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#It allowed my sister to pack up her car and leave though. So it worked as a good distraction. The house seems so quiet now
satans-knitwear · 4 months
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Behold! An enormous snugglebeast.
It has cookie flavoured lipbalm on its head now.
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togrowoldinv · 1 year
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Spring Break
College!Natasha Romanoff x Female Reader
When Yelena invites you on a trip, your relationship with Natasha becomes harder to hide from her
Warnings: Smut! 18+ please! Lots of teasing, cursing, oral, also some soft moments
Note: I’m back with more college Nat! Check out Sweetheart for some backstory here. Follow my library blog for fic updates! Enjoy!
Natasha Romanoff Masterlist 1, Natasha Romanoff Masterlist 2, Main Masterlist
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“Natasha,” you say breathlessly as the woman pulls at your hips to bring your center closer to her face. She hums against you as you continue to get close.
But then you’re interrupted.
“I’m home!” Yelena’s voice rings out from the living room.
"Fuck, she wasn’t supposed to be home yet,” you say while frantically trying to get off Natasha.
“No, not so fast,” Natasha says. She pulls your hips back down. “Just stay quiet. You’re going to come for me, sweetheart.”
“Nat, she could come in and-“ you’re cut off by Natasha’s tongue on you again. She works quickly and you bite your lip as you come for her.
“Good girl,” Natasha says quietly as she lets go of your waist.
You hear footsteps approaching your room and Natasha sits up to kiss you before she grabs her clothes and sneaks into your closet. You slip your clothes on quickly.
She shuts the door right as her sister enters your room.
“Hey y/n,” Yelena greets you. She walks right in and sits at your desk.
“Hey, what’s up?” You try act casual.
“So, I’m booking a trip for spring break,” she begins. “And I want you to come with us.”
“Us meaning you and Kate?” You ask even though you know the answer. She nods. “I don’t know Yelena. Third wheeling isn’t so fun.”
“So you’re going to just sit here all week? Come on, please! It’ll be so fun,” Yelena begs you. She gives you her best puppy dog eyes and pout.
“Fine,” you agree. “How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing at all. Kate’s mom is rich, so it’s basically free except for food and drinks.”
You give her a stunned look and she only shrugs.
“We leave Friday!” She says as she walks out of your room.
You shut the door and Natasha comes out of your closet.
“So I guess you heard I’ll be gone next week,” you say with a sigh.
“Why aren’t you excited?” She asks, sitting on your bed next to you.
“I just kind of hate third wheeling with them. And she doesn’t know about us so it’s like I can’t really say no,” you explain.
“I see,” Natasha says. She wraps an arm around your shoulder and you lean into her. You’ve found that you love the soft moments with her just as much as the sex with her.
“I’ll miss you,” you say. And it’s true. You’ve gotten used to sneaking around and seeing Nat almost everyday since that party where you hooked up.
“I’ll miss you too, baby. It’ll be okay,” she assures you. “I’ve got class in the morning, so I should probably get going. Is that alright?”
“Of course, yeah. I’ll talk to you later?”
“Absolutely.”
Natasha kisses you once more before you check to make sure the coast is clear and then she leaves your room and apartment.
The days leading up to the trip go by quickly and before you know it you’re packed and in the car to the airport.
“We are just making one more stop and then to the airport,” Kate tells the driver.
You have no idea what that stop could be, but when you arrive at a familiar apartment your heart beats faster.
Your gut feeling is confirmed when the redhead slips into the seat next to you.
“Hey,” Natasha says simply, a smirk that only you understand is on her face.
Yelena moves out of her seat and hugs her sister. “I’m so glad you could come!”
“Me too,” Nat says. “It’ll be nice to catch up and relax.”
The ride to the airport feels long and intense with the way Natasha’s thigh brushes against yours. When you get into the plane, you can’t all four sit together so you split up into twos. Obviously, you and Natasha end up together.
“How are you here?” You ask her. The loudness of the plane and being a few rows away from Yelena and Kate allows for you to talk like this.
“Yelena asked me,” Nat says.
“Why? Do you think she knows?”
“I don’t, no. I think she just wanted me to go. I don’t know.”
You accept that answer is the best you’re going to get.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. It’ll be fun,” Natasha says, slipping her hand into yours. “Think about the fact that I packed my best red bikini.”
Your eyes go wide and Nat chuckles. She likes how easily she can get you flustered.
She holds your hand for the entirety of the flight.
By the time you get to the resort, everyone turns in for an early night. Kate and Yelena go to one room while you and Nat take the other.
“See I told you this would be fun,” Nat says as she slips into bed next to you.
“I guess. But I’m still worried she’s going to find out.”
“Let me ease some of those worries,” she says. Her hand brushes your over the skin of your arm.
“Nat, we can’t do that here,” you say.
“Why?”
“We just- we need to keep it chill this week.”
“Alright,” she agrees. “Chill.”
Something about the tone of her voice and the way she kisses your cheek before she turns over to go to sleep tells you that she won’t be making this week easy.
On the beach the next day, your worries are confirmed as Nat strolls past you in a red bikini. Thank goodness you have sunglasses on or Yelena and Kate would see your eyes unashamedly all over Natasha’s body.
“Did everyone put on sunscreen?” Her voice breaks you from your stare.
“Yes mom,” Yelena answers her sister, rolling her eyes in the process. She goes back to her conversation with Kate.
“Y/n?” Nat asks.
“Um, no I didn’t. But I’ll be fine,” you say.
“You’ll get burnt, sweetheart. Let me put some on you,” she says with a smirk on her face.
She doesn’t give you a chance to argue before she’s in front of you with a bottle in her hands.
“We’re going to the water,” Kate announces before her and Yelena walk off hand in hand.
Natasha gestures for you to stand up. You do so and she slips into your chair. She pats the space in between her legs.
“Come on, it’s just sunscreen,” she teases you. You sit on the chair between her legs, trying to ignore the way her her hands are immediately on your hips.
She puts the lotion in her hands and begins applying it to your back. Nat takes her time as she does so. Her hands drift down further and over to your thighs. Deft fingers run over your inner thighs.
“Natasha,” you practically moan.
“You like that, baby?” She asks. Her mouth is next to your ear. You nod and she pulls her hands away. You let out a small whimper. “Don’t do that, sweetheart. You said we were keeping it chill this week.”
Her lips ghost over the back of your neck as she taps your hips for you to stand up. She puts the bottle away and walks towards the waves, leaving you there speechless.
And that’s what she does for the entirety of the next few days. Never missing an opportunity to tease you, she keeps you flustered.
On the final full day, you’re laying out in the sun when Natasha comes up to you. She’s been in the water and her skin glistens with water droplets. She takes her hair down and shakes it out. The water hits your body.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you wet,” Natasha says. Her words and the look on her face is enough to make you wet, and not from the ocean water.
You stand up and excuse yourself back to the resort. Trying to cool down, you get a water from the fridge. When you close the door, Natasha is standing on the other side of it.
“Fuck! You scared me,” you say.
“Sorry,” she chuckles. She hops on the counter. “You’re not playing it very chill by the way.”
“Me? Says the one who is teasing me!”
Natasha laughs and reaches her hands out for you. You look towards the door and back to Nat. You really do miss being in her arms.
Taking her hands, you step between her legs.
“What’s the harm in not keeping it chill just once?” Nat asks. “Besides I did actually make you wet, didn’t I?”
“Yes.”
“Yes what?” She asks, her fingers hover over the waistband of your bathing suit.
“Yes daddy.”
“There we go, baby.”
Natasha slips her fingers into your suit bottoms and runs them over your slick folds. She smirks at how wet you really are. Slipping then down your legs, she gets off the counter and is on her knees in front of you.
“Oh fuck,” you say as her mouth gets work quickly. You reach for the counter in front of you so you don’t lose your footing. She makes you weak in the knees.
“Be good for me, baby,” she says with a sternness to her voice. Her hands grip the back of your thighs tightly.
You’re so into it that you don’t notice the door opening. But you do hear it close. So does Natasha. She stops eating you out and stands up abruptly.
“Was it Yelena?” She asks.
“I don’t know,” you say. “Oh god, I don’t know.”
You start to pace the kitchen in a panic. Nat hands you your suit bottoms before she goes to the door to see if she can tell who it was. She has no luck.
“Okay relax, baby. If it was Yelena, she would’ve said something. Maybe it was housekeeping or something?” Natasha tries to ease your worries.
“Or it was Kate who will immediately tell Yelena,” you say.
“Let’s just not worry about it, okay? We’ll get cleaned up and get ready for dinner.”
“Okay.”
“Hey, I’ve got you,” she says, taking your face in her hands. She kisses your forehead gently.
It’s not long before Yelena and Kate are back and getting ready for dinner as well. The four of you walk to the restaurant and everything appears to be going smoothly.
Until during dinner when Yelena turns to Kate and asks, “Are you okay? You’ve been quiet all night.”
“Oh yeah, I’m good. It’s just- never mind,” Kate replies. Her eyes bounce between you and Nat. Your pace quickens.
“What is it, babe?” Yelena pushes.
“I saw something,” Kate blurts out. Yelena raises a brow, prompting her to continue. “It was Natasha and y/n they were-“
“We’re dating,” Natasha interrupts Kate. “We have been dating for about a month.”
“Oh,” is Yelena’s only response.
You jump in. “We were going to tell you.”
“Excuse me,” Yelena leaves the table.
Your eyes tear up as you worry about how she reacted and if she will still be your best friend.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Nat says. “Stay with Kate. I’m going to go talk to her.” She rubs her hand on your back before she leaves the table.
“I’m sorry,” Kate says. “I just felt like I had to tell her.”
“It’s alright,” you say.
Meanwhile, Natasha finds Yelena back up in the room.
“Why?” Yelena speaks first. “Why my best friend?”
“Because she’s everything to me,” Natasha replies. “When I’m with her, I just feel at home.”
Yelena sees the truth in Natasha’s eyes. She’s never seen her like this before.
“You’re not just hooking up with her?”
“No,” Nat says. “It started the first time that way, but really it was more than that by the time we finished. Yelena, I promise, I’m not going to hurt her.”
Yelena crosses the room and takes her sister into her arms. For so long, they’ve only had each other. And now they both have you.
“Can we go back to dinner?” Natasha asks, holding her little sister tight.
“Yeah,” Yelena says. “Just promise me that nothing with us will change because of this.”
“I promise, sestra,” Natasha says.
The two walk back to the restaurant and Yelena walks ahead to get to you first. She hugs you from behind.
“Don’t hurt my sister,” she says.
“I won’t, I promise.”
“I know,” she says. “Also, don’t tell me anything about your sex life. Got it?”
You laugh at that. “Got it, Yel. I love you.”
“Love you too,” Yelena says. She goes back to her side of the table and Nat sits next to you again.
“We’re okay?” You ask her.
“We’re okay, sweetheart.”
Natasha reaches for your hand underneath the table. With the feeling of her hand in yours, love radiates between the two of you.
And everything feels right.
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coldfanbou · 2 years
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Neighborhood PT1
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Hello everyone! This is the first part of a short series involving Twice's J-line. This part is more of an introductory piece meant to set up the later parts. There's very little smut in this part
Length 2.5K
Momo gives a blowjob to M reader
Next Part
You wake up to knocking on your door. “Are you awake yet? The girls are here for you.” You check the clock and see that you overslept. As you hurriedly get dressed, they barge through the door. Momo, Mina, and Sana bust through you’re door; they had grown impatient waiting for you. They catch you in a compromised position, you’re trying to get your shirt over your head, and your shorts fall to your knees. You’re unaware that they are the ones that opened the door, however. “Close the door, will you?” You hear the door shut, and once you finally have your shirt on, you see who it is at the door. You try to cover yourself and pull up your shorts. “You could have at least said something when you opened the door.” 
Momo is the first to speak, “Relax; it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. We saw each other like this all the time as kids.” 
“Yeah, as kids. Things are different now.”
“How so?” Momo always loved teasing you; being the oldest between you all and always focusing on her fitness led to many moments of you two fighting, usually with you losing. Her want to work out and be fit caused her to challenge you a lot.
“I-it’s just different; we’re adults now” You get embarrassed at Momo’s question.
Sana chimes in, “But we’ll always be together!” Sana was cute, always cheery, and sometimes an airhead. She was the youngest of the sisters. You had a crush on her in elementary school; she knew that well and used it to tease you. She still does; you and the sisters decided to attend the same university. It was near home and offered great opportunities for all of you, but it meant you would endure Sana’s teasing with friends.
“Yes, Sana, but you guys can’t just walk into my room unannounced.” 
Mina spoke up, “Come on, let’s go. We need to get to the mall. We’re wasting time, and you said you’d spend the day with us”  Mina was the middle child and the quietest of the bunch. As children, she always spent time around you and would get aggressive if other kids tried to play with you. The two of you mostly spent your time together playing and watching movies. 
“I know, I know, just let me put on my shoes, and we’ll go” Today, you all went off to the mall, it was your usual place, and its closeness to the beach allowed you to walk there. 
Momo speaks again, “Right, well, we’ll wait for you in the car” As the girls leave before you, Sana takes a moment you slap your ass before scurrying out.  
“Sana!” you yell as you start chasing after her. Sana screams as you chase her down the stairs. She slips on the last stair and begins to fall when you grab onto her and hold her as you both hit the ground. You hold Sana in your arms while you get the wind back in your lungs. “Are you alright, Sana?” 
“Yeah, I’m okay. What about you?” 
“I’m fine” You let go of Sana, but she stays on your chest for a few seconds. 
That’s when Mina walks in. “Hey, everything alright? I heard something-” Mina stops when she sees Sans lying on top of you. She grabs Sana and has her get up. She kneels by your side. “Hey, are you alright?” There’s a softness in her voice as she checks on you.  She holds your hand and makes sure that you’re okay. “Don’t worry me like that” You feel your face turn red; this was the first time in a long while that Mina had shown you this kind of worry.  
“I’m fine, Mina. Just help me up” Mina helps you, and you make your way to the car. When you get in, Momo asks what happened in there.
“Just a bit of an accident; everyone’s fine, though.” 
“Alright then, let’s get going” Momo starts the car, and you all make your way to the mall. 
You already knew that Momo meant this trip for them; you’d be more of a packing mule. Each one of them had a distinctive style. Momo often wore workout gear; if there were any place you’d find her, it would be in the gym. Her gear tended to be more revealing, often just a sports bra and some tight leggings that accentuated her curves.  Sana often wore clothes that hugged her body. It was always something bright and colorful, much like her personality. Mina was the most different; she often wore dark baggy clothes. Oversized sweaters and jeans were more her style. 
At the end of every clothing store were more bags of clothes they bought. Your arms start to get tired from the weight of all the bags. You tell the trio you’re going to make a trip to the car to drop them off. “I’ll come with you, Momo, give me the keys” Momo hands over her keys, and Mina walks with you to the car. “Thanks for carrying all our bags; you must be exhausted.” 
“No, I’m fine. I’ve done this for years now.” You smirk saying that. It was true; for years, you had been the one carrying their bags. As you reach the car, Mina unlocks it and helps you place everything inside. As you finish, you take a deep breath, you may have done this for a long time, but it still makes you tired. 
Mina pats your back. “Good job,” her hand lingers there. She stares at you. Mina takes a step toward you, her hand on your chest. She brings her head to yours and suddenly brushes your hair. Her  voice stuttering, she says, “You had something in your hair.” 
“Oh, thanks for getting it,” You say that, oblivious to the fact that she was about to kiss you. As you make your way back to the mall, Mina makes sure she’s walking in front of you. As you try to get beside her, she speeds up to keep the distance between you two. “Mina, what’s wrong?” 
“Nothing, it’s nothing. We just have to get back to them,” Mina sputters out of embarrassment.  
You grab her hand. “Mina, you’re pushing yourself away again. What’s wrong?” Mina’s forced to look at you now; her face is red. “You know you can talk to me, Mina.” 
She looks down, and her voice is small as she says, “It’s nothing really; we can talk about it when we get home. ” 
“Alright, we’ll talk about it then” You pat Mina’s head and continue back to the other two. You didn’t notice Mina’s smile as you pat her head, her happiness at being treated like this. Once back with Momo and Sana, you realize they already had more bags for you. You sigh in defeat, knowing you’re right back where you started. 
“Don’t worry, we finished up; you just need to make another trip to the car, and we can head to the beach. Consider it your workout for today; after all, you need one” Momo was quick to say that she was always trying to get you to work out with her. You don’t respond and instead, take her and Sana’s bags. This time you go to the car by yourself and put everything away quickly. As you return to the group, you overhear them giggling about something. You overhear them say your name but can’t make out anything else.
“Hey, what did I miss?” They look at you before glancing at Mina for a split second.
“Oh, nothing. Come on, let’s go to the beach. We can watch the sunset.” Sana grabs your arm and holds it as she leads you to the beach. Momo is quick to grab your other arm in the same way. Mina ends up walking to the side of the three of you. You reach the top of the hill before the beach. You all take your usual spots at a nearby table. You had all carved your names into it as children. You all take a seat and look at the sight before you. The golden sands of the beach seem endless, and the water glimmers as the final bits of sunlight hit it. As you look at the sand on the beach meet the ocean, you remember all the time you spent here. You four would always sit here and just talk. As you look at Momo, Sana, and Mina, flashes of their younger selves appear, and you start to think about how much you’ve all changed over the years. The girls that you knew had grown up into beautiful young women. “Whatcha looking at?” Sana asks, breaking your train of thought for a second. You consider what to say to them and decide to be honest.
“All of you, You’ve all grown up to be beautiful women….” you realize what you’re saying and become embarrassed.
Sana is the first to jump on this. “Oh, you think we’re pretty? Do you have a crush on me again?” 
Momo comes in next. “Say that again; I want to hear you say that again.” It’s one of the few times you’ve complimented her.
Last is Mina. “You think I’m beautiful?” The honest question hits you the hardest. You look away for a second to gather yourself. 
“I think that you’re all beautiful” You make sure to look each one in the eyes as you say that. Each one has a different look in their eyes; Momo has a strong sense of confidence, Mina has a look of shock and happiness, and Sana has a devious look as if she sees an opportunity. “Let’s just watch the sunset,” You say, unable to find any other words. The sun goes down, and the world goes dark. The only remaining light is that of the street lamps. As you all begin to make your way home, you stare out the car's window, thinking about today.
As you reach your homes, you look over at Mina, and she nods her head. You both remember you agreed to talk. You help move all the bogs of clothing into the sister’s house. After you’re done, you walk to Mina’s room. It was always dark, besides the light coming from the corner. Her PC lights up the room with bright colors. You sit next to her on her bed. “So what was wrong, Mina?”
“Nothing, nothing’s wrong anymore” She gives you an honest smile. You’re slightly confused at what could have changed since then, but you’re glad that she seems better. 
“That’s good, and thanks for this morning” You pat Mina’s head. 
“I was just worried about you” In the silence after Mina’s words, she forces you to lay on her bed with a hug. 
“Mina?” 
“I-please” You don’t know what exactly she wants, but you stay there with Mina lying on top of you. Mina holds onto you laying her head on your chest.
“I-” There's a knock on the door as Mina is about to say something.
“Hey, we need some help moving stuff; get out here” It’s Momo that’s interrupted this moment between you and Mina. Mina stays on you, keeping you on her bed.
“I know you’re in there” Momo's voice grows louder.
“I guess you should go help” Mina seems sad having you leave her. She gets off you and stays seated as you get up and go. She starts smiling again when you mess with her hair before you leave. 
“What did you need to move, Momo?” 
“Follow me” Momo gives you no other explanation, and you follow her into the garage. As you walk in, you see nothing she would need your help moving. Momo turns around and pushes you toward the wall behind you. Her hand slams against the wall while she leans in close. “Who do you like more?” 
“What?”
“Out of the three of us, who do you like more?” Momo’s question comes out of left field, was this what they were talking about before you got back to them? You consider her question, unsure how to answer.
“I-I like all of you” It’s a lousy answer considering that she wants you to choose one of them. 
“Is it Sana, Mina, or me?” She continues with her questions ignoring your previous answer. 
“Look, I like you all; we’ve spent our entire lives together. How could I choose between you all?” Another wrong answer, and to make matters worse, you’re entirely oblivious that Momo means romantic interest instead of platonic. At this point, Momo knows that you won’t say anything different and pushes her luck. She leans in and kisses you. You’re caught off guard, and your mouth opens in surprise. Momo sees her chance, and her tongue starts to explore your mouth. Her hand, which was on your chest, moves to your crotch. Momo rubs your cock through your pants.
“I guess I need to help you choose me”  Momo undoes your pants and pulls down your boxers. Momo’s hand grabs your cock, and her hand glides along its length. 
“Momo wait”  She doesn’t listen and continues. Her soft hand squeezes your shaft with every tug. 
“We’ve always liked you, always wanted to be with you. You need to choose, and I’m making the first move. I’ll show you why it should be me.”  Momo’s hands grow wet as your precum gets on them. Momo squats down and takes your cock in her mouth. Her movements are quick; she bobs her head while her tongue toys with your head. You can feel yourself about to cum, and Momo must sense it as she slows down to a crawl. Her tongue starts to slowly swirl around the head of your cock, while she massages your balls. Momo bobs her head slowly, taking as much as she can in. As your cock descends into her mouth and down her throat, you feel your balls tighten as you are about to cum. Your hands take hold of Momo’s head as you hold her there and cum down her throat without warning. Once you feel yourself finish, you release her head. Momo starts coughing as she tries to catch her breath, and a smile slowly comes over her.  “I didn’t know you would be so rough at the end; I think we’ll be a perfect match. Let’s keep going” Momo is about to start stripping when the sound of people descending the stairs becomes louder. You rush to dress your lower half. Sana and Mina both walk into the garage.
“What’s going on?” By their tone, they're completely unaware of what just happened 
“Momo and I were just talking about some stuff after we finished moving what she needed help with.”  They shoot a glance at each other, showing some doubt they have about what you said. “I should get going, though; it’s getting late. I’ll see you tomorrow.” You make your way home and, once in your room, think about what Momo did and said. They’ve always liked you. Your face glows red out of embarrassment at the thought you never noticed any of their feelings toward you. You thought about each of them, all special and great in their own ways. How could you choose between them? Who would you choose?
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non-stop-imagines · 5 months
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“The Absent and The Invisible”- 🐹 anon
Oh, I'm excited about this one!! Here's the little prequel/background story part I have so far 😊
(Hint: Older Brother!Max x Younger sister!Reader)
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January 2010 (Yn: Age 7; Max: Age 12)
You poke your head into Max's room at your dad's house, quietly watching him pack his things for karting practice. You were staying with your dad for a week, an agreement made between your mom and Jos that allowed you to see your siblings a bit more often then if you only lived in South Africa with your mom. Half of whatever break that came up in your school schedule, right now being the later half Winter Break.
"Are you getting ready for karting practice again?" You draw out the whine in your voice as you shuffle your way into his room and flop onto his bed.
"Yes. Why are you in my room?" He answers bluntly without looking at you, making sure he has everything he needed, which required extra equipment due to the extremely cold Dutch winter.
"Because. Why are you always karting?" You pick up the book that was lying closed on his bed a flip through it, making yourself bounce on his mattress.
"Because I like to. And I want to be the best and drive in Formula 1 and to do so I need to practice." He zips up his bag and then walks over to you on his bed to pluck his book from your hands. "Why are you in my room?"
"I wanted to play a game." You were unphased by the loss of the book in your hands, still bouncing on the bed.
"Why not ask Victoria?" Now fully ready for practice, Max stood with his arms crossed watching you unamused.
"Because she's on the phone with her friends, like always. And your more fun to play with because you get angry when you lose." You stop bouncing when Max points you off of his bed, straightening up his covers once your off and twisting in his desk chair. He though about it, and the small soft spot he had for his youngest sister kicked in.
"What game?" Max went back over to his bag, giving it a light kick as he waited for your answer.
"Operation." Your answer was bright and chipper, which was followed by the completely contrasting boom of Jos' voice calling Max down to leave for practice.
"Fine, we'll play before bed. Now, out of my room." You happily bound out of his room while he gathers his things and closes his door behind him, responding to the second call from his father.
"Thank you, Max!" You head to your room to pull out the game and practice while he heads the opposite direction to go downstairs and meet Jos by the door.
_____
"Max..." The sing-songy tone in your high pitched voice floats into Max's room, making him roll his eyes when the game box appears in his door. You then appear behind the box, eyes widened and lips in a pout. "You promised."
"I know... Fine. One game and then you go." You happily skip into his room and bring setting up the game on his floor, giving him time to pause the game on his Nintendo DS and mentally prepare for playing the board game that his sister was oddly obsessed with.
"Okay, I'll go first." You slowly, and surprisingly steadily, reach into what you deemed was the easiest, and pulled out the rubber band, dropping it into the tray that was off to the side of the board and handing the tweezers to Max. To be completely honest, you guys never looked at the instruction ls for the game, but merely came to a consensus on how to play that works until someone is losing and then opens up for cheating.
"Of course you went for the easy one." Max attempts to go for the butterfly piece in the stomach, but the irritating beep from the tweezers hitting the edge of the cavity indicated the end of his turn, forcing him to reluctantly relinquish the toy tweezers.
"I had to make it harder for you." You go for the same piece as your brother and effortlessly lift it out of its cavity and drop it into the tray. "And that is why I'm gonna be a surgeon. And your just gonna drive cars."
"Formula 1 is more than just 'driving cars'." Max goes completely quiet as he goes for the water pail piece, successfully pulling it out and dropping it into the tray. "Ha!"
"What are you two doing up?" Jos' booming voice from Max's door made both of you jump and turn towards him. You start to stutter out an answer when Max speaks up.
"I promised I would play a game with her before bed." You hadn't noticed, but Max seemed to subconsciously move his body between you cleaning up the board game pieces and your guys' father's ster stature.
"It's well past your bedtime. And I'm sure once your hard work pays off and your making millions from being the best driver in Formula 1, your sister would've forgotten all about you not playing a board game with her." Jos waved you to him and towards your room, harshly flicking off Max's bedroom light as he leaves the door frame.
You never did quite forget about not being able to play with your brother.
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Always, Only. You 29.2
Talia had taken Y/N in to her pack after your parents and their pack  were brutally murdered. For years she trained and learned under Talia alongside Derek , Laura and Cora. One night Talia tells you along with Derek that you two have to imprint on each other , to become each other’s mates. Your connection to Derek has always been stronger than his to you. So after the fire it killed you to be away from him , but you had to do it for your own survival. 7 years after the fact , you return home. Back to Beacon Hills. But the Derek you return to is not the same Derek you know. Will Y/N ever get Derek to accept the fact they are meant to be together?
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Penthouse
"You live here?" Brett asked as you three walked into Deucalion's penthouse. "Alone?"
"No," you answered, closing the door behind you. "My place is too small. Deucalion left me the keys, lease is under my name and he's paid for the rest of the year so." You shrugged. "It's home for now."
Lori, Brett's sister turned around with a grin on her face. "Thank you for letting us stay with you." She thanked you for the hundredth time again.
"Dont thank me yet. Thank me when you're safely back with your pack."
Lori glanced at Brett almost disappointed. You decided not to acknowledge it. It would be safer for them in the long run if they didn't attach themselves to you.
"Anyway, there are two extra bedrooms in the back. Take your pick and, uh, don't worry about what was left behind. The owners wont miss it at all."
********
You stood under the shower head, allowing the cold water to cascade down your skin. Although you were exhausted, you had barely gotten any rest last night. You were up all night thinking about everything. Hunters, Stiles, Oni, Nogitsune, and the uneasy feeling something big was coming.
What worried you more was your newfound status. You were always part of a pack, never the one leading one. Even though this was only temporary, it would be a matter of time before more came. And then you'd have to step up. You just wished you didn't have to do it alone.
“Good morning.” Lori greeted you. She was at the stove placing the food on a plate. “I hope you dont mind. We helped ourselves.”
“Good morning.” You greeted back. Brett was at the table already eating. "Morning," you greeted him. You turned your attention back to Lori, "not at all. Help yourselves to whatever." You walked over to the counter to begin preparing your cup of coffee.
“Shouldn’t you two be leaving for school soon?”
"Devenford Prep is holding lacrosse tryouts today." Brett answered. He got up to put his plate in the sink and then leaned back against the breakfast counter to look at you with his arms crossed.
You glanced at him over your shoulder, "Ok? What does that have to do with school?"
"Everything." He stated plainly.
You frowned as you finished preparing your coffee. You turned around now to face the two teenagers. You looked over at Lori first. She gave you an apologetic look before standing up and walking over to put her own plate in the sink.
“Uhm, ok?” You sighed. “You can take my car. Just be careful, ok.”
"You know Devenford Prep is on the other side of town, right? I dont know how to drive." He stated matter of factly.
You sighed, growing annoyed. "Devenford is a private school, right? Why are they holding open tryouts?"
"They need lacrosse players." He explained. "I can get in on scholarship."
"Using your werewolf abilities? Thats cheating."
"Not if I worked hard." He stood up straight and uncrossed his arms. "Four months ago I didn't know anything about lacrosse. I know I can get in on skill alone."
You smirked as you looked at Lori. You had to admit, you admired his confidence a little bit. She nodded at you, as if agreeing with her brother. "Ok. Let's go then."
*****
The car ride to Devenford Prep was awkward, to say the least. You could still sense a bit of hostility from Brett. Lori, on the other hand, tried to ask you more about yourself. But whenever the conversation started to get a little too comfortable for Brett's liking he would butt in to change the subject or just look at Lori to get her to stop talking.
Out of the two, you figured Lori was the best to talk to. You had already agreed to take them in for the time being. But you wanted-- needed to know why Deucalion put so much effort in convincing them to come to you and not Scott.
You and Lori sat side by side on the bleachers, watching as the coach spoke to the teenage boys. You were a little nervous for him for some reason. You could tell the other students had an issue with him trying out as well. As the boys broke the huddle and moved further away from you, you decided now was your chance to find out.
"So, what sparked his sudden interest in lacrosse?" You casually ask Lori.
She shrugged, "boredom, I guess. He watched a game once and started practicing the next day."
"Why play for Devenford? Does your school not have a lacrosse team?"
"We do. But Brett says this school would be better."
"Oh." You stated. "Whats wrong with your school?"
"I don't know. Brett's pretty popular."
"What about you? Are you…pretty popular?"
Lori shrugged. "Not...really. But its ok. I have my brother...well had my brother. I know he's going to get in." She smiled.
"It doesn't bother you? At all?"
"No. Why would it?"
"I don't know." You answered, questioningly. "If he gets in...where does that leave you?"
"Brett's always watching out for me. So in a way, I think he might be doing this for me, too."
"Really?" You asked now curiously. "What about your parents?"
"Our parents died in a fire a long time ago." She spoke slowly as she looked down at her hands, already fidgeting with her fingers. "Satomi took us in when she found us. She's great, but Brett has always been the one taking care of me. We're all we have left, you know." She finally looked at you.
"Yeah," you nodded sympathetically. For a moment you pictured Derek's face. "I know exactly what you mean."
You turned your attention back to the tryouts. You spotted Brett on the right side of the field, alone. Across from him you noticed four boys glance at each other. The coach hasn't blown the whistle yet and the four boys rushed at Brett knocking him back a few feet.
"Oh shit." You whispered.
The coach blew the whistle and ran towards the boys. You watched worriedly as Brett removed his helmet and then quickly got up to face the four boys. The biggest of the boys took off his helmet laughing and high-fived the other boys. Brett slowly walked towards him.
"Oh no. He's not gonna wolf out, is he?"
"He's mad but he wont fight." She stated. "He doesn't believe in violence, unless he really needs to."
Brett laughed at the four boys and put his helmet back on. You watched the boys get back in to position for their play. You were now eager to see what he was going to do. The coach blew the whistle again and this time Brett took off. He easily avoided each of the boys as they rushed him, trying to stop him from reaching the goal. The bigger of the boys stood his ground in front of the goal. Brett picked up his pace, used the side of his body knock the kid on his back and scored.
The rest of the tryouts, Brett had the other boys out of breath and tripping over their own feet.
********
Brett walked out in to the living room as he dried his hair with a towel. You noticed him as you shut the dishwasher door. "It was really generous of them to give Lori a scholarship." You said out loud to get his attention.
He only glanced at you but didn't say a word. He looked over at the sofa and then around the living room in confusion.
"I took your uniform to the dry cleaners." You told him. "And thats for you." You gestured to the new lacrosse gear. "A gift.. for making it on to the team."
He looked at you a bit taken aback. "Thanks.." he replied. He then grabbed the lacrosse stick to examine it.
"Is she the reason you learned how to play?" You walked out of the kitchen towards the living room.
"She was having trouble making friends at our old school." He answered. "They were bullies. I didn't want her to keep going through that." He set the lacrosse stick down and grabbed the helmet.
"Really? You never thought of, you know, doing something to stop them? Why go through all the trouble of learning a sport you were never interested and trying out for a different school?"
Brett set down his lacrosse helmet and stared at you. "It wasn't trouble." He told you. "I did it because I wanted to do it for the both of us. Teaching those losers a lesson would have been too easy. They aren't worth it. Trust me." He was a little angry now.
"Oh-ok." You hold your hands up to mean no harm. "I was just curious. I mean it must've made you upset when you first found out. I hear you two are pretty close."
"Yeah."
"How did you deal with it? You've got quite a hot head on you, I noticed."
"Me?" He scoffed with a smirk. "You want to know what makes your scent strong? Your anger."
"Ok, fine." You crossed your arms. "I'm asking for advice here, kid. Watching you during the tryouts, kind of had me thinking maybe Deucalion had another reason of sending you to me. Besides us having a few things in common."
"Like what?"
You sighed. You weren't sure if this kid was actually oblivious or if he enjoyed having you practically beg him for help. "Control. Without using anger. Better yet, controlling my anger."
"Satomi taught us how to meditate. We use a mantra."
"Can you teach me?"
Brett looked stunned at first and then nodded at you. He gestured for you to help him move the furniture to create a big enough space in the center of the room.
"Why do you want to learn how to do this?" He asked you. "Do you really think that's why he convinced us to come find you?"
"I've developed a bit of an anger issue." You halfheartedly joke. "I don't know, it's just a guess really." You finished moving around the furniture and sat in the center of the room across from Brett.
"I was taught anger is the best emotion for control. It's easier. So you could imagine how many angry individuals i've been around growing up." You chuckle softly. "I cant run away from what I am. No matter how much I would like to.” you admitted.
"Beacon Hills is really going to need more than one protector. So if I'm going to embrace what I am.. I want to do it my way. Not out of other people's fears."
Brett nodded in acknowledgment. "It took Lori and I months to master it. So don't feel discouraged."
You giggled slightly. "You sound like you've taught this before."
"No," he shook his head, "never. I just remember how I felt when I started. I was easily frustrated. I really tried to fight it; fighting it just made it worse." He then inhaled a breath and closed his eyes. "Start with a clear mind."
You copied him. He took another set of deep breaths and then, "what three things cannot long be hidden?" He asked quietly. You weren't sure if you had to answer at first until Brett answered himself, "the sun, the moon, the truth." A deep breath.
"The sun, the moon, the truth." you repeated.
"Slower." He instructed. "What three things cannot long be hidden?"
"The sun," you answered this time, slowly, "the moon, the truth." A deep breath. Brett got quiet but you could still hear him taking his breaths. So you did the same. It took a while but you felt your body relax, as if you were melting away.
"Now think about the things that have made you angry. Triggers." he spoke softly. "Spark your anger and then use the mantra to calm yourself." He spoke calmly.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" You kept your eyes closed. You were worried now, but somehow your body remained relaxed.
"I trust you."
You inhaled a deep breath. Then you thought back, on every occasion you have gotten angry. The fire, Talia and Deaton, Deucalion, Jennifer, Kali and Ennis. You inhaled another deep breath. Your heart began to beat faster. "The sun, the moon, the truth." You chanted quietly. "The sun," a breath, "the moon," another breath, "the truth."
Then your mind drifted to Derek. You thought about earlier, before you shifted. Somehow, remembering the incident now, it didn’t make you angry. Instead, it hurt. It made you sad. You repeated the mantra in your head again.
Then more memories with Derek flashed in your mind. Special ones. You inhaled a shaky breath. You imagined Derek's hands all over you, you were practically starting to feel them. The warmth of his palms gently caressing up your arms, to softly graze down your back. The way he'd squeeze you gently just to feel you closer to him.
"The sun," you mumbled, your breathing getting heavier as you remembered the feeling of Derek on top of you, "the moon. The truth."
You were startled out of your daze by big hands grabbing your shoulders. You opened your eyes to see Brett staring at you, awkwardly. Your eyes trailed from his eyes, down to his lips, to his neck then back up to his eyes. Realizing what you were feeling, you closed your mouth and gently pushed him away from you.
"I think that's enough for today."
Brett chuckled and helped you up to your feet. "Sounds like someone needs a cold shower."
You glared at the young man. "I'm going to pick up your uniforms."
**********
The voice in your head was screaming, begging you to turn back. But your body had a mind of its own. Before you realized where you were going, you were already in the elevator going up to his floor.
You stepped out of the elevator, made your way to his door and knocked. After a minute or so there was no answer, so you knocked again. The door slid open. You heart was pumping, eager to see Derek.
"Peter." you were surprised to see him.
"Y/N." He was just as surprised as you were. Without a warning, Peter grabbed you and embraced you in a tight hug.
You froze at first, then Peter's scent filled your nostrils. Your eyes fluttered closed and your hands felt up his back and you grabbed his shoulders. You turned your face inwards to the crook of Peter's neck and inhaled his scent again. His scent was intoxicating, it was making you feel warm inside, you accidentally let out a low whimper as indulged in Peter’s scent.
Peter noticed and he leaned away a bit to look at you. Your faces were so close you could feel his breath fanning your face. You gripped tighter at his shirt, pulling him closer to you. He brought one hand up to caress your cheek, then to the temples of your sunglasses.
You immediately turned away as you felt him pull the sunglasses from your face. "Uhm," you gently pushed him back as you stepped away from him and pressed the sunglasses back up the bridge of your nose, "is Derek here?"
Peter cleared his throat. "yeah," he answered. He gestured you to enter the loft. He didn't say anything else as he slid the loft door shut behind you.
"Peter," You heard Derek's voice first and then he appeared descending the spiral staircase. "who was at the door?" He froze when he saw you descending the stairs towards the center of the loft.
You looked around the room, "is Cora here?" You already knew the answer though. You began stripping yourself of your jacket as you approached Derek.
"She's out with Erica and Isaac. They're actually looking for you," he spoke slowly, watching you carefully. "Is everything ok?"
You were already in front of him. "Fine." You all but whispered, you wrapped your arms around his neck, instinctively Derek placed his hands on either side of your waist. Derek's scent was different from Peter's. It wasn't intoxicating. It was fresh, nostalgic; almost like home.
You slowly leaned in, Derek noticed and grabbed your waist to pull you in and kissed you. The tiny hairs on your body stood up as if your body had been ignited with electricity as soon as your lips met. Without removing himself from you, Derek guided you towards the bed. When he hit the edge of his bed he spun around, still holding your waist, and laid you down on his bed.
You moved your hands down his chest to the hem of his shirt, to pull it over his head. Derek put his hands over yours to stop you and pulled back a bit.
"What?" you breathed.
Derek didn't say a word, instead, he grabbed the sunglasses and slowly removed them from your eyes. You allowed him but you kept your eyes closed. "Open them." he gently instructed.
"No."
"Y/N," he kept his soft, "open your eyes. Please."
You exhaled a deep breath and slowly opened your eyes. Derek stared down at you, one his hands cupping your face as he rubbed his thumb against your cheek. "I'm sorry."
You removed his hand from your face, went to gently grab him by the neck and pushed him to the side so you could straddle him on the bed. You removed your shirt and tossed it behind you.
"I didn't come here for sorry." You reached behind your back for your bra strap, undid it, and then slowly and teasingly pulled it off your body and dropped it next to you on the bed.
Derek swallowed dryly, as he lustfully looked at you and down your chest. He sat up a bit and removed his own shirt. He stayed here, hands reaching up your back as he pulled you in closer to kiss you.
You whimpered out when you felt him softly drag his nails down your back. "Fuck," you moaned, "Derek." Your hands found the button of his jeans, and you hastily worked on unbuttoning them
Derek wasted no time and did the same. He spun to lay you down on the bed again. In one quick motion he got his and your jeans and undergarments off and settled himself between your legs.
You breathed heavily as you watched him. He hooked his arms behind your knees and pulled you closer to the edge of the bed.
"Are you just going to stare?" You asked, losing patience. Derek softly chuckled. He leaned down, simultaneously slowly inserting himself as he kissed you. You let out a sigh of relief and wrapped your arms around his neck.
He thrusted himself in and out of you slowly. He moved one of his hands to the side of your head and gripped the sheets tightly and he buried his face in the crook of your neck. Your hand found it's way to the top of Derek's head and you gently pulled and tugged on his short hair, earning a soft(sexy) moan from him.
"Faster." you moaned. "Fuck, Derek. Faster."
He did as you told. He could feel you getting closer and he pulled back to look down at you. He watched you, listened, made sure he was giving you exactly what you wanted.
"Oh fuck," you whimpered. Yo stared up at Derek, his eyes glowed blue a moment as he rode out his climax with you.
He laid down beside you to catch his breath. He kissed your cheek, and pulled you in closer to him.
You turned you head to look at him, softly caressing his cheek. "I have to go." You whispered.
Derek blinked lazily. "Stay." He whispered. "Please," he breathed, "stay with me." Derek's eyes slowly closed, and you watched him quickly fall asleep.
You untangled yourself out of his grip and grabbed your clothes to get dressed. You searched his pants for his phone and typed your new number into his phone. You looked back at Derek sleeping on his bed. You deleted your number in his phone and put it back where you had found it. You looked back at Derek one last time before leaving and sliding the loft door closed behind you.
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randomperson351 · 2 years
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Billy and Hopper HC
Summary: HC of Billy and Hopper bonding over their shared hatred of Mike dating Eleven after Billy has decided to unofficially adopt El as his little sister.
Note: Guess who’s back on their Billy shit! I don’t know when this is set, I’m too fucking confused. A bit of present and post-mall I guess? Just enjoy the ride.
Do not repost or rewrite any of my work. Minors and ageless blogs get blocked.
Masterlist         Asks
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- Okay so first of all? Hopper has decided he loves the new protection Billy has suddenly shown over his daughter, especially where Mike is involved.
- Billy found out the two were still dating when he was bringing El home from playing at the arcades with Max and Mike was waiting in the cabin, sat on the sofa with Hop in his armchair next to him. The Chief had never seen the full extent of Hargrove’s glare until that night.
- He’d admit, at first this new obsession over keeping El close was weird to the older man, especially since he’d caught rumours along the way about Billy’s mean streak and history of violence that seemed to follow him since he moved here; but El seemed happy enough, and Max too, so he let it continue while keeping an eye on it.
- But that glare was all he needed to see. Hopper started noticing how Billy lingered when picking up or dropping off Eleven if Mike was around, how he wouldn’t take his eyes off of them and would make up some ridiculous excuse to go in El’s room as soon as the door closed further than 3 inches.
- He might not have been able to completely stop the two from hanging out privately, Billy knew he couldn’t and, more importantly, wouldn’t do anything unless he had a signal from the Chief; but that didn’t mean he couldn’t stop Max from hanging out with him.
- He point blank refuses to unlock Max’s car door if it’s just Mike waiting. She can pull and pull on the handle but Billy would just light a cigarette and recline his seat, basking in the sun coming in his windshield as he waited for someone else to arrive before releasing the locks.
- When Mike and Eleven break up? Boy, you know this man is gonna be petty as hell. Everyone (especially Eleven) expected him to blow up and try to rip the kid’s head off but no, instead he does little things that annoy the living shit out of Mike.
- Going to pick the girls up from the Byers’ house after a game of DnD (or girl time, in their case)? He’ll gently push Max and El out before him and close the door right in Mike’s face before he can react.
- The weekly get together was at the Wheeler’s house? Oh I’m sorry, Mrs Wheeler just happened to be opening the door as Billy was rebuttoning his shirt. And what’s this? He get’s invited inside to wait while the girls get ready? May aswell play with Holly for a bit and bounce her around the house in his arms, almost making her scream it down when his little sister’s announce they’re ready to go. Mike’s face red with frustration almost explodes when Karen invites him back anytime to come and see Holly, besides anyone can see how much she loves him. With a kiss to Holly’s little cheek and a disgustingly seductive smirk at his mum, Billy exits the house with a smug look in Mike’s direction.
- Lots of other things. Locking him in the car ‘accidently’, locking him out of the car ‘accidently’, bringing an umbrella for Max and El but oh shame, no room for you Mike. 
- Continues this far longer than what he probably should’ve been allowed to, Steve eventually steps in and tells Billy to cut it out. Not that he particularly meant it though.
- But then, they get back together. Billy and Jim looked as if they were gonna vom. When the first thing the two did was go into El’s room snickering to each other, the men sat heavily on the furniture and lit up a cigarette. 
- By the end of the night, when Billy has to leave to go home, he somehow managed to chainsmoke his way through an entire pack of Marlboro’s; and Hop wasn’t doing much better. Billy sat up and stretched his spine while Hopper got up to get himself another beer, patting Billy’s shoulder in a familial way as he passed as if to say, ‘yeah me too kid.’
- “Alright, I’m heading out, call if you need anything.” Billy stuck his head in El’s door and said his goodnights. 
“She won’t.” Mike perked up from his prone position on El’s bed while she read a magazine.
Billy’s stare hardened as he switched his attention to Mike. Before he could wind himself up too much, El stood up and shuffled over to him. 
“I will call you. Promise.” And then wrapped him in a hug. Billy hunkered himself around the girl pressed to him, hugging her close. 
“If you need someone to slash his tyres, I’m free for the rest of the night.” He whispers, making El giggle. 
“You’ll be the first person I call.”
- “So, you kill him yet?” Max asked as soon as he walked in.
“Nah, it would be too predictable. I’ll find somewhere to dump the body first.”
Max laughed as he ushered her to bed. 
He wasn’t really joking.
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freyaswolf · 1 year
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Hellcheer thoughts...
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I've had these random thoughts bouncing around in my brain for way too long, so I'm writing them out and sharing. Now they're your problem.
🖤 If Chrissy somehow came back from the dead, her mom would be so mad about it. Because that would take the attention off her and on the "miracle" of her daughter being alive. She would absolutely disown Chrissy, claiming she was some demon masquerading as her daughter. Chrissy would show up on Eddie's doorstep (because we are pretending their trailer wasn't destroyed) with a couple of suitcases and boxes packed into her tiny car (car is a hand me down from a friend who graduated the year before, her mom would never buy her a car).
🖤 Eddie treats Chrissy like she is a precious treasure, but not as though she's weak or incapable because he's seen the steel in her. He would get overwhelmed when they're in close proximity, like working around each other in the tiny kitchen he would get so easily distracted. He would be able to smell her shampoo, and would just stop dead in his tracks. But he loves it. They're doing that back and forth dance, because they haven't quite become a "thing" yet, until they do. And he loves when they do, because now he's allowed to be close, breathe her in, and everything stops, and nothing else matters. His priority is to make her feel safe, and he encourages her to be herself, whoever that new person is. She's never been free to express how she feels about anything and everything, and she might go a little crazy at first, drunk with freedom. He helps her work through a few of her body image issues, and encourages her to find s doctor or therapist who can help her more, no shame or judgement. Being out of her parent's house has removed the major stressor/trigger for her disordered eating, and having that out of her life helps a lot.
🖤 Chrissy starts hanging out with Nancy, Robin, Max, and El (AND BARB because she also deserved better and was a great friend), and a couple of her cheer squad friends who were actual friends, and they all help her blossom. As does Mrs. Wheeler, who takes Chrissy under her wing. Karen Wheeler is PISSED at Chrissy's mom, and even goes off on her in the grocery store one day when she tries to say something shitty about Chrissy.
🖤 When Eddie and Chrissy get stoned together sitting out on a blanket behind the trailer, Chrissy talks shit about her mom and Jason. She has zero filters when she's stoned!
🖤🖤BONUS🖤🖤
This is a "What if" kind of AU idea. Basically Hellcheer, but make it Disney:
What if Chrissy's mom, isn't her birth mother? What if her "mom" is in fact a wicked step mother? Chrissy's actual mother died in childbirth, and her evil/wicked sister or best friend stepped in. Laura was super jealous of her sister/best friend for being prettier and more adored than she was, and she takes her jealousy out on Chrissy who is a carbon copy of her mother. Chrissy's younger brother is actually her half brother. After her mom disowns her, her dad comes by the trailer with a box of pictures and mementos that he saved/hid from Laura so she couldn't throw them out like she did with everything else that belonged to Chrissy's mom. He explains everything, apologizes and gives her pics of her actual mother. Tells Chrissy all about her, and how proud she would be of Chrissy. She would ask, "Why don't you leave her dad?" and he would tell her "I'm not as strong as you are pumpkin, I'm so sorry for everything. Maybe someday I'll be as brave as you are. You take after your mom, she was a fighter too." Her dad would have a talk with Wayne, and lets him know how to reach him if they need anything. He makes sure Chrissy gets a generous allowance so she can focus on school and graduating and so she doesn't have to get a job unless she wants to.
Of course, all of my ideas end with Eddie and Chrissy living happily ever after. Neither of them is perfect, but they are perfect together, and their differences manage to compliment each other. 🖤
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justsokaela · 20 days
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Sometimes the only time I truly feel safe and 100% comfortable talking to my parents is when we're watching tv together
I am just constantly on edge around them, worried about when I'm going to fuck up. I like my routine and feel good lately and not-stressed despite living at home with my parents at age 33 because I'm too busy to interact with them much and I wake up early and go to bed early, typically. But the way that my stepmom expresses her stress and anger about everything else going on- what my 18 and 21 year old siblings are doing (or doing wrong, not doing, or somehow offending her) makes me still feel self conscious about MYSELF.
Like if she freaks out about my sister who is a complete slob by the way for hoarding dishes in her room - when I am seen while bringing my one single dish and cup that I used that day back upstairs to wash or put in the dishwasher I get met with the eyes of judgment and frustration - as if I am just like my sister, leaving dishes to stack up for days and making a smell and also making it harder to clean them later? I don't fucking do that, and I haven't done anything like that honestly ever, because when I was a teenager, I wouldn't have so easily gotten away with that. I wasn't even allowed to have any dishes in my room except for water cups or bottled drinks, now that i think about it. And I was never that obsessed with drinking sodas and shit to begin with.
When I buy something, with MY own money, earned at either my fulltime professional job or one of my side gigs, and it's not saving or something I necessarily "need" I get judged for it. I'm not irresponsible with my money. I just want to enjoy life while I can because with the rate of inflation and wage increases not happening and how I'm literally not good enough or educated enough or skilled enough or more importantly experienced enough to do any kind of job that actually makes enough to live off of - and be something I'd be good at and somewhat enjoy (because what's the point of earning enough to cover basic living needs if you're miserable and have no life in the process). So today, I'm rushing to work, I'm late - I'm already upset because I typically wake up at 3 to go to the gym, workout, do some personal things and then get ready for work - no rush, never late, already productive. Because I was anxious around my mom last night, I decided to stay up later and help out after dinner and I cleaned the whole kitchen to placate her after letting out a visceral scream about my sister hoarding dishes again and leaving the upstairs bathroom a total mess, and her noted sarcastic jabs at my dad trying to "nicely" tell him that he needs to get off his phone and help out and do the taxes and put away the thawing meat she asked him to do hours before and just fucking pay attention to the stove while she's running around back and forth while she's trying to make us dinner.
So I did the dishes from dinner and cooking, and extra cleaned all the counter tops and organized things and put things away and packed up the leftovers. And then I get to bed at like 10, so of course I'm not well rested enough for a 3am gym session. But then I forgot to set a backup alarm for "sleeping in" times and end up waking up at 6:40 and desperately needing a shower, because I was too lazy to do it yesterday. My room is a complete mess, I need to sort through all my clothes and put things away, I had no outfit set up for today and had to dig around just to find a bralet, Zero pooped on the floor while I was in the shower even though I had JUST let him outside, I feel fat in everything and hate how even today, right now, in this moment, I'm feeling shitty about myself because of stupid patriarchal societal beauty standards and I look like shit and my hair is too wet to blow dry and I don't have enough time to air dry it. Then, when I'm rushing to get to work, I can't find my fucking car keys. I had them last night, and now I can't find them. My mom reminds me that she sent me back out to roll up my windows because we were anticipating some rain. Maybe I left my keys in the car? Sure enough, I fucking did. Thankfully I didn't lock myself out of the car again, but no, instead, this time, I LEFT THEM IN THE IGNITION.
someone could have just easily taken my car and driven away, because I'm so stupid and careless! And then, because I left them in the ignition, turned just enough to activate the battery so I can roll up the windows, by fucking car battery was dead and needed a jumpstart.
I asked my dad to help, since I don't know how to jumpstart a car nor do I have a jumpstart kit or know where he keeps his anyways, and he takes his sweet time getting dressed and coming outside.
I'm feeling like a complete idiot and I hate myself for creating this situation. I feel stupid because I don't even have my own battery jumpstart kit that I SHOULD know how to use. I'm late to work, and I'm trying to mentally figure out how to word the email - and thanks to my anxiety about all my previous jobs being total asshats to me about situations like this - I was panicking that my being late today would equal myself getting fired.
Then my dad does the thing and he talks to me about it like I'm supposed to understand what he's saying. I don't know shit about cars, I have zero interest in them, and all of it confuses the fuck out of me whenever I try to learn anything because books and the internet are all full of overwhelming perspectives and information and I'm already stressed out about how that happens with EVERYTHING ELSE that I need and actually want to learn more about. Then he's trying to talk to me, so i roll down the window while i let the engine run a bit. he's like i was just gonna open the door, you shouldn't roll it down. I don't understand why, and in my mind i'm like, why would I do that when I can just talk to you through the window? I need to go to work and don't want to open my door. He just goes "nevermind. Have you checked your oil lately?"
first of all, how is that relevant to what's going on right now? Do I need to check my oil now, did you see something when you had the hood open? I just had the oil changed and all the other fluids flushed and changed out in the past month, I'm not due for another oil change for at least 10,000 miles. He's like "that's not the point, have you checked your oil recently? you're supposed to check it frequently when you get gas." okay but I JUST had it changed. It should be full. It shouldn't be contaminated. What is the point of asking me this, I NEED TO GO TO WORK I'M ALREADY HALF AN HOUR LATE.
"you need to know the rate that your car is burning oil."
"NOW?" "well you're car is leaking oil." "WHAT WELL WHY DIDNT YOU JUST LEAD WITH THAT I GOTTA GET THAT FIXED." 'You can't afford to fix it right now."
"well if it's leaking that's a big problem, i don't think i really have a choice. but if its leaking I'm concerned that my mechanics didn't say anything when I literally saw them LAST WEEK. and he's like "well it's normal, it's not leaking that much. but you should check your oil every time you get gas."
no explanation as to why that time is the necessary time. also, I've NEVER seen him nor anyone else checking their oil while filling their tank up at the wawa or whatever. So hypocrite much? You criticize me for not knowing how to check my oil, for not checking it every day or fucking whatever because I trust my mechanics enough to expect that they have filled it with clean oil very recently, all completely irrelevant to me needing to jumpstart my car, which I'm already feeling stressed out, frustrated, and self-loathing and STUPID to begin with. I couldn't even thank him for helping me because he just stormed off, annoyed at ME for being defensive because I COULDN"T FUCKING UNDERSTAND WHAT HIS POINT WAS AND I WAS ALREADY IN DISTRESS.
I'm tired of being met constantly with criticism from my parents.
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mmrydmp · 2 years
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I lost the need to prove myself to everyone
When I finally left the house, I still couldn’t take all my belongings with me. He changed the locks so my keys wouldn’t work. I called the landlady but even she couldn’t help me, the tenancy agreement was in his name. 
I had to make a police report, but they couldn’t file for domestic violence because we were not married (We were suppose to be married that year. Of course it was my fault somehow for the wedding not happening). All the officer could do was call him in for a discussion, which he didn’t show up for, so they had to call his mother who gave the officer a headache with what I gathered from his facial reactions and responses, were just excuses going around in circles. I couldn’t hear what she said to the cop but he managed to give me a time and date when I could go and get my belongings. I waited patiently and showed up on the given time and date with some friends who just wanted to make sure nothing happens to me again. There were 2 guys and a girl. The guys stood outside the house respectfully. I asked the girl to come in the house with me because I didn’t feel safe alone. 
This supposed human being, whom I allowed to take anything he needed from me, what should’ve been my living space, my time and attention away from my family and friends, while using my car (which I still had to pay summons for even though he was driving), and got a job thanks to my help writing his CV, got his mother (whom he was actually resenting and left his family house to get away from) to protect him from me and my “thug friends”. “You shouldn’t be going around with different men, it’s not proper for a lady,” she says to me accusingly. The girl who accompanied me corrected the woman by saying that one of them is her fiance and the other one is their friend who has a respectful job, obviously offended by the “thug” statement. The woman ignored my friend as if she didn’t hear a thing. 
This woman, his mother, whom until this day I’m not sure if she knew exactly what he did to me, handed me a cup of coffee and got offended when I politely declined. I just wanted to take my things and leave. I give her benefit of the doubt for not remembering that I don’t drink coffee, even though I have practically seen her almost every day for over 2 years, which is more days than I had seen my own mother. I realised I put her and her son first above my own family for the past few years. “You should say thank you to my son,” she says, “He has packed up all your things for you.” As he hands me boxes of my things mixed with trash, I hold in my anger and manage to spit out a soft “Thanks.” I had to bite my tongue from saying “I can see why your son turned out that way.” 
The only person from that family that gave me an ounce of respect was his elder brother, who helped to return my old phone the next day, another thing that supposed human being was using and took from me. I felt pity for the elder brother who looked so embarrassed and disappointed in his family members. He didn’t have to tell me how sorry he was, I could see it on his face. He is the only one that gave me the bare minimum of kindness, and he didn’t even live in the country. I felt bad that he had to experience that while he was back home for holidays.  He had two sisters. One once asked if her brother had hit me when we first broke up. I was shocked and said no, because at that time he hadn’t abused me yet and I was too dumb to get the hint. She said that if I were to get back together with her brother and if I end up breaking up with him again, she wouldn’t acknowledge my existence. She was right. I saw her in a mall a few weeks after the incident, ready to say hello but she walked past me like I was dead to her.  The second sister was older and had me thinking I could confide in her. After all she was a clinical physiotherapist and I assumed she would be aware of how to treat people who experienced trauma. I was so wrong to text and send her photos of the aftermath of the house being torn apart by him during our fight. I didn’t bother sending her photos of my bruises and wounds after she replied me with “You should not be sending this to me, and especially not to anyone outside of the family. If you have a problem with my brother, you should speak to him and discuss a solution to your problems privately.” I was confused but I knew I had to get out of there.     If you ever find yourself in a situation similar to mine, being abused and gaslighted by a person or even a whole family, please please please think about your own well-being and just leave. I deserve better, and so do you. 
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joshslater · 3 years
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Eastern Tennessee
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I was shocked and devastated when dad told us the news. He had gotten a new surveying job good for at least five years, and since there aren't a lot of career advancements for geologists he had taken the offer immediately. So we would all move to some shit town in East Tennessee. Mom would teach kids whatever hadn't been banned knowledge by the state, my little sister would continue elementary there, and I would spend my high school years in some backwater school with barely any students. I distinctly remember staring at the remainder of the mash on my plate, and how unappetizing it had turned as the news was told to me. They wanted to make all the preparations before they told us to "not worry us" in case it fell through.
I asked if I could be excused and left the table, the parents, the plate, the mash and walked to my room without waiting for a reply. Perhaps there was one. I didn't care. I just had to talk to Timothy. I just lied in bed with a headset on and talked and cursed and cried with him on the other side of our private discord chat room. They didn't know I had a boyfriend. They didn't even know I was gay, and I saw no point in telling them either. We wouldn't stay, I couldn't bring Tim with me, and given where we were heading I probably couldn't be openly gay either. It was just best if no one knew. We both knew this would be the end for us. We would be living states apart during our most hormone-filled years. If we still felt the same for each other in three years, once it was time for college, then perhaps we could try to get together, but I thought it was just cruel to keep him waiting while we grew apart. He didn't see it like that of course. He wanted to be the harbor I could sail back to after three years of exile, but I've read enough Greek mythology to know how that ends. Black sails and drownings.
They'd done a lot of work behind our backs, our parents, so only six weeks later, just after school closed for summer we packed our shit into the back of a semi. Our last night at the only house I've ever lived in was spent sleeping on the floor. Early next morning we packed ourselves into our car and begun our three-day journey to East Tennessee. By the time we arrived at our much bigger house and much smaller town the moving company had already placed our stuff in the different rooms. Still in boxes though, except for the furniture. I didn't go to bed until three in the morning, and probably tossed around all night unable to sleep. I must have, because mum woke me up around nine.
I went with dad to town to check it out. We of course had a long list of stuff we needed to get, but I wanted to see what stores and fast food places were around. It wasn't the local businesses that caught my eye though. Everywhere I looked I just saw smoking hot guys. Tight wrangler blue jeans, cut off shirts or flannels, and Ford or Chevy ball caps. Most of all though people had the kind of look you get from working outdoors. Tanned skin, sun-bleached hair, and lean muscles. I followed dad around all the shops on our list, hoping no one would notice my boner.
That's when I decided what I had to do: go undercover as a redneck. Two-thirds of my wardrobe had to go. I didn't know if my west coast apparel would go down as hip or attract bullying, so I spent the next week looking at guys my age and really taking note of what they were wearing. What brands? What colors? What haircuts? When I felt confident I knew the essence of the look I begged mum for new clothes, without telling her why. She relented and allowed me a few items, so I could combine them with what I already had to pass as local.
The day after, luckily after the nearest barber had made an excellent job in turning my well-styled but now far too long hair into a hair helmet, I found out that a neighbor one street away was about my age. Dylan was one year older and his summer plans had fallen apart. His best friend had to leave to visit some ill relative, so he was happy to show me around. When his friend Jackson came back a week later we all spent the rest of the summer doing things together. Swimming, basket, trekking. All things I hated doing back home and suck at, but somehow they thought it made it even funnier, and they were really proud whenever I progressed.
I couldn't believe how lucky I was when school started. Not only didn't Dylan mind driving me there, in fact he suggested it, but knowing a sophomore as a freshman basically made me bully-proof. Not that I really had to worry. We were all new to high school, and only about half of my class knew each other from before. We had people from the creeks and shitholes all around town bussed in as well. No one even suspected I wasn't from nearby until we had to introduce ourselves. Some people were excited and wanted to know more about how life was at the coast, but in the end it wasn't a big deal. It wasn't until I got home, reliving the day in my head, I realized all that time with Dylan and Jackson had turned my accent into passable enough East Tennessee local.
The school was small enough that you could basically join whatever sports team you signed up for, at least as freshman. It was more a question of what training times were compatible. I ended up joining the football and soccer teams. Somehow soccer turned out to be the more competitive out of the two, with the school soccer team doing well against other schools. I hadn't expected that.
Once it was getting close to thanksgiving Jackson asked me if I was interested in some extra cash. One of the stores needed more people for restocking and was desperate to fill it ahead of the holidays. The schedule clashed with soccer practice, but it was probably wise to stick to just one team anyway. And the 70 lbs repeated lifting requirement promised some bonus exercise that would be wasted on the soccer.
It wasn't all roses and touchdowns though. Nothing is as unguarded as the shit talk in the locker room after a loss, so I got to know what most of the guys really thought. I can think of several individuals who would beat me bloody if they knew they had been in a shower room with a gay. What I heard from some of the real employees at the store was even worse, narrow-minded exclusion politics. I wasn't even sure how Dylan would react. I decided to follow the plan, get good grades so I could get far away, and do my best to blend in. Learn to ride with Coleson, shoot AR-15 with Eric's dad, get the best body I could, and count down to leaving.
That was three years ago, before I was accepted into college. I considered bringing all the old clothes with me when coming out of the closet, but I realized they no longer fit in any sense of the word. I decided to show up at the dorm wearing the state national dress, tight wrangler blue jeans, cutoff T, and ballcap. It's good I did, because no matter how fucking hard I try I can't speak anything but rural East Tennessee. The disguise got stuck. What I didn't expect was the reception when I went to the first student gay party. The guy on bouncer duty was very hesitant to let me in, fearing I would start some homophobic shit the first chance I got, but once inside it was a different thing. Turns out quite a lot of them would fancy being fucked by a quarterback while being spoken to in southern.
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captains-simp · 3 years
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hi! can you write a yelena x fem!reader based on best friend’s brother by victorious where reader is nat’s best friend but falls for yelena?
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I love the best friend's sibling trope🤧 Yes, I used Google translate for some parts. Yes, I am sorry in advance
7k words
Warnings: brief injury description and R getting tipsy (and having less of a filter than usual 👀)
[ masterlist ]
Buy me a coffee ☕
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Nat you're not going to believe what I just saw! It has single handedly made my week- whoa!" You exclaimed as you threw your hands up and backed against the nearest wall.
"Who are you?" Demanded the blonde from the other end of her gun. You glanced frantically between her hand gun and her stone cold grey eyes, not knowing which you should be more afraid of.
"Y/n." You answered shakily, your mouth and throat suddenly feeling like sandpaper.
"Yelena!" Natasha shouted as she came into the living room. "Put your gun down you сумасшедшая сука (crazy bitch)!" Yelena hesitated as she gave you the once over and slowly lowered her weapon. You didn't fail to notice how she kept it in her hands until Natasha snatched it away.
"Hey!" She argued and tried to grab it back.
"You get gun privileges back when you stop pointing them at my friends." Natasha said as she put it in the safe under the kitchen counter.
"She didn't knock!" Yelena defended with a thick accent.
You were still stood awkwardly against the wall as you watched the interaction. You had no idea who the blonde was much less why she had acted like a paranoid guard dog. Not that you were offended, being friends with someone who had a lot of protective friends and coworkers meant this had happened more than you wanted to admit. JARVIS actually had some very over the top weapons pointed at you twice.
"I don't knock when I go to her place." Natasha pointed out. You smiled nervously at the blonde when she looked over at you again.
"Well as your new roommate it seems like something I should know."
New roommate? Natasha hated the idea of a roommate and had always been very vocal about it. It was why she insisted on having her own apartment rather than living in at the Avengers compound.
You glanced around and couldn't see any moving boxes or suitcases or really anything that indicated anyone else was living there. Either Yelena had already packed or she just wanted to keep all her personal things to herself.
"Temporary roommate." Natasha corrected making the blonde huff. "Who still hasn't gotten the groceries." Yelena mumbled something under her breath in Russian as she trudged towards the door. She glanced your way once then looked back as if second guessing you. She narrowed her eyes slightly and you fidgeted on the spot, feeling nervous under her gaze.
"What did you see?" She asked.
"I'm sorry?" You replied, not knowing where the question came from.
"What did you want to tell Natasha about." You stared at her blankly for a second before you suddenly realised what she meant.
"Oh! I saw a man walking seven ferrets." You said with a fond smile as you remembered the way their leads were getting caught up as the scrambled over each other. Yelena stared back at you. "Seven is a lot." You said. She still didn't seem to get it. "I like ferrets." You mumbled as you felt embarrassed.
She didn't say anything as she looked you over one more time and opened the door to leave, shutting it firmly behind her. You released a breath you didn't know you had been holding once the door clicked shut.
"Seven?" Natasha teased with a smirk as put some toast in the toaster. You grumbled as you walked over to the kitchen island and leant against it.
"She's intense." You commented and whipped your head around to the door, afraid she would walk back in.
"She's my sister." Natasha said casually.
"Sister? What?! Since when did you- Sister?!" Natasha chuckled at your reaction and shrugged simply.
"It's complicated."
"Everything with you is." You fired back. "Look I'll tell you our life story later." She waved off. You had known Natasha for years and considered each other your closest friends. You told her everything but you understood early on that there was a lot about her life she couldn't talk about. Whether it was because it could endanger you to know or it was simply to painful to recall, there would always be something.
"And I'm sorry about her wanting to shoot you. She's a lot." Natasha sighed, clearly tired. She had been away for months and you guessed she had found Yelena at some point during that mission. She had only been back a week and clearly needed a break. You wondered if she would finally take Fury up on his promise of a vacation.
"She's just protective." You shrugged. "Like someone else I know." You eyed the redhead with a smile. Yelena honestly seemed nothing short of terrifying to you, but you weren't going to admit that to your friend who would remind you of it every chance she got.
"Trust you to defend someone who put a gun on you." Natasha rolled her eyes and pushed a hot drink towards you.
"She seems nice." That wasn't the right word and given the look Natasha gave you she agreed. "Witty?" You tried. Natasha pulled a face in disagreement and you sighed in defeat. "Whatever, she's cute though." You thought aloud. Natasha shot you a warning look.
"Don't go crushing on my sister, y/n." She said with a serious edge to her tone. You laughed at her sudden shift and fell down on her sofa to grab the remote to start binging the shows Natasha had missed with you.
"I wouldn't dream of it."
*
It was a Friday night when you saw the blonde next. The bar you worked at was surprisingly quiet for the day but you didn't mind at all. Less people meant less chance of having to deal with a drunken fight. Not that that ever really happened there.
You worked in a small bar that had been running since long before you were born. It wasn't the most out there establishment and combined with it's location on the quieter, arguably more sketchy, parts of the city, it wasn't massively popular. In fact, everyone who showed up at the bar you recognised instantly, lest the rare groups of people who stumbled upon the building. No one who went there was all that talkative, but you had come to know each of them over the years.
It wasn't that the bar itself was sketchy. It wasn't involved in illegal gambling or drug dealings. It was just that it seemed to remind people of home. You had alcohols there that you just couldn't find in shops or other bars. Behind the bar was everything from Mexico's brightest palomas to Russia's strongest vodka. The latter was what had drawn Natasha to your worn down place of work the first time you met her. While she didn't like to be reminded of her past in Russia, like a couple other customers you had, she couldn't deny she missed the booze. So you guessed you shouldn't have been surprised to see Yelena joining her that night.
"Just give it a chance will you." Natasha scolded her younger sister in a hushed voice. You smiled at the encounter as the pair came towards the bar. Everything the redhead had been able to tell you about her time away was evident from the way the siblings interacted. It really hadn't taken them long to fall back into the squabbling sisters role, like they hadn't ever been apart.
Yelena grumbled something in Russian as she glanced around the bar, her eyes soon landing on yours and just as unreadable as the last time you saw her. The memory had been playing a lot in your head.
"Hi again." You smiled at her before turning your attention to your friend. "The usual?"
"For this one too." Natasha nodded to her sister as she sat down on a stall, soon followed by Yelena.
You took two shot glasses from the shelf and put them infront of the sisters and opened a bottle of Natasha's favourite bottle. You filled the both to the brim and put the bottle on the counter, knowing the redhead wanted it there. Natasha wasn't really a regular drinker, but when she did enduldge herself she didn't seem to have a limit. You had never once seen her drunk.
Natasha didn't hesitate in tilting her head back with the glass at her lips and didn't flinch when she swallowed the drink. Yelena rolled her eyes but copied anyway.
You carried on with drying some glasses and tried not to pay close attention to the blonde's reaction. You always loved the moment that customers realised they had found the drinks of their country. And as Yelena was harder to read, it took extra attention to detail to spot the moment of realisation. Natasha was watching for it too.
Yelena shrugged. She shrugged, clearly underwhelmed. "It's good." She commented. Natasha sighed dramatically and poured herself another shot as she grumbled about never being able to please her sister.
You went back to your duties properly and shook your head with a sigh. First time for everything. However when you risked a glanced at Yelena you saw a hint of a smile tug at the corner of her lips. You grinned to yourself, deciding then that you were determined to see a proper smile from the blonde at some point.
"What's got you smiling?" Natasha asked with a smirk.
"Am I not allowed to just smile, Tasha?" You quipped back.
"I take it your date went well." You groaned at the mention of the event.
"It actually really didn't." You huffed. It was actually one of the worst dates you had ever been on. You had been giggling like a school girl when Natasha told you a shield agent had eyes for you. The two of you exchanged numbers and arranged a date but it became clear to you pretty quickly she wasn't as ready to date again as she thought she was. "She's definitely not over her ex." She grimaced. Natasha hummed in thought.
"Okay, but do you want me to key her car?"
"She paid for my coffee!" You laughed, she always had to be dramatic with her protectiveness.
"Is that a no then?" Yelena asked. You honestly had no idea if she was joking or not.
"It's a no." You confirmed with a smile.
"I'm sure I can find you someone else." Natasha said confidently. You hummed in response and watched her pour another pair of shots.
"That's okay, Tasha. Maybe you should focus on yourself and a certain other redhead." You grinned. Natasha shot daggers at you as Yelena whipped her head around to stare at her sister.
"You have a boy..." She paused and scanned her sister quickly. "Girlfriend?" She concluded. You snickered and poured a drink for another customer, focusing on him momentarily as the pair bickered further.
"There is nothing going on with me and Wanda!" Natasha exclaimed.
"The magic one?" Yelena asked with interest.
"The magic one." You confirmed with a grin.
"What's she like?" The blonde continued as she leaned forward.
"She's better than you Сволоч (jerks)." Natasha mumbled as she rolled her eyes.
"And a total babe." You added and leapt back when the redhead went to hit you.
"Y/n!" You spun around at hearing a familiar voice. Joseph, your oldest regular, was making his way through the room towards the end of the bar, a fond smile etched into the deep lines on his face.
"Hey, pal." You smiled back and went to prepare his usual as he started to chat away at you.
"You never had anything with her?" Yelena asked boldly as she tilted her glass towards you.
"Y/n?" Natasha was surprised to say the least. She had never thought of you that way and no one else had ever asked about it. "No." She chuckled, thinking of all the times you had done everything in your power just to get her and Wanda alone in a room together. "Why'd you ask?"
"I just wondered." She said as she tapped her glass in thought, grey eyes watched you actively engage in conversation with the older man. Natasha narrowed her eyes at her sister.
"Right. Just don't crush on my best friend." She warned as she poured her sister another shot.
"You got it." She nodded and threw her head back as she downed the shot.
*
You ended up seeing Yelena quite frequently. Not only did she join Natasha in coming to the bar, but she seemed to always be there when you visited your friend too. She wasn't much of a small talker, you learned that quickly, but the passing moments you happened to be alone in each others company stopped being awkward quickly.
Yelena was surprisingly easy to get along with. Once you had found a common ground of interest (making fun of Natasha) you could easily carry a conversation with her, but she was still closed off - something you were expecting given her past. There was one evening that made that as clear as it could be.
"I'm just saying the Avengers would be very happy to have you!" Natasha exclaimed with a smile as you sat giggling next to her.
"I'm not going to be a hero." Yelena waved off. She had quickly began agitated when she had nothing to do. There had always been something. Some mission. Some test. Some important training. Anything. And now she was free from the Red Room Yelena was struggling to know what she could do. You could tell she wanted to have a meaningful role, you just doubted she was going to admit that.
"There's always bounty hunting." You suggested as you flicked through the thin file in your lap. Sometimes when Natasha was struggling with a particular case file she gave it to you for a new insight. You never got a name or any big details in the files and it still wasn't entirely within the rules, but sometimes you actually helped.
"He bled to death from the stabbing, then he was shot." You muttered to the redhead as you passed the file back. Turns out being a drop out med student was good for something. While Natasha was the best of the best, she was still human and there were things even she overlooked from time to time that you picked up on.
"That's a good one." Yelena agreed as she sipped on her beer, pondering the suggestion.
"But why even go for something like this at all?" You said. Natasha and Yelena gave you a confused glance.
"I'm sticking to what I'm good at." The blonde said slowly.
"I'm sure you're skill set expands beyond all...this." You waved your arms around aimlessly. "Was there anything you remember enjoying before?" You asked curiously and Yelena instantly stiffened.
"No." She said bluntly and put her bottle down on the table. "Bounty hunting sounds good, I'll look in to it." She said as she left the living room area and headed towards her room without a second glance.
Your throat felt dry suddenly as guilt washed over you. What kind of a question even was that? She was only a kid when it happened, part of you wondered if she even remembered the part of her life before the Red Room.
"She's okay." Natasha assured, as though reading your mind.
"I shouldn't have asked." You muttered.
"Probably not, but for what it's worth" Natasha started as she went to put the shield file away "I thought you were onto something."
So you never asked about her past again, but that didn't stop you from thinking about it. You wondered if it was something she and Natasha talked about, only able to confide in one another about the nightmares they shared. Or was it an unspoken thing, something that they kept in the deepest darkest parts of their minds? You didn't expect to ever get an answer to that question.
Not so deadly assassin: THERE'S A FUCKING RAT IN MY ROOM
Not so deadly assassin: come deal with it!!!
Not so deadly assassin: Y/N
Not so deadly assassin: oh NOW you have a life
Not so deadly assassin: if you don't come over in 5 minutes I'm killing it
You huffed as you took your phone out of your pocket to see who had been blowing up your phone. You skimmed over Natasha's messages and sent a quick threat telling her if she ended the rat's life you would end hers and sped up your walk.
Luckily you were only a few minutes away from Natasha's apartment and after running up the stairs a few at a time you knocked on your friend's door and licked your partly spilt drink off your hand with a curse.
Yelena opened the door and motioned for you to come inside, seeming unfazed by your arrival and no doubt knowing why you were there. "Is she okay?" You asked as you looked around frantically.
"She just got called away for a mission." Yelena said as she led you through the apartment to Natasha's room.
"I meant the rat." You mumbled and spotted it in the corner. Yelena snickered at your comment and leant against the door frame as she watched you slowly approach the rodent.
"How did it even get in here?" You asked as you cooed and held your hand out to the rat that considered you curiously.
"Came in through the window apparently. I think Natasha wants to tear down the fire escape now." Yelena deadpanned.
"Like either of you need it anyway." The rat came closer to you and sniffed your hand before walking onto it. You picked up the small creature and placed her down gently on the fire escape before shutting the window.
"Was that so hard?" You said with a smile.
"They carry disease, you know?" Yelena fired back.
"So do we!" You exclaimed and paused when Yelena gave you a side eye. "Okay some of us." You corrected as you washed your hands.
"I hope she didn't call you away from anything important." Yelena said as she glanced at the hot drink you had left on the counter.
"I was just about to go to the pharmacy." You shrugged.
"It's your lucky day, I need band aids." Yelena declared as she picked up her satchel bag.
"Band...aids?" You questioned with a shit eating grin as you grabbed your drink and headed for the door with the blonde behind you.
"Yes, y/n. I need band aids. You're as bad as Natasha, she doesn't seem to think we need them either. We have everything in that bathroom except band aids!" You giggled as you watched her ramble in exasperation, finding it undeniably cute when she got lost in her own world about something.
"So if you're bleeding to death you'll be fine but if you get a papercut then things are gonna get bad?" You teased as you left the building. Yelena rolled her eyes at you but seemed to not be able to stop the small smile fighting for it's appearance, tugging at the corner of her mouth.
"It's a pretty big papercut." She mumbled as she inspected the cut on her forefinger.
"Well I think you're very brave." You grinned.
You walked in a comfortable silence for a while until your eyes landed on something that spiked every happy hormone in your body. "Yelena!" You grabbed at her arm and pointed across the street. The blonde was understandably alarmed at first and you noticed her reach into her back pocket for something until she saw what you were pointing at.
"Seven ferrets." Yelena muttered as she watched the small animals half run down the street infront of their owner.
"Seven adorable ferrets." You corrected as you watched them continue to scurry along.
"I can see how that could be the highlight of your week." Yelena recalled and you couldn't help but blush slightly. "I think this is the highlight of mine." She admitted.
"You're only human." You sighed as you turned around to keep walking, a content smile on your lips.
"Why don't you have pets if they make you so happy?" Yelena asked curiously.
"Not allowed in my apartment." You said gloomily. It was probably for the best, you would have a lot of pets if you could, too many to handle.
"If you think about it, rats are just small ferrets and you see those everyday. You could go find some more." Yelena teased and you chuckled.
"Haven't you heard? They carry disease." It was Yelena's turn to laugh lightly at that. You smiled proudly at causing the beautiful sound and felt your stomach do a small flip.
*
It turned out all the Avengers were keen to have Yelena on their team. Tony and Steve had introduced themselves to the new Russian one evening and bored (Yelena's words) her with stories of their latest successful missions and how great it was to be an Avenger. She didn't buy it.
Then she started getting emails and texts from the team, inviting her to different events and trying to get on her good side. Tony had even sent an extravagant gift basket to the apartment one day. Yelena had asked you to spend the afternoon sorting through it with her, snacking on all the expensive chocolates on the way as you told the blonde you thought she had a secret admirer.
It was early in the afternoon when she finally agreed to meeting the whole team.
"I just think it could be fun. I know they probably seem like annoying children right now, but at those parties they have to behave." You said into the phone as you balanced it on your shoulder.
"I don't think I own the right kind of clothing for it." Yelena said.
"I'm sure Natasha can lend you something, she is your big sister after all." You teased and heard her groan.
"You don't even have to stay long. But once you actually meet them they'll lay off about you joining if you still don't want to."
"It's just not-"
"Your thing." You finished with a smile. "I know, Lena. They'll get it." She hummed in thought and a silence fell over your phones until you cursed. "Shit." You muttered when the table leg fell down again.
"You need help putting that table together?" Yelena asked for the umpteenth time. You sighed as you sat back and glared at the parts sprawled out across the floor.
"Yes please."
*
Yelena Belova wearing a suit was something else entirely. Every outfit her sister offered her she turned down until Natasha grew frustrated and took Yelena out for a suit fitting, and god it paid off. The blazer hugged her body closely in a way you partly wished you could feel. You knew the blonde wasn't big on any form of affection, especially physical, but you loved it and Yelena had become a good friend. During late evenings when she was sitting comfortably in an armchair with a large hoodie on you thought she looked so soft and warm. You could only imagine how safe you would feel in her arms. You always had to put those thoughts aside quickly, not wanting to let your mind linger on things so intimate.
"Told you this place isn't so bad." You laughed nervously as Yelena approached you. She smiled and shook her head, her eyes looking so much brighter in the new lighting.
"I can't argue with that." The blonde shrugged and followed you to the bar.
"You um, you look amazing by the way." You said as she avoided Yelena's gaze, not wanting to let your eyes wander the way they were straining to. Unfortunately that meant you missed how she took in your attire and the admiration she struggled to hide.
"So do you." She smiled.
"Evening." Natasha said with a smirk as she came up to you and Yelena from the other side of the bar.
"This does not feel right at all." You winced making the redhead smile, more so when she prepared what she knew was your favourite drink.
"Yelena! You running away from me?" Sam grinned as he strolled towards the bar. You smiled into your drink when you saw the blonde shift on her feet in slight frustration.
"You gotta come meet Maria, you're gonna love her!" He exclaimed as he tried to steer Yelena away. She looked back at you with a face that was clearly asking for help but you just giggled as she left and waved goodbye to her.
"Has she met Wanda yet?" You grinned at Natasha knowingly and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks.
"She has." You hummed and looked across the room to spot the Sokovian in question. "And?"
"And they only just stopped talking when you arrived." You nodded with a triumphant smile, knowing the pair would get along. You missed Natasha's short analysis of your expression, trying to find the thing she knew you were hiding until someone else arrived at the other end of the bar and she rushed off.
You leaned over the bar to pour yourself another drink and started across the room. It didn't take long at all to find Wanda, or rather for her to find you.
"Y/n!" She exclaimed as she pulled you in for a crushing hug barely a second after you had turned around.
"Hey Wan." You laughed as you tried to hug her back.
"How are you, sweetie?" She asked as she let you go.
"I'm good, how have things been for you?" It had been far too long since you had seen the Sokovian and you missed her company a lot. She had such a calming presence that you always felt so comfortable around. You had told her that once, not knowing the fears she faced of her powers and the mistrust she had in herself, and she had teared up as she pulled you in for your first Wanda hug.
"So, I hear you met Yelena." You smiled after a while of catching up with the redhead.
"I was slightly terrified of her at first." She admitted with a laugh.
"She had a gun on me when we met!" You exclaimed as you remembered it clearly.
"So I heard." Wanda teased. "I also hear you guys are getting on like a house on fire." She continued as she watched you carefully.
"Yeah." You muttered as you spotted her talking to Maria. "She's pretty great." You said easily.
You spent a while catching up with various team members between drinks. You kept steeling glances at Yelena, mostly catching her in conversations she clearly didn't want to be in but a few times you caught her eye and paused to smile at her. She was always beautiful but you really couldn't get over how she looked in the navy suit.
You were sat by the bar when the party started to come to an end. You usually would have left a while ago but you wanted to be able to say goodbye to Yelena before you did.
"I'm exhausted." Came the familiar husky voice from behind you. Yelena leaned on the bar next to you and poured herself a vodka and downed the shot.
"Me too!" You said loudly with a slight slur. Yelena paused before letting a smile creep onto her lips as she watched you with an amused glint in her eyes.
"How much have you had to drink?" Yelena asked as she took your glass away from you.
"A few." You thought as you tried to calculate in your head but just shrugged in conclusion.
"легкий (lightweight)." The Russian muttered.
"Hey, come over here." Natasha called as she rounded a corner and spotted you and her sister. "We're putting a film on." She declared. You glanced around and noticed that everyone had gone. When did that happen?
"Let's go, Lena!" You called as you took her by the hand and led her through to where Natasha had gone.
"Are you sure?" She questioned as she looked down at your entwined hands.
"Absolutely!" You jumped up a few steps and saw the group sitting around the large TV on the comfy sofas.
"I missed these." You said to Yelena as you fell down onto the nearest sofa and pulled her down next to you. Natasha placed some snacks down on the table and eyed your joined hands without a comment.
You brought your legs up underneath you, not unlocking your fingers when the blonde's who didn't seem to mind. The other Avengers didn't seem to take much notice or interest in how close you were to Yelena and thanks to your slightly tipsy state you didn't bring much attention to it either. All you knew was that you felt comfortable sitting so close to the Russian that your bare arm was touching her soft blazer.
"Your hands are really soft." You whispered to her. She smiled to herself and tried to fight off the slight blush painting her cheeks that you, lucky for Yelena, didn't notice.
"So are yours." She whispered back.
What you didn't realise was that Natasha was still paying close attention to you both with Wanda smiling knowingly besides her, even when the film started and the lights dimmed. She finally stopped when she heard Wanda laugh lightly at something on screen, turning her attention to the girl besides her and then the film.
Barely 10 minutes in you found yourself growing sleepy. The dark room and the warmth of Yelena were certainly part of the cause but you found you really didn't mind, especially when your head fell onto Yelena's shoulder and she didn't shake you off.
Your eyes struggled to focus on the screen and really anything that wasn't the blonde when she shifted on the sofa to let you lean back against her. You smiled faintly as you let your eyes close and relax against Yelena, your hand still in hers.
*
You awoke when the main lights started to come back on and you felt Yelena stretch behind you. Her blazer was draped across your front and you smiled like an idiot when you realised. She had only worn it for a few hours and it already smelt like her.
"Hey." She husked and you felt a chill run through your body when her breath hit your neck.
"Hey yourself." You grinned back.
"Come on, let's get you home." She said as she sat up on the sofa.
"Can you get me a cab?" You asked as you rubbed your eyes.
"I'll drive you." Yelena stood up and held out her hand to help you up too. You took it happily and leaned against her for support for a moment.
You said goodbye to the team and made your way slowly out of the living area and eventually out the building in a concentrated silence. Concentrated for you, Yelena didn't have any issue putting one foot infront of the other.
"You guys okay getting home?" Natasha called from the entrance as Yelena helped you into her car. You gave Natasha two thumbs up and grinned her way as Yelena nodded. The redhead nodded back and folded her arms as she watched you carefully leave the building site.
It wasn't that long a drive to your apartment. Yelena drove in silence while you hummed along faintly to a song playing quietly on the radio, unaware of the smile playing on the blonde's lips.
When Yelena had parked outside your apartment complex she helped you out the car and up to your apartment, unlocking the door for you and guiding you through to your room where she lay you on the bed gently.
"You should change." Yelena said as she got some of your night clothes from the closet and went into the kitchen to get you a glass of water.
"You should stay." You grinned at her. She arched a brow at you in question but you didn't respond, only turning around on the bed. "Can you help me with my zipper?"
Yelena nodded and put the glass of water down on your bedside table and pulled the zipper down, trying to ignore the urge to see if the skin on your back was as smooth as it looked. She cleared her throat when she realised the zipper went lower than she thought, reaching your tailbone. Yelena took a step back and turned towards the opposite wall as she heard you step out of the dress and into your bed clothes.
"You should take some too." You said when you pulled the duvet back.
"You really want me to stay?" Yelena questioned, it looked like you were starting to sober up.
"Of course!" You grinned as you leaned on your elbows to watch her and patted the space in bed besides you.
"Okay." She smiled and got some clothes from your closet that she quickly changed into when you looked away to drink the water she had given you.
Yelena folded her suit on a chair in the corner of the room before hesitantly getting into the warm bed besides you. But she surprisingly felt a lot more at ease when you draped an arm over her stomach as you closed your eyes. Yelena sighed lightly at the contact. She never thought she was one for physical contact, but she had been wondering what it would be like to receive it from you for a while. Even craved it after you had held her hand earlier that night.
"Night Lena" You mumbled sleepily. Yelena put her hand on your waist to pull you closer to her and brushed a stray strand of hair away from you face.
"Good night y/n."
*
Despite the killer headache that greeted you, you actually woke up feeling pretty great. Your bed was warmer than usual and you didn't feel quite as alone as you always did in the large bed.
You rubbed your eyes and groaned but froze when you felt a hand on your bare waist where your shirt had ridden up. Yelena was sleeping soundlessly besides you and your breath caught in your throat when you took in her appearance. The sunlight seeping into the bedroom hit her face just right and you had to remind yourself not to stare, even if she wasn't awake to notice it.
You spotted a bottle of advil on the bedside table and a fresh glass of water that you took together. You tried to be careful not to wake Yelena but she started to move when you did, her soft hand slipping from your waist.
"Morning." You said after finishing the glass of water and wiping your mouth with the back of your wrist. Yelena groaned as she stretched out like a cat and looked up at you.
"Morning to you too." She smiled and you wondered if she knew she had her hand on your waist just a few seconds prior.
"Feel free to take a shower and borrow some of my clothes." You offered as you stood up from the bed and made your way across the room.
"Thanks." She hummed quietly. "Hey." You turned around by the door when she called you. "How did you sleep?" She asked curiously as she sat up to face you properly.
"Like a rock." You recalled happily. "You?"
"Yeah," Yelena smiled back, "pretty great." You nodded and made your way to kitchen as Yelena got out of bed with a content smile.
Yelena was in the shower when you started on breakfast. Usually you would have made something simple like toast or some fruit but you figured as you had a guest you should make something better and settled on pancakes. You also wanted to thank her for staying the night with you.
"That smells amazing." Yelena said with wide eyes as she trudged into the kitchen, still drying her hair. Your heart swelled at the sight of the blonde in one of your band shirts with some loose shorts. Your thought that your clothes probably looked better on her and you imagined how soft she would look in your favorite hoodie.
"Take a picture, it will last longer." She teased when you didn't respond. You snapped out of your daze and smiled sheepishly as you avoided her eye and continued to flip the pancakes. You put a plate down on the kitchen island and motioned for her to eat as you put some juice and fruit down too.
"No pressure, but what I think of you as a chef is going to be determined by these." She quipped as she started to cut the food. You smiled and turned around to watch the blonde's face change into a childish grin.
"Not too shabby." You concluded before shovelling more of the food into her mouth.
"No too shabby." You repeated with a sense of pride as you sat down next to her.
"That's what they used to say on the American shows I watched as a kid." She explained. You were about to tell her you had heard the expression before but paused when you realised it was the first time Yelena said anything about her childhood to you.
"Weren't they translated?" You asked carefully.
"No because they were copies from America. My father got them for us." She said and you noticed the far away look in her eyes, no doubt remembering that day as best she could.
"Well if you remember what the show's called we can try watch them again." You suggested with a shrug. Yelena considered you for a moment before she smiled at you softly. "Okay." She agreed. You opened your mouth to speak but there was a sudden loud thudding on your apartment door. You went to stand up to see who it was until Natasha opened the door and slammed it shut making you jump.
"I locked that door." Yelena said with certainty.
"I have a spare key." Natasha showed the metal piece before putting it back into her pocket.
"You want pancakes?" You asked as you stood up to put some more batter in the pan.
"What's going on with you two?" The redhead demanded, ignoring your question.
"What do you mean?" You and Yelena used in unison.
"You know exactly what I mean!" Natasha exclaimed as she raised her voice and looked between you and her equally baffled sister. "Are you dating? You could have told me." She continued as a hurt expression flickered across her face.
"We're not dating." Yelena said slowly but glanced at you. "Are we?" You could have sworn you heard her voice hold something hopeful rather than teasing.
"Not since I last checked."
"Can you quit fucking around and just tell me?" Natasha took a second look at the shirt Yelena was wearing before her jaw clenched.
"Oh no no no. We didn't- she just slept over!" You rambled as you started to panic. Natasha looked far from happy. You had been thinking a lot about what your friend had said the first time you met Yelena. You were never sure if she was really serious or not. All you knew was you that you started to feel guilty when your eyes lingered too long on her sister or when you felt the butterflies in your chest at her contact or really anything she did. You told yourself you kept your promise and didn't have a crush on Yelena, but it was becoming increasingly harder to convince yourself and now Natasha.
"You can tell me." The redhead said quieter as her stance softened. You looked to Yelena who seemed set on staying silent as she stared at her empty plate.
"Natasha I really don't know what to say..." You honestly didn't. You were baffled by the whole situation and Yelena was hardly helping. She really thought you were dating?
"Right, I just wanted to know." The older Russian sighed as she trudged towards the door. There was a heavy silence over the apartment until Natasha stopped by the open door to turn towards you both with a frown.
"I didn't mean it. What I said about..." She glanced around as she fidgeted in the doorway and searched for words. You and Yelena waited patiently. "Wanda said you guys are cute." A smile flickered at the corner of your mouth and you looked to the floor. "She's right." She left without another word and shut the door gently behind her. You exhaled heavily once you heard the click and leaned against the counter.
"Crazy, right?" You laughed nervously. Yelena didn't respond. "You okay?" You started filling the washing up bowl with water, needing to do something as you talked.
"She thinks we're dating." Yelena muttered.
"Yeah that's what I... that's crazy." You laughed more and scratched the back of your neck.
"Is it?" She questioned as she turned around to face you. You couldn't help but stare back at her light eyes that you struggled to read.
"Maybe not." You shrugged. The blonde looked back at the ground with a conflicted look. "No... no it's not." You concluded.
"I like spending time with you." Yelena continued. "Just hanging out, helping you put together that damn table, sleeping next to you. Even at that damn party with like one hundred people I still just wanted to be with you." She admitted and you exhaled a breath you didn't know you had been holding. "I just like being around you."
"I like being around you too." Yelena looked up and you held her gaze as your hands shook with nerves.
"Would you still like being around me if we were on a date?" She asked boldly. You couldn't contain the smile that grew at her words. You reached out and took her hands in yours as you took a step closer to the Russian.
"I would love it." Yelena smiled and stood up slowly, her eyes flickering to your lips as you licked them. You closed your eyes and leaned forward bravely, finding your hands were no longer shaking. Yelena's left hand left yours and came up to your neck to steady herself and close the gap between you, pressing her lips ever so softly against yours.
You snaked your hand around her waist to bring her somehow closer and deepened the kiss you realised you had been craving for so long. You pulled away softly and rested your forehead against Yelena's, suddenly feeling very dizzy.
"I have a huge crush on you." You admitted with a sigh, to yourself and Yelena.
"I have a huge crush on you too." Yelena laughed softly. "Can we do that date now? I think I've waited long enough." You giggled lightly and nodded your head as excitement rushed over you.
"Sounds perfect." You smiled and went to your bedroom to get changed but paused in the hallway. "You should call Nat."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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sugarbooger513 · 3 years
Text
Mine (Stepbrother!ChosoxFem!Reader)
This is my collaboration piece for @severelytalentless Are You Afraid of the Dark collab! I had a lot of fun writing this... work. I hope you guys enjoy it! Thank you to my very amazing friends who helped me out during this piece, especially my wifey @kentosovertime and my bestie @roughwithfluff. It wouldn't have ended up as well written as it did without the help.
Warnings: stepcest, possessive nature, unprotected sex (wrap your willies), oral (fem receiving), spit, Choso slaps reader in the face like once, he also slaps in another place, daddy kink, dom Choso, Choso is very petty, mentions of cheating ex, mentions of alcohol and nicotine consumption, degradation, praise, slight breeding kink if you squint
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"Don't bother calling me anymore! I see what's more important to you.." You hang up your cell phone and throw it across the room. Your bed feels colder than it usually does, but you lay on it anyways, allowing your tears to flow onto your pillow.
Your boyfriend, now ex, of two years had called you with a plea, begging for your forgiveness. How could you forgive him, though? When you heard about your best friend sleeping with him, you couldn't get the image out of your head. You knew she thought he was attractive, but there was never a worry in your mind that either of them would take it anywhere.
You sit up, suddenly realizing that he would be on his way home from work in an hour, maybe two. You had to leave before he got home. It wasn't like you feared he would hurt you for leaving him, but he would certainly try to guilt you into staying with him.
Your heart rate increases when you realize that you have no idea where you can go. He knows all of your family, and is pretty loved by all of them. Your stepmom even has the habit of calling him her son. 'Her son...'
You rush to grab your phone, dialing the all too familiar number. If there's one person in your family you can call, it's the one he's scared of.
"Y/N," your step brother lets out a long yawn after answering, "what's up?" "B-bubs.." You can hear him drop something on his end. "Honey, why are you crying?" "He.. he cheated on me.. with her.. you were right.."
Choso bites the inside of his cheek, suddenly enraged at the thought. He never liked that guy. When they first met, Choso punched him in the jaw for being an asshole. You were mad at him at the time, but eventually understood why he did it. Since then, your ex was too scared to look Choso in the eyes.
Still, he now finds himself smiling.
"I'm so sorry, honey. Is there anything I can do?" Your sniffle makes him clench his fist. "He's going.. to be home s-soon." "Drive over here. I'll set up the guest-" "C-can you get me..? I don't want him tracking my car.."
Your pitiful voice goes straight to his crotch. Even though no one else is at his home, he finds himself trying to conceal his half hard cock with the kitchen counter.
"Of course, honey. Pack a bag. I'll be there in twenty." "I-I love you, Choso.. thank you." He has to bite his lip to keep from moaning. "I love you too, honey."
When he hangs up, he groans loudly and places his head on the cool marble. "Okay," he talks to himself aloud, "just.. keep yourself in control. You got this, Choso. She's your step sister, for Christ's sake." He shakes his head, grabbing his keys.
Still, he can't deny the things you do to him. It makes him feel terrible, but you're so damn tempting. He always figured that your hugs would last a little too long, your eyes scanned him a little too much, your hands lingered on him a little too suggestively.
He knew better, though. Your teenage years were spent on tons of dates with guys who were the complete opposite of your stepbrother. He would sit in his bedroom, no doubt on a video game, while he listened to guy after guy go in and out of your bedroom. It wasn't like you were a whore.
Those guys just eventually showed their true colors.
He knows that when you love, you love with your entire heart. That's why he was there for you through every heartbreak. He would hold you for hours, dry your tears with his own shirts, make you your favorite snacks, take you on long walks so you weren't cooped in the house all day.
Why? Well, because in his mind you already belonged to him.
You pace your living room, already holding your overnight bag in your hand. Of course, you'll probably stay with Choso more than one night, unless your dad tells you to stay with him and your stepmom instead.
Who are you kidding? If Choso offers to let you stay longer, you would much rather stay there.
Your front door opens, and you jump in fear that your ex came back early. "Shhh, honey it's me." "C-Cho.." Choso walks across the room in quick strides to pull you into his strong embrace.
His hands gently cradle you against his body. "He doesn't deserve your tears Y/N. Don't give him the satisfaction." "Y-you tell me that after every breakup, Choso.." "I know. That's because none of them deserve your kindness."
You close your eyes and feel yourself relax in his strong arms. He's never let you down. Choso has been the only guy in your life to prove he would always be there for you. You truly trust him with your life.
That being said, you can't ignore the feelings that have formed over the years for your stepbrother.
Your fingers grip his shirt in an attempt to pull him even closer to you. He sighs softly and buries his face in your hair. "Is there anything I can do for you, Y/N?" "Just... don't leave me. Please?"
His heart pounds in his chest at your feeble plea. His throat seems to dry, so he can't manage to speak. Finally, after what feels like an hour, he clears his throat.
"You know I won't, Y/N. I never have." "And never will?" His large hands squeeze your body a bit harshly, but your breath only increases at the feeling.
"I never will. Now, why don't we get you loaded into the car and get you home?" You finally pull away, blinking your still teary eyes at him so innocently. "Home..?"
The look on your face has his body on fire. You look so damn innocent, just like an angel. They're still red and puffy from your crying, but that only has him straining in his pants.
The things he would give to take the innocence from your face this second..
"Of course. My home is yours for as long as you need." He jingles his keys in an attempt for you to hurry and follow.
"What.. what about as long as I want..?"
That sentence has him blushing furiously. He looks at you with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course. You're family and I love you, so my home is yours. We should go though. I don't want to-" His sentence is cut short when you wrap your small arms around his frame.
"Cho.. you're the only person in my life that cares this much.." "Don't say that, princess. You know that isn't true." His large hands are so gentle as they rub your back comfortingly. The small action has your heart pounding.
It also has your core burning for more.
"I-I want to stay with you." "Princess, then why are we still here?" There's a hint of laughter in his teasing tone. "I mean.. stay with you." You bury your face in his broad chest, hoping desperately that he gets the hint.
And oh boy does he ever. He can't help the small groan that escapes his throat at the mere thought.
"Y/N.. you don't mean that." You finally look up, shocked at the tint of rosiness on his usually pale cheeks.
"I-I do mean it.. You're the only guy who has ever-" "I'm family." "Not blood. D-Don't act like you don't feel the same Choso!" His eyes widen, and your accusation has him backing away from you, causing your hope to falter. Had you been mistaken this entire time? Had the stares and lingering touches really just been his own way of showing platonic affection.
"Choso.. I-" "Am I truly that obvious, Y/N?" You blink once, twice before giggling softly. "Y-yeah.. have I not been?" "No. Your.. attention always seemed to be on others. I just assumed.. you saw me as your big brother." You shake your head, walking slowly to stand directly in front of him again.
You've always thought his eyes were gorgeous, a slight grey tint over the almost golden color, they truly are their own unique shade, but right now they seem even brighter.
"I.. I was scared. People would.. call us freaks if anything came of any attraction to each other. I mean.. we've known forever that we weren't related, but our parents have been married-" "Going on ten years now. Even dated for five years before that. Trust me," his hand reaches to touch your cheek gently, as if he's afraid he could break you, "I've been bouncing the pros and cons in my head for so many fucking years."
Your cheek fits so easily in his palm, as if it was made to be there. "So.. who gives a damn about the cons anymore?" His eyes darken at your words, suddenly not focused on your gaze, but your lips. "I don't think I do, Princess." He suddenly turns the two of you, pressing your body into the wall that was originally behind him.
His lips hover centimeters over yours, making you whimper pathetically. "Tell me what you want. I'll give it to you, Y/N." His lips turn at the corners, making the already handsome guy seem even more so. Your hands reach out, gripping the loose t-shirt he's wearing tightly. "I-I need you, Cho. P-please?"
"Well, why don't we take this little.. fiasco to my place?" "No." He tilts his head in confusion as you smirk. "Fuck me on his bed.. onii-chan."
His lips are on yours the instant that word leaves your mouth. Despite the fact you're almost certain that Choso doesn't know what lip balm is, his lips are so plush and soft. It catches you off guard, causing you to moan softly in his mouth.
He isn't shy about exploring your body either. His hands grab every bit of plushness they can. Your hips, thighs, ass, until he finally reaches your breasts. His hands squeeze them harshly, not caring about any actual pain he could bring. You gasp in the kiss, which allows his tongue to finally invade your mouth, easily taking over as the dominant one.
He tastes faintly of cheap wine and cigarettes, but that doesn't shock you. You've spent multiple nights in his room smoking and drinking after rough breakups.
You have to smack at his shoulder a few times before he pulls away, leaving a strand of saliva connecting the two of you. He lets out a deep growl before grabbing your arm to yank you upstairs.
He kicks the bedroom door open, not caring about possibly busting the damn thing. "I have waited for so fucking long," he shoves you onto the queen sized bed that you once shared with your ex, "to have you all to myself. Now that I have you..." He pulls the shirt over his head, causing your eyes to shamelessly wander over his toned body. He catches your gaze, causing him to lick his bottom lip in anticipation. "Oh I am never letting you out of my grasp now, little one."
You sit up and, without a second thought, throw your shirt off and into the floor. "A bit possessive, are we?" He chuckles a bit darkly. "I don't see you complaining. Besides," he rips your pants off in one fluid motion, purring at the dark spot already staining your panties, "it seems you know who you belong to." His head is almost instantly between your legs, his hands shoving your thighs open effortlessly.
He licks a long stripe up your covered slit, causing you to mewl. "Go ahead, princess, tell me exactly who owns you." This time he places a small kiss just over your clit. "F-fuck, you!" "Hmmm," his hand comes down to smack your pussy with an unnecessary amount of force. "Not good enough. Try again." He lands another smack, this one making tears prick your eyes.
"W-what do y-you want-" you cry out as he lands two more smacks on you. The pain is startling at first, but it quickly has you moaning in pleasure. "How about that fun little nickname you've given so many men that have entered your bedroom?" You squeak, making him chuckle. "Oh come on, there's no way you thought I never heard you. Always had the fucking nerve," another smack, this one even harder, "to cry out for other men while I was in my bedroom dreaming of making those pretty eyes cry in my bed. Come on, call me that sweet little name and I'll fuck you better than any of those assholes could have."
The last smack has you screaming, and you can't seem to care that any of your neighbors could hear. "D-Daddy! Y-You own me! I-it's always been you, I swear daddy! P-Please fuck me, I-I need it!"
He groans loudly before ripping your panties from your body. "I'll have to remember that you beg beautifully once I get you home." Two of his fingers spread you apart, and he smirks at the puddle of essence already pooling on the bed. "So fucking wet for me, aren't you?" He doesn't give you a chance to answer before he buries his face in you, eating you out like a man starved.
The sudden onslaught of pleasure makes you try and clamp your thighs closed, but one of his hands shoves it back down. His eyes look up at you as he continues to lap at your drooling pussy. The stare speaks every word he can't at the moment.
This is for his pleasure, not yours, and you're meant to lay back and take what he's giving you.
Your fingers tangle in his raven hair, and the slight pain has him growling against you. His lips wrap around your throbbing clit, sucking harshly, and he shoves two fingers into you without any warning.
You knew beforehand that Choso had slept with at least a few women, so he's not inexperienced, but you never knew that he was this experienced. His long fingers curl into you, pushing against the spot that has you screaming his name to the heavens. He has to rut against your mattress in a desperate attempt to get some sort of relief.
"D-Daddy.. I-I'm g-gonna cum.." He could already tell. Your walls sucked his fingers in as soon as they entered you, so he knew you wouldn't last much longer. "Hmmm," his sharp teeth nip your clit gently, but it still makes you squeak, "I sure hope you aren't telling daddy what you're going to do.. That would be awfully rude of you, little one."
The sheer dominance and control radiating from him has your eyes rolling in the back of your head. Since when was your sweet step brother so demanding? "C-can I please cum, daddy? I-It feels t-too good.." You feel that damn smirk against your clit. "Of course, baby. Just scream my name when you do it, okay?"
He really must not like you talking much, because he doesn't let you answer him before he starts ruthlessly pounding his fingers into your cunt. Your entire body arches from the bed as you cry out for him. It takes one last flick of his tongue on your swollen bud to have you writing in the bed, coming completely undone before he even pulled his pants off.
He slows down, but doesn't completely stop, allowing you to ride out your high as he uses his tongue to lap up every drop of sweetness pouring from you. "Good girl, I've got you sweetheart. Are you feeling up for more, or do you need to stop until we go home?"
He sits up, eyeballing your form as he licks his lips clean, ignoring the fact he's dripping your own cum from his chin onto you.
You giggle, still a bit spaced out from the intense orgasm. "W-want you.. inside me, please daddy?" He chuckles softly before reaching to finally unhook your bra and fling it to the side. "Of course baby. Where are your condoms?" "D-Don't have any. I'm on.. the pill." His cheeks flush a bit, but he doesn't question anything else.
He makes quick work of his sweatpants, leaving him in only his boxers. The outline of his cock alone has you snapping back to reality. When he pulls the boxers down, you outwardly moan when it slaps back against his abdomen. He's much bigger than any guy you've had before. Also, it's so.. pretty.
The shaft is a lot like the rest of his skin, a very pale color that almost shines if sunlight hits it. The head is a soft pink, very reminiscent of the blushes he always seemed to get if you teased him too much, with droplets of precum around it. A large vein runs from the underside of it, and you can see it actually throb the more he stares at you.
"See something you like, love?" You whimper at the very affectionate nickname. "I-is it going to fit? I mean.. I've never.." "Don't worry, little one," he gently lays you back, "daddy will get it to fit. If it hurts too much, just let me know. Okay?" he grabs one of your exes' pillows, placing it gently under your lower back. "O-okay, daddy. I trust you."
His smile warms your heart. "That's my good girl. Spread your legs for me." You nod, following his instructions immediately. His hand reaches between the two of you, grabbing his cock and gently rubbing the tip around your entrance. "You sure you want this, Y/N? I don't want you to feel forced." You whimper, nodding instantly. "P-please fuck me, Choso.. I've waited so long.." You spread your legs more, effortlessly enticing him.
When his tip enters you, you're already a moaning mess. It just feels too good. He watches your expressions intently as he slowly pushes into you, searching for any signs of discomfort. Once he's about halfway in, he stops completely.
"How you doin' baby? Any pain?" He leans down to give you a gentle kiss. "G-good. I-it kinda burns, but nothing bad, I promise." He smiles against your mouth and starts to push in again. "We're almost there, little one. Just- fuuuuck." He finally bottoms out, the stretch of it making you whimper loudly and wiggle around. He pants on your face, the scent of you still heavy on his breath.
"S-so fucking tight.. can't believe this is happening..”
He chuckles softly, giving a tentative thrust into your heat. You bite down on your lip, finding both pain and pleasure in the burn that courses through your body. "D-daddy-" He cuts off the rest of your sentence by leaning back onto his knees and grabbing the back of both of your thighs. He manhandles you easily into what you can only assume is a mating press.
"So easy to throw around, aren't you? My pretty baby.." He pulls out of you until only his tip is still inside before slamming back in, causing you to see stars. "You take cock like a pro, baby. I wasn't sure a cute little thing like you could handle it." You tighten around him at his foul language, causing him to growl. "I'm gonna ruin you for anyone else, baby. I'll make sure I'm the only one who can make you scream. You want that, baby? Want daddy to fuck the imprint of his cock into your slutty little hole?"
You throw your head back and cry out for him. "P-please! Make me your little toy, daddy. W-want you to own me.. prove who I belong to, please?" You know you've done it now from the way he snarls at you. However, the sudden ringing of your phone makes both of you freeze. He leans back up to wrap your thighs around his torso.
He's the first to reach to the floor and grab it, still buried deep inside of you. "Oh, lookie there.. a video call. Hello?" Did he-
"Choso? Where is Y/N? Why do you have her phone?" Your ex's voice sounds from the speaker, making your eyes shoot open. You meet Choso's eyes, mouthing the words 'hang up' over and over.
"What does it matter? She dumped you and called me." "Of course she did. Dude, let me talk to her." Choso chuckles darkly, finally thrusting into you, making you squeak loudly despite your best effort to stay quiet.
"What was that?" "Y/N. She's currently.. held up. Or.. down, rather." He smirks at his own joke, reaching down his free hand to start circling your clit with his middle finger. The feeling has you tightening your thighs around his waist.
"You... what?" "Are you deaf and stupid? I said she's busy, aren't you little one?" He smirks down at your form, panting and shaking your head in a desperate, silent plea. This can not be how everyone finds out about this. No way in hell.
Choso's mocking pout makes your face flare up. "She seems a little shy. Let me show you instead." "N-no! Choso I-!" The choking gasp from the phone call shuts you up. Choso's eyes show no mercy as he looks at you almost amused. "That isn't what you should be calling me, is it?"
You look directly at the camera on the back of your phone, your face a deep scarlet color. Before you can correct yourself, the hand that was idly playing with your clit launches up, smacking your cheek with enough force to have your eyes switch to his. He smirks and shoves his index and middle fingers in your mouth without warning, making the ring he wears clack a bit painfully into your teeth.
"Pretty little whore just needs to learn some manners. Don't you, love?" He gets a wicked grin seeing how you blabber around his digits, trying so desperately to behave and give him an answer. "Sorry, princess, I didn't quite hear you. Try again for daddy." He shoves his fingers farther down your throat, causing you to gag and cough. Spit pours out of your kiss bruised lips, making Choso moan above you.
Your teary eyes make him pull his fingers out, wiping the spit across your face. "Why didn't you tell me you couldn't speak? Silly little girl. Now, what should you be calling me?" "D-Daddy! I'm s-so sorry.." He groans, running his thumb down your bottom lip. He gently pries your mouth open before leaning over you, letting spit fall from his tongue into your waiting mouth. He purrs as you swallow it so obediently. "I know you are. You're such a good girl for me. Oh, he hung up." Choso chuckles softly and tosses your phone back to the floor.
"I believe that I have some work to finish, right baby?" Both of his hands grab your hips, surely leaving bruises, before he starts to mercilessly ram into your sopping cunt. Your throat is still somewhat raw from his fingers being in it not two minutes ago, but he's determined to pull every sound he can from you.
He slides one hand down, harshly pinching and rolling your swollen clit between two fingers. Your cries only encourage his ruthless actions.
"D-daddy I-I.. something.. something doesn't-" Your pleas are cut off when the hand on your hip actually lifts you off the bed, giving him enough access for the tip of his cock to batter into your cervix.
If you aren't sore tomorrow, he hasn't done his job.
Sweat drips down his forehead and chest as he growls deeply. "There we go baby. T-that's the spot. Cum for daddy, want you screaming until my name is the only t-thing you know." His hand starts slapping your exposed clit again, finally throwing you over the edge. When the coil in your abdomen snaps, you scream his name, raw throat be damned.
Choso hisses as you tighten around his cock, spraying his lower abdomen in your essence. "Sh-shit I-" His sentence trails off when he thrusts into you one more time, letting out an animalistic snarl as his own climax washes over him.
You can feel his cock throb as he unloads his seed deep inside you. The feeling makes you tremble and mewl. There's so much of it that it still manages to spill out, staining the bed sheets under you.
He's still panting pretty heavily when he slides out of you, careful in case you're still too sensitive. When you squeak, he reaches up to cup your cheek. "You did so well, baby. I'm so proud of you." You nuzzle into his hand, placing a small kiss in the palm. "Th-thank you, daddy. I-I'm so tired." When your eyes start to flutter shut, he carefully stands from the bed, shamelessly admiring your disheveled state. "I'm sure you are. Let me get us cleaned up. Then I'll take you home, okay?"
Your small nod is plenty of an answer, so he rushes to the bathroom to search for a rag. He takes only a few seconds to wipe himself clean before rushing back to your side. You wince slightly at the feeling of the cloth wiping you down. "Shhhh, daddy's got you baby. I'll be done in just a second." He smiles to himself as you visibly relax into his touch, allowing him to finish.
"You know," he chuckles as he helps you pull your clothes back on, "your dad is going to try and kill me." "Your mom is going to call me every name in the book." He nods in agreement, finally starting to dress himself.
"So.. should we stay quiet? I imagine shit-for-brain isn't going to, but we can play that off as him being an idiot." You bite your lip, weighing the consequences of either decision.
There's no doubt in your mind, you want to be with Choso. It's clear he's willing to do whatever you want, but from the look in his eyes, the answer is obvious.
"I'm not hiding it." He blinks at you in shock. "B-baby.. your repu-" You stand up, despite your legs screaming in pain. He's quick to rush over and pull you into his chest. "I don't care.. I love you, and I don't want to hide it anymore." You squeak loudly when he picks you up bridal style, holding you easily with one arm.
The kiss he gives you is soft and loving, full of nothing but his affection for you. "I love you too, Y/N. I want nothing more than to tell the world that."
He carries you downstairs to grab your overnight bag, and then out to put you in his car. He really refuses to let you do anything, since he even leans inside to buckle you up. Your protests have him laughing. "When you're with me," he kisses your lips after getting into the driver's seat, "you're the spoiled princess. Got it?"
The drive to his house is quiet. He holds your hand the entire time, stroking along it with his thumb, occasionally bringing it to his mouth and kissing each knuckle.
"Oh.. oh shit." "What?" You open your eyes from almost falling asleep.
Your blood freezes when you see what he's looking at. Your dad's car is already parked in his driveway.
Tags: @katgalle, @savonline
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loving-all-for-loki · 3 years
Note
How about a Loki x reader.. Tony moves his baby sister into the compound after something happens to her but he won’t tell anyone what. She refuses to leave her room until everyone is in bed. She comes out one night and is caught by Loki. She immediately apologizes and becomes so shaken up that she drops her things and breaks a glass. Then it hits him why she was secretly moved in. Tony had discovered his little sister living in a bad situation with her now ex and suffered years of abuse. Loki decides then to take his time to make her feel safe again and they eventually fall for each other.
A/N: I hope this works! I got really sappy at the end, but I also don’t know how to end these one shots. This is a bit of a lengthy one, so bear with me.
He’s Not Him
Summary: Tony Stark has enough of his sister’s ex and moves her into the Avengers Tower. After taking notice of her shy and timid behavior, Loki digs deep at her past, making him want to make her feel safe.
Pairing: Loki x Stark!reader, Tony Stark x Sister!Reader
Word Count: 2993
Warnings: fluff, angst, mentions of domestic abuse, language
Forever Tags: @mm2305
Y/E/N - your ex’s name
*If you or someone you know is being domestically abused, please reach out to 911 or call 800.799.SAFE (7233) for help. Love you all*
-
Tony storms into his sister's apartment. After standing outside of her door for a half hour, he bashed in the door at the the sound of a scream from inside. Frantically, he pushes his way around the furniture and bursts into your bedroom. His eyes go wide at the sight of you on the floor in a ball and your ex boyfriend above you with a fist out. Stark grabs your ex’s fist and rips him away from you, pushing him into your dresser.
“Get the fuck out!” Tony screams.
“Oh, the great Tony Stark is here. What are you going to do? Drop a bomb on me?”
You’ve never seen Tony’s skin turn so red. He storms forward and punches your ex square in the nose, sending him down on the ground. Tony unleashes all his energy until the man is left with a broken nose and multiple bruises.
“Get. Out.”
Your ex runs out of your room, without missing the chance to break a few things, and out of your apartment. You look up out of your ball to see Tony rushing to your side with panic in his eyes. He lifts up your head as you climb into his lap.
“Come here, darling. You’re okay. You’re safe now.” He coos.
You cry into the crook of his shoulder as he rocks you back and forth, his hand on your back.
“I’m getting you out of here,” He says, placing you on your bed, “I’m taking you to the tower with us.”
Tony leaves you on your bed as he gets a suitcase and packs your things. He gathers all of your clothes and some of your possessions like books, drawings, and others. You can feel the tears starting to dry on your skin as you stop crying. Tony doesn’t miss the way you start to uncurl and the bruises on your neck show up. His face drops to see the choking marks on your neck.
“I’m… so sorry, Y/N. I should have been here to protect you.”
You shake your head at him as he joins you on the bed. Tony reaches around your head to undo your ponytail and cover the bruises.
“There, now no one will ask you about them.”
You give him a gentle smile which eases him a little. He leans forward and kisses your forehead before taking your hand and helping you up. Tony and you walk out of your building and into the garage where Happy is in the car. He drops you off for five minutes to go talk to your landlord about you leaving.
“You’re going to be okay,” Happy reassures you.
“Thanks,” you manage to get out.
He gives you a warm smile. He has always made you smile throughout the years. Tony comes back, joins you in the car, and takes off to the tower.
Upon arrival, you look up at the large tower in awe. You’ve visited a couple of times, but that was a year ago since your ex didn’t allow you to see Tony much. It’s always been impressive. You were thankful for Tony letting you live on your own and make something of your own life instead of letting you mooch off of his fortune, but you do regret sometimes not letting him support you more. You were always so proud of him.
Tony carries your luggage as he leads you to the elevators. He looks down at you every so often, noticing the anxious way you bite your nails.
“You’re safe here. We have the best security and you’ll be surrounded by trained assassins and heroes. They’ll protect you, I promise.”
You nod your head at Tony’s words. As much as they help you, you don’t really want to see or talk to anyone. After having your ex break into your house every day for two weeks, you want to be alone except for the occasional visit from Tony.
The elevator doors open and reveal you and your brother to the Avengers who are all lounging in the living area. They turn to look at you with puzzled faces, making you nervous and hide behind Tony’s arm. He lets you stay behind him instead of forcing you to say hi as you exit the elevator.
“Everyone, this is my sister, Y/N. She’s going to stay here from now on so be nice to her,” Tony announces.
Everyone says hi to you but you stay silent behind Tony. He doesn’t question it even though the others look at one another in concern. Steve thinks to himself that you can’t be that rude, but given the way you look, everything must be very different to you from the rest of your life. You look shocked and scared.
Looking at the Avengers, you take in each and everyone’s appearance. Bucky and Nat look the scariest in your opinion and you make a mental note to stay away from them. Sam, Steve, and Clint look nice, but Wanda looks like the sweetest lady in the universe. She has a smile that warms your heart. Turning to your right, you see two very tall men standing and staring at you.
The taller one has blonde hair and a big grin on his face. He has a large stature, but he does not look intimidating. He has a golden retriever energy to him, but the man next to him is a different story. With his pitch black hair and powerful stand, the other man stares at you with daggers in his eyes. He sends shivers down your spine without saying anything.
You drag your eyes away from the intimidating man and follow Tony down the hallway. He leads you to your room where you get settled in, unpacking your clothes and putting away your things. Laying in the bed, you take a big nap which is needed. You feel as if you let out a breath you’ve been holding for days. The idea of being away from your ex finally settles in and you feel the wave of relief wash over your body, letting you drift away into sleep.
You’re woken up by Tony letting you know dinner is being served. He lets you know that you’re not being expected to come out and eat with everyone, which you appreciate. Ten minutes later, he comes by your room and slips a plate of food in your room as he opens the door, letting you eat alone.
Tony returns to the living room by the other Avengers eating and gathered around the couch. He takes his plate and sits next to Pepper who has her own food, smiling at him as he joins.
“So, your sister?” Sam asks.
“Don’t even think about it. She is not to date any of you.”
“Woah, I didn’t say that,” Sam laughs.
“But we know what you meant,” Steve chuckles, rolling his eyes, “She seems shy.”
“She is. You probably won’t get a lot out of her.”
“Can I ask why she’s staying her?”
“No.”
Steve shares a look with Bucky. The elevator door opens and Peter walks into the living room.
“You guys started dinner without me?” He asks, jokingly.
“Early birds get the worm,” Steve laughs.
The group chuckles and keeps eating their food.
“Is Y/N a new Avenger?” Steve asks.
Tony sighs and rolls his eyes at the question. Everyone notices the annoyance in Tony with talking about you and collectively decide to stop asking questions. It’s clear he doesn’t want to talk about you much.
“No, she’s not.”
“Who’s Y/N?” Peter asks.
“I’ll fill you in later,” Nat replies.
The day goes by fast and you find yourself staring out at New York in the moonlight. You have always enjoyed the night time. They say New York is the city that never sleeps, but you’ve always found peace and warmth in the New York night. Everyone goes out to party or to bed. It’s a time of joy and relaxment.
You hear the last door shut for the night, signally everyone going to bed. Looking outside of your door, you don’t spot anyone so you sprint outside to the kitchen with your empty dinner plate. Upon entering it, you search the walls for the light switch for about five minutes. There’s no other light than that except for the over. You finally find it and switch it on. As you turn around, you’re startled by the frightening black haired man standing there.
Scared, you drop your plate, shattering it on the tile floor. Your eyes go wide as you start to back up against the wall. Without saying anything, the man takes a step forward, scaring you half to death. Your mind plays tricks on you and all you can think about is your ex breaking into your home. You start to have a panic attack, sliding down against the wall, and curling up into a ball.
You miss the way Loki’s eyes go wide. He watches you descend into an anxiety attack and doesn’t know what to do, knowing he’s who caused it. Quickly, he rushes down the hallways and bangs on Tony’s doors.
“What do you want, Reindeer Games?” He groans.
“Your sister…”
Tony doesn’t wait for another word for following Loki down the corridor. He spots you panicking in the corner of the kitchen and grabs you, lifting you into his lap. You grab onto his neck and pull him close, crying into him. He lifts you up and carries you off to your room without saying a word to Loki, leaving him standing in the kitchen agape.
Not knowing what to do and unable to relax, Loki makes his way to his room and opens up an old laptop Thor had gotten him. After spending thirty minutes just to figure out how to work it, he starts googling things about you. He starts with your name and finds multiple articles on you and Tony, the Stark Industry Golden Children. You left when you were eighteen, wanting to make your own life and not follow in the family’s footsteps. He gives you credit for being yourself, something he had struggled with. He knows the feeling, not wanting to be your family.
Then a certain website catches his eye, Facebook. He finds a profile of you filled with photos and text. There are some of you with friends in the town, a couple of old coworkers wishing you a happy birthday, then there’s a photo of you with a man. There are no other photos of you with him other than this one a couple months ago. He keeps scrolling to find more photos of you with him, but they all stop after that first one. Clicking on something tagged in the caption, another profile pops up.
Y/E/N’s profile. Filled with photos of drunk nights at the club, shirtless gym time, and quotes from misogynistic authors, Loki finds himself despising this man he does not know. He scrolls through finding very little of you in his account, as if you don’t matter as much to him as he does to you. Closing his computer, Loki decided to go check on you. He’s frustrated by whoever this man is, not knowing whether he’s important or not.
Loki peeks into your room to see Tony laying next to you, brushing through your hair with his fingers. Tony looks up and meets him in the eyes. There’s slight anger, but Loki doesn’t feel pushed away. He takes a step in before Tony leans into your ear and whispers. You look up and over to Loki, but you don’t ask him to leave. Loki continues to walk into your bedroom quietly, but with a small gentle smile on his face.
“I’m sorry for scaring you earlier,” he says, “I didn’t mean to.”
“I know. Thanks,” you mutter.
Your voice is small and timid like a mouse. He can hear the hesitation in your voice, not knowing whether he should talk to you or not.
“Are… you okay?”
“Yes.”
Another awkward pregnant pause erupts between the two of you. Loki looks around your room as Tony continues to hold you. He whispers into your ear again before leaving.
“I’m going to go back to my room,” he says, “call me if you need me okay?”
“Thanks, Tony.”
“Of course, anything for my little sister.”
He kisses your forehead and heads out of your room, leaving you and Loki alone. You don’t mind his presence anymore. After Tony tells you that Loki isn’t your ex and you’re okay, you’ve accepted him.
“I have to ask… who is that man on Facebook?”
Loki gives you a quizzical look. You think for a moment about how Loki got on Facebook and what guy he’s talking about.
“His name is Y/E/N.”
Your body clenches at the sound of his name and Loki takes a step back, looking at you. He’s never seen anyone physically close up just from a name. It may be some Midgardians thing he doesn’t understand, but the way that you are shaking, he thinks otherwise. He sits down next to you and wraps his arms around your shoulders. You lean into his touch as you attempt to calm down.
He’s not here. I’m safe. He’s not here. I’m safe.
You keep repeating that in your head, reminding yourself that you’re safe in the tower like Tony said. Looking up at Loki, you see his concerned face. He cares. This man you barely know cares about you.
He’s not him. He’s not him. He’s not him.
“I don’t think I properly introduced myself. I’m being quite an ass asking you these questions without manners. I’m Loki.”
Loki, not Y/E/N. He’s not him. He’s not him.
“Well, L-Loki,” you say with a stutter, “He’s uh… my ex. Ex boyfriend.”
“Ah.”
He nods as he takes in the information at hand. Your ex, who makes you quiver in fear even over people who have done nothing to her, has no photos of you. He shares his lavish lifestyle that most would presume belongs to a single man. Loki looks back at your depressed ridden face. The color in your skin has drained from you and you’re staring blank cold at the wooden floors under your bed. Loki places a hand on your neck to move your hair and give you a light massage, but you flinch away from him before he is able.
Loki’s never seen so much fear and worry in someone’s eyes before. You jerk away from him muttering yourself, as if it were taking everything in you to not scream. He looks over you to see bruises along your neck where your hair had moved from when you moved. A wave of anger runs through his body, infuriating him. He did that to you. That’s why you’re so afraid of him.
“Did he-”
“Yes.”
Loki rises from your bed and clenches his fists. You see the anger pouring from him and rush to his side before he can storm off. You grab his arms and force him to look at you.
“Please, don’t… don’t do anything.”
“Why shouldn’t I? No man should ever do that to a woman, especially you.”
“Just let it be.”
He releases his fist but the fury in his eyes doesn't. You pull him towards you to make him sit again. Moving in closer, you lean into him. Loki wraps his arms around you and pulls you into his lap. The two of you lay down in your bed, you curled up on him as he held you, running his fingers in your hair.
For some reason, Loki feels as if he has to protect you. The way you ball up gives him this sense of innocence about you. You haven’t done anything to deserve those injuries, just live your life and try to find love. Loki always knew there was a good reason to hate Midgardians, not just for their stupidity and now he’s found it.
The two of you fall asleep without realizing it. The light from the sun peaking in the windows wakes you. Stirring in bed, you look up to see Loki under you, his arms holding you against him by your waist. You're cradled into his chest as his chin barely rests on the top of your head. Loki’s eyes flutter open at the feeling of you moving on top of him. He looks down at you and smiles.
The way the light shines on your face makes you look angelic. Your smile warms his heart and the warmth of your body against him makes his heart jump. You turn over to face him, leaning up on your shoulders over his head.
“Hi.”
“Hello, darling.”
“You slept here.”
“Both of us did, actually,” he laughs.
You drop your head laughing. Loki’s sweet laugh fills the room and blesses your ears. He’s not too bad to be around. He’s quite kind and sweet.
“Thank you for last night.”
“For what? If I remember correctly, I gave you a panic attack.”
“I mean the way you calmed me down and held me. It was needed.”
“Well, I’m glad I could do that for you.”
Loki means it when he says it. Looking at you now, there’s not much he wouldn’t do for you. You don’t deserve what the world gives you, especially that asshole Y/E/N. He would hold you for the rest of time if that meant keeping you safe.
You won’t lie either when you tell Loki he makes you feel safe. Every day before he sneaks off to his room so the others don’t know he spends the night with you, you tell him that he makes you safe. He never believes you. He’s shocked that anyone could feel safe with a monster like him, but after all to you, Loki is not him.
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juletheghoul · 3 years
Text
Solis
This one is close to my heart - took me a long time to figure out how I wanted to write about Oberyn, this is an au, we are not in Westeros because I wouldn't even know how the hell to jump into that world but I hope you like it.
Oberyn Martell x F!Reader (GOT's AU)
Pairing: Oberyn x F!Reader
Word Count: 10K (sorry bout it)
Warnings: **TRIGGER WARNING** Deals with grief (readers husband / Elia's death) Reader is a widow, deals with loss and depression / fluffy parent stuff, yearning, language, Smut 18+, PIV sex (wrap it up), dirty talk **pregnancy**
Masterlist
--------
You could almost feel his arms around you, could almost feel his voice in your ear telling you he loved you. It always made waking up so hard.
Your son was up though and that meant the end of your time with him. It felt like it had been forever since he passed away, and it also felt like it had happened yesterday. Especially on the days when you dreamt about him.
You missed him fiercely. You felt his loss so strongly, it was like an ache that nothing could relieve. Everything in you wanted to lay in bed and conjure up happy memories but your son needed you.
Lately it seemed like he was the only thing keeping you out of bed.
“Good morning little love.” Your smile for him was genuine. You couldn’t help it when he gave you those little grabby hands.
Your son looked like you, everyone said so. Spitting image absolutely - but every so often you would look at him and see your husband staring back at you and that hurt so much more than you wanted to admit.
You tried to focus on your son, he was babbling happily as you got him ready for his first day at daycare. You had been praying fiercely that he would get a spot before your maternity leave was up. You couldn’t afford to stay home longer than was necessary and in order to be able to afford the spot you were praying for you needed to go back to work. It was a vicious cycle.
You had applied to a few in your area and until last week it had been a steady stream of -unfortunately we have no space at this time- until you found Elias. It was a smaller, more “hands on” daycare but it’s the only option you had within budget.
You would have preferred to send your son to Casterly Rock Child Care but not only could you not afford it, there were never any spots. It was like trying to get your son into private school. Once you were back at work and making your regular salary you could make it work. If he ever got in that is, for now however - it would have to be Elias.
You wanted to get him used to daycare before you went back to work, the thought of leaving him there bawling for you would have meant a horrific first day back. Better to get him accustomed, the lady you had spoken to said that you could start him as early as this week, and you agreed.
“Come on little man, are you ready? You’re going to meet so many other kids! Isn’t that exciting?” He giggled at your happy tone and the sound was always like a balm, his happiness was your happiness. You got his diaper bag ready with everything he’d need and set off.
————
The walk to the daycare had been nice, the fact that it was so close was a big bonus. The daycare seemed to be a big home, the lower level of which had been converted in order to separate the living quarters upstairs. You walked into the foyer and immediately saw a huge portrait of a beautiful young woman.
In loving memory of Elia Martell, this Daycare was opened in her honour
She must have died young, you knew that pain. Your heart went out to her family.
You surveyed the space, it looked intensely homey, there was a big unit packed with kids shoes and bags, big cubbies with names written on them. A big community notice board filled with flyers and local news.
There were sunflowers everywhere, the whole space was bathed in a yellow glow that made it look like part of the sun was stashed away. The brightness of it was lovely, and it shooed away the fear you had at being separated from your son slightly. You had a good feeling about this place.
A woman came at the sound of the door with a big smile on her face. Her gauzy dress floating behind her as she walked over to you excitedly as you got your son out of his stroller. You couldn’t help but smile back at her - she seemed so friendly.
“Good morning! I’m Ellaria, I believe we spoke over the phone.” She hugged you tightly and her openness shocked you, but you quickly recovered and smiled back at her, introducing yourself formally. She looked down at your son and waved at him.
“It’s nice to meet you Ellaria, this is Mylo.” You turned Mylo to face her and she cooed happily at him. He seemed taken with her and you definitely could not blame him. She exuded a calming maternal energy, and she looked like a goddess.
“Hello Mylo, aren’t you just the most handsome little man, may I?” She looked to you for permission before reaching for him. You hesitated slightly but relented. It was better to know now how much crying you’d have to deal with. She took him with grace and bounced him as she held him tight to chest.
“Yes you are such a handsome boy, my girls are going to love you.” She spoke into his hair and it made you happy to see her be so tender with him. You felt better about this place by the second.
“Please be welcome, I’ll give you a tour so you can feel better about leaving him here.” She spoke over her shoulder, urging you to follow. So far no crying - this is good.
You walked through to the back of the house to find a big open room, a mountain of toys stacked neatly in one corner. The main play area was closed off with a wooden gate to keep the little ones from roaming out of sight. There was a row of little cots in another corner for nap time, as well as a long table filled with high chairs and a bench for the bigger kids. You could tell kids liked it here. It was still early enough that only a few children were there by now and by the look of them they were Ellaria’s own, they looked just like her.
“We let the children enjoy their time however they choose, we let them colour or play - they can paint or do puzzles. The only thing we don’t let them do is watch tv. They socialize better without sitting in front of a screen. We don’t separate them by age and encourage them to play or learn together. Elia, watch your sisters while I finish the tour.”
She spoke to a girl that seemed to be in her teens before guiding you outside.
“On nice sunny days we bring the children outside, to play in the water gardens, or in the sand. I forgot to mention it over the phone. If you’re not comfortable with Mylo playing in the water he can be kept in the shade.” She smiled, the yard was huge and for a kid it would be paradise. It was essentially a massive in ground kiddie pool with fountains, you could already see Mylo sitting in the water and splashing around excitedly.
“No it’s okay, I can pack him some beach diapers, he’s like a fish this one so he’ll love it here. I’ll get him some sunscreen too and a hat or something so he can be outside.” You smiled imagining his chubby little legs in the water.
“Perfect, that would be lovely I’m sure he’ll be very happy here, won’t you Mylo.” She bounced him a little and he giggled. It was both a relief and an annoyance that he took to this woman so quickly. You pushed that thought away, this is a blessing and you’re projecting your insecurities.
“I’m really glad you gave me the tour Ellaria thank you. I feel much better about leaving him now.” You were sincere, you knew in your heart this woman would care for your child just as well as you would.
“Oh yes he’ll be happy here, my girls will fight over him I can see it now - and I just know Oberyn will love him.” She had a tiny bit of an accent and her voice was lovely, you could listen to her talk all day. “Okay little one let’s get you inside and settled so mama can go about her day hm?” She led you back inside and placed Mylo into the enclosure with a bunch of colourful blocks to distract him. Just like she had predicted - her girls came over instantly to fawn over him and he loved the attention.
“Thanks so much- I’ll be back at around 5:30 to pick him up. I packed him some extra clothes, his pacifier, diapers, rash cream just in case. Everything I thought he’d need- nap time for him is usually around eleven and if he gets fussy he has his blanket in here.” You showed her and she nodded, taking his bag from you.
“No problem, have a great day, we’ll see you later.” You felt good about leaving him there - seeing him happy and distracted with Ellaria’s girls. You managed to make it all the way home before the tears came.
—-
You took the time away from Mylo to be in bed. You’d wanted to lay and do nothing for so long, imagining it would feel better than it did. It never did.
It was silent in your house which was new, no tv, no baby noises, no crying. Just you and the ghost of your husband. An empty bed reminding you of his absence. You laid there in the quiet, aside from the sounds of cars outside your window, seeing your gauzy curtains fluttering in the slight breeze. Dustmotes dancing on the little light you allowed in.
You were glad then that Mylo wasn’t around, that he has a happy place with other children, just the thought of him splashing around in the water and being around Ellaria’s energy made you feel a little better. You had to try harder.
You couldn’t let your grief overwhelm you, you couldn’t let it get in the way of being a good mom. You had to be better for Mylo. For yourself, but it was hard, it was hard to celebrate Mylos firsts without him. When Mylo crawled for the first time you were a wreck for days. When he first laughed, you cried. All of his firsts were daggers to your heart and it wasn’t fair to him.
These milestones which should have been met with joy and excitement, were often met with misery and tears and that had to stop. You vowed that it would, but not today.
Today was for laying in bed in silence.
——-
You ended up getting there a little earlier than you thought to pick up Mylo and you half expected chaos but the children were well behaved. They were playing happily in little groups of twos and threes. Blocks and puzzles, barbies and dolls. So many activities going on at once. Mylo was sitting in a high chair with his back facing you, someone was feeding him something but you couldn’t see them from where you were.
“You’re early! Look Mylo- mamas here!” Ellaria had more energy than you’d seen in women half her age. It was inspiring, truly.
“Your son is a delight. He’s a lovely boy and very well behaved.” You saw his face poke out from behind the high chair then, a handsome man who looked to be in his late 30’s or early 40’s. His smile was infectious.
“I’m so glad to hear he was well behaved.” You spoke truthfully, you were a little worried he’d be fussy all day.
“A perfect little gentleman weren’t you Mylo?” He spoke with such affection, these people were truly suited for this work.
“Hey little man, what are you eating?” You came around to see him and he perked up to hear your voice, his little hands making the grabby signal you loved so much.
“My sincerest apologies if I’m spoiling his dinner, he saw me eating berries and he practically took them out of my hands.” He smiled warmly down at the baby, he was eating the berries happily, juice and seeds smeared all over his face.
“That’s okay, I’m here early anyway, dinner won’t be for a little while and he loves berries. Don’t you little man?” He made the grabby hands again and ignored the mush.
“Okay little one let’s get you cleaned up so you can go home.” Oberyn grabbed some wipes and began carefully getting him somewhat clean. You couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was, his greying hair did nothing to take away from his allure. If anything it made him look distinguished. He got Mylo decently clean, anything he missed would be taken care of at bath time. He barely finished because Mylo got impatient and cried out for you.
“It’s okay I’m here, let’s get you ready.” You thanked him - he had beautiful brown eyes.
It shocked you that you even thought about how attractive Oberyn was. You hadn’t even thought about another man since you got married, and even less so after your husband died. It was a little distressing but you imagined that it was bound to happen eventually. Another first.
You heard a little girl then, no older than six or seven run up to him and call him dad, she looked just like Ellaria and then it clicked. Of course they would be together. That should have been obvious. They had the same slight lilt in their speech- obviously they had come from the same place. You felt a little foolish then, not knowing exactly why.
“See you tomorrow Mylo.” He called out to him, turning to you after to offer you his hand. “It was lovely to meet you, see you tomorrow.” He shook your hand in his big warm ones.
---
“Good morning! Hi Mylo, are you ready to get bombarded by my daughters today?” Oberyn greeted you at the entrance the next day. He stood in a mustard yellow shirt and linen trousers, he looked like the human version of a sun-god and you had to remember to reign in your thoughts; It was very difficult when he smiled at the both of you. Ellaria came at the sound and you felt chastened somehow.
“Good morning! It’s lovely to see you both.” She smiled and Mylo giggled at her. She took him without hesitation from his stroller and it surprised you how comfortable you were with it. He definitely liked her which was a bonus, she held him tightly and he grabbed playfully at her long curls.
Oberyn stood beside the big portrait of the woman you learned was Elia, you saw the resemblance between them then and your heart wilted slightly. He noticed and looked where your gaze was focused. The smile changed, from an open friendliness, to a sad fondness.
“My sister.” he said softly, the pain was evident.
“I’m so sorry, the grief must be immense.” you meant every word, you knew it to be true.
“It is, but it makes me happy to have this place in her honour. I miss her very much.” He spoke with a fondness that wrapped itself around your heart. You still couldn’t talk about your husband and it had been over a year.
“She is with us in spirit my love.” Ellaria put her head on his shoulder and he hugged her warmly. It felt like you were intruding on a beautiful private family moment, even your son looked like he belonged with them. He made the grabby hands at Oberyn - that hurt more than you could have thought. Another first.
“Yes, you and I are going to have fun in the sand today right?” Mylo giggled at the excited faces Oberyn made and it all seemed so natural, so practised - you had to leave. You were suffocating and the tears were coming fast and heavy. You hurriedly kissed Mylos head as they fell and practically ran out the door. This was looking like another day in bed.
You hadn’t made it home before your cell phone was ringing - the name of the daycare centre lit up on the caller id. You took a couple of deep breaths to settle yourself before answering, you were so embarrassed.
“Hello?” You managed to hold back the sniffle.
“Hello dove, I wanted to make sure you’re okay - please let me know if we did anything to make you uncomfortable.” It was Ellaria and her voice sounded so sincere and worried that it compounded the embarrassment. You felt your face grow hot at what they must think of you.
“Hi - yes, I’m sorry about that. I’m so ashamed no no please it was nothing to do with you guys. I’m happy Mylo is with you. He seemed so happy.” You tried to keep your voice neutral but a crack managed to sneak through while the tears fell. You knew she heard you then. She was quiet for a moment.
“Are you sure?” She prodded gently, you took in her meaning. She was asking far more than she was saying with words.
“Yes - thank you Ellaria - I’ll see you at 5:30pm - have a great day.” You hung up before she could hear you falling apart.
--
When you got home you felt hopeless. Would this ever get better? You were so exhausted - it always felt like if you just got a full day of sleep it would clear. The cotton in your brain would finally disappear. It never did, but it didn’t stop you from trying.
You could smell him then, feel his arms around you and it did more to calm you than all the sleep in the world. In the back of your mind you knew this was a dream, but he was here and that’s all that mattered.
You can’t keep doing this to yourself.
He spoke into your hair and you could feel it, you felt the air leave his lungs, he felt sturdy wrapped around you in the nameless place you could only ever find in dreams.
Don’t leave me again - please I can’t do this without you. You knew this couldn’t last and you already dreaded waking up.
I’m already gone. He was slipping away.
How could a dream be so incredibly cruel?
---
The weeks leading up to your return to work went by in a blur, you had too much free time and you seemed to spend every single second of it in bed. Constantly chasing the dreams with him.
When Mylo was home it was easier to focus on him and push your grief away, if only for a little while. He was doing well at the daycare, he was happy to see everyone every morning and it made you ashamed to think that they were better suited to care for him than you were.
You were a dark cloud in this happy baby’s life. You had to get better.
---
The first week back at work was difficult to say the least. The first few days especially.
It was hard to concentrate, you were fatigued and your heart was absolutely not in it. You pushed through though, using Mylo to get you through it. You thought about how happy he was to see you whenever you got to the daycare; Ellaria had told you he was thriving and she was certain his first steps would be any day now. That was a double edged sword but you focused on the good. You desperately hoped it would happen at home and not at the daycare, even though you knew you could never truly be sure.
She was right - it happened three days later. He was standing holding onto the high chair when he turned to you and took a couple of shaky steps. You squealed happily and ran to get your phone, you wanted to show Ellaria. You managed to get him to walk a few steps on camera and you were just thinking how excited the two of them would be to see it when you realized the usual sadness didn’t creep in right away. You tried to shake it away and focused on the joy of your baby boy stumbling his way into being a toddler.
---
“Oberyn! Come look! I knew it, see I told you I could smell your first steps little one.” She beamed at him as she called Oberyn to come see the video you excitedly showed her.
“My goodness look at him, so confident! He’ll be running circles around us soon.” He watched the video with such pride - you could almost imagine he was getting excited for his own child. It was lovely to see.
“I was so happy I had to get it on video to show you.” You spoke to him with a big smile. You noticed the look Ellaria gave you as you spoke to Oberyn, it was a curious look. She looked at you with what could only be described as tenderness. She grabbed your arm in hers and pulled you over to separate you. You were almost scared that she had gotten the wrong idea and was going to scold you but that was crazy, nothing had happened.
“It is lovely to see you smile Dove, I know there is something going on, a sadness. You don’t have to explain, but if you need anything, anything at all - please don’t hesitate to give me a call. This is my number. I mean it - any time. Even if you just want to come for tea on the weekend. You are both welcome here always.” She held onto your arm reassuringly and you felt the sincerity in her words. No jealousy, no animosity, pure love. You managed to keep your emotions in check when you thanked her, truly thanked her for her kindness.
“Okay little man I’ll see you later, have fun and don’t drive everyone crazy.” You kissed him on the forehead as Oberyn held him and the three of you said your goodbyes.
--
It was the little things you noticed at first.
You noticed yourself getting up earlier on the weekends, you woke up before Mylo more often than not which was new. You still had a few bad days scattered here and there but the ratio of bad to good had changed drastically. You caught yourself singing as you cooked a few times and that really shocked you.
When your husband was alive you sang all the time - you never thought you were any good and your husband used to tease you but it was just something you did. You hadn’t done it since he died but every once in a while it bubbled up.
You noticed yourself taking a little bit more care with how you dressed, with your hair, your make-up.
When you had first gone back to work you did the bare minimum. Your clothes and hair were clean, that was as much as you could commit to. Over the last couple of months though you found yourself taking a little more time and a little more pride in your appearance. It felt good to see little glimpses of the woman you used to be, peek her head out more and more.
—-
The thought of Mylos biggest first was weighing heavy on your mind, his first birthday. You thought it best to ask Ellaria, you knew she’d be able to help you throw a little something together - Mylo had grown really close to her girls and you wanted them to be included. She reacted just the way you thought she might when you mentioned it to her.
“Oh but you must celebrate it here! We can throw him a little picnic outside!” She was so excited but you didn’t want to impose.
“You don’t have to do that Ellaria it’s okay, I want to include your girls though, Mylo loves them so much.” You didn’t want her to go out of her way, she did so much for you already.
“Oh nonsense, please indulge me - the weathers been so nice the kids can play in the water gardens! Will you say yes?” She was a hell of a charmer, Oberyn lent his voice to hers and you had no choice.
“Oh yes it must be here, the both of you can spend the day with us, you’d love that wouldn’t you little one?” He spoke directly to Mylo who was all smiles.
“Fine, but please - don’t go too crazy. I will bring the cake and the food.” You tried to put your foot down but they were having none of it.
“Dove the only thing the two of you are allowed to walk through these doors with is a cake. Allow me to take care of the rest.” She was imperious and did not take no for an answer- you couldn’t help but agree.
—-
It was lovely to see Mylo in their care.
He was all smiles, he thrived here. You always knew he was happy here but it lifted your heart to see him with them. He chased after the girls on his little legs, he screamed in joy at them when they tickled him.
What really affected you though, was seeing Oberyn with him.
Oberyn treated him like one of his own. He lifted him in the air, he made funny faces at him, he responded to his baby babble as though they were deep in conversation.
Your husband had been so excited to be a father when you decided to start trying, you liked to imagine that he would have done the same. Mylo deserved a father like Oberyn.
“Oberyn loves him, they’re thick as thieves those two.” Ellaria was watching them with you.
“Mylo really likes him.” You wanted to say more but what could you say to her?
My son is obsessed with your husband and I wish I could have him for my own?
Where the hell did that thought come from? You didn’t want Oberyn? Sure you were attracted, and seeing him with your son did something to your heart that you couldn’t quite put your finger on but him and Ellaria were clearly together and happy.
Plus you weren’t ready to move on anyway. Regardless of Oberyn's status. You tried your hardest to push it out of your mind - Ellaria noticed your silent inner turmoil and you hoped she didn’t take it the wrong way.
“Can I ask you a personal question, Dove? Please be honest I don’t want to offend you.” She held onto your arm like always, she was a very affectionate person and it always made you feel comfortable.
“Yes of course, ask me.” You felt like you knew what was coming and you tried to brace yourself.
“What happened to Mylo’s father?” She asked gently and you saw that she half expected you to avoid the question.
“He passed away, a month into my pregnancy with Mylo.” It hurt so much to say, but it was also cathartic. She had such a calming energy it helped stem the flow of emotions.
“Oh Dove I’m so sorry, that must have been very hard.” She rubbed your hand in sympathy.
“It was, it still is but I’m getting better. I’ve come a long way, believe it or not.” You laughed, it was self-depreciating. She didn’t join in.
“Yes you have, when you first brought him to us I could see the sadness in you. It was bigger than you and almost swallowed you whole. Lately I see it getting smaller and smaller, that kind of grief never goes away. You have no idea how happy I am to see you doing better.” The tears were coming but they weren’t from sadness for once. They were for her, for her kindness towards you and your son. You loved her dearly in that moment. “No tears today Dove, we are celebrating life.” She wiped them off your face and you agreed silently.
Mylo was so happy splashing around in the water it was infectious and you wiped your tears away. You had to put them away for him.
“Look at you little man!” You cooed at him excitedly and he splashed. You sat at the edge of water, taking your sandals off to put your feet in. Oberyn was in the water with the children, he had a pair of swim shorts on so he could sit with them. Mylo was in heaven. He would run to Oberyn, kicking water up into his face as he went and then would burst into excited laughter at the mock-stern face on his arrival. It was lovely to see.
“Show mama how you splash little one - big splashes!” He turned Mylo to you and he showed you excitedly. You smiled the biggest smile you had in you and he kept going. Your legs were soaked and Oberyn was drenched.
It was the nicest day you’d had in so long. The cake was cut, their girls ran around with Mylo while you drank jasmine tea, the food was absolutely delicious.
Oberyn and Ellaria brought out a big gift for Mylo and you had a tiny fight over it. You were so grateful and annoyed that they’d gone out of their way for him.
“It’s nothing! Stop this it’s his birthday of course we got him a present. Enough I insist. Look, he loves it!” She smiled and you shook your head accepting it gracefully.
“He had to have it, we can keep it here so he can use it every day.” Oberyn helped him onto the brand new tricycle and helped him zoom around.
You ended up being thankful you let her talk you into having his birthday there. It was the right choice.
—-
You found yourself thinking about Oberyn more often than not, and it made you feel terribly guilty. Not just for the memory of your husband but for Ellaria. How could you think of him in any other capacity than the owner of the daycare your son went to?
She was so kind to you and you considered her a friend, it felt like a betrayal for you to think of the father of her children this way. You constantly scolded yourself over it.
It had been months since Mylos birthday and you felt yourself feeling the big cloud of grief start to fade a little bit. You knew it would never really go away, you had a nagging suspicion that you wouldn’t want it to. As bizarre as it sounded, that intense grief somehow made it seem like it was single handedly keeping the memory of your husband alive.
That didn’t make sense, you knew you didn’t need sadness to keep a part of him close, Mylo was it. He was the physical manifestation of the love between you two.
You used that thought like a mantra. Mylo was it, and he deserved to be happy, he deserved a happy mother and a happy childhood, as happy as you could make it.
Your thoughts of Oberyn persisted however. Sometimes you could swear that his eyes lingered. His smile had a little something in it. It was so confusing and maddening, you felt angry for Ellaria but also an excitement that he could possibly find you attractive. That in itself would cause massive amounts of inner turmoil - an incredible guilt that ate away at you each night when you thought about him. About his kind brown eyes, his dimple- the smooth golden skin.
How could you do this to your husband? How could you do this to Ellaria? It was torture.
You ignored it the best you could.
—-
More time passed, work got better as you slowly felt yourself getting lighter, the fog you constantly found yourself stumbling around in was lifting.
Mylo was talking like crazy, he was growing so much and it felt like you were too.
On a particularly good day you decided to not only do your hair and makeup, but you chose to wear one of your favourite summer wrap dresses to work. You were feeling confident when you walked into the daycare with Mylo.
You heard a tiny gasp when you looked up and saw Ellaria giving you a blinding smile. You felt momentarily self conscious and you wanted to hide but she came over and stopped you.
“Dove you look gorgeous! I love this colour on you! Oberyn does she not look absolutely lovely?” Oberyn was standing behind her and you could see the look on his face as he took you in. It was curious, his eyes were bright and he made you flush.
“An absolute vision - you look radiant.” He wasn’t leering at you, but his look felt very intimate and you felt a little awkward. You tried to convey to Ellaria with your eyes that you were definitely not coming onto her husband but she met you with a knowing look and a wink. You had no idea what she could possibly be trying to convey with that wink but you didn’t want to dwell.
Mylo barreled toward Oberyn and he scooped him up, bringing him close to you so you could say goodbye. When he made his way to the playroom with him Ellaria grabbed your attention.
“He thinks you’re very beautiful, and you are.” She spoke in low tones, it felt like you were gossiping.
“Ellaria - please don’t think I -” she raised her arms with a big smile on her face.
“Don’t even try to apologize sweet girl, I know what you must be thinking. Oberyn and I are not together.” She smiled widely at the look of shock on your face.
“You aren’t? But you call each other my love? You have children?” She laughed, not unkindly.
“Oh we love each other dearly, but we aren’t together any more.” She smiled conspiratorially. “We were together for a long time, and we will always love each other, but we are not romantically involved any more and I am not a jealous woman. Never have been. I want him to be happy.” You could see the truth in her eyes and while it was surprising to find out you’d been wrong about them, it was even more surprising when you understood where this conversation was going.
“Are you playing matchmaker right now?” You were shocked, she could see it written clearly across your face. She smiled at your expression.
“Is that something you’d like sweet girl? I’ve seen the way he looks at you.” The shock was astounding - it silenced you outright.
All those months of guilt over your thoughts about Oberyn, of guilt for Ellaria, for your husband.
“I’ve also seen the way you look at him. No don’t give me that look there’s no reason to feel guilty - he’s a very handsome man and I would think you insane if you told me you weren’t attracted to him.” She smiled at the look of shock on your face.
“Ellaria I don’t know if I’m ready, and looks are just looks.” You were blushing, were your feelings really written across your face like this?
“Dove, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, it’s an option. He’s single, you’re single - you are attracted to each other? What’s the harm? He and I are not together and something tells me your husband would want you to be happy. I know it hurts and you have guilt over the possibility of moving on, but you cannot live in pain for the rest of your life. Open yourself up to love, sweet girl. Promise me you’ll think about it? Whatever you decide.” She sent you on your way with a whole mess of thoughts in your head.
--
You thought about Ellaria’s words for a long time, were you actually ready to date again? Every time you imagined going out with someone it filled your heart with an emotion you couldn’t comprehend, let alone define.
There was excitement yes, you couldn’t lie to yourself about your attraction to Oberyn. All of your interactions with him had been chaste and although you thought you’d seen little glimmers of lingering looks, kind words and casual compliments - you took them in stride. You treated them the same way you treated kind words and compliments from Ellaria. They were just exceedingly nice, affectionate people.
Were you even comfortable dating him? Yes Ellaria had given you explicit permission, and you knew it wasn’t in her to lie for your benefit. Would it be awkward going on a date with him knowing he’d talk to her about it after? Did you care about that? You’d talk to her about it - you knew then. You’d answer any question she had.
Your husbands smiling face popped into your head and it was hard to confront it then, the guilt was a pit you constantly seemed to stumble into.
--
You tried to put it out of your mind but it seemed as though Ellaria and Oberyn had discussed it.
“Come Mylo, say goodbye to mama so we can go and play.” She hurried him along and gave you a wink as she left Oberyn and you to speak.
He smiled at you as you put Mylo’s things into his cubby, your heart was racing.
“I was wondering if you would like to grab a coffee with me tonight?” He came out with it. You let out a huge breath you hadn’t even realized you were holding in.
“I really don’t want to come in between the two of you, I know Ellaria said you aren’t together but it still feels like you’re a family.” You blurted the words and half expected him to take his offer back but he smiled warmly.
“I can understand why you would think that. I assure you, we are not romantically involved anymore. If you are comfortable knowing she will always be an important person in my life as my friend, and the mother of my children then my offer stands. I’d very much like to take you out.” His smile was infectious, the ever present guilt was stomped away by something else.
“Yes, okay - coffee tonight.” It felt like your face was on fire.
“Lovely, Ellaria can watch Mylo - before you object it was her idea.” He saw that the words were on the tip of your tongue and he raised his hands in a conciliatory manner. You didn’t quite know how to feel about then discussing the two of you dating like this. It was mature. It was progressive; Ellaria was the greatest wingman on the planet.
---
The longer the day wore on and the closer it came to the end of the work day - the more nervous you got. It was hard to focus on anything aside from your after work plans.
It had been years since you’d been on a first date and although you were somewhat comfortable around Oberyn - you didn’t think he’d see you in this light, as much as you secretly hoped.
Your stomach was in knots the whole drive there, you touched up the little makeup you had on with some mascara and a tinted lip balm you had in your bag and tried to get your hair under control. When you finally felt you looked presentable enough you walked into the daycare.
Oberyn was waiting at the front, he was dressed casually but it looked good. You had the suspicion that he had his clothes specifically tailored to him. The colours and the cut of his clothes always complimented his body, his skin tone, his eyes.
He smiled brightly at you, holding out his arm to escort you outside.
“Ready sweet girl?” You couldn’t help but smile at his words.
“Yes, are you sure Ellaria will be okay with watching Mylo?” You hesitated momentarily but he pulled you along gently, reassuring you that they would be fine.
“Would you like to walk? It’s lovely out, and the coffee shop is close.” He held you close, holding your hand with his big warm one where it held onto his arm. He smelled wonderful, like citrus mixed with something spicy.
“Yes that sounds nice.” You agreed, the weather was nice enough and it was still bright out. You felt the butterflies in your stomach, your skin tingling where he touched you.
“You look lovely by the way, I should have told you earlier.” He spoke very nearly in your ear and it sent a shiver down your spine. You blushed slightly.
“Thank you, you look great too, I love this colour on you.” You meant it, he had a way of wearing yellow.
“Thank you, I am a bit vain when it comes to my clothing I’m afraid.” He laughed ruefully, you knew then, he definitely had his clothes tailored.
You both spoke about mundane things as you made your way over, it was nice to have a normal conversation that didn’t revolve around your son. As much as you loved him, being a mother wasn’t the be all and end all of your personality.
You ordered a coffee and he ordered a tea and you both agreed to sit outside to enjoy the lovely evening weather. You kept the conversation going, telling each other of your childhoods, your interests. He asked about your work, and about where you came from. You did the same, eventually the conversation got a little more serious. You couldn’t help but ask him about his relationship with Ellaria.
“Ellaria and I met a long time ago, we were so young. We loved intensely and ended up having four daughters. Everything was perfect and we were very passionate with each other until we weren’t. There was no big fight, no deception. No betrayal. We grew apart as lovers and now have a deeper love and respect for each other. I want nothing for the best for her but I am not in love with her any longer. I push her to pursue romantic love as she does for me.” He was all smiles as he spoke and you could see the affection he had for her.
“It’s really lovely of you both to have ended on such good terms, your girls must love having you both so close.” You meant every word, they were lucky.
“They do, we are fortunate that we still enjoy each other’s company and that we ended that part of our relationship on good terms.” He smiled warmly but it faltered a little, you felt him bracing himself and you Instantly knew what was coming. “I know you’ve been through something sunflower, and if you do not wish to tell me about it I understand.” He reached over and grasped your hand in both of his.
“I know Ellaria probably told you, but I didn’t tell her the whole story. We were together for a long time, since we were kids practically. Always knew I'd marry him. We did the engagement, simple wedding, and then decided to have a baby. A month into my pregnancy he died. It was a freak accident at work. Shouldn’t have happened and here we are. We never lived the life we should have lived and I’m raising our son on my own.” You took a deep breath and for once you didn’t completely dissolve from speaking about him.
You felt him squeeze your hand in his and you smiled weakly at him.
“I’m so sorry to hear that, I understand what it is to lose someone unexpectedly.” You could feel his sadness, it was a mirror image of your own.
“Elia, your sister - how long has it been?” You scooted a little closer to him, it felt as though this conversation was a tiny spark. Something small and delicate that needed oxygen and you both needed to breathe your life into it.
“Yes, my Elia, it’s been just over a decade.” He leaned into you and you mirrored his actions, the both of you connected through grief as well as your hands.
“I’m so sorry Oberyn - your daughter - you named her after her?” You realized then.
“Yes, it hurt me to say her name at first but it wasn’t fair to her. Elia would not want me to be afraid to say her name.” He laughed then, lost in the memories of his sister. You both smiled at each other then and you felt a curious lightness. It was strangely comforting to know that you had this bond, as morbid as it was. There was a deep understanding there that most people -thankfully- couldn’t understand.
You laughed, you shared stories of your childhood- you connected and you realized how much you missed this. You missed the company and you missed talking to someone in this way. He tentatively held your hand as you walked home and you flushed at the simple touch.
When you made it back to the daycare a few hours later Mylo was asleep and Ellaria gave you a look that said we will definitely be discussing this later with a conspiratorial smile.
“Please allow me, I’ll walk you both to your car.” Oberyn carefully picked Mylo up out of the little cot he was sleeping in and you were impressed that he didn’t wake up. Hopefully you could do the same when you got home.
You were silent as you made your way out, you felt butterflies now even though the date had gone well.
Is he going to kiss me?
Do I want him to kiss me?
He buckled Mylo into his seat and then turned towards you to open the door for you, ever the gentleman.
“I had a lovely evening sunflower, would you like to see each other again?” You saw that he was hopeful as he asked and you already knew you would have said yes.
“I’d like that, I had a great time too.” You realized then that you lingered, not wanting to get into the car just yet and he took the opportunity.
He leaned in slowly, watching your mouth, lips parted slightly and back up to your eyes and you knew that he was asking permission. You closed the distance and kissed him.
It was a soft kiss, so soft it made your lips tingle. He kept it chaste, not wanting to push it further and you couldn’t express how grateful you were to him for that. He took your hand in his as you got into your car and kissed your knuckles.
“I’ll see you tomorrow sunflower.” He smiled and waited outside until you drove away.
-
The smile wouldn’t go away, not while you carefully brought Mylo in, not while you took a shower before bed. Not even while you lay there in the dark. It was plastered in your face and you felt like a teenager again. You could still feel the kiss as you drifted off.
-
He was hugging you but it was wrong
This didn’t feel like your husband, but you couldn’t let go - the shape of him didn't feel right. You couldn’t see his face, but you did see the yellow swirl of fabric as he wrapped himself around you.
Sunflower - you look lovely
Oberyn? You’re not supposed to be here…This was his space
He’s already gone my love
-
You jolted awake in a cold sweat. The tears were heavy and hot as you remembered, your dreams were always his space. The one place you could see him, you let the grief engulf you then. Knew you needed to wallow in it full for a few minutes before you could even attempt to let it go.
Part of you wanted to run, leave and never come back. Never see Oberyn again, abandon your life here with Mylo and take off just the two of you; but what good would that do? Would it bring your husband back? No. Would it make you happy? No. Could you bear the thought of pulling Mylo out of a place he loved so much over a dream? No.
Oberyn sensed your sadness when you walked in through the door. He had been waiting for you, it made you feel guilty to see him wilt slightly at your expression.
“Sunflower, have I done something to upset you?” He took Mylo into his arms as he spoke to you and you felt even worse then. How could you explain your feelings?
“No of course not - I had a wonderful time yesterday, I just- I don’t know how to explain it…” You tried to convey your feelings but the words failed you.
“Try, I want to try to understand - let us be honest with each other.” He wasn’t upset, he spoke calmly and you could feel that he meant it. He wanted you to open up, so you did.
“Sometimes, when I dream - I see my husband. Yesterday, I saw you and it hurt me… this is insane, I know it’s just a dream, but I felt like I betrayed him. I think I’m going insane.” You heard how it sounded, the embarrassment threatening to eat you alive in that moment and you swore that if he laughed at you then you’d leave and never come back. He didn’t laugh.
“You feel guilty that you saw me instead of him, that I’m somehow replacing him?” He was gently rubbing soothing circles onto you back as he held your son in his arms. You nodded weakly, tears threatening to overflow.
“Sunflower, I can never replace your husband, nor would I want to. I don’t want you to see me as a substitute for him, I want you to see me as I am. My own person and if this goes as well as I hope it will then our relationship will be something new. Not better, not a replacement- something new altogether, something ours. If you feel like you need more time then say the word and we will hold off.” He looked at you with such tenderness, such understanding, you knew in your heart this was right. You had to let the hurt pass.
“Thank you, I don’t want to wait. I don’t want you to replace him either, I want to continue this with you.” Your voice was thick with emotion and Mylo, sensing your mood reached over to hug you. It felt like a catharsis and you clutched at him. Oberyn held both of you and whispered that he too wanted this with you.
You felt lighter as you drove to work, the pain over losing the love of your life would never go away and not seeing him where you expected to hurt more than you thought, but you had to stop this. He would not want you to live your life this way.
-
The two of you continued your shy courting, you went out for dinner a few times - coffee dates and long walks. He took you to museums and art galleries - he never pushed you beyond a kiss here or there and you were grateful for that. It had been a long time since you’d slept with anyone new and you were a bit nervous.
You had asked him to come to your place for dinner, that you would cook for him. Ellaria- like always volunteering to watch Mylo for the two of you. It was nice to have him at your place, he blended right in. No shyness as he made himself at home - helping you with dinner, tidying up as you went along. You made a good team.
He complimented your cooking, and asked if he could take some home for his girls to try which you loved. You were packing up the rest when he came up behind you, his arms encircling you and stopping you from continuing. You couldn’t help but smile, it was so nice to have someone hold you like this.
“Thank you for a wonderful meal, sunflower it was lovely.” He kissed your shoulder and you craned your neck, unconsciously giving him more room which he took advantage of. You could feel his breath ghosting along your skin, it sent pleasant shivers down your spine. You turned to face him and the look on his face was so warm, so inviting - it did something to you.
You wrapped your arms around his neck and slowly brought him closer to you, he smiled into the kiss at first, but it disappeared when you licked along the seam of his mouth. He granted you entry and slanted his mouth to better fit yours, taking the opportunity to explore your mouth thoroughly. He dipped you slightly as his hunger for you shined through, it was so good it made you ache, he was a very good kisser and you moaned into his mouth. You grabbed at the back of his head to keep him close while his hands lowered until he boldly grabbed handfuls of your ass. You bit his lip and he groaned into your mouth. He pulled away much too soon.
“I could devour you…” he spoke into your neck, between open mouthed kisses, sucking lightly at the skin below your ear. You felt the arousal pooling in your belly at his words and his kisses and all of a sudden you were desperate for him. You pulled him towards the couch wordlessly and you all but pushed him onto it. You quickly straddled him and kissed him with as much passion and urgency as you could without hurting him. He responded eagerly, matching your intensity. You roughly pulled his clothes and although you could feel his excitement between your legs, he stopped you.
“Sunflower, are you sure?” he gasped when you bit his neck, soothing it quickly with your tongue.
“Yes, I’m ready, I’m so ready..” You kissed him roughly again, conveying just how ready you were by rolling your hips onto him. He quickly moved his arms to take off his shirt, accidentally bumping his head into yours, you both laughed at the absurdity of it. Looking more like teenagers in your urgency to disrobe.
“Are you okay?” you were both laughing as he rubbed at the place where his head connected with yours, smoothing the hurt away from you: in more ways than he realized.
“Yes - a little embarrassed and I feel like we’re both going to have goose eggs in a few hours but I’m fine. Are you okay?” You tried to soothe the pain on his forehead.
His expressions softened a little, he took your hands in his and kissed them.
“Lets try this again.” He slowly took your shirt off and your bra. Then his shirt and held you close to him; he kissed you deeply, the laughter was gone and you felt the arousal again as he trailed his kisses down your body. Your neck, your collarbone, your chest. His tongue licking each nipple like his life depended on it. He was devouring you as promised and you were determined to let him. Your hands held his hair as he continued to kiss and lick at your chest and you couldn’t take it anymore. It had been so long.
You got up and took the rest of your clothes off and he took the opportunity to do the same, the frenzy was back and your eyes widened at the sight of him. Hard and leaking with precum. You hastily climbed onto him, he protested slightly-
“Sunflower, I want to taste you first -” You cut him off.
“We have plenty of time - right now I just want to ride you.” He groaned at your urgency and you grasped him in your hand, pumping him a few times because you needed to touch the velvety skin of his cock. When you finally guided him into you and sat flush to him it was heaven. He was splitting you open and you could have cum just from the noises he made. He grabbed at your ass and helped you roll your hips, the pressure against your clit was almost perfect.
“So tight, so wet for me..” he moved forward quicker than you would have thought, causing you to scramble and clutch at his shoulders. “I’ve got you, I need more.” He lowered you onto the floor in your living room, spreading your thighs wide to settle in between them.
His hips snapped forward again and again and again and the rhythm was tightening and tightening that coil in your belly. You raised your legs to lock them high on his hips - god he was so deep like this - you could barely control the whimpers escaping your mouth with every thrust. He rested his head onto your forehead, the two of you seemingly sharing the same air. It was so good and you were so close, the sound of him slipping into your wet heat over and over was only serving to push you closer towards your climax.
“You’re so wet sweet girl, are you close? I want you to cum, I want to fuck you through your high.” he bit your lip as he spoke and you moaned - all you could do was nod frantically, you were so close. He felt you trying to raise your leg higher and he helped you, leaning onto one arm so he could hook your thigh under the other. You were so open for him and the new angle caused your eyes to practically roll into the back of your head.
“There it is, that’s where you want it huh? Right there? Rub your clit sunflower, make yourself cum on my cock.” he was hitting something white hot and blinding with each thrust and when you obeyed him you came undone, seizing up almost painfully. He didn’t stop. He sped up, chasing his own climax at the rush of your arousal soaking him.
“Can I cum inside?” he was frantic now, his thrusts turning into a steady grind which felt almost sinful.
“Yes yes please, I want to feel you.” you kissed him through it and he fell onto you, you felt him twitching inside of you, felt the cum dripping out of you as he collapsed onto your chest. Both of you breathing hard.
The laughter came then, bubbling up as a giggle at first. Then it was full-throated and it hurt your belly. You had just had sex on your livingroom floor and you felt so light and happy for the first time in so long you couldn’t control it.
He propped himself up onto his elbow to watch you as you laughed, a big smile on his face.
“I sincerely hope that you’re laughing from happiness and not at my performance.” He said it with a grin and you knew he wasn’t at all self-conscious. You slapped playfully at his chest and he snatched up your hand to kiss it. “I love to hear you laugh Sunflower, seeing you like this is wonderful.” he leaned into you and kissed you deeply, making you sigh into his mouth.
“I haven’t felt this way in a long time, I don’t even know what to do with myself.” It almost made you nervous, somehow expecting the other shoe to fall. He saw your emotions written across your face and he pulled you closer.
“Enjoy it, this was good - we both enjoyed it and you deserve to feel good. Now, let’s get up off the floor or I will be useless tomorrow.” He got up, helping you up after. He went to get dressed but you stopped him, pulling him instead towards your room; you pulled him into your bathroom to shower.
As you helped each other wash, you realized how much you missed this kind of intimacy with another person. As he washed your skin, he wasn’t only getting rid of the day, he was washing away part of your sadness, replacing the ache with hope. Hope that this could grow into something bigger, something more serious.
-
Ellaria wouldn’t let you move, you had to keep reminding her that you had been pregnant before and that you were perfectly capable of making yourself tea. She was having none of it.
It was so strange - you never in a million years would have thought that this kind of relationship would have worked but it did. Oberyn had made a commitment to you and was willing to do anything to make you happy - except be away from his children. Which as far as you were concerned was not an option, you wanted him to be there for them. When he tentatively suggested you moving into the big house and helping with the daycare it seemed almost natural. Ellaria was almost like a sister at this point, and you loved their girls like they were your own.
When you found out you were pregnant, you momentarily thought it might be a problem - that he might not want another child but you were wrong in that as well. He was overjoyed. He was over the moon - he was suggesting new names every day. Ellaria was ecstatic. They doted on you constantly. It was unconventional, but it was your life now and you couldn’t imagine it any other day.
“Good morning my sunflower, and just how is the little prince this morning?” he came down to find you drinking your tea, you were really showing now. He kneeled in front of you, the sun shining in through a window - giving him an ethereal glow.
“How are you so convinced it’s a boy? It could be a girl.” You laughed as he lifted your shirt and kissed your belly. The baby kicked, sensing it’s father. He smiled and pressed his cheek to it.
“I just know it’s a boy-” Ellaria cut him off.
“Oh please Oberyn, you know you only make girls.” She laughed, coming over to rub your belly lovingly. “I know you’re a little princess.” She smiled warmly at you.
You laughed to yourself as they discussed the baby, the light making him look like the sun - shining at you.
Sunflowers always turn towards the sun.
---
Let me know if you do not want to be included in all things Pedro
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nebulablakemurphy · 3 years
Text
Miss American Pie
Chapter Five: This Will Be The Day (Finale)
Warning: this series features a romantic Yelena Belova x Fem!Reader pairing.
Summary: Everyone has returned but the battle for humanity against Thanos wages on.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
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You wake in a coughing fit, the rubble surrounding you sears your lungs. “Natasha.” You call into the rocks and flickering lights. Clearing your throat, you try again. “Natasha!”
“Here, I’m here.” Her voice is rough, pained.
You push yourself toward the sound, through the dust you can make out her hair. “You ok?”
“Mostly.” She’s laying face up, a few scratches visible.
“What the hell does that mean?”
“I can’t move.” She nods at the piece of collapsed cement. “My leg is broken, you should go.” Nat says, staring up at the sky.
“I should’ve never let you go to Vormir. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” You try uselessly to budge the blockage over her leg.
“What is Vormir?” She asks.
“Doesn’t matter.” You swallow the lump in your throat. “How much do you remember?”
“The red room.”
“Do you remember getting out?”
“No one gets out.” She shakes her head.
“We did.” You inform her. “Yelena did.”
“Yelena?” Her gaze finds yours. “You know Yelena? Is she here?”
“Yes, I know her.” You press your lips together. “She’s not here though.”
“The rest of this building is coming down. If you were really trained in the red room you have to know that.” Natasha frowns. “You need to leave.”
“Not gonna happen.”
“Don’t be a hero.” She whispers. “Let me go, it’s ok.”
“No, it’s not.” You argue. “I won’t do it again.”
“What about Yelena?” Natasha gives you a pointed look.
“She’ll understand.” This is what she would do.
“Hey,” Natasha pushes herself up on her elbows. “Would it be a good thing or a bad thing if a giant man in a metal suit carrying a smaller man and a raccoon appeared behind your head?”
You turn toward the man in question. Scott Lang. “It would be a good thing.”
———————————————————————
Natasha is taken somewhere safe. She can’t fight.
As the strange doctor and his disciples start opening portals you see that you’re not alone. Through one comes Alexei, Melina and Yelena.
Her white suit is pristine, dirty blonde hair held away from her face in ponytails.
On shaky legs you move toward her, taking your rightful place at her side. Facing what lies ahead together.
Yelena catches your hand, “this isn’t much of a welcome home.”
You can’t help but laugh, “pretty cool way to die though.”
“Very,” she agrees. “Natasha?”
“She is a little worse for wear.” You warn her, “but alive…and safe.”
Yelena gives you a watery smile, squeezing your fingers. “And you?”
“A tower fell on me.”
“Of course it did.”
Thanos’ army is nothing to scoff at. Giant airborne creatures hover over his troops. Larger monsters stand in their ranks, space ship overhead ready to destroy.
Steve is almost unrecognizable, covered in dirt, his shield battered and broken. But you know it is time when he gives the order. “Avengers, assemble.”
Fighting is easy, it’s what you know. What you were trained to do. Fight to stay alive, fight for what you believe in, fight with Yelena; for Yelena.
The two of you move together like a well oiled machine. Like riding a bike, even after all this time you could never forget.
“We’ve got company to the left.” Yelena says through gritted teeth, kicking at the alien creature beside her. Dropping an empty cartridge to the ground and reloading her gun seamlessly, firing several shots.
Despite everyone’s best efforts they just keep coming. “Do we have a plan here?”
“Getting there,” Steve replies. “Anybody have eyes on the gauntlet?”
“Yeah!” Clint rushes past you with the glove in hand. “What am I supposed to do with it?”
“Get it out of here!” Tony insists.
“What’s happening?” Alexei shouts over the chaos. “I still don’t have ear piece.”
“Just keep their army away from that guy in the tank top.” You grunt, falling backwards from the force of one of Thanos’ soldiers colliding with you.
“We have to get the stones back where they came from.” Rhodey reminds everyone.
“The time space tunnel is completely collapsed.” Tony points out.
“That isn’t our only time machine.” Lang cuts in.
“Does anyone see an ugly brown van out there?” Captain America’s voice hums through the ear bud.
“I do,” a female voice chimes in. “But you’re not going to like where it’s parked.”
After grappling for far too long, you manage to knock the creature from you. Using your knife to dismember it.
“Next time, we get the cool laser guns.” Yelena yells loud enough to be heard by everyone on the network, as she hauls you to your feet.
“Friday, please add laser guns for the ballerinas to my grocery list.” Stark gives his smart ass remark.
“What’s the word on the van?” Rhodey wonders.
“Working on it now.”
The ship at Thanos’ disposal begins raining fire, no regard for their own troops.
“We’ve got people going down!” Rocket hollers.
“Clint,” you call into the microphone. “How’s that gauntlet?”
“Moving down the field.” The archer replies, “I’m alright too, thanks for asking.”
“Good.” You bite back a smile.
Hell continues breaking loose around you. Glowing circular orbs unfold in the air above, providing coverage from the missiles. You’re not sure if this is winning or losing. It feels like a bit of both.
———————————————————————- Thanos and his army are dusted away. Leaving you surprised and still swinging as the shock wears off.
You won. You. Won.
And you lost.
You lost Tony Stark. The man you’d barely known, but offered you clarity that will stay with you forever.
You lost the Natasha you’d come to know over the five years that Yelena was gone. Some parts of the redhead stripped away for the price of the stone.
But she’s still here. Waiting in the wings to be greeted by Yelena and their little makeshift family. You share a look of understanding when your eyes meet over the blonde’s shoulder.
Others come, Banner refuses to leave her side. Despite the fact that Natasha doesn’t remember him.
Clint falls to the ground at her feet. Breaking down at the sight of his friend, his family alive and well. She doesn’t remember him either, but welcomes him into her arms somewhat awkwardly.
Her expressions flicker from happy to overwhelmed. Hesitant to open herself up to the possibility that she is wanted, needed and loved.
Too confusing for the girl who only remembers the red room. Adjusting to this life will take time.
Everyone begins clearing out, their jobs finished. Rushing home to reunite with their loved ones. Tomorrow will bring about new challenges. The world is in shambles, and so are you.
Steve decides that he should be the one to return the stones. His goodbye tells you that he has a bit more in mind. But this is his life. His choices, not yours.
“Well, I guess we should head out too.” You say after a while. Your car is gone, lost in the wreckage from the explosion.
The setting sun is eclipsed, causing all of you to turn your gaze upwards just in time to see the ship’s door open.
“Is that a raccoon?” Melina asks, pointing toward Rocket.
“Do you want a ride or not?” Rocket shoots back.
“Not the avenger’s super jet, but it will do huh?” Alexei smiles, this is his dream.
“This is better!” A man’s voice carries down from the interior.
“Well,” Yelena shrugs, “if you say so.” She leads the pack up the ramp and onto the ship.
“Fanny and the pigs will be expecting dinner soon.”
“How are they?” Melina asks, “have you been taking care of them.”
“That was me!” Alexei says proudly, bending at the waist to gather Natasha into his arms. “Aye honey,” he grunts, hoisting her up. “You are only little girl in my heart.”
Nat pushes against his chest in retaliation.
“Do you mind if I hitch a ride too?” Clint asks.
“The extra stop will cost you,” Nebula stares blankly at him from her seat.
“They always do.” He remarks, trotting up the ramp.
Bruce paces at the foot of the metal grate, watching the rest of you load up. “I gotta hang back, make sure Steve gets there in one piece.”
“After what happened with Scott the first time I’d say that’s probably the best bet.” You agree, standing near the entrance.
“Yeah,” he smiles, kindly. “Keep me posted on Nat, will ya?”
“I will,” you return the smile.
“I’ll see you around.”
You nod, “I’ll see you.”
The captain of the ship introduces himself as Star-lord, and after a moment without response, Quill.
“Any requests?” He asks, finger hovering over the control panel.
Alexei creeps over to the younger man, quietly relaying a message.
“Alright,” Quill nods. Stroking the keys until a familiar set of notes ring out.
“A long, long time ago-“ The singer croons.
You let out a chuckle.
“I can still remember how that music used to make me smile. And I knew if I had my chance, that I could make those people dance. And maybe they'd be happy for a while.”
“We’re really doing this?” Yelena puts a hand to her head, the corners of her mouth turning upward.
“But February made me shiver, with every paper I'd deliver. Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn't take one more step.” The melody carries on.
“It’s your song.” Natasha turns to her sister.
“I can't remember if I cried. When I read about his widowed bride.” Melina’s eyes are far away, carried back to their years in Ohio. Before the world had been so cruel.
“Something touched me deep inside, the day the music-“
“Died.” Yelena joins in, lulling her head to the side to gage your reaction.
You sigh, all of this beyond surreal. But you allow yourself to live in this moment, because you might not get another. “So bye, bye Miss American Pie…”
“Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry.” The roaring chorus of voices fills the silence you’ve grown used to. Fills the parts of you that were empty for so long. “And them good ol' boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye. Singin', “this’ll be the day that I die.”
“This’ll be the day that I die.” Yelena sings, her face alight with a childlike glee.
——————————————————————-
Melina, Natasha and Alexei stay with you for a while. A few weeks as Natasha heals and becomes acclimated to her life.
She claims to hate the attention, but deep down you know she’s full of it.
The Ohio house is bursting at the seams with five adults, nine pigs and one dog.
That isn’t enough to keep visitors at bay. Namely Clint, his wife Laura and their three children.
Things feel a bit off when everyone begins moving out. Alexei, Melina, and their pigs return to the farm outside of Saint Petersburg.
Natasha finds herself drawn to New York, with Bruce and the makeshift building he’s using as a lab.
You adjust to the steady thrum that is daily life, with Fanny and Yelena.
After dinner you load the dishwasher, drying your hands on the nearby tea towel before selecting a cycle.
“So how does it feel?” Yelena asks, leaning against the doorframe.
“Hmm?” You turn to face her.
“Being a hero.” She clarifies, a smile playing at her lips.
“I’m not-“
“Oh cut the crap, Y/N. You saved the world.” Yelena narrows her eyes at you.
“I did it for you.” You say simply, because it’s true.
Yelena closes the space between you, “why?”
“You know why.” You whisper as she cups your face in her hands, gently stroking her thumb over your cheek. “It’s ok if you wouldn’t have done the same.”
“I’d do more for you, and worse.” She assures you. “But do you really want to spend the rest of your life fumbling around feelings in the dark when you could have someone who-“
“I want you. I only ever want you.” You beckon her closer. “Anyway I can have you, that will be enough for me.”
Sometimes wires get crossed and you want things you never have before. And she provides them before you have a chance to ask. You give back to her tenfold, so that neither glass is ever empty. That is love. True love, the only way you’ve ever known it.
“I am yours…in every way a person can belong to another.” Yelena breathes, “and then some.”
Series taglist: @jeyramarie @freeshavocadoooo @ilovewinter101 @3and30aresoultwins @yelenabelovv @miphas-trident @1800-fight-me
If you loved this series as much as I did, you can check out the prequel here!
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Text
Seasons of Med: Season 2 and Seasons of PD: Season 4: Necessities, Love, & Care (A Halstead Brothers + Halstead Sister! Imagine)
Your age: 15
Jay's age: 29
Will's age: 31
You were currently sitting at the library, trying to figure out how you'd get food for dinner. It was January and you had run out of your Christmas money two weeks ago and you had burned through your money from helping with kettle corn at the beginning of December. Right now you were SOL: Shit outta luck.
Your mind wandered back to the last day you had helped working the kettle corn stand when it was a dreary late October day.
"We have kettle corn, caramel corn, cheddar, Chicago style, and a few other flavors," you explained to a customer. She picked up a medium bag of caramel corn. "That one?"
"Yes, dear. Me and my husband love this stuff," the old lady said.
"I'm sure. It's really good! It'll be six dollars." She pulled out a five and two ones. "I'll be right back with your change."
"Oh, no, keep the change, dear. Thank you for the popcorn."
"You're welcome. Have a nice day."
"Y/N," Emma said to you. "Can you grab me a lemonade from the cooler?"
"Just one?"
"Yup, just one."
You grabbed it from the cooler and were about to pass it to her when you saw who her customers were: Jay and Erin.
"Y/N?" Jay asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Working," you answered quickly. "Little bit of extra money never hurt anybody. The real question is, what are you doing here? I know Erin hates being outside when the weather is crappy."
"It's because he's annoying when he whines and begs to do something, so I figured it was just best to give in," Erin answered.
Jay rolled his eyes. "God, I can't win with either of you. Why do you always gang up on me?"
"Because, Halstead, us girls gotta stick together," Erin laughed.
"Okay, okay, fine. Y/N, what popcorn should I get?"
"First of all, it's kettle corn," you corrected. "And, I suggest the cheddar. Or, if you want a combination of both salty and sweet, then get the Chicago style. It's cheddar and caramel."
"Me and Erin like sweet, but I know you. You like cheddar. And you'll pick out the cheddar pieces when you're at my apartment, so I'll get the Chicago style."
"Or," Erin started as she picked up a large bag of caramel and a large bag of cheddar, "We could get this big bag of caramel, and then you could have this bag at your apartment for Y/N. That way the flavors aren't touching."
"Erin Lindsay and not liking her food touching. Fine, we'll take what Erin suggested and one lemonade."
"One or two straw holes?" Emma asked, picking up the lid-punching tool.
"One's fine," Jay answered.
"They swap enough spit as it is," you whispered to Emma, causing her to laugh.
"What'd she say?" Jay asked.
"I can't tell you. It's a secret."
He huffed. "Fine. Keeping secrets from your big brother? That's cold Y/N, that's cold."
"So you're saying you never kept secrets from Will?" Erin asked.
"I have the right to remain silent."
"Exactly," Erin said. "How much does he owe you?"
"Excuse me? I didn't know I'd be the one paying for all of this."
"You were the one who dragged me outside, so yes, you are paying, Halstead. Now, get your card ready."
Jay rolled his eyes and pulled out his wallet. "How much?"
You did the math in your head. "$23."
"Emma, can you check her math?" Jay asked and you rolled your eyes in his lack of faith in you.
"$10 for the cheddar and $8 for the caramel makes $18...plus $5 for the lemonade...yup $23."
You handed him the card reader. "And now it's just going to ask you a few questions," you told him after his card went through.
Without allowing him to read it all the way through, Erin hit the tip and no receipt buttons. "Hey!" Jay exclaimed.
"Don't blame me! You were the one who wanted me to come out here!" She turned to you and took the bag of kettle corn as Jay picked up the 32 oz lemonade. "Thanks, Y/N!"
"No problem! Just make sure he doesn't buy any more paintings of motorcycles!"
Man, how you wished you could work that job right now because it was only for a few hours on the weekends. But, it was winter now, so there were no street fairs, farmers markets, or festivals going on. Because of this, your money had run out. You'd have to do what you'd have to get yourself some food, even if it would leave you with a guilty conscience.
With that in mind, you got up and left the library.
***
"Pop's been complaining of chest pain and refuses to go to the hospital," Jay told his older brother as he walked through the front door and into the living room.
"Of course he did," Will grumbled. Then, he turned to his father. "This won't take long. Unless it's bad. Then you'll have to come with me and actually go to the hospital this time."
"You can't force me to do anything," he argued as he watched his oldest son open up his medical bag.
"Just let him do his job. He knows what he's doing," Jay agreed with Will. Then, he remembered something. "Where's Y/N?"
"At school."
"At school? At 5 pm?" Jay asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sometimes she stays after school and does homework. She's always home before it gets too late so I don't ask."
It's not like Jay and Will could have known this, though. Yes, you would talk and they're obviously there for you because they're your brothers, but your dad's parenting skills--or lack thereof--hadn't ever come up. You'd get together with your brothers once a week, but it was usually at one of your brothers' places. They rarely came inside your and your dad's place.
"All units, we have reports of a robbery at 3020 East Main Street. Assistance requested," Jay's radio stated.
Jay looked to Will, silently asking if it was okay for him to take it. "I've got it from here."
"Thanks, man," Jay said, clapping Will on the back and leaving the house.
He drove to the small corner market that had made the call. It was only a block away from where you and your dad lived, but despite it usually being somewhat slow, today it was even slower. There was only one car parked in the lot, so Jay was confused as to who would even rob this place.
He put on his vest and walked into the store. "Got a call about a robbery," he said to the store manager as he entered.
"Yes, right over here."
He led Jay over to where a girl was sitting on a stool, tears rolling down her face. She held a box of pasta, a loaf of bread, and a small jar of peanut butter. Her coat was unzipped, revealing the tampons and pads she had stuffed inside her coat after she had ripped open the box.
"Y/N?" Jay asked in disbelief. "What are you doing? What were you even thinking?"
"I- I'm sorry," you sniffled.
Then he turned to the store manager. "You called the cops on a fifteen-year-old girl for grabbing what looks to me like necessities?"
"I've let her go the past two times when she needed things, but today she didn't have the money, so I couldn't let it slide."
Jay threw $30 in the man's hand. "There. Now it's all paid for." He turned to you and took the loaf of bread. "C'mon."
You followed him out of the store, waiting to be yelled at as you entered his truck, but it didn't come. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he handed you the bread. "Why? Why did you do this?"
"There- There's barely any food in the house. I was just hungry."
Jay looked you up and down. He hadn't been really looking for changes in weight like he told Natalie he would do six months ago. He kept it up for a few months and then winter came around and it was hard to tell because of bulky jackets and sweaters. But, now that he actually looked at your face and hands in an investigative manner, it was clear as day: You had lost even more weight.
"And the other stuff?" he asked.
"Dad won't buy them for me. Says that they're too expensive and to just use something else. He said that if he had had a son he wouldn't have to worry about it, like it's my fault. Usually, I take some from school, but I ran out and I needed them."
"And the food?" Jay asked as he started driving back to his childhood home.
"I get breakfast and lunch at school, but I have to eat dinner at home. And on weekends I just skip meals and eat breakfast and dinner."
"What? What about Dad?"
"He gets takeout or he goes to the bar and isn't home until late."
Jay sighed as he pulled into the driveway. "Go pack a bag, kid. You're staying at my place until further notice."
"Really? I thought you guys forgot about me?"
"We could never forget about you. It's just, work has been busy for both of us. So, sorry if these last few times we've all been together for dinner have seemed a little rushed. Now, go inside and grab your stuff while I have a chat with Will and Dad."
"Dad, Will," Jay said after you had run upstairs and they were sitting on the couch. "I need to talk to you. In the kitchen."
"Really, Jay. Why can't it be here?" your dad grumbled. "First he--" He pointed to Will. "Wants to take me to the hospital because he said I have a valve issue and now I can't even have a conversation with my sons while sitting down?"
"Just get up, dammit!"
The three entered the kitchen and sat down, but Jay stayed standing. "Jay, what's going on?" Will asked.
Instead of answering his older brother, Jay just opened the fridge. There was a half drank gallon of milk, a jar of grape jelly, and a can of pasta sauce, along with other condiments, and a lone egg sat on a shelf. "This? This is what you expect your daughter to eat? I caught her stealing from a store just so she could get food and tampons!"
"Well, I'm not gonna pay for it."
"Excuse you?" Will exclaimed, eyebrows raised in surprise. "What do you mean you're not paying for it? She's your daughter, isn't she? Then you have a legal responsibility to feed her, make sure she has shelter, clothes, and goes to school!"
"She can go get a job."
"She is fucking fifteen!" Jay yelled. "She doesn't need to be worrying about where her next meal is coming from! She's supposed to be worrying about getting a good grade on a math test or if that boy likes her or not, but not that!"
"She needs to learn to grow up someday. And she won't if you boys baby her like you always do whenever you see her."
"Baby her?" Will yelled, disgusted. "She's a kid. She needs to be babied sometimes. She needs fucking food and a nice home to come home to, not whatever the hell you think this is."
"It hasn't been a home since your mother died."
"Yeah, we gathered that," Jay scoffed. "But you don't have to take it out on her."
"Jay," your small voice said from the doorway into the kitchen. All three men looked over to you, your backpack on your back, a duffle bag slung over your shoulder, and your favorite blanket wadded up in your hands so that you could carry it without it dragging on the ground.
"Ready to go?" Jay asked, his voice immediately softening.
"Uh, yeah," you answered, unsure of how your dad would react.
"What do you mean ready to go?" Pat Halstead asked, standing up from where he had been previously sitting at the table. "She's not going anywhere!"
Will rushed over to you, placing a hand on your shoulder while Jay stalked over to be face to face with your dad. "She is coming with me until further notice. You're lucky I don't arrest your ass for child neglect!"
"You wouldn't do that to your own father!"
Jay pulled the cuffs out of his back pocket. "Oh yeah? Try me."
He sat back down and Jay turned to you. "Here, let me take that." You handed him your duffle bag and followed him and Will outside.
"Jay, I gotta go. I gotta get Dad to Med to get the valve fixed. And, I said one hour out of the hospital tops and it's been two."
Jay closed the truck door once you were safely inside with all your stuff. "Good luck trying to get Dad to go the hospital," he scoffed. "Get going. Don't give Goodwin another reason to fire your stupid ass."
"I'll call an ambulance if I have to." Then, Will smacked Jay upside the head.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"You know what it was for. And, I'm your older brother, it's my job."
"I'm your older brother, it's my job," Jay mocked. "But, in all seriousness, do me a favor and make sure Y/N's all caught up on her immune- immune--"
"Immunizations?" Will laughed.
"Yeah, those."
"I'll do that. And if she's not, I'll give them to her tonight when I come over to your place after my shift is done...which will be in like two hours...depending on how much of a pain in the ass he is to get in the hospital."
Jay nodded, and then got in the truck, both of you making your way to his place.
"I'm gonna go take a shower," Jay said after you had put your stuff down by the couch. "You have homework?"
"Yeah," you looked down, not wanting to even try and struggle through your homework...or have Jay sign the slip that said that you failed your last test.
Jay smiled. "I'll help you with it when I'm out of the shower, okay, kid?"
"How'd you know--"
"That is the universal facial expression of I need help, but I don't know how to ask for it. I'll be ten minutes tops."
And so, you tried to struggle through your homework for ten minutes. But, you ended up working and reworking the stupid algebra problem. Why did math need letters anyway?
"Okay, I'm back," Jay said as he pulled a chair out to sit next to you. "What are you workin' on?"
"Can you sign this first?" you asked, sliding the yellow paper over to him along with the pen. You hoped he'd just sign it blind, but as you saw his eyes skimming the page, you knew that wouldn't happen.
"Did you try your best?" he asked as he slid the piece of paper back to you after signing it.
"What? Yeah, of course, I did."
"Okay, then we'll figure something out. Now, how about we eat some dinner? I've got pizza in the freezer. That okay?"
"That's great," you answered.
Jay got the pizza in the oven while you went and changed into your pajamas. You decided it was in your best interest to have Will help you with your math homework.
***
"Ah! The man of the hour!" Jay exclaimed as he pulled out the pizza and Will entered the house.
You immediately noticed the red bag he was carrying over his shoulder and the two king-sized Twix bars.
"Why do you have your medical bag?" you asked.
"How did you know this was my medical bag?"
"I'm not stupid, Will."
"Okay, so you're all caught up on your shots, but I need to do a blood draw because I need to see if you're deficient in any vitamins and minerals. Have you been eating enough fruits and veggies?" he asked.
"Probably not as much as I should," you admitted. "They're too expensive unless I get the canned kind and I don't like those unless it's canned peaches. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Short Stack. None of this is your fault. You hear me? None of it. I just need to take the blood and then get it sent to the lab to see if you need to get any specific pills to get your vitamin and mineral levels up."
"Okay. Does it hurt?" you asked. You knew what a shot felt like, but you'd never had your blood drawn before, so you didn't know what it felt like to have a needle in your arm for a long time, taking blood. You knew what it felt like to have an IV in from when you passed out at the movie theater, but you didn't know if this needle would be the same size or bigger.
"You just feel a slight pinch at the beginning."
"Like getting a shot?"
"Like getting a shot," he confirmed.
"Hey, I was thinking," Jay started as he reappeared from the kitchen area, "what if we have celery and carrots with ranch for dinner, too? You know, like when we eat chicken wings at restaurants and they bring you some veggies, except we'll have ours with pizza."
"Okay," you agreed. "I like ranch."
"So does everyone in the midwest," Will joked.
"What's the medical bag for?" Jay asked. "She needs shots? And, what's with the Twix bars?"
"No, I'm drawing her blood to see if she's deficient in anything. And, there's one Twix bar for her and one for you because we all know how you feel about needles, Jay."
Jay rolled his eyes. "We doing this before we eat?"
"Yes. And, I need you to answer some questions for me, Y/N. These are strictly doctor protocol questions, okay? You don't need to be embarrassed about any of the answers."
You nodded.
"Okay," Will started, "When did you last eat? Just need to write it down for fasting glucose levels."
"Um, lunch at school, so around noon."
"So, six-hour fast," Will scribbled down on a piece of paper. "Next one, are you sexually active?"
"Will!"
"It's just standard protocol, just in case I need to test for STDs."
"No, I am not. Next question."
"Okay, last one: When was your last period?"
"You've got to be kidding me. I'm not pregnant, I haven't had sex!"
Will chuckled. "It's not for that. Sometimes when people are deficient in vitamins and minerals, they can lose their period for months at a time, signaling that their body isn't healthy. The medical term is amenorrhea." But, what he wanted to say was that when girls are underweight, this can also happen. And, from seeing how baggy your sweatshirt and jeans were on you, he assumed that you'd lost ten pounds since last going to the doctor when you passed out in the movie theater parking lot, making your weight loss a grand total of 25 pounds, which would qualify you as being underweight.
"Oh. I started today."
"Okay, good to know. Any changes in length or heaviness of menstruation?"
"I swear, I'd rather have Natalie or April be asking me these questions," you grumbled. "But, yes, it's a lot lighter and it went from me having my periods for five days to two days. Can we please stop talking about this now?"
"Yeah, we're all done. Sorry about that, but it's protocol."
"Says the guy who's drawing my blood at Jay's apartment instead of in a hospital, where it should be done."
"Hey, I've worked in much worse conditions than this in Sudan. How much water did you drink today?"
"A lot."
"Okay, good." Will started to unzip his medical bag. He passed a Twix bar to Jay. "Here, eat this and focus on it so you don't focus on the needles and then freak out."
Jay rolled his eyes, but took the candy bar and unwrapped it.
"Do I get one?" you asked.
"Once I draw your blood, yes, the other one is for you. Now, right or left arm?"
You held out your left arm and Will moved to the other side of you so he had a better angle. He sanitized his hands and then snapped on a pair of gloves.
"So, what do you do?" you asked. "I've never had my blood drawn before."
"I just tie off your arm so that I can get the veins to show a bit better, wipe down the spot with an antiseptic wipe, stick the needle in, and then wait for the vial to fill up."
"That's it?"
"That's it. Can you make a fist with your left hand for me?"
You did as Will told you and then he tied a band around your bicep and started touching the inside of your elbow, trying to get some veins to show. He furrowed his eyebrows and moved down your arm, rubbing your forearm and then going back up to the crook of your elbow and gently pressing there.
"What's wrong?" you asked.
"You just have really small veins is all. I could take the blood from the big vein in your forearm, but I don't really want to do that one since it's so big. Can you squeeze your fist tighter for me?" You did as he said while he kept pressing on the crook of your elbow. "There we go. Got one. Now, turn and look at Jay while I get the needle ready."
You looked at Jay and tried not to laugh. "You okay?"
"Me? I should be asking you that," he replied. "You're the one who's about to get stabbed with a needle."
"It's just that you got some sweat on your forehead. You look nervous."
"They're needles. They're tiny little sharp metal objects and if one breaks off--"
"Jay, respectfully," Will started, cutting off his brother, "shut the hell up, so you don't scare my patient. You might just want to look away instead of watching me. Then you might feel fine." Then, he turned back to you. "Okay, Y/N, keep looking at Jay. Close your eyes if you want to. You're going to feel a small pinch."
You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. Then, you squeezed your eyes shut tightly and grit your teeth, trying not to yell out as the needle pierced your skin.
"Hard part's done," Will said. You nodded, still keeping your eyes closed.
"That was not a small pinch," you retorted about a minute later.
"Sorry."
You opened your eyes and watched as the blood flowed from your vein into the small tube that was hooked up to the needle.
"I thought you hated blood," Jay pointed out. "And here you are, watching the entire process."
"I'm fine when it's my blood if it's not a huge, deep cut," you explained. "It's other people's blood I don't like."
"Well, that takes any job in the medical field off your career choices," Will said.
You sat there for a few more minutes, waiting for the vial to fill up. Will pressed on your arm, close to the needle, to see if more would come out. "This vein is really small," he said.
You watched as the blood coming into the tube started becoming slower and slower, in what looked to be bubbles.
"Just a little more," Will muttered.
You started taking deeper breaths as you felt sweat start to bead on your forehead.
"Okay, let's see how much this gave me." He pressed his thumb above where the needle was and you turned back to Jay as he removed the needle.
Then, he got the blood into the vial. "Bad news," he started, "I might need to take more. Let's see how much extra there is." He put the extra into another, smaller vial. "Yeah, this one clotted too, so bad news, we need more."
You nodded and closed your eyes, feeling your face get hot and starting to feel lightheaded. You pinched the bridge of your nose, willing this uncomfortable feeling to go away.
"You doing okay?" Will asked.
"Yeah," you answered.
"Okay, I'm gonna do your right arm this time." You held your right arm out to him. "Make a fist for me." You did as he told you and he tied the blue band around your bicep.
But, you were getting even dizzier. "Actually, can I get some water? I feel dizzy."
"Course," Will said. "Jay, can you get her some water and juice if you have any?"
"Apple juice good?"
"That's fine," you answered.
Will untied the band from your bicep. "We're just going to wait a few minutes until you feel less dizzy before I take more blood, okay?"
You nodded and took the water from Jay when he came back.
"Let's have the juice after I finish," Will suggested after a few minutes had passed and you finished the water. "Feeling better, Short Stack?"
"Yeah, let's get this over with." Your forehead was still a bit sweaty, but you were a lot less dizzy.
Will repeated the same process as the last arm and it went a lot faster. Turns out he picked a bit bigger vein in the crook of your elbow of this arm than he did the other one.
"And, we're done," Will said as he capped the vial.
He handed you the juice. "Thanks," you said. "That was not fun."
"I bet. At least you didn't pass out. I've had a few patients do that when I went through my clinicals. That's why normally when someone gets their blood drawn, they sit in this chair where something is flipped down in front of them so they don't fall out of the chair just in case they pass out."
"Jay, do you pass out?" you asked.
He scoffed. "No. I don't even get dizzy. My body doesn't react like that."
"He just breaks out into a sweat whenever he sees needles," Will whispered, loud enough for Jay to hear.
"Hey! I heard that! Take one more jab at me and you won't be getting any pizza, Will. I mean it!"
Will held his hands up in a mock surrender while you finished up your juice. Then, Will started to pack up his medical stuff and Jay brought the pizza and veggies and ranch out, along with plates of course.
You ate your pizza while Will helped you with your math homework. Once you finished two slices of pizza and some celery and ranch, you said that you were done.
"You sure?" Jay asked. "You can have as much as you want."
"I'm good. Gotta save some for tomorrow." Your eyes widened as you realized what you had just said. "I'm gonna go take a shower. It's been a long day."
"Okay, clean towels are in the cabinet in the bathroom where they always are," Jay said, trying not to react to what you had just said even though he knew exactly what you were doing.
You were rationing food.
"Fuck," Jay said as he put his head in his hands when he knew you were in the bathroom and out of earshot.
"What? What did she mean by gotta save some for tomorrow?" Will asked.
"She's rationing it. I used to do it in Afghanistan. Save some of my MRE and put it in my pack to eat the next day if I was on a long trek and we knew we wouldn't get back to base. It would be cold and usually disgusting, but I'd choke it down because it was calories and I needed fuel to be sharp in case we came in contact with combatants."
"Poor kid. At least we had Mom."
Jay nodded. "What happened with Dad at the hospital?"
"Had to have a mitral valve replacement because his wasn't working properly. Told him over and over to get his checked regularly, but he didn't because he's stubborn. He went for the non-surgical option first, but then there were complications, so Rhodes performed surgery. He's fine."
"That's good... I guess." Jay glanced around and he saw your duffle bag sitting outside the bathroom door. You had grabbed your clothes to bring them into the bathroom and left your open duffle bag by the door.
Jay stood up and started walking towards it.
"What are you doing?" Will hissed.
"I need to see if she's got anything else in there that will help prove neglect. I'm assuming it needs to be proved...I only know criminal court cases, don't know much about family court cases."
"What do you mean family court? You're going to fight Dad to be able to take care of her?"
"Yeah, I'll fight to be her legal guardian. Unless you want to do it. My loan went through for a new apartment, which has two bedrooms, so I figured I might be better suited."
"Go ahead. You'd probably have a better chance anyway because you were around more when I was in New York."
Jay nodded and started to dig around your duffle bag. He chuckled and pulled out your Build-A-Bear. "She still sleeps with Beary," he said as he held up the stuffed bear. "Probably doesn't change his clothes anymore because she's too old for that, but he's in pajamas."
"Remember that military uniform you got for her bear? Mom said she barely took Beary out of that because she missed you so much."
"Yeah, and if she wouldn't have dropped him at the airport, I might not have met Mouse."
The two fell into a comfortable silence as he continued to dig through your bag. He got to a big zip-lock bag full of pieces of fabric that were stained light reds and browns.
"Will, c'mere," Jay said, waving him over. Will squatted down next to Jay. "You know what this is?"
Will sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. I saw a lot of this when I worked in Sudan."
"Well, what is it?"
"So, when girls don't have access or money to buy feminine hygiene products, they'll use scraps of fabric and wash them. Looks to me like she cut up some, um, she cut up some underwear and then used them as make-shift pads. If they aren't taken care of properly, she could end up with an infection. And, if she tried to use them as tampons instead of pads, it could lead to TSS, which stands for Toxic Shock Syndrome."
"We're gonna have to talk to her about this now, aren't we?"
"Unfortunately, yeah. She's not gonna be happy you dug through her stuff, so I'll let you explain why you were going through it. And, if she used them as tampons, I want her to get a pelvic exam, just to make sure she didn't get any infections. Much more likely to get an infection from tampons than pads."
Jay nodded. He hated having the current conversation and knew he was going to hate the next one even more, but he knew he had to do these things if he wanted to petition the court for legal guardianship.
Jay picked up your duffle bag and brought it to the living room and he set the zip-lock bag full of pieces of fabric on top.
"I can't believe we missed this," Will said. "I mean, we're both trained in how to spot abuse and we couldn't even spot it in our little sister."
"There weren't outright signs," Jay said. "No bruising, limping, cuts, burns, nothing like that. And, it's winter, it's easy to hide the weight loss. But, I still agree with you. If we would've spotted it earlier, we could've gotten her out of there."
"I'm pretty sure she's officially underweight now."
Jay ran a hand through his hair and then stood back up. "I'm gonna go put clean sheets on my bed. I'll let Y/N take it tonight so that we can keep talking out here when she goes to sleep."
"Good idea."
A few minutes later, Jay was back on the couch next to Will and you walked out of the bathroom, wearing a baggy t-shirt and some sweatpants that you had to keep pulling up because they were too big on you now, and a pair of fuzzy socks. You were cold all the time now and wanted your hoodie out of your duffle and wanted to put your dirty clothes in there, but when you looked down to the spot where you thought you had put it, it wasn't there.
"Guys?" you asked. "Have you seen my bag?"
You walked over to the kitchen table where your blanket was sitting on the chairs and wrapped that around yourself instead.
You furrowed your eyebrows as you saw your brothers on the couch, your duffle bag in front of them on the floor, and on top, your bag of ripped-up, old underwear that you used as pads when you didn't have any.
"You went through my stuff?" you asked, starting to become angry.
"Y/N," Jay started, "I know you're mad and it was me who went through it and not Will, so don't be mad at him, be mad at me. But, I went through it to see if anything was in there that could help me get you out of dad's house. Permanently."
"You- You want to have custody of me?" you asked.
A small smile appeared on Jay's lips and he nodded. "It wouldn't be considered custody because I'm not your biological parent, it would be considered guardianship, but yes, I want you to stay with me. And, my loan went through for a new apartment, so you'd have your own room and everything."
"Okay."
Jay looked at Will, not wanting to be the one to start this conversation. And, he figured Will would be the best one to start it because he was a doctor.
"Y/N, we need to ask you about these." Will motioned to the zip-lock bag on top of your stuff.
You sat in the loveseat across from them and looked down at your feet.
"It's okay, you're not in trouble," Will continued. "We just want to know how you used them in case you need to get a pelvic exam to check for infections in that area."
Your lip began to tremble as tears started to roll down your cheeks. "I used them as pads," you said quietly. "Dad wouldn't buy me any and I stopped getting them from school because I thought they'd suspect something was wrong if I- if I kept taking them."
"One more question," Will said softly. "I just need to know in case we need to take you in for this. I know you said you used them as pads, but did you ever try and use them as tampons?"
"No. I only used them as pads," you whispered. "I was scared to use them as tampons." You looked up at your brothers, who both had tears in their eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," you rushed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner I was just--" You let out a wail and Jay got up and knelt in front of you.
"Hey, hey, none of this is your fault. Do you hear me? Absolutely none of this is on you. It's all on Dad. Every single bit of it. You are not the one to blame."
You launched yourself into his arms, crying out every emotion you had felt these past few months: anger, frustration, fear, sadness, it was all coming out now.
And, Jay just held you and let you cry it out because that was what your guys' mom used to do for him. And, he knew it worked.
Twenty minutes later, your wails were just quiet whimpers and you pushed yourself back up onto the loveseat, where Will had moved to the spot next to you. He wrapped an arm around you and you leaned into him, craving the comfort that had been denied to you for so long.
"You still have that Twix bar?" you asked.
"All that crying made you hungry, didn't it, Short Stack?" Will asked as Jay got up to retrieve the candy bar from the table.
You nodded.
"Thank you," you said when Jay handed you the Twix bar. You unwrapped it and broke it into the two sticks. "You guys want any?" They both shook their heads: they knew you needed to get as many calories in you as possible.
Jay sighed, he might as well get this hard conversation over with you tonight as well. "Y/N, you can eat as much as you want. I won't say anything about you eating too much, okay?"
You looked up from your candy bar. "You won't call me a burden because I'm eating your food? Like Dad did?"
"He said that?" Will asked, giving Jay a look that read when I see him next, I can't be held accountable for my actions.
"Yeah. One time there were some leftovers he had gotten from a bar and I was so hungry and it was the middle of the night, so I took them out and heated them up. The microwave timer must've woken him up because he came out just as I was about to start eating and then he yelled at me for eating his food and called me a burden."
"Well, we don't think that. Neither Will nor me think that," Jay told you. "And you can eat as much as you want."
You yawned as you crumpled up your Twix wrapper.
"Tired?" Will asked.
"Yeah," you mumbled.
"It's been a long day," Jay said. "You can take my bed."
"Jay, it's your apartment, I can't--"
"Y/N, this isn't up for discussion. I already put clean sheets on the bed for you."
"Is- Is there a fan in your room? I can't sleep without white noise."
"There is. You want me and Will to tuck you in?"
"I'm too old for that." You stood up and Will did, too. "Jay, can you hand me Beary? He should be in my duffle."
"Here you go, kid."
You took your bear and held him loosely in your arm. Then, you enveloped Jay in a hug and did the same for Will.
"I love you guys."
"We love you, too," Will said.
"Now get to sleep. You've still got school in the morning. I'll be here when you wake up."
"Dad sometimes wouldn't be home when I woke up for school. He'd be at a friend's house sleeping off a hangover from the night before or just sleeping."
Jay furrowed his eyebrows. "Doesn't he have to work?"
"He does work, but only a few days a week. The other days, he stays out really late and then comes home either drunk or hungover."
"I see," Jay stated. "Well I won't be doing that, I can promise you that."
"I know. You aren't like Dad. Neither of you are." You yawned again. "I'm going to bed, goodnight."
A few minutes later, you were out like a light and Will was still at Jay's apartment.
"So, Abby called me the other day," Will started. "She's looking for you. Says she's in town for a few days and wants to meet up."
"Oh yeah? She say why?" Jay asked, wondering why his ex-wife--who was the result of a blackout drunk wedding in Vegas, a thing that lasted only 24 hours tops--was in Chicago and was looking for him of all people.
"She said you two are still married."
Jay threw his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. "You have got to be fucking kidding me."
***
"Morning," Jay said as he stood at the stove flipping some eggs. "Sleep good?"
"I slept really good. Didn't even hear you wake up."
"Fan did the trick then?"
You nodded and grabbed a mug from the cupboard and went to start pouring yourself a cup of coffee.
"Nuh-uh," Jay chirped, putting his hand on the handle of the coffee pot as well.
"Why not? I drank it at Dad's."
Jay raised an eyebrow. "You drank coffee at Dad's?"
"Yeah, on the weekends sometimes that would be my breakfast because it curbs my appetite and there wasn't a lot to eat."
Jay sighed. "Well, you'll have enough to eat here, I can promise you that. And, coffee stunts your growth."
"Jay," you groaned. "I haven't grown since sixth grade."
"Okay, well, then you don't want to become dependent on it at such an early age, then. Come talk to me when you're a legal adult or in college."
"Fine." You let go of the coffee pot and put the mug back in the cupboard.
"You can have juice though." The toast in the toaster popped up and Jay placed the toast on a plate and then put a slice of cheese on each piece and then an egg on top. He also put a small bowl of strawberries next to it. "I'm gonna go get dressed while you eat. And then, once you're ready, I'll take you to school."
"Okay, thanks, Jay."
"You're welcome, kiddo."
You rolled your eyes at the nickname and then went to the fridge to get the apple juice. When you opened the fridge, you saw a brown paper bag with your name on it. Curiosity got the best of you, so you took it out and looked at the contents while you ate your breakfast.
Inside was a ham and Colby jack cheese sandwich with lettuce, pickles, mustard, and mayonnaise, an apple, a coconut-flavored Greek yogurt, celery with peanut butter, and a chocolate chip granola bar. There were also two dollars at the bottom of the bag paperclipped together with a sticky note stuck to the top.
For chocolate milk. ~Jay was what the note read.
Tears sprung to your eyes as you continued to eat your breakfast. You don't remember the last time you brought a lunch to school; you'd always get your lunch for free at school. When you got the paper from school about the free/reduced lunch because teachers noticed you didn't have much to eat, you waited until your dad was hungover and it was early in the morning, and handed him a pen and he signed the paper blindly. And, that's how you got lunch and breakfast at school without any cost to you or your dad.
"Hey, I can just brush my teeth at the kitchen sink if you want the bathroom--" He cut himself off when he saw the tears in your eyes. "What's wrong?"
"You- You made me lunch?" you asked as you turned to face him.
He smiled. "Of course I did. I know how bad cafeteria food can be. And, if it tastes good, it's usually not very good for you."
"Thank you," you said as you wiped a tear away that had rolled down your cheek.
"Aww, hey, don't cry, don't cry. It's okay. You're safe now. You don't need to worry about where your next meal will come from. And, I'm going to petition a judge for legal guardianship in a few days. I just have to have a few conversations with some lawyers."
"Does this mean you have to move? I don't want to kick you out of your apartment."
Jay dismissed that with a wave. "I already put in a loan application for a new apartment. Two bedrooms. Really nice."
"Can you tell me about it? While I finish eating my strawberries."
Jay nodded and sat down in the chair across from you. "It's a two-bedroom, washer, dryer. But, I know you don't care about those things. There's underground parking. It's got a gym, a whole club level, with like a coffee lounge, and all this other stuff."
"That sounds really nice."
"Yeah, it is a pretty nice building. Coffee lounge would be perfect for you to get your homework done if you don't feel like staying in the apartment."
"I thought you said I couldn't drink coffee?" you asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I meant the caffeine in the coffee. Decaf coffee and lattes and tea lattes, that's a different story. I'm sure they have pastries there, too."
"Never pegged you for a coffee snob," you joked.
"You learn a lot about coffee and about a person when you have to get your entire unit coffee. I'll let you in on a little secret: Ruzek's coffee order is the most complicated."
"Really?"
"Really. Now, go finish getting ready. Don't want you being late for school."
***
"Hey, Er, can you meet me at the diner we usually go to?" Jay asked his girlfriend over the phone after he had dropped you off at school.
"Yeah, no problem. Give me fifteen minutes. We haven't caught a case yet, but we should keep our radios on just in case. Everything okay?"
"It's a long story. I'll explain everything in person, okay?"
"Okay," Erin answered skeptically. "I'll see you in a few."
Fifteen minutes later on the dot, Erin walked into the little diner and spotted Jay sitting in the corner booth.
"Alright, what's going on?" she asked after she had ordered her food and some coffee. "You sounded really stressed on the phone."
Jay sighed. "I'm going to fight for legal guardianship of Y/N."
"What? Why? What happened?" Erin asked as she widened her eyes.
"Our dad, he uh, he hasn't really been the greatest. Not keeping food in the house, calling her a burden when she tries to eat some of his food, not buying her products for you know...girl stuff. She's probably lost like 25 pounds since the end of last school year. And, I know that doesn't sound like a lot with the amount of time that's passed, but she's underweight. Will drew some of her blood last night to see if she's deficient in some vitamins or minerals."
"My God."
"Yeah, so, I know we were going to move into your place together, but I need another bedroom and my loan went through at that place I told you about, so I'm going to put an offer in there. You could always move in with me if you want, but I don't know if it would be a good idea for that to happen right away. I just want to get Y/N healthy again. I'm sorry."
"Jay, I get it. She's family. Do you know how you're going to go about this? Did you talk to Voight about taking any time off to sort this out?"
"Not yet. But, I think I'm going to call Antonio and see if he can help me out with getting a meeting with ASA Stone. I know he works criminal cases, but he's gotta know some stuff about family court cases. So, I figured he might be able to help me with this whole process."
"Good idea. If you need any help, just say the word and I'll be there."
Jay smiled. "Thanks, Er." He didn't want to have the conversation he was about to have, but he knew he had to tell her. "There's uh, there's one more thing I need to tell you."
"Okay, what is it?"
"About eight years ago, I was married."
"Excuse me, what? You were married and you didn't tell me?"
Jay knew this was a bad idea...which was why he hadn't wanted to tell Erin, but now that he wasn't officially divorced for whatever reason, he knew needed to tell her. "Just let me explain."
"Yes, please do," Erin sneered.
"Her name's Abby. She ran Cultural Support during my last tour in Kandahar. About a year after I came home, I saw her at a funeral in Vegas. Was... was a guy in our unit, he had redeployed, and, um, he didn't... Um, I was, like, blacking out most nights, and we were both pretty shook up. And, um, we got married." He chuckled at the thought of his twenty-one-year-old self thinking that marriage was a good idea. "It was, like, a 24-hour thing, it was a total joke, and it is long over."
Erin just stared at him, as he waited to be chewed out by her. "Jay, you married this girl. And you never told me, and you were never gonna tell me," was all she said.
"I know. And, I'm sorry. But, I'm meeting up with her in a few days to sign the documents that I thought I'd signed because she's getting married and we need to make the divorce official...even though, in my mind, it's been official for eight years.
"Er, please don't hate me, but with everything going on, with me trying to get guardianship of Y/N and me finding out that I'm somehow still married--"
"You want us to take a break?" Erin asked, finishing his sentence for him.
Jay nodded. "I'm sorry. I just don't think I can juggle a relationship with all this other stuff. And, it's not fair to you."
Erin swallowed. "Well, just tell me if you need any help with Y/N. I'll always be there for you. Relationship or partnership, I'll always have your six."
"And I'll always have yours."
Erin's phone buzzed on the table and she picked it up. "It's Voight. We caught a case."
Jay laid some bills on the table. "Then let's go."
***
"Got the results of Y/N's bloodwork back," Will told Jay over the phone while he had a quick break for lunch...even though it was four o'clock in the afternoon. But, that's the thing about the medical field: breaks are never regular.
"And? Any deficiencies?" Jay asked, walking into his bedroom as you were at the table doing homework and he didn't want to distract you.
"Yes, two actually. Iron and riboflavin. The low iron explains why her periods have become shorter and lighter, but that can also be attributed to how small she is now."
"How do we go about this then?"
"I'll send you a list of foods that have levels high iron and riboflavin. Oh, riboflavin's found in vitamin B by the way."
"Okay, care to tell me what iron and riboflavin do? I know iron helps with hemoglobin and red blood cells, but I have no idea what riboflavin does."
"You're right about iron. I'm shocked. Or, what do the kids say these days? I'm shook."
"I swear to God, please never use that phrase again. And, I know what iron does because I paid attention in high school nutrition class, thank you very much."
"If I remember correctly, I helped you with most of the homework in that class."
"Whatever, you helped me. Now, tell me about riboflavin."
"So, riboflavin just helps convert food into energy and is needed for healthy skin, hair, blood, and a healthy brain." Jay could hear a beeping in the background on Will's end. "Gotta go. I'll send you that list of foods right now, though."
"Thanks, man."
You looked up as Jay came back into the kitchen. "Everything okay?" you asked.
Jay pulled out a chair and sat across from you. "So, I just got off the phone with Will. He got the results from your bloodwork back."
"Is it bad? Am I dying?" You set your pencil down, bracing yourself for bad news.
"No," Jay chuckled, "you're not dying. You just don't have enough iron and riboflavin, which is a specific B vitamin. Will sent me a list of foods that have high levels of those in them. You up for some grocery shopping? We can also grab some multivitamins that have those in them, too, just to help your levels stabilize faster."
"Okay, we can go now. I'm due for a break."
***
"So, some foods that contain riboflavin include milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt, meats, green leafy vegetables, and riboflavin enriched grains and cereals," Jay read off his phone.
"I've had a lot of those today already," you pointed out. "Eggs and cheese with breakfast. I had that yogurt for a snack at school, and I had meat and cheese on my sandwich and I had chocolate milk with my lunch at school."
That was just standard, Jay thought. He wondered what you ate when you were at your Dad's. And, he knew that if he wanted to obtain guardianship of you, he'd need to know these things.
"What did you eat at Dad's?" Jay probed.
"I mean, I barely made it to school on time most mornings because I was trying to be quiet so I didn't wake Dad, which made me move slower when getting ready. So, I'd usually just grab a small thing of dry cereal when I got to school and eat it in my first class. I never checked to see if it was one of the enriched ones. I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize. There's no way you could've known. Now, what did you usually have for lunch at school?"
"I always tried to get veggies with my lunch, but most of the veggies were the gross canned ones, like canned corn or green beans. I don't like those. Sometimes, they'd have little salads as a side and I'd get those. Sometimes they'd have yogurt parfaits and I'd get those. But, I'd usually go for the pre-made subs, because at least those would have veggies on them...even if it was just lettuce and pickles. I'd usually try to get an apple or banana as my side, too." You paused. "If I was getting meat and cheese from the sub and milk from my chocolate milk, then how am I deficient in this?"
"It's probably because the meat and cheese schools use is so heavily processed that there are little to no vitamins left in it," Jay answered.
"And you know this how?"
"As you get older, you acquire a lot of knowledge and one of those things is that the more processed a food is, the fewer vitamins and minerals are preserved...and I watch a lot of The Food that Built America on the History channel."
"Oh, okay. What foods are on that show?"
"Usually it's about fast food. One episode I watched last week was about ice cream and popsicles and how they came to be in America. Pretty interesting."
"Can we watch an episode tonight? That show sounds good."
"Of course." He paused in front of the fresh produce. "Take your pick. But, just make sure you get some leafy greens for the riboflavin and some fruit and other green veggies for iron."
You picked up a few things such as more apples, a bag of Clementines, bananas, spinach, carrots, and celery, and then, you shocked your brother as you picked up a bag of kale.
"Kale?" he asked. "Didn't know you liked it."
You shrugged. "I heard it tastes kind of like spinach. And, I saw a recipe on Pinterest for a salad that has kale, lemon juice, and dates. Is it okay if we try that?"
"You know, I think that would be the perfect side for dinner tonight. I'll add lemon juice and dates to the list."
"I didn't grab too many fruits and veggies, right?" you asked, not wanting to waste food or your brother's hard-earned money. "I- I can put some back if you want me to."
"Nope, it's all good. We can always freeze the bananas if they go bad for smoothies or banana bread. And, we can always turn the apples into apple sauce. Spinach and kale freeze well, too and you can't even taste them if we put them in smoothies."
"How do you know this stuff?" you asked.
"I used to watch Mom cook a lot when I was little. And, when I moved out on my own, she gave me a copy of a cookbook she always used. Said the recipes at the beginning of the book were simple enough that I wouldn't burn my apartment down."
You laughed at the thought of your mom scolding Jay if his apartment got ruined from his cooking. "Do you still have it?" you asked. "The cookbook, I mean."
"I do."
"Can we make something out of it tonight?"
"You know, I think that's a great idea." He pursed his lips. "How about Mom's chicken pot pie? I think I have some frozen peas and corn in the freezer and we can use the carrots we just grabbed in it, too."
"That sounds really good. Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me." Jay paused. He figured now would be as good a time as any to tell you. "Uh, do you remember the day that we got ice cream and went and played soccer with Ben when you were little? The night that Mom went into the hospital?"
You nodded, swallowing the lump in your throat at the memory of that day.
"Well, she told me to take care of you. There's no way I would break a promise to Mom."
"She said that?"
"Mhmm."
"It's like she knew something was going to happen."
"Mom was a smart lady. Will had to have gotten it from somewhere and he sure didn't get it from Dad."
You laughed. "Hey, you're smart, too. Just not sciency smart. You're more puzzle smart because you put the pieces together of who committed a crime." Jay laughed at your description of his job. "Oh, is the recipe for Mom's garlic mashed potatoes in that cookbook?"
"It is. Want those as a side along with the salad you mentioned?"
"Yes, please...if it's not a problem."
"They're super simple and quick to make." He scribbled on a piece of notebook paper that he had written down a few groceries on, like the salad ingredients you had mentioned. "Alright, potatoes, a rotisserie chicken, and pastry dough have all been added to the list."
***
"I'll be back later tonight, no later than midnight," Jay told you two days later on Sunday night. "I know it's not ideal because you have school in the morning, but try and get some sleep while I'm gone, okay?"
"I'm used to being home alone at night, Jay." You shrugged. "I'll be fine."
"I know, it's just that not something I want you to get used to. Feel free to eat anything you want, cook anything you want. As long as you don't burn down the house, I don't care what you make. Oh, and remember to take your multivitamin before bed."
You rolled your eyes. "I'm fifteen, not five. Now, get going. Don't want you to be late to meet that lawyer."
"Love you. I'll be back by midnight. Lock the door behind me."
"I will. Love you, too."
With that, Jay left his apartment to go meet with ASA Stone and you locked the door behind him as he told you.
***
"So, Antonio told me you have some custody questions," Peter Stone said once he closed the door of his office.
"That's right," Jay replied as he took a seat in front of Stone's desk and turned his phone completely off and Stone took a seat in his chair behind his desk.
"Didn't know you had a kid, Halstead."
"No, I don't actually," Jay chuckled. "I have a kid sister. Name's Y/N and she's fifteen."
"Okay, and why do you want guardianship then?"
"When me and Will, my older brother, were kids, our dad kinda checked out on parenting us when we hit our mid-teens. But, we had our mom around, so it was okay. I went over there the other day because my dad was having some heart issues and I called Will. When I was there, I got a call of a robbery and it was Y/N. She was stealing food from a corner store because our dad wasn't feeding her," Jay explained.
"I see. So, other than her word and her stealing food, do you have any proof of this?"
"I know I should've called DCFS before letting her stay with me, but I couldn't let her stay there a minute longer, Peter. She's lost like 25 pounds in the past six months and she's deficient in both iron and vitamin B."
"Okay, what we have to do is petition for guardianship in front of a judge. I can help you with the documents and I can even represent you at the hearing if you want."
"Wow, yeah, that'd be great. Thank you."
"Anything else you want to tell me about your dad? Any physical or emotional abuse?"
"Not technically, but there is something else." And then Jay launched into all the information you had told him two days ago.
"Okay. And, you know your dad could theoretically press kidnapping charges against you because you took his kid without his permission?"
"I do. But he was basically starving her. No jury would find me guilty."
"I'm not going to argue with you about that one because I agree with you."
"So, do you think I have a chance of getting guardianship over Y/N?"
"In theory, yes. But, most judges like to keep the child with their biological parents. But, seeing as Y/N's fifteen, she does get some say in who she stays with," Stone explained. "When we have a custody or guardianship battle, we use the child's best interest standard. This means that you must prove that you are capable of providing food, clothing, housing, medical care, and a stable home life for Y/N. There will be one or two home visits before appearing before a judge, just to let you know."
"I'm aware of that. And, I just put an offer in on a new apartment with two bedrooms this morning and they're pretty quick in responding, so I should know in the next few days whether or not I got it."
"That's a good start. And you are financially stable to raise her until she turns eighteen, so three more years?"
"I am."
"Alright, let's start on those documents then. Unless you have any more questions for me?"
"I do actually. I, uh, I just found out that I'm technically still married. Something about me not signing the divorce papers even though I specifically remember signing them? And, before you ask, me and this girl served together, we were both twenty-one, going through rough patches and it was a Vegas wedding eight years ago. Lasted no more than twenty-four hours."
"It's really good that you told me this because any good lawyer would find that out when you file for guardianship. It's possible that she didn't co-sign the divorce papers. If that's the reason, I can help you draw up new divorce papers right now."
"Really? You'd help me with that?"
"Of course. A friend of Antonio's is a friend of mine," Stone said as he started typing on his computer. "So, what you can do is you can file for a no-fault divorce."
"You're gonna have to be specific, Stone. I know a bit of criminal law because I've had to testify in criminal cases, but like I said, I don't know family or civil law," Jay said.
"What a no-fault divorce is, Jay, is that you don't have to prove that either of you did anything wrong to get a divorce. All you have to do is state that your marriage is unsalvageable and continue filing for divorce."
"That's it? What if she doesn't sign it?"
"The divorce papers will be served to, uh...what's this girl's name again?" Stone asked.
"Abby."
"Abby. The divorce papers will be served to Abby and she has twenty days to file her response with the court. If she doesn't, then the court rules it as an uncontested divorce and then you're officially divorced."
"Me and Abby are meeting up to talk about all this tonight. But, can we just fill out paperwork for this no-fault divorce just in case things don't go as planned? I just really need to get guardianship of Y/N. The least amount of problems, the better."
"Of course. And if everything goes well with her tonight, then just give me a call and I'll shred the documents."
"Alright, just tell me where to sign."
***
"Wilson is running through the showers wearing nothing but a Kevlar vest, right?" Jay reminisced on the good parts of his Ranger days with Abby at a bar around 8:30 that night after his meeting with Peter Stone.
"Well, the lieutenant said, all outdoor activities to be conducted in body armor." Jay laughed at Abby's rendition of their lieutenant's voice. "Do you remember, he had his girlfriend's name tattooed on his ass?"
Jay set his empty drink down on the bar. "Did he tell you that was his girlfriend? That was his dog's name," Jay laughed.
"That actually makes more sense," Abby said. "I could go for another one of these."
"I, um, I shouldn't."
"Gotta get back to the barracks?"
"No, I uh gotta get back to my little sister, actually. I'm looking after her at the moment. It's a long story. Do you have the papers?"
"I, uh, I don't have them."
"Abby."
"It's just, I never told you. Even that crazy day we got married, I never told you that I loved you, Jay. It didn't feel right. But, I loved you, Jay. I do love you."
Jay sighed. "Abby, you deserve everything good. I'm just not the guy that's gonna give that to you." He brushed her hair to the side and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
After putting some money on the bar to pay for the drinks and tip the bartender, he left the bar. Guess he was going to need these no-fault divorce documents, anyway.
He was almost to his car when he heard someone calling his name. And, it was a voice he knew all too well.
"Erin?" he shouted as she came closer. "What are you doing here?"
"Would it kill you to turn on your phone? You need to get to the district. Now."
"What? Why? What's wrong?"
She got in his passenger seat. "Just drive. I'll explain on the way."
***
You were sitting on Jay's bed reading a book when you heard a knock on the door.
Slowly, you got off his bed and made your way out of his room. You took a knife out of the knife block, but you hoped you wouldn't need to use it. Jay would've told you if someone was planning on stopping over. And, if it was Will, he would've given you a heads-up.
The knocking got louder and more aggressive. "Jayson! Open this door! I have the right to see my daughter!"
Dad.
With the knife still in hand, you backed up and then, once on the carpet, ran back into Jay's room and quietly shut the door and locked it. You pulled out your phone and tried Jay. It went straight to voicemail. The pounding was getting louder. You tried Will. It went straight to voicemail because he was on shift. You thought you heard your dad starting to kick the door now instead of just pounding on it with his fists. You tried the last person you thought could help.
"Y/N?" Erin asked as she answered her phone and paused the tv show she was watching.
"Erin," you whispered. "I'm scared. I need help."
"You need help? Can you tell me why?"
"My dad, he's- he's here. He's looking for me." You heard a crash.
"Jay? Y/N? I know one of you is in here!"
"I- I think he just broke down the apartment door. Please help."
"Okay, okay, here's what you're going to do. I want you to hide somewhere and I'm going to call a patrol car over there right now. You're going to turn your phone on silent and I'm going to call you right back," she told you.
"Okay," you whispered as quietly as you could.
"I'll call you back in one minute tops."
You moved as quietly as you could with the knife and your phone still in your hands and opened Jay's closet door. You buried yourself behind the two garment bags that contained Jay's police blues and his military dress uniform, hoping against hope that your dad wouldn't find you.
Your phone lit up and it was Erin. You answered.
"Y/N, the officers will be there soon. I don't want you to talk. Just know that I'm on the phone with you."
At the same time, as she was talking to you over speakerphone, she was texting the team. She assumed you couldn't reach Jay or Will since you had called her. She told them what was happening and that a few of them needed to get to the district because they needed to find Jay's location. She also told Voight to get ahold of Sharon Goodwin so she could notify Will of what was currently happening.
"Chicago PD! Put your hands where we can see them!" you heard from your hiding place.
"See?" Erin said. "I told you that you'd be okay. I told them that you were hiding, so if someone opens the door, it's just an officer."
Just after she said that the closet door opened.
You squeaked.
"It's okay. You're safe," the officer said. "We're just going to take you down to the district. You're safe."
You peeked out from your hiding place and you saw the blues of the officers. You slowly made your way out and followed the officer out to the patrol car, the one that didn't house your dad for a breaking and entering charge at the moment.
***
"Where is she?" Jay yelled as he entered the district.
Platt just pointed to the bench next to one of the offices where you were sitting, staring at the floor, with a police jacket draped over your shoulders.
He sunk to his knees in front of you. "Are you hurt? Did Dad hurt you? Did he put his hands on you in any way?"
You shook your head.
"Oh thank God."
"I was so scared," you whispered. "When you and Will didn't answer, I thought he was gonna get me."
"I'm sorry. I turned off my phone when I talked to ASA Stone, and I forgot to turn it back on. I'm so sorry. C'mere."
You all but fell off the bench and into Jay's arms. "Is he going to jail? I don't want him going to jail."
"He was drunk out of his mind. I can ask not to press charges, though."
"Please. He needs help."
Although Jay didn't say it, he knew you were right. Jails and prisons didn't rehabilitate, they just taught criminals how to be better criminals. He knew that his dad needed rehab, a twelve-step program, anything.
"Okay, I won't press charges. But, I think we're gonna need to stay with Will for the night because our door's broken. What do you say we run home and grab some clothes to bring to Will's? And, since Dad will be here for a little longer, we can run to his house and get more of your stuff. Sound like a plan?"
"Can we get Dairy Queen on the way to Will's?"
"We sure can."
***
"I- I don't think any of these dresses will fit me anymore. They look way too big," you said to Jay as the two of you unpacked a bunch of your stuff in the guest room of Jay's new apartment. You wanted to think of it as the guest room for now instead of calling it your room just in case Jay wasn't awarded guardianship. You didn't want to get too attached.
Jay sighed. He figured you were right. He would see if Erin could take you, but their relationship was on the backburner right now. And, Erin had some stuff with Bunny she had to work out after she had brought her that pearl bracelet and said that she might be leaving Chicago. So, now wasn't really the right time for him to be bugging Erin about going shopping with you. And, he couldn't ask Kim because she was taking some furlough after finding her sister brutally sodomized after a night out.
He thought about asking Will if Nina could come, but he didn't think that those two were too happy with each other at the moment since Will hadn't told Nina about their dad being in the hospital and she had to find out from Natalie. Not Will's greatest moment.
He racked his brain for more women he knew.
Then it hit him: Gabby.
Yes, they had briefly dated, but that was five years ago. She was married now and his feelings for her were completely gone. They were civil with each other when they saw each other in the field and would chat when Gabby showed up at the district to pick up Eva or Diego.
"How about you try a few on after we finish unpacking, and then if none of them really fit, I can give Gabby a call and see if she'll take you shopping while I work on unpacking the rest of the house," Jay suggested.
"Okay. Will's gonna be over after his shift to help though, right?" you asked.
"He better be. He said he would. If he doesn't come, he better have a really good excuse."
"You can't unpack the kitchen without me," you told him.
"Why not?"
"I can't have you putting the glasses and other stuff on high shelves because I wanna reach them without having to climb on the counter."
"Okay, fine. I'll keep your short little height in mind while I unpack." He paused. "Do you want to get those fancy word stickers for your room for one of the walls?"
"Decals? And, it's not my room yet."
"Listen, after that stunt Dad pulled at my old apartment, Stone is 99.9% positive that I'll be granted guardianship. We just have to jump through all the hoops first."
"Like the home checks?"
"Like the home checks," he confirmed.
"What do I say in court?" you asked a few minutes later as you were putting the pillows on your freshly made bed.
"You just tell the truth," he answered.
"Will you be in there with me?"
"No, I won't. Stone said that usually in these cases you talk to the judge by yourself so that you can't be intimidated by either of the people who are fighting for custody or guardianship."
"So you won't be there? Will won't be there?"
"Will will be out in the hall and I will be in a different room. I'll be in like a witness room, where they make witnesses of a crime wait so that their testimony isn't swayed by what the other people are saying on the stand. But, me and Dad will be in the courtroom at the same time, just so I can see what he'll be saying."
"And, I'll be in there then, too?"
"Yes."
"What kind of questions do they ask me?"
"Stone said that since you're older, you get a say in who you stay with, so they'll ask you questions like who've you known the longest, who you feel safest with, who you want to live with, etc."
"Will they ask me questions about Dad? Like how he didn't give me food and how he broke into your apartment?" you asked.
"They will," Jay confirmed. "But, Stone will be in there for those questions just in case he needs to object to something."
"So the only time I'll be alone with the judge is when they're asking me the first few questions? Like who I feel safest with?"
"Exactly. Now, do you need help putting these books on the top shelf of your bookshelf?"
***
"Hey, how was your day?" Jay asked as he came home from work that afternoon. It was a shock that he was home by 5 pm, but you had a big day tomorrow. Not only was tomorrow Friday, it was the day you and Jay had to go to court to see if he would be awarded guardianship of you.
"We've got a problem," you stated.
"Um, I can try to help you with it, but let me go put my gun away first."
While he was doing that, you pulled out the slip of paper and the note that Gretchen Cunningham had written, saying that she wouldn't allow you to make up the test you would be missing because you had to go to court.
"Alright, what's the problem?" Jay asked as he walked into the kitchen.
"Cunningham. She's the problem...as always."
You handed him the papers and he read them over. "Yeah, this isn't going to fly. She doesn't need a judge's signature to allow you to take the test. I'll talk to the school tomorrow morning when I call to tell them you'll be absent."
"I hate her," you groaned. "She's so mean. And, I know what you're gonna say. You have to deal with people you don't like. But, she lost one of my assignments and told me I didn't turn it in and couldn't re-do it!"
"Well did you?" Jay asked. "Turn it in, I mean."
"Jay!"
He put his hands up in a sign of surrender. "I'm just saying, could be your fault."
"Yes, I turned in the stupid assignment. And, she paired me up with the stupidest kid in the class and told me to do well on this assignment because he needed a good grade to pass. It's not my fault he's failing! Don't put his grade on me, lady!"
"And she wouldn't let you re-do it?"
"Nope. But it's fine. I'm still getting an A. That might change if she doesn't let me take this test, though."
"It's like deja-vu from my freshman year all over again. Why doesn't she retire already? She's like 100."
"Or they could fire her," you quipped. "Or I could switch classes."
"I'll see what I can do. Who's the other history teacher?"
"Um, Miss Hedge."
"Hedge? As in Jayne Hedge?"
"Yeah, it's actually her. Why? Do you know her?"
"Yes he does," Will said as he entered Jay's apartment. "In fact, they went to freshman snowcoming together."
"How did you even get in here?" Jay asked, turning around to look at his older brother.
"For a cop, you're not that smart. You didn't lock the door behind you."
"I don't lock my door when I'm still awake. And, seriously? You just had to tell Y/N that, didn't you?"
"You guys can't just leave me hanging now. Tell me the story!"
"Fine," Jay grumbled and Will just laughed and sat down at the table, too. "I met her at school, obviously. She was on the freshman basketball team and I had winter weight training for the soccer team. I thought she was pretty and she was really smart, too. And, I knew that a bunch of the girls went to get Taco Bell after practice, so me and some of my friends decided to go, too."
"There used to be a Taco Bell close to school?" you asked. If there was, you'd never seen it before.
"It got torn down just after I graduated," Jay answered. "Anyway, we went to Taco Bell and I started talking to her and we talked a lot after practice. I'd walk her home sometimes. Then, I asked her to snowcoming and she said yes."
"So, why'd you guys break up? I know you dated Allie in high school."
"We realized we were better off as friends." Jay shrugged.
"And he realized he liked Allie more," Will added.
"Yeah, that too."
Will set a big bag of takeout on the table.
"Seriously?" Jay asked. "I thought we weren't going to do this that much anymore so we can get Y/N's vitamin and mineral levels stabilized."
"I'm sure she'd appreciate the break from your mundane meals," Will said. "And, I got us all side salads to go with the burgers instead of fries, so calm down." Jay gave him a look. "Fine, I got the side salads along with the fries. But, they're made out of potatoes, so they're technically a vegetable."
"For a doctor, you don't know much about nutrition, do you? And, my meals are not mundane."
"Dude, you'd have chicken, spaghetti, or grilled cheese every night."
"Not every night, just a lot of nights when I'd get home from the district late. I'll have you know me and Y/N have been making really good diners lately. Wanna tell Will what we made last night for dinner, Short Stack?"
"We made this really good pasta. We used Orzo, which looks like rice, but it's pasta. And we made a sauce out of tomatoes, onions, and orange juice. It was supposed to be lemon juice, but Jay didn't have any. We put chicken sausage in it for protein...and spices of course," you told Will.
"That actually sounds really good. Wow, Jay cooking every night, not something I expected."
"I like it," you said. "And, he lets me play whatever music I want when we cook."
Will rolled his eyes. You had Jay so wrapped around your finger that he'd do almost anything for you. Will didn't think he himself was that bad, but deep down, he knew he'd do anything for you, too...despite not being in Chicago as long as Jay had been.
***
"So I got a call from Stone this morning," Jay said around 11:30 that night when he and Will were sitting on the couch, each nursing a beer.
Will set his beer down on the coffee table in front of him. "And?"
"And, as of yesterday at midnight, I am officially divorced from Abby. Turns out, they served her the papers and, since she didn't sign them and it had been twenty days, it turned into an uncontested, no-fault divorce."
"Congrats, man. Might've been eight years too late, but you're a free man now."
"Amen to that. And it came at just the right time."
"Yeah," Will agreed. "You nervous for tomorrow?"
"Not really. More nervous for Y/N than anything. I've testified in criminal cases, so I kinda know how this goes, but she hasn't. And, before me and Dad go in to plead our cases, she has to talk to the judge all by herself. I just wish one of us could be in there with her."
Will nodded. "Know what they're going to ask you?"
"I know what Stone's going to ask me because we prepped, but I have no idea what Dad's lawyer is going to ask me. Pretty sure he's got just a public defender, though. Hopefully, that works in my favor."
"Not always, man," Will disagreed. "The public defenders who do these cases only do these cases. They've had a lot of practice."
"You really know how to make me feel better, thanks," Jay replied sarcastically.
"Rather have you hear it from me before the case than someone else after. Are you going to get cross-examined?"
"Probably. Don't know what they're going to ask me though because it's a cross. Stone set up some sample questions for me to answer with him to practice, but I'm going in blind. I'm used to it though because I've testified before. But, this feels like my biggest case."
"Because it probably is."
"Are you talking about tomorrow?" you asked as you quietly padded across the floor towards the living room.
"Y/N? What are you doing up? It's almost midnight," Jay pointed out.
"I- I know. But I couldn't sleep. I'm scared. What if I have to go back to Dad's? What if they find neither of you fit and I have to go into foster care?"
Jay patted the empty spot on the couch next to him and you sat down. "We just have to trust the system. That's all we can do."
"I know, but I can't sleep. And I'm so tired."
"I have an idea," Jay started and stood up, "stay here."
"I'm gonna go look for some melatonin," Will said after a few minutes of you two just sitting in silence. "I think Jay still has some for nights that he can't sleep."
Will was still rummaging around Jay's cabinets when Jay came back with a big black box with some cords and a cardboard box balanced against his hip.
"The hell is that?" You quickly covered your mouth when you realized you had sworn. "Sorry."
"It's okay. And, to answer your question, this is VCR. And, I have a bunch of videotapes in this box." He turned from you to face the kitchen, where Will was still opening and closing cabinets. "Will? What are you doing?"
"Looking for melatonin for Y/N. You got any?"
"First of all, it's so late that if you give it to her now, she'll sleep through her alarm and we can't be late for court tomorrow. And, second of all, I keep it in the medicine cabinet in my bathroom."
Will closed the cabinet and made his way back to the couch to sit next to you as Jay started to hook up the VCR to the tv. "Uh, Jay," Will began, "you know it's a little late for a movie right? And, I should get going in like half an hour?"
"We're not watching a movie. I recorded a bunch of the Blackhawks playoff games on one of these and I thought Y/N'd like to watch the 2010 Stanely Cup final series against the Flyers. Or, we could watch the final series against the Bruins when they won the cup last year."
"Let's watch the 2010 one," you said. "I don't think I watched it because I wasn't into watching hockey as much as I am now."
"And you have Jay to thank for that," Will pointed out.
"You can record things on there? Like an old-school DVR?" you asked.
"God, now I feel old," Will groaned. "Wait until she learns about floppy disks."
"Floppy what now?"
"Nevermind. Only 80s-90s kids would get it."
"We get it. You guys are millennials."
"Got it!" Jay exclaimed as he popped the videotape into the VCR and it started playing. "Now, shut up so we can relive this, Will."
You fell asleep before you even reached the end of the first period.
***
You rubbed your eyes and then looked around you to notice that you were still on the couch. You craned your neck to see the time on the oven on the other side of the open concept kitchen and living room and saw that it was 5:45 am. Jay was at the gym now. And, you knew you wouldn't be able to fall back asleep because you were already starting to worry about the rest of the day. You had to be in court at 8:30 and had to be talking to a judge at 9:00, the judge that would determine who you would be living with, which would inevitably determine your future.
God, you were thinking just like the teachers talked about the SATs, how if you didn't get a good grade on that standardized test that your future would be ruined.
You stood up and stretched and then went back to your room to grab the book you were currently reading. Then, you turned on a few lamps and grabbed a yogurt and fruit from the fridge, along with a glass of orange juice. After wrapping yourself in a blanket, you started to eat and read, hoping that that would keep your mind from wandering and worrying at least until Jay got back from the gym.
Half an hour later, Jay unlocked the apartment door and walked inside, confused as to why you were awake. It was only 6:15 and he had told you just to be up by 6:45.
"What are you doing awake, Short Stack?" he asked as he grabbed a banana from the bowl on the counter.
"I woke up at about 5:45 and I couldn't fall asleep. I'm sorry."
"Nothing to worry about. I just want you as well-rested for today as possible. You have your dress all ready? Know what shoes you're going to wear?"
"Jay," you whined. "I picked all of that out last night because you told me to."
"Just didn't want you to have to rush. I can turn the game back on for you so you can watch it until you have to start getting ready?"
You nodded and Jay came over and fiddled with the tv and the remote, going back to the middle of the first period where he thought you had fallen asleep.
"Okay, I'm gonna take a shower. Will said he'll be here around 7:45. Oh, and you can take that history test when you get back on Monday, in Miss Hedge's class."
You smiled. "Okay." Then, you turned your attention back to the hockey game.
***
You widened your eyes as you stood in the second bathroom getting ready. You had gotten dressed (into a navy blue, lacey dress that ended just above the knee that you had bought with Gabby a few days ago), washed your face, brushed your teeth, did your makeup, but now you were cursing yourself for being so stupid. You had no way of doing your hair. You didn't have a straightener here. And, your typical ponytail or bun wasn't going to cut it for court.
"Jay!" you yelled as you exited the bathroom and knocked on his bedroom door.
He opened it as he was tying his tie. "Yeah? Everything okay?"
"I don't have a straightener! I can't do my hair and if I wear my hair like I usually do then it will look bad on you and--"
"Hey, hey, calm down. We've still got over 45 minutes before we have to leave. I'll give Gabby a call and see if she's not on shift and can let you borrow hers."
You sighed the biggest sigh of relief. "Thank you."
Five minutes later, Jay knocked on the bathroom door as you were brushing your hair. "Gabby will be here in ten."
"Oh thank God."
***
"Thank you!" you exclaimed ten minutes later as you opened the door, revealing Gabby with her hair straightener. And, behind her, was Casey.
"No problem. Just tell me if you're not used to it and need help."
You took it from her. "No, I should be good. Thanks, though. C'mon in. I'm pretty sure Jay's around here somewhere."
They came into the apartment while you ran off to find Jay.
You knocked on his bedroom once more and he opened it, this time completely ready for the day. "Gabby and Casey are here," you told him.
"Casey's here?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Yeah. I think he just came with Gabby."
"Okay. Go fix your hair. I'll go talk to them."
Twenty minutes later, you were finished and slipping your shoes on when you heard a knock on the apartment door. "I got it, Y/N!" Jay yelled.
Well, I hoped you would because you're closer to the door than me, you thought to yourself.
Jay opened the door, and since it was exactly 7:45, he was expecting to just see Will. But, what he saw both shocked him and made him want to cry from appreciation at the same time.
Standing next to Will was Natalie and behind them was all of Intelligence and Trudy Platt and Mouch, all of Squad 3 and Truck 81 (minus Casey because he was inside), Sylvie Brett, Chief Boden, April, Maggie, Dr. Rhodes, Dr. Charles, Reese, and Noah.
"You're all here for the court case?" Jay asked, stunned.
"Well, Natalie has to testify about Y/N's deficiencies and weight loss, but yeah. It's better if the court sees that the person trying to get guardianship has a ton of support. So, I figured I'd call in reinforcements...even though I'm pretty sure my big personality is enough."
Jay rolled his eyes. "Your big ego maybe." He paused, not knowing how he was going to fit everyone in his apartment even if it was bigger than his last one. "However many of you guys can fit inside, can come in. Um, some of you might just need to meet us at the courthouse--"
"Jay, they just came now so you could see how many people were behind you. They're just gonna meet you there. Except for me. I'm driving you two." Jay furrowed his eyebrows. They didn't talk about this. "I'll explain later."
"Gabby," you said as you walked out of the bathroom. "Can you--" you stopped as you saw everyone outside Jay's apartment.
"They're all here for you and Jay," Gabby explained as she stood up. "And, you can't cry because it'll smear your makeup, so hold back the tears."
You nodded as you held them back. "Can you, uh, check the back of my hair to make sure I got it all straight?" you asked.
"Two spots are still a bit wavy. Let's go fix it so you can get going."
A few minutes later, Gabby had fixed your hair and everyone besides Will and Jay had left and were on their way to the courthouse. You slipped on a pair of black ballet flats and your coat.
Will had explained that the reason he was driving was that if Jay didn't get guardianship, he didn't want him driving in such a distressed state. Will had worked on so many patients who were in car accidents due to their emotional state and he didn't want Jay to be one of them.
"Ready?" Jay asked you.
"As ready as I'll ever be," you said as you wiped your sweaty palms on your dress.
"All you have to do is tell the truth."
***
You thought you'd be comfortable inside a courtroom because of the crime dramas you'd seen. But, standing inside one was very different from watching a fictional tv show.
No one but you, the judge, the court reporter, Peter Stone, and your dad's lawyer could be in the room for this next part, so everyone was either in a witness room or waiting outside in the hallway for the go-ahead to be let in. You would be allowed to be in the courtroom while they were talking to Jay and your dad, but they wouldn't be able to be in the room when you talked to the judge...for obvious reasons, such as influencing what you would say.
"All rise."
You stood up next to Stone as the judge, who you now knew as Judge Callahan, entered the room.
Once you sat down, you were called to the stand. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?" you were asked as you placed your hand on the Bible.
"I do," you answered.
"Alright, please allow Miss Halstead on the witness stand," Judge Callahan said. "Now, I'm just going to ask you a few questions. All you have to do is answer them. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
"Okay, first question: Has your father, Pat Halstead, ever hit you or physically abused you in any way?"
"No," you answered.
"Has he ever neglected to give you necessities, such as food, water, clothing, or shelter?"
"Yes."
"Can you please elaborate?"
You did. You explained how your dad never had food in the house and would yell at you and call you a burden if you tried to eat his leftovers.
"Is it true that your father tried to break into your brother's house to get you?" Judge Callahan asked.
"Yes."
"Who do you feel safest with?"
"My brother, Jay Halstead."
"Who would you prefer to live with?"
"Jay Halstead."
***
Jay sat on the witness stand. He had answered all of Stone's questions, including all of the questions about him finding you stealing, what you had been using for pads, and what he had been told that you had been eating at your dad's house. Natalie had testified about your physical well-being, weight loss, and iron and riboflavin deficiencies. But now, it was time for Jay's cross-examination. And, he sure as hell didn't expect this next question to be asked.
"Mr. Halstead," your dad's lawyer began, "you previously said, and I quote, that your dad clocked out on parenting you and your older brother, Will, when you were in your teens, around when you started high school. Can you elaborate on that?"
"Objection!" Stone yelled. "Relevance?"
"Speaks to a pattern."
"I'll allow it," Judge Callahan said. "Please answer the question, Mr. Halstead."
Jay nodded. "He clocked out on parenting me and Will because he said that were essentially grown men at this point in our lives, we didn't need him cheering us on or him helping us. He didn't come to a single one of my soccer games in high school. And, if by some miracle we went out for ice cream or something just me, my brother, and my dad, he wouldn't pay for ours. Said we were old enough to pay for ourselves.
"But, we had our mom. She came to all our games and school events. She made us breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If she wasn't there, I don't know what would've happened to me and Will. My dad didn't even want me to go into the military and didn't want Will to go to medical school. He said a real man went right to work. The only time I felt loved by him in all my teenage years was when I left for the military. It was like because he knew I might die over there that he figured he'd say he loved me one last time."
"Redirect, your honor," Stone said. Judge Callahan nodded at Stone. "You said that your mom made you and your brother lunch. Are you doing that for Y/N?"
"Objection! Relevance?"
"Speaks to Mr. Halstead's abilities as a parent."
"I'll allow it. Please answer the question."
"I actually do," Jay answered. "I make her a packed lunch to bring to school every day and I'm sure to add foods high in iron and riboflavin to help those levels stabilize quicker. The first time I packed her a lunch, she actually cried because she hadn't gotten a lunch from home in so long."
"Thank you."
"Mr. Halstead," your dad's lawyer started, "you were previously deployed overseas in Afghanistan for two tours of duty. While I thank you for your service, is it possible that you could have PTSD and hurt Y/N in the middle of the night?"
"I would never hurt her!"
"While you are fully conscious, maybe. But, while you are in a sleep-addled state, isn't it possible that you might think that the person waking you up is an enemy soldier and not your little sister?"
Jay sighed. No one knew this about him, not you, not Will, not his dad. No one. And now all of his family and closest friends were going to know since they were in the courtroom watching this entire thing unfold.
"I am on Prazosin for nightmares caused by my PTSD," Jay answered.
"And how long have you been on this medication?"
"For about two years."
"And this has helped you manage your nightmares?"
"Yes, very much so."
"No further questions."
***
"Jesus, Jay," Will said after you had watched your dad's testimony on why he should get to keep you. It was the usual: how he was your father, so, therefore, he deserved to keep taking care of you and it's what your mother would've wanted...despite her telling Jay to keep you safe before she died. They already had the responding officers testify about the break-in, so he couldn't deny that and he was under oath, so if anyone found out he lied, then your dad would be held in contempt.
"I'm sorry I never told you, man," Jay said. "I just, I thought of it as weak that I couldn't deal with my own shit." He grimaced when he realized he had sworn around you. "Sorry, Y/N."
"It's okay. I hear that stuff at school."
"I'm just upset you didn't tell me they were getting that bad, Jay," Will lamented. "I know I wasn't there for you a lot after Mom died, but I'm here now."
Jay nodded, and Will knew he didn't want to talk about the topic anymore. You looked through the little window into the courtroom and saw that the judge was coming back from her chambers.
"Guys, I think she's made a decision," you said nervously.
"Whatever happens, me and Jay will be there for you," Will promised.
All you could do at this point was nod, as a lump was forming in your throat from all your nerves.
Jay led you back into the courtroom and you sat at the front, between Jay and Will. You wiped your sweaty palms on your dress and Jay gave your shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
Judge Callahan stood up.
"By using the child's best interest standard of who can provide food, clothing, housing, education, medical care, and a stable home life for Y/N Halstead, I declare Mr. Jay Halstead the legal guardian of Y/N Halstead."
You could've sworn that you stopped breathing the second she said Jay's first name. You were so overwhelmed that you just turned to him and started crying as he wrapped an arm around you while he listened to the judge state your dad's visitation rights.
But, you didn't hear any of that. The only phrase that kept repeating in your head was I declare Mr. Jay Halstead the legal guardian of Y/N Halstead over and over again.
Now, you knew that you'd always have the necessities when you lived with Jay. You wouldn't have to worry about where your next meal was going to come from or if your dad would be out until 3 am drinking. You wouldn't have to worry about having access to tampons or pads and not be embarrassed anymore to ask for some from school if you forgot to put any in your backpack that day. But most of all, you knew that you would be loved and cared for.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Did I make anyone cry with this one??? The blood draw scenario was actually based on when I had to go and get my blood drawn the other day and thought I was going to pass out, which is why that scene was so long. Anyway, thank you again for reading, and please reblog/like and comment and tell me what you think! As always, if you want to be added to my taglist, just tell me and I’ll add you!
taglist: @theambracer88 @virtualreader @kelelas-life @celyndavies @brookerz122493 @musicismyescape27 @anotherfan07 @thexplosivegirl @dreamingwithlens @xoxmariaxox @onechicago18 @iamasimpingh0e
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