#IF ENZO COMES HERE I DON’T KNOW IF WE’LL HAVE A GOOD TIME | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lire-casander · 2 years

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chapter #2 — first verse

TK wakes up on the day of his wedding to fingers jabbing into his skin. He groans; he went to bed last night relatively late after spending most of his time after rehearsals playing board games with Jonah. It's way too early for anyone to be trying to wake him up so unceremoniously.

But it happens, sometimes, because he never sleeps with his door locked — in fact, there are no locks in the apartment, not even in the bathroom — just in case. He’s lived with his firefighter captain of a father long enough to know all the security hazards that could come from a lock that’s not working properly.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," Jonah says, his childish voice cheery and clear. "It's time for breakfast!"

"Oh, is it now?" TK replies, cracking his eyes open in time to see Jonah hovering over him. "C'mere, Jonah," he coaxes. He reaches out, but Jonah playfully bats his hand away.

"Not Jonah here," he says, faking a deep voice. TK smiles at the giggles that follow.

"Not Jonah? Then who are you?" he plays along.

"The Cookie Monster!" Jonah shrieks, dropping his whole weight on top of TK. For a moment they're both a pile of flailing limbs until TK decides on attacking instead of defending, and he launches himself into tickling his brother.

"Aaaah, the Cookie Monster is attacking me!" he cries out. "Time for revenge!"

It's not long before Jonah is reduced to a panting, laughing puddle over TK's covers. He smiles softly at his little brother, hair spiked in all directions and still laughing. "That wasn't fair," Jonah accuses him.

"All's fair in war."

"This wasn't war!" Jonah sticks his tongue out to him. “You were attacking an innocent child.”

TK tickles him some more before allowing Jonah to just lie down with his head on TK’s chest and his arms pinning him to the bed. It’s nice to have his little brother around. He has been asking Enzo to bring Jonah over more often, even though he knows that his schedule is all over the place most of the time. But maybe now that Alex is finally finishing his tour and they’re starting a new page of their life together, TK can settle down enough for Jonah to start spending more time at the penthouse.

Maybe that way Jonah may get to know Alex and stop hating on him.

A knock on the door startles them both. Jonah squeezes TK’s waist tighter. “Hey, guys, are you awake?” Enzo asks from the other side of the door.

“Yeah, come in,” he offers.

When Enzo sticks his head through the open door, TK chuckles and repeats, “Come on in.”

“Good morning,” Enzo greets. “How are you feeling? Nervous?”

TK shakes his head no. He can feel Jonah frowning against his chest.

“Why would you be nervous?” the kid asks. “It’s a normal day.”

“Well, it isn’t for TK,” Enzo tries to explain as he sits on the edge of the bed, close to his son. He’d talked about this with TK, both of them coming to some sort of agreement about how to explain the situation to Jonah so he wouldn’t be opposed to the wedding. “He’s getting married today. And he needs a lot of time to get ready for it, so what about you and I go get ready for school?”

“I still don’t want you to marry Alex,” Jonah says stubbornly. “I don’t like him. Why do you want to marry him if I don’t like him?”

“We’ve talked about this already, Jonah,” Enzo tries to intervene, but the child is already pushing himself off the bed and onto his feet, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at the ground. “TK and Alex love each other. And that’s perfectly fine.”

“I know that,” Jonah retaliates with a tired voice. “But I don’t trust Alex. I thought you loved me, TK, but you're going to marry someone I don’t like.”

“Maybe if you two spent some time together, you’d like him more?” TK offers. He’s sat up on his bed, but he has no intention of reaching out for his brother. Jonah is so much like him it’s sometimes scary, and TK knows that, right now, his brother would react badly to any kind of touch. “You’re going to be spending the weekend with us, and we’ll be together all the time.” He tries to go for a cheerful tone, but Jonah looks up at him sharply before replying slowly.

“That’s great. So it’ll be you, me, and Alex.”

“Yeah, that’s the idea. So you two get to know each other better.”

Jonah huffs. He kicks the ground with the tip of his bare foot before saying, “I don’t like this plan. Will Alex be here the whole time?”

TK holds back a sigh. He’s always known this conversation would be difficult, moreso when Jonah has been so against anything that had remotely to do with Alex Fletcher, but he hadn’t expected a full-front opposition. He shoots a quick glance towards Enzo; if Jonah is being so stubborn about the whole spending-time-with-Alex ordeal, TK isn’t so sure about how he’s going to react when the real bomb gets dropped on his head.

“Yes, sweetheart, he’ll be here. He’s moving into the penthouse for the first few months,” TK explains.

“Fantastic,” Jonah says drily. “I won’t be sharing my room with him.”

“Jonah,” Enzo tries to reason with him. “I’m pretty sure that Alex will be sleeping with TK in this room, since they’ll be, you know, married. We’ve talked about this before, how couples sleep together and it’s okay?”

“I know,” Jonah repeats. TK fears they’re wearing the kid down with their insistence; maybe it would be better if they just stopped and had this conversation once he’s tied the knot. That way, it’d be set in stone and maybe Jonah wouldn’t have such a hard time about it. “Anyway, I’ll be back home by Monday,” he continues. “I never spend more than a weekend with you.”

“About that,” Enzo intervenes. He clears his throat, exchanging a quick glance with TK before saying, “there’s something we’ve wanted to tell you.”

Jonah frowns at them both, his arms still firmly crossed over his chest. TK can’t help but think that he looks much older than his ten years, staring down at him with his lips pursed and his eyes ablaze. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Remember how, when you were little, you used to spend more than just weekends with TK?” Enzo begins.

"Yeah." Jonah looks up at his father; TK can see the confusion in his eyes.

"Maybe you'll get the chance to do that now," Enzo says in a soft voice. TK wants to strangle him — it's evident that Jonah isn’t understanding anything that's being said. If anything, he's getting even more defensive.

"I don’t think you want to drag it out, Enzo," he advises. Enzo nods before clearing his throat.

"Well, I'm being sent to Japan for a few months," Enzo says. "TK and I have decided that—"

"You're abandoning me?" the kid shrieks, finally unfolding his arms and flailing them around wildly.

"I'm not—"

"You're leaving just like mom!" Jonah continues. TK can see there are tears pooling in his eyes. "It's even worse! You're—you're leaving and I'll be here with—with him!"

TK doesn't feel offended by his brother's words, even if they sting a bit. Ever since he started dating Alex, the time he used to spend with Jonah had been reduced significantly. Anyway, he doesn't think Jonah meant him per se; he's pretty sure this outburst is rooted both in Jonah’s abandonment issues and in his hatred of Alex.

“Jonah,” Enzo says warningly. When the kid seems to calm down a bit, still clearly distraught, he continues, “I will be gone for about six months. I know it sounds like a lot of time, but we will talk every single day, I promise.”

“No, we won’t!” Jonah exclaims. “Japan is so far away! It’s always tomorrow there! We’re not going to talk at all and you’ll be leaving me here!” He finally seems to find the strength to move; he stomps all over TK’s bedroom, fleeing the room and leaving the two adults worried in his wake.

“He’ll get ‘round it,” TK says in what he hopes is a steady voice. “Kids always bounce back.”

“I knew it wasn’t a good idea to take that job,” Enzo mutters. “Six months in Japan? With how badly Jonah’s been with abandonment? And knowing that he doesn’t really like spending time with Alex?”

“I still don’t know what you all have against Alex,” TK interrupts Enzo defensively. “He’s a great guy. And I’m marrying him.”

Enzo doesn’t say a thing for a moment, his head bent down as he stares at his hands. Then, all of a sudden, he looks up, cranes his neck to the side, inspecting TK’s face with his expressive brown eyes, and says, “I trust you with my son, TK. But I can’t lie to you any longer. I don’t think—” He stops talking, as though he’s mustering up the courage to speak. “I don’t think Alex is good for Jonah, and I don’t think he’s good for you.”

“Have you been talking to my father?” TK can’t help the bitterness that seeps into his words. “It’s basically the same speech, over and over again. I’m so sick and tired of it.”

“I’m sorry if this isn’t what you want to hear, Tyler,” Enzo continues. Him using his given name sends shivers up TK’s spine; it’s never a good sign when any of his father figures resorts to calling him Tyler or, worse, Tyler Kennedy. “But I, unlike Owen, have met Alex. I wouldn’t have let my son around someone I never met. And you know how I feel about him; he’s a celebrity, he has been for a long time, and that shows.”

“I’m also a celebrity,” TK says weakly.

“But you’ve got a whole village to keep you down to Earth, my boy,” Enzo tells him, his voice gentle as he delivers yet another blow. “We haven’t let the fame get to your head. I can’t say what’s with Alex, but I can tell you I don’t really trust him.”

“Then why are you leaving Jonah with him, if you distrust him so much?”

“Because I’m not leaving my son with Alex Fletcher, TK. I’m leaving Jonah with you. And you, TK? I trust you with your brother’s life.”

With a loving and light pat on the shoulder, Enzo turns around and leaves the room. TK sighs, hiding his face in his hands. It’s been a while since Enzo, or anyone, for that matter, has voiced his disdain for his fiancé. He leans back into the pillows, one hand fumbling to find the remote that he’s pretty sure has fallen victim of his earlier tickle war with Jonah. When his fingers poke the device, he grabs it and presses on the buttons until the television across the room flickers to life. He hopes to land on some of his comfort shows, but real life proves that he doesn’t deserve nice things today, apparently, for Jesse Corbett’s voice cuts through the air as the TV station he’s watching is broadcasting a rerun from the previous night’s show.

“Last time he was here,” Jesse Corbett is saying, an old picture of TK from when he was young and naive, “TK Strand, who’s known for his, let’s say, wild past, said that, for his hypothetical wedding, he wanted to do something smaller, understated, intimate. And that’s what he’s doing with Alex Fletcher, a small and intimate ceremony with just, say, 5,000 of their closest fans.” The pre-recorded laughter grates on TK’s nerves as Corbett continues, “I mean, friends. Just a simple wedding for a simple guy. Just like Mom's wedding was.” Here, the laughter fades as a shrilling sound fills TK’s ears.

He remembers the interview Jesse Corbett is referring to. TK had been twenty-five, barely landed on the musical scene, and he’d been given the chance to speak for himself at that show. He’d talked about tons of things — his dreams and his aspirations, the way he makes music and what he loves about his career, and his parents. He berates himself as Jesse Corbett says, “Let’s not delve into that particular issue. As we all know, TK Strand’s mother passed away a decade ago, and the guy has evidently never moved on from that.”

TK groans loudly, and kicks the buttons on the remote hard enough to shut the television down. Angrily, he puts the covers aside and gets out of bed. As he walks barefoot out of his bedroom, he has to stop abruptly because Jonah’s speeding through the corridor to the front door, followed by Enzo, who’s muttering something about stubborn Morgan kids, which TK should find hilarious — because, even if he’s the spitting image of his father, he’s always been the worthy son of his mother — but it just stings.

Jonah is never going to know their mother, and TK has just become another punchline for television gurus.

Paul takes him out of his mind when he comes to a halt in front of him and waves a hand. "TK? Are you okay?"

"I—I will be," he stammers, coming back to the present. "I was just—just thinking."

"Well, we all know that's not advisable," Paul jokes. "You should start getting ready. There'll be tons of people around in half an hour. And Marjan has scheduled your pre-wedding routine starting right after lunch. So chop chop, get moving."

Just then, TK’s phone bursts to life with the customized ringtone he's set for Alex. His face splits with a grin so big that it has Paul rolling his eyes before he gets the chance to answer the phone.

"Hi, baby!" he greets when he lifts the phone to his ear. "How's soundcheck going?"

There's noise in the background before Alex can reply. "Hey, love! I was thinking of you."

"Aw, is it missing your fiancé hours?" TK teases.

"I always miss you when we're not together, TK," Alex says. TK can make out some voices around Alex's, and he distinctly hears someone telling his fiancé to hang up and get on with the program. "I just wanted to tell you that I love you and that I can't wait to be yours tonight."

If TK's heart hadn't already melted at the declaration, it would have become a puddle of goo at his feet at those last words.

"I love you, too," he replies. "And, you know, I'm already—" The sound of the call disconnecting feels like an arrow shot through his soul, but he manages to grit out, "I'm already yours."

“Trouble in paradise?” Marjan asks, her eyes glued to the screen of her phone, as has often been the case the past months. Ever since his relationship with Alex had been found out by TMZ, Marjan has been permanently stuck to social media, doing damage control when things get out of hand, and creating content to hype him up when people seem to forget about him.

“Not really,” he says, but it sounds empty to his own ears. “Alex was busy. Soundcheck and all that jazz.”

“Okay, heartthrob,” Paul says, getting off his own phone. “We have three interviews, then the fitting and then we need to catch a ride to the venue so you can do your own soundcheck.”

“Sounds like a packed morning,” Marjan says. She looks up from her screen, and TK’s met with her warm brown gaze. “Are you ready for your big day, T? You seem nervous.”

“I don’t think there’s ever been anyone who’s not been nervous on their wedding day.”

“I wasn’t,” pipes in a new voice. TK turns around to face Judd Ryder, his shadow for the past years. Ever since he made a name for himself — and even more specifically since his name was permanently attached to Alex’s in the audience’s mind — Judd has been present in every single aspect of his life; short of accompanying him to the bathroom and while he sleeps, Judd films everything that goes on in TK’s life. He’s drawn the line on his time with Jonah — that’s something personal, and he wouldn’t want to subject Jonah to the pressure that means being under the public’s scrutiny at his tender age.

Or ever.

“What do you mean, you weren’t?”

“Well, I was so sure I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Gracie,” Judd says, his camera temporarily forgotten by his side, “that I couldn’t wait for the rest of my life to start. It was the best day of my life, and I didn’t even think twice about it.”

“That’s—” TK struggles to find the correct word, “—uh, that’s nice, Judd.”

“Thanks,” says the taller man, handling back up his camera and focusing on filming the next few interviews.

The morning passes in a whirlwind of questions and photoshoots, everyone wanting to know every single detail of what everyone’s calling the wedding of the year. TK finds himself standing in a black tuxedo, his arms stretched at his sides as the tailor makes the last few corrections to the sleeves, and Marjan and Paul are staring at him with wide eyes as Judd keeps filming everything.

“This is surreal,” TK mutters. “I’m here, standing in my wedding tuxedo. Life’s amazing, you know. Wanna hear my wedding vows?”

Marjan huffs and Paul rolls his eyes, for it’s not the first time he’s insisted in reading the verses by Keats he’s chosen as his promise for forever to Alex. “Too bad for you, I’m going to,” he jokes. He leans in and picks up his phone from a nearby table, causing his sleeves to roll up and his tailor to hiss in disapproval as TK almost ruins his work. “Here, have a few lines by none other than Keats. Then on the shore of the wide world I stand alone, and think till love and fame to nothingness do sink.” He lets the words float in the air between them, before looking up from the screen and meeting Paul’s suspiciously shining eyes. “Do you think he’ll like it?”

Marjan coughs into her hand, but TK thinks he can make out if somebody explains it to him, but he can’t be sure. From the way Paul’s gaze hardens as he shoots a quick, dark glare her way, TK thinks he might have been right. But, merely a few hours before his worldwide broadcast wedding, he’s in no mood to fight his crew that feels more like a family than anything else.

“You’re not going to rain on my parade,” he sing-songs. “It’s my wedding day, guys!”

He should have known, though, that nothing he would ever be thrilled to have could ever end up well.

That’s how he ends up, after performing his half of the show in front of a New York crowd that’s been screaming their lungs out at him, staring at Paul and Marjan, who are holding their phones — and his — way out of his reach, while he’s standing on the platform that’s supposed to lift him up to the stage for their wedding. Alex is already up there, singing his last song before they both come up to sing Marry Me and get hitched forever with their fans as witnesses, and his words seep through the thick walls. “Are you guys ready for the wedding?” Alex is asking while TK watches his life crumble to dust around him.

“What’s wrong?” he asks both Marjan and Paul while Judd records everything. “Where’s Mitchell? He should already be with you.” He doesn’t understand how Mitchell, Alex’s personal assistant for the past six months, hasn’t already arrived to help them with the backstage production of the wedding. But Marjan’s still staring at her phone with a frown. “Marjan? Paul?” When he gets no reply, Paul avoiding his gaze stubbornly, he finally snaps. “What's the matter? And don’t tell me everything’s fine because something's definitely weird.”

“It’s nothing—” Marjan begins before Paul cuts her off.

“Nothing to worry about.” His words are harsh as he tips his head towards the other end of the backstage, where Jonah waves at TK with the biggest smile he’s seen on his brother’s face in a long time, Enzo’s hand protectively on Jonah’s shoulder.

TK waves back, happy that Jonah seems to have accepted both that he’s going to marry Alex in a few minutes and that he’s going to be living with them for the time being. However, he’s brought back to reality by the noises coming from upstage, the audience shrieking, and Paul’s worried frown as he determinedly stares back at TK and not at his phone.

He bites the bullet.

“Then why do you look like someone died, Paul?” A shiver runs up TK’s spine at his words. The last time everyone around him had been so worried, his mother had been run over by a bike, changing the course of his life forever. “What's everybody looking at? Give me your phone. Now!”

Paul shakes his head. “It might not be real,” he says softly, voice barely audible over the audience chanting his name and Alex’s. “It’s a Page Six exclusive, T. An anon submission.”

TK manages to snatch his own phone out of Paul’s fingers and flickers the screen alight to read the headline, followed by a string of pictures that leave nothing to the imagination.

EXCLUSIVE! Hot video of TK Strand’s husband-to-be Alex Fletcher caught in the act with his assistant

He feels as though he can't breathe, the air suddenly too thin around him. He knows he's hyperventilating, he knows he's not actually dying, but a part of him just wishes for the numbness of darkness.

The platform chimes to life before Paul can even reach him. TK looks back at his friend with a pained expression before the platform brings him up to the stage.

The show must go on, indeed.

* ~ * ~ *

The second day of school is as hectic as the first one was. From the moment Leyre lets go of his hand — a block away from the school — all the way up to lunch break, Carlos isn’t able to catch his breath.

His fifth-graders have been chaotic from the start; Carlos has had real trouble managing to calm them down enough for the class to begin, because they were very excited about the concert-slash-wedding of Alex Fletcher and TK Strand. The names were deeply familiar to Carlos, because Nancy has been talking nonstop about the whole ordeal, but he’s not interested in learning anything else about it. And from the looks of one of his students, neither is the ten-year-old.

“Jonah, right?” he says, taking great pride in learning his students' names quickly at the start of every year. The kid’s been intently looking down at his notebook while his classmates ramble about how lucky the people are who’re going to the concert. “How are you today, Jonah?”

The boy looks up at him with bright big brown eyes and a weary smile. “Oh, Mr. Reyes,” he says, forcing up a smile. “I’m doing okay.”

“Not a fan of Alex-and-TK?” Carlos veers for a teasing tone, pronouncing the names as if they were just a single word, in the same fashion his students — and Nancy, and Tommy, and Mateo, and even the twins, and Leyre — say them, but he drops it the moment he sees Jonah tensing up. “I don’t want you to ever feel uncomfortable in my class, Jonah,” he offers.

“Thank you, Mr. Reyes,” the kid says politely, looking back at his notebook once again.

When it’s obvious he’s not going to get anything else out of the boy, and the bell rings, he clears his throat and speaks in a louder voice, “Everyone, sit down and get ready!”

The chorus of disappointed voices follows him as he circles back to his desk. When he turns around to face them once again, he’s already plastered a smile on his face. “I take it you’re excited about whatever happens tonight, but we should tackle some Math today.”

“But it’s the wedding day today!” one of the curly-haired girls sitting in the back says. “Can we talk about that instead?”

“It’s just the second day,” another boy intervenes. “And I’m going to the concert, so I’ll be there in the front row and—”

“Shut up, Bobby,” the curly-haired girl interrupts. “It’s not good taste to show off, is it, Mr. Reyes? Mom always says we shouldn’t brag.”

Carlos holds back a sigh. He surely doesn’t want to start his day talking about some sort of music celebrities who apparently are going to broadcast their entire wedding, and he definitely would love nothing more than to start this school year hyping his students to join the math club for the Mathalon later in the year, now that part of the original team has grown over the official top age to participate. But that decision is taken out of his hands when the whole class — except for Jonah, the kid who’s still stubbornly looking down at his notebook — bursts into a loud chorus of voices talking over one another about how cool it is to go to the marriage show.

“It looks like you have your hands full,” Nancy says, peeking her head through the door. “How disappointing, Carlos,” she continues in a fake stern voice.

“As if you were better,” he huffs. He clears his throat again and says loudly, “Class, quiet down. The school’s guidance counselor is here.”

It’s like a switch has been turned off as his pupils calm down in the face of the almighty school’s guidance counselor. Carlos is deeply amused by this turn of events; it’s usually the same when Nancy steps into a classroom, since the children see her as someone to respect. He wishes his own class would see him like that, too.

“Good morning, Miss Gillian,” they say in unison.

“Good morning, class,” she says brightly. “Mr. Reyes,” she turns to him with as much professionality as she can muster. “Can I have a word with you?”

He frowns at her; Nancy can be a lot of things, but she’s professional to the boot when they’re at the school. He’s grateful that life had put Nancy in his path almost a decade ago, because she keeps him on his toes most of the time, but that also means that after ten years together, Carlos can tell when something’s wrong.

Nancy’s cool demeanor isn’t hiding that she’s worried.

“Of course,” he agrees. “Remain silent, and read your English book, page twelve.”

He steps out of the classroom following Nancy, and closes the door behind him. She turns around, her lips a tight line.

“What’s wrong, Nance?” he asks in a barely audible thread of voice. When she doesn’t reply, his mind supplies him with a ton of different scenarios. “Is it Leyre? What’s happened to my daughter?”

“It’s—it’s nothing serious,” she finally says, her voice even although her eyes are wide with concern. “Leyre, Evie and Izzie are at Samantha’s office. You should go ASAP. I’ve already sent Tommy there.”

“What the heck,” he mutters, lifting his hands wildly. “Samantha’s as in Samantha Mitchell’s office, the principal’s office? What has she done to warrant a visit to Mitchell’s office on her second day here?”

“It didn’t look major,” Nancy supplies. “But Mitchell’s asked for Tommy and you. They’re waiting for you.”

Carlos starts stepping away for a few moments before remembering that he’s left his class unattended. He’s about to say something when Nancy tells him, “I’ll watch over them while you’re at Mitchell’s. It can’t be that hard.”

“They are very excited by the concert tonight,” Carlos says, eyeing his friend suspiciously. “I don’t need you hyping them up more than they already are, okay?”

“Who, me?” Nancy does her best impersonation of an innocent child as she puts her hands cupping her chin. “I’m an angel.”

“Such an angel,” he mutters under his breath as she enters the classroom. In the background, he thinks he hears her saying so who’s going to the concert tonight? and he rolls his eyes as he moves faster down the corridor.

He finds Mitchell’s office already packed with new students waiting to be given their schedules. Tommy is there, sitting on a chair. She looks up when he shows up, curls disheveled as though he hadn’t gelled them back into slickness this morning. “Hey, calm down,” she says. “Nothing bad happened. The girls are fine.”

“How can you be so sure?” he hisses. “They’ve been called to the principal’s office, for God’s sake, Tommy. Where are they? Already inside?”

Tommy shrugs. “Mitchell told me she wanted to talk to Izzie, Evie and Leyre before summoning us inside.”

“How can you be so calm?” Carlos grits out. His hand shoots up to thread through his hair, messing his curls up more than they already were. “They’re inside talking to the principal.”

“I guess you never were troublesome as a kid,” Tommy says in a soft voice. “I bet you were always a poster boy.” She doesn’t wait for him to reply. “From the looks of it, neither of the girls seemed to have been in a fight or whatever. They were fine. But they’re also twelve and they’re bound to be rebellious.”

“I don’t like the idea of my daughter being rebellious,” he says, air quoting the last word. “What would she rebel against? She’s got everything.”

“That’s what teenagers do, Carlos. They challenge us, and themselves.”

“Leyre isn’t even a teenager,” he sighs. His mind supplies him with a handful of scenarios where his daughter could become a rebellious teenager — moments of her life where she’d question why she ended up with him as a father, situations in which she’d miss having her mother around, life stamps forever tarnished by the absence of Iris. “Oh, God.”

Tommy snickers as he flops down onto the chair next to hers. “Welcome to parenthood, teenager edition.”

“I still don’t get how you can be so collected,” Carlos scoffs. “Far as I know, you don’t have older children.”

“I’m not calm,” Tommy explains. “But my kids have been little demons their whole lives. It’s not my first rodeo at the principal’s office. And I don’t think it’s yours either, not when it comes to Leyre, am I wrong?”

Carlos shakes his head. It’s true that he’s been sitting in similar waiting rooms for most of Leyre’s past two years at school; it’s the reason why he decided to switch schools and enroll her into his school. He made that decision when he was taken out of his own class, seven months before, and forced to drive to Kings County Hospital Center because Leyre had broken her arm in two different places after a bully had pushed her down the stairs. He has never talked about it with his friends — not that he ever needed to, because Tommy and Nancy are very perceptive women who usually know what he's thinking before he even thinks it — but he knows they became suspicious around the time he'd had to ask Mitchell for a reduction of his own teaching hours in order to take care of his daughter.

It is in times like this, when he's one breath away from a panic attack, that he questions Iris' desire to keep Leyre in New York. It had been clearly stated in her will, as if she'd known what would happen to her, that she wanted her daughter to be raised in New York. Carlos would have liked to bring the toddler back to Austin with him, but it was evident that Iris hadn't wanted her hometown to become Leyre’s home. With the hindsight that ten years in the city have given him, Carlos has to agree with his late friend. Austin might have been their hometown, but it had been a while since either of them had felt it was home. Iris hadn't wanted Leyre to grow up constricted by whatever Texan tacit rules people abode by. Carlos hadn't wanted Leyre to grow up with the fear of never being able to be whoever she wanted to be. And, ten years after packing his whole life in four boxes and donating the rest to charity, Carlos can say that New York City has become much more than home to him.

It's part of who he is, now.

"Tommy, Carlos," Mitchell’s voice takes him out of his thoughts. She's standing in her doorway, a few hairs falling from her otherwise perfect bun. "You can come in now."

Tommy pats his leg as she stands up, smiling brightly at Mitchell. Carlos follows suit, and closes the door when he sets foot in Mitchell’s office.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Mitchell begins, walking back behind her desk and sitting down. She gestures for Tommy and Carlos to do the same; Carlos notices then that there are two empty chairs in front of Mitchell’s desk and that the girls are standing up at one side. He shoots a questioning glance to Leyre, who holds his gaze defiantly. She has a frown marring her freckled face, but other than that she seems to be in one piece; Carlos can rule out any physical fight then. He thinks it surely can't be that bad, because she doesn't even look slightly bashful.

He takes a seat following Tommy’s example, and waits for Mitchell to speak up again.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I've called you to my office," she says in an even tone. "First of all, I want to reassure you, none of your daughters are in trouble."

Carlos exhales a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding. Mitchell looks at him sympathetically before continuing, "I wanted to lead with that because, usually, when a parent is summoned to my office, it's not for anything good. But, this time, it is." She takes a moment to look directly at the girls before saying, "Leyre, Evie and Izzie have been brought here because they were defending another student who had reportedly been harassed by an older student."

Carlos whips his head back to stare at his daughter once again; she sighs and looks up at the ceiling in frustration. It seems to him that Mitchell might have already lectured the three about how not to engage with bullies, but he feels a surge of pride inside of him. His baby girl, who just a few months ago had been fighting her own demons, has grown to be strong enough to defend those who can't defend themselves. He'll make sure to tell her how proud he is of her — after he tells her off for getting into any kind of fight.

"Okay," Tommy says in a conciliatory voice. "So, what happened?"

"I'm pretty sure they would love to tell you with their own words," Mitchell replies with a small smile. "But now that you both have seen that there's not a scratch on them, I am going to ask Izzie, Evie and Leyre to go back to their class."

The three adults watch them deflate from their stiffened posture and hurry out of the office. Only when the door is closed behind Leyre’s back — right after she sends an apologetical look over her shoulder to Carlos — does Mitchell resume her speech.

"The bully has been suspended for a week," she continues, "and this incident will be in his permanent record. The student they were defending has already been sent back to his class."

"Why hasn't he been sent to me?" Tommy asks. "Did he sustain any kind of injury?"

Carlos almost snickers — he catches himself before any sound leaves his mouth — when Mitchell glares at Tommy. From time to time, the school’s nurse still speaks as though she’s leading a paramedic team on a field call; while it’s cute sometimes, Carlos knows not many people appreciate her talking as though she is in a room full of first responders. Maybe it’s because he was a first responder himself, once upon a time.

"No injuries sustained," Mitchell plays along. "Your girls arrived just in time."

"That's good," Carlos says, but his words sound unconvincing to his own ears.

"I can't condone this behavior in my school," Mitchell adds sternly. "There's a zero tolerance attitude towards bullying here, and you know that. But I can't have my three most brilliant students stepping into fights whenever they think someone's being treated poorly."

Carlos feels a surge of pride at his daughter being called brilliant, but then Mitchell’s words sink. "Are you blaming the ones who saved a poor kid from being bullied for being violent?" he questions. Tommy is eerily silent by his side.

"Not at all," Mitchell says. "I'm warning you that, while I'm grateful that we have such good-spirited kids in our school, I will be forced to put your daughters in detention if they stop a fight with another fight ever again."

"Understood," both Tommy and Carlos say in unison.

"Now, I would like a word with Carlos," Mitchell says. Tommy nods, standing up and tipping her head to the side to gesture them goodbye. She's gone before Carlos knows what's going on, but it's not unusual for Mitchell to want to speak to him alone; it's not the first time they've met to talk about bullying, which means that the student Leyre saved is in his class.

"Who is it?" he asks evenly. When Mitchell doesn't reply right away, he sighs. "I know it's one of mine, unless I have misread this situation and you're about to confess your undying love for me," he keeps on, angling for a joke. He and Mitchell go way back, to when they both were fresh faces during their first year of teaching; Mitchell’s made it to principal, and Carlos couldn't be happier for her. But that means they're good friends, and that they trust each other enough not to beat around the bush.

"It's a difficult situation, Carlos," she starts. "It is one of yours, indeed, but there's more to it."

Carlos frowns. "How so?"

"It's Jonah Zimmer," she explains. "As you know, he's another brilliant student, and his father has reported bullying of different kinds over the years because of his grades. We've always managed to stop it before it got physical, and I've been told that Evie and Izzie have taken to protecting him these past years. That's why they were around when he got pushed against his locker. The kid who did it has been harassing Jonah for quite some time, but we haven't been able to do anything until today."

Carlos nods. "Do we know why he's got physical today?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I'd like you to keep an eye on Jonah. He’s got enough pressure as it is with his family situation.” When Carlos looks at her, confused, Mitchell elaborates, “Jonah’s father is Enzo Zimmer, the lawyer who managed to convict three Chinese mob leaders and put a whole drug dealership system out of commission on his own. This child has got enough threats in his life because of who his father is.”

Carlos hadn’t been aware of who Jonah’s father was, because he never paid much attention to celebrities and famous people who showed up on the TV — in fact, he got his first television when Leyre turned seven. He doesn’t really like being glued to a screen, but his daughter loved cartoons and he couldn’t deny her that. He’s never been one to follow the tabloids, although he knows who Enzo Zimmer is — he would get his retired cop card retired if he didn’t consume everything that showed up about crime and justice in the media. Enzo Zimmer has become somewhat of a hero for him.

“I know who Enzo Zimmer is, but I hadn’t connected the dots,” Carlos admits. “I will look out for him. We don’t want bullying in our school, and from what you say, Jonah certainly has had enough of that to last him a lifetime.”

Mitchell agrees with him, and the conversation enters a lull before she dismisses him and sends him back to his classroom. Carlos ruminates on the thoughts that Mitchell has helped put in his mind for the remainder of the morning, going through his classes almost on autopilot before lunch break.

And, of course, that’s when Nancy chooses to bring chaos to his life.

They’re sharing a table in the teachers’ room, Carlos munching his homemade pasta salad and Nancy chewing on her deli sandwich that she most probably bought during recess, when her phone beeps and she rushes to check it. “It’s my boyfriend,” she says with a smile. “He was going to text me when he’ll be picking me up tonight for the show. I bet he’s going to get so many ideas for when he proposes!”

Carlos snorts at her excitement and says, “I thought you’ve been dating for about two weeks? Isn’t it a bit soon to be thinking about proposals?” When Nancy doesn’t reply immediately with a witty comeback, Carlos looks up from his food to see her pale face and her eyes watering as she glares at the screen. “Nance?”

“He’s—he’s broken up with me,” she whispers. “Through a fucking text message.”

“Shouldn’t you be a little better at language, given where you work?” Mateo pipes in from the other side of the table. Nancy glares at him and Mateo focuses back on his food, lest he becomes the target of her fury.

“I can’t believe this!” She angrily sticks her phone back into her pocket and bites into her sandwich. “Tomorrow would have been our anniversary!”

“Your two-week anniversary?” Carlos tentatively asks.

“Seventeen days, but who’s counting!”

“Well, seemingly you,” he tells her with a small smile. He knows Nancy’s tendency to deflect when she’s feeling bad, and this calls for a bit of humor. “Hey, Nance. It’s obvious he’s not in his right mind. He’s crazy for letting go of someone as great as you.”

“Says the gay teacher in the room,” Nancy shoots back.

“Well, let’s see what Mateo has to say,” Carlos then says, pointing at their friend who looks at him like a deer caught in headlights. “Mateo?”

“Sure, he’s a total jerk,” Mateo stammers. Carlos frowns at him for a second, not understanding what’s got Mateo so flushed, but before he can make anything out of it, Nancy is sighing and speaking again.

“Come with me to the show,” she pleads, leaning over the table until her gaze is level with Carlos’. “Please?”

“Nance, I’m not a big concert person. I don’t even know who those guys are,” Carlos begins.

“Listen,” she says. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime invitation, and you don't even get it! This is Halley's Comet. It’s you finding the last copy of your favorite book that’s been discontinued in a flea market. It's very rare.”

“I get it, but I wouldn’t even know—And you know I can’t leave Leyre alone.”

“Then it’s a good thing I have tickets for all of us!” Nancy exclaims, sounding a lot more cheerful than a few minutes before. “Mateo, do you have plans tonight?” When Mateo splutters that he doesn’t, Nancy smiles more broadly. “It’s done, then. I have three spare tickets, and there’s no way in hell that I’m giving any of them to the jerk, his sister, or the sister’s boyfriend. So, that makes one for Mateo, one for Leyre, and one for you. Bring your daughter. Maybe she’ll think you’re fun. You know you can’t say no.”

And that’s how Carlos finds himself standing in a crowded space, five or six rows from the stage, helping his daughter hold a sign that reads LOVE YOU TK WILL YOU MARRY ME that has been created in a hurry and that still has him cringing whenever he notices the lack of punctuation and the excess of glitter. He's been put in charge of recording the most relevant parts of the show, so he's holding up his phone — conveniently charged right before getting to the venue — over his head, and has endured a session of something that can only be described as torture even though Nancy swears it's just the hip-hop inspired pop that Alex sings. At least TK Strand’s part of the concert had been bearable, Carlos will admit to that. He won’t admit to having enjoyed it, though.

The whole hour and a half that they've been here has been the happiest he's seen his daughter ever since the whole school debacle from last year.

Maybe it's worth it.

TK is supposed to come back on stage in a few, right after Alex’s song about something that Carlos isn't fully comprehending. He's got a glimpse of TK before, in billboards and on Leyre’s posters, but watching the guy perform live — even from a distance and through the lenses of his phone camera — has left Carlos speechless. TK’s voice is pure and even, and his lyrics are way more meaningful than Alex’s. It doesn't hurt that he's easy on the eyes as well.

Carlos is too busy getting his camera ready for the big entrance and the beginning of the wedding that he misses the way the crowd quietens and checks their phones around him. Even Leyre, who's been swaying excitedly back and forth, gets on her toes to watch at Nancy’s screen while the twins do the same with Tommy. At the other side of Carlos, Mateo swears under his breath.

"Holy shit."

"What's going on?" Carlos whispers, leaning into his friend's personal space without losing sight of the frame he's got on the stage.

"Alex is a son of a bitch, that's what's going on," Mateo mutters back, low enough so that the kids around them don't catch the expletive but loud enough for Carlos to hear him.

Before Carlos can ask for a longer explanation — sure, the guy doesn't know how to entice crowds with his singing, but he doesn't seem like a jerk — there's a ruckus on the stage and the lights focus on the top of the makeshift staircase set up in the middle of the space so that TK can climb down.

TK Strand shows up on stage with a visible frown on his face. Carlos can tell, through the giant screens at both sides of the stage, that he’s also staggering a little as he takes a few steps forward and climbs down the makeshift stairs. He’s wearing what Carlos can only consider a very fitting tuxedo, but that’s the extent of Carlos’ lewd thoughts regarding this singer before TK taps on the microphone and says with an unsteady voice, “Ah, can you stop the music?” The musicians do as told, and then TK asks, “Can you turn on the house lights?”

As the staff does as told, the space becomes brighter, yet not fully lit; enough to startle Carlos, whose eyes had become used to the darkness. The crowd is growing antsy, and some people start yelling "I love you, TK!" and "You're the greatest singer ever!", and while Carlos might have a couple of things to say to that, the stricken look on TK’s face, amplified by the screens, is enough to shut him up.

Whatever's going on, TK looks hurt.

He begins again. "I'm told that," he sniffles, "around twenty million people are supposed to watch me sing Marry Me to the love of my life. To my soulmate."

The crowd cheers again, but this time they're sounding subdued. Leyre leans into Carlos, who maneuvers his phone until he's holding it with one hand and tugging his daughter closer to him. "What's he doing, papi?" Leyre asks. "He just got his heart broken. Alex cheated on him."

Carlos understands then the hurt in TK’s voice and the quiver in his speech.

"So many people," TK is saying, "so many people,” he repeats. Carlos has the inkling he’s trying to gather his thoughts while keeping the tears at bay, if the way his words are wobbly is any indication. “I wasn’t expecting to come up here with no fiancé tonight,” he continues. “But I guess it is what it is.” He wipes at his face, and Carlos has to resist the urge to walk up to the stage and hug TK. He knows what it feels like — been there, done that. “I didn’t know there were so many of you I could disappoint tonight by not taking these vows I promised I'd take."

Drawn in by TK's subdued voice, Carlos puts down his phone at the same time as the lights sweep the crowd.

"It's only natural, I guess, that I say something about—about love. That's what we’re all looking for, right? The perfect romance, the perfect relationship. We get so—so caught up in this, whatever it is, in this wanting much more of life that we end up settling and we—we forget what love truly is." There are whispers around Carlos, but he's so enthralled by this speech that he barely notices anything.

TK keeps talking. Carlos can tell he’s looking for something — or rather someone — from the way his eyes keep flickering towards the space in the back of the stage where Alex disappeared a few moments ago. "We all want the—the fairy tale. And after a while, I—I forgot that that love wasn't real. Jim Morrison once said that most people love you for what you pretend to be. I wasn’t ready to admit defeat. But deep down—" He sighs. "Deep down, I knew. And now you all know, too. This was just—you know, when you're in love with the ideal person you want your partner to become? Yeah, that's what happened here." Suddenly he straightens up, squaring his shoulders and gripping the microphone tighter. "I can't marry an idea. I wanted so badly to be loved that I—but you know what? I want to make a different choice. I want my life to be different."

"Papi, is he alright?" Leyre whispers. "He doesn't sound fine."

"I don't think he is," Carlos tells her.

TK sighs into the mic before muttering, “I’m done with this bullshit.” He surprises everyone, Carlos included, by dropping the microphone and rushing off the stage. There's a collective groan as he disappears through one of the sides, the reverberation of the cacophony created by the microphone crashing onto the floor following him.

Carlos blinks.

He isn't sure about what has just happened. It's true that he hasn't attended a massive show since before moving to New York City — and just thinking about how long that's been makes him feel old — but he's pretty positive that shows don't abruptly end with one of the singers fleeing the place.

"Papi," Leyre says, tugging at his sleeve. "Is the show over?"

Carlos frowns. "It seems like it, doesn’t it? But normally a show isn't over until all the lights are back on."

As if on cue, the venue lights up fully, in bursts of colors, almost blinding them all. The groan from before turns into a booing session, chants of TKTKTK and shrieks professing undying love for their favorite fill the air and mingle with shouted threats and cusses towards Alex Fletcher. Carlos resists the urge to place his hands over Leyre’s ears, for his daughter is already cringing and covering them herself. Nobody steps forward to explain, leaving it to the robotic voice over the speakers to repeat rhythmically that the exits are at both sides of the venue.

"What a bummer," Mateo mutters under his breath. "This shouldn't have ended like this. We've been robbed of the wedding."

"Not sure there will be a wedding at all. Not after that video leak," Tommy says, waving her phone. Carlos catches the image frozen on the screen, a blurry screenshot of two people kissing. "Alex is a je—not a good person."

"We're big girls, Mom," Evie says. "You can say he's a jerk."

"No wonder they end up at the principal’s several times a semester," Nancy teases them. "But you're right. Cheating is a horrible thing to do to anyone."

"Agreed," Carlos mumbles. "What do you say, we go grab some ice cream?" he offers as they step out into the street. "To make up for the lack of wedding."

The girls squeal, delighted, and Mateo whoops. Carlos chuckles when Tommy throws a pointed look at him and Nancy simply leads the way to her favorite ice cream parlor, which also happens to be a couple of blocks away.

"Underneath this hard Daddy exterior there's a big soft teddy bear," Tommy says as she falls into step with him.

"Shhh," he stage-whispers. "It's my secret power."

"My lips are sealed," she says, playfully shoving his shoulder as they follow Nancy.

#the fic #lire's 911lsbb #forever in a second too short (home is a heartbeat)#chapter 2 #911lsbb

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morganaspendragonss · 3 years

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Hello 🥰 Whump fic idea :)TK lands in the hospital, again. But this time they're serious, serious injuries, he is under a respirator, he is not breathing on his own, the doctors do not give him much chance of survival, they even advise it would be the best to prepare for the worst and say goodbye, just in case. Owen calls Gwen, she's arriving the same day with Enzo and baby junior. When in the hospital they find out how it happened and that it's mostly Owen's fault (I don't know, for example, he allowed Tk to enter the unstable building to tend to the patient, or whether he made someone else angry and this person unloaded it on TK, or Owen decided to do something reckless and TK wanted to save him or it is The arson situation from 2x12 so Gwyn arrives pregnant, without a baby of course), Gwyn slaps him twice and Enzo punches him right in the nose, breaking it, for risking TK's life. Fortunately, despite the bad prognosis, TK wakes up, but after he took his sweet time being in a coma.

holly's august extravaganza day 3: the meetings for those in my wake

thanks for the prompt! i really loved writing this one though i need to confess to toning it down a little? idk but with the way it was going it didn't feel right to have enzo break owen's nose. i hope you still like it!

ao3 | 3.3k | major character injury, coma, angst with a happy ending

For years after the divorce, Gwyn came to learn that any call from Owen was almost certainly bad news.

TK got in a fight.

TK overdosed.

TK was shot, he’s in the hospital.

Over and over, until the first words out of her mouth whenever Owen’s name flashed up on her screen were, What’s wrong?

Things have been better in the three years since her time in Texas. Gwyn suspects it’s partly TK’s influence—he’s been more than enthusiastic in getting to know his baby brother, and Isaac has latched onto TK despite only seeing him in person every few months or so. But they’ve talked as well, she and Owen, and they really are doing better. They’re almost like friends now, which is why Gwyn thinks nothing of it when he calls just after she’s put Isaac to bed for the night.

“Owen, hey,” she greets. “What’s up?”

The silence she’s answered with is the first sign that something’s wrong.

The sob that follows is the second.

“Owen?” Gwyn repeats, louder this time, her heart leaping into her throat. She sits down heavily on the sofa as she waits for Owen’s response; there’s only one thing that could make him cry like that, and tears prick at Gwyn’s eyes as she imagines TK hurt again, or worse.

“Gwyn,” Owen eventually manages to gasp out, voice wrecked. “Gwyn, it’s TK. He’s… You need to get here. You need— It’s not like last time. They don’t know if he’s going to— They don’t think— It’s bad. Really bad.”

Owen breaks off, crying harder, and Gwyn claps a hand to her mouth. She remembers well how devastated he’d been when he called about the gunshot, but this a whole other level. Gwyn’s head spins with the potential implications of that and she finds her breath coming in sharp gasps, but it’s Owen’s next words that knocks it from her altogether.

“They think we should say goodbye.”

The rest of the story comes haltingly—someone got angry after his son couldn’t be saved on a call, he came to the firehouse, he attacked TK—but Gwyn barely hears it. Her boy is in the hospital again and this time…this time he might not be coming home. She can’t understand it; she spoke to him just two days ago, they made plans for he and Carlos to visit for Isaac’s birthday, and now…

“I’m so sorry, Gwyn,” Owen finishes. She feels a flash of that age-old urge to scream at him, but she fights it off, not wanting to wake Isaac.

“I’ll be on the first flight over,” she promises, then ends the call, sliding off the couch to the floor. Her phone falls from limp fingers and harsh sobs tear from her throat, muffled by the press of her fist against her mouth.

Enzo finds her there an hour later and immediately takes her in his arms, not complaining about her tears soaking his shirt. When she tells him what happened, he insists on joining her, and Gwyn allows herself to take that shred of comfort and run with it.

She thinks it’s the only comfort she’s likely to get right now.

The next flight isn’t until morning, so Gwyn spends a sleepless night packing and unpacking their suitcases and making phone calls with the firm and her clients to cancel everything for the foreseeable. She has the brief, terrible thought about whether she should pack funeral attire, which almost sends her into a panic attack as reality hits her all over again.

Enzo saves her from it, gently guiding her to bed, but not before she packs the clothes anyway.

Isaac seems to pick up on her mood when they’re hurrying out of the house, remaining mostly quiet aside from the odd question about where they’re going. He perks up considerably when he finds out they’re heading to Austin, babbling about seeing TK, and Gwyn has to blink hard to keep from crying again. Enzo reaches over to take her hand, and he barely lets go until they’re landing in Austin.

The entrance to the ICU looms before her, and Gwyn feels stuck. There had been a part of her, still, that had hoped to find TK miraculously awake and on the mend, like the last time she had made this trip. She doesn’t want to believe that he’s here, hurt, maybe dying.

But he is, and she’s forcefully reminded of that fact when a kind-looking nurse approaches her hesitantly.

“Ma’am? Can I help you?”

Gwyn blinks at her, her brain taking a moment to catch up. “I, um. I’m here to see my son. TK Strand.” She pauses, then shakes her head, cursing herself internally. “Tyler Kennedy Strand.”

The nurse’s entire demeanour changes, a sympathetic smile taking over her face. “This way.” She leads Gwyn through the ICU, then points at a door near the end of the corridor. “Tyler’s room is just there. I promise, we’re doing everything we can for him.”

Gwyn nods absently, her gaze stuck on the door the nurse had indicated. She walks forward slowly, the room seeming to get further and further away until, suddenly, she’s standing on the threshold, and she sees her son.

TK is barely visible, his face half-obscured by the ventilator, half by bruises, and heavy gauze covers his forehead. His arms, resting limply at his sides, are littered with scrapes, and if Gwyn squints, she can just about make out more bandages peeking out from under the hospital gown.

She’d thought that seeing him would make it all real, but she feels separate from everything somehow, only one thought going through her mind on repeat.

This is not my son.

A quiet whisper draws her attention to the figure sitting at TK’s side. Gwyn has to suppress a gasp as she takes in Carlos’s appearance; she hasn’t seen him in person since the wedding last year, and his pale face and red-rimmed eyes cut a stark contrast to that day. He hasn’t noticed her yet, wholly fixated on TK, one hand gently stroking the tufts of hair poking out above the bandage. His lips move and Gwyn knows she should walk away, but instead she finds herself leaning closer, straining to hear Carlos’s words.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he’s saying. “I know you’re fighting and I know you’re going to try as hard as you can to come back to us—believe me, Ty, I am praying every day to see those pretty green eyes of yours open again. But I—I want you to know that it’s okay if you can’t. If it gets too hard, if you need to let go, you can. I already miss you like crazy and I really, really, don’t want to live the rest of my life without you, but the thing I can’t stand more than that is the idea of you suffering.

“Come back if you can, but if someday you find you can’t, remember that I love you and we’ll be okay. I promise.”

Carlos sniffs and ducks his head to place a gentle, lingering kiss on TK’s cheekbone. It’s such a tender, intimate moment, but it quickly shatters when Carlos looks up and spots her, his eyes going wide. “Gwyn. I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you were there.”

She waves him off, willing herself to finally step into the room. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I should have said something, but I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Carlos nods, giving her a small, sad smile, which Gwyn does her best to return. She pulls up another chair and sinks into it, reaching out to take TK’s hand. She’s startled by the coolness of his skin, and more tears burn in the back of her eyes.

“What did the doctors say?” she asks, clearing her throat and twisting her body towards Carlos, though her eyes never leave TK.

“That it was a miracle he made it through surgery,” Carlos says, sighing wearily. “Eight stab wounds, too much blood loss, damage to his organs, broken ribs—that’s all bad enough, but they’re most worried about his brain. He took at least two blows to the head, and add that to the fact he wasn’t breathing for a good few minutes… They keep saying not to speculate, but we all know the odds here.”

Carlos’s voice breaks and Gwyn reaches out to comfort him, feeling sick to her stomach at the revelation. Why anyone would do this to her boy, she can’t comprehend; she finds herself both wanting answers and feeling unable to take any more.

Owen chooses that moment to appear in the doorway, looking every bit as wrecked as he sounded on the phone. “Gwyn,” he says roughly. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Carlos moves as if to give them privacy, but Gwyn shakes her head at him, cutting off his protests before he can even get them out. “You stay with him, Carlos,” she tells him. “We’ll talk in the hall.”

They head to a quiet spot not too far from TK’s room, and Gwyn turns to face Owen, holding her arms. “What the hell happened, Owen? Why is our son lying in there, not even breathing on his own?”

A flicker of a frown crosses Owen’s face. “I told you—”

“No, you didn’t.” Gwyn clenches her jaw, staring him down. “You said he’d been attacked, not that some maniac had used him as their personal punching bag.”

A few more seconds pass before Owen relents, sighing. “There was a call,” he starts, voice heavy with sorrow. “A car accident; dad and his kid were trapped inside. We got the dad out but the son was stuck pretty good. It took a long time to free him and by then it was too late—EMS did their best, but he was gone.

“The dad went ballistic, screaming at all of us, but especially at TK. We don’t really know why, but it was probably a convenience thing; TK had been the one to break the news, he was the closest person—the guy wasn’t exactly thinking clearly. He threatened him, tried to hit him—the cops had to arrest him eventually, but you know TK. He refused to press charges, said that the dad was just in shock and that he understood.”

Gwyn smiles a little at that; her son has always been too forgiving for his own good. It’s never come back to hurt him this badly before, though.

Owen pauses, throat bobbing as he seems to work up to the next part. His voice is quiet, and he seems reluctant to meet Gwyn’s eyes. “He showed up at the firehouse a week later—the dad, I mean. He said he wanted to apologise and, I swear, Gwyn, he really did seem genuine. None of us wanted to let him near TK, but ultimately it was TK’s decision. They went round the side of the house to talk; when neither of them came back after twenty minutes, we went looking.

“By that time, the guy was gone, and TK was…” He stops and shakes his head, swallowing hard. “He could barely breathe. Tommy and Nancy did what they could and they got him here quickly, but we have no idea how long he’d been like that before we found him.”

Gwyn’s head snaps up, a white-hot anger flashing through her. “I can’t believe you,” she hisses. “You left our son alone with a man who had already threatened him for twenty minutes, Owen.”

Owen frowns. “I told you, he seemed genuine. And TK—”

Gwyn can’t help it; she slaps him. “Don’t you dare,” she grounds out, crowding into Owen’s space. “Don’t you dare act like this was his fault.”

“I wasn’t—”

Her arm moves on instinct, but before she can connect again, a hand closes around her wrist. Gwyn turns to find Enzo staring at her, brow wrinkled in confusion.

“Gwyn, what’s going on?”

She shakes her head and takes a step back from Owen, freeing herself from Enzo’s grasp. “What’s going on,” she responds tightly, “is that he is part of the reason why my son is half-dead in there.”

Enzo gapes between them. “What?”

She ignores the question, needing to focus on anything else to keep her anger from overwhelming her. “What are you doing here anyway? Where’s Isaac?”

“He’s with Grace and Judd, they offered to babysit so I could come here. What—”

“Hang on,” Owen interrupts. “What is he doing here? I figured he’d stay in New York with the kid.”

“Isaac is TK’s brother, Owen,” Gwyn says, turning on him again. “And Enzo has just as much right to be here as any of us; he was more of a father to TK than you were sometimes.”

Owen’s eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. “Him? You’re joking, right?”

Gwyn isn’t sure what happens next, who starts it, but soon they’re all yelling, insults and accusations flying around the ward. There’s a furious nurse heading their way, but before she can say anything, another voice cuts through the argument, quiet and trembling but still somehow powerful.

“Get out,” Carlos says. “All of you.”

They all turn to him, Gwyn’s lips parting in shock. Owen takes a step towards him, holding his hands out in a gesture that’s probably meant to be pacifying.

“Carlos—”

“I mean it, Owen,” he snaps, harsher than Gwyn has ever heard him before. “You all screaming at each other is the last thing any of us needs, least of all TK. The only person to blame in all this is the guy who attacked him, and he’s already in custody; he’ll get what’s coming to him. If TK—” Carlos breaks off, clenching his jaw and staring down at the floor. He closes his eyes for a moment, before breathing out shakily and looking back up at them. “If anything changes, I’ll call you, I promise. But you can’t be here right now. Go, please.”

Carlos doesn’t wait for a response before turning on his heel and going back into TK’s room, reassuming his position next to the bed. Gwyn watches him for a second, nodding when Enzo pointedly takes her elbow.

“He’s right,” she says, directed at Owen. “We should go.”

Owen glares, gearing up to argue again, but he must think better of it as he suddenly slumps, all the energy draining out of him. “Right,” he mutters. “Right.”

They file slowly out of the ICU, closely watched by the hard eyes of the nurse from before. Gwyn spares one last look before forcing herself forwards; if getting here was hard, walking away is a thousand times worse.

Three weeks pass with no change and, crucially, no improvement. Gwyn spends more time with Carlos than she ever has before, and she hates that it’s her son being comatose that has brought the two of them closer. A tentative peace exists between her and Owen and she knows—truly, she knows—that the attack wasn’t his fault, that there was nothing that could have stopped it.

But she can’t help but be angry that, once again, her son was seriously hurt and she wasn’t around.

She takes Isaac to see TK once, when the worst of the bruises have faded a little. She worries that he’ll be scared, and he does seem to hesitate when they reach the room; in truth, Gwyn hadn’t wanted to bring him at all, but he’d kept asking about TK and she’d found herself helpless to do anything but acquiesce.

They still haven’t told him what’s going on. No-one knows how to. All Isaac knows is that TK is a little hurt and he needs rest, and even that knowledge seems to upset him.

Once he gets used to the sight, Isaac stretches his hands out to the bed. “TK,” he says simply, looking pleadingly up at Gwyn.

She hugs him close, trying to smile for him. “TK’s asleep, sweetie,” she explains. “He needs rest.”

“When wake up?”

“I don’t know, baby. I don’t know.”

Three weeks pass, and the doctors start talking about options and next steps. It’s obvious what that’s code for—they want to pull the plug. They’re told to take all the time they need to discuss it but, ultimately, the decision will be Carlos’s, as TK’s husband and next of kin.

Gwyn knows what choice he’s going to make; it’s the same one she, or anyone else in his position, would make.

That doesn’t make it any easier to bear, for any of them.

Gwyn finds him in the hallway, bent over with his head in his hands. She goes over and quietly sits in the chair next to him, placing a comforting hand on his back.

There’s a long silence before Carlos sniffs and turns to her, his face the picture of devastation. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to do this, Gwyn,” he whispers, voice cracking. “How am I supposed to just give up on him like that?”

She shakes her head. “You’re not giving up on him, Carlos. You’re letting him go.”

“I don’t know how to do that either.”

“None of us do.”

Silence again, but this time, it’s Gwyn that breaks it first. “Listen, Carlos, I know this is hard. God knows I wish none of us were even here. But we are, and we have to do what’s best for everyone, including TK.”

“I know that,” Carlos admits. “I just don’t want to lose him.” He closes his eyes and leans into Gwyn, allowing her to wrap him in a hug. “I wish we had more time.”

Gwyn’s heart breaks all over again, and she squeezes his shaking shoulders. “We’ve got time,” she says, though she knows that’s not what he meant. “As much as you need.”

The sob she’s answered with tells her there’s not enough time in the world for Carlos to say goodbye to TK.

The call comes in the middle of the night. Dread pools in Gwyn’s gut as she accepts it and lifts the phone to her ear, her hands trembling.

“Owen?”

“Gwyn. TK, he—he woke up. It was only for a few seconds, but he woke up, Gwyn. The doctors said it was a miracle; they think he might actually recover.”

Gwyn gasps, a sob crawling up her throat as the news sinks in. It’s everything she’s been praying for ever since that first call, and all she can think about now is getting to TK.

“I’ll be at the hospital in fifteen,” she says. She ends the calls and raises her hands to her face, wiping away the tears beginning to fall from her eyes.

Maybe this nightmare is finally coming to an end.

TK is off getting tests when Gwyn arrives, but she’s finally allowed back in the room an hour later, Carlos and Owen on her heels. The ventilator has been removed, replaced by a nasal cannula, and his eyes are open—barely to slits, but Gwyn doesn’t care. TK is awake and alive, and that’s all that matters.

As soon as she’s in the chair by the bed, she reaches out for him, her touch feather-light as she strokes his cheek. “My brave boy,” she whispers wetly. “My brave, brave boy.”

TK’s head rolls on the pillow so he’s facing her and he mumbles something that’s probably meant to be a greeting, but the words jumble together and come out as gibberish.

Gwyn thinks it’s the most beautiful sound she’s ever heard.

They’ve all been briefed about the risks of brain damage and all the potential lasting consequences which could impact the rest of TK’s life. But right now, as she holds TK’s hand with Carlos on his other side and Owen at her back, Gwyn chooses to take solace in the constant rise and fall of TK’s chest and the heart monitor beeping out a steady rhythm.

There’ll be enough time for worry later; for now, her son is alive, and Gwyn can’t think of anything else that's more important.

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fandom-imagines-stories · 3 years

Text

Get Me to the Church On Time

Enzo St. John x Mikaelson! Reader

Words: 3037

Part 3 of 4 (Part One, Part Two)

Summary: Preparations for the wedding are in full swing and it’s time to go dress shopping. With you out with the girls, Enzo is left to find the perfect suit with none other than your protective older brothers. Needless to say, tensions are high.

Note: Part Three!!! And I’m bringing in the Vampire Diaries crew for the wedding. More Damon/Enzo bromance on the way, along with some girl fun with Caroline and Bonnie. Like the others, this one jumps around a bit some more, but I hope it isn’t too confusing. I’m just bad at writing transitions. (Repost Notes: Ugh, going through these makes me so happy, you guys!

The sound of suitcases rolling on the sidewalk made your heart leap. You sat up from your spot on the couch, Enzo stirring slightly next to you. He made a sound of confusion as you smacked his arm.

“They’re here!” You exclaimed, sprinting outside. The blonde and the brunette were arguing over something but immediately stopped when they saw you.

“I told you this was the right place!” Caroline squealed, rushing towards you for a hug. Bonnie set her bag down and joined the group hug.

“I can’t believe this is all happening.” You sighed as the three of you pulled apart. “There’s not even a week left until the wedding and I haven’t even found the dress yet.” Caroline laced her arm through yours and Bonnie’s.

“Why do you think we’re here?” She beamed. They grabbed their bags and you led them into the compound where Freya invited Caroline in and Enzo stiffened uncomfortably.

“Bonnie… Caroline. How nice to see you.” He put on a tight smile and Bonnie rolled her eyes. He rubbed his hands together, signaling his discomfort. He didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with your best friends. “Well, I’m sure Y/N can show you to your rooms.” He cast you a pleading look and you smirked.

“Right this way ladies.” You led them away, the two of them turning back at Enzo and giggling. You couldn’t help but laugh along. “You guys really hate him, don’t you?” You said as soon as the door to their room was closed.

“We don’t… hate him.” Bonnie clarified. “We just-hmm.” She tried to think of the right word. Caroline kicked her shin. “Ow! What was that for?”

“If you like Enzo, we like Enzo.” Caroline promised. Bonnie nodded in skeptical agreement. “Besides, he’s the reason we get to go dress shopping, on an unlimited budget, in New Orleans.” She took your face in her hands. “You are not allowed to worry about anything. We are here now and we shall tend to everything. Right Bonnie?”

“What are bridesmaids for?” She smiled, her skepticism breaking away.

“I completely agree.” Rebekah said from the doorway. Her arms were crossed and her face held a dangerously smug look. As the maid of honor she was going to have to interact with the other bridesmaids at some point. With a quick begging glance from you, her smug look spread into a sincere smile. “And in order to do that, I suggest that we set aside our differences for the coming days. From now until the reception ends, we are nothing more than the friends and family to my dear sister Y/N.” The two girls considered this and shrugged.

“I don’t see why not.” Caroline finally said and motioned for Rebekah to come further into the room, pulling a small planner out of her suitcase. “Today is dress shopping day. While we will be at the boutique at 2:00, the boys will be taking Enzo to get his suit. After that is all taken care of, Enzo and Y/N will get to have one final date night to themselves before becoming a married couple.” You looked down at your watch.

“Well it’s only noon, so we’ll just have to find something to keep us busy until the appointment.” You suggested showing the girls around town, but you could tell Bonnie was tired from the long trip here. “Perhaps Rebekah can catch me up on everything I’ve missed down here in the quarter.”

“How about I treat us all to lunch?” Rebekah offered. “Just us girls, of course.” She winked at your two best friends, who still seemed slightly uneased by her presence. You clasped your hands together mouthing the word “Please” over and over again. Bonnie grinned, only mildly reluctant.

“So long as you’re paying.”

The four of you headed down the stairs to find Enzo surrounded by your three brothers, all looking as intimidating and menacing as ever. When he saw you, Enzo smiled nervously.

“There’s my lovely fiancé!” He exclaimed, wrapping his arm around you and looking back at your brothers with a gaze that said ‘See, I’m safe now!’. “Klaus and I were just talking about you.”

“Oh really?” You inquired, shooting Nik and deadly glare. “I would love to stay and chat, but we’ve decided to go out to lunch before we head to the Bridal Boutique this afternoon.” Enzo went pale.

“Just the four of you?” He squeaked and Kol snickered.

“Well it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride’s dress before the wedding.” You shrugged. “Besides, you have to go look at suits with my brothers.” His eyes were filled with a comical amount of fear. “Also…” You pulled him aside, though you knew everyone would be listening in. It was hard to have a private conversation in a room full of people with supernatural hearing. “Don’t you need to make a phone call?”

“I was… planning on it.” He nodded and you smacked the back of his head. “Ow! What in bloody hell was that for?”

“Call. Him.” You growled and he slumped his shoulders, groaning.

“Okay fine.” You started to walk away, but he kept his hand on your elbow. “And do you think it’s a good idea to leave me with them?” You turned to your brothers.

“Klaus will be on his best behavior, won’t you Nik.” You said, the threat of ripping him limb from limb should anything happen to Enzo in your voice. “Besides, Elijah will be there and he will keep the others in line.”

“I shall do my best.” Elijah chuckled, putting a hand on Enzo’s shoulder. He tried not to flinch.

“Great! Well we will be heading out then. I’ll see you later tonight.” You place a quick kiss on Enzo’s cheek before rushing off the girls.

The impending doom looming over him intensified as Klaus stepped forward.

“Well if they’re going out, I don’t see why we can’t get a bite to eat.” He stared menacingly at Enzo, who gulped. “Who’s hungry?”

You stood in front of the mirror, running your hands down the tulle skirt. It was a gorgeous dress, but it just wasn’t the dress. Luckily, when you came out of the dressing room, your entourage agreed with your doubts in a very vocal manner.

“No.” Rebekah shook her head, her eyes traveling up and down the length of fabric. “You look like a glorified Barbie.”

“Actually, I agree. Way too much sparkle.” Caroline quipped. Bonnie nodded. The attendant came in asking what everyone thought.

“My sister shall look nothing less than royalty.” Rebekah commanded. She pulled the woman towards her. “Find her the most elegant dress in the store, then come back and ask me.” She compelled and the woman sashayed off.

“And make sure it’s sexy!” Caroline called after her. The four of you giggled.

It was almost perfect, but a part of your heart was still aching. You knew exactly what was missing. You felt your shoulders fall and looking around, your eyes filled with tears. Caroline immediately noticed and jumped off of the couch.

“You can’t cry yet! You haven’t even picked a dress!” She whined, putting her hands on your shoulders, trying to read what was wrong. You laughed and wiped the moisture from your cheeks.

“I just wish Elena could be here. With all of us.” You had always imagined all of your friends being there if you ever got married and now… it just seemed incomplete. Bonnie nodded in agreement and held up her glass of champagne.

“To Elena.” She toasted. “I’m sure she’s watching over this from whatever weird, supernatural coma world she’s in.” The rest of you held up your glasses with small, sad smiles and echoed.

“To Elena.”

Enzo stood uncomfortably as the tailor fitted the suit onto him. The rest of the room was completely silent, with the occasional question from the tailor that Enzo would answer quickly and quietly. Klaus sat, sharpening the leg of the wooden table next to him. Elijah was flipping through the newspaper and Kol just looked bored.

“Do stop that Niklaus,” Elijah sighed. “You’re being childish.”

“Someone has to be prepared for when this all blows over.” Klaus shrugged. Enzo clenched his fists but remained silent. “Now as to how I’ll kill him, I haven’t entirely decided.”

“I think you two should be a little more excited.” Kol stood up, circling around Enzo and pointing something out to the tailor. “We are to have a new brother! Someone else to add to the family drama. To torment for the rest of our never ending lives.” He grinned. Enzo couldn’t tell if Kol was mocking him, or attempting to be sincere. From what Y/N had told him about her twin, he figured it was a bit of both and the best he was going to get.

“I’m just taking the necessary precaution for when this riff raff breaks our sister’s heart.” He threw the stake at Enzo, who barely ducked in time.

“That is it!” Enzo shouted, his temper finally getting the better of him. “I have done nothing but love Y/N for as long as I have had the pleasure of knowing her. How dare you accuse me of not meeting your standards- which, by the way, are designed for every man who comes into your sister's lives to fail. Y/N loves me and I love her and I will not stand for anyone who suggests otherwise.” The sudden outburst made all three brothers stare at Enzo in surprise. Elijah put down his paper, seeing his younger brother draw closer to the young vampire.

Enzo’s eyes widened with fear as Klaus came towards him. This was it. This was the end. And he didn’t even get to finish the suit. The hybrid leaned in close, his voice deep and mischievous.

“Now there’s the spirit I’ve heard so much about.” Klaus smirked. Enzo lowered his brows in confusion. “No need to fuss, I’m still planning your gruesome death, but for now…” He clapped his hands together. “We have a wedding to prepare for.” He tossed Enzo’s cell phone to him. “And if I remember correctly you have a phone call to make. Tell Damon I said hello.” Klaus compelled the tailor to take a break and the three Mikaelsons left the room.

Enzo sighed and dialed the number.

“What now?” Damon answered.

“I have to ask you something…” Enzo ran his fingers through his hair. Why was this so hard? Damon was probably his only friend in the living world, so he didn’t really have any other options. “You see, Y/N and I are getting married-”

“Yeah, Caroline told me.” Damon interrupted. “Congrats on becoming part of the psycho original family.”

“Damon,” Enzo snapped, growing impatient. “I’m trying to ask you to be my best man.” The other line went silent.

“Wow…” Damon blew out a breath. “I mean… yeah. Sure. Why not? I love weddings.” Changing his tone, he poured himself a drink as usual and made a mental note to get a tux. “Where are you getting married again? Is it a destination wedding, because I would love to go to Hawaii-”

“It’s in New Orleans.” Enzo said and he could hear Damon nearly choke on his drink.

“No. No way. You’re on your own.” As he went to hang up, Enzo started to beg.

“Please Damon. I know that you don’t have a great reputation with Y/N’s family, but this is really important for me.” He pleaded. With still no answer, he let out a desperate sigh. “You’re the only friend I’ve got.” Damon was quiet for a long time, having an angry debate with himself before finally answering.

“I’ll be there.”

The night was glistening with stars, along with the multitude of candles Caroline had strung about the courtyard. She had transformed the space into the perfect place for one final romantic dinner before Enzo and you tied the knot. Bonnie, Rebekah, and Freya had spent the past two hours helping you get ready. Caroline had insisted on formal- and on picking out the dress. As much as you hated to admit, your friend had impeccable taste. The dress was the perfect mix of sexy and elegant, much like the dress you had chosen earlier that day.

Enzo stood patiently outside your door, offering his arm as you finally emerged. He tried to keep his jaw from dropping.

“You look stunning.” He smiled and suddenly all of the feelings you had first felt when the two of you started dating came rushing back. All of the nerves mixed with excitement. All of the short electric bursts shooting through your skin. Everything burned brighter and lit up your face in a way that made you glow. As he led you down the stairs, your eyes glittered in the lights. Enzo couldn’t imagine you looking more beautiful than you did in that moment.

He pulled out your chair for you before taking his seat across the table. A bottle of wine waited beside a basket of fresh bread from a nearby bakery.

At first you couldn’t think of anything to say. You just twisted your pasta around and around on your fork as Enzo poured the wine. He, too, seemed to feel the awkwardness between you and he chuckled softly to himself.

“Why does it suddenly feel so much harder to talk?” He asked in a tone of amused frustration. You laughed, letting your shoulders relax as you took a sip of wine.

“I was thinking exactly the same thing.” You sighed, letting a genuine smile spread across your face. “It’s probably just the nerves for the wedding, but I can hardly breathe half the time, let alone hold a conversation.”

“It is daunting, isn’t it?” He mused, placing a hand on top of yours. “An eternity with me?”

“Frankly, I can’t think of anything better.” You smiled and raised your glass for your second toast that day. “Here’s to the next five days before the rest of our eternity.” He clinked his glass gently against yours, admiring the view before him. The candle light made a halo around your head and the flowers that Caroline had picked brought out the color of your eyes.

“You have truly outdone yourself.” Klaus told Caroline, who was standing next to him on the balcony above the couple.

“It’s their last dinner as a non-married couple.” She shrugged. “I figured a little romance was necessary.” She eyed him suspiciously. “So you’re really okay with this?”

“Okay with what?” He asked innocently, though he knew exactly what she meant. She cocked an eyebrow.

“With your sister getting married.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I mean, every time Rebekah has found a lover, he is either brutally murdered or he mysteriously vanishes.”

“I haven’t decided what I shall do with Lorenzo yet.” Klaus gave her a mischievous look and she rolled her eyes.

“He might be a handful, but Enzo is a pretty good guy. Especially when he’s with Y/N.” She thought for a second before adding. “He kind of reminds me of you.”

“Surely he doesn’t meet my grand stature.” Klaus brought her hand up to his lips. “If you would excuse me, dear Caroline, I believe I shall turn in for the night.” He saw the blush rush to her cheeks and smirked before walking away with a slight skip in his step.

As you watched your brother make his way to his room, you stood from the table and excused yourself for a moment, cutting Klaus off before he reached the door.

“Can I talk to you, Nik?” You asked and he tilted his head to the side with curiosity. You both went into the study, shutting the door behind you. Elijah had been relaxing in his favorite chair after his own romantic dinner with Hayley. He put down his book and looked at you in anticipation.

“Is something wrong?” He wondered and you shook your head.

“I have something I have been meaning to ask the two of you…” You paused, trying to think of how to phrase what you were about to say. It was one of the most important questions besides your proposal to Enzo itself. “You see… I would very much like it if- well you know Kol isn’t all that sentimental, and you both mean so much to me. You’re my brothers, for heaven’s sake! You have always been there for me no matter what trouble I found myself in.” You knew you were ranting again and took a deep breath, trying to get to the point. “I love you both so dearly and I was hoping that you would both give me away.”

At first neither brother said anything. They just stared at you as emotion filled their eyes and loving smiles appeared on their faces.

“It would be an honor.” Elijah beamed. Klaus shrugged.

“Well I suppose I have nothing else going on.” He teased. You pulled both of them into a hug, tears of joy filling your eyes. Elijah had always been there for you, but it was Klaus that you were so ecstatic about agreeing. It meant that- in his own, strange way- that he approved of you being married to Enzo. And that meant the world to you.

Elijah placed a light kiss on your forehead, Klaus doing the same, and the two pulled away.

“Now, I believe that you have a romantic dinner to get back to.” Elijah pointed out. “And we mustn't keep Lorenzo waiting.”

“Let him wait!” Klaus said draping his arm over your shoulder. “We take priority in this household.” Both you and Elijah chuckled and you kissed Klaus’ cheek.

“Elijah’s right, Nik. I should get back. Before he runs off with some trollop off the street.” You gave him a wink. Kol had told you about the suit fitting and you couldn’t help but tease Nik about it. You knew he was just being his usual over-protective self, but your fiancé had stood up to him. It made you love Enzo even more- something you didn’t even think was possible.

Keep Reading to: A Bourbon Street Wedding

General Tag: @rae-gar-targaryen; @takemepedropascal; @childhood-imagination; @mylovegoesto; @yellowbadgergirl; @itmejado; @suckmyapplejacks

#lorenzo st john #enzo st john x reader #mikaelson reader #klaus mikaelson #elijah mikaelson #rebekah mikaelson #damon salvatore #caroline forbes #klaroline #new orleans #the originals imagines #the vampire diaries imagines

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samdeancass · 3 years

Text

Sired

Requested by Anonymous

Pairing: Enzo x reader

Genre: Angst

Characters: Enzo, Y/N

Words: 1300

Description: Y/N has recently been turned with Enzo's blood and they're sired to him. However, nobody realises this until they find out they can only feed on humans.

Your eyes fluttered open and took in your surroundings. You were in the Salvatore house, lying down on a sofa in the front room. Damon and Stefan were stood at the back of the room whilst Enzo was knelt down beside you, gripping your hand.

You smiled and squoze his hand causing Enzo to jump up from his seat in surprise. “Hey, handsome. You did a good job of saving me.” A smile formed on your lips when Enzo leant down and pressed a kiss to your lips, tucking strands of hair behind your ears.

“About that, my love. There is something that you really need to know.” Damon and Stefan both stepped forward and placed comforting hands on Enzo’s shoulders. Enzo maneuvered himself onto the sofa, making sure that he was sitting across from you. He began to trace circles into the palm of your hand and began to take deep breaths to calm his nerves.

A confused look washed over your face at everybody’s weird behaviour. “It can’t be that bad, I’m alive! C’mon, you can tell me.” Enzo took a deep breath and looked at you straight in the eyes, sadness and guilt evident in his.

“Y/N, my love. When you were injured, I managed to get some of my blood in your system and I thought it was enough to save you. But you died in my arms. It was the worst pain I have ever felt.” Your head tilted to the side in confusion.

“But if I died, how come I’m here right...” Realisation dawned upon you and a swirl of emotions overcome you. “Are you saying that I’m a vampire?!” Enzo’s head hung low which confirmed what you had been thinking. You closed your eyes and tried to get a hang on your emotions, trying not to let them spill over.

A mixture of thoughts were flying around your head at the same time, you really didn’t know what to think. You sat up and placed your head in your hands, running your fingers through your hair, a trait that you exhibited when you were angry or anxious.

“What am I supposed to do? I don’t know how to live like a vampire?! How am I supposed to explain this to my family, my friends?” Tears began to fall down your face and Enzo pulled you into his chest, placing his chin on top of your head. “Don’t worry, Y/N. Me, Damon and Stefan are going to help you through this.”

“We are?” Damon was leaning against the wall when he earned a dig in the elbows from Stefan. “Ow! I mean we are!” Your tears soon turned to laughter at Damon’s reaction and you sat away from Enzo’s chest, but still keeping hold of his hand.

“Alright. What’s the first step of being a vampire?” A wide grin emerged onto Enzo’s face when he realised you were coming around to living your new life. “Well, my dear. The first step is to drink blood. I recommend human blood, it’s the best out there.”

Stefan stepped forward and crossed his arms across his chest. “Enzo, seriously! You know how much they were against that!” You jumped up from the sofa and made your way to the front door. “No, Stefan. I want to drink human blood! It’s the best out there!”

Enzo got up from his place on the sofa and followed you out of the door, giving Stefan a smug smile as he left.

Stefan stood still in place, mouth hanging open in shock. “Damon, what just happened?” Damon stepped forward and clapped Stefan on the back. “Well, brother. I’m afraid you’ve just been proved wrong.”

Stefan shook his head as Damon made his way out of the door to follow you both. “But it just doesn’t make sense. I don’t understand how Y/N could be against it one minute and goes for it the next. Unless....” Stefan’s eyes widened in realisation and shock as he came to his conclusion. Within a flash, Stefan ran out of the door and followed you into the woods.

“Now, my love. You have to be careful not to drain them entirely otherwise we’ll have a lot of dead bodies on our hands.” You nodded your head in understanding and carefully made your way through the woods until you spotted a lonely hiker through the clearing of trees.

You looked back at Enzo and he nodded, giving you the all-clear. Quietly, you snook around the trees, stepping lightly on the leaves below your feet. You were edging closer and closer towards the hiker when you heard a faint shouting in the distance. Figuring it was a party nearby, you shook your head and carried on towards your pray.

Sneaking up behind the unwilling soul, you sank your teeth into their neck and began drinking their blood, the cool liquid feeling fresh on your dried throat. “Y/N, no! Don’t! You don’t want to do this!”

You let go of the hiker and threw them to the floor. “But I do, Stefan. Human blood is the best for me!” You began to make your way further into the woods when Stefan grabbed your arm.

“No, Y/N. That’s not what you think. That’s what Enzo thinks. You’re sired to him, Y/N, which means that whatever he says to you, you believe and you will do. I don’t want you turning into something that your not.”

Enzo and Damon came running from behind Stefan. “Stefan, mate. Let go of them!” Stefan turned towards him, you still in his grasp. “I can’t Enzo, they’re sired to you. You need to break the bond.”

“I don’t know how!” Enzo threw his hands up in the air whilst Damon’s face contorted into a mixture of realisation and dread. “The only way I know how to break it is to tell them to switch their humanity off. Because Y/N loves you, when they turn their humanity off, they will no longer have feelings for you which will break the bond.” Enzo dipped his head down in sadness. “No, there’s got to be another way. I can’t lose Y/N. They’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.” Damon wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “I know, but we can’t let them keep feeding on people. Sooner or later, somebody’s going to end up dead, and that’s something that we don’t want.”

Enzo shrugged Damon’s arm off his shoulders and walked towards you, placing both of his hands on your shoulders. Tears began to stream down his face as he took in each and every feature of your face. “Y/N, do you know how much I love you?” You tilted your head to the side in confusion but nodded your head in response. “Then you know that I’m only asking you to do this because I love you and I know that you wouldn’t want to hurt anybody.”

You placed a hand on Enzo’s cheek and rubbed your thumb across his stubble. He leaned into the warmth of your hand and kissed your palm, closing his eyes. “Alright, my love. This is it. I’m going to need you to switch off your humanity, but please remember the person that you used to be. The person that everybody loves and adores. You’re not a monster, Y/N, you’re the person that I love.”

When he opened his eyes, he was met with a stone-cold expression on your face, instead of the warm, loving one he was faced with moments ago. Seeing that expression on your face completely shattered his heart. In that moment, he knew that the love that you once felt for him was gone.

Within a split second, you were gone, vanished. Enzo knelt down on the ground and sobbed. He didn’t know whether he was going to see you again, or whether you were ever going to love him again.

Tags: @akshi8278 @stellastyless

#enzo #enzo x reader #lorenzo st. john #lorenzo st. john fanfiction #lorenzo st. john imagine #lorenzo x reader #enzo imagine #enzo fanfiction #the vampire diaries #the vampire diaries fanfiction #the vampire diaries imagine #tvd #tvd imagine #tvd fanfiction #stefan salvatore #damon salvatore

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cevans16 · 3 years

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I’m a Lucky Fan

Summary: Sebastian has had feelings for you but has always kept them hidden.

You and Sebastian were about to walk on stage for a two hour long show, you guys were costars for the Marvel films, him as Bucky and you played an assassin. You had feelings for him but never wanted to cross that line since you were costars and you weren’t sure he felt the same way. He had always been nice to you but that was it. Sebastian was beyond in love with you but he didn’t think you felt that way about him. You two were assigned to be together for the Marvel tour and it had been a blast so far, without you both knowing, you two were falling in love more with each other.

“Welcome to the Late Night Show! Tonight we have two of Marvel’s finest heroes, the beautiful (Y/N) and Sebastian Stan!!” The crowd erupted in excitement, you walked in first with Sebastian right behind you, you both waved at the audience and sat down next to each other on the couch. “Thank you for having us!” you said to the host, “No thank YOU both for coming! I’m glad we have you guys for the entire show! I’m surprised you two are paired up now since you (Y/N) have always been paired with Evans and Hemsworth.” Sebastian laughed, “Well it was about time because her and the Chris’ are nothing but trouble”, “Hey! We are not that bad” you said defensively. “They wanted to change the atmosphere, apparently Sebastian is too quiet so they brought me” you said bowing jokingly. “Whatever” he smiled but a crimson color painted his cheeks.

“Okay, so before we get into Marvel, let’s first start with you (Y/N), you’re currently starring in The Vampire Diaries as Olivia, how’s that going? You’re a vampire right?”, you smiled at the host nodding along, “Yes, I’m one of the vampires and it’s been amazing, I love the whole vampire, werewolf stuff, it’s been so much fun playing a vampire, it’s messy and gory and I love it” you responded giddily. “So you’re filming both a Marvel movie and show, how’s that going?”, “Not as crazy as you think but I did have a minor incident where it somewhat overlapped” you chuckled, “Care to elaborate?”, “Oh gosh” Sebastian said since he knew what had happened. “Well I was filming early for Vampire Diaries and then right after I would have to leave for Marvel but one time I did not clean up well and I scared the daylights out of one of our stylists” you explained cracking up at the memory, “I wasn’t able to wipe off the fake blood so when I took off my shirt I still had some on and she freaked! She thought I was seriously bleeding!” everyone laughed about it, “Alright let’s see a little bit of you in action for The Vampire Diaries”.

-Scene One-

Pyscho Killer by The Talking Heads cued on showing New York city late at night, your character Olivia appeared on screen, smirking and turning to face Damon Salvatore, you walked up to an innocent man who was walking down the street, you stood in front of him, “May I help you?” he asked, “Yes, I’m rather hungry” you replied deviously. Then the man’s neck snaps and Damon appears behind him, “Ladies first” he gestured towards the corpse, you smiled at him, kneeling to feed on the man, the camera pins on you with blood dripping down your mouth and chin, “You were right Damon, New York is the perfect place to feed”.

-Scene Two-

Wait by M83 plays, your character Olivia walks in towards the Salvatore's’ special place in the cemetery, you went there feeling alone since Damon had been thrown into another world where you weren’t sure he would ever come back from. You spotted his little brother Stefan sitting on a bench dousing bourbon. You lightly knocked on the wall to make your presence known, “Hey...sorry I was feeling-”, “Lonely” he finished your sentence, you nodded, he motioned you over offering you some bourbon. You took the bottle but sat on the floor instead, you took a sip, feeling your eyes water even more. “I miss him” Stefan said, “I do too”. “You know Stefan....I know your brother loves Elena”.....”I’d rather live in a world where Damon loves Elena than live in one where he is not here” you said breaking down in sobs. Stefan took the bottle from you, you saw him throw it towards the wall but it didn’t break, you turned towards it thinking it was odd and you were met with Damon himself. You got up slowly, you were sure the bourbon hadn’t affected you yet but it shocked you seeing him, “Damon?” you said walking up to hug him tightly and give him a peck on his right cheek.

-Scene Three-

“Olivia it would be best if you turned your humanity off” Damon said to your character. Damon, your character Olivia, and one of Damon’s best friends Enzo were siphoned to a long living creature. Damon had turned off his humanity to make the killings easier, Enzo and you had decided not to but your character had always been in love with Damon, hearing him convince you to turn it off, you turned to Enzo, “I’m sorry Enz, he’s right though” you shut your eyes for a second before opening them again, the same look from the night in New York city appeared on your face. You smirked at the two men, “Let’s go” you walked a step ahead of them, the camera pointing to you three looking badass.

The screen shut off and the crowd cheered at the previews that you were in. “So does Olivia end up with Damon?” the host asked, “I don’t know I guess we’ll find out!” you teased, “I know I know, you are INCREDIBLE in this show by the way. You and Ian Somerhalder have amazing and intense chemistry!”, you nodded and blushed slightly, “Yes he is a great actor and the perfect person to play this bad boy Damon Salvatore, he is such a good friend as well”, “Friend? So you and Ian are not dating?”, Sebastian felt his heart drop at the sound of that question, he wanted you to be happy but he hoped you weren’t dating, the videos that he just saw showed how you and Ian were amazing as Damon and Olivia. “No no, nothing more than just costars that have amazing chemistry” you explained, “Like you and Sebastian” the host joked causing you to blush.

“Alright before we head onto Marvel, (Y/N) we have one lucky fan who would loved to get ‘bit’ by you” they joked, “Bring them on then!” you said. Someone from the staff brought you a vampire kit that included teeth and a blood bag. You opened it to add on the glue to the teeth, you could hear Sebastian chuckling beside you, “Man are you an expert” he teased, “Well I have been a vampire for quite some time”, you added them onto your own teeth, the one on the left moved but Sebastian was quick to hold it in place rather roughly, “Owww you can’t just shove it in Sebastian” you laughed, “That’s what she said” he replied, “Yeah but not to YOU” you teased causing him to grin and blush even more. The crowd egged you two on, “Okay now for the blood” you tried to open the bag but couldn’t, “Can my handsy man help a girl out?” you asked Sebastian, he got it open for you and handed it back. You poured some in your mouth letting it ooze down your chin and neck, you wiped your hands with a towel and then looked up to give a seductive vampire smile.

“So who’s the lucky fan?” you asked, “Well he is sitting right next to you”, you turned to Sebastian who was nodding along until it registered in his head that they meant him, “What? No I didn’t ask for this”, “Come on, my victims normally don’t when I turn off my humanity” you joked. Sebastian licked his lips in nervousness as you got up to get closer to him, “Okay here’s the money shot” the host joked. “Are you okay?” you asked Sebastian to make sure he was in fact okay with this skit, he nodded. “Okay it’ll only hurt for a bit” you teased, you put one hand on shoulder and the other one slightly around his neck before you dove in to “bite” him but really you gave him a small kiss so no one would suspect, you heard him groan lightly causing you to laugh and get up. There was Sebastian with fake blood on his neck and a lipstick stain. The crowd went wild.

The rest of the show was uneventful, they had helped you clean up and continue to then talk about upcoming Marvel movies. When it was finally over you walked towards your dressing room when you heard Sebastian call for you. You turned to face him, “Hey sorry if that was too much” you said shyly, “No no, uhmmm I actually wanted to apologize but I had no say in that, do you want to get a drink after this?” he asked. “Yeah of course!”, “More like a date....” he added. You smiled at him, “You like me Sebastian?”, “I do a lot actually” he said walking closer to you. You brought him in for a small kiss on his cheek, “I like you too” you said happily. It was the start of something new, “I do gotta say though, I’m a lucky fan” he added winking at you.

#Sebastan Stan Imagines #Sebastian Stan Imagine #Sebastian Stan x Reader #Sebastian Stan #Marvel

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peralta-guaranteed · 3 years

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i randomly remembered when enzo broke his arm around a year ago, i know it sounds mean but could you possibly do one of mac/maya doing the same (nothing major to cause it)

"It's okay." Amy hears herself repeat the phrase for probably the hundredth time now. "It's okay." It's probably supposed to calm them all down, all three adults and one little crying, screaming boy in the car, but it's barely working.

"It's not!" Jake hisses into her direction, the fear and panic and worry in his eyes more than obvious as he clutches Mac's head against his shoulder some more, tightens the grip around his back.

"It's gonna be, though." Rosa says from the driver's seat in front - she was clearly the calmest of all of them after what happened, so she'd grabbed Amy's purse, pulled their car keys out of it, and then pushed all three of them into the backseat before starting the car. And now she was making her way to the emergency wing of the hospital at about 15mp/h higher than allowed in the inner city. "The arm's broken, but not in a bad way. It's gonna heal."

"How can a bone break in a good way?" Asks the man who once stated that as long as his blood was still inside him, things were obviously good. Mac starts wailing a little louder in his arms.

"You're stressing him out." Rosa states, matter-of-fact, before slowing down just a little before a right turn so the kid in Jake's arms doesn't get jostled too much.

"It hurt." Mac sniffles and looks over at Amy with the reddest, most tear-filled eyes she's ever seen, and it takes a lot not to cry with him.

"It's gonna be okay, peanut. The doctors like uncle Jorge are going to fix it." She tries to calm him, and maybe Jake a little bit, who nods and scratches through Mac's hair like he does when he's trying to lull him into sleep.

-*-

They make it to the emergency room in record time, frankly, and if Rosa's rushed past some traffic lights and speed radars, Amy's not going to complain once the tickets come in the mail.

A bored-looking nurse informs them that there’s only enough space for one parent in the room during the x-ray and the cast and treatment, and Jake wants to debate for the first time in his life, because that’s obviously bullshit, but Amy puts a hand on his arm and then lifts Mac out of them.

“Sit with Rosa”, she says in that voice she’s started using after Mac, that mom-voice that’s always right, “Calm down, and we’ll be back before you know it. And it’s all going to be fine.”

She’s off with the crying toddler and nurse before Jake can really protest, and Rosa is already sitting in a corner of the waiting area, so he drops down next to her instead and buries his head in his hands.

“Dude, you’re blowing this out of proportion. Kids hurt themselves all the time. He’s gonna bounce back like always.”

“I broke his arm, Rosa.”

There’s a beat of silence between them as the weight of that statement settles. Rosa gives up her nonchalant pose to lean forward as well, trying to get into Jake’s field of vision, but it’s kinda hard when he’s staring down onto the floor.

“You did not.” She hisses. “Jake, you didn’t. He fell. He was climbing. It happens.”

“I helped him up on that tower, he’s too little for it-”

“It’s on the playground, he was gonna go for it eventually-”

“I was right next to him-”

“So were Amy and I-”

“You were talking-”

“So at least you were paying better attention-”

“I coulda grabbed him, I shoulda-”

“You did what you could, immediately and without question. It’s not your fault the kid drops faster than a cannonball.” Rosa ends their little squabble, and the old lady across them lets out a little harrumph, but Rosa shoots her the deadliest glare she can muster, which means a lot. “You were over there in a flash, Jake, I’ve never seen you move so fast.”

“Wasn’t fast enough. Wasn’t good enough.” He mumbles into his hands, rubbing across his face and his hair that’s already a mess. Rosa watches him for a moment, and calculates. Pieces together the evidence, like she does as a detective, and comes to a solution that most people probably won’t like, but those usually get her results.

“Do you want to leave?” She asks, and he looks at her like she’s grown a second head. “Amy’s got it under control, she told you. It’s probably gonna take a while, anyway, we can dip out for a drink to calm down and come back and they’ll be none the wiser.”

“Are you insane?!” Jake hisses back now, giving her exactly the reaction she’d expected. “I’m not going to leave my son in the hospital to go to a bar-”

He stops and stares at her, and it seems like his own detective brain is finally catching up with his panicked dad brain, because he sees what she’s doing. So she nods.

“You’re still good. You’re still better.” She says, and they don’t need to mention who he’s better than. It was the first of his stories that he told her, after he hurt something in his wrist at the academy - how that wrist never really healed right anyway, not since he was 5 and Bobby Linder drove over it with his tricycle by accident and his mom had to rush him to the hospital and his dad asked ‘what is that?’ with beer on his breath when he showed him the cast later. They’d known each other for barely a month back then, and Rosa was still refusing to think of anyone as her friend, but the way he’d looked at his wrist in its bandage and smiled the most broken smile she’d ever seen had set something off in her head. Something that yelled Protect at her every time he mentioned his dad later, something that made her threaten Roger Peralta with one of her knives after their graduation when Jake was in the bathroom ‘real quick’, but she knew he was hiding in there so no one could see his hands shake. Good thing Rosa never gave a damn about going into the men’s toilets anyway, because she sure as hell went after him when Roger had dipped out as usual.

She watches Jake’s tense shoulders drop with another sigh.

“Being better doesn’t make me good. That bar is set so fucking low.”

“I’m not having this entire discussion with you again, Peralta. We’ve been through this way too many times anyway. You. are. a. good. dad. One accident doesn’t change that.”

“Okay.” He nods, and she can tell he’s trying to imprint her words into his brain, so she continues.

“Mac’s going to hurt himself, and others are going to hurt him, and things are gonna go bad sometimes. You’ll probably be back here in the hospital a few times, considering how much he seems to love danger. And it’s going to be okay, just like Amy said, because you’re going to be there, and you’ll help him through it, and take care of him while he heals.”

“Yeah.” He nods again, and Rosa leans closer to him some more, and finally gets into his field of vision.

“And you’re not going to even think, for one second, that you could be anywhere as bad of a father as that piece of shit. And you’re not going to believe, whatever anyone says, that Mac doesn’t know how lucky he is to have you as a dad.”

He nods a third time, and she remembers how he jokingly told her once, after a few drinks, that the little screaming voice of conscience in his head always alternates between either Amy’s voice or her voice. She hopes she’s given him some new tracks to replay if he needs to.

“Thank you, Rosa.” He says, and leans back in the most uncomfortable chair either of them have sat in, and they’ve both been to prison. He tilts over when she leans back too, lands his head on her shoulder, and she doesn’t shrug him off for once. She can have a soft spot for the Santiago-Peraltas when no one else is there to see, she supposes.

“You looked like you wanted to punch out that nurse.” She says with a quick grin, and hears him snort.

“Was thinking about it. Not enough space for two parents, what kind of bullshit is that?!”

“You couldn’t throw a proper punch anyway.”

“Hey, I know how to hit people. I trained to do it just as much as you.”

They share a giggle as the exhaustion and stress of the last hour flows out of them, and the old lady across them seems mildly shocked rather than annoyed by now, but who cares.

-*-

Amy comes back with Mac in her arms an hour later, and they’re both all smiles. Mac sports an impressive new sticker collection on his shirt, and a lollipop that’s painting his lips orange. (Amy’s have a slight tint to them as well.)

The cast on his arm is bright green, and he carefully lifts it to show Jake as he switches from his Mama’s arms into his. (Jake had jumped up from his chair so fast he almost threw Rosa, who was also getting up, to the ground.)

“Like ninja!” he says around the lollipop, and Amy wipes a bit of spit away before it can drop on Jake’s shirt.

“Yeah, just like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, buddy.” Jake nods because of course he understands his kid’s train of thought better than anyone else, and kisses Mac’s temple, stays there a second longer for that perfect toddler scent, even as it’s mixed with hospital disinfectant and playground mud.

“Look, RoRo!” Mac yells into his ear and leans over to show Rosa as well. “Turtle shell!”

“That’s pretty cool, dude.” Aunt RoRo answers as she inspects the cast to see if it’s well done or if she has to go back there and punch out a nurse herself. “Let’s get you three home.” She says after concluding that the cast is acceptable enough to let the poor hospital workers alone.

-*-

She was planning to drop them off, park their car and then head for the precinct where her bike is waiting for her, but Amy invited her up for some coffee for ‘her nerves’, and Jake offered dinner as a thanks, and Mac absolutely needed to show her the new toy he got in that package from abuela, and then suddenly she’s on a playmat on the floor for an hour after Chinese takeout and pretending to be a Ninja Tortoise or whatever. That soft spot is gonna be more trouble than it’s worth, she thinks for a second before Mac smiles at her as his Jedi figure shoots lasers at her turtle doll, and immediately realises it’s worth so much more than any trouble. Mac looks at his cast a little worried, whenever he thinks no one is watching him, and god, could he be any more like his dad? At least she and Amy already have a good instructions booklet on how to handle him, in that case.

“That green cast is pretty cool.” She says when she catches him look once more. “But you know what would make it even cooler? Drawings.”

“Drawies? On my arm?”

“Yeah, buddy. We can draw on it with a sharpie.”

He’s up and running to Amy, asking for a sharpie, in no time at all and yep, he is just as easily distracted as his dad. Mac grins wide and unworried now as he climbs on Jake’s lap on the couch, asks Amy to draw something when she returns with a set of markers, calls Rosa over to draw something too.

Amy does a little bear, his favourite animal at the moment. Rosa does a rocket ship and a pirate ship, the two best ships in the world, as they both agree. Jake does a Ninja Turtle cartoon face yelling PIZZA!, which is obviously Mac’s absolute favourite the moment it’s done.

When Jake wants to cap the Sharpie after his work of art, Mac grabs his hand and pulls it back down. “Steady, peanut. Don’t wanna scribble over Aunt RoRo’s cool ship, right?” He says with a grin over to her as she rolls her eyes. Mac’s already tried to cover several walls, most of his storytime books, and the kitchen table with his drawings as soon as he’s handed any sort of writing tool, so Jake won’t let go of the marker just to be safe, but he does let Mac’s little hand guide his big one as he makes him draw a wonky heart, right on the cast over the back of his hand, and then places a kiss on the same place on Jake’s hand.

You’re not going to believe, whatever anyone says, that Mac doesn’t know how lucky he is to have you as a dad the little Rosa voice in Jake’s head repeats as he smiles at her, and she actually smiles back.

#B99 #Brooklyn 99 #Peraltiago #Jake Peralta #Amy Santiago #mac peralta #auntie roro #rosa diaz #my writing #ficlet

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lalainajanes · 3 years

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For Klarosummerbingo! This square was "suspicious ranch hand"

Leave The Roads, Take The Trails

Two years after her mother’s passing, about twelve years after her father left, livestock begin to go missing.

The first month it’s just one, a calf that’s been struggling. They might not have noticed, except Bonnie’s been checking up on the calf every morning. Initially, Caroline’s not too concerned. She rides out with Enzo, finds a trail of blood that leads to a sagging fence, blood droplets leading into the woods. They fix it, and she assumes the problem’s solved.

Except the next month, they lose a yearling, a cow, and three of her most productive chickens. Caroline begins to grow concerned. The ranch sustains them, but she’s working hard to turn more of a profit, well aware that the salaries she’s paying Enzo and Bonnie are meager, that the temporary workers she relies on in the spring and during the harvest are far from the best of the best. Her savings are thin, and even a medium-sized disaster would obliterate them.

Caroline cleans her mother’s old shotgun, rides into town for another box of ammo, internally wincing as she passes over her coins. Every night for two weeks, she patrols, a herding dog or two at her side, ears straining for anything out of the ordinary.

The nights are quiet, cold, and uneventful.

Most mornings, she almost falls asleep into her porridge. Bonnie and Enzo try to make her go to bed, but Caroline’s not about to shirk the morning chores. The ranch bears her name, and it’s her responsibility. She grabs a nap in the afternoon, insists that she’s fine, even when her eyes are gritty and her body feels heavy with exhaustion. In the early evenings, while there’s still light, she and Enzo work on reinforcing the fences.

After two weeks with nary an issue, Caroline decides the patrols are no longer necessary and eases back into her routine.

After a particularly great night’s sleep, she bounds into the kitchen, feeling energized even though it’s her turn to make breakfast – her most hated chore. Enzo’s just coming in the backdoor, hat in hand, face grim. His shirt sleeves are rolled up, damp streaks on his jeans, which means he’d washed up in one of the rainwater barrels before coming inside.

Caroline stops abruptly while braiding back her hair. “What happened?”

“Lost a bull this time. Two of the lambs.”

Her teeth clench, and she has the urge to slam her boot heel into the floor as if she were still a child and not a grown woman of twenty-six. Caroline takes in a breath through her teeth. “Damn it; I should never have stopped patrolling.”

Enzo smiles sympathetically, tries to make a joke, “It was a full moon last night. Maybe you’ve got a local werewolf.”

Caroline doesn’t laugh. She stiffens, eyes widening, cursing her stupidity. Her father will be disappointed if he ever hears about this; he’d insisted she learn to track the moon phases when she was young. It’s a habit that’s waned.

Her father had left upon reading about a series of suspicious deaths in Chicago. Said he’d be back once he eliminated the brazen vampire, but he’d found another soon after. Caroline’s accepted that her father likes being a vampire hunter more than a rancher.

If she’s honest, she rather enjoys her lack of parental judgment.

Her complacency comes down to the fact that she’d been told that there hadn’t been a werewolf in the area since the last Lockwood had picked up and set out for the city.

The gossip mill in town would have gone wild if a founding family member had returned so it can’t be Tyler or his father or uncle. That doesn’t mean a stranger hasn’t recently moved or isn’t passing through.

Enzo interprets her shock differently, patting her arm to offer comfort. “It’ll be alright. We’ll put in some more work on the fences, yeah? Make them higher on the wooded side. Why don’t I take your turn at breakfast?”

She forces a smile, “Would you? I need to have a quick chat with Bon.”

If they’ve got a werewolf, it’ll be better if Bonnie explains to Enzo anyway. Enzo had been a drifter who’d shown up looking for a couple of weeks of work eight months ago. Caroline strongly suspects he’s stuck around so long for the pleasure of Bonnie’s company.

“Of course. She’s out with the horses. Don’t be too long, yeah? My pancakes are better hot.”

* * * * *

When Sheila Bennett had died, Bonnie had been left with little. Once Grams was buried, the debt collector’s filled their pockets. The crumbling house Bonnie had grown up in, a small patch of land, and nothing else. The Bennett homestead was adjacent to the Forbes’ land, and Grams had been helping with the Forbes’ animals for years, soothing sickness and healing wounds. Bonnie had been barely fourteen, with no other family, and Caroline’s mother had offered Bonnie a place in their home.

“Bon?” Caroline calls, walking into the barn.

“Back here!” she calls out, and Caroline makes her way to the farthest stall, finds Bonnie brushing out Persephone, her favorite mare. “You saw Enzo?” Bonnie asks when Caroline’s close enough that she no longer needs to shout.

“Yeah. Question, does he know that you’re a witch?”

Bonnie pauses, throws Caroline a look as if she’s insane to ask. “Of course not.”

“Why ‘of course not?’ You must know he’s stupid for you. You could probably tell him you needed his assistance in a naked moon ritual, and he’d be out of his pants before you finished your sentence.”

“I don’t do naked moon rituals.”

“I know that, but he doesn’t. Could be a good way to move on from those intimate fireside chats you two are so fond of.”

She’s teasing or trying to, but Bonnie’s expression remains serious. “I’m not going to tell him. We can’t afford for him to leave.”

It would be a struggle, but they’d make do. She and Bonnie had survived worse. “You mean you don’t want him to leave.”

Bonnie turns away, and Caroline follows, helping when Bonnie heaves a saddle off the wall. “He’s not Jeremy Gilbert,” Caroline says, quieter now. She can’t guarantee it, of course, but she suspects Enzo’s loyalty is a stubborn thing once given.

Bonnie doesn’t reply; Caroline decides to table the subject. Possibly until such a time when she can ply Bonnie with liquor and sweets, until she’s a little more loose-lipped. “Well. Turns out we might have a werewolf.”

Bonnie sighs, “I think so too.” She gives Persephone an affectionate pat, “I’ll ride out with you after breakfast and see if I can sense any trace of magic. Is there anything you can send Enzo to town for?”

“I’m sure I can think of something.”

A jangling rings out, causing Caroline to jump because they rarely bother with the dinner bell. She nudges Bonnie, then throws the saddle over Persephone’s back. “C’mon, let’s hurry up. Enzo offered to cover breakfast, and he obviously wants it appreciated.”

“He does cook better than either of us.”

“But we’re not going to tell him that; he’d be insufferable.”

Bonnie laughs, finally, and a bit of Caroline’s earlier good mood returns.

* * * * *

At the next full moon, Caroline’s prepared. She has her mother’s rifle and two revolvers her father had left behind, one loaded with silver bullets. It’s a contingency should the worst happen, and the werewolf gets close enough to hurt her. She’d rather not kill a person just because they happen to transform into a wolf once a month. They might be perfectly lovely otherwise.

She tucks a knife into her boot, straps on the rifle.

Enzo’s leaning against the water trough, watching her worriedly. “I still think you should stay here.”

Caroline rolls her eyes. “And I think that’s adorable, but I’m a better shot than you are. I’ll be fine.”

She’s taking the perimeter tonight, leaving Enzo and Bonnie to guard the house and the barn. Bonnie’s enchanted the bracelets Caroline wears under her leather coat. She’d picked up a signature last month and connected it to the jewelry. Bonnie’s spell should help point Caroline in the right direction.

She’s slightly annoyed at Enzo, suspects he doesn’t quite believe them about the werewolf. Bonnie has yet to confess she’s a witch, likely sensing the same thing and sinking deeper into her doubts about Enzo’s steadfastness. Bonnie’s withdrawn from Enzo, tends to flee when he enters a room. He’s grown moodier in response, and Caroline’s had the strong urge to smack some sense into him a time or two.

She still needs to get Bonnie drunk, too. Hopefully, she’ll solve the werewolf problem tonight, and then she can devote more attention to matchmaking.

Which is different than meddling, in Caroline’s expert opinion.

Caroline sets her foot into a stirrup once her weapons are accounted for and swings herself up into the saddle. Enzo’s arms are crossed, she’s tempted to tell him to stop pouting, but she knows he’s only worried about her. She smiles, settles in, “Don’t let any more of my animals get eaten, okay? And make sure Bonnie gets a decent dinner. She’s been working hard lately.”

Bon’s insisted on putting up additional protections. She hides it, but Caroline knows that’s exhausting.

Enzo nods, serious, “Aye, aye, Captain.”

“Hmm, I kinda like the sound of that. Maybe a little salute? Could be fun.”

He fights it but Caroline spies a small smile. “Don’t let it get to your head.” He hands her the bag she’d packed, taking the reigns while Caroline gets it situated. “Be careful out there, will you?”

“Promise. I’ll be back at first light.”

Possibly not alone, but she’s not going to tell Enzo that.

He’d only worry more.

* * * * *

The bracelet on her left arm warms first, and Caroline urges the horse in that direction. By the time she reaches the gate that opens into the forest, the bracelet’s practically humming. She’s not surprised; Bonnie had said the most potent traces of the werewolf had come from the area. Werewolves are, at least according to her father’s lessons, creatures of habit. Caroline turns the horse around, leading him to a patch of grass that should keep him occupied. She hops off, tying off the reigns so the horse won’t trip while he grazes. She unbuckles the saddlebags and walks back to the gate, hanging them on a fence post.

Then she grimaces, reaches in, and pulls out a hunk of beef that she would much rather be using for a hearty dinner. Caroline winds up and heaves it as far as she can, reaching in for another handful. Once the meat’s been thrown, she cleans her hands as best she can with a splash of water from her canteen and a handkerchief. She then sinks to her knees, propping her shotgun between the fence slats, and settles in to wait.

Bonnie’s magic warns her when the werewolf approaches, the metal on her wrist heating until it nearly hurts. Caroline rips it off and tenses, squinting into the darkness, taking careful, even breaths. She hears leaves rustle, underbrush crunching. She swallows a shocked noise when the wolf first lumbers out of the treeline.

She’d known it would be larger than the typical wolf but knowing is different than seeing. The werewolf is enormous.

Its fur is fairly pale, a sandy brown, making it easier to see under the moonlight.

Caroline’s next inhale is shaky, and she lets her finger rest on the shotgun’s trigger. The wolf eats the meat she’d provided, sitting down when it’s gone. Caroline’s muscles are starting to ache with the effort of staying so still.

Best case scenario, the wolf is satisfied with the meal she’d provided and lopes back into the forest. Then, Caroline can continue with her discreet inquiries in town. Three people have moved to town recently; a family’s taken up residence in the old Salvatore ranch. The werewolf must be among the newcomers; she’s just got to figure out the most likely suspect.

Tonight, luck is not on her side.

The wolf’s head tips up as he sniffs the air. Caroline hears hooves faintly, just behind her, much closer than they should be.

The wolf stalks closer, unmistakably hunting, and Caroline silently curses, carefully lining up her shot.

She catches the wolf’s shoulder just before it leaps, and she cringes at the high-pitched yelp of pain it emits. She fires another shot, wide this time, hitting a tree. It’s enough to scare the wolf away, and it retreats, limping into the forest.

Her horse nudges at her pack, and Caroline sighs, sitting down in a more comfortable position. She digs out an apple, takes a bite before offering it to her horse. “I hope you know; I just saved you from being dinner.”

The horse is unbothered, only concerned with his treat.

* * * * *

Once the last trace of the night sky recede, Caroline treks into the woods. She’s careful to keep her footsteps silent, has one pistol loosely clutched in her hand.

The one loaded with silver sits heavily at the small of her back. The bracelet guides her though she likely would have been able to track without it. She spots blood at a few points, a streak against a tree here, a few drops decorating the grass there, and there’s a distinct set of prints.

Guilt churns in Caroline’s stomach, but she tells herself her aim was good – she’d learned to shoot as soon as her hands were big enough, her mother had insisted she become even more proficient when Caroline had been a teenager. She’s beaten every boy her age in town at the summer fair, most of the men older than her too.

It had to have been a clean shot.

So caught up in her anxious musings, she almost misses the body in the clearing.

Caroline crouches low to the ground and tucked behind the trunk of a thick maple. She catches the relieved breath before it exits her mouth when she sees the steady rise and fall of the man’s chest.

A fairly nice one, not that she’s leering.

He looks like he’s resting, his hand clutched over his shoulder. There’s blood but not what Caroline thinks is a life-threatening amount. He must have healed some in werewolf form.

She hadn’t put much thought into this particular portion of her plan, something she regrets now. She’s confident he’s not a threat, naked and injured as he is, so she tucks the gun away.

Caroline stands, runs a hand over her hair, dislodging a few bits of leaves. She strides forward, no longer taking care to be sneaky. “Good morning!” she calls cheerfully as if they’re meeting at the market.

The man scrambles to a sitting position, dragging himself back with his uninjured arm. Caroline lifts her hands so he can see them, turning so he’s no longer in her line of sight. “Sorry!” she says, “didn’t mean to startle you. I did mean to shoot you, but I’m sorry for that too. You’ve already eaten too many of my animals.”

He clears his throat, “Miss,” he says, something stern in the tone even though his voice comes out a hoarse scratch, “What are you doing out here?”

She scoffs, “I should be asking you that. This is my land. Why are you on it? And without a stitch of clothing on?”

There’s a lengthy pause. “I assure you, there is a perfectly logical explanation.”

He’s not quick to supply it, and Caroline takes pity on him. She tosses her pack behind her in his general direction. “There’s clothes in there, clean handkerchiefs in the front pocket. You’re welcome to them.” He doesn’t reply, but she hears cloth rustling, assumes he’s taken her invitation. “Let me know when you’re decent.”

He makes a noise, soft and amused. His motions seem to hasten.

She’s relieved he seems willing to hear her out, at least. Or perhaps the blood loss has made him more pliable. Caroline suspects she knows who he is, but she’d rather not have to chase him down in town.

No need to invite gossip.

“You can turn around now.”

Caroline whirls. She’d filched the clothing from Enzo, and it hangs a bit on the stranger. He’s left several of the shirt’s buttons undone, has bunched up the linen she’d offered, and his hand presses it to his wound.

Katherine Pierce, who owns the saloon in town, had described one of the newcomers as “pompous but easy on the eyes” before talking up his physical charms. Her descriptions, many of them borderline lewd, fit this man to a tee.

“Klaus Mikaelson, I presume?”

His brows rise in surprise, “Correct. And you are?”

“Caroline Forbes. I own this land, the ranch to the east. And the livestock you’ve been snacking on for the last two months.”

His eyes narrow, shoulders straightening, and his gaze grows cool and dismissive. Caroline understands where ‘pompous’ had come from. “I have no idea what you’re speaking of.”

She doesn’t try to hide her annoyed sigh. She grabs one of her revolvers, the weightier one. Caroline flips open the chamber and shakes out one of the silver bullets. “Catch,” she says, tossing it at Klaus’ face.

His hand flies up automatically, and he hisses in pain once his fist closes around the silver. He throws it aside, shaking his hand.

Her point made, Caroline stows the gun again. “You’re a werewolf. I’m fully aware of the existence of werewolves. Let’s move along to the real issues, shall we?”

Klaus doesn’t look happy about it, but he nods stiffly.

And because Caroline’s not a total monster, she offers and assurance first. “I won’t tell anyone.”

He doesn’t respond, but he seems in no hurry to leave, apparently intent on studying her person.

Caroline wishes she looked slightly more put together if she’s honest.

She tips her head in the direction she’d come from. “Why don’t we head back to my place? My friend Bonnie’s a witch; she’ll be able to make sure those wounds heal right up. I’ll even throw in breakfast.”

He appears mystified. “I’m a werewolf, love.”

“And? We’ve established that.”

“I’m dangerous.”

She laughs. Klaus remains unamused.

“I’ve got five more bullets that can kill you, another gun and a knife for good measure. You’re not even wearing shoes, and I can hear your stomach growling.”

“It’s improper. Your reputation…”

“Oh, that was tarnished ages ago,” Caroline informs him breezily. “Matt Donovan, have you met him? I think he’s the Sheriff’s Deputy now. I fell hard and fast for his pretty blue eyes when I was seventeen, and everyone knows about the time we were caught sneaking back into the church at the Founder’s Day picnic. My dress was horribly grass-stained. He bumbled through a marriage proposal the next day, but I let him down easy.”

Klaus blinks, mouth slightly ajar.

That may have been more information than he needed, but she’s forgotten how fun it is to be shocking. Caroline generally minds her manners in town and pours on her considerable charm so people will buy from her, or trade, with a minimum of fuss. It’s only at home that she can be free and genuinely herself.

“My parents were wildly eccentric,” Caroline continues, “so really, I had no chance with the snobbier townsfolk.”

Klaus opens his mouth like he’s going to offer another argument, and of course, he’s stubborn.

Caroline’s confident she’s more than a match in that department.

She spins away before he can say anything else. “We can do this again next month if you like, gunshot wound and all, probably. You’ve returned to the same spot three times. Seems like a pattern, doesn’t it?”

She hums a tune, meanders away like she has all the time in the world.

Caroline counts to four before she hears Klaus’ footsteps following her.

#klarosummerbingo #klaroline #klaroline fanfiction #just fun ignore the anachronisms #i told myself that these would be in the 2k range here #I should know better by now lol

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tngrace · 3 years

Text

Bright Lights, Big City

This is for one of my best friends in the whole world. Today is her birthday and I wanted to write something for her. I hope you love it boo, @justkillingtimewhileiwait

read here on A03; 911 LS masterlist

The Strand-Reyes household always looked forward to the two weeks before Christmas. TK and Carlos had kept with tradition even in their newest positions as paramedic and detective and saved vacation for the week of Christmas and New Years. This year they were leaving the day after Christmas really early in the morning to go to NYC to visit Gwyn. It was the first time the family was travelling to NYC and there was a lot of excitement and a lot of anxiety. Carlos had never flown before and he was a little anxious about it if he were being honest. TK assured him it would be fine, but Carlos wasn’t sure he believed him.

Christmas Day was eventful as always. Gabriel, Andrea, and Owen came over for breakfast and to watch the kids open presents. Later in the afternoon, the rest of the crew and Carlos’s partner came over for dinner and to play with the kids. Carlos and TK took the time the kids were occupied with their aunts and uncles to finish the last minute packing. “TK are you sure about this? Ryder hasn’t been feeling the best, airports are going to be so crowded, it’s snowing in NYC, and what if the flights are delayed or….”

TK cradles Carlos’s face. “Deep breath babe.” They take a couple of exaggerated breaths together. “I know you’re nervous about flying, but I promise it’s not that bad. The kids will be fine. We’ll pack his allergy meds. We got this.”

Carlos nods as he rests his forehead against TK’s. “We got this,” he murmurs.

“Maybe I’ll blow you before we get on the plane,” TK smirks as he wiggles his eyebrows at Carlos.

“And who would watch our children?” he deadpans back. TK laughs at him and goes back to packing. “I can do it tonight once they’re asleep. We just have to be at the airport by four in the morning.”

“You’re a menace,” he grunts as he shakes his head. “But I love you anyways.” Carlos’s smile is bright as always when declaring his love for TK and TK returns the smile with equal amounts of love.

Their friends and family eventually leave, and TK and Carlos get the kids in bed. TK makes good on his promise, which does help relax Carlos, but he'd never admit that to TK. They get the car packed and load the sleeping kids. Thankfully, they stay asleep on the drive to the airport and all through check in. Ryder is slightly fussy when he wakes, but TK gets him his meds and juice and he settles right into TK’s chest. Sofia is her normal happy self when she wakes. She’s excited to be going to see her Mimi, but she’s also picked up on her Papa’s nerves about flying. They’ve both done their best to reassure her, but she really feeds off Carlos. The kids are awake for about an hour, when they are called to board. TK sends Gwyn a text letting her know they’re boarding and will see her soon.

Unfortunately for Carlos, their seats are over the wheels. They’ve switched kids hoping that TK’s calm demeanor will help Sofia stay calm. Ryder is dozing on Carlos, the meds making him sleepy when they start moving. Carlos is doing his best to stay calm, but honestly he’s freaking out. When they start climbing in the air, the wheels come up, and it's loud. Carlos tenses even more as Sofia starts crying. She buries her face in TK’s neck as he tries to calm her. “It’s fine; it’s going to be ok, baby girl. Nothing is wrong. They’re just pulling the wheels up.” He rubs her back as he calms her, and he squeezes Carlos’s hand. “It’s ok babe. Everything is fine.”

Sofia calms down at TK’s quiet reassurances and thankfully the rest of the flight goes smoothly. Ryder is a little grumpy at being woken and jostled as they get off, but Carlos does his best to keep him happy. They head over to baggage claim, TK letting Gwyn know they were getting their luggage. The kids stayed in their parents arms, both clinging to them at the loud and busy airport. It was a shock to all of them except for TK. “You’ve got to be getting me,” TK groans when he reads Gwyn’s response.

“What’s wrong?” Carlos takes Sofia so TK can get the luggage.

“Mom’s at the office. We have to get a cab.” TK’s frustration with his mom is apparent, especially since Gwyn knew they were coming. Carlos nods as they push their way through the airport. “Cab won’t be that bad.” TK gives him the side eye and Carlos just sighs. Before they’re able to flag down a cab, TK spots someone he wasn’t sure he’d ever see again. “TK?”

“Enzo?” TK asks with confusion.

“Yea. Hey kid. Your mom said you were coming into town. I thought she was picking you up.”

“Uh… yea. She was supposed to, but apparently she’s still at the office. We were just catching a cab. Wait… you’ve been in contact with mom recently?” TK was confused because he thought Enzo and his mom were done a few years ago.

Enzo looks between him and Carlos holding the kids as he scratches at the back of his neck. “Uh… yea. We.. uh… I take it she hasn’t told you?”

“Told me what exactly?” TK can feel Carlos becoming increasingly more uncomfortable with the situation as people mill around them. It’s hard for his husband to turn off his cop brain, and large crowds tend to put him on edge, especially when the kids are with them. Add that to a complete stranger to him that is putting TK on edge, and Carlos’s patience wears thin quickly.

Enzo seems to want to avoid answering TK’s question. “Why don’t I drop you four off at your mom’s and she’ll explain everything?”

“Yes. Thanks,” Carlos pipes up. He knows TK would’ve argued until he got his answers, and he doesn’t blame him, but he’d be happier if they got out of the airport. TK gives him the side eye again, and Carlos just shrugs nodding to the kids who have both buried their faces in his neck at this point. TK nods his assent, and they follow Enzo to his car. Enzo helps TK load their luggage while Carlos gets in the back with the kids. They’d brought a car seat for Ryder so Carlos strapped it in while Sofia held Ryder for him. “Thank you baby girl,” he grins as he takes Ryder strapping him in. He makes sure Sofia is strapped in as he settles between them, and TK gets in the front with Enzo. The car ride to Gwyn’s place is silent, and the kids can pick up on the tension. “Papa me want out,” Ryder cries when the tension filled silence gets to be too much for him.

“It’s ok buddy. We’ll be at Mimi’s in no time,” he tries to comfort him. He gives him his stuffed dog that he absolutely loves, and Ryder settles some. When they get to Gwyn’s TK is out of the car before Carlos can even blink. “TK come on,” Enzo says, getting out following him.

“No. You don’t want to explain anything so there’s nothing to say. My son’s allergies are acting up, my kids feed off tension, and this is Carlos’s first time in the city. It's not fair to them for mom to be pulling some drama right off the bat. We’re tired. I’ll talk to mom later.”

“TK…” Carlos gets the kids out as TK slams the trunk shut.

“Enzo, you’ve always been straight with me. You’ve always been good to me. I don’t want to jeopardize that by saying the wrong thing right now. So I’m going to go upstairs and get my family settled, and I’m sure I’ll see you this week if my assumptions are correct.”

Enzo just nods and steps back. “Nice to meet you,” Carlos tells him as he follows TK inside the fancy apartment building. They get on the elevator and head upstairs. Luckily the bellhop knows TK and lets them into the apartment since TK doesn't have a spare key. Carlos is in awe at how gorgeous it is. The apartment is immaculate, and the view is breathtaking. “Uh.. TK,” Carlos says holding the kids.

“Yea?” TK asks, giving him a confused look.

“This place is… the kids will…”

TK chuckles softly as he walks back over to his husband. “Yea… mom’s place is really nice, but she offered to let us stay here. She knows the kids won’t be perfect. It’s fine. I promise,” TK says, reaching for Ryder.

“Daddy… me snuffy,” he says, rubbing his eyes and sniffing.

“I know little man. Let's get settled and get some medicine and juice?” Ryder nods as TK takes him.

“Papa, can I go look around?” Sofia asks.

“Yea baby girl. Just.. be careful.” Gwyn’s apartment is honestly putting Carlos on edge because of how perfect it is.

“Carlos, come here,” TK quietly demands.

He sits down beside TK on the couch. Ryder has taken his medicine and is content sitting on the couch with them for the moment. “It’s ok babe. I know it looks like a lot, but she’s not going to be mad if they get it a little dirty.”

“I know… it’s just a lot… it’s just not home.” He gives TK a bashful shrug. He is looking forward to exploring TK’s city, but he feels like he needs some sleep and comfort.

“I get it.” TK gives his hand a squeeze with a reassuring soft kiss. “So tonight we’re ordering some of my favorite takeout and having a night in,” he smiles as Sofia rejoins them.

"Sounds good," Carlos smiles. TK takes care of ordering the takeout while Carlos takes a quick shower to wash away the traveling grime. Ryder joins him letting the steam from the shower help his stuffy nose. "Feeling ok little man?" Carlos asks, scrubbing his head with shampoo.

"Mecine hewps," he grins up at Carlos.

"It sure does," Carlos chuckles. Once they're done, Carlos dresses in some sweats and gets Ryder in his pj's. Sofia takes a quick shower next and gets in her pj's. By the time that's done, the food has arrived and still no Gwyn. Carlos can tell it's grating on TK's nerves that she's at the office, but he's trying not to let it show to the kids. They're all in bed by the time Gwyn shows up.

The next morning is rough. TK and Gwyn get into a huge argument before she goes to work. TK apologizes to Carlos, but Carlos assures him everything is ok. They take the kids out to tour the city and all the places TK loves. The kids absolutely love the snow, and TK insists on building snowmen and making snow angels in the park. The kids have a blast, but Carlos hates the cold. Texas usually doesn't get this cold, and it leaves him feeling cold all the time. TK is highly amused at how grumpy Carlos gets when cold, but he doesn't mind the extra snuggles from his husband.

It took until two days before they're supposed to leave before Gwyn takes time off work and actually talks with TK. Carlos and the kids hung out in the guest room watching TV, and Carlos just prayed the TV was loud enough to drown them out. Her and Enzo reconciled to an extent; they'd been hooking up when time allowed, but she didn't want TK to get his hopes up. TK had to remind her he was a grown adult that lived in another state. As long as she was happy, he didn't care what she did, but he didn't like the lying and secrets. He especially didn't like her working over their vacation when they came to spend time with her and he definitely let her know it. They eventually talked it out, and Enzo joined them for dinner that night at a fancy restaurant of Gwyn's choosing. It was definitely more high end then Carlos would have chosen, but it was nice and thankfully the kids were well behaved.

Carlos had enjoyed seeing TK's city and where he grew up. He loved seeing his husband in that different light, but he honestly couldn't wait to get back home. The cold weather had not done any favors to Ryder's allergies, and Gwyn spent their last day nagging TK about how they were taking care of him, and what they should be doing differently. Carlos’s nerves were honestly frayed and he knew Sofia was feeding off the tension from him and between TK and Gwyn. "Mom, seriously. Just let us be for the night and tomorrow we'll be back in Austin," TK finally said having had enough. The look of surprise on Gwyn’s face was honestly amusing because she was honestly clueless when it came to TK at times. Thankfully after that little blow up, they were able to pack and get the kids settled for the night. "If we ever come back, we're getting a motel," TK whines as they climb in bed. "I honestly thought she'd be better with the kids. I'm sorry this week has been so stressful," he whispers, kissing apologies into Carlos's skin.

"Stop. You have nothing to apologize for. This week has been fine, and I've loved getting to see your city. Just maybe… come back when it's warmer." It gets the laugh he was hoping for, and they eventually drift off to sleep.

The plane ride back to Austin is a little smoother. Carlos nor Sofia like it any better, but they at least knew what to expect. They were all definitely glad to be home, and if it was a few more years before they went back to NYC well they blamed work for keeping them busy.

#tarlos #tarlos fic #911 lone star #911 lone star fic #srk ❤#writers life

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kareniliana · 3 years

Text

Enzo: Darling

A//N: Hopefully y'all don’t hate on me too much for this one. Not everything is gonna match up nicely with the actual series and storyline. But I guess that's the point of these imagines and whatnot. I hope you enjoy this one.

xx Karebear 💛🧸

Your mother was turned into a vampire when you were just 6. You grew up looking out for her and moving around constantly. You absolutely hated it. Then one night you decided you don’t want to help your mom. She’s a vampire, she kills people without you knowing. But you caught her in the middle of feeding- killing. You were horrified, you made a promise to never take an innocents life. You ran from her but, if you knew who was out in the woods that night. Heaven knows you would have just stayed with your mom. But you didn’t, you ran. You ran into a vampire hunting party. They captured your mom and thought they were saving you. They brought you back with them to their facilities, where they explained their operations. They capture vampires and do tests on them. Trying to find a scientific reason to how they became this blood sucking monster that they became.

To say you were mortified is an understatement, this is torture. They would torture your mother. You were scared of her but you didn’t want this, you didn’t want your mom to be used like this. You needed a plan to try and get her out. So you stuck around and helped the Augustine cause, but with your own side plan in the works. Eventually you were able to become unsuspecting to the group. They wouldn’t question you if you went into the cell room to see the vampires. You gave them their one glass of blood and when it came down to it, you were able to get your mom an extra glass. All because of the man in the next cell.

It all started when you first broke into the facility and found your mom and the man 5 or so years prior.

“Hello there, darling.” His soft English accent voice came from the cell next to your mom. Who was passed out from exhaustion, they tortured her the second they got her. “12144, at your pleasure.”

“I’m getting you out of here, both of you.” You promised, frighten about this place.

“Good luck with that, Darling.” He sounded defeated. But you weren't giving up hope. You promised yourself you’d get your mom out, and now you know there’s more than one. Nah fuck that. You’re getting them out.

“I got a plan. But you’re gonna have to give me some of your blood.” You whispered to him, his eyebrows raised in confusion.

“I’m not taking it. I’m going to turn someone, give them” You signaled to the people who you could hear upstairs walking around, “a wild goose chase. Giving me enough time to get you out of here.”

“Thats only gonna do so much, how's this...”

From that night forward you and 12144 followed the plan to a T. He’s the reason why you joined. You thought of everything together. And you hated that he was continuing to get tortured and maimed, same with your mom. You hated the Augustines.

The only good thing that came out of this torture, was the love you felt for Enzo. Over time you became a watch guard, watching over the ‘subjects’ to make sure they don’t desiccate. You couldn’t remember how many times they over-tortured someone and they desiccated in the jail cells. You tried to help the wounded vampires. but couldn’t do much. It started to take a toll on you emotionally. Enzo had been there for you.

As you heard the screams of your mother, Enzo would distract you. Keeping you occupied enough to not pay attention to her mothers undying wails. Pretty soon after that he let himself fall madly in love with you, you tried to resist accepting it but... when it came to a love like your’s, you could only holdback for so long. He knew how to talk you, and when you talked to him, he listened. He really listened to you. He fell into sync with you, knowing when you have your bad days or your good days. Knowing when to ask about your childhood and knowing when to shut the fuck up and let you sit there in silence.

You never knew someone could love you the way he loved you, and you were going to do anything in the world to keep him in your life.

Finally the day came, the day where you were able to break your mom and Enzo out. It started with you turning yet another human to a vampire. It weights heavy on your conscious that you’ve had to turn so many innocent people into these creatures, but anything for the people you love.

You sat at your little desk, waiting for hell to break loose upstairs to get them out, Enzo giving you a nod of reassurance.

“This will work.” You whispered, mainly to yourself. One of the scientists came in with a tray of cups with an ounce of blood for your mom and Enzo.

“Hey there, Y/n. How’s your night going? They causing any trouble?” He set the tray down, lingering to talk to you.

“Justin, hello. My night’s going nicely. Very uneventful” You chuckled, earning a little laugh from him. He looked you up and down with a smirk on his face as you stood up, grabbed the tray and walked over to your family. Leaning down to place the cup on the concrete floor. Doing so, Justin checking you out as you lean down. Enzo noticing from the floor, almost hissing at him.

You gave him a look, “You okay?” Justin’s voice pull your attention away from Enzo. He placed a hand on your shoulder, helping you up. Quickly setting down the other cup in your moms cell.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry. It’s still hard to believe Vampires exist. I’ve convinced myself for the past five years they’re just a myth, and we’re crazy.” You joked, earning a small laugh from Justin again.

Suddenly, there was a huge struggle going on upstairs, causing you to flinch a little. Justin hurried off, slamming the door behind him. Upstairs the vampires you turned attacked the house, the only reason they were able to to get in was for the maid. The Augustines had handed the deed of the house to the most unsuspecting person in the house. But it was also easier to get her to take off her vervain necklace and invite them all in to wreak havoc. With the distracted scientists you looked the door, getting out the keys you’ve stolen over the years and open the cell doors. Opening Enzos first, he immediately pulled you into his arms, taking a deep breath to calm himself and to focus himself.

“Oh Darling, you have no idea how badly I’ve been wanting nothing more than to just hold you in my arms.” You smiled, caressing his face.

“We’ll have all the time in the world. Let’s go!” You went to open your moms cell door. She enveloped you into her embrace for a quick second.

“Okay let’s get out of here!” You said, guiding them to the second exit.

“Okay, this is when we go our ways... Just for a few days.” Enzo held your hand, not wanting to leave you here with these monsters.

“Everything is gonna be fine, now make it look convincing.” You motioned to your neck. The only way to make it seem like you were innocent was to get hurt in the process.

“Don’t worry Darling, when I see you next, I’ll heal you right up.” his raspy voice calmed you, he placed a kiss on your forehead. Holding your head in his hands, staring him in the eyes when he says, “I love you Darling, I’ll be waiting for you.”

You looked to your mom with soft eyes, “I love you, Hun. We’ll see you soon.” Your mom vamp sped out of there to the cabin you would meet up with them in a few days.

You gave him a nod, turning your head to give him a better angle. He sighed, extracting the fangs from his mouth and lodged his fangs into your neck. Slowly you felt your eyes wanting to close, and then suddenly the blood loss became too much. Passing out just has he removing his fangs from your neck base. He moved a strand of hair from your face, he picked you up just to lay you down on the floor. Afterwards he himself wreaked havoc. Turning the place into a mess, then sped away to meet your mother at the cabin.

When you woke up, you were in a hospital room. Gauze pads taped to your neck, a few wires and an iv connected to you. You began to freak out a little, then someone in a suit and tie walked in with a nurse.

The nurse said a gang had attacked your workplace, stole medicine, attacked and killed almost everyone. She said, only a few of you arrived alive and only you made it. With that she checked your vitals and left to another patient. Then the man in the suit and tie spoke up.

“Ma’am, I’m a representative from the Augustine lawyer team. What you’ve experienced, and what you know. We want to offer you a deal. You sign this contract, your bills are taken care of, you’re set for life, and you’ve never heard of us.” He pulled out a stack of papers, handing them to you to read and sign.

“What happened? What really happened?” Your voice was raspy and low. He poured you a cup of water, handing it over to you. You nodded as you took a sip.

“Vampires attacked you guys, was able to release the vampires that were captured, and almost killed you but they were interrupted. They tried to flee but the sun came out by that time and they burned to ashes right outside the property. You don't wanna know the amount of work it took to cover that one up.”The man spoke so nonchalantly, it almost creeped you out. Like he is used to covering up vampire incidents.

You nodded your head, looking down to the contract. After going through the contract paragraph by paragraph, you signed it. They can’t let word get out they torture vampires for a living. You get a new identity, money, and a chance to live happily with your mom and the man you love so incredibly.

Once you got released from the hospital you made your way first to your apartment that was provided to you from the Augustines. Packing up your clothes into bags and leaving to the cabin.

You're anxiety rising the closer you got to the cabin, getting excited to finally live your life with loved ones safely. Enzo had been playing the guitar as you mother read they heard the roaring of a vehicle getting closer. Enzo vamp sped outside to the porch, seeing your car come into view. He instantly smiles and lights up. She made it.

You jumped out of the parked vehicle, running into Enzo’s embrace. The smell of pinewood and fire ash, oddly bringing you a sense of comfort. You still smelled like hospital, but to him you smelled like vanilla and dust. making his chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” You giggled, pulling away enough to see his face. he looked at with a big smile.

“Oh nothing Darling, I just can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” His accent and meaning behind his words made you smile, your face warming up along with it.

“ahem” The sound of your mother clearing her throat made Enzo correct himself.

“With your mother alongside us as well” Enzo turned around, wrapping his arm around your shoulders. Walking along with you up the porch steps to hug your mom. “You know I can’t forget about you.”

“Hi mom.” You hugged you mother tightly, Enzo wrapping his arms around you two.

He smiled and sighed deeply, finally he got everything he’s wanted. A woman he’s madly in love with, who happened to rescue him from the god awful Augustine people. You mother had become very close to Enzo, she cared for him and loved the idea of you three spending your lives together.

You were a dysfunctional family, but a family.

#enzo #enzo st. john #enzo x reader #tvd x reader #tvd imagine #the vampire diares imagine

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iboatedhere · 3 years

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WIP no. 2

—

He comes home on a Wednesday with three sobriety chips in his pocket, a new therapist and support group in the city, and the number of a sponsor.

He gets a new phone number to fully put the past behind him and agrees to move back in with his father until he feels like he can stand on his own two feet again.

“I know it’s not cool to live with your dad at your age,” Owen says as he lifts TK’s bag out of the backseat of the car. “But I’ve missed you. I don’t like having an empty nest.”

“It’s not forever,” TK reminds him as he slips beneath his dad’s arm and lets himself be pulled against Owen’s side as they enter the building.

“I know but for now…it’ll be just like old times. Better than old times actually because you can afford to buy take out fifty percent of the time.”

“We’ll see,” TK says as they take the elevator up to the apartment. “There’s not like...a surprise party waiting for us upstairs is there?”

“Why would you ask me that?”

“Because it would be just like you to make a big deal out of this.”

“It is a big deal,” Owen says, “but there is absolutely no party. It’s just your mother. And a surprise.”

“Dad.”

“It’s a good one. It’s a small one.” The elevator doors open and Owen gently pushes TK through them. “You’ll like it.”

TK groans but leads the way down the hall to his father’s apartment and opens the unlocked door.

True to his father’s word all he finds are the smell of home cooked food, his mother, and Enzo.

Gwyn gets to him first and pulls him into a bone crushing hug. “My sweet boy,” she says and TK knows that she’s already crying. “I’m so happy you’re home.”

“I’m happy to be home,” TK tells her as he hugs her back.

She pulls back and cups his face in her hands. “I love you,” she says. “And I am so, so, so proud of you.”

“I love you, too,” TK says before Gwyn steps away as Enzo steps up. TK holds out his hand and Enzo rolls his eyes.

“C’mon, kid,” Enzo says as he bats TK’s hand away and hugs him instead. “I’m proud of you.”

“I’m sorry,” TK says into Enzo’s shoulder and Enzo pats his back.

“It’s okay.”

TK breaks the hug and shakes his head. “It’s not okay. I knew it then and I still know that now and I have to apologize because I know that I hurt you-.” He looks to both of his parents. “I know I hurt all of you and I have to apologize for that and I can’t just say it. I have to act on it. I have to prove to you all that I’m willing to be better,” he says, remembering the words that were passed around in his group meetings. “I’m really going to try.”

“That’s all we ask for,” Enzo says while his parents nod.

“It’s true,” Owen says, “and it’s also true that you shouldn’t beat yourself up over mistakes you’ve made in the past. Which is why I have a little present for you.”

He grabs a gift bag off the kitchen counter and hands it over and TK digs through the tissue paper to find a long, rectangular box.

“It’s not the original,” Owen says as he TK opens the box and finds a necklace with a 252 medallion hanging off the silver chain. “That thing is…” He trails off and takes a deep breath. “It’s gone but I went back to the jeweler that made the first one and asked if he could make another and he could. So new necklace, new you. A fresh start.”

“I need it,” TK says as he takes the chain from the box and secures it around his neck. “Thank you, dad.”

Owen smiles back as the oven timer dings and Gwyn taps him on the shoulder.

“Come help me get the prime rib out of the oven.”

“Bossy,” Owen jokes but he follows her anyway.

“So,” TK says as he turns back to Enzo, “you’re done in Texas?”

Enzo shakes his head. “No, I have to be back at the airport in two hours. It’s a quick visit. Hopefully they won’t even notice that I was gone.”

“That’s a gamble,” TK says and Enzo shrugs.

“I wanted to be here for you even if it was just for a few hours.”

“You really are a part of this family,” TK tells him as his parents bicker loudly over the proper consistency of the mashed potatoes. “But are you sure you want to be?”

Enzo laughs and bumps their shoulders together. “Yeah, I think I’m in it now.”

#911 lone star fic #911 lone star #hopefully by next week I’ll have gotten to the Austin portion of this fic #wip wednesday

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morganaspendragonss · 2 years

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wip wednesday!

a little more of the cancer fic, which may be completed tonight but who's to say 😅 a slightly longer snippet than normal too, to make up for me not updating in ages!

“We should go somewhere,” he says to Carlos one night.

Carlos jumps a little bit, clearly having been under the impression that TK was asleep, then puts his book to the side and frowns down at him. “Now?” he asks. “It’s a little late, don’t—”

“No,” TK interrupts. “I mean, go somewhere. Just you and me. We should pack our bags and leave for a little while, and pretend all of this doesn’t exist.”

Carlos’s face softens and he reaches over to run a hand over TK’s head. “Ty, I wish we could, but we have to be sensible here.”

“Please, Carlos,” TK begs. Unwanted tears spring to his eyes at the thought of this last chance escaping him, and he makes minimal effort to wipe them away. “One last trip, just for the two of us. We could go back to the coast like we kept saying we would; I’d like to see the ocean again. It doesn’t have to be for long, but I need this. We need this.”

A long beat passes, TK holding Carlos’s gaze despite sleep tugging at every fibre of his being. And, eventually, Carlos signs and shifts until he’s lying down next to TK, a hand gently cupping his cheek.

“We’ll talk to your doctors,” he promises. “And, if they agree, we can go.”

It’s all TK could ask for.

It takes a little more convincing, but eventually TK is given the okay for the trip. The doctors agree fairly quickly, really; the struggle comes in when TK has to approach his parents and team with the idea.

“What if something happens?” his mom asks, and TK just knows she’s done the research on all the potential complications of pancreatic cancer. “You’ll be so far away.”

“It’s only three hours away, Mom,” he reminds her. “Besides, if something does happen, there are hospitals in Galveston. It’s not like we’re going out to the middle of nowhere on the other side of the country.”

“And it wouldn’t be a problem normally,” his dad chips in. “But you’re sick, TK. These are special circumstances.”

TK groans and sends a weary glance in their direction. “You know they say sea air is supposed to be good for sick people?” he tries, but he gets nothing in response. He closes his eyes and slumps a little in his chair; he wishes Carlos were with him, but he’d had to go in to work, so TK is on his own. “Guys, please,” he says, reopening his eyes and looking pleadingly at them.

Enzo clears his throat and all the eyes in the room turn to him. “Your doctors said you could go?” he checks, and TK nods. Then, he just shrugs. “Then what’s stopping you?”

“Enzo!”

His mom and dad shout at the same time, but Enzo seems entirely unaffected—TK suspects this isn’t the first time he’s had that happen.

“They’re the experts, don’t you think?” he says. “And, come on, do you really think TK is asking us for permission here? You already have the whole thing arranged, don’t you?”

This last question is directed at TK, and he can’t help but smile under Enzo’s knowing gaze. “We’re leaving in two days.”

#wip wednesday #writing stuff

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mason-knight · 3 years

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this is so self-indulgent I want to crawl out of my own skin with second hand embarassment rn (happy father’s day, mase)

+++

It’s only by virtue of his phoenix reflexes that Mason manages to snatch the potato flying at his head out of the air a split second before it connects with this face.

He stares down at it in his hand in the middle of the Morrisini villa’s sprawling kitchen. “What the hell do you want me to do with this, Zeus?”

Nico shoves a small contraption at him, as well as a large bowl and a bulging hessian bag. “Peel it.”

“Peel…? What?”

“Peel it,” Nico repeats. He gestures to the bag. “And all those too.”

“Uh, no. These hands were not made for manual labour.”

“Mase,” Marie huffs, her hands on hips on the other side of the sprawling island bench. “I expect that from Sinclair, but not from you.”

“He’s become too accustomed to the good life. Too pampered,” Maddox says from his perch on a stool nearby. He pops something into his mouth and crunches loudly as he smirks in Mason’s direction.

Mason snorts. “Like you can talk, Ajax.”

Outside, the sun shines across the villa’s grounds and the wind carries in the excited squeals of the children as they race over the lawn and splash in the villa’s pool. It was another one of Nico’s family gatherings, one of the many he insisted on each year and that everyone knew better than to argue about. One year, before they had the twins, Mason and Ethan had been off world and the earful they’d copped had them immediately hightailing it back to Earth from Citadel space to make it in the nick of time.

They all know better than to argue when Nico puts the call out now.

Mason peers through the large windows overlooking the vineyards. It was beautiful here, he couldn’t deny it, and the twins loved catching up with the Morrisini brood but being put to work by Nico in the kitchen was more than what Mason was prepared to take.

“Actually, you know what, I’m just going to go see if Ethan needs any help with the ki-“

“Sit your ass down and start peeling, Huntsman.”

“Better do as he says,” Archer says. He rests on a stool, one leg out in front of him and a lethal looking blade in one hand. There are slabs of red meat on the chopping board in front of him. “Or you might end up having to do something worse.” “Is that what you’re doing?”

“Just putting some long dormant skills to good use.”

“Well, we didn’t all marry celebrity chefs in our youth, Rose,” Mason chuckles just as Luca comes tumbling through the doorway.

“Nic! Marie! I need potassium hydroxide and ethanoic acid and um, like a really big stick.”

Marie frowns. “Well, I can give you two out of those things but what do you need them for?”

“No time to explain, have you got it- never mind, this will do!” he’s gone again in a flurry of wild curls.

Silence drags around the room and there’s a distant squeal and a pop that has them all tensing suddenly. Mason waits with bated breath for inevitable wail of tears that will send them all rushing outside but it doesn’t eventuate.

“What is he doing out there?”

Marie takes a calming breath and pinches her nose. “I… I don’t want to know.”

Nico slides his arm around her and kisses her temple, whispering something into her ear Mason can’t (and probably doesn’t want) to hear. She seems more tired than usual and it’s not lost on Mason that her glass is only sparkling water and not wine. He wonders if baby number five might be on their way for them.

Five. Mason shudders inwardly at the thought. The twins were a handful on their own and that was with help. There had been a long, long period there that Mason wondered if his and Ethan’s sex life would ever recover.

“You’re still not peeling, Huntsman,” Nico warns, turning his attention back to him.

“Make Rose do it,” Mason grumbles, only for Archer to swirl that lethal looking knife over the chopping board in front of him.

“He’s already put me to work, as you can see.”

“Seriously, Mase,” Marie huffs as she busies herself with slicing up the fresh bread. The spread of food was insane, much of it grown on the villa grounds, more of it transported from Cerillo’s farm on Nova Terra. “Who does the cooking in your household if you won’t even peel a potato then?”

“The... Ah… Help…”

Marie’s knife pauses as she looks up at him suspiciously. Maddox goes to swipe an olive from the tray but she swats him away without taking her eyes off him. “How many do you have now?”

Mason doesn’t like where this is going. “Three?”

“Three?!” Marie splutters but he’s pretty sure that might be jealousy in her eyes. He shrugs, nonchalant. “Oh my god, well, aren’t you living the good life.”

“What do you expect? Pampered wardog over here,” Maddox comments, pilfering another olive. Nico snatches his wrist.

“Next time you go for another one, I’m gonna stab you.”

Maddox growls. “Fine. Hurry up already then. I’m going to go check on Mini in the nursery then check on the kids. Who knows what Sinclair has got them up to.”

He exchanges a filthy kiss with Archer before he leaves that has Mason rolling his eyes.

“It’s not Ethan you should be worried about,” he mutters as Archer snorts.

“Huntsman!” Nico barks. “Potatoes!”

The evening is balmy with summer and it’s well into the twilight by the time they all come to eat at the long trestle table piled high with food under the trees of the Morrisni villa. Fairy lights drape overhead, shedding a sparkle over glasses and kids squeal and thread among the adults as they enjoy the meal.

Mason does his best to balance Max on his knee they eat and the entire affair is noisy and chaotic, full of laughter and warmth and old friendships forged in blood and fire. Nico reigns supreme at the head of the table like some kind of benevolent god and he might as well be. It’s Nico that has been the one to draw them all together, year after year, no matter how far they spread across the galaxy. Familiar faces they’ve fought alongside of, faces they love now gone their separate ways now that the war was over. Their time on the Berlin felt like another life, a long ago memory that might have happened to someone else.

Mason never thought he’d miss it, but it’s long been regulated to a portion of his past alongside his early childhood in Sydney and Phoenix One.

He juggles his wine glass over Max’s head and listens in to the conversation around him. He presses his leg against Ethan’s under the table, needing the contact suddenly. Ethan catches his eye and wordless smile graces his lips as he leans in to brush a kiss to Mason’s cheek and lightly ruffles Max’s hair.

“Want me to take him for a bit?”

“No, he’s fine, as long as he stops squirm-“ Mason rescues his wine glass just before it goes flying. Max was almost getting too big for this, but Mason didn’t like to think about that. “Whoa, easy there.”

“Sorry, Dad.”

“You’re okay, mate. Where’s your sister anyway?”

Max shrugs, leaning back against Mason and chewing on a piece of bread but Ethan motions with his head to look down the table. He spies Ben at the other end with Lexi’s arms tight around his neck and she’s giggling as Luca attempts to juggle spoons beside them. Mason smiles then stabs the gnocchi on his plate and lifts it up to show his husband proudly.

“Hey so while you were outside with the kids, I made these.”

Marie pauses her conversation with Isaac and Archer on the other side of the table to laugh. “Mase, you peeled one potato.”

He waves his fork dismissively. “Still counts.”

They all chuckle, Archer’s more muted on account of the small bundle on his chest. It doesn’t feel that long ago that Lexi and Max were that tiny and Mason is about to mention as much to Archer before their conversation is interrupted by Ciara crashing into her mother’s side. Her gold eyes wide as she gushes excitedly about fireflies.

Mason glances back at his own daughter. She’s on Ben’s lap now, trying to feel him with all the grace of a five year old’s giggling and over exuberant enthusiasm. “Does Lex need anything?” he says to his husband.

Ethan smirks as they watch on. Ben has a smear of sauce down one side of his mouth and across his chin. “It looks like Uncle Scoots has it covered.”

Max scrambles off Mason’s lap and latches himself straight to Ciara’s side. Mason protests softly. “Hey, where are you going?”

“Ci says she knows where the fireflies are!”

“Oh, no you don’t. Finish eating first. Then fireflies.”

“Aw, dad!” Max’s whine is joined by Marcello and Enzo’s as they materialize out of the dark and they all groan dramatically. “But fireflies!”

“You’re not allowed to go running around in the dark by yourselves. Someone might get hurt.”

There are more protests before Eva climbs to her feet. “I can take them, if you like?”

Mason looks up at the Fury. If they’re safe with anyone, they’ll be safe with her but he slides a questioning glance at Ethan anyway. “Are you sure?”

Eva shrugs, a small smile on her lips. “Sure. Luca and Ben will want to come too.”

“We’ll all go,” Marie announces. She stands up and motions for everyone else to as well. “It’s about time for the bonfire anyway.”

“Bonfire?!” The kids squeal and take off running into the darkness.

“Wait, kids-“

There’s a wink of blue in the distance when Eva appears in front of them, sending the kids all shrieking in excitement. Mason downs the rest of his wine for fortitude then pulls his husband in for a kiss in case he can’t steal any later.

“Come on, Sabre, let’s go.”

If they find fireflies, Mason doesn’t see them.

The excitement of time spent with their adoptive family and the bonfire have both kids melting down from too much over stimulation and it’s touch and go for a while until they both crash in his arms. Mason watches the flames dance and listens to Luca’s voice as he strums his guitar, Lexi’s head tucked under his chin while Ethan sits beside him with Max asleep against his chest.

They should probably get the kids back to the villa, tuck them into their beds, but he’s reluctant to move and spoil the moment.

Luca sings, his voice carrying clearly over the crackle of the fire, first upbeat songs with words half substituted thanks to the buzz of Nico’s homemade grappa he insisted they all sample. Ciara twirls barefoot, hair streaming out behind her as Maddox takes her on a makeshift waltz around the bonfire and Nico hands out mugs of mulled wine as Isaac and Eva sit with heads bent together roasting marshmallows in the flames. On their other side, Marie is flanked by each one of her sons, both slumped against her, not quite asleep but dangerously close. And Archer, cane discarded by his chair and a baby on his chest, sits quietly beside Ben, staring thoughtfully into the fire.

“You know, if anyone had told me on P1 this is how our life would end up, I’m pretty sure I would have laughed myself out an airlock,” Mason says to Ethan. “Sometimes I can’t believe it.”

“We’re the lucky ones,” Ethan agrees quietly. The firelight catches the line of his jaw and sends his hair shining gold. He’s still the most beautiful man Mason has ever met and he’s all Mason’s.

After ten years, it still hasn’t got old.

“Any regrets?”

Ethan turns to him and leans in. Mason meets him halfway, pressing a kiss to his mouth, mindful of the dual weights on their chests and careful not to wake them. Then Ethan draws back. “Not a single one.”

“Me neither,” Mason murmurs but then the moment is interrupted when Nico shows up.

“Here,” he grunts, handing them each a metallic mug. Something spicy Mason doesn’t recognize wafts up.

Mason takes the mug hesitantly and looks up at Nico with a silent lift of his eyebrow. “Am I going to have to peel anymore potatoes if I take this?”

“No,” Nico rumbles. “Tomorrow we’re going to slaughter a pig and make sausages.”

“We’re gonna what?”

“You heard me. And you can do the honors. Time to earn your keep, Huntsman.”

Nico moves away and Mason stares into his mug. “This is payback, isn’t it?” he says miserably to Ethan. “For giving him all those shitty ops back in the day?”

Ethan’s lips twitch. Mason thinks he might be laughing. “It might be, babe.”

“Well, Fu… Fudge.. me,” he slumps against Ethan’s shoulder as Luca plays his songs and the stars continue to wheel overhead.

#this is so self indulgent oh my god #marie miller #archer rose #maddox gibbons #scooter roosevelt #mason knight #nico morrisini #luca moreno #eva novakov #isaac cerrillo #Post war feels #post war #happy fathers day Mase #another one of the dumbest things ive ever written

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