#wouldn't exchange that for the world. one of their kids is like a baby and I get to hear baby updates and stuff abt the music career

[tainted-liquor]

'Tiny hands; Little Baby ...ପ(๑•ᴗ•๑)ଓ ♡ ft. 42Miles

...‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

✩ingredients: Sugar, kisses, and baby powder!

˙⟡TWs: Cussing, Miles speaks mostly Spanish, so ready ur spanishDict

✩A/N: Miles is soft when it comes to his children. Its not ooc, he was based off of MY sisters father. parents usually 'calm down' after having babies. pls don't start complaining

When you think of the ideal father, you usually would think of two types of people. The happy-go-lucky super kind and outgoing person, or someone who balances both fun and order. You never in your life expected to be a mother, or even wanted kids as a matter of fact. But everything changed when you met him. Miles.

Admittedly, when you met in high school shit was rocky. Typical 'anti-social social' kid. Everybody knew him, but nobody was ever able to say they talked to him. But things slowly began to change as the school year passed, and you seemed to pop up more and more in each other's lives. Art projects, a shared interest in graffiti, seating charts in chem, and ending up at the same bodega during the wee hours of the night.

You waltzed into the small store, grabbing a tube of Pringles and a bottle of cherry Faygo. You had a project to get done within the next 5 hours and spent 3 days working nonstop so you wouldn't fail this semester. Your eyes were low and sleepy, your movement was slower than average and it looked like you had been crying. A lot. What is a girl supposed to do when she feels like her life is being drowned out by constant numbers and big words?

You waited by the counter, tapping away on your phone as you waited for the man behind the glass to finish making your chop cheese, slowly raising your head to see who just swung open the door. You made eye contact with Miles for a brief moment, nodding upward as a form of greeting before suddenly being startled. Miles's eyes widened for a moment, taking a tiny step back as he took in how sleepy you looked. Your hoodie wasn't even on properly, one arm completely off your shoulder and exposing a fraction of your black tank top to the world around you. "Well damn, nigga. I know I look like shit but don't make it obvious" you snorted, rolling your eyes as you dropped your head back to your phone screen.

"Oh, my bad. Just not used to seeing you outside of school" he shrugged, making his way to the counter to order his food and standing next to you in silence. You both tapped away on your phones, scrolling through your Instagram while you waited for your sandwich. There was nothing else to it, really. You both waved bye to each other as you left the store, silently building a smidge of a relationship compared to being just strangers. For the most part, it was like that at school too.

There was no real reason to talk to him, outside of a small hallway talk and a nod or a wave. And it stayed like that for a long time, until a random day in the school's library. Miles came strutting through the oak wood doors, seemingly pissed off as he slammed his supplies on a nearby table and started working silently. You side-eyed him, continuing to blast the music in your headphones until you felt a presence begin getting closer to you. You grabbed one of your AirPods, removing it from your ear as Miles stood over you.

"Hmm?" You hummed, looking up at him as you paused your music. He said nothing, only showing you a piece of paper with honors calculus work. "Do you need help?" you asked, scanning over the paper briefly before putting your AirPods in your case. He nodded, letting you take the paper from him as he leaned against the table. "Aight, sit down. I'm only doing one problem though" you muttered, scooting your chair over to make room for Miles.

When Miles left that table, you were closer than normal. You spent the rest of the afternoon helping him 'study' (talking to each other while he finished his work) and exchanging numbers and Instagram. "Good luck with your test!" You smiled, waving from across the room as he left the library. He gave you a nod before swiftly exiting, leaving people asking you left and right "What's Miles like?" You didn't think anything of it, at all.

You never would have imagined that that same boy would be the father of your child almost ten years later.

“MILES!” You shouted as loud as humanly possible. “SÍ? QUÉ HICE??” He shouted back from the kitchen. “MY FUCKING WATER BROKE START THE CAR!” You yelled as you stared down in absolute shock. And it was absolute chaos from there. Miles was practically stumbling out of the house as he ran to start the car, muttering curses as he ran up to get you out of your shared room.

Unfortunately for Miles, he had no idea what was happening. He was terrified but tried to be as supportive as possible through the entire situation. He was out cold for most of the delivery, having fainted 10 minutes in from anxiety. "Sir? SIR-!"

BOOM

But other than that, everything went amazing! He cried for 20 whole minutes when he got to hold his beautiful baby girl. "W-what...sniffle... are you going to...sob...name h-her, love?" he asked between a puddle of tears. You took a good look at your baby through soaked eyes, realizing she was born...quiet. She had one green eye, and one dark brown eye that was taken right from her father's face, a cute little button nose, and a head full of placenta-permed hair. She cried once the entire birth and remained silent the rest of the way, just like her nonchalant-ass daddy. "I'm thinkin' about...Asomi" you replied before bursting out in tears, causing Miles to burst even further into tears.

You attempted to reach for your baby, earning a watery glare from your boyfriend. "Nigga I JUST PUSHED HER OUT! GIMME MY BABY!" you giggled as you attempted to grab your daughter. "nuh-uh. I'm not done holding her" he retorted, flashing you a middle finger as he held Asomi even closer. "Miles Gonzalo Morales."

"Lo siento. Te amo mucho. Tú eres muy bonita y inteligente" he quickly replied as he handed your daughter over.

And from that moment forward, everything in Miles's life revolved around his beautiful family. He spent hours rambling on and on to 'Omi', as he calls her, about anything under the sun. "Entonces," Miles began as he attempted to give 'Omi a sink bath. "Tú mami me dijo que necesito hablar más inglés a ti. I won't though, cuz you're my lil princess" he whispered as he curved Omi's hair into a bubbly mohawk and giggled like a child. He played with the bubbly water, pretending to be one of the countless tiny rubber duckies she had floating around in the water.

"Alright, c'mon. Necesito vestir tú antes consigue frío" he giggled as he put the kid in a prowler onesie you told him not to buy. He blew raspberries on Asomi's little belly, earning adorable giggles from his daughter as he carried the tiny baby with one arm. He cleaned up some of the toys on the floor, briefly pushing them inside the toy bin before grabbing the tiny purple pacifier and soft wooly lamb-lamb plush. Omi clung to his shirt, laying her head on his shoulder as she held the tiny lamb-lamb plushie. Miles kissed her on the forehead, sat down on the couch, and fell asleep with Omi dozing off right beside him.

You came home to two of your two favorite people in the world snuggled up on the couch. Omi's tiny hand gripped Miles's shirt as Miles held her like an inmate protecting his tray. You giggled to yourself, snapping a quick pic for the memories before joining their 'nap circle'.

"G'night, pretty babies" you whispered, pressing kisses on both of their cheeks.

"Mmh...noches."

...‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

Taglist:

@ashsostrange @chessbox @janaeby @faeriesoiree333 @fivestardior @an1bara @bachirasegoist @kxllanxtdoor

Taglist form on my profile !! pls fill that out to be added <3

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

hello fellow,, I just wanted to say I think you're very pretty— And I'd love to watch one of your shows !!

What's your favorite part about your job?

So tell me, do you wanna go?

“Thank you, thank you for the compliment! Aren’t you a flatterer,” Fellow chuckled as he adjusted his lapels. “You, my good spectator, have an excellent eye. And if you’re looking to see far more beautiful things in your life, then have I got the item for you!!”

With the flick of his wrist, he produced a pink shard from his coat pocket. Its clarity was broken by a few scratches, resulting in a color closer to rose fog. The sea glass appeared to be ordinary in every sense of the word.

“This,” Fellow declared, presenting the shard with a flourish, “is rose-tinted glass. Have you heard of it? It’s a special material that was blessed by a fairy godmother! It may look like an ordinary lump now, but refine it, polish it--" He pantomimed cleaning it off with his sleeve. "--and you'll have yourself some fine material for a mirror, glasses, whatever you wish! Anything you see through its face will have its beauty enhanced a hundred-fold!"

"Oooooh." You politely clapped for him. "So that's how your scams--er, I mean shows--work. You butter people up and sell them impossible dreams."

"... That wasn't a demonstration just now, I really was trying to scam you, kid!!" Fellow groaned, letting his smile drop. He dropped the sea glass back into his pocket, then folded his arms. "Don't let it spread, or I could be losin' out on some potential marks."

"Alright, but only if you answer my question too."

"What my favorite part of the job is?" Fellow barked a laugh, but there was no joy to be found in it. "It pays the bills. It lets us survive. It puts snobs in their place. I can be my own boss, go where I like, make my own hours."

"That's it?"

"What, did you expect something flashier?" Fellow angled his hat, allowing the brim to shadow his eyes. "Get your head out of the clouds, kid."

Then he lifted his head and looked out. Past the main building of the school, to the front gates and beyond it. The town below, the sky above, the sea surrounding.

"... Stayin' put in one place never suited me," he said quietly. "There's a whole wide world out there, waiting for my grand ol' shows to come along and wow'm. They'll look at me with stars in their eyes, the crowd alive with sound."

A smile had taken shape on his lips. Not a sneer, not a smirk. A real smile, soft as a baby bird's down feathers.

It dawned on you.

I get it. What he likes the most is... seeing the joy he can bring to others, even if that joy is just a lie.

"Ah, but enough of that!" Fellow swept his top hat off and, inverting it, held it out to you. He beamed expectantly. "In exchange for my time and well-thought-out responses...!"

"Huh? But the deal was I wouldn't let your plot slip if you answered, not money on top of that. I'm barely managing to get by myself on the headmaster's monthly allowance..."

"I have to support myself and Gidel, don't I?" Fellow rattled the hat. "Payment, if you please!!"

You sighed but began digging for loose change.

[creedslove]

CHOCOLATE CAKE BLISS 🎂

Post outbreak!Joel Miller x f!reader

Summary: Joel loves your chocolate cake and while he's stealing one slice of it you two end up having a conversation about that future that makes him insecure, so you gotta show him you mean it when you say you love him

(this can be read as a continuation of SLEEP BLISS 💤, SHOWER BLISS 🫧, MOONLIGHT BLISS 🌙, BABY BLISS 🍼 PART ONE and BABY BLISS 🍼 PART TWO, or it can be read as a one shot, it's up to you)

Warnings: angst, fluff, mentions of pregnancy but no pregnancy at all, smut (oral m! receiving), age gap, insecure!joel, out of character!joel, cute!joel because he loves chocolate cake

1.8k words

Joel grumbled when he went back to consciousness and didn't feel you next to him. He could still feel your side of the bed warm and your scent lingering in your pillow, but you weren't lying there.

He looked around and rubbed his tired eyes. He didn't remember how long he'd slept, but it felt like a lot, as for once his body was completely relaxed and there was no tension in his muscles. He smiled at himself as soon as he remembered the night before, how you'd told him you loved him and how after gathering courage he told you the same.

You had exchanged love words while he was inside of you, as his hot load was hitting your womb and you couldn't be more connected than that at that moment.

It was official, you were each other's and no one could change that.

And he also remembered what he thought when he was inside of you.

He still didn't know what was up with him, sometimes he did want to have a baby with you, he wanted to get you pregnant, he wanted to see you glowing with a beautiful round belly, he wanted to be up at night helping you with your baby, he wanted to sit down silently and watch you breastfeed your baby, hold the baby's tiny little hand and feel the tight grip around his finger, little eyes searching for Joel's, so the baby would know mama and dada were there.

And then he fell back into his senses and remembered how insane all of that was.

He was old. He wasn't just older than you, he was old.

He didn't have energy to run after a kid, he was tired, his body ached and his back killed him at least once a day. There was no way he could leave you with the responsibility of taking care of a child. Even if you weren't living a literal apocalypse, it wasn't a great idea at all. And he couldn't force you to go through a pregnancy without adequate medical care, what if you had poor health? What if something went wrong in labor? No, he couldn't afford that.

He got up and widened his eyes at the delicious smell.

Chocolate cake.

Joel didn't even remember how long it had been since the last time he had a slice of it. But even if it'd been ages, he wouldn't forget that smell and he could already taste it.

He ran downstairs, suddenly feeling excited about the perspective of eating a slice of it and couldn't stop thinking it was damn pathetic a guy his age being so happy at something simple as that, but you couldn't disagree more, he was so boyish, so adorable when he wrapped his arms around your waist and tried stealing a slice of it.

You laughed at yourself. Joel Miller was acting adorable.

You snapped his hand away for the third time and frowned "Joel!!! This is for the kids, I already told you!" You said and saw him chuckling

"you are going to volunteer at the daycare, there's babies there. Babies don't eat chocolate cake" he rolled his eyes.

You turned around and faced him

"There are toddlers there, don't play dumb with me, you know that. And if you out of all the people in the world love chocolate cake, what makes you think the toddlers won't?" You chuckled and pecked his lips

"Alright, one last slice and I promise tonight I'll bake one just for you" you whispered against his ear and pecked his neck gently.

He groaned and gripped your waist, you shouldn't be teasing him like that, you were a real bad girl for that.

He crashed his lips against you, needing you to feel how much power you had over him, but you broke the kiss and stroked his cheek gently, smiling at him.

"Can I tell you a secret?" You blushed and saw when Joel frowned softly, he nodded, curious to know what you hadn't told him.

His heart raced with anxiety, what if you were gonna tell him you met someone nicer? Maybe a younger guy who made the butterflies in your stomach fly like crazy.

No. He quickly dismissed the idea, why would you be offering yourself to bake him cakes like a good housewife and spreading kisses all over your neck if you wanted to be with someone else? Fuck, get it together, man. He thought to himself.

"It's just that… at the daycare there's a baby, a real cute one and he's got the sweetest brown eyes and curly hair and Maria and I joke he's your son…" you giggled "and I like taking care of him and pretending he is your son, it's fun" you bit your lips not sure how he would react.

Joel gasped and looked into your eyes.

"Do you wanna have a baby?" He couldn't hold back his tongue, god, he cursed himself for being pathetic, but he needed to know.

"No… I mean, I don't know… I never really thought of having babies before, I just thought it was a cute scenario because the little boy kinda looks like you" you explained and saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes?

"Why? Do you wanna have a baby Joel?"

He shook his head and looked down, scratching down the back of his neck feeling once again embarrassed about having that conversation.

"I don't… I mean, sometimes I do, but it's a crazy idea, isn't it? Bringing a baby into the picture is fucked up… I don't know, I guess I went soft because of you and now we're together it makes me wonder what things would be like if we were in a normal world, if I hadn't lost everything…" he swallowed hard "I just feel guilty because you are so beautiful, so young and you should be able to get married and have a family, you know… with someone suitable for you, someone appropriate"

You shook your head and held his face between your hands.

"You are this person, Joel. You are the most suitable and appropriate person to me, you are the only man I would ever consider marrying, and you are the only one that could get me pregnant. As much as it is crazy to bring a baby into this world, I would do it with you and no else… why is it so hard for you to accept that I love you?" You tilted his head and watched him look down.

"I don't know" he shrugged and didn't stare at you again.

You took a deep breath and pulled his head gently, kissing him.

"It's not our fault if we fell for each other. I know there's a lifetime that separates us, but I love you even if you're older and I know for a fact that you love me even if I'm younger, Mr.Miller" you smiled "I think we're being carried away with this whole baby thing, I think it would only make us feel pressured, but if it ever happened, I'd be happy" you told him and saw how Joel only nodded and pecked your lips before leaving for work.

You spent the whole afternoon thinking of your interaction with him, it baffled you how insecure he was. Whenever you thought you'd advanced one step with Joel it also felt you took one step back. You didn't care if he was older, you loved him and you didn't want to be happy with someone else. You were already happy with Joel, even if he was a dumb, stubborn cunt once in a while.

When you got home, you knew there were still a couple of hours for his shift to be over, so you prepared the batter for the cake you'd promised him, as you thought of a way to show him your love, your passion for him.

After you put the cake in the oven, you got rid of your clothes and stood only in your panties in front of the mirror, you wanted to show Joel love the best language he could speak.

When he stepped inside the first thing he noticed was the smell, you had actually made him the cake like you promised and he smiled softly. He shouldn't have been so coward towards you earlier that day, he shouldn't have showed you how weak he was, but at the same time you were the only person he could actually do that. He didn't have anything to hide from you, and he hoped you were the same for him.

"Y/N?" He called your name wanting to see where you were, but was caught off guard by your half naked presence.

You walked towards him in nothing but your thongs, he saw how your breasts moved freely as you walked, your nipples already hard at the chilly air. You couldn't help but smile at his surprised face, hugged him and kissed his neck, deeper this time, adding a small love bite to it and earning a groan from your man.

"Darling, I-" you cut him off when you unbuckled his belt

"I wanna get on my knees for you Joel" that was the only thing you said, because at that moment you wanted to be submissive, you wanted to exist only for him, for his pleasure.

So you did as you said and faced his crotch. With delicate hands you unzipped his jeans and pulled them down just enough to free his cock.

You loved how his size matched his entire body, being thick and long, your cunt always clenched at the sight of it.

You gave his tip a small cat lick, tasting his leaking pre cum at the same time your hand massaged his heavy balls.

Joel had barely been touched and he was already groaning in pleasure.

You wrapped your lips around his tip suckling on it at the same time you stroked his base.

Joel's hand gripped your hair tight, pulling your face closer wanting more of you. You were driving him insane as you were touching him but not enough for him to cum yet. You took a deep breath and relaxed your throat, giving him a small nod to show him you were ready for him to face fuck you.

And then Joel bucked his hips, fucking your mouth, loving how you took all of him until he came for you, and you swallowed every single drop of it.

He panted and helped you up, holding you tighter against his chest.

Joel sat on the couch, not bothering pulling his pants up but seeing you shivered lightly so he took off his jacket and placed it on you.

You kissed him, smiling as he looked at you with surprise and admiration, you curled up to him, never wanting to be apart from your man, you loved him with all of your heart and you'd prove it to him whenever he needed some reassurance.

_____

A/N: idk i love joel and I'm horny

[whateverisbeautiful]

There was so much joy in Richonne’s reunion an TOWL did a great job showing the interplay of complex trauma and fear. What do you think will be the biggest challenges or adjustments for Rick, Michonne and their children now that they are reunited?

Great question! I gave it some thought for each of the family members and this is what I can see being their notable challenges and adjustments ⬇️💗:

Rick:

There are a few things I can see Rick wrestling with and having to navigate now that he’s home. One that first comes to mind is that Rick will probably be dealing with the challenge of seeing how close his kids feel to other adults who actually got to witness them grow up. I can envision exchanges Rick has with people in the group where they might want to tell him stories about RJ and Judith when they were younger and I can see those stories making Rick really smile while also making his heart break that he wasn’t there.

I feel like it will be this conflicting thing where Rick feels so grateful to people like King Ezekiel, Jerry, and Daryl (once they’re reunited) for looking out for his kids, while also knowing it stings that RJ and Judith know these men better than they know him and maybe even have more of a natural inclination to turn to these men as trusted figures at first.

Like if King Ezekiel was their guardian for however long between the TWD series finale and TOWL, I can see there being moments in the beginning of the Grimes being reunited where maybe RJ innocently thinks to seek out the king’s help before Rick's.

The good thing is I think it won’t take long before RJ and Judith develop a trusted tight bond with Rick to where they feel not just equally but more comfortable with their dad than they do with the other adults who helped take care of them while Richonne was away. And one of the many golden qualities of both Rick and Michonne is they both are good at doing something productive with their feelings. And so Rick wouldn't sulk over the time he missed, he'd make a real effort to learn all he could about his children both from RJ and Judith themselves and the people who know them so that he can be the best dad he can be to them and establish a genuine closeness.

Michonne:

I think a challenge for Michonne might be navigating how much her kids have grown and evolved while she was gone and how their interests and maturity have changed. There might be fun things they loved to do together before she set off to find Rick that Judith and RJ feel too old for now. At their ages, kids change so much in a year so I can see it being tough to know her babies did a lot of growing up in her absence.

After being away from them, I’m sure she’ll want to spend as much time as possible with them and fortunately, Rick and Michonne made it back at a time when RJ and Judith weren’t yet in that teen phase where being around your parents is “lame.” They’ll get to have that valuable family time and make childhood memories with the kids, but it'll be an adjustment to see the kids only become more and more independent. Michonne was really good at knowing how to talk to Carl when he was a tween/teen and prepping Judith and RJ for the real world while maintaining their childhood, so I think she’ll navigate RJ and Judith getting older well, while also forever viewing them as her babies.

I always got the sense that Michonne really does see RJ as her little baby no matter how big he gets, and I feel like that’s an area where Rick will be helpful because I feel like he’ll help guide through RJ’s evolution from a little boy to a man. Even tho of course RJ has time cuz he's not even double digits yet. 😊

A big positive adjustment for Michonne - she’ll no longer be raising two kids alone. When it comes to raising the kids, I feel like discipline will be an interesting thing for Rick and Michonne, and the kids to navigate at first because it’s always an important part of raising children but Rick will be so new to the kids and they’ll be so much more familiar with Michonne’s discipline. They’ll have to figure out how Rick fits into that when it comes to discipline, but the way Michonne and Rick are a well-oiled machine in any role, I think they’ll figure it out in the best way and strike a great healthy balance as parents to RJ and Judith. 

Judith & RJ:

For the kids, I think the biggest adjustment will of course be having their father actively in their lives and navigating what the family dynamic is now that they’re being raised by two parents. (At the start, Judith and RJ will also probably have to get used to Rick staring at them in awe at times. 😋) I think similar to what I touched on about Rick, they’ll have to adjust to having Rick as the go-to male figure in their lives.

Also, something new they’ll be getting used to is their mom being not only a mother but a wife. I think that’ll be a good adjustment tho. I think they’ll really love getting to see their mom happy and cared for by their dad.

As Judith and RJ get older over the years, who they become and how they’re similar and different from their parents would be interesting to see. In my mind, RJ becomes especially similar to Rick, and Judith becomes especially similar to Michonne. And then I’m really curious what that transition from minor to adult is like in that world. Like I don’t know much about the Commonwealth and if they have things like college but when Judith arrives at those college ages I wonder if she’ll want to move out or at least experience something away from home.

I can see both Judith and her parents wanting as much time together as possible after being apart for so long, but whenever that time comes to leave the nest I’d be curious how they all navigate that. I think it would be so special for Rick and Michonne to see their kids grow into well-adjusted happy thriving adults, especially after Carl and Andre's childhoods were cut short. And above all, I think the Grimes will definitely be a family that stays close-knit no matter where life takes them going forward. 👌🏽😊

[moonpascaltoo]

nathan bateman

MASTERLIST • OSCAR ISAAC CHARACTERS • 06/24/24

˚‧⁺ ･ ˖ · ୨ৎ recs

𑣲 the beauty of imperfection I @missdictatorme

Nathan figured having a personal assistant wouldn't hurt. He was wrong. She was a pain in the ass. Also she was so different from his robots (he no longer have because one tried to kill him). But she was also... fascinating

𑣲 influencer!reader I @/missdictatorme

𑣲 mama bear I @/missdictatorme

You have only one rule, that none of Nathan’s AI androids can interact with your newborn daughter. Nathan thinks you are too suspicious and overreacting. But what happens when one of his creations doesn't obey?

𑣲 in plain sight I @spacecowboyhotch

for someone who’s all about AI, blanks stares and obedient droids, your likeness to them is driving him crazy. 

𑣲 shut up, kid I @hoedamn-eron

You awake to your first Mother’s Day with baby Bateman.

𑣲 bluey I @/hoedamn-eron

Nathan discovers your son’s favourite show.

𑣲 ebo I @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction

𑣲 piano s/o I @/my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction

𑣲 assembly required I @reallyrallyauthor

Nathan Bateman is maybe the smartest man in the world. But that doesn’t mean he has the common sense that god gave a can of green beans.

𑣲 accidental kiss I @youvebeenlivingfictional

𑣲 fake dating I @/youvebeenlivingfictional

𑣲 by definition I @/youvebeenlivingfictional

“To what extent are we culpable? If there is forethought, is it traceable  through code? At what point are humans no longer responsible for their  creations?”

𑣲 magnetic I @/youvebeenlivingfictional

Now that you’ve met him in person, Nathan Bateman is everything and nothing like you’ve expected.

𑣲 rubber ducky, you're the one I @/youvebeenlivingfictional

The last time he got roped into one of these celebrity auctions, Nathan wound up spending six stupefying hours with a Kardashian, trying to explain why they couldn’t launch their own crypto, ‘K-Coin’, without plans for a public exchange. This? This is way more interesting, but just as mystifying.

𑣲 that algo is fucking scuffed part 2 I @/youvebeenlivingfictional

It’s Nathan Bateman’s business card, with all of his contact information on it. But there’s a small hand-drawn → on the bottom. You flip it over and read: Thanks for the fix. Your rate seems reasonable. Looking for a job? -NB

𑣲 the logical progression part 2 I @/youvebeenlivingfictional

Maybe it was better that you didn’t meet Bateman until you were further along in your time at Blue Book. By the time you did, you were much more self-assured, knowledgeable, and far less afraid to challenge authority. You hadn’t gotten to where you were by being a shrinking violet.

𑣲 this didn't happen I @/youvebeenlivingfictional

Had you gone to the conference planning to sleep with Nathan Bateman? No. Had you? Yes. Were you regretting it? Absolutely. 

𑣲 chase and pull I @leoluved

nathan likes when you get jealous, but he gets upset when he gets a taste of his own medicine. 

𑣲 dear diary, i met an asshole I @writefightandflightclub

𑣲 uninvited I @/writefightandflightclub

Nathan attends the Met Gala, but there’s something missing. That’s you.

𑣲 post script I @leiakenobi

It took nearly a month after the company funeral for a pair of suits to show up at your door and say, “We’re here to discuss the Bateman estate.”

𑣲 almost lost you I @softboywriting

It takes Nathan nearly dying to realize he loves you, but he needs to know you feel the same and will take some unnecessary steps to find out instead of just asking you.

𑣲 an ordinary business proposal I @freelancearsonist

𑣲 pink interference I @milkypompon

Nathan made you a period tracker... but it's nothing you'll find on the public market.

𑣲 doppelgänger I @brandyllyn

You’re invited to Nathan’s house after ‘the incident’ to test his new AI. A masc one this time. Of course Nathan made it in the form of the most perfect man he knows, himself.

[i-am-church-the-cat]

you want 917 words on clones and Logan Sargeant? yes you do, keep reading

--

Athletes are freaks of nature. Not everyone can be an athlete, even if they have the drive, passion, and opportunity. You can be too tall for a sport, too short, you shoulders could be too wide, your legs too long. There are a hundred and one genetic variations that can keep someone in competing professionally within the rules of athletics.

So why waste your time on chance? Why put all that money and time in if you can't be completely sure that it's going to be worth it? Wouldn't it be easier to just remove the unknown variable altogether? That way we can truly test how far the human body is able to go.

But when does it stop being human? When you can hand-select the color of a baby's eyes? When you pump the fetus full of drugs? How about when you grow it in a lab? Is it still human then?

Logan Hunter Sargeant was made for fighting. Sargeant Trading payed billions of dollars to create the perfect All-American soldier, the kind you'd find on posters. He was bred for speed, for strength, for durability. He was programmed to follow orders even if it limited his ability to think strategically. Logan was made to be the perfect weapon for the U.S. Government, and in exchange, gain Sargeant Trading back a hundred-fold what they shelled out for him.

But something when wrong in that lab, is what Logan's been told. That while the scientists could make his body perfect for fighting, they couldn't make Logan a perfect fighter. Because the problem with clones, at the end of the day, is that they're still fucking people. And people have feelings.

Weapons aren't supposed to have feelings.

So Logan was a failure. Is a failure, as his uncle likes to remind him. No, not his uncle, Harry Sargeant III has no relation to Logan, whose DNA was cultivated from a variety of donors. Just because Daniel Sargeant took a failed experiment in and raised him alongside his own son, doesn't mean Logan is a Sargeant where it matters.

But what does a weapon that isn't capable of being a weapon supposed to do? Logan can't escape the urge to push his body to its limits, can't ignore the pull towards things that get his adrenaline pumping. His body craves the thrill like an addict, not because of any choices that he made, but because his creators put him together that way.

Racing is the only thing he's ever done that soothed that itch. That kept him from unleashing all his pent up energy as violent outbursts that made him hate himself and scared of his own body. Being in a plane, in a boat, in a four-wheel kart spinning around the edges of a racetrack kept all his atoms soundly inside his body.

Logan couldn't be a soldier, but his body was made for being pushed to his limits. Racing was the only thing that met his threshold for physical activity. Unlike the other kids who had to train their bodies for the pull of gravity, Logan's body was made for it.

Sometimes it felt a little too perfect. Like someone had messed up and made him a racing clone instead of a fighting one. And other times - usually when he was slamming into some barriers and getting the wind knocked out of him - he knew it was all just a happy accident.

The FIA doesn't have any rules restricting clones from competing. Logan's pretty sure that's because no one really knows they exist. They're something from science fiction, maybe some abstract future concept, not a fledgling industry for the rich and ethically defunct. Logan can't imagine ever telling anyone what he is. The thought that someone might think he's a dangerous freak is second to the possibility that someone might think he was cheating, that he wasn't working just as hard as everyone else. Yeah, he lucked out by having a hand-coded body type and rich pseudo-parents, but that can be said for most of the kids on the Formula track.

When Logan wins the World Karting Championship, he knows this is more than just science, nothing like destiny. This was his choice from start to finish.

And he was certainly going to finish it now. He thinks about the sprouts of conversations surroundings clones in professional sports and has to laugh at the thought. If anyone wants to argue that being made for athleticism gave an inherent advantage to a person, they can just point them Logan's way. Billions of dollars went into him. He might have the speed and the strength and the dexterity, but he's a shit fighter and now, a shit racer, too.

Being made in a lab didn't help him when his car was fighting him every step of the way. It didn't help him retain information faster or track the most efficient route around the track. It just made him strong enough to take a hit. And the last two years have proved it. If there's anyone that could be kicked while they were down, it was Logan Sargeant.

He isn't sure what he would do with himself if he doesn't have racing. His body was made to fight but his heart couldn't handle it. His heart yearned to race but his brain couldn't handle it.

He was a twice-failed epitome of human strength. He was made in a lab somewhere. And it didn't fucking matter at all.

[asylumdream]

Drawing project of my Hero Rosario (Nicknames Rosy or Ari) for every 10 levels I gain in Dragonfable-

Closeups and story under the cut

Rosario was from a poorer hunting family, just trying to get by. One winter was particularly harsh, and being the youngest mouth to feed… They saw the writing on the wall, and fled. Deciding that at least their memories of their family wouldn't get tainted. If they ran away themself there was a chance they wouldn't have been abandoned. They got spotted and picked up by a Guardian who had happened to be wandering about, and from that moment on was a kid of Falconreach through and through. They were thoroughly obssesed with books, burying themself in any they could get their hands on. They would spend days locked away in the library at the gaurdian tower pooring over history books, tactics books, magic books… they loved it. Their dayly routine was to wake up, go early to Cysero to beg him for any books he would sell them for their measly 3 coin weekly alownce (and some days he would have one he'd be willing to give up in exchange for a favor or two) then help serve breakfast in the messhall. After that they would jump head first back into their studies until they had to be guided away from their books for dinner. Then they would read until lights out. When they were old enough to venture outside the wall without supervision they would make the treck to warlic's tent to beg books off of him, and anyone else who'd be willing to spare some litterature for them. They became quite the shut in, so bad that they had no friends their age nor did they ever go outside save for the early monring. Their caretaker had had enough of it, and forced them to join the heros of falcon reach to 'Put all that brian power of yours to good use lad! You love your magicks so much? well learn to cast a spell out there!". And so kicked out they were, to face the wide open world of lore.

between doing random chores for the knights of the Pentaganol Knights and stealing the egg back from Drakath they are keen to keep up their studies…. But find that this whole 'adventureing' thing is kind of fun actually! Twilly isnt half bad company and will listen to them ramble on and on about magic theory without interupting them.

Their dragon egg has hatched! to their awe and amazment, an adorable little baby is introduced to the world. they name the dragon 'Sweetpea' after the flowers it enjoys burning to a crisp while it sneezes. And with Sweetpea born Rosario is off to the races, spesifically the race against Sepulchure to secure the elemental orbs and prevent his usage of them. They've heard of the orbs before and know the history and Awesome Power they hold- and though Rosario can't fathom why Sepulchure wants them it can't be for anything good.

With Sweetpea at their heal Rosario goes to convince anyone with any access to the orbs to help them keep the orbs safe- The Sandsea was horrible, they were picking sand out of there armor for weeks, but at least zhoom is a reasonable person with a respectable work ethic. Then he offers to teach them to become a ranger- To Teach Them??? Say no more. Rosario has always been a quick study, and having been banned from their library for the foreseeable future the next best thing is to get taught in the real world. At every opportunity then on they try and learn all that they can, trying to find this paladin they've heard of… And it turns out that paladin shares their love of clever puns and wordplay! Useing light magic to kill undead while learning the ways of a paladin (and necromancer, and deathknight) is a dream for them, and Artix makes surprisingly good company! He isn't patient enough for their lectures on the mechanics of magics, but at least he's polite to nod along. They find they dont mind it too much.

Being a veracious learner, is it any wonder they took to soulweaving like a duck to water? No mater their misgivings about Tomix's… Friend… They are honored to be taught a whole new skill they've never even Heard of before. Not to mention… It's fun being the one teasing instead of the one being teased for once- and Tomix is a bit of an easy target. The whole endeavor, as stressful as managing greed was, was a much needed break after the…. water orb….

Things were good! They had secured the orbs and backtracked to learn the ways of the Pirate and Ninja! things were looking up! Then Sepulchure got the orbs anyways. Fine! Sure! They'll deal with it! So they do. And it's great! the world is saved and they can rest! Not ten days later fire imps attack Falconreach with refugees pooring in from portals and Warlic is nowhere to be found but Fine! Sure! They'll deal with it! So they do. The spell that this Jaania was under… it is as facinating as it is terrifying to them, and they greet the girl who was broken out- a spite fire, but they feel a kindered spirit in her. They want to pull her aside and explain everything that's happened so far, give her the complete information they know they'd crave in her position- but then the professor is ushering them all to a grand battle without so much as a 'how do you do'. Wargoth by Rosario's observation seems to create mana when casting, rather then destroy it. So if they can provoke him to cast fast enough, they are sure they could burn him out, the only problem is the massive amount of free floating mana that would create- it would wipe out half the planet for sure. But they've not researched magicks their whole life for nothing, they know of and even collect the seeds of a spicies of plant that rapidly absorbs mana when it grows, if they can just- But no, the professor has a Better Idea. Fine! Sure! They'll deal with it. They sure hope their old caretaker is proud of how accommodating and understanding they are being. And they defeat Wargoth, with much collateral damage and close calls- but at least Warlic is back together and now they can focus on the Important Things of rebuilding after Sepulchure and this damage- as well as meeting with and learning from the people who fled from Wargoth's advancments. Sweetpea is safe and sound and all is-…

[goshdangronpa]

Thoughts on Tsumioda Medical Malpractice?

Absolutely! Mikan regularly disregards doctor-patient confidentiality. It's a power thing.

For the comfort of squeamish types, a more serious (less unserious) response is hidden below the readmore ...

You wouldn't know Ibuki Mioda was any different as a member of Ultimate Despair. Teruteru upgraded to a blood-red chef outfit, Peko's sporting skimpier clothes that really bring out her tatas, Gundham is draped in a freaking snake. Everything Ibuki tries just looks like more of the spunky punk fashion she'd wear in school.

It's not just that it's the same-ol-same-ol. It's that Ibuki looks like a kid. And she IS a kid. But so are Sonia and Fuyuhiko, and her pristine regalia and his spiffy tailored suit serve up a more mature brand of evil. That's the other thing: punk fashion isn't evil! This isn't an 80s movie. How unfuckwithable can you really be when your top's most distinct feature is a bunch of SAFETY pins?

But what if ... no, that's crazy. Wait, that's exactly why she should do it. Ibuki vaguely recalls catching this crazyass art movie late one night. She tuned into Tetsuo: The Iron Man thinking she'd watch Robert Downey Jr., and what she got was way more disturbing. After successfully blocking it from her memory, it returns in a flash of inspiration.

Ibuki could ask Kazuichi to help. And he encourages her, the way they'd encourage all their worst fashion ideas back in school. But the reward he demands in exchange is, um, not something she wants to give him. Jeez, he's gotten even creepier lately. After giving him the slip and jacking some of his junk, she knows who can help ...

Mikan is Ultimate Despair's most loyal lieutenant, and one of its busiest. She doesn't usually have time for Ibuki's foolishness these days. There are experiments to run, scores to settle, and the world's most amazing girlfriend/cult leader to please. But when her old classmate comes in with a box full of debris and an unusual request, it gets her attention. She's put metal into people before, but that usually means slicing organs with scapels or drilling into skulls. Turning Ibuki into a half-baked cyborg ("Half-baked PUNK ROCK cyborg!") ... There are possibilities.

Granted, the odds of terrible infection are sky-high, and the payoff on Ibuki's end seems minimal. The impulsive brat will probably balk at the pain and cut things off early with a couple new fixtures on her body. But torturing her a little could be fun, and Mikan might even learn something useful - something she could take back to Junko, something that might get her a reward. To everyone's surprise, she agrees.

When the time comes, there's no anesthesia. Mikan assures the gullible girl that it's not punk rock. Think of it, she says, like any other tattoo or piercing. The nurse cuts a fissure into her wrist, which is quickly plugged with a scratched-up steel hex head. Careful burning seals it into place.

To Mikan's aggravation, Ibuki screams the whole time. It's like one of her concerts, except right into her one-woman audience's ears. The pain must be incredible. But when it's done, the patient, her makeup smeared with tears and her whole prone body shaking, asks for a short break before the next procedure.

One becomes two, then three, with another scheduled for tomorrow. Across several days, Mikan covers Ibuki's skin with smelted hardware, broken fasteners, dead wires, spikes, tubes. Despite the pain and all the bed rest, Ibuki has a swagger in her step. Punk was fun, but cyberpunk is the way of the future, baby! At first the ornamentation is only on the arms and shoulders. But Ibuki wants them on less visible areas, too.

Sex has always been part of Mikan's experience in Ultimate Despair. Junko likes for her to wear a skimpy Halloween costume in lieu of more professional and sanitary attire, and the power trip of operating on terrified and helpless patients can leave her hungry for attention that her mistress sometimes gives. But something about Ibuki's resilience in the face of such profound and pointless agony, and her willingness to let Mikan experiment on her body, awakens something in her. At first this work was both a chore and a lark. Now, it's a reward unto itself. The more she savages Ibuki, the more beautiful she seems. Her nightly vigils take a more amorous turn, which Ibuki eagerly accepts.

But Ibuki can't do much with her body anymore. She's weak. Infections run rampant. Microscopic flakes of metal almost certainly course through her blood, shredding every vessel along their circulation. This is not the right way to get more iron in her body. Mikan finds herself backing down from more procedures, even as Ibuki asks for them. The patient babbles about some movie she once watched, saying something about conquering the world with their love.

She wouldn't be the first person to die from Mikan's perverse idea of medical care. But this is the first time that possibility fills the nurse with guilt and horror. Ibuki trusted her. Ibuki relished her company. Ibuki saw Mikan at her worst, a sight many do not see and survive, and wanted more.

The truth is, Mikan was never in this for despair. She did it because she loved Junko - the way she treated her, the way she paid attention to her, the way she forgave her for being nothing more than her sorry self. As she spoonfeeds Ibuki, helps her wipe herself in the bathroom, watches her decompose before her eyes, a new purpose arises in Mikan.

Junko calls her over one night. It's been a while since she's even heard from Mikan, who normally doesn't go more than a day without a breathless report, or at least a booty call. Mikan breaks down and tells her almost everything. Ibuki wanted to do this stupid thing. Mikan did it, again and again. Now she's dying.

"Damn, that bitch is crazy," Junko says. "Kind of a waste, but all for a noble cause."

Mikan's face must have visibly fallen, because Junko is going awww with a finger on her chin. "Know what we can do?" She looks up at her beloved. "We can ask Kazuichi to cube her. Like a junkyard car. You can keep her around."

Junko smirks now. "So. Wanna take a break and fool around?"

Future Foundation was always on the hunt for Junko Enoshima and her minions, following rumors, horror stories, and evidence from the cryptic and disturbing work of the former Ultimate Photographer. The leads are often scant. They're guided just as much by hope as by intel.

So no one expects it when Mikan Tsumiki, one of the most feared and dangerous and wanted members of this movement's leadership, staggers to a field camp set up by the 14th Division with another notorious member in her arms.

She'd walked all night. Now, she falls to her knees before a crowd of locked-and-loaded soldiers. A few reel at the sight of Ibuki Mioda. Much of her mutilated form glints with the rising sun.

Cooler heads among the gunmen yell for Mikan to put her hands up. She can't. That would mean letting go.

Ibuki makes a soft sound.

The soldiers close in, rifles still aimed at heads and hearts. "Save her," Mikan sobs. "Save her."

[theclaravoyant]

if you get lost (you can always be found) - buddietommy (Rated T)

When Tommy faces the daunting task of parenthood, he reaches out to Buck and Eddie for help. Could this be a second chance at the future cut short between them, and the family he's always longed for?

AN ~ merry christmas to @miriellesandthegiantpeach <3 written for the @buddietommydaily exchange!!

Relationships: Eddie x Buck x Tommy,

Tags: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Established Buddie, Past Bucktommy, Pre-Buddietommy, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Adjacent/UA (Canon Divergence) CW: contains mild references / implied domestic violence (in Tommy's past). please read with care.

title from Home - Phillip Phillips

read on AO3 (~5000wd)

if you get lost (you can always be found)

Well. This is not where he was expecting his evening to be headed.

He was expecting paperwork. Paperwork and drudgery and the frankly ridiculous amount of bureaucracy that comes with death. He was expecting to spend his night drinking and playing far too much Billy Joel and arguing with his cousins about selling Nick's estate.

Instead, he's getting -

Olivia Beth Kinard.

His name is on her and everything, on a little card attached to her swaddle. It isn't his name, obviously. It's hers. It was Nick's - She was Nick's. Nick's and Jaimie's and now...

“Is there really not anyone else?”

The lawyer exchanges a glance with the social worker, and Tommy realises how that sounds.

“It's not because I don't want her,” he swears. “I just – Nick and I haven't been close in a long time. Isn't there somebody who knows her who wants her?”

What he really wants to say, all of thirty seconds into looking at her scrunchy sleepy little face, is I can't imagine a world where she's not wanted.

“That's... not really how it works, Mr Kinard,” the lawyer points out. “You were named in the will and are her nearest biological relative. Of course, you can decline, but in the intervening time while we investigate the possibility of other family being able to take her, Olivia would go into foster...”

Tommy shakes his head, and the lawyer looks a little relieved at not having to pull out the full spiel.

“That won't be necessary,” he insists. “Please. Just. Give me an hour to make a call and get together some supplies.”

Somehow it's closer to four hours later by the time he finds himself at a diner with a baby carrier on the table, a grocery bag stuffed to the brim with nappies and bottles and pouches of food at his feet, and his useless brick of a phone staring up at him. Judging him. Laughing at him. Who on Earth is he calling? What was he thinking? He can't handle a baby.

Maybe he should just call DCP back after all.

Or maybe he should call -

No.

No, it wouldn't be fair to show up on his doorstep after all this time and beg back in. Not after the way they'd left things – not even if he knows for a fact that the kids in Evan's life make everything better. His face lights up when he sees them. He's got a potty training setup even in that bachelor pad of a loft. He's probably changed more diapers in the time they were dating than Tommy has in his whole life. He wouldn't have spent half an hour pacing the baby food before realising the age recommendations for the different ones are right there on the packages. He'd know what to do.

And God, Tommy would give anything to watch him do it. Just thinking of Evan makes the wound burn raw again; the hissing, spitting loose ends like sheared electric cables, of the future he'd cut short between them. He's such a coward. But for Olivia's sake, he can't be a coward anymore. Even if there's no future there anymore, even if Evan is mad enough to let Maddie hang draw and quarter him like she probably wants to, there's no way Evan wouldn't help a child. There's no way he could look at Livvy and not melt.

Okay. So he's still a coward, and this little one's his shield. But at least he's a coward with a plan now.

“Sorry, Evan,” he mutters, and hits dial.

-

Buck hits send on the email, and sighs. He raises his beer bottle, and Eddie clinks his against it.

“To the loft.”

“To the loft!”

“Truly the end of an era.”

It's a little bittersweet, sure; that place has been where he's laid his head for more than five years now. It's the longest he's stayed in one place since he was a kid. He has good memories there – and no shortage of painful ones too. Even still, Buck can't keep the smile off his face, or the sparkle from his eyes as Eddie pulls up the latest episode of Secretos del Corazón on the recorder. He still likes to pretend he's not as invested as he is, but apparently this week there's a kidnapping and the reveal of Sofia's baby daddy, and Buck just knows he's going to have opinions about it. Opinions that Buck is going to hear about all night. In bed. Together.

Sometimes he really can't believe his life.

“Are you ready?” Eddie asks. What he means is don't interrupt this one, and Buck loves that for him. For both of them.

“Hang on, hang on.” He jumps up to fetch the popcorn from the kitchen bench, and flicks off the lights on his way back. “Ambience, right?”

Eddie rolls his eyes, with an inescapably fond smile of his own.

Buck is about to sit back down, when his phone rings.

“Ignore it.” Eddie waves it away, almost bouncing in his seat. “Secretos time.”

But Buck can't help but stare dumbfounded at the phone. The name on the screen strikes him like lightning. He'd never removed the blue heart after his name, or changed the contact picture from the selfie of the two of them kissing on a hike at sunset. The memory of watching him walk away plays in his head like it was yesterday and he could swear his heart skips a beat. Maybe the ghost of the loft is coming for him after all.

“... it's Tommy,” he manages, and Eddie forgets the television entirely.

“What? Answer it then!”

“I can't answer it, you answer it!”

“Me?”

“You answer my phone all the time!”

“Not when it's Tommy!”

“Please?”

“Fine!”

Eddie holds up a finger and slides the bar across. Buck holds his breath, and before Eddie can open his mouth to speak there's that beautiful, familiar voice.

“Evan.”

He sounds shaken. Heartbroken. Scared.

“Evan. Please pick up. I'm so sorry. I need your help. I – I didn't know who else to call.”

Eddie passes the phone over, and grabs his jacket and Buck's and his keys.

“Tommy? Where are you? We're on our way.”

-

By the time Eddie and Evan arrive at the diner, Olivia is crying and Tommy's rapidly wearing out his welcome. He rocks and bounces like he thinks he's supposed to; he's tried offering to feed her; he doesn't know how to burp her; nothing helps. Nothing helps, except the flood of relief he gets when he finally lays eyes on them. They were together when he called, because of course they were. They're together together now, apparently, and it makes perfect sense, and call him a selfish bastard but he still can't bring himself to regret calling.

How could he, when Evan sweeps Olivia from his arms and works his magic. He bounces and babbles to her until she's babbling back, and sure, it's late in a poorly lit diner and he's avoiding eye contact like the plague, but he's glowing like he was born for this.

How could he, when Eddie's soft brown eyes find his.

“You okay, man?”

You're okay.

“Yeah,” Tommy chokes. “It's been a long day.”

Eddie beckons him back into the booth and it's way too late for coffee, but his night's shot anyway so why not. He downs a cup and starts to explain, walking backwards through the grocery store to the social worker, the will, the call, the crash. His brother and his sister-in-law had been killed in a car crash. That's what had started all this. He hadn't been on the scene, but it's not like he hasn't seen enough of them to imagine...

“Hey, where's your truck?” Eddie asks, as Tommy fights off visions of scalding asphalt and broken glass.

“In the lot across the street. Why?”

“You're coming back with us tonight. You're going to have some proper food, and a shower, and hopefully a sleep. In the morning we'll call a lawyer and a real estate agent and your tax accountant cousin and whoever else but for tonight, let's just focus on getting you home. Buck, you can drive the Hilux?”

“Hm? Yeah.”

Evan circles back down the isle toward their booth, and finally gets the guts to look Tommy in the eyes. He looks hurt, sure, but more concerned, and Tommy's never been more grateful he met the man. He doesn't dare speak as he carefully trades the settling baby for his car keys; he tries not to think about how Evan's gentle hands linger. How his eyes drag over his lips for a moment when they're close, and the air feels heavy.

“Beth was your mother's name,” Evan says.

“Yeah. I didn't name her, but...”

“It's sweet.”

For a moment, they're standing in another life. One where Tommy didn't leave, and Evan didn't let him. Then Evan clears his throat and drops his eyes and walks away, and it's Tommy's turn to be the one to watch him go.

-

Buck is already awake by the time Tommy stirs. He's dug out the baby bjorn from his days babysitting a smaller Jee-Yun, and is mumbling Big Red Car to himself, and to Olivia, as he bops around the kitchen getting breakfast. Which for her is just milk, but still.

He smiles at Tommy's familiar grumble, his muss of curls sticking every which way as he drags himself into a sitting position.

“I told you, Eddie's couch is so comfortable, isn't it?”

“Never doubted you,” Tommy promises, although his eyes fall to Olivia immediately. “Oh – thanks, I can -”

“Don't worry about it,” Buck assures him. “She's an early riser, just like- just like me.”

No, he wasn't about to say just like her dad. He hasn't even known her twenty four hours yet. And her dad is dead. And there's so many reasons why it's the wrong thing to even think about saying.

Tommy swallows something down; maybe he's about to point all this out. But he doesn't.

“Mind if I make a coffee?”

“Sure. Make me one too? There's instant above the microwave or a HILDY in the nook there if you want.”

Tommy scoffs. Like everyone who knows Eddie does. “Eddie does not own a HILDY.”

“I bought it for him. Years ago, as a joke.” Buck feels his ears blush against his will. He should be getting used to this by now. Only, Tommy blushes too this time, a little bit.

“'As a joke'?” he repeats.

“Yeah. I know.”

Before they can wade further into the Eddie of it all, they're interrupted by another set of footsteps. Then -

“Tommy?!”

Christopher's face lights up like it's Christmas morning for a moment, but then he glances from Buck to Tommy and back and his grin turns into a frown of confusion.

“Wait. I thought you broke up?”

“We did,” Buck explains, and it's tough to find the words, “but, um - we're still... friends?”

He grimaces, struggling to find the words. The way he'd felt alone in that kitchen with the rug pulled out from under him didn't feel like friends. But we're both self sabotaging insecure assholes who happen to have reunited in a time of need, now he's crashing on our couch and I kind of want to ask him to stay there, feels like a bit much, too.

Tommy sucks a breath in.

“I called your dad and Buck because I needed help,” he clarifies. “And they came and helped me. For which I'm very grateful, but really, I should go.”

“Wait,” Buck interrupts, before Tommy can so much as lift his bottom off the couch. And wait he does, and Buck feels something pass between them just like it had the other night. Whatever it is, it compels him to push on: “... At least stay for that coffee? Chris hasn't even really met Livvy yet. And we've all got the day off - maybe we could go down to Babies R Us, get you set up with a crib and everything.”

“First I've gotta call the bank, the hospital, and Eddie's estate guy.”

“Right.” Buck sobers. “Stay for that, then.”

At least he can make a mean casserole. He hears those come in handy, while grieving.

-

So Tommy stays.

He doesn't so much stay as not-leave, at first. Honestly, it's nice to have people to help keep him fed and laundered while he checks out funeral homes or gets a little too drunk and hollers Piano Man at the top of his lungs. It's nice to watch Howie and Maddie bounce Olivia on their knees; to have Eddie and Evan get up in the middle of the night when he can't; to have Hen or Bobby swing by the store when he's out of diapers. Which happens a lot. Babies go through a lot of diapers.

(It's nice to have someone to come home to again, too, but he's trying not to think too hard about that).

Then he keeps coming back, as more and more he finds that the good crib and the good bjorn and the good formula and the good everything is over at South Bedford. They've had a lifetime of family to funnel it all there; old toys from Denny and Christopher and Jee, their favourite brands of pacifiers and teething chews, their favourite swaddle techniques. Advice and love and Lord, the gadgets. He has to admit, he loves a gadget.

“This thing is a life saver.” Tommy all but kowtows to the bottle cleaner, watching as it works its magic to get Olivia’s bottles fresh and sterilised. Brushes and nozzles move around with an efficiency it would take all night with manual scrubbing to achieve; it's like a tiny little car wash in there. Maybe it's the baby brain, but he's pretty sure it's a miracle.

“It’s awesome, isn’t it?” Evan agrees. “We’ll need this one for the mini-Jee, but I’ll send you the specs if you like.”

Something about the way he says it tugs at Tommy's heart. (Hope?) He looks up. Evan's fingers play nervously with a little toggle on top of the machine, and he looks for all the world like there's something he wants to say. Tommy knows those big deep eyes too well not too; Evan's heart has always been on his sleeve.

Unless. Tommy wills him to say. Unless you want to keep using this one.

“I... hear there's a sale on,” is what comes out.

“Oh, cool,” Tommy forces himself to say.

-

Buck's restlessness is loud that night. He’s flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. He’s not even moving much or making a sound, but at the same time somehow he's buzzing like a power saw. Eddie suspects it has something to do with a certain firefighter pilot and his impromptu niece-daughter who have taken up residence in their living room.

“MmmBuck?” Eddie raises an eyebrow.

“’m fine,” Buck mumbles noncommittally.

“You thinking about Tommy?”

He doesn't respond, at first. The sense of buzzing sort of... quiets.

“It's okay if you are, you know,” Eddie promises.

“No, it's not,” Buck objects. “He – we broke up and it's weird that it's not weird. Isn't it? I can't just go 'round inviting people to stay in your house.”

“My house? Since when?” Eddie laughs, just for a moment. He turns onto his side and pulls himself onto Buck's chest, sobering at Buck's beleaguered expression. “Okay, first of all – I was the one who did the inviting. Second of all, you and I both know this is as much your house as it is mine, it practically has been since I met you. Thirdly. I love you, Evan. And if you love Tommy then... I'm sure we can figure something out.”

Evan unlocks something in his chest. The pining ache, the breakup, the upending revelation of it all. The feeling like he could finally take a breath. If you love Tommy? He certainly thinks about him when he's not there. Sometimes it feels like he never stopped. His concerns are Tommy's concerns – are Livvy's concerns. He can see a future, clear as day there. It's just... Eddie and Chris are there too. Can he want that much? Eddie seems fine with it. Maybe he can.

“I know you don’t believe in like… fate,” he explains at last, and honestly, he feels silly himself saying it out loud, but Eddie stays silent, prepared to hear him out on this one. “But I’ve been thinking; what if this is the universe, giving us a second chance.”

“I don’t know about the universe,” Eddie offers, “but the man inherited a baby and you were his first call. That’s not nothing, Buck.”

He gives him a brief, gentle kiss, and settles back onto the bed tucked against Buck's shoulder, and he adds -

“You were mine too, you know.”

And it's decided. Buck's going to ask him to stay.

-

It's been a couple of weeks now, and Tommy likes to thinks he's picked up a couple things. Like, he's getting the hang of the sway-rock-bounce rhythm that works best for her. He can check the milk temperature, and the baby temperature (apparently they don't self regulate well, whose idea was that), and he can change the diaper. He can tell when she's supporting herself well and when she needs help and honestly, the flush of pride he feels whenever she rolls over is a little embarrassing. It makes him want to write a letter to every early parent he's ever met, and apologise for failing to respond with the appropriate enthusiasm to this stuff.

All told, he's come a long way, and considering he'd never planned on having a baby in his life he likes to think he's handling the learning curve pretty well, actually. Sometimes he even dares to think he's doing Nick and Jaimie proud. Sometimes he can see his little brother in her smile.

“'Cause I guess I'm your dad now, Livvy,” he murmurs, over the world's tiniest spoonful of apple sauce. “Somebody's got to be, right?”

She gurgles, and whacks herself in the face with her own apple-sauce coated hand, because of course she does. She doesn't understand what a dad is, or a mom, or a car or a crash or that she's not alone – not that, never alone. She doesn't understand that he would die for her.

Wow. Having kids is intense.

He sighs, and dips a teething stick into the apple sauce for himself. It's not bad. A little bland, maybe, but apparently he's not supposed to go messing around with crazy flavours like cinnamon or yoghurt just yet. And as he chomps he pulls up the web page Activities to Try With Your Baby: Six Months. He scrolls through, contemplating several they've already been toying with and his eye catches on a paragraph about the development of proprioception and why babies like to 'fly'.

So sue him.

“Wanna try flying, Livvy? Ready?”

He starts off with a gentle little bounce. Then a little, little, big bounce - in reality only a few extra inches, and he's holding on the whole time - and Olivia giggles. Tommy feels the smile break out across his face.

“Oh, you like that do you? Let's go again.”

Little, little, big bounce. Little, little, biiiiiig bounce. She's flying, and this has never felt so easy and simple and meant to be. His little girl is happy and he thought of it all by himself. He even gets up off the couch and starts walking a lap of the room with her, lifting her up a little more and a little more each time until she's sailing over his head – still safe in his hands of course – and she tosses her tiny fists up and down and shrieks with delight.

And then with fear, and it's the worst sound he's ever heard.

It all happened so fast: both of them in clouds of sheer bliss, and then he trips on the carpet or one of her toys and it's only a split second before he catches himself and her and everything's fine and he plops onto the couch with her cradled against his chest and everything is fine but she won't stop screaming. He's made a mistake. She screams until she throws up apple sauce and teething biscuits all over his shirt, and then digs deeper and screams even more, as if to let the whole world know that she's scared. And that Tommy did it to her, all by himself.

-

“Go for Buck.”

“You need to find Tommy. Right now.”

Maddie's voice is tight – near panicked. Buck's heart drops through his stomach. He freezes right in the way of the tomatoes and upon catching his expression, Eddie drops the onion he's examining; all eyes on Buck.

“What? Did something happen? Is Liv-”

“Olivia's fine,” Maddie promises, despite said baby scream-crying her tiny lungs out in the background. “Something happened while they were playing and freaked Tommy out. He called me and told me to take her to the hospital so I am but... he's not in a good place, Evan. Something's really wrong.”

This time, Evan cuts through him like a knife. Eddie's already prying the grocery basket from his hand and herding Buck back toward the door.

“Did- Did he say where he was going?” Buck manages.

“No.” On the other end of the phone, Maddie lets out a breathy, nervous, almost bitter sort of laugh. “I think you've got yourself another fugitive.”

Everything Maddie went through to make her describe herself like that; it flashes through Buck's mind and sets his heart racing. Everything he knows Tommy went through – is probably still going through, in some ways, especially with his brother so recently passed – turns his stomach. It seems so obvious now that he thinks about it. That of course, he'd struggle with fatherhood after such a troubled relationship with his own father. He just hadn't been expecting it to hit so suddenly, so strongly. Then again, he knows all too well, the mind and the heart work in mysterious ways.

Like now, when inspiration strikes him out of the blue.

“Look after Livvy,” Buck says, “I think I know where he is. I'll call you tonight. Pinky swear.”

“Pinky swear.”

He hangs up, and snatches the keys off of Eddie.

“Where are we going?” Eddie asks.

“Call it gut instinct.”

Eddie hates calling it that, but he doesn't object. He just swings up into the passenger seat, and not for the first time Buck contemplates how lucky he is to have a partner who follows almost his every whim. Even if it means jumping on the 105 with a driver so near out of his mind with worry it seems to have circled back around into painstaking clarity and white hot determination.

He can only hope he turns out to be right.

-

The sky is clear, the sun bright and warm on Tommy's face as he sits atop the roof – a viewing platform of sorts – at the Harrison Airfield hangar. Keys to his favourite chopper sit clumped in a pile on the tiny metal table before him, next to a pretty average americano in a paper cup. His head's not clear enough to fly. Even in this state he's not that stupid. So he takes a deep breath of the breeze and wonders what on earth he's going to tell Evan and Eddie. Maybe nothing. Maybe he should just keep driving, head up to Colorado. There's probably something in wilderness rescue he could be doing up there and Livvy? Livvy would be safer here. Happy here. With dads who would love her and know what they're doing and who would never, ever hurt her.

He can still remember finding Nick hiding under the bed when they were kids – and once they got too big for that, hanging out in the garage even in the heat or the snow, just so that they weren't inside. He remembers microwave dinners, being petrified of the sound of his own rusty old screen door. The feeling of a leather belt against his skin. He remembers screaming and crying because he couldn't help it, then because it might help. It never did. Most of all, he remembers what it's like to be scared of his father. He could never do that to her again. Not for one second. Olivia deserves so much better.

She deserves better than me.

His phone, too, sits on the poor excuse for a coffee table with the message typed out, unsent. He backspaces.

Please love my little girl. I have to go.

He backspaces again.

I love you.

The door to the rooftop flies open and he jumps. He whips around, to see a very worried Evan and Eddie bursting out onto the concrete.

“Don't do it,” Evan breathes, like the words are bursting from his chest. Then he looks from Tommy – safely, if miserably, sitting and halfheartedly drinking a coffee well back from the roof's edge – and he looks if anything, confused. “What are you doing?”

“Contemplating my navel,” Tommy replies. “And the security at this place, apparently.”

“Funny,” Eddie snips back. “Walk out on everyone you love, do you?”

He steps in front of Evan like he can protect him from Tommy's prickliness and Tommy loves that, he loves them, it's what Evan deserves. His heart aches with it. And it's a low blow, but he can't say it's not deserved even as he rails against it.

“I didn't ask you to follow me.”

“You don't have to ask,” Eddie pushes. “Maddie did. Because she's worried about you. Because she cares about you, Tommy.”

You idiot.

“Yeah, well, maybe she shouldn't. Her stupid decisions aren't on me.”

“And what about Nick then, hm? Did he make a stupid decision, trusting you with his daughter?”

Savage, he should say. That's uncalled for.

But what comes out is -

“Yes! Of course he did! I left him behind, why on earth would he think I wouldn't do the same to her too?! I'm a coward, okay? I'm a coward. And I run when I get scared. Abby. Evan. Nick. I always run. That's what I'm doing here, I'm avoiding my problems like I always do. Livvy deserves better than that, so why don't you two go on home to her and leave me to it?”

It feels like ripping a scar open. It runs so much deeper than he'd thought. Walking out on Livvy didn't start with Evan, didn't start with Abby, it stared with Nick. It started with enlisting as soon as he could and leaving his little brother in the dust, to survive their father alone.

“So which is it?”

Evan interrupts this train of thought.

“What?”

“Are you cutting and running? Or are you leaving because you love her so much you think she deserves better than you?”

In a parallel world, they're standing in Evan's kitchen. Or maybe in his hall, if he'd had the heart to chase him back then.

“I love her,” Tommy promises. “More than anything.”

“Then don't leave.”

Evan nudges past Eddie, and comes to kneel by Tommy, so Tommy can't avoid his face. Tommy does his best to do so anyway.

“You know,” Evan says. “When I was a kid, I thought Maddie had abandoned me. For years I thought she'd run off with her boyfriend even though we'd always promised to leave Hershey together. Turns out Doug was an abusive dick and Maddie gave me her only means of escape to get me out of there. She loved me more than I could ever understand. I think Nick knew you loved him, too.”

He scoffs. “I wasn't as selfless as all that.”

“Not the point,” Evan assures him. “The point is, he left you his child. His most beloved thing on Earth. You must have done something right for him to do that, Tommy, and if you can't trust yourself to see that – trust him.”

“Exactly,” Eddie agrees. “I mean, Buck must have told you about my Will?”

Evan blinks and glances back at him, like he hasn't seen the parallels in this to his own lesson. Tommy frowns. Chris has always been such a part of Evan that Tommy hadn't really thought about the ins and outs of it. How there's so much love there, and trust, even despite going through the tsunami together and crying in front of him about Eddie being shot and going no contact during the lawsuit and all the things Evan feels ashamed of... It's not the same as making his own daughter cry, but it's not not the same either. And Maddie; she and Evan are so close now, too. It's impossible to imagine there was ever that sword hanging over them.

Not to mention, Tommy himself and Evan. Why had he called that night from the diner, if he didn't want to fix things?

Why had Evan and Eddie chased him out here, if not because they believe he's worth chasing?

Evan's words form a lump in his throat.

If you can't trust yourself to see that – trust him.

“I know it's scary,” Evan assures him. “Hell. It's terrifying. Just ask Eddie about the early days with Chris, he's got some horror stories. Or Maddie and Jee. That's why she called me, you know. She knows what it's like to feel like you're bad for your kid. But you're not, Tommy. You're not.”

Hot tears sting his eyes, for the first time in a long time. He can't imagine Maddie feeling like this. Or Eddie. Or Evan. Nobody in the world deserves to feel this awful except for him.

(Maybe not even him. And that's why she called. And that's why they're here.)

Tommy tries to swallow past the tears, and meet Evan's eyes at last. They're big and blue and tearful too and he feels embarrassingly, beautifully pathetic as Evan reaches up to trail his fingers along his cheek. Slowly, ever so gently, he raises up on his knees and follows his touch with a kiss.

“Stay, Tommy,” he insists. “Do the brave thing, and stay.”

[sequinsmile-x]

Stained Glass Windows - Chapter Seventy Three

Life was complicated, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

-x-

Hi friends,

It's SGW time again! I really love writing this - and I hope you're still enjoying reading it!

Excited to know what you think of this chapter :)

-x-

Words: 2.4k

A full list of warnings for the fic can be found on the Series Master List.

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

Emily sighs as she drops her pen onto her desk, taking a moment to massage her temples, the headache she’d been nursing all day somehow worse now that she was alone in the office. She’d sent her team home a couple of hours ago and texted her husband shortly afterwards, letting him know she wouldn’t be home in time for dinner, or to see Lily before she was down for the night, for the third evening in a row. 

Her team was being audited, something she was sure was because she’d just hit the 6-month mark of being in charge of the team, and she was reviewing all of the paperwork that had been filed in that time. She objectively knew she was good at her job, that she was excellent at it even, but there were times when she felt like she didn’t have her team's backing. Lingering looks that they’d exchange with each other when she gave out instructions as if to say ‘who does she think she is’, as if it was her fault their previous boss had been fired for almost getting her killed. 

She’s just about to go and get another coffee, hoping that by some miracle it would make her headache go away and not make it worse, when she hears a light knock at her office door. She bites back a groan, not wanting to see whoever it is, but any preemptive irritation fades away the moment she sees her husband’s head pop around the door as he opens it. He steps into the room and reveals he has a bag of takeout in one hand, and Lily sitting on his other hip. 

She smiles widely and stands up, relief washing over her as she feels tension seeping out of her body, her shoulders already looser just at seeing them. 

“What are you two doing here?” 

“We came to have dinner with you,” Aaron replies, bouncing Lily on his hip and taking her attention away from the lapel of his polo shirt that had fascinated her for the walk from the car to Emily’s office, “Right, Lils? We came to see Mama.” 

The little girl’s eyes light up the moment she looks up and sees Emily, already pushing at Aaron’s chest, scrambling to get down in an instant. “Mama!” 

Aaron chuckles as he sets her down, “Okay, angel I get it,” he says, winking at his wife, “Now you’ve seen your favourite person I’m nothing to you.” 

Emily playfully rolls her eyes at him as she bends down to welcome Lily into her arms, her heart aching and swelling in equal measure at her daughter’s slightly unsteady steps. It felt like she was constantly switching between being proud of watching her little girl grow up and wondering where on earth her tiny little baby had gone, a feeling she was sure would only get worse as Lily continued to get older. Lily falls into her, tiny hands against her knees, short, impossibly sharp nails, digging in even through the material of her pants. 

“Hi sweet girl,” Emily says, lifting Lily into her arms, kissing her repeatedly on the cheeks, chasing the little girl’s giggles - her favourite sound in the world - as she settles her on her hip, “Mama missed you,” she looks over at her husband, smiling softly as he pulls containers of Chinese food out of the bag he’d brought, the smell of her favourite wafting over and making her stomach churn a little as she remembers she hadn’t eaten all day, “You might seriously be the best husband ever.” 

He smiles as he walks over, closing the gap between them and wrapping his arm around her waist, tugging her closer as he kisses her temple and then her lips when she turns her head, “I know what these audits are like,” he says, kissing her again as he leads her over to the couch, “All I ever want to do when I’m stuck here doing them is see you and the kids, and eat something that I haven’t stolen from Garcia’s office.” 

She gasps in false indignation and fights a smile as she sits on the couch, shifting Lily so she is sitting in her lap, “So now I know who is eating all the snacks she always complains are missing.” 

“If anyone asks, it’s a pack of well-trained mice,” He chuckles and passes her a takeout container, the top already open with a plastic fork settled into the food. She raises an eyebrow at him, ready to complain about the lack of chopsticks, but he beats her to it, knowing her better than she sometimes knew herself, “I figured the fork would be easier to eat with if you’re holding her.” 

She presses her lips together, fighting a smile as she nods, her cheek resting on top of Lily’s head as she holds her close, the usually wriggly 15-month-old content to sit in her mother’s embrace, her head against her chest as she tangles her hand in Emily’s hair. 

Emily takes the food gratefully and sighs gratefully as she starts to eat, “Thank you, honey. I didn’t even think about dinner.” 

Aaron frowns, pausing for a moment as he opens his own food container, his gaze lingering on her as she eats slowly, everything about her seeming a little sluggish, “Is no one else helping you with the review?” 

She shakes her head, “No. I didn’t want to ask any of them to work late,” she huffs out a breath, “And I’m not entirely sure they all trust me and that they wouldn’t purposely sabotage me.” 

He feels anger lick at his insides, something he immediately tries to choke back down, well aware that his wife didn’t want him to be angry for her, that she just wanted him to listen, “It’s not getting any better?” 

She blows out a breath and shakes her head, “No,” she says, turning her head to kiss Lily’s forehead, “Some of them are definitely still loyal to Carson. As if because of him I didn’t stand on a bomb and almost…” she stops, clenching her teeth as she looks down at Lily, “d, i, e.” 

His lips flicker into a half smile despite himself, her habit of spelling out words in front of Lily, who was prone to attempting to mirror any word they said. A piece of home bleeding into their work. He knew she was good at her job, and that she knew that too, so seeing her doubt herself, even just a little, made him ache. 

“Do you want me to talk to Strauss for you?” He offers, even though he knows what she’ll say. She’s already shaking her head before he’s even finished talking. 

“No, it’s okay. I appreciate it,” she says, smiling softly at him, “I appreciate you, but I can handle it,” she huffs out a breath, “Even if it does mean a lot of late nights at the moment.” 

He nods, “Whatever you want, sweetheart. You know that.” 

She smiles, already feeling better than she had earlier, but she wants to think about something other than work, “So, what did Little Miss Lily get up to at daycare today?” 

They sit and eat dinner and talk about their day, and she can trick herself into believing that they were at home, that she didn’t have a pile of work on her desk that wasn’t getting any smaller. The facade slips away once their food is finished and Lily starts to get heavier against her, her face pressed against Emily’s chest, lulled slowly into sleep by her mother’s presence and her hand running up and down her back. 

“Do you have to stay?” 

His question disarms her, because she knows he wouldn’t judge her either way. That he wouldn’t think less of her as a mother for staying, or less of her as a colleague for leaving when there was still work to be done. She looks between her desk, the stack of files so high it could almost tip over, and her sleepy daughter in her arms. 

She wonders how many times her own mother was faced with a similar decision. If Elizabeth ever hesitated, torn between her life's work and her daughter, if she ever felt the pull that felt like it was directly tugging at Emily’s heart, a rope made of her own making likely to pull it out of her chest. She so often wanted to make sure she was doing better than her own parents did, something Aaron frequently assured her that she was whenever guilt for doing anything that wasn’t directly for Lily would rear its ugly head. Right now, she knew she’d benefit from doing an extra couple of hours of work, that she’d thank herself for it in the morning, but she was also so tired, and what she wanted more than anything was to go home and snuggle with her husband and their little girl. She closes her eyes and pulls Lily closer, smelling the sweet scent of her shampoo as she breathes her in, and her decision is made in an instant. 

“No,” she says, shaking her head, “I can come home,” she nods towards her desk, “Nothing about that can’t wait until morning.”

He smiles, his dimples carved deeply into his cheeks, and even though she knows he would have been supportive no matter what, she knows she’d made the right decision. If they did have another baby any time soon life would only get more hectic, she’d only have to make more decisions like this one, and her precious time with her husband would only be more limited. 

He leans forward to kiss her, his lips soft against hers, “Want me to take her?” 

She looks down at Lily, who is now asleep in her arms, and she shakes her head, “No, I’ve got her,” she says, standing up and adjusting her hold on the toddler, making sure she is secure in her arms. Lily stirs a little, her grip tight on Emily’s shirt, and she soothes her, a hand on her back and her lips against her forehead, “Go back to sleep, baby,” she says, kissing her dark hair, “You’re okay.” 

“Mama?” Lily slurs, clearly not even fully awake, and Emily hums, running her hand up and down her back.

“Mama’s here, sweet girl,” she says, smiling as she looks up and realises Aaron has packed up her briefcase for her, the handle of it slung over his arm with her purse. He’s smiling at her like it’s the first time he’s ever seen her, like their eyes have met across a bar they’d never remember the name of, not like he’s the person who knew her more intimately than anyone else ever had, “What?” 

“Nothing,” he says, hooking his arm around her as she makes it to his side, “I just love you, that’s all.” 

She leans into his side, hiding her smile against his shoulder as she presses a kiss there, “I love you too.”

___

Emily yawns as she rolls over in bed, grumbling to herself as she lets go of her husband’s pillow that she’d been hugging to her chest and rolls onto her back. She huffs out a breath as she looks at the clock, 4:02 am, unsure how someone could be so tired and yet so awake at the same time.

Lily was teething, so she was only sleeping in short, sharp, bursts, and the only place she ever seemed to find any comfort was in the arms of one of her parents, her bright red cheeks pressed against their necks as she tried to soothe the pain she didn’t understand. Emily and Aaron had been taking it in turns the last couple of nights, each getting up every other time to go check in on their girl and help her back to sleep, but he’d been called away on a case late in the afternoon leaving them on their own. Emily had seen the hesitation in his eyes when he came by her office to tell her, guilt lingering in his shoulders as if she’d ever be mad at him for doing the job she understood as well as he did. 

She wished he was here, not only to help with Lily, but because she struggled to sleep without him, their bed too big and cold without him in it. 

She smiles as she hears the familiar click-clack of Sergio’s paws on the hardwood floor in the hallway before he snuck in through the slight gap in the door. She feels the thunk as he lands on the bed, meowing as he sits on Aaron’s side.

“Sorry, Serg,” she says, rolling onto her side and reaching over and scratching behind his ears, smiling when he leans into it, “He’s not here. You’re stuck with your least favourite Hotchner I’m afraid.”

Sergio head butts her hand before he sneaks in closer, pressing his face against hers for a moment before he burrows in under her arm and sneaks under the covers. He curls up next to her, pressed up against her abdomen as he settles down and she chuckles to herself, lifting the covers back to look for him, only his yellow eyes visible in the darkness. 

“You okay in there? You usually avoid me like the plague,” she says, chuckling when he meows at her again, as if she was disturbing him, “Okay, buddy. You can sleep there,” she lets the cover drop down again, “If I can’t have my giant Aaron sized personal heater, I guess you’ll do.” 

She’s about to drift off, her mind hazy with memories of the last time Sergio had bothered to acknowledge her, when her eyes go wide and she sits up, the displeased meow from Sergio as he jumps out of the way barely registering as she laughs to herself, her hand shaking slightly as she rests it on her stomach, treacherous hope flowering in her lungs until it was hard to breathe. 

The last time the damn cat had tried to sleep on her she was pregnant. 

-x-

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[highladyluck]

The Finn stole my baby AU

ok FINE you can all have the Eelfinn Stole My Baby in outline form

I've never pinned down the details on this, because I think it would be most interesting as an installment in a larger series and a lot of the details would be determined by the needs of the overall storyline, but this is the vague outline:

1) Fortuona has just found out from Min that her kid's going to be a marath'damane. Because a) SOME IDIOT (maybe Mat, maybe Berelain if they're on speaking terms, there's some other options depending on the scenario) made the mistake of telling her about Sindhol in some way that makes her actually believe in it, b) she's a slut for prophecy and always has been, and c) she wants to explore all her options, she wants to go to Sindhol to get some answers from the Aelfinn. The questions she intends to ask vary by setting but it's something along the lines of how to survive the current situation/protect her marath'damane child/solve the sul'dam problem/ensure stability of the Empire in the westlands/how best to reconquer mainland Seanchan. You know! #FortuonaProblems. Mat eventually agrees to escort her; both to get in, since the only way in right now is the Tower of Ghenji, and to get out.

2) But because they're going in outside of treaty rules and Mat's there, the Eelfinn are the ones waiting for them and they won't let Fortuona go see the Aelfinn (maybe they say that they won't see Mat, but they will see her, if she agrees to be escorted alone. Mat's almost like "oh, over my dead body" but catches himself just in time.) Whatever deal Fortuona makes with the Eelfinn involves something she can use to solve her existing political problems (not sure what this is but it could be something horrible, like a better male a'dam), and something for Mat (maybe a magic replacement eye?). The third item is either something else for her, something else for Mat, or a very thoroughly rules-lawyered escape clause, depending on how confident Mat was/she is about being able to escape with the ashandarai. In exchange, they take her about-to-be-born-child, which she either explicitly names as the price, or is counting on them taking as the price.

3) At least they're not gonna eat the kid; the Eelfinn want a human child who can channel to build them new treaty doors someday, and if the human child is raised by them and therefore on their side, so much the better. They're also thrilled to get another piece of Mat. I figure the Eelfinn would want the savor of Mat and Tuon fighting about this, so while there's a possibility that the world's least hygenic c-section happens before Mat cottons on to what Tuon just bargained away, I think it would be more likely that they don't strike until the price is explicit or Mat has figured it out.

Tuon's like "I understand that you're upset but it's better this way. I came to solve a problem. It's not solved the way I intended, but it's solved and I got you an incredible boon in the bargain. We can always have more children."

Mat's like "Yeah, well, you aren't having them with me! You're a monster for unilaterally trading our child to my eldritch enemies."

She's like "If I'm a monster, so are you. As soon as you found out she would be marath'damane you began setting plans in motion to take her from her destiny. From the empire. From me. Don't think I haven't noticed. At least in this situation, I'm getting something out of it that benefits both of us."

4) I honestly don't entirely know what happens next, but it's bad. Unstoppable force (Mat's desire to rescue women & his love of Tuon) meets immovable object (said woman/Tuon just betrayed him and his innocent child to his worst enemies). Would he just leave Tuon there? (maybe?) Would he try to trade Tuon's life for the baby's? (I like this because I like pain and I think he might be deranged enough in the moment to do it) Would he try to trade his life for the baby's? (maybe, but they wouldn't accept it.) Would he try to kill all the Eelfinn? (yes, and they'd still take the baby.) Like how the fuck do you recover from any of that? And the worst part is you can like… sort of see where Tuon is coming from, if you enjoy women's wrongs? And she really just wanted to meet the Aelfinn and it's Mat's fault that it isn't going as planned?

5) If there's a sequel, it would be the fully grown child showing up in their world with a terrifying knowledge of esoteric ter'angreal construction and thoroughly socialized as a *Finn some improbably short amount of time later. Maybe when Elayne and Mat mount a rescue mission in a few months. Time runs differently in Sindhol if the *Finn need it to.

Bonus: I'm still debating adding a variant of this to the epilogue of The Fox That Makes The Ravens Fly- for one thing, I haven't decided yet if Tuon is pregnant, and if she is, by whom. If I do it'll be Rand who tells her about the Aelfinn & Thom who tells her about the Eelfinn, she'll go in with Thom and someone else (Elayne, I think, in exchange for access to the dice-ring ter'angreal that replicates Mat's luck, also Elayne would love to go on that field trip, although I could see Min being interested for the metaphysics of it all), and the ostensible point is to rescue Moiraine. I think instead of that, she negotiates getting Mat back, at the cost of leaving her baby with them, and resetting the timeline so Mat never died and the canon events where Moiraine gets rescued happen, but she remembers the old timeline. I have no idea if the *Finn actually get to keep her baby, who may or may not be a sparker in this scenario, or for that matter if they get to keep Moiraine, but I bet they'd take the bargain regardless because they invested a lot in Mat & also now Tuon has some weird fucking emotions about the entire life she didn't lead. Also they're the fae, the only thing they like more than bargain eyeballs is bargain babies.

[mysticwolfshadows]

Taken - Zutara - Part 89

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Katara ends up hating the 'Water Tribe' dinner that Kuei's people make. It was all seafood, mostly fish that Katara had never even seen in the South or North poles. The seaweed snacks were alright. While Sokka was grumbling under his breath in annoyance, their parents carefully didn't say anything, trying not to offend.

Kuei tried. That's all they could really ask of him.

When dinner was over, Katara spent most of the evening writing down her ideas for the hospital. She would need a reliable water source, which he knew wouldn't be too difficult to manage in the Fire Nation. They had found ways to make water travel far distances. But she would also need a disposal spot. Which also wouldn't be too difficult.

In fact, all of the things she would need were things likely to already be put in the clinic. So she started thinking of other things she wanted to do. Other projects she could run.

Schools could be useful. The last building they were working on before leaving for the Peace Summit had been a school house, since there was likely a baby boom coming. One of the Fire Nation immigrants had been a school teacher in one of the outer islands, and was going to be working with one of the tribeswomen to teach. Maybe they could do a student cultural exchange, where she takes Fire Nation kids on trips to the Southern Water Tribe. She could even talk with the Earth Kingdom ambassador and Aang, making it an 'around the world' sort of thing.

There were also environmental concerns. The black snow wasn't good for the South Pole, and if they could find other ways to power ships, it could help any long term effects like they saw in Jang Hui. They could get Sokka and the Mechanist involved, to come up with something other than coal to power things. Not only that, but they could also work on cleaning up contaminated areas, like Jang Hui.

Before she knew it, it was morning, her head bobbing as she ate her Earth Kingdom style breakfast. She could barely pay attention as she sat next to her mother during the talks. They were discussing some kind of... trade thing? Something about setting prices of imports from other nations. It was she didn't need to worry about.

"Sweetie," her mother whispered, when they broke for lunch. "Are you sure you want to be here? You should rest. You've been working so hard."

"I'm fine," she yawned. "I'll get some sleep tonight."

Though she wasn't paying much attention, Katara could tell that the discussions were winding down. They had worked efficiently all that morning, and they had run out of pressing matters to discuss. They were discussing renaming the summit before dinner, changing it from the 'Four Nations' Summit to the 'United Nations' Peace Summit. They even had an official document drafted, that would signify a true alliance, and give each other special privileges when dealing with one another. More trade tax conversations.

For a moment, Katara felt bad that the Northern Water Tribe wouldn't be involved. With so many benders, especially women, leaving the North in secret, they soon would find difficulty maintaining their population and resources without outside help. By the time they actually started trading with other kingdoms, none of their tradesmen would be able to benefit from the new standardized pricing. Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation merchants would likely buy the Northern Water Tribe goods for less than half of what they were worth.

After everyone had signed the new alliance document, and copies were given to each head of state, Zuko announced that he and his group would be leaving immediately, as he would need time to implement all of the changes that had been discussed.

"I'm going with you," Katara yawned, as she stood from the table.

Zuko's brow furrowed. "Are... Are you sure? We're leaving immediately, and you likely won't have time to see your family for a while."

"It's fine," Katara said. She glanced at her parents and brother. While Sokka was making a disgusted face, her parents were nodding their approval. "Besides, I think I've had enough of Sokka for a while."

"Hey!" her brother called.

With a slight smile, Katara went to get her things ready to leave. There wasn't much, as they had traveled light, but in the few days they had been in Ba Sing Se, her things had ended up scattered around the room. Rinzo and Taka were waiting for her, the latter taking her bag and carrying it for her.

When they got to the trolley platform that would take them to Zuko's airship, her family was waiting. Rinzo and Taka gave her father a salute, while Katara hugged her mother.

"We'll miss you," her mother said, holding tight for a moment, before pulling back to smooth out Katara's hair. "I know you'll do amazing things. Just make sure to send word when you decide that you're done being ambassador, alright?"

"Mom," Katara sighed, as Sokka made a gagging face. She pulled a bit of water from the cool evening air, and threw it at her brother's face. "Why don't you go say goodbye to Suki?"

Sokka huffed, shuffling his feet for a moment, before giving her arm a light tap with his fist. "See you around, little sis." And with that, he was jogging off to where Suki and the other Kyoshi Warrior guards had been briefing Rinzo and Taka.

She felt a hand on her shoulder then, and glanced up to look at her father. He grinned at her.

"You're going to do great," he said, gently squeezing. "We're already so proud."

Closing her eyes for a moment, she smiled. She had been a little worried that her family would be disappointed in her choice to return to the Fire Nation. That her mother would protest, or her father would try to order her to stay. But now, as she gave her parents one last hug, she remembered just how her mother had helped her mend the red coat all those years ago. How her father had followed her onto what he saw as an enemy ship, and trusted them as allies simply because Katara said that they were.

She stepped back, and joined Zuko on the trolley, Suki and the rest of the guard close behind. As the earthbenders pushed off, Katara waved goodbye to her family. She'd be seeing them again in a month or two. Everything would be fine.

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[creedslove]

🌹Anon here! No headcannon just a thought I wanted to share. Imagine if Carol admitted to her cheating on Dave, and that their daughters aren't actually Daves. He knew about the cheating but not the daughters not being his part. He was already planning on leaving her for Reader but this just finalises it and so he decides that night to have a baby, a baby that is actually his, with the woman he actually loves. Also wouldn't Teressa and Carol make a lovely couple?

Dave York x f!reader

A/N: bestie I know this ain't a headcanon request but like, how can I not write a headcanon out of this wonderful idea? I love you and your idea and you are right, Carol and Teresa make a lovely couple to rot in hell 😭

• Dave had never been a cheating husband, even if his marriage with Carol wasn't something that made his heart race and his hands sweat, butterflies in his stomach in a big anticipation to see his spouse, he just settled, mostly for the kids after she showed up pregnant and it had become a comfortable arrangement for everyone

• so he was just glad in working and providing for his family, in exchange she took care of the house and the girls and Dave had the normal unsuspicious family which came in handy to hide the kind of job he had

• sex with Carol was alright, surely there was something better out there, but he had had worse, so he settled for that too

• when he met you, however, he felt like a stupid teenager, as all those dumb signs of being in love were there: he felt slightly nervous around you, he felt butterflies in his stomach (!) he spent his day thinking of and yearning to see you; you were the last thing on his mind when he fell asleep and the first one when he woke up

• so when you both started dating, he felt guilty, not because of Carol, though, he knew she had slept with men here and there, and each time she went for "girls night out" with her friends and came back home smelling like booze and men, he just felt more indifferent, being sure he didn't love her and perhaps he never did in the first place, he just didn't have a meaningful feeling to compare with, but now he had it with you

• but he did feel bad for you, because you were a beautiful, decent woman and you didn't deserve the mistress status, instead, he wanted to come clean and be with you without having to hide

• so the divorce was already in his mind, he just needed to have a couple of meetings with his attorney and get the paperwork done

• when Carol found out about it and made a huge, terrible scene, Dave and her engaged into a real bad fight, he had to hold himself back not to get physical with all the provocation and horrible things she said

• but the moment she said the girls weren't really his daughters, Dave thought he was going to lose it

• at first he held some hope she was just bluffing in the most cruel way possible, but then, all the information she offered made a lot of sense and he realized she was telling him the bitter truth: he wasn't really the father of his daughters

• it broke Dave, he loved them so much, more than anything in the world, he took care of them since they were tiny little helpless babies, he couldn't believe they weren't his

• Dave's eyes were full of tears, he was brokenhearted as his girls had been the best part of his life, luckily to them, they were having a sleepover at their grandparents' so they didn't have to witness the grotesque scene their mom caused

• when Dave got to your home, he was devastated, he'd been crying and drinking and he gripped your body not wanting to let go, telling everything that happened once he stepped inside

"please, let's have a baby, I wanna start a family with you, you'll be my wife, you're the only one who's worth being Mrs.York, I need to put a baby in you, you will never gonna lie to me, it will be our baby, I need to know I'm the one responsible for something good in this world"

• he begged you

• and Dave York wasn't the kind of man to beg someone anything at all

• so you couldn't say no to him, taking that powerful and strong man who was so broken and small at that moment to bed and made love to him, a couple of times, always making sure he was inside of you and you were both doing the possible to get your baby to grow in your womb

• the next morning, Dave was a little ashamed of his behavior, but at the same time he was excited that maybe he'd got you pregnant

• you both had a heartfelt conversation and you reminded him that no matter what Carol had done, he would always be the girls' dad and they'd always love him as such

• and he was sure he'd made the right choice to have you by his side, even if being lied to was terrible, he was convinced he was going to have his happy ending with a woman he truly loved

____

[demigodsanswer]

TUAP Sally showing Annabeth the baby photos in Chapter 12 but flip flop from Sally’s POV!

[ask game]

Sure, Sally had seen Percy in love before. He'd always seemed like a good, caring partner, despite not growing up with an example of a healthy relationship. But Sally could tell Annabeth was something different. She was the real deal. Percy had been attentive and devoted to her since before he'd first brought her to their apartment. Based on the heart eyes he'd been giving her all night, and the few kisses she'd caught them exchanging, she was willing to bet it was official now.

And about time.

Her baby was staying in New York, he was a principal dancer, and he had a girlfriend Sally really, really loved. Not that she hadn't loved the other ones, but Annabeth fit in with the rest of the family, and she lit up Estelle's world almost as much as she lit up Percy's.

So, of course, it was time to embarrass Percy just a little.

"Since you two are official now, does this mean I can show her your baby pictures?" Sally asked.

"I'm pretty sure moms only do that in movies," Percy said, his ears red.

"Oh, but I would love to see them," Annabeth said with a smile. Sally never really understood what was so embarrassing about baby pictures anyway. It was just Percy when he was small and squishy. He was an extra cute baby.

Estelle took off like a rocket to find the family photo albums from Percy's first few years, while Sally plucked a frame off the mantle.

It was one of her favorite pictures of Percy. He was smiling so wide, on stage with thirty other kids who had placed in the top spots in the competition. He was really starting to believe in himself then, and his grades had been steadily improving. He was getting into fewer fights. Ballet was really changing his life.

For Sally, it reminded her of when their lives had started to change for the better. There were a few more Gabe weeks ahead of them, sure, but it wouldn't be long before that part of her life was over in a splash.

She had another copy of the photo, but she'd just cut out Percy and his wide smile to keep in her wallet behind her license. The framed one had all the other kids in it, but she never really paid much attention to them.

"This one isn't too embarrassing," she said. "It's Percy after one of his first major competitions."

"Oh my god!" Annabeth said, taking the frame from her and studying the photo.

"Well, that seems like a bit of an over-reaction from my perspective," Percy said, his face beat red. Sally had to agree.

"No, it's just that --" Annabeth looked up at Percy, and then Sally, then back to the photo. She pointed to Percy. "Is that you?"

Percy nodded. "Why?"

Annabeth's finger moved across the glass to the girl in the middle who'd won first place. The little girl's face was so familiar Sally couldn't believe she'd never noticed.

"Percy, that's me," she said.

"Oh my god," Sally said, looking at the photo more closely. She felt Hestia beside her doing the same thing. "It really is."

Sally stared at the photo, her eyes darting back and forth between the two kids who were now grown up Principal dancers in front of her, as Percy leaned in and kissed her.

Well what do you know? She mused fondly. They really are just meant to be.

Later that night, after Percy and Annabeth headed out, and Stella was put to bed, Sally dug through her nightstand. In the back was a small, vintage ring box. Her uncle had sold almost everything when he'd gotten sick, and what little Sally had throughout her twenties, she'd sold to keep her and Percy afloat when Gabe wouldn't. But she never had the heart to part with her mother's ring.

Sally had a dream of offering it to Percy if he met the right person. Right now, she just needed to make sure it was still there, that it hadn't been sold in some time of financial need. It was a simple gold band with a round diamond in the middle, but the setting around the base that held the diamond looked vaguely like a rose. It would be perfect for ...

"What'cha got there?" Paul asked, stepping out of the bathroom. Sally turned around, ring in hand. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes," he said, climbing over the bed, and kissing her. "Where did that come from?" He asked.

"It was my mothers," she said. "I hope to give it to Percy one day, if he finds someone he wants to marry. I just wanted to make sure it was still there."

Paul smiled knowingly. "Seems like they've only been dating for a few hours, should we get ahead of ourselves?" He asked.

"I'm trying not to," Sally said. "But I have a good feeling about her."

[darkstar225]

Twice's 10th member is dating Le Sserafim's Kazuha

A/N: Heyyy, I'm coming up with a lot of stuff for you guys so I can make up for the time I'm gone lol! Sry for taking so long to post :D I hope my friend Thira_Harris who gave me this idea on Wattpad likes it! :)

The request: Hi I want to request can you do where y/n is dating le sserafim kazuha and the members were a little shock( especially j-line) as they still think y/n as a kid and they saw le sserafim members babying y/n especially kazuha. They approve of kazuha after seeing her take care of y/n. Thank u

PS: Tysm for everyone who reads what I write, I hope I can bring a smile to your faces every time I post! I'd like to thank whoever sent me this idea 'cause I loved to write it <3

__________________________________________________________

Y/N had always been the baby of the group, the youngest member of TWICE by a significant amount. Even though she had grown up in the public eye, she still carried an air of innocence and youth that endeared her to fans and her fellow members alike. So, when news broke that she was dating Kazuha from the internationally renowned girl group LE SSERAFIM, it was met with both surprise and curiosity.

The news hit the K-pop world like a bombshell. Y/N and Kazuha's relationship had been a well-guarded secret, known only to a select few in their inner circles (Not their groups though, they were afraid to come out). But somehow, the paparazzi had caught wind of their romance, and before they knew it, the story was splashed across every entertainment news outlet in South Korea.

In the cosy living room of TWICE's dorm, the members gathered to discuss the shocking news. Nayeon, as mom number 2, had called the emergency meeting as soon as she'd heard about it.

Nayeon - So, our baby is dating Kazuha...

Nayeon spoke with a mixture of surprise and amusement as she glanced around the room, taking in the expressions of her fellow members. 

Nayeon - Who would've thought? 

Dahyun, the group's resident mood-maker (our tofu), grinned widely. 

Dahyun - I always knew our cutie pie would grow up someday! And to think she's dating someone as cool as Kazuha. That's amazing!

Jeongyeon (mom number 3) chuckled. 

Jeongyeon - It's about time she started dating. She's not a kid anymore.

But not everyone in the room shared their enthusiasm. Momo, Mina, and Sana, collectively known as the J-line, exchanged worried glances. They had always seen Y/N as their adorable little sister, even though she was only a few years younger than them. The thought of her dating someone famous and seemingly mature like Kazuha was a bit hard to digest.

Sana voiced their concerns. 

Sana - I mean, it's great that Y/N is happy and all, but isn't Kazuha, like, super sophisticated? Our angel is still so innocent. I hope she doesn't get hurt.

Mina nodded in agreement. 

Mina - Yeah, and you know how protective LE SSERAFIM's members are of Kazuha. I can't imagine what they'd do if they found out she's dating our Y/N.

Momo soon added. 

Momo - I've seen pictures of Kazuha taking care of Y/N like she's a little kid. What if she's just playing with her emotions?

Nayeon tried to ease their concerns. 

Nayeon - Come on, guys, we don't know the full story. Y/N is a smart girl, we did raise her well. She wouldn't date someone who's not good for her.

As the days went by, the news of Y/N and Kazuha's relationship continued to make headlines. Paparazzi followed them everywhere, trying to get a glimpse of the couple. But Y/N and Kazuha handled it with grace and composure, always smiling for the cameras.

One evening, the J-line decided to visit TWICE's honey in her new apartment to check up on her. They found her sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone and wearing a contented smile.

Sana couldn't help but tease her. 

Sana - So, darling, how's it going with Kazuha? Are you two, like, madly in love or something?

Y/N blushed and nodded. 

Y/N - Yeah, unnie. We're really happy together. Kazuha is amazing, you know!

Mina looked concerned. 

Mina - But, my love, are you sure about this? She's so different from us. We're worried she might not understand you completely.

Y/N appreciated their concern but couldn't help but feel defensive. 

Y/N - She does understand me, maybe even better than you guys. She's seen a different side of me that you haven't.

Momo after some time finally asked something they really wanted to know. 

Momo - What about the rest of LE SSERAFIM? Are they okay with this? 

Y/N - They don't know yet. Kazuha and I wanted to keep it private until we were sure about us. *sighing*

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Y/N's heart skipped a beat. She knew that special knock, it was Kazuha. She quickly got up and answered the door with a beaming smile.

Kazuha entered the apartment, her aura oozing confidence and sophistication. She looked stunning, as always, in a designer outfit. Y/N's heart swelled with pride as she introduced her to the J-line.

Y/N - Unnies, this is Kazuha. Kazuha, these are my older sisters, Sana, Mina, and Momo.

Kazuha greeted them with a polite smile and a slight bow. 

Kazuha - It's a pleasure to meet you all. Y/N has told me so much about you.

The J-line exchanged surprised glances. Kazuha's demeanour was far more refined than they had expected. Maybe she wasn't as unapproachable as they had feared.

Momo, always the boldest, decided to get to the bottom of things. 

Momo - So, Kazuha, how did you and our youngest meet?

Kazuha's eyes softened as she looked at her girl. 

Kazuha - We met at a charity event. Y/N was volunteering, and I was performing. She caught my eye, and we started talking. It just clicked from there.

Sana, still sceptical, asked another question. (interrogation mode: on)

Sana - And what do you like about Y/N?

Kazuha didn't hesitate. 

Kazuha - I love her kindness, her passion for music, and her dedication to her group and fans. She's an incredible person, and I feel lucky to have her in my life.

Mina couldn't help but smile.

Mina - Well, she's lucky to have you too, it seems.

As the evening wore on, the J-line began to see a different side of Y/N and Kazuha's relationship. They were playful with each other, sharing inside jokes and laughter. Kazuha, far from babying Y/N, treated her as an equal partner in their relationship.

Before they left, Sana spoke up. 

Sana - I have to admit, Kazuha, I was worried at first. But seeing how happy you make our dongsang, I can't help but approve.

Mina and Momo nodded in agreement. 

Mina - Yeah, you two are great together!

Kazuha smiled warmly. 

Kazuha - Thank you, unnies. I promise I'll take good care of Y/N.

With that, they said their goodbyes, leaving Y/N and Kazuha alone in the apartment. Y/N turned to Kazuha, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

Y/N - They really like you, Kazuha. I'm so glad!!

Kazuha pulled her into a gentle hug. 

Kazuha - I like them too, sweetheart. And I'm glad they see how much I care about you.

As weeks turned into months, Y/N's relationship with Kazuha continued to flourish. The J-line, initially worried about their precious little sister, now fully supported the relationship as the rest of the group met the girl and made sure that she had good intentions, finally giving their seal of approval too. The moms, especially Jihyo, had to take some time for themselves to understand that their kid had grown up and they couldn't do anything more than be there for her. They had come to realize that love had no boundaries, and Kazuha was the perfect match for their beloved maknae. And this made them all think: 

We love our dear family.

A/N: I'm sorry for any errors, English is not my first language. Pls, let me know if there's something wrong, ty for reading <3

[hearts-are-connected]

For Saga Anderson, the first time she saw Alex Casey's true self was in the arms of another. The case they'd been working had ended badly, with a mother dead and a five-year-old boy alone.

Saga doesn't like to profile those closest to her without just cause, and despite some pieces of her partner flashing into her mind place, she's never intentionally dug deeper. Always content to leave his file aside.

It comes as a shock to her then to see the hard, jaded detective she'd heard stories of and seen in action her self, knelt before the young boy. The baby, with traces of his mother's blood on his hands from his futile attempts to rouse her from 'sleep' before neighbors came to his aid, sobbed uncontrollably. Surrounded by frightening strangers and loud, unfamiliar sounds.

Her Logan was only nine, not much older than him. Motherly instincts kicking into gear, she had begun her walk to his side when Casey beat her to it. To the most, his face would appear no different from any other time they'd seen him working a case, but that's not what she sees. Exhausted eyes shine with a new light, a compassion she's never seen from him. His taut features now more relaxed before the child, who remains fixated on him.

Large hands that normally alternate between a firearm or coffee now engulf the child's right shoulder, rubbing up and down to sooth him. The other hand carefully taking the boy's chin to turn his head, looking for any injuries himself despite medics clearing him themselves.

Saga can't help her curiosity, drifting just close enough to be within earshot of the two but not catch her partner's attention.

"You're okay. You're safe."

"I want my mommy."

"I know you do. I'm sorry, kid."

Saga knows the young one doesn't fully grasp what's happened to his mother, he just knows that he hurts, and so does Casey. Within seconds of the exchange, the five-year-old launches himself at the older man. His arms, pudgy and short, wrap around as much of Casey's neck as they can. Small hands grabbing at the back of his white undershirt, leaving small bloodied handprints.

Saga only now notices Casey's jacket is gone. It's instead on the boy, covering him as if he were wrapped in a blanket. Casey's posture stiffens at the contact, clearly caught off guard, but not pulling away. Instead, he reaches out. His long arms enveloping the child and tucking him into his chest. Chin resting on the mop of curly blonde hair.

It's only secure in the arms of this man, someone he doesn't know but feels safe with, that the boy belts out the harshest screams Saga's ever heard from a kid that isn't her own. She can only equate it to the times Logan had a meltdown, crying to the point of developing hiccups. When nothing will truly stop the screams or tears. It's just riding it out and making them comfortable. That's what was happening now.

She sees Casey's hold on him tighten, his eyes closing slowly as he turns his head, now pressing his cheek to the boy's hair instead of his chin.

"Shhh, it's alright. I've got you."

To most, even her fellow agents, Alex Casey's nothing more than a grump of a man who should've retired awhile ago and never looked back. A man to be joked about due to his name and talked about in hushed discussion.

To Saga Anderson, wife and mother, fellow agent and former student of said man, she sees someone full of heart. A tenderness reserved for only those he deems worthy. A care for those who are helpless, especially children. She sees a man beaten down by life but holding onto his humanity.

She sees Alex Casey, and she wouldn't trade him for the world. It's then and there that she knows she loves this man, and that she'd be honored to welcome her into her family.

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