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anniesocsandgeneralstore · 3 years

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If I Go, I'm Goin' Crazy - Part 2 (Rick Flag x OC)

Summary: When Waller and the US government will do anything to cover up their mistakes, Delphia Holman takes matters into her own hands. That information will get out - and the love of her life will live to tell about it.

Pairing: Rick Flag x OC (Delphia Holman)

Word Count: 7776

Warnings: spoilers for The Suicide Squad, major fluff, panic attack/stress symptoms, blood/injury mention, Rick Flag being a softy once again, language

Timeline: July 2021 (5 years after the first part posted)

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Five more years, over 100 successful missions, and Task Force X was still going strong. Five more years, one night blissfully spent together turned into multiple in a row, one move in, and Delphia Holman and Rick Flag were still together. Of course, everyone in control had taken a bet on whether or not it would happen eventually, and Economos raked in the cash when Holman casually dropped that she couldn’t work late due to dinner plans with Flag.

And while everyone else poked fun and made Delphia seriously blush — Amanda Waller took note of this relationship development quietly. Stored the information in the back of her mind to use later. It didn’t need to be brought up unless truly necessary. Unless one of them truly stepped out of line. Leverage.

Waller had to guess that Flag knew about Delphia’s abilities. Just by the way they seemed attached at the hip these days. But also by the way he would graze far too close to death and somehow make it out alive. Like he knew something beforehand. She would let it slide for now. Keeping Flag alive was turning missions set to fail into major success. Besides, in spite of Amanda Waller’s uncompromising and cold exterior, she had a soft spot for her assistant. A small one, but at least a soft spot. One that she feared more than any gun pointed to her head.

It was early morning. So early the sun hadn’t even peeked its shining head over the horizon yet, the world still enclosed in darkness and sleep. But Delphia was blearily awake. Eyes only half open.

Her sleep had been unrestful, plagued with half visions of the future. The future of the mission Rick was about to depart for in only a few hours. It was a violent one. Full of death and destruction and things that no one had ever seen before. These visions made it impossible to rest, so instead she rested her chin on Rick’s belly and watched him slumber instead.

In the darkness, fast asleep, he looked so peaceful. Younger even. One arm thrown up onto his pillow and the other gently laid across her back. Her eyes trailed across the tattoos on his upper arms, up to the sharp line of his jaw, down across his collarbone. His hair was messy and he breathed deeply and she felt so entirely in love with him it was insane. Her mind wasn’t thinking about anything, and before Rick, this meant that she would accidentally slip into visions of the future. Seeing things she didn’t want to. Making it impossible for her to relax and just have a quiet moment to herself, always having to have her mind occupied just in case. But with him — with him she could think of nothing at all and stay right there in the present. Enjoying the moment for the first time in her life.

“You watchin’ me sleep?” Rick spoke groggily as his hand came up to smooth over her hair.

She focused back on his face and smiled softly. Hazel eyes barely focused, he was blinking down at her, a lopsided grin stretching his lips. His hand felt so warm as it settled on the back of her neck, massaging softly. Delphia curled up into him even more on instinct. Wanting to be as close to him as she could get.

“Yeah,” she admitted.

“Couldn’t sleep?” He tried to blink away the sleepiness from his eyes, free hand coming down to run over his face.

“Yeah.” Delphia pulled a hand out from under her chin and began tracing her fingers over his chest. “Couldn’t shut my Sight off.”

“Hm — I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered, giving her red hair a soft tug, “Come here.”

She grinned as she pulled herself up and rested her cheek against his chest, legs straddling his thick waist. Rick wrapped his arms around her shoulders. His lips grazed her scalp and she let out a soft sound, almost like a purr, that made Rick chuckle. Deep and reverberating right into Delphia’s chest and it somehow made her feel so warm and at home and good.

“Listen to my heart,” Rick whispered against her hair, placing one hand on her head and holding her to his chest, “Listen to the beat of it.”

Delphia practically melted into him, joined with him as one, as she focused on the steady beat of his heart. It rattled around inside her skull until there was nothing else to think about. Until her mind was so preoccupied with the sound that she couldn’t possibly get lost in visions of the future. She hummed again as the feeling washed over her. Of being completely present, completely held, and completely loved.

There it was. Sleep was finally beginning to wash over her. It was peaceful and beautiful and in the arms of the one she loved it was nearly like drowning in sunlight.

But before she could fall into it completely, a phone somewhere across the room began to ring.

Rick groaned at the sudden, loud noise. Holding onto Delphia a bit tighter so she wouldn’t try to get up and answer it. Though tried as she might to wiggle herself away from him. Most definitely fully awake now.

“Rick,” she grumbled against his chest as she tried to get up, “It’s my work phone! I gotta answer it!”

He sighed in defeat and released her.

Delphia practically leapt from the bed and across the room to the phone still ringing loudly atop their chest of drawers. She caught it just in time, pressing the button to answer and putting it to her ear.

“This is Holman,” she answered as professionally as she could with early morning grog still in her voice and breath heavy.

“I need you at Belle Reve in thirty.” Waller sounded wide awake at this hour.

“Any particular reason?” Delphia asked as she flicked on the lights to their closet and began searching for clothes.

“Change of plans — we’re adding Peacemaker to the team.” This made Delphia pause as she reached for a blouse. “I need you to run the mission again.”

“But — “ She glanced back to the bed, Rick was sitting up — paying attention to the conversation with a furrowed brow. “But they leave in a few hours.”

“Don’t care,” Waller deadpanned, “Just get your ass over here.”

And with that, she hung up. Delphia stared down at her phone for a moment, unsure what Waller’s plan was in adding Peacemaker to the team. But her expression dropped when she did, in fact, figure it out. Peacemaker followed orders to a fault. His moral compass was wavering. An action by the government could cross a line but if he wasn’t told to stop it or say anything about it, he wouldn’t. He would do anything you told him to as long as you told him it was for the betterment of the world and would bring peace and freedom for all. And he would kill anyone in order to see it done.

Unlike Rick Flag.

Who for so long had served his country dutifully, who’s moral compass only reached a certain point. Only in the face of the truly diabolical. For so long, he had gone around the world cleaning up the messes of men far more powerful than himself. And Waller could tell that he was getting tired of it. Tired of this life. Tired of fighting. Tired of following orders that made him feel hollow inside. So she was finding his replacement.

But surely she wouldn’t kick him off the team? He was a leader. Someone many members of Task Force X trusted and actually obeyed the orders of. No. She wouldn’t do that. But then Delphia thought back to the countless times Waller had made her look into the future of the mission. Operation Jotunheim. In the end, Rick would go with his conscience and steal a tape full of information about the American government’s involvement with Project Starfish. The mission would end in success by all accounts, but the US would be exposed for horrific crimes.

Which was not Waller’s endgame. She wanted all traces of Project Starfish wiped from the face of the Earth. Just thinking about it made Delphia’s stomach twist uncomfortably.

Peacemaker was Waller’s backup plan to make sure that tape was destroyed.

Oh, God.

“Dee, what’s going on?” Rick called from the bed.

“Er — uh — “ She quickly put the phone down on a shelf in the closet and pulled out a shirt. “Last minute adjustment to the team, I guess. Waller wants me to come in and take a look.”

“Anything I should worry about?” he asked as he watched her rush through the buttons on her blouse to get it on.

“P-Possibly.” She shoved on a pair of dress pants and some flats. “I’ll find you before you leave.”

Delphia threw on a blazer then hurried over to the bathroom to finish getting ready. While she brushed her teeth, Rick came in behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He gave her neck a kiss and breathed deep the scent of her. He smiled against her pulse as her free hand wrapped around his forearm.

“I love you,” he whispered.

She struggled to reply around her toothpaste, “I love you, too.”

Delphia pulled herself from her vision of the future, eyes refocusing on Waller’s office, with a gasp and tears streaming down her face.

No, no, no, no.

“Is the mission successful?” Waller asked calmly, eyes dully taking in her assistant.

“Y-Yes,” Delphia stuttered through her tears, “B-But — “

“No buts,” Waller said, “Is any trace of Project Starfish destroyed?”

Delphia barely choked out a whisper, “Yes.”

“Good. You’re dismissed.”

It took everything in Delphia’s power to not sprint from the room. She got up from her chair calmly, trying to get control over her breathing and her tears. But as soon as she was out in the hallway she was jogging in the direction of the prisoner prep rooms. Rick would be waiting there to escort the newest Task Force X member and she needed to get to him.

She couldn’t stop seeing it. Couldn’t stop the milky whiteness overtaking her vision as she ran through the hallways and bumped into people as she went. She tried to blink the white away, tried to stay in the moment, but her brain was going faster than her rational thoughts could process. It was making it hard to breathe, hard to swallow, hard to hear. All she could see was blood and bathroom tiles and dead hazel eyes staring up at her.

And there he was. Standing in the hallway at the end of prisoner prep, leaning back against the wall, waiting for the mission to start. He smiled when he spotted her, picking himself up from the wall. But then he saw her face. Buckled in fright and worry, tear stains on her red cheeks, and blue eyes constantly flickering between normal and white.

“Rick,” she muttered, fresh tears bubbling out of her as she leaned her hand against the wall.

As a man of action, he quickly pulled her into the supply closet across the hall and locked it from the inside. But once inside the dark space, Delphia burst. Seeing him only made it worse. The milky whiteness overtook her and she was right back in Jotunheim. Unable to do anything but watch as Peacemaker jammed that bathroom tile into Rick’s heart. She gasped for breath. Her lungs wouldn’t fill with enough air. She felt like a fish out of water as she reached out and grabbed Rick’s tactical vest to keep herself upright. Oh, God, there he was. Lying on his back, dead eyes staring up at the ceiling, tile sticking out of his chest. Peacemaker had left but she couldn’t stop looking at him.

This was his future.

“Dee! Delphia!” In the back of her mind, she could hear Rick calling her name as quietly as he could.

She felt hands grab her shoulders. Something hard against her cheek. Then a hand on the back of her neck, massaging gently.

“Dee — listen to my heart,” Rick spoke softly against the shell of her ear, “Listen to the beat of it.”

In the future, she tore her eyes away from his body on the floor. She could hear it. Softly, in the distance. Like a familiar beat of drums that called her home. White overtook her vision again and she was in a dark closet, vision blurred on the edges with tears. Her breathing was slowing, still rapid. But the only thing she could hear was Rick’s heart, still alive and beating in her ear. It moved around her skull until there was nothing left except his arms holding her tight and the fact that right here, right now, he was still alive.

And that there was something she could do about it.

“Rick,” she whimpered.

“You saw it again — didn’t you?” he guessed quietly, thumb moving gently against her waist.

Delphia nodded.

She had seen his death countless times — in dozens of different ways. Gunshot wounds. Falls. Beatings. Crushes. Stabbings. But no matter how many times she saw it she was never prepared the next time it came around. It never ceased to bring a panic from deep inside her, like a well overflowing until she could feel nothing else. To see the one that you love die in so many different ways, so many different times — it was torture. Unbareable and painful and otherwordly. How had her ancestors dealt with this? How had they lived entire lives seeing the deaths of everyone that they ever cared about and not said a word of complaint to the aliens above who did this to them? Delphia cursed them nearly every single day.

This time, however, this vision felt different. It felt final and inexorable. That no matter what she did this was going to occur. There was no stopping it. It was meant to be.

No. Nothing was meant to be. The future is not set in stone.

“Can you show me?” he asked gently into the top of her head.

It took everything inside her to pull herself away from him — to stop listening to the reassuring beat of his heart. She looked into his face, pinched in concern and cast in dark shadow that made his eyes look sunken in. Squeezing her eyes shut a few more tears fell that were quickly wiped away by hands much larger than her own. Then she reached up, pressing her thumbs into his temples and wrapping her hands around his head. He was sweating just a bit. Rick always hated this part, but it needed to be done in order to save his life.

Rick Flag was the only person in her entire life she was able to take with her into her visions of the future. They had been messing around one night — her looking into the future while Rick tried to guess what she was looking at. A game they played often. But one night Rick suggested, as a joke, that she needed to connect to his mind in order for him to guess right. Delphia obliged and grabbed ahold of his head, concentrating as hard as she could on Rick, to play along, as she looked into a random future. But when she unfocused, came out of the milkey whiteness, Rick was standing right there with her. Confused as hell and screaming. They had stayed up the entire night after that — going around the world together ten years from now.

Delphia took a calming breath and thought about the coming mission again. Corto Maltese. Jotunheim. Starro. She felt her eyes and mind unfocus — heard Rick take in a sharp breath. The dark supply closet became blurred and was suddenly gone. Replaced by a milky white that faded to reveal a different scene entirely.

She tried to show him what was only truly important for his survival. Rick felt that it was unfair when she showed him too much of the missions that he went on, saying that it gave him an advantage over his teammates. So she dropped them into a vision of just the very end of the assignment. Right when he’s pulling the tape out of Thinker’s computer.

Out of the corner of her eye, Delphia saw Rick looking around the room in disgust. So this was Project Starfish. The first time Delphia saw it, she had thrown up. But right now she couldn’t even care to look at it. All she could focus on was Rick, future Rick, all bloodied and bruised and pissed off that the government had used him once again. She grabbed hold of present Rick’s hand and forced him to pay attention when Peacemaker came with his gun pointed at his head.

Then as the building fell on top of them. Then as the two of them tried to kill one another over the tape. And finally, Delphia and Rick watched, as Peacemaker jammed a piece of bathroom tile right into Rick’s heart. Delphia felt him flinch as he watched, eyes observant, and he gripped her hand just a little bit tighter. That was enough.

She pulled them both back to the present and into that closet.

Rick took a shuddering breath and squeezed her waist. “Well, that was…Reassuring.”

“Please, just — “ Her hands slipped down his face to feel the rough stubble of his cheeks. “Please come back to me.”

“You know I always do, baby,” he whispered.

Nudging his nose with her’s, he drew her into a kiss. Soft, gentle, reassuring, saying so much more than either of them ever could. Delphia desperately clung to his shoulders and neck. His grip on her waist was a vice. Their lips crushed against one another. Fingers dug into flesh — sure to leave bruises. But it didn’t matter.

It didn’t matter, it didn’t matter, it didn’t matter. Because to be held like this, hard and truthful and loving, it was like escaping death. Over, and over, and over again.

“You told Flag about his death?” Waller questioned.

Delphia sat across from her in her office, stone faced and hands clasped lightly in her lap. “No.”

“You’re a shit liar, Holman.” Waller stared across the desk at her with a dead expression. “I know you’ve been doing it for years now. It’s been to my favor thus far so there’s been no need to confront you. But this mission is far too important.”

“But he’s important to me.”

“I don’t care.” Waller got up from her desk and moved to the door. “You’ve compromised the mission so you’re off the case. Congratulations — you’re on desk duty.”

“Wait, what?” Delphia asked, getting up from her chair and looking back at Waller with a wounded expression.

She needed to be in the control room. Waller always wanted her in the control room. Especially for when things got dicey. She would give Delphia a signal and she would look into the future by only a few minutes, letting her know the outcome before it even happened. But Delphia also wanted to know what was going on as it was happening. Wanted to know if her visions came true or not. To know if Rick was okay or not.

“I want you at your desk for the next few days. If I see you anywhere near the control room, Holman, I swear to God — I will not hesitate to put a power dampening collar on you.”

Waller slammed the door shut behind her. And through tears, Delphia put a hand to her neck. She had one of those on before. Back when she had very little control of her powers and would get stuck in the future. It was the only way to get her back. But the collar was heavy, demoralizing, and made her feel wholly unlike herself. And she knew that if she didn’t do what Waller said pretty soon she would start making poorly veiled threats towards her elderly adoptive parents — or worse, Rick.

So Delphia retreated to her desk like a kicked dog. Tail between her legs and tears building in her eyes. And as she sat down, she could already feel her heartrate picking up. The slight shake of her hands. Her stomach twisting and turning on itself. Taking a calming breath, she thought it best to dive into her work. Catch up on reports and adjust Waller’s busy schedule. There was nothing she could do now. It was all out of her hands. And even if she couldn’t watch the monitors like a hawk or listen in on comms, she knew that Rick was going to be okay.

At least for now.

But about two hours later she was out of work to do and that anxious feeling was rising in her stomach again. Filling her mouth with bile and making it difficult not to turn her Sight off. And Delphia supposed that one little check in wouldn’t hurt.

She thought about who Rick Flag was. After all these years in the military he still wasn’t a morning person. Giving of himself, of his time, his money, his kindness. Very good at putting together IKEA furniture. Always had to have a hand on her — especially in public. Light, goodness, stubborn, kept the apartment clean, liked to be the little spoon sometimes.

Her eyes unfocused and she was in a jungle. A jungle of Corto Maltese only a few minutes from now. It was dark, the night sounds of the tropical forest buzzed loudly in her ears. She was at the edge of the freedom fighter’s camp, which was alight with lanterns and campfires. There was soft Latin music coming from a crackling radio and a small group of people were laughing. It was safe here. And it didn’t take her long to find Rick. Her Sight had dumped her right next to the tent Soria would put him in to patch him up and let him rest.

She moved inside the tent and there he was — or would be in a few minutes — laying down on a cot asleep. He would be cleaned up, his wounds tended to, and then the freedom fighters would leave him alone to sleep until they could figure out what to do with an American soldier. Delphia breathed deep as she took in the sight of him. White bandages covered his shoulder and side. But other than that he looked okay. She moved further inside the tent and knelt down at his side. More than anything, she wanted to be there with him. To heal his wounds and hold him and tell him that everything was going to be okay. But Rick would’ve rather died then allow her to come on a mission. So this would have to do.

With every near death experience, Delphia always was able to give some tip about what he could do to avoid it. Don’t stand right there. That guy has a knife. Get behind this cover. But this time was different. There was no advice or warning she could give that would just make his death not happen. He had already seen the atrocities that the American government had done and were making him cover up. The limit of his moral compass had been reached. And she could tell he was tired — so very tired of fighting for something he wasn’t entirely sure he believed in anymore. He was still going to try and take that tape. She just knew he was. That was who Rick Flag was. Which was why it seemed so inevitable. Which was why it felt like her heart was trying to jump out of her throat — either that or she was about to scream at the top of her lungs.

Never had she felt so helpless in the face of a future she had seen. Never before had she felt like this was the last time she would ever be with him.

“Dee,” Rick whispered and she jumped at the sound, looking down at him with raised brows, “I’m gonna be okay — I love you, baby.”

His eyes were open. It looked like he was looking right at her. He couldn’t see her, but he knew she would be watching. Tears fell down her cheeks as she reached out and touched his face. She couldn’t feel him, and he definitely wouldn’t be able to feel her. But that was okay.

This was enough.

Three days.

Everyone around the office could tell that Delphia was miserable. She barely talked to anyone. She wasn’t in the control room with the rest of them like she usually was. She looked pale (sometimes green), with bags under her eyes and a permanent frown pulling on her lips. Economos wondered to the rest of the team if her and Flag had broken up. Crawley and Harcourt immediately rejected this idea, having been secretly rooting for the two of them for years. But Waller quickly shut down any more conversation about it. Which ultimately led the team to assume that whatever Delphia was upset about, it had to do with Waller and this mission.

But the mission was about to end. On it’s last hours, Delphia was still sitting behind her desk outside Waller’s office. She was working furiously. Anything to keep her mind distracted and focused on what her hands needed to get done. Anything to keep herself from slipping into a future she so desperately wanted to see, and at the same time wanted to avoid at all costs. She wanted to know if he was alive, if he made it. But she feared that if she looked in on him again she would break down completely. Or worse, be unable to pull herself back out — paralyzed by the fear that this could be the last she saw of him.

As she typed away, finishing a speech Waller didn’t have to give for another month, the boss herself came into the room holding an ice pack to the back of her head and a scowl etched into her face.

“What happened?” Delphia asked as she watched Waller stalk over to her office.

“Wouldn’t you know?” Waller questioned back before yanking her office door open and stepping inside.

Delphia grinned only slightly. Yeah. She did know. But had chosen not to share that information with Waller.

Through the open door, Delphia could see that Waller was taking a phone call. What call could be so important that she had to come all the way back to her office to take it? Delphia quickly picked up her own phone and listened in on the other line.

“And that’s only a taste of what’s on that drive. I’ve uploaded it all to a secure server.” That was Robert DuBois’ voice. Delphia furrowed her brow as she tried not to act suspicious. “Now, if you kill any one of us, or my daughter ever sees the inside of a prison, it goes public. If we all go free, plus Flag and his girl get to retire — it never has to see the light of day.”

“I told you I’d make you a leader, DuBois,” Waller replied, “You got a deal.”

Delphia quickly slammed the phone back down on the receiver and stared at it for a long time. Her mind racing. Flag and his girl? Retire? Rick was alive?

“I’m assuming you heard that, Holman,” Waller called from her office.

“Yeah,” Delphia said, only daring to glance towards her boss’s office.

“I’ll send the paperwork to your email tomorrow. But for now — get the fuck out. I genuinly never wanna see you again.”

Delphia didn’t have to be told twice. But she also heard, underneath the stone-cold and muted hostility, the care that was in Waller’s voice. I don’t wanna see you again — I don’t wanna see you locked up like your mother was. It made Delphia smile as she looked back at Waller’s office. Fourteen years of her life were spent working with Waller. Most of them were miserable and difficult, but professionally it had been all she had ever known. And Waller, despite her faults, had been a good boss.

It was as if, suddenly — as she grabbed her purse and strutted out the door never to return — the world was so much wider than it had ever been before. She was no longer at Waller’s every beck and call. She could follow any career path she wanted. Which was something she hadn’t thought about since she was a small child. She would never return to the place of death where she was born. She could move away from Louisiana if she wanted. If Rick wanted.

Oh, my God — Rick.

What were once potential screams of agony were turning to shouts of joy as she moved through the bowels of Belle Reve. Ashes to fresh water. Death to life.

Rick was alive. And they were free. Free to go wherever they wanted, no longer bound to ARGUS and its master plan. They could actually, physically go to all those places they only saw in her visions. Free to be whatever they wanted. Rick had always been a military man, just like his father. But he also dreamed about starting a family, owning a house with the nice fenced in yard. And Delphia, well — she could finally start dreaming about what her future could look like instead of knowing what it entailed.

Her own future was no longer set in stone.

It took several hours for Task Force X to arrive back at Belle Reve from Corto Maltese. They flew in by helicopter and then were driven from the airfield to the penitentiary where they all were immediately carted to the clinic to be treated for their various wounds.

Rick Flag was probably the worst for wear out of all of them. Major concussion. Deep stab wound on his right side. Bruises on about 30% of his body. A cut above his eye. Broken rib. A knocked out tooth. But other than that he was alive, and breathing, and there wasn’t a bathroom tile sticking out of his chest and that was enough for Delphia. That was enough for a lifetime.

“Hey Holman,” Dr. Fitzgibbon came up to her in the hallway outside the clinic with a sigh and a clipboard, “I know it’s against protocol because you’re not his spouse or anything — but I really don’t give a fuck. So here’s Flag’s personal effects. He should be out in a few minutes.”

He handed her a baggy full of an assortment of items, mainly two side arms, shoulder holster, a pocket knife, and a torn up yellow shirt. She asked as she set it in her lap, “How is he?”

“He’s fine,” Dr. Fitzgibbon sighed, “Should take it easy for a few days — I know he won’t. But apparently he’s not my problem anymore, so — “

Fitzgibbon tossed up his hands, turned, and walked back inside the clinic. Delphia breathed deeply as she watched him go. He really was the most aggravating man.

She could see through the window that Rick was sitting up on one of the observation tables, a nurse cleaning up the cut on his face. He was deep in conversation with Robert DuBois. Brow furrowed and left hand gesturing widely. All that remained of Task Force X was inside the clinic as well. Harley Quinn, Ratcatcher 2, Polka-Dot Man, and Nanaue. They all looked exhausted. Especially Ratcatcher.

But Delphia couldn’t focus on them for too long, her eyes kept drifting back to Rick. Who, once he noticed she was just on the other side of the glass, kept looking over at her with increasing frequency while still talking with DuBois. She smiled at him, a lopsided grin that made her cheeks hurt. DuBois seemed to notice his lost interest and looked out the window with an irritated expression. He then nodded his head at Delphia and Rick nodded with a smile.

Oh. They were talking about her now.

She looked away from them blushing, down to the plastic bag in her lap. For personal effects, they didn’t seem very personal. Two sidearms, ones that weren’t even his. His father’s pocket knife that he took with him on every mission. A disgusting and nearly ripped to shreds yellow shirt that she had no idea where he got it from. Delphia shifted the items around carefully, trying to see if there was anything else inside. And that was when she spotted a small, blue, velvet box — speckled by dirt and blood.

Her gut reaction was to snap her head up and look at Rick through the window. But he was distracted by Harley, who had bounced right back from the mission and seemed as jovial as ever. He, DuBois, and Harley were now chatting and laughing together. Delphia looked back at the little velvet box and swallowed hard. An overwhelming joy settled deep inside her bones as she felt the shape of it through the plastic.

How long had he been carrying it around? When was he planning on asking?

Delphia had been expecting this. Rick had not been so subtle — especially when he outright asked her if she had ever seen any rings she liked. They had talked about marriage before. Rick was a traditional man, when he loved somebody he was going to show it and he was going to show it in the way he felt was right. But with the mission and everything that had been going on, she had completely forgotten.

Tears blurred the edges of her vision as she continued to look at the box. Tears of a sudden and complete joy.

But then Rick’s gentle, tired voice called her away softly, “Dee?”

He was standing outside the clinic doors. A fresh t-shirt and Army issue sweats on. His smile was light and affectionate as he watched her get up from her seat quickly and cross the hall towards him. Delphia, without even thinking, put her hands on his waist and pressed her forehead into his chest. Right where that tile would have been. The tears welled up and stained his shirt. She could hear his heart beating as he wrapped her up in his arms.

“I — I…” She tried to find some words, any words to describe what she felt in that moment.

Thankful. Relieved. Terrified. Whole. Scared. Warm. In love. Loved.

But Rick seemed to understand. “I know.”

“Come on.” Delphia pulled herself away, with some effort, and grabbed ahold of his hand. “Let’s go home.”

“Please,” he sighed, shoulders visibly sagging as he allowed her to lead him down the hall.

They were quiet as they walked through Belle Reve one final time. Out to the parking lot where, so many nights after a mission, they nearly kissed. It was midafternoon. The Louisiana sun was blazing hot and the air was thick with moisture. It nearly made it hard to breathe. The marshlands surrounding the penitentiary were alive with animal sounds. Frogs croaking, cranes calling to one another, summer bugs buzzing as one. But once they were inside Delphia’s car, all the noise stopped. Rick had to lower himself down into his seat slowly, his tired body screaming at him to just stop. And once he was fully seated he huffed and leaned his head back against the seat, eyes closing only briefly.

Delphia started the car and began the thirty minute drive back to their apartment.

“How did you do it?” she asked.

Rick groaned as he reached over and put his hand on her thigh. Making it very hard for her to concentrate on driving. He squeezed her flesh gently as he began, “I made a plan with Cleo and DuBois. Told them about you and what you saw. Once I had the tape and Peacemaker came in — we took him down together.”

“What happened to showing it to the press?”

“DuBois had the better idea of usin’ it as a bargaining chip to get us all free.”

“And is that what you wanted?” She glanced over at his tired face and couldn’t help the smile tugging at her lips. “To be free?”

“I don’t think it’s settled in yet,” he sighed, “But if it means we get to be together and we get to be happy — then, yeah. It’s what I want.”

Delphia grinned now as she took up his hand from her thigh and pressed it to her lips. Kissing each knuckle, every cut and bruise, as her eyes remained focused on the road.

“I love you, Rick Flag,” she spoke into his flesh.

“I love you, too, Dee.” He was smiling when she looked over at him. “So much. Forever.”

Rick Flag’s apartment had changed so much in five years. For one thing, it was no longer just his apartment. Both of their names were on the lease now. It was no longer bare bones and necessities only. There were curtains, and party dishes, art on the walls, pictures on the mantle, vases and plants, throw pillows and quilts. Evidence that he lived there. That they had made a life there — together. Her parents Christmas card was still on the counter and a photo album of their trip to the beach last year was on the coffee table. There were mugs in the sink and socks on the floor. And it was messy and beautiful and personal and home.

Delphia came inside first. Unlocking the door and helping Rick back to the bedroom. He immediately kicked off the clinic slippers he’d been wearing and practically fell down onto the bed. Delphia chuckled as she watched him gather one of the throw pillows into his arms and tuck it into his chest. He really was tired.

“Do you wanna just sleep in that, babe?” she asked as she set the baggy full of personal effects down on the chest of drawers.

He only groaned in response.

“Okay,” she chuckled lightly, “Do you need anything before you go to sleep then?”

She took the guns out of the baggy carefully, made sure the safeties were on, and put them away in Rick’s gun safe. The shirt she threw in the dirty laundry, unsure what else to do with it. The pocketknife was left respectfully on the chest of drawers, by his father’s Purple Heart. Then all that was left was that little velvet box. What on earth was she supposed to do with that?

“Hm — you, baby,” Rick called from the bed, “Need you.”

Smiling from ear to ear, she turned to look at him for a moment. Curled up on the bed with comfy sweats, one arm stretched out across the comforter like he was reaching towards her. Hazel eyes barely open and hair messy. Oh, yes. Anytime. Anywhere. Any future. She was his, and he was hers.

But his eyes widened when he saw the box still in her hands.

Her brows furrowed in confusion, until she too realized that she still held it delicately in her fingers.

“Oh, God.” She quickly hid it behind her back, unsure how that was going to help. “I’m sorry — I didn’t mean to — I can put it back!”

Rick struggled to roll onto his back and sit up slightly in bed. Tossing the throw pillow onto the floor. Then he patted the spot next to him softly. “Come ‘ere.”

Taking a deep breath, Delphia climbed onto the bed and sat down in the spot beside him. Rick wrapped one arm around her hip, giving it a reassuring squeeze, while the other took hold of the hand not gripping the velvet box for dear life.

“Is this what you want?” he asked softly, looking up into her face like she was the very stars in the sky.

“Always,” was her reply, “You are the only thing in my life that I’ve ever gotten to choose. I choose you every time.”

Rick smiled. A beautiful thing that tried to hide the tears that had built in his hazel eyes. Then he gently pulled the blue box from her hand.

He took a nervous breath. “Oh, God — I’ve been carryin’ this thing around for six months, you know?”

“Oh.” Delphia’s heart melted just a little bit more. “That’s a long time.”

“I just — no time ever felt right or perfect — “

“Trust me, I know there’s no perfect time for anything.” She reached out and touched his cheek, his stumble was a bit longer than the last time she saw him, his skin a bit tanner. “But right now — right now seems pretty damn good.”

Rick smiled again and opened the box. Delphia didn’t even look inside it. Blue eyes, present and focused, remained on his face.

“Dee, baby girl — will you marry me?”

“Yes.”

Delphia was certain what propelled her. What electricity coursed through her veins to make her crash into the man laying before her. She surged into him like the tide to the shore and embraced him with a searing kiss. She kissed him long and sweet and powerful. One of those kisses that felt like it was being hot ironed into her very soul. His strong arms circled around her waist and pulled her on top of him. Her fingers tangled into his hair. It was slow and warm and yearning and nothing else mattered because she was marrying Rick Flag.

When the kiss finally broke, Rick took the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger. It was beautiful. And she smiled when she remembered that it was one of the rings she had sent him a link to some six months ago. It was a delicate ring with a champagne diamond center, haloed by smaller diamonds in an art deco design. It was perfect.

“You’re stuck with me now, Flag.” She smiled against his lips.

“Not stuck,” he muttered back with a shake of his head, “Not if it’s you. I’d choose you every time.”

Delphia smiled, girlish and blushing, as she borrowed her face into his neck. The world was wider and more beautiful and held in her arms. She could feel his heart beating against her ear, his blood pulsating against her temple as she snuggled deeper into him. What futures possibly awaited them? She couldn’t wait to meet them — not in a vision — but as they came.

There was a knock at the door.

Delphia mumbled into Rick’s neck, “Who the hell is that?”

“Er — yeah, I know who it is.” He squeezed her waist to signal her to get up.

She rolled off of him with a furrowed brow. “Who?”

“Well, I — uh — “ He got up from the bed with a moan and a hand to his side. “Was gonna tell ya in the car. But then I forgot.”

“Forgot what?”

Rick was going towards the door and Delphia followed curiously. Before they got to the door however, Rick turned and stopped them both with a guilty expression on his face.

“I — I kinda invited the rest of the team to stay at our place.” When her eyes widened he held up his hands in defense. “At least for one night. Come on, Dee, they saved my life.”

All Delphia really wanted to do was fuck her fiancé senseless and then sleep for the next forty-eight hours. But he was looking at her with such kindness and earnestness. He really just wanted to help out his friends. And who was she to deny him that privilege? Who was she to say no when she knew that if she opened her door to these criminals she genuinly would feel better for it?

So she relented with a sigh and a gesture towards the door for him to open it.

Rick smiled and gave her a quick kiss of gratitude.

On the other side of their door stood Robert DuBois with a dufflebag over his shoulder. And behind him was the rest of the team. Cleo Cazo with Sebastian on her shoulder looking sleepy. Abner Krill with a nervous expression etched into his long features. Harley Quinn waved with a wide smile when the door opened. And Nanaue stood at the back. Delphia wondered how they got the shark in there without anyone noticing.

“Come on in, guys.” Rick opened up the door fully and stepped aside.

“You have a lovely home,” Cleo commented as she came through the doorway.

Delphia quickly snapped out of the trance seeing all these superpowered criminals in her home put her in and got to work. This was her home. They were her guests. And if there was one thing that her adoptive mother taught her, it was how to be a good host.

“You guys must be exhausted,” she said as the door closed behind Nanaue. “I’ll go get some blankets and spare pillows. We do have a guest room if the girls wanna sleep in there. Rick, do you know where the air mattress is?”

An hour later and everyone was set up for the rest of the night and several extra-large pizzas were on their way. Harley and Cleo had the guest room. DuBois was on the couch. Abner had the air mattress. And Nanaue was apparently perfectly happy on the floor. It was a bit cramped, but their home had never felt so full before. Full of hope. This was these guys’ chance to do something better with their lives. Or, at least slightly better than a life of crime.

And Delphia and Rick, as they stood in the doorway to their bedroom and watched everyone settle in, seemed to have the same idea.

“What if we let them stay?” she asked quietly, arm slung around his waist.

“We are letting them stay,” Rick laughed.

“No. I mean, like — until they get back on their feet.” Delphia looked up at him with a smile. “All they need is a bit of guidance and love and care. We could give them that.”

Rick groaned as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “And I didn’t think I could love you any more.

“We may need a bigger house, though.”

A/N: would you guys mind sending in some requests for these two (and the Squad Family)? I'm just so obsessed with them and want to write more lol I don't write smut so please don't request anything like that. But I would just love some domestic fluff, found family bull shit.

Taglist (if you would like to be added please let me know!): @bbygrgu @vvola13 @slayerx147 @xoxabs88xox @kasey-puff @the-pink-petite-princess @blooo0ooop @woodlandmouth @witchygagirl

#rick flag #rick flag imagine #rick flag x oc #rick flag x delphia holman #rick flag fanfiction #rick flag fanfic #suicide squad imagine #suicide squad fic #joel kinnaman #joel kinnaman imagine #the suicide squad #the suicide squad spoilers #if i go im goin crazy #rick flag fic #dceu oc #dceu imagine #dceu fanfiction #dceu fanfic #dceu fic

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anniesocsandgeneralstore · 3 years

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If I Go Universe - Finding the House (Rick Flag x OC)

Summary: The apartment is starting to get cramped, so Rick and Dee go out on the hunt for a bigger place. However, the rest of the Squad Family has opinions on what it should be.

Pairing: Rick Flag x OC (Delphia Holman)

Word Count: 2219

Warnings: none this is pure domestic fluff and found family yumminess, well....language and a sexy time mention but like that's it

Timeline: August 2021 (a month after part 2)

if i go masterlist

A/N: Requests are open for these two and the Squad Fam if you guys wanna send more in 🙈💕🥺 love you all long time

After only one week of having the entire squad in their two bedroom apartment, Delphia was starting to feel like she had no room to breathe.

During meals that she now had to find a way to cook for seven, they had to squeeze around the dining room table. Shoulder to shoulder and hands barely finding room to reach their plates. Nanaue simply had to sit and eat on the floor. Their living room was always a mess of lazing bodies and people arguing over what tv show they wanted to watch. There were literal rats under her feet sometimes.

Their guest room, now Cleo and Harley’s room, was already a blast of fresh color and bizarre decor. Delphia wasn’t entirely sure how the girls found time to hang it all up. Then again, they were both awake until the early hours of the morning doing who knew what and then sleeping in as late as possible. Somehow Harley had also snuck in a pitbull she named Bruce 2. That dog had also found Delphia’s soft spot when it came to puppy-dog-eyes and begging for food. Abner had burnt a hole in his air mattress and now had to sleep on the floor. DuBois groaned that the couch hurt his back. And to really top it all off — the one time Rick and Delphia had tried to have sex with all of them there, towards the end they had heard through the door:

“Guys, I think we’re getting to the good part!”

That had been the last straw for Delphia, who had far less patience for the squad than Rick did. It was going to take her quite a while to learn that these guys were “fucking idiots” as Rick liked to say, but that there was still good in them that just needed to be loved out.

And love them she certainly could do.

Even after a week, it was already getting easier. Cleo was gentle and sweet and loved to help around the house, especially with cleaning. Calling herself a real-life Snow White when she called the rats to help. Abner was still quiet and skittish, especially around Delphia, who he knew the least. But she was quick to find something he actually enjoyed talking about. High fantasy novels. There hadn’t been much else to do in his prison cell, so he read a lot. And as an avid reader herself they bonded quickly over similar tastes. Harley could talk about anything, quite literally, so she was honestly easiest to get along with. DuBois was the toughest shell to crack. Even after a week of staying in their home he barely spoke to Delphia. Only grunted out thank-yous when he was handed his food or asked her questions about where things were in the apartment.

Out of all of them, she was most determined to crack Dubois open like a damn egg.

So, when she was sitting in the kitchen early on a Friday morning and DuBois was literally the only other person awake, she thought it was a good idea to ask his opinion on something very important.

“Hey, DuBois, can you take a look at this?” she asked as she clicked on the link to one of the houses she and Rick had been looking at purchasing.

He was sitting at the dining room table, sipping a cup of coffee and reading the help wanted ads. Out of all of them, he also seemed the most determined to find a real job. He looked at her over the rim of his coffee mug with raised brows. She smiled at him warmly and gestured at her computer. With a sigh, he got up from his seat and crossed the room.

“What?” he grunted as he came to stand beside her.

“I just want your opinion…On this — house.”

Now that he was standing there, she felt stupid for even saying anything.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because you look like a guy who knows something about…Baseboards.” She glanced up at him with an awkward grimace and sighed. “Please don’t tell Rick I said that.”

“Oh, I’m gonna fuckin’ tell ‘im you said that.”

But with a sigh, he leaned in and looked at the pictures of the house anyway. He narrowed his eyes as Delphia flicked through them all.

“How’re you and Flag payin’ for this?” he asked as he took back up his coffee mug.

Delphia shrugged. “We’ve been saving up for a house for a while now. Plus with the retirement money, we’re kinda…Loaded.”

DuBois grunted, then he gestured at the screen with his cup. “That house is fuckin’ ugly, though.”

Deflating, she looked back at the screen with a furrowed brow. Oh. That was the one that she liked best. Well, shit. But now that she was looking at it again, he was probably right. The carpets were a bit garish. The kitchen cabinets were a horrible shade of green. The rooms were all set at odd angles with small closets. What had she been thinking?

While they had only been searching for a week, finding a house big enough for seven (one of them being a giant shark-man) that didn’t require a ton of work to be livable was proving difficult. They also didn’t want to stay in Louisiana either. They were looking at Virginia or North Carolina. Somewhere closer to Delphia’s parents, Gotham, and Metropolis. Their lease ended in only two months. They needed to find a new place to live and fast.

Delphia sighed, dismayed as she closed the tab and deleted it from her bookmarks. Well, time to keep looking.

“Mornin’,” Rick groaned as he came into the kitchen.

He stopped and gave Delphia a kiss on the head before pouring himself a cup of coffee and pouring in a substantial amount of cream. He was wearing a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt. His hair was messed up and his face was still puffy with sleep and Delphia just wanted to dive across the counter and attack him with kisses. He had been her steady rock through all this. Reassuring, gentle, patient, and kind. When she got too stressed he would take over the cooking, even though he wasn’t very good at it. When she came to bed at night exhausted and on the verge of tears, thinking that she couldn’t help these people, he held her and told her that everything was going to be okay. That they were honestly made for this. It made her love him all the more.

This development in their lives was not what she had expected when they retired from Belle Reve. She expected world travel, a wedding, her going back to school, maybe even a baby if they wanted. Not starting a halfway house for super-powered criminals. But it felt good and right to be doing this work. Even if it had been only a week. Even if they hadn’t done much to set the squad on the right path. They were being cared for and loved and gently corrected and that was what they really needed so fresh from prison.

Just — being able to care for, love, and gently correct them would be a whole lot easier if they all had some personal space.

“Flag,” DuBois greeted, “Your girl says I look like a guy who knows about baseboards.”

Rick’s brow furrowed as he glanced between the two of them, leaned back against the counter with a mug in hand. Then his expression changed to understanding.

“You asked him to look at the house didn’t you?”

“Possibly,” she sang, “He didn’t like it.”

“What wasn’t to like?” Rick questioned.

“Fuckin’ ugly.” DuBois shrugged. “If I’m gonna have to live somewhere with the rest of these dickbags I’m gonna at least not wanna gouge my eyes out anytime I look at the floorplan.”

Rick cocked his head to one side in thought. “That’s fair. What do you want out of the house then?”

There was a gasp and then Harley burst into the kitchen, fully dressed, red lips freshly painted, and ready for the day. Delphia was surprised. She was never awake this early. Bruce 2 bounded into the room after her. Tongue hanging out and looking exceptionally happy to see everyone. Delphia got down from her stool and scooped out some breakfast for the boy, giving his head an affectionate pat.

“You guys’re lookin’ for a new house?” Harley asked excitedly, “It’ll obviously need a tennis court and an Olympic size swimming pool and — “

“No, no, no,” Rick butted in with a shake of his head, putting his arm around Delphia’s waist when she came to stand beside him, “None’a that. Just somethin’ simple and big enough for everybody.”

“Can we at least have a treehouse?” she asked, eyes wide and earnest.

“We’ll see if we can make it happen,” Delphia chuckled, leaning into Rick’s side.

Abner then poked his head into the kitchen. “I would request a library.”

“A beautiful backyard full of flowers!” Cleo chimed in sleepily as she trudged into the kitchen, Sebastian still asleep on her shoulder.

There was a distinct thud as Nanaue shoved his head and shoulders through the door frame. Then he shouted, “Pool!”

Pretty soon, the entire kitchen was overrun by a cacophony of sound. Arguments about what was more important. What colors people wanted their rooms painted. All the while, Rick and Delphia looked at each other and smiled. Well, at least the squad was invested. Rick quickly fetched a notepad and a pen and wrote down everything that the house needed to be in order to be perfect. Though he did end up crossing a few out in the end. Like a room entirely made of trampolines and an ax-throwing station. But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed DuBois silently slink out of the room and back out to the living room.

She gave Rick’s arm a squeeze as he listened to Cleo ramble about a tunnel system for Sebastian. He gave her a wink of encouragement then went back to listening intently. Of course, he had also noticed DuBois leave the room. That was one of his many specialties. With a sigh to gather herself, Delphia squeezed past Nanaue (who was still chanting the word pool over and over) and into the much quieter living room.

DuBois was sitting on the couch, staring at the blank TV with his hands folded in his lap. Being brave, Delphia sat down on the couch with him, making sure to leave one cushion of space between them.

“Whadda you want?” he asked gruffly.

“What do you want out of the house, DuBois?” Her voice was gentle, her smile soft as she looked at him.

“Why would I care?”

“Because I’m not an idiot and I know that you do care,” she said, narrowing her blue eyes at him, “So tell me what the fuck you want or I’m gonna give you the smallest, ugliest room I can find.”

DeBois smiled. A small one that he tried to cover with a swipe of his hand. But it was at the very least a smile that Delphia had drawn from him. There it was. She had cracked the egg.

“I just — uh — I just wanna be close to my daughter. In Metropolis.” He glanced over at her and rolled his eyes. “That’s all.”

“I think we can make that happen.”

The following week Rick and Delphia flew out to North Carolina to look at a house that had almost everything everybody wanted.

And it really was a beautiful place. Up in the wooded mountains — secluded and quiet. White siding with multiple brick chimneys. The backyard was perfect. It had the flowers Cleo wanted, a brick patio, a pool, and even nestled further back on the property was a treehouse. Something Delphia was sure they weren’t going to get. Inside the house was even better somehow. One big, gorgeous kitchen, massive dining room, private bedrooms for everyone, plenty of bathrooms, it even had a library and a completed basement. It was everything they wanted and more. Plus, it was only a two-hour drive from Metropolis.

“Well — “ Rick wrapped his arms around Delphia’s shoulders from behind as they stood in the empty living room. “Whaddaya think, baby?”

She hung her hands on his forearms and sighed with a grin. “I think it’s perfect.”

He squeezed her just a bit tighter and bent his head to kiss the tip of her ear. “Are you sure this is what you want? Taking all these guys in? Last chance to back out.”

“I’m not backing out on this, Flag.” She shook her head. “You got me hooked on these fucking idiots and I can’t seem to let them go.”

With a chuckle, Rick spun her around in his arms and pressed his forehead to hers. This was it. This was the wide world she had felt when Waller told her to leave her office. It only took her this long to understand that the only wide world she needed was being held in Rick Flag’s arms.

“I fuckin’ love you, Dee.”

“Love you too.”

“Now let’s go make an offer on this damn house.”

Taglist (if you would like to be tagged in future installments, just let me know): @bbygrgu @vvola13 @slayerx147 @xoxabs88xox @kasey-puff @witchygagirl @the-pink-petite-princess @blooo0ooop @woodlandmouth @csigeoblue

#rick flag #rick flag imagine #rick flag x you #rick flag x delphia holman #rick flag fanfiction #rick flag fanfic #suicide squad imagine #suicide squad fic #suicide squad fanfiction #squad family #joel kinnaman #joel kinnaman imagine #the suicide squad #if i go universe #dceu oc #dceu imagine #dceu fanfiction #dceu fanfic #dceu fic

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anniesocsandgeneralstore · 3 years

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Here is a masterlist for everything in this little world I've created! Where everyone lived and they all live together now. Because I'm in denial and also found family is a good trope. This includes an OFC of my own creation named Delphia Holman that is in a relationship with Rick Flag. In this universe, she and Flag have started up basically a halfway house for previous members of the Suicide Squad.

Currently requests are CLOSED (as of 10/26/21) for this universe, if you wanna send some into my ask box! I don't write smut so please none of that! But I'll take anything involving the squad family, an au, stuff that happened before Rick and Dee got together, anything!

On here, I am gonna try to put these in chronological order and include the next installments that are in progress, marked with an * (to keep myself accountable) so hopefully, it'll all make sense one day.

If you're wanting to start reading these in order I suggest reading If I Go, I'm Goin Crazy pt. 1 (first piece I wrote in this series) up until Delphia bumps into Rick in the hallway in order to get enough context for the rest of it!

Helpful Things:

A Quick Guide to the Squad Fam and Their Jobs

If I Go Universe:

April 2014 - The Night We Met

January 2015 - Greatest What If

June 2015 - Violence Be Gentle

June 2015 - Sorrow Be Kind

September 2016 - If I Go, I'm Goin' Crazy pt. 1

September 2016 - Is This Our First Date?

October 2016 - Miscommunication

December 2016 - 165th's Reunion Special

March 2017 - Birthday Breakfast

May 2017 - Move In With Me

December 2017 - Merry Christmas, Rick Flag

October 2018 - Greatest What If pt. 2

November 2018 - Sunburned Holiday

December 2019 - Frosty's Ugly Cousin

July 2021 - If I Go, I'm Goin' Crazy pt. 2

August 2021 - Finding the House

September 2021 - Take a Sick Day

October 2021 - Do The Monster Mash

November 2021 - Tapper's Arcade Bar

December 2021 - Snowball Fight!

December 2021 - Arose Such a Clatter

December 2021 - Merry Christmas, Squad

January 2022 - Girl's Day

February 2022 - Sebastian Knows

March 2022 - Let's Empty the Animal Shelter

April 2022 - If I Go, I'm Goin' On Fire pt. 1

April 2022 - If I Go, I'm Goin' On Fire pt. 2

April 2022 - If I Go, I'm Goin' On Fire pt. 3

May 2022 - Nightmares

June 2022 - Wedding Day

July 2022 - The Birthday Boy

January to September 2022 - Snippets of a Pregnancy

October 2022 - Losing Each Other In a Corn Maze

October 2022 - Dreams Come True

December 2022 - We're All Getting Coal

August 2023 - Baby's Day Out

2016 | 2019 | 2023 - Tattoos All In Black

December 2028 - Mommy Kissin' Santa Claus

Headcanons:

Splashin Safari

TaskForceX!Delphia AU:

Headcanons

i am not a woman, i'm a god

i am not a woman, i'm a god pt. 2

Breaking the News

Tattoo/Flower Shop AU:

Roses Are Red

Santa's Mailbox

Deadknight AU:

Make You See Red

Milk and Cookies

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anniesocsandgeneralstore · 2 years

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If I Go Universe - Tattoos All In Black (Rick Flag x OC)

Summary: Rick has several tattoos, but there are three that he is particularly fond of.

Pairing: Rick Flag x OC (Delphia Holman)

Word Count: 2320

Warnings: language, the fluffiest fluff to ever fluff, too much love maybe, breastfeeding stuff

Timeline: 2016 | 2019 | 2023

if i go masterlist

2016

The mission had been a brutal one. Many team members died, they still failed despite their best efforts, and Rick had been injured — a stab wound to his side that had left Delphia sitting at the edge of her seat in the control room.

He was back home now, stitched up and resting in bed. Delphia had made sure to make him a healthy dinner, bringing it to bed for him. He smacked her hands away with a grin when she tried to spoon feed him, telling her he was fully capable of doing this bit himself. After she cleaned up the kitchen, she went back to the bedroom and put on one of his favorite movies. But neither of them really paid attention to the screen. As soon as she laid down beside him, Rick was pulling her to practically lay on top of him — right hand tracing over her back as he closed his eyes.

His left arm was propped up behind his head, keeping him in an upright position. Delphia’s eyes danced over his face, thanking whatever was out there that he was back home with her and safe. He was nearly like a renaissance panting. The way his muscles curved and caught the light, her eyes were simply drawn to follow. To trace the curve of his strong neck, down across his collarbone that she loved to kiss, up his tricep to his —

“What the fuck is that?”

Delphia scooted up his chest, eyebrows furrowed and mouth dropped open in confusion. He had a new tattoo. The skin surrounding the black ink was still pink and irritated. And it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever seen in her life.

“What? What?” Rick’s eyes suddenly snapped open, looking around the room like there was a threat he needed to eliminate.

She poked him in the arm, right on the tattoo that was so fresh it made him wince. “That! What the fuck is that!”

Still confused, he looked towards his inner arm and immediately blushed, eyes shifting to understanding as he looked over at her sheepishly. He had to admit, it wasn’t the best tattoo he had ever gotten. SKWAD in stark black ink, crooked letters and shaky lines, was now splattered across his inner bicep.

“A tattoo?” He tried to play it off.

“Uh — no, no, this is a new tattoo. When the hell did you get it and why?”

Delphia was not backing down, as he should have guessed she would. She got nose to skin with the tattoo and then looked over at him like he had lost his mind. The comedy of it was not lost on either of them, as giggles began to bubble out of each of their mouths.

“We had — We had some — “ Rick tried to speak around his laughter, coughed, then tried again. “We had some down time on the mission, got kinda drunk. Lawson practically dragged me into a tattoo shop and gave it to me.”

“Deadshot? Deadshot gave you this tattoo?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, my God.” She looked back at it with a dumbfounded smile. “He didn’t even spell it right.”

Rick’s brow furrowed as he finally craned his neck to get a good look at his new ink. Something he had apparently not done until just now. He groaned loudly as he looked at it clearly for the first time, smoothing his fingers over the flesh and then flopping back onto his pillow.

“Son of a bitch.”

Laughing so hard there were literal tears streaming down her face, Delphia rolled onto her back beside him. Her legs tangled up in the sheets, her arms crooked up at her chest as she hid her face in her pillow. Trying so very hard to stop laughing but finding that she couldn’t. The situation was just too good to be true. Rick got drunk, let a criminal give him a tattoo, and hadn’t even taken the time to look at what had been permanently marked on his body until just now.

“God, that’s so fucking funny,” Delphia sighed as her laughter reduced to sparse giggles, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

“You are such a little shit,” Rick chuckled as he pinched her side, forcing her to scramble away from him to the edge of the bed.

“What? I’m not the one who got something put on my body forever by a master assassin!” She smacked at his hand as he tried to pinch her again.

Rick lifted his arm and looked at the tattoo again with a sigh. “I still like it though. Reminds me of everybody we’ve lost. Keeps ‘em alive in some way.”

Delphia’s expression softened. “I can’t make fun of you for that.”

“Come over here,” Rick said with a smile, opening up his arms to her.

She instantly dove into him, snuggled into his uninjured side. Just like how she was always supposed to be.

2019

Delphia woke up to the smell of bacon and pancakes. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, the warm summer sun streaming in through their bedroom window. It was one of those mornings where she really didn’t want to get out of bed. The past week was tough at work. Waller was extra cranky and extra demanding, nearly pushing Delphia to the brink of tears even though her assistant was entirely used to her attitude. But despite the blankets pulling her in like quicksand, she managed to pull herself from the mattress and wander her way into the kitchen.

Rick was standing at the stove wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and nothing else. The sunlight from the living room window was splashed across his back, making his tan skin seem to glow in an ethereal sort of way that made her sigh. The muscles of his back worked this way and that as he flipped the pancakes and turned out the bacon. The man loved his breakfast food — always made sure she ate one before work. And today was no exception.

“Mornin’, baby girl,” his gruff, sleep soaked voice called to her over his shoulder.

“Good morning,” she whispered back as she tiptoed further into the space.

She was drawn to him like a moth to the flame. Knowing it would be the death of her but honestly? What a beautiful way to go. She didn’t go for the coffee like her body desperately craved, instead she went straight to Rick. Wrapped her arms around his torso and squeezed him so tight it made a chuckle burst out of his lips.

“That rough, huh?” he asked, smoothing one large hand over her forearm as he checked the underside of the pancakes currently cooking.

All she could do was nod against his spine. She vaguly remembered coming home late from a meeting the night before. Rick forced her to eat something, she couldn’t even recall what, before collapsing into bed. Waller really had been testing her limits all week long. But it was done now. She no longer had to think about it. At least for another forty-eight hours, they were both free of Belle Reve.

It was comforting to feel the heat of Rick’s skin beneath her cheek, like a furnace burning in her arms. She made a noise nearly like a purr as she burrowed herself deeper into him, hands coming up to scratch lightly at his chest. Her eyes opened after a moment, content and relaxed for what felt like the first time in a long time.

And that was when she spotted it.

There, on his left shoulder, was her name scrawled across his skin in permanent ink. It had never looked so beautiful. As she looked at it, her heart was beginning to feel like it was too big for her chest — tears welled up in her eyes as her eye danced over the swirling letters. He really did love her, didn’t he? Loved her enough to have her name on him forever. Not even in a place he could see but so that everyone else would know that she had him, body and soul. With a breath to control her emotions, mostly her tears, she unhooked an arm from around his waist and brought the tips of her fingers up to trace the tattoo.

“This one’s new,” she whispered, sounding breathless.

Rick looked over his shoulder, a grin quirking his lips and one eyebrow raised.

“Like it?” he asked.

“I love it.” With a grin she planted a kiss between his shoulder blades. “You’re too sweet to me, Colonel Flag.”

“I don’t think I could ever be sweet enough, baby girl.”

2023

Infant wails rang through the midnight air. Delphia stirred in her deep slumber, brain barely able to register that her son was crying in his room down the hall. But soon enough, her body was kicking her into gear — swollen breasts leaking at the sound of her child calling out to her.

“Ah, shit,” she mumbled as she sat up in bed, blearily rubbing at her eyes.

For a moment she was confused. Rick wasn’t in bed. The covers on his side of the bed were thrown back and an indent left in his pillow where his head should be. She touched the sheets, wondering where he could’ve gone, and they were still warm. He hadn’t been up for long. Leo’s cries echoed anew, somehow louder and more distinct, and Delphia finally pulled herself from bed. He was probably hungry. At three months old he was guzzling down milk like it was his job. Which it kind of was. He was a big baby, a “chunky monkey” as Harley liked to call him, and he was only going to get bigger. He was healthy and strong and slept through the night and honestly Delphia and Rick couldn’t have asked for a better son.

Delphia thumped down the hall, still trying to rub the sleep from her eyes, but when she rounded the corner into the nursery she stopped. She couldn’t go a single step further, even though her breasts ached to feed her baby, because the sight before her was just too sweet.

Rick stood in his briefs by the large windows that overlooked the backyard, curtains pulled back to reveal the dark night sky. He held Leo close to his chest, swaying back and forth to try and get him to stop crying and go back to sleep. His efforts were valiant, but to no avail — Leo continued to wriggle and scream. Leo was a big baby, but he looked so tiny wrapped up in his father’s arms.

“Come on, big guy, your momma’s gotta get some sleep,” Rick muttered as he continued to rock and bounce the baby.

“Momma’s already awake,” Delphia spoke quietly as she walked further into the room.

Rick turned to her with apologetic eyes. “Sorry, baby girl. I tried.”

“S’okay — you don’t have the boobs he’s looking for.”

She smiled up at him softly as she pulled Leo out of his grasp, his open, crying mouth already seeking out her nipple to latch on to. Shushing him, she lowered herself into the recliner in the corner. She lifted up her damp shirt and Leo latched onto her breast easily. She remembered with dread those first few weeks where getting him to breast feed was a herculean task. But now it was as easy as breathing for both of them. Leo’s cries slowly turned to whimpers as he drank from her greedily.

“He did try it with me, though,” he said as he watched them.

Delphia looked up from Leo’s chubby cheeked face and smiled. “Really? Would’ve liked to see that.”

Rick chuckled softly with a shake of his head. “Mind if I stay?”

“Course not, baby.”

He settled down on the floor, back leaned against the recliner next to her legs, with a quiet groan. She remembered too, during the beginning when feeding Leo made her cry in frustration nearly every single time, that Rick always wanted to be there. He would grumble at her when she wouldn’t wake him up in the middle of the night for a feeding. He knew he couldn’t help much, but he wanted to be there in case she needed anything. She remembered him telling her once that as she struggled to get Leo to latch, as those frustrated tears streamed down her face and their son cried, he had never felt so useless in his entire life. So now, even when everything was routine and practically effortless, he still liked to be near when she breastfed.

Delphia watched her son for a moment, a tired smile crooking her lips as she let his little fingers wrap around one of her own. His grip was tight for only being three months old. A trait from his dad she had to guess. At that thought, she looked at the back of Rick’s head.

His hair was a mess, all tussled from sleep. One of his knees was bent, arm propped up on it as he gazed out the window to the stars outside. And it was there, bathed in pale moonlight, that she saw Leo’s name freshly tattooed into his right shoulder. It was simple and clean and purposefully placed near the top crest of his shoulder just in case there were more names to add.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she pulled her fingers from Leo’s grasp and traced the letters inked into her husband’s skin. Followed the line of each stroke and line. He didn’t flinch when she touched him. Rick simply turned his head to look at her with an earnestness and love that she felt right down to her very bones. It was the three of them now. Together — always.

“I love you, Rick Flag,” she whispered to him.

“Love you too, Dee.”

Taglist (if you would like to be tagged in future installments just let me know!): @bbygrgu @a-reader-and-a-writer @slayerx147 @xoxabs88xox @kasey-puff @witchygagirl @the-pink-petite-princess @blooo0ooop @woodlandmouth @csigeoblue @rexorangecouny @h-hxgirl @thisisthewayrose @blondiekook @darkestbeforethedawn16 @runic-belova @weallhaveadestiny @oopsiedoopsie23 @nerdgrrlramblings @ocfairygodmother @reysorigins @hawsx3

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anniesocsandgeneralstore · 2 years

Text

@loverhymeswith asked: Ok I have a request ☺️ I would love to know how Rick and Delphia meet for the very first time! 💕

If I Go Universe - The Night We Met (Rick Flag x OC)

Summary: Task Force X is finally getting it's feet off the ground, and Delphia is introduced to its first commanding officer: Colonel Rick Flag. Sparks instantly fly between them. But Delphia always had the bad habit of looking into the futures of people she has a crush on.

Pairing: Rick Flag x OC (Delphia Holman)

Word Count: 4185

Warnings: language, fluff, a pinch of angst, yearning/pining/swooning, not necessarily a meet cute but they're cute and they're meeting

Timeline: April 2014

if i go masterlist

Delphia set down the little cactus on the top right corner of her desk, then she stared at it with a sigh and her chin resting in her hand. The poor plant had seen better days. There was tape and a toothpick keeping one of the arms on and there was a slight dent in the top. She supposed that was what happened when you moved to three different offices in the span of a year. You got a little dinged up along the way.

At least this office was better than ARGUS. There she had actually had to share an office space with Waller and that was never fun. The woman was a yeller when people weren’t giving her what she wanted and frankly, it made Delphia’s ears ring. But now, at Belle Reve, in the newly built administrative wing, she had her very own office.

Well, kind of. She had, at the very least, a desk in the waiting area for Waller’s office. And to Delphia that most definitely counted. The walls were a drab shade of light grey and there were a few cushioned wooden chairs along the walls. Her desk faced the door so she could greet Waller’s appointments and get them seated to wait for her, and Waller’s heavy wooden door was to her left.

Delphia readjusted the cactus one last time so she couldn’t see the broken arm, a way to lessen her guilt about breaking the plant her boss had given her. She wondered how long they were going to stay at this place. She assumed at least a few years. This entire project was Waller’s baby, an idea she had nurtured and planned through to the last detail. And each of those details she made Delphia look into the future over, just to make sure the procedures worked and that they were hiring the right people. So far everything was going well. But then again, they hadn’t even introduced the actual criminals into Task Force X yet.

The emergency phone over by the door suddenly ringing made Delphia jump in her seat. With a hand to her heart, she got up from her chair to answer it. The phone on her desk hadn’t been hooked up to the landline yet, which made Waller furious. So for now everyone was to use the emergency phones that in the future were to only be used to call the penitentiary security.

“Amanda Waller’s office,” Delphia answered the phone, shoulder leaned against the wall.

“Hey, yeah, this is Waits at the front gate. We’ve got a Colonel Flag who says he has an appointment with Ms. Waller.”

“Oh, yes, he’s her ten o’clock. Go ahead and let him in and we’ll pick him up from the waiting room. Thanks, Waits.”

“No problem, ma’am. See you in a few.”

“Yes, see you.”

She replaced the phone on the receiver with a clack. Another problem that made Waller exceptionally angery: the administration parking lot and entrance weren’t complete yet so all guests and staff still had to use the highly guarded and complicated main entrance to the prison. Delphia sighed and made her way over to Waller’s closed office door, rapping her knuckles on the wood lightly.

“Amanda? Your ten o’clock is here,” she said.

Waller yanked open the door and Delphia jumped back from the threshold as she walked through. “Who is that again?”

“Colonel Richard Flag, candidate for the commanding officer position.” Delphia handed Waller the file from her desk as they headed towards the door. “Current special forces. Had a run in with a metahuman in the Yucatan and was transferred to ARGUS.”

“Hmm, go ahead and set up conference room D. I’ll walk him up alone — get a read on him. He’s the one you said would be most successful, right?” Waller stopped in the hallway, file tucked under her arm.

Delphia shrugged. “Potentially.”

“At this point, I’ll take potentially,” Waller sighed, “Make sure my powerpoint’s up and ready when we get there.”

“You got it.”

The two women went their separate ways. Delphia walked down the long hallway, the walls still unpainted and some light switches still being wired. But at least conference room D was complete and already filled with the proper furnishings. If it wasn’t, she was sure Waller would’ve had somebody's head about not having a room to meet in.

Humming quietly to herself, Delphia made sure that the powerpoint was already up on the TV screen and the clicker was on and working for Waller to use. Then she set out a notepad and pen at the conference table, just in case the Colonel wanted to write down any notes or questions. And lastly she set up her own laptop at one of the chairs along the wall so she could take ample notes throughout the course of the interview for Waller to go over later. A common routine as of late, considering the Colonel was the third man they were going to interview for this position. Not that the other candidates hadn’t been good, they all just got spooked at what they were trying to do here. And Delphia really couldn’t blame them.

The idea of the Task Force was insane and had a high possibility of not working. But Waller was sure that her plan would work. As long as they had a good and highly skilled commanding officer on their side.

And Waller really didn’t understand why Delphia couldn’t just tell her who they were going to hire. Delphia tried to tell her, multiple times, that that just wasn’t how it worked. The flow of time was vague and interpreting its outcomes was a crapshoot at best. If there was a full plan and guarantees, then yes, conclusions were easy to see. But this was vague, too many variables at play. When she looked into the future of the Task Force, using what little information they had, all of her visions were transparent and glimmering. Not solid and realistic like most of her visions were. At this point, the timeline branched off in too many directions for her to see which one was the true path. It frustrated Waller that her psychic was so unhelpful in this situation, but Delphia could only shrug it off as time being a finicky little bitch.

The door to the conference room opened and Delphia immediately got to her feet, straightening out her skirt so she looked as professional as possible in front of the Colonel. Waller walked through the door first.

“Thank you,” she said.

And then Delphia’s heart stopped.

Or maybe it was going too fast? She really couldn’t tell. All she did know was that was not how she expected Colonel Flag to look. She thought a man much older would be walking through that door, having convinced herself that the photograph included in his file was dated. But clearly it was not. He was tall, broad, and as tan as the sun was long. He was wearing his combat uniform, SPECIAL FORCES stamped onto the left breast pocket. Her eyes widened as they trailed up his frame and landed on his face. The expression he wore was jovial despite how hard his exterior seemed to be, but she couldn’t deny the beauty in it. Even with the severe military cut and slightly ridiculous goutee and mustache. Their eyes caught, and Delphia looked back to the floor quickly. She needed to get a grip, he wasn’t that cute.

She glanced back up at him one last time. Oh, Jesus, maybe he was that cute.

“Colonel Flag, this is my assistant, Delphia Holman,” Waller introduced.

Flag stuck out his hand first, giant and calloused. Delphia wrapped her own, smaller hand around it tentatively. His handshake was firm and it hurt slightly when she pulled away. But she couldn’t help but linger on how warm his skin felt, how it felt like electricity shot up her arm when he touched her. She flexed her hand at her side, an attempt to get a sense of normalcy back to her fingertips, and she hoped that no one noticed.

She cleared her throat. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too.” He smiled at her, a small boyish grin that had her cheeks flaring. The slight southern drawl of his deep voice caught her off guard. “Delphia — where’s that from?”

“It’s — uh — it’s Greek.”

“Never heard it before.”

“Most people haven’t — my dad did some archeological work in Delphi, so he thought it was appropriate.”

“I agree with him.” Flag grinned again and Delphia thought it was way too hot in that conference room. “Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

Delphia’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. Jesus Christ. Her tongue felt too big in her mouth. Her insides felt heavy like stones. Her face and neck were on fire. And he was just looking at her with that little grin, and suddenly his tongue poked out to lick his bottom lip as he huffed out a laugh. It was like she was standing too close to the sun, caught in it’s orbit, she wanted to get away in fear of getting burned but it was too warm to leave.

“Colonel Flag, you can take a seat,” Waller suddenly said from behind the podium, “Delphia’s only here to take notes.”

Right. Waller was here. They were in a conference room attached to a prison full of the world’s worst. For a moment there, it felt like all of that had disappeared.

“Yeah, just — er — pretend I’m not here.” Delphia retreated away from him and back to her chair.

She caught eyes with Waller, who gave her a raised eyebrow look. Delphia only smiled tensely back.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Delphia sunk into her seat thankfully, resisting the urge to fan at her hot skin as she placed her laptop in her lap. She stole one last glance at the Colonel as Waller started her presentation. He was completely focused on the screen behind Waller. Fingers crossed together in his lap and brow slightly furrowed as he paid attention. It was too much to look at him, overwhelming with thoughts of that hand wrapped around hers and those lips quirked in a grin. Delphia shook her head and looked back down to the blank document open on her screen.

She really needed to focus.

Waller had come back from the interview the day before without even needing to look at Delphia’s notes. Colonel Rick Flag was perfect for the role and actually willing to take it. Delphia had to wonder why, though. Had he grown weary of his placement in the military? Was he looking for something new and challenging? Maybe that was it. She had to imagine that no one who didn’t like skimming too close to death and driving themselves nearly mad would take this position. But Flag thought he could make it work, and Waller was over the moon that somebody finally said yes.

So Colonel Rick Flag was invited back for a second interview the following day. And Delphia really couldn’t help the excitement that bubbled in her chest at the prospect of seeing him again, of seeing him every day at work for that matter.

As she went home that night and made her meal and went about going to bed, her mind constantly wandered to those few moments they shared together. To what it might be like to see each other in the halls, get coffee at the same time in the breakroom, or even attend meetings together where they may by chance sit next to one another. It felt stupid and childish but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop. She couldn’t stop wondering if maybe, just maybe, he was having similar emotions — wherever he was.

Delphia sat at her desk, typing up an outline of how a meeting Waller had next week with the Lousiana Senator was going to go. Including exactly what the Senator was going to say and how he was going to respond. A defined and solid moment in time because Delphia knew the subject matter and everything about who was going to be attending the meeting.

The emergency phone ringing across the room made her jump out of her skin again.

She rushed to answer it and said, “Amanda Waller’s office.”

“Yep, Waits at the front gate here. Colonel Flag is back for his two o’clock.”

“I’ll let her know and someone’ll be down to get him from the waiting room shortly. Thanks, Waits.”

“No problem, ma’am.”

Delphia knocked on Waller’s door. “Amanda? Colonel Flag is here.”

“Shit,” Waller’s muffled voice responded, “Can you get him, Delphia? I’m on the phone with the president.”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

She pressed her hands to her cheeks as she shuffled out the door and down the hallway. She could already feel how warm they were and she hadn’t even laid eyes on him yet. Jesus, she needed to get it together and act professional. She was thirty years old for crying out loud. She wasn’t supposed to get stupid crushes like she was still in high school. Right?

Colonel Flag wasn’t in his military uniform today. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, leather boots worn with time and a dirty baseball cap over his head. He somehow looked even hotter with that on than the uniform. Delphia smiled, uncontrollable and attempting at a professional greeting, as she walked into the waiting room of the prison. But as she got closer, she felt her stomach tie up in knots and threaten to force bile up her throat. There were tattoos poking out of the sleeves of his t-shirt and he was holding two cups of coffee as he sat in the plastic chair he barely fit in.

“Colonel Flag, nice to see you again,” Delphia greeted as she stopped just beyond the waiting room door.

Flag looked over at her and instantly smiled. He got up from his seat and came over to her. It had only been a little over twenty-four hours and she had completely forgotten how he towered over her, even if she was wearing heels.

He handed over one of the paper cups. “This’s for you.”

“Oh.” She took it with warm cheeks but an unsure smile. “Um, sorry that Waller’s not here — she’s on a call with the president.”

“Eh, I suspected you’d be the one to pick me up this time anyway.” Oh. So he had gotten the coffee with her specifically in mind. “Wait — hold on. Like, the president?”

Delphia wrapped her hands around the paper cup and steered them around towards the administrative wing door. She waved at the guard to let them in and they walked through the doorway with ease.

“Yeah, that gets dropped pretty casually around here a lot. Waller has many friends in high places.”

Their footsteps echoed in the unfinished hallways. Filling in the silence that had fallen between them. Delphia desperately tried not to feel awkward. But she just couldn’t help it. It felt like she was back in high school. Running an errand for her favorite teacher with her crush from class, which she would later find out that that teacher did on purpose. Which made a completely different thought dawn on her.

Did Waller do this on purpose?

Waller never did anything without purpose, without some other motive. She even admitted to giving Delphia that stupid cactus in order to keep her loyal. Which she really didn’t have to do, Delphia actually enjoyed working for the woman despite her cold and demanding nature. But what could Waller’s motive possibly be for this? For encouraging…something between them?

Delphia took a sip of the coffee Flag had bought her as she thought. But then spluttered when the taste of it hit her tongue.

“What?” Flag laughed over the lip of his own cup, “Is it shit? It’s from my hotel so I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“No, no — it’s okay. It’s okay,” Delphia insisted, taking another drink of it for emphasis.

Flag looked at her skeptically. “You sure?”

“It’s just, um…” She looked towards the ceiling, praying that she would just sink through the floor already and get away from this awkwardness. “I drink my coffee black and uh…there’s alotta cream in here. Just surprised me is all.”

“I’ll remember that for next time.”

There was going to be a next time? Delphia thought as he opened the office door for her and let her walk through first.

Sheepishly, she told him to take a seat and Waller would be out in a few minutes. It was tortuous sitting in the same room as him. She tried to just go back to her work but he was sitting right there. He took the closest seat to her desk and Waller’s office. He just sat there and sipped his coffee and scrolled on his phone. He wasn’t even really doing anything and yet it was the most distracting thing in the entire world.Her eyes constantly flicked over to him, only being able to type out a few words before having to stop and just stare at her fingers — poised over the keyboard but her brain anywhere else but this meeting write up.

“So, uh — how long’ve you worked for Waller?” Flag suddenly asked.

Delphia couldn’t tell if she was grateful, excited, or terrified that he was talking to her again. Maybe all three at once?

“Twelve years,” she replied.

“Oh, wow.” He blinked in surprise. “That’s longer than I expected.”

She shrugged, picking up her coffee cup and holding it close to her face to feel the warmth radiating off it. “Started working for her right out of high school, so.”

“Y’must like it a lot,” he said.

“It’s a job. Pays the bills. Takes me to some exciting places.”

Flag leaned forward, elbows on his knees and a grin on his face. “Like where?”

“We went to Jamaica last year for some conference or other. Week long too.”

“Get to spend any of it on the beach?”

Delphia felt her neck heat up in embarrassment. “We were given...Free time to see the sights each day, yeah.”

“Nah, nah, nah — you’re holding back somethin’. What? What’d you do?” He grinned and Delphia rolled her eyes.

“I…” She tried to lie. She really did. But she found it was impossible looking into those hazel tinted eyes. “I took historic tours of Port Royal and Nassau, okay? Learned about pirates. Because I’m a huge fucking nerd.”

Delphia slapped her hand over her mouth with a gafaw at her language slip. She always tried to remain strictly professional with her tongue in the office. But sometimes….sometimes that mouth like a sailor could not be contained. Flag only stared at her with an open mouthed smile and a laugh bubbling in his throat.

“Holy shit, Holman,” he chuckled, “Didn’t think you fuckin’ had it in ya.”

That night, when Delphia went home, she could not get her mind off of Colonel Rick Flag no matter what she did. As she made her dinner her every thought was on him, so much that she overcooked her pasta. As she watched some mindless TV her mind buzzed with the fact that he brought her coffee. And even as she laid down and tried to go to sleep that night, she was restless.

She tossed and turned but her brain just wouldn’t shut off. All she could think about was that boyish smile. Those gentle hazel eyes. The way that shirt stretched over his biceps. How easy it was to talk to him once she got past the awkwardness. How kind he had been. How she was going to get to see him everyday now that he was officially signed on with Task Force X.

What would it be like to run into him in the halls? Would she get the opportunity to bring him coffee and remember how he liked it? Would she get paired up with him for projects Waller wanted finished? Would their hands accidentally brush as they passed off paperwork?

Delphia groaned as she shoved a spare pillow over her face. She needed to get to sleep. Waller wanted her in the office bright and early in the morning to put together a bunch of new hire packets for the office staff. But it seemed that her brain wouldn’t be satisfied until she knew, definitely, that her crush on Colonel Flag would end up going anywhere at all.

A terrible habit she formed in middle school and always had the intention of quitting. But every single time she even felt the tiniest spark with someone, she always had to see. She always had to make sure that he was the one, that she was meant to end up with him. So she would quietly slip into the future, all her thoughts trained on her crush and their love life, and she would see who they end up with. Every single time it wasn’t her. And every single time she got her heart broken and swore she would never do it again.

But then the cycle would repeat itself, and she couldn’t stop herself from just taking a quick peek.

“Ugh, fine,” she hissed into the darkness.

Smoothing out her comforter, it didn’t take much concentration for all of her thoughts to be on the Colonel. Then suddenly her vision was overcome with white, and she was looking at an entirely different place entirely. Far in the future.

Most of Delphia’s visions were solid, realistic. Like she was standing right in the moment, observing everything that happened. But that was only if the variables were set in stone, if there were guarantees, if a full plan was laid. And apparently, Colonel Flag’s love life, or maybe his life in general, was too vague. There were too many variables at play, his timeline branched off in too many directions for her to see which one was the true path. So what she saw before her was only a haze, a transparent, glimmering shadow of a future that may or may not happen.

She stood in the foyer of a big house with nice wood floors, a grand staircase to her right. After a moment, Colonel Flag walked through the front door. He was older, that was certain. But he was still wearing that same dirty baseball hat and worn leather boots. He was thicker now, and he had shaved that ridiculous facial hair. But he looked tired, worn down from a day of doing who knows what. But his face instantly perked up just as the sound of small, pattering feet reached Delphia’s ears.

She looked towards the doorway into one of the other rooms and a small child was running in. Even through the glimmer she could tell that the child had stark white hair and a pair of jean overalls on. He couldn’t have been older than five.

“Daddy!” the child screamed excitedly as the Colonel got down on one knee.

“Hey, big guy!” Flag laughed as his son crashed into his waiting arms.

He lifted the little boy easily, pressing a kiss to the child’s forehead as he got back to his feet.

“Missed you today,” the little boy said.

“Missed you, too.” Flag grinned. “Where’s your mom?”

The child pointed from whence he came and Flag followed his directions with a smile. Delphia followed curiously. She still didn’t have the answers she was looking for. Was she the one he was looking for in this big house? Was she the mother of that child?

Her hopeful heart instantly deflated when she walked into what appeared to be the kitchen. Flag still had his son perched on his hip, and in the other arm he held against his chest a woman with bright white hair. She didn’t see her face, but it was enough to know that it definitely wasn’t her.

Disappointed, Delphia blinked and she was back in her darkened bedroom.

He wasn't the one. She wasn't the one for him. So to spare her feelings, she decided to avoid him all together.

Colonel Rick Flag made it very difficult to avoid him, though. He was kind and friendly and anytime he had to come have a word with Waller he always made sure to stop at her desk to chat for a few minutes. Tried as she might to beat back her growing feelings for the Colonel with a stick, it seemed useless. It seemed she was destined to swoon over the man like a teenager.

And as the weeks went on and her bottled up misery continued, she came to a conclusion. Even if she wasn’t meant to be with him, even if that woman with white hair was going to come along eventually — it was better to spend at least a little time with Colonel Flag than none at all. And it wasn’t like she was going to make a move on him. Whatever happened, happened, and she wasn’t going to stop it.

No, she wouldn’t stop it at all.

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anniesocsandgeneralstore · 3 years

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Anonymous and @blooo0ooop requested baby Flagman and Dad!Flag and I am more than willing to give it

If I Go Universe - Sebastian Knows (Rick Flag x OC)

Summary: Rick and Dee had a plan. Settle into the new house, get married, maybe have a kid when they finally feel like they have the rhythm of this new life down. But as has been said before: The future is not set in stone.

Pairing: Rick Flag x OC / Squad Family & OC (Delphia Holman)

Word Count: 2370

Warnings: fluffffff, pregnancy, vomiting, language, dad!flag, definitely some suggestive language

Timeline: February 2022

if i go masterlist

A/N: yeah sorry I don't post on a schedule and I've been posting like crazy....but I'm just in love with this little family and I cannot be stopped

It was a beautiful day. One with cause for celebration. Rick caught the murderer, with help from DuBois, and was home safe with only a few scratches. So Delphia had cooked up her fiance’s favorite. Shephard’s pie with a cheesy top, green beans, homemade rolls, and sweet tea. Such a country boy at heart.

She held his leg tightly under the table as they ate. Her grip fierce and thankful and trying to express more than she ever could with words. It had taken everything in her not to look into the future of the case he was working on. When he was gone from the house questioning people or following a lead, she would keep herself occupied with anything and everything so she could remain focused and present. She trusted him with her life. She could trust him with this. So the house was immaculately clean, Harley’s hair was re-dyed, the spring garden was planted, and Abner had a job interview with the local state park working cleanup.

As they all ate, DuBois recounting how he had swooped in and saved Rick’s ass, Rick placed his hand on top of Delphia’s. She looked up at him, eyes glossy with joy, and he smiled. A small and grateful thing that made her hours of worry so very worth it, before he nudged her forehead with his own. He breathed in deep, closing his eyes as he practically fell into her.

“He didn’t save my ass,” he whispered, causing a giggle to rise up in Delphia’s throat, “I was doin’ just fine without ‘im.”

“Sounds like he figured out the last piece of evidence, though.” She nodded her head towards DuBois with a smile.

“Fine — I’ll give him that,” he sighed, nudging her head with his one more time before going back to eating the last of his meal.

“Seemed like you guys made a good team.”

“Yeah. Yeah, we did.”

“Maybe…Maybe you could start doing this — with DuBois,” Delphia suggested nonchalantly as she picked at her remaining green beans.

Rick’s brow furrowed. “What like…Start a PI office?”

“Something like that.” She shrugged, giving up on eating anything more. “DuBois’s been struggling to find work and you’re both more than qualified and — and you were never gonna be happy lazing around this house anyway.”

“Baby girl — I was gonna be more than happy to laze around this house with you for the rest of my life.” He lifted his brows in thought with a slight grin. “But if you’re suggesting I get do something else on the side — “

“Just shut up and do it, Flag.” Delphia knocked his shoulder with her own playfully. “Before I change my mind.”

“Yes ma’am. I’ll talk to DuBois after.” Then he seemed to notice how much food she had left on her plate. “You okay, baby? Ya hardly ate anything.”

Delphia looked down at her plate with a furrowed brow. She felt like she ate a ton, satisfied and maybe even a little nauseous if she thought hard enough. But Rick was right. She’d barely touched her shepherd’s pie — maybe a few bites taken out of each thing on her plate.

“I — I’m okay. Just not very hungry I guess.”

Rick took DuBois out onto the back patio with a couple of beers once dinner was over. It was still relatively cold outside, so they started a fire in the firepit. Nanaue was back out in the pool as soon as he was let up from the table. Harley and Abner joined the rest of them outside, though when DuBois told them to fuck off they began trying out the volleyball net Rick had put up the week before.

“Would you like some help with the dishes?” Cleo asked with a smile.

“Absolutely. Wash or dry?”

“I can wash.” Cleo stepped up to the sink, taking Sebastian from her shoulder and setting him off to the side.

Delphia eyed the rat curiously as Cleo dunked the first pan into the soapy water. He was sniffing at the air, little hands ringing together as he did so. Then he climbed up onto the windowsill behind the sink and crossed over to Delphia’s side. He sniffed at her hand, small wet nose nudging at her skin before he looked up at her with his head cocked.

Delphia sighed as Cleo passed her the now-washed pan. “He just wants to swim in the water doesn’t he?”

Cleo looked over at her rat companion with a smile. “Possibly. He did really enjoy it last time.”

“You’re just gonna have to wait until we’re done with the dishes,” Delphia told him pointedly as she set the pan on the rack to finish drying completely.

But Sebastian wouldn’t stop smelling her hand and looking up at her expectantly. Like he had done a good job and was deserving of a treat. Cleo seemed to notice this strange behavior too. As she handed Delphia the next clean dish, she paused and watched as Sebastian pointedly crawled onto Delphia’s arm, took a big whiff of her skin, then looked across the sink at his caretaker.

“Okay, that cannot be him just wanting to go for a swim.”

“No, it’s not,” Cleo agreed, “I think he smells a change in your hormones, Dee.”

“You trained him to track human hormones?” Delphia asked as she gave Sebastian’s head an affection pat.

“Everyone has a unique signature — it’s good for following people in crowds.” Delphia did not want to know the reason Cleo needed for having rats track someone. “And he tells me when I’m about to get my period. Maybe that’s what he smells on you.”

Right. Her last period was…A while ago.

Oh, fuck.

Her last period was a while ago.

Delphia’s gut reaction was to snap her head up and look at Rick through the window above the sink. But he was distracted by the deep conversation he was having with DuBois. Beer bottles in their hands and serious faces illuminated by the crackling fire between them. Delphia looked back down to her occupied hands as they dried the next pan and swallowed hard. It felt like a rock had settled somewhere low inside her gut. Making her all the more aware of the fact that there may be something actually in there. And as she and Cleo continued to wash the dishes in comfortable silence, Delphia was far from it. Her hands began to shake, her tongue felt heavy in her mouth, her mind felt like it was too loud.

They talked about kids a few times. But any talk involving having any was also always paired with a plan. Buy a bigger house, get married, actually feel settled into this new life that they’ve given themselves and one day, maybe, start having kids. It was always just such a big if for them. They housed dangerous criminals for a living. Not exactly a healthy environment for a child. Not to mention that Delphia had reservations about the possibility of any of their children inheriting her powers. Growing up with them was a bitch and she was unsure if she was willing to put someone else through that.

God, but Rick would be a great dad. There was evidence enough in his interactions with his old squad members. He was gentle in his correction, stern but kind, and more than willing to joke and play when it was necessary. And as Delphia looked out the window at him one more time she could picture it. Him sitting out on one of their deck chairs, just like he was now, with a little baby bouncing in his lap. The image brought sudden tears to her eyes that she had to hide from Cleo.

There was no need to get ahead of herself though. Sebastian could be wrong.

Once the dishes were done, Cleo said, “Come, let’s join them outside.”

“Er — I’m gonna go upstairs really quick, I’ll be out in a sec,” Delphia replied as she dried off her hands, “Do you mind, when you get the chance — just tell Rick to meet me upstairs?”

Cleo nodded before pulling open the sliding glass door and stepping outside.

Making a beeline for the stairs, Delphia took them practically two at a time in order to get to the bathroom faster. She had a test under the sink. The second one from a two-pack after a moment of uncertainty nearly a year ago. She closed the door to their bedroom but left the bathroom door open as she took the test. Once it was fully saturated, she set the test down on the counter, set a timer, and waited.

She pressed a hand to her chest as she sat down on the edge of the tub. Her heart felt like it was going at light speed. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself down. But it didn’t seem to work. Her leg bounced and she couldn’t keep her hands still — her fingers constantly going through her hair or pinching at her face.

“Hey, Dee, Ratatouille said you needed somethin’?” Rick’s voice carried in from the bedroom as he walked inside.

“I’m in here,” she called to him, voice shaking.

“You okay?” he chuckled nervously as he stepped into the doorway of the bathroom, then, being the observant man that he is, he spotted the pregnancy test on the counter and his eyes went wide. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

Her voice was small. So much smaller than it usually was and Rick reacted in kind. He moved across the bathroom to her in one easy stride and knelt down before her. In Rick’s presence, her leg had stopped shaking and her heart had slowed, but she couldn’t stop the big child-like tears that were falling down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she frantically wiped at her reddened face, “I shouldn’t — I shouldn’t feel as scared as I do — “

“Hey, hey, hey,” Rick shushed her quietly, taking hold of her hands and gripping them fiercely in her lap, “It’s okay to be scared. It’s okay.”

“I just….I just don’t want you to think I don’t want this.” Freeing one of her hands, she reached up a hand to his cheek, felt his stubble beneath her fingers, and she smiled. “Because I want everything with you — forever.”

“God, you really do love me don’t you?” he asked with a smirk.

She pushed at his face gently with a light laugh, but then she couldn’t help but coax him into looking at her again. “Yeah. I really do love you.”

They waited in silence for the timer to go off. And all Delphia could do was look at Rick. The distinct line of his jaw. The light stubble on his upper lip and chin. She traced his cheekbones with her fingertips, looked deep into those golden eyes flecked with green that looked back at her with such admiration and affection. She trailed the line of a scar over his right eyebrow. Parted his lips with the pad of her thumb. Yeah, any kid of his was going to be cute. And he was going to be with her every step of the way — no matter what. And yes they may live in a house full of ex-convicts and yes the kid may inherit her powers and yes this wasn’t exactly fitting into their future plans — but it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter one bit because she had Rick Flag at her side. And really, what more did she ever need?

The timer went off suddenly and loudly. Delphia nearly jumped as she reached for her phone and shut it off as quickly as she could.

“Do you want me to look first?” Rick asked softly, giving her fingers still splayed across his lips a kiss.

“No,” she replied, dropping her hand from his face, “I want us to look together.”

He nodded with a smile then helped her get to her feet. The white and blue pregnancy test sat almost ominously on the counter. Like a single actor illuminated by spotlight on the stage — about to give his last soliloquy. Delphia stood closest to the sink. Rick stood at her back, chest pressed up against her spine and reassuring hands on her hips. Her fingers no longer shook as she grabbed the test. Breath stilled in her lungs. She could feel Rick’s muscles tense, pulled taught, waiting as she lifted it into view. There was the little screen. They could read it now.

Pregnant.

“Oh, my God,” she laughed, looking at Rick’s face in the mirror’s reflection with a shocked smile.

He smiled right back. She could feel his chuckle reverberate into her spine and ribcage. She put the test down and laughed again. She was pregnant. And she watched, almost dazed, as Rick’s hulking form curled around her. As his head bent over her neck, trailing sloppy kisses up and down her skin. As one of his hands skimmed under her shirt to rest against her belly.

“You’re stuck with me now, Holman,” he murmured into her shoulder.

“Not stuck.” She placed her hand over his and pressed it more firmly into her flesh. “Not if it’s you.”

He hummed into her neck. His fingers slipping into the waistband of her pants — drawing a gasp from her. Then he muttered, “Anybody else know about this?”

“Sebastian.”

Rick paused in his ministrations. “The rat?”

“Yeah,” Delphia chuckled, leaning back into his form, “But I don’t want anyone else to know for a while. That okay?”

“That’s perfect.” He gave her neck another kiss, his hand sinking further between her legs. “Something just for us — for a little while.”

But before their celebrations could really get anywhere, Delphia felt a sudden stirring in her stomach. She tore away from Rick and collapsed over the toilet, spilling the dinner that she barely ate back into the porcelain. As hot saliva dripped from her mouth she groaned, feeling most definitely not in the mood.

“Wanna just cuddle in bed instead?” Rick suggested with a laugh.

“Yes, please.”

Taglist (if you would like to be added for future installments just let me know): @bbygrgu @a-reader-not-a-writer @slayerx147 @xoxabs88xox @kasey-puff @witchygagirl @the-pink-petite-princess @blooo0ooop @woodlandmouth @csigeoblue @rexorangecouny @h-hxgirl @thisisthewayrose @blondiekook @darkestbeforethedawn16

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anniesocsandgeneralstore · 3 years

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If I Go Universe - Birthday Breakfast (Rick Flag x OC)

Summary: Rick Flag likes to spoil his girl, especially on her birthday - especially when he's gonna be gone for most of it.

Pairing: Rick Flag x OC (Delphia Holman)

Word Count: 997

Warnings: fluffffff but also a bit of suggestive language, sorry - that's all I write now

Timeline: March 2017 (so about a year into them starting dating)

if i go masterlist

A/N: My first Writer Wednesday! @autumnleaves1991-blog and @clydesducktape I hope you guys like it!

It was early on a Tuesday morning. Very early, in fact. The sun wasn’t up and even the birds weren’t awake at that hour. But Rick Flag had a job to do and he was going to see it done. Even if it was a job that he had given himself. One that he kind of regretted when his alarm went off that morning - but he was determined.

Determined to make Delphia’s first birthday with him as her boyfriend the best one she had ever had. Especially since he was leaving for a three-day mission that afternoon and wouldn’t be there for most of it. So he was going to make the most of the time they had together.

He turned off his alarm as quickly as he could so as not to wake her. And when he checked to make sure she hadn’t stirred, he had to smile. She certainly wasn’t the prettiest thing when she was sleeping. Head thrown back against her pillow, body all curled up in a weird position that he couldn’t imagine was comfortable, mouth hanging open, and he could even see the faint glint of drool on her chin. God, but he loved it though. He loved that fire-red hair splayed out on her pillow. That hint of drool on her chin. That hand that stretched out in her sleep to grab hold of him. To make him stay.

But he had to go. No matter how much he just wanted to pull her into him and go back to sleep.

Throwing on some basketball shorts, he went out to the kitchen and started up the stove and the coffee pot.

He had met her adoptive parents last week. A spur-of-the-moment thing that Delphia had found exceptionally awkward because she had forgotten they were coming to visit — and she had yet to tell them that she had moved in with “that Army Colonel of hers” as they liked to call him. Rick had found the whole thing entertaining as well as enlightening. They told him everything. And most of the time he didn’t even have to ask.

She only likes shopping for other people, not herself. She needs time to socially recharge. Sometimes, when she’s busy, she’ll forget to eat so you’ll have to remind her. She had a fear of clowns as a kid. They called her Ducky because when she first learned to walk, she walked like a duck — feet turned in and waddling from side to side — but he wasn’t allowed to call her that.

And on special occasions, she liked pancakes for breakfast.

Sipping on his morning coffee with cream, Rick made pancakes. A giant plate full of them. And once they were all done, it wasn’t the most beautiful thing, but he thought it worked just fine. He got out the candles and placed them at random. Really unsure if there was a proper place to put them or not in pancakes. He burnt himself a few times trying to light them, but that was okay. And once they were all lit, he carefully picked up the plate and began walking it back to the bedroom.

Delphia was already awake by the time he gently opened the door. She was sitting up in bed, rubbing at one eye like a tired child while her free hand absently patted his empty spot on the bed.

“Rick?” she mumbled sleepily, eyes barely cracked open enough to see him.

“Mornin’, baby girl.” He grinned at her as he came further into the room. “Happy Birthday.”

Blinking her eyes a few more times, she finally seemed to notice the glowing plate of pancakes in his hand and she smiled. A lopsided thing that made his heart feel like it was gonna beat right out of his chest.

“You made me pancakes?” she asked as he set the plate down on the bed in front of her.

“Course, baby.” Rick knelt down on the floor at the side of the bed, affectionately tucking a strand of her crazy bed head behind her ear. “Now you better blow those out before the wax starts drippin’ everywhere.”

Delphia closed her eyes with a smile, held back her hair, and blew out her candles.

“What’d you wish for?” he asked quietly.

She wouldn’t look at him as she pulled a pancake from the bottom of the stack, where they were the warmest, and took a bite out of it. Rick furrowed his brows as he watched her. It was an innocent enough question. Surely she didn’t still believe that if she told him her wish wouldn’t come true. Then she glanced up at him and sighed.

“Just…you to come home safe,” she muttered around her bite of pancake.

“Hey — “ Rick took hold of her cheek and forced her to look him in the eye. “I’ll always come back to you — always.”

Delphia smiled and nodded, giving the inside of his wrist a peck of her lips. It made every last inch of his skin shiver. How did this happen? How had she taken hold of him so quickly? But Delphia Holman held his very heart in her hands. She held it lovingly, caringly, strongly, gently — without a knife to threaten it or a waiver to her fingers. She didn’t plan on letting go anytime soon. And he wasn’t planning on letting her.

“Do you wanna know…What else I wished for?” she asked, looking up at him through her lashes as she moved the pancakes to the bedside table.

Rick cocked his head to one side. From the look on her face, he had some inclination. But he wanted to hear her say it.

“What?”

She leaned in close. Her breath was warm against his cheek as she gently placed her hand around his throat. He gulped, leaning forward into her touch as his own hand against her face twitched.

“You let me give the orders for once.”

“Anything for the birthday girl.”

Taglist (if you like to be added for future installments just let me know): @bbygrgu @vvola13 @slayerx147 @xoxabs88xox @kasey-puff @witchygagirl @the-pink-petite-princess @blooo0ooop @woodlandmouth @csigeoblue @rexorangecouny @h-hxgirl @thisisthewayrose @blondiekook @darkestbeforethedawn16

#writer wednesday #rick flag #rick flag imagine #rick flag x delphia holman #rick flag x oc #rick flag fanfiction #rick flag fanfic #suicide squad fanfiction #suicide squad imagine #suicide squad fic #the suicide squad #joel kinnaman #joel kinnaman imagine #if i go universe #dceu oc #dceu imagine #dceu fanfiction #dceu fanfic #dceu fic

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anniesocsandgeneralstore · 3 years

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If I Go Universe - Snippets of a Pregnancy (Rick Flag x OC)

Summary: Just a collection of cute little moments that cover the entirety of Delphia's pregnancy.

Pairing: Rick Flag x OC / Squad Family & OC (Delphia Holman)

Word Count: 7740

Warnings: lots of pregnancy stuff obviously, labor/birthing stuff, language, death and coma mention, just a pinch of angst, flufffff, suggestive language (and a slight pregnancy kink if you squint like that's my b)

Timeline: January 2022 - September 2022

if i go masterlist

“Babe — look what popped!”

Delphia was standing in front of the full-length mirror in their bedroom. Sleep shirt bunched up underneath her armpits so her entire abdomen was exposed. An abdomen that most definitely had a slight swell to it. She was showing.

Rick was already laying in bed, lamp turned on and book in hand, ready to begin their nighttime routine. She looked over at him with an excited smile, a gentle hand against her stomach. A boyish grin stretched across Rick’s face when he looked up at her. He quickly threw aside the covers and got out of bed to join her.

“God, look at that,” he breathed in a sort of unbelieving joy as he slid to sit on the farthest corner of the bed, hands reaching out to pull her over to him.

His hands explored that little belly with a type of reverence reserved for holy things. Tracing the slight curve of it with his fingers, pulling her as close as he could get her between his legs. Rick looked up into her face with a smile.

“We made a fuckin’ baby,” he whispered to her, tone laced with delighted shock.

“Hell yeah, we did.”

Their honeymoon cabin was beautiful. Tucked away in mountainous woods with no one around for miles. The day before, they had gone out on a hike. Nothing too strenuous but with gorgeous waterfall views and plenty of benches to stop and sit down. So today was a rest day. Tomorrow they would go back out and hike again.

And to occupy their time, Delphia had brought along a few baby name books.

“How about Danger?” Rick suggested with a devious grin.

Delphia flashed him a look. “We are not naming our son Danger.”

“Oh, come on.” Rick threw his book down on the side table, putting all his focus on rubbing at Delphia’s ankles thrown over his lap. “S’a cool name. Danger Flag.”

“No. Absolutely not.” She flipped through a few more pages with a furrowed brow. “Theodore?”

“What like the chipmunk?”

She huffed. “Hm, yeah, I guess so. Nolan?”

“Nolan,” Rick tried the name on his tongue then made a face, “Eh — no. What was so wrong with Richard Flag III again?”

“I thought we already talked about this.” She set the book pages down on top of her belly. “His middle name’ll be Richard — but it’s…Important to me that he has his own name. There’s a lot in a name.”

Rick sighed indignantly but relented for the last time. “Fine. Fine.”

There was silence between them for a minute. Rick’s gaze trained towards the window that overlooked the forest surrounding them. Delphia bit her lip as she watched him. Anxiety, like a tentacled monster from the deepest and darkest of seas, was inching it’s way around her heart. Had she done something wrong? It itched at the back of her brain, knawed at her. There was so much new territory here in this moment. They were talking about naming their kid, about how they were going to raise him, they were just married three days ago. Everything about their relationship was tilting and shifting at an angle that Delphia wasn’t accustomed to yet. And neither was Rick. It was all happening so fast it seemed. And — oh, God. It just felt like she had really messed up and she didn’t know how to fix it.

She nudged him with her foot. “Hey…Are — Are we okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rick finally looked away from the window, passing a hand over his chin and jaw. “It’s fine.”

“Please stop saying that.” She didn’t know when those tears started building in her eyes, but they were suddenly spilling over and making her voice shake. That monster from the deep seizing her heart completely.

Rick glanced over at his wife and reacted in kind. “Hey, hey — it’s okay.”

He quickly adjusted, putting himself between her legs so his face could hover over hers. Careful to put barely any of his weight on her. Baby name book tossed carelessly on the floor. He cradled her face in his large hand, thumb wiping at the tears as they came.

“I’m not mad — I’m not, I promise,” he tried to reassure her.

But Delphia could only shake her head, the tears coming even harder now — almost as if she couldn’t stop. “It’s — It's just that I feel like I’m doing everything wrong.”

“Oh, baby girl. You’re not. You’re not doin’ anything wrong. Okay?”

A small sob slipped past her lips. She really couldn’t stop now. Her chest heaved with every breath. Her reddened face was pinched, screwed up as the tears flowed freely. And upon the realization that she couldn’t keep from crying, she covered her face with her hands. Ashamed of what she was feeling. Rick noticed it about as quickly as she did. His face dropped into her shoulder for a moment. Then he readjusted the two of them on the couch so he could hold her better. There was nothing he could say at this point that would make it better. She just needed to be held.

Rolling Delphia onto her side, Rick slotted himself between her and the back of the couch. His arm gently came around to splay his hand against her stomach. He pressed reassuring kisses to her neck and shoulder, lips tracing a studied path up and down her skin. After a few minutes, he felt her breathing slow. The pitiful shake of her shoulders slowed to a halt. Her fingers interlaced with his across her belly.

She said softly, “I know that naming him after you and your dad is important to you. I know that. But it’s just….There’s nothing of me in that name. And maybe that’s selfish of me. But this — “ She gripped his fingers tighter, pressed them more firmly into her flesh. “Is us. It’s both of us together — and I want his name to be us together too.”

Rick detangled his fingers from Delphia’s. Oh, no. Had she said the wrong thing again? He reached over the side of the couch and pulled back up the baby name book. Opened to a random page. He put the book in his hand pinned under Delphia’s head so the other could go back to trace lazy patterns over her belly.

“How about Mason?”

Delphia sniffed with a smile. “Knew a Mason in high school. He was a dickhead.”

“Not that one then.” Rick kissed the back of her head. “Oo — Ignatius?”

“No,” she giggled.

Rick flipped a few more pages. Then Delphia stopped him with a gentle hand on his wrist. “What about that one?”

She pointed to the name in question.

“Not bad,” he said, “It’ll sound nice with Richard.”

“Hm,” she hummed happily, “I love it.”

“Then so do I.”

Delphia had to agree that having a human person growing inside her was fucking weird. Her hormones were all out of whack, she craved the stupidest foods at the stupidest times, her organs were shifting around, her back was killing her constantly, her ankles were swollen, and she was forgetting shit she would usually remember. All because she was pregnant.

And let us not forget fetal movement. Delphia hated that shit. It was good to know that the baby was actually alive in there, but it was the weirdest feeling in the world to Delphia. It made her skin crawl. And when the baby was big enough to where she could actually see her entire stomach move with him, it made her shoulders scrunch and her face pinch in disgust.

But it was all worth it for the simple fact that Rick was obsessed with feeling the baby move. Whenever he was around, he couldn’t keep his hands off of her stomach. Sitting down watching a movie? He wasn’t holding her hand anymore, he had his hand on her belly. She’s standing there trying to make dinner? He’s got his chest pressed to her back, large hands molded over her abdomen. Trying to sleep? You can bet that man is curled around her as the big spoon. Hand where? You guessed it: Feeling the baby.

Tonight was no different. It had become a sort of pre-bed routine. By the light of their respective nightstands, Rick would be reading his book with Delphia sitting between his legs — her back leaned against his chest with her own book in hand. In one hand Rick would have his novel, but the other would be preoccupied on the expanse of her belly, feeling for the baby wherever he could.

“God, he’s really awake right now, huh?” Rick mumbled as he set down his book, instead devoting all of his attention to Delphia’s stomach.

Delphia hummed back as she shifted uncomfortably. Trying to focus on the words on the page but finding it increasingly difficult as the baby practically did somersaults inside her. Which was then contradicted by the stretched, itchy feeling that covered the skin of her abdomen. She reached around the curve of her belly and scratched irritably at it, a whine escaping her when she lost her place in her book again.

Rick chuckled against her neck. “What’s wrong, baby girl?”

“Fuckin’ itches,” she grumbled, tossing her novel to the side with little hope of picking it up again.

“Lemme help.” He planted a kiss on her shoulder before getting out from behind her and disappearing into the bathroom.

Not a minute later he reemerged with the tub of coconut oil in his hand. Delphia smiled at the sight. He was too good to her. As he got back onto the bed behind her, she pulled up her sleep shirt with eager anticipation. Rick scooped a generous amount on his hands and rubbed at her belly gently. Soothing the uncomfortable stretch that had been consuming her. She leaned back into his form heavily with a sigh, a delighted noise from the back of her throat, almost like a purr, making Rick chuckle again.

“Better?” he asked against the shell of her ear.

“Much,” she whispered.

And it was almost like he had hypnotized her. Suddenly her eyes were feeling so very heavy and she barely even wanted to pick up her head from his chest. She could fall asleep right then and there if Rick let her. And he would. It wouldn’t be the first time she had fallen asleep on him while he had to deal with an uncomfortable position. But he never complained, because that was just who Rick was.

He kissed the side of her head. “I’ll be right back.”

Yeah, she definitely could fall asleep, but that gosh darn baby of theirs.

“God, will you just calm down?” she whispered, hands on either side of her belly, “It’s almost eleven o’clock. Way past your bedtime young man.”

“What’d you say, baby?” Rick asked as he walked back from the bathroom.

“Your son will not stop pile-driving me in the kidney.”

Rick quickly flopped onto the bed with her, nose to belly as he said, “Hey! We don’t hit women!”

“You’re ridiculous,” she laughed, fingers tangling into his hair.

“But seriously.” He smiled up at her through his lashes as he planted a kiss to her stomach. “Go easy on your momma, she’s tryin’ to sleep. Even though I completely understand you wanna practice your wrestling moves. We’ll have plenny’a time for that when yer older.

“God, I can’t wait to hold you. Throw the baseball around— take you to yer first game. Can’t wait to kiss those cheeks and show you the world. But we gotta wait just a little longer. Only two more months. Gotta keep cookin’ — then you’re all mine, little guy.”

Rick looked back up at Delphia. She was sound asleep. Head lolled onto her shoulder and white hair falling in her face. He chuckled before pressing another kiss into her belly. Worked every time.

“Hey, Rick?” Delphia asked into the darkness of their shared bed.

She reached out across the maternity pillow that had replaced him for snuggles a long time ago and shook his arm. Rick groaned as he rolled over, reaching out blindly towards her and accidentally hitting her in the face.

“Ow.”

“Ah, shit, baby.” He sounded more awake as he cupped her jaw. “Sorry. Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she giggled, “It didn’t really hurt — just surprised me.”

“Sorry,” he repeated.

Oh, no, he was going back to sleep. Hand still on her face and all. She took hold of that hand and squeezed it tight. “Rick — babe.”

“Mm, what?”

“I really want some fries.” She bit her lip anxiously.

Rick huffed as he rolled onto his back, free hand wiping down his face. “Right now?”

“It would be greatly appreciated if it was right now, yeah.” She watched him rub at his eyes with a grin. “I’ll go with you if you want.”

“You don’t have to, baby girl.”

“And if I want to?”

Rick got out of bed and picked up the sweatpants he’d abandoned on the floor earlier. “Then you better get up.”

They were changed into midnight drive-thru appropriate clothes and downstairs in under five minutes. But what they didn’t expect was to find Cleo still awake and sitting in the living room, flipping through channels on the TV.

“What’re you guys doing?” she asked as she watched the two of them try to sneak by her.

Delphia stopped while Rick kept moving to grab the car keys. She put her hands to her belly and sighed. “Well, baby wants fries and I am not about to deny him.”

“Wanna come?” Rick asked as he came back into the living room.

“Sure!”

The three of them piled into the Jeep and took off towards town. Delphia took Rick’s right hand while he drove, pulling it up to her lips before laying it flat against her belly where a few feather-light kicks could be felt.

“He says thank you.” She smiled.

“Anything for my two favorites,” he said, then he glanced into the rearview mirror, “And Ratatouille I guess.”

“Don’t worry Colonel Flag. I won’t tell any of the others that I’m your favorite.” Cleo smiled.

How the entire squad ended up in the nursery while her and Rick were painting was beyond Delphia. She was sure it started when Cleo wandered in, offering a helping hand. Then suddenly everyone was crammed inside the small spare room. Somehow arguing over what color to paint the walls.

“Guys, we already bought the damn paint,” Rick pointed out, gesturing down to the two gallon buckets on the floor.

“Hardware store’s not that far at all,” Harley said.

“And you should return that shit anyway, it’s fuckin’ ugly,” DuBois grumbled from the window seat.

“What’s wrong with sage green?” Delphia asked.

“Yeah, it’s a pretty color, Robert!” Cleo defended from her spot on the floor, Sebastian cuddled in her hands, “It’s like the forest!”

“Thank you, Cleo.”

“Blue!” Nanaue suggested, “Like the sea!”

“I still think I could do some spray paint in here.” Harley held up her hands like she was framing a shot for a film, one eye closed as she looked around the room. “Cool ass mural — write his name across the wall.”

“No thanks, Harley,” Rick replied, pinching the bridge of his nose.

He was starting to get frustrated. They really needed to get the paint done today. All the furniture was coming tomorrow and he was going to have to spend at least a week putting it all together. And from the looks of Delphia, he was barely going to have time to get it done.

But Delphia could see that he was getting overwhelmed. Could see it in the way his shoulders tensed, the way his hands kept switching from his hips to putting his head in his hands. With a bit of effort, she made her way over to him and placed a hand on his arm. He looked down at her as everyone continued to talk, hand over his mouth so they wouldn’t see him frowning. She gave his bicep a squeeze with a smile.

“I got this,” she whispered to him, then she turned to the squad, “Look, guys — we appreciate the help. But we’re still painting the room green.”

They all grumbled, mostly Harley and Nanaue.

“How about this?” she waddled over to one of the walls and put her hand against it, “Each of you guys gets a section on this wall to paint however you want. To remind him of you. Sound good?”

Delphia looked over at Rick first. He was smiling — more thankful than anything at her ability to get them all to stop talking. He nodded his head when they made eye contact. He agreed that her idea was good. And everyone else seemed into it too. Harley immediately bounded from the room, screaming that she was going to the hardware store to get more paint. DuBois groaned when Rick prompted for him to follow her.

“Fuck your wall,” he said pointedly as he walked past.

“What color you gonna get for yourself, DuBois?” Delphia asked knowingly after him.

He stopped in the doorway, a frown overpowering his face, then he muttered, “Black.”

By the end of the day, the rest of the walls were painted a beautiful sage green, and one wall looked like the squad family had thrown up all over it. It was divided into five rectangular sections floor to ceiling and each one was completely different from the other.

Harley painted her section a splattering of neons, with crime scene tape and smiley faces. Abner decided to paint his with his classic polka-dots. Cleo painted a beautiful scene of flowers at the top, while Sebastian slapped his little feet as best he could across the bottom. DuBois painted his a simple block of black, with a hidden penis up in the far corner that neither Rick or Delphia would notice until years later. And Nanaue painted a surprisingly detailed seascape, with kelp growing at the bottom and the ocean growing lighter and lighter towards the top.

“N-Nanue did this?” Rick asked as he and Delphia admired everyone’s finished work.

“I know — I watched him do it though,” she said, “He’s surprisingly adept with a paintbrush.”

Now, even if any of them were to leave the house, they would always have something there as a reminder.

“You ready, baby?” Rick asked quietly against the shell of her ear.

Delphia nodded eagerly, fingers flexing against their bedroom wall as she planted her feet shoulder-width apart. It was taking everything in her not to push her hips back into his when she felt his presence behind her. All hard muscle and heat that left her panting in anticipation. Hands on her hips, Rick bent down to plant a kiss on the crook of her neck. Then he hunched around her form, collapsing in on her as he wound his hands under the expanse of her full-term belly. He counted down from three, Delphia’s breath picking up with each passing second, then very slowly and carefully he picked it up.

The full weight of their baby now rested in his capable hands. Delphia sighed at the release of pressure from her lower back. She practically went limp — arms falling to her sides and head thrown back against his chest. Rick’s chuckle reverberated through her spine.

“Feel good?” he asked.

“Fuck yes,” she practically moaned, fingers curling around his forearms, “Can we stay like this forever?”

“You may wanna go to sleep eventually.”

“No, no — I can sleep standing up, I promise.”

Rick shook his head as he chuckled, lips ghosting over the expanse of her neck, going anywhere he could reach. “Can’t believe you’ve been carryin’ this around all the time.”

“It’s your fault, Flag,” she muttered, tilting her head to the side so she could get her own lips on his neck.

“I know,” he growled, sinking his teeth into her pulse point — pulling a gasp from her — before soothing it with his tongue, “It’s sexy as fuck — seein’ you like this.”

Delphia could feel her entire body awash with heat, a huff escaping her when he slowly let go of her belly. Rick guided her hands back up to the wall, pushing them palms flat. Then he gently traced back up her arms, down her shoulders, to ghost his fingers over the length of her spine. It made her back arch, drew a gasp from her that was so quiet in its sin.

Rick’s voice was a gruff mutter against the back of her neck, “I’m not done with you yet.”

Delphia had become nearly addicted to buying baby clothes. They were just always so tempting and so cute that she simply could not pass up at least looking at the little clothes on the racks at nearly every store she went to. Little pairs of overalls, shirts, onesies, tiny pairs of shoes and hats. The nursery closet was beginning to feel overcrowded and Rick would give her look whenever she came home with another little something for the baby.

So when she just so happened to find herself alone in Target with nothing better to do, she wandered around the baby clothes. Hoping to spot something that she hadn’t already bought.

Delphia was looking through some shirts, trying to decide if she should go ahead and buy some six-month sizes just in case, when she noticed an older woman shopping in the same section smiling at her. Shit, they locked eyes despite Delphia’s attempts not to.

“I’m shopping for my granddaughters — twins. Just two months old.” The woman beamed, pointing at the clothes. “When are your babies due?”

Delphia’s eyes widened as she glanced down at herself. She really couldn’t blame the woman. At nearly nine months pregnant she was huge. Even Rick’s shirts wouldn’t fit over the entirety of it anymore. And seeing her feet was out of the picture a long time ago.

Delphia coughed awkwardly and said, “Um, just the one baby actually. Due in about a week.”

“Oh, no, I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay,” Delphia laughed, inching away from the woman so she would stop talking to her.

The woman didn’t get the hint. “Must be a big baby then, huh?”

“Er — yeah. Measuring nine point eight pounds.”

“Oh, you poor thing.” The woman shook her head and Delphia’s brow furrowed. “My first was a ten-pounder and let me tell you — he tore my vagina down to my asshole. Gave me a hemorrhage. I was in the hospital for a week after the birth. A whole mess.”

Delphia gulped. Oh, God.

Rick came home at the end of the day with DuBois expecting to see Delphia lounged on the couch with a bag of chips and Grey’s Anatomy on the TV. A usual for her the past few weeks with her due date getting closer and closer. But today she was not on the couch. She wasn’t upstairs in their bedroom. She wasn’t in the library. In fact, she was nowhere to be found.

“Hey, Pokey,” Rick said as he came into the kitchen to see Abner making a sandwich, “You seen Dee?”

“Uh — last I saw her she was walking outside, I think.”

Rick looked out the sliding glass door with a furrowed brow. Outside? What the hell was she doing out there? He slid open the glass and stepped outside. The backyard was big, but from the patio he could see the entirety of it. Nanaue swimming without a care in the pool. The empty gazebo. All the pieces and parts of the playground he had yet to put together. But still there was no Delphia. Then he spotted, at the very back of the yard, the wide path that led back to the treehouse.

No way.

With his long strides it didn’t take him long to cross the yard and go down the path to the treehouse. It wasn’t very big, but it was well made and had a nice wooden ladder that led up to the doorway that Rick struggled to squeeze through every time. But there was no way that Delphia could’ve gotten up there. She was nearly nine months pregnant for Christ’s sake. But Rick had a feeling, deep in his chest. So with a sigh, he began to climb the ladder.

He poked his head over the top, just enough to see if she was in there, and sure enough —

“Hey, babe.”

Delphia was sitting on the floor of the treehouse, back against the far wall and legs spread out in front of her, hands resting on top of the curve of her belly. She had that look on her face like something was on her mind.

“Dee, baby, how the hell’d you get up here?” he asked.

“Climbed the ladder.” She shrugged. “Didn’t really think about how I was gonna get down though.”

Rick snorted before he pulled himself up the rest of the way and squeezed his shoulders through the door. He crawled across the floor and settled down beside her with a groan. She didn’t look at him. Her eyes remained lost somewhere in the middle distance with her head cocked to one side.

“What’s goin’ on?”

“Lady at the store today asked when the twins were due,” she said.

“Ah, shit,” Rick replied, trying very hard not to laugh.

He couldn’t blame the woman either. Now that Delphia was nearly to term he would agree with her that maybe their baby was too big. She was as big as a house.

“And when she found out it was just the one — she started talking about tearing and hemorrhaging…”

“Baby, the doctor told us that could happen,” he reminded.

“I know, I know. It’s just…Hearing it from someone who actually experienced it made it feel more real. I guess.” She took a deep breath and moved her hands down to cradle her belly. “Kinda scared me — if I’m honest.”

She finally looked over at him and the tears in her eyes hit him like a bullet to the gut. Rick instantly reassured her by taking her hand in his and giving it a squeeze.

“Everythin’s gonna be alright,” he said gently, giving her fingers a kiss, “In the end — we’re gonna have a kid. A baby boy that we’re gonna love so much it’s gonna break our hearts. In the end, you’re gonna be the greatest momma to that little boy. You are the strongest woman I’ve ever known. I’ve seen you shoot bad guys, argue with aliens — and you’re a fuckin’ time lord. I love you so fuckin’ much.”

Delphia sniffed back her tears loudly. “Even if your son rips my vagina?”

“Even if he rips your vagina,” Rick chuckled.

She rested her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh. “Can we just stay here awhile?”

“Is it cause you’re stuck?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

It was nearly two in the morning. But Delphia couldn’t sleep. The baby was restless and every position she tried was uncomfortable. So she opted to wander around the house, jar of peanut butter and spoon in hand. In the back of her mind, she hoped she induced labor with all the exercise. Her due date had passed her by three days ago.

In the darknesss, she found herself in the nursery. Rick had finished putting together the crib that afternoon — declaring his victory over IKEA. Everything was ready and waiting. All it needed now was a baby to occupy it. The closet was full of onesies, little shirts, and pants. The changing table was stocked with diapers, wet wipes, and burp rags. The rocking recliner Delphia had requested was in the corner by the window seat. She made her way over to it and sat down with some difficulty.

She stared at the mobile above the crib. Little clouds and stars dancing above where her baby would sleep. Setting down the peanut butter and spoon, she cradled her belly in her hands. She just wanted to hold him. Really hold him.

The chair rocked back and forth soothingly as she continued to watch the mobile spin. There was nothing else to be done. No more things to buy or paint or furniture to put together. Everything was ready. They were ready — to be parents, with all that entailed.

“God, did you even know you were pregnant when you got arrested?” Delphia’s quiet whisper suddenly filled the silence of the early morning, “Did you ever know? Or did you just slip into a coma with no idea way — with some vague memory of your own mother dying the same way? Being pregnant has sucked, but I wouldn’t’ve wanted to miss any of this. First kicks, getting to hear his heartbeat, the ultrasounds, Rick talking to the baby…You didn’t even get to pick out my name.”

Sudden tears pricked at her eyes that she quickly tried to blink away. “And what did you see — when you were stuck in the future? Did you see me? Did you see this? I hope you did. I hope you got to see the woman I’ve become. I hope you got to watch me fall in love, create a life, start a family of my own. I hope…I hope you were proud of me. And I’m so sorry — that all you could do was watch me grow up instead of actually being there. If — If you’re watching right now from some thirty-odd years ago…I want you to know that I am proud to be your daughter. I wish I could’ve known you, loved you as I should. I wish you could meet your grandson. I’m so sorry…”

There was something against Delphia’s cheek. She looked up from staring into her lap, brow furrowed and wet eyes searching. It felt like a hand against her face. There was a haze — a glimmer before her. Kneeling in front of the recliner. A woman with bright red hair and a sad sort of smile.

“Mom — “

But just like that the haze disappeared and the feeling against her cheek was gone.

“Dee?” Rick stepped into the doorway rubbing tiredly at his eye, sweatpants slung low around his waist, “What’re you doin’?”

“I — uh — “ She struggled to find words for a moment, still staring, hoping to see her one last time. But when nothing happened she shook her head. “Just couldn’t sleep. And neither can baby apparently.”

Rick huffed through his nose with a smile as he stepped further into the room. He held out a hand to her. “Come on — let’s go back to bed.”

“Okay.”

She allowed him to pull her from the recliner and lead her out of the nursery. Looking back over her shoulder, she swore she saw that bright red hair one last time.

“You sure you shouldn’t in the ‘ospital?” DuBois asked from his desk.

Delphia tagged along that morning to Rick and DuBois’ office in town to help file paperwork. Rick had tried with all his might to get his five days overdue wife to just stay home and relax, but Delphia had never been very good at that in the first place. She liked to keep busy and the last few weeks had been killing her. So when she looked up at him with those big blue eyes, pleading and mischievous, he really couldn’t say no to her. And plus, she was so much better at filling out paperwork and organizing it than he was.

“I’m fine, DuBois,” Delphia reassured as she waddled over to a filing cabinet with a stack of filled manila folders, “This baby’s stubborn as his dad and doesn’t plan on moving anytime soon.”

She opened up the drawer and began putting away the files. A nice distraction from her encroaching anxiety about this baby not wanting to just exit her body. Being pregnant was really beginning to drive her mad. And she could tell that it was making everyone else around the house anxious too. They all walked and talked around her like she was a ticking time bomb — about to explode. And maybe she was. But she swore if someone asked her how she was doing one more time, she was going to start throwing things.

So it was a good thing that Rick was out of the office interviewing a potential case and she was left alone with DuBois, who never asked her much about anything. A nice reprieve from Rick’s constant, good natured, worry. She swore that man had packed and repacked the hospital bag at least ten times by now. Every move she made he was asking if it was time to go. She loved him and appreciated his readiness to do quite literally anything for her, but he was starting to make her crazy.

Finished with one stack of files, she moved back to Rick’s desk to grab the next stack. Pain, like she was being cut open with a white hot knife, tore across her stomach. Her hand shot out and gripped the edge of the desk to steady herself — the intensity of the pain having made her lose her balance.

“Ow — fuck,” she muttered under her breath, grimace pulling at her face and her hand reaching down to smooth over her belly.

The feeling quickly passed, but in a short time it made a sweat breakout across her brow. Delphia looked up to see Dubois, sitting at his desk across the room, already staring at her with an angry brow. She smiled like everything was fine and went back to work. Hoping that continuing to distract herself would convince her that everything was, in fact, fine.

But then, ten minutes later like clockwork, just as she was going to close the filing cabinet drawer, another pain ripped across her abdomen. Somehow even more all consuming than before. The metal cabinet rattled loudly as she slammed the drawer shut, her other hand clamping down on top of it hard.

“Ah, shit — titties — motherfucker!” she cursed.

DuBois was now standing behind his desk, concern etched into his face. “You alright, love?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she all but barked back, agitated and still in the remnants of pain.

“I’m gonna call Flag,” he said, pulling his phone from his pocket.

“No — I said it’s — “

Delphia never got to finish. Instead, her body answered well enough for her. There was a soft pop between her legs and a sudden rush of fluids soaked her pants.

“Please tell me you just fuckin’ pissed yourself,” Dubois said.

Delphia looked up at him with wide eyes, hands up in the air. “I really wish that I could.”

“Fuck!” he hissed, quickly dialing Rick’s number and putting the phone to his ear, “Think you can wait till Flag gets back?”

“Um — I — I don’t know,” she replied as she slowly sat down in Rick’s desk chair. Not even five minutes after the last pain, another hit her, forcing her hands to clamp down on the armrests and her head to be thrown back in agony. “Shit! Fuck — that hurts!”

“Hey, Flag — yeah, yeah. Look, your girl just went into labor in the office — “ Dubois pulled the phone away from his head, even from across the room Delphia could hear Rick’s loud exclamation. “Yeah, I’ll tell ‘er. Alright. Bye. He said to tell you ta breathe.”

Delphia immediately started up the breathing exercises the birthing coach had told them about, hands rubbing soothing circles into her belly. “When’d he say he’d be here?”

“Twenny minutes — clients house’s pretty far out there.”

Delphia groaned, “I don’t think I’m gonna make it that long.”

“You’re gonna be fine — just, do the breathin’ or whateva and he’ll be ‘ere before ya know it,” he said as he moved to stand beside her.

Five minutes since the last contraction and another was coursing through her abdomen, reaching all the way around to her spine. She screamed in agony, fingers white knuckling the arm rest and sweat beading on her forehead. This was moving too fast — she could practically feel the baby pressed against her pelvis. As the worst of the pain faded, she looked up at Dubois with bared teeth and grabbed a fist full of his shirt.

She yanked him down so he was face to face with her and yelled, “Get me to the hospital — now.”

“Yes, ma’am!” DuBois swears he had never seen such a fury in her eyes. “Can you walk?”

“N-No,” she whimpered, head thrown back and throat exposing a prominent vein.

DuBois didn’t know what else to do, so he just started pushing Rick’s office chair towards the door with Delphia still sitting in it. He redialed Rick’s number as he pushed her out the door and down the ramp towards his car.

“She yelled at me to take her to the ‘ospital — so we’re goin’. Just meet us there. Like I fuckin’ know.” He pulled the phone away and asked Delphia, “How far apart are the contractions?”

“Five minutes,” she huffed, gripping DuBois’ hand tight as he helped her into the front seat.

“She says five minutes. Yeah. Okay. See ya there.” He hung up the phone. “He’s gonna meet us there, love. It’s gonna be alrigh’.”

Delphia could only whimper back as another contraction hit her. Fuck. Everyone said that labor and delivery was painful, but Jesus, they weren’t kidding. This fucking hurt. Tears slipped from her eyes, she gripped her seatbealt till the fabric dug into her palms, her limbs thrashed around kind of hurt. And she just wanted Rick to be there. To hold her hand, to look over at her with worry and maybe a pinch of excitement. To be the promised calm amongst her storm. But instead she was stuck with fucking DuBois for the time being. Who really, truly, cared — but it just wasn’t the same.

She was now regretting very much that she pushed Rick to leave that morning. Telling him over and over that everything was fine and nothing was going to happen while he was out interviewing that family.

The hospital was only three minutes away from their rental office space. DuBois pulled up to the emergency doors with screeching tires and lips pulled between his teeth. Delphia was screaming bloody murder in the passenger seat. An ER doctor and a nurse with a wheelchair ran out the doors to meet them. DuBois opened the car door and Delphia had to be pulled out of it painfully slowly. She could feel it now, the baby pressing hard against her pelvis and the pain was nearing on constant.

Fear gripped her heart. What if Rick missed it?

“Mm — where’s Rick?” she asked, her words garbled with groans and whines of pain as she was lowered into the wheelchair.

DuBois pulled out his phone. “Like I fuckin’ know.”

“Are you the father?” the doctor asked as they wheeled Delphia inside, DuBois trailing behind awkwardly.

“Er — no. Just a family friend.”

“Alright, sweetie, what’s your name?” the nurse asked kindly over Delphia’s groans.

“Delphia Holman-Flag,” she panted back.

“How long have you been having contractions, Delphia?”

“Thirty minutes!” she screamed as another contraction creschedoed, “My water broke around the same time — fuck, I feel like I gotta push.”

Outside, Rick barely pulled his Jeep into the lot before he was running towards the entrance. He could see DuBois’ car still parked in the emergency loop, engine running and everything. He hoped that meant they hadn’t been there long. He barreled through the emergency doors and found DuBois just standing there fidgeting with his phone nervously.

“DuBois!” Rick called out as he approached at a jog, the other man looked relieved to see him, “Where’s Dee?”

“They carted her off to maternity, man,” DuBois explained, “Wasn’t allowed to come with cause I’m not family.”

Rick started off in the right direction, but quickly turned back to his friend and said, “Thank you. One last favor though.”

“Oh, fuck you.”

“Just — you can go home. But can you bring the bag later tonight?”

“Ugh, fine. Whatever.” DuBois rolled his eyes, but even Rick could see that he was smiling.

“Thanks, man!” Rick called over his shoulder before he started jogging in the direction of the maternity ward.

But then he got stopped just before the big double doors by a nurse. “Sir, you can’t go in there.”

“My wife’s in there,” he said, attempting to go past the nurse and through the doors.

But he was stopped by a hand on his chest. “That’s all well and good — but you need to check in with the visitors desk before you can go in. It’s a restricted area.”

Rick felt his insides boiling. He was not going to miss the birth of his kid just because he needed to check in at some desk. He took in a lungful of air, ready to bark orders like he had been trained to do and push this nurse out of his way. But then the both of them were distracted by a loud scream from behind the maternity ward doors. Followed by —

“Shit! Somebody page Dr. Taylor!”

“Why didn’t anyone say she was a fucking metahuman!”

Without a second thought he pushed the nurse from his path and crashed through the double doors. Delphia hadn’t even made it to a room. She was sitting right there in the hallway with her pants around her ankles. The entire hallway was filled with Ether, a white smoke that flashed with light that emanated from Delphia. Her eyes practically glowed they were so white. She was panting and holding her knees to her chest and for a moment Rick was stunned by the power she possessed.

He was married to one of the most powerful people in the universe. God, he was lucky.

“Where’s my husband?” she cried out, breaking him from his spell.

Rick rushed to her side, collapsing to his knees on the floor beside her and taking up her much smaller hand in his own. At his touch, the white instantly faded from her eyes. Her head snapped over to look at him.

“Hey, baby girl, I’m here. I’m here,” he whispered, moving her damp hair out of her face.

“Rick,” she whimpered, “Thought you were gonna miss it.”

“I wouldn’t miss this for anything, baby.”

A woman in a white coat approached the two of them on the floor, hastily pulling on a pair of white gloves as she said, “I’m Dr. Taylor, metahuman care specialist. You ready to have a baby?”

Delphia nodded, her breathing picking up.

“Alright — Dad, I’m gonna need you to sit behind her and support her back. Help keeps her knees tight to her chest,” the doctor instructed.

Rick slid in between the wall and Delphia’s back, hands curling around the back of her thighs to keep her legs in place. He gave her neck a few sweet kisses, mumbling I love you’s into her ear.

“On three you’re gonna push, okay? One, two, three!”

_____________________________________________________________

Rick pulled into the driveway with heavy eyes but the lightest heart he’s had in years. Delphia was smiling in the backseat, a sleepy thing laced with a lazy joy, blue eyes trained on the car seat beside her.

Where the tiniest baby boy slept. Wearing a little green hat and matching striped onesie. And he was the most beautiful thing either of them had ever seen. He was so small, so perfect. With dark eyes like his father and pure white hair just like his mother. Th perfect reminder that life was so fragile but so worth it. Rick would never admit to anyone that he cried when he held his son for the first time, but Delphia would have that image seared into her mind for the rest of her days.

He killed the engine and asked, “You ready?”

Delphia only hummed in reply as she unbuckled. She was exhausted, in every muscle and fiber of her being. But she felt so happy that she didn’t even care. Rick helped her out of the Jeep first, making sure she was stable on her feet before running around to the other side and taking out the car seat gently.

They walked up to the front door hand in hand.

“Is it bad of me to hope that they all left the house?” Rick asked as Delphia opened the door.

“Maybe,” she replied, “Just know that it’s all love — they’re trying their best.”

He grunted as they walked through the door, mind focused on the next step of getting the baby up to their bedroom so they could all take a nap. But he was stopped in his tracks by the massive banner hanging up across the stairs.

Welcome Home Baby!

And the squad was waiting beneath it. Cleo and Harley were beaming, both of them nearly vibrating with excitement at the sight of them. Abner looked nervous, hands fiddling together as he stared at the baby unsurely. DuBois looked like he was trying to keep up an aggravated facade, but was struggling to keep it up now that they were there. And Nanaue, well Nanaue was definitely there.

“Before anyone says anything,” Delphia began with a raise of her finger, stopping Harley just as she was taking in a massive breath to start speaking, “I wanna lay some ground rules. No yelling in the house from now on, please, I beg of you. If you wake this child up while he’s napping or sleeping or whatever I will beat you myself. We’ll introduce you to hold him one at a time — not all at once. And please, for the love of God, no encouragement of criminal activity. Any questions?”

“What’s his name?” Cleo asked quietly, pointing her finger to the car seat.

Rick lifted up the car seat so they all could see the baby better with a smile.

“Everybody — we’d like you to meet Leo Richard Flag.”

Taglist (if you would like to be tagged in future installments, just let me know!): @bbygrgu @a-reader-and-a-writer @slayerx147 @xoxabs88xox @kasey-puff @witchygagirl @the-pink-petite-princess @blooo0ooop @woodlandmouth @csigeoblue @rexorangecouny @h-hxgirl @thisisthewayrose @blondiekook @darkestbeforethedawn16 @runic-belova @weallhaveadestiny @oopsiedoopsie23 @nerdgrrlramblings @ocfairygodmother

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anniesocsandgeneralstore · 3 years

Text

If I Go, I'm Goin' On Fire - Part 3 (Rick Flag x OC)

Summary: Rick will do anything to get Dee back. Anything. Even call in the help of a woman he's pretty sure wants them dead.

Pairing: Rick Flag x OC / Squad Family & OC (Delphia Holman)

Word Count: 6268

Warnings: angst, language, death mention, coma mention, pregnancy talk

Timeline: April 2022

if i go masterlist

A/N: And this story arc is done! And I am somehow even more scared about this last part than any others! Hope you all enjoy and thank you for reading! ALSO shout out to @blooo0ooop for inspiring this entire thing with one comment about Dee's powers going out of control. You are the real MVP my love.

Two days. For two days Delphia laid there with no changes. Her parents were called and flown in from Baltimore. DuBois took over in the kitchen. And Rick Flag hardly left their bedroom.

He stayed at her side. Always holding her hand. Always trying to coax her back to him with soft words and touches. Others in the house commented on the fact that he looked thinner somehow. Like part of him was wasting away along with her. His eyes looked red and puffed with tears. He barely ate — hardly slept. All of his focus was on Delphia and keeping her alive until they could figure out how to get her back. He changed her clothes and the sheets when she soiled herself. He spoon-fed her broth and blended fruits and vegetables. Gently forced water down her throat. He would barely let anyone else touch her. Her parents having to force him to get some sleep.

And on the dawn of the third day, Fanny knocked on the door lightly before carrying into the room two steaming cups of coffee.

“Morning, Colonel,” she said as she handed him a mug.

Rick cleared his throat as he sat up and took the coffee gratefully. He looked tired down to his bones.

“Did the local hospital call back?” Fanny asked as she sat on the edge of the bed, adjusting the lay of her daughter’s hair with a careful hand.

“Yeah,” Rick rasped over the lip of his mug, “They’re not equipped for metahuman care. Closest one is Metropolis — four hours away.”

“Well, you know my opinion.”

“I’m not callin’ her.” Rick nearly glared at the back of Fanny’s head as she continued to fuss over the lay of Delphia’s clothes.

“Amanda Waller is a lot of things, Colonel. But she’s never been completely cold-hearted towards us.”

Rick scoffed. “You never worked for her.”

“No, I didn’t,” Fanny sighed, finally turning from Delphia to look at Rick with her kind, wrinkled, brown eyes, “But when Ducky was growing up — she always came to help us. I believe she’ll show up now. Even though you aren’t on the best of terms.”

“That’s a bit of an understatement,” Rick replied.

“Look, she knows more than anyone about Delphia’s abilities. Arlo and me….We only taught her how to keep them under control. Not how to use them. That was all Amanda.” Fanny got up from the bed and placed a hand on Rick’s shoulder. “She can help.”

“What if I don’t want her help?” Rick grumbled, eyes focused on Delphia’s unmoving hand.

Fanny bristled. Stood to her full height. A fearsome, motherly look in her eye that Rick hadn’t seen from anyone in over a decade. It nearly made his heart stop and his eyes bulge from his head. It was terrifying — that maternal rage. More so than any enemy fire or metahuman criminal.

“If you don’t call her, that baby will die — my daughter will die. This isn’t your own personal tragedy anymore, Colonel. This affects everyone in this house.” Fanny picked up his phone that had been sitting idly on the nightstand and tossed it into his lap. “Now call Waller and protect my Delphia like you promised you would.”

Rick sighed as he got up from his chair, phone in hand, and left the room. He really didn’t want to do this. He would’ve been fine never seeing, never hearing from or about Amanda Waller ever again. She made their lives a living hell. But, he also couldn’t deny her some credit. If it wasn’t for her, hiring Delphia and himself, they never would’ve met in the first place. And he blanched to think how miserable his life would be without Delphia in it. It would be devoid, empty, pointless. An unmarked grave ready for him to fall in. He wouldn’t move on — couldn’t move on. Delphia was it for him. Always was, is, and will be. She was his past, present, and future. She was his one thing set in stone and to lose that —

Rick quickly found Waller’s contact and before he could overthink it — pressed the button to call her number.

She answered after two rings. “Whadda you want, Flag?”

“You know I wouldn’t be callin’ unless I had to,” Rick mumbled into the phone, looking up and down the hallway to make sure no one was coming, “It’s Delphia.”

“What about Delphia?”

“She’s been stuck in her Sight for two days. We’ve tried everything…Please. We need your help.”

Waller was silent on the other line for a few moments. Then she asked, “Is she pregnant?”

“Why does that matter?” Rick questioned with a furrowed brow.

“Shit. She is.” Waller sighed through the microphone. “Look, fine. Myself and a team will be there in two hours. You got room on your property for us to land a helicopter?”

“Yeah. Front lawn should be enough.”

“We have your location pinged from this device. Make sure it doesn’t shut off.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He hated how easily he fell back into following her orders. But this was for Delphia. He would do anything.

“And Flag — you did the right thing by calling me.” He could hear that knowing smirk on her face.

“Don’t make this any worse than it already is.” Rick moved to the doorway of their bedroom, where Fanny now sat reading Delphia one of her favorite books. “Just help her. Please.”

The plea tumbled from his mouth desperately, broken on tears that he didn’t mean to form.

“We’ll try, Colonel.”

The helicopter landed in their front yard two hours later. Rick stood just beyond the front door, arms crossed while everyone else peeked through the windows with worried looks and fears that they were all going to get arrested again. But when the team of doctors and scientists bustled through the door, none of them even so much as batted an eye at the ex-cons sitting in the living room. Their only focus was following Rick upstairs to where Delphia lay waiting.

Waller walked into the house with a look of mild interest. Their place was cute. Decorated simply but charmingly — clearly each piece chosen with love. She acknowledged the former inmates sitting in the living room, glaring at her and making rude gestures, with a nod of her head. Then she too was climbing the stairs with a controlled sense of calm.

The doctors were already tending to Delphia when Waller walked into the room. Hooking her up to an IV, a feeding tube, a catheter, and hooking her up to a heart monitor just in case. The usual for coma patients. Rick Flag was sitting at her side, holding her hand in both of his, as the OBGYN Waller brought along hooked up the fetal doppler.

“Alright, let’s make sure baby is okay,” the OBGYN said as she smeared the gel over Delphia’s exposed stomach and pressed the wand against her skin. “Heartbeat is a little weak…We’ll keep monitoring. As mom’s vitals improve so should baby’s.”

“Thank you,” Rick muttered as he pressed Delphia’s hand to his lips.

“Hello, Amanda,” Arlo said as he walked up to the woman with a cordial smile, his wife Fanny following behind.

Always so nice, that man. Waller flashed a smile with no teeth. “Arlo. Fanny. Good to see you both.”

“Been a long time,” Fanny said with a shake of her head, “Wish it was under better circumstances. Like a wedding.”

“Oh.” Waller glanced down to Delphia’s hand to in fact see a ring sparkling there. “I wasn’t invited.”

“You weren’t?” Fanny asked, giving Rick a glare that he only shrugged at with a look that said what do you want me to say right now, “Well, you are now. After all the help you’ve given already.”

“But from what I’ve heard — “ Arlo butted in, mustache bristling, “S’that you could’ve told us something earlier. Made this never happen. The Colonel says you specifically asked if Dee was pregnant — so why’s that if you didn’t know something already?”

Waller uncrossed her arms with a sigh. “Colonel Flag, if you could come with us out into the hallway, please. Let the doctors work for a minute.”

Rick let go of Delphia reluctantly. He really didn’t want to leave her. Not now. Not when there seemed like there was hope for the first time. But when he saw Arlo’s back as he too retreated from the doorway, he got up from his chair and followed them out.

Waller had the four of them in a tight circle in the hallway so she could speak to them in a hushed voice.

“There is information I neglected to share with you — and Delphia herself.” Waller placed one hand on her hip while the other rubbed her forehead. “Which I’m now realizing was not in anyone’s best interest — even my own. When Frida Holman died we performed an autopsy and found the source of her power. A gland surrounding her heart that was not carbon-based.”

“Not carbon-based — what does that mean?” Rick asked.

Arlo answered, “Everything on and from Earth is carbon-based matter. And most things not of this world, like kryptonite, are non-carbon-based matter.”

“Exactly. We could also assume that this gland is the evolutionary leftovers of the Holman bloodline — dating back all the way to the aliens that gave them these abilities. After running a few tests, it was discovered that this gland actually produces a hormone that — somehow — allows the Holmans to look into the future.”

“This is great’n’all — but how does this help Dee?”

“Frida Holman did not go into a Sight induced coma due to a random event after Delphia was born. She went into that coma while she was still pregnant with her. At about twelve weeks to be exact.”

Arlo and Fanny wrapped their arms around each other’s shoulders, choked noises escaping their throats as they comprehended Waller’s meaning. But Rick only crossed his arms and clenched his jaw. Tight. So hard he felt like he was going to crack a molar. He didn’t want to hear anymore. He knew what was happening. But still, Waller went on:

“At this point, we can only guess that the same thing is happening to Delphia. That fetus she’s carrying has begun to produce the hormone as well — giving Delphia a 200-percent increase in the hormone’s production in her system.”

“Meaning she can’t turn it off,” Rick sighed.

“Correct.” Waller nodded solemnly.

Fanny and Arlo fully hugged each other then, Fanny’s shoulders shaking with sobs as she hid her face in her husband’s shirt. There was nothing those scientists and doctors could do to get Delphia back. The only thing they could do was keep her alive for now while her mind was driven mad.

And Rick — Rick felt like his very blood was on fire. Like his stomach had bottomed out. Like the world was collapsing and falling into place all at once. It was all starting to make sense. The sudden nature of what happened. Delphia’s inability to come out of it. There was no hope here. And it made him so angry. The only thing keeping him from punching a hole in the wall being his calm military training and the constant flex of his fists. Delphia wouldn’t want him to react that way. If she were here, she’d take that twitching hand in hers and give it a hard squeeze. Force him to look at her, only her, focus him on something else at least for a moment. But she wasn’t here. She was lying in bed where she would remain for the rest of her days. However long that was.

It was as if a darkness was welling up inside him. A hatred. A sorrow. An impossible terror. It rose up and up his throat until it escaped him in a scream:

“God — fucking — damn it! Why didn’t you fuckin’ say anything? Why’d you wipe that outta Frida’s file? Huh? Did it give you some leverage over Dee — over me — that you couldn’t pass up on? Was that it?” He pressed a finger into Waller’s chest, shoulders heaving with each breath, eyes crazed and full of tears. “Cause we weren’t even fucking trying when she got pregnant. It was just a — a happy accident. She was so — so happy. So excited to be a mom.”

It nearly made him scream all over again when he realized he just spoke about her in the past tense. The past tense.

“Thank you for your help — “ Rick leaned over Waller, pushing his finger into her chest one more time, his face inches from her’s as he growled, “But if you ever come near her again — I’ll fucking kill you myself.”

With that, he turned and went back inside the bedroom. Waller looked to Fanny and Arlo, that couple that was always so kind, and neither of them would even glance in her direction. Waller turned with a sigh towards the railing, but she found the entire squad looking up at her with new disgust on their faces. Having heard every word. Amanda Waller dropped her head with a sigh.

She really fucked it up this time.

“How’s she doin’, mate?” DuBois said as he walked into the quiet bedroom, the doctors having given Delphia a break and left to consult their lab results in the kitchen.

Rick sat at her bedside with his head in his hands. Usually so vigilant, he didn’t hear DuBois come into the room until he was already halfway inside and speaking. Rick lifted his head to look at his friend, knowing that there was plenty of evidence that he had been crying for a good long time. He quickly wiped as much of the tears and snot from his face as possible.

“Ugh — she’s — “ Rick cleared his throat of phlegm and tried again. “She’s stable. Vitals are all good.”

“And the baby?” DuBois asked.

“Good. Heartbeat’s strong.” Rick choked on a fresh wave of tears that he fought against hard, his voice coming out in barely a whisper. “Um….Doctors said they could keep Dee alive until the baby was born. Just like they did with her biological mom. But uh — I never — I never pictured doin’ this without her, ya know?”

DuBois pulled up one of the other chairs in the room beside Rick and sat down with a groan. “I wish I knew what ta tell you. How ta…Make you feel betta’. But — this situation just fucking sucks, man.”

“Yeah.” Rick nodded his head. “It really fucking does.”

There was silence for a long time. A good kind of silence that was respectful and full of a mutual comradery that really only came when you’d been through battle together. A safe space that allowed Rick to grieve, to cry without judgment, and for DuBois to be there for his friend. To place a comforting hand on his shoulder. To let him know that he wasn’t alone. Not in this. Not in anything.

“I just — I just wanna say goodbye,” Rick suddenly spoke, “Wanna see her smile one more time. Hear her voice. I just wanna talk — “

Rick straightened up. His eyes were wide, lost somewhere else — deep in thought. Then he was bolting from the room and before DuBois could even begin to follow he could hear Rick taking the stairs two at a time.

Rick walked into the kitchen to find Waller and her scientists sitting at the bar, looking over some data and tablets.

“Flag, I was just about to get you. We found some interesting information on Delphia’s brain scan and — “ one of the doctors tried to say.

“Stop talking,” Rick said as he came up to Waller, who got up from her stool defensively.

“Alrighty then.”

“Was Frida Holman ever able to show anyone her visions? Take them into the future with her?” Rick asked hurriedly.

“No. Not that I’m aware — “ Waller responded just as Rick did an about-face and walked out of the kitchen again. She got up and followed at a light jog. “Colonel, what is this about?”

“Dee and me figured out a few years back that she could — that we could look into the future together,” Rick explained as he went up the stairs, Waller and a few of the other scientists, doctors, Delphia’s parents, and the squad trailing behind, “She said she didn’t think it was possible.”

“It shouldn’t be,” the scientist carrying her file said, “Her power is generated by a hormone — that can’t be transferred to someone else.”

“Oh, it’s possible, doctor. There are things about the Holman’s that we will never understand because they are always — partially — going to be not of this Earth.” Waller struggled to keep up with Rick’s long strides as he went back towards his bedroom. “Is that how you avoided dying during all those missions, Colonel?”

Rick looked back over his shoulder at her as he walked through the threshold. “Possibly.”

Rick climbed up onto the bed beside Delphia, gently turning her on her side — making sure not to disturb any of the wires and tubes coming out of her. He had avoided being in this bed for two days. It felt wrong. Lying next to her when she was like that. He’d forgotten what it was like to sleep without her beside him. How he had done it for all those years, how he had ever gone away from her, was beyond him now. It made any rest he had gotten the past few days uneasy and fitful.

“Colonel Flag,” Waller stopped him with the sharp call of her voice, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Everyone was staring at him. Worry etched into their faces. Harley and Cleo held each other, tear tracks on their cheeks from days of crying and Sebastian curled solemnly on Cleo’s shoulder. Abner and Nanaue stood next to each other, both of them equally miserable-looking. And DuBois, he simply looked concerned as he stepped out in front of the group slowly.

“If you try to do what I think you are, mate — You’re only gonna get stuck there with her,” DuBois cautioned.

“Not stuck,” Rick whispered, turning back to Delphia and skimming his fingers over her cheek, “Not if it’s her.”

“But — But what about the baby?” Harley questioned.

Rick’s face pinched in pain. There was the possibility that he was going to get pulled into a coma as well. But he had to try. He just had to. And he was confident that even though Delphia couldn’t pull herself out, she would be able to pull him in and push him out at will. There was no way he was abandoning their baby. And there was no way that he was leaving Delphia to be driven mad in there either.

“Look, I’m not even sure if anythin’s gonna happen or not. All I know is that I gotta try. I gotta talk to her. And if this could help…I’m gonna see it done.”

There was silence as Rick looked at the group of experts, family, and friends. Then Fanny spoke with her soft, wavering voice and said, “Do it. Save my little girl, Colonel. Please.”

Rick nodded then laid down on his side, guiding Delphia’s hands to wrap around his head. He always hated going into her visions of the future. Hated how out of body it felt. How out of control. How foreign. But none of that mattered. He would go anywhere — do anything — to get her back. To have those blue eyes looking up at him again. To hear that snort-like laugh that she hated but he loved. To have her curl around him in her sleep like a koala. To hear her complain about milk prices and how long it takes to caramelize onions. To talk about baby names and how they’ll paint the nursery and how all of it was so terrifying but exciting. He wanted her back. All of her. And he wouldn’t stop until he accomplished his mission.

With a hand on her hip, Rick focused on those other-wordly white eyes and muttered, “Come on, Dee. Baby, let me in. Come on.”

For a minute, nothing happened. But just as he was about to pull away, completely and utterly defeated, a shiver, as a finger of ice, ran up his spine. Ending in a feeling like his brain had a snowball thrown at it. Then his vision blurred, was overcome with white —

Then he was somewhere else entirely.

Rick was confused at first. This definitely didn’t feel like Earth. The stone the walls were made of too foreign-looking. The water-like light dancing across the floor too ethereal. Then there were the four massive, white-colored aliens sitting in thrones at the end of the room.

He panicked for a moment. What if the Sight took him someplace that she was not? But then he heard her voice, loud and clear:

“And who are you to decide who’s fucking worthy of your oh so glorious power? Who do you think you are — fucking Excaliber? I didn’t ask to be born and I certainly didn’t ask to have your special gift. And — And neither did my baby. That’s your own damn fault. So own up to it.”

There she stood. At the base of the four thrones with a finger pointed and red hair flowing down her back. God, of course, she was fucking arguing with aliens. Of fucking course she was. That was his Delphia. Filled with a quiet rage that once stoked enough would explode in a beautiful firework of hefty arguments and logic. He had been on the receiving end of it plenty of times to know. And had watched, slightly horny if he was being honest with himself, as she unleashed it on others.

Rick chuckled breathlessly as he took a step towards her.

But then the aliens stood up, creating wisps of smoke that sparked with light — an ether of some kind — and shaped them into weapons pointed directly at Rick all the way from across the room. Rick instantly lifted his hands in surrender. No weapons. No nothing. And there was no way in hell he was taking on an alien force he knew nothing about.

Delphia whipped around, fire-red hair flicking over her shoulder. Rick? How was he here? When did he get here? Oh, but none of that mattered. None of that mattered in the slightest. A laugh, joyous and choked with sudden tears, bubbled up in her throat as she ran towards him.

She crashed into him like the sea to the rocky shore. Loud and thunderous and powerful. Her arms serpentined around his shoulders while his own crushed her waist, curled up her back like he couldn’t get enough of her. Couldn’t get her close enough. She could feel his heavy breath against her neck, his lips against her flesh. Her fingers wove into his hair as she held him. As he held her. Beautiful and perfect and true.

“Who are you?” the lead alien asked.

Delphia quickly pulled away from Rick and turned to face them again. “This is — uh — this is my fiance, Colonel Rick Flag.”

“And what are you?” another asked.

“Er — “ Rick didn’t understand the question as he put a protective arm around Delphia’s waist. “Just a man, I guess.”

“Another human? And not a descendant of the Holman bloodline?”

“It would be mighty awkward to find that out at this point,” Rick said.

“It’s true.” One of the aliens looked up from flicking through a piece of ether. “He is just a man — with no connection to us or the Oracles of old.”

“Oh, thank God,” he muttered.

“How did you get here Colonel Rick Flag?” the leader asked.

“Ah, no — No more questions. Not until you’ve answered some of mine first.” Rick stepped in front of Delphia, pulling her back behind him in a show of protection and dominance. “What the fuck is goin’ on? Who are you and what the fuck do you want?”

Delphia peeked her head out from behind Rick’s broad back with a finger raised and an awkward cough. “Um — sorry. You mind if I explain this to him?”

“As you wish.” The lead alien inclined his head.

She took Rick’s hand and led him further back into the room, throwing a quick bow over her shoulder towards the four aliens — unsure if that was even proper etiquet at this point. She had just been yelling at them very rudely. But they seemed like the type she was supposed to bow to. So she did. Once they were far enough away that she felt it was private enough, she let go of Rick’s hand and allowed him to stand in front of her with his arms crossed.

“So, um, first off — hi. Good to see you.” She reached up and touched his cheek with a smile. “Er — second — these guys are….the Lords of Time. Ya know, those alien ancestors I told you about. Apparently they gave my ancestors the power to see into the future as a way to test if humanity was somehow worthy of gaining these abilities. Those four are all that remain of their kind but they believe that time needs to be checked and balanced by an unbiased third party and blah blah blah. So before they die they’re looking for another species to pass the power off to.

“They noticed — as I was tumbling through the timeline — that I uh….Well, I destroyed it. I destroyed the fucking timeline. Didn’t know I could do that. So now they’re questioning me to see if I’m worthy or not of gaining full access to my abilities and continuing on as a new era and generation of Time Lord. Did any of that make sense?”

Rick stared at her long and hard for a moment. She could see the gears turning behind his eyes as he uncrossed his arms and put his hands on his hips.

He pointed back at the aliens. “So….Those guys’re your grandparents?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You — You destroyed the timeline? Like the flow of time?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And now your grandparents wanna give you….More powers because they’re dying. Like an inheritance.”

“Yeah kinda. If they unlock these other powers — it’s the only way I’m gonna get back to the present and my real body. Or — our real bodies now I guess.”

“What the fuck.” Rick rubbed his hands over his face with a sigh. “This is not what I was expecting when I did this. Also — Did you just call yourself a timelord? Like Doctor fucking Who?”

“Shut up. How did you get here, by the way?” Delphia lowered her voice to a hushed whisper, eyes flicking over to the aliens to make sure they couldn’t hear.

Rick bent in closer to her ear. “Ya know, I did that thing we used to do back at Belle Reve. Put your hands on my head and let you take me.”

“But I didn’t do anything.”

“You didn’t?” Rick’s brow furrowed. “You didn’t hear or feel me or anythin’?”

“No. I haven’t been able to feel the outside world for at least a few hours now.”

Rick’s expression crumbled. Delphia almost didn’t want him to say anything more. Knowing that it was going to be bad news.

“Dee, how long do you think you’ve been under for?” he asked.

“Four — five hours. Why?”

“It’s been three days.”

“Three days?” she shouted, turning before Rick could stop her and marching back to her alien ancestors with her face pinched in fury and fists clenched, “Three days? You’ve had me trapped in the Sight for three fucking days?”

“It did not seem pertinent to tell you.”

“I’m fucking pregnant you dickhead!” Delphia took off her shoe and chucked it at the nearest one, hitting them square in the chest but it seemed to affect them little. “I can’t just be comatose for days at a time that’s — “

Understanding. Dread. Her body stiffened as she felt Rick come up behind her. Place his hand on her hip. She looked up into his face, to find some comfort. But there wasn’t any there. Only a confirmation that what she was thinking was right.

Delphia looked back to the Lords of Time with a sickened expression. “This happened to my mother…Didn’t it?”

“Correct.” One of them nodded. “This has happened to every female Holman in your bloodline for the past 100 years. A symptom of becoming less and less like us. You befall pregnant, and at the proper time — when the fetus is developed enough — go into your Sight where you shall remain until your child is born. It’s a very natural process.”

“And how many mothers survived this process?” Rick asked, voice teetering on a growl.

“None.”

“You did nothing…For all those years.” Delphia could only stare at the floor as she spoke, hand reaching back to grip Rick tight. An anchor for her soul. “What made me so special?”

“You proved yourself to be more powerful than any Oracle that came before you. You were able to destroy a timeline without even being shown how.”

Delphia narrowed her eyes. “So I’ve already proven myself to be powerful enough to be granted my bonus abilities and to be sent back to my real body. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Powerful enough to contain and wield these powers, yes. However, it still needs to be determined if you are worthy to possess them.”

“Y’all’re a bunch of sanctimonious bastards, you know that?” Rick grunted, hazel eyes like daggers of ice over warming whiskey.

“Silence!” one of them spoke, voice like a cracking whip through the empty room, “You are nothing but a mere mortal in the presence of gods. We wield time in its purest form — have presided over the flow of time itself. You have no room to speak here.”

“And you are nothing but a bunch of sanctimonious bastards — drunk on power thinking that you’re worthy enough to deem others worthy,” Delphia agreed, giving Rick’s hand a tight squeeze of assurance.

The lead alien had been silent for a long time. Eyes trained on the ether that flowed around them. They were looking for something. Searching. Trying to find understanding in the flow of events that had changed since Delphia started the timeline over anew. And they seemed to find it when their dark eyes snapped back to the couple standing before them.

“You were brought here by Delphia,” they whispered nearly in awe.

“Unintentionally,” Delphia replied.

“You mean to say that you have done this before — intentionally?”

“Yes.” Delphia narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the lead alien. “Rick’s the only person I’ve ever been able to take with me into my Sight.”

The aliens only looked at each other with wide, thoughtful eyes. The ones who had been so against Delphia from the beginning giving consensual nods with hefty sighs. For the first time since being transported to this room, Delphia felt hope rising in her chest. A real, genuine thing that had her gripping Rick’s hand just a bit tighter.

“Under our law, what Time has bonded together cannot be separated. You two have forged something that has not been seen in over a millennia. What our people used to call One’s Promised. The ability to share the Time Plane with another mind and soul.” The lead alien stood to their full height, towering up to the ceiling. “Delphia Holman, we find you worthy.”

Their massive, white hand stretched out. Delphia watched, stunned and terrified, on instinct pushing Rick back behind her, as an alien finger connected with her forehead.

Delphia screamed. A flash of white light filled the room. Rick was blown back off his feet.

And Rick was the first to wake up in their shared bedroom. His eyes snapped back into focus and he sat up, removing Delphia’s hands from his head gently. He hardly even noticed that everyone else was still in the room — that everyone was waiting on bated breath. All he could see, all he could think about was Delphia. On his knees, he moved the hair out of her face. But he lept back and off the bed when her hair began to turn white at the root.

No one spoke. It felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room.

The fire red slowly faded from Delphia’s hair. Overpowered with a pure snow white. And when the white reached the tips of her hair, an ether, like glowing smoke, burst from her and filled the room.

“Flag,” Harley said in a hushed whisper as she looked around skeptically at the glowing mist, “The fuck is goin’ on?”

“Not entirely sure.” Rick stepped closer. “Might have somethin’ to do with those…Extra abilities they were talkin’ about.”

Suddenly, Delphia sat up in bed. She felt like she was coming up for air after being underwater for a long time. A gasp burst from her as she sucked in lungfulls of oxygen. Her eyes snapped open. Relieved to find that she was no longer in nightmarish visions of the future or in the gloomy halls of an alien spaceship. Her friends and family stood before her. Looking worried and frightened, but they were all there. Alive and well — with beating hearts and futures already changing. There were hands on her shoulders. Delphia turned. Rick was on his knees at the edge of the bed, joyous tears in his eyes and a smile on his face.

“Rick,” she whispered.

She reached out and touched her fingers to his cheek. She could feel his flesh, warm and full of life. Without a second thought she latched onto him. Arms encircling his neck and pulling him in as close as she could get.

It was over. Thank God, it was over.

Delphia looked, as she continued to hold Rick in a tight embrace, at the small crowd that now celebrated amongst themselves. Her parents were there laughing and holding one another. The squad were all hugging with tears on their cheeks. But Delphia locked eyes with Amanda Waller.

A nod was shared between them. A mutual understanding.

And then she left.

After her story had been shared over as much pizza as she could eat, Delphia and Rick went up to bed. Because even though she hadn’t technically moved in three days, she felt exhausted.

In her pajamas, she stood in front of the full-length mirror worrying over the white strands of her hair. It was definitely going to take some getting used to. And those aliens could have at least mentioned that gaining new abilities would also come with a dye job. Rick came up behind her as she ran her fingers through it one last time. He smiled tiredly at her in the reflection as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Do you like it?” she asked quietly.

“Baby, it’s you,” he whispered, voice rasping and deep, as he swayed them side to side, “Of course I like it.”

They stayed like that for a while. Rick’s hands wandering, memorizing all over again. He lingered over the sweet swell of her belly the longest. His face was lost in the crook of her neck, shrouded by a curtain of white hair. But she could feel, after a few minutes, the hot tears that were dripping onto her skin.

“Babe?” She tugged at his arm, tried to get him to look at her.

“Dee — baby.” His voice came out croaked and strained. “Will you just…Hold me — for a little while?”

Without another word, she led him back to their bed. She laid down on top of the sheets first, then with a smile, patted her chest and opened her arms to him. Rick chuckled, but did as he was told. Stripped down to his briefs, he climbed on top of her.

“Careful, big guy,” she warned as he began to lay fully on top of her, “Don’t squish the baby.”

Rick quickly ducked down, deft fingers pushing up his own t-shirt she had decided to wear to bed. He pressed a gentle, loving kiss to her flesh — just below the navel.

“Sorry, little guy.”

“Little guy?” Delphia questioned with a smile as he replaced her shirt and laid down with his head on her chest.

Rick shrugged. “Just a feelin’.”

One hand traced lines and circles up and down his broad back. The other held the back of his head to her chest. She could feel him relax into her. Like a rocket landing back on earth after a decade spent amongst the stars. Finally finding where he fit. His shoulders relaxed. But he still released a shuddering breath as he wrapped his arms beneath her. Encompassing her in nothing but Rick Flag.

“I was so scared,” he admitted.

“It’s okay.” Delphia ran her fingers through his hair. “I’m here now. Not going anywhere. Listen to my heart — listen to the beat of it.”

They fell asleep like that. In each other’s arms. Alive, happy, and free.

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anniesocsandgeneralstore · 2 years

Text

@heygerald asked: 1) Rick is left alone with the baby and 2) Dee goes back to work since her whole catatonic episode. Just dad!Rick struggling to keep his sanity with a baby, a house of mentally insane criminals, and no wife at his side.

If I Go Universe - Baby's Day Out (Rick Flag x OC)

Summary: When Eleanor invites Dee on a well-deserved weekend getaway, of course, Rick tells her that she can go. He's got this. He's ex-special forces and led the Suicide Squad for years - he can handle a few days alone in the house with little Leo and the Squad Family. Or maybe he can't.

Pairing: Rick Flag x OC / Squad Family & OC (Delphia Holman)

Word Count: 3432

Warnings: dad!flag deserves his own warning, language, kind of missing child mention, flufff

Timeline: August 2023

if i go masterlist

“Are you sure you guys are gonna be okay while I’m gone?” Delphia asked for what felt like the tenth time as she packed up her weekend bag.

Rick sat on the edge of the bed with Leo in his lap, the one-year-old playing with a dead remote to a TV they replaced a long time ago. Screw all the fancy baby toys they got him. Leo may have had that signature white hair just like his mom, but Delphia was pretty sure — day by day — he was becoming more and more like his dad. He was already so curious and loving, generous and easy to make laugh. God, that baby’s laugh. It was contagious and loud and the most joyous thing Delphia had ever heard. He liked to wiggle around to music and play with Nanaue in the pool. And just last week, Leo finally figured out how to walk. It was stumbling and slow and he fell back on his butt more often than not but he was walking. It was an act that Delphia and Rick could watch all day long.

Rick sighed as he looked down at the one-year-old’s head. “She has no confidence in us.”

“I have confidence in you!” she defended, “I just, um….Feel guilty?”

“There’s nothing to feel guilty for, baby girl.” Rick stood from the bed, Leo held with his back to his father’s chest while he squealed in delight over finally getting the remote in his mouth. “You haven’t gone anywhere in almost a year. You deserve a weekend away.”

Delphia bit her lip as she looked at them, her boys. She really did want to go on this mini-vacation with Eleanor. They had rented a cabin and Asheville and had a tour of the Biltmore scheduled for tomorrow. It was going to be a weekend full of too much wine, old high school gossip, and probably fondly remembering when they could drink that much and not have a massive hangover. She wanted to do that with her friend. But she also wanted to just stay home with her baby and her husband. This was the first time she would be spending a long time apart from Leo. It was breaking her apart that she actually wanted to leave him for a few days.

“Hey, don’t,” Rick whispered as he cupped her cheek with his much larger hand, “Okay? I know that look. It’s okay to want some time away. It’s okay.”

She leaned into his touch with her eyes slipped shut. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. Go have fun.”

Delphia led the way down stairs, weekend bag on her shoulders and Rick trailing behind her with Leo babbling in his arms. Eleanor and DuBois were already standing in the entryway, holding hands as they said their final goodbyes.

“I’m not gonna miss you, like — at all,” DuBois said as he pulled Eleanor just that bit closer.

“Oh, really?” she challenged with a raised brow, “Bet you text me ten hours into the trip.”

DuBois smiled as he dropped his head. “Bet ya it’s more like five.”

“You’re such a little shit,” Eleanor laughed, then she noticed Delphia coming off the last step and said, “Took you long enough! Ready to go?”

“Sorry, sorry.” Delphia raised her hands in surrender. “I’m almost ready — just need one last thing.”

She turned to Rick with a smile, popped up on her toes so she could kiss him properly on the lips. She kissed him once, twice, three times before she finally pulled away with a hand to his chest.

“Love you, baby girl,” Rick muttered, an uncontrollable grin on his face.

“Love you too, babe.” Then she lifted Leo out of his arms and held him up over her head as he laughed. “And I love my little bean! Yes, I do! I love him so!”

Leo continued to giggle profusely as his mom showered his chubby cheeks with kisses. He accidently hit her in the face with the remote but she didn’t care. She lifted him up one last time to blow a raspberry into his belly, making him shriek with delight.

“Be a good boy for Daddy, okay?” she told Leo one last time before handing him back over to his father.

“We’re gonna be just fine,” Rick reassured.

“I know.”

Delphia pressed one final kiss to his lips and then Eleanor was practically dragging her out the door and towards the car. Rick and DuBois followed them out onto the front patio, both of them raising their hands in one final goodbye as the car sped down the gravel driveway towards the main road.

DuBois turned to Rick once they couldn’t see the car anymore, his own set of keys jingling as he spun them around his finger. “Alright — gonna go talk to that politician's wife a few towns over.”

“Congressman’s wife?” Rick asked, bouncing Leo in his arms.

“Yeah, yeah. Thinks he’s cheatin’ and wants us to look into it.”

Rick leveled DuBois with a look. “Man, I told you we’re not takin’ those kinda — “

“No, no — she thinks he’s cheatin’ on the election. S’why he’s won so many years in a row,” Dubois said.

“Oh, shit,” Rick said, “Definitely a job that’ll blow up in our faces if she’s wrong.”

“Which is why I’m gonna go talk to her. See what evidence she’s got.” DuBois shrugged as he walked down the front steps towards his vehicle.

“Don’t take it unless it feels absolutely solid!” Rick called after him.

DuBois opened the door and looked back at him with his head cocked. “That’s what she said!”

“Un-fuckin’-beliveable.” Rick shook his head as he watched DuBois duck inside his car and peel out of the driveway, then he looked down at Leo. “Oh, shit — sorry. You know your mom doesn’t like it when I cuss in front’a you. But guess who’s not fuckin’ here?”

Rick walked back inside the house, his son staring up at him like he was telling the absolute truth. “And besides, s’not like you can really understand me anyways. Let’s get you a snack, big guy.”

Leo wiggled and jumped in his father’s arms as they approached the kitchen, but Rick held him tight against his chest so he wouldn’t slip out. With the ease of someone who had been doing it for almost a year, Rick put Leo into his high chair and easily clipped him into it so he couldn’t go anywhere. He remembered the first few times he did it. He was scared to squish his legs through the holes and strapping him in was a whole five minute ordeal. But now it took less than ten seconds, and as Rick poured a bit of Leo’s favorite rice cereal out onto the tray, he felt a surge of confidence in his chest.

He could do this without Delphia. He would survive a few days without her. In fact, he was pretty sure he wouldn’t even have to call her about anything as he watched, a slight quirk to his lips, Leo concentrate with all his might on picking up one piece of cereal and shoving it in his open mouth. A dance breaking out across his little shoulders, a habit learned from his mom.

“Will you two stop! It’s my turn with the car!” Harley’s voice screeched from the living room.

“It is not!” Abner called back.

“You erased our names from the list, Harley!” Cleo whined, “You know that’s not right!”

“Well, at least now you know for next time that you need to use a pen.”

Harley waltzed into the kitchen first, face split into a wide grin and carkeys dangling from her painted fingers. Abner and Cleo were close behind, faces pulled down in anger and desperation. But as soon as they spotted Rick leaning against the counter with his arms crossed, the jilted pair instantly perked up.

“Colonel Flag! Tell Harley that she needs to give me the keys!” Cleo said, scurrying over to him with a pleading look in her eyes.

Rick sighed. Of course they chose today to act like a bunch of teenagers. But he still had that confidence raging in his chest. Filling him up like a balloon. He could do this. He’s handled conflicts with guns in everyones’ hands and someone else’s finger on a detonator. He could handle a little family squabble easy as pie.

“Okay, somebody tell me what’s goin’ on,” he ordered, picking himself up off the counter with his hands on his hips.

A perfect demonstration of why he was so deserving of the title Colonel.

“Okay, okay, so I was on the car list for this morning so I could drive to the store and get Sebastian more rat pellets.” Cleo put a hand to her chest then looked to Abner expectantly.

“And I was on the list for after she got back so I could go to the library and return all my books.”

“But, but Harley erased both of our names so she could go to town and buy nail polish,” Cleo said.

“It’s an emergency!” Harley interjected, “My nails look a fright and can’t go around lookin’ like this!”

Rick leveled her with a look he hoped read: you’re an adult, do better — a look he had seen Delphia give many members of the squad several times before. A look he had been on the receiving end of once or twice. And he watched, satisfied, as Harley gave him a pout that screamed she knew she was wrong. God, he was good.

“Here’s what we’ll do,” Rick said as he plucked the keys from Harley’s hand, “I’ll drive everybody to town in the van and everybody can do their errands. Sound fair?”

Everyone grumbled but they didn’t disagree, and that was enough for Rick to go off of. After snatching Leo back out of the high chair and stowing him safely away in his carseat, the five of them were off towards town. The car ride was unusually silent. Cleo’s arms were crossed and she only stared out the window, Sebastian sulking on her shoulder as if to copy his friend's mood. Abner flipped absentmindedly through the stack of books perched in his lap. And Harley sat in the front seat, fidgeting with the colorful rings on her fingers and biting at her lip harshly. Above it all Leo was babbling loudly, a noise no one was going to shush because at least he was happy.

Rick sighed, hands twisting the steering wheel in his grip. He needed to fix this. He was good at that, fixing things. Had been since he was a kid. So fixing a relationship between friends couldn’t be much different than making his RC car work, right?

“You need to apologize,” Rick muttered to Harley so no one else would hear.

“I know I do,” she sighed with a dramatic roll of her head, “It’s just that….bein’ good is hard.”

He shrugged. “It’s real easy to be a piece of shit. Giving a shit is what’s hard. But ya know….It’s worth it, if you’re givin’ a shit about the right people.”

“Da-da! Da-da!” Leo called out amongst his babbling.

“Hey, buddy.” Rick smiled, glancing in the rearview mirror to see his son’s chubby legs kicking wildly. “You good?”

“Ah! Ah!”

“Wonderful. Good to hear.”

“Thanks, Flag,” Harley spoke quietly, “You’re good at…knowin’ what to say.”

Rick puffed up his chest as he grinned. His pride and confidence swelled even more. He was doing great and Delphia was going to be shocked when she came home.

The five of them decided to park the van and walk to each of their destinations. It was a beautiful august day in North Carolina and luckily the stroller was stowed in the back of the vehicle. They had already stopped by the library for Abner, who came out with maybe even more books than he came in with. Then they stopped at the grocery store for Harley to pick out new nail polish, an ordeal that took twenty minutes in which she finally picked out a lovely shade of neon green. Now Harley, Abner, Rick, and Leo were waiting outside the petstore for Cleo to come back out with her bag of rat pellets.

As Rick pushed Leo’s stroller back and forth, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He really hoped it wasn’t Delphia calling him already to ask if everything was okay. And he was actually relieved when he pulled out his phone and saw that it was Cleo calling him instead.

“Hey, Ratatouille, what’s up?” he asked as he held the phone up to his ear.

“Hello, Colonel Flag,” she replied in a soft voice, “I forgot my wallet. Could you come in and help me?”

Rick glanced over at Harley and Abner. He would prefer not to leave Leo with them, but really it was only going to be a minute at the most. What could possibly happen in a few minutes?

So he tilted the phone away from his mouth and said, “Hey, guys — gonna head in for a few minutes. Watch him?”

“We got it,” Harley waved her hand flippantly, though Abner looked like he wanted to throw up.

“Thanks. Yeah. Yeah, Ratatouille, I’m comin’ in.”

It was only a few minutes. He was in and out of the store in five minutes. He paid and Cleo was grateful and he told her she didn’t have to pay him back even though she insisted. He felt on top of the world. He felt confident and cool and calm and capable of anything that life had to throw at him while he was the sole responsible adult in a house full of criminals and a baby.

In an instant it all came crashing down. In an instant he and his pride popped like an overfilled balloon.

Because as soon as he came out of the store with Cleo trailing happily behind him, he very much so noticed the fact that Leo was no longer in his stroller. And Harley and Abner were standing there empty handed.

He tried not to panic, tried not to feel that icy hand around his heart that made it hard to breathe. But for the moment, his son was missing. And as he marched over with a tight lip and sweating palms, he felt like he could’ve torn the world down in order to see him again.

“Guys, where’s Leo?” he asked once he reached Harley and Abner, voice stern and quiet.

“What’re you talkin’ about? He’s right — “ Harley bent over to look inside the stroller and popped up instantly with a frown. “Okay so he’s not right here.”

“Well where the fuck is he then?” Rick’s voice boomed, making Abner flinch.

Cleo gasped from behind him, her finger pointing straight out. “There!”

Rick looked to where she was pointing. There, across the street, waddling his way into the park was a baby with a mop of white hair and a sippy cup under his arm. Jesus, that kid could move fast. Without a second thought Rick started running towards the park, expert eyes trained on that bobbing white head.

But before he could make it a step off the sidewalk a car was honking it’s horn at him, forcing him to stop as it zoomed past. Rick glared at the car as it drove away, his entire chest aflame at the idea that his son was wandering around alone in the city park. But when the car was no longer blocking the park entrance from view, Leo was gone. Rick nearly yelped as he ran across the now-empty street. The flames inside were choking him now, making it hard to breathe. God, if Delphia could see him now — could see how his pride had led to a very disastrous fall. She would probably blow the timeline just to get Leo back safe. And right about then Rick was feeling the exact same way.

“Do you see him?” Abner asked, panting, as the other three joined Rick in the park.

“No,” Harley replied.

A high-pitched laugh echoed in the quiet, grassy area of the park's entrance. Rick turned towards the sound and there Leo was, standing beside a trash can with a huge grin on his face like they were playing a game.Rick sprinted across the grass, desperate to have his son safe in his arms again and to know that he was alright. In an instant, Leo was squealing with playful delight as his father snatched him from the grass at top speeds.

Rick panted as he hugged Leo to his chest, smoothed his hand over that head of white hair. His heart was pounding in his ribcage, thumping in his very ears. Where once his muscles had been pulled taught, ready to pull the world apart, he now felt exhaustion creeping in its place. He glanced at the other three as they approached slowly, relieved and also guilting expressions on all their faces.

Pulling Leo back just enough to look into his chubby face, Rick spoke sternly, “Leo Richard Flag, that was not fuckin’ cool.”

Rick nearly wanted to take it back as he watched his son’s smiling mouth turned down into a nearly comedic frown, as big fat tears welling in his eyes. But even at such a young age, Leo knew that some things were wrong, and this he most certainly had to learn was the wrong thing to do. So Rick just let him cry his little heart out into his t-shirt as everyone walked back to the van.

“Sorry I yelled at ya like that, Pokey.” Rick put his hand on Abner’s shoulder and gave it a good shake.

“It’s okay,” Abner sighed, glancing over at the wailing Leo awkwardly, “I should’ve been watching him instead of looking at my books.”

“We’ll just consider yer babysittin’ privileges revoked for the time being.”

“Oh, thank God.”

Once at the van, Leo’s cries had reduced to soft whimpers and sniffles. He looked up at Rick with big, watery eyes and a pushed-out lip as he was put in his car seat.

“Love you, big guy,” Rick reminded softly with a kiss to his son’s head.

When Delphia got home it was dark out. The weekend had gone about as she suspected. Too much wine, but a good hike here and there, a beautiful tour of the Biltmore grounds, and a great time with her best friend.

It was quiet when she entered the house. Unusual, but then again it was well past Leo’s bedtime. She hoped she could sneak into his nursery and give him a few kisses without waking him up. In the darkness it was hard to spot, but where there had once been a clean floor was definitely now covered in a fine layer of toys and discarded snacks. Oh, boy. She crept up the stairs quietly, leaving her bag in the foyer to be dealt with later. But when she got into the doorway of the nursery, also completely destroyed, she could clearly see that the crib was empty and Leo was nowhere to be found.

Brows furrowed, Delphia padded softly down the hall to the master bedroom. And it felt like her entire insides had melted at the sight she found there.

All the lights were off save for her bedside lamp, Rick having probably left it on for her. Leo’s sound machine was going gently in the corner, displaying a colorful array of stars onto the ceiling. And in the middle of the bed lay Rick and Leo. Delphia had to put her hands over her mouth to hold in the joyful noise that wanted to escape her. She didn't want to disturb this, not this quiet moment of complete bliss and peace.

The two of them were laying in nearly the exact same position. Arms thrown above their heads, one leg crooked at an angle, and faces tilted towards the mattress. They were both deep asleep, chests going up and down slowly in a soothing sort of rhythm. Rick had Goodnight Moon laying open on his chest and a nearly empty bottle laid between them. It made her heart ache and yearn for something she already had. It ached and yearned for every moment to be this precious, to be this good. She wanted to bask in it like finding a patch of warming sunlight in January.

Her beautiful, beautiful Flag boys.

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