#sorry for almost sending you into cardiac arrest mom
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My ex catholic mother when she sees ghost merch
#i have a big ass ghost poster on my wall#i wanted to get one of their rose gold crucifixes but her catholic guilt was NOT having it#sorry for almost sending you into cardiac arrest mom#but their music is banging#the band ghost
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𝔸𝕝𝕞𝕠𝕤𝕥
Title: Almost
FEM!reader x season three!Mike Wheeler
Prompt: Mike and Y/N have shared several close moments where it felt like something more could happen, but it never does. There’s always the buildup of tension and near-misses. But maybe this time was different…
Mike and I had always been close— Maybe weirdly close to some people— We’re neighbours and he always has a D&D campaign planned for us every time I come by. He not as close to the guys as he is me…For other reasons than just friendship.
I always thought me and Mike were gonna happen. So close. Almost. Every time.
I’ll lean in.
Mike does the same.
Our lips part.
We’re about to kiss…
“Mike! Will, Lucas and Dustin are here!”
“Hey, Mike, hey Y/N.”
“Mike! It’s time to go!”
Ugh! Every damn time it’s something! There is always something. I mean, how long is it gonna take for one of us to get it right?! It’s like we’re not supposed to be together. I even thought he had a thing for El for a while but he didn’t. Our relationship is like trying to strike a match after a rain storm— Nothing ever sparks.
I tucked my hands into my pockets as I walked swiftly across the street to the Wheelers house. I pounded on the door and Mike quickly answered, a bright toothy grin on his face.
Hey, Wheeler.” I said, smiling as I let myself in.
“Hey, Y/N/N. Are you ready for the most awesome…Most gruesome…Most sadistic campaign I’ve ever thought of?” Mike was practically jumping for joy. I smiled widely.
“You bet your ass I’m ready.” I grinned.
It was about 20 minutes into the campaign when something was going down. Mike leaned in towards me. “sSsScCcRiiiiiRTtTtSsSs…Do you hear that scraping against the wall. sSsScCcRiiiiiRTtTtSsSs. The blade of a knife dragging against the wall…” Mike leaned in closer, I could feel his warm breath against my face. I tried to divert my eyes from his lips. I snickered.
“Your onomatopoeia is terrible.” I whispered, our lips mere centimetres away. My heart was racing, it felt like it was about to pop out of my chest.
Mike smiled. “Dork.” Mike pressed his lips against mine. It felt like a hundred fireworks had just gone off in my heart. I could have mistaken the butterflies in my stomach for cardiac arrest. Mike pulled away after about 5 seconds of us kissing. “Sorry…I— I, uh, di— didn’t want to move to fast, but we had already almost kissed like a bajillion times so it felt right and—“ I pressed my lips against his to shut him up but as soon as our lips touched for a second time there was a voice from upstairs.
“Mike! Clean your room or no Y/N! That was the rule! Clean your room or I’m sending Y/N home!” Mike’s mom called down the stairs. I snickered at Mikes sour face.
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thiamweek 2023: day 1, Liam’s parents
|| for @thiamappreciationweek event
|| tags : theo meeting liam’s parents for the first time, background mason/corey, liam’s step dad knows about the supernatural but I can’t remember if that’s canon or not — this is lowkey a crack fic —
“And you’re… Theo?” Raeken gives a shaky smile as he nods, hand gripped in Liam’s step dad’s a little too tight. It’s not like Theo’s never met peoples parents before, there were plenty of “relationships” he was in to get leverage for the dread doctors— but this is the first time first impressions really do matter, and he’s trying to be genuine.
“He seems tense.” Mrs Dunbar murmurs to her husband and he hums along, finally dropping Theo’s hand.
“We should eat.” Suddenly Theo’s wrist is caught by Liam’s hand and he’s being dragged over to the dining room table where Corey and Mason already sit, they’re here as a buffer for the new couple. Theo seriously debated kissing Mason and Corey when he found out they’d be there to keep things less tension filled.
“It smells delicious ma’am.” It doesn’t make Liam’s mom smile like Theo was hoping for, instead she gives a short nod that almost looks annoyed. What the hell is he doing wrong? It’s been ten minutes.
“Oh my dad cooked.” Ah.
“Well it smells great sir.” That gets him more a nice reaction, a smile and a nod. Liam said that his step dad might be more friendly than his mother, apparently she’s not a people person and how she ended up with someone as extroverted as Liam’s step dad is “totally insane” according to both Liam and Mason.
“Thank you Theo, it’s nice to be appreciated around here.” That’s all it takes for the rest of the group to loosen up, Liam throwing out a whine that he always says thank you at dinner, Mason saying he doesn’t and he just eats like a wild animal which makes Corey snort and share a look with Theo— it gets easier, thank god.
And soon enough dinner is cleared as is dessert and Theo’s able to settle down in front of the couch on a mound of blankets with Liam at his side. They agreed to watch a movie with his parents and while Theo has no idea why the hell they did that, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be horrible. Liam’s step father is busy popping popcorn with Mason and Corey at his side, Theo can hear the three of them bickering about what candy should be mixed with the popcorn. Liam has his head on Theo’s collarbone, he doesn’t smell as anxious as he did earlier which is nice.
But- Theo can feel Liam’s mother’s eyes boring into the back of his head. He repeats in his head that this is fine, it’s just motherly behavior, he thinks? He can’t be sure considering the whole ‘raised in the sewers’ thing. It’s unnerving even if it is normal. He doesn’t know what he did to tick this woman off- she’s not the one that knows about the supernatural, that’s Liam’s step dad and he’s been cheery all night long, so whatever Theo did is beyond him.
“Babe you okay?” He’s brought from his thoughts by Liam’s gentle voice, which is definitely a cover as he’s staring at Theo like he can see right through him.
“Yeah, perfect.” Dunbar’s lip twitches and he turns around enough to look at his mother- ah shit.
“Mom can you stop staring? It’s freaking us out.” Jesus Christ why is he talking to his mother like that? Does he have a deathwish? Even Theo knows that’s unacceptable-
“Sorry honey it’s just nice to see you with a partner.” Well that sounded far too genuine for someone with such a blank expression.
“It’s fine just- maybe not so hard?” She hums to her son and leans back on the couch, eyes drifting to the Tv as Theo tries not to choke on air. What the fuck was that?!
“Relax, she’s just bad at showing emotion.” All Theo can do is nod and blink a few times, he swears this relationship is going to send him into cardiac arrest at some point.
“Got it.”
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grande - g.w.
Summary: George meets a mighty adorable barista in the new cafe on Diagon Alley and the man just can’t help himself... based off the song Coffee Girl by Johnny Socko! Sorry this took me absolute ages (9 days oops) to get out, guys :/
Warnings: DIABETIC FLUFF STUPID AMOUNTS OF CARDIAC ARREST INDUCING FLUFF UWU,mentions of sexism, Fred being Fred, cussing probably, alludes to sex, PG/PG-13
taglist or people that might like this but idk: @theweasleyslut @kitwalker02 @loony-loopy-lupinn @wand3ringr0s3 @gcdric @thehufflepuffwife @monoscandal @lupinsclassroom @whiz-bangs78 @vogueweasley @rogueweasleys @band--psycho @lumosandnoxwriting @oh-for-merlins-sake @amxrtentias @virgohufflepuff @vivianweasley
George Weasley didn’t sleep. This had long been the habit of his ever since he and his parents had discovered that his elder twin Fred had been an avid sleepwalker by age 4, then became a (minor) party animal in his Hogwarts days, and finally when he became the co-owner of one of the Wizard World’s most successful entrepreneurs and business owners.
The man hadn’t slept in about 18 years give or take. And days like this reminded him of it constantly.
It was a Saturday, the first of the month, and to boot, it was about to be Christmas in a little over a week. Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes was packed with everyone from couples window shopping, children in desperate need of fun now that school was out, parents trying to keep them in line, and even some old lady named Ethel (who swore she was part Veela, and therefore Fred couldn’t “escape her girlish charm.”)
“Ethel, you have an absolutely ravishing day, and don’t even worry about that moisturizer it’d be a waste of product on a natural beauty like you” Fred winked and kissed the old lady’s hand, George watching from the top of the steps rolling his eyes.
“Oh, Freddie, you know how to keep a lady young, don’t you? Oh - goodbye, Georgie! Have a good rest of your day boys!” She waved majestically to the younger twin on the stairs and he bowed royally in response.
“Bye, Ethel!” They both called as she exited the building, the bells flurrying in her wake.
“Georgie, mate, hate to say it but you are being uncharacteristically quiet and it’s making me uncharacteristically uncomfortable.” Fred said bounding up the stairs to meet him, chuckling briefly.
“Freddie, mate, hate to say it but I’ve had absolutely no sleep as of late and it’s getting to me. But I’ll be back up to my usual antics in no time.” He padded down the stairs, winking at a couple young ladies ogling him, sending them into a fit of giggles. Fred sat down on the middle step eyeing his brother carefully. It didn’t take a genius to see George wasn’t holding on much longer, the dark circles littering his eyes and the way he mussed up his already purposely messy hair just...didn’t comfort his older twin at all.
“George.” Fred sighed, George looking back at him, confused. He took his hands away from the merchandise Wonder Witch he’d been rearranging and gave him full attention.
“Take your lunch break early. And longer if possible.”
“Pffft, why would I do that when I have women to woo and boxes to juggle?”
“George.”
“Fred.”
“Stop, I mean it. You look half dead as it is, just go take a nap or get an espresso from the cafe down the aisle or something that reinforces the idea that yes, you are a human being and no, not a zombie.” Fred crossed his arms feeling suddenly a lot like Molly and dropped the cross. George pretended to ponder this tapping his chin, rather finding the mature brother role reversal funny as hell.
“Oh, alright, but can I still be a zombie when I get back?”
Fred hit him with a folder and sent him on his way.
-•-•-
You had just finished the lunch rush, finally being able to calm down and not have to worry about making one more goddamn Butterbeer Latte for at least another 20 or so minutes...until there’d be another rush. You grabbed a lemon scone, took off your apron and sat against the back counter. You inhaled the citrus scent, it was always something that you loved to savor, and took a bite.
The holidays for the Merlin’s Mochas, the cafe, had been absolutely atrocious so far. All you had for customers were angry businessmen, bratty kids and their upper class parents who let them run around the already small place being rude to everyone, your boss Lionel who had an affinity for calling every woman who worked there a “bitch” (...ok lionel) and to top it all off: you’d been pulling 9 hour days every day except sundays. Needless to say: you kind of super hated your job.
You had just finished your scone when you heard the door chime signal a customer, immediately wiping your hands on your jeans and restrapping your apron.
“Hi how can I-“ oh Jesus this is the hottest man I have ever seen. He was easily no older than 23, fiery red hair, a perfectly tailored striped terracotta suit, green tie, and the most gorgeous doe brown eyes you’d ever seen.
“How can you...?”
“Help you, ohmygod, I am so sorry I’m super-“
“Tired? Yeah me too...interesting how similar we are this early in the game hmm?” He winked at you and your knees felt too weak. No he was just a stupid hot customer that also was really hot and also? Was super hot. No worries, Y/N, just don’t die by 22 okay thanks.
“Very funny...wait are you-“ your finger led from him to the statue outside Wizard Wheezes, realizing a simple oh shit
“Yeah, that would be me. Or my twin Fred but we never really decided, that’s why he kind of looks like both of us mixed. Although we’re twins so we basically look the same anyway. I mean because were identical. Twins, yeah.” George, what the fuck is wrong with you, why are you sweating? She’s just a simply beautiful girl in a simply maddeningly purple coffee shop can you please breathe and not make yourself look stupid-
“Oh, wow! I’ve never met a twin before - not like twins are anomalies or anything it’s just so crazy. Science. Science is crazy” You closed your eyes and took a breath
“We should probably start over shouldn’t we?” You wrinkled your nose.
“That sounds much more redeeming than anything we both were about to say” George breathed out laughing softly, rubbing his hand through his hair.
“I’m George. Weasley. Like I said, I work at Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, the shop over there, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen this place before...or you for that matter, I never forget a beautiful young woman.” He said smoothly, his heart steadily subsiding - something about you had the power to not only make him scared out of his mind, but also totally at ease.
You returned the smile, warmly, the blood rushing to your cheeks at his compliment and sticking your tongue to your teeth. “Well, George Weasley, of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes I’m Y/N Y/L/N. And yeah, we’re new around here,” you leaned further onto the counter, realizing, albeit a moment too late that your eye level was directly with his abs now, and although he was wearing a suit...you could definitely tell they were there.
“We erm, just opened three months ago. It’s honestly a bit of a time to work here.”
“Oh and why is that?”
“Well, nothing like a blatant sexist to run an entirely female employed establishment and weird stuffy rich people.” Your eyes widened suddenly, and you felt like you had said far too much far too soon. But he gasp-laughed - laugh that ended as soon as it began and burst into a smile...like you had shared a secret with him.
“What the hell is he doing here then? Got a boy’s club to run in a purple coffee shop?”
“I mean you never really know these days, George, imposters are among us at every moment” you purred and pushed off the counter, meaning it as a joke but George’s heart screamed when he heard your name. As you moved to the other edge of the counter, he followed you.
“What a resourceful and cruel young woman, I am starting to like you, Miss Y/L/N.” He clucked. “And do you think of me like you think of Mr. I-Hate-Women-That’s-Why-I-Hire-Them?” He got inches from your face, smelling the coffee beans and vanilla extract that riddled your skin.
“Hmm...Mr. Weasley, I’m not so sure.” You coyly stepped away from him and took long strides to the far end of the coffee bar by the wall. George immediately felt a pit of flirtatious butterflies and (arousal?) something more in his stomach, jaw dropped, he followed you again. He pressed his hands to the counter in front of you.
“Well, how can I convince you?” He asked rather quickly.
“Hmm...” you leaned forward like he did before and his breath hitched in his throat “...let’s get you a cuppa first.”
-•-
“Wait, okay let me get this straight-“
“Yes?”
“You have 6 other siblings.”
“Yes.”
“...because your mom wanted a girl?”
“That-that would in fact be true, yes.”
You thought for a moment.
“So you’re telling me after she made it through you two-“
“-she still wanted to have more of us, believe me, it races through my mind daily.” He nodded vehemently laughing with you. You two had taken to the empty cafe at a table nestled in the corner, him sitting in a chair across from you on a bench. You had both been cracking each other up with stories from your childhoods, like how you both had managed to never know of the other’s existence until now.
He’d discovered that you had transferred from Hogwarts to Beauxbatons early on in your fourth year. You, a Hufflepuff, loved the quiet and soft landscape of the French school. You both had absolutely no idea the other existed. How? The world may never know.
He was brash. You were careful.
He was already flying when you were just feeling comfortable learning how to walk.
But you sat there with him for the better amount of an hour and a half, laughing and interrupting each other with memories of the school years you had, some weird and strange, and especially during fourth year, hard for George to talk about.
Ginny, his baby sister, had almost died. And as he said to you in a candid and highly vulnerable state: he blamed himself for almost letting her go to this day.
“I...I really do believe it was my fault.”
“George, it couldn’t have been your fault. Hogwarts is a big freaking death trap - you and I both know that,” you had said with an exasperated laugh, eager to make him feel better in any facet.
“Yeah, but...I’m her big brother. Yes, she has five other older brothers but...we were supposed to protect her.” He swallowed and blinked back tears. “It was her first year, for Christ’s sake, and I paid about as much attention to her as a doorknob would.” He had rolled his jaw and taken a gulp of his gingerbread latte (you had said it was your favorite, and he was loathe to try anything else) and you had softly draped your hand on top of his.
“If she’s as kind and loving and funny as you, I’d love to meet her.” You quipped, a small smile growing on your face in effort to soothe. He had smiled back at you, turning your hand over in his and drawing his digits lazily over your palm.
“Funny, because I was thinking the same thing.”
-•-
He had told you to close your eyes, that much had been true.
See, his coffee had started to get cold. So, like if you give a mouse a cookie, he’ll have to have some milk-
If you give a George a latte he will have to not only have another one, but also feel the strenuous need to show off for you and take you to his place of work. Naturally. And it was so lucky that by the time he’d proposed you leave, he even helped you clean and lock up afterwards.
Truthfully, it almost scared you how much he had seemed to care.
“Alright, Y/N, darling, I’m going to release my hands on the count of three, yeah?”
“Perfect, Georgie” you giggled. You’d legitimately only knew him for so long, but you just...you trusted him. He grinned widely, his strong hands only applying a slight amount of pressure as not to hurt you.
“Alright, then. 1. 2-“ he took his hands off your eyes and watched you adjust not only to light, but to your surroundings as well.
“3.” He breathed out taking in the way you smiled like a teenager, face alight with pure inundating wonder. You squealed and started to run around the store.
“Look at these! Pygmy Puffs - ugh they’re so adorable look at this one! Oh, oh - ‘Fizzing Whizbees’ - these look absolutely wicked! And Per- ‘Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder’?” You picked up the glittery stone in your hand, and heard a smooth voice perk up behind you.
“A real money spinner, that one.” You turned around and there was a man that looked absolutely identical to George, although entirely different in the same way.
“Handy if you need to make a quick getaway,” you heard George on the other side of you. He smiled warmly down at you, nodding his head up to look at the twin across from him.
“Y/N, this is my-“
“-older, much more attractive and fiscally responsible brother.” He winked and you blushed almost immediately. “Fred. Weasley.”
“Y/N Y/L/N. Georgie has told me a lot about you and the shop - absolutely marvelous this place is, I cant believe you two created so much in such a short span of time. Brilliant it all is, really!” George had started to flush, rubbing his jaw to seemingly take the red away from his striking face. Fred, upon hearing the genuine warmth from your voice and the unmistakable use of “Georgie” had a small, but highly distinct aha moment:
“Well, we couldn’t have done it all on our own, one of our best friends helped us out a good lot. But thank you, really...it means so much when other people see how much we do and-” he looked directly at George.
“-acknowledge the things we love, right George?”
“Absolutely, Frederick.” Fred had given him the look that seemed to imply: “please, God, make a damn move.”
“Well, Y/N, I’m going to be off and woo some ladies, have a biscuit and do some paperwork” he smiled wide when you giggled, already enjoying your company.
“But I hope to see you again, very soon, yeah? Please stop by whenever you can, we’re alwYs just down the street.”
“Freddie, for your company, I’m not so sure, I’m still deciding.” You quipped. Fred laughed heartily at that and looked at George.
“Georgie, I like this one.” George looked at you and winked.
“Me, too Freddie, me too.” You leaned back on your heels as Fred padded back up the stairs to the flat, now completely alone with George. You threw your arms behind you back and forth and took a long stride to George.
“So...what are you those?” You nodded up to the array of pink bubbles in a clam shape in the corner. He hummed and reached to grab your hand.
“Love potions - c-can I show you?” He raised an eyebrow slightly, but he felt his whole body turn to mush when you accepted his hand and nodded slowly. As he walked with you, you memorized the feeling of his callouses and veins, the way your hand curled deliberately in his.
You wanted to make sure if it was the last time you felt something like that, you had that memory with you for a while.
“Essentially, if you give these to a person they will temporarily have feelings of love and attraction for you. Depending of course on the dosage you use and the weight of the person in question.” He explained. You watched the way his suit jacket pulled taut against his back muscles and instinctively wanted to honestly just take the whole thing off-
“Hmm...I don’t know about these, Georgie.” You hummed mischievously. Your heart was pounding in your chest.
He scoffed placing a dramatic hand over his heart. “Am i being questioned in my own establishment, Miss Y/L/N?”
You rolled your eyes and hit his arm, bowing slightly at him. “Well, do forgive my feminine insolence, Mr. Weasley, it’s not often I meet such bewitching mad scientists like you.” You watched his face grow blank for a moment at your compliment and immediately wanted to throw up.
“George, I’m really sorry, I know we just became friends-“
“Do you mean it?” He took a step towards you. You swallowed finding again his perfect milk chocolate eyes. You nodded.
“Hell yeah I did, you’re smart...and wicked hot” you both laughed at that. He took another step, the distance being unbearably harder to live in as his digits found a piece of hair and wound it behind your ear.
“Well, darling, the feeling is quite mutual.” He said quietly, taking in the whole of your face. He wanted to crash his lips onto every possible nook and crevice of your face, collide with you entirely.
“We’re going to have to do something about that, then, aren’t we?” You gently nudged his nose with yours and wrapped your arms around his neck, his strong and powerful arms pulling you to him gently. He wanted you to feel him not to break under his embrace. He leaned down and brushed his lips up to yours, feeling you whine and let out a minuscule sound.
“Got you making noises for me already and haven’t even kissed you yet, hmm?”
Your eyes fluttered close and one of your legs made it’s way in between his, snapping any chance at loose air between you two out of the way.
“Please, Weasley, pants a bit small for you?”
“Keep talking like that and they might, yeah.” You two laughed softly and with a final look to your lips he closed the last gap.
His mouth was perfect. His lips ghosted over yours one last time before wrapping every part of himself onto your frame, your lips entangled in each other like you’d never be able to taste him again.
But it was loving and slow and sweet. He tasted like gingerbread lattes and pastries and cinnamon and licking into his mouth you could feel the spice. He moaned lightly into your mouth, sending your knees buckling. He dipped you slightly, a hand traveling to your lower back to keep you steady, and his other hand coming up to nestle under the nape of your hair. Your hands caressed his face, his chest, needless to say? You wanted them everywhere. You wanted him everywhere.
The kiss broke and you and George were left breathless in each other’s hold, your foreheads pressed together as he kept you slightly dipped.
“Y/N, I’m feeling a bit tired” he quipped hoarsely, pressing a brief kiss to your lips and onto your neck. You hummed satisfactorily.
“Georgie, you’re gonna need another latte aren’t you?” You set multiple chaste kisses to his lips and cheeks, feeling him rumble with a small giggle. He caught your mouth with his and you moaned slightly.
“I’m gonna need a whole pot, to drink you in, love.”
#George weasley#george weasley imagine#george weasley x reader#george weasley headcanon#coffee shop#Harry Potter#POV you get called cruel and resourceful by George Weasley#new kink unlocked
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FOOLS pt.4
[[Zuko x Reader]]
<- previous next ->
Summary: Zuko and Y/N had liked eachother for a while even though neither of them knew it. Y/N tries to get over her crush for him, failing miserably. So just when she decides to let go and embrace her feelings, the new Fire lord finds himself feeling jealous and decides to take matters into his own hands.
A/N: This took way longer to write than I expected it cause I found myself getting stuck a bunch of times. I also had so many wonderful people sending me asks and replying to the previous parts, I really didn’t want to disappoint them so I was super perfectionist with this one. It got a little long and VERY angsty (again, sorry) but I think it’s pretty good, next part might be the last one, and I’ll try to write it ASAP to not leave y’all hanging lol.
Side note: this part is dedicated to the nicest person ever @eternally-infinitely who sent me the cutest ask and actually inspired me a lot to finish this. Thank you so much for reading and for being so kind, lots and lots of love to you <3
Warning: Angst, but it’ll end well i promise, language
-IF YOU HAVE ANY REQUESTS DONT HESITATE TO ASK-
“Leave me here to die, Katara. I’m hopeless” you whined into your pillow. The curtains in your room were still closed, barely any light getting in.
“Y/N, you’re not dying, you’re not hopeless and I’m not letting you spend the entire day stuck in here alone. Zuko doesn’t deserve all this suffering, ok? You’re better than this. Now stand up, get ready and let’s go have our massages.” She said finally opening the curtains and pulling the blankets away from you.
“But-“
“Not a question.” Katara said walking out of your room.
You groaned loud enough for her to hear it from outside. Your eyes felt heavy, puffy and stiff from the tears that you’d let fall and dry the night before. Your head ached and for some reason you couldn’t get enough oxygen into your lungs. You felt the worst you’d felt in a while.
But wanting to avoid mom Katara’s reproaches, you put all that aside and made an outworldly effort to get out of bed and make yourself look as decent as you could.
Around twenty minutes later you were out of your room, heading to Katara and Suki’s. They both flashed a faint smile when they saw you.
“I look that bad, huh?” You said letting out a deep sigh
“Oh, no, no, no Y/N. You just look... tired. Did you get any sleep last night?” Suki asked.
“I’d be lying if I said I did” the worried look in your friend’s faces made you reconsider your words. “I’m fine you guys, I’m just being very dramatic. I’ll feel better after I get my massage, ok?”
Toph didn’t take much longer to arrive, rushing all of you to hurry up alredy. You had been ready for a while by then, but internally wished Katara and Suki would take all day so you wouldn’t have to leave that room.
They didn’t, of course, and moments later you and your friends were walking out the door. The fear of running into Zuko made your heart rush, the feeling of air not getting to your lungs intensified and you could tell your body wasn’t strong enough to deal with all that at the moment.
It was when you walked past the conference room, which had the doors open, when you met his eyes. Aang and Sokka where the only two other people there, they’d said something about having a quick meeting with the council that day, taking advantage of Aang’s presence and Sokka deciding to join in as well. Zuko looked as restless as you, but you were sure he had different reasons for it. You couldn’t hold your stare for longer than two seconds, the memories of the night before where starting to come back and it hurt too much for you to handle.
In a very out of character moment, Toph held your hand and pressed it softly. You figured she’d felt your heart beat, your breathing or whatever else that could’ve given you away. It did made you feel better, knowing that at least you had her there made it all better.
—————————-
You’d never been in a spa before, that time Toph and Katara went to one in Ba Sing Se you hadn’t been able to join them, but hearing Toph say how great it was surprised you, seeing as she wasn’t the type of girl to typically like that stuff.
Feeling someone touching you and massaging you was weird at first, you felt like dough for the first few minutes, but after you started to relax and give into the sensation it gave you, your entire body started to release the tension your muscles had been holding without you noticing. Next step in the spa day were facials, you decided to get one called ‘ocean tranquility’ for the mere reason that it sounded nice, Toph of course went for the mud bath and seemed to enjoy it very much. Finally, you decided to finish your session in the warm jacuzzi.
The experience was very enjoyable to say the least, you and the girls had a lot of fun and best of all the Zuko situation hadn’t even crossed your mind the entire morning. Forgetting about him was gonna be hard, but with the way he had been acting lately, he was the one making the job each time easier for you.
When you got back to the palace it was already time for lunch. A pit in your stomach formed at the though of having to sit across the Fire lord, having to talk to him or merely be in his presence. But you weren’t gonna give him the satisfaction of running away. The four of you arrived to the table first, taking your usual sits, Aang and Sokka came next talking about something that had happened in the meeting and the last one to get there was Zuko. His body was stiff, the restless look in his eyes you had seen that morning hadn’t left his face, and for a split second you wanted to walk over to where he was sitting and hug him. But you couldn’t, and that hurt.
The two of you ate silently, leaving the conversation to everyone else. You didn’t look up once after your plate was set in front of you, terrified of bursting into tears if you did, but Zuko on the other hand glanced your way more than a few times.
“So Zuko, what time should we be ready for the gala tonight?” Katara asked, you could tell she was making an effort to not act weird around him too, which you appreciated. You didn’t want your feelings for him to not only ruin your friendship but everyone else’s as well.
“We have to be there to receive all the guests, so even though it technically starts at around eight, we all should be ready half an hour prior.” Even his voice sounded weird, a tone you hadn’t heard him use ever since the days leading up to the comet.
When all of you were done eating, you went to your chambers to get ready. A couple of maids were called to help you out with the dress and with your hair, which took around an hour and a half. You chose an elegant up-do with very thin and delicate braids on the sides, letting the back and front of the dress showcase fully. You left the makeup to Suki, she decided to make your eyes smokey and your lips a wine tone, very much like your dress.
The version of yourself you saw in the mirror was one you hadn’t seen before, you looked confident and beautiful, and it seemed like the other girls felt the same way.
“I couldn’t have imagined us like this a year ago, back when we had to bathe in rivers and were constantly covered in dirt.” Katara said walking up behind you pulling Toph and Suki with her. “We’ve come so far.”
“Katara, if you make us cry and ruin our makeup I’m never going to forgive you.” Suki joked pulling all of you into a hug.
“I love you all... so much” you said back, you knew after surviving a war that every moment of peace with your friends was invaluable.
——————————————
You and the girls walked to the ballroom where the gala would take place. Aang Sokka and Zuko were already there waiting at the entrance.
Before the four of you even got half way to where they stood Toph grabbed your hand and said “You really look stunning, Y/N”
You chuckled lightly looking over at her. “Thanks Toph, but you can’t see me”
“Oh, I don’t have to. All I need to know is that Sparky over there nearly went into cardiac arrest when he saw you, so you must look incredible.”
You turned your attention to Zuko who was already looking at you. He looked heavenly, his suit was mostly black with some red details, traditional of the Fire nation, and it seemed to match your dress perfectly. His hair was up held by the royal head piece, leaving in full sight his handsome face. Your own heartbeat acelerated, and even though you tried to stop it you knew your cheeks were blushing just like his already were.
And for that split moment you felt everything fade away, what he had done, how you had felt, all of it. You wanted to let it all go, and you were ready to drop everything you had for a single word of his. Almost as if you were in a trance, you walked up to him while your friends all greeted eachother. His amber eyes locked with yours, you could tell he was trying to look for something to say but was having a hard time, so you decided to make it easier for him. “You look great”
He smiled softly before replying “You look perfect.” He said in a low raspy voice.
Before either of you could say anything else a moving figure caught your eye behind Zuko. It was Mai, wearing a tight black dress with embroidered golden details, and as always she was beautiful. The trance broke at the sight, you wanted to keep talking to Zuko, see where things would go, but you couldn’t, not with everything that was going on.
So you took one step back first, and then another until you were able to walk away from him and over to were everyone else was talking. Zuko’s eyes were covered in a confused look, until he looked behind him, where Mai was already close enough to greet him with a hug. He hugged her back but reluctantly, as if he had wanted the same thing you did a couple seconds before.
Not long after that, Iroh asked all of you to stand in a line to receive the guests, the would come in and individually shake each of your hands following Fire nation traditions. Mai stayed behind and you were the first out of your friends to walk up to Iroh, which meant you would be right next to the Fire lord the whole time. The universe seemed to want things to be hard for you that night.
So, as planned, the guests started to arrive. They weren’t only from the Fire nation, but people from all nations, you saw green gowns from the earth nation, and also blue ones from the water tribes. The first people to approach you were high commanders, you knew them from some of the meetings they had with Zuko, then there were a lot of people with political positions and finally came the people who were just normal citizens. They were the ones who greeted you with the most warmth, thanking you over and over again for ending the war, for saving them and their families, for being the heroes of all nations.
There were still a good amount of people waiting to talk to you and your friends but a familiar face stood out to you in the middle of the crowd. “Excuse me for a second, it was wonderful to see you.” You said to the woman who stood in front of you while discretely walking away from the group and into the crowd.
Doko’s back was facing you when you put your hand on his shoulder. He was wearing a blue suit with white details and his hair was slicked back. When he turned around to see you it took him exactly half a second to pick you up from the floor and spin you around, you were glad the ballroom was filled with the sounds of people chattering because otherwise your loud laugh would’ve been heard across the entire palace.
“Woah there, stranger. You’re gonna mess up my dress.” You said trying to get him to put you back down.
“Sorry, sorry, I forgot you’re royalty now, guess you’ve gone soft on me, Y/L/N.” He said bringing you down.
“I told you I’m not royalty and I’ll show you how soft I’ve gone” you said shoving your hands to his sides knowing he had always been very ticklish.
“Don’t you dare.” He said holding your wrists and moving away from you as he accidentally bumped into someone behind him. “I’m sorry, sir”
“Idiot” you whispered laughing.
“Yeah, yeah you’re very funny.” He said back while finally letting go of you. “But jokes aside, you do look stunning.”
“Thank you, so do you. Never thought of you as the suit kind of guy.”
“What one does for old friends. You’re owe me though, I feel like a penguin.” His hands went up to his collar which he still seemed to be getting used to.
“I want you to meet my friends, come on.” You dragged him back to the line where the group stood, noticing Zuko was missing. The thought creeped in the back of your mind but you pushed it away.
“Guys, come here.” You called, glad they were done welcoming people. “I want you to meet someone. This is Doko, we were best friends when we were little back in the Northern water tribe. Doko this are Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph and Suki”
Your friend held out his hand to each of them individually as he said “It’s nice to meet you all. You’re saints for putting up with this one for this long” you punched him in the arm as a response.
“Oh, believe me, it hasn’t been an easy task.” Toph interviened immediately after, taking the opportunity to tease you.
“You know what, not going to that fight you have next week is starting to sound pretty good”
Doko and your friends seemed to get along pretty well to your relief. It warmed your heart to see the one good friend you’d had back home together with the best friends you met along the way. All of you took a sit in a table that was reserved for you. You talked about your adventures with the gaang, how you’d met them and how all of you found yourselves putting an end to the hundred year war.
“What about you, Doko? How come we didn’t meet you when we visited the Northern water tribe?” Aang asked.
“Well, I used to live there when Y/N and I were little kids. My father was a high rank bender, he was in charge of the protection of the tribe, but in one of the earlier attempts of invasion he died. That’s when my mom decided to take me and my sister to Ba Sing Se, you know, somewhere she knew we would be safe.” He bumped your side with his elbow before saying “I only found out you guys had been there days after you left, thanks for paying us a visit Y/N”
“I didn’t know you were there, none of us knew where you and your family went to after you left.” You explained. “Besides, we were kinda busy trying not to get killed, you know, usual touristy things”
As the night went on, you found yourself drowning in more laughter, the sound of upbeat music, funny anecdotes and an ethereal feeling you wanted to cling to for as long as you could. Zuko still hadn’t approached your table, which caused you to feel both relieved and heavy hearted.
At one point while Suki was laughing at something Sokka had said, she accidentally pushed his glass off the table and onto him, spilling its contents directly to his shirt.
“Oh, Sokka I’m so sorry.” She said trying to dry him up with a cloth napkin.
“Its ok, babe. You can’t even tell”
Katara looked at him disapprovingly before interviening. “Yes, you can Sokka. We still have to go up there in front of everybody for when Zuko gives his speech. You’re gonna have to change.”
“Well... there’s a problem with that.”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t bring another shirt.” Katara let out a big sigh.
“How could I know I was gonna need another one?” Sokka explained.
You were trying to think of ideas to fix the problem when one popped into your head. “Wait... Zuko always has one spare in his office in case he needs it. I think it’s black, if I’m not wrong. I’ll bring it for you, I’m sure it’ll fit perfectly.”
“You’re always saving the day, Y/N. That’s why you’re my favorite.” Sokka joked gaining a punch from Toph.
“Hey! I thought I was your favorite.”
——————————
The closer you got to Zuko’s office, the quieter it got. The palace was only dimly lit by some torches and occupied by a few guards here and there.
Once you opened the door making sure there was no one inside, you looked around the place trying to remember where Zuko had told you he kept his spare shirt. A big piece of furniture made out of a dark wood that matched everything else in the room called your attention, you opened the little doors it had only to find, amongst other things like papers and supplies, a black shirt held by a hanger. You grabbed it carefully, trying not to move anything else. When you had the shirt in hand you were about to leave the office, but a folded piece of paper caught your eye. It was the only thing on top of Zuko’s desk, which you assumed meant it was the speech he had prepared, only he must have forgotten to take it with him. You opened it just to make sure it was actually the speech and you weren’t grabbing a random piece of paper. The first lines that were written there confirmed it was. He thanked everybody for attending the gala, he talked about this new found peace all nations were enjoying now and he reassured everyone of his endless compromise to keep working towards a brighter future.
It was all the usual stuff someone would say in a speech, until your eyes were drawn further down the page. The words you read there confused you, it made no sense, all the things he’d written there made no sense to you. Before you could read any further, the sound of the door closing behind you made you jump.
“What are you doing here?” Zuko asked dryly.
You couldn’t make yourself turn around to face him, you could almost feel the tears pooling in your eyes and clouding your vision. So you stayed right where you were and simply read out loud what you had in front of you.
“I want to thank the one person who has been by my side this entire time, the only one who’s picked me up every time I’ve been close to falling, every time I’ve felt like I wasn’t fit for the job or I wasn’t good enough to lead a nation. The one who has given me unconditional advice when I’ve needed it the most, and who has been my rock throughout this entire year. Mai, I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“Y/N...”
“You know what, Zuko? I realize now I wasn’t mad at you for any of the things that have happened lately, I was mad at myself, I couldn’t even look at you but not because I was angry, it was because I was ashamed. I felt like an idiot for catching feelings for someone I knew could never feel the same way about me, but that’s not your fault, you don’t owe me feelings. But this is going a little too far don’t you think? Saying that the one thing that’s kept you going all this time is a girl I haven’t even seen since last year? Who wasn’t there when you had your outbursts of rage and wanted to burn the whole place down, who you didn’t go to before every meeting to ask for advice on how to deal with people, who wasn’t there for the nights when you couldn’t sleep because of the nightmares, Spirits! Who didn’t take the entire day to take care of you when you were sick. But I guess all that meant nothing to you. Why am I not surprised?”
You finally turned around, your cheeks already damp and your heart already beating as fast as ever. He looked speechless, like a child that had been yelled at for breaking something. You’d never seen a look like that in his eyes and it almost made you want to run into his arms, but your heart was already broken enough.
He took in a deep breath before braking the silence. “You’re being unfair, Y/N.”
“Oh, I’m being unfair? You’re unbelievable”
“Don’t you have a date waiting for you outside?” He spat a little more secure this time. His words weren’t being fully processed by your brain, it was like whatever he said was covered in a layer of fog and you couldn’t make sense of it.
“You’re right, I have friends who are waiting for me out there, and I’m not wasting any more of the little time I’ve got with them for you.” You made an attempt to walk past him but he grabbed you by the wrist and held you back.
“So this is how you deal with shit? You just run away from it?” He said, his voice breaking a little bit and his breathing fast paced and uneven.
You wanted to bark something back at him, to keep fighting and let everything you’d been holding back these past few days out, scream and yell and hit him and just make him hurt as much as you were hurting, but you didn’t have the strength. “This probably wasn’t a good idea, the whole moving into a palace with basically a stranger who I’d known for a few months before hand and thinking things would just work out, and seeing as I apparently haven’t contributed at all, I don’t see the point of staying any longer. So don’t worry, you’ll have the whole place for you and your ‘rock’ as soon as possible.” You escaped his grasp and walked out the door, trying your best to pull yourself back together before re-entering the ball room.
—————————-
No one asked questions once you were back at the table, but you were less talkative the rest of the night. Before you had to walk up to join Zuko while he was giving his speech, Doko grabbed your hand and intertwined his fingers with yours, the two of you used to do it whenever you were scared or nervous about something when you were little, and it gave you the strength to get up there and listen to the words Zuko had prepared.
He said basically the same thing you’d read in the paper back at his office, excluding everything about Mai, which was a relief cause you really weren’t feeling like crying in front of a whole crowd that night.
Finally, when the gala was over and people were starting to leave, you hugged Doko one more time, promising him you’d stay in touch and see eachother way more from now on. He seemed to want to say something before leaving but decided not to.
You didn’t even say good night to the rest of your friends, discreetly walking out of the ballroom and to your room. If your dress hadn’t been so tight and uncomfortable to lay down with you probably would’ve fallen asleep in it, but after a few minutes of struggling, you finally wiggled out of it and dropped it on a chair that stood next to your bed. You picked the first night gown you could find and put it on before burying yourself under the covers. Tears didn’t take long to fall once again. That horrible feeling of not being able to fill your lungs was back and a dark heaviness covered your body.
You wanted to sleep and get rid of everything, but you couldn’t get yourself to drift off. Several hours must’ve gone by because the sound of people waking and talking outside couldn’t be heard anymore. Silence made everything sink in, what you’d read, what you’d said to Zuko, what he said back. All of it. And right when you were about to let your swollen eyes close the door opened, no previous warning. It closed right back a couple seconds later, softly and carefully. You didn’t know who it was, but you certainly had no intention of talking with anyone, so you didn’t make an attempt to move.
“I know you’re awake.” It was Zuko’s voice. You were so shocked by that you started to think it might be your mind playing games with you, but when he spoke again, you realized it wasn’t. “We need to talk, Y/N”
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flowers n’ sunshine
author: inkblotsandbubblegum
genre: fluff like so sweet ouch my cavities
pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x Reader
prompt: I just liked the idea of Bakahoe being really shy and nervous and floofy around his long-term crush so here ya’ go, my loves <3
To say that Katsuki Bakugou had a crush on you was an understatement. A big, fat understatement and everybody knew it. Everybody but you.
Bakugou stared at you in class, at lunch, during training, and basically whenever you were in his line of sight. He thought you were the prettiest, most perfect being to ever walk on the planet. Would he tell anyone that? Absolute not. Not in a million years would Bakugou admit that he was in love with someone like you.
You were always nice. You were kind and caring to everyone, even the disgusting, purple moron, who’s name Bakugou couldn’t really remember. Bakugou also couldn’t remember a time when you weren’t happy. You always radiated positive energy, which was the exact opposite of what he radiated.
Bakugou knew he was unapproachable. He knew he gave off negative vibes and it didn’t really bother him. At least, not until he met you. When you walked into the classroom on the first day of the first year at UA High School, he wanted more than anything for you to approach him. You didn’t.
Bakugou fell for you more and more each day. He loved your hair and how you had to blow it out of your eyes when you were leaning over your work, solving a difficult math problem. He loved your eyes, the way they always seemed to be sparkling and even when your mouth wasn’t smiling, your eyes were.
And dear God, your lips. Bakugou thought he might have a heart attack if he looked at your lips for longer than 2.4 seconds. They were cute and plump and always red from your nasty lip-biting habit when you were concentrating.
Bakugou loved your laugh. It was big and huge and took up the entire room. It was one of those contagious laughs that made everybody who heard it smile. Your laugh was loud and unapologetic and he thought it couldn’t fit you more.
Bakugou was hopelessly in love with you and everyone knew it.
A year had gone by without Bakugou saying anything about his feelings. Instead of Class 1-A, they had become Class 2-A and nothing had changed. Bakugou still stared at you with puppy dog eyes and said nothing as you walked, talked, and laughed and smiled. That seemed to be all he could do.
It was a warm, September afternoon and Class 2-A had decided to have a picnic on Saturday. The golden hues of the sunset cast an ethereal glow over the park, shining through your hair and Bakugou’s only thought was: I can’t believe I’m classmates with an angel.
You had worn a light, bouncy sundress the color of happiness with thin straps and a flowing hem. It was simple, but Bakugou thought you looked otherworldly. Apparently, his staring was obvious to his idiot best friends, Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero.
“Dude, you’ve been crushing on (Y/N) since first year,” Kirishima said quietly, slinging an arm around Bakugou’s shoulders. “You gotta do something! Not very manly to keep your feelings hidden, in my opinion.”
Bakugou looked up frantically to see if you were paying attention, but you were too busy trying to catch a strawberry that Ashido threw towards your mouth. It hit you in the forehead, prompting you to giggle like a madwoman and scrunch up your nose.
Bakugou’s friends watched as his eyes softened and he became entranced with your laughter, something that had been happening for over 365 days.
“Woah . . .” Kaminari stared in amazement at the other blond boy. “You’re, like, in love with her! Like, love, love. Like, you wanna get married and have babies and get really old and wrinkly and gross together! That kinda love!”
Bakugou fixed Kaminari with a sharp glare, a hot blush spreading on his face. “I do not love her.”
Sero raised an eyebrow at Bakugou’s cherry red face, but said nothing.
“Hey! Bakugou!” You called from where the other girls were sitting. “Are you alright? You look pretty red . . . Oh, do you have a fever?!”
You jumped up, worried, and squatted in front of Bakugou. Dear Jesus Christ, Bakugou thought, Please don’t make me pass out. I promise I’ll stop swearing and I’ll—
Then you layed your cool hand on his hot forehead and Bakugou’s train of thought just . . . yEEt. His moron friends were snickering, slapping each other on the backs and shooting him thumbs up when you weren’t looking.
Your face was so close to his and your hand was so soft and you smelt like vanilla and summer and bananas and— sweet Jesus it’s really hot outside. Bakugou’s face just got redder.
“Oh no,” You clicked your tongue unhappily with a worried pout. “I think you have a fever, Katsuki.”
Bakugou’s brain pretty much just shut down when you said his first name. It rolled off your tongue, sounding so pretty and perfect in your mouth that he almost asked you to say it again.
Instead, he managed to choke out, “N-no I— I think I-I’m f-f-fine!”
Bakugou hated how weak you made him sound. He hated how much control you had over him and you weren’t even trying.
You gasped and jumped up, startling Bakugou back into reality. You smiled brightly at him, almost sending the poor boy into cardiac arrest. “I know what’ll make you feel better!”
“W-what?”
“It’s a surprise,” you winked and Bakugou turned bright red again. “I’ll bring it over in a sec!”
You bent down, patted his cheek, and skipped back over to where the other girls were sitting. They were giggling at Bakugou’s red face, something he had become accustomed to since everyone had found out about his crush on you.
Bakugou was pulled away from watching you as you laughed with your best friends by Kirishima shaking his shoulders.
“Get your hands off me—!” Bakugou pushed his best friend back, who was giggling crazily.
“Bakugou! I knew you liked her but I didn’t think you liked her, liked her!” Kirishima punched him in the shoulder and he groaned.
“I— I don’t!” Bakugou rubbed his hands over his warm face.
“Keep tellin’ yourself that, dude,” Sero shook his head.
They all shut up as you bounced back over, hiding something behind your back. You knelt down in front of Bakugou, who tilted his head, trying to control his blush.
“Close your eyes,” you said, biting back a grin.
Bakugou obidiently closed his eyes, something he’d never do with anyone he didn’t trust.
He felt your gentle hands in his spiky hair, setting something light on his head. Bakugou was so lost in the tingly feeling your fingers left in his hair that he almost missed you telling him to open his eyes.
Bakugou opened his eyes just as you snapped a picture of him on your phone. He glared and pouted. “Delete that.”
“No!” You gasped in fake outrage, holding the phone close to your chest. “This is my new favorite picture!”
Bakugou’s face erupted in color and he stuttered, “W-what did you even p-put on my head?”
“Oh!” You flipped your phone around to show him the picture.
On top of Bakugou’s spiky hair rested a delicate flower crown made of tiny, bright red blossoms. He was speechless.
“I know red’s your favorite color and it matches your eyes, so I think it was obvious,” you said, giggling nervously. “My mom used to make these for me whenever I was sick and . . .”
Your words, which Bakugou was usually so attentive to, became a blur in his mind as he stared at the field of red flowers right next to the girls’ picnic blanket. His crimson eyes rested back on you, who was happily rambling on and on about flower crowns and tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. The golden sun hit your face perfectly, making your sunshiney smile even brighter.
“Thank you,” Bakugou interrupted.
“Sorry, what was that?” You looked at him, not sure if you heard him right. Did the Katsuki Bakugou just thank you?
“I said . . . thank you,” he said a little quieter this time, all too aware of his annoying friends giggling like 2nd grade girls in the background.
“It’s no problem, Katsuki,” You smiled and Bakugou nearly fainted. “Gimme a shout if ya’ need anything else, ‘kay?”
You leaned down and pecked him on the cheek before bouncing away and Bakugou swore he’d died because this was surely heaven.
“Dude!” His friends surrounded him not a moment later, punching him in the arms and laughing. “You’re totally whipped!”
But their laughter fell on deaf ears.
Maybe Bakugou would tell you how he felt one day. Maybe he wouldn’t. He just knew that loving you was enough for now.
(unedited)
#x reader#katsuki bakugou#bnha katsuki#bnha#mha#bakugou imagines#cute#fluff#romance#love#writing#anime#blush#bad writing#dont read#lol i think im funny#sweet#flowers#sunset#sunshine
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Swimming in Silk - Chapter 8
Training in front of her, engaging her in conversation and now lending her his clothes…Kagome is starting to suspect that Sesshoumaru is trying to gain her attention.
Sesskag - Romance, Humour and some drama
Rated M - As always you can read this story on Ao3, fanfiction.net or Dokuga
Chapter One - here Chapter Three - here Chapter Five - here
Chapter Two - here Chapter Four - here Chapter Six - here
Chapter Seven - here Chapter Nine - here
Mourning Mortals ~
Her legs had given out beneath her, though Kagome did not faint. In fact she remained lucid to the very real stabbing pain through her heart, if her scent was anything to go by, Sesshoumaru surmised. She hadn't really responded after the subsequent crying and numbness, seemingly lost to painful memories as the world kept turning without her. Sesshoumaru had carried her back to the stronghold and brought her to a new room, since their own needed repairs.
Shippo wanted to follow her in, but Inuyasha had grabbed him by the tail and dragged him away.
Sesshoumaru had given orders to remove the dragon carcasses and start the repairs, but remained with her in the room.
"You should...go and oversee the damage."
Burning gold glanced down at her as she lay curled on her side, hands drawn up to her chest. "It is fine."
Her cheeks looked sore, stained with red blotches from crying. "I should...go. Mom and Souta probably need me."
When he remained silent, she blinked tiredly up and him. Unreadable eyes observed her, a slight softness to them, despite their intensity. Kagome bit her lip and drew herself up on the furs, reaching for him. Being wrapped in warm silk only made her burrow further into the security he offered, into the place where she didn't have to do or say anything. She held onto him tightly and inhaled his scent, her own calming. Sesshoumaru watched her silently, for the first time experiencing something he never thought he would.
He felt strangely inept.
The Killing Perfection had lived up to his name and slain many, including countless mortals- fathers and husbands alike. He'd given no more thought to them than one would a moth wilting in the dark or crunching under boot. They died so quickly, easily compared to he, that were it not for Rin and now the Miko, he would never have acknowledged them at all.
"What is...cardiac arrest?" He asked, testing the words on his tongue. Inuyasha had struggled to say them earlier too, though perhaps for different reasons.
Kagome inhaled sharply, causing his claws to twitch. He should not have spoken.
"It- it's when our hearts suddenly malfunction and stop pumping blood around our bodies. When our hearts stop pumping blood, the brain is starved of oxygen. T-then we fall unconscious and stop breathing."
Golden eyes widen, a chill running down his spine. "Your very hearts can kill you from within? Simply by stopping?"
She squeezed him slightly and gave a weak chuckle. "Yeah. We don't need to get impaled by claws or withered by old age or illness to die. It just happens sometimes, but can be triggered by a bunch of stuff like our diet." She paused for a moment, "but then there's freaky stuff like having a brain hemorrhage, or spontaneous human combustion-"
Suddenly appearing to read the room, she looked up. He'd become very stiff against her, eyes flitting over her body as though trying to see any signs of weakening. She smiled tiredly, "let's talk about something else."
His hand settled atop her head, stroking gently. "This one does not know what you require."
"There's not really a cure-all for grief. I-it just helps to have your loved ones around you. Then you're not alone." She rested her cheek against his chest, exhaling. Silence engulfed them as her fingers clenched and relaxed in the furs beneath them, his natural calm working wonders for her frazzled state.
"Tell me of him," came his deep baritone.
Kagome squeezed her eyes shut and shuddered violently, "h-he's stupidly eccentric and talks- talked...about history stuff all the time. Thinks he knows everything about demons. But he...he cares about me and Souta, I even kind of felt like he was my kooky Papa. Probably sounds strange," she murmured, continuing to talk about him in present tense. Sesshoumaru did not correct her.
Her lips moved up to press against the mating mark on his neck, feather light. The bite marks looked to have bruised, the purplish magenta taking on an almost semi circle form. Like a sunset.
He parted her clothing- though this time not to illicit desire, instead brushing his thumb lingeringly over the crescent moon hiding beneath.
Claws dragged through her hair, calloused palms stroking down along her trembling spine.
She only managed to stall for time another hour before Inuyasha returned.
In a way, he'd willingly made himself the bad guy, the tough love. Kagome knew that, could tell from the lowered ears pressed tight to his skull that he hated every second he barked for her to leave.
"They need you dammit. You can't just bury your head in the sand!"
When she didn't shout or bluster, only nodding numbly, the Hanyou's guilt and worry only doubled. Sesshoumaru glared at him, eyes narrowing into slits, but Kagome put her hand on his arm.
"You're right. And I'm sorry, Inuyasha. You rushed here to tell me but I've taken so long..." she trailed off, grip tightening around her crutches. "I just...needed to recharge. Let's go now."
Sesshoumaru felt her bite marks on his neck pulse, ebbing and flowing as her emotions tore at her. He carried the miko without another word, rising up into the air in a flurry of white silks.
And that was how Kagome found herself standing before the Bone Eater's Well.
The Daiyoukai stood quiet and watchful at her side, staring into the dark depths with thin lips. His dislike for it was palpable, and her hand reached out to squeeze his.
"Funerals and stuff afterwards can take awhile. I'm not sure how many days I'll be, so..."
He gave a curt nod. "This one will not linger, but should you return-"
"I'll send for you and wait at the village," she finished for him, smiling tiredly despite it all. He hummed, hesitating to relinquish her hand and instead turning to her.
"Kagome. This one cannot know with certainty, but my double may be there, on the other side."
She blinked, thrown. In all the bombardment of information, she hadn't even stopped to consider that. Her hand reached up to touch her bite marks as he continued.
"If this is so, you should accept the elixir and return to me once you're ready." Sharp eyes fixed on her face while various emotions crossed it.
"Oi! Don't you think whatever it is you're yappin' about could wait until AFTER this stuff? Her damn Grandpa just died and you're talkin' about something else?" Inuyasha piped up, leaning against a tree not too far away.
Sesshoumaru's jaw locked, glancing at him with a cold expression, "silence whelp."
He's just trying to cover all possibilities, but... Kagome thinks to herself, reaching out to grasp Sesshoumaru's shoulder. It had the desired effect as his attention fell back to her. "If I do that...we don't know if that's leaving your future self alone after 500 years."
His gaze was stony and unsympathetic. Her heart leapt in her chest, "I-I can't think about the schematics of time travel right now. We don't know if this works on Back to the Future Logic, I can't wrap my head around alternate timeline implications right now,” she rambled, uncaring as her reference flew right over his head. His arm slid around her waist and tightened, until she was rocked forward on her crutches and feeling lips crash onto hers.
Inhaling sharply, Kagome soon melted against his mouth- his teeth catching her bottom lip and biting down briefly. Heat flushed down to her toes. Her fingers climbed from his chest to his shoulders, soon burying themselves in the hair at the nape of his neck, combing through the long strands. His tongue brushed inside her mouth and she squeaked, realising they were being beyond rude with Inuyasha right there, though he appeared to be ignoring them.
Trying to pull away, Kagome growled when he held fast- nipping his lip.
Braking away, she blushed slightly. "I'll heavily consider it," she mumbled, tightening her arms around his neck. "Don't worry, I'll be back in two weeks tops."
"Hn, this one is not worried."
I am, she chose not to say, kissing him briefly once more before leaning away. Sesshoumaru released her waist but surprised her by turning to look at Inuyasha.
"You will go as well," he muttered lowly.
Inuyasha blinked, mirroring her shocked expression but quickly scoffing. "Keh, was gonna anyway. Not like you have a say."
"Be nice," Kagome sighed, turning to face the Bone Eater's well as the Hanyou strode forward. He wrapped an arm around her waist, while she glanced over her shoulder at Sesshoumaru. His expression remained unreadable, but she forced a small smile and touched her shoulder briefly.
Gold flickered. His hand rose to skim sharp claws over his neck, making her heart do a funny thing in her chest.
Inuyasha jumped up, lifting her and the crutches with him. Their forms disappeared into the depths of the well, scents disappearing soon after.
Being enveloped in Mama Higuarshi's arms had been both cathartic and gut-wrenchingly painful. Kagome had burst into a fresh set of tears, hugging her close. When Souta had joined them they'd turned into a barber quartet of wailing, crying humans. She could sense Inuyasha somewhere behind her, deeply uncomfortable. His ears remained pressed back against his skull the entire time, even when they'd gone inside to chat while preparing the wake.
"We rushed him to hospital but it was so quick. One moment he was here and the next..." her mother had explained softly.
"Was he in pain, in the end?" Kagome murmured.
"I-it's hard to say honey, but I saw him. He looked very peaceful. Just like he was sleeping," Mama Higurashi forced a smile, smoothing the edges and wrinkles as always. No pain or sadness was allowed in their house. Kagome could tell the strain of keeping up that facade was starting to take it's toll.
"I'll help with everything that needs doing- the arrangements for the funeral. Just anything, mom. Please know you can rely on me," she said seriously.
"Thank you, sweetheart. I think your Auntie will be here soon to help too, don't worry."
Kagome nodded slowly as she continued tugging on some black clothes, rubbing her eyes tiredly.
It was in the early hours of the morning that Kagome first realised that the present Sesshoumaru hadn't been waiting for her in the Well House, and for that, she felt grateful. There was too much going on to add that craziness to the mix. Flopping onto her pink bed, she sighed heavily, searching for a certain energy outside.
"Inuyasha," she called softly.
The window slid open. Hearing a shuffling, she felt his very slight weight rest against the side of her bed, sitting on the floor. "What?" He grunted.
"You can sleep in here like old times you know. It's not a big deal."
"Keh. Maybe not to you, but your hubby might have a thing to say about it," he grumbled, laying down on his side none the less, facing away from her as she looked at the wall. "How come you haven't told them about him, anyway?"
"T-they know I'm dating him," she said defensively, soon sighing. "Come on, I can't bring up getting essentially married while this is going on."
"Guess so," he grunted, closing his eyes. "You all alright?"
Sensing the genuine concern behind his gruff persona, she hugged her pillow and hummed. "Not really, but we're dealing with it. Sorry, I know our blubbering must be hurting your ears."
"Don't be dumb, dumbass," he pillowed his cheek against his palm, nose twitching. "So...it's over now."
"No. That was just the wake. It's the proper funeral tomorrow." Kagome squeezed the pillow tighter, imagining it was mokomoko.
She felt incredibility grateful when he didn't comment on her tears soaking into the material.
A week passed.
They'd had Grandpa's funeral on an ironically beautiful day. He'd been dressed in his best clothes to be cremated.
The seven days had been a good amount of time to get things organised. They hadn't much family, but what few who had attended gave condolence money to help with the expenses. But it still hadn't been enough to cover the whole thing.
Mama, Souta and herself had found three packages hidden under Grandpa's bed, meant for each one of them individually. Mama had received a beautiful traditional calligraphy set, and recalled that she'd wanted to buy one for awhile. Souta found a bundle intended to pay for his tuition fees in the future, though he'd offered to use it to help with the funeral. Mama's voice had sharpened then, declining.
"What did you get Kagome?" He'd asked her.
Kagome touched the package wrapped in brown paper. It pressed down like there was something soft underneath, perhaps a kimono, but Kagome theorised it would be miko robes.
"I uh...I'm not sure. I'll open it later," she'd forced a smile, before hurrying to go finish the chores.
A picture of the deceased had been placed at the family altar in the household, and following the memorial services, Kagome had been all but wiped out. Too tired to think or mourn.
It was when the second week passed and began to leak into the third that it happened.
Inuyasha had been living off ramen noddles and not complained all that much, considering. But finally home sickness got to him. Hugging him tight, for the first time in a long while- bridging a gap Kagome had tried not to be aware of, she'd smiled genuinely at him. "Tell Sesshoumaru that I'll be there tomorrow, I need to make sure the memorial goes up okay."
He nodded and awkwardly patted her back, ears flicking. "See ya soon."
Waving him away, Kagome watched as he ruffled Souta's hair in passing, rushing towards the Well House. She tested her leg for what felt the hundredth time that day, standing upright on two legs. She'd finally rid herself of the crutches, and smiled to herself because of it. No more stiff cramping hands from holding the grips or aching ankle. It was still a slight bit fragile, but Kagome dismissed it as a habit from her reflexes to try and ease off it.
"When's Inuyasha coming back?" Her brother asked, grinning as he kicked a ball towards her.
She caught it under her previously injured foot and playfully turned, kicking the ball back with a bounce. "No idea, kiddo. He's been here for nearly three weeks, I'm sure he's eager to get away at this point-" a loud yell caught her attention, before his red and white form sped towards them. "Or maybe not?"
"Kagome!" The Hanyou burst, landing in front of her in a billow of red robes. His golden eyes were wide and panicked.
Her stomach plummeted. No, not again. "What's wrong?"
"The fucking Well ain't opening!"
They say bad things come in threes.
If her ankle nearly breaking had been one, and Grandpa's death the second, then surely the well's sudden closure again was the third. The how and the why frustrated Inuyasha more than it had her. She patiently listened as he ranted and raved about it, a very clear worry in his eyes. Kagome however, just sat, cast adrift. Sesshoumaru was not there to anchor her. She couldn't recharge. The most she could do was touch her shoulder and inspect the crescent moon on her flesh. It hadn't faded, which assured her somewhat and remained the only reason to hope their circumstances might change.
But present Sesshoumaru did not arrive either.
"Where the fuck is he, anyway?" Inuyasha grunted, pacing up and down her bedroom while she hugged her pillow on the bed.
"He wouldn't just ignore us. There has to be a good reason." Her hazy eyes drifted around her room, grazing the puzzle boxes she'd meant to give him, the children's toys for Rin and Shippo. She looked at the package Grandpa had left for her, sitting innocently on the desk, and felt her heart lurch.
"Maybe he lost track of time trying to wrestle out that stick shoved up his ass. It's not like he'd care about- hey!" Inuyasha jumped when she suddenly stood. "W-what's up with you?"
Kagome exhaled, curling her hand into a fist. "I'm going to go look for him," she muttered. She'd wasted time, she realised. Not on Grandpa's funeral, no, before that. Arguing with Sesshoumaru about mortality or monogamy. She'd let her worries and emotions overtake her then, but faced with sitting there, stewing in loneliness- her heart cried out for action.
Turning on her heel, Kagome raced from of the room, out the house- down the shrine steps. The simple act of running felt amazing to her legs.
"Hey!" A voice called behind her. Kagome stopped at the bottom of the stairs to see Inuyasha clear them in a single bound, landing beside her. "I'm coming too, dumbass."
She smiled and reached to grab one of the white ears perched atop his head, "not without your hat- dumbass." She pinched it, causing him to yelp, before letting go. "I'll try the city downtown. You check this area first and see if you can sense anything. See you later!"
Inuyasha grunted, watching her leave, black hair dancing wildly behind her. His brows furrowed.
Kagome hurried down the streets, following them into the denser parts of the city, spreading out her reiki. I want to see you, she thought, and became ashamed that it wasn't Grandpa she was thinking of
Her shoulder pulsed, and she tried to think of it as guiding her. Maybe if she pushed herself harder and harder, some of her desperation might reach him, wherever he was.
Please, I want to see you!
Yet no matter how far she stretched her reiki, spreading it thin throughout the city- all she caught was the faint flicker of Inuyasha's presence.
She ran until her legs and lungs burned, until the air began to feel thin. Stumbling to a stop, Kagome panted, feeling a few passerby's bump into her shoulders as they carried on with their busy days. Looking around wildly for a sign- anything at all- a hint of red and white, or gold. The lush, fluid, exciting brush of his youki, anything- Kagome stopped.
Catching sight of herself in a store window, she slowly touched her black clothes. Still in mourning.
Guilt swamped her.
"Why don't you open the package that Grandpa left for you?" Mama Higurshi had asked.
"I...I don't know," she'd admitted, hugging her legs. "Maybe because...once it's gone, that's it. I'm not going to get another present from him. And I just-"
Kagome remembered her mother's soft comforting touch on her shoulder. The mating mark had pulsed underneath, hidden by her clothes.
"Was Grandpa ever angry or sad because of me?"
Warm brown eyes became concerned. "What makes you say that, honey?"
"B-because I wasn't here- never here. I was always so busy in the feudal era. I'm so sorry, Mom."
Kagome stood among the sea of people she was supposed to belong to. It was not lost on her that she was still doing it. Still looking for a way, a solution to escape the modern world again. And despite her Mother's assurances, Kagome felt like a stray puzzle piece trying to fit into a separate jigsaw.
So when a gentle- cripplingly familiar youki brushed her cold cheek, Kagome's head rose. Her heart squeezed. Soberly making her way through the crowds, she followed it until stopping at the bottom of Higurashi's shrine steps.
Despite the guilt it caused her, Kagome felt intrinsically that she couldn't ever ignore the Daiyoukai. Even if she wanted to spend time with her family and be there for them, something hooked into her and wouldn't let go as she scaled the stairs. The youki led her inside her house, up the stairs and to the threshold of her room once more. Opening her door with her heart thundering fast, her eyes fell to Grandpa's present on the desk.
Youki coated it, emanating out, as though he'd touched it and let slip just a little energy to grab her attention. Glancing around, there was no sign of Sesshoumaru, but a part of her felt like he'd been standing there. In her humble little room, surrounded by pink. The mental image almost made her smile.
Kagome smoothed her hands over the plump package, sighing heavily but setting her shoulders. She'd put it off for long enough. Tearing into the crisp brown paper, she ripped it aside to expose pure white material. Miko robes, as she'd anticipated- except, no. Miko robes didn't bare such a crest. Bringing the clothing out and holding it up, her stomach dropped. Ice shot through her veins.
"Oh Grandpa,” she murmured. Her hands shook a little as she held Sesshoumaru's signature red and white silks.
They were pristine, having been kept in mint condition. How they'd come to be in Grandpa's possession or why he'd kept them went unanswered. Kagome distantly wondered these things, but was distracted by the familiarity of the clothing.
Bringing the material closer, she rested her cheek against it's rich softness. Tears pricked her eyes and Kagome hid them- burying her face in the clothing.
It didn't smell of him. Pale fingers clutched tighter, hugging the silks to her. In another act of impulse, she slid her arms through it's sleeves and wrapped herself up in something so painfully his. She clutched the parting over her chest and exhaled. Why hadn't he stayed to see her?
A flicker of something caught her attention, small but growing. Pink light spilled out from the clothes, brushing along her skin almost like her reiki. It filled the room until everything bled away, drowned out by the soft colour.
Kagome felt herself be plunged into pink tinted waters.
Blue eyes widened as her lungs protested. She instinctively searched for the surface amidst the sea of pink and floating bubbles. Looking below, past her feet, Kagome instantly pushed herself to swim down, seeing a bright circle of light beckon her closer. Energy flitted around her, feeling similar to when she'd floated through the well. White silk caressed her legs as she swam, desperately kicking them while her sleeves lifted up past her elbows. She struggled to push herself on, holding her breath and clawing through the water until she broke the surface.
Breathing in gulps of air greedily, Kagome peeled back the black locks plastered to her face, blinking and glancing around.
Open countryside greeted her, bathed in the warm colours of sunset. A forest lay behind her. Hope dared leap into her heart and Kagome eagerly pulled herself out of the river she found herself in. Breathing out, she steadied herself before standing, hearing water drip down from her soaked clothes onto the grass beneath her toes. Seeing a familiar village in the distance, Kagome took off instantly in it's direction. Old fashioned huts, horses and carts, rice fields. Even the same hill leading up into Inuyasha's forest.
Barely containing her tears and not questioning a thing, Kagome bolted through the village entrance. Bursting into Kaede's hut, startled gold eyes met hers.
"...Kagome."
Sesshoumaru stared, expression frozen with shock.
She raced forward, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. "I'm back. I- I was so worried when the well stopped working, but you're really here."
Breathing in his scent, she barely noticed that he remained stiff. His clawed hand settled on the back of her head, stroking slowly, as though he were only just registering her. His body then seemed to cave in on itself and he wrapped strong arms around her, pulling her in almost painfully close. Her bones protested but Kagome didn't care, lips crumpling into a fragile smile.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Kagome turned her cheek just slightly to see grey hair and miko robes. "Oh Kaede!" She sniffed and pulled away, rubbing her eyes. "I'm sorry I was gone a little longer than planned, but I'm here now-"
"Lady Kagome?" Came a different voice than she was used to from the old woman.
Kagome frowned and rubbed her eyes again, blinking away the tears to see a brown gaze staring at her. Laughter lines creased her face, while crows feet dotted the sides of her eyes. This was not the weathered Keade.
"Um, hello. Who's this?" Kagome glanced over her shoulder to look at Sesshoumaru, whose hand found the small of her back. His lips drew into a thin, grim line.
"You have been away for some time," he said quietly.
"I don't understand, I was only gone three weeks-"
"Grandma Rin, Grandma Rin!" Some children ran into the hut, clutching at the woman's hands.
Kagome blinked and felt horror shoot into her heart. The old woman met her gaze and smiled sheepishly, giving that same bright look, like human sunshine. A few daisies had been twisted into her grey hair.
Rin's smile turned a little sad and sympathetic as the colour drained from the shikon miko's face. "I think it's been a little longer than three weeks, Lady Kagome. More like 50 years."
Kagome stared, feeling warm, steady palms support her back just as they had before.
Perhaps bad things come in Fours.
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Botched 911 call leads to Prairie Village mother’s death, according to lawsuit PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS (KCTV) — Cathryn McClelland was a loving mother and nurse. She was just 41-years old when she collapsed inside her Prairie Village home with her young kids. Her husband was working on a construction project in another state. Cathryn McClelland was a loving mother and nurse. She was just 41-years old when she collapsed inside her Prairie Village home with her young kids. Her husband was working on a construction project in another state. Submitted Her 8-year old son, Joel, grabbed the phone and called 911 for help. What happened next is now the focus of a lawsuit. It says the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department and the Kansas City Fire Department failed the family by not trusting the child knew his address and waiting too long to dispatch help. Her 8-year old son, Joel, grabbed the phone and called 911 for help. Submitted Medical records show the young mother suffered cardiac arrest. Her heart rhythm was restored but she suffered a lack of lack of oxygen to the brain. Her family eventually removed her from life support and donated her organs. Cathryn was pronounced dead on July 22, 2019. Her family donated her organs. Medical records show the young mother suffered cardiac arrest. Her heart rhythm was restored but she suffered a lack of lack of oxygen to the brain. Her family eventually removed her from life support and donated her organs. Cathryn was pronounced dead on July 22, 2019. Her family donated her organs. Submitted 911 call for help KCTV5 obtained the 911 recording for help. It begins with 8-year old Joel explaining the situation. JOEL: Okay, so I’m only a child with my little sister and my mom is lying on the ground and my dad is out of town KCPD: Do you know your address? JOEL: Let me go outside. Prairie Village, Belinder Avenue. 9347. I mean 7347! KCPD: Let’s get you over to ambulance… Stay on the line don’t hang up… The legal team for the McClelland family calculates it took more than 10 minutes for an ambulance to be dispatched despite the child providing the address about a minute in. KCTV5 actually calculates the call to JOCO MED- ACT closer to the 13-minute mark. KCTV5 reached out to the parties named in the lawsuit which include the mayor, police, fire and individuals involved in the call. All declined to speak citing policy to not discuss matters under litigation. What happened? The mobile call for help in Prairie Village, Kansas bounced to a Kansas City, Missouri cell tower because that was the closest tower. That tower routed the call to KCPD. There’s instant confusion because the KCPD mapping software reveals a different location for the wireless call from what Joel gave. It shows it’s also in Prairie Village but on a different street. KCTV5 News A focus of the lawsuit is that call takers didn’t immediately send help in the correct direction and decided to firm up address. Minutes roll by as they track down an adult’s phone number and eventually call the husband of Cathryn, Frank McClelland. KCPD: This is the Kansas City Missouri police department…who am I speaking to? Frank: Frank McClellend Frank: Yes. What’s wrong? KCPD: I don’t know. He said his mom fell down on the ground. She is laying there. She is not awake. We’ve got him on the line we just needed to verify the address. Frank: Oh, Jesus! Numerous call takers and dispatchers are involved in the call. At times, call takers discuss how to transfer the call. KCPD: The address is going to be 7347 Belinder and that is in Prairie Village, Kansas KCFD: 7347 Belinder. B-E, spell that for me? KCPD: B-E-L-I-N-D-E-R KCFD: Okay and have you guys already gave the call over? KCPD: Uh, yeah. I was on the line with EMS there. They are on the line with the child. KCFD: No, I’m asking since it’s in Prairie Village have you already? KCPD: No, I haven’t done anything KCFD: okay KCPD: nope KCFD: And you are calling from PD? KCPD: Yes. Do you guys have a phone number for their EMS? KCFD: Uhm… KCPD: Let me see if I’ve got… I don’t know if we have their EMS KCFD: Okay… hmmm. KCPD: I just have their PD line KCFD: We do too… We’lll- let me see. No, we don’t. We will probably send it over *unintelligible buttons pushed* Oops, sorry The address. Yeah, we’ll probably send it over to Kansas, to Leawood, I believe. The collection of call takers and dispatchers remain calm but the stew of people involved appear to create confusion. At one point a person from KCFD begins her call to Prairie Village Police muted. She then shares an incorrect address and incorrectly refers to the dad and husband as “Joel.” Prairie Village Police: Hello? KCFD: Oh, Sorry muted! Okay. This is Nicole with Kansas City Fire. PVP: Hello. KCFD: We have a call. 1747 Belinder. Do you guys have that? PVP: 1747 Belinder is not in Prairie Village. KCFD: What address did they give you Brittney? 7347 Belinder PVP: And what was the? KCFD: We have a child caller on the phone it sounds like might be, his mom’s passed out. So, we don’t know if she’s like passed out or deceased. Husband is supposed to be Joel Family praises first responders, horrified with 911 “Getting them there, that’s it that’s it! Once they were notified, they were there in a short amount of time,” Frank McClelland said. McClelland began questioning the timeline of when help arrived almost immediately. Doctors wanted to know how long Cathryn was without oxygen. McClelland says listening to the call was crushing. “When I listened to the call, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My son had called and within a short amount of time. He provided information to get help to his mother,” McClelland said, ��He was doing everything he could to convince them. He was calm he was articulate. I’ve told him since that time. He’s my hero.” The attorney representing the family considers the 911 call shocking and says there must be accountability. When you call 911, you need help fast. A KCTV5 investigation revealed some statistics for 911 calls into Kansas City, Missouri. What it boils down to is that, when you call 911, be prepared to wait. “You would think for 911 in a centralized system- that supposed to be set up. The people answering those phone calls including those from children who need help for parents would be trained on how to deal with these calls!” attorney Brian McCallister said. If you have had a concern with 911 in the KC Metro area, you can report it here. KCTV5 News will be investigating your concerns when it comes to 911. We are looking at the hold times people encounter when calling for help in Kansas City, Missouri. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments); if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '685577345422755'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); Source link Orbem News #Botched #call #cathrynmcclelland #Death #frankmcclelland #Joel #kansascity #lawsuit #Leads #missouripolicedepartment #mothers #Prairie #Taker #Telecommunications #telephony #village
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Pynch soulmate au
Here's a re-upload of a (now edited) pynch soulmate au from my old blog, lynchganseyparrish. Please enjoy and send any other prompts you can think of! The forest on Ronan’s back had wilted. The leaves had curled in, just slightly, and the branches were drooping. Normally, Ronan wouldn’t have thought about it too much – it wasn’t any of his business how his supposed ‘soulmate’ was feeling, plus it wasn’t like he cared either way – only something new had appeared in the tattoo; flowers, of all different colours, peeking out cheerfully through the vines and twisting their way around the trunks of the trees. It bemused Ronan, as it seemed to mean his soulmate was feeling both happy and sad at the same time, and he couldn’t help but wonder what caused it. Ronan also had another reason to be a little more anxious than usual – his best friend was getting married. He was viciously pleased when Gansey asked him to be the best man, because he thought Gansey might have been pressured into asking someone a little more presentable to have by his side in front of the upper-class men and women who would be attending the wedding to see how Senator Gansey’s son had turned out. Of course, Blue wasn’t exactly a ‘presentable’ companion either. In fact, neither Ronan nor Blue were really fitting company for someone like Gansey III, but it wasn’t like Gansey himself had ever complied with tradition. Truly, he and Blue were a perfect match, just as their tattoos had foretold. Ronan loved imagining the looks on the Gansey’s faces when they finally met their son’s soulmate – a 5’ nothing wildfire of a person with a fashion sense to rival their son’s, though at least hers was edgy. Ronan took his spot near the Altar, waiting for the music to start. He nudged Blue, who was standing next to him in a tattered white dress that she had layered with other clothing, and brought his mouth to her ear. He actually had to bend down to reach, which was fucking hilarious. “Last chance to back out. I did have to physically force him not to wear boat shoes,” Ronan whispered, and Blue laughed while cringing. “I think it’s too late,” she muttered back. “Some congress people are here, and if we stop it now I won’t get the chance to yell at them.” “Atta girl,” Ronan said, and ruffled her hair. She scowled and was about to reply when someone put their hand on her shoulder. “Hey Blue, sorry I’m late; Noah almost nailed me with the glitter pot and I only just escaped.” Blue pulled whoever it was down –again, hilarious – for a hug, and then laughed. “He still got you, look, it’s all over your neck!” she sounded a little too gleeful; like she had a plan starting to form in her dwarf brain. Ronan almost felt sorry for the poor dude. Wait, that dude was hot. Okay, Ronan definitely felt sorry for him now. “Ronan,” Blue said. “This is Adam Parrish, my wench of honour.” Parrish rolled his eyes and stuck out a hand. “I prefer man of honour,” he laughed lightly. Wowzer, Ronan thought, and then: Did I just unironically think the word wowzer? Adam’s hand was warm and elegant when he shook it. Ronan really liked Adam’s hands. He cleared his throat. “Ronan Lynch.” Adam smiled softly, he seemed a little – shy? Abashed? Ronan couldn’t tell. “Nice to meet you, Ronan,” he said quietly as the music began to play and the doors started to open. Naturally, Blue had insisted that Gansey walked down the aisle, because the idea of a woman being ‘given away’ by a man, to another man, was incredibly sexist, and if she was going to get married at all, it would not be in a way that ‘further encourages the subtle dehumanisation and oppression of women’ as Blue had put it. Although, she had said it with a lot more feeling, and a lot less child-friendly words. Ronan zoned out again as Gansey reached the altar, but who could blame him? Weddings were boring as fuck. Actually, he was pretty sure Parrish was also zoned out – his eyes were slightly glazed over and he’d been staring at the same spot for the past two minutes. Not that Ronan had been, like, watching him or anything. He’d just…noticed, was all. He forced himself out of that dangerous train of thought as Noah brought the rings. It was quite the scandal when Blue asked Noah to do it – generally people like him weren’t allowed to participate in things such as weddings. Noah didn’t have a soul tattoo, something about which there were many theories – soulmate died before birth, etc. but no one really knew. The more bigoted, stupid and therefore most popular assumption was that those without a soul mark didn’t have souls, and so were not truly alive. Ronan really hated that theory – especially after he met Noah. The guy was the most vibrant person he knew. Suddenly, Gansey and Blue were kissing (did he really zone out that long?) and the wildfire on Gansey’s arm roared into an inferno, licking its way up his neck onto his cheek before it died down as they pulled apart. Ronan’s gaze shifted to the map of Henrietta on Blue’s ankle, and saw the lines representing streets begin to darken until the bolder lines formed a pattern – two crowns, side by side. Gansey really was a sap, Ronan thought, but he couldn’t help grinning a little. Finally, the ceremony was over, and Ronan was free to do as he pleased at the reception. Which was hide in a corner and glare at all the people swarming around Gansey and Blue, whilst simultaneously watching Parrish. Not in a creepy way! Adam was just… interesting. He wondered idly how he became friends with Blue. He didn’t seem to be good friends with anyone else here, in fact, he looked a little lonely, leaning against the wall over there. Maybe Ronan should- “Ronan!” said Blue, a little breathlessly, dragging an apologetic looking Gansey behind her. “There you are! We just escaped the mob,” Gansey winced and looked around in the vain hope that no one heard her “-and we’re all about to go sit, do you know where Adam is?” “Yeah, he’s right over there,” Ronan pointed, and Blue beamed wickedly. She tugged on Gansey’s sleeve, and he bent down – again, fucking hilarious – so she could whisper in his ear. He nodded, then set off. “Been keeping an eye on Parrish, huh?” she smirked. “I mean, I don’t blame you. Adam is smokin’.” “I-what-no!” Ronan spluttered a little (though he would never admit that). He regained his composure, shot her a Ronan Glare ™ and stalked off to find Gansey and their table. “YOU KNOW ABOUT THE TRADITION FOR THE MAID OF HONOUR AND BEST MAN,” Blue shouted at his retreating back. She sounded like she was wiggling her eyebrows at him. He flipped her the bird without turning, and heard the gasps of scandalised guests, along with Blue’s cackle as she went to get Adam. He flopped into the seat next to Gansey, and put his head on the table. “You married a fucking gremlin,” he said to Gansey, who didn’t look put out in the slightest. “She’s incredible,” he agreed reverently, as if Ronan hadn’t just been attempting to insult her. “Whatever,” Ronan said, smushing his face against the table. “Just don’t feed her after midnight.” **** Adam and Blue joined the table shortly after, along with Noah. Adam was really pretty. Not that it mattered, because it wasn’t like Ronan was going to act on it- he found out (subtly) that Adam and Blue had dated when they first met, so odds were he was probably straight. Also, he thought maybe Adam had some mixed feelings about today - he seemed a little wistful when no one else was looking, so maybe he still had feelings for Blue. Tragic, but Ronan would get over it. Probably. “Ronan,” Adam laughed, waving a hand in front of his face. “Rooooonan.” Ronan was coming to the conclusion that Adam was a little tipsy, though it wasn’t his place to judge considering he was much closer to drunk. It was just after the reception, Gansey and Blue having just driven home in the Pig (whether they’d make it home without it breaking down was a different story) and Ronan and Adam were… well, they were just standing there. Should they be heading off too? “Fuck,” said Adam, with a bit of humour in his voice still. “I don’t normally drink. It’s those stupid apple juice Champaign things. They trick me every time.” He groaned, mussing his hair and sending Ronan into cardiac arrest. “I can’t drive home.” “I can give you a lift,” Ronan said, probably a bit too eager to make a good impression on Adam. Adam looked at him like he was an idiot, and well, yeah, fair enough, but it wasn’t a completely stupid thing to offer! “You’re drunker than I am,” Adam said. “You’re not driving anywhere.” Ronan rolled his eyes. “Okay, mom,” he said mockingly, and Adam drew himself up to his full height – which was still just shorter than Ronan. (He should have found this funny but instead he just found it adorable and he was so screwed) “Hey,” Adam said, voice slightly slurred and – was that an accent slipping out? Oh god oh god oh god- “Rules are … important,” he said, poking Ronan in the chest. “I’m calling a cab,” he sighed, getting his phone out. Ronan ignored the twinge of disappointment in his chest as Adam finished speaking and hung up. He started to walk back inside, to see if he could get a lift with someone, when he felt Adam’s hand on his shoulder. “Ronan,” Adam said clearly, and there wasn’t a hint of alcohol in his voice. “I really would like a drive… maybe when we’re both completely sober?” Ronan couldn’t breathe. Is this what it sounds like? Is he… He cleared his throat. “Yeah,” he said, hoping his voice wouldn’t betray him. “I’d- I’d like that.” Adam grinned and Ronan’s breath had just come back, fuck you Parrish- “It’s a date,” he said, and reached for Ronan’s arm. Ronan complied with whatever he was doing mainly because his brain had forgotten how to function properly, because HIS HANDS ARE ON MY ARM, oh fuckfuckfuckfuck- “There,” said Adam, drawing back, and Ronan took his arm back to inspect it. There were numbers written on it (he hadn’t even realised Adam had a pen) and he distantly realised it must have been Adam’s number. He had Adam’s number. Adam’s number was on his arm. Wowzer. He was so out of it he barely registered a cab pulling up. Adam turned away and made to open the door when Ronan spun him round again. “I’ll- uh, see you soon,” Ronan said, and he must have been a hell of a lot drunker than he realised because he leant forwards and kissed Adam on the cheek. He spun quickly and started walking hurriedly back indoors, his thoughts a turmoil of holy fuck I just did that I just DID that! He walked so fast he almost missed Adam’s breathlessly pleased laugh of “…Bye.” Ronan almost ran into the door when he reached it. **** Three weeks later, they were dating. Ronan hadn’t expected Adam to be so much, so smart and witty and kind and fierce and so full of surprises. It had only been three weeks and he had fallen so hard, but then, Ronan never did do things slowly – he lived like he drove, reckless, wild and probably incredibly dangerously for bystanders. He was over at Adam’s place (which was tiny but he didn’t care because it was Adam) after their fourth (or fifth) official date, and he was decidedly too distracted by Adam to care which it was. Adam slid a hand under his shirt, lips still locked feverously, and traced the skin of Ronan’s back. Ronan jumped and pulled away, stifling his groan. “Sorry,” Adam said. “Too much?” “No,” Ronan breathed. “God, no.” Adam regarded him strangely. “Are you alright?” He asked. Ronan took a deep breath and nodded. “It’s just- that’s where my tattoo is,” he said, cautiously, analysing Adam’s face. “Oh,” said Adam. “Can I- Is it alright if I see?” he questioned, sounding a little nervous. Ronan held his breath. “Yeah,” he said, roughly. “Yeah, that’s- okay.” He turned around and slowly pulled his shirt off. He heard Adam gasp, and felt hands ghosting over his back, tracing the trunks of the trees. It had been getting much more impressive in recent times, the forest blooming like nothing he’d seen before, and he had even spotted small animals darting through the trees. Ronan bit his lip as he felt Adam’s blunt nail trace down the curve of his spine, and tried desperately not to do anything to scare him off. Suddenly he felt Adam’s hot breath on his ear. “Ronan,” he said urgently. “Ronan, it’s mine.” Ronan turned around instantly, so he was face to face with Adam once again. “What?” He said disbelievingly, and Adam bit his lip, smiling wider than Ronan had ever seen. “The mark,” he said. “That’s mine.” Ronan lurched forward and pulled him into a desperate, needy kiss. Breaking it off, he said “wait- where’s yours – can I?” and Adam nodded. His brain short circuited as Adam began to pull down his pants, and he was sure he blushed furiously as Adam shot him an amused glance. He’d only tugged it down a little past his hipbone, but Ronan couldn’t find it in himself to be disappointed when he saw the small mark moving on Adams skin. It was really quite small, and he had to lean closer to get a better look at it (well, that was his excuse anyway). It was a raven, only a small one, perched delicately on Adam’s hip. It looked up at him as if to say well, what are you waiting for? Ronan felt recognition and certainty flood through him as the raven took off, soaring in circles around Adam’s body before settling back down on his hip. Ronan leaned forward more, pressed his lips to it, and smiled when he heard Adam’s gasp. He looked up and met Adam’s eyes, resting his head on Adam’s stomach. “Yeah,” he whispered. “Yeah, that’s – that’s mine.” Adam laughed breathlessly and pulled him up for a deep, heart-wrenching kiss. The raven cawed soundlessly in triumph and the forest whispered back. They both said the same thing. Finally.
#pynch#pynch au#pynch soulmate au#pynch soulmate tattoo#pynch fic#pynch ficlet#I'm putting heaps of tags because otherwise the only person who will see this will be my like one follower#pynch drabble#pynch alternate meetings#ronan lynch x adam parrish#ronan/adam#ronan lynch/adam parrish#pynch au fic#bluesey#background bluesey#the raven cycle#trc#blusey wedding#pynch humor#pynch humour#trc humor#trc humour#trc shitpost#fic#Henry's not in this because it was written before trk but I regret that so much he is my fav#Ronan lynch#Adam Parrish#Gansey#richard campbell gansey iii#Blue Sargent
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A very sad Swiftie
So it looks like I will not be able to pull the money together for the Lover Fest East tickets. I'm ok with that, however, my 5 year old son will not be and I have no clue how to break it to him.
Look, I know it's my fault for pinky promising him when I got home from the REP tour in Atlanta that he could go with me and his Dad to the next @taylorswift tour. But HOW WAS I SUPPOSE TO KNOW SHE WOULD ONLY BE DOING 4 U.S. SHOWS? AND NONE OF THEM ARE REMOTELY CLOSE. I live in South Carolina. Granted I am from New England, Newport RI. to be exact. But most of my family has moved away from there. I have 1 Aunt I haven't seen in 16 years that lives in Fall River, Mass. but I feel weird asking her for a place to stay. So I figured, get the tickets then you have 10 months to save for the trip.
But, the tickets are gonna be a no go. I can't put me and my family behind on bills for @taylorswift tickets. ESPECIALLY since I had to take a sabbatical from work for 400 days while my Husband is overseas fighting in the US Army. Based out of Kuwait, but as of right now, I have no clue where he is do the our idiotic President. Which means I don't know when he will be sending money home. I was going to ask my Dad but seeing as he has a heart attack and then went into full Cardiac Arrest the next week and has had to have 2 heart surgeries, I don't and won't ask him. I'd ask my mom if only she wasn't in the fight of her life on her 3rd type of cancer in 4 years.
I JUST WANTED TO SEE THE LOOK ON MY SON'S FACE XMAS MORNING WHEN HE OPENED THOSE TICKETS.
Is that too much to ask for? This is not a pity post or is it a post to try to get tickets. This is my fault for making a promise to a child, when at the time I had no clue what said promise was going to entail. All I know is this will crush him. I know he is a 5, almost 6 year old boy. But he is a 5, almost 6 year old boy, who used to fall asleep when he was a baby to a @taylorswift playlist I made for him. This is a kid who has been spending months memorizing ME! and You Need To Calm Down lyrics. And weeks memorizing the rest. This is a kid who at 7 months old fell in love with "Blank Space" and "Shake it Off". He knows mine and his Dad's song is "I'm only me when I'm with you" he sings it for us in the morning when his Dad is home. This is also a kid I am going to fail as a Mother because I have to tell him I couldn't get tickets. That thought kills me.
Sorry I needed to rant. Thank you. And sorry for the long post @taylorswift @taylornation
#lover fest east#tickets#taylorlurking#taylor swift#i love taylor swift#taylor nation#taylor swift lover#lover taylor swift#lover album#swiftie4life#swifties#swiftie4ever#taylurking#sad moments#mom fail#taylor notice this#taylornation#taylornoticeme#long post
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nerves | archie andrews x reader
request
written by: kelly
edited by: @jugheadxreaderinyourhead
anonymous said: hi can I send a KJ/Archie request? I have an interview for a university tomorrow and I’m anxious af so I was wondering if you could do a reader insert/imagine where he’s comforting the reader about the interview and such? Omg, thank you!
chapter song: wonderwall // oasis
✖
pacing, today i was pacing. back and forth in my room, nervous as anything.
college has always been a major priority in my life. my parents are both professors so I’ve always been pressured in that area.
tomorrow is my official entrance interview and i’m riddled with nerves. being a hot mess has always been a major part of my personality too.
i get easily flustered. anxiety: also a major key, it’s what’s making everything much more emotional than expected.
“okay so let’s go over the key points again.” my dad encourages as he adjusted his glasses. We have been sitting at this damn table for 3 hours now.
“come on dad, I need a break.” I sigh slumping further down into my chair.
“well you’re going to be having a nice long break when you’re unemployed if you don’t ace this interview sweet cheeks.” He said shooting me a very unapologetic smile.
“i don’t need college to get a good job.” I say under my breath, hoping and praying to god that he didn’t hear what I just said.
“im sorry what did you just say?” he spat, shooting me a look.
oh well isn’t this just fucking great.
“DID I HEAR THAT RIGHT?” my mom yelled from hallway.
of course, she can hear me mumble under my breath when she’s a mile away but she can’t hear me say ‘yes mom’ when she calls me from my room.
“you’re about to send me into cardiac arrest. i had to put my ass on the line to get you this damn interview y/n so you can bet your ass you’re going to be there front and centre!” my father lectured.
i can feel this familiar build up in my chest. almost like a chemical reaction, burning a whole through my chest causing me to hyperventilate.
“i need some fresh air.” i say as i stand up from my seat and hastily exit my front door.
the only person who can make me feel better at a time like this is my boyfriend archie.
he has always been front and center, unapologetically listening to my problems and making me feel like everything will be okay. I made my way to his house.
the walk calmed down my initial dose of anxiety but as I approached the andrews house I saw arch sitting on the porch with a pen behind his ear and his guitar in hand.
as I come closer he notices me and smirks to himself.
“hey you.” he greets placing his guitar down and walking over to me, wrapping his strong arms around me as i melt into his chest.
i let out a long sigh, feeling his lips on my head.
“the interview huh?” he said taking a step back to study my face.
"i don’t know what to do arch. i'm so lost, the idea of being on show for these people tomorrow is freaking me out and the fact that they’re my parent’s co-workers too makes it worse, they already have high expectations.” i ramble on.
“woah take it easy.” he chuckles, his small laugh makes me blush.
“these people are pretentious arch. they’re all highly intellectual and they use words like brobdingnagian.” i let out a breath.
“i'm sorry what?” he says as he cocks his eyebrow.
“it means gigantic. brobdingnagian is another word for gigantic.” I say.
"look babe, if you can go into that interview with words like barbiecardigan than you’ll be fine, i promise.” he replies in attempt to comfort me.
“barbiecardigan?” i said with a giggle.
“look my slaughtering of that word is not the point here.” he retorts rolling his eyes.
“i have faith in you and I know you can do this. you need to break the wall down that’s preventing you from doing your best.” he pauses taking your hands in his.
“i know that it’s a big deal, but the best thing you can do is go there with a fresh and positive outlook on things and be yourself. make them laugh, show them how smart you are and be refreshing.”
you let out a shaky breathe as he chuckles, continuing his speech.
“there is only one you, go into that interview poised and composed and use your time wisely.”
“yeah you’re right” you mumble.
“every time i'm nervous for a big game i just remember that im only human, i'm not a machine and i can only do my best. promise me that you’ll go there and be yourself.” he asks softly taking a stray piece of my hair and pulling it behind my ear.
“and knowing you're in the crowd cheering me on always eases my nerves” he adds cheekily causing you to blush.
“i promise i'll go there and do my best.” i say, smiling softly as he pulls me into his warm embrace.
“thank you” you mumble as he pulls you out to arms length.
“a kiss for good luck?” he asks with a cheeky wink.
and with that i rock up on my tippy toes and join my lips with his in one long sweet kiss. he tucked me under his arm as he walked me over his truck offering to give me a ride home.
we pull up in front of the house and i sigh turning to the boy giving him one last kiss before shutting the truck down behind me and entering the house.
“mom, dad?” i say as i made my way into the dining room.
“y/n.” my dad mutters looking seriously annoyed.
“look im sorry for storming off, you didn’t raise me to run from my problems.“ i pause mustering up some courage.
"i'm going to go to that interview tomorrow and i'm going to be myself.” my parents glance at each other before they look back to me.
“i'm not putting on a show for these people, just because they’re your colleagues. i hope you guys understand.” you state, beaming with confidence.
“we raised you to be proud and self-confident baby.” my mom said smiling.
“i think they’ll be lucky to spend 20 minutes conversing with such a wonderful young lady.” my dad said trading in his stone-cold expression for a much softer and warmer one.
i smile to myself, my anxiety melting away as i feel nothing but confidence. i was beyond proud to be me, my own authentic self. there’s only one me.
tag list: @hauntedcherryblossombanana-blog @sadbreakfastclb @jugandbettsdetectiveagency @hiimalyssawriter @kindfloweroflove @fragilefrances @mydelightfulcollectiontyphoon @onceuponagladerhead @natalieroseg @mhysaofdrxgons
#riverdale#riverdale imagines#archie andrews#archie comics#archie andrews imagines#archie imagines#archie#archie x reader#imagines#requests#headcanon#one shots#archie andrews x reader
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Dilaudid and Depression
A/N: Let me preface by issuing a trigger warning. This story manifested in a bout of depression and I chose to start writing than something more drastic. Although I have a good bit of sleeping pills running through me right now.
There’s a point in everyone’s lives where they stop what they’re doing and evaluate how they got there, usually it’s never in a good spot. Lea is currently in that position, sitting cross legged in the middle of her bedroom floor, a small bottle in her hands. She gently rattles it, the sound sounding almost too loud for her ears, cracking through the air like a bullet, deafening and solemn. The bottle of dilaudid almost seems too heavy, the weight of what she wants it almost too much to bear.
Lea’s mother’s voice plays in her head again, an argument mere hours ago, still fresh in her mind. “You need to leave” her mother snaps, her voice cracking from the tears in her eyes, breaking through the malice dripping from her words. “You need to move out, I don’t care if you don’t have anywhere to go. I can’t bear to live with you anymore.”
Lea hangs her head, the bottle slipping from her grip as her heart seemingly beats in her throat. Her chest hurts with each breath she takes, her hands shaking uncontrollably. Unsteadily, she wipes her eyes with her hands, wiping away tears she didn’t know she had. Her heart seems to be beating faster, almost too fast. Is this what cardiac arrest is? No, she has a little reasoning left to know she has to be having a panic attack. She agrees with her mom, she can’t bear to live with herself, who is she to expect her mom to?
“You’re useless.” Her mother is screaming now, her face flooding red with anger. If Lea would look her in the eye she would see a pure hatred burning, one where her mother would look like she’s glaring at a stranger, wishing a painful death on them, not a look that should be reserved for her daughter. So she doesn’t look her in the eye, the words alone hurt, she couldn’t bear the look. Instead she looks at the ground, choking back a sob as not to make things worse. “Living with you makes me want to kill myself. Do you get that? You put me through so much hell, I don’t want to be alive anymore.”
Taking a deep breath, Lea reaches forward and picks up her phone, unlocking it to type out a quick message. I’m sorry I wasn’t a better daughter. She hits send before turning her phone off completely. She shuts her eyes, trying to center herself before picking the bottle of narcotics back up again. Suddenly, she feels calm, staring down at the bottle with a sense of acceptance, depressive submission to the drug. But a wave of euphoria, almost settles over her. She’s not going to be hurting anymore.
She twists the bottle cap off, and tilts the contents into her hand. A little at a time, the last thing she wants is to get sick from taking too many at once. She stares at the small pills in her hand, peace lacing in them. All she has to do is take these pills and it’ll all be over. All of her pain and regret and confusion on what she did wrong is all going to be over. Her mom will never have to deal with her again, she’ll be much happier without her, she said it herself before.
Lea just wants the pain to stop. She’s tried everything else. She can’t do this anymore. So she doesn’t. She raises the pills to her mouth and begins.
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On the other side but still in the middle.
I have sat down to write a blog post several times and stared at the white screen and then, minutes later, closed the tab and went back to whatever. It’s so hard to write about because in part I feel like it’s just sad. What’s the point in sharing sadness or struggle. I don’t want sympathy- or I don’t know, maybe I want a little sympathy? The support has been imperative. I don’t want people to feel sorry for us, or for me to come off like I’m complaining, or just disseminating darkness for no reason. My Mom says the story is hopeful. I hope so. Yesterday I was reminded how comforting it is to read about or hear about other people’s stories and struggles, particularly with sick children. We aren’t alone, and we feel so alone a lot of the time, so I guess that’s why it’s good to share. Maybe we can help other people feel less alone in whatever they are dealing with. So quick recap from birth to today: Moments after birth, Iris was taken to the NICU at the University of Utah where they immediately plugged her into machines to track her heart rate and vitals. A few hours later she was escorted by her Dad and the medical flight team (because they are trained to medically assist in transit) across the hospital bridge to Primary Children’s where she was admitted to the CICU (Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.) 3 days later she went in for the Norwood. The doctor had to come in the day before her surgery to do the equivalent of the fast-talk-warnings at the end of pharmaceutical commercials and break down everything that could go wrong during surgery. From having a stroke that could kill her or never recover from, to her body not responding well and going into cardiac arrest and everything in between. I remember crying pretty hard as he was explaining everything to us and he stopped and said, “Are you ok?” And I looked back at him like, “Are you fucking kidding me?” He finished by saying, “So hold onto her tight today.” We spent the rest of that day taking turns holding her and sobbing. The next morning we met with the anesthesiologist who explained how they would be medicating her and it just sounded like grown ups in Charlie Brown, garbled radio static. Then they wheeled her down the hall and gave me a pager for updates. I opted not to stay at the hospital and instead go to my Dad's house nearby. I got an update when she went on the by-pass machine. Got an update when they succesfully dropped her core temperature to 30 degrees. Got an update when they started the arch reconstruction. We set up an alter for her and sent out the word to my lady tribe to light their candles for her, and I sat on the floor and prayed. I prayed to my Grandmothers, my aunts, to everyone who I have loved who has died, who is on the other side. Then I took 2 Xanax and fell asleep. I woke up hours later to Ryan saying, “It’s over. She’s ok.” That night we threw an impromptu party. It was the best and the worst day of my life so far. She stayed in the CICU for 2 weeks until we were admitted/downgraded to “the floor” where she stayed for 2 more weeks. A lot happened in that time, but all that matters is that we finally got out and got to go home again. This time with our baby. Since we got home from SLC and the hospital, Iris has been doing really well for the most part- but is struggling with oral feeds. This is super common for "heart babies" because the GI system requires a lot of blood flow, and her oxygen levels sit so low right now (between 75 and 85- you or I are at around 98) and her body prioritizes sending blood to the lungs and the brain to keep her alive, instead of to her stomach. She still has an NG tube, this sad thing taped to her face that reminds me and her Dad and anyone that looks at her that she is not well, that she is not just our “normal” baby. I think we hate the damn thing so much because of that. Like if we can just get that fucking NG out then maybe everything will be ok. But we are reminded daily that she is simply not strong enough to eat her full calorie intake on her own. She needs the help of the tube. She isn’t well, and that is simply the truth. Of course she isn’t- she is between 2 major heart surgeries (what they call “interstage”) and she is barely 10 weeks old. Some days we feel great and everything is almost normal. Every morning we have to take her blood oxygen levels and her heart rate, weigh her, give her her medication through her tube. She isn’t “allowed” to cry for long periods of time, so when she gets upset (as newborns do) the pressure is on to soothe her as quickly as possible. It’s a constant game of “is she doing this because she is a newborn baby and she has gas? Or because her sternum is wired closed and maybe she’s in pain?” She can’t take tylenol very often because it could mask a fever- which we need to be aware of as she cannot get sick during interstage because the risk of death is much higher because of her weak heart. That also means we can’t really go out, and our sanitization game has to be strong. Everyone that enters our house must wash, and sanitize, before even breathing near the baby.No one who is sick, has been sick recently, or might be sick is allowed. It’s an interesting game when you have a four year old who goes to pre-school (what we refer to as “The Plague Pit”) We have gotten into a routine so it’s not so bad. We have a cover for her carseat, so sometimes we’ll pack up the anti-bacterial wipes, the sani-spray, and the hand gel and sneak away somewhere we know will be mostly empty for lunch. Sometimes the longing I feel for normalcy is overwhelming. I am pulled out of the lull of stressful haze that has become my day-to-day life to be reminded of what we don’t have. It seems like everyone around me is having healthy babies, and sometimes the grief of not having that completely takes over and I feel broken. This has been such a challenge to my “maternal instinct.” The whole time we were in the hospital my instinct was nagging so heavily to just get the baby out of there- let me take her home and just nurse her and everything will be ok. Of course that wasn’t the case- and I had no choice but to trust the doctors, despite daily- stupid fuck ups that would cost us days of progress. I was warned going into this to be prepared to advocate advocate advocate for our child, and it’s true. You have to keep your eye on every doctor, every nurse, every decision made, every medication thrown at her, every procedure, everything- and you have to understand it (I feel like in the last 3 months I went to cardiology school- the terminology of everything alone is a lot.) And it’s not like we can “ask the doctor” when we are unsure or scared. This experience has taught me that the medical system is a convoluted web of specialists that don’t necessarily talk to each other. It’s an elaborate corporate bureaucracy and the worst day of your life is just another day at work for them. Iris currently has a team of specialists, and it’s not always clear who is in charge or who we should call or refer to for action. She has her PCP (Primary Care Provider) who knows nothing of DILV or cardiology, but is just our family practitioner. He’s the one that basically gives her “regular check ups” gives her immunizations and measures her against normal standards like a baby would. She has her cardiologist- he’s the one that originally diagnosed her (which is something we still marvel at- that he could diagnose such a specific condition on a baby that was the size of a peach with a heart barely the size of a blueberry) He’s the one that performs her echocardiograms monthly, and checks in on the performance of her heart and BT Shunt. She has a speech pathologist- who determines how well she swallows and her technical oral capacities. She has a nutritionist who advises her daily calorie intake and “feeding plan” and she also has her pediatric cardiology surgeon, who will perform her next surgery in August. We don’t know who this person is yet. If we need anything from the tangential doctors it all has to go through the PCP. I remember when her surgeon in Salt Lake came in to check on us the day they closed up her chest (they keep the chest open for a few days after the surgery because of swelling.) “You guys look like completely different people from the ones I saw the other day,” he said “I don’t know how you parents do it. If it were me, I wouldn’t have done it.” Our jaws hit the floor. WTFF does that mean?? I think about it often. Of course this is the greatest trial of my life so far- but I look at my Iris with her strawberry hair and her chubby cheeks, as she smiles and coos at me while I check her sats or change her diaper and the tight electric heat of the stress of it all just melts away and I am so grateful she is here, and I would do it all again. Which is good- cause we are going to have to in just a few short months...
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Grampa Charles Dies
It's 8pm. Miranda saw a crash cart go into the room, he was revived, for now, she enters and said: (Grampa, it's Miranda . I love you, and I don't want you to die). Charles said: (I saw Mavis, she said that she's waiting for me, and she sends you a message, she said that she's proud of you, and loves you very much, and to ask for help if you need it, she'll be with you always). Charles said with a weak voice: (I love you angel kitten, goodbye. I'll be wit you always). Miranda said: (I love you too, please don't go. I need you). Charles went into cardiac arrest, nurses run in and work on him. Miranda said: (Glen), he said: (Miranda, stay out here, they need to work on him). John came over, he said: (he went into cardiac arrest, let's hope he's ok). Miranda and Glen's parents are in the hall, the mother is Tanys, the father is Nolan. Diana, a night nurse comes over and said: (I'm sorry, he's gone). Miranda yells: (NO)! She runs off. John said: (I 'll go after her), he ran after Miranda, he said: (Miranda)! She runs out of the ER, and he catches her, she screams:( Grampa! No! Grampa Chrales, he said: (Come with me), she screams: (Grampa! Please! Grampa)! John grabs her and said: ( Come with me Miranda), she is screaming. John takes her into a small waiting area, he said: (Miranda, it's ok honey). Miranda smashes fists on the floor aid: (it's not fair! Grampa is dead! It's just not fair)! Miranda is yelling through tears: (John, this hurts). John said: (I know honey, it's ok, you are mad because you will never see your grandfather again)! Miranda jumps onto John's lap, hugs him tightly and said: (I'm angry and said). John said: (I know. I'm sorry for your loss, you have my heartfelt sympathies. I know it hurts). John's heart is breaking, he tries to keep it together as bounce her on his knee and says: (it's ok to be sad, anyone your age would feel the loss in a deep heartbreaking way). Glen goes over and said: (thank goodness). John is really feeling awful, he said: (she is ok now). Glen said: (mom asked me to keep you for a while, my shift is almost over, come to the ambulance with me, we will go and have dinner,all you had was a snack). Miranda kissed John and said: (my He-Man, thanks), she smiles and goes with Glen. John sees Whitney go by, he said: (how about a snack, my treat, at the diner). Whitney said: (sure, let's go now). John and Whitney head to the diner.
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