#but she will tease him about this for the rest of danny's life

[roosterforme]

Batting Practice Part 11 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: The group outing for pizza leaves Bradley thinking about a life he never knew he wanted, and it makes going away for the week even harder. You offer to fill in as assistant coach for the week, and Bradley finds that extremely attractive. Then a very revealing phone call has Bradley ready to make you his.

Warnings: Fluff, smut, angst, swearing

Length: 4400 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female single!mom Reader

Check my masterlist for more Top Gun fun! Batting Practice masterlist.

When Bradley parked at the pizza place, his body was still humming from your touch, and he was beyond irritated about having to go up to Lemoore. All he really wanted to do was let his baser instincts take over and finally get you alone again and get his hands all over you this weekend. 

But he also wanted to stay the night and have you sleep in his arms. He wanted to make you breakfast the next morning, and go to the park with you and Ev again. He wanted to do everything, and it was unfamiliar territory. If nothing else, maybe finally getting that physical intimacy with you would make everything else his heart was feeling make a little more sense. Or at least be less scary.

He followed you and Everett inside the packed restaurant with his hand at your lower back. Bradley was afraid his grin would be permanently stuck on his face at the sight of your son clutching tightly to his stuffed Phanatic. After Bradley had witnessed Everett in tears earlier in the week because of Danny, he just wanted to do something special for the kid. 

"Over here!" Molly called, and as she popped up out of her chair, Bradley couldn't help but notice that she had her hand resting on Bob's shoulder. And that Bob was looking at her longingly. Of course Molly was pretty; she looked like Kitten. But Bradley knew Bob pretty well by now, and he knew Bob would never be interested in a woman only based on her physical appearance. So there was definitely something else drawing him to her. 

"Only four chairs?" you asked as the three of you neared the table. 

"Yeah, it's packed in here. We're lucky we even got a table," Molly confirmed. "Ev can just take turns sitting on our laps, and I get him first!"

Bradley pulled out one of the remaining chairs for you, and then he sat across from Bob. "What kind of pizza do you want, Ev?" he asked while Molly blew a raspberry on her nephew's neck. 

"Cheese!" he squealed in response. Bradley could feel your hand come to rest on his thigh, the warmth permeating the gym shorts he was wearing. When the waiter finally came over, Bradley listened to you order an extra large cheese pizza and breadsticks along with a pitcher of beer for the adults and an apple juice for Everett. 

"Hey, Coach Bob, do you like the Phillies, too?" Everett asked, still hugging his newest possession. 

"I'm a Colorado Rockies fan," Bob replied, smiling at Everett. 

He seemed to accept that answer, but then his brow scrunched up. "No offense, but I'm happy my mom likes Coach Bradley, because the Phillies are cooler than the Rockies."

You and Molly were both nearly erupting with silent laughter, and Bradley could not contain his grin.

"That's okay," Bob agreed with a laugh. "I'm happy your mom likes Coach Bradley, too. It's not easy, but somebody has to do it."

"Low blow," Bradley groaned, turning to look at you. You let your hand inch higher on his leg. 

You just shrugged and smiled at him. "It's not that terrible."

Bradley kept both hands on the table and tried to hide his smirk as you rubbed your palm against his inner thigh. When the drinks arrived, Bob poured everyone a beer, and Bradley drank half of his in one go. You were teasing him. You did it all the time, and you were fucking good at it. 

"Kitten," he rasped when your fingers grazed his cock, and he knew if you kept this up, it would be a problem.

"Hmm?" you hummed, looking at him like the picture of innocence. He glanced across the table to see that Bob and Everett were playing tic tac toe on the paper tablecloth with crayons. 

Bradley leaned down and kissed you softly and then pressed his lips to your ear. "You need to be a good girl until I can get you alone for a few hours. Then you can be as poorly behaved as you want, Kitten."

You moaned. You actually fucking moaned, and now Bradley was a little hard. "Okay, Coach."

Fuck. The things he wanted to do to you, if you let him. He shouldn't be thinking about this during dinner with them right across the table, but he was. He was thinking about his lips all over you. He was thinking about covering your mouth with his hand to keep you quiet as you screamed for him. He was thinking about how hard you made him when you came apart on his lap in the front seat of the Bronco with your nipple in his mouth. 

Everett bounded around the table when the pizza arrived, and Bradley had to start serving everyone so Ev would choose your lap instead of his. He took a few deep breaths and even cut Everett's slice in half to make it easier for him to eat. 

When he had everything under control again, he took a bite of his slice of pizza and looked around the table. You were telling Molly and Bob about something that happened to you at work, and Everett was drawing the Phillies P on the table covering while he nibbled on his food. This was nice. Bradley really liked this. Throw Nat into the mix, and this could become something he would enjoy doing every week. 

After a while, Everett ended up sitting on Bradley's lap, and he got everyone to agree to order chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Bradley ate a cookie while he tried his best to draw the Phanatic on the tablecloth while Everett held the stuffed one for him to look at. 

"Coach!" he said with a laugh. "You drew his face all crooked! He looks silly!"

"You know what, how about I stick to showing you pitches instead of drawing for you," Bradley said while he tickled Everett's sides and made him laugh harder. 

"Everett, tell him to join the Navy rec league for baseball," Bob said, and Bradley noticed that he had his arm draped across the back of Molly's chair. "Then you can watch him and I play all summer."

Everett's eyes went wide. "You could be a pitcher! Or a shortstop!"

"Yeah, we would let him pick whichever position he wanted to play," Bob added, goading Everett on.

Bradley smiled at Everett. "Would that be fun for you? Coming to games with your mom? And maybe your Aunt Molly, too?" Bradley raised his eyebrow at Molly who was now leaning into Bob just the slightest bit as she ate a cookie.

"Yes! Mom, can we go watch Coach Bradley and Coach Bob play baseball in the summer?" 

You leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Sure, Ev. If they play, we can go."

Bradley decided he would join the rec league.

-----------------------

You watched Bradley and Bob split the bill, and no matter how much you and Molly complained, they would not let either of you pay. Molly was leaning across Bob, trying to take his wallet out of his hand, and you couldn't remember seeing her smile this much around anyone she dated before. And Bob was just as bad, if not worse. His cheeks had been tinged with a little bit of pink all night, and anytime she looked at him for more than a few seconds, the shade of pink got darker. 

"Thanks for dinner," you told Bradley and Bob. "We appreciate it."

"No problem," Bradley replied, scooping Everett up for a piggyback ride out to your car. Your heart was melting. You would be a puddle of goo soon if he kept this up. He was somehow making you fall for him through his interactions with Ev.

"I'll call you tomorrow," you told your sister in the darkening parking lot as she and Bob both headed for her car, since she conveniently drove him to the restaurant. 

Then you caught up with Bradley when he was next to your car, and you heard Everett asking him, "Hey, Coach Bradley?"

"Kiddo, you don't have to call me Coach unless we're at tee ball."

"You don't like being called Coach?"

"No, I do. But you can just call me Bradley if you want to."

Everett was already so attached to him, and you wanted him in every way imaginable. 

"Okay, Bradley. Will you come to career day at my school and talk about being a pilot?" Everett said before climbing in the backseat. "You're allowed to bring two people, and Aunt Molly has to work and my mom has a boring job."

"Hey!" you complained, also kind of surprised Ev was inviting Bradley to come without mentioning it to you first.

"You do, Mom," Everett added, turning to you. 

Bradley cleared his throat and patted him on the head. "Sure, kiddo. If you want me there, I'll come."

It was that simple. You couldn't believe it. You could have spent weeks arguing with Danny about it without anything coming to fruition, but Bradley was willing to go after being asked once.

"Cool! It's on a Wednesday!" he said, hugging the Phanatic as he climbed in the car. You closed the door, and before Bradley could say anything, you had your fingers in his hair and your lips on his. 

You kissed him hard, pushing him up against your car door. His hands found your hips, and he spread his legs apart a bit, pulling you flush against him. You swiped your tongue against his lips before backing away. "We can't," you whispered, and both of you were already panting a little bit.

"I know, Kitten," he groaned. "But tell me when we can."

You bit your lip as he pushed himself away from your car door and opened it for you. "I'll miss you while you're away," you told him, and now Bradley was pressing his lips softly on your cheek. 

"I'll miss you, too."

You slid into your car seat, and then Bradley dipped his head down. 

"You have a good game on Saturday, okay kiddo? I won't be there, but maybe your mom can send me some pictures. Make me proud."

"Okay, Coach. I mean Bradley," Everett replied, and you let your lips graze Bradley's jaw before he stood to his full height. He ran his knuckles along your neck and then closed your door without another word. 

---------------------

While Bradley was away, you texted each other when you could, but you knew he was busy. But knowing you wouldn't get to see him at Saturday's game and maybe a few practices as well, had you feeling like something was missing. And unfortunately, you got cornered in your office by Frank on Friday afternoon. 

He let himself in when he knocked, and you had to fight the urge to roll your eyes. "Frank," you said blandly. "How can I help you?"

"I just wanted to see how you are. See if you're free this weekend and maybe want to come over."

You just blinked at him in silence. You had not approached him one time in weeks, so you had no idea why he thought you might want to spend time with him outside of work again. 

"I'm busy."

"Oh, okay. With your kid? Or are you seeing that other guy?"

Now you really did roll your eyes. "With my kid, Frank. Always busy with my kid."

"Right, okay."

Then he slowly left your office, pulling the door softly shut behind him. You needed a spa night. Between Danny and Frank this past week, you just needed a few hours alone. After Ev was in bed tonight, that's what you would do. If Molly hadn't picked up another shift at the hospital, you would have invited her over for sheet masks, wine and popcorn. 

Instead, after your son was in bed, you ended up tipsy, sitting on your bathroom floor with a bottle of wine while you texted Bradley and gave yourself a facial. 

Bradley Bradshaw: I keep thinking about getting you alone. It's making flying a little uncomfortable.

You were squealing with delight every time he responded to you with a flirty text. And when he sent his final text for the night, you were already getting excited.

Bradley Bradshaw: Make some time for a phone call with me on Sunday night, Kitten?

Duh. You'd give him your whole night after Ev went to sleep. You added a little reminder to your calendar, already looking forward to hearing Bradley's deep voice while you were laying in your bed. 

After you set your phone down, you ended up finishing the bottle of wine, and you were exhausted on Saturday morning when it was time to get up for the tee ball game. You did make sure to get to the field a few minutes early with Everett though, just in case Bob needed help with anything before the game started.

"You're a lifesaver," he told you, handing you his clipboard. "Can you read down the list and check everything off for me?"

"Sure," you replied, following him as he set up cones. When you go to the bottom of the list, you asked him, "Did you remember to text the parent who volunteered to bring the snack?"

Bob groaned as he set down the last base marker. "No. Bradley usually does that the night before, and I promised him I would remember to take care of it this week."

"That's okay," you told him quickly. "I have bags of goldfish crackers in my trunk as an emergency backup plan."

Bob looked so relieved as he said, "You're the best Team Mom in the history of Team Moms."

You giggled and he smiled at you. "So, I talked to Molly a little bit this morning."

"Really?" he asked, picking up the tote bag of balls and looking at you like he was hanging on your every word now. 

"Mmhmm. She's kind of wondering why you haven't asked her out yet. She gave you her number. And it's been two days."

He was so flustered, he dropped the bag, sending balls rolling in every direction. He scrambled to pick them up, and you knelt to help him. "Does she really want to go on a date with me? Like just me and her?" he asked quietly, and you couldn't help but smile at his rosy cheeks. He was adorable. 

"Yes, Bob. Probably more than one."

He stood gaping at you until the umpire walked over and started asking him questions. "Tiny Eagles. And who is your assistant coach for the day?" he asked, and Bob turned toward you with a look of panic on his face. 

You took a deep breath and watched as Everett tossed a ball back and forth with Amber. If there needed to be another coach, you supposed you could take on Bradley's job, too. "I am."

"Excellent," replied the umpire before rounding up the coaches for the Tiny Ravens. 

"Bob, I'm actually kind of useless at tee ball and baseball," you quickly admitted with a grimace.

But he just laughed. "Bradley told me you know everything now. And that you can hit a slow pitch like a pro. You'll be fine." You felt all flushed and couldn't stop grinning when you thought about him saying that stuff to Bob. "Here, let's send him a selfie," Bob said as he tossed his arm around you and snapped a photo of you and him wearing matching whistles. 

"You should send it to Molly, too," you told him, and he ran his hand nervously up and down the back of his neck.

The umpire blew his whistle, and you gathered up all of the kids. Bob talked you through everything he needed help with, and you thought you actually did a pretty great job. The Tiny Eagles even managed to pull out another win.

"Undefeated!" you cheered when Everett gave you a hug. "You were so good, sweetie!"

"I miss Coach Bradley," he said with a frown. "Will they still let him win coach of the year if he missed a game?"

You missed him, too. And Everett was so attached to him. "I think so."

Bob came over and gave Everett and the other kids high fives before they all ran off to the benches. You watched Everett change his shoes as Bob thanked you over and over again. 

"I don't mind helping out. Honestly, you did most of the work, but I can help at practices this week if Bradley still hasn't returned."

"I appreciate that," Bob said, but when you turned to walk away, he called your name. "I'm going to text Molly," he told you, and he already had a lovesick look in his eyes. "Does she have a favorite kind of food? And a favorite type of flower?"

You pressed your lips together to keep from screaming. "Sushi. And those really ugly multicolored carnations." 

"Thanks," he said before taking out his phone.

----------------------

Bradley was lounging in his tiny bunk on Sunday evening after dinner. He wasn't really being given too much down time, and he'd had a long day, but he was patiently waiting for you to call him. 

Next time Mav tried to tell he had to go to some pointless training classes, he was going to tell him to find someone else. He missed his bed, and he missed you and Everett. And he was still pissed off that he missed the game yesterday. Bob had sent him a photo of the two of you at the field. And when he heard that you had filled in as coach while he was away, Bradley got a little turned on. He liked to think that you knew more about baseball now because of him. He was itching to take you back to the batting cages again. Maybe have sex in the Bronco afterwards. 

You were all he could think about right now. He nearly dropped his phone on his face when he saw your name and photo flash on his screen when you called.

"Kitten."

"Bradley," you replied, your voice soft and sweet in his ear. "Miss you."

He closed his eyes and imagined what you looked like right now. "I miss you too, Kitten. How was your first time coaching? Bob is probably planning on firing me and keeping you instead."

Your soft giggle filled him up. "I don't know about that. But it was fun! And of course the team won, so you're still undefeated. Could you imagine if they lost on my watch?"

"I would never let you live it down. I'd still be telling you about it ten years from now," he said before realizing the implications of that particular sentence. 

"That's a long time from now, Coach," you said softly. "How's Lemoore treating you?"

He sighed at the change of subject. "It's awfully boring. There are absolutely no Kittens here teasing me."

"That's a real shame. You wouldn't believe how many other people I've had to tease this weekend in your absence."

He weighed your words and your teasing tone. "I hope you're joking, Kitten. I was hoping I could be your only ball of yarn."

You were quiet for a beat. "I'd like that," you whispered, your voice sounding soft and a little desperate. "When are you coming back?"

He groaned. "I'm not sure. Hopefully I won't have to miss another game, but I will probably miss the practices this week."

"I already told Bob I can fill in for you. I just wish I had a Phillies cap that I could wear backwards. Nobody would be able to tell the difference."

Bradley laughed. "You going to wear that tight skirt this week? Might make practice a little hard for you." Honestly, the hardest thing around for miles when you were wearing that skirt was Bradley's dick, but he didn't think he should tell you that right now.

"You really like that skirt, don't you?"

"Hell yes. I like looking at you in it. And I like thinking about you in it."

"Oh?" Your voice was so teasing, Bradley couldn't handle it. 

"Where are you right now, Kitten?" he asked, and he let his hand come to rest on his abs. 

"Well, I was in bed," you replied, and he heard some rustling noises. "But now I'm on a bit of a mission."

He almost groaned at the thought of you in your bed. "What kind of mission?"

You laughed softly through the phone. "One that you're going to enjoy, I think."

"What does it have to do with?"

You hummed, and Bradley thought he heard a zipper. "How about I just show you?"

And then you were texting him some photos. Of you. Wearing your tight skirt and a black bra. You were standing in front of your full length mirror, smirking with your unmade bed behind you. 

"Kitten," Bradley groaned, letting his right hand move a little closer to his own zipper. "Fuck."

"Oh wait, I have one more to send you," you whispered.

"I don't know if I can handle it, baby," Bradley grunted, running his fingers along his stiffening cock through his pants. 

"Mmm, just try for me." Then you sent him a photo in which you had removed your bra. Your arm and hand were strategically placed so he was treated to the barest tease of your nipples, but now he was sitting up in the tiny bed gaping at his phone. 

"Kitten. What do I need to do for you to send me just one more?"

"You want one more, Coach?" you asked in a singsong voice that had him throbbing for you as he unzipped his pants. 

"Think you can send me one without your arm covering your pretty tits? It was dark in the Bronco last weekend. I know how good they taste, but I'd love to get a better look."

You moaned into the phone, and he was ready to beg for you to send it. "Okay," you said breathlessly, and Bradley waited until another text came through.

"Goddamn, Kitten," he growled when he was finally staring at your bare beasts and half lidded eyes. "They look as good as they taste."

"Bradley," you gasped. "Are you in bed?"

He took a deep breath and eased himself back against his pillow. "I sure am."

"I wish I was with you."

"Fuck, baby. I mean, it's a twin bed, but we could probably do some damage here." You were moaning again when he asked, "Are you climbing back in your bed?"

"Yeah."

"Did you take your skirt off?"

"Yeah."

"Good girl." And then he was reaching into his unzipped pants and underwear and palming his length. As a series of soft mewls met his ears, he had to bite his lip.

"Bradley. I'm touching myself." 

----------------------

You were lounging on your mess of soft bedding, and Bradley was calling you a good girl. You tried your best not to moan too loudly into the phone, but Bradley's raspy, deep voice was making you wild inside. Every word he uttered was going right to your core, and his reaction to your photos made you so wet. 

But you wanted him to know. You wanted him to think about your wet fingers swirling around your clit.

"Bradley. I'm touching myself."

You heard him swallow and take a deep breath. "Me too, Kitten. I'm looking at your photos and thinking about you grinding against my leg."

"Oh that was so hot," you muttered, remembering just how good it felt when you came in his Bronco. If you'd had another fifteen minutes together, you were sure he could have made you cum a second time. 

You dipped your fingers down until you were fucking yourself with them as he told you, "I am so hard for you. Thinking about everything I want to do to you."

"Are you still touching yourself?" you asked, gasping as you dragged your moisture back up to your clit. 

"Yeah. I'm gonna cum soon, too," he said, his voice deeper now. You could picture his huge hands, and now you were whining, imagining him touching you instead. 

"Coach, I'm thinking about how big your hands are." 

"You know what else is big?" he grunted.

You tilted your head back and moaned his name before you saw your phone screen illuminate with a photo. It was Bradley's hand wrapped around his cock. He was huge and veiny with a swollen, red tip. The photo he sent you last weekend where he was grabbing himself through his underwear didn't do him justice. Your mouth was watering just looking at it, saliva pooling at the back of your tongue at the mere thought of how he'd fill your mouth. 

"I wish you were in my mouth!" Your voice was high pitched and breathy. And each stroke of your fingers along your clit had you close to orgasm while you looked at the photo.

"Fuck," he groaned, and you could hear the little sounds he was making at the back of his throat. "Now I'm thinking about you sucking me off."

"I can't wait to taste you."

"I can't wait to touch you everywhere, Kitten."

"I need you to fuck me, Bradley."

"You can have anything you want."

You whined his name over and over as your pussy clenched around your fingers. "Oh god," you moaned as your back arched off your bed. "Bradley."

"Fuck!" he growled, and you could hear his short breaths and imagine his hand pumping his length. 

You thought about catching his cum on your tongue. Or maybe you said it out loud as you came down from your high. Because now he was groaning, "I'll cum in your mouth. All over that pretty face." 

And then the sound of his orgasm washed over you, and it was enough to make you feel warm everywhere. He was saying your name. Groaning it. 

When he started to get a little quieter, you whispered, "When you get back, Bradley, I need you."

"Kitten. I'll take care of everything you need."

----------------------  

I can't wait until he's back in San Diego! Ahhh! Thanks to @beyondthesefourwalls and @mak-32!

PART 12

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#bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #rooster x you #rooster fanfic #rooster x female reader #rooster x reader #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw fic #rooster bradshaw x female reader #bradley rooster x reader #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick fanfiction #top gun imagine

[bellewintersroe]

Daniel Ricciardo x HornerDaughter! Reader

part 13 - dramaaaaa y/n gets upset when reading some of the weird comments after a little group holiday goes viral and secrets are starting to be exposed. Little bit of a time jump here, I wanted to get to the nitty gritty parts. Also I realised I accidentally wrote the last chapter in first person instead of third? (Or second I can’t remember wtf each one is) oops!!!! Here’s the LINK to part 12.

warnings: mentions of sex, inappropriate touching (consensual ofc) nothing too graphic, hate?? comments& crying. Mentions of readers and Daniel’s age gap, but again the ages are up to you, I’m going no lower than 22/23 because I feel kinda weird about any younger.

“How are you so tanned, Daniel?!” The almost-as-tanned girl sat down on the Australian’s bare lap. Hence the almost, being from England and from a ginger father, she was always naturally pale and tended to use spray tans to make up for the translucency of her skin.

“It’s called being Australian, baby.” Daniel cheekily grinned, holding her bum cheek and giving it a quick squeeze as soon as she sat. “Yeah, but…” y/n scooted forwards, playing with the strands of his hair. The Ibiza sea had somehow made his hair even curlier, even hers had a beachy wave to it that Daniel thought made her look like a mermaid (as he told her 5 times over). He thought she looked beautiful- he didn’t think she could get anymore beautiful until he saw her bikini cladded, in her natural form, cannon-balling off the side of the yacht they’d boarded for the night.

“You’re like so nice and dark, can’t you give some to me?” His eyes, fell to her chest, the baby pink pushing up the swell of her breasts. He just wanted to nuzzle his face deep inside of- “Daniel…” she warned.

“Right, sorry… yeah, I would if I could.” With his eyes back on her freckled face, she offered him a smile, nudging to leave his lap. Daniel’s hands tightened with a soft, “no.”

“What? You wanna have sex… again?” Her brow perked, Daniel felt hot under her gaze, and he couldn’t deny the semi that was growing in his swimming trunks.

“No- yeah.” He couldn’t even lie. They’d been at it like rabbits, and especially on this yacht, on the deck when nobody was watching, all over the bedroom, in the water (comment if you acc want me to write a smut based off this lmao). She was sore from the amount of action she’d had the past two days, but she wasn’t complaining, y/n just thought she needed to give certain areas of her body a rest.

“Daniel.” She groaned, head dropping on his shoulder. “Can’t help my girlfriends fucking sexy as fuck.” His lips pressed to the inside of her shoulder, at first she was about to shudder from the action, but the specific use of girlfriend threw her into a frenzy of excitement. “Oh, I’m your girlfriend now?” She tried to play it cool, but both of them could hear the giddiness oozing off her voice. “Uh huh… if you wanna be?” Daniel nodded up, a closed mouth smile growing on his face. “Yeah.” A giggle escaped her lips.

“Yeah? I already thought you were, you… sausage.” He teased, bouncing her slightly on his knee. “Mmmmh, whatever.” They shared a loving kiss, one that wasn’t helping Danny’s situation in his pants. “I’m gonna go shower.”

“Ok, babe. I’ll get in after you, I’m just gonna go back on deck with the lads for a bit…” The good thing about the pair of them was that they could spend as much time together as possible without getting sick of one another, Daniel felt like she was apart of himself that he’d been missing his whole life- not to sound cheesy. But spending their own time together was so important, and space for y/n felt vital, especially when she wanted to have silent time, scrolling through her tik tok. At least, she thought she wanted some time to herself. Things were going well until a specific video of an overwhelmingly recognisable yacht came up on a video. Her stomach immediately dropped, pictures of her and Daniel, engaging in nothing to explicit, but a few kisses, touches, hugging. Clearly somewhat intimate moments that they kept concealed to the public eye. She swiped furiously, concerned as to what else had been captured. Daniel untying her bikini top, the two of them making out…

Y/n felt her breathing intensify and skin prick with beads of sweat. The comments were what she feared the most- the exploitive pictures were guaranteed to bring unasked controversy.

A mixed response was guaranteed, of course people were shocked, some ecstatic, others doubtful of their age gap. It wasn’t that which bothered her, it was the intruding questions and statements of complete lies and assumptions that rattled her. It didn’t take long for tears to form when people began comparing her to Daniel’s ex’s. Questioning ‘what age’ the relationship started, pointing out insecurities on her body, commenting on their visible intimacy.

Y/n was shaking when Daniel returned into their bedroom. She froze, phone still in hand, automatically turning off her phone as though she intended to hide this from him. “Still in your towel?” He attempted to tease, reaching out to nudge it off her head. The lack of response had him confused, stepping forwards with a slight hesitation.

Daniel questioned if she was crying, before shaking it off, but when she sniffled he was falling to his knees in front of her. “Hey…” he crouched in front of the saddened girl. He reached out, both hands resting on her lap comfortably, feeling a punch in the chest when he caught sight of her tear stained face. “Somebody’s leaked pictures.” She blurted out, voice heavy with upset. Daniel felt his breath hitch.

Without saying another word she handed over her phone, allowing Daniel to see for himself. “Nothing like- really bad, but… I don’t know.” She watched his reaction through the corner of her eyes, using her towel to wipe at her damp eyes.

“Oh, y/n/n.” Daniel sighed. “Fuck. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” She let out a sad laugh. “It’s just- it’s so invasive and the comments-” her voice became choked up once again.

“Ah, babe, you know not to read them. Fuck all that, it’s not even important.” He slung an arm around her, pulling her instinctively into his chest. “Like the most people are fine- but I-i don’t care it’s just the awful ones, Daniel. How have- why has somebody followed us on a fucking boat?” Her torment was something that angered Daniel. Not towards her, but to whoever the fuck stalked them, whoever decided to be a creep and take these pictures of her- not to forget the people who sent spiteful messages.

“People just like to ruin it for their own gain. I’m sorry, baby.” Again, Daniel sighed, feeling a little lost for words as y/n cried quietly in his arms. “Don’t-dont cry, y/n/n. C’mere.” She shuffled further onto his lap, wiping at her eyes in a subtle manner. “Like now my dad has to see that, everybody’s just gonna see and-” her voice cut short to avoid becoming too distressed. Daniel felt the tension that began to grow in his muscles.

“I don’t know.” She managed to exhale after. Daniel pressed a lingering kiss to her head, and squeezed her again. There was a moment of silence which fell between the pair. Daniels mind now began lingering.

“What did they say?” He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help it.

“Just stupid shit.” He was already reaching back for her phone, glimpsing through a few of the weirder comments. “Oh, I can’t even read that shit.”

“Don’t read it then.” She muttered, biting down on her thumb. “Honestly fuck them.” Daniel inhaled, lifting up her cheek. One kiss was pressed to the rounder part of her cheek. A small, angelic kind of smile managed to peak through her sadness, even just for a second or so.

“I love you. So much, nothing in those comments will change that, will it?”

“No.” She agreed, swiping the last of her tears. “I’ll sort it out. Don’t worry.” He then nodded, a slight sense of reassurance filling her. “Are you sure?”

“Positive, baby. I’m not gonna let that slide, not when it’s upset you like this…”

————————————————————————

taglist: @dinodumbass @mccall-muffin @allabouthappiness @benbarneslut @ricciardhoe-3 @headinthecloudssblog @f1wintermoon13 @hrlzy @topguncultleader @victoriaholland @thatsouthernblondewiththeass @j-cat @lovzmez @laneyspaulding19 thankyou guys so much for commenting and following along I appreciate it, I love reading all your comments!!

#daniel ricciardo fanfiction #daniel ricciardo imagine #daniel ricciardo x reader #Daniel ricciardo #f1 x reader #daniel ricciardo x you #Daniel Ricciardo x Christian Horner daughter

[skbeaumont]

Texas Heat | Joel x Reader

Chapter 2: Same time next week?

Series masterlist Chapter 1 here

Chp. 2 summary: Your first tutoring session with Sarah goes as expected, until Joel gets home and sends your head spinning. Rating: Teen (for now) Tags/Warnings: flirting, sexual tension, age difference (reader is 25, Joel is 37), AU no outbreak Word Count: 2.4k A/N: Blown away by the response to my posts so far, thank you all so much! This story will be updated every Friday unless otherwise specified. Let me know if you want to be added to my taglist for this and others.

Taglist: @mysterialee

The next couple of days pass by in a flurry of jetlag. The Adlers are nice: Easy to get on with, friendly but not in a way that makes you feel like you’re living on top of them. Connie’s cooking is good, if a little repetitive, and Danny is sweet and makes you laugh, telling you stories about his youth living in Austin. Nana doesn’t speak, but she has your mum’s eyes, and you spend the evenings sitting by her in the living room, reading the stack of novels you brought with you, enjoying the easy company and warm sunlight.

You see Joel outside through the window one early morning, casually ask Connie about him as you watch him load toolboxes and ladders into the bed of his truck. One kid, Sarah, a brother who lives with him, most of the time, no wife. This last shouldn’t send a spike of something like excitement down the back of your spine, but it does. You’d just assumed he was married when he’d told you about Sarah – no wedding ring, but working in construction, that made sense.

The knowledge that there isn’t a Mrs Miller makes you re-evaluate the car journey back from the airport, the way he’d let his arm rest along the back of your seat, that teasing, mischievous glint in his eye as he’d said goodbye, promising to take you up on your offer of maths lessons for Sarah. Those thoughts keep you up late that night, pressing your thighs together beneath the thin cotton top sheet in the Adler’s guest room.

Early Sunday evening you bump into Sarah in the driveway when you get back from Walmart, equipped with a new US sim card for your mobile. She’s sweet, even prettier in real life than in the photo you saw, not at all shy like you were when you were her age.

“Dad said you’re good at math,” she says without preamble, appearing from the side of Joel’s truck, looking at you with a sideways expression that’s a mix of consideration and incredulity.

“Pretty good, yeah.” You reply, stomach jolting at the thought of Joel talking about you, even if it’s to say something as benign as how talented you are at maths. “I’d be happy to help you out with homework, or whatever, if you want. I promise I’ll try not to make it too boring.”

Sarah smiles at this, the incredulity in her face morphing into approval, or as close to approval a thirteen year old can manage.

“You coming, Sarah?” Joel says, stepping out of the front door, head down as he examines something on the phone he’s holding. “Oh,” he says, looking up and seeing you, “hey.”

“Hi.”

He’s dressed the same as he was when he picked you up from the airport; dark t-shirt over faded jeans, the knees a little worn, but he’s wearing a baseball cap today, pulling his messy curls back from his forehead. You feel a blush inching up your neck as he so obviously tries to avoid checking you out in the tiny shorts you pulled on that morning.

“How are you settling in?” He asks, moving to stand next to Sarah by the truck.

He crosses his arms against his chest and the movement draws your eyes to his biceps, struggling against the tight sleeves of his tee. There’s a thin slither of a tan line just above where his shirt naturally falls, paler skin peeking out. It makes your head swim.

You clear you throat, refocus your eyes on his face.

“Good, I think. It’s a big change, but it’s nice. Hot, though.”

“Texan summers.” He replies, “Take a bit of getting used to if you ain’t suffered through one before.”

“I’ll say.”

“Sarah’s keen on those lessons, by the way.” He puts a hand on the girl’s shoulder, shakes her about so that she giggles. “Here,” He pulls out his mobile. “You got a US number yet?”

“Just picked up a new sim, actually” You pull your own mobile out, read off your number to him so that he can put it into his phone.

“I’ll text you later on,” He says, “we’re just heading out now.”

You say your goodbyes and leave the sweltering heat of the driveway, listening to Joel’s truck start up and pull off. Inside, Mercy greets you, rests her head on your knee as you collapse onto the sofa, clutching your mobile to your chest.

True to his word, Joel texts later that evening as you’re getting ready for bed.

Glad ur settling in ok. Would Tuesday work for math with Sarah? She gets back from school around 4. Joel.

You type out several draft replies before finally sending one that matches his straight-to-the-point tone.

Thanks. Tuesday works for me. See you then.

His response doesn’t arrive until the next morning, and when it does, your stomach sinks.

Sounds great. Will just be Sarah though, I’m working late Tuesday.

It’s almost embarrassing how disappointed you are by those last four words. In your head, it had been you, Sarah and Joel around their kitchen table, Joel’s toned forearms resting on warped wood, his deep chuckle in your ear as you worked through maths problems with Sarah. This makes you feel guilty, of course, because the whole point of this exercise is helping Sarah with her maths homework, not flirting with her father.

You fall back against the pillows of your bed. Around you, the room is already starting to feel a little like home. All of your toiletries are stacked up on the dressing table, and you’ve put your clothes away into the generous walk-in closet. Your books are scattered about the room, a few on the bedside table, another pile of them next to the full length mirror. The bed sheets are cool when you slip beneath them, bare legs sliding against soft cotton.

You stare at the green-grey light of your Nokia, looking at the last text from Joel, wondering if you should reply or just leave it. Best to play it cool, you decide, but restraint’s never been your strong suit and before you can stop yourself you’re typing out a reply, hitting the send button and grinning into the pillowcase.

That’s a shame. I was looking forward to testing your addition skills.

He doesn’t reply.

*****

Tuesday rolls around, bringing unrelenting sun and a dry heat that keeps you indoors most of the day. You help Connie rearrange her DVDs – an impressive collection – and take Nana out onto the porch in the early afternoon, waiting for Sarah to get home from school.

It’s just before four when she appears at the end of the cul-de-sac, hair bouncing around her shoulders as she makes her way towards you. She’s got her school bag slung over one shoulder, jeans rolled up at the ankles, a pair of scruffy Nikes on her feet. 

“Hi, Nana, Connie,” she calls as she approaches the porch, gaze turning to you, “math whizz,” she finishes, grinning.

“Hi yourself,” you return, pushing yourself out of the deckchair, brushing crumbs off of your bare legs. You say a quick bye to the Adlers and follow Sarah up her own driveway and into the cool, still air of the Miller’s kitchen.

It’s a little disorderly: there are pots scattered on the kitchen sides, and a menagerie of clutter on the table which sits under a window, bright afternoon sunlight streaming in. Sarah dumps her school bag on this, pushes a notepad, two tape measures and a pair of mugs out of the way so that you can sit beside her.

“Okay,” she says, drawing out an exercise book and placing it in front of her, “before we get into this I need you to understand that math is my weakest subject.”

“Right,” You say, watching her serious expression as she pushes the book across the table towards you, “understood.”

“And you need to promise me you won’t judge me based solely on my algebra skills, or lack of them.”

This makes you laugh, a chuckle bubbling up out of your throat. Sarah holds your gaze, her face still serious.

“Sorry,” you say, “I mean to say, I would never judge anyone based on their maths skills.”

Sarah’s face breaks into a grin. “I’m just messing with you.” She says, laughing at the look on your face. “I am pretty bad at algebra, though.”

She’s not. You work through a dozen or so exercises, helping her when she gets stuck, showing her where she’s going wrong, but she’s actually fairly good at the calculations once you’ve explained it to her a couple of times. The afternoon goes by quickly. After two hours or so Sarah stretches in her chair, yawning.  

“You wanna stay for dinner?” She asks, pushing the exercise book away from her. “It’s just leftover chicken casserole, but there’s enough if you want some.”

“Oh, uh, sure.”

You sit by as she reheats the casserole, refusing your offers of help. Instead, you look around the rest of the room, searching out little hints of Joel that are tucked about: A pair of worn leather sandals by the back door, two plaid shirts hanging on the back of the door to the living room, a battered, dog-eared copy of a drill instruction manual, well-read and ringed with coffee stains.

It’s comfortingly domestic, and it makes your chest ache a little, thinking of your mum back home in London, all the friends and familiarity you left behind. Then Sarah’s placing a hot plate of casserole in front of you, joking about the fact that you don’t look very much like a mathematician, by which she means you don’t resemble Albert Einstein.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” You tell her, and she smiles.

“You should. You’re much prettier than he was.”

You help Sarah do the dishes, stacking them neatly on the side to be put away later. After, Sarah asks if you want to stay and watch a movie, and you both spread yourselves out on the sofa in the Miller’s living room, flick on the television and watch Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver mess about in outer space.

Sarah falls asleep before the film ends, even though the sun hasn’t fully set and its barely ten. You’re debating waking her when there’s a rattling from the kitchen and the sound of the front door creaking open. Joel.

You hear him clear his throat, scrape his boots on the door mat and then his deep voice is cutting through the silence of the house. “Sarah? You still up, baby?”

Sarah shifts where she’s asleep next to you but doesn’t stir. You push yourself off the sofa, step into the kitchen. Joel’s pulling off a toolbelt from around his waist, thick fingers unbuckling the clasp in a way that makes your heart rate jump up.

“Hey,” You say, leaning against the doorframe.

He jumps, his eyes shooting up to you before recognition softens his gaze.

“Hi,” He replies, finally working the toolbelt off and letting it drop onto the worktop beside him, “I didn’t expect you to still be here. Everything alright?”

“Oh, yeah, fine. Sarah made me dinner and we watched a movie. Well, she fell asleep.”

Joel chuckles at this, rolling his eyes, “Yeah, she has a habit of doin’ that.”

“Work okay?” You ask, thinking you should probably leave him to a restful evening, not wanting to at all.

“Long,” He says, rubbing at the coarse stubble on the side of his jaw. “How did math go?”

“Good. She’s bright, just needed a little bit of guidance with it.”

“Always been switched on. Dunno where she gets it from.” He steps around the kitchen island, rolling his jacket down off of his shoulders as he goes, narrow hips winding around the island and the fridge toward you.

He pulls a ten dollar note out of his back pocket, hands it to you between two thick, calloused fingers. “For the lesson,” He says.

“You don’t have to, Joel, honestly.”

“S’only fair, darlin’” He proffers the note again and you take it, trying not to think about the way that casual darlin’ has gone straight to your head, blood rushing to your cheeks so that they feel like they’re on fire.

“She in there?” Joel asks then, nodding behind you to the lounge. “Oh, yeah,” You turn, let Joel look past you into the darkness of the living room, where Sarah is spread out on the sofa, breathing deeply, eyes flickering in the dull light from the paused DVD. 

As he leans into the room he steps toward you, the movement bringing him distractingly close, making you notice how much taller he is than you, how much broader. The t-shirt he’s wearing is stretched almost painfully across his shoulders, wear showing in the stressed seams. The patchy stubble at his jaw is longer than it was a few days ago, covering the sharpness of his jaw, the strong lines of his throat.

He looks away from Sarah’s form on the sofa then, his dark eyes flicking over your face, catching you watching him. You feel a blush creeping along your neck and up to your cheeks, and try to look away, but he’s holding your gaze, pupils wide in the dim light. Then his eyes dip down to your lips, follow the slight movement of your tongue as it worries at the edge of your mouth.

You can feel heat rolling off of him in waves and you wonder how it would be to push yourself up onto tip-toes and kiss the corner of his plush lower lip. This close, you can see the thin creases that line his eyes, the beginnings of grey in his dark eyebrows, raised slightly and pinching in the middle as he looks at you.

Your head is tilted up, your breath mingling in the dizzyingly narrow space between you. He clears his throat. You both realise, quite suddenly, how close you’re standing. Before you can say anything he’s moving back, tension breaking as he takes the white-hot heat of his body with him, leaving you flushed and dizzy.

“I should get Sarah to bed.” He says into the silence.

There’s a flush in his tanned face, painting his cheeks a deep red-brown, evidence that you aren’t alone in your distraction, in the surge of arousal that seems to be lighting you up from the inside. He runs a hand through already dishevelled hair.

“Right,” you reply, hoping he can’t hear the quaver in your throat, “I should head home.”

Outside, you rest for a moment against the wall next to the Adler’s front door.

Your heart is still thumping in your chest, each beat a reminder of the look in Joel’s eyes as he towered over you, his breath hot on your face, pupils blown wide because of the darkness, or maybe something else.

Before you get inside, your phone buzzes. The text is from Joel.

Same time next week?

You grin at the screen.

#joel miller #joel miller fic #joel miller au #joel miller smut #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller fanfic #the last of us #the last of us fanfiction #AU!no outbreak

[bon2bonn]

This City

2022!F1 grid X female!driver!reader

Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Charles leclerc X female!driver!reader.

Words count : 1.2k

*the song belongs to : Sam fisherr , and the version I chose features Anne Marie , it's one of my favourites, and in a way it reflects how the female!driver felt through her 22 season and I saw that it fits with both Charles struggles with Ferrari through 23 , and Danny's through his journey after red bull till he went back in 23 , so I hope you enjoy it ✨. If you have anything to say, add or thoughts on this au! share let me know .

*First side/extra chapter of Weathering Your Storm au! (WYS) ✨

Lando sat back as he returned from refilling his drink for the second time that evening , the chatter of his friends going around him as they conversed and joked with eachother , not long ago they had dinner , all of those who could attend argued on who'll do the dishes and he unfortunately lost the rock paper scissors to both Daniel and Max, along with Charles who lost to Carlos and y/n . Both of them grumpled under their breath as y/n (the host for the night) teased them about breaking her dishes .

Their monthly dinner started off as a spontaneous get-together but extended to turn into an ongoing tradition , everyone took turn to host it once a month for whoever is available to attend , hosting or going out in lando's case (he almost burned his house down, twice) except for Christmas where it's almost mandatory to attend the end of year dinner .

This month it's y/n's turn and she did not disappoint, a decent homemade meal along with desert's and everyone's favourite drink of choice . now they scattered around catching up on what's everyone is up to , Carlos and Charles along with Max, Daniel and himself were the ones who stayed back as Seb , Lewis , Mick ,Lance , Pierre and yuki left earlier all having flights to catch the next day , but the rest opting to stay and enjoy the rest of the night night .

After few drinks Charles took a seat at her Grande piano, playing some tunes but still engaged in a conversation with Max and Carlos , arguing while they both shook their heads in denial, Daniel had his guitar (that he always leave at her place and she'd always jokingly say that she'd sell it to a junk yard if he keeps on leaving it behind) strumming it mindlessly as he and y/n who sat next to him with her feet kicked up on the table before them were talking about something that Danny nods at , his eyes are focused on her as she went on explaining before turning to Charles who started off a new tune getting his attention along with the others as he called "I know this song" before humming for a moment then strumming the stings following up the tune Charles started .

He turned to y/n who started humming along to the music stopping to nudge her to sing along "com'on , it's one of your favourites " , she shook her head " I can't sing to save my life" he gave her an eye roll scoffing as he say " you keep saying that but we all know that not true , and anyone who can sing better than lando is a great singer " earning a cushion to the head from the offended driver as everyone around fell into a fit of laughter agreeing to Daniel statement , but also ushering their friends to sing . As she finally obliged they restarted from the top . Lando took it as a chance to set his phone on one of the shelves adjusting the angle to get everyone in the frame " I'll send it to the group chat later" before sitting down .

Daniel started the first verse softly :

"I've been seeing lonely people in crowded rooms

Covering the old heart breaks with new tattoos

It's all about small screens and cigarettes

Looking through low lights at silhouettes

But all I see is lonely people in crowded rooms"

Nodding at her to start the chorus along with him :

" This city is gonna break my heart

This city is gonna love me then leave me alone

This city is got me chasing stars

It's been a couple months since I felt like I'm home

Am I getting closer to knowing where I belong ?

This city is gonna break my heart

She's always gonna break your heart"

Letting her carry on with the second verse :

"Monday through Friday I don't do so well

I wanna call you but I stop myself

And you're the only one I wanna run to , yeah

Cause I've been drinking lately , so I forget

Wondering what this place will give me next

Cause all I see are lonely people with broken hearts"

This time Charles joined in the chorus all three sang in harmony :

" oh This city is gonna break my heart

This city is gonna love me then leave me alone

This city is got me chasing stars

It's been a couple months since I felt like I'm home

Am I getting closer to knowing where I belong ?

This city is gonna break my heart

She's always gonna break your heart".

Her and Daniel joined together in the third verse :

" She's got a hold on me

I got a hold on you

She got me wrapped round her fingers

Yeah, yeah , yeah

She got a hold on me

I got a hold on you

She got me wrapped round her fingers".

She hit every high note with ease as everyone joined them in singing the last chorus :

"This city is gonna break my heart

This city is gonna love me then leave me alone

This city is got me chasing stars

It's been a couple months since I felt like I'm home

Am I getting closer to knowing where I belong?

This city is gonna break my heart

She's always gonna break your heart

I didn't mean to break your Heart"

Letting Danny strum the last note before adding softly:

"I didn't mean to break it ".

They all applaused at the end whooping and whistling as she joined them before covering her face as they turned to her with compliments and praise , groaning into her hands as lando passed her to grab his phone back .

Danny nudged her with a playful smile " if racing didn't turn out well , we could flip a coin and start a band , what do you say ?" she shoved him away "like hell I'd let anyone hear me sing in public!" Then turning to lando who looked like he saw a ghost tilting her head in question" what's wrong?" For him to look at her with guilt then showing her his screen that displayed an Insta live going with her own face now looking back at her , with comments flooding the side of the screen , frowning for a second trying to process what occurred before snapping her head to lando in disbelief , the rest came to take a look in curiousity all fitting in frame as comments rolled up before turning to lando who backed up in attempt to flee the scene .

The screen shook before it changed to Carlos holding the phone along with Max both trying to shut the live down (more like them reading comments and greeting fans instead) , lando is seen screaming for his life in the background where he got tackled by y/n on his way to the door , Danny and Charles trying to prey her off his back .

Max turned to them after reading some comments a hand on his hip as he called aloud over lando's screaming "y/n! Seb said You can't kill him , the live is still on! " Carlos added a second after "Fernando said do it" turning back to the screen right before it's turned off.

#f1 #f1 x reader #f1 fic #f1!au #weathering your storm #daniel ricciardo #charles leclerc #max verstappen #carlos sainz #lando norris #f1 x female driver #driver!reader #daniel ricciardo x reader #daniel riccardo imagine #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc x female reader #charles leclerc x you #charles leclerc imagines #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen x you #max verstappen imagines #lando norris x y/n #lando norris x reader #lando norris imagine #carlos sainz x reader #carlos sainz x you #carlos sainz x female reader #carlos sainz x y/n #f1 grid x reader #22/23!f1 grid x reader

[thewritingofspencerrose]

In a World of Boys

Lance Stroll x pregnant!OC

josie.jackson

liked by lance_stroll, chloestroll, scottyjames31 and 20,589 others

josie.jackson in a world of boys, he's a gentleman 🤍

lance_stroll my whole heart 💚

fan01 someone please tell me i'm not the only one who noticed the white and green hearts???

"Did you really have to post that middle photo? I did not need to see my brother-in-law shirtless," Scotty complains, glancing up from his phone to meet my eyes from where he's sat on our couch, Chloe wrapping in his arms while Daniel sits to his other side, only fueling our constant joking that he's the one truly married to Scotty.

Before I can even answer him Chloe has wapped him upside the head, turning around with a glare. "Shut up. Now. They're cute and in love and I've never seen Lance happier. Plus I love Josie more than I do him so if you ruin this I swear to-"

"Okay, that's enough of that," Lance hushes, his voice vibrating through his chest as he holds me close on his lap. "Also, I'm insulted Chlo. I thought we were closer than this."

"We are," Chloe assures with the softest smile, turning to me before continuing. "But then you brought her into my life and she's my new favorite family member."

"Awe, Stroll I really think you're closer than you know to losing your girlfriend and baby to your sister," Danny comments, his smile bright as the sun at the opportunity to tease Lance, Scotty chiming in with his own laughter.

"You boys need to leave him alone," My tone chimes in, sounding like a mother already. "We all know I won't be leaving Lance for Chloe," I assure, although I do send Chlo a wink, Lance wrapping me tighter in his arms and starting to poke at my sides, making me giggle. His hands come to rest on my stomach, baby boy kicking at his father's attention.

"How have you two kept the little one such a wrapped secret anyways? Does Lawrence even know?" Scotty questions, having asked the original question a couple years ago. Does Lawrence know his son is dating someone? The answer had been no, but Lance had gotten his personality from his father, and it was clear as day when Lance first introduced me to the original L.Stroll.

And I thanked Lawrence that day, nearly six months into my relationship with his son, for raising not just a boy, but a gentleman in a world of boys.

Lawrence's response? A hearty laugh and the question on if I was talking about the right man.

"No, we're going to announce it at the family Christmas party," I answer on our behalf, my hand joining Lance's over baby boy. "I've managed to get away undetected so far with large Aston Martin gear and loose dresses, but when I'm not able to attend the first few races next season, Lawrence will have questions."

"Ah," Daniel grins, gathering our attention. "The grid nepo baby has a baby, I can see the headlines now."

#lance stroll #formula 1 fanfiction #formula 1 #f1 fanfic #f1 social media au #lance stroll x oc #original character #the writing of spencer rose #formula one

[dannythedog]

Collage by @stardust-chords-enthusiast

Pairing: Sam Kiszka x fem!reader

Word Count: 11.1k

Summary: You've grown up with Sam Kiszka as a best friend. As the two of you get older, you realize your feelings may be morphing into something more. What will happen when Sam finally invites you to the annual Kiszka lake trip where a string of crimes have taken place?

Warnings: mentions of marijuana, alcohol consumption, swearing, body image issues, talk of death

A/N: I just want to thank @gretavanfran for encouraging me to run with this idea and offering to help me write. We've never written something like this before so we're a little nervous to post this lol but feedback is appreciated and let us know if you want a part two!! We have so many more ideas for where this can go and would love to share with you guys

_

“Let’s go!” Sam calls from the front door of your house. The patience in his voice is wearing thin and it makes you zip your bag faster, accidentally pinching the skin of your forefinger. It’s time for the annual lake trip the Kiszka family takes at the beginning of summer. Sam usually opted to take his other best friend Danny, leaving no room for you, but this year there was an extra space. You’ve known Sam since seventh grade, the both of you meeting on the junior debate team. He was the only student who actually challenged you and he liked your passion, so you two quickly became inseparable.  

Heaving your duffle up, you rush to the door. “Sorry,” you breathe. “Just had to make sure I didn’t forget anything.”.

 “Yeah, yeah, just give me the bag so we can get going.” Reaching for the bag on your shoulder, Sam lets out a breathy chuckle.

“Wait, Sam, I ha-,” you were quickly interrupted by the long haired man.

“I already checked the back door, walked through the house and unplugged everything. Bug, everything’s going to be okay. Learn how to relax a little, alright?” 

“I’m always relaxed,” you mumble in a grumpy tone. 

“Oh really? When’s the last time you genuinely had fun without having to worry about anything?” He got you there, you were always anxious - anxiety was practically your name and overthinking was your game. You couldn’t help but think about if everything was going to plan, constantly worrying about safety. Except for when you're with a certain golden retriever boy. Sammy. He was fearless and lived life without a care in the world, that’s why you believed that you two quickly became friends. Opposites attract after all - he made the overthinking disappear in you and you made him pay more attention to the things that surrounded him.

After tossing the bag into the back seat of his beat up Jeep Cherokee where his own luggage rests, he clambers into the driver’s spot. “My mom’s gonna be so mad if we’re super late. She only agreed to let me drive as long as I was semi on time.”

“Well, maybe you should’ve let me drive,” you tease. The entire Kiszka family had a bad habit of being late, something that irked you to your core. Turning your head to look at the man in the driver seat, you watch in amusement as he lets out a scoff, throwing the car in reverse. He places an arm on your seat and checks for traffic both ways before entering the road.

“What, so we could be there four hours early? Leave at six am? No thanks, I’d rather sleep.”

“You know, backing into a main street is illegal right?” Now turning to face you, Sam dramatically rolls his eyes and flashes you that beaming smile of his.

“Bug, I want you to relax on this vacation. Mommy and Daddy won't be there to make sure you dot your I’s and cross your T’s.” 

As much as you hated to admit it- Sam was right. It’s been forever since you’ve actually relaxed. On top of your chronic over thinking - your parents watched you like a hawk. They always told you the strictness was because they wanted you to get into a top of the line college. Ever since you got the acceptance letter from the University of Michigan, you were expecting them to ease up. Wrong - if anything they tightened the reins more. Even though you were eighteen and freshly graduated high school, you had to practically get on your hands and knees begging them to allow you to accompany Sam all while reassuring them a million times that Sam’s parents were going to be there. 

“I am relaxed. Let’s get going. You know we'll never hear the end of us being late from Jake,” you breathe out, crossing your arms across your chest. As if his smile couldn’t get any bigger, it was practically ear to ear as he watched you slowly come to the realization he was right. 

“Aye aye, Captain. No more funny business. Wouldn’t want to keep Jacob waiting,” he replies to you in a teasing tone, while throwing the car into drive.

A warm breeze pours through the windows as the journey starts. It rustles the haphazardly placed locks on Sam’s head, a messy bun being his go to for the summer, and it somehow manages to make him look softer. Your eyes trail down to his plump lips, only landing there briefly before moving onto his outfit. He dons a denim button up that only has the bottom few buttons done, a pretty tiger’s eye pendant resting on the exposed skin of his chest, a pair of the tiniest khaki shorts you’ve ever seen, and of course his trusty Birkenstocks. While his outfit was casual, it still made you feel a little frumpy. You just wore a pair of black biker shorts and a tie-dye shirt, two sizes too big, with some black Tevas. 

“So why couldn’t Danny go this year? Not that I’m complaining, I’m really happy to be invited.”

His brown eyes glance over to you for a moment, lips forming into a small frown. “His family planned their own vacation. It’s kind of ass that I’ve never invited you before, huh? I’m sorry that I’m an idiot.”

You wave him off, trying to play it like you never felt an ache in your chest when you watched the family drive off every year. “I get it, it’s a boys thing. No biggie.”

He still looks guilty despite your casual reassurance, but doesn’t press any further. Sam really did feel bad that he never invited you before. He wasn’t sure if you would like hanging out with him and his family for a week straight, emphasis on his brothers. His older twin siblings could be a lot sometimes. Josh was a little over-friendly and Jake could be too cold. Inviting anyone on vacation was asking for trouble - especially a girl and most definitely if that girl was you. The twins have known you for just as long as their little brother had. But Sam knew that they wouldn’t let up on the teasing - it would be relentless.

 Unbeknownst to you, they would wait until you left the room or have your back turned and would always make kissy faces at the younger boy - mocking him about how in love he was with you and how you were his ‘little secret girlfriend’.  Sam could take the teasing one day at a time, but he felt like a whole week’s worth of teasing would be too much for him to handle. So, he always opted to bring Danny. Plus, he wanted you all to himself, but no one had to know that.

“Hey, you know what I brought?” He grins a little too widely. “Check my backpack. The small pocket in the front.”  

You reach into the back, very obvious suspicion settling across your face. Pulling his beat up tie-dye bag into the front with care was not an easy feat. It was stuffed full and piled under a bunch of other luggage. With just a bit of grumbling, you dig into that small pocket and pull out a baggie filled with joints.

 “Sam!” you hiss. “Did you forget your parents are going to be with us?”

He reaches over and gives your arm a gentle shove. “See? This is what I was talking about earlier. You never have fun without worrying about everything.”

 “I’m sorry,” you sigh and put the baggie back. “You’re totally right. I don’t know why I got weird about it.”

Your face flushes and you feel embarrassed. He was right. Why couldn’t you let loose and just enjoy this time being close with Sam? Don’t ruin this for yourself. 

“Hey,” he says softly, that same frown from earlier returning.

“No, it’s okay. You are right. It’s not often I’ll admit that, so take it while you can,” you grin.

The few hour drive is peaceful, filled with laughter and good music. Sam never fails to keep you entertained. That was another checkmark on the long list of things you adore about him. You weren’t sure how Sam didn’t realize you were falling for him. You didn’t try to make it obvious, but you figured he would at least see the little things - the way you’d always make sure to have his favorite snacks around, wake up at absurd hours to make Walmart trips, how you’d do just about anything he asked. Honestly, you’d probably follow this man to the depths of hell if he asked you to.   

“Where are we?” you garble, not noticing that you drifted off at some point, finally waking when Sam turns onto a rather bumpy back road.

“About five minutes from the house. Our place is in a pretty secluded spot, not many neighbors.”

The road is covered with rocks and potholes, making it impossible for your bodies to stay still, rocking side to side with each bump and sway of the vehicle. Lush trees fill the spaces on either side of the road and overtake your senses. It’s hard to see through the thick greenness of the vegetation, but it’s beautiful and makes everything feel so serene. Like you weren’t still in your home state of Michigan. The trees began to thin the closer you got to the house, opening to a small clearing with a great view of the sparkling lake. You could see an expanse of sandy beaches spread out at the back of the property with a hole dug out near the house as a makeshift fire pit.  There’s a small dock a bit further down with an old rowboat attached to it, gently bobbing in the mild waves. 

Sam parks his Cherokee next to the family’s Suburban and shoots you an excited smile. “Ready for the chaos?”

“As I’ll ever be,” you scrunch your nose at him. 

The both of you pull yourselves from the car to collect your bags. The thick summer air soothes the goosebumps that formed from the air conditioning that Sam insisted on blasting. He claimed the AC barely worked at the lake house. 

“OI!” a voice rings from above you, disrupting the gentle call of some sparrows. Your eyes flick up to see the long haired twin  leaning dangerously over the railing of a balcony. 

“It’s about time you made it!” Jake spins around and heads back inside before either of you can answer. Your eyes trail from the balcony to take in the rest of the house. It’s a moderately sized cabin-esque looking building with sloping green roofs that match the color of the doors and window frames. The rustic vibe is a little cheesy and slightly outdated, but it’s welcoming. 

“Hi, Bug,” Jake grins when he emerges from the front door. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

 You think you can hear Sam grumbling about how that’s his nickname for you, but you ignore it. 

“C’mon inside. We saved a room for you two.” Jake takes the bag off your arm and offers a side hug, giving you a gentle squeeze. 

You flush at the thought of sharing a room and possibly a bed with Sam - you hadn’t considered that when you agreed to come along. His parents were pretty lenient but you figured you’d be sleeping on one of the couches. 

The house offers reprieve from the unforgiving sun. Despite being quite cold only minutes ago, you can feel a bead of sweat trickle down the back of your neck. The inside isn’t as cheesy as you thought it would be. There were picture frames hung up along the walls, displaying memories from previous trips. One of young Sam catches your eye and brings a small smile to your face. He’s submerged in the lake with a bright orange life jacket on that looks like it could strangle him at any moment, smiling widely with little gaps in his teeth. 

“We’re here!” Sam calls out and ventures towards the bedrooms. 

Just like clockwork, the shorter twin pops his head into the hallway. “This one is your room.” 

The three of you meander to the room Josh was currently in, only half wondering why he was in your room anyways. 

“Shut up!” Sam gasps and almost drops his bag, trying to think of something else to say but his mouth just hangs open. Out of the corner of your eyes you could see the twins beaming - not wanting to be left out, you poke your head into the room and see a lanky, curly haired man lounging across the queen sized mattress. 

“Hey, guys,” Danny says with a shit eating grin. “Heard you might have extra room.”

Finally over the shock of seeing his best friend, Sam turns to his brothers with confusion written all over his face.

“Mom and Dad didn’t come this year. They figured since we’re ‘all grown up’ that we’d want a week here alone. We coordinated the Danny part just because it was fun,” Jake speaks nonchalantly. 

Sam simply can’t contain his excitement any longer and bounces on his best friend, rambling on about how much fun they’re going to have.

“That was sweet of you guys,” you murmur to Jake, watching as his face twinges pink. He simply shrugs and sets your bags near the dresser. Once the enthusiasm calms a bit, the other three clear out of the room to let you and Sam unpack. Your eyes travel over to the queen sized bed over and over, worry settling deep into your chest.

You clear your throat. “I can take the couch if you want. Or I could see if maybe Danny wanted to switch rooms.”

Sam doesn’t even look up from putting his shirts into a drawer as he chuckles a bit. “Why would you do that?”

Your face scrunches in embarrassment. You’re not sure why you’re embarrassed about this discussion. It’s just Sam. Just your best friend who you are hopelessly falling for and now have to share a bed with. Not a big deal at all.

“Just wanted to give you options, that’s all,” you say a little too defensively, praying that he couldn’t see the pink blush starting to cover your face. 

“I think you’re trying to get away from me. I can’t stop you from taking the couch, but I promise I really don’t mind if you sleep with me. In fact, I think I’d like it if you joined me.” Sam flashes you a smile as he finishes unpacking. With that he walks out of the room, leaving you to internally panic about what his words could possibly imply. Was he just flirting with you? Or perhaps it was just your feelings muddying his statement.

Fingers tug on the hem of your shirt, startling you out of your panicked daze. It’s Jake inquiring if you’ll come out to swim with everyone since it’s ‘hot as balls outside.’ Not giving you an option to say no - or to even give him an answer, he makes his way over to the door and slams it shut. Rolling your eyes at the loud noise, you head over to your bags, silently thankful you brought your good bikini.  Lifting up your shirt in hopes of changing into the swimwear sooner than later, you found yourself being interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Startled by the intruder, you whip around at a lightning speed to find Sam and Danny casually standing in the doorway. 

“Don’t you guys know how to knock?” you huff out at the boys. 

“Sorry, we didn’t expect you to be changing already. Sammy boy just needs to grab his trunks,” Danny speaks softly, shooting you an apologetic smile as he makes his way into the room sitting down on the bed. Sam, on the other hand, seemed to be frozen in his spot. Geez, what is up with him today. 

“You going to come in or are you going to keep standing there like a creep?” Danny chuckles out at Sam. It worked. You watch Sam as he keeps his eyes on the floor, heading over to the dresser, reaching in one of the drawers and pulling out his favorite pair of red bottoms. 

“I…Sorry. C’mon Danny. Let’s go downstairs.” Sam ignores your eye contact and walks over to the long haired curly man sitting on the bed, pulling him by his shirt sleeve over to the door and making sure to close it. 

Deciding not to think about the way Sam was acting, you quickly change into the baby blue and white floral print bikini. Standing in front of the mirror, you take a second to study your reflection. This swimsuit was new and if you were being honest with yourself, you were absolutely terrified to bring it at first. After all, this was supposed to be a ‘family trip’ and you didn’t want to have Sam’s parents look at you in an ill mannered light. Why would they? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s the fact your boobs were practically spilling out of the cups and the bottoms are leaving little to the imagination. 

You couldn’t help but to have some insecurities cross your mind when you thought about if Sam would like this specific suit on you. Sure, you’ve been around him countless times in the water, but you always wore a one piece. After graduating high school, you felt yourself trying to be a little more bold in your outfit choices. Not to mention that Sam always likes his girls to be on the skinnier side and you just so happened to be a little bit more curvy.  Fuck it, what do you have to lose. You trot down the stairs, slowly building up more and more courage to walk out to the lake where you could see the four boys splashing around through the window.  

“Ooh mama! Looking good!” Josh yells as you approach the lake, making the other  three boys turn around to take a glance at your form.  

Their watchful eyes make you feel bashful, especially after Sam’s weird reaction in the bedroom. You try to fight the urge to cover your body up but it’s slowly winning. Every dip, bump, and stretch mark suddenly feels like a neon sign that reads, ‘Look at me! I’m insecure!’. Feeling defeated, you grab your towel and begin to wrap it around your torso as walk slowly to the beach.

The sun’s rays are vicious. Sweat is already beading at your brow and the tops of your shoulders feel hot. A small breeze ripples through the trees and gently caresses over your heating skin, giving slight relief. 

“Put your towel down! Get in!” Danny calls out as he splashes water at an unsuspecting Jake. This earns him a punch to the shoulder and a small grumble.

You hesitate, insecurities still running wildly through your mind. What if they laughed at you? What if Sam was disgusted by your flaws? You knew you wouldn’t be able to handle that. 

“Hey, let me see you,” Josh encourages. “I’ve never seen that bathing suit on you before. Is it new? Do a little twirl for me!”

“It’s just a bathing suit,” Sam bites at his older brother. This makes you clutch your towel tighter to your body and cast your eyes to the sand. You knew it. Sam thinks you look hideous. 

Watching the boys in front of you - you couldn’t possibly think of actually going into the water and exposing yourself to them. You know that Sam takes after his older brothers when it comes to finding his type in women. 

Plopping down into the grass and giggling to yourself, you watch as Josh rolls his eyes and smacks the back of his younger brother’s head.

Trudging through the shallow water in your direction, he lifts his chin as a beckoning gesture. “C’mon, Bug. Get in the water.” Your knuckles were practically white from how hard you were gripping the towel now that Josh was stalking through the sand.

“Josh, I don’t feel like it.” 

“I will carry you in there if I have to.” 

“You and I both know that’s not a possibility,” you spit out at him, trying not to let your insecurities show. Instead of replying, Josh moves even closer to you and starts looking like he was trying to figure out where to place his hands to hoist you up. 

“No. No. No. Stop right there,” you protest. 

“Relax. I’m not going to hurt you. Just come into the water.” Josh looks to you with pleading eyes. Fuck those, baby cow eyes get you everytime. Reluctantly nodding your head, you get up - but not without making sure the only thing keeping your sanity was wrapped around you securely. 

“You won’t need that in the water,” Josh hums at you as he takes your hand in his, leading you over to the dock. 

“I know. I just want to leave it on the dock.” He looks like he doesn’t want to believe you at first, eyeing you suspiciously, but ultimately choosing to drop the issue at hand. 

While you’re distracted with Josh, Sam’s eyes are glued to the two of you. What the hell is he doing? Why are his hands on her like that? Sam didn’t care that you were friendly with his brothers. He actually loves that you get along with them, but his fear was steadily coming to fruition. You were his person and his brothers seemed to have no problem robbing you from him just as they did with Daniel. 

As he watches you sit on the edge of the dock he hopes and prays you’ll look at him, but only sees your eyes follow Josh’s form into the water. His chest tightens when Josh grabs your legs. “What are you doing?” you panic slightly. The older twin simply gives you his widest smile before pulling you into the depths. 

The lake is colder than you expect it to be and it shocks the air from your lungs. It’s a good few seconds before you can let out a screech at Josh. He clutches you tightly to him, not caring that you’re desperately grabbing at the sopping fabric of your security blanket as it drifts away with each of his movements. “See? Not that bad, huh?”

He was right. Being submerged covered you in a way and it felt nice to cool off. “Okay,” you break. “It’s not horrible, but you’re a real dick for pulling me in.”

Sam can’t stand seeing his older brother’s hands on you. They way they hold you so delicately. It feels far too intimate to Sam. There’s this horrible clawing in his stomach that pulls him to the shore and up to a grassy area, listening to your giggles as you splash around. Having fun without him.

Your eyes finally drift over to Sam when you notice him get out. Water droplets cascade over his tan skin like rivulets and his thin frame is stretched out to soak up the sun. He’s completely in his element. You think he looks most beautiful like this. Sam has always loved nature - he begs you to come on mini hikes that turn into impromptu picnics of trail mix and granola bars, long trips to the beach where you spend your day swimming and kayaking, hell, he even loves it if you just come lay in his hammock with him.

“Alright! Me and Danny will be partners, so that leaves you and Josh,” Jake declares. You tear your eyes from your best friend and look to his older brother - that honestly could be his twin - to give him a questioning look. Jake rolls his eyes. “I just said we’re playing chicken.” 

The insecurities begin to creep back into your mind and you quickly glance to the sunbather only feet away. 

“Stop that,” Josh murmurs. “Climb on my shoulders. I’ll swim under water.” You don’t know how he knows what you’re thinking, but you don’t have too much time to question it before he’s swimming between your legs and hoisting you into the air. The curly one lets out a warm chuckle as he hears the shriek leaving your lips. You think you see Sam start to sit up as he sees his older brother securing his hands around your thighs even more- claiming it had something to do with ‘safety’. 

“She’ll need all the safety she can get,” Danny teases. “Jake and I are gonna kick your asses!” “Are you sure about that? What if we have a plan?” You grip onto Josh’s hair, knowing you don’t have a plan. You just hope it’s something easy to go with. “Like a sneak attack! Get them!”

Josh lurches forward and your hands fly up to push at Jake’s taut shoulders. Surprisingly, his spontaneous plan does work and you manage to knock the opposing team over. Unsurprisingly, this lights a fire inside of Jake. The next half hour is constant games of chicken, switching teams, hitting the water a little too hard, but still no Sam. One final stinging slap against the small waves does you in. You put up your white flag and head to the beach, fingers and toes beyond pruny anyways.

“Decided to come join me?” The brunet sunbather mumbles as he senses your presence - eyes still closed.  

“How’d you know it was me?” 

“I always know when you're around.” 

“Uh-huh. Sure,” you mock him. 

“Peter Parker has spidey senses and me? I have y/n senses.” Your best friend sits up, grabbing your hand and giving you a little tug. It seems like he was trying to get you to lay down with him, but you weren’t budging, the insecurities creeping back in. Sure, you’ve laid down next to Sam before, but that was then and this is now. Something about the air in between you two feels different. The only problem was that you weren’t sure if it was good or bad. 

You try to pull your hand from his soft grip. “I’m gonna go grab another towel.” 

“There’s room on mine,” he replies, wiggling his eyebrows. 

“No there’s not.”

Sam wasn’t going to waste another moment. He needed to stake his claim in front of his older brothers, you’re his. Suddenly you feel the air leaving your lungs as you’re pulled downwards. Expecting to hit the ground, instead you are met with a soft groan and the feeling of hot skin. 

“See? There’s room.” Opening your eyes from the sudden impact, you’re face to face with a tan chest. Slowly lifting your gaze, you see Sam with his eyes shut, smiling sheepishly at you. 

“Sam, I’m on top of you.” 

“I know, I like you like this.” Peeking an eye open, Sam was met with the visual of your mouth parted in shock, trying to find the right words to say. He could see the gears turning in your head. You felt the boy beneath you taking a deep sigh before parting his lips. 

“Bug…don’t act so shocked.”

“Sam, just let me go please,” you try pleading with the man.

“No, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about this….and now seems like the perfect moment.” 

Trying to move yourself into a sitting position, you’re met with failure as sunkissed arms wrap around your back tighter, holding your body close to his. You could feel your chest getting tighter as the nerves course through you. He has no idea what kind of effect this is having on you and you really don’t want him to find out.

“Awww look at the love birds.” Of course Jake would have to ruin a moment like this.

“Yeah right,” Danny snorts. You hated to admit it, but that single laugh alone had you ready to cry. 

“Shut up guys. You know it’s not like that,” you mumble, pulling yourself out of Sam's embrace. You swear that you see Sam’s eyes glaze over with hurt, but that quickly disappears with him chuckling and smiling. 

“I’m hungry,” Jake whines, rubbing his stomach - looking over at his twin slowly making his way over to the group.  

“That sounds like a you problem,” Sam grumbles as he sits up. What is up with his attitude today? 

“No, it's Bug’s problem.” Jake makes a move towards you to grab your hand and hoist you up, but is stopped by his younger brother swatting his hands away. Josh and Danny let out eerie chuckles trying to ease the awkward tension that was forming. 

“How is it my problem?” 

“Cause I want one of your grilled cheeses.” 

“I told you the re-“

“Zip it.” Jake grabs your arm, pulling you to your feet. “We can’t have Sammy knowing that I’m the only person you trust with the recipe. Think about how jealous he’ll get.” 

The two of you start towards the house. “You know he heard that right?” You whisper to Jake as he loops his arm into yours.

“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing, Bug. Trust me,” Jake winks at you. 

You grip his arm tighter and don’t speak until you’re in the safety of the kitchen. You find that Sam was right, the AC doesn’t work very well in this cabin. 

“Alright, spit it out,” Jake says, not bothering to look at you while he grabs the ingredients. “I can see it all over your face.”

Other than Sam, you were the closest with Jake. When he was younger he was very quiet and wasn’t in your face like Josh was and you found comfort in that. He made you feel comfortable. That meant you could tell him the things you couldn’t tell Sam. As your feelings for Sam grew, Jake could see past your little unbothered facade. He’s been there through every up and down.

“I don’t know,” you groan and plop into a chair. “He’s just being so weird. One minute he’s normal and happy, then the next he’s moody and avoiding everyone. And don’t think I didn’t notice that you purposefully put Sam and I in the room with one bed. You’re setting me up.”

He laughs and flits about the kitchen preparing the meal for everyone. “I thought you’d appreciate that. You could always share with me.”

Flipping him the bird didn’t feel like it would be enough, so you throw a random pair of socks that you see balled up on the floor at his head. He ducks and lets a belly laugh fill the room. “Come on, y/n. It won’t be that bad. I really was just trying to help you out. How about this,” he sets an old, worn spatula on the counter and approaches you. “I’ll help you this week. We’ll get Sam to notice you the way you want him to.”

You eye his outstretched hand. This could potentially end your friendship with Sam if it goes badly, but you decide you couldn’t pretend much longer. So you grasp Jake’s calloused hand, putting all of your trust into this shake. “Deal.”

———————-

After some much needed food and a couple of beers, the boys decide that it would be a good time for them to go down to the pier and do some fishing. You opt to read the book that’s been sitting in your bag forever, figuring you could sit on the front porch so you have a perfect view of the boys on the dock. ‘Life can’t get better than this,’ you think and let out a big sigh. The buttery beams of the sun wash over you, bringing the feeling of sleepiness that you knew oh so well. Hours must’ve passed, you found yourself waking up to the feeling of someone trying to pry the book out of your hands. 

“A Court of Roses and Thorns? I didn’t know you read fantasy,” Sam smiles in small victory when he peels the book away from you, closing it and moving it to the table beside the chair. 

“I know, I usually read nonfiction but I’m trying something new. Don’t hate,” you mumble to him as you slowly stand up from the chair, stretching out your back in the process. 

“Hate on you? I could never,” Sam whispers. It was almost as if he was terrified of you hearing the little confession that left his parted lips. 

“How long have I been out?” 

“Well, considering it’s dark now, I’m gonna say about a few hours.” You look the boy over and see that he put his hair back into a low bun. You were always a sucker for that hairstyle. You take advantage of Sam being quiet and study his face some more. He looks good. It was only day one of this vacation and the sun gave him a kissable tan. You weren’t sure how you’d be able to survive the rest of the six. 

“So...what do you think about a movie night?” Sam suggests, throwing you a side smirk when he notices that you were checking him out. You silently thank god that it’s dark out, you didn’t want Sam to see how flushed your cheeks are. 

“With your brothers?” 

“No. Just you and me. Jake said he wants to have a bonfire,” he points towards the direction of the small pit that sits in the middle of some thoughtfully placed chairs. 

“I mean, sure. Yeah, we can do that.” 

A loud voice nearly has you jumping out of your skin. “Nope. Nada. Not happening. You have to be joking with us. I don’t want to be an uncle yet,” Jake bursts through the door of the cabin, protesting the movie night idea. Casting a glance over to Sam you see him rolling his eyes. You could tell he was starting to get fed up with his brothers interrupting everything. 

“Jake, c’mon. It’s gonna be so comfy inside. Can’t I join you guys tomorrow?” You ask the man, with a little bit of confusion lacing your voice. He was supposed to be helping push you and Sam together, not keep you two separated.  He gives you a look that lets you know you won’t be winning that battle, so you let the older man drag you over to the pit where the other two boys were standing. Looking over your shoulder, you could see Sam trudging behind you, obviously not wanting to participate tonight. Maybe he was hoping just to have alone time with you. 

“Bug, we’ll make you a weiner!” 

“Josh, I don’t want a hot dog right now.” Your body betrays you by letting out possibly the loudest stomach growl the group had ever heard. 

“Clearly that’s a lie. Plus, we know how much you love sticking them in your mouth,” Danny tries to speak in between laughs. You could tell that he’s proud of himself for that joke. 

“Relax, Sammy boy, no one’s gonna try to steal your girlfriend,” Jake teases as he slaps his back, trying to change his little brother’s mood. Based on what you could see through the flames of the fire, Sam’s face was red - beaming with frustration. 

Sam seems to ignore his brother’s ‘girlfriend’ comment as he sits down in the seat directly across from yours, separated by the fire. Jake plops himself into the chair next to you, mysteriously pulling out an acoustic guitar. 

“Where’d you get that?” you nod towards the guitar.

“Darling, I’m full of tricks,” Jake shoots you a wink, absentmindedly strumming the guitar. Looking around, you notice there was a black guitar case lined with a maroon velvet laying on the ground - instantly feeling dumb for asking him where got the acoustic from. If anyone knows Jake, then they always know there’s bound to be a guitar somewhere around him. Sure he was in college for business, but everyone knows being in a band was his true dream. 

“Jake you gonna play us Wonderwall? Or tell us all about how you’re meant to be a rockstar?” Sam snickers at his brother. What has gotten into him today. 

Sam was truly fed up with his brothers. Especially Jake. Every fear he ever had about bringing you to the lake had happened. Why couldn’t they just let him have something good for once? Sam had fully been planning on telling you about his feelings at multiple points in the day. He even made it obvious that he was being serious, but no one cared. 

Looking across the flames, you sat in awe of your best friend. A pain forms in your chest as you think back to a certain night sophomore year where you were sat in the same position. 

“Wooooo!” 

“Sam, stop yelling! You’re gonna get us in trouble.” 

“C’mon, Bug! Live a little,” Sam slurred at you, slinging his arm around your shoulder. He was drunk off the bourbon that his older brother just had to provide him with because it was ‘homecoming’. You rolled your eyes every time Jake said that. Maybe it was something that your parents engraved into your brain. God, you could hear the lecture from them already. Bitching at you for letting yourself be surrounded by ‘drunken idiots’.

You weren’t positive about the exact moment you started to like Sam, but one thing was for certain. This year you realized you were in love with him. It happened in between all the study dates, the late night texts and the random phone calls to see what you were up to.  

But tonight? Tonight felt different. Granted, you guys were each other's dates to homecoming, but something just felt different. You couldn’t quite place what the emotion was. Maybe it had to do with the way you two slow danced tonight - your arms placed delicately around his neck, while his hands were wrapped around your waist, pulling you close. His toffee colored eyes staring into yours-giving you soft smiles all night, not to mention all the little touches and forehead kisses. 

Your mind kept wandering back to those moments as you looked up at the man, watching the soft orange glow flicker across his face. His eyes were closed and he was starting to sway, you knew what this meant - you had approximately five minutes to get him up to bed or someone would have to carry him up there. You look around to see if there was anybody sober enough to help you get the lanky boy up the steps with no avail. 

“C’mon, Sammy. Let’s get you to bed.”

“Bug, are you trying to seduce me right now?” Rolling your eyes, you let out a huff as the tall boy leaned more of his weight onto you, trusting that you would be able to get him upside and to bed safely. 

“Sam, I know you're plastered, but you’ve gotta help me out here.” 

“I always help you out. You’re my girl.” 

You knew better than to believe his words, after all he was drunk and just rambling. Hearing the words ‘my girl’  was your downfall. You hated the way it made you blush. You silently thank god that you were able to make it into his room in one piece. After plopping the boy down onto the twin mattress, you were wondering how on earth you were going to get this boy changed. Finding a pair of sweats and grabbing a loose shirt, you turned around to find Sam standing in front of the bed. 

“I thought I told you to stay on the bed.” 

“Ooo. Bossy. I like it.” You knew he was a lot to deal with when he was drunk, but this was new. 

“I’m not being bossy. I just want you to go to bed. I’m tired.” 

“I don’t want to go to bed.”

“And why’s that?” You replied back, mocking the way he was whining. 

“Cause you’re not gonna be here for me to cuddle.” 

“Sam. Stop. You don’t mean that.” 

“I do mean it,” Sam responded, stomping his foot like a two year old having a tantrum in the middle of a grocery store. 

“No you don’t.”

“Stop telling me what I think,” he demands.

“Sammy, I know you. You don’t mean it. I’m not the girl you go for. Just please go to bed.” Your heart is aching with every word you speak.

“You can’t see it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve had a thing for you for the past two years.”

“No you haven’t,” you scoff. As much as you wanted to believe him, you just couldn’t. 

“Yes I have,” he insists. “Why don’t you believe me?”

“Sam, look at you and then look at me. We don’t go together.” Your arms were crossed and your eyes found purchase on anything but him. His gaze never let up.

“Bug, you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.” 

“Please stop.” You could feel your breath slowly leaving your body as the young boy made his way to stand in front of you, placing a finger under your chin tilting your head up - silently begging for you to make eye contact with him. 

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you,” Sam whispered as he licked his lips. He leaves your eye contact briefly to look at your lips and then looks back into your eyes. Closing your eyes trying to find the right words to say - you were interrupted when you felt a pair of chapped lips meeting your soft ones. 

Not believing what was happening,  you opened up your eyes, only to be met with the sight of Sam’s eyes still closed focused on the task at hand. Closing your eyes, you could feel yourself melting into the kiss and slowly kissing the boy back. Sam could finally feel you relaxing into him - taking it as a sign to wrap his arms around your waist, pulling you in closer, running his hands through your hair. Not pulling or tugging, he was just holding you there. 

Sam shoved you away when he heard the wooden bedroom door being opened and slammed against the beige wall. Looking over at the intruder, you could feel your chest tighten up again when you saw that it was Sam’s other best friend. 

“Did I interrupt something?” Danny quizzed the couple in front of him, noticing the swollen lips and rustled dress shirt. 

“Nope,” Sam replied nonchalantly.

 After going to the bathroom that night, you decided to crash out in the boys basement, not being able to find it in yourself to face Danny after he walked in on the tender moment in between best friends. Waking up the morning afterwards, it took a couple of minutes for the realization of what happened- Sammy kissed you. Not only that, but he told you that you were the most beautiful person he ever saw. How were you supposed to address this situation with him?

Part of you wanted to run for the mountains and never face him again. Realistically you probably could live off the grid - but that would never happen, your parents would forbid it. Deciding that you needed to just talk to him, to figure out where you guys stood, you found yourself climbing up the steps of the quiet house. Placing your hand on the doorknob to turn it, you stopped yourself upon hearing muffled voices on the other side of the door. 

“So you kissed y/n last night?”

“Dude. I fucked up.” 

“But I thought you liked her?”

“Y/n? No, I think it was just the alcohol talking.” You could feel your heart breaking in two as you registered the words being spoken. 

“How are you gonna fix this?” 

“I just gotta tell her that it was a mistake. It meant nothing. I regret it.” 

If only you could be in the room and see the raven haired boy shaking his head at the lanky haired man laying on his bed hungover. 

The sudden feeling of a warm hand squeezing your knee brought you back to reality. Following up the arm of the man touching you - you were met with Jake’s coffee irises giving you the same sad sympathy look  he had given you the morning after the kiss.  You didn’t mean for any of Sam’s brothers to get involved with your relationship with him, but it just happened. After hearing Sam say the word ‘regret’, you ran outside onto the back porch in hopes of calming yourself down. 

Instead you were met with Jake smoking a cigarette and asking if you wanted to talk about it. Did you want to talk about it? It just so happens that your brain was telling you not to, while your heart had the opposite. You needed someone just to listen to you and the mysterious twin just happened to be there. That was the moment you and Jake became close. He held you as you cried - repeatedly telling you that his brother was a ‘fucking idiot’ and ‘if he doesn’t see how amazing you are, fuck him’. 

After that much needed pep talk from Jake, you pushed your feelings deep down inside and kept things as normal as you could with Sam. Meanwhile you and Jake were growing closer, but it was nothing in comparison with his little brother - the only issue is, Sam doesn’t know that. You were unaware of the fact that there were countless times the boys had been fighting over you. Well, more like it was Sam screaming at his  brother to leave you alone and to stop trying to ‘fuck you’. Jake would just look at him and give him a little smirk that would just push Sam over the edge. 

Jake moved his hand from your knee as a twig snaps in the dense woods just feet away from the group. Everyone’s attention is focused on the sound and you could feel your heart rate pick up. “What was that?”

“Probably just a deer,” Sam mutters as he peers into the darkness of the foliage. 

“What if it’s that killer?” Danny says all too casually. Your palms begin to sweat and you shoot him a death glare, challenging him to tell a cruel joke again. 

“What, you didn’t hear about it? It was on every local radio station around here.”

Sam meets your eyes then looks back to Danny. “No, we didn’t listen to the radio on the way here. I had my road trip playlist going.”

“You know how he is. ‘The radio is too mainstream,’” you roll your eyes, quoting Sam perfectly. 

Josh’s grin almost makes it seem like he could be the killer. “Oh, so you really don’t know then, huh? Well, when we got here we heard that there were several dead bodies found in the woods and the lake. They’d all been murdered.”

Your skin begins to crawl. You had just swam in that lake. The woods that once felt so serene now seem dark and foreboding. Like something was lurking, waiting for the right time to slip through the darkness and into the house of some poor, unsuspecting vacationers. 

“That’s not funny,” you mumble. 

Josh’s head snaps to you, looking near evil. “No, it isn’t. Not funny at all.”

“Cut the shit, Josh,” Jake scoffs. “Josh is just being a dickhead, but they are telling the truth. There were bodies found around here and they never found the killer.”

“What do you mean they never found the killer?” The hairs on the back of your neck standing up as you felt like something or someone was watching you through the trees. 

“Guys, knock it off. You’re scaring her,” Sam orders and moves his chair to sit next to you. “Hey, they’re just being douchebags. There’s nothing to worry about.” 

“All jokes aside, the story itself is true.  They never found the killer.. Rumor has it, one lady was slaughtered. Completely butchered. I guess the killer left a blood trail, the cops followed it into the woods. It stopped after twenty feet….whoever it is….they know how to hide. There really were bodies found around here, about three miles north.  But, I doubt anything will happen to us. He probably left town. Well, I’m hoping he did,” Danny attempts to comfort. 

“Danny,” Sam reprimands.

While you’re appreciative of Danny’s efforts, your stomach is queasy with fear. You don’t feel happy and carefree anymore. The moon shining down on the lake isn’t comforting like it once was, it’s ominous and holds secrets. The blowing wind seems like small whispers filled with said secrets.

“Can we go inside?” you ask quietly, eyes frantically scanning your surroundings. Feeling a hand cover your own, you recognize it immediately as Sam’s based on the way a crooked pinky finger is grazing against your own. 

“Hey, it’s okay. We can go in,” Sam murmurs as he laces your fingers together. It doesn’t take more than a small tug to get you out of your seat and heading towards the house. The rest of the guys decide to join you, hastily cleaning up their mess.

“Now you two can have that movie night,” Jake ribs. “We’ll be joining you, though.”

Josh immediately launches into a list of movie suggestions, but you can’t find it in you to care. Between the scare of the murders and the jumble of feelings for Sammy, you just needed to stare mindlessly at a screen for a while. 

The boys settle on the movie Psycho. You’re not sure if they’re intentionally trying to be dicks or not, but your mind is too busy to scold them. After gnawing on the skin of your thumb for a solid fifteen minutes, Sam slings his arm around your tense shoulders. The room is dark save for the glow of the tv screen and lamp that was hardly ever turned off, everyone is quiet. It could’ve been one of those world stopping moments you had with Sam whenever he danced along the boundary of friendship and maybe something more. The atmosphere was all wrong though. With the tension in the air and Jake’s worried eyes glancing at you periodically, there was no way you could indulge in this sweet moment.

Halfway through the movie, Jake stands abruptly. “I don’t remember if I put the fire out.”

“It’s been long enough. It probably went out by itself,” Josh mumbles, almost entirely distracted by the movie. 

“Do you really want to be responsible for a forest fire that could kill all of us? I’m going to check.” 

He moves through the living room and grabs his pack of cigarettes before breezing through the door. Your gut twists at the thought of Jake going out there alone. What if that killer was still around? 

You know you’re probably overreacting, but the sinking feeling in your chest wouldn’t let up, so you start to pull from Sam’s grasp. He only wraps around you tighter, shooting you a half smile.

“I wanna go with Jake,” you whisper, trying not to disturb the other two boys.

Sam’s full brows furrow, grasp still not letting up. “Why? He’s fine out there. We can see him through the window so we’ll know if something happens.” Standing your ground with a pointed look, the boy sighs and rubs your arm. “I would really like it if you would stay with me. I’ve missed you today.”

Oh. Your resolve melts a bit at his statement, some warmth returning to your heart. The puppy dog eyes he’s giving you are absolutely killer. How could you deny him? You sink back into your spot, safely tucked into his side and decide that Jake could wait until the movie was over. After all, you were being a little ridiculous about all of this. 

But when the movie is over, Jake is no longer in sight. Anxiety nearly consumes you as you lift from the creaky old couch and press your nose against the dusty pane of the window closest to you. “Guys? Why isn’t Jake back? Why can’t I see him?” 

Josh groans as he stretches out, foolishly opting to take a seat on the hardwood floor for the entire length of the film. “You know Jake. He’s probably off on one of his late night excursions.” The eldest joins your side after a moment, brown eyes scanning the darkness. “Look, he’s right there at the dock.”

There is a silhouette standing along the edge of the water at the beginning of the dock. It was far enough away that you couldn’t see any features, but the outline was there. You strain your eyes looking at the form. Was that Jake? You couldn’t tell.

“Are you sure?” you worry. “How do you know?” 

Josh claps you on the back, an amused smile gracing his youthful face. “I’m his twin. I think I could pick him out of a crowd of probably like, a thousand.”

“Let’s go to bed, okay? You’ll see Jake in the morning.” Sammy comes up behind you wrapping his arms around your midsection pulling you away from the window and towards the stairs. 

“None of you guys are going to check on him?” You ask them, trying not to be annoying but you just can’t shake this unsettling feeling in your gut. 

“Bug, he’ll be okay. Besides, we have this cool thing called twin telepathy. I know when something is wrong,” Josh tries to reassure you. 

“Y/n. He’ll be coming in at any minute. He’s gotta help me with the kayak’s tomorrow and you know he hates getting up early.” You took a deep breath continuing your journey up the stairs, trying to have faith in Danny’s sentence. Maybe I’m overthinking this. Deep Breaths y/n. 

Sam left you in the bedroom alone for a total of five minutes to change before you found yourself calling out for him frantically - you’ve never heard the man move faster. At lightning speed Sam came crashing through the door searching for your figure. Nestled into the wall closest to the window, the boy could see your hands shaking uncontrollably. Stalking his way over to you, wrapping you up in his arms, whispering ‘you’re okay’ into your hair. 

“S…Sam. There’s something in the woods over there,” you tremble into his chest, shifting all your body weight onto him, seeking as much comfort as you possibly could. 

“Bug, there’s nothing out there.” 

“Yes there is! I just saw the bushes move. There’s something out there watching us.”  

“Y/n it’s pro-”

“Don’t tell me that it’s just a deer. It’s the killer Sam. I know it is,”  you cut Sam off desperately. To be fair, your intuition never lied to you when it came to things like this.  “We need to leave now.”

“Look at me.” He didn’t give you a chance to object as he put his fingers under your chin, firmly tilting your head up. “I will not let anything happen to you. Okay? I’m gonna kill the guys. They shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Well, I’m glad they did. Sam I'm not crazy, there’s someone watching us.” Your gaze returns to the forest. You know you saw something. You hadn’t imagined things like this before after hearing your fair share of campfire ghost stories. There was something different about this time. Something sinister. “Let’s go to bed okay? I think today’s just been long and we just need to sleep it off.” 

“Okay,” you sigh and feel his hands tugging you towards the bed as you keep looking out the window. Your intuition was screaming at you to get out of there as fast as you could. Crawling into bed, you opted for the spot closest to the door incase you needed a fast escape tonight. 

“Nuh-uh. Move over,” Sam grins, towering over your figure that’s already nestled into the sheets and slowly dozing off. 

“I’m comf-”

“Don’t even finish that sentence. Move it missy. I need to be by the door.” Sam starts pulling the comforter away from you, acting like he was about to sit on top of you in hopes that he would make you giggle. He knew your mind was racing about the possibility of the killer breaking into the lake house - he needed to try to take your mind off of it, even just a little bit. 

“Okay, okay. Bossy.” You find yourself starting to get nervous as the reality kicks in that Sam is laying next to you. Flinching as you feel his forearm rest against yours, you take it upon yourself to roll over onto your side, facing the wall. You couldn’t possibly bear to face him in such a moment that seemed as intimate as this. 

If you were facing him, you would’ve seen the way that he was staring at you, having a fight with his inner monologue that told him to roll over and pull you into him, but he was scared - scared that it would ruin the friendship although Sam knew that this was his moment. Now or never. Everytime that he tried to tell you how he felt, one of his brothers had to interrupt the moment.  Following his heart this time instead of his head, he pushes himself up against your back, throwing his arm over your midsection. Your eyes fly open at the action, you knew that you were going to be in close proximity - you just never expected this. 

“Relax,” Sam murmurs into your ear. Fuck maybe he felt me tensing. 

“I am.” 

“No you’re not. Just let me hold you for a minute.” 

“I’m going to go look for Jake,” you mumble, moving his arm off of you. Trying to find an excuse to get away from him. Thinking about how he must’ve drank in those five minutes you were parted, there was no way Sam was sober and speaking to you like this. Finally succeeding and moving his arm, you sit up, getting ready to crawl out of bed when you hear Sam letting out a groan behind you.

“Why are you so worried about Jake?” The boy explodes. Shocked by the sudden outburst, you turn around to find him sitting up, red in the face. He was pissed.

“Sam, he’s outside by himself.” 

“Bullshit.”

“Excuse me?” At this point you were out of the bed making your way over to the dresser, looking for a sweatshirt to throw on before you went outside. 

“I said bullshit, y/n. Just tell me that you’re into my brother instead of leading me on.” 

“Instead of leading you on?” You whip around to face him, hands trembling from the confrontation.

“Wow. Do you need a hearing aid or something? Do you know how obvious it is that you like Jake? The way you’ve been hanging all over him since sophomore year? You’re supposed to be the person that’s closest to me, yet you still decide to go after my big brother. Newsflash, y/n, he’ll fuck you and leave!”

Sam’s posture is rigid, face and bare chest flushed with passion of the moment. You hate yourself for thinking he looks pretty.

“Sam, what are you talking about?” 

“You’re fucking unbelievable,” Sam spits out at you in a venom laced tone. 

“Me? Me? I’m the unbelievable one?”

“That’s what I just fucking said.” 

You scoff and tug your sweatshirt over your head. You can’t believe what he’s saying to you. He had the audacity to call you deaf, yet didn’t realize just how blind he truly is. 

“Tell me,” you seethe. “Tell me when I’ve been all over your brother, Samuel.”

He rattles off different instances, starting with sophomore year and how you suddenly grew close with Jake. He told you his perspective of those secret moments with the older Kiszka, not knowing you were actually lamenting over your own best friend. Sam suddenly grows quiet and his chest heaves. “I just wish I could be that person for you. I want that to be me. I have looked up to Jakey for so long - my entire life - and somehow I keep falling short. Even with you. I just want you to feel the same feelings I feel for you.”

Your lower lip trembles and your nails dig into the flesh of your palm. “Don’t,” you say through grit teeth. “Don’t say that to me. Especially when you regretted it so much last time.” 

His honey eyes that are darkened with distress flick from the comforter to look into yours, pink lips shaping into a small ‘o’. He stares at you for a moment before whispering, “You heard that?”  

“I had my hearing aids on that night.” 

“Y/n…I didn’t mean it.” 

“Please stay over there. Don’t come closer to me,” you plead with Sam as he gets out of bed and starts moving towards you. As much as you want the comfort of him holding you - you have to stand your ground and admit to him how much he destroyed you at that moment. 

“Please...just listen to me.”

“You’ve got two minutes,”  you bite, leaning back against the dresser and crossing your arms. 

“I was fifteen. I was scared, y/n. My brothers would tease me about you being my secret girlfriend all the time and I just- I don’t know, Bug. There’s no excuse for it. I don’t regret our kiss at all. If anything, I regret not coming to you the next day and kissing you again…this time sober.” 

You hate to admit it - your heart is aching as Sam expresses his feelings. Maybe this is the universe finally bringing us together. 

   “I came downstairs that morning looking for you. You know where I found you?” You shake your head at the man in front of you, trying to hold back tears as he makes his way slowly over. His large hands cup your face, gently rubbing his thumbs over your cheeks. 

“I saw you outside with Jake. He was holding you…something I should’ve been doing, not him. I got closer to the screen door and I realized you were sobbing into his chest. I thought you regretted the kiss. I figured the tears were because you didn’t want me the way I want you, so I just pretended that it never happened. I stood by on the sidelines, hiding how bad I wanted you, y/n.” 

“You want me?” You try blinking away the tears and Sam catches the single drop that rolls down your right cheek, gently wiping it away.

“Why wouldn’t I? I’ve been in love with you for the past two years. Thanks for noticing by the way.” Sam presses his forehead against yours, letting out a soft chuckle. 

“I’ve been in love with you too,” you whisper, looking into his honey irises. 

“God, we’re idiots.” 

Both of you softly laugh whilst staring at each other, trying to press this memory into your mind. You silently wish that you could see this look of love on his face everytime you close your eyelids. 

“Hey, Sam?” 

“Yes, bug?” 

“Kiss me.” Your heart is pounding, but not in the uncomfortable way it had been for the last hour. Any worries you had are thrown out the window. Your mind is enveloped with Sam’s presence, his scent. He consumes you.

“Well, if you insist.” You find yourself closing your eyes as Sam leans forward, finally capturing your lips in his. It was short and sweet - nothing less than electric.

Pulling away, you two start giggling uncontrollably. 

“Can’t believe we haven’t done that since we were fifteen,” he chortles and pulls you flush to his chest. His visage grows serious as he gazes down at you, strands of hair falling and framing his face. “I’m not gonna run away this time, I promise. This time I’ll show all of them that I love you and that you are mine.”

The electric feeling flows from your lips down to your toes at his confession. This situation didn’t feel real. “I believe you,” you whisper. “Now let’s go to bed.”

The two of you lay side by side, but quickly end up being wrapped in each other. You’re almost certain that you’re flying, floating through some dreamland that only your brain would cruelly make up. You’re terrified that you’ll come crashing to the ground and none of this will be real. But in the morning, he’s still there. His soft locks are splayed around him after having fallen out of his bun in the night. Supple lips are parted as gentle breaths escape him. He’s an angel. You decide you wouldn’t leave his side until he woke. This is the perfect time to admire him uninterrupted. 

“You know it’s rude to stare right?” You flush with embarrassment knowing that you just got caught in the act. 

“Sorry.” 

Sam grins, looking down at you laying on top of him with your face as red as a tomato. He loves watching you get flustered.“Why are you apologizing? I didn’t say I hate it.”  

“How’d you sleep?” you mumble as you tuck your head back into his chest, wrapping your arms around him and squeezing tight. You couldn’t believe that this is real. Sam is yours. 

“Really?”

“What?” 

“We’re doing small talk now?” Sam giggles. 

“I’m nervous. I don’t know what to say.” 

“Stop. It’s just me, Bug. I told you last night I'm not going anywhere.” 

You open your mouth to reply, but you’re cut off by the sound of pans hitting the floor and a loud ‘fuck!’ from the kitchen. Both of you laugh out loud at Josh’s exclamation.

“We should probably go down there.” You pull yourself from his arms and slowly make your way over to the door, pausing to look back at the god-like man in bed. “You coming?”

Sam moans out a small protest. “Why? We can stay here. We don’t need to interact with them.” 

“He’s gonna burn the house down without supervision. You can stay here, but I’ll be damned if we all die in a house fire,” you joke and head out of the bedroom. It’s only a few seconds before you hear the padding of feet behind you and a set of bony fingers rest on your hips. He presses a kiss to your hair and descends the creaky stairs.

“Morning,” Josh grins as he spreads out ingredients for a large breakfast. “Day two at Camp Kiszka! How are you feeling?”

You steal a glance at Sam, forcing back a secretive smile. “I’d say we’re feeling pretty good.”

Before Josh can even ask why, the screen door is slamming open. Danny rushes in, looking pale and frantic. That same dreadful feeling from last night returns and his expression sends shivers down your spine.

Sam steps forward. “Dan, what’s wrong?”

Danny stands there shaking and wide eyed then nearly chokes over his words. “J…Ja..”

“C’mon, Danny, spit it out!” Josh moves beside the six foot man, slapping him on the back.

“Jake’s dead.”

#long past dawn #dannythedog x gretavanfran #greta van fleet #gvf #greta van fleet fanfic #sam kiszka #sam gvf #sammy kiszka #sammy gvf #sam kiszka x reader #sam kiszka fic #josh kiszka #josh gvf #josh kiszka fic #jake kiszka #jake gvf #jake kiszka fanfic #danny wagner #danny gvf #daniel wagner #danny wagner fic

[scarletsaphire]

Danny, newly added to the cheer team (mostly) against his will, is attending his first lock in with the girls. It's a lot more fun than he expected.

--

4th fic for @phicphight, with this one going to @lavendarlily and @lonelygrayrose, with a special shout out to @hannahmanderr because she asked politely. Prompts used will be at the end!

Danny had accepted that he didn't get much control over his life. Ever since he'd died, he was getting pulled one way or another for ghost fights or school or family stuff. It really came to its worst point went he'd been more or less bullied into joining the cheer team. Sam and Tucker were not help; they thought it was hilarious.

It did mean that the already minuscule amount of free time he had was filled with practice, or games, or other team building exercises. Like right now; the annual lock in for the cheer team, hosted in Casper High one and only cafeteria. Really pulling out all the stops.

Danny had been dreading it since it was announced two weeks ago; knowing his luck, there would be some kind of ghost attack, and then he'd have to play the whole "Oh I've been here the whole time!" game. And if that didn't happen, he'd be stuck in the cafeteria with the cheer leader girls for twelve hours straight! Sure, they were nice enough, especially since he joined the team, but that didn't mean they were friends!

It had only taken an hour for Danny to change his opinion.

The parent chaperone very clearly did not care about what they got up to, provided no one broke a bone or stole something where she could see. This allowed them to roll all of the tables off the walls of the cafeteria and construct a complicated and completely unsafe obstacle course for them to run through.

The first two girls had already given it their best shot; the first one, Abigail, who Danny had never seen without bows in her hair, had made it pretty far for being the first one through, but her hair had gotten tangled in one of the wheels, and the official score keeper (who was, of course, Paulina) gave her a DNF. She was currently off to the side with Star, getting her tied back into a braid and watching the spectacle.

The second girl, Brittany, had finished, if her time was a bit sad. "I don't want a repeat of that!" she'd said while the rest of  them teased her about her terrible performance. "I just got these braids put in on Monday, and I am not spending another four hours to get them redone!"

They were going in alphabetical order, so that meant Danny was next up. He lifted his arms above his head to stretch while he analyzed the course.

They'd done a pretty good job, if he did say so himself. There were several tables that he would need to go under, several he'd need to jump, and one they'd set up to require jumping on the seats instead of on the table. A bit rudimentary, sure, but it worked for their purposes.

"So, Danny Fenton," Paulina said, holding her water bottle out towards him like a microphone. "As the only boy on the team, you have quite the reputation to try and uphold. Do you have a strategy going into this?"

Danny flashed her a grin he normally saved for when he was Phantom. "Course I do."

Paulina returned the smile, and leaned in closer. "And what would that be?"

"And spoil the surprise? Not a chance."

Paulina laughed, leaning back on her seat of backpacks, blankets, and pillows. "You're setting high expectations, Fenton. You ready?"

Danny nodded, settling into a running stance.

"Three, two, one, go!"

He started running to the cheers of his teammates.He hadn't lied; he did have a strategy, and it didn't involve any kind of ghost powers. He wouldn't need them.

Danny had spent the better part of two years dodging bullets, ray beams, fire, boomerangs, bazookas, and about a dozen other, faster, much more painful objects. Two years honing reaction speed, flexibility, and spatial awareness, all of which would help him decimate the past two times, and anyone else who wanted to race after him.

Okay, maybe the practice part did involve ghost powers, but he wouldn't be using any now.

He vaulted over the first table cleanly, chaining the momentum to roll underneath the next table in one fluid motion. He came to his feet already running, ready to vault over the next two tables. In what felt like a heartbeat, he was already at the end obstacle, where he'd have to hop back and forth on the seats without touching the table; if he touched it, that would mean an immediate disqualification.

It didn't prove to be any more difficult than any other obstacle had been, although it was significantly slower. Danny leapt off of the final seat straight into a backflip, landing perfectly on his feet.

That part wasn't required; he just felt like flexing a little.

His grand finish was met with the roaring applause of the eight girls; Abigail had even started whistling, much to Star's annoyance, as she was still trying to fix her hair.

"And that is two minutes and twenty seven seconds!" Paulina called from her makeshift chair.

"Damn!" Alysha said. "That is going to be a tough time to beat!"

"Thank you, thank you," Danny said, taking an exaggerated bow. "I'll be here all night."

Alysha shoved his shoulder even while she laughed.

Danny made his way back to the spot he'd claimed, a little bit to the side of Paulina's seat.

"I am so happy we recruited you," she said as he sat down.

"Yeah," Danny agreed. "I am too."

As surprising as it was, it was true. Maybe he'd originally gotten the spot because of his ghost fighting and powers, but it had quickly become the only (mostly) ghost free thing he had. He'd never gotten that kind of luxury at home, and while he loved Sam and Tucker to death, it was way to easy for their hangouts to become patrols or planning patrols. Or homework, but that didn't count.

There was the additional fact that being on the cheer team had made Danny's life easier at school; the teacher's were more lenient with schoolwork, he had a different group of people he could sit with if Sam and Tucker were out sick, or if they got absorbed in their infamous debates, and everyone was just so much nicer to him.

Even Dash had stopped with the bullying, and after a couple stilted conversations and an emotionally charged apology that was leagues beyond what he'd thought Dash capable of, Danny would be willing to call them friends.

Definitely just friends though. It didn't matter that Tucker had caught him staring at Dash several times during lunch or that he got all flustered whenever they ended up in the locker room together. That was a coincidence. 

Just like Danny had expected, none of the girls came even close to his time. Star got a strong second place at three minutes flat, which was very impressive on its own, but his natural talent and years of practice held him high above the rest.

"You have to tell us how you did that," Aubrey said, jutting out her bottom lip. It was the same look she gave Coach Tetslaff every time she tried to extend practice.

Unfortunately for her, it worked just as well on Danny as it did on Coach. "Yeah, sure. Right after I tell you how I handle flying so well."

"Ugh." Aubrey flopped forward into a heap on the table. "You are. So mean."

The sound of a cellphone ringing cut off whatever Danny was going to say next. The team glanced back at the chaperone, who had settled in a corner of the room with a laptop, a thermos Danny swore was full of hard liquor, and headphones. They all sat in silence as she answered the phone.

"Hello? Uhuh. Yeah, I'll be right up. Everything should already be paid for, right? Good." She hung up the phone with a snap and stood from her spot. "Pizza's here. You kids sit tight, I'll be right back."

The group stayed quiet until her footsteps disappeared down the hallway outside of the door, before everyone shared a conspiratory look. Everyone but Danny, that is.

"Uh... what did I miss?" Danny asked.

Aubrey and Abigail stood up, one moving to the window of the door, the other to the chaperone's bag. The other girls all shared the same look again. 

"Did nobody tell you?" Dakota asked.

Danny ran over the incredibly short list of things he'd been told about the lock in, which was basically just that it was a lock in, before shaking his head. "Tell me what?"

"Oh, Ms. Pachelli is a total drunk," Paulina said. "I'm sure you've noticed its not apple juice in her thermos?"

Danny nodded his head.

"Well, that's not enough to last her a whole night, even on a good day, and dealing with us is never a good day in her books." Paulina studied her fingernails while Abigail fished a bottle of whiskey out of her backpack. "So, every year we switch out her spare bottle for one of Abby's parents' old empty ones."

Sure enough, Abigail pulled out an identical bottle from Ms. Pachelli's bag.

"And... you don't get in trouble for that?"

The rest of team all giggled. "Please," Star said dismissively. "She barely cares about us to begin with, and if she tries to get us in trouble, she'd have to admit she has a problem."

"She's coming," Aubrey hissed from the door, and Abigail made a dash back to her backpack. By the time Ms. Pachelli was back in the room, three steaming pizza pies in hand, the whole team was doing a perfect imitation of teenagers who weren't up to anything.

"It'll be over here when you girls are hungry," she said, setting them down where food was normally served. "Uh. You girls and Danny." She amended when she turned around to see them all pointing at him, a habit they'd developed with Coach Tetslaff. Ms. Pachelli settled back down in her corner, taking one, long swig from her thermos, and putting her headphones back on.

The rest of the team

"She'll fall asleep soon," Dakota whispered to Danny. "That's when the real party starts."

Sure enough, it had barely passed 1 AM before Ms. Pachelli had dozed off and the team was left completely unsupervised. Brittany went to make sure she was sleep, and after fiddling with the headphones, she shot a thumbs up at the group. Abigail pulled the bottle back out to the cheers of the team.

"It's time for the real party to get started!" Dakota called.

"Don't we need to stay quiet?" Danny asked.

Star shook her head. "Nah, she's got some video playing in the background. I don't even think a ghost attack would be loud enough to wake her."

"I think its flat earth videos this time," Brittany added. "Definitely looked like it from what I saw, at least."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Why is she even here? If she sucks and also hates all of you-" he ignored whoever called out "She hates you too!" "-why does she volunteer to do it?"

"We ask for her by name," Abigail said, passing the now opened bottle to Paulina.

Paulina took a swig straight from the container before passing it on to Brittany. "That, and if she didn't volunteer for this, she'd have to actually do something at any of the other events the school hosts. She's part of the PTA." 

"Ok, but that doesn't explain why she has to be on the PTA," Danny pointed out.

"Uh, duh, she's Derreck's mom. You can't have a kid in as many extracurriculars as he's in and not be on the PTA," Star said.

"I guess," Danny agreed. He still didn't really understand, but he also didn't want to spend the whole night asking about Ms. Pachelli's life. Besides, the bottle had reached him. He took a small sip from the bottle, and pulled a face at the unexpected burn.

The girls laughed.

"First time tasting alcohol?" Audrey teased, taking the bottle from his hands.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not the first time. I just. Didn't expect it to taste like that."

The girls all shared a look before laughing harder.

"It is going to be a fun night," Paulina said, a mischievous smile on her face.

--

Danny wasn't sure what time it was anymore. He knew that a couple of the girls had conked out, with Aubrey being the first to fall about an hour ago. He knew that he wasn't getting any sleep tonight, and from the looks of it, neither was Dakota, who was blasting music from her phone and dancing on one of the tables. She'd been the one to hog most of the bottle.

Not that Danny was complaining; he was definitely not sober, although he couldn't say whether he was tipsy or drunk or somewhere in between or another word he wasn't privy to. Either way, he was drunk enough that he'd agreed to let Paulina and Star do his makeup, something he would never have agreed to without the help of the whiskey.

"Stop moving," Star said, holding him by the shoulders and looking into his eyes, as if she could psychically control him into not moving. Jokes on her, Danny knew how mind control worked, and it was only sometimes like that. "Or else we're gonna-" she hiccoughed, then continued as if nothing had happened, "-mess up your makeup."

"Yeah," Paulina said. "And you don't want to look like a mess for Dash, do you?"

Danny snapped his head towards her, nearly poking his own eye out with the makeup applicator she was using.

"Stooop!" Star said, turning his head back towards her.

Danny obeyed, but he turned his eyes to look at Paulina. "Why would I care about what Dash thinks?"

He could just barely make out her flat stare from the corner of his vision. "Because you like him?"

"I do not!" Danny protested.

Star giggled while Paulina talked over her. "Danny, we have eyes, you know. And we've seen yours wandering to him every time he's anywhere near you."

Danny opened his mouth to protest, but Star pushed it shut. "Nuh uh. Lipstick first." He tried again, but was met with the same result. "I will smear this all over your teeth do not test me Fenton." This time, Danny obeyed.

 By the time he had finished, his initial protests had already died out. It wasn't like they were wrong; he just hadn't realized he'd been so obvious about it. "Fine. I might have a little crush."

"Well if by "little crush" you mean that you're head over heels in love with my best friend, then yeah, I know you have a little crush on him."

"Hey!" Star cried. "I thought I was your best friend?"

"Best boy friend," Paulina corrected. "But not boyfriend boyfriend. We tried dating, but he's not interested in me. Which, you know, I was insulted with originally, but he's just not into any girls, so the fact that he was into me enough to try dating is a win."

"So, he likes-"

"Boys, yeah."

"Which means you have a chance," Paulina added. "But only if you sit still and let us make you look pretty!"

Danny really didn't think he had been moving around all that much, but he made sure to sit even stiller now.

"You're gonna need to be the one who asks him out."

Star nodded. "He's worried about doing something wrong, cause he was so mean to you before." Star paused at Paulina's glare. "Oh. Was that a part I wasn't supposed to share?"

"Yes," Paulina said, annoyed. "But it's too late now."

"Wait, hold on, what?"

"Oh, he likes you too," Paulina said. "It's gotten kind of annoying, listening to him go on and on about how 'cool' you look doing flips and everything."

Danny felt his face heating up more. "I mean. I just. I don't really know how to ask someone out?"

"Oh trust me, I know," Paulina laughed. "Don't think I've forgotten all the shit you pulled during freshman year."

Danny's face burned even hotter.

"Polly, you're embarrassing him!" Star said, but she couldn't stop a giggle of her own. "We're supposed to be helping!"

"I know, I know, but I can't help it!" Paulina said, her laughter dying out.

"You two planned this?" Danny asked incredulously.

"I mean, we didn't not plan it?" Star replied.

"No, we planned it," Paulina corrected. "I think Abigail even put it on her itinerary, but she fell asleep, like a loser."

Star giggled again. "So we're taking over!"

"You've got to be more confident, flaco. You get all blushy and stutter, and give up halfway through, and while that's adorable, it's not going to work if you want results."

"We've seen you on the field, we know you can do it, so don't try to deny it," Star added.

"But that's an entirely different thing!"

"It's not that different," Paulina said.

 Star ignored her. "Then just pretend you're on the field! Put on a good show for him, and I guarantee he'll be drooling all over you. Just like he is during the games."

"He is not drooling about me during the games."

"Oh, he so is," Star countered. "You remember the game you first debuted?"

Danny nodded; while he'd done fine, the actual game had been a bit of a shit show. Casper High had lost, fourteen to nothing.

"Dash only fumbled that because he was so distracted by you," Paulina said. "Tripped right over his own feet, cost us the first points of the game, and it was all down hill from there. If you can do that when you aren't even trying, imagine what you can do to him when you are."

"I think we're done here," Star said, withdrawing from Danny.

"I think we've outdone ourselves," Paulina said, angling his face to admire their work. She grabbed a small mirror from her pocket and passed it over to him. "What do you think?"

He looked surprisingly good, much better than he expected considering the fact he was a boy and that the people doing his makeup were at least a little drunk.

"It looks good," Danny agreed.

"No," Star protested. "You look good, and you need to take that vibe with you when you ask Dash out tomorrow."

"Who said anything about tomorrow?"

"We did," Paulina said. "Because tomorrow, we're going to be dragging him with us to the park and finding a convenient excuse to leave him there alone."

"You're gonna swoop in, and you're gonna ask him out and save him from having to deal with us all day."

"Trust us. It'll be perfect."

"I don't-"

"Shh." Star put her finger over Danny's lips. "We're doing this, whether you show up or not."

"Which means we need our rest, and you need your beauty sleep."

"So shoo while we clean up."

Danny didn't really know what else to do besides walk back to his pile of stuff and get comfortable.

He guessed he was going to the park sometime tomorrow. He hadn't been planning on it, but that was ok. He was used to that.

--

Prompts:

LonelyGrayRose - "Well if by "little crush" you mean that you're head over heels in love with our best friend, then yeah, I know you have a little crush on [him/her]" lavendarlily - Who knew Danny Fenton was so agile? Paulina makes it her personal mission to get him on the cheer squad.

#danny phantom #danny phantom fanfiction #danny fenton #paulina sanchez #dp star #cheer au #phic phight #team human #phic phight 2024

[missmagooglie]

For the WIP Wednesday game, @infinitybits87 and @h-i-raeth requested a Therapy Baby snippet, so have some "Buck defending his poor life choices" paired with some "Firefam defending Buck"

“Buck as a father, I never thought I’d see the day,” Chim grins at him. “Though in hindsight, maybe we should have seen this coming. Which of your sexcapades resulted in this little bundle of joy? Did his mom have to reach out to you on Tinder?” “Oh, please tell me this child was not conceived in the rig,” Hen begs. “Was it snake girl?” Chimney asks. “I need to know if we have to prepare for a hereditary love of reptiles.” Buck laughs awkwardly. “No, she wasn’t anyone I met while I was on duty,” he says, trying to ignore the way Bobby looks skyward and mouths the words thank you. “It was, um. Do you guys remember when I was having a hard time after that roller coaster rescue that went bad?” “Of course,” Bobby says. “It was your first time losing someone on the job. You took it hard.” “Right, yeah, and you suggested I see someone for counseling,” Buck says. “So I went to her office, and it turns out she’d seen me on the news, and, um, I guess you could say we tried some non-traditional treatments?” He braces himself for laughter and teasing, but instead the room goes quiet. “Buck, are you telling us that Danny’s mother was your therapist?” Bobby asks, his face pinched. “It was only one session,” Buck says, his body curling defensively around the baby in his arms. He suddenly recalls the visceral hatred and disgust that came off Dr. Wells’ husband the day he had picked Danny up. The pure disgust he’d shown when he learned that Buck had been a patient of his wife’s, “and we didn’t exactly do a lot of therapy. It’s not like I was a regular patient of hers.” “That doesn’t make it ok,” Hen says softly. She says it in the voice she uses to reassure victims in the field, and Buck has no idea why she’s using it now.  “Look, I get that it wasn’t the classiest thing I’ve ever done," Buck says in an effort to downplay the whole thing, "but it’s not like we did something illegal." “At the very least it’s sexual misconduct,” Athena chimes in, and her voice is serious, too. “Depending on the circumstances, it could even be considered rape.” “Woah,” Buck says, stepping back in alarm. “Hey, no, it was very much consensual. I would never-” Buck looks around and catches Bobby’s eyes. “Bobby, I swear,” he pleads, “I know I did a lot of stupid shit, but I never did anything that the other person wasn’t completely on board with. I would never try to take advantage of-” “No one is accusing you, Buck,” Bobby assures him. “You would have been the victim. If your therapist slept with you, then as the patient you’re the one who was assaulted.” Buck snorts at the wild absurdity of that statement. “I think I’d know if I had been assaulted.” “If she violated her duty of care -” Bobby starts to say. Buck shakes his head. “It wasn’t like that,” he insists. “I flirted, she flirted, and one thing led to another. That’s all.” “Ok, let’s all maybe take a breath,” Eddie says, stepping in and stationing himself between Buck and the frowning faces all around him. “This is a baby shower, not an inquisition. Let’s just eat some cake and tease Buck about his very pretty baby sling.”  He plucks at the floral fabric wrapped around Buck’s chest – which Buck got for free on facebook marketplace, thank you very much – and gives him a reassuring smile. The rest of the crew chuckles lightly and are willing enough to move on to other topics of conversation - though not without some pointedly concerned glances at Buck - as the stork cake is cut and served.  “I’m stealing your kid,” Eddie says, plucking Danny out of his arms as soon as everyone’s attention has been successfully redirected. “Go talk to Bobby.”

#Fic: Therapy Baby #evan buck buckely #eddie diaz #buddie #911onfox #911 abc #911 fanfic #therapy baby #how do i fanfiction?

[unluckyhoneybee]

Girl look, I have no idea honestly but i just want some smut action with DR3😂 like idk maybe they’re friends and he wanna take care of her cause she is sexually frustrated

Warning: +18. Bathroom s*x

"What do you mean he threw it away?" He could really believe it.

"He slapped it from my hand. He literally sent it flying across the room" You said.

"And what did you do?"

"Kicked him out."

"So he really left you half eaten..." He said laughing.

"You. Are a fucking dick" You said poking his shoulder with your finger. "You deserve to be left hanging after that comment. Karma is a bitch. Take care"

"C'mon..." He dropped his arm around your shoulders. "I was trying to make you laugh"

You chuckled and shook your head.

"Did he broke the toy?"

"No. I would have cut his dick if he did. You broke my toy? I will break yours"

"Oh man. You are the funniest"

You sipped from your drink.

You had dragged him to a corner in the middle of a party only to gossip about the last of your many failed hook ups.

"That toy is the only thing giving me some relief recently. He would be dead man"

"Toys are our friends. Not our enemies" He said and sipped from your drink. "I could help"

"Nah" you blushed and looked away. You had actually thought of him, successfully eating you out, when you used your so hated toy.

"I'm serious"

You looked back at him. He was. He was really serious.

"Really?"

"If you'd let me I would drag you to the bathroom upstais and I would eat you out until the only thing you remember is my name"

You blushed deeply, your breath quickenef and your nipples hardened under your bra. You needed seconds to be able to speak.

"Okay"

"Yeah?"

"You sure?"

"Pretty much"

Two minutes later, he was dropping on his knees before you.

"Fuck" You panted. "You look so pretty finishing other man's job" You teased.

"I'm not finishing anyone's job, sweetheart. I'm just doing it better." He said pulling down your panties.

He didn't tease anymore. He was going to make you feel good. He wouldn't make you wait.

So pressed against the door, one hand on his head and the other one reaching everywjere to steady yourself, you closed your eyes and moaned high. His hands were grabbing handfuls of your ass, making you ride his face as he eat you like his last meal.

And Fuck, it was so good. He nose would nudge on your clit with every move of your hips. He would moan and send vibrations up your body. Daniel was fucking made for this.

"So good, Danny. You are so good, fuck. Don't stop"

After you don't know how much time of intense pleasure, like a wave, your orgasm ripped over your body and you almost fall. You indeed screamed his name.

"Fuck baby, I'm sure Allan could hear that"

You gasped for air.

"Is he here?"

"Fuck yes" He said whipping his lips and mouth with a smile.

"You are a fucking dick" You said laughing, still high in pleasure.

"Yeah, I am"

Daniel got up and kissed you so deep. You couldn't believe that this was actually your first time kissing him.

When you pulled back, you touched his lips with your thumb and he smiled.

"Now I only want you for the rest of my life" A big confession, yes. But your senses were numb and it was all his fault.

"I need to see what you can do before agreeing to that" He cheekily said.

You bit your lip and smiled.

He kissed you again.

"What can I do for you then?"

"Come with me tonight and I will show you"

You gave him another kiss and reached for your panties, but he got them first. "You won't need this, babe"

#daniel ricciardo #Dr #Smut #I'm blushing #Blurb #F1

[avelnfear]

Chapter Three

Masterlist

Danny leaned back on the couch with a heavy sigh, mentally going over the events of the past few months. Life had gone downhill fast after the group had returned from the Crowning, like a rollercoaster that ran out of track. It all started when Madd- when Mom had confronted him and Jazz about his being Phantom. He’d feared the worst before she started sobbing and babbling about how sorry she was for ever targeting him or believing what Jack said about ghosts. Jack had overheard about him being Phantom, attempted to End him, and caused Team Phantom plus Mom to have to scramble to change Danny’s identity and set him up in the chosen city. He’d somehow managed to interview well at Arkham despite Mom giving him a different application than the one he thought he’d be getting, and now he finally had a chance to rest in his brand new apartment.

When the short runthrough of events didn’t calm his buzzing core he sighed, giving into the fact that he’d have to set aside time to go through everything that had happened in more detail later. Opening his eyes, Danny looked around the Crime Alley apartment that they’d managed to get him under the short notice. The walls were thin and not entirely clean, but they weren’t the worst walls he’d ever seen in Crime Alley. The furnishings were sparse, as though he was prepared to move at any moment, because he was. Despite that, the room still managed to feel cozy and lived in. If his memory served him, this apartment complex was one that Jason would frequent occasionally which would make sense because he owned the building.

Sliding from the couch to their feet, Danny wandered over to the fridge in an almost daze, drowning in thoughts of their sun. They missed him so much it hurt. Their thoughts paused at the empty fridge standing before them. They’d forgotten to go shopping. A pang of longing went through them at the thought of food, both for the idea of food itself and for the thought of a chance to taste their love’s cooking again. With another heavy sigh, Danny started to move throughout the room, gathering up everything they needed in order to go on a short shopping trip.

They attached the chain that disguised some N Capsules to their jeans, neatly hiding it under their baggy hoodie. Next they snagged the N Taser, it looked like a regular taser while still working on ghosts, and their switchblade, which was a replica of one that Jay had given them once. Danny left the living room and entered the bedroom which only contained a dresser, a wardrobe, and a bed although everything still had that cozy yet abandonable vibe to it. Snagging their wallet from the top of the dresser and making sure the window was locked, they finally made their way to the front door to slip on their shoes which were a good pair of running shoes that had seen better days.

Danny took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for any sort of situation they might get into before opening the door and stepping out, right into the path of a tall person, sending them both to the ground. Eggs dropped from their container, smashing their shells on his hoodie and leaving behind a gooey mess, but Danny only had eyes for the unfortunate person he was now tangled with on the ground. It was just his luck to have run into the very object of his thoughts right when he wasn’t prepared for it.

Jazz’s voice reminded Danny to breathe, and he calmed down quickly. There was no time for panic, he had a first impression to make. “Sorry about that, guess meet-cutes aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.” His voice was light, dramatic, and teasing, exactly the kind of tone he’d have used in their first life when he didn’t know what to say and just defaulted to the first thought that crossed his head. Evidently, Jason didn’t remember their past lives yet because there was no flare of recognition in his eyes as Danny’s words were processed. Danny is sure Jason’s face went through the five stages of grief, adding a few and not quite reaching acceptance before Jason groaned, burying his face in his hands.

“That…” Jason groaned out, still hiding his face. “That was almost a good pick up line until I registered that it was a pun.” Looking up, Jason seemed to realize what door he was in front of. “Well howdy neighbor, this is definitely not how I thought we’d meet. Been hearing you move in for the past week or so, nice to finally meet you. Your accent isn’t local, so what brings you to Gotham?”

“Many things.” Danny said with a wince as Jason accidentally dug his elbow into Danny’s ribs while trying to get free from the two person tangle. “If I’d realized you’d already known I was moving in, I definitely would have said hi sooner.” Danny winced again as their legs thumped the floor as Jason attempted to free himself. “Again, I’m sorry about this. I should have been looking where I was going, but my mind was a tad distracted by my hunger. All that work moving in only to forget to stock up on food is such a rookie mistake.” Danny had a better view of how their legs were tangled, so he swiftly untangled them, rising to his feet and extending a hand to Jace. “Name’s Danny. Not Daniel, not Dan, not Danno, not Danny Boy, just Danny.” His voice lost a tad of the humor it had kept up as he went over the names not to call him.

Jason took his hand, pulling himself to his feet with an amused smirk on his face. “Nice to meet you Danny. You can call me Jason. We’ve all forgotten to go shopping once or twice, and to be fair, you weren’t the only one at fault here. I was focused on my phone when I should have been paying attention to my surroundings.” Jason looked around, probably for his phone, quickly scooping it up once he saw it. When he turned back to Danny, he winced in sympathy at the messy hoodie. “Sorry about your hoodie.”

Danny looked down as if noticing the mess on his hoodie for the first time. “Eh, don’t worry about it. This is actually my least favorite hoodie, so I don’t care too much about it. I’m more saddened about the early death of the eggs, those could have made some great food. Speaking of,” Danny clicked his fingers to help convey the suddenness of the thought he was now speaking, “do you mind telling me a good place to get some food shopping done? I’m fairly new in town, clearly, and I didn’t really have time to research such places.” Danny rubbed the back of his neck as though nervous, but he really only wanted something to do with his hands, leaving them hanging was starting to feel awkward.

Jason smirked gently at him, and Danny had to fight back his instinctual responding smile, reminding himself that Jason doesn’t remember. “Seeing as I need to get some new eggs, why don’t we just meet up after I’ve had a chance to put the rest of this away and you to change hoodies? Say, five to ten minutes?” Jason moved while he talked, picking up the various groceries spread around the hall from their fall, Danny quickly moving to help him. 

“Sure, sounds like a plan.” Danny held out the couple of bags he’d reassembled the contents of. “Here.” Jason took the bags, and Danny spoke again before Jason could move off, “I’ll just stand inside my doorway this time. Wouldn’t want a repeat of this situation, after all, my heart couldn’t take falling for the same person twice in one day.” Danny winked along with his words, trying to convey that he was teasing in more ways than just the massive shit eating grin on his face.

Without giving Jason time to respond, Danny slipped into his apartment, smoothly and swiftly closing the door. As soon as the door was shut, the smile dropped, and Danny ran his hands over his face and through his hair. That was not how he thought his first meeting with Jason would go. Danny had figured out during that conversation with his fright after the Crowning that there was no way Jason remembered because he would have found Danny before anything really happened. After all, that was what had happened in their second life, where they both remembered from the beginning. Danny had thought that the wave of energy the Crowning had produced might have awoken the memories, but that didn’t appear to be the case.

Moving on autopilot, Danny moved through the apartment, leaving the soiled hoodie in the laundry room to be dealt with later before heading to the bedroom to find a new hoodie. Jason’s ecto-signature had been off, but Danny expected that, even would have been worried if it hadn’t been. The first time they’d met, Jason had thought Danny was also dipped into a Lazarus Pit… The Lazarus Pit! Of course! Danny paused as a thought struck them. The remaining Pit Waters in Jason must be holding back his memories, maybe even cutting off or stifling his connection to his core! How would Danny be able to fix that was the new problem.

Shaking his head, Danny put that thought away for later, focusing on finding the perfect hoodie from his collection. Shortly after his accident, Tucker and Sam had started getting him hoodies with ghost comics on them or cartoon ghosts doing silly things or just hoodies with cartoon ghosts on them. One of these hoodies had a cartoon ghost and cartoon zombie face to face with each other on the front, both of them saying, “Same hat!” The back had the same ghost and zombie now saying, “Different colors though…” They both were wearing no hats. It was perfect, and the hoodie Danny planned to wear when meeting Jason for the first time.

Finally finding it, Danny wasted no time getting to his door while pulling it on. As Danny passed the counter he spotted his phone which he promptly scooped up, mentally chiding himself for forgetting it the first time. Danny opened his door to find an empty hallway, meaning Jason wasn’t done with putting things away, or he was caught up talking to the Batfam about something. Knowing how quickly Jason usually put things away, unless that had changed, and consulting his inner clock, Danny figured it was the latter and settled in to wait, pulling up a game on his phone in the meantime.

~`~`~

Jason stared at the door that had just closed in his face. His new neighbor, Danny, was nothing like what he thought they were going to be. Shaking himself both mentally and physically, Jason walked to his own door, quickly entering his own apartment, locks opening swiftly with practised ease. Letting his body put things away on autopilot, Jason let his thoughts drift.

When he’d first heard his new neighbor moving in, Midwest accent and all, he’d brought it up to the sibling group chat, and they’d all made bets on what type of person his neighbor was and how quickly they would move. The usual things. Jason hadn’t thought they would be staying for long, and that they were likely to be timid due to how long it took them to introduce themselves, factoring in the fact that the Midwest was notorious for being friendly from what he’d heard all his life.

Danny was nothing like he’d expected. On the outside, with the baggy hoodie, Danny looked like a stiff wind would snap him in half with ease, but Jason had felt the hidden muscles while struggling to untangle himself. Usually Jason would have been free in a heartbeat, but it was like his brain had glitched the moment Danny touched him. Something about it was so familiar, yet he was sure he’d never felt anything like that before. Danny hadn’t appeared to have the same issue, moving with all the grace that Dick usually did, like someone trained to fight and entertain. Danny also punned like Dick but more subtle. 

Despite how much Danny seemed to be like Dick, Jason shied away from that comparison. It just didn’t feel right. Danny had the same eyes as Tim, icy blue, even possessing the same deep eye bags that spoke of someone who didn’t sleep well. Danny’s eyes, while sharing the same color as Tim, reminded Jason most of Damian, assessing and sharp, yet they also bore the kindness of Duke. There had been a hint of a scar that trailed from the edge of his chin to somewhere under the hoodie. The scar was barely noticeable because of how pale it was on Danny’s pale skin. The black hoodie with black pants and black running shoes had only served to make him appear paler. 

The sound of his phone blowing up drew Jason from his thoughts. The sibling chat was blowing up with concern for him. It took him a moment to remember that he’d been messaging with them before the fall. Jason sighed, spying that they were all on comms, he made the decision to join them on there rather than just texting them. It was the work of five seconds to locate one of the spare comms hidden all around his apartment. Putting it in, Jason heard a wall of concerned cries from most of his siblings while Barb tried to get them to calm down as the sole voice of reason.

“Yo.” Silence, deafening silence, dawned over the line before everyone began speaking at once again. Jason let it go for a couple minutes just to let them get the panic out of their systems. Deciding enough was enough, he spoke again, “Alright, everyone shut the fuck up or I won’t answer any of the questions.” The comms fell silent again.

“What happened, Little Wing? You were messaging us and then just fell off the face of the earth.” Dick tried to sound less worried than he was, but Jason was skilled at picking up human emotions.

Jason chuckled. “Nothing as dramatic as that Dickiebird. I just ran into my neighbor, literally. We talked for a little bit, and I just got back into my apartment.” Jason leaned on the counter as the comms dissolved into chaos once again, everyone wanting to know who’d won money in the bet.

“Tt. I still do not understand why the betting was so intense for such an insignificant event.” Leave it to the Demon Brat to get everyone to shut up.

“Damian,” Tim said slowly, clearly trying to keep his tone kind while wanting to scream at Damian for supposed stupidity, “we’re talking about someone who moved into Crime Alley, into a building that is known to be owned by Red Hood no less, who has a background so secure Oracle can’t crack it, that just got a job at Arkham as a guard assigned to the main Rogue wing, and they just so happened to move into the one apartment that was open on the top floor despite a lot of the building being empty. The whole thing sounds more than suspicious enough for us to get, as you put it, intense about this.”

In the silence that followed, Jason decided to finally offer some information. “Their name is Danny, they look like a twink yet feel like they have a decent amount of muscle, and I did not manage to get their pronouns.” Jason broke out his Mission Report Voice, knowing it would catch everyone’s attention. “They wore all black and didn’t appear to be armed, although they could be good at concealing their weapons. They look like Tim, act like Dick, and move like a combo between Dick and Damian. They looked like they had been getting about as much sleep as Tim too. Definitely from the Midwest, although they did appear to know a little bit about what they were getting into and some of the unspoken rules of Gotham, such as not being overly friendly yet still showing a sense of community and not pressing someone on what they were doing. They didn’t try to follow me into my apartment, even closing their door before I could move off, possibly to give me more comfort knowing they wouldn’t know exactly where I live. Danny has a scar that is faint yet visible that trails from the edge of their chin to somewhere below the neckline of their hoodie. They didn’t seem to know who I was, but they did agree to go shopping with me seeing as I lost some eggs and they didn’t buy groceries as they were moving in.”

There was some silence as everybody processed what he said, but that was quickly broken by Steph, “What do you mean you lost some eggs?” Her voice clearly showed her disbelief.

“I did tell you that I literally ran into them.” Jason kept his voice dry. “The only reason I have the time to talk to you guys right now is because some eggs decided to kamikaze on their hoodie.”

The comms exploded with laughter. It seems like the majority of his siblings the bat siblings found his phrasing funny, which was the whole point. Idly, Jason looked down at his phone, immediately letting out a string of expletives, carefully avoiding the use of the words that would make his siblings rush over in worry. Quickly, he snagged his wallet and shoved his feet into his boots.

“What? What’s wrong?” Dick’s voice broke through Jason’s steady stream of curses. 

“I’m fucking five minutes later than I told Danny I would be for shopping. Shit! Talk to you guys later.” Jason didn’t give anybody time to respond before turning off the commlink and yanking it out of his ear in the same motion. He dashed to the door, barely glancing in the mirror to make sure he hadn’t somehow gotten something on his shirt or jacket while he was in the house.

Jason threw his door open and himself through it, spinning to close the door and then lock it as fast as he could, only fumbling slightly. Looking up, he saw Danny in their doorway, playing on their phone. As he starts to step towards them, their head jerks up, and a smile lights up their face. 

“Hey, long time no see.” Their smile turns obviously teasing and they pitch their voice up and down to really sell that it was meant to be teasing. Jason winced, about to say something when Danny interrupted him, “Don’t worry about it, although we might need to stop at a fast food place before shopping because I definitely need a meal now.” Danny laughed while they spoke, conveying that it was still meant to be lighthearted.

Jason laughed along with Danny. “I, uh, never got your pronouns. Mine are he/him, may I know yours?” Jason smiled sheepishly.

“Oh! I knew there was something I forgot. I use he/they and sometimes she. Gender is weird.” Danny rubbed their neck again.

~`~`~

The shopping trip went well! Danny had gotten a few strange looks from Jason a few times. First was for his large order at Batburger, but Danny had quieted Jason’s suspicion by informing him that he hadn’t eaten all day. The next time was because a couple of the seven different types of mushrooms in his cart could kill someone who didn’t, or did, know what they were doing with them, the fact that they’d been placed right next to raspberry sparkling water didn’t help, but Danny just waved Jason off that time, he knew what he was doing. Danny was pretty sure his cart organization looked like a disaster just waiting to happen, but he knew what he was doing. Things were bagged with what they were going to be used with, so the concerned stares weren’t necessary from Jason and the cashier.

As all good times in Danny’s life, something had to quickly make it take a nosedive. They were two measly blocks from their apartment building when a group of robbers dragged them and their groceries into an alleyway that Danny knew was a dead end. Knives were being waved in their faces, and Jason looked like he didn’t know what to do because he couldn’t show too much skill in front of a civilian while still wanting to beat these amateurs up. As for Danny, he was just focusing on slowly working the bags down so that they wouldn’t spill any of their precious cargo when they hit the ground.

The leader walked up. “What’s taking so long? Divest them of their valuables.” The leader had a scar on one side of his face, Danny could use that.

“Hey, Lopsided!” The leader turned from the minion he was addressing to glare at Danny while everyone else looked at Danny like he’d lost his mind, which was rude in Danny’s opinion. “Do you want me to even you out?” An easy smile rested on Danny’s face, and he made himself stand like he was just offering a friendly favor to a friend, bags closer to the ground like this.

“What?!” The leader growled out, leaning forward and twisting his face in a way he probably thought was aggressive but actually just showed Danny a glimpse of what his fighting style would be like.

Danny kept the easy smile in place as he tilted his head. Speaking slightly louder he said, “My bad, you must be hard of hearing too. I asked if you wanted me to even you out. Ya know, your face. Your nose is crooked, and there’s only a scar on one side of your face. I don’t guarantee that I can fix the nose without a few more supplies, but I can definitely even out your face, it’ll be easy!” Jason looked very impressed and very concerned, but he didn’t say anything, likely speechless or wanting to see how this plays out.

“You’re clearly new in town, so I’ll give you some advice and one more chance.” Lopsided was somewhere between a growl and a smile now, looking smug as someone who just figured out something massive that was previously missing. “I’m not your friend, and I should kill you for those remarks. Apologize and I won’t slit your neck right here.”

Danny laughed gently, keeping his eyes on Lopsided. “I am new in town, thanks for noticing, but I should be the one to give you some advice and a chance. Listen closely,” Danny leaned in, using that action to disguise the fact that his arms were now free of the bags, and said bags were on the ground, “you only have one chance. I never said we were friends. People don’t need to be friends to be friendly ya know, and you should kill me even though you can’t.” 

With his last word still fading from the air, Danny launched into motion, pulling his switchblade free and flicking it open as he used the goon in front of him like a springboard to launch him at Lopsided, sending the goon to the ground. Before anyone could do anything, Danny’s blade was cutting deeply into Lopsided’s face, giving him a wound that would definitely leave a matching scar. Danny swung his legs around to rebound off of the leader, Danny couldn’t call him Lopsided anymore, and into another goon. From there, Danny let instincts take control, ripping through the ranks of the robbers with obvious ease while the majority of his focus went to not causing any fatal wounds in the people who dared threaten his Jason. It was the work of a few short minutes to have every goon disabled on the ground, the majority unconscious and all having bleeding wounds due to his switchblade.

Turning, Danny saw Nightwing and Jason standing together with their jaws open in shock. Immediately, Danny’s throat felt closed up, and he knew that his voice had left the chat. Great. Danny leaned down to wipe the switchblade off on one of the goons before closing it. Danny figured they needed a few more moments to gather themselves, so he went to go check on his groceries. It wouldn’t do to have lost something and only find out after getting home.

“T-” Jason paused, audibly swallowing. “That was very impressive.” He exhaled harshly. “Very impressive.” His voice was quiet and breathy.

Danny looked up, nodding quietly with a small smile. Danny signed a simple ‘thank you’ to him. Jason’s eyes widened slightly before a look of realization flashed across his eyes and gave way to understanding. Nightwing still looked shocked, so Danny sent a concerned look at Jason while flicking his eyes over to Nightwing and grabbing his groceries.

Jason sighed. “I’ll get him functioning, you head on to the apartment and I’ll check in with you when I get back.” Danny nodded and started walking, feeling satisfied for having defended one of his people even if that person didn’t belong to his fright just yet.

~`~`~

Jason sat on the edge of the roof with one of Nightwing’s extra communicators in his ear listening to the silence as everyone struggled to process what they were hearing. It had taken a few minutes for Jason to get Nightwing to respond to him, and he’d spent all of them thinking about the sudden switch Danny had made from speaking to not. Danny hadn’t had any issue mouthing off to the amateurs attempting to rob them, but the moment he noticed Nightwing he’d gone silent. Jason had thought about what could have caused that, if anything had even caused that, and why he’d had so much ease understanding Danny’s nonverbal cues. 

“Okay okay… Run that by me again” Jason sighed at the phrase he’d heard three times before. Steph at least sounded less confused and more amused this time.

“It all started after I met up with Danny in the hall…”

Taglist: @blacksea21090 @chrysanthemum9484 @samgirl98 @may-rbi @justwannaseesomebrozawa @serasvictoria02 @treepainting @fluffykster @enderglace @sigdexae @persephoneblackrose @angelofsongsoteira @lazy-bouqet @littlefeather345 @icedbluesoul @autumnwulf @thefearfullone @alixanterm @skulld3mort-1fan @dulceringo @vidimirrayne @betinaplayingwriter @the-legal-shipper @currant-owo @crystalqueertea @fisticuffsatapplebees @bugaboo25 @dannyphantomphan 

#this one jumped in word count #DeadOnMain #danny fenton #danny sounds a little bit like a stalker #oops #jason todd #confused jason #nightwing #jason todd x danny fenton #Danny x Jason #danny is very good in a fight despite looking like a twig #neither of the vigilantes were ready for that #ttac(wygiaf) #I don't know who i will end up shipping dick with #give me opinions in the comments #dick grayson #batsiblings are confused #stephanie brown #tim drake #damian wayne #oracle #dpxdc #dc x dp #dp x dc #dcxdp #dp x dc crossover #Dp x dc fanfic

[dp-marvel94]

Reveal via Clones

Summary: Maddie and Jack walk in on fives clones waiting for Danny in his room.

Word Count: 2,164

Also on AO3

For @lovelyunknown, @brokeitwiththepowerofmathamatics.

Note: Losely set in my "Life and Death is All Perspective" (ie all the clones come back as full ghosts) Series. My last story for phic phight! Prompts Below: Maddie finds damning evidence in Danny's room. by LovelyUnknown Good Dad Jack identity reveal by Hazama_d20 I saw that first prompt and thought "What more damning evidence than a bunch of clones?" 😂 My original idea was a lot more cracky than what I actually ended up writing. But I'm a serious angst writer so that figures. Enjoy!

Maddie had made up her mind. Tonight was the night. She and Jack were going to talk to Danny about everything. His failing grades, skipping school, missing curfew, getting into fights. 

Ignoring the problem hadn’t worked. Punishing Danny, hoping he would change his behavior, hadn’t work. Talking to Danny, reassuring him that he could tell them anything, even that hadn’t worked. Instead, Danny took to avoiding them.

But the mother had had enough. She was getting answers out of her son tonight. Even if they had to wait in his bedroom all night for him to come home. Her son wouldn’t suffer alone in silence anymore.

As the couple approached Danny’s room, voices rang out through the door.

“Oh! What’s this?” A curious voice with a bit of a lisp asked.

“Ezekial, be careful with that.” A different voice, smoothly sophisticated, gently rebuked.

A crash. “Oops.”

The adults froze at the noise, exchanging worried looks. Jack reached for the door knob.

“That was Danny’s favorite model rocket.” A third spoke, words with a disappointed note.

Maddie’s hand rested on the other adult’s arm, stopping him with a nod of her head.

“Let’s pick it up.” A deeper male voice. “Maybe we can fix it?”

“There’s some glue in the desk.” The third speaker.

Who were these people in Danny’s room? Friends from school?

“Maybe we should wait until Danny gets back.” A pre-teen girl’s voice spoke up, sounding a bit unsure. “I don’t know how this is supposed to go together.”

The woman’s eyes widened. There was something odd about the other voices, compared to the girl who just spoke….

“I think I remember.” The third said. “This one wasn’t really that hard to put together. It was one of his first.”

The eye-roll was almost audible. “Not all of us received memories from our progenitor, Damian.”

Progenitor? What was he talking about?

“That wasn’t my fault, Neil.” A teasing point, presumably from this Damian.

“I’m pretty sure it was.” The girl quipped.

“None of us knew overshadowing could do that.” Another audible eye-roll. 

Overshadowing…. Something only a ghost could do and… A hint of dread settled in Maddie’s stomach. That is what she had been picking up on; every voice but the girl’s had a strange echo….

“Memory stealer.” The lisping voice teased. 

“It’s just copying!” Damian, the object of teasing, argued. “Pro, come on. You’ve gotta defend me. You know I’m your favorite sibling.”

“Nah, Ellie’s my favorite.” The deeper voice joked, the smile audible.

“Yes!” The girl cheered. 

Maddie didn’t understand. The echoes… these were a bunch of ghosts? Of sibling ghosts? How could ghosts even have siblings?

Then again, it wouldn’t be the first time ghosts surprised them. Phantom did, again and again showing that he genuinely wanted to help, hence their truce. Phantom wasn’t a bad ghost but, this group, joking with each other in…

“I’m your favorite brother, at least.” 

“Nah, that’s Danny.” The deeper voiced speaker again teased. “Speaking of, when is he getting back?”

In their boy’s room. Ghost might not have been as bad as she and Jack previously thought. But these were five strangers! Ghosts they’d never even heard before, waiting for their baby in his bedroom. 

With that thought, the mother pulled her ectogun out of her belt. She and Jack met eyes, the man doing the same. A silent count to three and…

The knob was turned, door kicked open. “Eat Fenton Bazzoa, ghosts!”

Maddie’s eyes quickly took in the scene. Four ghosts. One wearing a white cloak, red eyes and green skin. Phantom or… no, somehow she knew (maybe it was the way he held himself or maybe something else) this was a look-alike. Another Phantom look-alike, though all of four feet tall. And a towering ghost, covered in scars.

The woman set her sights on the big one, finger hovering over the trigger. She didn’t want to shot but she was prepared if-

“Mads!” Jack gasped in surprise beside her, his weapon lowering. “Look.”

“Jack!” Her eyes darted to the object of his interest. “What-” She cut herself off, eyes widening. 

The fifth occupant of the room, the pre-teen girl…. She was human, staring at them with wide, frightened eyes. That wasn’t the surprise. But…

The jet black hair and…. those eyes, crystal blue, exactly identical to… 

“Danny?” Maddie asked.

Her head shook. No, she wasn’t Danny, obviously, but…

“Who are you?” Jack asked, voice as numbly shocked as the woman felt.

“Clones of your son.” The Phantom look-alike’s eyes widened, mouth snapping shut as soon as the words left his mouth.

Maddie blinked, her own gun dropping at the surprise. “Excuse me.”

The ghost’s eyes panickedly flickered among the others. “We are all…. Clones of your son, Danny Fenton?” His chests turned green, in a blush(?). “We were created by your college friend, Vlad Masters. He wishes to kill Jack Fenton, blaming you for the accident which killed him and for stealing Madeline from him. He has planned to marry you, Maddie, and claim your son as his heir and apprentice.”

Neither parent reacted, numb with shock. The other ghosts and the girl also stared, jaws dropped and eyes wide with disbelief.

The lack of response seemed to just encourage the ramble. “Danny proved quite, understandably, hostile to this plan, refusing to betray his father. Despite his efforts, Vlad could not achieve his goal of acquiring Danny as a son. Therefore he decided to create his own version of the boy, one who would be amenable to his plans, hence…” He motioned awkwardly. “All of us.”

Maddie… hadn’t registered half of that. Yet her spinning minds caught on one thought. “But…. you’re all ghosts?” The words came out surprisingly quiet.

“We all died before becoming stabilized.” The Phantom (Danny?!) look-alike raised one brow, before motioning to the girl. “Except for Danielle, of course. Besides, Danny himself is half-”

Something in the statement roused the other Phantom look-alike, an elbow to the side cutting off the word. “Dude! You can’t tell them everything!”

The taller’s mouth snapped shut, visibility embarrassed. “I may have committed an error….”

“I’ll say!” The shorter raised his arms. “I thought you were the smart one, Daniel.”

The other look-alike, apparently named Daniel (?!), blinked skeptically. “Why would you think that?”

“You always use long words and…. It’s like you don’t even know what an apostrophe is.”

“Damian, I know what an apostrophe is.”

The shorter, Damian, placed his hands on his hips, an eyebrow raised challengingly. “Then use one.”

“I don’t think I will.” Daniel’s nose turned up. “You are not the boss of me.”

Maddie watched the argument like it was a tennis match. They were… arguing. Like normal siblings. Like… normal kids.

“Mads…” Jack’s uncertain voice beside her. The woman half-tuned out the ensuing argument, turning a tentative eye to him. “Mads. I think he… Daniel’s… telling the truth.” The next words came out more confident. “And if he is, then…” 

The man put down the bazooka, uncertainty still in his eyes but no doubt, the action completely deliberate. He stood, shoulders back as if steeling himself. Then, he calmly stepped forward.

The kids froze, chatter cutting off. All eyes widened with fear.

Jack put his arms out, hand up disarmingly. His gaze fixed on the largest ghost “You’re a big one. Regular chip off the ole block.” A step forward, his expression strangely soft compared to his normal boisterousness. “What’s your name, son?”

The ghost shifted nervously, frantic eyes flickering from each of the other clones to Maddie and finally to Jack. He swallowed. “Um. It’s Prometheus, sir.”

“Prometheus.” The adult tested out the name. “That sounds greek. Isn’t it?”

“It’s uhh…. A long story.” The ghost, Prometheus, rubbed the back of his neck. (And didn’t the gesture look achingly familiar). “And everyone calls me Pro.”

“It’s a good name.” Jack chuckled. “And look at you! Swimmin’ in my end of the gene pool. Those spare hazmats we made for Danny and Jazz definitely won’t go to waste now!”

Pro did not respond, trading a vaguely panicked look with the girl. But the tension didn’t deter the man from continuing. He turned to the Phantom look-alike. “And you’re Daniel. Sharing a name with our Danno, I see.”

“Well. Yes, that is true…” A nervous swallow.

“Mads picked out the name. I wasn’t the biggest fan but she let me pick out Jazzy’s name.” He shrugged. Then, taking in the embarrassed face. (Maddie’s heart ached… it reminded her of a four year old Danny, caught stealing from the cookie jar). “You’re as green as an unripe tomato.” A kind chuckle. “Don’t feel embarrassed, kiddo. You’re not the first Fenton man to panic and say something he shouldn’t. And you probably won’t be the last.”

Daniel traded a look with his shorter look-alike, a silent conversation passing through. (Jazz and Danny had done the same, even this morning. These two… they all really were siblings, weren’t they?). Both relaxed ever so slightly.

“You’re taking this well.” The shortest said cautiously.

“I’m sure it’ll hit me later.” Jack laughed. “And your name was Damain, right?”

The ghost boy, Damian, nodded, puffing out his chest slightly. “I picked that out myself.”

“It’s a good one too. And…” His eyes flickered up, over Damian’s shoulder. “And who’s the quiet one over there?”

The short ghost floated to the side, the cloaked one drifting forward. “He’s Ezekial.” Damian answered.

“Zeke.” The thin figure lisped, spelling out the name with his fingers.

“Zeke.” Jack smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Cautiously, Zeke floated forward, just two feet in front of the man. A tentative hand reached forward. Jack offered, letting the thin fingers brush his for a hand shake. “You are… kinder than I thought.”

Something in the man’s expression cracked. “Oh kiddo…” With gentle squeeze off the fingers, he removed his hand, the motion deliberate, unlike the falling of his shoulders.

Jack turned, finally smiling at the girl. “And you’re Danielle.”

“Ellie.” She shifted nervously. “Sorry for barging into your house.”

“Non-sense, princess.” He waved her off. “You, all of you are….” Maddie saw it, in the moment their eyes met. He was seconds from pulling this kid, all of these kids into his arms. “You're all….” That word, on the tip of his tongue….

“Family.” Maddie could hardly believe the word coming from her mouth. But… “You’re family.”

She knew it was true, like the way her heart ached and her hand shook, the ectogun…. Ectogun…. She should holster that. The weapon returned to her belt, eyes fixed back on the children.

The faces looking back at her… she saw Danny in them, herself and Jack’s features, despite the ghostly glow and…. The woman felt seconds from crying. That ghostly glow… meaning they, most of them, had died. Her own flesh and blood passed away, gone before she even knew about them, much less held them.

No. Not gone.

Maddie stepped forward. “How many clones…” She swallowed. “How many of you are there?”

Ellie’s brow furrowed, eyes on each sibling. “Well, there’s the five of us. And… how many does Percy count as?”

Suddenly a green swirling portal opened. Just when Maddie thought her world couldn’t be turned anymore on its head….

A ghost with four arms floated through. “I heard someone say my name.” The opening closed, leaving a sixth similar-looking figure floating in the room.

“Percy!” The quiet, cloaked ghost exclaimed. “How many do you count as?” The words, again slow and lisping.

One of his hands tapped the new ghost, Percy’s chin. “One or…” The three eyes (he had three eyes?!) blinked, brow furrowed in thought. “Twenty-six. Depending on how I feel.”

Maddie just blinked at the sight, a hand going to her forehead. “We have so much to talk about when Danny gets home….”

Still…. The woman looked over the group of kids, five(?) ghosts and one human. The girl, human and seemingly healthy was a relief. But the others… even if they were ghosts, they were her children. That was as clear as the siblinghood in-between them, an undeniable truth her heart spoke.

Though, something niggled in her mind. Their apparent relationships with Danny. Their origin, created by Vlad. That sounded insane but… her stomach turned. With his obvious obsession with her, his strange interest in Danny, and questionable behavior, it made a sick kind of sense. 

But that comment, about Vlad having… died? And Danny…. Daniel had been about to say something about him.

Her mind was flailing for connections, that familiar ache welling in her chest. That familiar spectral appearance. Phantom look-alikes, she’d thought when she’d first seen Daniel and Damian. There was a resemblance to Danny too. Almost… almost as if….

Just then, Phantom phased through the window. “Sorry that took so long.” A bright white ring of light flared from his middle as soon as he landed, passing over him. “What did I… miss?”

The light disappeared, revealing….

“Danny?!?!!?”

Note: So that's the story. :) I'm uncertain if this will remain canon to the "Life and Death is All Perspective" Series. I'd always pictured Danny choosing to tell his parent about all his clones but this is fun too. So we'll see.

Also, I can't believe that I finally wrote the "Jack and Maddie meet Ellie" story, despite hinting at it a bunch of times in other phics. And this is freaking it. 🤣🤣🤣

#danny phantom #my fic #phic phight 2023 #phic phight #DP Clones #Danny Phantom Clones #Life and Death is All Perspective

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Ara being Ara -Danny Words: 2,298 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

II: Help! People Are Treating Me Like They're Supposed to and Now I'm Uncomfortable

"Your brother hates me."

"He doesn't."

Leo stops and looks at her. "That guy's going to throw me under the elephant at the first chance he gets."

Ara tries not to laugh. "Percy has a resting bitch face, that's all. You'll be best buds in no time."

"Sunshine, no offense, but you're too close to the danger to see it."

"He doesn't hate you," she insists. "But if he did, I'd still love you."

Leo smirks. "What if I turn into a worm, would you still love me?"

"We've already had this conversation," Ara resumes her walk.

"Last time it was a three-legged dog with rabies!" He quickly catches up with her. "But that one was way out there, so mad respect for saying yes."

She laughs. "That should make it clear enough, then."

"The dog still has some personality though," he teases her. "Worms don't even come in fun colors."

"Worms are useful. You could be bait in my direst moment of need," she jokes.

Leo holds her hand. "Okay, you win. I'm the best boyfriend ever."

"Well, what now?" Nico eyes my Tyrian cape and the laurel crown with little interest.

"I gotta move out of my cabin," I reply. "Preferably before the campers get here, Chiron doesn't want me to distract them."

"You can't stop that from happening," Nico raises a brow.

"Shut up," I reach up to take the crown off.

Lily stops me. "Wear that with pride. We broke out backs training so you could get it." 

I glance at her hand, the scar on my wrist that used to match Lily's is gone, and I'm half glad about it, I won't be reminded of Michael as often now.

"Is there a rule that says she has to wear the whole fit from now?" Nico taunts her. "Please say yes."

"Can I slap him one last time?" I beg Lily.

Ara is starting to understand why Jason didn't escape this camp as soon as he got the chance. Everyone's seated where they please, old and young demigods—even older than Beckendorf—surround her and her friends. They all look healthy, happy, and like they've enjoyed a fulfilling life. If this is the one thing Roman demigods can aspire to have... she wants it too.

Everyone has been nice to her to a decent extent, except for the Octavian guy, but he's rude to everyone, so it doesn't matter. What keeps bothering her is that Percy isn't the only one staring at Leo weirdly. Hazel Levesque keeps stealing glances at him and Ara doesn't know how to interpret that. 

Percy told Annabeth that she was someone else's girlfriend... but there's a faint lavender glow coming out of Hazel ever since Leo took the seat next to her. "...My brother, Nico, went looking for the doors," the girl mentions as they start talking about the prophecy.

"Wait," Annabeth frowns. "Nico di Angelo? He's your brother?"

Ara tenses. "About that... Can I talk to him?"

"Ara..." Percy stares at her with a look of warning.

"We're talking about a fourteen-year-old boy, tall and severely malnourished, right?" She ignores him.

"Ara," he presses.

Hazel tilts her head in confusion. "Wait, he's fourteen?"

"Nico Di Angelo has been here before, even though he's Greek," Ara continues, anger bubbling up in her stomach. Percy tries to talk but she lifts a hand to stop him. "He brought you here?"

"Yes, last September," Hazel replies awkwardly. "But he never mentioned your camp, I swear."

"Ara," Percy looks at her sternly. "Chill."

"I'm chill," she replies, clearly not chill at all. "I just wanna talk to Di Angelo."

"You can't," Percy continues. "Hazel was about to tell us what her brother was doing before he went missing."

Ara's soul leaves her body. "He's missing?"

The first time I met Nico and Bianca Di Angelo wasn't even the first time for real. We met in the Lotus Hotel, but I only remembered a year after we found them.

The first time we spoke isn't as important as the time we almost killed each other, anyway. The first time, I mean, when Nico shattered the Pavilion's floor. But you've heard that story, so I'll tell you about the first time I officially met the Di Angelo siblings.

Percy, Thalia, Annabeth, and I arrive at the creepy military school, where a monster is already there to welcome us. He didn't notice me at first, which was good, I could sneak my way towards Bianca and Nico without the monster knowing.

"Hi!"

Bianca gives a start. I've interrupted some kind of argument between her and her brother. "Hi?"

"I'm Ara," I reach to shake her hand. "Jackson."

It's not the first time I introduced myself with that last name, but it is the first time that sounds natural. Bianca shakes my hand. "Bianca Di Angelo. Are you new?"

"Yeah! And I saw you two from across the gym, you seem nice," I look at Nico and grin when I see the cards he's holding. "Cool deck! I have a friend who's a huge fan of Mythomagic."

The boy's eyes widen. "You wanna play?"

"Sure," I take a sit next to him.

He's the same age I was when I met Percy, and I'm the same age Percy was then. My vanity tricks me into thinking that's enough to dazzle the boy, but people aren't interested in age, just power. When I met Percy, he had my respect 'cause he was strong and cool. 

It didn't matter if I was older, I was a nobody to Nico.

Ara makes an effort to be quiet now, too shaken to argue.

"The last thing he said to me was that he was going to look for the doors of death. That's all I know."

"We'll look for him," Percy assures Hazel. "Right, Ara?"

"Of course," Nico is annoying and difficult, but he's a camper, and he was her friend once, she doesn't want him gone and out of her life permanently. "But let's recap—The doors are in Rome?"

"That's what Thanatos said, yeah," Percy responds. "And finding them should be our priority anyway, as long as Gaea's army has control over them, the monsters will come back as soon as we kill them."

"Like water leaking through a dam," Piper mumbles.

"Yeah," Percy glances at Ara. "We've got a dam hole."

"What?" Piper blinks.

"Nothing. Inside joke. The point is we'll have to find the doors and close them before we can head to Greece. It's the only way we'll stand a chance of defeating the giants and making sure they stay defeated."

"You propose an expedition to Greece in your warship," Reyna says. "You do realize that the ancient lands—and the Mare Nostrum—are dangerous?"

"Mary who?" Leo asks.

"Mare Nostrum," Jason corrects him. "Our Sea. It's what the Ancient Romans called the Mediterranean."

"The territory that was once the Roman Empire is not only the birthplace of the gods," Reyna continues. "It's also the ancestral home of the monsters, Titans and giants... and worse things. As dangerous as travel is for demigods here in America, there it would be ten times worse."

"You said Alaska would be bad," Percy points out. "We survived that."

"Percy, traveling in the Mediterranean is a different level of danger altogether. It's been off-limits to Roman demigods for centuries. No hero in his right mind would go there."

"Then we're good!" Leo smiles. "Because we're all crazy, right? Besides, the Argo II is a top-of-the-line warship. She'll get us through—and Ara's the daughter of Olympus, she'll keep us safe."

"Ara can't look after all of us, it would be selfish to expect that," Percy scolds him.

"He didn't mean it like that," Ara is quick to intervene.

"Then he shouldn't say it—"

"Percy, don't start," Ara snaps at him. 

Percy glances at Leo with irritation, and Ara wonders why is he so hostile towards the boy.

"We'll have to hurry, I don't know exactly what the giants are planning, but Gaea is growing more conscious all the time," Jason continues, nervously glancing at the trio. "She's invading dreams, appearing in weird places, summoning more and more powerful monsters. We have to stop the giants before they can wake her up fully."

"Seven half-bloods must answer the call," Annabeth quotes. "It needs to be a mix from both our camps. Jason, Piper, Leo, and me. That's four."

"And me," Percy nods. "Along with Hazel and Frank. That's seven."

"And then there's me..." Ara grabs a fistful of grapes from a passing platter and eats a bunch at once.

I blame myself for not trying harder. I keep thinking that maybe if I'd befriended Bianca, none of what happened would've happened. Not in the way it did, anyway.

I didn't understand why she left Nico. He was her family and she dropped him just like that? I begged for something like what she had my whole life, and this girl gave it up so easily! 

I wasn't nice after she joined the hunters, and this caused Nico to attach to me. I was the same age as his sister and I was validating his feelings, I was Percy's sister as well, and he wanted to know all about him.

Nico punished Bianca by latching onto me and Lily, and that made her dislike us. In the end, Nico hated me for it. If I hadn't encouraged his behavior, the Di Angelo's would've parted on friendlier terms, and then maybe he wouldn't hold such a grudge towards me.

Despite all this... I still don't understand Bianca's decision, I gave up on having my own life to look after my loved ones forever, because that's what you do when your love is real.

Octavian stands up. "We're just supposed to accept that? Without a vote in the senate? Without a proper debate? Without—"

"Percy! Ara!" Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary rush in, there is a harpy seated on the hellhound. "Ella is scared!"

"N-n-no more boats," the harpy shivers. "Titanic, Lusitania, Pax... boats are not for harpies."

"Did that chicken girl just compare my ship to the Titanic?" Leo asks Hazel.

"She's not a chicken," Hazel avoids Leo's eyes and blushes. "Ella's a harpy. She's just a little... high-strung."

"Ella is pretty," Tyson continues. "And scared. We need to take her away, but she will not go on the ship."

"No ships. Bad luck," she spots Annabeth. "There she is. Wisdom's daughter walks alone—"

"Ella!" Frank tries to stop her. "Maybe it's not the best time—"

"The Mark of Athena burns through Rome," the harpy continues. "Twins snuff out the angel's breath, Who holds the key to endless death. Giants' bane stands gold and pale, Won through pain from a woven jail."

Ara's eyes land on Annabeth, whose entire face is flushed. "Was that—"

"I know!" Percy interrupts her. "How about you take Ella to get some fresh air? You and Mrs. O'Leary—"

"Hold on," Octavian's hands twist a plushie anxiously. "What was that she said? It sounded like—"

"Ella reads a lot," Frank explains. "We found her at a library."

"Yes!" Hazel continues. "Probably just something she read in a book."

"Books," Ella hums. "Ella likes books."

Ara's skin tingles with curiosity. They want to keep that harpy away from Octavian, and she wants to know why. 

"That was a prophecy," the guy insists. "It sounded like a prophecy."

Annabeth laughs, but Ara can tell it's fake. "Really, Octavian? Maybe harpies are different here, on the Roman side. Ours have just enough intelligence to clean cabins and cook lunches. Do yours usually foretell the future? Do you consult them for your auguries?"

While the rest of the demigods around them chuckle, Octavian seems to hesitate. "I, uh... No, but—"

"She's just spouting lines from some book," Annabeth dismisses the subject, "like Hazel suggested. Besides, we already have a real prophecy to worry about. Percy's right," she turns to Tyson. "Why don't you take Ella and Mrs. O'Leary and shadow-travel somewhere for a while. Is Ella okay with that?"

"'Large dogs are good. Old Yeller, 1957, screenplay by Fred Gipson and William Tunberg."

"Great!" Percy clasps his hands together. "We'll Iris-message you guys when we're done and catch up with you later."

Reyna's people look at her for approval whilst Ara's crew turns to her. The girls share a look, Ara would like to talk to Ella, but now's not the time, she doesn't want Octavian around for it, and he's clearly not well in the head. 

Reyna raises a brow. Ara can read her expression easily: "Your call, General." 

The girl leans back on her seat and shrugs, popping another grape into her mouth. Reyna turns to Tyson and Ella. "Fine. Go." She then turns to the others. "Octavian is right about one thing. We must gain the senate's approval before we let any of our legionnaires go on a quest—especially one as dangerous as you're suggesting."

"This whole thing smells of treachery," Octavian sneers. "That trireme is not a ship of peace!"

"Come aboard, man," Leo suggests. "I'll give you a tour. You can steer the boat, and if you're really good I'll give you a little paper captain's hat to wear."

"How dare you—"

"It's a good idea," Reyna intervenes. "Octavian, go with him. See the ship. We'll convene a senate meeting in one hour."

"But..." Octavian locks eyes with Reyna and grumbles the rest. "Fine."

"I'll go with you," Ara offers.

"No need, Arae," Leo winks at her. "We'll be back soon. This is gonna be epic."

Ara watches him walk away with a bad feeling, something rubbed her the wrong way, but she can't put a finger on it.

"Uh, Reyna," Jason speaks. "If you don't mind, I'd like to show Piper around before the senate meeting. She's never seen New Rome."

Ara wants to throw grapes at Jason's forehead. Can't he read the room? Reyna's been glaring at him this whole time! Poor Piper looks like she wants to crawl under the table and stay there for the rest of the day.

"Of course," the praetor responds tensely.

"Yeah, me, too," Percy adds. "I'd like to show Annabeth—"

"No."

"Sorry?" He frowns.

"I'd like a few words with Annabeth and your sister," Reyna explains stiffly. "Alone. If you don't mind, my fellow praetor."

"Okay," Ara stands and fixes her cloak. She's a good talker, this will be fine. "Lead the way."

Next Chapter ->

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @asnyox-the-hoarder @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris @obxstiles

#twoidiots writing #leo valdez x oc #leo valdez fanfic #pjo fanfic #pjo hoo toa #pjo fandom #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #heroes of olympus #doo

[cabinofimagines]

Panic! at the costume shop

A/N: Even in my busiest times I wouldn't forget to get a costume, shame on them -Danny Pairing: Platonic Percabeth and Piper x reader Warnings: Gay jokes < prev. - next >

"You guys are lucky to have me as your friend for real," you mumbled, checking your Halloween list to see if you needed anything from the shop. As usual, you had it all covered.

"Yeah, you know what I like most about you is how humble you are," Percy teased you.

"Man, we're gonna get the worst costumes ever," Piper complained.

"I don't wanna say that's on you 'cause you left everything last, but..."

"Shut up, Y/N," Annabeth scowled. "You either help or you leave."

"You kidnapped me!"

"That is a strong statement, we didn't kidnap you, it was Piper," Percy replied.

"Didn't," Piper replied casually. "I said I'm taking them to the movies and I am, after they help me choose a costume."

"This is gonna take ages, you and Annabeth are so picky," you glanced at Percy and grinned. "You, on the other hand, I love you cause you would settle for a sack of potatoes and you'd tell everyone you're a scarecrow."

Percy stopped and tilted his head like he'd just gotten a huge revelation handed to him. Annabeth elbowed him.

"You're not gonna do that!"

"It's better than what you two have! Which is nothing," he scoffed, rubbing the arm his girlfriend had punched.

"If this year you're not matching with anyone," Piper nudged your arm. "What's going to be your costume?"

You smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I know it's taking Cal ages to finish it, I hope you're paying that woman for all her hard work."

"'Course I'm paying, though she always charges less than she should."

"Hey, what about going like Ghostface, Mike Myers, and Jason?" Percy suggested, pointing at the few popular costumes left.

Annabeth wrinkled her nose. "No, there'll be many of those at the party... There's gotta be something good left!"

With a bit of frustration, Annabeth pushed through several costumes dismissing them on the go until one caught her eye.

She slowly moved out of the pile, holding a single—but bulky—matching set of costumes.

Piper leaned over to read its tag. "Rock, paper, scissors..."

The girls and you shared a look. None of you wanted to say it, but it was obvious you were all thinking of the same dumb joke.

"Are we seriously considering this?" Annabeth asked, though her eyes were shining with amusement.

"What? I've been preparing for this role my whole life," Piper claimed, grabbing the scissors costume.

"I don't get it," Percy frowned, which of course triggered a laughing fit on the rest of you.

"I'll tell you later," Annabeth chuckled, patting her boyfriend's back and handing him the rock costume.

"Leo's gonna have a field day with this," You snorted. "Alright, let's pay for these and go! Piper promised me a movie."

"Has to be horror, I presume?"

"And IMAX!"

"Yeah, thought so."

#halloween verse #halloween fic #halloweek 2023 #danny's writing #pjo fanfic #hoo #pjo hoo toa #heroes of olympus

[underforeversgrace]

healing the wounds we hid - 6

title: healing the wounds we hid

Finally, the sequel to broken trust and the wounds hidden behind! (Refresh here on AO3 or here on Tumblr)

Story Summary: Now that his father knows, Danny's life is changing for the better. Jack encourages him to let his friends and the rest of the family into his small word. Unbeknownst to Danny, Jack is secretly worried about how Maddie will react to the news upon her return to Amity - and how to confront Vlad once Jack learns his true identity. Amidst it all, an enemy lurks and plots their revenge.

Chapter 6 of 11: Lying to You

AO3

Tumblr Chapter One

Tumblr Chapter Seven

~~~~~~

Jack heard Sam’s laughter as he hung up the phone, before the trio joined him in the kitchen. She seemed to be teasing Danny and Tucker about something, though Jack had no idea what. He smiled anyway. The two had become commonplace figures again in the Fenton home over the past week and Jack loved seeing the changes it brought to Danny. He smiled more, laughed more, even when he wasn’t around them. Even as Phantom he had more quips and grins.

As much as it pained him to know his son had been practically suicidal less than three months ago, it gave him immense joy to see Danny recovering from his depression and isolation so easily.

Jack resisted the urge to touch the bruises aching around his neck from Vlad’s hands as he wondered if Vlad would ever be able to recover the way Danny had.

“You two staying for dinner?” Jack asked, banishing the thoughts of Vlad from his mind.

“Is it okay if we do?” Sam asked.

“I’d like them here, at least while I talk to Jazz.” Danny added.

“You two know you’re always welcome here!” Jack said boisterously.

The three grinned and settled into their seats. They passed a look between them and the mood sobered.

“Actually, Dad, I need to talk to you before Jazz gets home?” Danny said, fidgeting in his seat. Tucker wrapped his arm around Danny’s shoulders, giving him a comforting squeeze before letting go.

“Sure, kiddo,” Jack said, settling into the remaining empty seat. He’d have to remember to get one of their spare chairs when Jazz arrived.

“So, uh, we discovered something at school today,” Danny said. The tone of it left no doubt within Jack that it was related to ghosts and not at all with their classes.

“Are you alright?” Jack asked. That was always the first thing he always asked these days.

“I am. I’m just, uh… a bit more ghostly than I realized?”

Jack shrugged and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, letting Danny continue at his own pace. 

“Dude, you know he isn’t going to care, in like, a bad way,” Tucker said.

“Trust me, as someone who recently found out you’re half ghost - this is so low on the totem pole for us in terms of new things we’ve learned, it barely registers.” Sam agreed.

“I know! I’m not scared or anything. It’s just… it’s still hard to be open with ghost stuff, y’know?”

“Danno,” Jack said, keeping his voice soft. “Talk to me.”

“We realized I’m able to eat emotions.” Danny admitted.

“Oh. Uh, okay. I’m sure we can watch a lot of sad shows or those scientifically inaccurate shows that make me mad, to make sure you’re getting enough… sustenance? Jazz has always been easily spooked by horror movies, anyway.” Jack said, trying to think of all the ways to safely bring up emotions of fear, anger, and sadness.

“Huh?” Danny said.

“Positive emotions, Mr. Fenton,” Sam piped up, rolling her eyes at Danny. “We realized Danny’s been eating less human food since the three of us found out the truth. He’s spending more time with all of us - who feel positive emotions about him - and he’s been unknowingly absorbing it.”

“Oh!” Danny said, finally understanding the miscommunication. “I’m not like Spectra, who eats negative feelings. I’m the opposite. I guess I just never realized it because I was pushing everyone away.”

“Or it’s a new ghost ability,” Tucker added. When Sam and Danny looked at him in confusion, he shrugged. “Danny, you’ve already told us you’ve occasionally gained new ghost abilities. It might be new.”

“I hadn’t considered that,” Danny frowned. “I don’t know if -“

He was cut off by the sound of the front door slamming open. “Dad?!” Jazz called, a hint of panic to her voice. “I just saw your text, is everything okay?!” She asked, turning the corner out of breath, eyes wide as she took in the scene. She seemed to relax marginally when she saw Danny sitting there. “Sam! Tucker! It’s been so long!” She said, hugging the two of them and then Danny.

“Let me go grab one of the spare chairs,” Jack said, but Jazz stopped him before he got out of his chair.

“I’m fine standing, I’ve been sitting in class all day. So, family meeting?” She said, lingering behind Danny.

“Well, family plus Sam and Tuck.” Danny said, craning his neck slightly to look at her. “But I think you should sit down, Jazz. It’s kinda a big topic.” Danny was out of his seat before Jazz could protest, gently pushing her into the seat he’d abandoned.

“Okay?” Jazz asked hesitantly.

“Okay. Well. Uh…” Danny trailed off, sending a panicked glance to Jack.

Jack just shook his head slightly. “You’ve got this, son.”

"Is everything alright, Danny?" Jazz asked, turning in her seat to grab Danny's hand, concern painted across her face. She glanced over at Jack with an expression he couldn't read.

"So. Uh. Y’know, like, ghosts? How they're a thing?" Danny stumbled.

It took everything Jack had to not laugh at the 'are you serious right now?' look Jazz gave her brother.

Sam and Tucker, however, also saw the look and broke out in laughter.

"Hey, you try telling your sister you're half ghost! It's not easy!" Danny whined before going ramrod straight as Jazz's eyes widened. "I mean, uh, shit, uh, like… that isn't how I meant to tell you."

Jazz just smiled and stood, wrapping her arms around Danny, though she stepped off a little further to the side than necessary, completely blocking Danny from Jack’s view. A frown pulled to Jack’s face. Something about that felt… intentional?

He could only see Jazz’s back as she leaned down closer to her brother and whispered something too low for Jacks to hear, followed by Danny shouting, “You what?”

Jazz looked over her shoulder at her father, seeming to be gauging a reaction from him. He smiled at her, though he was sure she could see the confusion on his face.

“How long have you known?” Danny asked, pulling away from his sister, shocked.

Jazz shrugged, turning her attention back to Danny. “Since the Spectra incident.”

Danny groaned. “I swear to Clockwork, if Mom says she already knew when I tell her, I’m blowing something up!”

“You need an excuse to blow something up?” Tucker quipped.

“Wait,” Jack said. “Jazz, did you already know?”

Jazz sighed and turned around, wrapping her arms around herself. “Yeah. I found out by accident.”

“Dude, how in the hell do you still have a secret identity?” Tucker asked, laughing. Sam thwacked his arm, raising a finger to her lips in the universal sign of ‘shut up!’

“That’s a good question,” Danny grumbled. “Why didn’t you ever tell me you knew I was Phantom, Jazz?”

Again, Jazz watched Jack a moment before answering, and he finally realized why. Jazz had been - and still was - worried about how Jack would react. “At first, I wanted you to want to tell me. So I tried to give you space, help without it being obvious I was helping. After some time passed, though…” Jazz trailed off, biting at her lower lip. “I almost exposed your secret a few times. I’ve never been good at lying. Until this, I didn’t think anyone in this family was capable of keeping a secret. It’s why I haven’t been home a lot and signed up for all those extra classes and study groups.”

Sadness grew in Jack with Jazz’s every word. Had he and Maddie really made both of their children believe they’d hurt one of them for being a ghost? Made both of them afraid of their parents? So much so that Jazz, ever the level headed peacekeeper, who always worked to bring the family back together, decided that letting the family fracture further was the safest option?

Danny had pulled away to keep his secret safe. Jazz had pulled away because she wasn’t sure if she could keep her brother safe.

“I’m sorry,” Jack said hoarsely, staring at both of his kids - the two people he loved more than anything in this world, who he’d die for, who he’d protect until the ends of the Earth. They both looked at him in confusion, though Sam and Tucker looked at him with sympathy. They hadn’t been trusted with the truth either, so they probably understood some of what he felt.

But Jack hadn’t been trusted for much worse reasons. He hadn’t been trusted out of fear that he would torture and kill his son. “I’m sorry,” he repeated.

“Dad…” Danny said, moving around the table until he was behind Jack, patting him on the shoulder. “It’s okay.”

Jazz pressed her lips together into a thin line and said nothing. She didn’t contradict Danny, at least. They all knew this wasn’t okay, no matter how much Danny was trying to pretend it was.

“Thanks, son,” Jack said halfheartedly. “Well, now that Jazz knows, time to discuss telling the final Fenton.”

“Mom?” Jazz asked. “Are… are we sure that’s safe?”

He paused, staring at the wood grain of the table as he thought.

That had been one of the reasons he’d gone to see Vlad earlier. Maddie had to be told… and Jack needed a back up plan for if she took it poorly. To his immense relief, Vlad had agreed to help, though he had insisted the only reason he was willing to help was because he knew how brilliant Maddie was and she’d connect the dots between Danny’s accident and Vlad’s own.

If the worse came to pass, threats of child protective services being called on the Fenton home should work, and Jack would publically decimate their research as flawed and made up to discredit her or any crazy theories she may spread - including the possibility of her own son being half ghost, if she tried to go to the media with it.

Danny couldn’t leave Amity and Jack would always stay with his son. If it got too bad… Vlad was rich enough to make Maddie disappear and make it look like she left, abandoned their family and their ‘freak’ of a son.

Jack and Vlad had set several contingencies in place, and none of them would he ever admit to either of his kids. As much as it hurt him, as much as it made his heart stutter in grief, if he had to make a choice between his wife and his son, he’d choose Danny, every time.

“Everything will be fine,” Jack lied. “I was afraid at first, too, but I know Maddie, she loves you two. I have no doubt that she’ll accept you, Danno.”

A look passed between Jack and Jazz. The look in her eyes told him that she knew he was lying. The look she sent Danny after told him she’d lie and protect him too, no matter the cost.

Danny seemed to buy it, relaxing slightly at his side. “Guess we should plan how to tell her?”

“Do you want us there, Danny?” Sam asked.

“If nothing else, you can eat our good vibes!” Tucker grinned.

“I’m sorry, eat what?” Jazz asked.

“Oh, your brother recently learned he eats feelings.” Tucker said with a shrug, like it was the most uninteresting thing he'd ever heard. Despite the situation, despite learning that his daughter also feared he'd carve up Danny, Jack grinned, because his son's friends accepted him - and his secret - with open arms.

Jazz sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she took a few deep breaths. “Okay. Okay, that’s fine,” she said before grinning at Danny and ruffling his hair. Danny sent his sister a relieved grin before swatting her hand away, whining about ‘ew, sister cooties!’ and then returning his attention to his friends.

“I think I’d like you guys there for that one, too,” Danny said, his eyes lingering on Tucker and the two sharing a shy smile.

Well, Jack had always wondered which one of his friends Danny would end up dating (if not both of them), and he supposed he’d just gotten his answer.

“I’m thinking we tell her here,” Jack said, deciding he needed to give his son the talk later. Dating is dating and needs to have the talk! “Over dinner. I can disable all the ghost defenses like we did for the time we tested your powers, if you’re worried.”

Danny nodded. “That sounds like a good idea to me.”

Jack could see the fear in his son’s face and he tried to smile, tried to hide his own fear, reassuring himself that he and Vlad had a plan, had it worked out if the worst came to pass.

Danny eventually realized they needed the spare fifth seat and when Jack went to get it, said he would handle it. He was all smiles as he transformed into Phantom, flying intangibly to the other room and back, grabbing the chair. Jack was calmed by the display - his son, in front of people who accepted him, showing off his powers, showing off the thing that had made him so afraid for so long.

If anyone else besides him noticed that Danny’s ears remained slightly pointed when he reverted back to his human half, they kept it as quiet as Jack did.

The pizza finally arrived shortly thereafter and they all settled in to eat. Jack couldn’t help but smile, content as he watched the teens eat and chat. They joked around and goofed off, they talked about school. Danny’s chair was closer to Tucker’s and Jack didn’t miss the smiles the two shared as they discussed video games while Jazz and Sam discussed various activist organizations.

There was an ache deep in his bones as Jack prayed, beyond all hope, for this to become their new normal - his family restored, his son’s friends at his side. So, silently, quietly - Jack prayed.

~~~~~~

Agents Byte and Bit were ready when Operative O showed up, a week later as he’d said. Byte was O’s equivalent in the chain of command on the technological side.

“Byte. Bit.” Operative O greeted.

“O,” the two tech nerds greeted in unison.

“Judging by your presence, I am assuming Bit failed to restore any of the lost data?” O asked, cutting straight to the point as he scowled at Byte.

Bit shuffled slightly, moving slightly behind his boss.

“Unfortunately, when Phantom triggered an electrical surge, all electronics were fried and, as Bit has no doubt explained, we do not keep any offsite backups for security reasons. In layman’s terms - the information has essentially been burned to ash. There is nothing to be done for it,” Byte said, holding himself up straight, trying to look stern and intimidating despite being half a foot shorter than O was.

O growled. “This conversation could have been an email, then. Why did you request a meeting?”

The prosthetic hand clenched into a fist at his side as it sensed his rising anger and O tried to relax it subtly. The prosthesis was extremely experimental, fueled partially by mortal electricity and partially by ectoplasm. It was a genius construction of the two, but ectoplasm was well known for reacting to emotions - and it showed every time O had strong feelings.

Which was quite annoying in times, such as now, when O couldn’t get the fist to relax, which made him frustrated, which just caused the fist to clench tighter. This is all Phantom’s fault! O growled internally, his hatred rising as he gave up on trying to make his hand do what he wanted. He felt like he had no control over his own body, all because that stupid ghost kid had fought back.

“Because we found something else we think you might like,” Byte said, unaware of O’s internal struggle.

“Did you capture Phantom yourselves?” O asked sarcastically.

“No. But we may have an idea to help you catch it. Bit, show him,” Byte said, stepping out of the way.

“Uh, here, look, Operative O,” Bit said, sliding into his seat and pulling up… something with a lot of numbers and shorthand on it that O couldn’t interpret. “We’ve been studying Phantom since its escape. We’ve noticed some changes in the routine it follows in the weeks since the incident, and there have been a few notable ones that may benefit us.”

“Fascinating,” O drawled. “Point?”

“Well, to put it simply…” Bit said, pulling up another file, this one so simple even O could understand it, even if he couldn’t believe it. He didn’t even notice the self satisfied smirk on Bit’s face as he took in O’s shock.

“You’re sure?” O asked in disbelief, rereading the text. “How?”

“We’re not sure, but we’re guessing Phantom has enough intelligence to realize it needed help after escaping our facility and figured out how to get some.”

“And how is this supposed to help me recatch him - I mean, recatch it? This would just complicate things further.”

A devious grin crept onto Bit’s face. “Because we’re noticing Phantom’s been falling back onto this ‘support’ more frequently recently. But this help won’t be available in a few nights,” Bit explained, handing a piece of paper to O, smirking as though he’d just handed over the keys to the Ghost Zone.

And, while that wasn’t what he’d handed O, there was no denying it was a strong second prize. A rare smile crept onto Operative O’s face. “You’re sure?” He asked, glee in his voice. 

“Positive,” Byte confirmed for his agent, lips curved into a cocky smile.

“Perfect. I’ll go brief K and -“ O began, cutting himself off and grimacing at his error. “I mean. I’ll go brief M and get us ready to roll, when the time comes.”

Bit and Byte looked at him sympathetically, but he ignored it - he didn’t do pity, especially pity aimed at him. He was fine.

He wasn’t the one who bled to death under tons of concrete.

O took one final look at the paper before crumpling it in his good hand.

Phantom was about to learn - the hard way - that he should’ve killed O in that blast too. And this paper was going to help O teach the freak that lesson.

#grace writes #danny phantom