#through clenched teeth: at least a florida team will move on!!

[the-real-thunderbug]

panthers win again....go florida team...but i love my bolts....cries

[lovetorn]

all for the game [dream]

Exy player!Dream x Reader

summary: dream runs into trouble when the florida falcons play the edgar allan ravens.

w/c: 3.4k+ :D

warnings: violence, blood, swearing, ha typical exy shit

a/n: an au based on my favourite book trilogy, all for the game. idea by 🍀 anon <3 i wrote this for my own enjoyment AHHAHAAH. if u don’t understand the rules etc of exy, it’s basically hockey, soccer and lacrosse meshed together, but if u have any questions, send me an ask!

—

Exy is a bastard sport, an evolved sort of lacrosse with the violence of ice hockey. Dream loves every aspect of it. It is vastly different from the usual college football, and it certainly gives you more bruises. Maybe a little too many more bruises. Played in a stadium, on a soccer-sized basketball court with plexiglass to protect the crowd, it brings Dream immense joy.

Scooping the ball into the net of his racket, Dream looks at the wall before he uses his body to launch the ball towards it. The ball is quick to bounce back and plop into Dream’s net. He adjusts his grip on the stick and tilts his head, deciding where his next shot should be.

“Dream?” The dirty blonde turns around and sees you push through the plexiglass door that leads onto the court. “Hey!”

Dream smiles from under his helmet. “Hi, Y/n!” You don't play Exy, choosing to watch your best friend from the sidelines instead. He grips the grate of his helmet and slides his head out of it, his hair sticking up in every direction. “What are you doing here?”

You throw your arms up. “Coming to see you practice the great sport that is Exy,” You laugh before spinning around and looking up at the highest seats of the stadium. “Haven’t broken a bone yet, I assume?” This made Dream laugh.

“No, not yet. Saving that for the game against the Ravens.”

Dream’s determination for Exy scared you a little bit—it was almost like he wanted to get hurt. “Easy, tiger. We all know what happened last time we played them. Never again, please,” You shake your head, walking closer to him. The last time the Florida Falcons played the West Virginia Edgar Allan Ravens, Dream got a concussion so bad he couldn’t walk for a few days. You had sworn they would pay for their damage, but Dream went against you.

Dream rolls his eyes, lightheartedly. “That’s the way the game goes, Y/n. No way you can stop it,” he said that back then, too. You throw him a glare before taking the racket out of his hand to gain his full attention.

“Just, please be careful.” You practically beg. Dream’s eyebrows raise slightly, surprised. He didn’t see that coming.

“Yeah, always,” He follows your eyes as they trace the scar that runs from his temple to the middle of his forehead. You sigh and pass his racket back to him.

—

The dark purple Edgar Allan Ravens bus pulls into the Falcon’s home stadium car park that Friday night. Fans from all over the state and West Virginia crowd the entrances and surprisingly, there are a lot more supporters in purple and black than green and white.

Dream looks down at his forest green Exy uniform and smooths out his jersey. He rolls his neck in a circle to release the building tension. A hand clamps down on his shoulder as Dream slips his hands into his green and white gloves.

“You’re gonna be fine, dude. We all are,” Sapnap says, although Dream can hear the waver in his voice. Dream shakes his head and Sapnap inhales sharply.

“Nah, we won’t be.”

Sapnap slides his hand off of Dream’s shoulder and turns around, probably going to the bathroom to calm his crippling trepidation. The locker room is silent as the team moves around, changing and preparing themselves for the game ahead. Dream tries not to think about the team on the other side of the stadium, who are most likely already warming up despite the game starting in an hour.

Dream opens his locker and fumbles around for his phone. He needs to know that you’re here. Opening his messages, he’s frozen from the notifications coming through.

I hope your little friend prayed for you last night.

You got lucky with that concussion. Take this as a warning.

Dream’s fingertips trail up to hover above the scar on his forehead. He clenches his fist and throws his phone back into the locker, not flinching when the dark green metal dents. Dream leans his head against his forearm that rests on the locker.

“Dream! Dude, calm down,” A voice calls from across the room. Footsteps come up behind him and Dream has to stop the tears collecting on his waterline. “It’ll be fine, Coach said he might put you on for one half.”

George’s comments do nothing to soothe Dream’s anxiety. Dream has told nobody about the threats he’s been getting for a few days leading up to this game. If he told you, he wouldn’t even be here. You.

Dream ducks down to find his phone. George furrows his eyebrows as he watches. “Wha—?”

Grasping his phone, Dream then stalks out of the locker room. He walks down the hallway towards the inner court, presses your phone number on his now-smashed phone, and brings it to his ear. Pick up, pick up. “Dream?”

The sound of your voice makes Dream exhale deeply. “Where are you?” He asks desperately.

Dream can hear the crowd chattering through the phone as he scans over the stadium trying to find you.

“Uh, section 4, row 38, where I am every home game. Why? Is everything okay?” The worry in your voice is evident and it fails to calm Dream down like he thought it would. And when he sees waves of purple instead of green, his anxiety grows.

“I—Y/n. I need to see you, I don’t—I can’t,” Dream screws his eyes shut and tries to breathe through his nose slowly.

“Dream, I’m coming. I can see you in the inner court. Stay there.”

Y/n hangs up after that and Dream looks at his phone.

Scared? A text says from an unknown number.

Dream presses his tongue into the inside of his cheek and blinks a few times. A knock on the plexiglass behind him startles Dream. He turns and sees you smiling. He lifts his hand in a small wave and you do the same, laughing at him. At least he has a way to take his mind off of the shit with the Ravens.

A bell signals the start of the line-up announcements and Dream throws his thumb over his shoulder. You nod, understandingly, and blow him a kiss. Dream smiles shyly, his cheeks growing pink before he turns to leave.

You make your way back up to your seat, your legs bouncing in anticipation as the Ravens walk on the court one by one while the announcer calls the line-up. Once the Ravens are in a line on the halfway line, the Falcons are announced.

Since teams are co-ed, the variances in heights differ greatly. The Ravens are much taller than a majority of the Falcons, which gives them an advantage, to an extent. Dream had told you that being shorter allows you to move around the court with more agility, but being 6’2’’, Dream chose to be a striker instead of a dealer or a backliner.

“Number 2, Dream Tucker.”

At the sound of your best friend’s name, you stand and cheer, earning a few dirty looks from Ravens fans. As the remainder of the team is announced, you grow more nervous than you thought possible. A warning buzzer sounds and both teams go back to their benches.

“Alright, guys, this is our biggest game of the season, again. The last game against these idiots wasn’t ideal, but don’t let that deter you from doing your best tonight. That goes for you too, Dream," Coach looks towards Dream and he nods. Dream draws his bottom lip between his teeth from under his helmet and looks down at the ground. Sapnap’s hand slaps Dream's back in support and then the rest of the team is in agreement.

At his teammates’ words, Dream huffs. He can do this. The starting team goes onto the court, the doors closing behind them with a thump and then the scrape of a lock.

Dream sits on the bench next to Punz and Liliana. They hear the buzzer go off again and then watch as Sapnap flicks the ball into the air and slams it with his racket. There’s a distinctive crack as both teams race off their lines to find their preferred place on the court along with the players they need to mark. Three bodies crash into each other and the ball pops out on the other side, rolling silently.

At the sight of violence, the stadium roars. A Ravens backliner throws the ball and it hits the plexiglass in front of Dream who jumps in surprise. The ball is picked up off the floor by another Ravens player. He throws it to a girl who is running across the court and it lands perfectly into her net. Dream sees Tegan bodyslam the girl into the wall, the glass shuddering under their weight and Sapnap throws his hand up in a thumbs-up at Tegan, who smiles under her helmet.

The ball sails high in the air and players push and shove each other under it. As it comes down, George gets pushed to the floor, skidding to a stop a few feet away. The Ravens striker looks George dead in the eye and smirks as he catches the ball. He then tosses it powerfully towards the home court goal and the Falcons' goalie, Gabby, hits it up the court and away from herself. Dream, Punz and Liliana cheer from their spots on the subs bench.

“Nice one, Gabs! Falcons down the court!” Coach yells through the plexiglass.

Dream wears a smile when he turns back to look at you. You grin back, give him a thumbs-up, and nod. That’s when Dream knows he’s ready.

But, ten minutes into the game, the Ravens break the Falcons defensive line. The ball slips through the gap between Gabby’s torso and racket and lands in the back of the net, the siren above the goal going red and blaring a high-pitched sound. The Ravens don’t hug or cheer and return to their places on the court. Their fans, however, throw insults and middle fingers up at the Falcons while screaming and hollering.

“Fuck’s sake,” Dream mumbles. Punz slaps his pair of gloves against the bench and Liliana shakes her head.

The game went on like this for the rest of the half—the Ravens scoring 6 more goals, the Falcons scoring none. At half-time, Sapnap throws his helmet on the floor of the locker room.

“I fucking hate these guys,” He curses, pacing around the room. Coach sits on a chair, his elbows on his knees.

“We all do, but complaining about it isn’t going to help us win,’ Dream says. “Coach put me on.”

Coach looks at Dream for a moment. The tension in the room is thick and Dream knows he’s pushing his luck by asking. Nonetheless, Coach sighs before nodding stiffly.

“Dream goes on for Peter, Punz on for Drew, Liliana on for Tegan.”

And so it’s decided. Dream’s thumbs fly across his screen as he texts you. You pull your phone out of your pocket at the sound of your text tone and see the message. I’m on.

You smirk softly at it and message him back before you tuck your phone back into your pocket. The warning buzzer sounds and then both teams are back on the court: the Ravens with a whole new line-up and the Falcons with their three new subs.

Dream’s heart pounds in his chest, sending shuddery heat through every inch of his body. He holds his breath in anticipation for the serve, and then it starts. The Ravens are clearly a lot more experienced than the Falcons, but that doesn’t stop the team in green from giving everything they’ve got.

The ball hits the far wall and comes soaring back, thanks to the Ravens goalie. Dream jumps to catch it before it can fly over his head and it lands safely in the soft net of his striker racket. He looks around for opponents and takes 7 steps of his allowed 10, and passes it to George who is open further down the court. George catches the ball, then twists and passes the ball across to Punz. His mark collides with him a moment later and George goes sliding, his arm out with his racket to help him balance. Punz runs down the court, stops, then throws the ball to Liliana. His mark slams his racket down violently on Punz’s in retaliation. The backliner shakes his head in annoyance and continues running.

Dream is already near the goal by the time it gets to him again. He gets the ball and only has two steps to aim and shoot before a Ravens player crashes into him. Dream hits the ground so hard, he rolls. But, the crowd holds their breath as they watch the ball sail past the goalie and into the back of the net. The siren glows red and all Dream can hear is his ears ringing. Sapnap runs up to Dream and helps him up, congratulating him in the process. Dream looks around confused before realising he scored a goal. The entire team rushes towards him, cheering and laughing.

“Good job, Dream! Let’s do that again!” Coach yells. Dream’s surprised he can hear him over the crowd.

The game starts again with Falcons serve. The Falcons’ are fired up and back in the game, even if it is 6-1. And as soon as George throws Dream the ball, he dodges his mark and flies up the court, unguarded and ready to score again. The Ravens’ goalie isn’t prepared for Dream’s throw and misses the ball as it’s thrown at him, making the score 6-2. The crowd gets impossibly louder and Dream looks up into the sea of people to spot you. The smile on your face gives Dream newfound confidence and then everybody is back at their starting positions.

The Ravens are angry, there’s no doubt about that. Sapnap gives the striker a boyish smirk and a snide comment, which Dream can’t hear. He guesses it pisses them off because the second the ball is thrown from the Ravens dealer, the striker goes straight for Sapnap. The younger boy is thrown against the wall of the court and continues to spit insults at the Ravens player, despite his situation.

“Sapnap! Get out of there, bro!” Punz yells, collecting the ball from the ground and throwing it back to Gabby to hit up the court. Sapnap laughs and shakes his head, his lips still moving. Dream sees, out of the corner of his eye, the Ravens player drawing his fist back before punching Sapnap in the nose. The Falcons fans in the crowd start booing at the unnecessary violence and the referees unlock the doors to intervene. Dream meets Sapnap’s eye and raises his eyebrows when he sees Sapnap laughing, blood dripping into his mouth and coating his teeth. The referees pull the Ravens striker off of Sapnap and give him a red card for throwing the first punch. The Ravens fans boo and start swearing at the referees, but their cries are drowned out by the sound of the home crowd.

Due to the incident, the teams are to go back to their positions to start the serve again. Now that the Ravens are down a player, Dream knows the ways to get around them, especially when Sapnap is unguarded.

“Dream!” Sapnap calls when Dream catches the ball. He spins around a little too quickly, loses his balance slightly but throws the ball anyway. As he watches it fly across the court, Dream feels his entire body get crushed against the wall of the court. His head rebounds off the wall from the impact. There’s a heavy weight that pushes him into it more and he can’t breathe. Dream flails his arms, drops his racket, and attempts to push the Ravens player off of him. There’s no doubt that Dream hit his head again. He knows he did. A helmet can only do so much.

Dream can only hear ringing in his ears as he feels the Raven get pulled off—and it isn't the same ringing he heard when he scored the Falcons first goal. He tries to scramble to his feet before he crumples to the ground. Dream blinks a few times, disorientated, but still fails to gain a conscious mind. His eyes start to close when he feels his helmet being tugged off and then someone’s slapping his cheeks. “Stay awake, Dream.”

Dream can barely hear the sound of someone slamming their fists against the plexiglass behind him and then the person in front of him nods. He thinks it’s Sapnap. “Come on, bro, it’s only a few steps and then you can lie down.”

Dream’s head lols to the side, eyes half-open and a lazy grin on his mouth. “Sappy,” he slurs. Sapnap lets out a laugh for the first time since his best friend got knocked out and smiles at him.

“Yeah, dude, it’s me. We’re gonna get you fixed up, okay?” Dream nods before he closes his eyes. “No, no, Coach!” The world fades out around him and Dream falls unconscious.

—

The light is so bright above him. Dream closes his eyes again after he opens them and groans softly. The sound is almost too quiet for you to hear, but you do. And when you do, you lift your head from where you were resting on the edge of his bed. The chair you are sitting in is uncomfortable, so when you stand up, your muscles ache. “Hey, baby, how do you feel?”

If Dream was fully conscious, he would have blushed immensely at the sound of the pet name, but for the moment, he feels like he’s in a dream. His mouth is dry and he struggles to keep his eyes open for longer than 3 seconds. “You don’t have to talk, it’s okay.”

Dream feels pressure on his hand and moves his head slightly to see that your fingers are wrapped around his. You hear him murmur something, and lean down.

“Hi,” He whispers. You furrow your eyebrows at his greeting and look him in the eyes.

“That’s all I get? Hi?” You let out a breathy laugh and use your other hand to brush his hair away from his forehead. But, Dream can’t feel you on his skin. He hesitantly lifts his other hand to touch his forehead and feels a bandage.

“Surprise! Another scar,” You joke. Although, Dream can hear the edge to your words. Your smile disappears from your lips and then you sigh. Your eyes scan over Dream’s face, noting the dull green of his eyes and the pale of his skin. “Oh, Dream. I was so worried about you.”

Dream opens his eyes from when they had fallen closed again and sees the silent tears dripping down your cheeks. “It’s okay, I’m here, I’m fine,” His voice is scratchy and the sound of the word ‘fine’ does not sound fine. You smile sadly at him, then huff, wiping at your face.

“I almost forgot…” You trail off, rounding the bed to the other side to pick up a bowl and a cotton ball. You sit on the edge of the bed and dip the cotton into the antiseptic. You turn Dream’s head slowly to get a better look at the cut on his cheek. You drag the medicine over the gash and watch as Dream doesn’t flinch.

Once you are done, you place both of the things on the side table of the medical bay in the Falcons home stadium and look at Dream. He gives you a lazy smile and his fingers twitch against yours. “Thank you.”

You nod, eyes wide. “Of course, you know I’ll always be here to clean you up.”

Dream can feel his skin heating up. You get a concerned look on your face when you see the rise in pink on his cheeks. “Oh my god, are you heating up? Do you have a fever?”

He wants to laugh so badly. “Y/n, I’m okay. It’s not a fever. I’m blushing,” Dream says bashfully.

You realise why and then grow embarrassed. “Oh.”

The air isn’t tense, but there’s something there and you want to stick around to find out what it is.

Feedback is always appreciated xx

[fruitcoops]

Part 3 of the disowning fic where Sirius calls Reg and Remus tells James (with Sirius’ permission ofc) and when Walburga calls Reg, he rips into her like never before. James rushing to Sirius’ house and basically having to be restrained from going to her house with Reg in tow.

Hopefully that makes sense. Sorry it’s probably really badly phrased

This makes a ton of sense--thank you for sending it in! Writing Regulus is such a neat challenge, since he and Sirius are so similar and yet so different. Sweater Weather credit goes to @lumosinlove!

Part 1 II Part 2

TW for disownment and past child abuse (mentioned)

If Sirius ever met the person that invented showers, he would kiss them on the mouth. With tongue, if requested.

His phone hummed on the coffee table; when he made no move to grab it, Remus reached over and flipped the screen up. “Reg is on the way.”

Sirius hummed and cuddled into his chest, tightening his hold on his waist. Gentle fingers combed through his damp hair and he was warm all over in the best way. His face and eyes still itched a little, and his throat was raw from crying so hard, but at least he finally felt clean. The ache in his gut had dulled.

Remus pressed his lips to the space just above Sirius’ ear and wrapped his arms around him, tracing patterns on his upper back beneath his shirt. The skin-to-skin contact was something he never knew he needed so much—he couldn’t imagine living without it now. “We should go on vacation sometime this summer,” he mused, absently braiding a few locks of Sirius’ hair.

“Where?”

“I dunno. Somewhere warm, where we can swim and you can get all sexy and tan.”

Sirius laughed against his chest and breathed in the honey-lavender smell of his soap. “As long as you promise to freckle.”

He could feel Remus smiling. “I’ll do my best. It wouldn’t have to be a long trip, either—maybe a week in Florida, or California.”

“Alabama?” Sirius teased.

“Honey.” Remus kissed his forehead. “If you take me to Alabama—” Another kiss. “—I will take the biggest spider I can find—” A third kiss, so sweet in comparison to his playful threat. “—and put it in your shoe.”

Sirius snorted. “Just divorce me, that would be nicer.”

“Mmm, no, you’d miss me too much.”

“Put a spider in my shoe and we’ll see if that’s true.” Remus’ shoulders shook under him as they laughed and Sirius kissed his collarbone, then closed his eyes. “Do we have time for a nap before Reg gets here?”

“Maybe. How fast does he drive?”

“Not as fast as Pots—”

The doorbell rang, and then kept ringing; someone knocked insistently on the door, and Sirius groaned as he untangled his limbs from Remus and wandered over.

Regulus was not alone on the porch.

“What’s her phone number?” James demanded, practically smoking with fury as he and Regulus stormed into the house. He let out a furious breath when he saw the open envelope on the kitchen counter.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his little brother. “Did you call him?”

“Of course I called him,” Regulus scoffed. “We also called Logan.”

“Isn’t he in Canada for the rest of the week?”

“Yeah, but he said he’d be here on Friday.” Regulus gave him a quick once-over and a stormy look came over his face. “When did she drop those off?”

“She didn’t. The mailman did, just after five.” Something bitter tinged Sirius’ mouth. “That was after she tried to make Remus give them to me.”

“What a bitch.”

“Reg!”

“It’s true,” Regulus snapped, though his anger was clearly directed elsewhere. “She’s a horrible coward and you deserve better.”

James held his phone up to get Sirius’ attention. “What’s her number?”

“I’m not giving you her phone number, J.”

“Reg, what’s her number?”

Regulus bit his lip for a second, then shook his head. “She won’t know who you are, and she would sue your ass faster than you could blink if you lost your temper on her. Me, on the other hand…”

Sirius put his hand over Regulus’ phone. “Don’t do this. If she disowns you, too—”

“If she disowns me I’ll throw a fucking party!” Regulus all but shouted. The room went silent. “I am sick and tired of hiding and watching them hurt you. She doesn’t control me anymore.”

“I’m not letting you get hurt for me.”

“And I’m not asking for you permission.” Regulus stepped back and dialed a number; in the kitchen doorway, Remus and James watched them in a mix of shock and concern.

The call connected and Regulus’ whole face went stony. “What is it, Regulus?” a tinny voice asked.

“Is it true?”

“Is what true?” Walburga sniffed. “Please, Regulus, we’ve discussed this. You have to clarify your intentions—”

“Did you disown my brother?”

“He’s not your brother anymore.” Disdain dripped from her voice and Sirius’ throat constricted as cold fire lit in Regulus’ eyes.

“He’s more family to me than you ever were.” His tone was even and deadly.

“Don’t be ridiculous—”

“Shut up.” A protective urge jolted in Sirius’ gut and he almost smacked the phone out of Regulus’ hand. “Just shut up.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You’re a coward and a liar, and I hate you.” A fine tremor slipped through and Regulus gritted his teeth. Remus touched Sirius’ elbow gently, and he gripped his hand tight.

“Listen here, you silly boy—”

“You don’t get to hurt him anymore. Sirius is a better person that you could ever dream of being and the fact that you can’t accept when your own son is happy—”

“He disgraced us—”

“You disgraced us!” Regulus snapped. “You and your rules, your blood money, your parenting that belonged more in a prison than a house! I’m not stupid, Mother, I know what you did was wrong!”

There were a few beats of silence. “I did what I did to prepare you for the real world.”

“The real world doesn’t give a ten-year-old a black eye for breaking a plate.”

Sirius closed his eyes and clenched his jaw as Remus inhaled sharply next to him; James cursed under his breath. The plate had been one of his grandmother’s, part of a twelve-piece set that they were using for Thanksgiving. One flipped corner on the rug had sent him flying, but the porcelain shard in his hand had hurt less than Walburga’s fury.

She was breathing hard on the other end of the line. “The world is a cruel place, Regulus.”

“No crueler than you.”

“Watch your mouth, you ungrateful child, or you’ll find yourself in the same shoes as that stain on our family tree.”

A flinty look came over Regulus then; if Sirius didn’t know better, he’d say he looked almost smug. “Do it. I dare you to look the media in the eye and tell them you disowned one son for being happy and the other for calling you out on your terrible parenting.”

“We disowned him for being a failure and a disgrace.”

Grey met grey as Regulus spoke next, his gaze never flickering from Sirius’ eyes. “Happily married to the love of his life, youngest captain in the league, with two Stanley Cups under his belt? Doesn’t sound like a failure to me, and far from a disgrace.”

Remus squeezed his hand as Sirius swallowed back a few tears that had started to gather. He offered a weak smile and the corners of Regulus’ eyes crinkled slightly.

“I’m hanging up the phone now,” he said, smooth and collected. Walburga was utterly silent. “Never contact me or my brother again. If you disown me, at least have the dignity to do it in person.”

He hung up and slid his phone into his back pocket. “Jesus,” James half-laughed behind them. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

“That was really brave, and really stupid.” Sirius said as he walked forward. Regulus met him in the middle, tucking his head under Sirius’ chin in a tight hug. “Thank you.”

“Brave and stupid, huh? I’m turning into you already.”

Sirius flicked his ear with a grin, but never loosened his hold. “Brat.”

“Love you.”

He closed his eyes and felt Regulus’ heartbeat through his palm. “Love you, too.”

“Will you at least give me her address so I can egg her house?” James asked once they separated, already moving to give Sirius another hug. He melted into it; James had the incredible ability to make him feel completely and utterly safe, like the world couldn’t touch him as long as he was there.

“As amazing as that would be, I’d rather not see you arrested.”

“Fair point.” He pulled back a bit and James searched his face. A wrinkle appeared between his brows. “How can I help?”

“This is nice.” Exhaustion made Sirius’ limbs heavy and his head was starting to throb from his earlier breakdown. James pulled him back in and two more sets of arms followed, forming a shield all around him. He felt Remus kiss his cheek and Regulus’ hand splay over his ribs; James was steady, an anchor in the storm. “How am I going to tell people about this?”

“You don’t have to,” Remus murmured.

“If I don’t, she will.”

“Then tell them the truth,” Regulus said. “Maybe not everything, but the relevant parts.”

“We’ll be here with you.” James’ voice was soft. “Us, and the rest of the team. Anything you need.”

Sirius didn’t say anything, but he did sink into the warmth of their embrace and let the weight of fear and unease lift off his shoulders. The burden wasn’t his alone; it never had been.

[reidgraygubler]

hot cocoa and cuddles part two (spencer reid/reader)

Title:  hot cocoa & cuddles (part 2) Request: no Couple: Spencer Reid/Gender Neutral!Reader  Category: fluff Content Warning: swearing (if any), mentions of a case/s, mentions of illnesses, tbh idk what else to tag Word Count: 2,348 Summary: the team returns back to maryland/dc after the case in alaska. reader discovers they still can’t warm up, even after everything they do. spencer tries to help out, again A/N: the long awaited part 2 of hot cocoa and cuddles. this is for the people who want to read part two and those who were looking forward to it… o.o thanks for all the love and support! Check out my masterlist! 

part one

{***}{***}{***}

I pulled my sweater cardigan tighter around my body and shivered slightly. I pulled my hands away from my sweater and wrapped them around my hot mug, which was just hot tea. My eyes de-focused on the desktop in front of me. Anything Penelope and Aaron were saying went in one ear and out the other.

“You okay there, Honeybee?” Derek asked, looking over at me. I shivered and looked over at him. All eyes were on me as I tried to make myself not shake from my freezing-ness. “We’ve said your name like 6 times.”

“We’ve been home for 2 weeks and I am still freezing,” I spoke through clenched teeth. I wrapped my hands around my mug, which was slowly getting colder. “I have done literally everything to keep warm, and I’m still freezing.” I shook my head. 

“Maybe you should get a cat,” Emily spoke up. I looked over at her and furrowed my eyebrows. “Sergio keeps me pretty warm at night.” She smiled at me. I laughed lightly and shook my head.

“My apartment doesn’t allow pets,” I mumbled and stared at the table. I shrugged and shook my head. “I guess I just live in this constant state of forever being cold.” I frowned.

“Maybe you should get your blood check. You could have low iron,” Spencer spoke up, tapping his fingers on the tabletop. I looked over at him and shook my head. “Being cold can be a symptom of low iron… You could be anemic... hypothyroidism is always a possibility,” he continued on his ramble/.

“Hey, Spence?" I asked as I looked at him, my hands wrapping tighter around my mug, which at this point was starting to get lukewarm. 

“Yeah." He looked over at me with a smile. 

“I don’t think I need you to tell me of my impending doom because I’m cold. I went to Alaska, not a hospital filled with a bunch of sickly people,” I whispered. Spencer lifted his finger to retort but failed when I shot him a glare. 

“Get a boyfriend.” JJ smiled at me. I looked at her, trying to hide my smile but clearly failing. “Like your own personal space heater in bed. Body heat is a wonderful thing,” she mused as she flipped her file open. I shook my head as I glanced at Spencer. 

“Yeah, I’ll look into getting a boyfriend or my own personal space heater. Although, I’m not entirely sure if my apartment will allow those,” I pouted. JJ laughed and shook her head.

“Hey, Honeybee, I’m always free if you need a personal space heater.” Derek smirked at me. I laughed harder than I should have and looked at him.

“You seriously expect me to sleep in the same bed as you, Derek Morgan?” I cackled and shook my head. Spencer shifted in his seat and kept his eyes down on the file in front of him. 

“You shared a bed with Pretty Boy over there.” Derek nodded to my friend beside me. I tensed up slightly and glared at him.

“Better him than you, to be honest.” I flashed him a teasing smile. 

“Guys, let’s get back on the task at hand. Garcia,” Aaron spoke up as he looked back at Penelope. I stifled my laughter as I looked back at Derek. He grumbled something under his breath as he looked back at his file. 

{***}{***}{***}

I swear my heater was up so high (or as high as my bill would allow), I had my fluffiest and coziest pair of socks on, and at least 3 different sized hoodies on… The Alaska case was several weeks ago, I’ve been home ever since then… So why am I as cold as I am? And why can’t I warm up? Maybe I should take Derek up on his offer. Though, I think that’d be a whole new line I’d cross. Hard pass, thank you very much.

I should be asleep right now. 1:30 in the morning and I was sitting in bed with a hot water bottle pressed to my body. Something is wrong and I don’t know what. Crap, what if Spencer was right? What if I do have low iron or anemia? Or that hydro… Hypothyroidism, whatever that could be… I should ask him what that means. I wonder if he would be willing to be my personal space heater again. I mean, I know I kept him warm every bit as he kept me warm when we were in Alaska. And, he knows I’ve been cold. Listen, I’m just trying to rationalize wanting to cuddle Spencer Reid. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t stopped thinking about that. And, I wouldn’t be upset if it happened again.

“Screw this,” I muttered as I climbed out of bed with a blanket around my body. I shook my head as I muttered profanities under my breath. My body shook as I walked towards the front door of my apartment. I slipped my shoes on and left the house, freezing as I left my warm home. 

And then I found myself standing just outside of Spencer’s apartment. Better him over Derek, I kept repeating to myself. I have a better relationship with him than Derek. Derek is more of an older brother to me. Spencer... I don’t know what he is to me. But he definitely isn't an older brother...

“Just… knock,” I whispered as I brought my fist to the door. It’s nearly two in the morning. I hope he wasn’t asleep. Although, knowing Spencer he was probably awake, reading over some old files. 

“What… What are you doing here?” Spencer’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. I blinked before staring at him. He was wearing a black t-shirt and red and black checkered pj pants. Though his hair was messy and disheveled, he was definitely not asleep.  

“Just… Just coming to see how you’re doing,” I lied and shrugged. Spencer looked at me, raising an eyebrow. It was clear he wasn’t so sure of my answer. But to be fair, I wasn’t sure about my answer either.

“What’s really going on?” he asked, stepping to the side, silently inviting me in. I looked around his apartment and took a deep breath. His home always smelled like cinnamon and spice. I probably enjoyed it too much. Although, it made me feel warm… Which I was okay with. Answering Spencer’s question didn’t even cross my mind until I turned back and looked at him. “Is everything okay?” he asked again once I was facing him. I took a deep breath as I tugged on the ends of my sleeves.

“Uh, I was just… I was just thinking about the Alaska trip.” I wrinkled my nose as I looked anywhere but Spencer’s face. I was only mildly embarrassed that I was here… asking Spencer if he would want to cuddle with me… because I’m so cold. Man, I’m happy Spencer isn’t the teasing type. Not that he’d tease me about this. I know that anyone else would though… 

“What about the Alaska trip?” Spencer looked at me, his tone telling me he was very wary about my statement. I looked at the ground and shrugged.

“Just something you said, I guess,” I started as I looked at him, “Well, something you said earlier today,” I shrugged as I looked back down at the ground. I really wanted my blanket and hot water bottle. Even though I was warmer in his apartment, I was still cold. “Could I really be sick? Is that why I’m so cold?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest as I looked back at him. A shiver worked its way down my body and all the way to the tips of my toes and fingers. 

“Come on, I’m gonna make you hot chocolate, and then we’re gonna go lay in my bed, under the covers.” He held a hand out for me to take. I stared at it for a moment before carefully resting my hand in his. He clasped his fingers around mine before leading me to his kitchen.

“You didn’t answer my questions, Spencer. You know more than anyone that avoiding a question means your keeping something from someone.” I watched as he made two large mugs of hot cocoa.  

He still didn’t answer my questions as we walked towards his bedroom. And, in fact, he was silent up until I was sitting beside him on the bed, holding my mug of hot chocolate close to my body. Even though I was now in a warmer home, with a hot drink, several blankets, and the warmest person I know (despite his sometimes icy hands), I was still very cold. So, I looked over at him, watching as he flipped through the pages of his book.

“Are you going to answer my questions?” I asked, reaching over and placing my mug on the side table. Spencer looked over at me with a raised brow, slightly closing his book. “Am I actually dying?” I asked, feeling a certain fear grow in my tone. 

“You’re not dying,” he said as he folded the corner of the page in his book before closing it. I watched as he set it on his side table. 

“You don’t sound very convincing.” I shrugged, pulling one of my several blankets tighter around me. Spencer looked over at me and raised an eyebrow. He carefully gestured for me to move closer to him, and when I hesitated, he pulled me closer to him.

“You’re not dying. You’re not sick. You’re just cold. Everyone knows you’re probably the one who gets cold the most. Even when we were in Florida, you were cold,” Spencer said as he kept his arms around my body, holding me close to his. His body temperature was definitely warming me up, just like it had a few weeks prior.

“Hey! That’s because the stupid officers had the A/C on 65! It was freezing!” I moved away from him and looked at his face. I could feel a giggly smile grow on my face as I kept my eyes on him. “You giving me your sweater was like a gift from God.” I looked down at him. 

“I think that’s the fourth sweater that’s gone missing?” He copied my smile before laughing. I looked away from him, trying to play innocent. “And the only common denominator is you.” Spencer poked my nose before he pulled me back closer to him. I rolled my eyes before curling back into his side. The goosebumps that were once on my arms and exposed skin, were now fading away the longer I stayed beside Spencer.

“If it makes you feel any better, they were quite warm.” I smiled. I left out the part that I enjoyed that they smelled like him. “And, I’ll return them washed,” I added, again leaving out that I’ll be sad that they won’t hold his scent. 

“If they weren’t my favorite sweaters, I would say keep them. But I’m rather fond of two of those.” Spencer looked down at me with a warm smile. I laughed.

“Thanks for letting me in. I know it’s late. I promise I won’t make this a habit,” I laughed as I looked out onto the blankets in front of me. Part of me wondered what temperature Spencer had his furnace on, and how it was so warm. Mostly because my furnace was on pretty high and it was still like an icebox in my apartment. 

“It’s okay, really. You should work on getting a portable heater for your house and desk just so they warm up faster,” Spencer suggested.

I almost, very nearly, said “But then that’d mean I can’t come over anymore,” But I didn’t. So, I just stayed silent.

“Like Garcia said, your own personal space heater,” Spencer laughed. Though, I cringed, remembering what Derek had said.

“Yeah? Or I could just get a Derek Morgan.”

“Who would want him as a boyfriend,” he scoffed, sounding mildly hurt with my joke. I looked up at him with furrowed brows before sitting upright. 

“I never said I wanted him as my boyfriend. I was joking that he said he could be my space heater or a boyfriend. I was saying… What I meant was I could get a boyfriend instead. Because, you know…. Cuddling is a good way to-” 

“What if it was me,” he asked, cutting me off so swiftly. I had to look at him to make sure he actually said what he said, because he was so quiet and he said it so fast, I almost wasn’t sure.

“You want…” I furrowed my eyebrows, again, as I stared at him. Spencer was looking down at the blankets, probably wondering to himself if he actually said what he said. “Spencer, if you wanted to ask me out all you had to do was ask.” Okay, I was definitely warming up a lot faster now, feeling my blood rush from a sudden secondhand embarrassment that I didn’t really want to feel.

“It’s a lot more than that,” he muttered as he looked at me. I furrowed my eyebrows before reaching a hand up to his face. I carefully guided him so he was looking right at me. 

“It really isn’t… Like, ask me a question, any question.” I smiled, feeling my fingertips warm up under the warmth of his skin.

“Can I kiss you,” he asked, his voice very soft. I smiled before nodding, feeling a newfound excitement flood my body. Spencer lifted his hands and cupped my face, warming my cheeks instantly, before leaning closer to me. 

As his lips connected with mine, I finally felt warm for the first time in weeks. His arms holding me close to his body, like he became my own personal space heater, again. I could sense that he knew I was warming up because when he pulled away from me and looked down at me, he was smiling.

“I’d be okay if I made a habit of this.” Spencer nodded as he carefully ran a hand through my hair. I couldn’t help but laugh again.

“Good.” I smiled before pressing my lips to his for a moment, “Because I could too.”

if you want to be a part of a taglist or have any comments about this one shot, let me know here

[mrsmercyjevans]

Six and Counting.

INVOLVED: Mercedes Evans and Samuel Evans. LOCATION: Dr. Barrett Office; Miami, Florida. TIME FRAME: Flashback. NOTES: Mercedes thinks she started menopause early.

Mercedes sat in the office pondering the next phases of her life as she did. After much self-examining for the past 3 weeks, and her endless debates with Samuel she gave in and finally did the thing she rarely liked to do. She made an appointment to see her doctor after showing signs of early onset Menopause. She was dreading this visit this whole entire week she found herself trying to make excuse after excuse not to come, she used the kids, the organization, Samuel’s new profound line of work, at some point of time she even tried to use her parents as an excuse not to come. She was a mess, and a complete wreck in others eyes she was sure. Sighing heavily into the room with Samuel she sat there waiting for her doctor to return with the horrible news that her youth had depleted and she had now crossed over to a part of her life that deemed her old, washed up, and useless.

Samuel tapped his foot restlessly against the carpeted floor of the OBGYN’S office. For all intents and purposes, he was actually fine with this new turn of events. They had 6 children already and long past the desire to have anymore. Point of fact, he knew for certain they couldn’t. After Seth was born they decided adoption would be the route they used to increase their family. So, for two years Sam diligently strapped up when they played. However, at year 4 he started missing the application of condoms here and there. You didn’t get married to use rubbers after all. This lackadaisical approach, eventually graduated into no condoms more often than not. He never mentioned this to Mercedes. She was content with not having any more children, but if she knew for certain they couldn’t… well he was sure there would have been a anxiety at the least. Now, with one glance at Mercedes he knew he was right. She was coming apart, he knew, even if it was masked behind that perfectly pulled together face. That was the thing about being married, most of the time happily. You knew your partner like the back of your hand. And right now, his knuckles itched. “Babe?” He said reaching over to take her hand. “You know what this means right?” he asked giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Mercedes looked over to Samuel “hm?” she asked having been in her own head the entire time. She laced their fingers together and replied without hesitation “the end of my youth?” she asked him. “The beginning of me being less than a woman… not as if I were ever completely one to begin with” she said looking off from him. “I am okay with the possibility of never having children again, after Seth I felt that maybe three blessings were exactly that, three blessings and I didn’t need to push the envelope” she ranted. “But this is a bit excessive now” she sighed again. “I already feel old, I don’t need my body to start turning on me now” she said angrily. “I have sisters older than me, that haven’t even gone through this yet themselves” she said shaking her head as she shifted her heel covered feet.

Samuel sighed sadly. “Babe, not a word of that is true. When I stopped playing football, I felt like less of a man. But you reminded me this was just a transition. I was still every bit Samuel-motherfucking-Evans. The same applies here” he said a pleading tone in his voice. He swallowed his sexual japes. They wouldn't serve, not right now. He turned to her, “No babe, stop and breathe” he said hands going to either side of her face. “This is a part of life, don't make it more the that. Okay?”

 Mercedes looked to Samuel as he spoke, she felt differently it wasn’t the same. Women were supposed to carry children and then along the line, preferably when they were over the hill they lost that opportunity. Football was a gift of his, but it didn’t have to be his calling. He was good at other things as well. She always thought she’d be a mother, and she were, but she didn’t like her body betraying the possibility of that furthering. As he held her face she averted her eyes, “okay” she agreed though it was hard to do what he was asking.

 Entering the room after a double knock Dr. Barrett moved towards the desk file in hand. “Hey, I’m back with those results” she said cheerfully, though she were normally upbeat anyway. “So… after looking everything over. You definitely are not experiencing early onset menopause like you think” she told Mercedes looking to her directly. “That’s the funny thing, doctors make for the worst patience because they are always self-diagnosing” she said biting her lip a bit. “We did find something however….” she trailed off.

 Samuel held Mercedes gaze, watching as she turned his advice over in her mind. He had a fifty-fifty shot it would take root. And her murmured okay did little to convince him she had. Nevertheless, he leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Breaking the kiss, “it will be fine” he said placing his forehead against hers. Drawing back, in his chair, “Doctor” he greeted as she entered the room oddly cheerful. He smiled at Mercedes, grabbing her hand again at the doctor’s pronouncement. “Thank the Lord” he said out loud glad to be putting off the menopause emotions for a while longer. “What did you find? It's not cancer or anything?” He asked alarmed.

 Mercedes nodded her head at her husband, she just needed to calm down she didn’t know why she were so emotional anyway. She kissed him back soundly, finding comfort in it. As the woman walked into the room Mercedes gave her all of her attention tucking hair behind her ear. “Thank God” she said in unison with Samuel, the woman was right Mercedes was always diagnosing someone with something. That she couldn’t help one bit however. At the doctors next words, she paused, hearing her husband’s plea she looked to the woman “oh my God it can’t be that” she rushed out frantically. “You know what if it’s that I don’t want to know” she said looking to her expectantly.

 Barrett looked at the two and she shook her head. “No, it is not cancer trust me, don’t even think like that” she warned them both. “Mercedes is extremely healthy, blood pressure a little high yes, but that is to be expected” she said before she told them both. “Because Mercedes is pregnant” she smiled at them. “No ailment, no disease, nothing crazy” she listed. “Just a baby…” she said to them both.

 “Thank God!” Samuel said slumping bodily in the chair. His relief, however, dissipated as the doctor mouthed words he never thought to here again in his life. He clenched frozen in place. Unblinking he glared at the doctor, his mind wholly rejecting every part of what the woman said. There had to be some mistake. His mouth gaped to the point spittle began collecting in the corner of his jaw, threatening to run out over his fleshy lips. He snapped his mouth closed then swallowed repeatedly bringing his tongue back to life. “She’s what!” He sputtered harshly once he found his voice.

 When the woman threw out Samuel’s cancer theory Mercedes sighed again resting her hand against her heart. They had 6 kids and she thought she was old, however she was very young and simply had no time to fight for her life now. It was too much going on already. At least that’s what she thought to herself before the actual culprit that was causing her so much concern was announced. Having had her eyes closed Mercedes popped them open and dropped her hand in her lap, her head slowly turned just as her husband decided to speak up again. “That’s impossible” Mercedes said glaring at him. “Because I know for a fact” she said through clenched teeth. She only asked that he did one thing for her in return for all she had to do every day, and that were to wear condoms faithfully. After Seth she just wasn’t comfortable with dealing with some of the effects of birth control and she didn’t keep up with them anyway. She assumed she should have checked, but he was her husband what else were he doing but scratching his ass and watching sports in any other part of the day. “He’s used protection regularly” she said still glaring at Samuel boring holes in his face before she finally looked back to her doctor, “so run those test again, or check the name on the file. Because that’s wrong.”

 Samuel strained fighting with all his might not to acknowledge his wife’s glare. “Mhm, that's right!” He agreed eagerly, “There must be some mistake!” He parroted. 10 years… 10 whole motherfucking years, they hadn't had some much as a pregnancy scare. There was no way in hell after all this time she could be pregnant. He bit down on his lips stifling his nerves, shaking his head eagerly as Mercedes demanded a retest.

 Dr. Barrett looked at the two, it was quite interesting to see them live and in action. It confirmed what she already knew about them both, that the television did not cause them to act differently, this is just who they were. She giggled slightly and shook her head “the test have been checked and double checked” she said with a wink. “It’s not uncommon for women your age to conceive naturally” she commented. “And perhaps, Mr. Evans just made a minor mistake” she measured on her fingers. “I know that you’ve had difficulties in the past… but… we still can’t really confirm definitely if the fertility treatments really paid off when you conceived Samuel Jr. or if your body just… corrected itself naturally and did what it was already made to do” she said trying to smooth things over. “Babies are nothing shy of a miracle you know” she tagged on as she gathered all the pamphlets, informational printouts, and more from the folder that she wanted to give them.

 7 kids… another miracle. Checked and double checked… confirmed.  Another kid. Samuel sunk into the chair his long legs gapped open, a lofted foot laying on its side. “But it’s been ten years.” He murmured, mouth going slack once more. He's often wanted a football team sized family. But that was before SJ, Sean, with a minor dose of Seth were a terrorizing reality. And his girls… 3 gorgeous girls, he'd be forced to kill over before he died. “This is really happening?”

 Mercedes ran her hands through her hair trying to wrap her brain around everything the woman was saying. Mercedes leg being to bounce without her really trying to do so. She shook her head slowly, “I can’t believe this” she said sighing to herself. “I thought I was going through menopause and all the while I am pregnant. I might’ve preferred the damn menopause” she cursed accidentally as she begin to become angry at the thought again.

 Still amused Barrett said “well, you guys can take these home with you and rest on it? And then we can get you guys back in for a sonogram and maybe we discuss options or plans of action?” She said sympathetically to them both.

 “No, no” Mercedes said quickly to the woman. “Please let's just get this over with today. I mean… I think I really need to know or see this” she told the woman. “Because I just can’t wrap my brain around this honestly.”

 Samuel ran his fingers through his hair as he sat up in chair. He bent at the waist as if his stomach hurt. He did look to Mercedes then, feeling sick with remorse. He reached over and touched her leg. Trying to ground himself in this moment.

 Barrett looked to Mercedes and nodded “you sure you guys don’t need just a small moment?” She asked reassuringly. After a moment, she said “okay. Well I’ll get things prepared for you guys and have a nurse come get you, so we can get a look at the fetus” she said. “And then we will come back in my office and have a little discussion” she told them both as she moved to stand up with Mercedes file collecting everything. Dr. Barrett left the room quietly closing the door behind herself.

 Samuel’s hand continued to gently move up and down Mercedes leg. All he could do was offer the doctor a pitiful nod as she collected her things and left the room. The years had been kind to Samuel he stayed in the gym. So, he maintained the stiff muscle tone his wife loved so much, with only a hit of extra garth around his midsection. Sadly, right now, his size did little to cull his fear. The anger actually radiated off his wife, in hot waves. The click of the door closing behind the doctor might as well have been the open bell for Mike Tyson… “Babe, I...?”

 Mercedes leg stop shaking as soon as the woman left the room. “I’m not mad” she tossed out staring at the wall behind the doctor's desk. She was lying through her teeth, but she said it anyway, brushing his hand off of her leg in the process. “I don’t want to be touched on” she explained. “How could you Sam?” She asked him. “It was the only thing I asked you to do, the only thing” she exclaimed looking over at him. “When did you stop and why didn’t you tell me? And why did you stop?” She said confused.

 Samuel blew out a long hard breath. “Yeah you are... “ He said sucking his teeth. Her pushing his hand from her thigh only confirmed her rage. “How could I what babe? Have sex with my wife? Damn, I’m not perfect. Sometimes I’d forget.” He slapped his hand against his forehead.  “Shit 10 years?  I figured by now I was shooting blanks. I can’t believe this shit... I just can’t believe this shit” he rambled.

 Mercedes continued to look at Samuel as he explained himself to her, and not in a very clear and understandable way. But after thinking about the way he worded his statement she turned her head “oh” she dragged out as she nodded her head slowly. “Makes sense” she lied “men’s logic” she added as she rolled her eyes at him. “Because you think I couldn’t get pregnant anyway… you figured why even bother after a point of time?” she asked not needing him to confirm it, actually she didn’t want him to. “Don’t answer that” she said moving to stand up from her chair, she grabbed her Chanel bag moving for the door, she thought about what she was doing, and she sighed rolling her eyes at herself. Moving to sit back down she licked her lips “I’m not mad” she repeated again, softer this time and actually telling the full truth. “I should have just taken the birth control, I should have never given you all the responsibility” she said damming herself for even believing he could do a simple thing, he didn’t find it necessary, and she never required him to very often. She just wished he honored her damn wishes. She was on the verge of crying she was so irritated, but she kept it together despite.

 Samuel clenched his jaw and stared ahead, and she laid out his private thoughts to him. She was right, but she made it sound disgusting and completely dishonorable. He tapped on large foot against the carpet irritated as she stood to leave the room. But remained silent even then. What could he say, “Look I’m sorry I should have been more careful” he said truthfully after she returned to her seat. Even though the words didn’t confirm or deny the truth of her statement about him. He didn’t really need it to. He knew her mind was made up anyway. “We don’t have to keep this baby.” He finally said, quietly. “We already have six kids and who knows what a pregnancy now would be like.”    

 Mercedes looked up at the ceiling, she opened her mouth to reply to him a few times, but her lips kept closing repeatedly. As the water in her eyes begin to distort her vision she figured her efforts to suppress her crying was void and she just let the tears fall despite her trying so hard not to. “That would be so cruel and heartless” she sniffled out, lashes on the verge of peeling right off as crocodile tear after the next rolled down her cheek. She snatched a tissue up from the woman’s desk as she tried to pat her face dry “I can’t believe you’d suggest that” she said barely audible behind all her tears, sniffles, and small sobs. “Why am I crying like this” she said frustrated, to herself as she rummaged through her bag for her compact mirror.

 Samuel sighed defeated. Maybe it would be cruel, but his mind was too cluttered with worry and shock to think clearly. “It’s an option, that’s all I’m saying” he stated voice flat and lifeless. The thrum of his heart in his ears made him feel queasy so he sat forward again, head in the palm of his hands. “It's done we are pregnant, apparently. But I didn’t try to do this to hurt or trick you.  Shit it’s been ten years” he stressed for the second time. “I know the idea might sicken you, but we should at least consider it.”

 Mercedes pat her face dry, she really didn’t know why she were crying she could assume hormones were the cause. “Sam, I know my options” she replied simply, she didn’t need him to tell her that. “Let’s get to step B first” she said balling up the tissue in her hand “before you move to step c, d, e, f, and g” she listed. “Considering aborting a baby why? You haven’t even given me a reason to do something so heinous, you are just throwing that out there because you don’t know what else to say or do Sam” she said looking over at him. “That’s not comforting to me” she said gesturing to herself.

 Samuel stood, then moved behind their chairs pacing.  “If you want to press me on the issues, I’d say our ages to start with. Our youngest child is seven. Do we really want to start over again?” he listed out the option in a flood of words. He stopped moving to look down at his wife. “You’re right…” he moaned flopping down back into his seat. “Shit. I don’t know babe. I mean we have the money but is this really in the plans?”

 “It wasn’t in the plan” she said back to him as he asked her various questions. Mercedes shook her head at Samuel “Sam just hush” she told him. “What’s done is done...” she said a knock on the door cutting her off and as a nurse walked in.

 “All ready?” The younger woman asked holding the door open for them, she was fully prepared to show them to the examination room. “You can both follow me this way…”

 “You know what I mean…” Samuel said in a matter of fact tone. Her dismissal caused his teeth to clinch. He knew full well the deed was done that was not the point. He opened his mouth to protest but the knock at the door caught his attention. “Sure.” He said standing to his feet, he moved to hold the door open for his wife.

 Mercedes looked to the nurse and she grabbed her purse again. She didn’t know what her husband meant, and at the moment that were the least of her worries. She just needed to get her head back on her shoulders and he were not helping in that department. She walked through the door and followed the woman to the examination room designated for her and Sam. Once there she moved into it and climbed up on the counter.

 “Okay” the nurse said as they entered the room. She waited for both of them to settle before she said “I am just going to check your vitals Mrs. Evans, check your temperature, and Dr. Barrett will be right in for your ultrasound” she said grabbing what she needed. She stuck the thermometer under Mercedes tongue and then applied the blood pressure cuff on Mercedes arm.

 Samuel followed the woman, hand dug deep into his pockets, face a stone mask. He leaned against the wall foot pounding against the floor, when they entered the examination room instead of sitting. It occurred to him, standing there, this was a first for him. Mercedes had always learned about her pregnancies and then told him after the fact. He was in on the ground floor this time, it was a shame he wasn't happier about this turn of events.

 Mercedes sat patiently nodding to the girl, she sat her bag aside and let her do her job. All of this came natural as if it were a job or hobby, she smirked, she guessed having children did sort of become a job in her life. She dropped the smirk so no one in the room noticed. Once the girl removed the thermometer and cuff, she scribbled something down. “All good?” Mercedes asked the girl.

 “Yeah” the girl said as she moved to clean back up. “All good” she told her softly. “Okay, she’ll be right in” she told Mercedes as she moved to hand her a gown and the cheap imitation of a blanket they offered during these.

 Mercedes nodded “thanks” she told the girl politely and she hopped down off the table. Mercedes watched the girl go and she went to change her clothing returning in the gown and she tossed her natural hair over her shoulders. Climbing back on the table she sat down once more “stop that” she said looking over at Samuel. “Stop pouting” she said looking at him “no sense in being mad over this” she shrugged. “Or at each other for that matter” she added. “No point in arguing either, I don’t want to argue with you over something like our unborn child… we aren’t those people anymore” she said looking down at her hands.

 Samuel hard greens eyes softened. He pushed off the wall unfurling like some great cat, as he stepped forward. “Men don't pout. We brood. There is a difference” he growled stubbornly holding his scowl in place. She was right. She often was he had to conceded, towering over her seated on the examination table.  

 Mercedes looked to him again “oh” she dragged out “that’s what it’s called…” she said. “Well with whatever it’s called I wish you’d stop” she told with a smirk. “Or are you going to stay mad with me all day?” She asked.

 Samuel’s green eyes devoured her hazel ones. “I’m not mad at you. I just want to keep you safe. I love you far too much to lose you because I was reckless.” He admitted, soberly. He placed both hands on the side of her neck cupping her face lightly. He kissed her permanently puckered lips tenderly.

 As Samuel stared at Mercedes she stared back, “keep me safe from what?” She asked him confused. “Lose me over a baby?” she asked amused falling into his kiss lovingly.

 Samuel smirked against her lips, “It’s nothing.” He said lowering his hands to her gown covered thighs giving them a squeeze. “See this how we got into this mess in the first place” he chuckled, as his lips lingered over hers.

 “Because you don’t keep your hands to yourself Mr. Evans” she reminded with a smile. Mercedes grabbed Samuel’s hands and clutched onto them for dear life. As a knock was heard at the door she looked towards it “come in” she breathed out watching Dr. Barrett enter the room.

 Dr. Barrett entered the room with Mercedes file. “Okay” she said to them both “let’s get started” she added kindly. “Your vitals checked out and I am happy about that” she told Mercedes as she moved to wash her hands. After doing so she put on a pair of gloves, moving over to Mercedes she said “place your feet in the stirrups” before she moved to set up.

 Samuel laughed as Mercedes held his hands in place, “Sure can’t” he agreed. As she beckoned the doctor to enter he planted one finial kiss on her neck. And moved off to side as Mercedes positioned herself on the table.  

 Mercedes looked to her doctor and nodded her head. Leaning back against the table she then moved to place her feet in the stirrups as she were asked. She laid the blanket across her lower half. Samuel tried to move away from her, but she only clutched his hand tighter.

 Barrett sat before Mercedes finally prepared, she used the transducer to get a clear image of the fetus Mercedes was carrying. After positioning the transducer in the cervix, she looked to her screen herself. “Okay” she said as the imaging cleared on the screen and she said “there’s baby A and baby B” she said slowly knowing this would be another shocker for them.

 Samuel snapped back to his wife’s side, not that she gave him any choice. A smile taking over his face. He bent and rested his lips against her forehead as the doctor worked away. “I kinda love you.” He said brushing her hair way from her oval face. He looked over to the doctor confused, “Baby… What?” he asked jaw going slack.

 Mercedes held her breath as Samuel leaned down to kiss her and she smirked slightly at him. “Kinda?” She asked him amused before she turned to the screen and looked for herself. “Twins?” She asked shocked. She clutched Samuel’s hand even tighter if that were possible at all. “Oh” she breathed unsure of what else to say in the moment as tears begin to fall on their own.

 Barrett looked to Mercedes nodding “yes twins” she confirmed. “Congrats” she offered them “and everything checks out, so far so good. Progressing like normal” she told them both.

 Samuel reached back, his free hand groping for something, anything to hold onto. “Twins. Twins…. Twins.” He mumbled, stressing the words harder each time he repeated the words. He abandoned his quest to find something behind him and gripped the side of the examination table as his knees buckled.  First, he was in a three-point stance sucking in air. When that didn’t calm him, he sank to one knee. Before long he was seated beside the table, his only anchor to the world the vice like grip Mercedes had on his hand. “Twins.”

 Mercedes turned her head to look to Samuel and she rolled her eyes. “God” she said wiping her tears away “really?” She asked sarcastically to him. Mercedes looked back to the screen again “wow” she said a final time.

 Barrett looked to Samuel before she removed the transducer all together. “Sam… do I need to get a nurse for you?” She asked the man as she moved to clean up idly.

 “No” Mercedes replied leaning up into a sitting position. “He’s fine” Mercedes told their doctor as she licked her lips sniffling. “Sam get up” she told him looking down at him.

 Eight children had been a grand idea, at 32. But reality of starting again with 2 infants at 43 was definitely a cat of a different color. Samuel looked up at his wife, “just give me a second” he said voice hollow. “Eight kids. Two in diapers…” Was all he said still stunned.  

 Mercedes looked to Samuel again, he looked almost pitiful down there however the urge to laugh at him was terribly strong. Being pregnant in general was a shocker to her, being told she was having twins was the icing on the cake. However, she remembered a time he wanted this… so to see him in distress was amusing. “In shock?” She asked him with a shake of her head.

 His beautiful wife was mocking him. He could read the humor in her hazel eyes. “It’s not funny” Samuel spat. His lip quivered at the hilarity of their predicament. “I know. I wanted a lot of children.” He said still seated on the floor laughing so hard tears were rolling down his face.

 “Yes, you did. Be careful what you wish for. Now you have it” Mercedes replied as she shifted against the table with a chuckle of her own and a head shake.

 Barrett chuckled at the two despite herself “you can change back into your clothes and we can meet back up in my office?” She asked tossing her gloves in the trash. She washed her hands again and grabbed Mercedes file before she left.

 Samuel pulled himself from the ground, chuckles taking him in spurts now.  “Truer words have never been spoken.” He penned his wife against the table. Looking down at her.  “What us gonna do with two more kids, Anna May?” He asked doing a lazy Laurence Fishburne impression with a heavy sigh.

 “Boy quit” Mercedes told him with a head shake. “I need to change” she told him truthfully. “We have to go talk to her about all of this…” she trailed off.

 Samuel breathed in her almost calm and brushed his over ripe lips against her forehead again. “Okay, but I want you to know you ain't getting no more of this.” He chuckled light as he stepped away pulling her up from the table.

 “Trust me I don’t want any more of it” Mercedes retorted. She got up off the table thanks to him and grabbed her clothing moving to change once more. Once she did she resurfaced and said “today has been an emotional roller coaster I just want to eat and take a nap” as she grabbed her purse.

 Samuel scoffed, “sure....” He sighed heavily as she disappeared to dress. He shook his head, even after the laughter he was overwhelmed and exhausted. “TWINS!” He said aloud shock and disbelief still plain in his tone. He looked to Mercedes and nodded, feeling run down too. “Yes ma'am.” He said taking his wife’s hand and moving towards the door opening it for her.