#and on saturday after i'm awake and feeling good my parents will come pick me up in seattle and bring me home

[twice-inamillion]

Mina’s Birthday Gift

Smut, Fluff (Date, Deep penetration, creampie, lactating)

Chapter 177

Date with Mina and a round of sex

*" Smack… smack…" is what Mina feels on her face. She slowly opens her eyes to see Ari's small hands smacking her in the face.

"Ari, are you wide awake already?" as is sitting down on the bed with a large smile. "Are you having a good morning?"

Ari leans on Mina's tummy and then crawls to the end of the bed. "Wait… don't get close to the bed; you're going to fall off." Mina gets up and tries to catch Ari before she has an accident.

Immediately Mina hears a soft cry coming from the other side of the bed. "Aww, Hina, I'm sorry we're being too loud." Hina, not feeling her mother's warmth, was up to see her mother not next to her. She gets up and sees her mother on the other side of the bed with Ari, believing that her mom is going to leave her behind. Hina stretches her arms, trying to reach for her mom, and is in tears.

"My poor baby, I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere," picking Hina up. Mina rocks her gently, calming her down. Hina then rubs her face on Mina's chest, "are you hungry?"

Unbuttoning her blouse, Hina rubs her nose on Mina's chest before attaching herself to the light brown nipple in front of her. "There, there, you're alright," as Hina begins to suckle.

"Mina! Kids! Breakfast is ready!" as Mina hears her mom's shout from the other side of the door.

"How did you sleep last night?"

"I slept well. I enjoy sleeping in my old room but do find it a bit funny."

"Why is that?"

"Well, it's my old room when I was a kid and now I'm using it again but I have my kids."

"Haha, that's true. How can a kid that still likes watching amine and playing video games have her own kids."

"Mom… I only watch anime on Saturdays, I'm not a kid anymore" frowns Mina.

"Oh really? So why is the tv on right now? What were you going to watch?"

Mina is silent because her mother is right she's still like a child that is raising small versions of herself. She changes the subject by giving attention to the twins who are sitting in their high chairs. Both Ari and Hina try to eat the baby food that is in front of them as they watch the anime that their mother puts on.

"Mina, you should get ready for your birthday date. He should be picking you up soon."

"You're right. I need to make sure I look pretty for him. It's been a while since I've gone out with him, and want to leave a good impression. I could pack some extra clothes, just in case.

"What did you say?"

"Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself."

———

*" Ding dong."

You ring the doorbell to Mina's house, waiting to see her and your twins after being separated for a few days. It's Mina's birthday, and both of you have made plans to go out and spend time alone.

"Coming!"

You hear Mina's voice coming from the other side of the door. She opens the door and says, "good morning Oppa."

"Good morning, Mina."

"Come in. The twins are watching some tv." Mina starts to walk back to the living room, but you stop her by holding onto her hand. "Why are you walking all fast? I want to wish you a Happy Birthday. Can't I kiss you?"

"Uhmm… but my parents are here."

"It's just a small kiss."

"Okay."

Mina closes her eyes and nervously waits for her birthday kiss. You want to tease her but don't want to cause any trouble. You pull her in and give her a small kiss on her cheek and on her forehead. "Happy Birthday, baby."

"Thank you, you make me so happy," as she places her head on your chest. "Want to see the twins?" You nod, and she walks towards the living room. "Wow, you look great," giving her a smack on the ass. "Oppa, my parents are home, not here." Giving her a smirk, and asks, "maybe later?" Mina walks back and pulls you in, and whispers, "you might get lucky tonight" she smiles and waddles away.

“Ari, Hina, daddy is here.” Automatically the twins turn around and look for their dad. But he's nowhere to be found; they look around and eventually look back at Mina. "Oh no! Where is daddy? Where did he go?" Ari smacks her hand on her high chair table.

You approach the living room, trying to avoid Ari and Hina's sight. As they look around, you wait for the perfect moment to surprise them. You slowly get behind them and say, "good morning, daddy is here." You watch as they both turn around, and Ari giggles. With their baby talk, they raise their arms, wanting to be held.

You pick up both Ari and Hina and have them in each arm. Having not seen you for a few days, they place their head on your chest. Mina's mom walks next to you, "they must have missed you a lot."

"Yes, I've missed them too. Hopefully, they had a good time with their grandparents."

"Yes, they are enjoying us pampering them. They are our little princesses."

"Is true?" The twins agree as they show their gummy smiles.

"By the way. Are you both ready for your date? Make sure to leave now before it gets busy."

"Yes, we'll be leaving soon. Just need to grab some last-minute things."

———-

You both arrive at Universal Studios Japanese in the city of Osaka. It's your first time here, but it's Mina's favorite place to go growing up.

You see, as she is excited to go inside after not visiting for so long. "Come on Oppa, let's go."

Mina pulls you towards the entrance, scanning your tickets. "Okay, I want to get some things from the shop before we get on any rides, okay?"

"It's your day; you lead the way." Mina begins to waddle towards the shop and looks through the self. "Okay, I have everything I wanted to get right now. We can come back before we leave, right?"

"Of course, anything for the birthday girl," Mina smiles. She then pulls out her phone and shows you a list of attractions she wants to visit.

The first attraction is the new Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon attraction. Mina begins to skip as she makes her way to the attraction. "I'm excited, I've been reading about it, and I heard that it's really good." You can see how much she looks at this even if she's wearing a mask. "This is why I got the sailor moon merch now; I wanted to get on the ride with it. Don't you think I look pretty?" as she holds her wand and purse in hand.

"Yes, you look like a cute little princess." Hearing this makes Mina embarrassed. As you enter the ride, Mina holds your hand the whole time.

After every ride, you both walk alongside each other with Mina's head on your shoulder. "Come on, let's go to the Godzilla vs. Evangelion attraction. It's over there," as she begins to see it. After finishing the ride, you take a small break to catch your breath.

"You have a lot of energy, Mina." Mina laughs, "I'm having fun. It's not every day that you can visit an amusement park that has your childhood shows as attractions."

"Are you ready for the last one?"

"Which one is it?"

"It's the Attack on Titan one and the last one. Saved the best for last." She stands up and waddles to the store. "Let's get matching capes!" Mina hands you a cape, and you place it on. "Want me to help you put it on?" "Yes, let's take a couple's picture together."

Mina pulls out her phone and takes a selfie of you together. "Come closer, I want to get both of us together." *click click She takes a series of photos and chooses a couple to add a filter on it. "Look, don't we look cute together?"

"I liked the attraction. Let's come back again and maybe bring some of the members." You nod in approval, "what do you want to do next?" Mina pauses for a moment and thinks about what she wants to do. "Well… I'm hungry. I want something nice to eat."

"You read my mind. I actually have a reservation for a nice restaurant in an hour and a half. Maybe we can head out now and have a little walk before getting there." With a smile, Mina says, "sounds good."

After leaving the theme park, you and Mina make your way back to the city. You both walk down the street before getting to the restaurant. "How did you know I wanted to come here?" You think back to when you asked Momo and Sana for some advice and how Mina had wanted to come to Chayamachi. They helped you make a reservation for Mina's birthday. "I asked some friends."

When you both arrive at the restaurant, you're welcomed and escorted to your private booth. "This is really nice. Thank you for bringing me here."

You and Mina have a full-course meal consisting of both seafood and meats. You watch as Mina enjoys every bite. Seeing her happy makes your day. The dinner ends with a nice slice of chocolate cake. You place two small candle sticks and light them up. "Happy Birthday, Mina."

"Thank you."

You pay for the dinner and start to walk back to the entrance. "Do you want to walk for a bit or want me to take you straight home?" Mina pulls the corner of your jacket, "I want to stay the night."

Mina isn't the type of person to be proactive in these sorts of situations. "Are you sure?" Mina nods, "I told my mom that I was going to stay with you to watch the girls. I want you to make love to me." She immediately hides her embarrassment by using her hands. "I can't believe I said that. It's so embarrassing."

You try to reassure her, "it's okay; I want the same thing. I just wasn't sure if you were ready." Looking into each other's eyes, you confirm that she wants this. You take her hand and head back to your hotel.

Scanning your hotel key, you open the door for Mina, "wow, the room is really nice." She walks towards the other side of the room and stares, "you have an amazing view. You can see the whole city from up here." Wanting to enjoy the moment, you wrap your arms around Mina's waist, holding her tight. "The view is nice, but it's better with you here" you proceed to kiss the side of her neck.

The sudden feel of your kissing on Mina's neck is unexpected, causing her to shiver and get goosebumps. As you continue to kiss her, she slowly releases a soft moan. You move your left hand to her breast and your right hand down her underwear. As you move slowly down, you feel a little bush. Your fingers hover over them and make their way toward her private place. You can feel the anticipation coming from Mina as her body begins to move as you get closer to her entrance. With the use of your two fingers, you trace her lips and slowly insert the tip. She moans as you touch her sacred place.

You whisper in her ear, "you're wet. Moan for me, Mina, moan. I want to see you enjoy yourself." Mina, who was trying her best to hold in her moaning, finally released her enjoyment. "Ahh… ahh… oppa, don't tease me like this. I want you."

Hearing that has gotten you hard. You undress her, removing every piece of clothing with such care. Not being intimate with Mina for such a long time has gotten you nervous, not wanting her other self to come out. So instead, you want to be as careful as possible not to trigger her. Once she's in just her bra and underwear, you take a step back.

"Wow! You have such as amazing body", making Mina blush. "Don't say that. You're making me embarrassed ." "You don't have to be; you have a perfect body." She lowers he hands and tries to pose by placing her hands on her hips. You can help but think of it as cute. "Oppa, you want me to strip for you?"

This catches you off guard, "I would like that." Mina steps back, in the middle of the city lights as her background, and undoes her bra. They drop to the floor and move on to her matching panties. Once she's bare naked in front of you, "what do you think?"

Words can't describe how she currently looks. With Sharon, it is straightforward, hot, and sweaty sex, but with Mina, it's different. "I have no words. You're beautiful." You walk towards her, feeling her body with a delicate hand. The feeling of her shoulders to her waist, her breast to her abs, and the feeling of her thighs to her ass. "I'm a lucky guy."

"What do you like about my body?"

"Everything."

"But if you had to choose one thing? What would it be?"

You're hesitant to respond. You like every inch of her body, but in your head, you know your answer. "If I have had to choose, it… it would be your ass."

"You like my bottom? Why? with a curious face.

"It's just the way it looks and the way it feels in my hand. I love it."

"You really like it, huh" as she begins to smile.

Seeing her smile is the best reaction, "who wouldn't? Anyone would be jealous to have one like yours. Especially with how soft it feels to touch," as you start to grab her ass cheek.

"Oppa… you're such a dirty boy. But… I like it. You're mine, and if you like my butt, I'm happy."

After giving her a last grab and rub, Mina stands on her tippy toes and kisses you on the cheek. She walks towards the bed and lays on her back, "Oppa, I'm ready for you," she says as she slowly spreads her legs open. Mina gives you a good view which makes you hard; you walk towards her and take off your clothes. Taking off your clothes as you go, you throw them on the nearest chair you can find.

Now you're in front of Mina, and what a fantastic view. Mina's legs are spread open, and you can see her nice trimmed bush and cute little pussy leaking from before. "Wow, I want to eat you whole. I can't wait. I want to see you a bit better," as you spread her legs even more. Getting on one knee at a time, you are right in front of her cunt. You feel the warmth that is released by how close you are.

"Itadakimasu," as you pull her in closer towards your face and take a good mouth full. You hear Mina's moans as you trace her entrance. Her sounds get even louder as you use your tongue to explore the walls. You switch from sucking on her nub to tracing your lips against her lips to eating out her insides. Every time you switch, you hear her struggle to keep her composure until, finally, she breaks. She begins to tremble as you slightly bite her little numb, causing her to release a stream of precious liquid on your face and chest.

After watching her shake violently for a minute, you can't wait any longer, so you pull her in close to the edge of the bed. Aligning your cock to her entrance, you watch as she is still experiencing some after-effects of her first orgasm of the night. "I want you, Mina; I can't wait," as you start to push the tip of your cock inside of her. She grabs both your wrists with her hands on hold of you, tight. She tilts her head to the side as she tries to endure your length and bites onto the bedsheet. "I'm going to go slowly, okay? Let me know if it is too much for you, and I'll stop." Mina nods her head, giving you her approval.

You push your cock slowly, feeling every inch of her insides as it gives you much resistance. "Hmm.. oh my god… you're too big, oppa," as she digs her nails into your skin. "Are you okay? Is it too much? Want me to pull out? You ask. "No! I can take it. Just go slowly. I can take you in whole, just like before. I can do it." You admire her determination but also worry that she might be forcing herself. Instead, you push a bit more and see her biting her lip, causing you to pull out a bit. "Don't," as she wraps her legs around your waist and pulls you closer to her, causing you to impale her in one move. "Ahhh… fuck… it hurts," as tears begin to flow from Mina's eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to," as you try to apologize. "No, it's okay. I pulled you in. I just wanted to get it over with, but I can't believe it would hurt so much." You ask, "you want to stop?" "No, just move slowly. I'll get used to it as you go." You do as you're told and slowly begin to thrust inside of her. You see that with every thrust, she is adjusting to your length as her cries of pain turn to tears of pleasure and joy.

"Kiss me," whispers Mina as she brings you in closer to her face and makes you get on top of her. Both of your lips move against each other, tongues twisting and saliva being mixed as you both drown in lust for each other. You can't tell how much time has passed during your make-out session, but you know that she's enjoying it.

After finally letting go, you notice that her tits are perked up and leaking. "Is your cock throbbing when you saw my breast leak?" she asks. "Umm… yes." "You want to give it a try? with a shy face. You nod your head, and she grabs your right breast and gives it a nice squeeze causing it to release more milk.

"Come on; you can drink as much as you want." No need to wait as you dive in and grab onto her breast, kneading one while sucking on the other. Mina's precious milk flows down your throat as you thrust inside her. You try to make her feel as if she's feeding you. Like before, you lose track of time as you are too concentrated on milking her dry. "Oppa, cum inside me. I want to feel all of you."

Hear that gets breaks your concentration, "you want me to? Are you sure?" Mina nods, "Yes, I'm safe today. You can fill me to your heart's content. My body is yours." "Okay, I'm close," as you switch to her into a Valedictorian position. With her legs up in the air, you can reach much deeper.

You start to increase the pace of your thrusting, making Mina call out your name. "It feels so good. Yes, like that. Cum inside of me, I can feel your cock throbbing; I want to feel full; I'm ready." You pull out your cock, leaving the tip inside and looking directly into Mina's eyes. In that instance, you impale her again, causing her to grunt and her eyes to roll back. "Take my cum, baby," as a wave of cum floods her insides. Mina has another orgasm right after the sudden penetration of her womb.

You stay connected to her as she has her orgasm. You feel her wall's clenched onto your cock with all its might. You see as her tummy swells up a bit from the amount of cum you filled her with. Once she gains her composure, she grabs your head and kisses you again. "That felt so good. I thought I was going to pass out," she laughs.

You pull out your cock and watch as your cum flows out, staining the sheets below. "That was good. I can't wait to do it again sometime."

"What do you mean? We have all night, remember? I can still go again. Don't you forget it's still my birthday, and I want you to fuck me until sunrise?"

"Really?"

"Yes, and if you're lucky, I might let you fuck me from the back.

#twice smut #kpop smut #male reader #twice #twice fluff #kpop fluff #twice mina #mina fluff #mina myoui #mina #myoui mina #mina smut #TM smut

[persephonewritessometimes]

me and the devil / unsub!hotch x reader / chapter four

Summary: Hotch gets called on a case and has no one to watch Jack. Y/N volunteers and finds herself as a babysitter for a few days. [exposition building!]

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x AFAB Reader

Word Count: 8141

Warnings: MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY, ANATOMY TERMINOLOGY, CHILD BIRTH [not too graphic but I will give a warning and a following summary for those who don't want to read it!], MENTIONS OF DEAD PARENT, MENTION OF BEING ABANDONED BY A PARENT one use of fuck, domestic!reader, jack is too cute for his own good

Key: y/n = your name

Author's Note: jesus fuck i'm so sorry i didn't get this out sooner!! finals wrecked my motivation and i hate plot buildingXD hopefully you guys enjoy, i've got some fun things planned for this story coming up!

me and the devil series masterlist

This work is meant for readers aged 18 and over. You are responsible for your own media consumption.

I got the call that my car had been repaired and was ready for me to pick up the morning after I made Hotch spend the night. We coordinated with Morgan to make sure all the cars got back to where they needed to go and I no longer had to rely on Hotch’s decommissioned SUV to get me places. I would lie if I say I don’t miss it though - I felt like a badass secret agent in that car. I ended up having to skip Morgan’s self-defense class on Saturday due to Tia having a boyfriend emergency, well, now an ex-boyfriend emergency, and because of that, I was busy all weekend. I promised Hotch I would go to the next one, knowing he’ll hold me to it.

I haven’t seen Hotch for over a week now, but he texted me and let me know that they had been called on a case halfway across the country so he doesn’t know when he’ll be back. I’m disappointed, but I know Hotch has to work just like everyone else. It’s a dull weekend at the club due to poor weather - I didn’t even want to go because it was so dreary. I go to bed early Sunday night, exhausted from work and school. My phone blares in my ear the next morning - someone’s calling me. What the hell? I’m disoriented, as I furrow through my blankets to find my phone, and when I finally get ahold of it, I see that it’s Hotch. It’s unusual for him to call me this early, and a glance at the clock tells me it’s just before 8:00 AM.

“Hello?” I say into the phone, voice scratchy from sleep.

“Y/N, I’m so sorry to ask you for this, but we just got called on another case and Jess is in California this week and I have no one to watch Jack. I’ll pay you well, I just need someone to watch him for a couple of days. I’m so sorry.” He’s rambling and it’s kind of amusing to hear his stoic facade disappear for a second.

“Hotch, slow down, it’s fine. I don’t mind watching Jack, I like kids.” I say, and I can hear him let out a sigh of relief.

“You just saved my life.”

“Well, if I’m counting right, that’s the second time I’ve saved your life,” I say, smiling.

“You’ve got me there. I’ll text you the address. Oh, and you can bring Cujo, Jack loves animals.” He hangs up the phone and a few seconds later my text tone chimes, and sure enough, he’s already sent me the address. I rub my eyes for a few seconds. I’m usually not awake at this ungodly hour. When I’ve collected myself a little bit and feel more coherent, I get out of bed, Cujo cocking his head as he looks at me, like he’s also confused as to why I’m up this early I laugh a little.

“It’s okay boy, we’re just gonna go stay somewhere else for a few days.” He huffs and puts his head back down. I grab the duffel bag from underneath my bed and throw in a couple of outfits and a pair of scrubs haphazardly. I pack up my toiletries in the bathroom and grab Cujo’s food and travel dishes from the kitchen. Thankfully I didn’t unpack my backpack after studying at the library yesterday, so I don’t have to worry about packing that as well. My clinical bag is also waiting by the door. I call Cujo to the front door and he whines but gets out of bed to join me. I slip him into his travel harness and leash before slinging my backpack over my shoulders and grabbing my overnight bag and clinical bag. I feel kind of stupid trying to lock my door with what feels like my entire apartment packed into my three bags. I slowly make my way down the stairs, mindful of the leash - I can see myself wiping out if I take one wrong move, and that would be embarrassing to have to explain to Hotch.

I get Cujo clipped in in the back seat and put my bags there too. I drive to Hotch’s house as quickly as the speed limit allows. He sounded so panicked over the phone and I know he thinks he’s inconveniencing me, but he’s letting me bring Cujo, so why would I be inconvenienced? I pull into his driveway right next to his SUV and get out of my car and wave hello to him as I go to get my stuff from the backseat. My backpack finds its way back onto my shoulders and I unlatch Cujo from his hook in the backseat and click the leash back on. He hops out of the car, surveying his new surroundings. I’m reaching to grab my duffel bag and clinical bag when a large hand grabs both of them before I can get to them.

“I’ve got them.” He says, chest very close to mine when I turn around and look up at him.

“Thanks,” I say breathlessly. I shut my car door and lock the car, following Hotch into the house.

“Jack’s at school right now, but the bus drops him off at 3:00 PM and picks him up at 7:50 AM. He does have the day off tomorrow, some kind of makeup snow day, and I was hoping to be here so I could spend it with him.” He trails off and I can tell that he’s embarrassed.

“Hotch, it’s okay, I don’t mind.”

“I already called the school so Jack knows you’re here. This isn’t really how I wanted you two to meet, but it’ll have to do.”

“How did you want us to meet?” His cheeks turn pink at my question and he deftly changes the subject.

“You have my number, call me if you need anything. I should be back late Wednesday night. Jack’s a sweetheart, so you should be fine.” I nod and he gives me a quick tour of the house, pointing out the guest bedroom, giving me a guide to the alarm system, and the garage door codes.

“One question.”

“Yes?” He asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Are you a ‘no animals on the couch’ kind of person? Because that might be an issue.” He laughs, and says,

“Animals are welcome on the couch.”

“Good. Now get out of here, I know you have a flight to catch.” He hesitates, face torn, and I add quietly, “Hotch, it’s okay, I can do this, I want to do this. Go do your job - catch the bad guy.”

“I can’t thank you enough for doing this.” He presses a spare key in my hand, kisses my cheek, and is out of the door in minutes. I lock the door after him and slip the spare key next to my house key on my keyring. Hopefully, I won’t get them mixed up.

The house is very quiet now that Cujo and I are the only one’s here. I’m not usually a nosy person, but as the minutes drag on I feel the urge to explore the house getting stronger. I worry my lip for a few seconds, torn between respecting Hotch’s privacy and satisfying my curiosity, but I ultimately give in, padding around the house and checking it out with more attention. I steer clear of the master bedroom, having to set a boundary for myself, plus I know the room will smell like him - slightly minty with a hint of evergreen and something that’s just man, just him - and I know the smell would make what’s left of my rational thoughts flee my mind. I find my way into his study, the large mahogany desk imposing and clear of any papers. All the drawers are locked, but at least three hundred books are in the surrounding bookcases. I look at the titles, but most of them don’t catch my eye, just textbooks, studies, and other papers of that kind. What does catch my eye are the dozen Harlan Coben novels. I’m not much of a reader, what with school and work, but I used to read Harlan Coben novels when I had the time. I run my fingers over the spines, recognizing a few titles, but the majority are new to me. I chew on my lip debating if Hotch would care if I read one and conclude that he wouldn’t.

I pull The Innocent off of the shelf, tucking it under my arm and retreating from the office. I settle down on the plush couch, Cujo already asleep on it and open the book. I don’t put it down until a few hours later, and only because my stomach started rumbling. I dig around in my backpack for a piece of paper and tear off an edge, using it as a makeshift bookmark while I snoop in the kitchen. Hotch told me to help myself to anything, and this man splurges on his groceries. I finally settle on a DIY charcuterie board, having cut up a couple of types of cheese, some lunch meat, and fresh fruit. I grab my book from the couch and hold it open with one hand while I eat with the other. I’m sucked in - I can’t put the book down. I love mysteries and this one with an ex-convict as an accidental murderer has my full attention. I finish the book in the early afternoon and carefully place it back into its rightful spot in the study. I force myself to not pull another book down, knowing that I have to work on homework now.

“I’ll come back for you later,” I whisper to the books.

I check the time - I have two hours until Jack gets home, a perfect amount of time for me to get some homework done. I’m currently in my OBGYN rotation, and there’s so much information I need to know for my final, which is only two months from now. I lose myself in flashcards and textbook passages when I hear the unmistakable sound of a school bus. I scramble to get off the couch, having been buried in my papers. I walk towards the door and open it, leaning against the door frame as I watch Jack get off, wave bye to the bus driver, and run up the driveway with a huge smile on his face. I smile to myself as he gets closer and then slows down.

“Hi, Y/N! I’m so excited to meet you!” He says, out of breath. 

“I’m excited to meet you too, Jack.” I move out of the way and he rushes inside. Cujo, having heard the commotion, hops off the couch and trots towards the small boy.

“YOU HAVE A DOG?” He exclaims, dropping his bag in the entryway as Cujo greets him with sniffing and wet kisses. Jack giggles when Cujo licks his cheek and he’s petting him eagerly.

“His name is Cujo, and it looks like he likes you!” I say, smiling.

“Well, I love him!” Jack pets him for a few more moments before saying, “Wait! I think I have a tennis ball in my room, can I play out back with him?”

“Of course!” Jack runs off to his room and I kiss Cujo on the head and whisper,

“Good boy.” Jack comes back seconds later and we head outside to the fenced-in backyard. Cujo sprints around the yard - we don’t have a space like this in my complex. Jack starts to play fetch with Cujo and his giggles every time Cujo drops the ball at his feet are infectious. I sit in one of the chairs on the back porch - the weather has taken a turn for the better today, the sun shining bright and the weather is actually kind of warm. I find myself lost in thought and think about this house. It’s beautiful, yes, but I would think it’s a show home due to the pristineness. The only giveaway that someone lives here is the family pictures. The air inside the house is stale, I noticed it as I was studying. As if there’s no life in the house.

“Jack, I’m gonna open some windows if that’s okay,” I call to him, “Does your dad ever open the windows?”

“Not really!”

“Well, I’ll open up a couple, get a nice cross breeze in here.” I head inside, always keeping an eye on Jack, and open some windows. They creak and groan from disuse, but even with just a few open the house feels more inviting. After about twenty minutes, Jack comes back inside, Cujo trailing behind him and I fix him a snack when he says he’s hungry. He’s watching me, and I’m watching him, both of us trying to look busy. He reminds me of his father - eyes always alert and watching for something.

“What do you do?”

“I’m a nursing student.”

“So you heal sick people.”

“Well, I try to.”

“That’s really cool! How do you know my dad?” I freeze a little bit, not sure what to tell him.

“We…met at a bar,” I fib a little, “He actually helped me get away from some bad guys.”

“Yeah, he’s cool like that,” Jack says with a smile.

“You got any homework?”

“Yeah. Math. It’s confusing though.”

“Want some help? I mostly do medication conversions these days, but I’m sure I could help a little bit.”

“Yeah!” He runs off to grab his backpack from the entryway and comes back to the kitchen table, pushing his bowl away and pulling out a paper. I glance at it, and luckily it’s something I do know - addition and subtraction. “Once I find the answer it makes sense, but sometimes I get confused on the subtraction. Especially the double digits.”

“Hmmm, let’s see here.” I watch him struggle with the first problem, not having enough fingers on his hands to get to the correct answer. “I have an idea.” I open a bunch of drawers until I find something I saw earlier. I pull out a jar of peanuts and open them. Jack laughs.

“What are you doing?”

“Just watch! Okay, look at the first problem, 12 - 5.” I dig out a handful of peanuts and put them on the table. “Okay, count out 12 peanuts.” Jack laughs a little but does it anyway. “Great, now if you were to take away 5 more peanuts, what would you have?” Jack grabs five of the peanuts and removes them from the pile. He counts them and shouts,

“Seven!”

“That’s right! Let’s do the next problem.” By the end of the worksheet, he’s got a better grasp on the idea, and in the last three problems he doesn’t even use the peanuts to solve the problems. “Good job!” I say and he holds out his hand for a high five. I smack it lightly, and he says,

“You have a weak high five.”

“Do you want a do-over?” I say.

“Yes!” I only hold back a little bit this time and he whoops when our hands meet. “Now that’s a high five!” He shakes his hand a little bit afterward, and I feel bad about it. “Do you have homework too?”

“Yes, my homework is never ending, it seems. But I graduate this semester, so no more homework after that!”

“Do you need help with your homework?”

I laugh a little, “I don’t know if my homework is appropriate for you, buddy. I’m learning about mommies and babies right now. Gross stuff.”

“Ew! I don’t want to look at that!” I laugh again.

“How about I put on a movie for you and I’ll do my homework while you watch it? Is Star Wars okay?”

“I love Star Wars!”

“Good! Let me get it in the DVD player. Which one do you want?”

“Return of the Jedi!”

“Good pick, that’s my favorite one.”

“You like Star Wars?” He looks at me with wide eyes.

“Of course! My dad used to watch them with me all the time.” I walk into the living room, grab ‘Return of the Jedi’ from the entertainment center, and put it in the DVD player. It takes me a few seconds to figure out how to get the TV on the right setting, but I eventually figure it out. Jack sits on the couch, and Cujo gets up on it as well, putting his head in his lap. I watch as Jack watches the movie, absentmindedly petting Cujo on the head, who’s fast asleep. I bury myself in my studies again, knowing I have about an hour and a half to do so.

I’ve gone through my flashcards so many times it feels like I can’t stuff any more information in my brain. I finally sigh and paperclip them back together and set them to the side. I turn my focus to the movie - Luke Skywalker has just turned himself in to be taken to Emperor Palpatine. I watch the rest of the movie with Jack and when it’s done, he looks at me and asks,

“What’s for dinner?”

“That’s a great question. What are you hungry for?” He thinks for a couple of seconds.

“Chicken nuggets?”

“Great pick. I’ll go get them in the oven.” I gather up my things and put them back in my backpack - Jack doesn’t need to see a diagram of a woman spread eagle and crowning, that might haunt him for years.

I’m in the kitchen getting dinner ready, also throwing some frozen french fries I found in the freezer on the sheet pan. I’ve just put them in the oven when I hear from behind me,

“Are you my dad’s girlfriend?” I blink a few times before turning to face him.

“Um, we’re just friends.”

“Do you want to be my dad’s girlfriend?” He asks, widening his eyes. Oh come on I haven’t even asked myself that question yet!

“I…don’t know,” I answer truthfully. I don’t want to lie to him again.

“Well, he likes you.” I can’t hide the surprise that flashes across my face. The curiosity to know exactly what Hotch has mentioned about me is too strong and I find myself asking,

“And how do you know that?” The words are out before I can stop myself.

“He told me he met a really pretty girl who makes him laugh. He said that you’re captivating and he can’t stop thinking about you.” My cheeks are boiling.

“He told you this?” Jack turns sheepish at that and shakes his head no.

“I overheard him talking to Uncle Rossi about it.”

“Oh, so you were eavesdropping?” I say with a smile and his indignation makes me laugh.

“No! I was just listening!”

“Mhmm.”

“I swear! Don’t tell him I told you, he doesn’t even know that I know.”

“I won’t tell him, I promise.”

“Pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise,” I say, wrapping my pinky around his and squeezing tight. He sits down at the table and watches me as I cut up some fresh fruit.

“I like you. You’re nice. And you like Star Wars.”

“Thank you. I like you too, you’re fun to be around.” I say back and he smiles. It’s quiet until the oven timer goes off and I use an oven mitt to get the sheet pan out. I let it sit for a few minutes, knowing that if I plate the chicken nuggets and fries now, I’ll burn my mouth, and Jack probably will too. Jack is impatient as we wait for the nuggets to cool down, asking every few seconds if they’re ready yet. After dinner, Jack gets in the shower and I close up the windows, the air already feeling much better inside the house. I take Cujo outside to use the bathroom and clean up after him. When I come back inside Jack is out of the shower and in dinosaur-print pajamas.

“Oh, I like your pajamas!” I say with a smile and he grins up at me. “I have dinosaur pajamas too!” His eyes widen and his mouth drops open.

“You? Have dinosaur pajamas?” I chuckle at his dumbfounded expression.

“Yes, I have dinosaur pajamas. They’re actually in my bag right now, do you want to see them?” He nods furiously and follows me to the guest room. I dig them out and show them to him. Pink and purple stegosaurus, velociraptors, and triceratops cover the top and bottoms, and he laughs when he sees them.

“You have girl dinosaurs!”

“Hey! Boys can like pink and purple too!” He’s laughing at my pajamas and I can’t help but laugh too. “Come on, let's get you to bed,” I say and throw my pajamas on the guest bed. He grumbles but listens to me, and when I tuck him into bed he says,

“Thanks, Y/N. See you in the morning.” He yawns and rubs his eyes.

“Goodnight, Jack. I’ll see you in the morning!” I almost trip over a toy truck making my way back to the door of his room, and I shut off the light and shut the door behind me. Now it’s my turn for a shower. I shower with efficiency, wanting nothing more than to climb into bed. My thoughts wander as I do so, and I wonder how Hotch feels about having such an involved job while also having Jack. I think it would be hard. I get out of the shower and went through my skincare routine before I slip into my pajamas and get in bed.

Tuesday morning comes quickly, and thanks to Jack having the day off we get to sleep in for a little bit. He finally pulls me out of bed around 9:30, and I complain the entire time, which he just laughs at. I make us french toast for breakfast, which Jack fervently declares his love for, and then get dressed. I have one lecture today, Adult Health 4, and it’s at eleven.

“Jack, I know you don’t have school today, but I have school today, so here’s what we’re gonna do. You’re gonna come to class to me, but we’re going to bring your portable DVD player and bring a movie or two, as my class is two hours.”

“TWO HOURS?” He exclaims. “For one class?” I laugh.

“Yes, college isn’t really fun.”

“I bet!” We get ready and I make sure everything that I need is packed and we have Jack’s DVD player with a pair of headphones. He grabs A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and we climb into my car. I make him sit in the backseat, as I don’t have a car seat for him and drive slowly to Stafford Hospital, where all of my classes are being held this semester. I park in the farthest lot, as is our rule since we are guests at the Hospital, and sling on my backpack. It’s unusually hot today, and sticky, and Jack starts to complain the moment his feet hit the asphalt.

“Y/N, please, will you carry me? It’s hoooot.” He whines.

“Jack, you’re six, I think you can walk.” He drags his feet and I concede. “Fine, come on. I hoist him up on my hip and he wraps his legs around me, resting his head in the crook of my shoulder. I want to curse but he’s being cute so I’ll let it slide. I wrap my arms around him, supporting him, and make the long trek to the hospital. Sweat is sliding down my temple when the doors slide open and I step inside. Jack sighs at the sudden cold air. “Think you can walk now, buddy?” He nods and I set him down, but he takes my hand as we make our way through the hospital and up to the second floor.

“It’s so bright in here!” Jack says, eyes wildly tracking all the people we pass. We make our way into the small lecture room, and I get Jack and me situated in two seats in the back corner.

“Y/N! Who’s your friend?” Jenna says, making her way over to us.

“I’m Jack!” Jack says with a grin, bouncing in his seat.

“Nice to meet you, Jack. I’m Jenna!” Jenna looks at me with raised eyebrows and mutters, “Do you have a kid we don’t know about?”

I chuckle, “No, he’s my…friend’s kid. I’m just watching him while his dad is out of town.”

“Well, you two must be really good friends,” Jenna says and winks at me, and my cheeks grow hot. Jack soon commandeers the attention of the whole class and he’s telling them all about playing fetch with Cujo yesterday. Dr. Pratt comes in shortly thereafter, and even she cannot resist Jack’s infectious energy. We start class ten minutes late because of it. I get Jack’s DVD player set up and his headphones plugged in and he’s contently watching Star Wars while I’m frantically taking notes on Dr. Pratt’s lecture and asking questions at every opportunity. Jack quietly asks for a snack about halfway through, and I’m glad that I keep a bag of Goldfish in my bag for emergencies. Thankfully, the pictures aren’t graphic today so I don’t have to worry about scarring Jack for the rest of his life. Class is over before I know it, and as everyone is packing up, I tell Jack I’ll be right back.

“Dr. Pratt?” I ask.

“Yes, Y/N? What can I do for you?”

“I’m really sorry about Jack. His dad didn’t have anyone else to watch him so I volunteered.” Dr. Pratt chuckles.

“Y/N, Jack was lovely, feel free to bring him again if you’d like. He was not a problem at all.” I let out a breath and thank her, making my way through the now almost empty room to pack my stuff up. Jack pauses his movie, yawns, and stretches, and I put his DVD player away.

“What do you say we get lunch, buddy?” I ask Jack as we make our way out of the hospital and into the humid air.

“Yes! Lunch lunch lunch!” He practically skips back to the car, I help him in, set my backpack in the passenger seat, get in the driver’s seat, and he’s suddenly quiet.

“Jack? You okay?” He looks shy as I glance back at him in the rearview mirror.

“Can we get McDonald’s?” He asks, his voice quiet.

“You know what, yeah, we can get McDonald’s!” He cheers and I smile to myself as I put the car in drive and make my way to the nearest McDonald’s. I get him a chicken nugget kid’s meal, as per his request, and I get my favorite meal from McDonald’s. Jack asked if we could get hot fudge sundaes, and I couldn’t resist, so those may have snuck into our order. By the time we’re done with lunch, it’s almost 2:00 PM, and Jack is falling asleep in his chair. “You need a nap?” I ask, and he furiously shakes his head no. I laugh, “Well, I think I need a nap, let’s get you home, okay?”

Sure enough, he falls asleep in the car on the drive home, not rousing as I gently carry him to his room. I run back to the car to get my backpack, not wanting it to get stolen from my car, and I put on a tank top and shorts, open a few windows, and take Cujo out back. I fall asleep in a plastic chair while sitting in the shade, and wake up when Jack shakes my arm.

“Y/N, wake up!”

“Huh? Oh, hi.” I say and rub my eyes. “What time is it?”

“Four o’clock!”

“Oh jeez, we slept for a long time!”

“Play legos with me, please?” I nod and stretch my stiff body as I get up from the chair. Jack drags his legos into the living room, we play for about an hour, Jack makes a Lego car, while I make a little house. My build looks shoddy and colorful, while Jack’s is more put together than mine.

The rest of the evening is quiet. I make dinner - frozen pizza this time - and afterward, Jack takes a shower, and I let him know the plan for tomorrow.

“So, you have to go back to school tomorrow.” Jack groans. “I know, it’s no fun. Your dad says the bus picks you up at 7:50, I’ll be up way before that, I have to go to clinical tomorrow so I have to get ready for that.” He looks confused.

“What’s clinical?”

“Oh! It’s hands-on learning. So I shadow a nurse in the hospital and they teach me the ropes. It’s really fun!”

“Cool!”

“Okay, so, I’ll see you off on the bus. My clinical gets out at 2:00, so I’ll be home before you get home.”

“Okay.” Jack yawns. I tuck him in.

“Goodnight, Jack.”

“Goodnight, Y/N.” This time when I leave, I make note of the toy truck so I don’t almost trip over it again. I take a quick shower after I lock the house up and close the windows. I lay out my scrubs for tomorrow, and make sure my clinical bag is packed and ready to go. I set my alarm for 6:30 AM, already dreading it, but I’m asleep soon after my head hits the pillow.

Wednesday morning is a blur. I’m frantically making breakfast, trying to eat it, let Cujo outside, then back inside, fill up his food dish and water dish, get Jack ready for school while also keeping an eye on the time, and by the time Jack gets on the bus I feel like I need a nap. I don’t have time for one though, as I’m out of the door by 8:00 AM.

-START OF CLINICAL DAY, THEREFORE MEDICAL TERMS AND CHILDBIRTH -

When I get to the hospital, I shuck my clinical bag over my shoulder and once again make the long trek from the back parking lot to the front entrance. The Labor and Delivery, or L&D, unit is on the third floor, and I swipe my badge to get in before I meet Dr. Anshaw in our meeting room. I’m shadowing Erin today, who’s a nurse practitioner and can deliver babies by herself if the need arises, and I get my shift change notes from her before meeting our patient in room seven.

“Angie? Is it okay if I bring in Y/N, my student nurse?” I hear Erin ask from inside the room as I patiently wait outside.

“Of course, bring as many students as you want!” Angie says with a laugh. I step into the room and introduce myself.

“Hello, Angie, my name is Y/N Y/L/N and I’m going to be your student nurse today. Can I please get your full name and date of birth?”

“Angie Lewis, January 8th, 1980.”

“Perfect,” I say as I check her wristband. “Do you know where you are right now?”

“Stafford Hospital. And it’s early spring.” She says, winking at me.

“You’re ahead of the game! On a scale of 1 to 10, one being no pain at all and ten being the worst pain you’ve felt in your life, where are you at right now?”

“Probably a six.”

“Erin, what stage is she in?” I ask as I turn to wash my hands in the sink on the wall.

“Almost to active labor. She was 5cm the last time I checked.”

“Angie, are we excited to meet the baby?” I ask and smile at her.

“So excited!”

“Are you a first-time mom?” 

“Second time!”

“So this one will be a breeze!” I wink at her and she laughs.

“Well, hopefully, my husband won’t pass out this time!” I laugh at that.

“Happens a lot more than you think!” I pull on a pair of gloves and look to Erin for reassurance. “Is it okay if I check your cervix, to see how dilated you are?”

“Go right ahead, sweetie.” She gives me a soft smile and it eases my nerves a little bit. I check her cervix.

“Almost at six! You’re about to hit active labor!” I discard my gloves and wash my hands again as Erin double-checks and affirms what I felt.

“We’ll be back in a little bit, Angie. Hit the call button if you need us!” Erin says, and I trail her out the door. “Very nice, Y/N, she’s comfortable around you.” I get sheepish at that.

“I just like what I do, that’s all,” I say and shrug, and Erin smiles at me before saying,

“Don’t downplay your abilities. You’re already a wonderful nurse.” I help her with some charting in the break room and about an hour later I’m knocking on Angie’s door to see how she’s doing.

“Angie, how are we doing?” I’m met with the sound of controlled breathing - her husband is currently coaching her through a contraction. I’m washing my hands and pulling on gloves as they finish.

“I’m okay. Active labor hit about ten minutes ago I think. Contractions are stronger and closer together, the pressure in my back is killing me.” She says. “Richard, can you put my hair in a braid please?”

Her husband jumps to her aid, pulling a hair tie off of his wrist and holding it in between his teeth as he braids her hair. Once he’s done I ask Angie if I can check her cervix again.

“Seven centimeters, you are moving along quite quickly, Angie!”

“Thank god, I feel like I’ve been pregnant forever.” She lets out a breathless laugh.

“Are we wanting an epidural?” I ask, discarding my gloves and washing my hands again. Angie shakes her head no. “Erin and I will be in a half hour. Use your call light if you need us or change your mind about that epidural, okay?” She nods, relaxing back on the bed, in between contractions.

Thirty minutes fly by, and Erin checks in on Angie, her contractions are about four minutes apart still, and she’s only 8cm dilated. Another thirty minutes go by, and Angie is now 9cm dilated and feeling a lot of pressure in her back and butt.

“Y/N?” Angie asks, wiping her forehead. “Will you stay with me? I’d feel better if I had a nurse here. I have a feeling it’s going to happen soon.”

“Of course, I’ll stay with you,” I say, pulling up a chair. Angie begins to distract herself, telling me stories of her other child, Lily, who turns four in a couple of months. She stops when the contractions hit, then resumes her stories. They seem to calm her down, and Richard chimes in now and then. It’s not very long after before Angie says,

“I feel like I need to push.” I jump up, press the call light, wash my hands, and put gloves on. Erin walks in.

“Angie says she feels like she needs to push.” Erin nods, and now it’s her turn to wash her hands.

“Go ahead and check her, Y/N.” I do as she tells me.

“10cm dilated and fully effaced. I can feel baby’s head.” I say. Erin nods, grabbing the sterile towels and blankets, and setting them up before paging the doctor on call.

“Y/N, you want to take the lead on this one?” I blink at her in surprise. I’ve never coached a woman through birth on my own yet. Erin just looks at me and I nod, situating myself at the end of the bed. I’ll move when the doctor gets here.

“I want to push,” Angie says.

“Do you want the stirrups?” Angie nods, and I swing them out, helping her legs get situated. “Dad, come and help me here.” Richard jumps up, already assuming his position on Angie’s right leg. Erin is on the other leg. “Erin, when is Dr. Rawlins going to get here?”

“He’s not answering his pager.”

“Are there any other L&D doctors on call?” Erin pauses and shakes her head. “Well, it looks like it’s just you and me, Angie.” She nods. “When you feel a contraction come on, I want you to take a deep breath in and hold it, bear down, and push until I tell you to let up, okay?”

“Okay, one’s coming on now.”

“Let’s do this, Angie, deep breath in. Hold it. Okay, push, push, push. Good! Let up and take a little break.” We do this for a few minutes, and the baby is moving, slowly but surely. The baby starts to crown and Angie insists that she can’t do it. “Angie, you’ve got this. You’re a strong woman, you can do anything. Come on, deep breath in, hold it, bear down and push! Yes! Head is out, good job Angie! Bear down for me again, and push!” My hands are ready and as Angie’s baby is delivered, I catch her newborn in my hands, rubbing her with a towel as she opens up her mouth and cries as she joins the world. Erin’s already pulling part of Angie’s gown down and when her baby is relatively clean, I carefully place her on Angie’s exposed skin. The baby continues to cry, and Angie and Richard start to cry as well.

“You did good,” Erin whispers to me. A little while later the cord is cut by Richard, and the placenta is delivered, and that’s when Dr. Rawlins decides to show up. Dr. Rawlins is notorious for never being where you need him. Erin and I exchange a look as Dr. Rawlins assesses the situation, gives his good wishes to the happy parents, and leaves again. Typical. We get Angie situated to spend some time with her new baby. Angie thanks us both profusely. “Hey, don’t thank me, Y/N did all the work!” Erin says with a smile. I get shy.

“What are you going to name her?” I ask.

“Felicity.”

“That’s beautiful!” Angie gives me a tired smile and Erin and I take our leave after cleaning up.

“So, what did you think, taking the lead?” Erin asks, grinning at me.

“Can I curse?” She lets out a laugh and nods. “That was fucking awesome.”

“Good. I mean it - you did well. Now you’ll have an adrenaline high for the rest of the day!”

And she’s right, I feel great the rest of the day, and before I head back to Hotch’s house, I check in on Angie one last time.

“Hey, Angie, I’m heading out for the day. Thank you for giving me the chance to learn from you today.” I say quietly, taking note of Richard and Felicity passed out on the makeshift couch bed.

“No, thank you, Y/N. You kept me sane.” She grabs my hand and squeezes it. “Thank you.

-END OF CLINICAL DAY, NOTHING GRAPHIC AFTER THIS! tl;dr - Y/N helps a woman give birth and she thinks it's really cool! -

I head out to the parking lot and back to my car, getting home around 2:30, with plenty of time to shower before Jack gets off the bus. I strip off my scrubs and throw them in Hotch’s washer. I’m sure he won’t mind. I feel like an idiot trying to get it to work though, but I finally figure it out. I shower quickly, thinking back on my experience during clinical. I love shadowing Erin as she allows me a lot of freedom to interact with the patient, but getting to deliver a baby? That’s an adrenaline high I’m still trying to come off of. I step out of the shower, drying my hair some before slipping into my pajamas. I’m not going anywhere else today, I’m wiped. I let Cujo out back and wait for Jack to get off the bus. He’s right on time and sprints up the driveway to the front door, which I open for him.

“Y/N!” He shouts, as he drops his backpack and wraps his arms around me.

“Oh! Hey, Jack! How was school?”

“So much fun! We got to watch a movie today!”

“That’s so exciting!” He then looks at me and furrows his brow.

“Why are you in your pajamas already?” He asks, giggling.

“I already took my shower! I had a fun day at school too, and I needed to relax!”

“What did you do at school today?” He asks, eyes wide, and I chuckle at his comical face.

“I delivered a baby today!”

“GROOOOSSSSS!” He groans, running off to the back door to join Cujo outside. I smile to myself as I shut the front door and lock it. Jack is occupied by Cujo for the better part of an hour before he comes back inside and asks to play a game. We settle on Candyland, and the competition is cutthroat. I’m not going to lose just because I’m playing against a child. It was a close game, but Jack eventually won and gloated about it before stopping and asking for dinner. We do mac and cheese tonight. I cut up some fresh fruit while the noodles are boiling, and when it’s time to mix the mac and cheese, Jack asks to stir. I hold the pot so he can reach it and he furiously stirs the mac and cheese before letting me resume stirring it on the burner so the butter and cheese will actually melt and mix. We eat quietly, and before I know it it’s Jack’s bedtime. I tuck him in, and as I’m about to turn off the light, my phone chimes. It’s a text from Hotch.

“Jack, your dad will be back really late tonight!”

“Yay! I miss him.” Me too, buddy. Me too. I turn off the light and shut the door and head downstairs. I pull out my textbook and notes as I have a huge test next week and I want to do well on it. I’m so engrossed studying that when I check the time it’s already 10 PM. I hear the soft pad of feet that cannot be Cujo’s, as he’s already asleep on the couch. I turn and see Jack standing at the end of the couch and he yawns as he rubs his eyes.

“I had a nightmare and can’t fall back asleep.” He says softly.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, come and sit with me.” I peel my blanket off my lap and he wordlessly slides in right next to me. I tuck my arm around him. “Do you want to talk about it?” He shakes his head no. “Okay, well, you can sit here as long as you like.” Within twenty minutes, he’s snoring softly, head tucked against my chest. I continue to study, and I don’t remember falling asleep.

A hand on my knee gently shakes me awake. I blink open my eyes and find Jack sprawled across me, half in my lap, my hand resting on his head that’s resting on my chest and when my eyes finally adjust to the soft light on the side table light I find myself looking at Hotch.

“Oh! Hi!” I whisper, voice scratchy. “What time is it?”

“Three. Jack has certainly gotten comfortable with you.” He says with a soft smile.

“Nightmare. We didn’t intend to fall asleep.”

“I can tell that by the textbook that’s still open in your lap.” I give him a sheepish smile, and he helps me push back the blanket covering Jack and I. Jack’s at an awkward angle, one that Hotch can’t comfortably carry him in, so I get off the couch slowly, Jack never wakes up, just clings to me like a baby sloth, ankles locking around my back as I take him to his room and tuck him in. When I turn to make my way out of his bedroom, Hotch is watching me with a curious expression on his face, one that I can’t quite place. He quickly schools his face into neutrality, moving out of the doorframe so I can leave the room and shut the door behind me.

“Tough case?” I ask, trailing him back to the kitchen as he opens the fridge and grabs the rest of the fruit that Jack and I didn’t eat for dinner.

“Just long.” He says with a sigh, unceremoniously shoving fruit into his mouth. “I can’t thank you enough for watching Jack.”

“Oh please, you don’t have to thank me. I had fun. He’s a sweet kid.” Hotch smiles to himself. “He’s lucky to have you as a father.” I watch as pink colors his cheeks. He clears his throat,

“Y/N, it just occurred to me, and I’m so sorry I didn’t ask sooner, but, where is your family from? Do you have family around here?” I’m a little jolted by the sudden attention on me, but I answer his question anyway knowing that he’s just deflecting from my compliment.

“I don’t have any family around here. We’re from all over though, my baba and I never stayed in one place for too long.”

“Your baba?”

“Sorry, that’s what I call my dad.” I shrug, a little embarrassed.

“Where is your dad now?”

“I’m not sure. He was always away on business trips when I was little, so I had to fend for myself a lot. My mom died when I was three, never really had extended family, so it was just me and Baba.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. I don’t remember her, though my dad says I look like her.”

“Do you have pictures of your family?”

“That’s the weird part - I don’t have pictures of either of my parents. My dad hated them, never took them, and never wanted to be in them. Sometimes I feel myself forgetting what he looks like, but I know if I see him in a crowd I would still be able to recognize him. When my dad disappeared for good when I was fifteen, I didn’t have anything to remember him by.” I pick at my cuticles as I overexplain the situation.

“Oh. That’s horrible.”

“Eh, it’s okay. My gut tells me he’s still alive, but I don’t know if I want to see him again after all these years. There was always something about him, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. His name was Isaac Smith, but I knew that wasn’t his real name. It’s like he was hiding himself and his life from me. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever know who he really was.”

“Well, I hope you find out someday. You know, for closure.”

“Yeah, me too.” He regards me, studying the planes of my face, brows furrowed as though he’s trying to figure something out.

“When I first saw you, you reminded me of someone I know, but I can’t quite figure out who.” He shakes his head. “Oh well, maybe it’ll come to me.”

“Well, if you figure it out, let me know,” I say with a chuckle.

“Hey, why don’t we have Garcia do some research on you? Try and find out who your dad is?” I swallow hard and the movement doesn’t go unnoticed by him.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

He nods. “I respect that. But if you ever are ready, let me know, she’d happily do anything for you.”

“Thanks,” I say with a yawn.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I’m keeping you awake, aren’t I?”

“I don’t mind,” I say with a soft smile. “I delivered a baby today.” I don’t know why I want to tell him that, why I feel the urge to tell him everything about my life, but I’ll give into it anyway. His eyes widen.

“You delivered a baby?” I nod, grinning. “That’s so cool! Did you like it?”

“The adrenaline is like no other. It was a baby girl, the mom was so nice to me.”

“Of course she was, you’re like…like a shining beam of sun, lighting up wherever you go.” He says the last part quietly, not looking me in the eyes as if he wasn’t sure if he was going to say it or not. I feel my cheeks grow hot.

“Thank you,” I say thickly, and then yawn again.

“Okay, time for you to go to bed too, come on.” He says as he puts the fruit back in the fridge.

“What, are you gonna tuck me in?” I say with a mischievous grin.

“Only if I can read you a bedtime story.” He shoots back, mirroring my smile. I let out a soft laugh and he leaves me in the doorframe of the guest bedroom. “Thank you, Y/N. You saved my life this week.”

“Anytime, Hotch.”

“You can call me Aaron, you know.” I blink in surprise. “Hotch is fine, but you’re welcome to call me Aaron.”

“Okay…Aaron.”

-

chapter five - coming soon!

-

TAG LIST (want to be added? click here!): @iameternallylonely @morgthemagpie @mrs-ssa-hotch @angelmather1 @laubeck10 @rousethemouse @scarlett-jade3 @ssalinaprentiss @alexa-33 @ill-be-okay-soon-enough

#aaron hotchner #criminal minds #hotch x reader #hotch #hotch x y/n #hotchner #aaron hotchner x reader #criminal minds fanfiction #matd!hotch #meandthedevil!hotch

[differentavenue]

Supply Closet Arguements

Summary: Y/n and Peter have always hated each other, since junior high even. Today that problem is solved, in a supply closet. 

TW: Enemies to lovers, implied sexual content, swearing, Peter being a bit of an ass. 

×××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××

    My body jolted awake from the obnoxious school bell ringing. The same bell was screwed up today, and rang for just a second longer than usual. It drives me crazy. Fortunately, one more class to go and I won't have to deal with it anymore. Unfortunately, the class is APchemistry. Don't get me wrong, I love science, it's the science partner that I am not particularly fond of. 

Peter Parker. 

Or, for lack of better words, my own personal antagonist. He has been since middle school. Do I have any idea why? Absolutely not. It could be because he's a sticky git, or is jealous. It could be because every year Peter and I are always stuck together by a teacher, or even our parents. My mom and Peter's Aunt May have been friends since high school, which means Peter and I have spent every birthday, important event, and Saturday together since we were kids. Its torture. 

Peter is rude to say the very least. His sly sarcastic comments are always “jokes,” and he thinks that since he is bigger than me that he has the ignorant right to pick on me because I'm “too small, and angry; closer to hell.” It is true though, Peter is at least 7 or 8 inches taller than me, and lately he has been getting more toned than I am, which is surprising because in freshman year he was really thin, and had close to no muscle on him. If he wasn't such a dick, he would be decently attractive.  

Speaking of the devil. “Hey, ya’ ready for chem? You know I've been thinking that on Saturday I can check your work to make sure it's right, so you don't fail us both.” He laughed a bit to himself. 

“Hey, big mouth Peter! Move so I can close my locker.” My quip quickly went from sarcastic to serious, much to his dismay. 

“Yeah, I'm sure you do too.”

I slammed my locker. “Gross.” Does he have any respect for himself or others? Trying to get away from him as fast as possible, and to class before the bell, I shoved him into the locker as I walked past. 

Nevertheless, Peter managed to walk right beside me. “Hansy, aren't we.” His arm strung around my shoulder. 

“Parker–” An exhale left my lips in haste.

“You know, I think we should argue somewhere more appropriate.” I didn’t have time to reply, because I was shoved into a small supply closet that looked as though it hadn't been used in ages. 

“Are you crazy?” He looked at me with a smirk on his face. “We have to get to class.” As I said that the bell rang, meaning we were now late.

“What happened to argueing Y/n?” The brunette's eyes locked onto my own. It made me feel flustered, like suddenly the temperature was raised far too high. “You know I love it when you get angry, because you turn red, and it's really cute.” He started walking me into the wall. 

“P-Peter.” 

 The boy's hands landed on both sides of my head, next to my ears. “Hmm?” I couldn't speak. His eyes still trapped mine in a deep gaze. “Come on y/n, spit it out.”

“You're going to make me late for class.”

“You are already late.”

“You're making me later.” Now, I broke my gaze, staring at the wall behind Peter. We sat in an awkward silence for a few seconds before I spoke up again. “Is there a reason you have me trapped in the janitor's closet or are you just teasing?”

“Both.” He sighed. “Look at me. Please.”

Wow. Did Peter Parker just say please? Let me rephrase that. Did he just say please to me? My eyes widened in surprise and I made eye contact with him. “What do you want?” I said clearly irritated. After he did not answer for a good minute, I felt myself heat up. “Peter! Stop with the weird eye contact and answer me! Or let me out!” My hand pressed on his hard chest. 

“You, Y/n.” He mumbled. 

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“God, you're oblivious.” A deep chuckle left the boy's throat. “I’m about to kiss you.” His hand trailed to my chin, right where it meets my neck. He drew little circles while contemplating. 

“Peter–” My childhood, and current enemy is about to kiss me in a dark supply closet. Just five minutes ago we hated one another, I think. This could be a not-so-funny prank, or a mission to make me late for chemistry. If he wanted to miss class, why did he have to drag me with him? 

Pushing aside the anxiety in my head, I let my thoughts drift to Peter. Specifically his body and his face. Peter is attractive, but also a huge pain in the ass. His brown eyes were usually soft and kind, even around me, but right now they were stern and dark. Don't even get me started on his hair, it had to be perfect for running my fingers through. Oh god. His chest was solid and from what I know his biceps were quite the same. 

A rushed mutter shot from Peter's lips, bringing me back to reality. “For god's sake just–” Before my brain could process what was happening his lips were locked onto mine. Almost immediately my own molded and moved along. It felt amazing. All the pent-up tension from over the years had turned into a deep yearning without me knowing. In this moment it felt like every ounce of anger was irrelevant. 

The kiss rapidly became heated. My fingers tugged on Peter's hair, his hands pulled our bodies closer together. His tongue asked for entrance and I obliged. Peter tasted of oranges and mint; the sweetest combination at the moment. A whine of discontent left my lips as Peter broke the kiss. The boy let out a laugh at my neediness, and smiled against my neck. “Barely touched you and you’re already greedy.” He nipped and kissed my shoulder. 

“Parker, don’t make me regret this more than I already do.” A lie. He couldn't ruin this for me. 

“C’mon Princess.” He stood up tall now, looking down at me. “You can’t tell me you aren't enjoying yourself. You sure look like you are.” Oh god, I must look like a whole mess. He read my expression, “You look amazing, you always have.”

“I don’t know if I trust nice Peter.” 

“Let me take you out on Saturday, then you can trust nice Peter.’” He said with a small smile. I nodded in response. “Use your words sweetheart.”

“Sure. You can take me out.” I leaned up closer to his lips, “After you explain to Mrs. Kennly, why we did not attend class.” and closed the gap. 

A/N: I love enemies to lovers, and what's better than that? Enemies to lovers with TASM!peter parker. Feel free to leave comments and submissions about ANY characters. (Smut, fluff, angst, etc.) Have a good morning/afternoon/evening/night. ;)

#marvel #tasm!peter angst #tasm!peter x y/n #tasm!peter imagine #tasm smut #peter parker #andrew!peter fluff #andrew!peter imagine #enimies to lovers #favorite trope

[staticv1sion]

Wishes

A short story by staticv1sion

My grandmother always told me that wishes made on stars will always come true. I suppose it isn’t anything she ever came up with, but as a young girl who only wanted her parents to come safe at night, it comforted me. My mom and dad were never prepared to have a child, and they definitely did not want me. They lived with my grandparents, but they would go out and not come back until morning. They’d sleep until afternoon, wake up, and leave me again. I never got the chance to speak to them.

Grandma would keep me away from their room, a fact that I resented her for at the time. Being older now, I can understand why she did what she did. But man, do I wish I had normal parents like all the other kids.

At night, Grandma would lay me on my bed, the sheets covered in pink Hello Kitty characters. I’d cover myself with the blanket and listen intently as she read me a small story. I’d pretend to close my eyes as the last pages flipped, but the moment Grandma left the room I would bolt from my bed and to the window. The stars would twinkle as I sat and laid my head upon the windowsill. Every single night, I would wish for the same thing.

Please let me spend time with mom and dad.

Please let me spend time with mom and dad.

When I would wake up in the morning, I would try my best to sneak my way into my parent’s room. I'd knock on their door until my fist began to hurt or Grandma dragged me away. They never opened that door for me.

Seasons changed, I was slightly older. Maybe at that point I should have given up, but every night I still found myself wishing on a star. It became routine. Then finally, the day I dreamed of finally came.

I remember that day perfectly. It was a Saturday, I had knocked on their door that morning and Grandma had gently urged me into a different room. The hours passed and seven became eight and eight became nine as nine quickly turned itself into two pm that afternoon.

My parents were awake. I heard their giggles through the door. The moment my grandma wasn't looking, I scurried my way across the rooms towards them. My small hand reaching for the doorknob before it turned and...click. The door was unlocked. I ran inside, jumping upon their bed. My father picked me up almost immediately. I had barely ever seen his face before, but I saw it now. Green eyes stared back at me, full of confusion and a sort of haze. "What are you doing in here?," he asked, looking towards my mother for some sort of assistance.

"I want to spend time with you!," I squealed out of excitement.

"I suppose we can," my mother answered. The same moment, Grandma ran in.

"I'm sorry," she began, attempting to take me away for the millionth time, but Mother pulled me away slightly and smiled a lopsided smile.

"We're going to spend time together'," she said. And so we did. After some back and forth, Grandma watched us as I was carried out of the door and placed into the back seat of a car. I was normally used to booster seats, and felt a bit deflated sitting without one, but I wasn't going to complain on my dream day. My parents drove us around for an hour or two, taking me to icecream shops, gas stations, and we even stopped at the park for a short while. I don't remember them saying much as I flapped my mouth the whole time, but the few things they did say have forever stuck in my mind as I repeat the sound of their voices years later.

Eventually, Father got a text and told me it was time to go home. Back into the car it was, and this time it wasn't just the missing seat making me feel deflating. I didn't want this time with them to end. What if we never spent another moment again? What if I only got one wish and I wasted it? Looking back, I think every good day ends with sadness as you hope it goes on forever. But things never go on forever.

I don't know why it happened. Maybe my dad didn't see them, maybe they didn't see us. Grandma said it wasn't Dad's fault because he had a green light. I wasn't looking at the light color, I was looking at Dad. It felt like a wall of bricks hit me and all I could hear was yelling and screaming, the pain didn't even hit me before I was unconscious.

Maybe the star I wished on that day was evil, but this was not what I wished for. I never spent another day with Mom and Dad, and I never woke up another morning and knocked on their door.

I never wished on another star.

#creative writing #short story #books #literature #reading #star #night #story

[themackenzieboydchronicles]

Lucy and Mack Start a Custody Battle.

Mackron Fanfic.

Mack woke up to find Isla awake in her crib.

"Aaron Isla slept through the night" Mack said warming a bottle up.

"What time is it?" Aaron asked

"Seven thirty" said Mack "I put her down at nine thirty last night and she's slept until now"

"That's great" said Aaron as Mack passed Isla to him.

"You feed her and I'll ring Lucys parents to see if shes gone there" said Mack.

"Any luck?"Aaron asked as he changed Isla's nappy.

"No she's not at her sisters or her parents and she hasn't been into work as she's still on maternity leave" said Mack.

"Right we'll go round her flat" said Aaron "I'll ask mum to have Isla"

"Aaron I'm working" said Chas as Aaron and Mack went to the pub with Isla. "Why don't you ask Nicky over there to watch her it's his day off and he's supposed to be good"

"Of course I'll look after her" Nicky said

"I'll pay you double what Kim pays" Mack said.

Aaron and Mackenzie went to Lucy's flat and Mack banged on the door.

"She's in" said the neighbour who came to see what the commotion was.

Lucy eventually opened the door.

"What do you want?" she asked as she pulled her dressing gown over her night clothes.

"Can we come in?" Mack asked nervously.

"No way" said Lucy "Just go Mack we are over"

"Please Lucy don't throw us away" pleaded Mackenzie.

"Its you that threw us away Mack by sleeping with Chloe" Lucy replied slamming the door in Macks face.

"She's been crying Aaron" said Mack "I could tell"

"Come on Mack" said Aaron putting his arm round Macks shoulder to comfort him.

"You're in no fit state to drive" said Aaron taking the car keys off Mack.

The two men drove back to the pub to pick Isla up.

"Mum where's Nicky and Isla?" Aaron asked.

"Gone up to Kim's" Chas replied.

Mack and Aaron arrived at Home Farm where Isla was asleep in her buggy.

"Very wise of Nicky bringing my God daughter here" Kim smiled "Now did you find Lucy?"

"Yes she's at her flat but won't talk" said Mack who started to cry again.

"Oh please stop blubbering Mack. Duncan just rang me" said Kim "To see if I knew what was going on"

"I rang earlier to see if she was there but I didnt tell him anything" said Mack.

"Well she hasn't contacted her parents yet but Gabby has given me the gist of what happened" said Kim.

"Is Chloe's baby yours Mack?" Kim asked.

"No it isn't" said Aaron "Thanks for looking after Isla but we want to go home now"

"Did you tell Gordon why she ran off Kim?" asked a worried Mackenzie.

"No don't worry it's not my place to" Kim replied.

"Mack and Aaron arrived home "At least we know she's safe" said Aaron.

"She should be here Aaron" said Mack looking in the fridge for something to eat.

"She'll be back" said Aaron."

"I wish I had your confidence Aaron" said Mack looking for the number of the local Pizza hut.

"The numbers in your phone and I'll have the Chilli beef one" said Aaron playing with Isla on the settee.

"I can't believe she abandoned her baby" said Mack. "I mean how do I tell Isla about periods and stuff?"

"Mack thats a long way off. Lucy will be back by then" said Aaron.

"I've got a feeling she won't" said Mack just as his phone rang.

"We need to sort out access arrangements" said Lucy coldly "I'll see her every other Saturday starting this week and I don't want you to bring her it will have to be Aaron. I don't want you anywhere near my flat"

"You can't have her overnight" said Mackenzie who was on the verge of tears.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do with my own baby. I'll have her more later and I'm putting in for full custody as soon as I am stronger" said Lucy cutting Mack off abruptly.

"What was that all about?" asked Aaron as Mack collapsed on the sofa in tears.

"Access arrangements and she's putting in for full custody" Mack said wiping his tears.

"Don't cry Mack" said Aaron "She's bluffing"

"She isn't" said Mack "She sounded really cold. I'll fight her in court"

"You have to face it Mack. She holds all the cards. She's the mother" said Aaron.

"I know that" Mack cried "Aaron my heart is breaking. How did it come to this?"

"The two of you never stood a chance Mack" said Aaron.

"How do you mean?" Mack asked.

"Well you were working round the clock looking after Lucy and the baby. You never had time to yourselves" said Aaron.

"She's not having our baby Aaron" said Mack "I'll do what it takes to keep her even if we have to go abroad"

2.2.23.

#aaron dingle #mackenzie boyd #custody battle #aaron and mack #mackron fanfic #emmerdale

[7suns]

tomorrow.

#my surgery's tomorrow and i have confirmed it and i will check into the hospital at 8:15am tomorrow #then my surgery is at 9:45 and after that i'll be staying overnight in the hospital #and on saturday after i'm awake and feeling good my parents will come pick me up in seattle and bring me home #and ngl i am having a LOT of anxiety and doubts today #rationally i know this is what i want and that i'll be so much happier and i'll be able to go running again etc etc etc #but part of me is like 'derek ur making a mistake wtf' #like with starting t it was super gradual and if i wasn't happy a month or 2 in i could Just Stop and go more or less back to where i was #but with this i'm really scared i'm gonna wake up and be like 'oh god this is awful' #but for real i Know i won't feel that way #and to remind myself of that i wrote down a huge list of reasons i'm getting surgery and what i want to do post op #and i keep looking in the mirror shirtless today to remind myself that that's why i'm getting it done. bc i'm not happy w what i see. #but still. it's scary. and i've never had surgery before so anesthesia is also scary and i won't be able to have any visitors bc rona #i am glad my surgeon chooses to keep top surgery patients in the hospital overnight. makes me feel better #also btw i'm getting DI w dr alexandra schmidek at virginia mason in seattle #and herself and all her nurses and assistants are all so nice and i've seen pics of her results and i like them a lot #plus she's just in seattle which is only like a 40 min drive and at a reputable hospital and keeps patients overnight #and she's done this plenty of times. i know i'll ultimately be happy w my results even if i end up needing a revision #i've also been lurking on r/ftm and looking at posts from guys w similar anxieties who all say they're happy w their results:) #anyway. long tags ramble over. didn't have much of a point to this i just wanted to share what i'm going thru today #also if anyone has any questions feel free to ask #derek's ts adventure

[greyeyedmonster-18]

happy sirius and harry saturday to @impishtubist and everyone else who needs some content in their lives. have a dribble ft. one babbling harry james potter and one godfather extraordinaire

-

Sirius was surprised to see Harry already awake when he came downstairs to start the kettle and his morning. It was Sunday and it was summer, two scenarios that definitely, almost always, warranted his fifteen-year-old sleeping until at least ten. But instead, Harry had already started the kettle, sitting upright at the kitchen table. Sirius was a morning person, and even for him, the nervous energy radiating off his godson was admittedly a lot, reminding him of the way James would get before big Quidditch Games.

Unable to sit still, leg bouncing under the table.

"You're up early," Sirius commented, walking behind Harry to place kiss on top of his head, and a hand on his forehead, "Feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fantastic. I'm great! It's a great morning," Harry responded quickly, giving Sirius the fakest smile he had ever seen. "I started the kettle and then I was going to start breakfast but I didn't know what you would want or what Remus would want and then I stubbed my toe trying to get something from the pantry and gave up, so now there isn't any--"

"Oh, slow down, my love. Where's the emergency?"

"None, nope, none here," Harry nodded, his leg still bouncing and Sirius looked at him incredulously.

"Harry James..."

"Hi, Sirius, what's--"

"I love you so much, so please do not take offense when I say this in the kindest way I can muster--what the hell is wrong with--"

"Did you like him?" Harry blurted finally, and let out a breath, "I couldn't sleep last night, and I wanted to ask you last night but I was too nervous and thought I could sleep it off but then I didn't sleep and I've been here for two hours, sweating, Sirius, it's barely after seven and I am sweating, and I just need to know if you liked him. You did. Didn't you?"

Sirius's jaw fell open slightly as he listened to his godson's rambles in confusion before putting together the pieces. The Him was a boy. Cedric Diggory, the boy Harry had started seeing towards the end of the year, that Sirius had heard about. Sirius had heard about the dates, and the hand holding, and the almost-kisses that Harry dodged because what if he had bad breath, what was he supposed to do about that, dating and romance an entirely new parenting territory, and Sirius and Remus had finally decided it was beyond time to invite Cedric for dinner. Harry had been nervous last night too, and Sirius had to stop himself more than once from putting his hand on the knee of Harry's bouncing leg, knowing that gesture wouldn't be taken well in the company of a boyfriend who, Harry had once described as beyond pretty.

But Sirius could do that now, and he stopped his ministrations with his morning tea, letting magic take care of it, to sit down at the table with Harry, immediately putting a hand on his leg, "You're asking me...if I like Cedric?"

"Well, yeah...you kind of have to."

"Why's that?"

"How am I going to date someone you don't like? Can't come around here, can't go anywhere...and besides, you probably know what's good for me anyway--"

"Probably?"

"Most of the time, I still think starting homework when it gets assigned and not waiting is made up..."

"Mm, I see."

Harry looked down, picking at the skin outside his nails anxiously and Sirius thought he was going to run out of hands the way Harry had developed so many nervous habits. He grabbed Harry's hand with his spare that wasn't on Harry's knee and held it. "I liked him."

"Okay, but you have to tell me why or else I'll think you're lying to me to keep me from eating my own shorts."

"Please don't do that, I'd rather not explain that to St. Mungos."

"Me neither!"

"You wouldn't have to, you'd have eaten your shorts and would probably be moaning from a stomach ache."

"Actually, that doesn't sound bad, maybe I'll do that after lunch," Harry said.

"I...think he's very polite," Sirius started, "He wouldn't have to be, I like plenty of impolite people, but I liked that he was polite and offered to help with the dishes after dinner," Sirius thought back to the dinner from last night, the four of them swapping stories and doing their best to get to know the boy who had stolen Harry's heart. Thinking back to Cedric bringing in a small gift and presenting it to Sirius as Head of Household, a pureblood custom that Sirius recognized from his childhood and visitor's past. "I...think he's smart, yes?"

"So smart...best in his year, I think."

"Handsome too."

"Sirius!"

"Well, he is! Not that I wouldn't like him if he was an ugly tosser, but it certainly helps--"

"Sirius!" Harry scolded mildly again and Sirius laughed.

"Harry...I would like anyone you brought home as long as I could see they were kind to you. Treated you with the respect that you deserve, cares about you...that's the important parts, not...everything else."

"...Does...he?"

"I should hope you have the answer to that."

Harry smiled a little and picked his head up to look at Sirius, "...So, he...can come around again?"

"He can come around whenever you'd like, love."

#sirius and harry saturday #sirius black #harry potter #raising harry

[watermelonlovershigh]

Day in the Life of a Single Dad with a 2 Yr Old

This was requested by this anon.

AN: let me know if you guys like fluff fics & i'll try to write them as frequent as my smut & sicfics. also couldn't come up with a better title so... yeah the title is a lil iffy.

Things to help you understand this story better:

(Harry is a single parent/Harry is 25/Harry is a healthy eater/Loves his daughter so much)

Harry is peacefully sleeping in his bed alone. Covers to his chin, curled up on his side. That is until his beautiful two year old daughter comes barging in there to wake her daddy up. He shouldn't be asleep she thinks. It's too late. In reality its only 7 am on a Saturday, but to an early riser like her, he should be awake and playing with her. Or making her breakfast.

Her little feet pad over to her daddy's side of the bed. She can barley reach him due to the height of his bed, but manages to stretch her little arms up and taps on Harrys face. "Daddy, wake up." she speaks in her little British accent. Harry slowly opens his eyes and immediately squeezes them shut because of the sunlight coming from the window blinding him. "Daddy!!" his daughter says a little louder.

If his daughter was any older, Harry might tell her to wait a few minutes or go back to bed because it's too early, but he knows she's only 2. So he forces his eyes open again and reaches down to hook his hands in her tiny arm pits to lift her on the bed. "Why are you awake so early babe." he asks in a gravely voice, while placing her on his bare chest.

"I hungry." her tiny voice replies.

"Mhmm what would you like?" Harry mumbles sleepily.

"Sweets." she says innocently.

"I don't think so love. We don't eat sweets for breakfast. It will give you a tummy ache. What about a healthy fruit salad. We have some Watermelon and Strawberries in the fridge." he replies to his daughter who's straddling his chest.

"NO, I WANT SWEETS! I WANT SWEETS!" she yells back with angry tears threatening to escape.

"D/n, we do not yell!" her father speaks firmly. "We can't have sweets but we can have something other than a fruit salad if you want. Lets go down and see what we have." With a tight grip on his upset daughter, Harry gets out of bed and makes his way down the spiral staircase and into the kitchen.

This wasn't something new to him. Ever since his daughter turned 2 in August, she's been acting up a lot more than previously. You could say it was the terrible twos everyone talks about. Harry tries his hardest to teach her the proper ways to behave but it's been proven to be a lot more difficult than anticipated. Especially hard when he's busy all the time and isn't with her 24/7 like stay-at-home mums are or stay-at-home dads were. He's a musician. Not a so called musician that gets excited to book a Friday night at the local pub. No, Harry is a international pop star.

When he ended up getting a one-night stand pregnant, he told them they could do what they wanted as far keeping the baby or not. Harry has always been one to agree that its a women's choice. But his one-night stand wanted to have the baby. Honestly, you'd think Harry would get angry that she decided to keep it, but he wasn't. Maybe it wasn't the ideal situation to have a baby from a one-night stand that he had on tour, but he being the loving Harry everyone seems to know and love, of course tried to look at it as a positive thing. But when his daughter was born, his one-night stand got her minute of fame by saying she had Harry Styles baby and left. Abandoned her own blood. Harry had to get full custody of his daughter and ever since then she's been living with her daddy.

It was really hard the first few months of her life. A baby needs their mothers comfort and warmth and she had none of that. She never got the opportunity to breast feed or feel the love of her mother, and Harry feels sick just thinking about it. So Harry put his career on hold for a few months to take care of his daughter and show her that someone cares for her. He never wanted her to feel unloved. It was his biggest fear. That's why every day since the day she was born, he tells her how much he loves her. Shows her how much he loves her.

He did all her nightly feedings with warmed up formula in bottles. He changed her diapers at all hours of the day. He gave her baths every day to make sure she smelled nice and clean. And when she turned 1 years old and was getting more active, he took her to the studio with him and let her play her toys.

Just because Harry is a single parent doesn't mean he doesn't have help or support. He has a lot of help when it comes to taking care of his daughter. His sister Gemma babysits all the time for him when he's got something very important to do at the studio where he'd prefer if his daughter wasn't there. Harry's mum watches his daughter frequently when he has a interview he needs to attend. Even some of Harry's friends watch or take care of her when needed. Especially some of his ex bandmates that have kids of their own now. Harry's daughter has playdates with Bear, Liam's son about once a month. They're about the same age and their dads are friends so it works out great. His daughter has even played with Freddie, Louis's son. Not as much because Freddie lives in America but when he comes to England to spend time with his father they hang out. Freddie and Harry's daughter are quite similar. They were both created due to a one-night stand. The only difference is Freddie's mum wanted him. Didn't abandon him. So he has a relationship with both parents. Needless to say, besides all the things a mother can give to their child, his daughter has a good life. People love her, and once again that's all Harry could ask for. People and himself to love his daughter.

After fighting with his daughter about what to eat for breakfast, she finally settles for some Strawberry pancakes as long as they have chocolate syrup on top. Harry gives in and allows a little chocolate for her to have with breakfast. She sits in her high chair munching on the pancakes while Harry cleans the mess from cooking. Like washing the pan and wiping the stove off. When he's finished cleaning, he notices his daughter has stopped eating and is just making a mess with her food at this point.

Walking up to her high chair, Harry bends down and lifts her sticky body up and says, "Alright, time to give you a bath little one."

"No bath daddy! Me no want a bath!" she yells and attempts to kick her fathers legs but Harry grabs ahold of them in his big hand and stops her movements which makes her small body more angry. She screams very loud in his ear and pounds her baby fist in his shoulders, expressing her anger. Harry really wants to get upset. But what he's read in parenting books is that if you ignore their behavior and act like you don't see their tantrums, it will make it better and they'll give up on trying so hard to show their anger.  Because most toddlers have tantrums to try and get attention from their parent(s). By ignoring it, you're not feeding into it.

"I'm sorry but you have chocolate all over you love. Need to get you clean because I need to take you to the studio for a few hours with me today. How does that sound?" trying to make bath time and going to the studio sound fun.

After fighting with Darcy to get in the bath, Harry finally got her in the tub. He struggled to wash her curly hair due to the fact she wouldn't sit still, even after he gave her a rubber ducky to play with. Once he's washed her hair and chocolate covered body, Harry picks her up and wraps her in a big fluffy towel, then takes her to her room to get changed. He manages to get a pull up on her, (still trying to potty train), and puts a lovely red track suit on her with some Gucci shoes. Then he carries her in front of the bathroom mirror to brush her hair.

"Be good for daddy and let me brush your hair." Harry tells his daughter in a gentle manner.

As soon as he passes the brush in her hair, his daughter screams, "Owww, it hurts daddy!"

10 minutes later, Harry has brushed her locks and put her hair into some cute pigtails. With his 2 year old crying in the process. He's pretty good at doing hair because he used to have longer hair himself. Then he picks her up off the counter and places her on the ground, walking her to his bedroom.

"Can you lay in my bed while I get ready? I'll put on your favorite show." he questions calmly.

"Peppa Pig, Peppa Pig, Peppa Pig!" is daughter chants.

"Alright, alright." He picks up his baby girl and sets her in the middle of his bed. Then he grabs the remote to turn his wall mounted tv on. He scrolls on Netflix and finds Peppa Pig to keep her occupied. Then goes to his bathroom to get dressed and ready to head to the studio.

When he exits his bathroom fully dressed and ready to leave, he finds a sleeping toddler on his bed, snuggled into his pillow. Her perfectly outlined lips slightly parted. Harry can't help but smile. He loves his baby girl with his entirety and seeing her peaceful like this makes him so happy. He turns the tv off and carefully picks her up into his arms and heads down the stairs to his car in the garage. But not before stopping by her room to pick up her mini backpack that holds extra pullups and a sippy cup full of juice, with some of her toys as well. Her tiny face is stuffed into her daddy's neck and Harry can feel light puffs of air hitting his skin. He puts his daughter in her car seat and buckles her up properly. Then gets in himself to drive to the studio.

About 5 minutes away from the studio, Darcy wakes up from her late morning nap and whines out, "Me wanna go home and play with you!"

"I'm sorry but I have to work for a little bit. I'll play with you when we get home later. How does that sound Hmm?" She was not satisfied with her fathers answer and starts wailing. Hot salty tears run down her little cheeks and she makes exaggerated sounds to emphasize her crying. She kicks at the seat in front of her and balls her fist up as if she's going to hit something but unfortunately to her, she can't reach a single thing due to her seat belt. Once again, Harry just ignores her cries of anger and turns the radio on loud to block it out.

By the time they arrive at the studio, Harry's daughter has calmed down. She's still upset but at least she isn't crying and that's progress in Harry's eyes. He parks his car in a secluded area to hide from potential paparazzi and unbuckles her. Then shields her face form potential cameras and make their way into the music studio. Harry has to record some audio for his newest album so that's why he needed to come in today. They enter the studio where the rest of his solo band is. He prefers to record the instruments live instead of manufactured drums and guitars.

At some point when he was getting ready in his home bathroom, Harry had called his assistant and told her he needed to bring his daughter in to the studio with him so she could watch her while he's busy. She agreed but being Harry Styles assistant, it wasn't really an option. Not that Harry would force her but she's an assistant for a reason. To do jobs Harry assigns her. In this case babysit his toddler while he records a song. He doesn't have anyone else today and unfortunately can't leave her at home with a mummy like many other fathers can. He's just happy his job allows his daughter to be somewhat a part of it. Not in the spotlight because he keeps his daughters identity a secret from the public for her protection, but as far as her going to the studio with him or when she gets older, she can come on tour with him.

Harry's assistant takes his toddler and her mini backpack full of her essentials. They hang out in the open area, out of the way from his band and he himself so he can get what he needs to get done so they can wrap everything up for the album. Harry's daughter actually loves his assistant. They have grown quite close over the 2 years of her life. But because she's going through her terrible twos, the toddler didn't want to behave for anyone today.

About an hour into Harry's work, he's interrupted with a frantic assistant that has a screaming toddler in her arms. "I'm sorry Harry but she's been crying for about 30 minutes and I've done everything I know to do to get her to calm down." Harry isn't upset his assistant came to him for help with his baby. That's not the type of guy he is.

Harry takes off his headphones and walks over to them. He picks his little girl up into his tattooed arms and questions, "Love, why are you upset for? If you keep crying, you'll end up with a tummy ache."

She just hugs around her fathers neck with her little arms and says, "Want you daddy." Those words almost breaks his heart. Harry doesn't know where this sudden want for him has came from.

"You can have me all you want when I'm finished working, alright. I'll be done shortly." He struggles to pass her back over to his assistant, but finally manages. "Maybe she's hungry. I'll give you a few pounds to take her through drive thru at McDonalds. Would you like McDonalds d/n?" She just nods her pigtailed head. He would suggest for them to go inside, but the public knows what his assistant looks like so they'd know that was his daughter. The daughter that has her identity secret for now. His assistant takes the toddler to the McDonalds drive thru and orders her some chicken nuggets. Even through Harrys pescatarian, he still allows his daughter to eat meats. Then Harry goes back to work in the studio.

Around 2 in the afternoon, Harry and the two year old make it back home. The rest of the evening was a little hectic with a few tantrums here and there. Harry cooked them a nice meal for dinner at about 6 and played dolls with her in the short period of time she wasn't upset. Then comes the dreaded bedtime.

Harry changes her into some pjs and helps her brush her teeth. Then when he went to put her in bed, she started crying for the 100th time today. "Me sleep with you daddy." she cries out. There's a part of him that wants to say yes and cave in, but the parent part of him is saying no. She needs to learn to be a big girl. Harry really doesn't understand why she wants to sleep with him all the sudden. She normally has no problem sleeping by herself.

"No baby. You need to be a big girl and sleep in your bed sweetheart. I'm right next door if you need me though okay." His daughter clings to his body and cries fat tears. Harry decides to stay in her room until she falls asleep. So that's what he does. When she subsumes to sleep, he lays her down in her bed and pulls the covers up over her frail body. Then exits her room quietly.

Harry changes into some comfier clothes himself and goes down stairs to get himself a glass of wine. Then he sits on the sofa and turns a series on to watch before bed. Times like now is when  he wishes he had a wife. He'd even take a girlfriend. Just someone to hold him late at night and cuddle with him. Even have some type of intimacy. Ever since he found out about his daughter, Harrys game of sleeping around stopped. He didn't want to keep sleeping with random girls when he was becoming a dad. He was raised better than that. So needless to say he was lonely. In every way possible. Mentally, and physically.

Whilst in the middle of the show he's watching, Harry is brought back to reality when he hears a blood-curdling scream from up the stairs. He rushes to set his wine down on the coffee table and runs to his daughters room. When he walks in there, his heart sinks. The toddler is crying so hard she's gasping for air. It's a different cry that he's seen through-out the day. Unlike her terrible twos tantrums, this cry sounds like she's scared. Harry runs to her and picks her up. "Hey what's wrong my love? Tell daddy what's wrong." he asks of his child, soothing her to his chest.

As her tears slow down in the comfort of her daddy's arms, she mumbles, "You left me." Once again Harrys confused because she never acts like this.

Harry walks out her bedroom and goes to sit with her on the sofa downstairs. Then he turns her around on his lap to look at her face more clearly. "Baby, you need to tell daddy why you got scared or why you want me all the sudden."

The little 2 year old takes a deep breath and speaks in her little accent, "On Peppa Pig, they...they said kids like me are supposed to have a mummy AND a daddy. They said daddies can't love their babies like mummy's can. Me was scared you don't love me anymore." Her voice cracked saying the last bit with fresh tears running down her face and Harry has glossy eyes looking down at his distressed but beautiful mini twin. That's right. They look almost exactly alike. He thanks God every day for that because he doesn't want to look at his daughter and be reminded of a one-night stand that's a piece of shit of a mother.

"Look at me d/n. I love you so so so much. I will NEVER stop loving you." at this point he has to take a deep breath so compose his emotions, "And not all kids have mummies. There are a lot of kids who just have a daddy or some just have a mummy. But it doesn't mean I love you any less. Okay?! Don't listen to what they said in Peppa Pig. They were wrong." Finishing his speech, Harry pulls her tiny body forward and hugs her to his warm chest. He has silent tears running down his face. Both hands spread over her boney back. He thinks tonight is appropriate enough to allow her to sleep with him. She needs comfort. "Would you still like to sleep with me?" he asks in a whisper.

"Pleaseee." she responds while crying. Harry stands form the couch, turning the television off and abandoning his barley touched wine glass, and goes to his bedroom. The turns the overhead light off and walks over to the bed. Peeling the covers back, Harry and his daughter, whose on his chest, slide under the warm blankets together. Now she has just about stopped crying. Just little whimpers leaving her body, along with a few hiccups. Harry reaches over to turn the lamp off, leaving the room completely dark. He shushes his baby until her eyes slowly close and she falls asleep with her face burred in his neck and arms around his neck. Her short legs lay limp over his stomach.

Harry has a difficult time falling asleep that night. He feels sorry for his baby girl because he worries that movies and shows with two parents will make her sad and left out because she doesn't have a mummy. He just prays she will see all she'll ever need is her daddy to protect her and love her for the rest of eternity.

MASTERLIST & My Favorite Harry Styles Fics MASTERLIST

#fluff #harrystyles #harrystylesoneshot #dad!harry #dad harry #dadharry #dadharrystyles #harry #styles #singleparent #harrystylessingleparent #comfort #terribletwos #ddm #daddydaughtermoments

[spotofimagines]

Car Sick P1 ~ Dominic Calvert-Lewin

A/N: This is sort of carried on from this blurb I wrote a while ago, bc I loved the idea and wanted to write more for it, you should probs read that first to catch the vibes. This is for @footballffbarbiex writing challenge based on tv and film. I used this storyline from Modern Family with Gloria and Jay. Once again, no real timeline with this, just made up scenarios. I struggled with the next bit of this so I asked you how you wanted it and you chose 2 parts, here's the 1st. Enjoy :)

Warnings: pregnancy, kids, step parents, injury mention - reader is female

Summary: You thought you were just feeling car sick, turns out it's something else...

gif by @hishairmyweakness - gif by @delstroyer

You were dropping your daughter off at Dele's for a long weekend since he didn't have a match or training to attend. After she had squeezed the biggest hug out of her dad and trudged dirt in his hallway, she perched on the sofa with her ipad and juicebox, leaving you and Dele to catch up.

Dele had been showing you how he redecorated his kitchen so you accepted a drink and decided to stay a little while. Plus you figured the news you had for him should rather be said in person than over the phone.

"Hey, Del, I have something to tell you." You said nervously, leaning your hands on the kitchen island. He turned around and took a sip of the drink he just poured as he walked closer to the other side of the island opposite you. "Go ahead." He replied, his eyebrows knitted in concern at your worried tone. 

"Well, remember when we stopped by last Friday since you were playing on her birthday?" you recollected and he nodded along. "And I had one of those herbal teas and a tablet because I was feeling car sick?" "Yeah..." he trailed off quietly, putting his drink on the counter between you. "Turns out I wasn't car sick," he frowned in confusion and looked even more lost than he did a moment ago. 

You fiddled your fingers together and took a deep breath, steadying yourself. You knew you could trust Dele with absolutely anything. You'd been close since you were teenagers, grew closer when you started dating and left nothing in the way when you had a baby. Being so young when it happened meant a lot of things turned against you, a lot of people with a lot of opinions trying to dictate your lives and yet you stuck it through. You haven't been together romantically for a while, however your relationship with him never faultered, your connection of trust staying strong.

But it didn't make this any easier to say. It wasn't hard to see when Dele got hit by moments of gloom at the sight of the mini family you were creating with Dominic. While your split years ago was amicable, and neither of you would rekindle that flame again, more than happy with your close friendship, Dele couldn't stop that jealous bubble rising in him when he saw your daughter enjoy spending time with Dom as much as she does with him. Blame his stubbornness but facing change wasn't his strongest suit. This news was going to be a big step away from that picturesque life you both once envisioned together and you desperately didn't want it to drive a wedge between you nor push Dele away. You had settled into a good rhythmic system with him that suited your daughter and your schedules, you'd hate to tarnish that in any way.

So, yes, you hesitated to tell him.

You sighed and picked at your nails, needing to just get it out before it drove you crazy.

"I'm pregnant." 

Dele's eyes went wide and his mouth opened a little from shock, the frown lines that creased his forehead disappearing. His breath was taken away. Nothing prepared him to hear those words come from your mouth and know that he wasn't involved. It was bound to happen but it still took him by surprise.

He tilted his head as he looked at you, nervously twiddling your thumbs like you always did, and it only took a few seconds for a smile to slowly grow on his face. "That," he cleared his throat and met your eyes with sincerity, "that's great. Congratulations." 

He scuffed his socked feet along the floor as he walked round the counter to wrap you in a warm hug. He squeezed your shoulder and gave your cheek a quick kiss when he pulled away, a genuine smile on his face. No, he wasn't involved this time, but he knew how amazing it was to experience pregnancy and he was certain Dominic would take to it greatly.

"What did Dom say?" He asked, leaning over to grab his glass and take another drink. Your breath caught in your throat and that made Dele side-eye you mid sip. "You haven't told him, have you?" He questioned gently, and you shook your head.

Now it was his turn to sigh. 

The glass clinked loudly in the quiet room when he put it back down, and he had a ton of questions he could have asked you and a ton of things he could have told you to do that he thought was right, but it wasn't his place. Not anymore. So he took a moment to think whilst you rubbed your hands down your front to straighten out your t-shirt again. 

"Are you going to?" You tutted and looked back up at him incredulously. "Of course I am Del, think it'll be pretty hard to miss when I'll be bursting through my clothes!" You joked and he held his hands up in defence as he chuckled, realising it was a stupid question.

"Are you nervous, then?" He tried again, this time opting for something more reasonable. "More nervous than when I told you for the first time." You admitted. Dele whistled lowly and shook his head with a laugh. 

The state you were in a bit under 7 years ago now when you told him you were going to have his child, it was something else. He still insists he hasn't seen someone so frantic, before or since. He could only imagine what was coming Dominic's way.

---

There were plenty of reasons for you to believe Dom would be happy to be a dad. He adored his young brother and truly enjoyed spending time with him when he was back home. He was thoughtful and attentive with all the people he knew so you know he'd be the same, multiplied by a million, when it came to a child that depended on him.

But the way he cared for your daughter above anyone else proved to you, without a doubt, how good he would be. Dom wasn't her biological father, but that never once stopped him loving her the way she deserved. Dom made sacrifices when he needed to and even when he didn't. He'd stay awake if she couldn't sleep, he'd ask to see her on facetime when he was travelling and he always asked her about school, he even did the afternoon pick up with you when he got the chance. If Dom would be such an amazing figure in the life of a little girl he had no obligation to be a part of, just imagine what he'd be like with his own child.

You wouldn't question his want or excitement to have kids with you at any time, having spoken about it before. 

Any time except now.

Dom hadn't been himself the last week, and justifiably so. He picked up a knee injury in the Merseyside derby last Saturday that resulted in him hopelessly limping off the pitch with the physio under his arm to hold him up. A torn ACL was the conclusion after a couple hours in the hospital. While an injury was never welcome, a minimum six months out was tough to take. But with the upcoming England tournament he'd been called up for that he will now have to miss, alongside the rest of the Premier League season, it shattered him. His club and his country had important matches this year and it killed him to not be able to help secure some much needed wins for them.

Most of Sunday was spent doting on him, helping him relax and alleviating both his physical and mental pain, offering comfort through his favourite meals and hours of cuddles, something your daughter happily assisted with. 

However, by the time Monday rolled around, his rest was stifled by your daughter's birthday party.

Despite how often you'd sat him back down, Dom wasn't used to sitting all day and had helped you decorate the house whilst your girl was at school. The balloons were littered in the front room, the buffet snacks laid out on the dining table, and the banners Dom had pinned on the ceiling blew from the gentle breeze coming in through the back door. 

So by the time you pulled into the drive with a car full of young girls eager for sugar, Dom was working on half a bar of energy already. Yet he played along with the party activities and managed to dance, or more shuffle, to some Disney songs on his crutches inbetween sneaking mini sausage rolls and chocolate biscuits. 

You could see him getting more tired as each kid left, but "she only turns 6 once, right?", so he persisted on keeping the party lively until your daughter was knocked out in bed, out of her party dress but still wearing the new bracelet she got from Grandma. 

You trailed behind Dom with two cups of tea as he hobbled toward the sofa, barely managing to keep himself up despite it only being 9pm. He dropped heavily on the cushions in the corner and let his crutches fall on the carpet, not caring where they landed as long as they stayed within reach. The sigh that left him could have knocked down a tree. 

Before you got comfortable, you put his mug on the table and put a random sitcom on the TV. Dom's eyes were closed and his legs were stretched out as best as they could be, his injured knee up on the couch in front of him with a cushion underneath and an ice pack held on top.

"I'm telling you, I feel way too old for this." He muttered just loud enough to hear. "You're only 24." You chuckled a little into your tea at his complaint.

"Yeah," he rolled his head your way, hair falling on his face, "but running after her makes me feel 70, she knocks me out," he spoke quietly but with the last tints of energy in his tone, "and with this peg leg too you gotta change that to 80."

You smiled at him sympathetically and loosely linked your fingers with his, rubbing your thumb on the back of his hand as let his eyes close again.

He was joking, it was obvious. But a niggling part of your brain told you that he wasn't just being dramatic. 

Admittedly it was a tiring evening with your daughter's friends running around, but with the lack of energy left in Dom, how could a baby be added to that scenario and it not be an issue? Maybe it was the wrong time. Maybe, no definitely, getting pregnant when Dom wasn't shrouded by an injury, when he didn't have frustration on top of frustration on his shoulders, when there wasn't a hyperactive 6 year old that needed attention too - that would definitely be a better time to have a baby. But that wasn't what life had handed you. Life was a little more complicated in its ways than to give you an easy run, you knew that well enough by now. 

What concerned you most was how Dom would handle it. Whilst he had picked up parenting duties well over the past couple years, he hadn't been there when your daughter was a baby, nor had he seen how tough it was on you at the time. The thought of raising another was scaring you, so it would surely terrify Dom, doing it for the first time. 

Even before the time came to hold them in your arms, being pregnant was no easy deal. So how could he possibly handle the stress of an upcoming baby, the stress of having to look after 2 kids in the future, the stress of a cranky pregnant girlfriend, the stress of prepping the house and himself, all whilst he's hobbling on crutches and having to watch his teammates from the sidelines too? 

You sipped your tea and let the TV fill the room as your brain ran overdrive with questioning thoughts, sitting silent next to your boyfriend who's head seemed full of only the sleep he was dreaming of, oblivious to the changes that were coming his way.

#dominic calvert lewin #dominic calvert lewin imagine #dominic calvert lewin x reader #dele #dele alli #dele imagine #dele x reader #football #football imagine #my fic #oneshot #my og post

[silverarmedassassin]

...and everything nice

bucky x reader | word count: 1296 | warnings: fluff, fluff, and more fluff

a/n: so, this was not my intended halloween fic, but i had this idea late last night and just ran with it. I'm currently sick with a killer sinus infection and discovered the beauty of pumpkin spice lattes yesterday, so this kind of just happened. it’s not the best thing i’ve ever written, but here it is! this is going to act as my submission for @wonderlandmind4​‘s fall/winter challenge! my prompt will be bolded. enjoy! :)

divider by the lovely @firefly-graphics​

What a time to get sick.

You haven't had the slightest hint of a cough at all year, not so much as a sniffly nose. Then boom, the day of Halloween comes around, and you’re confined to the bed or the couch. Body aches, runny nose, obnoxious cough, and all. And you are mad.

You’d scored an invitation to Tony Stark’s ridiculously over-the-top Halloween party this year, and you have to miss it. Not only did you have the best costume picked out for the evening, but you were finally going to get to experience a Stark party. But mostly, you were bummed about not being able to spend the evening with Bucky.

You'd met Bucky, like any true whirlwind, not quite friends-with-benefits but less than "official" romance starts, by accident. A chance encounter in Central Park had led to an afternoon of coffee and conversation. You swore that on that mild spring Saturday afternoon inside a lowkey diner away from prying eyes, you felt your entire world shift.

Despite the complicated nature of your non-relationship, Bucky always managed to sneak away from official earth-saving business to spend some time with you. He often spent his evenings off of training recruits with you in the city and long weekends snuggled up on your couch, a slew of movies both past and present flashing across the TV.

"I don't even have the good candy," you moan as you toss a package of Skittles into the now half-empty candy dish on your coffee table. All you want is a king-sized Snickers and a pumpkin spice martini.

The thought of pumpkin spice anything makes you groan, realizing that, despite being so late into the season, you've yet to have anything in the signature seasonal flavor. You'd sworn to Bucky that you would take him to get a pumpkin spice latte with some pumpkin spice Oreos and end the day with a pumpkin spice kiss or two, but that plan never had the chance to play out. If it wasn't HYDRA cronies attempting to revive the long-defunct terrorist organization, it was a new alien race that used the knowledge that, at one time, the Avengers had been defeated to attempt a planetary takeover. All month it was like you were living in a horror movie. So much so that you'd yet to even watch one.

You burrow down into the blanket nest you've established for yourself and flip through the channels in hopes that something will catch your eye. As you settle on some ghost hunting show you have zero interest in staying awake to watch, a soft knock on your door echoes through your dark, quiet apartment. You blissfully ignore it, having not bought candy for trick-or-treaters this year and frankly not being in the mood to entertain children.

A beat passes and, when you think whoever is at your door has given up and moved on, the knock comes again, this time a little more forcefully.

"Are you kidding me?" you grumble and wrap the thick quilt a little tighter around your shoulders as you stand. You shuffle your way slowly over to the door, fully prepared to rip whatever parent or teenager on the other side a new ass because no answer means no candy, ugh. But the sight that meets you on the other side makes you take a startled step backward.

There on your doorstep, in all his tall, dark, and handsome glory, is Bucky. "Hey," he says, his trademark smile resting gently across his lips.

"Shouldn't you-Why are you-" As you try to stumble through a competent sentence, a coughing fit cuts you off.

“Hey, hey, come on now,” Bucky says as he wraps you up under his flesh arm and guides you back into your apartment. “I made my appearance and had Steve cover for me for the rest of the night. No one’s gonna miss me.”

As he settles you back onto the couch, you notice the large grocery bag he’s carrying with him. “Did you bring chocolate?” you ask between sniffles and reach for the bag. Bucky only laughs and pulls the bag away from your grasp.

“Something better. Have you taken any medicine lately?”

You shake your head and frown. “The stuff I have is disgusting.”

With a chuckle, Bucky takes the bag with him to your kitchen and starts to rummage around. “Where is it? You’ll only get your surprise if you tell me.”

You mutter that the cough syrup is in the bathroom. He makes quick work of retrieving it, measuring the green liquid out, and handing the measuring cup over. You stifle a gag before downing the cup, slamming it on the coffee table like a shot glass. “Look, I took it. Now, what did you bring me?”

“So pushy,” Bucky mocks as he sits down beside you. You’ve never been so grateful for an immune system as enhanced as his. You scoot over a little, just enough that your thigh is resting just slightly against his, and bask in the warmth that radiates from him. As he begins to grab item after item out of the bag, your foggy brain begins to register the theme.

“Where did you get all of this?” you laugh as you grab for the pumpkin spice Oreos you’d just been thinking about not ten minutes prior.

“I know how excited you were to get me to try all these things, but I’ve been gone all month,” Bucky says as he places the last bits from the bag. “And, since you’re not feeling well, I thought I’d bring the fun to you.”

You watch Bucky rip open a bag of mini pumpkin spice donuts and pop one in his mouth, excited to see his reaction. He had been skeptical of the pumpkin spice craze. He wasn’t a big fan of pumpkin, to begin with, and yet here he was, popping two more donuts in his mouth and reaching for the Twinkies.

“This is like heaven in my mouth,” he says around the spongy dough, stopping mid-bite when he looks over at you. “What?”

You can feel your gaze soften as you look into his pale blue eyes. What started as a miserable, lonely night, curled up on the couch feeling sorry for yourself, has turned into one of the best Halloween nights you’ve had in a long time.

“Thank you, Bucky. You really didn’t have to do this.”

He shrugs and bumps his shoulder against yours. “Hey, I am the pumpkin king, baby! Anything to see my girl smile.”

Your smile, the one Bucky is most definitely responsible for, falters a little when he says that. My girl?

“I uh, I mean…” Bucky must register what he said because he starts to backtrack. “It’s just that...I mean...I…”

You let your gaze travel down to his lips and back up, and can see the large gulp Bucky takes as he watches your eyes. Before you can register exactly what is happening, he’s leaning in for a sweet-laced kiss, innocent at first and then he deepens it. Pumpkin spice is still heavy on his tongue as it slips past your lips, mixing with a taste unique to Bucky to create an intoxicating sweetness you never want to lose. You do, however, when Bucky pulls away just far enough to rest his forehead against yours.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a really long time,” he says before he pecks your nose.

“What took you so long?” you laugh as you lace his metal fingers with your flesh ones. “Because it’s kind of all I wanted to do since I’ve met you.”

Bucky lets out a playful growl before coming for another kiss. The pumpkin spice goodies and terrible show are long forgotten.

#bucky x reader #bucky x you #halloween #wonderland4seasonalwc #Bucky Barnes

[eurynome827]

Anniversary: Scenes From A Staycation

A Honey & Salt Story

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Reader

Word Count: 1474

Warnings: language, vague fluffersmut, a surprising amount of maybe angst?

Summary: It’s been a year. 

*This series is fiction - I do not know this man and this is an alternate universe RPF with no basis in fact.*

When you two first met, it was just a fun fact. Your birthdays were exactly two weeks apart. 

As you grew closer - even granting each other the coveted title "best friend"- the halfway point became the day you celebrated. He would try to be in town, you would take off, if it was around a weekend it became "Birthday Weekend". 

This year Birthday Weekend had an unnatural tension attached to it.

Last year's Birthday Weekend had been ...eventful. Now this wasn't just the latest in a series of times between best friends.

Now, it was an Anniversary.

One Month Before

"Are you sure this is what you want? You don't want to do something more special?"

"Excuse me, pal, last year we spent Birthday Weekend in your apartment. A beach house isn't special enough?"

"Last year's Birthday Weekend DID work out well..."

You could almost hear his raised eyebrows over the phone, just as you were sure he could hear your eyeroll.

Details were set, you swore you'd make all the arrangements if he could guarantee he'd be home on time. Birthday Weekend in a beach house on Fire Island. Staycation.

Then the chatter started. 

Your friends. Your parents. Your mutual friends - Evans on the phone, grateful you couldn't punch him over FaceTime. "Think he's got something SPECIAL planned?"

"Can you shut the fuck up for two seconds?" You huffed in reply. "Considering it was my idea to rent the house, and he thought it wasn't 'special' enough, no I don't think so."

"Not special enough, huh?" Evans smirked.

"I hate you."

Friday

You arrived on the first morning ferry, getting the key for the house from the rental office and pulling the wagon with the week's supplies behind you the three blocks down to your ocean view house. It was perfect, with a porch facing the sea and a walk straight down to the beach. After getting everything settled you changed into your bathing suit and had a mimosa on the porch before throwing on your cover-up to walk to the dock for the afternoon ferry's arrival.

When Sebastian arrived on the ferry you were waiting, a rocket fuel in each hand.

"Don't spill the drinks!" You admonished, giggling as he swept you up. 

"Happy Birthday Weekend," he whispered in your ear. 

He set you down, and you kissed him quickly, not wanting to make a scene on the dock. It had been a year of skating by on the past reputation of "best friends" and it was a miracle you'd stayed under wraps. 

"Here you loon," you grinned up at him as you handed him his drink, leading the way down the path. "Happy Birthday Weekend. Welcome to paradise."

Friday Evening

"Accept the fact that the pizza is overpriced. Everything has to be delivered by boat here, it comes at a premium."

"I didn't complain once," he handed you another beer and opened his own, settling on the porch swing and looking over at you warily. "You alright? You're very on edge."

"NOT on edge." You took a long swallow. "We have to get pizza tonight, it's tradition. Tomorrow we can go out or we can cook, whatever you want."

"Probably better to stay in," he answered and the unspoken words were there again. Don't get recognized. Don't get your picture taken alone in the restaurant without the life jacket of your friends surrounding you - have someone tweet it and then Birthday Weekend becomes the publicity stunt heard round the world.

You looked at him, and something about his eyes - the sun low in the sky, the sound of the ocean - and a grateful wave washed over you. "I'm so happy we're here. I missed you."

He pulled you into his lap. "Nowhere else I'd rather be."

You got the pizza and ate on the porch, the sound of the waves in your ears long after the sun has set low enough and the view past the porch rail is a long dark punctuated only by the lighthouse and the pinpricks of bright stars.

Jet lag forced him to bed early, and you cuddle next to him, as always seeking out the heat of his skin against yours and relishing in the promise of what's to come when he wakes up.

Saturday Morning

You're not sure what wakes you - the screaming sea gull on the roof or Sebastian's lips on your inner thigh.

"Finally," you tease, voice husky from sleep and his own chuckle in response warms your heart.

He's already taken you apart twice before he kisses back up your body till he reaches your neck and he holds you tight and rolls you over on top. There's never time needed to be reacquainted. You've memorized each other a million times over but it's still so good, so new, so perfect. 

Except for trips to the bathroom and to the kitchen for coffee, you're in the bed until early afternoon.

Saturday Afternoon

After a small breakfast on the porch, you both set up in the sand a stone's throw from the house, away from the beachgoers clustered at the shore. It's not as busy on this stretch of the beach anyway, as the day trippers tend to stay in groups around the lifeguard stations. Here it's just the other renters, and you're not as worried on the few trips down to the water you both take to cool off.

It's quiet, and peaceful, and exactly what you wanted.

Then you go and ruin it all.

Saturday Evening

Mindful of his training, you'd brought chicken and vegetables to cook for Saturday, trying to at least be creative in your seasoning. He'd already strayed enough with the pizza and all the drinking - but it's Birthday Weekend.

He set the table and you poured the wine before you both sat down. Everything was great until he pulled a ring box out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

The words were out before you could stop them.

"I don't want to get married."

He looked at you, expressionless. "Okay."

"Fuck - I can't believe this. Everyone tried to hype me up for this and I thought you would never in a million years do this. You don't want to get married either! You've always said that."

"Babe -" he reached out for you, and you stood up so fast you knocked over your chair.

"Even fucking EVANS told me and I told him to shut the fuck up. I can't believe this."

"Hey!" He raised his voice, and you stopped babbling. "I'm not proposing. Open the box."

You picked it up with shaking hands and opened it.

"It's our birthstone. Oh, honey. It's beautiful."

"I don't care which finger you put it on, but you seem really concerned about that." He looked up at you, biting his lip - and not in a fun way.

"I ruined it." Your face crumpled and you barely registered him pulling you into his lap. "I ruined Birthday Weekend. Everyone got in my head."

He wrapped his arms around you. "Babe. You didn't ruin anything. But we should talk."

Late Saturday Night

Hours after eating, lots more wine, and a very uncharacteristically serious discussion later and the two of you were finally in bed. 

It was almost laughable how two people who felt so similar about things could find it so difficult to tell the other person. For a year everything had worked so well. "Maybe we were just due for it," you murmured as his lips trailed across your neck.

"For what?"

"A big serious discussion. Can't have fun all the time."

He raised his head and looked you in the eyes. "Watch me."

You shook him awake, feeling only a little guilty at the lack of sleep. He groaned and pulled you closer but you pushed away with a giggle.

Sunday At Sunrise

"Seb."

"Let's watch the sun rise."

He made an unintelligible noise.

"Come on, babe."

"Okay. Then bed."

You dragged him out to the porch and faced the east. Wrapped in a blanket together in the morning chill, the sun's sudden appearance rising over the Atlantic took your breath away.

"Yeah, that was worth getting out of bed for," he admitted, and started to wrap his arms around you tighter but you turned to face him.

"I love you."

He squeezed your waist. "I know you do."

"No, I mean it. I really love you. I don't care what anyone says, I don't care if the whole world knows, I am who I truly am right now with you. That's all that matters."

His eyes were soft and as blue as the ocean in the new sunlight. "You love me, huh?"

You pulled him as close to you as you could. "You know I do."

#honey and salt #anniversary: scenes from a staycation #sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan fanfiction

[pbandjesse]

My back is really hurty right now but today was a really nice day. Just long and rainy.

I was very tired last night. I'm very tired today. But it's all right. I slept okay last night. I woke up with James's alarm around 6 and fell back asleep until 7. He was gone when I woke up. He had gone to his parents house to get the car to get the last couple things for my other apartment. The plan now is for me to go on Saturday and Sunday and clean. Trying to make it as nice as possible. Then we will go in with are U-Haul when he has a day off. And get my bed and my bookshelf. I'm still stressed out about it all but it's fine. I think I'm going to bring some cleaning stuff and trash bags and things like that over this weekend. Try to just do as much as possible.

I felt okay when I got up. It wasn't thrilled about being awake. Are going to work but I had some positive feelings for the guy. Last night at around 10 p.m. Tiffany called me and asked if I would feel okay leading the older kids science class. And honestly that's what I thought we were doing from the beginning so I was fine with that. I left here around 7:40 and went down to the bus stop.

I got to work at 8:15 and went upstairs and sorry it's setting things up. My fabric was missing but I found it underneath I dropped off. No idea why it was there. It's all good. Set up and then I went to talk to Edina about changing the stem project. And then I went to go talk to Tiffany about the schedule. Because one of the reasons I am leaving stem is so that a Dina can see how the project should go. So having her do stem first doesn't make any sense.

But after some phone calls and stuff we were able to work that out and I got the schedule and I want it. My art is the same. Then we have reading lunch and recess. And then I go to stem with the older kids. While the little kids go to book arts. And then the little kids come to stem and then the older kids go to book Arts. And that worked really well. Today was so much more chill than it has been and it was great.

I set up some stuff for science. Mixed up watercolor paint in bottles. Made some examples. We were doing sneeze art. And it was very silly. But we started the day with some annoyances because I am very much all about organized chaos. And one of my kids ask to go to the bathroom while we were at breakfast and I told him to go ahead and he ran out the door like a first grader will do. And the new principal admonished me and Marcus for not watching our kids. And it was just very rude and the very first interaction I've ever had with this woman who has not introduced yourself to us yet. So I just felt some kind of way. But whatever. Hopefully she can redeem herself to me because so far is not looking good.

But besides that today was great. We went upstairs we did yoga. I did yoga with the little kids first and then went did with the big kids. With the big kids they also introduce some of my ballet stretches and that was really fun. Getting them to use their brains a little bit. Not all of them are participating but the ones that are I can tell her having a good time.

Art went really well. I was worried about Jeremiah for a while because he just did not understand that he was moving from beading to Patches. But really that was because yesterday he didn't actually do beading because he kept spilling the beads all over the place. But that's fine. He ended up sitting with our youth worker Trinity and he drew these little characters that he likes on a patch that we've been hot glued on. I was so proud of him I took that picture up there with him smiling all big. So sweet. I just wish that he would stop whining. That's my only thing that I cannot stand. We're working on it though.

Reading was great. We drew pictures on the computers of a book we've read recently. I drew some stuff from Flowers for Algernon. And then we talked about them and we had to have some conversations about critique and how you talk about other people's work. Even if you don't like it. You have to be kind. I doubt with some little kid tears but everything was okay. We were having fun.

Lunch and recess we're fine. I think I'm supposed to be having my break during recess now but that's very early for me and I don't want to have my break then so I just didn't. I stayed outside and just chilled. Then we went inside for stem.

It was very confusing for the kids because they had to go into a different room that they've been used to for the last 2 weeks. But we got everybody in the right place and then I had to take it sit down and I kind of gave them a mini introduction on myself and explain what we were going to do and my expectations for them. That if they did the project they would get free time. It's an incentive and honestly they need it. It's summer camp it's not school they should be able to have free time. Especially because I just read that article last night about how not having free play and free time outside of a structured adult activity is really detrimental for your kids and their ability to self soothe and self direct. They need to be able to learn how to do that. So it's very important for me to figure out places in the day where they can have that.

And it worked out really well. They were loud. And they weren't always listening but we explained the project. We talked about how you sneeze at a hundred miles an hour and you cough at 50 miles an hour. And then we got our watercolor paper and are smocks and we went outside.

For both classes it works very well. But the little kids were actually better at it because Miss Adina only left a little kids Spritz their paper twice. And I let the big kids do it as much as they wanted. So some of the big kids ones fell apart because they were so wet. But they were having a really good time and they were color mixing and they were being messy and exploring the medium. And they were learning but it wasn't like a lot. It was just fun. And that's what I wanted. You're outside and it's too hot and so after about 15 minutes we went back in.

We all later artwork down put her smokes away I check back in with them make sure they understood the two facts that I thought them. And then I told them guys you did the project you get 20 minutes of free time. So they got their laptops out and they got their phones out and they were having a good old time. And then at the end we close the laptops and cleaned up and they said thank you Miss Jessie and they headed out. It was so much smoother than every other day I have experience seeing the older kids. It was great. I hope that we can keep that momentum.

For the second half. When I had two little kids do it. I stepped back. I let Adina handle that. I only said a couple things. They all were smocks. They got four colors instead of six colors. Mr. Marcus was there to help. We went outside and we all did our thing. The kids work was much nicer than the older kids. They weren't as wet. You actually saw the spray pattern. It was good. Had them bring them all upstairs we laid them out too dry. I'm going to hang them up tomorrow probably. And then we went in. We watched a video and it was nice. I had a good day.

We finish up the day with some snacks and some hanging out on our yoga mats. Took the ball downstairs to go home. Hung out on the hill until everyone was picked up. And I was able to leave at like 3:45.

The bus took a little while and it was really hot out. Just so heavy and humid. And that's because rain was coming. When I was getting off the bus it wasn't raining at. And when I got to my bike it wasn't raining yet. But about two blocks down the street it was starting to rain. At first it was just light. And I thought I would be able to make it home. But then it started to pour. Just absolutely downpouring on me. It felt nice but there was lightning and a lot of wind. The few other people I saw outside trying to get stuff together and run in for looking at me with the same Panic I'm sure was on my face. I was soaked to the skin. But it was just funny at that point. There was nothing else I could do so I just went upstairs and told James to take my off of the day photo. Because it was funny. And then I took a shower.

James to pick up pizza for dinner. He seeing Hamilton with his parents and sister tonight. Which is great because it's the anniversary of the Duel at Weehawken. That's amazing. I don't know if it was on purpose but it's great. So he hung out with me for an hour and then went to go have dinner with them. And I've just been hanging out at home.

I worked on my Furby project for a little while. I've been watching videos and playing with sweetpea. Sweetpea loves pipe cleaners so he was very excited about those. I painted my toenails and now I think I'm going to get up and maybe go do something but I have no idea what my eyebrows? Play with my makeup? Who knows!

Tomorrow is the last day of camp for the week. 5 days is very hard. I do not like working 8 hours. I love my job it's very easy. But it is still a lot. I don't think I was built to work eight hours a day. I am a baby. But it's going to be a good day. I'm slightly concerned about the project tomorrow because I'm not positive we have the right materials for it. But still going to be fun. And then me and James are going to go see to Apartments. It was nice. But they're both of Mount Vernon and we're both really kind of committed to moving to Bolton Hill now. So we'll see what happens we'll make it work. I'm excited to see places because it gives us some good perspective of what the other wants. We both are pretty sure we want the same things and we know what the other one likes but it's still fun. Even if we're not going to rent these ones.

Hope you guys all have a good night. I'm sending you all Good Vibes through the universe. Sleep well. Be safe. Try not to get rained on.

#ootd #work #rain #kids art #weird dog #cat #happy #furby #thursday

[ketzwrites]

i don't know if you're still taking prompts but just in case, 57. “ Then why do you say you love me?” ................ i'm in need of angst lol

I don’t think that is quite the angst you wanted, nonny, but here we go. 

Available on AO3.

57. “Then why do you say you love me?”

Alec looked around at the party, sipping from his cocktail. The drink wasn’t strong, or, at least, it wasn’t strong enough. The Herondales’ celebration of their marriage jubilee wasn’t how Alec had intended to spend that Saturday night, but he was happy to honor his best friend’s parents even so. Stephen and Céline were the closest things he had to an uncle and aunt, so Alec would swallow down his impatience and smile when Jace came to talk to him.

It wasn’t even that Alec wasn’t enjoying the party. The food was good, the music was even better. Isabelle was having the greatest of times supplying Clary and Simon with endless booze, which was bound to be fun to watch. Uncle Luke was somewhere there too, taking Alec’s mother to the dance floor. On a regular night, Alec would immensely enjoy watching his father’s face as he had to witness Maryse finding true love in another man’s arms. One that truly appreciated and respected her.

Only, on that particular night, Alec’s mind was elsewhere. Specifically, with Magnus. Magnus, who would be out for drinks with his abusive ex-girlfriend Camille. Just a night out since she had just gotten back to the city. Another attempt to find some closure that was bound to catastrophic failure.

Alec couldn’t stop worrying about it.

His phone buzzed in his jacket’s pocket and he picked it up right away. A call from Magnus. “One second,” Alec said, answering it right away. He moved away from the noisy crowd, stepping out to the smokers’ area for some silence. “Hey,” Alec said carefully. “How was it?”

“Terrible,” Magnus muffled against the phone and Alec’s heart broke when he realized Magnus was crying. “But I guess you expected that. I guess everyone did.”

Gritting his teeth, Alec tried to ignore the anger rising up his throat. “Where are you now?”

Magnus sighed tiredly. “On my way home. There’s a bottle of vodka and a pity party waiting for me. I should’ve known this would be a disaster.” He sighed again, louder. “I think a part of me did. I should’ve gone to your boring party like you asked me instead.”

“I can take the boring party to you,” Alec offered. “Give me twenty minutes and I’ll meet you up at your place.”

“Alexander, don’t be ridiculous. Stay and celebrate with your family. I can handle myse-”

“Just hailed a taxi. Pour me a glass.” Alec hung up before Magnus could protest. He texted Isabelle to let her know where he was going and rushed to the streets. It didn’t take him long to find a taxi and soon he was on his way to Brooklyn.

Halfway there, Magnus texted him to let him know Catarina was coming too. That left a bittersweet taste in Alec’s mouth, but, in the end, he’d rather Magnus to have as many people with him. It was good to know Magnus had more than one friend that would cross the city for him in the middle of the night at a moment’s notice. That was what he deserved.

They arrived at the same time in front of Magnus’ building. Catarina smirked at Alec’s suit but made no comments. She had a pizza box in her hands that smelled deliciously, especially when they rode up the elevator to the top floor.

Magnus welcomed them already in his silk pajamas, face washed and hair messy. He looked wrecked. “Now this is a scene we don’t see every day.” He said with a hint of a smile, which put Alec’s heart at ease.

Catarina rolled her eyes and pushed the pizza into Magnus’ hands. She had probably come directly from the hospital, judging by her comfortable clothes. “Let’s finish this. I have M&Ms too.”

“Comfort food.” Magnus nodded approvingly. “I guess it is too late to make steak.” He shrugged and let them in. They all accommodated at his dinner table. Magnus had already started drinking but h had poured glasses for both Alec and Catarina. “Before you two start asking questions – and yes, Alexander, I can see the anxiety in your eyes -, I’m fine. Not great, but fine. I think that was the last time I saw Camille. Ever.”

Alec had to restrain himself from exchanging an exasperated look with Catarina. Like they’ve never heard that one before.

Magnus took a long sip of his drink. “I mean it. Camille usually can make me break, she has a way to lure me in. But this time… She didn’t even try it. She was so bitter, so envious. After her last scandal, her career is destroyed and she wanted to drag me down with her.” He shook his head. “The things she called me…”

Catarina pursed her lips together and Alec could see the anger in her eyes. “So you’re done with her?”

Nodding slowly, Magnus looked at his drink with hollow eyes. “At one point, I couldn’t help but ask her one thing. She was so intent on pointing out all the mistakes I’ve made, all the times I failed, all my flaws. I just looked at her and said, ‘then why do you say you love me?’.” Magnus swallowed hard.

Alec didn’t want to hear anymore. All he wanted was to hug Magnus and tell him that nothing Camille said was true. That it didn’t matter, because whatever happened in Magnus’ past before he and Alec met only turned him in the most amazing person Alec knew.

But Alec said nothing and let Magnus talk it out. “It was then that I realized: she never said that.” Magnus huffed, a lifeless smile taking over his lips. “All the times Camille talked about love, she talked about my love for her. Never hers for me. I…” He frowned. “When I realized that, I just stood up and left her the bar.”  

A stunned silence lasted for a second and then Catarina chuckled in delight. “You left her sitting there? Amazing.”

Alec couldn’t help but snort. “Savage.”

Magnus blinked and looked at both of them. A smile slowly took his lips and he put his drink down. There was pride shimmering in his eyes, at first shyly but then it took over his whole face. “Well, I guess that’s the end of it.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Catarina said and Alec raised his glass too. After that, their conversation derailed to a lot more pleasant topics. Catarina told them a few stories about her baby girl Madzie and, together with Magnus, they teased Alec on his fancy attire for a while. It was past four in the morning when Catarina took off.

But Alec stayed. As happy as Magnus was, he didn’t seem to want to be alone that night. He’d clanged to Catarina tightly before she left, he sat close to Alec on the couch when they moved away from the table. Magnus wanted company, he wanted the support of his friends.

Friends and whatever he and Alec were. So, Alec stayed. Frankly, because he didn’t actually want to leave.

Magnus yawned and smiled at Alec fondly. “Should we go to sleep, darling?”

“Yeah.” Alec smiled back and put away the almost empty package of M&Ms. That was far from the first time he’d spend the night in the loft, so both he and Magnus knew the drill already. Magnus would lend Alec some sweatpants and they’d share Magnus’ huge bed.

They did it when they first hooked up, years ago. They did it again a dozen more times after that, kisses or not. It was a strange friendship that they shared, but one that Alec cherished too closely to his heart to really do something about it.

He was already laying on the best, chest exposed when Magnus walked out of the bathroom and joined him. They didn’t touch, though Alec could feel Magnus’ warmth next to him. He wasn’t sure which they were that night: just friends or something else. He’d let Magnus decide.

And Magnus did, by taking Alec’s hand in his. A simple touch, but one that sent shivers down Alec’s spine. “Thank you, Alexander. For coming. For staying.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Alec whispered and laced their fingers together. He turned his face to Magnus’ and realized Magnus was staring at him intently.

Alec closed his eyes and waited. No kiss came, though. Magnus sighed and, instead, pulled closer to lay his head on Alec’s shoulder. “Is this okay for now?” Magnus asked quietly.

A hint of hope spread through Alec’s chest. “For now?”

Magnus nodded. They didn’t look at each other, but Alec knew he didn’t need to. Magnus wanted some time. Time to decompress, time for himself. He needed it. Because only then he could give himself completely to someone else.

Alec smiled and planted a kiss on Magnus’ hair. “It is. Good night, Magnus.”

“Good night, Alexander.”

Closing his eyes, Alec felt sleep come to him easily. He tried to fight it off and stay awake just a little longer. Alec may not know what he and Magnus were that night but, in the bottom of his heart, he knew what they would be.

And no dream would quite as good as that.

#malec #malec fic #magnus bane #alec lightwood #drabble #a nonny speaks up