#the sooner we awake the sooner we will realize our situation and be ready

[sergioguymanproust]

We are told since we have our basic vocabulary down path and can communicate clearly our thoughts to never trust our eyes, for what we see often isn’t real ,here’s a great example of this situation.We are told that most phenomena can be easily explained as a hoax ,remember Roswell , the military told us that those crashed saucers were just high altitude weather balloons and those pieces collected were just aluminum material coated ,well,you get my point. Lies and more lies about our reality.What we were not told in our prehistory and history text books is that we were not the only animals with intelligence inhabiting it. Nope! That we occupy a limited space and time while other species take a good chunk of our unseen reality for themselves and that they were never friendly toward us hybrid human animals. Nope!Everything that was true was true was relegated to fantasy,fiction,fairy tales,well, to basically one word mythology,yes,are you listening mythology! …And we believed it! We swallowed the whole disgusting and unpalatable lie because every bastion of knowledge such as the Holy Church,our corrupted to the core government, and philosophers and scholars claim that it was the truth! But there was only so much space under the rug to shove these lies until the smell and putrefaction on a hot summer day burst into a cataclysmic explosion and the truth saw the light of day.Here’s another great example of how our beloved government has kept the lid on cryptids and extraterrestrial beings,first they have existed among us for millennia but the disinformation campaign goes on till this very moment! Extraterrestrial beings keep on landing in our backyard as they have done it even before we were planted here ,well seeded is the correct word. From the very beginning when this planet had cooled down enough for them to land and colonize this planet ! Yes,our government has know that from the very beginning,because and here’s the kicker they were told by them ,yes our so called galactic brothers and sisters. Who do you think created the megalithic civilization that we now see remnants of a superior race who brought antigravity and the technology to melt rocks into solid blocks weighing several thousand tons. Who had detonated nuclear bombs and weapons sophisticated enough to turn into smithereens the architecture in the high Andes.Not us of course. Well, if you choose to disbelieve any of these things,you are free not to but what’s coming will turn your innards into butter to put it mildly. Millions of us know ,I repeat ,know these truths,and they can no longer be denied. So, never mind the government goons like the men in black , or children with the black eyes,the greys, or Bigfoot,well better known as Sasquatch they are all real ,it is us that have been lobotomized to behave and be shocked by their existence. We live in a very narrow band of this reality ,a sliver of light ,like infants in a pen who still goo- goo and ga-ga and defecate in our diapers and continue to be fed and raised to believe in the lie of our creators. But enough of this reality,enough of secrets that you must be slowly be finding ,you need to awake now.More to come in future blogs.Words by Sergio GuymanProust.

9:57

[kiris-wife]

busted | ao'nung + sully brothers

summary: ao'nung and sully!reader have been in a secret relationship for a while, sneaking out late at night to see each other. when her siblings start to suspect something is going on between them, they put their sister in a little embarrassing situation. see the request here!

genre(s): humor ig, a lil bit of fluff

warnings: just siblings being nosy as always :p protective big bro teyam, lo'ak is really goofy in this, also reader is his twin bc why not

when you first met ao'nung, you hated him. he was constantly bothering you and your siblings and getting you into trouble. but as the months passed, the metkayina was slowly becoming more and more tolerable; wich eventually led to you becoming friends, and later on, something more.

exchanging meaningful looks that only you and him seemed to notice, smiles between conversations and slight touches in front of your friends soon became something common between the two teenagers. but of course people were gonna find out sooner or later.

the first one to notice was you older brother, neteyam. at first the boy thought he was just imagining things — there was no way his baby sister was getting involved with him, out of all people. even if ao'nung has changed his manners towards your family, the omaticaya couldn't seem to let the grudge go.

then, lo'ak used to wake up in the middle of the night to you silently sneaking away to eywa-knows-where and staying until dawn, returning before your parents woke up. he didn't care at first, but when your escapades became more and more frequent, he knew something was up.

"shes gotta be with him, bro. there's no way this is a coincidence! we have to do something." your twin has been annoying neteyam all morning with this since he mentioned that you and ao'nung seemed closer than normal, remembering lo'ak of your outings in the dead of night. soon they realized: their sister was in a relationship.

"what do you me want to do? this is none of our business, lo'ak. she'll tell us when she's ready."

"come on. stop pretending you're not dying to know if they're really dating!" he smiled mid sentence. the thought of you getting a partner before him and neteyam was really funny to lo'ak. "i can see it in your eyes! you're jealous!"

"fine. we'll follow her next time to see if she's really meeting him. and for the record, i'm not jealous. just worried."

and then, they waited. lo'ak kept himself awake until late at night, pretending to be asleep, to see if you were going to leave — he was really invested in this. but for a few days, you stayed in the family's house. it was almost like you were suspecting them. but of course your brothers weren't going to give up so easily: lo’ak was always so nosy when it came to your personal life, and even though neteyam wouldn't admit, he really wanted to know if you really were dating, maybe even more than your twin.

but one night, it happened. trying to be as quiet as possible, you get up and direct yourself to the entrance, sneaking out without anyone noticing — at least that's what you thought. but as soon as you closed the marui, lo'ak quickly sat down and woke up the older boy.

"bro. wake up. wake up! she's leaving." he said violently shaking neteyam, not even worrying with the volume of his voice.

"what the- be quiet! you will end up getting us all into trouble."

"sorry. let's follow her before she goes too far, let's go!"

meanwhile, you made your way to the rocks near the sea, your boyfriend already waiting for you; he always got out of home first so he didn't have to make you wait. arriving earlier than you expected, you couldn't shake this terrible feeling that you were being watched, making you walk faster than you normally do. the taller one noticed the change in your movements from far away and the worried expression on your face, pulling you closer to him once you got where he was.

ao'nung gave a gentle kiss on your lips before asking: "is everything ok, my love? you look bothered.”

you felt you heart melt with the nickname — he always knew how to make you flustered without even trying. that's what you loved the most about your boyfriend: he was always so caring and sweet with you, completely destroying the view you had from him months ago. hiding your face in the crook of his neck, you shake you head in response. there was no need to worry him with this, after all, you must've been imagining things. "are you sure? you seem pretty tense."

"i just have this odd feeling that i'm being watched. but it's nothing, really. my mind must be playing tricks on me."

he looked around for a moment before turning his attention back to you. "it must be. let's sit down?"

...

“they just kissed! gross!” lo’ak said in a whisper. “imagine when dad finds out! he's gonna throw a tantrum. his precious little girl is finally dating!”

“shut up, skxawng. they're going to hear us. we need to get closer, i can barely see or hear anything.”

“oh? what did you say a few days ago again? ‘she's going to tell us when she's ready! what do you want me to do?’ you're such a bad liar, brother.”

giving lo’ak a playful smack on the shoulder, neteyam got a few steps closer to you, being careful to not be seen.

laying your head on his lap while he gently caressed your hair, you were telling ao’nung everything about the forest and how you used to love ikran racing, going out with your sisters to collect different plants and fruits, climbing trees and and how beautiful the hallelujah montains were. but there was something your brothers couldn't see — the way he looked at you. like you were the most beautiful na’vi in pandora; ao’nung was absolutely smitten with you, from the way you talked to the way you smiled. he surely was in love, his softer side reserved only for you.

he leaned in closer to your face to give you a peck on the lips. but a peck turned into two, and two turned into three. soon, you were passionately kissing under the moonlight, butterflies taking over your stomach.

“ew. should we confront them? this is getting awkward. they're eating each other's faces.”

abruptly getting up, your older brother made his way to you without thinking twice. lo’ak far behind him, trying to contain the laughter that was begging to be let out. there was no way in hell he would let you forget this moment.

“hey! what do you think you're doing with my sister, fish lips?”

oh eywa.

“neteyam? lo’ak- what are you doing here?” you couldn't believe your eyes; did your brothers seriously follow you all this way here just to spy on you? “i can't believe this. i'm going to murder you! for how long have you been here?”

“long enough to know there's something between you and fish lips! and you didn't even tell us, y/n… i thought we told each other everything. i'm hurt!” now lo’ak was just making fun of you. feeling your cheeks heat up you gave ao’nung a quick “im sorry” glance, wich he responded with an awkward smile.

“hey, pretty boy. i was talking to you. what are your intentions with her?”

“neteyam. no. you're not doing this right now! leave!”

everything was a chaos. you couldn't contain your frustration anymore, your brother asking a million questions to ao’nung while you tried to make him stop, lo’aks laugher echoing in the back of your mind. “stop! stop, all of you!”

the raise of your voice was unexpected, the boys getting quiet all at once. “you two. come with me. we're going home before we wake up the whole village. or even worse: our parents notice our absence. wait for me right there.” you said pointing to the place they were before.

“you don't-"

“neteyam. now. you don't want us to get in trouble, do you?” he grumbled something you didn't quite catch and left, pulling a very entertained lo’ak by the arm.

you lowered your voice just in case they could hear you. “baby… i'm sorry about them. eywa, i can't decide if i want to kill myself or those two!”

“it's fine. your family was always a little crazy. i guess you took after them.”

“what? i'm the most normal one there!” you laughed. at least he wasn't mad about this. giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, you left. “i’ll see you when the sun rises i guess.”

“see you later.”

now your attention was aimed towards the two idiots that you called your brothers. getting closer to them with each step you took, your anger only got bigger. “what is wrong with you guys? spying on me, embarrassing me in front of my boyfriend, sneaking out! if dad finds out we're dead! all of us!”

“so you admit that he is your boyfriend!” you gave lo’ak a flick on the head. “skxawng. i could kill you both right now!”

the walk back home was silent for the most part — you were fuming with anger. only when you were getting closer to home, neteyam broke the ice:

“i don't like him.”

“good thing i'm the one dating him, not you.”

silence again.

“guys.” you turned your head to lo’ak. “i'm y/n’s twin. do you think he's attracted to me too? since we have the same face and all.” you wanted to smack away the mischievous smile on his face.

“that's gross. please don't ever say this again!” now you couldn't help but laugh. how could he be such an idiot?

of course you couldn't be mad at them forever — they might be nosy and annoying, but you were still family. and the sullys always stick together.

authors note: ok so this is not ao'nung centered at all oops! i don't know if i managed to do exactly what the anon asked but i swear i tried my best with this one... also him and lo'ak are a pain in the ass to write.

likes + reblogs are appreciated ♡

[ignitedbynatsu]

He Makes You Feel Insecure ~ Sting

A/N: Final-fucking-ly. excuse my language. You have no idea how long I’ve been playing with this idea in my head and just not being able to write it out. It was horrible. I hope you like it! I’ll try to post some more stuff the upcoming week but I can’t promise anything since everything is a bit overwhelming lately. Thank you for all the love and support! Don’t hesitate to drop me a request as well or just come and say hi 🥰

Warnings: insecurities (he makes you feel like you’re overdramatic), swearing, wounds

Genre: angst to fluff

Other versions:

Gray ~ Laxus ~ Cobra/Erik ~ Bickslow ~ Gajeel ~ Natsu ~ Jellal ~ Freed ~ Rogue

☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀

"Is that really all you got, Yukino" you taunted the girl as a smug look was plastered on your face. The celestial mage was panting heavily in front of you. She had come to you a couple of weeks ago to learn how to wield a sword since she felt useless in a battle when she didn't have her keys. You happily agreed to it, seeing it as an opportunity to train more.

She charged at you, holding the diamond sword you made earlier diagonally in front of her face, ready to strike but at the same ready to block any attack that comes her way, just like you taught her.

You swiftly moved away, spinning on your feet in the progress as you slowly formed diamond armour around your body. You wanted to practise closer combat without your sword, which is why you were so focused on your defence. You knew you wouldn't always be able to rely on your sword skills, so this was the perfect moment to practice. 

Nobody doubted for a second the fact that you were an excellent swordswoman,it was the exact reason why Yukino came to you in the first place. But you could get overconfident, resulting in you slacking your moves and getting careless, and that's exactly what happened

Your back was still facing the celestial mage as you took your time, presuming she wouldn't be able to recover that quickly after you swept her feet from underneath her. But you were wrong, resulting in Yukino getting a direct hit on you. Unbeknownst to her, she hit you in your blind spot which was right in between shoulder blades. It was the spot where your armour was the weakest.

You fell forward, immediately forming a dome made out of diamond around you in an attempt to shield you from any following attempts.

 Yukino gasped at your reaction, knowing you only made that move when you were hurt badly "(Y/N)! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

You let the shield crumble down again, making you visible to your friend. Placing a knee on the ground and pushing yourself up, you winced at the burning sensation. "It's fine, I was careless. It's not your fault"

Your reassuring words didn't ease the worry that was swimming through Yukino's mind "I'll go get some stuff to clean it up"

"No, it's fine, I'll go get it myself in a bit." You stopped the girl from running away as you stood up straight in an attempt to show her you were fine "you are progressing really fast"

"It's all thanks to you. Are you sure you don't need me to check up on your wound?" She offered again.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. Maybe I'll try roping Sting into pampering me. That way he'd at least has done something useful today" you attempted to joke to make the younger mage feel better, and it was a success as a small chuckled left her lips. "Let's go back shall we"

Once back, the stinging sensation had still not died down. In fact, it only got worse.

"Sting" you whined as you leaned your head against your boyfriend's shoulder.

He chuckled at your childishness as he turned to look at you "yes, my love?"

"I got badly hurt during training with Yukino" you pouted "can you take a look at it?"

A chuckle left his lips once again "sure drama queen, where is it?"

"I'm not being a drama queen" you stepped away from him, the pout was still evident on your face but this time it was paired with your scrunched eyebrows.

"Of course you're not" sarcasm dripping from the words that just left his mouth.

"What do mean by that?" Your lips were now tightly pressed together, forming a straight line. You were now standing directly in front of him with your arms crossed in front of your chest.

"Remember that time you thought Rogue got kidnapped while he just overslept?" Sting explained, but you were quick to defend yourself "in my defence, Rogue had never once overslept."

"Fine, what about that time I twisted my ankle and thought I had broken it for sure" the crease between your eyebrows deepened as he kept listing situations "or that time you thought some guy was harassing Minerva while they were just out on a date?"

"I was just worried" you mumbled as you recalled more encounters where you were indeed overdramatic.

  "All I'm saying is, you tend to enlarge things. That's why I'm pretty sure that it's only a scratch, after all, Yukino just learned how to handle a sword. There's no way she could've hit you, the best swordswoman of our guild, that hard. But if you want I could still look at the wittle wound" he cooed at you, unknowingly worsening your mood.

"No. It's fine. I'm probably just being overdramatic again" the coldness that was latched to your words, send shivers down the guild master's spine, but before he could even muster an apology, you had turned on your heels and left to go home.

That night when Sting came home, he apologized and told you he didn't mean to make you feel that way. However, his words felt shallow, leaving nothing but an empty promise to be better.

The following days, the burning sensation only got worse, but you kept telling yourself that it was nothing. It was probably only a scratch just like Sting said.

Ignoring the pain, you kept going on about your days like normal. You kept making mental notes to not get swallowed by the worry for your guildmates and blow everything out of proportion. You absolutely did not want to be known as the girl who cried wolf.

Nobody seemed to notice, at least, so you thought. The boy in the shadows that liked observing more than talking to people noticed every small change from the moment Sting called you overdramatic.

It's why he wasn't surprised when Sting called him one morning, panic coated every word he spoke "Rogue! (Y/N) isn't waking up! I don't know what happened! Shit! Rogue! Help! What do I do?"

"Get her to the hospital as soon as possible, I'll meet you there" he replied in a much calmer voice. He knew he'd make matters only worse if he'd let his own worry shine through.

Sting had successfully brought you to the hospital in under ten minutes, Rogue shortly arrived after you two.

"I don't know what happened... She seemed fine yesterday…" Sting trailed off as the twin dragon slayers were seated next to your hospital bed.

"Did she really though?" Rogue sighed which earned him a questioning look from the blonde " (Y/N) hasn't been herself for almost a week"

"What do you mean? She seems perfectly normal to me?" Sting's gaze averted from his friend to you as he tried to recall any odd behaviour, but nothing came to mind.

A heavy sigh left the raven-haired mage again "ever since you called her overdramatic, she's been acting more distant, being less expressive. I think you hit a nerve when you said those words"

Sting was quick to defend himself "it can't be that. I apologized that night, and she told me it was nothing, that she didn't care"

"Whatever you say" he mumbled as he noticed your hand twitching.

Sting quickly grasped that same hand and waited patiently for you to open yours, while anticipation filled his. "I'll go get a doctor"

Rogue re-entered with a doctor sooner after, once you were fully awake " Ah, miss (L/N) good to see you awake"

You nodded your head awkwardly before she continued "you had a nasty looking cut between your shoulder blades, were you aware of that?"

"Yes," you mumbled as you fiddled with your finger, afraid to make eye contact with anyone.

The doctor sighed as she put the clipboard down "there was an infection spreading from that wound due to pieces of diamond stuck in it. Had you waited any longer, you would have died. Why didn't you come sooner"

You felt incredibly small as all eyes were looking at you, waiting for you to respond "I didn't think it was that bad. I didn't want to seem overdramatic"

As soon as the last word rolled off your tongue, Sting's eyes grew wide in realization. Rogue was right. "We'll give you a moment"

"(Y/N)" you refused to meet his eyes, even when he grabbed your hand to stop you from fiddling, so he tried again but with a more stern tone this time "(Y/N) look at me"

You did as he requested and wished you could sink into the darkness as Rogue could right there and then. The hurt and disappointment that were swimming in his eyes made your gut wrench as you never intended to upset him "why didn't you say anything?"

"You said that I was being a drama queen and that there was probably nothing to be worried about, so I assumed that it was just that, me being my overdramatic self" you explained, your eyes averting again to your fingers that were now intertwined with Sting.

"I thought I told you I didn't mean that" he frowned at the fact that you didn't even dare to look at him.

"But you were right!" You explained fed up as frustration tears started to form in the corner of your eyes "I am overdramatic. I blow everything out of proportion. I am just a burden that brings unnecessary stress into everyone's lives"

"Okay stop that. First of all, you are not a burden, nobody thinks that so stop it. Second of all, I am really really sorry that I made you doubt yourself. You're not overdramatic, well maybe a little, but it's not a bad thing. It shows how much you care about all of us. I'd rather have you blow things out of proportion than minimalize it and have bad things happen like this" he explained.

"You really think so?" You ask, your watery eyes finally meeting his.

"I know so. I am so sorry for making you feel so insecure about yourself. That was never my intention, please forgive me" he pleaded.

"I forgive you, I'm sorry for not saying anything sooner about the wound" you reply as you kissed his hand.

"It's alright. Now get some rest, my love. I'll be here when you wake up"

[tarlos-spain]

You smell like love

@tarlosweeklyprompts you are giving me so much inspiration for this story. Did I tell you this omegaverse wouldn't exist without you?

Well here it is the next chapter, related to the prompt: (TK Whump) Dialogue Prompt: "I swear if you die on me tonight, I'll find a way to bring you back and kill you again for breaking my heart."

It also goes with a square of my July Break Bingo: Shoved from a moving vehicle/Pushed Down a flight of stairs/Falling

Title: You smell like love

Pairing: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand

Chapter 04

TK woke up with a smile as he noticed Carlos' hand, wrapped around him and caressing his belly, he turned around and realized that Carlos was fully awake and looking at him. He kissed his shoulder and rested his whole hand on his belly, widening the smile already on his lips.

"I think it’ll still be a couple of months before the baby makes its presence felt."

"I know, I know, but I like to imagine I can feel it already. What do you think it will be, a boy or a girl?"

TK curled his naked body against Carlos'. "I don't know, I've always imagined one more little Strand in the family, a boy, I know it would make my father very happy. But I've heard your mother talk, she'd be thrilled with a girl."

"Yes, Andrea Reyes is tired of boys. My sisters have already given her three grandsons. She can't wait to have a girl to play with, to buy her every dress imaginable."

Carlos kissed TK on the forehead and stroked his back, hearing him sigh. "When do you think it will be time to tell everyone the good news?" TK tensed a little. "Tiger, my love, what's wrong? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything’s fine, it's just... I'd rather wait until the baby is well formed and out of danger. You know what the doctor said yesterday, with my heart situation and... Well, you know, anything can happen until the fourth month. I'd rather wait, but if you want us to tell them sooner..."

"No, no, Ty, don't worry. We'll tell them you're ready but we’d better do it before your belly shows or our parents will kill us for hiding something like that."

TK smiled and lay there for a moment. Since he had woken up as an omega, the smell of Carlos he felt had changed, it was more intense, more appealing, it relaxed and calmed him and, somehow, though the baby was still nothing more than a tiny fetus inside him, he also felt that it calmed down.

"For now, I have to get ready to go to work," TK said, sitting up, but he couldn't go anywhere because Carlos knelt on the bed and wrapped both arms around his body.

"Haven't you thought about taking a day off after getting so much news yesterday? Now that you're getting used to being an omega, maybe you should take a couple of days to take it easy."

"I'm fine, really. I don't feel much different than I did yesterday, unless we take into account that every second I'm around I'd lay on top of you to kiss you and beg you to fuck me all day."

"That I can do, you just have to ask."

Carlos spread his hands over TK's body, trying to touch every part of his anatomy and, as was already becoming a little habit between them, he bit his shoulder with a little more force, as if he had to mark him every day so that every alpha who was near TK would know he was his.

TK moaned and shuddered. "Carlos, babe. I have to get ready for work."

"I know, but it's early. Plus, remember what the doctor said, you have to eat right, and no skipping any meals during the day. So we have about fifteen more minutes in bed, then I'll fix you a nice breakfast. Tea or coffee? Have you started to feel any nausea or cravings? Anything weird?"

TK rolled over and kissed him. "Have I told you yet how much I love you? You're going to be an amazing father, but let's hold off until we feel the first kicks. But I have to change your plans; after what we did tonight, I have to take a shower to get clean...you know what I mean. I don't want to attract the attention of too many alphas, let alone Judd or my own father."

"OK, you take a shower but then you’ll eat whatever I fix you."

"OK, after all you are my alpha and I am your omega, right? You take care of me."

"Exactly, I take care of you."

Keep reading on AO3

[dreamwritesimagines]

Twisted [Spencer Reid x Reader]

A.N.: So, here we go! 😁 Thank you so much for your wonderful support and lovely messages during my break my loves, they mean so much to me and ily! ❤ On my break, I binged a lot of shows, and Criminal Minds and Prodigal Son were two of them, but if you haven’t watched them don’t worry because it will not be following a specific canon plot😁❤Please let me know what you think and enjoy!❤

Warnings: Murder, drug use, serial killers, violence, manipulation

Summary: No one can choose their family.

If it were another time, you could’ve at least attempted to convince yourself how everyone had problematic childhoods. Focusing on something else usually worked, per the advices of countless psychiatrists your mother had forced you to go after the-

Incident.

Just the thought of it was more than enough to make your blood freeze in your veins, but you were soon snapped out of your thoughts when your phone started ringing. You checked the caller I.D, and heaved a sigh before you touched the screen.

“Hello?”

“Please tell me you’re not going there.” Your mother’s voice filled the car and you pressed your lips together.

“Hi mom.”

“Every time you go there and visit that man in that wretched prison cell of his, he manages to get into your head!”

“That’s not what’s going to happen,” you said, keeping your eyes on the road, “You have no reason to worry.”

“I have every reason to worry!” she snapped, “We promised that we wouldn’t let him worm his way into our lives.”

“Yeah well, FBI begs to differ,” you forced yourself to say, “You’ve seen the news—“

“I don’t want to hear this,” she cut you off, then heaved a sigh, “It’s terrible enough to hear it once, let alone twice.”

You never really had the luxury of ignoring all the terrible things on the news, especially after what had happened. Ever since you were a child, the nightmares wouldn’t leave you alone, and you weren’t as good as your mother at ignoring what was happening while you were awake.

“You could’ve said no.”

“I really couldn’t,” you mumbled and she clicked her tongue.

“Well then,” she said, trying to pull herself together, “I expect to see you at brunch, even your sister is coming. It won’t take long, will it?”

“It won’t take long to see my serial killer father and find out whether he is helping another serial killer even if he’s been behind bars for years?” you asked, “No mom. It shouldn’t take long.”

“Sarcasm will give you wrinkles.”

“Oh yeah, tragedy.”

“Call me as soon as you leave there,” she insisted, making you smile. “Promise me.”

“I promise,” you said as you pulled over in front of the building. Even the sight of it was enough to make your stomach flip and you felt the bile climbing up your throat.

You did not want to see him.

You had managed not to see him for years now, but now, the news were full of different coverage about a killer whose method of killing was very similar to him.

A flower left in the crime scene, every damn time.

Naturally, FBI wanted a word with the original killer. Less naturally, the original killer refused to speak unless he talked to his younger daughter, who happened to be you.

Unfortunately.

Yet, the sooner you walked in, the sooner you would walk out, and that was the only thing that offered any kind of consolation.

“God damn it,” you mumbled to yourself as you left your car, and made your way into the building. They patted you down, made you go through the x-ray and sign the papers before you entered the hall.

There were two men that weren’t in official prison guard clothes, which made you think these were the FBI agents you had talked to on the phone. For some reason, you hadn’t pictured them like this, but you didn’t know any agents so maybe this was the norm.

If it were any other time, you could’ve noticed how handsome they both were, but your mind was way too occupied.

“Ma’am,” the dark haired one stepped closer to you, “I’m Special Agent Luke Alvez, this is Dr. Spencer Reid.”

Even if Agent Alvez looked like the ideal FBI agent that was pulled out of an action movie, Dr. Reid looked more like a young, handsome professor, the ones that you dreamed would be at your university when you were still at high school.

Needless to say, that fantasy hadn’t come true much to your disappointment.

You shook your head, trying to focus.

“Y/N, it’s nice to meet you.” You shook hands with him, and smiled at Dr Reid, “Hello.”

“Thank you for coming.” His smile was soft, much like his gaze, “I imagine it’s not easy for you.”

You forced yourself to shrug, “Yeah it’s…” you trailed off and cleared your throat, “It’s fine.”

“So far we have seen five murders all over the country, in different areas but the crime scene has your father’s signature. It most likely means there are multiple copycat killers, and given your father’s past, he might be the mastermind behind it. He contacted us, but refuses to say anything unless he spoke to you.”

The goosebumps rising on your arms felt almost familiar.

“I haven’t been educated in any interrogation techniques.” You said, “And knowing him, he’s not just going to give that information to me.”

“People give information about a lot of things even when they don’t realize it.” Dr Reid said, “We will be outside, watching and listening.”

“I’ll talk to the guards to see if he’s ready, excuse me.” Alvez said and he walked away while you nibbled on your lip.

“How does a serial killer have this many privileges?” Reid asked you, “He has a private cell, books, TV…”

“Money,” you said slowly, “Money buys lawyers, lawyers buy freedom. Or the closest thing to freedom, given the circumstances. If you ask me, he should’ve been rotting in a hole but...” you trailed off, leaning back to the wall and took a deep breath, counting in your head.

“That’s a good exercise to calm down,” Reid said and your head shot up.

“What?”

“The 4 7 8 breathing exercise. I’m guessing a psychiatrist taught you that.”

“Several psychiatrists taught me that,” you stated, raising your brows, “You’re observant aren’t you professor?”

“Doctor.”

You clenched an unclenched your fists, your eyes darting around the hall,

“This is not helping,” you said as you exhaled a breath, “I need a cigarette, or twenty.”

“What do you do?” his question was so out of nowhere that you gawked at him for a moment.

“What?”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a— I’m a wedding planner.”

He tilted his head, “What’s that?”

“Well you…you know, you help the couples with color palettes, decoration, overall aesthetic, and during the wedding you make sure nothing goes wrong with the venue and the food and the music, all that. You make sure the wedding is perfect, basically.”

He hmmed, “How do I tell if a wedding is perfect? If we were talking sense wise?”

“Well first of all, in terms of looks, the colors need to complement each other,” you said, remembering your favorite events, “When you walk in, you see the garden and it’s well lit, but not too bright. In terms of touch, I guess you would make sure the table covers and such are soft to touch. The music should be slow at first, at least until it starts.”

“How about smell?”

“You can’t really go wrong with faint flower scents. Scented candles are a nice touch too.”

“The food?”

“Something light, most of the time. No one wants to get into a food coma at a wedding and you—“ you stopped as your eyes snapped up to his, a small smile playing at his lips.

He was making you list all the things that would ground you without making you realize you were doing it, so that you wouldn’t lose yourself in panic. It was yet another trick your psychiatrists had told you to do whenever you felt overwhelmed, talking about what you could see, hear, smell, touch and taste. By making you focus on a pleasant memory and remember all those, he was offering you a safe place in your own mind.

But contrary to any doctor, he didn’t make it obvious.

“Well played, professor.”

This time, he didn’t correct you,

“Grounding works most of the time,” he stated as Agent Alvez approached you, “I know this situation is less than ideal, but we will be right outside. You can walk out any time you want.”

“They’re ready.” Agent Alvez said and you nodded, trying to ignore the way your heart was slamming against your chest, then followed them to the door. Alvez opened the door for you, and you stepped inside, digging your fingernails into your palm.

His hair had more grays since you had last seen him, and his beard was longer, but that dangerous light in his eyes hadn’t changed. He looked up, a wide smile appearing on his face as his eyes searched yours.

“Sweetheart!” he said cheerfully, raising his hands a little so that you could see the chains attached to his handcuffs, “It’s been a while, wouldn’t you say?”

Pretending to be calm was something you had practiced so many times that your body knew automatically what to do. The door closed behind you and you swallowed thickly, making sure your face didn’t show any feelings. You slowly approached the table to pull yourself a chair, then put your phone on the table and started the countdown.

He wanted five minutes, and you would be damned if you stayed there a second longer.

“You look so much like your mother,” your father shook his head, “It’s uncanny, really.”

You gritted your teeth, still glaring at him.

“Not your eyes though,” he smiled, “You got your eyes from me. The window to the soul, hm?”

“My soul has nothing to do with you.” The words left your lips before you could stop them and he tut tutted.

“My petal-“

“Don’t call me that,” you cut him off, “I hate that nickname.”

That didn’t seem to break his enthusiasm though, much to your displeasure.

“Well, we should catch up,” he said , clapping his hands together, “Are you still with that young man from last year? He’d better be treating you well.”

You blinked a couple of times, “How did you-?”

“I have my sources too.”

“Your sources are slow then.” You stated, “We broke up months ago. Is that all? You brought me here to just talk about my personal life?”

“Why did you break up?”

“Are you really behind all these murders happening right now?” you asked back and he shot you a reprimanding look.

“None of that right now, petal. Business and family shouldn’t be merged, as you know.”

You felt like you would throw up, but managed to hold it together and stole a look at the countdown.

“Why did you break up?”

“Certain differences,” you said, cracking your fingers to distract yourself, and he leaned back.

“I get that,” he said, “If you’re different, you’re different. I always felt that with your mother—“

“Stop that.” You spat out, “Anything I do, including my relationships, it has nothing to do with you. I’m nothing like you.”

“Oh but you are,” he said, “It’s all in your eyes. In that deadly glare of yours. It’s there, isn’t it? That anger? Try to hide it as much as you want, it’s still burning you.”  

“There’s nothing burning me,” you said, “You’re fucked up, doesn’t mean I am too.”

“You know, there are many scientists that say murder is in the genes,” he stated, “So it would mean you’re contaminated too, no?”

The panic was pounding through your system, but you managed to keep your expression stable.

“Do you know why I didn’t ask your sister here? Or hell, your mother? Do you know why it is you?”

You stayed silent, your gaze focused on him.

“Your sister loved your mother, but you…. You were always such a daddy’s girl.”

“Wrong.”

“I don’t even think you cried for your mother whenever you scraped your knees, it was always me.”

“I didn’t know you were crazy when I was a child, guilty as charged. Doesn’t prove anything.”

“It does,” he said, “It proves more than you know. You are going to be my legacy.”

A cold shiver ran down your spine but you took a deep breath, resting your palms on the steel desk.

“No I won’t,” you said calmly, “Sorry to disappoint. I never killed anyone.”

Your father’s smile was almost as serene as your voice.

“Yet,” he pointed out, and you felt your throat tightening. “Ignore it if you want. It’s still there, petal.”

The beep of the phone made you snap out of it and you pushed your chair back, knocking it over in the process.

“Fuck you,” you said through your teeth as you gripped the door knob, “Have fun rotting in here.”

You swung the door open and stepped outside, still trying to catch your breath, and the door next to the interrogation room opened before Reid stepped into your vision. Your hands were still shaking and you desperately needed a cigarette and some fresh air.

But what you really needed was to get out of there.

“Y/N?”

“I hope you got whatever you guys needed,” you managed to say, wiping at your nose, “Because I’m never stepping a foot here, ever again.”

With that, you walked out of the hall, every cell in your body screaming at you to get away. You ignored the looks from the guards, tears blurring your vision and you left the building as fast as you could, as if someone was chasing you.

As if that could help you escape him.

Chapter 2

Taglist: @rhabakoli​ @theskytraveler​ @danyka-fendyr​ @alwaysadreamingoptimist​   @lettersofwrittencollective​ @dreamers-wonderland​ @lilliannaansalla​ @propertyofpoeandbucky​ @iblogabout-stuff​ @thinemineours​ @itsmyblogandillreblogifiwantto @davnwillcome​ @chibi-liz05​ @demigoddesofchimichangagod​ @finnickfoxes​

[kk095]

Late Night Car Wreck

*hey everyone! Here's my latest story. Enjoy!*

It was a cool, rainy weeknight in October. The roads were slick from a day’s worth of rain, and the ER was quiet- perhaps too quiet. It was getting to the point where the usual team was getting paid to sit around all night. There was only so much social media to scroll through and YouTube videos to watch before boredom set in. I looked at the clock and saw 2:29am- still a long way from 7am. “This is gonna be a slow crawl to the finish line” I thought to myself.

The dispatch phone rings just a moment after my thought. Nurse Nancy picks up the phone and listens to the voice on the other end. I can see her nodding her head and asking questions to the person on the other end, but none of us were sure of what was being said.

After the phone call, Nancy got up and said “we need to get a trauma room ready.  Single car MVC, restrained driver with a steering wheel injury. Patient is awake and alert, but has diminished breaths sounds on the left side. Bp is 85/46, heart rate is 132, and her o2 saturation is down to 92. I think we should page Dr Sarah and get her down here.” Dr Nancy told us. I nodded and paged Dr Sarah. But for those of you who don’t know, Dr Sarah and Dr Lindsay can’t stand each other. But in Dr Lindsay’s defense, Sarah is kind of a know it all, a little condescending, and wants things to either be her way or the highway. But regardless, I try my best to coexist with her. “Great, the all knowing Dr Sarah is gonna make her appearance.” Dr Lindsay mumbled, rolling her eyes a bit.

Me and Dr Lindsay started to put our PPE on while Nancy, Heather, and ashley got the trauma room ready. “Let’s keep radiology on standby in case we need a scan.” Dr Lindsay told the team. “yep. And let’s make sure we have a chest tube tray and blood products ready to go.” I added. Nurse Nancy was getting all appropriate meds ready, Heather was running up to the blood bank to get a few units of o-neg, FFP, and platelets, while ashley was setting up multiple equipment trays- a chest tube tray, an intubation tray, and a suture kit.

Sooner than we realized, the ambulance arrived and in came the patient. On the stretcher was 40 year old Carrie Vaughn. She was a white woman with light brown hair, green eyes, and was of average height and build. She laid on the backboard with a c-collar and head stabilizer in place, and had cuts and bruises all over her body- most notably a large bruise on her chest just to the left of her sternum. She was awake and alert, but visibly uncomfortable. She had an uncomfortable look on her face, and she was taking quick, shallow breaths. Carrie was just on her way home from work as a 911 dispatcher a couple towns over. But instead of making it home to her comfy bed, she ended up right here in the trauma bay.

Once we had her lifted onto the trauma room table, we began examining her. “lets run stat trauma labs, and let’s get a chest x-ray and echo.” I called out to the team. Just after I got done saying that, Dr Sarah walked into the trauma bay. “What do we got?” Dr Sarah asked, throwing on a pair of fresh gloves. Nurse Nancy gave her the rundown while we began our initial assessment of Carrie.

The chest x ray showed multiple rib fractures on the left side, along with a tension penumothorax on the left side. “move the chest tube tray over, I’m putting one in” Dr Sarah said, taking command of the situation. Nurse Nancy squirted betadine on Carries left rib cage, and injected a dose of lidocaine to numb the skin for the upcoming brutal procedure. Just as Nancy backed away, Carrie grabbed Nancy’s forearm. “please… call my husband…” Carrie said weakly, with a concerned look on her face. “don’t worry hun. He’s gonna be here real soon.” Nancy replied, trying to reassure the cute brunette, even though she was unsure as to whether anyone notified the husband.

Next, Dr Sarah picked up a 10 blade scalpel from the chest tube tray and made a cut in between Carrie’s ribs. Even though the lidocaine numbed the skin, she could still feel the scalpel’s every move as the cold metal blade sliced her skin open. With the initial cut out of the way, Dr Sarah made a 2nd cut in order to separate the underlying fat and intercostal muscle- this caused Carrie some pain. She could feel the scalpel slicing through her intercostal muscles in its natural grain. Her eyes filled up with tears and she winced in pain, but she was determined to get through it. The following step was to place the flexible tube into the freshly made 1 inch incision. The tube was forcefully navigated into the woman’s chest cavity, eventually being maneuvered into the pleural space. Carrie yelped in pain, fighting back additional tears while the tube was forced into place. Once in the correct location, a hiss was heard from excess air being evacuated from the chest cavity, only to be followed up with a quick shot of blood, which sprayed Sarah’s yellow trauma gown. Sarah lowered her stethoscope onto Carrie’s bare chest and noted normal breath sounds. “tubes in. You’re welcome guys.” She said, to which Dr Lindsay rolled her eyes. “like we don’t know how to place a chest tube in the ER.” Lindsay thought.

The chest tube improved Carrie’s breathing and o2 saturation, but her blood pressure and heart rate we’re still indicative of something else taking place. With that in mind, we performed an echocardiogram. Nurse ashley squirted the cool ultrasound gel onto Carrie’s bare chest, and Dr Lindsay grabbed ahold of the ultrasound wand. Lindsay moved the wand gently across the 40 year olds chest and looked at the ultrasound monitor. “cardiac tamponade. Let’s get her-“ Lindsay said, before being cut off.

Carrie lost consciousness in the middle of the echocardiogram. “carrie? You with us honey?” nurse Nancy called out, doing a hearty sternum rub on her. “damn it, she’s out. Get me an intubation tray.” I called out, heading over to the head of the bed. I grabbed a laryngoscope and propped open the pretty brunette’s jaw. Once I located all the necessary structures, I navigated a 7.0 endotracheal tube into the trachea, just a few centimeters away from the carina of the trachea. While holding the tube in place, nurse Heather secured it with a blue tube holder, while ashley attached the ambu bag. 

Post intubation, we decided to perform a pericardiocentesis. Dr Lindsay held the echocardiogram wand in place to establish a visual, while Dr Sarah picked up a large spinal needle. She decided to go with the traditional approach to the procedure, which is known as a subxiphoid pericardiocentesis. Sarah placed the bevel of the needle into the xiphisternum and left costal margin. The needle was placed at a 40° angle to the skin, and navigated further in with echocardiogram guidance. The needle was navigated to the correct depth with great precision, and Sarah’s steady hands. Once in place, a catheter with a 3 way tap was placed on the back of the needle in order to aspirate the blood that was squishing Carrie’s heart from the inside. At first, there was a small rush of fresh blood exiting the needle. Then the needle began to become clogged up with thick, gooey coagulated blood. Suction was applied to the needles catheter to continue the outflow of blood. “I bet there’s a cardiac chamber injury. Pericardium blood doesn’t usually clot this quick.” I called out. “very good Dr kenny, at least there’s 1 competent physician down here.” Dr Sarah said, being petty and catty towards Dr Lindsay. Dr Lindsay rolled her eyes and just kept holding the ultrasound wand in place.

The first round of aspiration failed to improve vital signs. As a matter of fact, they worsened. “lets try doing a 2nd round of aspirations. If she improves, great. If not, I’m taking her up to the OR.” Dr Sarah said, to which we agreed.

The 2nd round of needle aspirations were exclusively coagulated blood. I could feel the thick gooey texture of it now. It felt almost like warm cranberry sauce from a can. But more of this coagulated blood kept being aspirated. We waited for the 3 way tap in the catheter to fill up, but we felt surgery would be the next best step.

After completing the 2nd pericardiocentesis, Sarah carefully removed the needle, and Dr Lindsay pulled the ultrasound wand away. “ok, I’m gonna page my OR team. We’ll take her up in a minute.” Sarah said. While Sarah stepped to the side and was on the phone with her OR team, Carrie began to crash. “no pulse, starting compressions!” Dr Lindsay called out. She promptly began delivering deep, strong chest compressions on Carrie. Her chest caved in, and her belly jiggled around, bouncing outwards. Sarah looked back and abruptly hung up the phone. “push a round of epi. Get me a thoracotomy tray- I need to see what’s going on in there.” Dr Sarah ordered us.

With CPR actively taking place, nurse Nancy splashes betadine across Carrie’s bare chest. Dr Sarah picked up a scalpel and made a quick, decisive incision in Carrie’s chest. The cut began in the 5th intercostal space just to the left of her sternum. The incision was continued to the left, under her left breast, and ending a few inches away from her left armpit. The underlying tissue was then cut and snipped away in order to make room for the rib spreader. Speaking of which, that was placed into the incision next. Once the spreader was in place, Dr Sarah began turning the knobs on the spreader and began forcing Carrie’s ribs apart. A loud popping and cracking sound filled the already hectic room in the few moments it took to open Carrie’s chest.

Upon entry to the thoracic cavity, there was a small rush of blood, but nothing that suction couldn’t handle. Dr Sarah performed a pericardiotomy in the ER by making a vertical incision in the pericardium, medial to the phrenic nerve. This allowed the blood trapped in the pericardium to drain more freely, and it allowed her to deliver the heart. There was thick, clotted blood oozing its way out of the newly created opening around the fibrous lining of the heart. “dr kenny, start internal massage while I examine the area.” Dr Sarah ordered me, to which I nodded in agreement. I stepped up closer to the patient and reached my hands into her chest. I wrapped my hands around her weakly fidgeting heart and began pumping it with my own 2 hands.

While I was doing cardiac massage, Dr Lindsay placed a vascular clamp on the descending portion of the aorta near Carrie’s diaphragm, and Dr Sarah was probing around in Carrie’s chest cavity, trying to find the source of the injury and catastrophic cardiovascular collapse.

After a cycle of internal massage, Dr Lindsay suggested shocking with the internal paddles since neither the source of the cardiac injury or ROSC were obtained. Once the order was called out, nurse Heather charged the internal paddles on the crash cart to 20 joules, and handed Dr Lindsay the large, spoon shaped paddles. Once the paddles were in my coworkers hands, I backed away in anticipation of the shock. Lindsay lowered the paddles into the patient’s chest, delivering the first shock. The shock made produced a dull, wet thumping sound, and Carrie’s c-cup breasts jiggled around a bit from the quick jolt of electricity. “no change, let’s hit her again at 30.” Dr Lindsay called out, looking over to nurse Heather to recharge to paddles for her. After a brief electrical whir, the paddles were placed back into Carrie’s chest, around her twitching heart, and shock #2 was delivered. The 2nd shock caused her torso to flop a bit on the table in response, but v-fib was still on the monitor. “Again at 30!” Dr Lindsay shouted with a sense of urgency. Once again, the internal paddles were recharged, lowered into Carrie’s exposed chest cavity, and shocked again. This shock caused Carrie’s toes to curl at the other end of the table, showing off cute, thick wrinkles throughout her size 8 soles.

The 3rd shock converted Carrie to PEA, so internal massage was resumed by me, and Dr Sarah continued investigating various structures inside the patient’s chest cavity. Nurse Nancy pushed a dose of epinephrine and atropine into the woman’s IV line,

I continued cardiac massage. “1… 2… 3…” I said, thinking out loud while a wet squishing sound was produced from the internal compressions. Several cycles of internal compressions went by without producing a change, but Sarah was taken aback by something she discovered. “What the?...” she called out with a surprised look on her face. “what is it?” I asked Sarah. Sarah didn’t say anything, but she pulled out a small bone fragment and showed us. “a fragment from a broken rib broke off and got lodged in her right atrium.” Dr Sarah said. “I just hope we aren’t too late.” Sarah continued. “Here, let me get in and patch up the right atrium. If we can patch it up and get her heart going again, she might have a shot.” Dr Lindsay said. “no no no, you stay over there and look pretty. I’ll fix this myself.” Dr Sarah replied rudely to Lindsay. Lindsay bit her tongue for the sake of the situation, but you can tell she was irked by Sarah’s comments.

While I was massaging the cute lady’s heart, Dr Sarah was asking for surgical staples. “sarah. Use old school sutures. If the staple comes undone, it could rip the atrium open even more.” Dr Lindsay said, disagreeing with Sarah’s decision. “I know what I’m doing. Just watch and learn.” Dr Sarah replied.

She picked up the surgical staple gun and lowered it into the patient’s chest, away from my finger. Nurse Nancy retracted the pericardium a little bit with her index and middle finger to make some extra room. The hole in the right atrium was the size of a dime, give or take. Seems small, but large enough to disrupt the heart’s ability to fill properly. And if the heart can’t fill properly, there won’t be enough blood for the heart to pump to the rest of the body.

Sarah used 3 surgical staples to close the small wound. While I continued internal massage, I can tell that the staples were gonna give out. The material for those types of sutures isn’t very flexible. With every internal compression I performed, I felt like it was coming more and more out of place. “hey guys… you should get that staple out and try something else.” I called out. “believe me, it’s fine!” Sarah shouted, getting defensive with me.

Sure enough, the 3 staples all gave out at the same time. The staples ripped an even bigger hole in the right atrium, exacerbating an already catastrophic issue. I could feel the right atrium empty out on my gloves hands. “ugh… what a mess. Suction!” I called out to nurse Nancy. “let me try fixing this again.” Dr Sarah called out, stepping back towards the table. “hell no! You probably killed her! I got this.” Dr Lindsay shouted back at Sarah. “oh, I killed her? You gotta be fuckin kidding me.” Dr Sarah replied, getting crabby and defensive. “yeah! This is a right atrial blowout when it was a laceration before. That’s easily an 80+ percent mortality rate!” Lindsay shouted in response. “uhh guys? Can you stop fighting and at least try to fix this? There’s only so much me and Nancy can do.” I replied, getting low-key annoyed at Lindsay and Sarah’s arguing.

Nancy kept suctioning out the area, but the bleeding was substantially worse. “I think we need a 2nd chest tube guys.” I called out, feeling more and more blood ooze its way up my gowns forearm. Nurse ashley agreed with me and began setting up a 2nd chest tube tray while Dr Lindsay stepped in and tried to locate the wound. “damn it. There’s too much blood in here. I can’t see a damm thing.” Dr Lindsay called out, feeling frustrated. “V-fib on the monitors guys.” Nurse Heather called out. The 2nd chest tube was quickly put on pause and the area was suctioned out. The bloody internal paddles were recharged to 30 joules and lowered back into Carrie’s chest. A dull, wetter thunk was heard, causing Carrie’s torso to flop violently on the table. “no change, charge again and let’s hit her at 40.” I called out. Dr Lindsay then lowered the paddles back into Carrie’s chest and delivered the next shock as soon as we all stood clear. Carrie’s feet kicked up in the air and slammed back down, showing off her cute wrinkly soles.

The monitors suddenly went flat after that shock. “ok… she’s gone. Time of death, 3:06am.” Lindsay said frustrated, abruptly terminating the code. Nurse ashley disconnected the ambu bag, nurse Nancy shut of the flatlined monitors, and nurse Heather placed a cover over Carrie’s bloody torso. While the toe tag was being filled out, Lindsay peeled her gloves off and threw her yellow trauma gown in the hamper, staring down Dr Sarah while storming out of the trauma room. Dr Sarah made a discrete escape from the trauma room while the nurses performed basic postmortem care on the deceased woman.

I took my gear off and went to find Lindsay. I found her in the break room crying just a few minutes later. “Hey Linds…” I said to her. “sarah killed her!” Lindsay cried out to me. “look, the patient was already coding. I know the staples probably weren’t the way to go, but who knows if she would’ve came back if we sutured the atrium shut anyway.” I replied. “oh, so you’re on HER side now?” Dr Lindsay replied to me. “all I’m saying is it’s nobody’s fault. This lady might’ve died anyway. Sarah made a controversial call while the patient was actively dying. Sometimes things like that work, sometimes they don’t.” I replied, trying to be the voice of reason. “Just go away Kenny…” Lindsay replied, gesturing me with one hand to leave the break room. “Alright Lindsay. I don’t want you to be mad at me. You know I’m here for you.” I reply, just before I exit the room.

[bxllafanficc]

Lady of mischief- Part four

Pairing: Loki x Greek!goddess f!reader

Summary: Asgard is having a change of power so there are several events Loki has to get right before he can announce victory against his brother as the next king. But one lady’s approval will change the whole outcome if the stakes are right. That lady is you, intended heir to the throne of Olympus but tied down to a marriage of convenience with one of the princes of Asgard. The prince you choose to marry will be the next king but you refuse to let yourself be a pawn in this game for power. Loki, with his intentions to take you as his queen has far greater reason to marry you than just for the reason of being king. You however, would rather cut off your left arm than exposing yourself for the fact that there’s another purpose besides Loki getting a throne to sit on.

The palace halls were crowded with workers and even aristocrats from far away staying in the palace’s guest areas. People from high ranking families and servants alike came our from their rooms. The chatting wasn’t quiet enough for you not to hear but the context was obvious. Everyone wondered why Asgard was suddenly shaking, why the ground beneath their feat suddenly became an object of death instead of the concrete safety it’s always been. The poor Asgardians had probably never experienced an earthquake before. Or a god loosing their cool and taking it out on the nature either.

Despite people making the halls hard to get past, everyone stepped aside for the prowling embodiment of fury: you, on your way to confront the man who started the nightmare.

You truly tried to make the waking earthquake to stop. It wasn’t at full force yet since you were still somewhat grounded. But every time you would try to strap the source of its boiling anger, a maid you walked past would mention prince Loki’s wellbeing and the emotions would burst off the lid again.

And you knew that you’d never make this decision in a calm collected state. After all, this was what he wanted. You’d play into his hands if you didn’t act careful.

You pounded on the wooden door and secretly hoped it would break a hole from the impact. The door stood unaffected.

“What’s the matter?” The mumble was faint and came after a brief paus.

You gave the door one last punch and regretted it immediately. How would confronting him affect the earthquake? We’re you being selfish for potentially putting the Asgardians in danger?

You were just about to turn around and leave but the door swung open with a stale-eyed Loki at the other end.

“(Y/n)? What are you doing to my poor door?”

Couldn’t he at least act like he was surprised to see you? At least give you that much satisfaction?

You crossed your arms tightly above your chest and forced yourself to stare him right in the eyes. The thought of making him stand accountable for his actions was the only thing not making the shaking worse.

“Are you the reason behind me falling every 3 seconds? The waves are especially strong here, did you know that?” You actually didn’t know about that, which only showed just how little control you had over yourself.

“Would you care to elaborate exactly what was your plan tonight? Making me look like your pretty little pawn all dolled up in that dress or locking me up here, tied to your leash for all eternity?” You tried your best to hide the emotion in your words but ended up just spitting them through your teeth instead.

He looked genuinely clueless with his furrowed eyebrows. At least he gave you that. Wrong timing though. His hand traveled up the frame of the door as a way of stealing himself for the shaking. If you lost just a little more control, he’d either fall on his rear or right over you, taking you down with him.

You stood unaffected by the shaking, however.

“What are you talking about? Why would I want to lock you up?” He raised a pointed finger at you.

You had to scoff. How could he pretend not to know when it was so obvious?

“You going off earlier to whine to my uncle wasn’t you manipulating him into getting what you wanted?”

The finger fell slightly and he formed a faint ‘oh’ with his lips. But his expression was still curious. Was he offended?

“Yes but, what does that have to do with you being ‘locked up’?”

“You don’t know?” The shaking seemed to intensify and it caught you off guard.

“If you’ll enlighten me, I’ll answer that for you when I know what we are talking about”, he said as he almost fell forwards with a soft yelp. Your noses touched just as he got a hold of the doorframe, your cheeks brushing against each other as he slumped forwards in relief. It was only a second of him being so close but you felt frozen in the moment.

“And would you stop doing that?!” He motion at the ground and the shaking actually faltered. Not because he told you to stop, but because you weren’t furious anymore. The anger seemed to have vanquished and you were too caught up in his closeness to ask yourself why.

Finally Loki seemed to realize how close you actually were and pulled away. His hair tickled your neck just like they’d done earlier.

“I’m sorry for…” He tapped his nose and cheek with a soft hand. “I know you… that you, yeah.”

Find it disgusting? ‘Despise’ his touch? But you never really meant it, though. Back then he laughed it off but now it seemed like he took your words with him ever since. It kind of made your stomach twist in guilt. Or hunger. You couldn’t tell. When was the last time you’d eaten? Wine didn’t count, that much you knew.

“(Y/n)?”

Why were you here, again? Right.

“Right… Zeus banished me from entering Olympus.” You just said it bluntly because there was actually something else you’d rather said. You lacked the guts though.

“What? Why? Does my father know about this?” His eyes turned round as if it was really bad news for him. The reaction you’d expected was nothing like what you actually got.

“I don’t know about that. But I’m forced to stay with you and Thor until… Until I’ve made up my mind.” Your arms fell flat to your sides since you were no longer angry. Back was the collected you. But you couldn’t quite remember the events leading up to you calming down.

“Haven’t you made up your mind since long ago though? And that’s not for all eternity- wait nevermind, I get it.” His expression faltered to match yours and you started looking around. At the furniture, at the walls… Without the anger giving you strength, you could no longer look him in the eyes for too long.

Lastly you peeked beside his broad frame and into his room only to find it absolutely destroyed. Chairs and what you assumed must’ve been his working desk were broken into tiny pieces across the floor along with shattered porcelain figures of different sorts. The drapes were halfway ripped off the window and stuffing from the bedsheets were still visibly dusting the air.

Loki must have seen you noticing the mess because he let out a muffled sound and moved in front of your vision.

Now forced to look at him, you saw that his hair was tangled, clothes messily arranged and his chest rising and falling rather quickly. Was that redness in his eyes as well?

“Loki, are you okay? Have you been cr-“ He immediately cut you off with a dismissive arm and avoided looking at you. The tables had turned so quickly you still had trouble figuring out how to handle the situation.

“Of course not! Now it’s time for you to go. It’s bad for your highness’ skin to be awake for this long.”

‘Your highness’?

He was already midway at closing the door when your hand snaked between and caught it. You could see him getting ready to put distance between himself and the door through the small gap you had left.

“Is there something that- is everything alright?” You didn’t really know why you were now chasing his attention like that. Didn’t you want him to stay away from you? To avoid and feel nothing but hostility from you?

Loki only wasted one second to look at you before he sighed and untangled your fingers from his door. The skin-to-skin contact was warm. Not at all despicable as you’d told him. Damn your mouth sometimes.

“Yes. Everything’s just fine. Good night, my lady.” And so you were facing a closed door. You were thinking about knocking again but somehow knew that door wouldn’t open anytime soon. You’d heard of past experiences where the prince would lock himself up in his room for days just so nobody would see just a tad of vulnerability from him.

Had you just made the maid’s work harder? You thought about how you would have to apologize later if that was the case. Maybe apologize to the entire population of Asgard for causing the ground to shake while you were at it. If you were to stay here for all eternity, you might as well make some friends. Because it would most likely be forever. Either you were trapped refusing to marry one or the brothers or trapped by the crown that would be on your head if you did end up choosing one.

The walk back to your room was quick since it wasn’t too far from the prince’s. Henna greeted you at the door and brought you inside to discuss the matter that caused your outbreak.

“So prince Loki’s room was like a scene out of a war? I heard from the maids here that outbursts like that has only occurred a few times before but the prince would always cover it up with illusion magic immediately. He’d ignore it for as long as he could until sooner or later when the servants tripped over the mess and couldn’t see the reason for them bruising an arm or knee.”

He’d cover up the destruction? Why hadn’t he done it earlier? Maybe you caught him off guard mid-rampage. And so he was to distracted to conjure the spell.

Henna had been talking nonstop ever since you came back. She insisted on babying you tonight and currently brushing your hair before bed, she had all the time in the world to talk.

“Henna?” You stared into your own reflection in the mirror and found only tired eyes met you at the other end.

“Yes, my lady?”

“Do you know if it’s usual for the prince to cry?” Henna put down the brush and went to grab your nightgown with an almost skipping walk. Why were she in such a light mood tonight? Right. Everyone had a great time at the banquet, except for you and, you assumed, Loki as well. You should be asking Henna if she danced with some handsome youngster tonight instead of hearing about gossip about the second born prince. You should mind your business. Loki was fine, as he said.

But Loki is a known liar.

“No, I don’t think so? There would definitely have been servants talking about that if it ever happened since prince Loki isn’t very popular with the maids. Why do you ask?”

If that was the case, then you were probably just imagining it. His eyes could be red out of straining the veins in his face from destroying all that furniture too. And after all, prince Loki’s wellbeing wasn’t your concern.

But you couldn’t help but wonder why he suddenly started addressing you so formally just as he wanted to get away from you, since he never usually kept up the formalities in private.

(A/N: Hi! Don’t hesitate to comment on each chapter what you thought about it/if you liked it since that keeps me motivated to keep writing. Also reblog so my story reaches a wider audience, if you really liked it! Your support is much appreciated. Also let me know if you want to be added to the tag list for this series. Have a good day, lovelies!)

Find the other parts in my MASTERLIST

Tag list: @liffydaze @queen-of-mischief @sidepartskinnyjeans @girl-obsessed-with-things @obsessivelysearching @reverse-iak

[ahsxual]

Save Me

Pairing: Detective David Loki x Reader

Summary: You and David have been together for a few months now. You knew his job was exhausting and obscure, but lately he had been spending less time with you and being more distant, until something he wasn't expecting happens...

Genre: Angst, fluff

Warnings: Kidnapping, violence, lots of swearing, children kidnap (since it's based on the movie)

Word Count: 4,1k

A/N: This one is dark!!! I'm so happy for finally writing a fic about Detective Loki, my sweet and handsome savior <33 I personally think that this piece is really cute and romantic, yet terrifying... Sooo, I hope you enjoy it! ^-^

You had no idea of what was happening... You didn't know why the love of your life has been so distant lately, and acting so weird every time he was around you... Had you done something wrong? Didn't he love you anymore??, you asked the same torturing questions to yourself every day, non-stop.

You were currently drinking a hot cup of cappuccino under five, comfortable, warm blankets while watching your favorite series, since it was really cold outside and you were by yourself. It was the middle of winter, so whenever you looked outside the window, all you could see was bright, comforting and gorgeous shades of white of sweet snow. Winter used to comfort you in a way no other season did: on those freezing days, you were able to spend all day in bed with David, warming each other's bodies in your tight embraces, and making love until you started feeling so hot that it seemed like summer had already arrived. But this time, you didn't feel any of that: you painfully missed your boyfriend. You missed your moments together, the sweet, yet rare laughs that managed to come out of his well-defined lips, knowing you were the only one that could achieve them... and that's why you were so special to him, because you were the only woman and person in this world who was able to make him feel truly happy, loved and accepted. Before you started dating, he was so worried that you would leave him sooner than later, or that anything bad would happen to you if he let you enter in his life so deeply... and he was also terrified of falling in love with you, because then it would too late for him to turn back.

It was already 1 am, and you had no messages, calls or even a sign that he was still alive.This was pure torture. You were trying to hold your tears back so hard, not wanting to feel weak once you let them fall, but it was inevitable for carrying so much suffering and not letting even a gasp out of your lonely and unloved body... at least that's how you felt. When you were about to turn off the lights to get ready to sleep, so you could refresh your mind and relax a little bit, you suddenly heard your front door being calmly knocked. It was strange since David would always use his keys to enter your house, but you had been missing him way too much to think properly, so without thinking twice, you got out of bed and ran as quickly as you could to open the door for him... or at least that's what you wished.

"David!" you instantly called your lover's name, not having time to react once you realized it wasn't him.

"Sorry honey, David is not coming soon." with a maniac grin planted on his creepy face. That was all the stranger said before you felt a strong knock on your head, making you instantly fall unconscious.

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A few hours passed when you were finally able to open your eyes. Your entire body was sore and shaking from the freezing weather, and you could feel your own blood dripping down your forehead where the agressor had beaten you; your arms and legs were tightly tied with some cheap rope, and the only thing you were sure about was that you were inside someone else’s house.

"Where the fuck am I?! GET ME OUT OF HERE NOW!" you screamed as loud as you could, hoping that someone would check up on you, so you could at least recognize the person who abducted you. You then heard excited whispers from a man saying: "She's awake!!", and you couldn't help yourself, but to feel disgusted and utterly scared of what could happen...

"Well, well, the sleeping beauty has already come to her senses!" an old woman entered the barely lit room you were currently being kept hostage, and you didn't hesitate to express your confusion.

"What the... who are you? Where the hell is your ass-hatted companion?" you blantantly asked, referring to the man who you saw previously at your front door. Out of the sudden, you felt a hard slap on your face, leaving a red mark behind.

"Fuck you, you crazy bitch!" you screamed at her, feeling a burning and painful sensation on your left cheek, spreading slowly all over your face.

"Watch your mouth, girl! Only because you're detective's whore doesn't mean you can say whatever you want! Here and now you will respect and obey me, until your sweet, handsome boyfriend comes find you. Then, I'll torture and kill him right in front of you... I mean, that is if he notices your absence at all." she started to laugh exaggeratedly at your face, her words hurting and cutting deeper than a sharpened kitchen knife. You turned your face away from the crazy lady, trying to cover your suffering and heavy tears from her... but it was useless.

"Aww, did I hit a soft spot, honey?" she pretended to be worried about you, moving closer to you and hunching over next to you, making you find the perfect opportunity to spit right onto her maniacal face. "Ughh, you fucking bi-"

"Wait!" the stranger who seemed to be the one who abducted you, interrupted her. You both looked at him confused, not understanding why he stopped her from beating you.

"Let me do it. I want to beat that fuck-head's girlfriend." the abductor approached you slowly, rolling up his sleeves excitedly before you felt the first punch of many on that night.

"Good job, boy. Entertain yourself while the detective wastes his precious time looking for that bitch instead of the kids." the psychotic woman said, casually, like what she just said wasn't an devilish plan at all. She must be so used to do this... poor children... if only I could save them like David does..., you devastatingly thought to yourself.

"How can you hurt the poor childrens who are so innocent compared to your disturbed mind?! How can you get pleasure out of it, you sick BASTARD?!!" you screamed with all the strenght you had in your throat and lungs. Oh, how you wished to kill those two pieces of trash with your own hands...

"You don't understand..." the man tried to excuse himself from the horrifying crimes he enjoyed so much to commit.

"OF COURSE I DON'T FUCKING UNDERSTAND, AND I NEVER WILL!! THEY ARE JUST CHILDREN, FOR FUCK SAKE!!" your lungs were burning by now, and your stinging tears were uncontrollably running down your beaten and sore bruised cheeks.

"Let her spill all that anger out of her chest, honey. We don't want her to get exhausted already." she smirked wickedly at you. "She will be our guest for a long time..."

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

Two days had passed, and you were still in that dark, small torture room that was once just a casual room. They barely fed you and offered you water to drink, causing your lips and mouth to be tremendously dry. Your face was covered in bruises and cuts, some deeper than others, yet they all bled and hurt like hell. You had lost track of how much time had passed that night. All you knew, was that you were suddenly awaken by a strong, yellow light and some little girl's deafening screams and pleading cries.

"Please, let me go!!" the poor young girl pleaded, yet no pleads of her were enough to stop the devil himself, also known as the owner of the house you were currently on.

"I brought you company!" she then carelessly pushed the little girl to the rigid ground. "Seems like your boyfriend is getting suspicious, so while I distract him, you two will remain shut before I kill you all. He’ll be the first one to go, surely." she smiled once again, before closing the door harshly. David is here?

The innocent girl cried harder when she heard the door being closed roughly, and since you didn't want anything bad to happen to both of you or to your boyfriend, you did your best to calm her down.

"It's ok sweetheart, I'm here with you now, you don't have to feel alone anymore. I promise I won't let anything bad to happen to you from now on, ok?" you sounded like your boyfriend and that thought made you smile weakly for an instant. The girl was still absurdly scared, all her trust and hope in human kind being completely destroyed by the terror she had been through at such a young age, which was totally understandable. She stepped back away from you when you tried to reach for her small and fragile hand, since you had managed to get your hands free by patiently untying the tight ropes like David had taught you. It was a technique you used in emergency situations, and this was one of them. He always prepared you for the worse, teaching you everything he had learned, so you could save yourself when he's not capable and things like this would eventually happen. You immediately withdrew your hand by instinct, but you weren't one to give up so easily.

"Can you... can you tell me your name..?" come one Y/n, you can do better than this. "I'm very hurt too... you see? So my only intention here is to get both of us out of here... she is a very bad woman, but I am not. You know, I'm detective's girlfriend who is looking for you since... the beginning. And your father is helping him! They are our saviors, so they will rescue us from this ugly place very soon." you kindly explained to her, trying to give her some faith and remind her of her family... remind her that this wasn't her reality. The world out there, united with her family and friends, is where she truly belongs. She looked at you intensely, and you could finally see some light of hope in those big, gorgeous eyes. Once again, you remembered your stunning lover and the loving stares he would give you all the time, the ones that never failed to give you goosebumps all over your skin.

"Is... is my father looking for me..?" she finally spoke to you. If you didn't know it was coming from her, you could swear that her voice belonged to an angel because of its sweetness and innocence. You almost let heartbreaking tears escape your tired eyes... but you had to remain strong for her.

"Of course, darling. He loves you so, so much, and he would never forget or give up on you." for the thousandth time, you remembered your sweet and lovely boyfriend again, and on how you deeply craved to hear those reassuring words come out of his mouth, instead. A moment of silence was installed for a few seconds, before she decided that trusting you should be probably the best, yet the only option available.

"I'm... I'm Anna by the way..." she whispered shyly, or should I say still afraid and suspicious. You then offered her the most gentle smile you could give in response.

"You have such a beautiful name, Anna. I'm Y/n, and I'm so glad to meet you. Of course I would prefer to meet you in any other circumstances, but..." you needed to change the subject urgently: she was just a child, so she wouldn't get your sarcastic comment like others would. "What about we all get a delicious ice-cream once we get back home, huh? You, your family, me and... my... boyfriend." you hesitate a little bit, still hurt because of your boyfriend’s behavior in the last few weeks. Why was he taking so long to save us?

"Yummy, ice-cream!" she said excitedly, yet you could notice how tired she still was.

Tired of waiting, you finally decided to use the technique you had learned that previously had helped your hand's blood flow properly in your veins, by successfully untying the ropes out of her sore wrists. The poor kid's hands must be so badly hurt as well...

"Come here, sweetie." you untied the old ropes that were restraining your leg's movements in case someone came in unexpectadly, that way you could defend you both. You then helped her by untying her own ropes and when you did, you suddenly heard a gun shot.

Anna started to scream while covering her ears, and you instinctively pulled her near you to protect her from the horrors outside. Out of nowhere, the door was abruptly opened and the old lady came up being extremely stressed. Your first instinct was thinking that Loki had been shot by her, so all your courage and hope had vanished in a single second.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!!!" you shouted at her and ran in her direction to beat her up as hard as you could without fearing the consequences, when suddenly you felt a hard sting in your arm: she pricked you with a needle that contained a drug that causes a person to have a heart attack in the next few hours or even minutes, if they aren't correctly treated urgently.

"Goddammit!" you then felt extremely dizzy and fell to the ground. The last thing you saw before falling unconscious, was David entering the room and putting the evil woman on the ground, trying to arrest her with any gentle manners, before she managed to pull a gun from her pocket and shoot herself, and Anna's screams for your name... however, you were too nauseaus to distinguish if all of that was really happening, or if it was just a hopeful hallucination of yours.

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

"Y/N!! Please baby, don't you dare to die on me... please wake up... FUCK!" David was starting to be quickly consumed by pure despair, shaking you to no end, hoping you would open your eyes in his arms and return to him, safe and sound: he had finally found you and Anna after spending the worst week of his life, but even then he still couldn't feel utterly relieved. He then grabbed the two of you carefully, and drove you to the nearest hospital.

"Please Y/n, stay with me, do you hear me?! I will not let you leave me that easily... please honey..." he was talking more to himself since you couldn't respond, and his distressed tears were difficulting his vision and eventually his driving, which wasn't a good thing at all.

"Don't worry detective, she will be fine... your girlfriend is a really strong woman." the young girl tried to calm the desperate and protective boyfriend, just like you did with her a few minutes ago, and he couldn't help but feel so proud of you, yet guilty for being so focused on work lately, instead of giving you the attention you so dearly deserved from him...

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

Hours passed and you were still in the hospital, unconscious. Loki didn't know what to do to himself... he wanted to punch himself so hard for letting this happen to you. And if there was a possibility that you could switch roles, you would have been awake a long time ago.

This was his worst nightmare, to let his work interfere with your relationship in the worst way possible. He didn't want to leave your side for anything: even with the doctors insistence, he threatened to arrest them all if they didn't let him be with you until you woke up, and believe me when I say he was pretty convincing. His strong, tattooed arms were supporting his heavy, anxious and furious mind on top of his legs, they had been shaking for hours now, non-stop. He felt so, so guilty, and he didn't think he could ever forgive himself for almost losing the love of his life because of his negligence... and, on top of that, knowing that he was so distant and careless with you in your probable last days. Out of nowhere, he heard a muffled sound of pain, making him instantly look up at you and ran to your side. His heartbeat increased at a speed which he didn't think it was even possible for a single human being to handle without having a stroke right then and there.

"Honey..?" he called for you, his eyes inevitably watering for the hundredth time that night. You never saw him crying before, so it surprised you to see his eyes glistening. You struggled to keep your eyes opened, because of the strong light that illuminated your hospital room, but when your vision finally adjusted itself and you looked at him for the first time in the last few days, it was like you were seeing God himself.

"Is this heaven..?" you asked confused, making him laugh softly. Only you could rip a smile from him in such a bad situation like this one.

"No honey, this is pure reality. You are at the hospital, but I'm here with you now." he firmly grabbed your fragile and bruised hands into his much bigger ones, and looked at you like you were about to get married.

"Are you... crying?" you asked, feeling worried when you noticed, once again, his eyes being much brighter because of the fresh tears that wanted so badly to come out. He immediately wiped them away with the back of his hand, making you laugh. Your man never liked to show his emotions to anyone, not even to you. Well, at least he tried his best not to show them to you.

"Just got uh.. something inside my eye..." he tried to find a valid excuse, but since you knew him too well, he ended up giving up. He then offered you the most reassuring smile at you, only for you to gladly return it. However, his smile didn't last too long once he realized the severity of your state, it started disappearing slowly while his hands grabbed yours even harder this time, his eyes never leaving yours while analyzing your face so carefully.

"Oh God... what did I do to you..." this time, he wasn't able to contain himself, yet he didn't care anymore to show you how hurt he really was. It was too much guilt for just one man to carry on his shoulders and heart, no matter how strong he was.

"Don't." you immediately exclaimed and he looked at you curiously. "What happened was not your fault, do you understand me? It could happen to anyone."

"No! " he exclaimed. "If I was there with you instead of wear out my mind with this fucking case..."

"Baby, stop. It's your job and you saved that innocent girl. If it weren’t for you, she could have been dead by now." your tone was serious, and he understood that you were the only thing trying to make him not be so hard on himself.

"But..."

"No "but's", David. You are our savior. And I couldn't be prouder of you..." you smiled at him, yet he didn't return it. An intense exchange of emotional glares, and a thoughtful, tense silence was planted for a few, long seconds.

"If... if we weren't together, nothing would have happened to you... I prefer to know that you're safe and healthy with another man, than..." he didn't have sure on what he was saying, it was too much to process... but there was one thing he was sure of: he wouldn't allow anything bad happen to you from then on.

"Don't you dare saying that again, David Loki. You are the man who I love with my whole being, more than anything, and I would give my own life to save you if it was the case. And I don't care how many times I have to be abducted to prove how much I want to be with you for the rest of my life." you never spoke so seriously in your life, and you genuinely meant every word you just said. You just couldn't live without him anymore.

"What the hell did I do to deserve you..?" he carefully approached you, giving you a slow, yet most passionate kiss you had shared in a long time, while soflty grabbing your head between his cold hands. His lips were dry, yet tasted like sweet honey, like they always did.

"Detective Loki- oh, I'm so sorry!" Anna's mother entered the room, feeling ashamed for interrupting your romantic moment.

"No problem, Miss Dover. Do you need something from me?" he seriously asked, getting immediately into the hardworking Detective Loki character.

"Actually, I wanted to thank you for all you did to-"

"Y/n!!" Anna ran towards you as soon as her eyes landed on your weak body. She hugged you carefully, so she wouldn't hurt you, and you instantly felt you heart melting inside your chest.

"Heyy Anna! I'm so happy to see again, my bravest girl!" she offered you a toothy grin, and you were mesmerized by the change of energy that you only knew from her back in that horror house. Both of her mother and your charming boyfriend looked at your and the girl's interaction, not expecting for you to become so close to each other.

"Can we go eat an ice-cream now, like you promised?? I'm so hungry!" she asked excitedly, her eyes filled of hope and joyful.

"She needs to rest, sweetie. Maybe another time. Anyway, thank you so much, detective, for finding my daughter." he nodded to her and then she looked at you with a kind smile in her face. "And thank you for protecting my daughter from those monsters, Y/n. I'll be eternally grateful for the two of you. I hope you get better soon." she thanked the two of you, before leaving the room with her daughter, to give you two some privacy.

"Bye Y/n!" the girl happily said goodbye to you.

"Bye sweetheart, see you soon!" you responded back, seeing her leaving the room right after her mom.

"She really likes you." your boyfriend said to you, wanting to make you feel better since he knew how overwhelming you felt everytime someone thanked you.

"Yeah, I guess..." you laughed. "She kept me company in there, you know? We helped each other so we didn't feel so lonely anymore..." you looked at your fingers while shyly playing with them, hoping that he would understand your attempts of silently saying how hurt you were. You then felt him coming in your direction and sitting right beside you.

"Sweetheart... I'm so, so sorry for letting you feel like you were alone... I was so stressed about work, and I didn't want to discharge everything on you..." he truly seemed regretful of his actions, so of course you would forgive him since he was such a honest man. But you needed to let him know how hurt you felt by his lack of attention and affection with you. "I love you so much, honey... I... I can't imagine my life without you anymore. I would be so lost..." his voice sounded extremely weak at his final words, since he tried to hold back his cry once again.

"I love you too, baby. So, so much..." you caressed his barely shaved cheek and kissed him softly on the lips. When you broke the kiss so you could stare at him properly, you hugely smiled at him out of nowhere.

"What?" he smiled back.

"Nothing. I was just thinking that maybe..."

"Maybe what?" he seemed really curious about what you were about to say. You continued to look at him while bitting your lower lip softly, wanting to see and memorize his reaction by what you were about to suggest.

"Maybe... we could have a baby of our own?" you calmly and very carefully said, not wanting to scare him away. His reaction was expressless, which scared you a little bit.

"Babe, I don't know... what if... what if something happens to our child?" he already started to worry and get stressed.

"You will never live your life if you keep thinking about the worst, on what could happen or not. Think more about you and your happiness... think more about us. With a baby in our arms." this time, his smile expanded until a big toothy grin was revealed on his gorgeous face.

"You're absolutely right. We definitely should have our own princess." he lovely glared at you, kissing your hands with the most gentle kiss he could afford.

"Or prince... Who knows."

[buckyownsmylife]

daddy issues - chapter iii

The one where Ransom doesn’t feel ready to become a father, but he should have thought about it before sleeping with a complete stranger.

When Ransom’s latest one night stand lets him know that he’s going to become a father, he finds himself looking for the qualities he never believed to have so he can become the parent he never got to witness as a child.

for general warnings and author’s notes, please go to the fic’s masterlist. It’s being constantly updated

       Leaving work later that day, Ransom was submerged in his own thoughts in a way he hadn’t been ever since he was a teen. Of course, his family - with the exception of his grandfather - thought he didn’t have much in his head, but the truth was that sometimes, he felt like he had too much. So, in an effort not to lose his mind, he decided to let it all go just before he turned fifteen. Everything. Every preoccupation, his mother’s expectations, his fear of never being good enough.        That had served him well up until a couple of months ago. Sure, it meant that he’d created quite a reputation for himself and he’d been involved in one too many drunk endeavors he would have preferred not to be associated with, but at least he had something to share, stories to tell. That would ultimately be extremely beneficial to him if he ever did decide to take his grandfather’s advice and write a book.        But then came the news that Harlan would cut him out of the will if he didn’t get his act together, along with the proposal that he should take over the publishing company, since his uncle was being reallocated to another family business, and he thought to himself, maybe this is it. Maybe this is the time to settle back and become what he’d dreaded so much. Maybe it’s time for him to forget about fun and amusement and discover what exactly was so great about maturing.        So he accepted the job and tried to focus on what he was supposed to be doing. Who he was supposed to be. It seemed like the right thing to do after he’d spent so long trying to run from any sort of difficulty in life. It seemed like he owed his grandfather at least that. But over the next few months, it became increasingly difficult to fulfill his duties without seriously reconsidering everything he had been before and everything he had tried to avoid thinking about, which had lead to his admittedly stupid impulsive behavior.        Ransom was in his late thirties now, and he was only starting to realize just how messed up he was. And that meant that the last thing he thought himself capable of becoming right now was a father.        Actually, Ransom had never even considered the possibility of ever becoming one. I mean, he liked the part that came before, very much in fact, but despite his playboy ways, he’d always been very careful about using a condom, especially since he didn’t want to deal with precisely the type of problem he was going through right now. But of course, even he knew that condoms failed and with his luck (and the amount of sexual partner he’d had) it was only a matter of time until it happened.        Fuck. What the hell was he going to do? It’s not like he even had a proper parental figure to learn from, considering his father was an even lousier son-of-a-bitch than him and his mother was a controlling freak. What was he going to do?        Ransom was startled when he realized he was nowhere near his house when he’d finally been able to snap out from his thoughts. In fact, his feet had taken him in the opposite direction, and he found himself easily following the familiar path to his grandfather’s house.        Just as the castle-like mansion appeared in front of him, he sighed, looking up at the window of Harlan’s office. It seemed like he was awake. He wondered what his grandfather would have to say about this situation. Harlan managed to be even more unpredictable than Ransom most times.       Still, Ransom knew that if there was ever someone who was capable of giving him any advice he’d actually follow, it was him.       Harlan, of course, knew something was up the second Ransom stepped foot in his room. He’d always been the one person capable of reading his grandson, and that meant he was probably the only one who actually somewhat understood him.       “Well, Ransom, it’s very nice of you to come and visit me when there’s no family dinner forcing you to, but care to share what actually made you drive all the way here? I know it has nothing to do with the company, otherwise, I would have already heard about it from one of the managers.”       Ransom couldn’t really be surprised about Harlan and his knowledge of him, so he settled for some feeling kind of comfort at knowing at least someone in this world could see right through him and actually cared enough to ask about his problems.       “I… I got someone pregnant.” The words came out weirdly easily, and it felt like some of the weight that’d been placed on him had now disappeared. He raised his eyes to meet Harlan’s, after his grandfather didn’t offer any immediate reaction, and the anticipation made him grow irritated again.       He really should learn other automatic responses.       “Aren’t you going to say anything?” Harlan took a deep breath before answering, a tiny smile playing on his lips.       “What are you expecting me to say? Congratulations or I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner?” The young man rolled his eyes, impulsively getting up from his seat to pace around the room. His mind was failing him, he couldn’t hold on to a single thought for more than a millisecond. He’d come all the way here in the hopes that Harlan would know what to do, the right thing to say to shed some light on the mess that was his mind, but he should have known better. That was not how his grandfather worked.      But his grandfather knew how *he worked. So he patiently waited, watching with piercing attention as Ransom tried to get a grip over his thoughts. He knew his grandson would need time, but he would voice his concerns sooner or later. And then, he’d be able to actually help, once he determined what precisely was Ransom’s problem with the entire situation.        “I’m not father material,” the young man suddenly blurted out, running his fingers through his hair and inadvertently messing his usually impeccable styling. Harlan smiled to himself, knowing only a year before this would never happen, not without his grandson suddenly leaping towards the nearest reflective surface just to adjust his hair. He’d changed so much already, but he still was overcome by doubts. “I don’t think… I think the baby would be better off not knowing me.”        And there it was. That overwhelming sense of insecurity was the reason for Ransom being the way he was. No matter how hard he tried to run away from it, pretend it wasn’t there, Harlan knew his grandson too well. And now that he was starting to change his life, facing his biggest problem was going to happen sooner or later. Since there was a baby in question, thank God it was sooner rather than later.        “My boy, I understand why you would think that. It’s not like you have had great parental examples to guide you in such a journey, and I even accept my part of the blame in that. But I think you have the wrong idea of what being a parent truly is like. No matter how it may seem to our kids, no single adult suddenly is struck by the obvious guidelines of how to be a perfect parent. We figure out as we go, and we make mistakes along the way. A lot of them. So I think the question that really matters here is… do *you want to be around to witness your child grow? Or would you be okay never really knowing what became of him or her?”        Harlan braced himself for the answer, knowing it would deeply affect him one way or another, but also aware that he couldn’t let Ransom see what his reaction would be like. It would only make the younger man angry. It was important for him to think he was the only one in charge of his decisions, and the only one affected by them.         When it became clear that Ransom was too lost in his own mind to come out with an answer just yet, his grandfather pressed on. “Look, Ransom, parenting is a skill, just like writing. Some people are born naturally talented, others have to rise to the occasion. You just have to figure out if you’re up for the challenge, because if you aren’t… I think it’d be best if you let them be.”        A few more seconds of heavy silence where Ransom still wouldn’t meet his eyes passed, and Harlan decided to ask, “Tell me, is *she ‘mother material’?” His grandson took a deep breath, once more running his fingers through his hair before admitting, “I don’t know. I barely know her at all. But she’s a professor. Of law, out of anything. And she seemed… good. Better than me, at least, and that’s a relief.”        The older man couldn’t help but laugh at how Ransom’s sense of humor tended to show its face in the weirdest of situations. He knew what his grandson should do, that he’d regret not giving this a try, but he also knew no good could come from trying to force Ransom into doing something when he wasn’t ready for or didn’t want to do it. So all he could do was wait, and hope the younger man would find the right answer by himself.       “I think I know what I want to do.”       Harlan couldn’t help but notice the sparkle in Ransom’s eye as he left the house without even remembering to say goodbye.

[wesimpforxiao]

Say My Name and I’ll Be There: 4.4

"I don't feel any different," you answered Zhongli's questions as you examined your reflection in the mirror.  They had explained everything there is to know about the situation now.  My eyes...  Your fingertips touched the glass in which they stared back at you.  "Will my eyes return to normal?"

"As far as I recall my last encounter with this incident, no.  They will remain true to the eyes of their savior."

"But if Childe's joining us..."

"Just say you have contacts," Aether shrugged.

"Contacts?" You and Zhongli jinxed yourselves.

"Is...that not a thing in this world?" Your confused expressions gave him the answer he needed.  "They're basically...well...colored objects that you can put on your eyes.  They can be used to replace glasses or to change eye color."

"U-uh, okay..."

"Just say you got them from a merchant travelling from Fontaine.  They gave me a kamera device, so I'm sure these could fall under their expertise, right?"

"Perhaps," said Zhongli.

"I'm not sure I can do this."

"It's really not that big of a deal!" Paimon comforted.  "We can answer for you if he asks in front of us!"

"No, not that," you sighed.  "I'm not sure if I can pretend we're on good terms after Granny died.  I mean, he took the house from her and kept it all a secret from me."

"You won't have to," Xiao's voice came from the far wall.  "As long as you're the only one visibly suspicious, we can still make this work."

The team packed their essentials and left Quince Village.  Xiao said he had something to attend to, so no one waited for him.  That was until you passed by the cemetery on the way out of the village.

He was there, standing at your Granny's grave, with a bundle of silk flowers and glaze lilies in his hand.  You stopped alone in your tracks while the others continued to walk along the path, unaware of the rare sight of Xiao mourning a mortal soul.  His expression revealed nothing that was going through his mind as he placed the bouquet against the stone.

It was kind of...unsettling, actually.  The beautiful scenery coupled with a beautiful young man wearing a solemn frown as he stared at the rock in front of him; the rain clouds passing overhead having yet to release a single tear; the fresh flowers placed next to your wilted ones. A simple reminder that death was inevitable and that his death too, would also one day come to pass.  It was eerie, yet the sight filled your chest with a warm fuzziness.  He was paying his respects to a mortal that had no relation to him, but he did it for you.

You walked away before he had the chance to sense your presence.

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

"Adeptus Xiao! And...you, Traveler?"  Ver Goldet's panic transformed into a slight confusion before she shook her head to refocus on the matter at hand.  She glanced around to make sure they were alone on the balcony of Wangshu Inn.  "I have some urgent news to discuss with you, Xiao."

"Say it."

Goldet glanced questioningly at you and Zhongli before continuing.  "T-there was a harbinger here."

"Childe?"  Aether shifted.

"No, no."  She shook her head frantically.  "Well, yes, but no.  Childe and another harbinger were here.  A woman."

"Signora?"  The traveler tensed, as did Paimon.

"What is she doing in Liyue?  I thought she still had business with Mondstat?"  The mascot shared a nervous glance with Aether.

"I think so," Goldet nodded at Aether.  "I didn't know what to do.  It's unusual that there would be two harbingers in the same area, especially out in the open like this.  I think a storm is coming."

Xiao and Zhongli exchanged worried looks before the adeptus spoke.  "I will look into it."

"Thank you, Xiao.  Let me prepare some almond tofu as a token of appreciation."

The yaksha noticeably perked up hearing this, and you choked back a laugh.  So adorable!  That thought had unknowingly reached Xiao, bringing a dusting of pink to the tips of his ears.  You were too busy gushing over him to notice.

Once Ver Goldet left for the kitchen, you asked the question that was on everyone's minds.  "Now what?"

"We stick to the plan," answered Xiao, though there was a subtle hint of concern in his voice.

"And you're sure you're not allowed to interfere?" You addressed Zhongli with furrowed brows.

"I formed a contract.  I cannot break it."

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

The adventure team was camping just east of Luhua Pool.  You were at the bank of the pool, gathering water in a bucket so that the group could use it to cook lunch.  It wouldn't be long before the team reached Liyue Harbor and rendezvous with Childe.  A shiver crawled down your spine every time you thought about it.

Can I really keep my temper in check when we team up with him again?  No...But then again, we usually butt heads every day.  Maybe he'd see it as normal?  You took the opportunity to scoop water in your hands and take a sip.  Mm, such a crisp feeling.  You gathered more, this time gazing into the water's reflection.

"What the f--!"  You scrambled to your feet and your sword was now in your hands.  "W-what the hell, Tartaglia?!"  Adrenaline fueled your thumping heart.

"Ahahaha! Sorry, sorry!" He chuckled loud enough to scare the nearby cranes away.  "And here I thought I'd have to travel further to catch up with you all.  It's been what, a week? It feels so long ago.  So, comrade, where is everyone?"

You readjusted your grip on your weapon and kept it pointed at him.  Your breath was uneven to the point of slight hyperventilation.  They're a hundred yards away from here.  Should I tell him?  Your eyes flicked behind the harbinger.

"Ah," he noticed your glance and peered over his shoulder.  "Well, did you need help with that bucket?"

"Stay back," you ordered through clenched teeth.  Your hands were shaking now.

"There's no need to point that at me," Childe's smile faded rather quickly.  He reached towards you--

"I said STAY BACK!"  Your shout was enough to scare the fish away.  

Childe raised his hands in surrender.  "What's gotten into you? Did something happen?"  He examined you carefully.  "And what happened to your eyes?"

"Hey!" Paimon and Aether waved at the top of the hill and interrupted the tension in the air.  "We were on our way to get you!"

The harbinger dropped his hands and turned around.  "Greetings! You should've seen the look on her face! I just about scared her half to death," he returned his gaze to you and his voice trailed off at the last sentence as if he were making a fool out of you for being so paranoid.  "Now then, I should take that for you."  He picked the bucket up and began walking towards Aether, his lips forming a frown once Zhongli and Xiao came into view.

You collapsed to your knees once the adrenaline left your body and your sword fell out of your hands.  One of them made their way up to your chest and clenched the fabric that covered it in an effort to calm your heartbeat.  He was here, and sooner than expected.  He could have struck you down if Aether and Paimon hadn't shown up then.

"Are you okay?"  Xiao appeared before you.

"Uh-huh," you inhaled shakily.  Your fear overshadowed your anger towards the harbinger.  Why you had gotten so terrified, you weren't sure.  "He came out of nowhere."

"He's dead if he lays a finger on you," Xiao muttered aloud.  He held his hand out, and you took it.

Late afternoon, early evening.  You were growing increasingly agitated at Childe's insistence of a fight.  "I'm not in the mood, Childe," you growled.

"Oh come now, ojou-chan! It's clear you want to fight me nooow," he cooed.  "I'll just keep annoying you until you decide to entertain me! And besides, I think you secretly want to take out your pent-up rage on me, no?"

You glared daggers at him.  "Oh?  And what do you think I'm angry for?"  You stomped towards him until you were looking directly up at him.

"Dunno," he shrugged with a smug smirk.  "Care to indulge me?"

"Fine."  You yanked your sword out of the tree stump you had stabbed it into.  "Come at me."

"Uh...should we stop them?"  Paimon twiddled with her fingers as she watched you resume a fighting stance.

"I-I don't know," Aether scratched the back of his head and looked to the adepti for a solution.  They just watched you in silence.

"I thought you'd never ask, ojou-chan," he licked his lower lip and rushed at you.  You ducked before his hydro blade could hit your head and slashed your sword at his torso.  Childe dodged and countered.  His weapon collided with yours above your head.  "Would you care to tell me why you suddenly hold a grudge against me?"

"Tch.  I'll pass."  You pushed his blade back and used the momentum to lunge at him.  He shoved you to the ground and pointed his blade at you.

"You've gotten sloppier," his lips curled into a sneer.  "Looks like we still have work to do on your swordsmanship."

"I'm just getting started."  You rose to your feet and readied your sword.

"Do not let anger consume you, comrade.  It will seal your defeat.  Instead, hone it as a weapon," he advised you as the two of you clashed for the second round.

"I don't need your advice!"

He twirled his weapon and gracefully disarmed you.  Your sword clattered to the ground a few feet away.  "It's clear you do.  I've mastered every weapon known to man.  If you think you can scrape by and conquer your foes without learning from me, you're wrong."

If it's his goal to get to me, then why train me?  You plucked your sword off the ground and stared at its hilt in your palm.  You caught the Xiao's reflection on the steel blade, and a strange light obscured your vision.  

Images upon images upon images.  Bloody battles.  The clashing of metal.  The hollow screams of daemons past.  The rush of adrenaline, the thrill of battle.  The overwhelming sense of dread.  An icy shock burst through your bones, and you suddenly felt wide awake and hyperaware of your surroundings.

"Again."  Childe resumed his fighting stance and thrust his weapon towards you.

The light blocking your sight faded and you instinctually sliced your blade through the air.  You parried his blow without so much as looking at him.  How did I do that?  You faced him and realized he was just as surprised as you were.

"Good," a spark lit his eyes up now.  He thrust his weapon at you again, this time at your head.  And again, at your side.  And once more at your legs.

You parried every attack, and with unmatched agility too.  Then it was your turn.  You turned the tables and began attacking him, less recklessly than you usually fought.  He eyed you carefully, dodging and parrying your sword, but did not strike back even when you were wide open.  Thinking and analyzing.

I never taught her these moves, he grit his teeth and sent an annoyed glance toward the yaksha.  How did he manage to improve her skills so suddenly?  He may have done endurance training with her, but I never once saw them practice combat.  He taught her this past week, didn't he?

"Not bad," Childe praised as he leapt back.  "You've been holding out on me, haven't you, ojou-chan?"  He took note of the predator-like look in your eyes, much like that damned yaksha's.

You swallowed your surprise and glanced at your sword.  These movements weren't my own.  They were Xiao's.  You sent a subtle glance his way, and noticed that Zhongli had a small smile on his face.  Xiao's expression was as unreadable as ever, but he was no longer crossing his arms.

"You shouldn't take your eyes off your opponent," the Harbinger swung his lance at you. You spun yourself downward and swept his legs from beneath him.  "Ngh!"  He landed on his butt and dropped his weapon.

"Who said I wasn't paying attention?"

Coming up next:  A harbinger’s interrogation, the hunt for teeth, and Dragonspine.

[starrybethany]

I’m Sure - Adam Boqvist Imagine Part 5

Word count: 4.0K

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Adam: You followed me

I stare at the three words, blinking with tired eyes. All I want to do is sleep, especially after the day I’ve had with Holden, but the baby decided kicking me was more important. So here I am at four o’clock in the morning checking my social media when I should be getting another three hours of sleep.

I rub my eyes, unsure of how to even respond to the message.

It’s just a statement. I feel flabbergasted by it- really, we haven’t talked in years- well, technically months, but the last time we saw each other we just fucked, and our child went to see him without my knowledge or consent. How the fuck am I supposed to respond to those three words?

Y/N: I think we need to talk.

I sigh, setting my phone down. Might as well get straight to the point. The sooner I tell him about the second baby and ask why he would see Holden without at least running it past me the better. I roll over, pulling the blanket tighter around me. Hopefully I can sleep at least a little bit longer. I’m going to need it to deal with the moody adolescent I’ll be seeing in the morning.

~

“I made some toast and bacon. Just let me just finish cutting up these strawberries and then breakfast will be ready,” I inform Holden as he hops down the stairs.

He picks up the filled plate waiting for him on the table, throwing the food into the trashcan and setting the plate on the counter, giving me an expectant look.

I stare blankly back at him. I know he’s waiting for a reaction. He wants me to blow up so then he feels okay yelling at me instead of starting the confrontation himself. Instead, I just say, “That’s wasteful.”

He rolls his eyes, grabbing his backpack from its usual spot by the door and making his way outside, letting it slam shut behind him. I release the breath that I’ve been holding in, popping a strawberry into my mouth.

I open my Instagram app to catch up on the posts that I’ve missed, freezing when I see that I’ve received a DM. I forgot that I sent a message to Adam last night. Well, technically this morning. After I sent the message, I passed out hard, and I thought the whole thing was a fever dream.

Adam: What about?

Adam: Here’s my number

My fingers tap the screen quietly as I add his phone number into my contacts, saving it and staring at it blankly.

Well. No time like the present.

Before I can even realize what I’m doing, before I can even think things through and decide what to say or whether this is a good idea or not, or hell, even what time it is in Chicago right now, I click on the phone icon.

I curse to myself, raising the phone to my ear. Absentmindedly, my hand raises to my mouth so I can chew on my fingernail. Nail-biting is a nervous habit that I gave up years ago, but I guess old habits die hard.

“Hello?” His groggy voice comes through the phone.

I can’t breathe.

The oxygen gets stuck in my lungs. All I can think about are his hands on my body, sliding down to grip my hips. The twinkle in his eyes as I would pull my shirt over my head.

And not to mention the last time I saw him. His hair is longer than he used to keep it, but it suits him. It looks good on him. And he bulked up since the last time I saw him, too- his abs definitely looked and felt like it, anyways.

“Hello?” He repeats, sounding more awake and borderline annoyed now.

“Adam,” I respond softly, suddenly feeling shy. Come on, where did my confidence go? I’ll need it to get through this conversation.

“Y/N,” he says, all sounds of annoyance out of his voice. “You actually called, I didn’t think that you would-“”Sorry for waking you up,” I blurt out, glancing at the clock and seeing that it’s seven in the morning here. Chicago is an hour behind Philadelphia- it’s what kept me from calling the boys on the team late at night for several years.

“Oh, no, no, don’t you ever worry about that,” he reassures me. It’s quiet. I know he’s waiting for me to speak, to let him know what I want to talk to him about, but I just can’t get the words out. I feel them stuck in my throat, clawing to escape. “So, how’s Holden?”

And there it is.

That question is what spurs me to speak, to dig into the man who hid a huge secret like that from me. But I guess I’m doing the same thing to him now.

“I don’t know, how is he, Adam?” I spit out.

He sighs. He sighs. I want to punch his perfect fucking face.

“If I had realized that you had such a problem with it-“”Such a problem with it?” I repeat, not believing my own ears. Suddenly I’m reminded of why I decided not to tell Adam about this baby and why he wasn’t ready to be in Holden’s life for thirteen years. Hell, it sounds like he’s still not ready.

“My son lied to me about his intentions of going to Chicago, traveled halfway across the country by himself, and saw someone who he’s never met before. Yes, I have a fucking problem with it,” I growl.

“Our son.”

“What?”

“He’s our son. You said my son.”

All I want to do right now is to reach through this tiny screen and hit him upside the head. Really, after I lay out all of my concerns, this is all he has to say to me?

“Whatever. When are you coming to Philadelphia next?” I question. I don’t want to air all of grievances and talk about the new baby over the phone. I’ve had enough communication classes to know that you need to see someone’s nonverbal behaviors instead just hearing what they have to say.

“Why? You want to see me?” Suggestion laces his tone.

No, asshole, you already got me pregnant again.

“Yes. We need to talk about Holden… and some other things,” my voice trails off at the end, not sure how to warn him about such big news.

“Some other things, eh? Well, I’ll be looking forward to that,” he responds, clearly thinking that it’s something regarding us and our relationship, well, our dislike or lust for one another or something, instead of picking up what I’m trying to hint at.

“Cool. So, can you take a trip to Philly sometime soon or are you going to wait until hockey season?” I inquire.

“I can take a trip there, just for you. And Holden, of course.”

I can’t help but let a small smile slip onto my face. That sentence shows me that he’d be a good dad if he just put in the effort. It infuriates me that he’s kept that from Holden for years just because he hasn’t felt like working towards a relationship with his son.

“Good. Let me know when you’re in town so we can meet up.”

“What? You’re not going to invite me to stay with you?”

“Goodbye, Adam.” I hang up before he can respond. All I can imagine the rest of the day is his reaction after that phone call. He would have that small, knowing smile on his face, pulling his phone out of his pocket every five minutes to check and see if he got a new text from me or to send the fifth one in a row to me- one that I still would not respond to.

And my heart skips a beat at the thought of that.

~

It’s been a week since the phone call and since Adam sent me a screenshot of his booked ticket to Philadelphia two weeks from then. For some reason, maybe it’s the stupid, hopeless romantic part in me, I had hoped that he would book his plane ticket and hotel room for that night or even the next day. But he told me he had some ‘lose ends’ to tie up in Chicago before leaving.

And it’s also been a week since Holden has said a word to me. I’ve tried talking to him. I’ve asked him about his day, his friends, cooked him his favorite meals all week, I even offered to take him to Target to get a new video game.

None of that has worked. And it hurts. It hurts knowing that after everything I’ve done for him and everything I’ve sacrificed for him, and how Adam has done none of that, he looks at Adam like a God and me like the scum on the bottom of his shoe.

I know it’s what I’m supposed to do as a mother, care for my son and make sure he’s happy, but it’s just- it’s just- ugh.

I start to feel my blood boil as my mom’s voice echoes in the back of my head. Life’s not fair.

It’s then that I realize that I’ve given him enough space and time to figure out his feelings and how he wants to proceed. I don’t want to give him too much space that he begins to resent me and feel like I don’t care about him.

I know that feeling all too well.

I knock on his bedroom door softly, waiting for him to open it before I just walk in. It creeks open slightly, and just as I expected, eyes matching my mom’s peek out to glare at me.

“Can I talk to you, Holden?”

He doesn’t respond, just stares at me.

“Please, you don’t even have to talk, just listen,” I beg.

Fortunately, he opens the door the rest of the way, watching as I walk into his room and sit gently on the edge of the bed. He sits down on his worn computer chair, laptop open to some video game I don’t recognize on his desk.

“I want to start by apologizing for yelling at you last week,” I begin, taking a deep breath. Apologizing isn’t something that comes easy to me- I grew up in a family where the words ‘I’m sorry’ were unheard of. My parents were always right, and I was always wrong.

“I realize it probably wasn’t easy for you to go to Chicago by yourself to meet your dad. Holden, I just want you to realize that I would do anything to protect you, and I love you with my whole heart so realizing that you were in such an emotionally taxing situation without talking to me about it first-“I pause to sniffle, starting to feel tears well up in my eyes. “I felt helpless. And I couldn’t stop wondering why you didn’t feel like you could share that with me and then I realized that it’s because I don’t share stuff with you either.”

He watches as I lift my sleeve, wiping the tears from under my eyes. His face is still blank, but his eyes look like they’ve softened. He’s understanding my words so far.

“So, yes, this baby is also Adam’s baby. And he did ask about you when I saw him back in February, but I let my pride get the best of me and I told him that he didn’t deserve to see you. I’m sorry for robbing you of meeting your father earlier,” I genuinely apologize, maintaining eye contact with my son.

He shifts in his seat, his hard exterior softening with every word. “Well, I’m sorry for calling you a shitty mother. And saying all of that other stuff. And, if it makes you feel better, I did go to the computer programming camp. I just saw Adam when we had a night off.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

He nods.

“What did he tell you? About not being involved in your life?” I ask carefully, curious as to what Adam told Holden to turn him against me like that.

“He just told me that he was working through some stuff,” he shrugs, acting like he doesn’t care but I know my son well enough to tell that he does. “And he wasn’t ready until recently to meet me.”

I bite my tongue to keep it from releasing an insult towards Adam. “And how does that make you feel?”

“Honestly?” I nod, probing him to go on. “Pretty awful. I don’t think I want a relationship with him, mom.”

A mix of emotions run through my body at his word. I feel anxious, because now I have to tell him that Adam’s coming next week and will want to see him, sadness, because my son now recognizes how his father did not want be involved in his life, and anger toward Adam for making him feel like this in the first place.

“Well,” I cough awkwardly. “He’s coming to Philadelphia next week. I’m going to meet him to tell him about the baby. If you don’t want to see him, you don’t have to. It’s all up to you, bud.”

I stand up slowly, rubbing my belly as the baby begins to kick. He always seems to do that whenever I move even just a little bit- he’s an active little guy.

“Oh,” I turn back around just as I’m about to close the door. “How did you even find out who your father is?”

“Please mom, I’m not stupid,” he grins slyly at me, sliding his headphones onto his neck. “You lived in Chicago when you got pregnant with me and worked for the Blackhawks. I figured, since you said you worked a lot, the only guys you really had a chance to be with were on the team. And when I asked you about my dad for that project for school you said he was Swedish, so I just went to the Blackhawks roster in 2020 and found the Swedish players, messaging them some really uncomfortable and intrusive messages on Instagram.”

I chuckle at that, shaking my head. It will never not blow my mind how clever and smart he is. As I close the door to his bedroom, I hear him say, “On the plus side, Alex Nylander is a really nice guy.”

~

The day is finally here. Being eighteen weeks pregnant makes it really hard to hide my baby bump, but I somehow manage to find a baggy sweatshirt that I’ve stolen from one of my ex-boyfriends to cover it up. I don’t want to walk into the restaurant we’re meeting at and have him immediately know.

Somehow my jeans still fit on my legs, but I have a feeling by the end of this lunch they’ll be unbuttoned. It’s just the way it goes sometimes.

I get to the restaurant before Adam, just like how I planned it. I wanted time to scope out my exits in case I need to bail halfway through this meal- knowing Adam, it’s a possibility. I haven’t thought through what I was going to say too much.

I know I need to talk to him about why he would keep Holden going to Chicago to see him a secret from me, and we need to talk about the baby.

But mostly I just want to hear him grovel. The secret, sadistic part of me wants to hear him beg for forgiveness for making me raise my child by myself for the past thirteen years. I want to hear him admit that he fucked up- I’ve never heard Adam Boqvist admit that he fucked up before.

He shows up two minutes late.

I know because my phone is sitting face up on the table and I click on it every five seconds to see what time it is. I tell myself that if it gets ten minutes past noon and he’s still not here, I’m going home and giving up on dealing with Adam ever again.

But then he’s standing in front of me, familiar toothy grin on his face, black beanie on his shaggy hair, and a bouquet of red roses in his hand.

“You’re late,” I state sternly, not letting any sign of emotion onto my face. I need to let him know I mean business. I need to let him know that I’m never getting into bed with him ever again.

“Yeah, sorry, there was a line at the grocery store,” his grin begins to slip, but as he holds the bouquet out towards me, it takes over his face once again. “I got you these.”

“Thanks.”

I don’t make any movement towards them. His smile falls once again and I begin to feel guilty- he did buy these flowers for me, but he also impregnated me and left me twice.

He slides into the chair across the table from me, setting the flowers on the table and coughing awkwardly. “So, have you ordered yet?”

“Just water,” I respond shortly.

“Do you want to split a bottle of wine?”

“I’m not really a day drinker,” I eye him over the top of my menu, then go back to skimming through the items. It’s a charade, though. I already know what I want.

“Are you two ready to order?” The peppy waitress appears at our side, notepad open in her hand.

“I’ll have the chicken alfredo,” I announce, folding my menu.

“I’ll take that too. And a bottle of your sweetest wine, please,” the blonde orders, passing his menu to the waitress. When she leaves, he turns back to me. “I know you like the sweet stuff.”

I take a deep breath, deciding to cut to the chase. I’d rather get through this meal as soon as possible. The sooner we get done talking about this stuff, the sooner I can get out of here.

“Adam, I’m pregnant.”

He chokes on the sip of water he’s just taken from his glass, water dripping down his chin and landing on the table in front of him. I can’t help but watch with a content smile as he coughs, trying to catch his breath.

“Excuse me?” He utters through coughs, wiping his chin with a napkin.

“I’m pregnant,” I repeat. “I’m due in November.”

“Well, uh, congratulations,” he says unsurely.

I roll my eyes, muttering, “You clearly haven’t gotten smarter since last time.”

He seems to catch on to the hidden meaning behind my comment, his eyes widening. “Oh is it- since we-“”It’s your baby,” I conclude bluntly.

A smirk begins to spread across his face. I can’t believe it. He’s smirking just after I told him that he got me pregnant accidentally for the second time.

“Why do you have that look?” I snap.

“My little swimmers work pretty well, don’t they?” He inquires confidently, sipping from his water and succeeding this time.

I lean across the table, turning it on him. “I don’t know, do they? Are there any half-siblings that I need to worry about?”

The smirk is replaced by a look of genuineness now. It startles me, the sudden change of emotions. “No, it’s you, Y/N. It’s always been you.”

I lean back in my seat, the sudden seriousness too much for me to bear. I fiddle with the napkin sitting next to my glass, avoiding eye contact with him. “Yeah, so it’s a boy.”

“Another boy,” he echoes my very thoughts the moment I found out the sex.

I grin at the thought of my second child. When he’s been kicking me at night and keeping me awake, I think about what he’s going to be like. Is he going to cry a lot or is he going to be a quiet baby like Holden was? Will I have to keep an eye on him every minute or will I be able to get some breaks?

And what about when he’s older. Will he like hockey like his dad? Would he like the Flyers because we live in Philadelphia, or would he like the Blackhawks because his dad plays for them?

“Speaking of boys, how is Holden doing? He hasn’t been responding to my texts lately.” Adam means for the question to sound casual, but I can hear the undertone of worry in his voice. Maybe he isn’t as much of a shitty father as I think he is.

“He doesn’t want to talk to you,” I confess.

He doesn’t bother to hide the hurt on his face. I don’t expect him to. I know how it feels to feel unwanted and unloved by your child- I felt it when Holden told me that I’m a shitty mother. And although Adam deserves the consequences to his actions, I can’t help but feel a small amount of pity for him.

“I deserve that,” he sighs.

“You do,” I agree, knowing that I’m shoving the knife deeper into his heart. “But just give him time to decide what he wants to do. It’s all so fresh to him.”

He gives me a small, vulnerable smile.

“Why didn’t you tell me that he was going to see you while he was in Chicago, Adam?” I ask him the question I’ve been dying to ask ever since I found out about the situation.

He shrugs, not saying a word.

“Yes, you do know,” I persist. “So just fucking tell me. Enough of the bullshit, we’re in our thirties now. It’s time to focus on the children, not your fucking pride.”

He looks baffled by my sudden outburst, but it inspires him to answer. “I was afraid that if you found out, you would stop him. Then I’d never get to meet my son.”

“I would have stopped him,” I agreed, causing him to open his mouth to begin arguing with me. I start to speak again before he can begin. “And reschedule the trip to a time that works better with my work schedule so that I could go with him. Yes, you’re his father, but you’ve never been in his life. You’re essentially a stranger to him.”

He narrows his eyes at me like my words are a challenge. “Not anymore.”

I narrow my eyes at him now. “Really? What’s his middle name? When is his birthday? What’s his favorite color?”

He doesn’t respond and I scoff, taking a sip of my water again. “That’s what I thought.”

We’re quiet as the waitress returns with our meals. I cut my noodles, taking a bite of my food.

“I don’t want it to be that way with this baby,” he says, quickly adding, “And Holden anymore. I want to be there for this baby from the start. Or from now, I guess. And I want to be there for Holden, if he ever wants me.”

Mixed feelings begin to flush through my body. This is what I wanted for my kids from the beginning, an active father figure. And Adam’s offering it now, but why am I still feeling so hesitant?

After years of expecting him to step up as a parent and him never doing it, I have reasonable doubts when it comes to Adam’s parenting ability.

“Well, you know it’s up to Holden. You can’t force him to like you,” I begin slowly, trying to phrase my words in the best way possible. “But with this second baby… we can try it. I have a doctor’s appointment in two days. I’ll text you the address and time.”

“But my flight leaves tomorrow,” he whines. “Can’t you just reschedule for today?”

“You have so much to learn, Adam,” I shake my head. “I just hope you realize that being a parent means that you’re selfless more than selfish. Tell you what, go back to Chicago if you want to. But if you go back to Chicago, the only time you’ll communicate with the boys is when they want to talk to you.”

[boldlyanxious]

None the Wiser 2

Masterlist

All fic masterlist

Bruce bio-dad--father-daughter bonding

Her parents pulled themselves together while she changed. She came back down hoping they would be back to normal but their anger and fear seemed to have moved on to calm sadness and trepidation. While she was in her room one of them had made tea and they were sitting close on the couch talking with quiet voices. When Marinette reappeared they sat her down to talk.

"Honey, did you take a DNA test?" her dad spoke first.

"Uh-m yeah. I just sent it off last weekend. Did it come back already?" Marinette asked.

"Was there a reason you did it without telling us?" Sabine asked.

"We have been studying genetics in biology class. I knew both of you have O+ blood but that meant there was still a small chance I could have O-," she took a deep breath that didn't calm the twisting feeling in her stomach. "When I tested my blood in class it showed that my blood was A+. I just wanted to know how but I didn't like the idea of asking because--"

Her voice trailed off instead of finishing. Her parents understood what she was suggesting and pulled her between them. Marinette had been so angry at Lila when she arrived and then she shifted so quickly to confusion based on her parents' moods that she didn't know how to feel. She just sank into the couch and allowed her parents to hug her until her father began speaking again.

"Marinette, your mother wasn't with another man." She looked up at him. "When we decided we wanted children we expected that it would happen but it never did."

"After a series of visits with specialists, I eventually conceived you after using in vitro fertilization." Sabine continued.

"But you never told me." Marinette said.

"No. It didn't matter because when we were successful we took the clinic at their word that biologically you were ours." Tom said.

"They lied? Why?" Marinette asked.

"We don't know." Sabine said.

Her mom went on to explain everything that the man had told them about how he thought they had conceived his child. Her dad went further to tell her of their fears that the man would try to gain custody of her. He said they had plans to call a lawyer but that the man seemed to like he could probably afford a better lawyer. They didn't know what to do yet but they wanted her to always have her phone with the gps activated just in case.

---

Tim didn't catch up to Bruce until he was leaving the patisserie. He pulled him away from the building and directed him to a local diner. He didn't start talking about it until they were seated in a quiet booth.

"So how did it go?" Tim asked.

"I was just going to talk to her parents but she ended up coming in at the end. I got to meet her," Bruce said with a smile.

"I can't believe you rushed over like that. How did they react?"

"They seemed kind of stiff or aloof. But maybe that is just how they are when they aren't serving customers."

"Maybe you went into their home and claimed that their child was actually yours and they think you are trying to take her away from them."

"That seems like a stretch."

"Why else would you rush off to tell them. Did you tell them about the circumstances? Maybe that the situation was not consensual and that you now have custody of Damian from a similar situation."

"Well that seems like an awfully dark take on the situation."

Tim just gave him a look as Bruce finished paying the check and they walked back to the hotel in silence.

---

Marinette was happy that her mask covered so much of her face so no one could really tell that she wasn't as happy as she had been. She did fine when she returned and got everyone to sing to Alya and served the cake, hiding the side that Lila had 'accidentally' bumped. Kitty Section went on and performed all their old hits and a few new ones. Adrien joined them for the songs he was familiar with.

Marinette looked around after they finished and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Her mask worked with everyone except one. Luka could always see right through her dark moods and get her to talk about it.

"Is your mood just from your costume change or is there something else on your mind?" Luka asked.

"I was really angry when it happened but there is something else."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm not sure if I should. Or even if I can."

"Dance with me." He held his hand out to her. "You can talk or not."

So they swayed to the song and Marinette remained quiet. But when it was over she pulled him to the hallway and explained everything her parents had told her. Luka didn't know what to say but he didn't feel like she really wanted to talk about it anymore. Instead he just held her until she pulled away.

She didn't say anymore about it but she seemed to be feeling a bit better about it after talking about it. She had Alya pick the next activity and so everyone excitedly ran out into the night to do the scavenger hunt that Nino helped her make. They all were to be back to the hotel by 11 and they headed back up to the rooms. The desk clerk checked to make sure they all returned and reminded them to keep the noise down for the other guests.

They piled into one of the rooms and turned on a movie. They talked through the first one but went quiet during the second one most of them enjoying the creepy feeling of the scary movie and a few of them drifting off to sleep as it got late. Marinette didn't really like scary movies she snuck away to get her sketchbook instead of watching. She looked up a while later when Adrien came into the room. He got ready for bed but then came and sat by her.

"Are you okay, Marinette? You've been quiet since you got back. Are you still upset about Lila?"

"Not really. I'm not happy about her ruining my dress but that doesn't seem very important right now."

"Okay. I'm here if you need me. Not just for dealing with Lila."

Marinette nodded, not wanting to discuss her parentage any more. They talked about other things for a bit before Adrien told her he would be in trouble if he didn't sleep and looked too tired for the photo shoot tomorrow. Marinette prepared to get up and let him sleep but his hand on her arm stopped her.

"You can stay. It's dark in the other room and they were starting the sequel for those still awake. I know you don't like scary movies."

Marinette continued drawing even though it was very late she didn't feel like she could sleep.

When she woke much later it was disorienting. She knew she wasn't in her bed because the ceiling would be closer to her loft but it was much too soft to be her lounge chair. She shifted to move her sketchbook where it was digging into her side but was prevented by pressure across her midsection. When she turned over she realized she was in the hotel bed. The room was dark because of the curtain being closed with one line of daylight shining into the room directly on to Adrien's blond hair. Just as she noticed him in the bed next to her his eyes opened.

His arm that was over her trailer up her back as he pulled himself to sitting up. His green eyes met her blue ones and he pulled his arm back running his hand through his bed head down to the back of his neck. She knew that meant he was uncertain or nervous. She felt the same as she got out of the bed carefully making sure her pajamas hadn't shifted.

"I'm going to go find some coffee downstairs." Marinette whispered. "Do you want one?"

"Please."

He looked around noting that there were others sleeping in the room besides the two of them. He looked down and checked the time before adding.

"I should get a shower though. My ride will be here very soon."

---

As she was getting their coffees, Marinette was amazed at how well she had managed waking up to her long-time crush sleeping next to her in a bed. She should have had a life changing discovery that took up all her over-thinking power much sooner. As she finished fixing the 2 cups of coffee she turned and then saw the younger man who she had seen with the man who claimed to be her biological father. She could see where he had been sitting with a newspaper when she entered but now he was blocking her way out.

She froze and looked around. She took a step back but with one step her back was against the coffee bar. He was at the opening of the narrow entrance that blocked the counter from the view of the public entrance. He lifted his hands in a surrender motion before speaking but that didn't stop her heart from beating quickly as her fight or flight response triggered her adrenaline. Her parents told her to leave her phone on her at all times but she didn't think it would matter in the hotel. She should be safe here.

"Okay, this was clearly a bad idea but I needed to talk to you."

Marinette said nothing. She was still looking for an escape.

"I told him to wait. I tried to tell him not to go off and talk to your parents without planning but he doesn't always listen." Tim took a breath before continuing. "No one wants to change your life. He simply wants to be a part of it."

"You just expect me to believe you?"

"No. I'm hoping you will give us a chance. Would you be willing to meet him?"

"I did meet him."

"More than an introduction. Maybe breakfast in an hour right over in the dining room. It's a public place with plenty of access to the exits."

"I won't hide anything from my parents."

"You shouldn't hide it from your parents."

---

Marinette carried the coffees back upstairs and tried to calm herself. Most of the party-goes were still sleeping. She snuck around gathering her things but left her bag plainly visible so if it was still there when she woke her friends would notice it. She checked that her phone had a charge and confirmed that she still had the gps turned on before calling her mom to tell her what she was doing.

Her mom really didn't like the idea but eventually caved when Marinette said she was curious about the man. Adrien came out of the bathroom ready to leave for his photo shoot but could hear her side of the conversation when he retrieved his coffee. He paused to give her a concerned look that she waved off.

They ended up walking back down to the lobby together. It has not been an hour but Bruce was already sitting there waiting. She had explained to Adrien that she was meeting with the man but not why. She just told him it made her parents very nervous.

Rather than let her walk up to the man alone Adrien waved Nathalie over and walked up to the man. He introduced himself in an arrogant manner that Marinette had never seen him use. He told him that the only meeting with Marinette would be in the park where his bodyguard would be watching. Marinette just stared at Adrien taking charge like that but the man complied with a smile.

It took a few minutes for him to gather the things but Adrien pulled Marinette after him without waiting for the man to follow. In only a few minutes 3 hotel employees had brought out a table and chairs and set it up under a tree and near the fountain. Marinette remembered to text her parents the change and got a quick response back that it made her mother feel better to know that someone else would be looking out for her since the bakery was too busy for either of her parents to be available.

She walked up tentatively and Bruce motioned for her to sit. He was smiling again but Marinette thought he also seemed a bit nervous about her reaction. She tried to calm herself with deep breaths. This was all happening so fast, she didn't know how to handle it.

"So, I'm assuming your parents told you a little about me." Bruce started off awkwardly.

"Yeah. They told me last night that you think I'm somehow your child."

"Yes, the results of your test were flagged because it was a match to my biological son Damian and a half match to me."

"I don't understand how any of that is possible. I only sent the test in a week ago."

"I own the company who did the testing. Typically it would take time to compile results but since it was a match, I was sent and alert."

"So what do you want from me?"

"I want to get to know you. Possibly have a relationship. Calls and emails. Maybe even visits after a time."

She made a face when he suggested visits.

"Perhaps not just yet on visits. But I could visit. I have other children who would like to meet you. Here, in Paris, if you would allow."

"I'm not sure yet."

"That's fine. Tell me about you. Do you bake like your parents?"

"Well, I can make most of the things from the bakery. And I cook dinner when it is my turn."

"But it's not your passion. What is your passion?"

"Well I really like designing clothes and accessories."

"That's really cool. Do you have any pictures?"

Marinette pulled out her phone and showed him the album that she had set up as a portfolio of sorts. He listened to all she said about each item and asked questions. He was very excited to see the album cover she designed for Jagged Stone and then the picture of her with him when he was wearing his Eiffel Tower glasses. So she showed him the Kitty Section outfits and told how XY tried to steal her design and the band's music. Then she flipped past a few more of her own clothes and gifts for friends until she came to the picture of Adrien in the hat she designed.

"This boy again. Is he your boyfriend?"

"Oh no. Nothing like that. His father held a competition and the prize was having him wear my design on the runway for his brand Gabriel."

He gave her a knowing look as she turned a bit pink but kept scrolling through. He paused a bit longer on a picture of him in a blue scarf.

"He can't know I made that. It was for his birthday but there was a mix up and he thought it was from his father."

"But you couldn't correct the misunderstanding?"

"I could have. But he was so happy that his father got him something like that I didn't want to feel like I was talking that away from him."

"That is very sweet."

He spent a moment just looking at this daughter he had just met and couldn't help but be amazed. He could tell that their time was ending but he wanted to find a way to drag it out. But she was getting restless and the model's bodyguard was mean mugging him.

"Well Marinette, I hope I can see you again during my stay. I would walk you to wherever you are heading, but I think that the bodyguard would like to see us walk away separately."

"I think my parents want to see me anyway."

She reached out to shake his hand. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into a hug but he settled for shaking her hand and briefly putting his other hand on the back of hers before releasing it.

Next

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All the tags worked. I don't think that has ever happened to me. If I missed you sorry. Just tell me again. I will tag I just had a lot of notifications overnight.

[storydays]

Season 1, Episode 1,P1

You snickered as you teased Oogie with an apple over his head, making him do a barrel roll in the air, startling the Airbender family into waking up. "Well, glad to see your awake, cause we're about thirty minutes out." "(Y/N), you haven't been up all night again, have you?" Pema asked, a frown on her lip as Tenzin took the reigns and gently blasted you in the back with your crazy cousins. "I-I couldn't sleep." You began handing out the dumplings you and Pema had made. Tenzin sighed as Meelo was suddenly biting his head, with a sudden burst of energy as Ikki began asking constant questions, making the 30 minutes seem even longer.

"Jinora, Ikki, mind helping me out?" You asked with a grin, at the girl's excitement. They loved doing your hair. You sighed softly, as they got to work fixing your hair so it was similar to a water tribe style, with braids placed here and there, before finally putting it in a low pony tail at the base of your neck. Finally, the village was in sight. And you know that waiting for you was your dear Grandmother. You grinned as you used your glider to reach her before your cousins, hearing your cousins cry out in annoyance. "Hey, no fair!" They cried indignantly. Your laughter echoed in their ears as you flew down where you sensed Gran-Gran's energy. Her blue eyes sparkled as she watched you land in front of her.

Gran-Gran laughed joyously as you brushed the snow off your body, flinching as the snow melted against your skin. "Aah! It's colder than a witches tit out here!" You cry out, dropping your glider, in exchange for getting the water out of your clothes, before smiling crookedly at your grinning grandmother. "Sorry for the language, Gran." She chuckled before engulfing you into a hug. "Your grandfather used to say much worse." You took a step back, sliding your glider into the holder on your back. She gently brushed your bangs back, smiling at your bright blue arrows. You had earned your arrows when you were 6 years old, due to your discovery of creating ice puppets out of drawings. 

You had also earned the title of Waterbending Master and Healer when you were eight. 

Making your family proud of you. 

 "Gran-gran, are you trying to make me face Ikki and Jinora's wrath?" You asked, hiding your arrows again. You didn't like the attention that your arrows brought you, and Korra wasn't aware of you gaining them either. You wanted to see how long until she realized it. Which surprised you, as you've been friends with her since you were a year old and she was just born. 

You snap to attention when your grandmother started to speak, "You've grown into a handsome young man, (Y/N). You're strong and goofy like your father, but agile and gentle like your mother." You smile, rubbing your thumb over your father's ring, and your other hand grasped your mother's pendent underneath your airbender robe. It was one of the material things you had left of your mom, but the memories you made with her, are things no one or anything can replace or change.

Your moment was ruined when Oogie landed with a grunt. You could hear Uncle Tenzin talking over Ikki's chipper voice. "Yes, Ikki. As I have been telling you for the last 15 minutes, we are finally here." The three kids cheered as the girls used air scooters to slide down the bison's tail to get off, following their father, who walked tiredly over to you two. "Hello, Mother. I can't tell you how happy I am to see you. Please help me." Tenzin glared at you as snickered. "Hmph, thanks for the help, (Y/N)." The older Waterbender chuckled, as she picked up her youngest grandson. "Unhand me, strange woman!" Meelo cried, flapping around, in Katara's grip.

"That's our grandmother, Meelo." You chuckle as Meelo blush and flipped out of the Waterbending master's hands, and over to play with Ikki as Jinora ran over. "Gran-Gran, I've been reading all about your old adventures. I've been dying to ask you! What happened to Zuko's mom?" She asked clasping her hands together, looking at Katara expectantly. "Well, Jinora, it's an incredible tale--" You didn't even blink as Ikki suddenly hopped in front of Katara's view. "Gran-Gran, you look old! How old are you? And why is it so cold in the South Pole? Can we make a campfire and all huddle around it and tell scary stories and make snowmen? And then can we make the snowmen move with waterbending and chase us? Wouldn't that be fun? Huh, wouldn't it?" You patted Jinora, who was clearly disappointed and sadden she wouldn't get her question answered yet.

You then used waterbending to make an Ikki snowgirl and began moving her in a circle, before laughing loudly. "Sure was fun to me!" You mocked, before the airbender kids decided to chase you. "Wait! My bad!" You cry out as they began gaining on you. Tenzin chuckled before noting Pema slowly sliding down Oogie's back, before rushing over to her. "Pema, let me help you." He grabbed her hand in his, and braced her back against his hand. "Careful now, careful." "Stop doting on me. I'm not helpless, I'm just pregnant." She chided, looking down lovingly at her bump. She loved her husband, but this was her fourth pregnancy, you'd think he'd calmed down by now.

She smiled when her mother-in-law moved forward to hug her. Backing away slowly, Katara placed a hand on her bulging stomach. "The baby's strong. I see another airbender in your future. Pema frowned slightly, before speaking up, startling Katara and Tenzin. "All I want is one child like me. A nice non-bender, who doesn't blast wind in my face every five seconds." Katara chuckled knowingly, as Tenzin pulled at his beard thoughtfully. "Mommy, look!" Meelo called, making the adults look at them. 

Meelo was a snowman, Jinora was air-skating, and Ikki was building a misshapen snowman. "I'm a snowbender!" The child twirled around, sending snow onto Pema, who rose an eyebrow at her son's antics. Turning to the giggling Waterbender, she asked,"Were Tenzin and his siblings this crazy when they were kids?" Deeming it was safe, you landed next to your Gran-Gran, as your grandmother began speaking. "Kya and Bumi certainly were.But Tenzin has always been rather...serious." Katara winked at you and a giggling Pema."Mother..please." Tenzin stated monotone, before peeking behind you with a well hidden gin. 

You were well aware of the girl behind you, but didn't react until her feet left the ground, and your hands moved on their own. You created a snow beanbag chair that caught the surprised girl. You use airbending to hover over a pouting waterbender. "Heyy Korra. " You grinned at her pout. "Aw, how'd you know I was behind you?" She asked, as you gently let her down, and hugged her properly. "I could sense your movement in the air." You let go as she huffed jokingly. "Korra..look at you, so big and strong. You've grown into quiet the young Avatar." Tenzin placed his hands on her shoulders and looked down at her with a proud smile. "Master Tenzin, I'm so glad you're here!" She started, with an eager grin. 

You frown at your uncle's wince. "Yes, well..." He hesitated before looking at Pema, who pushed him forward. "You're going to have to tell her sooner or later." "Wait, tell me what?" Korra asked, her excitement gone. "You're not staying, are you?" Gran-Gran spoke up. Tenzin sighed sadly, as Korra wore an heartbroken expression."I'm afraid not, we're only staying the night. Then I must return to Republic City." "But no, you're supposed to move here..You're supposed to teach me!" "I'm sorry, Korra. Your Airbending training is going to have to wait." Tenzin said solemnly. 

--That night--

"So, how long until you're ready to teach me?" Korra asked at dinner. "A week, a month?" "It could be much longer." You popped a dumpling in your mouth as Korra continued to ask questions. "I don't understand. Why are you making me wait?" "I have a responsibility to Republic City. I'm one of its leaders, and the situation there is very unstable right now. "But you also have a responsibility to teach me. Believe me, I'd be happy to find another airbending tea-" Korra stopped, and looked at you. You were currently feeding your little companion hiding underneath the table. 

Sensing eyes on you, you looked up to find everyone looking at you. "What? Nevermore isn't hurting anyone." Everyone smiled at your bliss. "I didn't even know you brought Nevermore, (Y/N). Where was she hiding?" The baby dragon crawled into your lap, begging for more. "Wait, what if (Y/N) stays here and teaches me the basics of the spiritual side?" "Huh?" You question as your uncle shot the idea down quickly. "No, (Y/N) has his own responsibilities to handle. I wish there were another way." Frustrated, Korra stormed out into the cold, and you counted to 10 before following her with Nevermore, chirping on your shoulder. 

You found Korra talking to Naga angrily. "...don't understand it, Naga!" She didn't notice your presence until you cleared your throat, sensing she calmed down enough to listen to logic. "Oh, hey, (Y/N). How long have you been standing there?" She asked, sitting on a rock. "Long enough. I didn't come here to pick sides, but I do have a suggestion." You knelt in front of her, and gave a soft smile. "Sneak away, tomorrow morning after we leave. If you keep waiting for permission, you're never going to get anything done. You'll be known as Korra, the Safe Avatar." You smirked to yourself, knowing she was thinking over your words. "See ya in the morning,Korra." 

You left her, before walking to the edge of the water, closed your eyes and slowly began dancing, moving your arms and hips, imitating the waves. The ocean began glowing colors, matching your aura, turning different shades of purple. You were surprised to see this new color; whenever you did this, the water stayed the various shades of blue. "Your aura has changed, child." You smile, seeing your Gran Gran standing behind you with a smile. "Hey Gran, I was just--"(Y/N), you don't need to explain yourself to me." She sat down, and patted the snow next to her, and your curled into her side. 

She began stroking your nose with her pinky finger, and humming softly, just like your mother used to. "Rest now. You've got quiet an adventure ahead of you." You smile and listen and somehow find yourself in a dreamless sleep.

--The Next Morning--

You kissed your grandmother's cheek goodbye, and hopped onto Oogi as Tenzin gently commanded him. "Oogi, yip, yip." The bison groaned lowly, before taking off. Your cousins continued waving goodbye to the South Pole, but you caught Korra's eye.  You smirk, before quickly sending a note into her hand. She tilted her head, curious as to what you wrote, and there in your fancy neat handwriting, was a simple: 

'When you come to Republic City, look for the pro-bending gym, and find two guys named Mako and Bolin, and enjoy the show. 

                                                                                                              Catch ya later, (Y/N).'

[qvid-pro-qvo]

uhm can we get a hotch x reader with prompts 1 and 5 from the dialogue prompts list? whatever you want, gender neutral🥺 ily and your writings, if you're not ok with this request it's ok :)

aaron hotchner x gender neutral reader.

word count: 2019

rating: teen, for someone you love meaning more than anything else in the world, in moments just like these (tw: hospital scenes, car crashes, canon-typical violence. hurt/comfort). 

-

Aaron finds himself pushing through glass double doors, rushing to the desk of the emergency room. It’s his nightmare come to life, his job as unit chief colliding with personal circumstances. It’s a horror and a nightmare, and when he makes it to the nurse who’s working, he speeds through his credentials to get him through the door.

But they don’t get him through the door. Nothing gets him through the door, and when JJ and Dave come in behind him, it’s to see his face crumple.

He should’ve been there, he should’ve seen it coming. The stop sign the two of you blew, chasing a suspect, the collision with a car who didn’t hear the sirens. He should’ve known, should’ve come sooner so he could be there for the both of you. But instead, what he got was a firm no from the nurse.

“You’re not next of kin. Until I get clearance, I can’t let anyone back there who is not directly related.”

Never mind that the team is your family. Never mind that you’ve been in Aaron’s life for what should be lifetimes. Never mind that the last time he saw you, it was to kiss your cheek, tell you goodbye, only for the chase to start…

“Those are two of my agents back there,” he bites out, and the words are a little strangled, even as he tries to keep his composure. “Those are two – two of my agents, and I need to see them. Please.”

A lesser person would be terrified by the fire in Aaron’s eyes. But the nurse does not back down. The sympathy in her gaze is clear, but she simply lifts her chin, meets those eyes with ease. “I’m sorry, sir. Someone will be out to discuss the situation shortly, and talk about procedure. Until then, if or when I get the word that visitors can come in, I’ll let you know.”

Emily and Reid come through a few minutes later, and Aaron looks up to watch them push to the same front desk. Their shoulders drop, just like his did, and when they turn it’s to see Dave and JJ beside their unit chief, the three of them… waiting.

“Anything?” Emily asks, and Aaron shakes his head, dropping his chin, elbows on his knees. All of the possible outcomes are filtering through his mind, from worst-case to best, and then back down to worst. Best, unscathed. Unharmed. Worst, unspeakable. Unnamed. Because he knows the truth can only fall somewhere in the middle, he forces the extremes through his head, if only to have something to occupy his thoughts.

“You’re driving yourself crazy, Aaron,” Dave whispers to him, when the others move to get food. It’s been two hours since the crash, two hours without a peep of news. “You have to focus on the positive. The first responders got there, to the both of them. They’re here, and they’re getting treated by capable hands.”

“Two hours, Dave,” Aaron returns, not meeting his friend’s eyes, blinking up at the sight of another set of double doors barring the path to you and Morgan. “We both know that it’s not that simple.”

Soon, the team returns, and the waiting seems to start all over again. Pacing takes up the time between no news and any information they can gather, listening, watching, and needling for anything about their loved ones. And each time those double doors swing open, a beep signaling the passage of someone who could give them answers, another name is called, another family pulled in to discuss the future of those they care about.

Aaron and his team have to wait.

Make calls to Jack and Jess.

And wait.

Calls to the precinct, to the sheriff, to the Bureau, to Strauss.

And wait.

It hits five hours when their messenger comes through. A world-weary physician, who blinks down at the chart and calls out your last name. Aaron stands, suddenly, and the movement makes him dizzy, but he ignores his body just to stride forward with the rest of his team, who gather around the doctor with the same pleading eyes, begging for good news.

“For Morgan, too?” he asks, and Aaron sees Dave nod beside him, sees JJ’s hands clasp together in front of her. “All right. My name is Dr. Roberts, I’ve been in to see both of them. We ran some cursory tests – CT scans, a couple of x-rays, and a full physical exam.”

“And what’d you find?” Emily pushes, and Aaron glances to her to see her thumb held up to her mouth, biting at her nails lightly.

“Well, they got lucky. The hit came to the back half of the SUV, which means that Morgan sustained minimal injuries and abrasions. A concussion, due to the impact, but that’s to be expected.”

There’s a sigh of relief from the team, but the waiting isn’t done yet. Need another cursory glance over the chart, the man before the team hums, and Aaron finds his patience wearing thin. “Doctor,” he urges, and when their eyes meet the battle of wills commences again. “The… the other agent. Please.”

This time Aaron wins out.

“Broken leg,” Dr. Roberts responds, sighing. “Sedation has been helping with the pain, but it’s fractured enough that we’ll need to put in some pins. As soon as the on-call trauma surgeon gets here, we’ll be in the operating room.”

“Can we see them?” Reid asks. “Both of them?” His voice is hopeful, and Aaron can’t help the way his hand lifts to rest on the younger agent’s shoulder when the doctor says yes. He can feel the tension leave him at the affirmation that they’ll be able to finally get back there, find you and Morgan, take care of you.

Together the BAU gathers their things to make their way through. When they make it to the door, ready to get led back, Dr. Roberts holds up a hand to stop them.

“A couple at a time. We’ll be going into surgery in around 45 minutes to an hour,” the doctor informs you. He looks at the group expectantly, numbered five. “Can’t have all of you in a room at once. Let’s say half in each room at a time.”

The team looks around at each other. In that moment, being the unit chief doesn’t matter nearly as much as being a part of the BAU, being folded into the tight-knit group, the unbreakable family ties. Aaron thinks about you, alone, and finds his jaw clenching.

“We’ll switch off,” he tells the group. “And when they take… when the surgery starts… we’ll take turns with Morgan until he gets discharged.”

Dave’s hand comes to rest on his shoulder. The tension leaks from him, and he sighs.  

“We’re still on a case. Those of us who aren’t waiting once the surgery starts need to keep on it.”

“Hotch –” Emily tries to argue, but with a firm look she nods.

“We can’t drop the ball on this. Morgan’ll tell us as much when we get in there,” JJ agrees, and Aaron looks to her with a tight smile.

“Dave, Emily, and JJ will go to Morgan.” That’s his final call. Their eyes fall on him, and he looks to Reid, who nods at the implication. “I need to make a call to Strauss, and then I’ll be in there to join you.”

-

When Aaron settles into the space next to your bed, he reaches for your hand immediately. Grimaces at how cold it feels, and finds himself holding it in both of his palms, just rubbing to bring blood, life, feeling back into it. Your eyes stay stubbornly closed, and though he knows the surgery went successfully, there’s a stillness that leaves him feeling… unnerved. You’re not meant to be still. You’re meant to be tapping your fingers against the sheets, pushing your hand through your hair, leaning close to him.

All he can see now is the rise and fall of your chest. The stiffness of your left leg, wrapped up and casted.

He squeezes your fingers again.

He doesn’t know what urges him to start speaking. But he does. Starts talking, and can’t find himself stopping. Reid isn’t there, the rest of the team is with Morgan settling your discharge information as well as his own. It’s just you and Aaron, and he sighs with his thumb pressed between the furrow of his brows.

He kisses your knuckles, and murmurs against them. It’s in time with the rhythm of your heartbeat, some sentences. Like your breathing is the bassline to his life. Maybe it is. And if it isn’t, maybe it should be.

“All this tells me is that I should marry you,” he says. “Not letting me in on a – on a technicality.” You don’t answer, you’re still asleep, but he can see you chuckle with it. “And you see, this is the part where you tell me you’re proud of me. I didn’t lash out at the nurse, or Dave, I just. Waited. Trusted in you to be there for me.”

The beeping continues. Steady. Strong.

“Morgan is okay. Don’t worry. Just a couple of cuts, some bruises. A concussion.”

He shakes his head. “He blames himself. He was driving after all. But I told him, I had to tell him, that it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t believe me, or anyone else, but. We’ll work on it. And once you’re awake, you can tell him, too.”

Your eyes blink open, but Aaron doesn’t notice at first. His eyes are still focused on your fingertips.

“It scares me, knowing that this is our life. That this will always be our life. But I wouldn’t trade it, for anything.”

“Neither would I,” you hum out.

When he glances up to see you awake, it’s with a smile on your face.

“Hey, handsome,” you murmur. Your voice is weak, but light, gentle, and he can’t help but shake his head with a chuckle. “Wasn’t expecting you when I woke up, too.”

“What do you mean?”

But you’re already drifting again, your thoughts running through your head and coming to the surface without much push. It’s the anesthesia, of course. You start shaking your head when you realize that one of your legs is stationary. Unmoving. “What happened?”

“Car accident. Your leg broke,” he tells you, and your frown is deep, lines around it emphasizing your displeasure.

“Well. I guess I’m on… bedrest, then. That’s… shitty.”

He laughs, despite himself, despite how much it aches to know that this happened at all, because of you. He smiles, and kisses your knuckles again, and leans close to kiss your forehead, because of all that he feels for you.

“Yes, my love. I would say so.”

“If I fell asleep again… would you be shirtless again?”

He blinks, shaking his head. Your filter is truly gone as you continue to rouse, and he smirks as you hum and do your best to move.

“Shirtless?” he dares to ask, and you nod.

“In my dream.” There’s a pleasant smile on your face, like you’re remembering something good. Something great. He laughs again. “We were in the office, and everyone forgot their shirts, and… and I asked you… ‘what – what are you doing with your shirt off?’”

Aaron can’t help his snort, shaking his head and bringing your hand up to his lips. You’re starting to doze off again, and so he pushes a little more, to let you go over the edge into dreamworld again.

“And?”

“And you told me that it was to impress me… and… convince me to stay in the BAU.”

Your words are starting to slur again, and he lets your hand rest against your body, still holding it, loose in his grip.

“Did it work?”

You hum, and your eyes flutter closed. “Honey… I’m not goin’ anywhere.” Your breathing starts to even out again, but that smile remains, and he leans forward to press a kiss to your forehead.

“Rest well, my love. I’ll be here.”

“Shirt on?”

“Unfortunately. Now, rest.”  

[personasintro]

My Tiny Secret | 21; His Decision

𝑴𝒚 𝑻𝒊𝒏𝒚 𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒍𝒆 | 21; His Decision

⏤𝒔𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒔; Pretty face doesn’t make it up for an ugly personality. And Kim Seokjin is the perfect proof of that.

⏤𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈: seokjin x reader

⏤𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: angst, smut, fluff, mistress au, unexpected pregnancy au

⏤𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: strong language, mature content

⏤> 𝒇𝒊𝒄 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒙

“Mhmm... fuck.” you breathe out, swallowing another moan as Seokjin's plump lips latch onto your clit while his long and slim fingers are busy pumping inside your clenched hole.

“This pretty pussy,” he sneers against your heat, before he starts to suck your little bundle of nerves all over again.

It's around eight in the morning, meaning you still got at least ten minutes before Yoojin wakes up. If it weren't for his occasional cries, you'd sleep like you haven't in a long time. Maybe the reason behind your good sleep was the person sleeping next to you, or you just enjoyed someone else's warmth next to you. Seokjin would wake up with you, groggily groaning whenever you were already standing up to get your son, watching you in the darkness while you bounced him in your hands, trying to get him to sleep. It was something you weren't aware of, until you found out he was still awake, waiting for you to return to bed.

Even though the night with him was great, you've never expected him to wake up a few minutes after you, ready to devour you all over again. This time, only using his mouth and fingers.

“Hmm...” he hums, as if he's savoring the taste of your arousal, is just enough to buckle your hips against his face.

Your back arches from the couch's, thighs dangerously caging his head from all the pleasure he gives you just with his mouth and fingers. You pull his hair, a deep groan vibrating in his chest sends a wave of incredible pleasure all over your body,

“Cum for me.” he murmurs, enough for you to hear but still careful not to be extremely loud.

With more few pumps and his tongue flicking your clit in animalistic pace, you're chocking up on your moans as you're cumming. Your mouth fully agape, tears prickling the corners of your shut eyes are just natural reaction, your heat sucking his fingers in as he swallows your cum mixed with arousal. When overstimulation starts to kick in, you nudge his head before he gets the clue, licking your swollen heat for the last time before he pulls away.

His big lips are coated with your cum, shining in the natural lightening as you curse at the sight. He smirks, swiping it off with his finger before he puts it in his mouth, sucking on it as he cleans it. You watch him doing it with the rest of the fingers, where your arousal and cum is still clear, feeling your heat pulse.

That was incredible.

You sit up, pulling down your shirt before he plops onto the couch next to you.

“Are we going to talk about what happened?” you ask, breath caught in your throat from the intense orgasm you've just experienced.

“I ate you out, what's there to talk about?” he chuckles, showing you his white teeth while his eyes are focused on you.

“Jin,” you whine, the corners of his mouth lifts at the nickname rolling out of your tongue. It's been a few months when you started calling him that and he enjoys it every time you say it. “I'm serious.”

“So am I.”

It still takes you at least five seconds to get used to him joking and fooling around.

“Do you think us having sex was a good idea?” you ask him with a murmur, pulling your shirt down your thighs even though you feel the uncomfortable wetness pooling between your legs.

Maybe you should've used the bathroom to clean yourself before starting this topic, but there's no turning back. Especially when all amusement wipes off his face instantly, a hardened gaze staring right back at you. It makes your shoulders tense and your arms hugging yourself, taken back by the sudden change of atmosphere.

However, when he notices your body language he relaxes his expression and licks his lips slowly, before a raspy voice reaches your ears.

“Are you regretting that it happened? Because I asked you if you're sure.” he says, points out the small fact that brings you back to yesterday night, night full of kisses and deeper connection. It's weird, he almost sounds hurt asking that.

“No, I know that. I don't regret it, Do you?” you tell him quickly, watching him shaking his head.

“I don't. But why are you asking me this then?” he sounds genuinely confused, and you know you're confusing him every second you don't response.

Quickly gathering yourself, you give him a tiny smile before you sigh.

“I don't regret us having sex. It felt... nice. And different than the other times and I know something has changed, I'm not sure whether you felt it too or not...” you trail off, catching a glimpse of him but he only stares at you.

He doesn't confirm it, nor deny it which leaves your comment ignored but him not denying it means something. Right?

“I know you're not used to talk about your feelings openly, or about any situation that's close to it. And I don't wanna pressure you into anything. I'm not used to it either, well, not with you. We've never really talked about such things so openly, or ever actually. All I wanted to say is, that I don't think it was a smart move... us having sex. Even though, I don't regret it.”

He stays quiet for a solid five seconds as he scratches his cheekbone, but opens his mouth.

“I'm not quite sure what this is about.” he admits.

“Well,” you start, “think about it this way. It happened, and it's okay and we don't regret it. But if we keep doing this, Yoojin will grow up seeing us close and I don't want him to be confused in the future. I know we still got a lot of time before he truly starts to realize this, but it's better to put pause or stop this while we can. You're still married, and imagine us being intimate again. He will just grow confused, wondering if we're together or not. I'm a single woman, but I want to find someone in the future. As much as I've enjoyed last night, I can't keep doing this with you. I know we both agreed to it, but I need to respect myself as a woman more. I don't think us doing this again would do some good.”

God, you really enjoyed feeling his lips and hands all over your body. You truly did. That night was special, whether he acknowledges it the same way like you do or not. You're not necessarily someone who wants to put labels on things, as long as there was consent on both parts, there shouldn't be any issue with that. You're a grown up woman who can decide what she wants. But you're also a mother, which is a huge responsibility and you can't keep acting like that young woman who couldn't get enough of the CEO in a black suit and shitty attitude. He has changed, for the better, something you've never thought you would get to see. And fuck, how proud you are of him. You really are.

But not even that means, you're going to jump back into the previous relationship the two of you had.

There's another person in your lives, your son, who's going to grow up and sense your relationship from a far. You can't act irresponsible just because he's good in bed and you've a weird chemistry going on. Your son is much important than your secret desires and lust.

“I understand,” he says slowly, biting onto his inner cheek before he sighs. “I think you're right. I should've thought of it sooner.”

“Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. I want you to know, I really enjoyed last night and it gave me a different perspective. But as of now, I think we should focus on him rather than our hormones.”

You obviously find each other attractive, you always did. If you didn't, you two wouldn't have secret rendezvous and nine months old son right now.

And although, you want to kiss those juicy lips again and utilize him being getting more open and affectionate, you can't let it affect the future.

“You're right,” he nods, palms slapping against his thighs as he stands up. “No more kissing and sex. Got it.” he chuckles, causing you to do the same, although you're pushing back the pout that wants to settle on your lips.

Idiot, you were the one who came up with this.

But it feels like the right thing to do so.

“Yeah,” you nod, standing up with him as you cringe at the feeling between your legs. “I need to clean myself before Yoojin wakes up.”

“I've some errands to run,” he says, picking up his phone from the coffee table as he puts it into his raven black slacks. God, the image of him eating you out in his suit is devilish. “Will you be fine?”

“Of course,” you smile up at him, “Will you come for the dinner tonight?”

He barely misses your dinner. There were times you wanted to bring him a homemade lunch, a surprised visit by you and Yoojin in his company, but you don't want to push things. You're not sure if you'd cross some lines. Plus, you know how busy he is.

You're thinking about making a Chinese food, or traditional Korean, whatever he chooses.

“Actually, I don't think I'll make it tonight,” he answers, scratching the back of his neck as your shoulders fall in disappointment. “I'll text you.”

“Yeah, sure.” you muster a smile, biding a goodbye as you rush yourself to the shower.

You hear him padding around the apartment for a couple of minutes, before he shuts the front door with a soft click. It leaves you letting out a saddened sigh, turning on a warm water that covers your naked and shivering body.

It's weird how in span of a few months this place feels foreign, even though he spent a good amount of his life here. He remembers he spent hours in a meeting with one of the best architectures and interior designers he could find in Seoul, trying to create a perfect vision of his taste and home. It's comical that no matter how much of a personal touch he gave to this place, it never felt like a true home. At first, he never realized it until now. It feels cold, unlocking the wide black wooden front door, and even the scent of it makes him want to turn around and leave.

It doesn't smell like your apartment. There is no scent of cherry blossom diffuser or baby powder, something he misses and got used to quite quickly.

And it doesn't matter if this house is huge and has a better interior, when there's no feeling to it. The whole house feels like a ghost town, empty and lonely and that's why a rustling sound takes him by surprise.

Taking his shoes off, he ignores the dust that's settled on the shoe rack, wondering if she ever took a mop into her hands and cleaned herself. The charwoman he hired got sick, so she hasn't been coming to the house to clean it and he forgot to call another one in the meantime. It's safe to say he didn't even care when he's spending most of his time in his office or at your place. Pathetically, he thought his hard-working' wife would clean it herself.

He follows the sound, realizing it's coming from the kitchen as he takes off his suit jacket while walking there.

She might not be cleaning, but he's definitely shocked to see her rustling with pots and the weird smell of something that's simmering in the pan. She turns around, ready to check her unlocked and bright phone, but she notices him causing her to gasp in shock.

“Fuck, you scared me!” she exclaims, holding her chest as she breathes through it. “You came home?” she asks surprised, still trying to calm down her beating heart while her husband just stares at her.

He decides to give her a brief nod, tossing his suit jacket onto the kitchen island as he leans against it with his hand. “What are you doing?”

“Cooking.” she answers, tapping onto the screen of her phone that lightens up with something that looks like a recipe.

Well, he can see that. He hasn't seen her standing behind the stove, trying to cook something, ever. And whatever this is, he doesn't comment it and stares at her focused face.

She cut her hair short, but other than that she looks just exactly the same. She's wearing a tight red dress, a complete opposite of your loose baggy shirt that you always wear at home. Her hair is sleek, perfectly styled as if she's going somewhere but she's not. He knows that because she wouldn't waste her time trying to cook, if she had somewhere else to be. When you cook, you always put your hair into a messy bun or ponytail, so it doesn't go into your eyes and face.

He has no clue why he keeps comparing you to her, but both of you are so different. It's almost a complete opposite and he wonders how possibly he could have felt attracted to the both of you. You're both glorious women, although you're so different from each other.

She closes one of the cupboards, reaching for the glass of red wine as she slowly sips from it, glancing at him through her black lashes.

“Can we talk?” he asks, seeing she has no intention talking first.

It's weird how calm she acts, no jabbing or comments on his sudden visit.

“About what?” she hums, placing the glass back down before she licks her lips.

“This marriage,” he answers, causing her to freeze in her spot before she pokes her inner cheek with the tip of her tongue. “It's not working out.”

He lacks of empathy, and it's shame that he as her husband can't really read her emotions, but he's not blind. He can see how she clenches her sharp jaw, ready to snap at him any second but she calmly grips the edges of kitchen counter.

“Who said it's not working out?” she manages to say through clenched teeth, staring at the marble instead.

“I did. Just now,” he shrugs, sounding careless which makes her blood boil. “I don't plan on sugarcoating anything. I wanna divorce you, but I thought you should hear it from me first, before my lawyer contacts you.”

The good thing is, that she placed the glass down before he dropped this bomb onto her. It'd surely end up on the floor right now, along with her dignity.

“You–You can't just do this!” she exclaims, trying to find her voice and fight the shock while she glares at him. “Why are you doing this?”

“Why are you acting so shocked? I barely spend my time here, I don't come home anymore and we're nothing but roommates at this point.”

“That's not the point!” she shoots back, causing him to sigh.

He really doesn't want to raise his voice, he remains calm while his wife is ready to burst any second.

“And what is? I don't see the point in this ridiculous marriage.” he tells her honestly, but that only makes her fume even more.

“You're fucking unbelievable! So, just because you've a son now, you suddenly don't need me?”

“Let's not go there.” he warns her, eyes furrowing as she has the audacity to bring him into this. He wanted to do this calmly, but if she utters a single bad word about his son, he's going to snap.

“How about let's go there?” she barks, trashing with her hands. “So, now that I can't have your children I am nothing? I'm not worth of being your wife, is that it? But she is, right? You're going to marry her and have a family with her.”

He sees nothing but jealously and anger. Some part of him knew she's going to bring you into this. No matter how many months has passed, you're always ticking her nerves.

“Don't talk nonsense,” he sighs, “She has nothing to do with this. I'm doing this for my son, and for me. We don't love each other, this marriage was just a plan for the both of us. Don't act like there were any feelings involved.”

She purses her lips, knowing he's saying the truth. She doesn't love him, she loved the fact how wealthy he is and what can he give her. Having his kid would be just an insurance of having the rest of her life taken care of. She wouldn't have to worry about money, place to live in or designer clothes that are practically spilling from her huge closet.

“Still, you can't treat me like shit.”

“Am I? I'm standing here, telling you my decision before my lawyer could. How is that me treating you like shit? I wasn't the best husband, I'm aware of that. But I gave you everything you pointed your little finger at. That was just enough for you, wasn't it?”

He doesn't even bring up the whole topic of her using him for the money. He's not here to fight.

His voice is firm, but still calm which makes her taken back by his attitude. She notices how round his cheeks got, he looks better than when she had last seen him. It makes her wonder if you're behind it.

“Do you love her?” she mutters, clenching her jaw as her knuckles whiten at how tight she grips the counter.

He almost wants to laugh out loud at her jealously. She doesn't even love him, yet she's getting jealous just from the thought of him having feelings for someone else that's not her. She has so many men wrapped around her finger, he's not particularly scared of her ending up alone. She'll find someone else before she even properly signs the papers. But here she is, getting jealous and angry just because she isn't the one who got him better.

“No,” he answers simply, “I care about my son.”

“So, you barely staying here is just because you care about your son?” she sounds skeptical, but there's still hatred in her voice.

He's not sure what he feels towards you. But he knows he never felt about anyone that way. It's not love, it can't be. But he cares about you. Maybe it's because you're his son's mother, he thinks.

“I made the decision,” he starts, watching her attentively. “to become a better father.”

“How touching.” she snorts, rolling her eyes at him which makes him take a deep breath.

“You know, one day when you decide to adopt a kid,”

She wouldn't, he knows that. She doesn't like kids to begin with. It's a random thought, but he's glad you ended up pregnant instead of her. He can see it in your eyes how happy you're whenever you look at Yoojin, and maybe it wasn't planned pregnancy, but you wouldn't change him for anything. He knows his son is in good hands and couldn't have a better mother.

Who knows, maybe if she had her own baby, things would change. But he doubts it.

“You might understand what it feels like. Until then, you're never going to understand why I did this.”

Her face scrunches in a painful manner, but she embraces herself and holds her head high.

“She's just another bitch trying to screw you over, using your son.”

She's hurt, he can see it in her eyes, despite of them never being so close. It's the anger, jealously and even hatred speaking out of her but that doesn't justify her attitude.

“Ara.” he warns her, growling at her as she puts her hand in front of her stopping him.

“No, she's already doing it. She's using your son to get to you, and look how that turned out!”

“She's not you, Ara,” he tells her, her mouth opening in disbelief as he takes his suit jacket off the counter. “You can keep the house if you want. That's all I can give you.”

“I'll ruin you.” she spits.

“No, you won't.” he tells her, causing her to slap her hands onto the top of the counter but he doesn't budge, raising a brow at her.

“I'll strip you off your money, you'll have nothing.” she threatens, causing him to smirk as he chuckles lowly.

“Try it,” he shrugs, “But before you can even make a plan, don't forget I can ruin you with the snap of my fingers. Think wisely. My offer is the house, if not, I don't owe you a shit.”

He doesn't want to threaten her, but he can't let her walk over him, threatening him. He's choosing his attitude and words carefully. If this was happening a year ago, he'd stand up to this differently. But now he has a son, a little family he needs to take care of. He needs to be more careful what he says and does.

“You're going to regret this.” she tries for the last time, hating how unaffected he seems to be.

“No, I won't. I've made the best decision I could,” he tells her honestly, not even glaring at her. He sees the shock written on her face, seeing the change in him. “And I hope you'll do as well.”

Taking the last glance at her, he walks out of the house before she can utter another set of threats. He knows she's all bark but no bite. She has no power to do something. And with him no longer being there, she is reminded of the burnt sauce she was trying to cook. Her first attempt of cooking contrasting her life, as she angrily turns off the stove and takes the glass of wine, throwing it onto the perfect colored wall with a scream.

As soon as he is out of the house, the fresh air hits his face and he inhales heavily, making his way to his black sport car.

He feels relaxed, sighing as soon as he rides off the driveway and checks the time on the touch screen.

He will make it to the dinner after all.

[calpalirwin]

Diplomatic Affairs

Summary: Being Queen as a figure-head position is almost a walk in the park. If one can look past having dinner with the newly elected officials of government, some of whom happen to be ex-boyfriends.

A/N: Part 2 to The Suitors

Word Count: 2.6k

And away, and away we go!

__

5 Years Later

“Ma’am, the King is requesting your presence,” Michael said, his head peering through the doorway.

You straightened your necklace, before smoothing your hands down the skirt of your dress, giving yourself one last lookover in the mirror. “Where is he?”

“Office, ma’am.”

“Thank you, Michael,” you smiled as you moved past him. “How long until the guests arrive?”

Michael checked his watch. “A half hour.”

“Perfect.” 

While it would have been customary for Michael to accompany you down to the offices, and announce your arrival to the King, Michael knew you preferred the less formal approaches when the circumstances permitted. You rapped your knuckles once against the door, waiting for the call of “Come in,” before pushing your way into the room.

The King had his back to you, staring out the window. His suit jacket lay neatly across the back of his chair, and the sleeves of his button down were rolled midway up his forearms. It was his preferred way of wearing his suit when he could, and you couldn’t disagree with the choice. “You sent for me?” you prompted when he still didn’t turn his attention from the window.

He turned then, a warm smile on his face. “Yes, I-” he paused to clear his throat, his cheeks coloring. “You look amazing, darling.”

“Looking pretty sharp yourself, Cal,” you returned the compliment as you each crossed the room to each other, meeting in the middle.

“No,” he said with a shake of his head, his tone a low rasp you knew well. “You look like we’re bound to get in trouble if we’re alone much longer.”

You sighed, titling your head to the side as his lips found your neck. “Michael did say something about there being a spare half hour.”

“The things I have in mind will require much longer,” Calum said, before straightening up and clearing his throat.

You sighed again, this time in discontent. “Well, I suspect we’ll find time to finish that particular business later?” you asked, your fingers grazing where his mouth had just been, wishing it was still there.

“Earliest convenience, promise,” he winked.

“And what’s this particular meeting about then?”

“Right. Yes. Uh, it’s the guest list.” He went around to his desk, shuffling through papers, his fingers trailing down one of them.

“What about it?” you asked, moving to stand by his side, looking at whatever held his interest.

“It's dinner with members of Parliament.”

“I’m aware. What of it?”

“None of these names look familiar to you?”

You glanced down at the list. Prime Minister Lord James. Secretary of Commerce Duke Charles. And Secretary of Defense Lord Sebastian. “Oh, it’ll be lovely to see James and Charles again! I’m glad their elections went in their favor.”

“Yes, the more amiable of your ex-boyfriends. And then there’s…” Calum let his sentence trail off, and you could easily guess the words of disdain for the newest Secretary of Defense.

“Our favorite person,” you deadpanned. “Pleasant.”

“False. Collectively, our favorite person happens to be the Prince. Individually, you’re my favorite person.”

“I would certainly hope your wife and son would top the list of your favorite people,” you laughed.

“Speaking of our son, where is he?”

“Either with the nanny, or running security ragged. Most likely both.”

“We should go rescue them, huh?”

“We definitely should.”

“Oh, look! There’s Mommy and Daddy!” Kaykay, the nanny, breathed in relief as you and Calum came out to the garden in search of your son.

“There is a god,” Ashton, the head of security, joked, clasping his hands together and thanking the sky, making both you and Calum laugh as Noah ran straight for you and Calum with a shriek of “Mommy! Daddy!”

“Well, don’t you look handsome!” you cooed at the boy as Calum lifted him up in his arms. “Just like Daddy.”

“All clean!” the three year old beamed.

“Yes, you did stay clean for dinner. Great job, bud,” Calum told him, and you each mouthed thanks to Ashton and Kaykay knowing they had more to do with keeping Noah clean than Noah did.

“Want to play,” Noah said sadly.

“All day tomorrow,” Calum said.

“With you?!”

“Yes, bud. All day tomorrow. Me, you, and Mommy.”

“Pwomise?”

“Promise,” you smiled sweetly at him. Then, “Are you ready to meet your guests?”

“Weady!”

Perhaps it wasn’t the standard to have a three year old sit in on a stuffy dinner, congratulating the newly elected officials in government. But with how busy you and Calum could become, you both liked to include Noah in your affairs whenever possible. And the idea of subjecting the young boy to a dinner without his parents wasn’t an idea that you found all that appealing, having remembered growing up with about as many dinners with members of staff as your own parents. A childhood you didn’t want to subject your son to if you could help it. And, as the Queen, you could.

As luck would have it, as you all made your way inside, you spotted Michael rushing your way. “First guest is here, ma’am.”

“So it begins,” you said, putting on a smile. And begin it did, because when the door opened to let in the first guest, Lord Sebastian was on the other side. Punctual bastard…

~~~

“Is there a spare bedroom or…?” Calum let the sentence hang in the air between the two of you.

“There are several. But when I asked you to stay over, I meant with me in my room if that’s alright.”

“It’s more than alright with me. I don’t want there to be any insinuation. There’s already going to be a scandal with the Little Lord as is.”

“As far as I’m concerned, Lord Sebastian had a lapse in judgment, and then you escorted me home. That’s my side of the story anyway. What say you?”

“I say you’re already thinking like a queen.”

Quietly, the two of you made your way into the castle and towards your room. “Can you, erm…” You twirled your index finger in a circle.

“Yeah, of course,” Calum nodded, closing his eyes and facing away from you. “Just say when.”

Quickly, you changed for bed and got yourself situated under the covers. “Okay, you can look now.”

“And I suppose now it’s my turn to ask you to close your eyes?”

You covered your eyes with your hands, peeking out at him through your fingers. “Cheeky thing, you are,” he laughed, stripping out of his clothes and lying them neatly on a chair. “Is this what I have to look forward to in the future? You peeking at me through your fingers?”

“Well, there are separate bedrooms for the King and Queen, so you could have your own privacy if you wish.”

“Mmm, now where’s the fun in that?” he asked, and you felt the bed dip as he got in next to you.

“A remaining product of when the castle was built, unfortunately. Although, they were kind enough to make them adjoining rooms. In recent years, not much use has been made of the Queen’s room, as one can imagine why.”

“Well, when I’m King, my first order of business is to have that wall taken down. A remodel for the modern age.”

“If you’re King,” you corrected in a teasing tone. “Don’t consider yourself safe simply because you’re the only one I’m seeing now.”

He chuckled softly. “If I’m King,” he said, “it’ll be the greatest title I ever hold to my name. Not because it's the title of King, mind you. But because it means you’re my Queen.”

“Keep talking like that, and that day may come sooner than you think.”

“What you call talking, I call making plans.”

“In that case, I can talk all night.”

Calum chuckled again, drawing you close to him. “As much as I would love that, we’ve had an eventful night, and no doubt have an eventful morning ahead of us. Try and get some rest, okay?”

“Okay,” you nodded, settling into the pillows and Calum, feeling the exhaustion set in. “G’night.”

“G’night, darling.”

You weren’t sure how long you had been asleep, nor if you had even fallen asleep at all before you were startling awake. Adrenaline pounded through your veins as you oriented yourself, realizing you weren’t in fact still stuck with Sebastian in a horrible nightmare. However, your relief at waking from the dream was short-lived when you calmed down enough to be aware of an extra body in your bed. You froze in terror, not daring to make a sound, while also contemplating screaming at the top of your lungs.

The body next to you stirred, and you scurried from bed, breathing heavily, both ready to confront whoever was with you, and run for your life if necessary. “Darling?” Calum’s voice rasped heavily with sleep. “You alright?”

Your body went weak with relief, and you put out your hands to catch yourself on the bed before shakily crawling back in. “That… Was terrifying.”

“Mmm, what happened?” he asked, trying to rouse himself awake.

“Nightmare coupled with forgetting you were here.”

Calum stiffened. “That bastard… You sure you’re alright?”

“Better than I was a few moments ago,” you answered honestly.

“I know the nightmares will probably persist for a while, but know that future King or not, I’m never going to let him get close enough to you for him to even think of laying a hand on you ever again.”

“Between you and the new security detail I’ll no doubt be assigned by my father once he learns what happened, not only will I be the most protected heir in history, but having any sort of nightmare will feel incredibly foolish. In fact, it already feels foolish. I know I’m safe.”

“It’s not foolish. However you have to process this event is however you have to process it. And I’ll be here to help you through it as long as you let me.”

~~~

“Your Majesties,” Lord Sebastian greeted with a bow.

“Your Lordship,” you and Calum each returned, you with a small curtsy, and Calum with a bow of his own.

“Your Royal Highness,” Lord Sebastian then bowed to the Prince.

“Your Wordship,” Noah replied, with his own little bow.

“Raising him well, I see,” Sebastian commented offhandedly.

“Never too young to learn how to behave Princely,” you smiled sweetly.

The blue sea stormed over briefly at the dig, then Sebastian cleared his throat. “Yes, well.”

“What my wife meant to say was congratulations on your election. We wish you success in your new position,” Calum stepped in.

“Yes, of course,” you nodded.

“Thank you,” Sebastian said, turning his attention to Calum. “And I suppose I should offer you the same congratulations on your successes since we last saw each other. A wedding, a coronation, and a son. Quite the list of accomplishments.”

“Congratulations carry the notion that I won something, Your Lordship. I assure you that my accomplishments, as you call them, are the natural progression of living my life. A natural progression I’m sure would have befallen anyone else in my position.”

“Yes, quite. Although, some would consider marrying into the most royal of families a win of the highest regard.”

“Some lesser minded folk, I’m certain.”

“Ah, yes. A reluctant king, how could I have forgotten.”

Calum’s jaw ticked slightly, and for a moment, the three of you were five years younger on a London street, Calum and Sebastian one insult away from pummeling each other. “Reluctancy suggests that there was hesitance, of which I assure you there was none on my part whenever it came to the Queen. In fact, if memory serves, it was you who was the hesitant one. Now remind me, what were your hesitancies with becoming King again? An archaic notion of gender norms, was it not? Pity. However, I suppose your position with the military, and now your newest rank brings you great joy. Not a lot of women to outrank you in your current status I assume. Yes, a great joy indeed for you, isn’t it?”

“Are you suggesting I have a problem with women in positions in power?”

“No, of course not. It’s not a suggestion at all. One needs to barely glance your direction to come to that conclusion for oneself.”

Sebastian’s eyes darkened again, and his mouth twisted to continue trading insults with Calum, but Michael came in to announce the arrival of more guests at the same time Luke came from the kitchens to announce dinner was ready.

“Foot hurt?” Noah asked with concern as you all made your way into the dining room, pointing a little finger at the way Lord Sebastian’s right foot slightly dragged.

“Residual effect of a training exercise gone awry a few years back. Likes to flare up from time to time is all,” Sebastian explained, more for your and Calum’s benefit than Noah’s.

“How terrible,” Calum deadpanned.

“Otay?” Noah checked.

“Yes, Lord Sebastian’s foot is fine, sweet one,” you told your son.

~~~

“Well, are we right in assuming that Lord Sebastian would put out a statement about how the Princess attacked him?” your mother asked, after you and Calum had relayed the story the following morning.

“Attacked him?! Oh, please…” you scoffed.

“If Lord Sebastian puts out a statement, that could very well be the story he leads with, at the very least. At most, he puts forth a statement that he was attacked both by you and Calum,” your father put in.

“So, what are our options because that’s exactly what he’ll do,” Calum asked.

“Lord Sebastian is the military one, yes?”

“Yes,” you nodded.

“Hmm. I can work with that.”

“And the Princess’ wrist and her nightmares?” Calum pressed.

“It’s a small bruise, Cal. Nothing that won’t fade in a week’s time, or that a little makeup can’t cover,” you assured him.

“And the nightmares?” he continued to press anyway.

“I suspect the nightmares will subside in their own time. But there will be a new security detail assigned to you,” your father directed at you.

~~~

“Well, that was…” you started as you and Calum got ready for bed, but faltered on what words you wanted to use.

“Dreadfully boring?” Calum supplied.

“So dreadfully boring. Men and their politics are always the same. Grandiose are the plans they promise to the people for advancement or change. All for it to die on the Parliament floor. If any change is made at all, it’s only to secure a re-election, and it’s subtle and underhanded in just the right way that nothing actually becomes of it. A complete mockery of what it’s supposed to be.”

“Usually, I’d be in agreement with you. That the original intention of the government was to do what the crown neglected to do. But, as the crown, we now have the power to make sure the government is responsible to the people it governs. After all, isn’t that the function of a constitutional monarchy? For the crown and the government to hold each other accountable?”

“In an ideal system, yes. However, for that to work, it would require us to play nicely with a certain Lord Sebastian, and I quite despise the man.”

“Yes, that will prove to be an obstacle. But he’s one man in comparison to the rest of the government. Surely we can institute change without needing him on our side.”

“I suppose you’re right. But, all that business can wait until later, as we have plans with the Prince tomorrow.”

“That we do. And if I remember correctly, we also have unfinished business ourselves that needed attending to.”

“Mmm,” you hummed, carding your fingers through the curls at the nape of his neck. “And, remind me. What business was that precisely?”

“I think this might help jog your memory,” he rasped, before his lips attacked the sweet spot just above your collarbone. Then, his hands were guiding you to jump in his arms, where you carried you to the bed, giggles and then sighs echoing off the walls, as his mouth trailed a path lower and lower on your body.

__

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