#this bullshit just added to todays irritation and my mom and her shit was just like gasoline on the fire

[maybeicanbesaved]

also! had an emergency dentist appt this morning bc i’ve been having such unbearable pain lately & was certain my tooth (that already had a root canal like a year ago) was reinfected bc the stupid filling came out, so i had assumed they would actually do something today??? my mistake i guess for thinking that bc all they did was a cleaning & xrays, and any work had to be scheduled for next time, and they can’t fit me in again until mid august :))))) so that’s fucking awesome thanks a lot

[songficsbyrissi]

This X-Mas (Spooky X Reader)

“'Cause this Christmas, will be the Greatest time of your life from me I ain't asking for the diamond rings I ain't really got a list of expensive things I just want you to myself while the children sleeps Santa baby, would you make a little time for me?” - Chris Brown feat. Ella Mai

A/N: hey y’all! I know I kinda abandoned you but being in College during a panoramic (Twitter joke) but I finished! I graduated undergrad so it’s lit! Even tho I don’t really care for Christmas or the holidays and I dislike Christmas music, I love this song and since it’s been a while, I might as well give y’all a Christmas gift soooo Merry Christmas! 🎄🎁❤️

************

You were not a fan of the holidays.

It’s not like you never were. You used to be but as you grew up, you grew a disdain for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years', all that.

The most wonderful time of the year, your ass.

From November 1st up until January 2nd, every year, you were annoyed and couldn’t wait for this time of the year to be over. You didn’t like it and if you had to hear “All I Want from Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey one more fucking time, someone was gonna get kicked where they’re more jolly.

You were relaxing on the couch when you heard a knock on your apartment door. You announced you were coming and opened the door to 3 boys by the names of Cesar, Jamal, and Ruby.

“Hey, boys! What brings-“

“BATHROOM!” Jamal ran past you and straight to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Ruby shook his head and Cesar gave a nervous laugh.

“Would you believe we were just in the neighborhood?”

You pursed your lips. “Nope.”

Ruby sighed out of frustration. “We need help getting Christmas gifts for our.....” He swallowed hard. You closed your eyes.

“You’re still struggling to call Jasmine your girlfriend?”

“SHE’S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!”

“Yeah yeah yeah.” You waved him off and right then, Jamal stepped out the bathroom, relieved.

“Whew, my bladder was full! Where you get that hand soap, Y/N?! Smells lovely!”

You rolled your eyes, irritated. “At Bath and Body Works where y’all should get gifts for your girlfriends.” You narrowed your eyes at Ruby, who shuddered at the G-word. “Now if you excuse me, I was enjoying my alone time.”

Cesar stopped the door from closing. “Wait. Didn’t you say you were leaving today to go spend Christmas with your family?”

Shit. “Uh yeah. Duh. I needed alone time before I left.”

“I don’t see any bags packed.” Ruby indicated, skeptical.

“Or an airline ticket on the desk. Yeah, I noticed!” Jamal added, folding his arms.

You looked at the 3 teenage boys who were waiting for you to confess. You sighed deeply, knowing the jig is up.

“Fine, 3 wise men!” You stated with a tone dripping in sarcasm. “I’m not going home. I never was going home. The reason why is because I don’t care for the holidays. I stopped a long time ago. It’s never been special to me. Also, I don’t have a close-knit family. Actually, we’re dysfunctional as hell. This isn’t the most wonderful time of the year for me. I lied so you guys wouldn’t know the truth, now are you happy?”

Jamal had a dismal expression on his face and pulled you to his chest. “Now I see what the Scrooge looks like as a black woman.”

You pushed him off and Cesar grabbed your wrist before you could hit him.

“Does Spooky know?”

You shook your head. “Nope and it’s gonna stay that way. I mean it, Cesar. Don’t say shit to your brother about this.”

Were you really depending on the little brother of your gang member friend that’s not really a friend but he’s kind of your boo to keep his mouth shut?

“Cesar told me you lied.” That was what Spooky said when you opened the door the next morning which was Christmas. You sucked your teeth loudly, disappointed that your dumbass trusted a 15-year-old who feared his brother.

“I should really kick your brother’s ass.”

He smirked at your comment. “Talk to me, Mami. Why you not fucking with Christmas?”

You left the door, letting him outside and he closed the door behind him. “Because it’s annoying as hell.”

“Nah, that ain’t it.”

You turned to Spooky with your arms folded. “Why do you even care, Oscar? It’s not like your thug ass cares for holidays and shit.”

Spooky remained unfazed by your attitude and you calling him by his government. When you first met him, he would be pissed at that. Even tried scaring you but it didn’t work. Eventually, he got used to it and only allowed you to call him Oscar.

“You’re wrong and I’ll show you. Get dressed.”

You were feeling dangerous. “And what if I don’t?” You responded with a roll of the neck.

Spooky let a dry laugh that scared you yet turned you on at the same time. Damn. You started to bite your lip then pulled it back. He got dangerously close and stared you down.

“Do you really wanna know, Princesa?”

Yes. No. Shit.

You got out of his face and got dressed as you were told. You’ll let him win this round. You got into his car and he drove back to his house where Cesar and his girlfriend Monse were making a mess in the kitchen.

“Hey Y/N!” Monse greeted you. Cesar looked at you nervously.

“Hey Y/N, how’s-“

You held your hand up. “Save it, snitch!”

“He forced it out of me!” The young boy pleaded and you rolled your eyes in response.

“Whatever. What are y’all even doing?” You asked, confused and disgusted by the sight of the kitchen and glancing at Spooky’s face, he was not too pleased either.

“Trying to do a Christmas brunch but somebody doesn’t wanna listen to the instructions.” Monse gestured towards her boyfriend with a roll of her neck, causing Cesar to groan.

You couldn’t help but giggle at the two. “Alright lemme help so I can fix this. You!” You gestured towards Spooky. “You’re helping too!”

“Nahhhh cooking ain’t my thing.”

“Well Christmas ain’t my thing but I’m here. Now throw on an apron, cholo. You’re on bacon duty!”

You couldn’t lie. Making Christmas brunch with the kids was fun as hell. You found yourself smiling and giggling during the cooking and eating. You even caught Spooky staring at you a couple of times. You pecked his lips just because he looked so adorable but if you told him that, he’ll turn into a jackass. When the boys left to get something from God knows where you were left alone with Monse. You didn’t know too much about the girl but figured you could get to know her more.

“So Monse...you’re spending Christmas with your boyfriend.”

“So are you.”

Your eyes narrowed at her response. “1. Spooky is not my boyfriend and 2. I was forced here. Christmas is bullshit.”

“I love Christmas. Even though I don’t remember the last time I actually spent it with my dad.” Monse shrugged bending over and fix her shoelaces. That caught your attention.

“Wait, you’ve had shitty Christmases and you still love Christmas?!”

She shrugged again. “Well yeah. My dad is always away for Christmas and I don’t have my mom so I’ve always dreamt of doing Christmas stuff with the people I love. When I met the boys, not to sound corny but my dreams came true. Another reason why I need to keep the group together.”

You were lost for words. “Wow, I’m sorry, Monse.”

“It’s ok. Hey, I think I hear the boys coming back.”

The boys revealed themselves and Cesar announced that you guys were being invited to have Christmas dinner with Jamal’s family which was great because you didn’t want to cook.

“I’m telling you marmalade is better than jelly. I don’t wanna hear it!” Jamal declared during dinner. A debate broke out between marmalade and jelly which really entertained you. Jamal’s family was funny and so welcoming to you, a stranger. It felt weird to you that they were showing so much love to you, a stranger. Oscar held your hand throughout the whole dinner which did something to your stomach. You don’t wanna say butterflies. Maybe it’s gas.

When the group stopped by Ruby’s house to pick him up for “friendsmas”, his grandma pulled you aside with a serious look on her face.

“Open your heart, mama.”

You gave her a confused look. “What?”

“You closed your heart. Open it. Even if it’s to Papi Chulo over there. “ she gestured towards Oscar who was lighting up a cigarette and looked back at you. “Open it to Christmas. To any holiday. Just....open it.”

You kept that in mind as you went with the others back to the house for the kids to engage in their “friendsmas”.

“I’ve never heard “Friendsmas.” You muttered as Spooky handed you a glass of wine and you watched the kids from the doorway.

Oscar shrugged taking a swig of his Corona. “Well you hate Christmas so I’m not surprised.”

You elbowed him in his side and he began to laugh in response. “I don’t hate Christmas. I just never found joy in the holidays but now I do.” You looked at him and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Thank you. Thank you for making this Christmas special for me.”

Oscar began to grin and pulled something from behind his back. “It’s not over yet, hyna.”

You gazed at the blue velvet rectangular box and opened it slowly to reveal a silver chain that said “Oscar” You looked up at him, speechless.

“Spooky, I....I.....”

“You don’t have to say anything. Just put on my necklace and be mine.” The gangsta in front of you took a deep breath. “I love you, Y/N.”

Your eyes were as big as saucers. “You....you do?”

“Yes, girl he do! It was so obvious!” Jasmine’s voice broke through the moment and everyone glared at her. Her mouth formed an O. “Oooh sorry! I forgot we were supposed to be acting like we weren’t paying attention. My bad!”

You shook your head and felt a surge of love and confidence. You loved this man. You have for a long time but never admitted it because...your heart was closed. Damn. Ruby’s crazy grandma ain’t so crazy after all.

“I love you too, Oscar.” You pulled him in for a long passionate kiss and the crew clapped in excitement.

“Girl put your back in it! You’re under the mistletoe!” Jasmine yelled again.

Ruby started. “Jasmine-“

“Shut up and kiss me!” She grabbed him by his collar, planting a kiss on his lips.

When you finally pulled away from your kiss with Spooky, you smiled up at him and his expression was matching yours. You spoke up through your grin:

“I’ll be damned. It is the most wonderful time of the year.”

A/N: Cheesy as fuckkkkk I know but Christmas is all about the cheese if we’re gonna be honest. I hope you enjoyed it! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, y’all! ❤️🎄🎁

Tags: @karmawaelualani @chaneajoyyy @ctrlszn @witchything @sabrinafey @penguinpower17889 @robingreysantos @namjoonwatcheshentai @pananegra @bloatedandlonly @blackmissfrizzle @chonisberonica @flamingweasley @cynthetic @momobaby227 @this-glitter-pussay​ @beyondprincess​ @joyrivh​

[falcor-thee-luck-dragon]

What a Time to be Alive - Diego Hargreeves x reader Season I

Chapter 10- The White Violin Part 1

Summary: Vanya’s finally come to realize her full power, taking the Academy with her. Now it’s up to the Hargreeves siblings and you, to find and stop her from causing the apocalypse. Unfortunately you run into a bit of trouble along the way.

Masterlist- where all the other chapters are⚔️

Warning: Violence, Y/N is a stabby all around badass so it gets bloody 

Tagged: @sambucky8 @white-wolf-buckaroo @2cuteforyourlies @la-vie-en-amour1 @fandomoverlord221 @thatfandombitcch @alonewolfsblog @starrrybarnes @winterboobear11

Suddenly another wave of energy seems to pulse through the house, shaking the very foundation. Your eyes snap up to the sound of crumbling paint and pieces of the ceiling starting to crack and actively deteriorate. In an instant you’ve shot to your feet, turning your head to the upstairs balcony when you hear footsteps running on the wooden floor. You can hear Klaus and Diego calling out for Grace, but their shouting is soon silenced by more rubble clattering to the ground, shaking the house once again.

You race up the stairs to the second floor balcony where you just heard the distinct voices of Klaus and Diego. But by the time you get up there, both of them have disappeared. You look around the area in confusion, as more and more of the building cracks and breaks around you. Without warning a giant chuck of ceiling breaks free from the rest of its placement, hurling itself down at you. You dodge it, sliding on the tiled floor in the process. When another chunk falls down on your shoulder, knocking you harshly onto the ground, fortunately when your face is temporarily pressed to the wooden floorboards. You catch the scent of Diego and Klaus, their trail leading out to an open window. That’s now blocked by flaming debris of wood and whatever else. Dammit.

Your eyes scan the wall, finding another window you make a break for it, throwing your arm in front of your face to better prepare for impact. A moment later you feel a pressure and then tiny shards of glass flying all around you, as you jump out the window. For a few seconds you blissfully free-fall in the cool night air, before the hard concrete gives you a rude awakening. Darkness. When you open your eyes about 10 seconds later, you gasp in pain as your hip, rip-cage, and the left side of your skull moves around to fall back into its original placement. You watch as your previously broken arm, fuses back into place with a distinctly gory bob sound. With no time to spare you jump to your feet, dodging more pieces of the dying Academy.

When you make it round the corner, the whole entirety of the Academy has been reduced to rubble and flames. “First mom. Now Pogo. Where the hell his Y/N?!” Shouts Diego on the verge of tears. You run through the fallen bricks to the sound of his voice, finally spotting everyone, still alive and well, for the most part. “Diego!” You scream, racing over to him, he looks up at you with a downcast face before it turns into a relieved frown.

A second later, Five is jumping over a destroyed couch, “Guys! This is it. The apocalypse is still on. The world ends today.” He announces quickly, getting closer to the five of you, who all stare at him in troubled confusion. “I thought you said it was over.” Wonders Luther. Five starts to unfold a newspaper, “I was wrong, okay? This newspaper, I found it in the future the day I got stuck. The headline hasn’t changed.” He explains wide eyed.

“No, that doesn’t mean anything. The time could’ve been altered since that newspaper came out this morning.” Diego says, denying everything Five is telling you guys, not wanting to believe in the fact that the world just might end after all.

“You’re not listening to me. When I found it, I assumed this place came down along with everything else. But here we are. The Moon’s still shining, the Earth is still in one piece, but not the Academy.” Klaus suddenly snatches the crinkled newspaper from Five’s hand, “I’m confused.” He states baffled, Five furrows his brows in frustration, “Then listen to me, you idiot! Vanya destroys the Academy before the apocalypse. I thought Harold Jenkins was the cause, but he was just the fuse. Vanya is the bomb.” He exclaims pausing for a moment to let the information sink in, “Vanya causes the apocalypse.”

Right after Five finishes laying down the hard truth about Vanya and the apocalypse, you look up to hear the chopping of a helicopters blades. A giant spotlight is then intrusively beaming on all of you. “We have to find Vanya. Regroup at the Super Star. Go!” Shouts Luther over the blaring noise, you don’t have to think twice, as you grab Diego’s hand. The two of you bolting for the nearby bowling alley.

——

All of you stand around a table at the bowling alley, the atmosphere is tense, everyone's emotions all over the place as to what just occurred and what to do next. Luther stares at the floor with a hard and concentrated expression, as you look up to observe his face from your spot next to Diego. You suddenly narrow your eyes at him, your jaw clenching in growing irritation. Diego’s gaze snaps over to your sudden tenseness, his eyebrows rising in suspicion when your fists start to clench.

“You drugged me you dick!” You bitterly snap at Luther, everyone’s faces go from yours to Luther’s rightfully wide eyed one. He opens his mouth to say something but nothing appears to come out as he just stands there awkwardly avoiding everyone’s prying eyes. You let out an agitated snort, standing up from your seat next to Diego, Luther takes a step back while studying your hostile movements.

“I have half a mind to slap the ever present dumbass out of you, but I can’t promise that I’ll be able to stop myself after that.” You state through clenched teeth, pausing for a moment to collect yourself from your rising anger.

“I..uh...Y/N, I didn’t kn..”

“No! Shut up, your speaking privileges have been revoked, so listen here. First you put Vanya in a goddamn cage, then you forcefully stop everyone from getting her out, and then when I try to help her...you fucking drug me. Were you wacked to many times on your head as a child, because if you can’t find your common sense I’ll frickin’ help you find it.” You aggressively state at a visibly sweating Luther, he takes another small step back, honestly afraid that you might indeed hold true to your word. “I don’t know what kinda thought process you had when you were thinking that any of this was a good idea, but clearly it has given us a one way ride into the fucking apocalypse and I did not ask you to share your tickets.” Diego suddenly reaches up to grip your left arm before you’re able to move out of reach and bitch-slap the stupid right out of Luther. Your head quickly turns to look down at Diego, “I’m not...I’m not going to hurt him D, at least not yet.” You tell him, whispering the last part with quiet malice. Diego sends you a sympathetic nod, still hurting from the destructive and violent demise of Grace.

“I know, and you have every right to be angry, as do the rest of us. But, Y/N this isn’t going to get us anywhere.” Your brows furrow in frustration as you anxiously bite your lip. Slightly taken aback by Diego’s ability to keep his shit together, well at least for the time being. You still have no idea that not even ten minutes ago he was almost in tears when he couldn’t find you in the rubble of the fallen Umbrella Academy.

You let out a tired sigh, looking down at the floor for a second before bringing your troubled gaze back up to a distraught Luther. “You’re lucky Diego’s here.” You warn him with a glare as you sit down next to Diego once again, “I’d throw a bowling ball right at your fucking face.” You growl at him, crossing your arms and legs in annoyance while leaning into Diego’s side. He puts a gloved hand on your thigh in an act of earnest comfort, your tenseness falters ever so lightly as you scowl at the dirty bowling alley floor. The others keep to themselves, everyone shrinking into their own worlds to think for a couple minutes. While you continue to lean into Diego’s warm side and brood like a troubled lighthouse keeper waiting for her husband to come back from the sea. The atmosphere between the six of you still considerably awkward and stressed.

“Look, I hate to be the one to say this, but everyone needs to prepare.” Carefully starts Luther, making up a new plan on the spot, as all of your heads turn to look at him.

“For what?” Asks Diego.

“To do whatever it takes to stop Vanya.” Allison wacks Luther on the chest before he can finish, he looks at her offended, “We may not have a choice Allison.” He snaps without any real anger towards her. “Bullshit. There’s always options.” Adds Diego, sitting opposite of Luther in a bowling alley chair.

“Yeah, like what?” Grumbles Five, Diego looks down for a second to think, “I don’t know?” You roll your eyes, no one is getting anywhere fast at this rate. “Whatever we happen to decide in the next three years. We need to find Vanya.” You tell them, standing up from your chair and crossing your arms, trying to think of something that could work.

“Or...here. Look at this.” Says Klaus, opening up the newspaper he’s been reading, wider for everyone to see, you all crowd around him. “That’s right. Her concert is tonight.” Says Diego, referring to the obvious newspaper ad, a big colored picture of Vanya with her violin, as well as the time and place of the concert.

You hear footsteps approaching from behind, “Hello. I hate to intrude, but my manager says if you’re not here to bowl, you gotta leave.” Says the bowling alley employee, a tad bit passive aggressively if you’re being honest. 

“Who’s turn?” You deadpan, as Luther grabs a ball, chucking it across the lanes, evidently making a lucky strike. The lady turns around to leave, unsure of how to respond to that.

Allison quickly scribbles down something in her notes. She’s our sister. “We’re the only ones capable of stopping this. We have a responsibility to Dad.” States Luther, of course he’d bring Reginald into this.

“To Dad? I’ve heard enough about...” Diego snaps as Luther stands up, interrupting him, “He sacrificed everything to bring us back together.”

You want to argue against him, but oddly enough, he’s right. “I’m with Luther on this one. We can’t give her a chance to fight back. There are billions of lives at stake. We’re past trying to save just one.” Five tells all of you, it’s a terrible and tragic thing to hear, but this is the whole world or Vanya. No one ever said the right decision would be the easiest one.

“Hey, you know, guys, uh...maybe I could help.” Klaus randomly announces, Luther jumping at the chance to turn him down, “Now is not the time Klaus.” He says sternly, not wanting to deal with Klaus’ usual nonsense. “Let him finish.” Retorts Diego, waving Luther off. “He saved my life today.” Finishes Diego, not what you thought he would say, clearly neither did Luther, who questions Klaus about it.

“Yeah, yeah I did....take credit for it. In fact, the real hero...was Ben.” All of you stare at Klaus doubtful, oddly enough you could have swore you heard a muffled reply to Klaus’ rambling. What the? You haven’t been able to hear Ben’s ghost since before Klaus’ addictions muddied up the connection to much, considering your senses are only able to hear Ben when Klaus is near. He’s literally a human Ouija board you swear.

“Today...listen. Today, he punched me in the face. And earlier at the house, he was the one who saved Diego’s life, not me.” Explains Klaus, he’s not lying, you’re truly intrigued now more then ever.

“You are unbelievable, Klaus.” Complains Luther, dumbfounded.

“You want proof, is that it? All right. I’ll give you proof.” Klaus then picks up a pink bowling ball, holding it in his two hands, getting ready to throw it, “All right, it’s showtime, baby. Catch!” He exclaims at the nearby empty space between Allison and a rack of bowling balls.

He throws the ball, it falling right past Allison as it makes a loud thud when it hits the floor. Luther is not amused one bit by Klaus’ shenanigans, in return for his rudeness, Klaus accidentally lets slip the fact that Luther was nicer before he got laid. Earning wide eyes from Allison and the rest of you, Luther snaps at Klaus to shut up, but he just makes it worse when adding in the part where it was an accident cause Luther was actually high.

Allison face is a mix of amazement and disappointment all in one as she abruptly turns around, walking away from rest of you, while Luther trails behind her trying to explain himself. You let them talk it out, as you sit down in one of the doubled side-by-side plastic chairs, choosing the empty spot next to Diego.  Klaus is in front of the both of you, Five in his own seat next to him. Out of nowhere, a random but incredibly bubbly plump lady and her son walk up to you, Diego, Klaus, and Five.

“Excuse me. But it’s my son, Kenny’s birthday today and...um..wouldn’t your son be happier playing with kids his own age?” She says expectantly, with the largest and most annoying of smiles, “Assuming it’s okay with you and your husband.” She asks you sweetly, looking between you, Diego, and Five. Klaus looks to the two of you with raised eyebrows as he covers his mouth to hide a muffled laugh, Diego focuses on her before turning to you with an agitated and puzzled glance.

You give her a tight lipped smile about to say some smart-ass remark when Five beats you to it, “I would rather chew off my own foot.” He growls through clenched teeth. The lady’s face falls as you look over at him with a fake frown, turning to this lady with an equally false beaming smile.

“Maybe some other time, he gets cranky when he doesn’t have his apple juice before 8 o’clock.” She gives you a knowing motherly nod, as she hastily turns around with her son, walking away from all of you. 

“Y/N what the hell was that shit.” Snaps Five as Klaus and Diego let out muffled laughter. You turn to him with a smirk, “What? You just missed out on an opportunity to make your first friend in 45 years.” He looks elsewhere with a sigh,”Yeah cause I need friends, you people are enough to handle already.”

Suddenly Five gets distracted by some swishing noise, getting up to check on it elsewhere in the facility. You, Klaus, and Diego don’t care enough to follow.

You slouch back in the small uncomfortable bowling alley seat, Diego leaning in close to your side with a mischievous grin. “If we had a kid, I hope they wouldn’t be like Five.” You look up at him, “If we had a kid like Five we’d have to just throw the whole kid away. And FYI, I just hope they aren’t like you when it comes to stubbornness.” You sass back, he gives you a half offended look. You just smile at him as he looks back adoringly at you, “Well I guess we won’t even need to have a wedding, that lady already confirmed you’re my wife so.” You snort at his remark, “Then if you happen to end up dead somewhere, do I get widow compensation money benefits to go along, cause I would love an apartment overlooking the city.” You ask him, giving him a playful nudge, Diego just shakes his head with a smile. “I’ll get us that apartment someday...its coming I promise.” He assures you, lightly poking your side, you just roll your eyes in reply.

He leans back, throwing an arm over your shoulder as the two of you look around the bowling alley for anything suspicious. You lean yourself closer into his side, enjoying this small moment of silent affection. “Just so the two of you know, I want to be invited to this wedding.” Adds Klaus out of nowhere, you glance over to him with a nod, “You can be the best man.” You tell him, his face instantly lights up, already thinking of some extravagant outfit and speech to have ready. Diego just chuckles at the two of you, thinking his own pleasant thoughts for that day. Hoping that it will eventually come to light, if the apocalypse doesn’t ruin everything first.

“All right, where’s Five?” Wonders Luther, walking back up to the three of you. 

“He left.” Says Diego, standing up again, you doing the same.

“Oh, for the love of...where’d he go?”

“Didn’t say.” You add, assuming it must of been important if he just teleported away without saying anything first. Or maybe he had to take a huge shit, but who knows.

“Well, we’re not waiting around for him. The concert starts in 30 minutes.” States Luther.

“All right, so what’s the plan?” Diego asks him, although you’re doubtful it’s going to be a good one. Luther pauses for a moment, “Well, I think that, uh.....we go to the Icarus Theater.” You cut in, “That’s a place....not a plan.” He opens his mouth to say something but decides otherwise.

“What? Is that all you got?” Accuses Diego, walking in closer to Luther, “Look, you wanna be Number One, fine, but you’re gonna have to get us on the same page, because right now, we’re all over the place.” Luther looks at Diego almost bored, clearly getting that he’s right, but never wanting to fully admit it, until now, “You’re right....We need a plan.”

As Luther is finishing up his sentence, your eyes snap up to the scent of ammunition, your nose locating the bullets like a shark smelling a drop of blood in the ocean. Your brows furrow as you squint your eyes to the darkly clad gas masked looking motherfuckers with guns, sneaking their way into the bowling alley. If they were trying to be subtle, mission sorely failed. They don’t look like they’re from around here, and you have a strong hunch they’re not here to bowl. You don’t even have time to warn anyone before these bastards start raining bullets like there’s no tomorrow, and quit literally there might not be one.

You take cover behind the bowling alley tables, these ones conveniently cover all the way to the floor, giving you and the rest of the Hargreeves a place to hide. “Who the hell are these guys?” Shouts Diego wide eyed, he’s sitting to your right, as Luther sits to your left.

“Maybe they’re here for Kenny’s birthday!” Yells Klaus, covering his ears from the intrusive racket. Your own ears are bounding with each gun that goes off, you’re quickly getting pissed. “No, I’m pretty sure they’re here for us!” Answers Luther, as more bullets continue to mercilessly search for their breathing targets. “The fuck do we do now? All I’ve got is my boot knife.” You tell the four of them, suddenly Diego jumps up, throwing a dagger into the chest of one of the weird masked guys. In the process the lights flip to night mode, neon lasers are flashing every which way. Luther stands up, launching a heavy bowling ball into one of them, knocking them out.

You stand up yourself, pulling your pencil-long silver dagger from out of your hidden boot pocket, Diego continues to throw his knives while Luther grabs more bowling balls, chucking them at the shooters. You jump up on the table in front of you, front flipping through the air and gracefully landing in a crouched position as you slash your dagger into the Achilles tendon of the closest masked shooter. Slitting it open in one clean motion, he instantly falls to the floor where you then throw your hands tightly around his neck and snap it with little effort. You dart to the left next, vaulting yourself onto the pool table. Your left hand holds you up as you swing your legs and body over the table, sucker punching your next target in the head with a powerful kick.

He falls to the ugly looking carpet with a thud, you flip backwards avoiding the bullets from his friend who’s to your right. He misses you, shooting his unconscious companion in the back, evidently killing him. That works for you, with no time to spare you launch yourself at him, grabbing his head from behind with your left arm. You roughly tilt it up, bringing your right arm over, slitting his throat wide open. He immediately falls to the floor, holding his opened throat as he gurgles, choking on his own blood.

When you look up again, the Hargreeves are racing down the bowling lanes, miraculously avoiding getting shot at, much to your help. Trying to give them a better chance at not getting holes punched into their sides, you lift up the side of the pool table with both of your hands. Lifting the whole thing up and off of the floor with ease, you then catapult it directly into the four masked assassins, severely injuring most of them. The loud gunfire around you slows a bit, taking the blessed opportunity before you, you race towards your friends in a blur. Sliding underneath the back of the alley like an action hero, and out into the other side.

[mybeautifulbeautifuleternal]

i couldn’t utter it, i couldn’t whisper it (my love for you was silent); iii

Chapter Three - Bad Luck This Family Has

rating: its a gen fic for The Umbrella Academy

words:3.8k

chapter:3/10

First / Previous

warnings: canon typical for tua

AO3

a/n: I blame @sam-writes​ for pretty much all of this!

Summary: In one world, the young teenager hid when she abruptly found herself pregnant and she gave birth in secret, left the baby on a random doorstep, and never looked back. Unfortunately, this isn’t that world. In this world, Reginald Hargreeves finds her and takes her baby. It doesn’t end well.

Vanya was heading home from practice — still riding the high she got from the successful run from today’s piece. She was crossing the street on her last leg of the journey when the window display from the bookstore caught her attention. It wasn’t the Umbrella Academy Comics - she had seen them all when they first came out — they weren’t all that special really.

No — what had caught her attention was the bright red typewriter sitting above them. It was an idea that had been brewing in her mind for a while — something her therapist had said to her.

And seeing it sit above the stories of her siblings — she decided she was going to do it. She was going to tell the world her story. She wanted to finally be heard.

*

Charlie was laughing at Zara, a common occurrence nowadays, when the bookstore caught her attention. She paused her walking, allowing Zara to outpace her for a moment before he doubled back.

Vanya’s young face stared back her from a hundred copies of a book — that she apparently wrote.

Charlie stepped inside the store and bought four — she’d drop off ones for her brothers before she went home for the evening to start reading her own.

*

Charlie ended up throwing the book across her apartment. How dare Vanya write that that that awful crap! She had dug deep into their childhood and had thrown every dirty little secret that the Academy had to the wolves.  

The only things that weren’t in her little book were the things that she didn’t know — mission statements and one on one conversations. But all the little tortures from their childhoods — the casual cruelties — were now being read by anyone who picked up a copy of her book.

All of the ways dad used to train them, the ways he’d set them up against each other, the way he was never actually proud of them regardless of the show he’d put on for the cameras…

But how was Vanya to know about any of that…she had never been included enough to know that dad was a massive dick, even to his supposed favorites.

The more that Charlie thought about it, the more she realized she couldn’t actually be mad at her sister. The Academy had almost 10 years of the spotlight but Vanya was always in the shadows. She had no way of actually knowing the damage she was doing.

It didn’t make anything she wrote any better but Charlie knew she’d reserve judgment till after she’d talk to her.

She owed it to her sister — even if they weren’t giving the same courtesy.

She just hoped she could talk some sense into her brothers — they weren’t going to like any of this.

*

Charlie woke up to the sun streaming across her face from her living room. She had stayed up late waiting for Five — she needed him to catch her up and his plan for the End. It seemed like she fell asleep on her couch waiting for him to come home. She wasn’t surprised — the couch was comfortable and she felt safe with the Green around her.

She stretched on the couch a little more and settled in. She didn’t feel like getting up right away. As she closed her eyes, she angled her body to get some more sunshine, allowing it to warm her to her bones. As she did, she smiled a little. It was a small joke from their childhood — that Charlie could be nourished by the sunlight like her plants were.

Mom had told her she just had poor circulation so she was always a little colder than her siblings. Charlie had solved that issue by staying in the sunshine whenever she could — and when her siblings found it funny, she leaned into it. It was just a small thing but it made her siblings happy. She’d do anything to make them happy.

Eventually, she gave a deep sigh and heaved herself from her spot. She knew she would have a busy day and needed to get a start on it. As she was getting her breakfast ready for the day, she frowned out the window - she didn’t think it was supposed to rain today but the weather forecast had been wrong all week.

As she locked up her apartment, she went down to the main floor to gather some food. If she knew Five at all, he would be running on almost empty and while dad had prepared them to fight in sub-optimal conditions like that — he was now dead and couldn’t control them anymore. She went into the back room and grabbed a backpack from her Homeless Bags, shoving some children’s clothes for Five. She’d never tell him that they came from the kids’ section of the store but they’d be the only ones that would fit.

It was completely ridiculous that he was still running around in the Academy uniforms. Charlie knew that only Luther still kept his — the rest had destroyed them on their way out the door.

She brought the bag back out to the Tree and filled up the empty space with baggies of nuts and some loose apples and carrots. They were Five’s favorite when they were kids and she hoped he hadn’t changed enough that he wouldn’t eat them now.

Finally packed with everything she thought she’d need for a day of dealing with Hargreeves Family Bullshit, Charlie left the Flower Shop to track down Five.

*

Allison was frowning down at her plate. After her discovery the night before, she and Luther spent most of the night going over the tape again and again and again. She was tired of trying to find ways to either blame Mom for what happened to Dad or to absolve her of her actions.

They had left the security room to find Mom, trying to get some answers about that night.

And Mom couldn’t give them any of the answers they needed. Instead, she was more focused on making them so breakfast - which looked delicious.

“We need a family meeting. We need to decide what to do with Grace.” Luther interrupted her thoughts.

“With Mom.”

Luther sighed but agreed, “with Mom.”

“Well, you can collect our brothers and I’ll gather our sisters.”

“Why do you get the easy job?” Luther was almost whining and Allison didn’t blame him but no way was she going to try to track down their brothers if had a different option.

He shut up quickly at her look.

“I guess I’ll be looking for our brothers. Any suggestions on where to start?”

“Well Five did stay here last night and I think Klaus might have as well. So 2 out of 3?”

He just sighed again. She laughed at him but didn’t offer to go after them herself. She was going to enjoy the time she had with her sisters this morning —  much less annoying.

*

“Do you seriously still not understand the chain of custody? If you touch it, I can’t use it.”

Diego smiled to himself just the smallest bit. As much as he loved helping people, Eudora made his day so much better whenever she appeared — even if it was only to yell at him.

The smile fell off his lips at the sight of the bullet though — that particular kind was manufactured in the 1960s so he was confused why it was in a recent shootout in 2019.

He lifted his hands to show off the gloves he carries with him — Diego didn’t like the Police Academy, but he remembered much of the policies and procedures they had drilled into his head. And he made sure to follow them whenever he was working closely with the police. He didn’t want to ruin Eudora’s career as much as he believed she’d like it so much more doing it his way.

“Let me save you some time running ballistics. These nine-millimeters haven’t been manufactured since 19-”

“1963. Odd, I know. Matching casings were found at a murder scene last night. Ishmael’s Towing.”

Diego followed Eudora as she started to move away from the crime scene, focusing on what she was saying.

“The driver?”

“Found him hanging from the ceiling. Looks like he must have known something after all.”

“It’s a shame nobody told you to go talk to him,” Diego tried not to brag too much but it was hard not to sometimes. He knew that the driver would have important information and he had told her as such — if only they would listen to him occasionally. He smirked at Eudora’s look of irritation.

“In the span of 24 hours, I’ve had attacks in three different places across town. Whatever this is, whoever this is, they’re not slowing down. So, if you really give a shit and you’ve got any fresh ideas, I’m all ears.”

Diego had to give her a fond look at that. He loved her for her heart. She adored the city so much she’d ask him for help — even if he didn’t follow the rules.

“The guy’s kid, in the doughnut shop?”

“I’ve got units tracking the extended family in case anyone goes after him.”

“Well, this place must have surveillance footage.”

“No, it doesn’t exist. The first unit on the scene clocked two shooters fleeing the premises, wearing, get this creepy kids’ masks.” Eudora sounded completely done with the case.

Diego gave a deep sigh. He didn’t know when the city decided to go completely crazy but he was worried. He wondered how much extra time it would take if he added Charlie’s shop and Vanya’s apartment to his route. The rest of his siblings were staying at the Mansion and were protected there but not his sisters. He absentmindedly decided to do a daytime run of the path as he answered Eudora’s non-question.

“This city is really going to shit, huh?”

*

Five grimaced as he ran the needle through his arm. He couldn’t believe that he let those two get the jump on him like that. He really was getting old if Hazel and Cha-Cha got the better of him. And of course, the only band-aids that were in the house had childish trains on them. Trains! Of all things.

6 more days then he’d be dead or drunk.

He wiped the blood off his wound, dressed once more in the awful Academy uniform, finished packing his back, and opened his window. Normally he’d either Jump or take the front door, but he needed to conserve his energy and that meant no Jumping or aggravating talks with his siblings. He just knew that they’d have a load of stupid questions for him that he didn’t have the time to answer them.

Of course, it was his luck that Klaus was dumps- dumpster diving?!? Why was this his life and why did he want to come back and save his siblings again?

A flash of Luther’s hand outstretched to pull him up; the glint of Diego’s knives killing the men attacking him; the feeling of Allison holding him up when his repeating Jumps left him weak; Klaus’ babbling a comforting background noise; he and Ben curled up in the library together; the flicker of Vanya’s uncertain smile; the sight of raspberries growing up between his bed and the wall when Dad was being stingy with the food as a lesson.

He sighed deeply. He could try lying to himself all that he wanted to but of course, he was going come back for them. They were the only things that kept him going all those years.

He ignored that thought — again — and proceeded to ignore Klaus’ inane muttering as well. Five didn’t have time for him right now.

“I’d ask what you’re up to, Klaus, but then it occurred to me…I don’t care.”

“Hey!” Klaus laughed as he moved to the edge of his dumpster, “you know there are easier ways out of the house buddy?”

“This one involved the least amount of talking. Or so I thought.”

“Hey, hey, hey, so…You need any more company today? I could, uh…clear my schedule.”

“Looks like you’ve got your hands full.”

“Oh, this? No, no. I can do this whenever. I’m just-”

Five rolled his eyes when Klaus slipped and fell back into the trash.

“I just misplaced something. That’s all,” Klaus’ voice echoed out from the dumpster. “Oh! Found it! Thank God!”

Five grimaced slightly as he watched Klaus take a bite of a half-eaten bagel. He was completely certain that that bagel wasn’t Klaus’. He couldn’t say too much, however. He’d eaten much worse in the apocalypse.

He had saved Charlie’s food for as long as he could — her fruits and vegetables always lasted longer than normal — but eventually, he finished them and had to struggle to find food.

Now, though? Klaus had the option to not eat that but decided to do so anyway.

“Delicious.”

“I’m done funding your drug habit.”

With that, he turned and walked away. He didn’t need Klaus for what he had planned for today and he knew that Klaus had the singular habit of extending conversations to longer then they needed to be.

As he walked down the alley, he spotted a large van parked at the end. That was exactly what he needed.

He thought about picking Charlie up as he started the engine and made his way out of the alley — he wanted some intelligent conversation and maybe a second set of eyes.

*

Klaus ignored Ben’s judgmental stare boring a hole in the side of his head as he spat out the bite of bagel he’d taken. He’d had enough of that through the years that it was second nature.

What wasn’t second nature was ignoring the peach growing into existence right in front of him.

He beamed though! Only one person could do that and right now she was his favorite sibling. He turned and spotted her coming down the alley from the opposite direction cranky Five had left in.

“Schwester! Beloved Charlie, you’ve blessed me with a delicious peach but do you think I could get some apples as well? I’ve been having the craziest cravings for them lately and-”

His sentence was cut off when Charlie, the darling dear, grew some apples and shoved one in his mouth. He just took a bite from it, chewed, and swallowed. He may not have been the smartest of the bunch but he knew better than to anger Charlie girl. He remembered Spring of ‘03. Plus he wasn’t going to waste an apple. He hadn’t been lying when he said he was really craving one. He packed up all the newly grown fruit and stored it away in his various pockets. He wasn’t going to waste any of the food that she grew — she had a talent for it, after all the practice she had when they were young.

As he was chewing, he flapped his ‘hello’ hand at her and felt warm when she repeated the gesture.

“As much as I love you dear schwester, I can probably guess you’re looking for snarky little Five?”

When she nodded, Ben’s comment of “why isn’t she actually talking? I haven’t heard a word from her yet,” was only barely heard as he gave Charlie directions on where their smallest brother left to.

When she left to follow Five, she first leaned over and gave him a faint kiss on the cheek.

What a treasure she was. He finished up the apple and turned to continue his dumpster dive.

He had to find that stupid book.

*

Five made it to the end of the next block before the passenger side door was opened and a bag was tossed at him. He had spotted Charlie’s distinctive hair when he glanced right earlier so he was too worried about what was in the bag but he still winced a little when it hit him. He reached into the bag as he made a right turn and laughed a little when he grabbed an apple. He shot Charlie a glance and a small smile, which she returned before he focused again on the road. He wasn’t going to try having a conversation with her until he could give her his full attention.

As he pulled up across from Meritech, he sat back a little in his seat and fully opened up the backpack. It was stuffed full of easy to eat food that Charlie had Grown for him as well as a change of clothing in his size.

“Trying to tell me something?”

Just that you look like an idiot roaming about in that stupid Academy uniform.

“Well tell me what you really think, then.”

Tell me what to watch for and go change in the back.

He made sure she could see him roll his eyes but started to tell her about Meritech and everything he had managed to find out about it yesterday. He was startled when he heard a croaking sound come from the front seat. His head popped out of the pullover and glanced at his sister. She was laughing. Huh. He finished changing, glad to be out of the uniform, ignoring the warm feeling that was growing in his chest.

They spent a couple of minutes catching each other up on what happened since he left her at the Academy when he left with Klaus before Charlie shifted to look fully at him. He gave her his attention and waited for what she had to say.

I’m gonna head home. There’s a couple of paperwork things that popped up yesterday that I need to deal with, then I might make my way back here or to the Academy. I have a feeling that the house is going to be the center for everything this week. Make sure you eat everything I packed for you, ok?

“You know I’m older than you right? Like decades older than you?”

Like that’s gonna stop me.

She reached over and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze that he reciprocated before she left the van.

Five watched her walk away for a while before he once again focused on his mission. He would only admit it to himself but damn was he glad to be home.

*

Vanya didn’t really know what she was doing here — visiting Leonard at his store. Being with Leonard at all really. But as she gazed around at all the beautiful wood carvings, she gave a slight smile. They really were gorgeous. She took a closer look at the smaller figurines he had placed on the shelves.

One of them took her back to her childhood. It was a small bench with some flowers placed at the base of it — it was nothing too special but it reminded her strongly of some of the happiest days she could remember.

Charlie was always found outside, whenever she had the chance. Mom had even joked sometimes that Charlie was more plant-like then they thought — that she could gain her energy from the sun in the same way her beloved plants could. The seven of them laughed at that a little but it was true. She was at her happiest when she was outside surrounded by the Green she grew and the sun that nourished them.

The one memory Vanya was thinking of though — it was all of them outside. They were probably thirteen years old and Dad was away on a business trip — he’d even taken Pogo with him so it was just the eight kids and Mom. They had free run of the house and light schooling, no training to speak of. That particular day, Vanya remembered, it was blue skies and sunshine. It was special because the rest of the week it had been pouring buckets — they had been stuck inside and left to entertain themselves with what they could find in the various corners and cracks that the mansion had. But that day; the sun was shining, the breeze was blowing, and the birds were singing. Mom had let them sleep in and had agreed to allow them to eat outside for both lunch and dinner.

And during the afternoon, Charlie had Grown the most beautiful garden the rest of them had ever seen. There were flowers bigger than her head with colors she didn’t think possible. And the smells! Oh, every next step brought a new smell and they were all glorious. Charlie had Grown the various flowers into amazing shapes and structures but Vanya’s favorite were the benches found right in the middle of the garden. Created from some sort of vines and trees, there were four of them big enough for three people each. Charlie had also grown their favorite fruits and veggies, even branching into nuts, all over the backs of the benches so they could snack as much as they wanted too.

As much as Mom loved them, she had a strict order to not feed them too much. But with Dad and Pogo gone, Mom had taken to turning the other way so she never saw it when Charlie Grew them more and more treats to eat.

The eight of them had laughed and played and joked with each other all day, showing off their powers — they’d even convinced her to bring down her violin to play for them. Vanya knew she wasn’t very good yet, not at that age and only having been playing for a couple of months but when she played that afternoon…she was on top of the world. It was the best concert she’d ever given and she didn’t think she’d ever be able to top it.

They had fallen asleep outside that night, under the stars with blankets made of grass, curled up together.

It was one of Vanya’s most cherished memories — she didn’t even place it in her book; she didn’t want anybody to be able to ruin it.

And one little wood carving managed to bring back that sense of happiness and contentedness that had been missing from her life — only weeks later Five disappeared and the home felt a little more like a house.

She left Leonard’s shop that day with the little violin player and the garden bench.

[teamfreewill-imagine]

I Know Your Wife (She Wouldn’t Mind) - Part Forty-Nine

Summary: You give your biological father an opportunity to explain himself, and another unexpected face from your past drastically changes your mood. Words: 3.1k Jared x Reader x Gen, Danneel, Jensen, Tom, Shep, Dallas (OC), Michael (OC), James (OC) Warnings: mentions of past abuse Beta: @blacksiren

I Know Your Wife - Masterpost

Your name: submit What is this?

“This is my father.”

Jensen raised his eyebrows before taking a step forward towards your father.

“What are you doing here, man?” he asked, sounding more tired than anything else. “We’ve had a real long week, we don’t need any more drama.”

“I don’t want drama,” your father told him, raising his hands in defence. “I just… I came to talk to Y/N.”

“It’s a bit late for that,” you told him, leaning into Danneel as she wrapped an arm around you.

“Look, Y/N, your mom-”

“Birth mom,” Danneel corrected, and he nodded.

“Sorry,” he apologised. “Whatever your birth mom said about me… I’m not sure it’s entirely true.”

“So you show up now?” you questioned, irritated. “After she’s died? Now she can’t speak for herself, you show up to tell me that she’s a liar as well as a shit mom?”

“Y/N,” Jensen tried to soothe you but you shook your head.

“It’s bullshit,” you argued, looking directly at your biological father. “I hated my mom for what she did to me. But I hated you more.”

Tears started to fill your eyes, hot and angry as you swallowed hard.

“You left me with her,” you seethed. “You left me to grow up with her without so much as a birthday card, then you turn up at her funeral-”

“I- I sent birthday cards,” he interrupted, the same look of confusion on his face that you felt at his next words, “Every year until you moved away. I sent a card and a cheque.”

“You… what?” you asked, taken aback.

“For college, or- or a car, or something,” he expanded, taking in the surprised looks on all of your faces. “Look, can I buy you a coffee? Just one. Just so we can talk somewhere that isn’t a crematorium.”

You looked between Danneel and Jensen, finding them both with carefully neutral expressions.

“Can I have a minute to think?” you requested, quietly, and your father nodded.

“Of course,” he agreed, opening his wallet and handing you a business card. “Just call, or text if you- if you decide you want to meet. I’m in town until tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you,” Danneel smiled slightly, and he nodded as he turned to walk away.

He turned back after only a step or two, and you swallowed as you waited for him to speak.

“If you don’t call, I can’t leave without you knowing that I really do care about you,” he told you, looking at the floor. “I always have.”

*****

You decided to meet with your father that afternoon, after having talked it through with Jared and your parents.

For as long as you could remember, you had hated the guy. 

Your mother had always told you that he left her when she was pregnant because he didn’t want you. It had been one of the things she said to you in the long list of ways that you ruined her life.

Yet, from what he was telling you, he had cared about you.

You had to hear him out, even just for one coffee.

Danneel came with you, leaving Jensen and Jared to keep Dallas entertained as you didn’t want your daughter to be involved at all.

You arrived at the cafe a few minutes earlier than planned, surprised to see your father there already.

You began to approach his table until Danneel placed a hand on your arm, leaning in to talk to you quietly.

"I don't know his name," she admitted, and you grimaced slightly as you continued walking.

"I'll introduce you," you told her, smiling awkwardly as you rested your hands on the back of the chair across from your biological father.

He stood impulsively, looking between the two of you with a hopeful smile.

"Mom, this is Michael," you introduced, motioning to him and then Danneel in turn. "Michael, my mom."

"Danneel," she informed him, shaking his hand before looking to the counter. "I'll go grab us a drink."

You looked at her, a mixture of general anxiety and outright fear running through you that Michael obviously picked up on from your expression.

"You can both go," he offered. "Or- or I can order for you and you can stay here. I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

You swallowed, feeling your cheeks start to heat as you looked at the floor.

"Thank you," Danneel accepted the offer, telling him your order before sitting down and urging you to do the same.

"Sorry," you murmured, causing her to laugh softly.

"You're a big wuss," she told you, and your jaw dropped until she tapped your chin to close it. "You are. But judging by the way he handled that…"

She trailed off, and you raised an eyebrow.

"He's trying to make you comfortable," she pointed out, and you looked down at your hands. "Maybe cut him some slack."

You nodded, stopping yourself from picking at your nails by placing your hands on the table in front of you.

****

Michael explained everything to you while you just sat and took it all in.

According to his record of events, his relationship with your mother was very short. They were young and experimenting and, by the time he found out she was pregnant, his family had moved and he’d transferred schools.

“I tried to support her,” Michael had told you. “I got a job, to save for the baby. But she told me she didn’t want my help.”

Apparently she’d taken his family moving as a personal attack on her pregnancy, despite Michael not even knowing that she was pregnant at the time.

He kept saving from that job, and he sent the money in birthday and Christmas cards addressed to you, specifically.

“It wasn’t until I got married that I realised you might not have been getting my cards, so I tried to disguise them.”

“Married?” you had asked, and he nodded. “Does she know?”

“Yes,” he had nodded again. “She gave me the idea to send the cards a week or two early, in plain brown envelopes so that your birth mom wouldn’t open them.”

Of course, she opened all of your mail and you never received any of it.

Michael had contacted her, apparently, around your sixteenth birthday, asking if he could meet you. She had told him that you wanted nothing to do with him, and she had told you the same of him when you asked.

Your only contact had come from that one Twitter message back when you first got cast, and you had blocked him on everything after your blunt response.

You felt bad about that, now.

Sitting opposite him as he opened up about it all made you feel like you’d done something really horrible.

“I thought you didn’t want me,” you murmured, playing with your coffee cup as Danneel’s hand rubbed slow, soothing circles into your back.

“I realised that when I- when I watched the video,” Michael told you, meeting your eye before looking back down. “From your event with SAFE.”

You nodded, biting your lip.

“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” he murmured, but you just shrugged.

“It’s fine,” you told him, and Danneel spoke up for the first time in the conversation.

“It’s not,” she corrected. “But she’s strong. So strong.”

Michael returned her sad smile before looking at you.

“In your speech, you said I never wanted you,” he recalled, “And it wasn’t until then that I realised what she’d done. That she’d kept us from each other by saying we didn’t want to meet.”

You nodded, putting down your cup and giving yourself a moment to think it over.

“Your wife,” you began, folding your hands in your lap, “Does she know who I am?”

“Yes,” he answered, swallowing. “She knew I had a daughter when we met, and she knew your name from the cards I would send you. I’d love you to meet her. And- and my girls, if possible.”

“You have daughters?” you questioned, feeling Danneel tense slightly beside you.

“Yes,” he smiled, his eyes lighting up as he reached for a photograph in his pocket and slid it across the table to you. “Emma just turned thirteen, Kira’s almost eleven.”

“They look like you,” you murmured, not sure what else to say. “Do they… do they know about me?”

“They know that I have another daughter," he hedged. "They don't know their sister is Y/N Ackles, though."

"I'm not their sister," you blurted, causing his face to fall slightly. "I'm sorry. I just- I'm not."

"I understand," he nodded, and you shook your head.

"I'm not sure that you do," you told him, watching his face fall further. "I really am sorry, I'm not trying to be a dick. I know that this… that it's not what you wanted to hear."

"It's okay," he assured you. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"I have two sisters," you began, and he nodded. "No. Their names are Justice and Arrow. I have a brother called Zeppelin."

You looked at Danneel, finding her carefully looking at the table.

"Michael," you sighed, "I'm glad you came, and I'm really glad I heard your side of everything, but I have a family. Jensen is my dad, he and Danneel are my parents and genetics aren't going to change that."

Michael nodded in understanding as you passed the picture of his daughters back to him.

“I appreciate you giving me a chance to talk,” he told you. “I understand that we’re not… I know we’re not your family.”

He looked at Danneel, smiling apologetically.

“I didn’t mean to get in the middle of what you have,” he told her, meeting your eye and pausing, figuring out what to say next. “It would mean a lot to me if you would meet them.”

“Your daughters?” you clarified, and he nodded.

“Just once,” he added, hastily. “They- they don’t even have to know who you are. Emma watches your show, so she knows you as Trinity and she follows your socials, but that’s all they have to know. They won’t know that you’re their- that you’re biologically related. I just… just one picture of the three of you together. That’s all I want.”

You swallowed, not knowing what to say.

“Can you give her some time?” Danneel asked, starting to rub your back again. “Today has been a lot.”

“Of course,” Michael agreed. “Of course. You have my number, right?”

“Right,” you confirmed, absentmindedly.

“We have your number,” Danneel smiled kindly. “Thank you. For reaching out, I mean.”

“I had to,” he laughed slightly, scratching the back of his neck and pushing his chair away from the table. “Thank you for coming.”

You stood as he did, and you accepted his handshake.

“It was good to meet you,” you told him, mostly because you felt like you should.

“It really was,” Michael smiled, genuinely meaning it as he shook Danneel's hand. “Both of you. I’m… I’m really glad we did this.”

You smiled awkwardly through the goodbyes, grateful when Danneel pulled you into a hug as Michael left the shop.

"You did great," she murmured, and you nodded.

You pulled back, running a hand through your hair as you absentmindedly surveyed the café until your eyes lingered on the man waiting at the counter.

"Oh, my God," you breathed as recognition dawned on you, and Danneel frowned, turning towards the direction you were looking in.

"Who's that?" she asked, concerned until she realised you were grinning and making your way towards him.

"Oh, my God!" you exclaimed, louder, getting his attention as you approached him.

He turned to face you with a frown, taking a moment to realise who you were before he threw his arms around you in a warm hug.

"Y/N?" he asked, pulling back and resting his hands on your shoulders as you nodded up at him. "Look at you. You're all grown up!"

You grinned, turning to wave Danneel over as she was watching you in confusion.

"Mama, this is James," you explained and realisation dawned on her face.

"From your 16th?" she clarified, and you nodded.

Danneel pulled James into a hug, taking you both by surprise as she held him tight.

"Thank you," she told him as she pulled back. "Thank you for looking out for her."

"She told you about me?" he asked, bemused.

"She did," Danneel smiled. "She tells her daughter about you, too."

You could feel your cheeks heat up at the admission, and the fact that James was beaming at you had the blush growing even deeper.

"You have a daughter?" he asked, and you nodded, pulling your phone out.

"Her name's Dallas," you told him, lighting up your cell and showing him the picture of her and Jared on your lock screen.

"She's gorgeous," he told you, accepting his takeout coffee from the barista as she politely got his attention. "You've told her about me?"

"You're… pretty instrumental in how she got her name," you admitted, and he let out a slow breath.

"Wow," he breathed, opening his mouth to speak until his watch beeped. "Oh, God, I'm gonna be late but I want to keep talking."

You laughed softly, shaking your head.

"I don't want to make you late," you told him as Danneel pulled a pen from her purse and began scrawling on a napkin.

"Y/N's personal number," she explained, handing it over to James. "We'd really love to stay in touch."

James looked to you with a raised brow, making sure it was alright with you that he had your number.

"Please do," you smiled. "I'm so happy I bumped into you."

"Me too," he agreed, giving you a quick, one armed hug before starting to head for the door. "I'll text you!"

“Can’t wait,” you smiled, meeting Danneel’s eye to find her watching you with a fond smile. “What?”

“I’m really glad we came here,” she told you, squeezing your shoulder.

“Yeah,” you bit your lip through a smile. “Yeah, me too.”

*****

James texted you after his meeting, and you let him know that you were going home but he was always welcome to visit. In fact, you encouraged him to come down so you could show him around Austin like he'd shown you Dallas all those years ago.

You drove back that evening, keen to get back to normal.

Jared was getting your bags from the trunk while you carried Dallas’ sleepy form back into the house.

“We’re home!” you called out, apologising to your daughter as she groaned in protest.

“It’s been a long day, huh?” you whispered, kissing the top of her head as you quietly made your way inside.

“Mhm,” she hummed.

“In the kitchen!” Gen called back, just the sound of her voice perking Dallas up instantly.

“Bambi!” she giggled, squirming to get down.

You carefully put her down just outside the kitchen, letting her run through with all the speed that a 22 month old could muster.

"Ciao, Bambina," Genevieve laughed as you followed her in, watching as she swooped her up into her arms and kissed her cheeks. 

She nodded at Tom and Shep as they looked at her expectantly, and they got up and walked over to you.

"I've missed you, boys," you told them, crouching down as Tom handed you something before throwing his arms around you. "Thank you, baby."

He pulled back and you looked down at the handmade card in your hands.

Welcome home Mama Y/N! was scrawled on the front in Tom's handwriting, and you opened it to find We love u x from Shep.

"I love you, too," you told them, kissing them both on the cheek before getting to your feet again. "Have you been good for Mama?"

"Yeah, I helped walk the dogs," Tom told you proudly.

"An' I did the chickens," Shep added, making you grin as you walked over to Gen and Dallas.

"Ciao, bella," Gen smiled, and you pressed a firm kiss to her lips.

"Love the Italian," you murmured, and she stole another quick kiss as you were about to pull back. "Love the card."

"That's all the boys' idea," she told you, and your heart swelled with love as you smiled down at them both. “They’ve been missing you loads, wanted to go with Dad and Dal when they left.”

“But then Mama would be all alone,” you reminded the boys, and they both shrugged.

“Wanted to go with Sissy,” Tom told you, and you ruffled his hair.

“Well Sissy and Mama Y/N are home now,” you smiled, wrapping an arm around Gen’s waist and leaning against her as she held Dallas on her opposite hip. “Not gonna leave again for a long time.”

“Apart from conventions,” Gen murmured, and you grimaced.

“Oh, yeah,” you agreed. “Apart from cons, but that’s just a couple days.”

“Daddy’s home, too,” Jared spoke from the doorway, looking down at the boys as they barely even reacted to his presence.

“Daddy’s clearly not as exciting as Mama Y/N,” Gen teased, and Jared growled jokingly as he approached the boys.

He scooped Tom and Shep up together, one in each arm, and kissed both of their cheeks.

“We saw you on Tuesday,” Tom reminded him, and Shep nodded in agreement.

“Mama Y/N’s been gone a whole week.”

“Dad’s old news, I get it,” he sighed, putting them down.

Gen pouted in sympathy, and you took Dallas from her so she could go to Jared.

“It’s okay, I missed you,” she told him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and going up on tiptoes to kiss him in greeting. “Our bed is far too big for me to be in there alone.”

“We shared with Mama,” Shep told you, and you raised an eyebrow at her as Jared let her go from their hug.

“And Bailey and Arlo and Koda,” Tom added, making Jared roll his eyes.

“So me and Y/N leave and all the rules go out the window?” he questioned, and Gen put on her best hopeful smile.

“She was lonely,” you defended, unable to resist that look.

“Alright,” Jared relented, smiling as he leaned down to kiss Gen again. 

He pulled back, looking at the clock on the oven and then down at his kids.

“I think it’s past everyone’s bedtime,” he told them, and Gen agreed when the boys groaned.

“You could stay up to welcome everyone home, that was the deal,” she reminded them. “Upstairs. Mama Y/N will come up for stories after Dallas has gone down.”

They grumbled in agreement as they did as they were told, and you felt Dallas get heavier in your arms as she drifted off.

You smiled down at her before looking across at Jared and Gen.

“Bedtime,” you confirmed.

*****

@maryleigh8796​, @pottergirlpotterworld​, @youaremyfiveever​, @capnbuck-tiltheend-oftheline​, @xoxabs88xox​, @mottergirl99​, @sandlee44​, @i-love-superhero​, @i-just-wanna-run-hell​, @trashforwinchesters​, @mostly-shawn, @theashofwkm​, @blacktithe7​, @plaidstiel-wormstache​, @emoryhemsworth​, @onethirstyunicorn​, @taylorlaurenthomas​, @thatotherloser​, @mskitty416​, @sun-flower-bouquet​, @holyfuckloueh​, @fabinaforever11​, @deansgirl215​, @firefly124-writing​, @a-queen-and-her-throne​, @thoughtsoftheantagonist​, @hillface89​, @hetsgrinch​, @bookofdisorders​, @books-nothingbutbooks​, @iamthatonechick​, @ellen-reincarnated1967​, @spnwoman​, @american-duchess​, @blancastans​, @shikshinkwon​, @clueless-gold​, @meganwinchester1999​, @samsexualdeancurious​, @mija-novella​, @typicalweirdbookworm​, @im-super-potter-locked​

[hwanuels]

n.jm: where were you?

summary: y/n does not know what the fuck is going on half of the time. 

pairing: highschool!fboi!jaemin x fem!reader

warning: a lot of cursing, drug usage reference, crackheadness, maybe a lot of grammer error. this is my first bullet-scenario au so yeah. also! this a collab with the lovely @huangsren in out nct dreamies alternate universe teehee. she has a lovely, fluffy renjun one up so go read it!

part two!

you okay let’s get this collab with @huangsren 

so at NCT High if you don't know Na Jaemin who the hell are you? like everyone knows this kid from lunch ladies to the freaking janitors 

its not a surprise since the dude is literally dead drop gorgeous and has a shit ton of social skills. like the boy deadass can swindle his way out of detention (which he did) with just a wink 

typical fboi but instead of it being a huge turn-off, girls still throw themselves on him even when he WARNS them beforehand that he isn't looking for a serious thing

still, they get attached and heartbroken when he tells them “this isn’t working out” 

his friends (aka art-hoe!renjun and student-athlete!jeno) always rolls their eyes when jaemin rolls up into the lunchroom with his arms wrapped around a new girl’s shoulder

“bet she’s not going to last two weeks”- renjun slapping down a 10$ 

“knowing him, this isn’t going to last more than a week”- jeno said but still sliding over a 10$ bill 

AND SUPRISE it doesn’t 

both renjun and jeno don’t approve of his philandering, but they stick w jaemin cause he’s still their best bud cause bros before hoes ya know what i mean?

this is especially true with jeno cause they’ve been bffl since they were like five but that doesn’t mean that jaemin is anything like jeno. 

nah man they both are the complete opposite of each other

like jeno is a quiet reserved student-athlete boi but jaemin out here acting like a little thotty 

nomin is like a package deal, no one can separate them

here where out little y/n comes in

surprisingly you’re childhood friends w nomin 

both u and jeno are neighbors and your families have been friends since before you were even conceived 

your moms’ have weekly tea times where they’d gossip about everything and anything while your dads would be watching the weekly soccer/football games drinking a cold one 

you and jeno would be playing with some legos or barbies 

jeno had a minor (major) barbie obsession which was probably induced by you

don’t tell anyone but jeno still binge-watches barbie movies;;;his favorite really be the princess charm school one 

like i said nomin is a package deal so expect jaemin to be taging along to yours and jeno’s weekly playdate

imagine you being the princess while jaemin pretended to be the prince and jeno was the dragon,,,yeah man it was so lit 

this isn’t a jeno fic btw keep in mind its still jaemin 

all of that stuff before was when the three of you were like kids

once highschool came around all three of you found ur niches: jeno was the student-athlete, jaemin was well that guy that was wanted by all the girls

and you were just a regular mundane student ya know,,,you weren’t extremely talented nor smart you just floated around 

u still hung around jeno tho but your friendship was really lowkey 

like both of y'all would wait until the other one was completely alone or do some ridiculous actions to deliver the simplest messages 

jeno would look both ways before slipping you a note in class that said “can your mom drive me home today?” and you would make sure no one was looking before nodding secretly 

or the two of you would hide behind bushes to say that y'all parents wanted to have dinner together tonight 

tbh yall could just text each other but where’s the fUN in that? 

jaemin, on the other hand, was someone you haven’t a solid conversation with since sophomore year bc of an incident 

basically, you had helped one of your friends into a relationship with jaemin that lasted for about two months,,, which was considerably a long time considering that it was jaemin.the two of them were a fat power couple 

ur friend, let’s call her ella, was probably one of the more popular girls at school. she was well-known for being the prettiest, kindest girl that everyone LOVES

anyways, things didn’t end so well bc he stood her up at hoco even though he was gonna be crowned homecoming king and her queen. 

no one knows why jaemin just ditched but he did. 

didn’t stick well with your friend tho cause she stopped talking to you as well not really giving you an explanation

and this led to everyone in your friend group to kinda put all the blame onto you 

this is also when jaemin picked up his heartbreaker reputation and began living up to that title

at first ur were hella mad and sad, but you got over it cause being outcasted and kicked out of that friend group led you to befriend the local stoner boi!haechan

honestly, you got over it but after ignoring and avoiding jaemin for a whole year it just stuck. 

yall never talked again 

here comes SENIOR YEARS BITS 

u were so done w school at this point, you had suffered and labored through junior year,,, SAT and ACT were the biggest bitches you ever faced in your lifetime and this is coming from someone who was friends with the resident shithead lee haechan 

so it’s lunchtime and you’re listening to haechan’s wild story about some shenanigan that he and his weed dealer/ older college friend mark had gotten up to the past weekend 

“so like we were just hitting a blunt this weekend in mark’s car and this cop pulls up next to us.mark rolls down the window and all of the smoke just hits the cops in the face” 

“you're a fucking idiot, haechan” 

“listen bitch, i’m not done” 

“so the cop is doing the regular illegal drugs bullshit and asked mark a question. understand at this point that mark is high as fuck so i kid you not the crackhead says quack. nothing else just quack. honestly, i still don’t know how we got out of that but we did and lee haechan is still in school.” 

you want to slap your friend with a big smh at this point 

but it so ridiculous and so haechan that you can’t say anything else 

and you don’t have too! bc someone taps ur shoulder pulling you out of your convo and boom it’s ella 

“hey, y/n” she starts out sweetly and you could feel haechan’s bitch face directed towards the girl, who seemed to just ignore the boy 

“what’s up, ella?” you were hella fucking slightly irritated and highkey suspicious bc like this was the first time that she talked to you in like two years

“this out of the blue, but you know how prom is coming up soon? we need extra hands on the planning community,” ella explained with a bright smile  “we need another person to work on making the centerpieces for each table, but we only have one person on that” 

“okay, so what does this have to do with her?” haechan’s bitchy tone soaked in each word 

ella’s smile faltered slightly at his words, but it was so subtle that only people with keen eyes could notice

“i hope that i’m not imposing anything on to you.” ella trying to reassure  “but Mr. Moon told me that you still need some community service hours for our graduation requirement so I just assumed that this would be a good opportunity for you.” 

oh shit 

you completely forgot about that and you still needed like another 10 hours to complete

“ummmm” 

“i wouldn’t ask you this but my workload is completely swamped” ella added “it would be a big help if you can help. haechan, you can help too!” 

haechan let out a loud gag that seemed to baffle her 

“oh hell no, i already got my community service hours done like freshmen year.” 

you gave haechan the most incredulous face you could make cause like this druggie who gets high every other week and vapes in the bathroom really finished his community service hours before you????how?? 

“don’t look at me like that.” haechan kicked you underneath the table “it was before i learned how to roll a blunt” 

“drugs aren’t good for you, haechan,” ella chided 

haechan made a mocking face,,you know the one he does like that one,,”not all of us can be little miss goodie-two-shoes like you” 

oKAy time to do some damage control before your shithead friend gets himself into more shit 

“i’ll do it. just text me the details.” 

“thank you so much y/n!” ella said before bouncing off 

“i hate her” haechan stated

“you hate everyone” 

CUE aFTerschool when you follow ella’s text to go to the art building where everyone was gathered 

the minute you walked in you realized that you should have just said no and done some other community service activity cause jaemin was present standing in the corner and other people who you once called your close friends that turned out to be fat snakes

now you gotta deal with them again (aww shit here we go again) 

ella is motioning you to come into the classroom which you obliged cause you figured that you possibly could survive w ur rbf on as you made your way to the other unoccupied corner

there was some whispering in the background but you ignored it cUASE like hyuk always says: “you just gotta get high and block out all the haters” 

well, he was right about the second half, not so much the first. 

“alright everyone! thank you so much for volunteering to help set up for our senior prom! we only have about three weeks so we have to get all of the decorations done as soon as possible!” ella said in a chirpy tone

a lot of people looked motived by the girl’s bubby short speech on how everyone needs to put in 100% of their effort. you zoned that out as you caught the sleeping figure at the teacher's desk 

“goddamn you mr.moon forcing me to be here” you grumbled in your head almost missing your assigned duty, 

“y/n!” your head snapped in the direction that your name was called 

you saw ella standing with jaemin and the sirens go off in your head 

FUCK THIS

you let out a loud sigh before trotting over to the two 

ella gave you a piece of paper that had the centerpieces’ picture on them along with a long list of decorations “all you guys have to do is make about 300. all the directions are on the sheet and the supplies are in the other room. it’s really simple, just have it done by next friday.” 

you nearly popped a blood vessel 

300 by next friday? today was wednesday so that meant you only had ten days to finish all 300 of them

so you and jaemin are walking to the classroom next door to get the supplies y’all needed,,, in your head, you were just cursing everything in existence for putting you into this position especially mr. moon 

“so how did she rope you into this?” you heard jaemin say from beside you as you both carried boxes out to the parking lot. 

you two came to the good conclusion to split the load so that he would do half and you would do half 

150 it’s not that bad 

15 a day

hell yeah

it was so strange and foreign talking to him since it’s been about two whole years.  

he had a nice voice tho ngl maybe that’s why he got out of that detention that one time 

“she somehow found out that i still needed to complete my community service hours before graduation” you murmured, praying that haechan remembered you telling him to wait for you after school 

he probably ditched you to get high or hang out with one girl he liked

all jaemin said was “oh” and the rest of the walk to the school’s parking lot was quiet 

the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife and the knife would break

“hey can i ask you a question?” jaemin asked when the two of you were about to go your separate ways 

you could see mark’s old beat-down car meaning that haechan, in fact, did ditch you but had the decency to call up mark to pick you up 

“yeah, go ahead” 

“how come you still talk to jeno, but not me?” 

i shit you not this was the quietest and deepest voice that you ever heard jaemin project 

you didn’t know how to reply so you looked down at the large box in your hand, mumbling some incoherent excuse

“can you repeat that?” 

“ i said, we don’t really have any other reasons to be friend's unlike me and jeno” 

“is that all?” jaemin asked, probably catching onto your bullshit

you were probably delusional but you could’ve sworn you heard some sadness in the tone he used

you nodded quickly trying to get to mark’s car hoping to avoid further conversation 

but boy was jaemin stubborn 

“that wasn’t a good explanation,y/n! ” jaemin called out after you. 

this time he sounded more lighthearted than before

you turn around to face jaemin who had a fatass smile on his face 

damn was he good looking smiling like that 

“give me a better reason tomorrow or else i’m taking you on a date!” his dazzling smile nearly blinding you as he made his way to his own car

inside your head little y/n is going whattheactualfuck? 

“what’s with that shook face?” mark ask as you climbed into the passenger seat 

“what the fuck?” you say 

“huh?”

you look at mark “what the ACTUAL fuck?” 

poor mark is like wtf is wrong with her,,,did haechan get her on some type of crack? 

that night while you were making the little centerpieces you were still going over what jaemin said 

you looked at the last centerpiece you finish making 

was he flirting with me? or was he serious?

he sounded sad when i said that tho? 

at the same, this was jaemin, a boy who is well-known for having flings left and right. 

he’s probably just flirting

until next day! jaemin pops up next to you as while you get your shit from your locker for your first class 

“did you come up with a good explanation yet? 

his sudden appearance startled you causing you to subconsciously let out a yelp 

“cute” he said, and you forced down the blush that was about to show 

“i thought i told you already?” causing jaemin to shake his head like a cute little puppy 

“i don’t accept it.i want a better one,” he said sounding like a spoiled toddler 

you gave him the “wtf do you mean look” and he was about to reply until you saw haechan walking through the school doors with a pair of sunglasses on which can only mean one thing

that little shit head came to school high again

you pushed passed jaemin and stormed towards haechan pulling him to some vacant hallway to lecture him

leaving jaemin standing there staring at your backs as the two of you left 

jaemin’s smile dropping significantly as he nearly glared over at the two of you leaving, specifically at the back of haechan’s head 

“dude, why do you look like you’re going to murder someone?” jeno asked as jaemin sat next to him at their lab station 

you weren’t in this chemistry class but haechan was,,,and it was his naptime

“how is y/n friends with him?” jaemin stared directly at a sleeping haechan 

jeno follows his line of sight, letting out a sigh once he notices it was haehcan

“she never really told me, but i assume it was because she stopped being friends with ella and that group” jeno said honestly. he raised an eyebrow in question at his bffl “why do you need to know” 

jaemin didn’t answer him, continuing to glaring at the sleeping male 

jeno rolled his eyes at his friend's antics 

but in a serious tone, he warns to his friend, “don’t pull your games with y/n.” 

except jaemin’s head wasn’t registering this warning,,he was solely focused on how lee fucking haechan the biggest stoner of NCT High managed to take a girl’s attention from him, na jaemin....it was simply ridiculous 

maybe he really was an attention seeker bc he made a beeline for your table during lunch instead of his regular one once he saw just how loud you were laughing at haechan’s joke 

“what’s so funny?” jaemin asked sliding into the seat next to you 

now both of you and our boy hyuk is like wtf 

immediately you’re on defense, “what are you doing here?” 

“you never gave me a good explanation!” jaemin pouted, giving you fat puppy eyes 

those aLMost worked 

“uhhhhhh” you try to find a good excuse but jaemin quickly cuts you off 

“it’s okay if you don’t have a good explanation,” jaemin reaches over and steals a fry from haechan’s tray eliciting a hissing sound from the boy “you just have to go on a date with me” 

then he winks 

and he's gone

“what in the holy fuck just happened?” 

the amount of time that y/n has said wtf is unbelievable 

haechan’s sunglasses slip down the bridge of nose and you could see his red eyes giving you a look of disappointment, “and you say i have issues” 

“stfu before i slit your throat” 

the rest of the day wasn’t any easier on you tbh. you learned that jaemin was really really stubborn and very very clingy 

the boy deadass scanned the whole hallway to find your face so he could tag along with you to your next class even though you could have sworn that his class was one the other side of the school 

he kept on bombarding you with questions on what you wanted to get after school and if you like roller skating 

by some means, you were able to hide in the library for the rest of the study hall period which meant that you could probably avoid jaemin until school ended 

you spotted a familiar boy huddled in the corner reading a book that made you squint your eyes. 

marching over to jeno, your eyes just say “explain” 

jeno looked at you with like those wide eyes he does when he’s shookth bc the two of you never interacting in school so puBlicly

“what the hell is na jaemin trying to pull?” you whispered-yelled plopping down in the wooden seat next to the athlete 

jeno is all like????wydm 

and you explain your whole situation to him and he just lets out the biggest sigh 

“he doesn’t like being left on read” 

“what do you mean?” 

“i mean, that’s what you basically did to him sophomore year. he was kinda depresso about how you just stopped talking to him out of nowhere. by the way, why did you do that?” 

tbh you really didn’t know at first you were mad at him

was it bc his actions caused all your friends to blame you for his inability to commit to a relationship,,, but it’s been two years since that incident

you got over it, so why were you still avoiding jaemin? 

“i dunno after him and ella broke up, i didn’t have a reason to talk to him.” 

jeno looked at you like “really? is that your answer?” 

“think about that question again because i’m sure that that's, not the whole answer.” 

now you’re more confused but also very mad about how both of them weren’t accepting your reason as valid! 

so as you were furiously making the stupid centerpieces that ella forced you into volunteering to do

angry y/n really got through a solid 50 of them 

you pondered on jeno’s words and you thought back to sophomore year 

you remembered still joking around lightheartedly w jaemin until he started dating ella 

he actually spent a lot of time and effort even ditching jeno sometimes for her which was okay cause jeno would chill w renjun or even you (mostly bc he could watch barbie movies w no shame) 

everything was alright until homecoming came around and jaemin flaked on ella leading them to breakup the next day 

and ella to stop talking to you which made everyone mad you or think that you were the one that caused the breakup 

WHICH YOU DIDN”T 

you were the one that hooked the two of them up too! so it was really unfair! 

it's like 2 am and you don’t know what came over to text jeno but you did 

y/n: why didn’t jaemin go to hoco sophomore year? 

you felt instant regret after sending that text bc like it probably made it seem like you were interested in jaemin,,,, which you were totally not!

seconds later jeno slaps you with the ”ask him yourself”  

fattest facepalm 

so that’s how you spent the entire night finishing all of your centerpieces that you were assigned to make cuz of your frustration

wow we love a productive y/n 

alrighty this is where shit goes down 

now that you were done with all of your centerpieces you took them to the art room the next day before school where ella was there doing her stoof 

she looked up with a giant smile when you came in with a giant box 

“you finished all of it?” 

“nah just 150. jaemins finishing the other half” you set the box down 

“oh okie,” ella nodded returning to whatever she was doing beforehand 

since it was just the two of you in the classroom and you’ve been dying to know the answer since sophomore year 

so fuck it 

“hey ella, can i ask you a question?” 

the said girl looked up with that same friendly smile that she gave everyone “of course!” 

“why didn’t jaemin show up to hoco sophomore year?” you blurted out 

in an instant, ella’s smile dropped and there was a sudden cold look in her eyes 

“you already know the answer to that, y/n, you don’t need me to answer you. now if you excuse me, i have things i have to do” ella said in a very unlike-ella-way 

her answer made you even more confused than ever bc how were you supposed to know the answer to THAT 

confused!y/n is even more confused 

however, all your questions were about to be answered, not really tho 

you’re on your way to the third period with the same burning question in your head: why the hell did jaemin not show up to sophomore year hoco??? someone help?  

tbh you didn’t even notice someone yanking you into the janitor’s closet until you were surrounded in darkness and someone's hands were clasp over your mouth 

“it’s me, jaemin” his soft whisper sent tings down your spine 

he let go of your mouth to switch on the light 

“are you fucking insane?” 

“yes, but it’s only cause i’m madly in love with you” 

you rolled your eyes “cut the bullshit, jaemin, what do you want?” 

“our date. you never gave me a solid explanation, so i want a date” 

you were about to reject him but then an idea formed in your head 

“fine” 

and with that one-word jaemin’s eyes glowed 10x brighter with his smile almost blinding you 

cheesy i know. 

“let’s go now!” 

the boy was really about to skip class just to go on this stupid date w you 

is he that bored? did he really run out of girls to date? 

but then again you really don’t want to go to math bc you’re pretty sure there's a test today that you haven’t studied for yet 

so that’s how you found yourself with jaemin at the local ice cream parlor 

jaemin INSISTED that y'all share a sundae, which he also fought you to pay for 

there a silence that falls upon you for a little bit 

jaemin breaks it though like he breaks heart (okay minnie that’s kinda mean) 

“ella told me that you finished your half of the centerpieces in two days. that’s pretty impressive,” he comments 

you nodded staring at the ice cream drowned in chocolate syrup 

“to be honest, i haven’t gotten much done yet,” he admitted, continuing to ramble on “it’ll get done. i might even pay renjun to do it, but i’m pretty sure he’s too preoccupied with this girl that he’s been pining over for a while” 

“speaking of which, are you seeing anyone right now?” jaemin asks out of nowhere. 

“lol i could be doing other things with my time.” 

jaemin observes your face closely taking in the faint blush on your cheeks from his direct gaze, “so what about that haechan dude?” 

“what about him?” 

“are the two of you a thing?” 

you nearly gagged 

“there no way in hell i’d ever get with haechan. besides, he’s having some of his own girl problems right now. he was being a little bitch about it too” 

“good” jaemin says really contently. 

“why didn’t you go to hoco sophomore year?” you finally asked

taken back slightly, jaemin softly smiles down at the half-eaten sundae

instead of answering you, he asked another question “why did you stop talking to me?” 

you gulp, but eventually, you had to tell him the truth even though it was kinda dumb and immature

“because ella was mad at me after the two of you broke up.” 

he shifted his gaze up to your own eyes 

“do you know why she was mad at you?” 

you shook your head

jaemin smiled again 

this time it kinda looked sad :( 

“because she knew that i was in love with you”  

[buckysforeverprincess]

Betrayal Begets Betrayal

Steve Rogers x Reader, Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 1637

Warnings: Cheating, Angst

A/N: I’m not a fan of cheating fics, but I wrote one anyway. Please let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!

“Hey, Steve. How are things at home-everything ok with the girls?” You were back at the hotel and had just kicked off your heels. It was time to relax and decompress from a long day of guest speakers and meet and greets. This is probably the only thing you loathe about your job.  

“They're good. Gracie scored a goal today-kicked the ball right between the goalie’s legs, and Sarah painted a picture of her family. I hung it on the fridge. Hope that's ok?” There was some uncertainty in his voice, something you had become accustomed to lately.  

“Yeah, that’s fine…and McKennna? How's she handling me being gone?” You hated leaving the one year old, but this was part of the career you chose. Leaving them would never be an easy task.

“Missing her mom, like usual. Keeps going into the bedroom looking for you. When she can't find you, she throws herself down and cries. She hates it when you leave.”  

A slight pang of guilt ran through you. Leaving the girls was always the hardest part of your job, but you knew their father was more than capable of caring for them in your absence. Dr. Rogers specialized in pediatric care. Kids were kinda his thing.

“I hate leaving them too…make sure you kiss them for me.” You struggle to unzip your dress, but then you feel fingers from behind, helping your fumbling fingers. “Thanks.” You said softly, the man leans in and kisses you on the back of your neck.

 “You're welcome, doll.”  

“He's there with you, isn't he?” Steve asks, tone becoming irritated. He must have heard his voice through the phone.

“Steve…,” you begin, every phone call always turns into this. It's starting to get old, “we've talked about this ad nauseam. You don't get to comment about this part of my life anymore.” You let out a frustrated sigh.

“You're still my wife and mother of my children, and you're sleeping with my so called best friend. Damn right, I'm gonna comment about it. I'm never, ever, gonna let it go!” Steve's becoming increasingly emotional throughout his rant, he always does when the conversation shifts.

“I'm only your wife for another month--the divorce will be final soon, and you know none of this would be happening if it wasn't for you, so please refrain from judging who I spend my time with.” You look over at Bucky now sitting on the hotel bed, shaking his head at your words. This is a fight he's heard way too many times to count.  

“How many times do I have to say I'm sorry? I've begged you time and time again to forgive me, but you turned your back on me-on us. Why can't we just work it out and fix this? Start over again?” Steve’s pleading with you, sorrow in his voice.

Part of you wishes you could go back and change everything, but you weren't the one who broke your vows. There isn't anything you have to fix or atone for. Steve is the one who committed the ultimate betrayal.  

“How's Sharon? Pregnancy going well?” Bucky smirks at your dig into Steve’s infidelity. He loves it when you try to fight dirty.

Your husband lets out a frustrated sigh through the phone. Steve hates it when you bring her up. “I wouldn't know. We're uh, not together anymore.”

Ah, so that's what this is all about. The relationship didn't work so now he wants back into your life. Too bad. You've already closed the door on your marriage. This door will never find its way open again.

“I'm sorry to hear that, Steve. I don't know what else I can say.” She was the reason for his choices, his cheating. Sharon was the reason your twelve-year marriage was now over. He made his bed and thought he was comfortable. It's not your fault he's no longer lying in it.  

“Yeah, well...I'm not the only one she was seeing. Turns out Sharon was also sleeping with my other best friend. Betrayal begets betrayal. Mine just cost me everything.” His voice is soft and low. “I miss you, Y/N. I just--can't we try again?” You can hear the hope in him. Steve wanted to start over, a fresh start ever since you filed for divorce. It just wasn't ever going to happen. Not now...not ever.  

“Did Bucky tell you?” You watch the man in question take off his shirt and lay down on the bed, patting the space next to him. “We're-uh, we're getting married. He asked me to marry him.” Bucky shakes his head and for a moment regret courses through you.  

“Are you fucking serious?!” Steve yells through the phone and you move it away from your ear.

“It's only been a few months and you're ready to start a new life with him?! Un-fucking-real, Y/N! Such fucking bullshit!” Steve’s mad as hell, but again, this is all his doing.  

“This isn't how you should have found out, but it was bound to happen. I'm not sorry, Steve, but there wouldn't be a Bucky and me if there wasn't a Sharon and you, and I'm not the one that cheated!” Bucky nods in agreement, even though he had admitted to you he'd been in love with you for longer than he can remember. He dated it back to high school, but Steve had got to you first. Steve would always be your first love, but sometimes first loves can have an expiration date. That date was five months ago when you lawyered up. Steve’s time with you had come to an end.

“I can't believe you won't give us a second chance, Y/N! He won't let you, will he? He's always wanted you for himself!”

You turn away from Bucky before the tears start to fall. He's spent too many nights wiping them from your eyes. That's why the two of you were together now. Bucky had been your rock through everything. It only made sense you'd end up as a couple.

“Bucky has nothing to with my choice, Steve!” Your voice becoming shaky through the phone. “I tried, Steve! For a year, I tried! Do you know what it's like to find out your husband is cheating on you while you’re pregnant?! It's the worst kind of pain imaginable...but still I tried! Why?! Because I loved you, and in the end, it didn't mean shit! All the tears I shed, the therapy I went to, the family counseling we did...it meant fuck all of nothing! You never stopped seeing her! You made your choice, now allow me to make my own!” You were yelling at him now. This is always how these phone calls went. You fell into the trap once again.

“You have to live with this. It took me a fucking year, Steve! A year to file and say enough is enough! You had a year to change, to fix what you broke. A year to think about me and the girls. If Gracie, Sarah, and McKenna, weren't enough to change your mind, there wasn't anything more I could do! In one month, our divorce will be final, and Bucky and I will be moving on. You don't have to like it, but you must live with it. It's time to let me go!”  

Bucky has now moved from the bed and has wrapped his arms around your waist, trying to ground you...offer you comfort in his touch. This is something he does every time things with Steve go south. You'll always be grateful to him for this.

“I'll never stop, ya know?” Steve says through his own sniffles, “I'll never stop trying...stop loving you.” You can't control Steve, that much was obvious, but you can control you, and you've already moved on and let go. It really was time for him to do the same.

“You'll get the…” you trailed off, your fiancé grabbing the phone out of your hands.

“Steve…” Bucky says sternly to his best friend, “come on, man...this has to stop.” There's silence from Bucky and you can hear Steve talking to him but can't make out the words.

“I know you're upset, but you can't keep doing this to her or yourself. I love you like a brother, man…always will, but it's time to let this go. It's time for all of us to heal.” You'd never been more thankful for him to take over a phone call in your life. Even though their relationship is strained, he always seems to be able to talk Steve down. He really is Steve’s best friend.  

“It's been a long day, and Y/N and I need to rest. We have more shit to attend tomorrow and Stark expects us to come home with a full report. Please kiss the girls for us? Thanks. See you soon, bye.” Bucky hangs up the phone and moves over to you.  “You ok?” He wraps you up in a tight hug.

“Yeah, he just always gets to me.” Bucky kisses you on the forehead and it makes you smile.

“It'll be over soon and then we'll move on. Can I make a suggestion, though?” He moves back just a little to look you in the eyes. “Let’s refrain from telling him everything.” Bucky places a hand on your stomach in a show of intimacy, he's becoming increasingly attached to that part of your body as of late. “He doesn't need to know quite yet about our little nugget. Steve can't be the only one good at keeping secrets.”  

Bucky's right, Steve doesn't need to know. Steve broke your heart and happiness once before. You refused to let him steal another moment from you ever again.

“I agree. This is one secret I’ll happily keep. Steve won’t break my spirit again.”  

[richies-sloppy-bitch]

Currently Untitled Fix-It Fic, Part 1 (Once I have a title I will change it)

Pairings: In this part: The start of Richie x Lucy Flannery (my OC, but feel free to use this as a reader self insert!) and Stan x Lucy

Warnings: Homophobic slur, swearing, talk of missing/dead children

Words: 1567

Summary: Lucy is just trying to enjoy her last day of school, but ends up stumbling upon Richie, Stan, Eddie, and Bill while they’re down at the Barrens, teaching them that there’s more to her than the rumors at school say about her.

I hope you enjoy, I have a post about my OC here: https://richies-sloppy-bitch.tumblr.com/post/189220214136/it-oc-character-info

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     Finally, Lucy thought as she headed down to the Barrens with a backpack as weightless as her shoulders in that moment. Freedom. Less bullshit, no homework, and most importantly, less Henry fucking Bowers. She often came to the Barrens to have a quiet smoke, or to have a quick beer that she'd stolen from the fridge at home. She liked that spot because it was quiet and nobody ever came down there. Until today.

     She lit her cigarette and took a long drag, peacefully enjoying the quiet until she heard some splashing and voices. Voices of boys, it sounded like. Who the fuck would come down here to play in the damn water? The sewer is over there…  She was just going to let whoever it was do their thing, but yet, she was curious as to who would have the intent to play down there. She picked up her skateboard and slowly approached the voices. She could hear them a lot clearer. Two boys in polo shirts and shorts standing outside the sewer tunnel and two boys actually STANDING in it, one replying with stuttered words and the other in a loud Hawaiian shirt and glasses responding in bad attempts at impressions.

    "That's poison ivy… And that's poison ivy" the taller of the polo wearing boys was saying with a slight worry to his voice. 

    "Stanley,  not every fucking plant is poison ivy!" Retorted the boy in the glasses. 

    "Actually…" Lucy hopped over the rocks that dotted across the river to the tunnel, "none of these are poison ivy. But you see that bush about 15 feet that way?" She gestured, cigarette in hand, to a bush that looked different than the ones by the boys. They all turned their heads to look. "THAT fucker is poison ivy. I know from experience." She shuddered and took another drag. The boys just stared at her, silent in surprise. She had seen these kids at school before but didn't even know their names. They, however,  definitely knew who Lucy Flannery was. The girl who picked fights, who even fought boys at school. The girl who, it was rumored, also liked girls. The student consensus was that she was scary, and especially for boys who went by the term "losers", to be avoided.

     "H...Hi… Lu..lucy." the stuttering boy bravely spoke to her, his stutter even worse than what she'd overheard. "Wuh...wha..what are you do..doing here?" He sounded both curious and defensive, as if he were trying to protect himself and his friends from the mean, scary girl. She was only scary by reputation, not her appearance.  Her appearance was what drove the bigoted masses of Derry to assume she was a lesbian. Rail thin, dressed in a pair of denim shorts and a faded Ramones t-shirt, dirty black Converse high tops, not a speck of makeup on her face. Bruises adorned her bare legs, reminders of skateboarding trips turned awry and fights she had gotten into, but out of self defense, not schoolyard terrorism as everyone assumed. Wild wavy chocolate locks that came to just below her chin and seemed to grow every which way also adding to her boyish look, making her slightly resemble Ellen Ripley from the Alien movies the boys had seen.

     "I was going to ask you the same thing." She replied and took a step forward,  causing all four boys to seem to slightly cower. "Hey… I'm not here to fuck with you. I swear. I don't even know who you guys are. I mean, I've seen you at school and all but I was just curious why the fuck anyone would willingly come down to the sewers to hang out?" Her voice was actually somewhat soft, soothing. She sounded like the nicest person in that moment. 

     "We're luh… looking for something." The stammering boy replied, cut off by the one in the glasses. "We're looking for his dead- I mean, MISSING brother, Miss Noseypants."

    It hit her, at least who the boy with the stutter was. "Wait… You're that kid whose little brother went missing! What was his name, George I think?" She asked.

     "Ge...Georgie." the boy replied. Then she remembered, at least his name.

     "Bill Denbrough, right? I guess you already know who I am." 

     "Ye...yeah. And that's Stanley, Eddie, and this..th...this is Richie." He gestured at the boys respectively.

    "Well your brother is just missing, they never found him. You think he might be in here?" She asked Bill.

     "I h..hope so." 

     "Well… Do you want me to help look? I have nowhere to be." She smiled kindly, dropping the cigarette butt onto the ground and stomping it out. 

     "Re..really? You'd do that?" Bill was surprised, and the looks of amazement on the other boys' faces reflected the same. They were suddenly a lot less tense in their body language.

     "If it helps bring a kid home then fuck yeah!" She untied her shoes, stuffed her socks in them and began to head in, stepping into the fetid water next to Richie.

     "That's greywater, I'm not fucking going in there!" chirped Eddie as she made her way in.

     "What the hell's greywater?" Richie replied with a roll of his eyes.

     "It's literal piss and shit, just telling you! You're all walking around in millions of gallons of Derry pee!" 

     Grinning, Richie picked up a stick and scooped up what looked like a shred of fabric, pretended to sniff it and in a failed attempt at a Mexican accent, said "IT DOESN'T SMELL LIKE CACA TO ME SEÑOR!" Lucy couldn't help but giggle, this kid was hilarious already and she'd only known him for five minutes. Stanley rolled his eyes and Bill just looked at Richie sternly, who noticed the girl standing there was laughing. "At least someone has good taste in entertainment, huh, toots?" He winked.

     She felt a rush of warmth to her cheeks and she fell silent.

    "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Richie asked.

    "No… I'm just… Not used to boys calling me cute things like 'toots'. They mostly just call me a dyke." She said softly, her big brown eyes looking down for a moment. "I'm NOT one, just so you know." She glanced at each of the boys as she said that, trying to get her point across. 

    Richie grinned. She thought it was cute? Well she better, because honestly SHE'S cute. Especially when she's all flustered. He thought, before continuing. "Well I can call you all kinds of cute shit, like sweetcheeks,  sugartits-" he was cut off by Stan, who clearly looked annoyed.

     "Beep beep, Richie. You're making her uncomfortable." He scolded. Unbeknownst to her and Richie, Stan also thought Lucy was actually quite striking, and his interruption was jealousy disguised as his usual irritation with Richie's antics.

     "Yeah, and can you stop dicking around? I can smell that from here." Eddie added, which began a back and forth banter with Richie that had Lucy fighting for her life to hold back laughter, ultimately failing.

    "Are you sure it's not just your breath wafting back into your face?"

    "Listen, have you ever heard of a STAPH INFECTION?!"

    "OH, I'LL SHOW YOU A STAFF INFECTION" the argument was cut off by Bill, who had found something. "G..Guys…" he pointed at what looked like a white shoe, picking it out of the water.

     "Is it.. " Stan asked, nervously.

     "Georgie wore...ga..galoshes." Bill replied.

     "Then whose is it?" Eddie asked.  Richie looked at the inside of the white canvas sneaker that read "B. RIPSOM". 

     "It's Betty Ripsom's." He said with an unusual softness. Betty was another girl who, like Georgie, had gone missing and was never found.

      "I don't like this!" Eddie said anxiously.

      "How do you think Betty feels? Running around these tunnels with only one frickin' shoe?" Richie lifted his foot out of the water with a smile. Even Lucy didn't laugh, this was creeping all of them out.

     "What if she's still down here?" Stan asked. Bill and Richie began to venture further in, with Lucy following.

     "Aren't you guys coming?" Richie asked.

     "If my mom found out we were playing down here, she'd have an ANEURYSM okay-" Eddie began, cut off by Bill, who somberly spoke.

     "If I was Betty Ripsom… I'd want us to find her. Ge..Georgie too."

     "Well what if I don't WANT to find her? No offense, but I don't want to end up like Ge… I mean… I don't want to go missing either." Eddie replied. 

     "He's got a point." Stan noted.

     "Y..you too?" Bill looked at his friend.

     "It's SUMMER! We're supposed to be having fun! This isn't fun! This is scary and disgusting!" Stan shouted. Lucy couldn't disagree, she did get the creeps from being in there, but was holding her composure. 

     Before anyone could reply, a loud splash came from behind Eddie and Stanley. An overweight boy with dirty blonde hair stumbled in the water behind them, blood on the lower front of his shirt. The group all rushed out to see.

     "Holy shit! What the fuck happened to YOU?!" Richie exclaimed. The boy clearly needed medical attention of some kind, the bleeding was pretty bad.

     Lucy had a feeling this summer was going to be different. What SORT of different, good or bad, remained to be seen.  

 **To be continued.**

[ziadawrites]

Take My Hand

In movies people wake up so blissfully; there’s the sun peeking through unveiled windows and a deep breath from the protagonist. Then eyes open, a full body stretch is thrown in, and they’re up and out of bed onto a great day. But that is not how I was awoken today. After letting me sulk over mine for around for 5 days, my dearest friend and greatest enemy, Leti, thought it was a marvelous idea to not only barge into my room, door bang and all, but also throw open my tightly drawn curtains while yelling, and I quote,” JOSEPHINA GLORIANA ARROYO-CAMPOS! WAAAAAAKE THE FUCK UP!” then as her final performance, adding a perfectly executed pounce onto my sleeping body. “Letiiiiiii,” I groan for the third time since we got into the car,” why are you doing this? I told you I am okay! You don't have to worry about me.” “Bullshit Josie, you may be able to fool everyone else but you can’t fool me,” She said, blowing cigarette smoke outside the cracked open window. “I’ve known you so damn long that I know you’re feelings like they’re my own and my heart is hurting…. so yours must be too.” At her words I looked at her, Leti has always played the bad girl role but her heart is softer than a baby’s blanket. She was right about one thing, she has known me forever. Our mothers were best friends and so it was only natural that we were too or that’s the way they wanted it to be. The truth was Leti and I had grown up fighting each other, always trying to outdo the other with toys, boys and fashion. It didn’t last long thankfully because when Leti’s mom got sick there was no one left to take care of her but Mami and I. Eventually when Tia Tiny died, I vowed to always make sure Leti never felt as if love had left her along with her mom. That didn’t necessarily stop the fighting of course but it ceased all of our competitions. If anything I always wanted her to win. “Okay Leti, take me wherever you see fit.” I relented. She smiled and turned up the radio, leaving us to a peaceful journey. “Jos wake up. We’re here.” Leti said shaking me awake again yet softer this time. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes from my impromptu nap,” Where are we?” I slurred then took a look around. “We’re at the cemetery. We’re here to visit Mama.” She answered, grabbing a bouquet of yellow tulips and proceeding to get out of the car. I studied her for a minute and then followed suit. The walk to Tia Tiny’s gravestone was a quiet one but didn’t begin to match the thick air that surrounded us when we arrived to her. Leti placed the flowers on her mom’s marker,” Happy Birthday Mama, I love you and miss you so much.” It had slipped my mind what today was and immediately I felt the guilt seep through my skin as we stood there quietly. Minutes passed by like hours before Leti spoke up again,” You know Jos I never told you this but, when it became clear that Mama wasn’t going to make it through I was so scared. I was so scared that after she died no one was going to love me. I’d seen movies and heard words of kids who got tossed around the family unwanted and I was so scared that was what was going to become of me too,” She looked at me then and I could see the tears of past worries and relief in her eyes which brought a sting to mine too,” Little did I know that I would be blessed with the greatest gift that is not only our family but is most importantly, you. We used to fight so madly remember?” She laughed and I nodded, smiling,” But when my world felt like it was falling apart you took a look at it and said,”this won’t do Leti” and you pulled me through. You put everything aside for me and I want to do the same for you. I know you’re hurting, I can see it so I’m gonna do the best I can. I’m going to give you all the love I can because you’ve always taken care of me and now it’s my turn to take care of you.” “Leti, I know you’re worried about me but I swear I’m okay.” I felt something wet hit my nose and looked up. The clouds were colored darkly and seemed to be filled with something heavy. “When are you going to stop pretending?” Leti was irritated now. “When are you gonna quit thinking something is wrong with me?” The clouds were big swirled masses and droplets became more persistent in their falling. “Because there is something wrong with you! No one just isolates themselves from everyone coincidentally after their boyfriend breaks up with them Josie!” “Oh my god Leti can you just leave it alone please? For me?” I begged. Her stubbornness was getting to me. I just wanted her to leave me alone, I was doing fine on my own. I was handling it well. Why couldn’t she see that? “No I can’t and I won’t, you need to let your emotions out.” “Can’t you take a hint? I don’t want to. I don’t want to do any of this. I don’t want to be here and I especially don’t want you up my ass about how I’m feeling. Just leave me alone!” I stomped away from her and Tia Tiny in the now pouring rain. It’s amazing how much the weather and moods correlate with each other. “Well too fucking bad!” I whipped around,”What did you say to me?” Leti walked the distance between us,”Well too fucking bad. I don’t care what you do and don’t want. I’m gonna stay up your ass until the shit you’re holding in comes out your mouth.” “And pun intended!” She said as an afterthought. “Fuck you, Leticia Moretti.” I said pushing her. “Fuck you, Josephine Campos.” Leti said pushing back harder. And it went on like that. Until I slipped in the mud, falling flat onto my back. Instead of getting up, I decided to lay there. I already feel like watery dirt might as well lay in it too. After awhile, Leti grabbed my hand, pulled me up and then we looked at each other. She shook her head looking at the mess of me and pulled me into her arms. This is when I decided to cry. The silent kind, where you only shake and shudder but all the slobbiness doesn’t make itself heard. “There, there baby. I know. It’s okay.” Leti reassured, patting my wet head. Most of the tears subsided before I finally said,”I- I just feel so stupid you know? I should have seen it coming. There were so many signs that he was going to leave me for her and I just didn’t want to see them because I loved him so much. I thought if I let him go and get it out of his system, he wouldn’t leave me. I’m such an idiot Leti and I don’t feel like I have a right to be so hurt when I did this to myself.” Leti grabbed my face then so I could look her in her eyes when she said,” Josie listen to me very clearly, it is not your fault. He is the idiot for leaving you and I hope he soon receives what I know is coming to him. You’re feelings are valid and don’t you ever think for a second they aren’t. I love you and I am here for you, so don’t push me away anymore.” When I thought I couldn’t cry any harder, I proved myself wrong,” I love you too and I won’t I promise.” I sobbed even more horrendously, we hugged, Leti laughed and despite everything, I felt better than I ever had. I knew that as long as I had Leti by my side, no hurt nor would any pain last forever.

[shamelessly4shameless-blog]

130lb of Ukrainian Courage (pt11)

Lip arrives as Ian is blending a breakfast smoothie for Yevgeny and adding a dash of nutmeg to Mickey’s coffee pot. Ian doesn’t have a chance to say more than hello before Lip is pushing past him, storming into the house

“MICKEY! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU, ASSHOLE?”

“Lip! What the fuck?”

Ian grabs his irate brother’s jacket and tries to haul him back. Ordinarily Ian overpowers Lip easily, he is taller and outweighs him by thirty pounds since Lip took to his latest detox. Today though, fury is propelling Lip forward and Ian merely slows his step.

“MICKEY!”

The sound of feet hitting the floor upstairs makes both men look up. Ian grabs hold of Lip’s arm properly and hisses

“Yevgeny is up there!”

“Then tell that fuc… You!”

Lip lunges forward as Mickey appears on the stairs. He is in a tank top and a pair of what are clearly Ian’s jeans from the way they bunch loosely at Mickey’s ankles.

“What the fuck are you yellin’ about, shithead?”

Mickey is rubbing sleep from his eyes as he comes down the stairs but his body is thrumming with readiness for a fight. Ian places himself between his brother and boyfriend, hands raised defensively

“Lip, what the fuck is going on?”

“I’d like to know that too.”

Mickey’s fists are curled gently by his side, top lip twisted upwards in a challenging sneer. Lip is all clenched jaw and huge eyes. Neither looks at all impressed with the display of the other, but Mickey is on home turf and his blood is getting hotter with every second Lip stares at him.

“Cat got your fuckin’ tongue, Philip?”

“You’re a piece of shit.”

Lip spits and Mickey pushes forward aggressively, relenting only slightly as Ian firmly presses his palm against his chest.

“Mick – don’t. Yev is upstairs.”

Blue eyes flick briefly toward Ian and then back to Lip.

“Yeah, and he just got woken up with a nasty fuckin’ start, so why don’t we go outside?”

Lip nods curtly and both exit the house, brushing roughly past Ian.

“Dad? What’s going on?”

Yev is peering around the banister, his bottom lip caught anxiously between his teeth.

“Papa and Uncle Lip are working something out.”

Ian hurries up the stairs, smiling brightly as he lifts Yevgeny and carries him through to the kitchen. Whatever is going on outside is going to happen with or without him and Yev is his priority for the moment.

“What is it? They sound really mad.”

“I’m not actually too sure, here, drink your smoothie.”

Ian sits Yev on the kitchen counter and hands him a plastic beaker of banana and blueberry, extra honey because Yev seems to have an almost inhuman tolerance for sweetness. There are muffled shouts coming from outside.

“I’ll be right back, buddy. Stay there.”

Ian kisses Yev’s forehead and hands him his phone, already unlocked with one of the many brightly coloured games Ian has downloaded for him, flashing on the screen.

He walks as calmly as he can across the room and gives Yev a cheery wave as he opens the front door and steps out. Ian closes the door lightly behind him, the smile on his lips turning to a round ‘O’ of shock as he sees Mickey straddling Lip on the ground, hands wrapped around his throat.

“JESUS!”

Ian is down the steps in an instant. He doesn’t allow himself time to think about it too much, just take aim and boots Mickey in the ass hard enough to knock him off Lip’s chest.

“The fuck, Ian?”

Mickey grabs his right cheek and hobbles upright, turning to glower at both Gallagher’s. He starts to move in again and Ian holds up a warning finger.

“No! Whatever is going on … Hey! I said no, Mickey.”

Mickey sucks his teeth but stops his advance, swaying on the spot and rolling his shoulders. Ian is reminded of the Raptor scene in Jurassic World, the hero holding the dinosaurs at bay with sheer force of will, unsure how long his command would hold before he’d get his face ripped off.

He almost laughs but then Lip is sitting up, coughing and trying to haul his stupid, stubborn ass off the ground.

“Just fucking stay down. Save yourself the embarrassment.”

Ian snaps irritably.

The words are carefully chosen and have the desired effect on both men.

Lip spits to the side and folds his arms lightly around his knees, logic prevailing over blood-lust.

Mickey preens, chest puffing out, smirking slightly at Ian’s obvious faith in his ability to kick Lip’s ass.

“Did you win, Papa?”

Yev calls from the porch. He is holding his little league baseball bat uncertainly in one hand and his smoothie in the other a small concerned frown creasing his brow. Mickey gives him a thumbs up and nods, grinning broadly

“Yeah buddy, sure did.”

Ian rolls his eyes skyward and makes an exasperated gesture

“Yev, will you go back inside please? And put the bat away.”

“But ...”

“IN!”

Ian yells and Yev disappears swiftly. Ian doens’t often yell but when he does, both Milkovich’s tend to comply, though the larger one is a little less predictable.

“Even my kid knows he could fuck you up, asshole. He’s seven.”

Mickey gives Lip a bored look and shakes his head elaborately at the shame of such a thing. Lip snorts and wipes a bloody string of snot from his nose

“You must be so proud.”

Ian is getting to the end of his patience with both of them and his nerves are shot.

“What the Hell is going on?”

“Your brother thinks I messed your face up, because apparently some shit-stain he knows saw us at the ice cream store and thought my way of making up for a beat down would be to get you a double scoop of fuckin’ pistachio.”

Lip shrugs and stands up slowly, eyeing Mickey as if expecting another rumble.

“Yeah pretty much. But apparently it wasn’t him.”

“Apparently.”

Mickey spits, voice dripping with sarcasm. Lip ignores him and turns to Ian, eyebrows raised expectantly.

“So what the fuck happened to you?”

Ian glances to Mickey who folds his arms and blinks slowly, raising one shoulder a fraction. It is Ian’s call and Mickey will back up whatever he chooses to say, truth or not.

Ian weighs his options. He is not about to go into everything with Lip in the middle of the yard, the curtains are already twitching after his scuffle with Mickey. More than that, Yev might not be in plain sight but he’s near by. Ian glances back to the house and sure enough a scuff of blue converse quickly tucks out of view behind the door.

“We’re dropping Yev off after breakfast, if you wanna come by, we can talk. All of us. Like adults.”

Ian divides his gaze equally between his brother and his lover as he says this and both shift their eyes away from his.

“Sure. Sure, I can do that.”

Lip nods and glances across at Mickey.

“Sorry I thought it was you.”

“Sorry I kicked your ass.”

Lip accepts the painfully insincere apology as his due and turns to his little brother, opening his arms and smiling as Ian steps easily into his embrace

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. See you later, alright?”

They slap backs and Lip staggers back toward his car, massaging his throat.

Mickey sniffs dismissively after him and turns to Ian, lips lightly compressed in a frown

“Your brother is a dick.”

“I know. But did you have to strangle him?”

“No, felt good though. Or at least it did until some other prick treated my ass like a damn football.”

Ian’s lip curls in a small smile and he snakes an arm around Mickey’s tense shoulders, drawing him in against his side.

“I know what that ass can handle.”

“Fuck off. Now is not the time for your randy macho bullshit.”

Mickey says irritably but his tone is light and Ian risks a kiss to his temple, which Mickey accepts with a small grunt.

“We need to have talk with Yev about that bat.”

Ian muses, stroking Mickey’s arm lightly, working his thumb into the knotted muscles around his collar bone in just the right way to make Mickey forget his annoyance.

“Mmm. Yeah, fine. I’ll do it.”

“Yeah?”

Ian raises his eyesbrows in mild surprise. Mickey is pretty good with on the spot discipline but planning out talks is not really his style.

“Yeah, he comes out the house with that little thing, only pussies like your brother are gonna think twice. He needs to get my steel one.”

“No.”

Ian says flatly, pressing his index finger against Mickey’s lips.

“Wrong direction, Mick.”

“What? You thinking a gun maybe?”

Mickey mumbles around Ian’s finger, eyes wide and innocent. For a moment Ian scowls at him and then he realises he is having his balls busted and he flicks Mickey’s chin gently.

“Dick.”

“Asshole.”

*

Yev is reluctant to go home. He clings to Mickey with unaccustomed neediness that Ian feels instantly a little jealous of and then immediately foolish for being jealous of such a thing. Mickey for his part seems completely unsure of what to do with the extra attention and frowns as Yev clambers onto his lap at the breakfast table.

“Come on, man. How am I gonna eat with you in the way?”

“I’ll move when your eggs are done.”

Yev states firmly and wraps his arms around Mickey’s chest, pressing his cheek against his father’s shirt. Mickey’s tongue appears briefly as he battles impatience but after a moment he settles his hand on Yev’s back and leans back in his chair so the kid isn’t crushed between him and the table edge.

“Can I stay over tonight?”

Yev doesn’t lift his face up and Mickey seeks out Ian’s eyes over the top of his head.

Ian nods and gives a small shrug.

“You’ll have to ask your Mom but yeah, if she’s okay with it.”

“Can you text her?”

“Nah, go call.”

“I’ll do it in a minute.”

Yev mumbles, tightening his grip on his Papa. Ian plates up Mickey’s eggs and carries them over, a small frown between his brows.

“You okay, Yev? Feeling sick or something?”

“No. Just happy here.”

Yev is normally a chatty kid but like Mickey, when he is feeling a strong emotion he tends to go quiet, using his words sparingly and Ian strokes his hair, a little worried. Mickey tries to manoeuvre his son out of the way so he can eat but Yev refuses to budge and short of actually putting him on the floor Mickey isn’t sure what to do, so he sits and watches the steam rise from his untouched plate.

“Is this a thing now? You just gonna hang out here on my lap forever?”

Yev shrugs and Mickey grimaces at Ian. He is pretty much out of his incredibly limited child psychology and normally if Yev feels clingy it is Ian he goes all weird limpet- child on. Ian takes a seat besides them both and rubs gentle circles on Yevgeny’s back, putting his face on Yev’s level.

“You wanna sit with me while Papa eats his breakfast?”

Blue eyes blink at Ian suspiciously and Ian gives his most encouraging smile and holds out his arms. Yev seems to decide that this is not a trick of some sort and reluctantly lets go of Mickey, shifting himself onto Ian and then latching on just as tightly.

“What’s up? You can tell me.”

Ian keeps up his smile and the little comforting circles and waits. Mickey stays silent, his own version of patient support.

“You both keep getting beat up.”

Yev says at last. He doesn’t let go but with the words out he loosens his grip a little and glances up at his Dad.

“Oh, yeah, no. It’s just been a bad couple of days.”

It sounds lame even to Ian and Mickey gives him a quick frown, letting him know that it most definitely sounded lame.

“We’ll be more careful, okay?”

“Even Uncle Lip wanted to beat Papa up. Why?”

Yev is warming to his theme and Mickey hastily scoops some of the semi-warm egg into his mouth, realising they could be here a while.

“Uncle Lip thought I beat Dad up. He was just protecting his brother.”

“But you wouldn’t beat Dad up!”

“No, I wouldn’t. Uncle Lip is an idiot and he got … confused.”

Mickey manages to make the word ‘confused’ sound as dirty as a profanity and Ian tilts his head, giving Mickey a vexed look.

“So who did? And why?”

“Some asshole who shouldv’e known better. And he did it because … because he was jealous of Dad, I think.”

Mickey looks directly at Yevgeny as he says this, not daring to look at Ian.

Ian swallows and holds Yev a little tighter. He and Mickey haven’t spoken about Terry’s motives beyond blind hate. Ian hasn’t had the head space to think about them himself and he wonders when exactly Mickey has been mulling this over. If it is new, or an old train of thought dragged into focus because of the events of the last week.

“Why?”

“Because,”

Mickey pauses to fork more egg into his mouth, chew and swallow and then pushes the barely touched plate away. Yev reaches out to go back onto Mickey’s lap but Mickey ignores his outstretched arms discreetly.

“Because Dad is everything that person didn’t like. Dad is good and decent, honest … pretty.”

Mickey flicks his eyes up and gives Ian a small flash of smile at the last word.

“People don’t like what they don’t understand, this guy never understood your Dad.”

“Oh. Well … does he understand him now?”

Yev has no idea how loaded that question is. Even Ian can’t fully understand.

*Dad, please don’t …  *

The gun barrel dipping the tiniest bit and Terry half glancing toward Mickey, not stopping but paused for a mere second. It was a second more consideration than he had ever given his youngest son before and Mickey wishes he could forget it.

He winces slightly, a nerve by his right eye jumping, but nods bravely and gives a short, heavy exhalation.

“Yeah, Bud. He understood in the end. At least a little bit.”

Ian has no clue what the fuck that is referring to and he tries to read Mickey’s expression for answers but that old mask of indifference is firmly in place and Ian can’t see around the edges.

“Does Uncle Lip understand too?”

The question breaks the storm of Mickey’s memory and he blinks a couple of times before grinning, his expression softening.

“Uncle Lip never understands shit. But he’s family so we put up with him.”

Ian bounces Yev on his lap lightly and smooths his hair back from his face

“So you don’t need to worry about anything, okay?”

“Can I stay anyway?”

“This is your home, you’re always welcome, silly!”

Ian smiles and Yev’s lip quirks upwards slightly.

“I’ll call Mom.”

He slides off Ian’s lap and takes the cellphone Ian offers him, wandering into the other room as he has seen people do to make important calls.

Both his father’s know that this isn’t a simple fix. Yev isn’t a baby and he isn’t stupid. Like most kids in South Side he has seen and heard far more than his parents would like but he is only just starting to reach the age where he really observes it. Ian thinks of the baseball bat on the porch and his heart sinks a little. He and Mickey talk about college. Svetlana speaks of the jobs Yevgeny will have the opportunity to apply for. Mickey gives Yev a small allowance to put him off stealing candy. They do little things but they are going to need to do more.

He thinks of Lip barging in and is suddenly pissed of in a major way. Neither of them are bad father’s, Svetlana isn’t a bad mother. Why the fuck can’t they manage to shield him from this crap?

“South Side, man.”

Mickey is watching the play of emotions on Ian’s face and he shrugs, a rueful little gesture full of quiet understanding.

“Sometimes I hate it.”

Ian says quietly and Mickey nods in understanding.

“He’ll be fine. We’re doing okay, you know? He’s great.”

“He is. He deserves so much, Mick.”

“And we give what we fuckin’ can. Don’t get all mopey and shit on me.”

Mickey takes his half eaten breakfast over to the sink, pausing to kiss Ian’s head and squeeze his shoulder lightly.

“Text Philip and tell him to meet us at the park. Yev needs to let off some steam.”

Ian nods and sighs grateful for the plan. He waits for Yev to bring his phone back and texts his brother.  

*

[rctribvtn]

the reveal || jace & maia

also known as, the one where maia tells jace she’s pregnant and they have an actual, adult, conversation. 

@weremaiia

maia wiped her hands off for the tenth time since she got out of the cab in front of jace's building. she felt a little sick to her stomach but she coped that to being nerves, not morning sickness. she didn't have any idea how she was going to tell him but he deserved to know face to face, not over texting or from anyone else. they had gotten themselves into this mess together. she lifted her hand to knock once she was in front of his door. she was feeling better today than she was all week so at least there was that. putting her hand down to her side, she took a deep breath, waiting for the other to open the door.

Jace had just kicked raphael out of the dorm room a few minutes earlier. he'd figured that whatever maia had to say probably didn't need to have an audience. while he wasn't sure exactly what was going on, he had an idea. he'd been on the other end of a 'we need to talk' conversations more than he could count, and he knew how this was going to go. it really shouldn't have bothered him as much as it did but he'd been on edge ever since she'd brought it up. while he'd vowed that he wasn't going to get attached again, wouldn't repeat the ​mistakes​ he'd made the last time, he'd ended up there all the same. the only person he could be irritated with was himself for being ignorant enough to assume the same patterns wouldn't derive the same results. so it was a pang of impending doom that he swung the door open, waving her in. he wasn't sure what to say but the air felt too thick in the room, suffocating as he moved towards the mini fridge. "want something to drink? we've got - well, not much, but there's usually red bull."

maia glanced around the small room. she had been in there several times but right now, it felt a little off. she honestly didn't know how to bring any of this up but she knew that she needed to do it. for the sake of all of them. she didn't want to do it alone but she would if jace was going to deny both of them. she shook her head as she stood near the door as it closed behind her. "i don't think i'm supposed to be drinking those but thanks."

Jace raised his eyebrows. "no one's supposed to drink them, they're terrible for you." he pointed out, abandoning the drinks as he settled down on the edge of his bed. the fact that she was hovering towards the door was a cause for concern but - like every other emotion he'd had the displeasure of experiencing - he ignored it. "so, what's up? you said we needed to talk."

maia swallowed heavily as she glanced around the room. god how on earth was she going to do that. "that's not what i meant. it's too much caffeine. it's not good for me right now." listening to him speak, she felt bad for making this so awkward. or at least it was awkward for her. it was all a mess she was trying to figure out. "yes, we do. i just don't know how to say it."

Jace grew more apprehensive with every vague thing that maia said. if she was trying to seem mysterious, or keep him on his toes, it was working. "okay," he replied after a moment's pause. "whatever it is, just come out and say it. rip off the band-aid."

maia nodded, lifting her hands to wring in front of her body. "so, you know i went to the clinic the other day. i don't have the flu or anything like that. it's part of all of this."

Jace stiffened. was she about to tell him that she had cancer? she ​had​ said that she wasn't dying, but that wasn't really something you could spring on someone over the phone. especially via text message. he leaned back against the wall as he motioned for her to continue, figuring it probably wasn't wise to start jumping to conclusions without all the facts.

maia had to take a few breaths to keep her nerves down but she figured she needed to rip it off like jace had said. "i'm pregnant."

Jace of all the things he'd been expecting her to say, ​that​ hadn't been it. maybe he should have seen the signs, but two and two together, but he hadn't. it was a blindside. "you're pregnant." he parroted, the words sounding foreign on his tongue. "and it's mine." it was a statement not a question - he knew maia, they wouldn't be having this conversation if it wasn't.

maia nodded slowly. "yeah, it is." she lifted her hands to wave him off. "but it's fine. i can do it myself. i don't have a family or anything like that to help me and i'm probably going to lose my job because i doubt victor wants a pregnant girl working at his bar but it's fine. i'll figure it out."

Jace was still shocked, but the shock was undercut by a need to fix things - in whatever way he could - as he shook his head. "woah, back up. you're not doing this alone. ​we'll​ figure it out. victor's a dick but he can't legally get rid of you. my mom's a lawyer - we can shove half a dozen lawsuits up his ass if he even tries. it's discrimination."

maia was feeling a lot of things at the moment. she hadn't expect jace to say any of that. she was expecting the opposite, actually. she shook her head, though. she wanted to make sure he wasn't just saying it to make her feel better. "well, victor isn't exactly a logical person. i wouldn't put it past him." she dropped her hand to rest on her stomach, a new thing she had picked up the last few days. the need to protect the baby inside of her. "are you sure, jace? i can do it alone. i'm tough."

Jace scoffed. "he's not, but i'm serious - threaten him with a lawsuit and he'll back down. he's a moron but he's not dumb enough to go toe to toe with maryse lightwood." he had to smile at that, the corners of his mouth twisting up into a smirk. maryse would have him buried in paperwork before the day was out if he even ​thought​ about trying to take advantage of maia. he wouldn't stand a chance. he watched as her hand moved to curve along her stomach, blinking a couple times as reality started to sink in. he was good in a crisis, always looking to find solutions before panicking, but when a solution was found... all that was left to do was panic. shit. "trust me, i know that." he reminded her, slightly dazed. "and i know i'm not your favorite person but," he swallowed thickly, "i'm not walking out on this baby. that's not who i am."

maia had always known that deep down, jace was a pretty good guy. he had a tough guy and fuck boy facade but she found that it was just a cover up for his bullshit. "i doubt he would be that stupid. maryse can be pretty scary, i've heard." she smiled, glancing over at the blonde. she was happy that the weight was lifted off her shoulders but she didn't know what to do now. "sometimes i even enjoy hanging out with you. i'd rather work with you than gretel any day." she let herself smile over at him. "you're not that bad." with a long exhale, she took a step closer to him. "thank you."

Jace had to laugh at that, a wry smile on his face. "that's probably the nicest thing you've ever said about me. a collection of nice things. which is weird," he added, "considering you should probably be pretty pissed at me right now." he moved over so that she could sit down beside him on the bed if she wanted to, legs shifting to make room. "for the record, you're not so bad either. especially when you stopped kicking me out of bed in the middle of the night." he rolled his eyes, albeit fondly. "seriously, i live across town. it was a pain in the ass."

maia rolled her eyes as she moved to take a seat on jace's bed. it was all very familiar for her. the bed wasn't the best but it was a bed none the less. "shut up. i say nice things about you all the time. you just never listen. i even defended you one time at magnus'." she shook her head. "i'm not mad at you. i mean, i was a little but i was irresponsible as well." she let her hands rest in her lap as she glanced over to him. "i didn't want you to think that you were welcome or anything. also, i didn't know you enjoyed cuddling so much. you're just a big softy, lightwood."

Jace knew that he had a reputation. he'd been perfecting it ever since he'd been old enough to realize that it was ​smarter​ to let people believe what you wanted to believe, rather than risking them seeing what was really there. maybe he'd learned that from his father - the man had been convincing, after all, hadn't he? even now, after all this time, jace struggled to correlate the man who'd raised him with the terrorist who'd turned against his country. while he hated thinking he was anything like valentine, there was no denying he'd grown used to hiding parts of himself away - only letting people he ​trusted​ get anywhere near him. he'd tried that with maia but he'd slipped up here and there and it wasn't that much of a surprise that she'd noticed. "you're stroking my ego, i hope you know that." he commented with a laugh. "not that i'm complaining - i just know you hate doing it." and while he was half tempted to deny her accusations, he decided against it, shrugging instead. "softy is a stretch. i'm - it comes from being a lightwood. you've met my sister, and maryse is the same way. it's survival of the fittest, you adapt to survive." he snorted. "a lesson alec has yet to learn. when you give in and stop fighting it, it's not ​that​ bad."

maia had closed herself off from feelings or anything serious when she ran away from her family several years ago. she could take care of herself and she found a way to live without them. she didn't want them around her ever again and she would go to great lengths to make that possible. there was no way she was telling them about this baby. not when she was almost happy. she rolled her eyes at jace. "you love it. i hate it. it works out perfectly for both of us." she rolled his eyes, lifting a hand to push him away. "shut up. you're a softy that likes to cuddle and have morning sex and protects your baby's mother." that was going to take some time to get used to but she wasn't upset that jace was the dad. it could be worse, really. the father could have pushed her away and called her names but this one was raised a little better and she was grateful for it.

Jace made sure to lean away from her line of fire as she swatted at him, laughing again as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. maybe he should have been more terrified than he was, or had a more explosive reaction, but truth be told he wasn't unhappy. sure, he'd assumed that when he ​did​ start a family of his own the circumstances would be different, but he'd always wanted a big family. the lightwood's had given that to him, showed him what love was supposed to be like, and he'd always known that he'd do his best to ensure that any child he ever had would never grow up the same way he had. he'd learn from valentine's failures and be a better man than he'd ever been. "everyone likes morning sex." he protested, "and looking out for you doesn't make me soft. just protective." despite his words he hesitated only momentarily before letting his hand rest above her stomach, flat now but wouldn't be for much longer. it was almost surreal. "all jokes aside, we've got a lot of stuff to figure out." he added after a moment. "and i've got, uh, probably a few things i need to get sorted out." he frowned. "time to be an adult, i guess."

maia jumped a little as she felt his hand touch her stomach. it was crazy to think that in a few months, she would be a bit bigger. she was pretty thin now but that was going to change. she hadn't dreamt of starting a family at her age but things happen and you have to be an adult and accept them. be responsible. she was sure they would figure it all out. lifting her hand a bit, maia touched jace's, letting a smile cross her face. "morning sex is the best. i'll give you that but it also means a lot more than people want.

maia "we'll figure it out. we'll come up with this whole plan once the shock wears off. then we get to tell the rest of our friends. that'll be fun. and your mother."

Jace turned a sickly shade of white at the thought of telling maryse. telling alec and izzy was one thing, but that... that was something else altogether. "well, i know she won't kill me." he replied with a shake of his head. "though, when she finds out i haven't been going to class all semester," he winced, "she might change her mind." it was a secret he hadn't told anyone, save raphael, mostly because he hadn't been sure what to do. but now he needed to make adult decisions, take control of his life and decide - one way or the other - what he was going to do. ultimately he'd known this was coming, he'd just been afraid to face reality. he couldn't do that anymore. "wait," he paused, "does magnus know?" it was like a light switch had been flipped. "that punch makes a lot more sense now.."

maia rolled her eyes. "i doubt she would kill you. she's your mother. doesn't she want what's best for you guys?" maia let her head fall to the side as she listened to him speak again. "whoa, what? you aren't in school right now?" she shook her head a bit. "you're kind of a mess right now. are you sure this is going to help that crazy life of yours?" maia had taken simon along to the clinic with her so he knew and magnus had figured it out when she was acting weird the other day. she told him she could handle it, though. "what? magnus punched you? i told him i could deal with it myself."

Jace nodded. "we had a deal - i had it coming." he wasn't mad about getting punched, though he had been surprised that magnus had such a mean right hook. he hadn't even seen it coming, had been cradling his jaw in his hand before he'd even realized someone had hit him. either his instincts were off, or magnus was just that good. he was leaning towards the latter. "i got into the police academy in january." he admitted. "i figured out what i wanted to do awhile ago, but there's wait lists, applications," he waved a hand dismissively. "i didn't think i'd get in this fast. but then it happened, and," he shrugged, "i didn't want to give up my job at the bar, or move out of the dorms, so i just... didn't drop out." he winced. it sounded worse when he said it out loud - made even worse given that he'd been lying about it for three months. "i know it was stupid, trust me, but... yeah, it's my mess to clean up. don't worry, it's not ​that​ bad."

maia wished she knew all about jace's predicament a long time ago because things would have probably been much different. "that explains a lot of things. your lateness all the time. being distracted. i think it's great but you could have told me. or anyone." she shook her head. she wasn't sure when she started caring about jace but she didn't hate it either. she needed to know these things now. they were having a baby. as for magnus, that was another thing. she would have to talk to him later. "he still shouldn't have hit you for me. it's not like you broke my heart or anything."

Jace could understand where maia was coming from, he knew full well that she didn't need anyone to fight her battles for her, but it was hard to explain. "seriously, don't worry about it. if he'd knocked up alec, i would have done the same thing." she was right about all of the excuses he'd made, but at the same time it was all directly related to choices. he could have chosen to tell her the truth, tell everyone the truth, but he hadn't. it had seemed easier that way. "someone did know. but i asked them not to say anything, that i'd do it on my own time. and i always figured i would, the timing was just never right."

maia nodded. she understood why jace did what he did but he and magnus didn't have to fight over her honor or whatever. "i get it, really. but you didn't hurt me or anything so it wasn't necessary and your face is a mess." she sighed. she was glad that jace wasn't going to run for the hills. she enjoyed spending time with him and bantering or having sex. whatever they were doing now. dare she say that she liked him, no way. she glanced down at their hands before looking into his eyes. "you don't have to explain. whomever it is is a really good friend because i don't think anyone knows." she smiled for real this time. she hated the way he made her feel sometimes.