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javierpena-inatacvest · 7 months

Text

Tired

Summary: You had spent weeks looking forward to your date night with Javi, but once the day actually arrives, it seems like everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong. Lucky for you, Javi knows just how to make your day better.

Word Count: 5.8K

Pairing: Dad!Javier Peña x Wife!reader (Reader's nickname is Osita, no use of y/n)

Warnings: SMUT (18+) unprotected p in v sex, bathtub sex (hehehe) vaginal fingering, creampie, praise kink, big ole nasty breeding kink (listen, who am I to deny this man as many children as he wants), alcohol/being tipsy, food/eating, mom guilt, Chucho being the cutest Abuelito, Javi winning the award for dad/husband/dilf of the year 😩🥵

A/N: .... Well. Here we are again 🫠 When I tell you have made a rent free residency in my head... I do not kid you AT ALL. This has been my favorite story for our sweet little family so far. It also may or may not be how Harper is conceived OOPS 🤷🏼‍♀️ I love them, your honor.

Series Masterlist Never Too Late Masterlist

Every day for the past three weeks, you had been counting down to the 19th on your family calendar stuck to the side of your fridge, where the words “date night” had been scribbled in Javi’s messy handwriting. While you loved your girls, it had been a while since just you and Javi had a night to yourselves, so when Chuhco offered to babysit, the 4 of you couldn’t have been more thrilled- You and Javi got an evening alone, and Lucy and Elliot got to spend the night with their favorite Abuelito (Grandpa) at the ranch, getting lots of quality time with the animals, and one too many late night snacks.

You had been looking forward to this day for weeks, and that’s why when the 19th finally arrived, you couldn’t have been more disappointed that everything that could have gone wrong that day, felt like it had.

Lucy insisting she help with breakfast before preschool and dropping the rest of the egg carton on your kitchen floor.

Elliot refusing to nap while Lucy was at school, leaving you with no time to get any of the things done around the house you had planned.

The dog getting into the bathroom garbage and then throwing up 14 qtips on your carpet.

The girls having a meltdown at the grocery store because they couldn’t bring home one of the balloons from the end of the checkout aisle.

Going on an hour long manhunt for Flipper, Lucy’s favorite stuffed penguin she insisted had to go with her to Chucho’s, which ended up being hidden under a blanket in her bed.

Snapping at the girls out of frustration as they chased each other through the kitchen while you were trying to finish making them dinner.

Your pounding headache and tired body from feeling like you had been doing nothing but scrambling all day long just to stay afloat.

And now, with Lucy teaming up with Elliot in their no-nap strike, you hadn’t even had time to shower or get ready for your date by the time Javi had gotten home, leaving you with barely under an hour before you had to leave to make it to your dinner reservations on time.

You wanted so desperately to just forget about the shitshow that had been your Friday, but try as you might, you couldn’t help but find yourself in an overwhelmed and grouchy mood. A mood that you did not want to be in on your long awaited date night with Javi, your internal battle of emotions only dampening your spirit further.

As you heard the garage door open and Javi’s familiar footsteps make their way down the hallway, you fought with everything in you to try and put on the happiest face you could, as if you were going to be able to will yourself out of your funk to enjoy the night with your husband.

“Hi, Hermosa.” Javi beamed, setting down his bag to wrap you in a hug, pressing a soft kiss onto your forehead before looking down at you in slight confusion, seeing that you were still in leggings and one of his oversized t-shirts, hair plopped up in a messy bun with very little time left before the 4 of you needed to head out to Chucho’s to make it to your dinner reservations. “Listen, baby, you know I think you look absolutely stunning in anything, but I do think the restaurant may be a touch nicer than my 20 year old t-shirt from college.”

“I know, sorry, it’s just been- It’s been a day. The girls are in the living room playing, do you mind getting their bags and watching them until we have to go so I can shower?” You tried your best to force a smile up at Javi, who was now cradling your jaw in his large palm, tracing his thumb along your cheek. His big brown eyes stared back at you, almost as if he knew there was something off that you didn’t want to get into right now, planting another kiss in your messy hair as you let out a deeper than intended exhale.

“Of course, Osita. Anything else I can do to help while you get ready?””

“No, just that. Thanks, Jav.”

“DADDY!” Two pairs of tiny feet pattered down the hallway, Lucy and Elliot bolting towards their dad with arms outstretched, Javi now squatting down to greet them with a smile stretched across his face, almost as wide as theirs.

“Ahhhh, there are my pollitas! C’mere mis amorcitas (my little loves).” Scooping the girls up in his arms, Javi picked up Elliot and Lucy, resting one on each hip, peppering little kisses over their faces, making them erupt in laughter. “Let’s head back to the living room so we can let Momma get ready before we leave for Abuelito’s house, sí?”

“Okay, Daddy! Will you play horsies with us?” Lucy squealed, wrapping her little arms around Javi’s neck, giving him a hug.

“Of course, Lucy Goosey.” Javi turned back to give you one last smile as he whisked the girls off to the living room, the sight of him carrying your daughters with such genuine joy and happiness being the first thing that had brought genuine relief today.

The relief was short lived though, now looking up at the clock to see you were down to 45 minutes to shower and make yourself look like a halfway decent human. You frantically sped through your routine, cranking up the temperature of the water in the shower to as hot as it could go as you tried to wash away the remnants of your day. Unfortunately, the water could have been a million degrees and it wouldn’t have been enough- You forgot you were out of shampoo, having to settle for Javi’s instead, and after trying to speed shave, you realized as you were drying yourself off, you had completely forgotten to shave the bottom half of your right leg.

You were thankful for the loud fan in your master bathroom, knowing it was enough to drown your tears as you stared yourself down in the mirror, feeling like an absolute mess. You didn’t feel excited, or pretty, or any of the things you wanted to feel before going out on your date. Truth be told, you felt like a shitty, worn down gremlin of a mom who just wanted to do nothing more than curl up in a blanket and hide away from the world for the rest of the night. Taking a long inhale, you shook your head, forcing yourself to wipe the wetness away from your cheeks to finish getting ready, and while with your hair and makeup done, and cute flowy dress wrapped around your body, you looked externally better than you had an hour ago, internally, you still didn’t feel much better.

You grabbed your coat and purse, making your way back into the living room to see Javi changed into navy dress pants and sport coat to match, with a white button down underneath, sitting on the couch with one daughter on each side, arms wrapped around them while they read “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” for what you were sure must have been the 17th time since you had gotten into the shower, considering it was the only book Lucy had wanted to read in the past week. Hearing you step through the doorway, Javi’s face lit up, biting down on his lip as he nudged the girls, pointing towards you. “Pollitas, look. Doesn’t Mommy look so pretty?”

“You’re so beautiful, Mommy!” Lucy grinned, bolting up off the couch, wrapping her arms around your leg, squeezing it tightly.

“So pweety, Mommy!” Elliot cooed, toddling over to join her sister, clutching around your other leg.

You could feel the tears beginning to well behind your eyes again, seeing your little girls attached at your hip and your sweet husband staring back at you, wondering how in the world had given you 3 people who loved you so much on the days you loved yourself so little. You let out a little gulp, trying to choke back your sobs, leaning down to kiss each of the girls on the head.

“Thank you Munchkins. Not as beautiful as my little chickens or as handsome as your Daddy, but that’s okay. You ready to go to Abuelito’s?” You mumbled through your words, your tone now making Javi’s brow scrunch in concern, giving you that look he gave you when he knew something was bothering you and you were being too stubborn to admit it. With enthusiastic squeals from the girls, they were practically running out the front door to the car, you following close behind them with their overnight bags, Javi following behind you just as closely, desperate to figure out what was on your mind.

The drive to Chucho’s was fairly quiet besides Lucy and Elliot’s sing-along to the Lion King soundtrack that had been a permanent fixture in your car for the past few car rides. As the girls half babbled the words in the backseat, Javi reached over, resting his hand on your thigh and rubbing soft circles against your skin, giving you that look that said, “I know something’s wrong and you’re not telling me”, you exchanging back with an incredibly unconvincing, “It’s not a big deal, don’t worry about it.”

As you pulled up to the Peña ranch, Chucho was already outside, waiting on the porch in his rocking chair, his face beaming just as sweetly as Lucy and Elliot’s as they ran out of the car to greet their grandpa.

“Hola, nietas! (Hi, granddaughters!)” Chucho cooed, letting out a little grunt as Lucy and Elliot barreled into him, squeezing him in their grasp. “How are my favorite little ladies?”

“Hi Abuelito!”

The girls giggled as Chucho kissed them both on the cheek, smiling up at you and Javi as you carried the girls bags to the front door. “Oh díos mio, girls. Look at how nice your mamá and papá look tonight!”

“Thanks Pops.” Javi laughed, setting one of the bags down on the porch. “You still okay if we come pick these two monsters up tomorrow morning?”

“Monstruos? My sweet nietas? Never.” Chucho laughed, giving the girls a little shake as the two of them giggled at their grandpa. “Come by whenever you’d like. You know I am more than happy to have these two as long as you’ll let me.”

“Thanks, Chucho.” You nodded, setting another bag down next to the one Javi had placed on the porch. “Do you need us to do any-”

“Mija, I have everything I need. Don’t worry about a thing. Now go. The two of you deserve a nice night out. Me and the girls will be just fine, won’t we?” Chucho grinned down at Lucy and Elliot, bouncing in excitement.

“Thanks, Dad. Be good for your Abuelito, sí? I told him if you’re naughty, you’re gonna have to go sleep out with the cows.” Javi teased, kneeling down to the girls level, giving them a little tickle and kiss before wrapping them in his arms. “Te amo, Pollitas. (I love you, little chickens).”

“Bye girls, we’ll see you tomorrow, okay? We love you.” You joined Javi, crouching down to give your girls one last hug and kiss before they were already halfway through the front door, bursting into Chucho’s house with excitement.

You thanked Chucho again, making your way back to the car, pulling down the dusty, dirt driveway before making your way back on the road. “God, I’m convinced he loves those girls more than anything else on the face of this earth. I’m sure that means he won’t mind keeping them just a little longer tomorrow, huh, Hermosa?” Javi smirked, once again placing his hand on your thigh, giving it a little squeeze before realizing you had been staring out the passenger side window from the moment you had gotten in the car, trying desperately to snap yourself out of the terrible funk of your day you just couldn’t seem to shake.

You felt the wetness beginning to pool under your eyelids, your breaths becoming shaky and weary, trying to pull yourself together from the tired, guilty and grumpy mess that you were, but it was no use. “Hermosa? You okay?” Javi asked again, confused by your silence, gripping your leg a little tighter, the sweet and gentle tone of his voice being the final straw that broke the camel’s back. You let your tears fall freely, your sobs becoming louder and heavier as you shook your head back and forth, Javi immediately pulling over the truck to the side of the dirt road, unbuckling his seatbelt and pulling you into a hug as you cried against his chest. “Baby. Baby what’s wrong? Hey, shhhh, it’s okay, Osita. I’m here, it’s okay.”

Javi held you, letting you take your time to cry before trying to prod about the reason behind it, feeling you take long, exasperated deep breaths against him before pulling away, wiping away the tears that had been flowing down your face. “It’s been such a shitty day, Jav. I felt like such a bad mom, and I’m so tired and I’ve been looking forward to this date with you for so long and I’m just fucking exhausted. I’m so sorry. Our date hasn’t even started yet and I’m already ruining it.” It wasn’t long before you were sobbing again, leaning back into the broadness of Javi’s body as he immediately wrapped his arms around you, gently cradling the back of your head as you cried, feeling his own heart break from seeing how hard you were on yourself.

“Hermosa…” He cooed, pressing you against his chest while he ran his fingers through your hair. “Baby… Listen to me, okay? You are not a bad mom. You are the most wonderful mother in the world to our girls. I have no fucking clue how you do what you do all day long, but there is no one else in the world I would rather have to help raise them with. You are so sweet and patient with them, God, they’re little mini versions of you and I couldn’t be happier. You are an amazing mom, you understand?”

“It didn’t feel like it today. God, they were so tough today and it was exhausting, I yelled at them today for running in the kitchen and I felt so bad, I just- fuck- being a mom is so hard, Jav. I love it, I do, I love those girls so much, but today I felt like I was running for worst parent of the year award. And now I can’t even pull it together enough for our date that we’ve both been looking forward to. I’m so sorry, Javi.”

“Osita, you are not ruining anything. Baby, if I get to spend time with you, I’m happy. I don’t care where we go or what we do, if I’m with you, it doesn’t matter. So, that being said,” he paused, tilting your head up towards him, gently wiping away your tears with his thumb, “we’re gonna go home, pick up pizza, open a bottle of wine, sit and soak in the tub for as long as you want to, and then I’m gonna make sweet, sweet love to my beautiful, amazing wife until she knows just how much I love and appreciate everything she does for our family. Okay?” You let out a little huff of laughter, a small smile finally appearing in the corners of your lips as you helped to wipe your tears away.

“Are you sure? You planned dinner reservations and I-”

“I’ve never been so sure. I love you, Osita. You are everything to me, and I promise I will spend the rest of my life trying to make sure you remember it.”

“God, now you’re gonna make me cry even more, you dummy.” You laughed, Javi joining in as you gave him a playful nudge. “I love you too, Jav. You’re way too good to me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” As Javi’s sweet brown eyes locked with yours, the weight in your chest began to ease, wondering how in the world you had gotten so goddamn lucky. Buckling himself back in, and shifting the car into drive, Javi turned around, changing directions back to home, resting your head against his shoulder.

“Can we get breadsticks with the pizza, too?”

“Whatever you want, baby, it’s yours.”

With an extra large pizza and breadsticks in your lap, the drive back to your house was spent in a much lighter mood than your drive to drop off the girls at their grandpa’s. You switched out the Lion King disk in your CD player for Fleetwood Mac, the two of you happily singing along to “I Don’t Wanna Know” as you pulled back into the driveway of your house.

You were greeted by your dog, Bear, wagging his tail in delight at your presence from the comfort of the couch, rolling over to show you his belly, Javi gladly obliging in giving him some scratches before Bear gladly put himself back to sleep, curled up against a throw pillow. “Old man could really give two shits about us being home, huh?” Javi laughed, giving the dog one last pat before making his way back over to you in the kitchen, already shoving a cheesy piece of pizza into your mouth.

“I think he’s just as relieved from a night off from the gremlins as we are.” You laughed, catching a stringy piece of cheese that had fallen from your lips, making you and Javi both chuckle. “Is it bad if we eat pizza and drink wine in the tub?” You raised an eyebrow at Javi, gesturing towards your food, anxious to take a relaxing soak, your tub used more frequently by Lucy and Elliot than either of the two of you these days.

“Of course not, Osita. Why don’t you get stuff ready upstairs and I’ll bring wine and pizza up? What wine do you want?”

“I mean… It is date night. Should we break out the nice wine the Murphy’s got us the last time they came over? We did say we were saving it for a special occasion.” You smirked, holding up your half eaten piece of pizza to toast to your failed date night out, you and Javi both shaking your heads in laughter. Javi reached up in the cabinet above the fridge, pulling out the bottle and examining it before getting out a bottle opener and popping off the top.

“God, the amount of shit Steve would give me to know that this got opened to be drank in our fucking bathtub…”

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” You winked, giving Javi a kiss on the cheek before taking the last bite of your pizza. “Meet you upstairs?”

“Can’t wait.”

After making your way up the stairs and into your master bathroom, you cranked on the water in the tub, making it hot enough for your liking, but not hot enough Javi would complain about it being the surface of the sun. You thought that you had another set of bubbles to put in the bath besides the ones that you used for the girls, but after digging around in the bathroom cabinet, you had to settle for the bright pink, birthday cake scented bottle Lucy had insisted on getting during your last shopping trip. After the tub was full and bubbles were mixed and foaming, you stripped your clothes, dropping them on the tile floor in a heap next to the bathtub before tying up your hair and stepping into the water, sinking down to your neck and letting out a deep sigh as you closed your eyes in relief. You could feel the tension beginning to ease from your body, taking a moment to sit in the sweet silence before you heard Javi’s footsteps trailing up the stairs, gently swinging open the bathroom door, pizza and wine in his hands and a soft smile on his face.

“Give me one more second, okay?” Setting down his things on the counter, Javi exited back out of the bathroom, quickly returning with a handful of candles and lighter, placing them around the room and lighting them all before turning off the overhead lights, the light of orange and yellow flames flickering against the walls in a soft, warm glow.

“Wow, didn’t know I was going to the spa tonight. Very romantic of you, Jav.” You grinned, crossing your arms over the edge of the tub, resting your chin overtop of them as you stared at Javi, now undressing himself of his own clothes, throwing them into the pile with yours. “And the spa has hot naked men bringing me pizza and wine? God, I should come here more often.” You giggled, looking up at him in admiration as he passed you over your plate and glass before grabbing his own and stepping in to join you, sliding down the porcelain on the opposite side of the tub. “Thank you for this, Javi. I know it’s not what we had planned, but I really needed this.”

“Of course, mi amor (my love).” Javi smiled at you, bringing his slice of pizza halfway up to his mouth before taking an over exaggerated sniff of the bubbles below him. “Why does the bath smell like a birthday cake?”

“I thought I had other bubbles but the only ones I could find were Lucy and Ellie’s so we have birthday cake flavored bubbles.” The two of you laughed, shaking your heads as you bit down into your pizza, knowing that there was no one else in the world you could be happier to spend a night in a tub full of birthday cake bubbles with.

After you had finished your dinner and were a few more glasses of wine in, you had shifted in the tub so that you were settled in between Javi’s legs, resting with your back against his chest and leaning your head back on your shoulder with his hands wrapped around your body, the two of you chatting and laughing away, not knowing or caring how much time had gone by. You had covered everything from Javi’s day at work, to vacation plans, now to Lucy’s interest in soccer, which had been a hot topic of conversation.

“I know, I was talking to some of the other moms at the preschool about it, and they said they’d have their girls do soccer too, they just don’t have anyone to coach. They’re trying to find one of the dads to do it so they can start in the spring.”

“Are you trying to get me to coach a soccer team?” Javi laughed, rubbing his hands up and down the length of your arms. “Baby, I know absolutely nothing about teaching 4 year olds how to play soccer, you would be better at it than I would.”

“Well exactly, they’re 4 Jav, it can’t be rocket science. I think you would be good at it. You know Lucy would whip everyone into shape to make sure they listened to you.”

“Honestly, she would probably be a better coach than I would.”

“She honestly would. I’m being serious though, baby! You’re so sweet and patient with the girls. Plus, it’d be good eye candy to watch from the sidelines.” You giggled, tilting your head up towards Javi, biting down on your lip.

“Good eye candy, huh?” Javi smirked back down at you, sliding his hand down your arm to your thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Mmmmhhmmm. I could get to show off my hot, handsome husband and what a great dad he is for his girls. Make all the other moms jealous.” You cooed, shifting your body to face towards him, straddling over his lap, running your hands through the dark curls at the nape of his neck. You could feel Javi’s hands beginning to shift with you, now wrapping his arms around the small of your back, grabbing a fistfull of your ass, kneading the soft flesh in his hands. You tilted your head, letting your lips land tenderly on his before his tongue was swiping in the opening of mouth, the tenderness transforming into a passionate electricity. You let your hands roam down his neck towards his chest, sliding down under the water over his stomach, palming at his dick, already half hard in your hands. “Such a good Daddy, that maybe…” You moaned in between kisses, “Maybe it’s time for you to give me another baby.”

Javi paused, his eyes going wide at your comment, his jaw almost hanging open as he let out a little gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. “Hermosa… Baby, are you serious?” He couldn't help but let a boyish grin escape from his lips, his face lighting up brighter than a little kid on Christmas.

You and Javi had agreed you had both wanted a third, but decided to hold off until Elliot was past the 18 month mark before trying again. Javi had been dying for another kid, and had been using as much self restraint as he could to keep from asking you every day if the two of you could start trying for your third child after Elliot had turned a year and a half. It felt ironic that the circumstances you found yourself in to ask him if he wanted to have another baby were because of how exhausted you were from the two you already had, but God, after thinking about him coaching that soccer team, there was something about the thought of your sweet, loving husband with another baby attached to his hip that made any ounce of willpower you had left absolutely dissipate. If Javi wasn’t hard enough from your touch, the thought alone of getting you pregnant again was more than plenty.

“You wanna put another baby in me, Jav?” You smirked, wrapping your hand around his cock, gently stroking it as he groaned, letting his head fall to your shoulder, quietly laughing to himself, almost as if he couldn’t believe his ears.

“Fuck me…” Javi hissed, tugging you closer towards him, the sudden movement making water splash over the sides of the tub. One of the hands grabbing your ass snaked around to your front, grazing over your hip and inner thigh before making its way between your legs and circling against your clit. “Fuck, I want to so badly. It’s all I’ve been thinking about these past few weeks, how much I wanna grow our family, give the girls another sibling, see you all beautiful and pregnant carrying our perfect baby again. Will you let me, Osita? Let me fuck another baby into you, Momma?” The pressure of his fingers on your sensitive bundle of nerves had you moaning, letting out a soft whimper as his two fingers pressed deep into your heat, slowly rocking his fingers along the soft spongy spot inside you that he knew made you crumble.

“Oh my God, yes. Fuck- fuck, I need you to, Javi, please.” You whined, Javi’s mouth now working its way down to your breasts, sucking and flicking at your pebbled nipples as his fingers fucked into you deeper and harder, burying your head in the crook of his neck, the sensation of his tongue and hands making your pussy begin to flutter. The heel of his palm dug deeper into your clit, pressure building in your belly as your hips rocked against his hand, each roll making more and more water overflow onto the floor as you braced yourself, digging your fingers into the skin of Javi’s broad back as that sweet and familiar tingle built at the base of your spine.

“That’s it, sweet girl, I know you’re close. Give me one on my fingers and then I swear, I’m gonna fuck you so full of me, I’ll get you pregnant tonight.” Javi grunted through gritted teeth, feeling your cunt begin to clench around his fingers, your breathing becoming heavy and shaky as you moaned. Suddenly, you felt the coil in your belly snap, making you cry out as your orgasm ripped through your body, flooding every inch of you with euphoria and pleasure as you reached your peak.

Javi placed languid kisses and nips down your neck and collarbone as you slumped into him, coming down from your high with labored breaths, finally composing yourself enough to sit up to see the satisfied grin spread across his cheeks, a lustful and mischievous look pooling in the dark brown of his eyes as he stared at your blissed out face. “How much you wanna bet?” You smirked, biting down on your lip before leaning in to tug at Javi’s earlobe with your teeth as you scooted closer over his lap, shifting your body up in the water of the tub to hover over his cock, carefully guiding it to line up with your entrance.

“Bet what, Osita?”

“Bet that you get me pregnant tonight?” You mewled, slowly sinking yourself down onto Javi’s length, savoring the sweet sting and stretch of him inside you until you had bottomed out, feeling his tip brush against your cervix. “That 9 months from now, we’ll have one more baby that gets to fill another room in our house?” Gently, you began swirling your hips, letting Javi’s cock stay buried deep inside you, splitting you open in the best way possible, almost making you speechless.

“Jesus Christ, Hermosa…” Javi sighed, digging his fingertips into your sides, guiding your bottom half as it rolled in his lap. “I’d bet anything, because I’m gonna fuck myself so deep inside you, it’ll take. You want another baby? I’ll give you another baby, Osita. I’ll give you anything you want. My beautiful wife, amazing mom to our girls, fuck- you deserve everything.”

Moans escaped from both your parted lips as you began to raise yourself up and down along Javi’s length, now punching along the spot inside you that had your mind going numb. His fingers circled against your already sensitive clit as he thrust up into you, the feeling of him all consuming, even as the lukewarm water of the bath swirled between you. You draped your arms around his neck as his free one wrapped around the small of your back, your bodies melting together as one as you pushed and pulled with each stroke.

You could feel your cunt beginning to clench again, heat blooming in your belly with each swirl of your hips, tugging at the damp curls of Javi’s hair at the nape of his neck as his thrusts became more frantic and sloppy, telling he was just as close to reaching his own high as you were. “Fuck, Javi, fuck- I’m so close baby, oh shit- don’t stop.” You whined into the crook of his neck, pulling yourself even tighter against his body.

“I’m not gonna stop, Osita. Not gonna stop until fuck you full of me and fuck another baby into you. That what you want, Hermosa?” Javi grunted through gritted teeth, pounding deeper and faster into you with each word, the water from the tub sloshing and spilling onto the tile floor below you.

“Yes, fuck- oh my god, yes, fuck Javi, oh shit- fuck baby, I’m gonna-ahhhhhhhh.” Once again, your orgasm radiated through every inch of your body, making your legs shake and mind go blank as you cried out Javi’s name, practically melting into him as he continued to thrust into you with a desperate ferocity, close to his own end. Javi’s arms wrapped around your back, caging you against his chest, fingertips gripping in the soft skin of your shoulder blades as he fucked into you, babbling incoherently.

“That’s it, sweet girl. Fuck, I’m close too, Hermosa. Oh fuck- God, I can’t wait to see you pregnant again. So fucking beautiful carrying our baby. You’re such a- fuck- good mom to our girls, my fucking perfect wife, I’m so luck-ahhhhhhh.” With one final thrust inside you, you could feel Javi painting your walls in his spend, milking himself of every last drop, his breath ragged and heavy as he leaned into you, your chests rising and falling in sync as you came to.

“Well…” You laughed to yourself, shaking your head against Javi’s shoulder where it had been resting, now lifting up to grin at his blissed out face, “Safe to say we should probably clean this tub out before we let the girls use it again.”

Javi joined in your laugher, the two of you giggling to yourselves over your antics, peeking over the side of the tub to see the giant puddles pooling on your bathroom floor. “I mean, the water had soap in it, so at least the floor is clean.” Javi smirked, cupping his hand around your jaw, pressing his smiling lips to yours.

“Clean, really? Not like we need any extra towels or anything to wipe up all the water we spilled all over the floor because now it’s just magically clean, huh Jav?” You teased, giving him a playful nudge, Javi rolling your eyes at your heavy dose of sarcasm. “We probably should get out and wipe all of this up. Any longer in here and I think our future kid is gonna come out just as pruney as we are.”

“Dork. I’ll clean everything up. Why don’t you go put on pajamas and I’ll meet you in bed, okay?”

“Javi, I was just teasing. I am half the reason for this mess, I can help clean it up and-”

Javi silenced the rest of your sentence with his lips, capturing the rest of your words in his mouth. “I know you can, Osita. I want to. Let me clean up. Can’t have you working too hard, Momma. Gotta make sure you stay nice and rested so you can grow baby number 3.”

“You are ridiculous, you know that? You just gonna magically will me to be pregnant after tonight?” You sighed, laughing as the two of you made your way out of the tub, wrapping yourselves up in the fluffy towels you had left out on the bathroom counter, Javi draping his towel around the both of you as he leaned down to press a soft kiss into your messy hair.

“I told you, I’d bet you anything. 5 bucks.”

“5 bucks what, smartass?”

“5 bucks says you don’t get your period and we find out you're pregnant by the end of the month.”

“I’ll tell you one thing, if you are anything, Javier Jesús Peña…” You smirked, pressing up on your tiptoes to peck another kiss on his lips, “it’s confident. I hope you’re right, but I’ll take your bet.”

If Javi was also anything, it wasn’t wrong. Because 4 weeks later, after a missed period and 3 sets of double pink lines on your pregnancy tests, baby Peña number 3 was on their way. So when you handed Javi 5 dollars and a little white box with one of your tests, you couldn’t help but laugh to know that even though your future daughter was the product of a date night gone wrong, it couldn't have felt more right knowing you were lucky enough to grow your family by one more with the man you loved more than anything else in the world.

Taglist:

@cool-iguana @rhoorl @whyjuliaaa @bbiophiliaa @pertinentpostmortem @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @pedrobaby @fatima-marisa @beboldbebravethings @poodlebae @kittenlittle24 @3sriracha @jungchloee @perennialdoll247 @prettyinpunk85 @partyofone3413 @harriedandharassed @pedrohoe04 @theorganasolo @endlessthxxghts @beware-my-thorns @missladym1981 @messinadress @milly-louise @jay-zzle @the-one-with-the-grey-color @persephone-girl @bitchesuntitled @pedropascallvr @millennial-teenybopper

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almostgenerallyalways · 1 year

Text

mamas (don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys)

Pairing: Jake Seresin x fem!reader Category: angst / fluff / run-on sentences Word count: 3,1k CW: language, I’ve been to Texas once okay forgive me, divorce Author’s note: this was supposed to be a holiday fic but I got stuck on it and almost abandoned it, but here it is rescued from my drafts, shoutout to all the amazing tgm fic writers your writing truly astounds me

Summary: Every year around the holidays, you hear from your ex. This year when you don’t respond, he decides to show up at your door.

2022

Jake UT [November 23, 2022 at 10:24 PM]

Hey stranger

Visiting my mom for Thanksgiving

How’ve you been?

You ignore the message. How you’ve been in the last twelve months is not something you feel up to discussing with him.

You spend the next weeks dealing with crisis after crisis at work, leaning into the chaos like you have been all year. Your personal life? Garbage fire. Reconfiguring your entire pump setup two weeks before going to production, because the DoC slapped an import ban on one of your key suppliers in China? You’re on top of it.

But then, the week before Christmas, another message comes in:

Jake UT [December 17th, 2022 at 3:47 PM]

Hey

In town for the holidays

Would love to see you if you’re free

Brett welcome too, of course

A pang in your chest, but curiosity gets the better of you, so you text back:

Thanksgiving and Christmas? Judy must be thrilled.

You’ve met Jake’s mom all of one time, ten years ago, but she made a lasting impression. Fiercely protective of her only son, she’d been wary of you at first (you were, in order of importance: Too non-Texan, too vegetarian, and too focused on trying to rescue an almost-due group project for your sustainable water management class in which no one was pulling their weight).

And yet, over the Thanksgiving weekend you’d spent at Jake’s mother’s house in Colton, she’d slowly warmed up to you. You’d asked her endless questions about her job as a project manager at Austin-Bergstrom, and she’d poured you half glasses of wine (still exotic, to you, back then) at the kitchen island, shooing Jake back into the living room.

She’d even called you, after you guys broke up, to say she was sorry to hear it, and to tell you to call her up any time you needed someone to talk to. You’d tried your best to keep your voice even, not to break down in tears for the seventh time that day, and never called her again.

* * *

“Dude. Put your phone away for two minutes.”

Jake looks up apologetically at his friend, and pockets the device. “Sorry. Just expecting a text.”

Sandeep holds out his bottle of Lone Star, and Jake clinks it with his own. “It’s good to see you, man. Sorry I wasn’t around at Thanksgiving, we were visiting Jed’s family in NC. I didn’t expect you to be back so soon.”

Jake takes a swig of his beer, the cold liquid feeling like a balm to his throat. “Yeah, well. It’s been a big year, work-wise, so they owed me one. I wanted to spend some extra time with my mom.”

Bringing up his drink to toast again, Sandeep says: “Here’s to you, bud. And to getting that permanent assignment in California. At least we knew where to send our holiday card this year.”

Condensation drips down the neck of his bottle, and Jake spins it slowly in his hand, stopping himself from peeling off the label. He feels on edge, unmoored, despite this 6th Street dive bar being as familiar to him as the back of his own hand.

Sandeep’s got his number. “Seeing anyone else while you’re in town? I don’t know, Myers?”

Jake doesn’t look up, but feels his cheeks heat up fractionally.

His friend takes another swig of his beer. “I guess I should stop calling her Myers. You know, with the divorce and all.”

The bottle escapes Jake’s grip, and amber liquid sloshes across the table, into Sandeep’s lap. “Shit, Seresin! Grab some napkins, will you?”

* * *

2012

You’d always known there was an expiration date on this thing with Jake, which is why you’d been reluctant to meet his mom to begin with.

You wanted fundamentally different things. He, the Navy: Adventure, excitement, a chance to serve his country. You: Stability. A family. A place where you belonged.

Both of you: an opportunity to prove yourself.

It’s civil, as far as breakups go.

“You always knew I wanted to fly.” He says, over breakfast at Magnolia Café. There’s a hard set to his jaw that makes you soften in contrast, because of course you do, everyone who’s ever been near Jake Seresin for longer than ten minutes knows he’s always wanted to fly.

From your first date he told you about how Judy used to park him in her office at the airport when her summer childcare fell through; little Jake happily spending the day watching commercial jets taxiing and taking off in quick succession.

How her coworkers, the civilian engineers who’d stayed on after Bergstrom Air Force Base was decommissioned and commercialized, would regale him with stories about generations of F-4 Phantoms. Or the British Airways Concorde, one of only twenty of the ill-fated aircraft ever made, bringing the Queen to Austin in a little yellow hat. The Reconnaissance Air Meet bringing in the best fighter pilots from across all divisions of the military and abroad, to compete and show off their skills.

Jake would listen to them with stars in his eyes.

You pick at your migas, your appetite gone. “I know, Jake. I would never stop you.”

But you look at him, and you know your face mirrors his determination. “But I can’t come with you, Jake. I can’t start my career following you around from camp to base year to year. I’m forty-thousand dollars in debt getting this degree, and I need to follow my own plan.”

You haven’t moved in together, though Jake spends most of his nights at your tiny off-campus apartment, where you’ve made him countless cups of black coffee trying to fuel weekend study sessions. Where he would come in past midnight, back from the late shift at his part-time job at the H-E-B, and bury his face in your neck, waking you up even though you’d been asleep for hours. Where you would hold his sleeping head to your chest, his deep breathing somehow felt inside of you, and run your fingers up and down the bare skin of his back, trying to memorize him.

You’re twenty-two, you tell yourself. This is not the end of the world.

So you see him off at the front door, a box of his things clutched to his chest, and you force yourself to be strong. “You better be,” and you try to smile up at him, but you’re not sure you’re doing a convincing job, “You better be the best goddamn pilot the Navy has ever seen, Jake.”

For a second, he looks like he wants to say something, but then he just puts down the box, and pulls you into a last embrace. You sink into it, the fundamentally safe feeling of his arms around you, then make yourself pull away after a minute, pretending you don’t see the wet stains on his shirt.

Later you look at all the spaces in your apartment he is now conspicuously absent from (no dog-eared volume of Game of Thrones on the nightstand, no boots by the door), and it hits you then; the crevasse he’s left in your life. It may run deeper than you thought.

* * *

Jake had gone to Officer Candidate School in Rhode Island, then designator-specific training in Pensacola, Florida, and done his best not to think about you.

It helped that his days were intense and exhausting. It helped that, on liberty weekends, girls would flock to him and his friends in bars.

It helped to be several states away from you.

It helped to be living his dream.

* * *

There is a bit of a backslide, that first Thanksgiving after, where you both think it can’t hurt to see each other for one drink, for old time’s sake, which ends in him taking you up against the door in your new apartment, your legs wrapped around his waist because he does not have the willpower or presence of mind to figure out the way to your bedroom.

He knows it was a mistake, at about five AM the next day, when the blue light of morning starts streaming through a gap in the curtains, illuminating your tousled hair fanned out over the pillow, the steady rise and fall of your chest so familiar to him he could cry.

Untangling himself from you hurts, and he does perhaps the most cowardly thing he ever will: he sneaks out before you wake up. But next week he’s shipping out, and the thought of the same dead-end conversation over coffee made just the way he likes it is unbearable, so he makes himself walk away.

Somehow it’s worse, the second time around.

* * *

You’d met someone else, like he’d known you would. He sees the engagement announcement on Facebook, browsing on his phone between drills, and likes the post. It’s the third year he’s been away, and he’s at TOPGUN by then, so he has a lot on his mind. He has a girlfriend, even, a local: cute as a button, beats him savagely at pool.

It doesn’t fully hit him until the first time he sees you with your then-fiancé, at a little holiday reunion of college friends. He sees you with that ring on your finger, another man’s arm around your shoulders, and he gets an acute sense of the alternate reality that could’ve been his.

It feels a little like losing altitude too fast.

Your initial reception of him is understandably frosty, but you seem too genuinely happy to hold a grudge. By the third round, when he sidles up to you at the bar, you give him a quick hug, looking up at him with a smile that squeezes his heart: “I’m so proud of you, Jake.”

He nods, not quite trusting himself to speak, and pulls you back in, just for a moment, tucking your head under his chin. You smell like apple and magnolia, like nights spent with his nose pressed into your back.

You don’t invite him to the wedding, and he’s all too glad not to have to make up an excuse not to go.

* * *

Things settle, after that. Jake gets deployed and reassigned, breaks up with his girlfriend and eventually gets another. You get promoted to senior engineer, then project lead. You see each other, not every year but close enough, sometimes with your husband there, sometimes without.

He braces himself for the next Facebook post; that you’re pregnant, but it never comes. Over time, even that seems to lose some of its potential emotional impact on him.

Until three weeks ago, when you don’t text him back.

* * *

2022

You kick your shoes off in the entryway, then head into the kitchen to pour a glass of water. Before you can reach the tap, the doorbell rings, and for a second you think somehow, some way, your terrible Bumble date has followed you home.

Grabbing the biggest kitchen knife you own off the magnet strip over the sink, just in case, you creep back to the door, barefoot, to press your face up to the peephole.

You don’t really expect to see the guy you just left, the ice in your glass not even melted before you were thinking up excuses to get out of there, but you sure as fuck don’t expect to see Jake either.

The door feels heavier than usual as you slowly slide it open, or maybe you’re just a little stunned. The night air hits your skin, and you can make out the sound of dogs barking in the distance.

For a long moment, Jake just looks at you, but then he says: “What were you planning on doing with that, sweetheart?”

You follow the jut of his chin down the line of your arm, and contemplate the knife for a second, Jake’s sudden appearance having made you forget all about it.

“I thought someone might have followed me here.”

“Ah.” He says, a spark in his eyes, clearly suppressing a smile. “If you were going to defend yourself in hand-to-hand combat, a knife is a terrible choice. I could give you some tips, though.”

Putting the damn thing down on your entryway console, you turn back to look at him. It’s not cold, exactly, in December in South Central Austin, but he looks underdressed: a long-sleeved light grey t-shirt, hands shoved in the pockets of a faded pair of jeans.

He looks good, you can’t deny it: he’s always had an immediate effect on you.

Jake, your somewhat gangly, sweet college boyfriend had it. Jake, ten years of military training later: older, filled out, fine crinkly lines starting to appear at the corners of his eyes (helped along by the California sun and God knows what far-off places), irrevocably still does.

You shake your head, trying to clear your thoughts. “What are you doing here, Jake?”

At that, his expression sobers, and he looks at you for a long moment before he says:

“You didn’t tell me.”

* * *

Fucking Sandeep, you think, rubbing the back of your hand across your eyes, because that fucker has not been subtle with the hints lately, tutting like a Victorian matron while you pass the time evaluating your Bumble matches with his husband during Monday night football’s ad breaks.

The granite of your kitchen countertop feels reassuringly cool beneath your thighs, and you take a deep breath, keeping your eyes on the tile below:

“I wasn’t ready.”

Jake huffs, or so you assume by the little sound that escapes him, as you determinedly face only his sneakers: “It’s been a year. You sure told everyone else we know.”

That makes your head snap up, emotion rising in your chest in a way you don’t like, have always had to tamp down when it comes to him, these last ten years. “Fuck off, Jake. You know it’s different when it comes to you.”

He leans back against the fridge, arms folded, just slightly lifting his right eyebrow at you in that irritating way of his: “I could’ve been there for you.”

Fuck it, you think, all cards on the table then. “I was heartbroken, and embarrassed, and trying to figure out how to exist on my own again after being married for five years to someone who didn’t turn out to be who I thought he was, Jake. Sorry my first impulse wasn’t to come cry on my hometown hero ex-boyfriend’s shoulder.”

His eyes soften, and he pushes off the fridge to come stand next to you, running his fingers over the edge of the countertop. “I’m sorry,” he says, voice quieter than a moment ago. “I’m being a dick. It’s just, you have to know, I would’ve been there for you.”

He pauses for a second, takes a deep breath: “It’s always been different when it comes to you too, sweetheart.”

You start to shake, a little, or maybe it’s your imagination. But your voice wavers as you say his name, everything about your tone a warning: “Jake.”

He closes his eyes, shakes his head: “Our timing sucked, and I don’t regret our decision from back then. I’m proud of who I’ve become in the last ten years, and I’m proud of you. You think I don’t keep up with what you’re doing? The articles you’ve published?”

This stuns you, momentarily. “No, Jake Seresin. If I’m completely honest, I didn’t think you gave a shit about the latest advances in Texas drought management.”

Just being near him, the familiar smell of him bringing up memories you’ve had years to unsuccessfully repress, is overpowering.

He makes it worse by turning to you, face so goddamn heartbreakingly earnest as he says: “I couldn’t give you what you deserved, ten years ago, but I always told myself, if I was ever in a position to…” He swallows. “I tried to forget about it when you got married, I tried to root for you and Brett, I swear.”

His hand settles next to your thigh, not quite touching, and your hand comes down on its own accord to cover his. He straightens almost imperceptibly, uses his other palm to wipe a tear that’s made its way down your cheek.

Cupping your face, he draws a deep breath. “I have a permanent assignment now, in San Diego. I know it’s…”

“Jake.” You interrupt, squeezing your eyes shut, grabbing the hem of his shirt. “I’m not remotely the same person I was back then.”

He moves to stand in front of you now, and you draw him in between your thighs. Suddenly it seems imperative that you feel him, that he holds you.

Dipping his head to yours, you can hear the smile in his voice, watery, tentative: “Then let me get to know you again. Get to know me again.” He leans one hand on the counter, the other tracing your cheekbone. “No pressure. I’m totally very cool about this. Whatever you want.”

You laugh, a little choked up through tears, but genuine. It feels liberating. “What if I say yes? How does this work?”

His smile broadens, eyes crinkling at the corners, and he’s so goddamn close, nudging your nose with his. “Come visit me, for a start. I’ll show you the sights.”

You draw him in a little closer still, legs wrapping around his waist, one hand finding its way into his close-cropped hair, and you could cry for how familiar he still feels after all these years.

But when you close the gap between your lips and his, it’s like coming home and yet not at all: he’s different and rougher and sharper and it floods you with emotion, something big and terrifying and old and new.

He leans into the kiss, grinning, cards his fingers through your hair before he moves to cover your chin, your brow, the space next to your ear with kisses, and you remember this with a jolt to your heart – how singularly intense it is to be the focus of Jake Seresin, like the strength of the sun is aimed at you, how he never does anything by halves.

You take his chin in your hand, kiss him again for good measure, before saying, into the stubble of his jaw: “One visit. No pressure.”

The grin he gives you in return could power half this city: “One visit. No pressure.”

He dips his head to yours again, kissing the skin behind your ear as he tells you: “Southern California has a lot of drought problems, you know. I’ve actually been reading some really scary articles about it.”

i hope you enjoyed :):) - if you liked this I hope you’ll check out some of my other work:

where the wild things are (rooster x reader)

cross my heart (hangman x reader) masterlist

#tgm fic #tgm fanfiction #jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake seresin x you #jake hangman seresin x you #top gun maverick fic #why am i like this i stg

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xkaidaxxxx · 3 months

Text

Zuko x chubby reader

Mentions: body shaming, foul language, angst,aggression, lying, fluff?!

Simple! :) sorry for errors.

“You look very beautiful y/n.” Katara mentioned "Thanks. I decided it's time for a change." You replied. Katara's complement made you blush. Sokka was surprisingly good at cutting hair. He gave it layers and added braids that held your hair back. “ I agree with Katara” Mai spoke. You instantly felt horrible with the new hairstyle. Mai isn’t the one to express her feelings so that comment made you believe otherwise. Perhaps cutting your hair shouldn't have crossed your mind.

Aang noticed you playing with the charm bracelet you wore. It tells him a lot about how you feel. He noticed you'd touch a certain charm with the emotion you were feeling, such as anger, happiness, sadness, anxiety, etc.“Katara is right y/n. It suits you! Sokka did a great job.” He spoke. He had that nice big smile. “ New hair cut? Looks nice” Zuko said patting your back. You’ve been dating him for 4 months and you’re very thrilled about it. He’s very kind and romantic when alone with you.

The day went on by. Everyone was calm. You can hear the ocean tides and feel the wind blowing. “Tell her. I’m tired of hiding.” Mai said. Zuko rubbed his temples. “It’s not that simple Mai. I can’t dump her out of the blue.” He responded. You heard them. “You don’t even like her. Why did you agree on dating her?” Your tears slipped. You didn’t want to hear his answer. “Because…she’s saved me many times..and I felt bad. It looked like she was going to cry if I said no.That and how many guys do chubby girls date? Almost never. I’m giving her a little hope.” You cried silently. You felt sudden saddens and hate. Running towards the ocean Katara called out to you. “ Y/n we’re making lunch! Wanna come help?” You ignored her walking back and forth. The waves following your movement. You made a fist. Your anger was so out of control you created a storm. “ Hey! Y/n you created a problem here!” Sokka yelled as Aang used his air bending to keep the water from drenching them. “Sorry!” You took a few deep breathes calming away the storm and the crazy waves.

“What’s got you so upset?” Katara asked giving you a tight hug. “ I keep losing my arrows. Haha. I overreacted.” She knew you were lying. She’s your most trusted person. Katara understands your personality, sense of humor, and the way you just are. She whispered. “We can talk about it later.” You smiled and nodded. Lunch was yummy. Everyone’s stomach was content.

Another 3 months went by. All the same apparently Zuko still loves you and wants to spend was much time with you as possible. It was such bullshit. You heard him leave with Mai at midnight. You saw how they treated each other. The little things showed everything.

The ride on the ship was wild. Not because there was a storm or someone was throwing arrows,fire rocks or trying to drown you all. Simply because an argument started.

“ you have no right to be upset. I’ve known him longer. You don’t get it.” Mai said with a straight face. You couldn’t believe what she said. The fire nation is insane however a regular family took you in. You eventually met Zuko. “ Have no right to be upset!? Are you kidding me? Yeah, he was your childhood sweetheart or whatever but who followed behind him when he was exiled !? Me! Which one of us cared to help him emotionally? Me! I’ve given him all my love and support even if it meant I’d be killed on the spot for betraying the fire nation. You did nothing but hide underneath Azula’s shadow and power. Yeah, I have every right to be upset.” You replied tears falling down your cheeks. Everyone was witnessing this mess. You were smarter, stronger, and more reasonable than her. “Zuko out of all the mistakes you’ve made. Cheating on me is the worst one. I know I’m beautiful even if I’m skinny or not. Not many chubby girls get boyfriends you sure were right about that. You should’ve rejected me from the start because I don’t need your pity.” You spoke finally feeling relieved. You said everything you’ve been wanting to say. “You heard us that day? Why didn’t you confront us then?” Zuko asked looking Towards Mai and then at you. “I had hope that along the way you’d realize what you did was wrong and you’d fall in love with me. 3 months later it’s the same. Clearly, I was wrong. I’m done. I’m dumping your ass. I hope you feel guilty for body shaming and lying.” You replied holding onto Katara’s arm. You couldn’t help but do so. She’s your best friend since you’ve met her. “ One day there will be an amazing man who will fall in love with you. He’ll love everything about you.” Katara said. You smiled and hugged her. “ Awe!” Aang and Sokka said in unison.

Pt.2 is posted !!!

#prince zuko #zuko #fire lord zuko #zuko x reader #aang #aanglove #sokka #toph #fanfiction #the last airbender #princess azula #fanfic #elements #avatar the last airbender #aang the last airbender #airbending #firebending #earthbending #waterbending

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justjams2003 · 7 months

Text

Fast Pace-1

Summary: You're a hard-working Chef in Paris and after a freak accident run-in with Carlos Sainz, your life makes a 180. Let's just say with a certain agreement, you get your bills paid and in return stand in as Carlos' girlfriend for the press. But will you be able to handle the pressure and ensure the lines don't blur?

Pairing: Sugar Daddy!Carlos Sainz x Sugar Baby!Reader

Warnings: I've aged up Carlos, he is 33 in this fic. Smoking, smut, sexual themes, age difference, manipulation, control, slight obsession, tell me if I missed any

Dividers by: @firefly-graphics and @s-silk

Word count: 2,4k

Masterlist

Part 2

Your feet hurt, throbbing in your worn-out sneakers that you’ve owned since your first day at university. Your legs feel like jelly, and not in the good way, in the way where the back of your knees hurt, and the earth’s gravitational pull seems to be so much stronger. You feel like you’re being cooked like the way you’re preparing your sauce. Boiling, bubbling.

The sweat gathers at the brim of your chef’s hat and the back of your neck. The head chef is screaming at you, again, like he always does. You swear that he gets some sick thrill out of yelling at one. Forcing you to do 15 tasks all at once, while telling you just how horribly you’re doing all of them. Not only that, but you feel like you must think for the other four cooks you work with.

How you’re not used to it yet, you’re not sure. Maybe you’re not cut out for the industry, but you refuse to think of it. That would be your life’s dream down the drain. Not only that but, 20 000 euros down the drain. “Y/N, *il nous faut la sauce pour le jarret d'agneau!” Again, that damn head chef calls and you can feel your frustration burning in the back of your eyes. *We need the sauce for the lamb shank!

“*J'apporte ta foutue sauce maintenant!” You can’t help but let your anger bubble out. You give the sauce for the cook preparing the lamb, ignoring the fiery glare of the head-chef. “**Je prends ma pause.” You say, throwing your hat and apron on my station, once again ignoring your boss’ threats. You throw the door open, sighing in relief at the fresh air. *I'm bringing your damn sauce now **I’m taking my break.

You sigh, sitting on the dirty alleyway floor, leaning against the old brick wall. You pull out a pack of cigarettes, take one out, light it and take a deep pull. And as you sit, you can’t but groan as you read the invoice for your rent. You’d been so good on your bills, but then you got sick, again, then the bills started piling up.

“Fucking hell...” You mutter, rubbing your temples in annoyance. You get a message from your mom, asking how you are and when you’re coming to visit. You avoid it, you can’t face her. Your family all believe you to be this fancy five-star-chef, making it big in the capital of France. You don’t have the guts to tell them of your failure. Or the fact that you’re sitting on a dirty floor, after being verbally abused all day.

When you were little, you imagined being a princess in a big castle. With lots of gowns and jewels and shoes. You’d use your mom’s old dresses and put on a show. Whenever you’d get hand-me-downs or the new outfit once a year you’d put on a whole show. When people would ask what you want to be when you grow up, you’d always say a model.

When you got older, late teenage years, you, of course, had to think of something more realistic. And with chef-ing having the easiest job to find and the easiest degree to get, you chose it. Now, you regret it more than anything. Your dreams have been sucked dry and aspirations have little left. At home, you spend your time scrolling through the vogue Instagram, dreaming of the day that someone can do all this adulting for you.

Out of nowhere, a loud scream is heard. You snap your head up to the direction it came from, after watching the newest runway from Versace. Suddenly a man come barrelling down the alleyway. He keeps glancing over his shoulder in panic and almost fear. His skin is a golden tan colour, and his beautiful dark hair flies as he speeds down the alleyway. He looks ready to to climb into a nearby dumpster before he spots you.

He seems beyond relieved to see you. And then another scream is heard, and his expression becomes one of alarm. “J'ai besoin...uh...help?” His French is sloppy and mixed with English. But his accent is not one of an American. You cross your arms and lift your brow. “Aide?” You translate his words for him. He nods, glancing to the alleyway entrance again. “Si, si-” very much not French. “Now. Uh...” Then another scream and his urgency grows. “I speak English.”

This news gives him a massive sigh of relief. “Oh, thank Dios.” He mutters and then his relief turns again to imperativeness. “You to hide me. Now. I can’t tell you why. But you need to hide me. Now. Uh-please.” His dark brown eyes seem frantic, and his accent sends shivers down your spine. You’ve never met someone with this accent, in your whole 23 years of life and something about this intrigues you.

“And why should I, for all I know you could’ve just killed someone!” You reply, standing up and stomping your cigarette out. And yet your firm stand buckles when he gives these big brown eyes, which are filled with fear. “I’ll pay.” Your expression changes almost instantly. At this point you’re ready to do just about anything to get the insurance off your back.

“Yeah? You like that, cosa bonita? How much, pretty girl?” Then he pulls out his wallet and takes out a stack of hundred-euro bills. “You name the price, doll face. Here, two hundred? But please be quick with your decision.” Never before have you had this opportunity to make money this quickly. And you need to money now more than ever. How can you say no? What’s the harm? If he was a criminal, he would’ve hurt you by now, right? You don’t mutter a word.

Not to mention the way he uses the pet names don’t seem gross. He’s charismatic, so much so that you hope he doesn’t see the blush creeping up your ears. Not only that but his smile seems almost comforting. Like you could trust him with your drink in a busy club. How far are you willing to go to pay your bills? You grab his warm hand, with the money in, and shove the both of you through the back door.

“*Je suis malade. Je prends le reste de la journée.” You call out, shoving your chef’s jacket and the rest of your work attire into your bag, all with the man still trailing behind you. “I do like it when a pretty girl like you speaks French. I must thank you, not many girls would usually do something like this.” Suddenly his worried nature turns into a more welcoming, flirty one. *I'm sick. I'm taking the rest of the day off.

It’s rare that you’re called pretty by an utter stranger. Frozen in place as you stare up at the handsome stow-away. “Where is he?” It’s the same girlish voice as before, the slightly above standard’s restaurant doors slam open. “I must say though, my French isn’t very good. I’m sure you noticed. But I do hope you were telling your manager that we are leaving, no?” He asks and this time blush creeps from your cheeks all the way to your ears.

“Uh- yes- something like that. Come, we’ll hide in the worker’s bathroom.” You stammer your way through your sentence. Though you regret it the moment you close the bathroom stall. It’s small and barely above regulations, this place is cheap on their worker rights. His chest is pressed up right against yours. His body is so warm, like a nice fire in a winter cabin.

You know if you were cuddle with him in the cold snowy months, you wouldn’t even need a heater or warm socks. Wait, why are you thinking this? You’ve just met the man! Now you’re already thinking of burrowing yourself closer to him. His big hands stabilize themselves on your waist, trying not to topple over you. And you can’t help but squeeze your thighs together, hoping the handsome man won’t notice.

At the same time, you wish your hair isn’t tied up, so that you could hide behind that piercing gaze. Especially now that your bodies are pressed against each other in the small bathroom stall. Your hands grow clammy, and you can feel that his eyes are trying to catch yours. Trying to see more of your face and you’re merely hoping the earth would swallow you whole. Feeling inferior to be admired by a man with such heat.

“I knew coming to France would be fun, but I didn’t expect being so close to such a pretty girl.” He seems entirely too big for the little stall and now you wish they had aircons that the American’s talk about. You too are forced to also steady yourself on his big, hard chest. Those dark unruly brows furrow. “Why are you so quiet now? Earlier you were quite happy to talk, no?”

Now you’re really blushing. “I assume when you someone like you, pays someone like me, you expect them to keep quiet.” You say avoiding his gaze, this seems to aggravate him. He takes you by the chin and forces you to look at him. His gaze softens when you look up at him through your lashes. But your legs feel like jelly when staring into those chocolate brown eyes.

“Someone like you? Someone like me? You should watch what you say.” Those dark golden eyes seem to stare right through your insecurities. “Why is that?” His words cause a spark in your mind, you’ve always been jealous of the rich ones. Not only that but the way they look down on you. This causes a smirk on his face, “So the mouse does speak?” You scoff at his words and start staring him down.

“The mouse does speak, and she’d love to ask why on earth she’s hiding with you in a bathroom stall?” His jaw snaps at your words and this time he looks away. “If I tell you, you might just be another person I need to hide from.” This time it’s your turn to laugh. “Tell me now, or I’m throwing you to the wolves.” He snaps down to look you in the eyes again. “You wouldn’t dare.” You smirk, “Watch me.”

His hand snaps up and then falls to his side again. Your heart is racing, it’s unlike you to be so daring or disobedient. But something about him makes you feel bold and confident. “Alright, niñita, tell me do you know about the Tifosi?” He asks, mixing his language in between and you can’t help but want to beg to know what he’s calling you

You shake your head no. “Alright, what about Formula 1?” Again, you shake my head no. He sighs and rubs his head. “Let’s just say I have a few loco, um, crazy fans.” You laugh, full on head back laughing. “Really? You paid me two-hundred euros to hide with you in a bathroom because you have some passionate fans.” Your eyes are twinkling with delight.

“No, no, no, niñita, you don’t understand. They had scissors! They wanted a piece of my hair!” This causes a flash of fears in his eyes, and he subconsciously rakes his fingers through his luxurious dark hair. You shrug and lift your hand, wiping a strand from his forehead. “I can see why.” It goes quiet then and the both of you can’t help but notice the screaming has died down.

“Well, if you’d ever like to know more about someone like me-” He sends you a wink and then grabs your phone from your back pocket. He shows you the lock screen and you roll your eyes but give in and open the phone. He puts in his number, adding a chili next to his name. ‘Carlos Sainz 🌶️’

You frown, “What’s the chili stand for?” Once more, he winks. “You’ll find out soon enough, I’m sure. And here-” he pulls out his wallet and hands you another hundred, “-for the trouble.” You blush again and shake your head. You hesitate, eyeing the money, biting the inside of your cheek, churning over if you should take it or not.

It’s been the first time that you’ve laughed in weeks. Not to mention the previous money already helps so much. “Tan testarudo que ya lo puedo ver. Está bien, me gusta un poco de coraje en mi chica.” He scoffs and shoves the bill in the back pocket of your jeans. “I think they’re gone now, I’ve got to go, I’m sure my manager is looking for me.” He says after his rant in the language I don’t understand.

He unlocks the bathroom stall door, and clatters out, yet somehow makes it look so hot. You escort him out of the restaurant and find yourself staring at him on the sidewalk of Paris. You can’t but remember, when he looks at you like he’s ready to devour you, that this is the city of love. Again, he steps up close, feeling his hot breath on your forehead. He’s six inches taller than you, he’s looming.

As if thirty minutes ago are happening again. He’s quiet and contemplative. His sweet, cocky attitude turns dark suddenly. His warm, rough hands gently caress your cheek. “I’m only in Paris for one more week, before I’m off to the Netherlands. If you don’t message me, I’ll make sure to see you again.” He looks so serious, so much so that your stomach turns slightly.

“Wouldn’t that be going a bit fast? Seeing me at my work a week after we met?” You chuckle, rolling your eyes. His eyes turn slightly darker and yet he smirks. “I like a fast pace.” As if he’s a villain in a bond movie, a bright black SUV pulls up next to him. “Don’t tell anyone about this. It’ll be better for the both of us. I don’t want the world to know about you just yet.”

His wink sends shivers down your spine. He then takes your hand and places a kiss on your knuckles. “I will see you again, muñequita.” He then slides into the back of the SUV; his gaze makes your core warm. And when he rides away you can’t help but lean against a close-by streetlamp. Your legs feel like Jello.

#carlos sainz #carlos sainz jr #carlos sainz x reader #carlos sainz x you #scuderia ferrari #sugar daddy!Carlos sainz #sugar daddy!carlos sainz x reader #sugar daddy!carlos sainz x sugar baby!reader #f1 #formula 1 #formula one #f1 x reader #carlos sainz smut

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ryker-writes · 1 year

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TWST characters as siblings (Diasomnia)

Sorry but there's no Lilia as sibling. I really don't know that much about him and we don't know anything about his family, childhood, or even details about his regular life. Plus he's like Silver's father.

Malleus:

yet another royal

and not just from any royal family but the Draconia family

being royalty meant that there weren't a lot of people you could hang out with as a child

most of those you could hang out with were guards

but then there was your brother Malleus who you could always hang out with

you two spent a lot of time with each other growing up

naturally you two are close

Lilia was also with you two a lot growing up but more as a caretaker

occasionally Lilia would travel somewhere and bring the two of you gifts

the three of you would do everything together in the giant castle

throughout your days the two of you played, ate ice cream, learned magic, and studied together

Malleus is super happy when you end up in NRC together

he's even more happy if you end up in Diasomnia with him

you're someone he really cares about so of course he wants you to be near him

and all the knights are in Diasomnia anyway

if you end up in a different dorm, he will be annoyed

travelling to another dorm just to hang out with you would be inconvenient

he's extremely annoyed if you end up in Savanaclaw

only then would he try to see if you could transfer dorms

probably would have a hard time understanding why you wouldn't want to switch so good luck

Malleus is a protective brother

he won't stop you from making friends or talking to people, he'll even encourage it

but he worries when you start to spend less and less time with him

there's a small part of him that thinks you're going to stop being around him all together and that thought scares him

but he won't act on his worries

if you tell him about a romantic relationship, he's even more worried

he will try to get to know your partner to see what type of person his dear sibling treasures

he may also be slightly passive aggressive to your partner

there's also the other person who is protective of you...Sebek

since you are part of the royal family and Sebek is a knight meant to guard you and Malleus, he treats you the same way he treats Malleus

basically no one is allowed within 6 feet of you and they must watch what they say

Silver and Lilia are much more relaxed about others being around you

you probably have endured some of Malleus' gargoyle speeches in the past, so don't be surprised when he starts telling you about the gargoyles at NRC

he also invites you on some of his late night walks

most students will treat you similarly to Malleus, and they avoid you sooooo good luck

Silver:

father Lilia has two children???

you grew up with Silver

Lilia had you both living in a cabin in the woods

and Lilia wasn't there half the time so...

you and Silver spent a lot of time together and were very close

Silver spent a lot of time training to be a knight and Lilia helped him

if you wanted to train with them and become a knight yourself, they would both be thrilled

Lilia would be such a proud dad and Silver would love to have someone he can train with

if you didn't want to they would respect your decision and just let you watch the training

though Lilia would insist he teach you how to defend yourself at least

Lilia would take care of you two while he was there

this means you get told all sorts of stories, getting to play together, and he teaches you things

you also have to eat his food so good luck

when Lilia isn't there, Silver helps take care of you

he's a pretty decent cook (much better than Lilia anyway)

when big animals came near the house Silver would go out and handle them

Silver is glad that you two get to go to NRC together

he would be happy if you got into Diasomnia with him but won't really be upset if you get assigned elsewhere

Silver is not a protective brother at all

he doesn't mind when you make new friends and will even encourage you to make new friends and spend time with them

he would like to know who they are but won't get too involved beyond that

similar situation if you were in a romantic relationship but he would like to know more than just who they are

he would try to get to know them a little more

he's happy for you

Silver falls asleep often around the school so maybe help him

like if he falls asleep in an inconvenient place or in the middle of doing something

he's pretty relaxed most of the time so he's perfect if you need someone to talk to or to get something off your chest

he's a great listener and will fight off any drowsy spell for as long as he can to listen to what you're saying

Sebek:

are your eardrums okay?

there's a chance he got that loud voice from one of his parents

even if he didn't you still live with him and grew up with him

aside from Sebek you have two other siblings

both of your parents were often busy working at their dental clinic so you and Sebek would go visit your grandpa

he would teach the two of you how to fish and you and you two would often play in the water, sometimes with your other siblings too

Sebek would often talk about becoming a knight and serving Lord Malleus

sometimes he would even go off to train with Lilia

he would be so happy if you wanted to become a knight with him

if not that's okay too

your other siblings are a quite a bit older than you and Sebek so you and Sebek were somewhat close

he's happy that you two get to go to NRC

even happier if you get into Diasomnia with him

he wishes for you to witness Malleus' glorious presence too

if you don't get into Diasomnia he may be upset, but won't even think about you changing dorms

not that he wouldn't want to, but more because that idea doesn't come to him

Sebek is a little protective

he won't stop you from making friends or anything but if feels someone said something offensive to you he will start shouting

even if it wasn't offensive or you don't take offense

he does for you

you are family so in his mind a insult to you means an insult to him too

if you get into a romantic relationship, he's internally conflicted

on one hand he wants you to be happy and hates the idea of ruining your happiness

but he also worries about them hurting you

so conflicted that he's strangely quiet when your partner is around or gets brought up

like I said: he want's you to witness the perfection that is Malleus Draconia

so he'll try to bring you around Diasomnia often

he just wants you to see him and if you're lucky you can talk to him

but if you say something that Sebek thinks is wrong he's so sad

immediately falls to the floor apologizing to Malleus

his family is a part of him so anything you do reflects on him too

you also get daily updates on what amazing thing Malleus has said or done

most students assume you're going to be really loud at first and yell at them over small things

some may also come to you when Sebek is yelling at them and ask for help

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #diasomnia #diasomnia x reader #twst malleus #malleus draconia #malleus x reader #malleus draconia x reader #twst silver #silver x reader #lilia vanrouge #twst lilia #twst sebek #sebek zigvolt #sebek x reader #sebek zigvolt x reader

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michaelmilligan · 1 month

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Do y'all even know how much I rotate post-canon Midam in my mind? Like, every day my brain is speed-running a fix-it where Michael is brought back.

And it can go so many ways.

Michael getting brought back, immediately rushing to Adam, and Adam accepting him back with only love and relief in his heart? Absolutely believable.

Michael being brought back, dragging his feet about going to Adam even though he desperately wants to see him, but also he pretty much betrayed his brothers and sided with God, and when he does finally go see him, Adam hits him with the whole 'How could you, I thought we were friends!' and takes a really long time to be convinced that Michael still likes him and wants to be with him? ALSO absolutely believable.

There's so much in between that, and there are of course several factors influencing which would be more likely - like how much time passes until Michael is brought back, whether Adam has been spending time Sam and Dean or not, and how much they told him, if anything. But at the end of the day, there is I think one big question that decides where it comes out to. And we simply don't see enough of those two on screen to be able to answer that question with any clarity.

The question is, how much of their feelings have these two shared?

And I don't necessarily mean this in a romantic way. I'm all for big dramatic 'I love you's and all that, but this would work just as well with a queer-platonic, or purely platonic, relationship between the two. In fact, I think even if they had exchanged 'I love you's before rapture, that still wouldn't answer this question.

The thing is, how much do they know about the depth of each other's feelings? Do they both know just how much the other wants to be with them? Does Adam know that Michael would burn the world if he asked? Does Michael know that Adam doesn't need him to kill for him, he needs him to LIVE for him? Does Adam know that the reason Michael didn't go back to Heaven is at least 90% him? Does Michael know that Adam isn't just keeping him around because it's convenient, but because he genuinely enjoys hanging out with him?

There is a lot of interpretation here on my part, but yeah, I think whatever configuration you put these two in (romantic/queer-platonic/whatever else), these two are just absolutely unhinged about each other. As in they cannot imagine a life without each other anymore. Adam just spent at least a thousand years with Michael alone. That's the equivalent of several human lifetimes! And for Michael, it's of course considerably less, but do you really think he has been this close with, this focused on anyone since Lucifer fell? Since his family broke apart, and he became a general above anything else? Do you think he isn't absolutely thrilled to have Adam, a guy who doesn't always agree with him but likes him anyway, a guy he is literally chilling in the same body with, as close as two people can conceivably be? You think he's not insane about that guy?

Anyway, this got off track, but I truly do believe that how the fix-it goes depends on whether they know this about each other. How secure they are about each other's feelings. Because I think if Adam knows how Michael feels about him, he's more likely to think along the lines of 'Michael was manipulated by his abusive dad and went back to him, man I wish I could have been there and helped him untangle his emotions, he must have been at rock bottom :(' and less likely something like 'Michael went back to his dad as soon as I was gone, guess he never cared about me at all'.

And I guess in the end it does come down to Adam, because while I can see Michael being insecure and not knowing if Adam will take him back, he would also jump immediately if Adam called for him in a prayer or anything like that. Meanwhile, if Adam is angry, I think Michael would withdraw pretty quickly, which Adam would take as confirmation that Michael never really cared much...

So, yeah. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it can go many ways, and to me it depends heavily on whether they (especially Adam, but also Michael) know how much the other cares for them.

#Midam #I have once again written too many words but oh well #I'm not proof-reading all this love and light but y'all are gonna have to live with my typos

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m0chisenpai · 1 year

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platonic!lo'ak and platonic!neteyam fighting over who gets to spend the with reader but they end up getting lectured by the reader

You know how we all deemed Jake the ultimate girl dad? Well Readers the ultimate boy mom and writing her interactions with the boys boosts my serotonin so much

platonic!lo'ak x avaatr!black!reader x platonic!netayem

Netayem and Lo’ak had only a year year difference in age between the both of them. However, the two could not be any more different than how Jake was the sun and Neytiri the moon in your life.

While Lo’ak was a thrill seeker enjoying his time with you and flying side by side diving off high cliffs just to soar before you grew close to the grounds, Netayem loved to hunt with you. He enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, the silence that fell as your prey came into both your sights.

When they were younger both boys had no issues in sharing their time with you side by side. But they were getting older, your little ones were growing. They desired time with you and you alone which felt impossible with not only competing with one another but their sister as well. Sylwanin was one and needed attention from you the most. Your attention was split three ways now, but they could barely get one moment with you.

It hurt them. Because though you were not their mother by blood, you were still theirs. They latched on to you in an instant the second you entered their lives. But to see you slowly disappear from it broke both the boys' hearts.

Suddenly they wished they were young again, clinging onto you in the cool nights, hearing your lullabies as you caressed their scalps. Wishing you were there to press a kiss into a scrape or bruise.

You and Neytiri had plenty of talks with both boys when you were pregnant with Sylawinn. That she was younger and needed just a bit more time with each of you. But that didn’t mean you loved them any less. They both held places in your heart that no one else could replace.

To make sure the boys didn’t feel neglected you devoted certain times and days for one on one time with each boy. However, it seemed as though things reached a breaking point, because when your ears picked up the hisses and curses from their tent you immediately stepped in just before it had gotten physical.

“..stubborn headed jack a-!” Netayem hissed and Lo’ak returned the sentiment pupils dilated thin as knives and just as sharp as the words that followed.

“Takes one to know one! Just cause your first born doesn’t mean she gets to see you first!”

“And just cause you're younger doesn’t mean you get to cling to her either!!”

From the way the boys hunched their shoulders and began to lower themselves you were quick to hiss both their names and slide in between both before things got physical. “Enough!” Silence filled the tent as you looked between both boys.

“Sit” your voice was a cool water, drenching the fire that had egan to grow between both boys who did so far from one another with you in the middle creating a curve so you could look at both boys and they faced one another.

“You two are old enough to understand that is not how we handle things in this family.”

“But he!-”

“I’m not finished!” Both boys were silenced immediately, gazes focused to the ground. “I miss you both as much as you miss me. If I could spend the rest of my days with my boys I could. But you two must understand that you are big brothers now. Your little sister needs my attention and I can’t help that.” Their gazes lifted to meet yours, the sternness melted away as the love in your eyes melted the anger in their own.

“It’s not fair” Netayem whispered with watery eyes, “I miss when it was just us.Now you're gone.”

And your heart broke as you opened your arms allowing both boys to press themselves into your boys where you held them tight pressing kisses to the crowns of their heads. “I know baby, my strong Tayem. My sweet Lo’ak. M’ so sorry babies.``

You held them close, let them cry and held the pieces together that they couldn’t.

“I promise I will do better to spend time with each of you. But you both must promise me you will tell me you are feeling this way, ok?”

“Of course sa’nok.”

“Promise sa’nok.”

#avatar x reader #avatar way of water #netayem sully x reader #lo'ak x reader #platonic lo'ak #platonic!lo'ak x reader #platonic netayem x reader #ask mochi #requests

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lunar-years · 9 months

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Okay because it was briefly mentioned in this post speculating on Roy's parents I really want to hear people's thoughts on Keeley's parents/childhood and why she had no prior family obligations on (Sexy) Christmas!

Similarly to Roy we only get very brief mentions of their existence in canon (and they're notably just about her mum, never her dad):

"I did used to worry I was gonna end up like my mum. She spent years tirelessly working at the same company just for a man to take all the credit. She wasn't brave enough to dream big. So I decided to do things very differently" - Keeley "We didn't open [the champagne] when your mum moved back up North" - Roy

The headcanons I've got are:

Keeley's parents are divorced and she isn't particularly close with either of them. Her mum irritates her literally every time they see one another. Her dad has a new wife and (step)kids he treats as his "real family," and Keeley is always the afterthought; she rarely sees him.

Her mum is extremely conventional and thinks Keeley needs to fit into that same box. She was appalled by Keeley's choice to do nude modeling, refused to talk to her because of it (which Keeley was thrilled by, and once her mum realized that she got even more upset and immediately started calling Keeley up again) and has never treated Keeley's modeling career as a real career.

Keeley moved out of her childhood home asap, like age 17/18 after taking her first modeling gigs. She rented a cheap flat with a bunch of other girls.

Keeley has made some of her choices in part just to spite her, whether its subconscious or not. For instance, if her mum was complaining about her first topless photoshoot, where her nipples were strategically covered by liquor bottles, Keeley made sure the next shoot she signed on for was tits out, no coverage. When her mum complained about that she did full nudes, etc.

When Keeley started working for AFC Richmond it was a backhanded "finally you have a REAL job, thank goodness" instead of "congratulations, I'm so proud of you." everything with her mother is like this

It is even worse with relationships. Her mum thinks Keeley needs to settle down, get married and have kids in that order - none of which are things Keeley has ever intended to do with her life.

her mum was thrilled when Keeley introduced her to Roy because "finally my daughter is in a serious relationship and they will give me grandkids soon" she completely dotes over Roy because of this while asking increasingly intrusive, prodding questions about the status of their relationship. Roy of course sees right through this but is trying his best to stay polite because this is Keeley's mother. The whole thing slowly infuriates Keeley until she's had enough and abruptly informs them they're leaving. this is how roykeeley have the "I never want kids" conversation very early on in their relationship

with holidays like Christmas, at first Keeley would use the other parent as the ~reason~ she couldn't be at theirs for the holiday. Like, she'd tell her mum "sorry, i told dad I'd go to his" and she'd tell her dad the opposite. of course this only works a few times before it's "why do you spend every holiday with the other parent instead of me," and which point Keeley remembered that wait, actually she doesn't give a fuck! and straight up told her mother she isn't coming because she doesn't want to and already has plans with her boyfriend/girlfriend (whoever it was at the time) 🤷‍♀️ slay queen

Keeley is out and proud and always has been, but her mum treats her being bi as another lie she's telling for attention, even though Keeley has literally brought girlfriends home to introduce to her mother before. No matter what she does, her mum maintains that Keeley is only doing it to piss her off and basically doesn't believe her or acknowledge her sexuality, which is understandably very upsetting to Keeley

Bonus ot3: Not to make everything about ot3 but I have a very distinct scene in my head where Keeley introduces Jamie and Roy as her boyfriends and her mum is forcibly polite to Jamie (whom she is meeting for the first time) but then pulls Keeley aside to be like "enough with your stunts, Keeley, how could you put Roy through this nonsense, after he took you back and all, this is how you repay him, by dating someone else?" (because 1. she's adamantly ignoring the part where Keeley told her all three of them were dating, royxjamie included and 2. she acts like Keeley obviously did something to "cause" Roy breaking up with her). Keeley for once is totally speechless and all the retorts she wants to and would usually say die in her throat and she just wants to cry because she's tired of this. Roy and Jamie overhear the conversation and Roy steps in like "okay, that's enough, we're leaving." Keeley has a breakdown in the car before they've even gotten out of the driveway and after that she basically cuts off contact for a long while with her mother, with Roy & Jamie's full support.

#Keeley Jones #ted lasso #ted lasso headcanons #can you tell i've thought about this at great length? lol #anyway PLEASE drop your thoughts into the tags/reblogs I NEED MORE KEELEY BACKSTORY #it's criminal that we know so little #luckily in the ot3 canon in my head georgie and simon literally adore roy and keeley and they get to spend christmas with them forever afte #it is very lovely and healing for all involved

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mha-grievances · 5 months

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Alright, I’m bored again so I’m going to rank all of the arcs from best to worst:

Great:

1. Hero Killer Arc: This arc and number 2 on this list proves that MHA had such potential. Watching Izuku grow and his efforts/impact on other people being acknowledged was great to see. We’ve got fantastic growth for the three main characters and a very good antagonist(despite some issues I have with Stain’s goal). Best of all, no Katsuki.

2. Shie Hissaki Arc: another great arc with a lot of great fights and characters. Watching Izuku vs Overhaul was thrilling and being introduced to The Big 3 and some cool pro heroes was a treat. There are some issues I have with this arc, such as how Overhaul’s motivations suck (he sees quirks as cooties when he literally has the best quirk in Japan) and that some characters could’ve been developed more (I would’ve loved to see more from the Eight Bullets and Nejire), but it was overall a good experience. And again, no Katsuki.

3. USJ Arc: Other than Katsuki’s dumbass endangering everyone and not getting called out for it, I had a blast with this arc. Solid character interactions all around and a fantastic fight to end it all off.

4. U.A Festival Arc: Gentle was a breath of fresh air in terms of villains and I really enjoyed his fight with Izuku. This would’ve been number 3 if not for the fact Izuku gets yelled at for doing his job and Katsuki gets another point added to him being a Gary Stu by revealing yet another talent he has that he shouldn’t.

Good:

5. Entrance Exam Arc: It was a solid setup for getting to know Izuku, All Might, and the world of MHA. It was one of the few times that the narrative wasn’t sucking on Katsuki’s dick too.

6. Forest Training Arc: The final arc that I’d consider good. We’ve got some solid moments here. Fumikage going berserk, Mezou carrying everyone to safety being introduced to the main LoV members, Izuku vs Muscular, and the character of Kota were nice additions to the series. We even got to see some of 1-B, even if it wasn’t much.

Alright:

7: Meta Liberation Arc: Now we’re in the area where these arcs aren’t bad, but they clearly exist just to set things up. This is an arc that would’ve been fantastic if it wasn’t for the fact it led nowhere. Yes, a good chunk of the LoV received fantastic development but the MLA were so lame, and by that, I mean they’re introduced here only to serve as canon fodder in the next arc.

8. Pro Hero Arc: I don’t really have any complaints about this arc nor do I have anything to say outside the fact Endeavor’s fight with the High End was pretty neat.

9. Hideout Raid Arc: only reason this isn’t in the “good” or “great “ category is cause it was centered around Katsuki. All Might vs AFO was a fantastic conclusion to the first saga of MHA and I liked seeing the rescue squad in action… even though Katsuki made it a pain to be rescued.

10. U.A traitor Arc: I don’t really care about this arc for two reasons, one is that the foreshadowing leading up to this moment sucked and that we never really got to spend enough time with Yuuga to care much about the reveal.

Bad:

11. Endeavor Agency Arc: Now we’re at the part where I dislike all of these arcs. This is an arc that Katsuki ruins due to him being a shitty character. Him yelling at a trauma victim to stop talking about her trauma in her own damn house was obnoxious. Katsuki didn’t need to be in this arc whatsoever. Remove him and this arc would’ve had a much higher rating for actually tackling Endeavor’s character and relationship with his family in a solid manner.

12. Sports Festival Arc: The Sports Festival Arc would’ve been fantastic it is weren’t for certain points. First off, this is where the Katsuki dick sucking really began. Shota acts like a mouthpiece for Katsuki even though the people booing him were right in the fact that he could’ve ended the fight easily. He also wasn’t taking Ochako seriously at all, literally announcing “it’s time to get serious” once her strat failed. He should’ve lost against Shoto too seeing as Shoto’s ice is a direct counter to his quirk. Finally, Katsuki had no right listening in on Shoto and Izuku’s conversation and demanding anything from Shoto, a point that’s never addressed. Secondly, all the Gen Ed kids were assholes for no reason. Who in their right mind sees 1-A going through a traumatic experience as them seeing themselves better than everyone else? Yeah, Katsuki gave off a bad impression but he’s just one guy. Finally, this was the arc that introduced Hitoshi, a failed attempt by Hori at tackling the idea of prejudice. Instead of someone bitter at the world for being screwed by society, we got an entitled bitch.

13. Remedial Course Arc: as much as I love Gang Orca, this arc served no purpose. Katsuki gives off a line that feels undeserved seeing as he’d go off undermining people afterwards but this arc’s biggest flaw was that it really didn’t have to exist.

Crap:

14. Battle Trial Arc: Now we’re in the really bad arcs. The Battle Trial Arc is once again ruined by Katsuki. Despite being told by All Might not to fire that explosion, he still does. Yes, he aimed it in a way that it wouldn’t kill Izuku, but the fact that All Might was worried that it could’ve killed Izuku meant that firing that thing in a narrow hallway could’ve seriously injured him. Katsuki suddenly switching up his fighting style despite having no formal training’s the first instance of his plot armor showing up, with the second being that he wasn’t disqualified. Katsuki being afraid of 1-A’s potential went nowhere cause he ended up winning the Sports Festival and would undermine 1-A constantly. Finally, Izuku telling Katsuki about his “borrowed power” was dumb. Everything else was fine though, but not enough to make up for Katsuki’s flaws.

15. Paranormal Liberation Arc: Would’ve been much higher but there are several glaring flaws. Izuku defending Endeavor’s character was one of those moments where I audibly groaned. Katsuki’s plot armor kicks it up into turbo gear by having him have a quirk awakening, surviving an attack that should’ve destroyed his stomach with zero consequences, and giving him an unearned “my body moved on its own” moment.

16. Quirk Apprehension Exam: This arc introduces Shota… and makes all of his flaws known to the audience. I have several posts going over why he sucks and this is the episode that shows it all off. Only thing keeping this from being ranked lower is cause we were also introduced to 1-A.

Shit:

17. Star and Stripe Arc: We’re close to the bottom of the barrel now. Hori introduces a character he never foreshadowed once despite Star and Stripe being the top pro hero of another country and immediately kills her. It does nothing to the plot either. “Oh but it nerfed Tomura” that’s what Hori tells us. Do we actually see what quirks Tomura lost? In fact, after this, his quirk evolves to counter Eraserhead’s. At best all this arc did was stall for time.

18. Dark Hero Arc: what a waste of potential. This would’ve been ranked lower if it wasn’t for Ochako’s speech, Izuku vs Muscular 2, and Izuku helping that fox lady. What makes it shit though? First off, Izuku suddenly unlocks the rest of his quirks. Secondly, 1-A thinks that the best way to get Izuku back is to show up, beat him up, and then kidnap him back to U.A. Third, the pros were offering Izuku no support. He was hungry, tired, and dirty, yet not once did any of them think “hey, if we’re using him as bait to draw AFO out, maybe we should keep him healthy so he can help us once we ambush AFO”. Fourth, Katsuki’s role in this arc. He demeans Izuku in front of his friends, daring to compare Izuku’s desire to protect everyone to him having an ego, and then gives an absolutely poorly timed and terrible apology. God this arc sucks.

19. Joint Training Arc: Oh look, another Katsuki dick sucking session. Sorry, but 1-B does not redeem how awful this arc is. Katsuki’s praised to the moon and back, insults his classmates and the former OFA users with no repercussions, and earns yet another victory. “But he saved Kyouka” but not out of being a good person. He only wanted the victory. Maybe this could’ve been a good step if Katsuki’s arc wasn’t Hori’s attempt at speedrunning a character arc. Yui getting beat by Ochako so effortlessly will forever bother me as one of Yui’s 5 fans (this girl has a 5/6 A+ skill stat, which is higher than Ochako’s). Also, Hitoshi’s here, but he’s actually tolerable here so I’m not going to rant about him.

Super Shit:

20. Provisional License Arc: This is going to be a short write cause there’s not much to be said. It’s yet another Katsuki dick sucking session where the narrative wanks him off. Then there’s Kacchan vs Deku 2, which if you’ve read any of my blogs, you know that this was once my least favorite moment of the series. If you wanna know why this moment was so crap, I have dozens of posts about why it does. And yes, I said it was once my least favorite moment. What’s to come somehow managed to beat it in terms of sheer crap.

I can’t think of any singular phrase to describe how terrible this arc is:

21. Final War Arc: How ironic that the end of the series is also at the end of this list. Where do I even begin? Well, there’s Miruko being the subject of someone’s gore fetish for the third time, AFO overstaying his welcome, Izuku hardly even doing anything, Tomura getting BS power ups up the wazoo, AFO and Izuku never meeting, the mutant portion being handled poorly, Dabi somehow gaining a power up that ultimately served no purpose, and Ochako and Himiko’s portion also being wrapped up poorly. However, what really makes this arc the bottom of the barrel is the dick sucking. Somehow, Katsuki’s able to last the longest against Tomura. Somehow Katsuki manages to score a hit just because he scared Tomura. Somehow Katsuki managed to survive having his heart, arm, and chest blown out via amateur surgery with absolutely no injuries despite being dead for like 5 min without a damn heart and heart surgery not being an answer for a broken arm. And finally, Katsuki gets yet another quirk power up and is now able to compete with AFO. This is THE arc where it’s clear Hori wanted Katsuki to be the protagonist and god damn I will argue that The Room and My Immortal is better than this clusterfuck of an arc.

#bnha critical #mha critical #anti bakugo #anti bakugou #anti katsuki bakugou #anti bakugou katsuki #anti bakugo katsuki #anti eraserhead #anti aizawa #anti shinso hitoshi #anti hitoshi shinso #eraserhead critical

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grits-galraisedinthesouth · 6 months

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Imaginary Harkles Christmas Disaster w/BRF

https://archive.li/2023.11.22-183434/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/columnists/2023/11/22/inviting-harry-and-meghan-for-christmas-disaster-for-royals/

What an incredible story this would be. According to a national newspaper, an unnamed friend of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex says the couple would “readily accept” an invitation to spend Christmas with the Royal family at Sandringham.

It’s certainly a heartwarming suggestion. For the sake of all concerned, however, we’d better hope that no such invitation is forthcoming – because I fear that the King would soon regret it. As everyone knows, even the happiest of families can end up rowing at Christmas, never mind families that are already at one another’s throats.

And then there’s the risk that the Sussexes would give a tell-all television interview to Oprah Winfrey afterwards. Just imagine…

Oprah: “So you guys spent Christmas with Harry’s folks back in England. You must have been so thrilled when King Charles asked you over.”

Meghan: “We were. Christmas has always been such a special time for me. Santa is actually a really close friend of mine. As a little girl, I was just so humbled by his work as a philanthropist and humanitarian, bringing hope to all the children of the world. And that was a big inspiration for the kind of compassionate global activism I do today.”

Oprah: “That’s so wonderful. And so how did it go with Harry’s family?”

Harry: “It was a complete disaster.”

Oprah: “Oh no. What happened?”

Harry: “It started when I asked William if he’d like to pull a cracker with me. It was my cracker, so he should have let me win. I mean, that’s the rule of cracker-pulling, everyone knows that. But he pulled really hard, so he won. And then he put the paper crown on his head. Like he was trying to really rub it in that he’s going to be king, and I’m only the spare.”

Oprah: “How awful. I can’t believe anyone could be so insensitive.”

Harry: “But that wasn’t all. Inside the cracker was a tiny plastic comb. And just because he won, he insisted on keeping it. Even though he doesn’t need a comb. Whereas I still do. Just about.”

Oprah: “Harry, I’m so sorry that that happened to you. It must have been so traumatic. But Meghan, what about you? Were you able to patch things up with the other royals?”

Meghan: “No. Not after the really upsetting Christmas present they gave me. You won’t believe what it was.”

Oprah: “Go on.��

Meghan: “It was a Barbie princess doll.”

Oprah: “Oh my God. That is so insulting.”

Meghan: “I know. Because I’ve already got the Barbie princess doll. And I’d specifically asked for the Barbie Dreamhouse Playset. It’s just yet more proof that they never listen to me.”

Oprah: “Wow.”

Harry: “Obviously we were both really unhappy, and wanted to leave. But then my dad tried to calm things down by suggesting a nice festive game of charades. So we agreed to stay.”

Oprah: “That must have taken so much strength and courage.”

Harry: “But then William took the first go. He did the sign for a book. Then the sign for ‘title, one word’. And then he started miming someone screaming and wailing and crying their eyes out. I was absolutely furious. ‘Hey!’ I shouted. ‘You’re blatantly doing Spare! My book!’”

Oprah: “Unbelievable.”

Harry: “He looked really puzzled, and said, ‘No I’m not. It’s Misery, by Stephen King.’ But I wasn’t falling for that. So we walked straight out, and caught the first private jet home.”

#NOprah #Sparry #megxit #megain #revenge #Royal Christmas

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daisyblog · 1 year

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Always Here

When We Were Young Masterlist Summary: YN promises to support Louis.

After the band's last performance together in December on The X Factor, YN struggled a lot. After five busy years of non-stop travelling, singing, writing and recording and having their lives planned out, YN felt lost, she didn't know who she was or what she wanted to do.

In the first month of the hiatus, Louis announced the birth of his son, Freddie. He had sent YN a text to share the news, along with a photo of the little baby. She remembers staring at the message, part of her was thrilled that Louis was now a father, and clearly taking to fatherhood amazingly. But the other half of her felt a pang in her chest, missing what they once had and thinking back to the times where they had discussed having children of their own and even thought about names they liked. But like always, YN was always sweet and kind and typed out a message.

Congratulations Lou! Freddie is adorable. I hope Mum and baby are doing well 💙

She had even sent a message to his Mum and sisters congratulating them on becoming a grandmother and aunties. She sent a parcel to Louis and Briana that included baby stuff for their new arrival.

Wanting to escape reality and try and find normality, whatever that was, YN and her family went on holiday to a quiet area in Cyprus, where they enjoyed some much-needed family time, exploring new places. Soaking up the sun, sea and sand. Enjoying being YN, a daughter and a sister, and not YN LN from the biggest band.

Once YN had returned to her home in London, after her holiday, she reached for her guitar. She loved writing songs in the band but they were always changed to be from a male perspective, but now she was free to write from the heart. As she began to strum on the strings, words came following after, almost like she felt she was free to sing her feelings without worrying about the boys or management not approving.

You want someone you can show off Whenever you go out She'll wear a tight mini black dress With all her friends around And then you'll probably spend the night at Her nice big house And by then, I'll just be someone You've forgotten about, oh

If you say she's nothing to worry about Then why'd you close your eyes when you said it out loud?

Stupid boy makin' me so sad Didn't think you could change this fast She's got everything that I don't have How could I ever compete with that? I know you'll go and change your mind One day wake up and be bored with mine She's got everything that I don't have And she's all I wanna be All I wanna be so bad So bad She's got everything that I don't have And she's all I wanna be All I wanna be

Once YN had written one song, she couldn't stop, it was like everything she had built up inside her for the last five years was ready to be released. She didn't necessarily know if she wanted to do anything with the songs, but singing them out loud felt good, almost like a release of new life.

---

YN was absolutely devastated when she heard the news of Jay, Louis's Mum. Her heart crumbled, she was heartbroken for Louis and his family. Jay had been a big part of YN and Louis's relationship, and she had grown close to her in that time. She was a caring, kind and beautiful woman inside and out. That evening, YN lit a candle in her living room as she sat and reflected. It hit her that night how short life was and how quickly someone can be gone from your life. She made a promise to herself and Jay that night as she looked up "I promise, I'm going to look after him". YN wanted to let Louis know she was thinking of him, and she typed out message after message and deleted them straight after because they just weren't right. She thought of something she and Louis would do when they were together to let the other know they were thinking of them. So she sent him a song, that reminded her of him with a row of heart emoji's.

YN was shocked at the message that stared back at her from Louis after she had sent him the song 'I miss sending you songs, thank you for remembering it means a lot to me. I love you YN ❤️'

Louis was performing his new single on The X Factor with Steve Aoki, and YN along with the other boys had planned to show their support and attend the show. YN would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous, she hadn't seen Louis for a year and these circumstances made her nerves worse.

Harry arranged to pick YN up from her home so they could travel to the venue together. She was so grateful to Harry, despite him being the youngest of the group, he watched over her like an older brother and she loved him for it. He always knew when she was anxious or worried about something, and would be there to ease the pressure and talk her through it.

As the four entered the backstage room where Louis and his team were currently waiting. YN felt two arms wrap around her and she pulled Lottie's frame closer to her "Hey..it's okay..I'm here" she spoke into the younger girl's ear. That was another thing, YN was like an older sister to Louis' sisters, especially Lottie who joined them for their last tour, so when they split she hardly saw the younger Tomlinsons.

"I've missed you so much" Lottie admitted as she still clung onto YN, looking for comfort.

Over Lottie's shoulder, she could see Liam, Niall and Harry hugging Louis and him thanking them for coming. But as Louis glanced over and spotted YN comforting his sister, his eye glossed over a second. As Lottie released YN, she was pulled into a hug by the other boys.

Louis took the opportunity to wrap his arms around YN's shoulders as she wrapped hers around his waist "Thank you so much for comin' darlin'"

YN looked up into Louis' eyes "I'm here for you always"

Louis swallowed his tears and nodded his head "I need you now more than ever" he admitted.

"And I'm going to be there..I promise"

---

YN had stuck to her promise, in every message or call she received from Louis, she was there, day or night. She had spent hours holding him in her arms and she held him close and tight as the tears and sobs left him. It was the most heartbreaking scene she had witnessed. She wanted to take his pain away, but how could she? So she did everything she could, she listened when he talked, she held him while he cried and everything in between.

Tag List: (let me know if you would like to be added) @peterholland04 @werewolfbansheelove

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be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie · 1 year

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Locorro hunger games Au?

The way I have been letting this ask SIT, fucking m a r i n a t e, bc I am So fucking bad at Hunger Games aus. It's??? So sad??? And like I struggle to conceive any Hunger Games au in any fandom where they aren't just carbon copies of Peeta and Katniss. BUT, I think I figured it out bear with me:

-Okay so Spider is our Peeta core kid, obviously. He lives with his foster family in the nicer (whiter) part of town (sorry we also have to stick with The Hunger Games' hidden racial allegories because bOY OH BOY do they fit here). The Sully's live in the nice part too, bc our main man Jake Sully won the Hunger Games when he was younger. Jake was really injured in his games, and he can't walk and gets around in a wheelchair.

-(I cannot decide if Neytiri should also have been in the games and thats where her and Jake met, they finagled their two way victory but the cost was Jake's legs. It's so juicy cause I imagine they never knew each other before the games, but it happens almost like canon; Neytiri saves him for reasons almost unknown to her, and in response Jake is like 'oh, I Will die for this lady, cool," and they become unwilling allies until Neytiri just refuses to let him die at the end. Then he just up and goes home with her, there's nothing for him back in his district, and Mo'at just like essentially adopts him. I kinda love it but I refuse to devolve into a Jeytiri idea again in the middle of worldbuilding a headcanon unrelated to them).

-The family are honestly never at their nice big mansion, they spend ALL their time in the woods with Mo'at, learning everything they can about their indigenous culture and using their skills. Jeytiri have been training the kids since like the day they were born, just in case. That being said, the only reason they haven't fully run off to live in the woods by themselves yet is because of Jake's legs. He can't function in the forest well on wheels, and the process of making him one that moves well in the forest has been years in the making because of how secretive it is. Only the three of them and bestie Norm Spellman (their stylist, I'm sure) know.

-Spider met Kiri and Lo'ak at school, and they saw him getting picked on by one of his foster brothers, so they just like adopt him. He's been chilling in the woods with them training for almost as long.

-OH Grace was def Jake's mentor in the games. Trudy was his friend that went in with him. Neytiri def went in with Tsu'tey, who totally died dramatically for her and was thrilled to rejoin Sylwanin who died in the games like five or so years before. I'd imagine Eytukan was killed during an uprising he started while Neytiri was in the games. Jake probably volunteered for Tommy. See, we've devolved into Jeytiri again!

-Focusing up; Spider and Lo'ak have been in love forever but neither has said anything to the other, they are keeping that shit tIGHT to the vest. Or, as tight as one of those clear backpacks can be. Everyone has known this since they were like, twelve, except them. Neytiri is always a tad skeptical of Spider, he's not one of them and he hasn't proven himself like Jake. She is never hostile, just slightly cold.

-I think that Spider was chosen at the reaping, but I can totally see him volunteering for Lo'ak as well. I think whatever you like best, but the second option is brUTAL. Jeytiri and Mo'at have been planning for so long what to do if one of the kids got reaped and they had to put their escape plan into action and cut themselves off from society, but no one had really given a thought to what would happen if SPIDER was reaped. They aren't his family, and they have no chance to get to him now. They briefly consider leaving, but the kids are all beside themselves. Lo'ak is like catatonic, especially if Spider volunteered for him! Jake and Neytiri decide they might have a shot if they're his mentors, something neither of them ever do.

-But before they can try to go visit and get to Spider before he's carted off, Quaritch shows up, all big and bad Peacekeeper from the capital, and takes Spider like "I'm the only mentor you need kid, fuck those tree hugging losers, that one doesn't eve have working legs!"

-Rip Lo'ak chasing after the train like it's a romcom.

-I just think it's sO FITTING to imagine the Sully's forced to watch all of Spider's torture and suffering TELEVISED ON THEIR SCREENS after they fucked up not including him in the plan, but at the same time the canon divergence of it is how hard they are working to get in contact, be his proper mentors, and rescue him. The concept fits so well into the bare bones of Avatar 2 but with added ~spice~

-Not enough locorro, I know, but you know Spider's coming back all sorts of brain damaged and Lo'ak like, literally becomes permanently glued to him.

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blue-bujo · 5 months

Text

Bowled Over (Roy Kent x Reader): Chapter Eight

You work at a bowling alley and a young girl named Phoebe has a birthday party there. You catch her uncle's eye.

Roy Kent x female reader

Will try to update roughly every two weeks

Chapter Eight: Roy Kent, Baby Whisperer

(7.2k words)

Warnings: Roy Kent-level language (you know what you're in for), insecurity, mentions of sex, tooth-rotting fluff

Summary: Roy takes a big step and asks you to come to a team dinner at Ola’s, where you get to properly meet the greyhounds and their families.

Author's note: Buckle in for a long one! This is to tide you over, because I probably won't be posting a new chapter in January; we've got family birthdays three out of the four weekends, so I don't want to stress about getting something out in time. Happy New Year, and I'll see you with a new chapter in a month!

You had great fun driving Roy’s SUV for the next few weeks. It was large and expensive, so people tended to give it a wide berth. And since you didn’t have to walk to work, you were getting to sleep a bit later, which was doing wonders for you.

It was amazing that Roy let you use the Beast without any hesitation, that he trusted you that much. That he wanted to spend time with you, and keep you around, and know you deeper. Things were going very well between the two of you.

Lettie was completely invested. She wanted to know every single detail, and had done her homework on Roy once you’d revealed that he was a public figure. She’d questioned every single text and phone call that made you smile during a shift, demanding to know exactly how Roy was treating you right. You’d even caught her telling the other members of staff that you were dating “a football legend.”

Roy had gotten a kick out of that when you’d told him one date night. It was at your favorite restaurant, a little hole-in-the-wall Italian place where he was unlikely to be spotted by paparazzi. Rumors were starting to swirl that he had a “mystery girl,” which both thrilled and terrified you, but thankfully no pictures had been sneakily snapped. Yet. You were still able to enjoy your anonymity, laughing and twirling pasta with the man you’d been lucky enough to meet while you worked his niece’s birthday party.

“So let me understand this, she tried to tell Snack Bar James that he’d forever missed out on catching you because now your standards are too high for the likes of him?” Roy’s eyes were crinkled at the edges as he tried not to grin.

“Pretty much,” you laughed. “I think we were both relieved. Lettie’s been trying to set us up for the entire year he’s worked with us, but he’s obviously more interested in Ashley in the pro shop.”

“Still, that Lettie’s a fuckin’ savage,” said Roy, respect heavy in his gruff voice. Then he took a bite of his chicken parmesan and sighed happily, looking at you.

“What?” you asked.

“Nothing. Just- this is nice. Us. I’ve been enjoying myself.”

“That’s good to know, considering we haven’t really done anything. What with your knee and everything.”

You both glanced down to the offending appendage in its articulating brace. Roy would hopefully get the okay from physio the following week to begin putting weight back onto it and using it more normally, but you were enjoying being the chauffer for now. It leant itself to quiet days in, calm conversations and movie nights snuggled on the couch, sometimes with Phoebe as well. It was hardly any different from your quiet existence before, except you weren’t lonely anymore.

“You’re kidding about doing nothing, right?” The man put down his fork and trained his gaze on you. It was one of the things about him that you loved best; he made sure that those around him felt seen. “This isn’t nothing, it’s fucking everything. I get to be a normal bloke with you, hearing the petty gossip of normal people. I haven’t had this in pretty much my entire adult life. I love this.”

He paused, his mouth open like he wanted to continue the thought. Like he might want to say that he loved you, but he didn’t say anything more. It disappointed you more than you expected; you realized that you maybe cared more deeply for him than you thought. Maybe you loved him.

A grunt jolted you out of your thoughts. Roy was looking at you tensely.

“I just fucked that up. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

And it was you were confused by your own feelings, so it was okay that he was taking responsibility for acting on his. He reached for your hand and held it tight.

“I’m an idiot. I know. Can I make it up to you?”

Your attention piqued, you nodded. “Yes, you can. How are you making it up to me?”

You watched as he took a breath, sat up a little taller, and asked, “Come to a family dinner with me?”

“A family dinner?”

“Well, we call them family dinners. Sam started it. It’s really a team dinner.”

Up to now, Roy had kept his football life separate from his dating life. You were excited that he seemed ready for his circles to start converging.

“Are you really sure you want me to come?” you asked. “That’s a big step, Roy.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. The boys have a pool going on why my mood’s been so abnormal, and I’d love to prove them all wrong. They think it’s because I’m on painkillers or some shit.”

“Didn’t you tell them that you’re not taking anything stronger than Tylenol?”

“Of course I fucking did, but they didn’t believe me. What do you say? Want to help me prove them wrong?”

“I would love to help you prove them wrong, but only if I get a cut of the pool,” you giggled. “Considering I’m the cause of it, I deserve it.”

Roy rolled his eyes. “Fine, you get a cut of the winnings if you can convince any of those idiots to share with you. Happy?”

“Yes, very.”

“Fuckin’ right.”

The two of you smiled at each other over your pastas. You were happy, even more so that he wanted you to start meeting his team. He’d been very protective of them, and of you, and you suspected of himself in keeping his worlds apart. You could understand it; it was always more comfortable keeping things in their separate placed. But you were pretty excited that he deemed you worthy of introducing into another part of his life.

“What are team dinners like?” you inquired. Then you took a large bite of your dinner so he’d have to say more than two words.

“They’re fine,” grumbled the man in response. “Once a month we all go to Ola’s, and Sam has us try some new Nigerian dish he’s thinking about putting on the menu. Richard brings wine, because he’s fucking French, and the lads destroy a week’s worth of training with how much they eat. It’s nothing fancy. People bring dates if they’ve got any.”

“But not Roy Kent,” you pointed out. “The day he brings a date will be one for the books.”

“Hmm.”

If it was possible for a man to look nervous while eating chicken parm, Roy was doing it as he thought about bringing a girl to a team function. You smiled reassuringly at him and tapped his foot under the table with yours.

“It’ll be great. I’ve already met them anyway, so now it will just be a reintroduction, which is much less awkward,” you promised. “I’ve been meaning to catch Jamie for a few weeks now.”

“Why?”

“To thank him for chauffeuring you around on the days I work! He must really like you for him to do that, and I need to thank him for being good to you.”

Roy could obviously tell that you were trying to push his buttons, but took the bait all the same. “The only thing he is to me is a prick. Please don’t encourage him. He’s been trying to corner me in the car park for the past two weeks to see who’s been dropping me off. I’m trying to protect you from him for as long as possible.”

His logic made no sense. “By inviting me to meet him and the rest of your idiots?”

“Beat ‘em to the punch,” he said. “We do it on my terms instead of theirs, so I control the conversation. It’s tactics, just like on the pitch.”

You threw one last jab. “I thought Nate was the tactics man?”

Those expressive eyebrows scrunched down. “Fuck you, babe.”

You finished your meals, ordered dessert, and ended your date night. After dropping Roy off at his house, you went home to your flat. You fell asleep thinking about the team dinner, three nights away, and how lucky you felt to be getting more serious with the man who insisted he didn’t care about it but obviously wanted you to go with him. The man who wanted you.

The day of the team dinner, you pulled up to Nelson Road early. You and Roy had decided that it would be easier for both of you to be the first to the restaurant and have the attention spread out, rather than arrive together later and be bombarded by the entire team at once. You’d thought you’d timed it so that nobody would see you idling in the parking lot, but after a moment, you realized there was someone in the Aston Martin parked next to you.

It was Jamie Tartt, and he was sitting in the passenger seat of his own car waiting for you to notice him. Once you did, he hopped out and motioned for you to roll down the window.

“And what are you doin’ in Coach’s car?”

“Driving,” you quipped.

“Driving Coach’s car?” the man probed. “When Coach just so happens to have someone driving him around while his knee is unusable? And when there are rumors that he’s got a girl?”

You did your best to keep your face neutral. “I know, it’s quite a coincidence, but stranger things have happened. Coach Kent and I just happen to have the same taste in cars.”

It wasn’t a lie, just not wholly the truth. Now that you had driven the Beast for a while, you loved it. Jamie eyed you good naturedly and didn’t say anything else, content to lean in the window. You could see why Roy found him annoying at times, but also why he would probably die for him. His manner was so casual that he was completely disarming.

“What are you doing here, Jamie?” you questioned. “No one else is here, so training can’t be done yet.”

“Me? Nothin’. Just forgot me headband.”

Your eyes darted to the elastic currently holding back his floppy hair. Strands were flying away; it had obviously been there for a while. You raised an eyebrow to let him know you weren’t fooled by his lie.

He shrugged. “All right, you caught meh. I’ve been trying to catch Coach’s driver for weeks, but haven’t managed it until today. I was hoping the rumors were true about our old man finding a girlfriend, and I’m really glad it’s you.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Because it’s right, innit? He hasn’t looked at anybody the way he looked at you at the bowling alley. Not since Keeley, and that look was different.”

Keeley. The model, and previous girlfriend. You felt extremely insecure every time you thought about her with Roy, despite his insistence that you didn’t need to. “I don’t know about that. Keeley’s famous.”

With a scoff, Jamie challenged, “And do you think that matters to Granddad? He only does what he’s sure of. Anyways, he’ll be out soon, and I don’t want him to see me out here. I told him I were being sick so he wouldn’t ask any questions. Are you coming to family dinner tonight?”

Nodding, you replied, “Yes, but it’s a secret. You can’t tell the team. It’s going to be a surprise.”

“I won’t tell, swear down.” He started bouncing back and forth between both feet. “I better get back inside. I’ll see you tonight!”

“You sure will. Oh, and Jamie!” you called as he jogged away.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for driving Roy on the days I can’t. We both appreciate it, even if he’s too tough to say anything.”

Jamie grew two inches taller under your praise. He pointed at you and smiled. “Oh, he definitely needs to keep you around. See yah, Splits!”

The young man bounced back into the stadium, leaving you to wait for Roy. You didn’t see the prick in Jamie the way Roy had described him to you, but then, you weren’t in charge of him. You supposed somebody that chipper could be a bit of a handful. But you were pleased; the first interaction with somebody know you were the girlfriend had gone well, and the information hadn’t even been a surprise. It boded well for tonight.

Roy was upstairs; you could hear the steady thumping of his crutches as he got ready for the dinner. He’d finally mastered navigating the stairs, thank goodness, so you didn’t feel the need to run back and forth grabbing clothes and toiletries for him. This gave you time to do your makeup. Admittedly, you didn’t need long, as you were pretty minimal when it came to painting your face, but you were nervous, and kept messing it up.

It wasn’t like you hadn’t met the team before, and your conversation with Jamie had gone well earlier today, but tonight was your public debut as Roy Kent’s girlfriend. After tonight, there was no going back. There would probably even be press hiding somewhere, waiting to be the first to confirm the news that Roy was seeing somebody new.

“What’re you doing? You’re staring into space?”

Roy’s gruff voice startled you, and you almost stabbed yourself with your mascara wand. You hadn’t heard him come downstairs, but his reflection in the mirror was leaning on the doorframe, like he’d been watching you for a little bit, his face soft.

“You are so quiet when you want to be, it’s scary,” you scolded, turning to face him. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“Sorry. I don’t mean to be scary; it just happens.” He looked at you, a small smile curving his lips. “You look great.”

With a scoff, you told him “I look okay at best. I’m not done yet.”

Roy stepped closer and looked you up and down carefully. “No, you look done and you look incredible. Don’t change one thing. What the fuck has you so freaked out?”

“After tonight, there’s no hiding,” you said in a small voice. “If I make a bad first impression, or a photographer gets a picture of me mid-sneeze, or choking on my food or something, that’s it. I will forever be the idiot that you took pity on.”

“No, you’ll be the young and beautiful date of a washed-up old has-been.” Roy kissed the top of your head. “The team will go easy on you. Its me they’ll be fucking with.”

You looked up at him, hovering above your hair. “Do you promise?”

“I promise. Now finish up, so we can get going. I want to beat everyone there.”

“Okay. I’ll be out in a minute,” you said, turning back to the bathroom mirror. Roy’s reflection swung away on its crutches, and you quickly put on the rest of your mascara before pulling the green sweater over your head and doing your hair. When you walked into the living room a few minutes later, Roy was gazing up at you with the look that Phoebe called his heart eyes.

“Is that the same jumper you wore on our first date?” he asked.

“Yeah. I remember you liked it, but I don’t have to wear it if it’s not right.”

“It’s perfect,” said Roy fondly. “They’ll all love you.”

You both walked to the car, and Roy put on his cheesy pump-up playlist for you. It only got through a few songs before you arrived at Ola’s, but it had the desired effect, and you were less anxious about the impending ordeal.

Roy was looking around as you parked the Beast. “I don’t see any of their cards,” he grunted. “Let’s get inside while we’re still in the fucking clear.” He reached toward you and squeezed your hand. “Ready?”

Squeezing back, you braced yourself and hopped out. Sam Obisanya’s restaurant, Ola’s, was a cute little corner unit deeper than it was wide. Airy curtains obscured most of the dining room from outside view, but you could see inside enough to know that you and Roy were the first ones there, as planned. Two people were bustling in the back when you opened the door for Roy, and while one ducked into the kitchen, the other approached.

“Coach!” called Sam, smiling widely. “Welcome! I’m so glad you could make it, although we’re not quite ready for everyone yet.”

Roy was obscuring you from Sam’s view while you followed him in. “Wanted to make sure that the close parking spots would be open, so we came early.” Your boyfriend stepped to the side as he said “we,” and pulled you to him.

Only for a moment, Sam faltered, then his eyes lit up as he recognized you, and realized the rumor about his coach was true.

“You’re the lady from the bowling alley!”

“Guity,” you chuckled, extending a hand to properly introduce yourself, but before you could do that, Sam took it in both of his and shook it warmly.

“I am so very glad that you are here, and that you are with Roy! What is your name?”

Roy introduced you before you could respond, and the sheer amount of pride in his voice made your heart melt a bit. He was acting like he didn’t deserve to be on your arm, not the other way around. And he was smiling, unashamedly.

“I am so glad to officially meet you,” beamed Sam, “and so glad that Coach gets to be with someone so lovely. I do hope that you enjoy yourself tonight.”

“I’m sure I will. Thank you, Sam. If the food is as good as the restaurant looks, I’m in for a treat.”

“Do you want to sit down, babe?” Roy gestured to a table in the corner, out of view of the door.

After a last smile at Sam, you joined Roy. He practically threw himself into a chair, and then carefully stretched his knee out onto one of the extra seats.

“That didn’t go so badly, as far as introductions go,” you told him.

The man grunted. “Sam is the golden child of the team. I wasn’t worried about him. It’s the other ones that’ll be idiots about it.”

The other ones showed up shortly thereafter. From your corner, you and Roy watched the team slowly trickle in. Coach Shelley and his fiancée were the earliest, and both lit up when their gazes settled on you. Jade planted herself next to you and told you how happy she was that there would be another girl there to talk to when Roy and Nate inevitably started talking tactics. You liked Jade; she could hold her own.

Some of the second team came in next. They all greeted you warmly, and heaped verbal abuse on Roy for taking so long to settle down. One of them, Paul, was the oldest on the team since Roy’s retirement, and promised you a few stories of their time playing together before his daughter pulled him away.

The defenders and midfielders arrived together, minus Jan Maas, who was apparently late to everything. Isaac McAdoo shook your hand seriously.

“He’s good to you, yeah?” he asked.

“Of course I’m fucking good to her!” Roy spluttered. “You’ve known me for years!”

“It’s always the ones you think you know,” Isaac said darkly. He looked you in the eye, still holding your hand. “If he ever stops being good to you, you call me and I’ll fuck him up for you. You’re at a family dinner, so you’re one of us now.”

“I’ll let you know if that ever happens,” you promised, trying your hardest not to laugh at how Roy was gripping one of his crutches like he was going to hit Isaac with it. The captain wisely moved out of reach before that could happen.

Most of the team didn’t seem all that surprised to see you. You saw a few bank notes changing hands throughout the course of the night, but everyone was more or less calm about you being there. Roy even halfway relaxed, until Jamie came in with Jan Maas in tow.

“The dinner can start now, ‘cos the party’s arrived!” he called as he came in, arms wide. “Splits! What are you doing here?”

Jamie was acting like your parking lot conversation had never happened. He plopped down next to Roy and stared at him cheekily. “Coach, I’m surprised at yah. Keeping a lovely lady all to yourself? Not cool.”

“And why should I have to share every fucking detail of my life with a prick like you? You’d only make a huge deal out of it and lord it over the whole team that you knew something about me that no one else did, and then no one would leave me the fuck alone.”

“Roy,” you interrupted, sensing that the rant would have been a long one, “Jamie already knows. He saw me driving your car when I came to pick you up.”

Eyes narrowing, Roy could only growl. You and Jamie grinned at each other.

“I think it’s great, man. You needed some happiness in your life, and she seems to be giving it to you. We all knew something was going right for you, and it definitely wasn’t your knee.”

Your boyfriend’s nostrils flared once, but then he looked at you and softened, just the slightest bit.

“All right, fair enough,” he admitted. “Life isn’t terrible right now, even with my shit knee.”

“She must be special, to make you that happy. You aren’t having any sex right now with your knee like that,” deadpanned Jan Maas.

There were shouts. Half the team jumped out of their chairs anticipating a fight. You reached out to grab Roy’s shoulder, as did Jamie, you noticed. Bad knee or not, you wouldn’t put it past Roy to lunge at the taller man after a comment like that. He had already grabbed one of his crutches and was brandishing it like a club.

Coach Shelley was talking the team, and the dutchman, down. “That was uncalled-for, even for you, Jan. There are ladies present.”

“You don’t need to worry about me, Coach. I can handle it,” Colin Hughes joked. It made everyone else relax, but Roy was still furious.

“I’ll kill him. I swear to God, I’ll fucking kill him.” His growl certainly sounded murderous. “Embarrassing you like that.”

“I’m not embarrassed,” you liked. “You told me he could be rude.”

Jamie shook his head disapprovingly. “Rude and Dutch. That was mental. He’s lucky our old man here is laid up.”

“I could still kick his ass, just let go of me!”

“How about some dinner?” Sam shouted over the din in his dining room. “Simi and I have some new dishes for you all to try.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for the Beards?” someone from second team asked.

“Who knows when they’ll show up?” someone else called sarcastically. “Queenie probably pitched another fir, and they’re never on time anyway.”

You looked to Roy. “Queenie?”

A growl; Roy seemed incapable of speech as he glared at Jan Maas. Jamie answered your question.

“Coach Beard’s daughter. They named her after the chess piece. Poor babeh hasn’t forgiven them for it. She’s always screaming.”

A few of the men loudly agreed that dinner should be served before Coach Beard and his family arrived so everyone else would be able to eat in peace. You weren’t sure that any team function could be considered “peaceful,” but agreed that dinner shouldn’t wait. Sam and his chef Simi – you couldn’t figure out whether they were dating or not – brought out countless platters of delicious food, and you all dug in. With every bite, you found yourself falling in love with Nigerian cuisine. Even Roy’s bad mood couldn’t stand up to it, and soon he was listening intently to the conversations around him, his hand on your knee under the table.

You quickly learned that not many people kept to one seat. Higgins and O’Brien found their way to your table to learn more about bowling from you, and you spent an enjoyable few minutes talking strategies, moreso for O’Brien’s benefit than Higgins’. The reserve keeper had enjoyed the team bowling night so much that he was considering joining a league. You would have been happy gushing about your sport all night, since everybody at work had already heard everything you had to say, and O’Brien was willing to listen. Higgins, too; you learned that he was registered for a tournament that you were also competing in at your alley, and he wanted to know which oil patterns were going to be laid. But your conversation was cut short when the door to the restaurant opened, and a screaming toddler was dragged in by her parents.

You recognized Coach Beard; he was often shown next to Roy during match broadcasts. The woman with him must be his wife Jane, who Roy had told you was slightly insane, but in a different way than Beard was. The two-year-old looked more like Jane, and was crying as only an unhappy toddler could. Half of the team looked sympathetically at Beard, Roy included, and the other half looked annoyed. Queenie didn’t seem to be popular.

She didn’t stop crying and whining. For twenty minutes, the Beards, and eventually everybody else, tried to cheer her up while they ate, but it was useless. People started scooping her up and passing her around, just trying to keep her occupied long enough for her to forget she was upset.

It didn’t work.

People were starting to get antsy, looking at the exit as if contemplating how quickly they could reach it. Wives and girlfriends were still trying to soothe Queenie, while Beard and Jane scarfed down a meal. Jade reached out for a turn, and put her purse in front of the girl to distract her. You would be the next victim if Jade couldn’t calm her down.

Unfortunately, digging through a purse wasn’t what Queenie wanted. She looked like she was gearing up for another fit. The adults at your table exchanged glances.

“Does anybody have a better idea?” challenged Jade.

You could only shrug. The only children you had in your life were the kids in the youth league, and they were older. Toddlers didn’t make any sense to you. Nate also seemed to be at a loss. After waiting a moment, Roy let out a sigh and rolled his eyes.

“All right, give her here,” he grumbled, holding out his hands. “Don’t any of you know any kids? Fucking amateurs, all of you.”

Once he had Queenie, Roy stood her up in his lap, holding her up by her hands. They looked at each other seriously, as if acknowledging each other’s existence. Roy did the same thing with you, you realized; every time he spent time with you, he ignored his surroundings to focus on you. Then Roy lowered her hands, and rather than stand on him, the toddler chose to snuggle up on him, her front pressed against his chest. He wrapped an arm around her and tucked his chin into her curls, which she’d wedged under his head.

Ola’s was silent. Mouths hung open in shock, eyes stared at the manager. He glared at everybody.

“What are you all staring at?”

“She stopped,” Beard said, awestruck. “She hasn’t stopped in days.”

“You’re the fuckin’ baby whisperer,” chuckled Jamie.

“You’re forgetting about Phoebe. She was small once. I learned with her.”

Roy was speaking to the room, but he was looking at Queenie burrowed into his chest. There was something so gentle in the way that he was with her; you hadn’t even seen it with Phoebe, maybe because she was older. It was like he was marveling at her, or in her willingness to trust him. Seeing this gruff man melt made you fall a little deeper for him.

The team was stunned at this peaceful side of their coach. Across the dining room, Beard and Jame were having a hushed conversation. Roy was choosing to ignore all of them; he was focusing on Queenie, who was starting to look like she was going to fall asleep as he rubber her back.

“Incredible,” Nate murmured. “I didn’t know you had this in you, Roy.”

“No reason to let it out at Nelson Road,” he grunted. “Now shut up. She’s not going to stay quiet if you idiots wake her up.”

Rather than say anything else, the assistant coach went to another table with Jade. Jamie followed suit, leaving you with Roy and Queenie.

“She really trusts you, Roy,” you observed quietly.

“Hmm.”

“Any reason why? Have you babysat her before?”

“No. I think she can tell that I’m just as scared of the world as she is, and she takes some comfort in that.”

“Roy Kent is scared? What does Roy Kent have to be scared of?”

Your boyfriend finally tore his eyes from Queenie to look at you.

“Roy Kent the footballer wasn’t scared of anything. But Just Roy… He’s effing terrified of life after football, and how great it’s turning out to be, and how much could be lost if he effs it up.”

It was startlingly honest. You’d never heard Roy that open before, even when it was just the two of you. Kids were apparently his weakness, which kind of made sense. He was fiercely protective and took care of everybody he cared about; children needed caring for more than adults did, so he probably felt even more himself while he had someone small to protect. Plus, he apparently related to how he thought kids viewed the world, which probably contributed even more to his being comfortable enough to share.

Your thoughts were moving too fast and with too much emotion for you to articulate anything, so you reached out to gently play with Queenie’s hair. Roy, his chin still in those curls, snuck a quick kiss onto your hand and smiled contentedly at you. It would have been a tender moment, had Jane and Coach Beard not chosen it as their moment to approach. Some of the usual grumpiness settled back onto your boyfriend’s face once he noticed them.

“Roy,” Jane began in what could only be described as a wheedling tone.

“What do you want?”

“We were hoping we could ask you to watch Queenie for a bit. You’re so good with her, and she’s been so difficult the past few weeks…”

Beard interrupted. “We’ve got to do some stuff around the apartment, and it will be a whole lot easier without a 25-month-old screaming the entire time.”

“It will only be about an hour,” continued Jane. “We’ll be quick.”

They looked pleadingly at Roy, who rolled his eyes. He didn’t have to think for long.

“Fine, but only because she’s effing asleep, and because I’m still injured, which are two very good reasons for me not to move.”

“Thanks, Roy,” said Beard. “We’ll be quick.”

“Effin’ hope so. If you’re not back in an hour, like you said, I won’t be doing the training reports for the rest of the month, you will. That’s my condition.”

“Deal.” Coach Beard took his wife’s hand. “We appreciate this, Roy.”

There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “You’re wasting valuable time. Now scram.”

You heard something that could almost be a laugh come from Roy as he watched the could run off.

“What are you laughing about?”

“I just got out of a month’s worth of reports,” he chuckled smugly. “It’s a ten minute trip to their flat, if they run the whole way, and they won’t. They can’t keep their hands off each other.”

“So you just agreed to babysit a difficult toddler for who knows how long, just to get out of doing some paperwork, because you know your coworker would be distracted by his wife?”

“Pretty effing smart, right?”

Roy was quite pleased with himself. He even kept conversation up for a few minutes more than usual before he let it die, and by then, Sam and Simi were bringing out the next course. Yor table was given a wide berth – nobody wanted to risk waking Queenie – but you and Roy were fin with that, and enjoyed having a break from everyone’s attention.

Until Dani Rojas walked over.

“Hola, Roy! Have you seen Coach Beard?”

At this point, it had been well over an hour since he and Jane had left.

“No, they went home to get some things done without Queenie in the way.”

“Oh. So you are babysitting, yes?”

With a suspicious look at you, Roy answered, “Yeah. Why are you fu- effing asking?”

“No reason, really. Mostly, I wanted to tell you how good it is to see you and Señora Splits here together. You look like a real familia, sitting here with the little Queen.”

You felt some color rise to your cheeks, and saw how Roy shifted his weight uncomfortably. First Jan Maas bringing up the sex thing, and now Dani Rojas bringing up a family, kids! This team definitely wasn’t shy.

“Oh! I apologize, you just started dating. These topics are probably uncomfortable, yes?” Dani glanced between you and Roy apologetically, reacting to your reactions. “I’m sorry. Please, forgive me.”

“Dani,” growled your boyfriend as he put his hands over Queenie’s little ears, “fuck off. Now, please.”

The striker retreated back to his original seat, which left you and Roy alone again. You subconsciously started twisting a ring you always wore, your mind racing as you contemplated everything. Did you want kids? You’d never really had the urge, unlike the girls you’d grown up around, who’d had baby names picked out by the age of twelve. Nothing specifically bothered you about kids, but you’d never been in a hurry to have any. But seeing Roy in front of you, murmuring softly to Queenie…

Maybe, with the right person, domestic bliss wasn’t unattainable.

“What’re you thinking about? You’re doing your ring twisting thing.”

You weren’t ready to have this conversation yet. Not here, where a footballer could interrupt at any second. You chose to ask your own question instead.

“What were you saying to Queenie just now?”

“I was saying sorry for swearing, just in case she heard me tell Dani to eff off.” The corners of his mouth were threatening to turn upwards. “I’ve been trying so hard all night not to corrupt this baby the way I’ve corrupted Phoebe, but at some point, you have to say it.”

“I was wondering why you were censoring yourself,” you smiled. “It’s been strange.”

“Yeah. Not how I expected my night to go, but it’s been all right. My knee’s killing me from having this one in my lap all night, and I need to use the toilet, but other than that.”

“Where are the Beards? It’s been closer to two hours. You should try to get two month’s worth of reports out of it.”

The twinkle returned to Roy’s eyes as he realized the genius of your suggestion. Then he shifted Queenie higher, probably to relieve some pressure from his knee.

“Knowing those two, they’re probably all over each other. Hopefully not making another of these little gremlins, because they don’t give enough attention to the one they already have.”

“Do you think it’s an attention issue?” you asked. “She’s had attention all night.”

Before he answered you, Roy let out an aggravated sigh. “No, she’s been handled all night. None of that lot actually interacted with her, they just passed her around trying to distract her. Kids are people, too, you know. They want to feel included the same way adults do. Honestly, babe, you coach youth bowling, how do you not know this?”

“I guess I’m just good at seeing them in the context of bowling, where it’s my job to watch after them,” you mused. “But I may not be a natural like you.”

You expected the man to respond with something sarcastic, but he looked thoughtfully at Queenie once more. As did you. As much as you didn’t want to have the conversation here in the open, seeing him so comfortable with her felt like it might be a small glimpse at a future. The two of you hadn’t been together long – only six weeks – but it was serious, and future wasn’t out of the question for you.

Gradually, you felt Roy’s gaze on you. All harshness was dissolved from his face.

“I know you don’t want to talk about this in public, and I’m with you on that, but I want you to know… I don’t hate this. I think I’ve known since Phoebe was born, but I hadn’t really thought about it until my career went up in flames and I had to effing retire. I think I want a family to take care of. Kids. Or just one, I don’t know. But I need you to know that before we fu- effing go any further. We can talk about it later, when you’re ready. If you’re ready. You don’t have to be, and if it was too early to say, I’m really sorry. I can be –“

“Roy, stop.” His voice was getting high and strained, and he had yet to take a breath; you had to make him stop to breathe. “I think it may be something I want, too. It’s okay.”

And it was, you realized. The man in front of you, holding the toddler that wasn’t yours, could be something very serious. He’d taken a chance on you, somebody decidedly outside his world, and brought you in. He’d given you his trust and his weakness, and become a steward of yours. He was the baby whisperer. He could be the endgame.

It was all so simple. He could be it. And he seemed to think that you might be it, too.

“Oi, take Queenie for a second.” Always abrupt, Roy seemed to be switching topics. “I can’t stand it anymore; I have to get up before I piss myself, and before my good knee locks up.”

You held your hands out, and Roy passed you a drowsy toddler. You made sure to acknowledge her before she settled, as he had, and she didn’t fuss as she nestled into you, using one of your boobs as a pillow. Roy was already stumping away towards the back of the restaurant, and the team was busy passing around a dessert, so you were alone with your thoughts. It may have just been biology, or attraction, or the fact that sex had been reference more than once tonight, but cradling a sleepy little kid that had been handed off to you by the man you were currently seeing was doing something to your insides. A yearning was suddenly there. You could imagine a tiny, foul-mouthed menace running amuck.

Roy was it.

Roy was so distracted that he hadn’t noticed he was washing his hands with sanitizer until it found a paper cut. He swore and corrected his mistake, then looked his reflection dead in the eye in the mirror.

The man hadn’t seen himself wear this expression before. In the press, he’d always looked angry, all hard angles and glares. Having Queenie all night had melted it all away, and Just Roy, staring back at him looked… Fond? He wasn’t sure. It was something soft.

He reached for a paper towel to dry his hands, his mind spinning. Taking care of Queenie all night had ignited something warm in his chest, which felt suspiciously like his heart. But it wasn’t really about Queenie, was it?

No, it wasn’t. It was about the woman who’d been beside him, who hadn’t flinched through this whole night. And its many twists, turns, and blunt footballers. Splits had exuded grace all night, and he hadn’t consciously noticed until this moment how peaceful his normally-raging thoughts were whenever he was with her.

Just Roy was wearing heart eyes when he looked back in the mirror.

“Fuck. She’s the one.”

As he hobbled out of the toilets and back to the table, Roy knew with more certainty than he’d ever had in his life. He wanted to serve her, to protect her, to have her, to love her. For her to hold his kids as gently and tenderly as she was holding Queenie right now, who hadn’t even noticed the return of her parents.

Fuck being Roy Kent. He wanted to be Just Roy with her. Splits was it.

She smiled up at him when he got closer.

“Better?”

Why was she asking if he was better? Oh, right, his quick retreat to the toilets, which had been a bit of a lie because he’d needed to get his emotions in check more than he’d actually needed to go.

“Yeah, much better, thanks. How was Queenie?”

“An angel,” Splits answered. “You’re onto something with this whole acknowledgement thing. I was just telling the Beards.”

Jane was wearing an irritated expression, probably mad that other people were telling her how to manage her own child. Beard just looked thankful that said child wasn’t currently screaming. They both looked red and puffy around the mouth. Roy was pretty sure that they’d been making another fucking gremlin, and to his surprise, was insanely jealous.

Fuck, he was falling hard. It scared him how intensely sure he was that Splits was the one.

He had to get out. It was too much, being around his team, his family.

“Are you ready to go?” he questioned, more harshly than he’d meant to.

She shrugged. “Yeah, we can go. Is your knee bothering you?”

“Something like that. Beard, you were gone for two hours, not one, so I’m expecting two months of training reports.”

Coach Beard was nothing if not fair. As he took his daughter from Splits, he nodded stoically. “Fine. You held up your end.”

“Well said.”

Roy pulled out his girlfriend’s chair and turned for the exit. He’d wanted to sneak out, but the whole team saw them leaving and called out goodbyes. Sam, of course, thanked them for coming. Jamie, less predictably, shouted, “Good night, Kents!”

In his peripheral, the manager could see Splits was stifling a smile and waiting for his reaction. Roy didn’t correct Jamie, only flipped him off without turning around. He ushered his girl out of Ola’s to the Beast, then turned on one of his playlists. He texted his father as she drove them home.

Me: Need to talk. Call tomorrow?

Dad: About fucking time. Your mother’s upset you haven’t told us.

Me: ???

Dad: typing…

After a moment, his father sent a link to a post on The Sun’s social media. It was a photo, sniped through the window of the restaurant, of him in profile holding Queenie and kissing Splits’ hand as she played with the little girl’s hair. They’d been caught, but he fought down the anger rising in his throat. He typed out one last message.

Me: It’s new, but she’s fucking amazing. Do you still have Nan’s stuff?

With that, he closed his texts and pocketed his phone. He reached over for Splits’ hand, resting on the center console while she waited for the light to change, and took it.

It was missing a vital piece of jewelry. He needed to fix that.

Tag list: @preciousbabypeter @harry-bowie-mercury @amieinghigh @onceuponaoneshot @chewymoustachio @my-neurodivergent-world

#roy kent bowled over #roy kent #roy kent x reader #ted lasso #ted lasso fanfiction #mutual pining #slowish burn #reader is a bowler #because I was a bowler #hence the terrible pun title #my writing #no editing we die like men

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crusty-chronicles · 11 months

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The Moon and Sun (Big Sib Reader x Gon/Killua)

Ch 9: The Woes of Traveling

Synopsis: While waiting for the airship that would take you to the NGL, you spend some very much needed time with the boys. Showing them a little more about your ability, until you get into a slight disagreement with a certain silver haired hunter. But he has a knack for calming you down and regaining your favor.

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

While the boys continued to hound you with questions, Spin used the observations you gave to help narrow down the search. She concluded that the most likely location of the Chimera Ant would be somewhere along the Balsa Islands. (Of which you were not familiar with)

"Unfortunately that includes the Mitene Union," Kite had added.

Unfortunately?

"Oh! Where the NGL Autonomous Region is," Banana clarified.

"Yes, and that's not to mention East Gorteau. No chance of getting information out of those two countries."

You frowned at that. And before you could question Kite about it, Killua decided to ask one of his own.

"What's the NGL?"

"NGL's an acronym that stands for Neo-Green Life." Banana started to explain.

"It's a country founded by people who reject modern technology. Choosing instead to live in nature." Stick finished.

Bingo

"Then we should check there first. No technology means it's the most vulnerable. News of a giant ant wouldn't spread as fast and it'd take a while for them to get help," You speculated.

Plus, it was better to get a place like that out of the way if the ant wasn't there.

The only issue was, places like that tended to be sticklers to their own rules. No exceptions.

"You've got a point, let me pull it up real quick," Spin said as she typed away. A few moments later, a map of the country was pulled up. All of you crowded around the computer to see.

"They primarily communicate by mail, and primary travel is by horseback Anyone who brings technology into the country could be executed."

And there it was.

Spin explained how there had been a situation with a small television crew. They were caught with equipment, and one was executed. The rest are still in jail to this day.

If you were being honest, you didn't really like the primitive societies. Having grown up in one yourself. You could understand them being upset from the disregard to their culture, but death? You found it hard to believe such a small offense would call for such a brutal punishment.

"Let's agree and assume for now the Chimera Ant washed ashore there. How would the NGL's citizenry react?" Kite's question hung in the air for a second.

If they rejected modern technology, then they'd probably reject modern help. It also depended on how primitive they were. They could've believed the ant was sent by god or something. Or that it was fate/destiny whatever may happen.

Then there was that aspect of government, if they even had one. Big Wigs tended not to give a damn about the people under them as long as it didn't affect them directly. So the off chance that the ant was already there and eating people....

"They probably wouldn't do anything, and it's not like they could anyways. No tech, no weapons," you answered.

Kite nodded.

"True. When a deadly epidemic spread through the area, they refused international medical aid. Because they preferred to let nature run its grisly course instead."

You wanted to be respectful, but it was getting harder the more you learned about this place. Why would you let yourself die, your family die just to enforce a belief that didn't matter.

It was selfish. But you figured that had more to do with the makeshift government than the people.

"Your point about communication is also correct," Kite continued.

"Even if they tried to contact the outside world, it would be too late by the time word arrived. So if the arm that was discovered did belong to the Chimera Ant queen, then it's entirely possible that she's already begun constructing her nest."

Goddamnit

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

You weren't too thrilled to be going on this trip. After purchasing tickets that would get you there, you found out a little more about the NGL than you would have liked.

Mainly, the rumors about drugs being manufactured there.

The last thing you needed to deal with was coked up ants. Especially if the boys were the ones fighting them. But there really wasn't anything you could do about it. You'd already given your word that you'd help find the Chimera Ant queen.

So here you are, wandering around the airport in the hopes to pass time. At least you had some decent company.

"Hey, Y/n?" Gon called. You stopped walking and looked down at him.

"Hmm?"

The other boy backtracked towards you when he realized you weren't behind him anymore.

"What made you decide to make your ability tracking?"

You tensed up slightly at the question. You should've guessed it would have been brought up so soon. You momentarily debated another half-truth but decided against it. You let out a tired sigh before answering.

He was too curious for his own good.

"Circumstances called for it, in a sense. It wasn't really my choice if I'm being honest. Just something I had to do."

To be fair, you could have developed a fighting ability as well, but it wasn't something you had been focused on at the time.

"What circumstances?"

"That's a story for another time, kay?" You lightly elbowed him. He pouted but dropped it.

"How young were you when you developed it?" This time it was Killua who asked. He seemed a little hesitant to, probably due to your reaction the last time he pried for information.

You were such an ass for that.

"Let's see," you thought back on it for a sec.

"Around four. It was fully developed by five."

"What!?!?"

You wanted to laugh at the bugged-out expression they both wore.

"There's no way! That's like how Killua was dropped off at Heaven's Arena as a baby!"

"Yeah but I didn't even know about nen until now! How did you figure it out at four!?!?"

Heaven's Arena? Like the place where people fought for money? God they were so reckless. First Chrollo, now this? You didn't think they'd ever run out of ways to surprise you. (For the worst that is)

You put your hands up before they could start shaking you again.

"Hey, hold on. I didn't just wake up one day and decide to use nen. It's thanks to the people I was with that pushed me there. And no, I will not be answering anymore questions today. Please and thank you."

You could feel the disappointment from both auras. See the grumpy frowns on their faces. And instantly your resolve broke.

God what was wrong with you. You were becoming too damn soft.

"How 'bout I show you two something cool instead. Fair?" You offered. They both beamed up at you.

Fakers.

"Let's find somewhere to sit first, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Fine, but it better be cool."

You spotted a bench a little ways away. You were grateful it was empty. You didn't think you could tolerate being squished together like sardines again.

It was also right next to-

You couldn't stop the gasp that left your mouth. Nor the way your eyes immediately lit up with stars. The boys sent you questioning stares and followed your line of vision.

A small snack shack with cookies on the display.

And as quickly as your delighted expression came, it also left. You shook your head and continued to your destination.

Killua looked over to Gon. They nodded to each other in agreement.

"I'll be right back. Go ahead and show Gon first," Killua called as he dashed past you.

You tilted your head in confusion. They were plotting something, weren't they? Goblins, the both of them. But you decided to let it go.

So long as it didn't lead to any trouble.

You sat down on the rickety old bench and patted the spot next to you. Gon complied, anticipation radiating off of him.

"You wanna know how I see the world?" Well, how you saw people more like it. But you thought the way you asked was a little cheesier. It fit with the vibe you were going for.

The softness

"Yeah! I wanna be able to see people's auras like you! It sounds fun!" You laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Wait! Are you gonna train me!?!?" He beamed up brighter at you.

"No, that'll be a while from now. I said I was gonna show you something cool, and training you to see them would take months." You clarified with a genuine smile.

The boy deflated slightly, but was all smiles again as he saw you make circle shapes with your hands and coat them with nen.

Like glasses.

He understood now.

You moved your hands to his eyes and waited for his reaction.

What he could see was everything. Little outlines of aura trailing every person. Sparks of emotion that seemed clearer to read. And the field of vision went further than he was used to seeing.

It was pretty cool. And useful. No wonder you had been able to find him so easily on Greed Island.

Your hands moved away at the feeling of Killua's presence.

"Took you long enough, gremlin."

He scooched on the other side of you.

"Yeah, well the line was long okay."

Before you could question him about it, a small bag was placed in your lap. You picked it up to inspect and let out another gasp.

The choked sound earning a laugh from the duo on either side of you.

Your eyes closed and you cupped your face to stop the warmth from spreading. Little delighted squeaks as you realized what it was.

A little baggie of chocolate chip cookies.

They had never seen you beam at something before. Never seen a smile so pure and bright from you. Like whatever had been weighing you down before was temporarily gone.

Not even when you had been talking with Kite were you this happy.

You snapped from your delighted daze after a few seconds.

"Oh right, let me show you the thing," you said as you clutched the bag close to you. Like it was made of the most precious material in the world.

Killua's face scrunched in confusion at your words. Then turned into shock as you once again made glasses with your hands and lifted them to his eyes.

Like Gon, he could see everything. The auras, the emotions, and much to his delight-the strength of everyone. So this was how you detected Binolt. Pretty handy. Maybe he could bribe you with candy to teach them how to see like you.

Which begs the question...

"Can we see your aura?"

You thought about it for a minute and inevitably gave in. Mourning the loss of setting your cookies down to do so.

"Sure, just don't get all scared." It was meant to lighten the mood, but a small part of you really meant it. You weren't trained to read yourself, so you didn't have any clue what they would see. You just hoped it wasn't bad.

You kneeled in front of them, one hand for each eye. You coated the space with your nen and waited.

The first thing they noticed was how faint your aura was. Like you were suppressing it. The next thing was your emotions. Nervousness, exhaustion, and that spark of uncontainable joy from before. Which made sense considering the events that just transpired.

But it was the ones buried under them that were concerning.

Guilt, fear, and regret.

A silent agreement was made not to mention those. Not to press you on them. Whatever caused you to feel that way, you'd tell them when you were ready.

You moved your hands away all too soon.

"Soooo, was that or wasn't that the coolest thing you've ever seen?" You stood up with mock confidence, unnerved by the worry now radiating off of them.

"It was okay, not as cool as the visualization thingy." Killua's quip had the mood lightening slightly.

"Well beggars can't be choosers, gremlin." The worry was gone.

"I can still return these," he said lifting up the small bag.

Your eyes widened in dispair.

"Nononono!!!! Please, my precious little Moon Star don't do it!!!! I'll die! I won't be able to go on without them!"

Killua ignored your light attempts to get the bag back, instead smiling smugly at Gon.

"I've got a cooler nickname than you now," he mouthed.

The boy in green puffed out his cheeks.

"No you don't!"

"Yeah I do!" The small assassin verbalized.

"Don't!"

"Do!"

"Don't!"

And while Killua was distracted, you made a fast grab, successfully taking the bag away. He didn't notice as he continued to argue with his best friend.

That was until both of them heard a crunch followed by another excited squeak. They peaked over the bench to see you happily munching away on a cookie.

"Stealer," Killua huffed out.

Gon nudged his shoulder.

"Leave them." He scolded.

It was quite comical to see someone with such a rough exterior go so soft over a few sweets. And the fact that you would growl if they tried to reach for one just to tease you.

It was almost enough to make the three of you forget about the situation at hand.

Almost.

You'd felt Kite's aura approach, then stop. A feeling of hesitance replacing the calm.

And in truth he was a little hesitant. The three of you looked so peaceful. So happy.

Like a little family.

It'd be a damn shame if something happened to it.

All the more reason he should confirm you all knew what you were getting yourselves into. This job would be dangerous. And it just might ruin the peace you had created with each other.

So he'd let the three of you have your moment. Hopefully not the last one if things went according to plan.

With that he continued on to your small group.

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

Your head snapped up at the sound of footsteps approaching. Realizing it was Kite, you relaxed. Seems he was gonna talk to the three of you after all.

"It may be too late to ask this, but are you all sure you want to come along?" His voice immediately catching the boys' attention.

The question was genuine, but a little redundant to ask.

You all were still here, weren't you?

And these boys were the furthest thing from cowards.

But you supposed from an outsider looking in, things would look different. An emotionally and physically drained adult chasing around two hyperactive kids. You probably would have been concerned too.

Their answer was immediate and you wouldn't have expected anything else.

"Of course."

"You weren't kidding about the 'late' part, huh?"

There was momentary shock from Kite's aura. Then eyes fell on you expectantly.

"What? I thought I was in this by default. Can't exactly track an ant without a tracker, you know?"

Unwavering determination from the three of you. Safe to assume where one went, the other two would follow. Still, Kite needed to make sure you all knew of the potential risks entering the NGL. That the three of you would be prepared for it.

"As you know, we have no idea what the situation is inside the NGL. There may very well be a swarm of giant Chimera Ants already hunting humans down. And if that does indeed turn out to be the case, then my priority will be saving them."

Kite's gaze lingered on his team. A surge of protectiveness radiating off him. You could respect that. You could relate to that.

"Be aware that I may not be able to help you three. If you're going to join us, you must be able to protect yourselves."

And again your boys had answered without hesitation.

"Right, I got it!"

"We'll be okay."

Surprisingly, you weren't pushed for an answer. And it may or may not have to do with the fact that he had seen your strength the day he met you. Your speed that rivaled his and was probably even faster. Your strong will to protect those boys.

You'd already proven enough of your capabilities.

Too bad he was unaware it was purely for defense.

"...And if it happens to be me who finds himself in danger, then leave me there. You got it?"

An uncomfortable tension filled the air. Unease in Gon and Killua's auras. And yours too.

"DON'T LEAVE ME HERE! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME!"

"Shut the hell up, would you?" Your tone was harsh and all the previous joy gone. Instead replaced by agitation. The change in mood was very much unexpected.

Not good. You were scary when you were angry. Especially since you seemed to be getting along well with Kite before.

"You don't leave your friends to die if you know you can save them. Whether you want the help or not, I don't give a damn. If that upsets you then you can shove it. But I will not have you instilling bad morals onto my brothers. End of discussion." Your eyes were colder than they had been. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was in them.

But it wasn't hate, wasn't exactly anger. The closest to it was disappointment. Like you were scolding him over something that seemed like common knowledge. Before he could properly explain to you what he meant, you had already gotten up and left for the airship. The two boys trailing behind you, casting an apologetic glance his way as they passed him.

A bear and its cubs.

Kite had to remember to pick his words better addressing those boys. He supposed it was sweet in a way, how serious you took raising them. It let him know they would be safe with you.

It was just dealing with your troublesome temper that would be a pain. (Good thing he was very experienced in that area.)

If you and Ging ever did meet, the two of you would probably kill each other.

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

You'd never been on an airship before. Usually when you had to get somewhere, you'd walk. There was the occasional hitchhike, but you never had the proper money to afford decent travel.

And this was nice. Very nice.

The city lights below you and the sunset unobscured. It was calming. Something you really needed right now.

You hadn't meant to snap, but there were just some things that would inevitably set you off. It was nobody's fault but your own for not conveying them. Still, you weren't too fond of somebody telling your boys to leave their friends when things got rough. No matter how much you liked him.

It wasn't because you thought it would make them cowards. God no, you always reminded them not to pick stupid fights. You just didn't want them to regret running away.

Survivor's guilt was a bitch.

It was not something two twelve-year-old little boys should have to deal with.

You glanced over at them. They were looking out of the window, expressions somber. You could feel nervousness, but you'd give anything to know what they were actually thinking about.

Should you say something?

You were never good at comforting people.

But you didn't like the quiet. Not anymore.

"You two okay?" Were you being awkward right now? Yes, yes you were. But you were trying, that had to count for something, right?"

A moment of silence that seemed to stretch on for eternity.

"You called us your brothers." There was a twinkle in Gon's eye as he said it. It was hopeful.

Then it disappeared as Killua thwacked the back of his head.

"Idiot! Was that the only thing you've been thinking about!?!?"

"Well no, but it's still pretty important!!! They've never called us that before!!!"

"Yeah but we can focus on that later!"

Before you knew it, you were laughing at their shenanigans. You'd been worried over nothing. They were fine. Stupid, but fine.

"Hey! Just whaddya' think you're laughing about!" Killua pointed an accusatory finger at you, face red from embarrassment. You did your best to stifle your giggles before answering.

"Nothing. You two are just goobers is all."

"Ew, what're you fifty? You sound like a senior citizen. You look like one too with those bags under your eyes."

You let out a fake noise of offense.

"Yeah? And what, does that make you Ben Franklin, you little eel."

His embarrassment worsened as Gon laughed at your comment.

"I forgot about that! He is an eel!"

Killua huffed and crossed his arms.

"Can't believe you turned my own best friend against me. Not very big sibling behavior."

You shook your head in amusement. What a day you were having. At least it would end on a high note.

"Oh, Y/n," Gon called.

You turned your head to give him your attention.

"Thank you for earlier."

Your face scrunched in confusion.

"For what?"

"You remember what Kite said before we left? That we should escape without him if he's in danger?"

"Yes?" What did you do that deserved thanks? If anything, you were just being a snippy bitch.

"I wanted to thank you for what you said. That friends don't leave each other behind. I don't think me and Killua would have been able to put that into words. Well, more like say it directly. So thank you."

"Yeah, he didn't make it sound like it was a choice. So I guess I appreciate that you gave us one," Killua added.

You didn't know what to do with this. The gratitude for something you thought was common sense. It wasn't like you'd made some heroic speech on the power of friendship. You just talked from experience.

So you did the only thing you could think of and flicked their foreheads.

"You goblins. Don't thank me for something small like that. I'm the Big Sib, remember? I can't just let someone be teaching you bad habits. What kind of example would I be setting if I agreed to let you run away with your tail between your legs?"

The resounding laughter from both of them had your face going warm.

"Hey! I don't recall saying anything funny! So quit it!"

"It's just-" Gon started before getting cut off by a wheeze.

"You're being so serious over a 'thank you'. You know, you're acting more like a parent right now!" Killua hung off of Gon to steady himself.

Your face went a darker shade.

"I'm nobody's parent! I barely agreed to be your sibling!" You turned to leave, trying not to fluster yourself further.

"Waitwaitwait!" A small grab on your wrist.

"You never let me finish talking." It was Gon who seemed to have collected himself at last.

"You said thank you, sounds like you finished to me."

He shook his head.

"I didn't. That was only part of it. Please sit down and listen." And there were the puppy dog eyes. You hated yourself for how easily you gave in every time.

"Fine. Not like I wanted to nap or anything." You gave his hair a ruffle before sitting on yet another rickety bench, Killua next to you.

"Okay, there's something that I've been thinking about. I want your honest opinion. Do you really think Kite, a guy Ging respects, can ever actually be in that much danger? He said to leave if things got bad, but how bad could they really get if he's so strong?"

Technically, the one friend of Ging's you'd met was a titan. So the odds of Kite being in trouble seemed slim. Then again, you still didn't know how strong these ants would be.

"People slip up. They get tired. Reckless when protecting something important. No matter how strong or respected someone is, there will always be a weakness. And because this is an enemy we've never faced, it's hard to predict what will happen. We can just hope for the best."

So many damn factors could determine a fight. No matter how skilled someone was, one small mistake was all it took.

You wished you didn't know why he had asked that, but you did. And it was because he was considering Kite's words in full. Mulling over what would be the right decision to do. Honor his wishes, or agree with you.

Then there was that familiar spark of determination. And you knew the words that would accompany it would be said with so much certainty, there would be no room to argue.

"I don't know the reason Ging brought me and Kite together, and maybe I never will...But I won't just give up. It doesn't matter what's going on here, I just don't wanna disappoint him, you know?"

You decided then and there that Ging Freecs was the worst person in the world. Gon, who had never even met him, was worried about his approval. The man who had dropped him off at his cousin's and told one of his best buddies to fight him full force. That was the one he didn't want to disappoint.

This kid, who had always felt like he failed when he couldn't accomplish something, didn't deserve that. Didn't deserve to have his self-worth be determined by a man who wasn't there.

So yes, you decided you officially hated Ging. And if you ever met him, you'd be sure to knock him down a peg or two.

"Or me. I couldn't forgive myself either. I won't run away. That's what I've decided. I won't leave my friend to die, not if I can save him." Gon's voice snapped you from your thoughts.

And after processing what he said, you felt a surge of pride. Such a good kid who was cursed with an ass of a father.

"Atta boy." At your praise, he ducked his head down, a feeling of bashfulness overtaking his aura.

"And you? What've you decided, gremlin?" You nudged the boy next to you.

"Don't know. I guess I'd just think about it when the time comes," Killua answered.

"Really? What if it was one of us?" You were being a little mean, pressing him like that. But no matter his answer, it wouldn't change a thing. You'd die to keep these boys alive. And you probably would.

"Well, if it's you two, I'll try my best. But anyone else, it just depends. I don't do these hypotheticals, okay!?!?"

You patted his head, much to his dismay.

"Then let's all agree on something. We look out for each other there, okay? Do what we can, so the rest can do what we can't. And don't be scared to ask for help. I know you two are stubborn, but please be careful."

Were you making another promise?

They nodded, hands reaching towards yours to shake on it.

You were about to make yourself comfortable to start napping when your eyes caught a flash of silver. A familiar calming aura approaching, then it stopped.

You stood up to get a better vantage point and sure enough, there he was. Perhaps he had caught the last part of your conversation with the boys and stopped himself from interrupting.

He noticed you a few seconds later. You were still very much agitated by his previous statement, but you weren't about to be an even bigger ass over that.

He did buy the three of you tickets to come along. And he did double check with the three of you before boarding.

Goddamnit, you couldn't even properly hold a grudge now.

So with the boys distracted with each other, you started up another silent conversation.

'You wanna talk or something? Away from the boys though. You've gotta earn that privilege again.'

Was that relief you were sensing?

'I was hoping to talk to you in private, if that's ok with you?'

You looked back over to the two boys who were currently arguing over dibs for training with you first. Dummies.

You turned back towards Kite and nodded.

"I'll be back, don't do anything that gets me in trouble."

A protest of 'hey's' as you left to follow the taller male. Which wasn't far. The airship was spacious but not big. You two stopped a little ways around the bend.

Your arms were crossed and your stare was expectant. He really did prefer it when you weren't mad. The way you looked a few moments ago. But even though you were upset, you were not an unreasonable person. He'd seen that firsthand himself.

The uncomfortable tension was back. But you'd disrupted it soon after. For better or worse, neither of you could tell.

"This the part where you apologize for traumatizing my boys by asking them to leave you to die?" You may have been exaggerating. But damnit, they shouldn't have to think about things like that.

Your dramatics were expected and like before, Kite would bite back.

"Is this the part where you tell me to screw my explanation?" It was slightly teasing, but completely dispelled your previous agitation.

Your eyes widened, not expecting his response. However, you rebounded quickly.

"If it sucks, then yes. But if you've got a good one I'd love to hear it."

The air became thicker as his expression turned serious.

"You care about those boys, don't you?" You both knew the answer to that very well. Nevertheless, you nodded to confirm.

"Then it's your duty to keep them safe. If I'm in a fight I can't win, what hope to they have?"

And before you could protest on their behalf, he continued.

"They would be putting themselves in a danger they can't beat. Letting emotions get in the way and making mistakes they shouldn't. Good intentions or not, they'd only end up getting in the way. It's your responsibility to take them out of that situation. To protect them."

The same song and dance as before. He was right and you'd jumped the gun a little too soon. The rational part of your brain listening to his words and knowing he was right. But....

"That's not the issue. Trust me, I'm gonna make sure nothing happens to them, even if it kills me. But you don't know what you're talking about asking them to run away. It's not just about doing what's morally right. It's the affect it's going to have."

Affect? Now he was the one a little at loss for words.

"What do you mean?"

You hesitated for a second. Dread and guilt bubbling to the surface.

"As someone who has had to make that choice...I made the wrong one. I don't want them making the wrong one too. It's not something that goes away, the guilt. It festers and grows and it just..." You shook your head, trying to rid away everything negative.

"You don't know what you're asking of them. If there's a chance, even a small one that everybody comes out okay, then we'll make it happen."

So that was why you were mad.

It made sense now. All of it actually. And when you put it like that, it was hard to argue with. But there was still that image of the happy family broken because one of you had gone back.

You needed to know that. You needed to see past those feelings to understand that. Maybe it was asking too much of you, but this was an important job. One he and his team could not mess up.

"What if you can't? What if it's too late to save someone and you know it? Would you still foolishly try?" It was cruel, but there wasn't a nicer way to put it.

You looked down then. Like you felt defeated. And for a brief moment he thought he knew what your answer would be. He was wrong.

"No...I wouldn't have." He thought the conversation would have ended there, but it didn't. And why it didn't made him respect you all the more.

"But things have changed for me. They've changed me. And even though I know it's a fool's game," Your hands had clenched.

"I would do it in a heartbeat. But if you're so adamant about this, then I want you to make me a promise in exchange."

You didn't agree with him, but you had agreed to follow through in his wishes. It was only fair he do the same.

"Promise that if I have to fight to give them time, you'll get them out of there. You'll keep them safe for me. If I need to die, then make sure they live." Your eyes met Kite's. He would never tire seeing your resolve, but now there was something softer mixed in. Vulnerable.

"I know they can be a handful, but they'll grow on you." He didn't need you to try and convince him to agree. He'd already decided the second you proposed it. Still, you loved your little family and wanted to ensure they would be safe.

A breath of fresh air compared to some of the other hunters he had met. (Even if you weren't exactly one.)

You extended your hand towards his. He took it, noticing a small amount of aura coating it.

"I swear on my nen, that if I know you can't be saved, we'll run."

It was a curse. No a condition. He had never met someone who bet their nen on their word. But your resolve was absolute, not worried about the potential ramifications of your actions. You were serious about keeping your promise.

A spark of something akin to admiration was felt. You stood strong and unmoving and it was having an affect on him.

It wasn't hard to see why both boys looked up to you so much.

You'd place a condition on your nen to keep your promise. So he would too. As a show of good faith. A show of trust.

"I swear on my nen, as well. If something should happen to you, I'll take care of Gon and Killua in your place." His own aura coated his palm.

You looked up at him in shock. Did he have any idea what he was about to do? That this was permanent until the conditions had been met or null?

"You know what happens if you break it, right? This isn't something to take lightly. It's binding." You warned. But Kite looked unfazed by your words, aura a familiar calm.

"I know. Does it make you uncomfortable that I'm willing to meet your stakes?" It was a genuine question. He assumed you would have been happy. Maybe a snarky comment here and there, but not surprised. Was this another boundary he was unaware of?

"No. I just wanted to make sure." You finally shook on it, a feeling of your nen exchanging with his before it was over.

Why had he done that? Why had he put a condition on himself? Just because you did it??? You didn't get it. Promises were important to you, and now a promise like this? Where both parties had agreed to give something up in case it was broken... Where stakes were mutual...

You knew why

And it had your slowed heart beating in overdrive inside your chest.

"You're.... You're a good person. For meeting me halfway on this. Thank you, Kite." Your tone was the softest it had been with him. There was gratitude yes, but there was something else. It was almost intimate.

And when you said his name like that, with such fondness, it made him want to keep you around. Just to hear it said in the same way again.

A tongue for a dagger with a heart of gold. That's what you were. A smart ass with a big heart, especially with those two boys.

Maybe he would invite you to stay when this was all over.

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

Unbeknownst to the two of you, pairs of eyes watched the exchange from afar. Both of them trying to wrap their heads around what you just did.

You shook hands coated in nen and that was it. But why? They couldn't figure it out. From where they were, they couldn't really hear you all that well.

But one of them could read lips, and what he deciphered shocked him in a way that was terrifying.

Because what Killua had just witnessed was you willing to give up your nen, what made you you, for their safety. That you would give up your life to make sure he and Gon got out safe.

What the hell was wrong with you!?!? Doing something so stupid over something that wouldn't happen!!!! You'd made a big deal about not running away a few minutes ago, so what was the-

Your wording.

There was an 'if'. If you know you can save them.

'But if you couldn't' was what you bet your nen on.

And it brought the earlier conversation to full light. What he would do if you and Gon were just in danger. Without knowing if saving either of you was an option.

Would you hate him if he decided to run?

He knew Gon wouldn't leave you, that he wouldn't have even entertained the thought. But it wasn't as cut and dry for Killua.

It had been instilled in him to flee from battles he could not win. To run and save his own life.

And what if that actually happened? Would the two of you stay?

Would either of you forgive him?

Would you still think of him as your little brother? A killer turned coward?

You never stayed mad or upset with him. And Gon always believed the best in him.

"One day you'll betray your friends and then you'll kill them." He froze at the sound of Illumi's voice. His words were still engraved in his mind.

"You don't leave your friends to die if you can save them." But so were yours.

"You're no good."

"Okay, I'll admit it. That was pretty unexpected. And cool."

"You're weak."

"Just try a little harder and you'll have it down."

"Foolish little brother."

"He's cautious and knows how to pick his battles. And despite the shit his family's put him through, he's still a good kid."

His brother had taught him everything he's ever known, and a part of him was grateful for that.

But you and Gon had shown him a different way. A way built on trust rather to than fear. And out of the voices battling in his head, yours was the one he would rather listen to. The better one.

The one that made him feel safe.

He would try for you.

Try to be a good person for you and Gon.

Try to save the two of you if anything happened.

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Not so Fun Fact #10: Y/n's Hemophobia stems from being exposed to too much at a young age.

Not so Fun Fact #11: Y/n became homeless at the age of 8

MASTERLIST

Tags: @fandomhoe101

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An: Me??? Making a small filler chapter 😱😱😱 Yes, now let me stall for Kite's life. Kite my beloved, I apologize for what I'm about to do to you next chapter.😞😞😞 Gon and Killua my scrunkies, I also apologize for what I'm about to do to you the following chapter after that😞😞😞 (Or maybe through the power of procrastination I can stall the angst for one more chapter.)

#hxh #hunter x hunter #hxh x reader #hunter x hunter x reader #hxh x y/n #hunter x hunter x y/n #gon x reader #killua x reader #mayhaps a kite x reader???#big sib reader #older reader #found family #x reader #platonic

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