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#and we agreed ro go in today to pick them up for him and then got off the phone
healingheartdogs · 1 year
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All of my planning and worrying didn't matter because he went on his own last night at home and it was traumatic as fuck for me and Selene both.
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alcinadimitrescuwu · 3 years
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A Modest Proposal (Alcina x Fem!Reader)
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Premise: You finally muster up the courage to propose to Alcina Dimitrescu. But will everything go as planned?
Note: Even though we technically don't know Alcina's middle name, I gave her Carmilla as her middle name in homage to another beloved Sapphic vampire! :)
Warnings: blood. Steamy scenes her and there, but nothing NSFW.
As you take the last steps towards your mistress’s chambers you have to stop for a minute and take some deep breaths. The other maids had taken to giving you concerned glances all morning. Your nerves had been so fraught that a plate had slipped out of your sweaty hands and broken. You didn’t mind the stares. To everyone else, this is just an ordinary day. Not for you.
Today is the day you are going to propose to Alcina Dimitrescu.
However, you have some errands to run first. For that you are going to have to ask Alcina, ironically enough, for the rest of the day off.
You steel yourself, slap your cheeks to banish any last nerves and knock on the door.
“Come in,” you hear an elegant, mature voice call.
Lady Dimitrescu is seated at her secretary, lining up accounts for the month. Her brow is furrowed in concentration. Upon clearing your throat, she takes off her reading glasses and when she sees you a smile bursts across her face that takes your breath away.
After a year and a half of courting, you could still not believe that this beautiful woman was your lover. You take in her laugh lines and dimples, her slightly puffy cheeks that she hated but you found adorable, her carmine lips freshly painted, and her blue eyes with a corona of gold around them that you found absolutely mesmerizing.
She takes your hand and kisses your knuckles. “Yes, iubirea mea, what can I do for you?”
“I would like to take the rest of the day off if that’s alright with you,” you say in a rush.
She blinks, surprised, but then smiles. “I don’t mind. After all, you’ve been working so hard lately. Have you cleared it with the head maid?”
“Yes-” Before you can say any more, in an instant Alcina has bent down and taken you in her arms with your back against her ample bosom. You feel hot breath on your neck and her curls tickle your ears as she whispers, “We could spend the whole day together. How would you like that, pet?”
You find yourself lost for words as she moves your uniform collar and begins kissing your neck. You lean back and sigh. Her perfume is intoxicating. She moves one hand to your hip and the other begins to peel back your skirt.
You would rather do nothing more than to make love to Alcina on your day off, however there are other matters more pressing. It takes great self control to take her hands off of you. A look of hurt crosses her face. You turn around and give her a chaste kiss and hold her face in your hands. “Forgive me, darling. I would love to but I have some errands to run. May I see you later? Dinner, the usual time?”
Her expression brightens and she kisses you deeply. “I’ll look forward to tonight then,” she says, tucking a curl behind your ear.
You can only nod and when you turn around, Alcina gives you a playful slap on the bum. You look back at her and she gives you a devilish grin.
Closing the door behind you, you can’t help but let out a chuckle. Alcina’s libido, it seemed, could never be satiated. As you take a step you wince and rub your behind. That woman honestly didn’t know her own strength sometimes.
You wrap your scarf around you as you leave the castle grounds. It may be the dead of winter but you find yourself sweating from nerves. The Duke catches your eye and waves you over.
“Ah, Miss Y/N! Just the lady I wanted to see. Your package just arrived.”
You feel your breath catch but nod silently. He turns around and begins rummaging around in the store. You turn around so as to not catch a glimpse of the Duke’s massive behind and you freeze. Alcina is at the window enjoying her morning cigarette. And she is staring directly at you.
You whisper to him, “Wait.” Alcina is still looking at you as she’s taking a drag off her cigarette. Smoke wreathes her gorgeous face. You give her a nervous wave. She waves back and then hears the phone ring. With a grimace, she puts out her cigarette and steps back inside.
You turn back to the Duke. “All right. It should be fine now.”
The Duke smiles and then presents you with a box slightly larger than a normal engagement ring box. With bated breath you open the box and behold the engagement ring that you have bought for Alcina.
Getting the ring had not been easy. When the Duke had told you the price for an engagement ring, especially a custom-made ring for Alcina, you nearly cried with frustration. After all, the main purpose of you working at Castle Dimitrescu was to send back money for your aging parents. When you and Lady Dimitrescu had first begun courting and she learned of your family’s financial situation she had offered to send them money herself each month so you didn’t have to work. However, your pride would not allow it. Any money sent back to your home, you wanted to come from your labors.
Getting enough money for your parents while also raising money to buy the ring had been a long and arduous process. You had begun taking up extra shifts to make up the money. There had been many nights where you had fallen asleep on the sofa with a feather duster in your hand and Alcina had to scoop you up in her arms and carry you to bed herself. But looking in at the ring within the box, you found it had been all worth it. The ring is beautiful, around 14 karats of gold inlaid with rubies forming the House Dimitrescu crest. You are sure Alcina would love it. It had taken time to get the exact measurements of her ring finger. While Alcina was asleep, you had taken her left hand often and studied her ring finger making sure the ring fit snug but not too tight. To get the crest right, you had taken to drawing it over and over again in your off time before you had a drawing good enough to show the Duke to have it commissioned.
You look up and grin at the Duke with tears in your eyes. “Duke, it's beautiful!” you breathe. “Alcina- er, Lady Dimitrescu will love it!”
He pats your hand as you slip the box into your apron pocket. “Not a problem at all, m’dear! Good luck tonight!”
With that done, you head back to the castle. You practically skip back to the gates, taking out the box every so often and peeking inside. Your joy dissipates when you realize what the next item on your to do list is.
Asking for Lady Dimitrescu’s daughters’ blessing.
When you walk in, you actually run into them getting ready to go out. Bela smiles at you as she adjusts Daniela’s cowl on her traveling cloak. “Y/N! Good to see you! Mother told us you had taken the day off.”
Cassandra pipes up, “We were just going out to go hunting! Want to come with us?”
“Actually I wanted to talk to you all about something,” you say as you look around the foyer for any sign of the girls’ mother. “Is there somewhere private we can all talk? Preferably somewhere your mother doesn’t frequent?”
Daniela’s eyes glitter mischievously. “Oooh, keeping secrets are we? Come on, I know a perfect place we can hide!”
Daniels leads the pack to the library. “Mother usually practices her singing around this time,” she says over her shoulder. “So there’s not a chance she’ll overhear anything you say.”
Sure enough, you hear Lady Dimitrescu’s voice singing an elaborate coloratura from upstairs. Perfect.
Daniela’s hands run over the panels in the wall. “Now where is it….Aha there it is!” Daniela picks up a loose panel on the wall and puts it to the side. She steps in and backons the rest of you forward.
There is no light in this room save for torches every couple meters. The room can’t be much more than 6 feet tall, so there was no way Lady Dimitrescu could fit in properly. “We used to hide from Mother here all the time as children,” Daniela winks conspiratorially at you.
Cassandra begins jumping up and down excitedly. “Now what’s the secret? Tell us! Tell us!”
You take a deep breath and then let it out. “All right...Tonight I am planning on proposing to your mother and-”
You are cut off by the girls’ cries of jubilation. Daniela runs over and gives you a big hug. Bela has burst into happy tears. Cassandra continues jumping up and down and chanting, “Bonus mom! Bonus mom!”
You can’t help but laugh. “Does that mean I have your blessing?”
“Of course!” they yell in unison.
Bela says excitedly, “The ring! Do you have a ring?”
Blushing furiously you nod and take out the black velvet box and open it. They “ooh” and “aah” and take turns looking at it before they finally relinquish it back to you. As you put the box back into your pocket, you say, “Well girls, I need to start getting ready. Please make sure not to do anything to arouse your mother’s suspicions. I want it to be a surprise.”
The girls nod their assent, but Cassandra interjects, “Do you need help getting ready? We want you to be looking your best for tonight!”
Everyone enthusiastically agrees and you can’t help but smile fondly at the girls. You may be closer in age to them, but ever since you had begun courting their mother, you loved them like they were your own children. “All right, if you insist.”
The girls cheer and Cassaandra takes you by the hand and leads you back to your room to get ready.
15 minutes before your meeting with Lady Dimitrescu you take a look in the mirror. The girls truly outdid themselves on your makeover. Daniela had curled your hair and it hung in ringlets over your shoulders. Cassandra had given you one of her dresses, a red column dress that was backless with a plunging neckline. This wasn’t the sort of thing you would normally wear, but you had to admit the silhouette was very flattering, highlighting your natural curves. The best part: it had pockets large enough to hide the ring box! Bela was on makeup duty, giving you wingtips sharper than Alcina’s claws and a smokey eye. You spritz on some rosewater perfume and head out. As you pass the hall mirror, you consider putting your hair up in a chignon but think better of it. Alcina had always liked your hair best when it was down.
When you are at the door to Alcina’s chambers you take a deep breath before knocking on the door. “Come in, iubirea mea,” Alcina’s voice purrs within.
You head inside and Alcina has her back turned on you, lighting the candelabras at the table she has set up for you two. “I’ve needed this, my love. You should’ve heard what that fool Heisenberg-”
She stops and stares at you. You can’t help but feel self-conscious as she takes you in. She finally sets the candlestick she was using to light the others back in the candelabra and heads purposefully towards you. She scoops you up in her arms and kisses you deeply, burying her hands in your curls. She breaks the kiss and strokes your cheek. “You look beautiful,” she says breathlessly.
You can’t help but blush at the compliment. “So do you,” you reply as she sets you down gently, praying she doesn’t hear the box rustling in your skirts. She takes your hand and leads you to your seat where she pulls out your chair for you. You take her hand that is resting on the back of your seat and kiss it.
Dinner proceeds as normal at first. You listen to her talk about her day, which takes your mind off the proposal for a bit. Then she puts it at the forefront of your mind when she says, “I saw you talking to the merchant this morning. Did you have anything special coming in?”
Your mouth goes dry. How do you respond to that? “Oh, no. He just wanted to chat. You know how he gets!”
Alcina purses her lips but nods eventually. “Indeed.”
Awkward silence settles over you for a bit. Then she begins talking again, this time ranting about Heisenberg and you almost sigh in relief. This is easy. You just have to listen and agree with whatever she says.
“And then do you know what that fool called me? He called me a ‘simp’ for Mother Miranda! I didn’t even know what that was. I had to ask my daughters and when they told me of course I was infuriated.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I mean, a simp? Me? Ha! Imagine! He’s just jealous because he wishes that he had half the devotion that I have for her!”
“Uh-huh.”
“Do you think I’m a simp?”
“Uh-huh.”
She glares at you from across the table. Damn. She’s caught you.
You stumble over your words trying to correct your stupid blunder. “I mean, no! Of course you’re not a simp! Where would he get that idea?”
Alcina leans across the table and takes your chin in her hand, forcing you to look directly into her eyes. “Am I boring you, pet?” she asks, a dangerous edge to her voice.
“Er, no! No, I'm having a great time!” you say, smiling stupidly at her.
Alcina lets go of your chin and settles back in her chair, crossing her arms. Her stormy expression can’t disguise the look of hurt on her face. “You were the one that suggested we meet tonight, darling. I can’t see why you would want to if you’re not going to at least attempt to be present with me.”
“I’m sorry, darling. I-”
She turns away from you, her large hat blocking her expression. “Maybe you should go.” She gets up and crosses the room to open the door.
No, no, God, no this can’t be happening. This is your worst nightmare. You can’t let her open the door, you just can’t.
You practically fall to one knee. “Alcina!”
“What?” she snaps, turning her head toward you. Her expression softens as she sees that you are down on one knee with the box open. Her chest rises and falls rapidly as she says so quietly you have to lean to hear it, “Draga mea, what are you doing?”
You had a big speech prepared for this. But everything else has gone to hell in a handbasket, so you might as well get it over with. “Alcina Carmilla Dimitrescu, will you marry me?”
Alcina just stands there and stares. The tears that had been building in her eyes now spill over as she kneels down to your level and gives you a passionate kiss.
You smile against her lips and break the kiss. “Does that mean yes?”
“Yes, my darling,” she gives you a watery smile and caresses your jaw. “Yes.”
With trembling hands you take the ring out of the box and slip it on her left ring finger. She lifts her hand and inspects the new ring in the chandelier light. The rubies catch the light, nearly blinding you with their brilliance.
“How does it fit? It’s not too tight?”
She beams at you, positively radiating with joy. “It fits perfectly.” She then rises and heads over to her dresser and opens the top drawer. To your surprise, she pulls out a red box with the Dimitrescu family crest on the top. She sinks to one knee and presents you with an old, but beautiful ring. It must have been passed down through the Dimitrescu bloodline for generations.
Your face feels hot and you feel tears welling up in your eyes. She gently takes your arm. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” She wipes the tears that have already begun cascading your cheeks. “It is tradition for House Dimitrescu to propose with the family ring to symbolize the unification of two houses. I had been planning to propose to you next week. You beat me to it, you clever girl.” She takes your hand and slips the Dimitrescu family ring on your ring finger. It is slightly larger than your finger, but you don’t care. You couldn’t be happier.
Alcina takes you into her lap and kisses you passionately. In between kisses, she queries, ”All those extra shifts you took. They were all for me?”
“Yes, my love,” you say breathlessly. “All for you.”
She stands up and takes you in her arms. You wrap your arms around her neck as she deepens the kiss, exploring your mouth with her tongue. You can taste salty tears on her lips. She carries you over to the bed kissing you the whole time and sets you down gently. She kneels over you on the bed and you rest your leg on her hip. The slit in your skirt rises up, exposing your stockinged leg. After putting her hand gently on your shoulder, Alcina begins kissing your neck. You lean back into the cushions and sigh.
You hear a low moan in her throat, almost like a whine as she kisses your pulse point. You don’t say anything; you just nod. Soon enough you feel the sharp but familiar sensation of Alcina’s fangs piercing your neck. She holds you against her body and you bury your hands in her curls, causing her hat to fall off. Briefly taking her hand off your shoulder, she slaps the hat aside like it was so much rubbish. You take pleasure in every sigh, every moan, every exclamation you elicit from her as she drinks. When she finally stops drinking she wipes her mouth and gives you a seductive smirk. “Good girl,” she purrs.
Alcina’s mouth is on yours again as she undoes your halter while you unhook her garter. She breaks the kiss and cradles your face in her hands. “Te iubesc, draga mea.”
You take her hand and kiss it while saying, “And I you, Alcina.”
The two of you make love until the sun rises the next morning.
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beauvibaby · 3 years
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Purple and Yellow – j.oleksiak
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• Jamie Oleksiak goes through heartbreak and challenges along with his daughter but then he meets a woman who seems to catch both their hearts •
a/n: ok this is NOT proof read at all I’m sorry but I knew if I went back and did that I’d end up hating it and not wanting to post it but I know y’all wanted it so here you go!
Word Count: 6.1k
Jamie knew he was going to Seattle, and he’d be lying if he said the proposition didn’t excite him, but once his name was inked on that paper, reality came crashing in. He had to up and move his daughter, she was only three, maybe it wouldn’t be that hard. But who was he kidding, everything is hard with a three year old. And how would he explain that they wouldn’t be able to visit mommy every weekend, just like they did every weekend since. That’s all that plagued his mind as he drove home from the airport, Ivy was waiting for him, but he knew she’d succumb to her sleepiness before he could get there. His parents already texting him with a picture of her half asleep on the couch.
Then, the cars on the other side of the road slammed on their brakes, the sound of tires spinning out made everything come rushing back.
“Is this the father of Ivy Oleksiak?” Jamie didn’t even have a chance to speak before the words came across the phone, “yes, who’s speaking?” Jamie replied, heart rate picking up at the soft sigh the woman let out. “Your daughter and Miss Cora Hadley were brought into Medical City from a car accident scene.” All she said were those words before he was rushing to his feet, “are they ok?” He asked quickly, never getting a pair of shoes on so quickly in his life. “Sir, I’m not–“ “Bullshit! Is my baby and my fiancé ok?” He snapped, based on the way she whimpered, a rather young woman on the other end of the line. “Your daughter will be fine, just some scratches, the car seat did it’s job.” She spoke slowly, her breath hitching. “I think it’s best you get here as quickly as possible.” She spoke carefully, and in that moment Jamie’s heart fell to his feet like an anchor, he could feel his stomach twisting and his eyes burning. He knew what those words meant. Then he thought of Ivy and that snapped him out of his daze, he had to get there, now.
Jamie pulled into his driveway safely this night, parking beside his parents car, a sigh escaping his lips, forcing the terrible memories from two and a half years ago away. He gathered his bags, and lugged them inside, smiling at his family all asleep in the living room. That made him forget that oh so familiar ache in his chest just a little bit more. He put his bags in the corner, those could wait, but right now all he needed was to hold his baby girl. He scooped Ivy up, smiling as she fluttered her eyes open just enough to see him. “Daddy.” She murmured, “hi bug.” He inhaled the scent of her toddler shampoo, his mom always taking care of her hair the best, brushing the detangler through the unruly hair she got from her father. “Sleep with you.” Ivy whined when he started heading for her room, normally he didn’t give in, not wanting her to be dependent on him to sleep, but he needed her tonight too. “Just tonight princess.” He gave in, bringing her to his room with him, where she fell asleep instantly when he placed her on the plush bed.
Jamie laid awake, staring at the ceiling for a little while, thinking of how he would tell Ivy about having to move. “I hope you’re proud of me.” He whispered out, his tears staying pooled in his eyes as he forced himself to calm down. “Sleep daddy.” Ivy complained, nuzzling closer to him. “Hold me.”
“Jamie.” Cora whispered, hoping he was awake despite the late hour, he grunted in response, being a light sleeper ever since he found out Cora was pregnant. “Hold me.” She demanded with a light tone, her back aching and stomach bulging as Ivy kicked around in there. Jamie blindly opened his arms for her, letting her settle into his chest. “Always.” He murmured, already half asleep as she sighed in content.
“Come here baby girl.” Jamie murmured at Ivy, letting her rest her head upon his chest, Ivy was a very cuddly little girl, the second she was comfortable with you, she’d be sitting in your lap and telling you stories and anything to be touching you. It was one of Jamie’s favorite things, especially when he came home from a roadie and all she wanted was to be held by him.
***
“Daddy!” Ivy called, she managed to climb onto the bathroom counter to brush her teeth but now she was too scared to get down, “daddy!” She shrieked again, Jamie’s eyes fluttered open as he quickly took in his surroundings, “daddy, I stuck!” Ivy called, this time sounding annoyed by his lack of response. He threw the blanket off as he knew where she was stuck, this was a common occurrence. He appeared in the bathroom doorway, arms crossed over his chest, “and just what do you think you’re doing?” Jamie asked his daughter as she made grabby hands for him, she grinned brightly at him, “I brushed my teeth!” She answered in a duh tone, she grabbed his face once he scooped her up, kissing the tip of his nose, and he the same to her, “I’m very happy you brushed your teeth, Ivy, but you know you’re not supposed to get on the counter, that’s why we got you a stool, remember?” He explained, for easily the tenth time in the past month. “I know.” She huffed, dramatically pushing her hair back, making Jamie chuckle as he walked down the stairs, hearing his parents talking in the kitchen.
“Well, good morning sleepy heads.” Alison teased as Ivy gasped at the sight of pancakes on the counter, Jamie shook his head with a smile, placing her on the seat beside his dad, “I’ll make you a special plate.” Richard quipped to the little girl, which really just meant drawing a smiley face on it with whip cream. “Thanks mom.” Jamie gave his mom a kiss on the cheek before shuffling around to get his coffee, desperately needing the sleep kicked out of his system. “When are you going to tell her?” Alison asked, taking a small bite of her food, giving her son the side eye when he hesitated. “Today.” He gave in, knowing he absolutely had to start packing now, otherwise it would never be done in time. “So, Ivy, do you have any plans for today?” Alison shifted her attention to her granddaughter, figuring they could take her out to do something so he could get more done. “Gonna go see momma!” She cheered, some syrup smeared around her mouth.
Jamie froze, it was Saturday already, he checked his phone and felt humiliated that he had forgotten his promise to take Ivy to the cemetery. Evidently the panic was written across his face when both his parents stared at him. “Why don’t grandma and I bring you? We haven’t been there in a while.” Richard offered, rubbing Ivy’s back when she looked to Jamie for permission. “I think that would be nice, right baby?” Jamie finally found his voice, and Ivy nodded brightly, anytime she got with her grandparents was cherished. “Daddy coming to?” She asked, tilting her head as he sipped on his coffee, “I’ve got some work to do, alright, I’ll go next time.” He assured her, shooting his dad a thankful look as he quickly changed the subject before she could pester on any further.
“Ivy, I need to talk to you.” Jamie announced, he couldn’t wait any longer, he had to do it and be done. Alison nearly choked on her coffee and Richard looked at his empty plate like it was suddenly the most interesting thing. Ivy nodded, munching away on her pancakes, not understanding the severity of what was about to be said.
Jamie cleared his throat and pulled out the chair beside her, “you know how I had to go away to this new place for work, yeah?” He reminded her, “Seattle.” He said, and she nodded, “Seattle.” She repeated, not entirely perfect but good enough. “I got a job over there.” He spoke, waiting to see what she thought. “Hockey?” She asked, confusion lacing her tone. “Yes, still hockey.” Jamie chuckled softly, “it’s with a new team.” He paused, glancing away for a second, “we have to move there.” He concluded. Ivy nodded slowly, “new house?” She asked, she might be young, but she knew that moving meant not in this house. “Yeah, new house, new city, new people.” Jamie explained, panicking when she went wide eyed, “what about uncle Ro-Ro?” Ivy asked, referring to Miro, she was closest to the young defenseman as she always saw him beside her dad on the ice. The nickname had been dubbed upon him when she was learning to speak and liked to repeat things. “We can visit, baby.” Jamie spoke softly, heart breaking as she began to sniffle. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head, he knew the realization was coming. “But Momma!” She sobbed.
And that completely shattered his heart.
“I know.” He picked her up, feeling her sob into his neck, “momma.” She whimpered, though she didn’t remember her, Jamie made sure to keep her an important part of her life. Ivy didn’t know that she loved going to a gravestone that much until this moment. “Hey, look at me, bug.” Jamie demanded gently, situating her to be in front of him. He sat her on the countertop and stood in front of her, “momma will always be with us, right? Isn’t that what I always say?” He explained to her. Ivy nodded slowly, she was so young but always acting older, trying to wrap her head around this. “Yeah.” She mumbled sheepishly, cheeks red and eyes puffy, she felt shy under the gaze of her grandparents. “It’s alright, daddy’s sad too.” He assured her, lowering his head to be eye level with her. She stared into his eyes, reminding him so much of Cora in that moment, and once again she kissed the tip of his nose. “No sad daddy.” She demanded, drumming her fingers on his cheek. He pecked her forehead, “alright baby.” He agreed, if she could do it, so could he, right?
***
Ivy slept the whole plane ride, which is what Jamie was hoping for as they would be meeting the moving truck at the new house, plenty of things to be done asap.
“Come on Ivy.” Jamie mumbled, carrying her off the plane as she groggily woke up, looking around slightly confused until she remembered what was going on today. “Daddy, Seattle?” She asked, lifting her head from his shoulder, he chuckled, lowering her so she wasn’t so high up on his chest. “Yeah, Seattle baby.” He assured her, her pigtails bouncing as she looked around rapidly. He smiled at her reaction to the airport alone.
“What do you think, Ivy?” Jamie asked, raising his eyebrows as the three year old spun to face him. “Love it!” She squealed, her room was twice as big in this place than her bedroom in Dallas, and Jamie told her she could pick whatever color (within reason) to have her walls painted. Of course she would love it here. Jamie looked around their new-but-empty-house one more time, sighing as he could picture Ivy growing older in this house.
Time to make it a home.
“Hi.” Ivy grinned up at one of the movers as he placed a stack of boxes in her room, Jamie just being outside the door heard her speaking, he raised an eyebrow waiting to hear the guy speak. “Hello.” The young guy spoke sweetly, chuckling at the little girl. “I’m three.” She spoke, “how old are you?” She asked, Jamie held in a snicker as he walked in. “Ivy, leave him alone, bug.” He laughed softly, the guy taking it as his excuse to go get more boxes. “Ugh.” She huffed, flopping down on her bed dramatically, Jamie rolled his eyes, looking around. “What color do you want?” He asked the opinionated little girl, he sat beside her, smiling as she stood next to him, being eye level with him. “Hmm, purple!” She gasped, looking around the currently beige room, Jamie nodded slowly, “light purple.” He countered, knowing she would want to choose the darkest shade. “Fine.” She giggled, “we can go tomorrow, alright? Today we need to focus on finding all your stuff.” He tickled her sides.
***
Ivy was tugging on Jamie’s hand, somehow spotting the paint section quicker than he could. “Slow down!” He laughed heartily, his daughter shooting him a glare as he purposely slowed his feet down. He hoisted Ivy up to see the purple swatches along the top row, she reached for a dark one, just like Jamie knew she would. He sighed, “Ivy, we agreed on light purple, what about this one?” He offered, grabbing a lavender type color, she grunted in disgust, shaking her head dramatically, her blonde curls hitting his face. “Love this one.” She pouted, holding it in front of his face.
Jamie held in a sigh as you walked past him, stopping to look at paint swatches as well. “What about this one?” Jamie compromised, it was darker than he wanted to go, but still light enough to not feel like a dungeon. Ivy’s lip began to quiver, quickly catching both Jamie and the woman’s attention. “Ivy.” Jamie sighed softly, you intervened, “you know, I wanted a dark purple room when I was your age too.” You spoke to Ivy, catching her attention as she lifted her head, Jamie shifting slightly, giving you a smile. “My dad wouldn’t let me do it.” You made a face, getting a giggle out of Ivy, “he was right though, but guess what we compromised?” You mused, holding your hand out for the paint swatches that Jamie had. He handed them over with ease, “we painted one wall, dark, the wall I had my bed on, and the rest we did light.” You explained, Jamie giving Ivy a bright smile when she looked at him like it was the greatest idea ever. “We can do that, Ivy.” He agreed, and you giggled, “glad I could be of help.” You added.
“Thank you,” Jamie paused, waiting for a name. “Y/N.” You told him, smiling at the pair, “and your name is?” You asked, already figuring the little girl's name was Ivy. “Jamie.” He introduced himself. “What are you painting?” Ivy asked boldly, not one to talk much around new people, Jamie set her down so she could look at other colors, amused by her sudden interest. “I’m painting my dining room.” You answered, squatting down to her level, “do you have any color suggestions?” You asked Ivy. Jamie gave you a look that said you really don’t have to entertain her but you just gave him a smile. “Yellow.” Ivy announced, looking at the wall and grabbing actually, a very nice swatch, it was just yellow enough. You tilted your head as you looked at it, imagining it in your space. “That’s a very pretty color, Ivy.” You told her, smiling brightly as she blushed, handing you the color sample. “Thank you, Y/N.” She spoke politely, even though the words didn’t come out perfectly, it was a great attempt. “You’re welcome.” You stood to your full height, shocking Jamie by walking over to the counter to order the paint, no hesitation that a random little girl picked it out.
“You don’t have to-“ Jamie started to say, but you shrugged, giving him a happy smile, “I just got a new place, a fresh start, yellow seems fitting.” You told him. Jamie gave you a lopsided smile, if only you knew he was doing the same. “Daddy, this ones.” Ivy gasped, giving him two swatches, he chuckled at her grammar, squatting down to her level, “you’re sure?” He asked, he knew after all it was just paint, and if it turned out so terrible, they could paint over it but he didn’t want to have to do this twice. “This one looks like momma's dress!” Ivy explained, Jamie looked at the dark purple in his hand, instantly remembering Cora in that dress, Ivy’s favorite picture of her that she kept in her room. Suddenly her color choice made sense, you couldn’t help but eavesdrop, your heart stopping at Jamie’s next words. “Yeah, I think momma would have loved this.”
Was she… dead? You tried to knock the thought from your head, they were so young, but you knew accidents happened. You quickly looked away as Jamie stood back up, “here you go ma’am.” The teenager behind the counter spoke, you took the gallon from him, shooting him a smile. “Have a good day.” You told him, offering Jamie and Ivy a wave. “Will I see you again?” Ivy asked, Jamie nearly had heart failure right there as you stopped and giggled. “Oh I don’t know sweetheart, Seattle is a really big city. But don’t you worry, if I ever see you out and about I’ll be sure to say hello.” You assured her, watching as she got all giddy and slightly hid behind her father again. “Bye.” You told him, biting the inside of your cheek to keep from smiling any wider. “Bye, Y/N.” He mumbled, seeming a little dazed as he made his way up to the counter.
***
It had been nearly a week in the new house, the walls were done, almost everything was unpacked and they were starting to feel a sense of normalcy. Jamie loved the neighborhood they ended up in, a true mix of all different people, yes their house was rather large, but it was still homey. The community was sprawling, having a little bit of everything, stand alone homes, townhomes, even some condos, there were plenty of kids around which made him feel good about his choice as he followed Ivy down the road as she rode her bike. “Slow down, Ivy.” Jamie cautioned as she was getting a good bit ahead of him, she huffed dramatically and slowed down, waiting for him to catch up. She was looking around at the houses, confused as to why they were attached, even though Jamie had explained it to her plenty of times. Ivy gasped so loudly, that you could hear it from your front lawn where you were spray painting a piece of furniture. You glanced over and did a double take.
There was absolutely no way, you refused to believe you were actually seeing this, then you saw Jamie and you were convinced the universe either loved you for letting you see him again, or hated you, as you were in ratty old painting clothes.
“Ivy!” You grinned, laughing when the little girl flew off her bike, letting it fall sideways, making Jamie groan, “hi Y/N!” She squealed running up your lawn. You smiled brightly as she hugged your leg, “Ivy.” Jamie called, giving you an apologetic smile but you shrugged it off. “Did you paint your room?” You asked the little girl as she pulled away, a pink tint to her cheeks, she nodded, her blonde curls bouncing in her ponytail. “Yay, that’s great!” You cheered, Jamie walked up behind her, “hi, Y/N. How are you?” He asked, his daughter leaning back against his legs as you two spoke. “Good, been busy making this place my own.” You laughed, motioning to the small townhome behind you. It was your first solo place, and you absolutely adored it, even if it needed some work. “Yeah, you always forget how much work it is moving into a new place.” He agreed, chuckling softly. “Did you do yellow?” Ivy asked, rocking on her feet. “I did.” You assured her, “would you two like to go in and see it?” You asked, cringing internally as you waited to look up at Jamie. “Sure.” He answered, grabbing his daughter's hand, following you inside.
You led them to the dining room, giggling as Ivy gasped, “so pretty!” She cheered, the yellow paid off, it made the space feel much more happy. “All because of you.” You told her, she asked if she could look at the pictures you had sitting on the entry table and you gave her a quick nod, giving you and Jamie a chance to talk. “Same neighborhood? If I didn’t know any better I’d think you were stalking me.” You teased him lightly, getting a hearty chuckle out of him. “It is quite the coincidence.” He agreed, he felt butterflies in his stomach for the first time since he had met Cora.
It absolutely terrified him.
***
It had been a few weeks since that day, and you’d seen Ivy outside playing with another woman, Jamie not to be seen. You came out to grab your mail as she went riding by, “hi, Y/N!” She called, continuing to pedal away. “Hi, Ivy.” You spoke, you went over and introduced yourself to the girl, Taylor, finding out she was her babysitter. “Jamie must go out pretty often.” You commented to her, she shook her head, “oh no, he never goes anywhere without Ivy aside from work.” Taylor told you, “he plays hockey, I'm surprised you didn’t know that.” Taylor added, smiling as Ivy came up to the two of you. “We should be going, it’s almost dinner time.” Taylor spoke, she couldn’t be older than 20. You gave them both a smile, “yes! You don’t want to miss that.” You chuckled, bidding them a goodbye before going inside and googling Jamie.
What you found shocked you.
Jamie Oleksiak taking personal time to mourn loss of fiancé.
Jamie Oleksiak, will he be able to balance a professional career and a baby?
Will he bounce back from this?
You clicked the first article, bracing yourself as it loaded.
The date was from almost three years ago, you scrolled down and began to read…
Jamie Oleksiak has announced the sudden passing of his fiancé, Cora Hadley. Together they shared a daughter Ivy, who was also involved in the incident, she is expected to make a complete recovery.
A close friend tells us it was a severe car accident.
Our condolences to the family.
You clicked away from the article as tears burned your eyes. That was terrible. You read some of the other articles and only grew mad at how the reporters belittled his pain, only talking of how poorly his game play had been since then. And though you’d never wish that kind of loss on anyone, you know they wouldn’t be writing like that if they had felt it.
***
You and Jamie exchanged numbers, citing that it was for “neighborhood emergencies” you giggled at the thought as he was currently asking you what he should get Cora for the upcoming Christmas.
She’s the pickiest three year old ever, everyone always tells me that.
Well, what does the pickiest three year old ever like to do?
She’s either riding her bike and getting absolutely filthy or she’s inside playing dress up and being a little princess
Princess car?
They make those?!?
Oh, Jamie, I really need to take you shopping 🤦‍♀️
Tell me when and I’ll be there…
You tell me hot shot, you’re the one that plays hockey for a living.
How did you find out?
Google is a powerful thing… just kidding, Taylor told me.
Of course she did
Saturday afternoon? My parents will be in town and they want to take Ivy out for the day, so it’s a perfect excuse.
You know where I live, see you then!
He started typing, but then the dots went away and you never received another message.
You brushed it off, feeling butterflies in your stomach for the first time in years as you thought of merely shopping with Jamie for Christmas.
****
“You like him!” Your friend gushed to you as you spoke on the phone while getting ready, “no!” You rushed, only proving her point more. “Y/N, really.” Your friend, Amanda, spoke. “There’s nothing wrong with that, he’s clearly attractive and he’s a dad! He’s not going to be a jerk that just messed around with girls! It’s great.” She rambled, you sighed, pulling your jeans on with a little jump, “his fiancé died, Amanda. He could very well not be over that yet, and I wouldn’t blame him.” You explained, she went silent, “well you left that part out, how was I supposed to know.” She mumbled sheepishly. “It was almost three years ago, their baby was only six months old.” You whispered, cursing when your doorbell rang down the stairs. “Shit, shit, I have to go Amanda!” You rushed, hanging up as soon as she said bye. You adjusted the sweater you had on as you rushed down the stairs, careful not to fall flat on your face. You grabbed your purse as you walked past the counter, yelping as you stumbled and landed on your butt. So close.
“Y/N? Are you alright?” Jamie called, hearing the thud, “yes, yeah, just a second.” You called out, wincing as you stood up, that was definitely going to hurt later. You finally, finally reached the door and unlocked it, pulling it open and giving him a bright smile. “Did you fall?” He asked instantly, bursting into laughter when your face went blank. “We’re not going to talk about that Jamie.” You chastised, stepping onto your little porch to leave with him. “Sorry, sorry.” He chuckled, giving you a once over as you locked the door. “Is Ivy excited to be with your parents today?” You asked him, Jamie laughed under his breath, “so excited, she didn’t even care that I was going out.” He told you as he opened the passenger side door of his truck for you. “Thanks.” You mumbled as you slid in, your heart pounding in your chest. He shut the door and made his way around the truck as you adjusted in the seat.
“So, where to?”
****
Jamie was shocked and grimacing at the price of the princess car that he and you both knew Ivy would love. “Is she the type to give up on new toys quickly?” You asked, tilting your head as you both stared at the display, he shook his head as gave in. He had been leaning against the shelves and as he walked away you noticed his phone had fallen out of his pocket, you picked it up so no one would steal it as you waited for him to come back with a cart, and hopefully someone to help him with the box because it was not something you’d be much help with. His phone began to ring in your hand, the contact flashing across the top said mom, you let it ring, you’d tell him as soon as he came back. As soon as it stopped it was ringing again, you panicked and swiped to answer it, worried that something had happened to Ivy. “Hello?” You spoke into the phone, hearing Ivy wailing in the background. Fuck.
“Who is this?” His mother rushed, “I’m Y/N, Jamie forgot his phone he’s walking around the store– is everything alright?” You asked, cutting straight to the point, “no, we’re going to the emergency room, Ivy fell at the park and I think she broke her arm.” His mother rushed, and thankfully you saw Jamie approaching, “Jamie!” You shouted, rushing over, he furrowed his eyebrows seeing you on his phone.
“It’s your mom.” You rushed, giving it to him and you could see the wheels turning in his head as he listened to her speak over Ivy crying. “Shit, alright I’ll meet you there.” He told her, shooting you an apologetic look. “Go.” You assured him, he shook his head grabbing your hand and pulling you along, he wasn’t going to leave you stranded in a department store. “Sorry, he’ll purchase it another day!” You called to the employee who had a blank look on his face. “Let me talk to Ivy.” Jamie demanded after his mom had said something else, “daddy, it hurts!” Ivy got out between cries as his mother held the phone to her ear. “I know, princess. I’ll be there soon alright? I promise.” He assured her, finally releasing your hand as he realized he’d been holding it this whole time.
He managed to get off the phone so he could drive to the hospital, repeatedly apologizing for you being stuck with him and that this happened. “I was going to take you to lunch and ugh I’m just sorry.” You raised an eyebrow at his ramblings as you guys got stuck at a red light less than a mile from the hospital. “Jamie, stop apologizing. She’s your daughter, she always comes first, that’s how it’s supposed to be.” You soothed him, he glanced over at you, nodding softly, “reschedule the lunch?” He asked, despite the panic in his head, he still wanted to make sure you saw that he was interested in you.
“Yeah, we can reschedule, let’s just go see your baby.” You leaned over the center console, kissing his cheek as the light changed, doing a little happy dance in your head at how he blushed deeply at your actions.
“Family only.” The nurse remarked as you were about to follow Jamie to the room Ivy was in. He gave her an incredulous look, “it’s fine, go.” You assured him, pulling away from him to stay in the waiting room. He hesitated but went along, disappearing behind the doors as you picked a seat in the corner, making sure you had a sight line to the doors he went through. Over an hour went by as you sat there, scrolling through your phone, not hearing from Jamie, which you assumed was because he was being bombarded with questions of the girl who answered his phone, while also dealing with Ivy who was not going to enjoy the process of getting a cast.
Your phone chimed with a text just as you had finally decided to get off of it,
Finishing up now, sorry if my parents are a lot
You chuckled at the message, making sure you had all your items, including the little stuffy you’d bought at the hospital gift shop during your time sitting here. You stood up as you saw them walking out, Ivy draped over Jamie’s chest, half asleep with her head on his shoulder. “Y/N, it’s so nice to meet you.” His mom spoke, offering her hand, you repeated the sentiment, as well as with his dad. “Ivy.” You whispered, placing a hand on her back, holding the small stuffed animal in your hand, “I got you a little gift for being such a big brave girl.” You mumbled, she shifted to look at you with her puffy eyes, and pout settled deep on her lips, “thanks.” She whispered, taking it and holding it close to her chest, she kept her eyes on you as you walked behind Jamie, keeping up a conversation with his parents. And he was right, they were kind of a lot, but you pushed through, smiling when Ivy finally fell asleep in the car.
You sat in the back with Ivy, Jamie insisting you didn’t have to but you wanted to. “She handled it pretty well.” Jamie commented as he glanced back to see her asleep with her hand in yours. “She’s a tough little thing.” You agreed, glancing over at him, he gave you a heartwarming smile. “Thanks for coming with me today, I know it didn’t go to plan, but it was nice, you know… before she broke her arm.” He trailed off, pulling into your driveway to drop you off. You carefully pulled your hand from Ivy’s, she didn’t budge as she was exhausted from today.
Jamie got out to say goodbye, surprising you with a quick kiss to the cheek and a promise of that lunch date.
***
“Did some research?” You asked teasingly as Jamie took you to your favorite restaurant, you gave him a sideways glance as he parked the truck, “I may have had some assistance.” He shrugged, making you realize that’s why Ivy was grilling you the other day, when you had offered to watch her since Taylor was unavailable. “You two are trouble.” You quipped, watching him slip out wordlessly before opening your door for you. “But I’m a gentleman.” He reminded you, “a very good one at that.” You agreed, steadying yourself with his shoulders when you hoped down. “I’m going to kiss you now.” He declared, had you not wanted to kiss him so badly you would have teased him for the nervousness in his voice, but you simply looped your arms around his neck and let him sweep you off your feet with a wonderful first kiss.
The first of many.
***
Two months, and many, many, sneaky dates and stolen kisses later…
You were over at Jamie’s house, having dinner with him and Ivy, you and Jamie had gone out here and there, but most of your time was spent together with Ivy, and that’s what told him that you were the girl he needed to hang on to. Jamie wanted to take tonight to explain to Ivy that you two were dating, but he was scared, petrified even, that she would become upset and confused. You kept telling him nothing had to be done yet if he wasn’t ready, but he was, he swore he was.
“What’s your favorite color?” You asked Ivy, dinner was long gone and you were playing a game of twenty questions, she wasn’t entirely aware of that but she was having fun nonetheless. “Purple! Like my mommas.” She declared, you gave her a smile, glancing over at Jamie to see how he handled it. Many conversations had happened between you two about the loss of Cora, you never wanted to rush him, and as he only gave Ivy a proud smile, you could tell he was truly ready to start the next chapter of his life again. You liked to think Cora was proud of him, for choosing you to be in their life.
“What’s yours?” Ivy countered back, giving you an inquisitive look, the closer she got to age four, the more like Jamie she seemed, and it always made you chuckle. “Yellow.” You told her, watching as she grinned, Jamie winked at you as you turned sheepish under their gaze. “Because of me?” Ivy gasped. “Yes, because of you.” You giggled, welcoming her hug when she bounced over to you. “Ivy, do you know what it means when people are dating?” Jamie asked his daughter as she stayed seated on your lap, she rested her elbows on the table, holding her head in her hands. “No but you said I’m not allowed to do that.” She spoke in a serious tone, sending you into a hysterical fit of laughter, not expecting her to be so blunt. Jamie tried not to but he joined you with a deep laugh, tipping his head back as Ivy grew impatient. “Ok, besides that.” Jamie cleared his throat, “when I say I’m dating someone that means that I really really like them and I want them to be part of our life.” He explained as best he could, you smiled from behind her at his words. Encouraging him to go on.
“Y/N and I are dating.” He spoke officially, you both held your breath as you waited for her reaction, she turned and looked at you, and then back to her dad. “You love her!” Ivy grinned, sending Jamie wide eyed and you into a wide smile as he blushed, “you love my daddy!” Ivy gasped turning to you, now he was the one grinning as you opened and closed your mouth trying to find the words to say. You gave her a nod, “well, it’s a bit more complicated than that when you’re our age, but yes.” You agreed with her, Jamie grabbed your hand from across the table, giving it a squeeze as Ivy climbed off your lap and started dancing around.
This had gone so much better than he had hoped.
When he was tucking her in that night while you were waiting for him on the couch, she said a few words that made him one hundred percent sure that everything was going the way it should, and that Cora even played a hand in this. “Can I have two favorite colors daddy?” Ivy asked, looking up at him sleepily as he pulled the blanket up her body, she was clinging to the stuffy you’d bought her. “Of course, bug.” He assured her, thinking that was that, but as he kissed her forehead she said, “purple and yellow are my favorites.” By the time he pulled his head back, her eyes were shut and her breathing was evening out. “Yeah, I think those are my favorites too.” He whispered.
Taglist: @boqvistsbabe @tortito @2manytabsopen @heybarzy @barzysreputation @yzas-stuff @iwantahockeyhimbo @hockeyunits
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bokuroskitten · 3 years
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𝔓𝔯𝔬𝔪𝔬𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫
〈Kuroo never seem to get the promotion, unless he has the help of his good luck charm(s)
❉Genre: NSFW 18+ (minors dni) ❉warning(s): tw: blood, Poly relationships (Bokuroo x Reader), DDLG dynamics (Papa and Daddy titles used), fingering (female receiving), oral (male receiving), slight exhibitionism.  ❉Character(s): Timeskip! Bokuto Koutarou x Kuroo Tetsurō x Fem!Reader
Fucking hell.” Bokuto murmured to himself from the back seat of the sleek sports car he sat in. The white button up he had decided to wear to the job today was sprinkled with droplets of blood. It had been a messier shift than usual, and now his shirt had paid the price.
His thumb brushed over his collar bone, grumbling out an annoyed “fuck” when blood was smeared along the pad of his finger. Akaashi looked to Bokuto through the review mirror, before he turned into the private driveway with ease. “You’re usually never this messy, Bokuto-San.” “Yea well, that guy was an asshole.” The grey haired male barked out, knowing very well it wasn’t Akaashi’s fault but sometimes unable to hold back his frustrations. He hated coming home like this, despite Kuroo working along side him most of the time. He just didn’t like when YOU had to see it, the violence or the dark stuff that came with the jobs him and Kuroo had to do. Even though you were all aware and stayed with them regardless, he still didn’t like bringing it home. “Thanks for the ride Akaashi. See you tomorrow.” Bokuto spoke as he quickly opened the door. Akaashi nodded to his leader, rolling down the window to speak. “Did you need me to call someone to come pick up that suit? They’ll get all the blood out.” Bokuto waved a yes, knowing Akaashi knew him well enough for his answer without having to actually say it. The male sighed as he easily clicked open the front door. He expected to be welcomed home by at least one of his partners, but it only made his brows furrow with more irritation to be met with silence. “Hello?” He called to the open hallway, finally hearing the muffled voice of Kuroo. “One moment please— Bo, in the office love.” Bokuto was rolling up the sleeves of his dirtied shirt as he headed for the office. “Are you on the phone or something Ro? Where’s Birdy? I thought she’d be home. Today was such a shit sh—“ He paused when he finally walked into the office, his eyes meeting those of Kuroo’s which were currently lit up with devilish mischief. He was indeed on the phone, having it pressed up against his ear with shoulders as his palms...
One was pinning your arms against your back, while the other was buried between your trembling thighs. You were stuck over Kuroo’s lap, ass up and bruised and body naked. You looked to Bokuto and whimpered softly into the tie that had been stuffed between your lips, the one he assumed belonged to Kuroo. “Ah~ this is why y’all couldn’t respond.” Bokuto murmured, lowering his voice as Kuroo continued on with his business call, fingers still causing a mess between your legs. Bokuto had to chuckle, approaching slowly as to not make a sound. He took hold of your chin, slowly rose your face so you could look him in the eye. They were wide and filled with tears, another whimper muffled through fabric making Bokuto’s grin grow even bigger. He bent at the knees, thumb quick to scoop up the tear that slipped from your eye. “You look so pretty like this Birdy...~” Bokuto spoke in a whisper, his eyes darting up to Kuroo only to see that his voice didn’t disturb the call. “Daddy’s really been giving it you huh?” You nodded desperately, wanting to reach for him but only having Kuroo’s large palm grip your wrists tighter, his fingers only leaving your core to give your rear a quick swat before going back to work. Your eyes widened as your body jolted, facing lulling into Bokuto’s warm and inviting palm. Bokuto chuckled again, this time slowly pulling the tie from between your swollen lips. You gasped softly when it was removed, chest heaving as you caught your breath, whined softly at Bokuto. “P-Papa~” you pleaded, only to be shushed by Bokuto who ran his thumb over your bottom lip, knowing you’d happily suck it between your petals. “Only a little longer Buba, you’re Daddy’s good luck charm remember?” Bokuto encouraged, pressing kisses along your dampened face. It was more that Kuroo just loved teasing you while he was on business, the threat of someone hearing your pretty cries turning both you and him on. But things did seem to work in his favour whenever he had you begging and whimpering for him while on a business call. So it became a regular thing. Kuroo let out a hearty laugh into the phone, his eyes peering down at Bokuto and sending a wink his way, all the while two of his fingers pressed into your sweet spot. You bit down gently on Bokuto’s thumb, an attempt to stay quiet as possible and failing as you curled your toes in sweet delight. Bokuto’s hissed softly, biting his own lip as his own excitement seems to build within his pants. Considering his suit was already a mess from earlier, he thought a little more fun wouldn’t hurt. “Let’s keep you quiet hm Birdy? Want papa to help you?” You nodded, struggling to find proper words as Kuroo massaged that spot within your spongy walls, edging you on closer and closer to a high. Bokuto pulled his thumb from your lips with a pop and was back to standing. He eased his belt off, unzipping his slacks to easily pull his cock free of its confines. It was semi hard as he held it towards your face, watching the ways your eyes glazed with desire and your mouth lulled open submissively. “That’s it pretty girl.” He praised, easing his length between your lips. You kept your eyes glued on him as he pushed all the way into your shallowed cheeks, gagging ever so softly as his tip brushed against the back of your throat. Bokuto groaned softly, rolling his hips at a low pace so he wouldn’t make too much noise. He ran his fingers through your hair, grabbing a handful at the nape of your neck that had your eyes watering. He looked to Kuroo again to see he was blushing a bit , eyes clouded with desire as he watched Bokuto thrust into your pretty mouth. “Sounds good, what day do you think we can have this all planned?” Kuroo spoke into the phone, the pace of his fingers suddenly picking up within your clamping walls. It had you gagging around Bokuto, fists curling up tight as you sat on the very edge of pleasure. Bokuto had to lick his lips, picking up his pace just a little bit as your little moans of delight sent vibrations all the way up his spine. “Good girl, let’s both cum for daddy and give him double the luck? Can you do that for me Birdy~?” You nodded as best you could, nosing into his pelvic bone as he stuffed your mouth with his cock. Kuroo was smirking from ear to ear at that remark, and yet his voice stayed so professional over the phone. Bokuto’s grip on your hair tightened as he picked up his pace, the lewd sounds of him thrusting into your mouth almost making him moan out loud. You had such a perfect mouth, and you took him so well as he fucked into your hallowed cheeks. You could feel the way he pulsed against your tongue, drools dribbling down your chin as you let out the softest whimpers around his shaft. When your core clumped down on Kuroo’s fingers he had to take a deep breathe, his smirk grown to it usual cat like grin as his employer gave his usual bullshit ending speech. Kuroo took that has his que to press harshly against your sweet spot. Your eyes widened, body jolting as you gagged on Bokuto’s cock and finally gushed over Kuroo’s fingers. His fingers kept up that pace so you could ride out the high, the feeling of you squirming and whimpering in his lap only making it all that much more satisfying. All the while Bokuto bit back a moan, finishing quicker than usual as he watched you crumble so easily under Kuroo’s touch. He saw the way your cheeks bulged, tears finally spilling as he shot his warm load down your throat. “Thank you so much Sir for your time, I look forward to working with you.” Kuroo spoke, before he hung up the phone. As soon as the conversation was done let out a hearty laugh, his fingers finally slowly down between your throbbing walls. “I got the promotion!! It was going south so it’s a good thing Bokuto came home when he did.” “Congrats babe...” Bokuto huffed out, his cheeks still a bit red as he slowly pulled out of your mouth. He groaned softly when he pulled out with a pop, watching your naked form slump into Kuroo’s lap. Kuroo hummed, finally letting go of your pinned arms so he could massage them out instead. “C-congratulations Daddy...~” Your voice was raspy as you spoke, which made both of the boys chuckle softly. “I couldn’t have done it without you and this perfect pussy kitten~” Kuroo teased, allowing you to nuzzle yourself in his lap to calm down after the high of your orgasm. Kuroo looked up to Bokuto then, brows furrowed when he finally noticed the blood that stained Bokuto’s shirt. “Oh? A messy day huh? Why don’t we all shower together then?” “Movie night?” You questioned softly, finally rubbing away the drool that tried to dry on your chin. Kuroo held you tighter then, pressing a kiss to your hairline. Bokuto happily agreed, stripping down right there in the office. “Oh fuck yea. We’re cuddling all night long.”
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theglitterypages · 3 years
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Secret Life of Gojo Satoru 2
Part 1
Pairings: Gojo Satoru x fem! Reader
Summary: What is the worst thing that could happen if you left the twins with their father?
Word Count: 1000+
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~~~~~~~
“I'll be back soon okay? Behave with Dada, understood?” the twins just nodded their head and kissed your cheeks, when you flicked your eyes upwards you met Gojo's blue ones. “You know that I would always find out if you'll be feeding them tons of chocolate. No chocolates, or else you'll be sleeping at your room in Jujutsu High.” Gojo felt like his heart stopped beating, he knew that you're not lying, if there is anything he has learned in this marriage it is the fact that you never spat empty threats.
The first time you threatened him like this, he ignored it and still bribed the kids with sweets and when you found out, he did slept at his room in Jujutsu High, Yaga was laughing his ass off when he found out and he even mocked him of how he was the strongest jujutsu sorcerer in the community but in the house you are the ruler, Gojo didn't mind it, he loves you so dearly and your toughness made him fall for you.
Gojo has a sweet tooth, it is because he has to keep on eating sweets because of his technique and even if you have a sweet tooth as well you wouldn't want your kids to have too much sugar and you have to remind Gojo over and over again that he shouldn't give them too much sweets, they have to learn to eat nutritious food and Gojo being Gojo, he uses the sweets to bribe the kids, that's why you were forced to teach him a lesson by letting him sleep in jujutsu high, much to Yaga's amusement.
With a pale face he picked up the twins and smiled at you sweetly, “No sweets for the kids today, got it Mama.” he told you and you laughed before kissing him on his cheeks, you heard him whine about how you missed his lips but you just stuck your tongue out. “You can have all the kisses later, Satoru but if you feed them sweets you should just kiss the wall.” Gojo dramatically looked at you and shook his head, “Then just give me one kiss right now, I need motivation baby.” the twins looked at their father with disgusted faces and when you were about to lean in to kiss Gojo, Akira cupped your face and kissed you instead.
Gojo never felt so betrayed in his whole life. He was about to lean in to kiss you but Akihiro pushed his face away before leaning towards you.
“Aww babies, I love you. Come here Hiro, let Mama kiss you.” Hiro giggled and gave you a kiss and you giggled at the two, “Better luck next time, Satoru.” you winked at your husband and went out of your house and you swear you could hear Gojo's whines about the kiss that he didn't get but you just laughed it off.
---
“Dada! We're hungry!” The twins told their father as they got tired of running around the house, so far Gojo is being able to manage to take care of the two and he felt relieved that they're not throwing tantrums as of now.
He pat their heads and stood up, “Alright, Dada will cook for you two. But you guys should behave. I'll turn on the TV, watch some cartoons and let Dada do the work is that okay?” the twins nodded their head in excitement and sat at the carpet on the living room while holding their toys, before Gojo left the living room to went to the kitchen he saw the twins held each other's hand as they watch. He couldn't help but smile at the sight, he decided to silently take a picture so he could show you later.
The twins are fond of fried chicken that's why Gojo decided to fry some but as he waits for the chicken to get cooked he heard a loud crash and he ran to see what happened and he was frozen at what he saw.
“Dada! Hiro broke the vase because he threw the ball!” Gojo's jaw dropped when he saw the vase, Hiro was pouting and glaring at his sister saying that she's not suppose to say what happened. Gojo immediately picked them up and made them sat at the couch as he clean the broken pieces of the vase, after making sure that it was all taken care of he looked at the twins.
Gojo is not that strict as a parent, he believes that his children should be guided in what they do not to be controlled on what to do and if they made a mistake they should learn from their own failures. But that's not the case with three year olds.
“Hiro, look at Dada.” he sat at the front of the two and gave them a smile to reassure them that he's not mad. “That vase is not really important because we can buy another but if something happened to you or to your sister, Mama and I would be upset because you two are our most valuable treasure. You were planning to clean your mess and hide it to Dada weren't you?” Gojo asked his son.
Akihiro looked at his tiny hands and sniffed, “Sorry Dada.” he whispered and Gojo cupped his face gently to make him look up at him, “Just promise you won't keep any secrets from Dada and Mama. Also, don't fight with Akira alright? You two should protect each other do you understand?” Hiro nodded his head and looked at his sister, he hugged her and kissed her cheeks. “Sorry, Kira.” Gojo smiled and ruffled their hair before standing up.
“Don't worry about the vase, I'll be the one to explain to Mama. Watch TV and wait for me to finish cooking.” he kissed their foreheads and went back to kitchen, thank goodness the chicken didn't get burned.
----
When Gojo finished cooking, he called the twins to the kitchen and made them sat on their designated chairs before he placed down their foods. “After eating, we'll take a bath. You two smell bad.” Gojo lied and the twins glared at him. “No! You are smelly Dada! Mama said we smell good!” he laughed as he saw the twins' noses turned red in annoyance, it's a thing that the two inherited from you, the only difference is that your whole face gets red every time you're annoyed.
It was cute and he loves that the twins got that trait from you, “Kira, don't be messy.” Hiro reached for a tissue and wiped his sister's mouth while Gojo watched them with a smile plastered on his lips, he can't believe these kids are his, he's thankful that he found a woman who was strong enough to stay with him and gave him two angels, he couldn't ask for more.
“Kids, look at here. Dada will send Mama a picture.”
The twins smiled at the camera and Gojo chuckled before sending them to you with a caption. “Our 12 rounds that night are worth it babe, look at our angels.” he knows he'll receive a smack for that caption but he'll cross the bridge when he get there.
As he had said, he have to give the twins a bath and they are both excited to take a bath so it wasn't a tough job for Gojo, “Dada you stink! Shower already!” Akira pinched her nose and frowned at Gojo, Hiro laughed and also started teasing his father. “That's why Mama didn't kiss Dada he smells bad!” Hiro splashed water to Gojo and Gojo gasped.
“Young man, you want a fight?”
“Kira help!”
The twins ended up giving their father a bath, Gojo was all wet and the kids are not yet done so he told them to settle down so he could finish and take a bath on his own.
After that, Gojo took them in their room and dressed them, he put some baby powder in their back and when they were all done he took the box of toys from the top of the cabinet so the twins could play in their room. “Stay here while I shower alright? Shout for Dada if you need something.” The twins are too busy playing to give him attention that's why they just gave him a thumbs up, Gojo shook his head with a chuckle before he ran to the bathroom and turn on the shower.
----
Akihiro got bored playing his toys and he poked his sister's arm. “This is not fun, let's play other things.” Akira frowned but agreed to her brother, “What are we gonna play though?” Akihiro looked around the room and his gaze landed at the pillow, he was planning on throwing it to Akira and have a pillow fight but whe he got closer to the pillows, he saw the big bottle of baby powder, Akihiro waste no time and turn the lid befor squeezing it.
Akira's face was so white because of the powder, she wiped away the powder on her face before glaring at her brother, Hiro giggled and run away, Akira looked around to search for the other bottle of baby powder since she knew they have so many of that and when she successfully saw one she climb on the chair and reach for the baby powder placed on the table. She climbed down the chair and removed the seal before squeezing it towards her brother's direction.
The floor became slippery because of the powder, the twins are falling around the room but they didn't mind it, instead they giggled every time they fall and as they keep on going, they ran out of baby powder.
“Mine's empty now, let me get another one.” Hiro told his sister before he climbed at the same chair where his sister climbed and took two bottles of baby powder giving the other one to Kira.
Their war resumed and at the exact moment, Gojo just got out of the shower, he could hear their giggles and he was about to smile but as he sense the trouble, he immediately ran and his knees almost gave in when he saw that the whole room is covered by powder.
“DADA!”
Gojo had to drop his infinity when the twins charged themselves towards him, the next thing he knew his face was now full of powder, the twins' giggles filled his ears and Gojo decided to laugh it off. “We're all so dead.” he wiped his face and looked at his children, being a mischievous dad that he is, he wiped his hands on their faces and the twin ran away from him.
The three of them ran inside the room, slipping from time to time, when Gojo finally caught the twins he carried them and shook them as an attempt to get rid of the powders, “Wow Dada is so strong!” Akihiro giggled while Kira held onto her Dad tightly, “Enough, enough, Dada too high, too high.” Gojo put them down in front of a full length mirror and he sat in between them, “Look at our faces. You think Mama will still love us?” the twins giggled and nodded their heads.
When you got inside the house the first thing you heard were giggles, as you follow the voices you stopped on the room of the twins and when you opened it you saw Gojo and the twins trying to get rid of the evidences of their mess.
Gojo's hair has never been whiter, he's not wearing any shirt and his whole body is full of baby powder. The twins? They're worse than that to the point that you couldn't even describe their apperances in words.
“Gojo Satoru.” you called your husband, your voice stern and your stare was blank.
And at that moment, Gojo knows that he fucked up.
104 notes · View notes
drabbles-mc · 3 years
Text
Like Father, Like Son
Neron ‘Creeper’ Vargas x F!Reader
Request by Anon: Could you do a fic with someone (idc they could all be my baby daddy lol) being a boy dad. Like helping him fix his bike, temporary tattoos to look like their mini me and just being lovey and protective over their mom like their dad
Warnings: talk of pregnancy, a whole lot of family fluff
Word Count: 1.7k
A/N: I would die for soft Creeper Vargas. Me and @garbinge had a mini idea-bouncing sesh about him as a family man and I have a feeling this will not be my last fic about Dad!Creeper lmao. Hope you enjoy!
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You heard the familiar rumble of his bike as he pulled into the driveway. Smiling to yourself, you slowly made your way towards the front door. You opened it as he walked up the steps to greet you with a hand on your ever-growing stomach and a light kiss on your lips.
“How are you two ladies today?” he asked as he gently ran his hand over your stomach.
You chuckled, “We’re alright. The rest of your pack, however, is up to no good.”
He smiled, “Oh so they’re my pack now?”
Trying to contain your smirk, you nodded, “Go out back and see what they’ve been up to. You’ll definitely agree that they’re yours today.”
You listened to the sound of his heavy, booted footsteps as he made his way through the house to get to the back yard. You followed a little ways behind, and sure enough moments after you heard the deck door slide shut, you heard the sound of your husband’s laughter filling the air. By the time you made it to the door, Creeper was already crouched down, taking stock of the entire scene in front of him.
“What’s goin’ on out here, lil man?” he asked as he sat down next to his son, who was very seriously looking over all the markers that were spread out in front of him.
“We’re gonna look like you!” your son had the proudest smile on his face as he waved his marker around in the air.
You watched as Creeper took in the sight of his three kids all actually sitting and getting along together. Your son was outnumbered by his little twin sisters, and the three of them bickered constantly the way that young siblings do. But the rare moments when they all really liked each other and got along made the rest of it worth it. You subconsciously rested your hand on your stomach—truthfully neither of you knew the sex of the baby, but Creeper was certain it was another girl. He was practically willing it into existence. You were both going to be thrilled no matter what, but as you stood back and watched Creeper picking out what color to use for his son’s next ‘tattoo’ you couldn’t help but to hope that you’d have another boy running around soon to even out the ranks.
“Who came up with this idea, huh?” Creeper asked the three of them as he carefully started doodling on the back of his son’s hand with a magic marker. The twins simultaneously pointed to their brother and Creeper couldn’t help but to laugh, “I should’ve known.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard them so quiet,” you spoke up as you watched the four of them, “I thought I might’ve lost them for a minute—that’s how quiet the house was.”
“You three? Quiet?” he looked back and forth amongst them, “I don’t believe it,” he put the cap back on the marker and motioned for the girls to come closer, “Lemme see your ink, lil mamas.”
Creeper smiled as he looked at all the designs and doodles that covered his children’s arms. All things being considered, it wasn’t the messiest thing the little crew had ever gotten into. He loved everything about being a father, but moments like this really made his entire heart swell. All three of them had their arms covered in stars and smiley faces, and his son had a very scribbly skull drawn on his knee.
“I like this one,” Creeper tapped his son’s knee lightly, “You do that?” He nodded proudly and Creeper pulled him against his side, “You’ll have to give me one later.”
“Girls?” you shifted your weight from one foot to the other, “Now that Dad’s home we can take the dogs out. Still wanna go?”
They leapt up, cheering happily with all the energy that six-year-olds usually had, as they ran inside to grab their socks and shoes. You laughed as you listened to the clamor they caused. Looking back at Creeper and your son, you couldn’t help but to smile.
“You’re more than welcome to come with us,” you rested your arms on top of your new baby bump, “But I figured you two might like some boy time.”
Creeper looked up at you from the floor, “You shouldn’t be doing all that, baby. You should be resting. I’ll take are of it.”
You shook your head, “Walking is good for me, Neron. And for the baby. We’ll be fine.”
“You’re sure?”
You nodded as you walked over and placed a kiss on the top of your husband’s head, “Positive. You two have fun. I love you both.”
“Love you,” they both called after you in unison as you walked away. You smiled to yourself as you made your way through the house to catch up with your daughters, who were already being half-dragged out of the house by the dogs they managed to clip the leashes onto.
“Well,” Creeper slowly rose to his feet, holding his hands out to help his son to do the same, “Now that your tattoos are all dry, wanna help me with the bike?”
“Really?” his eyes lit up as he set his hands into his father’s.
“Yea,” he pulled him up and instantly tucked the boy against his side, “C’mon, it’s been a while since we worked on it.”
The two of them walked through the house and made their way out the front door so thye could get to the garage. Creeper stood back, allowing his son to lift and push the garage door up as high as he could before his dad had to take over and open it the rest of the way. Running in, the boy went right over to the light switch and flipped it on. Creeper chuckled as he walked in, making his way over to the large sheet that was draped over his latest project that he’d been tackling little by little with his son.
With a flourish, he removed the fabric, and his son’s eyes instantly lit up. Creeper had always been a bit of a fixer—he liked having projects to plug away at to help him unwind. The bike had been brought to the scrapyard by someone who, “Clearly doesn’t know a fucking thing about motorcycles,” according to Creeper, because there was plenty of potential left for it. The bones were still decent, it just needed a lot of TLC. Creeper called dibs on it and no one was going to fight him on it. So bringing it back to life had been his latest task.
For as much as he enjoyed his solitude a lot of the time, having your son as a built-in assistant to help him with the bike had been a great experience for the both of them. For as young as he was, he was very interested in everything that his father could tell him about the bike, the parts, and the tools used to fix it all. The two of them made a good pair, your son sifting through the tool chest to get whatever his father needed, and Creeper showing him little tricks of taking things apart and putting them back together.
“Y’know,” he cranked the wrench as his son sat next to him, watching intently, “when we’re all done with this, you can choose the color for it if you want.”
His eyes were bright, eyebrows raised in excitement, “Yea?”
He nodded, “Yea. You’ve been doing a lot of work on this—it’s only fair,” he paused for a moment, “It can be your bike, when you’re old enough.”
“Mine?” his eyes were filled with wonder as he thought about what his father had just told him.
“Yea. Just,” he chuckled, “Don’t tell your mom that I said that. It’ll be our little surprise for her.”
“Don’t tell me what?” you were leaning against the garage doorframe, a soft smile on your face as you watched the two of them working together.
Creeper turned around quickly, clearly searching your face to see how much of the conversation you’d heard, “Nothin’, mama. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
You chuckled, not convinced, “Mhm. I’m sure,” you absentmindedly ran your hands over your stomach, “Just came out to let you boys know to start wrapping up—dinner’ll be ready in ten.”
You made your way back to the house to finish getting dinner ready and you could hear your two favorite men in the world behind you as they started to clean up their project for the night. It brought a smile to your face and put a warmth in your chest as you walked inside and listened to the loud laughter of your two daughters getting into some kind of trouble in their bedroom.
When they finally made their way inside, you sent them both to wash their hands and get ready for dinner. You could see the disappointment on your son’s face at the thought of washing all of his tattoos away and you had to chuckled quietly to yourself.
“I love you,” Creeper said quietly with a soft smile as he pressed a kiss to your cheek in passing while he made his way to the kitchen sink to wash up.
“I love you too,” you smiled over at him for a second before getting plates and cups down out of the cupboard above your head.
You were getting ready to lift the stack of plates when your son came sliding into the kitchen, skidding skillfully on the hardwood floor in his socks. He lifted the plates instead, beating you to it. You tried to take them back from him, not wanting him to drop the entire stack of plates and have them break, but he insisted.
“I got it, Mom,” he reassured with a nod.
“Honey, I don’t want you to—”
“Dad said you need to rest,” he turned and started walking towards the dining room table, “I got it.”
You chuckled as you glanced over at your husband, “Between the two of you, I’m never going to get to do anything anymore, am I?”
He laughed and kissed you lightly on the lips, “Maybe not. But it’s because we love you.”
You gently cupped his cheek and ran your thumb along his cheekbone, “I love you too.”
267 notes · View notes
penaltbox · 3 years
Text
tell me what you want - jack ahcan/roman ahcan
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i really hope you guy like this!! thank you to my anon for this amazing idea. if you like it let me know! i’m really interested to see what people favorite parts are. let me know what you think!
word count: ~11k
__
You swallow hard and look over your shoulder again, feet dangling above the water over Prior Lake. You grip the edge of the dock as you mumble just loud enough for your best friend to hear you, “he’s doing it again.”
Claire’s head whips around as she practically drops her sandwich into the water, food muffling her fiery response, “I’ll rip his dick off, I swear. Just give me the word.”
You laugh at her crude phrase but she knows you’d never give her the go ahead. She knew about the ups and downs though that your relationship had been through in the short time you two had been together. Roman had a hard time adjusting to the dating life whereas you went in full force. Opposite ends of the spectrum for very opposite people. 
“We’re not beating anyone up today. Plus, I don’t think Brock would appreciate you seriously maiming someone on his property. Not the way to get a date with him, I’m guessing.”
Claire’s cheeks redden despite the slight sunburn they had and she knows she’s caught, “who said I wanted a date with Boeser? He’s gone half the year anyways.”
You smirk as you nudge her immediately, “you’re such a liar! You cry about how much you love him every time you get drunk and any time we’re here late at night you sit right by him. You two drunkenly flirt more than my boyfriend and I flirt period.”
“Yeah, well maybe if you’d dated the right Ahcan brother then we’d both be happily taken by now.”
Your jaw drops but your argument gets stuck in your throat. She gives you a look that dares you to tell her she’s wrong but you can’t. Jack was taken when you started dating Roman though so the opportunity wasn’t even there. Nowadays though… you let yourself look over at the aforementioned boy and watch as he laughs easily with Brock and a couple of their other friends. 
Your own cheeks burn hot when he glances over and catches you staring, but he only offers a smirk in return. He looks for a second longer than he probably should, but eventually turns back to his own conversation. The little uptick in his smile let’s you know he’s aware you’re embarrassed and he loved every second of it. 
“What the hell was that?” Claire asks, flicking your shoulder, “I was just kidding when I said it, but what the hell was that?”
“I… I have no clue. That’s never happened before,” you whisper, voice too stuck to say it any louder. 
You turn around again and face the lake. You needed to brush it off. He was your boyfriend’s brother and that was a serious no fly zone. Even if he was more mature and nicer than the one you called your own.
“Why are you mad now?” You ask, rubbing your hand on your face. 
You’re aware of how defensive your stance is but you really don’t care. You’re leaned back against the counters in Brock’s house, arms crossed over your chest, and staring down the boy standing across the island from you. You had no idea why he had an attitude and you really weren’t in the mood. He’d been difficult all day and you just wanted to relax. 
“Why am I mad? You’re kidding, right? You don’t pay attention at all. I’m glad you live in such a daydream while I’m out here trying to be social and explain to people why my girlfriend doesn’t even hang out with me at my own brother’s house,” he explains, or so he thinks. 
You scoff and look away from him, trying to keep your patience, “you’re mad because I didn’t follow you around like a puppy today? Is that seriously what this is about? And I’d be willing to bet no one asked you why I’m not hanging off you at every minute of the day.”
He jaw clenches as he realizes you’ve caught the embellishment in his story, “you hardly said a word to me.”
“The street goes both ways, Roman.”
He knows he has no upper hand and shakes his head, coming around island suddenly. You’re not sure what he’s going to do, but he moves toward you and opens the fridge to grab another drink. He looks like he’s about to say something as he closes the door but opts for a kiss to the side of your head before making his way to the backyard again. It was always a whirlwind with him. 
You sigh, closing your eyes and letting your head drop forward. You were pretty sure dating wasn’t supposed to be this tiring, but you didn’t really have much reference either other than a high school boyfriend who broke up with you because you were “too much smarter than him”. 
The sliding door opens again and you look up quickly, trying to pull yourself together. No one needed to know how often you and Ro fought. Jack happens to be stepping in and he gives you a soft smile, taking in your demeanor immediately. 
“You okay? You look a little upset.”
He realized it far sooner than his brother ever could and something about that makes your heart stutter for a second. You shrug though, trying to play things off. 
“Yeah, I’m okay. Maybe a little too much sun today but I’ll be alright,” you smile, watching as he makes his way to the fridge like his brother had just done. 
“Did you need another drink? Water, white claw?” He pops his head back out, noticing you didn’t have anything in hand. Of course he was nice enough to offer and think of someone other than just himself. 
“I’d love a white claw,” you nod, pushing off the counter and dropping the black cloud Roman had left over your head. Lake days were short enough and you weren’t spending any more of this one moping around because of what he’d said. 
Jack hands you a drink, grabbing his own and squeezing by you. Except there was plenty of room and he easily could have gone around the island the way he’d come from. He lets his hand brush your hip with a whispered “excuse me” as he retraces his steps towards the door. He slides it back open but looks over at you again. 
“I’m guessing my brother’s the reason you’re all holed up in here. I know he’s an ass, but try and shake it off. We all know you’re a good girl who tries hard in that relationship. Now, you coming along? We just got the fire going.”
You shiver a little at the phrase he calls you but you pray he didn’t notice it. You do note that he always seemed to have endless patience and you wonder if he took it all when he was born and left none for his younger brother. 
You smile as you sneak by him but he politely keeps his hands to himself this time. You find yourself wishing he wouldn’t though and mentally scold yourself. The bonfire is double what it had been and you stop two steps out onto the deck. 
Jack’s hand finds the small of your back as he leans down near your ear, “come on, if he’s a dick then you can just hang out with me.”
You look at him skeptically, not sure why he wanted to hang out with you so much suddenly, so the bold part of you questions it, “are you sure? I don’t want you to have to worry about me all night.” 
He smiles and holds up his pinky, “yes, I’ll even pinky promise. Just shoot me a look and you’re all mine for the rest of the night.”
“Okay, I can do that. Thanks, Jack,” you smile back at him finally and head towards the bonfire, spotting your boyfriend. 
He has a slightly sour look on his face as he stares at the fire from where he’s standing. His words from earlier bounce in your head so you make your way over, wrapping your arm around his waist and taking the spot next to him. 
“Sorry for blowing up in there,” he mumbles, wrapping an arm tight around your shoulders. 
You lean your head against him and stare at the fire, knowing it wouldn’t be the last time, “it’s okay.”
But was it? You find yourself thinking it over, tossing the words he'd said and the past fights he’d picked around until it all jumbled together. He shifts after a couple minutes and you’re brought back to reality, only to find yourself locking eyes across the flames with Jack. 
He raises his eyebrows, a question for you, but you give him a soft smile in return. You were good… for now. It doesn’t stop him from constantly glancing over and checking in the rest of the night though. You were glad someone was at least. 
You luckily never needed that pinky promise rescue from Jack and Roman seemed to mellow out after that for a couple weeks. 
It was deep in the heart of summer now and the days were as long as you could possibly stretch them. Your tan was darker, your hair lighter, and you didn’t want anything dragging you down. Going to the bar for the night seemed like a great idea so you’d agreed easily. 
Getting ready was easy. Meeting Roman at his house and talking with his mom for so long that you were almost late getting to Brock and Jack’s place to all leave at the same time was easy. It all seemed like the night would go by easily and you’d have plenty of fun. 
You just didn’t expect to have such an easy and fun night with the person you ended up with. 
You’re glad you didn’t have to drive and you take a deep breath before the group of you enter the bar. Roman had seemed to shift into party mode in the car and you know that means he’ll be out all night. You see an opportunity right before you though. 
“Jack!” You call him, watching as he turns around with a smile. 
“Yes?”
You try to bite back your smile as you hold your hand out in front of you, pinky first. He laughs and wraps his finger around yours, turning and pulling you along the sidewalk behind him. You giggle a little and fall into step next to him, letting go first. 
“Yeah, I got you. Just give me the look,” he reminds you, reaching forward and holding the door open, “ladies first.”
“Thank you,” you say, blushing a bit for reasons you’re completely unaware of as you duck into the bar. 
It’s not a bad night by any means. Everyone is in a good mood and getting along, but you manage to get tired quickly. Your stomach rumbling is the final straw and you turn to your boyfriend, lacing your fingers in his to get his attention. 
“Yeah, baby?” He asks, leaning closer so he can hear whatever you’re about to say. 
“I’m hungry. Can we leave?” You pout a little, hoping it’ll win him over easily. 
He groans, giving you a glimpse at the attitude he’d dropped the last couple weeks, “I really wasn’t ready yet. We haven’t been here that long.”
“They don’t have food though…”
“So why didn’t you eat before we left then? You knew we were going out tonight,” he says, looking at you like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 
You’re about to plead your case again when you look across the group and catch Jack’s attention. The lightbulb seems to go off then and your eyes go wide. You nod slightly towards his brother and he moves quickly, heading your way. 
“Never mind, I’ll make Jack take me.”
Roman laughs but it’s cut short when his brother steps in front of him, giving a quick punch to his shoulder. 
“You two behaving over here?” Jack asks, having no clue what you’d just said to Roman. 
“I’m hungry,” you blurt out, “and someone isn’t ready to leave.” 
“I can take you. I’m not really feeling it tonight anyways,” Jack shrugs, looking to his younger brother for permission. 
Roman’s eyebrows furrow a bit but sending you with someone he trusted probably wasn’t the worst idea, “yeah whatever. We’re staying at your place tonight anyways so we’ll end up in the same spot.”
“Have fun, okay?” You turn Roman towards you, leaning up to kiss him quickly. 
Jack looks away as you do, not wanting to see it for some reason that night. He finishes the last sip of his water you had no clue he had and sets the cup on the high top table next to him. Roman hands you off to his brother but not before giving you a quick slap on the ass. 
“Not in public,” Jack corrects him, pushing Roman square in the chest gently. 
The younger boy lets out a laugh and swats his brother’s hand away, “she doesn’t mind it.”
You bite your tongue over how wrong he is and push Jack’s arm until he starts moving towards the door, looking back at Roman as you do, “I’ll see you later. Try and behave please.”
He throws a wink your way and let’s you go without even thinking twice. You’re glad you thought to make that deal with Jack before walking in and you’re equally thankful that he could tell you needed help when you did. 
“Where to? What are you hungry for?” He asks, grabbing his keys from his pocket, but opening your door for you. 
You’re happily surprised by his action but you slip into the front seat regardless. He makes his way around and takes the driver's seat, giving you an expectant look. 
“I have no clue, Jack. Just pick somewhere,” you giggle, buckling up and settling into the seat. 
“Taco Bell it is,” he smiles as he puts the car into drive. 
You gasp a little, excited that he picked there of all places. You take advantage of being the front passenger and lean forward, turning the radio on to a low volume. The music floats through the space and makes you feel more calm than you have been in a while. 
You glance over at Jack, “can we all go skating this summer? I know it’s a weird time to go but I haven’t skated with you guys since we were kids.”
Jack smiles over at you, his heart thumping from the innocent question, “yeah of course we can. Brock has some extra ice time at one of the rinks by my parent’s place.”
You sit back, happy and a little buzzed, feeling on top of the world. Jack drives smoothly and you try not to watch his arm flex as he turns the wheel with one hand. 
The night is almost too easy after you leave the bar. Jack doesn’t force conversation and you’re surprisingly happy to just hang out with him whether you’re talking or not. He refuses to let you pay for your food and when he parks the car, the two of you end up talking for hours after. 
You both end up having to sneak back into Brock’s house, but luckily for you Roman never wakes up when you slip into bed that night. 
You kick yourself the next morning, wondering why you were wide awake at 8am. You’d only gotten five hours of sleep, if you were lucky, but somehow your body decided that was enough. You sigh and slip out from under the covers, tossing your hair in a bun before heading for the kitchen. You were well versed in where Brock kept the coffee. 
You quietly make your way to the kitchen but you’re greeted with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and your boyfriend's brother in nothing but shorts and a sleepy smile. You suck in a breath and offer a smile back, heading right for the coffee pot he was standing near. 
“Good morning,” Jack mumbles, his voice sounding as sleepy as he looked. He runs a hand through his hair quickly but it does him no good. 
You laugh quietly, pulling a mug out of the cupboard and filling it up, “morning, sleepy head. You sure you’re ready to be up?”
He lets out a little giggle that makes you turn and look at him. It was so unguarded and cute that you don’t even stop yourself from trying to block it out of your memory. You want to remember that one. 
“I’m not sure why I’m up so early but if I am then coffee and dock fishing it is.”
You nod, not the least bit surprised at his plans, but you can appreciate the simplicity of them in the early morning hours. The fridge holds the coffee creamer you loved and you wonder if Brock even realized it when he bought it now or if it was just habit. Regardless you put some in your cup, knowing Jack was watching your every move. 
“Jack,” you say suddenly, a little smirk dancing across your lips as he looks at you with raised eyebrows, “I’ve been meaning to ask you this. I heard Roman used to always beat you in skating races. Is that true?”
He’s just about to take a sip from his mug when you ask but he hesitates, shooting you a wicked grin, “he’s a liar. He didn’t always beat me.”
“Oh, not always?” You tease, not sure where the tone even comes from, but you like it. 
He matches the energy easily though, quipping back, “I’m older though so I’m better… at everything.”
Your brain blanks for a second but the way he looks at you pulls a thousand thoughts forward at once. You blush instantly, turning your attention to your coffee mug that suddenly had the most interesting design on it. 
“Can dish it but can’t take it, huh? I see how it goes,” he nods, finishing his drink before you’d even taken a sip of yours. His comment strikes the competitive side in you quickly. 
“Oh I can take it,” you say, blushing all over again as you hear the phrase come tumbling out of your mouth, “Uhm, I mean… just stop giving me that look! You know what I meant!” 
He shrugs, trying to bite back the smile that was on his face, “hey, you started this. I just came through to finish it.”
Your jaw drops a little, ready to argue, but you’re not in time. He rinses his mug and sets it to the side. He keeps his eye on you as he heads for the back door, giving you one last big smirk before leaving you alone to watch him through the window as he heads for the dock. 
You realize it sounds like a stupid scene out of a movie. You’re standing there, sipping coffee, watching a cute boy through the window, and having thoughts that you probably shouldn’t about him. A creak on the stairs brings you back to earth as your boyfriend’s arms wrap around you. 
“Hi, beautiful. How’s your morning?” 
You couldn’t lie and say you’d been on your game since that morning in the kitchen with Jack. He’d shook you up somehow after that but what was worse is that he seemed to be keeping to himself any time you were around. You couldn’t help but wonder if you’d done something wrong but Roman was making up for it at least. 
A knock on your apartment door gets your attention a week after the “kitchen talk” as you’d dubbed it to your friends. Claire had all but lost her mind over the story and you had to reel her back in, begging her not to say a word to Brock. 
Opening the door gives you a happy surprise when you find Roman on the other side with flowers and a coffee. You can’t help but smile at him and lean in to kiss him quickly. 
“What’s all this for?” You ask, taking both things and heading for your kitchen. 
He follows along, looking incredibly proud of himself, “you just have seemed off so I was hoping it might boost your mood a little.”
It’s a sweet gesture and you’re thankful that he still notices how you’re feeling even though the two of you had some bumps along the way lately. You set everything down without even bothering to grab a vase, opting to turn around and give him a big hug, wrapping your arms right around his neck. 
He squeezes back, rubbing a hand up and down your back. You let out a deep breath you didn’t know you were holding and lay your head on his shoulder. 
“I did need this. Thank you,” you say quietly as he sways the two of you back and forth. 
He kisses your shoulder and keeps you close, “how was food with my brother the other night? I thought I heard you two in the kitchen the next morning.”
You’re glad you aren’t looking at him because your eyes go wide at what he must have heard, “oh, it was good. We got Taco Bell so I was pretty happy after that. He was up in the morning though, yeah.”
“I’m glad you two get along. I know he’s still figuring out how to be single again so sorry if he’s been bugging you lately. I don’t blame him for wanting to hang with you.”
You press your forehead against his shoulder, rethinking a lot of the time you’d spent with Jack lately. He was just trying to replace the whole his ex left. He had no real interest in you and you needed to remember that. 
“He’s a cool guy. I don’t mind having him around,” you pull back, giving Roman a smile to let him know things were all good. 
“Why don’t we just hang out here today? My plans are clear for you today,” he suggests, leaning down to kiss you. 
You agree, knowing it was probably best to spend some time with your own boyfriend rather than his brother for once. 
“Oh, we’re going ice skating tomorrow night by the way. Jack said you suggested it or something.”
You freeze, realizing that you had indeed asked. You just hadn’t expected him to remember or deliver on that promise. And just like that, you know you’ll have to play it cool again around him. 
You had less than 24 hours to mentally prepare yourself to skate with the guys. You knew you couldn’t ignore Jack, and you really had no reason to, but you were nervous about seeing him again for some reason. You had been so distracted in fact that while you were cutting up chicken for your lunch earlier in the day you’d cut your finger bad enough to need a pretty decent sized bandaid right on your pointer finger. 
You realize what a pain in the ass that is as you’re sitting on the bench at the rink, trying to lace up your skates and struggling with it. Roman had slipped his skates on quickly and you usually had no problem doing the same. Your finger hurt though and the bandaid kept getting caught up with the laces, causing your patience to start wearing thin. You’re ready to give up on it all when a familiar body sits next to you and pats your knee. 
“Put it on my leg,” he says, seeing the struggle you were going through. 
You look over at him and duck your head out of embarrassment, “I can tie my own skates. I’m just having some trouble.”
Jack laughs a little, grabbing your pant leg and pulling your leg over his thigh, “I know you can tie your own skates but it’s okay to ask for help every now and then too.”
You can’t even argue with that, opting to watch his hands quickly work your laces into place. You bite your lip, trying to pull your mind out of the gutter, but it doesn’t work very well. He finishes one skate and has the second one done sooner than you’d have liked it. 
“You ready to get out there? I haven’t seen you skate in years,” he smiles as he stands, grabbing his gloves and stick from the bench. 
“I’ve still got it,” you smile, picking up your own equipment and following him out onto the clean ice. 
Not two strides out there and Roman stops hard in front of you, hitting you with enough of a snow shower to coat part of your pants. You look up, ready to smack him, but his brother beats you to it. 
“Are you five years old again?” Jack reprimands, “give the girl a second to get her feet beneath her before you start acting like a jerk.”
You can’t help but laugh, covering your mouth and looking away. You’d never heard Jack talk to him like that and even Roman has a shocked look on his face. 
“Don't agree with him!” Roman pouts at you, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and giving you a fake headlock. 
You giggle, pushing him off and jokingly hiding behind Jack, “no way! At this rate you’re going to end up checking me into the end boards.”
Roman shakes his head as Jack lets out the same laugh you’d heard in the kitchen that may or may not be on a small loop in your head some days. You peak around Jack, knowing Roman wouldn’t do anything. You’re met with his smirk and his next words make your heart skip a little. 
“Yeah, yeah, I know you like Jack better than me so you’re just using him as your defense. Don’t be mad if I score on you guys later though,” he shrugs and turns to skate off. 
Jack turns to look at you and you just know your face tells the little scare you’d just had. He gives you a matching look and shakes his head a little. 
“He’s just kidding. We’re good,” he tries to reassure you but it does the complete opposite. 
He skates off then and you’re left standing at the blue line wondering what the hell he meant when he said you two were good. Good about what? You two hadn’t done anything wrong technically. You take a deep breath and start to skate, knowing you had to play it off. Things were fine. 
“My team sucked, it’s not my fault!” Roman complains as he tosses his stuff in the trunk of Brock’s car. 
You put your own stuff in after, reaching for his hand when yours are free, “it’s okay, Ro, we can’t all be winners.”
He turns and meets your grin with a tiny one of his own, “oh you’re all full of trouble today aren’t you?” 
You nod and lean up to kiss him quickly. The little skate had turned into a competitive pick up game that had you all exhausted afterwards. Brock invited everyone over after and you jumped on the opportunity. 
“You love it when I’m like this,” you mumble, leaning against him. 
“Hey, don’t be gross in the parking lot,” Brock calls, “get in the car, kids.”
You blush at getting caught and climb in the backseat quickly. Jack turns around from the front seat and gives you a look you can’t quite place, but it makes you squirm a little. Roman is quick to put a hand over on your thigh once he gets in and you lace your fingers with his to try and ground yourself again. 
The ride back feels like a blur but you suddenly remember what you’d packed in your bag. You tap the back of Roman’s hand and wait for him to turn his attention to you. 
“Can we do a face mask when we get back?” You ask, knowing he probably won’t but it was worth a shot. 
He makes a face, “do I have to? They feel weird.”
You’d maybe scarred him last time when you’d used a not so great charcoal mask and it had stuck to the end of his eyebrow pretty bad. You get his hesitation on it. 
“It’s a different kind this time! It won’t hurt.”
He curls his lip up a little, still not believing you. You’re about to plead your case one more time when Jack turns around. 
“I’ll do it.”
“Oh thank god,” Roman sighs, giving you a bashful smile. 
“Deal. I just don’t want to do it alone,” you smile at him, thinking it would be just fine. 
And it is. Until Brock suggests a late night fishing venture and Roman jumps all over it. Jack is two seconds from agreeing when you stop in your tracks halfway up the front steps, realizing they’d be leaving you instead of joining your impromptu spa night. 
“You guys are fishing?” You ask quietly. 
They all turn towards you and the three of them deflate when they see how sad you look. Immediately they all start talking at once, apologizing, suggesting that you do it a different night, and more that you can’t even make out as they all try and talk at once. 
“I’ll stay,” Jack says, his phrase breaking through the most. Brock and Roman stop and look over at him. 
“Are you sure, dude? We can just hang back tomorrow night and do that,” Roman reasons with him, knowing he loved fishing more than anything. 
Jack nods, seeming sure of his decision, “yeah that’s okay. I said I would so I’ll stay back and do it.”
You can’t help but smile at the fact he’s willing to keep up his end of the deal. Brock turns and keeps heading into the house, still keeping his plan of fishing. Jack follows as well, but Roman holds back. He comes back down two steps until he’s even with you. 
“You sure you want to stay here with Jack and do that? I can do it tomorrow if you want to wait,” he offers, his hand grabbing your waist. His expression is soft, letting you know he actually would if you wanted to the next day but you’re just in the mood for it. 
“I’d rather do it tonight, if you don’t mind. Especially after getting all sweaty from skating,” you shrug a little, hoping he’s okay with it. 
He nods and kisses your forehead, “if it makes you happy then go for it. If he complains that he didn’t get to fish enough once summer is over though we’re blaming you.”
You laugh, knowing Jack would end up saying that even if he went every single day. You’d accept that blame for one night of staying in and decompressing. 
With that, Roman heads into the house, making his way to Brock’s side as a small cooler gets packed for the two of them. You toss a couple waters in when they’re not paying attention, knowing they’ll want them eventually. 
A quick kiss and a ‘be careful’ leaves you alone with Jack one more time. The kitchen was quickly becoming the spot you two had the most alone time and something about that feels too homey. 
“You ready for this?” You ask, turning and looking at him. 
He smiles and nods, “ready as I’ll ever be. I haven’t done one before.”
“Oh even better then! Come on.”
You make your way up the stairs, Jack following closely behind you and grabbing your bathroom bag from the spare room. Like a puppy, he follows you through the rooms and halls, leaning against the door frame when you finally put your stuff on the bathroom counter. He watches carefully as you pull out the masks, eyeing it up. 
“Do you want to watch me do it first?” You meet his eyes through the mirror, suddenly very aware at how closely he was watching your every move. 
He nods, taking a couple steps closer and looking over your shoulder as you open the container up. He frowns when he sees the color of it, making you laugh right away. 
“Don’t make that face already. You haven’t even felt it,” you gently elbow his side and he moves out of the way, standing behind you instead. 
You look up and catch his smile in the mirror. He looks too cute as he stands closer than you thought and you feel yourself blush suddenly. You pull some of the face mask from the jar and apply it evenly on your own face. You finish it in no time and Jack makes an unsure noise behind you. 
“What if I mess it up?” He asks, his face pinched with confusion, “you were so fast with it.”
You laugh and turn around towards him, “it’s not hard. You just have to get it even.”
“I don’t think I can do it.”
“Do you want me to do it for you?”
He nods quickly and you shake your head. Maybe he and his brother weren’t so different. You motion towards the toilet, knowing it would be easier to apply if he sat. 
“Okay, no fidgeting,” you tell him quietly, pulling the jar over with you and putting some on your fingers. 
He gives you a nervous look as you step between his legs to put it on him. He blinks hard and starts leaning back immediately, making you start to laugh. You move quickly, putting some across his cheek, but it doesn’t go as planned. He jerks back, yelling about it being cold, and you reach for him immediately. 
“Why is it cold?” He bellows, only stopping after you’d smeared some of the mask in his hair. 
“Jack, don’t! Just sit still! Now you got it in your hair.”
“Get it out! No wonder Roman didn’t want to do this,” he whines. 
You put your clean hand on the back of his neck and pull him back closer, “just trust me okay. It won’t hurt you.”
He takes a deep breath and looks up at you, leaning forward. You leave your hand on the back of his neck just in case he decides to flinch again. He seems to relax after a second as he lets his eyes close. He seems to subconsciously lean back into your hand, but not to pull away. You realize you’re standing much closer than you’d expected to and you’re suddenly grateful that you’re in an empty house together. 
“You’re all set,” you whisper, “well except the stuff in your hair.”
“Will you get it out?” He mumbles, eyes fluttering open as he looks up at you. 
Your breath catches in your throat, a nod the only answer you can give him. You step away to grab a washcloth and find yourself looking back at him right away. His eyes follow your moves again, but the silence is comfortable. You wet the cloth, making sure the water was warm, and step back over to him. 
“Why does it feel tight?” He asks, frowning a little. 
“Don't frown. You’ll make it crack,” you put a finger under his chin and tip his face up towards you. 
You start to wipe the spot near his temple that had gotten the mask on it and it cleans off easily. You almost step away from him but you hesitate for some reason and turn your attention to him then. He’s staring back and it makes your stomach flip a couple times. 
“Jack…” you whisper, the air starting to feel heavy. You couldn’t do this. You knew your feelings were fading fast for his brother but you couldn’t just jump over the way you wished you could. 
“I know.” 
It’s the only explanation he offers but it sets your mood at ease. He gives you a tiny smile and pushes you back a step, hands on your hips, and stands up. 
“Now how long does this stay on? It feels like cement,” he jokes, turning to face the mirror. He leans in and starts poking at his face, earning a smack on the shoulder from you. 
“Don’t pick at it.”
He turns and looks at the shoulder you’d just hit and then at you, “my goodness, you’re bossy today.”
He smiles immediately, ruining the mask and reaching up to scratch his cheek right away. You roll your eyes playfully, handing him the rag you’d already wet. 
“You can take it off, you big cry baby,” you tease, watching him start to clean his face. 
He gets it mostly cleaned and starts to rinse his hands off but he suddenly smirks at you as he catches your eye in the mirror. You frown for a second, confused about his sudden demeanor change. He turns suddenly and throws half a handful of water at you, splashing you right on the front of your shirt. 
You let out a surprised shriek, jumping from the shock. He starts to laugh hard and you realize he’s distracted enough for you to step in and throw water at him. It hits him and he realizes what you’ve done, reaching to do the same again but you grab his wrist and try to pull him back. 
“Don’t you dare!” You laugh, trying to push him away from the water. 
He’s bigger and stronger though so he uses his other hand to reach around you on the opposite side, this time only flinging a little up towards your face. You squeal and try to duck away but quickly realize he’s got you backed against his chest and you’re stuck. You’re both laughing so hard you can barely stand and when you look at him in the mirror you realize what the two of you were doing. 
You slowly loosen your grip around his wrist and clear your throat, “truce, okay? I need to clean my face off.”
He sees your mood shift and steps back with a nod, “I’m, uh, I’ll be downstairs if you want to hang out. It’s getting kind of late though so I might head to bed soon.”
“Okay,” you say quietly, letting his wrist go when he steps back.
You watch him hang his head as he leaves the bathroom and you grip the counter. You were being irresponsible around him and you couldn’t risk getting caught by Roman. You have to check yourself before you got yourself in trouble. 
You clean up in the bathroom, wiping the counter off from all the water you’d flung around and heading back to the room you’d share with Roman that night. You’re up all the way until he comes back, smiling when he crawls in next to you. He immediately curls up around you and you have to swallow hard. 
He wasn’t always a bad boyfriend and you’d been friends for a long time before you dated. You may not see eye to eye every day but you didn’t want to hurt him ever. Especially not when it was his brother who was involved. 
“Are you sure you want to go over to their place tonight?” You tease Roman as he lays on you, head resting on your stomach as you play with his hair. 
You hadn’t been back to Jack and Brock’s in two weeks and summer was quickly drawing to a close. You only had about a month left and it felt like you’d blinked and time disappeared. You wanted to go, but you were hesitant too. Especially after last time you’d been there. 
“Yes, my brother gave me shit for being holed up with you for the last couple weeks. He said I need to share,” he laughs, likely not thinking twice about the comment Jack had made. 
You nod to yourself, glad he wasn’t looking at you, “I’m okay with going if you want.”
He leans up then and gives you the same trouble maker smirk that made you fall for him in the first place, “you just want to see Brock’s dogs, huh?”
You laugh,your heart having skipped for a second at who he was going to say, “of course I do. They’re the cutest boys I know.”
He shakes his head and you hope he can’t tell how quickly you’d almost panicked over the possibility of him bringing his brother up again. He leans up and kisses you, surprising you with how gentle it was. He usually wasn’t much for romantics in the middle of the day but apparently this was an exception. 
“Let me grab a different shirt and we can go,” he kisses your cheek quickly and pushes himself off the bed. 
You’re almost mad at yourself for how quickly your brain gets scrambled at the thought of Jack. You get up and head to the bathroom to fix your hair while simultaneously hyping yourself up for the night ahead. 
You find yourself 3 drinks deep some odd hours later when a chill runs through your body. You shiver immediately, despite being in front of a bonfire, and the cold seeps in through the long sleeve shirt you’d worn. You didn’t think it was supposed to get cold but apparently the weather had other ideas. Go figure in Minnesota. 
“Ro?” You ask, gently grabbing his forearm to interrupt his conversation with Jack. 
“Hmm?”
“I’m cold and I forgot a coat,” you frown, crossing your arms and rubbing them for emphasis. 
He shrugs slowly, nodding his head towards the fire, “I don’t know what to tell you. Stand closer I guess.”
“You ass,” Jack smacks his shoulder, “You better be nicer or I’ll tell mom. Come on, we can go get you one.”
Roman scoffs, “you better not! It’s not even that cold out.”
You hesitantly start to follow Jack as he makes his way towards the house, shaking his head as he goes. He was obviously annoyed with Roman, that much you could tell. You weren’t sure if it was your best idea to go in alone with him after last time but you figured this was a tight timeline kind of situation. 
Jack is surprisingly quiet the entire way up to his room, but he opens the closet and steps in, motioning at the hangers, “whatever one you like. Most of them are from St. Cloud though.”
You smile and start to look through the row of sweatshirts, well aware his eyes were on you. You can feel the blush that starts to dust your cheeks and you can’t help but glance over at him. He smiles as soon as you do and finally looks away. 
“Do you have a preference on it? I don’t want to take one you really love.”
“No preference. I know how to get it back if I need to,” he smirks, making you take a deep breath and turn back to the fabric that was still in your hand. 
You tug the sleeve farther to get a view and realize it’s one from Providence this year. Something about it with his number on the chest stands out and you pull it out. 
“This is okay?”
“I think it’ll look great on you.”
You slip the black sweatshirt over your head and you’re immediately washed over with warmth. You dig your hands into the front pouch and smile at Jack, knowing it was probably two sizes too big on you. He can’t help but smile softly at you in his clothes. He had to look away to remember you still very much weren’t his. 
“Don't let Roman give you shit for it either. I’m still telling our mom what he said to you,” he elbows your gently as he walks by. He knows not to spend too much time there with you. He knew better but he was only human. 
You snort, “she’s gonna rip him a new one. She always does when he’s mean to me.”
“We all like you a lot,” he looks back at you, his words saying more than he initially spoke, but you hear it loud and clear. 
You nod, reaching forward silently right before he hits the top of the stairs. He glances down and sees, extending his hand and grabbing yours. He squeezes tight and makes his way down to the first floor. As he hits the last stairs he lets your hand go and you ball your hand into a fist instantly. It was over sooner than you wanted it to be. 
He opens the door for you as always and follows an extra half step behind you. You find Roman quickly and he looks guilty for a moment before he sees what you’re wearing. 
“I’m sorry about before. I’m definitely going to start bringing a sweatshirt though wherever we go. You don’t look good in his number,” he scowls, but reaches for your hand. 
You take his but quickly find yourself comparing it to the boy who’d just held it inside. You kick yourself and tuck in closer to Roman’s side. You couldn’t keep playing these games. You had to make your mind up soon. 
The bonfire was fun, both you and Roman ending up in a game of beer pong later that had you drinking more than you’d planned, so bed was a welcome sight the night before. You’d pulled your clothes off and stole the shirt he kept tucked in a drawer in the spare room you always stayed in, not thinking about it at all. 
You wake up far too early, as always, the next morning and immediately crave a cup of coffee. You were already thinking about taking the dogs down to the dock with you to enjoy it and you happily head downstairs, not even considering the fact you had no pants on. 
The sight you find in the kitchen makes you freeze, almost running right back up the stairs, but he looks up at you just in time. His eyes widen a little but respectfully looks up at you. You can’t even force a word from your mouth before he’s sliding a cup of coffee onto the island. 
“I made coffee. Here,” he smiles softly, watching as you make your way closer to him. 
You peak over the rim of the mug and see the color of it. A little creamer just the way you liked it. You give him a soft smile immediately. No one but your mom ever knew how you liked your coffee. Sure, Roman knew your Starbucks order, but the way you took it at home in the quiet morning hours meant way more to you than one store bought version ever would. 
“Thank you. I really appreciate it,” you pick up the warm mug and take a sip. It was perfect, possibly even better than when you did it, and you let out a sigh right after. 
Jack can’t help but watch. You look so content and happy, even with your hair a mess and a smudge of mascara under your eye from the night before. He wasn’t sure when he became so interested in you’d but it had hit him like a tidal wave the night before. Apparently seeing you in his clothes really got him thinking. He squints a little at the shirt you’re wearing and smirks when he realizes what one it is. 
You hardly notice, too lost in how good your coffee is, so you hop up onto the counter next to where he’s standing and squeeze his face gently, his smirk turning to pursed lips with the tiniest smile on them. 
“This coffee is amazing. Thank you,” you smile at him, finally a little taller than him for once. 
“You already said that,” he laughs, pulling back from your hand and stepping in front of you. 
You don’t know why you do it but you let him step between your legs, making room for him to get closer. He sets his own mug on the counter before taking yours from you and placing it next to his. You’re silently thankful because the last thing you needed was to drop hot coffee on the two of you. 
His hands come to rest on each side of your thighs, his right hand rotating in until his fingers are gently dancing up and down your bare skin. Goosebumps break out immediately and you bite your lip to stay quiet. 
“You know whose shirt that is right?” He asks, his voice so low you can barely hear him even with how close you two are. 
His hand stops as his thumb rubs deeper circles into your skin and you have to grab his shoulders for support. The air is so charged you feel like you could snap with one wrong movement. 
“It’s Roman’s,” you whisper, wondering why he was asking. 
He shakes his head just the slightest bit, “no, we both played for Cedar Rapids. That’s mine.”
You frown, not believing him. How would he know it’s his when there was no way to tell? He can tell you’re unsure so he makes the move on his own accord. His slips his hand from the spot it had been massaging on your thigh up your side and under your shirt. 
“Jack,” you gasp, hands quickly moving to squeeze his biceps. 
He lets out a low chuckle and grabs the tag inside the shirt. He flips the shirt up, exposing half your side and tugs the tag out to see. There, in black sharpie ink, is a little J. You stare at it hard, suddenly feeling like you’d done something very wrong. Technically you had been for the past month or so when you started letting him in your thoughts so much but now it was heavier, more real. 
“We can’t…” you mumble, looking at him again. 
His hand lets go of the tag and settles back on your bare side under the shirt, “I know, but answer this truthfully. Do you really like him? Does he treat you the way you want to be treated?”
“We’ve grown up together. I know him so well. I know your family so well. He and I were just easy to start.”
“That doesn’t answer my question. Do you really like him? Because I know you’ve only been together three months but has it been worth it?”
The way he’s looking at you makes you feel oddly calm. You know no matter what you tell him he’ll respect your decision. He won’t ever push farther than you’re comfortable. You take a deep breath and answer him the right way. 
“I think I liked the excitement of having him at first, but I don’t think he and I are right for each other,” you admit, pulling your hands from him and tangling them on your lap. 
Jack nods, pulling his hands back and gripping the counter, “it’s up to you then what happens next. I’ll never be mad at you either way so don’t worry about me. Do what you have to.”
“Thank you,” you say for the thousandth time that morning, but you really did mean it. 
He leans forward and kisses your forehead, all the air seemingly leaving your lungs at once. It’s so gentle you barely feel it but it burns your skin at the same time. A good burn, you decide. You cup his cheek when he pulls back, running your thumb gently across his skin. 
“Are you hanging out here today? I think we’re having another bonfire,” he leans into your hand, the soft smile on his face seemingly permanent. 
You shake your head, “your brother comes first tonight. He wanted a movie night.”
The words seem to shock Jack for some reason and he stands up fully, taking a step back, “I gotcha. Hopefully you come back around soon then.”
You slide off the counter, shorter than him all over again, and reach for your coffee mug, “I’m going to refill this and take Coolie down to the dock with me.”
You glance towards the living room and see the pup lift his head from the plush bed he was laying on. Jack looks over too and laughs a little. 
“We know who the favorites are here, huh?” He calls the dog who quickly scurries over. 
You refill your cup while he pets Coolie, smiling when you glance over at them. You’re struck with an odd sense of comfort from it and you give yourself an extra moment to watch. You don’t hesitate too long though, tossing a goodbye over your shoulder and leaving Jack in the one place that always led to trouble between you two. 
Jack hardly has a moment to breathe before Roman comes pounding down the stairs, a grin on his face. He didn’t hear a thing luckily, Jack can tell that much. Roman looks out the window above the sink, seeing you heading across the yard. He smiles a little and turns to Jack. 
“Did you ever think we’d end up together?” He asks, genuinely wanting his brother’s input. 
Jack winces, shrugging a little, “not really. We’ve all known each other so long and you two are so opposite. 
Roman nods, looking back out at you again, “yeah that’s fair. I feel like she’s been off the last couple months though.”
“She seems fine to me,” Jack defends you, crossing his arms across his chest. 
“I’m sure you’d know all about that. You’ve been hanging off her side all summer. Listen, I know you haven’t been single in a while but you don’t have to hang out with my girlfriend all the time.”
“Maybe if you treated her better she’d hang out with you more than me,” Jack argues back, kicking himself as soon as the words slip out. 
Roman’s jaw tenses for a moment, “you don’t know anything about how I treat her or our relationship.”
“I know a hell of a lot more than you think.”
He’s surprisingly calm as he says it, so much so that Roman even hesitates to think about it. Jack had been the one in a long term relationship and Roman usually talked to girls for a bit and moved on. He files that away for a different time to ask you how you felt about it. 
“I don’t want to sound like a dick,” Jack mumbles, “I hope that doesn’t come across wrong. You know you're my brother and I’d do anything for you.”
Roman nods, knowing he’d only said it with everyone’s best interest in mind, “no, you’re right I think. As much as I hate to admit that.”
Jack smiles at him finally and pushes his shoulder. Roman shrugs it off but knows what he needs to do before your movie night later that day. 
You should feel cozy. You’ve got comfy clothes on, you’re under a blanket on your own couch, and there’s a movie queued up and ready to play. Except Roman can’t seem to sit down and he’s all keyed up. You feel the emotions rolling off him and finally you snap. 
“Would you sit down? Or at least tell me what’s got you all worked up?” You sit forward, reaching for his hand. 
He looks over at you, seeming shy suddenly, “do you think I treat you okay?”
“Uhm,” you stutter, instantly taken off guard by his question. You think for a moment, trying to get your thoughts in order before you follow up, “what makes you think you don’t?”
“I was just thinking about it earlier today. You’d call me out on it if I wasn’t, right?” 
You nod slowly, “I mean I think so? It’s kind of an awkward thing to bring up to someone but I’d let you know.”
“Okay, good. You deserve to be happy so I want you to be treated well.”
You smile, feeling a little at ease when he finally sits down next to you. You settle into his side for the movie but your brain is spinning in overdrive. You’d heard murmurs from Jack when Roman does something to you that he doesn’t fully agree with. He wouldn’t have said anything though, would he? A week ago you would have said no way, but after the kitchen incident that morning… you weren’t sure of anything now other than the way your heart had flipped from Jack’s touch. 
The movie night ran so long that you and Roman ended up sleeping on the couch. The only reason you get up that morning rather than staying nestled in his arms is the fact you need a bathroom break immediately after waking. You’re careful to untangle from him and before you go back, you start a pot of coffee. It was better when you woke up to someone having it ready for you, but you were independent. You could do this. 
You end up staring at the pot as it brews, jumping when Roman comes behind you and wraps his arms around your waist. 
“I’m sorry,” he laughs, kissing your shoulder. 
You don’t put your hands over his arms like usual, but you do pat them for a second, “sorry, I was zoned out.”
“I see that. What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”
“Too much,” you laugh, trying to play it cool. 
“You want to darty with some of the boys today?” He asks, letting you go and reaching for a cup to get water. 
“Not really,” you answer honestly, “I wanted to get some groceries and clean up around here.”
He frowns immediately, “why are you such a buzzkill? Why can’t we ever have fun?”
“Why do we always have to party, Ro? Why can’t we relax for one day? I can’t keep up with you,” you shake your head, instantly aggravated by his mood shift. 
You take a deep breath, finally losing your cool, “we haven’t even dated for three months, Roman, and all we’ve done is fight. What are we even together for if we can’t get along?”
You were tired of it. You were so tired of always fighting over differing opinions. You and Jack barely disagreed but his brother could hardly make it a week without an argument with you. Roman doesn’t expect the bluntness but he’d been asking himself the same thing lately.
“We do fight a lot, huh?” He sets the still empty glass down on the counter. 
You feel guilty then, knowing you shouldn’t have blown up like that, but you couldn’t hold it in anymore, “I’m sorry.”
He steps back over to you and turns you towards him, “no I’m sorry. I think we tried too hard to make this a thing when we should have just stayed friends.”
You nod, laughing a little, “of course the time we agree so easily is when we’re calling things off.”
Roman laughs too, shaking his head, “yeah, go figure. Is that what you want then? You want to go back to just friends?”
“I think it might be for the best. I don’t want to lose you as a friend, too.”
He pulls you into a big hug and you swear you couldn’t hold him any tighter. It’s an odd finish but you don’t feel any hard feelings from either side. He kisses the side of your head as he pulls away, giving you a gentle smile. 
“You know if you ever need anything to just call me, okay? I’m still here for you.”
“Thanks, Ro. Same for you,” you nod. 
He grabs the few things he had sitting around and slips his shoes on. An awkward wave is all he leaves you with and suddenly you’re all alone in your apartment, but you don’t feel alone. You feel an odd sense of calm instead as you go about your morning. You had no worries now. Well, none except for a certain brother of someone you’d just let walk out your door. 
You spend two weeks doing your own thing. Whatever you want, whenever you want, with whoever you want. You saw friends more that week than you had all summer and you were out to eat at least half the days of the week. You were having fun and enjoying the last little bit of time before summer ended and the real world set back in. 
You felt amazing from the reset. It’s not that Roman had suppressed you by any means, but there was something about knowing you wouldn’t be fighting with anyone that made your chest feel lighter. 
You’re happily cleaning up after dinner, singing along to the song that played through your speakers, when your phone buzzes on the counter. Your heart always stops for a second before you check the name. Part of you may have hoped it was Jack, but in the two weeks since you’d had your moment that changed things in the kitchen you hadn’t heard anything. You figured things only changed for you and not him. You were silly to think you could go from one brother to the next. 
Your friend had texted you about brunch the next day and you quickly tap a reply before skipping the current song you had on. You finish loading the dishwasher and dry your hands on a towel, looking around to make sure your kitchen was all cleaned up. 
You’re about to pour another glass of wine when a knock on the door gets your attention. You pause your music and check the peephole, quickly opening the door when you see who it is. 
“Jack?” You're surprised, shocked even, but he smiles like there’s not a problem in his world. 
“Hi, stranger. Haven’t heard from you in a while,” he answers. 
“What are you doing here?” You question, not having expected him, but realizing you wouldn’t have wanted to see anyone else standing where he was. 
“I just wanted to make sure I didn’t do anything wrong? I heard what happened.”
His question has you reaching for him and pulling him inside quicker than you have time to think, “What could you possibly have done? If anything you got me to hang on longer than I thought I would.”
His worried expression doesn’t drop when you pull him in and he’s quick to shut the door behind him. 
“Hang on longer? To what?” He asks, a little confused but also trying not to get too excited about how quickly you’d reached for him.
“If it weren’t for you, I maybe would’ve given up the fight a little sooner than I did. But you always see the good in people and it made me want to see the good in my relationship, but then I realized maybe I was hanging on for the wrong reasons… for the wrong brother. I wanted to keep my ties with you as much as I did him.”
Jack is shocked by what you say but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t happy to hear it, “the wrong brother? That’s a big statement right there. Are you sure?”
The thought was scary and you had no clue what the fallout might be from it, but you knew you liked him. You liked being around him, spending time with him, and keeping each other company.
“I definitely picked the wrong brother I think,” you laugh nervously. 
He had every right to shoot you down. You had just broken up with his little brother after all. When you really thought about it, which you had been doing a lot lately, he was the one that was always looking out for you, making sure you were comfortable and happy, always someone who could make you laugh despite whatever had led to making you feel like you could cry. Jack knew the situation could be messy considering who you had just broken up with but he couldn’t deny that the way you fit in his life wasn’t something he was willing to give up.
He can’t help the little smile that comes onto his face even though you look so nervous you could cry, “I always knew Grant would win one of these days.” 
It’s so ridiculous that you do let out a couple tears but you’re laughing so hard you almost double over. Jack matches it, but starts to move a little closer until his hands find your hips. 
You take a deep breath and grab onto his arms, “would your mom hate me? I really miss her already.”
“I’m probably 99% sure my mom loves you more than any of her actual sons,” he shakes his head, but it wasn’t a lie. She thought the world of you, “you know she pulled me aside the other day after Roman told her about you guys. She said I needed to look out for you still.”
Your face shows the shock you feel but there’s something else with it too. A sense of excitement that you hadn’t messed up a major part of your life by dating a childhood friend and having it go wrong. 
“Oh she did?” You finally ask, smirking up at him. 
“That’s a troublemaker’s look if I’ve ever seen one from you. What are you thinking?” 
You shrug, but quickly look down at his lips before looking back up, “I can think of a few things.”
“I leave soon though. Two more weeks and I’m back to Providence,” he warns but neither of you pay attention to that. 
“Make it worth it then.”
“Oh I plan on it. Now we can actually do this without sneaking around in kitchens,” he smirks. 
You laugh and pull him closer, wrapping your arms around his neck, “no one I’d rather sneak around with.”
You knew it wasn’t ideal and you’d have to be careful with how fast things went but you knew he’d treat you the way you deserved. He’d always treat you better than anyone else. 
155 notes · View notes
ragingbookdragon · 4 years
Text
I Have Too Many Children
Batmom x Batfamily!
A/N: Please ignore the first half of this fic. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, but I can’t bring myself to change it. So enjoy! -Thorne <3
She felt the sun shine through the window, and she groaned lowly. Her arm rose and softly pat around the bed until it encountered him. She rolled over and pressed her backside into his side. His body shifted as he caged around her, one arm under her head, the other around her waist, pulling her up against him. His chin settled on top of her head and she felt his breathing continue evenly, as it had been. After a few moments, she realized she wasn’t going back to sleep and opened her eyes, staring around their bedroom. Their gala outfits lie strewn out over the floor, and the memories of the events that occurred after the bedroom door closed made her body flush. Her eyes moved to the window and she could see the sun in the sky, meaning that it was around eight or nine. She sighed deeply and the arm around her waist tightened; she felt his head move and then his lips brushed the nape of her neck. He spoke lowly, voice still laced with sleep. “Sleep well, Mrs. Wayne?” (Y/N) giggled and shifted her neck.
           “That tickles, Mr. Wayne.” She could feel him grin against her skin and after leaving a few lingering kisses, his head moved again, and he buried his face in her hair, inhaling. (Y/N) ran her fingers up the arm around her waist. “You feel alright?” He hummed.
           “It’s been a while since we slept in like we have.” She grinned.
           “Are you saying you want to start sleeping in more?” He chuckled, and she felt it reverberate through her back.
           “I’d like too. But our sons would have other plans.” (Y/N) snorted and nodded.
           “We’d sleep in the first morning and they’d bust in all suited up thinking we were dying or something.” They started laughing and then fell silent. His arm around her waist pulled back, and he rested it atop her thigh, his thumb rubbing circles in it.
           “How do you feel?” She grinned and turned around, wiggling a hand in his face.
           “With my fingers.” He stared at her and deadpanned,
           “Really (Y/N)?” She giggled and the sight of it made him chuckle. “In all seriousness though, do you feel alright?” She rolled her eyes and nodded.
           “Bruce, rest assured that last night was not my first rodeo.” He snorted and wound his arm around her backside, pulling her flush against him. (Y/N) raised an eyebrow and looked up at him; he smirked down at her and spoke huskily.
           “Well, want to ride this rodeo again?” She huffed a laugh and spoke sultrily.
           “I don’t know…can this cowboy keep up?” He leaned down towards her.
           “I think I can.” His lips almost brushed hers when their bedroom door slammed open, hitting the wall. They both jumped and separated at the noise, their heads turning to face their ‘intruder’.
           “Umi! Father! I have a request!” They watched as Damian marched across their room and stood at the foot of their bed. (Y/N) looked at Bruce, then back to Damian.
           “And that request is?”
           “I wish to have a sleepover.” (Y/N) was expecting something big, and she relaxed when it wasn’t.
           “Sure. Are you going over? Or are they coming here?”
           “He is coming here.”
           “He? Is it Jon?” Damian sighed and spoke exasperatedly.
           “Well, I do not have any other friends to invite.” Her heart clenched at his carefree comment and she looked to Bruce.
           “I don’t have a problem with it. You?” Bruce looked at him.
           “Have you asked Clark if he could come over?” Damian nodded and held up his phone, the two of them peered at it.
           “Jon said, he said yes.” Bruce nodded.
           “Then I don’t see any problem with it.” Damian nodded.
           “Thank you, Father.” He turned to (Y/N). “Thank you, Umi.” She smiled and nodded, then he turned around and headed for the door; Bruce called out to him.
           “Damian.” He stopped and turned.
           “Yes?” Bruce’s face morphed stern, and he spoke austerely.
           “I don’t know if I’ll be home tonight. So, if I’m not, you be on your best behavior for your mother. If I get a phone call that you and Jon were acting up, you’ll be grounded for three months. Understood?” Damian peered at him for a moment before nodding.
           “I understand Father.” Bruce nodded and they watched Damian close the door behind him. Bruce flopped back down onto the bed, one arm moving to cover his eyes, and he groaned. (Y/N) giggled.
           “What’s the matter Bruce?” He was quiet for a moment.
           “I just got indirectly cockblocked by our son.” At his confession, (Y/N) threw her head back on her pillow and cackled. Bruce pulled his arm down and glared at her, only serving to make her cackle louder. Bruce caved and laughed with her, and after a few minutes, they went silent. He turned his head and looked at his clock. “I guess we should go ahead and get up.” He moved to crawl out of the bed when a leg flung over his waist, followed by (Y/N) pulling herself into his lap. He looked up at a grinning (Y/N) and his hands automatically went to her knees before running up her thighs and to her hips where they rested and squeezed firmly.
           “You know Bruce, they say life’s a rodeo and all you have to do is stay in the saddle.” She flexed her thighs around his hips, and he inhaled sharply; her grin turning wicked as she spoke tauntingly. “C’mon Cowboy. This cowgirl’s in the saddle.” She placed her hands on his chest and felt his muscles, and rolled her hips, watching as his eyes shut and his hands tightened around her waist; she leaned down until her mouth was next to his ear and whispered haughtily, “Giddy-up.”
A Few Hours Later:
           By the time Bruce and (Y/N) made it out of bed, the clock read twelve-thirty. They made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen to see Alfred making lunch. He spoke to them as they moved to the table. “Ah, Master Bruce, Ms. (Y/N). I’m glad the two of you have finally decided to join the land of the living.” (Y/N) snorted as she sat in her seat, Bruce taking his.
           “Sorry Alfred.” Alfred laid plates in front of them.
           “Worry not Ms. (Y/N). I am just glad the two of you are finally up and moving.” They nodded and began eating. “Well, I am going to clean the bedrooms. Place your dishes in the sink when you are finished.” They nodded and watched Alfred leave the kitchen before breaking into laughter.
           “Woo, I haven’t heard Alfred be that sassy about us sleeping in, in a long time.” Bruce nodded.
           “I’d forgotten what it sounded like.” She agreed and they began eating. After a few minutes, they heard someone coming down the hall, and Tim walked in, laptop in one hand, an empty coffee cup in the other. He placed his coffee cup down and picked up the coffee pot, then, he noticed them.
           “Hey mom, dad.” They smiled at him.
           “What cup are you on right now Timmy?” He shrugged his shoulders.
           “Uh…I don’t know…I lost count.” (Y/N) sighed and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
           “Sorry mom.” She shook her head.
           “It’s alright Timmy. Just try and cut back tonight.” He nodded and turned to leave, then twisted back around.
           “Would you guys object to Connor and Bart coming over?”
           “When?”
           “…Later…” (Y/N) raised an eyebrow.
           “Later tonight? Or later sometime this week?” Tim shrugged.
           “We haven’t decided yet.” She sighed.
           “I guess you can.” He raised an eyebrow.
           “You aren’t going to tell me not to get into trouble?” (Y/N) looked at him.
           “Of all my boys, Tim, you are the least likely to get into trouble.” Tim grinned at her comment and walked out of the kitchen with a pep. She huffed a laugh and looked over at Bruce. “You alright?” He nodded.
           “I just remembered that Lucius needed me to sign some documents today. I’m going to need to leave here soon.” She nodded and watched him rise from the table and place his dishes in the sink; he left the kitchen and returned a few minutes later dressed in a suit. He walked over and kissed her, and she watched as he stepped out of the kitchen and to the garage. (Y/N) finished her lunch and washed the dishes for Alfred before leaving to her room to get dressed.
           When she finished dressing, (Y/N) made her way around the house, cleaning up where the boys had left their morning messes. She mumbled to herself as she picked up Dick and Tim’s jackets. “I swear I live with slobs.” She heard a chuckle behind her.
           “Hey, I keep my room tidy. Thank you very much.” (Y/N) stood up straight and faced the owner of the voice.
           “Jay. What are you doing here so early?” He shrugged and moved beside her, pulling her into a hug and placing a kiss on the side of her head.
           “I can’t come see my Ma early?” (Y/N) snorted and whacked his arm, pulling away to face him.
           “You know what I meant Jay. Usually you’re only at the manor for patrol or if you don’t feel like going back to your apartment.” She paused and tipped her head. “Honestly, last night was a bit of a blur. So, I really don’t remember if you were here when Bruce and I got home.” Jason’s face morphed into disgust and he let go of her.
           “I know what that means.” She rolled her eyes and dropped the jackets into his arm.
           “You’re grown. Take it in stride Jay.” She began walking to the study. “Go put their jackets in their rooms please, baby.” (Y/N) was about to exit the room when he called out to her.
           “Hey Ma.” She paused at the door and turned.
           “Yes baby?”
           “Can Roy come hang-out?” (Y/N) pointed at the floor.
           “At the manor?” He nodded and she shrugged. “I guess. Just don’t empty our liquor cabinets.”
           “But Ma, that’s the fun part.” She glared and deadpanned,
           “You know what isn’t fun? Replacing thousands of dollars’ worth of liquor because my son and his best friend got bent.” Jason started snickering and she rolled her eyes. “He can stay. But I’m not joking when I tell you, do not empty our liquor cabinet Jason Peter.” He placed a hand across his heart.
           “On my honor Ma. We won’t.”
           “Uh huh. Sure.” He chuckled as she exited the room.
           An hour later, she’d been tidying the boys’ bedrooms, placing clothes in the hampers and making the beds when the door opened. “Hey mom. What’re you doing?” She tossed a pair of jeans behind her head, towards the hamper.
           “I am cleaning your room Dickie. Since you seem to be incapable of it.” She heard him snort and he moved beside her, picking up his dirty clothes.
           “Sorry mom.” (Y/N) sighed and smiled at him, reaching a hand up and patting his cheek.
           “That’s okay baby. I’d rather you be here and have a room to help clean than you be out somewhere else and not be able to help.” Dick dropped the clothes in his hands and pulled her into a hug.
           “I love you mom.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around him and patted his back.
           “I love you too baby.” After a few moments, they pulled away and he picked up the clothes he had dropped and walked over to his hamper. (Y/N) finished pulling the sheets tight on his bed and stood up straight. “Well, I think that other than the clothes, your room is done.” He raised an eyebrow.
           “You didn’t go through my stuff, did you?” (Y/N) placed a hand to her chest.
           “Richard John. The very thought of you thinking that I would go through your things without permission is hurtful. I’ll have you know, I only cleaned what I could see. Meaning, the floor and your bed.” Dick snorted.
           “Mom, I was kidding.” She grinned.
           “Oh, I know you were. I just thought that maybe you’d feel bad for ‘accusing’ me.” They shared a laugh and she paused. “Well, I’m going to see if Alfred needs help with anything else.” She turned around and spoke as she walked away. “Do not mess up this room that I just cleaned Dick.” He chuckled and called out to stop her.
           “Hey mom?” She glanced over her shoulder.
           “Yeah Dickie?”
           “Can Wally come over?” She glared at him and pointed a finger.
           “If that speedster empties my refrigerator again, I’ll bust both your asses, you hear?” Dick laughed and nodded.
           “I’ll tell him you said that. So…that’s a yes?” She nodded.
           “Sure. I haven’t seen Wally in a while either.”
           “Cool.” She smiled once more at him before leaving his room.
A Few Hours Later:
           (Y/N) sat at the dinner table across from her youngest and his best friend. “So, Jon, how’s school going?” He looked up from the pizza he was eating and swallowed.
           “Oh, its going good Mrs. Wayne. I’m struggling in math a bit though.” She smiled.
           “Jon, honey, Mrs. Wayne was my husband’s mother. I am Mrs. (Y/N) or Mama-Wayne to my son’s friends.” Jon thought for a moment.
           “I see. Sorry Mrs. (Y/N).” She waved it off.
           “No worries sweetheart.” She paused. “Your dad did say it was okay for you to stay tonight, right?” Jon nodded.
           “Yes ma’am. I asked mom first, then dad. They both said yes.” (Y/N) nodded and turned her attention to them both.
“You guys are free to do whatever around the manor. If you want to leave, you ask me or Alfred.” She leaned forward, her voice low and commanding. “But you do not leave this manor without telling someone first. Am I understood?” They both nodded and she smiled at them. “Good then yo-” She was cut off by laughter and they all turned to the door to see Connor, Bart, and Tim coming into the kitchen. Damian jumped up and pointed at them.
           “What are you three doing?!” Tim glared at him.
           “What’s it to you demon-spawn?” Damian glared at him and directed his finger at Connor then Bart.
           “Why are you here clone? And you too speedster?” (Y/N) cut Tim off before he could retort.
           “Damian Wayne.” Damian’s shoulders went up as if he got caught with a hand in the cookie jar and turned to face her.
           “Yes, Umi?” She glowered at him.
           “Do you remember what your father said this morning?” He nodded apprehensively and she continued. “I can dial his number right now, if you’d like me to.” He shook his head and she tipped hers to Connor and Bart. Damian looked at him.
           “I…apologize for my insults Connor, Bart.” They nodded and (Y/N) spoke.
           “I guess you guys chose tonight instead of next week?” Tim rubbed the back of his neck and spoke apologetically.
           “Sorry mom.”
           “Don’t worry about its baby.” She faced Connor and Bart. “You’re always welcome here boys.” They smiled and she motioned to the table. “Help yourselves.” They sat down and began eating, cracking jokes nonstop.
After a lull in the conversation, the kitchen went silent and the next thing they heard was bottle shatter followed by, ‘The fuck Roy?’. (Y/N) sighed and told the boys to plug their ears.
           “Jason Peter Todd! Roy William Harper Jr.! Get in here! Now!” The others uncovered their ears and watched the two young men shuffle into the kitchen with their heads down. (Y/N) glared at them. “Jason Peter. I told you that if Roy was coming over, you were not to get into the liquor cabinets.” Jason pointed to Roy.
           “It was all Roy’s fault.” Roy jerked his head up.
           “The hell it was! You were the one who wanted to drink too!” The two of them started bickering and (Y/N) cleared her throat, silencing them.
           “Both of you go get the mop and the broom and dustpan and clean the mess up. Then come in here for dinner.” They nodded their heads and did as they were told. A few moments later, they returned and sat down; (Y/N) spoke.
           “Roy, sweetie, hand me that phone right there beside you.”
           “Yes ma’am.” He handed her the phone and the group watched as she placed an order for thirty pizzas. (Y/N) hung up the phone and continued eating, and Tim spoke up.
           “Mom…that’s a lot of pizza.” (Y/N) didn’t even look at him as she responded.
           “Yeah well…I’m seeing a pattern of my children bringing their best friends over, so that tells me that at some point tonight, Wallace Rudolph West is going to come into my manor and empty my fridge. I need to be prepared for that speedster too.” She glanced over at Bart who flushed and shoved a piece of pizza in his mouth. Connor snorted and spoke.
           “Ten bucks he’s here within the next fifteen.” Damian spoke up.
           “I raise your ten to fifty and say he is here in five.” Tim followed with Connor.
           “One hundred on fifteen.” Eventually, the bet got as high as ‘six-hundred on fifteen and six-fifty on five’ (Y/N) going with her own, saying he’d be here at exactly six P.M. To the boy’s misfortune, at six P.M. on the dot, a flash of bluish-white lighting appeared in the Wayne kitchen. (Y/N) looked at the boys.
           “I do believe all seven of you owe me…one-thousand-two-hundred-and-fifty dollars.” They put their heads in their hands and groaned, Jon yelling, ‘I only have fifteen bucks in my piggy bank though!’. (Y/N) turned to Wally. “Wallace Rudolph West, you listen here. I ordered thirty extra pizzas for you all. Do not empty my fridge again.” Wally grinned.
           “C’mon Mama-Wayne. You love me.” (Y/N) tried to stay mad, but couldn’t, and grinned as she spoke.
           “Yes, I love you all. I do not however, love paying an outrageous shopping bill because my boys have bottomless pits for stomachs, and empty our fridge, cupboards, and pantries.” All the boys in the kitchen flushed and chuckled, and Dick walked into the kitchen, pulling Wally into a hug.
           “Wally! Good to see you bud.” Wally hugged him back and they sat at the table.
           “Good to see you too Dick.” Everyone flipped open the pizza boxes, and (Y/N) suddenly remembered what it felt like to have a lively kitchen.
           After an hour, everyone had migrated to the living room and were watching a movie when (Y/N)’s phone rang. She paused the movie, to the dismay of the others; she rebuked them quickly.
           “Boys! Hush!” They went silent and she answered the phone. “Hello?...Hey babe…yeah, everyone’s here…don’t worry, the kitchen’s still intact…is it serious?...yeah…I can go with them to make sure…Bruce, they wont make a mess while you’re gone, I promise…okay, will do…I love you too Bruce…Bye.” (Y/N) hung up the phone and turned to the boys. “Alright, here’s the deal. The JL got called in for a job, so that mean that Bruce won’t be here to patrol. All of you are to patrol a quadrant tonight. Understand?” The boys groaned and she glared at them. “Is there something you boys want to express?” They shook their heads and (Y/N) opened her mouth to speak when Connor cut her off, standing up.
           “The light just switched on.” Immediately, the group rose and moved to the cave. (Y/N) started giving instructions.
           “Jason, Roy, you boys take South. Dick, Wally, you boys are on West. Damian, Jon, you two are in East. And Tim, Connor, and Bart, you three take North.”
           “You did that on purpose didn’t you Mama-Wayne? Wally…West? Oh, I crack myself up.” (Y/N) rolled her eyes at Bart’s joke while the others laughed, well, beside Damian, and she spoke.
           “Get suited up.  I’m going to change.” Jason spoke up confused.
           “You’re coming with us Ma?” She nodded as she pulled the curtain and began changing into her suit.
           “Your dad wanted me to go around just in case something happens. I’ll go to GCPD and talk to Gordon, then relay info to you guys.” The boys nodded and began suiting up. (Y/N) began mumbling to herself. “Jeez. Did I gain this much weight since I last put this on? My pants are super tight…so is my top.” A few moments later, she came around the curtain, pulling at her collar and stretching out her legs. The boys watched as she moved in front of the mirror and looked at her reflection. “I can’t believe my suit got this tight. Look at me. I can barely move, let alone breath it’s too tight.” Roy stared at her and couldn’t help blurting out.
           “Yeah, I’ll say.” (Y/N) turned around to face him, an eyebrow raised, and each of her boys reacted.
           “Hey!”
           “Aye!”
           “Excuse me?!”
           “The fuck did you just say about our Ma, Roy?” Roy realized everyone was staring at him and he raised his hands, stammering out an apology with red cheeks.
           “I-I’m sorry Mrs. (Y/N). I-I did not mean that.” She snorted.
           “Don’t worry about it Roy.” She thought Jason’s head was going to explode.
           “Uh, yes worry about it! He just hit on you Ma!” She rolled her eyes and turned to Jason.
           “And? It’s not like I’m going to sleep with him.” Their faces turned disgusted save Roy’s, whose face twisted in offense.
           “And why not?” (Y/N) smirked and crossed the floor, standing in front of him.
           “Roy, I’m a happily married woman who is thoroughly satisfied with her husband.” He peered at her before smirking.
           “And if you weren’t happily married nor satisfied with your partner?” Her boys groaned.
           “I can’t believe you’re actually having this conversation Roy.” He waved Dick off.
           “Answer the question Mrs. Wayne. If you weren’t, what then?” (Y/N) patted his cheek before moving to her bike and mounting it. She turned the key and it revved to life.
           “Assuming that I was single and looking for a lover, and on the off chance that a certain Kryptonian was too. I’d find myself sleeping with Clark and not you.” She waved at the boys who were currently trying not to be sick. “Get to your quadrants boys. We have a long night.” And she sped off.
           The boys turned to Roy who was pouting. Jason shook his head.
           “I can’t believe you just hit on our mom.” Roy eyed him and shrugged his shoulders.
           “I’m a hot-blooded man, and your mom is hot. What do you expect?”
           “Oh, I expect you’re about to get punched in the mouth if you talk about her like that again.” Roy raised his hands in surrender.
           “Got it. Shutting up now.”
Somewhere in the middle of a fight:
           Bruce looked over at a hysterical Clark. “What are you laughing at?” Clark looked at him and laughed harder before shaking his head.
           “It’s nothing.” Bruce narrowed his eyes at him.
           “What did you hear in the cave?”
           The only response he got was a cackle of laughter.
3K notes · View notes
maybedefinitely404 · 3 years
Text
For You Became My Lighthouse
Genre: angst with a happy ending, hurt/comfort
Pairing: romantic Prinxiety
Content: food/wine, Patton and Logan offscreen, anxiety attacks, argument, crying, fear of breakup.
Word count: 4k
Note: Not proofread. We die like men. Also part two is coming soon~
5:24
It definitely wasn’t every day that Virgil spent the early evening dancing around the kitchen while making dinner. But today was no ordinary day, and he was just too damn excited to stay still.
Figaro sat on the floor in the bedroom doorway, licking his paws and glaring disdainfully at the speaker system that had disrupted his nap. Virgil spotted the dark cat and grinned, dancing over to scoop him up. He hummed along to the music, bopping the disgruntled cat to the beat (much to his chagrin). Once upon a dream, Figaro might have fought tooth and nail at being used as a dance partner, but living with Roman for years had worn down his resolve. And after Virgil had entered their lives, he’d completely given up fighting their excuses for attention. Instead, the cat just yawned and went limp.
“Aw, did I wake you up, Figgy?”
The cat did not answer. 
Virgil let him hop from his arms onto his scratching tower and went back to slicing spinach on the counter, humming along to the music. He wanted it louder, loud enough that it numbed the excited tremble in his hands and drowned out his internal butterflies, but he wasn’t in the mood to deal with noise complaints. Again. 
Instead, he opened the drawer in front of him and ran his fingers over the small box he’d placed in there hours ago. As he’d done countless times since, he opened the lid to make sure that the ring inside was still there, still perfectly centered and shining as brightly as it had been when he’d picked it up earlier that morning. 
Roman would never expect him to propose. Ask anyone who knew them and they’d agree that the romantic, outgoing, type-to-propose in their relationship wasn’t Virgil. Plus, he’d dropped no hints. Any time he met with Logan to plan, or went to the jewelers, and the million other things he’d had to do before this, he’d chalked it up to ‘having a bad day’ or ‘needing time alone’. 
He felt… a little bad, knowing in the recent months many of Roman’s attempts at dates had been turned down, only half the time due to actual bad days. But it would all be worth it in the end. The plan was to start with dinner; the meal they’d had on their first real date, followed by Virgil suggesting a walk. As they put on their jackets, he’d sneak the ring box into his pocket, and innocently lead them past a cafe for dessert, “coincidentally” the spot where Roman had asked Virgil to move in with him. Finally, the park, strung up with fairy lights and electric candles Logan and Patton had set up just before. It was their perfect mix of solitude and ‘extra’. Virgil would propose, and Roman would hopefully say yes, and everything would be perfect and amazing and-    
The oven timer beeped. There was fifteen minutes left for the dough to set; time to make the filling for the ravioli. But he’d barely started cooking the spinach when his phone chimed, alerting him of a text.
Hey V, dinner and a movie tonight? You can choose.
Virgil bit his lip and sighed, thumbs hovering over the keyboard for a second. As old as the excuse was getting, he needed to side step Roman’s plans one more time. Just one last time.
not feeling well. anxietys been all over the place. sry. 
He laid the phone back on the counter and returned his attention to the frying pan, flipping the greens and watching them wilt slowly. One eye on that, he pulled out his other ingredients from the fridge. He’d rather be ahead of schedule than behind. 
Ding ding.
Yeah, shocker. What else is new.
Virgil felt his heart drop. That wasn’t… at all in character for his boyfriend. Yeah, he’d used the excuse more often lately, but was it that much? He stared at his phone, hardly breathing, trying to think of some way to answer that, when a burnt smell reached his nose. 
“Shit,” He hissed, trading his phone for a spatula and turning the spinach once more. It was just on the brink of being overdone, just the edges turning a tad too dark, but nothing he couldn’t save. He scraped the pan’s contents into a bowl to cool and dumped it in the sink. The hiss and steam of the hot pan in water made him wince (he’d been told a million times it was bad, but he couldn’t recall why), but he left it on the bottom of the sink to fill and soak. Scrubbing dried spinach off it tomorrow would really put a damper on the ‘recently engaged’ mood.
“Mrow?”
Virgil shut off the water and turned to the trill, cursing when he realized Figaro had abandoned his tower in favor of sniffing the food on the counter.
“Figgy, no! Get down!” He plucked him away from the bowl just as he looked ready to pounce inside, much to the cat’s annoyance. “You would just spit it out, you big baby. Don’t look at me like that.” It probably wasn’t safe to keep cooking with the cat around anyways, so he went to their room and left him on their bed with a soft order to behave. Figaro blinked once at him with indignation before the door was closed, and Virgil hurriedly pulled out his phone.
Real mature, not answering. 
Virgil took a deep breath to push down the rising anxiety. He’s… probably just playing around, right? It’s probably meant in a lighthearted way but he was just misinterpreting the text harshly. It’s not malicious. Right?
sry, put figgy away
He paused for a moment, before shooting another quick text.
ur not actually mad right?
The typing bubble appeared.
And went away.
And popped up again.
And vanished.
That was enough confirmation to get Virgil’s heart pounding, all hope that Roman was just fooling around out the window. He was typing again, and this bubble was staying for longer, but now it was too long to be a simple affirmation.
I don’t know, Virgil. You used to actually contribute to this relationship, and now I’m the only one really trying. We barely ever go out, for like a couple months now. You always dodge my plans. I miss the old you, because right now I feel like I barely know you. I’m getting sick of it. 
Now Virgil properly couldn’t breathe. That sounded like the beginning, if not the entirety, of a breakup if he ever heard one. Fuck. Fuck! Fuck his stupid ideas, his stupid plans, fuck all of it. This is his fault, and Roman’s about to dump him, because he took his overdramatic proposal too far and it was about to end their relationship.
I’ll be home late. 
Okay, that wasn’t… a breakup? Unless, of course, he was going to do it in person, and needed time to plan how it was going to go. 
Cognitive distortions, is that what Logan had called them? Magnifying? Is that what was happening right now? There was a solid chance that Logan would agree with him, say that he wasn’t actually sure what Roman planned, and it would probably be okay, but it was very hard to be objective when he was in the middle of it.
how late?
Another deep breath. He placed the phone next to his mixing bowl, screen up so he would be sure to see the notification, and absentmindedly added in the ingredients he’d pulled from the fridge earlier. Shit, did they have thyme? 
Of course they did, he’d gone shopping for all the ingredients like two days ago. He needed to get out of his own head. 
The final timer went off, signaling the dough was ready to be used. Before he unwrapped the ball and got his hands covered in the stuff, he checked the lock screen on his phone. Nothing. 
It was fine, it was fine. 
Rolling out the pasta into one thin sheet took far more effort than he would have thought, and it took embarrassingly long before he was able to lay it out on the big ice cube tray he was using in place of an actual ravioli mold. He checked his phone. Nothing. 
Once he got the hang of filling the molds without making a huge mess, it was actually an easy process. He finished three and a half trays-worth before running out of dough and filling simultaneously, but that’s more than enough for the two of them. No answer yet. 
ro?
He set a pot on the stove full of water but didn’t turn it on; it would just be one less thing to do when he was ready to cook the ravioli. For now, he placed the pasta in the fridge so it didn’t dry up. Roman generally got home from work at six, which he had prepared for, except on late rehearsal days when he was held back an extra hour. That’s what Virgil consciously chose to believe; he meant he’d be home late because it was a longer day. He wasn’t answering now because he was on stage. Technically it all made sense, but it wasn’t enough to relieve the icy grip around Virgil’s lungs. 
romans gonna be late. push back an hour?
Logan sent back a thumbs up followed by his ‘-Logan’ sign off. Virgil sent a quick apology but didn’t bother to check the response when his phone lit up, focusing back on his plate of raw ravioli.
So, at five to seven, he’d boil the pasta and warm up the tomato sauce. It had been finished that morning and had been waiting in the fridge all day, because Virgil was a firm believer that it would taste better having had time to sit. Plus, he’d been excited, and had needed something to do with his hands. 
But now he needs something to do with his hands again, but instead of excitement, it’s a tingling discomfort spreading through his limbs and curling in his stomach. Convinced that there was nothing else in the kitchen he could do, he untied the apron and pulled it over his head, pleased at the stark black button up he’d successfully kept flour-free. The satisfaction doesn’t last for long.
Now that he’d acknowledged his shirt, it was impossible to ignore the way it wrapped far too tight around his neck. It’s fine, he thought as he unbuttoned the top button, I still look okay.
He may as well set the table. Patton, similar to Roman in regards to going above and beyond, had insisted Virgil go all out for the dinner. Stark white table cloth, silverware set perfectly next to the plates, and a tall, white candle as the centrepiece. Virgil had cringed a bit at the idea, but after being assured that Roman would love it, he’d reluctantly agreed. It wasn’t his style but, well, the night wasn’t supposed to be about him, no really. 
Watching TV did nothing to relieve the knot of uneasiness in his stomach, even when he unrolled his weighted blanket from the side basket and huddled into it. It brought a calm familiarity with it, and if he concentrated hard enough, he could pretend that someone was holding him. Patton’s soothing words, or Logan’s gravity, or Roman’s warmth or Roman’s safety or Roman’s gentleness or Roman-
6:53
Time to throw in the ravioli. He shut off the television, he hadn’t been watching it anyways, and turned the water on to boil. As it heated, he scuttled back to the table, some of his excitement returning. Sure, things had been tense on the phone, but Roman would be home any minute, and the rest of the night could go as planned. He pulls a small crinkle out of the white fabric and recenters the candle, stepping back to admire his work. It’s okay. If Roman had done it, it would probably look better, but who cared. It was fine. 
7:01
Virgil sighed, looking over his final creation once again. A part of him was cringing with the cheesiness of it all; the lit candle, food already plated, a bottle of wine fresh from the fridge. Getting a new wine may have been too much of a giveaway, so the feature was a half finished bottle from their last date… a few months ago. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure if it would pair well. He didn’t even like wine. But it was Roman’s favorite, so it would have to do. 
He’d bitten three nails down to the nub by the time he figured he could add the tomato sauce over top. Roman was never later than seven, so the pasta wouldn’t even have the time to get soggy. 
In a combination of unfortunate events unlike any Virgil had experienced before, the tomato sauce bubbled the moment he grabbed the handle, dozens of pinpricks of heat burning his hands. He yelped and dropped the saucepan in favor of grabbing his scalded hand, jumping back as the pot hit the side of the counter and sent tomato sauce flying directly into the open drawer next to it. In his search for a match to light the candle, he’d left open the drawer containing the ring box, and in moments, the velvety exterior was coated in a fresh layer of marinara. 
“Fuck!” Virgil shouted. 
Heat be damned, he grabbed the box from the steaming puddle around it and rushed it to the sink. Running it under water would just be asking for the situation to be worse so he tried to scrape off the mess with a dishcloth. Was this even salvageable? 
No, it turned out. The white velvet had stained a shitty orange in a way he definitely couldn’t play off as the original color, and even though the interior (or god forbid the ring) hadn’t been touched, he found himself trying to fight off tears. This wasn’t fucking going well, and now… 
7:28
Roman was never this late, not without telling him. Virgil checked his phone and, nope, only the previous message from Logan and a newer one, asking if they could set up yet. He sent a quick:
no, hes not home yet
Panicking was not a move he wanted to make right now, despite how his brain was trying to convince him otherwise. Roman was probably stuck in traffic, right? And Virgil was always getting on him for texting and driving, so that could be why he hadn’t said anything. Sure, the route from the theatre to their house was barely ever busy, and yeah, it was way too late for there to be real holdups, but there was a first time for everything.  
He made quick work of cleaning up the disaster of marinara sauce, surprised that a decent amount was salvageable. Apparently in his panic he’d righted the pot before it had all spilled, so there was maybe just enough for the meals. The inside of the drawer was a stained, orange, mess, and the area under the burners was caked in dried sauce, and that was just too much work for right now. He slammed the drawer shut and threw a towel over the element. Out of sight, out of… well, not out of mind, but maybe it would take a backseat on ‘worries for the night’.
Might as well get a head start on dishes, he thought, since the thought of texting Roman is daunting and his whole body is aching for something to do. One second more of standing still and he may very well have combusted. He couldn’t even summon up the will to turn on music, the mood from before totally vanquished. If he could just get that burnt pan done, perhaps the tension in his chest would ease up a bit. 
But he cleaned the pan, and the rest of the dishes, and scrubbed the sink, and Roman still wasn’t home. At some point when he’d decided to just finish all of the dirty cookware he’d rolled up his sleeves, which he quickly lowered and rebuttoned around his wrists. The dishes were drying; nothing left to do there. 
He swallowed thickly. How was the shirt still too tight around his throat?
Virgil unbuttoned the next one down, hoping to ease the ball of fear in his throat. It didn’t help.
The food was lukewarm, at that point. It was still edible. It was microwaveable. It was fine. Again, the thought crossed his mind to text Roman, but what if he was driving? He might check it and get pulled over, and that would not help the uneasiness in their relationship right now. What if the phone’s light distracted him and he got into a car accident? He couldn’t lose Roman, not when their last words had been so strained, and it would be his fault on top? Not a chance. He’d be home any second now. He had to be. 
Virgil quickly found himself under his weighted blanket once more, watching whatever sitcom was on with dissociated interest, arms wrapped around his waist in a vice grip and feet bouncing under the covers. This time, though, the television worked less as a distraction and more as grating noise in his skull and he muted it, but that didn't stop the sudden stream of noise. Water was running through the pipes under him, some of his neighbors were shouting, and the fridge was humming and the lights overhead were buzzing and it’s all so loud-
His sound blocking headphones were also in the basket next to the couch and he shoved them over his ears. The world went quiet except for the sounds of his shaky breathing; breathe in, and out, and in, and out…
8:07
With the thick padding over his ears, the only sound he could hear was his breathing. It was somewhat reminiscent of Darth Vader’s, seeming far too loud, but also a steady foundation for him to ground on. Without the outside distraction, it was far easier to focus on his breaths, to slow them down, to get into a rhythm of long inhales and longer exhales. Bit by bit, the swarm of butterflies that had clasped around his heart gave way, allowing the anxiety to morph into numb sadness.
If Roman had come home on time, would they be in the park already? Would they be engaged? Maybe they’d already be back home, sharing the news to their families. Roman would probably already be gushing about wedding ideas as Virgil nodded along in amusement. They probably could have convinced Patton and Logan to come home too, and they could have had a great rest of the evening, finishing the bottle of wine and reliving the past and…
Were they even going to get engaged at this point?
He fumbled for his phone and sent a text to Logan.
plans off. sry
The headphones were overly effective in silencing the world, now amplifying his thoughts too much, so he slid them off. He took a deep breath, the sound now camouflaged in the rest of the apartment’s noise. A lump formed in his throat as he took in the arrangement of the dining room, and the more he pushed it down, the harder it was to stem the tears that were steadily filling his eyes. 
Virgil didn’t like feeling helpless, but that was all he felt at that moment.
Fuck.
Without forethought, he rubbed at his eyes, and instantly froze.
He drooped his head with a sigh that bordered on a groan, reluctantly lowering his hands from his face. Mixed in with his intercepted tears were the smudged remains of his makeup smeared across the web of his hands. 
Might as well; everything else went to shit anyways.
Usually, Virgil didn’t spend more than a minute removing his makeup. But that day, he spent an inordinate amount of time scraping off every streak of color until his face felt raw, watching his hard work be erased. He’d spent forever getting it perfect.
Even after he finished, he couldn’t get himself to move. That familiar weight of anxiety was settling again into the pit of his stomach as rushes of adrenaline, but he found it impossible to tear his eyes away from the mirror. As he stared into his own eyes, he vaguely remembered reading somewhere that looking at yourself in low lighting could trick one’s brain, causing the face to morph into something totally different, oftentimes not human; monstrous. Something about the brain trying to find faces everywhere, and creating them where it can’t see one properly. 
This didn’t happen to Virgil.
All he saw in the mirror was someone who had messed up his hope for a future. 
Huh. So maybe a ‘monster’ wasn’t too far off.
He laughed humorlessly and finally flicked off the bathroom switch, reentering the living room. The candle was still burning strong on the table, a good half way down. Virgil blew it out.
9:12
The state of apathy Virgil had sunken into was violently replaced with sharp anxiety when he finally bothered to check his phone, realizing it was past nine o’clock. Once more he considered asking Roman if everything was okay (heh, as if anything was okay) but he was quickly reminded why he hadn’t in the first place. Light distracts a driving Roman, bad things happen, it’s all his fault… 
Instead, he replied to Logan’s response.
Why? Virgil, what happened?
-Logan
we had a fight
His feet led him by their own will, pulling him to the wall so he could flip off the lights, dousing the apartment in darkness. Using the light from his phone screen, he stumbled to their room- or was it just Roman’s now? Would he have to move out? Oh god… where was he going to live?- ignoring Figaro’s mewls for pets. 
What did this fight regard? 
-Logan
idk. a bunch of stuff.
He stripped out of his formal shirt, hands shaking so bad he could barely undo the buttons, and exchanged it for his favorite hoodie. It may be too hot to sleep in, but he felt the need for comfort more than he was concerned about heat. 
Virgil dropped onto the bed next to the clothes, finally relenting to Figaro’s complaining and stroking down his back. In the stillness of a silent apartment, it was suddenly harder than ever to not completely break down. At least he wiped off his makeup.
This was over dinner?
-Logan
no. over text. he never came home.
He allowed the first tears to fall.
Maybe this had all been building up for a while and Virgil had just been too dumb to see the signs. Was this the night he lost everything? Would the one person he never grew tired of, the only person he had truly loved, leave him? He didn’t know what he’d do without Roman and somehow, he didn’t think he’d have a hope of ever finding someone like him again.
The tremors and blurry vision made it difficult to type.
i think romans going to break up with me
It took barely half a second after it sent for his phone to start ringing, Logan’s name showing up on the caller ID. 
Later, Virgil wouldn’t even remember pressing the answer button. The moment he heard Logan’s voice over the phone, his unusually concerned voice overlapping with Patton’s questions, the dam broke. He sobbed his way through an explanation the night, the text messages they’d swapped, and his snowball of anxiety.
To no surprise, the two on the other line immediately offered to come over, but Virgil declined. There was still the tiniest part of him, the littlest hope, that Roman was still going to walk through that door any second. If (when, when, when) he came home, they would need to talk, and it would complicate matters if Logan and Patton were there. 
When he eventually yawned in the middle of a sentence, he was encouraged to go to bed. He really didn’t need to be convinced; he was more than ready for this evening to be over. After promises that he’ll update them first thing in the morning, and multiple reminders that Patton loved him, he was left alone in the apartment once again. 
He curled into a ball on his side of the bed and cried himself to sleep.
Part two HERE!
102 notes · View notes
vilevampire · 3 years
Text
“Crushing” (One Shot)
Thank you @louyd​ and @the-writer-nerd-ro​ for helping me beta read this <3 This is actually the first fic I wrote for ducktales, so if anything’s kinda weird, that’s probably why.
Rating: Teen and up audiences
Trigger Warnings: Minor injury, hospital
Pairing: Louie Duck x B.O.Y.D
Summary: When Louie first met Boyd, he thought the boy was just an emotionless, cold-hearted machine... ...and then he fell in love with him.
9.833 words
Ao3 Link
"Hi, I'm Boyd, a definitely real boy!"
"Uh... sure you are…"
—————
That exchange was the most of Louie's memories from the first time he had met Boyd. After Doofus Drake's birthday party, the two of them had left off on their own separate ways. And Louie hadn't given the weird robot any second thought... that was, until he met it again. "Louie, meet my friend Boyd!" Huey exclaimed rather enthusiastically. It was clear for anyone to see that he cared a lot about Boyd and wanted him and his brother to get along. Dewey and Webby were currently unavailable, and so Huey thought that Louie was the best remaining candidate for meeting him. "Hi, I'm Boyd, a definitely real boy! We've met each other before!" The child held his hand out, smiling, his voice and movements reproduced identically to the first time they had met. "...I'm Louie, but I think you already know that." Different from last time, however, Louie at least accepted the boy's handshake, just to be polite. Huey stared at their interaction in shock. He thought he had listed all the possible ways this meeting could go, and yet clearly, he had overlooked the possibility that his brother and his new best friend would somehow already know each other. "WAIT, you guys have met each other before?! When? How? Why is this the first time that I'm hearing about this?!" Boyd, his cheerful smile unwavering, promptly answered his friend's question. "We—" "We just happened to bump into each other before, that's all." …Or he would have, if Louie hadn't interrupted him with a shrug. Louie knew his brother well enough to know that he would demand a lengthy explanation of his prior meeting with Boyd and, as it turns out, he really didn't feel like explaining everything that went down at Doofus' birthday party (or talk about the scam that he tried to pull). Knowing enough about Boyd's backstory, Huey didn't buy his brother's explanation, but decided to forget about it for now. As long as they both got along well, he could get all the answers to his questions later on. With a sigh, Huey gave in: "Alright, if you say so…" he said lightly, staring pointedly at Louie with a look that he hoped conveyed a different message:"We'll talk about this later." Louie looked away from his brother's glare to play with his phone. Boyd was still smiling, seemingly oblivious to the wordless exchange happening between the two brothers. Huey cleared up his throat to speak again. "In any case, are you possibly free today, Louie? Me and Boyd were actually planning to hang out together and, if you wanted to, you could come join us! Right, Boyd?" "Yeah! We would love to have you with us, Louie!" Boyd smiled at him, looking brighter than the sun itself. Louie looked up from his phone to stare at his brother and his robot friend absent-mindedly while he contemplated the invitation. It had already been quite a while since Louie had been able to hang out with his family without getting involved in magical hijinks, and, as much as Louie would never admit it out loud, he kind of missed spending quality time with his family every now and then. Subconsciously, the young duck's gaze lingered slightly longer on Boyd. He thought that, at the very least, there would be no way he would get bored if he was going to be hanging out with a robot. Louie plastered on his signature lazy smile before replying, "Yeah sure, why not? I'm bored anyway." Both Huey and Boyd were visibly excited by this response and soon the three of them revised their plans for the day to include Louie. Before this, Louie hadn't actually realized robots even could become visibly excited. He thought maybe the thing was programmed to match the emotions displayed by the people closest to it? Either way, it was fine by him, as long as he didn't end up bored out of his skull hanging with Huey and his new friend. Huey and Boyd's plans for the day ended up consisting of a picnic in the park. Louie wasn't one to turn down free food, so he was alright with these plans, if only for the opportunity to kill some time. "Try not to eat all the food when we get there." His brother lightly teased while packing things up. Louie's only response was to nod with a serious expression. As he watched Huey and Boyd work efficiently together to pack up everything they would need, he noticed how alike the two of them were. They worked perfectly in sync to get everything in order. The duck frowned slightly at the thought. He didn't like that his brother's new best friend was some cold-hearted machine. Sure, he might joke around saying that Huey was robot-like, but he didn't mean it like that. He decided to keep an eye on it to make sure nothing would happen to his older brother. Soon enough, the three of them left off for their picnic.
—————
Boyd set up their picnic in a nice spot by a tree's shadow while Huey babbled on about the things they had seen during their trip to Japan. Louie seemed to be only half-listening while playing on his phone.
"...You should have seen the Sakura trees! The food was great too. I think you would have really liked it there. You should come with us next time." "Mhm." Louie nodded inattentively. Huey was satisfied enough with that answer.
He knew that despite his brother's laid-back demeanor, he was still paying attention to his story. Louie was much smarter than he acted and he would never pass up the opportunity to learn about something he could possibly use to his advantage later on.
"The picnic is ready!" Boyd called them over once he finished laying down the food over the picnic towel. Louie put his phone down for the first time since they left home.
Sandwiches, pastries, pies, and desserts laid neatly arranged on plates next to a jar of orange juice, plastic cups, and a can of Pep that they brought just for Louie. They sat together in a triangle around the food and beverages and they each picked up something to eat… including Boyd.
Louie gawked as the android took a bite out of his sandwich in delight.
"Robots can EAT?! " He exclaimed, completely taken aback.
Boyd quickly swallowed up his food to reply: "Yeah! I even asked my dad to add a taste buds function, so I can even taste the food, just like you guys!" He said, looking like the happiest kid in the world.
Louie quickly glanced from Boyd to Huey, silently asking: "Dad?"
"He means Dr. Gearloose." Huey explained.
"But… do robots even need to eat?" Louie questioned again, looking over at Boyd.
"We do not, but I still enjoy it!" The boy cheerfully clarified.
"But then… isn't that just a waste of food?"
Just for a moment, Louie thought he had seen Boyd's smile falter. As soon as he blinked again, however, the other boy's expression had already returned to his usual one.
"Louie! " Huey snapped, ready to give him a scolding.
"No, Huey, it's okay." Boyd put his hand on Huey's shoulder. "He has a point."
"But…!" Huey looked over to Boyd, putting his hand over his friend's. He was hurt and upset over Louie's remark.
"See Hue? He said it himself that I have a point. He agrees with me." Louie casually gestured towards Boyd, right before taking a bite out of a flaky pastry.
"Louie! I can't believe you…" Huey looked ready to get up from his spot, but Boyd held him down.
"It's okay Huey, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it." Boyd comforted his friend with a few pats on the back.
Huey scoffed. "I'm not so sure about that." He shot Louie one last glance before sighing and moving his attention back to the food.
With no more words, Louie quickly finished his meal, suddenly feeling annoyed. He grabbed the nearest can of Pep and got up. "I'm going home." he turned around and walked away.
—————
By the time he got back to the manor, Dewey and Webby had just returned from whatever adventure they had gone off to earlier.
The two of them had their clothes dirty and torn in a few places, and it looked like the top of Dewey's hair was a little charred.
"Louie! Oh my gosh, you'll never believe what we just went through. We—" Dewey started talking excitedly, gesticulating all the while.
"Wait." Webby quickly interrupted him, putting her hand over his beak. "Louie, what's wrong?"
Once she said that, Dewey gave a better look at his brother and noticed his expression.
Normally, Louie would have no problem keeping up a good poker face. He could even brag and say he was much better at lying than other people twice his age. But it seemed like he wasn't expecting to find his siblings here, for his face wore an annoyed expression instead of his usual lazy one.
He quickly fixed his expression, however, lying through his teeth: "Oh, it's nothing. Just that my Pep got warm, that's all," he said smoothly, holding up the opened can.
"Mhmm… right…" Webby eyed him suspiciously. The girl might be naive at times, but she certainly wasn't stupid. After spending so much time with her brothers, she had learned to recognize when something was bothering them. "And where's Huey?"
"He's busy having lunch with his new robot." Louie rolled his eyes.
"Huey's got a robot?  Like, just for him?! Dude!" Dewey exclaimed in disbelief, right before running off to beg Uncle Scrooge and Dr. Gearloose to give him his own robot.
As for Webby, while her eyes sparkled at the mention of a robot, she was still suspicious. She felt like something was off with Louie, but he wasn't willing to share what it was. That certainly didn't surprise her, as Louie was always like this, but it was still frustrating not knowing who or what might have hurt her brother.
Eventually, though, she decided to let it go. Another thing Webby had learned after spending more time with her newest family was to not pry into other people's privacy. Her loved ones were more than competent enough to take care of their own problems most of the time. Not every single situation needed her help.
Besides, Louie was very good at keeping his secrets to himself when he really wanted to.
"Alright, if you say so… but you should know that if you ever need anything, I'm here to help you out!" Webby said, wearing a gentle smile.
Louie let his poker face fall, looking at his sister with a warm gaze.
"...Thanks, Webs." He meant it.
"No problem! That's what family is for!" She beamed, inching closer to grab him into a hug, before quickly realizing she still looked like a mess. "Oops. Guess I should go wash myself first."
"...Yeah, you should probably go do that." Louie smiled, taking a step back to make sure none of the dirt touched his immaculate green hoodie.
"Alright, we'll talk more later! YOU OWE ME A HUG!" And with that, the girl ran off.
As soon as Webby left the room, Louie's face fell, a broody expression appearing once again. With low shoulders, he stalked directly to his room for an afternoon nap.
While browsing on his phone trying his best to fall asleep, he couldn't stop wondering why his chest suddenly felt so heavy.
—————
Over the course of the next day, Huey made a real effort to avoid Louie, who was all too happy to pretend that nothing ever happened. 
Of course, the rest of the family immediately realized something was up, but Huey refused to talk about it, simply stating "He knows what he did" when asked. Louie denied anything ever happened in the first place.
Eventually, enough was enough though and Louie figured it might not be the end of the world to apologize.
The next day, Louie woke up earlier than usual to greet Huey in the kitchen.
"Good morning, Hue." Louie said with a yawn.
Huey looked at him suspiciously while Louie sat down nearby. His brother was normally the last to wake in the family.
Louie sighed before he spoke. "Listen, I'm sorry for the way I treated your friend at the park. I didn't mean it, okay?"
Huey blinked at him, processing his brother's words.
"Are you being honest?"
"Of course I am! I swear on all my money that I'm telling you the truth." Louie put one hand by his chest and held the other up in the air.
Huey visibly relaxed upon hearing that. Before saying anything else, he finished cooking breakfast, handing Louie a plate with eggs, bacon, a fork and a knife.
"Okay then. If you're really sorry, you should apologize to Boyd too." Huey stated while taking his seat with his own breakfast in hands.
Louie froze grabbing his fork. "Is that really necessary?"
Huey looked at him in disbelief. "What do you mean? He was the one whose feelings you hurt in the first place. Of course you should apologize to him!"
"Of course, of course, it's just… what I meant to say is just that, uhm… can robots even feel anything?"
If Huey already looked surprised before, he certainly looked shocked now, with a little bit of anger seeping through.
"Boyd is not just a machine. He's a person, just like you and me."
Louie stared at him in confusion. "Is he, though? I thought I heard you say just the other day that he can fly and shoot laser beams from his eyes? I'm not sure about you Huey, but I certainly can't do that."
As much as it hurt to hear that, Huey tried to muster the willpower to not get mad at his brother. Louie simply didn't understand that despite not being human, Boyd was still his own person with his own thoughts and feelings.
He was ignorant, and ignorance was no sin, as long as one was willing to learn.
Huey stayed quiet for a while, focusing only on his food, long enough to make Louie start feeling anxious, until he finally replied:
"Alright Lou, I get where you're coming from." "You do? " "I do." He nodded. "And that's why I want you to spend more time with Boyd." Louie looked at him, confused. Why would he want him to spend more time with the robot?
Huey sighed once he saw the look on his brother's face. "I think the easiest way to make you understand how much more Boyd is than ‘just a robot' would be if you spent some more time with him." Huey put his fork down once he had finished eating. "Until then, I'm not willing to fully forgive you yet."
Louie thought about this. This… Wasn't this situation perfect, actually? By spending time alone with Boyd, he could get the robot's help in pulling one of his schemes without his brothers getting involved!
Louie smiled sweetly at his brother.
"I'll do it." "Really? I mean... of course you will. I'll call Boyd over some other time so you two can hang out together, alright?" "Fine by me, dear Hubert."
—————
"Boyd, have you ever gone to Funso's?" "Nope! Huey told me about it though. He said it's an amazing, magical place!" "Well, let's go there then."
Boyd gasped. "Really?! You'll take me there? Yay!" The parrot started hopping around while moving his arms up and down. He seemed very excited.
Watching this, an abnormal thought crossed Louie's mind. This thing… wasn't it kind of cute?  Especially when it looked at him with such a joyous expression like that...
Louie shook his head, shooing away those thoughts. In the end, Boyd was still a robot. A cold-hearted machine incapable of thinking and feeling like normal people. He shouldn't let himself get carried away.
"Yeah, I'll take you to Funso's. Let's go." He said while walking away.
"Yeah! Okay!" Boyd gladly followed suit.
 —————
At Funso's, Louie wasn't interested in ordering the usual or trying to teach Boyd the many uses of flattery. Instead, he chose Funso's because, with a literal machine by his side, they could easily beat all of the top scores in the games and get tons of tickets!
It was a rather simple "scheme" considering the things Boyd was capable of accomplishing, but he thought it might be best to test the waters first before jumping right into an elaborate scheme that might backfire on him.
At his side, Boyd wouldn't stop gasping and pointing at different things, seemingly entranced by everything he could see. "Oh, is that…?! What is that, Louie?!" Boyd shook Louie's shoulders.
"That's the ball pit." "Is it dangerous? Is it okay to touch it?" Louie shrugged: "Probably not dangerous. And yeah, you can touch it." "Really?! Thank you!" Boyd was all smiles as he made his way over to the ball pit.
Time went by like that, with Boyd asking Louie about each thing before trying it out. At some point, he realized Boyd started pulling on his sleeves while walking around together. He found that curious, but since it didn't bother him, he chose to stay quiet about it.
Eventually, Louie directed Boyd's attention to the Skee Ball table, encouraging him to try it out, only to be disappointed by his performance.
"This is so much fun!" Boyd said happily while grabbing the tickets that were ejected from the machine. "Mhm…" Louie grunted, not looking nearly as happy as Boyd.
How could he word this… the robot's aim and reflexes weren't bad by any means, but… well, he was average. Not too bad, but not outstanding either. He was as good as any other person around their age.
"Are you having fun too, Louie?" "Huh? Oh, yeah. Totally. I'm having lots of fun." Louie snapped back to reality at the sudden question. "Are you sure? You don't look like you're having fun. You haven't even played any of the games. So far you've only been letting me try them." Boyd looked at him with what looked like genuine concern, handing over all the tickets he got. "Yeah yeah, it's all good as long as you're having fun." Louie grabbed the tickets, sticking them in his pockets.
Boyd suddenly stopped what he was doing to look at the duck standing right in front of him. "Louie…" His voice trembled with emotion. It sounded extremely real. "Thank you." Boyd offered him a sweet smile.
Louie suddenly felt a sting in his heart. He made a sour face.
"Uhmm… Louie? Did I say something wrong?" Boyd asked apprehensively. "Huh? It's nothing." "Hmm… okay then." Boyd breathed out in relief.
Before they left Funso's, Louie made sure to make Boyd try out the video games as well, to see if he might fare off better.
Alas, he obtained no substantial results.
With a disappointed sigh, he let Boyd have all the tickets for himself and choose whatever he wanted from the ticket shop.
Upon hearing that, Boyd looked happy enough to cry. While jumping up and down, he chose his souvenirs from the shop.
"...?" Louie was surprised when his phone screen suddenly became obstructed by the sight of a gray parrot plushie.
"Here, for you! I bought one for myself too." Boyd excitedly showed him the plushie of a white duck while handing over the parrot plush.
 "Oh… thanks." Louie picked up the plushie and put it in his pockets. Boyd giggled happily. "No problem!"
Boyd bought a few other souvenirs that were handed over to him in a plastic bag before turning to Louie. "Where do you want to go next, Louie?" "Uhh... actually, I think I'm gonna go home."
Louie expected Boyd to become disappointed after he said that, but instead the boy simply nodded. "Alright! I'll walk you home."
 —————
 "So... how did it go?" Huey paced back and forth in their room. "How did what go?" Louie tried playing dumb.
Huey decided to ignore that.
"Did you apologize to him?"
Right as he was about to place his new plushie on top of his bed, Louie stopped. Suddenly, he dropped the plushie and brought both of his hands to his face.
"I didn't." He said quietly. "What was that?" "I FORGOT TO APOLOGIZE TO HI— OW! " Louie cursed out loud, right before getting hit by an incoming pillow thrown by Dewey from the top of his bed.
"Keep it quiet down there! Some of us are trying to fall asleep over here. And by some of us, I mean me." He huffed.
"...Sorry." Louie said.
More quietly this time, Louie told Huey everything that happened.
Huey simply shook his head in disappointment. "Let me guess, you brought him to Funso's thinking he would break all the records and top scores?" "Weellll… maybe I DID, maybe I DIDN'T, y'know? Who's to say what I did or didn't think about at the time?" "So you did." Huey sighed. "Louie, I told you, he's not—" "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Louie quickly cut him off with a huff, much to Huey's annoyance.
Huey gave a long sigh. "At the very least, please apologize to him."
In response, Louie just mumbled something quietly as he crawled onto his bed.
He didn't really want to see the robot again, but it seemed like he would have no other choice.
 —————
 The next time he would see Boyd be one week later.
Apparently, there were two Junior Woodchuck badges that Huey was going to help Boyd with, one for camping for a whole week and another one for teaching others how to camp.
Although his siblings already knew the basics of camping, he still invited them, if not just to introduce them to Boyd.
Louie hated doing any sort of work though so he was mostly just there to apologize to Boyd.
"Hello again Louie!" Boyd waved at him as he walked closer to the duck. They were already at their planned camping spot and the sky was only beginning to turn dark. "How are you?"
"...Hey." Louie didn't spare him a single glance from his phone. "I'm good." He didn't ask how Boyd was doing either, but the other didn't seem to mind. "That's good!" Boyd simply smiled at him before going off to meet Webby and Dewey.
The three of them immediately got along and Boyd soon saw himself being flooded with inquiries about robotics and mechas, to which he answered each and every single one.
"Can you fly? Can you shoot laser beams from your eyes? Do you have super strength? What about super speed? Can you teleport? Do you have icy cold breath? Are your hands and feet detachable? Can you read my mind? What number am I thinking of right now?" Dewey babbled on. "Dewey! Can't you see Boyd is a kid just like us? Why would he be able to do all that?" Webby scolded him.
Boyd chuckled. "Actually, yes to the first three questions, no to the rest, and I'm going to guess that the number you are thinking of right now is a four." "AHA! So you CAN read my mind!" Dewey exclaimed.
Their conversation continued peacefully like that, with Boyd even giving a short display of his flying abilities, until Huey finally called out to them.
"Hey guys! I finished writing my daily journal entry, so let's get started with some camping!"
They all cheered excitedly, except for Louie, who was only half-listening.
"Now, first we're going to set up our tents, so let's get started! Dewey, Webby, please come over here. Boyd, why don't you go help Louie out?"
Louie raised his head at the mention of his name only to see a delighted Boyd walking over to him. He didn't even have to look at his brother's face to realize that he was trying to set up a situation where he could apologize to Boyd privately.
Louie, instead, pretended not to see him and simply continued scrolling through his phone. 
"Hey Louie!" Boyd quickly caught up to him. Huey asked me to help teach you how to set up your tent!" "Mhm." Louie still didn't look up from his phone.
It's not like he didn't know to set up a tent, okay? It's just that, why would he spend the time and energy doing all the work when he could convince others to do it for him?
Noticing the duck's absent mind, Boyd became interested in what could possibly be distracting him. "What are you looking at?" Boyd moved closer until his face was almost touching Louie's and he could clearly see the contents on the phone screen.
Startled, Louie quickly turned off his phone. He was very uncomfortable when people he didn't know well enough invaded his personal space, and his siblings certainly knew about that, but Boyd did not.
In his panic, he started falling backwards from the log he was sitting on.
Boyd quickly noticed it and grabbed him by the waist, holding his back upright.
"Are you alright, Louie?" He asked with a guilty expression. "I'm sorry if I startled you." "That's not the problem." Louie glared at him, clearly upset. "You're in my personal space!"
Boyd quietly gasped. He hadn't realized it before, but it was obvious to him now how rude he had been. "I'm so sorry! I—" He quickly let go of Louie's waist, only for the duck to completely fall backwards with a thud.
"Ow…" Louie mumbled. "Louie! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—" "Just leave me alone." He cut him off.
It had technically been Louie's fault for not adjusting back to his previous position once Boyd caught him, but he wasn't willing to admit it, and he would continue to be unreasonably upset at the robot over it.
Boyd gulped. He thought he had seriously messed up. "I'm… sorry. I'll leave you alone now."
 —————
 "Boyd, have you seen Louie anywhere?"
After their conflict, Boyd decided to focus on setting up his own tent and gathering the materials necessary for the campfire. Huey, Dewey and Webby had already finished setting up their own tents as well, so the only tent left in their campsite that was still on the ground was Louie's.
Once Huey said that, Boyd started to look around.
Louie was nowhere to be seen.
He noticed a trail leaving their campsite going deep into the forest.
"I think he went into the forest." Boyd told Huey his findings.
Huey frowned. Louie wasn't the type to go on random walks without telling anybody beforehand unless he was upset. "Do you know if anything happened to Louie while he was here? Did he seem like there was something bothering him?" Boyd's expression immediately became guilty as he lowered his shoulders. "I… I think I made him mad."
He told his friend about what happened between them, to which Huey's reaction was only to click his tongue. He couldn't believe his brother could be so selfish.
Louie might be lazy, stubborn and far too scheming for his own good, but he wasn't heartless by any means.
"First of all, we should go look for him before he puts himself in trouble." Huey shook his head. "And then, he urgently needs to apologize to you."
 —————
 After a brief discussion, they decided to leave Dewey and Huey taking care of the campsite while Webby, who had night vision goggles, and Boyd, who had natural night  AND  heat vision, would go looking for Louie.
They had to walk quite a bit before Boyd's sensors started picking up on something. Suddenly, he stopped walking, turning his head abruptly in one direction. The boy's expression became visibly uneasy.
Webby noticed the boy's unrest and asked: "What's wrong, Boyd? Did you hear anything?" "I think Louie is in danger! Please, try to follow me." Sensing something was up, Boyd fastened his pace to an inhuman speed.
Only someone as capable as Webby would be able to keep up with Boyd's movements. She jumped over rocks, logs and bushes as fast as she could, but the distance between them still grew wider and wider.
They soon started to notice the tracks of a large wild animal, along with small droplets of blood scattered around. Boyd quickened his pace even further.
Eventually, they reached their destination. It was the top of a relatively small cliff, with only rocks, trees and foliage near the bottom.
Webby looked around, puffing from exhaustion. "Where's Louie...?"
Boyd looked behind him, feeling even more guilty. He would have had no trouble carrying Webby on their way to the cliff, but he hadn't thought of doing so at the time.
"I think he's at the bottom of the cliff. He's still alive, but…" The usually cheerful boy made a serious expression that did not fit him in the slightest. "I'm going to have to go there alone. If I carried you down, I wouldn't be able to bring both of you back up at once."
‘Plus, I think he might be injured…' is the part Boyd avoided saying. He didn't want to worry Webby any further.
The girl nodded. She had already deduced that the tracks they had seen earlier had likely been made by an adult grizzly bear and, although they were able to climb trees, she had the means to keep herself safe from it as long as she stayed on higher ground.
"Please… take care of my brother." "Don't worry." He nodded. "I'll bring him back safe and sound."
Boyd walked over to the edge of the cliff before taking flight.
 —————
 Louie Duck was known to be the lazy Duck brother.
The evil triplet.
People thought he was greedy, money-loving, manipulative and egotistical.
He was fine with that.
In fact, he embraced it.
It was convenient for him.
People expected less of him because of it.
Yep. He was fine with that.
Louie hugged himself tightly.
He kept repeating those words in his mind, desperately trying to convince himself.
He currently looked dirty and disheveled, his green hoodie was full of tatters, his phone was broken and blood oozed out from several cuts.
But worst of all, he had broken one of his legs in the fall.
He rested his head on the knee of his other leg as he sobbed quietly. So quietly that no one would be able to hear him, unless they were sitting right next to him.
Or unless they were a robot, of course.
"Louie?" Boyd called out to him hesitantly. He found Louie hidden in a small, humid cave that he seemingly crawled himself into.
Louie's shoulders shook. He tried to wipe up the tears from his face, but failed. No matter what, they wouldn't stop flowing.
Boyd slowly walked closer to him.
"Louie, are you—" He stopped himself. What was he supposed to ask? 'Are you okay?' 'Are you crying?' Either way, the answer was obvious just from a glance.
Boyd silently cursed himself for not bringing a first aid kit. In the first place, it was his fault Louie had gotten injured. He was the one who made him mad, he was supposed to keep an eye on him, he should have been there to protect him, it was all his fault, he—
"I'm sorry," Louie said with a hiccup. "I'm sorry". "What are you sorry for? It's my fault, I—" "No. You're wrong. It's my fault." He hugged himself even tighter, grabbing at his sleeves. "I had no reason to be mad at you, I just… I'm a horrible person, I—" He paused for a while, before whispering almost inaudibly: "I always mess up…"
Boyd watched the boy sob in front of him without knowing what to do. They weren't that close, he didn't know what to say to make him feel better.
But still, he was going to try.
He walked up to Louie and sat down by his side.
Slowly, he grabbed one of Louie's hands. When the duck didn't react, Boyd opened his mouth to speak:
"You're not a horrible person." He squeezed the other's hand slightly. "Louie, you're just a kid. It's okay to make mistakes sometimes. Everyone does."
He paused for a moment before continuing: "And, y'know, realizing your mistakes is the first step to becoming a better person."
Gently, Boyd pulled Louie into a hug.
"You're not a horrible person. I like you, Louie. I think you're fine the way you are."
At first, Louie didn't show any reaction. Gradually, he started to sob louder, until his weeping echoed all throughout the cave. He hugged Boyd back, tightly enough to make any other person run out of breath.
Boyd pat his back reassuringly. "It's okay. You're not a bad person. I like you very much, Louie. There's nothing wrong with you."
Boyd kept on incessantly tranquilizing Louie until the boy's crying eventually died down.
While carrying Louie in his arms, Boyd flew back up to the top of the cliff. Along with Webby, they returned to their campsite with no other major incidents happening.
Unfortunately, their camping plans had to be cancelled due to Louie's injury.
 —————
 "Good morning, Louie!" Louie turned off his phone to look up at Boyd, who was joyfully walking inside his hospital room. "How are you feeling today?"
Louie smiled back at him.
"I'm doing better, actually. They said they're going to let me off soon."
"Really?! That's great."
Boyd had been visiting him daily ever since he had been admitted to the hospital, sometimes along with his family, sometimes on his own. The boy would bring a different gift with each visit, usually flowers or candy bars. Today, it seemed like he had brought something different for him, however.
"Look! I brought you a friend." Boyd handed over to him a white duck plushie, the very same one Boyd acquired at Funso's. "Do you still have the other one I gave you?" "Ah… yeah, I think so. It should be somewhere in my room."
Boyd became even happier upon hearing that. "Really? You didn't lose it or throw it away?" He said while taking his seat right by Louie's side. "Huey told me that you lose your things all the time."
Louie made a bitter face as he mumbled: "Huey …"
Boyd chuckled softly. The innocent sound made Louie turn his head.
How could a machine look so... genuine?
He stared at the robot in front of him, taking in every detail, but he still wasn't able to spot a single expression or mannerism that looked faked, robotic or out of place.
He noticed the way Boyd breathed in and out, how he blinked sporadically, his soft-looking plumage, the wrinkles that were naturally a result of his smile, the slight redness spread across his cheeks… At some point, when does it stop being 'just a machine', and start to become a real person?
"Hello? Louie?" Boyd waved his hands right in front of him. "Hm? Oh." He just realized he had been staring at Boyd for quite a while now. His face quickly became tinted with red. "Sorry. I spaced out." Boyd smiled at him reassuringly. "It's okay, no need to worry about it."
Louie's only response was a small nod. He started to wonder if Boyd was even capable of becoming angry at someone.
"Hey, Boyd?" "Yes?"
Louie avoided eye contact as he began saying: "I'm sorry about earlier... I mean like, way earlier. Back at the park I… was really insensitive to you." He sighed before continuing, this time staring right at Boyd. "Back when we first met I thought you didn't have any feelings, that you were just a heartless machine… now I realize that wasn't true. I'm really sorry."
At the end of his speech, he looked downwards, quietly playing with his hands. Boyd stared at him for a while, before slowly placing his hands over Louie's and giving it a gentle squeeze.
"It's okay." He smiled at him, this time not dazzling like the sun, but instead softly and gently, much like a blossoming flower. "I know you're not a bad person. I forgive you."
Louie bit his lip to stop himself from shedding any tears. Instead, he only grabbed Boyd's hands and squeezed them back, continuing to look downwards.
For a while, they stayed just like that, stuck in a silence that was not at all awkward.
"Hey," Louie suddenly spoke up, retracting his hands. "You should give me your phone number."
In the spur of the moment, he had decided there would be no disadvantages in trying to get closer to Boyd.
Or at least, that's how Louie liked to think about it. The truth was that he simply wanted to grow closer to Boyd.
"Okay!" Much to his relief, the other readily agreed. "Cool. I'll message you once I get out of the hospital." "Okay. I'll be waiting."
 —————
 handsome_duck: hey. is this boyds number? louie here B.O.Y.D: Hello Louie!! This is Boyd! ヾ(☆▽☆) How are you? Have you been discharged from the hospital yet? handsome_duck: yeah. im doing fine now B.O.Y.D: That's great! ☆*:.。.o(≧▽≦)o.。.:*☆ I'm glad you're feeling better. (o˘◡˘o) handsome_duck: yea handsome_duck: thx for coming to visit handsome_duck: ur rlly nice handsome_duck: and it was way less lonely B.O.Y.D: No problem! I simply worried about your well-being. And you're very nice too! (^▽^)
Louie sighed as he put his phone away. His heart started feeling much lighter after he had properly apologized to Boyd.
His phone buzzed when he got sent another message.
B.O.Y.D: By the way, I love your username! ヽ(>∀<☆)ノ
Louie chuckled before he replied:
handsome_duck: thx handsome_duck: urs too B.O.Y.D: o(≧▽≦)o Thank you!
Louie quickly pondered before adding:
handsome_duck: hey handsome_duck: do u want 2 hang out again next week? handsome_duck: i wanna make it up to u handsome_duck: yk.. for being rude to u n stuff..  B.O.Y.D: w(°o°)w  B.O.Y.D: (ノ´ヮ`)ノ*: ・゚ I'd love to, Louie! (*´▽`*) handsome_duck: cool handsome_duck: how do u feel abt watching a movie? B.O.Y.D: Fine by me! (@^◡^) What movie are we going to watch? handsome_duck: idk yet handsome_duck: i'll figure it out handsome_duck: and i'll msg u l8r B.O.Y.D: Okay. ( ´ ω ` )
 —————
 A few days later, Louie put on his best-looking green hoodie (they're all identical) and went to the manor's entrance hall to meet Boyd… but not before getting pulled back by Huey.
"Here, I made you a list of all the possible activities you two could do together!" He said, handing Louie a list that looked like it contained over 200+ items.
"...Thanks." Louie put the paper in his pocket without thinking too much about it.
"You got this!" Huey said supportingly, patting his brother's shoulder. Even Dewey and Webby seemingly popped out of nowhere to give him a thumbs up and words of encouragement.
...Why were his siblings acting strangely around him? Well, whatever. Louie just rolled his eyes and walked away.
Right before he left the room, Webby exclaimed: "GOOD LUCK ON YOUR DATE!!! " And his two brothers burst out into giggles.
Louie mustered all of the willpower he had to not look back and simply continued on walking, trying to ignore the heat now going up through his face.
At the entrance hall, Boyd was already waiting for him, sitting on a couch while looking around, seemingly captivated by everything he could see. As soon as he noticed Louie had entered the room, the boy jumped out of the couch and waved with a bright smile.
"Hello again Louie! How are you?" Boyd moved closer to the duck. "Hey. I'm doing fine… and I'm assuming you're doing good as well?" Louie gave the robot a good look-over.
"Yep! But…" Boyd moved even closer to him, reaching out his hand to touch the other's forehead. "Are you sure you're fine? You seem a little red, and my heat sensors are detecting slightly unusual levels of heat coming from you."
Louie quickly stepped away from Boyd's hand and insisted: "I'm fine, seriously." "Hm… if you say so."
Louie brushed it off with a wave of his hand. "Nevermind that, are you ready to go?" "Yeah! Let's go!" Boyd nodded.
They started walking side by side, away from the mansion. Louie couldn't help but notice that Boyd's walking rhythm matched his perfectly. Did he do it on purpose?
"What movie did you choose for us to watch, Louie?" Boyd hopped around cheerfully. "You'll see." Louie smiled at him.
Over the past week, Louie had been occasionally exchanging messages with Boyd and he had found out much about the robot's day-to-day life. He learned about how much he loves his father and creator, Dr. Gearloose, as well as his other parents and caretakers, the Drakes. He heard about Doofus' many struggles since he lost half of his inheritance to Boyd, as well as Boyd's incessant efforts to comfort him. Doofus would make the utmost effort to push him away most of the time, but recently he's been letting himself show more of his vulnerable side around his family, much to Boyd's delight.
In return, Louie would tell Boyd about all the exciting adventures he and his family went off to (many of which Huey had already shared before), as well as his brother's embarrassing secrets.
They had even FaceTime'd once. Louie found out that it was surprisingly easy to make Boyd laugh. In response to every single one of Louie's jokes, the robot would put his hands over his face and giggle happily.
Louie thought it was adorable, though he would rather die than admit that out loud.
That's why today Louie had picked a movie he thought Boyd would like, instead of one he would enjoy. The movie was a dramatic coming-of-age story that questioned things such as humanity, love and the meaning of life. He even managed to get front-row seats for both of them.
They bought a big bowl of popcorn to share with one another (Louie also sneaked in candy bars and two cans of Pep for them), took their seats and waited for the movie to begin.
Louie picked this movie already knowing he wouldn't like it, so it wasn't like he was disappointed or anything, but still, it was extremely boring. He usually preferred comedy films with smart plots and snarky writing. This melodrama stuff… just wasn't his cup of tea.
Looking forward to distracting himself from the movie, Louie moved his attention over to Boyd. Thankfully, he seemed to be enjoying the film much more than himself.
Boyd could be seen constantly jumping up from his seat, gasping at every revelation, be it big or small, laughing and sometimes even crying along to the movie's plot. He always with his eyes wide open and completely glued to the movie screen, only stopping occasionally to throw some popcorn in his mouth. He became so entranced by the movie that, at first, he didn't even notice Louie staring directly at him… until he decided to look over to the side.
For how long had Louie been staring at Boyd now? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? a whole hour maybe? He didn't know, but he still flushed furiously once he noticed Boyd looking back at him.
"Umm… I didn't know you... uh... I didn't know you had a crying function." Louie coughed awkwardly.
Boyd blinked, and then chuckled softly. At this point, Louie felt so flustered now that he pulled up his hoodie in an attempt to hide his face.
"Dad only added this function recently, actually." "Ahh… is that so?" "It is!" Boyd smiled sweetly at him before quickly turning his attention back to the movie while bouncing his legs back and forth.
...Why did Louie suddenly feel like there was a knot in his stomach?
 —————
 Once the movie was over, Boyd dragged Louie out of the movie theater by holding on to his sleeves.
"Oh my gosh, that was so good! So many parts had me at the edge of my seat, and the ending was so heartwarming." Boyd sighed happily while hopping around. "How did you like the movie, Louie?" "It was good." He lied without a single ounce of shame. "Hehe." Boyd giggled. "I'm glad you thought so too."
Before either of them realized it, Boyd's hand slid off Louie's sleeve to grab the duck's hand instead.
For Boyd, this wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Not only had he held Louie's hands before, he also held other people's hands all the time. He held Dr. Gearloose's hands, he held hands with Dr. Crackshell-Cabrera, with Ms. and Mr. Drake, with his brothers Doofus and Lil' Bulb, and even with Huey sometimes.
Boyd holding hands with Louie simply meant that he considered their relationship to already be close enough for him to do so.
For Louie, however, it was a different story. Just because he was okay with holding hands privately during his rare displays of vulnerability, that didn't necessarily mean that he was okay with doing it in public. He remembered holding hands publicly with his Uncle Donald very often growing up, but less so nowadays. He was fine with holding hands with his siblings sometimes as well, but they would always do so privately.
So when Louie suddenly felt Boyd's hand reach for his, he stopped dead in his tracks, unsure of how to react.
Boyd was quick to notice Louie's unrest and he immediately retracted his hand.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I should have asked first." Boyd bit down on his beak anxiously. "I'll just..." He swiftly tried to move his hand away, but found that he couldn't. He looked down to see Louie silently tugging on his wrist.
For a while, neither of them said anything. Boyd was waiting for Louie to speak, and Louie, for the first time in forever, was at a loss for words.
What was he feeling right now? What did those warm, bubbling sensations in his chest mean?
He didn't know.
He had no experience with such things.
He tried to think about it rationally.
Did holding hands with Boyd feel bad? No, not really…
Did holding hands with Boyd feel good?
He didn't know.
He really didn't know, but…
Subconsciously, he squeezed Boyd's wrist slightly, which didn't go unnoticed by the android.
Very quietly, as if he were forcing the words out, he whispered: "It's okay."
Boyd's face visibly brightened as he inched back closer to his friend. "Really?" He asked with a spirited look.
Louie gave a weak nod and that was more than enough confirmation for Boyd, who went back to being all smiles. He intertwined his hand with Louie's, who squeezed Boyd's hand in response.
Strangely, Boyd felt happier than he usually felt when he held hands with other people. He didn't quite get it, but it was fine by him as long as he could keep holding Louie's hand like this.
As for Louie… he decided that he was okay with it, under only one condition: "Please keep this a secret from my family." He mumbled. "No problem Lou!" Boyd gave him a thumbs up. Louie spared him a glance at the mention of the nickname, but didn't say anything.
He actually felt quite comfortable like this.
Boyd walked Louie home.
By the time the two of them reached the outside of the mansion, the sky was already starting to turn dark. It seemed like Louie had lost track of time while hanging out with Boyd.
"Louie." Boyd called his name shyly. "Hm?" Louie looked over from his phone to look at the robot by his side.
Boyd walked up to his front before saying: "Thank you for hanging out with me today. I always have fun spending time with you."
Before Louie could respond with "Yeah, sure, no problem.", he was astonished.
Boyd pulled him in for a tight hug.
 However, after only a second, Boyd had already moved away.
"Bye now!" And, just like that, without giving Louie the time to process anything, the android flew away.
"...What in the world just happened?" he murmured to himself.
For the rest of the day, three specific thoughts plagued his mind: 1. He had forgotten Boyd could fly. 2. The robot's body was much warmer than he expected when snuggled up against his own. 3. Before Boyd flew away, he could have sworn that he saw Boyd's face turn red.
 —————
 A few days later, very early in the morning, Louie felt someone gently shake him awake. "Psst, Louie." The duck rolled around in his bed. "Louie, wake up you sleepy head." Boyd gently whispered to him. "Unhgnh… only five more minutes please…" Boyd chuckled softly. "We don't have five more minutes, silly. Wake up!"
Slowly, Louie eventually opened his eyes. "Boyd...? How did you…?" Boyd put one hand over Louie's bill while he used his free hand to point at Huey and Dewey who were still asleep in their own beds.
Gently, Boyd turned Louie's head to face directly at the room's window, which was currently opened.
Louie did not feel very safe knowing that his room had apparently no extra magical security against break-ins, but this wasn't the time to think about that.
Tugging Louie along, Boyd held Louie close to him with one of his arms while he took flight.
The android was obviously much stronger than he looked, for he could take care of stabilizing himself mid-air even with Louie's weight easily.
The two of them did not share many words between them. Louie because he was still sleepy and honestly a little afraid of heights, and Boyd because he thought the view he was about to show him would speak for itself.
Soon enough, they reached a tall, grassy place with a perfect view of the city below and the sea to another side.
The calm ocean waves licked the sand beach, glimmering in shades of pink and yellow as the sun peeked from over the corner. Duckburg looked grand and imposing, with individual colored lights shining brightly all the way across the city.
"Oh, wow." Louie mumbled. Boyd seemed happy to hear that. "I discovered this place recently while trying out these new silent rockets my dad installed for me." He explained. "You're the first person with whom I'm sharing this."
Louie stared at him in disbelief. "Why me? Why not Huey?"
Boyd pondered for a moment before shrugging. "I don't know. Why Huey? Why not you? There's nothing wrong with you. I like you."
Louie knew that Boyd probably didn't mean anything special with that statement, but it still made him feel full of butterflies.
"Thanks." He wanted to say more, but he didn't know what else to say.
Boyd did not seem to mind it, however, as he simply smiled, sat down with Louie by his side and intertwined their hands together, bouncing his legs around.
Out of sleepiness, Louie allowed himself to rest his head against Boyd's shoulder. Boyd only looked at him without saying anything.
At that moment, Louie suddenly realized that, at some point, he had started to trust Boyd.
He gave it some thought, before quickly deciding that it wasn't a bad thing.
So he let himself stay in that comfortable position for a little while longer.
Before the sun finished rising, Boyd brought Louie back over to his room. Huey seemed to have already woken up, but hopefully, he would think Louie had just gotten up for a short bathroom break.
Boyd gave his friend a quick hug before flying off again.
 —————
 ...Things were quickly starting to get out of hand.
Every time Boyd would come over, send him a message or call him, Louie would feel a knot swell up in his stomach.
He started daydreaming much more often and he caught himself thinking about Boyd countless times.
Louie already wasn't a very productive person to begin with, but now he was having trouble focusing on other things and he had no idea why this was happening to him.
"...And that's why I called you over today." Louie finished explaining with a serious expression. Currently, he found himself in his room sitting in a circle along with Huey, Dewey and Webby. "I fear that I might have been put into a mind-controlling spell of some sort."
His siblings all stared at him before bursting into laughter among themselves, with the only exception being Dewey.
"What are you guys laughing about? What's so funny?! This is no laughing matter!" A warm blush started to spread across Louie's face. "I don't get it either." Dewey scratched his head.
"Are you kidding? Louie, you're in love!" Webby exclaimed. "Oh... Ohhhh… Well, I'm outta here then. Good luck with that." Dewey got up and left.
Louie's face was now burning with a strong tint of red. If he were to be completely honest, he would admit that he had already considered the possibility of him being in love with Boyd.
Alas, Louie Duck had no experience with being completely honest.
"Don't be ridiculous, what makes you think that?" "Um, like literally everything you just told us?" Huey giggled in amusement. "Though if I'm being honest here, I don't think either me or Webby would be of very good help to you in this case."
Webby suddenly became offended. "Wait, why not?! I know all about love! I can give Louie all the love advice he needs!" She flared up.
Huey rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. Speaking of which, how's your relationship with Lena coming around?"
Now it was Webby's turn to blush profusely. "Okay, maybe I'm not the best person to talk about this" She agreed. "But who else is Louie supposed to reach out to then if not for us?"
"I dunno." Huey shrugged. "Maybe uncle Donald? He's dating uncle Panchito, José AND aunt Daisy, right?" "You want me to ask Uncle Donald? No way. He's totally clueless." Louie cut in.
After giving it some thought, Huey agreed with him. "Uncle Scrooge maybe? I'm not really the best person to give you love advice either." Huey shook his head. "Now, if you need any help with your math homework, however…"
"Thanks but no thanks." Louie blew some hair strands away from his face. "I guess I'm gonna have to figure this out on my own."
 —————
 Boyd bounced his legs back and forth while sitting on the couch right next to Louie.
With the help of his siblings behind the scenes, he managed to get some time alone with Boyd at the manor.
"Thank you for inviting me over Louie! This 'Ottoman Empire' show is very interesting." Boyd beamed at him. Their hands were slightly touching on the couch.
In response, Louie just mumbled something incomprehensibly while pulling his hoodie over his head so Boyd couldn't see how flustered he was.
Just a few weeks ago he was completely fine with touching hands with Boyd, but now? He couldn't even think straight because of it, he was overly aware of the android sitting right beside him and the little bodily contact they were sharing.
Boyd picked up on Louie's unrest. He looked straight at him with a worried expression and asked: "Are you okay, Lou? You seem… upset." 
Louie tensed up. He didn't want Boyd to be worried. He wanted to keep things the way they were right now. But… he also wanted to say something. He wanted to tell Boyd about his feelings. He wanted to be honest, to open up to him.
He knew that Boyd would probably support him no matter what, but he still feared confessing for some reason.
He felt like he wasn't good enough for him.
Louie bit down on his beak as he struggled to speak. "Hey… Boyd?" He paused, looking straight at him. "I can talk to you about anything, right..? Like… it's okay for me to do that? And... talk about stuff…" Louie's voice trailed off as he looked downwards.
"Of course you can. I'll always be here to listen to you. You can trust me." Boyd held Louie's hand gently.
Louie retracted his hand shyly before speaking up. "Uh… okay, so, you see, the thing is… I think... I think I like you? Like, like like you? Like… love… you?" Louie pulled his hoodie way over his head, avoiding any and all chance of eye contact with Boyd.
Meanwhile, Boyd had turned awfully quiet. Louie had no idea what kind of face the boy was making, but with each silent passing second, he became more and more sure that it must be a scornful one.
There was no way such a bright, lovely boy would ever like someone like him.
Louie started to hug himself tightly. He wasn't good enough for Boyd, he was inadequate for him, he wasn't a good person, he didn't deserve to be loved, he—
Slowly but surely, Boyd lift up Louie's hoodie away from his face.
What Louie saw was an incredulous-looking Boyd, with his face bright red and his eyes sparkling like he was about to cry.
"Really?" Boyd's voice sounded desperate but gentle, tingling pleasantly in his ears. "You mean it?"
Louie nodded.
Quietly, Boyd began to sob.
And then he laughed.
He put his hands to his face with a dumb-looking smile.
"Sorry, I'm probably not making a lot of sense right now. I like you too, Louie. I love you."
Louie's brain started melting at the mention of those words. After a while, he managed to squeeze the words out: "So… does that mean we're dating now?"
Boyd giggled happily and Louie thought that his heart might stop. "I think that's what this means, yes."
"Okay. Cool."
Louie was completely devoid of things to say, but Boyd didn't mind it. Carefully, he snuggled up to Louie and held him close.
"I like you, Louie. I like you. You're the person that I like. I like you." Boyd kept repeating. Not because he was broken, but because he knew that Louie would appreciate it.
Louie reciprocated the hug. "I like you too."
They spent the rest of their day sitting close together while watching the rest of Ottoman Empire… until Louie's family suddenly walked in on the scene and proceeded to tease him endlessly.
Boyd laughed along with them.
"You're supposed to be on my side!" Louie whined. "I'm sorry Lou, I just… really like it when your face gets all flushed like that." Boyd smiled gently at him. "It's pretty."
Louie hid himself even further inside his hoodie upon hearing that.
He would rather die than admit this to anybody, but he was actually very happy at that moment.
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Text
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
@ziasaph
Prompt: When Roman and Y/N have a little phone teasing, Roman is left with a problem to solve...with his bare hands.
Word count: Long-ish
Pairing: Roman Reigns x Reader
Warnings: +18, masturbation(male),cursing,explicit thoughts,smut(implied)
Notes: This is my first time ever trying to “recreate” what would go through a man’s mind while masturbating( I don’t have a wiener, so you know, this might not be 100% accurate) this is written in Roman’s POV only. Y’all know the drill loves,sorry for misspellings,english isn’t my first language (bla bla bla),check out my other stories if you’d like to(it would make your girl here very happy 😊) and if you’re comfortable with it,please let me know what you think? Some feedback is always welcomed and appreciated ❤️You can check out my other stories typing ‘masochist writes’ on the search bar on my page and my newest story as a fixed post.Okay,now let’s get to the fun part,shall we? Hope you’ll enjoy 😉
“Fuck me...” I whispered as I adjusted my bulge for the 4th time. I just finished a phone call with Y/N, and we kinda had a little phone teasing so now,here I am making my way to my locker room with a very painful hard on that I couldn’t wait to take care of.
As soon as my eyes met the locker room door I sighed in relief, until I heard
“Yo Uce,hold up!”
“You have got to be fucking kidding me!” I barked under my breath
“What up Uce?” My cousin Jimmy happily smiled at me
“Good,good...” I dumbly replied
“You ok there?”
“No I’m not ok Jimmy,what to you want?”
“Is this because you lost your match? Uce, you gotta learn how to lose man”
“This is not because of my match ok? It’s another thing that’s bothering me”
“Oh...Is it because Y/N hasn’t come back yet? I know you love her and all, but ever since she left, you got all blue and shit... I’m aware of your obsession towards her,but she has her own life problems to deal with you know? You can’t get all bitchy every time she needs to leave man...” he vaguely said
Y/N took a one month license so she could solve some problems regarding her family business, and ever since she left my mood has gotten worst and worst, and I still got 8 more fucking days ahead of me before she comes back! The racional part of my brain understands and agrees with what my cousin’s saying, but the other primal part of me just wants to punch his face and tell him to shut the fuck up.
He doesn’t understand the connection that Y/N and I have, she is my other half as cheesy as that sounds. I’ve never had believed that sort of stuff UNTIL the day I met her. From that day on I knew I had found my one and only. So you can’t really blame me for being in such a shitty mood, I was left without my sunlight for a whole fucking month, so yeah, I was gonna whine about it.
“Are you done,mom?” I said with an annoyed tone
“I’m just trying to help Uce”
“Yeah I know man” I sighed “I’m sorry is just that I gotta take care of something..” I vaguely said
“Ok, I’m not gonna keep you long, I was just gonna ask you if you would like to go out to th-“
“No,thanks. I have other plans” I quickly said before he could finish
“Really? And what possibly great plan is that,that you gonna miss a night out with your favorite cousin?”
“You really wanna know?”
“Yeah! And it’s better be a good plan for you to dismiss me like that”
“I’m gonna take a shower, take care of a very painful boner, jack off while I think about my girlfriend, then I’m gonna head back to my hotel room where a nice,big and comfortable bed waits for me...and maybe jack off again looking at some pictures of Y/N. Happy now?”
He looked at me in disbelief
“So you’re dismissing my invitation for a night out so you can jack off? How old are you? 14?” He started laughing
“Is that all Jimmy?” I made sure my voice demonstrated how annoyed I was.
“Yeah, yeah..go ahead Mr. Puberty go do your business...even tho you won’t need to take care of it yourself..” he barely whispered
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing, nothing...here I’ll even open the door for you..just so your hands don’t get too tired!” He said mocking me “Milady, please” He bowed down and was now 100% laughing at me
“Fuck you Jimmy” I muttered under my breath closing and locking my locker room door.
I got out of my ring attire faster than a demon from church and made my way to the shower, while I waited for the water to heat up, I begin to stroke myself lazily while I thought about Y/N and the last time we were together. I got under the shower and remembered her body, the way it felt against mine, her breasts and how they are a perfect handful size, how soft her skin is (specially her boobs), how delicate her nipples feel against my lips.
Her sexy love handles,fuck I love those, which is why I don’t really get it why she hates it so much and wants to get rid of them so bad? I love how they feel when I tightly grip them on my hands whenever I’m holding her hips in place while fucking her from behind. My dick got harder just to think about it..Fuck I wish she was here!
I love her ass, I was always a tits lover until I saw that ass! Then I was officially converted into an ass lover. I just love to touch it, grip it, bite it, I love to watch it bounce when she rides me, I love to kiss it, spank it, rub my bulge against it..
*I begin to stroke my cock harder*
And fuck it..I love to fuck her ass.
But not as much as I love to fuck her pussy, nothing compares to the feeling of my cock buried deep inside of her tight pussy, I could cum just by remembering the vision of my dick sliding in and out of that sweet pussy..MY pussy, that belongs to ME! Fuck I just wish she was here, I would eat her out like a mad man.
I love to go down on her, seeing her eyes roll to the back of her head as I hungrily devour her..seeing how she squirms underneath me, moaning..begging for me to fuck her, how incredible she tastes...
But I also love when she sucks my dick.
The sight of her, on her knees, with a mouthful of cock while she looks up to meet my gaze.. FUCK ME isn’t that a beautiful sight?! Her lips all swollen and red from sucking me, her hands stroking my cock while she looks up and give me one of her satisfied smiles..so fucking gorgeous. Even more gorgeous when she chokes on my dick, making me slide all the way down until I hit the back of her throat just so she can pull back, gasping for air, while she giggles amused about how far she had taken.
With all of those sweet memories I came on my hand, giving me some sort of relief (at least for now). But it wasn’t the same thing tho, it wasn’t her and I NEEDED her!
God I love that woman, and I just fucking miss her, I just wish that she was here..
I made my car ride back to the hotel thinking about everything that I missed about her. I missed her scent, her voice, her smile, her hugs, her kisses, the way she likes to stroke my hair to help her sleep, her stealing all of my gray sweatpants just so I couldn’t “advertise” my package to other women, our late night conversations that were sometimes meaningful others meaningless, our make out sessions, lazy morning sex, horror movies marathon, the way she argued with one of the characters and told them they were “so dumb” and she “wished they would just get killed already”, the way she comforted me, the way I comforted her...
I opened the door to my hotel room, dragged myself to the sofa and was so deep in thoughts that I didn’t even noticed that the lights were on.
“Should I come back later?” The voice said in quite an amused tone.
*Wait..I know that voice!*
I turned my head to my left side so I could meet the owner of that voice, the one I had waited 3 long weeks to have by my side again
“Y/N” I couldn’t help but ran towards her, grab her tightly in my arms and kiss her so intensely that she almost couldn’t breath.
“Ro” she giggled “Baby, as much as I love this affectionate side of yours, you’re kinda making it difficult for me to breath” She chuckled
“Sorry, it’s just that I missed you so fucking much! You have no idea what hell I’ve been through those 3 weeks without you” I said as I gave her light pecks all over her lips,neck and face.
“Aww Rome.. I missed you too love! That’s why I decided to make you a surprise come back, everything solved before expected so I didn’t need to be there anymore so I decided to come back to my home,you!” She smiled
“I am your home,just like you’re mine! Those 3 weeks without you were a nightmare!”
“Oh I know! Jimmy told me you were being a little bitch and if I didn’t came back soon he would whoop your ass!” She was laughing uncontrollably
“That fucker...he knew you were coming back today didn’t he?” I asked remembering his little comment about me not needing to jack off at the hotel.
“Yep! He helped me with everything. Why?”
“Oh nothing, it’s just that he asked if I wanted to go out with him somewhere after the show and I declined saying I had other stuff to do”
“Like what?” She asked slightly confused
“Oh you know, like jack off in the shower thinking about you..”
“Did you?” She looked at me with that vixen look on her face
“What do you think baby girl? After our little teasing on the phone, you got me all worked up so I had to think about you while I took care of business with my own hands” Which where now roaming down to grab her ass.
“That sounds fun..why don’t you tell me everything you thought about huh?” She deviously smirked at me
“Oh baby, I might as well just show it to you” With that I picked her up in my arms and made my way towards the bed. I was going to show her everything that went through my mind those 3 weeks.
And fuck,she better be ready, ‘cuz I got all night long..
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Text
Give Me a Child? - Kiro Zhou
Type - Smut with fluff at the end
Warnings - NSFW, vaginal sex, food play, internal cumshot, oral (female recieving), pregnancy fluff
Word count - 2245
A/N - HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRO!! I apologize for being inactive lately! MC’s name is Ash, I felt like giving her the name of the close friend who requested this. Also, a big thank you to @among-starz for proofreading this <3
Your husband, Kiro, is currently on tour. You feel quite lonely whenever he leaves for work, but what can you do? Apple Box gives you a sad face as he sits on your lap. He places his paws on your chests as a plea for attention.
“Do you miss daddy too?”
“Ruff!”, he barks.
“I know, he hates us so much~. He left his wife and puppy home alone~.”
“Daddy missed his little girl very much. He didn’t miss his dog too much, though.”, someone whispers in your ear.
You nearly ascend to the high heavens at the jumpscare Kiro gives you. He moves Apple Box’s paws from you so he can cup your chest instead. You try to keep every bit of your composure as Kiro kneads your breasts over your shirt. Apple Box quickly leaves your lap to greet the sunshine in your living room.
“Alright, alright. I’ll give you some love too.”, He says as he bends down to pet the corgi.
“Did you bring food? It smells like takeout.”
“Not even a greeting for me? I guess Miss Chips doesn’t love me…”, he pouts.
“Oh, Kiro! My dearest husband is back! I missed you so much!....Did you bring food or not?”
“I guess~. I brought some ramen for us. If only I could get a kiss…”
You chuckle as you give him a kiss. Kiro hands you your already fixed bowl and comes to sit with you.
“How did you already put this together without a noise?”
“A superhero never reveals his secrets.”
The two of you snuggle while you eat and watch your favorite shows together. The small lab is sleeping in his bed.  Kiro caresses your body, especially your stomach after you finish eating. The show keeps going, but Kiro is keeping his focus on you. 
“Kiiiirrrrooooooo”, you whine.
“Yes, Ash?”
“Why are you rubbing my stomach so much?”’
“To help aid digestion, of course.”
You accept that answer and continue watching your show. Then kisses fall on the nape of your neck. Kiro’s soft fingers push down the waistband of your pajama shorts. Kisses from silk lips touch down on to your heated cheeks.
“Be quiet, or you’ll wake up Apple Box”, he teases.
“But Kiro, I don’t think-”, he cuts you off by rubbing your clit.
“Sorry, what?”
“I, uhn, I can’t,”, a loud moan slips from your parted lips.
“Ash…”
Slight panting is the only thing you’re listening to. You notice as a digit slips into your heat, then another.
“How would you feel if I asked you to have my children?”
The subject had been brought up during your honeymoon while Kiro did a short livestream. Both of you had decided you’d both wait awhile before the next step together. You brought it up recently, but it never spurred more than a chat. The fingers he slipped in are waiting to move.
“Are you sure you’re ready, Kiro? What about your job?”
“I’m positive, Ash. Besides, it feels like the right moment. Do you want to try now? We don’t have to if you don't want-”
“I’m ready.”, you say with confidence.
“Really!?”, Kiro beams while he moves to finger you.
“Ye, ummm, yeah…”, you sigh out.
Kiro pulls away from your heated arousal, then carries you to your shared room. He drops you on the bed, making you giggle from the bounce. He strips you of your clothes, button after button at a snail's pace. A whine from your lips urges your husband faster. As Kiro finishes, a light bulb lights on top of his head.
“I’ll be back in a minute~”, Kiro says in a singsong voice.
He leaves the room quickly only to return with a jar of honey. You give him a quizzical look. Kiro is wearing the signature cheeky grin, the one he wears when he sneaks snacks behind Savin’s back. You watch him strip quickly as you lay on the bed.
“Let’s try something new tonight”, he smirks.
He slowly crawls on top of you. The memory foam mattress imprinting every curve of your body. You barely notice as the sticky honey is poured onto your abdomen. Kiro draws you in an enchanting kiss as he puts the jar on the nearby nightstand. Kiro breaks away to move further down. The feeling of his warm tongue lapping at your belly feels pretty good.
“Kiro, uhn, stop teasing me!”
“But I have to make sure all the honey is all gone before I stop!”
As he finishes licking the remainder of the honey, the cheeky bastard scoops up more honey and smears it onto your throbbing clit.
“Miss Chips…”, he says before leaving a long lick along your slit.
You tangle your fingers into golden locks. Your toes are already curling into the sheets.
“No matter how many snacks I eat, you’re always my favorite.”, he murmurs in between your legs.
Kiro starts out slowly, teasing licks against your aching cunt. Slowly letting his tongue glide in and out of your hole as he holds your legs up. As a few minutes pass, his pace quickens. Kiro’s muscle is fucking you, sliding in at a fast pace. Your moans turn into pants for air.
“K-kiro....!”, you yell out.
“Be a good girl and cum on my tongue”
You let your orgasm rip through you. Kiro gladly sucks up your leaking essence. Your legs fall limp once he lets go.
“Tired already, baby? I haven’t even fucked you.”, your husband croons.
“Kiro, please, just fuck me already.”, you beg lightly.
“As you wish, my princess”.
Kiro uses your slick folds to lube himself before he enters you slowly. Your jaw drops as his thick cock stretches you out.  A groan of approval comes from Kiro’s throat.
“God, babygirl. I swear you get tighter every time I fuck you.”
“Please, start moving! I want you so badly!”
Kiro starts moving. You can feel each little ridge as he slowly pulls out. He hears a little whine from you, so he thrusts even harder. Kiro lowers himself to rest his forehead on yours.
“I love you so much, Ash.”, he moans out.
You can only moan as a response to his words. You’re drowning in the ocean of pleasure as he starts pounding into you roughly.
“Keep going! Keep going, oh god I’m so close.”
Kiro kisses your lips softly. His left hand moving to twist your nipples as his right hand rubs your clit. Your second orgasm of the night runs through your body. Kiro comes after you, deep breaths coming from his lungs.
“Yeah? You want me to keep pounding you until I spill deep inside you?”
“Please! Give me all your cum! I want your babies!”
“That felt so good,  Ro..”
“I’m not done with you yet, Ash. I have to show how much I missed you.”
Your night is filled with moans and screams of passion. Kiro came in you again, and again. You’re pretty sure you won’t be able to walk a straight line in the morning. 
In the morning following suit, you’re surprised to see Kiro up early for once.
“What are you doing?”, you yawn out.
“I gotta see if Savin can pick up some pregnancy tests. If he can't then I need to put on a disguise then get some myself.”
“Can’t you do that later? I wanna cuddle still.”
“If Savin can get them, then we can cuddle more.”
A minute or two passes by. Kiro sighs after a phone ding.
“Looks like I’m free to cuddle. Come here, Miss Chips!!”
The next time your try is next week. Kiro has been very busy at the studio. It came to the point where you barely saw him at home the past couple of days. Since it was Kiro’s day off today, he had no other plans other than being hilt deep inside you all day. One minute you were cuddling on the couch, the next you were in nothing but your thigh highs. Kiro is already playing with your tits while you grind on his thigh.
“Go on baby, cum on my thigh.”
“But….but I’ll make your jeans, haaah, dirty..”, you stumble out as he pinches your nipples.
“I don’t give a fuck about my jeans. Just let go.”, he murmurs.
You let the tight coil in your stomach snap.  You’re still rolling on the waves of your first orgasm as Kiro lays you on your stomach.
“Lift your ass up”, he commands.
You let out a whimper as you move your legs to the position Kiro wants you in. The soft throw pillow helps your upper body feel comfortable. Kiro digs his fingers into your hips, surely going to leave bruises tomorrow. You wiggle your bare ass against clothed hardness. With the sound of metal being unzipped and unbuckled, your cunt is filled to the brim in one swift thrust. You yelp out in surprise as he pounds into you mercilessly from behind. He bows down over your body to outline the shell of your ear with his tongue. You can feel his hot breath ghost over the nape of your neck. The flutter of your walls earns a groan. You purposefully clench around his thick cock again, earning a hard smack to your ass. A series of moans follows your loud whimper.
“Please! Please Kiro, I want to cum!!” Your body is humming.
“Do you deserve to?”, he mumbles into your ear as he reaches down to stroke your clit. 
“Yes, yes, pleaassse! I want your babies, please, cum inside me!” He thrusts start growing faster and erratically. 
“Come on, Ash. Release yourself all over my cock.”
You feel an eruption of warmth blooms between your legs as you roll on the waves of your second orgasm. Kiro’s cum paints the inside of your pussy in white spurts. He waits a minute before pulling out and turning you on your back. Your husband adjusts the pillow that held your upper body and pulls it down to your lower back.
“Roro, this feels silly..”
“We can’t let anything essential drip out! Just for half an hour, Miss Chips.”
Kiro pouts playfully, so you agree to keep your waist up high. He makes sure that you’re okay and not in any pain. He brings you some cold water out of the fridge.
Of course, you and Kiro have many more nights of passion after, yet those two times were the most memorable. The pleasurable bruises that marked your body, and the chance of  finally creating a little life form made you elated just thinking about it. After around three months of trying, Kiro was forced to leave for a tour yet again.
While he’s gone, you start to notice a dull ache in your head. Somedays, you’d wake up feeling like you’d puke your guts out. Even the smell of your favorite foods could set your sensitive stomach off. And the cravings of things you normally would eat, like chocolate with your chips? Something wasn’t right.
You take a deep breath before entering the bathroom, a box of pregnancy tests in hand. Your eyes light up as you see two lines pop up, no longer seeing that pesky single line. You cried tears of joy. Over the course of the day, you take a couple more tests to confirm that you aren’t going crazy, all of them coming out positive. Since you haven’t seen Kiro in around two weeks, you decide to surprise him with the news the next night when he would be home.
An hour before your husband will be home, you put the one test you saved in a small rectangular box. You tie a pink and blue ribbon loosely to prevent the lid from popping open.
…..
“Miss Chips! Your superhero Kiro is home!”
You nearly trip over your own feet as you rush over to your soulmate, the boxy clenched in your hands.
“Kiro, Kiroo! I have a gift for you~!” Your body vibrates in excitement.
“Alright, alright! Let me see!”, he chuckles.
You hand him the box. He quickly removes the ribbon and opens it. You two stand there in silence as he looks at your test.
“K-Kiro? Are you okay?” You’re met with silence.
“I’m sorry, Kiro….I thought this was what you wanted..”
“I’m going to be a father?” He looks up at you, his eyes watering slightly.
Your frown turns into a smile the minute he embraces you in a bone crushing hug. You wrap your arms around his neck while leaving a small peck on his lips.
“Miss Chips, we’re going to be parents! I’m going to be a dad!”
He picks you up gently and places you on the plush sofa. Kiro kneels in front of you, taking your hands and placing them on his cheeks as he rests his head on your stomach.
“Thank you so much for everything, Ash… I couldn’t even think of a life without my one and only love.”
“I love you too, Kiro”, you say with a wide smile.
That night’s movie night is one you’ll never forget. Kiro whispered words of love that left you ecstatic. He rubbed your tummy while he cuddled you from behind. The happiness in his eyes each time you’d look over at him. Kiro was prepared to be given a cruel life at a young age, yet you turned his future around. He wouldn’t have life any other way.
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timextoxhajima · 3 years
Text
Love Me A Little Less: Chapter 3 - Her Father’s Daughter
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LOVE ME A LITTLE LESS CHAPTER MASTERLIST
Member: (3rd person pov) arranged marriage au with Lee Juyeon
Genre: angsty wangsty
Taglist: @hyunvelies @sunwoowuvbot​​
“You want the luxury of a choice? I’ll give one to you right now, so you better make the right one.” ​
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“Now, this just coming in-- The next director of Apple-Korea, Lee Juyeon and Hera’s Princess, Kim Jang Won... have been reportedly dating for almost three years now!”
“No!”
“Yes! And get this: this wedding? It’s been on the planning table for almost 6 months!”
Lee Juyeon peers out the window as the car slows to a halt, hazel brown orbs scanning the traffic outside. Multiple LED screens on the sides of corporate buildings were broadcasting the news. The crinkling of a plastic wrapper ruins the beauty the amount of shock amongst the community was bringing Juyeon, cuing him to turn back and face his fellow passenger. The sight of Kim Jang Won awakens his corporate-thinking brain, processing the gravity of the news she falsely put out just about... five minutes ago.
“Your father just climbed out of his own grave and you wouldn’t give him half a day to busk in the spotlight, huh?”
“Mm,” She hums, gracefully taking a bite out of the fruit-yoghurt bar. “I would’ve given him a lifetime worth of spotlight if he came back as a zombie and there would be some sign of actual death but-- nah, he’s been alive since the day we thought he all dropped dead from that heart attack of his. God knows where he’s been the last two years, hiding and letting me build HERA & ARTEMIS... only to take it away from me?” She shakes her head, smacking her lips and taking another bite. “Not a chance.”
Juyeon laughs through his exhales, unsure whether he’s more in disbelief he’s trapped in this chaos or how poised Jang Won’s uncouthness in handling this situation was. His phone buzzes, and he coyly pulls it out to check the message in the screen amongst all the other stupid headlines. 
Young Jin Seol [12.52pm] : You’ve been schedule for a meeting with The Board at 4pm later, sir. 
He locks the device and slides it back into the inner breast pocket of his blazer. “I assume your brother is taking this better than you?”
“Excuse you, I think I’m taking this much better than most people expected me to. Well, better than I expected myself to,” The wrapper crinkles when she finishes it. The car drives up into the entrance of her mansion, easily dozens of reporters already beginning to pillow the car. 
“I have a meeting with The Board later at 4pm. Will you be present?” Juyeon raises a brow, watching Jang Won slide on her sunglasses. Her blue fingernails glimmer as she carefully folds the wrapper, using her tongue to dig the crevices of her mouth. 
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be, hubby?” She offers a seductive smirk, then unbuckles her seatbelt to lean across to him. Sliding the folded plastic wrapper into his breast pocket, Jang Won presses her cherry lips onto his, earning incessant flashes and shouts from outside the car. 
“Mm, I can still taste the wine and the tad bit of salt you got left from lunch with your Mommy and Daddy.” 
Juyeon frowns, gritting his teeth as she pulls away and exits the car on her side. The shouts and questions directed at her are muffled when she slams the car shut, her bodyguards from the mansion rushing down the steps to create a pathway for her. 
The car finally drives off, and Juyeon can’t help but to sneer in disgust at the cherry shade left on his lips. The grimace on his face nearly earns a snigger from his driver. 
“What? Funny?”
“On the contrary, sir,” He eyes Juyeon through the rear mirror. “I think she’s rather charming.”
Juyeon nearly chokes on his saliva, pulling out a napkin from one of the seat’s back pockets. “‘Charming’ my ass. She’s a dangerous woman and I’m just keeping myself alive.”
BREAKING: LEE JUYEON AND KIM JANG WON TO BE PRESENT AT THE BOARD’S PRESS CONFERENCE AT 4PM LATER THIS AFTERNOON
Mr Ro has the most disapproving look on his face as Jang Won pridefully pushes her way into the entrance hall, heels clacking against the marble and smiling widely at her butler. But of course, her brother shows up from the hallway, clearly dissatisfied.
“What the Hell’s wrong with you? You can’t run off like that and lying to the media!”
“Oh, please. This is nothing. Hey! Can I get my wardrobe and hairstylist down soon? I want to look nothing less of Kylie Jenner at her mother’s funeral at my own press conference!”
“It is exactly because I know you’re just getting started that I think you should stop,” Younghoon quickens his steps, reaching out and grabbing her arm. “You are not only pulling our family into this - you are pulling the Lee family into this.”
“Well, hey! I wasn’t the one who put their son up for sale when the offer came along!”
“But Lee Juyeon didn’t even want to be a part of this! He had no choice because his parents made it for him!”
“And did I?!” Jang Won’s near-shriek echoes through the halls. Mr Ro winces, gently shutting his eyes to regulate the surprise. “You say that of him as if I had a choice. I didn’t want dad to die. I didn’t want to take HERA & ARTEMIS. You think I wanted to spend all those nights and days and shitty bar hangouts with rich people trying to get them to sponsor and invest in HERA & ARTEMIS? Hell, no!”
She tears her wrist out from Younghoon’s grasp, shoving him back by pushing against his left shoulder. “Maybe you don’t know how shitty it feels because all you had to do was wait for HERA & ARTEMIS to become successful enough before you could build your stupid entertainment company. But right now, I’m fighting for what I created; for what I made, and I will tell you right here and right now that I am not stopping until I get what I fucking own so you better... and I really, really, really hope you make the right decision when I say you better pick a side.”
Her brother remains frozen in some kind of resignation as she closes the gap toward him. “Just because we share the same last name, doesn’t mean I will spare you, Kim Younghoon. You want the luxury of a choice? I’ll give one to you right now, so you better make the right one.”
Jang Won turns on her heels and strides past Mr Ro to the stairs, walking up to the second floor where she would spend the next 3 hours getting pampered and fitted for her press conference as the new bride of Lee Juyeon. 
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The smile Lee Juyeon has on his face looked like it was programmed; sculpted onto a stone statue; frozen in time. His father almost cannot look at it - even through the television screen, he knows it’s fake. He knows Juyeon hates it. 
But Hera’s Princess couldn’t care less. Why would she? She’s getting what she wanted, or at least, part of it. Now that she’s got Lee Juyeon playing the game by her rules, she’s one step nearer to her goal, and that’s to win back HERA & ARTEMIS from her own father. 
The jewel sitting on her left ring finger shone brightly with every flash a certain camera in the room went off. The Blue Nile Round Diamond 30-carat ring could blind someone if she deliberately shone its reflection into someone’s eyes.
“Today, The Board invites the next director of Apple-Korea and his newly announced fiancé, also known as Hera’s Princess and current owner of HERA & ARTEMIS to our monthly press conference of May. We warmly welcome Lee Juyeon and Kim Jang Won.”
The reporters and journalists provide a rather generous round of applause as Juyeon steps up the platform and takes his seat, Jang Won on his left with the brightest, sweetest smile he’s seen on her in the last six hours. 
“Thank you. We’re absolutely honoured to be here today, my fiancé and I. Today, we announce our upcoming plans up till the end of the year, assuming my father still grants me some kind of authority to HERA & ARTEMIS,” She scoffs the last part of her sentence away, earning some scattered chuckles from the crowd. It irks Juyeon, the way he knows she’s being sarcastic and her words are filled with nothing but the poison of hatred and yet these people can’t hear it for the love of God.
Sympathy, he feels. For a short, fleeting moment, he feels sad for her.
“But otherwise, my father and I have agreed on a major reform of HERA & ARTEMIS.”
Juyeon’s eyes light up, not from enthusiasm, but anxious anticipation.
“Before my father is to take full ownership of HERA & ARTEMIS by June, firstly, we will have our wedding in April,” Coyly grabbing Juyeon’s hands and showing them off to the audience, rings around their fingers. “And secondly, after my fiancé advances to director, Apple-Korea will buy 50% of HERA & ARTEMIS.”
The effort Juyeon was investing into hiding his shock, confusion and frustration in his chest was of immense, ground-breaking magnitude. His grip around her hand tightens, and she tightens her jaw, forcing out a smile when the reporters and journalists break out into murmurs and surprised exchanges.
“My brother, Kim Younghoon, will assume full ownership of Artemis as a separate entertainment company, no longer attached to HERA & ARTEMIS. Artemis will become a collaborator or partner, no longer a subsidiary.”
The panel of officials from The Board looked extremely restless from the corner of Juyeon’s eyes, and he finds trouble in deciding which to offer more attention to: the fact that one single person was intelligent enough to send the entire world of The Board into chaos, or the fact that she was already making use of him even before he assumed the role of director. 
Her fingers are now interlocked with his, resting on the table as the camera flashes go off, illuminating the room every other second. 
THE BOARD’S MAY PRESS CONFERENCE: 
LEE-KIM WEDDING IN APRIL, LEE JUYEON TO ASSUME DIRECTOR OF APPLE-KOREA IN MAY AND BUY 50% OF HERA & ARTEMIS, KIM JO-PIL TO ASSUME OWNERSHIP OF THE OTHER 50% IN JUNE, KIM YOUNGHOON TO ASSUME FULL OWNERSHIP OF ARTEMIS AFTER DETACHMENT, “ARTEMIS TO BECOME PARTNER OR COLLABORATOR”, KIM JANG WON SAYS
Younghoon’s inhales sharply, standing and frowning at the television screen after finally being unable to contain his shock. The reflection off the pool outside his living room paints inconsistent waves on his ceiling, the sound of pool water wading being the only thing he can hear besides the commotion from the broadcasted press conference. 
Scoffing aggressively, he covers his mouth and drags his fingers down to his chin, pulling on his skin and pursing his lips into a thin, white line. 
“Father, you have made the grave mistake of underestimating your daughter,” Younghoon smiles, then grins widely, somehow proud. “Her father’s daughter after all.”
Jang Won’s smile beams throughout the room, and for a split second Juyeon is mesmerized by it. Her eyes have been planted with the horrors of nightmares and terrible myths combined and yet there was something about that smile that made him think ‘Maybe being your fiance wouldn’t be too bad’.
“Before we open up the floor to the invited reporters and journalists, would Mr Lee like to say anything?” One of the officials from The Board finally gets up, hiding his confusion and anxiety behind his polite, service smile. 
Lee Juyeon sits up straight in his seat, thumb gently massaging hers as he resumes the act. Jang Won’s service smile remains coded into her lips, eyes loving as she turns to him. 
The whole world is watching, Juyeon. He thinks. The whole world is watching you put up this act, being in love with Hera’s Princess - arguably the most cunning name tied to The Board. Choose her and she’ll give you what you want. Choose otherwise and who knows what will happen?
“Mr Lee?”
“I think my fiancé has said everything that’s on my mind, haven’t you, love?” Juyeon smiles sweetly, eyes folding into long, thin lines. The curl of her lips are of triumph when she knows he’s bought into what she offered him; what she promised him. She cannot do this without him and he knows this, but what better way than to assert his authority than to pair up with the most powerful female in this shitty world?
Kim Younghoon’s eyes widen, fingers digging deep into the material of the cushion on his sofa as he watches Juyeon remove his hands from Jang Won’s, instead cupping her cheeks and bringing her face to his. 
Mr Ro strides past the first guestroom, hearing the sound of the news playing on the television in the room. He looks through the gap of the door that was left ajar, cautiously watching Kim Jo-Pil nervously swirling a glass of whiskey in his hands as the next director of Apple-Korea tilts his head, on screen.
“Play along, would you?” He whispers, and Jang Won’s pride surges when he presses his lips into hers. The floor of reporters and journalists erupt into questions and cameras go off like Donald Trump had just been shot dead. 
Kim Jo-Pil freezes, watching the whole press conference room light up with fluorescent flashes. But Mr Ro can’t help the jolt when Kim Jo-Pil deliberately flings the glass into the floor, pieces flying across the wooden flooring. 
“She’s her father’s daughter after all, sire.”
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Note
You had said Blue and Red used to do volunteer work around the town in Peru and do things to get in the good graces of the townsfolk? Could we see more of what a day in their lives would've looked like? I feel like we didn't get much Red and Blue content of them alone without the rest of their family during Ch. 2.
They listen with their ear pressed to the door, in silence.
“Was that – ?”
“Shhh.”
A pause. Blue closes his eyes, concentrating.
“No. Don't hear anything.”
“Me neither.”
“We can get out while Trick and Dapper are still sleeping and he won't cause them any trouble, most likely. He won't pay attention to us today while both of them are with him.”
“What if he's still punishing them, though?”
“Ro, we can't get in that room, can we?”
Red sulks, drawing away from the door. “No.”
“So we may as well go get some food and get out of the house a while. Alejo's coming today and the women will feed us if we help.”
“I know.”
“Go check on Dok, okay? I'll grab our stuff.”
Red turns towards his brother's room, trying the handle to make sure Anti has unlocked it this morning before poking his head inside. “Dok?” he says. “You awake?”
Dok is still all bundled up in blankets and clothes, but he's awake. Not doing anything, apparently, but awake. He nods at Red.
“Blue and I are just going to go see Alejo and help with the boxes. Do you want to come with us?”
“No,” says Dok, not shifting in his nest. “I do not feel good, thank you.”
Red signs an I love you at him before retreating from his room, heading into the kitchen to meet Blue. He understands that Dok's not sick or hurt or anything, just sad. Unless one of the women on the mountain needs help with a birth or somebody gets hurt suddenly, there isn't much of anything that will get Dok out of the house until Anti gives Trick back to him.
“Put a hat on,” Red says, grabbing a worn cap they found in the trash and shoving it onto Blue's head. “You'll burn.”
Blue pulls up his brother's hood in retaliation and they grin wearily at each other before heading down the mountain.
There are few steps on this part of the mountain. The earth beneath their feet is barely more than sand and hard rock, most of it loose, so they must go with careful feet down the slope, sliding at times and holding hands for support. In their free hands, they hold palm-sized rocks in case the wild dogs become too bold with them, though usually they can be scared off with a little shouting and kicking. Red thinks some of them are nice, but Dok warns that they're covered in diseases, so he isn't allowed to make friends. On the way, they meet a woman selling soft drinks. She has an infant in a sling around her chest, a toddler clinging to her back, and two heavy buckets of Inca Colas and Diet Cokes in her hands. Blue greets her in Spanish and asks if he and Red can help. She agrees, handing a bucket to Blue and letting the toddler slide off her back. He's screaming for attention and she does not have diapers for him, so his pants are wet with urine. She'll change him using an old t-shirt later. Jackie knows it doesn't matter much. It's hard enough to get clean up here with no running water for most of the people, and he just feels blessed to have showers at home as he picks the child up and rocks him against his chest, soothing him.
They walk with the woman – Roseangela, Blue tells Red – down towards the old cement basketball court set up beside the nearest water tank. There is a gathering already coming together at the court, as everyone on the mountain knows that Alejo and his workers come with donations and sometimes building supplies on the first of the month. Roseangela sets down her drinks and allows the toddler to go running off with the other small children, prancing bare-foot around the cement playing games in the heat.
“A big crowd today,” Blue observes in Spanish.
“There will be plenty of food,” Roseangela assures, spotting a group of women coming down the slope with boxes and pans. Even the old women and little girls walk on the loose sand and stone of the mountainside. The chickens come poking around after them, bobbing their heads in the hopes of getting some food.
“Maybe Alejo has money for more cement,” pants Red, fanning himself in the sun. “I'd be happy to have more stairs to work on. We made a whole row of 'em in a few days last time.”
“Hard work mixing cement in this heat,” replies Blue.
“I don't mind it, though,” says Red. “It's worth it so everyone can get around a little easier. The old people die walk around like this, and even the younger people sometimes cut their legs badly or twist something. Fuck, look at the ocean today. It's so bizarre. How much did that skyscraper cost? How much is that boat running around the shore? You know, I've heard a single man owns the other side of this mountain, the side where the rain pools down and everything is green. But over here they live in abandoned cargo containers and shacks made of cardboard. The city should be ashamed to have such a stark disparity.”
Blue smiles at him. In a sense, he thinks that Ro somehow fits up here: how impassioned it always makes him to see others in need even though he's no richer himself, how much he appreciates hard work and exercise, how well he adapts to tough circumstances.
“You don't complain much when we live in shacks or abandoned buildings,” Blue chuckles.
“Anti and the rest of us have made our decisions in life,” replies Red, voice surprisingly hot. “But look at that toddler running around. He's one of seven and his mother will have another soon. They live in a single-room hut and the only money that comes in is when one of their fathers thinks to send something or the mother can scrape up some cash begging or selling trinkets. That sore on his leg is terrible. There's no health care other than the monks and our Dok. There's no school. Their mother would teach them but she was never taught to read or write either. How much of a chance does that kid have to ever get out of this place, Blue?”
Sensing his genuine upset, Blue places a hand on his shoulder, pulling him close. Red sighs and shakes his head, tugging at his hood.
“It's the only thing that makes me want to be rich,” he says, chuckling. “Being able to give it to people who actually need it. Other than that I could be content having just enough for the rest of my life.”
“Don't dwell on it,” Blue advises gently. “This is what we can do to help. Watch the kids, help carry things, help cook, build when we have the supplies. Look, there's Alejo and some of his workers. Run down to help them carry donations, yeah?”
“Yeah,” says Ro, craning his head to see the figure of the monk coming up the mountain. “Yeah, good idea.”
He takes off down the mountain with reckless abandon – he'll most likely fall on his ass once or twice – and Blue watches him go with a grin, heading over to help the women cook.
“Hey, Matteo,” calls one of the mothers. They all speak Spanish, and Spanish exclusively. “You and your family are still hiding up here, then?”
“What better place to hide?” asks Blue mirthfully, crouching down with them in the shadow of a teetering hut higher up the hill to begin cutting potatoes right there in the dirt.
“Maybe today he will tell us what he is hiding from,” jokes another girl.
“Yes, Matteo, what sort of white man makes his way to this part of Lima? How did you even think of such a thing?”
“I go with the wind,” he says grandly, and the girls laugh at him.
They have cooked the chicken in a fire overnight, or perhaps some days back, and now they throw it into a big pot along with the potatoes and other veggies, as well as a thick, goopy green sauce Blue does not recognize. It smells stunningly good, though it looks like little more than mush. His mouth waters for it, but he'll wait his turn with everyone else.
Red and Alejo, along with any of the monk's volunteers, are coming up the mountain with boxes of donated supplies. Red has a huge box of worn shoes, Alejo has bags of clothes, a pair of college kids are lugging medical supplies, and a few others follow after them with their hands full of rosaries, handing them out to the kids, who are delighted to have the pretty beads. Alejo is chatting with Red in English as though there is nothing abnormal about him being there. Blue smiles down at his potatoes. Don't get him wrong, there was plenty of suspicion of them when they first came here. But after a few days of seeing that the group of white men weren't here to cause trouble or photograph them or anything like that, it simply seemed to stop mattering. It helps that Blue speaks Spanish, that Dok is, well, a doctor, and that they help with community events like this, but really Blue doesn't expect anyone here would have hurt them one way or another if they did not cause trouble.
A pebble strikes Blue in the head. He blinks, looking around, and spots a trio of giggling kids hiding nearby, their hands full of sand. He grins and turns back to his work... then whirls around again. They scream and duck down again. He plays this with them a few more times before they decide to attack him full force, coming at him and dumping sand into his dyed hair, and he howls with fake rage and gets up to grab as many of them as he can, chasing them around the basketball court.
“Hey, ninos, look at this,” calls the strong, clear voice of Brother Alejo, and he blows air into a wand, and out come... bubbles! The kids shriek in delight and go chasing them through the air. Alejo and Red distribute coloring books and bubbles to the children and the parents while helpers set up for a little Mass under the sun.
Alejo has brought a fat white priest to serve Mass for the people, as he does every Sunday he can get a priest to come. Everyone sits on the concrete to listen, but it isn't like any Mass Blue has seen on TV, where everyone waits in reverent silence, with solemn intonations whenever they are prompted. Everyone talks the whole time: women gossip, the children are screaming and running around (and Red with them), and the men all chat to whomever is closest. The old people talk with Alejo as he tries to pray, but he doesn't mind. Everyone goes up to Communion in a horde instead of a line, while Red and Blue sit back and laugh with the kids and the men who aren't interested either.
“Okay, vecinos,” calls Alejo when they are wrapping up. “So, I wanted to tell you what we're working on. There are some more students coming in the next weeks who bring money with them for cement for stairs. So if you want to help, they will all be here next week, and the week after too, a big group of them with lots of cement and donations! French kids and American kids mostly. So if the ladies can have food and the men will come help us, we will build lots more stairs. This week, mostly we have donations, but there is some wood and paste to patch up the convenience store. And remember to bring the new babies to be baptized by Father! God is watching over us. Thank you, my friends!”
“Food, food, food,” Red chants to Blue, eager, and Blue laughs and teaches him the Spanish for it, which unfortunately only leads Red to turn to the children and soon have all of them chanting: “Jama! Jama! Jama!”
“Thanks for helping,” says Blue dryly, and Red laughs as he starts scooping up random kids who are too small to help themselves and taking them to the line for food. Blue helps dish out the food on Styrofoam plates while Ro feeds toddler. It's cute, but it makes him kind of sad again: the kids all want seconds, and while there's enough for seconds today, the community meals are some of the only times their bellies will be full.
“Hey, pata, what's up?” a voice asks Blue as he has finally settled down to his own meal, sitting on the rocks beside the basketball court with some of the men. He finds some maggots in his meal, but he just picks them out and keeps eating. It tastes as good as it smells. “You're still here, huh?”
“You say that like you're waiting for us to disappear,” Blue laughs, turning to Alejo.
“You know,” says Alejo, sitting down beside him and setting a box on the ground. “I have worked here these past ten years and never seen any white man come live here. You are welcome, of course, as far as I'm concerned. It just makes everyone curious. What do you tell the people when they ask?”
“He never tells us anything,” says one of the neighbors, leaning over into the conversation, and Blue laughs. “So we make a betting pool of it. I believe he is part of the cartels, now in disgrace.”
“No, he's some spy man in hiding,” calls a teenage boy slurping down potato mash nearby. “He was CIA or something like that.”
Alejo laughs and starts pulling bottles out of the box beneath him. “You are American, though?”
“No,” says Blue. “We're Irish, actually.”
“Irish!” Alejo blesses himself. “You are a million miles from home. Do you know Jesus, then, Matteo?”
“I've met him, but we didn't really hit it off,” replies Blue.
Alejo gives him a push on the shoulder for teasing and shakes his head. “He can hear you, you know!”
“My youngest brother is Christian, though.”
“Oh, you must bring him sometime! I did not know there were three of you!”
Blue flushes a little. “Um, no, he can't.”
“No?”
“No, he... he can't. He's... ill.”
“Oh, dear. I can send the priest if he ever needs Communion or even Last Rites, okay?”
“Thanks,” says Blue, although he knows that Anti would kill a priest for trying to pass Dapper a pamphlet. “I'll keep it in mind.”
“Well, since you are Irish, or one way or another, not Peruvian, I have brought a special treat. Where is your brother? Ro, come here, yes? Chicha for the lot of you – ”
The men give up loud celebrations as Alejo begins to pass around a few bottles of corn beer, but the real prize is at the bottom of the box: a clear liquid in a nice bottle, most likely a present from some donor which he brought to be shared.
“This, my friends,” he says, “is Peruvian pisco. You cannot come to the country without trying it, absolutely not! Come, let the gringos have some first, yes?”
Blue laughs and hands it up to Red, knowing his brother does not share bottles unless he absolutely has to. Red doesn't much like alcohol either, but with everyone excited and even the kids egging him on, he smiles and tips back the bottle to take a swing from it, eyes widening at the surprisingly sweet, fruity flavor.
“It's good!” he calls.
“Le gusta!” translates Blue, and everyone cheers.
Blue is laughing as he takes his own drink. Sweet, grape brandy bubbles down his throat and settles cheerfully in his stomach before he passes it to the next man, who passes it to the next, and so on, and so on.
“You must come down next week to help us make the stairs,” Alejo continues, sitting with one hand on Red's shoulder and one hand on Blue's, warm and familiar. “There will be lunch from the women. They feed the volunteers for helping. Oh, Blue, you can help me translate! Excellent. But, you know, even when there are no translators, and it is just the students and the vecinos together, there is still community there, yes? Because they come to help and we come to share who we are with them, as you are sharing yourselves with us.”
“We'll be sure to come,” says Red, smiling at the monk. “It's satisfying. Without any trucks or machines or anything, we lay scaffolding, mix cement, and fill the stairs ourselves.”
“And you do that without even speaking Spanish, huh, Ro?”
“Yeah,” he says. “I'm not as quick with languages as my brother here. But you don't need it when you're working together. Just handing buckets up the line and laughing when we accidentally spill a little water or slip on the mountain.”
“Just so, just so,” says Alejo warmly, accepting the near-drained pisco as it comes back to him, and drinking the last of it in one swallow. “You may not be like everyone else here in some ways, but you are our vecinos now, and we all share the beautiful gifts God gave us as a neighborhood.”
When things have been cleaned up and everyone is returning to their homes or chatting peacefully in their own groups, Red and Blue find Roseangela waiting for them with her empty drink buckets and her children by the path that leads up towards home. The toddler dashes towards Red and is scooped into his arms. Blue takes the buckets from her and talks with her as they walk up the slope together, sand turning his leg hair blonde instead of brown and sun turning his face pink. They say goodbye to her at the top of the hill and watch her walk away towards her home, the baby cooing in her sling, the toddler clinging to her back and calling goodbyes at the brothers at the head of the mountain.
Blue and Red stand looking out at the ocean and the skyscrapers of Lima, not so far away. The wind is in their hair. Their stomachs are full of pisco and potatoes. A dog chases chickens around the convenience store and a little group of siblings are splashing each other as they gather water from the tank.
“You know something?” says Red, in a soft, wistful tone of voice Blue rarely hears him use. “Really, Blue, I know I talk about how badly-off the people up here are, and I know I come at it as somebody who's often had a lot better than they have, not someone who's always lived here. But there really is something very beautiful to it. I think I could stay here forever if I felt like this all the time. I know there are scary things here and very sad things too, but when I'm running around with the kids or building those stairs with the neighbors, I do feel a part of me belongs. Even if I was hungry sometimes, or got sick, or had to work a great deal. Really there isn't enough. But at the same time... yes. There is something very beautiful to it.”
Blue looks up at him, not knowing how to answer. The truth is they will be forced to move on soon enough, and many of the other people here will never have that chance. But he wonders, for a moment, if they will be remembered here, just a little, by a poor monk with boxes of old shoes and pisco, or a group of women cutting up potatoes, or by a toddler blowing bubbles out of the window of his cardboard home, and watching them drift down towards the sea.
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A/n: sorry this took a little longer than usual, I had a huge project for one of my classes that was the only thing on my mind for like a week. Here is part 2 to the charlie weasley story I made a while ago. Hope you enjoy!
**Flash forwards 7 months to the week before valentines day**
Love was thick in the air at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry the week before valentines day, not only were people excited to spend the day with their loved ones, but the big school dance was atop everyone's minds.
It was no different for Y/N Y/L/N and Charlie Weasley. The couple was now into their 7th month of dating and they were absolutely head over heels for each other, let alone in the time of valentines day.
In the 7 months they've been together, they of course got to all the things couples do. Sneaking around at 2am, stealing kisses in the hallways between classes, driving their friends up a wall because they couldn't stop fawning over each other, you name it.
Their friend sof course, were beyond happy for them, seeing as they were placing bets on if this year would finally be the year they go together, (of course, Barnaby had lost.)
Now coming up on valentines day, you could guess they already had a date planned.
"Y/n?" Charlie said one afternoon on their way to charms class.
"Yes charlie?" She said with the biggest grin on her face.
"I was just wondering what color my tie should be so it can match your dress at the dance." He said with that mischievous smirk.
"Hmm, I didn't know i was going to the dance, no one has asked me yet." She said looking around for someone who wasn't there.
"Ahh, fantastic! Then there won't be any competition." Charlie said as he magically pulled flowers from behind his back. "Y/n y/l/n, would you do my the honors and go to the valentines day dance with me?" He bent down as if he was curtsying.
"Why yes charlie weasley, I would love to." He stands up and kisses her cheek just as they hear a round of applause. Both turning find their friends, Penny, Rowan, Ben and Andre standing down the corridor from them.
"Congrats guys, now come on, we don't want to be late." Rowan exclaims. The couple laughs and pecks each other's lips, heading off in the direction of their class.
As y/n sits down next to her best friend Rowan, she feels a nudge in her ribs. "What Rowan?"
"Will you go to hogsmeade with me Penny, and tonks later? I'm pretty sure we're going to buy dresses. It could be a fun girls day."
"Of course Rowan, I would love to." She says with a huge grin on her face. She turns to charlie, who is talking with Ben.
"Well charlie, I known dragons are fascinating to you, but to me, I can't imagine a more terrifying things." She laughs interrupting their conversation.
"Well ben, I promise you charlie would not let one harm you." She turns towards charlie. "Hey im gonna go to hogsmeade with the girls tomorrow." He smiles
"Okay, I'll miss you." She laughs.
"Charlie ill be gone for a few hours. You'll be fine." He sighs but agrees.
The next day, y/n, tonks, Penny, and Rowan are making their way down to the village, intending on heading to the dress shop, when a snowball comes flying at tonks head. Everyone stops and turns to see Andre, Ben, Barnaby and Bill picking up snow.
The girls laugh it off and pick snow up as well, engaging in a snowball fight that the girls are clearly winning. Y/n throws one directly and Barnabys head which hits him dead in the face signaling the defeat of the boys with a tremendous roar of laughter.
As the girls say goodbye to the boys and make their way into the dress shop, to the dislike of the owner since they were wet from the snow, they are all having great times.
"I don't think I've ever seen Barnaby that shocked since when you hit him y/n." Tonks say with a roar of laughter. She laughs.
"Yeah, he didn't know what was coming ro him." They all laugh together.
"Hello ladies, what are we shopping for today?" The owner comes over and looks at the group of girls.
"Well, we would all like to purchase dresses for an upcoming ball, preferably color coordinated, although maybe not y/n since she of course has to match with her date." Penny explains with a smirk in y/n's direction.
"I see, well what colors would you like?" The women asks the girls.
"Well for me, I think red would be the best option, since charlies favorite color is red. Do you have a burgundy or wine color dress?" Y/n finishes as the owner smiles and goes to the back to look.
"Of course, charlie would love to see you in burgundy, although, I bet he already has seen more than that." Penny says with a huge smirk on her face. She of course is talking about the 2am adventure y/n and charlie took an abandoned corridor, and did some things... (ill stop there so not every single piece of mine is smut;)
Y/ns cheeks turn a deep shade of red as the owner comes back with multiple dresses to try on. A few hours later, the girls were satisfied with their purchases, y/n choosing a beautiful burgundy dress that extenuated her figure nicely, and her friends with blue dresses that all looked amazing on them.
When they got back to the castle, they went to their common rooms and decided to get some rest, as it was quite late, considering they took forever to try on dresses.
The next morning, y/n met charlie in the common room and they walked to breakfast together.
"So, you never answered my question a couple days ago." Charlie started. "What color tie shall I be wearing?" He said with a grin.
Y/n laughed at that. "I won't reveal too much, but I would go with a dark red to match my drop dead gorgeous dress." He laughed
"Ooh I can't wait." They held as hands as they walked into breakfast.
The morning of the dance was filled with sunshine through y/n's window. It was a Saturday and she was going to get ready with her friends for the ball the evening.
She started the day by getting breakfast and listening to her favorite songs. By nightfall, she was with all her friends, getting ready to have charlie drooling over her.
"Y/n, show us your beautiful dress." She went into the changing room and got on her dress, which looked amazing with her curled hair. She walked out and everyone turned to her.
"Holy shit y/n/n, you look amazing." She giggled, "thanks Rowan. Come on everyone get dressed so we can go to this thing." Within an hour everyone was making their way downstairs at 7:30pm as the dance started at 8pm.
When all the girls were downstairs at the entrance of the ball, y/n got nervous.
"Y/n, what's wrong?" Rowan asked her best friend as she had yet to enter the hall.
"I don't know Rowan, i just, what if charlie doesn't like it? What if I fall on my face like an idiot, what if-"
"Hey, hey, hey, just take a deep breathe, okay? Girl you look so beautiful you don't even know, charlie is so in love with you that he is going to think you look good no matter what. You're beautiful and you don't need to stress like this. Okay? Come on." Y/n smiled at her.
"Thanks Rowan, you're the best friend ever." They hugged and y/n entered the hall, all eyes turning towards her and Rowan. Charlies mouth dropped open and bill had to quickly shut if for him. Y/n giggled at that as she made her way over to him.
"Y/n, you look, amazing." Charlie smiled. "Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself red." He offered you his arm and you took it. Walking into the dance with Charlie, you felt such euphoria, you were with all of your friends and your boyfriend, it was the perfect night.
"Y/n, may I have this dance?" Charlie asked, standing from the table where his friends sat.
"Ah, such a gentleman. Of course charlie." She smiled at her friends as they waved.
As the couple took their place on the dance floor, they felt so in love with each other.
"You look so beautiful tonight y/n, I love this dress on you." She giggled.
"Thank you charlie, you look dashing as well." She said as she leaned in to kiss him, which he reciprocated almost immediately.
"Wow, y/n, that was,"
"Amazing." The two moved closer to each other as they danced, her head on his shoulder.
"I love you y/n." She froze in her place. He felt it and pulled away. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, we're so young and i-" he didn't get to finish as she pulled him for a kiss.
"Its okay charlie, I love you too." He smiled as they continued dancing, into the most perfect night ever.
A/n: okay, this one is not as good as the first, sorry! But I hope you liked it, I think it's cute. Warning, next chapter there will be ANGST!heart break and sadness lies ahead lol. Please let me know what you thinked of this chapter, it means a lot to me <3
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notveryglittery · 4 years
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birthday prince (3)
summary: virgil decides roman deserves a day off.  words: 2,100 / ship: prinxiety (roman/virgil) author’s note: this is part three of my Giving The Gay Anything He Wants series for roman’s birthday (june 4)! all ships are written implied romantic but i’m not stopping you from interpreting it otherwise. check the end notes on ao3 for credit on these gifts (bc i don’t know where to put them in this post)! i hope you enjoy!!
part 1 (roceit) | part 2 (logince) | part 3 (prinxiety) part 4 (royality) | part 5 (dlampts)  read on ao3
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“Best two out of three.”
“I thought this was a birthday gift!”
“Yes and?”
“So why don’t I automatically get to pick the first movie?”
“Because I know you’re on a princess kick and full offense, if I have to deal with a talking animal as the comedic relief sidekick, I might actually die.”
“... Okay. Fine, okay, that’s fair.”
“On shoot.”
One, two, three, shoot — Virgil’s scissors versus Roman’s paper meant that the birthday boy did, in fact, not get to pick the first movie. He feigned upset for only a few moments longer before flopping back into their pillow fort. He supposed, given all the hard work Virgil had put into this, he could put up with one non-princess Disney film.
Earlier in the day, Virgil had rather unceremoniously kicked Roman out of his own room, claiming he had something important to do. Were it not for how close they’d grown, Roman would have been upset and suspicious; he trusted Virgil now, though, and knew that nothing would go wrong. He’d spent an hour playing cards with Logan and Patton before Virgil shouted for him from upstairs. When he’d arrived back to his room, it looked almost unrecognizable. It was mostly illuminated by fairy lights, providing a cozier feel than what he was used to; the floor to ceiling windows looked out into a rainy forest instead of the usual rolling hills; his bed had been turned into a truly impressive collection of blankets, pillows, cushions, and stuffed animals. The canopy had been removed which bothered him a little but only until he realized the projector that had been set up, pointing at the ceiling. There was a basket at the foot of the bed, filled with snacks and bottled drinks. Roman figured they could stay here for the next twenty four hours and be perfectly fine.
Surrounded by what was possibly every soft thing to be found in the Mindscape, Roman clutched Mrs. Fluffybottom to his chest as Virgil got the movie set up. She’d been his favorite plushie for the entirety of his existence; he’d taken her on many adventures over the years but she’d comforted him through a number of breakdowns too. He swore there was actually something magical about her.
Virgil threw himself down next to Roman; he had swapped out his usual hoodie for one that was fully dark purple and had even longer sleeves. After Roman had stopped gawking around his room, Virgil had tossed a sweater at him. It was so bright it was practically neon but it was rainbow print and he loved it. He’d immediately changed out of his t-shirt and had grabbed Virgil in a tight hug. Roman definitely intended on starting a sweater paw fight at some point during their movie marathon.
“You good with Hercules?”
“No comedic relief sidekicks, huh?”
“Phil is not a sidekick!”
“What? Are you trying to tell me right now that Philoctetes is a main character? You can’t say he isn’t comedic relief! He gets hurt just for laughs way too often!”
“No! I mean. Maybe?”
Roman laughed, bumping his shoulder against Virgil’s. “Whatever, you dork. Of course I’m good with it. You could have picked The Black Cauldron and I would’ve been good.”
“Talking animal. Comic relief. Sidekick. Gurgi checks all of those boxes. I would’ve been going against my own word.”
“Hmm, fair,” Roman said, humming a little.
As the Muses began singing them through the opening, Roman took a moment to appreciate everything Virgil was doing for him. The basket of goodies was stocked with every one of Roman’s favorite snacks, including enough chocolate to make him sick. In fact, it’d been the first thing he’d decided on, before Virgil could even tell him what the plan for the day was. Not that it was really much of a plan, anyway. Today specifically had been set aside just for Virgil to spoil Roman however he wanted. That apparently meant marathoning Disney movies, napping as much as they pleased, and eating all the junk food they wanted. It was a far cry from how Roman usually spent his time; what with all of the projects he was constantly juggling, or the content he had to help Thomas produce, or the issues to take care of in the Fantasy Realm. He didn’t really realize even how hard he was always working.
Apparently, however, Virgil had.
Something was shoved into his face, startling him out of his thoughts. He shot a glare at Virgil, who was watching the movie and acting totally inconspicuous. The item turned out to be a stuffed dragon, one he didn’t recognize from his usual pile of plushies. The scales were shimmery, a nice ombre of purple and blue shades, the wings were tucked against the body, and… Holding his hand against the stomach was warmer than the rest, as if it had a belly full of fire. That was so cool! He squeezed it tight in his arms and went back to watching the movie, feeling even comfier than before.
With the credits rolling, Virgil ushered them both out of bed and into a couple minutes of stretching.
“I’m not having you complain to me later on when your bones start creaking.”
“You make it sound like I’m so old, Virgil!”
“Older than me,” Virgil teased. He ducked out of the way of a thrown cushion. “Oh, is that what we’re doing?!”
Roman took a face full of pillow and suddenly it was on. He couldn’t begin to guess how long they fought for, darting around the room and over the bed, swinging their feather-filled weapons at each other. He did know that by the time he collapsed on the floor, he was breathless with laughter. Virgil was so far gone that he’d dissolved into alternating between wheezes and complete silence. Eventually, they did manage to get back into their nest of blankets, though there was plenty of shoving, poking, and tickling as they did so.
“I dunno if I’ll make it through this next movie so pick one that I won’t mind falling asleep during.”
“You besmirch the name of Disney if you think there’s a single film boring enough to allow that!”
“You dozed off the first time we watched The Good Dinosaur.”
Roman spluttered. “I had just come back from a week-long quest! And that’s Pixar!”
Virgil actually cackled. “You can’t pull that excuse! Disney owns Pixar!”
“Stop bullying me,” Roman cried, “it’s my birthday!”
“It’s two days before your birthday, actually, so I can bully you all I like.”
“I’m picking The Black Cauldron, then! See how you like dozing off during your favorite movie.”
It perhaps hadn’t been his best choice. With Virgil snuggled into his side, warm and soft, the sound of his even breathing accompanying the utter lack of any songs… Well, Roman really didn’t last much longer. They found each other in the Dreamscape. Edges were fuzzy, sounds were muffled, and touch was electric. The Dream Palace was a blurry shape in the distance, attracting his attention every so often when its crystal spires caught the light. Virgil sort of just appeared, as if created from the colors of the setting sun. Roman had a feeling he was made of the field of flowers he’d woken up in.
“I like it here,” Virgil said, sitting down next to Roman.
“Remy does a nice job with it,” Roman agreed, slowly picking daisies and dandelions to weave into a crown.
“You do, too,” Virgil argued. “You have a hand in almost everything, you know.”
Roman frowned at him. “I do not.”
“Yes, Ro,” Virgil insisted, “you do. The Memory Archives look the way that they do because you and Logan watched one episode of Doctor Who together and had the inspiration to redesign.”
Roman chuckled, a little nervously. “I guess.”
“Memory Lane doesn’t hurt Patton because it knows better than to hurt anyone you love. It might be connected to him and his room, but you’re the one that created that safety net.”
“Virgil…” Roman tried, voice slightly strangled.
“I just need you to know how important you are. You aren’t told enough.”
“It’s fine—”
“You’re important, Roman. You matter. You make a difference.”
Roman finally stopped trying to tie together the stems of the flowers. Virgil took his shaking hands into his own and held them tightly. It was just enough that Roman could actually feel it versus the tingly sensation that the Dreamscape normally worked with.
“We love you. We appreciate you and your hard work.”
If it weren’t for that everything around them was already blurry, Roman might not have noticed his vision swimming when tears filled his eyes. It was hard to not know suddenly that he was crying, though, regardless of how physically present he was in this space.
Virgil let go of his hands and instead, cradled his face gently. “I know I go against you sometimes but in the long run, I want you to be just as happy as you make the rest of us.”
He waited a moment longer before smiling and squishing Roman’s cheeks. Roman giggled a bit in response. Virgil gave him two careful pats before pulling away. Picking up the flower crown Roman had abandoned, he set to work on finishing it. Roman wiped his tears away and sat still in the sunshine, content to simply let himself soak it up until he was completely warm from the inside out.
When they woke, the screen projected onto the ceiling was displaying a screensaver of 3D pipes. The forest outside the windows had been replaced with a cliffside view of the ocean. Virgil stirred next to him, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He absentmindedly pressed a kiss to Roman’s cheek before getting out of bed. He was gone for a little while, during which Roman found two more plushies that he didn’t recognize. They were a gryphon and a lion, both extremely soft to the touch, and with fierce expressions that reminded Roman of how Virgil looked when he was in fight mode. He wondered how these new stuffed animals kept sneaking into his collection but he certainly wasn’t complaining.
When Virgil returned, Roman burst into laughter, because yes, he supposed there was no chance of sneaking that one into the pile.
“There won’t be any room for me in bed, Virgil!”
“Guess you better get used to sleeping on the floor then,” Virgil said, dropping the massive Simba plushie on top of Roman.
This just made Roman laugh harder. The fabric on this one was fluffier than on the others, something he could sink his fingers into if he wanted. It was nearly as big as him, or maybe it just felt like that right now since it was smothering him. Before he could move it, though, Virgil sank himself down onto it as well.
“Virgil!!” Roman gasped between snickers. “Get off, you fiend!”
“Hmm…” Virgil hummed, pondering. From where he was laying, he could just barely look directly into Roman’s eyes. This made it all the funnier when he finally decided, in the most deadpan tone, “nah.”
After some wrestling, which led to them both falling out of bed and Roman bumping his elbow and howling for five minutes about his funny bone before Virgil kissed it better, they were finally settled back in to continue their movie marathon.
They watched Moana, Tarzan, and, Mary Poppins before sleep began to take them once more. Seeing as the sun had sunk below the sea quite some time ago, it was safe to assume it was late enough to call it a night.
“I got you…” Virgil paused to yawn. “Got you one more thing…”
“Vee—”
“‘S not much.” He held out Mrs. Fluffybottom for Roman to take. “I just… I made it so that she can never be hurt.”
For a moment, Roman’s lethargy was chased away by astonishment and surprise. He could feel the enchantment just from holding her, though it was passing by the second as the magic was fully absorbed.
“I know you… take her on adventures a lot. Fightin’ bad guys ‘n stuff.” Virgil shifted further into the blankets as sleep continued to take hold on him. “Wanna keep her safe. Know you will, anyway. But jus’ in case.”
Roman rolled onto his side so that he was facing Virgil. He kept the bunny plush tucked between them and took one of Virgil’s hands in his. “Thank you…”
“Love you. Happy birthday, princey,” Virgil told him, papping him once more on the cheek.
Sleep settled over them quickly after. Roman would wake in the morning, feeling more secure and warm than he had in quite some time, surrounded by plushies and Virgil’s arms, and know that he had so much to be grateful for.
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