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suitedwestend · 2 years ago

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Wrestling Revenge

As promised, here’s a commission I finished last week that I was kindly allowed to share. This is the story of a beefy ex-wrestler called Theo who gets called to participate in a re-match with a guy he fought at High School. As you’d expect, things don’t go as planned . . . I hope you all enjoy this one-off and feedback is welcome, as always!

Theodore Walsh was a tank. There was no other way to describe him. Since his wrestling days at high school and college, Theo had only gotten bigger and to say he was intimidating was an understatement.

At 6’3, he had huge shoulders, a massive furry barrelled chest, thick arms, and thighs like tree trunks. His chest was a little softer than it had been at college and his stomach was definitely a bit fuller than his wrestling days, but his arms and legs were still thick, solid muscle.

Theo had a thick jaw to match the rest of his body, which looked even bigger behind his auburn beard. His hair was buzzed on the sides and the top was a mess of auburn curls.

As he lounged on the sofa one Thursday morning, Theo got a text.

You probably don’t remember me, but we were at high school together. I wondered if you still wrestled and if you’d be up for a rematch? There’s a charity thing at a bar in the city on Saturday night and I’ve signed us up . . . just in case. Let me know! Miguel

Another message immediately followed with details of time and location.

Theo scratched his furry chest as he tried to remember who the hell Miguel was. He’d fought more guys in high school and college than he could count, and he’d never lost a match. It was more than likely that someone he’d defeated in a match wanted another shot. It had certainly happened before.

Granted, Theo hadn’t wrestled for a couple of years, but he was more than eager to pull his college wrestling suit out of retirement and give the guy a rematch.

I’m down! Game on bud!

Theo put his phone down and scratched his balls, which immediately made his cock pulse. He’d been taking part in No Nut November, and it was the 27th. He’d never been so horny in his life and was getting hard at the slightest thought or touch.

But he had other things to focus on. He had a match to prep for!

Thursday and Friday passed quickly and before Theo knew it, he was throwing his wrestling singlet into his bag and heading to the bar.

He had to admit that he was excited to wrestle again. It had been way too long since he’d humiliated a guy by pinning him in mere minutes and making him beg. Sure, he wasn’t in shape like he was college, but he was still insanely strong, and his mass alone would make pinning a guy to the mat incredibly easy.

After Theo had parked and headed down the street, he looked up to find a bar called “The Fire Hose”. The bar was a gay bar, which Theo wasn’t overly comfortable with but he’d definitely give the guys a show. He’d always found plenty of people screaming about how hot he was in his wrestling singlet. As much as he’d have preferred some hot girls in the audience, a match was a match.

“Ooo, I didn’t realise it was burly bear night,” the guy behind the bar said as Theo finally made his way to the front.

“I’m here for the wrestling match,’ Theo said with his rumbling voice.

The guy’s eyes lit up. ‘Oh, so you’re Theo! Go through that door at the end of the room and someone will show you where to change.”

Theo pushed his way through the tight knit crowd of sweaty guys, ignoring the odd grope of his bicep or his butt.

“You must be the wrestler guy.”

Theo turned around to come face to face with a heavily made-up drag queen with a massive blonde wig. “Woah!”

‘Oh honey, I get that a lot. I’m Miss Hose. You’re through here.”

Theo followed Miss Hose into a small room with a little desk that was covered in make-up and a vanity mirror. There was a tiny sink, an old-fashioned screen and bottle of vodka and that was it.

“So, I just change here?’ Theo asked.

Miss Hose laughed. “It’s not the Plaza, but what do you expect in a dive bar like this. Change here and I’ll introduce the match in ten.”

Theo stepped behind the screen, dropped his bag, and pulled off his sweater to reveal his thick furry chest and his massive arms. “Are you trying to watch?”

“You can’t blame a girl for wanting to see the view! Feel free to keep going whilst I finish my mug.”

Theo shrugged and kicked off his trainers, before glancing behind him to make sure Miss Hose was occupied before he undid his belt and pushed his jeans to ankles.

“So, what exactly did you do to Miguel to warrant this wrestling match?”

“I don’t remember who Miguel is. I just like to wrestle.”

Miss Hose howled with laughter. “Hold up! You’ve come to a gay bar to take part in a wrestling match with a guy you don’t even remember? Do you even know what Miguel looks like?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Theo grunted as he yanked on a very snug jockstrap that had seen better days. The straps dug sharply into his furry cheeks and the pouch felt like a prison. Even adjusting his bulge felt like masturbating after so long and he immediately let go when he felt himself chub up.

Theo ignored Miss Hose as she kept talking. He grabbed his singlet and stepped into the old faithful, shiny red lycra. It seemed like only yesterday that he was pulling it on for his senior year championship match, but aside from the years that had passed, there was another significant difference.

The singlet didn’t come close to fitting like it used to.

The seams around his thighs were stretched to the limits and he barely managed to get the singlet over his bubble butt, not to mention over his gut before finally stretching the straps on to his shoulders, which were significantly more muscled than they were at college.

Theo pushed his feet into his trainers and was very conscious of how the singlet was riding up his butt. He stepped out from behind the screen and was stunned to see just how tight the singlet was in the mirror.

“Well slip me a pill, slap me around and call me Betty! Are you sure you wanna wear that in a gay bar sugar?”

Theo gulped as he saw the thin lycra stretched ridiculously tight across his bulky body. “I guess so. I wanna wrestle, so . . .”

‘Okay but be warned – you will get mobbed looking like that.”

Theo tilted his head to the side like a big, confused puppy. “Why?”

The drag queen laughed and shook her head. “You’ll see! Wait here and I’ll call you out.”

Theo nodded and once he was alone, he tried to pull the lycra free from his furry butt crack. He stretched out his arms and his legs as he waited to be called and after a few minutes, he heard Miss Hose’s voice over a microphone.

“And our competitor for tonight . . . give a Fire Hose welcome to . . . THEO!”

Theo pushed open the door and was met with the sight of hundreds of guys packed together. They cheered and wolf whistled as he pushed his way through the crowd towards a spotlight and the drag queen. He felt people touch his arms, his chest and even his butt. Theo wasn’t fazed by that sort of attention, but given his horny state, it certainly wasn’t helping him keep his attention off of his dick.

It was as he got into the open space with a wrestling mat that he saw the guy that must be Miguel. He was absolutely huge! A tower of thick muscle and handsome features in a black singlet. He was taller than Theo by a good 4 inches and was probably wider in the shoulders, not to mention much trimmer in the waist.

As hard as he tried, Theo couldn’t ever remember wrestling Miguel. He’d have definitely remembered a match with someone so much bigger than him.

“Competitors to the mat,” Miss Hose yelled into the mic. “Take the neutral position.”

“Hey Miguel,” Theo said as he took his position.

Miguel raised his eyebrows. “You don’t remember me at all, do you?”

Theo shook his head. ‘Sorry man. I don’t. I wrestled a lot of guys in high school and college.”

“How many of those guys did you leave sobbing on the mat after you ripped their singlets off and exposed their tighty whities to the whole school?”

Theo had a sudden flashback to senior year at high school. A tall, lanky junior had been his opponent and he wanted to show the idiot why he was the best. He’d destroyed the kid before ripping his singlet open and walking off. He hadn’t paid attention to what he was wearing until he’d seen the pics online after.

“But you were so skinny and that was high school,’ Theo rumbled dumbly.

“I’m not now. Game on!”

Theo suddenly realised what a bad idea this match was. Miguel could destroy him in seconds. What had he been thinking just turning up to a random fight?

Miss Hose blew a whistle and Miguel immediately slammed into him; their shoulders locked together.

“Is the see-through singlet intentional?” Miguel whispered in his ear.

Theo looked down and was shocked to see that the bright lights on the mat had made his threadbare singlet practically transparent. He could see the fur on his stomach, not to mention the straps of his jock.

Before Theo could open his mouth to respond, Miguel spun to the side and wrapped one of his huge muscular arms around Theo’s thick neck putting him in a head lock.

“I really hope that jock’s clean,’ Miguel said into his ear as people whistled and cheered.

Theo didn’t have a chance to ask Miguel why when he felt Miguel’s free hand suddenly grab the back of his singlet and pull. The overstretched material took barely any additional strain to rip and within seconds, the lycra split down Theo’s back, stopping just below the waistband of his jock so that his furry crack was on show.

“Wait! What are you doing?” Theo yelped trying to break the head lock.

Miguel released the head lock and shoved Theo backwards on to the mat. Theo felt his singlet rip further as his cheeks connected with the mat.

In his seated position, Theo was suddenly conscious that the exposure and the adrenaline were having a completely undesired effect on his dick, which was starting to harden in his worn jock.

“Check out that hairy butt!”

“Yas Daddy!”

“Take it all off stud!”

The yells weren’t helping Theo’s dick and his lack of attention meant that Miguel had no problem coming behind him and putting him into a rear chin lock that made him yelp.

As Theo tried to get Miguel off of him, his cock reached full mast and he shifted even more on the mat. The jock was tight before and it was nearly unbearable now.

With Theo distracted, Miguel released one of his hands to rip the front of Theo’s singlet which tore down the chest and stomach like a hot knife through butter.

“Dude! Lay off the singlet!” Theo yelled.

Aside from it being his favourite college singlet, Theo was now very conscious that his bulging jock would be even more on show.

Miguel laughed. “Dude, are you getting off on this?”

“No! I don’t do guys. I just . . . I’ve been doing No-Nut November and I’m really . . .”

Miguel laughed even harder and released the chin lock. “Oh, this just got even better!”

Theo jumped to his feet ready to defend himself and preserve some dignity, but as he stood to his full height, the remains of his singlet floated to the floor, leaving him stood in nothing but his sweaty jock and his trainers and socks.

The cheers were deafening as Miguel bounced behind Theo and clamped his arms around his torso. The rear bear hug hurt like hell, but what was worse was that Theo’s front was completely exposed to the bar. His cock was now pulsing inside the tight jock, and he could feel the head pressing against the waistband trying to lengthen out.

“I think we need a little more exposure,” Miguel yelled behind him.

“No, wait, please,” Theo whimpered as he tried to shake Miguel off.

Miguel released one hand, grabbed the waistband of Theo’s jock and yanked it as hard as he could. The old elastic snapped with a loud twang and came free in Miguel’s hand.

Theo’s cock sprang free and slapped against his gut, the head shiny with precum.

The guys in the bar went crazy seeing the two hulks fighting and now that one of them was butt naked, they could barely contain themselves.

Theo was in a frenzy. He’d never been owned on the mat by anyone, and as if that wasn’t humiliating enough, he was naked and his cock was ready to explode.

“Miguel, let me go now bud. You win alright,’ Theo begged.

“No chance. This is way too much fun. You might not be into guys, but I am.”

Theo wriggled even harder, but Miguel slammed him forward on to the mat, his dick driving against the rubber. Miguel sat on his back and locked his thighs so that Theo couldn’t move his arms.

Precum leaked from Theo’s dick on to the mat and he couldn’t stop himself from grinding his dick against it as he tried to get free from Miguel. Unfortunately, after nearly a month of not jerking off, Theo was in ecstasy and was moaning against the mat as his cock slid back and forth.

“Fuck dude, are you humping the mat?” Miguel asked as he felt Theo bucking.

“Oh fuck, oh fuck!”

Theo couldn’t control himself as he felt his balls tighten and the best orgasm of his life exploded out of him. Miguel jumped off of him and spun Theo over just in time for the first shot of cum to land on his furry chest.

The crowd screamed and laughed as Theo painted his chest, chin, and stomach in cum.

“Well boys, I think everyone is a winner tonight. Give it up for Miguel and our explosive guest, Theo!”

Theo barely heard what the drag queen said as he climbed to his feet and pushed his way to the dressing room. Cum was drying all over his body as guys groped and stroked him, but all Theo could think about was how he wanted it to happen all over again.

#suitedwestend #wrestler #wrestling #gayfiction #gayerotica #gay cmnm #CMNM #ENM #story commissions #commissions open #jock #singlet #accidental exposure

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separatist-apologist · 2 years ago

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Right Where You Left Me

If our love died young, I can't bear witness

Chapter 14: All Good Things

Summary: All good things must come to an end

That first, wailing cry pulled Lucien from bed. Just beside him, Elain lay face down on the pillow. He knew she’d only just fallen asleep an hour before. She lifted her head, searching in the dark for the source of what had woken her. He heard the softest moan of horror slip past her teeth.

“I’ve got it,” he said, already padding towards the door.

“You have to be up in the morning,” she protested, not moving from her spot beneath the blankets. With his mother managing Elain’s bakery, she was taking the maternity leave she’d been denied with Ivy. Lucien was learning what it meant to be a father…and Elain was doing her best to let him help. It was a strange push-pull between them. Elain was so used to doing everything alone that she merely went back into that mode, and Lucien often felt as if he were in her way.

“Go back to sleep,” he urged, not bothering to offer a rebuttal to her assertion that he had to work. Of course he did. Why did she deserve exhaustion and he a robust night of sleep? They’d made this baby together.

And Lucien wanted to make more. God, he wanted more kids, and thus, felt he had to prove he was worthy to do it again. That meant creeping past Ivy’s room for her wailing brother, thrashing tiny fists against the undone swaddle he was wrapped in. That, he supposed, was the source of Soren’s anger—he wanted to be tight in his blanket, if only to pretend he was still tucked up inside Elain.

Lucien scooped him out of the crib, pressing his nose along the vibrant red curls dusting his head. Elain had given him a bath after he’d puked up half his dinner. Soren was a messy–but happy–baby.

“Give me a second,” Lucien urged his son, who settled the moment he realized he was pressed against someone's chest. Lucien was quick to pull his shirt off with one arm so Soren could rest his chubby little cheek against Lucien’s skin.

“Mommy says we’re not supposed to sleep together,” he said, padding down the hall for the living room. Soren would be up again in two hours to eat. If Lucien merely stayed awake, he could also fit in a morning bottle before he had to go to work. He’d be useless, but he had no cases that day, which meant he could lock his door for half the day and sleep at his desk.

“What she doesnt know won’t hurt her,” Lucien declared, plopping into a chair in the living room. He took the opportunity to re-swaddle Soren before perching himself in the chair, the baby in the middle of his chest. Soren was already asleep, his little lips shaped into a small oh as he breathed.

Lucien ran his fingers through that silken hair, mesmerized that something so tiny could exist at all. He could hold the baby in just the palm of his hand, could fit Soren’s whole body on his upper chest. Lucien caught himself staring sometimes, drinking in the little creature with parted lips.

They’d made this.

He felt a pang of yearning that he’d missed all of it with Ivy. By the time he’d met her, she’d been a big girl who could write her own name and had more opinions on the color pink than Lucien did about politics.

“Daddy?”

As though his thoughts had summoned her, Ivy stood at the bottom steep clutching a little white unicorn in one hand while she rubbed her eyes with the other. Her red curls stuck up at odd angles and her little body was clad in matching pink and white unicorn cat pajamas, of which Ivy affectionately called unicat jammies.

“What are you doing up, baby?” he asked, beckoning for her to join him. Soren’s swing was sitting in the center of the living room and Lucien very carefully—and quickly—slid the swaddled baby into the center basket before turning it on to sway gently.

Ivy took Soren’s place in Lucien’s lap, chin tilted to look up at him.

“The baby is loud,” Ivy told him, allowing Lucien to drape a blanket around the two of them. “And you said I wasn’t allowed to wake up mommy.”

Lucien pressed a kiss to the top of Ivy’s head. “That’s right. It’s important we let mommy sleep.”

Ivy grunted, her disapproval plain. Ivy loved waking up Elain, though not to be mean. She was merely a little girl who liked her mom’s time and attention, and was, perhaps, feeling a little left out now that everyone was paying so much attention to her little brother.

“Did you do this when I was a baby?” she asked him.

Lucien’s chest constricted. He didn’t know what to say—his first instinct was to lie, to tell her of course he had. She knew he hadn’t. Lucien pressed his nose against her hair, drinking in the sweet scent of the strawberry shampoo Elain had used earlier that night.

“I wanted to,” he finally settled on. That was the truth, and simple enough he thought Ivy would understand.

“Why didn’t you?” she pressed.

It would have been so much easier to blame Elain. To lay it all at her feet, to say that Elain had taken Ivy and kept her a secret so Lucien could have a life he just barely wanted at the time. And it would have been a betrayal of his soon-to-be-wife, who’d given him a gift, even if she’d been forced into it.

Lucien could give his family all the things they deserved because Elain had let him go. He could take care of them the way he’d wanted when he’d been that stupid teenager dreaming about his life one day. Elain could stay at home, or work at her bakery without worrying about bills, or money.

“I was in school,” he finally said, because that was true too. “But I was always thinking about you.”

She smiled, snuggling closer. “Can we watch the cat show?”

She’d be asleep in twenty minutes, assuming Lucien didn’t fall asleep first and the lure of the pantry pulled her from his lap. That was a real risk, given how tired Lucien was and how Ivy did not seem to need the same amount of sleep other humans did. How many times had she fallen asleep in the backseat of his car for twenty minutes only to then be awake until midnight?

Too many.

Lucien turned on the television, careful to keep the volume just low enough Ivy could hear without disturbing Elain and her superhuman hearing. He swore she could hear a cat sneeze down the block—could practically hear the thoughts in his head.

Lucien didn’t know which of them fell asleep first. He did know that he didn’t wake up to an alarm, given his phone was upstairs. And it was his five am alarm going off upstairs that brought Elain down looking for him.

He was startled awake when her knuckles brushed over his cheek. Soren was still passed out in the swing, Ivy sprawled over his lap while the television played another episode of the cat cartoon Ivy had requested.

“Wild night?” Elain teased, looking far too pretty for the early morning. Lucien tried to remember how long he was supposed to abstain from sex. Was it six weeks? Eight? If he just used his mouth, it didn’t count, right?

Elain, blissfully unaware of the slant of his thoughts, tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “Want breakfast.” “

Yes,” Lucien said, well aware there was far too much heat in his voice. Elain rolled her eyes, not bothering to dignify him with a response. Lucien was careful not to disturb Ivy, he laid her in the chair, head propped against the cushioned arm and tucked beneath their heavy cream blanket so he could chase after Elain.

“I’m being serious,” he whispered, catching her around the waist. “The kids are asleep. What if we went upstairs—”

“The minute your pants are off, the baby is going to want to eat,” Elain reminded him.

“I’ll be quick, then,” Lucien grinned, lowering his mouth for a kiss.

She shook her head, fingers tangling in his hair. “You won’t be. You know you won’t. You’ll get distracted and then you’ll be alone in the shower with nothing but thoughs of me.”

“I’m willing to risk it,” Lucien murmured, kissing her again. She smelled sweet, like vanilla and something he couldn’t put his finger on. Lucien was all too happy to just prop her up on the kitchen island and have her here. He’d forgotten for one blissful moment that they were parents, his hand groping her breast through her night shirt. Elain arched, moaning softly into his mouth.

This was happening. Lucien was already far too excited, and that excitement was like a beacon to their children.

A soft wail pulled Elain away before they’d ever done more than a little making out. Still—given how most nights they fell face first into a pillow, asleep before they could even say good night, Lucien counted it as a win.

“Still got it, babe,” he told her with a grin, slapping her ass lightly as she turned away from him.

“This is how we keep becoming pregnant,” Elain complained, her cheeks stained pink with delight.

“That’s my charm,” Lucien informed her, turning for the kitchen. She’d offered to make him breakfast, but Lucien now found himself in the unique position of being able to make Elain a meal—a rare thing, given how often she shooed him out of the kitchen.

“You’re a menace,” she replied, his voice a loud whisper.

Lucien tied his hair back off his face and turned for the fridge. Elain had made filling for what he assumed would be cream puffs—Ivy’s favorite—and had cookie dough chilling for a later project. Lucien shuffled some things around, pulling out linked sausages and debating on if he’d made waffles or he’d make eggs.

He settled on waffles.

He had them both going by the time Elain padded back in, holding a bright-eyed Soren in her arms.

“Hey buddy,” Lucien smiled, earning a gummy smile in return. “Are you awake?”

He garbled out a response, little fists flailing to punctuate his point.

“You didn’t have to do this. You’re going to be late,” Elain chided. Lucien kissed her cheek first before blowing a loud raspberry on Soren’s cheek. The baby giggled with delight.

“I wanted to,” Lucien told her, scooping the baby from her arms. “Go take a shower. Go. I’ve got this.”

Elain hesitated for a second, still holding Soren while Lucien prayed she’d leave.

You can trust me.

She handed him the baby, in a fresh diaper and a clean onesie. “I’ll be quick.” she said.

Lucien sighed with exasperation. “I’m already late, baby! Take your time.”

By the time Elain returned, Lucien had Ivy dressed for school, her lunch made, and at the table, coating her face in syrup while he pulled her hair off her face in an attempt to keep her pretty curls from the sticky mess. Elain had taken her time, floating down the stairs looking like his every fantasy come to life, despite being fully clothed. In his imagination, they dropped the kids off at his mother's and he fucked her against every surface in their home until he was pregnant again, but that could wait.

“Your turn,” Elain told him, kissing him on the cheek while Ivy loudly ewwww’d. Lucien pulled the second twist tie around Ivy’s hair, creating perfect little buns on her head. It had only taken him four tries to get it right. He’d leave Elain to clip the pink bows into her hair.

He was four steps from the steps when Elain, with a sly smile on her face, called. “I was thinking about you up there.”

He turned, his whole body igniting at the suggestive thread wrapped around those words. Elain winked, picking up a hair bow.

“You think about daddy?” Ivy exclaimed. In his little swing just beside the table, Soren chewed on one of his unsocked feet, brown eyes wide as though he, too, wanted that question answered.

“All the time,” Elain agreed sweetly.

Lucien smiled.

She wasn’t the only one.

ELAIN:

“Mommy,” Ivy asked impatiently, picking at the lace on her dress. “Are we going to be late?”

“No,” she lied, because they absolutely were. She’d made her own wedding cake and all she had to do was pick it up, put it in her car, and drive to the venue. Instead, Elain was separating dough for cookies and portioning out macaron filling because she apparently couldn’t help herself.

She’d only just started working again, and Lucien was about to whisk her away to the Caribbean for a week. She wanted everything to be perfect.

Ivy didn’t believe her.

“Daddy is going to be worried,” Ivy reminded Elain, stomping her little heeled feet. “I heard him tell Uncle Eris he thought you’d change your mind. Are you?”

“Am I what?” Elain asked absently, only half listening to Ivy’s recriminations.

“Going to change your mind?”

Elain looked up. She was going to wreck her wedding dress if she wasn’t careful, which in turn, would forever spoil the pictures Lucien had paid so much money for. Elain glanced at the clock. Lucien would panic when Arina informed him she wasn’t there, given she had ten minutes to get to the museum they were to be married in and that seemed too cruel given how excited she was to marry him.

“Of course not,” Elain told Ivy, putting away her filling with only a small pang of regret. Work would be here when she returned, she reminded herself. And if Elain was honest with herself, she was, perhaps, testing Lucien one last time. Would he wait? If she came late, would he still be waiting for her, or would he finally realize it was all too much and leave?

Not that Elain could say that to Ivy, who was annoyed she’d been roped into this last minute errand when what she really wanted was to be sandwiched between Grandma Amera and Grandpa Helion, fawned over and showered in gifts.

“Do you love daddy?” Ivy continued. It was her favorite question. Did they love Soren, did Lucien love Elain, did Elain love her? Elain bit her bottom lip.

“Of course I love daddy.”

“Then let's go,” Ivy said. Elain offered her a smile before carefully balancing the box that held her cake in one hand. Elain used the other to hold up the length of her ivory gown, not wanting to dirty the train that trailed like spilling sunlight behind her.

Elain and Ivy stepped onto the sidewalk, making their way around the brick building for Elain’s car. As they walked, a man across the street hollered, “Hey pretty mama, where you headed!”

Ivy whipped around before Elain could roll her eyes. Her vivid, auburn curls gleamed in the early afternoon light as she screamed, “She’s not your mommy, she’s my mommy!”

Elain burst out laughing. Ivy looked ready to throw down, her little hands curled into fists. She was the spitting image of Lucien just then—russet eyes wholly focused on the subject of her ire. Her nose—Lucien’s nose—was scrunched, forming two little lines on her forehead just like Lucien’s when he was flustered. Her golden brown skin seemed to glow, and not just from the glitter she’d painted all over her cheeks when Elain wasn’t looking.

“When my daddy finds out you said that, he’s going to be really mad!”

“Okay, get in the car,” Elain laughed, ushering Ivy into her seat. “You’ve avenged me.”

“He said you were his mommy!” Ivy declared, still indignant. Elain looked up at the man who’d tried to pay her a poor compliment and found him walking away, smiling to himself. He’d found Ivy just as charming as she had, which Elain decided was a good omen on her wedding day.

Ivy chattered as Elain drove, one eye on the clock, the other on the road. She was late by a minute by the time she pulled into the circular drive in front of the museum and handed her keys over to the valet.

Eris Vanserra was strolling out, eyes narrowed. “You’re late,” he said, his voice rich with recrimination even as he crouched to scoop up Ivy in her pretty, flouncy dress. “Lucien is in a panic.”

“I had to get my cake,” Elain lied, well aware Eris saw straight through her. “It’s only a minute.”

“It’ll be ten by the time you get that cake to reception and—”

“Oh thank God,” Arina interrupted, coming down the front steps of the museum as Elain, Eris, and Ivy came up them. Arina was holding Soren in his little tux, unaware of how Eris’s mouth slackened for a moment.

“Lucien is panicking. I’ve been stalling, but—”

“It’s just a minute,” Elain protested, even though she knew that wasn’t true. She’d done this on purpose and now she was paying for it. Lucien, who’d never done anything but love her, was just as afraid Elain was going to walk away.

“Here,” Eris readjusted Ivy so he could take Soren from Arina. Elain caught the eldest Vanserra sliding his nose through the baby’s curls and wondered if he was hoping for a family someday, too. “Take the cake upstairs. Go quick,” he added, not needing to tell Arina twice.

Arina flashed Elain a dazzling smile, holding the white box in both hands with the same gentle care she’d held Elain’s baby. Eris’s cheeks darkened, though whether that was from Arina’s pretty smile or holding two children as he made his way up those stone cut steps, Elain didn’t know.

Didn’t ask.

Not as they were ushered into the large atrium filled with regular patrons, all staring as she swanned in wearing that simple, ivory gown. She’d pulled half her hair from her face with delicate pearl pins and kept her make-up light and easy given she was certain she was going to break down sometime before the night was over.

“Give Arina a second,” Eris warned, pushing the button to the elevator that would take them up to the private ballroom. “I’ll let Lucien know all is well.”

Elain nodded, running her hands nervously down the side of her dress. The mirrored doors pulled open and Eris, in a rare moment of vulnerability, asked, “Were you planning to leave?”

Elain looked up at the eldest Vanserra, a child in both arms. “No,” she said.

She meant it. She might have been late on purpose, but Elain had always meant to come. Eris nodded.

“Good. Because ah…” he cleared his throat and pushed the number four that would take her to Lucien. “Because we love you. Not just your kids. I ah…I thought you should know that.”

Maybe she’d start crying now.

The doors pulled open and Eris strolled out, taking Ivy with him. Ivy was supposed to throw flowers to the floor, and the only explanation Elain could think of for why Eris had taken her eldest was to reassure his brother that Elain had arrived and everything was going to continue as planned.

She made her way down a long hall made of marble and gold leaf, with windows that stretched the length so she had a perfect view overlooking the immaculate grounds. There was a little dressing room Elain did not need, but offered her one last moment to take a breath and remind herself that this was what she’d always wanted.

What she’d always hoped for.

Too afraid to ever admit it, even when Lucien had left and she’d been alone, she’d still dreamt of him coming back and making everything right. Of telling her he would have stayed, that he wanted the family, the small life—her.

It was surreal to realize in just a few short moments she’d get it. Elain took a breath, and then another.

Arina knocked on the door. “Crazy, huh?” she asked, sweeping a blonde curl off her face. “Remember when we were trying to get rid of him?”

Elain smiled. “Yeah.”

“Called Nesta and everything,” Arina laughed. It was funny, now, considering Elain hadn’t put up much of a fight before she was inviting him back to her place, desperate to touch him one last time.

“And now we’re getting married,” Elain murmured, looking back out a window.

“If you did want to run, I wouldn’t stop you,” Arina told her. “Though, I don’t think Eris is giving back your kids.”

“I’m exactly where I want to be,” Elain assured her best friend. Arina nodded, pulling Elain in for a hug.

“Then I’ll see you out there.”

Elain had been right that she’d cry. She started the second she saw Lucien standing there, his hair tied neatly off his face, body clad in an immaculate suit that fit perfectly. He saw her first and swiped away a tear, laughing with a mix of embarrassment and awe. Elain hadn’t expected Lucien to show such an open display of affection and by the time she reached him, she was grateful for the waterproof mascara.

“You look beautiful,” he’d whispered, which started a fresh round of tears. Elain cried through Lucien’s vows and her own, and she cried again when he put that gold band around her finger. Their officiant declared them married and Lucien, instead of kissing her first, pulled her against him in a rough, tight hug. Fingers digging into her skin, he held her like he expected her to evaporate.

And then he kissed her, laughing the entire time, not because anything was funny, but because he couldn’t believe what was happening. It was all a blur, then—signing the paperwork to change not just her own last name, but Ivy’s (of which, Eris whisked away and tucked into his jacket pocket as if to say no takebacks), pictures and dances, and so much food.

By the time Elain managed to catch her breath, it was all over. Ivy was passed out on Helion's chest, her shoes discarded somewhere on the dance floor. Arina had Soren cradled in one arm, her head on Eris’s shoulder. Elain’s sisters had their legs in their husband's laps, flushed and sweaty and more than a little drunk.

They’d go home alone that night, their kids split between the Archeron’s and the Vanserra’s. Elain trusted their new, combined family would take good care of the baby’s, though she kissed them both awake all the same.

Lucien, stone cold sober and bright-eyed as he drove them home. “Are you happy?” he asked her when they pulled into the drive. Elain grinned, unable to respond given Lucien had jogged from his door to hers so he could not only pull her out, but sweep her up into his arms.

“Sorry I made you wait,” Elain told him instead, kissing the side of his cheek, smooth from his careful shave that morning.

“I would have waited my whole life if I knew it was leading to a night like this,” he replied, not realizing she’d meant she was sorry for making him wait on the wedding. Elain started to explain herself, but Lucien had gotten the door open and had rendered any further apologies silent with a sweet kiss.

“I would have waited a hundred lifetimes,” he added, keeping her in his arms to take her up the stairs and to their shared bed. One of Ivy’s stuffed toys—a massive elephant Elain remembered from before Lucien—lay over the neatly made bed. Elain kicked off her shoes and reached for it, setting the toy on the nightstand beside her bed.

Lucien joined her, not bothering to undress.

There would be time for that. Sliding his fingers over her forehead to brush errant strands of hair from her sticky face, Lucien looked like a man discovering the sun for the very first time.

“You mean everything to me.”

Elain leaned up, just enough to kiss him back. “I love you, too, Lucien.”

She’d been waiting for him, too.

#elucien #look who finally finished something

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boissonsaumiel · 2 years ago

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The brew I started with coconut water and Nature Nate's organic mystery honey smells like banana candy coming out of the airlock. The avocado honey mead smells like avocado honey.

With the other honeys I've been using, the sweet honey smell hardly comes through at all. I'm mostly just getting a yeasty fermentation smell + the scent of any spices/botanicals I added.

When my 2 half gallon carboys free up I'm going to use one for T'ej, and the other to try out this 正山小种红茶 (lapsang souchong) mead recipe I saw on youtube, that reportedly tastes like "if Laphroig were a mead." I love peaty scotch, so my curiosity is piqued.

That recipe used orange blossom honey, but I'm going to be using a (relatively) local aviary's Sierra Nevada Wildflower honey instead.

I wish I could get some more of that honey I bought the last time I went on a visit to Yosemite. It had this intense sweet floral pine smell. I got a 1lb jar, ate 2/3 of it, and turned the rest into an extra tiny microbatch of mead that tasted absolutely amazing (this is the batch I forgot at the back of a cupboard for 7 months).

The producer doesn't seem to have an online storefront. Their website is just a splash page with a message box. I did try contacting them today, but if they don't have an online storefront, that probably means they only do direct business with retailers, so I'm not getting my hopes up.

Technically the Travel Yosemite website is selling their honey, but only in overpriced 2oz novelty bear shaped bottles they make for tourists. Honey is expensive enough without paying tourist prices.

#mead journaling

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bkdoesthot · 1 year ago

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(This is my personal account but I am still bk.)

First off, thank you so much!!

Second off, oh fuck, why have you opened this can of worms.

Anywho, hope you got your red strings ready cuz this pin board bout to go crazy.

Keys Lady (She/Her) - ENTJ (Commander)

Teddy Bear (He/They/It) - ISFJ (Defender)

Jelliee (He/She/They) - ESFP (Entertainer)

Cowboy Hat (He/Him) - INFJ (Advocate)

Tentacle Twink (It/Its) - INFP (Mediator)

Pizza Guy (He/Him) - ENFP (Campaigner)

Kyle (He/Him) - ISTP (Virtuoso)

Their relationship status is yes. All of them. Literally all of them together.

As for occupations, besides Kyle, all of them are ‘prawn stars’. Everyone’s aware of their occupation, but they never go into any detail further than that. (A wink wink to the camera at certain points of the show and maybe you see a set/room but no actual ‘prawn’ is shown.)

Just Kyle is their golden retriever. He is their token human so pretty much a pet.

The whole premise is that there is a sitcom all about a polycule of ‘prawn stars’. They are the only object heads but no one ever brings it up. The world is human based except for these few.

Onto their personalities and nonsense: They are all named after the object in their glass obviously.

Pizza Guy - His head is a slice of pizza with a Dragon Ball Vegeta view finder. His head is full of tomato juice/fruit punch. Not Tomato Sauce. Juice so that it is transparent enough you can see the pizza slice. Silly happy fun one. Usually Pizza Guy and Cowboy Hat are together. Out of all of the ‘prawn’ they are usually paired up.

Cowboy Hat - Same height as Pizza Guy only because the 10 gallon Stetson is so damn tall. Without the head he is super short compared to the others, but has a more stocky build. His head is filled with tears, whose tears… I don’t know, someone’s tears. The gruff more down to earth cowboy stereotype to go with Pizza Guys high energy fun. (Fun fact: Cowboy and Pizza are the only two with eyes.)

Keys Lady (or Keys for short) - She is Miss Bellum from Powerpuff girls or at least she has a similar vibe. She is the sci-fi equivalent with her own motorcycle. The spare key to her motorcycle is the key inside her head, in case she ever needs it she knows where it is. Her head is full McDonnys Sprite, super spicy, just like her. Keys is the leader. If there is ever a dispute or problem she is the one you go to.

Teddy Bear - The stuffed animals from Tiny Headed Kingdom was the inspiration for him, the tiny head and massive body. The vials floating in their head are filled with virgin blood. There is no liquid instead the vials float in zero gravity. Teddy is not yet at full power, once they ethically source a total of 10 vials of virgin blood they will be complete. They also usually get scenes with virgins or first time ‘prawn’ people, seeing as he is in fact the softest and cuddliest of them all. A gentle giant of you will. Once there are 10 vials of blood the cyborg Teddy bear head will expand to become a fully formed entity.

Jelliee - All curves, an ass that just won’t quit, sassy as fuck, dresses in leather, been in this industry a looooong time. Probably the most reserved of them all she has a sharp tongue and you can tell that if she were human he’d be a silver fox. Their head is full of pineapple juice and multiple jello cubes. The cubes change shape depending on the occasion, for an example on Valentine’s Day they turn into little hearts.

Tentacle Twink (TT for short) - Tentacle body, imagine just coils of tentacles making up this springesque body. The broken bottle in its head is a soy sauce bottle, the liquid it is floating in is diluted soy sauce. A brat but would also be the first to get you out of trouble.

Last but certainly not least

JUST KYLE - He is your average everyday dude. He just wants love and only shows up in special episodes as the sitcom revolves around the hijinks of their ‘prawn star’ work. After the first season due to the fandoms love of him he starts to become a more regular character and befriends all of the object heads until they finally add him to their polycule. He is only ever seen wearing tie-dye and surfer dude shorts, his baseball hat is a different sports team every time you see him and it is always worn backwards.

As for what happens when their heads break, the outside casing is made of glass so you slap some flex seal on it and wait for it to regen. The glass is super strong and very thick so a head breaking or cracking is a rare occurrence.

That’s it. I mean of course there is more but that is the basics. I might make a comic based on them but only time will tell.

If any one asks about them. I will lore dump. This is a warning. My partner and I stayed up until 3am one night talking about these fictional sitcom prawn stars.

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muiiruii · 3 years ago

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sunshowers in the summer

mikey ; draken ; mitsuya ; kazutora

fluff ; age up (manga version) ; abstract ; love found in unexpected moments

— mikey gazed at the scenery rise and fall, his eyes lazily tracing over the different shapes of clouds dotted along the blue sky. he wondered why you insisted on pushing him when it felt like you wanted to be the one sitting on the swing. with his hands clasped loosely on the chains, for a brief a moment, mikey wondered if he should just let go. would he fly? how would that feel? he got curious. the urge to jump was like waves retreating before a tsunami. yet, before he could fully submerge himself into the free-fall of his own pleasure, the sudden light drizzle that came upon him seemed to hush up his thoughts. your firm grip on his shoulders put a halt to his momentum, his feet creating friction with the ground. “what’s wrong, mikey?” you had your hands cupped his soft cheeks, tilting his head up to look at you. it was then he realized, your hair was wet. your fringe leaving droplets of rain landing on his forehead, and although he hated the sun and its warm rays, it didn’t feel so bad with you by his side. perhaps, just like this sunshower, even a little passing rain could feel nice once in a while. a tiny smile was barely visible before he reached a hand out to the back of your neck. “nothing.” he mumbled, watching your eyes widen in surprise at the fleeting kiss he placed on your lips. maybe that curiosity of his could wait, for all he wants now is to have you occupy every inch of his mind. from your dimples to your crescent hues, the growing redness on the tip of your ears will always be his favorite. “shall we continue?”

— draken chuckled at another one of your failed attempt. it wasn’t like you to not ask for his help when it comes to wasting money on such games, perhaps this time you really wanted to win it yourself. “do you want me to help?” he noticed the angry pout hanging on your lips, pleading eyes finally darting over to him. with confidence laced in his words, he shot down the tiny piece of bottle cap with ease. “what did i say? aren’t i the best?” you snorted, taking the biggest teddy bear in your arms with a grin. “yes baby, the one and only.” he laughed, fingers almost pinching those soft cheeks of yours when he felt tiny droplets of rain against his skin. quickly, he lead you towards a nearby pavilion to take shelter. it wasn’t until you suddenly stop in your track did he turned to face you. the way your eyes sparkled mischievously did not go unnoticed by him when your innocent smile spread across your lips. with a hard push, he stumbled back a few steps as you ran away. “tag, you’re it!” you giggled when you caught a glimpse of surprise on his face. oh how surprised he was when you pulled such a stunt. not like he wasn’t used to it, but for once, he couldn’t help but laugh in amusement. you really do know how to bring different sides of him out. and this time, he wondered if the heavy pounding of his heart was from chasing after you, or the way your smile was ever so bright under the passing sunshower. your wet hair that danced along with the wind, the splashes of water against your feet, and the huge bear you were clinging onto, everything about the scene in front of him was breathtaking. “you’re too slow, ken!” perhaps it didn’t matter which was the correct answer, since you are the reason for both of it as well. “don’t regret starting this when i catch you later.”

— mitsuya watched you twirled in a carefree manner behind the camera. it was another unplanned shoot for his new collection, and having you, his muse, try it before anyone else was always his priority. after all, his favorite part in his line of work was having you model each and every piece of his artwork. “come here, my love.” you extended your hand out, a smile graced his lips at your invitation. taking your hand in his, you pulled him towards the pebble of steps by a calm river. it was one of those days where the sun was sitting high in the sky, the reflection of you smiling at him was clearly shown on the surface of the water. he was just about to snap a picture when a ripple caused the image to distort. it didn’t take long before more ripples were formed. being prepared as always, he took out a transparent umbrella from his bag. “i wouldn’t want my precious model getting sick, now would i?” he tapped your nose when you feel the tiny droplets stop falling onto your open palm. you frown, not liking the way he dismissed your fun. of course, a little umbrella would not stop you. with a huge grin, you lifted your dress up with your hands. “surely you can always find someone to replace me, mister popular designer.” with a wink, you hopped away from him and onto the other stones ahead. when you turned back to stick your tongue out, he realized perhaps you were hanging out with his little sisters too much. luna, especially, might have rubbed some of her mischief onto you. a sigh of content escaped his lips as he followed along, watching you light on your feet a few steps ahead. just as you slipped on your next landing, he broke your fall when he pulled you towards his chest. “no one can ever replace you though.” he let the umbrella slipped from his fingers, hands around your back when he lifted you up with ease. you chuckled, your finger combing his lilac locks away from his face. “what if you get sick too?” you rest your forehead against his, the sun doing real little to warm his back when he could feel all the heat making its way to his cheeks. does it matter? he thought, capturing your lips with his. once more, again and again. “i think it’ll be worth it for today, don’t you?”

— kazutora squeezed your hand in his, a smile on his face when you tugged at the collar of the akita inu you were helping him take a walk with. the ball of fluff wagging its tail excitedly at whoever that walked passed, obviously wanting a pat or two from them. “he reminds me of you sometimes.” you thought aloud, your gaze fell onto the little girl ruffling up the cheeks of the dog with her little hands. “what do you mean by that?” he gasped, tugging your hand to look his way. he loved the way your eyes softened at the kids playing with the dog, but he was more concerned about what you said. did you just compare him to a dog? you smiled at the parents of those kids, returning a small bow before resuming the walk. “oh, you know,” you stalled, biting back a laugh when he waited for you finish your sentence. maybe he did know the meaning behind your words, for he wasn’t oblivious to the times you cooed at him like how you would towards the pets in his shop. maybe he just wanted to be loved the same way they were loved, and maybe he wouldn’t mind being labeled as one if he belongs to you. “because you’re just that cute too.” your words probably wasn’t everything you wanted to convey, but it was okay. when the sky let those droplets of rain fall, he watched you struggle to hold onto the excited ball of fluff. kazutora hated the rain, the drizzle feeling prickly against his skin, but somehow he didn’t mind it today. was it because he was with you? instead of taking the ropes away from you, he carried the dog into his arms. “shall we run back to the shop?” you nodded, tipping your toes to give him a pat on his head. a laugh slipped from his lips at your gesture, even though it was short, it was enough to ease himself from the sudden sunshower. “i’ll dry your hair and we can cuddle afterwards, okay?” maybe a little rain wouldn’t hurt if he gets to indulge in your affection each time.

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youshouldhavepaidattentiondad · 2 years ago

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Wreath

Day 2 entry for @12daysofhatchetfield

“Gather around, everyone! Staff meeting!” Ken Davidson calls jovially, waiting for his four employees to gather outside of his office before continuing, “We’re going to start a new holiday tradition!”

Paul grimaces, but keeps quiet.

Oblivious to Paul’s discomfort, Mr. Davidson hangs a plain, green wreath on his office door. “I want you all to bring in something that makes you think of the holidays to decorate this wreath with.”

“Anything?” Ted asks with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“As long as it’s appropriate for work,” Mr. Davidson clarifies.

Charlotte is the first to bring in something. The very next day, she has a large, handmade, glittering red and gold bow that she fastens to the wreath.

Later that same day, when no one is watching, Ted tenderly nestles a little polar bear plush clutching a Coca-Cola bottle amongst the greenery.

It takes Bill a few days to find his item, having to go through the decorations at home to find it. Finally, he finds a wooden bauble-shaped ornament that Alice decorated in elementary school, covered in pink paint and multi-colored glitter. He hangs it from the top of the wreath.

Surprised his employees got decorations up so quickly, Mr. Davidson quickly adds one of his garish holiday ties. Multi-colored light and baubles adorn the fabric.

“Oh, hey Melissa,” Paul calls one morning as she passes his desk.

“Hi Paul!” She turns to him, cradling a small cat figurine.

He notices it, chuckling slightly at the tiny Santa hat on the cat. “That your thing for the wreath?”

“Yep!” She finishes walking to Mr. Davidson’s door, carefully resting the cat on the inside curve of the wreath. “It looks like almost everyone has brought in something.” She looks back to Paul with an infectious grin. “Which is yours?”

“Oh. I, uh, haven’t yet.” He shrugs. “Haven’t found the right thing yet, y’know?”

She nods. “Well, I know Mr. Davidson wants everyone to bring in something by the office party. Good luck on your search!” She bids him before walking away again.

Shit. The Christmas party is in just a couple weeks. Paul frowns before going back to work to distract himself.

The deadline seems to loom over him. After work that day, he heads to one of the craft stores, hoping to find something to bring in.

The store is packed, full of shoppers taking advantage of the ridiculous sales going on. Paul sidesteps into an aisle to avoid getting hit by a cart. He glances around, eyebrows raising when he sees the different ornament hanging up. There’s all sorts, not just the classic bauble shape.

He spies a Chinese takeout ornament, but dismisses it. He scans the pegs, trying to decide on something. Finally, he spies a clear, to-go cup, decorated to look like it’s filled with black coffee. He smiles slightly at the sight, reaching out to pick it up.

He does love coffee, especially on a cold Christmas morning.

The next day, he adds his ornament. He takes a step back, admiring the finished project. Not that he’d ever admit it.

#12 days of hatchetfield #12doh #paul matthews #ken davidson #charlotte sweetly #bill woodward #ted spankoffski #melissa #ccrp gang

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hanniiesuckle17 · 4 years ago

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Ateez Reaction: Their Kid Gets Sick in the Middle of The Night

A/n: I love parent!ateez. Anything domestic im just like *heart eyes* also dont mind my weird petnames for kids. i just....i love kids......*sigh* anywayyyyyy hope you guys enjoy! im going to be writing for ateez and the other groups on my m.list alot more

S/n: Son’s name D/n: Daughter’s name

Pairing: Reader x OT8

Genre: fluff, slight angst, parent!au

Warnings: cussing?, descriptions of sick children (colds and flus, etc), fem reader

WC: 5k (overall) about 640-ish on average

Tag List: @woodiegochile @mini-meanhoe @leggomylino @hanstagrams @desertofdessert @hoes4hoseok @jeonqqin @geminirules @mrsunshine999 @jisungsjheekies @hannie-squirrel00 @cotccotc @kodzu-ken @konenichi @yangs-jeongin @binniebutter @orangegyu @little-precious-baby @yourdaddychan

Hongjoong:

You were in the perfect spot. A dreamless sleep had taken over your mind a few hours ago and you were perfect content pressed up against Hongjoong’s chest, his arms wrapped around your middle. His leg was tossed over yours and you were swaddled in a perfect cocoon of his warmth.

The blissful sleep of you and your husband was soon interrupted by a weak poke to your cheek. A second light jab forced your eyes open. In the dark room you could barely make out the shape of your three-year-old son. Lifting your head up, you checked the time- 1:04- and then over to your husband who was still fast asleep.

Pulling away from your husband’s hold, you turned on the bedside light only to be met with the tearstained face of S/n. “Oh- Goose! What’s wrong?” Your son only cried more and reached out for you. Completely sitting up in bed, you pulled him into your arms- gently stroking his hair. You noticed the back of his neck was cold with sweat.

“Baby? Everything okay?” Hongjoong mumbled, pushing himself off the mattress slightly.

“Daddy.....don’t feel good,” Your toddler said between cries. You continued to tenderly rub his back in hopes of calming your son. “Head....” S/n mumbled, tiny hands pawing at his crown.

Hongjoong now joined you fully sitting up. His dark eyes blinked rapidly trying to push away the edges of sleep still clouding his brain. Your husband motioned for you to pass over his son and you obliged. S/n cuddled up in his father’s lap - clawing at his shirt. “Baby, could you get the thermometer from the bathroom?” He asked, hand on his son’s little forehead.

Your mind was still foggy, but nonetheless, you got up and half jogged to the bathroom. Still tired, you fumbled through the cabinets looking for the thermometer. After a few minutes you returned, the instrument in hand. Hongjoong took it, thanking you softly. The two of you waited while the thermometer read your child’s temperature. S/n’s head was resting deliriously on your husband’s shoulder.

When Hongjoong took out the thermometer, your S/n groaned, nuzzling further into his dad’s chest. “Tummy hurts, daddy...” You almost felt hurt yourself, not being able to help your son’s pain. Reaching out you rubbed his back and looked to your lover for what to do.

A tired look rested on his face. The singer sighed looking down at the tiny instrument. “103.1,” Running a hand through your hair, you got up from the bed and grabbed a jacket for yourself and your son. “Hey, buddy. We’re going to take a little trip okay?” Hongjoong whispered to his son who was still crying from his head and stomachache.

“The doctor is going to make you feel all better, Goose.” You sleepily sang, more comforting yourself than S/n. The handsome man got up from your shared bed, still carrying your sick toddler, and headed into the living room with you quickly following.

“Let’s go to the hospital. Y/n where are my keys?” Hongjoong, laced his fingers with yours after you grabbed his keys and the three of you ventured down to the car. “ The one on Ddobong St is closest right?”

Seonghwa:

The cries of your baby girl woke you from a night of sweet sleep. Untangling yourself from your husband’s slumbering arms you rolled out of bed. With a sluggish gait, you walked into the nursery and hummed to your screaming daughter.

“Shhhh, baby- Daddy is sleeping,” You whispered, picking her up from the crib.

Any sleep your partner got was worth more than anything else you could give him. The sooner you could calm your daughter the more likely he stayed asleep. the one-year-old girl in your arms continued to cry, almost screaming in your ear.

You stroked her hair in hopes of calming the distressed child. The skin of her forehead felt hot against your palm and you pressed it fully against her forehead. “Oh- I’m sorry, love!” Scolding your tired mind for not realizing sooner, you carried your crying daughter into the bathroom to grab a thermometer.

Laying D/n back down in the crib, you lifted her nightgown and tucked the instrument under her arm, and waited for it to beep. The baby girl’s cries had quieted a little but remained constant and unrelenting. Finding she had a temperature you rushed to the medicine cabinet. All the bottles and labels blurred together in your sleepy vision.

Finding one that fit D/n’s symptoms you grabbed a spoon and the bottle. You poured the dark purple colored liquid onto the spoon and tried to coax your daughter into opening her mouth to take the medicine. Instead, the baby girl cried louder, the smell of the medicine floating down into her tiny nostrils. “D/n, baby....please take the medicine! Don’t wake up daddy.” You pleaded in a hushed tone.

“Don’t worry about waking me up.” A smooth, but sleepy voice said from the hallway.

Seonghwa shuffled into the room, eyes tired but soft and hair fluffy and sticking up in random places. A tiny smile lighted onto his lips. “Hwa, I’m sorry- I was trying to handle it but she won’t take the medicine.” Your husband shrugged and waddled over to the crib.

You let him take the spoon from your hand and carefully place it on the nearby table. He sleepily kissed your forehead before turning to his crying daughter. “Can you take her?” He asked gently picking her up and passing the child to you.

Your husband turned back to the crib, grabbing something, leaving you with a screaming baby. The handsome man returned with his daughter’s favorite plushie in hand. His longer fingers pushed the arms to look like the toy was waving. “D/n, open your mouth please!” He chirped in a goofy voice.

The little girl refused, shaking her head. She continued to cry in your arms, pushing away the stuffed animal. Your husband was not discouraged and instead gently picked up the medicine filled spoon with nimble fingers.

“Hi, princess!” Seonghwa sang in a cute and happy voice. His free hand moved up to make bunny ears on top of his head. “Will you take the magic potion for daddy?” D/n’s cries trickled to stop and she sniffed, watching her father do all sorts of sleepy but sincere aegyo.

“D/n, do you want the magic potion?” You whispered in her ear with a smile.

The little girl nodded, rubbing her eyes. Seonghwa smiled and moved the spoon like an airplane before letting his daughter take the medicine. She gagged at the taste, crying a little at the bitterness. Her tears quickly stopped when she was wrapped up in her father’s arms.

Her little fingers held on tightly to his shirt as his hand protectively held her to his chest. “Let’s go back to bed,” He whispered, letting his other hand envelope yours. “D/n, let's go sleep in mommy and daddy’s room, huh?”

Nestling your face in Seonghwa’s shoulder, you let him lead you all the way back to your bedroom. With your daughter placed between you and the medicine finally taking its effect, she was soon fast asleep, little snores floating from her tiny body. Pressing a kiss to your knuckles, Seonghwa watched you drift back to sleep before doing so himself.

Yunho:

Both you and your husband had been woken up an hour ago by your screaming toddler. Normally you could get him right back to sleep, but this time something was actually wrong. It was two o’clock in the morning and you had no idea what to do. S/n was crying and throwing up and had a fever that wouldn’t break.

You were frantically searching symptoms on your phone, pacing in the living room. After reading mommy blog after mommy blog you felt like you were getting nowhere. “Find anything?” Yunho called from the bathroom.

You almost shook your head, forgetting your husband was in a completely different room with your son. Ending your pacing, you ventured towards your bathroom. Opening the door you were met with a sight that made your heart skip a beat. The small room was filled completely with steam from the running shower. Your two year old son was stripped of his clothes, which he complained earlier of suffocating him. He clung to his father’s bare chest. Yunho had his arms wrapped around S/n, holding him up, resting him on his hip. Your husband's peach-dyed hair was clinging to his sweaty forehead.

For a moment you just watched the tall handsome man pat his son’s back gently and hum a soothing melody. He really did look like a worried Papa Bear. After a minute he noticed the lack of steam in the room and motioned for you to come in and close the door. “Mommy blogs are useless. They all say to just give him fluids and put him back to bed.”

Yunho sighed, shoulders heaving. Your son stirred and his eyes opened just barely to look into yours. You waved before reaching over and kissing his sweaty little forehead. Your hand trailed from your son to the warm skin of your husband. “Call your mom,” Yunho suddenly declared.

“No.”

“Call her.”

“Fine.”

At this point, you were too worried about your son to think about the wrath you were incurring by waking your mother at this hour. Leaning against the bathroom counter, you pressed the device up to your ear. Your son whined and reached for your hand. “Don’t tell her we haven’t moved out of the apartment.” He whispered hearing the dial tone from your cell. Yunho was also comically afraid of your mother.

You rolled your eyes. “Umm...Hi- Mom....” Yunho winced hearing your mother’s shrill and tired voice from the other side of the line. “Yeah. I’m really sorry. Look- mom, S/n is sick. We’ve got him in a steamed room. He’s been throwing up like crazy-”

Yunho’s long fingers softly raked through your son’s hair as he tried to listen to the conversation with his mother in law. “No.....No...Mom- Yunho didn’t give him ice cream. No......”

“It’s always my fault isn’t it,” Yunho groaned in a soft tone not wanting to upset his sickly son in his arms. “Tell her that I’m just as worried about my son as-”

“Bear.....this is not the time.” You scolded him, hand over the speaker. “Mom just....” You sighed- pinching the bridge of your nose. S/n cried at the loss of your hand in his. Your husband shushed him, wetting a washcloth and dabbing at his forehead and neck tenderly. “What’s his temperature?” Turning to your husband, you looked for the answer. “Babe, what’s his temp?”

“Last I checked it was 100.8,”

“100.8″ You gave a sigh of relief hearing your mother’s answer. “He’s going to be okay as long as it doesn’t get higher. She says keep him in here until his temp goes down and to try giving him something to eat to see if he can keep it down,” Relaying the instructions, Yunho nodded and did exactly what your mother told him.

Yeosang:

You had no idea what to do with a sick kid. Yeosang had no idea what to do with a sick kid. You both were kind of in the same boat. You loved your daughter wholeheartedly, but the both of you were still new parents even two years in and were flying by the seat of your pants.

So, when D/n had a 103 fever, the two of you started to panic. It was the middle of the night. Yeosang was cradling his crying toddler and you were desperately trying to reach your mother-in-law. “Is she really not picking up?” Never before in the entire time you knew Yeosang, had you seen him this worried.

“Sang- it’s like two am. She’s probably asleep.”

Yeosang watched you nervously burn a track in the floor. “Will you stop pacing?”

“Well, then what should we do?”

Your daughter nuzzled her sweating forehead into her father’s neck, little hands pulling at his sweatshirt. He rocked her back in forth in his arms, gears turning in his brain. “Hospital?” Your fiancee suggested- a hesitant but still desperate look in his eyes.

“Yeah. Emergency room. I’ll call Hongjoong on the way.”

Yeosang sighed, standing up and watching you gather a bag of things you would need. “Don’t do that. He’s just gonna wake the boys and then Wooyoung is going to go all Crazy God Father on us.” You chuckled slinging the packed bag over your shoulder.

“You’re the one who made him D/n’s god father. My vote was for Hongjoong.”

He groaned, not waiting for you to follow him out of the apartment. Having no time to strap her into her car seat, the singer climbed into the back and held his little girl as your family raced to the nearest emergency room. You burst through the doors, Yeosang carrying your crying toddler with her arms wrapped around his neck, much like in one of the medical dramas you had been watching lately.

Thankfully you were rushed into a room and your daughter was tested and examined by a doctor quickly. You sat by her side the whole time, holding her hand while Yeosang watched the doctors carefully. Occasionally he would ask questions or accidentally chide them if his daughter yelped from pain or looked uncomfortable. He would quickly go back to silently watching knowing he had overstepped.

As the doctor finished his examination, he asked you to wait for the test results to come back just to be sure it wasn’t anything serious. The boys burst almost waking D/n, Wooyoung racing towards the bedside of his goddaughter, a huge teddy bear in hand. Just like Yeosang they were all dressed in sweats or pajamas.

After about an hour of her uncles ‘quietly’ attending to their niece’s every need, the doctor returned- test results in hand. “Mr. Kang?” The physician’s eyes searched the boys' handsome faces until Yeosang raised his hand and made his way forward.

“That’s me,”

“I’m the godfather, Jung Wooyoung, what should I be doing?” Wooyoung said peeping over your fiancee’s shoulder.

The doctor blinked a few times before looking over to you as if to ask for a clue as to why this over-energetic boy was here. There was nothing you could do but shrug. “Well...um....you could start by sitting over there......quietly....”

Wooyoung gave the doctor a glaring look before reluctantly taking a seat in one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs in the room. “It’s nothing serious is it?” Yeosang asked, his hands subconsciously rubbing the back of his neck. “D/n isn’t dying right?”

The doctor smiled, placing a hand on the worried singer’s shoulder. “Right now she’s just fine. You were right to bring her in though! We are going to keep her for observation for the next twenty-four hours just to be absolutely sure it is nothing to worry about.”

Yeosang relayed the news before shoving the boys out of the pediatric hospital room so his little girl could sleep. He called his manager to cancel his schedules for the next day and he stayed by D/n’s side until the doctor told him that she was going to be perfectly fine.

San:

Two hours. You had been up for two hours. There was nothing more on this Earth that you loved more than your little girl, D/n. But when she woke you up at one o’clock in the morning, sick or not, it was not a happy occasion. It didn’t look like anything too serious was wrong with her. You didn’t even have to call your fiancee. Granted he should have been home from practice twenty minutes ago but that was another problem that you didn’t have the patience for right now.

Your toddler whined and rolled around on her bed as you got up to go to the medicine cabinet. D/n’s cries could be heard from all the way down the hall, hurrying your tired movements. “I’m coming, bean,” Instead of wasting time standing there, you grab the first five bottles you see and rush back to your daughter’s room.

Placing a cool washcloth on her forehead, her cries soften a little allowing you time to read the backs of the bottles. The next thirty minutes were spent trying to get your little girl to take the medicine. The sound of keys tinkling against the dish by the door makes your ears perk up.

“Babe? Everything okay?” San was home.

A bouncing head of dyed hair bounded down the hall to stop in the doorway. “She said she’s feeling sick,” San immediately rushes over, hand on the small of your back as he kneels by his daughter’s side.

“Hey, princess,” He whispers, stroking the hair away from her face. The man pouts seeing her clutch onto her stomach. “Does your tummy hurt?” D/n nods, rolling over onto her side and crying more.

San turns to you with a half accusing look on his face. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m the one who's been here taking care of her.” You smacked him lightly upside the head, not letting him forget he was the one who came home late. With a sigh, you dropped your sleep-filled head onto the singer’s shoulder. “She won’t take the cold medicine.”

Your fiancee scoffed, turning to look at you before filling a spoon with the oozy purple liquid. “I’ve got this. Watch the master.” San smiled, getting the attention of his little girl. “Princess, this tastes good don’t you want some! It will make you feel better!”

“Does it really taste good?” She askes shyly, looking at her father with stars in her eyes.

He nods enthusiastically, side-eyeing the spoon. Your daughter looks expectantly from the spoon to her father. After a moment it sort of dawns on him what she wants. Hesitantly, he opens his mouth and swallows the medicine. While he tries to smile, San’s face immediately turns sour and he dramatically gags on the after taste. “UGHHH!” He groans making a gross face.

“No! I don’t want it! It will taste bad!” D/n cries.

“Great job, Super-Dad.” You say sarcastically. San ignores you, still trying to wipe the taste from his mouth. “Baby, I promise you it doesn’t taste bad. Daddy is just a wimp.”

When you turn around to seek the singer’s help you find him on the phone and whispering to someone. “Hyung, what do I do? D/n won’t take the medicine. Apparently, Y/n’s been trying for hours and-” He freezes seeing you staring at him-brow raised in judgment.

“Tell me you aren’t on the phone with Seonghwa.”

“I’m not on the phone with Seonghwa......” A moment of silence passes only filled by your child’s whines and cries. “Okay, fine. I’m on the phone with Seonghwa!”

“SAN!”

“WHAT?! IT’S A REASONABLE THING TO DO!”

Mingi:

Mingi was panicking. You left seven hours ago. It took seven hours for everything to fall apart for the idol. While Mingi loved his job, it took away from him spending time with his two year old son. When your parents called, Mingi jumped at the chance to send you away for a weekend. He would get S/n time and you would get extra help planning for your wedding.

This was not going at all how Mingi wanted. It was almost 1 AM and his son was crying loudly with a scalding fever. He rushed around the apartment trying to find the list of emergency numbers you had left him. His son was in resting on his hip secured by the rapper’s arm. “S/n...it’s okay. Shhhh.” He could do this. By calling you he would just be proving that he couldn’t take care of his son by himself and he was totally not going to let that happen.

“Fuck, you’ve got a pair of lungs,” he cursed under his breath when the toddler screamed right in his ear.

Mingi could not stop himself from physically cheering after finding the slip of paper. The smile all but comically fell when he saw that spaghetti sauce from the dinner he had made S/n was staining every inch of the sheet.

Crushing the note in his fist he tossed it into the sink and just hoped it didn’t get stuck down the drain. “Okay, buddy. Time to go on an adventure.” Sitting his still crying child on the couch he grabbed a jacket from the closet and slipped his little arms through it. The toddler sniffled and looked at his father who tilted his head before returning to the closet. Mingi came back with two more coats and started stuffing his son into the puffy jackets.

“That should be enough,” he stated, pulling the hoods over his son’s head and picking him up. The little boy sniffled and cried in his father’s arms all the way to the nearest convenience store. Mingi’s legs were sore from running and he was sure that S/n wasn’t comfortable either.

White fluorescent lights shined all the way through the store’s windows and out onto the street. A happy chime alerted the half-asleep pharmacist behind the counter of the boys’ arrival. “Welcome, how can I help?” the woman greeted.

“I- uh.....my son....uh...” S/n turned around in Mingi’s arms rubbing his tired and tear-filled eyes. It was then he knew.....Mingi could not do this alone. “One second, sorry!” His long fingers pull his phone from his pocket and quickly dial your number.

Your sleepy voice floats through the speaker automatically relieving the tension in his whole body. “Hi, baby, what’s up?”

“Y/n, I’m so sorry- S/n has a fever and I tried everything and there was spaghetti sauce and jackets and- and.......baby...please help.”

You giggled over the phone and asked your boyfriend to take a deep breath. Once he was calm and speaking in full sentences you asked, “Do you want me to come home?”

“NO!” The pharmacist jumped at his volume and S/n almost started crying again. “Baby, just please tell me what to do!”

After agreeing to stay you listed off several medications and tried not to laugh hearing the idol attempt to repeat them to the woman behind the counter. Mingi insisted you stay on the phone with him the whole way back to the apartment.

S/n stopped sniffling and groaning when Mingi took off the boy’s three layers of coats and gave him the medicine. Both boys eventually fell asleep on the couch to you talking to them on speakerphone.

Wooyoung:

Your bodies lay draped over each other on the couch. Wooyoung lay under you, fingers threading through your hair as he watched the random drama that played on the tv. The volume was low so as not to wake your sleeping toddler in the other room, but instead of the show, you listened to your boyfriend’s steady heartbeat.

It was late. Maybe one in the morning? Wooyoung had rehearsals tomorrow, but no way was he going to pass up time alone with you. After you put S/n to bed he immediately dragged you to the couch. “I need my Y/n recharge!” He whined, making you giggle. Now you were so happy listening to his heartbeat, threatening to fall asleep to the calming sound.

“Are you still awake?” He whispered, brushing his cheek over the top of your head. The singer chuckled as the tiniest nod rubbed against his chest. His hands dropped down to your waist hugging you tightly. With his fingers removed from your scalp, you started to come back from the tempting fog of sleep.

Your mother ears picked up on the sound of a door opening and you sat up like a meerkat making the man below you smile. Your superpower was correct and soon tiny feet padded into the living room dragging a teddy bear behind him. Both you and the singer sat up seeing tears on your son’s cheeks.

“Daddy, my tummy hurts,” the two-year-old cried.

Immediately Wooyoung reached up and pulled his shaggy hair away from his face, wrapping it with a tie on his wrist. You smiled watching him switch into full-on dad mode. Picking his son up under the arms, your boyfriend stood up and let S/n’s little limbs wrap around his body. Full dad mode Wooyoung was honestly the hottest thing you had ever seen and it shocked you every time.

“It’s probably just an upset stomach but let’s take his temperature just to be sure.” Wooyoung nodded at your words and comforted your child as you searched for the thermometer.

Coming back with the instrument in hand you grinned at the sight before you. You could only compare the feeling to watching those videos of otters holding hands. The thermometer passed hands and you watched him struggle to get your son to open his mouth.

When he finally succeeded a soft grin floated over his lips as he watched his son. Hearing the click of your phone camera brought him out of his happy trance. “You did not just take a photo of me,” Wooyoung whined, smile betraying the tone of his voice.

“The boys have to know what a soft dad you are!” You joked, wiggling your phone at him.

Wooyoung laughed and maneuvered his son onto his hip. “If I was not holding our son- I would fucking tackle you.”

“WOO- LANGUAGE!”

“Oh my god, he’s two what’s he gonna do?”

Rolling your eyes, you watch your boyfriend tease you and pull the thermometer from S/n’s mouth. Wooyoung tossed the instrument to you before walking over to the kitchen. Thankfully your little boy didn’t have a fever.

The singer set s/n down on the counter and walked over to the fridge. He pulled out a bottle of ginger ale only to be stopped by your hand. “What?” You shook your head and put the soda back in the fridge. “I drank ginger ale all the time for this when I was his age,” Wooyoung stated like he was the smartest man in the world.

“Yeah well, doctor’s everywhere say ‘no’.” It was his turn to roll his eyes as you gave your son a natural fruit pop and water instead. “Show me your MD, babe.” You joked, wrapping your arms around his waist.

“Whatever,” Wooyoung said with a smile, kissing the top of your head before returning his focus to your son.

Jongho:

Jongho was already nasty being away from his daughter for too long. This was the first weekend-long shoot Ateez was doing since D/n was born. You wouldn’t classify Jongho as a ....’clingy’ dad....just one that needed a picture and video check-in of his little girl every two hours or he would have a mini-meltdown.

His shoot was supposed to be two nights and three days. It was only ten o’clock on the second night when your daughter suddenly got a high fever. The little girl wouldn’t stop crying and in the few words she knew, she complained of bad stomach pain and a headache. Your boyfriend would obliterate you if you didn’t update him. Therefore promptly on the hour, you called Jongho despite the crying infant in the next room.

“Hi, Y/n-,” His expert ears immediately picked up on the crying over the phone. “What’s wrong is she okay? Are you okay? Is everyone okay? Why is my baby crying?”

“D/n is sick-”

“Do I need to come home? I’m coming home. I can totally come home.” You heard Yeosang shout a ‘No, he can’t’ from somewhere over the phone.

You sighed-rubbing your temples as a particularly shrill shriek pierced through the thin walls of your apartment. “She has a fever, and a pretty bad stomach ache. I think it’s possibly the flu. It might just be a stomach bug.”

Jongho was getting more worried by the second. He hated hearing his baby girl cry and not be able to do anything about it. They were at least three hours away and that was if he forced a taxi driver to run all the stoplights. “That’s it. Baby, I’m coming home.”

“No, Jongho, honey-” It was too late. He had already hung up.

Jongho walked right off set (thankfully cameras hadn’t been rolling). The singer marched right up to the director with determination in his eyes. Yeosang, having heard the youngest’s conversation immediately told Hongjoong who gathered the Maknae Damage Control Crew. I.e: Yunho and Wooyoung. “I need to leave.” he stated. The director didn’t even look up from his binder, simply waving his hand.

“Yeah- go to the trailer. We aren’t rolling for another ten minutes.”

“No. I need to go. As in I’m done. No more shooting of Choi Jongho.”

This got the older man’s attention. His brows raised at the idol’s sudden defiance. “Sorry, kid. Your contract says I own you for another twenty-eight hours. You aren’t going anywhere.”

He took a shaky breath, obviously suppressing his anger. Yunho uncertainly placed his hand on the younger’s shoulder only for it to be brushed off. “You don’t understand. My daughter is sick. I’m leaving.”

“No.”

“NO?” Jongho was furious. Things escalated from zero to sixty very quickly. Wooyoung and Yunho were now holding back Jongho in hopes of keeping him from throttling the show director. The singer had an almost crazed look in his eye and was shouting about getting home to his D/n and something about breaking his head like an apple.

Finally, Hongjoong stepped in. “Look just let him go home. We can finish the show with seven members. What’s the harm?” Thanks to the leader’s negotiating skills Jongho was soon racing back at light speed. At almost three am he burst through the door of your shared apartment only to be met with silence.

He was very confused. His first thought was: “Oh no. D/n had a deadly contagious virus and both of them died almost instantaneously.” Frantically he pulled his mask back over his face and ran to the nursery. Surprisingly, he found his little girl fast asleep. Her face was calm and her forehead was no warmer to the touch than normal.

Jongho next ventured into the bedroom, finding you passed out face first on his side of the bed. Smiling, he kicked off his shoes and took off his mask. “You had me worried for nothing.” He mumbled, collapsing onto the bed and pulling you into his arms. Not even the movement woke you up from your deep sleep. “Good job, mommy.”

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royalydamned-archive · 3 years ago

Text

5 reasons to stay alive - reason 3

(Sandor Clegane x reader)

Summary: For someone who didn't care what other said about him, Sandor very much hated being painted in the same light as his brother. He swore that after everything, he will be the one to bring him to justice.

Warnings: adult language

|AN|: intimate hugs > kissing, also sorry for the delay, I had the most stressful 2 weeks ever, but I'm back on my bullshit.

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

He was drowning -- no. He was still lying on the ground, but the breathing was too difficult, sounds far too quiet and distant just as if he had fallen into a river, taken hostage by the water with only possible escape to the afterlife. If there even was one.

Sirens wailed somewhere, loud and yet so quiet at the same time, his name called over and over again, once like a plead, other times like a command. His body moved, lifted from the ground, someone's hands all around him, blue and red light flashing through his lids and he tried to open his eyes, silhouettes and blurred shapes only things visible.

"Clegane," someone said firmly and Sandor's gaze focused for a few moments on a familiar face before he involuntary slipped away once again, balancing on the line of consciousness.

"Hold on."

A groan escaped his throat, something inside him hurting at the force he was moved. Everything was like a dream, yet like a memory. A place he had visited before, sensations all too familiar, something he wanted to forget, something he did forget ages ago. But the shadow had followed him every day, murming words of vengeance into his ears.

He could hear them. Their whispers, their slander, the judging glares and suspicious looks.

Sandor was used to it all. Wherever he went, rumors appeared, speculations trying to figure out his evil intentions. The Hound -- a monster of his own brother's creation, the spy amongst the police, only waiting for a crucial information to bring back to his rotten family. Nothing but a mere pawn in the game of the law and one of the most wanted criminals.

He didn't need them to like him. He didn't need them to trust him. All he wanted was to see his brother brought to justice, to suffer for what he had done. Sandor wanted the cunt dead for what he did to their sister.

"You're twitching again," you remarked, placing a bottle of beer in front of him before kneeling by his side.

"Huh?"

"You're angry." He rolled his eyes, taking a long swing from the bottle, the bloody knuckles of his hands stretching uncomfortably. "You know you're allowed to do that, right?"

"Yeah, no shit," he snapped, regretting his tone instantly as his shoulders slumped with a groan. "We almost had him."

You bit your lip, looking at your friend in symphaty as the trouble spread all over his face, nudging you to comfort him, to help in any way you could.

Hesitantly, you placed a hand on his shoulder and he tensed visibly at the touch, the gesture seemed to throw him off more than to calm him down. "It's not your fault."

"Everybody else disagrees," Sandor bit back the urge to hit something again, his knuckles already bruised and cracked open, blood staining your furniture on certain places, and you just hadn't said anything about it. "What a fuckin' coincidence Gregor got away when I had him. What're the fuckin' chances, huh? They all think I let 'im go."

"Do they still think you work for him?"

"Some," he answered simply, putting down the glass bottle a little too harshly back on the table, and you flinched at the loud sound.

"I'm sorry Sandor, you don't deserve this." The man scoffed, not musing you with whatever thoughts he had on the matter.

You knew that silently he suffered, bearing the knowledge that people see him the same man as his brother, the same cruel person he's not. He hated how they thought he was the same while he despised everything associated to the name Gregor Clegane.

"Here, let me help." You took his bloody hand into yours, tiny white pieces of plaster and dust covering the dark red underneath. The markings of his rage, of the frustration. Sandor looked at you, a sign of defiance in his deep gaze, but he let you run across the wound with your gentle touch. "There are other ways to let your anger out than punching walls."

"Hm," he grumbled, eyes focused on your fingers tickling his skin.

Picking up a bandage, you covered it in desinfection pressing it onto his bruised knuckles. He didn't flinch, intensely watching you work in heavy silence, too aware of how close you were to him at the moment.

There were times when he wanted to grab you, pull you as close as possible to him and show how badly he wanted you, show you the desire that burned inside him, as rough and wild as he was perceived. Other times he just wanted to hold you, feel the warmth of you, just anywhere near. He needed you, but he couldn't scare you away.

"For someone this quiet your head is really loud."

"The fuck's that s'ppoused to mean?" You threw the dirty bandage on the floor and met his eyes. He did remind you of a dog in a way, his glance sad, almost hurt just like Stranger's when you first found him.

"I know what you're thinking about."

"You do?" Sandor asked, worry lingering in his voice that he tried to hide. He didn't want to see your disgust as you reveal you had noticed his desire, how he would see you leave and regret every single second he had allowed himself to admit how much he needed you with him.

"Yes. Your only focus has been getting Gregor to prison and yet so many think you help him get away every time. Wheter you admit it or not, it upsets you."

"I don't care what those cunts think." Lie. You were right. He hated it. He hated how they thought they were alike. The same person in a different font.

"Then why do you so desperately try to be his opposite in any way you can?"

Sandor scoffed: "Stupid."

"You want to prove it to all those you say you don't care about, the thought alone of being associated with your brother angers you--"

"You don't know shit!" he spat, yanking his hand away from your grasp, knocking the beer bottle on the floor with the abrupt action. You froze, a small gasp escaping past your lips, more in surprise that fear, yet Sandor saw the dread that flashed through your eyes for a single moment. "Fuck," the man cursed under his breath, catching your hand as you reached to start picking up the shattered glass.

Your fingers trembled, heart pounding wildly. He wouldn't hurt you, you were safe, still, there was something in the back of your head that screamed in alarm at his outburst.

"You're scared of me," he said, regret flooding his dark eyes. His grip on you was gentle, yet firm, big rough hand squeezing yours. A pang of guilt shot through your heart. You weren't scared, but the reflex of self preservation was more powerful that you, more powerful than the trust you had in him.

"I get scared every time someone so big screams at me," you answered half-joking, the situation still as tense even after your attempt to easy it. When his expression didn't change, you smiled, covering his big hand with your own palm. It was alright, the two of you were still you.

"Sorry." Sandor watched you silently, his focus on your hands where you touched, neither of you moving to let go. You seemed frozen in place, and he hated himself. Just a terrifying monster everyone saw, and they seemed to be right. Maybe there was more Gregor in him than he would admit, just waiting to hurt those around him, begging to see them suffer. His brother loved to see the pain, the fear; Sandor resented it. He hated it even more if it was in your eyes.

You reached out, touching the right side of his face, caresing the hard scarred skin with your thumb and something inside him twisted in the strangest way. He almost closed his eyes under the kind touch, needing more, wanting you closer -- selfishly thinking about his desires in a time like this.

"You're right," he admitted finally, the simple sentence comfirming your words and assumptions. Sandor wasn't a man of words, but he needed to tell you the truth. You were the only one who deserved it. "I hate him. I hate havin' the same name as him, I hate lookin' into the mirror and not only seein' what he did, but parts of him in me too. I want to see him suffer not only for what he did to me, for what he did to others, but what he could do soon walkin' free."

"Like what?"

"Every day that fucker isn't locked up he can just hurt you too." The answer took you by surprise, and himself too, he never expected to say those words out loud. They almost felt like a direct confession. Even if you didn't exactly know what he meant, now there was no denying he cared about you and your safety.

Without a word, you embraced him, pulling him tightly to your body, the warmth of it all around him. Overwhelming. You had hugged him before, briefly and shortly, but this was different. With your arms around his neck and face almost buried in his hair, your form pressed against his middle. For a while he couldn't move, too many things swirling in his mind, but quickly he found himself, carefully wrapping his arms around you, feeling you and trying to remember as much of the moment as he could.

He had to protect you.

In the back of his mind, the words kept replaying themselves over and over again, as a reminder of his promise, of his goal. How could he keep you safe, how could he finish what he started years ago if he gave up?

<- reason 2 reason 4 ->

Tags: @yaskna @rainyvincent

#sandor clegane x reader #the hound x reader #game of thrones fanfiction

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songbirdsingingthings · 4 years ago

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Navy Velvet - Shouto Todoroki x Reader

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters, they belong to Kohei Horikoshi

MHA Masterlist - Main Masterlist

A/N: Hi guys - I’m back! So, fun fact, yesterday was my birthday so I decided to write this little number. Have to admit, it’s very fluffy and self serving because GOD DAMMIT I LOVE FLUFFY SHOUTO so this was my birthday present to myself. I hope all of you have been happy and healthy, and I’m so excited to be back!

Warnings: None!

Word Count: 1.1K

You’re already swimming in a lake of tissue and wrapping paper when Shouto hands you a little box, wrapped with shimmering paper.

“Shouto, another one?” You ask, a slight tease to your tone to go along with the surprise you felt. The red-and-white haired boy gave a tiny shrug as his face blushed.

“Is… is that okay? I thought boyfriends are supposed to get their girlfriends a present on their birthday.” His voice is soft like velvet as the little present sits in his hands. Yeah, a present. Looking around you, you spot all of the little trinkets that Shouto had bought for you for today. A really nice water bottle - and a really expensive one - that you had been eyeing was sitting at your side as well as a pair of brand new running shoes were sitting in their opened box. On the coffee table were a box of dusty pink roses, a polar bear stuffed animal, the newest book in the series that you adore that hasn’t even been officially published, and a bag of your favorite candy. Shouto watches as you glance around at all of the things he had bought you and he sucked in a breath. “Do you not like them? I’m really sorry, I should’ve known - we’ve been dating for almost a year now. I saved the receipts just in case, so-”

“No, I love them!” You exclaim, clasping your hands around his. His widened eyes returned to their normal state as you reassured him. “I just didn’t expect this many, that’s all.” You said with a laugh, plucking the little gift from his hand.

“I guess I got a little carried away. When I went to the store I was going for just one thing, but all of this stuff reminded me of you so…” You flash him a grin as you begin to peel back the wrapping paper very carefully. As soon as the material of the box is revealed, your eyes widened and your breath got stuck in your throat. It’s a navy velvet box, which means only one thing. Jewelry.

“Sho…” you breathe, cautiously removing the rest of the paper. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Shouto fidgeting a bit, readjusting his legs and playing with his fingers. If he’s this nervous, then what on earth could it be? Then, your mind goes to a little bit of an unreasonable place. “Please don’t tell me this is a ring.” You say quickly, your voice frantic. Shouto’s eyes mimic an owl’s now, an even redder blush now dancing across his cheeks.

“N-no! No, it’s not an, um… engagement ring.” Shouto his voice quiet, saying the last two words quite swiftly. With a deep breath, you raise a hand to cover your heart in relief.

“Okay, that’s good.” You meet Shouto’s eyes again to see relief in his as well, but there was an underlying twinge of sadness. “It’s, it’s not like I don’t want to marry you or anything!” You exclaim, reaching for his hands. “It’s just that we’re still in high school, and I thought that it’s a bit early for that, you know?” Shouto’s mouth curves into a smile as he nods. You give him a nod in return as you turn your attention back to the navy, velvet box. Slowly, very slowly, you open it. It was beautiful. Resting in the plush cushion of the little box was a dainty little necklace. The chain was definitely gold, but it was so light to the touch that you felt like if you held it, it would fall apart in your hand. The star of the show, though, was what the chain held. It was shaped like a small teardrop, and the gem was sparkling back in such a dazzling way that it took your breath away. With the gentlest of touches, you let your right index finger glaze over the gem.

“Do you like it?” You don’t even realize you have tears welled in your eyes before you look up to see Shouto’s gaze set intently on you. Your smile widens as you look in between the necklace and your boyfriend.

“Shouto, I love it. But I can’t possibly accept, it must’ve cost-”

“Love, it’s for you.” Shouto says earnestly. “I really want you to have it.” Your heart sings at his words, but you shake your head.

“I-”

“Please.” With one word, your former wishes of not accepting the beautiful necklace cease to exist. Very rarely does Shouto wish for one thing or another from you. He was always there for you, more or less at your beck and call to fulfill your grandest desires and wishes. If he really wanted you to have it and was practically begging at this point, who were you to deny him from such a request? With a smile spread across your face, you take out the necklace and let it lay in the palm of your hand.

“It’s just gorgeous Sho,” you say, your attention transfixed as you stare at the little teardrop-shaped diamond. Then, a little thought crosses your mind. “Put it on for me?” You ask, extending your palm so that it’s in front of him. The red-and-white haired boy nodded and plucked the chain from your hand, watching as you turn your back to him. His breath hitches as you sweep your hair away from your neck. You feel his breath on the nape of your neck, sending little shivers down your spine as Shouto drapes the front of the necklace in front of you. You feel his fingers brush against your neck as he fiddles with the clasp, finally smoothing it out and letting his hands fall back to his side, not before pressing a soft kiss to the back of your head. You reach your hand to touch the necklace and turn around to face him again.

“Happy Birthday, Y/N.” He says with a smile, lifting your chin with his fingers. With doe-like eyes, Shouto makes you melt into his touch as he brings your face closer to his. You let your eyelids flutter closed as you felt his lips on yours; soft, warm, comforting. He kisses you tenderly, letting his fingers trail up from your chin so that his hand can cup your cheek. The two of you eventually have to pull apart, but you let your forehead lean against his.

“I love you.” You say, your innermost feelings pouring themselves into your words.

“And I love you.”

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softpromise · 3 years ago

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Zelinktine's Month Day 8 - Staying In

Welcome to Zelinktine's Month Day 8! I got to collab with one of my favorite creators and people, @binkus-and-smelda. We had a lot of fun planning this one out and deciding on music, and I'm so glad to finally get to share it with everyone!! Check out Bink's incredible artwork here!!

WC: 1342

Read on ao3 or below the cut :)

Zelda was beyond excited. She’d cooked a whole dinner for them following a recipe from her great grandmother, something she thought he’d really like. She’d picked out a wine that should pair perfectly, something she thought she’d really like. And she bought a whole chocolate cake from a local bakery, something she knew they both really liked. Staring at the table, she nearly giggled to herself.

There was a red tablecloth, and heart-shaped plates she ordered online, and heart-shaped confetti in a vase in the middle of the table. And red and pink candles, and red cushions on the chairs, and romantic music playing, and… and gods, he was going to lose it when he saw this.

She knew he would’ve been happy to take her out to a fancy restaurant after a night of dancing; buy an expensive bottle of wine, bring her a huge bouquet of flowers, a big pink fluffy stuffed bear with a heart that said ‘I love you’ (even though neither of them had said the same yet). But… well, she was more comfortable spending it at home. Then she could prepare everything how she wanted, and she could feel comfortable, and they wouldn’t have to dress up. And… and she wouldn’t have to worry about her family finding out.

Because of who her father was, there was little Zelda could do in public without word getting back to her family, whether by acquaintances or tabloids. And if she were to show up someplace with a man? Oh, the scandal of it! Who was he? What was his name? What did he do for work? Did he come from money? She got overwhelmed just thinking about it. No; for now, this was just for them.

Like it had been for the last year.

But Link didn’t really complain about it. He’d only mentioned it the one time, and her explanation had seemed to sate him, so… Their first Valentine’s Day would be spent at her apartment. And she couldn’t wait to see the look on his face.

Link was… apprehensive. He’d bought her flowers and chocolates, ones he knew she liked. He’d brought some of his favorite movies, ones he knew he liked. And he was planning on saying three words that… well, that he was hoping they’d both like equally. Staring at her door, he nearly threw up.

She let him in and everything was pink and red and cheesy, including her grinning cheeks, which he promptly kissed (only after the door was closed). She’d put her hair up, showing off a delicate gold chain necklace he had bought for her birthday, and she looked prettier than ever, somehow. Maybe it was the soft candlelit ambiance.

They ate a delicious dinner she’d made, one of her great grandmother’s recipes (whom he hadn’t met). They drank the wine that only amplified and accentuated the delicious flavors from dinner (that was entirely private). They had chocolate cake from a local bakery (that he would’ve loved to take her to himself). And it was great, but somehow bland.

After dinner, they sat on the couch in front of her TV and watched a movie. It was corny and romantic, some old rom com he’d told her about, and she liked it just as much as he thought she would. And it was great, but somehow lacking.

After the movie, they went to her room to do what had made them fall for each other in the first place: listen to music. Zelda had a vintage record player and a vast selection of vinyl, some old and some new. That was how he’d met her, in fact; bopping her head to some niche death metal in a tiny old record store, not a care in the world. And with time, he’d learned that when she was listening to music was maybe the only time she was so carefree. She could be stressed about work, or her parents, or whatever was on the news, but all of that would melt away as soon as she put a record on.

As always, they brought some pillows down to the floor and laid right in front of the speakers, listening to one of their favorite albums. He’d always liked metal before, but something about the way she liked it made him love it. And it was great, but… it was almost enough to make him forget about what he’d come here to say.

“Hey, Zelda?” he said nervously, turning over to face her once they’d finished the first side of the record she’d put on.

“Hm?” She rolled onto her side to look at him, too. And her eyes were so beautiful and happy and, as always, laying like this made him think about waking up with her this way. Which made him think about living with her.

“When do you think we’ll… y’know…” he started, not at all saying what he’d wanted to say.

She blinked at him, then her face lit up and she laughed. “I mean, we can now if you want to. Do you want me to put on another record first, or…?”

“No, no, not that,” he said, his face turning red. “I meant, um… telling your family.”

Her face fell instantly. “Link, you know how I feel about that and why I want to wait.”

“I know, I know, I just…” He sighed, turning onto his back again. “I just want to be able to call you mine. In front of people, you know?”

She was quiet for a minute. “Is that a deal breaker for you?”

“Zelda…”

“Is it?”

It was his turn to be quiet.

“What if it was?”

She was quiet again, and he started to regret having said anything. Nervously, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She was staring at him, and her eyes were hard. They were hurt. But… but so was he.

“I should go,” he said quietly, then got up and pulled his shoes on and left. And she didn’t make any moves to stop him.

There were a million and one things she’d wanted to say when he got up to leave, and for some reason, she couldn’t force herself to say any of them. After a few minutes lying on her floor still, blanketed by silence and disappointment, she pulled out her phone. She needed to talk to someone, and for some reason, her mother was the first person that came to mind.

When Zelda called him, sobbing, he had no choice. Of course he’d go to console her, and they could talk about it, and… and he’d already decided it wasn’t a deal breaker to him. That he could stand to wait longer, for her.

He stood in front of her door, wanting to throw up for an entirely different reason than the last time. She’d just said she wanted to talk, which was one of the most terrifying things anyone can ever say to a person. Sure, he’d decided he was fine with it, but what if she was getting cold feet? What if she changed her mind?

When she opened the door, he could tell immediately by her face that she had changed her mind. Well, both her face, and the room full of people behind her, chattering away. The people that he vaguely recognized from family photos in her apartment or on her social media.

“Hi,” she said, giving him an apologetic smile.

“Hey,” he said, his grin unavoidable as he glanced past her at the full house. “So?”

“I changed my mind.”

“Oh, yeah?” He said, grinning even broader.

“Oh, yeah.” She took a step forward, and he pulled her into his arms.

“You didn’t have to,” he said into her hair.

“Of course I had to, Link. I love you. And I can’t be afraid of that anymore.”

“Oh, gods, Zelda,” he breathed. “I love you, too.”

“Hey, lovebirds,” her father called from the living room. “Are you going to come in and drink with us, or what?”

#zelinktines month #zelinktines 2022 #zelink #staying in #mine #softie writes

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viking-raider · 4 years ago

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Southern Generation - Part VI

Summary: Sy officially moves in with Lily and they go on a road trip to make amends.

Pairing: Austin Syverson/OFC (Lily)

Word Count: 11,965

Warning: PG-13 - Language, Fluff, Angst, Smut, Oral - F Receiving, Drama, Pregnancy Cravings

Inspiration: Syverson is OP

Author's Note: Thanks to the wonderful @wondersofdreaming

Author's Note 2: Make sure to follow and turn on the notifications for my Tag List blog @viking-raider-taglist to stay up to date on this and all my other stories!

“That's the last of them.” Sy smiled, setting the last box of his stuff down.

With Lily pregnant and them making their relationship official, Sy moved all of his stuff from his Austin apartment into the farmhouse with Lily.

“Well, officially.” Lily replied, resting her hands on her hips and looking up at him. “Welcome home.” She smiled, giddy and proud.

“Thanks, Darling.” He grinned back, cupping her face and kissed her.

Lily smiled, as she woke up from her nap, feeling the warm and heavy weight of Sy's body in bed with her, his head in its customary place, on her chest. She usually woke up from her naps with Sy, whether or not he was with her, when she fell asleep or not. Sighing and moaning softly, she lifted her hand to twist the short, curling ends of his hair between her fingertips.

“Hm.” Sy hummed softly, rubbing his scruffy face against her chest and hugging his arms tighter around her middle, thumb stroking her tummy.

“I'm surprised at you.” Lily whispered, still playing with his hair.

“Why?” Sy moaned back, turning his head to look up at her.

“When I first met you, I half wondered what your hair would look like if you let it grow out.” She explained, running her fingers through it.

“Oh?” He chuckled, smirking at her.

“Yeah.” She blushed at him. “But, I just didn't expect the Bear, Austin Syverson, would have curls.” She grinned at him, twisting the ends of his hair between her fingers, she loved his developing curls.

“My hair hasn't been this long in ten years.” Sy laughed, blushing and biting his lip. “I've been thinking about cutting it again.”

“I will end you, Wyatt.” Lily threatened, touching the tip of her finger to his nose.

“Oh, busting out the middle name and everything.” He smirked, taking a playful snap at the tip of her finger. “Lily?” He whispered, biting the inside of his lip as he stared into her eyes.

“What?” She replied, tilting her head at him.

“Have you thought about going back?” Sy murmured, brow creasing. “Back to Middleburg, to see your grandparents. Jak isn't a threat anymore. I'm sure they would love to see you and I'd bet my life, you want to see them again. Especially now, with the baby on the way.”

Lily pressed her lips together, resting her hands on Sy's shoulders. “It would be nice to see them again.” She answered, after a long pause.

“But?” He pressed, sensing it coming next.

“What if they don't want to see me?” She asked, searching his eyes for comfort, and found it. “What if they don't want me in their life anymore?”

Sy took a deep breath, sitting up as he did, and brought Lily up with him. “Then, that's their loss.” He told her, folding her up in his arms and pressing his lips to her forehead. “If they don't want you in their life, then they are missing out on knowing one of the most amazing gals, who can light up a room, simply by walking into it.”

“You're just buttering me up, Austin.” Lily mumbled into his neck.

“Woman, have I ever lied to you?” Sy grinned into her hair.

“No.” She chuckled, blushing shyly.

“I don't intend to now, Angel.” He whispered, kissing her temple. “But, you won't know their reaction, unless you go and see them.” He added, softer.

“I know.” She whispered back, leaning against his chest. “You're right. I owe it to them and myself.”

“Whatever choice you make, I'll support you, every step of the way.” Sy told her, gently tipping her head back and tenderly kissed her.

“I think I want to go see them.” Lily said, later that night, while she and Sy sat at the dinner table.

Sy looked up from his plate of spaghetti and garlic bread, slowly lowering his fork. “All right.” He nodded, straightening his back and giving her his full attention. “When do you wanna go?”

“The sooner, the better, I think.” She mumbled, shifting in her seat, her own dinner mostly untouched.

Sy nodded his head again, quietly regarding Lily from across the table. He could see the worried and fearful anxiety on her face, still mulling over every worst case scenario about seeing her grandparents again, he could almost see every one of them tick by her eyes. Afraid that her grandparents would disown her, the moment they laid eyes on her. Blaming her for what transpired with Jak. Afraid of what their reaction would be, when she showed up at their door, after five years of silence, pregnant with the baby of man they had never heard of or met before, especially since they were incredibly religious.

He reached across the table, just in time to catch the tear that escaped and started to slip down her cheek, then rested his hand over hers. “No matter what happens, Lily. You still have me.” He told her, lovingly.

“You still have us.”

Lily grasped Sy's hand and tried to smile at him and not cry at the same time, which was hard with the way her hormones were starting to really get out of control. “I know.” She choked back.

“Let me finish painting the rest of the house and go to your twelve week baby appointment on Friday, then we'll pack a bag and ourselves into the car and drive out there.” He told her, making a game plan, so her frazzled and tired mind could relax.

“It's only a twenty-ish hour drive.”

“I think, that's a good idea.” Lily nodded, chewing on her lip, taking deep breaths.

Sy smiled and squeezed her hand. “Good.” He chuckled and let her hand go, before picking his fork back up and dug into his spaghetti.

Sy double checked his large, Army issued duffel bag, making sure he and Lily had enough clothing, he had her zofran, nausea medicine, and prenatal vitamin, along with everything else he, Lily and Aika would need for the almost nineteen hour drive from Celina to Middleburg, Virginia, having already put her pregnancy pillow in the car, before tugging the bag closed, slung it over his shoulder and went downstairs.

“Billie promised to keep an eye on the place and pick up the mail for us.” Lily said, meeting him in the entryway hall.

“Great.” He smiled. “Well, I got all our stuff packed.” He said, jostling the duffel bag.

“I already packed some snacks in the truck too.”

“Then, we're all set!”

“No, I have to pee, one more time.” Lily giggled, and rushed into the half bath.

Sy laughed, shaking his head and took the duffel bag out to the truck, dropping it in the back seat with Aika. “All set?” He asked as Lily came out of the house.

“I am now!” She nodded, crossing the yard to the truck and got into the passenger seat.

“Did you lock up?” He asked, getting in with her.

“Yep.”

“You good, Aika?” Sy asked, looking to the German Shepherd, who let out a loud bark. “All right, let's get this road trip underway!” He pulled up Google Maps on his phone and entered the address to Lily's grandparents' place, then set the device on its dock and started the truck.

Sy and Lily laughed, as they sang along to a song that came on Sy's playlist that they both liked, Enemies by Shinedown. But, Sy turned the song down, when Lily suddenly stopped singing and quickly identified the look she got just before she threw up. Quickly popping open the center console, Sy reached inside of it and pulled out a circular, blue and white object and opened it, holding it out to her. Lily took it from him, without question and threw up in it, once or twice.

“Where did you get this?” She asked, looking at it, realizing it was a hospital-grade nausea bag. “Did you rob a hospital?” She chuckled, looking over at him.

“No.” He laughed back at her. “I bought them off Amazon. I wasn't sure if you got car sick on long rides or not. But, I was sure the baby would make you nauseous, at least, once on the drive. So, I wanted to be prepared and make you as comfortable as possible in the process.”

Lily tied the used bag closed, then opened the center console and found another twenty-plus of the blue emesis bags inside. She smiled up at him, shaking her head in disbelief of his utter and complete thoughtful and preparedness.

“You never cease to amaze me, Austin.” She said, sitting back up. “You see how amazing your Daddy is.” Lily grinned, looking at her belly, and making Sy blush.

“Well, I gotta take care of ya, don't I?” He smirked, resting his hand on her thigh.

“Yeah, I suppose.” She sighed, smirking back at him.

“There's some Listerine strips in the center console, by the way.” Sy added, after a few quiet moments.

“I'm sorry, am I offending you?” Lily giggled, opening the console again and fished around for them, before finding the small blue case.

“No, no.” He grinned, chuckling. “Just figured you'd want to get the taste out of your mouth.” He explained, finally getting them on the interstate highway.

“Did you pack my nausea meds?” Lily asked, feeling another wave wash over her.

“Yeah. It's in our bag.” Sy nodded, brow creasing, as he tried to figure out what stupid shenanigans the car in front of them was up too.

Lily twisted in her seat and pulled the worn green bag between the front seats, tugging it open and riffled through it, until she found the little prescription bottle of tiny, white oval tablets, then turned back around. She removed one of the pills and cracked open one of the two bottles of Voss water in the cup holders and downed the pill.

“Why don't you rest?” Sy suggested, reaching behind her seat for her pregnancy pillow. “It's just going to be annoying highway stuff for a while.” He said, giving her the pillow.

“I don't want you to get lonely.” Lily protested, maneuvering and situating the U-shaped pillow into a comfortable position.

Sy smiled over at her. “I'll be fine, Angel.” He assured her. “If I get lonely, I'll talk to Aika and we'll play the quiet game.” He chuckled, looking at the dog from the rear view mirror. “I'll wake you up around one, and we'll find some little place to have lunch.”

“If you're sure.” Lily yawned, she was usually already in the middle of a nap by now.

“Positive, Sweetness.” He nodded, turning the heat on a bit to make sure she was kept warm.

Lily contorted her body in her seat, drawing up her legs and propping her head and the curve of her pillow against the window, wrapping her arms around it and hugging it against her body, before dozing off to sleep. Sy reached out and rested his hand on her leg, gently massaging it as he kept his eyes on the road, just listening to the hum of the tires on the worn asphalt of Interstate Forty fill the silent cabin of the truck; Aika curled up on the backseat. The quiet boredom of the road allowed the devil to whisper into Sy's ear.

He wasn't sure what to do, if Lily's grandparents, the people that raised her, rejected her, and not only her, but their great grand-baby, his child. He knew he had to be strong for Lily, it would crush her, if they wanted nothing to do with her and the baby, but Sy wasn't so sure he would be able to keep himself under control. He had a feeling he would end up giving the couple a very big piece of his mind, before bringing Lily back home to Celina.

“It'll be fine.” He said aloud, glancing over at Lily. “It'll be all right.” He assured her sleeping form, leaning over just enough to lay his hand on her belly.

Sy found a turn off into Memphis just before one in the afternoon, parking at a small riverfront park in downtown Memphis, giving Lily a quiet place to wake up and all three of them a place to stretch their legs, and Aika a place to pee.

“Hey.” Sy called, softly, shutting off the car and leaning across the console. “Lily. Wake up, baby.” He cooed at her, brushing his knuckles against her cheek and tucking her hair behind her ear, kissing the corner of her mouth. “Hey, sweet pea.” He grinned, watching her eyes slowly flutter open, blinking at the bright sunlight glittering off the murky river water.

“Where are we?” She asked in a sleepy voice, rubbing her cheek against the microfiber cover of her pillow.

“The home of the King, Memphis Tennessee.” Sy chuckled, teasingly, and kissed her again. “So, love me tender.”

“I'm all shook up.” Lily chuckled, unfolding herself and sitting up in her seat.

“Well, it's now or never, baby doll.” Sy roared, his head going back.

“Oh, don't be cruel.”

“But, I can't help fallin' in love.” He chimed back.

“What now, my love?” Lily asked, smirking at him.

“I knew there was a reason I loved you.” Sy commented, finding more and more of them every day. “But, I thought we'd get some fresh air and stretch our legs, I'm sure Aika has to pee. Then, we'll find some lunch.”

“I like that idea.” Lily nodded, pushing her pillow into the back seat, then climbed out of the truck, taking the used nausea bag with her to throw away, while Sy put Aika on her leash.

Sy took Lily by the hand and strolled down the little sidewalk along the riverside, watching the various types of boats go by them on the water. The weather was nice and warm with pleasant enough humidity, a few clouds floating in the baby blue sky.

“Are you craving anything specific?” Sy asked as they patiently waited for Aika to do her business in the grass beside them.

“Hmm.” Lily hummed, pressing her lips together and considering if there was something specific she wanted for lunch; she hadn't had any definitive cravings yet, other than the three days she really needed to eat Mac and Cheese.

But, something specific did strike Lily.

“A pretzel.” She purred, already licking her lips at the thought of the salty baked good.

Sy chuckled at her, amused at the expression on her face, eyes closed and dreamy. “All right. I'll get you a pretzel then.”

It was like a ding went off in Lily's soul. “I want a lot of Pretzels.” She said, eyes popping open and looked up Sy, almost manic and desperate.

“Okay.” He replied, brows raised and blinking at her. “I'll get you a pretzel for lunch, then some to munch on.”

“Yeah.” Lily nodded, staring down at their feet, eyes wide. “Pretzels are good.”

“That they are.” Sy agreed, snickering, unable to keep back his amusement.

Lily's eyes snapped up at him, watching him laugh at her, his eyes practically teasing and making fun of her. “Shut up.” She snapped, but started to laugh back at him. “I can't help it.”

“I know you can't.” He nodded, trying to stop, but it only made him laugh harder. “That's what makes it even better.”

“I hate you.” Lily giggled, playful punching him in the arm. “Now, I want my pretzel, Captain.”

“Yes, Major!” Sy replied, saluting her, then quickly cleaned up after Aika and took them back to the truck. “I just need to find a place to get you one.” He sighed, taking his phone off its dock and googled where to get a pretzel in Memphis, Tennessee.

“Okay, there's an Auntie Anne's not that far from us that does pretzels.” He said, saving the directions and setting them in that direction.

Leaving Aika in the car, Lily and Sy went into the shopping center the Auntie Anne's was in, navigating the crowd and line to the counter. Lily chewed on her lip for a moment, torn between getting a regular pretzel or the pretzel bites, before finally deciding on the bites with the nacho cheese dip. With her food, they navigated their way around again and Sy got himself something from the Wendy's the center had as well, before going back out to the truck to eat there; Lily stealing a couple of Sy's french fries and sharing a couple of her pretzel bites.

Once their lunch was finished and they tossed their empty containers away, Sy made a quick run into the Mega Wal-Mart across the street from the shopping center to buy a big bag of mini pretzels and a case of Voss water for Lily, knowing she was going to get very thirsting from devouring them.

“Thank you.” Lily said, when Sy gave her the bag as he got in the car, her eyes glued on the bag.

“Just don't turn into one.” He teased her, chuckling. “All right, let's get back on the road.”

“I don't want you driving all night, Austin.” Lily mumbled around a mouthful of pretzel.

“I know and I won't.” He replied, reaching a hand into the bag. “I'll go until sun down, then we'll find a place to sleep for the night.” He said, then crammed the four or five pretzels into his mouth.

“Good.” Lily smiled, passing back a pretzel to Aika, who quickly devoured it and came back for more.

Reaching Blacksburg, Virginia just after dark, Sy found a drive-thru to order them dinner and a motel for the night, parking out front of the motel's office. Sighing, he rested back in the driver's seat, scrubbing his palms over his tired face and lulled his head to the side to look over at Lily, who had fallen asleep again, twisted around her pillow and her half eaten bag of pretzels clutched to her chest. They were three hours away from her grandparents' orchard, three hours from finding out whether or not they would be in Lily and the baby's life.

“Watch her, girl.” Sy said to Aika, before slipping out of the truck, locking the doors for extra measure, and going inside the office to get a room.

Once he had the room, Sy got back into the truck and parked as close to the room as he could, before going around and opening Lily's door, careful not to let her slip out. Then, gently took the pretzel bag from her and set it aside, unbuckled her seat belt and tried to figure out for a moment how to untangle the mess of limbs and pregnancy pillow, but quickly gave up with an amused chuckle. He just picked up both her and the pillow to carry her into their room and laid her down on the bed, tugging the turned down blankets over her, then went out to get their bag, dinner and Aika.

“Hey, Angel.” Sy smiled, closing the room door with his foot as Lily sat up, rubbing at her face and pushing her hair out of her face. “I got us some food.” He said, holding up the bag.

“You hungry?”

Lily nodded, still sleepy. “Where are we now?” She asked, sitting cross legged on the bed, beside Sy as they ate their food.

“Blacksburg.” He replied, shoving fries in his mouth. “About three hours away from your grandparents' place.”

Lily bit her lip and nodded her head, staring at the half eaten, plain chicken sandwich in her hand, suddenly losing her appetite and set it down. “I'm gonna take a shower, I'm sore.” She mumbled, getting off the bed and headed into the tiny bathroom.

Turning on the light and closing the door, Lily let out a heavy breath and tugged her tank top off over her head, followed by her elephant patterned leggings and underwear, before turning towards the shower, the walls were dingy and discolored, but clean. Spinning the hot and cold taps, then stepping under the shoddy shower-head, she leaned her forehead against the cracked acrylic wall, letting the pleasantly warm water cascade down her back, like a waterfall, with a soft moan. She was starting to have second thoughts about going to see her grandparents. She wondered how upset or disappointed Sy would be, if she told him she wanted to go back home to Celina in the morning, instead of going the three hours to Middleburg to see them.

She wondered how disappointed in herself she would be later on, if she chickened out this close to their destination.

The bathroom door opened and closed, followed by the rustle of clothing, before Sy stepped into the shower behind Lily, resting one hand on her hip and brought the other one around to cup the gentle slope of Lily's belly, pressing his lips to the base of her neck. Gulping down a thicket of emotions in her throat, Lily turned in Sy's arms and pressed herself against his chest, nuzzling her face into his neck. He smiled against her wet hair, gently kneading her hips and lower back, knowing after so many hours in the car and the way she contorted her body to sleep, she must have been in pain.

“Let me take care of you.” He whispered, kissing her forehead.

Sy picked up the little bottle of travel sized, hotel shampoo, broke the seal on it and poured it into his broad palm, then gently massaged it into her hair, stealthily wiping away a line of soap that dripped down her forehead and almost in her eye. Lily closed her eyes, softly moaning at the gentle and pleasurable pressure of Sy's strong and blunt fingers working the scentless shampoo into her scalp, his thumbs moving out to methodically rub her temples, easing the edge off of the tension migraine she had all day. Sy tipped her head back into the spray of the shower, combing his fingers through her wet and soapy strands to rinse out the shampoo. With her hair washed, he found a small wash cloth and bar of soap, and started to wash her body, beginning with her shoulders and applying a little bit of pressure as he did to massage the cramped muscles there.

“God, that feels so good.” Lily sighed, melting under his tender affection, a smile twitching on her face as he rubbed the cloth over the ticklish spots of her sides.

Sy smiled, kissing the bridge of her nose. “Anything for you, Angel.” He cooed back, paying special attention to the beautifully growing bulge of her belly.

“Thank you.” She whispered, relaxed and sleepy, after they got out of the shower, letting Sy dry her off and secure the towel around her body.

“You're welcome, Sweetheart.” He replied, kissing her cheek.

Lily went back into the room and opened their duffel bag, just pulling out the first article of clothing that her hand came in contact with, which was Sy's worn, Jack Daniels, Tennessee Whiskey t-shirt and let the towel slip off her and pulled on his shirt. Sy stood in the bathroom doorway, still naked and dripping from the shower and smiled at her, loving how the black garment hung on her like a dress, her shoulder length hair dripping and making it wet as she brushed it.

He had never seen anyone so beautiful in his life.

Moving over to the full sized bed, Sy situated her pregnancy pillow, then turned towards Lily. “Lay down, Angel.” He cooed at her.

Frowning at him for a moment, but seeing the look in his blue eyes, Lily chuckled and laid down, situating herself with her head and neck propped up on the belly of the pillow and her body comfortably cradled in the middle of it. Sy picked up her discarded towel and used it to dry off some, before turning off the room lights, then crawled into bed with her. Moving between Lily's legs and gently bending up her knees and pushing them apart, Lily's startled gasp filled the dark room as Sy's warm breath wafted over her exposed folds, just before his wide tongue took one long and leisurely lick.

“Jesus H. Christ!” She cried out, gripping the arms of her pillow.

“Just me, Angel.” Sy chuckled, hooking his arms around her legs, so they rested on his shoulders, and pressed his palms down on top of her thighs, to keep her still, before dipping his head back down and pressing an open kiss to her clit, flicking the tip of his tongue against it, melting Lily into a sweet and needy whimper.

Sy licked and suckled at her delicate pussy, slipping his tongue between her folds to tease her entrance and get a deeper taste of her, lewd noises filled the room as neither of them hid the pleasure they were in and having. Lily rocked against his mouth, her hands pressed to the back of Sy's head to hold him in place, eyes rolled and fluttered, her anxiety of not wanting to go to her grandparents' in the morning completely forgotten in the heady peak of her orgasm.

“I love your mouth.” Lily sighed, out of breath, exhausted and pleasantly numb.

Sy roared with laughter, laying down beside her. “Good to know.” He grinned, pulling the blankets over them and draping his arm over her. “Good night, Angel.” He whispered, kissing her cheek.

“Night, Bear.” She mumbled back, starting to drift off.

Sy stayed awake for a little while, his hand slipping up inside the shirt she was wearing to gently caress her belly and stared at the back of her head. “God,” He whispered, careful not to wake or disturb her. “I don't ask much of you. But, for whatever my word is worth, please don't let these people hurt my girl. She needs and wants them in her life, so does our little one.” He said, lifting his hand to gently stroke her damp hair.

“Let this meeting tomorrow go well, for all of us.” He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut and hugging Lily back against him.

Lily took a deep breath and held it, as Sy turned the truck off the main road and onto the dirt road leading onto the Warren Orchard farm, seeing the tall apple tree shaped sign with Warren Apples carved elegantly in its trunk. It wasn't long before they came to the closed security gate, shutting them off from the rest of the farm. Sy rolled the truck to a stop and looked over to Lily, lifting a brow at her, waiting for her to tell him what they should do next, when a voice came to life next to him.

“Welcome to Warren Apple Orchards, what can I do for you?” A deep Southern drawl asked from a mounted intercom box outside the driver's side window.

Sy rolled down his window and leaned closer to the box, spotting the security camera mounted above the one side of the gate. “Yeah, we're here looking for the owners of the place.” He replied, glancing over at Lily again.

“Mr. and Mrs. Warren aren't taking visitors just now.”

Lily huffed through her nose and leaned over the center console and Sy. “Tell them, Liliana wants to see them, Judd.” She called out, biting and pressing her lips together.

There was a long pause with a bubble of tension, before an electric buzz filled the humid air around them and the metal gate rolled out of their way. Lily sat back in her seat and Sy gave her a concerned look, before driving though.

“You know him?”

“He's worked here as long as I can remember.” Lily replied, staring out her window to the immaculate lawn and row of trees beyond that. “Just keep following the road, you'll find the house at the end of it.” She added, picking at the hem of the shorts she was wearing.

True enough, a few minutes later, a massive colonial, plantation house appeared behind ancient weeping willows. Made mostly of white stone with two stories of wrap around porches and ornate black railings, tall marble columns, from the foundation to the roof; what looked like five chimneys, three turrets and an apple tree weathervane. The driveway looped around the front of the house, leading up the stairs onto the porch was double french, front doors.

Sy was in complete awe of it as he pulled around to the front of the driveway. “This place is amazing.”

“Yeah.” Lily gulped, biting her lip and stared up at the house. “Oh dear god.” She whimpered, shrinking her seat, trying to hide.

“What?” Sy frowned, then noticed a whited haired man step out of the house, wearing a pair of light brown khaki pants and a black pull over sweater with the Warren Orchard's logo on it, an apple with an arrow threw it, the front of the arrow's shaft bent in the shape of a W.

“I'm guess, that's--”

“My grandfather.” Lily nodded, peeking over the edge of the door to look up at him. “Yep.” She sighed, squeezing her eyes shut and pressed her forehead to the window.

“Well, you can't hide forever, Angel.” Sy told her, tilting his head at her. “He knows we're here and this is more than likely us, sitting here.”

“I know.” Lily huffed, chewing her lip. “I know.”

“You can do this, babe.” He encouraged her. “I'm right here, Angel.”

Lily looked over at him, looking at him like a lost puppy, before taking a deep breath and fortifying herself. “You're right.” She nodded, leaning over and kissed him.

Taking another deep breath, Lily opened her door and stepped out of the truck, gulping as she looked up the steps to her grandfather. Her heart felt like a war drum in her chest, she was excited to see him again, he didn't seem any different from the last time he had seen him, at least, not from the distance they were at.

But, she was also afraid of what was about to happen next.

“Paw-Paw.” She called out to him, softly, her voice shaky.

“Liliana.” He replied, lifting a snowy brow at her, his honey-brown eyes scrutinizing her.

“I've missed you.” Lily blurted out, sniffling, tears burning her eyes. “I'm sorry I disappeared. I'm sorry I just ran away and I didn't tell either of you where I was going or why. That I stayed away for so long without a word.”

“But, I thought about you all the time.”

He stared hard at her, crossing his arms over his chest. “You scared the daylights out of your grandmother and I, Liliana. We tried looking for you everywhere, but you just vanished into thin air, like you never existed.” He told her, his anger slowly showing on his face.

“We thought you were dead.”

Lily bowed her head, ashamed for what she had put her grandparents through. “I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention, Paw-Paw.” She choked, looking back up at him, breathing hard.

“Then, what was your intention, Liliana?” He barked at her, his eyes glowing with rage. “Who are you?” He hissed, as Sy came around the front of the truck to wrap an arm around Lily's waist, to comfort her.

Sy looked up at him for a moment, his eyes hard at the man. “Austin Syverson.” He replied, hugging Lily against his side and rubbing her back.

“Your relation to my granddaughter is what?”

“I'm her boyfriend.” He replied, narrowing his eyes at the other man. “Look, she's come here, because she misses you both, very much, and has regretted the way she left. But, she had to leave, she had a very valid reason in doing so. In reality, she's an adult, more than capable of making her own choices and doesn't have to answer to anyone as to why she's made them.” He told Lily's grandfather.

“That includes you.”

“But, she's gained the strength to come here to try and make amends with you both, for more than one reason. You can either accept that or you can not. What happens now, is up to you.”

“Davy, who is it?”

A voice called from the double doors behind Lily's grandfather, before it opened to a thin, elderly woman with a short, curly pixie cut, who struggled to wheel herself out of the house and onto the porch. Her dim and pale blue eyes almost instantly found Lily at the bottom of the porch stairs, her hands flew to the front of her flower pattern dress, mouth dropping open.

“Liliana!” She exclaimed, reaching out a hand to her husband.

“Mee-maw.” Lily sniffled back, smiling at her grandmother through her tears.

“Thank the Lord, you're all right, my sweet child.” She cried, pressing a hand to her mouth.

“I am.” Lily nodded, wiping at her eyes. “And, I wanna be part of your lives again. I want to make amends for what I did by running away and disappearing. I'm sorry, I hurt you and Paw-Paw.”

Lily's grandmother looked up at her husband, who was still glaring at Lily and Sy, pressed her lips together, then looked back at them. “Come inside.” She said, letting his hand go and turned her wheelchair around and headed back towards the door.

“Davy.” She called over her shoulder.

Sighing, he turned and pulled the door open for her, eyeing Lily and Sy as they mounted the porch stairs, then followed his wife inside the house, before doing the same. She rolled down the hallway and turned into the private study, motioning to the long leather couch and parked herself in front of it.

“Hello.” She said, looking at Sy as he sat down beside Lily on the couch.

“Ma'am.” He replied, politely nodding his head to her.

“Who might you be?”

“Austin Syverson, Ma'am.” Sy answered with a sweet smile. “I'm your granddaughter's boyfriend.”

“Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Syverson.” She replied, regarding him. “I'm Violet Warren, and this is my husband, Davis.” She said, motioning to him as he took a seat in a chair to Lily and Sy's left.

“Sir.” Sy said, nodding his head stiffly to him.

“You're looking well, Liliana.” Violet commented, turning her attention to her granddaughter.

“Thank you.” Lily whispered, licking her lips. “I just go by Lily now.”

Violet nodded her head. “Very well.” She acknowledged. “Where've you been, Lily?”

Lily drew a deep breath through her nose and slowly let it back out. “It's a long story.” She whimpered, gripping Sy's hand for support, chewing the inside of her cheek to bits.

Davis and Violet glanced at each other, before she leaned forward and took a small hand bell off the coffee table between them and rang it. A moment later, a young lady appeared in the doorway of the room and Violet asked her to serve them some tea. The tension was tight and thick in the room while the tea was being made for them, no one saying a word to each other. The servant returned, carrying in a highly polished tea tray and set it down on the coffee table, setting out teacups for the four of them and filled the cups, before leaving the room again.

“What is your story, Lily?”

Carefully drizzling a bit of honey into her tea with a honey dipper and taking a fortifying sip of it, Lily started her story. “You know that I had been seeing Jak.” She said, looking between her grandparents.

“We did.” Violet nodded, taking a sip of her own tea.

“Well, what you didn't know was Jak had been abusive to me.” She continued, staring into the rich and steamy liquid in the expensive china teacup. “He had been the entire time we were together. But, I was too naive and silly to break it off with him for the longest time. But, after a particularly bad incident, I decided I couldn't take it any longer. So, I packed a bag and went to live with Maggie. I didn't tell you-” She paused, brow creased, she had often thought about why she hadn't told them, but had never really pinned down a specific reason to why she hadn't.

But, she shook that thought off.

“I honestly don't know why I hadn't. All I knew was I was terrified of Jak finding me again and dragging me back into the life and situation I had been living in for so long with him. While I was with Maggie, I changed my name from Liliana Jade Warren to Lily Ana Moore, to make it harder for him to find me, which made it hard for the both of you to find me, and finished university.” She continued on. “After I did that, I moved to a very small town in Texas and started my own company for my Graphic Design and Photography.”

“It's how I've been supporting myself.”

“I was so consumed by my paranoia and fear of Jak finding me, that I never left the house I bought in Texas, five years ago, this is the farthest I've been from it, since I've moved there.” She confessed, looking to Sy, who smiled at her, supportive and proud.

“What's changed?” Her grandfather asked, his own teacup still where the servant set it, ignored and cold. “Why are you here now?”

Lily cleared her throat and set her tea aside. “I left and became reclusive, agoraphobic, because I felt unsafe and afraid. That Jak would end up finding me and hurting me. He did end up finding me, but Austin...” She looked to Sy, her eyes filled with appreciative love and pride. “Austin makes me feel safe again. He's protected me, in more than one way, and he's shown me what real love is. I owe him so much.”

Sy grinned brightly at her, gripping her hand, a bit choked up at her words.

“He's helped me get back to this place, a place I've held onto, wanting to be a productive member of society, to be back in your life and be your granddaughter again. I miss you and I love you both. That never changed and it will never change.”

“That never changed for us either, Lily.” Violet replied, resting her teacup back on its saucer. “You will always be our precious granddaughter and we have always loved you; from the moment you were born to this moment right now.”

“I hope you could find it in your heart, to have a little more love.” Lily whispered, biting the inside of her lip, gulping.

“For what?” Violet frowned, brows drawing together and head tilting at her.

Lily looked to Sy, who nodded his head at her. “Sy and I are expecting.” She mumbled, not meeting either of her grandparents' eyes.

“You're with child?” Violet asked, shocked disbelief in her voice.

“I am.” Lily nodded, whimpering.

“I hope you're not here, thinking this little reunion will get you money.” Her grandfather snapped, coldly.

Lily's eyes snapped over to him, a cold knot of shock, hurt and anger in her stomach, she could feel the tension stiffen Sy's body. “We don't need any of the family money.” She hissed, eyes hardening. “My business alone is quite well off, thank you; and I'm more than offended at the accusation.”

“That's putting it politely.” Sy chimed in, staring daggers into the old man.

“Davis.” Violet barked, offended at her husband's insult as well, she had no feeling that Lily and Sy were there looking for money or assistance with their lives or the baby.

“Excuse me, for the last time I recalled a couple sitting on that very same couch to tell us they were expecting a child, it was our sweet Daisy and that good for nothing, Palmer, and we all saw how that ended.” Davis replied, his voice cold and sharp.

“Austin isn't my father.” Lily barked, her voice mirroring her grandfather's.

Lily and her grandfather glared darkly at each other, before Violet grew annoyed with their childish behavior and clapped her bony hands together, catching the room's attention.

“That is quite enough.” She scolded them.

Sy hid his smirk around the rim of his teacup, already liking Lily's grandmother.

“How far along are you?” Violet asked, looking at Lily.

“Almost thirteen weeks.” She replied, unconsciously touching her belly.

“Do you know what you're having?”

“Not yet.” Lily grinned at Sy, giddy at the thought of finding out the gender of the baby, she didn't care if it was a boy or a girl, she was just excited in general. “We won't know for another five weeks.” She added, glancing over at her grandmother.

“Well,” Violet grinned, her eyes lighting up. “I can't wait to meet my great-grandbaby.” She said, sounding overjoyed at the prospect. “Davy?” She looked to her husband, her eyes still filled with excitement, but outlined with warning.

Davis looked at her for a moment, then over at Lily, before looking down at the watch on his right wrist, then stood. “I have to meet Mac in the south orchard.” He said, tonelessly, and left the room.

Lily let out an uneven breath and painful tears punched her in the chest, turning her face into Sy's collarbone as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her against his side, pressing his lips to her hair. Violet's mouth was pressed into a thin, angry, lipstick red line as she continued to stare out the study doorway after Davis, the rapturous event of finding out about their great-grandbaby being overshadowed by his stubborn pigheadedness.

“I think we should go.” Sy said to Lily, gently wiping away her tears.

“Please, do stay.” Violet chimed in, turning her attention back to them. “There's more than enough room right here.” She said, looking back and forth between Lily and Sy. “Please, it's been so long, Lily. You've been gone and so far away. Town is twenty minutes away and with you here now, two minutes is too far away.”

Lily looked up at Sy.

“It's up to you, Angel.” He whispered, brushing his thumb against her flushed cheek.

She looked over at her grandmother. “Of course, I would love that.” She whispered, wiping her nose on the back of her hand.

Violet smiled at her, relieved to have her granddaughter under the same roof again. “I'll have Clara set two extra places at the table.” She grinned, overjoyed. “I'll even have her make your favorites for lunch and dinner.”

Lily smiled at her, touched at her grandmother's sentiment. “Thank you.”

“You remember where your room is?” She replied, lifting a brow at her.

“I do.” Lily nodded her head.

“Then, I won't keep you any longer. I'm sure you must be tired with the baby and the long journey from Texas.”

“I am.” She agreed, sighing softly.

“Off you both go then, the bell will ring, when lunch is ready.”

“Thank you, Mee-Maw.” Lily said, nodding her head and stood up, Sy standing with her.

“Ma'am.” Sy nodded his head to Violet, then followed Lily out of the room and down the hall to a flight of stairs. “Well, that didn't go as badly as the two of us thought it would.” He commented, mounting the stairs behind her.

“No, it did not.” Lily replied over her shoulder, going up the three sets of stairs. “I just hope my grandfather comes around.” She added, coming to the second floor and going down to a door at the very end of the hall. “This is...was—my room.” She said, turning the vintage, metal and ceramic door knob that had a hand-painted gold floral design on it, and pushed the door open.

The bedroom was spacious and bright with the mid-morning sun shining in through four windows, between one set of windows sat a squat, five compartment, vintage chest of drawers, across from that was a full sized, poster bed, with the doorway to a bathroom to the left and a walk-in closet to the right. There was a bookcase and table against the wall by the door, mostly filled with church and home school related things.

“It's a nice room.” Sy commented, picking up one of the books on the table, a bible.

“Thanks.” Lily smiled, shyly, seeing that her grandparents had left her room the exact way she'd left it, when she moved out.

“Do you wanna rest for a little while?” He suggested, stepping up behind her and resting his hands on her hips, gently pressing his thumbs into the small of her back and massaging them.

“Yeah.” She moaned, her head dropping back against his chest, turning to kiss the underside of his bearded jaw.

“How about a nice warm bath first, maybe a cup of tea?”

Lily chuckled into his neck, grinning. “So dotting, Captain.” She teased him.

“I love you.” He cooed, kissing her forehead, then moved away from her and went into the bathroom, plugging the drain on the ancient claw-foot tub and turned the X-shaped tap handles.

Lily padded into the bathroom, sitting down on the closed toilet seat and pushed down the stress of her grandfather's behavior towards her, to watch Sy fill the bath for her, a soft smile on her face. She stood up for a moment and reached underneath the sink and removed a small bottle and handed it to him. Sy smiled at her and took it from her, uncapping it and getting the strong snap of eucalyptus and sprinkled the Epsom salt into the delicately warm water, before turning off the tap. He grabbed a towel and folded it, then situated it at one end of the tub, to pillow her head, when she started to soak.

“Now, where is the kitchen?” He asked, looking at her.

“Down the stairs, first door to your right.” Lily replied, getting out of her clothing.

“Cool, I'll be right back.” Sy told her, kissing her temple and stepped out of the room to go downstairs to get her tea.

Lily finished undressing and carefully stepped into the pleasantly warm water, leaning back with a soft and satisfied moan, focusing on the warm water enveloping her body easing away her aches and pains, melting away the anxieties that had accumulated during the drive over from Texas and the visit. While Sy found the kitchen and pushed open the swinging door, finding the cook, Clara, inside, who looked up as she heard him come in and wiped her hands on her apron.

“Can I help you?” She asked, lifting a brow at him.

“Um, just need a cup of tea.” He replied, licking his lips and glancing around the kitchen.

“Oh, of course, right away.”

“I'd hate to put you out.” Sy said, alarmed.

Clara chuckled at him, pulling down a cup from a high cabinet. “It's what the Warren's hired me for.” She assured him. “I'm guessing it's for Lily.” She added, moving about the kitchen as she put the things together to make the tea.

“Yeah.” He nodded, then patiently waited for her to finish and took the cup from her. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” Clara smiled, and returned to what she had been doing.

Sy carefully took the cup back upstairs to Lily, smiling as he stepped into the bathroom and saw her lounging comfortably in the tub. He was glad she could relax and let the stress go, even if it was for a little while. Lily stirred as he sat down beside her, smiling at him and taking the cup of tea from his outstretched hands and let out a pleased moan.

“Feels like a spa day.” She chuckled, handing her teacup back to Sy for him to hold, so she could relax back again.

“You deserve to relax.” Sy replied, softly. “You've got an important job to do.”

“Yeah, I'm growing a Syverson.” Lily chuckled, teasingly.

“Exactly.” He laughed back. “That's no easy feat to bring one of us into the world.”

“Bringing a Syverson into the world is just the start of it, then we have to raise them.”

“Oh, trouble, trouble, trouble.” Sy grinned at her. “Nothing, but trouble.”

“Toil and bubble.” Lily giggled, fully amused and lighthearted.

“Come on, sleepy, out with you.” Sy said, setting her empty teacup on the vanity counter and pulled the towel off the bar and held it open for her.

“Okay.” Lily replied, stifling a yawn with her hand.

Stepping out of the tub and into Sy's arms, she rested her forehead against his chest and let him dry her off. Sy had taken a liking to drying her off after she showered or bathed, since she'd become pregnant, none of which Lily protested to, she was usually very sleepy by the time she got out of them, so having him there to finish up was always nice.

“Oh, fuck.” He barked, after helping back into her clothing. “Your pillow is still in the truck.”

“It won't kill me to have one nap without it.” Lily said, through yet another yawn.

“You were a very cranky mama bear the last time you didn't have that thing to sleep with.” He reminded her. “I'll go down and get it, just sit tight.”

“I'd rather lay tight.” She huffed, starting to get cranky as she shuffled over to her bed and laid down.

Sy rushed back downstairs and nearly collided with Violet. “Oh my god, I am so sorry.” He panted, making sure she was all right. “ Are you okay?”

“I'm fine, where's the fire, Mr. Syverson?”

“Lily's laying down for her nap and I just realized she doesn't have her pregnancy pillow and she always wakes up very cranky, when she doesn't have it to sleep with.” He explained, calming down.

Violet smiled up at Sy, touched and pleased at the plain devotion he had for her granddaughter. “Well, we can't have that, now can we?” She chuckled, rolling back out of his way.

“No, ma'am.” Sy shook his head at her.

“Violet, Mr. Syverson. Just call me Violet.” She informed him as Sy reached the front door.

He paused, hand on the door and smiled at her, remembering when Lily told him to call her by her given name. “Of course, Ms. Violet.” He nodded at her, politely.

Violet smiled back at him and Sy went out to his truck.

“Hey, girl.” Sy said, opening the passenger door of the truck and only to get attacked by Aika's tongue. “I know, I know. I haven't forgotten about ya. I promise.” He chuckled, petting her. “I'll come back down in a couple minutes and take care of you. But first, I have to take care of your mama.” He said, reaching in the back seat for Lily's U-Shaped pillow, pushed Aika back and closed the door again, before rushing back upstairs.

“Okay, pillow.” Sy said, bursting into the room, only to find Lily curled into a ball and sound asleep, making him chuckling. He situated her pillow and gently unrolled Lily from her ball and slipped her between her pillow, before covering her up.

“Sleep sweet, Angel.” He whispered, kissing her cheek softly, then went back downstairs. “Um, do you know where Ms. Violet is?” He asked the servant that had served him and Lily tea when they had first arrived.

“Yes, she's in the private study, right through there.” She replied, pointing the way.

“Thank you.” He nodded, then went down, gently knocking on the door.

“Enter.”

“Ms. Violet?”

“Ah, Mr. Syverson, I'm trusting the pillow crisis was averted?” She asked, an amused glitter in her eyes.

Sy chuckled. “It was, thank you.”

“Then, what can I help you with?”

“I, uh, brought Lily and I's dog with us...” He said, sheepishly, though Lily's grandmother seemed like a very sweet woman, Sy got the vibe she was the authority in this household and crossing her wasn't the way to go. “She's in my truck and I didn't want to take her out without asking first, so I didn't step on any toes and cause any issues with you and your husband.”

“What kind of dog is she?”

“She's a German Shepherd.” Sy replied, licking his lips. “I found her in the war-zone on my last deployment.” He half explained to her.

Violet blinked several times at Sy. “You were in the military?”

“Yes, ma'am.” He nodded, with a deep sense of pride. “I was a Captain in the U.S Army, Special Forces, for more than ten years.”

“What's the pup's name?”

“Aika.”

“Well, Aika is more than welcome here.” She told him. “As long as she behaves herself.” She added, a soft smile on her face.

“She's a very well behaved dog, you have my word.” Sy replied, smiling back at her.

“Good.” Violet nodded. “Just make sure you keep her out of the orchards or Davis will have a never-ending fit.”

“Will do.”

Excusing himself, Sy went back out to the truck and put Aika on her leash, walking her around the front of the property and away from the orchards, making sure to clean up after her, then brought her inside, taking her upstairs to Lily's room, where she curled up on the bed with Lily, before he decided to do a little exploring himself before lunch.

He wandered into the orchards, seeing the short trunks, but wide crowns, light green and shiny apples weighing down its branches and a couple littered the ground. There easily had to be a hundred trees of the same sort for as far as Sy could see in the area he was in, before he moved on. Sy came to a small dirt lane and crossed it into a totally different portion of the orchard, these trees were still squat and wide, but the apples on their branches were medium sized and mostly two toned, a dull red that faded into a yellow-y green color.

He crossed another dirt road and found another orchard of another kind of apple, this one a light yellow color, when he heard voices and then his name and turned, seeing Lily's grandfather, realizing he had wandered into the south orchard.

“What are you doing out here?” Davis asked, approaching him.

“Just looking around.” Sy replied, keeping his tone guarded. “Lily's told me a lot about the place.”

“And where is she?”

“Back at the house, sleeping.” Sy told him, his shoulders stiff. “She gets tired a lot with the baby.”

“Hm.” Davis huffed and turned on his heels.

“What's your problem?” Sy barked after him, unable to hold his temper any longer. “She just wants her grandfather, the man that raised her, back in her life, in her child's life. Not your money or your business, just your love and affection.”

Davis spun around on his heels to face Sy. “I might have raised her, because my Daisy died, and her father was an unreliable scum, but she's making the same mistake her mother did. I won't be part of that again.”

“I won't be there when it kills her too.” He hissed, then stormed off.

Lily woke up to Sy's angry pacing at the foot of the bed and cursing under his breath, and sat up, rubbing at her eyes. “What's wrong, Bear?” She asked, frowning at him.

“Your grandfather is a pigheaded, son of a bitch.”

Her mouth fell open for a moment, then her brows drew together and her eyes narrowed. “Did the two of you get into an argument?”

“Sorta.” He huffed back.

“For the love of Jesus, Austin.” Lily barked at him, pressing her hands to her face. “Why?”

“I didn't go lookin' for it, Lily.” He retorted, stopping his pacing. “I was just checking out the orchards and ran into him. One thing came to another, I asked him what his problem was, all you want is his love and affection back, not his damned money or his orchard, and his reply was you're making the same mistake your mother made and you'll end up dying because of it too.”

“Which you will fucking not!” He added, a panicked fright breaking through his burst of anger.

“Of course, I'm not going too, Bear.”

Lily sighed, shaking her head and running her hand through her hair, before getting up out of bed. “I'll be more than all right. We have a great doctor and an amazing hospital back home. Plus, I have you to take care of and look after me, the whole time. I'll be perfectly safe and sound.” She told him, hugging her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his chest.

“Don't listen to him, Sy. He's just a grumpy old man, set in his ways.”

“What's that make me?” He asked, half jokingly.

“My boyfriend and Papa Bear.” She giggled, tilting her head back to look up at him.

“Good to know, Mama Bear.” He teased back, dipping his head to kiss her. “The fuck was that?” He asked as two loud dinging sounds filled the house.

“That is the lunch bell.” Lily replied, pulling away from him. “One ding is breakfast, two is lunch and three is dinner.” She explained to him, finding her shoes and slipping them back on. “Old Virginian hospitality, Syverson. I know you Texans aren't used to it.”

“Oh, you posh and polished Southerners.” He teased back, following her downstairs. “Give me the ringing of a triangle any day and this cowboy will know the way to the dinner table.”

“Remind me to buy one for our house, then.” Lily giggled, showing him into the family dinning room.

“Buy what for your house?” Violet asked, already seated at one end of the table.

“Oh, Sy was making fun of us for being—what did you call it?” She asked, looking at him as he vigorously shook his head at her. “Ah yes, posh and polished Southerners, for having a meal bell.” You grinned at him, impishly. “While, pointing out the Texas Cowboy in him could only find his way home, if he heard the call of a triangle bell.”

“I said, I would be able to find my way to the table. I know my way home, thank you very much.” He spoke up, his cheeks pink underneath the hairs of his beard.

Both Lily and Violet's laughter filled the dining room, but Sy soon joined them. But, the laughter died down as Davis entered the room, taking his place at the other end of the table, practically sucking the air out of the room as he took his seat.

“How is the south orchard doing?” Violet asked, as lunch was being served.

“One of the original York apple trees is starting to fail for some reason.” Davis replied, picking up the salt shaker. “Mac and I were running through a list of things we can do to save it.” He explained, paying closer attention to his food than to the others at the table with him.

“This looks really good.” Sy commented, licking his lips at his plate.

“It's one of Lily's favorites.” Violet smiled at him. “Creamy Shrimp pasta.”

“I used to try and bribe Clara into making it for every meal once for a whole summer.” Lily chuckled, twirling the angel hair pasta around her fork. “Never worked out.”

“Didn't deter you from trying though.” Violet chuckled, smiling fondly at her granddaughter. “I'm more than sure you'll love what Clara is making you for dinner.”

“I have no doubt.” She smiled back.

“Oh, Mr. Syverson, if you'd like a place to park your truck, I'm sure Davis could show you where the garage is.” Violet said, her eyes on her husband.

“Thank you, Ms. Violet.” Sy replied, smiling at her. “And, please, call me Sy or Austin, whichever you might prefer.” He told her, a bit shyly.

“Austin, it is.” Violet answered, giving him a sweet smile. “But, you can do that for him, can't you?” She said, lifting a brow at her husband, with an expression that dared him to object to her request.

Davis stared at his wife, his hard brown eyes holding Violet's stern blues, before his shoulders dropped slightly. “I'll show you after lunch.”

“Thank you.” Sy replied, stiffly.

Lily rested her hand on Sy's thigh, gently squeezing it, trying to keep him calm and relaxed. “How have the orchards been?” Lily asked her grandfather, trying to open any sort of connection with him. “I know picking season is coming up soon in the next few months.” She pointed out, gathering up a forkful of her shrimp pasta.

There was a long silence at the table, each second made Lily's heart clench tighter, fearing her grandfather would just continue to ignore her and pretend she didn't exist. She didn't know how much more of his coldness she could take, before it became too much to bear and she would just want to leave again.

No matter how much it would hurt.

“Other than the York tree showing signs of white rot, the orchards are as productive and fruitful as ever.” He finally spoke.

“What happens if you don't cure the white rot?” Lily frowned, concerned for the tree.

“We lose the tree.” Davis sighed, resting back in his chair and tossing his napkin onto the table beside his plate. “It'll only be the third originally planted tree on the farm we've ever lost. Well, with any luck the rot won't spread and it won't hit us too hard.” He explained, looking at her.

“Just because you lost one, don't mean you'll lose more.” Lily replied, holding his gaze.

Davis dropped his eyes and nodded his head, sighing, then looked up at Sy, noticing his empty plate. “You done?”

“I am.” Sy nodded, wiping his mouth.

“Come on, and I'll show you where the garage is and you can park your truck.” He said, standing up, leaving his half eaten lunch on the table.

“I'll be right back.” Sy whispered to Lily, kissing her cheek and stood, following her grandfather out of the house.

The walk from the house was silent as they stepped off the paved driveway and onto a pea gravel lane that led a little ways away from the house, through a small grove of very ancient looking weeping willows to a large building with several vehicles parked outside of it.

“You can park it here.” Davis said, motioning to the area in front of them.

“Thanks.” Sy nodded to him, then turned back to get his truck.

Bringing his truck around and finding a place to park it, Sy got out and and grabbed their duffel bag out of the back and locked up, heading back up to the house; when Davis stopped in his tracks, noticing the duffel bag slung over his shoulder; the worn military green and the faded, black U.S letters.

“Something the matter?” Sy frowned, turning back to him.

“That's a military bag.” Davis replied.

“Yes, it is.” He nodded, shifting it on his shoulder and tilting his head at the other man.

“It's yours?”

Sy's shoulders slumped and he stared at the old man. “I served more than ten years in the U.S Army as a Captain in the Special Forces.” He explained to him. “I retired almost a year ago.”

“How did you and Lily meet?”

“As I said, I retired almost a year ago and I returned home to Austin, Texas.” Sy replied, sighing. “Even though I could live quite well on my retirement, I don't like not having a job or being idle. So, I went about applying for jobs, mostly jobs I could do with my hands, construction jobs and such. A construction company told me about a contract that they had gotten from a young lady, who needed help fixing her place up in Celina, which is about three hours south of Austin. I called about it and got the job. I'm sure you guessed, it was Lily.” He smirked, chuckling to himself.

“I started fixing the place up for her and we grew close, especially after we helped each other through a few traumatic things.”

“Like, what?”

“I have pretty severe PTSD from my time in deployment and Lily's gotten me through more than one episode.” Sy smirked, blushing slightly and toeing the ground with the tip of his boot. “She's the guiding light to holding them back.” He whispered softly. “As for her, she's been through a lot in the last five years, especially the fear and turmoil caused by Jak.” He said. “There's nothing on this planet, there hasn't been anything on this planet, I wouldn't do to ensure her happiness and safety.”

Sy looked Davis dead in the eyes, a deep seriousness coming over him, even though he had a knot in his stomach. “Listen, your granddaughter isn't a little girl anymore. She's a grown woman, and a beautiful, loving and intelligent one, at that. She's so incredibly caring for the people around her, even when she's been so hurt and her trust in people has been cut deeply. Her work ethic is admirable, she built a company from the reclusion of her own home, that she hadn't left in more than three years, and it is thriving. She's even currently in the process of interviewing people to fill two positions, because she has so many clients, that she's in need of the extra help.”

“You're projecting the fear of your daughter’s mistakes and death on Lily and it isn't fair to her, or to you and your wife.”

“My Daisy Mae's misfortunes aren't the only failures that have me disappointed in the situation.” Davis said, rolling his jaw at Sy.

Sy huffed at him, biting his lip and nodding his head at him. “You think I'd be some, what was it, unreliable scum, like her father?” He asked, lifting a brow at him.

Davis sighed back at him, scrubbing a palm over his wrinkled forehead and lifted a brow at him. “Come with me.” He said, motioning him back towards the house.

Pressing his lips together, Sy followed him back up to the house and into Davis's private study, setting the duffel bag down by the door as Davis closed it behind him. Davis motioned to a leather and mahogany upholstered chair in front of a cold fireplace, then moved over to a small table of bottles and glasses, pouring them both a drink. He handed Sy a glass and took the seat across from him, taking a long sip.

“Smooth stuff.” Sy commented, licking his lips and admiring the rich, amber liquid.

“Maker's Mark, Kentucky bourbon whiskey.” Davis replied, smirking at his glass, appreciatively.

“Anyhow.” He cleared his throat, balancing his glass on the arm of his chair. “Palmer Hughes. He came to work here in the summer of 1985, he was twenty years old and Daisy was eighteen. I knew the boy was trouble the moment I set eyes on him and knew I should have sent him picking.”

“But, for whatever reason, and against my better judgment, I didn't.”

“He took an instant liking to our Daisy, who was ordinarily a good mannered, well behaved and proper girl. But, as soon as he set his eyes on her, he started corrupting her. He would stop coming to work in the fields to sneak himself and her off the property and go into town or wherever it was they would go to. Daisy started to become more defiant and rebellious. One of our church elders even spotted her and Palmer with a group of their lowlife friends in a questionable area of town, getting high, smoking and drinking.”

“It was such an embarrassment.” He sighed, taking a deep gulp of his drink. “When Daisy was twenty-one, she came to her mother and I and told us she was pregnant. Palmer had split the moment he found out about it. But, I tracked his no good ass down and dragged him back. He and Daisy got married just before Lily was born.”

“What happened?” Sy asked, frowning at him, the burn of the alcohol melting through the knot in his stomach as he thought about it. “How did her mother die?”

“She developed a hemorrhage that the doctor's couldn't get under control, so she ended up bleeding to death.” Davis explained, growing pale at the memory of the doctor's telling him and his wife the news of their daughter’s death, their only child. “For his part, Palmer did seem distraught over her death. But, he blamed Lily for it. So, he spent the rest of her life coming in and out of it, before Violet and I finally just adopted her and permanently took care of her.”

“It was Violet and I that ended up naming Lily, as well. Daisy hadn't picked one, that we were aware of, and Palmer wasn't being cooperative with anyone, us or the hospital staff.”

“Where is her father now?”

Davis sighed and carefully regarded Sy for a long moment, before replying. “He died, some years ago.”

Sy blinked at him, shocked. “You never told Lily this.”

“No.” He shook his head, guilty. “Vi and I thought it would be best that we didn't.”

“That's not really for either of you to decide.” Sy frowned at him, annoyed. “Lily deserves the truth.”

“I know she does.” Davis agreed. “I'll tell her, one day. As for you, Austin.” He met Sy's eyes. “I've unjustly projected my prejudices of Palmer onto you. You are, not even an ounce, the man he was. You are a man I wish my own daughter would have met and fallen in love with. But, I am glad my granddaughter met, fallen in love with and is having my great-grandbaby with you.”

“Thank you.” Sy answered, taking his compliment and finished off his drink.

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