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winchesterwild78 · 12 days ago

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An Unexpected Friendship pt 2

Master List

Characters: Jensen Ackles x Reader, Reader’s daughter, Jensen’s children

Warnings/Trigger Warnings: mention of domestic violence, mention of character death,

A/N: This is a short story written in collaboration with @cheekygirl2309. In this story the reader is a widow who has a 4 year old daughter. She’s dating a very abusive man, so she enrolls her daughter in preschool to keep her as shielded as possible. At the preschool we find her daughter has made friends with a set of twins. At pick up one day the reader realizes the parent of her daughter’s best friend is none other than Jensen Ackles. A friendship forms, and decisions are made after a particularly nasty fight with her boyfriend.

No disrespect to Jensen or his family. This is a work of fiction and does not depict real life.

This chapter got a bit long….sorry.

Minors DNI 18+

Jensen arrived home late. Jared was sleeping on the couch when he came inside. “Hey Jar, wake up man.” Jensen said quietly. Jared stretched, “Oh hey man. How’s Y/N?”

Jensen’s head hung slightly, “Not good man. He almost killed her. She’s in a medically induced coma because he beat her up so badly.” Jared’s mouth fell open, “Damn man. I’m sorry to hear that. How’s her daughter?” “She’s okay. She’s going to be staying with Y/N’s best friend.” “That’s good. At least she has someone she knows.” “Yeah, she’s friends with Arrow and Zep. They are in the same class, I just wish there was more I could do to help both of them. I know Arrow and Zep really like Jazmyne.”

“Well man, thanks for watching the kids for me, you should head home.” “Yeah, of course, and Jensen, I do hope Y/N’s gonna be okay. No one deserves what she went through.” Jensen just nodded in agreement, his words caught in his throat as he thought about how she looked in the bed. He had never understood how someone could do that to another person. It upset him, and made him so angry.

After Jared left, Jensen crawled into bed. He had to be up in a few hours to take the kids to school. He tossed and turned most of the night. His heart ached for Y/N and Jazmyne. The fear in her voice when she called him, the look on Jazmyne’s face and how she clung to him, and how bruised and battered you looked in the bed. All of it playing like a record in his head.

He finally fell asleep for what felt like ten minutes before his alarm went off. Jensen grumbled as he turned off the alarm and crawled out of bed. He jumped in the shower and got dressed.

Walking through the quiet house his mind drifted to his late wife. She was not only an amazing wife and mother, but an amazing person. She would volunteer at JJ’s school, while juggling working at the brewery, other projects she worked on, and holding down the household while Jensen was away filming. When she got pregnant with the twins after years of trying, her and Jensen were ecstatic. She went to every appointment, asked every question she could think of and made sure they were ready to bring home not one, but two newborns.

When she died during their birth, Jensen’s soul was crushed. His arms full with their newborns, but empty at the same time. Family and friends rallied around him to help with all three children, but he was lost. His wife, his partner, the love of his life, was gone.

He didn’t know why Jazmyne’s father wasn’t in the picture, but he was sure it had to be something significant. Now you were dealing with Robert and his abusive nature. Jensen didn’t understand why he felt so protective of you so quickly. He hardly knew you.

About an hour after he got up the kids were awake and ready for school. He took JJ to school first and then the twins to school. Walking towards the entrance he saw Jazmyne and Nichole. The twins ran to Jazmyne and Jensen chuckled.

“Good morning Jazzy and Nichole. How are you two today?” Jazmyne’s eyes went wide when she saw Jensen. Nichole offered a soft smile. “Hey, can I talk to you after drop off?” Nichole asked Jensen. “Of course. I wanted to talk to you too.” They walked the kids in and agreed to meet at the coffee shop around the corner to talk.

Once at the coffee shop, Jensen got the coffees and Nichole grabbed a table. “Hey, thanks for meeting with me. I just wanted to tell you thank you for everything last night. I’m sure it wasn’t how you expected to spend your evening. I’m sure by now you know Y/N was in an abusive relationship with a guy named Robert. She ended it with him and he came back. I feel so guilty for not doing everything I could to get him away from her. He didn’t start out hitting her. Then she’d show up with bruises and marks. Her late husband, Josh, would never have laid his hands on her.”

Jensen sat there listening and taking in everything she was saying. “So how did Josh pass?” Jensen finally asked. “When Jazzy was almost 2 he got hurt in an accident at work and was killed. I didn’t think Y/N would ever recover. He was the love of her life. She got so depressed and lonely we thought we were going to lose her too. Then one day we showed up and she was up and smiling. I know she was putting on a show for us, but I think eventually she got a little better. It took us forever to convince her to go out on a date, and then she ended up with this jackass.”

“I’m so sorry to hear she lost her husband. I lost my wife when she gave birth to the twins. I’m still not over it completely and I don’t think I ever will be. Is there anything I can do to help Y/N, Jazzy or you?”

“Honestly, you being there for her and Jazzy is great. I’d definitely like to plan that play date. Jazzy is going to need as much support as possible. She’s going to miss Y/N and she won’t understand why she can’t see her.”

“Yeah, I get it. Hopefully she heals quickly enough and Jazzy can see her. I know they are very close.”

After about thirty minutes, Jensen and Nichole parted ways. Nichole was headed to Y/N’s house to get some things for Jazmyne, Jensen was headed to the hospital.

Walking down the cool hallway, the air thick with the unmistakable smell of a hospital, Jensen’s heart pounded in his chest. Since he lost his wife, hospitals always brought back some anxiety. So being here brought it all back.

Jensen stood outside your room for a minute. He took a steady breath and started to open the door when a nurse approached him. “Um excuse me, are you family?” Jensen turned and he saw a flash of recognition in the nurse’s face. “Oh hi, yeah. I’m her boyfriend.”

The nurse’s face flashed with anger and panic. “I don’t think I can let you in her room, sir.” She said looking up at Jensen. Jensen knew what she was thinking, “Oh no ma’am, I’m not the one who did that to her. That was her ex, Robert.” “Still, I need to check with the police officer before I let you in.”

“Yes ma’am, I understand that. I’ll wait here.” Jensen gestured towards the empty chair outside your room. She nodded and walked towards the desk.

Jensen saw her look over at him while she was on the phone. Then he saw her nod and hang up. She walked over, offered an apologetic smile, “Thank you for waiting, Mr. Ackles. You’re cleared to go in. I’m sorry.” Jensen stood and smiled, “No problem ma’am. I appreciate you keeping her safe.”

She nodded and Jensen walked into your room. He took the chair closest to you and reached for your hand. Taking your hand in his, he rubbed soft circles on the back of your hand while he talked to you. “Hey, Y/N. I just want you to know Jazzy is safe. Nichole is keeping her and I’ve told her if they need anything to let me know. They are still looking for Robert. There’s a warrant out for his arrest, so hopefully they catch him soon. I wish I could make all this go away and you and Jazzy were safe. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

Without thinking, Jensen stood, leaned over your bed and placed a kiss on your forehead. He felt a pull towards you and it scared him, because he hardly knew you.

You had been in the hospital for a little over a week. It was late at night and Jensen was getting ready for bed when his phone rang. “Hello?” Jensen said cautiously. “Oh hey, Jensen it’s Nichole. I really hate to ask you, but could you watch Jazzy. I just got an emergency phone call from my sister. I have to go out of town for a few days. Y/N has no other family here and I don’t know what to do.”

Jensen immediately said yes. “Yeah, can you bring her over here? The kids are already in bed. I can get her set up in my guestroom for now.” “Oh Jensen, you’re amazing. Thank you. I am so sorry for this. I know you’ve been pulled into this whole situation and now I’m dumping Jazzy off on you.”

“Hey, Nichole, you’re not dumping her off on me. I offered and told you if you needed anything to let me know. I’m fine with it as long as you think Y/N will be too.” “Oh yeah, she would. Can you send me your address? We could be there in less than 30 minutes.” “Yeah, sure. The gate code is 05301202. Just shoot me a text and I’ll make sure I’m downstairs to help you bring her in.” “Thanks, Jensen. See you soon.”

Jensen walked into the guest room and sighed. He had forgotten it was full of boxes and things he needed to donate but hadn’t had time. He didn’t want to wake the twins up so he decided to make a bed on the floor of his room.

A few minutes later he got a text from Nichole that she was there. He went downstairs and opened the door. She was carrying Jazzy, who was sleeping in her arms. “Want me to take her?” He asked. Nichole shook her head. Jensen carefully took the sleeping child out of Nichole’s arms and carried her upstairs. He laid her down on the floor bed and covered her up.

Walking back downstairs he helped Nichole bring in Jazzy’s things.

“Jensen, thank you again for helping. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. My flight leaves in about an hour so I can’t stay long. Please keep me updated on everything with Y/N. I’ve already called the hospital and told them to contact you with any updates. I’ll be in and out of the hospital back home helping and dealing with my grandmother.” Jensen placed his hand on Nichole’s arm, “It’s fine, you go take care of your family, I’ve got your girls. I promise.” She hugged Jensen and then left.

Jensen crept upstairs and checked on all the kids before crawling into bed. He heard Jazzy’s soft snores and occasional whimper. His heart hurt for her. He knew she missed her mom. His children would do the same thing in their sleep, especially around special days, like birthdays or Mother’s Day.

Jensen finally fell asleep after having his mind race for what felt like forever. When his alarm went off he carefully got up and looked over at Jazmyne. She was still sleeping, and curled into a ball. He grabbed his stuff and tiptoed to the bathroom to get ready.

As he came out he saw the little girl stir awake. Her eyes wide, taking in the room. “Mommy?” Her little voice filled the quiet room. “Hey Jazzy, Auntie Nichole had to bring you here. She had an emergency. You’re going to stay with me, Arrow, Zeppy and JJ until your mommy is better.” She looked at Jensen and nodded. “Like a sleepover?” She asked. Jensen smiled softly, “Yeah, sweetie, like a sleepover.”

A few hours later Jensen found himself back at the hospital sitting beside your bed. The nurses would come in and check on you and him. He would tell them he was fine and didn’t need anything when they asked. Finally the doctor came in and Jensen was out of his chair. He extended his hand, “Hello Dr. Fitzpatrick. It’s good to see you this morning. How’s she healing?” Jensen asked as he gestured to you. “Good morning Mr Ackles, she seems to be healing. We are going to draw some blood this morning and do some scans. See if she’s healed enough to start taking her off the sedation medication.” “That sounds perfect, thank you doctor.”

The nurse came in and drew some blood while Jensen watched on. He sent Nichole a text to check on her and let her know what the doctor said. She didn’t respond yet, so he figured she was busy. He hoped the next time he sent her a text it was to let her know you were awake and okay.

Jensen waited in the room for you to return from the tests. A few hours had passed and they were finally bringing you back in. He had been talking to Jared off and on all day. Jensen even called Clif to get some advice on how to keep you and Jazzy protected.

He was on the phone with Jared when the technician was wheeling you back in. “Yeah, she’s back now. Hang on a sec, Jar.” The tech told Jensen the doctor would review all the tests and be in shortly to go over it. Jensen nodded and thanked him.

“Well that sounds promising, I hope she’s going to be okay. Are you leaving soon to get the kids?” Jared asked. “Yeah. I’ll leave in about an hour. I hope the doctor is here before then.” “Hey, Jensen, why don’t we bring the kids over and we can all eat dinner and the kids can play together. I think that would be good for Jazmyne and you won’t be alone.” “That sounds great, Jar. What can I do or buy?” “Nothing, Gen and I will take care of everything.” “Okay, thanks brother.” “Yeah, no problem, and if you need us to grab the kids we can.” “Okay, thanks. Talk to you soon.”

Jensen sat beside your bed, holding your hand. He watched your chest rise and fall, and listened to the steady beep of the machines. Jensen felt drawn to you. It confused but excited him. He’d never felt an instant connection with someone, an instant need to protect them. Like he does with you. Even with his late wife it took him a while to open up.

There was a soft knock on the door that pulled Jensen out of his thoughts. It was Dr. Fitzpatrick. “Good afternoon Mr. Ackles. So I’ve reviewed her blood work and the scans we took. There isn’t any internal bleeding, no injuries to her brain and her ribs and other broken bones are starting to heal. I don’t see why we can’t start bringing her out of sedation. We can start the process immediately. She still has a long road to recovery, and will need to stay here at least another day or two, but I believe she’s going to be okay.”

Jensen smiled, stood and shook the doctor’s hand. He called Jared and told him what the doctor said, “Jar, I really want to be here. Do you or Gen mind grabbing the kids from school. I’ll call the headmaster and let her know you can get Jazzy too. I really appreciate it man.” “Hey, no problem. I’m glad she’s going to be coming back soon.” “Me too, thanks again Jared.”

Jensen sent Nichole a text to let her know what the doctor said. She replied that she was excited and to give you her love.

Jensen sat right beside you as the sedation medication was removed. They told him it could take a few minutes or a few hours for you to start waking up. He nodded and kept watch.

When you began to stir about an hour later and your eyes started to flutter, Jensen was on the edge of the seat. “Hey, Y/N. That’s right sweetheart, open those eyes for us.” Jensen encouraged.

Your eyes fluttered open and confusion began to fill you. Your voice was very weak, but you managed to speak. “Jjjensen, what are you doing here?” He stepped closer to you and placed his hand on your shoulder, “Hey, Y/N. I’m so glad you’re awake. You’ve been missed.” “How long have I been out?” “Over a week, but don’t worry Jazzy has been well taken care of. Nichole had a family emergency so I offered to take her. The twins have loved having her at the house.”

Tears filled your eyes, “Why are you being so kind to us?” “Because that’s what you do when someone needs help.” Jensen smiled gently at you. “So, Y/N, how are you feeling?” “I’m very sore, and just heartbroken. I can’t believe I let him in our lives. My sweet girl had to see some of the abuse. I’m so stupid and weak. I didn’t want to be alone anymore, so I allowed this monster into our lives. How do I keep her safe when I can’t keep myself safe?”

“You tell her that some people are just mean and those people will try and find your weakness. You work like hell to protect yourself, and when you can’t, you lean on those that can. You tell her that there are more kind people in this world than there are mean ones. Those are the people she needs to surround herself with. People like her mother. People who would do anything to keep her safe and protect her from evil. No matter what. Y/N, you’re not weak or stupid for letting someone like Robert in your life. You’re human, and Jazzy will see that. Above all she will see your strength, the strength to make him leave and then fight like hell to survive and stay here for her.”

Your tears were flowing down your face at Jensen’s words. When he took your hand in his, and wiped away your tears, you leaned into his touch. He was so kind and gentle. Everything you’d heard he was.

The next few days you had to stay in the hospital were brutal. You’d asked Jensen not to bring Jazzy to see you there. You didn’t want her to see you weak and hooked up to things. He kept her at his house and you got to FaceTime her at night.

The last night of your hospital stay you were feeling excited to leave, but even more nervous. You’d be going home, and Robert was still out of jail. The police hadn’t been able to track him down and that scared you. Jensen assured you that you and Jazzy would be safe.

After your FaceTime call with Jazzy, you settled in to try and sleep. Jensen was busy getting all four kids ready for bed. The twins and Jazzy were running around and playing, while JJ was picking out the book for the night.

After baths, brushed teeth, and pajamas, Jensen had all four kids pile in his bed so he could read.

After the story was over Zep asked when Y/N was coming home. “Well, she gets to go home tomorrow. I know she’s really excited about it.” “Daddy, since Jazzy lives here now is her mommy coming here too?” Zeppelin asked with his big eyes twinkling. “No, Zeppy. Jazzy doesn’t live here. She’s just been staying here.” All four children’s faces hung in sadness. Jensen chuckled, “Oh come on guys, you knew Jazzy was just staying here while her mommy was getting better.” “We know daddy, but we want her to stay forever.” Arrow added to the conversation. Jensen sighed, “Okay guys, we will talk about this later. It’s time for bed. Come on.”

The kids got into their beds and fell asleep quickly. Jensen sent you a text.

Jensen: Hey, the kids are asleep, they were upset Jazzy isn’t going to live here forever. 😂

You: Hey, that’s funny. Maybe we can schedule playdates and sleepovers if that’s okay with you. I know Jazzy would love it.

Jensen: I was thinking the same thing. 😀

You: Good. I owe you so much for taking care of her and being here for me.

Jensen: No you don’t. If I was in the same situation I have no doubt you would do the same thing.

You: Oh absolutely. I adore your children. They are so sweet and kind to Jazzy.

Jensen: I’ve definitely tried. It’s been hard, but I’ve had some great support.

You: That’s amazing. So can I ask you something?

Jensen: Sure

You: If I’m out of line or you’re uncomfortable, just tell me, okay?

Jensen: Of course.

You: After your wife passed away how long was it until you started dating again?

Jensen: I went on a few dates, I’d say about 2 years after she died. Nothing worked out, but that doesn’t mean I’m not open to it. My focus is on the kids, so if it happens it happens.

You: I understand that. Robert was the first guy I dated since Josh died. I was scared to let someone in, and now I’m sitting in the hospital because of him.

Jensen: I get that, but you can’t let him ruin your chance at happiness again. You and Jazzy deserve to be loved and taken care of.

You: Thank you, Jensen. So do you and your beautiful children.

Jensen: Thank you. I’ll come pick you up from the hospital tomorrow when you get released and take you home if you want me to.

You: I appreciate that, Jensen. I could always take an Uber to get home.

Jensen: Absolutely not. I’ll pick you up and drive you wherever you want to go.

You: Okay, well I’ll see you in the morning. Good night, Jensen.

Jensen: See you tomorrow, and good night, Y/N. Sweet dreams.

You: Sweet dreams, Jensen.

Jensen put his phone down and climbed into bed. He looked down at the little girl sleeping on the makeshift bed and smiled softly. His heart warmed thinking about her and her mother being in his and his children’s lives. The two of you were already starting to mean something to him. He couldn’t shake the feeling, the need to protect both of you, to be with you.

Jensen laid down and sleep finally washed over him. About 3am he was startled awake by the sound of crying. He leaped out of bed and found Jazmyne crying in her sleep. She woke up, saw Jensen and leaped in his arms.

Jensen sat on the floor holding her and rubbing her head while he rocked her. “Shhh, Jazzy. It’s okay. You’re safe.”

Jazmyne’s hands clung to his shirt and her face was buried in his chest. She continued crying and whimpered out “mommy”. Jensen’s heart broke.

“Mommy’s okay, baby girl. She’s going to come home tomorrow and she can’t wait to see you.” Jazmyne shook her head no. Jensen was a little confused, “What’s no, baby girl?” “I not go home. Mommy not go home. He hurt mommy there.” It made sense to Jensen. She was scared to go back home because that’s where Robert had been when he hurt you.

“Shh, baby. I promise you I will keep you and mommy safe.” Jensen said as he rocked the scared little girl. She clung to his shirt and wouldn’t let go. He tried to lay her down on her bed and she cried and held on tighter. He stood, holding her close and laid her down on his bed. He grabbed her stuffy and handed it to her, and laid down. As he got comfortable, Jazmyne curled up beside him. Soon her soft snores filled the room. Jensen drifted back to sleep.

The next day after Jensen got the kids to school, he arrived at the hospital to wait for you to be released. “Good morning, sweetheart.” Jensen said as he walked into your room. You looked up, smiled and said, “Good morning to you too. Here to bust me out?” You chuckled. “Absolutely.” Jensen flashed his killer smile.

The nurse came in not long after Jensen arrived. She unhooked your IV and the cardio machine. “Go ahead and get dressed, and I’ll get your discharge paperwork together.” You nodded and Jensen stepped to the side of the bed. “Let me help you up.” He said offering you his hand.

You took his hand and as you stood, you stumbled and he caught you. Looking up into his eyes your breath hitched and you bit your lip. Feeling your heart beat wildly in your chest. You steadied yourself and thanked him softly. He nodded as you walked into the bathroom.

You looked in the mirror and saw your battered and bruised face and body. Oh my god. Look at me. Get it together Y/N, there is no way that gorgeous man out there could ever look at you in any way other than a friend, especially now.

You tried to push the thoughts of wanting to kiss Jensen out of your head and get dressed. Your body was in so much pain and covered in bruises, it hurt to even breathe. You wondered how you’d be able to take care of Jazzy, especially with Nichole out of town. You took a deep breath, you knew you’d figure it out.

About an hour and half later you and Jensen were at your house. You had no idea what you’d find when you got there, but you were surprised to find out that after the police finished with their investigation Nichole came and cleaned up the house for you.

Jensen helped you to the couch and you sat down. He could tell something was bothering you, but didn’t want to push. Then your tears started to fall.

Jensen pulled you in his arms, “Shhh, it’s okay. You’re okay. You and Jazzy are safe. I promise. I’ll keep you two safe.” You leaned back and looked at Jensen, his green eyes scanning you. He cupped your face and wiped your tears away. You leaned into his touch.

Without any thought you leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. When your brain finally caught up to what you were doing you quickly pulled away. Flush filled your cheeks, “Oh my god, I’m so sorry Jensen. I don’t know what came over me.”

You started to get off the couch but he touched your hand, “No, Y/N, please don’t go. That was fine. You have nothing to be sorry about.” His hand on your arm felt so good. You looked at him, sat back down and apologized again.

“Jensen, you’ve been nothing but kind to me and Jazzy. I’m sorry if I put you in an awkward position. I really don’t know what came over me.” Jensen leaned forward, his eyes flicked between your lips and eyes. You leaned forward until your lips ghosted each other’s. Jensen closed the rest of the distance and kissed you. His hand tangled into your hair as he deepened the kiss. Jensen’s tongue ran across your lips, asking for entrance. You parted your lips and your tongues began an intricate dance of dominance.

You moaned into the kiss and felt fire ignite in your body. You hadn’t had a kiss like this since Josh. When the need for air became too much, the two of you pulled away. “Wow.” Was all Jensen could say. You smiled and nodded. As he started to lean back in to kiss you there was a knock at the door.

Jensen groaned and stood to answer it. He looked back at you and smiled before he opened the door. You smiled back, but as soon as he opened the door your smile was replaced by a look of horror.

Jensen turned to look at the person at the door as you said, “Robert.”

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#hes gorgeous #so damn sexy #jensen ackles #jackles #jensen ackles x plus size reader #jensen ackles x reader

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shakespeareanwannabe · 10 months ago

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As You Wish, Chapter 3

Summary: When arriving at Camp Silver Star, Abby Floyd was anticipating a summer of adventure with an ocean separating her from the three people she loved most: her mom, her Uncle Bob and her Aunt Natasha. But after a run in with Charlie Seresin, an extremely familiar looking and irritating camper in a different cabin, her summer plans take a turn that neither girl ever could have expected.

Trigger Warnings: reader's children are described as being blond with green eyes because genetics are wild and Jake's genes are strong, reader is canonically Bob's sister, reader goes by Buttercup and is tattooed, swearing, verbal arguing, references to divorce, death of a character, injuries, misinformation about the US Navy and how it works (I tried my best)

Briefing Room, Classified Location, 11 years ago

Briefing rooms after missions go horrifically sideways were typically quiet. Those who were involved in the mission were usually too busy inside their own heads, trying to shove feelings and memories into tiny little lockboxes that would then get shoved into other boxes and hidden in the dark recesses of the mind, only springing free when things got…dark. The top brass was usually reading reports and gathering steam, preparing to bring the hand of God down upon the person (or people) who were responsible for the mission going…poorly. Therefore, the rooms were usually can-hear-a-pin-drop quiet, but they were never this…still. This silent.

The fifteen lieutenants stood in four rows and, while most of them were four people deep, the one missing a person stood out in cold contrast, as did the empty spot at the front of the room, where the team leader usually stood. Cyclone, Warlock and Hondo stood just past that spot; heads ducked together in a whispered conversation. Besides that, nobody moved. Nobody stirred. Not Bob, balancing on a pair of crutches with a cast bracing his leg up to his knee. Not Fritz, his arm strapped against his chest to immobilize it. Not Rooster, with a black and purple bruise on his temple, or Coyote, a neat row of stitches gracing his cheek, or Hangman, who felt a painful twinge every time he breathed, the binding protecting his bruised and fractured ribs pulling taut with every inhale. None dared to move or fidget.

Finally, Admiral Simpson moved into the empty space at the front of the room and sighed.

“Well, ladies and gentlemen…I don’t think I need to tell you what an absolute clusterfuck that was.” Fanboy flinched, his head ducking fractionally as the words carried clear across the gathering. “In fact, it was such an absolute clusterfuck that Rear Admiral Cain has decided to disband the Dagger Squad. Immediately.”

Jake heard Yale gasp behind him, and he would have too, if it weren’t for the sinking weight in his chest. The mission had been a clusterfuck, there was no doubt about it, but they had achieved their mission. He had risked his ass after watching Maverick’s plane get shot out of the sky, putting all thought of his little Charlie girl waiting for him at home and the whisper of ‘god damnit, Buttercup was right’ out of his head, and he had taken charge. He had been the one to pull Rooster out of his single-minded mission to avenge Mav’s death, he had been the one to take down the jet that had been targeting an ejected Bob and Natasha, and he, Payback and Fanboy had been the ones to deliver the payload in the end, effectively taking out the target.

He had brought all but one of them home safely, but he didn’t feel any sense of relief, or even grief over Mav’s death. All he felt was the warmth of his baby girls, curled up against his chest as he rocked them in their nursery. All he tasted was the sweetness of Buttercup’s kiss, all he smelled was that newborn baby smell that he swore to God was the best thing he’d ever smelled in his life. All he saw was Buttercup’s tear-stained face as she gathered Abby in her arms and left, the sound of the door clicking shut echoing in his ears. If his reaction time had been even a millisecond slower, he could’ve been in Mav’s position, and then what? What would happen to his Charlie then?

“…because of the nature of this mission, disbanding the Dagger Squad, and because you all are the best of the best, the Rear Admiral has decided to make you an offer. As you know, the Navy doesn’t often let you make very many decisions, so I want you to think carefully before you respond, because we do need your answer today. Your first option is to be absorbed into another Squad; in which case you would be shipping out today for your new assignments. Yes, Lieutenant Fitch, if both members of your team decide to go with option one, you will be keeping your WSO. Your second option is—”

The clatter of metal against wood stole the words from Cyclone’s lips, and everyone turned towards the mild-mannered, quiet, shy WSO standing behind the glaringly empty space in the third row.

“—retirement, with a full pension and an honourable discharge,” Cyclone finished, staring down at Bob’s nameplate, lying on the desk beside him.

“I think it’s pretty clear what I choose,” the WSO spoke softly, but no one in the squad could miss the barely tempered rage in his voice.

“Lieutenant Floyd—”

“Permission to speak freely, sir?”

“Granted,” Warlock stepped up next to Cyclone.

“I almost died on this mission,” Bob stated frankly, his gaze never wavering from Cyclone’s face. “I had to eject Lieutenant Trace and I from our aircraft after she was struck in the face by shrapnel that broke through our windshield and destroyed her helmet. Debris that came from Maverick’s plane.” The silence was heavy, tension mounting with every word, but Bob pressed on. “Nat’s never going to fly again. They already told me. And frankly, sir? I don’t know if I have it in me to bond with another pilot after holding my best friend’s body as we waited for rescue, already knowing that our team lead was KIA.”

Cyclone opened his mouth to speak, but a gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“I understand, son. If you, or anyone else, decide to retire, know that you’ll be going with the full gratitude of the US Navy,” Warlock responded.

“Thank you, sir,” Bob saluted, then propelled himself out of line, crutching past the waiting rows of his friends and coworkers as he headed for the door. “I’ll fill out any paperwork you need, and then I’ll be out of your hair.”

“There’s no need to pack and go so quickly.”

“All due respect, sir, but yes, there is,” he came to a stop in front of Jake and fixed him with a steely look. “My family needs me. And if I don’t help them, who will?”

Jake swallowed painfully, his heart pressing against his aching ribs with every heartbroken beat, the roar of fear and shame and anxiety swirling around in his head, blocking out every sound other than the whispers of his regrets.

This wasn’t how his life was supposed to go. Football captain, homecoming king, star pupil of the Naval Academy, he flew through OCS and aced his ASTB. He was the only pilot of his generation with a confirmed air to air kill, handpicked for Top Gun and their top-secret uranium mission. And, on top of all of that, up until six months ago, he’d had the most perfect, beautiful wife waiting for him at home with their precious newborn twins.

Now, he was a divorced single dad of one beautiful little girl. A beautiful little girl that he’d had to leave in the capable hands of Penny Benjamin when the Squad had been deployed. A beautiful little girl whose sister he missed so incredibly much that it threatened to bring him to his knees. Whose mother had been right about damn near everything.

“Lieutenant Seresin?”

Jake blinked, his vision and hearing coming back into focus as Cyclone stepped down to face him.

“I’m going to be frank with you, Lieutenant. You’re the best of the best,” Cyclone stated, stepping closer. “Your skills in the cockpit are unmatched and you showed the type of leadership qualities we need in this line of work. There are whispers of promoting you due to your actions on this last mission. With the loss of Captain Mitchell and your actions on this mission, you are now the only ace pilot that the Navy has to offer. You’d have your choice of assignments, should you choose to stay. It would be a damn shame to lose you, son.”

Jake felt something squeeze in his chest, and this time it wasn’t his busted ribs. Being a Naval aviator was the only thing he had ever wanted to be, and Jake Seresin always got what he wanted. He should be elated, planning for his move to the best naval base in the country, where they would probably let him lead his own squad after the way he led the Dagger Squad home safely, tearing victory from the jaws of defeat. He could be Lieutenant Commander Seresin.

Buttercup’s tears and the clicking of his apartment door as it swung shut.

Those bright baby blues that were just now starting to darken into the very same light green he saw in the mirror every morning.

The powdery scent of diaper powder and formula, and the solid warmth and weight of his baby girl in his arms.

“With all due respect, Admiral?” Jake pushed through the catch in his throat. “It would be even more of a damn shame for my daughter to lose her dad. I’m all she’s got. I…I can’t let her down. I can’t let her ever think there’s a chance in hell that her daddy ain’t comin’ back to her. I’m afraid I have to thank you for the opportunity and request that you tender my resignation. Sir.”

Cyclone sighed, a wave of disappointment cresting over his face as he opened his mouth to argue, to convince him to stay, but a firm hand gripped his shoulder.

“We understand,” Warlock reached out and shook his hand. “Thank you for your service, Lieutenant Seresin.”

Jake nodded, shaking his hand before turning and saluting Cyclone. “Thank you, sir.”

“I…I’m with him.” Jake turned and saw Javy saluting the two members of the brass.

“Coyote…”

“Whatever you’re about to say, don’t. I followed your ass on the football field, I followed your ass to the Naval Academy, and now I’m following your ass out the door. You’re not the only one Charlie’s got, man. You both got me.”

“And me.”

The two men turned to see Rooster fiddling with his name plate.

“Bradshaw…” Cyclone’s voice rose in shock.

“My mama never wanted this for me,” Bradley continued, as if he hadn’t heard him. “I know she didn’t. Hell, my mama never stepped another foot on a plane after my daddy died. She was too terrified of bein’ in the air, thinkin’ I might lose her too. I used to think that flying brought me closer to my dad, that I could feel him when I was alone in the cockpit.” He unpinned his name plate carefully, studying the engraving. Lt. Bradshaw. “I can’t feel him anymore,” he murmured. “I’m older than he ever got to be. And now Mav’s gone…” Rooster sighed. “I don’t think I’ll be able to shake this last mission, sir. I’d be a detriment to any team I join, and I don’t want to put anyone in that position. So…I’m walking away.”

“I…understand. Thank you, gentlemen, for your years of service.”

Rooster saluted, then the three men walked out of the briefing room, the weight of their actions blanketing them.

“So…what now?”

Jake rubbed at his ribs. “We go to Mav’s funeral…then I guess we go home.”

“And where exactly is home?” Rooster drawled. “I can’t imagine you want to stay in your apartment after…everything.”

Jake shook his head, his tactician’s brain kicking into high gear. “Javy?”

“Yeah, man?”

“I think it’s time we introduce Bradshaw here to some Texas barbecue.”

The Brig, Camp Silver Star, Present Day

“Amelia? You…you knew?” Charlie yanked at the t-shirt that felt like it was closing in around her neck.

Amelia kicked off her rainboots, shed her yellow raincoat, and shuffled towards them, gingerly taking a seat on Abby’s bed.

“Yeah…I knew.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Charlie’s hands clenched rhythmically as she tried to breathe.

“I didn’t know the two of you were here at the same time,” Amelia soothed. “I found out that day that cantaloupe ended up in the fruit salad. You both came to me to ask about it, and I went to find my mom right away. That’s when she told me that she had sent emails about the camp to your aunt and uncles, offering a friends and family discount if you came for these specific weeks.”

“A-Aunt Penny knew too?” Charlie croaked.

“She did. Charlie, I—”

Charlie shook her head, sending her blond braid flying, the end whipping at her face with the force of it. “No. No. This is all a coincidence. It has to be one big coincidence. My dad and your m-mom…them knowing each other doesn’t mean anything.”

“Charlie…” Amelia started, but Abby felt something snap inside of her.

“You’re not actually stupid enough to believe that, are you?” she spat. “Why can’t you just admit that it all makes sense? Our parents knew each other, they got married, and they had us. We have the same birthday, we look identical, and we have these pictures to prove it! Why is that so difficult for you to see?”

“Because it means he lied to me!” Charlie shrieked, burying her head in her hands. “He lied to me. My whole life. He hid my mom and my sister from me for twelve years! He’s my best friend, we tell each other everything, we do everything together, and he lied to me!”

Charlie’s shoulders shook with the force of heavy sobs as the wind whipped at the windows, making the cabin shake. She’d asked her dad about her mother for years, and he had never told her. And neither had Javy or Rooster, who so clearly knew her mother too. Her chest ached with the sting of betrayal, and she had no idea how she was supposed to go home and look her three favourite people in the eyes after finding out they had been hiding such a massive secret from her.

Charlie flinched as she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, and she sniffled as her head was tugged onto Abby’s shoulder.

“W-why aren’t you angry?” she whispered.

“I honestly don’t know,” Abby murmured back, staring sightlessly out the window. “I know that I should be. I know that my mum and Uncle Bob and Auntie Nat lied by omission by not telling me about you and dad, but I just…can’t.”

“Why would they do this to us?” Charlie scrubbed at her face with the sleeve of her sweater. “How is it legal to say that each parent gets a kid, and they never have to see the other one?”

“They had a custody arrangement…” Amelia had moved to kneel at the edge of Charlie’s bed.

“What sick judge would agree to something like this?” Charlie hiccupped as Abby removed her arm and leaned forward, desperation shining in her eyes.

“No one,” Amelia sighed and turned her face downwards. “Now, I don’t have all the information. I was just a kid when your parents split up, and my mom and Mav tried to shield me from the worst of it. All I know is that they got engaged after dating for like a really short amount of time, then your mom found out she was pregnant with you two, and they eloped in Las Vegas. Mav was pissed.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t he like my mum?”

“He loved your parents, both of them. Hangman was a pain in the butt, but Mav wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. After that first mission they flew together, when Hangman saved Mav and Rooster’s life, nobody really cared that Hangman was cocky. The way he could needle at the other members of his squad, it only ever pushed them to be the best that they could be. I know Mav saw a lot of good in your dad, and he really cared about him. And your mom? I think Mav loved your mom because she really helped bring Hangman down to earth. He once told me, ‘Buttercup keeps Hangman’s feet on the ground while his brain is racing through the sky’,” Amelia chuckled. “God, I loved hanging around with your parents. They were so cool.”

“Wait…Buttercup?” Abby bit her lip. “That’s what my aunt and uncle call my mum. Well, that and kiddo.”

“Yeah, nicknames around Miramar kinda just…stuck. Your dad started calling your mom Buttercup, and that was that. She was Buttercup from then on.”

“She even has a buttercup tattoo on her collarbone,” Abby said excitedly, her mind racing with the implication.

“That’s great and all, but can we get back to the story? Why was Mav angry?”

“Because he wanted to be there when they got married,” Amelia laughed quietly. “The Dagger Squad got chosen to do an air show in Las Vegas, and Hangman was able to work it so that your mom could come. Mav didn’t question it at all, even though he knew they were engaged and expecting. Your dad had to do 200 pushups when he got back for not telling Mav the plan so that he could be there,” Amelia giggled. “But I never heard him complain about it. He thought your mom was worth it.”

“So then…what happened?”

“Like I said, I don’t know. My mom and dad split when I was younger, and I guess my mom thought that watching one of my favourite couples in the world split up might bring up some bad memories, so she and Mav sheltered me from a lot of it. I know they had a really bad fight, they both said some things, and then they split, and they each took one of you.”

“H-how did they decide who to take?” Charlie trembled.

“I honestly don’t know. But I know it was never supposed to be permanent. The custody arrangement, I mean.”

“Then what happened? Why did they keep us from each other?”

Amelia shrugged. “I know that it was partly your dad’s deployment schedule. It was hard to set up a visitation schedule when Dagger Squad was being called into action so often. Then, the pandemic hit, and nobody wanted to be sending really young kids on international flights where they could get sick and potentially have lasting complications. After that, I really don’t know.”

Charlie took a deep, shuddering breath as Abby chewed on her lower lip. The cabin was silent, save for the wind and rain lashing at the windows.

Finally, Amelia sighed. “I know this a big revelation for the two of you, and I hate to leave when you probably have a billion more questions. But I do have to get back. I’ll be back later tonight to collect your tray, and I’ll hopefully have more time to answer your questions. Okay?”

Abby nodded but Charlie sat stock still, staring into space.

“Charlie?” Amelia called softly, ducking her head to catch her gaze. “Are we okay, hon?”

Charlie nodded mutely and Amelia returning it with a tight-lipped smile. “I’ll see you both later.”

“Bye Amelia,” Abby called softly as the door swung shut behind her.

Silence fell for a brief moment before Abby looked over at Charlie.

“What are you thinking?”

“Shhh…” Charlie hissed, but Abby didn’t take offense. It was clear from the deep set of Charlie’s eyebrows and the pensive look in her eyes that she was planning something. No…plotting something.

Abby shrugged and walked over to the small card table that held their trays of food. Two small Thermos’ of chili, an array of Ziploc bags filled with cheese, chili flakes, bacon bits, and sour cream, and two snack sized bags of tortilla chips were seated neatly on the silver trays, and Abby felt her stomach grumble.

She had just sat down to her freshly topped chili when Charlie moved, sitting across from her with a steely look in her eyes.

“Charlie?”

“I want to get to know my mom,” she stated simply, as though she was saying that the sky was blue or that grass was green.

Abby nodded eagerly. “I know! I can’t wait to get to know dad! Maybe we could call him together on Friday and talk to him together? And then we could do the same for mum!”

Charlie shook her head. “No. I mean really get to know her. I want to meet her in person. I want to be able to hug her. I want to spend time with her, and I want to be able to do that without having to spend time answering questions about how we found each other or her trying to tell me about what happened between her and dad.”

“I…I want that too,” Abby confessed, though Charlie’s words were confusing her. “And we can do that. Once they know that we know, we’ll be able to use that custody agreement and see mum and dad, and each other, more often.”

Charlie shook her head again. “You don’t understand. I don’t want to talk to dad. Or Rooster. Or Javy. They lied to me for my whole entire life! I’m so mad at them that I’ll probably just scream the whole time we’re talking to them. Besides, whose to say that they won’t make excuses and not let us see each other again? What happens if they just decide that I can’t see mom and you don’t get to see dad?”

“They wouldn’t do that!”

“Abby, they already did do that!” Charlie reached out and grabbed Abby’s wrist, her gaze pleading. “Don’t you want to get to know dad without having to deal with all of this? Don’t you want to be able to meet him and get to know him without all the awkward stuff, like him asking you what your favourite colour is or what you got for your tenth birthday?”

“Well…yeah. Of course, I do. But…how would we do that? It’s not like I could just go to Texas when camp is over.”

“Why not?” Charlie’s eyes shone bright with excitement. “Who says you couldn’t just take my boarding pass and fly to Texas to meet dad? Who says I couldn’t just take your boarding pass and fly to London to meet mom?”

“Charlie, you sound insane,” Abby gently removed her hand from her wrist and picked up her spoon. “First of all, I don’t have a boarding pass. I fly stand-by because my uncle is a pilot and gets me on the plane for free, so long as he’s the one flying. Second, we might look a like, but there are still some cosmetic differences! My hair is shorter than yours, I have pierced ears, and we have different accents. They would certainly notice all that. And third, our parents have known us since birth. Surely they would be able to tell that we’re not us!”

“We can fix those things!” Charlie leaned forward. “I can teach you all about my life in Texas. I can show you the layout of the ranch, which cows to avoid, how to tack up my horse at home. I can teach you all about dad and Javy and Rooster. I can cut my hair! And listen, it’s not even that hard to fake a British accent. Pip, pip, cheerio!”

Abby snorted. “And what? You expect me to teach you all about London? Where to catch the tube, the layout of the flat, where the best fish and chips are? You want me to tell you all about mum, and where Uncle Bob hides his glasses cleaning cloth, and how not to stare at Auntie Nat’s scar? You want me to start talking like a cowboy? And what about my ears being pierced?”

“Why not?” Charlie begged, her green eyes shining. “We’ve got like a month to teach each other everything we would ever need to know. And we both have cell phones, so it’s not like we would be completely cut off from each other. If I had a question, I could just text you and ask!”

“Charlie, you sound ridiculous!” Abby threw her spoon down and rubbed her eyes. “There’s no way I can teach you about my life in a month. You want us to try to pull one over on the people that know us best. It would never work.”

Charlie bit her lip then leaned in for the kill. “I saw the way you lit up when Amelia mentioned mom’s nickname being Buttercup. I know how excited you got when you realized that mom has a tattoo of a buttercup. I know you were thinking the exact same thing I was.”

“Which is?”

“That if the people around her still call her Buttercup, maybe she still has feelings for dad. The nickname obviously meant enough to her that she got it tattooed on her body, and she hasn’t tried to get it removed or anything.”

“Mum, she…she’s never dated,” Abby admitted quietly. “She always says she just doesn’t have the time, but…I’ve always hoped that maybe it’s because she still has feelings for my dad.”

“Dad is the same way,” Charlie whispered. “He says I’m his best girl, but I know from Rooster and Javy that dad could be going on lots of dates if he wanted to. They love to tease him about it, and he tells them that he’s too busy with me and the ranch. But I know it’s because he still loves mom.” Charlie reached for her wrist again and this time Abby didn’t pull away. “Abby, if we do this, they will eventually have to switch us back. I’m not suggesting we do this forever. We can get to know them for a bit, then tell them the truth, and they’ll have to meet to switch us back. And when they meet…”

“…they could fall in love again,” Abby murmured.

“They could. Or, at the very least, they can talk and figure out a schedule so we don’t have to be separated again. C’mon…isn’t it at least worth a shot?” Charlie blinked over at her; the puppy dog eyes she had learned from her dad shining in full force.

Abby sighed. “Do you really think we can do it?”

“We’ve got a month, we’ve got social media, and we’ve got access to the computers once a week. I don’t see how we couldn’t pull this off.”

Abby chewed on her bottom lip. “O-okay…but if I don’t feel comfortable with this later, I want to be able to change my mind.”

“Done.” Charlie stuck her hand out and Abby grasped it, pumping it twice in the air with a grin on her face. “Now…let’s get to work.”

Tags List: @mamachasesmayhem @jessicab1991 @waltermis @buckysteveloki-me @allepaula @yuckosworld @seresinsbrat @ahopelessromanticwritersworld @kim-stark @cierra715 @high-speed-r @helpmepleasethanks @starsrfun @tomanyfandomstrash @averyhotchner @the-blueatlas @princessliz86 @dashes-dizzydisaster @a-girl-who-loves-disney @boiolay @djs8891 @torimcc @tgmreader @kmc1989 @landpiranha-blog @sydthekid1518 @lynnevanss @hello7442 @mackenzieblair @minejungwoo @starset21 @ssa-sadboi @tgmavericklover @dempy @rockbottomphilosophies-blog @lovemarvelousfics @starkleila @magical-spit @whatislovevavy @simplyreading96 @vivalas-vega @itsdesiree86 @inky-sun @books-are-escapes @abaker74 @clockworkballerina

#jake seresin x reader #jake seresin #top gun maverick #top gun fanfiction #parent trap au #glen powell #jake hangman seresin #hangman x reader #top gun hangman #jake hangman x reader #jake hangman fic #as you wish fic

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gladiatorcunt · 8 months ago

Note

it's about possible death during labor so don't im sorry if that's a trigger warning for you!

what do you think modern!coryo would do if the labor is dangerous? they didn't know beforehand but after she gave birth, her bleeding didn't stop or something like that? what would he do during the time and how would he treat the baby if reader had died or lived?

(tw pregnany & labor troubles)

Well in my case I have health issues that I imagine will most likely give me a difficult experience with pregnancy/birth (I want kids in the future, so I've thought about this a lot)

For starters, he's obviously getting you the best team of personal doctors money can buy. He's strict about your appointments/health overall so if anything occurs during the pregnancy itself, he is able to immediately have you properly treated.

But if you've had a good pregnancy, all things considered, it will definitely come as a shock to him when something goes seriously wrong. Giving birth is an extremely serious matter and you could even have a stroke or postpartum hemorrhage (which is where you experience heavy bleeding after birth), problems like that are rare however, so it would honestly be one of the only times in his life that Coryo would be truly shaken to his core.

He's casting his image aside and shrieking at the hospital staff, saying that he'll raise their pay if they can just make you better. Thank God they do, and after hours of surgery he's bringing your newborn son to finally meet the one who worked so hard to bring them into the world. You've been to hell and back, he just wants the baby to be grateful even if all they do is squint their eyes and slowly wiggle around. You smile at them when you wake up, cooing at your child when Coryo places them on your chest for skin-to-skin contact. He even takes his shirt off when you need to take a break to eat the expensive sushi, he had delivered to have his own skin to skin contact with your child.

It's hard to stay mad at a baby that's the spitting image of himself.

If you died, the whole hospital would be eviscerated nuclear bomb style /j

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captainwans · 3 months ago

Text

LAST TRAIN TO LONDON.

pairing: professor!alex turner x student!fem!oc

word count: 6.5k words

━━ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄. | 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑳𝑶𝑵𝑮𝑰𝑵𝑮.

summary: nina collett is many things. she’s a devoted mother, a loyal friend, a daughter, and a dedicated student. each aspect of her life has challenges and its sacrifices and she is forced to confront these, demanding her constant attention. amidst the whirlwind of responsibilities and emotions, she finds her professor becoming more involved in her life than she expected, adding another layer of turbulence to her already chaotic life. balancing the fine line between professional boundaries and personal feelings was more difficult than she anticipated, all while she was trying to keep her life from unraveling.

warning: this series contains mature scenes, sexual references, character death, vulgar language, mentions of drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, age gap (student in her twenties), an excruciating slow-burn (now i’m being dramatic, but you get the picture), other triggering topics, and all the feels (—i’m talking about sweet-teeth rotting fluff that makes you want to evaporate. or soul wrenching angst that feels like a punch in the gut). if any of themes, opinions or content upsets you or makes you uncomfortable, feel free to message me, or simply, do not read it.

𝓝ina fiddled with her lighter, soft curses emitting from her lips when it didn’t ignite. She cupped her cigarette with one hand, and the corner of her eyes crinkled as she tried to assault her lighter to catch any sparks of fire. After a few tries, a small but weak fire ignited, and she didn’t hesitate to place the cigarette close to the lighter. She placed the stick to her lips, cheeks hollowed before puffing out the smoke. She let out a content sigh, the cigarette resting between her fingers as she let her back hit the platform.

Nina stared through space, her mind working overtime as she waited for her last train home. Exhaustion engulfed her body like a blanket and she had to close her eyes for a second, her lips turning into a tired sneer as a yawn escaped from her mouth. She had spent the weekend with her closest friends and family, celebrating her best friend for who had just become a new mother. Her lips curled into a smile, the idea of Breana being a mother sent a fluttering warmness into her chest. But that warmness soon manifested into a heavy feeling, more toward herself at her role of being a mother—which she knew Breana would do a hell of a lot job better than her.

It wasn’t that she was a bad mother—-no, far from it. Her daughter means the world to her and she loves her one-year-old with every fiber of her being. Mathilda was the center of her universe. Every decision, every choice, and every sacrifice had been made for her and it would continue to be so. Yet, as she was watching Breana’s newborn cuddled in his father’s arms, a prickling pain stirred inside her chest. It was a painful reminder that she could never give Mathilda the chance to meet her father.

The tragic fate of her fiancé, Josh, along with carrying a child left a scar deeper than she imagined. Guilt and shame stirred within her, filling every crevice of her brain and shaking her to the core. She often found herself replaying the moment she learned of his death, each replay worsening her misery. It was a memory filled by the harsh words of her mother-in-law, who had called her stupid and an embarrassment. Josh had died in a car accident during a heavy storm, an accident Nina blamed on herself because she had asked him to run some errands that day. It’s your fault. He is dead because of you. Her voice echoed inside her mind, leaching her sense of self. Suddenly, the idea of being a mother with dreams and ambitions felt too far out of reach. It didn’t seem so appealing anymore. She felt hollow, overwhelmed, and scared by the thought of raising a child on her own and finishing her studies seemed like an impossible task.

In the midst of the storm, Nina refused to give up. She kept thinking of Josh and she knew he would never want this for her. Being shunned by her in-laws gave her the chance to focus on what truly mattered—her own family. She didn’t have the best relationship with her parents growing up, but when Mathilda was born, everything changed. Suddenly, there were daily calls, frequent visits, and a lot more affection than she was used to. It felt strange at first, but she slowly got used to it, realizing that she wouldn’t trade it for anything. This was her chance to heal old wounds and finally make things right.

Mathilda was her own little sunshine—a bright and joyful child who filled the house with laughter, giggles, and warmth. It was something Nina hadn’t known that she needed so much. By looking into those big, innocent eyes, she knew she was going to be okay and that Josh would always be with her, living through Mathilda. Being a mother was the hardest task in her life, but it was also the best task she could ever ask for.

“This is the last train to London. No other trains are leaving for London today.” A male announcer’s monotonic tone pulled her out of her melancholy, making her sigh before throwing her lifeless cigarette on the ground. She stomped on the stick with her heel, hands tightening her bag that was securely wrapped around her shoulder. She stood in line among many others, eyes darting around her. Her hazel eyes found a child, whose doe-eyes were boring into hers as she sat on her mother’s shoulders.

Nina felt her heart swell, the way the child’s eyes glowered from the lights above, reminding her of her sweet baby girl who was waiting for her to come home. The little girl on her mother’s shoulder brought her little hands up to wave, which she gladly did the same as her lips curved into a sweet smile. She watched a big toothy grin etch onto the baby’s face, lips emitting small giggles. The mother looked up, moving her gaze to where her daughter was looking at. The woman politely smiled toward the female, her head nodding in greeting as she gripped her child’s hands. “She’s pretty, isn’t she, bub?”

Nina’s heart fluttered, eyes softening at the little girl shyly nodding her head. She hummed, smiling at the woman. She turned her head back to her daughter, a wide smile reaching her features. “And aren’t you the cutest thing ever?” she cooed, fingers tickling her side earning a happy beam. Some turned their heads to the interaction, smiles forming their tired faces, and others who stood in line impatiently and just wanted to hop on the train.

Nina stepped onto the train, her heels loudly clanking against the hard metal ground causing a few heads to turn her way. She felt heat wash over her, blood rushing through her ears at the unwanted attention as she squeezed herself into the cramped space of passengers trying to blend in. Her lips pressed into a thin line, eyebrows furrowed with discomfort as she swarmed into the heavy mass of bodies occupying the exit area.

She bit her lip, stifling back a groan, feeling someone’s heel stepping on her toes. She clenched her jaw, her narrowed eyes darting across the packed ambiance as she looked for empty seats or even a place to stand. Much to her dismay, it was none as it was inhabited by many other frustrated passengers. She fixed the strap of her bag and clutched it tightly against her body, eyes still searching. But as she was looking her eyes locked with none other than her professor, whose eyes were hesitant, but soft as he gave her a polite smile in greeting.

Her heart leaped out of her chest, feeling a dust of crimson dancing across her cheeks. She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, returning his smile with an uncertain simper, mostly to herself as she was contemplating whether or not he was smiling at her or someone else. “Excuse me, ma’am.”

A rough voice startled her out of her state, head snapping toward a man who was standing beside her, looking rather impatient. She sheepishly apologized, realizing where she was standing, and moved to the side. She blew her cheek out with a heavy breath as her feet led her toward the other side of the train, hand gripping the metal pole tightly.

Her mind started wandering back to him, who was standing a few feet away from her. She could only see his face as his figure was covered by commuters standing in the middle of the train. She wondered what he was wearing since she was used to his formal attire—suit pants, black striped shirt, sometimes a plain white shirt and if you took a closer look you could see a small silver chain wrapped delicately around his neck. A warm feeling settled into her stomach and she cringed for feeling this way about her own professor. It wasn’t like she was in love with him like any other student was, but she couldn’t help but immerse in the idea of seeing him under different circumstances.

There wasn't that much of an age gap between them and by the looks of it, he looked fairly young compared to other professors and employees in the university. The subject of age seemed to be the most appealing amongst the students, especially for the female students who gave him heart eyes whenever he entered the lecture room. Most of his lectures included cheeky and flirty remarks from the girls in the front row, desperate to grasp his attention. Nina was quite the opposite, well—Mr. Turner was definitely appealing to her eyes, but due to her shame and bashful nature, she prefers to keep her fantasies and opinions to herself. She has for certain thought about him rearranging her insides in the classroom once or twice, but you didn’t hear that from her.

Besides her infatuation, she finds him incredibly intelligent and a good lecturer. Mr. Turner is quite the talker, which is not surprising with the way the girls are piling up his feet, but that part seems to be irrelevant to him. And she liked that about him—he’s only here to do his job, nothing more. She usually sits in the front row, but distances herself from the annoyingly loud girls who wanted nothing more than to sleep with him.

“Mr. Turner, what are your plans this weekend?” A student interrupted the professor mid-sentence, earning his attention as his eyes averted away from the projector, toward the young female who leaned closer against the table with a flirtatious smile.

The lecturer held his breath, lips pressed into a thin line as he narrowed his eyes at her. “Nothing that concerns you,” he replied with a tip-lipped smile, brushing off her flirtatious nature as he placed his hands on his hips before clearing his throat. “As I was saying….” he continued with his lecture, ignoring the hushed whispers coming from the girls in the front row.

This went back and forth and Nina fought the urge to roll her eyes at one of them as she scribbled down a few words in her notebook. She bit her lip in concentration, eyebrows creasing her forehead whilst trying to pay attention to what he was saying among the loud whispers that were filling every crevice of her brain. She tsked, face morphing into a scowl as she shared a look with her friend, who was sitting beside her just as annoyed.

Her irritation, along with the rest of the class, seemed to catch his attention, the character in her eyes mirroring his as he noticed her look of discomfort. He paused, causing the room to be quiet too. The hushed whispers and murmurs seemed to cease, everyone holding their breath in anticipation.

Mr. Turner stepped closer to his audience, eyes darting across the room as he studied the state of his students. He licked his lips before speaking, hand gripping his projector controller. “Raise your hand if you’re deeply disturbed by the people from the front seat.” he simply told his students with his hand raised, voice calm and stoic.

Nina wanted to laugh at how the girls’ expressions changed, looking behind them to see that everyone raised their hand in the air, including her as they voiced their shared complaints. She quietly snickered, covering a hand over her mouth, earning his attention. She saw a glint in his eyes before he moved his head toward his class. “If you’re here for the sake of learning, you’re seated. If there are other reasons, you may leave,” he ordered, sauntering backward.

His arm was stretched, the controller in his hand marking a red dot pointed toward the door. “The door is right behind me,” he said once again, a small smile reaching his face as he watched the spectacle in front of him. The seats were rearranged as half of the class started leaving, making some students who were seated cheer in delight, making her stifle back a grin.

She slumped back into her seat, deeply exhaling as she mumbled incoherent things under her breath. “Thank God,” she sighed, earning a response from her friend. She fixed her posture, hands running over her notes to see where she left off.

She watched Mr. Turner’s lips curve upwards, watching them leave the lecture room before moving his head back to his remaining students. She watched his eyes trailing over the front row, and she almost jumped when he locked eyes with her. He gave her a smile and she didn’t know if she was delusional, but she swore she saw him winking at her.

A harsh collision between her and another passenger brought her out of her daydream, feeling their body trapping her against the window. She let out a raspy gasp, the burning ache on her side clawing its way to her throat. She quietly hissed, face forming into a scorn as she brought a hand to her right side. “Fuck,” she murmured, rubbing the area which she knew was going to be a nasty bruise.

Nina’s ears burned with their profuse apologies, and she had to swallow back a shady remark that would probably kick her out of the train. She gritted her teeth in pain, jaw so tightly clutched that she could only nod her head, sending a sharp smile their way before moving her gaze forward. Much to her luck, her eyes found his once again—this time clouding with genuine concern.

Blood rushed through her face, feeling herself getting hot as her thoughts spiraled out of control. The thought of him watching her getting slammed into the window was enough for her to cringe internally. She looked away for a second, and looked back at him before glancing beside her, unsure eyes looking for another suitable person that he sent his concerns to. She cursed inside her mind, clenching her jaw before looking back at him with a finger pointed at herself.

Mr. Turner’s lips curved upwards, eyes tinted with amusement as he nodded his head. He watched her mouth turn into an “o”, realization forming her features as she gave him a polite yet bashful smile before nodding. He saw her quickly moving her head, eyes looking elsewhere while being squeezed between two passengers. He felt her discomfort and he wanted to reach out to her and have him close to his side, but he knew that was too far out of his reach.

The professor’s mind was a hurricane. It was violently raging, swirling, and spinning that it was hard to tell where it was all leading. He looked away, gaze moving away from her toward the hard ground with a puzzled expression. A heavy feeling tugged at his chest. It was like something or someone was sitting on his ribs, crushing till he couldn’t breathe. His eyebrows creased his forehead and he brought his hand up to his chest, clutching his shirt into a fist as if he was trying to remove the shame that was latched into his heart.

Alex knew it was wrong—very wrong. He had overstepped his boundaries, and he was fighting for his life to keep it professional. He exhaled with a heavy breath, chest heaving as he tried to shake the image of her from his mind. But it was no use; from the moment he saw her in his first lecture, he knew he was doomed. Those hazel eyes, so intently focused on him, seemed to see right through him. The way she listened so intently, with genuine interest and engagement, made him feel a magnetic pull he couldn’t resist. It was as if her presence alone made him feel seen and valued.

Nina was top of his class, exceeding in every topic psychology had to offer. Her grasp of the subject was remarkable and her passion left him sometimes dumbfounded with her captivating insights and perspectives. She definitely left a profound impression on everyone around her—including him. Although she was reserved and quiet during most of his lectures, she had other ways to stand out as the shining star of his class. She was often seated at the front, nose buried in her notebook as she was scribbling down every word that came out of his mouth. She had ‘I’m smart and intelligent’ tattooed on her forehead, and he wasn’t all surprised when some of her classmates desperately volunteered to be in the same discussion group as her. He didn’t want to be the professor who had favorite students, but she was an exception.

Nina walked forward with a stoic expression, eyes looking anywhere as she got lost in her inner world as she was on her way to her next lecture. She had her books close to her chest, arms crossed like two swords along with her tote bag tightly strapped to her shoulder. Her Chelsea boots skimmed smoothly down the marble floor, fastening their pace as she noticed the hallway slowly turning into traffic.

She grimaced, looking at the many students engulfed around the ambiance, just like her, trying to get to their class. Her stomach turned into knots, thoughts wandering over to her professor’s nagging and whining over her lateness. Her professor was a woman in her late 40s, mostly very sweet, but she was very picky and strict over time and punctuality. She could already hear her voice at the back of her head, and she was so immersed in the thought of Mrs. Williams that she didn’t notice someone walk her way.

Before her brain could register the sound of her books dropping, along with her glasses, her body collided with a hard chest. She lost balance and fell backward, her body dropping down the hard marble floor with a thud. Her lips emitted a small whimper, eyes squinting as her hands looked for her glasses amidst a busy crowd filled with students. “Shit,” she mumbled, a cloud entering her vision and she felt a burning ache on her right wrist.

“I am terribly sorry. Here let me help,” she heard a deep–yet soft voice fill inside her eardrums, causing her to look up. She scorned, blinking a few times as she looked in front of her with her blurry vision. Her hand took hold of her glasses and she put them on, seeing the world clearly.

She noticed that her book was no longer on the floor and she instinctively looked up, gazing up to see Alex’s apologetic expression while he held his hand for her to help her on her feet. Crimson danced across her cheeks, along with a furiously beating heart as she slowly took his hand.

Nina gently brushed him off, voice soft as he hoisted her up to her feet. “N-No, please. I was in my own bubble and didn’t notice you walking towards me.” she sheepishly apologized with a shy smile as she felt him squeeze her hand before letting go, and she hated that he let go.

Alex chuckled, “I guess we’re both a little out of it today, huh?” he jested as the pair moved to the side, sauntering away from the busy crowd toward the end of the stairs. Nina held onto the stair rail, eyes looking at the people passing through the big hall. She locked eyes with her friend, standing beside the vending machine, who was looking at her with a knowing look. She gave her a glare at her giving her thumbs up, feeling heat creep upon her face before she moved her attention elsewhere.

“Your hand?” His voice pulled her attention toward him, watching his frown deepen as he watched her bruised wrist from the fall. She watched him hesitate for a second, fingers rubbing together before grabbing the hold of her wrist. The warmth from her face made it ten times worse, feeling the blood rush through her ears as she listened to her beating heart.

Guilt prickled his chest, lips screwed up as he gently rubbed the bruise. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled in a faint apology, rough fingers moving in a circle pattern as if the bruise would go away. He bit his lower lip, fingers halting his gesture before he finally let go of her hand. He looked at her, a small smile reaching his face as he felt a war inside his mind. He cursed inside his head, feeling like he crossed a line between being professional and overstepping boundaries.

Nina didn’t seem to mind. She watched him, heart stuttering against her chest at his touch. Her jaw slacked, and she saw him moving his head, eyes looking at her. She realized that she hadn’t said anything and she blinked before clearing her throat, bashfully smiling. “Oh, it’s fine, really.” she brushed him off, ignoring the throbbing pain on her wrist. She let out a small chuckle. “It’s not the first time I’ve hurt myself going down this hallway. The amount of times I’ve tripped and fallen is pretty concerning.” she tried to lighten up, ceasing some of the guilt that was reaching his eyes.

Alex’s chest rumbled with a deep chuckle, lips curving upwards at her simper. He let his body lean against the stair rail, gaze averting away from her toward the busy hall. “Yeah, tell me about it. It’s like watching the Hunger Games or something. I don’t get why they’re all in a rush, though.” he said, lips pressed into a thin line.

Nina bit her lip, eyes darting across his handsome features. She looked back at the hall, shrugging with a grin, eyes tinted with playfulness. “Could be a race against who would get to your class first. You see those girls?” she said, pointing a finger at them. “Yeah, definitely in a hurry to sit in the front seat.” she joked, lips emitting a small giggle before turning her head to him.

Alex grimaced, shaking his head with a laugh. “Oh, god no.” he let out a breathy chuckle, licking his lips. His eyes sparked. “They’re definitely running to Miles’ class. Heard they dropped out of psychology and are taking music studies instead,” he told her, scoffing at the end making her mouth gape open.

“What? Really?” She expressed, eyes wide almost building out its sockets as she watched him nodding his head. His eyes danced at her reaction, sending an amused smile her way. “Mhm. Think Miles can handle it, though. He loves the attention.” he said with another chuckle, referring to his colleague and close friend.

Nina’s eyes lit up at the mention of the music professor. She remembered that he was a substitute for Alex one time and she grew very fond of him during that lecture. Miles Kane was very jovial and full of energy, which seemed to match her class, as they developed a liking to him. While he had no such expertise with Mr. Turner’s subjects, Miles sure had an interesting way of presenting given topics with his competence—being music.

She thought about Mrs. Williams’ class and she knew she was already running late, but she couldn’t seem to find the energy to care as she was glued beside her favorite professor indulging in a conversation—which was the longest conversation she’d ever had with him, ever.

“See you in class at three?” Alex asked with a gentle smile, hope tinted in his voice as he changed the subject.

He watched her face morph into a small frown as she shook her head. “Sorry. I have a dentist appointment.” He nodded in understanding, his face clouding with slight disappointment at her absence from today’s lecture, but that look quickly vanished as it rapidly appeared. This went unnoticed by the latter and he watched her eyes lit up.

“Oh, by the way. I couldn’t send the last assignment because my computer is not working at the moment, but I did print it and–uh, wait…I think I got it. I’ll give it to you. Hold on.” she bubbled, words mumbling incoherent words as she roamed her hands around her bag to look for her papers.

The professor’s deep chuckle filled her ears, causing a tremor of butterflies to swarm into her stomach. She felt his hand rest on her arm, making her look up. She hated that she was so easily susceptible to him. She felt hot under his touch. She watched him shake his head, slowly pulling his hand away making her frown. “Don’t even worry about it.”

Her heart stuttered against her chest, making her let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She pouted, “Are you sure, Mr. Turner?” she asked him, doe-eyes looking into his soft caramel orbs that she shamefully had grown to love.

He nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. “Don’t sweat it. and besides…You’re my A student, and I know that with this assignment it will be just as strong as the others. Your writing is…. incredibly remarking, I must say. I really admire your passion for this subject.” he gushes, lips curving upwards at her response.

Nina’s features went from a bashful expression to an appreciative look. Her lips morphed into a smile, showing her teeth as the rapid of her chest stuttered. His words kept repeating inside her head like a mantra and she covered her fingers on her mouth to hide a big grin. She bit her lip, eyes sparking. “T-Thank you, Mr. Turner.” she shyly accepted his compliment, eyes softening at the way he was looking at her with another polite simper.

The professor hummed with a tip-lipped smile, mouth closing as the pair fell into silence. Alex’s eyes danced, mirroring the way his stomach swooned with butterflies. He felt a tug at his heartstrings, chest prickling for developing such feelings for his student. As much as he tried to resist, he couldn’t help but let his eyes linger longer on her face. It traced down every feature, every line, and then back to her hazel eyes before trailing down to her lips.

“Mr. Turner?” he slightly jumped, her honey-filled voice pulling him back to reality. He blinked, noticing her looking at him with a look he couldn't quite decipher, with her head tilted to the side. Blood rushed through his face, a flustered expression forming his handsome features as he realized that he had been mindlessly staring at her without knowing. He let out a breathy chuckle, heart palpitating against his chest as his lips emitted small apologies.

She hummed with a small giggle, shaking her head at him. “It’s quite alright,” she reassured, eyes soft as she watched him let out another chuckle.

Alex sighed, loudly cursing inside his head and he looked down at his hands realizing that he was still holding her books. His eyes widened, his brain registering that she was probably headed to her class. “Right…uh–your books. I am so sorry. Here. I’ll see you next week then.” Alex stuttered, handing over her books before clearing his throat and turning on his heel. He grimaced, cursing internally while having his back to her as he fastened his pace.

Way to go, Alex. He thought.

Alex snapped out of his state, his tired eyes moving from the filthy ground toward her, again. He quickly looked away as a small curse emitted from his lips, feeling like a predator watching his prey. He ran a hand over his hair, his hand carding through his locks, his nails lightly scraping at his scalp. He closed his eyes, a long sigh escaping from his lips, and letting his back hit the wall. Stop looking at her, you fucking creep. He thought to himself, jaw clenched so hard that it would break at any second.

Should I ask her to stand beside me, or is that weird? He thought, his handsome features morphing into a grimace. He bit his lower lip, hand tightening around the grip handle as he was battling internal turmoil. But she looks uncomfortable, though. Should I do it–no, fuck. It makes you look weird—His train of thought was abruptly interrupted by an awkward cough coming from behind him. “Excuse me.”

Alex shifted his body to the side while his hand was holding the grip handle to prevent him from falling. He looked at them, eyes apologetic as he let them through. He felt heat flood over his face, realizing that he had taken up the entire space. He was so immersed in his own world that he forgot everything else around him.

A small giggle earned his attention, head whirled toward the sound coming next to him. His gaze softened, watching a little girl nestled into her mother’s arms. The child had her eyes on him, doe-eyes curiously staring at him with a happy beam. His lips curled up, bringing his hand out to wave. Her reaction was laughable, making Alex chuckle as he watched her shyly hide her face in her mother’s chest.

He moved his gaze away, eyes staring through empty space. He felt eyes on him, making him clench his jaw. He knew it was her and he felt her boring her eyes into the side of his head. It felt like he was going to have holes in his temple and he was contemplating his next actions. When he couldn’t handle it anymore, he finally looked over at her, still in the same uncomfortable position with commuters wedged between her.

Alex felt his heart skip a beat as he watched her sending him a small smile. He returned her smile, eyes growing tender. ‘Are you okay?’ he mouthed, referring to her current state. His stomach turned into knots, watching her huddled into a corner, trapped into the cramped space. He saw her nod her head, shoulders shrugging as she gave him a tired look. Fuck it, I’m doing it. he thought.

The never ending battle inside his head ceased and he didn’t know where the sudden confidence came from. The professor gestured with his head to the space next to him, indicating for her to stand. He saw her face etch into a confused look, tilting her head to the side. He gave her a look, eyes tinted with slight amusement and he gestured with his hand, pointing next to him.

Realization dawned on her face. A flustered expression formed her delicate features, lips curled up as she mirrored his simper with a shy nod. She looked beside her, noticing a passenger asleep on her shoulder. She blew out a small breath, face gracing with a scorn as she carefully moved her shoulder. She shifted her body to the side, making the person’s head hit the window. She stifled back a laugh, chewing on her bottom lip as she was trying to squeeze through the crowded space.

Nina deeply exhaled, not realizing she was holding her breath. Her eyes found him as she was walking toward him, whose face was painted with amusement at her situation. Her lips curved up, a dust of pink dancing across her cheeks as she held her bag close to her body. Her other hand was gripping on the rubber handle to keep her from falling, but the train lurched causing her to stumble on her feet. She gripped on the handle with both hands, feeling the train sped along the tracks, swaying side to side that made it difficult to walk.

“Fucking hell,” she muttered under her breath, the train’s erratic jerks nearly throwing her off her balance. She managed to carefully make her way toward him, but just as she neared her professor, she tripped over her own feet. Her lips uttered a small squeak just as he caught her in time, steadying her with a firm grip before she could fall. “Woah there—-I’ve got you.” his deep voice filled inside her eardrums, feeling his arm around her waist.

Nina felt a flush of embarrassment creeping up her neck, eyes looking anywhere but him. She let his touch soak into her skin, his warmth sending electricity through her. She turned to face him, suddenly aware of how close they were standing. She watched him smiling softly down at her, “Well, that would’ve been one way to make an entrance.” she heard him say, making her lips twitch upwards.

Nina hummed with a small chuckle, eyes sparking. “I guess I’ve got a future in stunt work if my psychology degree doesn’t pan out.” she jested, wiggling her eyebrows making her professor laugh. She joined him, but their laughter seemed to abruptly cease, noticing some people on the train giving them disapproving looks.

The pair looked back at each other, stifling back another laugh. Alex looked at the old couple glaring daggers at them, his lips curving upwards. “Someone skipped their coffee this morning.” he said in a small voice, his voice barely above a whisper, but she heard him nonetheless.

Nina nodded her head, a simper resting on her lips. "You’re right. They look like they could use a strong cup right now.” she whispered, eyes averting away from the couple toward him, her grin widening as they both dissolved in quiet laughter.

The Collett girl tried her best to stomp down the butterflies that swarmed into her stomach, the sound of his laughter sending her almost reeling. She felt a flush of rose spread across her cheeks, along with a furiously beating heart that she was so sure of him hearing. Nina was taken off guard how they effortlessly fell into a conversation, their words flowing as freely as the train moved along the tracks.

She couldn’t grasp where she got her sudden confidence from, her shyness melting away as they talked about anything and everything that came to mind. He told her about his passion for music, revealing a side of him she hadn’t expected. She shared snippets of her life, but hesitating to mention her daughter waiting for her at home. She felt it wasn’t the time nor the place to reveal such information, yet.

The conversation flowed, creating a pleasant rhythm between them. Yet, as the conversation eventually began to fade, a comfortable silence engulfed around them. They exchanged occasional glances from time to time, gentle smiles and soft looks toward each other. The train rumbled along, the clatter of tracks being the only sound that was heard over the cramped ambiance. It was quiet on the train. There were a few murmurs and hushed whispers from a few passengers, while the rest were either seated or standing with tired expressions, face blunt as a white canvas. It created a peaceful atmosphere, allowing people to retreat into their own thoughts.

Then, the silence was interrupted by a sudden jolt as the train lurched violently. Nina was caught off guard, losing her balance and before she could react she was flung forward. She collided with her professor, her body slamming into his hard chest. Her hands instinctively flew out, placing against his chest as she crashed into him, the scent of his cologne filling her senses.

Alex’s arms were around her in an instant, hand gripping her waist with a firm but gentle hold, keeping her on her toes. “I got you, love.” he grunted, the use of an endearment slipping from his lips. Time seemed to slow as she looked up, her breath hitching as their eyes met. The world outside the train seemed to fade away, leaving only the pair wrapped in each other’s presence.

Nina opened her mouth, but closed it, not knowing what to say. She was so immersed in his touch that she found herself unable to speak. Her fingers subconsciously curled against the fabric of his shirt as she looked at him. Her heart stammered against her chest, feeling blood rushing through her ears. She grew hot under his touch, his rough fingers tracing down her back was enough to make her pulse quicken.

“Arriving in Paddington station.” The female announcer said through the speaker, causing the train to come to a stop. Some passengers flew out of the train, others were racing to get a seat or even a comfortable place to stand.

A soft smile tugged at the corner of Alex’s lips, his firm yet gentle grip on her waist slowly loosening. It was as if he was reluctant to let her go. “There’s your stop,” he whispered, his hand running down her back comfortably before finally letting her go. And he hated that he had to let her go.

Nina seemed to snap back to her state, eyes blinking as she realized that she was still nestled up to his chest. A warm blushed tinged her face and she slowly left her hand, turning to her side to watch the passengers desperately trying to leave the packed train. She felt cold when his hand left her waist, along with the warmth of her face disappearing, as if someone was leaching all of the vibrancy out of her skin. A heavy feeling settled into her stomach and she exhaled before turning back to her professor.

There was something in the way he was looking at her that made her stop in her tracks. His caramel eyes seemed to hold her in place, making the back of her hair stand up. She wanted to move and exit the train, but it was like her feet were glued to the ground. Her heart was having a war with how it was violently beating, and she wondered if everyone on the train could hear how fast it was thudding. She wanted to say something, but her mind was a swirling fog, preventing her from expressing her thoughts.

Someone brushing their shoulders with hers seemed to pull her back yet again from her spiraling mind. She bit her lip, feet slowly sauntering toward a small group of people ready to leave the train. She halted with her steps and turned her body toward him again with a kind smile. “See you next week, Mr. Turner.” she sheepishly bid her goodbyes, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He watched her leave in a hurry, her body disappearing into the mass as the door closed. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. A frown was growing on his features, eyebrows creasing his forehead as he looked at the door. His own reflection was staring right back at him and he looked away, his gaze forward as his mind went haywire.

Nina Collett, who are you really? He thought to himself.

80 notes · View notes

ariisheresstuff · 1 year ago

Text

I’m Never Leaving You

Pairings: Javier Peña x fem!reader

Summary: You just have given birth to your first newborn, a baby girl. It’s been a dream to start a family with Javi. But after a couple of weeks after having your daughter, Javi has been on the go with his missions and cases. You’re scared that he’s never gonna come back from a mission and leave you alone with your daughter.

Genre: Comfort, slight angst

Warnings: Mentions of death, crying, nothing that needs a trigger warning idk (NOT PROOFREAD I’m lazy💀)

MasterList

A/N: My requests are open, have a good day! <3

You groaned as you heard the sound of your two week old daughter screaming her lungs out at three in the morning. You slowly sat up as you rubbed the sleep from your eyes. Clearly fighting the urge of sleep. You felt a hand rub your wrist, you looked down to see your husband awake. “I got her hermosa. Go back to sleep.” “You sure?” “Yes cariño, you need sleep.” You laid back down as your eyes drooped. Javi sat up and placed a kiss on your temple. He got out of bed before yawning and stretching. He walked out of the room to enter the room across. He walked into his daughter’s nursery as she continued to wail. He leaned over the crib to see his daughter squirming the best she can only at two weeks. Javi slowly and carefully picked up the small child and placed her on his bare chest. His hands supporting her head as she leaned into her father’s neck still crying. “¿Que paso, mi princesa?” What’s happened, my princess? He placed a kiss on her head that was growing tons of dark hair. He gently shushed the crying infant as she squirmed in his hold. Javi started to hiccup as her cries died down. “You’re okay mi amor, daddy’s right here.” He whispered as she walked around her nursery to get her calm down. She started to make little noises as her crying settled. He rubbed her onesie covered back as she started to fall back asleep. Javi softly hummed a tune for a few minutes before he decided that she was asleep. He walked back over to her crib and softly placed her in the crib. He smiled as he admired his sweet baby girl peacefully sleeping. He rubbed a finger over her rosy cheek “Buenas noches, mi amor.” Good night, my love. He turned away as he walked out of the nursery and walked back into your shared bedroom. He laid back on his side as he pulled you into his chest. “Just needed her daddy’s attention.” Javi joked as he ran his fingers through your hair “The daddy’s girl she is.” You mumbled with your eyes still closed, Javi chuckled. “Damn right she is.” You scoffed as you lightly punched him in the shoulder making him laugh “Don’t start Javi.” “I’m just fucking with you Cariño.” He kissed your forehead before the both of you dozed back off to sleep.

You groaned lightly to the brightness that entered through the bedroom, you stretched your arm out to find your husband but only found an empty side. You frowned. At work again? He hasn’t been taking a break from work until after you had your daughter. You wished he would just think about himself. You sighed before getting up and checking on your daughter. You entered her nursery to hear her making the usual noises baby makes. You smiled seeing her awake, her brown eyes staring at you. “Good morning mi amor. You sleep well?” You cooed at her before picking her up as she squealed lightly. You frowned at the fact that Javi isn’t here to enjoy a day with his daughter and you. You know his job is strict but you just wish he could have some time with his family.

Javi sighed as he rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Ever since this Escobar case has been starting, Javi and his team have been on the go catching this guy and his workers. “Well, don’t you look like shit.” Javi looked up to see his partner Steve with a smirk as he sat by his desk. “Try being away from your daughter who was just born asshole.” Steve just shrugged, “Sorry man, must suck.” Javi just sighed as he took a drag from his cigarette. “Anything today?” “Apparently one of Escobar’s workers are in the town paying off some dealer.” “So I’m assuming we gotta go and catch this son of a bitch.” “Point for Peña.” Steve smirked “Jesus fuck.” Javi sighed as he stood up grabbing his gun, getting ready for another mission. “Are you coming or not Murphy?” Steve gave Javi a teasing smirk before grabbing his gun and standing up “Now that’s the spirit Javi.” “Can I just shoot you?” Javi snarled, not in no mood for Steve’s teasing remarks. “Might start some shit, if you wanna risk it go for it.” Javi just rolled his eyes as he and Steve exited the office and getting into their truck.

You quietly shushed your daughter who was fussing lightly in her sleep, it was almost 3 in the morning. You hated when Javi was gone for the whole night, you feared the worst. “Daddy’s coming home soon mi amor.” You told your daughter who was falling in and out of sleep due to her father not being here. Javi always put his daughter to sleep, but it wasn’t the same when he wasn’t here. Javi did call you earlier to let you know that he has a mission today, it didn’t sound too serious but you didn’t think it would take the whole night. You sighed as you rubbed your daughters back as you sat down on the couch. That’s when you heard the front door unlocking, you heard Javi groaned tiredly as he opened the door. You sighed in relief as you stood up, “Hey.” Javi jumped lightly hearing your voice, expecting you to be asleep. “Jesus baby, almost gave me a heart attack.” He joked as you apologized, “What are you still doing up?” He whispered Not wanting to frighten his daughter who he assumed was sleeping. “Little miss couldn’t sleep without her daddy.” You said as you both looked down to look at your daughter who had her eyes opened. She cooed seeing her father as he raised her little arms towards him. Javi smiled, happily taking his daughter from your arms. “Mi amor, daddy missed you. You missed me? Hmm? My precious little bean.” Javi bounded the infant as he pecked her chubby cheeks, Javi closed his eyes as he relaxed. Finally home with his wife and daughter. You smiled lightly enjoying the sight of the man you love with your daughter, enjoying their moment. Your daughter instantly fell asleep in her fathers arms. “I’ll put her to bed.” Javi whispered to you before pecking your temple, you watched him go as you walked into your bedroom you shared with Javi.

As you got ready for bed you couldn’t help but feel this wave of sadness hit you. You didn’t even hear Javi walk in the room, too busy from your thoughts. “Baby?” You jumped at his voice “Sorry.” “You okay?” Javi asked you with a softer voice l, he walked over to you. He wrapped his arms around your waist as he pulled you into a hug. “It’s nothing, I was just thinking.” “Thinking of what mi amor?” You sighed feeling your eyes burn from the tears approaching. Javi started to rub your back, that’s when it broke you. You started to sob into his chest. It made Javi jump, he wasn’t expecting you to cry. He quickly shushed you as he continued to rub your back and place kisses on your hairline. “Hey, it’s okay hermosa.” “I-I’m sorry, it-it’s I-just- “It’s what baby? Please tell me.” Javi cupped your face making you look at him, he wiped your tear away with his thumb as he looked into your eyes. It broke him seeing you so upset. You stared into his chocolate eyes as you hiccuped. He slowly leaned down to kiss your lips, helping you calm down. “What is bothering my lovely wife?” You sighed as you started. “I-it’s- I’m scared.” “Scared of what my love?” You looked down as you sniffled, “I’m scared you’re not gonna come home one day.” Your voice cracked as you said that, Javi immediately knew what you were talking about. “Baby…” “I’m scared that one day you’re gonna be dead and I’m not gonna know a-and about our daughter- “Hey. Stop talking like that. I’m serious.” Javi cut you off as he looked at you, “I know I’ve been busy with this case, and I know this is the most dangerous case I’ve been on. Hell, I’m risking my life to protect this country and I’m protecting you and our daughter. I’m scared too baby, and I know you are too. I’m sorry you’re between this and I wish you weren’t.” “I just wanna go home.” “I know baby, I do too. But I promise, once this case is done. We’ll go home where it’s safe, and we’ll start our family. Okay?” You nodded as Javi kissed your forehead before pulling you in for a hug, he whispered sweet nothings in your ear as he rubbed your back. “I love you, you know that?” You nodded “Words can’t describe the love I have for you Y/N.” You smiled in the hug at how caring your husband was. “I love you tons too Javi. Always have and always will.” You said as you looked up at your lover, you smiled at him making him smile back. You both leaned in for a kiss, a slow loving one. You both pulled away slowly for air, “Let’s get ready for bed hmm? I took the day off tomorrow.” You smiled at that making Javi chuckle, he took your hand as he led you to the bed. “Get comfy, I’ll be in bed in a few.” You nodded, “Hey.” “What?” You pulled him down by the collar of his shirt as you slammed your lips on his. It surprised Javi a bit before he relaxed, enjoying the kiss. You smirked as you pulled away from him, “Should’ve known.” He teased making you laugh, you watched him as he entered the bathroom. “I love you Javi.” He turned to face you, giving you a smile “And I love you more cariño.” You both smiled at each other before letting him go get ready to join you. You smiled as you laid down on the comfy bed. You sighed feeling loved and happy knowing that Javi would always be there with you.

Tag-List: @otomefan @chunnies @slasherstories123 @avengersfan25

#narcos javier peña #narcos netflix #narcos series #javier pena fluff #javier pena x y/n #javier pena fanfiction #javier pena x reader #javier pena x you #javier pena x female reader #javier pena angst #javier pena pedro pascal #pedro pascal #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal x reader #javier peña narcos #javier pena fanfic #javier peña

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shiningdesignersreflections · 2 years ago

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Chapter 2: Newborn

Narrated by Krista.

~Content Warning: death~

Narrator: Suddenly, the neighing of a horse reached my ears, and I was hit by a gust of air whipped up by a carriage speeding over.

Narrator: I strained to look up and saw an ornate carriage stopping in front of me.

Coachman: Get out of my way, you filth! Go cry somewhere else! How dare you stain the carriage!

Narrator: The coachman looked at me like I was a pile of filthy mud. He jumped off the carriage, threatening to boot me away.

Narrator: I was so frightened that I closed my eyes, but instead of getting the kick to my face as I expected, a man’s haughty voice reached my ears.

Man: Look up.

Narrator: I tried to open my eyes and saw a gentleman scrutinizing my appearance.

Narrator: He was wearing a finely crafted cloak, stitched with silver threads that glinted with a cold, dazzling light.

Narrator: I blinked in confusion. As I did that, the teardrop hanging from my eyelashes that had turned into an ice crystal in the cold wind fell on his hand.

Narrator: He glanced down at the ice crystal on his glove and then looked at me thoughtfully.

Man: You poor girl, why are you crying?

Narrator: Why? I looked around.

Narrator: The little girl who used to have golden curly hair now is lying motionless on the ground.

Narrator: And there were many others who ended up just like her... lying dead on the snow.

Narrator: They all were once living people. They all once smiled in the sun.

Narrator: A few slum dwellers lingered on the street, barely hanging on to life. They looked beseechingly at the finely dressed gentleman in front of me as if he would give out some food.

Narrator: But their pleading gaze was ruthlessly blocked by the coachman and servants standing next to him.

Narrator: Since when inside my eyes, there was nothing else but tears? I had no idea.

I cried when crops could no longer grow on the land. I cried when birds stopped singing. I cried when those familiar smiling faces disappeared one by one. I cried because I was powerless to help. I cried because Delmond was cursed and forsaken...

Narrator: I was too tired to explain in detail, so I gave him a curt answer.

Krista: For Delmond, sir.

Narrator: A strange glint flashed across his eyes. He sighed softly and asked his servants to help me onto the carriage.

Narrator: I didn’t know what caused the god of fortune to suddenly smile upon me, but when my cold body sank onto the warm goose feather cushion, I felt so relaxed and content that I fell asleep almost immediately.

Narrator: I dreamed about my parents again. They have changed into clean clothes. My mother was wearing her favorite dress and had a wide smile on her face.

Narrator: They waved me goodbye. I struggled to catch up to them, crying. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t reach them. In the end, I could only watch them disappearing into the dazzling light.

Mom: Stay strong, honey.

Narrator: Mother’s voice was still lingering beside my ears. I woke up with a start and found myself in a strange, well-decorated room.

Narrator: Servants were hurrying in and out, setting a table of hearty food in front of me.

Narrator: I swallowed quietly and looked gingerly at the man sitting across from me.

Man: Help yourself, child. These are prepared just for you.

Narrator: I had a lot of questions in my mind, but hunger forced me to set them aside and I started tucking in.

Narrator: I remembered my parents telling me that every piece of bread was earned through hard work.

Narrator: And so, right after filling my stomach, I looked up at the good Samaritan in front of me.

Krista: Is there anything I can do for you in return, sir?

Narrator: He smiled softly, then motioned his servant to bring me a luxurious gown. It was the lightest and smoothest silk I had ever seen, dripping in glittering gems that were evocative of the Milky Way on summer nights.

Man: Put it on, child. You will become the hope of Delmond.

Chapter 1

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

#krista #shining nikki #chapter 2 #newborn #transcript #sorrow #delmond #slums #poverty #feast #content warning #trigger warning #death #midnight tears #pigeon #pigeon kingdom

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fastlikealambo · 29 days ago

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the scratch letters: an agathario au fic

Summary: Even with all her powers as a modern witch, cancer takes Agatha’s little boy. One lonely night, a grief stricken Agatha writes a letter to Death.

One year later, Death writes back.

I wrote this listening to the bridge of that’s so true by gracie abrams nonstop, do with that information what you will.

Trigger warnings for cancer, death of a child, grief, wound description.

This is something I’m not sure about yet so let me know what you think!

Chapter One: Letter No.1

Agatha Harkness measured her son’s death in numbers.

135 visits from Jen.

Armed with potions and tinctures she eased his pain and brought referrals to the best doctors in and out of Westview.

123 times Lilia told Agatha her boy was “young and strong.”

Agatha believed the words but not the cards Lilia shuffled and cut, again and again.

87 flower bouquets and tuna noodle casseroles from Sharon Davis.

1 time Alice took them straight to the hospital in the back of her squad car to cut through traffic because Nicholas was scared of ambulances at the end.

When there was nothing, magic or medical to be done, Agatha Harkness tucked her son into her bed, the one in which he came into this world, and rocked him in her arms. In his final moments he heard his mother’s lullaby of whispered spells and pleas to those above and below, mortal and infernal, to save her baby.

All of Westview heard when Nicholas Scratch left the mortal plane.

In the silence that followed after his funeral and daily check-ins from her coven and nervous neighbors, Agatha held a bottle in one hand and her grimoire in the other.

When neither brought her comfort, grief dressed Agatha head to toe in rage and when one moment led to another, Nicky’s baby box ended up in the fireplace.

No longer afraid of pain, Agatha retrieved what was left, blistered and blackened hands cradled a charred teddy bear with the weight and tenderness of a newborn babe.

Through tears, Agatha put pen to paper, an amalgamation of ink, gin, and peeling skin poured out of her to compose the following letter:

Dear Death,

Fuck you.

-Agatha Harkness

Either too drunk or too sad, Agatha did not notice the letter vanish from existence and completely forgot about it when her coven got her off the living floor and helped her begin again, one foot in front of the other.

Approximately one year later, the clock in Agatha’s house struck midnight, waking the snoring witch from her place sprawled on the couch.

Agatha had all but shut her eyes when a soft plop made her sit straight up and hastily flip the light switch, light flooding the living room.

In the middle of the unlit fireplace sat a black envelope.

Agatha lazily snapped her fingers and lit the fireplace to destroy the unwanted and unknown piece of mail, eager to go back to her dreams where Nicholas resided.

Yet beneath the soot and smoke the letter was still there, completed unharmed.

“Fuck it, this better not be about my car’s extended warranty.” Agatha grumbled, snatching back the blanket tangled around her legs and haphazardly plucked the envelope from the ashes. With all the delicacy of a cat presented with a plump mouse, she ripped the envelope open, dead flower petals and beetle wings spilling to the ground.

On black paper in bottle green ink, the letter read as follows:

Dear Agatha,

That’s rude.

Yours,

R.V.

As Agatha turned over the letter to see if there was more, she noticed that the ever present burn scars that littered her hands were now nowhere to be found.

It would appear that Agatha Harkness had a penpal.

#agathario #agatha x rio #agathario fic #agatha harkness x rio vidal #agathario fanfic #tw cancer #tw child death

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greendest1ny · 2 months ago

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hello again ninjago fandom, it's me, your self-proclaimed oniologist, greendest1ny, here with some more traditional oni lore!!

today, i'll be telling you how oni were created in the traditional japanese mythology!

the way that oni were created is quite a long story, and requires some trigger warnings: sibling incest between two gods (gross, why do most mythologies do that??), death in childbirth, and child murder.

Created by Ame-no-Minakanushi and Kuni-no-Tokotachi, Izanami-No-Mikoto was the primordial goddess of creation and death and her brother, Izanagi-No-Mikoto, was the primordial god of creation and life. The two of them were created to make the islands of Japan, and were given a magical spear to do so, the Ame-no-Nuboko. To make quite a long story short, they created the islands of Japan and married. They had multiple children, one of them being the god of fire, Kagutsuchi.

Unfortunately, Izanami-No-Mikoto died in childbirth, as Kagutsuchi burned her to death while being born. Izanagi-No-Mikoto was driven into a grief filled rage, and murdered the newborn Kagutsuchi, cutting him into eight pieces, which turned into eight volcanoes, and causing multiple deities to be born from his dead body.

During her final moments, Izanami-No-Mikoto bore the water goddess, Mizuhanome, and instructed her to calm Kagutsuchi should he become violent, unaware of what Izanagi-No-Mikoto had done.

After Izanami-No-Mikoto's funeral, Izanagi-No-Mikoto could not accept what had happened, and journeyed to the underworld, Yomi, to retrieve her. When he arrived, Izanami-No-Mikoto's figure was hidden by the shadows, and Izanagi-No-Mikoto couldn't see her. She informed him that she had eaten the fruit of the underworld, and she couldn't leave.

Izanagi-No-Mikoto refused to leave her, and while she slept, he took his comb from his hair and lit it on fire, and was horrified to see that Izanami-No-Mikoto was now little more than a living decaying corpse, with foul creatures running over her body, with oni being born from her very corpse, most notably being the thunder, lightning, and storm god, Raijin, and the wind god, Fūjin.

Izanagi-No-Mikoto was horrified, shrieking loudly and running away, intending to abandon poor Izanami-No-Mikoto in Yomi. Izanami-No-Mikoto awoke and was enraged, sending a multitude of demons after him, and pursuing him herself.

Izanagi-No-Mikoto escaped by the cave he had entered through, blocking the entrance to Yomi with a large, impenetrable boulder. Izanami-No-Mikoto screamed from the other side of the boulder, and declared 'if you leave me here, i shall destroy a thousand of the living everyday!'

Izanagi-No-Mikoto angrily exclaimed 'then i shall create a thousand and five hundred humans everyday!' and abandoned Izanami-No-Mikoto in Yomi for the rest of eternity.

Izanami-No-Mikoto became the goddess of death that day, and Izanagi-No-Mikoto the god of life.

—

i like how Izanami-No-Mikoto parallels firstbourne, though, as they were both all-mothers to their respective species.

i can just imagine mystaké telling wu and garm this story, and wu being all sympathetic to izanami-no-mikoto, while garm would be a little more like 'why didn't she just break the boulder??' and mystaké going 'it was impenetrable!! did you not listen at all, young garmadon?! do not disrespect our mother in yomi!!' as i imagine most oni would really respect izanami-no-mikoto because of her creating their ancestors, and her being the goddess of death and all that,,

i can also link parts of her story to the oni masks: vengeance being how she kills a thousand humans a day to make izanagi-no-mikoto pay, deceit being how she tried to hide what she had become from izanagi-no-mikoto, and hatred being her clear hatred of izanagi-no-mikoto after her abandonment.

—

other oni lore

how oni were created, oni and cannibalism, kijin/source oni, traditional oni weapons, traditional oni stories, what repels oni

feel free to leave any questions in my ask box!!

taglist (ask to be added or removed): @mx-mizaqx

#oni lore is weird sometimes ngl #does this post make it obvious that i have a hyperfixation on oni and japanese mythology??#im so sorry i posted this so late #ninjago #lego ninjago #ninjago dragons rising #ninjago dr #dragons rising #lord garmadon #lloyd garmadon #master wu #ninjago mystake #oni lore #oni #ninjago oni #lego ninjago oni

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gvfmarge · 10 months ago

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My first fic????!!! Who am I??

Jakey blurb:

I’m so so nervous to post this. I don’t have many followers and I haven’t really interacted with many of you. But I just had this idea in my head and I had to write it down, it’s super duper short. I’m not a writer by any means and I didn’t really edit this, so please be kind. 🥺

This is loosely based off of my experience with my 2 babies and our first days at home. (It’s really not as beautiful as this makes it out to be and the exhaustion is REAL- in case you don’t have kiddos)

This is probably a flop and I doubt anyone will actually read but here it is. Also, I’m on mobile so I hope this posts okay and is readable. Again, please be kind and I would always love some type of feedback or critiques!!

Trigger warnings: Newborns and exhaustion. Really nothing but pure sickening fluff.

Jake (husband/dad) x Reader

~~~

“Are you just soooo hungry, is my sweet girl just starving to death?” He hums to her as he zips up the lilac colored floral footie pajamas. As he scoops her up from the changing table, he turns to you with his toothy grin. “Momma’s right here baby.” He hushes her cries with his whispered promises. Jake slips Nora into your arms and gently sinks down into the bed beside you.

You’ve always loved Jake. You’ve loved him since the first time you met eyes. He takes up every ounce of your heart. But there is just something in the way he rocks your daughter, something in the way he sings to her, the way he looks at you while you’re holding her that makes you realize you never knew how much you actually loved him. You never believed your heart could hold any more love for this man, but watching him love the child you created with him has made you feel like the world has stopped for only you and your new family.

Today is your second full day of being home from the hospital after giving birth. It’s nothing like you imagined, it’s harder than you ever imagined but Jake has been nothing short of amazing. You have never felt more taken care of and cherished before.

“I can’t believe she’s actually real.” He says looking down at her in awe while she nurses. You can see the love in his eyes, you can feel it radiating off of him. It has enveloped your entire life now. Every inch of your house is full of love because of this new life you have brought into it.

“I know, I still feel like it’s all a dream actually.” You whisper back, leaning your head on his shoulder. “It felt like she would never be here and here she is.” He hums in response and turns his head to kiss your forehead. You both sit tangled together while you feed Nora until she finally falls asleep in your arms.

Jake eventually slides off the bed when he notices your eyes getting heavy. “Let me take her for a while baby, you need to nap.” He says stretching out his arms to lift her off of your chest. “Are you sure? I’m okay, I really don’t feel tired.” As you’re yawning, you realize just how exhausted you are. Jake has barely let you lift a finger since you’ve been home from the hospital. He’s changed almost every diaper, cooked every meal, woken up with Nora almost every hour at night to help you feed her. “Aren’t you tired too? You’ve done so much, lay down with me and we can cuddle while she naps.” You’re hoping he agrees, you really don’t want him to take her and you really don’t want him to leave either.

He places Nora in her bassinet beside the bed and places his hand on her chest and she settles back down into sleep. He slowly walks to turn off the lamps around the room and closes the curtains, stretching his arms above his head as he walks back to his side of the bed and almost crashes his body into the mattress. “I’m so glad you said that because I think I might die if I don’t sleep.” He says muffled into his pillow.

You giggle at his dramatics and curl into his side, pulling the blankets up over your shoulders. “I love you so much, Jake. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to show you just how much.”

“You already have baby, you’ve given me everything I could ever want and more. You’ve given me the perfect little family, that is all mine. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

As you both drift off into your nap, you both can’t help but smile through the exhaustion. Understanding now just how much this is all you’ve ever wanted.

#Greta van fleet #fanfic #gvf #jake kiszka x reader #fluff #Jake blurb #jake kiszka #jake kiszka blurb #jake kiszka fic #greta van fleet fic #gvf fic #jake fluff #jake kiszka fluff #my writing

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skele-bunny · 4 months ago

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Hi everyone! It was brought to my attention there's concerns about things I write and my writing language, so I wanted to address that!

I want to say first and foremost, I heavily encourage people communicating to me and criticism! I don't mind it at all, and I'm perfectly fine explaining certain things, or feedback about what I can change.

I honestly, genuinely appreciate these things being brought to my attention! I never intend to make people uncomfortable, and if there's a way to change and fix that, I'll do it.

The term "newborn".

So, I was informed that me using the term "newborn" for ghouls made some very uncomfortable especially in nsfw settings. I totally get that, and I hear you! I'll avoid using the term. I had begun using the title as it was not only a source thing for my system, but a way for me to associate new ghouls separately.

I may start using the term in the far future but strictly for fluff purposes, and it's 1000% retired from sexual situations starting now. Instead, I'll begin using "freshly/newly summoned." Or a long the lines.

Infantizing Phantom and Aurora.

I'm very aware I write Phantom in a "smaller" way, as my backstory for him includes being dumbed down and secluded from outside things. It was pointed out how he doesn't seem like an adult in certain situations, and I'll now start to mature that mentality up. I take full acknowledgement on how I write Phantom, but it was never intended to make him act/speak like a child or give the implications he was anything but an adult. But I assure, my language revolving around him will start changing.

As for Aurora, that was completely unintentional. I can understand how it may come across as that, and I'll start taking greater care to see my language revolving around them both in situations.

Fetishizing Rape.

I am a dead dove writer, I've made that extremely clear in both my bio and pinned message. However, I have never meant for any of my Ghost writings to come across as this. The only time you may see me going near that would be with my DD fandoms of Boyfriend to Death/The Price of Flesh, that will only and strictly be posted to my AO3. That is the only, only time.

I do write implications and descriptions of sexual assault, yes, but each one I've made sure to tag/trigger warn as much as possible. These instances are never for fetishizing purposes and only explanations of the past, trauma healing, and in other forms of past tense. If I ever write active SA, it won't be in graphic detail, vague, and warned as much as possible.

Majority of these stories are dedicated to "good endings" of the abuser being killed and the survivor continuing to live on in their own peace, which is catered to my own self and how I want to perceive healing. There's been a few times I've written side "endings" where this doesn't happen, and it's strictly for writing purposes and never delved deep into description. Like a one and done situation, and not what I take as my own canon.

I really hope I was able to clear a majority of these things and explain my thought process. I did not purposely intend for any of these to come across wrongly or as fetishizing purposes. I assure that my terminology and writing habits will be double checked and changed to accommodate to make sure these incidents don't happen again.

If you feel like I need to adjust something or explain, I heavily encourage communicating to me wether as an anon or messages! I am always open to feedback, and I want to make my writing space comfortable for everyone to read and interact with. 🩷

#rabrev #cw sa mention #cw rape mention #the band ghost #ghost band

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talesfromarandomsapphic · 1 year ago

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Yet another Originals tangent coming y’all’s way:

TRIGGER WARNING—

I am TIRED. TIRED. Of people centering the abusers in the conversations about the people they abused. (I am a childhood domestic violence and sexual assault survivor, for context).

Like Hayley, when she tried to run with Hope. But it’s never about the trauma Hayley endured being forced to give birth, being murdered, having her newborn taken away, the way Klaus abused her, the way Elijah manipulated her, no. It’s never about any of that, it’s only ever about Klaus’s feelings. Or Elijah’s feelings.

Or Rebekah, who literally suffered at the hands of her brothers. The fact she was never allowed be in love and happy, but was never allowed to? No one wants to talk about the trauma of watching anyone she dared to love be murdered by Klaus. The brother she tried to kill Mikael for TWICE. But it’s never about her, is it? Nope. It’s only ever about Klaus’s feelings about her life and wanting love, or Elijah’s obsession with Klaus’s redemption that her happiness somehow “got in the way of”.

Or Caroline, who was assaulted by Damon. Murdered by Katherine. Abused by Klaus. But no. She forgave them so it’s okay, it’s never about her. Ever. Just because she may have been better as a vamp doesn’t mean it was okay? Just because Klaus “fancied” her disgustingly in the moment doesn’t mean the fact he tried killing her twice was okay?

Even Bonnie, who was abused by Kai. And people are mad she didn’t want to forgive him? After all the abuse that he put her through? No abuser is ever owed forgiveness. Or the fact that everyone is somehow okay with Damon being her bestie, even though HE WAS A CONFEDERATE SOLDIER WHO WAS ACTIVELY HARMING HER FRIENDS WHEN THEY MET? But nooo, it’s always about Kai and Damon and never about the harm she went through.

Or Stefan. Who was assaulted by Katherine? Somehow her running from Klaus is more important?

Tyler (I can’t believe I forgot him)? Who literally had his mother and uncle murdered, was forced by Klaus to be a hybrid? But his feelings and trauma just don’t matter because it’s Klaus?

Marcel, who was abused by the Mikaelson men? His whip wounds mocked, the plantation he was raised in being lived in by the people who took him in, killed by someone he once viewed as a father figure? But somehow him being mad is the problem because it hurt Klaus and Elijah’s feelings?

Davina? Who was literally raised in what was essentially a no choice cult, groomed for death, who watched all her friends get murdered? Was murdered more than once. She’s the problem, even though Klaus poisoned her, killed her boyfriend like she was another Rebekah, held her hostage? Or it’s always about Freya because “family”, even though she was TOLD NOT TO TOUCH DAVINA. But no, she hated the Mikaelson’s how DARE SHE!

Jackson? Who literally did nothing but love Hayley unconditionally, took her in pregnant when he absolutely did not have to. He loved loved her and Hope until his last breath. But somehow Elijah’s feelings were more important, not all the good that Jackson did and how much shit the Mikaelson’s put him and the pack through.

Cami, my god poor Cami. No one wants to talk about how much Klaus made her suffer, because somehow that doesn’t matter in the end? She was spiraling, in pain, but Klaus loved her so that makes it alllll okay? The poor girl.

Quit. Centering. The. Feelings. Of. The. Abusers. In. The. Conversations. About. The. Victims. Of. Their. Abuse.

It’s. Disgusting.

And survivors see exactly what you’re saying.

#the originals #the vampire diaries #jackson kenner #tvd #hayley marshall #rebekah mikaelson #marcel gerard #davina claire #cami o'connell #stefan salvatore #caroline forbes #bonnie bennett

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castaway-achlys · 7 months ago

Text

Castor's Backstory!

Warnings!

If you are uncomfortable with dark topics, this may not be for you. Please also keep in mind that this is quite long, around 2200 words, and only really encompasses Castor's background. Please let me know if I have missed anything regarding triggers.

Triggers include: genetic experimentation and modification, medical horror, marital issues, child abuse, racism (their mother hates fae), corruption, manipulation, deception, lying, a narcissistic parent (their mother), monsters (phantoms), body horror, self harm, bodily mutilation, disrespect for the dead, severe neglect, starvation, death, blood, torture, mental trauma, forced hormone therapy, isolation, gender inequality, overblotting, and brief mentions of dysphoria.

Castor and Pollux were born to parents Astraia and Iason Achlys on the 22nd of May under the star sign of Gemini. Though, upon seeing the results of Astraia's alleged modifications in the pursuit of the twins' health, it was impossible to ignore what she'd done. The beloved twins that Iason had waited so long to see... were now freaks of nature.

One twin was incredibly small despite both Astraia and Iason being rather tall, though still average humans. The other? Not outrageously large, but definitely shocking considering the stature of the other.

Iason was a bit outraged at his wife. The small female twin he'd dubbed as Castor, upon closer inspection, had pointed, fae-like ears. It didn't take a genius to also notice that this baby was... strong, despite being a newborn. When Iason provided his finger for her to try to grab, she had an insane amount of grip strength. He wasn't in any danger of being harmed or having it broken by her just yet, but this was not normal.

On the other hand... Astraia couldn't care any less about her husband's opinion now that he'd found out of her experimentation. Her work had resulted in a success. That was all that mattered.

Almost immediately after the discovery of the twins, Astraia's corruption began to seep through the cracks of the elaborate mask she'd designed. Her marriage had been a consummation of her and her spouse's love at the beginning, but now that she was pregnant, it was simply a hoax; another addition to the compendium of deceit she was maintaining to everyone, even her employers.

Iason was kept in the dark, and was none the wiser as to her plans. To him, she was the perfect woman, intelligent and beautiful, and someone he deeply treasured. He was so happy and excited to see the child-- or children, they'd later discover-- that would be born into a home filled with love.

Everything, even down to her employers, became tools which Astraia used to wield her hate and create her own tool-- no, her own weapon. As a top researcher at STYX, she had access to many things, and with every injection, every manipulation of the DNA of the eggs developing inside her, she took another step down a path from which she could not return. The creation of monsters... both her twins, and Astraia herself.

Upon seeing further developmental stages, it became evident that one twin was progressing much faster than the other. Its milestones were much more akin to a developing fae than the other twin, who was on track to becoming a healthy human baby.

From the time Astraia began noticing the fae-like traits of one of her twins, she felt a mixture of delight and disgust. She vehemently hated fae, regardless of what anyone would tell her or say. They were lesser, monsters, vermin. Even as they integrated into the world, and even if some of them had become her "friends," her co-workers... they were nothing short of scum that had taken the lives of so many humans in the past. Having one of those... those pests, growing inside her? Even if it was mostly human, it was still disgusting.

She defiled many bodies, both of her own twins and of deceased fae who had donated their bodies to science, using both in tandem to corrupt the unborn Castor and Pollux into her own monstrosities. Guilt barely crossed her conscience as she asked her husband what she'd like them to look like. Iason was admittedly unnerved by the question, but she coaxed him into telling her what he hoped the two would look like. After being assured nothing would go wrong, that she was simply ensuring their hair and eyes would be as desired, he finally gave into her wants.

One twin, the girl, would have one of Astraia's two eye colors-- bright pink-- and Iason's own dark blue hair. The other twin, the boy, would have her other eye color, a gentle blue, and opposite hair to his sister's, a bright pink. This way, both twins had her eyes, and one of the twins had his hair, and they would always be connected and recognizable by their opposite features.

Her true work began after that, in which she began injecting them with everything she'd prepared; at least, until she hit a roadblock. The larger and more human-like of the two, who would later be named Pollux, had been rejecting most of her edits. It was frustrating, but at least one of them, who would become Castor, was showing signs of success.

Immediately after Iason had a moment with his twins, they were whisked away to be cleaned up, though this was the last time Iason would see either of his beloved children for quite some time. Under the guise of ensuring their health, and now that he knew a little of what she'd done, she locked the twins away.

Despite screaming and crying, pleading with their tiny voices until their poor throats were raw for their mother's love, neither twin saw heads or tails of her. They were merely tests, and only fed enough to be healthy in these critical stages so soon after their births. Neither twin was given the opportunity to become attached to any worker that tended to their needs either; it was a new one each time.

Nobody could fight back against Astraia, lest she terminate the experiment-- meaning their lives were at risk if anyone so much as snuck in to feed them, and thus, as they grew, neither twin knew how to speak. They only ever cried to alert someone to their needs. No sounds, no babbling, no words.

The very first time they spoke, and for a long time after, they only uttered jumbled, incoherent medical terms they'd heard.

By the time that they could walk, the torture and torment to their small bodies had long since commenced. One twin, Castor, outshined the other, Pollux, in terms of results, but Pollux outshined Castor in terms of personality. He'd begun speaking a lot more, and had become very friendly, while Castor remained eerily silent. Her eyes were dark and devoid of life despite her young age, though Pollux made up for it with his immense amount of child-like curiosity and wonder for the world. Despite what happened to him, Pollux maintained a kind heart and sweet demeanor, while Castor only grew cold towards the world, except her brother.

Only Pollux could make a shimmer appear in her cruel, calculating gaze.

Around the age of 5, Castor's world would grow a thousand times darker. Pollux was released from the facility to live with Iason, who put him in school and began immediately atoning for the fact both of them had been without each other for 5 long years.

Meanwhile... Castor began the next stage of experimentation, where Astraia introduced phantom-- monster-- DNA to what she had already been doing, including hormone therapy. She'd been making Castor into a boy as much as she could without touching the child's body to surgically "fix her." Men were simply stronger, and she didn't intend to stop until Castor was more manly. Castor naively assumed this was normal. She was never told her own gender, much less taught about gender and identity.

Pollux had rubbed off on her, and now that she was older, Castor knew how to speak. She copied Pollux, and used her newfound words the only way she knew how-- to scream. To beg. To cry. To plead for mercy, for the torture to cease as her mother injected her small veins with a black tar-like substance that felt like fire, burning her from the inside out. It swallowed her whole, forcing her to quickly accumulate blot and pushing her body to the limit.

Her untrimmed nails clawed at her pale skin, digging into the flesh until scarlet liquid trailed down her arms as she attempted to stop the pain that seared and slowly spread through her body, all the way to her core. Astraia simply watched her daughter's blood spill with an upturned nose and an air of disgust. This pathetic being, begging her for mercy, was something that came from her? It simply wouldn't do.

With a snap of her mother's fingers, workers forced Castor down and strapped her to the cold, unforgiving surface of the medical table, where she'd yell daily until her voice no longer worked, tear stains were plastered to her thin, underfed cheeks, and the tears themselves no longer had enough supply to continue their flow from her doe-like eyes that began, once again, to lose their light in the absence of her brother.

When the experiment-- at least for that day-- would conclude, Castor would be released from the restraints, only to inflict more damage to herself. It was allowed to continue until enough data had been collected regarding her healing process, and then it would begin the worst cycle of neglect Castor had ever experienced.

Healing wounds, scabs, and scars all adorned her flesh until Astraia had grown sick of her fighting, and ordered workers to keep her strapped down for days at a time. During this period, Castor was denied food, water, attention, everything, and left to make a mess of herself and live in her own filth until people would unstrap her, drag her weak body up, and force her into a shower that felt like ice. Tubes were shoved down her throat without much regard for her safety, and food forced into her stomach, which would inevitably leave her throwing up from too much being fed too quickly after starvation.

As time passed, the workers would regret everything they did to her. Left on her own, in an imprisonment of white walls and artificial light, Castor grew feral, full of hatred and rage that coursed through her veins until one day, it stopped. On the outside, Castor was overblotting and committing atrocities, spilling the blood of workers, both innocent and guilty, but inside her mind was a comforting numbness that set in.

As Castor watched blood and light drain from the bodies of the people who had done this to her, a wicked smile stretched across her face. It was the worst outbreak the facility would ever see, both Castor and her phantom using magic that they'd not previously seen or known of to destroy entire sectors of the facility and squadrons of innocent fighters desperately trying to quell her anger.

Eventually, she was brought down, though not without consequences. As the price for destruction, Castor was forced in and out of an overblot state time and time again until her body could no longer withstand the sheer power it held, and gave out. It nearly resulted in her death, but the experiments simply continued without care from Astraia.

Over the years, visits from her brother became allowed once again, though it was during one of these visits that Castor, who had hit puberty at a young age, was finally informed of the things her mother had done. Normal girls bled, Castor did not. Normal girls did not have a significant change in their voice to make it lower, Castor did.

Once this had sunk in, it would take a few years before Castor did anything about it. Thanks to Pollux, who had grown so much, Castor did discover that she felt dysphoria and a disconnect from her birth gender, which was lucky for her considering the changes her mother had caused to take place in her body. Castor requested surgery to correct his breasts growing and make his chest flat, and had his matted, unkempt hair shaved off.

In solidarity for his new brother, Pollux, who already had longer hair-- though his was actually cared for-- continued to grow it out. If his brother felt down about his body and looks, Pollux would show Castor that his hair was long and pretty, and he was still a boy despite it.

It was small actions like this by his brother that gave Castor the strength to endure anything thrown at him, and to begin to calm the hatred that resided within him. It still very much raged silently in the very depths of his soul and threatened to seep through the cracks, but Pollux held him together despite his darkness.

Castor became much more docile, though not happy by any means. He simply allowed things to happen and trusted that he could make it through until the next time Pollux would be allowed to visit.

12 years passed, and Castor's progress, at least within the facility, had plateaued. In her benevolence-- which was mostly just to appease Iason, who threatened divorce and degrading her image-- Astraia allowed Castor to be freed.

Castor raced through school, absorbing so much knowledge that he graduated on time with his brother at the age of 17-- a mere 5 years spent on education that took most humans over a decade. During this time, he learned so much about the world and how humans worked... though nothing Iason tried-- medicine, therapy, support-- could heal the damage Astraia had done. Only his love and Pollux's could help Castor, who was stunted beyond belief.

#twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland roleplay #twst roleplay #twisted wonderland rp #twst rp #twisted wonderland oc #twst oc #twst oc roleplay #twst oc rp #oc backstory #triggering themes

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melanneco · 2 years ago

Text

What They'll Say About Us

Yelena Belova x Reader

Trigger Warnings: angst / major character death / blood / medical talk

Word Count: 857

Synopsis: Based on the song What They’ll Say About Us by FINNEAS. Yelena and Reader are expecting a baby, but on the day he is born, everything goes wrong and Reader ends up very ill.

Masterlist | Anne

It was supposed to be a good day. However, everything quickly changed when the doctor ordered the birth of Yelena and (Y/n)’s baby to be a c-section. Then, after the birth of their son, the doctor announces the news that shatters Yelena’s world. “She’s bleeding out, we need you out of the room, right now.” The doctor said, and before Yelena could protest, she was pulled out of the room as the doctor tried to stop the bleeding.

“Yelena?” A familiar voice called, causing Yelena to turn around. More tears welled in her eyes when she spotted Natasha and Wanda. Natasha held a teddy bear while Wanda held a ‘It’s A Boy!’ balloon. The teddy bear was dropped as Yelena explained what was happening, Natasha’s arms closing around her sister quickly. Natasha didn’t know what to say. Nothing that Natasha could say right now would fix the situation or make her younger sister feel any better. So, she held her tight in her arms as Yelena shamelessly cried, something she was not known for, but she couldn’t help it. “We’re here for you.” Those words caused Yelena to break down harder in her sister’s arms, no matter how hard she tried to hold back the neverending flow of tears.

Hours passed and the three women were sitting in the waiting room, Yelena’s head on Natasha’s shoulder, bags under her eyes. When her eyes caught a familiar face of one of (Y/n)’s doctors, she was quick to sit up. The doctor made her way over to them with a grim look. “Mrs. Belova, your wife suffered from what we would call a postpartum hemorrhage. It was caused by an overdistended uterus due to too much amniotic fluid. She’s alive, but she’s lost a lot of blood. We will have to monitor overnight. Mrs. Belova, she’s not looking too well.” The doctor warned, placing a hand on Yelena’s shoulder as the blonde nodded slowly in understanding. “You may see her now, they’ve placed your baby in the room with her.” The doctor said softly, leading Yelena, Natasha, and Wanda to the room.

Yelena held herself together as she entered the room. Even though the doctor had warned her that (Y/n) wasn’t doing well, she wasn’t expecting to see her so pale and sick. The only thing causing Yelena to smile slightly is the sight of the newborn laying on her chest. Yelena sat on the chair next to (Y/n)’s bed, kissing the side of her wife’s head. Natasha and Wanda stayed back, watching the two quietly, letting them have their moment. “If you’re tired, it’s okay, moya lyubov.” Yelena whispered quietly. There was an air in the room that expressed what would happen if (Y/n) did, in fact, go to sleep. It scared Yelena, but she could see how tired and weak her wife was. She didn’t want to let go of her wife, but she knew that it wasn’t her choice. It wasn’t anyone’s. “When you wake up, I’ll let you know just how he’s doing, you can just relax. We’re going to grow together, you, me, and him. Just us three, remember?” They knew it wasn’t going to happen, but the talks of their future was always so comforting.

Yelena took the baby from (Y/n) as her eyes fluttered shut. Holding their son, she adjusted to brush the hair off of (Y/n)’s forehead. She wasn’t giving up on her, she could never. But there was nothing she could do but sit by her and make sure her last moments were comfortable, familiar, and that she felt loved. There was a soft hint on (Y/n)’s pale lips as she opened her eyes just slightly. “I love you, Yelena Belova.” She whispered softly, smiling at her. Yelena smiled back tearfully. “I love you, too, (Y/n) Belova.” She responded quietly, but she knew (Y/n) heard her as her eyes closed again. The three sat in silence as the beeping of the monitor beeped slowly in the background. Yelena allowed her sister and Wanda to hold her son as she held her wife’s hand. Her thumb caressed (Y/n)’s hand softly, careful with the IV line that ran along her arm and would somehow make its way over her hand. Yelena slowly crawled into the bed, holding (Y/n) as the monitor slowed to a long beep. Tears cascaded from her eyes as she clutched her wife’s still warm body. She needed to memorize how it felt to still hold her. Her heart ached, and it felt like nothing could stop the pain in her chest.

And, it never did. Not even years later as she watched their son grow up. She smiled sadly at a picture of her wife. “Moya lyubov, I wish you knew how much he looks just like you. He has your smile, your eyes, and he shares the beautiful way your face lit up when you were excited.” Yelena’s finger traced (Y/n)’s face over the frame carefully. “He looks just like you.” She repeated, wiping away a tear.

#yelena belova x reader #yelena x reader #florence pugh x reader #florence x reader #marvel #marvel x reader #mcu #mcu x reader #yelena belova #florence pugh

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hannahhook7744 · 7 months ago

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Represent!;

Summary: The story of how Hannah Artemis Hook, captain of the Stormbringer, became the Isle Representative and villain wrangler.

(It's Zee Snoops’ fault).

Written with @igetthedisneybox.

Series: Isle Representative Hannah Hook.

Trigger Warnings: Plans of manipulation, swearing, stranger danger, financial issues, mentions of death/child death, children acting in disturbed manners, children raising children, etc.

Lmk if I need to add to the list.

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

Mentioned Character Info Sheet:

Zeep Snoops, daughter of Madame Medusa and Mr. Snoops.

Hannah Hook, adoptive daughter of Captain James Hook and Zarina the pirate fairy.

Darius Foundling, son of the Pirate Pharaoh and mummy.

Willow Hawthorne, daughter of a Tree Nymph named 'Cherry Hawthorne.’

Elara Foundling, daughter of an unknown elf.

Marcys Foundling, Centaur and son of Nessus.

Skia Aoratos of the Underworld, daughter of Hades and Persephone.

River Le Beak, son of Beatrice Le Beak and Lord Fathom.

Lysander Foundling, satyr and the son of one of Chernabog's minions.

Fiona Foundling, fairy child of an unknown individual.

Noah Aoratos, son of Persephone and Hades.

Tommy Wonderful, daughter of Misty the Wonderful Witch.

Luke Tremaine-Westergaard, Drizella Tremaine and Prince Hans Westergaard of the southern isles.

Tiger Khan, adoptive daughter of Shere Khan.

Peachy Gothel, daughter of Mother Gothel and Captain Flynn.

Olivia LeGume, daughter of the Enchantress and Gaston LeGume.

Treycor Fae-Aoratos, son of Maleficent and Hades.

Eduardo Frollo, son of Claude Frollo and a woman named 'Esperanza Ladrón’.

Darcy Aoratoes, daughter of Hades and Queen Narissa.

Alexander ‘Alex’ Aoratos-Sinclair ||, son of Helga Sinclair and Hades.

Isaac Cipher, son of Bill Cipher.

John Facilier, son of Ursula and Dr. Facilier.

Moxie Frankenstein-Van Helsing,son of Elsa van Helsing and Victor Frankenstein.

Rodrick Nathan 'Nate' von Stiltskin, son of Rumpelstiltskin.

D.E Anonymous, daughter of an unknown individual.

Hope Sid, daughter of Yen Sid and Banshee.

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

“You look half dead.” Zee Snoops remarked as Hannah trudged over to her.

“Darius and Willow are sick, Elara won't stop crying, Marcys and Lysander aren't eating, and Fiona won't stop talking about the place with the trees that she came from.” The eight year old pirate captain groaned, slumping down in her chair in her room/office. “I FEEL half dead.”

It had been a long year since she had first taken Fiona (age four), Marcys and Elara (age 1),and Lysander (age 2) and since then she had taken in two newborns (Darius and Willow) from their dying single parents.

That wasn't even counting Noah, also four, who spent the majority of his time with them like his older siblings did when his mother, Persephone, was gone for the Spring. Or little Thomasina 'Tommy' Wonderful, age five, who spent most of her time with them when her mother was too sick to care for her. Which, due to the magical barrier and her mom being a witch, was often.

Or the various funerals they'd been having to handle for their dead friends.

Or the comforting they'd had to do for their friends with recently dead relatives.

To say they were all exhausted would be an understatement.

Zee picked at her cuticle. “I don’t know what you were expecting, trying to parent half the island’s children.”

The smaller brunette rolled her eyes. “It is not half the isle’s children! And if I don't take care of them, no one will. The last thing the isle needs is more deaths.”

“We could pawn some off to your sister,” Zee suggested.

“No we can't. Harriet already had to take care of your sister, the wee smees, the Younger twoClayton brothers, Wyatt Wiggins, Na’vi, and the Lefou-LeGume-Bimbette children, among others.” Hannah grumbled, frustrated. “And she's stressed enough as it is.”

“You’re stressed enough as it is.” She pointed out, deadpan. “And we have, like, no money left. At all.”

“We have enough money. We just need to make more and I'm sure we will figure something out.” She rested her head in her hand. “I just need to figure out what that is. Hopefully before Skia and Luke get off work and River gets out of school.”

Zee rolled her eyes. “Gee, if only you could get paid for being…you, Hannah. Like, negotiating with people, finding loopholes, and getting people to do the right thing. We’d be fucking loaded.”

An odd look overcame Hannah’s features. The same look that crossed that of Nya Kaminari’s in Auradon’s Ninja Warriors when a light bulb appeared above her head.

The only cartoon either of them had ever seen.

The same look that both the cartoon ninja and Hannah always got before they got one of their crazy ideas that rarely ended well.

“Ohhhhhhhh no. You got them crazy eyes again.” Zee leaned back from her friend, like she expected her to explode.

The smaller girl got up, suddenly full of the energy she'd been lacking lately. A slightly deranged smile slowly creeping on her face—one that made it easy to remember just who she was related to. “Zee?”

“....yeah?”

She clapped her hands together, before rubbing them against one another, almost bouncing on her feet now. “I think I just found the perfect solution to all of our problems.”

Zee blinked at Hannah, before it finally sunk in what she meant. “Wait, you’re actually gonna try to get paid by being yourself?!?”

Her captain smiled innocently at her. “Something like that.”

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

It was official: Hannah Hook had finally lost her fucking mind.

And her first and second mates, Lucas ‘Luke’Tremaine-Westergaard and Skia Aoratos of the Underworld, as well as her other close confidante, Bernard ‘River’ Le Beak, had lost their minds with her.

“You’re all going to hell. Goodbye!” Zee had facepalmed so many times in the last few hours, she was sure to have a permanent mark on her forehead.

“Hey that's my line!” Eduardo Frollo, the main cooper of the crew, (who was one of the few other people present at the moment) protested.

The others, on the other hand, just ignored her.

“You son of a bitch, I'm in.” Luke said, snapping his fingers after Hannah finished explaining her idea.

River mumbled “It's crazy enough that it might just work.”

“We should call a meeting and tell the others—” Skia hummed, bouncing Elara on her knee.

“Pause. We shall not call a meeting to tell the others. Why do y'all motherfuckers think that this will work!?”

“Cause it will!” Hannah said, feeding a fussier than usual Darius with a bottle she had somehow managed to get her hands on in the twenty minutes that Zee had spent gathering all the crew members she could. “I don't know why you think all of a sudden that it won't. This whole operation was your idea.”

It was an awful bold statement coming from someone wearing pirate footie pajamas.

“I WAS BEING SARCASTIC!”

Hannah paused.

And Luke snorted. “Well, it's too late now. Hannah and Skia already started drawing up the plans and making risk… ass-ess-ments.”

“And if it doesn’t work, we can always bite them.” Tiger added from the rafters, startling all of them—except for Hannah, who somehow knew she was there. What bullshit.

“Tiger no, we can’t just bite paying customers—”

“But I can. I don’t have a problem with it—”

Luke nodded. “She makes a good point—”

Zee facepalmed…again. “Well, guess we’re gonna hafta see how this shitstorm plays out. Can’t wait to see it crash and burn.”

“I'll get my dad’s final rights speech ready.” Eduardo snickered, leaning on a mop.

Skia shot him an unamused look, blue hair falling in her face. “Isn't it last rites? And you're still in trouble! Get back to mopping!”

“Tomato, Tamoto.”

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

All of the Stormbringer’s crew members were crammed on the ship’s deck, waiting for their captain to make her announcement.

Hannah walked out from behind the curtains she'd put up, tri fold board in hand and dressed in her finest clothes.

“Oh boy. Here we go.” Zee muttered sarcastically. Someone shushed her.

Hannah cleared her throat, setting up the board and grabbing her sword. “I'm sure you're all wondering why you're all here.”

“I mean, this is…our ship. So no, not reall—OW!”

The brunette sighed. “Thank you Treycor, but you really don't need to hit your brother to shut him up.”

“You're welcome, Captain.”

The pirate straightened up. “Does anyone else have any questions or remarks before we get started?”

Darcy raised her hand. “Uh, yeah. Why are you dressed like that, Cap?”

“Because this is a special occasion!”

“That’s never a good sign.” John muttered.

“You don’t know the half of it.” Zee stage whispered in response to him.

Hannah ignored them, readjusting her blood red doublet frock jacket along with her equally as red Bicorn hat. Trying to look somewhat serious and sophisticated. “I'll take that as a sign to start—”

“Go ahead, Hannah!” Peachy grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

The brunette smiled at her. “Thank you Peachy! Alright, so, Zee gave me a brilliant idea for how we can make a livin’—”

Isaac cringed. “That’s not a good sign–”

“Shhh. You've had your chance to talk—” Hannah waved the seven year old off. “—now, as I was saying, Zee gave me the idea to charge people for what I do. Meaning—” A spot line shined down on the trifold board, revealing the words ‘Villain Wrangler and Isle Representative Hannah Hook’ written in big, messy, uneven letters.

Words that were clearly written in crayon. With many, many, childish doodles strewn about the surface of the board, such as King Beast with his head cut off, Skia’s sister Mal with her hair shaved off, Gaston being eaten by a crocodile, and Frollo in a frilly princess dress.

Zee was on the defensive even before the crew turned to stare at her. “Okay, FIRST OF ALL–”

The brunette quickly continued. Cutting her off. “—that I am going to become the isle’s representative and villain wrangler with y’all’s help!”

Dead silence.

“...yay?” Peachy clapped a few times. “What does that mean, exactly?”

Hannah beamed at her. Clasping her hands together (almost stabbing herself in the process, as she was still holding her prized sword ‘The Nut Slicer’ in her hands). “I'm glad you asked! It means that—”

She gestured at the ink stained, dirty, ruffled board with the sword. “—we need to make flies to pra-mote our new business and set up a phone line,” She moved the sword down before continuing “as well as make contracts and business cards after we decide what our terms and… con-ditions?”

Hannah looked at Yen Sid’s daughter, Hope— one of the oldest living member of the crew at twelve years old—to see if she was saying it right.

She reserved a thumbs up and a reassuring smile in response.

“So…you plan to make money from…what? Being nice to people?” Darcy wrinkled her nose.

Hannah shook her head, bouncing on her feet. “No, no. From manipulating people into doing what I want them to do to make our lives better and–and…” She paused for a long few minutes. Before settling on “And making their lives better in the pro-cess or making them think their lives are better if they're a big meanie.”

John nodded, like she’d just said something wise. “I like that plan.”

Treycor, on the other hand, did not like the plan if the way he had his head in hands said anything. Which it did. “Y’all are out of your Zeusing minds.”

Olivia, who usually just tolerated Treycor, was mirroring his pose. Looking like she was regretting ever joining the crew.

Moxie apparently agreed. “Zee, why did you put her up to this?”

And Nate? He just cackled from the crowsnest where he and D.E (who's face they still hadn't seen because she still refused to take off her mask and hood, and Hannah kept telling them to drop it) were sitting.

Zee spluttered. “I WAS BEING SARCASTIC!”

Hannah didn't seem even remotely bothered by their reactions. “So… does anybody have any questions or suggestions?”

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

When most of her crew left for the day (the ones that had somewhere else to go, that is), Hannah got out her colorful ink, favorite quill, and parchment paper and started drawing out plans.

Laying on her stomach on deck and kicking her feet up in the air, head in hand.

“Whatcha doin’?” CJ’s voice was suddenly very close to her hearing aid.

Hannah jumped. “What are you doing on my ship?”

“I’m bored.”

“That’s not my problem and what have I told you about knocking!”

“I did! You just didn’t hear me.” CJ’s all-to ‘innocent’ grin told Hannah that she did not, in fact, knock.

The younger girl scowled. “That's not funny and you know it! Only I'm allowed to make jokes about my hearing and eyesight! Daddy said so!”

“You can’t prove that I really didn’t knock! Because I did!”

Hannah tried to kick her. “Go away.”

“But I’m boooooooooored, Cradle Snatcher!” CJ promptly laid herself over Hannah, who swiped at her.

“And I'm working! Geeet off!”

“Working on what, a coloring book?” CJ snarked, decidedly not getting off.

“On a flier, assbeast! Now GET off or I'll kick you in the crotch!”

CJ snorted, but rolled off of her sister anyway. “That only works on boys, dingus!”

Hannah promptly kicked her in the crotch to prove just how wrong she was.

“OW! Why you little–” CJ grabbed Hannah’s hand and bit it.

Hannah yanked on her hair in retaliation and bit her cheek hard.

CJ yelped and tried to smack Hannah, but her eyes caught the flier she’d been working on, and was instantly distracted. “What’s a ‘isle representative?’”

The brunette shoved her off of her and sat up, breathless. “My… new… job.. title! That I made myself!”

CJ wrinkled her nose. “What do you do?”

“I'm gonna make and enforce contracts between vks and vks, villains and villains, and henchmen and henchmen and so on. Mediate and negotiate. Oh and provide some ser-vices! Like… like a boss!”

CJ just blinked at her. “That's boring. You're boring.”

“I'm not boring, you're just stupid.”

“You’re stupider.” CJ stuck out her tongue.

“... My name is betterer than yours!”

“It is not!”

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“Is too—”

#descendants #disney descendants #melissa de la cruz #disney #descendants au #wicked world #disney descendants au #the marvelous misadventures of hannah hoo and co #the marvelous misadventures of hannah hook #etc

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