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luimagines · 3 years

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Date Night with the Chain part 3

Masterlist

Part 1 Part 2

Part 3 will include Twilight, Wind and Legend!

Content under the cut!

Twilight

Walking with Twilight was always a delight.

Your fingers were laced together with his and he took to swinging them back and forth during the time you two walked together.

There was a pleasant smile on your face and you’re content to simply live in the moment. Twilight feeling very much the same even when there are no words exchanged between you two.

You turned to Twilight and tugged him a little closer, whispering into his ear. “I have an idea.”

“What is it?”

“We’ll have to stop for lunch soon enough, right?” You tilt your head and smile as sweetly as you can manage. “Let’s go somewhere while everyone sets up shop.”

“Like where?”

“I dunno. Anywhere. You in?”

Twilight snickers a little to himself and glances around the group as you continue to walk. “Just the two of us?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Sure. Why not?“

You beam and grin at him. “Awesome!”

“What are you two scheming?” Warrior raises an eyebrow with a smirk ever present on his face. “Whenever you two lovebirds try something, it usually means a mess for the rest of us.”

“Name one time that has ever happened.” You shoot back with a finger pointed up in emphasis. “We don’t scheme, sir.”

“You absolutely scheme.” Wild joins in with a roll of his eyes. “Twilight not so much because he’s a stick in the mud but you’re a bad influence.”

“Says Wild.” You stick your tongue out in retaliation. “How dare you. I am the pinnacle of grace and dignity and maturity and- what are you doing?”

Wild smirks with his hands on his sheikah slate. “Catching Twilight’s stupid puppy love face.”

You blink and snap your head to look at your boyfriend.

Sure enough, he’s looking at you with hearts in his eyes and the most love sick smile any man could muster smack dab in the middle of his face.

The soft look never fails to make you blush and you turn back to Wild .”I want a copy.”

He snorts loudly but nods. “I can do that.”

“On the off hand, they are good for each other.” Warrior jumps back in. “Not so much for us because we have to put up with it but it’s nice that one of us can have a love life at least.”

“Don’t worry pretty boy, I’m sure you’ll find someone.” Legend shouts from behind you all.

“Why you-” Warrior turns to Legend and the two begin to bicker.

Business as usual.

“Any idea of what to make for lunch Wild?” You grin and swing your arm higher to wrap Twilight’s in a hug.

“Not yet. Got any suggestions?”

“Something hearty.” Twilight says. “I’ve got a hankering’ for stew but I’m good for whatever.”

“Noted.” Wild winks and walks away, leaving you and your boyfriend alone once again.

“Ditch them now?” You blurt.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Twilight whispers, keeping his giggles low incase Legend or Warrior are still nearby and he drags you off of the trail.

You’re right behind him, letting him take you wherever his feet desire until you’re successfully out of earshot of the group. “If we get caught-”

“It was your idea.”

“I’m well aware twinkle toes, relax. I was just going to say that I don’t think we can get away with this for long.” You smirk and jump onto Twilight’s back. “so let’s make the most of this, yeah?”

Twilight wraps his arms around your legs effortlessly to hold you in place and rolls his eyes. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Nothing.” You snort, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. “You love me too much.”

“I do.” Twilight snorts and throws you a little over his shoulder. While you squawk at the sudden movement, he uses it to his advantage to give you a kiss as well, aiming for you lips more than your cheek.

He doesn’t quite reach but you feel the sentiment there.

“Careful country boy!” You smack him on the shoulder. “What are you trying to do? Flip me over? I’m not some hay bale that you can just shuck around whenever you want.”

“Of course not.” Twilight snickers. “I love you too much.”

“Shush you, I’m trying to be mad at you.”

“But I am I wrong?”

“...”

“...No.”

“Well then there you have it. Kiss me again?”

You grin and do just that.

Wind

“Wind! Look at me!” You cheer and wave your arms, trying to not take your eyes off of your board so much. You do manage to glance over in time to see Wind cheer and shout with his hands also in the air as you surf the biggest wave yet.

You hadn’t need to call for his attention because he’s been watching you the entire time but he admires you’re spark.

The group had stopped at the beach for the day for an obligatory beach episode and you and Wind took to the free time like fish to water.

Wild was currently trying to teach you to surf on the flattest shields that they had and you were doing quite well if you were saying so yourself.

You rode it all the way back to the shoreline, feeling a little more confident in your balance when it shrunk. You tried to angle it so you would come to stop in front of Wind and you hopped off of with a giant smile on your face. “How’d I do?”

“You did great!” Wind’s grin matches your own. “You’re a natural.”

“You think so?” You bring your hand up to wipe your hair out of your face. “What are you doing over here?”

“Building a sand castle.” Wind gestures to the steadily growing mound of sand that he was working on while you took to the water.

“Can I help?”

“Absolutely!”

“Hey!” Wild calls your name. “You ready to go again?”

“Maybe later Wild!” You turn on your heel to call back. “I’m gonna be with Wind now!”

“Ok!”

“Where do we start?” You drop your shield, ignoring the little voice in the back of your head telling you that you’re going to have to clean all the sand out of it later- or maybe that’s just Four who’s yelling but ehhh~

Wind grins even wider (if it was even possible) and picks up the bucket that was by his feet. “We need to get more water and then we start putting the sand on top of each other. When it’s big enough, we can shape it. Carefully though. It’s easier when it’s wet.”

You nod and take the bucket from him. “We’re going to need a lot of water then.”

“Yup!”

“I’m on it!” You dash away and run back to the ocean filling the bucket up to it’s highest point (until you can’t carry it anymore) and meander your way back over.

Wind takes the bucket from you and dumps it onto the sand by your feet and begin scooping up all that was affected by it. With both hands cupped together, you join him and you both set on making it the largest hill on the entire beach.

You both take turn on running to the ocean with the bucket and who scoops up the sand to make a chain reaction of never ending sand pile up. You can feel the stares from the others every once and a while but helping Wind and seeing him smile and knowing that it’s just the two of you working on this is enough to make the attention worth while.

Because you like him.

And he likes you.

And that’s enough.

“Do you think it’s big enough?” Wind asks you after wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his wrist.

It’s almost as big you two are both in height and half of it in width.

“Can we go any bigger?” You ask with a tilt to your head. “Realistically, I mean. Would we be able to carve out a castle from this thing if it was any bigger. Because if we can then I say go for it but if not-”

“It probably wouldn’t be able to support itself if we tried it that way.”

“Then should we start sculpting?”

“I haven’t really been thinking of a design but maybe we can find one along the way?” Wind tilts his head and glances at you over his shoulder. “What do you think?”

“Let’s do it!”

“Alright!” Wind pumps a fist and points to the other side. “You take one side and I’ll take other, then we meet in the middle? That way we both design it!”

“Alright.” You cheekily blow him a kiss as you pass and dash to the other side before you can learn his reaction, getting quickly to work on the sand hill you’ve made before you.

It’s beginning to go a little dry and if Wind is right then it needs to be wet in order to stick.

You move away to go get the bucket and notice Wild holding his sheikah slate out, aiming where you just were.

Oh no, did he catch that?

You better believe it.

And Wind’s blushing face too!

It’s a cute photo.

Legend

Somehow, by the grace of whatever higher powers exist, you and Legend are paired to shop for supplies while you’re close to town as it is.

You’re overjoyed!

Walking next to Legend is a common occurrence but there’s a lot of factors that make it more like there’s isn’t anything between you two.

For starters- Legend doesn’t want to be teased by the others and you understand that- but you would like to be able to hold his hand more often.

Another thing is that someone else is always talking to you, taking your attention and occupying the space.

But now?

It’s just the two of you.

No group.

No teasing.

Just you and Legend- with errands to run.

You bite your lip a little and hesitantly reach for Legend’s hand as you walk.

Out of habit, Legend jerks his hand away and you back track like he’s burned you.

“Sorry.” You blurt and hide your hands behind your back. “We don’t have to hold hands, sorry.”

He blinks and looks down at his hands. There’s a momentary battle within himself, you can see it. The want to be sarcastic and the want to give in to you. He looks down at his hand- the other holding the shopping list and eventually holds it out to you- not meeting your eyes and supporting the slightest blush on his face. “Here. The others aren’t around. I don’t mind.”

You beam and don’t hesitate to hold his hand, lacing your fingers together as fast as you possibly can and pulling yourself closer to him. You lean up against him and try to look at the list.

You don’t understand a single thing.

“I have no idea what that says.”

Legend snorts and holds it in half with his fingers. “With the difference in our written characters? I believe you.”

“What do we get first?” You tilt your head and smile softly. “Do you have any plan of action?”

“Umm...” Legend glances down at the list for a moment before squeezing your hand tightly. “Do you want....to split up?”

Your smile falls a bit but you try to figure out his thought process. “Wha- why?”

“...It’ll go faster.”

“But we have the time Link. It’s ok. We don’t get to spend a lot of time together- so I wanted-”

“What if-” You see him gulp and put on a tense smile. “-we split up the list, half and half and we meet up right back here when we’re done? That way we can spend the rest of the time doing nothing and just walk around together, yeah?”

You hum and look into his eyes for a minute. You want to see if he’ll crack and show you why he’s doing this or if he’s going to show you what he’s hiding.

He meets you head on, blushing, but he doesn’t give in.

“Ok.” You sigh and let him win this one. “Well since we’ve established that I can’t read the list, what should I go and get? You’ll have to tell me what it is.”

Legend grins a little more genuinely and pulls your hand up to kiss your knuckles. “Well since you’ve asked so nicely darling, would you be a dear and get some food from the market and maybe some more bandages? And some more sewing supplies for me, please? I can handle the potions and arrows since I can negotiate around a pack mole if I needed to.”

“I’m not entirely sure what that means, but sure.” You snort and lean in to kiss his cheek.

The action stuns him for a moment and you smile as you let him go. “I’ll go get the supplies. Meet up in two hours?”

“Ye-yeah.” He giggles and abruptly clears his throat, throwing his voice deeper than it would be normally as he tries to continue. “Yeah, two hours. Don’t be surprised if I’m late though. Some merchants are stubborn as hell.”

“Will do babe!” You wink.” See you later.”

He returns the call and watches you leave.

You’re not entirely sure where everything is in the town but you can find the market quick enough and buy the food your group needs first. You don’t worry too much about freshness since it’ll be stored more often then not in Wild’s sheikah slate and try to get as much as you could possible carry.

Ten people eat a lot of food very quickly.

Next on the docket is the medical supplies so that you’re not so reliant on potions and fairies.

That one took a solid hour to not only track down but find an angle for them to sell it to you. It was one of those towns that only had enough for themselves and had no reason (luckily for them) that there wasn’t a need to both sell to travelers and to sell beyond their village.

But you still needed them.

You understand Legend’s warning about them being stubborn.

With your wallet feeling significantly lighter, you head back into the heart of the town and try to find a seamstress for your boyfriend’s personal supplies.

Some one must have been looking out for you and you find it relatively easy enough. Your hands are hurting from lugging everything around and you think you’ve successfully cut circulation to at least three of your fingers, but you consider it a job well done.

The woman in charge of the establishment tells you where she gets her products and takes mercy on you. With the new destination in sight with some kind words and a cold drink, you make your way over there and successfully buy enough thread (in as many colors as you could afford) and patches of scrap fabric to cover where the group may need it.

On a whim you buy him a new set of needles and a cute tomato pin cushion.

While you’re perusing through the shelves for no reason other than to see what they have, you come across a small stuffed red felt frog with a little fabric yellow rose stitched into the paw.

It’s cute and fits perfectly in your palm and you instantly want to give to your boyfriend.

But you’ve pretty much spent your entire wallet’s worth on supplies that you actually need and you doubt that you would be able to afford it no matter how small it may be.

“See something ma’am?” The shop keeper comes to stand beside you, nearly avoiding your bags where you’ve set them down to pick sir froggy up. “Oh! That’s one of our longest standing plushes. All the others get sold almost the same day but he’s been here since the beginning.”

Your heart breaks a little. “What? Why? He’s so cute!”

“You may be the only one in town that thinks so ma’am.” She sighs sadly. “I suppose I cannot expect others to share my passions.”

“How much is it?” You clutch it to your chest. You know better than to get your hopes up. You know you’re pretty broke right now but he needs a home!

“Five rupees.”

You rush to your wallet and pull it out, counting your remaining rupees.

You’re off by one.

Your heart plummets and you sigh, trying not to cry because it’s a little silly to cry about it. Dejected, you put the frog back on the shelf and pick up the bag by your feet. They’re a little heavier than you remember but that was because you’ve allowed your arms to rest and they’re not happy to be put to work again.

“You know what?” The woman takes the frog and drops it into one of your bags. “On the house. You’ve already bought so much and it would be criminal of me to deny you.”

“Really?” You blink and can feel yourself perk up a bit. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome!” She laughs.

“Link’s gonna love this. Thank you so much ma’am!” You cheer and run out of the shop to where you’ve agreed to meet up with your boyfriend.

Only to find him already there and pacing, looking at the ground and ignoring the bags he has on the side of the road. He looks nervous.

“Link!” You cry out and dash off to meet him. You drop the bags next to his and wrap your hands around his neck when you get close enough. “How was it?”

“Where have you been? I’ve been here for like an hour.” Legend grips you tightly and begins to look you over for injuries. “I was about to go looking for you. Are you ok?”

“It’s been that long already?” You gasp and look at the sky.

Sure enough the sun is beginning to set and there’s no time for you go walking with Legend like you’ve wanted.

“Oh.” You’re not as happy as you just were. “Oh... Link I’m sorry.”

“No, no, don’t be. It’s fine. I’m just happy you’re alright, you were worrying me. Did you find everything alright?” Legend pulls away and brushes your hair out of your face.

“Yeah.” You smile sadly and gulp a little. “I got you something.”

“My supplies?” He tilts he head.

“No. I-” You snort and go back to your bags, pulling out the little frogs. “I got this for you!”

“Shut up.” He groans.

You blink and pull the little guy back. “Why? What’s wrong?”

He puts his hand over his face, not bothering to hide his blush all the way and pulls out a little blue stuffed frog with a red rose stitched to the paw. “So...This is for you... ”

“Oh my goodness.” You snort and slowly descend in a laughing fit.

“It’s why I wanted to split up.” Legend whines. “I didn’t want you to see me buy it. It was supposed to be a surprise!”

“I love it.” You grin and take it from him, trading it with the one you bought him. “Thank you. It’s so sweet.”

You give the little frog a kiss on the head and gently rub it against your cheek. “This is my favorite thing ever.”

Legend looks down on the one you gave him and doesn’t bother hiding the smile that splits his face. “We match I guess.”

“I love you you Link.”

“I love you too.” He says, soft and under his breath, taken by the sight of you grinning with the sunset behind you.

Now how are you two going to get everything back to camp before dark?

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #linked universe x reader #are these a decent legth?#I know the prompt said short #but I've never been able to do short #ok not short but small #small?#how do small?#i mean #look at legend's #again #man Wind's is so short

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trashytummiez · 3 years

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Stuffed Pride

@squidbiscuit just posted some really great stuffing work for Piers because the boi got some praise from Milo and I loved it so much, I had to make a short piece about it! <3

Piers was used to stuffing his face. He wasn’t one for moderation, but he typically knew his limits unless he was drunk. And he knew that he was going pretty close to his limit for comfort as he dined. Raihan had invited Milo over and when he stepped out for some match ups, Milo decided to do some cleaning unprompted and without judgement and even offered to cook for Piers. And while Piers was no stranger to telling people to piss off, when it came to someone as kind as Milo, it was next to impossible to want to say no. So the big and beefy gym leader hummed like a comforting nanny in the kitchen while Piers dug in to his plate. It was like his fifth plate at this point and each one was piled high with food the giant muscleman with the heart of an angel had worked on.

His desaturated red shirt was already stretching out from how full his stomach had gotten from eating so much. He was feeling really bloated yet something inspired him to keep eating, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. After finishing his plate, Piers sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair. He rested his hands on his bloated stomach and rubbed it gently. Piers was quite thoroughly stuffed and it seemed to be catching up with him.

“Whooooo man, fuckin’ ‘ell,” Piers groaned, rubbing his belly gently to settle it down. He held back a burp behind his fist and breathed out exhaustedly when he stood up from his chair.

Milo whistled and laughed merrily when he returned, still holding a fresh plate of chicken loaded with garlic mashed potatoes and basil baked potato slices. “I’m impressed!” He said in that joyous voice of his. “Glad to know my cooking’s good enough to jump start an appetite in ye!” He playfully patted Piers belly as he spoke. It sounded and felt like patting a pumpkin, but the words made Piers oddly bashful.

Piers, who was Mister “Does Not Give A Toss” and let everyone know it, was actually blushing. And not subtly either. His entire sodding face was going red!

“I gotcha another plate, but I suppose you’re pretty well stuffed now, huh!” Milo said. He didn’t sound disappointed, in fact, he was still his jovial self. He seemed more than impressed, borderline proud that Piers was actually eating so much of his food. Almost grateful even.

The rockstar stammered a little as he looked at the fresh plate, still rubbing his swollen belly with one hand. But eventually he said, “Uhhh, actually, I can probably fit more in there...”

“Great! I’ll fix ye up another plate!” Milo exclaimed, handing Piers yet another plate and marching off to the kitchen to make another one. He was a cooking machine and already so eager to make his friend more food.

Piers’ belly gurgled in protest, but that bit of genuine praise from the wide and powerful sweetheart almost put Piers in a trance.

Maybe it was because Milo wasn’t thirsty for him the way Raihan was so when he praised him, it was genuine. The truth was that genuine niceness wasn’t something Piers was used to. It made him feel like a school boy all over again. And lord knows bugger else seemed to do that these days.

So Piers sat himself back down and kept on eating. His stomach was past comfortably full and it was only getting noisier and more bubbly with each plate he inhaled but he couldn’t help it. Milo was so happy and so pleased with him. More than that, Milo was a great bloody cook! Piers couldn’t get meat this tender or more perfectly garnished at any venue he’d worked on stage, and he’d worked quite a few!

The rockstar just kept stuffing himself and all the while, his stomach grew and grew, gaseously groaning as if telling him to stop abusing himself. But the kind words just beat out common sense. That probably said something about Piers but he was too in the moment to do another deep dive into his lifestyle.

Raihan eventually returned to their apartment and Milo had left not too long ago. But the instant he stepped inside, he greeted to the sound of a monstrous burp erupting from the living room. The young man’s eyes went wide and he stepped into the living room to see Piers sprawled on the couch like he was half dead.

Piers’ belly was enormous! It was so big and round that his shirt couldn’t even contain it anymore, neither could his unbuttoned pants and undone belt. The rocker groaned while his poor, bloated tummy groaned even louder and angrier. He tried in vein to tug his shirt down and rubbed his face exhaustedly with his other hand with an utterly nauseous look on his face.

URRRRRRRRRRPH!!!!!!!

Piers burped loudly again and groaned exhaustedly, thumping his belly and making it wobble on account of how incredibly stuffed it was.

“...I’m a bloody fuckin’ moron...” Piers grumbled almost drunkenly from how overstuffed he felt.

Raihan smirked despite the situation and rested a hand against his hip and simply asked, “Milo?”

Piers burped aggressively in response to Raihan and thereby confirming his inquiry. He laughed a little and climbed onto the couch with Piers, rubbing his painfully swollen stomach and getting Piers to settle down a little.

“Should’ve figured. When they say someone can kill you with kindness, when it comes to Milo, that’s not an exaggeration,” Raihan teased. His own cheeks went darker when he felt up Piers’ pale beach ball of a belly.

Piers’ breathing was slowed, making his huge gut rise up and down with his strained breathing. Everything hurt, but it all went so good going down. “...Tasted so...so...sodding good...” he could barely speak with how much he’d eaten.

“If it’s any consolation, first time I invited him to my place, I was so full, I couldn’t even leave the dining table,” Raihan said.

“...I didn’t either...” Piers started to say. He paused to let out another raunchy burp, and then another after that, blowing to the sides and slapping his chest as one more burp popped out of his mouth. “Ungh, Milo bloody scooped me up’n put me ‘ere like a baby...”

Raihan kept rubbing Piers’ belly but had a distant look on his face when Piers said that.

“...Oh.”

The look on his face suggested that Raihan’s “oh” actually meant, “...same.”

Milo wasn’t too nice for his own good.

He was too bloody nice for everyone else’s good...

#pokemon #raihan x piers #piers #raihan #milo #belly rub #belly kink #burping #nausea #indigestion #bloating #stuffing #overeating #eating too much #stomach problems #squidbiscuit

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elisaphoenix13 · 3 years

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Once Upon A Summer (Ch. 5)

"Well...I did say it would wear off over time." Stephen says as he looks Peter over.

Once Tony got Peter's clean bill of health and assurance that there was nothing to be concerned about, he asked Friday to put in an order for things a two year old would need. Such as bigger clothes, possibly bigger diapers, and oh god...potty training. Was it really worth doing? At the rate Peter was growing back to his teenage body, it was likely Tony would pull his hair out over nothing. He'd much rather change diapers than try the pointless endeavor of getting Peter to use the toilet when he would know what to do when he got bigger. So both he and Stephen decided they wouldn't bother.

"I really hope Pete doesn't live up to the terrible twos I've heard about." Tony sighs.

"I'm surprised you've heard of it." Stephen jests and gets an eye roll from Tony.

"Haha. Very funny. Just for that you get to change his next diaper."

"Daddy up!" Peter says as he holds up his arms.

That was another thing Tony was still trying to wrap his head around. Daddy. It threw him for a loop, but he would be lying if he said he hated it. He actually kind of liked it. Peter was his kid and it made Tony wonder if Toddler Peter was just voicing how Teenage Peter had felt all this time. Did Peter actually see him as a father figure and was too worried Tony might shut him down if he said anything? Knowing him, it was a possibility. Peter was a people pleaser. Almost to a fault. But he was a good kid who always tried to do the right thing, even if sometimes he went about it the wrong way.

That train of thought brought Tony back to his earlier conversation with Stephen. He brushed the sorcerer off when he pointed out the similarities between them, but now he was just as curious. He did say he would take the paternity test to see if there was a match, and maybe now was the best time to do it. Before Peter grew even more and was more aware of what was going on.

"Hey...about that test…" Tony starts and Stephen raises an eyebrow.

"What about it?"

"We should do it now, I think. Get it over with you know? Bruce can do it and I can trust him to keep it to himself." Tony rambles.

"If you'd like. Should we pack up?" Stephen asks.

"No. We'll pop over then come back. I'm sure Peter would enjoy the beach now." Tony says.

Stephen merely nods and leaves the master bedroom after muttering something about a sling ring. Tony then finally gave in to Peter's request to be picked up, made sure his diaper was clean, and waited for the sorcerer to return so they could make a quick trip back to the tower. Tony knew he was always dressed to the nines wherever he went, but at the moment, he didn't feel the need to uphold his image. He was comfortable in his t-shirt and sleep pants and he was on vacation. Sort of.

He was taking a few much needed days off at least. Most people wouldn't even consider that a vacation.

"Are you going like that?" Stephen asks when he returns to the room.

"Are you?" Tony counters, eyeing the similar getup Stephen was wearing.

It was nice to see Stephen could relax in some clothes that didn't require twenty belts. Nineteen of which Tony was positive were just for show...and to keep unwanted hands away. That was a hell of a way to stay abstinent.

"Touché." Stephen chuckles and makes a gateway to the Med-bay in the tower. "I'm too lazy to change. Especially if we're coming back."

"Me too." Tony steps through the gateway, and actually finds himself already face to face with Bruce who looked very confused.

"How did you…?" Bruce starts and then looks past Tony as Stephen follows through the gateway before it closes. "Oh."

Then Bruce's attention was drawn to Peter and the confusion that had gone away just milliseconds ago was back in full force. Tony was pretty sure he could actually hear the cogs turning in his head.

"Who's the kid?"

"Long story short, Pete was hit by a spell that turned him into a baby while he was out on patrol. Strange and I are vacationing until he's back to normal." Tony says.

"I think I prefer this over an actual visit because of an injury." Bruce says. "Especially since you're not coming to me with questions."

"No...just…" Tony hesitates. "Can you do a paternity test?" He finally asks with a mumble.

Bruce's eyebrows shoot up. "What brought this on?"

"A nosey sorcerer."

There was a scoff behind him.

"Sure."

Bruce had Tony sit down and go first in the hopes that when it came to Peter's turn, the toddler wouldn't fuss and make a two second finger prick turn into a five minute ordeal. Peter watched with curious eyes as Bruce drew some blood from the billionaire, and once he got that put away, he turned to the boy standing next to Tony's chair. He waited until Tony got up and helped Peter into the chair, and then held his hand out.

"Can I see your hand Peter?" Bruce asks softly.

Peter looks down at his hands and then offers one of them to Bruce with eyes still filled with curiosity, and watches as the man disinfects it. Everything after that was so quick, Peter didn't even realize Bruce had pricked his finger until he was collecting the blood. To his credit, he didn't scream, but there were certainly tears welling up in his eyes. Tony felt a little bad for putting the kid through this just for the sake of curiosity, but he would make it up to him. Ice cream always makes things better right?

"Sorry Peter. It's already over." Bruce tells him as he wraps a band-aid around his finger.

"Come on kiddo." Tony says as he reaches out for the boy, only to be given a look of utter betrayal.

"No!" Tony blinks in surprise as Peter hops off the chair, pushes by him, and runs over to hug Stephen's leg. "Want Mama! You mean!"

Two things immediately crossed Tony's mind at that moment. One, he felt awful when Peter gave him that look of betrayal. But then the second thought trumped the first and he tried to hold back the laughter that was bubbling in his chest. It wasn't easy when he saw the expression on Stephen's face. A mixture between mortified, exasperated, and maybe some pity for the toddler. What the sorcerer said next broke the dam of Tony's laughter though.

"Why am I Mom?"

"Well you do coo to him in the mornings." Tony says through his cackling and earns a miffed huff.

"I do not!"

"I have video evidence." Tony laughs some more when Stephen sputters. "Come on Doc. We'll head back so you can bury yourself in the sand."

That was all Stephen needed to turn and reopen the gateway back to the Malibu mansion, and he even picked up Peter before walking through. Tony in the meantime took a few moments to calm down and turn back to Bruce.

"You'll call me?"

"Yeah. I should have the results by tonight. Only because I don't have much I'm working on right now." Bruce says.

"I'm assuming I don't need to tell you to keep this between us?" Tony asks and the other man shakes his head. "Thank you."

Tony turns and steps through the gateway that he was a little surprised Stephen left open for him, and once he was through and it closed behind him, he looked around when he didn't see the two right away. It didn't take much looking to find them in the kitchen and discovering that Stephen had the same idea he had. The man was currently scooping out some chocolate ice cream into a small bowl for Peter, who was looking up at him in excitement. Almost like Stephen hung the sun just for him.

"Hey, I was going to give him ice cream!" Tony complains.

"Well I'm clearly the nice parent so I need to live up to my role." Stephen says. "You're the bad parent that has to get his own ice cream."

Tony sighs. "Ouch. I'm supposed to be the favorite."

He walks over to scoop out his own ice cream as Stephen leads Peter over to the table and helps him into a chair. Even the sorcerer had his own bowl of ice cream and managed to eat it while keeping an eye on Peter so the toddler didn't make too much of a mess. After Tony put away the carton of ice cream, he sat across from Stephen with his own bowl and immediately stuck a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. Even he had to admit it was a nice treat after being poked at.

"You know I don't remember ordering ice cream." Tony says eventually.

"That's because I did." Stephen tells him. "You did say I could get whatever I wanted or needed."

The tone in Stephen's voice made Tony nod immediately. It was like he wasn't sure what Tony had said was genuine or something and Tony didn't want him to think that. He wanted Stephen to be comfortable. Get what he wanted without having to worry about money. To enjoy himself.

That's what part of this getaway was about after all.

"I did...and that's still true. I honestly expected you to ask me if it was okay first. You usually do that."

"I figured you wouldn't notice ice cream on your bill." Stephen says dryly.

"I didn't. If Mom needs his chocolate--hey! Ow!" Tony winces when Stephen kicks his shin under the table. "Come on! It's cute!"

"Only when Peter does it." Stephen huffs. "He calls me that out of care. You call me that to tease me."

"Oh believe me. If I wanted to tease you, I could think of much more adult ways to do it that we would both enjoy."

That got him another kick to his shins but Tony decided it was worth it. Stephen blushed so prettily and it made him wonder if he was actually getting to the doctor. All of Stephen's attention was turned to his own ice cream or at Peter after that, but Tony was content to stare at the blush on the younger's face and had to smile when it took it's time to go away. It probably didn't help that he was staring in the first place. Tony was being obviously blatant about it and, him being him, unashamed.

"All done!" Peter exclaims a few minutes later and holds up his hands as if to prove his point.

Stephen chuckles and grabs a napkin to help him clean his hands. "You sure are. Would you like to go to the beach?"

"Beach?" Peter questions and Tony was thankful the boy didn't mispronounce it. "Yeah."

"Maybe I'll make lunch for us to have while we're there." Stephen says and Peter nods. "What kind of sandwich would you like?"

"Mmm…"

Peter seemed to struggle with deciding so Stephen helped him down from his chair and led him back into the kitchen to look in the fridge. While he listed off the options to the toddler, Tony watched and listened as he absently ate the rest of his ice cream. It was a surprise to see Stephen doing so well with Peter and it was attractive if he was honest. The other Avengers liked Peter well enough, even cared about him, but Stephen took it to a parenting level like Tony did. Peter certainly viewed the younger man in that light.

"Daddy gets tuna." Peter says and Tony chuckles. Teenage Peter was definitely in there somewhere and remembered Tony's favorite kind of sandwich.

Tony gets up with his empty bowl and spoon and takes it to the kitchen to rinse off in the sink so he can put it in the dishwasher. Once that's finished, he turns to look at Peter and Stephen and then crouches in front of the toddler.

"Hey Pete. How about we go get you ready for the beach and leave Mom to make lunch?" He suggests.

Stephen didn't protest "Mom" being used this time. Maybe because Tony was only using it because that was how Peter saw the sorcerer.

"How?" Peter asks.

"Well, for one thing, we gotta get you in some swim trunks. Bet Friday ordered some for you." Tony says.

"I also took the liberty of ordering some sunblock." The AI says and Tony raises an eyebrow at Peter.

"See? Even Friday knows what you need better than I do."

Peter seemed to study Tony and what he did next took the older man by surprise. He wrapped his little arms around Tony's neck and squeezed as hard as he could. Peter was giving him a hug.

Wait. That shouldn't have been surprising at all. Peter was a touchy-feely kind of person and Tony...wasn't. He already denied Peter that hug after coming back from Germany, but he would be damned if he did it again. Maybe it was what Peter said that was surprising to Tony.

"You good daddy." Peter says into his shoulder.

Tony swallows back the lump in his throat. "I thought I was mean."

Peter moves away and pouts at him after holding up his finger. "No more boo-boos."

"No more boo-boos." Tony confirms with a chuckle and even kisses the bandaged finger. "Not because of me."

Stephen snorts. "Now it's just a matter of if he can keep himself from getting boo-boos."

Tony huffs and gets up with Peter in his arms. He really didn't need the reminder that his kid was, in fact, a web slinging vigilante. So he pinched Stephen's ass when he wasn't paying attention as his rebuttal. The sorcerer's jolt and deep blush just before his confused sputtering sent Tony into a laughing fit as he took Peter to the front door where the packages were waiting.

"Stark, I swear on the Vishanti--"

"Don't try to deny that you liked it. Your blush speaks for you. Nice ass by the way." Tony states nonchalantly and gets another fit of sputtering from Stephen.

Peter, having been looking over Tony's shoulder as the engineer walked away, giggles. "Mama red."

#ironstrange #stephen strange #supremefamily #tony stark #baby peter parker

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hermitcraftheadcanons · 3 years

Text

(submission) The Undertow

(tws for temporary death, drowning, and separation)

The tide washes out.

False opens her eyes to a brand-new world, filled with life and color. Around her, a coral reef stretches as far as she can see. Fish dart between the branches of the reef and through the pitted rocks underfoot.

What’s odd, though, is that she’s stuck.

Something, she thinks, is very wrong. She glances down at her body, which is wrapped in the rough branches of some sort of calciferous red growth, and as much as she struggles, she can’t move, the surface rubbing against her skin.

Behind her, she hears a frenzied splashing. She can’t turn around all the way, so she shouts to whatever’s behind her.

“Get away from me!” she yells. If it’s a drowned, maybe she can scare it away. If it’s something worse...well. She wasn’t expecting a death this early in the season, but it had to happen at some point.

Luckily, it’s just a human that calls back.

“False? Where are we?” asks Stress, her distinctive voice putting False back at ease. What passes for ease when you’re stuck in a coral reef, anyways.

“I...don’t know,” False says, enunciating each syllable with careful precision, considering the options. “This is glitched, I suppose.”

False can almost see Stress’s face brighten. “Oh, shame. Well, our dear admin will have it fixed in no time, then.”

“Yeah, I’ll send him a message. Maybe he can teleport us out real quick.” She sighs. “We’re going to have to restart the world, probably. That’s annoying.” Taking out her communicator, which is only slightly waterlogged, she swipes it open and types out a quick chat to Xisuma.

<FalseSymmetry> o/

<FalseSymmetry> x we’re stuck in coral. tp please?

The two women wait. Five minutes.

“Might as well start trying to get out of here!” Stress says, her voice a note cheerier than usual. It’s forced.

False snaps out of her thoughts. “Sure.” She takes her fist and slams it down on their colorful prison. “Oof, that hurt,” she says, peering down at the spot where it made contact. “And barely a dent!”

“Guess we better get working, then,” replies Stress, who’s trying her best not to sound too downhearted.

They do. It’s not going great when Stress notices a bit of a change in their environment. “Falsie...do you think it’s possible the water might be getting the teensiest bit higher?”

False nods grimly. “Yep.”

Stress grimaces. “Oh boy. And Xisuma still hasn’t replied?”

“Nope.”

“Ah.”

A moment passes in a nervous silence while the duo continue to chip away at the coral.

“You don’t think he’s ignoring us, do you?” Stress says, a small quaver creeping its way into her quiet words.

“Of course not. He’s probably just...busy.” False stops and cocks her head. “You know. I bet if our spawn is glitched, other peoples’ might be as well.”

“That makes sense, I suppose.”

A small wave washes over them. When they reemerge, coughing from the salty water, they find that Stress can no longer keep her chest above the ocean.

“This isn’t going to be a pleasant way to die, is it?” asks Stress, hands bleeding from the abrasive reef.

False shakes her head. “No. It isn’t.”

The ocean is not a kind place. It never pretended to be. The two Hermits just happened to be in its way, and that was not the ocean’s fault.

The tide rolls in, just as False’s hand finds Stress’s.

The tide washes out.

Their newly-respawned heads break the surface of the water, gasping for air. This time, they’re face-to-face, and the coral is yellow. False wonders if it’s slightly softer than the previous kind, or if she’s just imagining it. Either way. Small blessings.

Their eyes meet, and they pick up where they left off, only a touch sore. They don’t talk much this time around, except for Stress’s question about the message to Xisuma. And yes, False double-checked it was to the right person. She sends it again in the main chat.

<FalseSymmetry> anyone there lol?

Silence. On all fronts. Stress is making good progress on this new coral, until they both have to stop to fight an inquisitive drowned. Not an easy feat, but they manage, though the duo lose more hearts than False would like.

Stress manages to get a leg free and starts kicking with renewed vigor, until she’s finally out. The water is lapping at their mouths now, as Stress frantically tugs at False’s cage.

“C’mon,” Stress mutters. “We’re almost there…”

A wave knocks them both underwater, and by the time Stress resurfaces, further away from False, the blond Hermit is completely submerged.

Stress thinks that she has never swum faster in her life as she races toward False, hoping against hope that there’s somehow still time to save her.

She dives down to False, who is wriggling around frantically. She tugs against the coral, but she knows it’s too late. False lets out a scream, bubbles escaping to the surface, but points to Stress’s left. She’s confused, but she looks anyways--and the trident from the dead drowned is sitting placidly on a piece of sponge, unseen by both of them until now.

Stress pushes off the battered coral, so close to breaking, but too far, all at the same time. She scoops up the trident and swims back to False, who’s starting to slow, eyes rolling up in the back of her head. With a mighty swipe, she clears the rest of the prison, and drags the unconscious False to the shore.

Stress retches, the ocean coming out of her lungs in short bursts as she collapses on the warm sand. Next to her, False lies prone. She doesn’t know what to do. Should she put her on her side? Wait, isn’t that for drunk people?

Hopefully, False will sort it out on her own. Hopefully. In the meantime, Stress realizes that the sun is setting. She needs to get them in a shelter, ASAP. There’s no time for even wood--she just digs out a small hole in a nearby hillside, and, breathing heavily, brings False’s body into it. It just barely fits both of them, but she’s grateful to have it.

Stress can’t even think about dying again, if it means having to get out of that ocean. Thankfully, she doesn’t have to; False stirs to wakefulness sometime in the middle of the night, greeted with a motley chorus of zombie groans and drowned gurgles, plus a few others that neither of them want to try to name.

They huddle together in the small chamber, wet dirt and cold stone stealing precious body heat. When morning comes, they stay there for a little while. Neither one wants to be the first one out, but eventually False stands up, the joints in her spine cracking like fireworks. She peeks her head out, but there seems to be no imminent danger at the moment, so she cautiously ventures onto the beach from their escape. A spider lies perched in a small tree nearby, but she leaves it be. As she looks out over the glimmering water, alight with the sun’s first rays, she sees the broken branches of the coral that trapped her and Stress, waves gently carrying away the scattered shards. She watches them for a second, and as she does, the tide washes out.

The tide rolls in.

They’re so careful. Neither one of them wants to go back to the awful enclosure of stony coral and risk having to repeat the experience. Monsters are run away from, shelters are dotted around the map like flowers, and their armor has never been more prized. The duo have awful luck mining, though. They barely get enough for decent gear, but Stress reminds False that they’re lucky. Judging by the death messages that scroll through the chat like clockwork, not everyone has been as fortunate as them. And at least they have each other.

Or they did, before Stress falls into a soft bed of bone-chilling powder snow, along with a few creeper friends.

False doesn’t ever want to see that same look on Stress’s face ever again. It’s imprinted into her mind now, a mix of surprise and awful resignation.

She types out a frantic message on her communicator. It doesn’t work. It hasn’t worked for weeks now. She knows it doesn’t work, and Stress does as well. But it doesn’t stop her from imagining where her only companion is right now, sending her chat after chat, begging her to come help her escape from the watery grave.

False considers respawning. Back where Stress is. She could help her then.

False would consider herself a practical person at heart, but she has never before been in a situation like this. Hermitcraft has never had a situation like this. She considers her options, falling back against the rough trunk of an oak tree, leaves raining down on her impassive face.

<StressMonster101> drowned.

She’s taking too much time. There’s no more room for error. Only action. Rustling through her pack, stuffed to the brim now with the remains of Stress’s inventory, she realizes that she has to find a way to get these items back to Stress. If she manages to escape on her own, they can meet up halfway there, and if she doesn’t, then False will have her work cut out for her.

It’s a backtrack of nearly two weeks. False does it in four days, not stopping to rest. She wishes desperately for a saddle, but when she happens upon a meadow full of horses, she grabs the nearest one, swinging herself upward onto the back of a very unwilling participant. False doesn’t care. The horse accustoms itself to her surprisingly quickly, and though False’s legs ache from the non-stop bareback ride, she knows she’ll get to Stress sooner with it. Turns out, golden apples can make a horse go through the night.

She names the horse Salvation. Sal, for short.

The journey gives her brain too much time to think, so she doesn’t, just hangs on to the death messages in the chat. It’s gruesome, but they reassure her that Stress is even still in this horrible world.

Sometimes, there’ll be a lull in the terrible rhythm, but those never last for long.

During a quick break, she gets bored and puts a braid in Sal’s mane, then uses a few of the nearby flowers to decorate it. She doesn’t realize until she re-mounts him that they’re alliums.

The tide washes out.

When False finally arrives at their old beach, she nearly cries in relief. Instead, she screams out Stress’s name as she jumps off of Sal’s back. Stumbling into the waves, she repeats her cry, voice already starting to go hoarse.

“Stress! I’m here!” False shouts. “Stress!”

She’s up to her neck now and there’s no sign of her. Maybe she made it out. Maybe False would believe that if she hadn’t just seen her death message on her communicator.

False treads water, weaving between the elaborate natural structures that make up the reef. She’s almost about to give up when she hears a weak cough, and rounds the corner to find an emaciated Stress, hanging from the coral wrapping her body like an exoskeleton.

“Stress, Stress, I’m here,” says False, wrapping her arms around the other Hermit’s body as tears start to stream down her face. “Oh my g-d. We need to get you out of here.”

Stress looks up at her, the first sign of movement she’s shown since False laid eyes on the woman. “You came for me,” she whispers. “You really came.” Her eyes flutter shut.

The tide rolls in.

Stress wakes to a gently crying False, who’s sitting beside her on the beach. Attempting a smile, she nudges the other Hermit. “Doing alright?”

False smiles at her. “Never better.”

She lets out a whistle. “Ok, so, correct me if I’m wrong, but you managed to get here quite quickly, if you came all the way from where I left?”

“Sure did.”

“How?”

“Well, meet Sal,” False says, pointing towards the forest behind them. “He was a big help.”

Stress squeals, and she thinks she can almost feel her eyes getting bigger. “Are those flowers?” She hobbles over to the horse, latching onto his neck. “I love him!”

False laughs, and Stress thinks she’s never been gladder to hear someone do so.

“But seriously, though.” False pauses for a second. “I think he’s going to be pretty important if we’re heading towards spawn.”

Stress nods. “Yeah, I think that’s a good plan. Bound to be a bigger concentration of Hermits there, right?”

“Exactly. Listen, this time we’re going to be super careful about beds. I’ll make sure we upgrade our armor as much as possible. I’ll do better--”

Stress puts a finger up to False’s lips, startling her into silence. “Nope. You did the best you absolutely could. I will have absolutely no self-blaming on this road trip.”

“Road trip?” False asks, nose crinkling.

“Absolutely.” Stress responds. “This is Hermitcraft! We’re here to have fun and make friends. And I see only one direction for that.”

“To spawn, then!” False laughs, mounting Sal and hauling Stress up after her.

“To spawn!”

The ocean watches the two ride off with mild interest. They’ll be back, after all. Sooner or later, they’ll always be back. No one can leave for long. But for now, it has other...friends to take care of, and the tide, as always, washes out.

#false #stress #submission #Hermitcraft #scattered au #mod shade #i love this so much actually #it has such good calming vibes #and #not to be one track minded or anything but #'other friends'???#:shakyeyes: impulse....

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generallybarzy · 4 years

Text

smile like sunshine

Introduction: ~7,600 words

mat barzal series

summary: A lot changes in ten years, and a lot changes when someone grows used to having constant attention, fans, and fame- so surely the boy you knew back then was long gone. Even if you had been the closest of friends that one month back in 2008, there was no way he remembers you, or even wants to talk to you anymore...

an: Here it finally is!!! I know, I know, it's super long. I was gonna split it up, but it made more sense to keep the intro in one part for the backstory and setting up the main plot and then have the rest of the story on the beach. I really hope this comes together like I want it to!

From the moment you first saw him, you knew you were going to be best friends; but what you could never know, at only nine years old, was that you were going to fall head over heels in love with him one day.

Looking back now, he was adorable as a child, but that wasn’t what your little nine-year-old mind was thinking at the time. All you were focused on back then was the sheer awesomeness of that sandcastle he was building and the overwhelming amount of loneliness that was overtaking you on what was supposed to be a fun, month-long family vacation. He was just a boy, caked in sand from crawling around on his hands and knees to construct what you thought back then was the most complex structure of architecture in existence, and you were just a girl, your desperation for a friend to play with outweighing your shyness. Your parents seemed too busy with the new babies to pay attention to you, so you had to find someone else to hang out with, and here was this boy. You had approached him hesitantly, just really wanting something to do and someone to play with other than your annoying siblings, hoping that he wouldn’t turn you away.

“Did you make that?” Your first words to him were spoken shyly, hesitant, and had him looking up at you, squinting from the sun through his dark locks of hair.

“Yeah.”

“All by yourself?” He nodded again, looking proud. “It’s awesome!”

“Thanks!” He glanced back to his work for a second before pushing himself to his feet and offering you a sand bucket. “You wanna help?”

“Yes, please.”

“Cool.” He smiled brightly, showing off a missing tooth, and you smiled back, it was impossible not to with how full of sunshine this boy seemed to be. You followed him out towards the water to scoop up some wet sand. “I’m Mat.”

“I’m (Y/N).”

It was really that simple to become friends. You soon came to find that Mat was really funny, one of the funniest people you’d ever met- and still to this day you couldn’t forget how green his eyes sparkled in the sunlight while he was laughing, even if he was just laughing at his own silly jokes. The two of you slaved away at building your sandcastle in the hot sun and laughing at each other’s jokes for what seemed like hours before your parents came over to find you playing with a new friend. Your parents and his talked- about nothing you cared about at that age- while you and Mat sat with your feet in the water, eating ice pops and getting sunburned without a care in the world.

You still thought back to that month to this day. It was still one of your happiest memories: those hot watermelon and ice pop summer days giving you sticky faces and hands and sunburnt skin, eating ice cream on your tenth birthday and skipping along the pier next to him with your moms chatting behind you, collecting shells and messing with crabs together, being splashed with seawater and laughing even though you wanted to be mad at him. That was your happy place.

One conversation you remember distinctly from later that month was when you and Mat were sitting on the beach, sifting through the sand and collecting shells. Well, you were the only one actually collecting shells; Mat thought it would be funny to sit there and throw little crustaceans at you and make you shriek. Eventually, a hush had fallen over the two of you, and Mat spoke up. “I’m gonna be in the NHL one day.”

“The what?” Mat laughed at you, but you genuinely didn’t know what he was talking about. You laugh at yourself today, looking back.

“Do you know what hockey is?”

“Duh. My dad watches it.”

“I like to play hockey. I’m going to as a job one day.”

“That sounds cool!” Your young mind couldn’t even comprehend having any adult job, let alone knowing at this age what you want to do for the rest of your life Obviously, Mat was a boy who had plans. “It looks dangerous, though, do you get hurt?”

“I don’t really get hurt much.”

“I bet you’re good at it, then.”

“I am!” You smiled and laughed with Mat and leaned over your pile of shells to hug him, the deepest form of showing affection you knew at that point.

“I’ll come to see you play one day. I promise.”

Remember when life was so simple that a sandcastle was all that was needed to spark the beginning of a wonderful friendship, even if it only lasted a month? Remember when we didn’t have to worry about grades and work and money and taxes? Sometimes you wished you could take yourself back to that month, so you could have a distraction. You’ve been looking for a distraction like Mat had been all your life- while your parents fought from the other room, while you stressed over tests in school, during heartbreak after heartbreak, while you dealt with pressure taking standardized tests or getting your first job, or moving to New York City alone only weeks shy of your 20th birthday during the summer before you started college. Every now and then you would forget about that summer, but the moment you’d stress over something, your mind just drifted off and daydreamed of that lighthearted smile, and those shining green eyes, and you hoped he was happy wherever he was.

Mat.

Damn it, you would have tried years ago to google him or something if you knew his last name, or even where he lived. Unfortunately, those aren’t topics of interest to children, so they never popped up in your conversation, and neither your mom or dad seemed to care enough to remember what they talked about with his parents, probably too busy fighting all the time, you mused.

The fall after you’d moved to New York for college, your roommate Amy, who was extremely welcoming and always made you feel at home, decided to introduce you to the sports teams of the city in an effort to get you out of your apartment and away from your work. It was just your luck, you realized later, that she was especially into hockey. You were vaguely familiar with hockey, your dad used to be a huge hockey fan in your youth, but stopped many years ago in the midst of your parent’s marriage practically falling apart. Now he only watched it occasionally, a few years behind on who was up-and-coming. “Hey, might as well learn the sport. Maybe one day you’ll reconnect with that boy from your long-ago summer romance!” She spoke teasingly, lightheartedly, always loving to hear the sweet story of your childhood best friend who had slipped away and may have disappeared forever. She was always one for cliches. You had told her many things about your time with Mat, but never used his name; no, that felt too personal, as if he was a secret for only you to know about.

“Oh, come on, Ames!” You laughed, but you couldn’t help but hope. “We were, like, ten! I don’t think that qualifies as romance.”

“Maybe not, but the way you describe him… If you would’ve met in your teens, that story would have ended with some cute, awkward first kisses.” She loved a good love story, and you smiled and shook your head. Yeah, honestly, you wish you’d known him later in your life.

“Yeah, maybe.”

So, eventually, she took you to an Islanders game, letting you borrow a blue hoodie of hers from her large collection of NHL merchandise so that you would look like more of a fan. You sat through the game with her, excited and interested and eager to learn as she kept pointing things out to you to help you understand the game. Despite it being an NHL game, you hadn’t thought of the boy that sparked your interest in the sport all night, until, about halfway through the game, you saw a name mentioned overhead.

Mathew Barzal.

You knew it was nothing. Literally nothing. There are plenty of other people named Mathew, idiot. But you couldn’t help the soft spark of memories in you. You pushed it out of your mind and went back to the game, even though something, just something was nagging away in your head. When you looked up to the screen above the ice, you caught a glance of the name again. Mathew, spelled with one ‘T’. A vivid memory pops to your head- you and Mat tracing your names and other words into the sand with sticks, just for fun, because that’s what entertains a ten-year-old apparently.

“I’m gonna be in the NHL one day.”

Mathew. One ‘T’. NHL. You knew it wasn’t that big of a deal, plenty of people probably spelled it that way, and you were probably grasping at straws, but hey what were the odds? A hockey player, Mathew. If only you could get a good look at the guy. Or… or something. You probably wouldn’t even recognize someone after ten years of not seeing them; you could hardly recognize ten-year-old you in photos! In your head, Mat was still eleven years old. Honestly, was there even a way to figure out if it was him or not? Ask him if he happened to meet a girl on a family vacation a decade ago? Yeah, and when would you get the chance to ask a professional athlete such personal questions?

...Well, tonight, apparently.

As you left your seats after the game, everyone happy and celebratory after a win, you almost had a heart attack when Amy grabbed your arm and shrieked. “Oh my God, oh my God, (Y/N)!” She pointed to her phone in shock, and you still couldn’t tell what she was reacting to, but calmed down, realizing it probably wasn’t life-threatening.

“Holy shit, Ames, are you trying to kill me?”

“Listen, listen.” She calmed down a bit, letting out a small laugh. “So let's just say someone I know, knows somebody,” You laughed a bit, knowing this was gonna be some new interesting gossip. “And they know where the players are going out to celebrate tonight.” She sent you a suggestive, winking look.

“No way. You want to go and… interact with them? Professional athletes? Us, talking to professional athletes?”

“I mean, yeah. Are you telling me you don’t want to flirt with a hockey player?” She saw the look on your face and shook her head. “Or! Or not even flirt. Just talk. Get a picture with them, or a signature? Or just let me talk and you can wave to them. I can promise you they’re all pretty nice to their fans.”

“You sound as if you’ve talked to them all before.”

“No, only one. And it was more of me talking and him saying ‘cool, cool.’ while he signed my jersey. But I always hear that they’re really sweet.”

“Well,” you thought for a moment. It would be pretty freaking cool to try and befriend a professional athlete, or even just pretend for a night that you knew them. You definitely don’t go out enough, you hadn’t really been to many bars- you had only turned 20 a few months ago and couldn’t drink yet, so what was the point? In fact, you’d barely left your tiny apartment since moving, and even though you weren’t one for bars or clubs, you were in New York City, for fuck’s sake! Might as well go out and live, right? “Alright, let’s go. But if we actually see them, you have to be my wing-woman.”

“Oh, hell yes.”

The bar you were going to wasn’t far from the rink, and according to a google search of the place, it didn’t seem too sleazy or gross- that was good. Of course it’s not sleazy, why would someone as rich as a bunch of professional athletes go to a sleazy bar? Because it was only a little further than where you had parked, the two of you walked together. As it settled in your head that you might actually see professional hockey players tonight, you started feeling a little nervous. Partially because you’ve never been in a place with that many famous people at once, but also because of the name that was still circling your brain.

“Hey, so I’ve had something on my mind because of this game.”

“Oh yeah?”

“You’re gonna think I’m completely crazy, but listen.” She looked up with a face, ready for your story.

“Give it to me.”

“Okay, so... this kid I told you about, that I met that summer? His name was Mathew. Spelled with only one ‘T’, I remember that clearly.” You laughed a bit, wondering how crazy you must have sounded to her. “And he told me he was gonna play in the NHL, right?”

After a second, you saw it click in her head. “No fuckin’ way. You think it’s Barzal?”

“Ames, I don’t know, I don’t know! There are plenty of Mathews who play hockey, right? But maybe he doesn’t even play hockey after all. Kids aren’t great at choosing their career paths, ya know? I just never learned his last name. I need his age or... something to identify him with.”

“He’s… like, 21, I think.”

“Yeah?” You paused. Why was this all actually matching up? “Yeah. So ten years ago he would’ve been eleven.”

“Holy shit, hoooolllly shit.”

“But I’m sure there are plenty of Mathews who are 21 right now.”

“Girl, holy shit. Look up a picture of him right now. If you had a summer romance with Barzy, I need to know immediately.”

“Okay, it still wasn’t really a romance, but same.” You pulled out your phone and typed his name into the search bar. “I don’t even know if I’ll recognize him after ten years.” Immediately after you opened the images tab, the first thing you noticed about him was the hair. Dark and thick and kind of wavy and looking extra soft in a few pictures, it did remind you of your Mat- whose hair had been full of sand and salt water and kept drying softly as he ran around in the sunlight- but you still couldn’t be 100% positive. It was after you scrolled past all the on ice pictures where you couldn’t really see his face well behind the helmet and found a picture of him- unstaged and off the ice and genuinely smiling- that you felt a strange spark ignite inside of you. Sunshine. His smile felt like sunshine. Maybe. Just, maybe.

Scrolling through other photos, your eyes caught one in particular. You opened a close up of his face and zoomed in a tiny bit more. Those eyes, shining all pretty and green in the sunlight. You could never forget them- not after ten years, and not after a hundred. His eyes, his chin, even the size of his goddamn nostrils, all the tiny, stupid details in his face… was this actually him? “Biiiitch....” Amy leaned closer to you and bumped shoulders with you in acknowledgment.

“What? Do you recognize something?”

“Kinda, yeah. It’s so weird.”

“So you think it’s seriously him?”

“I don’t know. But the last picture of his smile, I’d recognize that smile anywhere and… this. His eyes- that eye color…. I remember thinking it’s so pretty… even his fucking nostrils, Amy!” The fact that you took note of his nostrils might have been funny at another time, but you were currently having a crisis as to whether or not you were once friends with fucking Mathew Barzal.

“Yeah, I mean, they’re kinda big…”

“I… I don’t want to say that I think it’s him, that might just be me being too hopeful. But...”

“Holy shit. You might have been Barzy’s friend at one point. You could reconnect with him, and we could hang out with the players!” You shot her a look, and she knew to calm down. “Sorry. Alright, whether or not it was him, I’m still gonna get you to talk with him tonight.” You hadn’t realized that you had basically arrived at the bar, and you felt your heart start pumping you full of nerves as she opened the door. “You have my word.”

The bar wasn't too crazy- there was music playing overhead and that weird hazy bar feeling lingered in the air. Immediately you could see that there was a celebratory group of of tall men, some standing at the bar talking with each other, others talking with girls- some shared wedding bands with the women they were talking to, their wives apparently. So you figured those were the players.

“I can’t believe it.” Amy was still in shock next to you; you were too, but you needed to pull it together. “You and Barzal…”

“Well, we don’t actually know yet.” You pulled her into you by the elbow. “But please please don’t mention that to them, I don’t need them to think I’m crazy before I even talk to them.” She nodded back, but before either of you could comprehend what was happening, somebody- obviously one of the hockey players- seemed to catch her eye as they came into view near the bar. “A player you like?”

“Anthony Beauvillier.” She pronounced his name with an obvious swoon and you laughed. Oh, so this was that favorite player that she kept talking about. “Tito. Yeah. He’s cool.” She nudged you, smirking. “Oh! And he’s besties with Mat! I bet I could get him for you.”

“You? Talking to them?” As much as Amy liked to talk and wanted to meet the players, you knew she wasn’t the type to just go out and throw herself into conversation with somebody, and you knew she easily got tongue-tied- that’s where the two of you were most similar. But maybe it was just the fact that she was trying to help you out that gave her the boost of confidence to begin chasing after him. “Hey, actually, maybe we shouldn’t bother them. I’m sure they’re tired of dealing with fans.”

“We won’t pester them or anything. I’m sure they’ll see we’re not like, crazy crazy fans. Anyway we have a mission.”

“A mission?”

“Operation… I don’t know, Operation Find Mat Barzal for (Y/N).”

“Wow. Creative.”

“I know.” She laughed and smiled at you reassuringly. “Come on, both of us need to learn to be more assertive, don’t you think? We’re not annoying them, just telling them we think they’re cool, and maybe getting a picture. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.” There was nothing you could say before she was- to your horror- reaching out and tapping Anthony’s arm. You were sure you looked nervous as he turned to look at the two of you, and your friend started rambling with a big starstruck smile on her face. “Hi, uh yeah. You’re cool.” You weren’t only feeling embarrassed yourself, but also for her. “I’m a big fan!”

To your surprise- or maybe not, he seemed like a sweet guy- he smiled back at her, and you almost melted under kinda his blue eyes as he looked between the two of you. He thanked her as she complimented his performance tonight and motioned to the phone in her hand. “You want a picture?”

“Yes please!” You took her phone for her to snap a couple of pictures of the two of them, glad that this guy seemed so chill and friendly. After the picture was taken, Amy still didn’t let him leave, no, to your absolute horror, she motioned to you. “My friend here, (Y/N), tonight was the first game she’s ever been to.” You could feel your cheeks heat up when he looked over at you, but couldn’t help but smile back up to him. Oh, he was kinda really cute...

“Oh yeah? Hope you enjoyed it.”

Oh. Oh, he was actually talking to you! “Yeah, yeah. I didn’t understand everything that was happening, I’m still learning, but.. it was still really fun!”

“Actually,” you felt Amy’s arm fall across your shoulders, and you looked over at her. God, what was she planning now? “(Y/N) happens to be a big fan of Barzy.”

“Oh God, Ames stop…”

“And I’m sure she’d like a picture with him. So if you could, I don’t know… point her in his direction, please? If he’s here? And if you think he’s got time for it?” You were in the middle of burying your red face in your hands in embarrassment when you heard him laugh goodheartedly.

“He wouldn’t mind. He likes talking to his fans.”

“Really?”

“I’m sure he’ll be especially happy to meet a new fan. He loves the praise.” All three of you laughed a bit, and you couldn’t believe that you were currently chatting with an NHL player. He looked behind his shoulder for a moment, before moving aside and motioning to the bar. “He’s over at the bar somewhere, by himself for the moment. Better hurry before someone else beats you to it.” There was a certain lilt in his voice, was… was he teasing you? You smiled- but it probably looked pretty nervous- and glanced over to Ames.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” She winked at you and nudged you in the direction of the bar. “Go!”

You bit your lip to hold back the growing smile at the thought of getting to talk to him, whether or not he remembered you at all. You looked up at Tito with a quick “Thank you!” before snaking around him and finding your way to the bar.

It didn’t take you long to notice him- he had a recognizable face, and you’d recognize him anywhere after looking at pictures of him for the whole ten-minute walk from the rink to this bar. He was standing at the bar, drink in his hand, and scrolling through his phone, a lock of dark hair drooping onto his forehead. His skin looked so golden in this light, as if he was back under the sun on a hot summer day- and it gave him a striking resemblance to the boy you knew ten years ago. There was something so different about seeing him in person rather than as a photo on your phone- it sparked up a weird feeling inside of you. If this was really him, it had been ten years since you last saw him, and a lot changes in ten years of somebody’s life. It may have been a strange thought but, wow, puberty really hit him in all the right places. He looked… wow. His cheekbones, his jawline,…. Okay, maybe it was kinda thirsty- ogling him like this- but you couldn’t help it.

Not only had he obviously changed physically, but he might be a completely different person. He was a professional athlete now- why would he need you anymore? That much attention changes a person. He might not be as kind as he was back then at eleven years old, he might not want to be friends with you or reconnect.

That is, if this even is him.

You swallowed down all your nerves and slid up next to where he was standing.

“You really made it to the NHL, huh?” No shit he made it to the NHL, you thought. What the fuck kind of conversation starter is that? It was a painstakingly slow moment as he directed his full attention away from his phone and towards you, and could practically feel the shot of confidence and adrenaline draining from your body when his pretty, confused eyes met yours. Oh, they’re a lot more light brown than they are green, you noticed, and you wondered if maybe all your memories of his “dazzling, gleaming green eyes” were wrong. You realized how strange you must look to him- you were just a random girl, approaching a super successful, let alone attractive, professional athlete at a bar. He probably thought you were trying to get a drink off of him or get into his pants for the clout.

Maybe you were expecting him to look up and immediately recognize you after ten years and sweep you up into a hug like in the movies, but it certainly didn’t seem like that’s what was coming.

“Yeah…?"

He looked confused- his eyebrows furrowed up a bit as he looked you over, sizing you up or checking you out or just trying to figure out why this stranger was approaching him about his career choices. Suddenly, you found it difficult to hold eye contact. Of course he didn’t remember you. Who needs to remember their one-month-long friendship when they’re busy getting into the NHL? This was really starting to make you feel pathetic for holding onto the memory of your super short friendship for so long.

Well, you officially wanted the floor to open up and swallow you. Right now would be great. "Okay… that probably sounded really, really strange if you don't remember me. Or if it’s not even you. Umm, we hung out together in 2000 something…. 2008? The summer of '08?” You laughed awkwardly, trying desperately to lighten the mood. “We were, like ten, eleven?" He still said nothing, just watching you with a strange, unreadable look in his eyes. Oh god, you wanted lightning to strike you dead, NOW. Literally anything would be better than standing here waiting for him to say something, anything! Even if he just says 'Who the fuck are you?' It would be better than silence. The silence was humiliating. "Okay, I’m so sorry. I probably got this all wrong and look like a weirdo." Right as you started to back away to run to find Amy and get the hell out of here, he held out a hand.

“Wait, wait!" His eyebrows shot up as if he couldn’t believe something, his outstretched hand reaching back to run through his hair. "Holy shit. Is it… (Y/N)?" Your heart almost stopped right there, the moment he said your name, either that or it was beating so fucking fast you couldn't feel it. He said your name. Your name. He knows your name.

"Yeah.” You watched his face relax into a gleaming smile. Like sunshine. It’s him. You knew it now. “So I’m not crazy? It's… it’s actually you? Mat?"

"It's actually me." For the first time since you set foot in the bar, you felt yourself relax completely, and although you hadn’t had any alcohol, you felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Jesus, it was actually him. You crossed your arms on the bar and lay your forehead down on it. "Sorry, I just, it took me a second. I should have recognized you sooner.” You laughed a little bit into your arms at the sheer craziness of the situation. He still had that same warmth to him, the way he was always able to make you feel happy and safe, like when he distracted you on the beach while your parents were yelling inside or when he went too far trying to scare you with crabs and had to hug you and promise you he’d protect you from them.

“I can’t believe this.” You lifted your head to look back up at him, and he had a wide smile spreading across his face. “We actually ended up in the same city ten years later without even knowing each other’s last names.”

“Holy shit. Ten years? I feel old. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday.” Your heart soared at the idea that he still thinks of you- of the fun you two had together that summer. He took a sip from his drink, going quiet and just staring at his glass with a smile.

“You still think about it?”

“Sure, sometimes. I wonder how you’re doing, and where you ended up. I guess you ended up in New York.” He looked back up at you, eyes catching yours and gleaming all honey-hued golden brown and sending butterflies straight to your stomach. You could barely contain yourself, it didn’t matter that this was Mathew fucking Barzal you were talking to because to you he was still just your Mat, and that was even better. The sandy little boy with scraped knees. You couldn’t help but imagine how many people would kill to be in your position right now.

“I guess I just thought you would have forgotten about that summer, considering how successful you are now and stuff.”

He shook his head, smiling softer and reassuringly. “C’mon. I could never forget about that. It was my favorite summer to date.” He extended an arm and dropped it across your shoulder, pulling you in closer- no closer than two friends should be, but much closer than you ever thought you’d be to someone of his "social rank". It wasn’t any closer than you’d been in the past, but you were children back then. Now, you were young adults with hormones. He was a man. You would be crazy not to notice how warm and built he felt under his hoodie from obvious years of playing hockey, and there were dirty thoughts spinning around your head as soon as his large hand dropped to your arm and the dizzying scent of his cologne hit your nose. “You want a drink?”

You blushed and stuttered, shaking away any indecent thoughts. “Uh, I- I can’t. Yet.”

He seemed confused for a moment before laughing. “That’s right! You're a year younger than me, right? Aww, you’re still a baby. Can’t even drink yet.” He ruffled your hair gently, careful not to actually mess it up, and called the bartender over and asked for a glass of water, making sure to let him know that you weren’t old enough to drink yet. You could only laugh, remembering how much he loved to tease you back then. He obviously hasn’t changed in that department. “Ya know, you could’ve just DM'd me or something as soon as you found me. You didn’t need to dramatically approach me in a bar.”

“Well, I did kinda only find you tonight,”

His eyes went wide with a smile. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, like an hour ago. Listen...” You launched into your story as to how you came to realize that your long lost friend was NHL star Mathew Barzal, and how you didn't actually know who he was as a player. He actually listened intently, unlike any of the disappointing boyfriends you’d had in the past. Man, whatever girl he gets is gonna be lucky. “I wasn’t sure if it was you or not. I spent the entire walk here looking up pictures and trying to decide if I actually recognized you or if it was just my brain being hopeful.”

“Wow. I guess I’ve changed, huh?” He rubbed a hand across his face, still smiling that stupid, beautiful smile that made you all nervous, and your eyes followed, tracing over the familiarity of his features- from his eyes up to his hair and down to his chin, maybe lingering for a second too long on the way his lips looked so soft and tender right now, curled up at the corners into a little smirk.

“Not that much, actually.”

You hadn’t realized how intimate that moment seemed until he caught your gaze, smiling cheekily, and you were pretty sure he knew you were just checking him out. “Lucky for you, you got to skip past my awkward teenage years.” He lightened the mood, poking fun at himself like he knew how to do. Brushing the hazy hot feelings out of the air and blaming them on the rush of meeting your childhood friend after all these years, you reached for your water in order to cool the fire inside of you and the blush on your cheeks.

“Oh, I’m sure I would’ve loved to see that.”

You and Amy were over the fucking moon when you went home that night. You had exchanged Instagram handles and said your goodbyes to each of the men you had been talking with- she claimed to have been talking to Tito for the rest of the night and honestly, you’d believe anything at this point, after learning that your childhood romance- ahem, friendship- was with Mat Barzal. It took everything in you not to shriek like crazed fangirls. As soon as you got out of the bar, the realization finally hit you that you finally found Mat, and meanwhile, Amy was starstruck, having spent the night actually talking to NHL players and actually holding solid conversation.

“Holy shit please tell me everything! Right now!”

“Ames…” You could have told her what it was like to talk to him, disregarding anything in your past, the way he listened intently and made you feel like the only person in the world when his eyes were on you. You took her hands and looked into her eyes seriously, “Ames, we were right.” Okay, so much for not shrieking. Your friend threw her arms around you, jumping up and down for you. You couldn’t blame her, everything that happened tonight was crazy.

“You’re telling me that the kid you hung out with at ten years old has evolved into the one and only Mathew Barzal? Did he remember you?”

To be honest, it had taken everything in you not to try and drag him home with you or go home with him. He was intoxicating in all his warmth, the way his nose scrunched up, and his eyebrows arched when he smiled. The way he threw his head back when he laughed. The scent of his cologne had buzzed around your senses all night, clouding your judgment and making you want to say “fuck reconnecting as friends” and jump him right there. In fact, it still lingered around you after being pulled against his chest all night, and part of you wondered if it was the alcohol in his system, though not enough to make him drunk, that caused him to wrap his arm over your shoulder. If you had maybe harbored a tiny crush since your summer with him, it was heightened times 100 because of tonight.

You could tell that reconnecting with him- and eventually becoming friends again- was going to take a lot of self-control if you were gonna feel like this the whole time.

“Yeah. And he wants to catch up tomorrow. He said he’d DM me.” Amy was in the middle of shrieking in joy for you when, as if on cue, your phone buzzed in your pocket, and the first thing you saw after opening it was a message.

barzal97: Get home safe :)

“Girl, he loves you!” You laughed and shook your head as she shook your shoulder and patted your back, “You snagged yourself a hockey player!”

After you left, Mat didn’t see any reason to stay out longer. He almost couldn’t believe it- had someone slipped something in his drink? Was this just a dream? But then he opened Instagram and scrolled through your Instagram momentarily after DMing you and stopped on a picture of you and your friends, it was clear- he’d found you. You’d found him, more like. After ten goddamn years. It felt like a movie. You still had the same vibe, he could feel it in him the moment you were beside him. What was it…? Familiarity. Warmth. Comfort. Nostalgia. Whatever it was, it was you. After taking a moment to reflect on everything that had just happened, he was quick to finish his drink and find his friend, wanting to head home and prepare for his little meetup tomorrow.

As he was heading out the door with Tito, Mat knew he needed to confide in somebody. “You’ll never guess what happened.”

“Does it have something to do with that girl I sent over?”

“(Y/N)? You sent her over?”

“Yeah, I was talking with her friend. I noticed she didn’t come back after going to look for you.” Mat noticed the suggestive tone in his friend's voice and felt his face go pink at the thought of hiding away in a bathroom to make out- and maybe more- with you.

“No! Nothing like that. She was my friend when we were kids.” He had a serious look on his face, and Tito knew that Mat wasn’t kidding about this. “Really. We have a crazy story. We met ten years ago on vacation. We hung out for a month, and I haven’t heard from her since. I didn’t know her last name or anything, and she didn’t know mine, so it’s not like we could look for each other. But she found me.”

“Wow. She just said she was a fan.”

“Well, wouldn’t you think they were crazy if they told you that story.”

“It does sound like a movie.” He laughed a bit, patting Mat’s back. “So, what’s the deal with her now? Friend? Do you liiiike her? Do you like-like her?” The teasing tone in his voice didn’t go unnoticed.

“What are we, in middle school?” But he still shrugged, sighing. “I don’t know. We’re going out to catch up tomorrow.”

“Ooh.”

“Shut up.” He went silent for a moment, wondering over his question. Did he like you? He wasn’t sure. “Ya know, she’s with me in almost every photo from that summer. That’s how much we were together.”

“Well, if you guys hit it off, you should date. I don’t need a competitor for best friend.” It was a joke, Mat knew and smiled at it, but he honestly couldn’t shake the idea of dating you. No, no, he’s only feeling this way because he hasn’t seen you in a while. It’s nothing but a bunch of resurfacing memories.

Hopefully, anyway.

The two of you really did hit it off the next day. And the next. And the next. And the next. You still got along just as well as you did when you were young, and maybe even better, now that you were adults and had more interesting things to talk about. He was funny, even funnier than he was as a child, and despite your original thought that the fame of being in the NHL must have changed him, he was actually kind of modest and shrugged and smiled with a pink flush on his face when you brought up his accomplishments. It was easy to be with him. He could talk and talk about his life and still keep you comfortable, inviting you to tell your own story, gushing over accomplishments that felt so small to you.

And that one catch-up date ended up being months and months more of friendship.

Friendship with Mat was one of the best things that ever happened to you. He was the ideal friend, he listened to you and kept an eye on you and pushed you out of your comfort zone when it was necessary. He loved hearing you talk about things you enjoyed and tried his best to find joy in your hobbies, even if he thought some were funny or boring. He was sweet, endearing, teasing. And it wasn’t long before he began bringing you out on casual outings with some of his personal friends, gushing and getting really into telling the story of how you were separated for ten years and reunited by maybe fate, maybe luck, who knew.

The only problem was that you wanted him to kiss you.

You wanted him to kiss you when you went out with him and Tito and Amy on Christmas, singing carols together and teasing him, asking him to sing louder because you loved the sound. You wanted him to kiss you on New Years, when you stood hand in hand in Times Square, shivering and smiling with red cheeks, but instead settled for a hug. You wanted him to kiss you after returning from his first All Star game in January, you wanted to congratulate him on being an All Star, because he spent so much time praising you and you wanted him to know he was just as amazing. You wanted him to kiss you when he was drunk on his 22nd birthday, all red-faced and giggly and dancing in the nightclub with a red solo cup in his hand and that stupid snapback on that made him look like a frat boy but suited him so well. He was hugging you to his side with one arm and, even like this, you were just praying that he would lay a messy, drunk kiss onto your cheek.

You just wanted his lips on yours. So, so bad.

But despite that, behind Amy, who was still holding onto the title of best friend, he was always the one you went to when you needed comfort or a companion or a distraction, or just to talk about certain things. Things like this.

A week after his birthday, seven months into your friendship, you showed up at his door without warning, slumping against the doorframe when he opened it. “I have a problem.”

“With showing up unannounced? Yeah, I know.” He was joking and smiling, but maybe you missed it with how stressed you were. When you didn’t respond, he must have noticed the tired, strained look on your face and his happy expression dropped. He let you into his apartment, snaking an arm around your shoulders and pulling you into his chest. It wasn’t an odd thing in your friendship, he was always a touchy guy, especially when you were down, and you always welcomed it. He pulled you over to sit at the island in his kitchen and sat across from you. “What’s wrong?”

“I got a voicemail from my parents today.” You were already pulling out your phone to play the voicemail for him. Ever since that one month on the beach eleven years ago now, you and your family had been going back every summer for a week, up until four years ago, when you suddenly had a summer job and couldn’t afford to take a week off. You missed the beach, sure, but you definitely didn’t miss the way your parents would always find a way to argue and fight. Now, they were calling you and asking if you could come along this year.

“I think I’m missing the problem here. What’s so bad about a beach trip?”

You sighed and lifted your head. “Well, I want to go, and I already got my boss’s okay to take that week off. I really miss the beach. But my family is just… so overwhelming sometimes. I could try to hang out alone the whole time, but I’ll go crazy before the week is over.” There was a pause as Mat leaned back in thought, considering his options. Was this crazy? Was he crazy for doing this? Definitely. But, fuck it, ya know?

“I can come with.”

You scoffed. "No way, I'm sure you have other plans."

"Not really. Not that week." He saw the look on your face, and he really didn’t want you to have to deal with your family all alone for a week. "Look, I'll pay for my share of the trip, and I won't bother anybody." You laughed. There's no way Mat could go a week without bothering anybody. He laughed along, glad to see you happy. "Seriously. If you need somebody, I'll be there."

And that was it. That was how you ended up on a beach trip with the one and only Mathew Barzal, eleven years after you first met..

The first few hours of the trip down were blurry. Your family, in true vacationer nature, decided that all of you, your parents, siblings, you and Mat, should carpool together. So, at 8:00 AM, you loaded into the car, your parents up front, obviously, your younger twin siblings behind them so they could be monitored, and you and Mat in the very back. This was definitely a bad idea, 100%, but you couldn’t help the giddy feeling that sparked up inside of you when you told your family you would be bringing a boy along. Or the feeling you got when you looked at Mat sitting next to you, looking worn out and sleepy after six hours of travel-rest stop-travel-gas stop, with four more hours of travel left and suggested he try to get some sleep. You slept through the rest of the day, only waking up for bathroom breaks and rest stops, until eventually, you woke up around six in the evening with your head on Mat’s shoulder and his body angled towards yours, snoring softly and looking ever so soft.

“Mat, Mat wake up.” You shook him gently, laughing at the way he was drooling a little bit. He blinked his pretty eyes open and looked around, a little dazed.

“Are we there?” His sleepy, mumbling voice was so cute.

“Technically, yeah. But we can’t get into the rental house until tomorrow morning. So we found a place to sleep.” He groaned, his eyes slipping shut in protest, and showed no sign of moving from his seat. “Come on, you’d rather sleep in a real bed than this car, right?”

Those words had him slipping out of the car, his eyes half shut and holding your hand loosely, dragging his feet the whole way as you led the way to your shared room. He looked so cute in this outfit, grumpy and soft in a tee shirt and shorts and his hair looking extra messy. There was nothing you wanted to do more than sleep, but one detail had you stopping in your tracks as you opened the door. Your parents had paid for three rooms- one for them, your siblings, and you and Mat- and of course, since your parents hated each other and apparently can’t stand to sleep in the same bed anymore, you and Mat got stuck in the room with one bed. Mat didn’t seem to care though, as he dropped his slides by the door and immediately collapsed in the bed, falling asleep almost immediately after mumbling for you.

“C’mon, (Y/N), get in...”

As you dropped down beside him in bed an appropriate distance from him and tried to ignore the sleeping beauty beside you, you began wondering if this whole trip was a bad idea. No, no way, you quickly pushed that thought away. This was Mat, your Mat, and you’re actually on the beach again with him. You fell asleep that night with a smile on your face, listening to the soft snores of the man beside you and trying to imagine what your week had in store for you.

Realistically, there's only one thing you can predict about this trip- it’s gonna take a lot of self-control.

#i feel like im really gonna be proud of this fic #smile like sunshine #mat barzal #mathew barzal #nhl writing #mine #my post #op #fanfiction #imagine #fic

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universalfanfic · 3 years

Text

Stutton Spooky Mermaid AU

I blacked out and wrote almost 8k words of a prequel Stutton spooky mermaid au based off @inkoutsidethelines Mary/Owen au

Sutton flopped back on the bed and let out a sigh as she rubbed her forehead with her free hand.

“I just got in tonight, Vicki,” she said. “I haven’t even had time to see if anything is weird yet. The hotel receptionist seemed normal?”

Vicki huffed from the other end of the phone.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll get a better feel for the town tomorrow. I’m telling you, there’s something about that place. Disappearances, a body that ‘decomposed’, like, immediately, and not even any local reports on any of it? It’s perfect for the podcast.”

“I can’t believe I agreed to come here.”

Vicki laughed.

“I don’t remember you complaining when I told you it was a beach town.”

“True.” Sutton rolled over and rested her chin on her arm. “Maybe I’ll play hooky one of the days I’m here.”

“On partially my dime? Try again. I want as much research as you can possibly get. And don’t forget to interview some locals. Personal accounts always sound professional in these true crime things.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Bemoaned Sutton.

She rolled over again and hung up after reconfirming to Vicki her plans and forbidding her from making a podcast episode about her if something happened during her stay.

That got another laugh.

---

Sutton emerged bright and early the next day to hit the town. In the light of day it looked even less like a spooky murder town than it still didn’t during the night. Sidewalks boarded the main road, giving pedestrians easy ability to access shops, and there were cheerful sandwich board signs beckoning people in to take a look at gift shop sales and reasonably priced breakfasts.

She stopped at a local diner first, figuring she might as well eat and fuel up before getting down to business. The building looked like it was in the middle of renovation, with a makeshift menu board and cans of paint in the corner. The woman at the counter proudly explained that she and her boyfriend were trying to get the place up and running.

“Who knows,” she said with a wink as she rang up Sutton’s order. “If this business works out, maybe I’ll marry him.”

It seemed they were getting a decent stream of customers despite the construction mess, probably due to the fact that there were only so many choices in the area. Perhaps their relationship was in luck.

Sutton sat down in a booth and pulled out some paperwork to look over while she waited. Vicki had printed out everything concerning the weird occurrences in the area, and it still wasn’t much. What spoke more loudly about the oddness of the occurrences was what wasn’t done or recorded.

For several missing people to have this town be their last known location, it was startling how little investigation there was done by local police.

Sutton shifted her notes and grimaced as she came across a grainy photo Vicki printed.

A few months ago they actually found a body a mile or so outside the town. Another police department had photographed the scene before the town’s department had suddenly taken over.

In the picture, a man laid on the side of the road, like he'd been traveling on foot, and he looked- Sutton scraped her tongue with her teeth- gross.

Apparently from the time he went missing to when his body was found was only three days, but by that point his body was already... in advanced decomposition? But that didn’t feel right. It looked more- crusty to Sutton. Like a dry sponge.

Besides, bodies didn’t decompose to that point in three days; even if they were left in the sun.

Ultimately the death was ruled to be due to a heart condition and the case closed.

Sutton covered the photo and looked for something less disturbing before breakfast. Though, really, there wasn’t much to go off of. They weren’t trying to solve the mystery here, but it’d be helpful to have enough info to throw out some theories for listeners.

She finished breakfast and set out to get to work. Speaking to random people was a little intimidating at the moment, so she decided to start at the library to see if there were any records there.

The library was a bit musty and underfunded. Sutton slipped passed the fiction sections and made straight for the newspaper archives.

Unsurprisingly, there wasn’t much there. Sutton had hoped they just hadn’t discovered the internet here, but even their paper records revealed very little. She sifted through articles on small burglaries, high school sports, and chili cook-offs. Nothing to imply the Hallmark-esque town would have any dark secrets. The best thing she could find was a notice from over ten years ago warning visitors away from partying at some place simply called ‘the lagoon’. But no other references to the location popped up and Sutton brushed it off to focus on other things. Eventually she gave up with the library and took what meager notes she scratched down as she made her way back out in the town. As awkward as it might be, she was probably going to have to start asking people questions. She stopped in a kitschy gift shop and pretended to peruse the wares. Luckily there weren’t many people inside, and Sutton was grateful she came during the off season. She picked up a conch shell and inspected it before looking up and making eye contact with the clerk at the register.

“You, ah, have neat stuff!”

The clerk gave a flat sort of bemused look as they shrugged.

“Thanks? You like shells?”

Sutton put the shell down.

“Um, they’re fine. I was thinking for gifts, though.” She moseyed closer to the register as casually as she could. “What’s popular with tourists?” She asked. “I’m sure you get a lot of people through here.”

“A bit more in the summer,” the clerk replied. “And people seem to like the wind chimes.”

“Cool, cool.” Said Sutton. “A lot of people, huh? Any weird customers?”

The clerk blew air out of their nose.

“I mean, always.”

It wasn’t quite the answer Sutton was looking for.

“I mean, any good stories? Maybe, I don’t know, strange people hanging around?”

The clerk’s expression flickered and they eased back as they looked at her with narrowed eyes.

“What?”

Sutton winced.

“I just mean, I read there have been some disappearances around-”

The clerk’s expression completely shut down and they stepped back from the register like Sutton was dangerous.

“Actually,” they said, “I have some things to organize in the back. If you’ll excuse me.”

They ducked away and Sutton was left floundering alone with even more questions.

Her luck didn’t get any better the rest of the day, and her stomach only churned more with every local who avoided her like the plague after a few polite inquiries. Whatever was going on around here, no one wanted any part of it and Vicki wasn’t going to be thrilled that she went a whole day without anything juicy.

Sutton felt queasy about the situation. Clearly there was something if everyone looked so freaked out when she even mentioned it.

She stopped by the diner again for coffee and a snack and decided she wouldn’t ask anyone there about the disappearances in case they refused to serve her afterwards.

A few people recognized her and gave her a wide berth as she walked through town and Sutton’s uneasiness only grew. But she was fine, nothing bad was going to happen. She had a can of pepper spray in her purse.

There was a small park near the main beach, and Sutton stopped and sat on one of the benches to sip her coffee while she tried to brainstorm a new tactic. There were some kids climbing on the jungle gym and a few playing kickball on a small concrete pad. Further down she could see families walking the beach or flying kites.

It looked so normal.

A loud, snapping twang startled Sutton out of her observations and she yelped, almost spilling her coffee, as the red kickball the kids were playing with nearly smacked her in the face.

It just missed and hit the back of the bench before rolling a few feet away. One of the little boys ran over waving his hand in apology as he scooped up the ball.

“Sorry, lady,” he said. “That almost hit you right in your face!”

“Yeah,” agreed Sutton. “I’m glad it didn’t.”

The boy squinted at her for a minute as he swiped some hair out of his face, and then pointed a finger at her.

“You new around here? I haven’t seen you before.”

“I’m visiting.”

An idea struck Sutton and she leaned closer.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?”

“I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”

Sutton rolled her eyes. It was a good practice, just inconvenient when he might be more likely to answer questions.

“You already were,” she said. “Anyway, I’m Sutton. And I’m not going to offer you anything, like candy or a puppy.”

“Well that sucks,” he commented. He paused briefly, thinking. “Let me see your ID.”

Oh for pete’s-

Sutton handed him her driver’s license and the boy studied it with a haughty air before handing it back.

“Okay, Sutton. You can ask one question and then I have to go. My team is losing the game so they’re already mad.”

“Alright, -” Sutton paused, then was about to continue when the boy rolled his eyes right back.

“Harley,” he said.

“Alright, Harley. Do you know why everyone here gets scared when I ask about missing people?” Little Harley was the first person in the entire town not to go white when she brought up the subject. Instead he shrugged like the answer was simple.

“That’s easy. It’s ‘cause the lagoon.”

“The lagoon?”

But Harley already ran off to rejoin his friends with little more than a backyards wave and a,

“See ya later!”

Sutton sighed and stood. At least she got something; if the kid wasn’t just making things up. She downed the rest of her coffee and tossed it in a nearby trash. Casting one more glance back to make sure no stray kickballs were headed her way, she started to leave only to freeze. The kids were playing kickball again, but the messy brown hair of Harley was nowhere to be seen among them.

----

Sutton got a night's sleep and headed back out the next day. At least this time she had something to focus on. The lagoon had come up twice, so it seemed like a safe bet, especially since she had no other leads.

She packed a bag to take with her, a towel, hat, some water, and her bathing suit. Perhaps Vicki wasn’t on board with the idea of Sutton playing hooky, but if she could kill two birds with one stone, a little down time on a secluded beach and research, then Vicki didn’t need to know.

Sutton stopped to grab a cheap boogie board as well on her quest to find this mysterious lagoon. Compared to finding answers, it was surprisingly easy to locate.

It was a lovely spot, even if the hike almost made her wonder if it’d be worth the trek. That might have been part of the reason the article she found warned people from coming down here. If there was a group drinking, they’d have a hard time getting back out.

But the trek through the brush was worth it. The lagoon was beautiful, with crystalline waters in almost a full circle boarded by nearly white sand. Out in the center of the circle of water was a large rock.

Sutton dropped her bag and set to arranging her stuff to spend the afternoon there. It was, afterall, research. She ought to be thorough.

It was, of course, then that Vicki called to check in with her.

“So? Anything?” Vicki asked immediately.

Sutton sighed.

“Not much, except more weirdness. No one wants to talk to me.” Vicki’s tone brightened.

“That means there must be something good! You have to keep digging.”

“I am! I’m at some spot called The Lagoon. I mean, it’s the best lead I have so far.”

“A beach? Sutton, really?”

“It’s a really pretty beach? Looks like something from a movie. Look, I’m going to do a sweep for bodies and then maybe I’ll swim out to the rock that’s out there and see if there are cryptic messages spelled out in the shrubbery or something. Does that make you feel better?”

Vicki huffed.

“Only slightly. Send me pics, I can use them for the Insta I’m starting to go with the podcast.”

“Of course, your highness.”

---

Sutton did a few sweeps of the beach like she promised. There were no bodies or anything of real note. She found a few pairs of sunglasses, a flip flop, and a set of car keys; but nothing that screamed unusual or concerning.

Like Vicki asked, she snapped a few pictures with her phone and then sent one to her mom just because the place was so pretty.

While the sun was still up, she decided to swim out to the rock and get a panoramic shot of the full beach. She didn’t want to stay down on this beach by herself when it was getting dark, and she definitely wasn’t going to swim without the sun. Not to mention she hadn’t brought a flashlight for the return hike.

Sutton put on her hat, grabbed a water bottle and her phone and sat them on the boogie board as she paddled out to the rock. Luckily it wasn’t a long swim, though the water became deep rather quickly. She was halfway to the rock when she thought to wonder if the warning about the lagoon had anything to do with riptides or sharks or something.

She clambered up onto the rock quickly.

The view from the water was even better than the view from the shore. It felt more magical, being surrounded by water, and the sand from the beach shone brilliantly in the sun. Sutton took a panoramic shot and then leaned back to let the sun rays soak into her skin.

It was perfect down here. She wondered why the locals didn’t frequent it even if the hike was a struggle. It would wear down the path and shrubbery if more people came.

But what in the world could this beach have to do with people disappearing? Even if it was an issue of drowning, that shouldn’t strike the level of fear in the locals eyes as it seemed to.

Sutton leaned over and splashed her feet in the water, kicking up waves just to see if it summoned anything up. She didn’t even see any jellyfish.

Given how calm the water was, she decided to risk it and swam a few laps around the rock and tried to open her eyes under the stinging water to see if she could see anything. She kind of wished she’d brought a waterproof phone case with her. But there didn’t seem to be anything other than some barnacle on the rock.

She climbed back on the rock and sat to rest. There was only the quiet lapping of waves. Not even seagull calls pierced the air. After letting the silence linger, she decided she didn’t like it. It was easy here to forget that this town had multiple disappearances and a questionable death under its belt, but something about the silence of the lagoon brought those thoughts back to the forefront of her mind.

“Yeah, no.”

Sutton wiped her wet hand on the warm rock and picked up her phone to play some music.

She wouldn't stay much longer, she decided. There didn’t seem to be anything to help with her research, and if that Harley kid knew what he was talking about at all she definitely wasn’t going to linger around at dusk.

Sutton tapped her bare feet and hummed along to the music as her thoughts drifted. She might have to try and see if the police station could give her any more information. Though she had a feeling they’d be just as talkative and welcoming to her questions as the townies.

Leaning back on her hands, she stomped and shuffled her feet more as the music switched and picked up tempo. Sutton threw her head back and sang along with the song.

“Always looking for a reason to leave Always finding something wrong with the season Your heart has just been hiding from the truth Like a circle always ready to spin Got that green light go all over your skin But the world is never gonna cut you loose No matter where you go or what you do It’s gonna be there waiting

You keep running away You keep running away You keep running away You’re gonna need some faster shoes”

She hummed again as she took a swig of water and checked the time. A few songs later she decided it was late enough in the afternoon to start heading back. She turned off the music and finished off the water bottle in preparation to leave.

Slipping down the rock, Sutton tread water as she reached back for the boogie board and her things. Something about the deep, open water now made her stomach flip. An unexplainable chill ran up her spine and she gripped the board.

It felt like someone was staring at her.

Sutton sucked in a breath and scanned the beach, but there was no one there.

“Don’t be stupid,” she muttered to herself.

And just like that, in the warm glow of the late afternoon, the lagoon felt incredibly isolated and she, dangerously alone. Her pepper spray was back in her bag on the beach.

She was halfway back when something grabbed her by the ankle and yaned her under.

Sutton’s scream cut short as she was dragged down into the water. Her boogie board flipped over in her desperate scramble to keep hold of it, and all her things were plunged into the ocean.

Sutton kicked and struggled, but whatever had her wasn’t letting go. There were fingers around her ankle. Like a human hand. Heat seared at her ankle and she stopped herself from screaming in panic. She opened her eyes, desperate, but the salt burned and she couldn’t see through the bubbles her thrashing created.

Could see nothing, that is, besides what looked like a pair of glowing blue eyes.

Sutton fought harder, her lungs aching, and whatever had her let her go. She broke the surface with a coughing, sputtering gasp as she sucked in air and swam like her life depending on it.

The minute her toes hit sand she was running. She barely paused to scoop up her bag before she dove into the brush and sprinted the hike back to her car. Only when she was back on pavement did she stop and look back. Nothing had followed her, but that didn’t stop the dread from flowering in her gut.

Her feet were still bare. She’d left her shoes.

Her heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of her right ankle. Black marks curved and swirled around her leg, inky and crisp like a tattoo. She dropped down into a crouch and rubbed at the markings all while the blood drained from her body.

“No. No way. What the heck?”

Oh no. Oh heck no.

Her eyes darted back to the trail, but still. Nothing emerged.

Well. She wasn’t going to stick around and wait until something did.

Sutton limped into the hotel lobby. Her feet were cut up, she was dripping wet, and her skin was pale as a ghost.

The receptionist jumped up from their chair and blinked at her with startled concern.

“Miss, are you alright,” she asked.

Sutton swallowed.

“Actually, I’m going to need to check out early.”

“You- Is something wrong with your accommodations?”

“Something happened.”

The woman at the desk blinked again.

“Something happened?”

Sutton grimaced and adjusted her bag.

“I mean, something came up.

She rummaged through her bag for her wallet to pull out her card and found her hand shook as she tried to pass it over.

The receptionist grew more concerned. She stepped around the small desk as if to help Sutton to a seat.

“Miss, you look-”

The woman froze and her face went ashen as she took in the puddle of water and spots of blood at Sutton’s feet. Suddenly she backed up and put the desk between them again. Sutton watched as she pasted on a tight smile. The sort of expression you give someone when you’re trying not to let on that something is horribly wrong.

“I’m afraid check out hours are over until tomorrow morning,” she said, voice thin. “You’ll have to come back when the manager is here.”

Sutton balked.

“But-!”

“Have a good night.”

And then the receptionist had the audacity to walk away. She disappeared inside the office and didn’t come back out even as Sutton lingered at the desk.

She didn’t get much sleep that night. Her thoughts kept churning over her near death experience, the receptionist’s terrified face, the strange black lines on her ankle.

The answer to the uninvestigated disappearances hit her with a terrible, near unbelievable, clarity. This town had a monster and the people knew it. And what kind of monster let go of its prey after it caught them?

Sutton tried not to hyperventilate as she pulled the blankets up over her head.

The kind that toyed with their food.

When she woke up her throat was dry. More than dry. Like she hadn’t touched water in more than a day dry. She stumbled out of bed and gripped the edges of the bathroom sink, drinking straight from the faucet until the feeling died down. Water dripped down her chin as she stared at herself in the mirror. She still looked pale and scared. Her hair was curling and frizzing out of control thanks to the salt water and the fact that she hadn’t thought to shower last night.

To add insult to injury, since her phone was lost to the depths, Sutton had no way of contacting Vicki to let her know what was going on. Sure the hotel room had a landline, but Sutton had never bothered to memorize Vicki’s number after she’d added it to her contacts.

She actually did know her mom’s home number, but when she tried to call it the phone didn’t have a dial tone. Her heart rate picked up as she tried several times to no avail.

It was probably a faulty connection. The hotel was old and small. That was it.

The weather turned too, she noted as she packed up her things. Yesterday had been beautiful, but with it being the off season, poor weather was creeping in, and it only made her feel more anxious.

With her car packed, she hurried back to the reception desk, ready to finally check out.

“I’m afraid you can’t.”

Sutton blinked. The manager had a pinched look on his face as he stood ramrod straight and refused to make direct eye contact.

“Excuse me?”

He cleared his throat as his eyes flitted about the room.

“Unfortunately,” he said, “we have a no refund policy. You’re booked until the end of the week, and I’m afraid that can’t be changed.”

“You have to be kidding me.”

But he wasn’t. No matter what she argued, he staunchly refused to check her out of her room and Sutton finally snatched back her card with a heated glare.

“Fine,” she said, teeth flashing. “Email me the bill at the end of the week then.”

He didn’t respond as she limped from the lobby and out to the parking lot.

Sutton sat in her car a moment, just giving herself a chance to breathe. Heading out this early, she should be able to get home sometime after dinner if she didn’t make too many stops. She’d get back home and everything would be fine, and Vicki could have a first hand account for her podcast. That would make up for having to pay for the room for the full week.

Straightening, she put her key in the ignition and turned.

She waited.

Nothing.

Immediately she felt sick. Her car wouldn’t start and that made no sense. It ran perfectly fine before coming here. She’d filled the tank, changed the oil, checked tires, everything. Sutton smacked the dash a couple times and tried again. The engine didn’t even hiccup.

“No, no, no, no.”

She threw open her door and rounded the front as she shoved up the hood. Nothing looked wrong or missing, not that she exactly knew much about how engine’s worked. She jostled the battery cables a little and tried to start it again, but it remained dead.

Dread creeped through her anew. What if-?

Her gaze flickered to the hotel entrance.

No. The locals were skittish, but they wouldn’t try to actively sabotage her. Would they?

Sutton grit her teeth and grabbed her bag. It didn’t matter if they would or not. She was leaving this cursed town today.

Luckily she had packed more than one pair of shoes, but it didn’t make up for the cuts she still had from running up the trail from the lagoon. The sky was overcast and she had a light jacket, but nothing really waterproof. Everything felt off kilter and skewed. Like she was living in a growing nightmare.

The town had to have a bus that traveled to the next town over. All she had to do was get on one and find a working phone away from this place. She could get her mom and Howard to come pick her up.

She didn’t know what she was going to tell them about everything yet. Especially about her new unwanted tattoo. Could she even pass it off? It’d been less than a week since she’d last seen her family and weren’t tattoos red and swollen for a little while?

“Miss? Are you alright?”

Sutton’s head snapped to the side. A police cruiser kept pace with her and a salt and pepper cop leaned slightly to see her through the passenger side window. She eyed him warily. He didn’t look as spooked as the hotel workers. If anything he looked more stern, which seemed natural with his profession.

Sutton ran her tongue over her teeth. Her throat was already dry again. She only had so many water bottles left.

“Um, I- actually, I’m trying to find the bus station,” she said.

She was tempted to ask for a ride, her feet were killing her, but she was too afraid. The cop eyed her back a moment before he put on a look of confusion.

“Bus station? I could, I suppose. But it wouldn’t do you much good.”

Sutton’s throat threatened to close.

“What do you mean?”

He tipped his head in what she assumed was the direction of the station.

“It only comes through here once a week, and you just missed it.”

She could cry. She couldn’t believe it.

“Once a week? Are you serious?”

The cop shrugged.

“‘Fraid so. We’re a small town, you know. Hardly worth the gas for them, I suppose. Not unless it’s tourist season.” He gave her a pitying look then, and Sutton forced herself to hold back tears.

“I suggest you go get a warm breakfast, drink some water. And rest your feet.”

He drove off before Sutton could question his statement.

She only went back to the diner because she was at a loss with how to proceed. And she never brainstormed well on an empty stomach. Plus, she really was thirsty again. Unnaturally thirsty.

She gulped down an entire glass of water and felt some measure of relief.

But the food didn’t bring her any comfort. She glanced down at her ankle again and wondered if she ought to find a way to cover the mark up.

No phone, no car, no bus. Sutton stirred her scrambled eggs around her plate. It felt like the only option left was to walk.

Walk.

Her blood ran cold yet again. The dead guy in the picture looked like he’d been walking. Walking out of town.

Sutton pushed her plate away and put her head in her hands.

What in the world had she gotten into? And how in the world was she going to get out of it?

Could she?

The rain started while she was still picking at her food. Sutton sighed deep in her chest. It might as well. At this point she fully believed she was cursed by whatever was in that lagoon. A rumble came from outside and she lazily looked up to see if some thunder and lightning were being tossed in as well.

A bus passed the diner and continued down the street towards the main highway.

Sutton shot up in her seat.

“That- that-” She shrieked in her throat. “That two-faced liar!”

She did start crying then. Her lips pressed together even as tears fell. A police officer, a police officer, lied to her face to trap her here. Her breakfast threatened to make a reappearance.

Every disappearance was from someone out of town.

‘Human sacrifice’ sparked across her thoughts.

The diner was deathly silent and Sutton realized she was making a scene. Part of her didn’t care. Part of her wanted to scream at them that they wouldn’t get away with this, but it still felt too crazy to say aloud.

Sutton finished off one more glass of water and went to pay for her food. The woman at the register who had been so friendly the day before now looked petrified. She passed Sutton’s card back, fingers barely touching the plastic, and someone knocked into Sutton’s side as she went to drop the card in her bag. She flashed a glare back, but the person didn’t pause to apologize.

She fled the diner, back out into the rain, and decided to screw it. She was going to go to the bus station and demand a schedule and buy a ticket, and if they really only came once a week then she was going to try her luck walking.

The rain started to soak through her jacket by the time she found the bus station. There was one elderly man at the ticket booth and she pulled herself together as she faced him.

“How can I help you, miss?”

Sutton swallowed back her roiling emotions.

“I was wondering what the bus schedule is. I was told it was once a week, but I just saw-”

The man leaned back, looking confused.

“Once a week? Oh, no. That was the schedule years ago. The bus comes twice a day now. You can catch the one this evening.”

If she started crying again, the man kindly didn’t mention it.

“Oh my gosh, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I’ll get a ticket.”

“One ticket! That’ll be twelve dollars.”

Sutton dug in her bag for her card, but couldn’t find it blind. She huffed and propped the bag up to properly search through it, but it must have been buried. It shouldn’t be so difficult. She’d dropped it on top of everything in her rush to leave the diner.

The man waited as Sutton’s search grew frantic.

“I just had it,” she said. “It- it was in my bag, I swear.”

But it simply wasn’t there. Even when she turned her bag inside out and checked every pocket. It didn’t make sense. She’d paid for her meal, got her card back and- and

And someone had bumped into her. On purpose.

“I- I think someone may have...stolen my card.”

The man looked at her with pity. She only had three dollars in cash.

“I’m sorry, dear.”

When she stepped outside again the floodgates of heaven opened into a torrential downpour. She could hardly see five feet in front of her, let alone walk the distance to the next town.

She was a pathetic, soggy mess as she limped back through the hotel lobby, her feet aching and her eyes red. The hotel clerk silently slid her key card back to her over the counter and Sutton grabbed it without a word or even looking at them.

Nothing felt real. Sutton peeled off her clothes and showered on autopilot. She sat in the room and braided her wet hair back as she tried to process her situation.

How long until the locals broke down her door and dragged her back to toss her into the lagoon?

She tried the phone again but it was still disconnected.

Sutton grabbed her can of pepper spray and paced the room.

---

Hours later she was still winding herself up and trying to talk herself down in a vicious cycle. If she hadn’t braided her hair it would have been standing on end with the amount of times she’d attempted to run her hands through it.

She was just talking herself down from another frenzy when the worst happened. There was a reverberating knock on her hotel door. Sutton froze.

Her voice was stuck in her throat, but she wouldn’t have answered even if she’d been able to.

The knock came again and Sutton rushed to push a chair under the door handle.

“Um, can you open up? It’s time to go.”

It was a man’s voice. Deep, if not a little uncertain, and Sutton bit back a scream. This was it. They were coming to drag her away to feed her to a sea monster that she didn’t even believe in twenty-four hours ago.

“Or, you don’t have to open the door yourself, I guess.” The man said. “Though I know it’s polite to ask.”

He was taunting her.

Sutton clutched her pepper spray closer and tried to catch her breath.

“I’m not going anywhere with you!”

There was a pause and the door handle jiggled.

“You have to.” The man said. “You’ll be dead by the end of tomorrow.”

Sutton went weak at the knees, black spots dancing around her vision.

“I’m not-” she choked trying to force the words out. “I’m not going to just let you drag me back to that lagoon. I won’t be the next person offered up in your sick ritual.”

“You won’t be offered up,” the man said. He sounded mildly befuddled. “I already accepted the proposal.”

Sutton bit down on her tongue. He already accepted? What did that mean? He got to be the one to throw her in?

“You accepted.” She bit back. “So, what? You get the honors of taking me to the ocean then?”

“Yes,” he said. He sounded happy. It was sick. “And it’s an immense honor, believe me. You’re perfect.”

She pressed a hand against her mouth and tried to breath so her heart didn’t explode. He was psycho and if he had his way she was going to end up like Nicholas Cage in that movie with the bees.

“I’m coming in now,” he said.

Her heart raced and she moved without thinking.

There were several loud screeches and groans of metal, and then the door handle snapped. She watched as the door eased open and the chair skidded to the side. The man poked his head in and Sutton only caught a flash of him.

Tall, blonde, no shirt, incredibly well built. Strong enough to pop open a locked door and clearly strong enough to drag her off to be sacrificed.

She pepper sprayed him thoroughly the moment he spotted her and opened his mouth to say something.

He yelled in pain, swiping at his eyes as he stumbled back, and Sutton darted through the opening and out into the parking lot. It was still downpouring, but maybe she could use that to help hide her tracks.

She ran blindly through the rain. Even with water pelting her in the face her throat still felt raw. Another cry of pain and frustration echoed behind her and sent tingles down her spine.

“Come back, please!”

Like heck. Let the sea monster eat him instead.

The sky started to lighten from black to gray and it was still raining. Sutton forgot what it felt like to be dry and warm. She didn’t know where she was and it still didn’t feel like there was enough distance between her and the man she pepper sprayed. She thought she might cry if she didn’t get a drink of water soon and her skin was starting to itch and feel oddly rough given she was soaked to the bone.

Eventually she crouched down in some bushes and cried into her hands.

They were going to kill her. The man had confirmed it.

You’ll be dead by the end of tomorrow.

She didn’t want to die. But she legitimately had run out of ideas of how to escape this wretched town. They’d clearly done this before and had their strategy down pat. Sutton had walked in completely blind.

Someone cursed nearby and Sutton snapped her head up. It was the man. He stared directly at her and she wondered if she’d actually almost made it away from him, because he looked distressed. He reached her before she could take off running again, and she was so exhausted she wouldn’t have made it far even if he hadn’t.

“I’m sorry, I should have caught up to you sooner,” he said. “You’re already starting to dry.”

Sutton wiggled in his hold, but he kept a firm, yet gentle, grip on her.

“Hardly,” she snapped. “What’s it matter anyway? Does the sea monster have a preference with its snacks?”

That made him still.

“What?”

Sutton sneered.

“I’m not stupid. Visitors going missing, the weird locals, my leg, that thing in the lagoon. You’re going to use me as some sort of human sacrifice so whatevers down there will leave the rest of you alone.”

The man sputtered as he looked down at her. His brows furrowed.

“What in the world-? That thing in the lagoon was me,” he said. “And I- I’m not going to eat you. I feel like there’s some sort of misunderstanding here.”

“You?” Sutton tried to pull back but he still wouldn’t let her. “You’re the one that tried to drown me?”

“I wasn’t trying to drown you! I was leaving the Mark. Accepting you as my wife.”

Sutton went completely still. Her mind tried to understand what he said, but it felt like whiplash.

“W- Wife?

He nodded.

“How about we try to start over? I’m Steve.”

“What are you?”

She was afraid to ask, but she had to. All this time she had no clue what she was dealing with and she was left scrambling.

“I suppose you’d call me a merman,” he said. His voice was lighter now, like he was pleased with her finally calmly conversing with him.

“Merman.” Sutton repeated quietly.

“Can I know your name?”

Sutton looked up at him as he stared at her with wide, hopeful eyes. Trusting eyes.

“Put me down first and I’ll tell you.”

He didn’t look like he approved of that, and she hurried to press the issue.

“You’re making me nervous, and I- I just need some room.”

Slowly, reluctantly, he put her down. His hands hovered over her arms as if she would fall over, but she knew it was more likely in case she ran.

There was a pause and Sutton knew she only had so much time to stall.

“I’m Sutton,” she said.

Steve smiled widely as he repeated her name like it was precious.

It was all ridiculous. They were both standing out in the rain, hair plastered to their faces, and she was actually believing he was a merman set on trying to marry her.

“Steve,” she explained slowly, “I’m super honored to meet a merman, don’t get me wrong, but I can’t marry you. I have to go home.”

He frowned again and his hand flinched.

“The magic is already set,” he said. “You sang in the lagoon, and your voice called to me. You offered yourself and I accepted. If I don’t get you to the ocean to complete the change, you’ll die.”

“Change?”

He raised his brows.

“Well you can’t exactly survive in the ocean as a human. You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed your dehydration. And now look at your poor skin. Nothing will cure that but the ocean itself.”

She looked down at where he gestured to her arm and noticed the flakey, drying skin for the first time. The itch was only growing and it felt taut like a sunburn.

“I’m sorry I let it get this far,” Steve continued. “We should go.”

Sutton took a step back and pulled her arm out of his reach.

“No. No. I didn’t offer my hand in marriage, I sang along to the radio! I’m going home.”

Steve sighed.

“You participated in the magic voluntarily. You can’t be upset that it worked.”

“I didn’t know!”

He looked bemused.

“And not knowing should exempt you? Is that how humans handle their binding agreements?”

Sutton got the impression he was implying she ought to have read the fine print.

She swallowed and jutted her chin.

“I should have gotten a warning.”

“You just said you knew about the disappearances. Was that not warning enough?”

There were a thousand things she could respond with. That she only came for Vicki’s sake, that she didn’t know the disappearances were due to mermaids, that she could have avoided these “consequences” if the entire town hadn’t conspired against her.

But they probably wouldn’t help her much.

She didn’t want to argue with a crazy merman. She just wanted to escape. Her skin was shifting from itchy to painful, and she still felt dehydrated.

“I don’t care about your magic rules,” she said. “I’m going home.”

Steve’s jaw ticked before he let out another sigh. Almost like he was resigned. Maybe Sutton actually got her point across.

“Yes,” he replied. “We are.”

And then he leaned down, picked her up by the waist, and threw her over his shoulder.

Sutton shrieked and tried to fight, but she was at an odd angle and she couldn’t get any leverage the way he was holding her legs. He began walking back, uncaring of her struggles.

“You can’t do this!”

“I’m not going to let you die. You’ll understand once we get back to the ocean.”

She hit him in the back with a fist but it didn’t seem to phase him.

“You can’t heft me like a sack of potatoes. Are you a merman or a neanderthal?”

“If you hadn’t poisoned me, maybe I would have had more time to convince you.”

“Oh?” She sniped. “But your face called to it, and the pepper spray accepted.”

Steve deigned not to respond to that.

He lugged her all the way back to the trailhead of the lagoon and down. Sutton’s resistance was starting to wane. Her throat was bone dry, it was getting harder to breathe, and her skin felt like it might start to split.

“We’re almost there,” Steve said as he sprinted over the sand. “Just hold on.”

Sutton saw a few of the sun’s rays on ground as the rain lightened up, and then she was plunged under the water.

She managed to take one last breath before he dragged her under. Sutton flinched as he adjusted his hold on her, straightening her out to face him. But she had her eyes scrunched closed and refused to move. Muscle used oxygen and she couldn’t afford to lose any.

She also couldn’t afford to not reach the surface.

“Sutton, you can breathe. That’s part of the change.”

His voice sounded different underwater, somehow more full, and it startled her that she could understand him enough that she opened her eyes. The water didn’t sting.

Steve smiled at her, looking relieved, and ran a thumb over her cheekbone.

“There. You look healthy again.”

Sutton frowned. Her skin didn’t feel like tearing sandpaper anymore. In fact she felt… good. Her throat didn’t burn.

But her lungs were starting to.

She clawed at the water, trying to move up towards the surface, to air, but Steve wouldn’t let her.

“In through your nose, out through your mouth,” Steve said as he demonstrated. And didn’t he make it so tempting? “You’re going to be okay.”

The idea of just breathing water went against every survival instinct she had. It wasn’t even just that she didn’t want to, but she couldn’t begin to make herself.

He might be a merman, but she was human.

Sutton kicked at him and tried to break free. Steve pulled her closer to himself and wrapped his arms around her.

“You won’t die.” He said around her thrashing. “Don’t you trust me?”

“No!”

She was stupid enough to answer.

Water rushed into her mouth, down her throat, filled her lungs. Sutton coughed and sputtered and wheezed.

But she didn’t choke.

She took in another greedy lungful and- still didn’t die.

“You can trust me,” Steve said. “I’d never do anything to hurt you.”

Sutton found herself a bit distracted that she could breathe underwater. Her fingers flexed over his forearms as her eyes darted around.

“Except kidnap me.”

Steve let out an irritated huff and bubbles wobbled around his face.

“It’s not kidnapping.”

It bothered her that she somehow felt normal again now underwater. It felt like Steve had won an argument. She supposed on that end he had. But it irritated her.

Her eyes finally focused back on him and found him patiently waiting.

“I understand it’s an adjustment,” he said. “But I’m going to be by your side the entire time.”

“Entire time?” It was stranger still to be able to speak. To hear her voice somehow clearly. “There’s more?”

His lips tipped to the side and he put his hands on the underside of her forearms as he began to swim backwards.

“It’d be difficult for you if you had to live with legs the entire time.”

A thrill ran through her and she looked down. Steve had a tail.

It shouldn’t have surprised her, but suddenly it was all so real. He had a tail. Mermaids were real.

His tail was a beautiful rich blue with both darker and paler blues speckled here and there as well as accenting his fins.

“I’m going to have a mermaid tail.”

“Soon,” he said. “Your body has to adjust to one change at a time. But you will.”

He was still swimming on his back as he propped her up and took them further and further out into the ocean.

“I’m still not your wife.”

He wobbled his head like he disagreed, but didn’t outright contradict her.

“I know humans have their own courting rituals. And I’ll do everything I can to prove to you we’re meant for each other.” He gave her a smile as he plunged down back over where more land fell away.

“After all, you still haven’t heard my song for you yet.”

#ink tag #thanks for the au ink #i should never have read it again #stutton #mermaid au #my writing #steve fails at introductions #and sutton needs a grace in her life

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yourlocalauthor · 3 years

Text

What Comes Around Goes Around

Chapter Two: Coincidence?

Pairing: Topper x OC (eventually?)

Warnings for this chapter: Cursing, stalkerish behavior and I believe thats it?

Word Count: 2k+

A/N: Here’s chapter two! A little boring but I swear I’m building up.

Jo stared at the name flashing across her screen, her face riddled with confusion, and an uneasy feeling bubbling inside, even after her phone went dark. What was his deal? First he storms off, and then he just adds her on snap? Typical Kook mentality being an ass and then expecting forgiveness. He had some audacity, two years of shitty treatment, and just because he helped Sarah and John B, and gave them a ride, he thought he could just what? Be all buddy buddy?

“Jo, who was it?” Elle repeated shaking her friend to get Jo out of her trance.

Jo placed her phone on her nightstand, shaking her head. “No one important, go to sleep you two I don’t want you waking up at noon.”

“Yes Mom,” Jess groaned half asleep. All three girls began laughing, as they settled down into some much needed rest.

*RING RING RING*

Jo’s hand instinctively reached for her phone, hitting it until the alarm stopped. Her head pounded and she felt even worse than last night. With a groan she peeled her bed sheets off, and managed to successfully make herself get up. Fishing through her closet which was basically just shorts and bikinis. She hardly ever wore a shirt, there was just no need to when she had her bikini top on. Instead she chose to keep a few in her car, just in case she’d actually need it. She walked over to the bathroom taking a quick shower to wash off yesterday’s party. She came out of the bathroom, dressed, cleaner, and not as groggy. She made her way into the kitchen making herself a light breakfast of yogurt and granola and making her secret hangover cure. The recipe came from her mom’s boyfriend, Justin. It was a long story but basically he let her and Elle crash at his place, after one of the first parties they went to. The morning after Jo woke up with what was probably the worst hangover of her life, and he gave her the recipe.

Jo ate quickly and left the pitcher in the fridge, leaving a note for Jess and Elle and walked outside taking in the morning. It was cool, with a warm breeze, Jo’s favorite type of morning. She loaded up her gear into her truck, shutting the back a bit harder than she meant to, scaring some birds.

“Oops,”

She slipped into her truck, starting it up fast and reversing out of her driveway. She loved getting to the beach as soon as possible, before any tourists or locals were there to crowd up the parking lot, and the beach. Plus it was nice being out there alone, having her mind clear, just her, the waves, and whatever lay beneath them. The water was beautiful in the morning, the sea salt smell and cold water was the perfect way to wake her. Typically she never went alone, but with no one seeing JJ in weeks, Kiara stuck with her mom, and Heyward not letting Pope go anywhere it was pretty much her only choice. Not that she blamed any of them… they all had other things to do and things just weren’t the same. Jo turned on her radio, the sound of Ryn Weaver’s ‘Pierre’ filling her car. She pulled into the parking lot as the song finished, greeting Snappy, the toll collector, and one of Jo’s favorite people on the island. He was a fifty year old, slightly pudgy Asian man who’d been working the toll booth since forever. His name wasn’t actually Snappy, everyone just called him that because when he had just started working the booth at 19 he saved a bunch of tourists from a snapping turtle that was stopping them from getting to the beach. It cost him his pinky finger, and gave him this gnarly scar in the words of John B on his hand. John B was actually the one to tell her the story the first time he took her to this beach. Smiling sadly at the thought of her friend, Jo pushed the gas rolling forward as the gate lifted.

“Be safe Jo, the waves look a little stronger today.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine Snappy take care.”

“I never doubted, just part of my duty to warn you. Ooh and tell your mother I said hello.”

“Will do,”

She shouted as she pulled into the nearest parking spot, laughing. Snappy was truly the best, and always let her in no matter what. Plus he was one of the few adults that didn’t seem to be bothered when she and John B and everyone else came around. At least when they used to...

Jo hopped out of her car, unloading her board and her bag, the salty air filling her lungs again. She made her way down the wooden path, of course being the first one at the beach. The beach was beautiful being the only one, not a blanket, tent, or umbrella in sight, perfection. Jo kicked off her shoes, letting her toes wiggle in the sand, setting down her bag with a dull thud on the sand. She stripped herself of her clothes, standing in her black bikini soaking in the early morning sun. She stretched out like a cat, smiling before sprinting with her board to the water. Met with warm water, setting her board down Jo began paddling out. Once she was out far enough, she stopped waiting for the perfect wave.

It was a ritual, Jo lived by the idea that the first wave would determine how good her surf would be. She would always try and wait for which wave felt right in her bones to be first, something JJ and Pope would tease her all the time for. Smiling fondly Jo readjusted her focus, trying to feel the energy of the waves. The feeling of the water rocking her, soothing her. She took a deep breath watching, until she spotted it. To the left of her, a wave had begun to form and she knew it in her bones it was perfect. She paddled over to it, and managed to catch it just in time. Pushing herself up and taking in the beauty of the moment. She was right, this was the perfect wave. She looked across at the beach, and was surprised to see a figure heading to the water. Not many people came here early in the morning, even if so they typically weren’t alone. Said person was nearing, and as they entered the water she was quick to recognize the frosted tips. Topper… Her mind thought about last night and the snap request. It was just a coincidence right? This was a popular surf spot… on the cut. But it was probably just a coincidence. She shook the thoughts from her head trying to regain focus on herself and the board. But no matter how hard she’d try to refocus, she kept glancing over at him. Her lack of focus was getting to her, she felt herself wobble and was desperately trying to regain her balance, but it was no use. She felt herself slipping and soon she plunged into the water with a loud splash. She wiped out hard, her whole backside stinging from the impact. And just as quick as she had been sucked in below, she felt two arms scooping her out. She flailed around knowing exactly whose arms were wrapped around her, sending a pit to her stomach. But the salty air began filling her lungs again instead of the salt water, no matter how badly she wished she’d be left alone. She coughed and sputtered looking up at the figure holding her. There stood Topper, holding her bikini clad body like some hero. God this was so much worse than a nightmare

“Jo are you-“

“I’m fine,” she said with a small cough, already wiggling out of his grip.

“I just watched you-“

“I said I’m fine,” She snapped, pushing him away from her. “I was just leaving anyway.” She unhooked herself from her board, and grabbed it walking as far away from him as possible.

“If you think I’m just going to let you storm off like that after a nasty wipeout you’re cra-“

“I’m what?” She said whipping around, almost hitting him with her board. “Crazy for thinking you’d leave me alone because I asked? Or do you want me to suck you off as an award?”

Topper looked stunned for a moment, mouth agape and all. “What? No, I just thought you needed-“

“What I need is for you to leave me alone,” She interjected, looking at him with fire in her eyes. “Look I’m thankful for what you did last night, but let’s just go back to before.” She looked up at him waiting for a response, but he just stood there mouth open like an idiot. Jo scoffed turning back towards the beach, and just when her feet were about to hit the dry sand, Topper called out to her.

“Jo-“

She ignored him, marching herself to her stuff, collecting her shoes and bag and walked back up to her truck. When she pulled up to Snappy, he was quite shocked she was leaving so soon.

“Everything alright Jo? Did that blonde boy do anything?”

Shaking her head, Jo reassured the man not wanting him to worry. “No Snappy, it’s fine. Have a nice day. I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay… Just if anything happened, if you’d want I can have him banned from this beach.”

“You guys can ban people?”

“No, but he doesn’t know that.” A smile tugged at his lips, as he hit the button letting the gate up for her.

“Thanks for the offer Snappy, but I’m fine thank you.” She rolled forward pulling out of the parking lot, the sound of Flo Milli’s ‘Not Friendly’ playing in the background.

It had only been a week since the beach incident, and Jo could not stop seeing Topper. He was practically everywhere, at the hotel when Jo would go visit her mother, or walking out after hooking up with a tourist, the beach when she was working, the country club when she was picking Justin up after work, and even The Wreck. Everywhere she was, somehow he always managed to be there. The last straw was when she was at the mini mart. She was picking up some food for herself after her surf, and when she shut the fridge and when she turned around, she ran into him, literally.

“Fuck,” Jo said as everything in her hands dropped, including the glass bottle of lemonade that now was shattered and around her feet. Topper was quick to get on his knees and help but there wasn’t much he could do.

“I’m so sorry, I’ll pay for it… All of it, I seriously didn’t mean to-“

“It’s fine,”. She said, kneeling down and collecting her bag of chips and granola bar.

“I’m serious I can pay for it,”

“That was never a doubt in my mind,” She said quietly, already turning around to leave.

“What?”

“Nothing, just can you stop stalking me?”

“I’m not-“

“Right so we’ve just happened to be in the same place all week? Look stalker or not, they have restaurants and mini marts on the figure eight, there’s no need for you to be around.” The two stood there in awkward silence, Jo waiting for him to speak and Topper waiting for who knows what. And just as she turned away, he spoke.

“Look Jo, I’m sorry…. For everything, and I just…. I don’t know.”

“Of course you don't,” Jo scoffed, finally walking away to the front counter. She paid, and walked out to her truck. Topper had some nerve, who was he to just try and apologize after everything? Like he and his buddies didn’t torment her and her friends for the last two years? Men had some fucking audacity that was for sure.

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miss-tc-nova · 4 years

Text

Hey - Riku x Reader

Aha, Xeha-non! I tricked you! I wasn’t writing Roxas, I was writing Riku! It’s about time I gave this boy some love.

~~~~~

“Hey handsome.” I slide the book from the desk and take its place, grinning down at the boy. A snowy brow arches in response, before those teal orbs peer up at me. “Slackin’ on your homework?”

“Maybe,” he grumbles. I display the text and he continues scribbling down his answers.

“Ooo, even I got the homework done. You’re not tellin’ me I’m about to slip ahead on our grades are you?” I tease.

He doesn’t even bother to look up. “Not even close.”

I laugh. Of course it’s not. This kid could miss an entire month of school and still manage to beat me in almost every class. Not that I’m dumb or anything, he’s just that smart—now if only I could get him to realize that I’ve been hardcore flirting with him for over a year now.

Riku and I have been neighbors since we were little. We were never really friends and that was fine by me; we only occasionally passed by each other on our way to school or in the halls. It wasn’t until we turned fourteen and actually had a class together that I lost my mind. He probably just views me as a mild nuisance at this point, but I can’t help myself around him anymore. He doesn’t acknowledge any of it though.

The end-of-day bell rings and I stand up with a stretch. “Wha’chu think, Riku? Shall we do the project together?”

“Hm?” Like a needle pricking at my heart, he wasn’t paying attention. “Oh, I mean we can. But it just sounds like you’re trying to keep that gap between us from getting bigger.” Gods, if I could turn that smirk into something sincere, I’d probably die happy.

“Please. You may have me in maths and science, but you suck at English.”

“I’m one grade below you. Also, what does telling a story have do with any career?”

I count on my fingers. “Journalism, news, authors, basic communication skills.”

“We’re communicating aren’t we?”

“Barely.” Oh honey, there’s so much more than what we say…

His eyes roll but we agree to meet tonight at six to work on this story we’re supposed to write. I waste the day away mulling over this nonsense between us. Clearly this boy isn’t going to get the hint; I could probably kiss him and he would just blow it off as an accident. Yet I still can’t tell if it’s because he’s not interested or just strangely oblivious to flirting. Eventually, I admit defeat—I’m going to have to just flat out tell him. I decide it’d be best to do it tonight, when there’s time for us to talk it out; though that does put me at risk for making this project insanely awkward. I suck it up and plan my words out for the end of the night until six rolls around.

I pull open the door to find my classmate there, staring out at the horizon. “Hey handsome.” There’s still time to drop plenty of hints before the night ends, but he doesn’t respond. “You okay?” There are some gloomy looking clouds in the distance.

“Uh, yeah,” he replies, shaking it off. “Let’s get this dumb project done.”

“And here I thought you just enjoyed my company,” I say, letting him in.

We start to flesh out a basic a plot for this adventure short, all the while he keeps glancing out the window at the approaching storm. I, on the other hand, am starting to feel the nerves gnaw at my gut.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” I ask, pulling his attention from the window for the umpteenth time since we started.

Looking away from his distraction, Riku scribbles on his paper. “Yeah.”

He’s not going to tell me what’s bothering him. Perhaps it’s time to tell him what’s bothering me instead.

“Hey Riku?” He hums that that he’s listening before meeting my gaze. This could be it: the end of my endeavors, the end of my shenanigans, possibly the end of a friendship. Here goes nothing.

Taking a deep breath, I open my mouth to start again, but the storm lets us know that it’s here.

When the lightning flashes, Riku abruptly stands. “I gotta go.”

“What?” I stand with him but he heads for the door.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” All those worries he’s been holding back all night have finally broken through. He hurriedly shoves his feet into his shoes.

“But-” The boy rips the door open and takes off down the street, not even in the direction of his home. I stand in the doorway, stunned, confused, and a little heart-broken. “…Be safe.”

The storm that night was terrible.

~~~~~

A year later…

This last year or so has been kind of dreary. Since that storm hit, three kids disappeared from our islands. Days were spent searching, but only the ocean could’ve kept them hidden from us for so long. Then we came across a miracle; some weeks after their disappearance, Kairi had been found on the beach of the smaller island. From what I heard, she had been groggy and confused for a while, but remembered nothing of what happened. As for Sora and Riku, we never found them.

I was upset for a long time but time heals all wounds supposedly. In reality, I’d just learned to think about it less and went about life. There wasn’t anything else I could’ve done. Even if my heart is still hung up on him, it’s not like I can bring him back. So, on the surface, I take my dreary days the same as my normal ones: one step at a time, no matter how hard the next step is.

Nope. Don’t think about it.

Clearing my head of memories I don’t have time to dwell on, I brush the hair from my eyes and readjust the bag of groceries in my arms. It’s Friday, school’s out, I’ve just done my shopping for the week, and now it’s time to go home and relax.

“Hey.”

My body freezes before I turn to person I just passed. He’s a tall, young man, his muscular arms bare. The first instinct is to put some space between us, but that mop of white hair is unmistakable; sure it’s longer than it was but it’s his.

“Riku?” I breathe, afraid to believe it is. Have I finally lost it?

His aqua eyes are just visible beneath that mess. “It’s been a while,” he tells me.

That voice; it’s the same and it still makes my heart flutter. The bag in my arm is hastily set aside before I barrel into the boy, arms around his waist as tightly as I can hold. I could melt when he returns the gesture but I’m too busy trying to keep from crying.

I step back, wiping at my eyes. “Sorry. I just…Everyone thinks you’re dead.”

He’s taking the fact pretty lightly. “I can imagine so.”

“What happened?” I murmur.

“Uh, I can’t exactly explain it,” he answers, dodging my question. Something about him seems softer than before. “The storm took me someplace far away and a lot of stuff happened. But I’m here now.”

Taking in his words, I want to question him. There was a whole year where I thought he was at the bottom of the ocean; of course I want to know everything. However, above all of that, I’m relieved he’s back.

I smile. “Well hey, welcome back handsome.”

Riku’s responding chuckle dies out to something hesitant. “Are you busy tonight?”

Reaching down, I scoop my groceries back up. “No. Just making dinner and being lazy tonight.”

“Do you want to hang out?”

It takes everything I have to not scream ‘Yes!’ at him. “Didn’t you just get back?”

“Yeah,” he says with a sheepish grin. “But Kairi spent a few long hours nagging me about being so oblivious.”

“What?”

His shoulders bounce but I don’t miss that old spark of mischief. “That whole year before I left, you were flirting with me.”

It’s suddenly a bit too hot for me and my brain threatens to malfunction. Instead, I take my turn to answer sheepishly, “I mean, yeah. But I think you settling in again is probably more important.”

“It can wait. I’ve got a lot of stupidity to make up for.”

I may never stop smiling again. “Only two years worth.”

“Then I’d better get started.” I could just squeal. “I’ll pick you up tonight.”

“I’ll see you then.”

I bid the boy goodbye and it takes everything I have not to explode before I’m sure he’s well out of sight. And that’s it; my brain is shot for the rest of the day. I’m not doing homework, none of my chores get done, and dinner is nothing that I had planned. I just lie around, giddy as a teenager should be.

I force myself not to bolt for the door when I hear a knock; I cannot, however, help the swelling happiness in my chest when I see him waiting for me.

“Hey handsome,” I greet. That’s an adorable blush trying to spread across his face.

“Hey. Are you ready?”

I tilt my head. “We’re going out? Isn’t it kinda late?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from the monsters.” There’s a bit of the old self-confidence I remember him having.

“Oh my knight in shining armor.” I follow Riku to the docks and I should’ve known he’d be taking me to the smaller island; it was his favorite place to hang out. But I’ve never been there at night so this will be a new experience for me.

After he’s tied up the little boat, he offers a hand to me. “Careful.”

“You’ve become quite the gentleman,” I tease, taking his hand.

My joking goes right out the window when he pulls me up with absolutely no effort. “I think not wanting my date to hurt themself is just common courtesy.”

“Fair enough.” I pray he doesn’t catch the mild quaver in the two words. “So what exactly are we doing out here?”

“Whatever you want; just hanging out,” he says, walking out onto the moonlit beach. With a grunt, he plops down into the soft, white sand. With a bit more grace, I sit beside him.

The ocean before us is dazzling. The water is calm, gently lapping at the land and reflecting the light from above. An endless sky is filled with millions of twinkling stars painting shades of blue and purple around the shining moon. There are no birds or strangers to interrupt the white-noise of the water; just us. And we’re not exactly quiet. We talk and laugh and joke about all sorts of things. I get vague hints that Riku’s time away had been quite an ordeal but we skirt around those topics. Still, I feel like I’m finally connecting to him; I’m not hiding anything or hinting at hidden feelings. I’m able to fully express myself. And though he may not be as snarky as he had been, I’m still enamored all the same.

“It’s funny.” Riku says, looking up to the stars. “I wanted nothing more than to get off this island, but when I found out about you, I couldn’t wait to get back.

Thank goodness it’s dark. “That’s kind of a silly reason to suddenly change your dreams.”

“Not after the adventure I’ve had.” I don’t get a chance to dwell on the darkness in his words. Instead, my heart jumps into my throat when his hand sits on top of mind with a gentle squeeze. “Besides, I think you’re discounting yourself way too much. You’re worth changing dreams for.”

What the hell do I say to that?! I sigh. “I know I was flirting with you but that doesn’t mean you have to do this. You don’t owe me anything. If you want, we can just-”

My words are effectively silenced. It’s not smooth or gentle but Riku jams our lips together. I never would use the word awkward to describe him but this is terribly so. I still don’t hate it.

I don’t know if it’s my own blush or the heat rolling off him, but the air between us is hot. When he breaks away, there’s that smile—I can die happy now.

“If you end that sentence with ‘be friends,’ I’m going to throw you in the ocean,” he warns, a note of longing there.

The astonishment in me takes a dive, succeeded by desire. Pulling myself up by his jacket, I swing a leg over Riku’s. My hands weave into his hair, pushing the locks from his face, revealing those beautiful teal eyes. Without another moment’s hesitation, I take a second kiss.

First kisses are overrated. They’re awkward and never certain of both people’s feelings. But second kisses; with the confidence, understanding, and trust; those are the moments of passion that melt hearts. I am no exception. My insides are filled with thousands of butterflies but I can’t get enough—I will never get enough. I could live in this moment forever: just the two of us in this beautiful scene with our new-found love. I would’ve been gone only a moment too soon had I died earlier.

Lips part, gasping for air. My eyes rapidly scan his face, trying to commit this moment to memory. Then the wave of euphoria washes over me and I let out a breathy laugh.

“Fine. We’re not friends.”

~~~~~

Months Later…

I trail through the sand, water lapping at my feet, birds cawing overhead, sun raining warmth on this quiet, little, lonely island.

It’s been several months and it sucks. I got warning this time that he was going, but that doesn’t make me feel any better about his absence. The way he talked about it was like I may never see him again and he wouldn’t even give me any details. It was just ‘I gotta go’ and ‘I don’t know if I’ll come back,’ then he kissed me and disappeared; left me crying on the beach by myself. Even Sora and eventually Kairi disappeared too, but no, I get left behind. I’ve been flipping between anger and depression so much sometimes I just cry while I break things. Maybe it was ridiculous for me to think we’d always be together, maybe it would’ve been easier if he just said he was sick of me, but the fact that we were still so infatuated when he left makes this all the more miserable. I had less than a year to fall head-over-heels in love with him and, boy, did he leave his mark.

Today’s one of those low days, where I miss him so much it almost hurts. So I’m on the little island, hoping for distractions; I’d even take memories of our little moments here—anything to dull the pain.

Another round of sorrow creeps up on me and I take a moment to attempt clearing my vision.

“Hey gorgeous.”

My heart shudders so forcefully everything goes black and my ears ring. It clears quickly enough that I whirl around. He’s there, gasping like he ran a marathon to get here. I can’t believe it; also, I can’t take it. I take a running leap at Riku who falls on his ass to catch me.

Sobbing into his shoulder, I manage to get out, “You’re not allowed to leave me again. I swear to the gods that I will tie you down if I have to.”

Hugging me with his entire body, Riku answers, “I have so much to tell you.”

#riku #kh riku #riku x reader #xeha-non #novas requests #gender neutral reader

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writersrealmbts · 4 years

Text

Shattered Pieces: Glue

Description: Kittens and Cubs grow quickly, and life goes on faster than you would like, but you still get to enjoy the ride.

Warnings: If this doesn’t destroy you a little, I give up as a writer.

Posted: 03/16/2020

Tags: hybrid bts, yoongi x reader

Mostly fluff with a surprise: 4,288 words

A/N: Last Part!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ve been really stuck on this for a while, and I just wanted to finish this series so I could move on. So, I hope you guys like it and please let me know what you think of it!!!!!

You checked the clock again, then shrugged at Hoseok. “If they’re not back in half an hour we might have to send a search party.”

He nodded. “I know they thought to do this because Jimin used to catch the turkey every year, but Jimin spent days getting the turkey, and he mostly rounded up turkeys and then picked the one he wanted and released the others before humanely killing the turkey. A couple days before he planned to cook it.”

You rolled your eyes. “They were determined.”

“Predators,” Jungkook sighed, dramatic. He jumped back as you slapped at him for sneaking bites of the stuffing that you were preparing for tomorrow.

Jin hummed softly. “The babes are awake.”

You smiled and followed him to the nursery, checking on your coloring babes (all but Jihun—who had been dragged along despite his reservations) before getting your bitty babes who were still roly-polying in their separate cribs.

Yerin was babbling a little.

Cheolmin was sucking on his hand, but his eyes fell onto you and smiled.

Soyoung was barely awake.

You picked up Cheolmin, cuddling him close with a purr. “Look at my sleepy boy.”

Jin had Yerin, changing her diaper while she made various babble noises. “I still can’t believe they went hunting on Christmas Eve Day. There’s so much to do! I know Namjoon hasn’t finished Christmas shopping yet.”

“He’ll realize his mistake sooner or later.” You shrugged a little, and rubbing Soyoung’s belly as the kitten slowly blinked awake. She had mostly black fur like Yoongi, and you honestly thought she was the spitting image of her appa if it weren’t for the white stripe on the back of her left ear.

Yerin had your coloring.

Cheolmin was mixed between the two of you, but he had his dad’s eyes.

Yerin had your mother’s eyes, and sometimes when she blinked up at you….

You smiled softly as you stepped to the side for Hoseok to pick up Soyoung.

“So soft,” Jin whispered, nuzzling one of Yerin’s ears. “Baby fur is the best. Misuk’s baby fur is growing out.”

“I know, she’s getting big.” You sighed in resignation. “Soon we won’t have baby-soft fur to play with on her.”

“Terrifying,” Hoseok said, shuddering. “They’re growing too quickly.”

“Jihun reminds me of Jimin when we first met him,” Jin said, smiling.

Jungkook grinned and nodded. “I know. I found a picture of us from back then.”

“You’ll have to show me,” You said, pushing away the dissatisfaction of not being able to meet your cubs real parents. It was driving you crazy, because you couldn’t even watch their home videos because no one knew where they were. They’d been searching for the past three weeks because Jihun asked about it at Thanksgiving and all of them were certain there were home videos but none of them were certain where they were. You figured you’d probably find them the moment you started looking, because that’s a mom’s superpower and you’ve had that power for a long time. You just hadn’t had the chance since the kids were especially clingy ever since you’d had the kittens. You didn’t mind, it wasn’t an unhealthy clingyiness, but the addition of the milky scent on you made you a little more motherly and comforting to them. And Jihun needed a lot of help with his homework lately.

“Moooommm! We’re back,” Jihun sounded desperate and distressed.

You handed Cheolmin to Jungkook and darted out, freezing and covering your mouth.

All of them were filthy. Muddy, covered in leaves, dirt smeared on their faces and they definitely didn’t catch a turkey.

Jihun looked like he’d been dropped in a lake before the mud and leaves, his hair dripping.

Yoongi winced. “We, uh, we fought a muddy hill?”

“And thought coming in the back door was a good idea? Go around to the front. I’ll get some towels, Jihun.” You ushered them back out, darting to the linen closet and grabbing the beach towels for them. Your baby was probably chilled to the bone, and you didn’t want to send him back out, but you really didn’t want to deal with mud on the carpet.

Jihun was shivering but you quickly wrapped him in a towel. “Cold.”

“We’ll get you in a bath, baby,” You said comfortingly, helping him out of his shoes.

He nodded.

You managed to scoop him up (getting objecting sounds from all six men) and carried him to the nearest bathroom, setting him down and running a bath. “I’ll go get you some clean clothes and a towel, okay? Hoseok will be here to help you wash behind your ears. And your tail.”

He made a strangled sound, but nodded.

You kissed a clean spot on his forehead, then tested the water. “Alright, test the water before you get in, but I think it’s okay right now.”

He nodded again, shivering out of his clothes as you got out a big fluffy towel and let Hoseok slip past you.

The other boys were carefully traipsing to the other bathrooms, but you quickly passed them to get to Jihun’s room and grab him clean clothes, opting for his favorite pajamas since it was toward the evening anyway.

Hoseok took the clothes, gesturing that Jihun was half-asleep.

You nodded and went to check on the rest of your babies, seeing they were still coloring contentedly and talking to the kittens like they would understand.

Then you hurried upstairs to check on your mate.

Taehyung was pouting at the bathroom door. “Oh, come on, Namjoonie!”

You snorted and headed further, guessing Yoongi went right to the bathroom the others didn’t use—the one in Jimin’s old room.

He was already out of the shower and in boxers when you slipped in, but winced as he saw your face. “Yeah, I know, that was dangerous. I didn’t mean for that to happen, and we got him back here in record time.”

“No more pretending you know how to hunt. Stick to fishing, you’re better at it. Anyway, we figured this would happen and bought a turkey. It’s already brining.” You shook your head at the pile of muddy clothes. “You guys are so doing the laundry.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’ll gather up the muddy clothes and take care of them. How were the other kids?”

“Angels,” You replied, hearing the relief in it and laughing a bit. “Heirannie is teaching Jowoon to color in between the lines, not very successfully, but he’s actually improved throughout the day. Misuk is using the magic markers so she can’t make a mess.”

“They’re growing up so fast,” He whispered.

“Soyoung looks so much like you,” You whispered back, wrapping your arms around his neck. His skin was still warm from his shower, and it felt nice.

He purred a little, seeming embarrassed at how pleased he was by that. “Yerin looks more like you.”

“Has your hair, my mom’s eyes, and my fur,” You whispered. “But your adorable nose and mouth.”

He melted a little more under your touch, a mess of purring and fur. “I just want this time to last forever.”

You laughed softly. “I do too. We’ll keep them young forever, you and me.”

He laughed with you, hugging you more tightly. “You and me.”

——

You didn’t keep them young.

Jihun had been so excited to go to school. He’d woken up an hour before everyone else, he’d eaten breakfast and gotten ready for school, and then waited on teh couch for everyone else to get up, asking the first person—you, getting up to take care of the triplets who were two years old at the time—if it was time to leave yet.

You’d gotten him to help you with the triplets to distract him.

The only moment he seemed to be reluctant was when his siblings started crying at his leaving them. Heiran was especially inconsolable.

But Hoseok, Yoongi, and Yourself ushered Jihun out the door, and took him to school.

You and Hoseok cried on the way back to the house because Jihun was growing up so quickly and he was so independent.

Yoongi was quiet, but he spent an extra long time with all of the younger cubs that day.

Jihun had come home, quiet, eating his snack and cuddling up next to you without a word. Apparently not having said a word to Namjoon and Taehyung except to say hello and get into the car.

When he finally did say something, he murmured that he’d missed everyone here and that everyone else already had friends.

Seokjin had chuckled softly, then pulled Jihun into his arms. “Your father felt the same way. But he met Taehyung. And Taehyung introduced him to us. Just do your best, be nice to the other kids—”

“But if they bite you, bite back,” Yoongi muttered, earning glares and scoffs from Hoseok and Taehyung.

Seokjin just leveled him with an unamused look before turning back to Jihun. “And eventually you’ll meet some good friends. And if you don’t…well, we love you and we’ll find you sports or something you can play to make friends that way.” He stroked Jihun’s hair.

Jihun looked up at him, then shifted so he could hug the bunny-hybrid, face in the crook of his neck like he did as a cub. “If I don’t like it….”

“Then you can go back to homeschooling,” You agreed softly. “But I want you to give it a chance, Jihunnie.” You stroked his tail.

It flicked and he peeked at you to smile. “Okay, Mom. I’ll try. But…” His nose wrinkled. “Are we sure I’m in the right classes?”

“Oh?”

He slipped out of Jin’s arms, and grabbed his backpack, pulling out his school books and passing them to you.

You looked over it and sighed internally. The cubs ate up their lessons faster than you could come up with them, and Jihun was especially attentive in his schoolwork. Which meant he’d surpassed his classmates. But the schools insisted that he stay with his age group. “Well, we’ll figure something out, okay?”

He nodded, curling up into Hoseok’s lap with a soft chuff before falling asleep.

And he did make friends, quickly growing popular among his classmates, and yet he still spent most of his time at home with his siblings. He would go to their houses now and then, and he would have them for outdoor playdates, easily explaining that his siblings got sick really easily.

And he joined the soccer team, quickly becoming one of the star players.

Heiran was growing quickly too. She was active and playful and fast. So fast. She picked up languages like they were the triplets blocks, and while she still clung to you, and her family, she also was confident and strangely self-assured. She laughed easily and was excited for the day she could finally go to school—but didn’t do nearly as well there, reverting to her muteness and asking to be pulled out after the first three months. She blossomed again once she was home, though she still bounced back and forth between mute and loquacious.

Jowoon didn’t even want to try public school, but he joined an outdoor adventure club and quickly made his own friends. He was a bit of a home-body, having been cuddly all throughout his childhood and he definitely was still your baby. He was thoughtful, often sitting and asking Namjoon questions for hours after you would run out of answers, until Yoongi would step in and get him to help with some chore or other. Jowoon loved helping fix things, and there was a bet between Jungkook, Taehyung, and Hoseok about what his future profession would be.

Misuk was probably the sassiest of all of the cubs, extremely independent as an elementary-aged cub, and oddly protective of the triplets. She had strong opinions, and was so expressive that sometimes you all had to stop yourselves from laughing when she needed to be scolded for talking back because she was so…confident in her decisions. She hated messes, and was picky about her clothes in the cutest way. She would only get messy if she was in her messy clothes. She was the hardest to keep away from her siblings friends, because she wanted to be with them but it was still dangerous given her immune system.

And then there were your triplets.

All of them were doted on by the cubs, and they didn’t mind staying away from outsiders for their siblings sake—not really even noticing because they were too busy listening to Jihun read a story to them. Or the girls would be playing with dolls while the boys were outside playing soccer.

Heiran bounced between both groups on those days (not that they were always separated, they especially all loved swimming together—though your kittens were definitely not fans at first and Soyoung definitely wouldn’t swim unless her oldest brother and Uncle Taehyung were also swimming), and she was usually on one team while the boys were on the other because she was fast and fierce. Everytime you saw her win with an astonishing amount of ferocity, you were reminded of your first Thanksgiving with the cubs, when she batted every kill-spot on Taehyung.

The scariest moment was when she found one of Jihun’s friends inside the house—with a cold. Granted, he’d only run in to use the bathroom, and with your permission.

But she’d literally dragged him out of the house with a growl (he was taller than her and weighed more and she wasn’t struggling), and the way she snarled at Jowoon had your fur rising and your kittens hiding in Yoongi’s arms while you had to calm her down.

She hadn’t even been thirteen.

Time flies too fast.

Jin and Jungkook lived in the carraige-house, never too far, but sometimes retreating to themselves. They were a mess, but a pretty happy mess that were actively involved in the cubs lives.

The other boys had their own lives, still coming around as often as they could—especially Hoseok, who eventually become some part of the strange relationship that Jungkook and Jin had.

You didn’t care to ask as long as your cubs and kits were okay.

Taehyung ended up mating with a sweet dog-hybrid, and they had pups some five years after your kits were born.

Namjoon ended up going overseas to open another division of his and Taehyung’s company, leaving for a few months at a time, before coming back for another few months to catch up with his favorite tigers, kittens, and pups. Eventually, he brought home a mate from his trip, who melded right into the family.

And Yoongi somehow started a revolution that established so much protection for humans that their numbers started rising again while still being the most active father/father-figure anyone could ask for. He was often exhausted, but you liked to think that you rewarded him well for his hard work.

———

“I can’t see,” Yerin whined, going up on her tiptoes again.

Namjoon scooped her up, putting her on his shoulders. “See him now?”

“Yes! Jihun!” She called.

Jihun turned and grinned, waving before signaling her to be quiet.

It wasn’t long before the Cheolmin and Soyoung were perched on Seokjin’s and Taehyung’s shoulders—respectively—to watch, though Soyoung did so with her hands over her ears from the noise of the crowd. She didn’t like noisy places, usually clinging and hiding with Yoongi or whoever was closest.

Jowoon and Misuk could see a little better, having both better positions, and standing on the chairs.

Heiran could see without standing on a chair, though she did have to go up on her tip-toes.

Both girls were carefully surrounded by yourself and the guys, having gotten more than their fair share of their mother’s looks, and getting quite a few lingering looks. They were already increasingly careful around their own brother’s friends and Misuk was only eleven.

Yoongi sighed. “This has to be a dream. He can’t be graduating high-school next week.”

You just smiled, looking at your family, then back at your oldest. “What are you going to do when it’s Heiran? Or Jowoon? Or Misuk—”

“Stop,” he grumbled. “You’re making me sad.”

You purred, taking his hand. “Just enjoy it, you softy. He’s valedictorian. And he wants to be a doctor.”

“He’s been taking college classes for the past two years, does it really count?” Heiran asked casually, but her gaze was proudly fixed on her brother as he stepped up to the podium to make a speech that had been a long time coming. It wasn’t his speech as valedictorian, but it was a speech his teachers had asked to give after he turned it in for a class.

You shushed her, grateful you didn’t have to worry about filming since Jungkook definitely had that covered.

Jihun—looking every bit like his father, with a certain something of his mother in his smile—gazed over the crowd after his initial greeting. “Next Friday marks the day that all of us have been waiting for. It’s a day of transition. It marks the end of one part of our lives, and the beginning of another as we leave the safety of this institution and enter the world of our parents and teachers. This can be terrifying, the unknown can be terrifying. My life…” He stopped, looking down and then quickly looking up, seeking you all out again and nodding. “My life has been filled with days of transition. Some that I don’t remember, such as the day I first became an older brother, and others that I do. I remember the day that I stopped thinking my life was normal, a day I know my family wishes I could forget, when myself and my mother were kidnapped and rescued by my father. I had never given thought to the fact that my mother was human, or what my species even meant for myself—and I didn’t understand until much later. I remember when I transitioned from having two parents that loved me and my siblings so completely, to being an orphan.”

Yoongi’s grip tightened on your hand, and you could see Heiran glance at you in the corner of your eye, but your gaze was fixed on Jihun.

“I remember my Uncles—friends of my parents, the only thing close to family that they had—desperately trying to fill the void my parents had left. The day my mom, my adoptive mom, came into our lives and made us into a family again. I remember wondering if my sister would ever talk again after losing our parents, and the pure joy that came when she did. I remember deciding that my mom could be just that, my mom. Finding out that those responsible for the death of my parents finally paid the price. Becoming an adopted brother. Watching my family change, and grow. Being able to finally go to school with other kids my age and make friends outside of my siblings. There have been so many days where my life has changed so completely, even if it was just from a change in my own perspective. In the way I viewed things. Our lives will always be filled with unknowns, but…because of my life before now, I’m not afraid of what the future holds. I know that my family will always catch me if I fall. I want to be a doctor, and I know that the road ahead of me will be hard. I know there will be times when I get scolded because I haven’t been taking care of myself—because I was raised by the most selfless people I will ever know. I know they’ll catch me when I do fall, because I watched them catch each other.”

He met your gaze across the crowd. “We are entering a world that has been changed by those that came before us. A world where humans are more than just…a means to an end. A world my parents died trying to make, and that my family continued to fight for—all while protecting us from those who opposed it. We are the next generation, and we have the ability to further that change, and make the world even better for those that come after. To learn from those that came before us. We will fall, and we will rise again. And we might fall a lot. But to change the world, and to help others…sometimes we’ll have to step back and take care of ourselves first.” He smiled a little to himself. “We help when we’re healthy, we rest if we’re sick, but if there’s a fire—we jump in and help as much as we can. And that doesn’t mean we get ourselves killed, Jeremy.”

His class started laughing and heckling Jeremy.

Not that your family wasn’t laughing, you all were familiar with Jeremy and the kid sometimes lacked common sense in a comical, life-threatening sort of way.

“I’ve had everything and nothing in my life,” Jihun continued after they calmed down. “I don’t know what’s next, but we’re going into this world with everything this school and our parents could provide us. Not everyone is that lucky. I want us all to leave here, and do at least one good thing. Just one. I know I can never surpass the things my adoptive family have done, I can never hope to be half as good as they are, but they make me want to try. To try and honor my deceased family. To set a good example for my younger siblings. To take care of myself and others. To gather up the shattered pieces and put them together again, just like my Mom did for me and my siblings, and my Uncles. That, which is far easier said than done, is my impossible dream that I hope to work toward everyday with my family to guide and support me. That is the one thing that I learned here, that I will never forget.”

You stood there, breathless as the audience clapped for him. Your little cub, all grown up.

Cheolmin was on the ground again, and he tugged on your sleeve. “Mommy, he’s adopted?”

Heiran started laughing, but she was crying as well. She tugged the 9-year-old into a hug. “We’ll explain later, Cheol.”

You ran a hand over her hair, pressing a kiss to her temple.

Jihun slipped in, taller than you now, taller than Yoongi. A young man, only shadows of that seven-year-old cub you first met evident in the way he looked at you.

You squeezed his hand, knowing he was out of words. Knowing exactly what he was saying.

Yerin practically ran into his leg, hugging it with her ginger tail lashing playfully, looking up at him with a grin. “You talk pretty.”

Jihun started laughing, scooping her up easily since she was tiny (even smaller than Soyoung) and he definitely had the musculature befitting a white tiger. “Thanks, Yerin. You’re always pretty. So is Soyoung, and Misuk, and Heirannie,” He added quickly when her mouth opened, then he rubbed his nose against hers. “And Mom.”

She giggled and kept hugging his neck.

Soyoung was falling asleep on Yoongi’s shoulder.

“Let’s get home,” Yoongi said.

Sitting at home later with your cubs and kittens, and the six men who had unknowingly changed the course of every life in that house, watching home videos that ranged from when Jihun was just a newborn cub, to a couple of years ago, you figured that even though it might not be the same as before, the shattered pieces of all of your lives had come together to create something new and even more beautiful.

And (unless you could bring their parents back, without losing your life with Yoongi, and your cubs and kits) you wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.

Jimin woke with a start, checking on his precious mate before rushing down the hall to check on all of his cubs, then Yoongi and Seokjin—who had just moved in that day. The other guys would be moving in later that week.

He shook himself and got a glass of water, taking it back upstairs.

She was awake, and she looked at him sleepily. “You okay?”

“Bad dream. Weird dream. We died.”

She hummed shifting and sitting up. “Just us? Or the cubs—”

“Cubs were fine, the guys took care of them. They had help, but…everything worked out.” He set the glass down and crawled back into the bed with her.

She was humming a song now, stroking his cheek. “Oh?”

He nodded. “That meeting. I think it’s a good thing we didn’t go to it.”

She smiled. “Who helped them?”

“She was a teacher. Cat hybrid. Her and Yoongi ended up becoming mates.”

She nodded. “Well, maybe we should finally do as we’ve been discussing and get Jihun a tutor?”

Jimin nodded. “I’m starting to struggle.”

“Then we’ll look into it in the morning, and increase security otherwise?” She asked, sounding only a little uncertain.

He chuffed lovingly at her. “You’re so perfect.”

She just grinned at him, perfectly irresistable.

“Eomma?” Jihun whispered softly from the doorway.

She sat up again. “Jihun? Everything okay?”

He ran in and climbed onto the bed, snuggling between Jimin and her. He sighed in relief. “I had nightmares again.”

Jimin pressed a kiss to his forehead. “You’re safe, kiddo. I’m not letting any of you go.”

–

Previous Part. Masterpost. Masterlist.

Tagging: @kimmie113080 , @jungshaking, @ephemeral-mindset, @young-yellkie, @alex–awesome–22, @pearylove, @bryvada, @missmoxxiesworld, @knjhe,

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abundanceofsoph · 4 years

Text

SkyFire 2: Chapter 19

The Honeymoon: April 2017

Word count: 4.7k

SkyFire 2 MASTERLIST

>Instagram posts

The afternoon sun warmed the air as Aurora laid on her back on the beach, a soft breeze blowing in off the water cooling her slightly, the thatched umbrella above her providing some shade. Her eyes were closed behind the sunglasses perched on her nose, her hair fanning out around her head, a yellow bikini covering her and a layer of sweat clinging to her exposed skin. She heard Harry approach, his footsteps shifting the sand and then she felt the water drops falling on her as he stood above her. She cracked open one eye to look up at her husband, a cheeky smirk pulling at his lips as his hair fell over his forehead and he looked down at her laid out on her towel.

“Your getting water all over me,” she muttered.

“Thought you liked when I got you wet,” he replied. He laughed as she blushed. “Don’t get shy on me now.”

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Harold.”

“Come join me in the water,” he said, ignoring her reproach.

“But I’m so comfy,” Rori replied a small pout on her lips. She let out a loud squeal as Harry suddenly bent forward, scooping her into his arms and carry her down towards the waters edge. “Harry!” she yelled, laughter bubbling in her throat as he raced into the ocean, dunking them both under the surface.

Rori gasped as they resurfaced, water running down her face as her sunglasses sat askew, her hair plastered to her back. Harry was grinning widely as he held her against his chest and silenced her objections by kissing her deeply. Her arms moved to wrap around his neck, her legs around his waist as he deepened the kiss, the Caribbean sun beating down on both of them.

“I can’t believe you just dunked me in the water like a frat boy trying to flirt at a spring break party,” she said once they pulled apart.

“Gosh only been married 3 days and you already don’t wanna spend time with me,” Harry joked. “I feel so unloved.”

“Well I wouldn’t want you feeling unloved,” Rori replied as she tightened her arms around his shoulders and leaned back in to kiss him again. They pulled apart with a laugh when Harry’s stomach rumbled. “How about dinner?” she asked. Harry nodded and began to move them back towards the beach, not allowing her to unwrap herself from his torso. He carried her across the sand, stooping to allow her to pick up her abandoned towel and then continued up towards their little beach front cottage.

Harry finally set Aurora back on her feet once he’d walked through the front door and she headed for the kitchen and started digging through the fridge to throw together something for dinner. “Let me,” Harry said, nudging her aside and pulling items out that he would need. “Pour yourself a drink and put your feet up.”

“Careful now,” Rori chuckled as she did as he suggested, “I might get used to this.”

“Oh, like I don’t cook most nights when we’re home.”

“Ok fair,” Rori laughed. “Maybe we should go into town tomorrow and let someone else do the cooking.”

“I like the sound of that,” Harry agreed while he chopped up veggies for a quick stir-fry.

“I was thinking it might be nice to hike up into the jungle a bit tomorrow,” Rori said as she sipped on her drink and watched him move around the kitchen.

“Maybe we could hike later in the week,” Harry replied. “I’ve got a surprise for you tomorrow, but we could definitely go out for dinner after.”

“You know I hate surprises,” Rori said, glaring half-heartedly at him. “What are we doing?”

“Nope, not telling,” Harry grinned. “Just know that you’ll love it. Now instead of badgering me about it, why don’t you go shower and I’ll call you when this is ready.”

“You know I’m sure dinner could wait if you wanted to come join me for that shower,” Rori replied with a grin over her shoulder as she sauntered off towards the bedroom.

“Yeah I’m not that hungry anyway,” Harry said in a rush, already following after her.

xXx

Aurora woke up to Harry packing a backpack by the foot of the bed, the curtains fluttering in a cooling breeze blowing in through the doors leading out onto a patio.

“What are you doing?” she mumbled. She chuckled as her shirtless husband jumped in response to her question.

“Jesus,” he gasped. “You scared the crap out of me, love.”

“Didn’t answer the question, H,” she laughed.

“I’m packing a few things for our surprise,” he said. “Now time to get up and dressed.”

“Yes, Sir,” Rori replied. “Since I don’t know where we’re going, what would you suggest I wear?”

“Bikini under something comfortable,” Harry replied, already throwing her black bikini bottoms at her. She decided on a pair of high waisted denim shorts and peach coloured t-shirt, while harry pulled on a pair of white shorts and a button up Hawaiian shirt.

“Do I need both hands for this surprise?” she asked, gesturing to her prosthetic which she had yet to remove from her suitcase since their arrival days ago.

“Nope,” Harry replied, grinning widely at her growing frustration at his evasive answers. She continued to question where they were going as they climbed into their rental car and he drove them away from the cottage, following the shoreline to a nearby resort. He refused to answer, instead chuckling and leading her down towards the marina and onto a small boat. Aurora smiled brightly as Harry helped her into the boat and then took to the helm to guide them out of the harbour. Rori stepped up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist as they headed onto into calmer waters and followed the coastline.

“You said you wanted to see more of the island since we didn’t really leave the beach much last time we we’re here,” Harry explained. “Thought this could be a fun way to see it.”

“It’s perfect,” Aurora murmured, kissing his shoulder blade before pressing her cheek against his back and watching the water pass by beneath them. “I love you.”

After following the coast for a few hours, Harry anchored the small vessel and then pulled his phone out of pocket to take a photo of his unsuspecting wife. She was standing at the prow of the boat looking at the shore ahead of them in only her denim shorts and bikini top, having taken off her shirt shortly after they had set sail. Her dark hair cascaded down her back and Harry didn’t think he would ever meet anyone more beautiful than her. After taking the photo, he slipped his phone back into his pocket and walked over the join her, resting his hands on her hips and kissing the top of her shoulder.

“Feel like jumping in for a swim?” he asked. Aurora nodded and quickly slipped out of her shorts before diving into the cool, clear water. Harry pulled off his shirt and dived in after her. They swam around the boat for a while before climbing back aboard and pulling out the picnic lunch Harry had packed. Rori giggled when she found a touristy looking captains’ hat towards the back of the boat, presumably left by the previous user of the boat. She returned to Harry’s side with it tucked behind her back before quickly slipping it onto his head and falling into a fit of giggles. He pouted at her for a brief moment before his lips starting twitching and he also started laughing at how ridiculous it was.

Aurora laid out on the deck after they finished lunch, her eyes closed, and her arms spread wide as she basked in the bright sunshine. Harry jumped back in the water and swam around for a bit before Aurora joined him in the water to cool off. Eventually Harry hauled the anchor back on board and headed back to the marina. They returned to the cottage to shower and change and then headed towards one of the nearby towns for dinner.

xXx

The next morning, Rori awoke to texts from Mark and Ella.

◊Mark: Heads up, a fan took a photo of you both at dinner last night and tweeted it so just be aware that the entire world now knows you’re on St Lucia.

◊Ella: TMZ reported on your honeymoon being in St Lucia. I know you were going to wait till you got back to post some pics on Instagram but no need to wait now. SHOW ME HOW AMAZING IT IS!

◊Ella: P.S I love you and I miss you. Coffee catch up when you’re home.

Aurora rolled her eyes, groaning in frustration that they couldn’t even enjoy some privacy on their honeymoon.

“What’s wrong?” Harry muttered; his face still half buried in his pillow.

“Someone took a picture of us at dinner last night and TMZ is running the story.”

“Damn,” he sighed, rolling over to run his hand along her side. “Sorry babe.”

“El wants me to post some of our pics,” Rori said. “Which probably isn’t a bad idea if fans already know where we are. If we give them something that might stop them trying to find us and taking sneaky photos.”

“I can post one of the photos I took of you down on the beach the other day and ask them to give us some privacy. Maybe remind them I’ll be doing promo when we get back, so they’ll see plenty of us over the next few weeks.”

xXx

After spending a few lazy days in the cottage and on the beach out front in somewhat of an attempt to avoid the paparazzi they were sure had arrived on the island, they both decided to go out exploring. Harry packed the hire car while Rori finished getting dressed and lathering on the sun cream and then they drove off to the head of a trail Harry had read about online. It was early in the day, but the heat was already apparent, as it seemed to always be in the Caribbean. Harry, ever the gentleman, had shouldered the bag with their lunches, leaving Aurora only needing to carry a bottle of water. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail that was tucked through the back of her baseball cap and her sunglasses were perched on her nose. Occasionally they would pass others on the path, but for the most part they couple were alone as they hiked through the jungle along the beaten path, chatting happily about nothing in particular and laughing often. They stopped a few times along the way to take photos of the scenery and Harry demanded he be allowed to take a photo of Aurora, claiming that her bright blue shirt made her pop out amongst the foliage in a way that needed to be captured on camera. She’d laughed at his insistence but struck a pose, mocking his infamous peace sign. He slapped her lightly on the butt as they headed off down the path again, causing her to jump and let out a shriek. Eventually, after a few hours, the path finally opened up to a pool of water at the base of a beautiful waterfall.

Rori immediately pulled her cap off her head and stripped out of her shirt and denim shorts until she was standing there in only her black bikini. She grinned and winked at Harry when she caught him checking her out, sliding into the water without waiting to see if he was following. Harry quickly dropped his bag to the ground beside the pile of her clothes and tugged his shirt over his head, his yellow trunks hanging low on his hips as he took a few photos and then jumped into the refreshingly cool water with his wife.

They stayed in the water for a while before returning to their bags, where Harry set up a picnic lunch for them. They hiked back towards the car after lunch, Harry’s hand rarely leaving his wife’s as they walked through the jungle.

xXx

A few days after their hike to the waterfall, Aurora suggested they hire some paddle boards and spend the afternoon out on the water. Harry happily agreed, although they both found themselves to be rather terrible at the activity. While Aurora’s prosthetic was waterproof, the transmitter was not and with the high risk of her falling in the water she had decided against wearing it which left paddling to be a very difficult task. Even with both of his hands, Harry had his own troubles attempting to maintain his balance on the board. They both spent most of the time in fits of laughter as Aurora stood on the board, struggling to paddle, while Harry repeatedly fell into the water.

“So maybe paddle boarding isn’t for us,” Rori said when Harry’s head once again broke the surface, his curls clinging to his forehead. She sat down in the centre of her board and laid the paddle down beside her. Harry swam around her for a while before hoisting himself back onto his own board and laid down on his back. She fished her phone from the back pocket of her shorts and took a few photos of him laying shirtless in his tight white shorts.

“Why on earth did you bring your phone with you?” Harry asked, turning his head towards her and squinting against the bright sunshine. “You’re gonna get it wet and wreck it.”

“No, I won’t,” she replied. “It’s the new model and Dad asked me to test out the new waterproofing. Seems like a good time to test it out.” She slid into the water and swam across to the edge of his board, brandishing the now dripping phone as if to prove her point. He rolled his eyes at her and then pushed her head under the water. She popped back above the surface, gasping and sputtering, the look of shock causing Harry to burst out laughing. “You’re dead,” she warned before tipping the board and sending him into the water as well. They splashed around for a while, laughing and having fun. Aurora took a few more photos and even dived down towards the seabed to test out the phone, knowing her dad would have many questions for her when she reported back.

Eventually they grew tired, grabbing their boards and heading back towards the nearby shoreline. She’d had a fun afternoon but was not at all sad to be handing the paddle boards back to attendant at the hire facility. They were good at many things, but paddle boarding was not one of them.

“H?” Aurora asked as they walked along the boardwalk near the marina.

“Yes love?” he replied.

“Can you help me put my hair up please? It’s sticking to my back and it’s getting annoying.”

He smiled softly at her, taking the offered hair tie and quickly collecting her long brunette locks into a high ponytail before twisting it into a messy bun for her.

“Thanks,” she said, offering a kiss before they continued on their walk.

“Your welcome.” Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders, tugging her close to his side as they wandered. “Bit too early for dinner so what do you wanna do for the rest of the afternoon?”

“I’m not sure,” Rori mused. “The resort up the road has a day spa. Maybe we could go get mani-pedi’s.”

“I like the way you think Mrs Styles.”

“I like when you call me Mrs Styles.”

Harry stopped walking, pulling Aurora to a halt as well and kissing her deeply. “I love you so much,” he murmured against her lips.

“Love you too, H,” she replied. “Now how about that spa date?”

He chuckled, slipping his hand into hers and allowing her to tug him up the boardwalk towards the nearby resort. They were seated after not too long of a wait, their feet soaking in the warm, delightfully scented water, while their fingernails were buffed and filed.

“This reminds me of my hens’ day with the girls,” Aurora said while the selected their colours. Both settling on tropical colours; peach for Harry and a soft pink and orange combination for Aurora.

“We should do this more often,” Harry said, leaning his head back and closing his eyes with a contented sigh.

“Because we have so much spare time,” Rori scoffed.

“We can make the time,” Harry replied. “What’s the point of being a global sensation if I can’t treat myself and my wife to a spa day every now and then?”

“Global sensation?” Aurora laughed. “Very humble of you dear.”

“Sorry you’re so right,” Harry replied, his tone mockingly contrite. “International heartthrob better?” He smiled brightly in response to Rori’s giggles, never happier himself than when he was making her laugh.

Once their manicures and pedicures were finished, they headed back to the cottage and Harry set about throwing together dinner, refusing Aurora’s offers to assist and instead banishing her from the kitchen. She rolled her eyes at his familiar demands to get out of his kitchen and went to change out of her bikini into a comfortable summer dress and then settle into the lounge chair out on the patio with a book as the sun slowly set over the water, the sky a beautiful blend of pinks, blues and purples.

Harry startled her out of her novel when he fell into the chair beside her and handed her a plate. She smiled softly at him, thanking him before digging in.

“Tomorrow’s our last full day,” Harry noted while they ate. “Any last things you want to do or places you wanna see?”

“No, I think I’d just like to lounge around here,” Rori answered. “Going to be a while before we have some downtime so it might be nice to do a whole lot of nothing.”

“Sounds perfect,” Harry said, smiling warmly at her as the last rays of light lit up their faces.

xXx

On their last day in St Lucia, they pair went running on the beach at dawn. The peach tones in the sky were beautiful and they both enjoyed the peaceful quiet of the early morning, the only sounds the soft crashing of the nearby waves and their heavy breathing as they ran on the hardpacked sand near the waterline.

They arrived back at the cottage once the sun had fully crested the horizon, already blazing warm in the cloudless blue sky. They showered and ate breakfast and then Aurora headed down to the beach. She laid out in the sun, soaking up the last of the tropical heat before they returned to London the following day, a novel in hand and a wide brim hat on her head. Harry came out to join her once he’d taken care of their breakfast dishes and sat down next to her with his own book. They coexisted on the sand, both absorbed in their novels as the sun continued to climb in the sky. Aurora head inside to throw together a light lunch and returned to sit beside Harry in comfortable silence as they ate.

“Gonna go for a dip to cool off,” Harry said, standing up and brushing the sand from his shorts. “Wanna join me?”

“Might stay here and work on my tan for a little,” Aurora replied. She smiled as she watched him jog down to the water’s edge and wade out into the ocean. She laid back, stretching out under the warm sun, attempting to soak up every ray she could, knowing how busy they would be for the next year with the album launch and tour on the horizon. There would be no time for vacations for quite some time and there would be little to no time like this where just the two of them could be together without interruptions or prying eyes. She loved their lives and their careers but sometimes she missed being a nobody living above a pub that could go about her day without having to worry that her outfit and hair were perfect because someone would take a photo of her and then thousands of people would pick her apart online. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t head down to join Harry in the water before the change in light pulled her out of her daydreaming.

The weather had been so perfect for the majority of their vacation that Aurora was surprised to see the dark clouds quickly rolling in from the ocean. She yelled out to Harry, drawing his attention to the change in weather and he made his way out of the water, the clouds already turning the previously perfect day, dark and gloomy. There was still lingering heat in the air, but the rapid change was causing the humidity to climb and there was a feeling of electricity in the air as the winds picked up and howled along the beach. Harry grabbed his towel from where he’d left it beside her and they both dashed back towards the cottage. They reached the safety of the porch only moments before the rain came bucketing down and they watched as the sea turned grey and churned in the sudden storm.

“Didn’t see that coming,” Harry muttered as he tried to dry off his curls.

“One minute it was beautiful sunshine and then the next thing I knew the clouds were rolling in,” Rori agreed. “Wish it could have held off till we left tomorrow.”

“At least we were already planning to have dinner here,” Harry said. “Would have been a bloody nightmare trying to get into town in this.”

“Seems like it’s perfect weather to curl up with a movie, innit?” Rori asked, already heading towards the small living room.

The movie had barely started when the first flash of lightning lit up the room, quickly followed by a clap of thunder that was so loud it rattled the windows. Harry felt Aurora jump in his arms and then she began shaking. He immediately recognized the beginnings of a panic attack, and while Rori hadn’t experienced one for months, he was an old pro in helping her through them by this point. One of his hands immediately moved to cover one of her ear, attempting to block out the trigger as she pressed herself as close as she could into his chest, blocking the ear that wasn’t covered by his hand. His other hand moved along the length of her spine soothingly as he felt her arms wrap around him, gripping on for dear life and squeezing him tightly as she continued to shake in his arms. He kissed the crown of her head muttering that everything was going to be ok and that she was safe. He knew that she couldn’t hear him, but she’d once told him that when she was pressed so tightly to his chest, she could feel the rumble of his voice and it helped to centre her in her panic. He also focused on exaggerating his breathing, coaxing her to pace her own with his and thankfully, as fast as the storm had rolled in, it continued over the top of them and soon the thunder was fading into the distance. Slowly, about 20 minutes after the first clap of thunder, Harry felt Rori’s arms slacken around him and her trembling body grew still against his. He continued kissing her head and murmuring that she was safe and that he was there and eventually, once he deemed that the thunder was distant enough, he removed his hand from her ear and instead moved it to join the other as her rubbed soothingly along her back.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, catching Harry off guard in the silence that had enveloped the little cottage in the storms wake.

“Don’t you dare apologize,” he replied, lifting her chin so that she was looking him in the eye. Her own were puffy and glassy, her cheeks blazing red. “You know I hate when you blame yourself.”

“We were having such a wonderful time and then I ruined it,” she said, her eyes dropping to her lap, unable to look at her husband.

“You didn’t ruin anything,” he promised, squeezing her back against him. “You know I love a good cuddle.” She lent her head back against his shoulder, her eyes slipping closed, exhausted by the panic attack. She shivered a little, the passing storm having sucked all the warmth out of the afternoon. “How about a nice warm bath?” Harry suggested, already standing and hoisting her into his arms. “Then we can come back out here and get all cosy and watch the movie over dinner.”

“Yeah I’d really like that,” she yawned, allowing herself to be carried into the bathroom, sitting on the counter as Harry filled the tub and added a lavender bath bomb. She slowly slipped out of her clothes as Harry did the same and they both settled into the hot water. Harry let out a content sigh as she cuddled up against his chest, his legs framing her hips, his arms wrapped around her waist.

“I love you,” he murmured.

“Love you too, H,” Aurora replied, turning her head from where it rested against his shoulder to kiss him. “Don’t know what I’d ever do without you.”

xXx

They packed their things the following day and drove the hire car back to the small airport on the other side of the island, arriving back in London the day before the release of Harry’s first single, attempting to shake off their vacation in preparation to jump straight into the press appearances and performances ahead of the album launch in a few weeks’ time.

It was early afternoon by the time that they collected their bags and made their way home to Battersea. Harry took their luggage directly into the laundry, dropping it all on the floor and leaving it for later before returning to the living room where Aurora was collapsed on the sofa. He laid down on top of her, his body pressing hers into the cushions and her soft chuckle was muffled in the fabric beneath her head.

“You good?” she laughed.

Harry hummed in reply, his face smooshed into the space between her shoulder blades. “Just need a minute and then I’ll get up.”

“Mind letting me up while you take that minute?” she asked softly. “Need to start on the laundry before Jeff comes over later. Gonna be a busy day tomorrow.”

“Exactly,” Harry mumbled. “Gonna be nonstop all day so just let me snuggle with ya for a bit.”

“Ok,” Rori chuckled. “At least let me turn over so we can cuddle properly without you smothering me to death ya big oaf.”

“Fine,” Harry relented, rolling onto his side up against the back of the sofa, allowing Rori to turn and wrap herself around his torso. She kissed him tenderly, her right hand trailing along the side of his ribcage and down to rest on his hip bone. “Still can’t believe you’re my wife,” he mumbled. Aurora smiled softly as she felt him falling asleep beside her.

“How lucky am I?” she whispered to herself, kissing him one last time and then rolling out from under his arm to head towards the laundry, leaving him to nap on the sofa. She knew that while she had fallen asleep the moment her head had hit the pillow the previous night, her husband had most likely stayed awake, worrying about her in the wake of her panic attack the previous afternoon. She decided to get what she needed to do finished and leave him to catch up on his rest before the meeting. They were expecting Jeff in a few hours to run through the finalised schedule for the release of Sign of the Times the following day. She set to work on emptying their luggage into the washing machine and then headed into the kitchen to get started on dinner, finally slipping on her prosthetic hand for the first time since the wedding.

This is the end of Part 2.

SkyFire 3: The Styles’ Solo Era

RELIVE PARTS 1 & 2 on AO3

#skyfire fic #skyfire #aurora stark #dad!tony #iron dad #step dad steve rogers #stony #stony fic #husband harry styles #husband!harry #harry styles fanfiction #superfamily #Harry Styles #tony stark #living with ptsd #domestic fluff

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mind-reader1 · 5 years

Text

My Promise (Part 2/3)

A/N: This was meant to be just a sequel but it was so long that I’ve broken the sequel into the two parts. Sorry in advance!

Warnings: Angst, some cursing

Word Count: 5,015 (oof, sorry it’s so long)

Recap: Taylor made a deal with Vannu on the rooftop during the final battle with Rourke. One year and a day, that was all the time she had with Jake before she had to return to Vaanu. Shortly after their deal, she discovered she was pregnant, leaving Jake with a little girl, who he named Aurora after his forever sleeping princess, her mother. This picks up after Taylor leaves.

You can read part 1 here and part 3 here!

It had been three years since Taylor gave herself up to Vaanu, three years since she’d left him with the most precious gift of all, his daughter. It was the anniversary of her leaving, just after Aurora’s birthday, the group had planned to meet on La Huerta this year, to celebrate Taylor, normally Jake would find a babysitter, maybe ask his parents to watch her, but it didn’t feel right to leave her this year. Aurora helped him feel closer to Taylor than anyone or anything ever could, besides, she was always asking about her mom, it felt right bringing her along this year.

Aurora bounced excitedly in the co-pilot chair of Delilah, an old helmet of Jake’s sliding on her head, far too big for the little girl, but she didn’t care, she was just like her Daddy. Even had a similar outfit too, a green bomber jacket with a black sparkly T-shirt and jeans, and a pair of black spiked combat boots. She’d insisted on having an outfit just like her Daddy and so Jake obliged, he was wrapped around her tiny little finger.

“Is this where you met Mommy?” Was the very first question out of her mouth once she was in the cockpit, she knew her Dad was a pilot and knew from their friends that her Mom and Jake had met on the plane, but she still loved the princess story, easily imagining how it could be the front of a carriage.

“Yeah, it is Squirt. I was taking a nap right here.” He sat down and kicked his feet up, pretending to sleep while Aurora shook him.

“Daddy! Wake up! No naps, silly.” She giggled as he opened an eye and glanced down at her.

“Fine, I guess I’ll stay awake for you.” She cheered and watched him intently until she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer and fell asleep on the long flight to Costa Rica where he’d be picking up the rest of the group. Aurora slept until they landed on the island, stirring as Jake picked her up and rest her head on his shoulder, carrying her and their bags up to the hotel. He settled into the suite he had picked originally, it was dusty, unused with the exception of one or two times by him before he moved into the honeymoon suite with Taylor. He couldn’t go back to their room, for one the window had never been fixed and it was trashed, but also there were too many memories there, he thought about showing her their house where she was born, but he wasn’t sure he could face that either and it was a long journey, one she probably couldn’t handle yet.

“Daddy?” She rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up in bed looking around.

“Hey Squirt, we’re here.” He whispered, sitting next to her and brushing her hair back from her face.

“Is this yours and Mommy’s room?” He smiled softly and laid down beside her.

“No this is my room, from before Mommy and I were together.” She nodded and settled back in beside him, cuddling her favorite princess doll. Jake rubbed her cheek until she fell asleep, fighting his own heavy eyelids, but eventually giving in, falling into a fitful sleep as he was haunted by thoughts of Taylor.

The next day Aurora was up bright and early before Jake, running around harassing their friends as they took shifts watching her so they could all drink their coffee in peace. He momentarily panicked until he heard her bubbly laughter floating down the hall before there was a soft knock and the door flew open.

“Wake up Daddy! Wake up!” She jumped on the bed before landing on him making him groan in pain. Now that she’d gotten bigger, it wasn’t as cute when she jumped on him full force.

“The little twerp is anxious and ready to go,” Zahra announced handing him a cup of coffee he gratefully took. Everyone knew that returning to the island was hardest on him, Zahra could tell he hadn’t slept well by the bags under his eyes.

“Thanks, I’ll be down in a minute.” Aurora had wanted to play on the beach and since they didn’t have any plans before their annual bonfire, later today, he decided to take her down there and relax. His favorite hammock was already set up, he settled in with a clear view of Aurora building a sandcastle. Diego slowly sidled up next to Jake and glanced down at him, asking with his eyes if he could take a seat next to him. Jake sat up and shifted over, letting him take a seat, they’d both lost their best friend, Diego was the only one who had some kind of idea of what he was going through. They sat in silence for a long time, just watching Aurora and the waves.

“How are you doing?” Diego whispered. Jake sighed and dragged a hand down his face.

“It never gets easier, it’s good having Squirt here though. She wants to know everything about her mom, asks me all sorts of questions.” Diego chuckled, he was all too familiar with the chatty nature of the little girl.

“She’s a good mix of both of you, you’re doing an amazing job, Jake. Tay would be so proud of you.” Jake nodded and swallowed hard fighting back tears, Aurora had filled most of the void in his heart, but there was always still a little piece missing that she just couldn’t fill, that no one could. He hadn’t even tried dating again despite his friends and family pushing him to do so. He wasn’t ready, and he didn’t want to bring a bunch of strange women around Aurora, he didn’t want to confuse her and he would never let someone take Taylor’s place as her mom.

“She’s perfect.” Jake sighed and looked up at his little girl, frowning when he saw her talking, she wasn’t one to talk to herself or have imaginary friends. She pretended to talk to her stuffed animals and dolls, but that was it. Jake stood up and took a step closer, it was then he saw the translucent figure, sitting across from her, shifting with the moving light as she talked to it.

“Aurora!” He’d recognize that figure anywhere, he raced down the sand toward her as fast as his legs could move, almost tripping a few times where it was so thick.

“Jake?” Diego stood behind him and didn’t realize what the problem was until he saw the figure that had sent Jake into a panic, Diego scrambled out of the hammock to get back to the hotel and warn the others. Aurora turned to look back at her dad confused, he never used her name unless she was in trouble or he was scared about something.

“Daddy! This is-“

“I know who it is Baby, get away from it.” He scooped her up in his arms and warily watched the figure, it seemed smaller, Aurora’s size, and it was visibly upset as Jake backed away.

“Daddy stop! That’s my brother.” She beat on his chest and Jake stopped, frowning in confusion at her.

“No sweetie, that’s not possible. Mommy had to leave when you were just a little itty bitty baby. There’s no way you have a brother.” Jake fought back tears but they spilled anyways, he would have loved to have a son, someone for Aurora to grow up with and play with, but that wasn’t possible.

“Yes, it is Daddy!” She fought him tooth and nail but Jake refused to let go, he turned back and watched as another translucent figure appeared beside the other, this one was much larger and scooped the other up in a protective manner, similar to how Jake held Aurora. He couldn’t believe his eyes, Vaanu had never separated like that, this was cruel, even for Vaanu. He couldn’t look away though, he took a step closer, and then another, and then another. He felt drawn into it, the closer he got the more connected he felt, the more he could feel his heart finally mending, it was then he realized the larger figure was female. He squinted and took a few more steps, he was only a few feet from it now, the others gathered at the edge of the beach watching this unfold.

“Taylor?” The thing shimmered and began shifting again, Jake stumbled back, keeping Aurora hidden from view as he watched the things manifest into people starting with the feet. The child was whole first and Jake was staring at the spitting image of himself, the child’s bright blue eyes were clearly Taylor’s though, there was no mistaking it. Jake was frozen as he watched the other person manifest completely, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Taylor was standing there holding a toddler about Aurora’s age, and there was no denying that he was Jake’s son.

“Princess?” Jake stammered out. She nodded and began crying, Jake rushed forward with Aurora still in his arms and slammed into her, pulling her close as he cried into her hair, breathing in her familiar scent, never wanting to let go.

“Daddy you’re squishing me!” Aurora whined, forcing Jake to let go. He set Aurora down and she scrambled behind his legs, staring up at the beautiful woman in front of her. The little boy had said he was her brother, but that would make the pretty lady her mom. She’d only ever seen one picture of her and so Aurora wasn’t sure.

“Is it really you? How?”

“I have so much to tell you, Jake. First, there’s someone you guys need to meet. Jake, Aurora,” Taylor smiled at the suddenly shy little girl behind Jake’s legs, in awe of how beautiful she was, “this is Michael Lucas McKenzie, your son, and your brother.” Jake felt dizzy and light-headed, he had a son, Taylor was standing in front of them with their son. He was forced back to reality as the little boy reached out for him.

“Daddy?” Jake began crying again and took the little boy from Taylor’s arms, squeezing him tight as the boy latched onto his neck, he already loved him so much that it scared Jake.

“Daddy is that Mommy?” Aurora whispered, tugging on his pants leg.

“Yeah, Sweetie. I’m your Mommy. You probably don’t remember me, you were so little when I left. You’re beautiful though, just like I remember. I missed you so much.” Taylor cried, squatting down in front of the little girl who cautiously walked up to her, looking back to Jake unsure. He nodded, encouraging her but the little girl didn’t move.

“Why don’t you tell her how we met Princess, that’s her favorite story.” Taylor chuckled and looked up at Jake before focusing on Aurora.

“Well, your Daddy was taking me and a group of our friends to this fancy island. I got worried and so when I went to check on him, I found him taking a nap! I woke him up and he didn’t like that very much so he said ‘don’t you know it’s rude to wake someone when they’re napping Princess.’” Taylor didn’t get to finish her story before Aurora launched herself into Taylor’s arms, nuzzling into the crook of her neck, satisfied that this was her mom. Jake moved next to her and wrapped his free arm around Taylor’s shoulders as the family finally reunited for the first time. The rest of the group watched from the beach in stunned silence at what was happening in front of them, mixed feelings coursing through them. They all wanted to see Taylor again, but they didn’t want to interrupt her moment with her family, they also wanted to know where the second kid had come from, and what this meant for Jake, how long she’d be back.

The four of them sat there holding each other until the sun began going down.

“Let’s go inside, get you guys some jackets, we have a lot to talk about.” Tay chuckled incredulously.

“Boy do we ever.”

“Should the kids be here for it?” He whispered, watching them play with each other just a few feet from them. She sighed and shook her head. They walked up to the rest of the group who watched quietly, respecting their space.

“Diego, can you watch the kids, Tay and I have some things to discuss in private.” Normally someone would make a witty joke about what talking meant, but they could tell by Taylor’s somber look that it wasn’t that kind of talking. They wandered up to his room and Tay sighed, looking around and breathing in his familiar scent as he sat down next to her on the bed. She curled up in his arms and let the comforting feeling of his embrace wash over her, she’d missed it, him, so much.

“God, I have so many questions, Princess, I don’t even know where to start. I also want to kiss you so bad, throw you back onto this bed and never let you leave. That look in your eyes tells me that ain’t possible though, I don’t know that I can stand to lose you again Princess.” Taylor cried at his words, Jake fighting his own.

“I’m so sorry Jake, so so sorry. I understand if you hate me, but I wouldn’t change a single thing. You and Aurora have a life now.” He shushed her gently and ran his hand down her hair and back trying to soothe her.

“I know Princess, I know.” He whispered. When she finally calmed down, Jake pressed his forehead against hers and sighed, steeling his nerves to ask his first question.

“How is...I mean...Michael.” He wasn’t quite sure how to word it, he knew how babies were made, but he didn’t understand how he was alive since Taylor had gone with Vaanu.

“Our anniversary, none of us knew when Vaanu took me that night. I stayed in this form and he didn’t know why, until the pull to you grew with my belly. Mike is more human than anything, and that part of him was drawn to you. Between that and our desire to see each other again, Vaanu couldn’t take it anymore and sent me back.”

“Why now? Why not when you found out? Why put us through all that?” Taylor sighed and Jake knew it wasn’t going to be a good answer.

“He’s still not complete without me, but he can survive without the little pieces inside of Aurora and Mike. Mike gets to stay down here with you and Aurora, but I have to go back.” Jake felt his blood boiling, it wasn’t fair that Taylor had to stay behind, forced to watch her children grow up without her and Jake grow old alone. It wasn’t fair that he was forced to be a dad with no one to help him, no one to share those milestone memories with.

“That’s bullshit, Taylor! It’s not fair! Why can’t you stay? I can’t do this alone!”

“Jake, our daughter is beautiful inside and out because of you, I know you’re going to make sure both our children become the best they can be. You’re an incredible dad, it has been such a privilege watching you.” He stood up and hit a vase next to him, sending it flying into the wall.

“You should be here with me, raising them with me Princess. Our kids should know who their mother is! Aurora barely even recognized you. That’s not fair to any of us.”

“I know Jake! Trust me! Having to watch from the shadows is the hardest thing I’ve ever done! I don’t want to fight about this, nothing’s going to change, but I do have something that will ease that pain a little.”

“What?”

“It’s kind of an um, agreement with Vaanu, much like my first one. I get to come back for the kid's birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, every year.” Jake searched her eyes, not believing what he was hearing, it seemed so generous on Vaanu’s part considering how selfish he had been, he would take any time with Taylor he had though.

“So how long are you here this time?” He whispered.

“Mike’s birthday is in two weeks. I leave that night.”

“How did you get him to agree to this?”

“He can sense my pain Jake, he can sense how much I miss you all, he hopes that giving me some time with my family will ease that pain some.” He nodded and ran a hand through his hair.

“This is our life now. Seeing each other four times a year? This isn’t a marriage Taylor! It’s a fucking joke. I know it’s not your fault, but god I hate it!”

“Maybe you should find someone else then. Someone who can give you the love you deserve.” He spun around shocked by her words.

“You don’t seriously mean that?”

“I do Jake. We promised each other a year and a day and our souls are forever linked. We have children, there is no separating us no matter what. You deserve to have a partner in life who can be there all the time and love you as much as I do, please Jake. It’s the one thing I want for you.” He shook his head in disbelief, he didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to even think about it. He walked out of the room, done with the conversation and Taylor chased after him.

“We should check on the kids.” He said cooly, this isn’t at all how either of them imagined their reunion going.

They re-joined the bonfire and her kids clung to her as her friends told her about everything she had missed in their lives. Marriage, kids, new jobs, finishing school, her head was spinning with how much they’d done. She excused herself to get some air, sitting down in the sand, she started to build a sandcastle with Aurora and Mike. The two were wary of each other at first, but they ended up taking to each other well as if no time apart had passed at all.

“Can I join you?” She recognized Jake’s gruff voice behind her and she sighed, he hadn’t spoken to her since their fight earlier. She patted the sand beside her wordlessly and he sat, watching Aurora spin a wild tale of a prince and princess living in the castle, just like their Mommy and Daddy.

“I’m sorry about earlier Jake, I shouldn’t have dropped it all on you like that.”

“I’m sorry too, Princess, I just missed you so much and to hear you say that…none of this is easy.”

“I know. We’ll figure it out, Jake.” They sat in silence for a moment, their shoulders brushing ever so lightly, the sensation still sent shivers down their spines.

“Tell me about Mike.” Taylor cracked a small smile and watched her son giggling with unbridled joy. Aurora was the first kid he’d ever actually met, he’d only ever been able to watch and play with Taylor, it was good for him to be around other kids.

“I don’t even know where to begin… he was the best thing to happen to me after Vaanu took me. He’s such a goofball, he loves to play and laugh, he’s chatty too, like you wouldn’t even believe.” Jake chuckled and nodded.

“Squirt is too. Oh, I mean Aurora, sorry.” Jake rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, realizing she didn’t know he’d taken to calling her that.

“Why Squirt?” Jake shrugged.

“Her favorite movie, besides every princess movie ever made, was Finding Nemo. She’s a natural fish too, loves the water.” Taylor chuckled and watched her little girl, a pang in her heart as she realized she had missed and would continue to miss out on so many things in her daughter's life, her first child.

“Mike doesn’t know how to swim… there’s not exactly any water where we were. He loves to climb though, anything that looks climbable he’s there. We kept an eye on you and Aurora, he loves you so much already Jake. He couldn’t wait to meet his Daddy.” Taylor’s voice faltered as she choked on her tears, Jake looked over at her and pulled her close and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

“I love him too, Princess. I love all of you, my sweet little family.”

“But our daughter doesn’t even know me, Jake. I saw her outfit, she looks up to you so much, so enamored with her daddy, both of them are. I’m just a stranger to her and Mike’s going to forget me too eventually.”

“I would never let that happen, Taylor. You know her favorite outfit is this princess dress Becks bought her. She says that she feels like a princess, just like her mommy anytime she wears it. I can already tell Mike is a mama's boy, the way he latches onto you, trust me, Princess, they’re never gonna forget you. We’ll take pictures and I’ll put them up all over the house.”

“Thank you, Jake.” She whispered, nuzzling into his side as the bonfire continued around them. After a few days at the reunion, it was time to go home. Jake dropped everyone off in Costa Rica before flying his family back home, taking Taylor to his new house. They spent every day together with the kids, trying to soak it all in, Jake even invited his family over to finally meet Mike and Taylor. Jake had told them the story, but they never fully believed him until they met Taylor, they thought Jake had hooked up with a girl and she had left him with a kid. The days seemed to fly by and before they knew it, Mike’s birthday was here, their last day together, they decided to take them to the park.

Taylor watched her kids playing together, so carefree and happy, not quite yet understanding the gravity of the situation the family found themselves in. They knew Mommy only came to visit a few times a year, Mike had a better understanding since he had lived with her and Vaanu for three years, they didn’t understand why Mommy always looked the same though, unlike them who seemed a little different every year on their birthday when they saw her. Jake’s hand gently ran up and down her back, a crooked smile on his face as he stole a glance at her, all he’d ever wanted was a happy little family together, and she’d almost been able to give that to him. She feared for the future though, and what it meant for them, letting her mind wander to what it would look like.

*********************************

The kids were forced to grow up so much faster than they should’ve, parents, teachers, other children whispering about where their mom was. Jake always told them the same thing, she was a government agent who was working on top-secret things overseas, even he wasn’t allowed to know where or what, but she always made it home for their birthdays and holidays. People began to wonder though, some thought she was in rehab, some thought she had just walked out and Jake didn’t have the heart to tell his kids, some thought she was in a mental institution and only got certain days to visit. Others thought she was dead and Jake didn’t have the heart to tell his kids. The one thing they all agreed on was that he was a dedicated dad who loved his kids more than anything on this Earth and that he was a doting husband, never taking his ring off despite his wife’s seemingly permanent absence. It wasn’t until people actually met, saw what an incredible and devoted mother and wife she was that they started to consider his story. Of course, people also began to notice and whisper as Jake got older but Taylor stayed forever young and beautiful as if she was stuck at 22. It got to be too much and they moved, somewhere nobody knew them, where the whispers wouldn’t follow. Instead, people whispered about their seemingly large age difference, how old was she when their kids were born, the scandalous rumors spread like wildfire.

The day finally came when Taylor had enough, she could remember the fight vividly and she hated that it was a conversation they even needed to have.

“We can’t keep introducing ourselves as husband and wife, Jake! We can’t tell people that I’m Aurora and Mike’s mother!” She screamed, tears flowing down her face as she tangled her hands in her hair, frustrated beyond belief.

“Why the hell not, Taylor? Screw what everyone else thinks! I love you and I’m proud of it, and our beautiful family! I’m not going to let some bored housewives get in the way of that.” She shook her head.

“Our children hardly have any friends, Jake! They think you’re a predator and don’t want their children near you! It’s not fair to you or them. I love you with all of my heart and I love our children more than anything, it’s why we have to fix this.”

“What do you propose we do? Hm? Move to a deserted island like La Huerta and live there? That’s exactly what you didn’t want for us! Am I supposed to keep you hidden here during the limited time we have with you? I don’t see a solution, Taylor!” She could see the frustration boiling inside of him, his neck turned red, the vein in his forehead bulging, his eyes glassy from the tears threatening to spill.

“They’re 15 now Jake, they’re going to start dating soon, I can’t look as old as the people they’re dating. We can tell people I’m your daughter, you had me when you were young. I only visit for my sibling's birthdays and holidays because I’m at school for the rest of the time. People will believe it.” She whispered and instantly regretted it. Jake’s face fell as did the tears from his eyes, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It would change everything, turn their life upside down.

“You can’t mean that.” Her silence told him everything, she was dead serious.

“It’s the only way, Jake.” He shook his head violently at a loss for words.

“I won’t be able to kiss you, to hold your hand, to whisper things in your ear that make you smile. I’ll have to pretend that the sight of you in mom jeans and my t-shirt tucked in at the front doesn’t turn me on. What am I supposed to say about my wife? Are you supposed to be dead now? A tragic accident? What about our kids! They have to pretend their mom is their older sibling and watch their friends drool over you? You can’t be my princess anymore!” His last words cut her so deep she really thought her heart might break into a million pieces, that would always be their thing, she would always be his princess, so she had thought. She knew what he meant though, he couldn’t call her that and pretend she was his daughter at the same time, the meaning it held to them, the way he said it...it wasn’t what fathers and daughters do.

“I don’t like it any more than you, Jake! It’s just how it has to be now!” They heard a soft gasp behind them and turned to realize they’d left the door cracked, the kids standing there listening to everything as tears stained their cheeks.

“Squirt, Monkey. I’m sorry, I- your mom and I were just...talking about some things. Come here.” They cautiously opened the door and clung to their father, finding comfort in his tight embrace.

“I understand Mom.” Aurora finally came over to Taylor and hugged her tightly, they almost looked like twins the older Aurora got.

“You’ll always be our mom, no matter what the rest of the world thinks.” Mike came over and they both wrapped her in a big hug as she sobbed and held them close, kissing the tops of their heads gently. It wasn’t fair to put any of them through this.

Pretending to be Jake’s daughter was quite possibly the hardest thing Taylor had ever done until it came time to change the story again. She had to pretend to be her own children’s daughter, to be Jake’s granddaughter. He had aged well she thought, he still had a full head of hair, only it had turned white and wasn’t nearly as shaggy as his younger days. Freckles and wrinkles intermixed on his face, but his eyes still sparkled as bright as the day she married him and made him a father. His once strong muscles had weakened, but he still liked to pretend he was a tough proud Navy pilot. Really he’d become an even bigger softie, spoiling his grandkids even though they weren’t little children anymore. It took them a while to understand that Taylor was also their grandma and that she didn’t age like Grandpa. Taylor hated to watch him grow old without her, they were supposed to be on their porch together in Louisiana, sitting in matching rocking chairs, watching the sunset together as they held each other’s hands, giving each other shit for their gray hair.

Taylor wasn’t even by his side when he went peacefully in his sleep, she didn’t find out until she came back for her kids birthdays and it devastated her, a piece of her was missing, she’d never felt such intense pain in her life, and she didn’t think she ever would again. She was wrong though, as she watched her own children grow old, and had to pretend to be their grandchildren, she thought it would destroy her. You understand that you’ll lose your parents and maybe even your spouse in a lifetime, but nothing ever prepares you for losing a child.

Tagging: @brightpinkpeppercorn @sleepwalkingelite @ooo-barff-ooo @endlessly-searching-for-you @agent-bossypants @roonarific @likethetailofacomet @zaffrenotes @mysteli @vickypoochoices @kayann9 @jlouise88 @zigortega4life @findingdrake @drakesensworld @endlesstaylormckenzie @sophie-summer @feartheendlesssummer @darley1101 @emomoustache @xo-endlessmayhem-xo PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE REMOVED!

#Jake #jake x taylor #jake x mc #my promise #endless summer #choices #choices endless summer #choices fanfic #play choices #es #au #angst #fanfic #fanfiction #Jake McKenzie #jake mckenzie x mc #jake mckenzie junior

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borhapstyles · 5 years

Note

Hi! head cannon request!! beach day for ben hardy and reader with their three kids! (two older boys and a younger girl)!!!!

i got this request like a month ago im so sorry its late and i’m so sorry if this sucks too ahhhh i tried it’s currently raining outside so i don’t have much inspo but i hope this works, might edit it later on xx

also this is pretty long lol enjoy darlings

sometimes beach days with the family were planned

sometimes they were spontaneous trips out, when you guys wanted to escape the London smog

this was one of those days

it was a Friday morning, late September,

Ben was set to leave in a week to film a new project abroad

and with your two sons starting school again in a few days

the air around your house was solemn, to say the least

you guys had spent the summer together travelling, with your family having your first disneyland trip together amongst other activities

and everyone was rather sad for the change of pace again, to pick up normal life once again

you tried not to show your sadness with Ben leaving and Ben tried not to show his own reluctance to go

but your oldest son, who was 7, couldn’t mask his sadness and mixed them with pre-school jitters

“what’s wrong, darling?” you said as you approached him, a heavy frown on his face as he played with his toys

“i don’t want daddy to leave.”

you felt your heart break right there and you hoped Ben wasnt anywhere near to hear it cause you know he might just drop the whole film if he heard

“that’s his job though, baby. he needs to go out and do these things for us, so that we can live in this nice big house and so that I can take care of you and your siblings.”

“but I want him here, I don’t want him to go. I’ll never see him anymore.”

even if your 7 year old was a mama’s boy, him and his father had a special bond

which often involved Ben giving him ice cream when he knows he shouldn’t have more sugar and teaching him little things about sports and life in general amongst other things

“you’ll still see him, darling. every night if you want to, we’ll facetime him. and we can always go out and visit him on your school breaks, you love seeing him on set, don’t you? remember how much fun we had when we visited him in Paris?”

“...okay, mummy.”

but you knew he wasn’t fully happy with the idea yet

and neither were you, neither was anyone really

but this was Ben’s career and is also what made him happy, it’s what made you happy, and it was never going to be easy to begin with

a few minutes later though, you ran into Ben just standing in the hallway on his phone

“are you alright?” you poked at him and he looked up at you and sighed

you walked over to him and he wrapped his arms around you, kissed your temple and frowned

“i heard what (your son’s name) said earlier, about not wanting me to leave so i’ve been standing here since on my phone calendar trying to figure out all the weekends I can come home or when you guys can fly out.”

“Ben...”

“why’s it so hard to leave this time?” you felt him melt into you and you rubbed his back gently

“because you have us, and you love us. but,” you pulled back to look him in his eyes, “you’ve also loved acting since you were 15 and you’ve worked so hard to get to this point. this film’s going to be incredible and the most amazing people are on it, yourself included.”

Ben then blushed because he knew how many other famous actors auditioned for his role but it was his to claim, he earned it and deserved it the most

not that he believed that though

for as cocky as Ben could play

he could be quite insecure in his own abilities sometimes, which is when you stepped in with warm arms and reassured him of his talent

“everything’s complete here. you guys are my everything now and i dunno why i’m leaving you all sometimes.” he mumbled into your shoulder.

your hands went to the back of his head and you patted the soft hair gently

“this is part of it sometimes, we both know that so well. and it’s not everyday that you get to work with a director like Christopher Nolan, you’d regret it one day if you turned all this down.” you spoke softly

Ben sighed, knowing you were right

u always right tbh

but anyways

as you held Ben in your hallway, the TV in the background where your two sons played as your daughter slept peacefully in her bedroom

you noticed that it was raining outside

surprise surprise for london am i right

“here, i have an idea that i think will make all of us feel better” you said before pulling out your phone

“are your parents home this weekend?”

aaaaaand eventually the five of you found yourselves driving down to Bournemouth

all of you had little overnight bags packed for when you’d spend the night at Ben’s parents’ house

which they did not mind one bit and already had the guest room set up

“was wondering when you guys would visit, we never see our grandkids enough!” they guilted

but all this was just so that you guys could have your needed beach day

because surprisingly enough, the weather down in Bournemouth was so much more pleasant than the dreary London rain

and the five of you just needed to get out of the house

anyways

once you all finally made it out to the sand

your kids, who had been to the beach a plethora of times before,

still treated it like it was their first time out to the beach

Ben was particularly amused with your daughter who was still having trouble deciding if her two year old self liked sand

he would gently lower her into the soft sand, watch her toes curl and her face twist into one that says ‘i don’t know what this is but i kinda like it’

“darling, look at her face, look” Ben said before bursting into laughter because he’s just so fascinated by her

she’d definitely grow up to be a daddy’s girl, Ben spoiled her like mad

and of course she was wearing the little outfit he had picked out for her whilst you two were out shopping one day

and your sons, they just adored the water

you told them not to go too far out and watched them like a hawk

but loved seeing them splash around

and when they had their fun with the water they came out and were begging for their dad to play football with them

and Ben went around kicking the ball with them while you held your daughter and fake-narrated the game

your sons also insisted on building the greatest sand castle there was to ever exist, at least with the materials you guys had

“daddy, more water for the sand, please.” your oldest son would command whilst helping his little brother form another castle

your heart just melted watching all three of them have a go at it while you held your little girl

they were the perfect mix of you and Ben physically, but they had his determination and his confidence

and when they started fighting over who got to be king of the castle??

Ben stepped in, “alright, alright, that’s enough. if you two can’t share the role as king, then no one is going to be king.”

“but you can’t have just a queen”

“who says you can’t?” you said

“i-i mean, well, you’re the queen, mummy, and-”

“and,” Ben cut him off, seeing this as a valuable moment to teach his children about gender roles and expectations in the little ways that he could,

“mummy can be a queen just by herself, she’s capable of anything, as is your sister. they don’t ever need a king, but they can have one if they like. now what do you say,” he turned to you

“would you like to have a king?”

you laughed and said “sure, but i don’t want just one. i want these two handsome boys right here to be my kings.”

and that’s when your daughter started giggling

and Ben scooped her into his arms and tickled her

eventually when the sun was setting, the five of you would settle atop the beach blankets

eating random snacks that Ben had packed while you got the kids ready

and your husband of course made sure to pack the separate snacks that your daughter loved because she was kinda a picky eater and Ben would do anything for her

but really Ben would do anything for you guys

and while you two watched your kids playing, he leaned his head against your shoulder

“thank you for getting us out of the house” he mumbled, feeling absolutely content with the day you guys had “dunno what i’d do without you”

“mm, it was getting to be a bit much inside there anyways. i think we all needed this, one final goodbye to the summer, till next year.” you replied

Ben then kissed your shoulder and mumbled something a little too nsfw that probably shouldn’t have been said with your kids nearby lmao

and you playfully punched his shoulder and were like “Ben, the kids are here”

and he just chuckled and kissed your temple

“promise me you’ll always do this?”

“do what?” you laughed

“you know, save me, save us, from when things start to feel like shit”

“only if you do the same when i’m down.”

Ben nodded and shrugged, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world

“i’ll always look after you, darling.”

#ben hardy #ben hardy x reader #ben hardy headcanons #ben hardy fic #ben hardy one shot #ben hardy imagine #ben hardy smut #joe mazzello #rami malek #gwilym lee #bohemian rhapsody #roger taylor

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lunatens · 5 years

Text

golden hour

word count: 1.7k

genre: fluff, best friends to lovers, summer

pairing: mark tuan x gender neutral reader

song rec: i want you - shinee

“$4.72... is that enough?” you ask, biting your lip doubtfully as you look up from the pile of coins on the floor at your best friend (who looks just as doubtful). you and mark have spent the last 10 minutes tearing apart your cottage in search of every last bit of spare change you can find; the local ice cream place only accepts cash, and neither of you have any on you. couch cushions and pillows are strewn across the floor from your hunt, and now you sit on the carpet with the small pile of coins between you.

“only one way to find out,” mark says, shrugging and stuffing the coins into his pocket. “now we gotta hurry into town, it closes at nine, remember?” he says, and you gasp as you glance at the clock.

“race ya!” you say, getting up and hardly managing to pull on your sandals before you burst out of the door and fly down the wooden porch steps. you hear mark’s shouts behind you, “woah! hey, you got a head start, not fair!” (the two of you really are children) and footsteps as he chases after you, the coins jingling in his pocket. you giggle as you sprint, but end up coughing and spluttering as you run through a cloud of gnats. mark laughs as he passes you, cheekily sticking his tongue out (but smiling the whole time).

“mark, wait up!” you yell after him, pouting a little now that he’s gotten so far ahead of you (stupid gnats). he turns and laughs, teasing you, but nevertheless he waits for you to catch up anyways. you shuffle along the gravel road, an awkward half-run half-walk as you try to kick the tiny pebbles out from your shoes.

“for the record, i think this means i win,” mark says as the two of you walk now side by side. the orange sun shimmers on the surface of the lake to your left, which you can see through the little groves of trees and the occasional cottage along the shoreline.

“what, were you expecting a prize or something?” you ask, trying not to focus too hard on the way the golden rays of sun seem to light up his face as he squints to look at you, or the way he’s decided to wear a tank top to show off his shoulders and arms; even the way his hair sticks to his forehead and tiny beads of sweat drip down his (smooth and soft looking) skin is attractive. okay sure, maybe you’re in love with your best friend; maybe you have been for god knows how long. you can admit that to yourself, although even that took a while, but there’s no way you’d ever admit that to mark, lest you ruin your perfect friendship.

“yeah, maybe. i don’t know what i want it to be yet though, i’ll have to get back to you on that,” he says, voice snapping you out of your train if thoughts.

“okay,” is all you can say. as you turn onto the main street of the nearby town, mark’s trying not to let you catch him stealing glances at you. he’s trying not to think too hard about all the small details that make you perfect, in this moment and always; the sand still stuck to your skin from when you went to the beach earlier, or the little bit of sunscreen on the back of your neck you missed rubbing in, or the flyaway strands of hair plastered to you from the sticky humidity.

the bell jingles and the screen door shuts with a creak behind you as you walk into the tiny store.

“hey jaebeom,” you greet with a smile, and mark inhales sharply at your friendly wave to the cute boy behind the counter. mark’s arm brushes against yours slightly as he steps a little closer to you, and you don’t look at him but you can feel your cheeks burn at even this slight touch. jaebeom smiles and greets you back; you and mark are frequent visitors during the hot summer months when most weekends turn into road trips to your cottage—you just happened to forget all of your cash this time, apparently.

“we only have enough for one cone,” you point out, scanning the chalkboard menu as mark fishes the coins from his pocket.

“guess we’ll have to share,” he responds. you laugh nervously in response.

“what flavour do we get then?” you say, deciding not to comment on his response.

“mint chocolate?” he suggests. you raise your eyebrows at him in shock when he suggests your favourite flavour (jaebeom does the same; he knows your orders inside and out by now).

“i thought you hated mint chocolate, you always make faces at me when i get it,”

“i changed my mind,” he says matter-of-factly, and you decide not to press it further, missing the sly look jaebeom gives to mark as he begins scooping the ice cream (mark returns it with a “don’t say anything” glare).

“see ya later,” you call as you wave back at jaebeom, exiting the store and returning to the humid summer evening, ice cream in hand.

“let’s eat it at the bench on the top of the hill!” mark suggests. you groan at the thought of walking up the grassy hill, and there’ll probably be lots of mosquitoes, but nevertheless the bench does have a stunning view of the lake and surrounding forest. luckily it’s close by, so the ice cream doesn’t melt too much before you get there—although you shriek when a cool drip slides over your fingers, mark laughing (and blushing) as you frantically try to lick the melted ice cream from your hand. eventually you make it, flopping down on the cool wood thankfully protected by the shade of an oak tree. up here, there’s a slight breeze; it’s refreshing, and it’s enough to keep most of the bugs at bay for now.

“so, do you uh, have a thing for jaebeom or something?” mark asks you, and his out of the blue question shocks you.

“w-what?” you stutter.

“i mean he’s kinda cute, right, and you seemed pretty happy to be talking to him, and i don’t know, maybe you’d like a guy like that,” mark says, avoiding eye contact (you can see his ears though, too red to just be a sunburn).

“mark, sometimes i don’t know what to do with you,” you say, internally dying—is he jealous? the way he practically spit out jaebeom’s name seems to say so. “no, i don’t like him. not in the way you’re talking about at least. i mean sure he’s attractive and nice and all, but he’s...not exactly my type,” you say, licking at the ice cream cone.

“so what is your type, then?” mark asks, and now it’s your turn to avoid eye contact as you shrug in response, not speaking, for the word “you” threatens to spill from your lips. there’s a silence that seems to last centuries, the distant cries of seagulls carried on the wind and the gentle rustle of leaves surrounds you.

“want some?” you break the silence, holding the cone out for mark to taste. he takes the tiniest lick ever, and gives you an uncomfortable smile that’s more like a grimace you can’t help but laugh at.

“why did you pretend you liked this flavour??” you ask when you calm down.

“because it’s your favourite!!” he explains, as if it’s obvious.

“i like other flavours too, you know, we could have compromised,”

“yeah, but...it’s your FAVOURITE, as in it would make you the most happy,” he says, voice going quiet at that last part.

“well that’s...that’s really sweet of you then, mark,” you say, genuinely touched and a little flustered. you study his face silently for a moment, trying to read this strange expression you’ve never seen on him before.

“i’ve decided what my prize should be,” he says eventually. you aren’t sure when his face got this close to yours, but you aren’t backing up.

“oh? and what’s that?”

in answer, mark leans closer and presses a soft kiss to your lips; lingering a little but reluctantly pulling away sooner rather than later. you hope he can’t hear how your heart is pounding in your chest (his is too). he brushes hair from your face as his eyes stay locked on yours. you’re too focused on the moment to notice the ice cream steadily dripping down your hand. mark’s gaze is focused on yours, and he seems to be wordlessly asking you a question.

“please kiss me again mark,” you ask, although it’s more of a demand, and it’s exactly what mark was waiting for. this kiss is a little deeper; mark tastes faintly of mint and sugar and lemonade and he smells of lake water and sunscreen and the tiniest hint of your shampoo he borrowed after forgetting his (not that he’s got any complaints about smelling like you). eventually you pull away, both breathless and exhilarated.

“well then,” is all you can seem to say, and you both let out laughs of nervousness and relief.

“i know i’ve said this before, but i hope you’ll take it in an entirely new way now—although the sentiment has always been the same; i love you, y/n,” he says. how you manage to stop yourself from internally combusting you don’t know, but you’re sure mark notices how you can’t seem to contain your smile no matter how hard you try.

“i love you too mark,” you say, hesitantly pressing another soft kiss—you might have to get used to actually being able to do these things you’ve always dreamed of—to his cheek.

“also i’m getting eaten alive by bugs now, so can we head back?” you ask.

“of course,” mark says, standing up and holding out his hand to help you up.

“EW!! AUGH, that’s so GROSS!! i am so gonna throw you in the lake for that,” he whines as he holds the now very melted, sticky and soggy ice cream cone you passed him instead of your clean hand.

“catch me if you can!” you yell, giggling as you race down the hill, and mark can only watch in awe, hardly able to believe he has someone like you.

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strwbrryeos · 6 years

Text

Select: Single or Multiplayer (M) [R]

Hey babe, here you go. It’s as filthy as you are. @yeetermeemer

SUMMARY; Jungkook is a competitive brat, and when he gets into a game, that’s all he thinks about. The boys hate it. Luckily for them, there’s you, and you’re equally as competitive and equally as annoying.

Genre : smut, fluff, more smut, little bit of crack, one-shot

Pairing : Reader x Jeon Jungkook

Contains : teasing, grinding, quick sex, rough sex, dirty talk, fingering, masturbation, creampie, cum play, protected sex, unprotected sex, orgasm denial, daddy kink for like 0.2 seconds, begging, some spanking, overstimulation

MASTER LIST

“Finally! She’s here!” screams Taehyung upon opening the door for you. He scurries away and you step inside.

The entire dorm is alight with energy, the boys rushing around in a frenzy to pack. “Don’t forget this!” Jin yells at Yoongi, waving around a pair of black boxers.

“Really?” Yoongi growls, snatching it out of his hands. You giggle when you notice the red blush on his cheeks.

“Okay, Y/N is here now, so let’s go!” shouts Namjoon as he comes towards you with an armful of stuff.

“Do you need help?” you ask. He looks down at the bags piled around your feet.

“No thanks,” he laughs. “Looks like you have plenty.”

“Ah, don’t worry,” you say with a wave of your hand, “Jungkook will probably insist on carrying them anyway.”

“Well how could he not when you’re always challenging him to do it?” asks Taehyung when he appears beside you.

You look at him with a grin and shrug your shoulders. “Hey, I use what I can to my advantage.”

Namjoon rolls his eyes and says, “You two really are made for each other.”

The rest of the members start to arrive at the front of the dorm (minus Jimin who always takes the longest), and Jungkook, upon seeing you, drops his bags and runs to you eagerly. “Babe!” he exclaims as he scoops you up in his arms.

“You guys act like you haven’t seen each other in years,” grumbles Yoongi, though he says it with a smile.

“Any time spent without her is too long,” says Jungkook dramatically as he holds a hand over his heart. You fake a swoon and collapse in his arms, earning a loud groan from the rest of the boys. Neither you nor Jungkook care though, and he just giggles into your neck while you all wait for Jimin.

About twenty years later (well really it was only 15 minutes but Tae is impatient), Jimin arrived with a bright smile. “Hi, Y/N!” he says energetically. “Are you ready to go?”

“We’re all ready to go, Jiminie!” whines Taehyung. “Let’s goooooooooo.”

―

The card ride is long but you don’t really notice it when you’ve been sleeping comfortably on your boyfriend’s shoulders the entire time. He prods you awake upon reaching your destination, and you take your sweet time waking up, preferring to cuddle into the sweet scent of his sweatshirt than go through the effort of opening your eyes and moving out of the car. Eventually getting tired of waiting for you, Jungkook picks up your groggy body and carries you and all of your bags into the house. (He refuses to take more than one trip, so being the punk he is, had Jin pile both yours and his stuff on top of you while he carried you bridle-style. Hoseok took several pictures and laughed his ass off.)

Jungkook flopped your half-awake body onto the bed and jumped on beside you, causing you to bounce a couple inches in the air. He laughed at the glare you gave him, not bothering to apologize because you’d already wrapped yourself around his torso.

“Babeeeee,” he says. “Let’s go playyyy.”

“Play what? I’m sleepy.”

“I don’t know. We’re on vacation!” he answers. “We should do something!”

“I wanna finish my nap.”

“Ugh,” he huffs, “You’re no fun. I’m gonna go play with TaeTae.”

“M’kay,” you mumble before quickly rolling over and resuming your nap.

―

You’re unceremoniously woken up by the sound of several frustrated shouts and groans. You roll over yourself, hopping out of bed and feeling fully refreshed. The sky isn’t yet dark, so you’re glad to see that you hadn’t slept through the entirety of the day. You make your way through the house to find the source of the noise.

In the middle of the living room the boys are piled around each other, flipping cards vigorously. You’re not sure what game they’re playing, but from the looks of it, Jungkook is winning.

And he’s so damn cocky about it.

“C’mon, Hyung!” he teases Yoongi. “You can do better than that!”

“Shut up!” he whines, standing up in defeat and opting to watch the rest of the game unfold instead. He sees you and rolls his eyes. “Please come get him. He’s so annoying.”

“Sorry,” you say with a shrug as you snuggle up beside him. “Once he gets going you already know there’s no stopping him.”

“Yah, you’re like that too, you know.”

“Yeah,” chirps Hoseok. “Why are we playing with him? You should play with him instead.”

“No!” exclaims Jungkook. “Finish this game first!”

The boys simultaneously voice their complaints, but they continue to play anyway because really, none of them want to say no to the maknae.

The game ends with Jungkook winning (of course) and everyone disperses to do their own thing. Namjoon and Yoongi decide to go walk on the beach front next to the house (something about “inspiration” and “you wouldn’t understand”) while Jimin and Jungkook hooked up their own console and decided to play a versus game.

Jungkook and Jimin launched into it immediately, shouting at each other while you and Taehyung laughed behind them, egging them on.

An hour later and both you and Taehyung are irreparably bored. Jimin and Jungkook are still fully immersed in their game―mostly because Jimin is winning for once and neither of them are willing to quit now. But you’ve been trying to get your boyfriend’s attention for the past 20 minutes now and it’s just. not. working.

“Kookieeee,” you whine at him, playing with the locks of his hair.

“Yeah, in a minute,” he replies, his eyes glued to the screen. You turn around to face Taehyung and roll your eyes, making a “what now?” gesture.

He stares at you with a frown for a moment before his eyes light up, and he beckons you over with his hand.

“What?” you ask.

“Hug his back, stick your fingers under his shirt... tease him so he gets distracted and loses and then we can all do something else.”

“I never thought I’d hear you suggest to me that I try and fuck your best friend,” you laugh quietly.

“Well you heard me! Try and fuck him!”

You giggle as you slip behind your boyfriend, back hugging him while your fingers make their way under his sweatshirt. “Babe?” he asks, “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” you say even as your lips graze the skin on the back of his neck. He shudders under you and fumbles with his controller slightly.

“Yah! You’re distracting me!”

Taehyung gives you a big thumbs up and mouths at you to keep going.

Your hands move higher up his chest, finding his sensitive nipples as you place full kisses on the back of his neck. When you bite softly on the skin under his ear, he whimpers just loud enough for you to hear, and you smile, knowing you’ve won.

“Yes! I win!” Jimin cheers triumphantly, standing to high-five Tae.

“Fucking shit,” growls Jungkook, grabbing your hand and dragging you away. He takes you directly to your shared bedroom and practically throws you on the bed. You squeal in delight as he climbs on top of you to capture your lips with his. “Why are you such a tease?” he asks.

“You were ignoring me!”

“Well now I’m hard and it’s all your fault.”

“I think I can help you remedy that,” you reply with a wiggle of your eyebrows.

“Yeah,” he replies as he slips off your pants. “It’s the least you can do. Grab me a condom.”

You pout at him from your place beneath him. “What do you need a condom for? You know I like it better when we go bare.”

“Well who said you would get to cum, baby?” he asks with a devious grin as he leans down to kiss you once more.

“What? Jungkook,” you whine.

“C’mon, we have to be quick, baby. They’re waiting for us so we can do other things.”

“B-But―”

“Hey, you started this. Tell me the safeword and I’ll stop.”

You frown but roll your eyes at him, taking him by the band of his pants and pulling him towards you. “Fuck me then,” you whisper.

He growls and moves his fingers to your already very wet pussy and toys with it a bit while you pull his hard cock out of his sweatpants. He hisses at the sensation, enjoying the way your hands feel around him. “C’mon, babygirl, get me that condom.”

As much as you don’t want to, you obey, knowing that if you behave now he’ll be more forgiving later. You carefully roll the condom on him, and he pushes you back, grabbing one leg and propping it over his shoulder. He fingers you twice before sliding into you easily; the both of you moan in tandem.

“F-Fuck, Jungkook,” you gasp.

“No cumming, babygirl,” he reminds you. You have half a mind to protest―and you promise you would if it weren’t for the relentless pace that he starts right off the bat.

“Jungkook!”

“Fuck,” he groans as he pounds into you quickly, “you feel so good.”

You sigh in pleasure, your head rolling back as he takes you. His cock rubs along your walls in all the right ways and you can feel the heat climbing its way through your body.

But Jungkook was already on edge, so he’s fucking you ruthlessly because he’s so, so close. “Y-Y/N... Ah, fuck, fuck, fuck!”

“Jungkook, please―please let me cum!”

“N-No,” he stutters as the rhythm of his hips fall out of time. “Don’t cum.”

“Jungkook, please, just a little more,” you whine, grabbing his arms and desperately hoping he’ll agree.

He doesn’t though as he lets out one more drawn out groan and he stills inside you, breathing heavily as he empties himself into the condom. “Mm, fuck,” he moans and pulls out.

You pine at him, wanting him to come back and finish you off because there was no way you’d be satisfied on your own now. “Baby, Jungkook, please.”

“Sorry, babe,” he says as he ties off the condom and throws it away. “Maybe if you’re good I’ll let you cum later tonight.”

You whine in desperation, knowing that the little noises you make never cease to drive him insane. But Jungkook isn’t budging today and you know it’s because he doesn’t want you to win and it’s so damn infuriating.

“Jungkook!”

“C’mon, baby,” he says with an innocent smile. “I think they’re waiting for us.”

You groan in frustration and roll over, pulling your pants and panties back up and glaring at your boyfriend. “I hate you. You’re the worst. I don’t love you anymore.”

He shrugs and takes your hand in his. “That’s too bad because I love you lots.”

Jungkook leads you back into the living room where Namjoon and Taehyung are idly chatting while Hoseok helps Jin in the kitchen. The scent of whatever they’re making is wafting through the room, stirring your hunger.

Great. Now you’re just as hungry as you are horny.

You flop down next to Namjoon with a frustrated groan, and he looks at you in confusion. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

“My boyfriend is an asshole,” you reply with a pointed glare towards Jungkook to which he simply grins and wraps his arm around the sleepy-looking Yoongi that’s just appeared.

“What’d he do? I though you guys just went to...” Taehyung starts but trails off as an embarrassed blush creeps up his cheeks.

“Yeah,” you grumble. “I thought that too.”

“In fairness, we did,” Jungkook says as he sits on the floor in front of you.

“You’re the fucking worst.”

“Ah, it’s funnier because you love me.”

“Do I? Do I?”

“Hyung,” says Jungkook to Namjoon, “Don’t you think Y/N loves me.”

“I don’t know. Not right now at least.”

You smile in victory and stick your tongue out childishly at Jungkook. Yoongi rolls his eyes at the both of you. “It’s like you’re the same person.”

“Food!” Hoseok calls from his place in the kitchen, turning your attention to your grumbling stomach. The rest of you―all of you except Jin and Hoseok―scurry around setting the table and making sure there are enough chairs for the patio table outside.

You’re tasked with getting drinks for everyone, and for a second you contemplate skipping Jungkook’s, but then you realize that being petty just might not work out in your favor. Jungkook has no qualms about leaving you completely frustrated.

“Thanks for cooking!” Jimin says to Jin and Hoseok when they step outside with bowls of food.

They set down the food and everyone digs in immediately, munching happily. Jungkook scoops up some noodles and holds it out to you; you smile, forgetting your annoyance as he feeds you sweetly.

“Hey,” Hoseok pipes from farther down the table, “We should play another game!”

“No,” Taehyung groans. “Jungkookie is being especially competitive today and I don’t wanna lose again.”

“It’s fine,” Jungkook says with a shrug. “Y/N can play for me while I play Overwatch.”

“No! She’s just as competitive as you are!”

“Yeah, you guys should just play Overwatch together and we’ll do our own thing.”

You look at your boyfriend with an excited grin. “Yes! I’m gonna kick your ass!”

“Yeah? Try me!”

“Look, they’re already at it!” Jin exclaims with a shake of his head.

“Eat faster!” Jungkook yells at you.

“Fight me!” you reply.

“Yah! You see what you’ve started, Taehyungie?”

“It’s not my fault they’re like this!”

You and Jungkook noisily and messily slurp down your food, not wasting any time because really neither one of you could wait to play, your competitive streak showing. You were determined to win, mostly to get back at Jungkook, but Jungkook knew this so he promised to win sheerly out of spite.

Fuck him.

Jungkook turns on the game quickly and takes his place next to you. You shove him away, shouting, “No distractions!” to which he replied, “Fucking hypocrite!”

Anyone who didn’t know better might’ve thought you didn’t like each other. To think you were in love with this idiot.

“Okay, what do I get if I win?” Jungkook asks.

“Uh, you get to sleep on this here couch.”

“What the fuck? How about” ―he pauses to give you a cocky grin― “I get to do whatever I want with you tonight?”

“Fine,” you growl. “But if I win I get to cum and you don’t.”

Jungkook shrugs. “Fair. May the best man win.”

“I will.”

Unfortunately for you, Jungkook is too damn good at this game. Midway through and you’re already losing and you just want to smack that shit-eating grin off of his face. So being frustrated, riled up, and a lot horny, you resort to less-than-fair tactics.

You slot yourself in Jungkook’s lap, wrapping your arms around his neck and your legs around his waist. “H-Hey!” he whines. “This is cheating!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you huff as you lean down to nip at his lips and cheek.

He dodges your advances, looking over your shoulder and at the screen behind you, determined not to let you win.

“Jungkookie~” you sing into his ear.

“It’s not going to work~” he sings back.

You frown, but you don’t let it discourage you. We’ll see about that, you think. You tug at the zipper on his jacket and pull it down, exposing his t-shirt covered chest to you. You slip your hands under and play with the skin on his abs, tracing light circles on them. Jungkook shivers and falters for a second―but just a second―and then his attention is back on the game.

You don’t let up though, digging your nails into his sides ever so slightly as you grind your crotch into his lap. The sensation brings back all of your earlier frustrations, and suddenly you’re grinding onto his lap a little too desperately. “Daddy...” you whisper, and that’s all it takes for Jungkook to break.

He groans, discarding the game controller and moving all of his attention onto you. “Fucking hell, Y/N,” he moans out as you continue rocking on him. You whimper on top of him, and he silences you with a hot and heavy kiss.

“Will you please, please, fuck me now? Can I please cum?”

“Hm, maybe since you asked so nicely.”

“Please, Jungkook.”

“I don’t know... You made me lose my game...”

“Jungkook!” you growl. You grind down on him a couple more times, earning a few delicious gasps from him before promptly lifting yourself off. “Fine,” you tell him. “I’ll do it myself.”

You march to your bedroom without hesitation, not bothering to see if your boyfriend decided to come with you. You sit down on the bed and take your clothes off, and the air is wonderfully chilly against your soaking hot pussy. “Fuck,” you moan as you slide two fingers into you easily, finally getting some relief. You pump your fingers, slowly gaining momentum and stopping every so often to curl them and find your g-spot.

Your whimpers and moans are interrupted by an annoyed looking Jungkook saying, “Enjoying yourself?”

You look up to glare at him before collapsing back on the bed and continuing your ministrations. “Yes, yes I am, thank you.”

“I bet I can do it better, babe,” he whispers as he crawls onto the bed beside you.

“Well, you had the opportunity, asshole.”

“C’mon, Y/N,” he coos, nuzzling into your neck. “Let me make you feel good.”

His hand reaches down for yours, removing it from your pussy. You whine at the loss of contact, about to complain when he swiftly replaces it with his own hand. “J-Jungkook...” you gasp.

He smiles against your neck, kissing you softly as he fingers you slowly, working your walls. He finger-fucks you just a little bit faster as his thumb comes up to stroke your clit. Being so wound up all day, it doesn’t take long for you to come undone underneath him. “Jungkook!” you shout as you writhe under him, bucking into his fingers while he holds you down and coaxes you through your orgasm.

“Good girl,” he praises. “Such a good girl for me.”

“Mm,” you mumble lazily, suddenly feeling immensely less pissed off.

“Think you can go for one more?” he asks as he sits up, pulling you towards him.

You nod in response and help his shirt over his head. You take in his features, tracing the contours of his body with your hands and stopping to kiss each mole and scar and scratch that you find. He laughs lightly and pulls you into a deep kiss.

You stay seated like that for a moment, completely comfortable in his arms as his mouth works against yours. You moan into the kiss and he breaks away in a grin. “Come here, baby,” he says and flips you over.

He straddles himself on top of you, kneading your back. His hands work their way down your skin until they reach your ass and he stops there with a solid smack. You cry out, causing him to do it again because you sound so good. “You sound so pretty,” he compliments, and your face is as red as your ass.

He decides he’s tired of it, though, and you can feel his hard cock against your thigh. He rubs it against the outside folds of your pussy, teasing you until you’re whining under him. “Jungkook! Hurry up!”

“God, so impatient,” he chides, but he slides in anyways.

“F-Fuck, Jungkook!”

“You’re so tight. Feels so good, babygirl.”

He withdraws, sinking back into you slowly and you claw at the sheets because goddamn it you need more. He knows this―and he’s certainly straining with effort because there’s nothing more that he wants to do than plow into you―but he loves the way you move under him. Loves the way you just need him. Loves it because it feels like he’s won.

“J-Jungkook, please move. Fuck, please move. Fuck me,” you plead.

You don’t need to hear an answer when he obliges quickly, pushing himself onto your back so he can let his hips do the work. “Shit, Y/N,” he moans as he picks up his pace.

“D-Don’t stop!” you moan. “Fuck!”

“Oh, god, fuck,” he groans, his hips slapping against the back of your thighs with every thrust.

“Jungkook―I―shit―I’m gonna cum!”

“You’re doing so good, baby,” he coos. “You can hang on.”

“N-No, I―fuck!” you shout as you cum again, releasing yourself on his still hard cock. The sensation of your walls squeezing around him doesn’t slow him down; in fact, it only makes him move that much faster and that much harder.

You whine and whimper under him, your pussy overused and sensitive. He pulls out briefly to flip you on your back before reentering your hot core. “I’m almost there, babe,” he gasps as you clench around him again. “You feel so good, fuck!”

He slams into you over and over again, and all you can do is hang on desperately for the ride. You grab at his hair and leave scratches down his back and you’re damn near screaming under him.

Three more thrusts and he’s stilled inside you, spilling into you with a deep, guttural moan. It’s so warm and you feel so full and you sigh contentedly when he finally slips out of you. He turns to face you, still as energetic as ever, and says, “So do you love me again?”

You reach out to slap his arm and roll your eyes. “Only if you clean up the cum that’s dripping down my leg.”

He looks at you with mischievous eyes before scooping up the falling cum with his fingers and feeding it to you, stopping only to lick some up himself. “Better?”

“Mm, I guess so.”

“So does this mean you love me?” he asks again with an amused grin.

“Ugh, I guess,” you reply as you sit up.

“Wanna go finish our game?”

You shake your head at him as you get dressed. “I’m tired,” you whine.

“You’re just saying that because you know you’re gonna lose.”

Your head shoots up and you narrow your eyes at him. “Is that a challenge?”

Jungkook stands quickly, racing to put on his clothes.

“Loser doesn’t get to orgasm next time!”

“Then I hope you like blue balls!”

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