#still excited for book 4 though. sighs sadly for the next 3+ years

[waspgrave]

i am full of critique for book 3′s plot and how there was so much that could have been added to make it interesting, but i romance nate and mason so i’m eating good

[sour--disposition]

Take Me By The Hand

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harry lewis x fem!reader

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requested: Heyy, could you do the ‘take my hand’ concept that you did with JJ, but with Harry?? Love your writing sm! Xxx

please see my pinned post for masterlist and request info!

One taking the others hand to help them up

You were 4 when you first met Harry properly. You’d been running around the playground, chasing after one of your friends when you’d taken a tumble and ended up in a small heap on the floor. Harry had come trotting over, sticking out a hand to help you up.

“Is your knee okay?”, he asked you.

“I don’t think so. It’s bleeding”, you told him sadly. 

Harry kept hold of your hand, dragging you over to where the teachers on duty were standing. “She hurt her knee”, Harry said bluntly, poking one of the adults and then pointing to your knee.

Harry followed you and the teacher inside, sitting next to you as you had your knee cleaned and a plaster stuck on. The teacher left to fill in the accident book and write a note for you to take home. “I’m Harry”, the boy said as soon as she’d left.

“I’m Y/N”, you told him with a bright grin.

“Shall we be best friends?”, Harry asked with a toothy smile.

“Yes!”.

-

Holding hands whilst one walks on a small wall

You and Harry had stayed best friends from that day forward. There wasn’t anything that you didn’t do together. Harry would always be the first person you’d turn to whenever anything was wrong. He held your hand through every trip you took to the first aid room in your primary school and he shouldered his way through to sit next to you whenever you were in a classroom together.

Harry asked you out on your first date when you were both 15. You’d gone to his house after school, pestering him until he did his homework before you let him outside. He’d been pacing around the lawn in front of you, completely distracted from his kickaround with Josh, as you sat on the deck with Rosie.

“What’s wrong with him?”, she asked from beside you.

“I have no idea”, you told her. “You know what he’s like though”, you dismissed, all the while worrying about your best friend.

Rosie and Josh ran inside 20 minutes later to help set the table for dinner, leaving you and Harry alone in the back garden. “Are you gonna tell me what’s up with you?”, you asked him.

“Do you wanna go on a date?”, Harry blurted, leaving you stunned. The two of you were wide-eyed in surprise, both with words caught in your throat that you were desperately trying to say. 

“Yeah”, you smiled.

A week later you met Harry by the beach. You’d seen each other through the week during school and spending the evenings after school together, but this evening felt different. This evening would be the one that potentially changed yours and Harry’s relationship forever.

You walked side by side down to the sea front, stopping and sitting on a small wall there. The two of you talked for hours, like you always did. Harry telling you about his family, about what happened in the few classes that you didn’t share together, telling you about his day and you returning the favour. You laughed well into the sunset, a soft silence falling over you as you watched the sun dip beneath the Guernsey horizon.

“It’s getting dark, and it’s cold. Let’s head back”, Harry suggested. As soon as you’d stood up, you stepped up onto the wall you’d just been sitting on, making you ever so slightly taller than Harry. With your arms held out for balance, you took a few tentative steps.

Harry reached out, grabbing your hand to keep you steady. You looked over to him, a shy smile on his face that you soon mirrored, paired with a rosy blush. Harry kept your hands entwined as you walked along the wall, matching his pace with yours so he didn’t rush you and cause you to stumble.

When you reached the end of the wall and jumped down, your hand didn’t leave Harry’s.

-

Holding hands whilst driving

Harry had never let whatever Youtube success he was gaining get in the way of the two of you. He always made time for you, always made you feel important. As soon as he’d learnt to drive and got a car, you and Harry would spend hours traversing the coastline, wind pouring into the window and billowing through your hair as you watched the cliffs and waves pass you by.

If you were in his car, Harry would insist on you being in the passenger seat, no matter who else was joining you. His hand would always rest on your thigh as he drove, only ever moving to change gear before quickly returning to its place.

Your fingers were wrapped loosely in his, making sure he was able to let go and reach for the gear stick whenever he needed to. The roads along the coastline were fairly straight, only ever bending slightly and no sharp turns in sight.

With the road empty bar from the two of you, Harry snuck a glance over to you. Your face was illuminated by the soft glow of the sun, hair windswept against the headrest and over your shoulders.

“I love you”, Harry said simply. It was no massive declaration, it didn’t have to be. You and Harry had been friends for 13 years, together for nearly 2. He’d loved you for as long as he could remember.

“I love you, too”.

-

Possessive hand holding

The first time you visited Harry in London was quite the nerve wracking experience. Aside from helping him move his stuff into his flat with Lux and Freezy, you’d barely seen him since he’d left the small island you both called home.

You waited by baggage claim, leg shaking with restless, nervous energy. It was just your luck that your suitcase was one of the last to make its way through and round the conveyor belt, the hall almost empty by the time you’d got your belongings.

Harry was waiting for you just outside arrivals, just as restless and nervous as you were. His eyes had been glued to the door from the minute you’d text him to let you know you’d reached baggage claim. Every person that walked out of the sliding doors that wasn’t you irritated him even further. It had only been a few weeks since he’d last seen you, and he was going mad.

At last, you trudged through the doors, looking a little worse for wear and incredibly pissed off. But you were there.

Harry wrapped his arms around you, holding you tight against his chest. “I’ve missed you so much”, he whispered into your hair. “The guys are already at my place, I hope that’s alright”, he told you. “They’re really excited to meet you”.

At Harry’s apartment building, he kept a tight hold on your hand as he led you upstairs. “Harry, it’s okay”, you assured him, squeezing his hand.

“Just nervous”, he told you.

Harry led you into the apartment, pausing for a second so you could drop your case by the door and kick your shoes off. His deathly tight grip on your hand never waned, like he was scared you were going to escape.

“Lads, Y/N”, Harry said awkwardly as he led you through the doorway. “Y/N, both of the Cals, Ethan, JJ, Simon, Josh, Tobi and Vik”, he introduced, pointing to each man in turn as he said their names.

“Nice to meet you”, you smiled happily.

You sat next to Harry on the sofa, squeezed up against his side. His hand was still gripping onto yours, squeezing tighter whenever any of the guys started to talk to you. “Harry”, you whispered, wiggling your fingers in his grip. “What’s wrong?”.

“Someone looks a little jealous if you ask me”, Freezy poked, wicked grin shooting across the living room.

“Oh, give over”, you scoffed, flicking Harry in the chest. “You buffoon. There’s nothing to worry about. Now ease up, you’re cutting off blood flow to my fingers”, you teased.

-

Rubbing their thumb over the other’s hand 

“I don’t wanna leave”, you sighed, leaning further into Harry’s chest. “I miss you too much”, you whispered.

“I miss you, too”, he told you, wrapping both arms around your body and pulling you closer.

Harry watched over your shoulder as you opened your phone and pulled up flight times for a few weeks time, scrolling through them to find the cheapest option. Seeing Harry as often as possible was taking its toll on your finances and Harry knew you’d only accept so much help from him.

“What if this was the last time you flew home?”, Harry asked into your hair.

“What do you mean?”, you asked, thumb pausing over the screen.

“I spoke to Cal about it the other day, before you came”, Harry started. “How would you feel about moving to London?”, he asked.

You turned in his arms, facing Harry. “Are you being serious?”, you asked, a blossoming grin eager to bloom over your face.

“As I’ve ever been”, he whispered.

3 weeks later, you waited at the gate in Guernsey airport, surrounded by your family. “I’m so happy for you”, your mum whispered as she pulled you in for a tight hug. When she pulled back, you were both laughing through the tears that had begun to shed. “You and Harry deserve to be happy”, she told you.

They watched and waved as you walked towards the flight bridge, knowing that this would be the last time they’d see you for a while. You sat in your seat, watching as Guernsey got smaller and smaller below you. Although leaving home was never going to be an easy thing, you knew that you could build a home wherever Harry was.

You’d already shipped a lot of your stuff over to Harry, leaving you only to bring a large suitcase with you on your flight. You had no idea what to expect when you arrived, whether your stuff would be in Harry’s room or boxes strewn into whatever corner of the apartment they could fit into.

“Here”, Harry said as you sat in the car in the car park outside of the apartment building. He handed you a key on a keyring. “House keys”, he told you.

“Thank you”, you smiled

Harry pulled your case behind you as you walked up to the apartment. You stilled in front of the door, Harry pulling to a stop next to you. “Are you okay?”, Harry asked, voice filled with concern.

“Yeah”, you assured him quietly. “It’s just a lot, y’know”, you murmured.

“I know”. Harry’s thumb skimmed across the back of your hand in a soft, repetitive, soothing pattern. “I love you”, he reminded you, thumb never halting its soft reassurance against your skin.

“I know”, you smiled up at him. “But I love you more”.

-

Unconsciously searching for the other’s hand whilst asleep

If you were to ask Harry when he knew you’d be in his life forever, he’d have told you when the two of you were 5. Teasing from the other kids about you being best friends with each other was almost never-ending, but you and Harry always found a way to make light of it.

It wasn’t uncommon to see you and Harry playing with the dolls amongst the other little girls or racing around through the mud with the other boys. Everyone quickly learnt that where Harry went, you went and where you went, Harry went.

Harry knew you were going to be his bestest friend forever when he’d sat down on the grass to play and realised that there were no toys left. You’d come and sat down next to him and you’d played in the mud together, making daisy chains and mud pies and potions that you stirred with sticks, never caring about the dirt coating your pretty pinafore dress.

If you were to ask Harry when he knew that your relationship was meant to last, he would fumble and stumble over his words, not really knowing what to say. It was something that brought his friends great joy, asking what he saw in the future for the two of you. After all, you had been together since you were 15.

The night Harry realised you were his one great love was rather anti-climatic. There was no fireworks or mind-blowing kiss or Earth shattering sex. In fact, you were curled up asleep next to Harry, hair piled on top of your head and the hem of one of his Sidemen Clothing shirts riding up on your thigh.

He’d shut his computer down and gotten ready for bed, sliding in next to you as quietly as possible. Whilst he was lounging in bed next to you, attention focused on the screen of his phone, you’d started shifting beside him. Harry laid stock still, not wanting to wake you up with any movements.

Instead, you reached a hand across the bed, seemingly searching for something. When you couldn’t find whatever it was you were looking for, a frown settled itself onto your face. Harry was sure you were dreaming, but couldn’t resist closing the gap between your fingers and his.

The minute Harry hooked his fingers around yours, the frown on your face disappeared, replaced by a soft, blissful smile. Harry had known you long enough and knew you well enough to know that you were still fast asleep, the gentle sighs falling from your mouth being a dead giveaway.

So, if you asked Harry when he knew that your love was meant to last, he’d tell anyone that listened that it was the moment he realised you loved him even in your dreams.

[cablesscutie]

Inspired by @hayleynfoster’s comic and some hilarious headcannons about the littlest steambaby with Hayley and @favlie​

Read it on AO3

1.

The day Avatar Aang comes to meet his second niece, Fire Lord Zuko refuses to let his youngest child out of sight.  Katara rolls her eyes, and reminds her husband that neither of their children had ended up psychologically disturbed because of their flights.  “Not,” she adds, pointing at Aang, “that I am allowing a repeat, but I think just holding her while firmly on the ground will be fine.”

“Mmmm,” Zuko hesitates, curling Kallik closer to his chest.  Her big eyes blink up at the adults guileless from her blanket.  “No.”

“You let Azula hold her!” Aang argues.

“She doesn’t do anything with the babies!” Zuko shoots back.  It’s not strictly true, he knows, but his sister’s ritual with newborns is unsettling in a much different way.  She simply stares deep into each child’s eyes upon being handed them, until some kind of understanding passes between her and the baby.  Results have varied, but the most important part is that there was no threat to life and limb.  

Katara’s raised eyebrow says that she also doesn’t believe Zuko’s words, but she doesn’t say anything.  They are, after all, a united front - to the children, to politicians, to their friends.  In the privacy of their chambers, however, he knows he will be hearing about this.

2.

Katara and Zuko take the kids to spend Kallik’s first birthday at the South Pole.  It’s a tradition they’ve observed with all three, and Zuko always looks forward to going to visit her family.  The house is loud and chaotic, full to bursting with people, the exact opposite of his own lonely childhood.  There is no posturing, and everyone loves and squabbles openly.  On this particular visit, they have overlapped with Aang’s stay with Sokka and Suki, so Gran-Gran’s house is in even more of an uproar than usual by the time Zuko and Katara arrive.

Kya immediately dashes off to coo over her little cousins as they toddle around behind Pakku, pretending to be otter penguins.  Satoshi runs to the kitchen to be showered in kisses and cookies from Gran-Gran.  Hakoda finds them barely out of their parkas and already thoroughly abandoned.

“I could’ve sworn you had at least one other child,” he tells Katara, scratching his head as he pretends to search for his missing grandchildren.  She laughs and hugs her father tight.  Neither of them let go for long moments, and Zuko’s throat feels tight when he notices his father-in-law’s misty eyes.  He looks down at Kallik, thinks of his other two children, and wonders for the thousandth time how Hakoda could ever forgive him for keeping Katara so far away.  It’s why he hands his daughter over easily when her grandfather waggles his fingers expectantly and says, “Alright, give her here.”

Hakoda settles Kallik on his hip with practiced ease, and pulls Zuko into a brief hug with his free arm.  “Good to see you, son.”  

Zuko clears his throat.  “You too,” he says, and Katara laughs softly at his awkward shuffling, amused by how he doesn’t know what to do with his hands without a baby in his arms.  She answers his question by lacing their fingers together as she leads him deeper into the house to find her brother and their friends seated around the hearth fire watching the kids run around.

Hugs are exchanged all around, and Zuko settles into their familiar company.  Hakoda joins them after taking Kallik to say hello to Gran-Gran and Pakku, and bounces the baby on his knee to make her laugh.  Aang makes silly faces at her that have her letting out piercing giggles and reaching out to try and grab at the wooden beads of his necklace.

“Well clearly she’s bored of me,” Hakoda says, making to hand her off to her uncle.  “Here you go -”  Zuko leans over and intercepts.

“Oh no.  No baby catapult,” he says, shaking his head.

Aang gives him a pout to rival Momo.  “Come on, we’re indoors!”  Katara clears her throat, and when Zuko glances over, her eyes are narrowed at him.  With a sigh, he holds Kallik out to Aang.

“Fine.  But I’m watching you.”

3.

Extended family vacations to Ember Island always sound like a good idea to Katara.  At first.  When her husband is burnt out and aching, and the kids are climbing the walls, and she just wants to lie in the sun with a book, it seems like the cure for everything.

And then they arrive.  Somehow, much like she forgets the excruciating pain of childbirth, she never recalls the onslaught of chaos and catastrophe that comes every vacation.  Like the time Sokka got stung by a jelly-ray.  Or the time Suki and Zuko got in a fight about disciplining each other’s kids.  Or the time every single one of the kids managed to get sunburnt and couldn’t sleep.  Every year, it’s always something, and somehow, it usually ends up being at least partially her problem to solve.

This year, though, is somehow turning out alright.  They reach day three without major incident, and almost entirely without tears - a near miracle for a vacation involving five children under the age of ten.

“I’m almost done with my first book already,” she tells Zuko as they rock slowly in a hammock on the deck, whispering in hopes of keeping any listening spirits from knowing that she’s gotten her hopes up.

“Good, you deserve the break,” Zuko says.  He looks on the verge of sleep despite the fact that the sun is still climbing in the sky.  The dark circles beneath his eyes are already faded almost to nothing.  She sighs happily and grabs her book, but before she can actually crack it open, she hears Toph cackling and her Mom Senses light up.  Zuko calls after her in surprise as she leaves the hammock swaying wildly behind her, but she doesn’t look back on her way to the beach.  

When she arrives, it is just in time to see Toph pick up Kallik, a wicked smile on her face.  Sokka and Suki’s twins are further down the beach standing beside Aang, both of them jumping up and down with excitement, waiting for something.

“Go long, Twinkle Toes!”  Katara’s eyes go wide, and faster than should be possible, she reaches them, yanking Kallik out of Toph’s hands.  “Hey!”

“Absolutely not!”  Katara says, scowling.

“I was gonna catch her!”  Aang shouts.  Katara shakes her head.

“This is not happening.  No way.”  Then, silently lamenting the loss of quiet time with her husband, Katara looks at the twins and asks, “Who wants to go get some ice cream?

4.

At Zuko’s request, his birthday is not a big deal with his family.  It’s a combination of the fact that the entire Fire Nation loses its mind about the day anyway, so he is all but forced to spend a day attending a festival in his honor, and the fact that he is used to his birthday being a marker of all the disappointments he has been in the past year.  It is a long-standing compromise with his wife that she is allowed to throw him a small, family-only party, to be kept within the bounds of the garden.  He enjoys the excuse to get everyone together without a barrage of meetings involved, and the rest of their family is so boisterous in comparison to him, he can almost forget that the day has anything to do with him at all.

For his thirtieth birthday, he makes the further concession of allowing Uncle to set up his new phonograph so there could be dancing.  Zuko is manning the crank, watching Katara and Kya swing each other around while Aang sits next to him, flipping through the records looking for the right song.

“Do you have a request too?” Zuko hears him ask, and turns to see Kallik has toddled away from Uncle Iroh and approached the Avatar.  She puts her hands on his knees and starts bouncing, flashing him a smile that shows all of her new teeth.  “You want upsies?” Aang coos, and reaches to scoop her up by the armpits.  Zuko clears his throat loudly, shooting Aang his best murder eyes, and the Avatar shrinks back into the collar of his robes a little.  “What about dance party?”  He lets Kallik grab onto his fingers and starts hopping around with her to the beat, hunched over and both of them giggling.

5.

“Oh Uncle Aaaaang!” Kya sings, striding out into the garden where Appa has just landed. She has Kallik on her hip, and Satoshi follows along at her heels, excited to see Appa and Momo again.  His pockets are already full of lychee nuts for his fuzzy friends.

“Hey guys!” Uncle Aang calls, his gangly arms waving excitedly.  “Are you the welcoming committee now?”  He lands in front of them on a gentle breeze, setting down his bag and grinning broadly.

“Mom and Dad are in a meeting,” Kya informs him.  “But somebody wanted to go for a little flight.”  She hitches the toddler higher and winks conspiratorially.  “If you catch my drift.”  Uncle Aang’s eyes go wide, and he looks between the kids with unease.  Satoshi feels terror grip his throat.  He knew his big sister was crazy, but would she really…?

“Oh I dunno, your Dad was pretty...adamant...that you all are grounded until further notice.”  Satoshi lets out a sigh of relief.

“Dad’s in a meeting,” Kya reiterates, as though being in a meeting involves entering another dimension.  She should know better, her brother thinks to himself.  Mom and Dad always find out when they’re up to no good, and as the sibling who’s usually leading the charge into trouble, Kya should definitely have that figured out by now.  Uncle Aang should absolutely know that by now, but with horor, Satoshi realizes that the Avatar is looking a little bit convinced.  “And we’re not gonna tell on you,” she wheedles.  Speak for yourself, Satoshi thinks, glancing around to see if there are any guards within earshot if he calls for their parents.  Sadly, it seems nobody has realized that the Avatar requires careful supervision.

“Well…” Uncle Aang considers, then comes to his decision, smiling once again.  “Alright, I guess one can’t hurt.  Who’s going?”  

Kya moves to offer Kallik to him, her tiny hands reaching out and making grabby motions.  Satoshi’s world goes into slow-motion.  There’s a roaring in his ears, and as if from outside his body, he hears his own voice say,

“I am.”  Kya and Uncle Aang blink at him, stunned.  Their uncle is the first to recover, and asks,

“Are you sure, kiddo?  I mean, you weren’t the biggest fan when you were a baby…”

“I want to try again,” he makes himself say, despite his sweating palms.  Uncle Aang grins and ruffles his hair.

“That’s the spirit!  You get that from your dad.” 

As his uncle’s hands grab him under the armpits, Satoshi hears Kya mutter, “It’s the self-sacrificing idiot gene,” and then he is gone.  As he soars through the air, he wonders if maybe his body hasn’t even left the ground yet.  He can’t feel anything.  Maybe he just died of panic and this is just his soul taking off for the spirit world.

Then he reaches the height of his arc and starts plummeting back to Earth, and the sensation of all his internal organs rattling around asserts the fact that he is very much still alive and experiencing this.  He closes his eyes before he gets anywhere close to the ground, so it comes as a surprise when he comes to a sudden stop, cradled briefly by robes smelling of hay and bison fur, before being deposited back on his feet.

“How’s the weather up there?” Uncle Aang asks him, patting him on the back.  Satoshi doesn’t know what the weather was like.  He doesn’t know anything except that solid ground beneath his feet may have replaced his mother’s hugs as his favorite feeling in the world.  He meets Kya’s eyes, and sees from her horrified expression that he must look like as much of a husk of a child as he feels.

A quiet, affectless “Thank you,” is all that he can manage to say, and then he is wandering back into the palace, where he shoves his head into the nearest antique vase and screams.

+1

“Psst.”  A small sound behind him has Aang on alert.  The Fire Nation Royal Palace hasn’t been a place of danger for years now, but with Toph and Sokka around, the probability of sneak attacks has risen a hundred fold.  He doesn’t see anything though, and goes to turn back around, only to be caught by a surprisingly firm grip on his cape.  About two feet below where he’d expected to find his assailant, Aang comes face to face with his youngest niece, Kallik.  Her expression is the same determined furrow of the brow that Katara and Zuko have shared for so long it is impossible to tell which parent bestowed the trait on her.  It has the eerie effect of summoning the terrifying force that is their combined will.  Aang already knows that whatever she wants from him, he’s going to cave, and it will probably get him in trouble.  “I hear you’re in the business of yeeting kids.  I want in.”

Aang sighs.  Zuko has been trying to prevent this day since the moment Aang met Kallik, and Kallik has been trying to evade her father’s overprotective tendencies since the moment of her existence.  It is a battle Katara has elected not to fight, likely remembering her own impossible stubbornness and the futility of trying to stand against it.  So it is with all of that knowledge that he says, “Okay.”

“Flameo!” Kallik cheers, punching at the air.

“Well ‘flameo’ was actually more of a greeting -”

“Let’s save the fun facts.  I wanna fly.”  With a creeping sense of dread, Aang follows the child pulling him along by the cape until they reach a courtyard.  Kallik turns to face him, plants her feet, and rubs her palms together.  “Alright,” she says, spreading her arms wide.  “I’m ready.”

“Here we go...I guess,” Aang says, glancing over his shoulder as he reaches out to scoop her up by the armpits.  The coast is clear, so he swings her around in circles a couple of times to get ready.  As his niece starts to giggle, the garden blurs, and wind ruffles his robes, Aang feels the giddy anticipation of liftoff.

He hoists Kallik, up, up, up.

And then her momentum carries her out of his hands, and the wind that has built up around them propels her even higher.  Her already small body shrinks until she looks more like the shadow of a bird in the night sky, clearing the palace roofs.  A happy shriek pierces the air.  Aang smiles, feeling her wonder as if it is his own.  This is always the best part of someone’s first flight - witnessing them discover the wind anew - and while taking Air Acolytes to glide at the Northern Air Temple is fun, nothing compares to sharing this part of his culture with his nieces and nephews.

Kallik tumbles back into his arms, eyes wide with wonder, ecstatic grin plastered across her face.  “Again!” she cries, the moment breath rushes back to her.  

Aang laughs and holds her on his hip.  As he always does, he asks, “How’s the weather up there?”

“The moon is huge!  And I could see the whole city!  And the ocean!”  Kallik’s pudgy hands move in broad, sweeping gestures so similar to her mother’s bending as she speaks.  He still remembers Katara’s delighted gasp the first time she flew, Toph’s bruising grip, Zuko’s shocked laugh.  This moment, too, will be another piece of the Air Nomad legacy living on.

As Aang tosses Kallik yet again, Katara finds Zuko leaning against a pillar at the edge of the courtyard, watching.  She approaches her husband, curious to find that he isn’t having a coronary at the sight of their daughter in freefall, and takes hold of his arm.

“You gonna yell at him?” she asks, feigning nonchalance.  He doesn’t look away from them, but he is smiling, serene.

“Eh, she seems fine.”

[candycorncarl]

Right Here, Right Now

Heyyyy guysss :) Not only is this my first post to this blog this is the first time I’ve written in a long time. I was listening to Kiss U Right Now by DUCKWRTH and a small idea I got from the song turned into this! I recommend playing the song when you get to that part of the story ;))) 

Description: You've always been able to feel his eyes on you, his presence when you're in the same room is unmistakable. Yet he never gets too close to touch. Until right here, right now. Warnings: angst, case discussions, alcohol Word Count: 4.6k

Part 1

You could not wait for today to be over. It's been filled with paperwork that always seems to be never ending, which turns into never ending coffee, which turns into you fidgeting for most of the day. Unwinding at Garcia's place tonight was all you could look forward to. Starting to zone out you stare blankly at your computer while twirling your pen in between your fingers. You are finally pulled away from the screen by Emily approaching your desk. She sits on the edge of your desk and you watch her roll her eyes.

"So how many bottles of wine do I bring to girls night tonight?" She sounded just as fed up with today as you were.

You chuckle and hold up all ten fingers raising your eyebrows as you both begin laughing. As you turn to face Emily you notice Spencer looking at you. It was subtle with his head down and eyes up not wanting anyone to notice, especially you. He quickly glances away, eyes darting back to his work while biting his cheek. The two of you seemed to share these small unspoken conversations more than you actually talked. You try to focus back on Emily telling you about her bad nights sleep. Luckily JJ serves as your distraction from Spencer as she walks up to your desk.

"Garcia wants to know everyones snack choices for tonight. I'm bringing a variety pack of chips. Henry's soccer team will just have to settle on fruit snacks tomorrow." JJ says as she raises her eyebrows and tilts her head. You all giggle but you can feel Spencer peeking up at you again. You've always been able to feel when his eyes are on you.

"Well you can tell Garcia mine will be that amazing ice cream she can only seem to find." You smirk.

"You know I can't pass up the chance to indulge in some oreos." Emily says as she sticks her tongue out from the corner of her mouth.

"Ohh you kill me every time with the oreos. My guilty pleasure!" JJ groans before heading off to relay the snack list to Garcia.

Emily pats her hand against your desk a couple times before heading back to her own. Suddenly you hear Hotch announce "We've got a case" from above. He marches over to the conference room. Emily looks at you while groaning, and you drop your head in defeat.

"Well that was fun while it lasted." You mumble as you all begin making your way across the bullpen.

As you all file into the room you see Spencer right behind you. Taking a second you notice how nice he smells you say a quick prayer in hopes he sits next to you. Suddenly Rossi plops down in the seat instead replacing Spencers cologne with the smell of cigars. You glance up at Spencer for a split second and he returns the quick exchange taking the seat across the table. Suddenly he feels so far away.

"How is that every time I get a fresh set of cigars we get a case?" Rossi sighs. Normally you would joke with him but you can't help but be a little annoyed.

"Maybe it's a sign to stop." You say dryly the annoyance more apparent in your voice than you meant it to be. He frowns at you along with a few others, obviously surprised by the reply from you. Feeling guilty you go to say sorry before Spencer cuts you off.

"Studies show cigar smoking causes 9,000 premature deaths annually." He says turning to stare at the screen.

"Well I think with this job I'm willing to risk the odds." Rossi says as he leans back in his chair. The team is quiet for a second. Still feeling a little embarrassed you glare at Spencer before Garcia walks in. As the files are being passed around the table she starts explaining the case.

"3 bodies have been found around the Myakka River in Florida and they think the cause of death was poison. All random, all within the past 4 months. If the unsub sticks to his timeline we have a week to find him before he strikes again."

"Why are we just now hearing about this?" Derek asks.

"2 of the victims were found by alligators in the area. So running tests on them took longer than normal." Penelope replies sadly.

"He's betting on the alligators finding them, not people. The alligators clearly didn't want much to do with them though." Emily looks over they pictures in her file.

"So whatever they're being poisoned with is strong enough to stop hungry alligators?" JJ says doubtfully.

"It's more likely that the alligators were able to detect they were sick in some way before fully... continuing further." Spencer says as the team groans in sympathy.

You wait for Hotch to give the go. "Alright, wheels up in 30."

                                       ________________________

Stepping onto the jet you notice the back of Spencer's head in his seat. You make you way over and sit in the seat next to him.

"Um so why did you defend me earlier? I was kind of a bitch to Rossi back there." You peer at him still feeling slightly embarrassed from the team seeing what happened. Your thumbs twiddling in your lap. He just stares at his book and scrunches his nose. You wait for a response before letting out a sigh and standing up.

"Just making sure he knew the facts." He stays focused on the book and doesn't elaborate any further.

You move to the back of the jet waiting for the rest of the team. It's so hard to read Spencer. He doesn't talk to you as much, but you can always feel his presence when you're in the room together. Frustrated in him not wanting to talk more you rest your head on the back of the seat and twist your hair around your finger, he glances at you one more time as the team files in.

After going over the case on the jet Hotch starts pairing you off into groups. "Prentiss and Morgan head over to the M.E to see what else you can find. Rossi, JJ, and I will head to the dumpsites. Reid and Y/n set up at the station and start working on a geographical profile."

You felt your breath hitch for a moment as you glance over at Spencer to acknowledge the pairing. He keeps his eyes on Hotch. As the flight lands everyone begins pairing off into their groups. Getting to the SUV's Spencer climbs into the passenger seat and you quickly start driving. You were feeling a little nervous with Spencer now. It had been awhile since you've been teamed up even though you two tend to work well together. Despite the lack of personal conversations the two of you had, working with him was easy. The silence was finally broken when you worked up the courage to speak.

"I noticed you were writing down some notes earlier. Do you want to share?" You asked, biting the inside of your cheek.

"Why were you watching me?" He looked over at you finally.

"I- I wasn't watching you. I just happened to notice." Furrowing your brows you glance over at Spencer.

"The bodies all seem to be within a 15 mile radius of one another. There's something within that area of the lake he's attached to." He says with a frown staring out the window.

"Well we've ruined whatever plans he's made finding his dumpsites." You start to call Garcia.

"Sugar, spice, and everything nice. Hello Blossom to my Buttercup!" She says with such excitement you can hear her smile.

"Um I'm pretty sure you're Blossom, Garcia." You reply letting out a little laugh. Moving your phone to its car mount, your arm gently brushes against Spencers for a second. He quickly moves his arm to rest by his side and tugs on his seatbelt. You notice a heat rushing over his cheeks.

"Garcia you need to do a search for anything of significance that has happened in or around the lake in the past year." Spencer speaks up.

"Okay, but lets try asking a little more politely?" Garcia replies in an annoyed tone.

"Uh- please." Spencer clears his throat.

"There we go. Your wish is my command!" She says before hanging up. You can't help but let out a quiet laugh. He frowns at you before looking back out the window.

Making your way into the station you greet the local PD. They go over the latest victim and you are led to their conference room. You start putting notes together and pictures on the board. Spencer is staring intensely at the map, his finger held up to his mouth.

"Can I borrow that marker?" He sticks his arm out waiting for you to hand it to him.

"Wow for an eidetic memory you sure do forget to say please a lot." You turn your head to him as he looks at you slightly annoyed. Instead of just handing the marker to him you take a step over and look at the map. Keeping hold of the marker you begin pointing.

"So he's dumping the bodies here, here, and here?" You turn your head with the marker purposely pointing at the wrong spot. As you turn to look at him he's still staring at you. Locking eyes you notice his jaw clenching.

"No, here." He says still staring at you, leaving barely any space between your hand and his. It starts feeling hot in the room. You normally don't act like this with one another, but you feel something stirring inside you. Feeling your nerves take over, you can feel your cheeks blushing deeply. You stand there for a second longer before you finally hand him the marker.

"Thank you." His eyes look you up and down before marking the map.

Becoming flustered you turn and tuck your hair behind your ear searching the table for something to break the tension. A breath of relief washes over you as Emily and Derek enter the room. Sharing their new found information you start putting more pieces together. Eventually it's time to head to the hotel.

Grabbing your keycard from JJ you plan on taking a nice long shower to clear your mind. Stepping off the elevator onto your floor you say goodnight to JJ. You notice Spencer down the hallway, your nerves rising back up. As you approach him he slows down and stops at the door which happens to be across from yours. You can see him peek at you from the side of his eye as he unlocks his door. You begin to open your door and turn back to look at him. He stares back at you before closing his door.

Dumping your bag in your room you try relaxing your muscles and take in a deep breath. Quickly undressing you head to the bathroom bringing your toiletries with you. Turning the shower on you bite your lip thinking of the feelings between you and Spencer today. He always seems to be slightly frustrated around you, which made you feel confused. It's hard to ignore the way you feel when you catch him looking at you, but you try to calm the butterflies down convincing yourself he doesn't feel the same way. Stopping yourself you step into the shower and feel the warm water wash over you, taking your mind off of how confusing today was. Finishing your night time routine you make your way to the plush bed, scrolling through your phone before trying to fall asleep without thinking of Spencer.

                            ____________________________________ 

As Spencer closed his door he let out a loud huff and put his bags on the bench in the room. He stuck his arm out to lean on the wall. Dropping his head down the need to feel her touch is firing off of him. His pent up frustration caused his pants to grow tighter. Thoughts of her keep racing in his mind, all the times he catches her before she catches him, when she softly brushes past him in hallways, the way she plays with her hair while she's deep in thought. He starts taking deep breaths to try and stop thinking about her. Still too afraid to admit his own emotions to himself he steps into the bathroom. Feeling hot while trying to ignore his growing bulge he undoes his tie and pulls his sweater off. Rolling up his sleeves he starts splashing cold water on his face. Leaning over the sink he lets the water drip off his lips and nose. Something about the way she catches his attention scares him because he feels like he could lose control at any second. He closes his eyes and continues breathing slowly. After cooling down he dries his face and goes to change. Grabbing his book from the plane along with 2 others he makes his way to his bed, forcing himself to read.

                             ____________________________________

Waking up to your 5:15 am alarm clock you groggily turn it off. You get a text as you pick your phone up.

    Hotchner: Good morning everyone. Be up and ready in 30. We will meet down in the lobby.

You begin to scroll over the rest of your notifications until you jump out of bed and stretch your arms up. After getting your thoughts together you go through your morning routine with a slight jitter in your hands as you begin to think about Spencer. Luckily it wasn't enough to keep you from messing up your eyeliner or mascara. You slip on a pair of black jeans, your favorite black boots, and a white tee shirt. Completing the look you holster your gun, and pop your blazer on. Giving yourself one final scan in the mirror you finish with a quick spritz of perfume and head out the door. Stepping out in the hallway you notice Spencer waiting down by the elevator. Dressed in his usual sweater, button down, tie combo you take him in. He's fiddling with his bag and doesn't seem to notice you nearing.

"Good morning..." You say softly hoping not to startle him. He continues searching his bag without returning a hello. Biting your lip you can't help but ask what he's looking for.

"Did you lose something?" You keep your voice quiet not wanting to annoy him or the people still getting to enjoy sleep so early in the morning.

"No." He finally replies, giving up on his search. You nod and the elevator finally dings, its doors open. He looks a little more tired and stressed than usual so you choose to stay quiet.

"It's just a small bottle of some cologne. It was a gift from my mom, otherwise I wouldn't really care if it went missing." He presses the L button and the elevator starts moving. You were a little surprised he elaborated on his answer.

"Oh, well I'll make sure to look out for it. She has good taste, it smelled nice." Your face immediately goes red, you look down in hopes your hair will hide your blushing cheeks. You could smack yourself for letting that slip out. As the doors to the elevator open you feel Spencer's finger brush against yours so softly you hardly felt it. You shoot your head up as you watch him exit, almost forgetting to get off as well.

Spencer's finger is burning as he takes off down the lobby. Clenching his hands around his strap he tries to keep his focus on the team ahead but he can't shake the feeling away. His mind is yelling at him for his actions, but his chest is about to burst. The burning from his finger getting a touch of your skin is overwhelming him. The butterflies he's kept caged forever are starting to stir. Reaching the team he hears her footsteps approaching making his heart beat faster. Tucking his hand in his pocket he takes a gulp. Hotch starts breaking down the day but as hard as he tries to listen he can't. All he can pay attention to is the smell of her perfume; sweet and warm. It matches her personality perfectly. Staring at Hotch he sees his lips moving but doesn't hear a word he's saying until he hears his name. "Reid and Y/n head to the latest victims house." He bites the inside of his cheek as he fights his feelings in his head. Preparing himself for another day of controlling his urges, he makes his way for the door. Hopping in the car he stays silent, as does she. The air feels like its on fire and he begins to wonder if he's made the wrong move.

You can still feel his touch as you grasp the steering wheel. All it took was his pinky gliding over yours to put you in a tizzy. You peek over at him but this time you're too nervous to speak. Resting your arm on the center console, he places his arm next to yours. Leaving the smallest bit of space between the two of you again. Your hand clutches the steering wheel tighter too afraid to move. You both stay silent the entire ride over.

Walking up to the house you flash your credentials to be let in. Your mind is finally able to shift gears. Entering the house you follow him into the main room carefully taking a look around. The home was filled with plants of every shape and size.

"It's a shame most of these plants are probably going to die after being so cared for." You say in a bittersweet tone while appreciating them. Pausing for a moment you feel a thought brewing. "Wait, what if our unsub is creating his own poisons? I'm seeing some dangerous plants here, I think that could be our connection." You say walking further around the house.

Spencer scans over the bookshelf in the room and calls you over. You walk over and stand closer to him than normal. He pauses for a moment before pointing to a picture setting on top of the shelf.

"Do you know what that is?" He asks quietly, still scanning the picture.

"The plant? Umm not specifically, no." You return matching his quiet volume.

"It's nerium oleander, an extremely toxic plant that is poisonous to both livestock and humans. The toxic principles are two glycosides, oleandrin, and nerioside. Symptoms if ingested can be severe, cardiac irregularities can begin, often characterized by an increased heart rate. However, a slower heart rate is often detected in the later stages. Each dumpsite had this species of flower growing around it." He says quickly scanning over the rest of the shelf.

"I think we just found our secret ingredient." You stare at him for a second admiring just how smart he is before calling Garcia.

                            ____________________________________

Spencer's discovery of the flowers lead to the break in the case saving the life of one more victim. The unsub was an alchemist abducting customers from the greenhouse he owned. Finding him didn't take long once you knew where to look. The team gleefully boarded the jet since the case was a fast one. You all were able to leave before the day was even over.

"I think a quick case calls for some celebration!" Derek says.

After excitedly agreeing you sat with JJ and Emily. You couldn't help but notice Spencer deep in thought while reading.

"What about you pretty boy?" Derek shoves Spencer's shoulder. Spencer glares at Derek and replies to get him to back off.

"I'll think about it." He says before quickly glancing over at you before looking back at his book. You turn your attention away from him and back to the girls.

Spencer feels the cage rattling in his stomach again. He tries making it stop but he doesn't want to miss the chance of seeing her celebrate tonight. He starts replaying the first time she went out with them in his head. Her laugh filling his ears over the loud music, her smile beaming from across the room. His biggest regret was leaving early when she finally sat down to take a break from dancing. She was tipsy and breathing a little heavy from dancing. When she sat next to him she let out a soft moan of relief when taking a sip of her drink. He clutched his glass harder hearing her.

"You don't look like you're having much fun Doctor!" She rested her hand on her chin looking at him and then his glass of water. He was clenching his jaw and began to remove himself from the table.

"I'm not so that's why I'm leaving." He noticed her frown before turning to walk away. He forced himself to do the exact opposite of everything he wanted to do. His fist clenched in his pocket and he stepped outside waiting for a taxi to appear. After realizing how worked up he was becoming he told himself to stop. This time there would be no seeking advice from Derek, no getting too close, no butterflies. That was the plan he set in stone and that was the plan she was now quickly unraveling after all this time.

Pulling himself back to reality he peeked at her every now and then the rest of the way home, catching her eye from time to time.

                           ____________________________________

Having a little spare time you decided to get ready with the girls at Garcia's place before heading to the bar. You always kept a backup outfit in your car for times like these. She was the best person to get ready with, always hyping her girls up.

"Y/n that dress is capital H.O.T." She beams at you while slipping her shoes on. You wink at her and pull out your makeup bag. You had to admit the dress hugged you perfectly and made you feel confident. Popping your lipstick on you turned to the girls and shook your head.

"I think we all look capital H.O.T" You smirk before turning to leave. You could feel your nerves rising as you all gathered into the car, you tried to calm down since you weren't even sure if Spencer was coming tonight.

Spencer was unsure of what to wear for tonight. After trying a few things on he opted in on a simple light blue button down and rolled his sleeves up. He was fumbling with his hair as his phone buzzed knowing it was Derek. Before heading out he made sure to spray on a little of his no longer missing cologne. Hopping in the car Derek noticed a little shift in his demeanor.

"What's got you all nervous?" Derek asks with a smirk after driving for a bit.

"Nothing, I just haven't gone out in awhile. This isn't really my thing you know." He kept his eyes on the road.

"Well maybe if you drank with us you wouldn't feel so awkward every time." Derek let out a little chuckle.

He felt his palms getting sweaty as they pulled up to the bar. Seeing Penelope's car he knew she was already here. He wiped his palms on his knees quickly before getting out of the car. Making their way in the bar Derek yelled out "Now the real fun can begin!"

Everyone cheered in return as Spencer searched the room for her. Once he found her at the bar his eyes took her in before she could find him. He's seen her dressed up before but this time he was truly appreciating just how beautiful she is. Once her eyes met him he felt his heart thumping. Spencer tried to distract himself by taking a seat hoping no one noticed his staring.

The team talked for a bit while enjoying some drinks. They finally got up and started heading to the dance floor. You felt yourself a little confused as it seemed like Spencer was avoiding you. He was quiet and didn't seem to be engaged in any of the conversations. Instead of heading to the dance floor you made your way over to the bar asking for a water.

"You know I don't think anyone has said good job to you yet on breaking the case." You held out the water offering it to Spencer. Surprised by your presence he cleared his throat.

"What? Oh... thanks. You deserve credit too." He gave you a small nervous smirk and took the water. You sat down across from him shrugging.

"Once I saw that photo it was so obvious. I can't believe I didn't notice it sooner." He frowned.

"Spencer, you don't give yourself enough credit. You can't put that pressure on yourself to connect every dot right away. Don't be so hard on yourself, please. Maybe consider celebrating with us tonight?" You smiled and raised up one of your eyebrows.

"I think I'm good for now." He pushes his water between his fingers slightly. You sigh and get up from the table.

"Well as long as you don't leave early again..." You say and down the rest of your drink before walking over to JJ, Emily, and Penelope dancing. You can feel his eyes focused on you.

Dancing for so long you start to lose track of time, letting the warmth of the alcohol take over you. Enjoying dancing with your girls after while you decided you needed a slower song to take a break. You walked over to the DJ and requested a song you knew would grab Spencer's attention. The DJ said ok and started playing "Kiss U Right Now" by DUCKWRTH. You walked back over and smiled slightly. Penelope let out a loud "OOOO! I like this!" As she began dancing slower. You found Emily and started dancing closely with her. You both giggled a little bit as you swayed your hips against each other. Feeling your dress inching up your thigh you peek over at Spencer. You knew he was already watching you, you could feel it. As your eyes met his, he got up from the table and took off towards the bathroom.

"I need to pee!" You said in Emily's ear before heading towards Spencer. She nods and joins Penelope and JJ.

As you finally made your way through the crowd you saw Spencer stepping out of the restroom. He didn't even bother to look at you but as he passed you, you felt his pinky brush against you again. You hooked your pinky around his and he stopped dead in his tracks. You turned to look at him as he stayed frozen for a second. Your heart was pounding waiting for him to make a move.

Spencer felt his entire body tense up. The small heat in his chest turned into a wildfire. He turned and pushed you up against the wall. His hand moving to the hem of your dress, his hot hand touching your thigh. He kept his other hand intertwined with your pinky. His heart was thumping as he moved his lips close to yours. He could feel your heavy breathing as his eyes were locked on yours. You gripped his pinky a little tighter to pull the rest of his body closer.

You can feel the heat pooling in your stomach as you stare Spencer down. His gaze told you everything you needed to know. The song booming as it narrated both your thoughts. He wanted this just as much as you did. You wanted him to prove it, he was killing you as he hovered over you.

"You need to get back to the girls before they wonder where you are." He whispered before letting go of your hand while backing away from you. He passes the table pushing towards the door. You glance over at the team to see if they notice, if they do they're not acting like it. You take a breath and decide to follow him.

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

[prettywordsyouleft]

Labelling Love | Part 1 (Collab)

Summary: Meeting you changed the way Eunwoo viewed romance and love entirely.

Pairing: Cha Eunwoo x female reader

Genre: university au / romance / fluff

Warnings: none

A/N: Welcome to the second series in the monthly Love In Fours Ways collab with @jackiejacks923​ @noona-clock​ & @this-song-thats-only-for-you​ . In the final week of each month during this collab, we’ll be each sharing a mini-series using 4 of the pictures/concepts illustrated in the book that inspired our series that I’ve credited below. 

Credit to: Puuung - Love Is In The Small Things // #76 , #60 , #4 , #33

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 // Collab Masterlist

Part 1 - Not Being Able To Concentrate Because She's There

Cha Eunwoo didn’t believe in love at first sight. Or upon a second or even a third look. He was certain that it was nothing but a phenomenon of the hopeless romantic. A guise that someone who wanted to fall in love badly held over the top of feelings that could be more easily described as attractive or interesting. Eunwoo had met many people in his lifetime that he could easily commit to saying he was attracted to or interested in upon first sight. Such was the nature of being human, so he thought.

However, love was something that came with time. A feeling that grew with experiences shared together, not something you felt straight away. He was a firm believer of this.

So what exactly could he call the feeling that was making his heart beat erratically in his chest as he watched you right now?

Blinking forcibly in attempts to regain control over his physical reaction, Eunwoo licked at his lips, realising his breath was heightened. Now clamping his lips together, he did everything he could to tear his eyes away from your direction and back to the guide in front of him.

“This is the campus library. I hope you took down notes on how to get here because you’ll be spending a lot of your time cramming here. There are eleven floors and this place houses pretty much every book about absolutely everything you could ask a question about. This area here is known as the main study lobby. Most students find the second-floor study area pretty noisy though so if you’re…”

Eunwoo lost his focus again on the tour and slipped back to you at one of the tables quietly reading a book. Sliding your hand onto your neck to better support your head as you continued perusing the pages before you, Eunwoo gulped as his skin began to tingle.

“Its attraction,” he breathed out slowly, trying to claim the feeling overwhelming him as that. It didn’t feel like enough to say it was mere attraction though and Eunwoo frowned. “I’m interested too.”

“And I’m intrigued,” another voice announced, nudging Eunwoo playfully. Glancing at the fellow freshman at his side, Eunwoo cringed at his high school buddy Harvey overhearing his outspoken thoughts. “Who are you attracted to? The tour guide? She’s like forty, dude.”

“No, but if you are, by all means ask her out when we’re done.”

“So then who? The rest of us are guys. But hey, if you’re unsure and want to experiment-”

“Could you stop yourself from talking instead?” Eunwoo replied dryly, dragging his feet reluctantly as the group started to move along. He glanced over his shoulder back in your direction, blinking when he found the table you had been reading at now empty. Spinning around, he thought he saw the end of your ponytail descending the stairs at the front of the building but he couldn’t be too sure.

Harvey jostled him around. “Whoever she is, maybe you imagined her. She could be the girl of your college dreams.”

“Sometimes I wonder if I would be better off imagining up a new friend than having you around, Harvey,” Eunwoo commented before letting out a sigh.

Perhaps you were just a fleeting moment of temptation, after all.

Eunwoo was simultaneously relieved and horrified to find that you existed the following day at his first lecture. Harvey’s teasing had simmered down somewhat when the tour moved out of the library and Eunwoo began to believe maybe his friend was right and he conjured you up.

Seeing you in the flesh again solved the puzzle of whether you existed or not.

However, as the hairs stood up on his arms and his eyes fixated on the side of your head as you moved across the front of the lecture hall to the staircase, Eunwoo was troubled by seeing you in person again.

His physical reaction only felt greater this time as well.

Not this row, he begged internally as you came closer to where he was set up, closing his eyes when you diverted towards him. Of course, the universe was testing him right now. Still, he didn’t understand why you of all the people in this world had to cause his insides to implode with nervous excitement like this.

“Hello,” you greeted softly and pointed at the seat you had stopped before. “Can I sit next to you?”

“Oh uh um well uh-”

You grinned. “It’s just the centre of the room and the row, so...”

“That’s exactly why I chose this spot,” he admitted and you bit your lip to control your delight before sitting down.

“I’ve always been the only one who chooses by the environment on where to sit that I’ve known of.”

“Well it makes the most sense to,” he managed to comment and you nodded along eagerly. “You have to be comfortable in order to learn.”

“Precisely! I’m so glad to finally meet someone who thinks the same. I’m Y/N and you are?”

“Eunwoo,” he replied, taking the hand you held outstretched towards him.

He had to clamp his mouth shut before the squeak building up in his throat was expelled, his cheeks feeling hot with his efforts. You mirrored the flushed expression before letting go.

“It’s nice to meet you, Eunwoo. I hope this semester will be productive for the pair of us.”

The first lecture was anything but productive. Eunwoo couldn’t concentrate for the first time in a learning environment in years. And when he hadn’t been as focused in the past, it was due to being unwell and needing to be resting at home, not because a gorgeous girl had sat down beside him. He was well versed in ignoring others around him when learning.

It threw him completely to be unable to focus at all with you next to him.

Eunwoo chalked it up to first day nerves. Or anything else he could kid himself of. But after a second lecture with no true coherency of what was being spoken about in the class and then on the third being called upon and blanking over an answer he knew in great detail from previous study, Eunwoo knew it was due to you.

The problem was he liked you too much to try and avoid you. It wasn’t just the physical reaction now either. Every time you arrived early for class and you chatted over topics before the professor arrived. He was enamoured by the way you thought. Conversation was all too easy between you.

Which was why you didn’t hesitate to gesture to his empty page. “Another day of not taking down notes?”

“Hah, yeah.”

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those geniuses who don’t need to write down information to remember and ace all your tests,” you breathed, leaning towards him.

Eunwoo wished right now he was one of those types. He was immensely grateful that all lectures were recorded so he could cram in note-taking later when he was back home. Staring down at his blank page, he let out a nervous laugh. “Nope, that’s not me.”

“Then? Is the content too hard? I could help you during lunch today to get your head around it?” you offered, blinking softly.

He should have been honest with you then, however, the offer to have a meal with you seemed more desirable than anything else and he found himself nodding along. “Could you?”

“It’ll be my pleasure! I can’t have you falling behind so soon into the semester.” Eunwoo groaned out loud as you giggled. Glancing at you with a brief pout, he then grinned. “I’ll buy lunch then for your help.”

“Ooh, deal!”

It was evident even to you after twenty minutes of attempting to explain the situation that Eunwoo was distracted. You didn’t know why, however. At first, he was determined to make his way through the entirety of lunch fully invested in what you had to say. And for that matter, he had been invested enough to hear each word you spoke, they just didn’t make enough sense. Was it because of the perfume you had on today? It had been fragrant in class earlier on, but now squeezed into a tiny table at the back of one of the bustling campus cafes, it washed over him completely. Was it the way you brushed your hair away from your neck and placed it all to one side of your head, exposing your delicate skin? Honestly, Eunwoo couldn’t tell why he was being like this, and admittedly he was growing quite concerned for his sanity.

You were driving him down a path he had never wandered before.

Harvey’s remark about university being known as an experimental time in a young person’s life came to the forefront of his brain. Was his physical attraction to you that out of control that he couldn’t focus in your company? Or was it just you as a whole?

He whimpered with the lack of an answer.

Glancing away from your book, you placed down your pen and sighed. “This isn’t helping, is it?”

“No.”

“And it’s not the professor that’s the problem, is it?” you continued and Eunwoo shook his head sadly. “I bet the content isn’t that hard for you-”

“It’s you.”

“Excuse me?” you asked slowly, brows knitting together. “I’m the problem?”

Eunwoo opened his mouth, only for embarrassment to flare up within his stomach. How could he tell you that it was because of boyish feelings that he couldn’t concentrate in your company? He’d barely known you for a week now. It would haunt him for the rest of his semester if he confessed this early into things.

However, his lack of response had done enough damage, your hands hastily grabbing for your belongings scattered over the table in between lunch. “I’m sorry I’m such a problem. You should have told me earlier, Eunwoo.”

“No, it’s nothing like that!”

“I’ll sit somewhere else on Monday so you can concentrate on the lecture. Good luck with your semester.”

“Y/N!” he called out hopelessly, reaching out for your lower arm. You halted all movement and stared at his gentle grip over your arm.

He knew he had no other option.

“I can’t concentrate because ever since I met you, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

_________________

Part 2

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[five-rivers]

Long Night in the Valley chapter 8

A young man walked in.  His hair was dark, the style conservative.  The only thing that stood out about him was his high-collared jacket.

Aizawa knows who this man is, for much the same reasons that Uraraka knew Skyrunner.  

Fidelity had literally written the book on underground heroism. It hadn’t been published until his death.  

The lights flickered.  The murmuring of the shadows rose, then cut off abruptly, the shadows disappearing along with Nana.  The projector screen changed.  It now read:

Greetings 9’s Friends!  (And teacher.)

“This was my last mission briefing before I died,” said the young man.  “At least, that’s what I’d say if I was really Fidelity.”

“You’re saying you aren’t,” said Aizawa, keeping his voice level.  

The screen behind him changed to read Vestiges: what you need to know.

“I am based on Fidelity.  I’m also based on Railgun.”

“The hero who took down Destro?” asked Uraraka, clenching her fists and briefly floating in excitement.  

Why was she not getting a better grade in history?  

“Not exactly.  He wasn’t actually captured until years later.”

“But you broke his charge, his army!  And all by yourself!”

“Railgun did, yes.  I’ve put together a little presentation for you guys.  Hope you don’t mind.  We all figured you wouldn’t want to go any further without an explanation of sorts.”  He said this all with an enviably flat voice, despite his friendly words.  His body language was controlled and to the point.

Darn Midoriya for managing to build a fantasy that was so close to what Aizawa had always imagined the man to be like.  

(He was not a fan of Fidelity.  Underground heroes did not have fans.  It defeated the point.)

(He pointedly ignored his memories of the bootleg Eraserhead merchandise Midoriya and Yamada had snuck to Eri.)

“You’d be right,” said Aizawa.

“Cool,” said Six.  “Before we begin, I want you to understand that much of what I’m going to tell you will be a lie.”

“What?” said Iida, confused.  “Then what’s the point?”

“The point is, there will be enough truth in it to get you through this safely, and enough falsehood to prevent the commission from taking advantage of Nine later, should they be watching what’s happening here with a quirk we can’t detect.”

“Nine?”  

“Izuku,” clarified Six.  

“Who you called Nine because…?”

“If we count in order of when we were supposedly born, he’s the ninth.  Although, really, he’s the first.  I’ll explain in a moment.”  He pointed to the screen.  “We call ourselves vestiges, and, like I said, we are all based on real people.  We’re part of Nine’s quirk.”  The screen switched to show Midoriya with eight shadowy figures behind him.  “I want to stress that Nine wasn’t aware of us until the sports festival. Specifically…”

The screen now showed Midoriya’s fight with Hitoshi, right before he broke his fingers.  Aizawa recognized the image as a still from one of the cameras.  Except those eight shadows were there as well, right in front of Midoriya.  

“You had something to do with him breaking his fingers and getting out of Shinsou’s quirk.”

“We don’t mix well with mental quirks, apparently. Nine minds all together at once are too many, even if eight of them are fictional.  It’s an interesting side effect.  Speaking of which.”

The new slide was a picture.  An edited picture.  Of a person giving a presentation.  

“Is that a meme?” asked Todoroki.

“Yes,” said Six.  

The slide read, You were never in All Might’s mind.  Nine was just confused.

That meme was so old Aizawa could feel himself taking psychic damage just by looking at it.  

“You’ve been passing through our, the vestiges’, mindscapes. Eight is simply based on All Might.”

That would be a relief, if not for the fact that that Six had admitted he was going to lie.  Also, there was something off about the whole explanation.  

Iida raised his hand.  “Excuse me!  You claim that you are part of Midoriya’s quirk, but you haven’t explained how!”

“I’m getting to that,” said Six.  “Todoroki-san, you’re the one who is always saying how similar Nine and All Might’s quirks are.  Do you have any theories?”

Todoroki’s eyes lit up, even though he kept his habitual deadpan expression.  “Midoriya is All Might’s secret—”

“We wish, but sadly no.  Pick a different one.”

Todoroki looked devastated.  He collected himself quickly, however.  “Midoriya’s strength,” he said, “he got it from All Might, didn’t he?”

“Yes.  Eight is a bit of a complicated case, since he’s based on someone who is alive and Nine knows personally, but in the end, he’s the same as the rest of us.”

“He said something about receiving Skyrunner’s quirk, earlier,” said Uraraka.  

“And Blackwhip…” said Iida.  

“You’re getting it,” said Six.  “Blackwhip originally belonged to Five, incidentally.”

“He has a copy quirk,” concluded Aizawa.  

Six nodded.  The screen changed.  “Right now, Nine has four quirks, three of which he can use freely.  Superpower, Blackwhip, and Float,” he read the quirk names off the screen.  

“And he’s going to get more?” asked Aizawa.

“Eventually,” said Six.  “We don’t want to overload his body—This whole process only kicked off when he met All Might.”

“And why you?” asked Aizawa.  “Why All Might, Skyrunner and these… Five others?”

“I would like to tell you,” said Six.  He raised a finger and waved it in a circle to indicate outside listeners.  

“What are the drawbacks?” asked Aizawa.  

“Hm?”

“The drawbacks.  I get dry eyes when I use my quirk.  Present Mic is deaf.  Vlad is anemic.  A quirk like this one has to have a drawback.”

“What, the broken bones aren’t enough for you?  Or the fact he didn’t hit on the activation conditions until he was fourteen?”

Aizawa stared, unimpressed.  

A tiny corner of Six’s mouth made itself visible over the collar of his coat.  “Well. I think you can make some conclusions but, again…”  He trailed off.  “There are a few more things you should be aware of.  First, Nine had no choice in who we are, although we all fulfil certain criteria.”

“Are you all relatives?” asked Todoroki.  

“Man, you never do give up, do you?” said Six.  “That’s a great quality in a hero.”

“Are you all heroes, then?” continued Todoroki.  

The slide on the screen changed again.  

Vestiges According to History:

8. Yagi Toshinori aka All Might – Hero

7. Shimura Nana aka Skyrunner – Hero

6. Tenma Rokuya aka Fidelity/Railgun – Hero

5. Banjo Daigoro aka Lariat – Hero

4. Vigilante

3. Terrorist

2. Terrorist

1. Unknown

 “Unfortunately,” said Six, “no.”

.

Toshinori caught sight of the feathers first.  He had more experience as a hero, and, as he was no longer the primary user of One for All, the mental strain he was experiencing was much lower, comparatively.  His awareness of his surroundings was better.

Stay calm.  Don’t speak. Don’t run.  

Hawks could receive sensory input from his feathers, though neither Toshinori nor Izuku knew how much.  Better to be safe than sorry.  

We need to get out of the city.

Out of the country, too, for that matter, as much as it would hurt Izuku—

They couldn’t leave all their friends behind to face Shigaraki.  

A compromise could be reached.   They knew a few places—An island, near—

But first, the city.  The first priority was to evade pursuit.  

A bus pulled into the stop ahead of them, and they got on. If they could get outside city limits, where there were fewer people, fewer witnesses, Izuku could float them away. Also, Hawks was less likely to trap his feathers on a bus.  

We might be dealing with the Hawks problem earlier than thought.  

Izuku slouched back on the bus seat, covering his eyes. Toshinori looked up at the ceiling. The Hawks problem.  AKA, the others��� theory that Hawks had been raised as a child soldier, and Toshinori had missed the signs.  

Izuku put his hand on Toshinori’s knee.  

“I can’t believe it,” said one of the other passengers, a few rows ahead of them.  “I really just can’t believe it.  It’s like something from a horror story.”

“What?” asked someone else.  

“Look!”  

“Someone kidnapped All Might?”

The bus filled with chatter.  

Toshinori still couldn’t believe people thought Izuku kidnapped him.  The reality was closer to the opposite, honestly.  He’d have to apologize to Izuku’s mother…

There was a tiny incensed gasp from Izuku, and Toshinori saw Izuku glaring up at him.  Izuku made a series of gestures that could probably have been interpreted as ‘You can’t kidnap anyone, you’re All Might!’ even without the psychic link they were currently enjoying, then went into an enthusiastic tangent about how the commission was probably playing up the ‘crazy stalker fan’ angle.

Toshinori sighed, ruffled Izuku’s hair, and studiously avoided any and all thoughts about what he’d done to Aldera Middle School after Izuku had shown up to training with a black eye and bloody nose that one time.

“What?” squeaked Izuku, his eyes gone very wide.  

Drat.  

Out of the corner of his eye, Toshinori saw three passengers near the front of the bus stand up and felt his heart drop.  One of them had an obvious eagle mutation, the second had a bulging, almost spherical, neck, and the third had broad, flat-ended fingers.

Decades of hero experience told Toshinori exactly what was going to happen next.  Even before the guns came out.  

“Well,” said the eagle-headed man, “with all the heroes looking for the ‘Symbol of Peace,’ I guess this is our lucky day!”

“Nobody move!” demanded the man with the round neck. “This is a hijacking!”

Izuku let out an incredulous grunt next to him, but Toshinori could literally feel his mind whirring at a thousand miles a minute, analyzing the quirks of the hijackers and possible motives.  

Really.  There was no way they weren’t going to help.  

.

“By the way, not all of Nine is awake, so, out in the real world his body is operating according to consensus.”

“Consensus of…” said Aizawa, not wanting to finish the thought as he stared at the two entries labeled ‘terrorist.’

“All nine of us together, yes.”

“That’s a pretty big drawback,” said Aizawa, his voice rasping against his throat.

“Eh.  It has its benefits.  Besides, Three and Two lived over a hundred years ago.  We didn’t even have the hero system back then.  Things change.”

“Excuse me!” said Iida, raising his hand.  “Why don’t the last four—the first four? —have names?”

“They asked me not to share them with you quite yet,” said Six.  “Don’t call Three a terrorist though.  That’s a bit of a sore spot with her.”  He looked off to the side.  

“And the quirks?” said Aizawa, hanging on to the very last bit of his will to live by the tips of his fingers.  “The ones I’m presumably going to have to teach Midoriya how to use?”

“Right.”

 Our Splendiferous Quirks

 8. Yagi Toshinori aka All Might – Hero.  Quirk: Superpower.

7. Shimura Nana aka Skyrunner – Hero.  Quirk: Float.

6. Tenma Rokuya aka Fidelity/Railgun – Hero. Quirk: Internet Perception.

5. Banjo Daigoro aka Lariat – Hero.  Quirk: Blackwhip.

4. Vigilante.  Quirk: Danger Sense.

3. Terrorist

2. Terrorist

1. Unknown

 Aizawa was not surprised to see the last four entries, once again, had little information attached.  

“You know,” said Uraraka, “if you ignore the terrorists, this actually makes sense.”

“If you ignore the terrorists?” asked Iida, incredulous.

“I mean, think about who we’ve seen so far.”

“It is like Midoriya to have a split personality based on All Might,” agreed Todoroki.  Because split personalities were going to be his go-to theory, now that figments of Midoriya’s quirk’s imagination had shot down his ‘Dadmight’ conspiracy.  

“If you want to think of us as split personalities, sure,” said Six.  “We really don’t interact that much with the outside, though.”

“And Skyrunner is basically supermom,” said Uraraka. “Like, if she was All Might’s mentor, it makes sense that that’s what he’d envision her as.”

“Ah,” said Iida, “so she reminds you of Midoriya-san as well?”

Aizawa noticed Six shift uncomfortably and look away but decided he honestly did not want to know.  

“Oh, and you,” said Uraraka, spreading her hands to indicate Six, “are kind of like Aizawa-sensei!

“Except with more memes,” said Todoroki.  

“Yeah, except with more memes,” agreed Uraraka.  

Six faked a cough into his fist.  “Anyway, I think that’s everything…  No, wait.  Hawks.”

“Hawks,” repeated Aizawa.  

“Yeah.  We’re pretty sure he was raised and conditioned to be a slave for the commission from a very young age.”  Another pause.  Six turned to face Todoroki.  “Also, Dabi is probably your dead older brother, Todoroki Touya.”

“Oh,” said Todoroki.  

“What,” said Aizawa.  

“We’d just like someone in a position to do things with this information to have it.  Even if we were sure Nine would retain all this, he, ah.  The commission is doing a very good job of trashing his reputation.”

“Is this revenge?” whispered Todoroki.  “Did I push Midoriya too far?”

“Kid, you could beat Nine up on a weekly basis for ten years, and he’d still barely think of revenge.  Come on, I need to take you guys to Five.”

Barely, he said.  Meaning, he did think about revenge.  They had to get out of here fast; Bakugo’s life was in danger.  

.

There were lives in danger.  A simple robbery wouldn’t require this kind of setup.  These three needed hostages for some reason.  

Or…  Izuku traced the direction the three villains kept looking to the college student in the corner.  The young woman’s clothing was high quality, and she looked vaguely familiar.  

He couldn’t help but be exasperated.  Shigaraki Tomura was running around out there somewhere, and these guys were doing… whatever this was.  Causing problems.  He and Toshinori would have to try and evade Hawks after this.  

But exasperation wasn’t going to keep these people safe.  

Eagle-head looked like the leader at first glance, but on closer inspection, he was taking cues from the man with the squared-off fingers. The man with the round neck seemed to have a body expansion quirk of some type, possibly similar to Kendo’s, considering how his joints pulsed and how his clothing was designed with extra folds.

… He’d shown Toshinori a catalogue with similar clothing, once. But Toshinori had said that the ill-fitting look added to his disguise.  

In the tight confines of the bus, that would be dangerous. The best thing to do to him would be to throw him out when the bus came to a stop.

The quirk of the man with the square finger was a problem. It was probably an emitter type, rather than a transformation type.  Something to do with his hands, perhaps?

Honestly, the best thing to do for all of them, at least with regards to the people on the bus, would be to toss them off and then get the driver to gun it.  But then, what about people on the street?  These guys didn’t have any scruple against taking hostages, obviously.

“Hey, you, hand over the briefcase,” said the man with the round neck.  

Izuku glanced at Toshinori, who nodded.  Coils of Blackwhip ran up and down his arms under the sleeves of his suit, much more controlled and complex than Izuku had managed to date.  

Thanks for the help, Five.  

He slammed the briefcase into the eagle-headed man’s beak. Toshinori hadn’t skimped on anything when stocking the hideout, and the metal made immensely satisfying contact with bone.  Blackwhip shot out from near his elbow—like Sero—and wrapped around the hands of the gunmen, forcing their aim down.

The man with square fingers reacted first, raising his hand. Each fingertip emitted a flat, square pane that traveled in a straight line and got progressive larger.  Izuku pulled, slamming the man into the back of his own shield, because really, that was too slow, and how similar was this quirk to Crust’s?  Could the villain change the trajectory of his panels, or no?

Not the time.

The shield cracked as Izuku hit it from the other side, and Toshinori was throwing open the back door.  The man with the expanding quirk—and it was an expanding quirk—seemed to finally realize what was happening, and lashed out, but Izuku was faster than he was.  The spherical throat was evidently a weak point.  

“Can you stop?” Izuku asked the bus driver, who, tense as he was, slammed down on the brakes, making Izuku stumble.  He hauled the villains off the bus, Toshinori hopping off the back with the eagle-headed man a moment later.  

Well, that had happened.  

Izuku caught a flash of very distinctive red out of the corner of his eye.  

.

Six stopped.  “That isn’t good,” he said, looking slightly up.  There was nothing there that Aizawa could see, except for a collection of pipes.  They were travelling through a series of underground concrete passages in an effort to find ‘Five.’

“What is it?” asked Uraraka.  

Six’s form abruptly flickered and vanished.  Oh, that couldn’t be good.  

“Sensei.”  

Aizawa turned to see Midoriya standing behind them, wearing a truly godawful pinstriped suit.  He held his right wrist in his left hand, an odd bracer wrapped around it.

“Is that the Full Gauntlet?” asked Uraraka.  “Why-?”

Midoriya flashed a quick smile in her direction.  “I’m sorry, sensei, this is really last minute, but I need you to tell me how to use your quirk.”

.

We absolutely can’t strike first.

They wanted to.  They knew this would turn into a battle.  The first strike was an advantage they couldn’t discount.  

Win the battle and lose the war.  

He could see the cell phones already out, held bystanders not quite broken from the habits gained in All Might’s era.  Even with the Hero Commission already slandering him, this would affect the narrative.  If he ever hoped to be welcomed back to hero society, or even the public’s good graces, in any way shape or form, he could not be seen starting a fight with a hero.  Much less the current number two hero.  

“I don’t suppose you’ll make my job easier and release All Might from your mind-control quirk,” said Hawks, tone conversational despite the fact he was standing at least two stories above them in the air.  

“I don’t have a mind-control quirk,” said Izuku, reaching up to the knot of his tie.  

“And I’m not being mind-controlled,” said Toshinori, loosening his mask.  

Hawks actually paused.  “Oh my gosh,” he said, raising one hand to his mouth like a scandalized housewife, “I didn’t realize that was you!  What happened to your hair?”

“I… cut it off.”

“That’s, uh.”  Hawks quickly regained control of his expression.  “Terrible that this villain made you do that.”

Hawks’ heart wasn’t entirely in this apparently.  

Just as apparently, that had no bearing on what Hawks was actually going to do.  

.

“You’ve seen me use my quirk,” said Aizawa.  

“I know, and that’ll be helpful, too, but how do you use it?  What’s the feeling you get when you use it?  How do you activate it?  What’s the internal mechanism?  This is important.”

“Why?” asked Iida.  “What’s going on Midoriya?”

“It’s—” Midoriya’s form flickered.  He took a deep breath.  He was now wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants.  “I’m in a fight right now, and it would be useful,” he reported, calmly.

“Please tell me it isn’t with my mind-controlled unconscious body,” begged Aizawa, “or the League of Villains.”  

“It isn’t.”

Thank goodness.

“I’m fighting Hawks.”

Why.  

No, ask questions later.  The Problem Child needed help now.  To fight the number two hero.

He didn’t know how knowledge about his quirk could be useful in a fight against Hawks, but the claim was far, far too stupid to be a lie.  

“When I turn on my quirk, I—”

.

Blackwhip unfurled from his arms like a dark version of Shouji’s quirk, tearing his sleeves to shreds and dislodging the feathers that had been imbedded there.  The ends wrapped around feather after feather, splitting into dozens and dozens of pseudo-arms.  Izuku was amazed.  

Someday, he would be able to do this on his own.  

For now—

For now, he was fighting Hawks, who had trained since childhood to fight on behalf of the commission.  

For now, he was a hero student, with only a few months of practical experience.  

For now, he was a fugitive, on the run and desperate.  

For now, he was host and member of One for All, and collectively they had been heroes for over a hundred years.  

And Toshinori had his back.  

They wrapped the silk tie around his knuckles.  Any protection for the bones in his hands was valuable.  In the other, they adjusted the briefcase.  They had only rarely used weapons in the last hundred or so years. Usually, their quirks made weapons overkill.  

But before that—Before that, things were different.  For a while, One and Two had used swords, of all things.  

This battle was much more even than it looked.  

Their victory condition: Escape with Toshinori.  

Their failure conditions: Civilian injury, serious injury to Izuku or Toshinori, or capture of either Izuku or Toshinori.  

To avoid the first point of failure, it was best for them to get away from the vulnerable civilians.  They didn’t want to give away float so soon in the game, so…  

They grabbed the edge of a building with Blackwhip and launched Izuku upwards, flinging feathers away from him.  Toshinori would follow and provide the group with a second perspective.  

Hawks did not expect to be joined in the air.  An incredulous smile graced his lips.  Izuku smiled back and catapulted himself directly into Hawks.

“You know,” he said, “I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you smile for real!”

.

“What?” asked Hawks, startled.  He wasn’t one to have meaningful conversations with people he was supposed to bring in, but a statement like that had to be responded to.  

Even if most of his attention was on the quirk that Midoriya controlled with much more proficiency than indicated by his school records.  The kid was good, had good instincts when it came to battle, but he wasn’t quite fast enough to get past Hawks’s guard, or to really close the distance between them.

“Your smile!” said Midoriya.  “When I was younger, I didn’t realize it, but once I knew the truth behind All Might’s smile, I understood!”  

“Did you, now?” asked Hawks.  

“Underneath,” said Midoriya, “your face is a lot like Todoroki’s!  It’s—”

Conversation during a battle was usually a distraction, to the person employing it as a tactic as well as the target.  Somehow, though, Midoriya was subverting that rule.

“It’s actually really sad!” exclaimed Midoriya, breathless, but apparently genuine, not mocking.  “Who hurt you?”

“Heh,” said Hawks.  This kid knew.  How? “Shouldn’t I be the one asking questions here?”

“Gotta hand it to the commission, they really did a number on you,” said Midoriya, briefly touching down on a rooftop.  “Why do you keep doing their dirty work for them?”

He was using that second quirk, but not his strength.  Was it a matter of ‘won’t’ or ‘can’t?’  Either way, it was something to keep an eye on.  

“Why don’t you—” Hawks briefly managed to pin Midoriya by the edge of his jacket, but the boy tore free easily.  “—fly free?”

“You’re one to talk,” said Hawks.  “What did you trade to All for One for those quirks?”  He didn’t actually believe Midoriya was in league with All for One.  Even tangentially, through proxies, they’d been at odds too many times, not to mention the videos he’d been shown by the commission of Midoriya and All Might interacting.  The connection there couldn’t be faked.

He’d know.  He’d tried so many times.

(Was trying now, with the League of Villains.)

(Midoriya wasn’t one of them.)

But he had a job to do.  

Besides.  Even he had to admit the commission had a point.  The quirks had to come from somewhere.  

(Just because Midoriya didn’t willingly associate with All for One didn’t mean he hadn’t been forced.  Didn’t mean he hadn’t gotten out.)

(All Might was protecting him.  How did they know each other?)

“Wouldn’t you take any hand offered to you if the person behind it offered to make you what you always wanted to be?”

Midoriya tilted his head to one side.  “Nope!” he responded, cheerfully.

.

On the street below, Toshinori coughed, blood splattering his sleeve.  What had Izuku been doing when he was younger, to get involved with so many dangerous and disturbing people?

It wasn’t my fault!

Kid really is a trouble magnet.  

Oh, heck, I think I recognized that one—

Really, with that sharp mind, and Izuku’s propensity for both curiosity, helpfulness, and, well, finding trouble, it was a miracle he’d stayed alive for so long.  

Wouldn’t call it a miracle, sonny—

HAHA I can’t believe he thought that was a dream.  

In his defense, a dream makes more sense than—

Guys.  Focus, please?

Yes.  This was not the time to discuss… that.  Now… Well.  Toshinori had a role he could play in this battle, even as he was, and—

Hawks and Izuku’s path over the rooftops mapped itself out in his mind.  

Oh, no.  

Izuku wasn’t evading Hawks.  

He was being herded by him.  

.

They tucked and rolled across the pavement, Blackwhip cocooning them and breaking their fall.   This was significantly more than what Five, what Daigoro, could use back when he was alive.  It took everyone’s efforts to keep everything going.  

Wait for it, they reminded themselves, bouncing back to Izuku’s feet.  

Izuku looked up.  This… was not a good position.  Hawks had forced them into the entertainment district.  They couldn’t trust that the fancy facades and art instalations of the buildings would hold up to Blackwhip.  Not to mention, in places like this…  He glanced around.  

Fourth Kind.  

Kesagiriman.

Slugger.  

Death Arms.  

There would be more, soon.  This was… less than good.  Maybe they should just grab Toshinori’s body and launch themselves with Blackwhip and Float, as far as they could.  They’d lose a lot of their advantage on Hawks, but at least then they wouldn’t be fighting five different heroes.  

Izuku gritted his teeth in something like a smile.  Five different heroes.  Well.  Nine on five wasn’t bad odds.  

.

Suzuku pulled himself along the ground, trembling.  He had been falling for—for ages by the time that witch woman had disappeared.  Why she had disappeared, he couldn’t guess, but…

Falling.  

So much falling.  

And hitting the ground again, and again, and again.  

You invaded our minds, said the woman, don’t complain when we counter with something psychological as well.  

Something like a laugh bubbled up from his throat.  

You can leave whenever you want, can’t you?

He’d show her.  He’d show her and find all her secrets.  Just see if he didn’t.  

.

Fourth Kind, Kesagiriman, Slugger, and Death Arms all had very physical, straightforward quirks.  Out of all of them, though, Death Arms was probably the most problematic, followed by Slugger and his long-range attacks.  

None of them held a candle to Hawks, of course.  Which was the reason why Death Arms in particular was so problematic.  

In order to deal with Hawks’s feathers, they needed Blackwhip. But using Blackwhip and One for All’s signature superstrength at the same time wasn’t something Izuku’s body was used to.  They were limiting it to small bursts.  Death Arms’ own physical enhancement quirk, while miniscule compared to One for All’s current stature, was nothing to sneer at.  

If Death Arms—or any of the other heroes—landed a solid blow, that could be it for Izuku.  

They refused to be locked away again.  

That’s when it happened.  

A scene played across Izuku’s inner eye:

A frosty morning.  A little boy with dark hair.  A farewell. Tears.  

He flubbed the landing and a sharp pain lanced through his ankle. Blackwhip wrapped it, giving it much needed support.  

He started to rise, only to drop to avoid one of Slugger’s patented Home Run Pitches (tm).  

The ball spun, ricocheting off the stainless steel of an art installation before drilling right through a wooden beam on a bit of scaffolding holding up part of a building that was being refurbished.  Izuku let out a breath of relief (there were still people around who hadn’t learned how to run away from a dangerous fight) before they returned to the dance with Hawks’s impressively huge number of feathers.  

Blackwhip could keep up with them, barely, but Izuku was tiring. He couldn’t take much more of this.

He needed an opening to get to Toshi—

Another scene:

She couldn’t be pregnant.  Not now. Not right after giving away another. The next time Sorahiko suggested drowning her troubles in sake, she was going to shove it straight up his blowholes, no matter that he was probably just as drunk as she was.  

This slip almost resulted in Izuku getting his face punched in by Death Arms.  Considering what he’d just learned, he’d almost welcome that fate, if it made him forget.  Plus, it might have been funny for the ultimate battle of ultimate destiny, the show down between One for All and All for One, to take place between not one, but two potato-headed individuals—

There was a sharp crack from above as the damage Death Arms had done to the scaffolding made itself known.  

Izuku didn’t have to think before moving.  

.

“Alright,” said Midoriya.  “I think I’ve got it.  Thank you, sensei.”  He looked young, now.  Barely primary school age.  

“I’d feel a lot better,” said Aizawa, “if I knew what you needed this information for.”

“Oh!  That’s simple.  You see, it’s my theory that the overlap in mechanisms between my quirk and Saito-san’s might allow for interesting emergent behaviors.  Specifically, her quirk bridges a gap I’d normally have no way of crossing, although there’s certainly drawbacks.  It’s like what we tried earlier, when I asked you to use your quirk.  Although, I am hoping for different results than what I was looking for back then.  I think, with what you’ve given me, and this processing time…  Yes, this should work.”  He clenched a fist.  “These remnants—I can use them!”

Remnants.  Vestiges.

Aizawa frowned.  Something… something wasn’t right, here.  The explanation Six had given them…

“Just keep going this way, for now.  Six will try to get back to you as soon as possible.  I have to go now!  I love you guys!”

He then faded out.  While waving.  

“Wow,” said Uraraka.  “Izuku-kun sure was a cute kid.”

Aizawa couldn’t argue with that.  

“Aizawa-sensei,” said Todoroki.  “You’re blushing.”

He wouldn’t lower himself to argue with that.  “This conversation is illogical.  Let’s go.”

“Sensei is weak to little kids,” observed Todoroki.  

And if they ever discovered they could remove the ‘little’ in that sentence and have it still be accurate, he’d never live it down.  

.

Hawks saw the eyes first, shining through the dust like two perfect green coins.  Then every one of his feathers went dead, and he started to fall.  

Sensation returned just in time for him to avoid hitting the ground at speed and, just as quickly, vanished again.  

A breeze blew cleared the dust away.  

Midoriya Izuku stood under the collapsed scaffolding, holding it up with black tendrils and sparking green arms.  If this scene had been all that there was, an observer might be forgiven for wondering why he was holding up the scaffolding like that.

But Hawks knew.  If Midoriya hadn’t caught the scaffolding, even he wouldn’t have been able to get those civilians out from underneath it in time.  He glanced to the side, where the almost victims were standing up. Normally, he’d just trust his feathers, but…

“Is that Eraserhead’s quirk?”

“Don’t worry, I asked Eraserhead-sensei for permission, first.”

“What kind of monster—” started Death Arms.  

“Don’t you dare, Mister ‘my quirk isn’t suitable.’” Midoriya shifted the scaffolding to one side and shrugged himself out from underneath it.  “As heroes, aren’t you supposed to consider the civilians around you?”  He laughed. “I guess we’re still a little bitter about that.”

.

Izuku was putting on a good show, but he was reaching the end of his endurance.  Plus, he could already hear the sirens of police cars and the exclamations that followed large groups of heroes on the move.  

Good thing, then, that Toshinori was about to round the corner in three… two… one… There!

To an outsider, Blackwhip wrapping around Toshinori probably looked violent.  In reality, everyone operating the quirk was intimately aware of everything wrong with Toshinori’s body and did not want to add to his problems.  They could have probably grabbed an egg like this.  

Grabbing the newly-exposed concrete and rebar of the building behind Izuku, they launched themselves up.  At the top of their arc, they activated Float.  Blackwhip reeled Toshinori in, and they held onto each other as Izuku prepared to use air pressure to launch themselves forward.  

He hadn’t blinked yet.  

His eyes really hurt.  

(And so did everything else.)

He aimed and kicked against the air, sending them soaring away.

They had escaped.  

.

Tomura ducked behind the wall at the top of the building, glad that his party had put so many points into stealth, because he was not touching what had just happened with a ten-foot pole.  He’d rather be shot again.  He’d rather fight Machia for a week straight with no rest breaks.  He’d rather listen to Sensei try to give him the birds and the bees talk.  

What was that?  Huh? What kind of a broken character build allowed for that kind of combat ability?  The mods had to be asleep.  If he were in charge, he’d nerf it, pronto.  

That was a lie.  He’d take it for himself.  

Still.  

“Uh, Shigaraki?  Boss man?  You okay there?” asked Spinner.  

“No,” decided Shigaraki.  

Suddenly, making all of them jump, Toga squealed.  “Did you see him?  Did you see Izuku-kun?  He was so cute with his nose bleeding like that!”

“Hey,” said Dabi, “are we going after the green kid or what?”

“No,” decided Shigaraki, for the second time in as many minutes.  And then, “Gimme the phone.  We need to call the doctor to get us out of here.”

They did, but that was pretty much secondary to his primary objective, which was to cuss out the doctor concerning the cursed knowledge that was currently trying to escape his skull with a pickaxe.  

.

“Um,” said Inko.  “Aren’t you going to get that?”  She pointed at the phone that had been buzzing on the table for the past several minutes.

“No,” said Garaki, pretending to sip at his tea.  “You were saying?”

[glenncoco4]

War Zone Ch. 6

A/N: Part of this story may sound familar to you guys. 😂

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Present

He steps out of the bathroom, freshly showered, as he pulls the towel off his head, his jaw immediately dropping at the sight before him. Standing across the room in a figure hugging black dress that excentuates her bump and her larger breast is his gorgeous wife. “Wow, maybe we should just order in and…do stuff.”

She can’t help the implication at his words as he comes up behind her, his lips immediately finding the hollow of her neck. “There’ll be plenty of time for that tonight but we have to go.”

He sighs, his chin finding its place on her shoulder as his eyes lock with hers in the mirror.“Seriously, who gets married on New Years?”

“I tried to talk her out of it, but she’s just as stubborn as I am.”

“You Blye women always get your way.”

Her eyes light up, as she turns around in his arms, her semi-protruding belly pressed between them. She leans in, closing the distance between their lips unable to wipe the smile off her face. “Yes. Yes we do.”

XXXX

December 31, 2008

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

The Chief Petty Officer’s smile quickly fades as her team celebrates around her. Being separated from her husband for over 3 weeks now is effecting her in a way that she didn’t see coming. Stepping out of the tent, Kensi makes her way over towards her bunker, the sinking feeling of not being with him starts taking over. 2 weeks after the explosion she was sent back into the field. Marty had also gotten his new assignment, sadly in Kuwait, so they had 14 days really to take in that newly wedded bliss before coming back to the hot desert, but even then, those days were spent recovering from their injuries. 

She steps into the dark room, only the generator light a few yards away projecting enough light to illuminate the entrance and a bag that wasn’t there before. The air around her makes the blood immediately drain from her face...she’s not alone. Her hand finds the gun in her waistband as she slowly draws it out, keeping her eyes focused as her other hand reaches for the lamp switch. 

As the small light illuminates the room, her goes wide as the door shuts behind her. Sitting at her desk chair, facing her is that golden mop of hair with the grin that she’s missed so much spread across his face. 

“Kinky.”

She’s at a loss for words, but that doesn’t stop her from sitting her gun on the table and launching herself towards him, her lips smashing into his.“What are you doing here?”

He pulls back just enough to get a full glimpse of those mismatched chocolate orbs that he’s missed so much. God he loves her. “I just got my new assignment.”

“And?”

“I’ll be following team 2.”

A mixture of shock and disbelief crosses her features, afraid that this is all a dream she can’t help but ask anyway.“Really?”

“Yeah. Apparently there’s this really badass, up and coming Chief Petty Officer that my boss wants to do a story on.”

Standing up from her place on his lap, she walks towards the door, making sure it’s locked and secure before turning around, her eyes focused solely on him as she begins to shed her clothes. “Lucky for you I have the inside scoop.”

He’s unable to wipe the grin from his face as she closes the distance between them once again, this time straddling his lap as his cock throbs with desire.“Lucky me.”

XXXX

Present

Their bodies sway with the music as they make their way across the makeshift dance floor. His lips find the crown of her head just as a breeze comes in off the Pacific, introducing an intoxicating scent of lavender and ocean air to his nose. 

She’s been waiting for them to get a moment alone together tonight, what with Talia, Sam and the rest of their family running around, interrupting them at any giving moment. Noticing that they’re all preoccupied at the moment, Kensi finally sees her chance. “So I have some news.”

“Oh?”

“Well, I was just talking to Sam’s friend Noah’s partner, she’s a Producer for this new crime show that’s being developed and they’re looking for a double/stunt person for one of the main characters.”

“And she asked you?”

She tilts her head back, her eyes locking with his, unable to stop the tears in her eyes at the hopefulness in his cerulean blues. Always so damn supportive. “Sam told her about me and how I have all the right training and looking for a new career to start after the baby comes, since I retired.”

“You told her yes, right?”

“I told her yes.”

He hugs her tight, as much as her protruding belly will let him and lifts her up. “Kens, that’s amazing!”

XXXX

January 1, 2009 - Early Morning

They both let out one more moan before he roles over onto his side, both trying to catch their breath.“So you never told me.”

“Never told you what?” The small light coming from the lamp in the corner, illuminating her curious chocolate orbs.

“If you weren’t a SEAL, what would you want to do?”

“Don’t laugh, okay?”

He nods, as he props his head against his hand. His attention solely focused on his wife. Honestly he’s not sure what to expect to come out of her mouth but he knows its gonna be good whatever it is. 

Mimicking his position, Kensi props her head against her hand, nervously biting her lip. She’s about to reveal something to him that she’s never told anyone before. The deep seeded issues she’s had from previous relationships has been weighing on her from the start of her relationship with her husband, but she has to remember that he’s different, in every aspect...he’s different. “I think I’d like to do stunt work for television and maybe film.”

“I could totally see you doing that.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. There’s no doubt in my mind that there isn’t anything that you can’t do.”

The excitement that’s shining in his cerulean blues, makes unfamiliar emotions starts to make themselves known. They’ve been together for almost a year and in that year he’s never made her feel like she doesn’t deserve all the love in the world, to be someone’s favorite person.“Stop.”

His brow furrows, confused at her reaction. “Stop, what?”

“Stop saying those things. I’m already in enough emotional distress as it is.”

Shaking his head, he brings his free hand across her naked waist, pulling her into him. He crashes his lips against hers, earning a moan from her lips. “You’re gonna have to get used to it, baby. I will never not support you. I wanna know every thing about you.”

Her lips find his once more, smiling at his words. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“What would you do if you weren’t an investigative photographer?”

“I think I’d like to be a gigolo.”

She can’t hold back the cackle of laughter at his choice, even though she knows he’s just messing with her. “For real.”

“Okay, fine, a hand model.”

“Baby, seriously.” 

“Seriously?” His brow furrows, as his brain processes the question. He’s never really thought about being anything else but one idea does come to mind. “I think I’d like to be a teacher, you know, mold young minds. Maybe teach kids that there’s more of the world for them to see and how doing it through a lens magnifies just how intricate and special life around us is.”

She can’t help but be mesmerized by his words, the way his eyes light up when he’s talking about something important, just one of the reasons why she fell in love with him. 

Marty is so wrapped up in his thoughts that he doesn’t notice the dream filled gaze that his wife is giving him.“What?”

Shaking her head in awe, her nails find the scruff of his jaw as she gets lost in his eyes thinking about their future.“You’re gonna make a great dad one day.”

His throat goes dry at her words. He’s never really talked about his father, but she knows it wasn’t the best and the fact that those words left her lips means everything to him.“You have no idea how much that means to hear you say that.”

A playful spark shines in her eyes along with a smirk starting to curl at her lips. “You’re not pregnant, are you?”

He nods his head, unable to stop the smile from spreading to his face. The look on her face does things to him that nothing ever has before. Quickly making his desire into action, he flips her on her back, straddling her. “Yes, and you’re the father.”

“I thought you said you were on the pill?”

“Yeah, Flintstone vitamins.” The same spark is in her eye as she lets out a belly laugh before her hand reaches for his neck, pulling him towards her. His lips meet hers hungrily as round 2 quickly begins.

XXXX

Present

The band continues to play a soft melody as the party starts to die down, she’s wrapped in his arms, relishing in this content moment with her husband. The cool ocean breeze coming off the Pacific sends her in a trance, thinking about their future and the little bean growing inside her. Being able to go through all of this with her best friend is something she never imagined until she met him. Tilting her head back, she smiles as her eyes meet his. 

“You look like you could use a nice long soak in a jacuzzi tub.”

“To bad we don’t have one at home.”

A knowing grin spreads to his lips. “Yeah, but the one in our hotel room does.”

“What did you do?”

“I may have booked us a room at the hotel next door.”

She can feel the heat pool in her belly as the look of unadulterated love shines in his eyes. “What are we still doing here?”

He can feel the warmth spread through his body as he watches her eyes grow a shade darker. Quickly taking hold of her hand, he pulls her along as they make a quick exit from the crowd, hurriedly making their way out of the reception.

XXXX

She laughs as her husband tries to maneuver them through the doorway, adamant that he carries across the threshold her bridal style. “Baby, I’m too heavy, put me down.”

He shakes his head, as he carries her into the room and towards their king size bed. “You, my beautiful wife are not heavy.” Gently sitting her down, his lips find hers as his hand cups her jaw. “Besides, what happens if you go into labor and can’t walk? I need to build up my strength.” 

“Why wouldn’t I be  able to walk?”

“I don’t know.”

Taking is short answer for what it his, Kensi pulls at his tie, coaxing him towards her. “I love you.”

“I love you more.” His words are followed by action, as his hand makes its way under the hem of her dress. She moans against his lips in appreciation before he pulls back, his eyes staring at her with reverence and all consuming love. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Are you trying to make me cry?”

“I mean I guess it would really depend. If it’s to hurt you, definitely not. If its to make you laugh, abso-“

She smiles as he continues to babble, no matter how much she denies it, listening to him just talk and talk is probably one of the most soothing things to her. But right now she really needs his hand to continue to do what it was doing along with his mouth. “Marty?”

“Huh?”

“Shut up and fuck me.”

“You’re the boss.” His hand makes its way further under the hem of her dress, as his fingers inch their way up her thigh and come into contact with soaked lace.

He pushes the material to the side, his fingers finding her wet folds, making her scream out in pleasure. “Marty!”

One thing that he knows will never get old is this...his beautiful wife screaming out his name, writhing beneath his touch. His tongue fights hers as her hand works its way beneath his briefs and finds his throbbing cock. “God, Kens.”

“Baby, more.”

He doesn’t need to be told twice. Quickly standing up from the bed, he strips his pants and boxers from his body with no time to remove his shirt before she’s hiking her dress around her waist and on all fours in front of him, flaunting her wet folds.

As she situates herself on the pillows, he pumps his cock a few times before coming up behind her and sliding his hard member into her creamy, wet opening.

They both moan out in ecstasy as he pounds into her over and over again, the feeling of every bump and groove of his cock sliding against her in all the right places. It only takes a minute before they’re both creeping over the edge, screaming out the other’s name. They’re sent into oblivion as she matches his even faster pace before letting out one final moan.

Slowly pulling out of her, he finds his place next to her on the bed where she’s now laying flat on her back, panting as she tries to catch her breath. “Happy New Year, baby.”

“Happy New Year, Princess.” He turns his head, mesmerized by the glow of her skin and...her, before scooting in closer, bringing his lips to hers.

Her head finds his chest, the cotton of his dress shirt dampened by their latest activities. She starts toying with a button, lost in thought at the officality of this year and all it will bring. “Can you believe that time next year, there’ll be three of us?”

He places a kiss to the top of her head unable to hide the smile on his face. “Pretty great huh?”

“Yeah, but you know what else would be pretty great?” She tilts her head back, locking eyes with him knowing that he can already read her thoughts. 

“Bubble bath and cheesecake for two?”

She doesn’t respond, instead she takes action. Slowly standing up off the bed, she pulls her sun dress up and over her head, revealing her very much larger breast to her husband. His eyes immediately going wide as she sensually walks towards the bathroom where their next adventure awaits.  “Don’t forget the cheesecake.” 

[eddieismypimp]

Tough times Oscar X Reader

@spoonful-of-sugar8 @chonisberonica here you go babies :) sorry it took me so long, I wanted it to be good. I still feel like it's bad but I didn't wanna make you guys wait any longer.

request: you and spooky have been bestfriends since high school. you have always been there for the core four and basically helped Oscar raise Cesar. Cesar sees you as a mother figure and eventually you and Oscar get together.  A/N: just a real quick thing, this story won't really be the same as the show it won't be totally different either, and in this Oscar has just turned 18, the reader is 17, and Cesar is 7. ALSO, I'm a black woman so the "reader" (you guys) will always be a black woman. but, if you want any other race or gender or anything please let me know because I don't want anyone to feel left out.<3

warnings: cussing, a little bit of arguing, and i tried not to put so many time skips like my other stories but there's still a lot so its kind of messed up in my eyes.                           

                                                         Y/N POV

"Ugggggggh." I groaned out loud hearing my phone alarm go off. I fucking hate that sound with a passion. I looked at the time. 6:30 a.m. "Uuuuugh, fuuuuck meeee." I exclaimed as I quite literally rolled out of bed. School starts at 8 but I take about 30 years to get ready. I laid my outfit which consisted of sweatpants and a t-shirt. I real life dress bummy as fuck. Don't get me wrong, I clean up nice, but like... I don't got no one to impress. I took a quick shower and did my hair before I got dressed. It was almost 7:40 so I grabbed my phone and my backpack and headed out to my car. My car wasn't nothing fancy considering I was ACTUALLY POOR, just a grey Subaru. but it was absolutely everything to me. I hooked up to my aux and started driving.                                                  

                                                    -time skip-

7:55. Made it to school with 5 minutes to spare so I went to my locker to grab the books for my first class, math. I'm not the smartest but I love math. The teacher was nice and working with numbers was lowkey easier for me. I walked in and saw my best friend. Oscar. Damn he's fine with his full head of curls and sexy ass smile. I thought to myself. Okay bitch, you need to pull yourself together, don't be acting no type of way. I took the seat next to him. "Hey boo." I said smiling at him. "Hey." He said back with a smile. We conversed for a while until the teacher walked in and started the class.

                                    -time skip to the end of the school day-

"Finally bro, this day lasted forever." I said as me and Oscar walked to my car. "You need a ride?" I asked him. "Yeah, if it's not to much to ask." He said. He's been quiet all day. "Of course it's not to much to ask you crackhead." I said laughing a little. We got in my car. "What’s wrong Oscar?" I asked. " You been quiet all day." He just shrugged. "Come on, Oscar." I pleaded. "You can tell me anything, you know that." We sat there for a minute in complete silence. "It's my dad..." He started. I immediately grew worried because I knew that Oscar and his dad didn't have the best relationship. I didn't say anything and waited until he continued. "He wants me to take over the santos ." He said quietly. "Oh fuck.." I said under my breath. This is not good. "Well... is there anything we can do?" I asked full of concern. He shook his head. I got teary eyed. I do NOT want Oscar in this life. He has so much potential. "Oscar, he cant expect this from you... you're only 17. Isn't there anyone else that can take his place? Why does it have to be you?" I said. "Who's gonna take care of you and Cesar?" "There's no one else Y/N! It can only be me don't you see that?!" He yelled. I jumped at his sudden outburst, he NEVER yells. "Cesar and I have no one but the santos so I have to do this!" He said a little quieter this time but his voice was still loud. "Oscar, let me help you. " I said quietly. "You can't Y/N, there's nothing you can do..." He said. I knew he was right but I wasn't about to let him go through this shit alone. "At least let me be there for you and Cesar... please." I begged him. He sat there for a second before he finally gave in and nodded. I sighed. I gave his hand a light squeeze before I started my car and began the journey to his house. We arrived at his house and he was about to get out of the car when I stopped him. "Do you want me to come in?" I asked. He shook his head. "I think it's best if you go home right now." He said. That hurt... "Oh. Okay... call me if you need me." I said. I hope he didn't hear the sadness in my voice. I waited until he walked inside before I drove off.                        

                                                    -time skip-

It was currently 9 p.m. and I haven't heard from Oscar all day. I was worried. I got my pajamas on and layed down, turning on netflix. I was about an hour into clueless when I saw my bedroom door open. The fuck? My parents are on a business trip. I got up quick as shit ready to fight whoever it was when I saw Oscar limping into my room. I forgot he had a house key. I couldn't see his face because he had a hood on and he was bent over in what seemed to be pain, but I knew it was him. "Oscar..." "Are you okay?" I asked. He limped over to my bed and threw himself down with a groan. I finally got a glimpse of his face and gasped. It was bloody and bruised. "Oscar.. what the fuck happened boo?" I asked worried, sitting down next to him. He was breathing heavy. He took his hood off and I nearly cried. His beautiful curls... they were gone. "Oscar...please." "Tell me what happened." I pleaded. "I... I got jumped in.." He said between pants as he took off his hoodie and I saw all of the bruises. That's when the water works started. I hugged him as I cried. This is it.. it's official now. He's part of the santos.                      

                                                -the next morning-

I don't know when I fell asleep but when I woke up, Oscar was no where to be found. I teared up again thinking about the events that occurred last night. My poor baby... I didn't want to go to school today but at least it was Friday. I threw on some leggings and a hoodie. I brushed my hair into a bun and grabbed my stuff. I arrived at school at 7:50 and just headed straight to class. I didn't see Oscar anywhere. This is gonna be a long day.                                           

                                                   -time skip- 

It was lunchtime and this day could not have been going by slower. I couldn't concentrate on anything. I finally decided I couldn't take it anymore and walked out of the cafeteria to go to my car. I drove to Oscars house. When I got there, I saw a few santos sitting in his front lawn. I recognized them. They were cool people. "Hey, any of y 'all seen Oscar?" I asked walking up to them. Alejandro answered. "Yeah, he's inside with Cesar." "Thank you." I thanked him and walked inside the house. I didn't need to knock since I've known Oscar for like, 4 years now. I heard Oscar and Cesar in one of the back rooms so I followed their voices. I quietly peeked through the door to see Oscar and Cesar playing with hot wheels. The sight real life warmed my heart. Oscar is really good with kids. "BOOM, know your car is blowed up!" Cesar yelled.(I'm sorry, idfk how children talk) "Hey man, that's totally not fair!" Oscar whined. I giggled at how childish he sounded. At the sound of my giggle, Cesar and Oscar's gaze turned towards me in the doorway. He smiled and got up off the floor as Cesar ran towards me and hugged my abdomen. "Hi baby." I said ruffling his hair. "Y/N! I missed you!" Cesar said hugging me tighter. "I missed you too my darling." I said smiling and kissing the top of his head. Oscar walked up to us and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Why aren't you in school?" He asked. "I was worried about you...how are you feeling?" I asked him. "I'm alright, still sore though." He said. I just nodded sadly. "Why isn't Cesar in school?" I asked him as I looked at Cesar who went back to playing with his hot wheels like we didn't exist. "Our father got arrested this morning." He said, my eyes widened with worry. "So I told him he could stay home with me today." He said. "Awww." I said. "Oh come on, don't get all gushy on me." He said laughing. His laugh caused me to laugh too. "So.. would you and Cesar wanna go to the beach with me to get your mind off things?" I asked him. At the mention of going to the beach, Cesar jumped up from his spot on the floor. 'Yeah! I wanna go!" He jumped up and down in excitement. "I guess now you ain't got no choice." I said grinning at Oscar who huffed in fake annoyance. "Okay, okay. Fine." He said. "Go get ready." He told Cesar. "Yayy!" Cesar yelled as he ran to get ready. "Go get ready, I'll wait for you guys in the living room." I said to Oscar, standing on my tip toes to kiss his cheek. "Alright." He said. I sat in the living room for about 10 minutes until they finally came out. Cesar ran up to me hugging me again. This kid is so clingy and it's the cutest thing ever. "You guys ready to go?" I asked looking down at Cesar. "Yup!" He said cutely. I smiled at him. We all piled into my car and started off for the beach. Oscar and I was so deep into conversation that I didn't even realize we were already at the beach until I heard Cesar yelling. "Yay, the beach!" I laughed. We got out the car and Cesar started running towards the sand. "Aye! Stay close to us." Oscar yelled out to Cesar which made him stop dead in his tracks and wait for us to catch up. I smiled. He was such a good kid. We sat our towels down. Cesar kicked his flip flops off and dashed towards the water. "Don't go to far into the water Cesar." I called out to him. "Okay." He yelled back. When I turned back around, Oscar was sitting down on his towel. I took off my shorts and top so I was in my bathing suit. Oscar was watching Cesar. "You wanna get in the water with us boo?" I asked. He shook his head. "Nah, I don't want Cesar to see the bruises." I looked at him sadly. "Are you in pain right now? Do you need anything?" I asked him full of concern. He chuckled at me. "Nah boo, I'm okay at the moment." "Okay, let me know if you need anything." I said kissing his cheek and walking towards the water to swim with Cesar.                             

                                                   Oscars POV

She's to good to us... I don't know what I did to deserve her. If it wasn't for her, we would have literally nobody. I thought to myself. I just sat back and watched how well she got a long with Cesar. That kid really loves her.                          

                                                      Y/N POV 

After about an hour of me and Cesar acting complete fools in the water, and Oscar laughing at us. We got out and hung out with Oscar so he wouldn't feel left out. After a while of us running around chasing each other, we got hungry. "Do you guys wanna go to Dwayne's and get some food?" I asked them. "Yeah!" Cesar said. "Yeah, that sounds good." Oscar responded almost the same time as Cesar. We got back in my car and went to Dwayne's. We sat down, Cesar and I on one side of the booth and Oscar across from us. Dwayne came up to us to take our order.                       

                                                    -time skip-

"That was great." I said smiling at Oscar as he put Cesar in his bed. After we ate , lil baby passed out. "Yeah, today was amazing. We really needed that." He said pulling me into a hug. I smiled up at him. We just looked at each other for a while. Then he kissed me. It caught me off guard but I kissed back anyway. It was a quick kiss. It ended way sooner than I would have liked. "What was that for?" I asked him quietly. "Just... for being you I guess." He said shyly which I thought was the cutest because Oscar is anything but shy. I chuckled a little. I pulled back after realizing we were still so close. "Uh, I gotta go." I said. "Okay, I'll see you later I guess." He said. I walked away smiling. When I got in my car, I was still smiling. When I arrived home, I couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. Even though it probably meant nothing to Oscar, it meant everything to me. I decided to take a shower. After my shower, I instantly fell asleep, worn out from the beach. When I woke up, the sound of someone knocking on my door made me unwillingly get out of my bed. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and opened the door to see Oscar and Cesar standing there. "Y/nnnn!" Cesar said jumping into my arms. "Hi baby." I said kissing the side of his head and putting him back on his feet. "Hi." I said to Oscar giving him a kiss on the cheek and ushering them inside. I closed the door behind them. "What brings you guys over at 11 in the morning?" I asked goofily. Oscar chuckled. "I have to drop Cesar off over at Ruby's for a playdate with all the kids and I wanted to know if you wanted to spend the day with me. I tried to contain my smile but I couldn't help it. Maybe that kiss did mean something to him. "Yeah, I would love that." I said. "Just let me get ready okay?" "Alright, we'll be waiting for you." Oscar said leading Cesar into the living room and turning on some cartoons. I ran to my room and threw on a flowy white dress with different colored flowers on it and some white sandals. I put my hair in a high bun with two braids in the front. I grabbed my phone and my purse. "Okay guys, I'm ready whenever you are." I said walking into the living room to see them watching Tom and Jerry. They're cute. I thought to myself. Cesar stood up and ran over to me as Oscar stood up and turned the t.v. off. I grabbed Cesar's hand and we walked out to Oscar's sexy red car. We all got in the car. "Cesar, you buckled?" Oscar asked. "Yes." Cesar said with his cute little voice. Oscar nodded his head before starting the car and driving off. The next 10 minutes consisted of comfortable silence. We arrived at Ruby's house and Cesar had already unbuckled ready to dip out this car to go see his friends. "Hold on baby, you gotta wait until we park." I said to him giggling as he pouted. We all got out of the car and Cesar ran up to the door. Geny opened the door for us and we walked inside. "Bye Cesar." Oscar said kissing the top of Cesar's head. "Bye baby." I said giving Cesar a small hug. Cesar and Ruby joined Monse and Jamal in the play room. I smiled as I heard them giggling and just having fun. They're my favorites. "You ready to go?" Oscar asked me. "Yeah." I said smiling at him. "Where are we going?" I asked him as we got in his car. "I got some drop offs, then imma take you to dinner." He said nonchalantly. "Mr. Diaz, is this a date?" I asked jokingly. "I mean, it could be." He said shrugging his shoulders. I was shocked for a second but played it off as if it was nothing. "I just wanted to thank you for being there for Cesar and I. We had a really good time yesterday." "No problem Osc." I said smiling at him. We arrived at his first drop off. Not gonna lie, it was kind of scary being with him when he did this but I was to giddy about our "date" to be sketched out. After a few more stops, we we were on our way to dinner. "Are you gonna tell me where we're going?" I asked him for the hundredth time. "Girl no, its a surprise." He said. "Uuuuuugh" I groaned. He laughed at me. I giggled as we pulled up to Dwayne's. "What you laughin at me for fool?" He asked looking hurt. "Sorry I didn't take you to a five star restaurant." "I'm not laughing at you fool, I think you're cute." I said pushing him slightly. "And I don't care that its not a fancy restaurant, I love Dwayne's." I said. He smiled at me and got out the car. I followed his lead and got out as well. "The fuck is wrong with you fool?" He asked me. I looked at him mad confused. "A man is supposed to open the door for a lady." He said seriously. "Oh shit, that's my bad. You want me to get back in the car?" I asked jokingly. "Yes, I do." We laughed and walked into Dwayne's. We sat down at a booth and were immediately greeted by Dwayne himself. "Hey guys, can I start you off with some drinks?" He asked. "Ladies first." Oscar said looking at me. "I'll take a sprite please." "I'll take a coke." "Alright, do you guys already know what you're going to order or do you need more time?" He asked us. "I already know what I want." I said. "I'll take the barbeque chicken please." I said smiling at him. "Okay, how about you Oscar?" He asked. "I'll just take a burger with a side of fries." He said. "You're so basic." I said laughing. Dwayne laughed too. "So y 'all gangin up on me now?" Oscar asked. I laughed again. "Nah, I'm just playin." He said laughing too. We talked for about 30 minutes until Dwayne brought our food out. "About time, fool." Oscar said. "Hey, watch it. I can take this food and give it to someone else." Dwayne said jokingly. Oscar put his hands up in surrender as I laughed. (I laugh WAY to much in real life, like my sense of humor is actually fucked so I'm sorry if I'm putting to much laughter in this lmao) Everything was going amazing, the food was good and spending time with Oscar was very much needed. It was great to see him laughing. One second we was laughing, the next, Oscars eyes went cold as he stared at the door of Dwayne's. I turned around in confusion to see what he was looking at. My heart dropped. There was two officers walking towards Oscar and I. I turned back to Oscar and grabbed his hands. "It's gonna be okay boo. They probably just wanna talk." I said in a quiet voice trying to comfort him. They walked up to the table. I gulped trying to hide my fear. "Are you Oscar Diaz?" One of the officers asked. "Yeah." Oscar said nonchalantly. The officer pulled out his cuffs. "You're under arrest for illegal drug trafficking." I gasped. I started crying as they put the cuffs on him and read him his Miranda rights. "Hey, hey, look at me." Oscar said. "It's gonna be alright. Tell Cesar I love him." I shook my head in shock. "Please, he didn't do anything." I begged. They didn't listen. They kept dragging him out like he was a dog. I was full on having a panic attack now as Dwayne hugged me. I stood there in disbelief for a few minutes before I came to my senses. I had to go get Cesar. As much as I wanted to go home and never leave my house again, I couldn't leave Cesar alone. Oscar keys must have fell out of his pocket because they were on the seat. I picked them up and ran out to the car. There was so many emotions running through me right now. I had to calm down before I got Cesar, I didn't want him to see me upset. Fuck... how was I gonna tell Cesar...                       

                                                  -time skip-

I pulled up in front of Geny's. I got out and took a deep breath before I knocked on her door. She opened and her face fell. "What happened mija?" She asked with worry. I teared up again. She took me in her arms and lead me into the house. Luckily all the kids were in the play room. "Oscar.. he got arrested." I said trying not to full on cry in Geny's house. She gasped and pulled me into a hug. I let go and wiped my eyes after I regrouped. "Can you get Cesar for me please?" I asked her. "Of course." She said walking towards the playroom. I took the extra time to make myself look as happy as possible. Cesar ran to me and hugged my torso. "Hey boo, how was your day?" I asked him. "It was awesome!" He said happily. I smiled at him. "Where's Oscar?" He asked innocently. I almost broke down but I held it together. "Um, he had some stuff he had to do so he let me borrow the car." I said trying to sound as convincing as possible. I don't think he bought it but he still went along with it anyway. "Oh okay.." "You ready to go?" I asked as I rubbed his head. "Yeah." He said smiling at me. We walked out to the car. "Can I sit in the front pleaseeee?" He asked. "Just one time, Oscar doesn't have to know." He said sweetly. "Okay, but only this one time." I said smiling as he cheered. We got in the car and drove to my house. "how would you like it if I stayed with you for a few nights?" I asked Cesar. "Yeah!" He yelled. I laughed. "Okay." I parked and we walked into my house. "Here boo." I said handing him the remote. Watch whatever you want while I go pack some clothes." "Okay" He said sitting on the couch and turning the t.v. on. I walked in my room and shut the door behind me. I was really trying not to cry right now, I didn't want Cesar to worry. I grabbed my duffle bag and put as many clothes as I could fit, my personal hygiene stuff and basically anything that I would need to live. After I gathered up all of my stuff, I walked around the house and made sure the lights and stuff were off since I wasn't gonna be here for a while. I walked into the living room after making sure everything was turned off and everything. "You ready to go baby?" I asked him. "Yes." He said getting up and turning the t.v. off. We got in my car and drove to the santos house. "What you want for dinner boo?" I asked him. "Uhh.... chicken!" He said. "Okay boo, go play and i'll start dinner." I said kissing his head. About an hour and a half later, dinner was done. I made baked barbeque chicken, fried potatoes, green beans with bacon and baked mac and cheese. I made our plates and called for Cesar. Immediately after I said grace, little man dug in. He was done in about 15 minutes. "Damn boo, was you hungry?" I said laughing a little. He just giggled and went into the living room. I smiled to myself. I love that kid. I finished eating and did the dishes. I decided I had to tell Cesar. It was now or never. I walked in the living room where Cesar was laying on the couch, watching amazing world of gumball. He looked at me and smiled as I sat next to him. I smiled back, but it was a sad smile. "What's wrong y/n?" He asked full of concern. He was pretty smart for a seven year old and he could pick up on peoples emotions really easily. " Cesar... there's something I have to tell you." I said turning my body on the couch to face him. "What is it?" He said sitting up. I didn't know how to sugar coat it so I just told him straight up. "Oscar got arrested today.." I said looking down at my hands. It was silent for a while until I heard sniffling. Cesar was crying. "Come here baby." I said pulling him into a hug. "It's gonna be okay boo, I'm gonna be right here with you. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." I said kissing the top of his head and rubbing his back in a soothing way.                       

                                                 8 Years Later

Today is the day Oscar gets out. It's been eight years. The night I told Cesar, he took it pretty badly. But after a while, he got used to it being just me. We did pretty well too, for me only being 18 taking care of a 7 year old. I got us an apartment after I found it way to painful to stay in the santo house without Oscar. We grew closer and he was for real like my son now. I looked over at Cesar. "You excited boo?" I asked him. "Yeah, just a little nervous though." He said. "It'll be okay baby." I said kissing the top of his head.  After another few minutes of waiting, I started getting anxious. Finally, the gates opened and I saw Oscar. He looked so different. I mean, of course Cesar and I visited him but... there was something different about him. He had a few new tattoos also. He ran up to us and scooped Cesar up in his arms. He got hella buff. "I missed you hermano." He said. "I missed you too." He put Cesar down and turned to look at me. I gave him a soft smile. "Hey boo." He said goofily, picking me up and kissing my cheek. "I missed you so much." I whispered. "I missed you too." He put me down. "Okay, lets get you home, I bet you're hungry." I said handing him the keys and walking to the car. We stopped at a taco truck before making our way back to Freeridge. After an hour and a half of driving, we finally made it back to the santos house. There was hella santos in the front lawn waiting for us to get home with Oscar. "God it's good to be home." Oscar said as he parked the car. He got out and was swarmed with hella santos. Cesar and I got out the car. I stood back and watched as Oscar chatted up with Cesar and the santos. I didn't know all of their names but I got close with a few of them during these 8 years. Especially Jose, whos better known as sad eyes around here. Speaking of the devil, he walked up to me. "Why ain't you over there with the others?" I asked him. "I figured I would wait until everyone wasn't crowdin him. We got all the time in the world now." He said. "True, true." I said. We stood in silence for a while. "Hey, I just wanted to say that just because Oscar is back, doesn't mean I'm gonna act some type a way around you. It's gonna be just like how it was when he was locked up, I don't got nothin to hide." He said. I smiled at him. "Okay, that's good because I didn't want you to treat me different." He chuckled. We stood there and talked for a while. I didn't even notice that the santos had left and Oscar was walking up to me and Jose. "Hey compa, how was it in the pin?" Jose asked as he dapped Oscar up. They both laughed. Oscar wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed my cheek. Him and Jose chatted up for a while, catching up with me joining in occasionally. At some point in their conversation, Oscar had moved his arm off of my shoulders. "Alright homie, imma head out and let you get some rest." Jose said dapping Oscar up once again. He turned and kissed my cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said. " Bye." I said smiling and giving him a small wave.                                                 Oscars POV

The fuck kinda shit was that. Why my boy kissin on my girl like that. He knows she's my wifey.                                                   Y/N POV

"You ready to head inside?" I asked looking at Oscar. "Yeah." He said wrapping his arm around my shoulder, leading me inside. I yawned. "i should really be heading home." I said. "Oh come on, it's my first day back, why don't you spend the night" He asked. I thought about it for a second. "Alright, I'll stay, but only for tonight." I said. Oscar smiled at me. Cesar was in the living room watching t.v. He smiled when he saw us walk in and got up to hug his brother. They both sat on the couch as I made my way into Oscar's room where I still had some clothes. I decided on some Nike shorts and a plain grey shirt. I hopped in the shower. About 45 minutes later, I got out. I moisturized, brushed my hair and got dressed. When I walked in the living room, they were both asleep and Cesar had his head on Oscar. It was the cutest thing ever. I took a picture right quick and went to get them a blanket and pillows. Oscar was awake when I got back. "You take for fucking ever in the shower." He said tiredly, rubbing his eyes I chuckled. "My bad." I said. I lifted Cesar's head gently and put the pillow down, then I covered him up. "You can crash with me if you want." Oscar said walking towards his room. I followed behind him. We layed down facing each other. For a few minutes, it was quiet until Oscar spoke up. "Y/n.. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you. I love you so much." I was at a loss for words. This is one of the very very few times I've seen Oscar this vulnerable. "I love you too Osc.." I said. He leaned in and kissed me. That kiss soon turned into a full on make out session and that turned to something else.                       

                                                  -3 weeks later-

It's been 3 weeks since Oscar got out of prison, 3 weeks since we shared that intimate moment. I've been staying at my apartment since that night and I've only hung around a few times. Cesar and the rest of the kids was at my apartment everyday for the first two weeks but stopped coming after that. I was confused as to why but I didn't question it. I didn't wanna hang out with everyone even though I missed Oscar so much. He's been pretending that night didn't happen and I don't want him to feel like I'm trying to force things. He started being more involved in the gang shit after a week of being out. I thought going to prison would put some sense in him and I'm very disappointed to find out that it in fact did not. I decided I was going to talk to him about everything that's been on my mind after work today... I hope things go well.                           

                                                     -time skip-

It was finally 9:30. The end of my shift. I gathered my things before walking and locking the building doors. I decided I was gonna go straight to the santo house to talk to Oscar instead of going home first. When I got there, there was only a few santos sitting outside, including Oscar and Jose. I got out of my car and walked up. "Hey guys." I said as Jose stood up and kissed my cheek. Oscar glared at him. "Can I talk to you for a second Oscar?" I asked. "Yeah." He said a little to quickly, getting up and walking to the house. I followed behind him. He spoke up when we got inside. "What kind of shit was that?" He asked. "What the hell are you talking about?" I asked in utter confusion. "Why was sad eyes all up on you like that?" He asked calmly. I'm glad he wasn't like those dudes that be yelling and shit, that shit ain't attractive. "It ain't even like that." I said. "Oh, okay. It ain't like that but he's kissin on you?" He said, not believing a word I said. "Oscar... chill out. It for real ain't like that. We just got close when you were locked up. He's like family." I said calmly. "Alright.. I'm sorry." He said. "It's okay.. but you have me confused." "How's that?" He asked. "One minute you act like you don't care about me and like that night meant nothing, and the next you're getting mad cause someone else kissed my cheek... like I just don't understand you." I said. He sighed. "Y/n... it's complicated right now." "How is it complicated Osc, just tell me how you feel." I said softly. "Please." "I love you.. and you know I do. I just... don't want anything bad to happen to you." He said looking down at his hands. I started laughing. "Hey, this shit isn't funny." He said sounding a little hurt. "It's not that Oscar, I just think you're cute." I said as I walked up to him and squished his cheeks, kissing his puffed up lips. He smiled at me. "So are we official or nah?" I asked him. "We are if you wanna be." He said. I smiled and kissed him again. " I'll take that as a yes." He said when I pulled away, causing me to life. He smiled and pulled me into a hug. "Where's Cesar?" I asked. "I want to tell him the good news." Oscar stayed silent. I didn't like that at all. Usually when he's silent that means something is wrong. "Oscar.. what's going on?" I asked. "You don't need to worry about it y/n." He said, all emotion wiped clean from his voice. "Don't need to worry about it?" I repeated incredulously. "Cesar is like my son, where the fuck is he?" I asked getting a little upset. I didn't get to upset and I didn't raise my voice because I didn't wanna ruin the cute moment we just had. "Oscar please tell me." I said growing more worried. "I don't know where he is.." He said finally. "What?..." I asked. "How do you not know where he is?" I asked. "I.. I had to kick him out." He said. "You had to do what?" I asked very upset. "Why would you do that Oscar, he's 15 years old, and you just got out of prison. All he wanted to do was spend time with you." I was starting to get teary eyed. I really did not want to cry right now. "Y/n I know but he disrespected the gang. When I had him jumped in.." I cut him off. "Hold the fucking phone.. you had my baby jumped in and you didn't talk to me about it first?! I told you I didn't want him in that life no matter what and you agreed." I said not being able to believe what I was hearing. "Y/n.. you have no say in this. I'm sorry but you don't..." He said. "I really can't believe this right now, we were having such a cute moment..." I was very upset right now. "Y/n, I'm sorry. I'm gonna make this right I promise." He said standing up and grabbing my hands. "I really hope so Oscar..." I said pulling my hands away from his. "I gotta go." I said walking out of the front door, Oscar followed behind me but didn't try to stop me. "Aye, where you going?" Jose asked standing in front of me, pulling me in a hug. "I gotta go find Cesar." I said pulling away from the hug. He looked at Oscar shocked. I got in my car and made my way to Monse's, she had to know where he was. I was very upset that he didn't immediately come to me but I decided to push that thought to the back of my mind and focus on making sure my baby was safe. I got to Monse's and jogged to the front door, knocking a little to loudly. She opened it after a few seconds. "Y/n.. what are you doing here?" She asked. "Have you seen Cesar?" I asked worried. I was praying she had seen him. "Uh, yeah. He's here." She said. Oh thank God. "You can come in if you'd like." "Thank you so much." I said walking in as she closed the door behind me. I walked to her bedroom and saw Cesar laying on her bed. He immediately sat up when he realized it was me. I walked up to him and hugged him. "I'm so glad you're alright. Oscar told me what happened." I said kissing his head. "Where in your mind did you not think to come to my house, that's your house too and you know it is." I said lightly slapping his arm between each word. "Ow, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He said. "I didn't want you to worry." He said. I frowned sadly. "I'm always gonna worry about you boo, no matter what. Same goes for Monse, Ruby, and Jamal. You guys are my babies." I said pulling them both into a hug this time. "Please, come stay with me. You can come too if you'd like Monse." I said in a soft voice. "Okay.. we'll come. Just let us gather up our things." Cesar said smiling at me. I smiled back. "Okay, I'll be waiting for you." I walked out of her bedroom and into the living room. About 5 minutes later, they walked out with their bags of clothes. "You guys ready?" I asked. "Yup" They both replied. We got in my car and drove to the apartment. When we got there, they invited the other two. I made us all dinner and we had a fun little movie night. I woke up the next morning to loud knocks on my front door. What the hell? I thought as I unwillingly got out of bed. When I walked in the living room, I saw Jamal and Ruby sprawled all over each other on the couch. I giggled. They're the cutest. I didn't see Monse and Cesar so I figured they were in Cesar's room. I opened the door to reveal Oscar. "Osc, what are you doing here?" I asked moving out of the way so he could walk in. "I need to talk to Cesar, I know he's here." He said looking into the living room seeing Ruby and Jamal sprawled on the couch. "Yeah, he's here, but he's sleeping right now." I said as he pushed past me walking down the hallway. He didn't know which room was Cesar's so he opened every door until he got the right one. As I suspected, Cesar and Monse were in Cesar's bed cuddling. "Aww." I said. They were so cute. Oscar gave me a side glance before walking towards the bed and shaking Cesar to wake him up. When Cesar opened his eyes, he jumped up in shock. "Oscar, what are you doing here?" He asked. "I need to talk to you." Oscar said motioning Cesar to follow him before walking out the door. Cesar put his shoes on and followed behind him. After about 20 minutes, Cesar came back in. "Hey, everything okay?" I asked him worried. "Yeah, Oscar has a plan to make everything right. We gotta go." He said kissing my cheek. "What's the plan Cesar?" I asked. "It's nothing to worry about y/n, everything's gonna be okay." He said trying to reassure me. "What if it ain't, what if something goes wrong?" I asked. "Y/n, it won't I promise. Just don't tell Monse and everyone where I went." He said.  "You guys please be careful." I said pleadingly. "We will y/n, I promise." He said before walking out the door. I had a sunken feeling in my stomach but I decided to push the feeling away and make breakfast for everyone, not wanting them to wake up and go hungry. I finished cooking and went to wake the boys up first, then Monse. When Monse woke up, she was really worried. "Where's Cesar?" She asked immediately. "Don't worry baby, he just ran to the corner store for me." I said, knowing I was lying but not wanting to worry her. "Oh, okay." She said a little more calmly. "Come on, I made breakfast." I said holding my hand out to her. She grabbed my hand and I lead her to the kitchen where the boys were already eating. After everyone got done eating, they went in the living room to chill. After about an hour, Cesar and Oscar walked into the apartment. "Oh thank God!" I said running up to them, kissing Cesar on the top of his head and wrapping my arms around Oscars neck giving him a kiss on the lips. Everyone looked shocked but I didn't care. "What is he doing here?" Monse asked incredulously. "Don't worry Mons, everything's fine now. We fixed it." Cesar said wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "What do you mean you fixed it?" Jamal asked. "How?" Ruby asked right after him. Oscar spoke up before Cesar could. "Don't worry about it, just know its taken care of." "That made the children stop questioning. "Are you guys hungry?" I asked them. "There's still some breakfast left." "I'm starving." Cesar said walking to the kitchen with Monse following him. "How bout you boo?" I asked Oscar. "Yeah I could eat." He said smiling.                       

                                                    -3 years later-

I was doing laundry, thinking about how far we've come. It's been three years. Monse went to a boarding school, Jazmine and ruby got together, Jamal joined the football team. We all still keep in touch even though Oscar, Cesar and I moved to the suburbs. Oscar got out the gang life and we got married. I got pregnant and everything has been going great for us. We couldn't be happier. Of course there's still times when Oscar forgets that he's safe now and he doesn't need to carry a gun everywhere but we're working on it. "Y/n, where you be at?" I heard Oscar yell. "In here babe." I yelled back. He walked in seeing me struggle to get the clothes out of the washer to transfer into the dryer. "Let me do that bebe, you don't need to be staining yourself when you're 8 months pregnant." He said taking the clothes out of my hand and putting them in the dryer. "Thank you baby." I said kissing his cheek. "Go sit down doll, I made dinner." "Aww, my sweet man." I said cooing at him. "Don't act like I don't make your lazy ass dinner all the time." He said. I laughed. "I know, I know." I said. He turned towards me and wrapped his arm around my waist. Pulling me into him, kissing me. After we ate dinner, we ended the night with me laying down with my head on his lap and him rubbing my pregnant belly. I really couldn't be happier.

[cakesunflower]

Reach For You [Dad!Calum AU] Ch. 19

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18

Chapter 19

ONCE THE EXCITEMENT of Christmas and New Years passed, it was back to their regular schedules. Luna was back at school, Aspen was working at the clinic, and Calum was in the city making sure his club was up to par and regularly meeting with the staff and vendors and the like. Aspen felt like she hadn’t been to work in so long, easily smiling at the regular patients she often saw, her maternal empathy kicking in every time a kid was trying hard to fight a fever, flu, or the like.

Right when her break was finished, crumbling up the bag she’d brought her sandwich in and throwing it out, her phone began ringing. At the sight of Calum’s name and picture, she instantly picked it up. “What’s up?”

“Sweetheart, hey,” Calum’s breathless voice responded, sounding as though he was either running or panicked. “Listen, shit, is there any way you can pick up Luna? There’s an issue with one of the vendors and I need to sort it out—I don’t think I can make it back to Jersey in time for pick up.”

“Uh—” Aspen’s eyes widened, darting to the clock on the wall. Luna’s school ended in a little less than half an hour, and with her break almost over, she definitely didn’t have the time. Not to mention not a lot of the staff was scheduled for today, and the clinic needed all the help it could get. “No, crap, I can’t,” she stammered, pressing her hand to her hairline in worry.

“Fuck,” Calum cursed, sounding justifiably panicked. Aspen didn’t blame him; things like this happened, neither of them could control life.

She licked her lips. “Hold on, I don’t think Jodie works today. Let me ask if she can pick Luna up.” There was a reason why her best friend was one of her daughter’s emergency contacts.

Calum let out a breath, not entirely relieved until he knew there was something to be relieved about. “Alright, let me know, yeah? I’m sorry, love.”

A soft chuckle escaped Aspen. “It’s okay, Cal. Let me text Jodie.”

He offered a quick goodbye and Aspen immediately went to texting her best friend, chewing on her lower lip and hoping for a miracle. She tapped her foot against the floor impatiently, knowing she had to get back out there in a little bit, watching the three little bubbles appear as Jodie wrote her text.

Yeah, no problem! I gotchu, sis.

A sigh of relief escaped Aspen, hissing out a quiet and victorious, “yes!” before thanking her friend and letting Calum know all was taken care of. He responded asking what Jodie’s favorite wine was as a thank you.

Aspen laughed, pocketing her phone before heading back to the nurse’s station, grabbing the file for the next patient ready to be seen. The next few hours of her shift seemed to fly by, and soon enough she was bidding goodbye to coworkers that still had some hours left and was on her way home. The short drive ended with her pulling into the parking lot of her building, letting out an amused laugh when she glanced to her left and caught sight of Calum’s Range Rover pulling up next to her. He noticed her right away, grinning and throwing up a peace sign from where he sat.

“Hi, baby,” Aspen greeted as they both got out of their cars, her tone a melodic tune as she smiled when he jogged over, arm dropping around her shoulders. “Everything work out with the vendor?”

Calum quickly pecked her lips as they approached the building. “Yeah, ’s all good,” he reassured.

When he opened the door for Aspen, allowing her to walk into the complex, it was then when she saw the bag he was holding and let out a laugh. “You actually got Jodie’s wine?”

Calum scoffed as the elevator opened up immediately, shooting her a bemused look. “Can’t believe you thought I was kidding.”

Reaching the door, Aspen used her keys to unlock it and they stepped inside the apartment as Aspen called out, “We’re home!”

Jodie emerged from the kitchen, smiling at the two as she sipped from a glass of water. “Hey guys; how was work?” Before either of them could answer, her gaze happened to drop, raising her eyebrows as she instinctively asked, “Is that a bottle of red?”

Calum, whose lips were parted to respond to her first question, looked down at the bag before letting out a laugh. “Yeah, it is. For you,” he said, holding it out for a confused Jodie to take. “As a thank you for the last minute baby sitting.”

“Oh, please, anything for my godchild,” Jodie scoffed before holding the bag close to her chest, grinning. “I’ll still take it. Thanks, Calum.” Aspen chuckled as her boyfriend merely grinned, yet Jodie’s smile quickly faltered as she looked at the two parents worriedly. “But, you guys, something’s up with Luna. She’s been kind of down ever since I picked her up.”

Instantly, both Aspen and Calum went into concerned mode. “Did she say why?” Aspen asked as she put her bag down on the couch, eyebrows drawing together as she looked at her best friend.

Jodie gave a shake of her head and pursed her lips. “No; I tried to get it out of her but she wouldn’t budge. She ate some mac and cheese when we got back and did her homework and now she’s coloring in the dining room but, like, not a word.” Running her fingers through her hair, she added with a regretful sigh, “I would’ve texted you guys but I didn’t want you to worry while at work, and I didn’t expect her to keep it in this long.”

Aspen’s eyes dart to where the dining room was, the wall obstructing her view, as Calum sighed. “It’s okay, Jodie, thanks. We’ll see what’s up—you wanna stay for dinner?”

“Thanks, but I gotta get going,” Jodie denied with a smile, moving to grab her bag. “Lemme know how it goes.”

Aspen hugged her best friend. “Thanks, Jodie,” she said gratefully and once Jodie was gone, Aspen was on her way to the dining room, Calum right behind her.

They walked around to see Luna sitting on a chair, the overhead light bright as she colored away in one of her many books. Color pencils were strewn about on the table, and Aspen felt a worried thud in her chest when Luna didn’t even look up as Calum greeted gently, “Hey, bug.”

Instead, the five year old kept her head down, lazily—sadly—coloring as she responded in the smallest voice, “Hi.”

Aspen looked up at Calum, a silent worry present between them, before the two made their way over to their daughter. She settled to Luna’s right when Calum took the seat on her left, Aspen glancing down to see Duke sitting under the table, before looking at Luna again. Her dark curls sat thickly around her shoulders, not quite allowing Aspen to see the little girl’s face, and so she reached up and gently tucked some of Luna’s curls behind her ears. “Baby.” Her voice was soft, gentle, ducking her head to try and get a look at Luna. “Why are you sad?”

Luna gave a small shake of her head, eyes still on the coloring page. Aspen felt her chest tighten at Luna’s refusal to even look at them, her own eyebrows drawing together in distress. “I’m not sad,” Luna mumbled. Her tone contradicted her words.

Calum rested his left elbow on the table, facing the little girl as he tried gently, “It’s okay if you are. Maybe we can help.”

She was silent for a few moments, continuing her coloring, the worry in both Calum and Aspen increasing by the second. They looked at each other over Luna’s head, both of their gazes nothing but concerned, snapping back to Luna when they heard a sniffle emit from her. They shifted, ducking their heads, and when Aspen pushed some of Luna’s hair out of her face, she felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach when she noticed the pink on Luna’s cheeks and nose, and the wetness from the tears falling from her green eyes.

Aspen’s breath caught in her throat, a panic bubbling in her veins as she softly gasped, “Oh, baby,” before wrapping her arms around Luna. The five year old let go of the coloring pencil, allowing her mother to pull her in with her back pressed against Aspen’s front. She held Luna comfortingly, Calum’s own expression worry and panic stricken as he shuffled forward to sit in Luna’s now vacant chair, facing her as Aspen lowered her head to still take a look at her. “Tell us what’s wrong, bub. Please?”

Luna’s head still hung low and the ache in Aspen’s chest intensified the longer the silence dragged on, especially when it was broken by Luna’s sniffles, and Aspen looked at Calum. He looked just as alarmed, unsettled by the sight of an obviously distressed Luna, and Aspen gently bounced her knee in hopes of calming the little girl.

Luna sucked in a breath before she began speaking, her voice a quiet mumble, too upset to speak up. “B-Brooke gave all the kids cards to her birthday a-and I didn’t get o-one.”

Aspen inhaled sharply at her words, feeling an aggravated fire ignite in her bones, just barely replacing the worry over her daughter. Of fucking course Bailey Clarkson’s daughter would have something to do with Luna’s distressed mood, and despite the anger brimming her veins, Aspen’s heart went out to her daughter. Her jaw clenched, eyes meeting Calum’s, who looked just as indignant as she felt. Though the circumstances were vastly different, Aspen knew what it was like to feel unwanted, and she absolutely despised that her daughter was feeling this way, and that someone had gone out of their way to make her feel so. And while she couldn’t entirely set her anger towards another five year old, she sure as hell could call out her mother.

When it was Luna’s birthday a few months ago, Aspen had made sure to write out invitations to every classmate of Luna’s—including Brooke Clarkson. When Luna had asked her why, Aspen had told her daughter it would be mean to give every kid an invitation and not Brooke, and Luna had understood. She didn’t want the mean girl to feel bad, so she didn’t argue against Aspen. That only left Aspen wondering how she’d gotten such a good little kid. Of course, Brooke didn���t show up to Luna’s party, which was barely noticed given that Luna was surrounded by family and other friends. But at least an invitation had gotten to Brooke; at least she didn’t feel left out when Luna handed hers out to her classmates.

And for it to come around like this pissed Aspen off. She had a good feeling that Luna was probably the only one in their class that Brooke didn’t give an invitation to, and while the little girl probably didn’t know any better, her mother sure as hell did. To go out of their way to make Luna feel like this. . . The rage in Aspen’s veins was unstable.

But she was pulled out of it as Luna cried, and Aspen pushed her anger aside to hug her daughter, pulling Luna’s back into her chest and burying her face in the small crook of Luna’s neck. “Oh, bub, I’m so sorry,” she murmured, one hand coming up to push Luna’s hair out of the way.

Calum leaned forward, his hands grasping Luna’s smaller ones, but before he could offer his own reassurances, Luna hiccuped, “I invi-invited her to my birthday. I was the only one who didn’t get a card for hers.”

Aspen’s jaw clenched. She was about a second away from calling Bailey and cursing that woman out.

“That just means you care more about other people’s feelings, bug,” Calum told her, his voice soft and smooth. It wasn’t his objective, but his tone was calming Aspen down from her rage. She hoped it was helping Luna, too. His dark eyes were warm as he peered at his daughter, and Aspen could see him try to hide his own struggle of pushing aside how upset he was to see Luna so distraught. Bringing Luna’s hands up, he pressed a kiss on her knuckles and said, “Not everyone’s as nice as you are.”

He was good at sugar coating it. Aspen really just wanted to drop the B-word on both Bailey and her snot-nosed brat.

Luna wasn’t shaking as much, her cries dying down as she sniffled through a now stuffy nose, and the tightness in Aspen’s chest had yet to loosen up. The ball in her throat also made it difficult to breathe, her disbelief and indignance over this entire situation wildly unsettling. But appearing calm and comforting for her daughter was her priority.

So Aspen took another breath, head still next to Luna’s as she tried to get her mind off of this. “Come on, baby, do you want dinner? We can order pizza or McDonalds—whatever you want.”

Luna reached up to rub at her eyes to rid of the tears, and Calum reached up to cup her small face in his large hands to wipe away the wetness on her cheeks with his thumbs, offering a gentle smile. A moment later, Luna answered, “McDonalds.”

“Alright; you finish coloring and we’ll order the food, bug,” Calum said, taking Luna from Aspen’s lap as he stood up, placing the five year old back in her chair and kissing the top of her head.

Aspen got up as well, sucking in a sharp breath and walking into the kitchen as Duke hopped up on her chair. Calum was right behind her, and as soon as she knew they were out of Luna’s range of hearing, Aspen hissed out, “I’m gonna fucking break Bailey Clarkson’s fake nose.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Calum’s calm voice spoke up from behind her, hands on Aspen’s rigid shoulders as he came to appear in front of her. He looked down at his girlfriend, took in her tight features and fiery eyes, and added, “Let’s order dinner before Googling how to get rid of a body.”

Aspen grunted incoherently, pulling out her phone and going on the UberEats app as she muttered, “I went to nursing school; I can figure out how to get rid of a body.” She was halfway through putting in their order when she started waving around her phone, her thoughts raging. “I just—I can’t believe this bullshit,” Aspen ranted, a glare forming on her face as she stared at Calum indignantly. “Her daughter bullied Luna and now she’s just feeding into it!”

“Sweetheart,” Calum spoke up, trying to be the more tranquil one in this situation. Aspen knew he was just as disgruntled, offended, outraged as her, but he was trying to be the voice of reason for their benefit. They couldn’t have two murderous parents in this moment. “Even if Luna got invited, would you have let her gone?”

Aspen scoffed with a roll of her eyes. “That’s not the point, Calum. We still invited that little troll to Luna’s party because, as a mother, I wouldn’t want a kid to feel bad. Apparently Bailey doesn’t have the same consideration for Luna.”

“I—wait,” Calum paused, holding up a finger as he blinked under furrowed eyebrows before a scoff that was all too amused escaped him. “Did you just call a five year old a-a troll?”

Not her finest moment, but Aspen stood by it. “She made Luna cry. She’s a troll,” she deadpanned before grunting in annoyance and completing the order. It’d arrive in half an hour. Putting her phone away, Aspen looked up at Calum once more, her shoulders sinking under his touch as she let out a breath. Her expression fell as well as she rolled her lips into her mouth. “A little girl should never feel so. . . Unwanted.” Aspen’s gaze dropped to her feet, and suddenly there was a burning in her eyes she wasn’t aware she had been holding back. More to herself than Calum, Aspen whispered, “I never wanted Luna to feel that way.”

It’s part of why she ran. She had felt unwanted, her own fear and insecurities playing into it, and she didn’t want her baby to feel that way. Ever. And yet, Aspen hadn’t been able to uphold that responsibility.

Calum was not lost as to what Aspen was alluding to, and now his heart ached not just for his daughter, but for his girlfriend, too. And while he wasn’t a mind reader, he knew Aspen all too well, could read her by her facial expressions, and knew exactly what was running through that brain of hers. “We can’t protect her from everything, doll,” Calum murmured, his hands sliding from her shoulders to cup her cheeks, prompting her to lift her head up. “She’ll get past this, yeah?” He smiled softly, thumbs rubbing at Aspen’s cheeks. “She’s tough, just like her mama.”

Aspen let out a breath, lips quirking at Calum’s words as her green eyes remained on his brown. She gave a subtle nod, telling him she acknowledged and was appreciative of what he said. Then, with all seriousness, she added, “Her mama’s gonna fight a bitch, too.”

Calum smirked. “That’s hot.”

*****

“You didn’t have to come too, ya know.”

“I dunno what you’re talking about; I just wanna see my daughter.”

Aspen rolled her eyes until they landed on Calum, standing next to her, waiting for the final bell of the day to ring to let out all the elementary schoolers. “You can see her at home,” she pointed out matter-of-factly.

Calum made it a point not to look at her, comically so, as he kept his gaze, hidden behind sunglasses, on the building ahead and hushed her. It only served to make Aspen scoff with a shake of her head. She knew he was here to make sure she didn’t completely lose it in the courtyard of the school at Bailey Clarkson. Calum’s concern was justified, Aspen knew, but still. She knew better than to—

“Oh! Aspen! There you are!”

She took a deep breath, long and bracing, feeling Calum tense up next to her as she turned her head, sunglasses protecting her from the rays above. The devil herself, Mrs. Bailey Clarkson, was approaching them in heels Aspen kind of hoped she would slip on against the ice. As if he could feel the blood in Aspen’s veins beginning to boil, Calum took a step closer towards her while murmuring quietly, “Please don’t throw any punches.”

Aspen puckered her lips briefly, indignantly. “No promises.” Calum merely sighed. She didn’t even bother plastering on a fake friendly smile as Bailey approached.

“Gosh, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!” she reckoned as she came to a stop in front of them, her laugh couldn’t possibly be sounding more fake if she tried. Her own eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, one arm crossed over her as the strap of her purse hung by the crook of her elbow. Bailey’s eyebrows raised as she continued, “I heard you were in a terrible accident—good to see you back on your feet.”

Next to her, Aspen felt Calum tense at the mention of one of the scariest moments in both of their lives. Aspen, on the other hand, fought to roll her eyes. Many of the other parents had at least called or texted Aspen, giving her their well wishes, some even so far as bringing over food for their little family. Still, Aspen kept a straight face towards Bailey as she responded, “Better than ever.” Taking a small breath, Aspen began, “Actually, Bailey, I wanted to talk to you about—”

Bailey cut her off with her gaze flickering to the sky as she sounded, “Oh,” with a wave of her hand. “I was going to talk to you about that.” Aspen watched as a sympathetic expression washed over her face, one that she knew to be utterly fake and dismissive. Lacing her fingers together, Bailey continued, “I hope you don’t mind about Brooke not inviting Luna to her birthday. With the girls having trouble with each other in class, I figured you’d appreciate me taking the measures of keeping them out of more of it.”

Oh, of course she thought she was doing everyone a favor by alienating Luna.

“It’s not a matter of attending the party, Mrs. Clarkson—it’s a matter of receiving an invitation at all,” Calum said, his own tone hard and void of much emotion. He lifted his chin, looking down at the woman. “Brooke had gotten an invitation to Luna’s birthday.” With his eyebrows drawing together, he asked, “You don’t think it was unfair that Luna was the only kid in their class to not get an invite?”

“Well, I—” Bailey scoffed out a laugh, gaze darting between Calum and Aspen behind her sunglasses. With a shake of her head and a shrug of one shoulder, she surmised, “I didn’t think it’d be such a big deal.”

Aspen’s jaw tightened, skin warming from the anger she could feel brimming. The rage was barely contained in her voice as she shot back, “You didn’t think it’d be a big deal to purposefully make Luna feel bad by leaving her out?”

Bailey’s lips parted, having the gall to appear incredulous as she eyed Aspen up and down before remarking, “No wonder Luna’s such a sensitive kid.”

Aspen felt Calum’s hand on her lower back, grounding her from the anger quickly rising, but she remained calm. She didn’t want to give Bailey Clarkson the satisfaction of getting under her skin. So she offered a smile, completely fake in its sweetness as she returned, “And it looks the rotten apple didn’t fall far from the tree in your family.” With a tilt of her head and a condescending smile, Aspen added, “God knows what kind of woman your daughter will become with you as a mother.”

That had Bailey’s expression falling from behind the shield of her sunglasses, a tightness in her features as she indignantly stammered out, “I-I beg your pardon?”

The woman was rendered speechless, completely bewildered and outraged by Aspen’s comment, which only granted her tremendous satisfaction just as the final bell rang at 11:45, signalling the end of the school day that was actually cut in half for teachers’ workshop. Next to Aspen, Calum piped up dismissively, “School’s out. Excuse us, Mrs. Clarkson.”

With one last smile at Bailey, Aspen followed Calum to take a few steps closer towards the building, feeling Bailey’s heated glare burning at the backs,  as the doors opened and kids began filing out. His arm found Aspen’s shoulders, pulling her into him as he said in a low rasp, “That was way hotter than any ass kicking.”

Aspen let out a short laugh, her right arm going around his waist as they waited for Luna to come out. “I think that was one of the most satisfying moments of my life,” she hummed thoughtfully just as they caught sight of Luna leaving the building, her ponytail bouncing behind her as she approached her parents.

“Hi, bug,” Calum grinned, letting go of Aspen to crouch down and pick up Luna, settling her on his hip. He kissed her cheek, eliciting a smile from the little girl, as he asked, “How was school?”

Luna nodded as Aspen took off her backpack. “Good. We have show and tell next week. Can I bring Duke?”

“Uh,” Calum paused, looking at Aspen for a moment as she raised her eyebrows, and Calum let out a nervous chuckle as he said, “We’ll see, bug. Duke can be a little unfriendly sometimes.”

Lune tilted her head, eyebrows furrowing together in childish confusion. “He’s not unfriendly with me?”

Aspen chuckled as they continued to where the car was parked, looking at Calum as he took this one. He merely grinned, poking Luna’s stomach as he told her truthfully, “That’s ’cause he loves you,” as Luna giggled happily.

They reached the car and Calum opened the backdoor, getting Luna inside and buckling her in before shutting the door. He looked at Aspen over the roof of the Range Rover, raising his eyebrows as he smiled at her. “Ready for today?”

She returned the grin, her excitement bright in her green eyes. “Hell yeah.”

*****

The bumper car collided with Aspen’s, a laughing oof escaping her as the sound of Luna’s giggles reached her ears. “We got you, Mama!” she cheered from where she sat in the yellow bumper car with Calum.

Next to Aspen, Mariam giggled as her aunt huffed, “Traitor!”

They enjoyed themselves, hitting bumper car after bumper car, and Aspen hadn’t really expected herself to have fun in this setting because of what happened. But bumper cars were vastly different than an actual car accident, and Luna’s giggles along with her nieces’, as well as Jodie and the boys’ laughter made for a much lighter experience. Colorful lights surrounded the bumper car arena, as well as the entirety of Bryant Park where Aspen and Calum had decided to bring Luna.

Seeing her so upset the other night had their hearts breaking, so the two of them decided to do something special for her, and since today she had a half day at school and it was the middle of the week, it worked out perfectly. So they called Jodie and the boys, as well as Rich to see if he’d bring the twins, and they all ended up at Bryant Park, which had been transformed into a winter village. Except Rich couldn’t make it, staying back with a pregnant Laila, so Aspen and Calum picked up Nadia and Mariam before taking them to the city.

They’d all stopped at one of the holiday shops and bought hot chocolate with marshmallows to top them with before the girls—and Michael—spotted the bumper cars. Aspen shouldn’t have been surprised when Calum pulled her aside and asked if she was okay to go in them; he’d always been one of the most considerate people she’d ever met, so the fact that his concern for Aspen and whatever trauma she may still have from the car accident tied into her getting into a bumper car had both taken her aback and also melted her heart.

Then she’d proceeded to say she was gonna kick his ass at bumper cars, and the challenge had been set.

“Mama, we beat you!” Luna cheered as they all got out of their cars, grinning up at her mother as she bounced on her feet.

“You beat me?” Aspen repeated in a shocked, disbelieving tone for her benefit. She scoffed, picking up Luna and resting her on her hip as they began walking. “No, no, I think I beat you.” Leaning towards her, Aspen’s eyes flickered to Calum, who was giving Mariam a few quarters so she could play with one of the claw machines to win herself a toy. Loud enough for her boyfriend to hear, Aspen added, “Your dad’s a terrible driver.”

Calum’s gaze met hers, jaw dropping in offense as Jodie and Luke snickered at his expense. Michael, Ashton and Nadia were too busy cheering Mariam on. “I’m a terrible driver?” Calum repeated, walking towards them with a challenging raise of his eyebrows. With a smirk, he added, “Sounds like you’re projecting, love.”

Aspen scoffed as Calum dropped his arm around her shoulders, chuckling when she playfully shoved him away. “Shut up.”

Luna’s lips formed an O, wide green eyes on her mother as she cutely chastised, “Shut up is a bad word, Mama.”

Aspen pressed her lips together, her own eyes widening in childish surprise as Calum met her exaggerated gaze with one of his own, and he gave a shake of his head and clicked his tongue. “Mama’s got a potty mouth,” Calum taunted.

Luna then shifted, and Aspen felt her heart swell when her daughter gave her a kiss to her lips, pulling back with a toothy grin as she declared, “All clean!”

She warmed her parents instantly as Calum’s expression softened at the adorable action, and Luna was oblivious to the effect she had on her mom and dad as she asked, “I wanna see Mariam play.”

Aspen let her down as Luna ran over to where everyone else was cheering on Mariam, and she gave a shake of her head as she looked at Calum, who had yet to look away from their daughter. Aspen let out a sigh as she leaned her head against Calum’s shoulder. “Sometimes it fucking hurts how much I love her.”

She felt Calum let out a gentle, short agreeing chuckle, arm still hooked around her shoulders. Then, with a playful lilt, he stated, “You said a bad word again.” Aspen scoffed, lips quirking, as Calum’s free hand reached up and he gently grasped her chin with his fingers, pulling her face towards him. He closed the distance with his lips capturing hers in a slow, sweet kiss that Aspen instinctively melted into, humming approvingly against the softness of Calum’s lips and the warmth of his touch. He pulled away too soon with one last peck and he murmured through a smile, “All clean.”

Aspen laughed, heart fluttering as they pulled away, and with a teasing grin she said, “That’s kind of gross, when you think about it.”

Calum scoffed, rolling his dark eyes as he chastised jokingly, “Don’t ruin an adorable bit our daughter created.”

She giggled once again. “Sorry, sorry.” Her gaze swept over to the claw machine where everyone was gathered around, cheering as Mariam won herself a little purple hippo. Luke put in some quarters and then proceeded to help Nadia try to win a stuffed animal for herself, and Aspen knew it was only a matter of minutes until it was Luna’s turn. She took in the grin of her daughter as Ashton held her in his arms so she could watch the claw, and Aspen relaxed against Calum. Quietly, she said, “She looks happy.”

“Yeah; all thanks to you, love,” Calum said, rubbing her arm soothingly. When he looked down at her, Aspen could see the delight swimming in his dark eyes, the warmth in his smile as he added proudly, “You’re quite the mama bear.” Then, with his lips just barely brushing the shell of her ear, he added in a low rasp, “She’s lucky to have you.”

Aspen’s grin widened, a warmth in her cheeks, the heat of Calum’s body far more comforting than the layers she had on. He kissed her temple, arm around her giving her a squeeze as he finished earnestly, “We both are.”

--

tags: @irwinkitten @sweetcherrymike @meetashthere @valentinelrh @softforcal @astroashtonio @hereforlukescruff @novacanecalum @captain-what-is-going-on @angelbbycal @singt0mecalum @hopelessxcynic @lfwallscouldtalk @bodhi-black @findingliam-o @softlrh @calntynes @calumsmermaid @erikamarie41 @quintodosuniversos @longlastingdaydream @babylon-corgis @lukehemmingsunflower @imfuckin10plybud @pastelpapermoons @conquerwhatliesahead92 @rotten-kandy @metangi @neigcthood @ohhmuke @old-zeppelin-shirt @5sos-and-hessa @trustmeimawhalebiologist @vxlentinecal @pettybassists @vaporshawn @lu-my-golden-boi @visualm3nte @isabella-mae13 @dontjinx-it @lifeakaharry @neonweeknds @antisocialbandmate @ixcantxdecidexwhosxmyxfave @calpalbby @grreatgooglymoogly @sunnysidesblog @gorgeouslygrace @cocktail-calum @miahelizaaabeth @madelynerin @dramallamawithsparkles​ @theagenderwhocriedwolf​ @kaytiebug14​ @hoodskillerqueen​ @bitchinbabylon​ @empathycth​ @xhaileyreneex​ @inlovehoodx​ @aestheticrelated​ @bloodlinecal​ @sublimehood​ @madbomb​ @raabiac​ @britnicole11​ @outofmylimitcal​ @fluffsshawn​ @bloodmoonashton​ @vxidhood​ @tea4sykes @lukeinblue​ @mysteriouslycali​ @hoodcentral​ @rosecoloredash​ @hearts-to-the-sky​

[noona-clock]

The Doctor - Part 2

Genre: Doctor!AU

Pairing: Donghyuk (iKON) x You (Female!Reader)

Warnings: None

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | Words: 2,392

Even though Claire had been insistent that you needed to call Dr. Kim the day after your visit, her fever had all but vanished by the time she woke up that morning, so you had refused -- on principle!

You hadn’t admitted that you didn’t want to call him because you weren’t interested because... that wasn’t true.

Of course, you were interested! But, like, on the most surface level. You barely knew him; you knew he was cute and smart (he had to be in order to get through all that medical school, right?) and good with kids, so yes, all of that certainly piqued your interest.

But Claire had brought up dates, and she’d even mentioned a wedding at one point -- you obviously were not that level of interested.

(Yet?)

Her doctor’s note had excused her from school for the rest of the week, though, and since your job allowed you to work from home anyway, you were kind of stuck with her for a few days. And, let me tell you, she wasn’t keen on letting up on the subject of Dr. Kim. Like, at all.

By the time Saturday arrived, you were more than ready to drive her to your parents’ house for her weekly Grandma & Grandpa Time visit. They were apt to spoil her more than you liked, but today, you didn’t care if she had an ice cream sundae for every meal and watched movies literally all day long.

As long as you didn’t have to dodge her questions and comments about Dr. Kim any longer!

Since Claire was with your parents just about every Saturday, you took the opportunity to go grocery shopping. Before you drove her over to their house, you had her write down her requests on your list. You tried to fulfill as many as you could (within reason), and you’d found this process was so much easier than taking her with you. Kids in the grocery store tended to be bored half the time and whining for unhealthy snacks the other half.

Claire, of course, still requested a lot of unhealthy snacks... but you couldn’t deny that you liked them, too. In fact, you were currently standing in front of the pudding selection, deciding if you should get chocolate or butterscotch.

You tapped your finger against your chin, your eyes darting between the two flavors, and just as you were about to reach for the chocolate (because, who are we kidding? Chocolate always wins) you heard a voice nearby say your name.

The sudden greeting made you jump a little, and when you turned around, you saw a slightly amused and slightly embarrassed...

Dr. Kim.

Of course.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said with a soft chuckle.

“Oh, no, it’s -- it’s fine,” you assured him with a faint smile. “I guess I was too immersed in pudding.”

And then you remembered he was a pediatrician. His job revolved around the health and well-being of children. And -- not that you’d really noticed -- Dr. Kim was incredibly fit himself. You doubted he spent this much time trying to decide what flavor of pudding to get.

“But Claire always eats her vegetables, I promise,” you added, only half-joking.

“I trust you,” he replied with a smirk. And then his expression became a bit more worried. “How is she feeling?”

“Oh, she’s much better,” you grinned. “Her fever was down the next day, and she wasn’t sneezing or coughing at all this morning.”

Dr. Kim leaned against his cart handle, his mouth curving into a smile that truly melted your heart. “Good, I’m glad to hear it.”

“Thank you so much, Dr. Kim, really. I appreciate everything -- especially you not making me feel neurotic for taking her in at the drop of a hat,” you told him with a gentle though slightly abashed chuckle.

“Of course, I would never judge a parent for that. Or anything, really,” he told you, his forehead wrinkling slightly. “But please -- call me Donghyuk.”

“Sorry,” you laughed bashfully, shaking your head a little. “Force of habit.”

Donghyuk nodded, letting out a breathless chuckle. “There’s really no need to thank me, though. I love my job, it’s a pleasure to help when I can.”

Okay, well, speaking of his job... You were curious enough about it to come right out and ask, even though you really didn’t know him that well.

“May I ask... what made you move here?” you inquired, hoping you sounded more curious than accusatory. Because you were!

Donghyuk lifted one shoulder in a shrug and replied, “I just wanted a change, and there was an opening at this office.”

“You didn’t know someone who lived here?”

He shook his head, and the expression on his (handsome) face made it obvious he didn’t think it was a big deal.

It certainly was to you, though. As someone who craved familiarity, especially when it comes to your surroundings, you couldn’t imagine having the courage to just up and move to an entirely new town where you knew nobody.

“I was just curious,” you assured him. “This is the type of town people don’t really just decide to move to unless they know someone here already. I’m glad you came, obviously. I’m actually very impressed.”

It was clear that Donghyuk was amused by your rambling, so you shook your head quickly with a self-deprecating grin on your lips.

“Anyway,” you sighed. “Have you had a chance to get to know the town at all?”

To your slight surprise, a bit of a bashful smile appeared on Donghyuk’s mouth, and he let out a soft chuckle. “Uh, no, actually... I went to Jimmy’s that one night I almost ran into you, but... that’s kind of it. When I haven’t been working, I’ve just been at home reading... studying medical books.”

He probably expected you to think that was incredibly lame... but you didn’t. Not at all. A studious man who took his profession seriously -- and a very noble profession at that? What could be more attractive?

...So, you went for it.

“If... if you’d like, Claire and I could show you around,” you offered, trying to ignore the growing butterflies in your stomach. “I’ve lived here since I was little, and Claire has been with me for almost two years, so we know all the good places.”

Donghyuk stood up straight, his bashful smile growing into a very pleased, excited one -- and you really weren’t sure if you’d ever seen such a cute, adorable, attractive, magnetic smile in your life? 

“Yeah?” he replied. “I would love that.”

You returned his smile with one of your own, and then Donghyuk held his arm out to allow you to head down the aisle first. You began to push your cart, and when he pushed his up right next to yours, you had to admit that you were not upset about having your solo grocery store trip intruded upon.

The two of you ended up going through the rest of the store together, talking and joking about this and that -- nothing too serious, but it was truly one of the most pleasant conversations you’d had in a long time.

Before you both got in line to check-out, you exchanged phone numbers so you could arrange your town tour sometime soon. You assured Donghyuk you would go by his schedule, and all he had to do was let you know when he was free.

You tried to put the idea of driving around town with Dr. Kim -- Donghyuk -- in the back of your mind because it really wasn’t anything to be anxious about. It’s not like it was a date or anything!

But you still knew that telling Claire was not going to be fun. Because she would think it was a date.

Luckily, after getting home from the store and putting all of your groceries away, you still had a few hours before you went to your parents’ house to pick her up. More than enough time to think about how you were going to phrase it as well as how you would react to her reaction.

So, you drew up a hot, aromatic, bubbly bath, lit a few candles, and turned on your favorite Jazz music. The perfect atmosphere for thinking. And since you weren’t picking up Claire until after dinner, you had plenty of time to do just that.

Usually, when you picked up Claire after her weekly Grandma & Grandpa Time visit, she had something she’d crafted to show you. Sometimes it was a piece of art she did with Grandma, sometimes it was something she’d built with Grandpa; this week, it was a piece of art.

“Look at my necklace!” Claire cried as soon as you walked in the front door of your parents’ house. She barreled down the hall towards you, holding a string filled with beads and charms.

She had already made a bracelet and earrings, so now her jewelry set was complete -- a very important thing for a seven-year-old.

“Oh, look at that!” you grinned as she reached you. You gingerly scooped the necklace into your palm, admiring the pattern she’d made. “It’s beautiful.”

“Can I wear it to school on Monday?!”

“You just have to be very --”

“I will, I’ll be careful, I promise!”

Your grin widened, and then you leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head. “Yes, of course, you can.”

Claire squealed with delight before you sent her back down the hall to go say good-bye to her grandparents.

And... to be honest, you wouldn’t mind if the good-bye took a little while.

Because, even though you were pretty sure you’d figured out a good way to tell her, you still weren’t looking forward to it.

But, sadly, she was able to manage it quickly enough, and in less than ten minutes, the two of you were in your car on the way home.

“What else did you do with Grandma and Grandpa?” you asked, glancing in your rearview mirror to see she was still admiring her necklace.

“We went out for pizza, and then Grandpa made his meatloaf for dinner,” Claire told you. “Y’know, a lot of the kids in my class talk about meatloaf like it’s really bad, but they’ve never had Grandpa’s meatloaf. It’s the most delicious meatloaf in the world.”

“What, better than mine?” you inquired with a chuckle.

“Sorry, but yes.”

You weren’t sure how that was possible because you used your Dad’s recipe, but maybe it was the fact you weren’t your Dad which made the taste not quite as favorable to your daughter.

The night after you’d introduced Claire to your parents, just a couple of months after you had begun fostering her, you’d found her crying in her bed. After a bit of coaxing, she had admitted that she had always wanted a Grandpa -- not a Dad, not a Grandma, but a Grandpa. She had told you about a movie she’d used to watch at one of her old foster placements -- you’d heard from her social worker that the couple had ended up being one who obviously only did foster care for the extra money. Claire had spent a lot of time by herself, and she had found an old VHS called Grandpa’s Magical Toys. She had watched it so many times, and it had become her dream to have a Grandpa. Not even one with magical toys or one who would sing funny songs to her -- just a Grandpa, plain and simple.

You had already known by then you wanted to adopt her, but seeing her crying about having a Grandpa had been the final brick of your decision house.

Needless to say, after you’d told your Dad, he had treated Claire extra specially, and now the two were most definitely the cutest, sweetest pair you’d ever known. She loved and admired him so much that even his meatloaf tasted better than yours.

Claire continued to admire her necklace as you made your way back to your own house, and it wasn’t until you were pulling into the your driveway that she asked about your trip to the grocery store.

“Did you buy anything from my list?” she asked, very obviously trying to hold back how desperately she wanted to hear your answer.

“I did,” you nodded. “I got you strawberry Pop-Tarts, chocolate pudding, and... tater tots.”

Claire cheered with delight, and a wide grin split your lips. Even though she knew you would always get tater tots whenever she requested them (because who doesn’t love tater tots?!), she was still incredibly thrilled when you did.

“Oh, by the way,” you began as you rolled the car to a stop and put it in park. “I saw Dr. Kim at the store. He asked to make sure you were feeling better.”

“Is that all he asked?”

“Claire, please!” you laughed. “Although... I did tell him that we would show him around since he’s new here and doesn’t really know anybody yet.”

You prepared for Claire to squeal or something, so she surprised you by letting out a soft, dreamy sigh and saying, “I guess it was destiny that I got sick.”

Your brow furrowed immediately, and you turned around in your seat to look back at her. “...What are you talking about? You’re seven, what do you know about destiny?”

“If I hadn’t gotten sick, you wouldn’t have taken me to the doctor, and you wouldn’t have met Dr. Kim! And you wouldn’t be going on a date with him!”

“Okay, wait just a minute!” you sputtered. “It’s not a date! I said we are showing him around town -- as in me and you. Have you ever heard of someone’s child going on a date with them?”

Claire simply shrugged. “It could happen.”

“Besides, he’s a very busy man. I highly doubt he has time to... go on dates.”

“If you say so...”

“Enough -- go on inside and get ready for bed, Missy,” you ordered, trying not to both laugh and blush.

Claire let out a very weary sigh and mumbled, “Okay, okay, I’m going.”

But you knew you hadn’t heard the last of it. Not even close.

Part 3

[too-much-sunshine]

Fangs for the Hospitality

Chapter 4

Summary: After Roman leaves his family reunion mad at Remus, his car breaks down. The huge snow storm forces him into the forest hes always been told to stay away from. Who will he meet? And why are they being so nice? Most importantly, why are his teeth so sharp?

A/N: My self-indulgent magic/vampire fic! Let me know if I need to tag something or you wanna be tagged!

Relationship: Familial DAM, Eventual Roceit, Eventual Intrulogical

Warnings (per chapter): Small reference to past child abuse, mention of late parents, let me know if there anything else!

Catch up!: Master list, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

Word Count: 1869

Read on AO3!

Remus sat on the steps of his childhood house. Or well...mansion. Even he could recognize that this wasn't a house. It definitely wasn't a home either. 

He had his head in his hands thinking about everything that happened that night that led up to this point. He really, really messed up.

It wasn't that Remus thought that nothing bad would happen when he told that rumor to his mother. In fact he was quite hopeful some shit would go down. His mother would be the best to win over with her propensity for being very gullible. Then he was hoping he could just coast along to victory after she believed him. Sadly that worked and bit too well.

Remus knew everyone was hoping Roman would finally contribute to the family. So by giving him and wife, fake or not, would alleviate the worry in the family. They wouldn't question it too much. What he didn't account for was the fact that Roman never wanted that kind of attention.

Remus was kicking himself remembering the look on his brother's face as he ran from the ballroom. He looked scared and shook up. Remus was hoping he would take it as a joke, or at least play along until Remus could dispel the rumor. But It was already too late.

He ran right out the door and into the car and away before Remus could catch him. Which leaves Remus on the front porch in the snow regretting most of this night.

Remus just thinks too fast most of the time. Never being able to stop the next thought even if the first one isn't finished yet. It's not an excuse for putting Roman on blast, but it is a reason. He just never thought though to the consequences before he opened his mouth. The fact of the matter is that he should of asked Roman before he talked to anyone.

 Remus gave a heavy sigh as Remy came up from behind him. 

“Listen babe, you should come back inside for a bit. I’ll drive you home once nobody is looking for us.” He said solemnly.

“Where do you think he went? There so much snow, that car is a piece of shit and hes freaking the fuck out.” Remus said back, not hearing, or not caring about, Remy's first statement.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. Its fucking cold out here Rems. Lets go inside and talk about th-”

“NO! Remy you don't get it! Who knows what he could be doing or thinking! I never think! After all these years he's been the person this family hated the most and I certainly never helped him!” Remus stood up and started yelling at the snow falling. “I’m his twin brother and even I treat him so poorly.”

“I hear what you're saying and I raise you, you are the only one who has ever stuck by him. Yes you fucked up today Remus but he’s bound to forgive you. You have your own issues Rems. He knows you didn't mean it. Just give him a bit to calm down.”

“I know he’ll forgive me. He always does. He's the kindest person in the whole bitch ass family! But no one has ever been the same to him!” Remus groaned loudly at the sky. 

Remus turned back to look at Remy, who was still standing and shivering on the porch. Remy looked over Remus and nodded his head.

“You’re right. But you and him stick together. Just let him go for a bit. We’ll find him tomorrow.” Remy pulled a set of keys out of his coat pocket. “For now I’m sure that nobody is looking for us since no one came after us. Come home with me and then we will find him. Grab his coat before we leave though.”

Remus huffed then nodded back. He walked back inside to grab both him and Romans coats from the coat rack. He doesn't feel any better from what happened. He’ll have to have a long talk with Roman to try and figure this out. 

Remus walked out the front door to Remy's car.

 ~~~

Janus walked through the halls of his house, away from the guest rooms. He knew that there was no way that anyone could go in or out of that room without his knowledge. But that did little to alleviate his worry of having this stranger in his house. 

There was so much unknown with this stanger. How could he see Janus’ house from the road? That road was miles away from his house, and it is heavily snowing. Even if he could for some reason have seen his house, there should have not been a way for him to just wander into the forest. 

These woods were not the typical thick forest that one may travers as they want. Janus didn't want to say it had a mind of its own, but they may be the best way to describe it. It just...played by its own rules. He needed to go to his library and, though he didn't really want to, call a friend over. Maybe they would know more than he would about these things. ‘They probably won’t but it’s worth a shot.’ Janus thought.

Janus continued meandering his way to his home library, thinking of the possibilities of why this Roman could walk into the woods. 

‘I’ve lived in this damn forest for over a century and I’ve never met someone like this.” Janus thought. ‘It should have just sent him away. Humans can't walk in here. I certainly couldn't so why him?’ As Janus continued his inner monologue he passed by his son's door. Realizing this he stopped and took a step back.

Janus realized that before he goes to his library to inevitably get lost in his thoughts and books, he should check on his two sons. The night had had a lot of excitement; it had been just short of a nightmare getting the two to sleep.

He made sure to put the stranger into the room furthest away from any of the living quarters that either his kids or himself used. That being said, his room was the closet, then Virgils, the last being Pattons. 

He first peeked into little Virgil's room. The 3 year old was sleeping soundly in his crib. The poor child had the hardest time sleeping without some sort of song sung beforehand, not that Janus minded. He's pretty sure he would do just about anything for the little boy. He was just about ready to move into an actual bed, which Janus was not looking forward to. He's growing up too fast.

He still remembered when Virgil was a baby. He was so small and fragile. Janus has done many things in his life he was not proud of, but taking Virgil in will never be one of them. He will admit that taking in the infant was not what he had planned that day but he's forever glad he did.

He was a hard baby to take care of too. He was a mix of two beings that were told to never be together. And instead of punishing the parents, they went after the small child instead. Virgil was in pain most of his first months of life. His little body is a mix of things that have never been mixed. Janus was so glad he grew out of the pain, even if he still needed a little help sometimes. 

Taking little Virgil from his crib turned prison, was one of the best decisions of his entire life. 

Smiling softly at the sleeping child, Janus stopped his walk down memory lane. He was just so glad to have Virgil with him. Janus was determined to give this child a second chance that nobody else was willing to give him.

He silently closed the door to move to Pattons door. He cracked the door open in on the 8 year old. Luckily, he too was sound asleep. 

He's had Patton longer than he's had Virgil, but he didnt take Patton in as young as Virgil. He still thinks about Patton's story and gets a bit misty eyed. Janus had been great friends with Patton's biological parents, and though Patton didn't remember them much, Janus did. They were amazing forest witches and had a love for nature. They are the most loving people. Distantly Janus thought that you'd have to be to be friends with him. 

He would always rather have Patton's biological parents here, but he will never ever regret agreeing to being Patton's godparent. After Pat's parents passed, and he was left in Janus care, it was a large learning curve on how to be a parent. But now he wouldn't trade either of his sons for all the power in the world. 

Patton had scared Janus so bad when he opened the door for the stranger. Yes Pat wasn't used to visitors. But he was taught from a young age to never open the door alone. Janus had always preached safety to them both for fear of what lurked around in the woods. Pat was lucky the person behind the door was actually a person. They were going to have to reiterate the rules of the front door once the morning hit.

Closing the door to his son's room he finally let out his last strained sigh. It's been a long night even though it's already 2am. 

Finally catching some calm, Janus made his way just past his two sons' rooms into the fairly large library. The circular room went from the first floor all the way up to the third, and even a bit into the attic. It could be entered from any of those levels as well. Each shelf was completely filled with books. 

This is the place where he spends arguably the most time. Even his sons would hang out here with him. There just so many things that can be learned here.

Speaking of learning things, he needed to find out who the hell Roman was. There was no way this guy was who he said he was if he was able to see and walk into the forest. There were many things that could be happening here. Though Janus thought there were a few that were more likely than others.

No matter what though, Janus thought that there was no way in heaven or hell that Roman was trustworthy. 

Running his hands down the spines of the books and he walked around the room, Janus was looking for a specific book. After a few minutes of reading through the books with his fingertips he finally found the right book: ‘The Complete Book of Different Beings, Magic and Otherwise.’

“A-ha!” He whispered triumphantly. “This should be it!”

Taking the book to the corner of the room, Janus sat in his favorite chair. Not for the first time he's glad he doesn't need to sleep, he's gonna be here for a while. The book itself was quite large and he really didn't know where to start with Roman. 

With a contented sigh Janus opened the book, and started at the beginning.

~~~

Next Chapter

Taglist:

@primaveradoodles @bluerosesbleedred

[bolbianddolanhouse]

BNHA self insert AU [Book 4]

CATCH UP! Book 1 * 2 * 3

Chapter 4: Lets Get Fuckin FUNKY!

Not that big of a time skip, the twins are nearing the end of their second year of middle school. Hanaka has special training time with her dad. Tensei still has to reach out to his mother on quirk training, mainly because he’s been debating and making a new sound for his band. 

“...points to the opposed, Iida and Tanaka move on to the next round.”

The room erupted with cheer as the debate duo stood up to give their bows. Tensei was internally psyched out of his mind! He was at Japan’s Grand Prix Debate Tournament and he just got his team to move on to the semi-finals. If they do well in semis, Nationals next year is a guarantee!

“Gentlemen, I won’t lie” Tensei tried to hold it in “the moment they slipped up in their cross examination, they were done for!”

“We saw that! The way you pushed up your glasses before giving your final statement was iconic” gushed one of his teammates.

“Lets go get some food before they do the final draw” suggested one of the boys “They have good food here!”

“Hup! Iida-kun, may I have a word before you go on your lunch?” requested the new coach.

“Ummm sure” Tensei walked toward the coach, then quickly turned back to the group “Get me yakisoba! I don’t know how long I’m going to be.”

The coach waited until the other boys were out of earshot “Alright, you’re not in trouble and nothing is wrong. I wanted to let you know that I spoke to a coach at Waseda Uni.”

“Waseda is here?!” gasped Tensei.

The new coach smiled “I thought you might react like that! They have you on their radar. If you play your cards right, you might be looking at scholarships and offers to get into their humanities programs when you apply for college.”

“That does sound ideal” Tensei pondered out loud “I’ll do my best to make this a clean sweep for our school.”

“Oh and another thing! Are you doing this next year too?”

Tensei got sheepish “I’m not sure anymore. Since I’m still going with my plan to do hero school after middle school” he sighed “That big infraction on my school record doesn’t look too good on me to go to those privates with their absolute units of debaters. I don’t really see the point of doing a third year of this if I’m going down that route.”

“Well, if you change your mind” the coach takes out a pin from his satchel “I’d love to have you as my student coach for next school year.”

Tensei gasped “You want me as Club Senpai?!”

He nodded as they handed Tensei the tiny gold pin “I can’t think of anyone else that’s more than capable.”

“Oh I can’t possibly take this” Tensei handed back the pin “I don’t have a definite answer.”

“Hold on to it, think it over” the coach pushed Tensei’s hand back gently “Give it back on the first day of third year if you’re not joining. I trust you won’t forget nor misplace it until then.”

That was the biggest power move Tensei has ever witnessed. He continued to get his school to the finals and 2nd place overall that day. On the car ride home, Tensei was lost in his thoughts.

“...Tensei? Did you hear me?”

He snapped out of it “Huh?! No, sorry! What did you say mom?”

“I asked if you wanted McDonalds” repeated his Mother.

“Oh...yes please”

His mother turned into the street of the McDonalds their family frequents.

“You’re not as excited as I thought you might’ve been” his mother waited to say until after they ordered “What happened mijo?”

Tensei sighed “I am happy and psyched to get our school into nationals again. And this win is a pretty good note to end on...but should I stop here?”

“Oh I see, you don’t want to quit the team huh?”

“Yeah! And things are making me want to stay” Tensei gushed “Like, coach wants me to be club senpai AND Waseda has me on their radar! Too good to pass up but I want to get started on my quirk training for hero school. I’m not sure if I can juggle everything for my third year.”

They pulled up to the pick up window.

“As a mother, I want to tell you to do the right thing and sacrifice one thing to help you focus” His mother started “But as the chaotic, over-achiever, ‘fuck you, don’t tell me what to do!’ personality I am... Fuckin do it all! Flex on everyone and be THAT bitch. I believe in you.”

Tensei wasn’t expecting that from his own mother “Huh? How is being in a band, being club senpai and hero training flexing on them?”

“Did you listen to yourself saying that sentence?! That sounds cool as hell!” giggled his mother “I’ve gone through all the juggling in my school years and turned out as this absolute beast! Before I married your father I was one of the most powerful women in Japan already with my status as a top agent, college degree and CEO of my security robot company. I didn’t have to get married and start a family Tensei...but I wanted nothing more than to have a family of my own. And I did! All without giving up a single thing, now I’m THE most powerful woman in all of Japan, would you want to mess with a married woman that’s not only smarter, stronger, richer and has four kids?”

Tensei shook his head in fear “If you put it in perspective like that, I would be scared to be on your bad side. With all those titles, it feels like you can make me disappear in a snap.”

“Now imagine yourself! Tensei Oro Iida: Musician, Lawyer and Hero. Serving justice in and out of the court in the day, playing a gigs in the night!”

“Hmmm, that does sound pretty cool” Tensei receives the bag of food on his lap “You really think I can do it?”

“OH I know you can!” his mother exited out of the drive thru and towards home “You’re my son, my children are capable of the impossible.”

That filled Tensei with motivation to juggle all those titles. 

But meanwhile, the girls are having a girls night at Petti’s place.

“Oh my! Is this you guys?” gushed Twinkle at the framed photo in the living room “You were so tiny! In your little dresses and with your dads!”

Hanaka looked over Twinkle’s shoulder “Your dad kept this picture framed Petti? This was so long ago!”

“Nya! It’s the only nice picture we took ‘member?” Kyanka giggled as she flopped onto the couch “We threw a temper tantrum so bad that we lost control of our quirks.”

“Ah yes, good times” reminisced Petti as she brought out the snacks “My dad kept that one framed because it was the one time I willingly put on a dress and smiled.” She pointed to the other pictures on the wall “You can see in the other ones that I wear alt-core and scowl.”

Twinkle looked at the other pictures as the other girls ate snacks. 

“If you don’t mind me asking” Twinkled started off “Where’s your mother Petti?”

Kyanka and Hanaka stopped their snacking to turn to Petti. They know that she doesn’t respond well to that question and braced themselves in case she activates her Dark Shadow.

“My mom? She’s not in the picture sadly” sighed Petti, surprisingly calm “Dad tells me I was abandoned at his door as an egg. And she never returned to get to know me, so it’s just been my dad and I. Dad doesn’t have family either.”

“Oh I’m sorry I brought it up!”

“No it’s alright! I’m okay telling you” smiled Petti “Like, my dad tries really hard to raise me right. But it’s tough being a single dad and hero! Hanaka’s mom is basically my mother figure and I ask her all my girl questions that I don’t want to ask my dad.” She looks at the her cup of pink drink “I really want to meet my mom someday though. I have her eye color, skin tone and quirk trigger according to my dad. So I get my hot-headed nature from her and I kinda wish I got her normal face and not a bird head! But I don’t have an idea where she could be.”

“That’s so wholesome of you” Twinkle got teary-eyed “I hope you do get to meet your mom. Maybe when we become heroes, you’ll have the resources to find her!”

“That’s the goal” Petti stretched her back “Hopefully she’d want to be in my life at that point, I like to think that she just doesn’t like children.”

Hanaka spoke up “Now that I think about it, all of us look to my mom as their mother figure.”

“But aren’t your parents are together Kyanka?” questioned Twinkle.

“My mom old as hell” blurted Kyanka “How my dad got suckered into getting with an older woman is beyond me, nya. But she’s always away for hero work with the Wild Wild Pussycats, so I ask Hanaka’s mom for girl advice too. She’s a good woman but I wish she’d just, retire and act her age” sighed the cat girl as she flexed her paws “I may not show it, but I’m scared that with her age and not being in her prime anymore, she’s going to die on the job. It’s scary to think about it and I can’t do anything to stop her from going to work. That’s why I want to be a hero, so I can take her place as a rescue hero, making her retire.”

Twinkle was bawling at this point “Such noble causes! You guys are making me miss my mama.”

“Oh geez, get it together girl” Petti stands up “I’ll get you some tissues.”

“Yea, noble causes” Hanaka repeated aloud, making her pause to think “I don’t really have a reason to be a hero. Other than I can and have the means to do so, my parents never made me do something because of our status or family name.” She looked in the reflection of her cup “I don’t really know what I’m good at. Tensei got all the talent and smarts, I have the quirks and good genes.”

“Aww don’t compare yourself with your twin again” Petti said as she walked in with a fistful of tissues “You’re talented in your own way.”

“Oh yea? Name one thing- THAT ISN’T QUIRK RELATED!” Hanaka huffed.

Petti handed the loose tissues to Twinkle “Easy! You’re charismatic, people think you’re cute and go all mushy and do things for you with little interaction.”

“Ooh! You have a good sense of distance” Kyanka blurted “With just a glance, you know how far something is. AND you’re always quick to help out with things, even if you’re not sure if you’re a good fit for the job! ‘member when you volunteered to do the food stall in 1st year?”

Twinkle blew her nose “You’re a good friend! You integrated me into your group and share your food with me. And from the stories Kyanka and Petti tell, you’re always the first one to start things, a natural leader!”

Hanaka was touched “Aww guys, you’re too much!”

“Can you guys not cry at my house?!” Petti tossed a loose tissue at Hanaka “Seriously! I’m trying to chill with the girls, not get all sappy.”

Not too much time passes and it’s graduation season! Of course the ones graduating are Lili and Iwata from their respected institues. Everyone is home for the holidays and decisions have to be made.

“What’s up with you two?” Lili asked as she looked up from her phone “Usually something would be on fire and it’s too quiet for having a full house. What is going on?”

Hanaka and Tensei were face down in the middle of the living room.

“Shh, they’re communicating” Iwata teased “But deadass, why are you guys so quiet?”

Tensei lifted his head to speak “I’m tired as hell! Mom got me on her training regime and my legs are refusing to work.”

Hanaka flipped over “Ow! And Dad had me do so much reading that my brain hurt and eyes burn.”

“Oh man, I remember those days” sighed Lili with a smile “The mental and physical pain of hero training. Aren’t you glad you’re done with all that Iwee?”

“Yup! Thought I’d never get out of that cycle of pain” Iwata sighed back “Just wait until you realize you’re gay after a series of weird events happen.”

“But that part was my favorite!” beamed Lili.

Hanaka furrowed her brow “That sounds like a you thing. We actually have friends.”

“We have friends too!”

“Yea, the ones you’re dating and are going to marry someday!”

Lili and Iwata tried to think of a rebuttal but their little sister was right.

“ANYWAYS! How prepared are you guys for the entrance exam?” Lili asked.

Tensei groaned “Man, I forgot about that! Why can’t we just, take a written exam like a normal school.”

“It’s not that bad, come on Tensei” Iwata coaxed his brother to stand up “The telekinesis shit is kinda hard to master. But you can flex what that metal bending quirk can do to those robos!”

“Literally, you two have the upper hand to easily pass” Lili explained “The test hasn’t changed in decades! It’s always the robots and the ‘big boy’ robot is worth 0 points BUT you get rescue points if you either save someone from it’s path or you destroy it out of safety of others.”

“Then why did you two struggle?” asked Tensei, not believing that the exam is that simple.

“We can go fast but our second quirks aren’t power based” Lili snapped her fingers to instantly transform the curtain into a pair of pants “imagine that but in battle! The most useful thing I’ve done is make netting and a hot air balloon to transport my classmates! I had to learn certain fighting styles and have multiple support items for me to be on par with everyone else.”

Iwa levitated everything in the living room “And I can do all the floaty things but I’m not like mom, where I can crush things with my mind!” he throws a pillow with force at a wall “that’s my ‘force’ with my quirk, yea it helps me fly for a short amount of time but I wasn’t strong enough to stop a robot from attacking me when I was entering UA.”

Hanaka flails her arms “Okay okay I get it! We’re stronger by default! Put me down now!”

“Oof forgot you don’t like getting levitated” Iwata quickly set everything down “But please don’t feel so helpless, we’d kill to have the advantages you two have.”

The twins faced at each other and exchanged looks.

“If you say so” sighed Tensei “Then I guess we’re ready.”

“YAY!” the older siblings cheered and did the little quick claps.

“Don’t clap and cheer! We’re not babies!” barked the twins.

Just out of sight were their parents, looking on at the sight of their children being their usual selves.

“It was getting too quiet around here” whispered Tenya as he hugged his wife from behind “I feel complete.”

“Enjoy it while you can love” Ita whispered back “Our nest is going to be empty sooner than you think!” She gave her husband a quick kiss “Okay ninos, visitas are at the gates. The living room should be nice and tidy! I got the curtains special made for this year’s theme!”

The kids glanced at the pants that were once the curtains and then to the disorganized furniture, shit!

“Okay mom we’ll fix the living room!” Iwa spoke up “No need to come in here and check! You go and greet the guests!”

Lili frantically fixed the pants-curtains as the twins fixed the couch cushions and Iwa floated everything back to the original layout. Just like when they were younger.

With new confidence and old support, suddenly the new part of the twin’s lives isn’t so scary. 

-Chapter 4, End-

<Previous - Next>

[wollymalfoy]

Double trouble x2

George Weasley x reader

Tags: @peaceofflights

Description: can you write a George Weasley x reader where the reader and her brother befriend the twins because they’re fraternal twins. Her twin always teases her because she has a huge crush on George.

Writers note: I’m sorry if this ain’t exactly what you asked for I got very carried away! 😭

July 24th was the day your life changed forever. You and your twin brother, Jamie sat down on the couch watching cartoons, the knock on the door was surprising, you didn’t get visitors often. A tall man and woman entered the living room with your mother. The man had a long white beard and blue clothes that looks a lot like pyjamas. He smiled down at the two of your blank faces, his half moon spectacles glistening in the sun. The woman wore a black pointy hat and green clothes with a similar look to the mans. She smiled at your mother and moved to sit next to you on the couch. You gasped at her as she explained that you and your brother had magical abilities and was able to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Your mother was shocked but evidence was provided to show her that these two people, you now knew where a witch and wizard where telling the truth. You and your brother was extremely excited and couldn’t wait to arrive at the school. when you entered Diagon ally you and your brother spoke to as many witches and wizards as possible to find out more about the school. While there you got the items on your list, your wand, Cauldron, school books as well as your pets. You had gotten a white ferret and your brother Jamie got a screech owl.

Once you arrived at Hogwarts you couldn’t believe your eyes. ‘Pinch me Y/N’ Jamie had said once you was on the boats sailing over the lake. A great big castle stood tall and proud, much larger than you had imagined it to be. ‘What the fuck is a sorting ceremony’ Jamie exclaimed as you waited on the stairs to enter the hall. Before you could speak a red headed boy behind you answered, ‘I’ve heard it’s extremely painful’ he smirked. ‘Yeah terribly painful’ said his identical twin, ‘I’m George Weasley and this is my brother Fred’ he held his hand out and you and your brother shook it. ‘I’m Y/N Y/L/N and this is my brother Jamie’ you smiled. ‘We’re fraternal twins’ you brother said. ‘Cool’ the twins said in unison. As you walked into the hall with the Weasley twins right behind you you where in awe at the ceiling, it looked just like the night sky. Stars dotted the ceiling and great white clouds moved slowly across it. ‘We’re the first in our family to be witches and wizards ya know’ your brother said proudly. ‘Is that so? I’m guessing you don’t know about each house then?’ Fred has said. ‘A little, We asked about when we went to Diagon ally’ you said, ‘Gryffindor, hufflepuff.’ ‘Ravenclaw and Slytherin.’ your brother finished, ‘What house do you think you’ll be in?’ ‘Gryffindor’ said both the redheads. ‘All our family has been’ George said smiling at you and this made you blush. ‘Bell, Katie!’ Shouted Professor McGonagall. This made you turn your head to the front. An hold patched hat was placed on her head. ‘Gryffindor!’ It yelled loudly making you jump. After some time the twins where both sorted into Gryffindor, the whole Gryffindor table burst into cheers as each person was sorted there. Of all the houses that cheered, Gryffindor was by far the loudest. ‘Y/L/N, Jamie!’ McGonagall said. You brother gave you a worried look and you smiled to comfort him. The hat sat on his head for some time then finally shouted, ‘Gryffindor!’ You clapped as he walked over to the Weasleys. ‘Y/L/N, Y/N’ you heard McGonagall call your name. Your heart began to beat fast, what if you wasn’t put with your brother, would that mean you’d be split up forever? The hat was put on your head and spoke on your head:

Another Y/L/N, incredibly like your brother I know just what to do with you...

‘Gryffindor!’ Yelled the hat and you smiled widely as the griffindors erupted into cheers. Your brother smiled as you walked over to him. George ruffled with your hair as you sat down in front of him making you blush uncontrollably. Did you have a crush? Is this what a crush was?

For years You had this crush on George and your brother would often tease you on it. At first it was subtle, nudging as George walked past, Laughing at you when he saw you blushing or staring at the boy. However since your third year he has been trying to get you two to date.

-

‘Y/N and George kissing in a tree K-I’ ‘Y/L/N!’ Snape shouted, ‘I’ve had enough of your foolishness, go outside.’ You smirked as your brother left the class. You looked at the door after some time of listening to snape and Jamie stood and began to mime the song to you. You gave him a rude gesture and carried on with your work.

‘Awww has ickle Y/N got a crush on ickle George Weasley’ he said in a baby voice one night as he lay on your bed. ‘Shut up and get out!’ You yelled. ‘You want a big kiss from ickle George, a big sloppy kiss’ he made kissy faces as he did this. You kicked him off the bed. ‘You wanna go on late night walks and dance under the stars’ he said as he got up off the ground. ‘MUMMM!’ You shouted and he soon ran out of the room. ‘IM NOT DOING ANYTHING MUM!’ He yelled from the landinng.

-

‘Come on Y/N it’s our fourth year now just get with him!’ He cried as you sat in a compartment of the Hogwarts express. ‘Get with who?’ George said as him and his brother entered the compartment. ‘You’ your brother laughed. You gave him a harsh look, heat rising in your cheeks. George sat across from you with a shocked look. ‘I’m glad someone’s said something!’ Fred said sitting next to his brother, ‘George here has liked you since first year.’ ‘Shut up’ George said heat rising to his cheeks.

The rest of the train ride was silent, the only noise was from your brother lips slapping as he stuffed his face with Licorice wands, chocolate frogs and many other things from the trolley.

-

You sat alone on the couch reading a muggle book. The common room was fairly quiet, most students were tired because of the journey and headed off to sleep. You favourite red headed boy came and sat next to you. His eyes twinkled in the fire light, as he gave you a smile. ‘So, is it true?’ He said awkward, ‘you know, that you like me?’ He laughed slightly as he said this, hoping it was true. ‘I guess I do’ you smiled scared to look him in the eyes. ‘Great!’ He said loudly, then looking at you in shock, ‘I didn’t mean to say it that loud’ he laughed. ‘You’re gonna wake the whole castle up’ you said finally looking at George’s face.

-

‘What in merlins bushy beard is a chamber of secrets’ your brother yelled the day after a threatening message was written on the walls of a corridor, accompanied by a petrified Mrs Norris. ‘Honestly, Jamie don’t you read’ you sighed. ‘Why would I wanna read’ he said cockily. ‘Well you’re a Muggle-Born, wouldn’t you wanna know every nook and cranny of the Wizarding world?’ You went on but Jamie ignored you and shoved a bit of toast in his mouth. ‘Aren’t you going to explain then’ he said spitting food onto the table accidentally. George slipped in next to you and gave you a kiss on the cheek, Fred and lee sitting in front of you. ‘What you talking about’ Fred said. ‘I was just about to explain to jamie what the chamber of secrets is’ the twins looked at you with a terrified look. ‘What you don’t believe it do you’ you said laughing but a little uncomfortable from their reaction. ‘I mean kind of’ George said sadly, ‘and if it is-‘ ‘which I think it definitely is’ Fred butted in. ‘-then you’re in danger, both of you’ George said looking at jamie.

-

‘I really think you should go home Y/N’ George said as you were curled up into his side. There was now 3 victims, 4 including Sir Nicholas, and George and you too (even though you didn’t want to admit it) where scared. They where only petrified, thank Merlin, but who’s to say someone didn’t die next. That person could be you or Jamie or Hermione. ‘I’m not going home until I have to, I love it here Georgie, I love being with you’ you wined sitting up. ‘I just don’t want you to get hurt’ he said and kissed you gently, ‘I love you Y/N.’ ‘I love you too George’ you said and gave him another kiss.

-

‘Come on George I’m starving’ you said pulling George by his hand. ‘We just ate love’ he laughed. ‘I know but I didn’t eat enough then’ you said tapping your stomach with your hand. You had decided to go on a kitchen trip like you had done many time’s before with the twins, Lee and Jamie. ‘It’s not safe though’ he said looking at a painting, ‘has this always been here’ he examined the painting. ‘Come on your just stalling’ you teased as you turned the corner. There was a small mirror on the floor, you picked it up and looked at it curiously. George still admiring the painting. You opened it and in the reflection of the mirror where two bright yellow eyes. Your body seized up and you fell to the floor with a thud. ‘Y/N?’ George said and walked round the corner. When he saw you spread across the floor he ran to your unconscious body, ‘Y/N!’ He looked up and saw the body of what looked like a large scaley snake slithering past the end of the corridor. His heart began to beat loudly. Was you dead? He screamed for help but none came. He picked up your limp body in his arms and ran as fast as he could still calling out for help. ‘Mr Weasley?’ Professor McGonagall said still in her day clothes. She saw your still body in his arms and her face furrowed. ‘What happened?’ She said shocked. ‘I don’t know I turned the corner and she was on- on the floor and- and there was a big snakes body’ he stuttered. ‘We need to get her to the hospital wing’ she said putting a hand on the distraught boys back. As he placed you in the bed tears fell from his eyes, realisation had kicked in. ‘Is- is she d-dead?’ He asked tears falling and slowly making their way down his cheeks. ‘No, she’s just petrified’ Madame Pomfrey said with a soft smile to comfort the boy.

-

George slept by your side every night, he’d often talk to you, telling you how much he loved you. All of your friends including Jamie would visit for a few hours everyday, bringing sweets, flowers and other gifts. Hermione would even read you story’s when no one else was there with you, until she herself was petrified. George couldn’t stand loosing you, although you weren’t dead seeing you lifeless and unable to communicate killed him. He’d let himself go completely, he stopped eating properly and he’d hardly slept because he’d keep watch that the thing didn’t come back to finish you off.

-

When you was finally no longer petrified George have you the larges, tightest hug you had ever received. You felt as tears wet your shirt from George’s sobs. ‘I’ve missed you so much’ he cried. ‘I love you George’ you whispered in his ear. ‘I love you too’ he sniffled. ‘Is she awake!’ Your brother screamed as he, lee and Fred sped into the hospital wing. He jumped onto the bed and gave you a huge hug. ‘You best not get petrified again!’ He mumbled into your shoulder. ‘I’ll try not to’

Thanks for reading! :)

[fleckcmscott]

Watch What Happens - Chapter 20

Chapter links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

Summary: Arthur, an aspiring comedian, has struggled to find normalcy and compassion his entire life. Y/N, a hard-working paralegal and transplant to Gotham, has just been put on a case for the Wayne Foundation. When they meet, unexpected sparks fly.

Chapter warning: Angst, Swearing

Words: 2,616

A/N: Special thanks to @ithinkimawriter​ for beta-ing this chapter! She’s awesome and you should check out her blog if you haven’t already!

The doctor at the hospital met with them in his office. Penny had had an ischemic stroke, which weren't uncommon in women of advanced age, especially if they had a history of smoking. It was unknown if the lobotomy had increased the risk. The left side of her body was experiencing severe paralysis, and she could barely stand. She was also having trouble speaking and understanding speech. But she did appear to know she was in the hospital.

Y/N observed Arthur's face as the doctor rattled through the information. The expression he wore was neutral enough, but she saw his neck tighten on and off, and his eyes remained downcast. He was also chain smoking more than she'd ever seen. When the doctor would pause for a reaction or ask a question, Arthur's responses were curt.

"There isn't a need to keep her here much longer," the doctor intoned. "Her life isn't at risk. She should be discharged by the end of the week."

At that, Arthur closed his eyes. Y/N could guess what he was thinking: that he'd be stuck with Penny, again, except now he'd have to do more for her. That assumption must have hit harder than usual, given what he'd learned three days ago. His posture became rigid the longer they sat there. After he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray on the doctor's wide desk, the doctor stood and told them to take their time, giving Y/N a soft look as he left. As soon as the door shut, she put her arm around Arthur.

He started laughing humorlessly and rubbed the back of his neck. "It'd be easier if she'd died."

"You don't mean that," she said.

"Yes, I do."

She pressed her lips together. "It's normal to have mixed feelings."

“I don’t have mixed feelings,” he replied.

Kneading his shoulder, she chose her next sentences carefully, not wanting to unduly influence him. But she hoped could lift some of the weight he carried. "There are options for her care."

Lighting up again, he furrowed his brow and stuck his pack of cigarettes back in his pocket. "I don't have any money, Y/N," he said tersely.

"There are programs you can apply for."

He scoffed and looked at her skeptically. "They cut all those."

"Federal programs, not Gotham services. They won't be cut because the Waynes or whoever else in this city doesn't want to pay taxes." That made him smile crookedly. "We should be able to get the paperwork from the hospital social worker - they deal with this all the time. We'll fill it out and you can decide whether to submit it or not." At his nearly imperceptible nod, she leaned into him. "You've taken care of her twenty years, Arthur. You've given her enough."

After speaking with the social worker and completing the applications, they walked by Penny's room. He stopped outside, his grip on Y/N's hand tightening. She watched his narrowed eyes, the way he worried his lip. "Do you want to go in?" she asked gently.

Anger flashed across his face, his nostril twitching. But after a few minutes, he released a long breath and shook his head. "No," he rasped. "I don't need to."

~~~~~

After leaving the hospital, Y/N had gone back to her apartment to get her notes and presentation. A lick of excitement went through her as she walked into Matt’s office. What she was about to go over was the culmination of hours and hours of off-the-books work, and she was relieved she'd no longer have to keep the information secret. With all the evidence she'd collected and put together, she thought there’d be a good chance she'd be heard.

She sat on the other side of Matt's desk, wearing her best skirt suit and modestly ruffled blouse, and explained everything she'd found so far: the properties' lack of disrepair; the corresponding dates of the Wayne Foundation's motions and Renew Corp.'s letters; the matches of employees listed on the foundation's tax returns and registered agents of the corporation; and the ridiculous conversation she'd had with one Anthony Mancuso at the gala.

It took awhile. When Y/N was done, she leaned back against the chair she was perched on, unbuttoning her top collar. "So," she said when Matt didn't answer. "Are you going to stop this shit?" She ducked her head slightly to study his expression. He was squinting. And she thought he looked a little glum.

He continued to peruse his copy of her notes, tapping his pen on each line as though it meant something. "Your work is very impressive, Y/N. You put a lot of effort into this."

She smiled widely and let out a long breath. "Thank you."

"But I already explained that we can't simply drop this case."

The initial resistance didn't come as a surprise, but frustrated her nonetheless. "I'm not a lawyer," she said. "I don't have any duty to these people or their organization or foundation or whatever."

His gaze was weary when their eyes met. "They have us on retainer-"

She leaned forward. "Do you really want the Waynes to be able to own more of this city?” As her indignation grew, she stood and stepped behind her seat. "I've looked it up, Matt. Both directly and indirectly, they're the largest landowners here."

"What do you know about the Waynes?" Matt countered. It was one of the few times he had ever sounded annoyed at her. "You're a transplant. Gotham owes them a lot."

Rapidly, she was losing any hope that reasoning with him would affect anything. But she continued to try. Maybe changing her tack would help. "Let's say it wasn't the Waynes," she started, putting her elbows on the high-back. "It's some other temporarily benevolent billionaire. If we win this case, it's going to set a precedent for property to be seized and shoved into private hands. It'll be easier for anyone to do this in the future, again-"

"Y/N, stop."

"-and again." Y/N huffed, gesturing towards him with an upturned palm. "I've always thought you were a good person, Matt. I can't believe you approve of this!"

"It's not that simple. You're experienced enough to know that," he said, raising his voice slightly. "The Wayne Foundation is our largest client. Without their money, we wouldn't exist.” Counting on each finger, he continued. “They're buying your groceries, keeping you in your apartment, allowing you to dress as nicely as you do."

Y/N felt the hair on her neck stand up at the idea she would be "allowed" to do anything. "You're scared of them."

"No,” he breathed. “I'm being pragmatic."

She folded her arms over her chest. "Yeah, well, your pragmatism is going to hurt a lot of people."

Matt stood and leaned forward onto his desk with his hands. It wasn't a threatening posture, but a tired one. "This was the first Wayne case you were entrusted with. You were so damn happy about it." Shaking his head, he sighed. "The other lawyers here didn't think you were ready, but I knew you were. Turns out you were too ready." He chucked sadly. "I'm sorry."

Y/N stilled, her mouth opened slightly. "Are you... Are you firing me?" As she waited for his answer, she mentally went over her financial situation. A couple months of pay were in her savings account, her checking had about a thousand dollars in it. She thought she'd be able to get unemployment, but there was a waiting period, and-

"No. The work you do on the family cases is excellent. I like you. And Patricia would never forgive me." He gestured towards her with his pen. "But other people in this firm would let you go. If you breathe a word of this to anyone else, you will wind up losing your job. Do you understand me?"

Gulping, she looked down at the floor and nodded. "Thank you," she said meekly. A sense of defeat, mixed with relief at still having work, settled in her stomach. It caused her to feel like the smallest person on Earth.

She exited the office before he dismissed her and sat at her desk. She still had her copy of her notes at home. But she didn't know what do to with them. Trying to distract herself, she dug out the list of upcoming family court dates and corresponding files, sinking into the routine of them until her mind went numb.

~~~~

It had been close to seven when she'd gotten to Arthur's, later than she'd told him. She hadn't wanted him to see her upset, thinking he had enough to worry about. He'd kissed her at the door and frowned when she hadn't responded enthusiastically. After a quick sorry, she'd kicked off her shoes and said, "I had a really shitty day and need some time." Then she went straight to the bedroom and lay down. She'd left the door open, though, not wanting to shut him out.

She hadn't been laying long, maybe fifteen minutes, when she heard him approach. Wondering what he would do, she pretended not to notice he was standing behind her, next to the bed. It only took a couple minutes for him to climb in next to her. "Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Amish."

God, she could tell this was going to be terrible. She rolled her eyes, the corner of her lips turning up. "Amish who?"

"Amished you."

Unable to help herself, she chuckled. When he nuzzled at her face, she twisted her torso to look at up him and drew him down to her mouth. One of his arms went around her head as she kissed him deeply, his other hand holding himself up. "Thank you. I needed that," she said. "Was that an old joke?"

"No, it just came to me. It happens sometimes." He stood, then. "Spaghetti's on the stove."

Stretching, she sat up and followed him to the kitchen. He already had a plate out for her, so she served herself, listening as he continued to talk. "I mailed the forms we filled out."

She scooped sauce out of a second pot. "If you change your mind, you can reject the funding."

"I won't," he scoffed as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

Turning around, she looked to see if he had dried parmesan somewhere on the counter. She didn't find any, but what she did see stopped her. There, in his pile of mail on the breakfast bar, was an unopened red letter. That same terrible feeling of disappointment that Arthur had helped her through returned.

She reached out for the envelope, biting her lip. There was no return address, but she recognized the font Penny's name was printed in. It was definitely from Renew Corp. She wasn't ready to talk with him about this, to admit she'd failed everyone, failed him.

But, she supposed, she was being pushed into doing the right thing. She had a seat at the breakfast bar and patted the stool next to her. He followed eagerly, a puzzled expression on his face. She went over a simplified version of the same explanation she'd given Matt. It came easier this time, having had that earlier practice. Mid-way through, Arthur lit a cigarette and rested his forehead on the side of his hand, elbow on the counter. He seemed to understand well enough, but became quieter and quieter as she went on, staring at the letter threatening to kick him out in ninety days.

"You're going to keep getting these letters. They're trying to bully you." She felt her patience with the situation slip away the more she spoke. "But what they're saying isn't true. It'll take a long time before they can do anything. It has to go through the cour-"

"Is this why you're seeing me?" he interrupted.

Holding the fork just under her mouth, she stared at him. "No. Of course not," she said as she took her last bite of dinner. "That doesn't make sense. This is a legal issue." It was a logical answer, but apparently not the one he wanted. When she reached to touch his bicep, he pulled away from her, taking her plate and going to the kitchen. "Arthur, I found out your building was involved last week."

He started rinsing her dish. "Before or after we-"

"After." Y/N stood but didn't follow, remaining on the far side of the counter.

He wasn't looking at her when he turned around and took a drag off his cigarette. "You should have told me."

She leaned onto the bar with her forearms. "And give you more shit to deal with? Are you kidding?"

"I've dealt with worse," he bit out, flicking ash into the sink.

Her tone was snappier than she meant it to be. "I’ve been working on it for weeks. It's not like I’ve been doing nothing." She shook her head, knowing she wasn't only upset at his stubbornness and refusal to see she’d been trying to shield him. But also at all the time and energy she had put into caring about this case. She was irritated at her powerlessness. And heartbroken at the whole damn thing. Dropping her head to look at the counter-top, she sighed. "Dammit, Arthur. Why can't our first argument be about what restaurant to go to, or what movie to see, or whose apartment we're spending the night at?"

There was no answer to her attempt at cutting the tension between them. He simply stood, unmoving except for the twitch of his fingers as he fiddled with his cigarette. His voice was low when he finally said the wrong thing. "Penny lied to me all my life. I never thought you would."

The cut of those words went deep. Heat went up her neck and face, and she knew she was turning red. "If I had shown up at your apartment, soaking and in the state you were in, telling you to get rid of a razor, would you have told me?"

He flinched at that, but she continued anyway. "No, you wouldn't have." Stepping to the entrance of the kitchen, she threw up her hand. "And don't act as if you've been completely honest. You must have done more than drop off a letter for Thomas Wayne to tell you about Penny's file."

Arthur nodded stiffly, then narrowed his eyes as he smoked. "I need you to leave," he said. "I have to practice."

She folded her arms over her chest. "You're doing this again?" At his lack of response, she slipped on her shoes and started putting on her coat. "Fine. Be angry at me for trying to protect you." Even as the words left her, she knew she didn't mean them. But his obstinacy pissed her off. When she picked up her canvas bag, he went to her and opened the front door.

As she stepped out she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. This entire argument was stupid. They were both wrong and right, in their own ways. And they'd hurt each other. She’d been waiting to see him all day and was loathe to end the evening on a sour note. She turned around to face him. "Hey," she said, consciously softening her voice. His eyes bore into hers as he set his jaw. “Arthur, we’re being idiots.” Then she set her bag down and tried to put her arms around his neck. “Let’s not be angry. At least, not at each other.”

He caught her, gently but firmly, mid-embrace and pulled her arms away from him. "Just go," he said, then turned around and closed the door.

Tag list (Let me know if you want to be added!): @harmonioussolve​ @clowndaddyfleck​ @sweet-nothings04​ @stephieraptorr​ @rommies​ @invisiblewispofwhimsey @let-the-stars-fall-in-the-abyss​

[the-fandom-took-over-my-life]

The one where he blipped and you didn’t (Ch. 1)

Pairing: Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

Summary: Peter blipped. You didn’t. Now you’re both the same age and he’s confused by the kid he used to know and the girl you are now.

Word Count: 3k-ish

Warnings: Language, INFINITY WAR AND ENDGAME SPOILERS

A/N: Okay, this is Chapter One to this series. It’s a little long, I got carried away (sorry not sorry). Let me know what you think! Remember I also do requests, pls don’t get discouraged by my amateur profile, I’m still figuring it all out :)

Read the intro first

CHAPTER ONE

"Y/N, get your ass out of bed, you're going to be late." you heard Rhodey scold through your open door. 

"Language" you mumbled sleepily. 

"Goddamn- I don't have time for this." you heard him grumble under his breath and suddenly the fluorescent lights in your room switched on and you yelped in surprise, flinging the covers over your head. Rhodey chuckled and you heard your door swing shut. 

"If I come back in 20 minutes and you're still in bed, I'm going to personally fly you to school." he said through the door and walked away.

You smiled sleepily. Rhodey, though he was tough on you, cared about you like his own daughter. Nearly eleven years ago your mother had died in a car crash and you were sent to live with your father, Tony. You, being so young, were excited to finally meet your father. Tony, on the other hand, was a wreck. He had just announced to the world that he was Iron Man and the last thing he wanted was to take care of and raise a child, whether it be his or not. He had all intention of sending you off to boarding school but, when he met you, he refused to make the same mistakes his father did. You instantly melted his heart with your smile and your big E/C eyes. After deciding to take you in, he asked Rhodey to be your Godfather, not that he was a very religious man, he just wanted someone else to be there for you if there came a day that he couldn't. 

Deciding not to test Rhodey's threat, you rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. Your reflection in the mirror, in the such loving words of Peter, looked as if death had walked over you...twice. It wasn't a secret that, since the battle and your dad's death, you haven't been sleeping well. Thankfully, nightmares were a thing of the past ever since Bruce gave you something that evaded them. You remembered waking up screaming, tears streaming down your face, causing Rhodey to come and calm you down in the middle of the night. Every night you were forced to relive a part of the battle, and every night you were forced to see your dad die. Now, your sleep was a void that, although lacked the trauma, was a difficult place to find peace.

You scrubbed your face and brushed your teeth, avoiding your face in the mirror, and walked back into your room. Not really in the mood to dress nice, you pulled on some black tights and a big sweatshirt that was draped over your desk chair. You slipped on your converse and walked back into the bathroom to put concealer under your eyes. The last thing your need is for one of your teachers to send your to the counselors office because of your physical appearance...again.

Deciding you looked presentable, you slung your backpack over your shoulder and started downstairs before rushing back to your room to grab your phone, still charging on your nightstand. You found 6 new messages. 

(1) Spider-thing: Hey are you gonna go to Flash's party tonight?

(2) Spider-thing: Don't tell me you slept in again

(3) Spider-thing: ok nvm I'll see u at school

(4) Ned: Hey Y/N u wanna go to Flash's tonight? 

(5) Ned: Peter might confess his undying love for u, u never know 

(6) Flash: Hope to see u at my party tonight I'll b waiting ;)

You rolled your eyes at Flash's text, and clicked the notification form Ned. 

Y/N: yeah right after he confesses his undying love for Flash 

He replied immediately, making you chuckle. 

Ned: I'm telling u, he's got it bad 4 u 

You rolled your eyes and slipped your phone in your back pocket. You found it funny; Ned's obsession with the idea of you and Peter as a couple, and sometimes you went along with it just to tease Peter, but that's all it was, teasing. Sure, he was hot and sweet and funny and, before the snap, these things nourished a major crush that bloomed in your little pre-teen heart. But things changed, you got older and, when he came back the same age as you, you had to remember that he probably still saw you as that little girl he used to babysit. 

~TIME SKIP~

"Bye Happy, I'll see you after school!" you said, blowing Happy a kiss as you closed the car door. Happy rolled down his window. 

"Call me if anything happens. Just call and I'll come and get you." 

"I will." you said watched him drive off. Happy was, despite the fact that it's been a few months since everything happened, still worried about you. You didn't mind it though, you loved him for it.

Sighing, you walked into the building that leered over you. For the first time today, you realized how heavy your backpack was and you made a beeline for your locker. You smiled sadly and recalled how Nat would always get after you for carrying too much and you would get the lecture about how, even though you were an Avenger, you still had to take care of yourself. You stacked the books in your locker, slammed the door shut, and found yourself face to face with Peter. 

"SHIT!" you shrieked as he howled with laughter. 

"You shoulda- you should have seen your face" he said between breaths. 

You rolled your eyes and shoved him into the lockers. 

"This isn't funny you idiot, I could have attacked you" you said despite the smile growing on your lips.

"I can take you Stark" he said, regaining his breath. 

"In your dreams Parker"

It was his turn to roll his eyes. It was then that you noticed the two coffee cups he held. You sighed in relief and gratefully took one from him. 

"Anyway, you ignored my texts this morning. You wanna go to the party?" he said falling in step with you as you walked towards your first class. 

"I don't know. Flash's parties always end with someone almost drowning in the pool or jumping off the roof." 

"Oh c'mon, let's go. Maybe this time it'll be Flash jumping off the roof and it'll put us all out of our misery." 

You couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled from your lips and you were about to reply when someone called you from behind. 

You both turned to see Brad Davis walking briskly towards you. You smiled at him and slowed your pace so he could catch up. 

"Hey Y/N, hey Peter." he said walking up beside you. 

"Sup" Peter grumbled. You sent him a sideways glare and turned to up at Brad.

Despite the numerous times you questioned Peter about his silent grudge against Brad, he could never give you a straight answer on why he hated him. "I don't trust him" he would always say, but you could never figure out why. Brad, like you, survived the snap and, because you were both in the same grade, became friends. 

"Are you guys going to the party tonight?" he asked.

"Jeez, is that the only thing everyone cares about?" you said jokingly.

"Well, it is the only good thing about high school" he said, making you laugh. 

Over the past couple of years, Brad was the person who got to hear all the complaints you had about high school. He had always been an annoyingly upbeat guy and he took all your complaints in stride, turning them into something that you should be grateful for. The last five years gave you very few things to be grateful for, but Brad was one of them. 

"You're definitely right about that. But, yeah we're planning on going" you said, slightly nudging Peter next to you.

"Awesome. I'll see you there then." Brad said and waved as he turned down a passing hallway. 

"Aw, I love Brad" you said fondly as you watched him disappear in the growing crowd of students. You looked up at Peter just in time to see him roll his eyes at your comment. You frowned at him, annoyed of his attitude. 

"Dude, seriously, what the hell is your problem?" 

 "Nothing. He just rubs me the wrong way I guess."  he said with a shrug.

It was your turn to roll your eyes.

 "Oh c'mon. you're just mad that he became hot while you were gone and now all the girls want him" 

"It's just weird. One day he was this tiny annoying kid and the next he's huge." Peter said before bringing his coffee to his lips. 

"Well it wasn't like that for all of us." you reminded him. "And how is that weird for you? You literally got bit by a spider and became hot overnight." 

At your words Peter choked on his coffee and coughed furiously, trying to breathe through the hot liquid. 

"Y-you think I'm hot?" he spluttered in disbelief 

For about the millionth time this morning, you rolled your eyes at him. 

"Dude, have you seen your abs? I had the biggest crush on you and your stupid hot spider muscles" you said with a smirk.

Peter stopped in his tracks in the middle of the hall and stared at you with huge eyes.

 "You had a crush on me?" 

 "Yeah, when I was like 13. You don't think I actually needed so much help on my algebra homework, did you? What's the matter with you?" you said laughing

Peter was staring at you like you had just dropped from another planet.

"I-I just never knew you felt that way about me." he said, eyes still wide.

You rose your eyebrows at him. 

"Yeah, well, I was a kid. I also thought the tooth fairy was real. I grew up. Anyway, let's forget that I was once a pre-teen and move on."

Peter furrowed his eyebrows at you, but let the subject go. He walked quietly beside you and barely even acknowledged you when you turned into your calculus class, telling him you'll see him later. Confused, you shot a text to Ned.

Y/N: Dude Peter's being weird

Ned: He's always weird what's ur point? 

Y/N: true

Y/N: ur right, nvm I'll see u at lunch

Ned: cool

Accepting that Ned was right, you chose to forget about Peter and try to focus on the party that awaited tonight as your teacher started the lecture. 'Derivatives' you thought with a smirk, 'what child’s play”.

~TIME SKIP~

"Alright losers, we'll meet at Peter's place at 7 then, right?" you said as the three you you walked out of the school's parking lot.

"Yeah definitely. I'm thinking about bringing back my hat. Betty says it compliments my face structure, whatever that means." Ned said, earning a laugh form you. 

"Earth to Peter. You are being uncharacteristically quiet" you said to Peter who was staring into space as you walked.

"Sorry, right. My place at 7." he said, jolting from his daze.

You eyed him, but, before you could question his behavior, you heard a familiar honk and turned around to see Happy waiting for you. 

"I'll see you guys tonight." you said with a wave, and walked toward the car. 

Peter watched the car drive away, and as soon as it disappeared down the road, he turned to Ned. 

"Y/N used to have a crush on me!" he blurted out. 

Ned furrowed his eyebrows. "Okay, and?"

"What do you mea- she used to like me! Like, like me like me" Peter said 

Ned smirked 

"And you're so freaked out about this why?" 

Peter stared at him. "I don't know. It's just weird"

"Or is it because you just found out that the girl you are head over heels for used to have a crush on you?" 

Peter rolled his eyes. 

"I do not have a crush on Y/N, how many times to I have to tell you. And, anyway, I'm not freaked out, it's just weird." 

"Sure Peter." 

~TIME SKIP`

You knocked on the door to Peter's apartment and dusted yourself off, waiting for someone to answer. You were excited to get to the party and relax for the first time this week. You looked down at your outfit for about the millionth time and inspected it. You were wearing a black sheer long sleeve with a solid black stripe around your chest and a pair of distressed light wash skinny jeans and black platform doc martin boots.

You were adjusted the hem of your top when May opened the door and immediately enveloped you in a big hug. 

"Y/N how are you? I feel like I haven't seen you in so long." 

You had actually seen her last week, but you smiled at her comment. 

"I'm good May. Are the boys here?" you asked, walking into the apartment.  

"Yeah they are in Peter's room. Maybe you can help Peter find something to wear, he's more indecisive than I am." she chuckled. 

"I'll see what I can do." you said with a chuckle and walked toward his closed door but stopped when you heard them talking.

"It's obvious that you like her Peter, all you have to do is tell her.” you heard Ned say through the door. 

Peter had a crush on a girl? Why hasn't he told you about it? You didn't really know how to feel about this new information. Peter was your best friend and, sure he had every right to like who he pleases, but you couldn't help but feel a little hurt. You were always the only girl in his life, even when you were younger, and you couldn't imagine Peter with anyone else. I mean, you’re not dating or anything. But, it was not your decision to make, and with that final thought, you pushed your feelings aside and opened the door to reveal Peter standing in the middle of the room in just his boxers.

"Y/N!" he shouted, his face turning beet red. 

"Oh relax Peter, it's not like I've never seen you like this" you said with a playful smirk.

It was true, you were always the one to patch him up after a bad patrol. 

"Anyway, May told me that you couldn't figure out what to wear so I've come to the rescue." you said and walked past him to his closet. 

Peter, for the first time, realized what you were wearing and his face flushed even darker. He took in you sheer top that showed your stomach and back and the skinny jeans that accented your...

"Y/N you look really nice" Ned piped up from the bed, wiggling his eyebrows at his visibly flustered friend. 

"Aw thank you Ned" you said, turning from the closet with an armful of clothes which you handed to Peter who refused to meet your eyes.

 "Okay, put this on" you said to Peter, and walked out of the room to chat with May in the meantime. 

"May, has Peter talked to you about any girls recently?" you said as you walked into the kitchen where she was drying dishes. 

She looked up and gave you a faux look of surprise. 

"No, not recently. Why do you ask?" she said, handing you the plate she was holding. 

She, like Ned, also had her suspicions about the relationship between you and Peter. She’d always noticed the way Peter looks at you and the way his face just lights up whenever she mentions you. She, too, thought the pair of you would make a great couple.

You went to put the plate in it's respective cabinet and shrugged. "I don't know, I was just wondering." 

She smiled at you. "I don't know, I always thought he would end up with you." she said slyly, picking up another dish. 

Your eyes widened, and you were about to answer when Peter appeared in the doorway. He was wearing the simple outfit you had picked for him: dark blue jeans and a black tee shirt. You couldn't help but admire how the shirt accented his abs and his toned arms. 

"You look good Pete." you said and chuckled at the light blush that dusted his cheeks. 

"just one more thing" you said as you walked up to him and reached for his head. He leaned back and looked down at you in confusion. 

"Oh c'mon, don't you trust me? I won't bite." you said, smiling. 

He narrowed his eyes at you playfully, but leaned back toward you and you carded you fingers through his hair, mussing it up. 

You fixed you attention on his hair and you missed the way he closed his eyes and leaned into your relaxing touch. He was also acutely aware of how close you were to him and the intoxicating smell of your perfume. 

"You guys ready?" Ned said suddenly from behind, and you pulled away, ending the moment Peter was relishing. 

You stepped back and admired your work. "What do you think May?" you said without taking your eyes off of him. 

"He's never looked better" she replied teasingly and Peter rolled his eyes as you laughed. 

"Yeah, can we just go already?" he said, faking annoyance and smiled at you. 

"Yeah, let's go!" you said and you grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the door, Ned and May trailing behind you, sharing a knowing glance. 

You led him through the hallway, toward the exit and Peter tried his hardest to ignore the tingling in his hand as it held yours. He didn't want to admit it, but, recently, he couldn't remember what is was about you that reminded him of a sister. It was becoming harder to see you as the little 13 year old he used to know, but he couldn't tell Ned that yet. He didn't want to have to deal with any 'I told you so's right now, so he just relished the feeling of your hand in his and, for the first time this week, began to really look forward to the party. 

[gaamagirl565]

Matters of the heart Ep 1

Matters of the heart

Book 1 Episode 1

Prologue 

{zoom on a hot air balloon floating in the sky then fade to a sleeping ruddiger; he jumps in surprise when varian swings into frame down next to him by a rope}

Varian: *narration as he moves around working on the balloon* It’s been almost a year since I've seen Corona. A year since I left home. 3 years since I was labeled the traitor of Corona. Since then I’ve been traveling the kingdoms. Finding out more about “magic”. I’ve encountered so many amazing things. Things that science would fail to recognize. I’ve seen so many countries. 

{He flips through a book he has filled with creatures and machines he’s encountered}

Varian: *narration as we see cuts of memories of him fighting villains* nothing has been easy. People still try to threaten the kingdoms. But in order to redeem my name I've fought them all with the power of alchemy and the studies of the great lord Demanitus  A small cult following Zahn tiri has recently risen up. I’ve been following their actions for some time. It seems they want to form a new Zahn tiri somehow and hopefully I can stop them before it’s too late for Corona.

{Ruddiger jumps on his shoulder}

Varian: as far as I’m aware Ruddiger, they need a host to hold Zahn tiri’s power,a vessel if you will. Even then I don’t know how they would force the power into the host. And to be honest I don’t want to think about it... 

{sighs and thunks head}

Varian: OW!... *pulls out an invite from Rapunzel* ugh...the winter ball...I know the cult is heading to Corona for the device blueprints. Heaven knows why. but...I would rather deal with Zahn tiri itself than the Corona nobility.

Ruddiger: *chitters*

Varian: WHO ARE YOU CALLING A COWARD!?

Ruddiger: *chitters*

Varian: HEY! Watch your bloody mouth!

Ruddiger: *hisses*

Varian: yes I know it would mean a lot to the queen, and I could see Dad again, and I could catch the cult in action but..I... auuughh! *leans on the balloon basket and sadly stares at the clouds rolling by*

{Begins song “fight for you”} Varian: Every chance get to prove myself I blow it No matter what I do I’m the “traitor”

Wouldn’t you know it? But even if I never get a thank you I’ll still fight for you Why do they still hate me? I need something to sate me From this growing hole inside! They scream for help and oblige Even if I know my hopes for praise are just a lie But no matter what I go through I’ll continue to fight for you. But you know once in a while If for once someone would show me a smile Perhaps a lady with eyes of a lovely hue Someone I could look to And say I’ll fight for you. {End song}

Varian: *tears up but brushes them away before looking at the invitation Ruddiger then jumps on his shoulder* sigh...well Ruddiger I guess we’re going home huh?

Ruddiger: *chitters happily and running around*

{Varian walks over to a rope in the balloon and pulls it}

Varian: Corona...here I come. 

{cut to Corona castle with Rapunzel in the middle of the Ballroom watching it be set up}

Rapunzel:  Looking good everyone! Careful! Don’t fall off that ladder!

Eugene: there’s my beautiful queen!

{Eugene walks over and smooches her} Eugene: That nausea getting better? Rapunzel: *walks over to pick up a box of decorations* nope! But that doesn’t stop me from being queen!

Eugene: *takes the box from her* look Blondie I know you're excited about the winter ball and everything but should you really be up and about like this?

Rapunzel: Eugene, we talked about this.

Eugene: Yeah I know you still have duties as leader yadda yadda, blah blah. But seriously you need to consider your condition. 

Rapunzel: Eugene this baby isn’t coming for a few months I’m sure I can handle it.

Eugene: I'm never going to win against you am I?

Rapunzel: not a chance.

Eugene: so...Did our “special” guest ever reply? 

Rapunzel: no...I don’t even know if he’ll show up... I get that he’s nervous but...I miss my friend…

Eugene: *cups her cheek* He’ll show...I’m sure of it.

Rapunzel: thank you...Eugene…

{Cut to nighttime at the castle and Varian walking into the ballroom dressed in his best clothes but still with goggles he gets glares from many as he hands his invitation over} Announcer: Announcing Friend of the Queen Mr. V- Varian: *whispering* Wait no sto- Announcer: Mr.Varian!

{The room stops talking and some gasp in horror; He facepalms in annoyance before shoulder checking the announcer and walking into the ballroom} Rapunzel: Varian! Varian: My lady queen...*bows* Rapunzel: Varian we’ve been over this. Just Rapunzel!

Eugene: Varian! There’s my old buddy... Really with the goggles dude? Varian: huh? oh...I must’ve forgot...oops… Rapunzel: That’s alright you look dashing! It’s so good to see you! *hugs* and you know there are many lovely ladies here maybe you’ll oh I don’t know...stick around?

Varian: *sees a hooded man in the background and gasps* y-yes...of course, If you’ll excuse me, Your majesty…. Eugene: ...he’s here for work? Rapunzel: oh yeah… Eugene: Double the guards? Rapunzel: Yup. Eugene: on it.

{He tries to make his way across the ballroom comically bumping into people and things before tripping over a woman's dress and breaking a vase of roses} Estelle: {Runs over} are you alright? Varian: {takes fallen rose and presents it} Flowers m’lady? Estelle: {laughs and helps him up} you’re Varian yes? Varian: Seems my reputation precedes me...Traitor of Corona at your service. Estelle: {laughs} What a witty mouth you have sir, I’m Duchess Estelle. I’ve heard many things about you...Perhaps your feet work as well as your tongue? may I have this dance? Varian: uhhh...*sees the villain in the background* ummm...

Estelle: You CAN dance? can you not?

Varian: *looks at Rapunzel whos nodding* Um...uhhh yes? I think?

Estelle: Wonderful! well then shall we?

Varian: *whimpers and nods taking her hand*

{When she's not looking Varian turns back to look at Rapunzel clearly annoyed}

Varian: *makes a throat slit motion and whispers* I'm going to KILL you!

Rapunzel: *snerk*

{Song “Hello” begins} {VARIAN}

Stepping on the ballroom tile Shall we begin? One look at your eyes and I feel the beguile This strange new feeling is quite hard to pin But with the melodic cello guiding me through I might as well listen to the feeling within And say Hello to you {ESTELLE} Your eyes hold such mystery within them tonight And though the rhythm is mellow Our feet do so take flight And even if look away my cheeks are aglow So why not bestow a friendly hello {BOTH} As we both dance here my heart feels so light It’s as if we’re in a starlit meadow No one else in sight And as the music bids our bodies to flow I must say to you hello {VARIAN} More lovely than a rainbow {ESTELLE} Here in the ballrooms glow {BOTH} hello

{Estelle and Varian stare lovingly at each other before leaning in to kiss; Varian looks up and sees Rapunzel excited then looks at Estelle. at first, he looks heartbroken but then he just scowls and pushes her away before walking off leaving her confused and hurt}

Varian: Of course you’d do that...

Rapunzel: V-Varian? Varian: no offense Rapunzel...but I don’t need a matchmaker or pity {runs in the direction of the villain with Estelle following} Estle: Varian!? wait!....I did not mean to offend you… *she gets a determined look and follows {Varian walks into the room housing the device blueprints} Varian: *throws vial at the Villain*

Noremoth: AUGH! Varian: put it down and we won’t have a problem Noremoth: eh? Who? Wait aren’t you that six-year-old running around and warning us “don’t hurt Corona” or some crap like that? Why don’t you run off to mummy...I’m not about to fight a baby… Varian: S-SIX!? YOU THINK I’M SIX!? YOU SIR DOUBT MY CAUSATION OF NIGHTMARES! If I were you I’d be asking for mercy! Noremoth: PFFFFTTT!!! HAHAHAHA! Oh, sweet mother of the 7 kingdoms, that’s funny! Now here’s what’s going to happen...I’m going to walk out with these blueprints...and you’re going to let me… {Varian takes out his sword}

Noremoth: wrong choice! HAHAHA! *grabs him and throws him*

Varian: ugh why do we always have problems?

Noremoth: *goes to swing a sword at him* Varian: *stops it with his own sword*

{They struggle for a few seconds before a vase is smashed on Noremoth’s head} Varian: What the-!? *sees Estelle*

{Noremoth grabs the device blueprints and makes a portal with a wave of his glove and escapes}

Varian: NO!!....

Estelle: What just happened? Varian: They got the blueprints...Why are you here!? What did you think you were doing!? I don’t need some precious pampered duchess helping me! Estelle: well that's debatable. 

Varian: What do you want from me? Following me like a lost puppy. I don’t need your pity! *runs out* Estelle: What Pity!? V-Varian UGHH! *follows* {Cut to Varian running outside in the dead of night} Varian: Their glove portals can only go so far...where are you….* he scans the area outside and sees a glow from the Royal gardens* THERE! {Varian runs for the gardens; Estelle follows him} Estelle: Wait! Is this not a job for the royal guards!? *she trips and falls* AUGH! Blast these shoes! *she throws her heels off and runs after him* {Noremoth meets up with 4 others in the garden.} Noremoth: I got the blueprints for the device...

Cult member 2: Excellent! Let us retreat before- Varian: Before me? *cocky smile* Yeah I don’t think SOO-AHHH!

{Varian falls to the ground as Estelle has tripped onto him}

Estelle: oh i’m sorry! My dress is quite long. Not for running… Cult member 2: is this a joke? Because this is ridiculous Varian: *gets up* the only thing that will be ridiculous is your defeat... *he takes out his sword* Estelle: Eep! *moves out of the way as the fighting starts* {Varian holds his own against all 4. He even kills one leaving only three members now and kicks the body to the side. But one knocks him down. His ponytail comes out and his long hair falls on his shoulders} Varian: AUGH! Estelle: *gasps* ohh what am I doing!?...*looks around and sees the dead cult members sword* ….today is just not my day! {Estelle rips her dress so it’s shorter and grabs the sword; As a cult member prepares to stab Varian from behind Estelle swoops in and deflects the attack*

Varian: What the f-Have you ever fought before!? Estelle: to be honest dear sir no I have not! Varian: OH GREAT!

{ the fighting continues for a few more seconds before Estelle swings the sword cutting off a cult members arm} Cult member 3: AUUUGHH! Estelle: I just cut off a man’s arm! I feel unwell! Varian: Please don’t vomit! {Estelle is punched to the ground by a Noremoth} Estelle: AHH! Varian: Don’t you know it’s rude to hit a lady!? Noremoth:  you’ll pay for what you’ve done to us Varian! We’ll be back! thanks for the blueprints! {They Escape through a portal} Estelle: *moans as she gets up* Varian: Easy! Catch your breath...Are you alright m’lady? Estelle: Yes...some hot brandy and I’ll be right as rain… Varian: *is suddenly angry* I told you I don’t need your pity! You could’ve gotten killed just now! Estelle: And if it weren’t for me you would have been dead! Varian: I was handling it! Do you know what the kingdom would have done had you died!? Oh, that’d be a field day for me! Estelle: You fopdoodle! Your head is bleeding and you call that handling it!? Varian: At least I was actually fighting you were swinging the sword about like it was a tree branch! You dew-beater! Estelle: your tongue may be sharp but this rock it sharper! Hyah! *throws rock and it bounces off his chest and back at her face* OW! Varian: HAHAHA! Estelle: oh bleeding heck...oww..oh yuck it up you…*snerk* you idiot..haha {They both laugh together} Estelle:...I’m sorry that I got your blueprints stolen… Varian: it’s alright...I’ll get them next time...you know normally I dread coming to corona...everyone normally hates to see me...ya know since I'm a “traitor” but...despite everything ...tonight was fun…

{Estelle smiles but Varian frowns and sighs} Varian: well I best be off… Estelle: T-to where? Varian: anywhere but here...sorry...but there is no place for me in Corona...not anymore...Lovely meeting you Duchess Estelle. *bows* {he goes to leave} Estelle...Wait!...we could make a place for you! Varian: huh? Estelle: Corona may feel small but it doesn’t have too! There is always a place for someone! No matter their past! I know you may not believe me, Matters of the heart such as friendship, love and regret are hard to understand but...If I may...Perhaps I could help you!..

Varian: You...want to be a friend of mine? Estelle: If you’d stay!...please dear sir? I’d hate you see you go all alone. Varian…..*grins* alright...I haven’t seen my old lab in a while...why not? Estelle: we have an accord then sir? *holds out hand* Varian:....deal… {they shake hands}

{begin the flashes of them together through the years}

{flash one}

{Estelle sits with him in his lab as he prepares to combine chemicals}

Estelle: is this a good idea?

Varian: I don't know but alchemy is always an-

{it explodes in his face making Estelle jump and fall off her chair}

Varian:...adventure...

Estelle: Oh my God are you okay!? {laughing}

{end flash one begin flash two}

{Estelle walks in with a fake sword in her gut} Estelle: Varian...I...Please...hel...p..me Varian: ESTELLE! Oh my lor- *gags at blood* oh lord the blood...S-stay with me Estelle..You’re gonna live! You-

Estelle: *laughs* got you! *holds up fake sword while Varian has an ‘are you serious?’ face*

{end flash two begin flash three}

{Estelle is reading a book but sets it down}

Estelle: Varian do you Believe in love?

Varian: Oh! Umm..well Scientifically as an emotion yes! There are many examples of love, platonic, familial, romant-!?

{Estelle kisses him and then they stare at each other}

Varian: Feel anything?

Estelle: Nope!

Varian: Good me neither! 

{end flash three begin flash four} {Varian hands her a box} Varian: it’s a gift… Estelle: a gift? For moi? Varian: you bet… {Estelle pulls out a lovely peasant dress and gasps Varian: it’s not much but I figured it would make you look less out of place when in Old Corona...Sorry i know it’s not the silk you’re used to but- Estelle: Varian it’s perfect! Varian: Really!? Estelle: are you serious!? No crinoline, no tight corset, soft cotton!? It’s perfect! {she jumps on him in a hug} Estelle: oh! Um… right...sorry.. Varian: heh...yeah...it’s..all good… {fourth flash ends; fifth begins}

{Estelle is told she is to marry the duke in front of a crowd. She looks distraught}

Varian: {gets a determined look and he runs to his lab; shows him working on something}

{estelle gets a note telling her to meet him at the orchard; when she arrives jars with fireflies hang from the branches and Varian sits by a picnic blanket}

Estelle: Varian what is th-?

Varian: Estelle...you are a strong, beautiful, intelligent woman that any man would be lucky to have. I know you're scared but I want you to know you don’t have to be. I’ll be here for you. Forever and always… *gets on one knee* I know you have to marry this duke but...I hope  if you could have me....Would you marry me? *opens the box to reveal an opal necklace*

Estelle: *crying happily* Yes!... Yes, I will! 

{they kiss and then it cuts to Estelle marrying the duke in a grand ceremony. Cut to Estelle and Varian at night in front of the lake wearing simple clothes. Varian puts the opal on her neck and she gives him a sunstone necklace. They then kiss and Ruddiger on a branch above them drops flower petals on them}

Estelle: Ah! Haha! Varian: Ruddiger!...

{cut to later in the year at night and the streets of Old Corona are lit and a band is playing with people dancing in the street; Varian dances happily with Estelle and they’re happily laughing; Estelle trips on her feet but Varian catches her and holds her} Estelle:....I love you… Varian: *visibly surprised but then softly smiles*....I love you too...

{cut to Estelle looking nervous standing in Varians arms with Varian clearly upset and holding Estelle close}

Varian: any normal couple would be happy...but we aren’t normal...are we?

Estelle: *crying* I’m afraid not.

Varian: you’re of noble blood…a noble house…I’m the traitor of Corona. Estelle, our child deserves so much more than me. *strokes her cheek*

Estelle: Varian! You are the man I love...But I understand...Please forgive me for this...

Varian: there is nothing to forgive...I’ll always be here...You know that don’t you?

Estelle: *sobs* Yes of course I do...and I will always love you...forever. 

Varian: *bends down to her stomach* I love you too...both of you...I don’t even know them and yet I love them...

Estelle: our baby….

Varian:…hey there...you be good for your mother okay? You may not know who I am in life but...I will know who you are. You’re my kid...and I will always be there for you. I’ll always protect and love you...even from afar. I promise. 

Estelle:…I love you…I always will. goodbye…Varian…

{she leaves crying as Varian collapses to his knees; Cuts to Varian sadly standing out in the snow watching the sunrise}

Eugene: Hey, there he is! man of the hour!”

Varian: huh? Oh, My king welcome to old Corona.. what do you mean ‘Man of the hour’?”

Eugene: aw come on Ver’…The duchess Estelle..she had her little bundle of joy last night.”

Varian: What!?… Is she okay!? how is she!? and the Baby!?

Eugene: whoa easy there! don’t blow a gasket! she’s fine and the little guy is pretty cute too!”

Varian: wait…little..guy? it’s..It’s a boy?”

Eugene: yup all snip and snails and puppy dog tails..

{Varian cries a bit}

Eugene: we getting emotional daddy-o?

Varian: h-how do you know?

Eugene: blondie told me months ago. after you uh…broke it off with the Duchess..

Varian: It was to protect her reputation…plus she’s married…

Eugene: Yeah, I know…she named the kid Isaiah…kinda old-timey..

Varian: better than Eugene.”

Eugene: ah-…touche…oh but kid…Congrats…

{Cut to baby Isaiah sleeping in his crib}

Varian: Yeah...thanks.. {END CREDITS}