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andreafmn · 5 months

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12 Days of Ficmas ❅ Day 1

Word Count: 4.8K Paring: Stiles Stilinski x Fem!Reader Prompt @alloftheprompts: Character A and Character B broke up but now they meet at a Christmas party.

Summary: In unpredictable Beacon Hills, Stiles and (Y/N) being together was one of the only things that made sense. But sometimes the smallest of changes can create the biggest of chaos. And a simple college admission letter can do just that. Maybe all it takes is the right Christmas gift to make things better.

A/N: yup, that's right, I'm doing 12 Days of Ficmas again (even if I haven't finished Kinktober 🫣🫣 but I am nothing if not a masochist (and a slight procrastinator) But enjoy!! This story actually made me tear up, honestly. But it wouldn't be one of my stories if there wasn't an insane amount of angst 😅 Also, disclaimer, I have not seen the last two seasons of Teen Wolf or the movie so, sorry for any inconsistencies.

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“Let’s just get this over with,” (Y/N) sighed as she fixed the Santa hat on top of her head. “They don’t have to know yet.”

“Yeah,” Stiles grimaced. “It’s better to wait until after the holidays, I guess.”

It was the first time Stiles and (Y/N) had ever been terrified to enter Scott’s house and face all of their friends. Even worse, they had to pretend everything was fine between them.

Since they were little, the pair had been inseparable. Being next-door neighbors allowed them to grow close at a rapid pace. It was in her that he found solace on the nights his mother’s illness would take the best of her mind. He would run over to her house and climb the lattice that ran all the way up to her room.

And she wouldn’t ask questions. (Y/N) would simply let him in through her window and distract him until he eventually drifted off to sleep. She did not need any explanations or reasons to comfort Stiles. She simply knew he needed her, and so she was there for him. Because if there was anything she knew of, it was the pain of slowly losing a parent.

They shared a bond that no one could break. Even as Scott entered their duo and they became the perfect trio, Stiles and (Y/N) shared a connection like no other. So, it came as no surprise to anyone when they got together. Even after Stiles had continuously professed his love for Lydia. Even after (Y/N) and Boyd had a quick fling. Everyone knew that it would be the two of them at the end of the day.

What no one expected was that one day, they wouldn’t be Stiles and (Y/N) anymore. Hell, not even they had seen it coming.

Their downfall had begun the second week of December. For some reason, the couple had not spoken about what happened after high school. In their senior year, they were focusing on the present, leaving the future where it was. Because what they didn’t know couldn’t hurt them.

(Y/N) had applied under early action to various colleges, thinking nothing of it. But there was one college that had been her dream since her father had passed, and that was her only early decision application. She had worked every day since to make sure she was at least close to being accepted. But it was never a sure thing.

She had promised herself to put it in the back of her mind. Stressing over that envelope would only drive her into madness. As much as she wanted it to be true, she knew the reality of the situation. The chances she could ever get in, much less with a full ride, were slim to none. And hoping only made things worse.

Still, that hadn’t stopped her from applying; it hadn’t stopped her from wishing.

“Honey,” her mother had said one afternoon after she got home from school. “Look what came in the mail.”

In her hands, there was a white manila envelope with blue lettering that clearly read: University of Oxford.

(Y/N) could have sworn she could feel her heart in her throat, beating at an unnatural pace and threatening to leap out of her body. She crossed the distance between her front door to the kitchen faster than she had ever done before, needing to feel the paper in her hands. Only seeing it was not proof enough that it was real.

“I don’t think I can open it,” the girl worried. “What if it’s bad, mom?”

“You won’t know unless you see, my darling,” she smiled softly. “But no matter what, you will still be the most impressive young lady I have known. And any college would be lucky to have you.”

With trembling hands, she broke open the envelope and pulled out a beautiful and crisp piece of white paper. “Dear (Y/N) (Y/L/N),” she read before taking a steadying breath. “It is with greatest pleasure that we inform you that the Admissions Comittee has decided to offer you admission to Oxford University through our binding Early Decision (ED) option on a full scholarship.”

As (Y/N) read those words, tears spilled from her eyes, and the papers fell from her hands. Her mother wrapped her arms tightly around her, showering her with words of love and encouragement. It had been everything she had worked for. Something not even the supernaturals of the world could take from her.

“You’re going to Oxford, baby girl,” her mother cooed. “I knew you could. Your dad would have been just as proud as I am.”

That moment should have been the happiest in her life so far. But there was a dark cloud that lingered over her as she celebrated. She had not told anyone she was applying to a college so far away, much less the reason she would be doing so. Mostly because she was terrified she wouldn’t get in. But part of her knew it was because she was leaving all her friends behind, leaving Stiles behind. And that was the hardest part.

For the rest of the week, as she celebrated internally, she hid the biggest news of her life from all of her friends and the boy she had deemed the love of her life. Anyone would have thought she was the one harboring a secret supernatural life with the way she was guarding her secret. And, maybe it shouldn’t have been something she kept to herself. Maybe they would have all been excited for her and understood the reason for the distance. But something deep in her stopped her every single time.

If her friends had noticed there was anything different from her demeanor, they didn’t say a thing. In the midst of final exams and the Christmas holidays soon approaching, everyone seemed to be stuck in their own heads. So, if they were in their heads, they couldn’t know there was something happening in hers.

But that Friday night, at the same hour Stiles would always sneak in, (Y/N) knew there was no way she could continue to hide her secret any longer.

“Come on,” he chuckled as he jumped onto her bed, holding his arms open. “Tell me what’s going on with you.”

“What do you mean?” she said, forcing a smile. “Why do you say that?”

“You know you can’t lie to me. I may not have super hearing, but I can tell, (Y/N).”

“Yeah,” she chuckled softly. “You know me too well.”

“Of course I do,” he smiled as he crossed the distance between them and caressed the softness of her cheek. “Now, please, tell me what’s wrong?”

That was it. That was the moment that had changed them, the moment that had broken them.

(Y/N) took a steadying breath and took his hands in hers, focusing on the veins on his hands rather than his worried eyes. “I got a letter last week,” she started with a sigh. “I told you about all the colleges I had applied to as early action.”

“Of course, you bright mind, you,” he said. “Did you already start getting the acceptance letters?”

“Uh, there’s another college I actually applied to. Early decision.”

“Like binding early decision?”

“Yeah, exactly,” she said, her voice trembling as she spoke. “I, uh, I applied to the University of Oxford. And I got in.”

Instead of embracing her, Stiles dropped her hands, taking a step away from her. “In England?” he asked as though he was offended. “Why would you wanna go that far?”

“It’s not about the distance,” she grimaced, finally meeting his hurt eyes. “It’s about what that school means. That’s where my dad went to school. That’s the place my parents met. That was the school that started my entire life, Stiles.”

“So, why didn’t you tell me about it? If it was so damn important, why did you never mention it?” Stiles seethed, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “You wanna start a new life, is that it? Follow in your parents’ footsteps and meet the love of your life there? Great, (Y/N). And you made sure you did it in a way you couldn’t back out.”

“Stiles, that’s not…”

“So, what? Were you gonna wait until graduation to tell me that you were moving halfway across the world to get away from us? From me?” the boy cried. “Or were you simply going to disappear and start a new life without telling anyone? But I guess that’s your thing now, huh? Keeping big shit like this until you can’t anymore.”

“That’s not fair, Stiles,” she frowned, hugging her arms tightly across her torso. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up, so I didn’t say anything. That doesn’t mean that I would have never told you about it. I’m not looking to escape. I’m looking to start my future.”

“And it looks like you were starting it without me then,” he croaked. “What does that mean for us, (Y/N)? We ride it out until graduation, and then you leave for the rest of your life?”

“I don’t… you wanna b-break up?”

“It’s inevitable now, isn’t it?” Stiles said in a tone that broke her more than the words he was speaking. “You’re gonna be in England, and I’m gonna be god knows where. It’s better just to do it now.”

That night was nothing like she had imagined it would be. She had hoped Stiles would have been excited for her and promised her everything would be alright. That somehow he would have the answers to how they could withstand so much distance because they had to make it. Out of everyone in their friend group, those two had to make it.

Instead, it had taken a turn for the worse. One second, Stiles was standing before her with a smile on his face, and the next, he was leaving through her window with tears streaming down his face. What she had most been dreading was that scenario to play out, and a week before their friend’s holiday party, it had. They had gone through life-threatening and mind-boggling situations, but it was a college acceptance letter that broke them apart.

The coming days (Y/N) spent buried in bed. Although she should have been celebrating one of her biggest achievements –other than saving lives and defeating many, many creatures– she had wasted more tears during that time than she had done the past years of her life. She was distraught and defeated, and she had no idea how she would make it through the last semester of high school, much less how she would have made it through a Christmas party.

Somehow, they had arrived at Scott’s house at the same time, even after she had made sure she left twenty minutes after Stiles. The universe liked to play its mean tricks, but that one was almost unforgivable.

“Let’s just try to stay out of each other’s way,” he grimaced. “The less we are near each other, the harder it’ll be for them to find out.”

“Harder to find out what?” Scott asked as he swung the front door open, his signature goofy grin stretched across his mouth. Instinctively, Stiles draped his arm around (Y/N)’s shoulders and smiled brightly. “Ooh, did you bring your brownies, (Y/N)?”

“Yeah,” she smiled. “Still warm from the oven.”

“Wouldn’t be a party without them,” Stiles commented. “Now, let us in. It’s kinda cold out tonight.”

The second they were inside, Stiles broke for the living room while (Y/N) moved to the kitchen with Scott. She set the tray on the overfilled kitchen island, noticing to the side that the dinner table was perfectly set up. “Oh, the table looks nice,” she commented. “But I thought we’d be doing something more low-key.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled awkwardly. “Lydia thought it’d be fun to do a more grown-up dinner party.”

“Yeah. Place settings and everything.”

“We were waiting for you guys to start eating,” he said. “We’re doing gifts after.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Slowly, the rest of the group trickled into the kitchen, greeting and hugging (Y/N) as they looked over all the food and served themselves their plates. And, of course, her seat was right next to Stiles’. Even if she had wanted to sit anywhere else, the rest had already taken their assigned seats, and the only open spot was the one that had her name.

She gave her ex-boyfriend a small smile, looking anywhere but into the brown of his eyes. Her heart beat against her chest, threatening to jump out of her body. It made her fidgety as everyone ate, thinking any of the wereanimals around her would be able to tell how she was feeling.

But Scott was laughing with Stiles, Malia was talking to Lydia, and Hayden, Liam, and Mason had their own conversation running. (Y/N) was all by herself. She was surrounded by all the people she loved, but it was the loneliest she had felt in a long time. Without the usual comforting words from Stiles, she couldn’t help but feel so out of place. It was the happiest time of the year, but the girl was miserable, and it hurt that it didn’t seem like the boy she loved was sad as well.

“Alright,” Lydia spoke up as everyone ignored their mostly empty plates. “Now that our bellies are full, I think it’s time for Secret Santa! And I truly hope you all kept it a secret this time.”

“Not that it’d matter anyway,” Liam chuckled. “We all know we ask for help every time.”

“Anyways,” she said, ignoring the soft laughter that erupted from the group. “Let’s go to the living room, and (Y/N) you’ll go first.”

“Oh, uh, sure,” she smiled as she followed the group into the living room. She crouched under the decorated Christmas tree, pulling out the gift that had been there for almost two weeks. “I got Lydia.”

“How wonderful!” the redhead mused, quick to hug her friend and rip away the wrapping paper. Inside the gift box was a mosaic picture of Lydia, Allison, and (Y/N), the first time they had finally considered each other friends. “Oh, it’s beautiful! I wish I could take it with me everywhere.”

“It was hard to get it just right, but I loved how it turned out.”

“It’s perfect, (Y/N),” she beamed. “Thank you.”

“Of course. I love you, Lids.”

“Love you too,” the girl said as she wrapped her friend in a tighter hug. “My turn!”

Lydia had gifted Liam nine books out of his TBR list —nine because of his lacrosse number. Then, Liam gifted Scott a new leather jacket so he could “actually look cool when riding his motorcycle,” Liam snickered. Scott then gifted Malia a light blue hoodie to add to her ever-growing collection, while Malia gifted Hayden a journal and pen set, saying it was for when her mind felt too busy. After a warm smile and a hug, she announced her gift was for Mason, laughing as he pulled out an ugly cat sweater. Once the loud laughter subsided, Mason gifted Stiles a massage mat for his Jeep.

“For when you’re taking really long drives,” the boy smiled, clearly proud of himself. “There’s quite some distance between here and D.C. It’ll come in handy.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled as he hugged Mason. “Thanks, man. It’s great.”

“Don’t mention it.”

As Mason sat back down, Stiles cleared his throat as he pulled the last gift. Everyone knew by then who it was for. There was no one else left. “Well, I guess you all know who this is for,” he said. “I hope you like it, (Y/N).”

The girl received the bag with a soft smile, trying her best to swallow the tears that were threatening to spill. She had forgotten for a second how cruel the universe could be. She pulled out the white tissue paper first before finding a beautiful brown bear dressed in a blue knit sweater. Around its neck, there was a necklace with something she could only assume was a soundwave. With curiosity washing over her, she looked to Stiles for an explanation.

“Uh, so, it’ll make a lot more sense if you press the bear’s hand,” he stammered. Once she died as told, the sound broke her. From deep in the belly of the teddy bear, her father’s voice rang out, singing the words of “You Are My Sunshine.” There was not a single night when she was little that her father didn’t sing that to her, and even as she grew old for the lullaby, he would call her sunshine. “I got a recording from your mom of your dad singing the song when you were a baby,” Stiles spoke over the music. “And the necklace is the image of the soundwave of your dad calling you sunshine.”

Tears had long since fallen down her cheeks, clutching the bear in her arms as though it was her own father. With her eyes closed, it was almost as though he was right there, singing to her. But it was what came after the song that shattered her. “You’re gonna do great things, (Y/N),” her father said through the bear. “I love you forever, my little sunshine.”

At that moment, all she wanted to do was hug Stiles and kiss him like she had done a million times before. That was the boy she had fallen in love with. The one that cared and listened. The one that had made her heart race and her stomach turn into butterflies. She wanted to tell him she loved him and never let him go, but she couldn’t. Just like she could never do with her father.

“I, uh,” she said as she stood from the couch, feeling as though she would faint in the crowded room. “I need some air.”

(Y/N) stammered her way out of the living room and through the front door, only allowing herself to break down when she was at the end of the driveway. She fell to her knees and hugged the bear to her chest as she cried, letting the hurt that had accumulated over the years spill onto the pavement. In less than six months, she was going to walk into a new life halfway across the globe without the support of her father and now, without the support of Stiles. All alone.

She should have been celebrating. She knew that. She should have been crying tears of joy and jumping into her love’s arms. Instead, it was the bear’s arms that she could feel. The softness of its fur, the sound of her father’s voice.

Without even realizing it, she had begun singing along to the lullaby, sniffling between words as the tears didn’t relent. “You’re gonna do great things, (Y/N),” her father said once more through the bear. “I love you forever, my little sunshine.”

“I love you too, dad,” she cried.

“Hey,” his voice startled her. Through teary eyes, she looked up to find Stiles draping a jacket over her shoulders. He slid to the ground next to her, facing the house before them as she was now. “I’m sorry. I bought the gift weeks ago, and I wasn’t sure if I was still allowed to give it to you.”

“No, it was… i-it was perfect,” she stammered, running her hand over the bear’s fur. “It’s just everything rushed over me. Like the breakup, the fact that I won’t be here next year, the fact that my dad won’t even see me gradua…”

Another string of sobs ransacked (Y/N)’s body, but that time it wasn’t the bear she was hugging. Stiles had wrapped his arms around her, pressing her into his chest. She could smell his cologne and feel his warmth, a feeling she had missed for the past seven days. All she wanted was to melt into his touch and profess to him all that she felt. But she couldn’t. Not anymore. Because he didn’t want it.

“I didn’t want things to be this way,” she cried into his chest. “I didn’t want everything to fall apart.”

Stiles remained quiet as she cried, a hard feat for someone like him. But he let her cry and cry until only quiet sniffles filled the air. Because he hadn’t wanted things to be that way either.

He knew he had overreacted. When he had told (Y/N) his plans of enrolling in George Washington University all the way across the county, she had told him they could make it work. Especially if she got into any of the ivy leagues she had applied to on the East Coast. It had been fine. Hell, it had been perfect.

But when she told him that she wouldn’t just be a couple of states away but that she would be on another continent, he couldn’t help but let his abandonment issues take control.

He knew she was brilliant. He knew she deserved to do and be all that she had dreamed. But he feared that once she achieved all of her goals, he would just not fit into her life anymore.

“You’re gonna go on to do great things, (Y/N),” he sighed sadly as her tears stopped. “You’re gonna go to Oxford, just like your parents, and you’re gonna probably graduate at the top of your class on your way. And I’ll be here —well, in Washington, technically—cheering you on.”

“But why couldn’t we be great together, Stiles? We couldn’t we both go on to do great things, together?”

“Come on, (Y/N). Once you’re there, you’re gonna meet so many people, and you’ll have guys falling on their knees for you,” he chuckled dryly. “I won’t fit into your new world. I mean, you said it yourself: that’s where your parents met and your life began. And now, maybe you’ll have a new beginning. And years from today, we’ll run into each other, and you’ll tell me about your job and your husband and your kids, and I’ll be so happy for you. Because you serve all the love and happiness in the world, even if it’s without me.”

“Have you even asked yourself if that’s what I want?” (Y/N) asked as she left his warm embrace, her red eyes boring into his. “I’m not leaving because I’m searching for a new life. I want to go to Oxford because it’s one of the last things I can share with my dad. I can walk down the same halls he did, I can take classes in the same classrooms, and eat at the same places he did. But I was always going to come back, Stiles. Because my friends are here, my mom is here, because you are here. I don’t want to run into you and talk about another man or the kids I would have with him. I don’t want to run into you at all. I want to walk beside you, Stiles. If I ever have kids, it’s only if they’re a part of you too,” she cried, fresh tears falling down her already-stained cheeks. “If you don’t love me anymore, then fine. I can understand that, and I can walk away. But don’t you dare say that you wouldn’t fit into my life because you’ve been there longer than anyone I know, and I need you to be there until the end. Because I already lost someone important to me and I can’t lose you too. Not you.”

“(Y/N), I don’t want to lose you either,” he sobbed. “But how can we fight with the distance? How could we ever withstand the fact that we’ll be an ocean away?”

“We have gone through worse battles than a plane ride, Stiles. We have been on the brink of death more times this past year than any person would in their lifetime. Do you really think being in a different time zone is the limit to our relationship? I know the future isn’t promised but you were the one person I always knew would be there.”

“I’m scared, okay?! I’m scared that you’ll meet someone better than me, (Y/N). I’m terrified that you’ll realize that maybe I’m not the guy that can give you your happy ever after,” he finally confessed. His voice croaked, and his chest heaved as the words fell out of his mouth faster than he could ever stop them. “This week has been torture without you. But it’s made me realize that Beacon Hills has always been too small for you. After May, you’re gonna go out there and find your place. And this town will be nothing but a memory you’ll come back to.”

“There is no one better for me than you, Stiles, and Beacon Hills will always be my home,” she replied softly. Her cold hand found his cheek, and she wiped away his tears with her thumb. “I don’t want to know a life where you’re not there. You can’t give up on us without even trying, Stiles. You just can’t.”

Without thinking twice, (Y/N) crashed her lips onto his, sinking into the warmth of his mouth. After a week, kissing him felt like the very first time. It was desperate and filled with need —the need for closeness and passion, the need for love. Instinctively, Stiles’ hands found her waist and pulled her closer to him, wondering how he ever thought he could live without her touch.

“I love you, Stiles, and I don’t even want to think about ever having to love someone else,” she whispered as she parted from him. “My heart belongs to you. And if this is the end, it’ll still remain in your hands.”

“I couldn’t love anyone else like I love you, (Y/N),” he replied with a soft smile. “But I just can’t help the thoughts that flood my brain sometimes.”

“Then don’t listen to them and listen to me when I say that since the moment I met you, I’ve known you were it for me. There is no other man waiting for me in Oxford. It’s you, and it will always be you,” (Y/N) said before kissing him softly once more. “You’re the best thing that has happened to me, Stiles Stilinski, and you’re the only thing that I want to keep happening to me.”

“I can’t believe I ever broke up with you. Especially during Christmas,” Stiles chuckled as he rested his forehead against hers, flicking the tip of her nose with his own. “It was honestly the worst week of my life.”

“Including being possessed?” Scott’s voice startled them as he came into view. “Although, I get it because this was completely avoidable.”

(Y/N) chuckled as she took Scott’s extended hand and got on her feet, wiping away any tears that still remained. “Did you hear that whole thing?”

“More or less,” he chuckled. “It’s a bit hard not to when I was coming to see if you guys were okay.”

“We’re good now, Scotty,” Stiles grinned. “Just had some unresolved feelings to work, though.”

“Can you not mention the whole thing about the breakup? I don’t wanna make it a whole thing.”

“That’s a bit hard, (Y/N),” Malia called from the open front door. “We all kind of already know.”

“Oh, cool, great,” she said as she hid in Stile’s embrace. “That’s not embarrassing at all.”

“Eh, at least our parents are back together,” Liam commented. “Best Christmas present.”

“It really is, huh?” Stiles whispered as he kissed the top of her head.

“Yes. Very cute and adorable,” Lydia added in a desperate tone. “Now, can we go back inside before Hayden and Mason finish all the brownies?”

As the group walked back into the house, Stiles and (Y/N) shared one more moment together on the front porch. “Hey, look up,” Stiles said with a smile. “Mistletoe.”

“Funny that they’d hang that at a werewolf's home,” she chuckled. “Although, I’m pretty sure that one’s plastic.”

“And I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to kiss me.”

“Maybe I’m waiting for another guy to kiss under the plant.” Stiles frowned at her words, and all she could do was laugh. “Too soon?”

“Much,” he said. “Now, come here.”

He snaked his hands on either side of her face and kissed her passionately. He kissed her for every day they had spent apart. He kissed her for every hurtful word he had spewed. He kissed her as a promise of his love for her. Stiles kissed her like she was his future.

Next ->

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nelkcats · 1 year

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Found Family

John Constantine fucked it up, Clockwork is happy with the result.

It's no secret that John Constantine sells his soul a lot, and that he's made dubious deals, it's his specialty after all. So it was no surprise when he offered his first born child to multiple entities as part of various deals, in his opinion there was no risk, it was impossible for a baby to be born because of him.

So when Clockwork witnessed a drunken Constantine offer up a newborn as payment for breaking the rules of time travel he just shrugged, he knew the British wouldn't even remember that specific deal and his job was to find the better timelines, the Flash Family sure is going to be his future headache.

Clockwork was pretty sure a child wouldn't be born anyways, the chances were too small; For once, Clockwork was wrong, he didn't know how to feel when little Daniel was born to one of Constantine's many exes, the woman seemed honestly devastated, she wanted to give the child a good life but didn't know how.

It seemed that she was about to call John, her hands trembling as she tried to remember the number, but before she could break the news the baby disappeared from her arms, vanished as multiple laughs were heard in the hospital room. The woman immediately understood and started cursing the bastard of her ex for being so stupid as multiple contracts with the idiot signature materialized in her hands.

Clockwork began to consider his options as he stood in the center of a room with all the contractors, he could fight for the baby, he was an Ancient, but what was the point? He looked at the baby, waiting for a signal to tell him what to do; the baby stopped crying and looked at his multiple watches, laughing with joy.

And then he saw it, the possibilities that before were almost zero began to show themselves, the multiple futures of the boy: celebrations, tears, laught, the painful part? Clockwork was in all of them.

Even when he didn't directly raise him he was always there, he could see that the boy loved him and he loved him back. Time made a mistake and fall in love with the concept: permanence, family, home, that baby was everything so he made his decision.

Without much trouble he fought against all the entities, many could call him a cheater but he didn't care, time was his domain.

With Daniel in his arms he carried him to his haunt, avoiding the gaze of the observants, the baby laughed as his core purred "Welcome home, Danny" he whispered watching as the blue eyes fixed on him.

It didn't take a couple of days for Clockwork to decide to break his contract, he couldn't care less about Constantine and he hated the idea that Daniel belonged to him like an object of some kind, however he couldn't destroy the damn thing until he was sure that all the other contracts were burned (and he made sure of it)

At the end of the week his baby officially belonged to him, Constantine was really an idiot for giving the precious boy in his arms to the worst people. Frostbite and Pandora approved but they were worried.

"He is a human child Clockwork, you know we don't doubt you, but he can't grow up in the realms, you can't run away from the observants and steal human food forever" Frostbite told him.

"He is officially yours, but you need to let him go until the right time" Pandora said, she knew she might be sounding harsh, but she needed to make him understand.

Clockwork was very aware, every time he pointed out a star to Danny from his screens, every time he wrapped his cape around him, every time he kissed his forehead, he knew he had to let the baby go, that the Fentons had lost a baby and would be willing to take care of him.

Hell, he knew he could take care of the child and infiltrate the damn house but how long would it be until he could hold his baby again? hug him? it was undoubtedly painful to know the future but to live in the present, having to do the things that hurt most.

So he did, leaving Daniel (Danny, he'd like to be called Danny in the future) with his star blanket wrapped around him, he kissed the boy's forehead, and placed a bright green note in his basket "His name is Daniel, take good care of him please, and take him to the moon since i couldn't do it -C.W", with one last look he sighed as he returned to the Zone

"Everything is as it should be" he said, watching Daniel with his time screens.

He didn't leave it like that, the Fentons were honestly very distracted, pretty bad parents if he was being honest but for some reason he knew Danny would love them.

So he took it upon himself to fill in the missing details: an anonymous birthday present, a hot meal, a recipe book, glowing stars, little aids that only the children noticed. Jasmine was quite grateful to him for that.

What if there were nights where Danny fell asleep with a voice singing to him? Or if the sound of the clocks calmed him down? It was his business at the end of the day.

The years passed, inevitable things happened that the master of time himself refrained from preventing (His baby had to die, fate was very cruel to return the boy to him in that way).

Clockwork congratulated himself for not speaking to the boy until he overheard the Observants talking about killing his son and panicked, eventually introducing himself and trying to stay calm while helping with "The Dark Dan Incident"

It was a tough trip, filled with many cardiac attacks and the desire to choke ghosts (but he had to remember that Danny needed those experiences, it was for the best), there were also threats towards Frostbite when he saw the rural paintings, at least both the Yeti and the Goddess kept quiet about the adoption.

He really didn't want to scare Danny by saying "Hey, your biological dad sold you to me and I owned your soul until I decided to adopt you but couldn't talk to you until now, surprise"

So he maintained his cryptic attitude towards the boy until much later (he also enjoyed being cryptic), when he nearly fainted upon realizing that Danny's core had adopted him as a mentor and father. The guy himself was embarrassed to admit it confessing asking Frostbite about it.

To explain it better he advised Danny to ask his parents about his adoption, the boy seemed confused but agreed. Clockwork wasn't surprised when the boy appeared in the tower a few hours later, teary-eyed and a familiar green note in hand.

You see, contrary to popular belief Danny was aware that he was adopted, his parents didn't try to hide it, quite proud of that fact, but whenever he asked about his biological parents they shrugged without knowing what to say.

Clockwork's request was strange so he decided to ask one more time, his parents told him again about the night they found him, when they took out a green note claiming it came with his basket; he took it in hand, the color, the letters and the writer of the note were obvious, but his parents affirmed they had no idea who C.W was.

With a thank you and a farewell he returned to the realms, the note trembling in his hand as he asked for answers. And he received them, Clocky looked heartbroken by his distrust, but he explained everything that happened from his birth to the present.

Suddenly everything made sense to Danny: the watches, the food, the gifts his parents claimed they hadn't bought, the singing; Clockwork had taken care of him the best he could, but he couldn't do much trapped under the observants control, he frowned at the last part but ended up hugging his father.

Ironically, that was also the day Danny decided to hate his biological father, John Constantine was a bastard who would only give him paperwork, and he had sold him! To multiple entities! If it wasn't for Clocky he'd be even more dead!

When Danny finally turned 18 and was officially declared Ghost King, his life became a thousand times easier and a thousand times more difficult.

On one hand he had managed to remove the observants who now worked for Walker, and he had managed to free Clocky, on the other hand, he had a thousand responsibilities fallen on his shoulders and he felt tired just thinking about it.

Declaring Clockwork his adviser was a good idea, although he always ended up pouting when he asked him if he wouldn't wish to be king in his place, Clocky was the king's father, shouldn't he be king instead? The master of time just laughed and shook his head, telling him to go back to his paperwork.

The days locked in his office with the thousands of papers in the name of John Constantine only increased his resentment towards his biological father, months in which he had to request a time out just to review a specific section.

————————

It was a normal day after a routine visit from Jazz and Dani when Danny was summoned, his pleasant evening with Clocky (and yes, he could call him dad many times but the nickname just stuck) was interrupted when he felt the summon, he gave a sigh of suffering asking his father if he would come along, he just shrugged as Danny disappeared.

On the other hand, the Justice League was tense, someone had warned about the release of Kronos in the world and Diana couldn't be more worried, they contacted Justice League Dark and they confirmed the presence of multiple gods of time being released.

It was Constantine who offered the solution to summon the Ghost king, if many of those entities were "dead" he should have control over them; And since it was rumored that he was a new king, they might have a chance to strike a deal.

The problem was that the result of the summon was a boy with Lazarus green eyes who stepped out of the circle, directing his hateful eyes towards Constantine, Danny would recognize the bastard anywhere, he had asked his dad to show him.

At first Batman assumed that the color of his eyes meant that the boy was induced by the same anger as Jason, this seemed to be reaffirmed when he spoke trying to remain calm "Why did you summon me, father?" was the boy's cold question.

Constantine seemed to be going through eight stages of duel in seconds as the League came to a standstill, Zatanna shot an incredulous look at her partner as a crown of ice and a white ring materialized on the boy, who crossed his arms.

The objects at least affirmed that this was the king they were looking for. Danny sighed and managed to calm down, this really was an unpleasant revelation, out of pettiness he cast his icy gaze at Constantine, freezing his feet to the ground.

It was then that Wonder Woman stepped forward, Batman was evaluating the entity next to her, even though he was calm his eyes remained the same, he had to reconsider his initial observations "Your Highness, we are here for a request"

"And what would that request be?" Danny questioned with boredom, once he had decided to ignore the Constantine in the room he simply put his mind in treat this as a business meeting.

"We have heard rumors about the release of Kronos along with multiple time entities, we fear that he is planning something against you or us" spoke the princess "We wanted you to confirm those suspicions and if they are true, help us stop them"

Danny frowned "His release doesn't concern you, even less if it's in my domain" he spoke seriously, he remembered that Clocky had told him that his lack of "management" by the observants could be read badly for the other realms, he knew that could include being confused for different entities, his father had many names at the end of the day.

"Your Highness, excuse the rudeness but I don't think you understand the seriousness of the matter" Diana said annoyed by the lack of reaction.

Danny just sneered "I think I totally get it, your sources are wrong, if they are free or not, they are not planning anything"

"I don't think it's your place to make such statements." Superman frowned.

"Oh really? I think it's my place to know if my dad is planning something" he let that revelation stay in the minds of the heroes, he wondered how many times they would be surprised in a day

"Sorry, I thought Constantine was your father?" Flash asked, sounding concerned.

"Constantine is my biological father, yes, however Kronos or whatever you call him is my adoptive father, he taked care of me since I was a baby" the halfa rolled his eyes.

"That's not possible, Kronos has been dead for a long time" Zatanna was worried by that new information.

"You have a God on your team and you wonder if it's possible to totally kill them? Because most of the time the answer is no" Danny shrugged.

"But he was trapped" Diana was sure of that.

"Yes, he was" Danny spoke, resentment ringing in his voice "I released him"

"Are you out of your mind!?" Green Lantern yelled, forgetting he was in front of a King "He obviously planned that, he probably plans to conquer the world!"

"Have you considered that he might be manipulating you?" questioned Batman with a soft voice.

"He's not manipulating me and he couldn't care less about the world, if he really wanted it he'd have it in seconds" Danny bristled at the calming victim tone and the sad eyes around him, honestly they were stupid, If Clocky wanted to rule the world, he would let it be instead of looking for a better future for everyone.

"Okay, everyone calm down, it's obvious that if he've been with him since he was a baby his influence has reached far, we should try to separate them and connect him with his biological father, everything will be fine son" Superman nodded.

"My son isn't going with some idiot wizard with no appreciation for his own soul" the topic of conversation in question appeared next to Danny, at the most dramatic moment possible.

Danny was about to yell at the heroes to stop treating him like a victim or a child when his dad put a hand on his shoulders, clearly trying to calm him down. He sighed and lunged at Clocky, hiding inside his cloak.

"Kronos what are you planning?" Diana spoke resentfully "manipulating a child is going too far"

"I was planning on enjoying tea at our house before some idiots decided to play being God" Clockwork rolled his eyes "And as much as it pains me to say it: Danny stopped being a child a long time ago, in case you forgot it he's a king, the king of all the dead and a god of his own"

"Is this your plan? become the King of the dead? Because you're not going to get away with it" Diana asked, suspicious.

"Do you have selective hearing? Cause I would love for dad to be king in my place but he really doesn't want to" Danny snorted "And since you're not going to treat this meeting seriously we're leaving, as much as I love the space this is really ruining it for me"

"You can not go away! You have to let us help you" Flash yelled worried.

"No, you don't have the right to decide that, so I'm going to go back home, drink my tea and make cookies with dad while you guys figure out how to thaw that bastard over there" Danny finally pointed at Constantine shivering in the cold as he looked at him in shock, Clockwork laughed at his side.

"I'd say it was nice to meet you, but it wasn't, don't expect much help from the dead, we're really not in the mood; go over tips on treating royals properly next time" Clockwork said a last goodbye and left.

Both the King and the God of time disappeared with the circle, along with the materials to perform the ritual; it seemed like they really didn't want to be contacted again

"That really didn't turn out as we expected" Billy muttered, he hadn't wanted to talk during the meeting because he didn't consider that either of the two beings was lying. They looked like father and son, just tired and fed up.

"We will have to evaluate this new threat, it is impossible that his words were completely true, Constantine, find out why that boy hates you so much" Batman ordered.

"I sold him" The hellbazer whispered.

"Sorry, what?" Zatanna stopped what she was doing.

"He hate me because I sold him" John passed his hands over his eyes "I didn't even consider this possible, I'm not supposed to have fucking kids, now it makes so much sense why she's avoiding me"

"She?" Superman asked

"Yeah, one of my exes tried to kill me, she keep yelling about me being an idiot and underestimating the consequences of my acts, I thought it was something normal, you know? I should have known better" He shrugged, the ice had melted but the cold stayed in his bones.

Batman took a deep breath, trying to calm down and not kill the man on the spot. "Who did you sell him to?"

"Many entities" Constantine bit his lip, embarrassed "could have sold him to Kronos for everything we know"

"You are a complete asshole and I understand why the boy does not want to see you" Zatanna spoke completely tired.

"So Kronos can own him for all we know? that's just awful" Diana was disgusted.

"It wasn't supposed to happen, evading contract liability is my specialty not dealing with the consequences" Constantine was stressed.

"This got much more complicated, we'll see how to break your son's contract and separate him from Kronos, maybe you can fix things after that" The dark knight spoke, he hated magic.

Billy refrained from mentioning that Kronos and the King didn't seem to be under a contract, or whatever his teammates were thinking, they looked like family, which for an orphan is pretty obvious.

But he knew that his companions wouldn't take his remarks seriously, so he just sighed in resignation. Maybe the League will remember that those two were from another dimension and royalty that they shouldn't anger, he really hopes they will remember soon.

For their part, Clockwork and Danny returned to their Tower now located next to the palace, deciding to prepare cookies for the visit of Sam & Tucker, one of the time screens was next to them, showing the League discussing the supposed problem.

Danny was quite annoyed that they were deciding things for him and calling his father bad but Clockwork brushed it off, they wouldn't get very far with the palace guards if they even managed to find a portal to the Realms, or even get to the palace itself.

"It's fine Daniel, everything is as it should be"