#we’re going to her kids birthday Sunday how fun is that gonna be

[yoohyeon]

I force myself to go out take a walk to spend Halloween with my goddaughter and my other cousin’s kid and after an hour of waiting she « forgot » to tell me where they were and had already left 😑

[withacapitalp]

“So….let me get this straight. It’s your little sister’s birthday, she gets home from tumbling in a half hour, and you both forgot that you promised you had the quote unquote perfect present for her,” 

Mike shot Robin a low level glare, crossing his arms and hunching his shoulders in tight. 

“We didn’t mean to forget! We’re busy, you know?” 

“Yes, so busy you forgot your sister even existed,” Robin shot back, having too much fun with their misery. 

Nancy had an excuse. She didn’t know what Mike was wasting his time on but she had been busy. Holly’s birthday was January 29th, which was right after Winter Break, and college letters would be coming soon. Nancy had to keep her GPA perfect, she had the newspaper to run, and she also was working on a potential internship for the summer in Indianapolis. It was logical she would forget about Holly’s birthday in all of that. Understandable. 

Wasn’t it? 

She was making up for it now at least. Holly would never know the difference. She was six, she would be happy with just about anything. 

Seven. She’s turning seven today. 

“We’re gonna watch her favorite movie with her and tell her that her present is a shopping day on Saturday. That’s a good gift, right?” Nancy said, a hint of desperation in her tone. Judging by the look Robin gave her, it wasn’t, but they were running out of options.

“Fine,” Robin sighed, rolling her eyes and pulling up to the computer, “What’s the movie?”

Silence. Awkward, terrible, uncomfortable, silence. 

“Seriously? Nothing?” Robin asked with an incredulous laugh. 

“It’s some stupid kid flick! She makes us watch it all the time. It has an -ie at the end right?” Mike asked, turning to Nancy who threw her hands up. She had absolutely zero clue and they had at most ten minutes to come home before their mother grounded them for the rest of their lives. 

Not to mention Holly was probably going to cry for at least two weeks straight. 

“ The Goonies . It has to be The Goonies. It has an -ie at the end, and she likes to rent that one, right?” Nancy said on an impulse, giving Robin a hopeful look. 

“Nancy, she’s not my sister. How could I possibly know what she likes?” 

“Gee thanks Robin, that’s so helpful,” Mike snarked, and Robin’s face twisted into a look that spelled all kinds of trouble. Things really couldn’t get worse. 

“What are you all doing?” 

It could get worse. Steve was coming out from the back, and now he was going to get to witness her complete and utter humiliation. 

“Oh you know, the usual,” Nancy groaned, covering her face with her hands. She was officially giving up, “We’re busy being the worst siblings in the world.”

“They forgot Holly’s birthday and now they don’t have a gift for her,” Robin said, sounding far too smug. Nancy wanted to curse her out, just a little bit. Stupid only children with their stupid self satisfaction. They never had to deal with bratty six year olds who cried at the drop of a hat and made everything about them. 

Seven. Seven years old. Holly was seven today.

“Oh,” Steve said, kneeling down and bringing up a rectangular box wrapped up in the Sunday morning funnies. He held it out to Nancy with a tiny smile,  “Here, you guys can just take this one. I was going to drop it off after work,” 

“You have a gift for Holly? You?” Mike asked dubiously, Nancy staring at the present like it was radioactive. 

“It’s her birthday,” Steve said simply, like that explained everything, “It’s nothing big, just a doll she had mentioned wanting a couple weeks back. She was in here with your mom renting Annie , and she said that the doll looked just like the little girl in her favorite movie.”

Robin smirked, slowly deleting The Goonies off of the computer and walking around to go look for Annie, leaving the Wheelers to try and put themselves together

“Steve- I-we-” Nancy sputtered, uncharacteristically lost for words. Her ex huffed out a laugh and began to punch something into the computer, taking the VHS holder from Robin when she skipped over, movie in hand. 

“Tell Holly I said Happy Birthday,” Steve said, putting the movie and the present in a paper bag and putting it on the counter, “Robs, I’m taking the last two minutes of my break to smoke,” 

He was walking out the back door before Nancy could wrap her mind around the words ‘Thank you’. 

[misslilli]

Felix Felicis

MSR. AU. PG-13. | tagging @today-in-fic | read on AO3

Chapter 15 - Siblings And Secret Sting Operations

[ DS ]

Sundays are reserved for church and phone calls with my family, so after mass and the church brunch, I make myself a cup of tea and grab my blanket, heading upstairs to curl up on the Adirondack chair on my private balcony. I take out my phone and call my brother Charlie.

He picks up on the second ring. “City morgue. You kill ‘em, we chill ‘em!” I almost choke on my sip of tea.

“Hey Charlie! That’s a new one, very funny. Almost killed me with it!”

“Aah killing with jokes is my specialty. Sorry sis! How’s it going over there on the main land?”

“We mere mortals manage to get by, always a little in awe of the Gods of the Cape. Hey can you see me?” I get up and wave across the bay to where I can picture him standing in front of his little cottage, waving back.

“I deign to gaze at the mere mortal waving like a crazy person, yeah! So what’s new with you?”

“Nothing much, busy with school, the usual. How about you? How’s Pete? Did he get the promotion?” I can hear the smile in his voice at the mention of his boyfriend.

“Yeah he did, I’m insanely proud of the big-shot broker that I call mine!” Against all odds, they make a pretty great couple, the artist and the stock broker. “So, speaking of… how’s your love life? Seeing anyone?” He always asks me this and the answer’s pretty much the same every time, but today, I surprise him.

“Mhh yeah, there’s someone…” The gasp he gives is so loud, it almost carries across the bay.

“Shut up! What? Who? When? Are you really seeing someone?”

“No… not exactly. But… there is the dream of someone else….” I sigh into the phone, smiling at the mental image of Fox Mulder that pops into my head.

“You’re kidding. Who is he?” As I recount the moments that happened between the two of us, Charlie is practically jumping with glee.

“God, that’s so great, sis! So, what happens now? Why are you pining for him from afar instead of putting on the big-girl pants and ask him out on a date?” I shake my head.

“You know why, Charlie. I’m really scared I’ll screw this up and the fact that I care about his kid so much makes it even more difficult. Oh God, and can you imagine what Dad will have to say about him being divorced and a single parent?” Charlie groans into the phone in frustration.

“Not this again, Dana. You can’t live your life the way you think will get you dad’s stamp of approval, you deserve to be happy and from the sound of it, you’re pretty excited about this guy. I can tell you from experience, if I had chosen to chase dad’s approval, I’d still be so deep in the closet I’d need a map and a compass to find my way out. So, your other concerns are valid but you’ll never find out if he’s the one if you don’t try!”

“I know, I know, you’re right, just like you were right the other thousand times we’ve had this conversation. What am I supposed to do, just walk up to him and ask him on a date? I can’t do that!” The thought alone sends a cold shiver down my spine.

“YES Dana, that’s exactly what you’re supposed to do! We’re living in the 21st century, we’re not playing this stupid game where a boy has to ask a girl out, it’s okay if it’s the other way around!” I hang my head and sigh in resignation, he’s right, as always. I want to hate him a little for it.

“Alright, I’ll think about it, happy?” – “Overjoyed! So let me tell you about that art show that I’m putting on at the gallery!”

We chat for a little while longer, waving at each other again as we say our goodbyes.

----------

In the meantime, downstairs in the kitchen

The three other girls are sitting around the kitchen table having a very late breakfast, the smell of coffee and pancakes filling the house. They speak in hushed tones, not wanting to be overheard by the fourth friend upstairs.

“Girls … This Mr.Mulder- Dana situation is killing me. I just can’t take it anymore, they’re pining for each other so hard but they’re both too chicken to do something about it!”

“What are you saying, S?” Alex blows a cooling breath over her coffee cup.

“I’m saying that these two need a hefty kick in the butt!”

“Ooooh I get it now!” Holly bounces in her seat excitedly. “We’ll be the trusty matchmakers for these love-birds!”

“The two of you are out of your minds. She’ll see right through it, you know she will! We’ve talked about it with her Friday after Friday but nothing has happened! And he’s not making a move either.”

“Yeah… we can’t just go up to him and ask him if he’s blind or stupid or both and tell him that he should get his ass in gear and ask her out already!” Sarah spears a piece of pancake with her fork, twirling it thoughtfully.

“What if we enlist the help of his kid?”

“Holly, no, we can’t do that! He’s six for god’s sakes. Besides, I think they have another thing coming with him when they actually dostart dating. You know how kids lash out when their parent starts dating again, and he loves D to pieces. No, we need a more subtle plan.”

“How about we spike her drink at the birthday party with some hard stuff? You know, lower the inhibitions and all that” Sarah waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

Holly gapes at her friend. “Sarah! We can’t drug our friend into sleeping with him! It’s not right and she’ll have our heads for it if she ever found out, rightfully so! What about the Halloween fair, they’re both working there, but D doesn’t know that he got roped into it?”

Realization dawns in Sarah’s eyes and her mind works out a plan. The other two nod enthusiastically when she tells them about it.

“Oh this is so exciting! We need to talk to Miss Hannigan and some other people but I think it’s a good start to push them closer together! Now that we’ve got a plan, we just need to figure out how to keep it all from D. We live together, so she’s bound to overhear us talking about it at some point.” Holly and Alex nod in unison.

“We’ll go all secret sting operation on their ass, codenames and all. They won’t know what hit ‘em.”

“Codenames, S?”

“Yes codenames, come on it’ll be so much fun, like a secret society, Illuminati-style!”

Alex laughs: “Alright, what are our codenames for these two?”

They all think hard about this. “Well their real names are out, of course. Middle names too. Red and brown?” – “No, hair color’s too obvious, A!” – “Mom and Dad?” They share a laugh, shaking their heads. “That’s weird. Can we do something with the first letters of their names? F and D? S and M?” Holly bursts out giggling. “Okay maybe not S and M! … M and S? Can we do something with that?”

A slow smile spreads over Sarah’s face. “I’ve got it! A thunder of jets in an open sky, a streak of grey and a cheerful “HI!” – BOOM - a loop, a whirl and a vertical climb and once again you’ll know it’s time for the adventures oooof…?”

Holly jumps out of her chair and yells out excitedly: “Moose and Squirrel! Sarah that’s brilliant!!” Alex nods her agreement, grinning.

“We’ll call it Operation: Bullwinkle!”

“Man, Squirrel’s so gonna kick our asses…”

[gebtoons]

my contribution to the bapo timeline discourse bc i’m just gonna propose a timeline and will not be taking criticism <3 (under the cut bc this is gonna be a long post probably) 

ok disclaimer I am quite stupid, however I’m gonna use my knowledge from my own 12 years in american public high school and what little info I have about american boarding schools/catholic schools that I have from my friends lol. so. idk. 

i’m also gonna date songs/major events and i’m gonna be taking some “just trust me bro” liberties bc y’all are right it does NOT make that much sense. 

January 6: Epiphany; this is like an actual holiday lol. like its always on the sixth. idk its good that this is the starting point bc its an actual date yknow? For the purposes of this timeline were going with that its early in the week, so lets go with Monday idk

January 6-13: You and I, Role of a Lifetime; so we’re all kinda in agreement that this timeline (at least the beginning) only really makes sense if you and i/role of a lifetime aren’t like. a singular moment and are instead multiple days. so yeah, of this first week, this is like. monday-next sunday ish yknow. 

January 14: Auditions, Plain Jane Fatass; ok so having auditions for a spring musical right after kids get back from break actually makes perfect sense to me, like i can see it being like “ok take break to prepare so as soon as you come back we can have auditions so we can jump right into rehersals” yknow? and since the rave is clearly on a friday (”we’ll meet in tanya’s room on friday night”) so i’m going with the monday before.  

as for pjf, i know it doesn’t make a ton of sense for them to get a two week late birthday package their first few weeks back from school, but hear me out it makes sense. the implication throughout this entire show is that the twins have decently shitty parents. from bits of dialogue (in this song in particular lol) i’m kinda inferring their the “only concerned with how their kids make them look to others” kind of neglectful. so I don’t think it’s too outside the realm of possibility that they went away for the holidays, didn’t bring the twins, and instead mailed them a birthday package and having it show up two weeks late. realistically the timing of this isnt that important and the explicit “two week” time frame could’ve been an exaggeration on nadia’s part to mock her shit parents (idk its in her character) basically ppl are a little two fixated on this imo but anyway. moving on. 

January 18: Wonderland, A Quiet Night At Home, Rolling, Best Kept Secret; a very agreed upon point in the timeline. its the friday following the auditions. moving on. 

January 21: Confession; also very agreed upon. the monday following the rave. moving on again 

January 23: Portrait of a Girl; the date here is kinda arbitrary, but bc sister chantelle says “ok lets try to put yesterday’s rehearsal behind us” and i for the life of me cannot think of a scene she could be referring to (there’s none in the script either) that implies it wasn’t the same monday as confession (bc even in a boarding school i think holding extracurriculars that aren’t sports over the weekend (especially when they are no where near crunch time lol) is weird and not common) so i just picked a random day during the week

January 25: Birthday Bitch!, One Kiss, Are You There?; from matt’s line in wonderland, ivy’s birthday is a week after the rave. in my timeline that’s january 25th (an aquarius queen). 

btw given all grown up’s “17, how will i manage?” ivy is 16 during 17 at her party, which is strange given shes a high school senior and seniors are typically 17 during 18. so either a) she skipped a grade, not an unheard of thing. or b) shes not a senior, shes just a junior who hangs out with a bunch of seniors, which is also pretty common. and looking through the script i can’t find any mention that she is also a senior, other than yknow she graduates with them, but she isn’t mentioned during the class ranking scene? so idk not that it really matters just a fun detail 

February 3 (at night): 911 Emergency!; ok controversial. i know i like the joke about how its funny that peter having a weird dream when he was high prompted him to want to come out and really ruined his relationship with jason. BUT. i think the dream (despite it’s weirdness) would have a lot more meaning if it wasn’t the result of being really high, but if it was a dream he had like a week later as a result of a building sense of guilt/anxiety bc he told matt. also it fits better given later timeline things. (this timeline literally only exists if there are weird jumps in time that don’t make a ton of sense) (EDIT: I forgot one line about Jason crashing at ivys but fuck it forget that bitchass line this makes for more drama its staying this way)

February 4: Reputation Stain’d, Ever After; the next day following peter’s dream, idk what else to say, moving on. 

February 25-28: Spring; another jump! i’m sorry but the only way for this to make sense logistically is for there to be quite a few time jumps! however, i also think this one works bc i think it gives time for everything from around ivy’s party and peter and jason’s break up to stew emotionally. like obviously a musical only has so much time to tell a story so the audience cannot see every realistic beat, but honestly i think it makes the whole thing a little more dramatic™ if there’s space for everything to settle, and for ivy to come and apologize and such. also, the reason it’s multiple days is bc in the script, ivy is trying to study (presumably for some sort of midterm) while nadia is playing, so that probably takes place a few days before they move out, so before finals. but in the script, jason and peter are packing and peter is leaving, so that part of the song/staging takes place on the 28th. yes, that’s weird, but we are clearly thinking more about the logistics of this school than the writers were so. 

March 1: One; assuming st. cecilia’s works kinda like boarding schools here, they probably do staggered move out/move in, just bc that would be a lot to have people coming and going at once so it makes sense that peter left the day before, while jason and ivy are leaving the next day. also, given that peter is trying to call jason while he and ivy are banging, it’s probably been a hot minute since the actual break up, since peter was clearly very hurt by the whole thing, it would make sense (at least to me) that peter would reach out a month ish later, rather than like a few days later (you have to make so many assumptions to make this timeline work granted they aren’t super out there assumptions but still this is annoying) 

March 1-25: Spring Break. the coworkers I have who are in boarding school work over their school breaks, which are longer than the public school breaks (which are only a week) so i put their spring break at 3 weeks. it makes sense, and it makes the later part of the timeline make sense. 

I know i’m already halfway through this, but to me it makes sense for their to be quite a few time jumps in the story bc its a musical. they cannot show every day. there are a lot of other shows (particularly shows set in high schools) that are set over a whole school year, but if you just look at the events of the story that doesn’t make sense, so you have to imply that obviously they are not showing every little detail. moving on. 

March 25: Wedding Bells, In The Hallway, Touch My Soul; peter wakes up from his nightmare in the church, so im assuming he fell asleep in church (like he almost did during epiphany). also it makes sense that class ranks are announced in late march-early april, I know my school announced ours in like, the first week or so of april? so yeah. moving on.

(from this point on i was giving myself a headache trying to make it make sense so its all weird from here!!)

April 4: See Me, Warning; the date doesn’t really matter here, I picked a random day in early april. the script said peter is calling from him and jason’s old dorm room, as he was picking up the last of his things, so he clearly made the roommate switch after school started (makes sense to me). 

April 15-20 (approximately): Ivy finds out she’s pregnant. look google tells me on average people find out they are pregnant around 5-7 weeks after conception. i went with around 7 just so this timeline makes a tiny bit more sense given the later stuff, so yeah here we go. 

May 4: Pilgrim’s Hands, God Don’t Make No Trash, All Grown Up, Promise, Once Upon A Time, Cross; a rough night for our heroes. so given sister chantelle saying “again? wonderful.” and nadia saying “i can’t believe you missed rehearsal again”, clearly ivy has been missing quite a few rehearsals, so for dramas sake maybe from when she found out she was pregnant? also i know i’ve been saying they wouldn’t have rehearsals on weekends, and given my weird timeline this would be a saturday, but its tech week so i’ll allow it. 

May 5: Two Households, Bare, Queen Mab, A Glooming Peace; pretty self explanatory, and it makes sense to have the spring play in early may. rip jason. 

May 11: Absolution; the day before graduation peter goes to confront the priest. gives him a small amount of time to start processing, and it makes sense it would be the night before, at least to me. 

May 12: No Voice; i fucking hate this. “peter, we graduate next sunday” i hate that stupid fucking line. do you know that this timeline literally would be fine if it weren’t for that stupid fucking line? bc then, the school play would be in early may and graduation could be in late may-early june (when most high schools hold graduation) but no. keeping with continuity, they have to graduate the sunday following the school play. “peter we graduate in a month, are you really never gonna talk to me again?” would have been fine. but no, now we have beef. literally everything else about the end of this timeline being kinda weird would work itself out, except for the fucking graduation. god damn. anyway, may 12th, the graduate on may 12th which is really fucking weird bc of that one fucking line. whatever. i didn’t write the damn thing bc if i did i wouldn’t have written that fucking line. (i’ve been at this for over an hour and a half, so i’m a tad annoyed, can you tell?) 

anyway, that’s it. that’s my long as hell proposed bare timeline. if there’s anything glaringly wrong with it i don’t care bc this timeline literally cannot make sense. but honestly, now that i think about the Popular Tween High Schooler Musicals (heathers, bmc, deh) the timelines of those (especially heathers and bmc) don’t make tons of sense either. that’s just the way it is, that’s the way its gonna be. and we have to live with it. 

this post is so long it is actually slowing down my laptop as i type it

[colbiplierdolan]

Mr.Dolan- raining (pt.1)

HI guys! so I read a fan fiction kind of like this, but I can't find the original author, so if you guys know who she is, please tag her so I can give her credit, but I wrote a new version of her fanfic and I changed a ton of elements and added a lot more detail and dialogue. hope you love it!

Love you all <3                                                                        ~colbiplierdolan <3

You walked along the parking lot of your school, trying to pass time as you waited for your 5 o'clock tutor kid to show up. You are a junior in high school, and on the weekends you tutored a boy named Asher Dolan. He was the most aggravating F boy in your entire school. Although he hated your guts, and you hated his, you dealt with him anyway, because his very rich father was paying you good money for tutoring him.

The Dolan's were incredibly wealthy, and also an incredibly attractive family. Especially Asher's dad. There was just something about him that drove you mad. He was a 6 foot, shredded hunk of goodness. He was in his early 40s, but this man aged like very fine wine. You never really had a thing for older guys or had any daddy issues, but you still couldn't think straight when you were in his presence. Every time he looked at him, your heart melted.

You patiently waited as you paced along the parking lot of your school. Waiting for Asher to show up. He didn't live far from the school, but he still always managed to show up late for your lessons. You checked your phone and saw a raindrop fall just under the 5. He looked up at the sky and another fall on your cheek. You tried to open the school door, but it was locked. The rain got heavier and heavier, until you finally decided to walk to his house.

You walked along the wet streets and finally came up to the front door of his beautiful house.

You rang the doorbell and a very concerned looking Mr. Dolan answered the door. "y/n?!"

He held the door wide open, and shuffled to the side so you could come in. He said your bag down on the rug beneath you. And he almost ran into the bathroom to get you a towel. He quickly wrapped it around you and rub your arms and shoulders, you could barely breathe.

"y/n, what happened to you?"

"what were you doing out in the rain?"

"where's Asher?"

He showered you with questions and hung your bag up on the hook in the closet by the staircase.

"I was at the school waiting for him, and it started raining, I figured he forgot but he won't answer his phone, so I tried to go into the school, but it was locked. " you said, slightly shaking because of how cold you were.

"You know you are always welcome to come here Y/n." he said as he wrapped his muscular arm around you.

You literally felt like you were going to pass out. He was wearing black dress pants and a slightly unbuttoned light gray dress shirt.

"I just got home from a meeting with my brother in our team for Wakeheart. "Emotion for you to walk into the kitchen with him.

"That's your fragrance company, right? "He knew the answer, but I asked anyway for the sake of small talk.

He opened the cabinet in the kitchen and grabbed a black mug that said deeper on it.

"Yes we make candles and perfumes and fun stuff like that." He held out two teabags and turned to you.

~chamomile and apple cinnamon~

you pointed to the apple cinnamon teabag, and he smiled and said "these are my favorite ones" he laughed a little bit so you giggled back at him and his smile widened.

"Y/N!" you felt little arms wrap around your legs from behind you.

"hi sweetheart!" you turned around and half hugged the little girl back.

"Hey Breslin, why don't you show Y/n what you made at school today? " Grayson said.

You have been babysitting Breslin for a couple years now and she loved you like a big sister. She came running back into the kitchen with a little watercolor painting of you and her and a little homemade frame with pink glitter all around it.

"aww that's amazing Bresi! I love it!" you smiled at the cute little picture, and she giggled and set it on the counter.

"why don't you go finish your homework honey? "Grayson said as he poured the hot water into the mug.

She ran into the dining room and started coloring in her notebook.

"We're having her fifth birthday party on Sunday, I know she'd love to see you there. "He said with a smile as he handed you your tea.

"I wouldn't miss it "you said. He smiled and put the teabag in the trash.

"I'm gonna run upstairs and get your shower ready. "

"Oh you don't have to do that "you said as you set down your tea on the counter.

"y/n .." he said looking at you through his eyebrows with a smirk.

"You have been shivering ever since you walked in, and you are soaked." you sighed and smiled as you looked down at your wet clothes.

"and plus, you are definitely not getting in my Porsche like that! "He laughed and went upstairs, still giggling as he lead you up into his room.

It was a dark bedroom with one of the walls being a full window looking over their backyard. He turned on the shower and grabbed more towels out of the cabinet under the sink.

"Take as long as you want, the music is on the wall in there, and I'll drive you home whenever you're done. "

"Thank you so much Mr. Dolan, I really appreciate it "

"it's really no problem Y/n, and you can call me Grayson. There's no need for formalities "            he giggled.

He patted the sides of his pants and said, "Welp, I'll put your clothes in the washer, just leave them on the floor. "

"OK, I will " you said as he shut the door and you hopped in the shower.

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

part 1,2,3, are now available on my wattpad, and there are more parts coming!

[syms-things-5]

Clear The Area - Chapter Eighteen

Previous Chapter Here

Notes: So sorry this took me an age to get out. Thanks for sticking with me. We’re in the end game now... 

Warnings: Heavy language. Angst. 

Tags: @jennmurawski13 @kelbabyblue

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN 

Sarah was trying her hardest to get out of Lisa’s birthday weekend. Really trying. She couldn’t remember the last time she had put this much effort into something that wasn’t related to work or getting to a finish line she’d imposed upon herself while out on a run. 

She wasn’t a very creative person either. Not when it counted. She spent three days pathetically dropping hints that she was coming down with something. Scott dismissed it at first, insisting the fresh air would do her some good. She went as far as to suggest she was feeling quite nauseous so perhaps a five-hour-plus car journey might not be the best idea. Only she had downplayed it to such an extent, she inadvertently removed the problem from the table. 

She also tried the whole “it should be a family event” thing, but Shanna told her she was family and that she should stop mithering and start packing. 

Things got a little desperate. She wasn’t proud of herself but when Audrey had told her about a falling-out she’d had with Michael, well, it would be stupid to lose that golden opportunity. So, she told Shanna she was thinking of offering to stay and support her dear, dear friend and colleague but, with a glint in her eye, Audrey insisted it wasn’t that big of a problem. She was definitely off Sarah’s Christmas card list now. 

Truth be told, she didn’t have a legitimate reason to avoid the break. She couldn’t deny the prospect of having the entire apartment to herself for four days was enticing, though. She could enjoy some rare peace and quiet. She could read a book in a long, hot bubble bath without Shanna perching by the side and regaling her with the latest issues in her romantic life. She could cook and eat seafood without worrying about giving her best friend an allergic reaction. She could also lounge around in her pyjamas all day, or maybe even naked. 

No, not naked. She was never one for that idea. 

Carly had been filling the family WhatsApp with game ideas; some solo, some in teams. All kid-friendly, which was a speciality of the Evans’ clan. Lisa had planned a long hike for the Sunday morning followed by what sounded like an extravagant picnic with champagne, quiche and foot-long subs. She also sent a picture of three humongous bags of marshmallows, the size of small children, and suggested they could sit round a camp fire on the evening they arrive. That was assigned to Chris as his first job. 

There was also the small issue of a massive hot tub. Thanks to a new reliance on fast food during her late shifts, Sarah wasn’t much a fan of her body at the present time. That was another thing she’d have to contend with. She loved the family but forced fun in bathing suits was not really her “thing”. 

“If we get there early, we can bagsy the attic room.” Shanna suggested, nose in a gossip magazine. Sarah nodded in agreement while keeping her eyes on the television. “I’ll be damned if Scott gets it all to himself again.” 

“Sure thing.” Sarah replied, acting nonchalant and biding her time once more before she could raise again the possibility of her not going with them. 

“Don’t get anything out for dinner tonight. We’re heading to mom’s in a couple of hours. I hope that’s OK.” 

“Sure. Wait, what?” Sarah did a double take at Shanna, her face now fully hidden by her magazine. 

“Sorry!” She peaked out over the top of the page. “I forgot to say earlier but Mom wanted to have dinner at hers tonight so we can go through the itinerary in full. Make sure everyone knows what they’re bringing. I said it’d be cool ‘cos you weren’t working.” Her tone was apologetic. “You’re not doing anything, are you?” 

No, she wasn’t doing anything. And she couldn’t think of anything either. There was literally no thoughts running through her mind at that time. None that offered her any help whatsoever. Blank. Stupid, fucking, dumbass. 

“Yeh, no, of course. Makes sense.” She responded after a second had passed. She silently blew out a long breath and sank further into the couch. 

* 

When Shanna had said they were having dinner, Sarah figured it would be one of Lisa’s massive pot pies followed by the biggest tub of Neapolitan ice cream she could find. Something easy and comfortable that wouldn’t get in the way of the more pressing matters at hand, namely finalising plans for her birthday weekend. She was most certainly not expecting candles and a table runner, the fancy anniversary cutlery and four or five bottles of expensive red wine. Lisa had even added some fresh flowers as a centrepiece. 

Sarah looked down at her ripped black jeans and grey t-shirt and felt woefully under-dressed. She scolded Shanna with an annoyed look that didn’t go unnoticed. 

“I didn’t know she was planning some fancy thing, did I?!” Shanna whispered as they hung up their jackets in the hallway. “You know what she’s like.” 

Sarah did know what she was like so, really, she should have known better.

Shanna nudged her out of the way to walk into the kitchen and give her mother a hug, leaving Sarah standing in the doorway feeling like a potato and not sure how to make use of herself. She could hear Scott get beaten loudly by Carly’s husband on a computer game. She glanced her head inside the living room and waved at them, watching as they offered muffled sounds as acknowledgement of her greeting. Chris didn’t seem to be anywhere around yet which gave her some mild comfort at least. In fact, nearly a whole hour went by before he arrived. A light, summer shower had started outside and his arrival was announced to all by Lisa’s shrill tone instructing him to take his shoes off before walking on her newly shampooed carpet.  

“Yeh, ma, I got it. Gimme a break…” 

“Did you bring that picnic blanket I asked you to find? The one you brought last year? The large, tartan one?” 

 Chris gave his mother a confused look before she audibly sighed. “I asked you about it yesterday? I texted you earlier to remind you? Jesus….” 

 He shrugged off his sport jacket, placing it on top of Sarah’s, and toed his boots off before ambling into the dining room to join the others. 

 “She’s on one again.” Scott whispered to him as Chris took a seat beside him, across from Sarah and Shanna. “She called me three times this morning alone to remind me to pick up plastic cups and plates. Like I’m gonna forget something she’s messaged me about, like, a hundred times.” 

 “That’s nothing. You should see the list of jobs she’s given to Miles and Ethan.” Michael joined in. 

 “But they’re only kids.” Scott questioned him, half surprised and half...not so surprised. His memory suddenly recalled all kinds of jobs he was forced to do as a young boy, raking lawns and cleaning the family car. Michael just shrugged back at him, rolling his eyes knowingly. Scott looked between Shanna and Sarah, worrying for what she’ll impose upon them all next. 

 “She hasn’t given me any jobs yet.” Shanna said. She almost sounded offended at being left out of the menial work. The room fell silent as everyone else slyly eyed each other. “Oh, right. Thanks guys.” 

 “Hey, your job is to read the maps so we get there in one piece.” Scott finally broke the awkward silence. 

 “And Sarah? What’s Sarah’s job? I don’t think she’s been asked to do anything either.” 

 “Her job is to make sure you’re reading the map the right way around.” Chris interrupted and the room descended into fits of laughter. Shanna merely leaned back in her chair, folded her arms and cast a mental curse on her older brother. Sarah tried hard to mask a smirk that didn’t go unseen by Chris. 

 Pointedly ignoring his sister, Chris reached for the open bottle of wine closest to him. He leaned his arm across the table and offered Sarah a glass. “Want a top-up?” 

 They made eye contact for the first time in what felt like ages and he smiled at her, a slight crease appearing in the corners of his eyes so she knew it was genuine. “No, I’m OK. Better pace myself.” 

 They hadn’t seen each other, hadn’t messaged each other, in over a week. She was grateful for the break. He looked good, though. Lean and sculpted to a point that was inhuman or, at the very least, unfair to an average human being. A couple of weeks of working out and his body seemed to ping back to what it once was. It was like watching elastic snap into place. Sarah suddenly felt every single extra pound clinging to her thighs. Whenever she gained weight, it always seemed to land there. It was annoying and proved nearly impossible to remove no matter how often she ran. 

 “The hell is this?” Chris asked. He finally noticed the smooth table runner stretching out in front of him. “Are we expecting someone official?” 

 “Just keep quiet and let her do her thing.” Scott pleaded with him quietly before connecting eyes with Shanna and Sarah, everyone seemingly thinking the same thing. “Let’s try to get out of here in one piece, yeh?” 

 “What took you so long to get here, Chris?” Lisa asked as she walked back into the dining room carrying a large tray of what looked like bread rolls. She placed it down in the centre before moving to the side table to gather the salt and pepper grinders. 

 “Oh, it was just a work call.” He shrugged, confident enough in his manner that the conversation didn’t go any further. Scott elbowed him seemingly without anyone else noticing but Chris brushed him off with a shake of his head. He rested his chin on his hand as he took stock of what was in front of him, Sarah included. 

 His beard was thicker and apparently untended to, Sarah noticed, now that things had quietened down. He glanced at her through his lashes as things grew quiet and Lisa started dishing out vegetables to everyone. Lisa had a particular way of handling large family dinners – lessons learned from cooking for many kids over the years. You knew to wait until everyone had something on their plate before making moves for any more. It all smelled delicious. As unnerved as Sarah felt with the formality laid out in front of her, she had to admit she was looking forward to some proper home-cooked food. 

 Chris kept looking at Sarah, hands folded in her lap, polite as always, waiting for everyone else to go in front of her. He saw Michael help himself to three bread rolls before passing the plate back round to Lisa. Michael was a tall, hefty man whose appetite never seemed to be affected by anything. Even when he had horrendous flu that left him in bed for a fortnight, he still managed to put a lot away. He had never once experienced food poisoning. 

 “If you’re waiting for everyone else, there’ll be nothing left.” Chris spoke as he leaned in towards her so she could hear him over the sounds of cutlery and enjoyment. “Just go for it.” 

 She smiled shyly back at him and thanked Lisa for cooking what appeared to be a mini-feast. 

 “Can you pass the butter, please?” Shanna asked as she reached her arm over Sarah’s plate, forcing Sarah to lean back in her chair. She stretched her other arm out for the gravy that Scott was currently pouring over his plate. 

 “You’re always so polite.” Chris chuckled. “Shan, can you stop getting in the way and let the poor girl eat.” 

 “Huh?” Shanna questioned, unaware of what was going on. 

 “You’re getting in her way.” 

 “No, she’s fine. It’s fine.” Sarah quickly interrupted as she sensed him bristle with frustration. 

 He looked at her for another second before shaking his head. Shanna threw her brother a look of puzzlement but Scott appeared just as confused by his sudden tone.

 “Bet this beats McDonald’s, eh Sarah?” Carly said, before giggling to herself. 

“You’re telling me. I can’t remember the last time I ate something green and fresh.” 

 “Michael is so jealous.” 

 Michael’s ears perked up as he turned to his wife and Sarah. “Damn straight. Being only able to eat burgers and fries is, like, the dream scenario.” 

 “Why have you been on so many night shifts lately anyway?” Chris asked, a mouth full of chicken, placing the spotlight firmly on her. 

 She tried to shrug it off, act casually. “Audrey needed some extra support and I figured it would do me good to work in a few more nights. I always seem to manage to get out of them.” 

She was fast hoping Lisa would start discussing the impending trip to distract everyone but no such luck. 

 This felt like it was going to be a long night. 

 “It gave you time off for this weekend so swings and roundabouts, eh?” Shanna added. “Speaking of which, is there anything you need us to do for the trip, Mom? I noticed everyone else has jobs and lists except for us.” Shanna inquired, not quite able to hide the mild accusatorial tone creeping into her words. 

 “Um, no, I don’t think so, honey. Just trying to keep it as casual as possible.” 

Scott nearly choked out a chunk of potato. Chris, side-eyeing Michael’s increasingly red face, tried his hardest not to bark out in laughter. It was tough. Lisa noticed it, too. Choosing to ignore it, she turned back to her daughter. 

 “I meant that things are under control now so there’s no need to add to the pile. As long as you get there on time, that’s all I’ll ask for.” 

 Shanna wasn’t feeling convinced and the smug grin now on Chris’ face wasn’t helping to reassure her either. She turned to Sarah to see if she was thinking the same thing as her but Sarah just kept her eyes on the plate of food in front her, hoping that if she continued eating and finished as quickly as possible, she could get home again. 

 “I can do something, Mom.” She protested. “I could bring that lawn bowling game again?” 

 “Actually, Michael has one of those. It’s a bit newer and the skittles are heavier so the wind won’t keep knocking them over.” Carly spoke up before glancing apologetically at her sister. “He just got it from a friend at work, so… No biggie.”  

“What about wine and drinks? We could stop off on the way up?” 

 “I put an order in for all of that.” Lisa responded with a casual wave of her hand. “It’ll be here the day before so I’ll pack it up here before we set off. Speaking of which, anyone for more wine?” 

 Shanna remained quiet as the family conversed about nothing in particular. Carly was talking about some game the kids at school had taught her that might be fun for the weekend but nothing could remove the unease surrounding her sister. Sure, Shanna wasn’t the most reliable when it came to shopping lists and sticking to plans but it was unlike Lisa not to call upon her for something, no matter how small and inconsequential it might be. 

 Attention turned from one brother to the next as discussions about carpooling took over. Chris really wanted to use the trip as an excuse to take his new Audi for a drive but with all the gear he and Scott had to bring, there wasn’t much room for anything or anyone else. 

 “Except maybe Sarah?” Chris posed the question, keeping it casual. “You could tag along with us and then Shanna could go with mom, I guess.” 

 “I was thinking of hiring a car myself actually.” Chris looked surprised at Sarah’s sudden offer. She hated driving. “We could take some of the load off everyone else then. Lisa? We could pack up some of your stuff?” 

 Sarah had loosely discussed this with Shanna some time ago but they had ultimately decided against it because, well, she really hated driving. Now, however, sensing her friend’s growing despondency, she figured it might help her feel more useful. Plus, it would give Sarah some control over when they could head back home again. 

 Shanna looked at her friend and smiled gratefully. 

 “That’s very kind of you, Sarah. I supposed you both could go on ahead and get the keys from Maggie and we could meet you there soon after? I said we would be getting there some time around the early afternoon if that’s alright with you both?” Lisa requested, opening another bottle of wine. Shanna nodded, a smile wide on her face now and she felt a sense of relief. 

 Sarah mentally calculated backwards from “early afternoon” and reasoned they would need to be up and out of the apartment by 7am at the latest. Suddenly, her role in proceedings made more sense where Shanna was concerned. She gladly accepted a new glass of wine and made a mental note to contact the car rental in the morning. 

 “You know who you should ask about renting cars?” Scott asked. “Greg, of course! I bet he knows a guy who knows a guy who is the son of the guy that started Mercedes. Or something. Either that or he probably has shares in Hertz.” 

 Sarah rolled her eyes at him, laughing. He probably wasn’t wrong. 

 “OK there, brother. You need to ease up on the wine” Chris pushed Scott’s glass further away and patted him on the back. “There you go, little sis. Looks like you have a job after all.” 

 A clear sign of Chris’ irritation was when he chose to be patronising. Shanna was taken aback by his tone and Sarah felt her friend sink back into her chair, irritated. Sarah raised her eyebrow at him but all he did was shrug, playing innocent. Not his strong point. 

 The room stayed silent for a little while as people finished up their meals. As much as she originally wanted to pace herself, Sarah didn’t object when Scott filled her glass up yet again. He turned in his chair to place the empty bottle on the side table alongside the others. It was then that Sarah noticed all of the other empties. Had they really drunk that much? In little more than an hour? She clocked the time and there still seemed to be plenty of food left. They would be travelling much of it home as afters at this rate. Chris left the room briefly and returned with a couple of beers for him and Michael. 

 “What are you gonna do with all this left-over food, ma?” Chris asked as he sat back down indicating a second tray of roast potatoes that had so far gone untouched. 

 “Please don’t let us take any.” Sarah joked, holding her hands up in playful protest. 

 “What?” Scott asked before laughing. He looked at his sister before smiling broadly at Sarah as he watched her cheeks blush red. 

“Oh, she’s feeling self-conscious about her weight.” Shanna answered, nudging her under the table. That was helpful of her, thought Sarah. She could feel herself heating up as they all looked at her, waiting for her to speak up again. Chris took a swig of beer from his bottle and leaned his forearm on the table. 

“No way in hell are you fat, Sarah. That’s ridiculous.” Scott combatted. “You’re really trim, being on your feet all day. I’d love to give you my fit-bit some time. I’d probably gain a few thousand steps.” 

 Sarah laughed out loud. “Thank you, Scott. Can we please change the subject?” 

 “So, you’ll be wearing a two-piece, yeh?” Chris asked. She turned to look at him suddenly before chuckling nervously. 

 “Um, I have no idea yet. Are we even going to use the hot tub?” 

 “I won’t be.” Lisa laughed. 

 “Oh, we all definitely will! It’s the height of summer and that thing can fit a dozen people. Ample room for comfort!” Scott enthused. He should be a salesman. 

 “And it’d be a real shame if you didn’t join in, Bernette.” 

 She felt her skin heat up under Chris’ gaze as he attempted to hide the fact he was looking at her by taking another long swig from his beer bottle. “I’m not apologising for that by the way. As a man and your friend, I can say that and you can’t get mad at me.” 

 “What?” Scott asked. It was a valid question in the circumstances. “What a…weird thing to say.” Scott laughed a little uncomfortably but Chris didn’t break eye contact with Sarah. 

 “So,” Michael attempted to add some humour back into the room. “Bet it’s nice sleeping during the daytime now you’re on lates? I used to love lazing around the house when I did them.” 

 Scott nodded enthusiastically in agreement, slapping his hand on the table. “I remember night shoots on this one TV drama I did a few years ago and honestly, the sleep I got the next day was the best ever. I don’t know why but I always tend to sleep better in the daytime.” 

 “Funny, that’s what your teachers used to say.” Chris joked, swigging his beer. Lisa giggled and fondly touched her son’s elbow. 

 “Oh ha ha ha. You’re so funny. I swear if you’re this amusing this weekend, I might not survive my sides splitting open.” Scott rolled his eyes. “Which reminds me, we should figure out rooms now so there’s no fighting on the day. No way am I sharing with this idiot.” 

 “You only wanna do that ‘cos you know we’ll be there first and we will be bagsying the attic this time.” Shanna thumbed the space between her and Sarah. 

 “You don’t deserve the attic.” Chris pointed. “You’ll be half-cut the entire weekend, like last time. You won’t enjoy the space or the views.” 

 “Excuse me? What do you care?” Shanna retorted. 

 “You spent a whole day in bed with a hangover last time. If you’re gonna be sharing with Sarah, it’s not fair on her to have to look after you. Again. It’ll spoil her weekend as well.” He explained. “She deserves a break just as much as you do.” 

 Shanna looked aghast at her friend before regarding her brother again. She shook her head in disbelief. “I can handle my drink, OK? I was just gonna say that it wouldn’t be fair if Scott got that room all to himself. Especially if he’s on his own again.” 

 “Thanks sis.” 

 “Sorry, Scott. But…y’know. If anything, Mom should have it.” She suggested, looking towards her mother in hopes that she might appreciate the offer.

“Thanks sweetie but I’ll be staying in the guest house this time. With Carly, Mikey and the kids.” 

 “Since when?” Chris asked, surprised. 

 “We just figured it would be easier this time around. Plus, I can help with the kids and you guys can sort breakfast for us all. Get your pancake apron out again, hun.” She winked at him, sipping her wine. 

 “Chris is a great tosser.” Shanna said under her breath. 

 “Shanna….” Lisa nudged her. 

 “Wait, so does this mean we get a room each then?” Scott interrupted. He wasn’t even sure of what he was saying as the wine haze gradually descended over him. “Sarah?” 

 “I have absolutely no idea.” 

 “I’ve lost track of what’s going on now.” Scott said. 

 “That doesn’t answer the question of who gets the attic, though?” Shanna asked, a little whinier than she had intended. 

 “If Sarah and I take the downstairs rooms, we can figure out breakfast in the mornings.” Chris suggested. “And you can have your precious attic. That makes it easier, right? Does that make you happy, Shanna? Good.” 

 “What’s crawled up your ass and died this evening?” Shanna asked, irritated. 

“Oh my god, Shanna, it’s a fucking bedroom.” He practically spitted. “You keep dragging everything out and making everything into a bigger deal than it needs to be.” 

 “No, I’m not!” 

 “Yes, you are! I’m just making the decisions so we can all move the fuck on.” 

“Chris!” Lisa reprimanded her son and regretted over-ordering on the wine. 

 “It’s alright now.” Sarah attempted to calm things down. “I think we’ve pretty much figured it out so it’ll be fine.” Carly nodded and nudged Michael to offer something by way of support but he looked just as baffled by the tension as she did. 

 Chris landed his bottle on the table hard. “Sarah, you don’t need to keep standing up for her. She’s a big girl. She should be able to figure it out now without you babysitting her all the goddamn time.” 

 “What?!” Shanna also slammed her glass down on the table and looked to Scott and Carly for some back-up but they both seemed frozen to their respective spots. “I don’t need babysitting.” 

 “OK, guys. Dessert? I have pecan pie and or ice cream?” Lisa offered, standing up from her seat and making a shade more noise than necessary in the hope it might snap the kids out of whatever funk they were in. 

 Chris glared at his sister a beat too long and she returned the favour before turning away with a look of disgust. “You’re gonna be heaps of fun this weekend, I can tell.” Shanna shrugged. “Clearly, I’m not the one we need to be concerned with. Maybe it’s you that needs babysitting?” 

 “Fuck you!” Chris stressed, just low enough to miss his mother’s ears. 

Carly’s eyes grew wide in shock and for a second, Chris looked like he might apologise. Sarah reached a hand under the table to gently tap Shanna on her leg. Shanna felt it but didn’t acknowledge it. Instead, she leant on her elbow and rubbed her earlobe between her thumb and forefinger, a sure sign she was feeling upset and possibly trying to stop tears forming. Sarah tried to get Chris’ gaze back on her but he continued eying his sister, no apology yet materialising. He was a loose cannon when he was in this mood and she didn’t much want to stick around and find out what might happen if he downed another beer. 

 “We should probably think about heading home, Shan. I’ll check for an Uber.” Sarah stated. 

 “Don’t do that, I’ll give you a lift, hun. It won’t take long. We can have some pie and then go if you like.” Carly offered with a wink and for the first time that evening, Sarah noticed she hadn’t been drinking. 

 “Always looking out for you, aren’t we?” Chris said, lowly. 

 “Do you wanna calm down?” Shanna asked. 

 “I am calm.” Chris replied. “I’m just having a nice time, right? That’s what we’re all doing here, yeh? Sarah?” 

 “Sorry?” 

 “Are you having a good time?” He pressed. 

 She was sure he was leading her into a trap. 

 “I am OK. Sure.” She spoke each syllable carefully, trying to warn him off from whatever his motive was. 

 “I don’t believe you.” 

 She couldn’t bring herself to look at him, or anyone. She held her hands in her lap and paid attention to the air she was now breathing in deeply. 

 “Oh Jesus Christ!” Shanna called out. She was growing more and more frustrated with her brother by the second. 

 “Shanna!” intercepted Lisa. 

 “No! He’s being a dick and I wanna know why!” She turned back to Chris. “What the hell have I done to piss you off?!” 

 He stayed quiet, blocking her voice out. He focussed as much of his energy as he could at Sarah sitting across from him, willing her to look back at him, to let him know it was going to be OK. He swung between feeling regret and feeling practically and absurdly confident. It was the beer obviously. It really felt like a now-or-never moment. Fuck it. 

 “I’m sorry, Sarah.” 

 Sarah finally looked up at him, tears appearing in the corners of her eyes. Her feet felt like they were weighed down with concrete to the spot underneath. She tried to feel them, to grab at the carpet between her toes. She was pretty sure she could no longer hear what was going on around her as she felt her heart beat inside her ears. 

 “Why are you apologising to her? I’m the one that’s upset!” countered Shanna, jabbing her finger at him, aggressively. 

 He shook his head before looking back at his sister. “I’m sorry, Shanna. I wish there was a better way of saying this but I guess not. I’m just…” 

He paused as he tried to find the words. Sarah felt her heart sink. What felt like goosebumps suddenly appeared up and down her arms. Chris looked at her again. Scott looked at her, too, picking up on something for the first time but what, he couldn’t work out. Damn that second bottle. 

 “I’m just tired.” Chris offered. Carly looked to Michael but he knew nothing of what was happening. “Of this.” 

 “Is it work again?” Lisa enquired. “Maybe you could work in some time off this time around, so you’re not away from home for as long.” 

 “No, it’s not work, ma. I’m just tired in general. Of a lot of things. People.” He pronounced each syllable as clearly as he possibly could. “And I know it sounds pathetic and you’re probably thinking I’m being selfish but I really don’t fucking care.” 

 “I…I don’t understand, honey.” 

 “Yeh, what are you talking about?” Shanna turned to her friend but her stare wasn’t quite matched by Sarah who looked like she was waiting for the ground to swallow her whole. “Does anyone know what the hell he’s talking about? Or why I am in the firing line for it all of a sudden?” 

 “Shan, I don’t think-” Scott started but the glare from his sister stopped him in his tracks. Scott looked at Sarah and things started falling into place. For some reason, of all the memories to have at that moment in time, his mind flashed back to standing out on his brother’s terrace on the evening of his birthday party. Chris had been distracted and checking his phone, even more than usual so Scott was certain it had something to do with a girl. Normally, he’d feel a sense of pride at being right but it didn’t feel altogether appropriate in the current circumstances. 

 “What the hell is going on?” Shanna pressed. She looked to Scott who had his gaze fixed firmly on his brother. “Do you know, Scott?” 

 Scott looked to his brother and when Chris met his gaze, he knew. He knew Scott knew, too. Call it brotherly intuition but something had connected for him and Chris was all the more grateful for it. 

 “Do you ever feel tired or dictating everyone else’s happiness?” Chris asked, breaking the silence. 

 Shanna dropped her hands on her lap in frustration. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? When have I ever dictated your happiness?” 

 “Do you even realise what people do for you? Do you ever take notice of everyone around you, going out of their way to make you feel better even if it makes them feel worse? Take tonight for example. Sarah doesn’t even wanna drive this weekend. She fuckin’ hates it, you know this, but she’s doing it anyway so that you can feel useful. It’s pathetic.” 

 “What? You heard her, she just offered.” 

 “Because you’ve been moaning about not having anything to do! If you’d just moved on, shut up, she probably wouldn’t have needed to.” 

 “That’s not true. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Shanna dismissed him. 

 “Why don’t I get the car running and you guys can meet me outside in 5?” Carly proposed, indicating to Sarah that she should try and gather her things, Shanna included. 

 Chris completely ignored Carly. “And you’ve asked her what she wants, right?” 

“Chris, please…” It was pathetic. Sarah knew that. 

 “I just don’t get it, Sarah.” He turned to her with a half-hearted shrug. “I’ve thought about it all week but I just don’t understand what you are getting out of this. Surely, I give you more than this?” 

 “OK.” Lisa got up from the table and moved round to where Shanna was sitting, rubbing a hand across the back of her shoulders as though it was in preparation of something, but Shanna abruptly pushed her hand away. 

 “Sarah and I have been seeing each other. For a little while. A few months maybe, I lost track of time.” 

 Shanna’s jaw dropped. Scott should have felt something but after glancing at his mother stood in front of him on the other side of the table, and recognising the same look in her eyes, he stayed quiet. He saw Sarah close her eyes and figured someone should try and comfort her, too, but it was hard to know where to stand.

 Shanna found some strength to open her mouth a few times but no sound came out, until… “What?” 

 “You don’t need to worry, though. It’s over now.” He placed his bottle of beer on the table and leaned back. He placed his fingers on the edge, running them up and down the smooth, varnished wood. “She ended it by the way. Because she knew you wouldn’t be happy.” 

 Shanna’s mouth hung open, dry. “Is that true?” She turned to Sarah. “Were you with him?”

 “I just said so, didn’t I?” 

 “I wasn’t asking you!” 

 Chris wasn’t sure what he was hoping for in that moment. He looked at Sarah and felt sadness. Sadness at the pain evidently coursing through her body in that moment. She looked small and deflated somehow. He felt astonishingly sober, more’s the pity. He wished he could go to her and hold her but he knew it was the last thing she wanted. Probably what anyone would have wanted. It wouldn’t have helped matters and he wasn’t sure anything he could say now would do that job either. 

 Sarah took in an audible breath and looked at her friend. She blinked back the few tears that had gathered but it only seemed to make things worse. “I’m…sorry. I don’t know what to say.” 

 “I think I’ll just…” Michael pointed to the door and left the table as quickly as he could manage, no doubt to fill Carly in. 

 “Oh my God.” Shanna replied. She put her face in her hands and didn’t move. “I don’t believe this.” 

 Sarah looked beyond Shanna to Lisa who offered her a surprisingly reassuring smile that she was definitely not expecting. Did she feel grateful for it? She had zero clue. “I’m so sorry.” 

 “We don’t have anything to be sorry for, Sarah.” It was the gentlest tone Chris had spoken in all night. “Shan, I know it’s a lot to take in right now but you should know that this wasn’t just some fling or something utterly stupid. There’s a real thing here.” He looked to Sarah for reassurance. “Right?” 

 Sarah couldn’t look him in the eye. 

 “OK, I know I haven’t handled this in the best way-” 

 “-That’s an understatement.” Scott finally found his voice. 

 “-I accept that and for that, I am really sorry, I promise you. But you have to see things from my perspective here.” 

 “Chris, I don’t think that’s what needs to be said right now, OK? Your sister is very upset and I think you should maybe head home to sleep this off. Scott, can you...?” 

Scott nodded in agreement and left the room to grab both their jackets. 

 “Mom, this isn’t-” 

 “-I know.” She held her hand up to stop him. The less he said now, the better. At least until a few hours had been put between them. Chris, resigned, agreed. 

He looked at Sarah again hoping for something, anything, that might make him think things were going to be alright. Lisa noticed the plea in his eyes, practically begging her to look at him. 

“Sarah, sweetheart, you both can stay here tonight. I think we should probably be together for a bit, yeh?” 

 Sarah was flummoxed by the offer but grateful at the same time. She knew Shanna wouldn’t say anything to her if they just went home again, if she would even come back to their apartment at all. She’d shut her bedroom door and not emerge for some time and that would have driven her mad. She wanted to get out of there as fast as she could but…this was perhaps better. Safer. 

 It was going to be a long night. 

 *

[lizaloveslevihan]

my big mood today is an au where levihan is living the west coast life and going to the city to buy good bread and go biking next to the sea-side and maybe crossing the bridge as they the weather is so cold but they feel so warm from the exercise and each other's love <3

A Day Well Spent

He kneeled at the bedside, already dressed for the day with every intention to drag her out of the bed. However, as he stared into her sleeping face, the words died down his throat. 

Her messy brown hair was everywhere, and she snored, mouth slightly agape, tiny hints of drool slipping from her mouth. He had already allotted himself time this morning to watch her for a couple of minutes before he got up and prepared breakfast, which was already waiting for them in the dining room. He had been incredibly tempted to just stay in bed with her all day, but he had already agreed with her plans, which, ironically, she had to be reminded of herself.

He carefully tucked a handful of hair behind her ear and traced his hand towards her bare arm, shaking it lightly. “Oi, four-eyes. Wake up. We’re gonna be stuck in rush hour.”

Hange groaned in her sleep. She lifted her arm and started waving her hand around until it finally smacked against his face. Levi sighed and took her hand in his, squeezing it lightly. 

“Five more minutes, clean freak,” she yawned, “five more minutes.”

“It’s already nine, for fuck’s sake,” Levi said firmly. Hange huffed and squeezed her eyes, even more, crumpling her face a bit. Levi shook her again with a little more force. “You were the one who kept bugging me about going out today, so stick with your plan.”

Hange groaned louder and draped an arm over her eyes, shifting her body so that it was facing away from him. “It’s not my fault you’re so good in bed,” she complained, “I’m still exhausted as fuck.”

Levi sighed again, knowing that he now had to stick to his initial plan. He stood up, cracked his knuckles, and tore off the blanket that covered her bare body. Hange let out a loud shriek in surprise but had little time to react when he swiftly picked her up and carried her towards the bathroom. 

The position was rather awkward, given their height difference, but Levi had already done this multiple times whenever she refused to take a bath herself. Hange normally didn’t complain, but this time, she was swatting his arm and growling like an animal. “I would have gotten up in five minutes you kn--”

She didn’t finish her sentence as Levi plopped her right into the bathtub. 

“What the fuck?!” Hange screeched, feeling the water envelop her skin. She yelped, spilling some of it on the floor. 

“I didn’t want to have to do this, four-eyes, but you left me with no choice,” Levi said as he crossed his arms. “Now you better hurry up or I’m leaving your ass in thirty minutes.”

Hange huffed. Of course, he’d already prepared a bath and everything. However, the annoyance she felt slowly died down as she noted the warmness of the water and the strong scent of lavender. She poked at some of the bubbles and felt her frown turn into a wide grin. 

Levi scoffed and raised an eyebrow. “The fuck are you so happy about?”

“Oh, nothing.” Hange sang as she eased into the tub, feeling her muscles relax. She sighed comfortably and looked at him. “Just how much I love you.”

She grinned even wider as he was visibly taken aback, an unmistakable blush dusting his pale cheeks. “Just hurry up and wipe your ass,” he grumbled, suddenly turning shy and looking away. “I don’t wanna be stuck in traffic all day.”

“Aren’t you going to do it for me?” Hange pouted. She did her best puppy eyes, knowing it always had at least a fifty percent chance of working on him.

“Nice try,” Levi said as he swiftly walked out of the room. “Save your begging for later.”

As he shut the door behind him, Hange couldn’t help but giggle. He really was something else.

--------

The weather was finally turning cooler after months of excessive heat, so she was glad to finally be able to wear that soft, yellow sweater Nanaba had gotten for her on her birthday. She finished dressing, leaving her damp hair to dry first, and went out of the bedroom. She found Levi in the kitchen, sipping his morning tea. 

Levi glanced up as he heard her walking in, and Hange observed how he stared at her a second longer before glancing down and taking another sip. “Took you long enough.” 

Hange then noticed the plate of eggs and toast on the dining table, as well as her usual mug of coffee. “Thanks for breakfast, Levi!” she happily exclaimed as she took her usual seat, Levi joining her afterward. 

They took their breakfasts quickly, seeing as they had a couple of places they needed to get to that day. In twenty minutes, they were already on the freeway, and much to Levi’s pleasant surprise, the traffic wasn’t as bad as he thought. The whole ride would have been perfect if only Hange didn’t control the music. Hopefully, she’d let him play his playlist when they drove to their next stop. He didn’t know if he could handle listening to her rap “My Shot” from the Hamilton soundtrack seven more times. He appreciated the music, but what he didn’t appreciate was her screeching every. single. word. 

They got to the Farmer’s Market before noon and Levi managed to secure a parking spot by her favorite pastry stall. “Remember, we’re getting bread and fruit. Don’t you dare buy a fucking fish like last time.” He reminded Hange as they got out of the car. He walked around and met her eyes, already seeing the excitement in them. 

“But that was so fun!” Hange complained. She immediately hooked her arm to his and started dragging him to the first stall. 

“I went to the bathroom for ten minutes and the next thing I know you made your own campfire in Santa Monica and tried cooking an actual fish in it,” Levi emphasized. They stopped right in front of her favorite shop where she glanced at all the decadent options that laid in front of her. “You were fucking lucky that Arlert kid worked there and helped cover it up, otherwise, they would have probably arrested your shitty ass.”

Before Hange could reply, the old woman who managed the store finally saw and greeted them. “Oh, how nice to see you again Dr. Zoe! Mr. Ackerman.”

Levi nodded at the woman while Hange gave her a big wave. “Hi, Kate! We’ll have the usual. And maybe a box of these blueberry tarts. Thank you!” She smiled brightly. 

Kate instantly returned the smile. “Of course. Half a dozen of chocolate croissants and a box of blueberry tarts coming right up, dear.”

Hange finally glanced down at Levi as Kate was busy grabbing the pastries. “Isn’t Armin such a sweet kid? He also works so hard at the lab, even if he’s an unpaid intern. I already promised him a superb letter of recommendation when he graduates, which makes us even I guess.”

Levi rolled his eyes. She was definitely shaping up Arlert to replace Moblit, should he finally die from stress from making sure she doesn’t blow herself up at work. Even though he never showed it (and never will) he was grateful for those two for taking care of her when he couldn’t. 

“You need to stop watching those survival shows on Netflix,” Levi said as Kate started wrapping up their purchases. “Next thing I know, you’re gonna attempt to eat your own shit.”

Hange let out a large bark of laughter. She then bumped her shoulder against his. “My shit would probably taste really good though, you gotta admit.”

“Here you go, sweetie,” Kate said as she handed Hange a paper bag. Levi started to take out his wallet when the old woman stopped him. “Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s on the house today!”

“But Kate--” Hange started to protest. The old woman placed a hand on her shoulder to silence her.

“You two come here every Sunday, and it always warms my heart to see how sweet you are. That’s very rare for couples these days.” Kate smiled, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll let you pay next week, alright?”

Hange then gave her a big hug which made the old woman chuckle in delight. She returned the gesture and glanced at Levi, who nodded his head in gratitude. 

They eventually pulled apart, and before they exchanged goodbyes, Kate walked up to Levi and whispered: “Take care of that one, okay? She’s a keeper.”

He glanced discreetly at Hange, drinking in her appearance and fighting the small grin that threatened to appear on his face. He returned his gaze to the old woman and spoke quietly: “You have no idea.”

It was after they purchased more food from the other stalls did Hange finally ask what the old woman told him. 

“Oh, nothing.” Levi responded, the bright flower shop at the end of the hall catching his eye, “Just how much your shit would taste good.” 

Hange laughed out loudly, gaining the attention of the people near them. Levi finally felt his lips turn upright at the sight of her happy face. 

“I knew it.”

-------

They reached the beach after an hour-long drive that mainly consisted of fighting over playing yet another Hamilton song or Levi’s alternative rock and classical playlist. They eventually came up to the agreement where Hange was allowed to sing one Hamilton song and listen quietly to the rest. If she failed to do so, then she had to play Levi’s music. Suffice to say, Levi was finally able to enjoy at least some parts of the drive.

There was a park that was situated exactly next to the beach which was the perfect spot for lunch. Hange normally persuaded him to have a picnic in the sand, despite the obvious discomfort he had, but after seeing all the trouble she put him through last time with the fish situation, she was more than okay to eat at a picnic table at the park. 

Hange felt herself instantly relax as the cool, salty air entered her lungs. She stretched out her limbs after being cooped up in the car for so long and closed her eyes, enjoying the breeze. 

As much as she loved her job and the people she worked with, she was glad to have these nice days off -- especially with Levi by her side. 

“Oi, instead of standing around like an idiot, why don’t you help out shitty glasses?” Levi called out as he opened the trunk and grabbed some of the bags of food they had bought. 

Hange broke from her trance and did exactly that. They found a nice table and Levi got to working with placing a picnic blanket over it as Hange started to pull out and prepare the boxes of food and bottles of beverages. As they worked, Hange couldn’t help but discreetly glance at Levi as he neatly arranged the other boxes of food, his strong figure visibly relaxed, and his face calm, even though it had its usual stoic expression. The breeze picked up a little, slightly ruffling his dark locks as he concentrated on making sure nothing flew away. 

“Take a picture, it lasts longer,” he said without looking at her. Hange couldn’t help but laugh at being caught, and she shrugged before sitting down, her hands making its way to the first box of pastries. “Eh. I already have too many photos of your constipated face on my phone. It almost makes me look like a stalker. Though that would be an interesting concept.” She bit into the croissant and sighed at its wonderful flavor.

Levi scoffed and sat across from her before grabbing a sandwich. “It’s not hard to imagine. I bet you already have some weird fucking shrine of me in your lab or some shit.”

Hange gasped, a couple of crumbs falling from her face. “How’d you find out?! I thought I hid it so well.”

Levi pursed his lips in amusement as Hange grinned at him. They ate in silence for a bit before falling into an easy conversation about their respective work and what they had missed talking about the past week. Hange excitedly talked about the new developments in the lab and the experiments she was thinking of proposing soon. In turn, Levi updated her on how he and Erwin were close to securing a deal with one of their potential investors.

They finished their food and after cleaning up and putting some of it back in the car, they proceeded to walk together by the seaside. Levi wasn’t keen on stepping into the sand at all this time, and Hange conceded. It wasn’t long before their hands were firmly clasped together as they walked, and they went on, passing by surfers and other beachgoers who also enjoyed a rather gentle sun and cold breeze. They inserted some personal commentary on each person they found interesting -- which varied immensely from a street performer to an old couple who wore swimsuits that left little for the imagination. 

“Look, Levi!” Hange stopped and pointed to a bike rental stall. “Can we go?” 

It wasn’t as if Levi had much choice, so he simply agreed. 

After paying the rent (and sanitizing the handles on Levi’s part), they rode their bikes and followed the convenient trail specifically made for them. Hange, with her strong and long legs, obnoxiously went faster than him. “Oi, Hange! Slow down will you?” Levi called out. “It’s not a fucking race!”

Though he commended the effort, there was still no way she could outrun the man who actually had a fixed gym schedule. “The fuck, four-eyes?” he said as they finally pedaled side by side.

“Why, I thought you’d actually appreciate looking at my backside, short stuff,” Hange said, not bothering to look at him. “Your loss, I guess!” she called out.

She smiled smugly to herself as Levi took the bait and slowed down behind her. After a few seconds, she called out again: “Take a picture! It lasts longer!”

-------

They left the beach an hour before sunset, and this time, the drive to their last location was a calmer one -- Hange filling the air with more comments about the people and things they observed.

Levi glanced at her from time to time, the colors of the sky lighting her face. She went on and on about the man on the beach whose lover looked more like his daughter, about Kate and how they should give her something special next week as a thank you present, about her work agenda tomorrow and how she wanted to set up Moblit with Nifa, and what their plans were going to be next Sunday. Levi took it all in -- the sound of her voice, how she chuckled and laughed, her thoughtfulness towards others -- he took it all in and felt an overwhelming amount of happiness just by being there and listening to her. 

Hange couldn’t help but do the same. Every time she sprouted something, she looked at his reaction and was pleased to see his amused expression. He looked positively gorgeous there behind the steering wheel, and she knew that he was listening to her every word despite it being nonsense to him. The moment he placed his hand in between them, she grabbed it immediately. Though he said nothing, she knew he was as happy as her.

They had gotten to the Observatory by the time the sun started sinking, and they pulled up near a bench with an incredible view of Los Angeles laid out in front of them. Hange immediately went down and sat, but Levi had other plans as he mysteriously went to the trunk and took out something from a bag. Hange stared at him in amusement as he closed it and presented her with a bouquet of sunflowers that matched her sweater perfectly. 

“You haven’t studied these yet, right?” Levi asked. Hange smiled warmly and took it, admiring its beauty. He then sat down next to her, his face neutral. 

“They’re beautiful.” Hange noted, “and yep. I haven’t yet.” She loved to study flowers and plants as a hobby, and Levi almost always provides her with them, even if he constantly argued he got them for free somewhere.

“They were giving them out in the market while you were in the bathroom.” Levi shrugged, keeping his face expressionless. “Thought you’d need something to work on in your free time.”

Hange hugged his side, giggling at his obviously constipated face. He draped an arm around her and they stayed that way for a good amount of time. 

“You’re too kind, Levi,” Hange said, her voice muffled against his shoulder. “And you’re also a terrible liar.”

“Shut the fuck up, shitty glasses.”

Hange laughed again -- she seriously couldn't stop laughing when she was with him -- and pulled away, placing the flowers onto her other side. “So.” she started, now looking at the view that laid in front of them. “What are we doing next Sunday? I believe it’s your turn to pick.”

Levi already had the answer to that question. “We’re staying in.”

Hange raised an eyebrow, “Again? Don’t you want to try out that new tea place downtown?”

Levi shook his head and thought about how he seldom had the time to just laze around in bed with her -- especially given their often hectic work schedules. He thought about this morning, her calm and serene face, the drool from lips, her messy hair -- and he knew he wanted to bask in that silence, to stare at her face for as long as possible. Though today, he had to admit, was also a day well spent. 

Hange understood and smiled softly. They wrapped their arms around one another, the cold air unable to penetrate the warmth from the love they deeply shared. 

It was a day well spent indeed. 

[slowly-writing]

Part of the Family: Part 3

Avengers x Kid!Reader

Part 1    Part 4

Word Count: 2850

“Y/n? You almost ready?” Steve calls and you run towards the common room, hoping as you try to put on your right shoe.

“I’m ready,” you say back as you get there, sitting down quickly to tie your shoes. The whole team was taking you to the movies today. The new Justice League movie has come out and you convinced them it would be fun to go. Plus you had never been to a movie theater before, so they caved pretty quickly.

“Sweetheart, why don’t you go put on some long pants, or at least roll your sleeves down. It can get cold in movie theaters,” Natasha explained, crouching down in front of you.

“I’ll be okay,” you said quietly, avoiding eye contact. “I don’t get very cold...because of, uh...the serum.”

“Steve’s got jeans and a jacket on kiddo, you don’t have to act tough,” Tony teases and you frown.

“They don’t fit anymore. They all got too short,” you say and Natasha takes your hand.

“Well, that’s okay. We can get you some new ones, I know you’re growing super fast,” she says, trying to coax a smile out of you. She frowns when you just continue to stare at the floor. “Y/n, why didn’t you want us to know?”

“Because I don’t want you to have to buy me more. You just bought me clothes a few months ago,” you say softly and they all exchange sad looks.

“Y/n,” Steve says crouching next to Natasha, “all kids need new clothes sometimes. It’s part of growing up. And sure, you grow a little faster than everyone else, but you can’t help that.”

“So I can get new clothes?”

“Yes y/n, we’ll get you some new clothes. You don’t have to be afraid to ask us for what you need, okay? Remember when I told you we were a family? I meant that,” Natasha says and you smile.

“Until then, you can wear my sweatshirt, it’s super warm,” Steve says, pulling his hoodie over his head and helping you put it on.

“Steve, she’s drowning in that thing,” Tony says and you laugh playing with the sleeves that are much too long.

“I know, it’s adorable,” Steve says and you smile up at him.

“Thank you, Steve.”

“Anytime, kiddo. Are you ready now?” He asks and you nod trying to stand up only to immediately trip over the sleeves of the jacket.

“Here let me help you,” Natasha says, taking your arms and rolling up the sleeves, “there we go, I knew you had hands hidden in there somewhere,” she teases and you giggle as she helps you up.

“Thanks, Natasha!”

“Of course, sweetheart.”

xxxxx

“I’m just saying, our team is way cooler,” Tony says walking out of the movie theater.

“But the Flash can run so fast! Isn’t that cool!” You ask and he rolls his eyes.

“Steve can run fast too,” he says and you shake your head.

“But it’s not a superpower!” You argue, “we can still see him when he runs. The flash goes so fast he disappears. Steve is like Superman! Cause he can do a bunch of stuff! And that’s cooler than the flash. And you can be Batman because you have all the cool stuff like he does! And Natasha is like Wonder Woman, cause she’s super tough and she’s the only girl!” You say, getting really excited.

“What about me and Bruce? Do we get to be on the team too?” Clint asks and you scrunch your face up in thought.

“You can be cyborg because he blows things up and you have arrows that blow things up and Bruce can be aquaman because they’re both really strong and they’re both green!” You say proudly causing them all to chuckle.

“That’s some pretty good analysis there, kiddo,” Steve says and you smile up at him.

“Look it’s the Avengers!”  You hear somebody yell and your eyes get wide as you move to stand behind Steve.

“Take her and go,” Natasha says quietly and Steve pulls your hood over your head before picking you up and walking towards the exit. He holds you tight as you bury your face in his neck. They all know that they can’t keep you a secret forever, but they try to secure your identity as well as they can. You also weren’t very comfortable in public, so you gladly accepted the excuse to leave.

“Who was that?” You whisper and Steve rubs your back softly, trying to calm you down.

“I’m sure it was nobody. Somebody probably just recognized us and got excited,” he explains and you nod.

“Can we go home now?” you say softly and he nods, seeing the others exit the building. He can tell by the looks on their faces that there wasn’t any trouble.

“Yeah, y/n. We’re going home now.”

xxxxxx

In the months that you lived in the tower Natasha and Steve had quickly taken on the parental roles in your life. You looked up to both of them and loved how much they helped you with whatever you needed. You had begun thinking of them as your parents. They did everything parents were supposed to do, and they were better than any parents you have ever had. Steve was the only one who knew how it felt to have the serum in your system and Natasha was a much needed female role model. In a tower surrounded by boys it was nice to have her.

“I can do more,” you told Steve as you were training.

“Y/n, I’m not sure. There’s already a lot of weight on the bar,” Steve says and you roll your eyes.

“You’re just afraid I’m gonna beat your record,” you taunt and Natasha looks over at the two of you.

“Y/n, honey, there’s already almost 400 pounds on that bar. I know you have the serum but we don’t want you to overdo it,” she says and you roll your eyes again.

“Come on, mom! I’ve been training for almost a year! I can do it!” They both pause and you look between them, tilting your head at the surprised looks on their faces, “what?”

“You… you just called me mom,” Natasha says, her face expressionless and your eyes go wide.

“I-I’m sorry” you stutter and that snaps Natasha out of it.

“Hey, it’s okay. Do you think of me as a parent, sweetheart?” she asks walking over to you and you shrug.

“I mean that’s kind of what you guys are, right? I never had real parents before but when I imagined it, it was always like this…” you trail off, looking between Natasha and Steve.

“You think of me as your Dad?” Steve asks and you look at the ground.

“Yeah, is that okay?” you say and he walks over grabbing your chin to look at you.

“Of course it is,” he says pulling you into his arms. Before you can react you’re trapped between Natasha and Steve in the tightest hug of your life.

“You’re squishing me!” you yell and they both laugh, letting you go. “Now, about adding more weight?”

“No.” they both say in unison and you groan.

“I’m starting to rethink this whole parents thing.”

xxxxx

Before long your 13th birthday was approaching.  You didn’t think much of it, you had never really celebrated your birthday before, but you were excited to be a teenager. It seemed so cool and like such a grown up age.

You groaned as someone shook your shoulder and rolled over.

“C’mon y/n, time to get up,” you heard Natasha’s voice and pulled the comforter over your head.

“No, it’s Sunday. We don’t train on Sundays, mom” you mumble, your voice muffled by the blankets over your head.

“First day as a teenager and you’ve already got the attitude. Tell me, how long until you hate me and Steve, huh?” she teases and you pulled the blankets back.

“You remembered?” you ask, rubbing your eyes and your mom laughs.

“Of course I did, sweetheart. Now come on, it’s time for breakfast,” she says and you nod.

“I’ll be down in a minute,” you say and Natasha smiles before heading towards your door.

“Oh, and y/n?” she says poking her head back in, “Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks, mom,” you say with a smile.

“Happy Birthday!” everyone yells as you walk into the kitchen. You smile at the ground as your cheeks get red.

“Happy Birthday, doll,” Steve says picking you up and spinning you in a circle.

“Daaaadddd,” you groan and he laughs.

“Hey, how come he gets to be ‘dad’?” Tony asks and you roll your eyes.

“Because he doesn’t let me bust my face open with wrenches,” you tease back and he groans.

“It was one time! I apologized!” Tony argues and you laugh, looking up at your dad who has his arm around you.

“You kinda did straight up admit I’m your favorite with that one,” He says with a cocky grin and you glare.

“Who says mom isn’t my favorite?” you ask and he steps back, putting a hand over his heart.

“That’s my girl,” Nat says, pressing a kiss to the side of your head. You laugh at the fact that she can’t reach the top of your head anymore. “What’s so funny?”

“I’m almost taller than you,” you say proudly and she rolls her eyes.

“She is pretty short, huh?” Steve asks.

“Yeah!” You agree with a grin.

“Watch it, kid. It’s not too late to take back your presents,” Natasha says and the smile falls from your face.

“You guys got me presents?” You ask, tilting your head to the side in the childlike way that reminded them all how young you really were.

“Of course we did, Cap Jr.” Tony says, “that’s what you do on birthdays. Especially for kids.”

“I never got a birthday present before,” you say softly and you see your dad’s eyes narrow.

“I’m gonna kill Fury for leaving her there so long,” he grits out and you look at him.

“He didn’t need me yet. I wasn’t useful so he had no reason to get me,” you say with a shrug and Natasha pulls you into her arms.

“Your happiness doesn’t depend on what you can do for others, y/n. Even if you never go on a mission, you still deserve to be happy,” she says and you smile.

“But I’m gonna get to go on a mission one day, right?” you ask and everyone laughs.

“Come on, let’s eat,” Steve says and you narrow your eyes.

“You didn’t answer the question, dad.”

“Do you wanna argue, or do you want pancakes?” he raises an eyebrow and you sigh.

“Fine. But this isn’t over!”

xxxxx

“Okay, you wanna open your presents now?” Tony asks and you grin, nodding.

“Me first!” Clint calls and you laugh as he hands you a wrapped box. You turn it over in your hands to find where it’s taped and start carefully removing the paper.

“What are you doing kid?” Tony asks and you look at him confused.

“I’m unwrapping it.” You say, “Mom, am I doing it wrong?” you ask quietly, looking to her for clarification.

“You don’t have to save the paper, sweetie,” she explains softly, “ripping it is half the fun.”

You look at the box and tentatively rip a strip before looking back to your mom. She smiles and nods, encouraging you to go on. You rip the rest of it smiling as you set the paper aside. You look down at the headphones and ipod and grin.

“They’re completely automated and I can help you upload any music you want. The headphones are noise cancelling so you can drown out all us annoying old people,” Clint teases, “but seriously, we should probably get her around some people her own age.”

“Thanks Clint!” you say and he smiles and nods to you.

“Okay, my turn. Time for a field trip,” Tony says, taking your hand and leading you to the elevator, everyone else follows behind curiously. When you get off the elevator you see a dirt bike with a bow on top.

“Is that for me?” You stare in disbelief.

“It is, you ever ridden one before?” he asks and you shake your head.

“I don’t even know how to ride a bicycle,” you say, eyes still wide and Tony laughs.

“I’ve got some land upstate. We can all go up there one day so you can learn, how does that sound?”

“Awesome! Thank you!” you say wrapping your arms around his neck and he laughs.

“Did you seriously buy a 13 year old a motorcycle?” Natasha asks, her anger clear in her voice.

“C’mon mom, I know you ride one!” you argue and she sighs.

“I know how to ride, sweetheart. They’re dangerous, you could get hurt.” she says and you give her your best puppy dog eyes.

“Please? You could teach me! And are we even sure I can get hurt anymore? I heard the story about the time dad jumped out of the plane without a parachute!” you look at Steve for help and he raises his hands in surrender.

“Nope. I’m staying out of this one, kiddo,” he says and you sigh, turning back to Natasha.

“Please, mom? I promise I’ll be careful,” you beg and she sighs, looking over your shoulder at Tony.

“That thing better come with a helmet, Stark,” she says and you grin.

“Thanks, mom!”

“Okay I’m up! My gift’s down here too,” Bruce says grabbing a flat box. He hands it to you and you sit on the floor to unwarp in. When you get the paper off you see a copy of your dad’s shield with your mom’s symbol replacing the star in the center. You look up at Bruce with tears in your eyes and he smiles.

“It’s for when you start going on missions. I know how much you love your dad’s shield, so I thought you’d like one that represented both of them.” You set it to the side before tackling him into a hug.

“Thank you,” you whisper and he nods with a smile. You let go, picking up the shield and running to your parents. “Mom! Dad! Look, isn’t it cool!”

“It is, darling,” your dad says and you smile up at them.

“I can be just like you guys now!” You say and they both chuckle.

“Okay, back upstairs. We have one more gift for you,” Natasha says and you smile at her as you all head back up to the kitchen. When you get there you sit next to Natasha with Steve on her other side. You smile at them as everyone sits down.

“So, your dad and I weren’t too sure what to get you for your birthday, and these guys seem to have gotten you everything you could possibly want,” she gestures to the three men sitting on the opposite side of the table.

“Hey, you two get to be parents, we get to be cool uncles!” Tony defends and you giggle, looking back to your parents.

“Anyway,” Steve continues, leaning around Natasha so you can see him. “This is from your mom and I.”

He hands you a small box and when you grab it, it’s light as a feather and you furrow your brow, “What is it?”

“Open it and find out,” Steve urges, and you look to Natasha who nods at you.

You rip open the paper and take the lid of the box. There’s a stack of papers inside and you take them out setting the box on the empty seat next to you.You tilt your head to the side as you look at the papers. There’s a bunch of lines with your name and other information written on it. You look at the top and see the words ‘adoption form’ at the top. Your head snaps up to your parents who are waiting for you to say something.

“You wanna adopt me?” You ask softly and they both nod, huge grins on their faces. Your jaw drops as tears fill your eyes. Before they can say anything you throw yourself at them, sobbing as you wrap an arm around both of them.

“Is that a yes?” your mom asks and you nod against her shoulder, before pulling back.

“You’re really gonna be my mom and dad?” You ask and they nod.

“If that’s what you want, sweetheart,” your mom says and you smile.

“Yes! I love you guys!” you say latching onto them again. They both pause. You had never told them you loved them before.

“We love you too, doll,” Steve says and you can practically hear his smile.

“So much, y/n,” your mom says and you pull back to grin at them both again.

“That’s gonna make you all famous,” Tony says putting his phone away, having filmed the whole thing.

“They’re already famous,” you argue and he rolls his eyes.

“Whatever, Mini Widow.”

[parkjess]

hello! can i request an astro individual scenario where they try confessing to the reader?

Thank you for requesting! 🥰

Myungjun:

After finishing with his musical schedule, Myungjun, your friend you were there to support every day of his rehearsals, took you to a relaxing day. Sunday morning, sun’s up, he made some sandwiches and drinks for the whole day, taking you around the beautiful places in town, where there is a view almost as pretty as him.

You catch up with one another’s schedule and hard times you had through the past few weeks. “You know, I thought about you a lot during practice.” He says, swinging the basket he was holding and then taking a look at you. You do the same, yet surprised. -“You did?” Asking and taking a seat on a bench, full of spring flowers that fell off the tree behind.

“Yeah. You helped me a lot in my mind, so thank you.” He chuckles, taking the seat near you, “I have been thinking about it a lot now,” he’s slightly getting nervous. You look up at him, locking eyes. -“What is it? You can tell me anything.” “I like you y/n. You are always there for me when I need you, and even when I don’t ask for it, you always know when to find me. I like you a lot.” Your heart added extra beat when he said that sentence you needed to hear so badly, since you are going through hard time now, and didn’t even tell him about it.

-“I like you too Myungjun.”

Jinwoo:

Sanha called you last night to invite you to jinwoo’s birthday party that will take place next week in the dorms, and ofcourse you agreed and even helped making the decorations, the cake and little gift bags for everyone.

The whole week you were walking around the mall and town with the boys, every day with someone else. You decided to buy Jinwoo several birthday gifts since you’re never sure if he’s gonna like the last one you bought, and every each of them helped with their own style.

Finally March 14 arrived, you have planned to spend the whole day with Jinwoo and come back to the dorms exactly at midnight, when it’s the 15 already. At first he didn’t want to finish the bowling game you were playing around 11pm so you faked a stomachache, and as you thought, he rushed to take you back to the dorm as soon as possible. It’s 12:02am, you missed the exact midnight because he was stubborn to take you to your place. “Jinwoo...” you whisper when you arrive at the dorms’ entrance, -“Y/n are you okay?” He asks when he notices you are completely fine suddenly, so you place your hand quickly on the door handle as a sign for the boys, and open it. “Happy birthday!” Jinwoo’s five best friends and you, his secret crush that only sanha knows about, shout, scaring the birthday kid. -“oh my god you tricked me!” Jinwoo shout at you with a smile, pointing at your stomach, you can see how he cared about you being in pain. “She planned this all, hyung!” Sanha says happily as you hit his arm playfully, turning red from the credit he gave you. “NO, SANHA, we planned this all, happy birthday Park Jinwoo.” You say and stretch your arm to get your gifts for him, handing 5 different full bags to him.

-“I... I have nothing to say... y/n, you’re amazing, you all are, guys.” Jinwoo stutters, “Just say you love her already hyung.” All of the sudden Sanha says, making all of you turn to him as he realized what he just said, Jinwoo slaps his own forehead with his palm. -“OH MY GOD.” Minhyuk interrupts quietly. “Yes, oh my god, SANHA WHAT THE HELL!” You yell at the younger boy, realizing he was speaking the truth since Jinwoo didn’t deny anything.

“What? You’ll thank me later hyung.” Sanha says nonchalantly and shoves a spoon full of cake into his mouth.

After you all ate cake and Jinwoo called you to his room, you didn’t feel uncomfortable talking to him, not even now, but you felt like your heart is going to leave your rib cage soon. “First of all, I’m so thankful for you making all of... this. You made me the happiest man on earth, you always do. Second, I love you.” He takes your hand once he says he confesses. “Third, Sanha is a dumbass I’m grateful for, because he made me finally say this. I’m sick of hiding my feelings for you, I want you to know it finally. I love you y/n.” Your heart race could be heard from miles away, -“I love you too Jinwoo.” You say back and kiss him on the lips, it tastes like sweet vanilla frosting. -“He was right, you are going to thank him later.” You finally say and kiss him once again, missing the taste of cake on your own lips.

Dongmin:

“Y/n! Finally, I’ve been calling you the whole morning, anyways, we are going to the beach today, wanna join us?” Moonbin, one of your friends calls you when you wake up, peeking at your phone while he’s talking, 12 missed calls from him and Minhyuk. -“uhm, yeah sure? I just woke up so I’ll be there in like two hours.” You reply with still sleepy, crispy voice. “Alright! See you then.” He says and hangs up.

Arriving at the beach, it’s a sunny day in the middle of February, the cold breeze helps your hair tangle itself, and the lip gloss you applied doesn’t make the situation better.

“Hey! Lee dongmin!” You shout when you see the handsome guy sits on a beach towel, covered with his big coat. the others are missing in your eye sight. -“Y/n hii,” Dongmin looks up at you, offering you a seat near him.

“Thanks, are you cold?” You ask him while he’s deep in your eyes, smiling his charming smile that makes your heart flutter. -“Ah no it’s okay.” You say nothing but hand him a hot pack, he thanks you and brings it closer to his neck. “So... where is everyone?” Feeling kinda awkward, you decide to ask something to break the silence. Dongmin was your crush for 3 years, yet not long ago you decided to control these feelings since you don’t want to ruin your friendship, and still, your stomach fills with butterflies every time you hear his voice or look at him.

-“There they are.” He points behind you with his head since his hands are busy holding the hot packs. “You’re here!” Sanha shouts and quickly bends over to hug you. The others just greet you with excitement.

“Guys, why don’t you go buy something to eat?” Dongmin suddenly asks, you look at him surprised since they just came from somewhere. Jinwoo was the only one who got the sign and pulled the boys out of there.

“Y/n, I have something to tell you.” Dongmin softly says, stretching his arms to hold your hand. “I have tried to deny it, but I’m afraid I can’t. You already know where this is going, right?” Dongmin likes your clever brain, in fact, that’s what made him fall for you in the first place.

But you tried to convince yourself that’s not what you’re thinking, only because you’re scared to be denied.

-“I’m not sure...”

“I like you y/n, a lot, and you probably don’t want to ruin this friendship but I don’t mind ruining it with something bigger than that.”

Wow, your whole body twitched at those words of his. -“I’m pretty much shocked now, because I’ve been feeling the same. I like you too Dongmin.”

Moonbin:

Your graduation party wasn’t like you expected it to be. The theme everyone chose was 80’ style, which was different from other proms you have seen.

“Moonbin, hi.” You say shyly when you get close to your friend, still refusing to believe these are the last days you see each other, and then every one goes on his own way.

He turns to you, wearing those shades that make you laugh at him. “Woah, dude chill with the coolness.” You giggle, sticking your thumbnail between your teeth. -“Well, you look wonderful too.” He laughs, grabbing the drink his friend just handed to him. “So... last day huh?” You sigh. -“Yeah,” he follows, taking a sip from what looks like non-alcoholic blue drink. -“Remember when we wished to finish school? Never knew it will be somehow sad like this...” “Yeah well, let’s not spend our last hours together like this upset.” You said, grabbing his hand to the “dance floor”.

All you have done is having fun with your classmates and friends, no getting drunk, no expensive suits and dresses, but good music and atmosphere. Moonbin was one of the last students who stayed there with you until after midnight, dancing till you can’t breathe no more from laughing so much. “Wow, that was a very happy ending, don’t you think so?” He turns his head to you as you pull skewers with marshmallows on it, hand one to him and hold it above the fire. -“I do, I still can’t believe we’re together for years, we went through everything, since 1st grade till now.”

“Y/n...” he whispers, realizing all of these things you just said. -“hmm?” You look at him, feeling too close. “I’m gonna regret it if I won’t say it right now,” he smiles a bit. “I love you.” Your eyes widen from his words, almost burning the marshmallows because you forgot them. -“I... Bin, I don’t know what to say.” You felt the same, but just couldn’t say those 3 words so easily. “Don’t say anything.” He shoves a marshmallow into his mouth and stands up, offering you his hand to do so too. -“Wait.” You stop him when he’s about to go. -“I love you too.” You immediately say and pull him closer for a kiss.

Minhyuk:

“Minhyuk, where are we going?”

Your friend grabbed your hand the moment he heard from Myungjun that you are feeling a bit down these days, not able to accomplish anything you want. -“It’ll be fun, I promise,” he stops near his new car, and says with a smile, -“Now get in the car.” He opens the car door for you and you enter, noticing the comfort pillows he has in the two front seats. “Are you kidnapping me?” You say sarcastically, pulling the seat belt while he get in the car from the other side. -“If I would, you wouldn’t know.” Minhyuk smirks his usual charming smirk and drives off the parking lot.

The ride wasn’t too long, it was full with both of your laughter, loud music and screaming because he almost bumped into a cat. -“Were here.” He takes off his seatbelt and says, walks out first to open your door again, like a real banal gentleman. “Starbucks? Oh come on, do you wanna tell me what’s going on? You never take me here, or anywhere alone.” You weren’t lying, he never hangs out with you alone but only with another mutual friend of yours, today he felt like he doesn’t want you to feel unwell so he decided to take you on a ‘friendly date’.

-“So you’re actually saying you want me to take you alone more often?” Here’s that smirk again, and he laughs it off. The place was very beautiful, spring atmosphere it is. He told you to sit near one of the tables with a pretty view while he’s ordering the drinks.

You sat there watching the view, glancing at you handsome friend from time to time, wondering why he buy you drinks all of the sudden, he’s the type to ask you to buy him a drink usually.

-“There you go, and... this.” He places your favorite pastry near the beverage, which makes him more suspicious. “Minhyuk, stop wasting your money on me. What is it with you today?” -“Just shut up and drink.” He laughs, gosh his smile made you forget everything you are going through. You take a bite from the sweet muffin (or whatever you like to eat) and thank him about it. “Okay but seriously now, why are you so good to me toda- I mean, you’re always good but today there’s something different.” Your friend rolls eyes at your stubbornness and sighs. -“Myungjun hyung told me you are having hard time.”

Not enough for you, still, he’s hiding something. He could tell you’re having a hard time several times this year, and yet, this has never happened before. When you both finished drinking and chitchatting about life, the usual conversations with Minhyuk, you went out to breathe some fresh air. There was a beautiful park (minhyuk hehehuhu) nearby so he walked you there without you to notice. -“Actually, I do have something to tell you, but this day was supposed to cheer you up, I don’t know what you are going through, but you know you can always talk to me, right?” He suddenly starts to walk slower, puts his hands into his denim jacket, he looks down on the leaves and then up at you. “Yes, ofcourse, but don’t worry about it. Ah, what was the thing you wanted to tell me?” You ask, locking eyes with him from time to time, it feels great to look him in the eyes like that, he’s shining. -“I’ll just say it like that, right away.” He lets you know first, -“I care about you, I like you, actually.” The way he said those words was like he planned this for a while now, but it came fluently from the bottom of his heart.

“I knew it!” You fist your hand, -“You did?” He asks in confusion. “Yeah, I mean no I didn’t but I hoped so.” His smile appears again, -“hoped... Does that mean you like me too?” His heart beats can be heard from where you were standing. “Well, you know me best, so I guess you know the answer.” You reply and take his hand in yours, intertwining fingers.

Sanha:

“Yoon sanha! Give me back my camera!” You shout while running after the 10 feet tall guy that every step he makes equals to 3 steps of you.

He runs so fast until he can’t no more and gives up, breathing heavily while holding onto his knees. -“Take your camera, it doesn’t worth your embarrassing pictures.” You grab it right after he says, searching for the pics he was taking of you while eating and talking with the others. “Oh my god Sanha you’re gonna pay for that.” You tell him while panting and looking at your own awkward moments. You didn’t like to see yourself while talking, kinda insecure about it, but he didn’t know it.

“Both of you stop and let’s go eat.” Dongmin appears behind the two of you, scaring you both since you didn’t expect him to be there.

-“Ah! Hyung!” Sanha screams as soon as he hears Dongmin’s slightly deep voice, following him to where you were sitting all together in the first place. “Open your mouth.” You held a fork with lightly burnt, hot, potato stuck on it, making its way to Sanha’s mouth. The others just looked at you shocked, and you didn’t get why. “What?” You ask, sticking the fork in another piece of potato, that’s his favorite thing to eat, especially on camping trips. -“You would make a great couple someday.” Jinwoo says and the rest of them agree. “What? Ew, no he’s my best friend.” You know Sanha is close to you so wouldn’t be offended by your words, even though he wanted you to be more than his bestie.

Time passed and all of them went to sleep, except for you and Sanha who stayed up late singing songs while he plays the guitar. “Did you really mean what you said earlier?” He suddenly asks, looks like he does care about that. -“Which part?”

“The one with the ‘Ew’, do you really mean it?” His voice lowers. -“What? No Sanha, ofcourse not. It’s just, you know what they are going to say if I’d said otherwise. Why does that bother you?” He grabs the Polaroid camera from earlier, handing it over to you. “What-“ he cuts you off. -“look at the third picture.” You take it and roll the gallery to the picture he meant, it was you; but a finger heart at the bottom of the picture. “Sanha, I don’t get-“. -“I like you y/n, more than a best friend. And I wish Jinwoo’s words could make a reality.” Wait... what? “Yoon sanha, are you kid- you’re speaking the truth.” You realize since you recognize his serious face. “I, actually, said what I said earlier... because I was starting to feel the same feelings for you, and I guess I was too scared...”

-“So, you like me back?”

“I guess- I do.”

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Out Of The Way (Part 2)

Summary: When the reader’s boyfriend ditches her on the side of the road, she ends up at an out of the way bar and roadhouse where the man behind the counter makes her an interesting offer…

Part 1

Pairing: Bartender!Dean x au!reader

Word Count: 2,800ish

Warnings: language, slight angst

_______

“Your new bartender makes a mean manhattan,” said some guy at the bar. You were wiping down a table after a few guys had left, Dean chuckling from behind the counter.

“You just think she’s got a cuter face than mine, Jim,” said Dean. 

“It’s good you got some help. You could use another pair of hands,” said Jim. You felt his gaze on you as you bent down to pick up a coaster.

“Hey,” said Dean. “This ain’t Hollow’s Point. You want that kind of service-”

“I’m just looking,” he said.

“Keep it at just looking or she’ll kick you ass,” said Dean. You smirked as you carried back the empty bottles to the kitchen area and washed them out, setting them in the recycle bin. You hummed as you walked back out front with a bottle of Jack, Dean just setting the empty one in his hand down on the bottom shelf. “Reading my mind there.”

“You worked in bars before, sweetheart?” asked Jim.

“Done a lot of things, sweetheart,” you said, spotting a hand wave from a corner table. “Excuse me.”

“I should have hired you sooner,” chuckled Dean from his office after closing as you set the cleaning supplies back in the closet there. “We got a lot more tips this week. A lot.”

“Drunk men like to look at women. Some things never change,” you said. Dean nodded and took an envelope out from a drawer in his desk. He held it out and you grabbed it. You peeked inside and looked up. “This is more than we agreed to.”

“Well it ain’t like you’re paying taxes on it. You’re good. Clean, serve, keep everyone happy. You keep tabs on inventory. You earned it,” he said. “And here is your half of the tips.”

“I can’t take half,” you said as he set half the wad of cash down in front of you.

“We pool tips here and once again, these boys aren’t tipping to look at my pretty face all night long,” he said. You grabbed the money and shoved it in the envelope, tucking it in your back pocket. “I’m heading into Southbend in the morning if you want to stop into town and pick anything up.”

“I’m okay,” you said, turning out of his office. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Y/N.”

“Morning,” said Dean as he carried in a few grocery bags.

“Morning,” you said, eating some toast at the bartop.

“You ever eat anything aside from toast and eggs?” he asked, setting the bags down.

“It’s cheap,” you said, taking another bite.

“Yeah well, happy birthday,” he said, pulling out a pink box and setting it on the bartop. You flipped it open and saw a cupcake inside. “It is your birthday today, isn’t it?”

“I haven’t celebrated my birthday in years,” you said, staring at the thing.

“Well, celebrate it. Feel free to store some actual food in the kitchen too,” he said, grabbing his bags. 

“Hey, Dean?” you said when he got to the stairs to go up to his apartment. “Thank you.”

“Happy birthday, Y/N,” he said with a smile.

Fifteen minutes later he was downstairs, watching you sweep up the floor. He popped behind the bar and sat up on the counter, giving you a smile.

“It’s Sunday. Let’s do something fun,” he said. 

“Fun?” you said, tucking the broom back in the corner.

“We aren’t allowed to sell alcohol on Sunday’s around here. It’s our day off. Either we can hang around here and make this place even cleaner than it already is, or we can go have some fun,” he said.

“I prefer to keep a low profile,” you said.

“Come on. I got a perfect idea.”

“You like fishing?” he asked as you sat on the end of a quiet dock.

“I haven’t been since I was little,” you said. “You?”

“Yeah. I like fishing,” he said. It was quiet a few minutes aside from him reeling every so often. “I used to go a lot with my dad and brother.”

“How long have you been pretending?” you asked.

“Five years, like you,” he said. “Too late to say I’m innocent now.”

“Yeah. I get that,” you said.

“The guy, he was your boyfriend right?” asked Dean.

“Yeah. He cheated on me with this married woman. It was her husband that did it. I know it was. But she vouched for him and gave him an alibi,” you said.

“You didn’t have one so you got the short end of it,” he said.

“My DNA was all over the apartment. It was our kitchen knife so my fingerprints were on it. I was fucked,” you said.

“Did you forgive him?” he asked.

“For the cheating, no. I didn’t wish him dead though. He didn’t deserve that,” you said.

“You’re a good person,” said Dean. You reeled in your line and set it beside you, Dean giving you a smile. “For a fugitive.”

“What about you? No alibi either?” you asked.

“I was set up by a crooked cop,” he said. “He killed a guy he was having a problem with and tried to pin it on me. This cop was selling confiscated drugs. He put the blame on me for the whole deal.”

“Why?”

“Because I was his rookie partner,” he said. You swallowed, Dean staring at you. “I ain’t been a cop in a long time. Good guys, bad guys. They’re both on both sides of the line. It don’t matter.”

“So you ran,” you said.

“Yup. Ran when my brother told me they had an airtight case. I was away for life in a shithole and as an ex-cop I’d be lucky to survive a week in a place like that. So we called our family friend and I ran to one of his hunting cabins. I hid there for awhile until he told me about a roadhouse bar he’d purchased, out in nowhere. I dyed my hair black and moved here. It’s a safe place,” he said.

“Life sucks sometimes,” you said.

“Yup,” he said. “I haven’t had an honest conversation in years. I had to cut off all ties to everyone. I’m sure you get that.”

“Yeah, I do,” you said. “If you were still a cop, would you have believed me?”

“I think so,” he said. “Gut feeling.”

“Thanks for the cupcake,” you said.

“You get me one for my birthday and we’re even,” he said. “January 24th.”

“Alright. Deal.”

Three Months Later

“Curly fries and whiskey straight,” you said, setting the items down in front of the older man at the bar, turning to the man with him. “Roadhouse nachos and tequila. You boys enjoy.”

“Thanks, Y/N,” said the first man, staring at you. You tilted your head, the other man standing up and pushing back his jacket, letting you see the Marshall’s badge on his hip. “We ain’t even working your case. Just heading home from another one when we see one of the runners serving us our drink.”

“Is there a problem here, fellas?” asked Dean as he walked over, throwing his arm over your shoulder.

“You regularly employee fugitives?” asked the one who was standing. Dean stared at him and burst out laughing. “Something funny about that boy?”

“Hallie? A criminal?” asked Dean. He looked at you and started to giggle. “This girl couldn’t even disect a frog in high school.”

“That ain’t no Hallie. It’s-”

“Uh, I think I know my best friend from school, buddy,” said Dean, narrowing his eyes. “The better question is what the hell are two cops doing trying to scare my girlfriend into leaving with them.”

“Hey. We weren’t-”

“Any fellas that try to force my girl to go with them ain’t welcome here,” said Dean.

“Listen kid-”

“Her name is Hallie,” said Dean. “I don’t know who the fuck Y/N is but I hope you two sickos don’t find her.”

“Where’s her liquor license to be serving?” asked the first one. Dean went to the wall behind the bar and grabbed a little picture frame off the shelf, shoving it on the counter.

There was a picture of you, Hallie Stormer, with a Tennessee certification.

The men looked at one another as you stood behind Dean.

“Well?” said Dean.

“Apologies. Ms. Stormer here looks an awful lot like one of our fugitives is all,” said the man. He pulled out his phone and showed over an old picture of you, Dean raising an eyebrow at it.

“Uh, not to tell you how to do your job but that don’t look like Hallie. At all. She ain’t even got the same color eyes,” said Dean. The men quickly looked at the picture and then you.

“He’s right about the eyes,” mumbled the one.

“Shit,” said the other one. 

“Now you two can apologize to my girlfriend and get out,” said Dean.

“Sorry miss,” they said before they slapped some money and left. You sighed and tucked the food back behind the counter, Jim watching from down the bar.

“We got a problem, Jim?” asked Dean.

“Nope,” he said. Dean gave him the free food and drinks, Jim watching as you leaned back against the counter. 

“You thought the colored contacts were dumb,” mumbled Dean.

“Is Jim gonna be a problem? He knows I’m Y/N,” you said.

“Take my car and head up to one of those hunting cabins for a few days. Lay low for awhile,” he said.

“Be careful,” you said, getting a kiss from him.

“You too, sweetheart.”

Three Days Later

“Morning,” said the minimart owner as he rang up your items. “On vacation?”

“Yeah, taking a few days to enjoy nature, get away from city life,” you said with a smile.

“That’s good. We don’t get too many young folks up here doing that sort of thing anymore,” he said. You hummed and looked at the TV in the corner, doing your best to hide your surprise when you saw Dean’s face on the screen. “Oh, you haven’t heard about that yet? Not surprising, not much cell reception up here. That boy is that killer cop they never caught from a few years back.”

“How’d they catch him?” you asked.

“Some bar or something. Some guy caught him lying or something,” he said as he handed over your change. 

“Thanks,” you said, taking your things and rushing out of there. You tossed them in the passenger seat and drove until even you didn’t know where you were. Until an idea crossed your mind that was.

“Y/N?” said Dean the next day. You smiled as he was led out of the police station, giving you a hug. “How...they said my charges were dropped.”

“The other cop confessed,” you said, a pair of officers nearby standing up. “I can be convincing...also I pointed the police in the way of his bank account and it was pretty obvious from there.”

“What about you?” he asked.

“Yeah,” you said, the officers flanking either side of you. “No such luck.”

“Y/N-”

“Hey. It was my fault they found you. I’m paying it forward. You can go home, be normal now,” you said.

“She didn’t do it,” said Dean to the officers.

“It’s alright,” you said as one put a hand on your arm to lead you in the back. “I’ll be okay, Dean.”

“Y/L/N,” said a guard a few hours later. You stood up from your bench, the door sliding open. You walked out and followed the officer, spotting a guy you didn’t recognize standing in the hall.

“You must be, Y/N. Sam Winchester,” he said. He held out his hand and you shook it.

“I thought your brother was tall,” you said, Sam smiling. “Let me guess. He put you up to this.”

“Ever hear of something called the Innocence Project?” he asked.

“Yeah. It’s where lawyers work pro bono for people that were wrongly convicted,” you said.

“Well, I called up a friend of mine in the DA’s office and presented my case file from college. There’s a glaring bit of lack of DNA testing on samples that does not look good for that local department. He’s willing to let you out on bond in the meantime, with supervision,” he said. 

“What’s that mean?” you asked as he waved you to follow.

“It means you’re sharing my guest room with my brother for the foreseeable future but something tells me you won’t have a problem with that.”

“This thing itches,” you said, scratching at your ankle that night as Dean set down a box of pizza in front of you. “Thanks for busting me out.”

“Anytime,” he said, Sam walking in through the front door looking very tired. “How’s it going?”

“The wife and husband from Y/N’s case are going through a nasty divorce right now. I’m going to call tomorrow, see if she’ll flip on him for immunity. That along with DNA evidence should get you in the clear. You might even get a small settlement,” said Sam.

“I really hope so. I don’t think I’ll do well in prison,” you said.

“It’ll be alright,” said Dean as he took a seat and rubbed your arm. “We’ll get through it. We always do.”

One Month Later

“Alright,” said Marshall Bradshaw. “Your 100 hours of community service are up kid.”

“I didn’t even break a law,” you said, peeling off your orange vest and chucking it in the back of his truck.

“You kind of did with the whole evading the police thing,” he chuckled. “You’re lucky that judge liked you. He could have sentenced you for running off.”

“I don’t get a record for all this?” you asked.

“Still no record. Come on, I’m sure you want to get back to that boyfriend of yours,” he said.

Two hours later you were dropped off and gave the Marshall a wave, popping into the roadhouse bar to have Dean come over and give you a hug.

“All done,” you said. “I can come home now.”

“You know, now that I actually have access to my bank account again, that family friend offered to sell me this place if I wanted to run it,” he said.

“I have one condition,” you said. 

“Anything. It’s our bar,” he said.

“I want to hire a chef, have it be a restaurant too. Trust me, this is the only joint for miles and we could make a killing serving something besides bar food,” you said.

“You really want to run a bar with me?” he asked.

“Us criminals have to stick together,” you giggled.

“Yes, we do,” said Dean, watching a pair of Marshall’s walk in the door. “Gentlemen.”

“Hallie,” said one with a smirk. “We get those drinks this time around?”

“On the house,” said Dean as he took off.

“Hey,” said the other one as he waved you over. “The eyes thing, how’d you pull that off?”

“Colored contact lenses,” you said. “Not cheap but effective.”

“We’re gonna have to remember that one,” he said.

“I’ll get you guys some food too,” you said. You headed back for the kitchen, Dean whistling as he was pulling a fresh tray of ice from the freezer. “Think we could make something of this place?”

“I’m game if you are,” he said. “We could always runaway again.”

“Nah. I’m done running. This was the first place that felt like home in a long time. I want to stay.”

“Me too, sweetheart. Me too.”

______

[the-fiction-witch]

Goo

REAL LIFE: SCANDAL COUPLE: TBS X READER RATING: FUNNY + FLIRTY AF

"What are we doing today?" Thomas asks sat on his sofa sipping tea out of a mug shaped like the death star

"We are going to be nice to you" y/n smiled as she came from behind the camera with tea and a small packet of biscuits

"Are we?" he asks glaring at her a little confused and taking a biscuit from her

"Yes we are Thomas" she smiled fixing her hair

".... I am suspicious" he says trying to dip his biscuit in his mug however it was far to big to go into the mug "Ooh." He sighed sadness flooding his face apron discovering he couldn't dunk his biscuit before snapping it in half and dunking it

"Why?"

"Because why are you being nice to me?"

"I can't be nice?"

"Yes But it worry's me" he sighed

"we are going to make you lovely and relaxed" she smiled

"... You're not even going to comment on me being gross?" He asks eating his now tea soaked biscuit

"..... No I won't" she sighed sipping her tea "with your crunchy tea"

"I knew that wouldn't last long" He says

"I am not good at being nice"

"You are not" He sighed "What are we doing anyway?"

"Do You remember being a child?"

"Vaguely yes"

"Do you remember a advert that plaid on Tv when we where kids?"

"... I remember alot of ad's that plaid when we where kids"

"well we weren't really kids we would have been... teens"

"Teens? like pre teens or older teens?"

"Mid Teens"

".... ish, I remember little from that time. I spend most of it locked in my room"

"I remember you bassicly went in your bedroom as a pre teen who looked really fucking young and then came out when you where like nineteen where yeah you still looked young but you've voice had broke, you grew a bit, like you actually looked more like a teen" "I did, I didn't want anyone to see me at that time, especially you"

"why not me?"

"Because I had a crush on you at that point" "Did you?"

"Yeah? you didn't know that?"

"No"

"Yeah, I had a massive fucking crush on you at that age"

"I did Not know that" she giggles

"You knew, I've told you that before" he says "To be fair you where like a little poodle skirt girl who worked for your dad in a vintage car garage, that I also worked at. I was going to end up with a crush on you at some point"

"was the me being bi helping a bit with that?" "Yes! I watched you make out with Jake and then immediately go make out with linsey. that was amazing"

"Did you ever wanna see me  naked?"

"I was seventeen? So.... yes" "The tits?" "Tits where making a very compelling argument at that age" "do they still?"

"Ehh" He shrugs "Kinda, it's less fun because I now know you don't give a shit"

"I really don't, there just breasts, I have boobs, you have boobs."

"You've very much okay with it"

"My logic is, you can lift your shirt up show your boobs and nips, I do It I get arrested and that's fucking mental"

"It is" he says "I would not complain about you taking your shirt off" "The face" she smiled rubbing his chin "shut it"

"Didn't you make out with my girlfriend at that point?"

"I did, your eighteenth birthday party"

"That was werid.... But very arousing" "What me and your then girlfriend making out in front of you?"

"Yeah, pretty sure I'd had a sex dream about that" He says sipping his tea

"Then or yesterday?" "Both" "Hey issy, how you doing, wanna come over and make out in front of thomas again" she waves

"We don't even date anymore"

"Still, just have like a party of all your old girlfreinds"

"Ohh god!"

"and I'll snog all of them"

"Even Gzi?"

"Especially Gzi, she's fucking hot"

"Yeah..."

"You fucked up"

"That I did" "I'm very off topic, anyway! The product that was on constantly like every other ad break, I will point out it was... On the verge of an infomercial, like if it had been a minuet longer it would be an infomercial not an ad" she explained

".... I remember two of them" "The one you where never allowed to have"

"........... Jelli bath!" He gasped

"Hold up! say that again"

"Jelli bath"

".... Thomas brodie Sangster you are from fucking south London don't you dare said bath in that way"

"what? it's what the product is called"

"The product?"

"Is Jelli BAth

"But on Sundays you have a ?"

"Bubble Bath"

"Thank you" she smiled "what was the other ad you remember?"

"The weird moulding gunk"

"Ohh yeah, what was that called?"

"No idea, I do not remember I just remember the kid in the ad putting the orange goo on the dinosaur skeleton and making it into a big dinosaur" he explained

"Yeah I remember that, But Jelli bath? you remember this?"

"I do"

"good"

"We are going to go bathe in it" he asks sipping his tea

"Yep"

".... are we bathing together?" He asks

"Yep"

"On camera?"

"Yep"

"We're gonna be naked?"

"Do you wanna be naked?"

".... Well of course I wanna be naked sweetie darling"

"Thomas! stop fueling the fire!"

"I'm sorry, are we gonna be naked in this stuff though?"

"No, we will have swimsuits on, becuase.... internet" she says "we as always will do a version where we are naked that will be on my porn hub channel as usual" " as usual? when have you filmed us naked?"

"When aren't I filming you naked?"

"that video's not on there is it?" he whispered

"what video?"

"Are you filming?"

"Uhh, No I pasued" she says touching the remote for her camera but it still filmed "what video?"

"THE Video"

"What video?"

"........ The Video" He says "You know the one I mean y/n"

"No I don't be more specific?"

"The sexy video we did the other month?"

"The sex toy one?"

"No"

"The linqure one?"

"No, you know the one I mean, sugar"

"we make a lot of sexy videos"

"The... one in my bedroom" he whispered

"Oh no, thats' saved on my hard drive"

"Ahhh good," he says

"Ohh I didn't pause the camera, it's fine sally will cut it" she says  "Lets go make the bath up"

"Ooooohh.... bath time together"

"Oh shut up thomas"

"wait who's bathroom are we using?"

"yours"

"Oh no" he says "should I have cleaned it?"

"when did you clean it last?" she asks he simply sips his tea sheepishly "Thomas?"

It then cut to the bathroom with the bath already run the two in swimwear

"why did I agree to this?" He sighs

"Because I'm not ordering Pizza unless you do" "I'm an adult. I can buy my own Pizza"

"But do you wanna ring the man to order it?"

"..... Lets do this" He sighed

"throw in this bag of stuff" she says "Then wait for goo"

"Who's going in first" "You"

"why me?"

"You're bathroom"

"You're Idea"

"You're more naked then I am"

"You're video" "Get in the tub Thomas"

"You get in the tub"

"Fine! How clean is this bathtub?" she asks going to climb in

"Uuuuuuuuuhhhhh...."

"A day?"

"Uhhhh"

"A week?"

"Uuhhh"

"Have you jizzed in this tub recently enough It will be an issue for me Thomas!"

".... Maybe" he says "How long does it live?"

"Four days"

"No your good"

"are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure,"

"Okay" she says climbing in

"Just don't touch the bottle on the side" he says from off camera

"whoa whoa whoa what why!" she yelped

"No reason"

"No fucking tell me why can't I touch the bottle" "You'll be fine"

"Thomas.... answer the question"

".... just don't mess with it"

"Okay, Okay... I'm really freaked out now" she says as she sat in the water

"If you are that worried about getting into my bath because I might have done something, then why do you let me have sex with you?"

"Ughhh thomas!" she gasps

"You literally let me cum inside you like twenty minuets ago"

"Stop fuelling the shipping fire" she yelled throwing water at him "Shut the fuck up and get in the tub"

he sighed and climbed in the bath the other side of her "Hi"

"Hi"

"we're having a bath together" "yes we are" "This is a weird Thursday"

"It is... is this what you thought you would be doing when you woke up this morning thomas?"

".... No. But I've known you long enough to know better then to expect Normal days"

"Right lets throw in some goo" she says opening the packet and letting the powder drop into the bath

"Ooooh it's already getting thick"

"The water or your dick Thomas?"

".... both"

"Blue Gooo! It's called Blasting Bloo"

"I remember it being called bloo lagoon or something once"

"I think it was, but they must have changed it to be more friendly" "I think Blasting bloo is way more suggestive"

"that's just because we are sat in a bath together Thomas"

"Maybe"

"Ohhh I don't like this, It feels weird, I don't like want it on my butt and such"

"Nnnnnoooooooo" He complained as he felt the goo the water had now turned into "I hate this, I don't wanna be in this"

"I also don't like this but you know the deal"

"what deal!"

"We stay in this for ten minuets"

"or what?" "Or I'm filming sexy Halloween costumes with you"

"I will sit" he sighed bundling himself in the corner  "do you wanna get out and go eat ice cream?"

"Yes, this shits gross"

[kateis-cakeis]

Love Victor Timeline

Love Victor is a great show.... with a great timeline... that makes sense.... In a way that it does not make any sense. @joenicky​ and I were talking and we realised, actually, the timeline is like a thousand times confusing. 

So, here goes. Timeline fuckery under the cut

So, first of all, the only real proof of time passing by a large amount is when Mia scrolls through her pictures at the end of episode 6. [video here]

So, we know Victor arrived in December because of these pictures with Mia. Presumably after Christmas because there’s no mention of it from anyone (and the Winter Carnival being after Christmas would fit with when the carnival is in Love Simon)

Episode one starts on a Wednesday because we see Victor’s lockscreen when Simon texts him at the end of his first day and it says Thursday. And when he first arrives, Felix says he’ll pick him up tomorrow. So therefore, Wednesday.

Except, except, if he did arrive in December and it was after Christmas (which me must assume because no one mentions it and surely if he’d had his first date or whatever with Mia, he would have gotten her a present???), but still in December, then he would have arrived in Atlanta on Christmas and then... wouldn’t everyone have been on break? Like school wouldn’t be open?

So, the next thing you’d think, well he might have arrived the week before. On the 18th. But you see, you see, he arrived just to go on break, yeah I can get with that, I can... But then Victor gets the job on the 20th. And Battle of the Bands is on the 11th of January. 

And is on a Saturday, and from Benji’s words when they’re at work the night before, on a Friday, “You caught on fast”, suggests that this is Victor’s first shift. 

I just can’t believe after being hired on the 20th of December that he’d have his first day on the 10th of January, three weeks later. But it’s the only way it fits!! 

But then we have to circle back to the pictures. The ones above were taken in December in a way that suggests this was after their first date and after their first kiss. Unless they hung out over the break and just casually kissed each other on the cheek like that randomly???

But from the way he talks to Benji as they close up, it sounds like the date is the first time they are hanging out after the Ferris Wheel, from Victor’s tone. And Benji calls her his Ferris Wheel boo which again suggests that the Ferris Wheel was like nothing more than a week ago and still in everyone’s minds.

But let’s slide that away for now because there are seven more episodes to talk about. Beginning with episode 4. Now this episode feels like it takes place either the day after Battle of the Bands or like on the Monday because Simon is like “Benji has a boyfriend :O” but uh... hahaahahahahahahah

Instead, it takes place on a SATURDAY! Which means between the end of ep3, and the beginning of ep4, a week has passed! How long does it take for Simon to reply??? wtffff ;jrfhgqalhjadghj

Now, now that would be bad enough but I just found something that has broken me for the last fifteen minutes. This:

At the beginning of episode 3 we see this lovely calendar in Victor’s room. We already know in this episode that it’s January so a win for consistency but uh... that calendar starts on a Friday for the 1st it looks like... January 2020, the 1st was on a Wednesday. But January 2021? It’s on a Friday.

But we know it’s 2020 from Mia’s phone. So which one is correct? I would say 2020 since Battle of the Bands is on the 11th on a Saturday which is the 2020 date....

So we’re in 2020 but god knows what the date is ahahahahaah

So we’ve established that episode 4 starts on a Saturday and ends on a Friday with the game. That one makes sense. We have no dates for it but it makes sense. We have days... It’s fine

EPISODE 5, it takes place on a Saturday. That’s all we know. Is it January? Is it February yet? I don’t know. Do you know? Please tell me you know.....

Sure we get to know Benji’s birthday but if ya wanna know Victor’s? The main character? Rippppp to youuuu

Episode 6... good old ep6. It takes place at some point in the week, then we’re at Friday... again. Always a Friday or Saturday with this show. 

(And also side note, if it is still January by like episode 5, i want to know how Victor got those 500 dollars so quickly to be on the team)

Anyway, one thing episode 6 does tell us is that by this point, we! are! in! February! Whooooo!!!! Yayy! New month!!

At the very least we can be sure that episode 6 takes place in February. Is it early, mid, late? Well considering ep7 is the next weekend, and ep8 is the weekend after, and ep9 and 10 take place in the following week after that, then I’d say it’s mid, because those three weeks then take us into early March, hence Spring Fling.

Now, you may be wondering, episode 7 is the following week? Why yes! It is! Because it starts with Victor in school, apologising to Mia for last night. Now, poor kid must have gotten hit badly in the head over the weekend because last night would have been a Friday which either means Creekwood forces its students to come in on a Saturday for regular school, orrrr it’s another plot hole. 

Getting real sick of these holes everywhere, im gonna break my leg falling into one

So then it skips to Saturday and fun times in Willacoochee happen, and then we get a Sunday. And thennnn

It’s ep8 and Friday... again. But soon enough it’s Saturday which is nice. We love seeing like two days of the week in this show.

And then Victor comes home and he’s at school in ep9? But it seems like he just got back so it’s Monday??? Because Isabel says she didn’t hear him come in last night, which must have been Sunday night.

So it’s Monday... supposedly... And the signs for the dance at school say “this weekend” so it’s like the start of the week... right? And this all takes place in one day because Victor and Mia hang out after school that night. 

Andddd the dance must be on the Friday because they are at school at the start of ep10 and the signs now say tonight. So the dance is on Friday. 

But also... Victor writes the note in ep9. And Pilar finds it. And then what...? Victor waits like four days to slide it into Benji’s locker? Like wtf Victor??? But episode 9 has to take place earlier in the week because he just! got! back! the! night! before! 

And I doubt he missed school because then only questions would have been raised.

So! ep9 is at the beginning of the week. And Victor waits four days to slip the letter to Benji into his locker for.... some reason???

And then the dance happens and it’s a Friday and it might be March but who knows if it is March but it is Spring so it might be March.

And that’s everything... that’s the timeline.

It’s half midnight for me... and im not tired, im hyped up on timeline bull and im lost and someone please make it make sense for my brain please. Thank you for reading, I hope you gleamed something from this

because i for one am more confused.... 

[newsies-of-corona]

Corona’s Easter Extravaganza!

It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning in Corona. Pastel streamers and banners were hung up everywhere, and everyone was bustling about making preparations and packing eggs for Princess Rapunzel’s Easter Celebration!

Rapunzel was walking around town, admiring the decorations that she and the kingdom had made the day before and saying hello to all of her subjects.

“Isn’t this great Pascal?” Rapunzel said excitedly to the chameleon on her shoulder. “We’ve never celebrated Easter this big before, and I’m so excited! I have to say, painting some of those eggs and banners was hard work, but I’m so glad we could get everyone together to do something fun!”

Eugene walked beside her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You did great, Sunshine. The place looks amazing!”

“Aww. Thanks Eugene,” Rapunzel said, smiling. “That reminds me, I have a surprise for you!”

“Great! I love surprises! Is it another portrait of me? That last one you did really brought out my eyes.”

“Yeah, they looked even more horrifying than they normally do,” Cassandra said coming up behind Eugene and making him jump.

“Agh! Great. The witch has returned! Blondie, no offense, but that’s the worst surprise ever,” He said glaring at Cassandra.

Rapunzel laughed.

“Come on, Eugene. You haven’t seen each other in months! Can’t my two favorite people at least pretend to like each other? Just for today?”

“Raps, I just traveled for 3 days to be here in time for your celebration and now you’re telling me that I can’t do the one thing that brings me joy?” Cassandra said punching Eugene on the arm.

“Ow!”

Rapunzel looked at both of them and sighed. “Fine. I’ll give you an hour. Hash it out all you want, but then you need to be nice to each other. Please? For me?” Rapunzel said smiling sweetly.

“Anything for you, Sunshine,” Eugene said. “But just to be clear, we have an hour? Because I have been dying to use some of these insults.”

Rapunzel nodded and laughed.

Eugene pumped his fist in victory and ran over to Cassandra.

“I know that Eugene doesn’t like to admit it, Pascal, but deep down I know he misses Cass,”

Rapunzel was cut off by yelling behind her.

“No wonder crime is running rampant in Corona! They chose an idiot to be captain of the guard!” Cassandra laughed.

“Oh you want to play it that way, huh? As I recall, you were half of the problem!” Eugene fired back.

“Ooo touché.”

“Ah. There’s the arguments I’ve always missed,” Rapunzel sighed.

The princess continued walking around until she was nearly knocked over by her Royal Engineer.

“Rapunzel!”

Varian skidded to a stop, dropping half of his compounds and solutions in the process.

Rapunzel laughed and knelt down to help him pick them up.

“Varian! What’s the rush?”

“Oh n-nothing. I’m so glad I found you! I was just wondering if I could borrow Pascal for a thing...” Varian said, putting his hand behind his neck.

“A thing? Varian you’re going to have to be more specific.”

“Haha...uh...well you see Ruddiger was-was lonely! So I was hoping I could borrow Pascal to keep him some company?” Varian laughed awkwardly and looked up at Rapunzel.

“Well..okay,” Rapunzel said slowly.

“Thanks Princess!” Varian said taking Pascal and starting to run off.

“Well that was weird,” Rapunzel said to herself.

———————————————————————

Varian ran back to his lab in the palace as fast as he could, Pascal hanging on to the stripe in his hair so that he didn’t fall.

“Okay,” Varian gasped, “Let’s get to work.”

He tried to find Pascal, looking on his shoulders and on the ground to see if he dropped him while he was running. After a few minutes Varian noticed the little chameleon clinging on to his hair and gasping for breath.

“Woah! Sorry Pascal, I probably shouldn’t have run so fast, heh. I just had to get this done before the competition starts.” Varian said, setting Pascal down on his desk that was cluttered open science books and a basket full of blue, handpainted eggs made by Rapunzel.

Pascal eyed Varian suspiciously. “Okay, so technically I didn’t need you for Ruddiger, but he’s over there if you guys want to catch up?”

Pascal looked at Ruddiger who was chewing an apple and then looked back at Varian.

“Fine. Yes, I lied to the princess, but it’s for the sake of science! I’ve been studying chameleons and how your species is able to blend into your surroundings, and I believe I can develop a serum that can make anything, for my sake, eggs, blend in to their surroundings! I’m almost finished, but I just need to examine how you’re able to do it so I can find a compound that might react the same way.”

Pascal still looked unconvinced.

“Okay, so you know the princess is having an egg hiding competition? The prize is being able to design the lanterns for Rapunzel’s next birthday! I’ve been working on some lantern designs using Flynnolium and other chemicals, but I won’t be permitted to use them unless I win. With this formula, no one will be able to find my eggs! It’s genius! And...I had to lie to her because it doesn’t exactly say in the rules that there isn’t any science or alchemy allowed, but she might think it’s cheating...” Varian trailed off.

“But just for the record, I don’t think it is.” He said quickly crossing his arms.

“Come on, Pascal. We’re buddies right? Can you please do this for me?”

Pascal thought about it, and then chirped reluctantly in agreement.

“Thanks Pascal! I owe you one. Now don’t worry, all I need you to do is that thing where you blend in to your surroundings,” Varian said taking out a magnifying glass.

Pascal chirped and then faded into the background.

“Fascinating,” Varian said examining the reptile.

He rifled through his bag and took out a vial of green-ish solution.

“I believe this should do the trick!”

He poured it in to the existing the solution on his desk and Ruddiger and Pascal backed up and covered their ears, waiting for an explosion. The solution bubbled for a minute, and then settled down and almost seemed to turn invisible.

“Yes! It worked!”

A bell chimed in the distance meaning that the competition was about to start.

“And just in time too. Come on Pascal! Let’s go hide some eggs.”

Varian poured the solution on top of the eggs giving the illusion that the basket was empty, and ran outside, Pascal in tow, dropping invisible eggs along the way.

He met up with the rest of the crowd surrounding Rapunzel just as the bell stopped ringing.

He ran up to Rapunzel and gave her back Pascal, who chirped, happy to be back with his owner.

“Thanks, Varian! I hope Ruddiger had fun!”

“Oh..y-yeah. Definitely!” Varian said smiling awkwardly and running to join the rest of the crowd.

“Welcome everyone to Corona’s first Easter Extravaganza!!”

The crowd applauded as Rapunzel went on.

“This year we decided it would be fun to have a kingdom-wide Easter egg hunt! To add on to the fun, we’re making it a competition! Kids 12 and under will compete in trying to find eggs hidden by our adults! Whoever gets the most eggs will win a huge candy bar provided by Monty’s Sweet Shoppe!”

There was a resounding applause as Rapunzel unveiled the candy bar.

“But the fun isn’t over! Our egg-hiders will also compete on who can hide their eggs the best! The eggs will be color coded, and whoever has the least amount of their color eggs found at the end wins an opportunity to design the next floating lanterns!”

There was another set of applause and murmuring in the crowd.

“If you signed up to hide the eggs, you already have your eggs and your color, and you can start hiding them! You have 1 hour to pick some hard to find spots! All the other kids participating in egg-finding, meet me in the palace for some more Easter-y fun! Good luck everyone! Ready, Set, Go!”

———————————————————————

Eugene grabbed his egg basket filled with green painted eggs and ran to the outskirts of the castle. He went around the back and climbed up the castle wall, being careful to not spill any of his eggs.

“Didn’t think I’d be doing this again. Haha man, the nostalgia!”

When he was on the palace roof, he walked around placing 2 to 3 eggs on the tops of the towers and putting the rest of them on different places of the roof.

“There’s no way that anyone’s gonna find these. Lanterns with me and Blondie’s face on them? Check!”

———————————————————————

Once Rapunzel finished her speech, she went into the palace to make sure the kids were occupied, then grabbed her baskets of lavender and pink eggs and headed outside.

“Knowing our friends Pascal, they’ll definitely be hiding their eggs so that no one can find them, and since I can’t win the prize, I figured I should put some eggs in easy places so that the kids can actually win,” Rapunzel said placing a pink egg in the plain sight by a bush.

Rapunzel laughed, “I just hope Eugene doesn’t go as far as putting them on a roof or something.”

Rapunzel put one of the baskets of eggs on the ground so that Pascal could help her, and 30 minutes later the streets were littered with beautiful lavender and pink eggs.

Cassandra walked up and examined Rapunzel’s handiwork.

“Raps, I’m not sure if you understand the whole hiding concept of hiding eggs.”

“Hey Cass! Did you and Eugene have a good time fighting?”

Cassandra laughed, “As much as I hate to admit it, I missed making fun of that over-confident, egocentric husband of yours.”

“Aww I’m glad you guys had fun! Oh I almost forgot,” Rapunzel reached into her purse and pulled out 5 sets of pastel bunny ears. She handed 2 to Cassandra.

“Can you give these to Eugene and Varian if you see them? I just think they’re so cute and festive and they’d look so adorable in them.” Rapunzel said excitedly.

“Oh I can definitely do that,” Cassandra said with a laugh.

———————————————————————

Eugene climbed down the roof and came face to face with Cassandra holding 2 pairs of bunny ears.

“Oh no. Don’t tell me Blondie wants me to wear these?”

“Oh yeah. It wasn’t even my idea! This day just keeps getting better.” Cassandra said holding out some blue fluffy ears to Eugene.

Eugene put them on, grumbling something under his breath.

Cassandra bursted out laughing, “Now your ears are even bigger than before, Fitzherbert!”

“Oh yeah, laugh it up. You’re probably next.” Eugene grumbled.

Just then, Rapunzel ran by wearing a pair of lavender bunny ears, with Pascal wearing tiny white ones, and handed an extra pair to Cassandra.

“I forgot to give you yours Cass!” Rapunzel said. “And awww look at my little Eubunny! Eu...rabbit? Eu...”

Eugene cut her off .

“No, we are not making that a thing.”

“Awe, Okay,” Rapunzel said giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Bye guys!”

Cassandra put on the ears, frowning, then looked at Eugene.

“Eubunny,” she said under her breath.

“Cassandrabbit.” Eugene said back.

———————————————————————

Varian was busy hiding his invisible eggs when he saw Cassandra standing in front of him wearing purple bunny ears.

Varian started laughing until she held out a light teal pair to him.

“Join the squad, kid.”

Varian took the ears and then looked at Cassandra.

“Did Rapunzel-”

“Yep.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yep.”

He put the ears on and try to ignore all of the laughter coming his way, eventually giving in and laughing with Cassandra.

“So Varian, how have you been? It’s been a while.”

“It has,” he laughed nervously. “I’ve been good, how about you?”

“Same here. It’s been different, not having all of my friends around and not hearing explosions every two seconds.”

They both laughed.

“I’ve missed you, kid.”

“I’ve missed you too, Cassie. Varian said smiling. “I’m glad we’re still friends after...everything, heh.”

“Me too, Varian. So tell me, why does it look like you’re hiding a basket full of nothing?”

“Haha, um well... I guess I can tell you. But you have to promise to not tell anyone else.”

“You got it,” Cassandra told him.

Varian looked around frantically, making sure no one was listening and then told Cassandra his whole plan.

“Wow, Varian. That’s pretty intense for just an egg hunt,” She laughed. “Don’t worry though. You’re not the only one doing shady things to win. I just saw Eugene on the palace roof earlier.”

“Heh. Well I admire his creativity but it is no match for the power of science!”

Varian pumped his fist in the air, breaking open 3 eggs he forgot he was holding which splattered all over him.

Cassandra laughed, “Well hopefully the ‘power of science’ will help you clean up this mess. See ya later kid!”

“Ew. Why did she have to paint them raw?” Varian said to himself. “It’s okay I can just use this cleaning formula I made and...”

Varian poured the formula on himself which cleaned up the eggs, but also burnt holes through his shirt.

“Great,” he said sarcastically.

The bell sounded in the distance that it was time to stop hiding the eggs, and Varian quickly placed his remaining 5 eggs by a bush and ran back to join the crowd of people starting to gather.

———————————————————————-

Eugene saw Varian in the crowd and walked up to him.

“Hey Var- woah! What happened to you?”

“Oh you know,” Varian laughed nervously, “eggs.”

“You hid eggs too? Well sorry kid but you’re looking at the winner right here.” Eugene said, cockily, pointing to himself.

“Haha, I don’t think so. There’s no way you can outwit my alchemical methods,” Varian said.

“Well make sure to be using your ‘alchemical methods’ when you see lanterns with my finely crafted face in the sky.” Eugene taunted.

“And make sure to be using that ‘finely crafted face’ to look up and see my alchemy lanterns when I win the competition.” Varian smirked.

“Well we’ll find out won’t we?” Eugene said staring down Varian.

“Yes. We. Will.” Varian said with a glare in his eye.

———————————————————————

After the bell stopped ringing, kids started running out of the castle, and scrambling to find eggs. All of Rapunzel’s purple and pink ones were in plain sight, but Angry wanted more of a challenge. She ran around the back of the castle where she saw Eugene climbing when he was hiding eggs, and started climbing up the roof herself.

Catalina decided she wanted more of a challenge as well, but not as much as Angry. She looked up and found orange eggs in the trees, which she quickly grabbed.

———————————————————————

Eugene was walking around when he saw Lance placing one last egg in a tree.

“Lance! You’re hiding eggs too? Good spot, but unfortunately you’re not going to win.”

“Oh really Eugene? Nice ears by the way. Who’s going to think to look for an egg in a tree? It’s a hard to reach spot and what kid’s going to climb a tree anyways?” Lance looked down at Eugene with a triumphant look.

“Lance. You do realize you live in a tree house with two little girls who adore climbing things, right?” Eugene said with a smirk.

“Thank you!” Catalina said grabbing the egg next to Lance and jumping to the next tree.

“Fair point. Well where did you hide yours Eugene?”

“Only the most hard to reach place in all of Corona!” Eugene said, gesturing to the castle roof which now contained a 12 year old girl holding up a green egg.

“Found it!” Angry shouted down.

“Oh come on!” Eugene shouted.

“Kiera!! You get down from there!” Lance scolded her.

“Come up and get me, why don’t ya?” Angry taunted, laughing.

“Ughhh! What is the matter with you Eugene!” Lance yelled running after Angry.

“Don’t worry buddy, it’s good exercise!” Eugene shouted back, laughing.

He started walking back until he realized he was going to lose and started running after Lance.

“Wait! Don’t take all my eggs!”

————————————————————————

The bell rang again symbolizing the end of the hunt, and the kids flocked to the throne room to turn in their baskets full of eggs to be counted.

When the counting was over, Rapunzel called everyone out to the courtyard to announce the winners.

“Hi everyone! Great job to all of our egg hunters and egg hiders! The results were very close but I have our winners right here!”

Rapunzel pulled out a paper and the crowd went silent as she read it.

“Our winner for most eggs is...Catalina Schitz! Come on up and get your prize!”

Catalina and Angry both went up to pick up the chocolate bar because it was bigger than both of them. The audience cheered but Lance yelled the loudest making the girls blush.

“Everyone else did a great job as well! There’s candy for all of you in the throne room!” Rapunzel said.

“And now for the winner of the best egg hiders, give it up for Varian with 0 eggs found!”

“What?!” Eugene yelled.

“Yes!” Varian shouted.

“None found? How does that even happen?”

Varian leaned over to Eugene and whispered “alchemy.”

“But we’re not done yet!” Rapunzel went on. “We have a runner up for this competition! Give it up for Eugene Fitzherbert with 2 eggs found!”

“Only because they caught me before I grabbed the rest.” Angry said.

“And their prize is they will be working together to design the next lanterns!”

“What?!” Eugene and Varian shouted in unison.

“Great job boys!” Rapunzel said, “and Happy Easter to everyone!”

Rapunzel went up to Varian and Eugene to congratulate them on winning.

“I can’t wait to see what you two come up with together!” Rapunzel said.

“Yay...” Varian trailed off, pretending to be excited.

“I mean you two are so creative!” Rapunzel went on. “Sneaking off and lying to me so you could hide the eggs in impossible places and even disguising them using Pascal’s abilities! I have to say I’m impressed.”

“But how did you-” Eugene started.

“Eugene, I saw you on the roof from miles away and I stepped on at least 5 of Varian’s eggs.”

Eugene and Varian looked down and mumbled “sorry.”

“I forgive you. And this should be punishment enough for you. Plus the rabbit ears,” Rapunzel laughed.

Eugene and Varian looked at each other and eventually started laughing.

“Team Awesome?” Eugene asked, holding out his fist.

“Team Awesome.” Varian replied bumping Eugene’s fist.

“Oh and Varian, good luck finding all of your other eggs!” Rapunzel said handing him a basket.

“Yeah, I guess I deserved that,” Varian said laughing nervously.

“With my help, of course,” She said smiling at him.

“Don’t worry, kid. I’ll help you too,” Cassandra said coming up next to him.

“I’ll help you too, Goggles. We both cheated after all.” Eugene said.

“Thanks guys. I promise, Rapunze,l to make it up to you Eugene and I will make the best lanterns ever.” Varian told her.

“Awe. I bet they’ll be great, Varian!” Rapunzel said, hugging him.

The princess looked at the kingdom splattered with eggs.

“Wow what a mess. But it was a great Easter with all you guys! I believe our first Corona Easter Extravaganza was a success!”

———————————————————————

The group spent the rest of the day cleaning up eggs until the courtyard was clean again, and then raided the throne room for the rest of the candy. Varian had a massive sugar crash and passed out on the ground and Cassandra woke him up and put him to bed. Eugene and Rapunzel had a boat date where Eugene got rid of the bunny ears once and for all by throwing them in the water. Lance, Angry and Catalina spent the rest of the day eating their giant chocolate bar at their treehouse.

It was a great Easter for everyone.

———————————————————————

Hi guys!!! Thank you so much for reading! This was originally supposed to be a short oneshot but I think I accidentally wrote an entire episode 😅😅😅

A special thanks to everyone in the Just Varian Things chat for giving me ideas! Especially @tangled-lover-165, @princess-pathetic-112898 , @letthemsayfuck, and @panpervinca!!!

Happy Easter Everyone!

One more thing before I go, as much as we all love the eggs and the bunnies and the pastel colors, behind all that is a Savior that really died a brutal death for our sins and rose again on Easter morning so that we can live in paradise with Him. Whatever you’re going through, He’s always there and He loves you more than anything else. 💙

[yoonjinkooked]

Daddy Day Care  |  Chapter 1

pairing; jungkook/female OC genre; fluff, romcom, smutty in the future, Dad!Jungkook rating; explicit (IN FUTURE CHAPTERS ONLY, not yet) words; total so far (4752)

— synopsis; Jeongguk is your average 25-year-old - job, work, friends - everything regular. Except, he has a 5 year old daughter. And he’s single. Until a “princess” waltzes into his life.

warnings for this chapter: You will want to have Jungkook’s children. Eunmi is adorkable. SlutJin. Banter. Cursing. Oh and I borrowed two Mamamoo members for this story too. 

CHAPTER 1

words; 3503

“Your hair looks weird, dad.”

I open my eyes, only to find Eunmi just a few inches away from me, eyes glued to the top of my head. Her cheeks are puffy, telling me she woke up minutes ago. Of course she did – she can’t sit still for minutes. I look behind her, at the clock and sigh, confirming my suspicions.

“It’s 6:30AM Eunmi. Why?” I grunt.

“I was bored,” she shrugs. “Your hair really looks weird, dad. Can we have bacon for breakfast?”

“Breakfast can wait a little bit,” I reach for her and snuggle her on top of me. “Now you’re gonna cuddle with dad for a while.”

“You just want to sleep more, not cuddle,” she laughs at me.

“No,” I laugh, squishing her closer to my chest. “But I always want to cuddle with my little girl.”

“No, you just want to sleep.”

“You’re five, you shouldn’t be this smart.”

“That’s your and mom’s fault,” I can feel her shrugging her tiny shoulders. “Are we going to see Uncle Jin today? Will he come over?”

“I’m pretty sure Uncle Jin is busy today honey, it’s a Sunday,” I sigh, knowing damn well that Jin is most definitely recovering from the night before. Almost six years ago, around the time when I found out that Eunmi was on her way into my world, I have accepted that Jin and I have changed our roles completely.

I’m the younger brother – I should be the one partying and fucking random girls while Jin should be the one who’s spending his nights looking up Youtube tutorials on how to make different kinds of braids, because he was working like an idiot all day to be able to pay for pre-school.

“Uncle Jin is never busy enough for me,” Eunmi concludes and honestly, she isn’t wrong. At this point in Jin’s life, Eunmi might just be the only other female apart from our mom that Jin actually cares for. Much like every adult in her near vicinity, she has him wrapped around her tiny pinky.

“You’re really not gonna let me sleep, are you?” I ask, ruffling her hair a little bit.

“Nope,” she announces. “I love you.”

“I love you too honey,” I laugh, already accepting that I’m really going to have to get up at 6:30. “So what is it that you wanna eat? Bacon? And what else?”

“Just bacon is good.”

She resembles me too much.

With a grunt, I get up and let her drag me to the kitchen. It took her less time to eat the bacon than it took me to prepare it. I smile as I focus on the cup in my hands, watching her run over to the living room and plant herself in front of the TV.

Cartoons and coffee can save any dad’s life. I get to have my caffeine medicine while Eunmi’s eyes are glued to the screen, watching a cartoon she’s probably already seen 10 times before.

I remember I used to be like that too. It didn’t matter how many times I’ve watched it – I would always laugh at the same scenes, same jokes. I don’t think that’s a trait special to me and her – I’m pretty sure every other five year old acts the same. But I only have one attached by the hip, thank god.

Cartoon time also is a good time for parent conversations – the kid is too focused on an animated cat to listen to grown up stuff. Which is exactly why my phone rang at the perfect moment.

“Morning,” I answer the call, pausing to drink my coffee. “Everything okay?”

“Yep,” she answers, and I can her she’s running around, doing something around her house. “Did you pick Eunmi up from the birthday party?”

“No, I left her there,” I deadpan. “See, I knew I was missing something but like always, sleep was simply more important.”

“Not funny, jackass,” she still laughs. “Did Jinyoung’s mom bug you again?”

“Why did I even tell you about that?” I sigh, regretting it again, for the hundredth time. More often than not, I say things without thinking and again, more often than not, I end up regretting it greatly.

“Because you were too scared to pick Eunmi up from a play date and you asked me to do it,” she laughs at me. “But seriously, if that woman keeps bugging you, you need to do something about it.”

“I sent in Namjoon to pick her up along with Jiyoo while I waited outside,” I admit.

“How very grown up and mature of you Jungkook.”

“I’d like to see you if Jinyoung’s dad offered to-“

“Okay, okay, enough,” she laughs. “Did she have fun?”

“I spent 30 minutes trying to get the face paint off of her face, you tell me,” I sigh, remembering that I have to wash half of the bathroom today before it remains colored.

“Yep, I know enough. I was going to ask you something. Can you take care of her for the next for days straight? I’ll be in Taiwan until Wednesday, my boss called me last night, he needs a translator and the bastard is too cheap to pay for one, so he just assumes I’d volunteer to do it. If you can’t do it, I’ll drop her off at mom and dad’s.”

“No, it’s okay,” I tell her, mentally going over my plans for this week. “I don’t have anything other than work this week so it’s okay.”

“Are you sure?” she checks.

“Yuki, she’s my kid too,” I laugh. “Not a plant that’s a nuisance to water.”

“I know but we planned it differently and I don’t want to be unfair,” she sighs.

“Yuki, don’t worry about it, okay?” I interrupt her, not wanting her to feel bad about this. “We have joint custody for a reason. It’s not the first time we’ve changed plans. If I couldn’t do it, I’d tell you.”

“Thanks,” she sighs in relief. “It’s just so annoying. I’m still trying to find a better company.”

“I know you are,” I mumble. “But don’t worry about it. We could co-parent for five years without any major issues. So just relax, do your trip and you can pick her up when you come back.”

“Can I talk to her? What’s she’s doing?”

“Well, I’m not sure – Tom and Jerry might be more interesting than you are, but I’ll check,” I can hear her cursing me. “Eunmi, come on, Mom wants to talk to you.”

Of course, she runs and drops the cartoon instantly. I laugh at her as she starts talking about everything that she wants us to do while Mom is away on a business trip. It might be bitter-sweet for Yuki to listen to, since she’ll be stuck in business meetings for four whole days, but what can she do?

As long as Eunmi doesn’t suffer, I’m okay with everything. She wasn’t even a year old when Yuki and I called it quits, so she can’t remember – if she can’t remember, she can’t miss it. Despite that, both Yuki and I have been bending over backwards to try and compensate for the fact that she’s growing up with separated parents.

That’s what I admire about Yuki. Our love died a very long time ago, but not once did she let it stop her from being a good mom and just a decent human being. If I was the only one being like that, I don’t even want to imagine how that would feel like.

There are horrible parents left and right. Dads that don’t care about their kids, don’t pay alimony, don’t spend enough time with them. Moms that don’t let dads see their kids, moms more focused on themselves and not their kid. I’ve seen a lot of that from the nuts parents I sometimes have to socialize with – the only normal group are Namjoon and Yoongi hyung and their wives. And while Yuki and I are not exactly the ideal example, we’re doing a damn good job.

Both of us managed to graduate while having a baby and not being together. Both of us have decent jobs. Both of us can put differences aside and work together for our little girl.

Would it be easier if we were together? Surely. But love died. We weren’t for each other and we were absolutely not ready for being parents. But we managed. Somehow, we managed. Maybe our relationship was the price we paid for that but hell, I’d pay it again.

As long as Eunmi doesn’t suffer in any way, I’m good.

“And then we’re going to watch ‘Frozen’,” Eunmi rolls her eyes. “Yes, again. Okay. Okay. I love you too mom. Here’s dad,” she gives me the phone back, not pausing for a second before running off to the TV.

“All good?” I ask Yuki.

“Yeah, I’m just gonna miss her,” she sighs.

“It’s four days, not four years. You’ll live.”

“You cried the first time I took her with me after a weekend with you,” Yuki points out.

“We do not talk about that,” I remind her.

“You’re a pain in the ass but you’re one hell of a dad,” she chuckles. “Take care of her, call me if you need anything and don’t forget to give her vitamins. Two in-“

“In the morning,” I laugh. “Again, I’m her father, not her babysitter. Relax, deep breaths and have a safe trip. You can call whenever, facetime her.”

“Thanks Kook, I’ll call you guys tonight.”

“Talk to you then,” I end the call, finishing the rest of my coffee in one gulp. “Come on Eunmi, we need to get you dressed,” I announce.

“Where are we going?” her tiny little face lights up. No wonder, the kid is a firecracker. A type of kid that likes pirates more than princesses, but still asks to watch Frozen. A kid that will try to climb a tree but then run to me in tears if she scrapes her knee. She loves an adventure but often regrets it.

“We’re going to wake Uncle Jin up,” I laugh when I see how big her smile became. She loves Uncle Jin just as much as she loves me, if not more. “He might be hungover, but Uncle duties are calling him.”

“Okay,” she grabs my hand and I take her to her room, to find some clothes for today. “Dad?”

“Hmm?”

“What does hungover mean?”

Shit.

                                                             ...

I check once again, leaning over to look at her sleepy face. Sure enough, her lips are parted as she snuggles into the pillow that’s almost as big as her.

Slowly, I close the door, careful not to rouse her awake – if she doesn’t get her afternoon nap, Eunmi gets cranky. Uber cranky. Super, mega, ultra uber cranky. She’s a true angel for 95% of the time but the 5%? Good lord have mercy on my soul.

So yeah, she needs to nap and we need to be quiet.

“She’s out,” I tell Seokjin in a low voice as I join him back in the living room, laughing when I see him looking as if he’s going to fall asleep at any given second. He is one step away from turning into that Tom&Jerry gif where the cat is putting toothpicks between his eyelids to keep his eyes open. “Your night was rougher than usual, I see?”

“Yes indeed,” he grunts as he sinks deeper down the couch. “I had to do my strut of shame halfway from across the town.”

“Why didn’t you just sleep over?” I ask as I make a place for myself on the armchair, also known as the most uncomfortable armchair in the history of mankind. Jin has a thing for fancy, modern furniture, which means that every surface in his apartment is sharp and black, including said armchair.

“Because I’ve found out a bit too late that she has a boyfriend.”

“Ouch.”

“Not really,” he shrugs. “She’s the one who cheated, not me. I didn’t know. I just didn’t want to stick around and get my ass kicked because she’s a cheater.”

“How long do you think you’ll be able to keep up with this, huh?” I ask, out of pure curiosity. I have no right to judge him but I have the right to try to understand. “You’re 28 and you can’t settle down.”

“Why should I?” he asks, and honestly, his question is as good as mine.

“I’m just wondering how you’re not tired of that?” I shrug. “I mean, your life is always the same. It’s been the same for years. Random girls every weekend. I get that it can be fun every now and then but all the time? Don’t you just get tired of it?”

“I do get tired. And when I get tired, I don’t go out,” he shrugs his shoulders, closing his eyes and sighing as he makes himself more comfortable on the couch. “Settling down isn’t always ideal. Look at you.”

“What’s wrong with me?” I ask and judging by the snort Jin lets out, a lot of things are wrong with me. “Say what you want to say about my life but Eunmi is the best possible thing that could have happened to me.”

“I never said anything about Eunmi,” Jin sits up suddenly, glaring at me. “That little girl is the best thing that happened to me and she’s only my niece. Plus she’s way cooler than you are.”

“She’s five,” I roll my eyes. “And if you didn’t refer to her, what did you refer to?”

“Settling down didn’t really work out for you, did it?” he lets a chuckle. “You have the sweetest kid on the entire planet and you’re a good dad – but what about you? You had Yuki and you wanted to settle down, now you’ve been single for 4 years. Your amazing dad skills have absolutely nothing to do with your inability to get your dick wet.”

“Okay, you’re exaggerating,” I deadpan. “I did go on a few dates and I did have sex with-“

“It was two years ago!” he yells at me and I shush him, not wanting him to wake Eunmi up. He rolls his eyes but when he continues talking, his voice is lowered. “It was two years ago Kookie.  I get it, I really do. Eunmi has been your priority since day one, as she should be. But you’re 25 years old Jungkook. 25. You should have a life. I get that co-parenting with an ex isn’t easy and I know you have better things to do most of the time, but when will you ever think about yourself? What are you gonna do, be alone until Eunmi goes to college?”

“If that’s what happens, I’m okay with it,” I confirm it, causing Jin to shake his head in what appears to be disappointment. “It’s just not happening Jin. It’s not happening. I don’t have time to go and meet people. I work and I get home and I’m tired and I do have hobbies. And whenever I have a day off, I am with my daughter because no matter what happens, she comes first. There’s no time to go out and date and be a regular 25-year-old because regular 25-year-olds don’t have daycare to pay for and a college fund to save for and tea parties to have on weekends with stuffed and fuzzy rabbits!”

“It’s that way because you want it to be that way.”

“No, it’s that way because it happened that way,” I tell him. “None of this was planned. We never planned on having Eunmi but when we got her, god, I was the happiest man alive. I never planned of doing this whole co-parenting shit – but it happened. I didn’t think I’d ever break it off with Yuki, especially not after we had a kid but it happened. It’s the way it is and I’m fine with it because no matter what I do in life, Eunmi will always be the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“I’m not saying that she isn’t,” Jin rolls his eyes. “I’m saying that every now and then, you need to remind yourself that you’re not just a dad, but also a guy. A regular guy.”

“I don’t have time to be a regular guy!”

“Then make it!” Jin all but yells at me again, earning another glare. “This Friday. Yuki will be back from the trip, she’ll want to be with Eunmi, you don’t work weekends. You have no excuse. This weekend, you and I are going out, you’re going to get laid and come Saturday morning, back to being a Dad you go.”

“Hyung-“

“Don’t hyung me,” Jin glares at me. “Or yes, hyung me. I’m you’re hyung and you will listen. You will go out and have fun and find a random girl and remember that you’re more than just a dad.”

I know that he has a point, I truly do. Just that when I say I don’t have time, I really don’t have time. Not the time, nor the energy and not even the opportunity to meet someone.

But he has me now. Eunmi will be with Yuki this weekend and I have no good excuse up my sleeve.

“Fine.”

                                                           …

 “But dad!”

I laugh at her whining – she even went the extra length and stomped her little foot on the ground.

We’re having a cranky morning, that’s for sure – when I did her hair, I thought she might just bite my hand off. She was sulky during the drive and now she doesn’t want to go to go into the kindergarten.

“Don’t but me,” I warn her, feeling fatherly pride when she doesn’t react in any way – I have zero authority in me so it’s nice to see that at least my five year old is buying it. “You have to go to kindergarten, sweetie. And I have to go to work. You know I’d much rather spend time with you but kindergarten is non-negotiable.”

“What does non-negotble mean?”

I do my best to hide my smile at her mispronunciation, not wanting to hurt her feelings. “It means you do what I say.”

“But dad!”

“But Eunmi!” I whine, laughing when her frown turns into a scolding one. “We’ll do something super fun when we get home. I promise. Now run along.”

“You’re very mean today but I still love you,” she announces before turning around and running into the building.

“I love you too!” I yell after her. I’m mean. Wow. I suppose I’d better get used to it, I’m pretty sure she’s going to hate me when she gets to her teens. The joy of parenthood no one warns you about.

“She isn’t feeling you today, is she?” I turn around, startled for a second, only to realize it’s Hyejin, waving at her daughter as she follows Eunmi into the school.

“Nope, she isn’t,” I laugh. “I honestly don’t know how you and Namjoon plan to handle two,” I chuckle, remembering how both of them told me that they’re planning on at least two.

“Ah, step by step my sweet, summer child,” she laughs as she gets on her tiptoes to ruffle my hair. “Leave your Saturday free, you’re coming over to our place. We’re celebrating me getting older yet again.”

“I still have to see if Eunmi will be with Yuki all weekend or if-“

“Bring her too,” Hyejin laughs. “The kids can have a sleepover while the few of us drink, eat and complain about anything and everything.”

“You sure? I have a lot to complain about.”

“We all do, my sweet summer child,” she does it again, ruffles my hair as if I’m an actual kid. Well, compared to her I just might be. They’re only a few years older than I am but she and Namjoon have their life under complete control. Control that I can only hope to have one day.

“Fine,” I agree, knowing that this outing won’t be as wild as whatever Jin has planned. “What should I bring you? Any special birthday wishes?”

“Nothing, anything,” she shrugs and walks away, before stopping suddenly after just two steps. “Just don’t get me anything with my age written on it. We’re not talking about that.”

“Deal,” I laugh and wave at her as I get into my car. 

I brace myself for the work day ahead. I brace myself for the afternoon of watching Frozen or something I have already seen 20 times before. I brace myself for Friday, despite knowing absolutely nothing can prepare me for Jin’s antics. And now I even have to brace myself for Saturday, when I’m expected to socialize with grown adults and act like I belong there.

I don’t. I might have a job, I might have a kid and yeah, my age is there but nope.

I just have no idea what I’m doing. I’m stuck in the permanent state of ‘winging it’.

What a life.

[iron--spider]

harm and foul (whumptober - laced drink)

The ever-present soundtrack of hard rock pulses through the room, despite the fact that most people are just standing around in small groups talking to each other. No one’s dancing. It’s another AC/DC song, Peter thinks—he isn’t completely sure. It’s Tony’s birthday, and just about every superhero known to man is here, all of them mingling with each other in the kind of scene any reporter would shit themselves over. Peter had been worried about the possibility of someone attacking them while they’re all gathered in one place, but Tony assured him that he had contingencies, and left it at that. 

 But Peter isn’t worrying about that anymore. He’s staring over at Tony, who seems to be getting a gentle verbal-lashing from Pepper before she presses a hard kiss to his forehead, leaving him behind and on his own again. Tony’s been acting strange as hell for the past half hour or so—he was completely normal, talking to everyone, having fun, and then he—wasn’t. Then he got weird, started sitting alone, swaying and laughing at people who passed him by, no matter who they were. 

 Peter doesn’t like it.

 “I just talked to Maria Hill and I’m dead, Peter,” Ned says, throwing himself over the back of the couch. “I’m dead.”

 “Mhm,” Peter grunts, still staring at Tony.

 “What are you doing?” Ned says. He smacks him in the arm. “I know you’re around these people all the time, but I’m not, and I need you to be more excited.”

 “Only like six of these people know who I really am, not including you,” Peter says, in a hushed breath.

 “Is he acting weird?” Ned asks, and Peter glances down at him, sees him looking at Tony now too. “Why do you keep staring at him?”

 “He’s acting weird,” Peter says, watching as Tony covers his face with a very limp hand. 

 “Maybe he’s just a little drunk,” Ned says, hitting Peter again. “I mean, it’s his birthday, Peter, cut him some slack.”

 “He barely drinks nowadays, even on special occasions,” Peter says. His spidey sense is going off like crazy, and he doesn’t understand what else it could possibly be. There’s no way there’s someone in here that shouldn’t be, is there? Peter sighs, glancing down at Ned. “I don’t know, I feel weird. I feel like something’s wrong.”

 “Is, uh, Miss Potts worried?” Ned asks, finally tuning in for real.

 “I think she’s distracted,” Peter says. “She’s the one that always oversees this stuff and I know the party is so great because she planned every bit of it, so, it’s—I think she’s distracted. Plus they’ve got that merger deal thing whatever corporate blah blah coming up this week and that’s weighing on her too. I mean, she was over there talking to him. I think she knows something’s off, but she’s got eight hundred things on her plate as usual.”

 “What about his other close besties?” Ned asks. “Like the me’s and you’s?”

 Peter searches out Happy and Rhodey in the crowd, and finds them over by the third buffet table, and they’re both looking at Tony too. Their gazes are narrowed and they’re whispering back and forth at each other, and Peter knows just from the way they look that they’re thinking along the same lines he is.

 “They seem suspicious,” Ned says. He climbs over the couch awkwardly, and stands next to Peter. “Does Tony even like big parties like this? I feel like the last one you told me about—”

 “Since the whole saving the world thing he likes to be around everybody a lot just to make sure they’re all good,” Peter says, knowing because Tony discussed the party with him ahead of time to make sure he’d be okay being around so many superheroes. Let’s not do fanboy mode. Spider-Man’s cooler than all of them, anyway. “We’re doing the family party on Sunday afternoon.”

 “Aww,” Ned says.

 Peter sighs. “Back to the matter at hand—I’m going over there. Something’s wrong, he’s not drunk, it’s—it’s something else. I don’t know.”

 “If there’s a bad guy here—you know what, I feel safe,” Ned says, looking over as Thor and Bruce pass him by. “I think I’ll make it.”

 “Be right back.” Peter says. He weaves around the chattering groups, watching as Tony yawns big and long. Peter is a little bit irritated that nobody is around him right now, on his birthday, especially the first fucking one after he saved the damn world. They’re lucky he’s still alive. They’re lucky he has both arms. They’re lucky he’s even here. People should constantly be gathered around him listening to his stories because he’s the coolest person here. It’s his birthday. Just another example of Tony being criminally underappreciated, and it makes Peter’s face go red with anger.

 “Hey, lookit you, short stuff,” Tony says, grinning at him as Peter comes closer. “What’s wrong? Why’re—why’re we so fired up?” He sways when he talks and the chair he’s sitting on swivels dangerously.

 Peter sits next to him, holding him by his shoulders. “Tony—”

 “Remember when you would only call me Mr. Stark?” Tony laughs. “God, kid, we literally had to go through hell and back to get you to stop that shit—”

 “You haven’t been drinking tonight, right?” Peter asks, and Tony keeps laughing, swaying back and forth. “I didn’t see—”

 “I mean, I guess,” Tony says, his eyes widening. “I don’t—shit, I don’t remember. Must have, right? Feeling like this.”

 “What do you feel like?” Peter asks. 

 “Like a scrambled egg on the sidewalk on a sunny day,” Tony says. He meets Peter’s eyes again and snorts, shaking his head. “You’re an incredible human being, you know that, Pete? You know that? I hope you know that.”

 Peter laughs a little bit. “Yeah, so are you, but right now—”

 “No, no, for real,” Tony says, leaning over until he’s completely off his chair, and Peter has to move with him, because he’s not staying upright. “You make me so proud, kid, you’re the best of us, all of us, even Captain Moral Fiber.”

 Compliments are always disarming to Peter, especially from Tony, and he remembers Ned saying once how people tell the truth when they’re drunk, but that reminds him that Tony isn’t drunk, he doesn’t even smell like he’s drunk, and something’s wrong, something’s wrong, compliments aside. 

 “Tony, something’s wrong,” Peter says. He holds him up, and starts to march him over to Rhodey and Happy, but then Tony stops him with a hand on his chest.

 “Nope,” Tony says. His face goes a little green. “Uh. Shit, Pete—” He snorts, rolling his eyes, and covers his mouth with his free hand. “Uh. Would rather not puke in the middle of all these people—”

 “Okay,” Peter says, breath catching in his throat. “Okay, bathroom.”

 They’re starting to gather looks, which makes Peter angrier, because no one was paying attention to Tony a moment before and it’s his damn birthday, and Happy, Rhodey and Pepper immediately converge on them as Peter veers towards the hallway where the bathroom is. 

 “What the hell is going on?” Happy asks. “He’s been acting weird as all hell—”

 “Ever since he was talking to Fury,” Rhodey says, following close behind.

 “Babe—” Pepper starts, her hand on Tony’s back.

 “I think someone spiked his drink,” Peter says, glancing around at the three of them as Tony leans into in, gagging a little into his own hand. Peter tries to speed up, even though he wouldn’t blame him if he puked before they get to their destination. 

 Everyone starts talking all at once, and there’s a lot of cursing and exclaiming which makes Tony laugh, and gag again. 

 “Who in fresh hell—”

 “All we’ve got in here are literal heroes, magazine cover heroes—”

 “You think it was a prank? Like that time Clint gave everybody the pot brownies?”

 “Honey, Tony, you said you’d had three goddamn vodka tonics—”

 “He has no idea what he’s talking about,” Peter says, hoisting him up a little higher. They’re only steps away from the bathroom but it feels like it’s gonna take ten years to get there, and the hallway seems small and loud despite the fact that they’ve left the party behind. 

 “Hey, hey, Spidey,” Tony protests, but then he heaves again.

 Peter clicks his tongue and keeps talking. “I’ve had a bad feeling for a while, looking at him, I don’t even think he was drinking—”

 “He’s been on that tomato juice kick for a while,” all four of them say at once. 

 “Jesus, he’s gonna puke any minute—” Rhodey says. 

 “Go look around for anybody weird,” Peter says. “I don’t think it’s a prank, I’ve got—I’ve got a bad feeling. I said that, but, yeah.”

 “On it,” Rhodey says, patting Tony on the shoulder and turning to head back towards the party. 

 Pepper pets the base of Tony’s neck and Happy pushes the bathroom door open when they get there. “Happy,” she says. “Can you go watch the cameras please? Go over the last, maybe, hour and a half?”

 “Got it,” Happy says.

 “Ugh, so fucking embarrassing,” Tony mutters, and Peter rushes him into the nearest stall and makes sure he doesn’t slam his face into the toilet before he spills his guts into it. “Jesus, sorry, kiddo.”

 “Don’t apologize, someone roofied you,” Peter says, glancing back as Pepper stands in the entrance to the stall, her eyes worried.

 “God, no, no way,” Tony says, and he laughs, puking again. “This isn’t—fuck—this isn’t college. Where’s—oh Jesus—where’s Rhodey?”

 “Trying to help you,” Pepper says. “Dammit, I should have realized something was off, baby, I’m sorry.”

 “I wouldn’t have realized if I didn’t have a literal built in alarm system,” Peter says, looking back at her. He watches as Tony flops down, leaning against the stall wall.

 “Why the fuck did we put stalls in here, baby?” Tony asks, looking up at Pepper as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “Why? This is—this is—living quarters—” He doesn’t finish his sentence, just widens his eyes and holds out his hands. 

 Pepper chews on her lower lip, and glances at Peter. “Peter, sweetheart, I’ll be right back, can you stay with him? I’ll be right back. I’m gonna go get him a change of clothes and maybe kick everybody out. And ask Helen how we can flush this out of his system.”

 “I’ll be right here,” Peter says, nodding at her. 

 “I love you!” Tony calls after her. “Light of my life!”

 “Love you too,” she yells, and Peter hears the door close. 

 He sighs, looking at Tony. “Tell me if you need to puke again,” he says. 

 Tony narrows his eyes at him, and he’s still swaying despite the fact that he’s sitting and leaning on something. “Yeah,” he says. “Try not to puke on you.”

 “I think we can move past it,” Peter says, smiling a little bit.

 Tony snorts. “You’re all angry tonight, webs,” he says. “Like a little—mini Hulk. Go tell Bruce, we’ve got mini Hulk.”

 Peter shakes his head, and looks at him hard, trying to get him to focus for just a second. “Tony, there’s like, a bad guy here or something. I don’t think anyone would genuinely roofie you for fun, and I’m like 95 percent sure that you got roofied—”

 “I’m thankful for your service,” Tony says, smiling at him. “Always on my team. Amazing. I’m—kid, I’m bursting with pride. I’m telling May. You deserve—something. I don’t know. A new Lego set. A car.”

 Peter really doesn’t wanna laugh at him, considering the situation, and he ducks his head down and tries really, really hard to stifle his giggles. “I’m gonna go wet a towel so you can wipe your face,” he says. He pats Tony’s knee. “Stay there.”

 “Staying,” Tony says. 

 Peter pushes himself to his feet, trying to sort through all the insanity in his head. He walks over to the sink and grabs one of the fancy red towels, putting it under the tap and running the water.

 “Uh, Pete,” Tony says. 

 “Yeah?” Peter asks, making sure the water isn’t hot. “You okay?”

 “There’s—”

 Something hits him hard in the back of his head before he hears the end of Tony’s sentence, and he hits the counter, his face smashing into the mirror. The blow would have knocked anyone else the fuck out, but Peter just blinks around the hazy dizziness, turning and immediately grabbing Whoever The Hell This Is by the throat, shoving them against the wall. 

 “Holy fuck,” the dude says, trying to swat at Peter’s hand. “What the hell? Who the hell are you?”

 Peter’s got glass in his face and he winces as he reaches up and plucks it out, tossing it back towards the counter. He hears Tony stumbling around, trying to get to his feet, and Peter stares at the asshole in front of him. He looks—familiar. Like Peter’s seen him somewhere before. He’s wearing a black hoodie, like he thought that would help him be stealth.

 “Justin fucking Hammer,” Tony says, crawling out of the stall and wincing like everything is too bright. “What the fuck—”

 “Anthony, who is this twink? Why’s he so strong?”

 “He’s—wait, Justin Hammer?” Peter exclaims, holding him tighter and shoving him harder against the wall. “This is the guy with the drones! From the Expo! The one that almost killed me!”

 “That shit still—fries my brain,” Tony says, bracing himself against the wall and pushing himself up. 

 “Why is he so strong?” Hammer whisper-yells.

 “He’s Spider-Man,” Tony shrugs, yawning again. 

 Peter’s head whips around so hard that it nearly snaps off his shoulders, and Tony grits his teeth when their eyes meet, like he knows what he did. Peter sighs, heavily, and knows he can’t blame him for anything he does while he’s like this. But future Tony is gonna be real pissed at his Roofied self. 

 “Well,” Hammer says. “Okay, that, that makes—”

 Peter directs his anger to Hammer. “You did this,” he says. “You did this to him.”

 “Well, yeah,” Hammer says, still holding onto Peter’s arm with both of his hands. “I mean, who did you think did it? Thor? For shits and giggles?”

 “Why did you do it?” Peter says, getting closer to him, trying to be menacing. “Are you stupid or something? There are a billion superheroes here—”

 “And look how far I got,” Hammer says, tilting his head at Peter.

 “Pete, he’s nothing,” Tony says, trying to gesture towards him, and he yawns again. “He’s a rat. Jesus, I’m tired.”

 “I just wanted to get Anthony’s help with something,” Hammer says, scoffing. “I was gonna kidnap him—just for a couple hours, Jesus—and force some, uh, advice out of him, for a newly escaped convict, and then I was gonna drop him off, no harm, no foul—”

 “A lot of harm and foul,” Peter says, almost nose to nose with him now. He points over at Tony with his free hand. “You drugged him. You messed him up!”

 “Oh, it’s fine. A little concoction of my own making, very proud, very proud. And Jesus, it was too easy, frankly, for the supposed security this place claims,” Hammer says. “Hogan should be ashamed. Ashamed. I got all the way up here, got to the prize himself, drugged him in front of all these assholes—” He stops talking so he can laugh, and Peter’s blood boils.

 “Hey, Pete, you’re bleeding,” Tony says, his brows furrowing. He stares for a long second, tons of emotions flickering across his face. He looks back at Hammer, and rushes at him before Peter can do anything, tackling Hammer to the ground.

 “Stupid asshole,” Tony says, punching Hammer in the face, though, in his current state, it doesn’t look like it lands with much finesse. “Making my kid bleed—”

 Hammer turns up his nose. “Tony, Tony, this is great, real fun,” he says, patting Tony’s waist. “But—”

 Peter quickly pulls Tony off of him with hands hooked under his arms, and he deposits him behind him quickly. Tony is still trying to throw punches. Peter turns, just as Hammer is trying to scramble to the door, and Peter punches him square in the nose. This one lands a little better than Tony’s did, and Hammer unceremoniously crumples back down to the tile, unconscious. 

 The door opens quickly, and hits Hammer in the side of the head.

 “Hey,” Tony yells, as Happy appears in the doorway. “You’re supposed to knock.”

 “What the fuck is this?” Happy asks, and he pushes his way inside, with Pepper and Rhodey on his heels. 

 Peter moves over to help Tony back to his feet and God, he smells like puke. Peter holds onto him anyway, and figures he’s gonna be totally out in just a little bit, if the yawning is any indication.

 “He broke in, somehow,” Peter says, as Pepper moves to Tony’s other side and supports him. “I don’t know, he was trying to kidnap Tony. He gave him something.”

 “Peter’s bleeding,” Tony announces, kicking out one foot, trying to shove Hammer’s leg away. “Red alert. Priority one.”

 Peter’s face goes a little hot. 

 “When the hell did this dickhead even get out of prison?” Rhodey asks, staring down at him. “How? They wouldn’t have released him and I can’t picture him staging an escape—”

 “He did,” Peter says. “He told us. No idea, but we gotta—take care of Tony, like now.” He’s so exasperated.

 “And the blood,” Tony says. “My kid is bleeding, fuck’s sake.”

 “Helen’s waiting for us, we’ll move up to the med wing,” Pepper says, patting Tony on the back. “We’ll take care of both of you.”

 “We’ll take out the trash,” Happy says, glaring down at Hammer. 

 ~

 Tony falls asleep after five minutes with Helen, and there isn’t much to do other than give him fluids and some oxygen and wait for him to wake up. Happy and Rhodey make sure to make Tony’s closer friends feel accordingly bad about not noticing what was going on, and then they immediately start on upping security. Thor and Nat handle Hammer, while Clint finds out just how in fresh hell he got out of The Raft.

 Peter and Pepper wait for Tony to wake up. 

 Peter has three text threads going: one with May, who’s on her way. One with Ned, who is still way too excited to have been a part of this at all. And one with Natasha, who swears Hammer won’t ever reveal Peter’s identity. Or escape from prison again. And Peter is sure that she wouldn’t be saying it if she didn’t mean it.

 Hours and hours go by, and Tony snores. Pepper encourages Peter to sleep too, and he only wakes up once, when May brushes his hair back and kisses his forehead. He smiles at her, glances at Tony to make sure he’s still out, and then he drifts off again. 

 “Buddy.”

 Someone is shaking Peter gently, a familiar hand on his arm. 

 “Pete.”

 Peter gasps awake when he realizes it’s Tony who’s talking to him. Tony smiles, and he looks a lot better than he did the last time Peter saw him—he’s sitting up in bed now, only a little pale. Peter scoots his chair closer, smiling back. He sees May and Pepper out in the hallway, talking to Happy. 

 “Kid,” Tony says, with a sigh. “I don’t remember one single thing about the party, which is a feeling I thought I’d left far, far in the past, but apparently dumbass Justin Hammer decided to come in and wreak some havoc.”

 “He’s the worst,” Peter says. 

 “Yeah, Happy’s real embarrassed that he even got in here,” Tony says. “So is everybody else, apparently. Pepper’s been taking lots of calls.”

 “I mean, hopefully one of us would have taken him out if he actually got a hold of you,” Peter says. He shudders to think.

 “You did all that,” Tony says. “They told me everything. You took care of it, you noticed, you knocked the hell out of him, all the while dealing with a very drugged-up me.”

 Peter shakes his head. “My spidey sense was going crazy and I just—I don’t know, you were acting weird. I wasn’t sure if you were gonna drink at the party but it just—I don’t know, it didn’t feel like regular drunk. Not that I know anything about being drunk.”

 “You’re the damn hero,” Tony says, looking at him fondly. “And I’m the asshole who told Hammer your identity. I’m sorry, Pete, Jesus.”

 “You couldn’t help it,” Peter says. “For real. He messed you up.”

 Tony nods, grimacing. “I literally cannot believe I allowed Justin Hammer to lace my drink. Him. Of all people. It’s like—an infant getting the better of you in a card game.”

 “He was stupid and I didn’t like him.”

 Tony snorts. “But for real, and everybody’s saying it—something really bad could have happened if it wasn’t for you. That guy’s an idiot but he’s an idiot with a grudge. So thank you. I’m really proud of you. You—you had my back, kid.”

 “Of course,” Peter says, grinning. I always will.

 “And whatever dumb shit I did, just—embarrassing shit, forget about it, okay? Wipe it from your mind.”

 “Oh no, you gave me primary control of all your suits and workshops,” Peter says. “And while you were sleeping I locked you out entirely. So there’s that.”

 Tony narrows his eyes but he grins, sinking a little lower into his bed. “Alright, I guess I deserve that. You’re the only one with any kind of awareness around here.”

 Peter laughs, palming the back of his neck. “The family birthday party is gonna be way better. Nobody weird is gonna break in and it’ll just—it’ll just be better.”

 “Definitely,” Tony says. He looks at Peter for a long moment, a soft smile on his face. “I mean, when it really comes down to it—you guys are all I need. And a new damn security system.”

 Peter grins. “Well, Happy’s on that. His pride is at stake. And oh, I forgot. You owe me a new Lego set. You promised, so.” He doesn’t mention the car.

 “You can have seven new Lego sets, how’s that?” Tony says, raising his eyebrows at him. 

 “I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Peter says.

 “I’m not,” Tony says, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. “You deserve Legos and Legos you shall have. Now let’s go, I need some of that birthday cake. There better be some left, after what the hell I’ve gone through.”

 Peter gets up, walking alongside him. “Oh, I called down to make sure they saved you the second tier.”

 Tony beams at him, slinging an arm around his shoulders. “Pete. You really are my hero.”

[isabeladraws]

this took longer than i wanted to, hopefully you don’t mind! i wanted to make a big thread of random thoughts that came into my head. i decided to answer this way so i can put a cut and people don’t have to read this ridiculously long post!

sunday and beckett pregnancy hcs 🌷👶✨

beckett knows sunday is pregnant before herself. during her period week he knows her mood changes and how horny she sometimes can be. her period is very regular and he knows what to expect and how to comfort her during it. but, it never came. he was busy himself and didn’t realise it until that time of the month was well past them.

“sunday, is everything alright with… you know.. your period?”

“what do you mean?”

“it’s late. your period is never late”

“i think it might be from stress of the games. it’s been madness!”

beckett didn’t seem reassured but he let it go. she knows her body better than he ever could. sunday however was starting to have doubts so she buys a pregnancy test and wouldn’t you freaking know it… it’s positive.

beckett knows when sunday looks at him after she takes that test. he doesn’t even have to see it to believe when she says “you were right… i’m pregant, b”

he hugs her like never before, lifting her off the ground, swaying her in his arms. beckett cries a little, sunday does too. the shock is so big, it wasn’t planned but at the same time, very wanted.

“only beckett harrington to figure out when a girl’s period is late”

“hey, it’s a great few days for said beckett harrington”

“well, too bad they won’t be happening for a while”

“i wouldn’t change a thing, sunday. i love you”

“i love you t- WHAT IF IT’S TWINS BECKETT????!! we cannot handle two babies at once, can we?? omg mom is going to freak out, and atlas… we’re gonna be PARENTS! BECKETT WHY ARE YOU SMILING, YOU NEED TO FREAK OUT WITH ME!!”

they only tell atlas and shreya during the first trimester. sunday knew atlas wouldn’t be able to keep the secret from shreya and shreya would figure it out in 10 minutes anyway. they’re happy to have someone to talk to about it.

it’s the 6 week apointment, sunday had only had a blood test to confirm the pregnancy and passed with flying colors. beckett was with her of course and they were excited to see baby.

the doctor found one baby and they smiled, everything looked healthy and 10 seconds later the doctor is like oh looks like there’s two! oh my mistake, there are three babies in there!

beckett didn’t faint because he was already sitting down. sunday saw her life flash before her eyes.

“what?” said both of them

“yeap, three heartbeats, it’s too early to tell if they might be identical or not”

“are you absolutely sure, doctor?” asked beckett

and the doctor showed them in the ultrassoung machine, three black voids filled with a white dot each and their pulsing hearts. they were having triplets.

i believe pregnancy with multiples need to monitored way more often than ones with just one baby so regular appts for these two. beckett hates missing them but they’re both busy

beckett would still be studying and working freelance (i still have no concrete idea what his job would be, maybe something with writing/research?)

sunday is told to slow things down so she takes a break from the team before quitting altogether 

i haven’t decided on the triplets birthday yet but i’m leaning torwards scorpio/sagittarius season (maybe aries season too?)

beckett and sunday still travel quite a bit 

sunday feels pretty great for the most part, i think the hardest part of her pregnancy is towards the end

beck really wanted to take a photo of sunday each week and see the growth of their babies;  he made a whole album with his thoughts and hopes for their family and gave it to sunday after the babies were born

they travelled to quite a few places during the 9 months, maybe 6 to 7 different locations. sunday being at home more and feeling pretty good during the 2nd trimester they took a few roadtrips to places close to them

atlas and shreya moved out of their shared apt so beckett moved in with sunday right before they found out they were pregnant

i don’t know if they’d be married at this point in time or not

they would have been living together before getting pregnant, sunday would spend most of her time at beckett’s place but she wasn’t “officially” moved in because she travelled quite a bit due to thief and the games 

to me, for some reason, their lives seem hectic and busy af after graduating, everything happens at once for them

getting signed with a thief team, beckett getting acknowledged for his skills and scoring independent jobs and working on his masters, sunday is travelling all the time

i feel like beckett one day, in the midst of all the business, while they were still half asleep in bed was just like “marry me” and sunday thought she was actually dreaming. there was no way this boy was asking her to marry him right now 

“what” she kinda giggled “marry me” he sounded so serious she woke up and sit up

they stayed in silence just staring at each other for a while until they started smilling and the thought really sank in, it was barely morning 

“sunday, marry me” 

“i think i’ll need to hear that again a few more times”

did they elope later that afternoon?? WHO KNOWS 

back to your scheduled programming of pregnancy with triplets:

sunday got real swolen, painfully swolen at some point in time. 

weird cravings of butternut squash everything. beckett became quite good at using it in a variety of recipes

sunday really missed her job during her pregnancy and felt quite lost. she felt her only purpose was to carry these kids around and moan back pain every 5 minutes. 

but she also realised she didn’t want to do thief after becoming a mother. that chapter felt like it was closing for her and she needed to take a step foward into a new career path (i have yet to figure it out)

very cranky and moody sunday. she also hated getting advice from her mom on her pregnancy. it would just annoy her

atlas got real good at getting these two away from each other

god atlas as an AUNT wow

she really started to fear sunday at the end of her pregnancy like... the look sunday would give when she was pissed off ... oof 

atlas and beckett are the only ones sunday wanted with her when it was delivery time

i imagined it was most likely a c-section? would there be more “innovative” ways in the magick world to give birth?? 

moving on that’s not important

beckett studies pregnancy yoga intensely so he can teach sunday

tmi.. or nsfw... sex is pretty fun 

sunday thinks it will be 2 girls and one boy, the girls being identical 

beckett thinks it’s 3 girls

they restored their baby blanket atlas found and used it in the nursery

sunday and beckett did not find out the sexes of the babies until birth

(it was a bet. sunday was actually the one that was DYING to find out and lost)

shreya was the only one that guessed correctly (2 boys 1 girl) 

bougie ass baby gifts from shreya. special one of a kind super gentle lotion, shampoo. baby shoes, oils and butters for stretch marks, blankets with their names on it, literally you name it

there’s something about baths... sunday would never take them but it became nighttime ritual at some point

beckett is very aware of people’s names now that he has to name 3 kids and is VERY opinionated 

he even starts to question his name, sunday’s name, everyone else around him “you have a such a weird name sunday, what was theia thinking” “COME SAY THAT TO YOUR PREGNANT WIFE’S FACE, HARRINGTON”

sunday needs to pull a break on that for a while so they stop throwing name ideas for a few weeks 

they agree on marlow first, sunday suggests it and beckett isn’t much of a fan until he finds himself using it in his head. when he sees his baby boy he knows it’s his name 

they had one unexpected visit from the sources to congratulate sunday and beckett on the pregnancy and marriage. i’m pretty sure gemma called selene’s wood attunement.

sunday does not want anyone touching her belly but she’s kinda anxious about it so atlas is always ready to fight somebody’s hand off

god can u imagine these sisters coming this far in their lives, sunday is going to be a mother, atlas an aunt how happy atlas is to be able to see a future she thought would be lost after so many years of running from raife and the heartache and loss. I AM EMOTIONAL. 

doting aunt atlas like she SPOILS these kids to death

katrina might have a kid of her own at this point in time, since she’s older than beckett? sunday would appreciate her advice way more in comparision to her mother’s. (i could also see katrina not wanting kids but i don’t know if she has hinted either way)

beckett’s family has been a bit harsh when it comes to sunday’s job but she wins everyone over eventually so they do find themselves falling in love with her. they find sunday so warm and kind and easy to talk to. his parents are so happy to be grandparents of three kids no less, and are prepared to spoil them to bits. 

i can see her with the harringtons spending the summer together, his mother talking about when beckett was a baby himself which seemed not that long ago. 

the boys share a room in their grandparent’s house while selene has one of her own once they’re about 5/6 years old. while they’re toddlers, they do sleep in the same room together. 

they really do dote on these kids. beckett has never seen them this affectionate before in his life. 

beckett’s father and jett bond very nicely. both are a fan of sports. 

zeph and griff give sunday and beck so many delicious homecooked meals they can freeze for after birth but also to eat whenever they want. 

zeph got the tendency of showing up like “my abuela cooked extra this week so i thought i’d give you some for dinner”

they do not complain once. the meals are delicious

zeph really enjoys babysitting the kiddos, especially as they get a bit older and start to waddle around, speaking gibberish you understand but not really. the kids are really impressed by his water tricks. bath time is a mess (with him and in general tbh)

beckett and sunday have one big fight during the pregnancy. sunday is feeling lost and weird about her career, job, path in general and beckett always has something to say instead of just listening which frustrates them both. they fight all day the first time but can’t go to sleep angry so they talk it out during the night. neither of them has much sleep but they settle things down, beckett just listens and explains where he came from, apolagizes, sunday too, they figure it out in the end. this comes up again but sunday just points it out to him what he’s doing and he’s like “my bad, babe”. 

sunday eats pretty much plant-based during the pregnancy apart from having a few eggs here and there. she has this aversion of meat, it sounds disgusting to her (marlow’s influence?) 

beckett sings to the babies a lot, sunday falls asleep to it often

i can see beckett having choir lessons when he was younger and actually being a pretty good vocalist

atlas buys baby things ALL THE TIME. goes jogging, sees a random store “oh sunday i found this dumb ass onesie, here” “i saw this arylu plushie and thought the kids would like it” “this muslin cloth has cat butts on it, let me get that 1 for each kid” sunday literally doesn’t need to buy anything because everyone is buying them baby stuff 24/7 

shreya planned the baby shower where they basically just asked for diappers and ended up with high-tech baby stuff, beckett was actually pretty intrigued by some of them

massages. everyone that goes into that apt just sees beckett rubbing some lotion on sunday and massaging some area in her body, feet, back, legs. towards the end it’s a must if sunday wants to walk around for more than 20 minutes without being in pain.

if you finished reading this, congratulations! here, have a 🍄.

this is already so freaking long and even though i feel like i could get some more hc’s going i’m gonna stop here and save any that i find important for another post. let me know what you guys think and don’t mind the typos too much  I’M SICK🙈