#SHES JUST. SO SMALL. SHES SO TINY BABY SMALL. SHES GENUINELY 12 YEARS OLD THAT ISNT A JOKE | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

leascorner · 3 years

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j.b.b. | Marley

Summary: Eventually, Bucky gave his deepest secrets away and you let him know yours. Her name was Marley.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x single mom!reader

Warnings: Mention of past and present relationships, parenting, mention of food

Word Count: 3.7k

a/n: This is my first story posted on here. I’ve been writting for +12 years now but for the last couple of years, I couldn't finish a single story. Turns out Bucky Barnes was all I needed to get over my massive writer’s block. Feedback is greatly appreciated. (Also, english is not my native language so if you spot any grammar mistake, please let me know!)

Masterlist

It all began with his friend, Sam.

On a night they were out for drinks, he had made it his mission to find someone for Bucky. Someone or anyone for the matter. He talked to everyone in the bar that night, while Bucky drank his beer, sitting at the counter. When it was clear enough that nobody there that night would keep grumpy Bucky company, Sam turned his attention on the dating app his friend had downloaded on his phone some weeks ago. He probably went through a dozen of profiles, sometimes showing the phone screen to Bucky, to what he would just respond by rolling his eyes and drinking some more beer.

That was until Sam showed him your profile. Bucky stared a second longer to the picture displayed on his phone screen than for the others. He couldn't tell what that was: the smile on your lips, the wrinkles at the side of your eyes or simply your eyes; but he couldn't get his eyes off it. Sam immediately started typing a message for you to what Bucky obviously protested. He did not need company because he was just fine on his own.

Despite his super-soldier abilities, he wasn't quick enough to take the phone from his friend's hands. The smile that appeared on Sam’s face annoyed Bucky even more. "What are you afraid of, though guy?" Sam had asked and Bucky eventually backed off, letting him do whatever he was planning on doing. There was no point in stopping Sam. He knew you wouldn't be interested anyway... To be honest, who would be? Bucky got his phone back along with a smirk from his friend. There was no answer after that, and Sam eventually found another topic to annoy the heck out of Bucky.

When he woke up the next morning, your reply notification was patiently waiting for him. For a second, he thought of deleting it, without having a look first. What did he have to lose? Gathering his courage, he opened it. Your words were as genuine as your smile and it made him grin like an idiot, though he made a mental note to later murder Sam for his poor choice of pick-up line. It took him the whole morning to be able to type an answer and another afternoon to press the ‘send’ button. It was the first text of many. Eventually, a lot of texts turned into calls; that turned into meeting up in your favorite French bakery; that turned into movies and restaurant dates.

This was nearly one year and a half ago.

Your relationship with Bucky was cautious and steady. He liked how you would give him his space, but still being right there for him. He liked that you let him stare at you in total awe or that you always had small kind thoughts for him like when you made his eggs the way he preferred in the morning and that everything was so simple - obvious even - by your side. Eventually, Bucky gave his deepest secrets away and you let him know yours.

Her name was Marley.

If Bucky was being honest, finding out you had a two and a half years-old daughter was quite the shock. Not that he couldn't have seen that coming; you would always make plans, your handbag was always full of snacks and hand wipes and for some reason, you would never be available between five and eight p.m. That was also what he liked about you. The stability.

The idea of being involved in a relationship with somebody that already had a child did scare him off. If he decided to continue the relationship, it would not only be a matter of breaking your heart in the process – and well, maybe his too - but breaking a child's heart too. And that more than anything, he was refusing to assume the responsibility, but he owed you that much. You knew his deepest secrets and still, you didn't run away from him. Worse, you trusted him to be around your child.

You both had a lot of discussions about him meeting Marley - Bucky even seek advice to Sam. And as for the rest of your relationship, you took it slow. It started with Bucky showing up to your Sunday walk in Central Park, feeding up the ducks and sharing snacks. You also spent some time at the carnival where he would watch you two on the carousel – sometimes joining the ride too - and he would help Marley win at pick a duck or buy her popcorn. Eventually, he would spend more time with the two of you. It started with spending at least one evening per week at your place, making dinner while watching you playing with Marley in the living room. One evening turned into two, three, five evenings per week. He still could step out if he needed. You still could spend time with your daughter where he wasn't there. You still spent time just the two of you, when Marley was asleep at night or he would take you on date nights. The routine you three put in place was nice, but Bucky wasn't planning on taking Marley’s dad place. God, he would never see himself as a dad and Marley already had one - though in Bucky's opinion, he would not be awarded father-of-the-year.

Today, Bucky was picking Marley up from daycare.

He had done it a million times already, but this time was a little bit different. He was doing it on his own. The babysitter stood you up and you were stuck in an endless one-day meeting. You had called in utter panic, asking him to pick Marley up from daycare and taking care of her until you would be home. He had assured you he would do it and it would be fine. Now that he was standing in front of the building, he was doubting himself. He didn't know if he could do it on his own.

Another shaky sigh and Bucky entered the building. The childcare workers greeted him when he showed up at Marley's room. She was sat at one of these tiny tables making some kind of collage crafts. He planned on waiting for her to finish, just staring like he always did, before announcing himself, but Marley spotted him the second his figure appeared at the door.

"Bucky!" Marley cried out, leaving everything behind and running towards him.

"Hey Mar-Mar," he smiled. She always seemed happy to see him and Bucky wondered if she would eventually grow tired of him being always around.

After they hugged each other, Marley was called to put away her crafts and Bucky encouraged her to go do it. In the meantime, he collected her stuff - her panda backpack, shoes, and coat - so he could get her ready to leave. And he did just that when she got back to him.

"We are taking the train home. I'mna carrying you, is that okay?"

She wrapped her little arms around his neck in response and he lifted her up from the floor. After sharing goodbye to the childcare workers, they were heading home.

On their way to the station, Marley explained in every detail what she had done at daycare that day; Bucky was listening carefully, sometimes asking questions - Carol, she is the one with the curly hair, right? Was Mark mean to you again? - but mostly he was just nodding along. They made it to the station just in time to take the 5:17 p.m. train. It was rush hour and Bucky mindfully chose to hop on one of the cars at the end of the train - the ones he knew would be the less busy at this time of the day. He had only seven stops, so he didn't sit and stood against one of the train windows. By that time, Marley had finished reporting on her day, and she was just watching around, smiling at anyone she would make eye contact with.

After the second stop, her eyes caught the sight of the dog tag around Bucky's neck. She fiddled it through his T-shirt, probably wondering what that was, before taken it out to have a closer look. In her tiny hands, the metal tag seemed to be huge. She looked up at Bucky, with bright eyes and he swore, he would do anything for these eyes.

"What is that?"

"Uh- " Bucky wasn't sure how to explain it in a way a three-years old would understand. "-Every soldier has one. It uh- has my name on it and some other information."

"Is it if you get lost?" she asked, her little eyebrows raised high on her forehead. She did understand a lot of the world around her for her age. "Mommy put a card with her name and her phone number in my bag."

"Yeah, it's something like that."

Marley smiled at him and returned her attention on the letters’ reliefs on the metal. By the fourth stop, she was resting her head on his shoulder while he was still firmly (but not too much) holding her with his left arm. She kept holding his dog tag in her tiny fist and was patiently waiting.

"She is very sweet," the old lady sat on the seat in front of them said to him before leaving the train.

He nodded shyly and looked back at the little girl in his arms. Marley looked so much like you. Her face had still some baby features, she just turned three after all, but she had the same nose and her eyes had the same color as yours. They were the same piercing eyes that when they’d look at him, he felt like they could read his soul. And she did not just look like you. She had also some of your habits and personality traits. She would always be smiling to people she didn’t know. She was always saying ‘thank you’ or ‘sorry’. She was obsessed with any kind of animal; the Sundays walks would last forever if she could pet all the dogs she encountered.

The rest of the ride was quiet, and Bucky got off the train on the seventh stop as planned. At the station, people turned on them as they passed. Maybe this was an odd sight: a man in combat boots, dark jeans, and a black leather jacket, carrying a small child in his arms. Especially knowing the kid in question was wearing white leggings, a red fluffy coat, and a stuffed panda backpack. Bucky didn't mind and continued his way to your place.

Marley stayed quiet for the five minutes’ walk to your place, but once Bucky had turned on your street, she wriggled to be freed of his hold. Once her feet touched the ground, she directly ran towards a car parked not far away. She squatted down and started clicking her tongue. A ginger cat immediately came out from underneath the car.

"Careful," Bucky called out. He knew it was not recommended interacting with stray cat as they could be sick with all sorts of disease. And to be fair, it got him a little worried the cat was getting this close to Marley. He could already see her getting bitten by the cat, getting rabies, and losing her arm, or worse: dying.

"That's Gus, he lives at number 7," she said pointing at the building they stopped in front. It had the number written on it.

Gus started rubbing itself against Marley's shins and she gently petted his back. The cat then went to rub on Bucky's combat boots, also greeting him even though they never encountered before. And it continued his way to the building's porch, where it lazily lay down.

"Mommy said we could have a cat when we get a house."

"I've got a cat," Bucky stated and Marley cried out in excitement. She asked him about a hundred questions. What was its name? What was it looking like? Was it friendly? Was it sleeping in his bed with him at night? Bucky never failed to answer one of her questions and they talked about that until they made it in front of your apartment door.

Marley was already on her way to her room when Bucky turned around after locking the door. She had removed her shoes and coat on her own and left them behind without putting them away like you would always request it.

"Uh-uh, we go wash your hands first, okay?"

After that was done, she ran to her room for good this time. Bucky went back to the living room and focused on what he could do to help you. He knew you would get home exhausted from your day at work and he did not want to have you do all the chores you usually did. It was the least he could do.

Somehow, your place was always tidier than his, and he lived on his own. In the kitchen, he found breakfast dishes in the sink and the dishwasher full of the dishes that had been cleaned the night before. That was where he would get started. He put away the dishes easily; he had been around your kitchen a lot those last months and he knew exactly where everything was. He even knew where you were hiding away the chocolate and candies; somewhere Marley didn't have access to.

"Hey Bucky, can I have snacks?"

A look at the watch sitting on his right wrist, she had still a good hour and a half before dinner and he replied positively. He wiped his hands on the dish towel resting on his shoulder and took one of these bamboo sectioned plates he just washed. He was reaching out to the first cupboards in front of him when it suddenly appeared to him, he had no idea what he could give her.

"What does your mom usually give you?" He asked Marley, turning back to her.

Marley shrugged. "Carrots and hummus." And Bucky swore this kid was eating healthier that he ever had.

He started by the fridge, looking for anything he could give to Marley. Thankfully, she wasn't a picky eater so it would be easy for him. Tonight's dinner was in it, along with some vegetables and fruits. He chose grapes because it was the only food, he could see himself eating at that time of the day.

"Grapes and uh-" he looked at the cupboards right next to the fridge "- crackers?"

Marley nodded. Bucky prepared it all on her plate, making sure there was just enough for her to be full but not too much so she would still eat dinner, and handed it to her. She carried it carefully to the living room, Bucky following behind. She had laid out all her crayons on the coffee table next to her Paw Patrol coloring book. He knew about this cartoon because it was the only one Marley ever wanted to watch, she was literally obsessed with it, and she did make him watch some episodes with her. He knew that, when she was playing alone in her room, she would usually pretend she was saving the world with them.

Bucky sat on the carpet, next to Marley, stealing one grape from her plate. She threw him a death glance but offered him some more if he would help with the coloring. He happily complied.

Before dinner was normally bath time. Thankfully, you had said over the phone you would deal with that in the morning. For some reason, Marley did not like baths. A little bit of water in her eyes or ears was too much for her to handle and he wasn't sure he could deal with her being so upset on his own.

He still got her changed in her pajamas - she obviously chose the one with the dalmatian puppy from Paw Patrol you had agreed on buying a few weeks ago; washed her face with a cotton pad and some cleansing lotion, brushed her hair and tried the best he could to tie them in a low ponytail. You would normally braid them for the night, but this was not something Bucky mastered at all - he made a mental note to watch some tutorials on YouTube to learn though.

"Will you and mommy get married?" Marley asked out of nowhere while Bucky was carrying her back to the kitchen to have dinner.

"I don't know," he said, confused. "Why do you ask?"

"I prefer you over my real daddy," Marley admitted. And it broke his heart. Bucky knew how her dad forgot about her third birthday and missed most of his custody days lately. He didn't really understand how somebody could have a child and knowingly decide not take care of them anymore.

The child in his arm was so precious. It amazed him every day how much she could comprehend of the world around her. She was smart, creative, kind. She knew what she wanted, would be very stubborn about it and would do anything to get it – you always said you didn’t understand where she got her fierce mind and Bucky laughed every time because he knew exactly from whom she had gotten it: you. You did such a good job raising her on your own. He also knew you would always choose her over him, and he had to admit, it made him fall in love even more with you.

"Even if I'd marry your mom, I still wouldn't be your daddy officially."

"To me, you would," Marley concluded as if it was as simple as that.

Living with you two permanently. Marrying you. Bucky never thought of it. He liked how this relationship was working: the kindness, the trust, the love. He loved the movie dates with you, the Sundays walks, and the evening just the three of you. He loved how simple it all was and how it made him just happy. Happiest he had been in a long time. And he wondered if he wanted more. The way his heart was fluttering in his chest made him realized, he did. He didn't know if he was ready though.

Back to the kitchen, he put her down on her seat before getting the casserole of potato gratin out of the oven. He put a small portion in her plate, next to some chopped carrots and apple sauce he already prepared. He put it down in front of her and sat next to her.

"Will you eat with mommy?"

"Yeah, is that alright?"

She nodded, rubbing her eyes. They had stayed coloring her books a little too long and it was nearly her bedtime. Smiling softly, he encouraged her to eat. She did while asking some more questions on his cat in between each mouthful. How old is it? Why did you name it Alpine? Has mummy already met it? Do you think she'll like me? Turned out this little one never run out of question.

After dinner, Bucky gave her a small portion of chocolate from the special cupboard and they agreed it would be their little secret. Then, he carried her to the bathroom to brush her tiny teeth. It was started to be late for her and she was clearly fighting against sleep, the lack of it upsetting her.

"I want to see mommy," she cried, lips trembling and eyes full of tears.

"I know Mar-Mar, she'll get there soon," Bucky tried to comfort her. You hadn't text yet, meaning you weren't on your way still. He knew Marley would be asleep before you got home. "We can read a book in your bed while we wait for her, yeah?"

Marley nodded and let Bucky carry her to her bed. She had her head rested on his right shoulder the whole time. She crawled under the covers the moment her body was dropped off on the bed. She let Bucky choose the bedtime story and he chose the one he knew she liked so much.

He laid beside her gently and she immediately reached out closer to him. He wrapped his right arm around her, and her hands somehow found his dog tag again. A small kiss on her forehead and Bucky started reading the book in his left hand. Marley was listening carefully, helping him by turning the page.

At the end of the story, she was fast asleep against him, his dog tag still in her tiny fist. Bucky did not dare moving, afraid he would wake her up if he did. He observed the small child against him and listened to her soft breathes. She looked so peaceful and it made him thought of the way she had welcomed him into her life. Just like you, she had taken him as a whole; with his trauma, his insecurities, his quietness, and his staring habits. And now, she had him wrapped around his little finger. He knew deep in his guts he wouldn't let anything happen to you or your daughter. He realized that now. That made him think some more: maybe he was ready after all. And this time, he would not let happiness slip away from him.

Bucky stayed like that until twenty minutes later, when you showed up on your daughter’s room doorstep. You looked exhausted yet still radiant. A smile had formed on your lips at the sight in front of you. It made you melt right on the spot.

"Hey," Bucky greeted you softly.

You came closer, walking on your tiptoes, careful of not waking up your daughter. You laid besides them, kissing your daughter little fist, and tucked yet another strand of hair behind her ear. You looked back at Bucky, who was intensely staring at you. His left arm was already wrapped around your shoulders, bringing you close. You kissed his jaw, making him smile gently. "Thank you for taking care of her. Did it go okay?"

"More than okay." He kissed your forehead while you snuggled closer to him. His heart could burst of the feeling of having you two near him forever.

He wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

#jbb #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x y/n #marvel imagine #mcu imagine #bucky barnes one shot #bucky x single mom!reader #lea's writing #bucky barnes x you

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biderboy · 3 years

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MARAUDERS RAISING THE WEASLEYS PRT 2

contrary to popular belief, they NEVER get fred and george mixed up. each of the marauders know exactly who is who, even when the young boys try and trick them. nobody else can ever tell but they do, sometimes they indulge them though, to see their mischievous little grins

sirius let’s ron color in his tattoos when he’s feeling anxious and tells him stories about why he got them

FANILY TRIP TO A MUGGLE ARCADE !!! james and bill are on a team against sirius and george to see who can get the most tickets. charlie convinces remus to play dance dance revolution with him. lily, ginny, and percy are content playing that deal or no deal game he whole time. peter and fred spend hours on the racing games

percy and peter have a special bond, though most people think peter is bad with kids, percy quite likes his company. he always goes to him for advice and asks peter to show him certain spells

remus was the one who got ginny to take her first steps, granted he was bribing her with chocolate but STILL, she had the biggest smile on her face and took a total of 3 steps before she fell

charlie has an extremely bad temper and likes to fight with his siblings so when he gets really upset james takes him for a long ride on his broom, letting the small boy look over the miles of forests and sea to calm him down

one day bill wanted to make lily and remus breakfast and ended up burning everything so he blamed it on sirius with a perfect lie and sirius was banned from the kitchen for a month

peter was the one who decided they should have family games nights and was the one to build a giant fort, filled with blankets and pillows to fit each family member, it became a tradition they did every friday night

fred stole remus’ wand once and instead of hexing someone he simply used it to stir and mix dirt for 2 hours seeing as he thought it was a stick

sirius wanted to do a crafts day and lily ended up coming home from work to see the twins covered in paint, ron had a mustache drawn on his face, harry had glue absolutely everywhere, and bill had 4 new paper cuts

on “bring your child to work day” james brings bill, harry, ron and ginny to a quidditch practice and all his teammates coo and how cute they are. sirius takes charlie and fred to the shop and lets them sit in old cars and motorcycles all day. remus takes george to the muggle library he works out and lets him run around picking out books he likes. lily takes percy with her to hogwarts and lets him meet all his future professors.

one day james came home to see bill wrapped up in 2 blankets on his bed, sleeping peacefully. and james just joins him in his nap, so lily comes home 2 hours later and see her boys sprawled out in bed

sirius teachs each of the kids a few words and phrases in french and watches james loose his shit because “WHEN DID WE LEARN FRENCH???”

SNOW DAYS !!!!!! bunch of little red heads wrapped in 12 different lays because james is a worrier and he can’t have any of his kids getting sick, he wasn’t even going to allow ginny, george and ron out because they got sick easily

percy and harry pick flowers for lily from their garden and each time she puts them in a vase at the dinner table so everyone can see and compliment them

ron sometimes has nightmares so more often then not remus wakes up to find a tiny red head clinging to him

ALL THE BOYS LIKE TO DRESS UP IN THE MARAUDERS CLOTHES !!!!! bill sneaks into james closest and wears his old gryffindor clothes, charlie and george dress up like remus’, percy and harry raise peters closest for sweaters and socks, ginny, fred and ron sneak into sirius’ room and come out in leather jackets and boots

for father’s day they all make a bunch of cards and ask lily to take them to the muggle store to buy candy and so the boys come home to find a cake and a mess of presents and they definitely don’t cry (they do, especially james)

OH and for mother’s day the boys dress up and demand for lily to wear her prettiest dress and trhey dance through the living room and lily is so lucky to have her little (big) family

they get everywhere by floo BUT when they go to visit remus or lily’s fanily they have to take muggle transportation and the looks they get are horrible but they don’t care because sirius has harry on his shoulders and ginny is happily hanging from remus’ neck and the twins are pointing out different cars and trees

fred is an avid rock collector and spends hours telling james about each rock and what he named it and why and james listens very intently, nodding and asking questions and even gets offended when sirius gets a name wrong

bill hates cleaning and hates chores but sirius plays music while they’re cleaning his room and so he enjoys it a bit more, especially when sirius pretends to play the guitar and shouts out the words to the songs

george and remus really like rainy days and they’re more often then not found playing in the rain and jumping in mud puddles and they get so dirty, but they don’t care

charlie doesn’t like his freckles but sirius started calling them star kisses and calling charlie “baby star” and now he demands everyone to call them such

ginny and harry are very picky eaters, harry hates bananas because they are too mushy and there’s a wide variety of food ginny throws at peter because she simply doesn’t care for it

sometimes george has magic outbursts that he can’t control and random things will start levitating or smoking and to make sure he doesn’t get embarrassed, sirius cheering s him on with “yea georgie !!! ur magic is so cool !! i wish i could do that”

after each full moon, as if they know, all the kids crowd around remus’ bed and bring him a bunch of his favorite chocolate and tell him stories till he feels better again

george and fred almsot left the house in mismatched shoes and james was fully prepared to let them because it looked cool

carving pumpkins is a complete mess because ron wants to eat the pumpkin seeds and harry threw guts in bills ahir and Sirius and james are the same amount of child as the rest of them , it takes hours and the decide to paint pumpkins the next halloween

surprisingly ron was the first to start calling james “dad”, after copying harry mostly. but they all fell along into it. but at some point the started calling remus and sirius “dad” too and so when charlie went to school one day he gladly told the teacher he had 4 dads and a mum

one day remus gets up in the middle of the night to find fred and ron sitting on the kitchen floor eating sweets they weren’t suppose to have nd he sits and joins them because there was chocolate james his from him in there

i 100% think they had the “kisses make everything better” thing going on and everytime one of them got hurt, sirius would kiss the injury while simultaneously healing it and so for years they all genuinely believe kisses fix everything

bath time was so long in the house, luckily they had 2 bathrooms but still , fred liked taking long baths, ron and harry refused to even step near the bath, running around the house until one of them got caught, and count in sirius taking an hour long shower and bath time simply lasted forever

each kid, yes even bill, especially bill, had to be tucked in properly each night. each and everyone of the marauders had to say goodnight and give hugs. the younger ones demanded stories and songs until they fell asleep, and charlie absolutely made james lay in bed with him while he told james a story

lily introduces them to a ton of muggle things, including muggle sports, so the boys take a liking to soccer and every chance they get, they make james and peter run around playing with them

one day james can’t find his old gryffindor hat and goes to look for it, only to see charlie outside, sitting underneath a tree, wearing said hat. when james asks about it he says, “oh! i wear it when i miss you”

taking the kids camping was a BAD idea. ron hates bug of all sorts and had 3 fits just with the idea of having to sleep on the ground. ginny and harry won’t stop chasing bill when he’s trying to get firewood. percy insists on knowing how to put the tents up and ends up hurting more then helping. and getting a fire started was remus’ job but the twins see to like making things difficult and so they just go home

and yes this is longer than expected but once again, i will never stop talking about it

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hb-pickle · 3 years

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Favorite Quotes from Frozen 2: Dangerous Secrets 🌃 🌌 🌠 🎑

Quick list of all my favorite quotes and scenes from the book "Frozen 2: Dangerous Secrets" by @marimancusi 😚💜!

Dangerous Secrets came out almost 7 months ago, and despite my harsh criticism, DS was actually very fun, flavorful, coherent, brought something to the table, complex, had lots of fun lore and additions, and all that good stuff a super fan would love. I was VERY entertained and I do stan 😌. It felt like a genuine, heartfelt addition to the Frozen canon and I love and respect it, despite its flaws. So here's a little Dangerous Secrets appreciation featuring my favorite quotes! 🌟💛💫🎉🎊🎖🌙

➽───────────────❥

#1 - 12 year old Iduna, after first arriving in Arendelle for the 1st time, is interrogated by some townsmen who don’t recognize her.

"Please," I whispered, my voice hoarse from the smoke I'd inhaled. Though I hardly knew what I was asking for. Mercy? - PG 31

I just think this line f*cking SLAPS. “What was I begging for? Mercy?” NOW THAT’S REAL LITERATURE.

#2 - Iduna goes to the Enchanted Forest and is stopped by the mist.

A crushing despair began to weigh on my chest. Everyone I ever loved was there behind that wall. - PG 61

I like this specifically because I like how its a subtle reference to the rest of the Frozen franchise i.e. Elsa from Into The Unknown “Everyone I've ever loved is here within these walls”. A lot of tie-in books tend to go heavy and obvious with the references, but this felt very well crafted and professional.

❂

#3 - Agnarr, in a fit of passion, ask Iduna to always tell him the truth and that they should never keep secrets from each other (making Iduna panic a little because she has been hiding her true identity their entire relationship).

I trailed off, unsure what to say. Not sure if I'd ever know what to say again. Every word that came from my mouth tasted like a like, even the ones that were true. - PG 106

This one felt REAL good because Iduna’s anxiety around Agnarr has been built up really well throughout the whole story, so we really feel her panic. Especially coupled with Agnarr’s blinding ignorance (affectionate) 🤣🤣🤣 Also just.... that last line... POETRY.

❂

#4 - Teenage Iduna and Agnarr go on their bi-annual trip to investigate the mist. [Purple = Iduna, Green = Agnarr]

"Did you finish your section?"

"Yup."

"And...?"

"Oh. There's a big gaping hole. Crazy huge. Sorry, was I supposed to tell you?"

She didn't laugh.

"Sorry. Bad joke." I felt dumb. I should know better than to mess with her at the mist.

"And yet somehow you manage to repeat it every year," she grumbled, testing out another section of mist. - PG 87

This is definitely the funniest line in the book because you can really tell Iduna is SICK of his ass 🤣. Also the fact that this isn’t the first time Agnarr tried passing this same shit is hilarious. I also feel like this really nicely exemplifies both character’s personalities as lighthearted, stupid, and unweildy (affectionate) and stern and serious but forgiving.

❂

#5 - Adult Iduna tries to comfort panicking teenage Elsa. [Purple = Iduna, Blue = Elsa]

"I understand, sweetheart," I said at last. "Just... hang on a little longer, okay? My brave girl." My voice cracked on the last part and I felt a tear fall from my eye, sliding slowly down my cheek. Elsa saw it and to my suprise, she suddenly stepped forward, closing the distance between us. I watched, breathlessly, as she reached out with a shaky hand and swiped the tear from my cheek. It froze on her fingertip-a perfect crystal trapped in time. The she flicked it away, looking at me with her great, deep, deep, sorrowful eyes.

"I love you, mama," she said slowly. - PG 268

I like this scene because it really caught me off guard!! I didn't except Elsa to touch her mother, especially this deep into her trauma. And this scene is just so sweet 😭 and a nice small bonding moment before the tragedy at the end. Plus the tiny crystal tear is beautiful imagery ❄

❂

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Honorable Mentions for other scenes I just liked:

• Iduna rejects Agnarr's first proposal and he drops the love spoon out of the tree. - I think that's a very good use of setting, plus trees are very important symbols in A&I's story <3

• Iduna and Agnarr get married and they do the wedding ritual where you pull the top rings of the Kransekake to predict how many children you will have. - This one was really fun because I liked the little bit of lore/culture! Plus its a little fun nod to their beautiful babies uwu

• All the horny^TM scenes - because it made me question what the age range of the book was for 🤣🤣🤣. Plus it was just super funny

#frozen #frozen 2 #disney frozen #disney frozen 2 #agduna #iduna #agnarr #frozen 2: dangerous secrets #dangerous secrets #king agnarr #queen iduna #elsa #elsa frozen #anna #anna frozen #northuldra #arendelle #frozen analysis #frozen 2 analysis

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peaches-of-1 · 4 years

Text

Peachtober | Day 12: Haybale

Settlement | Reader x Ranch Hand!Namjoon

A/N: I did my best not to add pronouns/gender specifics refering to the reader, so lemme know if I did by accident or missed any.

"So, we'll split up new volunteers with the regulars." The chubby older man in a blue plaid shirt said and read the list on his clipboard through thick glasses.

You were bummed that your best friend Rosé had been put with a different leader than you, but at least the cowboy you had been assigned to was cute.

His thighs seemed to fight against the faded blue denim of his jeans which led to a well crafted torso. And his smile charmed you in a millisecond, a flash of canyon like dimples and dazzling teeth.

Namjoon was his name, and he gave you a firm handshake as a greeting, along with a kind, "Thanks for coming to help out, Y/N."

"No problem."

Because a lot of people hadn't shown up, and the work was too much for just 2 people, Yoongi's group joined as well making for a total of five. It was September 25, and so the local farm was starting to set up it's annual Autumn Festival. Rosé was the one who had suggested it, and you had nothing better to do.

"Our jobs are pretty easy. It'll take a while, though. We have to take all the hay bales from the barn and make it into a maze for kids. The maze is already planned, but it includes a lot of lifting. Not too hard, right, Namjoon?" The dark haired man asked the honey haired leader. "Namjoon-ah?"

As your head turned to face the usual volunteer, you caught a glimpse of dark brown eyes looking downwards...at you? No, but who else could he have been looking at?

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, it's enough cardio for a week." He smiled as you felt heat rush into your cheeks. "Let's all drive over to the barn, and go from there."

The two other newbie volunteers hopped into the back, and you were about to join them when Yoongi called your name.

"Ride in the front with Joon. I'll explain to my crew." He held the door open.

"Ah, ok." Came your quiet reply.

The idea seemed sudden and kind of startled you, but you were glad not to be sat in the rough bed of the truck. As the engine growled to life, Namjoon reminded you to put on your seat belt. Then the wheels began to turn as you were driven forward.

"So, uh, how long have you been doing this?"

He smiled, grateful that you spoke first it seemed, "I actually work in the city, but one of my young friends, him and his family run the farm. They needed some extra help, so I started helping about 7 years now." Regret tinged his ears a red shade as he said, "Sorry. I tend to ramble."

"It's ok. I don't think you rambled too much." You gave him a genuine smile.

"Eyes on the road, Joon!" Yoongi called.

Once the first stack of hay bales were secured onto the truck, the darker haired man left with the other two. Namjoon and you were left alone to get the next stack ready for their return. His muscles rippled with every yank of heavy straw that you pushed towards him. No trace of the goofy and shy man you had rode with 15 minutes before.

"What made you join this year?" He drank a bottle of water he must've left here. "I recognized Rosé from last year. She looks good with pink hair."

You nodded and refused the bottle as you weren't thirsty...for water at least, "Yeah, I just wanted to do some work outside of my house and she signed me up for this."

"What's your usual job?"

"Oh, it's--OW" You pulled your leg back and saw a black spotted cat paw leading to your attacker.

"Wasabi! That's not how you treat guests!" He scolded the cat who now purred around his ankles. "She just had babies, so she's a bit protective. Sit."

You automatically dropped to sit on the block of hay you had let go. Namjoon went to a box on the wall with a red cross on it to get a small bag from it. He knelt in front of you.

"May I?"

You nodded and replied, "Mmhmm."

He lifted your foot to rest on his thigh and dabbed at the scratch with a wipe. You gave a sharp inhale, and he giggled.

"It's not even that deep."

"Still hurts." You pouted.

With a gentle rub, the too big bandaid covered the injury.

"I could sue you for this." You teased.

"If I kiss you, could we call it a proper settlement?" The question came out so smoothly you couldn't tell if he was serious.

Your eyes got wide. The sound of an approaching car pulled both of your attentions towards it. You quickly stepped back and Namjoon grinned at the ground.

"Sorry." He said before moving towards the door.

With a swift movement, he took up the straw you had dropped at Wasabi's scratch and you looked at the mama cat who meowed. It was if she was teasing you for not taking the chance. Yoongi came in to give her pets and asked where her babies were. She leapt down and took us to an old closet with a pile of discarded clothes inside on the floor.

"Awww, so cute! I want one~" The short red haired girl who was a part of Yoongi's group said, wanting to approach, but you put your arm in front of her as the mother hissed.

"We'll see." Yoongi replied and then spoke to Namjoon. "Just keep clear of them for now. We can make due with a few less bales."

"Gotcha. See you in a few."

The two quiet boys and the tiny red head left again.

"So, what do we do?"

"We'll kinda fence them in. Make sure no one else gets too close." He began to push a bale towards the area.

Following suit, a small barrier now separated Wasabi and crew from the rest of the barn. Looking around, most of the hay was on the second floor.

"You want me to go up there and toss 'em down?" You asked, spotting a ladder.

"Yeah. That's better than you catching 'em." He held the ladder sturdy, "Just be careful."

"If not, I'll just have to ask for more kisses." And up the ladder you went, not thinking too much of how cute his shocked expression was.

Several tons later, it was time for lunch. Namjoon helped you down off the ladder, letting his hands linger around your waist before blushing, "We should hurry before the corn gets cold."

Even though you had the option of leaving after the meal, you convinced your ride to stay until you were done with the maze. You went back to the barn, but volunteers had to leave at sunset. Namjoon didn't say much during the meal to you, but it was ok since you weren't a socialite anyways. Also, seeing how familiar he had been with the other regulars, the Farm family's son Tae, and his dog which now joined you, was nice.

"You really have been helping out for 7 years." The words left your lips before you could even think.

"Yeah. I know everyone pretty well. Enough to know that Tae's got a little crush on you." Namjoon wiped his forehead with the hem of his shirt, allowing you to see his glistening abs in the afternoon sun.

You couldn't help but bite your lip, "Is that so?"

"Yep." He met your gaze. "You interested?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you interested in being with the farmer's son?" The way he asked sounded like it was more than one question.

How many in total? You didn't know, but you did what you did best. Told the truth.

With a firm shake of your head, you sat on the edge of the loft, "No. I'm not interested in him. He's sweet and all, but I don't have eyes for him."

"...I see. Any hay left up there?"

You looked behind yourself, "None that's like all together. Hey, what's this?"

"What's what?" He looked up to see your ass filling out the overall shorts you had worn today.

"Come up here and take a look." You replied.

So Namjoon climbed up the ladder to come see what had caught your attention and was pulled forward to be on top of your own nervous but eager form.

"Now that we're here, are you gonna kiss me or not?"

"You're the one who got us here. Can't ya kiss me first?"

"I wanna make sure it's mutual. Anyways, I can only be so bold, Namjoon."

A cheeky chuckle left his lips as he settled on top of you, looking into your eyes as they closed and waited for the heat of his lips made contact with yours. There was no way either of you could stop now as you grabbed onto each other as if you'd disappear if you let go for even the slightest moment. His left hand was on your hip while his right snaked up to the latch of your overalls.

"Is it ok? Can I--"

"Go ahead." You replied breathlessly.

As shaking hands fumbled with each, you couldn't help but laugh and help him out. A grateful grin was given before making out ensued once more. Namjoon wanted this to last forever, but knew this time would have to be quick. Before Yoongi and the two volunteers came back. Still, he'd be remiss if he did not properly prepare you, so he slid two fingers inside of you. Without realizing, your hips rolled into his hand and a string of moans left your mouth. The grip you had on his forearm flexed.

He watched you through all of it, noticing your blushy reaction of looking away. However, Namjoon kissed your neck as the sweetest punishment. You squealed and bucked your hips as fingers spread your needy hole.

"Hurry." Came past your lips in a whine as the last thing you wanted was to be caught by the others in such a situation.

"Wait." Namjoon took his fingers out of you and reached into a spot in the corner.

There seemed to be a box that he looked through as you ground your hips onto nothing. Yet you needed to move just for any slight sensation. He mumbled to himself.

You pouted and called out his name, "Namjoooon~ Hurryyyyy~"

The large man turned around and revealed an unmistakable box of condoms and a small bottle of lube.

He smiled and then bit his lip at the sight of your disheveled form, "They're not expired."

"Then fuck me already!"

Namjoon's dick jumped at the desperate plea and quickly obliged, lubing you up and rolling the rubber on. You wanted it inside you so badly, but he waited.

"You look so pretty." Honest words reached your ears.

Your cheeks warmed even more at the compliment and you couldn't look at him, all the bravery from earlier all but gone.

Then he leaned over you, hands on either side of your head as he growled into your ear.

"You'd be prettier with my cock inside you, though." And thrust into you.

The scream of pleasure which came out of your throat surprised even you. And though you tried to cover your mouth, Namjoon pinned your hands down.

Between grunts, he uttered, "Don't. Don't hide from me. I wanna hear it all. Oh fuck. Please. Let me hear how badly you want this."

As his own moans trickled out, you looked at his furrowed brows and the new layer of sweat forming on both of you. You groaned and moaned out his name and loving words of support.

"You're so great, Namjoon. Oh, oh, oh my God. You're doing so well. Ahhhhh, more!"

"Yes! Yes! Oh Y/N. Oh fuck!" His curses were a whisper, contrasting how he screamed your name like a prayer.

"Namjoon, yes. Harder. Fuck, yes!" You felt him twitch inside of you and moved your hips upwards to meet his.

He whimpered and began to suck on your nipples, giving them tiny nibbles here and there. Namjoon's breathing became thick as he made love with you. He looked up at you, brown eyes dark and glittering in the golden hour of the world.

"Y/N, I can't--I'm gonna."

You held his face in your hands, "Cum for me."

He released as soon as the door opened, and you had to kiss him to muffle his scream of ecstasy.

"Namjoon? Y/N? Is this the last of it?" Yoongi asked.

Namjoon replied, "Yeah. If you can take it all on one go, that'd be great." in a voice that was clear for someone finishing up an orgasm and was still bucking inside of you.

You couldn't help but twitch, making him look down at you with your own hands muffling your own moans and eyes filled with tears. Right on the edge. You were right there, but you couldn't get there with the other man so close to catching on. The seconds passed by in the form of endless hours as Yoongi was quiet for no reason.

"So, you gonna go?" The thick chested man asked.

"Yeah. Alright, we'll start loading the truck. Wanna help out, Joonie?"

The man on top of you whispered, "Fuck." Before clearing his throat, "Nah. Kinda busy."

Yoongi's voice held a smile in it, "Oh, I see. I'll tell V you wanted to give the volunteer a tour." He then left.

You hid your face into Namjoon's shoulder. You wanted to cum so badly. The barn door closed and Namjoon began to pound into you after a sigh of relief. He was hard again. Did he like the idea of getting caught that much? It was a fleeting thought as the sound of a truck driving off allowed you to moan again. Your body convulsed as the ranch hand abused your g spot now that he found it. You gripped his arm, wrist, whatever you could hold onto as your orgasm finally reached its peak.

Heavy pants as Namjoon pulled out and lay next to you. He kissed your lips once more and you curled up into his side.

"That’s such a great settlement." You let an airy chuckle out.

Joon looked over at you, only able to laugh at your comment. The two of you decided to hurry and get dressed, and he walked you to the bus taking the last bit of city folk back. He called out your name before you went on, picking a piece of straw out of your hair and sticking it into his mouth.

“Come back soon.” He smiled so large that his dimples became a cavern.

#Reader x Namjoon #Namjoon x Reader #Kim Namjoon #RM #RM x Reader #Reader x RM #Peachtober2020 #female!reader #Male!reader #smut #lemon #nb!reader #enby!reader

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notalwayslate · 3 years

Text

What Must Be Done

Hello @joylee56 it is I your Secret Santa. I was thrilled to get you, as I loved the gift you gave me, Fresh Start, at the last exchange! I hope you enjoy!

Prompt: Role Reversal, books, Nealfire

What Must Be Done

Summary: When a magical mishap transports Belle into the story of an old spinner she soon discovers what must be done to save his son.

Read it on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28344366

“Ahem.”

Belle looked up from her book to find Rumpelstiltskin standing in the entryway, his dark brown leather apron tightly wrapped around his body, with a look of impatience on his face. She spotted a beaker in his right hand, containing what she could only assume was some magical concoction that he spent the afternoon creating.

"I have been calling you for the last five minutes,” he huffed shaking his head in frustration. “I am in need of your assistance. That is if you could spare the time from your busy cleaning schedule."

Unbothered by the jab, Belle had grown quite accustomed to bantering with the Dark One. Although he often feigned outrage over her lack of housekeeping, she was well aware that he placed no real expectation of servitude upon her. He had gifted her a library after all, and both of them knew that the castle tended to itself. Yet, for reasons she didn’t quite fully understand, they both kept up the pretense that her role at the castle, and more importantly in his life, was that only of a maid.

"Can’t it wait till later?" she pled blinking, as she lay curled up on her favorite reading chaise with a book in hand.

The side of his mouth twitched, and she was unsure if it was out of amusement or annoyance.

"I'm sure the handsome young hero in your book can wait, because I cannot. Now put it down. I need you to write down the instructions for this spell exactly how I tell you."

Throwing her head back she groaned at the inane task. "Can't you write it yourself?"

Rumpelstiltskin pursed his lips as his eyes narrowed at her. "And what have another blunder like the one with that simpleton farmer? I still have nightmares about that delivery!'

It had been quite the mishap for poor old Mr. McGill, an aging farmer who had desperately wanted his wife to have a child, after years of trying. Rumpelstiltskin had guaranteed him a baby, for a price of course. Eager to finally have an heir, the farmer readily agreed and was given the fertility potion along with hand written instructions on how to use it.

Unfortunately for Mr. McGill, the Dark One’s penmanship was atrocious, and he mistakenly took the vial meant for his wife. Nine months later, with a little help from a very traumatized Dark One, Mr. McGill had safely delivered a pair of healthy young girls.

"Good point," Belle nodded, letting out a sigh as she closed the book. "I guess I have to wait till tomorrow to see what happens to Baelfire."

The sound of shattering glass startled her, as she looked over to see the broken beaker sprawled across the floor where Rumple stood. She opened her mouth to tease that she was not the only klutz in the castle, but his look of complete bewilderment silenced her words.

"Wh-what did you say?"

Uneasiness settled in the pit of her stomach. “I…” her brows furrowed in a confused worry as she stumbled to speak. Something was wrong. In all the months she lived there, he had never looked that way before.

"I…I was talking about a story," she held up the small leather bound book she had just been reading, as his eyes zeroed in on it. Her nerves grew the longer he silently stared, so she started rambling to fill the awkward silence.

"Well it’s not so much a story really, but a journal. I mean it jumps around, with no real rhyme or reason, but what I can gather it’s about a poor man who needs to find the Duke's magical dagger to save his son Baelfire."

Slowly, calculatingly, he moved his menacing stare up from the book, and into her eyes. For the first time in her life she felt true fear in the presence of the Dark One.

"Where did you get that?" he snarled his voice inflamed with a sinister tone.

"I...I found it when I was dusting." She glanced down at the journal in her trembling hands with confusion. How could such an unassuming book draw such a powerful reaction from the Dark One? "You...you said I could read any book in the castle as long as it wasn't in your laboratory," she spoke defensively feeling the urge to justify whatever wrong she had clearly inflicted upon him.

Taking a deep breath, she braced for his harshness, but cold silence was all she heard. Although his eyes still bore into hers, it was as if he was looking right through her, lost in his own world. A gnawing guilt crept into her heart at seeing him so distraught.

Timidly she bit her lip. "I'm sorry Rumpelstiltskin. I will return the book to where I found it at once."

Hastily she moved around the large table, keeping her eyes down cast as she moved towards the door where he stood. She intended to pass without a word, but as she neared him, she noticed his entire body was shaking.

Was he ill? The fear for her own safety dissipated as she worried now for his. She couldn’t just leave him like this, especially surrounded by broken glass. Quickly she dropped to her knees before him, placing the journal on the floor next to her. She hadn’t thought this through thoroughly as she had nothing but her hands to pick up the jagged shards of glass.

Carefully she reached for the largest piece, when her hand slipped against the floor, barreling her palm right across the jagged edge of glass. When she looked down at her bleeding hand, she noticed the journal out of the corner of her eye, now lying in a shifted pool of whatever was in the beaker. She reached for it, crying out when the wetly coated book made contact with her cut hand.

Her sharp cry broke Rumple from his frozen stupor. He looked down, his brows furrowing in concern as he whimpered, “You’re hurt.”

She felt his arms wrap around her, before everything went black.

"Mama."

A tiny voice soon followed by a gentle shake of her shoulder rustled Belle from sleep. She felt the unmistakable poking of straw clipping at her face and hair. If she was sleeping on a pile of straw, there could only be one explanation. Sighing, she opened her eyes.

"Did you really put me back in the dungeon, Rumpelstiltskin," she called out, knowing full well he could hear her from any part in the castle. “I told you I was sorry.”

"Mama?"

Startled by the voice, Belle sat up, to see a young floofy haired boy, looking straight at her. Her jaw dropped at the sight of him. His clothing was worn and tattered. How long had he been down here?

"Are you okay Mama?"

Befuddled Belle looked around searching for whomever the young boy was talking to. She didn’t see anyone else, but even more confounding were her surroundings. She wasn’t in one of the dungeons at the Dark Castle. It appeared to be more of a shack, a hovel of sort.

"Mama?"

She could hear the growing concern in the young boy’s voice, and turned her attention back towards him. Wanting to comfort the confused lost child, she went to stand, crying out when a rush of searing hot pain shot through her right leg.

"I'll get your staff, Mama." the young boy called out, reaching for a wooden stick against the far side of the wall. He silently placed it in her hand as she slowly stood. How had she hurt her leg?

So many questions raced through her mind, but she needed to deal with the most pressing matter at hand.

"Where is your mama, sweetheart?" she asked the young lad.

"I don't understand, Mama.” he shook his head. “Is this some sort of game?”

“You tell me,” she countered still thoroughly confused as to whom this boy was, and why he kept calling her his mother.

“Are you feeling okay Mama?

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to stop calling her that, but as she saw the genuine look of concern in his big brown eyes, she thought better of it. If she had to guess he was probably around 11 or 12 years of age. He was a handsome young lad, and even though she had never laid eyes upon him before, there was something familiar in his manner, that she couldn’t quite place.

“I’m fine sweetheart,” she forced a smile playing along. “I’m just feeling a little out of sort today.”

“Are you having second thoughts about tonight, Mama?” he inquired. “Are we still running away?”

Her eyes widened in surprise at the odd revelation. Running away? Why would they be running away and more importantly from whom?

“Well…” she hesitated a moment, trying to figure out the best way to get the answers she so desperately needed without seeming like a complete lunatic to the young child. “Why do you think I want us to run away?”

He hung his head, kicking at the dirt floor.

“Because the Duke has lowered the age to fight again, and they are going to take me away, like they did Morraine.”

Wait, she knew that story.

“And I know you want to keep me safe Mama, but it just doesn’t feel right to flee.”

An impossible reality dawned upon her, as she looked incredulously at the young boy.

“Baelfire?”

“I don’t want them to look at me like a coward Mama, and…”

His voice drowned into the background, as her head swarmed in a dizzied disbelief. She felt disoriented and stumbled to an old wooden chair nearby. Baelfire was at her side in an instant. She didn’t want to frighten him, but she needed time to herself to process everything.

Tempering her panic for a brief moment, she mustered all of her strength, kindly asking Baelfire to fetch some water from the creek. He was hesitant to leave her at first, but she assured him with a false sense of calm that she had merely become overheated, and needed a cool fresh cup of water.

The moment he left, her refrained composure crumpled as she rocked back and forth in the chair. How did this happen? Why was she here? Closing her eyes, she searched her memory, trying to find any possible explanation for this. The last thing she remembered she had cut herself and ... her eyes opened with a sudden epiphany.

Her hand had been covered in a mixture of blood and magic when she reached for the journal. Had she unknowingly cast herself into the book when she touched it? Rumpelstiltskin always claimed that blood magic was one of the most powerful but dangerous in all of the lands.

Taking a long deep breath, she tried to recall every detail she read in the journal. Based off of her conversation with Baelfire, they were already past the part of the story where Morraine had been taken away by the Duke’s men.

Her heart dropped, as she remembered what came next in the story. They couldn’t flee tonight, if they did they would surely be caught by Hordor and his men.

She would have to come up with a new plan quickly to get Baelfire out of town.

After a few minutes, Baelfire returned with a bucket of water. As she opened her mouth to tell him of their change of plans, she suddenly found herself transported to the cold darkened enchanted forest, as an array of soldiers and horses surrounded her.

Having lived with Rumpelstiltskin she was use to the sensation of being magically transported. In her early days at the castle, she had on quite a few occasions suddenly found herself outside the castle next to the clothesline with a basket of laundry. Although she found it annoying, she never was afraid, knowing that Rumple would never send her anywhere dangerous.

But this was not Rumple’s magic.

Her heart filled with trepidation, as the horses circled around her and Baelfire. It appeared the book had a will of its own, transporting her to the scene she had desperately wanted to avoid. The story had already been written, and now she was forced to follow it.

Her heart pounded in her ears as Hordor spoke of treason, and ordered his men to take the boy.

“Don’t touch my son!” Belle cried out, feeling a fierce motherly protection as she moved Baelfire behind her.

Hordor’s chilling laugh filled the night air as he rode his horse next to her. “Kiss my boot.”

“What?” she asked in disbelief.

“Kiss my boot, and the boy can go home with you tonight. Or” he gave a small shrug, “you can kiss something else of mine.”

Swallowing her pride she bent over to kiss the dastardly cretin’s muddy boot, but he moved his foot at the last minute, kicking her square in the ribs. As her bruised body started to fall towards the ground, she suddenly found herself sitting in front of a fireplace. Flustered by the abrupt change, it took her a moment to regain her bearings.

She was one again in the same hovel, but this time an old man sat across from her. Her thoughts immediately turned to Baelfire, as her eyes searched the room for him. A rush of relief filled her heart, as she spotted him sleeping on the straw cot.

He was safe…for now.

The old man cleared his throat clearly trying to regain her attention, as she drew her eyes back to him.

“As I was saying, The Duke has the Dark One in thrall. He's enslaved him with the power of a mystical dagger and on the blade is written a name – the true name of the Dark One. If you steal the dagger, then you would control the Dark One yourself. And then no one would be able to take your son away from you.”

Her heart stopped at the mention of the Dark One. Was Rumpelstiltskin here in this story? The journal had made no mention of the magical dagger having ties to the Dark One. It appeared that the book had decided to give her more information now, a clearer picture of the the story than what she had previously read.

“Can you imagine,” the old man continued. “A poor lame soul with that much power. Why you could save all the children…not just your son.”

A spinning wheel, which wasn’t there before, suddenly came into her view. It was sitting next to the pile of straw that she had previously awoken from. Flabbergasted, her jaw hung open as she immediately recognized the object as the same one she spent many a day and night reading next to in the grand hall. Her heart tugged forth a memory.

“Why do you spin so much?”

“It helps me to forget.”

“Forget what?”

Stupefied she pulled her gaze from the spinning wheel as another realization dawned upon her. Stumbling, she found her footing, as she hobbled towards the young sleeping boy. Her fingers brushed against the tattered shawl he had worn earlier which now doubled as his blanket.

Tears swelled in her eyes as she realized she had seen that very shawl before in a room at the Dark Castle. She had always wondered who the small clothes had belonged to but now she knew. They belonged to his son. This was Rumpelstiltskin’s story.

Remembering she was not alone she spun on her heel, armed with a series of questions, but much to her surprise the old man was gone. Sighing at the sudden erratic changes the book bestowed she went to move the now unoccupied chair, but the scraping of the legs against the floor awoke Baelfire.

“Let me help you Mama,” he called out, but she held up her hand, silently halting him in place.

“It’s fine sweetheart,” she smiled, moving the chair to sit next to him as he laid back down. She gave a silent plea to whoever was guiding this, to allow her a little more time with him, before she was yanked away to face another part of the story.

Reaching out she tussled her fingers through his hair.

“You look so much like your father,” she marveled truly taking the time to look at him.

“Will you tell me about him Mama?”

The hopefulness in his voice melted her heart. She recalled in the journal that they boy’s mother had left them, but instead of the truth, his father had told him she had died. She could only assume now with the roles reversed and she here, that he believed his father to be dead.

“Well he was a very handsome man,” she smiled recalling the first time she had ever laid her eyes upon him. “He had a very hard exterior, intimidating for some, but when you got to know him, see the real person underneath it all, well…he was completely and utterly fascinating. I…” she looked down with a small blush to her cheeks. “I couldn’t get enough of being around him. He was such a mystery to be uncovered.”

Baelfire smiled wistfully. “I wish I knew him Mama. I wish he was with us now. ”

Leaning down, she kissed the top of his head. “So do I, sweetheart, so do I.”

Once Baelfire succumbed to sleep, Belle closed her eyes to pray. Although she had unexpectedly been thrusted into this situation, she was thankful for every moment she got with Baelfire. Although she wasn’t really his mother, the love she felt for him rivaled that of one.

As she continued to pray for their safety, a strong odor of smoke tickled at her nose. Concerned that an ember strayed from the fire, she opened her eyes to an inferno before her.

She wasn’t in their home though, she was now standing outside a castle as a fire blazed across its walls. Baelfire was at her side. Instinctively she wrapped her arm around his shoulder pulling him close to her. Looking down she saw a pile of soaked sheep wool, and realized that they must have started the fire with it.

“So what do we do next Mama?”

She wiped the sweat from her forehead, as the heat from the flames grew more sweltering. Placing her hand on Baelfire’s shoulder she looked him in the eyes.

“You need to go. Whatever comes next I must do alone.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. “Go home Baelfire, I will be there later tonight, I promise.”

He turned to go, stopping after a few strides. “Be safe Mama. I love you.”

Smiling she spoke freely from her heart. “I love you too son.”

As he disappeared into the night, Belle turned her focus back to the fire before her. So this was the Duke’s castle, she surmised. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath, mustering all of her bravery. She could do this. She would do this for Baelfire.

Opening her eyes she walked towards the blazing castle with a mother’s determination burning in her heart. Although she was unfamiliar with the layout of the castle, an unknown force guided her effortlessly through every passageway.

She soon found herself in a long hallway with multiple banners hanging from the wall. She felt an uncontrollable pull to the green one. Lifting the banner back, she gasped as a long jagged dagger, with the name Zoso engraved upon it, sat on display. There was a heavy darkness in the air surrounding it, an electricity of sort that she had felt once before as she passed by a locked room in the Dark Castle.

As her fingers grasped around the handle, she abruptly found herself transported to a clearing outside the burning castle.

As she stood alone in the night holding the dagger, she felt utterly lost.

“I never got this far in the story…I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” she called out, hoping the book would take pity on her.

She waited for something, anything to happen, but a still cold silence surrounded her. Letting out a sigh, she looked down at the dagger in her hand. Did this really control the Dark One? It seemed impossible. If Belle was certain of one thing it was that Rumpelstiltskin was nobody’s puppet. He did what he wanted, when he wanted. Every deal he struck was of his own free will. He didn’t just come to every soul that called upon him.

It suddenly dawned on her. She had called upon a Dark One once before, and made a deal that changed her life, and now it appeared it was time to do it again. Holding the dagger up she spoke.

“Zoso, Zoso, I summon thee.”

The hairs on the back of her neck rose alerting her to his presence.

“You were asking for me?”

Do the brave thing, she thought and bravery will follow. Turning on her heel she saw a dark hooded figure before her. He took a step towards her, his face still shrouded.

She could tell quickly that this Dark One was very different than Rumpelstiltskin. Rumple was known for his showmanship, openly strutting around, wanting every living creature near and far to see and know exactly who he was. This Dark One preferred to stay in the shadows, to impose a mysterious fear in the hearts of those who dared to call upon him.

“Wield the power of the dagger wisely. You can wield it anytime now. It's almost dawn. That means it's your son's birthday. I bet Hordor and his men are already on their way to your house. Unlike you he’s not a coward and yearns to fight and die in a battle of glory.”

Stunned speechless by his apparent knowledge of the situation, Belle stood silently looking at him. After a moment, the Dark One started to speak again, as if he was an actor reading from a script, and she had missed her cue.

“What a poor bargain that would be to lay down your soul down to have your bastard son safe. So, I ask you, what would you have me to do?”

Taken aback by his insinuations, Belle could see how a person could become flustered and act purely on emotion to counter this Dark One’s aggressive tactics. Although she held the dagger, it appeared that Zoso was the one still in control.

“Show me your face,” she commanded.

Tilting his head in confusion, he pushed back the hood to reveal the familiar face of the old man who was in her home. Her jaw dropped at the sight of him.

“It’s you,” her body shook with rage.

“You wanted this. You manipulated him. You took advantage of a father’s love and his desperation. Rumpelstiltskin only became the Dark One to save his son! ” she screamed, as the as the dark one took two swift strides at her, wrapping his hand tightly around her neck.

“Who are you?” he hissed.

“Someone who loves them.”

The Dark One’s grip tightened around her neck, as he lifted her dangling body inches from the ground. “This isn’t your story, girl.”

She struggled to breathe as his grip tightened. As the world around her darkened, her final thoughts turned to Baelfire, and what grisly fate would await him if she died now. She had to protect him. For Rumpelstiltskin’s son, she would do what must be done.

With her last ounce of strength, she lifted her arm, plunging the dagger down towards Zoso’s back.

Jolting upright, she frantically looked around, mentally preparing for whatever scenario was next in the book, when a familiar voice rung in the air.

“It’s okay Belle. I’m here. You’re okay, sweetheart.”

Looking towards the sound, her heart leapt with joy at the sight of Rumpelstiltskin perched at her bed side.

“Rumple!” she cried out, lunging for him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She let out a sigh of contentment as his hands stroked her back. She could have stayed in his embrace for hours, but all too soon he pushed her back away from him.

“How do you feel, Belle? Does anything hurt?” he fretted as his tender eyes glanced over her.

“I…I don’t think so,” she replied uncertain.

Checking her right hand, she gazed astonishingly at how perfectly normal it was. There wasn’t the slightest trace of the deep cut. She had no doubt that Rumple had healed it with his magic.

Glancing around the familiar surroundings of her bed chamber, she knew she was safe. She was home.

“Belle….I,” her attention turned back to Rumple, who quickly stood up, ringing his hands nervously in front of him. “My behavior…before…I…”

She cut off his apology. “It’s okay Rumple.”

“No,” he shook his head adamantly. “It was appalling. I want you to know…you are safe here Belle. I would,” his eyes watered, “I would never hurt you Belle. Never.”

“I know, Rumple. I know.” She gave him a reassuring smile, as he stared at her in awe. Just then a log shifted in the fireplace, as the flames crackled to life.

The smell of the flames brought every memory back. The fire, the duke’s castle, Zoso.

Overwrought with concern her eyes searched the room.

“Where’s Baelfire? Is he safe?”

His brows furrowed at her for just a moment before he schooled his features.

“There is no one here Belle. You were just dreaming.” With a flick of his wrist, the chipped teacup appeared on her night table. “Have some tea, and relax.”

“No,” she shook her head fiercely. “I was there, in the story. I…I don’t know how, but I was there in the book, Rumple. I was with him. I was with Baelfire.” Taking a deep breath, she looked into his eyes. “I was with your son.”

He stood stoically for a moment before his façade fell, and his shoulders slumped forward. He looked so small, defeated. Her stomach twisted in knots, but she pressed forward.

“That journal I was reading, it was yours. You stole the dagger from the Duke; you killed Zoso and became the Dark One to save your son.

Voice quivering she asked the question she was scared to know the answer of. “Please Rumple, I need to know, did you save Baelfire?

Moments of a heavy silence filled the room.

“Yes,” he croaked his voice small and timid. “I saved him from the ogres.”

She let out a cry of relief. “Oh thank the Gods!”

Her glee was quickly tempered as Rumple stood straight, a storm of anguish raging in his eyes.

“Oh I wouldn’t celebrate Mistress. I saved him from one evil, only to lose him to an even greater one….myself.”

Her heart dropped. “What happened to him?”

He turned his back.

“The burden of losing him is mine alone.”

She could feel the pain in his voice, and felt an overwhelming desire to hold him.

“But it doesn’t have to be Rumpelstiltskin.”

Her bare feet touched the cold stone floor, as she slid from her bed. She was afraid if she approached him too quickly and tried to touch him, he would flee. Slowly she moved towards him, stopping a few feet away. She didn’t know what to say, so she let her heart do the talking.

“Although my time with him was brief, I can assure you the impact Baelfire made on my heart was everlasting. He’s an easy boy to love…and I do love him, Rumple. I love him like he is my own. ”

Biting her lip she tried to hold back her tears. “Please…tell me what happened to him.”

With a heavy broken sigh, Rumpelstiltskin kept his back turned as he relayed the sad tale of how Baelfire went alone through the portal to a Land without magic. She stood there quietly listening, as her heart broke for Baelfire and for the shattered father standing before her.

Once finished, he turned to face her, as she let out a tiny gasp at what she saw in his hands.

“I chose this, above my son that day.”

It looked the exact same as when she held it, except it was now engraved with Rumpelstiltskin’s name.

“When I reunite with my son in the land without magic, I will right this wrong, and be rid of this dastardly thing once and for all.”

“Reunite? He’s…he’s alive?” she asked with a spark of hope in her voice.

“Oh, yes.”

Astonished, she held up her hands. “What are we waiting for Rumple? We should leave at once.” She looked towards the wardrobe wondering what to pack, as Rumple spoke.

“Belle,” his solemn voice cooled her excitement. “We can’t go…at least not yet.”

She looked at him quizzically.

“There is another story you need to hear.”

After handing her the cup of tea, Belle sat back on the bed quietly listening, as Rumpelstiltskin delved into all the failed attempts he made to reach the Land without Magic.

“I will start researching tomorrow Rumple. There has to be something you’ve missed, a magic bean…a portal somewhere. I’ll help you find it, I swear I won’t rest until I find a way.”

A genuine smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Looking down, his hand hovered over her empty teacup, as it magically refilled.

After taking a few sips, she noticed his face grew more serious.

“I have found a possible way to the land without magic.”

Her eyes lit up, but he held his hand to temper her excitement. “But it is a dark path, Belle. A curse. One that would affect many for a very long time. I have painstakingly been putting the pieces in the place for years. It won’t happen now, but the time is coming soon when the curse will be cast.”

The thought of a curse terrified her, but what shook her even more was her inability to admonish him for it. What wouldn’t a parent do for their child? She herself had plunged the dagger into Zoso’s back to protect Baelfire. A parent’s love was the most beautiful but dangerous thing in the entire world.

“Do what you must to find him.”

Tears swelled in his astonished eyes. She knew he wasn’t expecting her acceptance, which only made her want to give it to him all the more.

“Although I won’t stand in your way, I still want to try and find another way to the land without magic,” she clarified.

“I know you do,” he gave her a mournful smile, as his eyes landed on the half drunken teacup in her hand. “But sadly you won’t remember any of this.”

Her stomach dropped.

“You put something in the tea?” she asked in dismay.

He stood quickly, grasping the bedpost at the foot of her bed.

“You know too much, Belle. You know about the dagger, about Baelfire. The curse.”

A mixture of rage and hurt coiled in her stomach. “You don’t trust me?”

“It’s now that Belle.” He let go of the bedpost. “I trust you more than anyone else in this world.”

“Then why?” she cried out.

“There are a multitude of moving pieces that have to fall just right to reunite with my son, and you,” he placed his hands on his heart. “You. Sweet…beautiful Belle can be used as a pawn against me.”

His words did little to placate the betrayal she felt in her heart.

“I would never tell anyone, you know that Rumple. I would never betray you.”

He looked pained, as he dejectedly sat down on the edge of her mattress.

“I know that. Truly I know that Belle. But I have enemies that would use any means necessary to get whatever information they could to destroy me. You can’t know any of the things you do, for my safety…and more importantly for your own.”

Her wet tears fell heavy and hard against her cheeks.

“But I don’t want to forget him. I don’t want to forget about Baelfire.”

Her confession drew him to her in an instant. His warm hands cupped her cheeks, and although she was still angry with him, she did not pull away as his own sorrowful eyes looked upon her.

“We will see him again Belle. I swear it.”

As his fingers wiped the tears from her eyes, she felt a sudden wave of drowsiness.

“It’s okay sweetheart, it’s just the magic taking effect.

His hands moved from her face, as she felt his arms wrap around her.

“That’s it Belle,” she heard his voice coo as he moved her up toward the pillows. “Sleep sweet Bell, and when you awake everything will be as before.”

As her head hit the pillow, she used what little strength she had left to confess.

“I wish I really could be his mother,” she mumbled.

The last thing she heard as sleep overtook was Rumple’s faint response.

“So do I.”

I couldn’t just leave it there….I’m a sucker for happy endings!

“I’m back Mama,” four year Gideon called out, as the front door slammed close. She was still struggling to get off the couch, when Gideon excitedly ran over to her.

“Did you and your brother have fun at the zoo today sweetheart?”

Gideon nodded . “Neal and I saw the tigers and they were so cool.” He placed his small hands on her pregnant belly. “Can we take little sister to see them when she comes?”

“Of course,” Belle responded looking up as Neal walked into the living room. Plopping down on the other end of the couch, he rubbed his bone tired eyes.

“I don’t know how you guys do this day in and day out. I swear this kid gets more energy throughout the day.” Neal yawned. “Does he come with an off switch?”

Laughing, Belle lifted her son’s arms, pretending to search. “Let me see, do you come with an off switch, Gideon?”

Howling with laughter, Gideon shook his head. “Nope,” as he wiggled off of his mother’s lap, barreling straight for his older brother, who caught him with a resounding, “umph.”

It warmed Belle’s heart to see the bond between the two brothers despite their staggering age difference. With Henry now 16 and living primary with his mother Emma, Neal was able to give much of his time to his younger brother, who thought the world of him.

“Where’s pops?” Neal asked as Gideon settled into his arms.

“He went to pick up dinner, chinese alright with you?”

“It could never be wrong,” Neal said with a smirk.

The reconciliation between Neal and Rumplestiltskin had been a long fought journey, but in the end the bond between father and son was stronger than ever.

“So how did everything go today?”

Resting her hands on her belly she smiled. “Good. The doctor says everything looks great, and she’s developing right on schedule.”

“That’s great, Belle.” Neal stated as Gideon crawled up to wrap his small arms around his neck.

“Why do you call her that?” Gideon asked as Neal looked at him puzzled.

“Cause that’s her name, silly!”

“No,” Gideon countered. “Why don’t you call mom, mom?”

“Gideon, honey,” Belle started to speak, when Neal cut her off.

“No, no it’s okay Belle, it’s a valid question.” Turning his attention back to Gideon, Neal explained that he lost his mother when he was younger. Upon hearing the news Gideon eagerly volunteered to help him find her.

“I’m really good and hide and seek. I bet I can find her.” Gideon crowed.

Biting her lip, Belle gently explained that Neal’s mother was not lost.

“Do you remember what happened with your pet hamster, Gideon?”

Bowing his head in sadness, Gideon spoke. “He went to heaven.”

“Well that is where Neal’s mother went,” Belle explained.

Belle watched as Gideon turned his attention back on his older brother, before giving him a hug. After a moment Gideon looked up at Neal with bright eyes.

“I know…my mom can be your mom too.”

“Gideon,” Belle chided, but he continued.

“We have the same Dad, and I’m sure Mom will be happy to be your Mom too, wouldn’t you Mom?” Gideon asked looking over at her.

Caught off guard Belle found herself speechless. It was true that she was Neal’s stepmother, but the fact that he was actually four years older than her, made for an awkward situation at first. But as time passed they fell into a caring friendship, and truth be told, she took on a motherly role often consoling and counseling him through obstacles he faced in his life.

“Of course I would Gideon but…” she didn’t quite know what to say, when Neal chimed in.

“I’m game if you are?” Neal asked smiling.

Belle’s heart fluttered at the idea.

“I would love it,” Belle responded with a smile.

#Rumbelle Secret Santa #joylee56 #rumbelle #rumbelle fic #rss

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weakzen · 4 years

Text

(Not So) Small Detective Ask Game

(list here for anyone else who wants to do it)

alright, one sadsack detective and where she stands at the end of book 2, comin’ right up.

01. What’s their name and how do they look?

Alexandra 'Alex' Black.

Five foot three shorty. Twenty-eight years old. Light blue eyes. Long, bright red hair, usually done up in a big puffy Dutch braid. Athletic and curvy, with a decent amount of muscle. Covered in some gnarly scars too, mostly on the left side of her body. Buy her a drink and ask real nice about them, and she might just tell you about the time she got her ass kicked and almost died in a bar fight.

02. Why did they join the police?

Needed a job after crawling home to Wayhaven with her tail tucked between her legs. It was supposed to be temporary, just something to pay the bills while she worked up the nerve to jump back into academia.

Then years passed, applications remained unsent, and one day, she looked up from behind Reele's old desk and slowly realized she was never going to have the courage to get that PhD.

03. How did they get the promotion to detective and what do they think about it?

She turned the Chief down and kept turning him down for the promotion, right up until the morning he slammed a 'Detective Black' nameplate down on her desk and told her that she started in an hour.

After he stomped out of the station, she just sighed and spun around in her chair a few times.

That general mood hasn't changed since. But if no one else is stepping up, then she'll do the best job she can.

Not like she's really a mathematician anymore, so…

Might as well.

04. Can they handle blood/gore?

Yes. Very easily.

All that emotional detachment has to be good for something, right?

05. How are they with people?

Depends on how much those people like evasive sarcasm and bad puns.

06. What’s their relationship to Bobby?

First serious relationship. First love.

First person to stab her in the back so thoroughly she almost had a nervous breakdown.

You know, because of the whole threat of being kicked from her grad program and having her undergrad degree stripped away, the ongoing investigations of academic fraud, plagiarism, and theft of her TA answer keys.

And then, when the evidence for all of it wasn't lining up Bobby's way, the personal smears, the weaponization of everything she'd ever told him in confidence, until finally—the cherry atop the whole shit sundae—his accusation that she'd abused her authority as a TA to coerce him into a relationship.

All of that from someone she once truly believed when he looked her in the eye and told her she mattered to him more than anything.

These days, she avoids Bobby as much as possible. Because she fucking loathes that little ratfuck piece of shit, yes, but mostly because she's legit worried that she'll eventually snap and break his jaw if he keeps calling her 'angel' and trying to put his fucking hands on her.

She'd have to fill out an awful lot of paperwork if she did that, after all.

07. What’s their relationship with their mom like? How did it change?

When she was kid, she understood her mom wasn't around because of Work. Very important Work. She also understood that Work was the reason why her mom would constantly get up to take phone calls in the middle of dinner, or when they were sitting and talking together, and sometimes those phone calls would make her mom leave right after, even if she just got home.

She didn't understand why all of that bothered her though, just that it hurt for some reason and it sometimes made her cry later in her room. And eventually, after years of it, she started calling every nanny that stuck around for long enough her 'mom' instead, then begged them not to leave her too.

When she was a teenager, she stopped crying and started yelling. Started pushing back. Started avoiding home every time she'd walk up her street after school to see the lights on and the car in the driveway. She'd spend the night a friend's house instead, rather than endure another evening of emotional whiplash and half-hearted interest in her life and the constant reminders that Rebecca would rather take a work call in the other room than spend time with her or listen to her.

Because those calls were more important than her and anything she had to offer.

She frequently wondered why Rebecca even bothered to have a kid, then always rationalized that her dad must have talked Rebecca into it because there was just no way otherwise. And quietly, that gave her a small amount of comfort. Because if he managed to pull off that amazing feat, then he must have also really wanted her and loved her before he died.

Right?

As an adult, she no longer wonders about any of that. No longer cries. No longer gets angry. And she already knows what the answer would be if she straight up asked Rebecca 'Would you change anything, if you had the opportunity to go back and do it all over?'

She's firmly accepted that she never mattered to Rebecca, not the way the job did, and that she never will.

A one time stint with rule breaking doesn't change anything about that.

And it doesn't even hurt much, accepting that truth, as long as nobody pokes at it too hard and she doesn't think about it very deeply and Rebecca doesn't try to push any of those performative 'loving mom' displays of affection on her.

08. Who is their Love Interest and why?

Mason.

Because someone needs to put that asshole in his place. If he's gonna fuck with her, then she's gonna fuck with him right back. And if he's gonna fuck with her then, um… w-well, she's still gonna fuck with him right back!

He can have pleasure with her if he wants, but he is not getting it from seeing her back down.

That said, she does genuinely like the bastard, if a little begrudgingly. Thinks he's fun. Cute. Cares about his well-being too. Wants him to be comfortable and happy. Worries often that he probably isn't, considering how hard it must be to live with such painfully heightened senses.

And after Bobby, Mason feels safe. Comforting, in a weird way. She knows and accepts that the only thing he wants from her is sex, that he doesn't give a shit about her at all outside the bedroom, and that he won't ever pretend to either.

That's such a huge relief, to not be jerked around by somebody saying one thing but doing another. To have someone be brutally honest for once about what she actually means to them.

And if he ever does show any hint of affection, well, then it's probably because he's starting to see her as a part of the team. Maybe. Or he's just fucking with her again to provoke a reaction. Probably that. In which case, watch out buddy.

Two can play at that game.

09. What do they think of the supernatural?

Really interested in figuring out how all of it works, more than anything. It's magic, but there still has to be some kind of underlying set of rules and a logic to it all, right? She's definitely asked Nate to get her a baby's first book of vampire basics too.

At the same time, however, her enthusiasm for it all remains somewhat dampened.

She knows there's another Murphy out there coming for her eventually. It's just a matter of time. And until he shows up, she has to assume that every new supernatural she encounters is him.

Maybe that's unfair, but so was the target Murphy carved across her back.

10. How well did they handle the reveal that the supernatural exists?

Well, she already knew Unit Bravo were a bunch of shady-ass weirdos hiding obvious secrets, but… vampires? Not exactly in her top one hundred guesses for what one of those secret might've been.

Still, whatever. Didn't phase her. If she believes alien life definitely exists somewhere, then why should vampires be that impossible? Especially when she witnessed evidence of their abilities firsthand.

Oh, and since Felix was being such a little shit in the hospital room trying to scare her about it, she demanded even more evidence from him. Asked him to come closer to her bed again. Closer. Even closer. Then she put her face right by his and told him to prove it, and gestured for him to show his fangs.

Once he did, obviously, she did her best to look as bored as possible while she tilted his face between her hands to examine them. Gave him a glib little thanks afterward, for showing her his 'vampire teeth.'

And added that they were a lot smaller than she expected.

11. Do they have any tattoos/piercings?

Just the standard single-hole piercings through each earlobe.

She mostly wears tiny studs. Geometric shapes. Stuff that can't be grabbed and pulled during a fight.

12. What is their highest (professional) stat and why?

Combat (70%)

Guess that kinda happens when exercise is her primary mode of stress relief, and her favorite way to exercise for almost half of her life now has been to train in some form of martial art.

Rebecca is the one who encouraged it, too. Signed her up for lessons and said that if she was gonna fight, then she better damn well make sure she's the one standing at the end next time.

13. What’s their opinion of the Mayor?

Who, Mayor Fartman? She has definitely never slipped that into a conversation while talking to him and pretended she didn't afterwards.

Nothing but respect for her mayor.

14. Do they get along with Tina and Verda?

Absolutely.

She's not as close to Verda as she is with Tina, but she really appreciates his sense of humor and his overall chill, caring vibe. He's a good dude. And she loves asking him questions about his work too. Even better when those questions spiral into long, scientific bullshit sessions that leave them both grinning at the end like the huge fucking nerds they are.

And Tina, well…

After she returned to Wayhaven, Tina was the one who got her back on her feet. Pulled her out of one of the worst places she's ever been emotionally. Kept her marching forward until she could stand on her own again. And did all of that for her, someone still practically a stranger to Tina at that point, without ever asking for anything in return, other than for her to start being a little kinder to herself about everything.

Tina's an amazing person. Her best friend. She loves her. Trusts her completely.

And is totally fuckin' ride or die for her.

15. What do they think of Unit Bravo? How has that changed throughout the story?

Once all the secretive bullshit and obvious lying stopped, she was fine with them as a group. Overall, thinks they're good people. Likable, even. Fun. And they're using their time and effort to help others, and that's something she greatly admires.

But she doesn't feel like part of their team. Their family. Doesn't see herself as anything more than a temporary stop for them on the way to wherever they're headed next.

Not because of anything they've done, just… she knows probability. Wrote her thesis on it.

And after Murphy, the blood—her blood—she doesn't give herself great odds for reaching thirty.

In the meantime, though:

Adam

Well, first off, he deserved to get shot. She fucking warned him. And what kind of asshole tries to dismiss someone pointing a firearm at them as a bluff?! Secondly, the sheer audacity of this man! Who the hell does he think he is?! Thirdly, he needs to chill the fuck out. Or she's gonna drop a goddamn ice cube down the back of his shirt. Fourth, okay—admittedly, that combined take down of Murphy was pretty cool. They at least work well together in a fight. Fifth, well…

Shit.

She actually, really, kind of… respects him. Gets him a little, too. Understands him, in a strange way she can't explain.

Maybe it's because they're both far more alike than either one of them would ever care to admit.

Even so, he still needs to get knocked on his ass every once and a while. To keep him humble. And she absolutely can't wait for the day she finally does it when they spar.

Nate

Nate has always been great. Considerate. Welcoming. Warm. Thoughtful. A whole host of other wonderful adjectives that would definitely make the world a better place if more people aspired to embody them the way he does.

Yet… whenever Nate aims any of that kindness her direction, it unnerves her. Probably as much as her tattered relationship with Rebecca unnerves him.

She believes he's genuine about his comments and compliments, even as she swerves around them. They're just… hard to hear. She doesn't know what to do with any of them. Or understand why he's giving them to her in the first place.

They barely know each other, so how can he say stuff like that? Especially so easily?

Felix

She's real glad that unsolicited, near-kiss of his turned out to be a fluke—because it would have sucked to miss out on a fellow troll who can match her beat for sarcastic beat.

Felix is more her speed, so to speak. She appreciates his approach, the heart wrapped in levity and laced with a bit of shit-stirring. The playfulness. The excitement. Though, sometimes the sheer chaotic energy fueling it all can be a bit overwhelming, even for her.

Still, his fumes are infectious, and she can already tell they're gonna be terrible enablers for each other.

Mason

Unsurprisingly, she likes him much better now that his jerk dial is turned to 'playful teasing' rather than 'unwarranted hostility,' though she's still not quite sure what changed to make that happen. Not sure how long it will last either, any of it. Either way, she has no expectations of him and their non-relationship, no secret hopes for feelings or a future.

She's just enjoying the banter, the amazing sex, and the fun moments as they come with him, until they don't come any more.

Pun completely intended.

16. Do they have any pets?

Do houseplants count? If so, she has an amazing kentia palm.

17. What are their hobbies?

Sparring, running, and weight training, primarily.

Yes, that probably makes her a total douchebag bro. And no, she doesn't skip leg day.

She also likes reading, knitting, gardening, feeding the neighborhood birds, playing strategy games, doing logic and word puzzles, examining systems of any kind to figure out how they work, and spending time outdoors enjoying all the gorgeous mountain scenery, lush wilderness, and dank weed BC has to offer.

So, you know, a well-rounded douchebag at least.

18. What do they think of Douglas?

She knows how much it fucking sucks and hurts to have a parent who obviously loves their job way more than their kid. She also remembers how annoying she was as a teenager. That said, those bits of sympathy and understanding are really the only things standing between her and complete exasperation with him.

Still, it's probably only a matter of time before she switches his phone language from English to something non-Romance, probably Arabic. Something that would be really difficult for him to switch back anyway.

And if that doesn't work, well, then the entire station is gonna bear witness to whether or not their paper shredder has enough muscle to chew through a cell phone.

19. What does their apartment look like?

Minimalist. White walls. Warm woods and leather. Clean lines with pops of color from textiles, house plants, and cut flowers. Not a lot of clutter or material possessions.

Very tidy, too. Bed always made. Dishes washed after use. Baseboards, corners, and door frames dust free.

Of course, the building she lives in is pretty old, so all of that sleek, immaculate minimalism is wrapped around some hideously dated interior design. Hello, puke green shower tile and baby pink countertops.

20. What is their personality?

Overall, pretty chill and content to live and let live, for the most part. Unless someone's being an asshole or a bully. In which case, she's very inclined to get up in their face about it, even if she has to stand on her toes to do so.

Once she does that, good luck. She's fucking tenacious. And stubborn as shit too, so she won't be the one backing down.

She would prefer to keep things relaxed, though. Playful. She likes banter. Sarcasm. Teasing and being teased. Laughing and making laugh. And she absolutely loves deploying and receiving truly awful puns, the more eye-watering and cringe-inducing, the better.

The humor is enjoyable enough on its own, but it also lets her be friendly while still keeping a buffer of emotional distance.

Because holy shit is she guarded.

It takes her a very, very, very long time to feel comfortable opening up to people. Or to let herself feel anything deeper for them beyond detached affection. Or to reach out and ask for help, even when she desperately needs it.

She's far more accustomed to being on her own, looking out for herself. And, luckily, she's resourceful and competent enough to make that work, most of the time. It helps having highly analytical mind geared toward problem solving.

Well, it helps when she's not using that mind to construct defensive rationalizations to keep people out. And when that mind isn't busy encouraging her curiosity to pry into things and people to figure out how they work.

Terrible habit, her nosiness. The probing. The eavesdropping. The occasional snooping. Just the worst, really, especially from someone so reluctant to share anything deep about herself.

Like the fact, beneath everything else, she just feels completely alone and about to drown in unending sadness.

But, hey, that stuff down there doesn't matter.

It really doesn't.

21. Their favourite/comfort food?

Fish empanadas with pebre. Ate a lot of those when she studied abroad in Chile, and that was probably the happiest year of her life.

She still makes pebre all the time, but the empanadas are actually something she would break her vegetarianism to eat again, if she ever got the chance.

22. Do they go to the bar or stay at the station?

Stayed in. Not a big fan of bars anymore.

23. Their gender/sexuality?

Cis woman. And, well… straight?

Not a whole lot of sexual experience to draw from there. And it's a bit late to figure out whether she likes girls or just thinking about girls, right? That's the kind of thing she was supposed to have sorted before she turned twenty-five, not let sit until she's almost thirty and finally ready to see people again and then expect some poor woman to hand-hold her awkward ass through it, all while she shies away from making any real, intimate connection, partially because the thought of ever making herself that emotionally vulnerable again makes her want to throw up in fear, but mostly because it would be incredibly unfair to date someone with the mountain of secrets she has to now keep and also when it seems like her goddamn life expectancy is a just big fucking question mark these days.

So, yes. Straight.

Sure.

24. How did they handle the fight with Murphy? Did they get bitten?

She jammed that DMB syringe right into that fucker's neck with one hand, while her other pressed against her own neck to stop the bleeding.

Then she kicked him a few times after he was down. Hissed curses at him while she asked him who was making idle threats now, motherfucker.

25. What do they usually wear? Has that changed?

Usually something form-fitting, flattering, and fairly subdued and minimalist in color and pattern. High-waisted jeans. High-necked blouses, sweaters, and soft, stylish t-shirts. Lacey crop tops and a gambler hat in the summer. Boots, slightly heeled and slightly pointed, all year round. Maybe some rings and a metal cuff if she's feeling fancy. Sunglasses if it's bright. All of it paired with either a black denim jacket, a black leather jacket, or long black trench coat that swooshes when she walks.

Overall, she definitely channels that cowboy witch vibe.

#the wayhaven chronicles #twc #the detective #alex/mason #alexandra black

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cpd5021 · 4 years

Text

Unexpected - Chapter 12

This is now officially my longest fic (sorry Reckoning, I promise I haven’t forgotten you!)

Hailey was now fully settled into her new role as the Intelligence units desk girl. She had developed a routine, had a never ending to do list thanks to Platt, and found the mundane nature of the job surprisingly refreshing. After having spent so many years in the middle of the action, running down bad guys and getting in hot pursuits, it was nice to actually know what your day was going to bring. Plus, she still got to spend her days with the people she most considered her family. That’s not to say she wouldn’t jump at the chance to be back on the road, she may even have a mental countdown going. But for now, this is where she needed to be and she was alright with that. She had gotten in the habit of asking Jay, who was now back off desk duty and fully recovered from his shoulder incident, to give her rundowns of his day. Jay would laugh as even the simplest of details would spark a light in her eyes, as she clung to his every word like a kid hearing a fairy tale for the first time. Today was a slow day for everyone and the whole unit was sitting in the bullpen, working on tying up loose ends on old cases as they didn’t have anything currant to do. Hailey was finishing up going through yet another box of files Platt had sent up, the first one already completed and sat on the floor beside her. Vanessa stood to stretch her legs after working on reports for over an hour and came over to stand by Hailey.

“This looks riveting.” She teased, causing Hailey to chuckle.

“It’s actually not that bad.” Hailey stood then, ready to take the boxes back down to storage. “Help me carry that one?” She nodded to the box on the floor.

“Sure!” Vanessa bent down to pick up the heavier box, happy for something to do other than stare at a screen all day.

They made their way downstairs, Vanessa happily chatting the whole time, and set the boxes on the empty shelf in the storage room. Hailey leaned back against the table in the room, feeling winded by the small effort she just exerted. Vanessa came to lean beside her, glancing down at the small bump you could see under Hailey’s shirt. Hailey felt like it was becoming more noticeable by the day.

“So what do you think it is?” Vanessa asked, nodded towards Hailey’s stomach.

“A baby?” Hailey shrugged, laughing when Vanessa scoffed at her answer.

“No shit! I meant boy or girl? The younger girl shook her head, sending Hailey an eye roll.

“I don’t know...I mean, some days I think it’s a girl and then other day’s I’m convinced it’s a boy. Hailey placed a hand over her bump, smiling slightly as she looked down.

“What do you want it to be?” Vanessa gave her stomach a tiny poke, causing Hailey to grin again.

“I don’t really care..” Hailey answered honestly, truth be told she hadn’t really given it a lot of thought anyway.

“What does Jay want?” She waggled her eyebrows at the mention of Jay, a habit she still hadn’t let go of from before they were dating.

“I.. I haven’t asked him actually.” Hailey tilted her head at the realization, wondering what his answer would be.

“Well either way, it’s going to be the cutest baby ever!” Vanessa bent down then, speaking in an obnoxious baby voice to her stomach.

“Come on, let’s get back upstairs.” Hailey rolled her eyes and playfully shoved Vanessa’s shoulders, but still laughed at her antics.

“So what’s Jay going to do with his apartment?” Vanessa asked as they headed towards the stairwell.

“Huh?” Hailey’s face scrunched up in confusion.

“When he moves in with you, what’s he going to do about his apartment?” Vanessa smirked at the look on Hailey’s face. “He is going to move in with you right? I mean, you’re dating, you’re having a baby....your house is way nicer...” Vanessa trailed off and Hailey struggled to focus on the conversation, suddenly images of Jay living in her house and them having a baby together flashing through her mind. They had stopped in the middle of the hallway, or rather Hailey had froze and Vanessa spun around to face her. “I only ask because I may know someone who will be in need of a new place to live soon.” Vanessa gave her a sheepish grin, when she saw Hailey catch on.

“You’re moving out?” Hailey asked, feeling like she was ten minutes behind on this conversation.

“Well I assumed you’re not going to want me bunking in the baby’s nursery.” Vanessa laughed as Hailey was so thrown off by this conversation that she was opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water.

“Nursery?” Hailey finally managed to get a word out.

“Yea, like the baby’s bedroom....You know it’s going to need a room right? A crib? Changing table? Toys?” Vanessa was enjoying this way to much, it wasn’t often that Hailey’s cool and collected demeanor faltered.

“Yea...I know..” Hailey shook her head in an attempt to clear it, which was unsuccessful as she still felt completely derailed by the thoughts coursing through her head. Kevin came down the stairs then, looking for Vanessa as patrol might have found a case for them. He glanced between the two women, taking in Hailey’s bewildered face and Vanessa’s amused one.

“Hey Kev, you know babies need nurseries right?” Vanessa teased Hailey by bringing him into their conversation.

“Oh hell yea, we designing a nursery?” His voice was full of excitement, which only threw Hailey off more. “I’m a pro at crib assembly. Don’t ask, I’m not gonna tell. But just fyi.” He nodded up the stairs then, signaling to Vanessa that they needed to go. And then Hailey was alone in the hallway, head still swirling. She decided to take a minute in the break room before she rejoined the others in the bullpen. After she splashed some water in her face she stood over the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was puffier than it normally was, but she assumed that came with the territory of being pregnant. She stood up straight then and turned to look at herself sideways in the mirror. Her bump was definitely noticeable now and it would totally pass as a pregnant belly instead of just a little extra pudge. She smiled at herself in the mirror, hands resting on her stomach and was surprised by how happy she felt with this whole situation. Hailey was about to leave the locker room and head upstairs when she heard footsteps enter the room.

“Hey, there you are.” Jay smiled at her, looking genuinely happy he had found her. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Everything’s good.” Hailey replied, walking towards him and breaking their ‘keep it professional at work’ rule by wrapping her arms around his torso. Jay reciprocating and pulling her close. Jay placed a gentle kiss a top her head and looked down at her. Hailey suddenly had tears forming in her eyes, although they were happy ones.

“Hey...” Jay reached his hands up to cup her face, his thumbs softly wiping away the tears that had spilled. “What’s on your mind?”

“They’re happy tears, I promise. I don’t know, I just...feel happy.” Hailey chuckled then at this intense wave of emotion.

“I’m happy too but I’m not crying about it.” Jay said teasingly. He bent down to place a kiss on her lips and Hailey instantly reached her hands up to slide them around his neck, holding him in place. Jay’s hands rested on her waist as they continued their lazy kiss. Hailey nipped at his lower lip and Jay pulled back, raising an eyebrow at her. She grinned up at him, biting her own lip before mouthing ‘sorry’.

“I like this whole raging pregnancy hormones thing, if I would have kissed you like that before you were pregnant you would have shot me.” Jay teased, giving her hips a squeeze before they separated.

“Nah, not shot. Maybe tazed.” Hailey joked, laughing at his offended face. “I can’t help it! You get to close and I just...” She trailed off, raising an eyebrow to imply what she didn’t say out loud. His eye’s instantly shifted from bright and playful to dark and wanting, but before he could act on it his phone when off, causing them both to sigh.

“I gotta go. Looks like the case patrol sent over is legit.” Jay stepped forward to plant a quick kiss on her cheek before turning towards the door.

“Hey one quick thing,” Hailey realized this was a bad time but it was bugging her and she wanted to know. “Boy or girl? If you could pick...”

“Uh....” Jay paused for a second to process her question. “I don’t know. I just want it healthy and happy.” He gave her a sheepish grin and ducked out the door. Hailey found herself standing in the middle of the empty room with a stupid smile on her face over his answer. Happy and healthy sounded good to her.

*******

Hailey got of off work earlier than Jay, thanks to the case they had caught, and decided to make him dinner. She text him that she would be at his place when he got off and then ran to the store to pick up the ingredients for spaghetti, even looking up a quick recipe for meatballs. She stood over the hot stove when he walked in, tossing his stuff on the counter before coming to wrap his arms around her from behind.

“This smells delicious.” He mumlbed against her neck as she stirred the sauce.

“Thanks.” Hailey giggle slightly when his nose brushed the sensitive area below her ear.

“And you look delicious.” His cheesy attempt at flirting caused her to laugh wholeheartedly.

“Get outta here!” She playfully pushed him away, rolling her eyes when he feigned hurt. “It’s almost done.”

Once they were settled at Jay’s small table to enjoy their meal, Hailey let him woof down a few bites before she decided to gently broach the topic that had been on her mind since Vanessa had asked.

“So Vanessa is looking for a new place.” Jay’s eyes shot up to meet hers, confusion evident on his face. “She figured since we’d be setting up a nursery soon...she should start figuring stuff out.” Hailey’s eyes glanced down then, feeling suddenly nervous with where this was about to go.

“I mean...I guess that makes sense..” Jay mumbled, looking a little lost for words.

“I thought maybe...she could move in here..” Hailey’s voice was low and timid as she watched Jay take in what she was saying.

“With me?” Jay asked, looking even more confused now and Hailey laughed at the thought. He obviously hadn’t caught on to what she was getting at.

“No...” Hailey said slowly, palms sweating as she continued. “I was thinking more of a house swap...”

“What?” Jay asked, smiling only because she was but still feeling extremely lost.

“Jay, I want you to move in with me.” Hailey let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “If you want.” She tacked on at the last minute, panicking that he might not actually want that.

“I’d love that.” He tried to play it cool but Hailey saw right through him and they both ended up with a huge grin plastered across their faces.

“Yea?” She smiled, heart soaring at the thought.

“Of course! Our little family, all under one roof. It sounds great!” Jay spoke so enthusiastically that more happy tears formed in Hailey’s eyes. She laughed and rubbed them away, unable to wipe the smile off her face.

“Okay, we can talk to Vanessa tomorrow after the appointment.” Hailey had almost forgot that her next check up was scheduled for tomorrow, but luckily Voight had given them the morning off so they could go together. Jay nodded in agreement and they finished eating the meal in a happy and content silence, sharing the occasional smile whenever their eyes met and knowing they were feeling the same things. After dinner was cleaned up they skipped the TV and couch and headed straight to bed, where they spent the next few hours doing everything but sleeping.

#chicago pd #chicago pd fanfiction #halstead and upton #jay halstead #hailey upton #halstead #jay x hailey #upstead #upton

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chickensarentcheap · 4 years

Text

Best Part of Me -Chapter 12

Warnings: none

Tagging: @alievans007, @thunderintheshadows, @innerpaperexpertcloud, @c-a-v-a-l-r-y

Preparing to leave the house with five kids in tow is a full-time job all in itself. Bathing them after a long and active day at school, getting them dressed –which includes incessant bitching and moaning about the textures of clothes and how the tags are ‘too itchy’, having to actually put on socks and shoes-, and giving them the usual list of warnings before even stepping out the front door. No arguing, no fighting, and no bad language. And by the time you manage to get to the front door, at least two have to go to the bathroom and another wants to change what they’re wearing. This time it’s Millie; her self-described princess dress suddenly not ‘princessy enough’. Opting for one with more frills and more sparkles and way too much pink, then insisting on topping the look off with her well-worn light up Spiderman sandals. Tyler had long ago learned to pick his battles, especially as a girl dad. Was suggesting nicer shoes really worth the epic diva style meltdown he’d have to endure? Especially when he’d rather be in flip flops or even bare foot himself?

“I honestly do not care,” he says, when she holds aloft the sandals with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Other parents would force their kids to comply; embarrassed by the mismatched lock. But he’s gotten so used to carting around boys dressed in superhero costumes –masks and all- that the stares and whispers of strangers don’t both him anymore. And fighting over shoes with a soon to be six-year-old is not the hill he wants to die on. “Do what you want.”

For a brief moment –as he buckles the three oldest into the their car seats in the very back of their second, and much larger, vehicle, he muses about just how different his was now is compared to the one that he used to live. When he was drunk off of his practically twenty-four seven, numbing the pain, guilt, and grief with a potent combination of booze and pain meds. Back in that little shack of his in the Outback, with nothing but a dog and a chicken to keep him company. When he was totally committed to the job and spending his days fighting to keep himself –and quite often someone else- alive in dangerous situations. When he was battered and bloody and sometimes on the brink of death. Now he’s proficient in changing diapers, fixing bottles, and making and packing school lunches. A far cry from the old days. And for a brief moment, the thought makes him feels sad; that his existence is nothing more than a mere shadow of what it used to be. That he’s gone from one extreme to the other. And it shouldn’t; he’d made the conscious decision to give it all up. For his family. So he’d be able to hold his marriage together.

And the sadness is replaced with guilt; that he’d miss the job while getting the opportunity to even have kids and watch them grow. A lot of guys in the job weren’t so lucky; they either never turned alive to their wives and kids, or their marriages completely disintegrated, and they never saw their children again. That’s his worst nightmare; things falling apart and either rarely getting to spend time with them, or not being able to see them at all. Being a dad has given him something to take pride in; raising tiny humans that will hopefully one day grow up to be amazing big humans. Decent adults with compassion and humility. Fiercely independent. Alarmingly intelligent. And it’s given him a chance to finally do it right. He’d been an epic failure as a father with Austin; he’d been cowardly and selfish and would never truly forgive himself for it. But he’d been given another chance; entrusted with helping bring five beautiful lives into the world. And he’s determined not to fuck that up.

“I don’t wanna wear shoes!” TJ laments, and proceeds to use his toes to push his sneakers off one heel, then the other, letting the offending items fall to the floor of the SUV.

“Listen, mate. We’re not going to fight about this. If your mum says you wear shoes, you wear the shoes.”

“This is crap!” Tanner chimes in. “My feet are so hot! Like they’re gonna catch on fire!”

“No one’s feet are going to catch on fire,” Tyler assures him. “You’re wearing the thinnest socks possible. We get there, the shoes go back on. And how come you guys don’t have to wear normal pants?” They’re clad in matching tan cargo shorts; one in a green and white stripped golf shirt, the other in blue and white. Always insisting on matching in some way, despite the fact their parents have purposely dressing them differently from day one.

“’Cause we’re only five!” Tanner huffs, as if he’s just been subjected to the dumbest question that’s ever been asked in the history of mankind.

“By the way,” Tyler says, as he finishes buckling Tanner into his seat. “I want my fifteen bucks back that you scammed me out of the other night.”

“I got that money fair and square,” his son argues. “I got you the info just like you asked.”

“Your mom gave me the info. Which technically means half of the money should go to her.”

“It’s not my fault that you fell for it, daddy. You should be smarter than that. You got totally played by a five-year-old.”

“He’s not wrong,” Esme says as she appears alongside of him, clutching Declan by the hand, the baby resting along her forearm. “You did fall for it.”

“You’re in on this together, aren’t you? You probably put him up to it. You’ve been teaching him some of the tricks of the trade. Getting him ready to follow in your footsteps. I bet he even split the money with you.”

“Please just put the kids in the car before we’re really late,” she implores, then stands on her tip toes to brush her lips against his. Which in turns prompts loud and dramatic gagging from all three of the older kids.

“Don’t do that!” TJ cries. “We don’t need any more babies in the house! Why can’t we have a puppy for a change? I don’t want any more sisters!”

“Well I don’t want any more brothers either,” Millie retorts, and sticks her tongue at him.

“Okay, don’t start.” Esme warns. “At least wait until we’re out of the driveway. And besides, it takes a lot more than that to get a baby brother or sister.”

“Like what?” Millie inquires.”

“Like none of your business,” Tyler replies as he tends to Declan, scooping him of the ground and settling him into his car seat. “Besides, there won’t be any more brothers or sisters. It’s not possible.”

“Can we get a dog then?” Tanner asks

“We already have a dog,” his mother reminds him.

“Let’s get another one!” Millie enthuses. “A puppy!”

“I have enough mouths to feed and barely any sanity left.” Esme says, and passes the baby to her husband, who arches a brow and stares at her pointedly over the dog comment. “Not you too!”

“It’s not a bad idea. We’ve got the room. Inside and outside.”

“Please don’t encourage them. They won’t stop talking about it now. They’re going to ask a million times a day about getting a puppy and I don’t think my mental well-being can take it.”

“We’ll talk about it,” he says, then kisses her and shit the SUV door.

“Oh, you think so do you,” she grins, then runs her hands across his shoulders and down his chest; smoothing out the wrinkles in his simple white dress shirt., the first three buttons undone and no tie; paired with dark washed jeans that fit ‘just right’. Beard still full but neatly trimmed, the product in his hair giving it that unruly ‘bed head’ look. “You clean up nice.”

“You don’t look half bad yourself.” he chides, and then places a hand on her hip and leans into her, pressing a kiss to her ear. “You look beautiful,” he praises, as his hand slides up the middle of her back. The dress is simple and modest; emerald green and off the shoulder, flaring out at the waist and just skimming the bottom of her knees.

She’s still self-conscious about her post-baby body; she’d on twenty-five pounds and had damaged to drop fifteen of them seemingly overnight after Addie was born. She hates the extra weight that clings to her hips and gathers at her waist; despises the stretch marks that mar her skin. Yet to him they just make her even more beautiful; the signs left behind that she’s given him children. There’s no woman in the world that could ever hold a candle to her. It stretches far beyond physical appearance. It’s her strength and her tenacity and the loyalty that that she’s always shown towards him and their kids. And it’s the way she looks at him; as if he’s the most incredible man on the planet even though there’s times he’s shown he’s anything but.

A slight blush creeps into her cheeks. Even after six and a half years of marriage she’s still not used to his random compliments. Mark had all but destroyed every ounce of self-esteem she’d ever had, so Tyler had taken it upon himself to help rebuilt it every chance he got. Whether it’s when she’d dressed up with her done and make up on, or when she’s worn down from lack sleep and her hair is messy and she’s still in her pajamas with baby puke stains on them.

“I’m serious,” he says, as his hand slides down to the small of her back and his lips find hers; soft, slow, simple kiss. “You look incredible.”

She smiles. A genuine, glowing smile that lights up her entire face and makes her eyes sparkle and dance. And with her hands on his chest, she stands on her tip toes once again and places a kiss on the corner of his mouth, then lays her hand against the side of his face and runs the end of pad of her thumb over his lips, her eyes never leaving his.

It��s the sincerest ‘thank you’ he’s ever received.

****

Nik and Kyle have a room at Sovreign Resort Hotel, and they’ve arranged to meet on the outdoor patio belonging to the in-house restaurant. It’s better for the kids; no cooping them up in a crowded, busy room and expecting them to sit still and keep quiet. Being outside gives them a chance to breathe; away from the hustle and bustle and all the judgmental stares and comments if they dare step out of line. There are gardens and fishponds to investigate when they get bored or agitated and need some time to decompress, and room for a high chair for Declan and Addie’s stroller, giving her a comfortable and safe place to retreat to while the others eat and converse.

“Now I know why we don’t go out more often,” Esme comments, as she notices the curious looks and hears the comments tossed their way. A fairly young couple with so many kids, all close together in age. Most find it cute; drawn to the twins in their complimenting outfits and Millie in her princess dress, but there’s the bitchy people as well. The ‘children should be seen and not heard’ crowd that find it ridiculous –and maybe even disgusting- that people are willingly having such large families in this day and age. “People are staring at us,” she frets. “And whispering.”

Tyler moves Declan from one hip to the other, than lays a hand on the back of her neck and gives it a comforting squeeze. “Want me to tell them that I have weak pull out game? Lighten the mood?”

“I’d laugh but I wouldn’t but it past you do actually do something like that. Seriously, what is everyone’s issue?”

“Who gives a shit. Just ignore it. Maybe it bothers them because it’s obvious by all the kids that we’ve had more sex in five years than they’ve had in fifty.”

Normally it would aggravate him, that kind of attention and all the talk. But he’d taken half a dozen Ativan before getting out of the car and the effects are already starting to take hold. He’s relaxed. The calmest he’s been in the past four days. Although he’s pretty sure having to be in Nik’s presence and enduring her version of ‘small talk’ will change that.

Nik and Kyle have already arrived; sitting side by side at a large table near the edge of the patio, leaning into one another, foreheads nearly touching as they talk, their hands joined on top of the table.

“I’m going to be sick,” Esme mutters. “Ughhhh. The way she’s looking at him. He’s way too good for her. Let’s just leave. I don’t think they’ve seen us yet. If we just sneak out now...”

Kyle has spotted them and is already on his feet and making his way towards them; the kids so focused on their surroundings that they’re completely unsuspecting until he’s within five feet, noisily clearing his throat to grab their attention.

“Uncle Kyle!” Millie cries, and is the first to break away, the soles of those old sandals flapping against the concreate patio as she rushes to where he’s already crouched down, arms outstretched, gathering her into them and pulling her tight against him.

The twins follow suit; shrieking his name as they run towards him, finding themselves enveloped by his strong arms and gathered into a bear hug along with their sister. Tears sparkling in Kyle’s eyes as he showers them with kisses and tousles their hair and listens to their excited ramblings; all three talking at the same time, filling him in on all the excitement and adventures they’ve experienced in the past six months. And Tyler notices that Nik doesn’t budge from the table, sipping at a glass of wine and never acknowledging the scene playing out in front of her.

“Wish me luck,” Esme sighs, and he gives a reassuring before taken Declan from him, carrying him on her hip and pushing the baby in the stroller as she herds the other three towards the table to get them settled.

He watches as the two women exchange tight lipped smiles; Esme’s one of lingering bitterness and anger, Nik’s filled with a hint of remorse and maybe even regret. And how his wife holds it together despite wanting to completely unleash on her old friend; instead patiently getting the kids settled and Declan strapped into a highchair. He knows it’s difficult for her; his ‘history’ with Nik still the elephant that lingers in the room, the other issues that she’s caused over the past six and a half years adding insult to injury.

“Good to see you, man,” Kyle gives him an awkward one-armed hug and then claps him on the shoulder. “What the has she been feeding you? You’re a fucking tank.”

“Just a lot of hours in the gym. Gotta keep myself busy somehow. Things are good with you?”

Their relationship has been strained; not just because of the thousands of miles between them and Kyle holding him responsible for yet again ‘stealing’ his sister, but the ongoing hostility with Nik. The last time they’d talked, Tyler hadn’t been kind; letting her know to stay the hell away from him, to never contact him again. He’d been harsh. He’s the first one to admit that. But it had worked. At least until now.

“Things are good,” Kyle says, and then glances over his shoulder at Nik, a smile curving his lips. “Things are really good. What about here? You guys are doing alright? The kids seem happier.”

“We’re all happier. It was the right thing to do. Coming back here.”

“She’s struggling though,” Kyle nods in the direction of his sister. “Don’t even try and tell me she’s not.”

“She’d be struggling a lot less if you have just listened and kept Nik away. It wasn’t enough you’re marrying her considering everything in the past? You had to make things worse by bringing her here?”

“We hadn’t heard from you guys yet. About the wedding.”

“And that means you come all the way here and fuck things up? You have a phone. You've got the internet. Send an email. Don’t just show up. We’re still trying to get past all of this. Nik and her shit, the job.”

"It was her idea. Nik’s. To come here and try and make things. Patch things up. I told her that I didn’t know if either you or Esme were ready for that that yet, but....”

He frowns. “It was her idea?”

Kyle nods. “She wanted to make amends. In person.”

“She told you that? That that’s why we wanted to come here?”

You poor delusional bastard, Tyler thinks. Kyle’s being played and manipulated in the say way she’d messed with him. Nik always has an ulterior motive. And Kyle is either blind to it, doesn’t give a shit, or genuinely doesn’t realize what she’s capable of.

He decides it’s the latter.

“We want you guys at the wedding,” Kyle says. “I mean, if it wasn’t for you and Esme, we never would have met.”

He feels as if he should apologize in advance. Because six months from now, Kyle’s going to realize just what kind of shit show he’s gotten himself into. “

“And we want the kids there,” Kyle continues. “Millie could be the flower girl, the twins could be junior ushers, Declan could carry the ring up. We want it to be a family affair.

The last thing Tyler wants it to be stuck anywhere with Esme’s family. He doesn’t give a shit about their feelings towards him. If they want to spend the rest of their lives hating him and viewing him as the enemy, so be it. But the way they’ve treated her.... his wife...is unacceptable. And the worst place to air those grievances is at the wedding of the only member of that clan he can actually stand.

“Won’t be the same without all of you,” Kyle says. “I mean, we’re family.”

Tyler wouldn’t go that far. You usually don’t become family with someone you used to casually fuck,

“This is a big deal for her,” his brother in law continues. “Wanting to come here. Wanting to make things right.”

“And you really think that’s why she wanted to come here?”

“Why wouldn’t I? She hasn’t given me a reason not to believe her. Why?” his eyes narrow. “You know something I don’t know.”

“I don’t think you know Nik as well as you think you do,” Tyler says, then gives him a sympathetic pat on shoulder before heading for the table.

****

“You’re here to take daddy away, aren’t you.” Millie voice is accusatory and full of venom; eyes narrowed as she regards Nik from across the table.

Dinner is long finished; all dirty dishes and cutlery cleared away in favor of tea and coffee for the adults and ice cream for the kids. His daughter has been glued to his side all night, Nik bringing out the clingy and protective side of her. Nearly causing a fight with Tanner when he initially wouldn’t give up the seat to Tyler’s right. Then climbing up into his lap as soon as the meal was finished; sitting sideways on his thighs, an arm curled tightly around his neck.

Esme shifts uncomfortably beside him, then noisily clears her throat and reaches for a glass of ice water. He takes her hand, squeezing it tightly before placing their joined hands on her thigh.

“No one is taking anyone away,” he assures his daughter.

“That's what you said last time,” Millie reminds him. “And then you were gone forever.”

“Well this time is different. I’m not going anywhere. Uncle Kyle just came to see you guys. So she tagged along. Nothing more than that.”

“She is your Aunt,” Kyle speaks up. “It’s okay if you guys call her that even if certain people don’t want to acknowledge it or accept it.”

Esme clears her throat once more, hand tightening around Tyler’s.

Millie isn’t convinced. “If I wake up tomorrow and my daddy's gone, I’m going to be really pissed!”

“Okay, calm down,” Tyler presses a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m still going to be here when you wake up tomorrow. So just relax, okay? Take it easy.”

Millie turns to face him, then kneels on his laps as she leans in close and whispers. “I don’t trust her, daddy.”

“It’s a long way to come,” Esme pipes up. “Just because you missed the kids. Web cam chats do exist, you know.”

“It’s not the same,” Kyle says. “And things are slow right now for Nik and I had some vacation time owe to me, so...well...here we are.”

“Yeah,” Esme gives a tense smile. “Here you guys are.”

Tyler moves Mille over to his other thigh, then let’s go his wife’s hand in favor of laying his arm across the back of her chair, thumb repeatedly brushing against her shoulder.

“We thought it was time to smooth things out,” Kyle explains. “Before the wedding. So things aren’t tense that day like they are now. I mean, it’s been six months. Time to let it go, don’t you think.”

“I think you’re underestimating what the nearly six years before were like,” his sister calmly responds. “Or am I just supposed to pretend they never happened? That she...sorry.... you...” she looks over at Nik. “...never pulled all the bullshit you did?”

“Mommy.” Tanner looks up from his ice cream. “That’s a bad word. Daddy said no bad words tonight.”

“You’re right,” she says, and then gives her son a smile and wraps an arm around him, drawing him tight against her. “Bad mommy,” she scolds herself, and then runs her fingers through his hair and places a kiss to his cheek.

“No one is saying that you have to forget about all of that or pretend it never happened.” Kyle informs her. “But wouldn’t you rather iron things out so you’re carrying around so much animosity?”

“Oh, that’s rich, K. Maybe you should be addressing your future wife’s animosity. And how she was so pissed at Tyler and I that she was willing to leave us both on a bridge in Dhaka to die.”

“Okay...no one needs to hear about this,” Tyler says, and rubs her shoulder. “Especially little ears.”

“I’ve already apologized for that,” Nik finally speaks. “Countless times. But things didn’t exactly happen the way you think they did.”

Esme snorts. “Spare me, Nik. Yaz told me all I needed to know. So don’t waste your breath lying to me. Dhaka was a total crap show and you just went ahead and made it even worse.”

“Alright, settle down,” Tyler implores, and then leans sideways to press a kiss to her temple, lips settling against her ear. “The kids do not need to hear this. Any of this. Okay? Can you stop? For me? Please?”

She reluctantly nods.

“It was Nik’s idea to come here,” Kyle says. “She wanted to patch things up. With both of you. So we could be part of the kids’ lives. They deserve to have family. Are you going to let your ego get in the way of what’s best for them?”

“Whoa...whoa...” Tyler comes to his wife’s defense. “...that’s way out of line, mate. Don't use her kids against her. Don’t ever accuse of not doing what’s for her kids. Our kids. Don’t stoop that low or you are I are going to have problems.”

“I’m just saying that...”

“I know what you’re saying. But find another way to say. Because I won’t let you disrespect the mother of my children like that.”

Nik gives a dramatic sigh. “Obviously the two of you are still holding onto a lot of bitterness and anger and this was a total waste of our time.”

“We’re holding onto a lot of bitterness and anger?” Esme retorts, then laughs. “Says the woman who couldn’t handle that her with friend with benefits met someone and decided to move on with his life. The same woman who was so mad about it that she spent six years trying to get my husband to cheat on me? Or are you going to pretend none of that ever happened?”

“And I’ve apologized for that, Esme. But you’re just so childish and petty that you can't let it go.”

‘Well I’m sorry, Nik. Maybe I’m not comfortable with my husband’s old side piece becoming my sister in law.”

“There’s kids here,” Tyler reminds them both. “They don’t need to hear this. Either settle down or just drop it.”

Esme glares at him. “And suddenly you’re on her side?”

“I’m on your side. I’m always on your side. But I’m also on the side of my kids not having to hear this stuff.”

“Oh, I’m sure they’ve heard a lot worse,” Nik snidely remarks. “With you as their father.”

Esme’s eyes narrow. “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“You know what he’s like. The mouth on him. I’m just saying that I’m sure the kids have heard a lot worse than what we’re talking about.”

“How about you just leave my kids out of this,” Esme suggests. “Or is that the real issue? That they’re my kids...with him...and not yours.”

“Jesus Christ,” Kyle moans. “Not this again.”

“That’s what really pissed off six and a half years ago, wasn’t it, Nik. The fact that you wanted more than just the dick and he wouldn’t give it to you. It just pissed you off when he met me and all of sudden he was getting married, having kids, enjoying a normal life. That’s what really bugged you. What still bugs you.”

“Can we not talk about that?” Tyler asks. “Do you really think the kids need to know this kind of shit?”

Esme ignores him. “Why don’t you tell Kyle the real reason you’re here, Nik. And don’t lie and say it was to repair things between us. Tell the truth for once. Tell him you’re here to screw things up all over again.”

“I don’t think we need to talk about this now,” Nik says. “This was supposed to be about coming together and sitting down and ironing things out. To patch things up and see the kids and...”

“I think we should call it a night,” Tyler suggests. “It’s getting late and the kids are tired and have school tomorrow.”

“No,” Esme responds. “We’re not leaving. She’s going to come clear to my brother about what she’s really here for. How she used our kids as an excuse to come here. Tell him, Nik. Tell him exactly what you came all this way for.”

“Esme,” Tyler warns. “...not here...please.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Kyle. It isn’t for my husband’s dick. For once. It’s all business, isn’t it, Nik. It’s all about the job. And you trying to manipulate Tyler into helping you.”

“Would you stop,” Tyler tightly squeezes her shoulder. “Enough. Stop Not here. Not now. And not in front of the kids.”

“Nik wants to hire Ovi to be a mercenary,” Esme announces. “Ovi. Of all goddamn people.”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Tyler orders. “If you two wants to hash it out or kick the crap out of each other, go do it somewhere else. Just not in front of my kids.”

“You’d think she’d have more comment sense than that because of everything Ovi went through in Dhaka,” Esme continues. “But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised considering we wanted us to leave him in the street like a piece of trash. She probably wanted Tyler to leave me there too. Because I was the obstacle in the way or getting what she really wanted.”

“Is this true?” Kyle address Nik. “That’s why you really wanted to come here? To hire Ovi?”

“Oh, not just that,” Esme informs him. “She wants Tyler’s help. She wants him to train Ovi before she sends him off to be killed. She probably wants more than that. She always has.”

“Okay, we’re going.” Tyler tightens his hold on Millie and stands up. “Enough. I’ve had enough. I said not to do this, and you did it anyway. Let’s go.”

“I want to know if any of this is true,” Kyle says. “If that’s the real reason we ended up here. Is it?” he looks back at Nik. “IT had nothing do with fixing things, did it. It was all bullshit. Just to get something you want.”

“That’s Nik’s M.O,” Esme smirks. “That’s all she ever cares about. Getting what she wants. And trying to destroy anyone that stands in her way.”

“Why would you do this?” Nik hisses. “Stoop this low?”

“Now you know how it feels,” Esme give a victorious smile as she stands up. “Doesn’t feel good, does it? Having some bitch trying to fuck your life up.”

“Jesus Christ,” Tyler snarls. “Let’s just go. Enough. You’ve said enough.”

“Oh, I have more tons more I could say.”

“Well another time, another place. We’re leaving. Now.” His tone is demanding. Authoritative. But his face remains calm as he gathers up all the kids; Declan on one hip, Millie on the other. “Let’s go guys,” he says to the twins. “Home time.”

“Thank God,” Tanner huffs. “Adult stuff is so boring.”

Kyle hurries after them as they leave, catching Tyler by the arm before he can get out the side entrance of the patio. “I am so fucking sorry. I had no idea what she was up to,” he says, as Esme and the twins –with TJ pushing the baby stroller- continue the walk to the car. “She told me that she wanted to come here and fix things. And so I could see the kids. I had no clue she had an ulterior motive.”

“That’s one thing about Nik. She always has an ulterior motive. I’m sorry, too. That you had to find out that way. Esme should have just kept her mouth shut. For tonight at least. I tried, but...” Tyler shrugs. “...she doesn’t always listen to me.”

“She doesn’t listen to anyone,” Kyle gives a dry laugh. You guys going to be okay?”

“We’ll be fine. She’ll get home and go off on me for a bit and then she’ll calm down. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before. I’m used to it after six and a half years. Good luck with Nik, though. You’re going to need it.”

Kyle frowns and runs a hand over the back of his head. “That bad, huh?”

“Mate, you have idea. If she boots you out and you need a place to crash, you know where to find us.”

“Yeah, don’t be surprised if you come out in the morning and find me drunk and passed out on the beach.”

Tyler smirks. “There’s been times I wished I was loaded and passed out on the beach, believe me. I am sorry. That your sister went off like that. But you were going to find out sooner or later.”

“Better sooner if you ask me.” Kyle says. “Tell her I’m sorry. That you’re dragged back into this shit. Into that life. Esme deserves better than that.”

“Yeah,” Tyler agrees. “She does.”

#tyler rake #tyler rake fan fic #tyler rake fan fiction #best part of me #extraction #chris hemsworth character

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5am-moonlight · 5 years

Note

can i get some mcfreakin uhhhh voltron matt x reader fluffy times 👀

yo nonnie I’m sorry this took so fucking long

also the cat is based off a real stray cat that we kept for like two weeks on and off but it’s g he has a genuine home now also the allergy thing happened too 🤙

Uhh yes this is Christmas themed (I kno, it’s not Halloween yet, I hate myself too) but there’s no real mention of the holiday,,, warnings: uhhh idk mention of condoms but all still pg 12.

The minute you woke up on Christmas Eve, you started to really get excited. You’d known exactly what to get Matt, you saw how his eyes lingered on the new Killbot Phantasom: Battle for Earth. Apparently it was completely revamped, 4K HD Graphics, new mech characters. You liked games, not as much as him, you were more computer-y, but you played some PS4 games now and again when you had the time, and you had to agree it did look amazing. You had pre-ordered it months, even a year or so ago, and you were incredibly excited to see his face when you gave him his gift.

Meanwhile, Matt was absolutely shitting himself. He had wanted to get you the new Killbot Phantasom game, as it was something you guys could play together, but it had completely sold out. He could admit, his present choice was completely selfish but he would take any excuse to spend time with you now. Even as roommates, you guys saw very little of each other. You were working a part time undergrad degree in cyber security, and had a part time job, so if you weren’t asleep you were out of the house. Matt was a full time post grad student, and he sometimes even did bartending gigs to get some more funds in. You were both in school on scholarships, but money is something you could never have too much of in college. However recently, you’d managed to get the Christmas break off from your job because of the amount of overtime you’d done, and Matt had claimed he was ‘out of the state’ and ‘visiting family for Christmas’ so his boss would also let him have the few weeks too. He was adamant that you guys would be able to spend some time together, so he’d told you he’d had planned a Christmas dinner type thing and to buy some food (majoritly drink, he’d wrote it on the list three separate times,) and anything else that you guys might want, snacks and stuff. He knew you didn’t really like big events or anything and he promised it wasn’t actually anything like a genuine family Christmas dinner, neither of you actually celebrated Christmas, not enough money and not enough time, among other things, and you were incredibly excited. Hell, any reason to spend any time with Matt alone made you excited. He was your best friend first, and crush second but the more time went on the more you could tell this was starting to become something more than a crush. The way his laugh made your stomach get butterflies, or how he would stick his tongue out through his teeth when he was really concentrating, completely lost in his work. Or the days when he would come up behind you and pick you up in surprise. You knew he loved you, albeit only platonically, but you’d been in love with him for so long you’d happily take being his best friend over potentially loosing him. Didn’t really help he was really fucking pretty though.

Although if he was asked, he’d say the exact same thing about you.

When he woke up, he was incredibly nervous. He’d managed to scrap together some things he’d thought you’d like, but it wasn’t what he thought would be perfect. He knew you’d love anything you were given, but he wanted to feel like his gift was perfect. He’d also decided (see: be threatened by Pidge that if he didn’t she was gonna tell you herself) that he was gonna tell you how he felt, and he was terrified. Objectively, he knew he couldn’t keep his feelings for you under wraps for much longer. Every little thing you did was driving him insane. The way you’d look when you just woke up, sleepy and mumbling. The one time you accidentally poured orange juice into your cereal and turned around and buried your head in his shoulder, groaning. He’d spent the rest of the day blushing, so much so that Pidge actually thought he was ill. Or the way, sometimes, if he asked you about your day or your favourite hobby, your eyes would smile, and you’d get so excited. The main thing, that would always make him smile, no matter what, was the way you’d ask him to do something you knew he didn’t want. You would hug his arm, and beg “Please Matty?”. Your eyes would go big and you’d jump up and laugh and hug him if he’d agree. He always knew that you’d never do anything he actually didn’t want, and he trusted you with his life.

You’d come home once, drenched in rain, and in the middle of running to the bathroom, your jacket had meowed. Your eyes had gone really wide and then you’d slowly put your hand in your coat and brought out a tiny kitten, the size of your hands and placed him right in front of Matt’s face. “Please?”. You’d looked so mischievous and hopeful, he couldn’t say no. Also, the fact you’d hugged him for like ten minutes and kept on referring to him as “daddy” when talking to the kitten, which made his heart incredibly weak and made him feel incredibly soft. You’d called the kitten Monroe, and you were so soft for him. Until Matt discovered he was allergic to cats. You’d spent the night with him after you’d given Monroe to Pidge, just talking and watching movies. You’d seen how sad he was, which surprised himself, Monroe had been your baby, and made him a pillow fort in the sitting room, and gotten a ton of cat related movies on your Netflix. You’d fallen asleep on his shoulder and when he tried to move you to make you more comfortable, you’d mumbled and snuggled into him, clinging onto his chest. He remembered how his heart was going 50m/ph, and how peaceful you had looked. He hadn’t ever wanted a pet, but now he was happy you’d gotten one, no matter how it ended.

He started work on the “Christmas dinner” which was essentially his mother’s recipe for mac and cheese which included five different cheeses, some store bought potato salad, Doritos, dips, and a bags of jellies and sweets and chocolates. He managed to set everything up like a pic’n’mix stall, and got to work on the movie set up. His memory of you and him in the pillow fort remains one of his favourites, as the day he knew he had fallen in love with you. You texted Matt you were on your way home, after stopping from the shopping centre to pick up his gift, and some more sugary stuff, including a Lindt chocolate bunny that you would get each other every year, and a pack of condoms as a joke, since you’d seen him with a really smart, pretty new girl in his class. You knew she liked him, she’d come up to you at one point asking about Matt since she knew you two were roommates. He was always nervous around girls, with exception to you, which you put down to the fact you’d known him for most of your life, grown up together. You’d tried to set him up with some girls, and a few guys you knew, as a kind of way to force yourself to get over him. You’d been in love with him as long as you could remember, but realistically you knew it was never gonna happen. You didn’t like to think about too much because it made your heart hurt, like there was a hole in your chest, but you knew he was a genuine guy and whoever he would end up with was definitely lucky. Even if it wasn’t you.

You’d reached your front door at this point, and stood up straight, taking a deep breath.

“Hey! I’m hom-“ You were shocked. The hall had been decorated with fairy lights. You walked into the sitting room, speechless. You had obviously known that Matt was preparing something but not *this. He had taken his mattress, and yours you’d assumed, and put them where the couch had been. The couch had been pulled back and the cushioning taken down and put around the mattresses, for head rests and back rests, making a sort of crude looking chaise longue. There were pillows everywhere, and stacked piles of duvets and blankets. There was a small table on both sides of the fort, filled with what looked like movie bags of sweets, and wrapped presents,as well as a pic’n’mix table behind the couch. Matt hadn’t realised you were home, and he was still working in the kitchen.

“Matt”. You breathed out. “This is..insane. It must have taken you forever!”

He jumped a little bit at your voice, not expecting you some until another half an hour.

“Oh! Yeah hey y/n, I...uh, was-wasn’t expecting you until another while. D-do you like it? Everything?”

You placed your bag-for-life on the counter top and ran over to him, tackling him in a hug.

“Mattie, it looks amazing. What possessed you to work so hard on this?”

He blushed, a red flush working all the way up to the tips of his ears, and looked down to the floor.

You ducked under him, as he was much taller than you, and put your finger under his chin as to make him look at you.

“Hey, what’s up? Talk to m- hmmph”

He had slipped his strong arms around your middle and kissed you. You melted into the kiss, balancing yourself by putting your arms around his shoulders. He hoisted you up, so you would wrap your legs around him, as he held you impossibly close. You broke away with a gasp, after what seemed like hours. You’d only done it once but you knew you could loose yourself in kissing Matt.

“How long?” He seemed breathless, still holding on to your waist.

“Remember that time you defeated the final boss in Killbot Phantasom, and you picked me up and spun me around? Then”

He laughed at that, nuzzling his face into your neck.

“Then? I was 10 years old, you’d gotten the game for your 7th birthday. That long?”

You ruffled his hair, and moved to hold his hand.

“C’mon. I’ve something to show you”

You brought him out to the sitting room, still holding his hand, then pushed him onto the mattresses. He made an indignant yelp, which made you laugh, and then you yelled as he pulled you down with him. You landed on him with an oof, laughing as he started messing with you, kissing your face and neck. You eventually came out on top, resting your hands on his sides. You reached over to his table, picking up your present for him, wrapped so carefully.

“Here. Open it.”

You placed it on his chest, still partially sitting in his lap while he sat up a little straighter. He looked incredibly excited, pausing for a second before mauling the gift open. He stopped when he recognised the cover, not even fully opening your gift before he carefully placed it beside him, and tackled you guys over, so he was out on top.

“You didn’t”

“I did”

“New plan for the Christmas break, we aren’t leaving the apartment until that’s finished. You started this, now you’re stuck with me”

You smiled, and pulled him down for another breathtaking kiss.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

#voltron legendary defender #matt holt x reader #voltron x reader #matt holt #pidge gunderson #matt voltron #katie holt #katie voltron #i am aware this took three hundred days i just got caught up in school and calculus #leaving cert sucks

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indiaalphawhiskey · 4 years

Text

SD Drabble #1

Note: Another prompt I thought of long ago, that I’m still so in love with. I don’t know if I’ll ever get the time to write it, but here it is anyway. Posting under the tag “Sugar Daddy AU”. Please excuse my self-indulgence. xx ---

“Have you got that?” the woman asked. The tone of her voice, coupled with the patronizing pinch of her newly ‘refreshed’ lips, screamed condescension.

Harry offered her a soft, subdued smile. “I have, ma’am,” he said, calmly.

She sniffed and her nose, already two and a half inches in the air to begin with, titled higher in doubt. “Repeat it, then.”

Harry let out a slow exhale through his teeth.

“Of course.” His smile never left his face as he ran through the list in his head. “For the table’s appetizers, the Rockefeller oyster platter, baked garlic lemon butter scallops, lemon butter sauce separated into individual sauce dishes, garlic to the side, and a Caesar salad, with no dressing, no bacon, no chicken, and no croutons, to be served twenty minutes before the main dishes. For his entree,” Harry said, turning to offer the gentleman – who had been scanning him from head-to-toe with a rather lascivious smirk – a quick nod. “Sir will have the cherry-glazed rack of lamb, with marble potatoes instead of garlic rice pilaf, potatoes pre-cut into quarters, and a whiskey double.” He turned back to the woman, a challenge in his tone. “Madam will have the Chilean sea bass and braised asparagus, asparagus to the side and blanched instead of braised, with the pesto and lemon sauce on a separate dish, and a glass of Semillon. Dessert will be two pieces of the dairy and gluten-free chocolate truffle cake, and two glasses of our best sherry.”

The woman’s gaze remained unimpressed.

“Fine,” she breathed. She flicked her fingers away once, the sheen of her opulent diamond ring reflected on the white tablecloth – a dismissal.

Harry bowed politely, face impeccably calm as he gathered the menus from the table and began to walk away.

Oyster platter and scallops baked in nothing, he recited in his head as he weaved his way around the tables. Plain lettuce masquerading as Caesar salad. Lamb with an entirely different side dish than the one on the menu – Chef will be pleased as fuck, by the way––

Snap! Harry startled at the sound. What the f–– Snap! Snap! Snap!

He leaned back reflexively to avoid the hand aggressively snapping right in front of his nose, before turning to find it was attached to a portly man in his mid-fifties. His face was tinged red with impatience, his breath laboured as he heaved himself back onto his chair now that he had Harry’s attention.

Harry took a deep breath before facing the table.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, Sir,” he began politely. “But my colleague will be with you in just a mo –”

“Oh, you’ll do, sweetheart,” the man crooned, licking his lips as he surveyed Harry. “You’ll do just fine.”

His impatience had faded completely, Harry noticed, though Harry much preferred irritation to… whatever this new expression was. Having only had this job for three days, it took all of Harry’s willpower to swallow the cutting remark that was already resting on his tongue. He managed, but unfortunately, the way his skin was crawling with discomfort was not as easily dealt with.

He exhaled slowly, reminding himself why he needed this job. Unbidden, the events of the last week flashed before his eyes.

Finding unrecognizable lingerie under his pillow. Being told by his fiance that he was being left for a nineteen-year-old pilates instructor slash aspiring male model. Discovering three months’ worth of unpaid rent bills hidden in their (now his, he supposed) bread box, and a discarded bill for a ‘12-carat gold-plated necklace with ‘MY BABY’ engraving, cursive’ (Gross.) in his trash (already paid, thank God for small favours). Combing coffee shop bulletin boards for part-time jobs that fit his tedious grad school schedule. Chicken-flavored ramen for the three straight dinners.

He tried not to sigh.

Relax, he told himself. Be professional, get your check, and get out of here.

“How may I help you, Sir?” Harry said, miraculously polite.

“Well, handsome,” Lecherous Restaurant Patron purred, drawing out the pregnant pause as Harry quelled a rising gag.

“Come off it, George,” his companion cut in. He tacked on a chuckle at the end like an afterthought, though it couldn’t mask the slight edge embedded in the words. It made Harry think of the way a cheeky thief smiles as he runs his finger back and forth against a switchblade – just a hint of a threat. “Just order, mate. The kid’s busy.”

It was hardly a white knight stepping in to defend his honour, but after the week Harry had, it was close. He had barely glanced in his saviour’s direcion before George spoke again.

“I own the place, Tomlinson. He can spare a couple more minutes, can’t you, darling?” He punctuated the question with two hefty slaps to Harry’s arse cheek. The first made Harry freeze in shock. The second made his vision go red.

Lingerie.

‘He’s… amazing, Harry. I love him.’

Rent.

‘MY BABY’ engraving, cursive.

Wanted: Part-time Wait Staff.

‘Repeat it, then.’

Slap! Slap!

The punch flew out of Harry, the crisp sound of knuckles against cheekbone ringing satisfyingly in his ears, loud and clear over the scuffle, over the yelling, over the firing. It was all Harry could hear until the harsh slam of the restaurant’s back door, and the biting whip of the winter wind.

Cheated on, left, in debt, harassed, fired, tossed out on my arse, Harry thought to himself, raising his fist in a sarcastic cheer. B-I-N-G-fucking-O. What he wouldn’t do for a joint right now.

He let out a deep, bone-tired sigh, winter’s icy fingers creeping around his open coat and up his too-thin undershirt (they had taken his uniform straight off his back, the bastards), before making his way out of the tiny back alley. He hunched his shoulders automatically, the wind somehow stronger out on the dimly lit main street, and began his long trudge to the tube stop, large hands stuffed awkwardly into his coat’s faux pockets because he had also lost his favorite gloves to bloody Neverwhere this morning.

“Mind the gap, indeed,” he mumbled to himself sadly, taking a little solace in the fact that he had remembered to bring his earphones with him today. He was convinced the morose opening chords of Landslide would manage soothe his broken heart, if he played it enough times. (Hey, if Stevie made it through, so could Harry.)

Lost in thought (and in the gargantuan task of untangling the aforementioned earphones), the barely audible crunch of gravel next to him didn’t register at all.

“ – genuinely feel like you’re ignoring me on purpose now but, once more, with feeling – Do. You. Need. A. Ride?”

Harry jumped, clutching at his heart and dropping his earphones in surprise. “What the bloody –”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” the man said. He offered Harry a sheepish smile, his elbow resting on the window of his cheesily predictable top down. “But I’d been here for like seven minutes –”

“You’ve been stalking me for seven minutes,” Harry deadpanned, so done with these absolute shits. “Yeah, not a great line to lead with.”

“Not stalking,” he tried to chuckle confidently, but the tone came out slightly uncertain. “But like, offering you a ride. You know, to make up for…” He tipped his head backward, motioning to the restaurant. “My partner. Business partner,” he clarified seriously, and ––

Oh, Harry thought. The other guy. Tomlinson, he remembered. No wonder his voice was familiar.

“No, thank you,” Harry said curtly as he began to walk again, his face resolutely blank, eyes trained stubbornly on his destination.

A huff of disbelief weaved itself between the sound of slow-rolling wheels.

“C’mon, kid,” Tomlinson tried. “It’s cold as shit.”

“Then maybe get a car with a roof,” Harry said, quietly.

Tomlinson chuckled in answer, wheels still painfully in time with Harry’s steps.

“Fair point. C’mon,” he repeated. “You’ve had a shit night. You’re cold and tired. Let me give you a ride.” When Harry stayed silent, he continued. “You’ll be home quicker. Home, and clean,” he needled. “And warm.”

At that, Harry let himself steal a glance, and was greeted with Tomlinson’s smirking profile, his eyes on the road. High cheekbones, a sharp jaw, the lovely peak of a small nose – everything was slim and pointed. Pixie-like, Harry caught himself thinking, though the delicate quality of his face was offset by just a hint of handsome stubble. A healthy amount of silver decorated his temples, but the hair on his head was still a touch more pepper than salt. Not quite a silver fox just yet.

Fifty, Harry guessed. Fifty-five at most.

“Is this your M.O., or something?” Harry asked, trying to keep the raking irritation from bleeding into his voice. The calmer he was, the less Tomlinson would think he was getting somewhere. “Is that how this works? You go to a restaurant, find a target, get your wingman to act like an arsehole, and then swoop in for the kill?”

A startled laugh broke through the hush of the street.

“Just a wee bit paranoid, aren’t you?” Tomlinson teased.

“Evasive, aren’t you?” Harry shot back.

“Okay, calm down, Sherlock.” Harry could still hear the amusement in his voice. “I do have killer flirting skills, but not serial killer flirting skills.”

Harry sighed then, so, so exhausted. “Right. Well again, no thank you on the ride. In case my little demonstration at the restaurant was somehow unclear, I don’t date men who are old enough to be my father.”

He tipped his chin up higher, because while Harry may not have any money (or a job, or a fiance), he still had his dignity.

Or at least part of it, he corrected, pushing away the curdle of humiliation as he remembered finding those awful panties.

“So you only date cheap men,” Tomlinson said, decisively.

“God,” Harry whispered under his breath, his annoyance now too hard to ignore. Louder he said, “Fuck off.”

“Cheap,” he continued confidently over Harry’s insult. “Young, handsome bastards who get one big paycheck and think that makes them Drake or whoever the fuck –” The cool-dad rap reference, plus the well-timed dig at his stupid, necklace-engraving ex, made Harry’s lip twitch upward against his will. “ – and then fuck off with some barely-legal twit who sucks dick like a champ but can’t name a single city outside of London.”

Harry snorted.

“Know him, or something?” he asked sarcastically, eyes trained on the tiny Underground sign that was still about three blocks away.

“Know him? Oh love,” The way he said it – ‘Luhv’ – made Harry finally turn to him. It was a mistake. His eyes were sharp – a searing blue even in the orange cast of the street lamps – and his smile devastating. “I am him,” he admitted freely, the skin around his eyes crinkling as his smirk widened. “Only, you know,” he shrugged. “With a few more checks, and slightly higher standards. I mean,” he blinked, almost sweetly. “You can name at least three cities outside London... can’t you?”

Harry could feel a gentle heat settle at the tops of his cheeks, the insinuation about his blowjob skills decidedly not lost on him. He felt his stomach do a sudden somersault. He pushed it away, convincing himself it was just the rush of attention, the electricity of an unexpected ego boost and that quick, first moment of feeling pretty again after getting horribly, horribly dumped.

His brief silence must’ve signaled a chink in his armour, because Tomlinson then took it as an opportunity to say, “I’m Louis.”

“I didn’t ask,” Harry said, tongue fast, though the fact that he hadn’t yet ducked into a not-suitable-for-sports-cars-sized alleyway probably softened the blow.

Louis only nodded, still smiling. “Right, okay. As much fun as this has been, I really doubt the lovely heated seating of my car will dull our banter. Or...” he dragged out the ‘r’, eyes mischievous. “Are you really going to let a…” he assessed Harry. “Twenty? Twenty year gap be the reason you get hypothermia? Is that really the hill you want to freeze on, Mr. Principled?”

“Closer to twenty-six,” Harry corrected stubbornly. “Which is an entire fully grown adult between us. You could have kids as old – nay, older – than our age gap.” Did he just say ‘nay?’

“Did you just say ‘nay’, Shakespeare?” Louis teased. “So definitely at least three cities outside London, then.” Harry didn’t smile but it was a close thing. “And I promise you,” Louis continued. “I haven’t put myself in the position to bear children since you were – nay, before you were born. Been in a lot of other positions since then, though.”

He had the audacity to punctuate it with a wink. It was annoyingly charming, and Harry had never been angrier at himself.

“Besides,” Louis said, with the kind of smile that knew victory was close. “It’s just a ride, love, no strings attached. Unless of course, getting tied up is what you’re into,” he added, so incredibly pleased with himself. Harry wanted to smack him. But he could also feel the blessedly comfortable heat radiating from the car’s vents.

“Fine.”

#sugar daddy au #larry drabble #iaw drabble #SD1 #writing exercise

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star-nova · 4 years

Text

Memoirs, part 1: My birth story

It’s finally time to write my memoir. And yes, this is really about ME. This is not RiffRaff or any of my other fictional stories. This is my story. About me. And how everything eventually ended up going as wrong as it finally did.

I’d been meaning to for a long time now. But everytime I tried to write it...I always just deleted it and gave up. I guess because the story wasn’t ready to come out and because I was worried what others would think of me if I came forward about this kind of thing. Would they be able to look at me the same again, and all that. But now even I don’t look at me the same again, so it doesn’t matter. I don’t have anything to lose, since I already lost everything I could possibly lose. So it’s time to face reality. And get it out there, too, because I can’t face it if I’m still trying to hide it.

I’m going to be plagued by the memories forever anyway. Might as well do something with them. Except this part is about what I can’t remember, and what someone else had to remember for me when I was finally old enough to put all the pieces together. I got Room of Angel going in the background and Walter Sullivan from Silent Hill 4 is a whole mood, so here it goes.

I didn’t get to hear my full, real birth story until I was in my late 20s--primarily because it took me that long to ask for it. When I was a kid, I accepted, “We had only wanted to have one baby, but then you came along.” As a teenager, I learned that I came after 2 other pregnancies that were terminated. Later on, I found out that I was nearly miscarried “early on in the pregnancy,” as my mother told me. She had to be on bed rest and take medications to keep me from sliding out of the womb, dead, two or three months in. Do you know how many times I’ve had to hear her say, “I wish I NEVER took those pills!”? It was a lot.

When I finally got my full birth story from my dad--who doesn’t hide anything, doesn’t sugarcoat, and has no problem telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth--he told me that my mother’s body actually attempted to terminate me throughout the entire pregnancy. To this day, it is one of those things that firmly cements that I was not ever supposed to exist. I feel like God knew that He had made a mistake, and he was trying to correct it. My mother had to keep running back to the hospital for the medication that would keep me from terminating. I asked what the medical explanation was, and my dad said that there wasn’t any, but that my mother’s body was never meant to carry babies. When she had my older brother, she was still very young--just turned 19--and her body was very small. It’s hard to imagine my mother as anything small now, but I’ve seen the old pictures. She was 19 and looked about 14, so tiny that I could barely even see the baby bump (which is odd, because baby bumps are usually more pronounced on a tiny body), about 100 ish pounds even with a baby (but I’m horrible at guessing weight, so she could’ve been bigger). The hospital had said her body was too small to support a baby, and when he was coming out, she didn’t even realize it was him coming out. She thought she had to “pee,” and she had gotten up to go to the bathroom when the doctors rushed her back to the bed and told her that wasn’t having to pee, that was him coming out. She almost died while giving birth, but he came out healthy. Can’t say that about him now, at 41. But that’s him. Now back to me.

She was in her mid-30s when she had me, and my dad was in his 50s--he turned 60 when I was 8 years old, so I guess that puts him at 52 (I had to use a calculator for even that basic first grade math). She didn’t want to be pregnant again. She told me as much. I used to think I was a broken condom. Spent my whole life so sure that I was a broken condom, until my dad finally just told me that no, he just didn’t wear one because he didn’t like how they felt (now you know how those 4 pregnancies happened...my older brother was not planned either, my dad told me as much). I get jealous sometimes without wanting to admit I’m jealous of my older brother--who, other than this, has literally NOTHING for me to be jealous of--when I look at the pregnancy and baby pictures. She went to Great Adventure with my dad while she was pregnant with him, for her honeymoon. She looks genuinely happy, and it kills me how much her smile looks like mine in those pictures. I didn’t think I looked anything like her until I saw her at that age, her skin’s just darker than mine ‘cause she has no white in her. She’s happy in those pictures, and in the ones when she’s holding my brother and kissing him, so genuinely happy with her new baby, and my dad’s hair isn’t white, it’s the same color as mine. I’ve never seen him without white hair outside of pictures. Then there are the ones with me. In her pregnancy photo with me, her teeth are gritted like she is trying to force a smile, but failing stupendously. My older brother--age 13 and a half then but taller than her--is standing next to her, and his face is like stone. My dad said he never took it well that he was going to have a sibling. At 41, he still isn’t taking it well. She isn’t smiling in any of my baby pictures either. Her lips are tight like she’s trying to force something that just isn’t there.

My birth was a trainwreck. After 8 months of near-miscarriages, her water broke while at the mall (I like to pretend that it was a harbinger of my lifetime clothes shopping addiction and love of the mall). She was rushed to the nearest hospital...and then I was a breech.

My dad says that I came out feet first, that my head got stuck in the birth canal--about a 3 to 5 percent occurrence, according to Wikipedia--and that my cord was about to wrap around my throat. If she had pushed any further, it would have. I would have to be cut out, a C-section.

My mother, a mentally impaired and traumatized woman who had every form of abuse possible inflicted on her in inner-city foster homes in the 70s, would have to be awake while she was cut open, while a team of doctors had to stick their hands inside of her body, and while her baby would have to be wrestled out of her.

Except that isn’t even what happened.

What happened is that she was cut open, and she was awake, and the doctors did stick her hands inside of her to wrestle me out of the womb...and then I wouldn’t come out. My dad says that I was lodged in a corner of the womb and the doctors couldn’t get me out, no matter how much they pulled. They had to employ the baby version of the jaws of life: the forceps. Knowing what I know now about the brain damage, which has been ruled as the result of abuse during the developmental years, I do wonder if any of that may have contributed at least a little bit, When you consider what forceps are, and where they go, and that it took a few yanks to get me out...

But I may never know. Not even sure if that would show up on a brain scan anymore, if I could get one. My insurance won’t cover “I want to get a brain scan so I can see what it looks like.” I had one done at age 12 and then again at 14, but the results were hidden from me and when I called the labs to request them last year, they said they were trashed a long time ago.

All it did was further the conclusion I had made that God was doing everything He could to correct the error that he had made. Until it was too late.

I never stood a chance. It was all punishment. All of her life, my mother had been small and powerless in the face of horrific abuse that she could not do anything to stop. Now the “continuation” of her trauma--years after she had finally managed to “escape”--was small, powerless, and innocent itself. She unleashed everything that she had learned growing up in an inner-city foster system in the 70s, and knew exactly what to do to ensure that it would keep going on for as long as she needed it to in order to compensate for what was done to her. Like Abdul in Sapphire’s The Kid, when he was beaten and molested in the foster homes and then beat and molested the “smaller kids” in his orphanage, singling out the small ones specifically so he could “feel like a king.”

I was doomed from the start. Destined to become a Nobody. And now, at almost 28, I am still very much doomed...

#my memoir

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kaffeinic · 5 years

Text

Caffeinic | Bang Chan

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Epilogue

Pairing: Reader x Barista!Bang Chan

Genre: Fluff // Romance

Warnings: Fem!Reader

Preamble: You’ve been going to the same coffee shop for the past four years. You’ve ordered the same thing almost every single day, and you never, ever skip on that part of your morning. So, when Mrs. Park hired a new barista and the once serene café was suddenly flooded with people every second of the day, you were less than thrilled.

You continued your routine as usual throughout the next few months. The café was still just as crowded as it had always been in the morning, so you opted to visit during the evening. You and Chan had become well-acquainted before you switched the timing of your coffee breaks.

It was late autumn, - possibly early winter - and you hugged your black trench coat close to your body, nuzzling your nose into your oversized brown scarf. The café was relatively calm at this time. You deduced it was because of the absence of a certain blonde haired gentleman. Part of you missed his unapologetically flirty attitude that you’d come to enjoy, but your priorities chose a calming atmosphere over a cute, dimply smile.

Midterms were coming up and your book bag was ripping at the seams from the weight of your textbooks. You figured you would do what you always did this time of year and sip on some coffee while you studied. When you walked through the door, you were greeted by the Park family, and - though you didn’t expect it - Chan.

“Hey there, Y/n! Are you here for some coffee?” Mrs. Park asked. You nodded and held up your book bag.

“I’m in for a long night.” You laughed at the end of your reply, but you were anything but happy to be studying tonight. Mrs. Park frowned.

“Oh, that’s a shame. I was going to ask if you’d like to join Junyoung and I. It’s his birthday today.” You looked at her son. He smiled sheepishly.

“Happy birthday! I almost forgot- I got this for you.” You dug through your book bag and handed him a small, wrapped gift. He took it and inspected the outside. “Open it!” You exclaimed. He smiled excitedly and did as you asked.

His eyes widened a little as he looked at the tiny Rilakkuma figurine. It was something you had held onto for a few months after seeing it in the store. It screamed his name. The boy was constantly decorating his bags, clothes, and laptop with the character. He shot you a genuine smile and gave you a hug.

“Thank you so much, Y/n! It’s perfect!” He admired it again and ran upstairs to put it away.

“Are you sure you can’t join us?” Mrs. Park pleaded. You smiled, but shook your head.

“I’m sorry, midterms are coming up.” You explained. She nodded in understanding and waved as Junyoung rushed down the stairs. You all said your goodbyes, Mr. Park went upstairs to his office, and you took your seat at the bar.

“It’s been a while.” You heard a familiar Australian accent. You looked up at Chan and smiled.

“Yeah, it has. How’ve you been?” You inquired. He shrugged his shoulders. You placed your book bag on the counter next to you.

“Same old, same old.” He paused. “Missing you, of course.” One side of his lips pulled up into a smirk as he laughed at his own joke.

“Yeah, yeah.” You shooed him away.

“The usual?” He asked. He had a towel in his hand as he dried a light brown coffee mug. You couldn’t help but notice how attractive the man looked in his black dress shirt with its two top buttons undone. A thick silver chain hung from his neck and a gleam of white light poked through between a gap in the fabric.

You shook your head. “Surprise me.” With that, he smiled brightly.

“Alright. I will.” He shot you that smirk of his again and got to work. You loved the smell of the café; It was always so sweet and warm. You also had become accustomed to the faint scent of Chan’s cologne. Those two scents mixed together made your heart flutter, and was why you had changed your seating choice from the corner table to the center of the bar. You hated to admit it, but it was true. “Are you going to study at home?”

You looked up with thought. “I’m not sure. The heater isn’t working, so I’ve been avoiding staying there.” You replied. Chan’s face fell.

“That’s not good. You should get it looked at.” He had genuine concern is his voice, and you saw no indication that he was trying to mock you. You nodded.

“Of course.”

“You could study here. I’m closing.” He said. You raised an eyebrow.

“Your offer is suddenly less tempting with that information.” You retorted. He feigned offense, placing his large hand on his chest. You noticed his thick silver rings.

“Well, fine then.” He said, turning back to the coffee machine.

“I’m kidding, you big baby. I think I’ll stay. I’d rather work here, where it’s warm.” You said. You could faintly see the edges of his mouth curl up at your words.

You immersed yourself into your work, flipping through pages in your biology textbook as you scribbled notes onto some college ruled paper. You would occasionally feel a pair of brown eyes on you, but you didn’t dare look up. Little did you know, Chan was staring intently at your face. At your lips, in particular. He especially liked it when you bit your bottom lip in thought.

It took him an astonishingly long time, but he finally placed a cup of hot coffee in front of you. The aroma flooded your senses and you perked up instantly.

“What is it?” You inquired.

“Your coffee.” He said. You shot him a look.

“You don’t say?” He laughed at your remark and urged you to take a sip.

“Try it.” He said.

“What’s in it?”

“Coffee, water...”

“If I drink it, will you stop?” Your fingers wrapped around the handle of the mug.

“Maybe.” You rolled your eyes, lifting the cup to your lips. “Blow on it first.” You looked up at him over the rim of the mug.

“Uh- Why?”

“I don’t want you to burn your lips.” He replied.

“Don’t you mean, ‘burn your tongue?’” You asked.

“No.” He waited, but you didn’t move. “I mean, if you want, I can blow on it for you.” He offered, smiling. You rolled your eyes for the umpteenth time, but suddenly tensed up when his face came close to yours. He blew softly on the surface of the steaming coffee, eyes slowly finding yours. You looked down.

“I’ve got it, thanks Dad.” You said, moving away. He laughed at your reaction.

“No problem, Babygirl™.” Sorry. You choked on your coffee and Chan lost it. He began laughing uncontrollably, holding onto his abdomen. You would have rolled your eyes at another one of his flirty lines, but you were caught so off-guard that you just sat there with coffee dribbling down your chin. After a moment, you wailed.

“It got in my nose!”

After a few colourful words from you and mischievous giggles from him, you were back to work. At that moment, someone new walked into the café. The bell hanging above the door chimed and both you and Chan turned your attention to the entrance.

“Welcome, sir. What can I get you?” Chan walked to the side of the counter closer to the door. The man looked at Chan, then you.

“Americano. Make it quick.” He said.

Now, what happened next really ticked you off.

The bar of the café was very large, and there were at least five extra seats on either side of you, away from your bags and yourself, not to mention the twenty or so empty tables behind you. This man, however, seemed to have never touched on the topic of personal space. He slid into the chair to your left, staring at your textbooks as if to say, “Move them.”

You internally cursed at him and slid everything you had to the right. Chan was busy making the americano the man had asked for, the sound of a coffee grinder echoing in the otherwise silent room.

“College?” The man beside you asked. You didn’t look at him, nor did you answer. You scribbled more notes in your notebook and took a sip of your coffee. He huffed.

“Don’t you know that pretty girls should smile a bit more?” He craned his head to look at your face. “Don’t be rude.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but have we met?” You raised an eyebrow. He smiled. His teeth were riddled with cavities.

“In your dreams, maybe.”

In my nightmares, is more like it. You thought.

You began packing up your bags in an attempt to be rid of this man and his foul stench, but when his hand found its way to your waist, you nearly jumped out of your skin. You wondered if Chan knew what was happening. You looked up at him to see another wet mug in his hands. He was working, not paying you two any attention. He walked behind you to scrub on the tables before closing for the night.

You pushed the man’s hand away and shoved more items into your bag. He scooted his stool closer, this time, his arm snaking around your waist. He whispered in your ear.

“Why don’t you be a good girl?” He seethed. Your eyes widened and you wondered how far this man was willing to go. There’s was no alcohol on his breath. You had hoped there was, to give him the benefit of the doubt. He was fully aware of what he was doing, and that made it even worse.

While you were caught up in your thoughts, you felt a strong hand pull the man’s off of your waist.

“She’s clearly not interested, mate.” Chan said. At that moment, you had never been so happy to have him there.

“What do you know? It’s none of your business, mate.” The man challenged him, smirking as he ripped his hand away from Chan.

The blonde boy whose eyes were usually so playful and happy were now stoic and cold.

“Get out.” Chan said. The man beside you didn’t budge.

“No. You don’t own the place.” The man’s knees brushed against your outer thigh, and you shivered, not daring to move.

“Get. Out.” Chan repeated himself, so much more malice in his tone than before. You shifted your weight on the stool, afraid of what might happen next.

Posted a few hours early because I couldn’t wait lol. How’s that for a cliffhanger? Sorry not sorry for that Babygirl reference lol. Smash that like button if you enjoyed~ Have a nice day!

* DISCLAIMER: I do not own any gifs/photos used in this post. I do own the written content. Do NOT repost/edit. *

🏷 @a-toxic-galaxy • @hoshithehamster

#kpop #fanfictions #headcannons #reactions #imagines #ships #stray kids #skz #3racha #chan #bang chan #christopher bang #cb97 #felix #woojin #lee know #felix lee

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