#where you can’t deal with it so you shove it somewhere else. but it’s okay to get rid of shit that sucks

[adhdandcomics]

whoever needs to hear this: if you got a disability, if you don’t know if you have something, if you ever think “it’s not that bad” if you have a thing about guilt, if you’re ill, Anything: listen. it is okay to throw things away.

you can throw it away. if it sucks and it stresses you the fuck out, if you just “need the right time to fix it” for the past 3 months. or years. if you loved it once upon a time but it makes you feel kinda weird and guilty now. if it’s a jacket youve reaaaally been meaning to mend and then donate. a jar of sauce that “all you have to do” is clean out to recycle but it’s been a week and now there’s a small colony growing in it. slowly shredding to bits fabric scraps you plan to use to fix something. busted picture frame. cracked mug. old shoes. extra box. an entire pack of granola bars that you hate so much but don’t want to waste.

life is already so goddamn difficult for us. i know you still care about recycling and the environment and sustainability. but it’s okay, i promise. sometimes you have to take care of your space. sometimes you have to cut your losses so you can actually have energy to recycle the next thing. get rid of the old shirt before it turns into a tornado pile of guilt under the bed. you’re not a bad person. you can throw this one away.

[thewhumpcaretaker]

Vincent high while Chidi gently carries him somewhere safer so the housekeepers don’t see him in a vulnerable state!!!!!!!!!

I always thought that Chidi would care much about the Marquis’ reputation because simply, Vincent cares too much of his reputation haha

I love this!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for the ask. 💖

I feel like I took it darker than you even intended, for the ANGST. Plus we never got a relapse/overdose chapter from Chidi's perspective like the one we had with John, so I think it will be interesting to compare. Anyway, enjoy!

-⚜- Carrying Your Heart -⚜-

TW: cocaine use, relapse, overdose, panic attack

Disclaimer: I don’t have firsthand experience with cocaine overdose, This is based on research and anecdotes online. It may be inaccurate.

Chidi was an absolute wreck.

He was standing perfectly still of course, but his narrow eyes were frozen into an even harsher squint than usual, and no one dared approach him.

Vincent had given him an unexpected break and gone for a drive without him, during his usual shift. He didn’t do that very often – they were normally inseparable these days. Why be apart unless he was doing something Chidi wouldn’t approve of? And there was only one thing Vincent did that Chidi seriously disapproved of…

But he wouldn’t. They’d talked about it. He’d promised, and Chidi had to trust him. He was probably just on a date or in bed with someone else. Because that’s so much better, Chidi thought. His heart did a strange sort of squeeze like it was trying to eat itself.

He shifted restlessly and turned again to the window where he’d been gazing out at the palace driveway for the past hour at least. The evening was darkening under flat, misty cloud cover, drenching everything in grey. Vincent had left at around three o’clock, and it was almost eight. He’d stayed out for dinner, and Chidi couldn’t summon much of an appetite while he was gone.

This time, though, he saw Vincent’s car swing past the hedges and fountain, up to the front steps. He had to physically hold himself back from rushing down to greet Vincent in person. Just wait, he’ll be inside in a minute and then you’ll know if he’s okay, he told himself. He watched the on-duty bodyguard climb out of the passenger seat and the chauffeur circle around to the rear passenger door – and stop.

The chauffeur and bodyguard consulted with each other, and the bodyguard pulled out his phone. In another moment, he was getting a call. Before the man could even speak: “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t…The Marquis’ not making any sense and he won’t get up. We can’t do this, you need to deal with him.” There were vague sounds on the other end of the line, of Vincent babbling at the man in a low, fast, desperate way. Shit. Chidi had been right after all. “I think he has a fever or - ”

His grip on the phone had already become dangerous. “Just stay there.”

He was down the steps before either of them could have moved regardless, and practically shoved them out of the way.

Vincent had managed to get out of the car when he approached, but he was trembling violently. He saw Chidi and a look of panic flashed over his already pallid face. “Just give me a second. I can walk. Just…” He turned away, folding his arms over the top of the car door to support himself and burying his head in them. “Je suis désolé. Ne me regarde pas. [I’m sorry. Don’t look at me.]”

“Vincent, ça va. Je ne suis pas en colère contre toi. Nous pourrons en parler quand tu te sentiras mieux. Pour l'instant, je veux juste vous aider. Peux-tu me donner la main ? [Vincent, it’s okay. I’m not angry with you. We can talk about it when you’re feeling better. For now, I just want to help you. Can you give me your hand?]”

“Non! Non, ne me fais pas bouger. S'il te plaît... [No! No, don’t make me move. Please…]”

Chidi rounded on the bodyguard with absolutely vicious speed and hissed out, “Why the fuck didn’t you stop him?”

“I didn’t know it was a dealer until he got back in the car, it’s not my job to ask questions!”

“IT IS YOUR GOD DAMN – “ he cut himself off before someone could hear him and counted to ten, breathing deeply. Besides, no one could hear him losing his temper about this. No one could know what was going on, Vincent wouldn’t want that.

“You were right, he has a fever,” he said to the chauffeur, a little too forcefully. “He must be sick. Someone should get a doctor immediately. And clear a path to his bedroom, get the servants out of my way. They don’t see this, they don’t hear of this. Do you understand? Or you’ll be worse than reprimanded.”

“Yes, sir.” They both scrambled out of sight, and Chidi set a hand on Vincent’s shoulder. He could feel body heat radiating off of him. He really did have a fever.

Vincent let out an audible moan of discomfort. Everything must hurt so badly right now, every sensation. “Ne le faites pas [Don’t],” he managed, “Je ne veux pas marcher, s’il te plaît, je ne peux pas, j’ai l’impression que mon cœur va exploser à chaque fois que je bouge, tellement tout va vite. S'il te plaît, Chidi, j'ai peur, je veux juste que ça arrête… [I don’t want to walk, please, I can’t, I feel like my heart’s going to explode every time I move, everything is going so fast. Please, Chidi, I’m scared, I just want it to stop…]” His words were a jumbled rush, his shoulders shaking under Chidi’s hand, which tightened in a gesture of comfort.

“Je ne te ferai pas marcher. Vous n’avez rien à faire, monsieur. Tu es en sécurité. [I won’t make you walk. You don’t have to do anything, sir. You’re safe.]” He kept his voice as flat and smooth as he could, but it still rumbled with a deep protectiveness. It was good enough to make him feel secure. Vincent seemed overcome. He turned towards the strong hand gripping his shoulder and kissed Chidi’s knuckle in silent thanks. But he still couldn’t move.

Chidi wrapped his arms around him, hugging him from behind and supporting him enough to lift him off the car door and shut it. The shift in position was enough to set off another wave of hyperventilation. The rapid, shallow thrumming of his heartbeat throbbed right through both their coats and Chidi could feel it. He had to calm him down. Vincent was leaning back against him now, his head on his shoulder, still protesting. “Non, je ne peux pas, je ne peux pas Chidi, je vais mourir, mon cœur va s'arrêter, je le sais… je vais mourir, je crois vraiment que je vais mourir… [No, I can’t, I can’t Chidi, I’ll die, my heart will stop, I know it…I’ll die, I really think I’m dying…]”

It just about snapped Chidi in half to see him like this. “Non, mon amour, je ne te laisserai pas mourir. [No, my love, I won’t let you die],” he whispered around the lump in his throat, though he felt anything but sure of that. He might be right, any kind of exertion might push him into a heart attack. Chidi's arms locked around him even tighter to eliminate even the smallest movement. “Je t'ai. D'accord? [I have you. Okay?]” He held onto Vincent’s shivering body, until at last he felt his breathing slow. Vincent gave a small nod. “Bien. Je vais te chercher maintenant, si ça te va. [Good. I’m going to pick you up now, if that’s alright.]”

“Je ne veux pas… tout le monde parlera… [I don’t want…everyone will talk…]”

“Je les ai renvoyés, monsieur. [I sent them away, sir.]” He paused. “Et je les emmerde tous, s'ils le font. Quiconque vous juge. [And fuck them all, if they do. Anyone who judges you.]”

Vincent exhaled softly, a broken kind of huff. “Tu es si gentil avec moi. Et je vais faire ça… encore et encore… [You’re so good to me. And I go and do this…over and over…]” Chidi realized the Marquis was crying.

“Non, non, ne vous inquiétez pas pour le moment. Tu ne vas pas bien mais tu iras mieux. [No. No, don’t worry about that right now. You’re not well but you’ll get better.]” He wrapped an arm up to Vincent’s cheek and caressed the tears away from his cheeks. Vincent shuddered against him, whether from gratitude or discomfort he couldn’t tell. God, this was awful. It was getting cold, and dark, and he just wanted to see Vincent safe in his bed. “Laissez-moi vous emmener à l'intérieur, monsieur. S'il te plaît. [Let me take you inside sir. Please.]”

“…D'accord. D'accord. Porte moi. […Okay. Okay. Carry me.]” Finally.

“Merci de me faire confiance, Marquis. [Thank you for trusting me, Marquis.]” And with that he lifted him, careful even to fold his tailcoat under his legs without creasing it and to cradle his head against his chest. He was a huge, six foot bulk of a man, but Chidi was strong, and felt like he could have carried a whole mountain for Vincent right now.

Up the stairs they went, into the golden glow of candlelight and chandeliers, a place too heavenly to match the mess of shivering pain that was currently overdosing in Chidi’s arms. They glided through the house swiftly, and met no one. There was something surging through Chidi, something more than just sympathy. He felt like an avenging angel. Maybe it was euphoria at being the one to carry Vincent in his time of need. Or maybe it was all-encompassing horror at the thought of losing him, enough to flood his whole body with adrenaline.

Vincent must have felt something too, because by the time Chidi carefully lay down his head among countless feather-soft pillows, his eyes were squeezed shut and his hand was clutching Chidi’s lapel. He refused to let go. But that was fine, because Chidi would never let go of him either.

[vodika-vibes]

Happy Follower Celebration!

May I request: Hound, angst/fluff?, white clover & anemone - perhaps Hound has done something wrong (or, quite wrong) to f!reader, and is trying to make up for it. I imagine perhaps somehow a romantic fubar, but could be anything. I'm mainly going for hurt/comfort here!

Thank you so much, and grats again! 🌑

I Promise

Summary: After Hound forgets your Name Day, just like everyone else in your life, you're feeling down. Luckily, your boyfriend can be a sweetheart when he wants.

Pairing: ARF Trooper Hound x F!Reader

Word Count: 1447

Warnings: Angsty but there's a happy ending

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni

A/N: I hope this is close to what you wanted. But so you know, I got sad and teary while I was writing it. So...uh...sorry? Also, I tried to switch to Hound's POV for the second half, but I'm not sure how I did.

You’re mad.

Well. No. Not mad. Mad you could deal with. Disappointed, maybe, is the better word.

You’ve been dating Hound for about three months at this point, and up until now, it’s been perfect. He’s kind and loving, and whenever he plans dates he always makes sure that the both of you have so much fun. And sure, none of his dates are exactly high end dates like your friends go on, but you’ve never minded because the dates have always been geared towards having fun.

And you think it might be love, because you’re at the point where you can’t picture your life without him in it.

But this hurts.

You don’t have any family. And your friends are always so busy.

And you thought that Hound would be here to celebrate with you. But he’s not and you kind of feel like crying.

You shouldn’t have to spend your Name day alone.

And yet, that’s exactly what you’re doing.

Hound hasn’t even sent a message wishing you a happy name day.

And you should probably be mad about it, because you know he saw the date on the calendar and he even asked about it, but you don’t have the energy for mad. Just sad. And disappointed.

And starting to think that maybe, just maybe, you’re more invested in the relationship than he is.

Slowly you rest your chin on your folded arms, and you stare at the cupcake you bought yourself. It’s beautiful. Tastefully decorated with frosting that looks like flowers and with a candle neatly arranged on the top, and just looking at it makes the lump in your throat harder to ignore and burning in your eyes all that more obvious.

Your gaze flickers to your comm, as you check it one more time, and your shoulders slump. Not a single message. From anyone. Not from Hound, not from your friends-

“It’s a stupid thing to celebrate, really.” You say to your empty apartment, as you sit up and push your chair back and get to your feet to shove the cupcake somewhere else.

Maybe it’ll hurt less tomorrow.

Spoiler, it never does.

You carefully put the cupcake in the fridge, after pulling the candle out and tossing it in the trash, and then you grab the bag of take out menus. You feel awful enough that you’re not going to make it worse by forcing yourself to cook.

You dig through the menus, until you find the one you’re looking for. Greasy, salty, horribly unhealthy comfort food. You’re going to regret it in the morning, but you can’t bring yourself to care now.

After all, you did just find out that you’re apparently not important enough to anyone you care about for them to even send you a name day message. 

You sniffle and wipe your eyes with the sleeve of your shirt, and then you place your order, enough food that you’re not going to be able to finish it, before shoving the menus back into the bag, and pinning the bag back onto the fridge. 

For a moment, you trail your fingers over your comm, your gaze lingering on Hound’s contact information. Maybe you should call him…just to make sure he’s okay. You hesitate for a moment, and then you sigh and drop your comm back on the table.

No. He probably won’t answer the call anyway.

You wipe your leaking eyes one more time, and then vanish into your bedroom to change into something more comforting. No point in wearing nice clothes now, after all.

“Kriff, kriff, kriff-” Hound curses under his breath as he dodges through the crowded streets to get home. “I’m so late! Damn it, Fox, why’d I have to stay?” He bitches at the memory of his older brother.

He slows to a walk as he reaches the apartment complex, and he digs through his pockets for his fob to unlock the main door. Only to pause when a delivery speeder pulls up, “Hold the door!” The young man shouts.

“Ah, sure-” Hound holds the door open for the young man. His gaze drops to the clearly labeled bag of food and he arches a brow, “D’you need the lift?”

“I do, yes. I’m heading to apartment 306.” The young man says, and Hound jolts. 

“How about I take that for you. 306 is my apartment.” He explains to the young man. Hound takes the bag of food, and offers a tip, before he summons the lift himself. 

He eyes the bag of food curiously.

His cyare only orders Manacetti’s when she’s had a bad day. But she normally also complains to him about bad days. Hound quickly digs his comm out of his pocket and scans through his messages, just in case.

No. Nothing.

No warnings about you having a bad day. No messages at all.

He stops in front of theapartment and keys in the door code while balancing the bag of food and his comm, and he heaves a sigh of relief when the door opens.

It’s been a long day.

“Cyare! I caught the delivery kid in the lobby, and have dinner!” He calls into the house. The quiet house. The radio isn’t even on. Hound’s lips turn down as he sets the food on the hallway table and quickly pulls his armor off, “Cyare?”

“You didn’t have to do that,” His perfect cyare says as she steps into the hallway, a ghost of a smile on her pretty lips.

Though Hound isn’t paying attention to that. He’s looking at her red rimmed eyes, and the tear stained cheeks. “Cyare? What-” He stops as a memory from several days earlier slams into him. “I forgot that today’s your Name Day.” He says.

Her lips waver for a moment and she blink rapidly, “It’s okay-”

“No. No it really isn’t. I’m…so sorry.”

“You were probably busy-”

“That’s not an excuse,” Hound interrupts, “Kriff, cyare, I made you cry-”

She hastily wipe her eyes, “You…it’s okay, no one remembered-”

Hound’s heart sinks, “…not a single person remembered?”

Her shoulders hunch as she shrinks in on herself, “...it’s a stupid thing to celebrate, really.” She says softly, though her voice is shaking, and Hound knows that the only reason she’s not crying is because of sheer stubbornness.

Carefully, he guides her into the house properly, and sets the bag of food on the kitchen table, before he slowly pulls her into his arms. “I’m so, so sorry, cyare.” Hound whispers in her ear.

“It’s okay.” She replies automatically.

“No. No it isn’t. We, my brothers and I, don't have Name Days. But I know today was important to you, so it should have been important to me.” Hound lightly strokes her hair, “I’m so, so sorry.”

She sniffles, and he rests his cheek against the top of her head as he feels tears soak through his blacks, “I thought that maybe you didn’t…” She hesitates, “That maybe this relationship meant less to you than…-” she seems unable to finish the sentence, and Hound tightens his arms around her.

He presses a light kiss against the top of her head, and then slowly pulls back, his hands coming up to cup her face. Slowly, he wipes the tears off of her cheeks, “Can I let you in on a little secret?” He asks.

She sniffles, but nods.

Hound leans in and bumps his forehead against hers, “I love you.” He whispers, and her eyes widen as she looks up at him in astonishment. “In fact, my love for you is undying. Forever and eternal.”

She drops her gaze, shyly, but there’s a small, genuine, smile on her lips, “You love me?”

“Undying love.” Hound corrects with a small grin, though it fades, “I’m sorry I forgot your name day. I’ll do better.”

Her gaze lifts to meet his gaze, “Promise?”

“I promise,” Hound drops a hand from her cheek, and he holds out a pinky, “Pinky promise, even.”

A muffled giggle falls from her lips, and she hooks her finger with his, “Alright.” She sniffles one more time, but favors him with a slightly watery smile, “I bought enough food for the both of us. And I have a cupcake we can share-”

“Oh no you dont,” Hound leans in and kisses her nose, “After dinner, you can eat your cupcake, and I’m going to dig through all of our stuff and make you a proper cake.”

“...you know how to bake?”

“How hard can it be?” Hound asks with a grin, before he ducks his head and kisses her, “Happy Name Day, Mesh’la.”

And she finally flashes a proper smile, “Thank you.”

[countrymusiclover]

81 - Gemini Downfall Wedding

Part 82

Gemini Runaway

@icefrye19 @secretdreamlandmentality

Pushing my hands down the light blue dress I smiled feeling someone staring at me from the doorway. “It would be considered creepy if you weren’t my husband while you stare at me like that.”

“I just can’t help myself, Raelyn.” Klaus smiled when I turned to see he was wearing a black tux and a dark gray tie to go with it. “Honestly if I didn't have to hear the end of it. I would say we just skip the wedding and let me take that dress off you hmm.”

Rolling my eyes at him I draped my arms over his shoulders leaning up on my toes. “As much as I wish that too. Josette wouldn’t forgive me if I missed it. Plus she has assigned the girls to be her flower girls. So we have to go.”

Klaus drove us to the place where they had everything set up for the wedding. My husband sat behind my uncle Joshua while I was off somewhere else with the girls. “Okay so this is very important for cousin Jo. So just throw the pedals and meet mommy at the very end.” Alina, Missy and Hope all nodded in agreement.

My three triplets slowly walked down the row throwing the flowers where everyone turned to see Jo in her long white dress being led down by her father. She smiled at me and I smiled as he placed her hand in Ric’s going to find his seat. “They are so adorable and I’m glad you freed your husband.”

“Yes they are. You’re and Ric’s kids will be cute too.” I grinned standing beside Elena since she had asked us both to be her bridesmaids. “And oh yes I’m happy to have him back.”

The music stopped playing before the Reverend smiled brightly. “Welcome, family and friends, on this magical evening to the wedding of Alaric Saltzman and Josette Laughlin. Josette and Alaric have prepared their own vows.

Alaric held her hands almost making me start bawling at his vows. “Neither one of us should be here right now. We've spent our lives dodging fate and b*ating the odds, but because we did, I got to meet you, the most beautiful, hilarious, and intimidatingly brilliant woman I have ever known. You inspire me. You've shown me that happiness is actually something that I can have in my life. And so...I promise to be with you and love you and to dodge fate with you for the rest of our lives.”

The Reverend looked at my cousin. “Josette?”

Jo chuckled beginning her vows until I smelled blood, saw she stabbed through the stomach and her dress was red. “Oh, God. That's a tough act to follow. Here goes. Alaric Saltzman, you are…”

Alaric caught his soon to be wife collapsing into his arms. “Jo? Jo? Jo? Oh, my God. Jo? Jo? Jo?! Oh, God. No!”

She winced where I vamped from my seat, biting into my wrist drawing blood. “Aah! Aah!”

“Jo drink!” Shoving my wrist over her mouth she attempts to drink but she was losing too much blood too fast.

Alaric began crying, staring at me. “No! No, no, no, no.”

Suddenly before our eyes Kai appeared from being invisible standing beside Elena holding a bloody knife in his hand. “I was gonna wait till the "death do us part" bit, but it seemed a little on the nose. Am I right?”

Uncle Joshua rose to his feet about to do something with Klaus at his side with our girls but Kai raised his hand creating a large pitched sound spell. Everyone in the room dropped on the ground holding their heads in pain. “Miss me? No? Oh, well.” He waved his other hand, smashing the glass and dropping the chandeliers from above.

“Kai!” Uncle Joshua’s voice is the first thing I heard when I woke up. Rubbing my neck I frantically looked around for my husband and kids.

“Klaus! Hope…Alina…Missy!” I hollered getting to my feet gripping one of the seats.

Klaus called out where I rushed over seeing that the girls were slightly bleeding from the glass. “Raelyn! They barely have heartbeats…”

“Get them out of here and give them blood. I’ll stay here and deal with Kai.” I croaked brushing Missy’s hair for her face listening to their tiny hearts still beating. But if he waited any longer they might not make it.

He shook his head where I watched the wound on his forehead starting to heal over. The wound that was in my stomach had already healed so we were both okay. “I can’t leave you here, Rae. I will kill your uncle for this!”

“It’s not his fault now. It’s Kai’s. But we don’t have time to argue. Get them out of here before he tries to kill them.” I barked at my husband watching him pick his three daughters up vamping them out of the building where I turned my head seeing Alaric holding my dead cousin away from me.

Uncle raised his hand, beginning to chant a spell slowly walking towards Kai. “Sanguinem fillio sanguinem effurgarex.”

“Let me guess. Prison world?” Kai could hear the other members of our coven chanting the same spell. “I mean, you can't kill me, or else you all die, too, right?”

Uncle Joshua glanced in my direction calling out to me. “Raelyn, I’m sorry about your girls. We can handle him. I just need you to do your unliking spell that you did on me.”

“And why should I do that?” I spat the question at him even though I wanted to tear Kai limb from limb.

Joshua sent me a sensitive look where I could tell he was actually telling the truth to me for once in my life and he wasn’t screwing me over. “Raelyn please believe me now. Once he’s not linked to the rest of us you can spill his guts if you want. We just need his blood since he’s the leader now….if you help us I’ll never come after your family ever again you have my word.”

“Hey. I'm sorry about your twinsies. I just don't feel like competing for leadership with future Gemini twins.” Kai turned away from his father looking at Alaric holding his dead wife in his arms. “See...When your family decides that you're nothing but an irredeemable piece of trash, well… Guess the best thing to do is prove them right, right?

Raising my hand I drew Kai towards me shoving my hand inside my cousin’s chest. “Don’t try and talk your way out of this, Kai. You just killed the only person in this family I gave a damn about. So you deserve this!”

“If you kill me they die too…” Kai started gasping for breath with my hand wrapped around his heart.

Pushing my fingers tighter around it he gasped sharper when I got in his face vamping over to my uncle grasping his hand in mine since he had some cuts on his hand drawing out his blood. “I don’t give a crap about that anymore. You killed Josette and for that you don’t get to live!”

“Start chanting and I’ll follow you.” Uncle Joshua said, glancing at me where I let Kai’s blood drop at our feet. He squeezed my hand dropping his own blood onto his son’s.

Raising our hands up together I began chanting, never taking my eyes off of Kai. “Phasmatos tribum, nas ex veras. Uenes fes matos et somnos. Phasmatos tribum - agh!” Their blood started to separate until Kai launched a broken chair leg into my stomach causing me and Joshua to break hands breaking the unliking spell.

Kai quickly ran forward tackling me to the ground when I yanked the leg out of my stomach. He attempted to stab me in the stomach again with another piece of wood until I threw him backwards after launching the wooden chair leg with my blood inside his chest. “Ha ha thanks for that, cousin. Now I get to be judged like you.”

“What the heck are you talking about?” I asked getting to my feet looking towards my uncle seeing that he was about to run over to me and try the spell again.

Kai took the wooden piece out of his stomach, swiping his finger over where my bloody was on the other end sucking it off his finger. “This ought to do it.”

Joshua raised a hand screaming the split second that Kai used a glass shard he got from the ground and stabbed himself in the neck. “No!” Kai collapsed dead right in front of Ric and Jo.

“Get out of here, little niece. There’s nothing more we can do….protect your family.” Joshua shuttered when the other members of our coven stopped chanting and started slowly dying alongside Kai.

Vamping from the bloody wedding Klaus was waiting with the girls cupping my face in his hands scanning the blood stained dress. “Shhh I’m okay. I healed over remember.”

“I know, I know. I just….I…thought you were still linked to Kai.” He nodded through tears pulling me in for a tight hug. He gripped my hair in one hand with his other on my lower back.

Burying my face into his chest I gripped his shoulders I sniffed through tear’s finally getting the chance to deal with the fact that Josette was actually dead. “She’s gone…..he freaking murdered her. And I didn’t get the chance to murder him for it. Nik….Jo’s gone!”

Nik’s phone started ringing where we broke the embrace hearing Damon’s voice. “What do you want, Salvatore!”

“Don’t get snappy at me Klaus but I need to tell your siphon wife something she won’t believe.” I heard him say so he handed me the phone. “Whatever spell you tried to use on Kai to kill him before he could take vampire blood from you must have worked. Cause Bonnie Bennett is literally standing in my house.”

Running a hand through my hair I gasped through some happy tears. “You mean I broke her out of the prison world. That’s insane - uh we’re on our way.”

Klaus and I made it back to their house seeing the pair we’re sitting in front of the Salvatore fireplace since Kai had managed to siphon away the barrier spell over the town. Damon was looking at the picture Bonnie brought back from the 1903 prison world. “I don't get it. So you were in my house in a 1903 prison world.”

Bonnie takes out the video camera playing the video she took. “Watch this. I didn't know it was still on when I got pulled out.”

Damon rolled his eyes at the witch.“Congratulations. You shot some walls.”

Klaus and I leaned down closer watching the video when Bonnie told him. “Just wait.”

There was a woman’s voice on the camera that I slightly recognized from somewhere I just couldn’t place it. “Who are you?”

Bonnie's voice was on camera too. “Who are you?”

Damon took the camera from her hands. “Who is this?”

Bonnie instructs him where he hit the pause revealingly a woman with slightly curly raven black hair looking directly at the camera. “There. Stop.”

Damon: mumbles. “Oh, my God.”

Bonnie asked him, “What?”

Damon gasped in disbelief at the woman on camera. “It's my mother.”

“I don’t believe it…” I trailed off thinking back to the day I gave birth to our daughters and I somehow ended up in a prison world I didn’t know about.

Klaus glanced at me, squeezing my hand in his. “What is it, Rae?”

“I have freaking met her before.” I sucked in a breath when Damon shifted around to me on the couch with shock written on his face. “She was in a prison world….meaning that she’s a vampire.”

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[dailycass-cain]

Harley Quinn & the Legion of Bats #5 Thoughts

Harley Quinn & the Legion of Bats #5 delves more into this interpretation of Cassandra Cain and that is similar to some, but also differs in other areas. 

So let's dig in!

So let's start off with how different this Cass is from prior versions. This one is probably the youngest alliteration we've gotten of the character (so far).  As revealed in the last, she's the same age as Damian and Tiffany Fox.

Usually, Cass is portrayed as a bit older, but given how young Babs is in this universe. It fits that Cass has to be around this age. Or else well...  which would throw off the dynamic if both are around the same age.

I truly find it fascinating though Damian is the one to bond with Cass more compared to saying their first canon meeting is so contrastingly different (Gates of Gotham).

Where the tale was about Damian having to overcome his jealousy and own overcompensating nature with Cass and relaying to trust her judgment with the pair working together to deal with the threat.

Here we have a completely different dynamic. With Damian bonding fully with Cass.  Which again makes more sense in the context of the story.

She's A.) not a mature member of the team or B.) the wayward daughter returning home causing yet another adopted child of Bruce showing up.

With the similar age, Damian relates with Cass more (and vice versa).  I know some are criticizing the issue for Damian having a crush on Cass. I see it more as someone his age he can actually relate to for the first time (and the same for Cass).

These two children who were forged to be one thing, but both chose different paths. Though for Cass her path is uncertain at this point (be it the vigilante life or life beyond whatever she was trained for).

We don't get a full origin for Cass (but there is a few more issues to spare). But the important stuff seems all there with what we're given this issue. Cass knows how to fight and fight well (at the expense of a cocky Babs).

So we know Cass was taught in violence. But unlike say, Young Justice which took to a comic two seasons in, this already comic establishes Cass knows some ASL (which she communicates with Tiffany Fox).

Yes, she calls herself Orphan as a codename. But I'm okay with it, because well... Black Bat is a more mature identity for Cass, and well Babs is Batgirl here. So by default, this is the only codename she can use when one is used.

I'm still hoping for a nod somewhere down the line though given Tiffany's inclusion as well. I mean two future Batgirls? I feel writer Tee Franklin has to lay a little nod to that somewhere. It's too good not to pass up when you have both Harley and Babs running around as bats.

Other than that, my only nitpick of the issue would be Babs not realizing what Cass can do when she and Vixen were on the case which led to the latter breaking this case.

But I digress as I said earlier this week there's a slight satisfaction seeing Cass own Babs (who's in the Burnside suit hard).

Given Cass was shoved to limbo so Babs could be the sole Batgirl at this expense.  It just feels so meta if knowingly or not. Again, there are a few more issues to go over where Babs/Vixen can talk about this more. So it's not a deal-breaking criticism for me.

I have to confess I am quite enjoying this variant of Cass and interested in where this plot with her goes. 

Though I'm surprised Franklin also didn't go with a joke pointing out how many new bats showed up in this issue.  Poking fun at just how large the Bat Family can get.

Given the limitations, I think this has been a good variant of the character that could get any new fans curious about her (if they weren't aware).

I mean I see Harley Quinn: TAS as a gateway. It might bring new fans to these comics. It's always the first for someone.

So yeah, I enjoyed this issue and it's a pleasant surprise that I can't wait to see where this goes next.

[ladyintree]

taissa frowns,  because she can’t blame her for thinking that.  when she says it out loud,  she understands why it would hurt,  and she feels even worse for it now.  ❝  yeah.  it is, ❞   she agrees,  bringing her hand up to rub over her forehead.  ❝  it’s the only way i thought i could deal with not having you.  i couldn’t know you at all,  but—   ❞   she shakes her head,  because that wasn’t possible,  and it wasn’t fair,  either.  

 her lips purse together,  her jaw clenching again because it’s a question she’s asked herself many times,  and the answer is always disappointing.  it’s different now, though, because at least mikayla is in front of her —- at least she has one reason to be grateful it hasn’t,  or at least to remember why it’s okay it didn’t.  ❝  for a while.  i thought.   i thought i was actually getting somewhere.  maybe i’m just good at pretending. ❞   she’s not done trying, though.  she’s just done trying to pretend that she doesn’t still need people like her  (  that doesn’t mean she’s going to try opening up to the other survivors again—  there’s a reason they’ve mostly fallen out of touch and have gone their own ways.  )  

she gets sad again,  her head falling to the side as she stares back at mikayla.  ❝  no.  not having you in my life—-  it makes everything else feel worthless,  ❞   she says honestly,  but there’s a touch of shyness in her voice,  too,  because even though she knows mikayla knows her better than anyone,  she still feels so exposed now,  being honest about these things that she hasn’t even been honest with herself about.  ❝  the rest?  i wish i could.  somedays it’s easier than others,  ❞   she admits, realizing now that there’s still so  much she doesn’t know about her, given where she’s been.  ❝  i’m sure you’ve gotten a lot of the same questions i have,  right?  people always assuming they know exactly what happened to us.  you don’t get to argue.  they just run with it. they’ve already decided.  ❞   it makes it impossible to forget,  but it would have been nice,  having someone to lean on when those days were too hard— mikayla,  mostly.  she wishes she could have been there for her on those days, too.

she looks away,  because it’s not what she wants to hear,  even if she’s forced to admit it now.  there’s a small comfort in mikayla’s words, though, because maybe it doesn’t have to be a bad thing—  but tai has yet to find a way to really use it to her advantage,  too caught up in trying to pretend it didn’t happen at all.  ❝  it’s hard to not let it be,  ❞   she says quietly.  ❝  all these years,  it’s felt like—  the only way i can move on is to be normal.   if i’m anything less,  then it’d be like i never fucking left.  ❞  she’s still trying to justify it all to mikayla and to herself,  because she doesn’t think it’s wrong for her to have wanted that,  even if it was entirely unobtainable  (  she’ll find some other way—-  but hopefully,  not at the risk of sacrificing what she wants most,  too.  )  

she can tell mikayla is bothered by her words,  and it takes all her strength not to do the wrong thing — because her entire body is aching to just be with her,  in every way,  and it would be so easy to just let herself have that,  to leave this house and not utter a word to anyone else about it.  but she doesn’t want to be that person;  she’s already been that person today,  when she let go of everything else,  betrayed someone who was nothing but good to her,  and let herself choose the selfish option.  as much as she wants to be selfish and avoid the conversation she knows will only end in someone getting hurt,  she can’t do that.  she already knows she’s done horrible things,  things she can’t make up for —  but she can at least try to do the right thing here.   she frowns at her,  silently telling her that she can’t do that,  but she’s ready for whatever comes next,  already preparing herself to reassure mikayla that there’s nothing to worry about.

her hand shoves the ring into her pocket,  and she takes a step closer,  bringing it to mikayla’s cheek now,  looking at her the way she did seven years ago when she was promising her she’d take care of her.  ❝  all i’m going to be thinking about is what it was like to finally kiss you again,  ❞   she whispers.  ❝  and how badly i want to do it again.  ❞   her eyes look to mikayla’s lips,  lingering there for a long moment,  but she doesn’t kiss her.  she won’t,  not until this is finalized and she can really be hers—  at least that’s what she tells herself,  because a second longer,  and she knows she’ll cave,  so she looks back to her eyes again.  ❝  simone and i need a conversation.  the rest is already over.  ❞   she doesn’t realize it’s the first time she’s actually said her name out loud,  but it’s easier now,  anyway,  because she knows she’s finally ready to do the right thing.  ❝  i need to tell her i’m not marrying her.  and she’s going to be pissed,  because fuck,  she should be,  but once we cool off—-  we need to deal with this,  ❞  she notes,  glancing around her place.  ❝  it’s all just paperwork. and moving,  and—  it’s not about being together.  i need you to trust me on this, ❞   she insists.

but mikayla is right to worry at the idea of tai changing her mind once they part.  it wouldn’t be her changing her mind about mikayla, though—-  she wants her,  and that’s final,  but she knows it’s inevitable that she’ll start to panic once mikayla is gone and tai is forced to wonder what the fuck she’s doing with her life now that she’s throwing all these things she’s worked for away.  still,  she’s not changing her mind.  she won’t let the worst thoughts start to make her question everything,  not when she knows for certain now that mikayla’s the only woman for her,  and even if it doesn’t work out,  even if they can’t get back to what they had—- that still doesn’t mean she belongs with the other woman,  despite the selfish safety as tai had in that idea before.  

❝  as long as you promise me you’re not suddenly friends with fucking misty quigley now,  then—-  ❞  she starts,  offering a small grin.   ❝  i should  .  .  .  get your number.  not to tell you i’ve changed my mind,  but to let you know every step of the way that we’re closer.  ❞   her hand slides down from her cheek, over her shoulder,  down to her waist.  ❝  closer to really having you in my arms again, ❞  she whispers.

honestly, even if it all had been to spite her, there wouldn't be much room for mikayla to complain, because that's something she would do herself. she's even considered it before, wondering if finding out mikayla was in some long term relationship would bother tai, but she never brought herself to actually follow through with it, mostly because she couldn't tolerate anyone else for more than two weeks, at best. “ trying to forget me is kind of worse, actually, ” she argues, because that, she's never thought about trying. mikayla tried not to think about her, but only because the thought hurt, because every second that she thought about how tai was somewhere out there, without her, was agonizing, but she didn't try to forget her. mostly because she knew it wouldn't happen.

mikayla can hardly understand tai's need to have a perfect life, because hers had always been too fucked up for that to be a possibility. she was never going to go to college, have a career, live some long, fulfilling life, because all of the baggage she carries makes that impossible. or makes it feel impossible, at the very least. “ well, did it work? did it fix anything? ” she's pretty sure she knows the answer, because ignoring everything won't make any of their past go away, but it's probably better than the way mikayla spent the first few years coping — wallowing in her cell, lashing out at anyone who spoke to her, until even that got too exhausting. “ like, was it even worth it? acting like none of it happened? even me. ” selfishly, she wants the answer to be no, because that means maybe mikayla did ruin something for her by showing up here.

it felt like they were nothing for a while — like she was nothing, because if she was, then how could it be so easy for tai to keep going on with her life as if she didn't exist? mikayla almost voices this, but she stops herself, reminded again that, despite how much she wants to blame tai for all of it, she did nothing, either. there might have been more obstacles in mikayla's way, but she would have found a way to overcome them for her, if only she wasn't so afraid of being turned away if she did.

“ yeah, i don't think any of us will ever be normal again. sorry to crush your dreams. ” she doesn't know how any of the others are doing, because the night misty told her about them, she'd been distracted, lost in her own thoughts, blocking out misty the way she usually did, brought back into reality only when she mentioned tai. but she doesn't have to know about them to be sure that they're all still effected, no matter where they are, what they're doing. “ it doesn't have to be a bad thing. ”

she says she needs time and mikayla has to hold back a disappointed sigh, though she's sure the annoyance is written across her face anyway. they've waited long enough, far longer than they should have, considering they clearly both felt the same way still, so the idea of waiting any longer gets under her skin, even if she should be more understanding. mikayla shouldn't expect her to just drop everything to be with her when she didn't allow tai much of a warning at all before showing up and wrecking everything. she would have, but that's hardly comparable, because mikayla doesn't have much to drop in the first place.

“ you can just change the locks and leave the ring under a rock? i think she'd get the hint. ” she lets the words hang in the air for a moment before rolling her eyes, head falling back. “ i'm kidding. obviously. ” she's kind of not, because to her, it seems like the fastest option, even if it shows absolutely no consideration for her fiancée's feelings. mikayla just doesn't care about that, but she does care about tai's, and if doing this the more morally acceptable way makes her feel better, then she'll just deal with it, even if it means waiting.

mikayla doesn't want to say it out loud, but she's a little afraid of waiting, fearing that the moment she leaves, tai might realize it was all a mistake, and she's better off with the other one. there was a point in time when she wouldn't have second-guessed it at all, but she's spent the last seven years questioning her own importance, so she no longer feels that same security. “ fine. whatever. i'll give you time. but you can't— ” she cuts herself off with a scoff, knowing that what she's about to say sounds ridiculous, but she continues anyway. “ i don't want you to... be with her. you can talk, whatever, but— don't say goodbye the way we do. ” it's bad enough knowing that tai's been with someone else — even if mikayla has, too — but she doesn't want to spend every waiting moment wondering if something is happening for the last time.

she glances down at their intertwined hands, finding comfort in it after spending so long convinced they'd never be able to do it again. “ if... if i leave, and you change your mind, can you at least tell me? ” mikayla hates how small she sounds, but she's scared. “ i'm sick of having to find out everything from fucking misty. ”

[handmeyourheart]

Hello! I like your work and I was wondering if you could do a one-shot idea for either Macaque or MK with a gender-neutral reader. The prompt idea is that the reader has a scar on their arm somewhere and the other person accidentally grabs on that part of the arm, causing the reader to shove them away and look startled/scared for a moment. But after a second they calm down and acts that it never happened and if asked by them they get unnaturally cold towards them and continue to say it didn't happen. (Sorry if the format is confusing/awkward I'm not used to typing online)

Imagines

Pairing: Six-eared Macaque and Romantic/Platonic Reader. MK and Romantic/Platonic Reader. (Separate).

Summary: Reader has unresolved trauma and the boys have questions.

Warnings: Maybe a bit ooc for Macaque, but otherwise no spoilers this time. I changed it from a Oneshot to Imagines because I was compelled to do both like you asked, so I apologise if it’s not what you hoped for but you’re free to request more!!

Notes: I really love angst— yes, feed me, indulge me in my bad habits. Gender neutral reader. It’s mainly platonic but you can infer romantic feelings if you’d like!! Non-specific. Haha Macaque's one doesn’t end the happiest, but it’s okay. Also I’m sorry in advance baha.

Words: 1.2k for Macaque, unfinished MK, there’s an explanation I swear.

Also gentle reminder my requests are open! Feel free to leave an ask!! It would be greatly appreciated. See my pinned post for more details!!

Macaque / Liu’er Mihou!

You and Macaque are something along the lines of partners, he’s one of your only friends and you’re one of the very small few he tolerates beyond his average scale. Work colleagues at least and very close at best, you help him out with his work because unlike some people you’re remarkably capable in your line of business, and he admires your achievements— there’s no mess he could leave behind that you can’t clean up. You’re something of an assistant to him, helping him organise his deals and collect his due when necessary, but on occasion you might lend an experienced hand in aid as an accomplice, your abilities are nothing to scoff at, after all, how else could you call yourself a friend of the six-eared simian if you went at least up to his own standard. Though you weren’t as competent as Macaque himself, you can hold your ground if need be, at least, which makes you suitable if not ideal for him to work with.

Though a lot of your background story is shrouded in mystery, he doesn’t really know what your deal is, but since you don’t ask him personal questions about his dramatic past, he respects you in kind and doesn’t ask anything beyond his bounds, he knows where you limit him. All he does know is that you’ve been in the industry for much longer than he has, whether it’s a cause for concern is yet unknown to him, but it’s not strange for folks like yourself and him to wind up in this kind of work. It had just simply been by matter of circumstance that you’d come to work together, whatever made it easier to earn more, you’d suppose.

Tonight however despite the careful, intricate planning considered beforehand, the job had been a total bust thanks to a crude but admittedly unintentional mistake you had made. You’d managed to escape outside through the crossfire and under the cloak of night, fleeing without a trace, they weren’t able to follow after you—

but Macaque would not be pleased with these results especially since your slip up meant he had to scuffle with the clientele himself because of it. You weren’t sure what impression to expect when you next regrouped, but you tried to keep your hopes low and pleaded with whatever god of luck may be lurking to pity you some and alleviate his anger, if only partially.

Fortunately enough though you were just glad you both came out unscathed by the ordeal, but tensions were high between you and your partner over it. With your back to the wall and head hanging loosely between your knees from where you sat positioned on the floor, you assessed any damage that might’ve occurred without your potential awareness, ignoring the sharp gaze of the monkey who's back turned to you, dismissing his mood as you surveyed your legs in concern.

“What was that?” He spoke, seeing how you weren’t going to indulge him with an answer to the night's prior events. With his back still facing you in an arrogant disposition that teased at his agitation, you didn’t really feel the most inclined to humour him, unwilling to put up with his attitude. In response to your silence he sends a dreaded, sharp glare toward you and you relent, shoulders falling in defeat. Maybe you could be an easy foe, but it’s been a long night, plus it’s Macaque. It's fine, be quiet.

“What was what?” You feign ignorance, swallowing dryly as his stare remains cold, exhaling through your nostrils forcefully in a strained sigh. “It was an accident, alright? Don’t get your tail in a twist, it wasn’t something we anticipated.” You dismiss, rising to your feet at his disapproval. It was a truly silly mistake, your cover was blown and the whole espionage went up in smoke and sirens, but it was fine, he just had to realise that. You just wished he’d suck it up for once, he’d made mistakes before too, maybe not as disastrous as today but it wasn’t fair for him to lash out on you for one failure when your track record with him was as solid as it is. “Are you alright, though? I would’ve stayed to help but I thought it would’ve only inconvenienced you further, I didn't want to anger you more by burdening you with my presence during a large scale fight like that.” You hesitantly approached him at that, the aftermath hadn’t been the prettiest and he had to get quite involved in order to escape the whole ordeal, so your concern did stem from a place of genuinity.

In return for your concern he shoots you a look, grabbing the arm that reached for him with a stern and increasingly tight grip. “Do you know how much money we lost—“

He was quickly cut off by your cry of distress, yelping at the sudden force against a very large, very personal scar that resided up the length of your inner arm. It was something mostly hidden from view, hanging at your sides with your arms in resting and wearing long sleeves can make the antique wound seem oh so unnoticeable. But the grief it had caused you over many years was triumphant and the potent memory of how it was received is still fresh in your mind, tender and as pulsating as the scar under his vice hold. You quickly lashed at him until you were freed, cowering back a few steps and wincing at the ripe sensation. It had never healed, and you assumed it never would no matter the amount of remedies you tried. Macaque had attempted to release his hold earlier upon your initial reaction, it was unlike you to flinch if at all and now you’d instinctively retreated away from him, a sullen but sure gaze of hurt in your eyes that shocked him.

You’d always been one to hold yourself to a high regard, you were admirable and courageous, and he had been sure to withhold his strength to a lesser extent— it definitely was not him that’d hurt you, right?

Seeing his surprise, you took a brief moment to recollect your composure, gently returning your arm to rest once more idly by your side with a disgruntled sigh. He seemed to sit in a silent anticipation, as if expectantly waiting for an explanation out of you, but you’d be damned if he were ever to receive one after he’d snapped at you, returning back with a smooth, even tone. “Whatever we lost I can compensate again later, even if it means taking on some of my own jobs to reimburse you for your damages if it’s just so important to you.” You’d note, dusting yourself off and brushing past him like the entire altercation hadn’t happened at all. He seemed rather perturbed, following your figure closely before he tugged on the fabric of your top to halt your exit.

“What was that?” He repeated, as if only an echo of the former anger when he’d asked the question earlier.

“What was what?” You’d parrot, forming a thin line with your mouth and turning away, leaving the monkey to welt in a small pool of guilt. He’d have to apologise, even if he was a little confused by the situation.

MK / Qi Xiaotan!

You’d been a rather long time friend of the newly named Monkie Kid, though you couldn’t hold a candle to the extensive history of he and Mei, but you’d met the two some time after they’d become besties and you were pretty much, without so much as a word of complaint, adopted into the now trio of hero hooligans. A mostly unwilling, low key thrilled to be included participant of their many shenanigans and various escapades. Of course you and Mei were close as could be, but if you had to understand a scale of reference you’d consider yourself maybe closer to MK, you’re often the one who convinces him to console in you when he needs someone to talk to and you’re willing to hear him out until the end.

Nobody really knew where you came from, though. One day you’d just up and appeared and you were great! So no questions were really ever asked, especially when there wasn’t a need to, they’d known you long enough even before MK had been crowned the official successor of the monkey king, you weren’t a suspicious person.

OK SO UM SORRY FOR THE SUDDEN CUT OFF LMAO I have a notice haha…

Well anyways I apologise for the cut off, I will update this when I can when I finish this but well, my house flooded a little while ago and it caused mold to grow under the floorboards so we’ve had to fix the plumbing and then organise for the floors to be stripped and replaced so the mold can be dealt with yikes, so I’ve been struggling with writing lol, but the show must go on so I’m posting this preemptively.

I hope this doesn’t sadden you too much, I will still be working on this and I won’t move on to another request until it’s done but please be patient with me. I posted pretty consecutively but my schedule will probably fall into a weekly/biweekly routine for updates at best!! Not sure when I’ll get it finished, but check back regularly and you’ll know. Love YALL, stay safe, don’t get your house flooded! xx

[outerbankies]

the north carolina humidity affecting how you and rafe sleep, because even when he’s just in boxers he’s a heater so you kick him off you end he gets dooo butthurt

rip i wrote this in like 20 minutes

—

new light blurb: heat above — rafe cameron

new light series masterlist

no warnings, takes place over summer somewhere in part 6 actually

“Rafe, I know you’re like six feet—”

“And three inches, thank you.”

“Okay, alpha male,” you groan, pushing him off of you even more. “I wasn’t finished.”

“Then finish,” he says, insistent hands tugging at your bare waist again, already pulling you back toward him.

“The amount of body heat you produce is, like, concerning. You’re not sick, are you?” you say, pushing his slightly damp hair off of his forehead to feel.

“No,” he bats your hand away. “You know I run warm. And you don’t exactly complain about it when you’re cold.”

“I’m not cold right now, shove off,” you whine, breaking free from him again, pushing yourself as far to your side of the bed as you can. “I can’t imagine ever being cold again, it’s so hot right now.”

Rafe’s unaffected, already rolling toward you. But you bend a knee in warning, keeping him as far away as possible. He wraps his fingers around your ankle, tugging you closer. “Oh, c’mon. It’s not even that hot.”

You back away, scrambling for purchase on your fitted sheet—all the others had been kicked to the floor for the night. “Maybe to you! You big fuckin’, like, I can’t even—”

“What?”

“I don’t know, I’m hot,” you whine, fully curling yourself into a ball when he reaches out for you again. “Rafe, m’serious. I’ll kick you to the floor with the dog.”

“No you won’t,” he smiles teasingly. “Because you can’t sleep without me.”

“Well—”

“I’m sorry, was it not you in my phone thirty minutes ago with that one emoji, telling me to come spend the night? ‘Rafe, please? I miss you,’” he mocks, doing his best to impersonate the starry-eyed pout emoji that you always used on him. Because it always worked—maybe a little too well.

“I forgot you’re a furnace. And you don’t have to be mean. And you didn’t even have to come—”

“I always come when you ask. You know I’m a done deal. It’s on you at that point.”

You feel yourself smile a little, reaching over to stroke a thumb over the skin under his eye, checking his chin with your knuckle as you retract your hand. Your sweet boyfriend—your ‘done deal’ hopping in his truck at whatever time of night to come fall asleep with you, without fail. Even if it’s a week night, even if your parents are home, even if he has to sneak out before you wake up the next morning. “Yeah, guess you’re right.”

“You already made me strip. What else am I gonna do, sweetheart?” he asks, already reaching for you again.

“Stay on your side of the bed,” you say, now extending a leg, your foot square in the middle of his chest to keep him and his body heat away from you. “I’m serious.”

“We don’t even have sides.”

“No, you’re right. I just wake up pushed against the wall while you get the entire bed.”

“You invited me over and you’re not even gonna let me cuddle you? What’s the point of that?” he says, letting you shove a pillow in between the two of you all the same, finally resigning himself to a night on his side of the bed. He holds his hand out for your phone, plugging it into your charger for you and flicking off your fairy lights.

You furrow your eyebrows, lips turning downward.

“I dunno,” you murmur, thinking about it. But even if you weren’t pressed up against him, you could already feel yourself relaxing as soon as Rafe stepped through the window today. It was probably the same reason you’d always take him up on tagging along for errands, or the same reason you liked having him sit in the bathroom with you when you got ready. Even if you two didn’t talk that much, you just liked having Rafe there. “It’s still nice to just… lay with you.”

Your boyfriend groans in frustration, kicking one of his legs out so it hangs over your bed. “How are you gonna say shit like that to me when I’m not even allowed to touch you, sweetheart?”

You giggle, leaning up to look over the pillow separating you. You stick out your hand, letting Rafe grab onto it when he rolls onto his side to face you. “Sorry. It’s true. You’ve gotten me way too used to your presence, RC.”

“Ditto, Y/l/n,” he sighs, the both of you dancing around the fact that this would be one of your last nights to lay together like this, at least for a little while. He squeezes your hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss your knuckles. “I—ah.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Just gonna miss this, s’all,” he sighs, looking like he bit back some words. You have a suspicion what they were—had felt them almost leave your mouth a few times, too, recently. But those three words were for another time.

“Gonna miss it, too.”

—

(You wake up in the middle of the night, tank top stuck to your skin with a thin layer of sweat, the pillow that was between you nowhere to be found, and six feet and three inches worth of Rafe Cameron pressed up against you, soft snores heard from above where your head rests on his bare chest.)

[lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks]

Not Enough

has anyone else just wanted Danny to go completely fucking feral at Dash? anyone?

yeah me too

this is some truly self-indulgent shit y'all

"Hey Fenton!"

Danny slammed his locker shut, sighing as Dash clapped him roughly on the shoulder.

"I'm throwin' a huge ass Halloween party this weekend, ghosts are all about Halloween right? You should totally come!"

It wasn't the first party Danny had been invited to since being outed as Phantom, but somehow Dash didn't seem to get the hint that he wasn't even remotely interested.

"No." Danny snapped, he threw his bag over his shoulder and turned his back on Dash, walking away without another word.

"What's your problem?"

Danny stopped, turning back around with a face of utter disdain.

"Excuse me?"

"I've been trying to be nice, but all you do is just brush me off! Like you can't even pretend to be busy or something?"

Danny stared, mouth halfway open as he tried to find the words to respond.

"Are you actually serious?" he finally choked out, almost too bewildered to be angry.

Almost.

"You're not still mad about all that stuff from before right?" Dash asked. "Like, I don't even do that shit anymore, it's over."

"Is it?" Danny's eyes flashed brightly and Dash took a half step back as the air went cold. "Because I'm pretty sure it was just yesterday that I pulled Mikey out of his locker."

"Well, yeah but that was Mikey." Dash laughed. "C'mon man, I wouldn't do that to you. We're totally cool now, so why you gotta keep blowing me off? You talk to Kwan like it's not big deal, and he used to wail on you all the time!"

Danny took a deep, slow breath, then another.

"Have you considered that maybe it's because I don't like you?" Danny said through gritted teeth.

Dash huffed, shoving his hands into his pockets and staring at the ground.

"Look, I get it, I was a jerk, but it's over! I'm actually trying to be nice, now you're the one being an asshole."

Danny looked as though he'd been slapped.

"You're such a fucking idiot Dash." Said Danny, his voice trembling with barely restrained rage. "You can't just treat someone like shit every single day for two years and then expect them to get over it because you invited them to a few parties."

"Then how come Kwan gets to hang out with you?" Dash could feel his face heating up. "You're just gonna let him off the hook? That's not fair!"

"HE APOLOGISED!"

In one thunderous moment, every locker in the hallway slammed open, sending papers and books flying across the floor. The few students still packing up their things got the fuck out of dodge, whether this was a ghost thing or a Fenton thing (was there even a difference at this point?) they wanted no part of it.

Dash couldn't move, his feet felt heavy, he wasn't entirely sure if Danny had done something to him with his ghost powers, or if he was just afraid.

Because he was certainly afraid.

Even after everyone found out, Danny still didn't use his powers at school unless it was a ghost emergency. He didn't use them for pranks, didn't use them to get even, didn't even use them to show off.

But he was sure as hell using them now, and Dash suddenly realised why he was always holding himself back.

He was terrifying.

Danny took a few steps forward, stopping barely an arm's length away from where Dash was rooted to the spot, trembling.

"Kwan apologised to me." He said, quietly this time. "He apologised to my friends, he even apologised to some other kids, and when I told him that I wasn't ready to forgive him, he accepted that and left me alone until I was ready to talk to him again."

Dash wanted to speak, but he couldn't seem to make his brain form the words he needed, it was too busy buzzing with danger run danger get out run run RUN.

"You made every single day of my life miserable for two whole fucking years, and that isn't even counting the bullshit you pulled in middle school. How do you feel right now Dash? Does it scare you to be around me? Does it scare you to be at the mercy of someone that you know damn well can hurt you?" Danny leant in, grabbing a fistful of letterman jacket. "I hope it does, because now maybe you'll have an idea what it was like for me going to school every fucking day knowing that you would be there, ready and waiting to hurt me. Every single FUCKING day."

Dash found himself being thrown backwards, his feet finally able to move again as he caught himself.

"I'm s-sor-sorry." he mumbled, his lips felt numb and tingly and his head swam with panic as he struggled to get the words out. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Are you?" Danny's voice cracked, his face wasn't twisted in rage anymore, his eyes were blue once again, and shining with tears. "Are you really sorry for hurting me? Or are you just sorry that the guy you were beating the shit out of turned out to be Phantom?"

"I didn't... I didn't know." Dash gasped out, he could barely hear his own words, all he could hear was his own heart beating loudly in his ears as he struggled to draw in breath. "I didn't know it was like that, I just thought-"

Thought what? What had he thought? That he wasn't really hurting anyone? That it wasn't that big a deal?

No, he hadn't thought that, because he hadn't thought at all.

"And you're gonna stand here and tell me I'm an asshole." Danny was almost sobbing as he raggedly spat out each word. "Because I won't forgive you for something you never even apologised for. This is the first time you even acknowledged that you were an absolute jerk to me, and you followed it up by demanding that I just get over it."

Dash stared down at the floor, it sounded terrible when Danny put it like that.

"I wasn't... demanding anything." he said, he was embarrassed by how whiny he sounded. "I was just trying to make it up to you, I was trying, I just thought... it's not fair that I can't have second chance. I was trying so hard and all I wanted was a second chance-"

"I DON'T CARE." Danny's eyes were screwed up tight, but it didn't stop the tears of fury from pouring down his cheeks, his voice so shredded with pain it was barely recognisable. "I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU. I DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT. I DON'T OWE YOU A SECOND CHANCE. I DON'T OWE YOU ANYTHING. YOU FUCKED ME UP AND YOU. CAN'T. FIX IT."

Dash didn't know what to do. Danny was openly sobbing, his breaths came out in grunts as he couldn't hold the rage and misery back.

He was still standing within arm's reach, Dash cautiously put out a hand, to comfort him? He wasn't sure, but he barely brushed Danny's shoulder before Dash found himself spinning violently and his cheekbone exploded with sudden pain as he hit the floor. Cold hands drew away from him roughly.

"DON'T TOUCH ME." Danny screamed. "DON'T YOU EVER FUCKING TOUCH ME EVER AGAIN."

Dash watched as Danny grabbed his backpack and his footsteps disappeared down the hall.

It was over, just like that it was over.

Dash sat up and touched his face, he wasn't bleeding but he knew it would bruise pretty bad. It hurt, he would be squinting through one eye for a few days.

Danny could have done this to him at any time, he could have done it to him every day if he wanted, and maybe he would, now that he'd done it once.

The thought made Dash feel cold as dread pooled in his stomach.

The next day Dash told people he'd gotten his black eye from playing football, his team knew it wasn't true, but they didn't ask. He kept his eye out for Danny, wondering if he would pop up invisibly and knock him off his feet, or drag him through the floor, or hit him when nobody was looking.

He clung to Kwan's side all day, afraid to be alone.

Phantom could be anywhere, he could get him anywhere, if he wanted to hurt Dash nobody would be able to stop him.

Nobody had been able to stop Dash, and he didn't even have superpowers.

But in the end, nothing happened.

Dash went through the day untouched. Danny didn't even look his way. Not once. He just acted like yesterday never happened.

But it did happen, Dash still had the bruise on his cheek, and the terror set deep in his bones.

In the following days, weeks, months, Danny still never touched him, never looked at him, never talked to him. Dash realised that Danny probably wasn't going to do anything else after all, that maybe he hadn't even meant to hurt him in the first place.

He was a hero after all, he protected people, even people he didn't like. The only time he had ever come into contact with Dash again was to haul him out of the way of a ghost, and he did so with the same care as he would with anyone else.

Danny wasn't like him, he didn't gloat about hurting him, he didn't revel in the fact that Dash was scared of him. He just went about his day, acting for all the world like Dash didn't even exist.

Dash never gave him a true apology, it was clear Danny didn't want one, it was far too late for that.

It left Dash with a sick feeling of unfulfillment. He understood now what Danny had been going through, the pain, the terror, he wanted Danny to know that he was truly sorry, that he really had changed this time.

But he couldn't, because forcing an unwanted apology on him would just make Dash the asshole all over again, he was trying to steal a forgiveness that he could never have.

So he had to find his closure somewhere else.

He stopped picking on Mikey, and Nathan, and all of the other nerds he frequently hassled. He even tried apologising to them, some forgave him, others didn't, and he had to be okay with that. He struggled not to lash out, it still felt unfair, the world had always told him that you were supposed to forgive people when they apologised. It always happened that way on tv, in the cartoons he grew up watching. The mean kid would apologise, the other kids would forgive him, and they would all become friends.

He was realising that the real world was a whole lot more complicated than that, he didn't earn forgiveness just because apologising was hard, he was learning fast that he didn't earn any brownie points for taking responsibility for his actions. He was just doing what any decent person should.

It took him a while to come to terms with that, to stop being angry at people for not letting him make it up to them. For not letting him prove that he had changed.

All it took was to occasionally pass by Danny in the hallways for him to cool his jets and think more clearly. To remind him that he was the bad guy, he was the one who hurt people, that his victims did not owe him anything.

In his last year of school, he had found himself watching the juniors below him falling into the same behaviours, the same struggle for power and control. Pushing other kids around without so much as sparing a thought to how it made them feel.

After a lengthy chat with Mr Lancer, Dash was given permission to pull out younger students from detention one day a week. He would talk to them, ask about their lives, ask about their feelings. He would ask why they lashed out, why they thought it was okay to treat people that way. Most of them didn't have an answer, or simply refused to give one, but he would push, he wouldn't let them hide in ignorance like he did.

Some of them did feel guilt for the way they treated people, and they only needed someone they could talk to who could understand what they were going through, so they wouldn't take it out on whoever was around at the time.

Others would take more effort, they need a far stronger push in the right direction, they were defensive and combative, selfish and unapologetic.

Dash had been one of those kids, he knew they would be hard work, but he did his best. He couldn't help all of them, some were simply unwilling to change.

So he contacted the school-board, he pushed for better protection for students, more programs to help troubled kids, he volunteered to keep running his own counselling groups even after he graduated.

It still never felt like enough.

After graduation he turned down his favoured college to attend one closer to home so he could continue his volunteer work. He joined petitions and rallies for change across entire school districts, he spoke at other schools' anti-bullying campaigns. He'd attended enough of them in his own childhood that he knew they did next to nothing, but it gave him the opportunity to reach out to kids for one on one support.

He found more volunteers for his counselling groups, he helped people start them up in other local schools. It was a lot of work, especially when he was also juggling his college studies. He was taking a major in psychology, it was brutal, Dash had never been good at studying, but he'd decided that this was what he needed to do, this was important to him.

It still wasn't enough.

It would come at him in the night, as soon as he laid his head down on his pillow. He would see the faces of all the kids he hurt, it felt so much worse the older he got, they just looked younger and younger every time the memories came back to plague him.

He had beat the shit out of children. Kids who were the same age as the students he now counselled. He beat them until they were bloody or bruised, he shoved them into lockers, pulled pranks that humiliated them in front of the whole school, and he had laughed.

He'd laughed at their pain.

When the guilt weighed him down, he would begin searching for new programs to volunteer for, new petitions or rallies to get behind, always finding another way to help protect kids like Danny from kids like him.

And to protect kids like him from doing things that would one day haunt them.

He had spread himself thin across every school in the district, barely keeping afloat at college, but it wasn't enough.

It was never enough.

Kids still slipped through the cracks, schools were still too lenient, there were too many kids, not enough volunteers.

Casper High was holding another anti-bullying assembly. It had been a few years since Dash had attended one at his old school. This year they had excitedly announced that they'd even secured an appearance from Phantom himself.

Dash's blood ran cold, his hands shook as he went over his notes, he was slated to do his speech alongside Phantom's, they would be sharing the stage for a solid 75 minutes, barely a few feet from one another.

When Danny showed up he was already in Phantom form, Dash spotted him discussing emergency exit plans with one of the organisers in the event of a ghost attack.

He was so different from when they were in school.

He was tall, and broad, he stood with confidence and had a good natured charm to him. He was a hero, he was strong, he was brave. He could fight monsters ten times his size with a smirk and a witty one liner. He could take on anything, he wasn't afraid of anything.

He was a kid, running down a hallway, screaming words that still pierced through Dash's mind every time he saw the hero's face.

"DON'T TOUCH ME."

Dash's hands clenched around his notes, shaking so violently that they barely even looked like words.

"DON'T YOU EVER FUCKING TOUCH ME EVER AGAIN."

"Dash?"

A deep voice cut through the chaos in Dash's mind as cold hands closed over his tremblings ones.

"It's good to see you again."

Phantom was smiling at him, his hands still closed around Dash's.

"Good... good to see you too." Dash mumbled, not able to meet the man's eyes.

Phantom paused before releasing Dash's hands.

"I've heard all about your work." Phantom grinned as Dash finally looked up and met his eyes.

"Yeah." he said, and then before his mind could catch up with his mouth, he blurted out, "I'm sorry, for everything."

Phantom's eyebrows rose for a moment, before he gave a gentle smile and clapped a hand on Dash's shoulder.

"I know." he said warmly. "Thank you."

They gave their speeches, Dash had told his story many times before, the victim that he'd pushed to breaking point, the boy whose words drove the change that made him the man he had become.

For the first time ever, that boy was listening.

After the assembly had packed up and the volunteers were heading home, it was Danny Fenton who approached Dash and asked if he wanted to go grab a beer together.

Dash thought it would be rather awkward, but Danny had plenty of experience socialising with the public, awkwardness slid right off him, and soon enough Dash found himself laughing alongside Danny as he told a story about the new misadventures of the Box Ghost.

He returned to his dorm that night, head still swimming from one too many beers, and he had the best sleep of his life.

He pulled back on some of his volunteer work, hunting for new people to take his place as he focused on college. He was falling far behind, but he would work hard to make his way back. As a volunteer he could only do so much, but with the right education and training, he could do so much more.

The guilt still haunted him, every so often when the pressure and the stress weighed heavy, it would creep back into his mind. It would probably never go away, not entirely, but at least now he had his closure.

Finally, it was enough.

[jemshopes]

Cold Feet

--yoonkook drabble

Jungkook is set to get married, he’s blissfully in love… until half an hour before the ceremony when he suddenly realises holy fucking shit I can’t do this. So he goes to his best friend Yoongi, not just his friend, but his best man.

“I can’t do this, hyung, I can’t do this. I need you to get me out of here. please just take me somewhere else.”

But Yoongi doesn't. He sits Jungkook down and makes him breathe. He holds Jungkook's hands. He asks him if he’s really sure about running away. “It’s okay to be nervous, Kookie, but don’t let this ruin your love. I need you to think about it. Are you really prepared to lose him? Because that’s most likely what will happen if you leave now.”

But Jungkook is sure. He’s completely sure. He needs to go right now and Yoongi has to come with him. They need to run away together. Now.

And Yoongi says, “okay.” Simple. No arguments. No trying to persuade Jungkook otherwise. Just “okay.” And they leave, and they drive, drive, drive. And every time Yoongi tries to stop, Jungkook tells him to keep going, and Yoongi does. They drive all night, Jungkook sat stiffly in the passenger seat, Yoongi trying to keep his eyes open as the hour gets later and later.

It’s just as the first rays of sun are peaking over the horizon and Yoongi is damn well sure they’re lost in the middle of nowhere, that Jungkook tells him to pull over. The road they’ve taken is winding, leading all the way to grassy cliffs that look out on the sea.  Everything smells of salt and oncoming rain and heather. 

It’s a beautiful spot really, especially with the sun just beginning to light up the world. The wind is freezing, but Yoongi has coats for them. And after wrapping Jungkook up snugly in one, Jungkook staring aimlessly over Yoongi’s shoulder, he trudges through the heather, letting Jungkook lead him towards the edge of the cliff. 

They stand quietly beside each other, watching the sunlight sparkle off the waves, the wind whipping their hair back from their faces. Jungkook is hugging himself, bottom lip caught between his teeth. He’s been gnawing at it on and off all during their journey. 

Yoongi hasn’t tried to talk to Jungkook about Jungkook's choice to run away. He figured he’d give him time to think about it, let the decision sink in for both of them. But all night seems like plenty of time. Yoongi’s hungry and tired and there isn’t a toilet nearby. Not even a town or house for miles. It feels like they might as well be the only ones in existence, he thinks. Maybe that’s why Jungkook wanted to stop here, to pretend he won’t have to go back and deal with the mess he’s caused. 

“Kookie…” he begins, turning towards him, reaching out a hand tentatively to touch Jungkook’s sleeve.

“Shut up! Don’t touch me,'' Jungkook snaps, so harshly that Yoongi flinches, hand dropping to his side. 

Jungkook's eyes are full of tears and he’s fumbling in his pocket with cold fingers, teeth gritted with concentration. 

“What’s your problem?” Yoongi retorts, not meaning to sound so angry. “It’s not my fault you ran awa—”

“My fucking problem is this.” Jungkook shoves something at him, a crumpled piece of stationary, crushing it against Yoongi’s chest. Yoongi can feel his fingers shaking where they press into Yoongi’s shirt, waiting for Yoongi to take the paper.  

He takes it, cupping Jungkook’s hand to keep the paper from blowing away. 

“How could you?” Jungkook says, voice cracking. 

Yoongi knows what the piece of paper is without having to unfold it, but he unfolds it anyway and god he’d known the moment he saw it, but ice cold nausea clenches his stomach at seeing his own spidery, sloppy handwriting.

“Kookie, where did you get this?” 

“Where did I get it?” Jungkook shouts, flinging his arms in the air. “Where the fuck do you think I got it? How could you? On my wedding day.” 

Yoongi shakes his head frantically, tears pooling in his eyes. “No. I didn’t… Jesus Christ, I didn’t…” 

He looks down at the messy note, written on front and back because he’d crossed out and restarted so many lines. Don’t get married. Please. 

Jungkook’s voice turns scathing as he continues to shout. Yoongi’s heart beats like a drum in his ears. If someone had punched him in the stomach he’d feel less winded. His teeth knock together with the cold and he presses his hand over his mouth. He can’t run. He can’t even move. He’s shaking with each ragged breath, vision blurring. He doesn’t need to see the note, though, he has its words memorised. 

Jungkookie, you have to know I love you. And I know I’m too late and I’m stupid for never saying so, but I was always so afraid of losing you. And now I am losing you anyway. I love, I love, I love you. For the love of god, don’t get married to him. Don’t move away. Don’t leave me. I love you. I’ve always loved you.

Jungkook's yells are mindless noise, lost in the wind, in the blood pumping in Yoongi’s veins, in the soundless sound of his own thoughts. “I threw it away months ago,” he says quietly, and is hyper conscious of Jungkook shutting up, of the only sounds being the crashing of the waves, the rush of the wind as it rustles in the grass. 

He glances at him, sees his nose and cheeks are tinted pink with cold, eyes wet. Anger burns in them. It doesn’t suit Jungkook to look so hateful. 

Yoongi looks back down at the note, closes his eyes for a moment, feeling his own tears begin to fall. He can’t look at Jungkook as he speaks, throat so tight it hurts to get anything out. “I swear, I threw it away months ago, the day I wrote it. I-I’m not an asshole, I wasn’t about to ruin your wedding.” 

“No,” Jungkook barks, taking a step closer to jab him in the chest. “You’re an asshole.”

Yoongi’s chin wobbles. He can feel himself breaking at the seams, groping desperately in the corners of his mind for anything to say to fix this. Make it go away. “Please don’t hate me,” he whispers. It wouldn’t come out as anything else. “I can’t lose you. I threw it away. I didn’t do this. I don’t know who gave this to you, but I didn’t want them to.”

Jungkook laughs bitterly, looking out to sea. “You don’t get it, do you?” he says, softer. “Give me that.” Yoongi lets him rip the note from his grasp, hold it up, and begin to read from it. “I’ve loved you since we were in university together. Since the day before our exams when you calmed me down. I remember your hand in my hair. You knew it would work because you always saw me playing with my hair when I was nervous. You noticed I did that to soothe myself when I didn’t even realise I was doing it.”

Yoongi chokes back a sob, pressing his knuckles to his mouth. “Jungkookie—“ 

Jungkook stops him with a look. “Do you know how long ago that was? It’s been almost ten years, Hyung. Ten years. We’ve wasted ten years of our lives. We’re such assholes.”

“What?” Yoongi’s breath catches. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“That I love you too, you fucking idiot,” Jungkook yells. The flats of his palms collide with Yoongi’s chest, but Yoongi doesn't move. He lets Jungkook take out his frustration, the hits feeble, more a series of pats than anything else. “You couldn’t have told me then? Or when we lived together? Or when I came out? Or any of the times I wasn't dating anyone? YOU HAD TO TELL ME ON MY WEDDING DAY? MY FUCKING WEDDING DAY. AFTER I SPENT HUNDREDS ON A WEDDING I’M NOT EVEN ATTENDING! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I TRIED TO ASK YOU OUT AND YOU JUST DIDN’T FUCKING GET IT? FOR FUCKS SA—”

“Jungkook-ah!” Yoongi cries, seizing him by the shoulders. He’s smiling so hard his mouth hurts. Every pore, every cell in his body is smiling, even though that’s not possible and doesn’t make any sense. He’s laughing, giggling flusteredly and he can’t control it because this must be a fucking fever dream. 

Jungkook’s chest is heaving, tear-tracks glittering on his frozen cheeks. He isn’t looking at Yoongi, he’s staring at their feet, hands balled tightly into fists at his sides. “Why didn’t you get it?” he says at a normal volume, voice broken and hoarse. “Th-that time in uni when I asked if you wanted to get ramen at my place… I ended up feeling like an idiot because you really just thought I’d invited you for dinner. Everyone knew what that meant but you. You’re such an asshole.” He presses his lips together hard, muffling a whimper. Fresh tears streak down his face, clinging to his chin. He shudders with his next breath. “And I asked you to that office Christmas party as my date, but you thought I meant platonically because I didn’t have anyone else to go with. Who thinks stuff like that? You’re so—”

He stops mid sentence as Yoongi brushes his fingers over his cheek, leaning into the touch. “S-say it again,” Yoongi breathes, scared to ask, but terrified to stay silent. “Please.”

“Who thinks stuff like that?” Jungkook says, frowning. 

Yoongi snorts. “Not that. Say…” he can’t get himself to say it, not when Jungkook’s looking at him like that, when Yoongi’s hand is cupping his cheek, when the sun is warming their faces on a clifftop like this is some confession scene from a period drama. He slips his fingers into the hair at the nape of Jungkook’s neck, stepping forward until their chests are touching. Jungkook hugs him fiercely, burying his face in Yoongi’s shoulder, and Yoongi returns the embrace.

“Say it again,” he croaks, trembling.

“I love you,” Jungkook whispers, fingers digging painfully into Yoongi’s back. “I’ve loved you since the weekend in uni when you looked after me because I had that stomach bug.”

Yoongi sobs loudly. “Fuck off, you absolutely have not. Say it again.”

Jungkook sniffles, nuzzling the crook of Yoongi’s neck softly, but he doesn’t argue the matter. “Did you really not mean for me to get the note?” he asks, timid. 

Yoongi shakes his head. “No, but I--Hoseok-ah must have put it there. He’s been trying to get me to confess for years. Say it again.”

“Well, you can tell him he has to pay for the wedding he ruined.” 

“Yeah. I will. Say it again.” 

Jungkook chuckles. “Sorry, how many did I miss? Three? I love you. I love you. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

[dekalko-mania]

Hello! A bit late, but here's my @phandomholidaytruce gift for @charmingcritter ! I followed their prompt based on outsider POV of Amity/Danny, and a bit on Danno's obsession. Hope you enjoy and happy holidays!

....

Tourist Attraction (Ao3)

“I don’t like this.” 

“Danny, c’mon. It’s not a big deal.” 

He shook his head, arms remaining crossed. 

“I’m on your side for this one.” Sam flipped a page in her book, voice monotone as she addressed Tucker. Her legs were thrown over the armrest of her La-Z-Boy, looking completely relaxed now that she’d finished her allotted Team Phantom work. “Why don’t we just figure out a way to go around the obsession?” 

“See! Even Sam agrees!” Tucker pushed his laptop to the side, ghost files still taking up the screen. “You can’t go around mad dogging every new person that comes into Amity.” 

“Wanna bet?” Danny raised a challenging brow, shutting his own laptop closed. 

“Don’t.” Sam raised a finger before Tucker could so much as utter another word. “Or he’ll actually go out and do it.”

Tucker sputtered. “He’s gonna do it anyway! The guy’s got no sense, and that’s coming from me!” 

“I take offense to that.” Danny flopped back onto the dark hardwood floor. “What else do you want me to do? Sit back and let all these people we don’t know cause trouble in Amity?”

“We live in a semi-big city,” Sam stated. “People come by all the time.”

“Yeah, but not this many at once. Usually they’re here for like two hours and then leave. And it’s always the same people checking out a restaurant they like or something. These are…” Danny’s expression soured. “Tourists.”

Tucker shoved Danny’s shoulder. “You’re saying that like you’re talking about the plague.” 

“Might as well be.” Danny smacked his hand away. “These are strangers. Worse, they’re all curious about our lore. They’re all gonna be poking around where they shouldn’t and bothering the locals. Remember last year when some guy broke into Boxy’s warehouse and the entire city had a box shortage for a week?”

“That was some meltdown.” Tucker whistled. “Poor guy.”

“He set his most prized boxes on fire.” Danny glared. 

“Relax.” Tucker raised his hands in reassurance. “I’m talking about the Box Ghost. The other guy can suck it.”

Danny relaxed and sighed. “Yeah well, I don’t think he’ll be the last person to mess around where they shouldn’t.” 

“Okay, we understand. You wanna protect Amity, but you can’t stalk the tourists,” Sam reasoned. “We’ve barely gotten your approval ratings up to seventy.”

“I’m not going to stalk anyone.”

“Sure, you’re just going to go up to them and very kindly ask them to fuck off, right?” Sam tossed her book to the side, throwing him an unamused look. “Maybe scare them off with those spooky eyes of yours.” 

“Exactly,” Danny grinned, crossing his arms behind his head. “Glad we’re on the same page.” 

“Danny, I swear-”

“Wait.” Tucker shot up, conspiratory gleam crossing his eye. “We can’t stop all these tourists from coming in, but what if we use this to our advantage?” 

“How are we supposed to do that?” Danny frowned. “Don’t know if you missed it, but my obsession wants absolutely nothing to do with them.” 

“Because you don’t know who they are, and they’re not educated on Amity etiquette,” Tucker pointed out. “But, what if we could solve the issue and make a big buck out of it?” 

Danny focused somewhere on the ceiling and scoffed. “You want to try your hand at giving tours again?”

“Exactly! With some improvements, of course.” 

“Tucker, the last time we did that it was you and me lugging a group of ghost hunters on a bike.” Sam seemed very much not interested. “What could we even use that’s big enough to hold all these people?”

“Danny’s been legally driving the GAV for two years now. Illegally, since he was like twelve.” Tucker glanced at him for support. “How many can we fit in there?” 

“If I clean it up and adjust the seats, like ten probably. Not including me and whoever wants to be in the passenger seat.” Begrudgingly, Danny was starting to see the pros to Tucker’s plan. “We can also detract the back walls so the entire thing is one big window on either side.”

“See? Sam, you’re really good at keeping crowd control. You can man the line and all the finances. Meanwhile, Danny drives and we both give the tour.” Tucker waved a hand in one long flourish. “Easy peasy.” 

Sam eyed them both and then groaned. “Okay, whatever. As long as I do less of the talking.” 

“Yes!” Tucker fist bumped the air. “What about you Danny? Just think about it. We’ll be able to keep track of who comes in, and make sure we lay out some ground rules. Covering all the bases without you spazzing out on ‘em.”

Danny shrugged. “It’s worth a try.”

“Great!” Tucker clapped his hands together. “Now, about the ticket prices….”

…. 

They had settled on calling their side job the most basic name possible. “Amity Park Tours” was as uncreative as it got, but at least their point went across fairly well. Most of their brainstorming had been Tucker trying to convince Sam and Danny that “A Nice Place to Die” would not make for a good slogan. In the end, he’d just barely gotten them to settle for “A Nice Place to Haunt” instead. 

Danny still thought their original idea was better, but whatever. At least their calculated funds would come back pretty good, with ticket prices starting at twenty-five for adults, and fifteen for kids. 

He was beginning to mentally applaud Tucker for his genius, until the final blow came just minutes before the tourists were set to arrive. 

“You did what!?” Danny didn’t have to guess what color his eyes were flashing. 

“Okay, it’s not as bad as it sounds,” Tucker attempted to reassure. “Think about how high the tips are gonna be!” 

“I don’t care about that! What’ll I do if my parents find out?” 

“They haven’t shot at you in months!” 

“Yeah, cause the city’s on their case about it, not because they don’t want to!” It took everything in Danny’s being not to go ghost on Tucker then and there. “How am I ever going to explain this?” 

“Okay, wait.” Sam stepped in between them, clearly displeased at the turn of events herself, but calmer than either of them. “You promised them a tour led by Phantom, right?”

Tucker nodded. 

She sighed. “Then we’ll give them one.” 

“Sam-”

“No, wait.” She placed a placating hand on Danny’s shoulder, meeting him eye to eye. “If we change it now, we’re going to get into trouble and you won’t be able to put a lid on your obsession. If we go through with it, well…how often have we done something like this without your parents noticing?” 

“Many times,” Danny acquiesced. “But Sam, if they find out I supposedly let Phantom lead a tour in their assault vehicle….” 

“They won’t find out. We’ll make sure of it.” Sam said it with conviction. “Worst comes to worst, we’ll say that they can’t mention it to the Fentons or they’ll get…I don’t know. Cursed or something.”

“Cursed?” Danny frowned. “Really?”

“People will believe anything in Amity,” Tucker agreed. He began to fidget as voices started nearing the vehicle from outside. “C’mon Danny. Have a sense of adventure.”

Danny tsked, picking up the voices more clearly. He was able to distinguish distinct words in conversation, hearing a few people say they were excited to meet Phantom. He knew with a sinking feeling that he couldn’t say no. 

“Fine,” he decided. “But I’m getting a higher cut of the tips.”

“Deal!” Tucker grinned, preparing to open the GAV doors. “Now, do your thing, ghost boy.”

…. 

Danny was grateful that Sam had convinced the owner of the Skulk and Lurk to let them use their parking space. They had a pretty huge lot that was left mostly empty during the day, when their usual customers weren’t about. 

It had taken them about twenty minutes to get through all the autographs and pictures, all taken against the backdrop of the building so they could avoid evidence of him using the GAV. It was a familiar routine for Danny, and he very easily settled into his Phantom persona for all the enthusiastic customers. 

There was only really one incident that struck him as odd, where a ginger-haired girl similar to Jazz in height and build had used a flash for her first photo. Danny had thought to ask her why, but shrugged it off when another girl took her place. 

Once they had gotten through it, the first ten tourists settled into place, while Sam wished them luck on their drive from outside. The air inside the GAV was filled with excited chattering, crowd of people oddly full of energy for 9 AM on a chilly Wednesday. 

Danny’s core hummed as he looked over them, pleased that none of them radiated any sort of dangerous energy. More than half of them were teens or young adults in their early twenties, while the two outliers were part of a family. The red-headed girl from earlier, now identified as Jackie, was part of it, sitting next to an identical-looking mom. 

He nodded to himself, before pulling out a handheld mic for himself and handing the other to Tucker. 

“Alright,” Danny tried out. “Does this sound clear to everyone?”

“Whoa.” A bright eyed, sandy-haired guy in the back peeked his head behind a seat. If Danny remembered correctly, his name was Adrien. “An announcement I can actually understand?”

Danny snorted. “That’s Fenton tech for you. Now, before we start the tour, Tucker here and I wanted to make some, uh, announcements. Tucker?”

“Right!” Tucker’s mic blared for a little, and he winced. “Sorry. So, basically you all probably know about the Fentons, and you might be wondering, ‘why would they ever let a ghost borrow a car made to destroy ghosts?’ Short answer is, they didn’t. Their son Danny did, and he’s currently distracting them while we use the killer SUV.” 

“Then why isn’t he here if it’s his family car?” Jackie spoke up. “Why couldn't someone else distract them?”

“He, well…” Danny blanched.

“I have to be here cause I’m ghostly moral support. Danny can’t do math so Sam’s handling the tickets. And, um…” Tucker tried for a shaky grin. “Danny can’t drive?”

Said ghost boy glared. 

“Huh.” Jackie settled down, satisfied for now. “Valid.”

“Right, so. Don’t snitch or you’ll be cursed with….really warm pillows.” Tucker coughed. “And short battery lives on your phone. Yeah.”

“Anyway,” Danny interrupted. “We’re starting out at the Skulk and Lurk. Which ironically, is one of the few places in Amity not haunted by ghosts. They were nice enough to give all of you a Phantom discount for today, so stop by for some coffee after or some goth merch. Maybe stay for the poetry slam.”

Adrien’s hand shot up. “Do they serve coffee with ectoplasm?”

“That would be a hazard,” Danny answered. “So no.”

“Then what do the ghosts drink?”

“They don’t.”

Jackie frowned. “But I saw a video of you holding a venti frap from Starbucks the other day. If ghosts can’t drink anything, then why were you?”

“I didn’t say they couldn’t,” Danny backtracked. “Just that they don’t. Usually. You get the taste but it doesn’t do much in terms of sustenance.” He pointed at Adrien. “Though that ectoplasm coffee idea would probably do the trick.”

“So you eat ectoplasm?” The girl looked majorly grossed out. 

“Ghosts thrive off a lot of crazy things.” Tucker smirked. “Ambient ectoplasm, pure ectoplasm, emotions, their obsession, the souls of the innocent.” 

“You’re going to eat our souls?!” Adrien’s face went white as he pressed against the boy next to him. 

Danny smacked Tucker hard enough to dislodge his glasses. “No, I’m not the type of ghost to eat souls.” 

“But they exist?” Jackie pressed. 

“Sorry, can’t answer that. Gotta focus on the road now.” He did not want to get on the topic of the ghosts of the barren lands. “Speaking of, care to introduce our local botany?”

Tucker got the hint. “Absolutely! So right there is a really haunted bush. See the black one with the smoke coming off it? Looks like it's barely surviving a fire? Yeah if you ever see something like that during your time in Amity, stay away.” 

“What happens if I eat it?” The boy Adrien had been clutching asked, still patting the back of his friend’s back. 

“What was your name again?”

“Nick.”

“Okay, well Nick.” Tucker clapped his hands. “Someone did actually try that out last fall and they landed a permanent stay in the Ghost Zone.” 

“Word?” He was oddly unphased for someone not from Amity.

“No, he’s alive.” Danny cut in. “He just had a really unhealthy obsession with Ember and ended up nearly setting the nearby high school on fire ‘cause of the shrine in his locker. It took a whole day of Khan Academy lessons to snap him out of it.” He gestured out the window. “She’s the one that planted these with another ghost’s help. If you try to blast them, two more grow in their place. For now everyone’s just trying to avoid them until we can figure out what to do. As long as you don’t touch them, you’ll be fine.” 

“Ember?” Nick frowned.

Before Danny could explain, Jackie cut in excitedly. “She’s a ghost in her late teens whose obsession is having others chant her name. Or that’s the simplified version at least. It's said that what she really wants is to be remembered. Since ghost deaths are tied to their obsession, you only have to do a little digging into her background to realize why. The other day I checked out the Amity archives at the library and found out there was a girl named Amber McClean who died mysteriously in a house fire. She was alive during the mid eighties, and no one knows much about her except that she wanted to be a musician. I was hoping to maybe see her and ask-”

Jackie stopped suddenly, eyes meeting Danny’s in the rearview mirror.

“First lesson here.” Danny tried hard to keep his voice from shaking, but he couldn’t resist his harsh grip on the wheel. “Never, ever seek out a ghost to ask them about their death. Don’t think about it, don’t approach them, and don’t even ask about their obsession. Those two things are off limits, understand?” 

“But, I’m just curious….” 

Danny could see that he’d shaken her up somehow. Her eyes were downcast, and a part of him felt bad, but he knew this was important. It was the whole reason they’d planned this out in the first place. 

More gently, he tried to explain. “Aside from it being a touchy, painful subject to the ghost, their reaction is unpredictable. They could haunt you, or lash out if they’re less sympathetic to humans. Ember would definitely not take it well.” 

“But you’re supposed to be a good ghost, right?” Jackie’s mom ventured to ask. “Would you react the same way?”

Danny knew that tourists were bound to be curious, but he honestly hadn’t been expecting it to get so personal. With a sigh, he nodded. “I’d like to think so. I mean, I don’t want to hurt anyone, and I try my best to stop the ghosts that like to cause trouble. But I might act a bit more hostile, and I’ll ask you to stop.” 

“Phantom here doesn’t pick fights with regular people,” Tucker added. “But he will scare the absolute shit out of you if you get him mad. What he means by ‘hostile’ is ‘you’re gonna wanna cry for your mom.’” 

“Language,” Jackie’s mom warned. 

“Sorry ma’am.” 

“Oh c’mon, don’t exaggerate.” Danny rolled his eyes, turning a corner over to a seemingly innocuous brick building. “On a level of scariness, I’m probably a six on a good day.”

“Oh my god.” Adrien gasped, crawling over Nick to get a view outside the window. “Is that Casper High? I saw all the fight compilations on YouTube! It’s like, super super haunted!”

The rest of those in the GAV broke into heavy chatter, pulling out their phones to snap pictures of the school from multiple angles. Some were gushing over the scorch marks on the side of the building, while others craned their heads to try and catch a glimpse of a ghost. 

Meanwhile Danny and Tucker shared an equally amused look, the former shaking his head in wonder. It was times like this that reminded Danny that while a place like Casper High could be lame to him, it was practically a national monument to others.

“Like Adrien said, this is Casper High.” Tucker motioned for Danny to drive closer. “Land of expired lunch meat and weekly ghost attacks. We’re on winter break so don’t expect much action. The ghosts here only like to attack when the building’s actually full.” 

“And before you ask, no we’re not exactly sure why. Closest theory is that a lot of obsessions rely on the presence of humans. It’s empty right now for the most part, except for, well…” Danny paused for dramatic effect. To his delight, everyone leaned closer. “Sidney Poindexter.” 

“Sidney’s here?!” Adrien and Nick both shouted in unison, eyes gleaming.

“I follow one of his fan accounts, he’s so cool!” Nick pulled up a Twitter page and showed it to those around him. “We’re his biggest fans, but we didn’t expect to see him. Ever since Phantom declared him an ally, he’s been going around interacting with everyone.” 

“I thought he would only be there when school was in session,” Adrien agreed. “The last video I saw of him was posted before winter break. Some guy was stuffing a kid in a locker and Sidney shoved him into it instead.” 

“You know, he’s got some of the most interesting powers among Amity’s ghosts,” Jackie chipped in. “While a lot of them get most of their strength from their defensive powers, Poindexter’s telekinesis and overshadowing abilities are tougher than most. I’d say he practices possession if anything. His control and the length of time he can hold it out for is pretty impressive.”

Danny raised a brow in her direction. “You know a lot for someone not from Amity. How’d you even figure all that out? It’s not exactly common information.”

Jackie grinned. “Conspiracies and the supernatural are really popular in my family. Me and my mom are both super into Amity lore.”

“I think she beats me in that one, I’d say I have more of a passing interest,” her mom chuckled.

“Okay, maybe I’m more into it. One of my favorite cousins lives here and he tells me all the details, he’s super smart.” Jackie shrugged. “As for how I know, I don’t. It was all just my guess based on videos I’ve compiled. But your reaction confirmed it!”

It was quickly becoming apparent to Danny that the girl had much more than a slight similarity to his sister. The way she rambled about ghost lore reminded him of Jazz when she spoke about psychology. Though, she also reminded him of someone else. He just couldn’t figure out who. 

“Well, I wish I could call out Sidney for you guys to meet him, but he can’t stray much from school grounds. Even the sidewalk is pretty far for him, unless he’s got a host.” Danny frowned at Nick, prompting him to put his hand back down. “And no, we’re not taking any volunteers for that. But I’ll see if maybe I can get another video of him for you online.”

“Worth a try,” Nick shrugged. 

“Don’t worry, the next stop is way more interesting,” Tucker promised. “Skulker blew a hole into the ground there the size of a small car. Maybe we could even get down for a group picture!”

…. 

They did eventually end up taking multiple group pictures. The route they had mapped out for the tourists ended up including the Skulk and Lurk, Casper High, Amity Central Park, the Nasty Burger, the abandoned houses on the edge of the city, Axion Labs, the observatory, and North Mercy Hospital. There were a few other stops along the way that were lesser known, but not any less haunted in Danny’s experience, that they had given the tourists backstory on. 

Some of them had asked why they hadn’t stopped by the GIW Headquarters or Fentonworks, until Danny very dryly reminded them that he was what they got their funding to get rid of. Some seemed genuinely shocked, making Danny wonder if they really did forget he was supposed to be dead, despite his glow and neon eyes. 

By the time they had finished the tours, it was nearing five o’clock, taking about an hour for all five groups of ten. They didn’t cover nearly all the visitors, but Danny at least felt better now knowing that the majority of people that came were either fans or simply curious to get to know Amity. None so far had been actual ghost hunters intending to do harm. 

Even with all of them, he had a soft spot for their first group, which left with a promise to greet him when they saw Danny on patrol. 

He was so lost in thought about his day, that it took him longer than usual to realize the dinner table had gone quiet. 

“Sorry, did you say something?” He looked at both his parents, practically vibrating in their seats with anticipation. 

“We were saying that we forgot to tell you some very important news,” his mom exchanged a smile with his dad. “Your father and I got a very generous grant in exchange for a small tour of the lab.”

“A what!” Danny dropped his spoon, hoping he hadn’t heard correctly.

“I know, isn’t that great? We get to blab about our tech, and get paid for it!” His tone was completely lost on his dad. “The only downside is that they were only able to come in tomorrow. And you see, we already had a conference planned a few cities over with some fellow ghost hunters.” 

“Which means?” Danny wasn’t liking where this was going. 

“You get to do it!” His dad pointed a potato-filled spoon at him. “My own son, taking up the helm of Fentonworks!” He wiped away a stray tear. “Feels like just yesterday when we grounded you for missing curfew.”

“That was yesterday,” Danny groaned. “And I can’t. I’ve, uh, got a fear of public speaking?”

“Even better, you get to face your fears! Too bad we never found that hazmat of yours, it would’ve been perfect.” His dad frowned. “Or not, you’ve had a pretty big growth spurt.”

“Mom, you can’t be serious too, right?” Danny tried for the more reasonable parent. “I’ve never given a tour.”

That they know of.

“Oh sweetie, I’m sure you’ll do great. You’ve grown up on our tech since you were born!” His mom seemed to have already made up her mind about it. “Who better to do it?” 

“Will you unground me?”

“Is that a yes?” 

Danny sighed. “I guess.”

His mom grinned from ear to ear. “Good! Now, we’ve decided to stow away the more dangerous-”

Danny listened halfheartedly, keeping mental note of his own plans. If he was going to do this again, then he had to make sure it was completely safe. He’d have to put the portal to sleep temporarily so it wouldn’t open, but it would be best if he wanted to avoid any accidents. 

He momentarily considered calling Sam and Tucker for help, but pushed it away when he realized it would look suspicious if anyone from the day before saw him with them again in human form. 

It was just him, a group of strangers, and Fenton tech. What could go wrong?

….

Jackie had gathered a series of notes since her stay at Amity. For one, the population was quite nonchalant for being under constant attack. For another, their resident ghost hero was not like the rest. 

Putting it simply, Phantom was fucking weird.

She wasn’t one to wholeheartedly believe everything the Fentons said, one of those claims being that ghosts were unfeeling and mindless. She knew that was false based on the multiple eyewitness accounts and video evidence she had gathered of the Amity Park ghosts. They definitely had their own thoughts, feelings, values, and passions. 

They weren’t inhuman monsters, but they also weren’t entirely human either. They didn’t need human functions, they had supernatural abilities, and they had their own society. They were also fixed on the time period at which they died. 

Sydney Poindexter still talked like someone from the sixties, and the more ancient ghosts stayed rooted to their own cultures. It made sense, that’s how it should be. They were trapped in time while the world kept going. 

Except for one. That’s where Phantom came in. 

Though there was some flimsy evidence of him having existed for centuries, Jackie suspected he died around the time Amity became ghost central. That was two years ago. He should’ve stuck to the slang and the trends of the time, but he didn’t. 

Everything he did contradicted his kind. He evolved, he knew current trends and jokes. Phantom didn’t struggle to keep up with modern society like the others did. He didn’t awkwardly stick new words into phrases like Technus, or struggle to remember words like Yungblud. 

She’d gathered it all and compared it while he had given them the tour. It was the entire reason she had gone in the first place, when she could honestly have just asked her cousins to show her around. Jackie wanted to observe and make discoveries.

And she did, many of them. 

Phantom acted as naturally as a human did when he was around them. He sat firmly in the driver's seat, he blinked, and most importantly, he breathed. He hadn’t at first, she was sure of it. But after a while, she noticed his chest rising and falling, as if he’d forgotten he wasn’t supposed to do it. 

His explanation about the coffee made no sense either. He said it had no function, that he only drank it for the taste. But unlike the other ghosts, Phantom could look tired. He hid it under a veneer of cockiness during the fights, but closer up, she could see the eye bags. 

He drank coffee like someone who was running on little sleep, when again, ghosts weren’t supposed to sleep. In the videos she’d gathered, he would have multiple different caffeinated drinks throughout the day. It wasn’t just coffee. He drank Red Bull and Monster, both of which were absolutely not satisfying in taste at all. At least not to her.

Most damning of all was his picture. She’d read somewhere that flash photography often revealed strange things in supernatural environments. Jackie hadn’t thought much of it, but tried the trick anyway out of habit. 

What she ended up with was a photo where Phantom’s eyes looked closer to icy blue than his typical neon green. She could attribute it to his ice powers, but these looked duller and more humane. 

Phantom was an enigma. He was friendly, and somewhat snarky. He had the charm his hero persona warranted, but he was also entirely too human. It was unnerving.

It was wrong. 

Something was off with Phantom, and the part of her that loved a mystery wanted this one solved. There had to be a reason why her cousin scowled whenever the ghost was brought up, why he talked to her about so many other aspects of Amity Park, but not about Phantom. 

It was what led her to convincing her dad, an avid supporter of the Fentons’ inventions, to call in a favor. She rarely liked to use her family’s wealth to her advantage, but she needed more information, and there was only one group of researchers in this town who were willing to give it. The GIW was out of the question. 

It was meant to be simple and relaxing. She’d even invited the two guys from the Amity Park Tours, Nick and Adrien, after they hit it off. Jackie would go in, ask her questions, and leave. That was it. 

Except, she had made a new discovery, and it was that Danny Fenton was fucking weird too. 

Somehow, he managed to be more unnerving than Phantom. He really shouldn’t have been, not when he was so lanky and seemed pretty harmless overall. Although he was giving them the tour in place of his parents, he had opted to stay in casual wear, donning an oversized black hoodie, some loose jeans, and some red converse. 

He looked more like he belonged in a skate park if she was being honest. She tried telling herself that to push away the discomfort, but it hardly made a difference. 

The same went for his personality. He was pretty funny, and somewhat dorky, but he also always seemed on edge. She’d always thought that your own home is where you should feel the safest, but he very much contradicted that. He was the type to check his corners when he entered a room, and held a tightness to his posture even when he seemed slack. 

Danny was currently leading them down to his basement, where most of the magic apparently took place. He did the same thing as before when they crossed the threshold, looking side to side, then up and down. 

When the coast was clear, he nodded to himself and turned to them with a grin. “Right, so we’ve introduced ourselves upstairs. Anything else you want me to know? Specifically, are any of you scared of needles, sharp tools, otherworldly fluids, or anything along those lines?”

“Um, all of the above?” Adrien answered. “But I’ll put it aside for science and cry later.”

“Disassociation, love that.” Danny nodded. “Well, my parents didn’t exactly tell me what you were most interested in seeing, so I decided we would just do a general sweep. Maybe check out the Ops Center if that’s what you’re into.”

He pointed his finger upwards and Jackie balked. “That’s what that giant UFO thing attached to the roof is? How’d you even convince the city to let you install it?”

“Convince is a strong word,” he grimaced. “More like, we just kept ignoring their warnings and eventually they gave up once it actually ended up being useful.” Danny shrugged. “I honestly don’t know how my parents manage to get away with half of the things they do, but I do know how their tech works, so-”

He led them over to the first item lined up for them, a giant dream catcher with a green and black color scheme. 

“This,” Danny started. “Is the Fenton Ghost Catcher.” 

He proceeded to explain its function, answering their questions with ease. All the while, Jackie noticed how he seemed to keep his distance from the contraption. Sure, she understood why caution was necessary in a lab, but from the sound of it, the Ghost Catcher was relatively harmless. 

All it was meant to do was pull out a ghost from an overshadowed human, or target any ecto-contamination that one might have. It wouldn’t hurt a person who accidentally stuck their hand inside. The worst it would do was nothing at all. 

Yet, it might as well be a loaded gun with the way Danny was treating it. The behavior continued when they moved onto the next item, which sounded just as harmless as the last. It looked intimidating, easily being the biggest machine in the room, but it ended up being more of a disruptor than an actual weapon. 

“The name’s honestly not all that great. Dad said he would get around to changing it, but, well, it hasn't happened yet.” Danny grimaced. “It’s called the Ecto-Stoppo-Power-Erfier. And can you guess what it does?”

“Blasts ghosts into a million pieces?” Nick suggested.

Danny blanched. “Um, no but….good guess? It temporarily stops a ghost from accessing their powers. My parents meant for it to work on all of them, but after trial and error, they found out that it’s more unpredictable. It might cut off their ectoblasts, but they can still fly. Or vice versa.” He shrugged. “Honestly, a lot of their inventions are a surprise. They don’t always do exactly what was intended, but they’re still more advanced than nearly every other ghost hunting organization you’ll come across.” 

“Why do you think your parents are so much more ahead of everyone else?” Jackie hadn’t meant to let the question slip out, but she was genuinely curious. In her own research she’d realized that despite how silly the Fentons seemed, they were legitimate geniuses. No one did it quite like them.

Danny seemed to agree, a fond smile crossing his features. It was the first time since being around him that the slight chill in his eyes seemed to clear away completely. 

“I think they’re not afraid to go places others don’t even try going into,” Danny confessed. “They don’t care about looking silly or being wrong. They know they can just try again, that it’s better to be wrong than to not have tried at all. They’re pretty creative with their stuff honestly.”

Jackie nodded. “Makes sense.”

“I’ve got one!” Adrien smiled when he got called on. “You said this one doesn’t completely remove the ghost powers like it was intended to. How come it doesn’t? And why do some of the others not work either?”

“Oof, getting deeper here.” Danny paused. “Okay, keeping in mind I’m definitely not smart like my parents, and this is all just me guessing. One thing my parents have is that they know a lot about ghosts physically, but not mentally. What goes on up here-” He tapped the side of his head. “Is super important. Their obsession, how death has affected their psychology, or just how their mental state affects their powers in general. You have to take it all into account.” He waved at the power blocking machine. “Like this here. I don’t think it actually physically gets rid of a ghost’s powers.”

Jackie’s eyes widened. “It’s a mental block.”

He nodded. “Exactly. They’re still there, they just can’t access them. It’s why I think it doesn’t cancel them out completely. Some powers are just like muscle memory and you don’t really have to think about them once you know. Others require a lot more mindfulness.” 

“So if the Fentons knew this, they could improve their inventions so they would be more accurate,” Nick observed.

“Exactly.”

“Then how come you know and they don’t?” Jackie couldn’t help but think Danny sounded like he was speaking from personal experience.

That odd glint was back in his eye again. Wariness. 

“My parents don’t exactly believe in theories like this. They’re things you’d have to figure out by talking to a ghost,” Danny said. “And they wouldn’t be exactly thrilled if they realized I talked to the one they hate the most.”

“Phantom,” Adrien whispered. “I totally forgot you’re the one that lent him your parents’ SUV.”

“Yup.” Danny didn’t seem too thrilled to elaborate. “Anyway, this next thing is called the anti-creep stick. Any guesses what it does?”

It looked like a regular bat to Jackie.

“Does it electrocute ghosts? Rip their souls out of their body?” Nick gasped. “Turn them into Jell-o?”

“Okay, maybe you’re creative too.” Danny snorted. “It’s just a bat with the word Fenton on it, I was just messing with you.”

While the other boys laughed, Jackie wondered how they didn’t notice the obvious avoidance tactic Danny was using. There was something there, something they were getting close to that made Danny uncomfortable. She figured she’d poked around enough for now, but she kept her guard up as they walked.

Danny led them over to the rest of the inventions he had laid out for them, all pretty interesting if Jackie was being honest. But more interesting to her were his mannerisms. He was extremely expressive, his whole face an open book and his arms moving in wide arches. 

There was also a tendency there to downgrade himself slightly. Every intelligent remark would be quickly followed by a ridiculous joke or pun, and his otherwise tall height was hidden away by the heavy slouch of his shoulders. They were things that could be easily attributed to shyness, but Jackie didn’t think that was the case.

It was like he was doing it on purpose, like he had all these brittle attempts laid out to try and hide anything out of place. It made it tough for her to pinpoint it, but she knew some things were off. She didn’t know what, couldn’t place her finger on it…

“Look Jackie, I think this is the ghost portal.” Adrien’s whisper caught her off guard. She was so lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t even realized her feet were following behind the group. 

When she looked up, she saw what he was talking about. It was a large metallic doorway with black and yellow stripes going across it diagonally. It loomed above them, and even closed, she could feel heavy energy emanating from behind it. The boy’s beside her stared at it in awe, and she couldn’t help doing the same.

“Can we see what’s on the other side?” She blurted out. 

When she looked, she saw Danny shake his head. “No can do, sorry. I put it on sleep mode specifically for the tour of the lab. The moment I open it, some ghost is bound to come in.”

“What if we turned it off?” Nick suggested. “Just to take a look inside.”

Danny stiffened, expression taking on a darker quality. Jackie swore she felt the temperature drop a few degrees. 

Adrien’s shivering form beside her confirmed it. 

“Doing that would be a huge hazard,” Danny responded, sounding like he was forcing the words out through clenched teeth. “I can’t do that. I can’t…” He sighed and tried again. “It’s dangerous. But I can show you a 3D model of what it looks like when it’s on? It’s over on this computer.”

None of them denied the offer, Adrien specifically seeming all too eager to get rid of the tense air. From her position, Jackie was able to inspect Danny’s side profile, body going numb when she finally found what exactly had made her tick.

Danny was a very expressive person, from head to toe. But looking back on it, and seeing him now, she noticed there was an odd pattern. In between all those gestures and nervous habits, he had moments where he was completely still. Unnaturally still. 

Subtly eyeing his chest from her peripheral vision, Jackie realized he wasn’t breathing. He couldn’t be, not when he was making such a great effort to resemble a marble statue. The only thing moving was his hand on the computer mouse, and his eyes as they flitted across the screen.

Even that didn’t match though. Everything joint down was turning, but the rest of his arm was completely still. And his eyes, they were moving, but something was missing.

They weren’t blinking. 

Feeling a sense of deja vu, Jackie itched to ask the one question she hadn’t been able to the previous day. “Yesterday, Phantom told us that it’s rude to ask a ghost about how they died.”

Danny hummed, clicking open a folder and pulling up a multi dimensional model of the portal, but with a churning mass of green where it was now metal. 

“And see, I’m really curious about something.” Jackie could feel both Adrien and Nick’s eyes pinning her from either side. “There’s no ghosts around, and with the portal disabled, there won’t be any time soon. So, I’ve been meaning to ask you…”

Nick made a neck slicing gesture beside her but she ignored it. 

“How did Phantom die?” She blurted out. 

This time, she was certain she wasn’t imagining the rapid chill. Her breath fogged in front of her, goosebumps crawling all along her arms. Danny stopped moving altogether, and had she blinked, she would’ve missed the moment when his eyes flashed a colder blue. 

It wasn’t in her head. The eyes in the picture, they were the exact ones that were facing her now. 

Wait, when had he turned to face her? 

Jackie’s lungs suddenly felt like they had filled with water, and she stepped back. Still, Danny’s eyes bore into hers, pupils shrunken so intensely that his iris almost seemed made up entirely of blue. She didn’t know how to react, what to say to make him seem less like he was going to rip into her any minute. 

Nick’s hand abruptly shot over to grasp onto her arm, as if he were ready to jump in front of her any second. The movement seemed enough to snap Danny out of whatever trance he was in, body slowly relaxing from its stock straight position. 

“I don’t know. He’s a ghost, he doesn’t exactly advertise that information.” Danny’s form seemed to blur for a moment, forcing Jackie to squint just to look at him. “But I’d prefer it if you didn’t ask me a question like that again.” 

“Why?” Adrien chuckled nervously beside her. “It’s not like there’s a ghost here, right?” 

“We’re in Amity.” Danny reverted back to looking more normal, shoulders slouched as they were before. At least, it was what Jackie thought, up until his lips curled back in a grin. “Always assume there’s a ghost around.” 

There was no denying that his canines could tear through skin. 

….

“Thank you, I’ll leave a five star on Yelp!” Adrien laughed hysterically at his own joke, waving frantically back at Danny as all three of them rushed down the front steps of Fentonworks. 

Jackie threw her own polite thank you and goodbye as a precaution, snapping her head forward as they quickly walked away. She could sense that Nick was bursting with the urge to say something, but she sent him a warning glare, daring him to open his mouth before they were completely out of earshot. 

It wasn’t until they had rounded the block corner that she led them both onto the steps of a stranger’s house and groaned. “I wasn’t the only one that thought that was freaky, right?” 

“It wasn’t just you.” Nick was leaning forward, hands on his knees. “That was so confusing. Like one second he was really nice and chill, and the next I felt like I was being targeted. What the fuck?” He frowned, shooting her a glare of his own. “And what was that? Were you trying to get us killed?”

“It was only a question!” She crossed her arms defensively. “We didn’t go there to not ask questions.” 

“Holy shit.” Adrien seemed to be in his own world. “Does this mean we got two tours with a ghost?”

“Is that why he was so defensive about Phantom?” Nick’s eyes widened. “They’re afterlife friends or something? But that doesn’t make sense. He can’t be.”

“No, you’re right.” Adrien shook his head, chuckling in little puffs of air. “‘Cause that would be insane. A ghost can’t live with ghost hunters.”

“Yeah, what were we even thinking?” Nick huffed, standing up straight. “And walking into a lab like that so casually? Doesn’t make sense.”

Jackie bit her lip, not quite sure about that. 

Something was beginning to take shape in her head. It was a thought so ridiculous, so out there, that she didn’t feel bold enough to say aloud. It wouldn’t make sense, would make her seem like the crazy one. It just wasn’t possible.

Even as she tried convincing herself, another part whispered, “But what if it is?”

“Shit, my mom’s here to pick us up.” Nick stopped wherever he was in the conversation to look behind him, where a honking sound had rung. “You want a ride with us, Jackie?”

“No, no I’m good. My mom’s picking me up too.” She smiled, trying her best to appear more put together. “Thank you though.”

“Hey, no problem. Thanks for inviting us over with you today.” Nick looked over again at another honk. “Just text us whenever okay? It was cool meeting you.” 

“Same here.” Jackie waved to both of them, noting that Adrien still seemed the most out of it. 

Whatever conclusion he decided on, she hoped he would be okay. Perhaps she could check in on him later, make sure that he wasn’t losing his mind nearly as much as she felt she was losing hers. 

Jackie waited for the pair of friends to get into the car before pulling out her own phone. She was only there for another few days, destined to leave the crazy city of Amity behind eventually. She could forget her past few days there had ever even happened, that it was just a regular tourist visit to any regular city. 

Jackie could, but it wasn’t in her nature. She was a Weston after all.

Determined despite her shaking fingers, she dialed a familiar number and waited for the voice on the other line to answer. 

After a few rings, she heard a monotone “hi” and the shuffling of papers. 

“Hey Wes.” Jackie checked around her, making sure she was completely alone. “Can we sneak out of your place today? I need you to help me investigate something.” 

“Depends.” He sighed. “Is it worth me getting grounded over?”

“Maybe. Yes.” She took a deep breath. “I need you to help me figure out the connection between Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom. I have an idea but…I want to make sure before saying it.”

The shuffling on the other end went completely still. “You figured it out?”

“That they’re….” She didn’t need to finish the statement. 

“Yeah. You did!” There was the screeching of a chair and choked out laughter. “Forget that. I have all the proof compiled here. I never thought I would see the day when someone-shit.” More laughter. “Come straight to my room once you and Aunt Maddie get back.”

“What’re you gonna show me?” She fidgeted, catching her mom’s car approaching.

“Everything.” Wes’ voice grew conspiratory. “All the proof you’ll ever need to prove Phantom and Fenton are one and the same.”

[spencer-reids-adventures]

Can you do one where its post-prison Reid, and the team has a case inside a prison (sort of like that season 10 episode), and it triggers Reid's Ptsd and he has a panic attack.

cw: panic attack, prison

When he finds out that the majority of their case is going to take place conducting interviews inside a prison, Spencer starts to get nervous. But he brushes it away, because it’s been months, his ordeal is over, and he should be fine. He should be past this.

His anxiety mounts as they enter the facility, but he continues to push it down, deciding that if he doesn’t think about it, it’ll just go away. Somewhere deep down, he knows that’s not how these things work – but he really doesn’t have a choice, at this point.

He’d wondered, at first, if anyone else on the team would object to him being there. If they’d bring it up so he didn’t have to. But it didn’t seem to occur to anyone that this case might be difficult for Spencer, and he wasn’t about to bring it up himself. So he decided to just suck it up and deal with it.

He’s in an interrogation room with Tara, their interview over and the prisoner removed to go back to his cell, when Spencer breaks.

He starts shaking and can’t stop, shoving his hand under the table so Tara can’t see, but soon he’s losing his ability to breathe, too. All he can see are the bars all around him, the concrete walls, the familiar jumpsuits on the prisoners. He can hear people yelling, guards and inmates alike, and the clanging of metal doors.

Worst of all, though, is the smell. There is some distinct smell that prisons share, and Spencer can’t get away from it, can’t stop it calling up the horrible memories, the sense of helplessness, of absolute and utter fear.

“Spencer? Are you okay?”

Spencer realizes he’s laid his head down on the table, and he turns to look up at Tara. She looks concerned, and Spencer doesn’t know what to do.

“No,” he finally manages to say, and that’s all Tara needs before she’s standing up and taking him by the hand.

“C’mon,” she says. “We’re getting you the hell out of here.”

She leads him out of the room, out of the prison, and all the way back to one of the SUVs, tapping out a quick text to let Emily know where they’ve gone. Then she opens the door and ushers Spencer into the vehicle.

“I knew we shouldn’t have made you come here,” she sighs, sliding into the seat behind him. “I’m so sorry, Spencer. I should have said something.”

“Not your job,” Spencer mumbles.

“I beg to differ. It’s all of our job to look out for you, and we failed you this time. I’m really, really sorry.”

“It’s just the smell,” Spencer tells her. “And the sound, and everything, but most of all the smell.”

“Olfactory memories are strong,” Tara confirms. “You won’t have to go back in there. Is there anything I can do for you right now? To help?”

Spencer shrugs. “Put some other smell in my nose,” he says with a small laugh.

“Actually, that I can do,” Tara says. “Why don’t we go get some french fries? Get some food in your stomach and give you something else to smell? The team will be fine without us.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Let’s go. I’ll drive.” She smiles and makes her way up to the driver’s seat, starting the car while Spencer puts his seatbelt on.

It turns out that Tara is right – the french fries help.

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Bring It On Home

Summary: After one of her regular customers catches her boss stealing her tips, the reader gets a job from Jensen. She figures he’s just being a nice guy but after a run in with a stranger they both learn exactly what they really are to one another...

Pairing: Jensen x daughter!reader

Word Count: 10,500ish

Warnings: language, angst, mention of death/drug use/smut/scary situations, fluff

A/N: Felt like putting a little spin on this one! Enjoy!

______

“Mr. Ackles,” you smirked as he wandered up to the counter with a big smile. “I thought you told me not to sell you anymore donuts. I thought you were slimming down for your next role.”

“Oh, I never said such a thing,” he smirked. “You got any of those maple cinnamon creme filled ones left?”

“Looks like we got one left,” you said. He set his starbucks cup and sunglasses down on the counter and pulled out his wallet. “Anything else?”

“Yeah. I’ll take a butterscotch for De and a dozen of the minis for the kiddos,” he said.

“Anything in particular?” you asked as you started to put together his order.

“Surprise me,” he said.

“I’ll go with glazed and chocolate to be safe,” you said. You set the bag and box down, ringing him up. “Oh and I gotta say, I really liked the new album. You guys were really good.”

“Well thank you very much, Y/N,” he smiled. He stuffed a big tip in the jar like he always did and you gave him a look. “Oh I know you saved that donut for me. Don’t pretend.”

“The fact you come in here every single Thursday at 10:07 in the morning when you’re not working and order the same donut every single time? Oh I don’t know who thought to do that,” you said. 

“Mhm. See ya next week, kid,” he said as he headed out.

“Bye, Mr. Ackles,” you said. You saw your manager give you a side eye and you pouted.

“I thought I told you to stop bothering him,” she said.

“He’s nice. It’s a small place. He comes in every week,” you said. She took the money out of the tip jar and shoved it in her pockets. You sighed and heard the door open again, Jensen shaking his head.

“Sorry, left my sunglasses,” he said. He picked them up and paused, staring at the jar. “I just put twenty dollars in there.”

You looked at your manager and she pretended to have to go sign for something. You wiped down the counter and saw him still standing there.

“Can I get you anything else?” you asked. You straightened up and his lip was pursed. 

“Does your boss take your tips?” he asked.

“We pool tips here, Mr. Ackles. You know that,” you said.

“Yeah but you make minimum wage. She doesn’t. Does your boss take a cut of the tips?” he asked. You didn’t say anything but apparently you did. He grumbled and pulled out a twenty, sliding it across the counter. “That’s yours, not hers. While I’m at it, I’m gonna say what I’ve been thinking for like, the entire time you’ve waited on me and just go to school. You are way too smart to be working a job like this the rest of your life.”

“Mr. Ackles you don’t-”

“You don’t ring people up. You do the math in your head. You always give me a total before it pops up on the screen. You got a brain. Use it for something better than this, kid,” he said. 

“Not everyone is fortunate enough to do that,” you said. 

“How old are you?” he asked.

“Twenty two,” you said.

“You got a car?” he asked.

“Yeah?” you said.

“Congratulations. You’re the newest bartender at my brewery. Starts at fifteen bucks an hour,” he said.

“Is that in the morning?” you asked. 

“It’s probably evenings, afternoons. Why?” he asked. 

“I have another job,” you said. “I can’t work later than noon.”

“You can work in the brewery in the morning then. We got a deal?” he asked. You nodded and he pulled a card out of his wallet. “Call me when you’re done with work today and we’ll get you set up, okay?”

“Thank you. This is gonna help so much,” you said. He smiled and nodded. 

“Just hang in there for now. It’ll get better.”

Three Weeks Later

“Good morning,” you heard as you dropped a sack on the floor. You were panting and sweaty, Jensen smiling as he saw you. “Whoa, what are you doing moving those by yourself.”

“My boss said they need to get moved. I was getting started without him was all,” you said.

“Okay your boss is my business partner so I’m like your boss too and no we do not move seventy pound bags by ourselves, understand?” he asked.

“Sorry,” you said, wiping your hand over your face. 

“Are you okay?” he asked. “It’s just a bag on the floor.”

“Yeah. I just don’t want to screw this up,” you said. “I really need the money.”

“Well relax. It’s only your second week,” he said. You nodded and he squatted down, hoisting the bag over his shoulder. He walked it over to where they were being moved and tossed it down. “Come here.”

You scurried over and he crossed his arms, looking back at the pallet of raw hops and the bag by his feet.

“Figure out how to make this more efficient,” he said.

“What?”

“I didn’t hire you because I felt sorry for you and I didn’t do it because you’re stronger than the grown men here. You got a brain and I want you to use it. Figure out a way to make this process better. Tell your boss when you got something,” he said.

“Yes sir,” you said.

“None of that sir shit, kid. Just Jensen, okay?”

“Yeah, sorry,” you said. He rolled his eyes and walked away, a pit forming in your stomach. You were so getting fired. You should have just sucked it up and stayed at the donut shop. You’d quit there and your pizza shop job went away when they closed up last week. You knew you could squeak by until you found another part time job. “Jensen?”

He spun around halfway across the room and you swallowed.

“I’m available in the evenings now. I can bartend too if you still need that,” you said.

“I can give you two shifts a week. Same pay. That work?” he asked.

“Yes that’s great,” you said.

“Good. Figure out the bags, Y/N,” he said before he went off. You felt a little better at least. You stared at the bags and pallet, trying to figure out the best way to get the bags over with all of the equipment in the way.

One Hour Later

“So you figured it out,” said Jensen with a knowing smile after you’d told him about your idea to use the forklift to drive around outside and then back in through the other smaller door to bring the bags over to the other side of the equipment. “Took a little longer than I was expecting.”

You frowned and he chuckled.

“Relax. It was a test,” he said.

“A test?” you said and he hummed. “For what?”

“I think your talents would be better suited for stocking management at the moment. You’re gonna track orders as they come in, manage storage, help the workflow stay on track. Sound good?” he asked.

“Yes. Definitely,” you said.

“People are around to help but I think you’ll do just fine,” he said. “I gotta run. Don’t forget to take a lunch break at some point.”

“Jensen. Thanks for the job. Really,” you said.

“You go to college and then you can thank me,” he said. “See you around, kid.”

One Month Later

“Mmm,” you hummed at the end of your shift tending bar. You were sipping on a can of beer and eating a slice of pizza on the quiet patio, a few people finishing up with their drinks before the place closed up for the night.

“Excuse me,” said an older man, probably in his fifties. You stopped mid-chew and he put on a friendly smile. “I’m sorry to bother you. You just look a lot like someone I know. Well I didn’t know her but…”

“Howdy,” said Jensen as he wandered out from the taproom. It wasn’t lost on anyone how he put himself between you and the man. “Enjoying your night sir?”

“Yes. I was just chatting to the young lady here. I thought I knew her from somewhere…” he trailed off. Jensen looked back at you and you swallowed down the pizza in your mouth.

“She must have one of those faces,” he said. “We’re closing up for the night soon sir.”

“I’m not trying to bother her,” he said.

“I know you’re not,” said Jensen. The man didn’t leave though and he stiffened up. “Sir. The young lady doesn’t want to talk to you. She doesn’t know you. Please return to your table.”

“I do know her though,” he said.

“I’m sorry, I don’t…” you said. 

“Y/N, go inside,” said Jensen. 

“Okay, this is a very awkward situation. But I need to talk to her in private,” said the man. Jensen chuckled but you heard the dark edge to it.

“I need you to leave,” said Jensen.

“I’m a cop.”

“I don’t care if you’re the Easter bunny. You are making my employee uncomfortable,” said Jensen. The man stared at him and then you. Jensen grabbed your arm and started walking inside with you when the man grabbed your hand. “Get your fucking hands off-”

“Y/N, I know your mom,” he said. Jensen kept pulling on you but you shook him off.

“You’re a cop?” you asked as he nodded.

“You’re Y/N, aren’t you,” he said.

“What the fuck is going on?” asked Jensen.

“Y/N, sweetie, we need to call up the Dallas police department right now. There are things you need to know.”

“Things like what?”

Four Hours Later

“Hey kid,” said Jensen as you sat at a conference table in a police station. You stared blankly at the shut file, Jensen setting a candy bar down in front of you. “Didn’t know if you were a chocolate kinda chick.”

“Thank you Jensen,” you said quietly. You didn’t touch it and he bumped your arm.

“You okay?” he asked.

“No,” you said. “Thank you for coming with me to the station and staying. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah well no offense but I was serious about what I said. I wasn’t leaving you alone with some random dude,” he said. “Eat something.”

“I thought I had shitty parents before,” you laughed. “Turns out they fucking killed my mom and took her toddler and pretended I was theirs. What the fuck.”

“I’m not going to pretend to know how you remotely feel right now,” he said. “It’s fucked up. It’s so fucked up.”

“I know,” you said as a detective came in. 

“Y/N, this is the file we worked up on your mom,” he said. He opened a page and you saw Jensen stand out of the corner of your eye.

“That’s her mother?” he said. 

“Abigail Leandry? Yes,” said the detective. Jensen shook his head. “Mr. Ackles, what-”

“Kayla. Kayla,” he said.

“Mr. Ackles, why do you know the deceased’s middle name?” asked the detective. Jensen was practically white now and you stood up, holding onto him.

“Did you know my mom?” you asked. “Jensen, did you know her?”

“Who’s her father?” asked Jensen.

“There’s no father on record. Mr. Ackles are you-” said the detective as Jensen ran his hand over his face. “What is your relation to the victim, Mr. Ackles?”

“I had a one night stand when I was twenty years old,” he said as he looked at you. “She said her name was Kayla.”

“What?” you said. The detective looked at the both of you and stood up. “Where are you going?”

“I think we need to do a paternity test as soon as possible.”

Two Hours Later

“I…” started Jensen for the fifth time as you sat in his passenger seat. You stared at the dashboard, Jensen opening his mouth again. “Y/N...if I knew…”

“I know,” you said. “Can you drive me back to my car now. I want to go home. It’s been a long day.”

“It’s after midnight. Why don’t I drop you off and we can swing by to get your car in the morning,” he said.

“Whatever.” You rested your head on the glass and shut your eyes. He started the truck but it didn’t move.

“We used protection. I wasn’t…” he said.

“It’s not a guarantee. Dude, you’re my dad. Whatever. Just take me home. Please,” you said.

“Where do you live,” he asked quietly. You gave him the address and twenty minutes later you were outside of your apartment, Jensen looking around. You put a hand on the door and he sighed. “Wait.”

“Jensen, I’m tired.”

“I know. I’m about to have a very fun time telling my wife about this. I just...this is not a safe neighborhood for a young woman to live alone in,” he said. “There’s stabbings and shootings around here all the time.”

“I grew up with methhead parents. That was kind of par for the course,” you said. 

“I’m a stranger. I understand. Would you consider…” he said and you opened the door.

“I’m fine, Jensen. Go home. You have a long night still,” you said.

“I’ll pick you up at nine,” he said. You hummed and he leaned over. “Wait. Can I have your number?”

You gave him your phone and he put yours in his before putting his in yours and handing it back.

“Hey,” he said as you started to head inside. You groaned and turned around. He took a deep breath and swallowed. “I’m sorry.”

“Goodnight, Jensen,” you said. You went inside your unit before he could say anything else and locked the door shut. You wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge, nothing in there but a six pack of beer from the brewery. You shook your head and looked in the cabinet, half a bottle of vodka still there. You took it out and poured yourself a glass, wincing as you drank it down.

Maybe you’d be lucky enough to wake up in the morning and find out it was all a nightmare.

“Y/N,” said Jensen as you started work the next morning. You saw Danneel talking with her brother across the room, both of them glancing at you. “Can we talk?”

You nodded and he wandered out back to the employee area, taking a seat at a picnic table. You sat across from him, Jensen bouncing his leg like crazy.

“I thought I should at least tell you...I met Kayla at a club when I was twenty. I was home visiting family and went out with some friends. She was from Houston. We talked, flirted a bit, she was...forward with what she was interested in and being young and stupid like I was, I felt as though I should have at least one one-night stand in my life. I wasn’t...comfortable with it at first but it happened. We used protection and I left and I never really thought of her ever again. Until now obviously.”

“What’s your point, Jensen?” you asked. He bit his bottom lip and stilled his leg.

“We both learned some things last night. We know your mom got involved with drugs. We know that’s why she was killed. The people that raised you probably did it. She has no family left. The people that took you weren’t good and they’re dead and you have no family out there, anywhere. I know you were in a group home when you were sixteen after they died. I know you bounced around a bit and wound up in foster care until you aged out last year. I know your home isn’t safe and your car is older than you.”

“Jensen.”

“I’d like the chance to give you a real dad. I’d like to be there for you the way I should have always been. De and I both do. We can give you everything you need or want,” he said. 

“I understand,” you said. He smiled and you rolled your eyes. “This would look horrible for you if it got out that you have some stray, wouldn’t it. Your grand idea is to pay me off?”

“What?” he asked and you stood up. “Y/N, that’s not-”

“I did just fine my whole life without a real dad. I don’t need one now,” you said. You headed back towards the entrance and he caught up to you grabbing your shoulder.

“Stop. Wait a second. I-” he said as you spun around.

“Leave me alone. I shouldn’t even exist. I will do just fine without you like I always have.” You started walking again and headed to your car, sliding behind the wheel before you knew it. You drove home and sat in your apartment, expecting a call that you’d been fired.

Five minutes after being home you heard a car pull up out front. The doorbell rang and you ignored it. A text came in on your phone which you also promptly ignored.

“Y/N. It’s Jensen,” he said as he knocked on the door. “Kid, I...we don’t gotta be the fucking Brady Bunch. You don’t have to do anything. Just let me try. I’ll do all the work, I swear. I just...I just gotta know you’re okay. I know you’re not. This is so fucked up. You should have had a better life. You should have had me. I would have stopped you from living through all the shit you have. I’m sorry this happened to you.”

You stared at the door and pursed your lips.

“I want to know my daughter. I want to be part of her life. I don’t want to hide you from anyone,” he said. “Let me give you what you deserve.”

You walked over and slowly opened the door, Jensen wearing a worried smile.

“I’m not calling you dad.”

“You don’t have to,” he chuckled. “Can I come in?”

You swung the door open wider and he stepped past you, pausing in the hall as you closed up behind him.

“You live here?” he asked.

“No, I stay here for shits and giggles. Yes I live here,” you said. He stepped past the kitchen and into your family room where you took a seat on the old couch, Jensen spinning around. “Yeah, it’s shitty. I get it.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s in violation of health codes,” he said. He took a seat on the couch and made a face. “Can I push my luck and convince you to move out of here?”

“I don’t need charity, Jensen. You’ve given me enough already,” you said. 

“Parents put a roof over their kids' heads. I’m a few years late so sue me but we gotta get you somewhere better than this,” he said.

“I drink. I swear. I walk around in my underwear and I have adult friends sleepover so there’s no way in hell I’m moving in with you.”

“I have a guest house,” he said. “It’s private. You’re not a child and I’ll do my best to not treat you like one. But it’s safe and nice and you can have your own space...just forty feet from where I live is all.”

You crossed your arms and he put on a pair of sad eyes.

“You’re milking it a bit don’t you think,” you said.

“I’m not acting,” he said. “I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want. I’ll give you money for food and gas and pay for the rest if you don’t want to talk to me. Just give me this. Let me get you out of this shithole.”

“I don’t need saving.”

“I didn’t say I was going to save you. I want to protect you. There’s a difference.”

He set a hand on his leg, turning it palm up. You watched it and after a moment set your hand in his.

“Don’t fuck me over,” you said.

“Not gonna happen,” he said. “Why don’t we run to the store to get some boxes and we can pack up your stuff?”

An hour later you were following Jensen in your car down the driveway of a very nice house. You parked behind him and got out, staring at it and the yard and turning your head to see the multiple cars in his garage.

“Y/N,” said Jensen. He was standing closer, giving you a smile. “We can move the boxes in a minute. Why don’t I show you the guest house first?”

“Okay,” you said. You followed him around a path that went behind the garage, a two story building back there.

“It’s only one bedroom. But it’s got it’s own office on the first floor,” he said. “It’s not that big. You can always stay in the house with the rest of us if you change your mind but I understand wanting your privacy.”

He unlocked the door and you stepped inside, Jensen mentioning something about dust but you were still floored by how nice it was. The kitchen was beautiful and open to the family room. The large wood dining table sat in a cute breakfast nook. There was a fireplace and big windows with a staircase in the back heading up to a second floor.

“...I know it’s a bit plain,” he said and you turned your head, Jensen smiling back at him. “You haven’t heard a word I said, have you.”

“This is too nice. Jensen this is way too nice. I gotta pay you rent for-” you said but he shook his head. “Jensen.”

“I have some contingencies for you staying here. You follow those and I’ll pay for this place and your food and gas. Okay?” he asked.

“What are they?” you asked.

“No big parties. You want to have something small that’s fine but no big blowouts,” he said.

“Do I look like I have a lot of friends?” you asked. 

“I want you to go to school. You can keep your job at the brewery but you’re gonna go to school. I will pay for it but I want you to have an education.”

You pursed your lips but nodded.

“I’m getting you a new car, one much safer. Lastly, if you see the kids, please try not to swear in front of them. They’re young and we do our best to not do that around them,” he said.

“Fine,” you said. “Don’t expect me to start having big family dinners or that kind of thing.”

“I understand. I’ll move the boxes and um, maybe you can make up a list of things you need for me to get at the store.”

“I have everything I need in the boxes,” you said.

“You have one pan and like three plates,” he said.

“Yeah?” you asked. 

“Y/N, that’s not normal.”

“You realize this isn’t normal right?” you said as you looked around. 

“If you change your mind...I’m gonna get your things, let you unpack,” he said. He left and ten minutes later you had four boxes by the door, Jensen excusing himself away. You unpacked your kitchen items, knowing he might have had a point. But he was buying absolutely everything for you and it was a little ridiculous. 

You took your bag of clothes upstairs, swallowing when you saw the bedroom and bathroom up there. It was like it was out of a magazine. There was even a small balcony off the room. You stepped out and looked around at a yard and saw a pool off in the distance. 

There was no way in Hell you belonged in a place like that.

That Evening

You were cooking dinner for yourself with the over abundance of groceries Jensen had left at the door earlier when you heard a knock. You moved the pan off the heat and opened up, Jensen standing there with a smile.

“Can I help you?” you asked.

“We’re about to have dinner if you’d like to join us,” he said. 

“You said I don’t have to talk to anyone if I don’t want to.”

“I know. I just wanted to offer. It’s your first...are you cooking?” he asked as he saw into the kitchen.

“Yes. I appreciate the offer but no thank you,” you said. 

“I literally just gave you some extra pantry staples for the night before I can run to the store in the morning. You’re making dinner out of that stuff?” he asked.

“Yes?” you said. “You gave me pasta and olive oil. I will survive for the night.”

“You’re making pasta in a pan?” he asked.

“Yes. You put water in the pan and put in some pasta. It’s like magic,” you said.

“Alright. I’ll see you in the morning then,” he said. You shut the door on him and went back to the stove. You stared at the messy pan and turned the stove off. You sat down on the couch with your head in your hands.

He had never, never been anything but nice to you when you were a complete stranger. Of course he was going to go overboard since he found out you were his kid. You were being bitchy for no reason and he was still being nice.

There was a knock at the door but you saw him walk past the window. You got up and opened the door, a large pot sitting on the small bench by the door. He was halfway across the grass and you swallowed.

“Jensen?” you called out. He spun around and smiled.

“Keep it,” he said.

“What...what are you having? For dinner?”

“Pork roast with mashed sweet potatoes and roasted veggies. S’pretty good,” he said. “We got ice cream for dessert.”

You bit your bottom lip and he walked over to you, frowning as he stared down.

“I don’t blame you for not having much faith in people or being cautious of me. I really don’t. But I am your dad and you are my daughter. To you that means nothing. I understand. But you’re one of the most important things in my life now. It can be one sided if you want that. It can be that simple if you want that. Like I said, you can ignore me the rest of my life if you want and I would never blame you. But I can give you more than a place to stay and money. There’s shit a lot more important than those things. You can have it if you want it. Just come on inside if you decide you do.”

You crossed your arms and looked down. He didn’t leave yet and you took a few deep breaths.

“I’ve never really trusted anyone before,” you said. “I’m not...I do want a family, Jensen. I do. But my life isn’t like this. I dropped out of high school and got a GED. I have hookups most nights. I’m probably going to get pregnant, marry the guy, have another kid, get divorced, live in a small old apartment while working two jobs and that’s my life. That’s gonna be life, Jensen. I’ve known that’s gonna be my life since I was a kid. I don’t have goals or dreams. I’m just here because you feel guilty and I can take advantage of that right now. I’m gonna push back and push back until you throw me out or I leave because I’m not gonna trust you. I’m never going to trust you, Jensen. You don’t have to feel bad about this situation. You don’t. You did nothing wrong. I’m not supposed to even be here. I think it’s better if you just gave me some money and I’ll leave and you never have to think about me ever again.”

“I’m gonna think about you everyday for the rest of my life,” he said. “You deserve a better life than what you described. You deserve a good job and to fall in love and have children because you want to. I want you, Y/N not out of guilt. I only feel guilty I wasn’t there for you. I want you because you’re my daughter and I love you. It’s all there is to it.”

You sighed and heard thunder in the distance. 

“You can stay in the house. You can live with us. We’d love it if you did,” he said. You looked back at the guest house. For the first time you noticed the bags of concrete stacked up on the side. 

“You were gonna tear it down, weren’t you,” you said.

“We didn’t need it. It was gonna be an extra garage space. But that’s-”

“Will I have my own room?” you asked quietly. “In the house.”

“Yes. Your own room, bathroom, big closet. Your own part of the house.”

“...How do I know you’re telling the truth?” you asked.

“You don’t. Have dinner with us. Talk to your siblings. Maybe they can give you some insight,” he said. You walked past him as a light rain came down, Jensen showing you in the back door and up a set of stairs. There were a pair of toddlers at a table, an older girl in the kitchen with Danneel as they dished up some plates. “Y/N’s going to join us.”

“That’s great,” said Danneel as she handed the girl a plate. “JJ, would you give that to Y/N and get her some silverware?”

“Sure,” she said. She walked over to you and you took the plate. “Are you mom and dad’s friend?”

“She’s your sister,” said Jensen as he helped in the kitchen. He put down a glass at an empty chair and you took a seat, JJ returning quickly with a fork and knife.

“You’re kinda old,” she said as she set them down.

“You’re kinda short,” you said.

“Am not,” she said as she went to her seat.

“Yeah you are,” said the littlest girl. Jensen had brought her in to get donuts a few times and you saw her recognize you. “Hi!”

“Hi Arrow,” you said with a smile.

“JJ, Arrow, Zepp,” said Jensen as he leaned over the back of her chair and poured a glass of water for you from the carafe. “This is Y/N and she’s gonna be around quite a bit more we hope.”

“Okay. Who’s your favorite princess?” asked Arrow. 

“Hm. That’s a tough one. I don’t know if she qualifies as a princess but I always liked Rapunzel,” you said as Jensen and Danneel carried over their plates. “Who’s your favorite?”

An hour later you were still discussing Disney characters with the kids, Jensen scooping up the twins under each arm.

“Daddy,” groaned Zeppelin as he was spun upside down. “We were playing.”

“You two and your sister need baths, stinkers, and then a bedtime story. How’s that sound?” he asked.

“Can Y/N read it?” he asked as he looked at you. 

“Sure,” you said.

“Yay!” he said.

“We’ll be about half an hour with these guys. If you want to come up I can show you your space,” said Jensen. You nodded and followed them all upstairs. Danneel went off with JJ down a hall, Jensen nodding towards one end. “That’s me and De over there. Kids are down that hall and the guest suite and loft is to the right.”

“Thanks,” you said. You wandered down the hall and found a large open space with a couch and TV, more of an adult hang out space from the looks of it. There was a door nearby and you opened it, walking into a large bedroom with a canopy bed. “Holy shit.”

It was nicer than the guest house and you walked around, stepping into a beautiful on suite bathroom with double vanities, a separate shower and a giant ass tub. The walk in closet was huge and you were absolutely in love with the wide window bench and bookcases.

“Hey,” said Jensen behind you. You spun around and saw him sporting a partially wet shirt. “You like it?”

“It’s warm,” you said. 

“Well feel free to move some clothes and stuff in for the night. There’s a few raincoats in the front hall closet downstairs. I gotta try and get these three washed before the storm hits,” he said.

“It’s no problem,” you said. He smiled and started to leave when you took a step forward. “Jensen?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry about before, how I acted and what I said. No one’s ever taken care of me and not wanted something in return,” you said. 

“Apology accepted. All I will ever want is you to be happy. We’ll get there eventually,” he said. He left and after exploring the room for a few more minutes, you took a raincoat from the front closet and went outside, packing up most of your things and bringing them up to your new room. You’d just set a box down when a toddler in a pair up pull ups ran into your room.

“Y/N, can I have a story now?” asked Zeppelin. 

“Zepp...Zeppy…” you heard Jensen call from somewhere else. 

“You wanna show me your room and then I can tell you a story?” you asked. He grabbed your hand and pulled you out, Jensen sighing as he found you in the hall. “I got him.”

“Well someone needs his pajamas on,” said Jensen. Zeppelin grumbled but he did tug on his shirt at least once you were in his room. Jensen tugged his pants on and Zeppelin rushed over to his bookcase, picking out one and handing it to you. He crawled up in bed and you sat on the stool nearby, reading and showing him the pages for about ten minutes before you watched him close his eyes and huff quietly.

“Night, little guy,” you said. You put the book on his nightstand and set the stool back. Jensen smiled and flicked the light off by the door, a nightlight keeping the space dimly lit. He shut the door and you were quiet as you saw Danneel duck out of a room. He nodded and you followed the two of them to the loft area, taking a seat on the end of the couch as he settled into a chair, Danneel sitting close by.

“I think Zepp’s a fan,” she said with a smile. “I think they all are.”

“Kids don’t tend to be the problem in these situations,” you said. You looked at her and she nodded. “Are you...okay-”

“I would much rather have you stay in this house than out there by yourself. You’ve been on your own enough,” she said. 

“What was your reaction?” you asked as you quickly glanced to Jensen.

“A bit of shock. But I saw the test results and he has…” she said, Jensen nodding. “He mentioned once when you first started working at the brewery about feeling protective of you. We both assumed it was because you were young and on your own and trying to get by. I’ve never been quite that bad but when he first started out after he left home, things were tight for him. We understand struggling a bit. Not to the same extent as you obviously but we get it. Now with what you know, I think there was some paternal instinct coming out he didn’t quite see.”

“In my experience, parents aren’t good things. My life got better after them,” you said. “But I’m willing to try if he is.”

“All of us will,” said Jensen. “It’ll take time which will be the hard part probably but if you allow us, we can be parents to you too. We won’t make rules for you. You’re an adult and we’ll treat you like one. But we’ll treat you like our child too. De and I will probably screw that up sometimes so all I ask is that you let us slip up from time to time and hopefully this can turn out the way we hope it does.”

“Do I have to go to college?” you asked. Jensen glanced to Danneel and back at you. “I don’t have the best grades and I literally dropped out my senior year. Does a community college even take a GED?”

“I was thinking more like UT,” he said. You laughed and he raised an eyebrow.

“You’re serious? I didn’t even take SATs or ACTs or…” you trailed off as you turned to Danneel who shrugged. “I can’t.”

“Yes you can.”

“No, I can’t,” you scoffed. You gripped the corner of the armchair and he sighed. “I can’t-”

“Shh,” he said as he got up. He squatted down in front of you and smiled. “Don’t be scared. We’ll figure it out together, all of us. That room over there? That is your bedroom now and no one will ever kick you out of it. I don’t want you leaving until you’re ready and I think we all know you’re a long way away from that. I believe you can go to school and do anything you want to. I’ll believe for the both of us right now, okay?”

“I’m too stupid. I don’t fit in aside from with sleazy guys,” you said.

“I disagree with that,” he said. “Trust me?”

You sighed but gave him a nod. 

“I know it’s been a long day and you didn’t get a lot of sleep last night but there is a bowl of ice cream downstairs with your name on it if you’re interested,” he said. 

“Maybe. I’d like to wash up,” you said. “I know today was kind of busy but I still have work in the morning right?”

“Don’t worry about work right now. We go it covered,” said Danneel. “I can show you where stuff is in your bathroom.”

You swallowed but nodded, following her back into your room and the bathroom. A part of you was expecting her to say something about wanting you gone. After all you technically weren’t hers. You were barely Jensen’s. 

“There’s a bunch of stuff like soap and shampoo and that kind of stuff in here,” she said, opening up a tall cabinet door. “Towels are up top. There’s not a hair dryer in here but I can just drop mine off outside on your bed if you want?”

“Air dry is fine,” you said quietly.

“Honestly I do the same most of the time,” she said. “There are some pads and tampons under the sink but I gotta run to a few stores in the morning anyways so maybe you can come with and we can get whatever brand you like.”

“I don’t…” you said as she cocked her head. “I get all my supplies from a free clinic. I can’t...I couldn’t afford that brand name stuff before.”

“Oh,” she said. She made a strange face and shook her head. “Well we can try them out until we find one you like.”

“Okay,” you said. 

“If you need anything just let me know,” she said. She walked past you but you heard her pause in the doorway. “Y/N a bit of advice.”

You turned around and waited for her to drop the nice act. 

“Yeah?”

“Stay away from sleazy guys. They just want sex. They don’t care about you.”

“I know that.”

“Then do me a favor and the next time you spend the night with a guy, do it cause you feel a connection with him. There’s a difference.”

“I get that too.”

“Then why sleep around?”

“Because I’ll take a fake connection over no connection.”

“You don’t need a man to be happy,” she said. “Jensen and I spend a lot of time apart.”

“What is your point?” you sighed.

“Don’t fuck random guys cause you’re lonely. You might not realize this yet but you’re never gonna be alone ever again. Get used to us cause you’re fucking ours and we want better for you than a random fuck. You got that?”

“You don’t talk to me the way Jensen does,” you said quietly.

“Because he’s in pain right now and he is so scared of setting you off. I on the other hand know what it’s like to be a young woman. I won’t tell you not to have your fun. But have it with somebody special. Good guys do exist. Good dads exist. He’s not gonna hurt you. You said you’d try out there so please try.”

“Do you wish I would go?”

“I wish someday you realize what a silly question that is to be asking,” she said. “I might barely be old enough to be your mother but you didn’t just get a dad with this. You have him and you have me and three half-siblings and a whole shitload of other people. So the next time you’re lonely, you come to one of us and maybe the next guy you sleep with you can do it cause he’s a good guy. Understand?”

“Yes,” you said. She nodded and started to leave when you cleared your throat. “Danneel?”

“Yeah?” she asked as she turned around.

“Where do you meet nice guys? I haven’t had much luck,” you said. 

“You’re young. Don’t worry about it, sweetie,” she said as some thunder shook the house. “Wash up at the sink. Jensen gets a wee paranoid about showers in thunderstorms.”

“I’m the same way,” you said.

“You two must be related or something,” she smirked.

“Seriously,” you said.

“Aw, you got his bitch face too,” she laughed. “Come down when you’re ready. We’ll save you some ice cream.”

“Thanks,” you said. She shut the bedroom door after herself and you took out a few things from the cabinet along with what you’d brought along. Fifteen minutes later your face was washed and you’d changed into pajamas, a pair of old sweatpants and a free shirt you’d gotten from the brewery. You threw your hair up in a bun and took a deep breath. 

You wandered out of the room and down the hall, getting mixed up for a moment before you found the stairs down. Danneel was sitting on the countertop with a bowl in her hand, Jensen busy decorating his own with crumbled up cookies.

“Hey,” he said. He slid the bowl across the counter and stuck a spoon in it. “Prepare to be amazed.”

“Mhm,” you said. You scooped up a spoonful and took a bite, tilting your head. “Is that...whiskey?”

“Just a smidge. That, vanilla ice cream and some cookies on top? So good,” he said as he started to make himself a bowl. “We were away once back in De’s neck of the woods and had it at dinner once. Obviously my version is superior…” he said as he got a whack from Danneel. “It’s a pretty good knock off.”

“Jensen always manages to pick out the best desserts. Meanwhile I always pick the weird ones,” she laughed.

“Oh next time we’re in New York we gotta take her to that hole in the wall place,” said Jensen. 

“New York City?” you asked.

“Mhm,” he hummed. You sat up on the counter across from Danneel and sucked on your spoon, Jensen taking a spot near you when he’d finished. “How’d you end up down here. You were in Dallas up until last year weren’t you.”

“Yeah. A couple friends were gonna move down here so I went with them. I thought a new place might be good for me. They turned out to not be great friends so I wound up in an assisted place,” you said.

“Well I’m glad you came,” he said. “You been a lot of places yet?”

“Not really,” you said.

“You ever been to Franklin’s?” asked Danneel. “The barbecue place?”

“I’ve never been out to eat,” you said.

“Ever?” she asked.

“Sometimes we’d sit in McDonald’s,” you said.

“Well we’re definitely going out to dinner tomorrow,” said Jensen. “We can get whatever you like.”

“That sounds good,” you said. You took a few more bites and watched the lights flicker. 

“Uh oh,” he said just as the power went out. You stilled as he slid off the counter in the dark. They both moved around as you sat still, a lamp turning on nearby. You jumped and Jensen chuckled. “Ah, there we go. That’s…”

You jumped off the counter when he ran a hand over your head.

“It’s-“

“I don’t like the dark,” you said. You set the bowl down and started to walk around, bumping into him and then Danneel. “I don’t…”

You stepped over to the lamp on the table, taking a seat and a few deep breaths.

“Jay.”

Jensen went off into another part of the house, returning with two more camping lamps. He turned them on and the room got brighter.

“There we go, that’s better isn’t it?” asked Jensen. Danneel brought over your ice cream and you took a deep breath. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Just don’t like the dark,” you said. You squeezed your leg and relaxed, Jensen wandering off, returning with a flashlight. He sat it next to you as you picked up your spoon and began eating again. There was a flutter of feet upstairs for a moment and you heard a whimper come from the top of the steps. Danneel got up and went over to the bottom, looking up with a frown.

“How about you sleep in your sister’s room tonight?” she asked as she went up. You finished with your bowl, Jensen leaning back in his chair.

“He’s scared of the dark too,” said Jensen. 

“I’m not scared. I said I don’t like it.”

“Alright. It’s not an interrogation,” he said. He ate from his bowl, keeping a side eye on you. “You know we have a security system and protection here.”

“You’re rich, of course you do,” you said. You stared down to an empty hall and he grabbed the flashlight. He clicked it on and pointed it down there. You rolled your eyes and sat back. Jensen set the extra cookies on the table, adding more to his ice cream as you stared down the dark hall again. 

“Y/N. There’s nobody here,” he said. 

“I know that,” you said. 

“It’s okay to be scared of the dark you know.” He popped a cookie in his mouth and you gave him a glare. Thunder cracked and you jumped in your seat. He moved over to the chair next you and you shut your eyes. “Can I give you a hug?”

“What?”

“Is it okay if I give you a hug?” he asked.

“No,” you said. 

“Okay.” You got up and flinched when it thundered again. You started to wander around the kitchen, Jensen watching you like a hawk. You found a seat at the counter and stared down the hall, pouting when you heard him get up. “Don’t kick my ass for this.”

“Kick your ass for what?” you said just as he stopped by your seat and wrapped his arms around you. You took a deep breath and he turned you so you weren’t facing the hall. You looked up at him and he smiled.

“Come on,” he said. He pulled you out of your seat and walked over to the couch with an arm around you. You sat down next to him, Jensen pulling a blanket draped over the back onto you.

“Don’t…” you said when he hugged you again. He leaned back and you took a deep breath. He nodded and moved his arms away.

“I think I understand why you don’t like the dark,” he said. 

“I just...I don’t know you either.”

“I know but I’m your dad.”

“That doesn’t mean jackshit to me.”

“In my world it does. If you want a hug and me to sit with you while we wait for the power to come back on, that’s up to you.” 

“Fine,” you mumbled. You turned to him and groaned. “I said fine, you can hug me.”

“I see you’re just as stubborn as I am sometimes,” he said. He moved closer and pulled you into his side. After a few minutes you relaxed, watching the lightning outside the windows. “Feelin’ better?”

“There was a drug dealer my parents owed money to once. He took me when it was storming one night as collateral. They didn’t pay him back on time but he felt sorry for me or something so he dropped me off at a fire station. I said I ran away.”

“How old were you?”

“Five, six. Somewhere around there,” you said. 

“He took you from your house?” asked Jensen.

“I mean, we never lock a door. It was a roof and four walls. I’d barely call it liveable,” you said.

“Did you tell the police?”

“Jensen,” you said, tilting your head up at him. “My parents were big druggies. We didn’t call the cops. That sort of thing just didn’t happen in our environment.”

“Have you ever…” he asked. 

“No. I mean...I’ve had a hit or two off a joint before but no, no drugs. I didn’t like the weed that much either to be honest,” you said.

“You said you drink earlier today.”

“Like a beer a night, not even.”

“Just getting to know you...and see that there must have been someone that taught you not to be that way.”

“I had a grandma. She was nice. She was normal. She tried to get custody of me a few times but my parents threatened to stop letting her see me. I guess they weren’t really my parents, were they.”

“No, not really,” he said. He ran his hand over your head and you saw Danneel come back down. She took a seat in the corner with the package of cookies and set a lamp down on the coffee table. “How’s the boy?”

“Tuckered out in lil sis’ bed,” she said. “The battery on his nightlight was dead so he woke up in the dark.”

“Well the dark can be scary. I guarantee at least two of them wind up in bed with us by the time the night’s through.”

You were quiet as they talked about plans for tomorrow, who was going to do what chores, talking amongst themselves about where to take you for dinner. Jensen nudged you and you glanced up, a smile on his face.

“You want to go shopping with De tomorrow?” he asked.

“Sure,” you said. You listened to the rain come down harder and breathed deeply. You tensed up when Jensen shifted but he put his hand back on your head and shushed you. “I’ve kinda always wanted to try brisket.”

“I think we’re getting barbecue for dinner then,” he said. The lights turned back on and you let out a sigh, Jensen rubbing your back as you sat up. “Go ahead and keep one of those lamps and the flashlight in your room in case it happens again.”

“Thanks,” you said as you stood. “I’ll uh, see you guys tomorrow then.

“See you in the morning, Y/N.”

Six Months Later

“Jensen,” you said as you leaned back against the outdoor grill. 

“Y/N…” he said as you scooted over more towards the countertop. “Yes honey?”

“Who’s that guy, the young one,” you said as you nodded out to the yard where a few tables were set up, people standing around.

“Baby face over there is Alex. He worked on the last couple seasons of the show with me. I’ve been meaning to have him and the rest of the wacky nutjobs over for awhile now. You’re a big girl, you can say hi to my friends if you want,” he said as he flipped a burger.

“Mhm,” you hummed, looking over your shoulder. You saw him talking to Jared with a beer in his hand. His head turned and he saw you, flashing you a quick smile. You returned it and heard a grunt.

“He’s six years older than you,” said Jensen as he sipped from his can.

“I literally dated a like forty year old last year.”

“Gah, why, why do you tell me things like that, I…” he trailed off when he saw you giggling to yourself. “Okay you little shit, how about this?”

“How about-”

“Hey Alex! Y/N wants to talk to you!” shouted Jensen out to the yard so just about every person there turned in your direction.

“I’m eating your brownie now,” you said. You grabbed the chocolate square off the plate nearby and popped it into your mouth as he put his hands on his hips.

“You’re making me more later, missy,” he said. He ruffled your hair and messed it up just as you caught Alex walk over.

“I am so sorry for him,” you said as you tried to fix the strands.

“You have to live with him. I feel sorry for you,” he laughed. “Alex.”

“Y/N,” you said. You took your beer and walked over towards the pool, Alex smirking to himself. “What? How bad did he mess up my hair?”

“Oh you’re perfect. It’s just nice to have someone to share the pain with,” he said. “He was really excited to find out about you you know. Like obnoxiously excited.”

“He’s alright,” you said with a shrug. You turned and looked back at the grill where he was working, Danneel coming out with Arrow on her hip. “They’ve grown on me. You must be an actor then if you’re at the first annual SPN whatever he and Jared are calling this.”

“They told me free beer and I was sold,” he said. “But yeah, I act. Kinda model every once in a while but that sounds really douchey so I try not to talk about it much.”

“Legit both Jay and De did it so my shock of all things Hollywood has kind of wavered by this point,” you said. “What’s California like? Is it as hot as here?”

“Not as bad. I’m from Canada actually,” he said. “The not too cold part which is nice.”

“I would take a cold day every once in a while,” you said. “How long are you here for?”

“About a week. I was gonna roadtrip down to a place called Galveston one day. Apparently it’s a beach town on the gulf. I thought that’d be fun,” he said.

“We went last month. It was so cool. I’d never been to a beach before or seen the ocean. There’s this place with amazing chili cheese fries. You gotta try them at night when it gets a bit cooler out,” you said. “My dad knows the name. I’ll have to…”

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’ve never called Jensen dad before is all,” you said. You bit your bottom lip and Alex smiled.

“Between you and me, he’s really grateful you guys found each other. He loves you a lot. I know it’s gotta be a thousand kinds of weird but he is really, really proud of you. He brags about you all the time in the group chat.”

“Of course he does. He’s a dork.”

“Oh I one hundred percent agree with that,” he chuckled. He took a sip of his beer and tilted his head. “I know this is like super spur of the moment but would you want to like, go to the beach with me? Some of the guys were gonna come that were sticking around here but if you’re free…”

“I don’t know,” you said as you rubbed the back of your neck. “Like I would totally hang out with you. It’s just like the adult trip, you know? It’s for you guys. Besides I was supposed to watch my siblings that day,” you said.

“Well of course you can come,” said Jensen as he popped up behind you. You flinched and he had two plates with burgers on them, handing you each one. “She loved the beach. Turned into a little kid. She made a sandcastle that-”

“Jensen,” you groaned, your face hot as he cleared his throat. 

“We’ll get a sitter. You can ride with Alex,” he said. He patted your back and walked off as you sighed.

“Oh my God,” you said. Alex just laughed as he took a bite of his burger. You knew you were blushing and prayed that he didn’t notice.

“So how’s school?” he asked.

“You see that one up there? That’s Leo,” said Alex, hours and hours later. You were sitting on the edge of the pool with your feet in the water, everyone else hanging out on the other side of the house around the bonfire.

“If I ever take Astrology as an elective I’ll be sure to call you to help me study,” you said. You leaned back on your palms, Alex laughing.

“You’re the one smarter than me,” he said. 

“When I apply myself it turns out I actually am,” you said. “Mostly. A business degree isn’t very fascinating though.”

“No but it’s security which I think is really good thing for you.”

“Why?”

“Sounds like you grew up rough was all. It’s not a bad thing to have something solid to fall back on, something safe,” he said. 

“This is very true. There is a guy that runs one of the food trucks that comes to the brewery, he keeps trying to convince me to open up a restaurant with him once I get my degree.”

“Do you want to?”

“No but he’s sweet so I try to let him down gently.”

“He your boyfriend?”

“No. Don’t have one,” you said.

“Cool.”

“Was that your subtle way of seeing if I was single?” you asked.

“Seems to have worked,” he smirked. You moved closer and he did the same until you paused. “Sorry. I read this wrong.”

“No, you didn’t. I just...you’re the kind of guy that takes someone out on dates and waits and is slow and nice and...you’re a good guy, right? I can’t deal with a-”

He pecked a soft kiss to your lips, lingering for a moment before he pulled back. He smiled and kicked his feet in the water.

“You’re cute when you blush,” he said. You bumped his arm and he bumped yours back. “You are.”

“Loser,” you said.

“Gonna push you in the ocean for that,” he smirked. He gave your hand a squeeze and pulled his feet out of the water. “Let’s hang out by the fire. It’s getting cold over here anyways.”

“Okay,” you said gently. He pulled you to your feet and you giggled. “I don’t know why I just did that.”

“It’s alright. I like that sound,” he said. He let go of your hand as you got closer to the fire, Alex stopping with you at the table with some leftover desserts still out. “I uh, I’m not perfect...or have a degree...or am tall.”

“Don’t really give a shit about that stuff,” you said. 

“Good,” he said. You swiped some cookies for yourselves and found an empty pair of chairs together, the group getting quiet when you sat but Jensen shockingly not using the opportunity to tease you. 

“That it?” you asked as you came back inside from taking out a bag of trash a few hours later.

“Yup. Thanks for helping us clean up,” said Jensen. You stretched and headed upstairs, hearing a tut from him along the way. “He’s a good friend. Just go slow, okay?”

“I know,” you said. “Goodnight. Dad.”

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

___________

[idy-ll-ique]

Sweet Little Love.

Pairing: Bodyguard!Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Genre: Fluff, Lil Angst

Warnings: brief mention of violence

Requested: nope

Summary: The Y/L/Ns are a well-off family in New York, and are good friends with Sam Wilson. One day Y/N is threatened by a stalker and needs a bodyguard, so Sam suggests Bucky. Bucky doesn't want to do it; the last thing he wants is to deal with a spoiled, bratty rich girl for a whole month. The only thing is, Bucky has terribly misjudged her and now he can't help falling in love with her.

Author's Note: Hiya peeps! the last scene is just a small bonus crack!scene sjsjsjs lmao, enjoy!

---

If there was one type of person Bucky liked, it was someone who was kind, polite, helpful and caring… and Bucky knew the person he was going to work for was going to be none of those things. "Sam, come on, man, I don't want to do this," Bucky groaned as he followed his best friend down the street. "I already promised, Bucky."

"Why did you?! I don't want to spend my whole day around spoiled little brats, they're the worst!" Bucky threw his hands up in surrender. "Okay, number one: You have to look after only one person and number two: Why don't you just meet her once? Then you can decide for yourself, how about that?"

Bucky had been hired by one of Sam's friends, Mr Y/L/N, as a bodyguard for his daughter. He didn't know the daughter at all; but the one thing he was sure about was that she was going to be a pain in the ass for him, like in every single movie about rich girls and bodyguards. Mouthy, petty, sassy, rude…

He was in no mood to deal with someone like that.

Ms Y/L/N, he assumed, had been sent some threats over a week ago by a stalker and so the poor father was worried sick as he frantically searched for bodyguards. Sam was also informed and before he knew it, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes was hired. To be honest, the Y/L/Ns were paying a lot so… since he had given up Avenging, the income would be great.

Plus, she only needed protection for around a month or so. Speaking of the daughter, how old was she even going to be? Maybe a child below 10? A rebellious teenager? Who knows? "Alright, stop here. She's supposed to be here somewhere, let me call Y/L/N." Bucky huffed and looked around the crowded streets as Sam contacted the father.

That's when his eyes landed on a lady. She was beautiful; wearing what looked like a tennis skirt and a university hoodie, along with sneakers. Her hair was pulled into a braid and she had a bright smile on her face. Bucky blinked twice and watched. Her body or clothes didn't catch his attention, but her actions sure did.

She was chatting with another, older woman who had coffee spilled all over her white tee. The young lady was holding a baby in her arms, bouncing the sweet child as the older woman hurriedly tried to clean her clothes. Through his super-soldier hearing, he caught their conversation. "I'm so sorry to bother you like this," the woman sighed.

"It's okay, ma'am, you are not a bother. You were clearly in need of help and you know how New York is…" Both women giggled. The older woman soon left with her child but the young lady continued standing there, looking around, as if waiting for someone. Probably a boyfriend, Bucky thought.

"Why is he not picking up?!"

Bucky rolled his eyes at Sam before looking over at the pretty lady again, who had started bouncing back and forth on her heels, glancing everywhere. That's when a loud wail echoed above the already busy street. The lady's eyes snapped towards the voice before she took off running towards a little boy who had tripped over.

The little kid was blond and scrawny, reminding Bucky of a little Steve. He smiled fondly at the memory. "Are you hurt, bubba?" Y/N asked the kid adoringly as she helped him stand. The boy's lower lip wobbled as he tried to hold his tears in but was unsuccessful. "Aw, come here…" Bucky gulped when the lady got on her knees and hugged the child.

She's so kind.

The kid hugged back just as eagerly, sobbing into her shoulder. Soon, two adults approached her; a gay couple, the parents of the kid. They, too, watched with appreciation as the lady easily calmed the kid down with her soothing presence. An involuntary smile bloomed on Bucky's face; if he was in that kid's position, he'd have stopped crying too. The lady was wonderful.

"Thank you so much, honey," one of the men grinned when the lady stood up, dusting her knees and giving the kid a smile. "Oh, it's not a problem! You know what?" She dug around in her purse and pulled out a lollipop. "I always have some on me. I'm a big fan. You?" The boy giggled and eagerly accepted the candy.

"Steve, what do you say?"

Bucky almost laughed. The kid's name was also Steve? Amazing! "Thank you!" Steve exclaimed with a bright smile, making the lady laugh. "No problem! Have a good day!" She waved at the family of three before returning to her original place, standing outside a café. Bucky was enamored at this point.

"Any luck?" he drawled, glancing at Sam who shook his head. "That dick," he grumbled under his breath and Bucky grinned, getting back to watching the pretty lady but she was nowhere to be found. He looked around until he saw her crossing the road, an old man holding her arm with one hand as the other held his walking cane.

She was on his side of the street now, just a few feet away from him. "You are an angel, darling," the old man crooned as he patted her cheek, letting go of her arm once he was safely on the other side. An angel indeed, Bucky smiled to himself. "Oh, sir, I try…" she spoke bashfully, turning in his direction as the man left.

Bucky quickly averted his gaze, he didn't want to look like a creep. "Sam? Sam, is that you? Wilson!" Bucky froze at the lady's voice, her footsteps nearing the place where he and Sam were standing. Wait, is that...? Sam looked away from his phone, eyes lighting up as they landed on the lady. "Y/N? When did you arrive?" Bucky watched as they hugged.

"Been here for a long time, dad said you were going to introduce me to my bodyguard today. He's a good friend of yours, right?" Sam turned and motioned towards Bucky. He stepped forward. "Hi, I'm James Barnes," he introduced himself, holding his hand out. He couldn't believe he had called this angel a spoiled, rich brat.

I'm never gonna forgive myself.

"James, nice to meet you! I'm Y/N Y/L/N. Thanks for doing this, I'm probably going to be a burden—" He immediately shook his head. "Oh, no no no, don't say that! I can tell we're going to be good friends." He winked and she couldn't help but giggle. Bucky didn't even correct her on the name, something about the way she said it made a shiver run down his spine.

"Well, um, do we start now, or…?"

"Your choice," he interrupted, hands shoved in the pockets of his coat as he stared at her, heart swelling with affection. "I already feel safe," she half-joked, "Start now. I have a few places to go to…" He was ready to follow her to Hell and back. "Of course." Both of them turned to Sam, who had a knowing smirk on his face.

If it were anyone else Bucky would've given him his infamous glare but Y/N? He was hoping for a connection. "You two enjoy your date— I mean, day. Anyway, what's up with your dad, girl, he's not picking up my calls." Bucky rolled his eyes at the slip up. "He's not? Maybe he's in a meeting. If you want you can go visit."

"Gonna do just that, tell him that his precious little daughter is in safe hands." Y/N looked at Bucky with a huge smile. "No doubt about that! It's getting late, I'll see you later!" Y/N started walking away and Bucky immediately followed with a nod towards Sam. "Hey, um, I saw you, you know?" he blurted out.

"Saw me? Doing what?" Y/N blinked. "You helping the lady with the child, the kid who tripped over— Steve, his name was? And the old man you helped cross the street. I just wanna say that was amazing. You're a great person, Y/N, I'm honored to be your bodyguard." She gasped softly and looked away, chewing her bottom lip as she grinned, cheeks heating up.

"Oh, um, it's just— I like to help people. It's how my parents raised me. Yeah, we might be rich but I'm not spoiled. Lots of people think that when I tell them I'm Mr Y/L/N's daughter. It hurts sometimes, you know? People just assume anything about you without even knowing you. That's why I try to be good. I don't want to be a bad person," she rushed out, unconsciously voicing all her insecurities.

Bucky's heart sank in his chest as he let out a dry chuckle. "Ugh, just saying this is gonna make me throw up but I assumed that too. I thought I was gonna work with a spoiled, rich brat. I was horribly, horribly wrong, I hope you can forgive me, doll." She turned to him, but she wasn't mad in the slightest. She even started getting a tiny crush on him, I mean, hey, the man is eye-candy. "It's fine! I forgive you, you didn't know."

"No, it's not fine. I shouldn't have made assumptions, I feel like the biggest ass in the world," he scoffed, looking away from her. "James, please, it's okay. You know now, right? Don't feel bad! Why don't we stop for a coffee on the way?" How could he say no to that?

---

2 weeks passed. Y/N and Bucky became incredibly close friends; Bucky went as far as revealing the truth about himself, how he used to be an Avenger, how he lost his arm, everything. What he didn't expect was her to cry at his story. "You did not deserve to go through that, they did you so dirty…" she sniffled and he hugged her like his life depended on it. It kinda did.

God, if he didn't fall in love the first time they met, he was definitely in love now. "Doll, I'm here now, aren't I? All good— well, maybe not all good." And his face broke into the biggest grin ever when he heard a chuckle from her. "I'm glad you're here." Just those 4 words and Bucky vowed that he was never gonna let her go.

"I'm getting coffee, you wait here. Don't go anywhere else."

"Aye aye, Captain!" Y/N laughed and he smiled back as he entered the café. Y/N stood outside, typing away on her phone when someone suddenly grabbed her by the back of her neck, pulling her into the alley next to the café. She couldn't even scream, breathing was difficult with his hand around her neck.

"We finally meet, sweetheart." Oh, God, it was him. The stalker. Y/N whimpered, struggling to get out of his arms but he only tightened his hold on her. Bucky, Bucky please— Over time, Y/N had grown fond of Bucky. He still asked her to call him James, he said it felt good when she called him that. So she did.

He was so protective of her, almost like she was his girlfriend. He was also handsome; incredibly so, with his stormy blue eyes, his tall and broad figure and razor sharp jaw. His first priority was always her and it made her warm inside. She'd decided to ask him out at the end of the month, but it was looking a bit difficult now.

"Your bodyguard not with you today? What happened, lover's quarrel?" the man smirked tauntingly as Y/N's vision blurred due to lack of oxygen. She blinked back tears, crying again when he tightened his hold on her neck. "Scream all you want, sweetheart, no one's gonna hear it," he laughed.

"Try me."

The man's head whipped to the side only for Bucky's metal fist to connect with his jaw. He fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious at the first punch. Y/N slid down to her knees. Her hands went to her neck, coughing and dry heaving. "Doll? Doll, come here." Bucky felt immense guilt as he gathered her in his arms, carrying her bridal style towards his car.

He left her alone. That was the one thing he wasn't supposed to do. "James…" Y/N wheezed, curling closer to him when he tried to put her in the backseat. "Doll, you have to get in," he insisted but she shook her head. "Not without you. Please." Bucky sighed and got into the backseat, holding Y/N against his chest.

She was pretty shaken up. "I'm so sorry, Y/N." He felt himself tearing up. "No… not your fault… you… coffee… I wasn't… phone…" Bucky handed her a bottle of water when she wheezed again. "Drink up, baby," he whispered as he held the bottle to her lips because she refused to let go of his sweater. After drinking some water her throat felt better.

"Don't go, please, I need you," she sobbed as she completely curled against him, wetting his sweater as she cried in his arms. "You will always have me, doll. I'm not going anywhere. Not again," he assured her as he rubbed her back, wiping his own tears away. All of a sudden, she pulled away and pressed her lips to his. "I love you."

He pulled her in for another kiss, fireworks exploding in his head at the confession. Only two weeks had passed but they were both sure about their feelings. "I love you too, doll. You're mine now, only mine," he groaned against her lips. "Only yours," she agreed, burying her face back in his shoulder as he pulled her impossibly close.

"You're not getting out of my sight ever again."

And he kept his promise.

---

"And then I— where do you think you're going?" Sam blinked as Bucky abruptly stood up, eyes trained on his wife. She gave him a smile and walked out of the room, Bucky following her out like a puppy. "To the bathroom, Sam!" Y/N called out behind her and Sam turned to the parents, blinking in confusion as they roared with laughter.

"Why does she need him there?" Sam asked "Oh, haven't you heard? Bucky hasn't broken the promise he gave Y/N 6 years ago," Mrs Y/L/N explained vaguely. "What promise?" Mr Y/L/N laughed once more. "He told her she was never getting out of sight after the incident. And well…" Y/N and Bucky returned at the exact time as Sam made a face.

"Don't you get tired of him?" Sam groaned as Bucky sat down, pulling his wife on his lap. "Oh no no, it helps that she's as much in love with him as he is with her. They do not get tired of each other," Mrs Y/L/N shook her head with a fond smile. "It helps that he's handsome and aesthetically pleasing to look at," Y/N crooned, squishing her husband's cheeks as he laughed and swatted her hands away.

"Even in the bathroom?!"

"He stands outside as a guard," she shrugged. "Damn. Y'all are weird," Sam muttered, barely catching the book Bucky threw towards him. "Not weird. Just looking out for her, like I promised," he muttered, cheeks flushing. "You do know that the threat was 6 years ago, right? Six!" Sam threw his hands up.

"What if there's a new one?" Bucky countered exasperatedly. Sam only shook his head at the couple before a smile broke out on his face. "I've never seen a couple so in love. You two are cute," he commented as laughter filled the room. No more threats, no more danger.

Just a sweet little family and their sweet little love.

---

A/N: Leave a like if you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!

[kenmei]

-ˏˋ EVERYTHING BUT! ˊˎ-

♡ gn!reader x boyfriend!sakusa kiyoomi

cw: angst to fluff, hurt/comfort, slice of life, a pinch? of toxic behaviour, kinda suggestive somewhere in the middle, timeskip!au, established relationship!au

synopsis: in the times where home doesn’t feel like how it should, somewhere along the blurred lines of forgiven and guilty, “i’m home” gains back its familiarity

wc: 1900+

notes from mei!

happy bday to omi omi!!

it’s routine.

“i’m home.”

words that are familiar leave his lips; an expected response lingers in the air—it’s routine. the problem is, he’s only met with silence and an unusually cold apartment complex.

there are leftovers on the island; down the hallway leading to yours and his shared room, the lights are off. kiyoomi sighs, shrugging off his coat and not bothering to keep the sound of his dangling keys to a minimum.

and for the fifth time that week, he eats dinner alone.

the next morning proceeds as usual. quiet good mornings, a kiss to the cheek that feels robotic. he makes the food and you make the coffee; working in tandem as the news fills the silence between you both.

“i’m going out today.” you say, spoon clanking against the mugs as you’re pouring in the creamer. “hairi’s birthday.” you add.

he doesn’t turn to face you. “okay.”

you both eat in silence, not bothering to make small talk because the last time you tried, it ended up in a fight that brings you to your situation right now.

the night after, you both “made up,” but after a day and a half passed, he snapped at you more harshly than usual, giving you the silent treatment and coming home extra late just to get on your nerves.

tired of being a verbal punching bag, you reverted back into the person you promised you wouldn’t be again, because you wanted to be better—because you trusted in him enough that he wouldn’t make you feel that kind of pain again.

but now you’re here.

the words scratch at your throat as you open the front door. it’s dark, but you hear the shower running.

you’re not sure why you suddenly feel so anxious, but then again, you dreaded the entire uber ride “home.”

because as much as you love kiyoomi, he’s dragged you to hell and back for the past week and a half. as much as you’re willing to put up with his bullshit because you know he’s just like that, you’re not sure if this relationship is even worth it anymore.

it’s because you know his bad sides, good sides, everything-in-between-sides, you can’t find it in you to say something other than a half-assed sorry because you don’t want to drag things out.

you don’t want to lose him because he’s still your kiyoomi. 

he’s the boy who shared his umbrella with you in high school, the boy who threw his jacket on your head because you never listened to him when he said it’s cold out, wear a jacket.

the man who makes you play with his hair; the one who likes to be babied from time to time. don’t leave, he used to say, arms trapping you to his chest as you both wasted an hour in each other’s embrace.

in every season, all your favourite memories involve him.

and you’re being honest when you say you don’t want anything else—anyone else, but him. he’s a part of you now, and after him, you never thought of life without him.

but as you sit on the couch, head hung low, you think, perhaps, life would be better.

you fell in love rather young, at seventeen where love was like sunshine and rainbows. seventeen, where you didn’t know any other romantic kind of love besides him.

but now you’re twenty-three, where love feels more or less of a shitty scripted tv show. twenty-three, where you know there are many different kinds of love besides romantic.

“what are you doing?”

like you’ve been programmed, you stand. “sorry. i was waiting for you to finish.”

you brisk by him, blindly picking some clothes to use for pyjamas.

and he lets you, waiting for you to finish.

as you’re settling into bed, his lips find yours in a teeth-clashing, empty manner. naturally, you return, unaware of the void in your eyes as you humour him.

hands find their way underneath your shirt and you tense up.

he pulls away. “what’s wrong with you?”

“what do you mean?” you reply, pushing him off you. “...i’m kissing you back? why are you complaining?”

“you’re so bland lately.” he scowls, “you never say anything besides sorry! it’s like i’m dating a fucking statue!”

with the remnants of liquid courage swishing in your bloodstream, you snap, “what the fuck am i supposed to say besides sorry?!” you say, keeping a level-tone as you look at him in disbelief, anger bubbling in your veins. “you’re always mad at me and i’ve done nothing! you keep taking your bad days out on me!”

“that’s because you never do anything right!”

your mouth falls open in bewilderment. getting out of bed, you grab your phone. “fuck you.” you spit, “go find someone else. i’m not dealing with you anymore.”

a shout of your name, the sound of something falling to the floor.

the click of the front door doesn’t let you hear anything else.

kiyoomi<3: please come home

kiyoomi<3: where are you?

kiyoomi<3: talk to me baby please

“no.” you scoff, powering off your phone. you throw it to the other end of your hotel bed, grabbing your laptop.

two days.

(you wish it wasn’t like this).

glancing at the time, you think now would be a good time to go back to the apartment. he’s at practice and you need to start getting your shit out of his place.

your phone beeps a few more times and you wonder why he’s texting so much when he’s at practice. but then again, desperateness isn’t something to take lightly.

and you want to laugh at him, because now, when you’ve left, he’s texting you nonstop, leaving you a shit ton of voicemails you don’t even bother listening to.

your chest hurts, you’re sure everyone and their mother’s can tell you’re literally lifeless as you drag yourself to your car.

the drive is quiet and full of an empty head. you might’ve accidently ran one or two red lights, but you can’t find it in you to care.

jiggling your keys, you swing the door open, expecting to be met with emptiness.

but he’s there, on the couch with his head hung low, phone in his hands.

it looks like he’s pleading to the phone. you take note of his disheveled appearance and apartment. his head shoots up when he hears keys jingle, eyes widening before his eyes gloss over when he takes in your somewhat put together appearance.

you move to close the door, to leave him in there, but his voice stops you from shutting the door all the way.

“wait!”

it’s desperate and broken, you mentally smack yourself in the head for opening the door again. he relaxes a bit when he sees you again, mouth opening before it shuts abruptly.

he doesn’t know what to say.

and before he can get his head to work right, you turn left and go down the hallway, shoes on and all.

he follows, silently, watching in pain as you grab your duffle bag and start stuffing clothes in it.

he follows, chest pinching and palms sweating as you move around the room, shoving whatever you can into your bag.

you don’t even know why he’s here. he never misses practice.

“please.”

your back is facing him as the words, quiet and heavy, leave his lips. you choose to ignore him, rummaging through your bedside drawer in case there’s anything you might need.

a call of your name.

“stop.” you mutter, scratching your eyebrow in irritation. “we’re not doing this again.”

your lip trembles, you take a deep breath to try and stop the tears from falling.

it hurts to see him like this. your chest aches when you see the bags under his eyes and the tear stains on his cheeks. “we’re not doing this again.” you repeat, an attempt to solidify yourself, but instead, you’re sobbing quietly into your bedside drawer, a polaroid of you and him staring back at you.

“i can’t do this.” you cry, recalling his hurtful words.

frantically wiping your tears, you reach into the desk to flip the picture backward.

“i’m sorry, y/n.” he says, voice wavering.

it’s only been two days, but he feels like he’s been through a century. he thought he’d be fine, that you’d come back.

but after having his texts being left on delivered and his calls going straight to voicemail, the buildup of everything and the reality of everything punched him in the gut.

a home that was once full of love. a home that was once so easy to come home to.

it’s scary how fast everything went tumbling down.

and kiyoomi’s more than aware of how selfish he is. coming home to everything being in it’s exact place isn’t all that odd, he just loathes coming home to everything being in it’s exact place, but you’re not there.

your candle you love so much stares at him. pictures hung of you and him mock him.

everything in this apartment, it was there. everything but you.

and it drove him crazy.

you, the only one he’s ever felt so strongly for. you, the one who makes home feel like home.

but as he stares at your back, tears of his own getting caught in his lashes, he hates that he makes this “home” of yours and his, feel unfamiliar.

and kiyoomi isn’t good, he knows he isn’t. he’s selfish and he likes things done his way because he likes things done right.

but he doesn’t know how to make this right. he loves you so much, but all he can do now is watch as you suffer.

he knows his problem, he knows his shortcomings, his faults—kiyoomi’s had too much time to be fucked up by it all. but the only thing he doesn’t know how to do right, is to fix the problems before his eyes.

a second passes and he finds his body moving before he can think.

he pulls you into his chest, uncaring of your fists pounding against his chest. he holds you tighter because this could be the last time.

and kiyoomi wishes he could do it all over—to go back in time and be the person he promised himself he’d be for you, his supposed forever.

“i’m sorry.” he whispers into your hair. “i know you’re tired, but please let me apologize to you, i don’t want you to walk out that door thinking the things i’ve said to you are true. they aren’t, i swear.”

his arms tighten around you when you stop fighting against his embrace. “all those things i’ve said and done that hurt you, i didn’t mean.”

“i know that, kiyoomi.” you cry, “but i can’t do this anymore.”

“don’t say that.” he pleads, “please, y/n, let me try again.”

and you’re crying because it’s so raw and real. his voice is so gentle and his embrace feels so soothing.

this is all you want. to be in his arms and be held together by him.

he gets his response when your arms circle around his middle, when you bury your face into him and grant his wishes of letting him fix the mess he made of you and him.

“thank you.” he whispers, a choked sob breaking free and he pulls your impossibly closer.

it’s half-past two and everything is where it’s meant to be.

(i'm home).

[mypoisonedvine]

The Wrong Idea (part 2) | Lee Bodecker x Reader

(read part 1 here)

summary: your relationship with your stepfather only becomes more tense, and both of you know you can’t avoid him forever.

word count: nearly 5.8k

warnings: smut (heavy dubcon/noncon, and a few consensual encounters), stepcest, pain kink, daddy kink, groping, semi-public sex, a bit of pregnancy/breeding kink (just through dialogue), stockholm syndrome/sympathy for the abuser, grooming (hence the thing before this one), a bit of violence including use of a gun, a bit of housewife kink?

Jimmy O’Doyle was sweet, and handsome; tall, and strong, and with this gorgeous blonde hair that he either styled relentlessly or just somehow dried perfect on its own.  Sure, his nose was a little big, but you found it endearing, especially when his smile was even bigger. 

Most of the girls in Knockemstiff had a crush on Jimmy— maybe it was his looks, maybe it was the fact that he drove one of the nicer cars in town— but he was either oblivious or uninterested.  He seemed to keep to himself most of the time, though he'd always be polite and carry conversation if you approached him.

Well, not you.  You never approached him.  It made you a little too nervous.

Therefore, you had no plan when he approached you after church one Sunday.  You didn't even realize he knew your name, until he used it to get your attention with a tap on your shoulder.

"Oh, hey Jimmy," you mumbled back, looking up at him and chewing your lip.

"I like your dress," he informed you with a tilted smile.  You looked down at it— yellow, with a white gingham on the skirt— and felt your face getting a little warm.

"Oh, this?  Thanks, um, it was a gift from— from my stepdad."

"Oh, was it your birthday?"

You shook your head.  "Not for a few more months, he just bought me something to be nice."

Jimmy nodded, and there was an uncomfortable silence before you suddenly blurted out: "I like your tie!"

"Thanks!” he beamed.  “I got it when I went to—”

"Time to go, sweetie," your mother interrupted to inform you, motioning to the parking lot where Sheriff Bodecker was opening the driver's side door of his patrol car.  (Yes, he drove the three of you to church in the fucking patrol car.)

"Just a minute, mama," you smiled back.  “What were you gonna say?” you asked Jimmy.

“Uh, I was just gonna ask you somethin’...”

“Well, what is it?”

He scratched the back of his neck, looking away for a moment.  “Just if maybe you wanted to, uh, go for a drive sometime or somethin’...”

“A drive?  Yeah, sure,” you smiled, feeling a giddy nervousness bloom in your stomach.  “I’d like that.”

“Yeah, me too,” he nodded.  “I’ll pick you up tonight?  At 7?”

You pictured Jimmy appearing at the door with your mother and Lee sitting in the living room.  “Um, no, I’ll meet you somewhere.  At the corner of Bailey and Hillside?”

“All right,” he smiled.

“I’ll be the one in a yellow dress,” you winked.

“I’ll be the one in the blue Cadillac,” he grinned.

Your mother called to you again and you waved goodbye to Jimmy, feeling your cheeks warm as he waved back.  

“What was that all about?” she asked as you got into the back seat.

“Oh, he was just asking if I’d wanna join the choir,” you lied quickly.  

“Well I hope you said no!  I wouldn’t want you to embarrass yourself,” she smiled.

“Of course, mama,” you nodded, shooting Lee a glance that said ‘do you see how she is?’

He looked back just for a second before starting the car, and you knew he understood better than most.

//

You had a plan to tell your mother and stepfather that you were going to meet some friends for dinner, but they never even asked where you were going.  Certainly made it easier to slip out and begin your walk to the corner where you planned to meet your date.  

You had your yellow dress on like you said you would, but you didn't wear the white cardigan that you had on over it at church that morning.  It was a warm night anyhow, but you hoped it would be a little more mature without it.  Not revealing or anything, but a little more daring.

Hopping into Jimmy’s passenger seat made you feel like the most special girl in the world, though you knew it wasn’t actually that big of a deal.  You let yourself get excited anyway.  

The conversation was pleasant, if nerve-wracking.  At first, you kind of hoped some other girls in town would see you in his car and get jealous, but as you two got to talking and you appreciated the scenic drive, it wasn’t so important to you anymore.  Jimmy asked where you wanted to go.  You just told him to go anywhere.  You weren’t exactly offended when he decided to take you to the closest thing Knockemstiff had to a ‘makeout point’: it was just a nice park that had a lot of open space and a cute little creek down the middle.  Knowing what this implied, you felt your face warm up slightly.

“Is it okay if we just sit in here and talk for a bit?” Jimmy asked gently.  “I rather like getting to know you.”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” you nodded, “I like talking to you, too.”

It went on like that for a while, talking about all sorts of things that were mostly unimportant.  Jimmy went on a bit of a ramble about baseball, which you normally found terminally boring; it was interesting when he talked about it with so much passion, though.  And he returned the favor by listening to you talk about politics which was probably just as boring to him.  

“I’ve never known a girl who knew so much about the world,” he said, seeming impressed.

“I don’t think I know that much,” you shook your head, “I just listen to the radio.”

“I listen to the radio, too, but it must not be the same station as you,” he laughed.

An awkward, but not necessarily uncomfortable, silence fell over the car.  You wanted to make a move, but you didn’t know how.

“Maybe we could turn on the radio now,” you suggested.

“All right,” he jumped up, leaning forward and turning his car radio on.

And dear, I wonder if you find love an optical illusion, too? 

“Oh, I love this song,” you admitted.  “I don’t have a record player, but I think if I did I’d only have Billie Holiday records.”

“You should come over sometime, I have a lot of records,” Jimmy offered.

“Does that mean we’ll have a second date?” you asked hopefully.

“Does that mean we’re having a first date, right now?” he returned.

“I was sort of hoping so,” you smiled nervously.

“So was I,” he agreed.

Are the stars out tonight?  I don’t know if it’s cloudy or bright…

Your mind wandered as you feared that somehow, Jimmy would see right through you— see who you really were.  And if he did that, he’d never want you.  You knew that.  You figured Sheriff Bodecker would go out of his way to make sure you knew that, if he ever found out this was going on.  But he wasn’t going to find out, you decided, because he had no way of knowing and you were grown anyhow.  

‘cause I only have eyes for you…

When you snapped out of your thoughts, you realized Jimmy was leaning in towards you; and though you felt oddly guilty for no good reason at all, you closed the gap and kissed him.

It was gentle and sweet, nothing like the kisses you were used to.  Some materialistic, status-conscious part of you (probably the part that was related to your mother) was over the moon to be kissing the most popular young man in the whole town.  Most of you, though, was just happy to be kissing a boy that you liked, and that liked you back.

And secretly, a very teeny tiny part of you was thinking of someone else.

“You are so beautiful,” Jimmy whispered into the kiss.

“Really?  You think so?” you whispered back, smiling.

“Everybody does,” he answered as if it were obvious.  

You kissed him deeper, the smallest moan slipping out as his hands moved over your waist.  You gasped a bit when his hands moved to grab your breasts.

“Is this okay?” he asked quietly.

You nodded and kissed him again, whimpering softly as his hands massaged you through your dress.

Arousal was starting to awaken between your legs, and you felt your hips pushing down against the seat a little harder, seeking stimulation.  Gingerly, your hand started to slide up his leg, and you both gasped when you felt his erection underneath the corduroy.

He quickly took his hands off you to open up his trousers, pulling his cock out and sighing a bit when your hand wrapped around it.

You could tell it wasn’t as big as the Sheriff’s— not as long or as thick— but it still felt good in your hand, and Jimmy still looked beautiful with that look of pleasure and shock on his face.

“Damn, you’re…” Jimmy moaned, almost in disbelief, as you started to stroke him.  “You’re incredible.”

“Touch me again,” you pleaded gently, biting your lip when he reached up to pull the top of your dress down a bit— just enough to expose your tits and grab them again.

You got lost in the moment, with how good his hands felt on you, and how nice it was to kiss him, and how much you wanted him to come all over your hand.  So lost, in fact, that neither of you noticed a car had pulled up behind his until there was a tap at your window.

It was the Sheriff, shining a flashlight into the car.

“Shit!” Jimmy gasped, shoving you away and tucking himself back into his trousers while you pulled up your dress to cover yourself and turned off the radio.  Your stomach sank and you thought you could probably vomit right then and there.  

“Roll down the window, please,” Lee requested, and you awkwardly cranked the handle until it was halfway down.

“I’m sorry, Sheriff, it was—” Jimmy began to explain.

“What do you want?” you interrupted, glaring at Lee.

“Just wanna make sure you’re both alright,” he answered sternly.  “It’s gettin’ pretty late.”

“It’s not even ten,” you announced with crossed arms, “and you aren’t supposed to be workin’ tonight.”

Jimmy stared at you with wide eyes, somewhere between impressed and terrified that you were standing up to the Sheriff.

“I’m gonna have to ask you to step out of the vehicle, ma’am,” Lee snarled.  You sighed and rolled up the window again; Lee stepped out of the way so you could open your door as you got out.  “You, stay in the car,” he instructed Jimmy, who nodded fearfully.

The second you shut the door, Lee was pressing you back into the side of the car and staring you down.  You were terrified of him, actually, but you refused to show it.

You whispered to him harshly, hoping Jimmy wouldn’t hear your exchange.  “Go.  Away.” 

Lee chuckled, in an angry sort of way.  “Givin’ some schoolboy a tug in his car, huh?  In the dress I bought you?  Thought you were better than that.”

“It’s none of your business,” you asserted.

“Everything that happens in this town is my business,” he replied, “and everything that happens to you is my problem.”

“It wouldn’t be a problem if you weren’t a jealous creep who followed me around,” you hissed.

Jimmy stepped out of the car, and both of you turned to look back at him.

“Everything alright?” he asked, and you weren’t sure if he was asking you or Lee.

“Can’t say that it is,” the Sheriff shook his head.  “Way I see it, this is public indecency for the both of you.”

“Sir, we didn’t mean to—”

“I’ll let you off with a warning,” Lee told Jimmy with a disappointed frown.

“Thank you, Sheriff,” you mumbled.

“Not you,” he turned back to you with a sigh.  “I'm afraid I'll have to detain you.  Can't give you special treatment just cause you're family.”

“What?!” you squawked.

“You heard me, girl.  Hands behind your back."

“You can’t be serious,” Jimmy protested. 

“Didn’t I tell you to stay in your vehicle?” Lee remembered angrily, and Jimmy hesitated but obeyed.

As he cuffed your wrists, his hand drifted downward, cupping your ass and giving it a firm squeeze.

"Lee, don't…" you pleaded softly, "not here."

"Not here?” he whispered against your ear, making you shiver.  “Then where, princess?  You're never at home anymore.  When am I s'posed to make my girl feel good, huh?  When are you gonna take care of me?"

"You can take care of yourself," you grimaced.

"Oh, I do.  After your ma falls asleep," he chuckled.  "I get my cock off all by myself, thinking about you and your tight fuckin' hole."

You whimpered as he started to gather your skirt, rubbing his hands on your legs underneath.

"And what's this with you calling me Lee?  You know it's Sheriff in public, and Daddy at home."

“I’m sorry, Sheriff, I was just—”

“Come on, let’s get you to the car,” Lee grumbled as he roughly guided you to his patrol car, all but tossing you into the back.  

“Where are you gonna take her?” Jimmy asked as he leaned out of his window, not seeming to have noticed the way Lee was touching you but still obviously uncomfortable.

“Home,” was all Lee replied as he got in the driver’s seat and slammed the door shut.

Of course, as he started to drive, you realized that was a lie.  He drove down winding roads in tense silence, until he pulled into a clearing in the woods and turned off the engine.

“You fucked up real big tonight,” he informed you as he turned back to look at you through the caged partition.

You just looked at your skirt, that damned yellow and white gingham that had gotten you into this mess.  

“Get out, get in front of the car, and bend over the hood.”

He leaned back to open the door for you from the inside, and you shivered from the sudden blast of cool night air.  Lee watched you through the windshield with a dark glare as you walked around the car and laid yourself down over the hood.  The metal was cold; cold enough to seep through your clothes and make you shiver.  The whole world looked sideways when you saw it from this angle, but truthfully, your whole world felt completely upside down. You just waited like that for a moment— and it was the best he’d ever done to make you feel worthless, having you wait patiently for him to do what he was about to do to you.

Eventually, he stepped out with a gruff instruction not to move.  When his form was no longer visible in your peripheral vision, you felt him pressed up against the back of your legs as your skirt started to slide up.

“I try to be nice to ya,” he grunted, “treat you right, buy you things.  And what does it get me, huh?”

You didn’t say anything, because you were sure anything you would say would just make it worse.  With your skirt flipped up completely now, you could feel the cold autumn breeze on your legs as he pulled your panties to the side.

“I’m startin’ to think that kindness doesn’t go very far with you.  You like it best when I’m mean, dontcha?”

His belt made that terrible clinking sound as he opened it, and you felt his cock rubbing through your folds.

“Normally I would get you wetter first, but I think this’ll just have to do tonight.”

He pushed forward and it fucking burned.  You cried out, breathing through your teeth as you tried to bear the pain.  Behind your back, your nails dug into your palm.

He didn’t slow down at all, though, and fucked you faster and harder in spite of the sting.  Determined to get a reaction, he slapped your ass, too.

“Daddy!” you sobbed.  “It hurts!”

“You could’ve avoided it,” he yelled angrily.  “It didn’t have to be like this, but you wanted to act like a fuckin’ whore, and now you’re gettin’ treated like one.”

“I’m sorry!” you cried, wet tears warming the cold metal of the car beneath you. “I’m so sorry, daddy!”

Lee grabbed your hips tighter, surely enough to bruise.  Disturbingly, you felt yourself getting more aroused— it made it less painful physically, but so much more painful mentally.

“Told ya you like it rough,” he laughed.  “You’re already clenchin’ on me, I can tell you’re gonna come.”

You tried to shake your head, but he was right.  He reached up and pulled your hair roughly, making you yelp.  Even that made a pleasant tingle run down your spine, despite the fact that it hurt so much.

“You’re so fuckin’ close, princess,” he groaned, leaning down and watching your face closely, “you’re gonna come for your daddy, right fuckin’ now.”

You heard a twig snap before you knew what it was.  "What the fuck?!" another voice called out.

It was Jimmy, standing off just a few feet away in disbelief.  You closed your eyes, unable and unwilling to look at him in this moment.  Lee just sighed as he slipped out of you, stuffing his cock back into the pants of his uniform and zipping back up.  "You didn't see anything, kid."

"You… you're…” Jimmy stammered, “that's your stepdaughter!  The hell is wrong with you?"

"I said," Lee growled as he crossed the distance between him and Jimmy, pulling his gun from its holster and holding it under the boy’s neck, "ya didn't see nothin'."

"Don't hurt him, Lee, please!" you sobbed.

"Hey!" Lee yelped, turning back to look at you.  "You, shut up!"

"Don't talk to her like that!" Jimmy protested.  Lee responded with a swift backhanded slap, hitting Jimmy with his gun in the process.  

"You'd better learn how to respect authority, son, and real damn soon before somebody hands your ass to ya.  I'm not doin' nothing wrong with her, I'll have you know.  She's of age, and I'm not forcin' her to do it.  She likes it,” Lee bragged, “begs me for it, day and night.  Frankly, I can barely keep up with her.  Now, get on and mind your business, and this won't be any trouble for you."

Jimmy hesitated a little, glancing over at you for a moment.  “You’re a sick bastard, Sheriff,” he sighed as he shook his head.

Lee just grinned, almost like he was proud of the title.  "Tell me somethin', Timmy—"

"It's Jimmy."

"Yeah, whatever— you kissed her, didn’t ya?"

"Yes."

Lee laughed, grabbing the boy on the shoulder as if they were old chums or something.  "Oh, kid, if only you knew where that mouth had been."

Jimmy looked disgusted as he glanced at you and then to the ground, before turning away to storm off into the woods.  Lee seemed so proud of himself as he walked back to you, pushing you down since you’d started to lean up off the car.

"Now, where were we?" he purred.

"I hate you," you sobbed, "I hate you!"

"Oh yeah, that's right— you were about to come all over my fuckin’ cock."

He quickly got himself back out and shoved into you again, hard and brutal thrusts slamming your hips forward painfully.  

"I'd better not catch you with another stupid fuckin’ boy," he growled.  "You don't know how mean I can be, little girl.  You don't know everything I could do to them… you don't know everything I could do to you."

You tried your best to apologise again but the strength of your sobs made you nearly unintelligible.  Worse, you were so close to coming that you were starting to see stars.

"You're mine now, ya hear?" he moaned against your ear.  "Nobody else in this town is gonna touch you, or they'll have to answer to me.  Don't even want 'em lookin' atcha."

Your orgasm made your legs feel like jelly, your whole body going limp as all the energy to fight left you.  He kept fucking you strong and fast, overstimulating the most sensitive places inside you.  Your eyes rolled back in your head, your thoughts became fuzzy and distant, and all you could feel was overwhelming pleasure buzzing under your skin.

"Yours," you moaned weakly, "just yours, daddy…"

"Fuck, gonna come," he warned you, "gonna fill you up, sweetheart."

You nodded, the danger of that prospect feeling distant and abstract, while the best parts of it felt so close and tangible.  He groaned as he pumped his load into you, thick and hot and warming you from the inside out.  When he finally slowed to a stop and pulled out, you could feel a gush of it leak out of your opening and run down your thigh.

Silently, he uncuffed your wrists and helped you up off the car, sliding into the backseat with you with a quiet shut of the door behind him.  Something about the overwhelming sensations of it all, and the way it went from so loud to so quiet in just a moment, and his sudden switch from cruel to gentle, made your eyes water until you couldn't help but bawl.  You threw yourself into his arms and sobbed, clutching at his chest.

"I'm so sorry, daddy," you whimpered, "I didn't mean to do anything wrong…"

"Shh, it's okay, sweet girl," he cooed as he stroked your back soothingly.  "You know I only get upset like that cause I want the best for you."

"I know," you sighed, "I just wanted to be normal, you know?  Have a boyfriend like the other girls do, somebody I could marry someday."

"I get it," he nodded, "I don't blame you.  I wish we could leave this place, and start over where nobody knows where we are.  But you know I couldn't leave Knockemstiff… not when I'm about to win this election."

"If you can win here, maybe you can win somewhere else," you suggested.

He turned to look at you, a look of pleasant surprise on his face.  "You sayin you wanna run away with me, princess?"

"Umm…" you stalled.

"I know you wanna get away from your ma.  Hell, so do I.  You understand why I needed a wife though— people trust men with wives more," he explained matter-of-factly, "and not wives that are more than 20 years younger than them."

"So it was all a way to get reelected?" 

"I was lonely too.  Marriage didn't fix that though.  You did."

You looked up at him and couldn't believe the way you felt when you did.  Sometimes you hated him even more than you did before he married your mother, but at times like this, you loved him in a way you'd never loved anybody before.  You wondered if maybe hating somebody like that sometimes was just the way love worked.

"Come on, sweet girl, let's go home," he suggested softly, kissing you on the forehead.

You nodded as he got out of the back and returned to the driver’s seat, starting the car.  Laying down, you watched the tops of the trees through the window— though it was quite dark out and there wasn’t a lot to see— and felt your eyelids get heavy.  Drifting to sleep, you dreamt in vivid colors of abstract things that you could never explain with words if you tried; though you couldn’t have known it, Lee watched you sleep in the rearview mirror, and did some dreaming of his own.

//

Midnight snacks; the least of your many bad habits.

You emerged from your room in your summer nightgown— which meant it was as thin as it needed to be for the heat outside— and stepped carefully over the floorboards you knew to creak the loudest as you made your clandestine trek to the mint-colored refrigerator.

As you moved through the living room to get to your destination, you jumped when a figure shifted in the darkness.  Realizing it was Lee, you relaxed (mostly).

"You scared me," you giggled.  "What are you doing on the couch?"

He groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head and looking a little exhausted.  "Uh, nothing… what are you doing up?”

“Just getting a snack,” you admitted, “hope you don’t mind.”

“Don’t stop on my account.  I was thinkin’ of a beer anyways,” he shrugged, following you to the fridge as you opened it.  His shirtlessness was a little distracting as he stood behind you, looking over your shoulder and reaching around to grab the glass bottle.  Settling on a leftover slice of cake wrapped in saran, you set your bounty on the counter while Lee opened and took a sip of his drink.

“Is it good?” he asked you once you’d acquired a fork and scooped a bite of the sweet, sugary dessert into your mouth.

You nodded, smiling but trying to keep your lips together to avoid spitting the food out.  It was a few days old but somehow it tasted better than it had when it was fresh— maybe it was that it was cold on a hot night, or maybe it was that you’d had to navigate a nauseatingly-boring baby shower in order to get some the first time.  Your mother insisted on dragging you along to all kinds of ridiculous community events like that.

Your next bite was more ambitious, because you weren’t exactly worried about eating in a ladylike manner when it was past midnight and you were eating cake in your pyjamas.

“You got some frostin’ on your nose,” Lee informed you— but before you could wipe it off, he took his finger and swiped it right on the tip of your nose.  You felt yourself blush a bit as he licked the blue cream off of his finger.  “It’s sweet,” he announced, “but maybe that’s just you.”

As warmth bloomed in your chest from his kindness (even if it was cheesy), you felt a little bolder to press him about what was actually going on.

“Why were you really on the couch?” you asked softly.

He paused for a second, taking a long, slow sip of beer as he thought, but finally answered.  “I got kicked out of the bed.  Your ma… well, she doesn't handle rejection very well it seems."

"Rejection…?" you encouraged, feeling a bit nervous suddenly.

"I wouldn't sleep with her,” he clarified.  “And now I'm sleepin’… here."

You swallowed, even though you weren’t eating at that exact moment.  "Why… why wouldn't you sleep with her?"

He smirked a little.  "Sweetheart, once you've had a taste of rare meat, you never go back to well done."

The comparison to meat was demeaning, even if you came out on the flattering end of the metaphor.  Still, you took pity on him as you saw how uncomfortable the couch looked.

"You could sleep in my bed, you know,” you offered awkwardly.  “I mean, it's not as big as yours but… it's definitely bigger than the couch…"

He smiled at you in a way that made you wonder if you'd made a mistake.  "You're too sweet, darlin'.  Even for your own good."

The rest of your cake and his beer was forgotten as you walked with each other to your bedroom, now both of you avoiding the creakiest boards.  You couldn’t ignore the way he shut the door behind you as quietly as possible— another reminder that, though neither of you were saying it, that this was the sort of thing you didn’t want to be overheard.  The secrecy of it all made your spine tingle, and you liked it.  Who knew a good girl like you would learn to love breaking the rules so much?

It wasn't as strange as you'd expected to have him in your bed.  A little cramped, maybe, but also oddly nice.  He cuddled up to you, and you felt small but safe in his arms.  When his lips pressed against the back of your neck, you whimpered softly; and when his fingers started to trail down between your legs, you moaned a bit louder.

"Gotta be quiet, pretty girl, don't want anybody else in the house hearin' ya…"

You'd never known how good it could feel to be touched until Lee touched you.  His fingers found every delicate spot and slowly took you apart until it became near impossible to stay quiet.  So quickly after invading your body, he invaded your mind as well, and now he was all you could think about.  Not just in moments like this, disturbingly, but damn-near all the time.  It wasn’t that you forgot everything you hated about him, but more that you forgot how to feel the hate and instead could only logically try to convince yourself to hate him still.  Logic was long gone, though, as he kissed your shoulder and pushed two thick fingers into you.

"You're so wet, honey, you're gonna spoil me," he purred softly against your ear.  "Want me to love ya good, sweet girl?"

You nodded quickly, smiling wide.

He smiled back as rolled you onto your back and slipped between your legs, pushing his pyjama pants down.  You preened when you felt his cock start to slide over your pussy.  When he suddenly pushed in, you gasped and arched your back.

"Shh," he soothed, "it's okay, baby, you can take it.  You're so good, princess, my good girl…"

You whimpered but kept mostly quiet as he thrusted deeper, nearly all the way in.  Was he always going to be this much of a challenge to take?

"Keep those legs open real wide, honey, show me how bad you want it," he purred.

Your head craned up to watch his cock disappearing inside you, only to fall back again as he pulled back and pushed in, over and over, fucking you slow but deep.

"Daddy," you whimpered softly, "feels so good, please don't stop…"

He kissed you, cradling your face in his hands.  "Not gonna stop, princess, 'm right here, not gonna letcha go…"

You clutched at his shoulders, feeling so full that it almost hurt but you loved it, god you loved it more than you could’ve ever believed.  You loved the feeling of him inside you, like you were made for each other.  You loved his little breaths and moans, and knowing it was because of you that he felt good.  You loved it, even, when he went a bit too deep and your arms shot up to push him back, only for him to grab your wrists and hold your hands above your head.  

"My girl," he whispered into your ear, "my girl, my girl, my girl."

And shockingly enough, you loved being his girl.

"I love you, daddy," you sighed, so quiet that you were afraid he wouldn't hear you.  But he did.

"Say it again," he requested.

"I love you," you repeated, "I love you so much, daddy."

"I love you too, princess," he answered with a smile, "more than you can imagine."

He kissed you as his thrusts gained some speed, your walls already fluttering each time he pushed all the way in.  You knew he felt it because you could tell that he was still smiling into the kisses he placed on your neck and shoulders.  You knew he was close, too, because it was his cock beginning to swell and flex within you that pushed you over the edge.  He helped you stay quiet by wrapping his hand around your neck and tightening until you started to see stars.  It made everything stronger, so much so that it quickly became overwhelming as tears quickly began to pour down the sides of your face.  

He was quick to comfort you though, relaxing his grip and wiping the tears away with reverently-whispered praises.  

“Don’t pull out yet, daddy,” you requested softly, wrapping your legs around his hips when you felt that he was trying to pull back.  “I like feeling you inside me…”

He kissed you again, gripping your thigh tight, and stayed that way until you finally agreed that he could go— and who were you to say how long you made him wait?  It felt too good to let him go so soon, even if he was exhausted.  As soon as you nodded, though, he was slipping out and sighing. 

"Fuck it, I'm not gonna wait any longer," he groaned as he laid back onto your bed, staring at the ceiling, "I wanna make you mine for good."

You laid your head on his shoulder, looking up at him and admiring the little details of his face that you could only see when you were this close.  "I thought you said you'd never leave Knockemstiff."

"I don't think I have to.  What's the point of bein' the Sheriff if I can't marry who I want?"

You bit your lip a little before replying to that.  "You really wanna marry me?"

"Of course I do, princess,” he smiled proudly, looking back at you.  “Might have to wait a while if I'm s'posed to save up for another one of them diamond rings…"

"I don't need one, long as I have you," you decided confidently.

"You're too good to me, sweetheart," he smirked, kissing your temple softly.  "Can't wait to spoil you the way you deserve."

“How’s that?” you pressed, drawing abstract shapes onto his chest with your fingertip.

“A bigger bed than this,” he laughed.  “A nice car— if you want your own, that is.  You know I’d love to have you shotgun with me in the patrol car as much as I can.”

“You’d really get me a car?”

“Of course, after a little while.  What kind would you want?”

“A red one.  A real glossy red one.”

“Alright,” he smirked.  “How about I getcha somethin’ else fancy— pearls, maybe?  A girl like you deserves to wear pearls every day.”

“You think I’d look good in them?”

“Mm, especially if you weren’t in much else.”

“Okay, I could wear pearls if you bought them for me.  Maybe I’ll be one of those wives who’s wearing pearls and heels when her husband gets home from work.”

“Fuck, talkin’ like that’ll get me hard again, princess,” he groaned.  “Anythin’ else you want?”

“...I want a baby,” you admitted softly, embarrassed to even say it.

“I’ll put one in ya right now, sweetpea,” he purred.  “Well, maybe not right now, I need a minute or two but… I could’ve already gotten you pregnant, you know.  I’m no good at pullin’ out when it comes to you and that tight little pussy.”

“Is it strange if I sort of hope you did?  Get me pregnant already, I mean.”

“Not at all,” he shook his head, “at least not to me.  But I’m a little stranger than most.”

“Yes, that’s the impression I get,” you giggled.  

“Maybe it’s strange that I think you’d look beautiful pregnant, all round and glowin’, with my baby in ya…” he trailed off, clearly imagining it.

“Maybe it’s strange that I think you’re the most handsome man in all of Ohio,” you winked, snuggling up closer to him.

“That is most certainly strange,” Lee laughed.