger is justified there. I’m just kinda vibing with Paxton like coming up and taking a better interest in school and being a full 3D character. And that one scene where he gives the extra credit presentation and Trent high fives the man. Classic. 

Can I also just say, it’s kinda valid that Paxton didn’t want to date her in public. Is it a dick move...yeah? But he’s within his rights to ask and she’s within her rights to deny. And he didn’t press her once she said no, he went along with it. And what Devi pulled on him is awful, and speaking as someone who’s seen popular kid cliques. Reputation really is important. Like what Devi did made Paxton lose face, if he gets back with Devi he ain’t gonna have any respect left in him. And Paxton was pretty right in deciding to not date her publicly, like even in the end he knows that his reputation is shot for what he did. Do we even know if Paxton has friends that aren’t fixated on his social status? Because becoming a social pariah without having any support of friends is gonna hurt like a bitch. Lord knows how Paxton gonna deal with it. I think Trent might be his only homie after the social downfall he will inevitably face. 

I’m just gonna say, Paxton is my favourite now and I’m really rooting for him. Something I decidedly did not do last season. I’m happy Ms Kaling developed him so much and got me interested. 

3. Ben Gross

Ah. Ben. Ben’s not my faaavouriteee.......like he’s fine. But I don’t love him. I can definitely see him and Devi becoming an almost endgame couple though. Especially with S2 ending. 

Ben is fine and he’s pretty developed, especially with his episode in S1 and it was good he took a backseat this season and let everyone else star. I feel like he’ll come back strong next season though. 

Personally do I ship him with Devi? No. I’ve been in a friendship with the similar competitive dynamic as Ben and Devi. And it was terrible. We loved to argue and we got each other’s super brainy side as Devi puts it. But we pushed each other faar too much and even the small things became arguments and each pthers achievements became jealousy. So yeah....I don’t have too much faith in the dynamic due to personal bias, but I’d love to see how it gets handled. 

Also my brother Ben, PDA is a thing and it is common courtesy to refrain from it. Man’s really going at it with Aneesa half the time. But also the moment where Aneesa sort of choked on the presentation and Ben’s irritation at it gave me BAAAD vibes. It feels like while Devi can match him, they might push each other too far, 

4. Kamala 

I LOVE KAMALA. Girl is an ENTIRE vibe. My sweetheart, love of my life. I could go on. I really like her development as well and the banter between her and Nalini. The part where Nalini practically said she looked like a call girl and she was like ippadi potathaan velaila mariyaatha kidaikum. I legit had to pause, scream in laughter for a good few seconds. 

They had such a good story with her and wanting to fight against the fact that they took her work and didn’t credit her and everyone was telling her to like take it bowing. Prasanth’s advice unfortunately checked out to me, because I’ve been told that all my life. My dad says it a lot and I know he doesn’t say it cause’ he doesn’t believe in me, but he loves me and wants my life to be easier and for me to succeed and his experience is that he’s had to deal with things like this and fighting won’t help. So yeah, what Prasanth said did not rub me the wrong way at all and I agreed with it and I’m fairly disappointed about that. I get that she got nervous and had cold feet about marriage but I do hope she and Prasanth can work this out through communication. Because I really don’t feel like Prasanth is the bad guy here. It’s just a miscommunication. 

So yeah, a LOT of Kamala’s storyline continues to really hit me hard. 

5. Nalini Vishwakumar

Nalini really had so much more screentime to blossom. I love that she has a good relationship with Mohan’s amma. It’s wonderful and I love it. Also I was shocked to see the house in Chennai. Like this house...in Chennai. The Chennai I’m used to and the Chennai they are used to are different Chennai’s. Basically wealth gap is crazy as hell and I was lowkey highkey confused if the actually shot this shit in Chennai. But props to the directors for putting some proper Tamil vibes in there. Like the scene where they kaala thottu kumbudurathu (touch the elder’s feet) before they leave for the US is so real and so vibes. I like that they decided to bring paati back. I was like hoping for it.

Also they really went at developing Nalini’s character as a workaholic mom who doesn’t get her daughter. That’s also a really common thing in Indian households with one working parent so I’m happy they portrayed that. I’m happy Nalini actually has a life outside her family portrayed and is still such a typical mother that it hits HARD. I love Nalini and she really developed as a character dealing with grief from Mohan’s death, the wish to move on with Dr.Jackson but knowing that she isn’t ready yet. 

They gave her character a life and proper working outside Devi and it really has shown to develop her character and impact her relationship with Devi. The advice to “just say yes” works with cousins and younger siblings as well, I’ve heard it before and used it..and it saves so much time. Especially with small children. 

(A memory I have is of my younger cousin going on and on about a princess and a castle and fighting a dragon and the witches and so much fantasy shit and ended with do you wanna come? I just clocked off my CCA’s and I had no energy left to question it so I just went yeah sure. Easiest decision, and 10/10 advice. )

6. Aneesa

I’m not gonna lie. I was skeptical of Aneesa and I didn’t like how Devi saw her in the trailer. But Aneesa reminds me so much of me....and its killing me. 

Also the scene where she charms the hell out of Nalini and paati ma has literally happened to me before. Most of my Indian friends hate it..because I was raised with a lot more traditional manners with my grandparents so me and my siblings all are old fashioned which parents LOVE. And I really saw that Aneesa charming them and Devi also realizing, Damn none of my friends actually treat my family the way they should be treated, perks of having an Indian friend. 

Also the scene where she gets Devi out of trouble is so so real. Because if you have one responsible friend that you parents trust, you could lie the hell to them, get you homie to back you up and it will work. Personal experience. So yeah, Aneesa character resonated with me a lot.

I also like that she wasn’t just a popular 1D Indian girl but she was genuinely cool and actually had proper issues and development where she gets more open to Sherman Oaks and actually kinda properly rebels against Noor, with having Ben as a boyfriend. 

I feel like Aneesa has a lot more potential for growth, especially with the relationship with Ms Noor and Aneesa acting as a foil to Nalini and Devi’s. Also, I feel like Aneesa can grow within her social status at school as well and have Devi maturely handle it. Aneesa I feel will really really challenge Devi’s ability to be mature. 

7. Eleanor and Fabiola’s plotlines

Okay like actually, major props to Ms Kaling man. This show touches so so many teen issues in one goddamn show. Emotionally manipulative relationships. So SO good. A lot of newer age relationships have a much more subtle and dangerous line of abuse that’s hard to find out. Like honestly it took me a while to see it as well and I realized oh fuck. oh fuck...I see it it’s bad. They really got the essence of Eleanor’s flamboyance matching with Malcom? (is it Malcolm..fuck it it’s Malcolm now) his “suaveness” and traditionally charming tendency. It made sense and it’s very realistic how Eleanor got played like a damn fiddle. I also again feel that the make up was faar to quick but I really appreciate that Eleanor got her own storyline with her step-mom and understanding of relationships instead of the show hyperfocusing on just Devi. I respect that a lot.  Petition to get a Eleanor narration episode. 

Fabiola’s storyline also was well taken. It’s an interesting added layer to the queer experience and how queerness can be expected to be performative and but really its all about being more of yourself. The idea that queer people don’t owe nobody anything or have to perform an ideal version of queerness and Fabiola struggling with that kinda hit. The part where they talked about her mother learning to support them and being Cricket? Queen/King. Like being trailblazers for the POC community and the LGBTQ+ community having overlapping struggles. Again, I liked that Fabiola was getting more personal screentime and less of her story revolving around Devi’s. 

8. Everything else

I liked that there was more Tamil being casually thrown around. Like the Kamala vaadi to hold the suitcase down as they zipped it together was funny and relatable. The accents were really interesting because I promise you, I had no clue what they were saying sometimes. Nalini’s dialogues in Tamil were like immensely difficult to understand, and my Tamil is fluent. This isn’t a criticism... I’m fairly certain the difference is to do with the regional difference. American Tamil and Malaysian + rural Tamil slang are going to have huge accent differences so there’s no surprise that I found Nalini’s Tamil hard to understand. 

I’m really really really meh about the Kamala and Manish/Mr Kulkarni thing. I still think she should sort it out with Prasanth maybe but I’m open to seeing where it goes. I might change my mind with it. 

This show like any other show had its highs and lows. But I really really do feel that NHIE season 2 managed to truly figure out what the hell it wants to do and developed into a very strong and very entertaining show in terms of representation and diversity. I’m looking forward to season 3. 

[robininthelabyrinth]

the nie sect is known for strong, angry sect leaders and strong, angry women; nie mingjue is just the first to be both. she refuses to let this burden fall on her little brother, who is far too young for it (he's barely old enough to understand that their father is dead, and still sucks his thumb at night)--she can swing a saber like the best of them, and, well... it's not like there are many nie elders to object anyway

also on ao3

The stories said that Nie Mingjue’s mother was a goddess.

They said she descended down from the mountains, crisp as a winter breeze and tall as a temple statute; they said Lao Nie fell in love with her the first moment he saw her and married her the next; they said that the heavens were jealous of their love and summoned her to return –

It was a little nicer than saying that Nie Mingjue’s mother was a rogue cultivator that lingered in Qinghe just long enough for a marriage ceremony and a baby before remembering that she preferred living alone.

Still, as Nie Mingjue grew up – and she did grow up, up and up and up – people started passing around the old story more and more. Lao Nie rolled his eyes but didn’t stop the rumors, which Nie Mingjue interpreted to mean that he thought they were useful somehow, though she never quite figured out the reasoning there. What difference did it make if she were the child of a goddess or a mortal woman?

Either way, she was still a girl.

Oh, Qinghe was famous for its indifference to such things: in Qinghe they don’t care if you’re a man or woman, the story went, as long as you can swing a saber, and it was even mostly true. No one would raise an eyebrow if you shared your bed with a man one night and a woman the next, no one cared if you said you were one for a week and the other for a month…

Still, for all of Qinghe’s indifference, the Nie sect had never had a female sect leader.

At least, not officially – there were a number of sect leader’s wives who were terrifying enough to have deserved the title – and officially was what mattered, in this case. The sect leader was the fulcrum on which the sect turned, the core of their fearsome cultivation: if water ran downhill, then evil flowed up, and the sect leader’s saber spirit was always by far the fiercest in the sect.

That was why Nie Mingjue’s ancestors died so much more quickly than her cousins – why she had plenty of great-uncles and great-aunts, and a family consisting of only her father, herself, and her younger brother.

“Do you not want me to be sect leader?” she asked her father once, because he had deliberately gone out and gotten himself a new wife to have a child with, showing great relief when it turned out to be a boy. “Is it something I’ve done, or haven’t done?”

“It’s not that,” her father had said at once, with such surety that her fears of inadequacy had been relieved. “It’s only – there are sacrifices that must be made, if the sect leader is a woman. A saber spirit powerful enough to support the sect cannot be allowed to escape.”

She hadn’t understood it at the time, being too young, but then she got a little older and started bleeding, and an old auntie came and told her why the bleeding mattered.

The sect leader’s saber was too strong, too fierce, too alive: full of resentful energy, almost like a ghost, hateful and vicious, and their bond with their master was too close. Normal swords could be used by anyone; only the powerful refused any hand but their masters – the powerful, and the Nie sabers.

A sect leader who was a woman could never have a child, lest that child’s soul be stolen away in the womb and replaced with something else.

“So I won’t have children,” Nie Mingjue said, when her father died before his time. “Easy enough.”

There were elders enough in her sect, those that had been lucky enough not to be part of the main clan line and to escape the burden of being sect leader; they looked at each other with concern.

Nie Mingjue wasn’t about to let them put the title of sect leader on Huaisang, then only a child of seven, not when there was her father to avenge, and so she reached up behind her back and brought Baxia down on the table in front of them, cleaving the old wooden table in half.

“I have the bloodline, and my saber’s strong enough to bear the strain,” she said while they stared: that table had survived more than a few of her father and grandfather’s strikes, only to yield to hers as if it were nothing. “If you want to protest, challenge me now.”

In the end, they didn’t.

And so she became sect leader.

The sacrifice of any future children turned out to be the easy part.

Jin Guangshan stared at her breasts whenever she sat across from him, and tried to stumble into her to take advantage of the fact that the top of his head only reached her chin; she made sure never to accept any invitation to ever be alone with him, especially when he was drunk. His wife glared at her as if it were her fault that her chest and hips had grown proportionate with the rest of her, giving her curves that were relatively rare among her countrymen.

Jiang Fengmian might have been all right, she supposed, if his wife hadn’t hated her nearly as much: Madame Yu had been childhood friends with Madame Jin, Nie Mingjue vaguely recalled, but she suspected the real reason was the Jiang sect’s inclination to keep women away from politics no matter how high their cultivation.

“How are you supposed to ‘attempt the impossible’ if you refuse to let half of your population even try?” she asked Jiang Fengmian once, and he just shook his head and tried to pat her head (she glared death at him until he retracted the offending limb before it could be chopped off), and said she wouldn’t understand, that Qinghe was too idiosyncratic, too indiscriminate, that other places were different.

(His daughter gave Nie Mingjue a flower after that meeting, blushing red to her ears, and followed it up with a bowl of soup, and to this day Nie Mingjue still didn’t know if it was because of what she’d said or if everyone in Yunmeng was just as indiscriminate as Qinghe and they just didn’t admit it to themselves.)

Even the ever-polite Lan sect wasn’t friendly.

The irritating part was that she was sure they would have gotten on well if she had been born a man, or at least presented as one, as she would have if she’d been a misaligned reincarnation; alas, she wasn’t, she was a woman, and the Lan sect rules dictated that men and women could not grow too close or intimate. Lan Qiren guarded his nephews against her as if they were treasures, and it took quite a while before she finally met Lan Xichen face to face.

“Wow,” he said, blinking at her. “They weren’t kidding when they said you were a goddess.”

“No, that’s my mother,” Nie Mingjue said automatically.

Lan Xichen smiled, his eyes turning into crescents. “No,” he said. “I’m sure I meant what I said.”

Nie Mingjue felt something jump in her chest, which had never happened before. But she had fought long and hard to be taken seriously as a sect leader despite her youth and her gender, and she wasn’t willing to give that up by falling, like every other female cultivator her age, for the man ranked first on the list of most attractive young masters.

(Nie Mingjue was ranked seventh. She’s not even sure how she got on the list, but apparently there were plenty of female cultivators who were happy to vote for her no matter her gender.)

Besides, even if her heart did beat a little faster whenever Lan Xichen smiled at her, and even if he indicated through some hints that he might be inclined to feel the same, it didn’t matter. She knew, even if he didn’t, that she wouldn’t bear children in this life – she loved Baxia dearly, she did, but her willful, vicious saber would make a terrible child – and she couldn’t impose that on anyone else.

Anyway, she’d figured out pretty quickly that Lan Xichen’s younger brother was a cutsleeve – whatever Lan Qiren might think, pornography was a perfectly reasonable gift for a teenager, especially given how successful Nie Huaisang’s side business was – and that meant Lan Xichen had to be the one to have descendants.

Nie Mingjue had heard all the stories about what happens when a man marries one woman who can’t give him children and another who can, and she wasn’t interested in that.

So they were friends.

She wasn’t sure if it got easier or harder when she met Meng Yao, who was small and delicate and scheming in a way that she found ridiculously endearing.

He wasn’t expecting her to be a woman, she thought: he’d set himself up on a mountain path, buckets of water at his side and a pitiful expression on his face as he chewed on hard bread without even taking a sip of the water right beside him to wet his throat, and when she’d stopped right in front of him to ask him about it he’d looked up at her and his eyes had gotten to be half the size of his face.

Nie Mingjue might’ve fallen for the gambit if it wasn’t for the way she could almost see the way he was rapidly reevaluating his entire strategy in real time – it almost made her nostalgic about listening to her cousins teach each other the warning signs of a white lotus seductress selling misery and purity.

Still, in the end it didn’t really matter if he was deliberately exaggerating his misery to sell it to her – the responsibility for good behavior was on the bully, not the victim, so she went and scolded the people inside the cave.

Afterwards, she took him out to walk with her.

“I’d already spoken with some people about you; it seems like you’ve established your merits in the battlefield and off,” she told him. “You don’t also need to be pitiful to get my attention.”

Meng Yao smiled self-depreciatingly. “I find that men have a soft spot for people they think need them.”

“Well, I’m not a man, am I?” she pointed out in return. She thought about it for a moment, then decided, as always, to be blunt. “I might spend most of my time now with men, but I spent my childhood with women; a woman’s tricks don’t work that well on me. What is it that you want?”

He looked at her with raised eyebrows.

“Do you want to be my deputy? I’m willing, since you seem competent enough,” she said. “But if your goal is to get back into your father’s good graces by reporting on me, don’t bother. He has spies enough for that – he doesn’t need a son to do it.”

“Perhaps I just want to show him what I’m capable of,” Meng Yao said.

Nie Mingjue laughed. “At my side? If you’d like to try, I’m not going to stop you, but I’ll tell you now that the merits that Jin Guangshan values may not be to your taste.”

She made him her deputy, and he lived up to her expectations – he was efficient, capable, competent. He was good at understanding people, which she wasn’t, and he could figure out within moments what any given person wanted.  Just as importantly, he lived up to the principles she prized, valuing the lives of the common folk as well as Nie cultivators; he did what she asked of him, and he did it well.

It would be a shame to lose him, she thought, but she still brought him with her to a wartime meeting with the Jin sect.

Afterwards, she made her excuses to leave early, as she always did, and when Meng Yao showed up later that evening to drop off the usual round of spies’ reports, Nie Mingjue could smell blood from where his nails had pierced his palms.

“He asked you if you were fucking me,” she said, accepting the papers. It wasn’t a guess. “You can tell him that you are, if you think it would help your standing with him.”

Meng Yao seemed repulsed by her suggestion, which amused her.

“Don’t you mind that half the camp thinks I got my position by climbing into your bed?” he asked her, a wrinkle in his brow suggesting that the question mattered to him. “Most of them can’t decide if I’m your boy-toy or merely stupid enough not to notice that I’m deliberately seducing you for my own ends, but either way the implication is highly unflattering. Don’t you care?”

“…not really?” Nie Mingjue said. “I’ve been sect leader since I was fifteen and more than half the sect leaders that currently report to me have been treating me like I’m a walking collection of fuckable female body parts since then; they get extremely irritable any time I open my mouth and remind them I’m not. Keeping a boy-toy is positively tame compared to the rest of it…you must have heard the one that says that I’m a frigid bitch that can only be satisfied by fucking my saber? That one’s a perennial.”

Meng Yao’s expression suggested he had, in fact, heard that one.

“My father always told me that the more people talk behind your back, the harder you have to work to leave them with nothing to say,” Nie Mingjue continued. “But I’ve found that they’ll find something to say, and if there isn’t anything, they’ll make something up. There’s no way to stop gossip.”

Meng Yao was frowning. “That seems unduly pessimistic. Not to borrow our enemies’ words, but if you shine like a sun in the heavens –”

“I’m the sect leader of one of the Great Sects,” Nie Mingjue said. “I’m a war hero. I have a reputation as a upright and righteous person. And yet between me and Wen Ruohan, who’s to say whose name is dragged through the mud more? They curse at him as the man who ordered the rape of their wives in one breath and talk eagerly about how much they’d like to rape me the next…Meng Yao, don’t take insult when I say this, but you could be as wise as a sage, as powerful as a landslide, as beneficent as a buddha and they’d still ask each other behind their sleeves what you learned from being a whore’s son.”

His expression was rather ugly – nothing at all like his usual calm smile.

“I usually get over it by associating myself with better people,” she added. “Have you met Lan Xichen yet?”

It turned out he had, and that they were rather fond of each other, too. Very fond, to judge by Meng Yao’s starry-eyed expression, and wouldn’t it be just her luck if the two men she was attracted to – and which she’d refused on the basis of not wanting to cut off their family lines – ended up pairing up together, which would also cut off their family lines?

Of course, Meng Yao was off limits for other reasons as well…

One day she overheard them talking about Meng Yao possibly leaving, probably intentionally on Meng Yao’s part, and she walked inside rolling her eyes already. “If you want to go, go,” she said. “I’ll write you a recommendation letter, for whatever it’s worth – he’s got a thick enough face that it might not do you any good, but he’s already noticed you, so hopefully that’ll be something.”

“Sect Leader Nie –”

“I didn’t promote you out of a sense of gratitude,” she said impatiently. “You’ve always wanted to get back to him, for whatever reason; I’m not going to hold you back.”

He smiled at that, and Lan Xichen smiled with him.

Really, there were limits to the sort of things you could expect a person to resist, even with willpower like hers.

“Have you decided that you will go?” she asked Meng Yao. “Is it your final decision? Let me know now.”

“It is.”

“Good,” she said. “You’re fired as my deputy. Also, I’d like to take the two of you to bed, if you’re similarly inclined.”

They gaped at her.

“What?” she said, crossing her arms. “He’s not my deputy anymore, there’s nothing immoral about it. Besides, nobody will get any stupid ideas about marriage if there’s three of us involved. It is only if you’re interested, though; I won’t be offended if you say no –”

Lan Xichen was kissing her before she even finished the sentence, so she assumed the answer was not, in fact, no, and Meng Yao’s reaction was equally enthusiastic – though perhaps equally wasn’t the right word, given how both she and Meng Yao ended up tied up in Lan Xichen’s forehead ribbon before the night was done.

“I knew it was a kink,” Meng Yao said, inspecting it with an expression of satisfaction, as if he hadn’t just demonstrated a fair share of his own. “Something so prominently displayed, Xichen-gege, for shame…”

Lan Xichen didn’t show so much as a hint of shame about it. “We’ll have to do this again,” he said. “I’m not even a fourth of the way down my list.”

“There’s a list?” Nie Mingjue asked, stretching out her legs to see how they felt after all that tossing around. “Tell me this is written down somewhere – no, tell me your uncle found it.”

Lan Xichen shuddered. “Thank you, da-jie. I didn’t need that mental image – it’d be like the time you gave Wangji pornography, only worse.”

Meng Yao decided the best way to muffle his laughter was in Nie Mingjue’s shoulder. With his teeth.

Nie Mingjue gave him a half-hearted shove. “Get off,” she grumbled. “I need to go drink some medicine to prevent contraception before we encounter disaster – this wasn’t planned, you know. I was intending on dying a virgin.”

“Da-jie, for you to die a virgin, that would mean – uh – that would – you were…? Mingjue!”

Nie Mingjue gave them both a glare. “Don’t tell me you two listened to those stupid rumors. I don’t take just anyone to my bed.”

“And you decided on two of us?” Meng Yao said, blinking at her. “Da-jie is very ambitious.”

“Not as much as you,” she said, rolling her eyes and pushing away their grasping hands. “What’s your real plan, anyway? You know Jin Guangshan won’t accept you as a son just because you show up and volunteer.”

“I don’t need to be his son, I just need to wear his colors,” Meng Yao said. “It’ll make for a better story when I defect to the Wen sect – as a spy, don’t look at me like that. You know I’d be good at it. And if I get close enough to Wen Ruohan, I can kill him. I’ll give you his head as a present, da-jie.”

“Unfair, A-Yao! I can’t compete with that,” Lan Xichen complained. “You have to let me help.”

‘Help’ turned out to be Lan Xichen allowing himself to be captured and Meng Yao stabbing Wen Ruohan in the back when he was about to start torturing the First Jade of Lan – Nie Mingjue had a headache and a strong desire to kill them both.

Even if they did bring her Wen Ruohan’s head.

“Stop looking so pleased with yourselves,” she scolded them – both Lan Xichen and Meng Yao, now officially Jin Guangyao (thanks to a bit of pointed haggling over which clan got what war merits and how that applied to the division of the spoils of war), looked positively smug. “What if you’d died?”

“But we didn’t,” Lan Xichen pointed out. “And now we’re here to claim our reward from our goddess.”

“Did I promise you a reward?”

Two sets of puppy dog eyes…and they did help her avenge her father.

“Fine. What do you want? If I can give it to you, it’s yours.”

They looked at each other, and Nie Mingjue immediately started to worry: they’d had time to think about it. That was dangerous.

“We want to marry you,” Lan Xichen said.

“Both of us,” Jin Guangyao said. “To avoid any jealousy.”

“That’s…not how that works,” Nie Mingjue said blankly. Men married multiple wives, not women multiple men: they had words for women who did that, none of them complimentary. Or legal, for that matter. “And anyway, I’ve already told you, I can’t have children. Huaisang’s my heir, and he always will be – you deserve to continue your family lines. Both of you.”

They exchanged looks again.

“That’s fine by me,” Jin Guangyao said. “Jin Zixuan’s the heir anyway.”

“I have plenty of cousins,” Lan Xichen said. “Can we go to bed now? I was injured in the line of duty –” He had a scraped knee and exactly three bruises, she’d counted. “– and I need some care and attention.”

“And an agreement of marriage from da-jie,” Jin Guangyao said, because he had a lawyer’s eye for such things.

This was almost certain to cause some sort of political disaster.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t settle for sworn brothers or something?” she tried.

They wouldn’t.

(The stories said that the leader of the Nie sect was a goddess – a war goddess, a goddess of the blade, sharp as the saber she carried and tall as a temple statute; they said that her two lovers fell in love with her the first moment they saw her and fought a war that upturned the entire cultivation world just to win the right to claim her hand; they said that they served as her right and left hands, and that when the three of them were together, the venerated triad, they could never be defeated.)

[robinofinashiro]

“turn it up it’s your favorite song / dance, dance, dance to the distortion / turn it up keep on repeat / stumbling around like a wasted zombie / yeah we think we’re free / drink, this ones on me / we’re all chained to the rhythm 

pairing: takami keigo (hawks) x fem! reader

request status: CLOSED

note: i start my semester this tuesday so like BIG SAD but I swear I’ll try and not fuck with my posting schedule or go IA for weeks at a time. i’ve also been having a lot of AoT reqs and as much as I love them, I get tired of writing for it all the times.

a few of the heroes were called in for some meeting regarding a hero incident that happened a few weeks back. you weren’t actively apart of the situation when it initially happened, however; they had called all younger pro heroes to a conference to go over some protocols and new rulings. 

you hadn’t been a hero for long, working under a few smaller heroes until the Symbol of Peace caught onto you. you weren’t working under a huge agency at the time, so when All Might called for you to transfer agencies, detecting that you had more potential under him, you immediately moved. 

it wasn’t an unknown secret that you were connected to him. although you weren’t exactly what many people thought when they thought of All Might having a ‘sidekick’ or intern, they could see it in your fighting style how much you learned from him. 

the charisma, the change in personality, everything changed about how some thought of you. you were more willing to talk to the media, happily attended events for kids, and a smile never left your face. All Might was proud to see your change as he realized that you had finally grown into the hero he knew you would become. 

you tapped at the notebook sitting in front of you, hoping that they called the meeting early. you hadn’t gotten enough sleep for the past few days, thinking that all of you were in trouble for the incident. every now and again, you would hear the winged hero laugh or crack a joke about something and it started to grow more and more annoying. 

the downside of constantly working at All Might’s agency was that you hardly had any downtime. you weren’t exactly close to many heroes or even associated yourself with them considering AM’s agency limited the heroes they took in and at the moment, it was really just you and another older hero that worked in it. 

“( your hero name ), you’re ranked in the top five, why don’t you give us a run down on how you approach the media in a kid friendly way?” 

your eyes widened, not realizing that he was speaking to you directly. you took a gulp before looking at all the heroes, “well, I guess you just have to make sure you don’t overwhelm the media with something that’s over exaggerated and dramatic. when trying to speak to a younger audience, you have to be a bit soft spoken, smiling constantly, and assuring them that they’re not in any danger. I know as heroes, it’s hard to remain calm in a scary situation but reaching the kids and having them able to listen to you can even calm yourself down,” you explained, “keeping kids safe should always be a priority because they can set a precedent for heroes.”

the heroes stared at you, some in a deadpan way, others a bit mesmerized. they could sense the All Might vernacular coming out of you but to a specific hero, they could see the way you were nervous around your peers. 

Hawks knew about you. it was hard not to hear of All Might’s current pride and joy. he saw your interviews when they came on the news but the one thing that stuck out to him was how you hardly ever came around other heroes when down time actually presented itself. 

you were very private with your personal life, something that rivaled Edgeshot. your personal life wasn’t very out there and it wasn’t like you tried to hide it because you could have cared less but whenever you did have down time, you were usually at home asleep or catching up on something else. 

finally, you sat down, staring down at your notebook again as you tried to wipe your hands on your uniform pants. seeing all those eyes on you made your hands get sweaty and clammy. 

the meeting ended not long after your small lecture and although you didn’t have anything to do after this, you were rushing to get your things together and leave before anyone that wasn’t the media caught up with you. however, that wasn’t exactly what you got. 

“hey! ( your name )!” you heard Hawks’ voice call out for you. you stared at ground, wondering what the hell he could want from you. you waited for him to catch up, “hey, you okay?” he asked, a smirk playing at his face. 

your eyebrows fluttered in confusion, “yeah, why?”  you whispered. Hawks shrugged, “just saw you getting nervous back there,” he mentioned. 

you didn’t know how to respond but you slowly started to walk towards the entrance doors, hoping he would leave you before the media rushed everyone walking out. 

“I got a bit nervous seeing everyone looking at me, that’s all.” “but you’re around the media all the time?” “Hawks, do you have anything to ask me? I’m just not used to being around people my age.” 

he saw the slight anger rise in you but decided not say anything as you gave him one final look before walking out of the door and being rushed by camera’s and reporters. a smile instantly hit your face as reporters asked you questions about the conference and overall general questions about work. 

Hawks knew that he could probably get an earful from you for what he was about to do but as he walked out of the doors, he went over to the cameras that you were talking too and gave them a huge smile as he put his arm around your shoulders. 

“good afternoon everyone!” he said happily as he saw your face contort to confusion and slight fear, “Hawks! are you friends with her? maybe even more?” one of the reporters asked as Hawks gave them a hearty laugh and waved them off. 

“nah, we’re just really great friends, isn’t that right?” he asked you. you remained wide eyed and silent, not knowing what to say, “we were just talking about going out for a friendly date and had to get confirmation from her,” he told them. 

you finally snapped out of it, shaking your head, “I’m sorry, I gotta go! I’m due at my agency no later than three and I’ll be late if I don’t head out now,” you told the reporters before taking his arm off you and basically darting in another direction. 

the reporters looked at Hawks as he quickly recovered and talked to them a bit before telling them goodbye. Hawks had no idea that you were going to get that flustered over the small prank, realizing that he might’ve gone a little too far with it as you were no where in sight anymore. 

+

you got back to the agency, seeing a few of your coworkers looking at you were a smirk on their face. they instantly pointed to the TV’s, showing you the extremely failed interview you had with Hawks not even a few minutes ago. 

“so did you say yes to that ‘friendly’ hangout?” one of them asked. you groaned, your head hitting the wall, “no, what do I look like hanging out with the number two hero? you know I don’t really make unannounced public appearances to begin with.” 

your coworker laughed, seeing your nervous expression. 

“come on, you’re like the hardest worker in this damn agency! you could take one weekend off and enjoy it for fucks sake.” 

you shook your head no but before you could say anything, you saw All Might enter the agency. you instantly bowed as he waved you off. 

“he’s right you know. ever since you transferred to this agency, you haven’t had a day off and it’s high time you take a weekend off for yourself. enjoy your youth while you still have it.” 

“All Might, you know I’m a very in demand hero, I can’t just take off a week-,” All Might cut you off with a slap to the back of the neck, “trust me, we’ll be okay for a weekend. I know better than anyone how it is to run yourself into the ground. take this weekend off and relax.” 

you knew it was best to not continue arguing with your boss and silently agreed before heading to your office to finish up some paperwork. you had no idea what you were even going to do for this weekend. all of your errands, aside from getting groceries, were done and you were sure that Hawks probably didn’t mean what he said earlier. 

your clock out time hit and you huffed, telling all of your coworkers that you would see them again on Monday. they could tell you were reluctant on leaving them for so long but the break didn’t sound so bad to them considering you worked around the clock, 24/7 for them. 

as you got to your car, you figured you might as well make your own dinner since you couldn’t even remember the last time you did that. the only thing stopping you was that you hadn’t brought a change of clothes so you were practically stuck wearing your uniform to the store. 

the grocery store was a bit farther out of the city. when picking a home, you had decided to go out and choose something that wasn’t in the middle of town. you wanted some peace of mind when you got done working and choosing a home a few miles out was your perfect idea. 

once you walked inside of the store, you were happy to see that it wasn’t exactly packed. a few people here and there but most of them just waved or asked for a quick photo before letting you get back to what you were doing.

“hi, I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of where I would find you dairy free options?” you asked one of the workers. she smiled, pointing over to the aisle a few sections down. you thanked her, walking over the aisle when you realized you had ran into the last person you expected, “ohoho, funny finding you here,” you heard the winged hero say.

you nodded, pointing to the soy milk, “yeah, All Might gave me the weekend off because of the ‘prank’ you decided to pull earlier today,” you murmured, grabbing the two cartons of milk. 

he laughed, pushing his hair back before grabbing the basket that carried all of your groceries. you gave him a confused look, not really knowing what his intentions were. 

“skip your dinner tonight and come out.” 

you let out a laugh, not really caring who heard, “uh, no. I think I’ll pass,” you said trying to grab your basket back. he sighed, not letting it go, “I’ll give it back when you agree to come out with me,” you growled, your head hitting the cold cement wall. 

“for what? what would I have to offer you if I came out with you?” “nothing! but like I told you earlier today, the fact that you can only talk to kids without getting nervous is kind of embarrassing.” 

you stared at him confused and pissed off. 

“you throwing insults at me isn’t helping your situation Hawks so you have about fifteen seconds to give me my shit back before we start fighting in this grocery store.” 

Hawks put his hands up in defeat, sensing that you were actually being serious about kicking his ass. 

“come on, just one night and if you absolutely hate it, you will never have to do it again. I already promised some people that you would come out tonight too.” your eyes widened at what he had said, “who the hell did you promise?” you practically screeched. 

“Mirko and she might kills us if we’re late,” he murmured, “now?” you exclaimed as he put down your basket of groceries, leaving it on the floor before grabbing your wrist and running down the store. 

you apologized to everyone that you accidentally hit on your way out, them instantly brushing you off thinking that maybe an incident happened and that’s why you both were running out of the store in a hurry. you grabbed your keys out of your bag and walked towards your car. 

“just message me the directions to wherever the hell you’re dragging me too and i’ll meet you there.” 

Hawks nodded, making you put your number in his phone as you walked to car slowly. you figured that if the plans Mirko had for the three of you was urgent, you figured that both Hawks and Mirko were planning on wearing their  uniforms to the event.

Hawks had informed you that you were going to meet him in the fancier side of town, claiming that it was just a small dinner all of you were going too. 

which was a complete lie.

once you arrived to the destination, you realized that this wasn’t a dinner event. this was a Hero Billboard JP after party event. you had heard of it from All Might considering he was invited but his agency hadn’t qualified to attend the event since his agency was purposely ran to not have many heroes in it. 

the reason why you hadn’t been invited was because even though you were high on the JP ranking scale, you hadn’t had enough years in your belt to be considered for the awards they were giving out. 

“Hawks, Mirko, I wasn’t invited to this,” you informed them, “I nor All Might’s agency qualified for this event so it would be wrong of me to attend the after party for it.”  

Mirko looked at Hawks before she chuckled, “you weren’t invited but who said you weren’t someones date,” she said as you realized what she meant. you turned to Hawks who was laughing to himself, “you’re going to cause me premature grey hairs,” you stated. 

you and Hawks walked behind Mirko, them informing you that the only way you could enter was if you and Hawks walked through the line of reporters that were crowding around the front of the entrance. Hawks saw your face drain of its color as the nervousness crawled up. 

he gave you a genuine smile, not really knowing how to help you before grabbing your wrist gently, “you’ll be fine,” he murmured. 

you nodded as the two of you approached the line and put on huge smiles on your faces as the cameras immediately turned to you, reporters yelling for your attention, asking rapid fire questions. you looked to Hawks, telling him you should at least approach one before they sensationalized what was going on between the two of you in gossip shows and magazines. 

you approached the most nicest looking reporter, “(your hero name), it’s nice to see you! you’re here with Hawks!” she exclaimed. Hawks laughed, “is there something going on here? first in the morning, now at this event? is this the way the two of you are going public?” she asked. 

Hawks chuckled, glancing at you quickly, “wouldn’t that be crazy? the number two hero and the number five hero dating? I guess we’ll never know,” he mentioned, grabbing your hand and scurrying away. 

“Hawks! that was rude!” you exclaimed, “she was nice and you just ran off on her,” you lectured, Hawks not knowing whether to laugh or stand there and get lectured. he didn’t have enough time to choose as Mirko and a few other heroes approached the two of you. 

“you’re going to give our new friend a heart attack Hawks!” Mirko yelled, slapping Hawks in the arm. he tried dodging her, failing easily, “relax, I doubt they’ll do anything with that footage,” you sighed, seeing the bar not too far from where you were. 

“I’m going to get something to drink, I’ll be back,” you told them, quickly walking away. you had no idea how to start up a conversation with them. you felt very out of place, feeling as though they were just stringing you along with them because they felt bad. 

“are you okay? you seem a little out of it?” you heard Mirko’s voice say. you gave her a small smile, “I’m fine. just not used to this kind of thing,” you admitted, taking a sip of the extremely hard liquor you had ordered. Mirko giggled at the face you were making. 

“just relax! plus, if you’re wondering, this is the first time Hawks has ever done this with anyone. it’s surprising to all of us that he even came, nevertheless with a date. Hawks might act like an entitled brat but I promise you, underneath those layers of entitlement, he’s not that bad.” 

you remained silent, not knowing what to do with the information she gave you. after the two of you talked, you walked back to the group of heroes, trying to engage with them a bit more. every now and again, you would walk with whoever wanted a drink, just to give them company so they wouldn’t be alone. 

eventually, all of you got a table, sitting and drinking with each other. you couldn’t lie, the alcohol was hitting your system a bit more harsher than you thought it would. the buzz was swirling in your head as you chugged back a glass of water to see if you could shake it off. 

“I’m going to get some air. I’m getting a bit stuffy in here,” you told Mirko as Hawks stood up, offering to accompany you. you gave him a smile, walking out of the side door that led to an unlit alley, “how are you enjoying the night?” he asked. 

you tried to steady your breathing, hoping you were able to calm the buzzing feeling down, “yeah, it’s nice to get out,” you replied, a yawn coming from you, “but I’m feeling the alcohol a bit,” you said. 

the rest of the time you stood quietly, leaning up a bit against Hawks as he let you. you had no intentions of getting this close to him but with the alcohol mixing with your empty stomach, your actions spoke louder than the thoughts your brain were screaming at you. 

“i appreciate you taking me out tonight. it’s not every day someone like you offers for me to come out,” you mumbled, trying not to look at him in the eyes. Hawks hummed, bringing you in a little closer, “don’t worry about it. someone had to get you out of your shell, right?” he asked. 

you rolled your eyes, Hawks lifting up your chin to look at him, “plus, someone as cute as you shouldn’t be cooped up inside all the time,” he added on. “reporters might think that you and I have a thing together if you continue to be this way,” you mentioned, trying not to get flustered. 

he shrugged, not really caring for what this round of gossip magazines had to say about your relationship with him. 

“I don’t care, let them think what they want,” he whispered as you brought him closer to you. your lips were barely touching each other, “but I get the idea that you might want to continue this thing we have going on,” you joked. 

Hawks nodded, finally smashing his lips with yours, making you a bit surprised by the actions. you returned the kiss, your eyes shut as you felt Hawks grab your hand softly and hold it. once you let go, you saw the ghost of his small flustered expression on his face. 

what the two of you didn’t realize was that as the two of you were in the middle of the heated make out session, a reporter who was on their way to their car had spotted the two of you, smirking to themself as he quickly snapped the photo of you two and darting to his car.

“so does this mean I’ll get a date tomorrow?” Hawks asked making you laugh. you thought for a moment, making him stand on edge, “text me tomorrow and you’ll have your answer,” you joked, running back inside of the venue, making him chase after you. 

[erin-bo-berin]

Daddy’s Little Girl

MASTERLIST

This was an anon request of a fic where the reader is Rossi’s daughter and is dating Spencer. Oh man, I loved writing this cause it was so much fun writing not only sassy Rossi, but overly protective Rossi. I think the gif goes perfectly with this too. Enjoy!

Spencer Reid/Reader

Rating: G (fluff)

Word Count: 2,538

At the age of 60 years old, David Rossi was still very active in the BAU. After all he’d seen in his 40 years in the FBI, suspicious had become his middle name.

That’s how he knew—how he sensed—something was up.

He knew who to go to when he needed information, which is why he was heading down the hallway, opening up the door into the familiar lair of his good friend and colleague, Penelope Garcia.

“Garcia, I need you to do a deep dive.”

•

Your hands were full causing you to struggle to open the glass doors to the Behavioral Analysis Unit. You had almost gotten it open, but it had swung shut before you had even taken a step forward.

“Here, let me help you.”

A large hand appeared on the door handle, opening the door for you. You looked up into the handsome face of Dr. Spencer Reid and tried to refrain from blushing.

“Thank you, Dr. Reid,” you thanked, walking in ahead of him.

He went off in a different direction than you as you headed to your father’s office. 

He greeted you just about as he usually did.

“What are you doing here?”

“Always great to see you too, dad,” you chuckled, holding up the take out cup in your left hand.

“I brought you coffee.”

“I can get coffee around here.”

David Rossi eyed you suspiciously. You may be his own flesh and blood but you weren’t an exception to his natural suspicious nature. In fact, it probably made you even more susceptible to it.

“Yes, but why torture yourself?”

You sat the cup on his desk.

“Besides, I brought you and the team some cupcakes and other little treats,” you motioned to the box, “New item I’m testing out.”

Your father might’ve been the best cook in your Italian family, but you had taken the title of best baker. You owned your own bakery in D.C. that specialized in Italian treats that you’d grown up loving yourself. There were recipes from both sides of your family, recipes that had been passed down for generations and recipes that you’d created yourself that were staple desserts in your shop. You also even sold homemade cupcakes and cakes. 

He peered at the box.

“Prentiss said she wants to adopt you. Especially after the last box of sweets you brought in.”

“Hey, I’m always up for more than one mother.”

Your mother had been wonderful, but you had unfortunately lost her not long after your high school graduation. It had been nearly ten years since her passing and you still missed her daily. Growing closer to your father had really helped your grieving though; he was like your anchor in such hard times.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“Dad, can’t I come visit you without you asking me a million questions?”

He chuckled, standing up to hug you.

“I’m just asking.”

“Well, I’m the owner of the bakery so I make my own hours. Meaning that I can come visit whenever I want to. Plus I’ve hired more help recently that allows me to spend time elsewhere other than the bakery. They’re doing fine without me there,” you smiled.

“Besides, you always said that when your passion feels like it’s taking too much out of you that’s when you need to take a step back. I was getting burned out and was losing motivation to bake. Now that I’m not constantly working at the bakery, I’m more inspired to create new things and bring them for your team to try.”

You shook the box gently in your hands at your last words as if to emphasize them.

“I’ll let you get back to work though. I’ll go distribute these and get out of your way.”

“I’ll see you for dinner though, right?” he asked.

“6 o’clock sharp, wouldn’t miss it.”

You smiled, turning and heading back into the bullpen. When you were sure he wasn’t looking, you left the cupcakes on a desk, taking a sharp left towards the exit.

You walked down the hall, where you knew a supplies closet was located. You slipped in, seeing him already there waiting for you, leaning against a stack of boxes filled with who knows what.

“Hey,” you smiled.

Spencer Reid looked up at you and broke into an award winning smile, crossing the short distance to you and taking your face into his hands to kiss you.

“Hey yourself,” he grinned after the kiss.

“I missed you. Things must’ve been busy cause you haven’t called.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” he frowned, “Every time I had a moment to call you, Dave- uh your dad was around.”

“Ah, I understand. You can’t get anything by him. You could pretend you were talking to the President and I’m sure he’d somehow figure out it’s me.”

Your hands roam his chest, tugging on his tie gently as you lean up to kiss him again.

You and Spencer had been dating for approximately four months. But, it was hard to do as you were hiding this small bit of information from your dad.

“I don’t like keeping this from him,” Spencer frowned, stroking your cheek with his thumb.

“I know. But I figured it would save the drama of him freaking out.”

“But I’ve worked with him for ten years now. You were practically still a baby when he came back to the BAU,” he chuckled.

You grimaced.

“That’s another reason why. He won’t hesitate to point out the age difference.”

“Oh come on, give him a little credit. I’m sure he’s not that bad,” Spencer mused.

“Are we still talking about the same David Rossi here?”

“He loves you Y/N and he obviously loves me,” he smirked.

“Who couldn’t love that bella faccia?” you grinned.

“I love it when you speak Italian to me,” he mumbled, kissing you again.

Needless to say, very few words were spoken for the next little while.

•

“So I got the information on that deep dive you wanted me to do, sir,” Garcia said, approaching Rossi.

“And?”

“And I don’t see why you can’t just talk to Y/N instead of me snooping on her,” Garcia huffed.

“Your findings, Garcia?”

She sighed and handed over her iPad, showing GPS findings she had on his daughter.

It confirmed what he had suspected the entire time.

•

You had gotten lost in Spencer’s kisses, losing time as well. 

The two of you were so busy that you didn’t even hear the door open or anyone come in. It wasn’t until you heard the familiar voice of your father that you jerked away from Spencer.

“Huh. I came in here for more printer paper and found something else instead.”

“I just refilled the printer this morning,” Spencer said, looking confused.

“So you did,” Rossi said, his gaze hard on you.

“Dad, you weren’t in here for more office supplies,” you crossed your arms, your anger outweighing your previous embarrassment.

“Can I talk to you Y/N?” his eyes flicked to Spencer, “Alone, please.”

You followed him, feeling like a puppy with your tail between your legs. You glanced backwards at Spencer and mouthed your apology at him. He looked as nervous as you felt.

Rossi didn’t say a word until you both were in his office, the door shut firmly behind him.

“So how long have you been dating Reid?” he asked, sitting in his chair, locking his fingers together over his stomach as he looked up at you.

“Four months,” you winced, “How long have you known?”

“I’ve suspected it for a while, but my suspicions were confirmed when I had Garcia check the GPS history on your phone. It seemed to ping a lot at the kid’s apartment.”

“Dad! That’s an invasion of my privacy! You couldn’t have asked me?”

“You couldn’t have told me?” he shot back.

“I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d react like this.”

You crossed your arms, feeling very much defensive.

“Y/N, he’s 39. You’re 26.”

“So? I’m an adult, dad! Not a little kid. Besides you and mom were seven years apart.”

“Yes, but seven is different than thirteen years,” he pointed out, “You’re not sleeping with him are you?”

“Oh my god,” you groaned, “I can’t believe we’re talking about this.”

“Well I don’t want him getting you pregnant, Y/N,” he fought back.

“What part did you miss that I’m twenty-six? Besides you want grandchildren!”

“No grandkids until you’re 30,” he deadpanned.

“I can’t believe you’re acting like this, dad. I thought you loved Spencer!”

“I do. I just don’t love him dating my daughter.”

Your raised voices were attracting attention so you tried to swallow the rest of your angry words.

“I’ll see you tonight at dinner. Maybe by then you can stop treating me like a child.”

You spun on your heel, marching out of his office and the BAU.

•

Dinner was pretty miserable.

You had had time to cool down and now you just felt exhausted. You didn’t know what to say to your dad to change his mind. You really liked Spencer and you didn’t want something like your father’s approval to ruin your relationship. At the same time though, your father’s opinion meant a lot to you.

You had sat and picked at your salad and now you were barely touching the steak you’d ordered.

“Dad-”

“Y/N, I-”

You both chuckled, realizing that you’d both tried to talk at once.

“You first,” he said.

“I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn’t mean to have a tantrum like a little kid. That wasn’t very mature of me. Especially since you were at work and I’m sorry. I just really like Spencer and I didn’t and don’t know what to say to make you feel better about the situation.”

“No, you had every right to be mad,” he admitted, reaching across to take your hand.

You smiled at him. No matter how much you’d argued throughout your childhood and teenage years, even up until now, nothing would make you love him any less.

“It’s not that I don’t want you to date Spencer. I love the kid, really I do, I was just worried for you.”

“Worried?” 

Your brows furrowed in confusion.

“Worried, why?”

“Well you may not remember much about it the first time since I retired from the FBI when you were only six. But I know you remember what it was like when I went back ten years later. I always ended up missing your extracurricular activities, I was hardly around, we didn’t spend much time together. It was all because of this job which can be extremely demanding.”

“I don’t follow,” you said, frowning at him.

“I was just worried that with you dating Spencer it would be the same thing, but just in a relationship. Him having to cancel dates or not be able to spend time with you. I know it hurt your mom a lot. That’s why we ended up getting divorced because it was such a strain on our relationship. It’s a dangerous job. It takes a toll on the person’s significant other, Y/N.”

“I know,” you nodded, appreciating his concern, “We’re taking things slow though.”

“Didn’t look so slow when I walked in on you two in the supply closet,” he muttered.

“Dad,” you groaned, exasperated.

“What I meant is that we’re taking time to get to know each other. I didn’t want to put pressure on him for a big commitment especially since I knew he has a grueling job. So far, it’s been working out. I’ve learned a lot about him and I really do like him. He’s really sweet, thoughtful and cares so much about others. In fact, he’s been wanting to tell you this whole time and it had him stressed out about keeping it secret from you.”

“Sounds like him,” Rossi chuckled, “I have to admit though. If you had to date anyone in this world, I’m glad it’s Spence.”

“Really?” you asked, your heart warming at the unexpected fatherly affection.

“Yes. He’s smart and he’s a gentleman. Plus he carries two guns, so I know you’re always safe with him.”

You beamed, taking a sip of your drink.

“You really mean that?”

“I do. And if it means anything to you, you have my approval.”

It meant the world to you.

•

You and your dad walked off the elevator in front of the BAU, laughing at a story you’d just told.

He told you he had to pick up a few files to take home with him and you said you were happy to join him, just so you could spend a little more time together.

You were shocked to see Spencer still at his desk, working.

“What are you doing here Spencer? It’s almost 8.”

He looked up, seeing you and Rossi and immediately hopped out of his seat.

“I thought I’d get a little work done. But uh, since you’re here do you think I could talk to you? Sir.”

With an amused sidelong glance at you, Rossi agreed.

You watched him walk up to his office with Spencer following behind him.

Of course, being the nosy person you were, you tiptoed after them, simply to listen from the other side of the doorway.

•

“So what did you want to talk about?” Rossi asked, offering Spencer a seat.

“Um well, I wanted to talk to you about Y/N.”

You had to groan. Of course Spencer would do something like this. But it was incredibly sweet, you couldn’t deny that.

“Oh? What about her?”

“Well I wanted to apologize for not telling you about us. She didn’t want to upset you.”

“Go on.”

“I just wanted to say, Rossi, that I have nothing but good intentions with her. I think I’m really falling for her and I would do anything to protect her.”

You smiled, hearing Spencer say that.

“I know you might not approve,” Spencer continued, “But I’ve done nothing but been true to my word and been a trustworthy person for the last ten years and I swear it when I say I’ll take care of her.”

“Spence,” Rossi tried to intervene his rambling, amused, “Spencer!”

Spencer quickly fell silent.

“I believe you. I already talked it out with Y/N at dinner earlier. I told her that if I had to give my little girl away to anyone, I’m glad it’s you.”

“Really?” Spencer smiled big.

You couldn’t wait any longer. You burst into the office with a matching smile on your face.

“Y/N! Were you listening to our conversation?” Rossi reprimanded.

“Yes, I was. I’m nosy. It’s the Italian in me.”

You gave him a hug, thanking him for being such a great dad before you went over and hugged Spencer’s side.

“Just remember no grandkids before 30.”

“Okay, Spence we have four years to fall madly in love, have a wonderful wedding, buy a house and then we’ll start family planning. Sounds good?”

You laugh, seeing your dad give you a wink and a thumbs up. Their replies came at the exact same time.

“Sounds good.”

Tag List: @dreatine​ @reid-187​ @groovyreid​ @reidslibra​ @suvikamahes98blr​ @fuckthealarm​ @whatspunispun​ @iamburdened​ @cindywayne​ @thomasfoockinshelby​ @tinyminy88​ @theitcaramelchick​ @missprettyboy​ @hushlilbabydoll​ @sammy-jo1977​ @theonlyone-meeeee​ @haileymorelikestupid​ @lemonypink​ @multifandommandy​

[keanureevesisbae]

Coach Cavill - Chapter 8

Summary: What did Dean do to upset the children?

Coach!Henry Cavill x Amelia Jung (Asian ofc)

Wordcount: 3.6k

Warnings: None

A/N: I loved that the overall message of your reaction was that Dean is an idiot (and then I haven’t even talked about the pitchfork and the emergency dagger 😂😂)

Masterlist // Previous chapter // Next chapter 

This was definitely not how I expected our first date to go. I haven’t spoken to Henry the second we got back in his truck. While we’re might not be talking, I don’t want him to leave either. He stops in front of my house and I look to the side. ‘Could you wait?’ I ask him.

Henry nods, looking so handsome, even in the dim light of the street lights. ‘I’ll be right here when you need me.’

I have to take a deep breath, before I step out of the car. I hate facing Dean, but hearing how upset Benji was and how Isabella just stopped talking, indicated he really did something shitty. I should be a good mom and confront him about this. I confronted him during Benji’s match, so how hard can this be, right?

I close the car door behind me and walk up to Dean, who is standing in front of my porch as he turns around. ‘According to Eve, the kids were pretty upset. What happened?’ I ask him.

Dean checks me out, glancing at me, up and down. I remember that I used to love it when he checked me out when I would walk into the room. He would always show me off, whispering dirty secrets in my ear when we were in public and telling everyone that he had the most beautiful wife.

What happened to those times?

I genuinely thought we were happy and were going to last forever.

‘You look—’

‘Just answer my question, Dean,’ I interrupt him. ‘Really, we are way passed those days that we could give one another compliments or whatever about each other.’

He simply shrugs and from the looks of it, he is not feeling good. He looks tired, and a little tense. As if I should care about that. He is a grown man, he can handle is own problems. ‘It’s nothing.’

‘You honestly can’t possibly think that that will work? Your it’s nothing is what set our divorce in motion in the first place. Tell me, what happened that you got them this upset. You had the kids for what? Two hours? I mean, even for you that’s a record.’

Yes, Amelia, stab him where it hurts. I know that it annoys the shit out of him that the kids are rather at my place than at his.

Dean clenches his jaw and looks away. ‘Mindy is pregnant.’

Is this what it feels like when your soul leaves your body? This turning of the world, the way the air in my lungs is knocked out of it? ‘She is what?’ I ask him, but I start to shake my head. ‘No, wait, don’t repeat that. I heard you. This is… Why… How… Are you fucking kidding me?’

‘I’m not,’ Dean says and he is dead serious, ‘and our children were very rude about it.’

He really doesn’t get it, does he? ‘You really are not fit to be a parent, are you?’ I laugh out of disbelieve. I’m trying to find the words to say to him, but nothing seems to come out. ‘I don’t even know what to say to you.’ I turn around and beckon Henry. I throw him my keys and tell him to see if the kids are okay and if Eve needs any help.

Henry walks passed us, causing Dean to be flabbergasted, to say the least. ‘What the—’

‘Dean, this is the time where you explain yourself to me, not to ask me—or worse: lecture me—about what I’m doing with my life. Why on earth do you think this is a wise thing to do? You can barely take care of the kids that are already here.’

‘You are just jealous.’

‘Jealous?’ I ask, causing me to laugh. ‘You really are something. How on earth can I be jealous of what you have now?’ I hear something clatter in my home and I let out a frustrated sigh. ‘Are you fucking happy now?’ I ask him. ‘I think it’s for the best that you go home and I will talk to the kids. I’ll text you when they are ready to talk to you.’ I rush into my house and see that Henry has managed to calm Benji down, whose fists unclench and he leans with his head against his coach’ strong chest. I hear him mutter something under his breath and while Henry seems to understand it, I don’t.

Isabella walks up to me and I lift her up, wrap my arms tightly around her. ‘Oh honey, how are you feeling?’

‘I don’t know,’ she whispers and if she can’t even say how she is feeling, then Dean must’ve brought it in such a manner that took both of them by complete surprise and not the good kind of surprise.

I press a gentle kiss on her temple and let out a sigh. It’s pretty busy in my house; Eve has Yara on her lap, while Lola and Jake are cleaning up the shattered vase that is spread out over the floor—good thing I hated that vase in the first place.

Soft sniffles are coming from Isabella and I try to sooth her as I walk up to Eve. ‘Mindy is pregnant,’ I mouth to her.

It turns out that she didn’t get that out from either of my kids in the time that she called me and now. ‘No way,’ she whispers.

‘Mhm.’

She shakes her head and I can already see her restraining herself from walking outside to smack Dean across his face. I walk up to Henry and Benji. ‘No, no, no,’ Henry says, holding Benji’s shoulders tightly in his hands. ‘Don’t do that. You were doing just fine. Listen to my breathing and try to copy that, okay.’

Benji seems to be on the verge of a breakdown again and I place Isabella on my hip, before I hold out my arm. Benji nearly knocks me over, as he clings to me. ‘You’re doing good,’ I whisper.

‘I hate him,’ he mumbles against my shoulder.

‘I know.’

Isabella gives me a kiss on my cheek and whispers: ‘I don’t want to go to dad anymore.’

‘Me neither,’ Benji quickly agrees.

‘You two don’t have to when you don’t want to,’ I say. ‘That has always been the case and that will stay that way. What you two want and think matters the most.’ I look at Isabella, who looks really tired. ‘Sweetheart, I think it’s time for you to go to bed. You want to sleep in my bed?’

‘I do,’ she whispers.

‘Then I’ll take you there,’ I say to her. ‘Benji?’

He clenches his jaw again. ‘I’ll clean some up in the kitchen. I might’ve made quite the mess there.’ I appreciate his candor and for some reason I don’t really want to see the mess he made there.

Henry pats him on his shoulder. ‘I’ll help you out, kid.’

I carry Isabella upstairs, as she softly whimpers. ‘I’m sorry, angel,’ I say to her, as I place her in my bed. I help her change out of her clothes and I grab her pajamas from her room. ‘How about you try to sleep and we will talk about it tomorrow. From the looks of it you are really tired, which I can totally understand.’

‘Okay,’ she says and I give her a kiss. ‘Will you sleep here tonight as well?’

‘My bed is big enough,’ I say, ‘so of course.’

I tuck her in and she says in a soft voice: ‘I’m sorry we interrupted your date.’

Always the sweetheart, my lovely Isabella. Despite the fact that she likes to embarrass me and told every single one of my colleagues about my date with Henry, she sure loves me a lot. ‘Don’t you worry about that. You and Benji are my number one priorities and you always will be. I love you, little chipmunk.’

‘I love you too, mom.’

‘Good night,’ I start.

Isabella smiles. ‘Sleep tight.’

And in unison we say: ‘Don’t let the bedbugs bite. See you in the morning light. Good night.’ I let out a soft laugh, before I walk out of the room. When I descend from the stairs, I see that Eve, Yara, Lola and Jake are ready to leave, since they have to get up early tomorrow. They are going to visit Johnny’s parents and ever since their retirement, they moved quite far away. I give them all a tight hug, before I look at Eve.

‘Your date sure is a keeper,’ she whispers. ‘He has known Benji for what? Almost two weeks and he knows how to calm him down from his rare rages. I have known that kid his entire life, but when he goes off like that, I know better than to rush towards him.’

‘I know,’ I say, ‘I sure as hell am lucky.’

‘You deserve it. You know, we’ll call tomorrow. Knowing Johnny’s parents, I’m stuck on horse keeping duties again.’

I chuckle. ‘Yes, we’ll talk tomorrow. Thank you for tonight.’

‘It’s what we do,’ she says, before walking out of my house to go next door.

Benji sits on the barstool in the kitchen, staring at the counter. I walk up to him and wrap my arm around his shoulders. ‘I’m sorry, sweetheart,’ I say. ‘This must’ve been such a shock.’

He simply nods. ‘I don’t want another sibling,’ he says. ‘I already have a sister and she is all I need. I hate dad for doing this.’

I look over to Henry, who has been making some tea for us. He doesn’t seem surprised, so I figured Benji already told him about this. ‘You know,’ I say, ‘I can totally understand that, but… Maybe this is a way for your dad to make up to what he didn’t do for you and Isabella.’

Benji frowns. ‘What has that to do with me?’

I scrunch up my nose. ‘Nothing, really. Maybe this is too much of a positive outlook on this situation. I’m sorry, I was hoping that would make you feel better. I really don’t know what to say, Benji. Believe it or not, this is the first time something like this happened to me.’

Somehow he manages to crack out in a smile. ‘Really? You never had an ex-husband who was going to have another baby before?’

‘Well, you must feel a lot better,’ I chuckle, pressing a kiss on his temple. ‘How about we talk about it in the morning. Maybe I have some great positive thoughts to share with you.’

He nods in agreement. ‘I’m sorry about the vase and plates.’

‘Plates?’ I ask. ‘As in plural?’

‘I’m sorry,’ he says again. ‘I… I just lost it.’

‘We’ll talk about that tomorrow too, okay?’ I suggest, knowing that I can’t give him a lecture about how to deal with his emotions right now.

‘Yes, mom.’

‘I’m sorry you felt like this tonight. I know you hate it.’

He sighs. ‘Yeah… Well, I think I’m going to bed,’ he announces. ‘Thank you for being there for me. I love you.’

‘I love you too, honey.’

‘And coach,’ Benji starts, looking quite nervous, ‘I’m sorry I hit you.’

Benji hit Henry? While I’m stammering, looking for something to say, Henry smiles and simply shrugs. ‘It’s all good, Benji, no worries. I can take it.’

Benji chuckles, before walking upstairs and from what I can hear, he goes for my room. That’s going to be a full bed tonight.

Henry pushes a full cup of tea over the kitchen counter towards me, as he is standing on the opposite side of the island. ‘How are you, Amelia?’

‘I’m doing okay,’ I say, but that is probably the biggest lie of tonight. I shake my head and let out a sigh. ‘I’m not okay.’

Henry walks around the kitchen island and pushes the bar stool aside, before wrapping his strong arms around my upper body. Holding my kids tonight, was a necessity, but I never thought about how I should be held too. I mean, my ex husband is creating a new family, while it is obvious that he can’t even take care of the one he already has.

I missed the feeling of being comforted by someone who seems to care this much. I bury my face in his chest, as Henry places his chin on top of my head.

‘I’m so sorry,’ I mumble.

‘This isn’t your fault,’ he says, ‘so remember what I told you: save your apologizes for the moments that matter.’

I pull back, to wipe my eyes dry, because this makes me feel more emotional than I thought. ‘It’s just that I can’t believe that Mindy is pregnant,’ I whisper. ‘Dean barely knows his children and now he is simply going to bring another one in the mix? Like, how does he thinks this will work out?’

Henry sighs, placing his large hand on my flushed cheek. ‘I have no idea, Amelia.’

‘And you heard it, Benji really doesn’t want another one and even Isabella is on the fence now, for visiting her father. I can’t believe this, Henry. I don’t know what to do.’

‘I get that,’ he says. ‘But maybe you should just sleep on the matter for the night and then tomorrow, you and the kids and who else should talk about it.’

I sigh. ‘Could you maybe come here too?’ I ask him. ‘It’s because of the way you calmed Benji  down and… You seem to really understand him and I would actually be very grateful if you’d join us. Normally Eve and Johnny would be here, but they are out of town this weekend and their kids have really been looking forward to this trip, so I don’t want to interfere with that. I just could really use someone else there as well, because I’m on the verge of breaking down again and I don’t think the kids can need that.’

He smiles. ‘Of course,’ he says. ‘I’d be honored and if you want me gone, just say so and I’ll let myself out right away.’ He tilts his head and when he notices the tears in my eyes, he pulls me in a nearly bone crushing hug. His thick arms wrapped so securely around me, it makes me feel safe and taken care of.

‘Did Benji hit you hard or…?’ I ask, as I pull back, as my hands rest on his sides.

He shakes his head. ‘He kind of latched out, but is was nothing serious.’ Henry twists a strand of my hair around his finger.

‘It’s a thing that we’ve been working on,’ I say in all honesty. ‘He can explode every now and then here at home. He barely does it, mostly once a year, something like that. This year however, he has been having hem once a month. This divorce, it’s really taking its toll on Benji.’

‘Has he ever hit you?’

I shake my head. ‘No, I usually leave him when he is having a moment like that. When I fear it’s getting out of hand, I go get Johnny or Jake, they seem to get through to him most of the time. What did you do, by the way? You seemed to calm him down instantly.’

‘Well,’ he says, ‘Benji is a lot like me and though I barely latched out like he did, I can totally understand it. Besides, he is not the first hothead I’ve encountered. Remember, I’ve been doing this judo coaching thing for sixteen years full time now.’ He places his hand in the back of my neck, a comforting action that I have seen him do with the judoka’s quite a few times. ‘I think it also helps that I know I can take it.’

‘Yeah,’ I whisper, ‘it’s just that I don’t want him to hurt anyone, but he has this now on a monthly basis, but never this intense. For fuck’s sake, I hate Dean.’

Henry nods. ‘Well, despite the interruption, I did have a lot of fun tonight.’

‘I did so too,’ I say. ‘You are quite the catch, Henry. I thought dating after a divorce would be really complicated, but you make it pretty easy.’

‘You make acclimating in a new town very easy.’ He sends me such a loving and caring smile, that I nearly melt into a puddle. ‘You have ice cream? Since we skipped dessert at the restaurant, I figure we could finish our date here.’

I smile. ‘Bottom drawer of the fridge,’ I chuckle. He walks up to the fridge and bends down to get the ice cream out of the drawer and I have to bite my lip to prevent myself from drooling. My cheeks are red by the time he stands up again. Henry has really made himself comfortable at my place and that alone is a clear sign that meeting someone like him, is going to be a once in a life time opportunity and I really shouldn’t let this go to waste.

I hoist myself up on the counter and he takes place on a stool. ‘You know,’ I say, ‘I really don’t think that Mindy is suitable to be a mom. I mean, I think she can be sweet, but she cannot be a mother already.’

‘How old is she?’

‘Twenty two,’ I say. ‘And I know that might makes me sound like a hypocrite, since I had Benji around her age, but at least I was with someone my own age and… I feel like I had reached a certain level of maturity, that I have yet to detect with her.’ I grab a spoon and take a scoop out of the carton box. ‘I honestly can’t seem to wrap my mind around the fact that Dean thought this would be a wise decision. He barely knows his own children and though our marriage was okay, he never really connected with his kids.’

Henry nods, before bringing the spoon to his lips. ‘There is this quote and it goes something like: becoming a father isn’t difficult, but it’s very difficult to be a father.’

My eyes widen. ‘If you look up Dean in a dictionary, this is the description attached to it. Oh my, I’m going to send that as a celebratory card to his new address.’

He starts to laugh. ‘You should maybe think about that,’ he suggests and I have to agree that that isn’t really the mature thing for an ex-wife to do, especially after I bitched about Mindy not reaching her level of maturity. ‘While this might not be the date we both envisioned, but I sure enjoyed it a lot.’

‘I did too,’ I say. ‘And I wouldn’t mind if we did this again sometime.’

‘I would love to,’ he says. ‘You know, I have an idea. I’ll bring breakfast tomorrow, we’ll talk about the issue and after that, we can go to the autumn market. Greg has been bugging me about it all week, so if I don’t go, he’ll probably ban me from the store.’

I can’t help but laugh. ‘Well, I absolutely adore the autumn market, so I would love to go and I know the kids will too. Please bring Kal with you, okay?’

‘Dogs are allowed?’

‘They are,’ I say. ‘And I know that Isabella would love it.’

We somehow finish the entire box of ice cream in a very short amount of time—and I might have something to do with that, because I’m a professional emotional eater—and Henry announces he should go home, so he can take Kal out for a night walk. I walk him to the front door and though he is already standing on my porch, he turns around to give me a tight hug. ‘Remember,’ he whispers, ‘whatever you decide to do, whatever the kids decide to do, it’ll be a good decision.’

I nod against his chest. ‘I’ll try and remember that.’

‘Breakfast muffins?’ he asks.

‘Please, buy them in every single flavor. We Jung’s are known for being able to love every single muffin flavor.’

‘I’ll go to the bank first, crank up my loan.’

I slap him across his stomach and he pretends to double over. Because he is leaned over, his face is very close to mine. I don’t even think, but I press a kiss on his cheek. ‘See you tomorrow, coach Cavill.’

Henry smiles and from up close, it gives me some serious heart palpitations. ‘See you tomorrow, Amelia.’ He walks to his truck, as I lean in the doorway, staring as he gets in. He holds up his hand, before he drives off.

I quickly walk upstairs—no, correction: I float upstairs because of the butterflies that I haven’t felt in such a long time—and quickly change into my pajamas and remove my make-up. I go to my room, to discover that Benji and Isabella are under the covers, leaving a spot for me between them. I remember when Dean and I were still together and one night it was storming. Isabella was four and Benji was ten. First it was Isabella who ran into our room, to lay between us. Around five minutes later, Benji sneaked into our room, to lay with us, flinching every single time the thunder hit.

After Dean moved out of this house, when we all found out he was doing his intern, we would have slumber parties, every night in a different room. We would drag mattresses from one room to the other, every night, but it was our way of reminding one another that no matter where we were, we’d always be there for each other.

I crawl into the bed and manage to wiggle myself under the cover. As if we’re magnets, Isabella curls herself up in my arms and I feel Benji’s head against my shoulder. ‘I love you,’ I whisper, ‘I love you both so so much.’

[thedarklightwithinus]

Deception

A/N; I may or may not feel guilty for not posting in AGES. Please enjoy.

Pairing; Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings; None 

“I'm sorry. I just don’t know what you want me to tell you. I’m telling you all I know, I’ve never been good at lying. I’ve always been proud of that.”

“You mean you’re telling the truth?” His brows furrowed slightly as he eyed her for a moment. A second later, he nodded ever so slowly. He wasn’t sure if there was a time when he couldn’t tell if someone was lying or not. “So, this man corners you, screaming and shouting about things you can’t make out and then he attacks you?”

“Correct.” 

“And you stab him in self defence?” 

“Also correct.”

“The thing is, Y/N... This guy... He’s been on our radar for months.” 

“Our?”

“The Avengers.” Steve Rogers admitted, looking slightly lost in that moment. “We’ve been tracking him down for a while now. It’s strange how he managed to keep himself hidden from us all this time just to turn up in a random alleyway that you happened to be walking down.” 

“It’s not strange at all.” Y/N shrugged, fiddling with her sleeve as she sat across the table from Steve. “He clearly wasn’t in his right mind.” She released a shaky breath. “He was shouting at me and jerking around. I panicked and I stabbed him, yes. I’m sorry he died from his injury. I didn’t mean to make it fatal. I wasn't walking through the alley anyway... He grabbed me and pulled me in.” 

“You understand though, right? Why we had to question you?” Asked Steve. He couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty for the interrogation process. “See it from our prospective. He’s been off the radar for weeks and when he does finally pop up, he’s dead before we can get an exact location on him.”

Steve watched her nod at his words. She was still fiddling with her sleeves as though trying to keep herself occupied in fear of looking weak. 

He himself, couldn’t help but sigh, closing the folder that lay out in the table in front of him. There was nothing they could do with the case now that the main suspect was deceased. All the answers had died with him and apparently, so did the case.

“I suppose we have to look on the bright side of it all.” He spoke once more, feeling like it was his duty to try and at least make her feel less guilt. “His death means that he won’t be alive to terrorise anymore people. Though i hate to say it, one death is better than multiple deaths.”

“He murdered people?” Steve watched as she looked slightly scared. “He could’ve...”

“But he didn’t.” Steve was quick to reply. “You’re alive and he’s not. No one will be sad to see him go. I can’t give you any details, it’s a classified case but I can tell you that he wasn’t a very good guy.” He watched her nod solemnly. 

Y/N sighed after a moment, rubbing her hands down her face. She brushed her hair away with the palms before she looked back up at Steve. “Am I free to go now?” 

“I can walk you ou-“ 

“There’s no need.” Her smile was weak as she stood up from her chair. “You must have things to do. It’s a straight shot from the elevators. I’ll be fine.” 

Steve, after a moment of thought nodded and moved to pull the door open. Y/N smiled as she slid through and let herself out of the room. With a final goodbye, she made her way to the elevators. 

Steve waited until she had disappeared from view before he sighed, hit the folder on the door frame and made his way to room in which he knew some of the others were sill digging through the old files of the deceased.

It was almost as soon as he entered that he frowned due to the anxiousness that was floating in the air. He saw Natasha and Tony having a heated conversation next to a computer screen while Sam and Bucky seemed to be searching through some old boxes that held the files Tony didn't keep in his systems. 

He made his way to Natasha and Tony, frowning when he picked up the words they were speaking. 

“I’ll go in next.” Natasha said, folding her hands across her chest. “If there’s anyone who can get answers, it’s me. There's no way she won't slip up if i go in there and ask a few questions. She can't be that good.”

“It isn’t as simple as that.” Tony rolled his eyes. “This is a ghost we’re talking about. No name, no records, no nothing. She doesn’t exist!” 

“What’s going on?” Steve tore the pair from their intense stare down. Natasha looked slightly pleased to see that he was there. 

“Oh good, your done. I’ll take over.” 

Her words caused Steve to frown even more. “With Y/N?" Natasha nodded curtly. "She’s gone.”

“What?” Natasha and Tony simultaneously said. Tony looked slightly alarmed while Natasha pinched the bridge of her nose. 

“I got her statement.” Steve told them, motioning to the folder in his hands that’s was quickly snatched up by Natasha. “I had no reason to believe she was lying. She seemed beat up over the whole thing.”

“Did she give you a last name?” Natasha asked as Tony began to fiddle with his computer, pulling up the towers cameras while asking F.R.I.D.A.Y specific times. “It just says Y/N here.”

“I-I must’ve forgotten.” Steve stuttered, shocked with himself. He never, ever failed to complete paperwork and new that a full name was one of the first things to fill out. “She was talking to me, I must’ve forgotten to fill it in.” 

“She was distracting you.” Tony rolled his eyes as though Steve should’ve known that from the start. "You see a pretty damsel whose looking like she's in distress and you try to fix it because you think it's your duty. That's what's happened."  

“There’s still nothing over here.” Bucky spoke up, as Sam whined about not wanting to go through old files anymore. "Most of these dates are probably before she was even born... Or she was just a kid."

“What’s the issue here?”

“The issue is that this girl, Y/N? She doesn’t exist anywhere.” Tony sighed, re-watching the footage of her leaving the building. “Her killing our guy? That was no accident. She sought him out, Cap.”

“She can’t be that far, we-“ 

“She’s left the building.” Tony said, nothing to the footage. “No facial recognition. She was clever enough to avoid the cameras. We’ve got nothing on her. We've swapped one guy we can't locate for a woman we won't be able to locate!" 

“She seemed so honest.” Steve found himself muttering, not liking the fact that he had clearly been played. 

“Hey, boss.” F.R.I.D.A.Y spoke out, forcing everyone in the room to stop what they were doing for a moment in order to listen to whatever she had to say. “You’ve got an incoming call. There’s a signal blocker that I can’t trace.” 

“Pull it up.” Tony said, crossing his arms over his chest as the sound of a phone being answered filled the room. “Can I help you?” 

“With whom am I speaking to?” The voice was instantly familiar to Steve and he froze slightly while Tony looked slightly offended at not being recognised. “I’m just kidding Iron man, lose the look would you? How’s it going guys! Gotta say, I just love what you’ve done with the place! Interior design should be your new thing, I’m telling you!” 

“Who the hell is this?” Tony’s eyes narrowed, fiddling with the pad on the computer to see if whoever it was had actually managed to tap into his cameras. “Are you watching us?” 

“Nah.” The sound of an engine being started filled the room. “Your arrogant enough to probably be offended if someone didn’t know who you are. Also it’s me! Y/N! Your new person of interest! Found anything yet? I’m gonna go ahead and say no. I could also save you the trouble and say don’t bother. You won’t find anything.” 

“What’s your deal?” Steve spoke up, his annoyance being overtaken by slight anger at the fact that he had been strung along. 

“Steve! Hey! How you doing my man? Let me tell you that you’re one of the nicest interrogators I’ve ever spoken to. It was almost to easy that I’m slightly disappointed I didn’t have to put up much of a front.” 

“You played me, Y/N. If that even is your name. You made me think you were vulnerable and weak.” Steve found himself spilling. “How’d you do it, huh? 

It was silent for a moment. The only noise being heard was that of the car she was obviously driving. Steve couldn’t help but feel as though he was being kept in suspense on purpose. 

“Remember when I told you I wasn’t good at lying?” Steve perked up slightly, remembering her words clearly. “Well, I might’ve been lying.”

.