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whatsk-poppinhomies · 8 months

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When Their GF Is Followed Home

Pairing : ot8 (separately) x f!reader TW : reader getting followed ; reader panicking ; honestly it's fluffy ; major anxiety though ; might be anxiety inducing or triggering ; Word Count : Bangchan (745) ; Minho (847) ; Changbin (747) ; Hyunjin (1370) ; Jisung (1396) ; Felix (1114) ; Seungmin (1564) ; Jeongin (1645) -TOTAL : 9.4k AN : this is entirely self indulgent and I will write my requests, this is kind of a coping mechanism for me. Thank you for being patient with me and for everyone who commented on my post about what had happened and I really do appreciate and love all of you. I won't tag my perm. tag list in this one because it isn't really a request or anything, it's just for me, but I'm gonna post it here just in case anyone else needs it or wants to read it.

You should have been home 5 minutes ago, he knew exactly the amount of time it took for you to get from your job to the house, and even if traffic was bad, it would only tack on an extra 3 or 4 minutes. It’s been 20 minutes since you told him you got out of work, and now he was starting to worry. Did you have to stay late? It wasn’t unlikely, but you’d usually tell him these things so he wouldn’t wait up for you at night.

His phone started vibrating, and when he saw your name as the caller ID, he let out a little sigh of relief… Until he answered and he heard the sound of the car running, which wasn’t what he was used to considering you were a strict advocate of not using your phone while driving at all. Then he heard your heavy breaths and your sniffling. You were crying. “Channie…” You whispered, the sound of his name shaky when it left your lips. “I’m being followed… I don’t know what to do…”

The panic that he initially felt came back tenfold, he felt like he couldn’t breathe, and the worst part was that there was nothing he could do. It’s not like he’d tell you to stop the car so he could get to you, he didn’t know what the person following you was capable of or even what they planned on doing. “Call the cops… Okay? Call the cops and go back to your work. Stay in your car… Lock the doors and keep the windows up.”

You gasped before he heard the loud sob, he was terrified just hearing about it, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how you felt right now. “O-Okay… Bye… I… I love you…” You stammered, and the way you said it only had him freaking out even more. It sounded like you were saying goodbye to him, not like you normally would, but like a final goodbye.

He knew where you were going, and he couldn’t, he just couldn’t sit at home and wait. He needed to know right then that you were okay, so he grabbed his keys, not even bothering to change into his shoes, running straight out the door and climbing in his car, racing towards your work. His own hands were shaking as his fingers wrapped around the steering wheel, his entire body was trembling as his head filled with the worst thoughts of what could have happened to you.

The ride to your work was actually quite short, just a couple blocks, but right now it felt like it took forever to get there, but once he was finally in the parking lot, he could see that you were parked right out front. He pulled his car around to park behind you, quickly climbing out to run over to yours.

It was heartbreaking to see the way you jumped when he got up to the window, the way your body was still shaking and your one hand still wrapped around the wheel in a vice grip as if you were ready to speed off if that person did come back. Once you realized it was him though, you rolled your window down, and then he really saw you.

Your eyes were bloodshot and you were practically hyperventilating. “I-It’s my b-boyfriend…” You said to whoever it was on the phone, and when he glanced at it, he could see that you were still on the phone with the police. “I’ll hang up now… Thank you…” You whispered before ending the call and then looking up at him with the glassiest eyes, the saddest eyes, and all he wanted to do was hold you, to tell you that everything would be okay. “An officer is… on the way… right now…”

“I’ll stay here with you, I’m not leaving you.” He assured you, grabbing your hand through the window and leaning in to press a kiss to your cheek. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t help… I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. I promise I won’t let anything like that happen ever again.” And now he was crying, you both were crying as you sat in the parking lot, but that promise that he made was one that he’d stick to and keep forever. You were the most precious thing in his life and he’d make sure that you never have to go through something like that ever again.

It was a late night in the practice room, another comeback and he wanted this one to be just as powerful as the last so he was practicing his dances as much as he could. He was taking a small break, resting against the mirrored walls of the room when his phone started vibrating on the floor beside him, the sight of your name and picture on his screen had all of his exhaustion washing away and a smile spreading across his face.

“You know I love you… Right…?” Was the first thing you said as soon as he answered the phone, and the question alone had his heart sinking, but the way you said it, the way you sounded, he knew that something was wrong. “I’m headed back up to my work right now… I just wanted you to know that I love you so much… Give the cats kisses for me. I gotta go though… I’ll text you when I can…”

The call ended before he was even able to say anything, but it was all so cryptic, it scared the hell out of him. Whatever was happening, he could tell that you were beyond scared, and for some reason you were saying your final goodbyes, and that had him pushing himself up off the floor and rushing out of the practice room and down the hall to the elevators.

He was pissed at himself for staying at work so late, the building was on the complete opposite side of town, there was no way in hell he was going to make it to you. He didn’t know what the hell was going on, and all of the texts that he was sending didn’t seem to be going through because you weren’t answering any of them. He felt physically sick, like the entire room was spinning and his knees felt weak and he couldn’t breathe and he really just wanted to hear from you, to know that you were okay.

“You shouldn’t be on your phone while you’re driving, you could cause an accident, Min.” He remembered the way you’d scold him from the passenger seat if he even reached for his phone while his car was in motion. That little memory only scared him more because he heard the sound of your engine running in the background of the call, you were on your phone while you were driving… Or maybe… Maybe you weren’t driving… Maybe it was someone else… His stomach sank deeper at the thought. There had been so many stories coming out recently about things that happened to unsuspecting people… You were so nice, so naive… He needed you to answer him, he needed you to text him back.

20 minutes had passed since the initial phone call, he had sent you so many texts, and you finally answered him. “Heading home now… I’m sorry.” He was standing at the front door, waiting for your car to pull up, and when it did, there was an officer driving behind you. His heart was racing as he ran out of the house barefoot, not even caring as he ran out into the street to pull open your door, sighing heavily when he saw you sitting there. “What happened…?” He whispered, his hands landing on your shoulders as you climbed out of the car, and he couldn’t not notice how puffy and red your eyes were, but instead of answering, you fell against his chest, your arms wrapping tightly around him.

The officer had to take some information, and once Minho had thanked him for escorting you home, he walked you into the house, pulling you down on the couch beside him. You told him what had happened, and he went through an array of emotions. Anger, sadness, panic, but most of all, he felt downright awful.

“Why didn’t you tell me that’s what was happening?” He questioned as you laid against his chest, your fingers gripping tightly onto his shirt as your body continued to tremble. The fear that you had felt still hadn’t left, and he was sure it would be there for a while, and rightfully so.

“Because I didn’t want you to get hurt trying to race to my job… I know how you are. I just wanted you to know that I love you…” You whispered back, your voice cracking as you started to cry once again. “I know that you love me, and I love you too, so much. I’m gonna drive you to and from work now… I can’t have anything happening to you… I’ve never been so scared in my life.” He murmured, his hand running soothingly up and down your back. Now that he knew you were safe, that fear and desperation that he had felt subsided but quickly turned to anger. He wanted nothing more than to hunt this guy down, to find out who it was and make him feel the same way you felt. You’re his everything, and he was going to do right by you no matter what it takes.

He was in the studio with Chan and Jisung, his phone muted so as to not ruin the recording process. Maybe he had just become complacent in the fact that nothing had ever happened before when you were on your way home, but he never felt the need to have his phone turned on when you were at work or while he was at the studio and you knew that. You’d text him at some point if you had the chance and vice versa, but you both knew that once the two of you were home you’d have so much to talk about it would keep you up for hours.

“I’m gonna head out now, Y/N should be home by now.” Changbin said, getting up from his chair and stretching his arms above his head. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” He was always the first to come in and get things started so that he could be the first to leave, not wanting you to be at home alone for too long.

On his venture to the elevator, he finally pulled out his phone, noticing that his lockscreen was filled with missed calls from you from over an hour ago, and then a text from you from 25 minutes ago. You would never call him that much when he was in the studio… Unless there was an emergency… But there were never any emergencies. You worked right down the street from the house, what could possibly happen in that short amount of time? Unless there was an emergency in your job and you were trying to call him.

Before even checking the text, he called you back, opting to take the stairs just to get out of the building faster as he held his phone up to his ear, waiting to hear your voice. “Binnie… I’m sorry I called so much… I’m okay now.” You whispered into your phone, and there was nothing truly relieving about what you said. You being okay now meant that you hadn’t been okay before and he wasn’t there to help you or even answer your calls when you needed him to.

“What happened?” He urged, pushing through the exit door on the side of the building and coming out into the parking lot, slightly breathless from the amount of stairs he had just sprinted down in a matter of minutes. “Did you get hurt? Are you home? Where are you right now?” He needed more answers, but all he could hear were your shaky breaths over the line. “Baby… Talk to me, please.”

He was getting more panicked the longer you stayed silent, and he could hear you softly sniffling as if you were crying. “I’m home… Not hurt… An officer escorted me home. I’ll tell you about it when you get in… Okay? I don’t want to talk about it when I’m by myself…”

When he finally made it home and came through the door you were waiting for him right beside it, your cheeks stained with tear streaks, and you crashed into him as your body shook with uncontrollable sobs. “Shh… It’s okay… I’m here now…” He cooed, rubbing his hand soothingly over your back, although he still wasn’t sure what had truly happened, it must have been awful for you to be like this. “Tell me what happened…”

As he sat and listened to you, all he could imagine was how scared you must have been. You were still shaking and you were already home, it must have been downright terrifying to be going through it at that moment. He wanted to know everything about what you possibly could have seen, what was the make of the car, what did the driver look like… He wanted to know every single detail. “Don’t try to find him… It’s not worth it…” You said shakily, holding tightly onto his hand. “It’s over now…”

But it wasn’t over… Because you hadn’t seen the plate numbers, and all you could go off of was a vehicle description, and whoever this guy was… He was still out there. He could do it to someone else, he could come back and do it to you again… Changbin didn’t want to take those chances. For now though, he agreed, because he wanted to take care of you and make sure you were alright and make sure you felt safe. One thing he was certain about though… He’d never put his phone on silent again.

“I’m in my car now, I’ll text you when I get in the house. I love you!” The text came in and Hyunjin read it quickly, smiling to himself as he sank deeper into the couch at the dorms. You hadn’t been together very long, at least not long enough to take that step to moving in together, but he liked to know exactly when you got off work and exactly when you made it home. The second text that he had gotten used to, that he had timed almost perfectly to come in at least 7 to 10 minutes after the first text meant that you were safe and he’d finally be able to call you on the phone and hear your voice.

When it went past 15 minutes and that second text didn’t come in, his initial thought was that you had just forgotten. Maybe work was just really tiring today and you ended up laying on the couch and passing out… But that didn’t make sense either… You’ve had days like that before and you still texted him to let him know you made it home safe… You just weren’t able to call him because you had gone straight to bed right after.

“Hey honey… Did you make it home? Text me as soon as you can… I’m getting worried.” He quickly typed out the message, dropping his phone onto his lap as he nervously watched his screen. There were some nights that you’d stop at the store or the gas station on your way home, but even then, you’d text him beforehand that you planned on going there before going home, and then you’d text him when you made it to whatever destination you were headed to.

After 5 minutes of you still not responding he couldn’t take it anymore, dialing your number quickly and heading to the front door. You had never gone this long without answering him, and you certainly wouldn’t have ignored a phone call from him. He even had his own special ringtone in your phone so you’d know it was him. Something must have happened, and his mind immediately jumped to the worst.

“What’s going on?” Chan asked as he turned the corner from the kitchen, watching Hyunjin pull on his shoes. “You’re heading out?” Hyunjin never left this late at night, he’d usually already be in his room talking on the phone with you, his giddy voice heard through the walls, giving Jisung and Changbin perfect ammunition to tease him with the next morning.

“Y/N hasn’t texted me to let me know she made it home… She didn’t answer my text or my call…” Hyunjin said, frantically looking around the room as if he was missing something, but it was just his phone which was still in his hand. He felt like a chicken running around with his head cut off, but the panic seemed reasonable at this point. “Can you drive me to her place?” Hyunjin asked, his eyes silently pleading with his hyung to say yes.

“I’m sure she’s fine. She’s probably just stuck in-”

“No! She lives in a residential area… Her work is only a couple blocks away… She doesn’t have to go through traffic! Something happened!” Hyunjin shrieked, running his hands through his hair. “Look, if you’re not going to take me to her house, fine… I’ll catch a cab or something. But I need to be there. I need to make sure she’s alright.”

So Chan relented, grabbing his keys off the hook and following Hyunjin out the door, trying his best to keep up with the younger guy who seemed to be racing against time as he ran down the hall to the stairs.

In Hyunjins hurry to leave the dorms, he had forgotten to grab the key you had given him to get into your house, but he knew you weren’t home yet. The lights weren’t shining through the blinds in the window, there were no lights on at all. Your dog was still barking at the front door as he and Chan sat on your front porch. But what really gave away that you weren’t home was the fact that your car wasn’t parked out front.

Every single set of headlights that came around the bend had Hyunjin standing up, checking to see if it were you only to dejectedly sit back down as the car sped past. You still hadn’t texted him back and his heart continued to sink deeper and deeper into the pit of his stomach the longer the silence lasted.

Two sets of headlights came around, both of them lighting up the street, and this time Hyunjin didn’t even bother to stand up, his head dropping back down to stare at his phone screen as he expected them to drive right by like the other cars did… Until the car in front parked right in front of your house, and he realized that the car that had been driving behind was a cop car.

He pushed himself up off the stairs, tripping over his feet as he ran down to meet you outside of your car, practically pulling you out of it once your seatbelt was unlatched. “Oh my baby… What happened?!” He cried, his eyes already welling up as he looked you over, checking for any sign of injury or harm, but all he could see was that you had been crying, you were still crying. “Baby…?” His voice lowered a little more as he looked at you with worry filled eyes, his bottom lip jutting out.

“I am going to need some information. Your license and your phone number.” The cop said, and Hyunjins eyes widened. Did you get into an accident? Your car didn’t look damaged or dented, and you’d have surely called him if something like that did happen. He watched as you handed over your license to the officer, your hands trembling and your breaths shallow and uneven. “If something like that ever happens again, if you see that car or the driver, just call that number…” The officer handed you a tiny white card and gave you a sympathetic smile. “You’re okay, everything is gonna be okay.”

He was more confused than ever now as he watched the officer climb back in his car, but he didn’t take the time to watch him drive away, quickly grabbing your bag and then leading you up to your house. “I’m sorry… Sorry for worrying you…” You croaked out as you kicked your shoes off and dropped down onto the couch, fresh tears spilling down your cheeks.

“No… Don’t apologize…” Hyunjin squatted down in front of you, grabbing both of your hands and giving them a light squeeze. “The cop followed you home… What happened? Why?” He questioned, kissing the back of your hands before cupping your cheeks, brushing away your tears with his thumbs.

“I was… followed home… I had to go all the way around… And they kept following me. They blinded me with their high beams and… I called the cops. I didn’t know what to do… I drove back up to work…” You explained, your breaths coming out more heavy, your words broken up by loud sobs as your head fell forward. “I was so scared, Hyunjin…”

He didn’t say anything, instead he scurried up onto the couch, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you onto his lap, his hand moving up to the back of your head to bury your face in the crook of his neck. Hot tears fell against his skin as he rocked you, whispering I love you’s as he held you close against him.

There wasn’t much he could do, it had already happened, it’s not like he would have been able to stop it. Now all he could do was try to fight that fear, to make you feel safe again. It wouldn’t be easy, but nothing worth fighting for was ever easy. “I’m moving in… I don’t want you to be alone. Text me when you get off work and I’ll get a ride down there just so I can ride with you back home. This’ll never happen again, I swear.”

The problem with being out of the country for tours was the fact that he couldn’t bring you with him. Not only was it protocol from his staff members and management themselves, but your work didn’t really allow you that much time off. Whenever he was away, the two of you depended on texts, calls, and video chats to talk to each other, and with him being so far away, he liked to know everything. He wanted minute by minute updates on how your day was going and whether you made it to and from work safely. The guys would always tease him and say he’s being a little redundant, but there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make sure the person you love is okay.

Your work schedule was never consistent either, which sometimes made it hard for Jisung to relax. Sometimes you’d get off work at 8pm, and other times you wouldn’t even be leaving the building until 11pm. It just depended on how much you had to do, and that would leave him restless, waiting for your text to come in to let him know you were on your way home.

Tonight seemed to be a late night, and even though he wasn’t back at the house waiting for you, he couldn’t help but anxiously look over at his phone every couple seconds to see if your text had come in. He was about to start a live stream, it was already 10:40pm where you were, and there hadn’t been a single text yet, so he decided to text you.

“Hey pookie bear, I’m about to start the live. You can still text me to let me know when you get off and please let me know when you get home. I love you so so so much!! I can’t wait to be back home with you!” He quickly sent the text before setting his phone down to the side to start the stream, trying his best to shake the nerves so he could turn on the camera.

15 minutes into the stream his phone started vibrating. It wasn’t a text, it was a phone call coming in, and one glance over had him reading your name. Maybe you hadn’t read his text, but you usually didn’t call him during a stream, and you rarely ever called him when you were on your way home, and he still hadn’t texted him… Something must be wrong. He looked to the staff member who seemed just as confused on what to do, but he decided to answer it anyway. He wasn’t going to just let it go to voicemail.

“Sungie… Baby…” Your voice came through softly, slightly muffled by the sound of the car engine humming in the background. “I love you so much… You mean the world to me, and you’re so special, you’re so amazing at everything you do… And I’m just… I’m so lucky that you’re my boyfriend, and I really wish I could spend the rest of my life with you… I just wanted you to know that. I have to go now though… I’ll text you if I can… Love you…”

Now, Jisung was rarely ever stunned into silence, but this call had him staring blankly at the staff behind the camera who hadn’t heard anything. The call ended so quickly, but you were clearly panicking, you were crying, and he had never felt so hopeless in his life. He was thousands of miles away, and now you weren’t answering any of his calls. “The fans are wondering where you went…” The staff member said, but how was he supposed to worry about the fans when you were clearly in trouble, or hurt, or both.

“I don’t know if I can… I…” Jisung stammered, running his hands over his face, feeling his palms get dampened with the tears that had started to fall. “Y/N is in trouble and I really need to try to get a hold of her… I can’t get back on like this… I’m scared.” He explained, but the staff member rolled his eyes, coming over with a box of tissues and setting it down in front of Jisung before flicking back on the camera.

He didn’t have a choice it felt, but once the camera was off and the stream was over, he’d be having a long talk with the managers about the staff member who clearly wasn’t concerned with anything but himself. For the time being, he pretended to read comments off his phone as he stared at the text screen, waiting for you to say something, anything, to let him know that you were okay.

It felt like forever, but in actuality, it was only another 10 minutes before another one of your texts came in. “I’m home now… A cop followed me home to make sure I’d be okay. I don’t want to worry you, it’s over with now, but I know that you’ll still ask, but I was followed home… I’ll explain everything when I get the chance to, but right now I just want to take a shower and go to bed. I love you… I can’t wait to see you either.”

The text wasn’t in any way helpful, it actually made him feel nauseous, knowing that he wasn’t there when you had clearly been through something so traumatic that it made you feel like you had to call him just to say goodbye. The stream was still going, but he couldn’t be bothered to focus on it anymore, his attention solely on his phone screen as he continued to read and reread the message. He couldn’t keep up the act though, and once he had fully processed what he read, he looked to the camera. “I have to go now, there’s an emergency. I’m sorry… Please be safe, STAY. I love all of you.”

As soon as the camera was off and the live stream ended, the staff member was pissed, but Jisung was just as angry. He was angry at himself, angry at the guy who was now coming closer to grab the laptop who had selfishly forced him to continue to live stream. “This is ridiculous. I’m sure the managers are gonna be real happy, especially ending a stream like that. I can only imagine the rumors that’ll come up.”

Jisung didn’t care about any of that though, all he cared about was you. He pushed himself up out of the chair and headed to his hotel room door, pulling it open and motioning for the staff member to leave. “There is an emergency, and my girlfriend being terrified after being followed home when she was leaving work isn’t ridiculous. She’s terrified and I’m not there to physically comfort her and the last thing I want to do is a fucking live stream pretending that everything is all sunshine and rainbows. So get out, I have to call her.”

Since you were okay, Jisung couldn’t exactly use your fear as a reason to leave the tour early, much to his disappointment. He wanted you to come out to be with him though, even if only for a couple days to help get your mind off of what had happened, but of course, you were still needed at work and your job really didn’t care that you had gone through something like that… Which again, made Jisung hate your job more than he already did.

The distance seemed to feel so much further after what happened though, and there was nothing that would make him fully relax until he got home. For now though, you both agreed to stay on the phone with one another whenever you were driving, even if he was on a stream or in the middle of a concert, he’d stop everything he was doing to make sure you made it work and back home safe without something like this happening for a second time, and that agreement carried on even when he got home from tour… And now when you got home and he was there, he’d be waiting for you at the front door with open arms. That fear wouldn’t just stick with you, but it stuck with him too… The fear of losing you, of not knowing what to do… He never wanted either of you to feel that way again.

Your schedule was erratic to say the least, there was never a set time to you getting off, and Felix, being the sunshine that he is, trusted that you’d get home safe without any problems every single night that you did work. That’s why he didn’t expect you to call him or text him, he just believed that everything would be fine, and when you did get home, you’d let him know all about your day as he sat beside you on the couch.

Tonight was no different, other than the fact that he was staying at the dorms because he had to head out early for a music video shoot the very next morning. You knew about this, and while you both hated being away from each other, you understood that his work was demanding, and sometimes it demanded that he be away from you for long periods of time. Instead of talking about your days in person tonight, you both had agreed on video calling each other, which was something that he was excitedly awaiting.

When his phone started to buzz, he jumped off the couch and ran to his bedroom, shutting the door and locking it before answering and flopping down on his bed, a smile spread across his face as he waited to hear your usually cheerful greeting. “Felix…” You gasped out his name, and the happiness that he had expected to hear wasn’t there at all. He immediately went into panic mode, sitting upright on his bed and holding his phone closer to his ear. “I…I’m being followed, I don’t know what to do… I already drove past the house and… They’re still following me. They almost drove right into me… Felix I’m scared… What do I do?”

You were audibly crying which had his own tears on the brink of falling over the edge, his fingers gripping the sheets tightly as his leg bounced over the side of the bed. “Hang up, angel… Call the police. You have to call the cops, right now… Okay?” He urged, or, moreso, demanded you to do. He hated the fact that he told you to hang up, but he knew that there was nothing he could do from where he was at right now.

“Y-Yeah… Okay… I love you.” Was how the call ended, not even having the opportunity to say it back. He couldn’t sit still, adrenaline was coursing through his veins, and he wanted to go to you, he wanted to go to your apartment and wait for you there just to know that you made it home safe. The worst part was that he didn’t even know where you were going right now, he should have asked, but he didn’t want to waste anymore time which was essential to you and your safety at that moment.

He couldn’t even stand to be cramped in his room that felt a little bit too small right now, walking out into the main room where the guys were sitting, and as if his emotions were like a cloud that had hit all of them at once, their heads lifted to look at him, questioning the tension that was radiating off of him in waves. “Y/N is being followed… Fuck! I don’t even know where she’s at right now… And she’s on the phone with the cops… I can’t call her…” He ranted, his hands running anxiously through his hair.

“Do you want to drive out there to her apartment to make sure she makes it home? I can drive you there.” Minho offered, and Felix looked around the room once before nodding his head in agreement, shuffling over to the door and pulling on the first pair of shoes he could find. “I’m sure she’ll be okay. She’s a smart girl, she probably went back to her work.” His hyung tried his best to instill comforting thoughts, but Felix couldn’t stop thinking the worst.

“Why would anyone follow her? Why would someone try to scare her like that? They could have caused her to get in an accident! What if they were trying to hurt her?!” Felix continued to ramble, and there was truly nothing that anyone could say to get him to think otherwise, not until he saw you again and made sure that you were truly okay.

Just as Minho pulled up outside the apartment building, you were pulling into your parking spot, followed by an officer who parked a little further away. You seemed to be in a daze when you climbed out of the car, not even noticing that Felix and Minho were right there. Your keys jingled at your side from how much you were shaking, and he hated seeing you this way. He hated to know that someone, some stranger, had caused you to get like this.

“Angel…” Felix blurted out, causing you to jump and drop your keys, which he rushed over to pick up off the ground before you could even begin to bend over to grab them. “You’re alright?” He questioned, holding you at arms length to check you over, and once he saw that you were okay, other than the crying, he pulled you against his chest. “You’re alright. You’re safe now…” He cooed, not even wanting to let you go for a minute to get out of the street and walk you into the apartment.

“It was awful… I’ve never been more scared… My hands were shaking… I never use my phone while I’m driving… I couldn’t even focus… I thought I’d crash…” You choked out, your face still buried in his shirt as he continued to pet his hand over your hair. “He… He flashed his headlights at me… And I wasn’t going to stop… I just kept going… And I was scared my gas would run out and…”

Felix shushed you, not wanting you to continue reliving those moments, at least not right now. You were safe with him, you were okay, although the mention of the headlights had him remembering a news report he had seen a while back about what that sometimes meant and it made him sick to his stomach. “You’re such a smart girl, angel… You did great. I’m gonna stay with you tonight, and all day tomorrow. I’ll head to the set the next day. I’m gonna get you one of those dash cameras… I gotta make sure my angel is safe, always.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead, giving you a soft sympathetic smile. “Let’s get inside, get you something to drink, and then we can lay down and cuddle for the rest of the night… How does that sound?”

“What time do you think you’re getting off tonight?” Seungmin asked from the back room, the stylist working around his phone that he had held up to his ear. Hearing your voice always helped calm his nerves before he did an interview, although he’d never tell anyone else that.

“Not sure… It’s a late night tonight. I’ve got a bunch of stuff to do when I finish actually working.” You answered dejectedly. Seungmin hated how much your job seemed to overwork you, and it wasn’t just that, but they didn’t even show any sort of appreciation for the things that you did. There was no raise in your near future, although Seungmin would always be the first one demanding that you get one whenever you brought it up. No one even thanked you, it’s like they simply expected it of you, which pissed him off.

“You know that I’d take care of you. You don’t have to stay there.” He reminded you, and he heard your tired chuckle, one that usually meant that you wanted to take him up on the offer, but you couldn’t take him up on the offer either, and that’s why he never pushed the issue any further. “I’m doing an interview, but you know the number for the staff if there’s an emergency, right?” You hummed in agreement, and he sighed quietly. “Text me as soon as you get off work and as soon as you get through the front door. Okay?”

“Alright. I love you.” You whispered, and you couldn’t see it, but his cheeks raised and turned a light shade of pink, his heart fluttering at those three words. You were the only person that could ever make him get like this. “I gotta get back to work. I can’t wait to hear about the interview tonight.”

“Mm… I’ll tell you all about it. Don’t overwork yourself… And don’t play your music too loud in the car, you won’t be able to hear anything.” He preemptively scolded you, and he knew that you were rolling your eyes, but you always played your music a little bit too loud… Something that worried him when he knew you were driving home alone at night. He wished that he could be there waiting for you when you got home, but he’d be there soon enough, and that’s what was going to get him through the interview.

About 30 minutes into the interview, Seungmin saw one of the staff members bring their phone up to their ear, their mouths immediately falling as they listened to whatever it was that was going on. Seungmin was observant, but he wouldn’t have thought anything of it if the member didn’t make direct eye contact with him before walking further away from the interview set.

None of the other guys seemed to notice, and neither did the interviewer, they were all still talking and goofing off, making it harder for Seungmin to even try to hear what was being said. “I’m not feeling too well, can I have a minute?” He said, still staring at the staff member who seemed to be on the phone still. The guys all turned to look at him, but he didn’t have time to answer their questions, not when he had his own that he needed answers to.

By the time he got up and made his way over to the staff member, the call seemed to be over, but the girl who had answered the call seemed to still be a little shaken up. Whatever it was, it must be bad. Once she noticed he was standing there, her head was already shaking, her mouth opening and closing as if she didn’t know what to say, which only annoyed Seungmin. If it was serious, he wanted to know right now. “She called… Y/N called… She was crying and panicking and… She said she was being followed and… She said she’s on her way back to her work now and she’s calling the police… I told her to call them…”

Seungmins mind was immediately going through different scenarios, a multitude of different reasons for something like this to be happening. He was trying to be as rational as possible, which was quite hard to do when the worry was setting in and he felt absolutely helpless as your boyfriend. “Good… Good… That’s good…” He rambled, his eyes squeezing shut as he tried to think of what to do. “Let them know that I need to go… I need to get up to her work right now…”

There was only a short list of people that would follow you and have you panicking so badly. It was either a crazed fan that wanted to get to Seungmin or wanted to hurt you for being with him, or some absolute psychotic stranger. Crazily enough, it would be better if it were a fan honestly, at least Seungmin would know the motive and knew that most of them were hopefully not dumb enough to do something crazy in a public space such as your work. If it were a stranger… He didn’t know what they were capable of, and that scared the hell out of him.

It felt like he was racing against time, and in that race, the staff member that was driving seemed to catch every single red light. It was aggravating, it was infuriating, and what was worse was the fact that you still hadn’t answered any of his texts which he had been sending out every five seconds, and the only reason it was taking that long was because he needed to type them out.

By the time he got to your work, the cop was just pulling up. You had been sitting out in your car in front of the store for that long just waiting for an officer, and that too bothered him to no end. What if something bad had happened? Why didn’t the officer come quicker? He didn’t even wait for the car to come to a complete stop before jumping out and running over to your passenger door and knocking on the window.

“Excuse me!” The officer shouted, rushing over to Seungmin, but you quickly rolled down the window, exclaiming that he was your boyfriend and unlocking the door so he could climb in. Of course, the officer needed to take down some information which seemed to take even longer when all Seungmin wanted to do was get back to the house with you and comfort you.

“I didn’t want to ruin the interview…” You murmured as you put the car in drive, slowly taking off and heading back down the street. “I didn’t think they’d tell you… I’m sorry for making you leave.” If you weren’t driving, Seungmin would have kissed you to get you to stop thinking that way. An interview definitely wasn’t more important than your safety. “Are the guys mad?”

Seungmin sighed, his head leaning back against the headrest but turned in your direction so he could look at you. Your knuckles had turned pale from how tight you were gripping the steering wheel, and your body was still shaking. You shouldn’t be driving like this. “This would be quite a stupid thing to get mad about, wouldn’t it? If you need me, I’m always going to run to you, before anything else. You’re my priority first and foremost.” He explained, and you nodded your head slowly, shakily sniffling as your bottom lip began to tremble. “I love you… That’s why I ran to you. She didn’t even have to tell me what was going on… As soon as she looked at me and I saw that look on her face, I asked her what happened. I’m so sorry you had to go through that by yourself… But never again…”

You shook your head, your face scrunching up as you gasped sharply. “I still have to drive at night to get home from work. I… I don’t know if I can… Just the thought of it…” Your head dropped as you came to a stop sign, your hands quickly wiping the tears from your cheeks, and he wished he could have done it for you. “I’ve never… I don’t ever… God… Seungmin I’m so scared… What if they do it again?” If it were to happen again, if the same person were to come after you… Seungmin wouldn’t hold back. They were messing with the most precious thing in his life, and the fact that they had gotten away with it now, they should count themselves lucky. But Seungmin wouldn’t allow it to happen again, he wouldn’t allow you to be put in a situation where it could happen again. “I know you, for some reason, feel like you need to stay at your job. I’m not going to take that away from you… But I don’t want you driving at night by yourself again… Ever again. I’ll have one of the staff members come pick you up. Or I’ll have them drop me off so that I can ride with you. Either way… If you truly want to keep working there on that shift… You’re not driving alone at night anymore. I love you, and I don’t think I’d be able to live if anything ever happened to you. I’m going to make sure you’re safe. Always.”

He was performing tonight on Music Bank, and you had told him that you’d try to make it home in time to catch his performance. Of course, he told you it would be okay if you didn’t, and that he didn’t want you rushing to get done and potentially getting hurt trying to get home too fast. He already had your TV set up to record their episode just in case you weren’t home in time to see it.

Your break managed to come at just the time that he was getting done up by his stylist, sending you silly little selfies to try to make you feel better after you had told him about how awful and busy your day had been. “I’m hoping I’ll be done soon, and then I can get home and change into my pajamas before the show starts.”

Even though it made him beyond happy to know that you so eagerly wanted to see him perform, he wanted you to be safe, and he appreciated you regardless of whether you caught the show or not, just the fact that you wanted to rush so you could catch it was enough for him. “You have time… So please, take it. You won’t miss anything anyway, you’ve already seen us perform it multiple times in the practice room.”

He could sense your eye roll just from staring at his phone screen, the way his message was left on read a couple seconds before the three dots appeared to show you were typing back. “Yeaaaah…. But I still want to watch it. I’m ending my break early just so I can get done faster. I love youuuuu. Hugs and kisses mwah mwah!!”

How could you be so cute even over text? God, he loved you, and now it only made him worry more about how fast you’d be driving to try to get back home. He quickly typed out his last response. “Please drive the speed limit. I love you most. Seriously… Be safe.”

15 minutes before the show was about to start, he got another text, and he quickly grabbed his phone from off the vanity table, his heart swelling when he read your message. “I’m fast as fuck baybeeee!!! I’m gonna make it home in time to see your performance. I might not catch the interview before hand though :(“

He chuckled to himself, hiding his phone from the guys as he texted you back. “That’s alright, but now that I know you’ll be watching, I’ll do so much better. Get home safe baybeeee! I love you a bunch!” He never thought he’d be this sappy, but with you, it didn’t even make him cringe. He just loved you so damn much, it was like you alone were making his earth spin.

It didn’t take you that long to get home, he knew the drive from your work to your house by heart, and he was sure that you’d be able to make it home just by the end of the interview. His mind was soaring, thinking of ways that he could do facial expressions or certain moves just for you, things that only you would recognize that you’d know were for you only. It was one of his favorite things to do, giving you something to look for while he was dancing, and then coming home to hear from you if you actually caught it.

As he stepped out on stage, he found his camera and smiled at it, giving a small wave to the lens before getting into place. This performance would be for you, entirely for you. He couldn’t wait for you to see it.

He was sweaty, breathless, but excited as he rushed back off to the dressing room, grabbing his phone off the vanity and getting even more giddy when he saw the missed phone call and voicemail from you. It was probably you telling him just how amazing he was and that you had caught the little hand sign and wink that he had done for you.

Dropping down into his seat, he played the voicemail, full volume because honestly, he didn’t care if the guys heard. You’d probably be complimenting all of them as well in the message. “Jeongin!” Your voice sounded through his speakers, and he wasn’t used to you saying his name like that, especially with that tone, and he immediately perked up in his seat. The sound of your voice had already gotten the attention of the other guys in the room and they had all begun to crowd around Jeongins chair as they listened with him. “Fuck… Fuck fuck… What do you want?!” You whimpered, the sound of your obvious crying and clear panic had Jeongin on edge, his eyes widening as he looked up at Chan. “I love you… And I’m really sorry I didn’t get to catch your performance but I know you and the guys did amazing. Uhm… Shit… Okay… I’m being followed and… And I have to go but… I just wanted you to know that I love you, okay? Don’t forget that.” The kissy sound at the end of the call wasn’t how Jeongin remembered it sounding, but he couldn’t even focus entirely on that.

You were being followed, and instead of calling the cops first, you called him. Why would you call him? How bad was it? The call came in almost 10 minutes ago. “Call her… See if she answers.” Chan urged, but Jeongin couldn’t seem to get his fingers to move, he couldn’t even seem to breathe evenly as his mind went into a frenzy. “Someone call her! Minho, Changbin, you get him to Y/N’s apartment, someone go find one of the security and go see if they can find out where she is.”

Minho was on the phone in seconds, dialing your number as he and Changbin ushered a seemingly shellshocked Jeongin out of the room. He was shaking, his phone still tightly gripped in his hand as he robotically followed behind the guys. “Everything is gonna be okay. I’m like… 99% sure she’s okay.” Changbin said, patting Jeongins back as he climbed into the back seat of Changbins car.

“What about the other 1%?” Jeongin whispered anxiously from the back as Changbin climbed into the car. The two older guys both turned to look at Jeongin, confused about the question, but his hand slapped against the seat beside him. “What about the 1%?! You said you were 99% sure that she’s okay… So what about the other 1%?!”

Changbin took a deep breath, looking to Minho who only shook his head as he continued trying to call your phone that was going to voicemail as well. “Don’t think about the other 1%. She’s fine. Okay?”

Jeongin was completely zoned out the entire ride to your house, unable to think of anything except your voicemail. He had never heard you sound so scared and that fear was contagious, he was terrified for you, with you. He didn’t even realize how long Changbin had been driving until the car came to a stop, and he finally looked out the window to see that it was parked right outside of your house.

The light from the TV was flickering through the blinds, and without a word or a look back, he climbed out of the car and ran to your door, his fist coming down harshly against it. He immediately regretted it though, wondering if the sudden loud knocking would frighten you more, but the door swung open and he saw you, illuminated by the light of the room behind you, already dressed in your pajamas, but your eyes were still puffy and your nose was still sniffling. You had been crying still.

“Innie…” You croaked out his name, and he quickly pulled you into his arms, inhaling the scent of you, simply wanting to hold you after being worried for so long that he had lost you. “I’m sorry I missed it… I was watching it though… Just now…”

He sighed softly, shaking his head as he tilted your back with his finger, pressing a quick kiss to your lips. “I’m not worried about that. God… I’m just… I’m happy that you’re okay. I don’t know what I’d do if something had happened to you…” But he cut himself off, biting his bottom lip to keep from pessimistically rambling about all of the awful things that could have happened. “You’re okay though? Not hurt?”

You shook your head in response, giving him a small smile. “Just a little shaken up… You’re here now though… I feel a lot better.” You were acting so strong, and he knew that you were only doing it because you could see how scared he had been. “I shouldn’t have called you and worried you like that… It was a… Just in case call… So that you’d know that-”

He kissed you again, stopping you from continuing that thought. “I’m glad you called me…” He kissed you again, his hands cupping your cheeks now as he brushed his thumbs along your dampened cheeks. “But I want you to call the police first if anything like that happens again… I really want you to move to the morning shift so that nothing like that happens again…” You nodded your head slowly as your sniffles subsided until they weren’t heard anymore. “And I’m gonna get my permit… I’m gonna learn how to drive, I’ll have the guys teach me… I don’t want you driving by yourself anymore. I’ll be your personal chauffeur. Until then… I’ll just ride with you and wait up at your work until you get off.” You scoffed, but he wasn’t joking, and you quickly realized that. “You don’t know how worried I was… I wouldn’t be able to live anymore if you were gone.”

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zomerszee · 1 year

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on the end of the boeing 747 and the humanity of innovation

ornithopter, richard siken / the first roll out (1968), boeing / youtube user bob devreeze / boeing 747 begins flight testing phase, the aviation week archives / youtube user blue sky country / i have seen the tops of clouds, quinn norton / the final roll out (2022), paul weatherman / ornithopter, richard siken

#web weaving #web weave #poetry #richard siken #boeing 747 #aviation #rip queen (not quite) gone but never forgotten #secretly im an airbuslover but she is so beautiful #the end of an era deserves a web weave #mine #inspired by a flightradar tweet of those two roll out pics next to one another kinda made me cry btw #also love love LOVEEEE that ppl in the aviation community refer to aircraft as birds like literally makes me insane

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yelena-bellova · 4 months

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Heartfirst: A Ted Lasso Story - Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty One: Coming Home

Plot: Loose ends are tied up and big changes come after Richmond’s victory.

Word Count: 4.2k

Warnings: language, mention of parental neglect/abuse, mention of alcohol, one suggestive line

A/N: Well, we have arrived at the end! I definitely intended to be done a long time ago, but life had other plans lol. Thanks to everyone who came along on this ride I had no intention of taking. I hope you enjoyed it!! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GO RICHMOND!!! 💙❤️💛🎄❄️🎅🏻

————

In the afterglow of Richmond’s big win, there was a sadness that couldn’t be ignored, and it came in the form of a Boeing 747.

The day of his and Beard’s departure, Ted exited his apartment for the last time. He took a reflective breath and knocked his knuckles against the wood before turning away. As always, his assistant coach was waiting for him nearby.

The two men walked through Richmond for the last time, a few locals wishing them well as they left. When they made it to the curb, they spotted a familiar face.

“What’re you doin’ here?” Ted smiled.

Y/n shrugged from her place on the bench. “I figured you’ve done so many coffee runs at the office,” she held up two cups, “I’d return the favor.”

Ted and Beard moseyed over, Y/n stood and handed them the cups.

“And maybe I wanted to say goodbye,” Y/n smiled, “Just one more time.”

“Well, I won’t say no to that,” Ted replied, waiting for Y/n to retrieve her own cup so the three could toast. When he took a sip, he coughed. “What exactly is this?”

“An Americano,” Y/n answered.

Ted cleared his throat of the strong taste before he paused, realizing the joke. “The three Americanos.”

Y/n smiled, “Bingo.”

“Aw, hell, that’s too good,” Ted said proudly, “I’ll push through.”

Beard touched his chest. “You’ve come so far.”

“Well,” Y/n sighed, “If you guys have to go, I’m making sure it’s on a high note.”

“That’s right,” Ted smiled, “You and Jamie got any plans for the break?”

“Yeah, actually, Nike wants him to do this shoot in Brazil,” Y/n answered, Jamie’d only sprung the news on her last night, “We’ve gotta get down in a few weeks.”

Ted and Beard both let out suggestive ‘oohs’ that gave Y/n a laugh.

“Watch you back, Dave and Posh,” Ted teased, “There’s a new power couple on the pitch.”

As much as she wanted to deny it, there was something in Y/n’s gut that told her Ted wasn’t wrong. Since their kiss after Richmond’s win, Jamie and Y/n had been flooded by requests for interviews. Paparazzi and fan sightings were abundant. Even then, at the buttcrack of morning, Y/n spotted two teen girls whispering and pointing in her direction, no doubt debating if that really was Jamie Tartt’s girlfriend. It was new territory, but they were rising to the occasion. The footballer and the PR girl.

“Just promise us good seats at the wedding,” Ted continued, “Don’t be bumpin’ us just ‘cause Ronaldo and Messi show us.”

“How ‘bout we hug?” Y/n quickly changed the subject. Baby steps was the key to her staying happy with Jamie. “Let’s hug.”

Ted and Beard laughed before they all piled in a group embrace. The three of them had become a team of sorts, being the only Americans, and it was a bond Y/n was sad to see go. The only thing that comforted her was that Ted and Beard meant so much to Richmond, it certainly wouldn’t be the last they saw of one another.

“Alright,” Y/n said when she felt the tears begin to form, “You two get out of here. The plane’s not gonna wait for two dumb Americans.”

Ted laughed, patted Y/n on the back and pulled back to look proudly at her. “You take care, Y/n.”

Y/n’s smile was watery and full of unspoken gratitude, “You too.”

Beard spotted Y/n one more hug, seemingly needing it more than she did. “Bye, Y/n.”

“Bye, Beard.”

Finally, the three of them separated and Ted and Beard flagged down a coming cab. When they had loaded their luggage, Ted turned back one last time and gave Y/n a wave. She returned it, finally letting the tears fall down her contradicting smile.

Ted had done more for Richmond than anyone ever had. But more importantly, he had changed the people that made the Greyhounds who they were. No one would ever be the same after Ted Lasso’s reign. And that, Y/n concluded as the cab drove off, was a beautiful thing.

—————————

Post-victory, Richmond was still residing in its usual chaos.

When Y/n came into the office, taking care of a few post-season items with Higgins and Rebecca, and saw Beard in the hall, she was surprised but ecstatic. It was good for both of them to have some semblance of home.

Then came the announcement that Roy would be promoted to head coach, with Beard and Nate as the assistants. It seemed only natural for him to take over. Everyone was glad they didn’t have to adjust to someone new. And it was good territory for Roy to step into a leadership role. He was coming into his own in this new stage of life.

KJPR became KBPR as Keeley and Barbara officially went into business with one another. At first, Keeley had worried that Y/n may feel slighted. After all, she had done so much to help when Keeley was still getting her bearings. It ended up being quite the opposite. With Barbara as partner, Y/n could return back to Richmond, something she was thrilled about. The three women continued to work in total harmony.

Rebecca had even made some changes in her life. Under circumstances Y/n and Keeley were promised to hear about eventually, she had run into her mystery Dutchman and the two had started going out. It did everyone good to see Rebecca so happy. She deserved it.

Y/n and Jamie weren’t the only couple having the handle a mess of PR after the match. Colin had unofficially come out after kissing his boyfriend, Michael, on the pitch. Journalists, both honest and sleazy, were hounding the both of them. The day it stopped was the day they got cocky enough to trespass on Colin’s property. They were unaware that his publicist was present, and Y/n took a great deal of joy in coming around the side of the house with the gardening hose and spraying them all away. Needless to say, Colin felt extremely protected with her as his first line of defense.

Jamie and Y/n stayed the same, sickeningly in love with one another and growing more so by the day. Just after Roy was announced as head coach, they were booked to fly out to Brazil. Somehow Roy and Keeley, separately, had roped themselves in to coming as well.

“Our first trip away together,” Jamie lamented as they were packing at Y/n’s apartment, “And the old fart latches on.”

Y/n was across the room, grabbing a stack of t-shirts from her dresser. “That’s a horrible thing to call Keeley.” She laughed as Jamie flashed her a glare, “I can’t wait till you stop acting like you’re mad about this.”

“I am mad about this,” Jamie insisted.

“And the minute we’re all there, you two’ll be inseparable,” Y/n crossed the space to the bed, where Jamie and his suitcase sat, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll be lucky if I get two minutes with you.”

Jamie scoffed, even though he knew there was truth to it. He could no longer deny him and Roy hated one another. Instead, he put his energy into rifling through his girlfriend’s suitcase.

“Jamie, I just got that organized,” Y/n whined, “What are you doing?”

“I’m thinning it out,” he answered, throwing item after item out onto the bedspread, “You don’t need half of this.”

Once he was done, Y/n looked into the square, there was very little. “Three bathing suits and underwear?”

“Yeah,” Jamie said deadpan before smirking, “All you need.”

Jamie pressed a kiss behind Y/n’s ear and wandered out of the bedroom. She was left laughing and undoing his handiwork. She was in the middle of repacking her pajamas when her cell phone rang from her nightstand.

“Jamie,” she called out, “Could you grab my phone?”

“Hang on,” Jamie yelled from the living room, “Phone’s ringing.”

Y/n sighed and went to collect her mobile herself. She glanced at the caller ID.

Dad

Time itself seemed to stop and Y/n was immobilized. It had been a month since Manchester when she’d been brave and called her parents. Not a word from either of them. It had been so easy to have courage in her rush of adrenaline, consumed by confidence and prepared to knock any obstacle down to get back to Richmond.

Now…she didn’t know what to do.

The little voice in her head that sounded much like the her in Manchester said to pick up.

Just before the last ring sounded, Y/n swiped across her screen and started the call.

“Hello?”

“Hi, uh…” Y/n’s dad stammered, “Hi, honey.”

“Hi,” she repeated.

“Hi.”

The two fell silent.

“Um…how-how are you?” Y/n was the first to ask.

“Oh, fine. Fine…yeah, we’re uh, we’re okay. How are you?”

Y/n wiped her hand across her jeans, beginning to wander the room like a Roomba. “Uh, I’m good. Decent. I, uh, I’m packing right now.”

“Oh, are you moving?”

“No, no. I’m, uh, I’m going on a trip with some friends and my uh…my boyfriend.”

Her dad didn’t seem to be phased. “Yeah, I heard something about that. I mean, I read it. You’re making headlines over here.”

Y/n stopped, “I am?”

“Well, it’s not front page or anything,” he corrected himself, “But there’s a few. That Tartt fellow seems like a hell of a player.”

“He is,” Y/n smiled, “He’s a great guy.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” her dad finished before another pause hit them. “Listen, I, uh, I wanted to call…well, I wanted to call sooner but…I wasn’t quite sure what to say.”

Disappointment began to settle in Y/n’s gut. It felt like there was some lame excuse coming. “Yeah, well…I didn’t exactly send a Hallmark greeting.”

“No, you didn’t do anything,” her dad quick addended, “I just wasn’t sure how to…how to speak to what you said because…it was so true.”

Suddenly everything became shaky, including her original message. “It was?”

“Of course. It was…painfully true. And I didn’t know what the right thing to say was and then when I felt like I did I was still worried it would be the wrong one and so…”

Another pause.

“Your mom and I, we, uh, we got into therapy,” Y/n’s dad continued.

Now that surprised her. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah, there were a lot of reasons. Nothing we did to one another, just…things from before you and Caylee were born. But mostly we, uh…we talked about how we raised you girls and all the areas we…could have done better.”

Y/n stayed silent, shocked into submission.

“And it’s been really helpful…and very….difficult.”

Y/n sighed, slightly annnoyed, feeling like her father was about to make the conversation about himself. “Yeah, well, I’ve heard therapy’s hard.”

“Not in the way you’d think,” her dad continued, “It’s been hard to…come to terms with what me and your mother did to you and Caylee.”

Now this was an entirely different kind of surprise. Y/n sunk onto her bed.

“Yeah?”

“Yes. We…I…I don’t even know where to start, but we’ve…we were a mess. A complete mess and we took it out on you girls.”

“I think…” Y/n drew a breath, “Taking it out on us would have been preferable.”

Her dad drew the same breath. “We ignored you girls. We left you to your own devices. We didn’t…we didn’t bond with you or support you in any way. Not the ways you needed at least. I think we thought if we were keeping a roof over your heads and keeping you alive, we were doing something right, but…that was nothing compared to what we didn’t do for you. What we kept from you.”

On opposite sides of the world, on different continents, separated by a great big ocean, father and daughter both began to shed tears.

“And I’m so sorry, honey,” Y/n’s dad’s voice wavered. “I’m so sorry.”

Y/n’s breath trembled, these were the words she’d longed to hear since she could recognize the problems in her family.

“Your phone call…it woke me and your mom up to a lot of things I think we’d known for years,” he went on, his voice a bit stronger now. “That we had the greatest girls given to us…and we didn’t care for you the way we should have.”

“Nothing you said was untrue, honey. And I’m glad you said it. You needed it and we needed to hear it. We needed to be woken up.”

Y/n sniffled trying to hold in the sobs she wanted to let go.

“And I can’t tell you how proud I am of you,” he audibly smiled through the phone, “Of the woman you’ve grown up to be and the life you’ve built for yourself. I think despite all the odds, you became the best version of yourself you could be.”

Y/n chuckled, a fresh batch of tears falling. “I love it.”

“I’ll bet you do,” her dad laughed, “I watched Richmond’s last game. It was a corker. And then to see you on the field…”

The two laughed in unison.

“That would be how I ended up in the headlines,” Y/n wiped her eyes.

“Mmm, I don’t think love’s a bad way to make headlines.”

Y/n had yet to say anything about loving Jamie, and yet her father already knew. Their moment on the pitch spoke for itself.

“So…you’re the only one that feels guilty?” Y/n finally asked.

“No,” her dad switched gears, “No, she’s actually at a session right now. I think she’s still a little nervous about making a call, but she wants to…she’s just trying to figure out what to say.”

“Tell her just to get really sad and really in love and pick up the phone,” Y/n suggested her method, “It’s easy.”

Her father laughed heartily, a sound Y/n was never really privy to as a child. It was so joyous, so full and round, it made her laugh as well.

“I hope it’s not too late to say it, but…” Y/n’s dad paused, “I really do love you, honey. And I’m sorry I didn’t do a better job of it.”

Y/n smiled, her eyes glazing oer with tears.

“And if you’ll let me and your mom…we’ll spend the rest of our lives trying to make up for all those years we were selfish.”

If she were a more vindictive person, Y/n would clutch the grudge in her palms and reject the offer. She’d tell her dad to go fuck himself and that no amount of time would ever make up for what was lost. But Richmond had softened her edges and rounded her out to be a more forgiving person. She’d learned from Ted and all his little life lessons on kindness he dropped. She’d learned from Rebecca, moving on and becoming the bigger person in the aftermath of her divorce. She’d learned from Jamie, who had done a complete 180 in his life and become one of the best people she knew. If he could forgive her for everything she’d put him through, how could she not pass it on to someone else?

“Yeah,” she answered, “Yeah, I’d really like that.”

Her dad took a quivering breath, full of emotion.

“But mom’s gonna have to do some groveling too,” Y/n joked.

“Oh, she’ll do it,” her dad agreed, “Probably even more than me. But she’ll do it as many times as necessary.”

The two of them stopped again, unsure of where to go from where they were.

“If you’re okay with it, eventually…we’d love to come out and see you. See this great big beautiful life you’ve built for yourself.”

It was an offer/request beyond what Y/n thought she’d ever get from her dad. Beyond what she ever thought possible for their family.

“Or maybe you could come home,” her dad suggested, just in case he’d pushed her forgiveness too far. “For a long weekend or something. Maybe in between games. Caylee came out last week.”

Her sister had failed to mention that piece of information. “She did?”

“Yeah.”

“She didn’t tell me.”

“Well, we kind of had the same talk. I think you and your sister share the same set of balls. She read us the riot act too.”

Caylee had never shied away from.…anything. She was the first of the sisters to put their upbringing behind them, to carve out a new life for themselves. It wasn’t surprising at all that she’d beaten Y/n to the punch of their parents.

“I think she wanted to wait to see how our talk went before she talked to you,” Y/n’s dad added.

“How’d that go?”

“Good,” her dad smiled, “Really well. Horrible, and then really great.”

Y/n smiled, looking down at her lap. “Yeah, I think I’d like both those things. Maybe I could bring you guys to a game.”

“Oh, we’d love that. We’d really love that. Is that American guy still coaching?”

“No, he left a few weeks ago,” Y/n answered.

“Huh, that’s a shame. Maybe I could jump in, give the guys some pointers.”

Y/n chuckled, “Oh, they’d love that.”

“Listen, I don’t wanna push my luck, so I’ll let you get back to packing,” her dad began to close the conversation, “Maybe we can talk more after you get back from your trip.”

He was right, it was a good place to stop. “Yeah, I’d like that. And if Mom calls, I promise I’ll let her grovel.”

“Attagirl,” her dad chuckled, “I love you, honey.”

Y/n smiled tearfully, the words she’d longed to hear all her life. Suddenly, it seemed so wasy to return them.

“I love you too, Dad.”

“Talk soon.”

“Bye.”

And with one click of a button, it was over.

Y/n felt stuck to her bed, nailed to it more like. All her life, she’d imagined screaming and yelling at her parents and it ending with them in tears as well, apologizing in spades to her and asking for them to forgive her. Her daydream had come true, though nothing like she’d thought it would. She was still, she was silent, and her father was more eloquent and composed. But both were filled to the brim with emotion. Somehow, it had all worked out better than she’d wanted.

Her family was coming back to her. The whole dang thing.

Y/n sprang to her feet, needing to word vomit the news onto someone. Jamie was closest. He was a good choice.

“Jamie,” she called, “Jamie.”

As she enterd into the living room. Jamie sported the same stunned expression she did. Had he heard the call?

They met in the middle of the room, each holding their own space. Each holding their cell phones.

“Who was that?” Y/n asked.

The words floated out of Jamie’s mouth slowly. “That was me dad.”

Y/n’s eyebrows dropped, along with her jaw. “Your dad?”

“Yeah,” Jamie breathed, his eyes flicking to Y/n’s phone, “Who was that?”

“That was my dad,” Y/n answered.

“Your dad?” Jamie echoed.

“Yeah.”

“What’d he say?”

“He wants to come see me. Him and my mom.”

“They do?”

“Yeah.”

Jamie’s face soured somewhat with apprehension. “And…what do you think?”

There was so much news to process. Still, Y/n’s purest emotions won out. Her lips quirked upwards, “I think I feel good. Really good.”

Jamie managed a distracted smile, “Good.”

Y/n shifted focus away from her. “What did your dad say?”

“He, uh,” Jamie breathed, “He’s in rehab, I guess. Wanted to call and congratulate me on the win. Wants me to come and see him.”

Y/n’s eyebrows shot up, “Whoa.”

“Yeah,” Jamie said.

“How do you feel about that?”

He blew out a huff of air. Jamie had just as many complicated feelings on his dad, if not more, than Y/n. And yet this time, there was some sort of peace that told Jamie this was alright.

“I think I feel good.”

“That’s good,” Y/n exhaled, “Do you want me to come with?”

“No,” Jamie quickly said, “I don’t want you near him till I…till I make sure it’s real this time.”

Y/n wasn’t about to start arguing with him. “Okay.”

The two of them finally looked at one another, well and truly, and saw each other transformed. If Richmond was one piece of what Y/n and Jamie were made up of, their relationship the other, their jobs the third, there’d been a missing fourth piece, empty and void of any love, for years. Suddenly, with but a drop filling it, there was new life in both of them. They stood a chance at becoming complete.

They fell into one another’s arms, wrapping around one another in hopes they could hold each other together. This was the beginning of something truly beautiful for both of them.

In the weeks and months that followed, after the trip to Brazil, things began to bloom. Jamie did go and visit his father, coming back with a genuine smile on his face. Y/n didn’t push, but Jamie felt confident that his father was making progress and that maybe, just maybe…they could form a relationship.

Y/n’s mom did indeed call, groveling and weeping over how poorly she’d treated her daughter. Y/n was there to accept every apology and cry with her. It was the best conversation they’d had in years. Her parents and Caylee jumped on for their first three-way call ever. Y/n made plans to come back home for Thanksgiving, and her parents and Caylee promised to fly to London for Christmas. It was the first holiday season they’d be spending together since high school. They were all counting the days down.

A few months after the season started for Richmond, Beard and his very pregnant girlfriend, Jane, announced they were getting married. The whole Richmond clan gathered together at Stonehenge for the event. It was strange, in keeping with their relationship, but full of love.

Eventually, Keeley came to Y/n with a business proposal. She had an inkling of an idea that she wantd to bring to Rebecca. But she wanted to give Y/n the opportunity to help her with it. The second she read the idea, Y/n was floored, and immediately onboard. Together, the two of them proposed a Richmond women’s league to their boss. It was an unflinching yes.

“But I have a condition,” Rebecca said before pointing to Y/n, “I want you to oversee it.”

Y/n blinked, “What?”

“I think you have a great deal of untapped potential,” Rebecca smiled, “And I think you’d make an incredible football club owner.”

“I-I…there’s no way. Unless you’re selling the team and I-“

“Nonsense,” Rebecca shrugged, “You bought a share, didn’t you?”

Rebecca had decided against selling the team off entirely, instead giving Richmond fans the opportunity to buy shares of the club.

“Well, yeah, I own like…half of a half of a percent.”

“Consider that your purchase,” Rebecca looked to Keeley, “What do you say? Is it okay if I poach one of your employees?”

Keeley was beaming from beside Y/n, “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

Y/n wasn’t sure what was happening or how it was happening so fast. It felt eerily similar to a year prior in a London restaurant.

“What do you say?” Rebecca smiled, “Do you want to run a football club?”

Despite her shock, it was one of the easiest yesses she’d ever given.

Jamie had been thrilled, obviously, spinning Y/n around his house when she’d told him the news. One of Jamie’s biggest fears was losing all the good things in his life. Even though he knew him and Y/n were solid, a job like that was guarantee that neither of them would be leaving Richmond for a very long time.

All was well, no, all was better than well, for the Greyhounds. Sam’s restaurant flourished, Nate brought his girlfriend round finally to be introduced to his work family, Keeley and Roy began skirting the borders of exploring the possibility of maybe getting back together…all was as it should be.

Y/n was nearly in tears contemplating the beauty that was her life one night as Jamie drove them back to her place. Higgins’ and his family hosted the team barbecue that month at their home and the whole staff had shown up. Keeley, Roy, Jamie and Y/n had stayed in a huddle most of the night, laughing and talking as if they’d been family all their lives, which it was starting to feel like. Everything, from the smallest detail to the biggest, felt perfect.

“Hey, babe, what’s on the schedule for Friday night?” Jamie asked as they climbed the stairs into Y/n’s home. He was a few steps behind her. “Colin and Mike want to do a double date. I didn’t know if-“

He was rudely interrupted by Y/n smashing her lips against his. Jamie adjusted quickly and sunk into the kiss with her.

After Y/n pulled back, Jamie admired her. “What was that for?”

There were ten different answers she could have given him. For knocking into her that first day of work. For sitting down with her that night at the pub. For being the steadiest presence in her life. For forgiving her when she broke his heart. For supporting her and supporting her and supporting her. For adding to her happiness in a way nobody else could.

But instead, she shrugged and smiled. “No reason at all.”

And for the first time in her life, Y/n was truly, wholly happy.

———————

Heartfirst Taglist: @lalla-04p @optimisticsandwichgladiator @makingmunson94 @taytaylala12 @storysimp @sokkigarden @lightninginab0ttle @poohkie90 @alipap3 @verra-nerevarine @shineforever19 @spaceagechimera @burnafter-reading @qardasngan @cyberpvnk-enthusiast @sogoodtoheritsvicious @buckybarnex @angelsunflxwer @blueanfield @thewildestwonderland @sablecities @oxxolovemelikeyoudooxxo @strawberryacethingz @mentalistfan @tortilla-maria1 @katdahlali @for-fuck-sake-im-alive @glitterquadricorn @jamieolivia27 @imvibin69 @katlizada @lil-tracys @fanaticalfantasist @heyitz-julia @cactajuice @peachyy-tea @notalxx @rockchickrebel @anxiety-prime-max @loveforaugust @jellycolors @actuallybarb @heletsmelovehim @lovinnscarletknight @imfalling-inlove @leslieiscrying @meg-ro @littlemisssunshine192 @beboldbebravethings @maydayfigment @spencerreidsbookclub @dream-alittlebiggerdarling @lemoonandlestars @im-a-weirdo-for-life @mindless-rock (tags cont. in comments ❤️)

#ted lasso fanfic #ted lasso fanfiction #ted lasso imagine #ted lasso fic #jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt imagine #ted lasso x reader #rebecca welton x reader #keeley jones x reader #heartfirst

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dduane · 4 months

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While doing some work on what will be the new version of the "welcome" slide on the front page of DD dot com—to which image a lot of pertinent things will be added in the next little while—there's been time for some casual consideration of the perennial question: "What's the protocol on horizontal separation when doing parallel final approach to a two-or-more-active-runway airport with a Middle Kingdoms universe-native dragon?"

Hasai there is formated* with / flying chase on a transiting 747** of KLM's fleet—what the heck, what's one more monarchy among friends? Nobody in Arlene or Darthene airspace would so much as blink an eye—and is about 300 feet off its port wingtip, if I'm any judge of such things.**

...Yet the former pilot currently rummaging around in the kitchen—already being familiar with the specs on the Dragon's wingspread—said suddenly, "I'd really rather one or the other of us was on the next runway beyond the currently empty one. Because what airport's that on the other side of those mountains?"

...Not a question I'd considered, frankly. But bearing in mind how this particular set of streams sometimes crosses—

—the odds are better than even that the airport on the far side (at least sometimes) is KLAX.

So if we pull LAX's Jeppesen plate...

...Hmm. They're as plain as they need to be about the runway lengths, all right, but they're not real forthcoming on how far apart the 6/24 and 7/25 pairs are. (Finally I had to sneak over to Google Maps and try to eyeball the separation, and it looks like about 150-200m on each pair to me.)

"And are the Santa Anas blowing when we land?" the voice mutters. "You know, where you get gusts up to 80 sometimes? And my wingspan's two hundred and twenty feet and change, and his is five hundred and twenty? Mmm, no. He can have 6L/24R all to himself and I'll be coming in on one of the 7s with the rest of the heavies, which he is not one of, thank you very much. And I thought you were going to make tea...?"

(eyeroll) You see what I put up with. Anyway, now I need to go do something about the upholstery on the terrace, and find a flowerpot big enough for passing alien visitors to root in...

*Not a misspelling, but a form of the pilot-speak term "formate": to be in, get into, or maintain a formation with. As in "The Red Arrows showed up formated in their signature 'diamond-nine' configuration."

**Many thanks to @rikraft for pointing out my equipment problem! And yeah, the replacement/genuine 747 has some bizarre bullshit going on with its engine cowlings: the polygons of the basic .obj file are showing through. I'll be having a word with the object maker when I have two spare minutes to rub together... :)

#digital art #Middle Kingdoms meta #flying meta #and general futzing around #also #Young Wizards meta #if only glancingly

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jjsmaybank20 · 10 months

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Hey! Love your work! It all is so amazing!

Could I request a Leighton x reader where the reader isn’t feeling good and comes down with food poisoning but is on the soccer team with Whitney and Whitney notices and calls leighton to come get them and it’s just pure fluff of Leighton taking care of them. Thank you!

Food Poisoning

Leighton Murray x fem!reader

Summary: Whitney notices that you look sick at soccer practice, so she pulls out the big guns: Your girlfriend, Leighton.

Warnings: FLUFF FLUFF, allusions to R having a rough childhood, R throwing up

Word Count: 747

A/N: I'm so happy you like my writing! Hope you like this! Apparently I like writing Leighton as super protective in SickFics.

navigation the sex lives of college girls masterlist

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You were raised in a family where you weren’t allowed to show weakness. Your father was a very harsh man, who would berate you constantly until you finally fit the mold that he wanted for you. When you finally escaped his wrath by going to college, you hadn’t meant to take his lasting impression on you with you, but you couldn’t help it.

When you had met your now-girlfriend, Leighton, you found it easier to open up to her than anyone else in your life. She helped you break away from your family, and be able to express yourself, happy or sad. Sometimes, though, you fall back into old habits slightly.

Which was exactly what was happening during soccer practice. You were typically a star soccer player, but today, you looked as if you were about to collapse at any moment. You were barely running, and you had made barely any shots.

Your teammates would ask you if you were feeling okay, and you would immediately say yes. Halfway through practice, you were swaying on your feet. Your face was pale, and you looked as if you were about to pass out. That was when Whitney set down her foot and pulled out the big guns.

She pulled out her phone and shot a quick text to Leighton. She immediately got a response, with just the sentence, ‘I’ll be there in 5.’ She grinned, knowing that no matter how much bigger than Leighton you were, there was no way you could resist her power for long.

As you sat down for the fifth time, just claiming that you needed to catch your breath, you caught sight of your girlfriend storming towards you. You let out a quiet, “Oh, shit.” A few of your teammates heard it, making them giggle. You scramble up, trying to look as okay as possible, and you shoot Whitney a glare.

As Leighton bears down on you, you let out a weak, “Hey, baby!” Leighton doesn’t say anything to you as she grabs your shirt and turns around. She starts walking, dragging you behind her, causing you to whine. All your coach does is nod at you before starting practice up again.

While you are dragged towards your dorm room, you let out protests and grumbles about how you were fine, and that everyone was overreacting. Leighton ignores you, and when you get into your room, she practically throws you onto your bed.

You try to get up, but she immediately pushes you back down and gives you a dangerous look that you know not to disobey. As you get comfortable, she stands over you with her arms crossed. She finally begins to scold you for working yourself so hard when you felt sick.

“I mean, what the fuck were you thinking? What if you had passed out on the field?” You sheepishly look away from your girlfriend, not knowing what to say. As you are about to say something, you get the sudden urge to throw up that makes you run down the hall to the bathrooms.

Leighton follows you and holds your hair back while you puke, rubbing your back. She helps you back to your bed, significantly less angry than before. As you settle in, she gets a cold washcloth and places it on your forehead.

“When did you start feeling like this, baby?” You shrug your shoulders, weakly replying, “At practice, I think. It was after I ate that egg and cheese wrap from the cafeteria for breakfast.” Leighton nods her head in understanding. “Babe, the first rule of Essex. Never eat anything with eggs or cheese from the cafeteria. You got something with both. I think you have food poisoning.”

You realize that her logic makes sense, and you sink even deeper into your bed in embarrassment. Leighton lets out a giggle at your bright red face, and she grabs a bowl for you just in case before climbing into bed and snuggling up to you.

You wrap your arms around her waist and snuggle your face into her chest, making her giggle. As you fall asleep, she strokes your hair. When she hears your breathing get even, she finally lets herself relax. She may worry about you too much sometimes, but you know it’s because she loves you.

Until you found Leighton, you didn’t realize how nice it was to be loved and cared for. Now that you had found it, you were never letting her go.

---

@lovelyy-moonlight @pnsteblnme @nrm5656

Join my taglist!

#leighton murray x y/n #leighton murray x you #leighton murray x reader #leighton murray #leighton murray fluff #slocg x y/n #slocg x you #slocg x reader #slocg #the sex lives of college girls x you #the sex lives of college girls x reader #sex lives of college girls #the sex lives of college girls

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lonestarflight · 6 months

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"Space Shuttle Enterprise sits in a piggyback configuration atop NASA 905, a 747 carrier aircraft, prior to takeoff on the fifth and final Approach and Landing Test (ALT) free flight mission from Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC). Astronauts Fred W. Haise, Jr., commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot, later controlled the Orbiter during its two-mintue, one-second free flight and its landing - the first on a hard surface in the ALT series - at Edwards Air Force Base."

Date: October 26, 1977

NASA ID: S77-30024

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socially-awkward-skeleton · 2 months

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tagged by: @thesingularityseries and @cassietrn thank you both!!

tagging: @roofgeese @henbased @cloudofbutterflies92 @aceghosts @galaxycunt @ocdemon-747 @unholymilf @wrathfulrook @amalkavian @fourlittleseedlings @mxanigel @finding-comfort-in-rain @carlosoliveiraa @trench-rot @nightbloodbix @inafieldofdaisies @voidika @kyber-infinitygems @clicheantagonist @adelaidedrubman @strafethesesinners @statichvm @josephslittledeputy @marivenah @simplegenius042 @josephseedismyfather @v0idbuggy @direwombat @florbelles @cassieuncaged @shallow-gravy @strangefable @stacispratt

Still Wednesday for me and chapter 52 of American Beasts has been kicking my ass, struggling with writing Kit coming to terms with her being in love. It's hard to write a deranged individual having an emotional epiphany. Anyways...here's the first bit of the chapter:

Hours of surgery, flayed flesh and sutures. Heart rate crashing, blood pressure falling. The bullet removed from tissue, dropped into the tray with a metallic clang. Tools dripping with blood. Iodine and alcohol perfuming the air. He was finally stable and she was still on her feet. A tube shoved into his chest, the air pumped out of the cavity for him by a machine. Kit couldn’t help but scoff at the irony of the situation, a man who had only ever spoken of how medicine and technology made mankind weaker, and here he was being kept alive by the very thing he spoke of hating. She was sure he would hold it against her for denying his words, but she didn’t much care, he could stay angry with her. She got what she wanted, denying him his need for sacrifice once more. He could bear it, just like she could bear the brunt of his rage. Some sacrifices were well worth making.

Kit stood by the side of Jacob’s medical bed, staring down at him, watching his chest rise and fall like she had done a dozen times before. The way she always had when they were in bed together. Her comfort. Her home. Her will was done. The bruises on his chest and around the lung he nearly lost acted as a reminder of her own wounds that still needed to be treated, but still she watched. The same concerned gaze of a mother with her newborn and that fear that if she turned away his breath would falter and he would be lost to her forever.

Morrison entered the room and her pale eyes lifted for just a moment before falling right back to the Herald. He stood there silently, unsure of how to break the bind she had placed upon herself to stand at the Herald’s side. Clearing his throat, he drew closer to the bed and rubbed at his stubble on his jaw. “Now that he’s stable, think I might be allowed to take a look at you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Didn’t sound that way when he made his way out to come get you.”

Sighing as she placed her hand on Jacob’s arm, her fingers traced small circles along his broken skin, over every rough patch of inflamed flesh and raised bump of scar tissue, ingraining it in her memory. She had come so very close to losing him, to being alone again…that was the scariest thought of all.

“It’s my obligation to look after you.” His eyes fell to his patient. “He wouldn’t be too happy knowing I didn’t take care of you. He’s not going anywhere, I promise, sister.”

She took a deep breath and stepped back towards the other bed, feeling as though she was dragging a ball and chain with her, breaking some sort of duty she had to uphold as Jacob’s watchful guardian. Taking a seat on the bed, she kept her eyes focused on the other redhead in the room, not making any movement to help the medic and his desire to fix her.

“You mind taking off the coat and sweater?”

Rolling her eyes, she stripped off her coat and laid it on the bed beside her, the inner lining of it stained with dried blood. Her sweater below was just as tainted with the remnants of her seeping wound and the sweat that poured from her, a hole ripped through the fibers allowing the white of her bandage to show through. Grunting and groaning as she rolled the sweater up her body, careful with her movements so as not to reopen her wound in her chest as she pulled it over her head.

Morrison stopped and stared at her as her sweater came off, her chest bruised in shades of indigo, dappled in blue and purple and green. His mouth sat agape as he brought his hand to his brow to rub at it absent-mindedly as she peeled back the thick bandage she had used to cover the wound. “I don’t know how the hell you keep managing to live,” he muttered in disbelief. “You got one hell of a guardian angel.”

Kit sighed, looking down at the loosely stitched hole in her chest, more poorly darned than a pair of old socks, the skin very clearly inflamed and angry around it. Gripping at the thin mattress of the medical bed, she mumbled her words out towards the floor, “You have no idea.”

His eyes lifted from her wound to gaze back into hers, into the cold and empty stare as he brought the tray of tools closer to himself. “You know, I listen to the Father’s sermons sometimes, the ones about you, he says that God sent you to us. That you were a sign of the end, but also of the beginning. Judgement and divine wrath and all that.”

She huffed out a laugh, “I don’t know how divine all my wrath has been to be quite honest.”

“Whatever the case may be, something is looking out for you, and they are working overtime. If the sinners can’t see that, well, maybe they don’t deserve to be saved.” He paused and looked at her as he snipped open the sutures she had sewn in earlier. “You know for the first time in a long time since I joined the family, I understand. I believe again. Joseph is our prophet, he hears the lord, Jacob is like the mighty sword of Michael, and John is well…he's John. But you, you just can't be stopped, you keep fighting. I’ve never seen anything like it. You’ve been shot, stabbed, starved…You just might be a sign from God that there is a plan for us after all.”

Her eyes fell, she’d never heard herself spoken of that way by a follower. She had always been looked upon with fear and intimidation. A presence that bent people to her will because they were more fearful of the repercussions that came if they didn’t. It was never hope or belief. It was the same way she had always viewed her father, not with trust or love, but with the tiptoeing of a child afraid of meeting his ire.

“You’re not used to folks talking about you that way, are you? You’re a little more used to being seen as dangerous, something to keep content.”

She flexed her shoulders, the crunch and pop of tired joints the soundtrack to just how worn out she had become. Having acted as a protector to both sides, an angel of destruction and violence – wrath – she was feeling the brunt of it in every twinge that shot through her as the medic’s rough hands started to press at her tender flesh. “Ever since hell seemed to rain down upon this county…being given people’s hope…blind faith…I just don’t see how I deserve it.”

Morrison’s brow lifted as he continued to survey her injuries and the rush job she had done patching it up. “Y’know, in my experience, It’s usually the people who don’t think they deserve it that carry the most weight, they’re the ones who can handle the struggle.”

Her brow lifted, something in that tone, in those words – it bordered on heresy. There was one person in all of Hope County who believed he could take on the world in order to save it, who believed it was his God given right to do so. He deserved to lead people into the Garden, to have them join his family, to bear the weight of sin…

“Be careful what you say,” her tone was chilly enough to send a visible shiver down the medic’s spine.

He took his hands off of her and backed up, wary of the Lion’s bite. “I’m only saying there’s a reason why the Father called upon you, sister. I mean nothing else.” His gaze shifted to his tools as his way out and then glanced back at her. “I’m gonna have to take a look at you proper to get that bullet out. Gonna need to put you under.”

“No.”

“What the hell d’you mean ‘no’?”

“I need to be awake for him.” She tilted her head in Jacob’s direction as he continued to lie in his unconscious state.

“Well I have to give you some sort of anesthetic, it’s gonna hurt like a motherfucker if I don’t.”

The medic looked at her like she was a mad woman. As if the idea of her wanting to be aware was some unhinged or deranged notion. It didn’t much matter to her what he thought, she knew what she wanted. She wanted to be clear.

“No anesthetic,” she snarled. “Save it for someone who needs it.”

She couldn’t be numb, she refused to be any longer. She wanted to feel every burst of pain that exploded through her nerves like a bombshell. Every beat of her heart as it raced and the cold sweat soaked her skin. Every wave of nausea that battered her like the shore in a storm, wracked with shudders that would make her entire body recoil. Anything was better than that empty nothingness she lived with for years while pretending to be sane in a world so devoid of logic or sense that it seemed as though everyone had been driven mad, there were just layers to it. Any reminder that she was alive, and so was he.

“I don’t wanna kill ya.”

“You already said I had something looking out for me,” she challenged him, staring straight into Morrison’s eyes as she cocked her brow. Kit knew she would win.

His heavy sigh and slumped shoulders were enough to prove he had already rolled over to his whims. “Lay back.”

Rolling her legs up onto the bed, her muddy boots littering the bedding with streaks of thick dirt, Kit rested her head back and turned to look over at Jacob, the muscles at the back of her jaw tightening as she clenched it. Moving her hands to her belt, she unfastened it, pulling it from the loops, the soft jingling of metal filling the room. Folding it over, she brought it to her mouth and stuck it between her teeth to bite down on. It wouldn’t dull the pain, but it would help her through it, give her something to focus on.

Her frozen stare landed on the medic that stood beside her, and with a nod of her head, he was given the go ahead to start her surgery. Kit couldn’t help but bring her attention back to Jacob, her eyes glued to him, even as the scalpel slipped through her skin, making a larger incision in her chest. As the blade dragged through her flesh, her eyes fluttered shut, her teeth digging into the supple leather below. She could take it, she could handle the pain. She was strong.

The sharp stinging that built from the side of her breast bone flared across her chest like wildfire, and her back arched as she screamed around the leather belt in her mouth, her nails digging into the bed she laid upon. She bit down harder and tears stung at the corners of her eyes, making her blue eyes bloodshot.

“Sorry, ‘bout that.”

She shivered as her back lowered back against the thin mattress, her breath shallow.

“I’m not gonna dig around for the bullet, at this point I’ll do more damage than good trying to get it out o’ you. Body will heal around it.”

More scar tissue added to the ever growing list inside and outside of her. Sometimes it felt like that was all she was. Marred by it. Wounds healed and opened over and over again, thickened until they were numb and harder to tear. She had always hated the scars that she carried after Afghanistan. Five years of fighting and they were all she had to show for it. Yet in just a few short months in Montana she carried more evidence of being a soldier in the war for the lives and souls of Hope County’s residents than she thought possible. Bullet and arrow entry and exit wounds, the sin she was forced to bear, two sets of torn open knuckles, and the word she had asked to be branded with. His word – Sacrifice.

“Gonna seal up some of the torn muscles inside for you and then properly close the wound. It’s not gonna be pretty.”

It was the end of the world as they all knew it. What did she care? She wasn’t there to win the hearts and minds of people by being the pretty face to tempt or convince. She wasn’t John or Faith. She was the Lion. Scars were what made her who she was. Jacob had scars and it had never bothered her. Scars like this weren’t meant to be covered or hidden, they weren’t a source of shame. They were a sign of strength.

#wip wednesday #skelly writes #american beasts #chapter 52 #oc: kit cross

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