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#ma’am please allow me to sleep we have all day to think about this tomorrow
ambientstars · 3 years
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Overthinking about how I’m not living through a soft and tender gay romcom again for the third time this week
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paisley-print · 3 years
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9:00pm / A Better Wife Than Most
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About: The night of Emily and Jack’s Anniversary 
Warnings: Marriage problems, infidelity, alcohol, grief.  
Rating: 18+
Characters: Agent Whiskey x Reader
Note: AHH ALMOST DONE 
Series Master List
@scorpionerd  @just-here-for-the-moment@sherala007 @jediknight122 @pintsizemama @kenbechillin @elegantduckturtle @hearttbreak @tintinn16 @showbuckysomelove @somenerdyuser @kesskirata @ohyeasam @athalien @spideysimpossiblegirl @littlemisspascal​ @sheresh0y​  @voteforpedro09​ @greeneyedblondie44​ @feel-it-on-the-way-home13​ 
“He’s where? Alright, I’ll be right over. Thanks.” You hung up the phone with a heavy sigh and pulled back the covers, making for the closet to wrangle on the pair of jeans you had been wearing earlier. 
-
The woman working reception recognized you immediately; it was a small town after all. She had you fill out some paperwork and take a seat in one of the hard wooden chairs. You had never been inside of a police precinct until that evening. It was scary almost, the utter silence that filled the place. 
You stood as the sheriff came in; he was an older man with greying hair. When the bakery was still up and running, he used to come in often and get breakfast and a coffee before work. He was a nice man and a step up from the one who retired a year before. 
He took his hat off as he approached you. “I sure am sorry to call so late Mrs. Daniels.”
“No apologies necessary,” you said waving him away, “thank you for picking him up. I appreciate it. He’s okay?”
The man drew in a breath, fingers tapping against the velvet of his hat, as if he had more to say, but felt awkward approaching the subject. “He’s fine, ma’am, just a bit too much to drink. We found him sleeping in the cemetery up near the railroad.”
You knew it was their anniversary tonight, but Jack had never done anything like this within the span of time you’d been together. Despite yourself, you were embarrassed. What the fuck was he thinking? After a moment of reflection, you let your feelings go and allowed empathy to take over. It had been a hard year for you both; he was still dealing with a lot of trauma. Maybe this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. 
 “I see,” you said, nodding slowly, then added, “Well, thank you for picking him up.”
The sheriff hesitated again, rocking on his heels a little. “He’s safe here, you know, for the night, I mean. You can always pick him up in the morning if that’s what you prefer.”
Your brows knit “is he being charged with something?”
“No, no, nothing like that, ma’am. I just know he’s not in the best state of mind. Mix that with alcohol. Some men get rowdy. If you’re comfortable picking him up tonight, then by all means, if not we’ll just tell him to call you tomorrow.”
You didn’t like what the sheriff was inferring, even if it was out of genuine concern. Your husband was a lot of things, but never abusive. He wasn’t some drunkard that beat his wife; he was grieving, and he needed help. 
“I think I’d better take him home with me. He has a bad back - can’t imagine what a hangover and night of sleeping on steel would do to it.”
The sheriff laughed. “Well, you are a better wife than most. You’d be surprised how many men walk home after a night spent here. Right this way.” He said, then started to lead you into the back. 
The sight before you made your heart break, your disheveled cowboy sitting on the bench of the cell, head dropped in quiet contemplation. He looked up when he heard the two of you enter. When your eyes met his, you could see him visibly soften, though there was shame in his features as well. 
The sheriff produced a key from a loop attached to his belt and swung the door open. Jack stood, wincing a little. He gave the sheriff a nod before joining you. You looped an arm around your husband so you could walk with him to the car. Before you left, you glanced behind you to give the sheriff a last look of thanks before stepping into the chilly night. 
“You okay?” you murmured, glancing up at your husband. 
He simply nodded, refusing to meet your gaze. 
-
The car ride back was silent, just the two of you staring at the seemingly endless stretch of black asphalt that unfolded before you. 
“I’m sorry,” he rasped out.  
You reached up to scratch the back of your neck. “About what?”
“Everything,” he shook his head, “being a shitty husband. You always deserved so much fukin’ better.”
“You’re not a shitty husband, Jack. The good shit along with the bad? Remember?”
His speech was slow, southern drawl becoming more pronounced. “Every chance I get, I miss the mark with you. I should have never led you on like this.”
The sentence struck you as odd “what does that mean?”
He paused and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I know you kissed him, I saw. I’m sorry.”
Your grip tightened on the wheel. That was a week ago. Why was he bringing it up now? If he knew, why didn’t he just confront you before? And why wasn’t he upset? After the night at the lake, he pulled away from you again, leaving you more confused than ever. You did have some part to play in that though; you felt yourself withdrawing from him too in the last few weeks. Instead of fixing things like you had hoped, that night made things more awkward. You shouldn’t have slept with him. You were stupid for doing that. Stupid for a lot of things you did in the past few weeks. Sometimes it felt as if you didn’t recognize yourself anymore. 
Your voice barely above a whisper, “Jack- I”
“Does he make you happy?”
The turn to your driveway was only about twenty feet ahead of you, you had to stop short in order to make it. “Jackson, please. We both had a rough night. Why don’t we talk about this in the morning when your head is clear and I don’t feel like I’m about to fall asleep at the wheel.”
“You deserve to be happy.” 
“I am happy Jack. I’m very happy. The kiss, it was. It was a mistake. It meant nothing, and I regretted it immediately. I haven’t even spoken to him since.’’ you were unsure whether you believe it to be true yourself. “It was a bad year, but it’s almost over. We have the next one to look forward to too.”
“You are one of the very best things to ever happen to me” there was a sincerity in his eyes that struck you so hard, it rendered you speechless. You never thought you would see the day that Jackson Henry Daniels would say something like that…. and mean it. 
You shook your head, looking for the words. “What did you do?”
His brown eyes were full of sadness as they watched you. “You know I love you, right?”
 “I know.”
“So much.”
“I know.”
He lifted a hand, fingers just ghosting over your cheek in order to push a strand of hair behind your ear. “I’ll always love you and I don’t regret a moment of this. And I’m so fuckin’ proud of you. Please remember that.”
“I love you too….” as you looked at him you were unable to hide the concern on your face. “You’re scaring me Jack”
He took your hand gently in his, “I didn’t mean to scare you darlin’”
“Not like that, I mean… why does it feel…” the words you were looking for were, why did it feel like something has died? But, of course, you were not brave enough to ask that question. “Can we talk about this in the morning?”
He nodded, and you continued on down the driveway with the knowledge that there would be no conversation in the morning. The two of you would return to wallow in the deafening silence that had become normal in your home. At least tonight you could run him a warm bath, lay out some clothes for him and fall asleep with the knowledge he was safe beside you and not out in the cold. Sometimes life was about making do with what you had and tonight you would be content with so little. 
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thewritewolf · 3 years
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Mari Christmas And A Happy New Adrien
Summary:
Lost in the aftermath of Hawkmoth's defeat, Adrien loses complete track of time and before he knows it, the holiday season is upon him. Will a Christmas visit to his girlfriend's house be just what he needs to move on?
Hello and welcome to my piece for the @mlsecretsanta event! My giftee, @lesslinette, asked for among other things, Adrienette, family bonding, fluff and just a bit of hurt/comfort and I aimed to please!
I had to do a good amount of research into French and Chinese Christmas traditions (including interviewing my long-suffering French friend - thanks @emsylcatac!), so hopefully I didn't get anything *too* wrong.
Read on Ao3
Enjoy!
Marinette 💖: You still up?
Adrien: Yeah Still not sleeping great House was always too quiet Never thought it could get more quiet tho lol Whats up?
Marinette 💖: :( Just wondering what u were doing 4 xmas Since You know
Adrien: Since father went to jail and mom died again? Haven’t thought about it Guess ive still got time to figure it out
Marinette 💖: … ..Its the 23rd of Dec Like 2am Not a lot of time left
Adrien: oh Guess uh Stay at home?
Marinette 💖: Adrien Its been like two months Youve been going crazy in there Youll just be stuck in there all by yourself Why don’t you come over?
Adrien: I don’t know… I don’t want to bring anyone down Or ruin anyone’s christmas
Marinette 💖: Adrien ‘Kindest Boy in Paris’ Agreste
Adrien: Oh no she used my middle name
Marinette 💖: You are coming over tomorrow And letting me pamper you And letting my family - your REAL family - love you And that is the end of that ...Is that okay with you?
Adrien: Whatever you say ma’am
Marinette 💖: Good Be here no later than fifteen hundred Let me know if I need to pick you up
Adrien: Will do
Adrien laid back down, his face lit up only by the glow of his phone and the only noise in the room being Plagg’s snoring. Putting his phone to sleep, he turned over, closed his eyes, and honestly smiled for what felt like the first time in a long time.
---------------------
Adrien reached the door to his girlfriend’s house with a gift under one arm, an envelope in his pocket, and a weak smile on his face. The latter wasn’t because of a lack of feeling on his part - the exact opposite, actually.
It had been hard to go to sleep after their conversation that night, a swirl of mixed emotions keeping him from getting the rest that he craved. Last night wasn’t much better and he was left exhausted. He’d even been half tempted to call and say that he couldn’t make it, but somehow that only made him feel worse.
So here he was. He’d shambled his way to the car, driven himself there through blurry eyes and frequent yawns, and turned the doorknob. Maybe they’d understand if he just dropped off the present and headed home.
Well, maybe not home, but just where he lived.
The instant the door opened, a wave of hot air buffeted him. Not only did it warm his freezing face, it brought all sorts of wonderful smells on it. There were the expected scents - baked potatoes, salmon, chicken. But then was something else, something a little harder to place.
After puzzling over it for a moment, he shook his head and stepped into the house. No sooner had he closed the door behind him than he heard some voices calling out from deeper inside.
“Wait, was that the door? The family wasn’t supposed to be over until tomorrow, weren’t they?”
“Tom, that has to be Adrien!”
There was excitement in Sabine’s voice that warmed his heart, but not quite as much as when he’d taken a couple steps into the house and was blindsided by Marinette bursting out of the living room to wrap him in a hug.
“Worried I might not show?” Adrien whispered after they parted from their kiss.
“Not even for a moment, chaton.” She smiled up at him before her eyes wandered down to his arms, a suspicious look on her face when she saw the one present. “Looks like you showed some restraint this year.”
“Of course!” At her continued doubting look, he added. “Come on, I’m perfectly capable of giving reasonable gifts.���
“Last year you tried to give me my favorite restaurant.”
“But I didn’t!”
“Only because I hid your checkbook and credit cards!”
Adrien snorted. “Details.”
Rolling her eyes, Marinette tugged on his coat sleeve. “Follow me, you ridiculous man. You can put your gifts under the tree, we’ll open them tomorrow.”
She led him into the living room, where their Christmas tree had been set up in all its glory. There were red paper chains wrapped all around it and a huge variety of homemade ornaments - including a few that he’d made in years past. Ever since he and Marinette had started dating, he’d been welcomed into their household with open arms. And even before that, they’d been nothing but kind to him.
His eyes poured over the tree, looking for one specific ornament. It didn’t take him long to find it - with its poor quality, it stood out among the beautiful glass orbs and painted baubles. His fingers brushed over the patches of glitter, a nostalgic smile spreading across his face as he took in the patterns of melted wax inside it. His first ornament. They’d barely been dating a few months when he’d made that one.
Had it really been four years already?
Arms wrapped around him from the side and he looked down at Marinette’s chin resting on his shoulder, peering up at him with big blue eyes.
“What’re you thinking about, hot stuff?”
“Old memories, that’s all.”
“Hmm…” She leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek. “You just about ready to make some new ones?”
“With you? Always.”
“You two want to come in and help us finish cooking dinner?” They both jumped when Sabine’s voice reached them.
Blushing, Marinette reluctantly let Adrien go and headed toward the kitchen. “Coming, maman!”
------------------
A few hours later and the four of them were seated around the dining room table. Some things had been moved around from what Adrien remembered from the usual arrangement, and a long table had been set up. Most of the spaces were empty - with the four of them, only about a third of the table was occupied. But while the chairs were mostly left bare, the table was not.
Even though he had helped make some of it, Adrien was still amazed at how good the food all looked when laid out on the table like this.
Most of it was pretty traditional, at least from what he knew. A lot of the time his experience with Christmas dinners were meals allowed to grow cold until he gave up on his father showing. But the roasted chicken was still steaming when they cut into it, the smoked salmon and toast still holding the heat of the oven on them. Add in the gratin dauphinois and this was just about the ideal Christmas dinner he could imagine.
Naturally, it got even better with Sabine’s contribution - spring rolls.
As Adrien shoveled them onto his plate, he asked Sabine, “Is this the only Chinese dish for today, maman?”
“Just you wait, dear.” She smiled over her plate. “Today was Tom’s turn to make dinner. Tomorrow will be mine and you’ll definitely have your fill then.”
“I can’t wait!” Adrien took some of the chestnut sauce to pour over his chicken. Which reminded him… He glanced nervously toward the oven. “I don’t suppose you made foie gras, did you?”
Marinette made a face and shivered.
Tom quickly shook his head. “Oh no, son. Back when Marinette was… what? Eight, nine? She found out how it was made and made us promise to never have it again.”
“Eleven years later and we haven’t broken that promise yet,” Sabine finished. “There are plenty of other foods in the world.”
“That’s good.” Adrien breathed a sigh of relief. “It always made me uncomfortable when my father ordered it.”
“Ordered, dear?” Sabine gave him a confused look.
“Oh, we never really cooked our own dinners.”
Tom’s jaw dropped. “Not even Christmas dinner?”
“Nope. Sometimes he’d have to order the dinner prepared the day before and then we’d reheat it the day of, since no one wanted to come into work on Christmas day, you know?”
“I see…” Tom shared a look with Sabine, but the meaning was lost on Adrien. “Well, you make sure you have your fill, son! We’ll be making more for tomorrow, so this is all for us.”
“Thanks,” Adrien said with a grateful smile.
The conversation meandered and for the most part Adrien was just content to listen in, drinking in the company after spending so much of his time recently just by himself. Well, mostly by himself. Marinette would visit whenever she could get the time between college classes and internships. Nino and Alya were more elusive, if only because they were outside the city so often these days.
But there was one person who was his constant companion, Adrien thought with a smile as he peeked into the breast pocket of his T-shirt…
...Only to see that it was empty. Maybe he’d gone to visit Tikki and the kwamis of the miracle box? Adrien was drawn out of his thoughts when Sabine directed a question at him.
“Are you ready for the pre-dessert snacks, dear?”
“Oh! Sure, yeah. What do you have?”
“You’ll love it!” Tom excitedly got up and hustled over to the kitchen, Sabine right behind him. He raised his voice to be heard as he went to the room next door. “We know how much you love camembert so…”
Adrien’s eyes widened. They didn’t…
Tom returned with a platter of cheeses in his hands and a frown on his lips.
“Something wrong, papa?” Marinette’s eyes glanced between Tom and the cheese platter.
“No, no… its just… I could have sworn I bought more cheese than this. And I was so sure that I had purchased camembert.” He rubbed his chin. “Ah well, there is more than enough for the three of us anyway.”
While Sabine set down a large bowl of salad in the middle of the table, Adrien glanced at Marinette. At his side, Marinette was biting her lips and pointedly staring into the middle distance, trying her hardest not to laugh. For his part, Adrien was frustrated that he couldn’t go anywhere without Plagg making a noticeable dent in the food supply.
His annoyance with Plagg was so great he almost didn’t enjoy the Yule Log that Tom had made for dessert. Almost, but not quite.
Once they were done with dinner, they cleared the table.
“So, how’d you like the meal?” Marinette asked as she dried off the dishes while Adrien washed them.
“Definitely better hot. And homemade.”
Marinette chuckled. “I’m glad the bar was so high for us. Really makes us feel like we accomplished something here.”
“How about…” Adrien bit down on his lips and narrowed his eyes in thought. “It was the most delicious meal I’ve had in months.”
“Ooo, now we’re getting somewhere.”
“Years even.”
“Good, good, go on.”
“I had never known food could taste so delicious until you graced me with your heavenly meals.”
Marinette’s eyes gleamed with restrained laughter, the hint of a barely contained smile ruining her deadpan. “Glad I could finally weasel how you really feel out of you.”
“Yeah you’re pretty good at that, aren’t you?” Hands still in the sink’s soapy water, he leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead.
“No fooling around now, we still have to help put up the last decorations before we relax for the night.”
“What sort of decorations?”
“Paper lanterns and paper chains. That sort of thing.” At Adrien’s politely confused look, she added, “It’ll help make mom’s side of the family feel welcome. Plus they look pretty cool.”
“Well what are we waiting for then? Let’s kick this into overdrive!”
Adrien suddenly worked in a flurry, Marinette scream laughing as she got splashed with some of the water thrown up by his breakneck pace. Marinette could barely keep up between her giggling, but she somehow managed.
With the last fork, plate, and glass sparkling clean and put away, Marinette shook her head and dabbed at her slightly damp shirt with a fresh towel.
“You’re a dork, you know that?”
“So my girlfriend tells me.”
Adrien relished the sometimes quiet, sometimes loud evening he spent with the Dupain-Chengs. When he went upstairs and cuddled Marinette in the cozy darkness, Adrien felt only excitement for the next day
----------------
Morning came swiftly, but Adrien rose to meet the dawn’s first light with a smile on his lips and a spring in his step. Marinette was… a little less eager, but he managed to coax her out of the bed, eventually.
When they finally got down the stairs and made it to the kitchen, Sabine’s eyes widened and she even froze in the middle of folding one of her dumplings.
“Marinette? I’m surprised to see you up so early.”
Bleary eyed, her daughter simply jabbed a finger toward Adrien and grunted. Adrien rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled.
“I knew you’d be a good influence on her, sweetie.”  Sabine patted his cheek with a warm smile. “Now, once you’ve had some breakfast I’d really appreciate some help out here. From you especially, Marinette, since you know exactly how to do it the way I like it.”
“Can’t Tom help?” Adrien made some toast for him and Marinette, doing his best to stay out of Sabine’s way. “Not that I’m not willing to lend a hand, but he’s got to be pretty good at it after all this time, right?”
Sabine laughed and even Marinette cracked a smile. “You’d think so, but no. The man can make almost any dessert known to French mankind, but I’ve yet to see him finish one spring roll or dumpling in all our years of marriage. Just about the only thing I’m trusting him with today is the roasted pork.”
“Not even the cheese plate?” Adrien asked, tongue in cheek. To his surprise, Sabine shook her head gravely.
“We don’t make one for Christmas day. After all, everyone that is going to be here is from my side of the family and we’re all lactose intolerant.”
“Oh.” Adrien glanced at Marinette, who shrugged.
“I got lucky and got papa’s tolerance for it, I guess.”
“Huh… well, can I help?”
A few hours passed, most of which Adrien spent doing vital but unskilled cooking like stirring and kneading. Although they did let him try to fold a few dumplings. It ended up nowhere near as well done as Marinette’s, but she still gave him a kiss on the cheek for the good effort. From what he gathered, Tom had never even managed to get it to stay together.
They had just put the last batch in the oven when they heard a knock at the door, Sabine quickly taking off her apron as she rushed to answer it.
Adrien’s ears perked up when he heard a conversation in Chinese start up, but between him being a little rusty and them speaking so fast, he couldn’t pick out much.
A few moments later, Sabine walked back into the room with an older Chinese couple. Marinette pulled him towards them. Sabine put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder and introduced them.
“Adrien, these are my parents. My mother, Ling,” she said, gesturing towards the grey-haired woman currently hugging Marinette. “And my father, Zheng.”
The older man’s grey eyes sparkled with excitement as he held out a red envelope for Adrien, who just now noticed that Marinette had also been given one. He froze, eyes widening. Was he supposed to have gotten them something too? He hadn’t realized that anyone would be getting him anything, except maybe Marinette. There was a moment where he was about to decline but he took a shot in the dark and accepted.
The moment his hand touched the envelope, Zheng spoke in Mandarin, “Best wishes for the New Year!”
“Thank you very much!” Adrien replied automatically in the same language. While the finer points might escape him, Adrien was fluent in niceties.
Zheng’s eyes widened before he nodded sagely to himself. “Ahh, I see you’ve picked up some Mandarin from my daughter, yes?”
“Oh, no, sir. I’ve been studying since I was fourteen.”
Once again, Zheng’s eyes widened before he chuckled and looked knowingly at Marinette. “This one is definitely a keeper! I approve.”
Marinette’s cheeks were almost as red as the envelope, but she still smiled.
The bright, enticing red of the envelope made him want nothing more than to open it right then and there. But Adrien took a nod from Marinette, who had very pointedly left it sealed even as she refused to set it down. He chose to follow her lead as they all made their way to the living room.
While the Dupain-Cheng parents and the Cheng parents were getting settled there, Marinette volunteered them to go make some tea. Once they were in the kitchen and out of earshot of the new arrivals, Adrien held up his envelope with a raised eyebrow and curious look.
“You can go ahead and look at it now, it’s just not polite to do it right when you get it.” She carefully unsealed the envelope. “It's this Chinese tradition - good luck money for the new year, you know?”
Adrien followed her lead and found one ten, one twenty, and one fifty euro note inside. Glancing over, it seemed Marinette got the same. He was half tempted to just give her his euros since he didn’t have any need for it, but decided that might be tacky. If she would even take them at all. After stashing the envelopes away in a kitchen drawer, they came back with tea for everyone.
Over the next few hours, more and more family members funneled into the house. Adrien, used to seeing maybe four people during the holiday season, thought the room would be close to bursting after the first aunt arrived with husband and two kids in tow. But then came the uncle and his family, then the second aunt with her boyfriend and by the end of it fifteen people were packed into the living room. For some reason apples in boxes became involved? Adrien thought that was a pun but that was more his pun sense than his linguistic skill.
Before anyone could get too settled in, they finally got to opening presents. Despite his fears from the red envelope, no one else seemed to have gotten Adrien anything.
At least, none of the extended family had. The Dupain-Cheng family, however…
“Here you go, dear.” While the rest of the room was chattering among themselves, Sabine placed a package about as big as a shoebox on Adrien’s lap. Before he could react to it, Marinette had shoved a bag stuffed with packing paper.
“Let me go get your-”
Adrien felt a tug on his arm and looked down at Marinette seated beside him. “Open your gifts first and then we’ll open the ones you got us.”
“Okay, okay.” Adrien looked at the box on his lap and tore it open. He tilted his head in confusion as he lifted the fabric that he found there out of the box. His eyes widened when he realized it was an apron with ‘Kiss the Chef’ on it.
“Its for when you come over to cook with us!” Tom beamed down at him proudly. “Now you don’t need to borrow our aprons any more - you’ll have one of your very own!”
Adrien felt his eyes get misty and he bit his lips to keep himself from crying. After a few moments of pulling himself together, he managed to say, “Thank you, guys. I’m really looking forward to wearing it!”
“Speaking of…” Marinette prodded the bag she left with him.
“Right, right.”
Adrien removed the paper and pulled out what turned out to be a sweater, cream colored and decorated with mistletoes and black cats in red scarves. It felt amazingly soft as he slipped it on over his head, embraced in a warm hug that - he lifted the fabric to his nose and took a deep breath - yes, smelled exactly like Marinette. For now at least.
“Do you like it?” Instead of replying, Adrien wrapped his arms around Marinette and pulled her close to him, nuzzling his nose against her neck. Giggling, she smacked his arms lightly. “I’ll take that as a yes, now let go!”
After he pulled his arms back, he stood up and stepped between the Cheng family members and made it to the tree before heading back to the little corner of the living room that they had claimed. He passed the envelope to Tom and the box to Marinette.
“A… gift card for an appliance store?” Tom said, his brow furrowing.
“I wanted to get you an actual new stove because you’re always upset at it,” Adrien explained in a rush, feeling embarrassed that his gift felt so… impersonal compared to theirs. “But when I went to the store I had no idea what actually made a good stove and searching it up on the internet only made it more confusing and… yeah,” he finished lamely.”
He glanced up at them and felt better to see them smiling back.
“That’s very thoughtful of you, Adrien! Thank you, we’ll make good use of this.”
Beside him, Marinette began opening her gift, which Adrien was much more excited for. Not because he had spent any less for it, but because that at least he knew exactly what to get.
He knew he’d done good when she gasped as she pulled out the expensive fabric she’d once stared at longingly from the otherside of a store’s window in Paris. Which, of course, meant that he was also expecting the smack on his arm from her as well.
“Adrien! This is expensive! You definitely shouldn’t have bought this.”
“Actually, you’ll remember that I get to spoil you exactly three times a year - birthdays, Valentine’s, and Christmas.” He gave her the most innocent look he could manage. “So you like it then?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You know I absolutely love it, you cat.”
“Then that’s great!” He continued with the overly chipper and oblivious tone, knowing how much it bugged her. He rubbed his hands together. “So… when’s dinner?”
-----------
After a Christmas dinner packed with Chinese dishes, they slowly returned to the living room.
Adrien sat in a corner of the room, taking in the warm and inviting atmosphere, the excitement and energy of so many people gathered together in such a small space.
Holding Marinette close, Adrien felt like he was part of a real family for the first time in a long time.
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neoheros · 4 years
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how would haikyuu boys handle getting shipped with a friend on tiktok? feat. kuroo tetsuro
kuroo tetsuro has a crippling tiktok addiction and he’s in denial about it but everyone around him knows because all he does in his free time is get on that app
that’s canon i’m not arguing with anyone about this
he’s the kind of guy to fall asleep from scrolling through his fyp and the moment he wakes up he looks for his phone under his pillow to watch more lmaooo
so anyways
you share classes with him and he’s not really the kind of guy to have crushes especially on people he’s not close with
but then one day he’s on his fyp and he stumbles on one of your videos
and he’s just like ?? woah
he recognizes you obvi, he’s not one to talk to people out of his friend group but he’s not completely ignorant to everyone else
he immediately sees that you have indeed quite the following and have almost majority of your posts going viral
so yea you can say he’d notice you more in class now
at first it was subtle, looking at you more when he’s spacing out or paying close attention to you when you’re reciting
he doesn’t even notice how he includes you more in his thought process until the day kenma pointed it out to him how he’s been a bit more distracted lately
he brushed it off thinking it wasn’t really anything serious
but then boy Oh boy !!!
he started noticing the fact that you’ve got a really nice room in your vids and your fave led lights are the red ones since you almost always use them
he’s also really into the fact that you upload more on comedic videos than dancing ones
but HONEY when you posted your take on the dance trend of savage by megan thee stallion ,,, he was GONEEEE !!!
he sent that video to kenma like five times in a row with the caption “aha brb gonna LIVE for this woman 😗✌️”
kenma be like: simp city population - u
at this point he just accepts it, like flat out he took it within himself to UNDERSTAND how much he’s crushing on you and kenma asks him if he’s gonna do anything about it and he’s like ????
like he gets how awesome he is and stuff cause duh captain of the volleyball team and most probably the most beautiful man on campus but you’re also really good in class and very attractive
not to mention that you’ve never even looked his way before
he was hurt, man !!
only he could feel as rejected as someone who actually did get rejected
nevertheless, he got over that and just woke up one day telling himself that he was gonna shoot his shot anyway !!
so one day in class, right after the lunch bell rang, he took a deep breath and rummaged his insides for every drip of confidence he could muster
he walked to your seat and you were kinda surprised because this boy right here has never once talked to you before
his opening line was “can i sit here?”
you were still really confused but then he said something about wanting to be friends and your heart was just really warm cause !!!! that’s so NICE !!
and he mentioned how he knew you from tiktok since you practically lived on his fyp
you were really embarrassed and he got to see in action how your ears turn really red when you get shy
kuroo, internally: “that’s so FUCKEN CUTE !!!!!”
he had to reassure you that it was indeed really cool that you made bomb ass tiktoks
you were so grateful cause like one minute you were having a terrible day because of your stupid teacher then bam this 6’2 beauty of a man came swooping in telling you you were terrific
you two became friends after that and it made you really happy to have someone as cool as kuroo as your best friend
kuroo likes to sit with you at lunch except when you’re with other people then he gets a bit dejected so he’s just “well damn maybe tomorrow then”
it’s all good though cause he has invited you to numerous of his practices and that’s when you SEE how amazing this man is at volleyball
one day you’re like “hey wanna do a tiktok with me?”
and he’s like “the one where you kiss me?”
you, flushed: DIPSHIT WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT !!!!1!1!1!!
you guys do the one where you dance to supalonely by benee
it went OFF !!! 700k likes and a solid ass 2.7M views because apparently the viewers really like it when kuroo dances next to you in his varsity uniform and has sweat dripping on his forehead
your comments for the next two weeks are just like “bro post another one with kuroo please PLEASE”
kuroo: guess people just like me more :)
you: leave my mentions <3
sometimes you’d get people replying to your videos with “you and kuroo look really good together”
you see them but you most likely ignore it because even if you did know how much you liked kuroo, you didn’t wanna jeopardize the friendship, yk?
anyhow due to popular demand, you include him in your videos again and every time you do they always go viral !!!
it’s very cute especially when you do the ones where you snapchat him song lyrics and he answers even if he does know it’s a trend
“can they please just get together already, we all know they’re pining but they’re too coward to say it !!”
you: ok u know what user9728182829 since u’r so good at this why don’t u be the one to make tiktoks at a volleyball court and dodge all those stray balls 😤
you were so fed up with it that you actually tell kuroo about the entirety of tiktok shipping the two of you together
he was worried that you were upset because people liked you and him dating that he thought maybe you just weren’t into him
BUT THEN !!!
because of the corona virus all the schools shut down and people were forced to stay in their houses for quarantine
it was sad that everything got cancelled and you weren’t allowed to see your friends anymore
but that’s ok cause kuroo insisted to facetime everyday
you: why can’t we just text
kuroo: because what if you forget what i look like 🥺
you: hey i’m not that blessed ❤️
it was like the quarantine never happened since you still saw and talked to him everyday
sometimes he’d show up at your place but refuse to come inside cause social distancing
this mfer threw rocks on your glass window just to get your attention once
kuroo: i got you those edible cookie dough in pints !!
you: omfg 🥺👉👈
then he chucks it at you because he ain’t boutta break the law to get you food 😤
it’s ok though you have really good reflexes and it only hit your elbow the first 2 times !!
you got it all on camera and posted it on tiktok and everyone in the comments were LIVID at the fact that you captioned it with “best friends b like”
“i just know that kuroo is punching the air right now.”
“imagine risking the corona and still being friend zoned.”
“when you realize kuroo is actually the president of simp city.”
other times he’d snap you at 3 in the morning asking if you want anything from starbucks
no one:
your snapchat dms at 3:28 am: you really went to bed you SN A KE !!
and when you wake up the next morning you find out that this guy is still awake and that he’s been chilling in the starbucks parking lot all morning !!!
that’s ok though because other than the fact that his sleep schedule is completely wrecked he still got you your venti strawberry acai refresher
you: thank you sm 🥺 what do i owe you
kuroo: a kiss on the cheek
you: you can have the drink back ❤️
that’s when the new tiktok trend started and people were posting the hottest guys on campus or revealing their crushes since 1st grade
you, feeling brave because school is cancelled: aight bet 😎
you do a tiktok hopping on the trend and you captioned it with “now that we aren’t coming back to school here are the boys from campus that i’d date for real”
you stall for the first 30 second by vibing to the music and when the beat drop !!
you showed a picture of kuroo and you put in the text “kinda missing him too”
you were extremely regretting this but numerous people already saw it and the comments went on and on about how unsurprising this was
press f ma’am
so one afternoon while kuroo was scrolling through his tiktok, he was surprised by the amount of notifications he was getting
cause he doesn’t even post videos ??
he’s only there to watch funny stuff and leave insulting comments on your posts cause he’s a good friend
he checks and they’re all just tags of him in this one video and he was kinda worried cause what if it was a hate post ??
but then he saw that it was yours and he’s less nervous !!!
kuroo, texting you: if you diss me in this one i’m posting the screenshot of you falling asleep on facetime
so he watches it and ??????????????
bro he went 🥺
before he messages you he went straight for the comments and !!!!!
“who knew it was kuroo before watching the whole video?”
“don’t be shy put some more photos of him !!”
“if kuroo duets this i’m gonna make sure to never fall in love unless its like this.”
“y’all he did it boys!! he graduated from the best friend zone!!”
he’s still really surprised by this and he really hopes you’re not kidding cause bro you??? like him????
thanks to that comment he saw, he decides to duet your video by using the same sound and doing the same dance with the same caption “now that we aren’t coming back to school here are the ones from campus that i’d date for real”
and they’re all just pictures of you 🥺
it blows up but before you see it on your fyp he’s already asking to facetime and when you answer you swear he’s just got the biggest smile in the world i’m :(
kuroo: lol remember when you publicly told majority of the internet how much you liked me
you: lol remember when you weren’t talking ❤️
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cyarikashakira · 3 years
Text
Chimichangas
A/N: This is my first time writing a fanfic. I am super nervous but I have an overabundance of love for Joaquin Torres so I had to put it somewhere. I'm doing @caplanbuckybarnes's summer writing challenge.
Summary: Falling in love at the supermarket wasn’t on your to-do list today, yet here you were snatching looks at a cute stranger.
Warnings: (I don't know if these count as warnings) GN!Reader, No Y/N, Joaquin Torres is an absolute cutie pie!
‘They were gone. All of them.’ I thought as I rummaged through the wrongfully stocked freezer. A sniffle escaped, then two, which was followed by a full on wail.
“Who the hell put the Steak and Cheese chimichangas where the Chicken and Cheese chimichangas goes!?”
I slammed the freezer door and rested my head on it and placed my hand on the cold glass.
Casual shoppers and workers tiptoed around me while I grumbled to myself in annoyance. I just wanted my comfort food.
A full on breakdown in the middle of a grocery store and I gave no fucks. A tap on my shoulder and I whirled around ready to light up the poor soul who decided to bother me.
“What do you want?” I wiped the tears from my face with a growl. Giant innocent eyes looked at me in shock as I grimaced at him.
“Hi - um, can I help you?” He bravely pointed at his name tag which said ‘Joaquin’ with the Walmart name above
“Sure~ can you just point me towards the person who decided to sleep on the job and stock the wrong chimichangas in the wrong spot? I just wanna have a little chat.” I said with a fake smile on my face.
“Th-that would be me.” He gulped and pointed over his shoulder towards the stocking material behind him.
You peeked around him and just glared.
“So it was you. You have been declared as my arch nemesis. Where are the chicken and cheese chimichangas?”
“They are out of stock. But we can call you when they are back in stock.”
The air suddenly became tense.
“...Believe it or not, they already have my number because I buy them so often. It is Tuesday and it’s 8:30. They are always stocked at 8pm on Tuesday.” I looked down at my watch to double check the time. I crossed my arms ready to take my frustrations out on the worker.
“We are going to have to call some people.” He said plainly.
“What?” My head tilted to the side in confusion.
“For this chimichanga shortage. We need to call some people.” His smile got bigger as he continued talking.
“Chimi..changa shortage? If they are going to fix my day then you better call them.”
“I’m kidding..”
“Oh.” I let out a nervous laugh and made a face.
He ran a hand through his fluffy black curls and huffed. I took a look at his face, he was nervous.
“...Are you new?” You raised an eyebrow at him.
“To the stock things department, yes. This grocery store, no. I’m so sorry that I stocked it wrong but thank you for pointing it out for me.”
I immediately felt bad because I realized that I was being a dick over some food.
“I’m so sorry. I’m just having a bad day. It was just a complete shit show. My cat got sick, my car is on it’s last leg and my boss is on my ass and I ran out of chimichangas and forgot to restock my fridge so here I am today - “
I rambled on and on.
“Hey, it’s okay. We all have bad days. I thought this was about to be a bad day for me also because you were upset at me.”
“I’m sorry again. I’ll live without them. I should go home before I embarrass myself even more.”
I lowered my head now feeling shy and more aware of my surroundings.
“Before you go, I think I have something that will make your day a little better. Follow me.” He turned swiftly and started walking away.
“Uh, no. I’ve burdened you enough today, sir.”
He stopped and turned to face me again. A smile formed on his face. Were those dimples always there?
“Come on. I’m just taking you to a person who can solve your problems.”
“Oh o-okay.”
I followed behind Joaquin towards the front of the grocery store. He stopped in front of the deli section and tapped a hand on the counter to alert the workers.
“Hey~ is Margie in today?” He said sweetly to the teenage girl who could barely see over the huge counter.
“Yeah Curly, she’s in the back. Let me go get her.” She ran to the back and pushed the double doors with force.
I looked at Joaquin with furrowed brows and pursed lips.
“Why do they call you Curly?” A small smirk appeared on my face. He blushed and his hand went to his hair once again.
“My hair. It is how everyone finds me and the fact that I’m tall. Everyone has a nickname here. We are as much a family as capitalism will allow us to be. Margie is just...wait until you see her.”
The shock of blue hair caught my peripheral and I expected to see a teenager. No. A tall lady who was on enough to be my mama strolled up to the counter with a huge smile on her face.
“What can I do for ya, Curly Quin?” Her accent drawled as she leaned against the display case.
“We have a situation. Apparently, I suck at my job and a certain someone had an entire meltdown in the middle of the freezer aisle because they are having a bad day like it was my fault. I’m pretty sure they want to get me fired but I’m too cute for that, right? So we need a solution to their chimichanga problem.” He sarcastically and over exaggeratedly explained the situation to Margie and his smile got wider as he went on.
“So Grilled Cheese over here wants a chimichanga? How is that my problem?” Margie planted her eyes on me and I felt like I swallowed my heart.
For an old lady, her look was intense.
“I need the goods. The family secret, the whole enchilada, you get where I’m going with this. I’ll finally bring you back your book that you let me borrow when I first started working here.” Joaquin slapped on the puppy dog eyes and Margie rolled hers.
“I’ll believe it when I see it. That was a year ago. I’m never getting that book back and you know it. I’ll be back for you and Meltdown over here, assuming that is you.” She gave a small smile and moved to go towards the back doors. “Give me a sec.”
As soon as she disappeared, I face palmed and groaned.
“You guys are going to make fun of me forever, aren’t you?” I looked at him in despair.
“Oh yeah, you know it. Welcome to making history.” He smiled towards me, flashing a dimple.
“Is there a way that I can make everyone forget about this? I will pay you guys off. I promise. Just forget everything that happened here today.” I waved my hands in circular motions like I was casting a spell, earning odd looks from everyone around.
He laughed for the first time that night.
“It’s not every day a grown up has a total fit like a toddler. This has made my day and probably my whole week.”
I groaned again and stomped my foot in annoyance, ready to snap at him.
The back doors flew open and a brown paper bag was thrown in my direction. Joaquin and I fumbled to catch it at the same time and we butted heads.
“Good thing you knocked some sense into each other so I didn’t have to. Get out of here kids, your chimichanga problem is solved.” Margie smiled.
I opened the steaming paper bag and started crying.
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” I started bouncing up and down with joy. I wrapped my arms around Joaquin and pulled him into a tight hug, crying on his shirt.
“No problem, I can’t breathe, please..let..go..” He said dramatically.
I immediately let go and cleaned my face putting on a huge smile. He took a deep breath and put his hand on his chest.
“You guys are the best and I am so sorry for taking my frustrations out on you. I really hope you can forgive me at some point.”
“Already forgiven. I just always want to do something positive with my day and make others smile. It’s all in a day’s work.”
“I don’t know how to thank you guys enough for the chimichangas.” I held the bag close to my heart, grinning widely.
“Go home and eat them. That’s thanks enough.” Margie deadpanned.
Oh. She was still there.
“Yes ma’am. Have a good night. Thank you for everything!” I waved goodbye to her.
“Don’t mention it kid.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow Margie!” He said to her.
She waved us off and we were on our way to the front doors of the store. We stopped just before the entrance, triggering the doors to automatically open. We were blocking the exit and people started going around us.
“I guess this is goodbye? Until I come in to restock my freezer again.” I said glumly, holding out my hand towards him to shake his hand.
“I guess so.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, placing it in my hand.
Question marks filled my brain as I looked down at his phone in my hand. He shyly placed his hand on the back of his neck.
“I told you whenever we restocked, I would give you a call so.. I would need your number for that.”
“Oh. But they already have my numb- Oh. Okay. Oh. Oh um, of course uh..”
I stuck my tongue out in concentration as I typed my name and number into his phone and handed it back to him.
“There you go. I uh, look forward to your call for whenever the chimichangas are back in stock.”
“Of course. I’m just doing my job. If they aren’t in stock and I’m off of work, can I still call you?”
My brain short circuited and I blinked rapidly at him. He was smooth. Toooo smooth. I studied his face for a joke.
“You aren’t joking with me, are you?” I put my hands on my hips.
“Nope, not one bit. Are you okay?” He questioned. I was sure smoke was coming out of my ears at this point.
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine. Just tired, it’s been a long day. I should get going.” I looked off towards the cars in the parking lot.
“It was nice to meet you. I’m sorry about your chimichangas and for my poor stocking skills.” He apologized sincerely.
“It was nice to meet you too, Joaquin. Thank you for everything. Am I allowed to hug you again?”
His brown eyes lit up and he furiously nodded. I wrapped my arms around him and he did the same to me. We let go as quickly as we started.
“I’ll see you around, Grilled Cheese.” He gave a two finger wave towards me and started walking backwards.
“Likewise, Joaquin Phoenix.” I started walking in the other direction.
“Haha. So original! It’s actually Falcon!” He shouted.
“What?” I stopped and turned back towards him but he was already gone.
I shrugged and walked towards my car. I opened the door and climbed inside, tossed the bag of chimichangas in the passenger seat and rested my head on the steering wheel. I released a huge sigh while lifting my head, started my car and began driving home. The street lights blurred past me on my drive home. My body was on autopilot as I opened the door, kicked my shoes off and sat on the couch next to my roommate with my bag of chimichangas.
I took a bite and immediately frowned.
‘Damn it. Steak and Cheese strikes again.’ I started laughing and shaking my head, dropping the chimichanga back in the bag.
“What is your problem?” My roommate said staring at the tv, not concerned to turn their head towards my hysterics.
“Nothing. I just had a meltdown in a freezer aisle and I think I fell in love with a stocker who is bad at his job.” I leaned back against the cushion of the couch and sighed dreamily.
“....no offense but you aren’t allowed to go to the store unsupervised ever again. You got issues...”
My phone began to ring and I just stared at the unknown number before answering.
“H-hello?” I stuttered.
“You will never guess what we just got in stock.” A light voice filled with laughter said over the phone. A huge smile formed on my face and I was booking it out of the door and yelled a quick bye to my roommate.
“I’m on my way.”
I hope you guys enjoyed this. I tried my best :)
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mytrashcanlife · 3 years
Text
Ashes to Ashes Jasper x Reader Part 1
It was an accident. A mistake. But Carlisle couldn’t just leave her there.
Two parents had been lost to a house fire, leaving a little girl to walk the streets looking for help. Once the proper authorities had been notified and the fire was put out, a social worker arrived at the scene to find the child, shaking and crying, with the town doctor Carlisle Cullen. The girl appeared to be fine, she was a little bruised up with a few scratches here and there, but she didn’t appear to have any burns. The social worker recognized the doctor and asked a simple enough question,
“Hey, aren’t you a foster parent? You already have the three teens right?”
Carlisle couldn’t blow their cover, so he said, “yes that’s correct.”
“Look I’m going to be honest with you, we’ve got more kids than workers and definitely more kids than parents, it’s going to take a bit before we can find her a new home. Would you be alright with holding onto her just until we can find her somewhere else to go? It would be a big help. It should only be a couple of days. Is that alright?””
Carlisle looked at the girl, wrapped in a safety blanket with tears in her eyes. She’d been through enough. Spending god knows how long at a police or fire station to be sent to who knows where to endure who knows what else wasn’t going to help her. At least he knew she’d be safe with him and his family until she could be placed somewhere else.
“Of course. Do I need to sign anything?”
“No, I’ll put it in the file system when I get to the office tomorrow. Thank you so much”
The two of them walked over to the child. She looks up at them with recognition. Everyone here knew each other, and she recognize them even if she didn’t truly know them.
“Hi what’s your name sweetie?”
“(y/n).”
“Okay (y/n) well this is Dr. Cullen, and he’s going to take you home with him until we can find you a family member or someone else to live with okay?”
“Yes ma’am. Hi Dr. Cullen.”
“Please call me Carlisle. You ready to go?”
“yeah I guess so”
To say that the others were confused would be one hell of an understatement. Esme and Rosalie recognized the look of trauma on her face and knew immediately that something was wrong. Their nurturing instincts allowed the child to adjust to the new environment a bit easier. Once the girl was calmed down fed and sleeping in the spare bedroom, all hell broke loose downstairs. Edward was not happy about this situation.
“Let me get this straight. You adopted a human child?”
“No Edward I did not. I’m not stupid. Her parents just died, and the system is a mess. We are just housing her until they find somewhere else to put her.”
“How long will that take? We leave in three weeks.”
“She probably has an aunt or a grandparent, or someone to take her. The social worker said it should only be a few days.”
Rosalie finally cuts in “Edward relax. The girl’s been through hell. She just needs a place to stay for a bit and acting like she is a burden is not going to help her. Besides it’s only temporary.”
“Exactly, only temporary.” Right?
Wrong. What they didn’t know was that the social worker never filed the case, nobody was notified and when it came time to move again she was just getting comfortable around the family. She was another child lost to the system. A mistake, but after all the girl had been through and how happy she made Rosalie and Esme, he couldn’t just leave her behind.
So that’s how you ended up with the Cullen family at 4 years old moving for what will certainly not be the last time. We’ll call it a happy accident. There was one big rule though that nobody was allowed to break: Nobody tell her.
This wasn’t actually the easiest rule to abide by because children are curious, and they say things they shouldn’t. The best example being that you noticed that your family’s eyes were all gold, but not yours. Your eyes are (e/c). Normal enough but not in your family. When asked Carlisle states that the eye color is a genetic defect and you don’t have it because you were adopted. You accepted this and many other explanations for strange occurrences in your house.
When you were around five the Volturi caught wind of your existence and to put it lightly they were not happy. They thought you were either an immortal child or at the very least you knew what they are and that means the Cullen family broke rule number one. Carlisle heard they were coming and had to call a family meeting. Edward sounded calmer than he really was.
“why do they even care about her? she’s a child! Do they think we turned her?”
“I don’t know why their coming, but they are an we need to put their mind at ease. We have nothing to fear Edward. We didn’t do anything wrong.” Rosalie joins in the conversation, voice laced with concern.
“I don’t know Carlisle, Edward’s right. Even if we didn’t do anything they don’t know that. We might be in big trouble”
“Who’s in trouble?” The family looks over to see (y/n) standing in the doorway to the living room. Esme takes care of this one.
“Nobody is in trouble dear. We just have some people coming over soon and we want to make sure they don’t think we broke any rules.”
“Who’s coming over?”
“Some extended family.”
“Do I get to meet them?” Esme looks at Carlisle for help. Edward tries to answer but Carlisle cuts him off
“absolutely n—"
“Yes, you do. Don’t worry dear everything is fine. Go back to bed”
“Okay. Goodnight”
They all say their goodnights and you go back upstairs to bed.
“How did none of us notice her?”
“We were too busy fighting, now Edward stop panicking it’s going to be fine”
“You’re going to get her, if not all of us killed.”
A few days later they did arrive. You met them in a field a few miles away from the house. They looked at you in confusion. Aro turned to Carlisle who stood far closer than normal to prevent (y/n) from overhearing any part of their conversation.
“She’s completely human.?”
“Yes. We ended up with her by accident she doesn’t know anything, and she doesn’t need to know anything. She’s perfectly normal and I would like to keep it that way.”
Jane cuts in, “How do explain us being here?”
“She thinks you’re extended family. Any question she’s had about appearances so far I’ve convinced her is nothing more than genetic defect. Eventually we’ll have to leave her but she’s a child with literally nowhere else to go.”
“Bring her here.” Carlisle looked back at you on Emmet’s shoulders laughing and hesitates. “We just want to speak with her. Bring her here and stand down.”
“(y/n), This is uncle Aro he and the others want to talk to you is that okay? I’ll be over there with the family if you need anything.”
“Okay.” You hop off Emmet’s Shoulders and run over to these new family members. “Hi. My name is (y/n) and I’m five. I’m adopted, but that’s okay cause my family loves me. You’re Uncle Aro right?”
“Yes dear.” You turn to Jane with a look of awe.
“What’s your name?”
“My name is Jane.”
“Hi Jane. You’re pretty.” Jane smiles slightly.
“Thank you.”
You turn back to Aro. “Carlisle said that you think he did something wrong, but he didn’t do anything. I promise. The whole family is really nice to me, and they would never hurt me. One time a boy pulled my hair and Emmet gave him a look so mean he ran away. I promise they didn’t do anything, and Carlisle said that if I shook your hand that you would know I wasn’t lying.” You hold your hand out and Aro takes it. He seems dazed for a moment before looking back down at you smiling.
“I believe you. How about you go back over to your family and send Carlisle back over here okay?”
“Okay.” You bound back over to your family and tell Carlisle to go back over to uncle Aro.
“So? What’s the decision?”
“She lives. But we’ll be visiting her every year to make sure she’s oblivious. Let’s see how long you can keep up this façade.”
“You know you can’t keep this up for her entire life Carlisle. Eventually she’ll have questions you can’t answer. She’ll either turn or she’ll die.”
“She will do neither Jane.”
“Suit yourself, but you know the rules. Don’t break them.”
“We will return this time next year. Be ready.”
“I will. Thank you. Goodbye.” Carlisle turns around to find you on the ground making a flower crown while Rosalie was braiding your hair. “(y/n) come say by to your cousins and uncle.”
“Okay.”
Given the circumstances you grow up pretty normal. You make friends in your classes while you’re at each school for a few years before the family comes up with some strange reason as to why you have to move. You’re bubbly and happy and appreciate the inherent sanctity of human life. You take up sewing as a hobby, learning it from Esme who enjoyed nothing more than teaching you. You tried to join sports like cheerleading but with all the moving team sports didn't work. Emmet however did take you rock climbing consistently so there was that outlet for all your energy. You even enjoy your yearly visits from the “other side of the family.” Making small gifts for them each time they visit. At one point you even asked if you could go visit them instead since they live in Italy, but Carlisle said no in such a way you knew better than to ask again. Jane begins to return the gifts you make with her own, sometimes bringing small trinkets or even clothing for you. Carlisle is surprised when you tell them his decision, and Jane actually looks disappointed that you can't visit them. For two more towns and 12 more years everything is great. Until It was time to move again this time to somewhere Carlisle liked to call home: Forks Washington.
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plaidbooks · 3 years
Text
Sorry Ma’am
A/N: Back at it with another random thought. It’s another Sonny Carisi x reader fic (cause I can’t get enough of this man) and is all fluff.
Have you ever “woken up”, but you were still asleep? Cause that’s something that younger me did a lot of.
Tags: none, fluff (takes place after TUC)
Words: 1643
Taglist: @witches-unruly-heart @beccabarba @thatesqcrush @itsjustmyfantasyroom @stardust-fray @permanentlydizzy @infiniteoddball @ben-c-group-therapy @glowingmess @whimsicallymad @lv7867 @storiesofsvu @cycat4077 @barbasimp @glimmerglittergirl @alwaysachorusgirl @reading--mermaid @averyhotchner @mrsrafaelbarba @detective-giggles @dreamlover31 @crowleysqueenofhell
Sonny had never been more exhausted in his entire life, including when he was working full time and taking night classes. He had taken two weeks off recently, and while it was the best two weeks of his life, it just meant he was unprepared to come back.
When Sonny had saw that he passed the bar, his squad had planned a get together to celebrate. He invited you, seeing as you lived together and had been dating for two years now. At least, that’s why you thought you were invited. But Sonny had other plans; while the squad was celebrating him passing the bar, he wanted to celebrate with you. Which was why, while at dinner beforehand, Sonny proposed. It was a quiet proposal, just between the two of you. You tearfully accepted, and you sported the engagement ring at the celebration, causing everyone to lose their minds with joy.
Months later—because Sonny didn’t want to wait—he took that two-week vacation. You and Sonny got married in his family’s church, and then you spent a lengthy honeymoon traveling all over Europe. He even took you to Italy, to visit some of his extended family there. You only wish you had more time to spend alone with him—two weeks wasn’t nearly enough.
But now he was back at work, and with Rafael Barba gone and a new ADA taking his place, Sonny was more overworked than ever before. He was constantly working double and triple shifts, and you barely saw your husband anymore except for him collapsing next to you in bed during the wee hours of the morning…if he made it home at all instead of sleeping in the precinct.
You were cooking dinner, trying to have it ready by the time Sonny got home. He was just coming off a triple shift, and you knew he rarely ate when working so hard. But at least his Lieutenant was allowing him to sleep in tomorrow; he didn’t have to go back to work until 10am.
The front door opened as you stirred the rice, and you let out a curse; dinner was still about 15 minutes away from being done. Sonny appeared in the entryway to the kitchen, and your heart stuttered. He just looked so…tired. Defeated. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair slowly breaking free from the gel he used that morning. He had lost some weight—worrying sense he was already so skinny—and his suit hung off him loosely. There were more stress lines and wrinkles in his forehead and around his eyes than ever before, aging him.
Despite all of this, Sonny’s eyes light up and he grinned wide when he saw you. “Hey, doll,” he greeted, voice a little strained from exhaustion. You smiled back and he came over to you, wrapping himself around you from behind and kissing your cheek. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too, Son. Dinner’s going to be a bit still—go sit and relax,” you replied, turning your head to give him a real kiss.
He snuggled closer, burying his nose against the crook of your neck. “I really wanna stay in here with you, catch up on the day…the past few days. But sitting sounds like the best thing ever.”
“Go sit,” you said, chuckling. “We can catch up during dinner.”
Sonny let out a huff. “Fine—you win.” He gave you another kiss on the cheek before making his way to the couch in the living room.
You rolled your eyes at him before checking the oven. You were making baked chicken breasts with asparagus and rice; simple but healthier than the fast food he had when he did manage to eat at work.
A few minutes passed and dinner was done. You plated the food, bringing it out to Sonny, who was still on the couch, the Mets game on tv with the volume low.
“Here you go—” you started, but you stopped as you rounded the couch. Sonny had his eyes closed, soft snores emanating from his slightly open mouth. You smiled at him, placing the plate on the table. Seeing him asleep, with his worry-lines gone, looking at peace, made your heart flutter. He looked younger in sleep, unstressed and relaxed, something that was becoming rarer and rarer. You wanted to let him sleep, wanted to let him rest as much as he could, but he needed to eat. Plus, he had all night to sleep. So, you shook his shoulder gently, calling his name. But he didn’t awaken, staying resolutely asleep.
“Come on, Sonny. Wake up dear. You need to eat…and sleep in a nice, comfy bed,” you whispered to him. But no response. Grinning at him, you leaned down, kissing first his forehead, then his nose before finally kissing his lips softly.
Sonny stirred against you. His hands came to your shoulders, but his eyes remained closed as he gently pushed you off him. “Sorry, ma’am…I’m married,” he murmured, voice thick with sleep.
You chuckled lightly. “I know, you’re married to me, you dork. Now come on, wake up,” you muttered back. You gave him another kiss, and this time, he smiled against your lips. His eyes fluttered open as you leaned back, a small grin still on his face.
“Morning doll…I’m sorry, did I fall asleep on you?” he asked groggily, rubbing his eyes with both hands.
“It’s fine, Son. You need your rest. But you also need to eat food—real food,” you replied.
Sonny nodded, readjusting to sit up straight as you handed him his plate of food. You asked him about his day while you ate, but he was having trouble focusing on the conversation, drifting in and out of speech as he ate. He vaguely asked about your day, and though he nodded along and made noises of acknowledgement, you were pretty sure he wasn’t really listening. You weren’t upset; you knew he was tired…more than tired.
Once he finished his dinner—and complimented and thanked you profusely for it—he made his way to the kitchen, rinsing his dish before loading it into the dishwasher.
“I think I’m gonna go to bed,” Sonny announced, stretching.
You were just bringing your own empty plate into the kitchen. “It’s not good to sleep right after eating; you should digest a little first.”
“I know, but at this point, I don’t really care. I can barely keep my eyes open, doll.”
You nodded. “Okay; wash the gel out of your hair first, then go to bed. I’ll meet you there in a bit.” You remembered the last time he slept before washing his hair, the absolute mess it left on the pillowcase…and the side of his face.
He smiled, also remembering. “Yeah, okay. Thanks again for dinner, and I love you.” Sonny wrapped his arms around you tightly, giving you a tender kiss before heading to the bedroom. You waited until you heard the shower going before you went and sat back on the couch, watching the rest of the baseball game.
Once enough time had passed, you made your way back to the bedroom. Sonny was passed out, his deep breaths filling the silence in the room. He was curled on his side, under the sheets, holding them tightly to him as he slept. You undressed before climbing into bed behind him, wrapping your arms around his warm body. Sonny squirmed slightly, scooting away from you. Confused, you propped yourself up on your elbow, looking down at him. His eyes were still closed, but he wasn’t breathing as deeply; he wasn’t in a deep sleep anymore.
You tried to wrap around him again, but he shuffled away from you, mumbling something. Smirking slightly, you dragged your nails over his bare back; something you knew he loved. He shuddered underneath your touch, letting out a small groan.
“Ma’am please, I’m married,” he replied.
You rolled your eyes. “And do you cuddle with your wife in bed?” you whispered into his ear, scooting closer to him.
“That’s none of your business,” Sonny mumbled, his words slurring together.
You leaned down closer, your mouth touching his ear. “Why don’t you show me how you cuddle with her?” you asked suggestively.
Sonny rolled over to face you, his eyelids fluttering, a glassy look in his eyes. “I love my beautiful wife with all my heart,” he said resolutely. Then, with eyes still half-closed, he gently pushed you until you fell out of the bed with a soft thud.
You laughed, laying on your back. The sound seemed to wake Sonny up fully, and he peered over the edge of the bed at you, looking concerned.
“Are you okay, doll? Did you roll out of bed?” he asked, his brow furrowed.
You started laughing again as you made to stand. “No, but you sure pushed me.”
“What? I did?” Sonny sat up, alarmed. He reached out for you as you climbed back into bed next to him.
You grinned. “Yeah, you did. But at least I know you’ll never cheat on me,” you replied, making him look more confused.
“Of course, I wouldn’t! Where is this coming from?”
As you laid back down in bed, Sonny wrapped himself around you, pulling you tightly against him. “Don’t worry about it—I’ll tell you in the morning. Right now, you should sleep; you haven’t been getting a lot recently.”
He still looked skeptical, but he murmured, “okay…. I love you, doll.”
“I love you, too, Sonny. With all my heart.”
He kissed your neck, snuggling impossibly closer to you, before falling back into a deep sleep. You smiled to yourself, having missed nights like this, sleeping beside Sonny, wrapped up in his long limbs. You knew he’d get a laugh out of his sleep-deprived self, and you fell asleep quickly in his embrace.
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hanatiny · 3 years
Text
Love, just maybe
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requested by anon: Hi! Can you please write a Yeosang fic where he's in a wheelchair and a caretaker is hired to look after him and he falls in love with her? Thank you!!
a/n: in case anyone spots any medical inaccuracies and/or language I shouldn’t be using, please let me know so I can fix that!! thank u, enjoy <3
pairing: Yeosang x caretaker!f!reader
genre: fluff, very slight angst
word count: 2453
warnings: non-idol AU, mentions of disability and wheelchairs, mentions of driving, mentions of car crashes, brief mentions of food, Wooyoung unintentionally becomes the wingman of the year with someone else’s help lol
-----
You were not the slightest bit sure of how to feel about the situation, tapping your fingers against your steering wheel anxiously while you impatiently waited for traffic to clear up.
A man by the name of Jung Wooyoung had contacted you earlier this week, explaining that his friend Yeosang was in need of a caretaker but stubbornly refused to look into hiring one himself.
You had taken the “offer” without much thinking (it was more of a desperate request although Wooyoung would never admit this), especially since Yeosang was supposedly around your age and it’d make bonding with him easier, but now that you sat here in your car you weren’t all that confident anymore.
It seemed you weren’t allowed to dwell on this any longer, however, since you finally saw traffic clear up and were able to continue your way to your destination, namely Yeosang’s house.
You glanced at your duffle bag on the passenger seat, mentally checking if you’ve got everything - since you were a live-in caretaker, it meant you’d be staying for a while - more precisely, until your client decided they no longer required or wanted your assistance. It didn’t take you much longer to pull into the driveway of Yeosang’s house, which turned out to be a small townhouse in the outskirts of the city.
You climbed out of your car after taking a deep breath to calm your nerves
To your surprise, you found an abundance of flowers blooming in the frontyard. You also spotted a set of swings a little further back, curious to find out the reasoning for the presence of both of these things since you knew Yeosang had been a wheelchair user for quite some time and most likely didn’t take care of his garden or constructed those swings himself.
You weren’t any less startled when you rang the doorbell, only for a little girl who you assumed to be around 11 years old to open the door and greet you with a bright smile, “Hi there, ma’am! Are you here to visit uncle Sang?”
You quirked a brow at the words ‘uncle Sang,’ crouching down to be eye level with the girl before nodding at her, “Something like that, yeah. Could you go and get him for me?”
“Mhm! Just give me a minute~” She giggled as she ran off back into the house, returning shortly after with Yeosang following behind her. He was pretty good-looking, you had to admit. His messy blonde hair framed his face perfectly, and you wondered if it was as fluffy as it looked-
“Miss?” It was the girl’s voice that broke you out of your thoughts, her head tilted to the side inquisitively as she looked at you, “Are you okay?”
“Hm~? Yeah I’m fine, don’t worry.” You gave her a smile to reassure her, one she promptly reciprocated before turning to Yeosang when he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
“It’s getting late, Minji.” He spoke softly, “You should get home, I bet your little brother and your parents wanna hear all about what we did today~”
She whined as he playfully ruffled her hair, nodding at him in understanding, “Fine~ See you tomorrow, uncle Sang! Bye bye, nice lady~!”
You found it adorable how she addressed you before she gave both you and Yeosang each a small hug before skipping off, presumably back to her own house.
Yeosang watched her with a smile until neither of you could see her anymore, the male clearing his throat awkwardly while his eyes inspected the bag in your hand.
He motioned you to follow him after another beat as he carefully pushed his wheelchair backwards and further into the house, stepping inside and closing the door behind yourself afterwards.
“I know why you’re here, since Wooyoung can’t keep his mouth shut,” Yeosang finally spoke, and it was as if the weight of your nervousness physically dropped from your shoulders, “and I imagine that you know why I’m not all too pleased about it.”
There was no disdain whatsoever towards you in his tone, only exasperation about the fact that his best friend had gone against his wishes.
He took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing, “As I’m sure you’re aware, I dislike having other people do things for me. I grew up being independent from others so this... circumstance isn’t exactly a fortunate one. If you can prove within, let’s say... a week that you genuinely care for more than the money that’s in it for you for doing this, I’ll let you stay even longer.”
It was a fair agreement - if Yeosang was to have a caretaker despite being highly apprehensive about the idea, the least he could make clear is that he didn’t want anyone who’d do a half-assed job and only pretend to care about him.
“We’ve got a deal.” You stated firmly in response, placing your bag on the floor next to you and extending a hand for the blonde to shake. He appeared to hesitate for a split second before shaking your hand with a nod, and you could’ve sworn you his lips twitch into the faintest bit of a smile.
“Lovely. Since I know you’ll need the knowledge, I figured I should tell you where all the rooms are.” He gestured for you to follow, watching him manage to turn himself around before picking up your bag again and letting him lead the way for you.
It was a pretty spacious living space for a single person, though given the circumstances, you weren’t particularly surprised about it.
“Let’s see... My bedroom is down the hall, and so is my bathroom. Minji’s room, the guest room you’ll be staying in and the guest bathroom are upstairs. And the kitchen, living room and dining room are, as you can surely tell, all connected.”
“Got it.”
Yeosang cleared his throat, and you subconsciously straightened your posture a little. “Now,” he said, “you should know that I tend to go to sleep really early, so I suppose this is what I will go ahead and do now. You can explore a little more if you want, but you should get rest as well since you officially start working tomorrow.”
“Are you sure you won’t need my help tonight...?” You inquired tentatively, not wanting to overstep any kind of boundary, and Yeosang seemed hesitant to answer before nodding firmly. “Thank you... but I’ll manage.” He finally said, “Good night, Y/n.”
You shouldn’t have been as stunned by his use of your name as you were, yet there you stood, watching him make his way down the hallway before disappearing into his bedroom. You turned on your heel, deciding that exploring could wait in favor of making yourself at home in ‘your’ room.
You skipped up the stairs, your bag swung over your shoulder, and were quick to find the bedroom you’d be staying in. Minji’s room was decorated overly cutely, while yours looked... lived in. You made a mental note to make sure to ask Yeosang about this.
And sure enough, prove yourself like he challenged you to do was exactly what you did.
Finding out the time Yeosang would usually wake up, you made it your goal to always get up before him to cook a healthy breakfast for him and prepare clothes for him to wear. He was initially reluctant to let you help with the latter, although it didn’t take him long to admit that he both needed and appreciated your assistance with things he wasn’t able to do by himself. Yeosang blushed profusely whenever he asked you to help him in bathroom, be it to empty his bladder or to wash himself, but he did catch himself warming up to you faster than he’d like anyone to know.
He admired the care you put into helping him even with arguably straining tasks like changing positions into a chair, for example, even though he was capable of doing so with minimal help. He took to either reading or playing the violin whenever you left the house to run errands like grocery shopping, and he couldn’t help but let his mind drift to you.
He had once been so distracted by his own thoughts that you had caught him playing a gentle piece on his instrument of choice, and he mentally scolded himself for the rest of that day for allowing it to come to such an embarrassment.
You, however, were absolutely endeared. Both by the fact that he was able to play an instrument as beautiful as the violin, and by the observation you’ve made that he seemed to have quite a big soft spot for Minji.
Speaking of the young girl, you grew closer to her as well - she even began calling you “aunt Y/n” after a few visits, and you could’ve sworn that her cuteness had melted you right where you stood.
It didn’t go unnoticed by Yeosang either, and it had him constantly repeating the two words in his head. He refused to admit it aloud, but he knew that what had his mind racing was the thought of a possible relationship with you that’d go beyond simply caring for him.
Similarly, you found yourself thinking about what it might actually be like to care for a child together with the blonde but snapped out of it before you allowed yourself to take your thoughts to a level that exceeded the professional one you should’ve been keeping it at.
It was Yeosang who finally broke the splintering ice between the two of you after approximately three and a half weeks of you living with him while you two were sitting on the terrace that overlooked his garden, enjoying a comfortable evening together, and you couldn’t help but tense a little from his words, “You know,” he began, “I feel like you deserve some answers to the questions I know you have but are too hesitant to ask.”
You felt your cheeks warm, he couldn’t have been any more correct with his observation.
“Let’s see - your room looked so... used, if you will, because it’s the room Wooyoung previously stayed in before he was forced to move away for work and consequently hired you to take care of me. As for Minji, her parents are away a lot so that’s why she comes over almost every day. Wooyoung and her parents constructed those swings for her when she started visiting me more frequently, and Minji’s friends are the ones taking care of the garden together with her. Y’know, since I can’t for obvious reasons.”
You nodded thoughtfully in response, somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of information you were being given but still grateful for Yeosang’s willingness to be this open with you.
“It’s been almost a year since the accident that caused me to be as I am now, in a wheelchair and codependent due to paraplegia. I will be honest, I neither know nor care to find out why that other guy rammed my car with his... I just know that we wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation if he didn’t and I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for putting me in this situation, in this dilemma of being unable to move or even just feel my lower half.”
“That’s understandable... I can only imagine how much it ruined your life, not to mention the emotional trauma that must’ve come with the accident.” You replied softly, trying to be careful with your words as Yeosang nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I haven’t sat in a car again ever since it happened. And I don’t really like talking about it, admittedly...”
You tilted your head at him in question while he trailed off, “I don’t mean to offend, but if that’s the case... Why are you telling me?”
“I can’t blame you for being confused about it, and I’ll be happy to explain my reasoning behind this. Truth is, I like you. In a more than ‘you care for me so I act nice around you’ way, in a... ‘I want to get closer to you’ kind of way.”
You couldn’t help but quirk an eyebrow at Yeosang’s roundabout way of confessing to you, “Are you saying... you have a crush on me?”
“I- well, yeah. That’s what I’m trying to say.” Yeosang nodded shyly at your tentative question, a hum sounding in your throat in response before he continued, nervously fidgeting with his hands a little. “Listen, I just... I think I could fall in love with you. I want to ask you to permanently move in with me, because I most definitely will never get sick of you. Of course you don’t have to accept, if you don’t want to or just don’t feel the same way...”
He trailed off, not even realizing how distracted he was by the way the light of the setting sun illuminated your face until he heard you giggle softly. Yeosang blushed when he noticed that you had, rather boldly, moved your chair closer to him and were now stroking his hair absentmindedly. He found it pathetic how easily the simple gesture flustered him, not dwelling on it any longer while you spoke, “It’s funny that you bring this up, honestly... Because I happen to feel the exact same way. And maybe, just maybe, I could also see myself falling in love with you in the future. With all of you.”
“All of me?” Yeosang echoed tentatively, “Are you sure..?”
You nodded a little more enthusiastically than intended, although that was presently the least of your concerns, “I’m sure. What kind of person would I be if I rejected you purely because of something that’s out of your control?”
Yeosang felt a grin tug at his lips at the double meaning of your statement, although he found himself fumbling a little over his words. “Touché. So... what now? Is this the part where I ask you to be my girlfriend?”
“It is, and it’s also the part where I answer that question with a ‘yes’~”
Yeosang beamed at you, truly delighted that you were willing to give him a chance to be yours. Little did you know though that, as the two of you continued to talk until late in the night about everything under the sun, there was a certain young girl watching you both from where she sat at her window in the neighboring house with a small dreamy sigh before suddenly jumping up and making a run for it down the stairs.
“Mom, can you give me the phone for a sec? I wanna tell uncle Woo that my matchmaking plan worked~!”
----- Taglist:
@atinykitty @cometoceantrenches @ddeonghwva @galaxteez​ @latte-fairytaekwoon @little-precious-baby @multidreams-and-desires @nightqueennyx @serialee @twancingyunhoe @vocalyunho
Network tag: @8makes1teamnet​
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leah-halliwell92 · 3 years
Text
Not Much of a Slave
Summary: @xbreezymeadowsx​ requested some Lady D love. We can all agree she needs all the love. (WARNING: Mentions of rape 18+ only please.)
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Brianne fidgeted with her apron for what seemed like the thousandth time that morning. The lady and her daughters would be calling on her soon, she needed to be prepared for any eventuality. She knew that they could kill her in a heart beat her blood being of no use for her ladyship’s wine. She shivered as she remembered Anton’s alcohol laced breath on her face as she cried for help that never came. 
She could still see the look of betrayal on her father’s face when she arrived home. Her mother knew that the occurrence wasn’t one done willingly from taking one look at her ripped dress and reddening cheek. Her father however saw it as a slight and believed it to be staged in order for her to get out of punishment for laying with men while out of wedlock. Her mother’s gasp of outrage rang through their home at his blatant disbelief of their youngest child, your elder sister having married as soon as she was able. 
//flashback//
“She’s of no use now,” he said hatefully. 
“She was raped Jonathan!” Her mother yelled angrily, “How many a young girl has been hurt in such a way by Anton? You know more than well that he’d do such a thing when he is heavy in his drink.”
“You’d believe her sob story woman,” he said spitefully, “Don’t you see she’s playing you?”
Her mother scoffed, “Yes because one can rip their own dress in such a way and hit themselves hard enough to bruise.”
His glare did not waver and said, “She’ll be sold tomorrow to the highest bidder.”
Her mother gave a shrill cry as she slapped him hard across the face.
Brianne looked on in shock and despair as her father made his decision known. She is to be sold like an animal then. Anton would probably buy her after his actions earlier that day. And should that be the case then her death was as sure as the sky is blue.
“Have it be known Johnathan Smith,” her mother began passionately, “That on this day, for your choice to disregard your youngest child and Mother forbid sell her, you have lost your wife.”
Your father scoffed an attempted to approach your mother.
“Do not presume I’ll give in,” she said eyes hard, “You’ve already made the choice and there is nothing I can do to stop it. You’ve taken the last of my children from me and I have nothing else to give. Stay away from me John.”
She guided Brianne into her room where her mother proceeded to clean her up as best she could. 
“Let the shock run its course,” she said tenderly as she bathed you and changed you into your best clothes, “Better for it to make you hyperaware than in a complete haze.”
Brianne felt herself nod and let her mother fuss over her for the last time. 
Once dressed, she sat with you through the night neither of you feeling well enough to sleep until dawn broke. She saw her father at the breakfast table and opted to sit as far from him as their small house allowed. 
Breakfast was made for her and her mother, the latter letting father fend for himself, before they set off to the Duke’s. Her mother had said that if she couldn’t save you from being sold then she’d sell you to the one person that had the ability to set you free.
Little did the two of you know that freedom would come at a cost.
“We better make haste for–” Her mother cut Johnathan off.
“We’ll be at the Duke’s,” your mother said, “Whatever lei I get I will keep myself and use as transport, may life treat you as fairly as you treated us.”
Brianne looked at her mother eyes wide not expecting her to just make the choice to leave.
Her father remained quiet at this eyes wide as all seemed to hit him all at once, “You couldn’t...I forbid it!”
Her mother scoffed at this and said, “I remember forbidding you from doing anything rash against any of my children when we married. And yet you did, you made the choice to sell our youngest for something she had no control over.”
//time skip - 3 years//
You’d been in the care of the Duke for nearly a year when business took him to Castle Dimitrescu where her ladyship for some unknown reason took pity on you and bought you from the Duke’s service. The fat man seemed saddened by this and for the first time, possibly ever, haggled a for your price. 
“90k,” the lady had said, “And that is my final offer.”
The Duke mulled over the offer and was ready to deny the lady again when he saw you shake your head. It was a nice chunk of change you knew, you are after all just part of the business. 
//end flashback//
“Brianne!” Bela called giving the young woman a ‘playful’ shove, “Mother’s called for you.”
“Wouldn’t want to keep her waiting,” Cassandra said poking at Brianne with the but of her dagger.
“Don’t slice at her Cassandra,” Bela said with a laugh, “You know how cheese gets everywhere.”
“I do, which is why I play with her,” Cassandra replied with a cackle, “Her blood spilled will paint the hallway oh so prettily.”
The flies swarmed about Brianne as she made haste in going to her mistress’ side. She let out a fearful scream as the flies engulfed her and carried her through the hallway the sound of triplet cackles in her ears and around her as they went. 
She yelped as she was practically dumped into the Lady Dimitrescu’s personal room. Brianne tried, and failed, to keep her wince and gasp of pain at bay as flies flew out from beneath her skin. The flies re-materialized as the three sisters, cackling as crowded her taunting her like wounded prey.
“What is the meaning of this!?” Lady Dimitrescu said loudly, standing to her full height. 
Alcina Dimitrescu looked down to find Brianne heaving on the floor.
“And why is my personal servant on the floor?” She asked cocking a brow as she glared at her daughters in displeasure. 
The sisters looked at each other in worry and curiosity. They’d always played with their mother’s toy, as they should since her blood is useless anyway they would take what they could get from her. After all, why should their mother care more for prey than her own daughters?
“She was being slow mother,” Bela said with a careless shrug.
“She is after all prey,” Daniella said backing up her sister.
“Should we not eat our prey mother?” Cassandra asked kicking Brianne’s arm as she was starting to stand.
“Enough!” Alcina said at Brianne’s pain filled gasp, “She is my personal servant. As my daughters you should know by now that while I share as it is ours to feast, when one is mine for my own use I expect that to be respected.”
The three girls cowered as their mother nailed them with a glare.
“Meaning that no one is to injure my personal pet,” she glared at them one last time before waving a dismissive hand at them, “Get out of my sight. You girls have disappointed me for the last time over my use of my pet and I’ve grown tired of it.”
The sisters glared at Brianne and Bela dared to take a swing at her in front of their mother.
Brianne cried out in pain as Bela’s hit sent her to the farthest wall.
Cassandra and Daniella dragged their sister out of the room before their mother could do anything the two in shock that their sister would go so far.
Her daughter’s gone, Alcina went to tend to their only living charge. She’d promised the Duke that the girl would remain unharmed despite her having paid a good sum of lei. Alcina has to admit that for some reason this girl pulled at her long dead heartstrings. 
She picked up Brianne tenderly being careful of where she’s been hurt. 
Brianne winced and said, “Their jealous you know.”
Alcina hummed as she ran a salve soaked cloth on her little pet’s cheek, “They will have to learn that a mother has needs.”
“They don’t understand why it is you are so caring over prey,” Brianne said honestly.
“You are not prey,” Alcina hissed, “You are mine.”
Brianne gave Alcina a tender grin and gave an experimental stretch.
“Better?” Alcina asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Brianne replied automatically. 
Alcina gave a her pet a grin and bent to her level. She ran her nose over the young maid’s neck breathing in her scent and blood.
“Good girl,” she said huskily, “I want you to come to me should my daughters get out of hand again. It is not their place to use you as they please.”
Brianne nodded at this but let it slide. While she’d do her best to let Alcina know there isn’t a guarantee that the sisters would leave her walking should a repeat performance occur. 
“Good,” Alcina said, “Now we must go to the church, Mother Miranda has ordered a family meeting.” “Do you think she’ll show up to this one?” Brianne asked as she followed behind Alcina out of the castle.
“Not sure,” Alcina said and waited the appropriate time as Brianne helped her into the old car, “But for all these meetings she made clear that she’s been favoring Heisenberg lately.”
“Which is good,” Brianne said carefully. 
“I suppose so,” Alcina said with a sigh, “After all the more attention is off me the more we can plan our escape. Donna’s been itching for company and Karl has promised that he will give me a signal when the time is right.”
“And the girls?” Brianne asked carefully.
“They shall either follow their mother or perish,” Alcina said pain in her voice and perfect features, “Mother Miranda’s goals do not include any of us Pet. And it took a human maid to tell me so.”
Brianne looked down submissively only to have Alcina raise her head up.
“Do not be ashamed my pet, you have done more for me than most have no matter how long or short their stay has been,” Alcina said with a gentle grin.
Brianne gave a silent prayer of the souls of her fellow friends and former neighbors.
In the church, Brianne kept her head down as she stood besides the bench Alcina sat in. Donna and Karl were already there and she was sure that Moreau was not too far behind. 
“Good evening sisters,” Heisenberg said with a respectful nod.
Donna nodded and Alcina gave him a small grin and nod.
Before anyone could say anything Moreau walked in and not too long after Mother Miranda walked in. Brianne knelt behind Alcina’s bench keeping as low a profile as she could whilst the meeting was in session. 
The meeting was swift, almost too swift for something to held face to face but she has no place to say anything. Least of all to the woman that can kill all of them with snap of her fingers should she want it. After Miranda left and Moreau not long after, Brianne took this time to stand and get the feeling back on her legs.
“Poor human can’t seem to find her sea legs,” Angie said with a squeal-y giggle.
Brianne sighed and held onto the back of the bench as the pins and needles thankfully subsided. 
Angie kept poking and prodding cackling as she went.
“Oh is the human getting angry?” The doll asked before laughing again.
With a sigh Brianne looked to Donna and said, “I truly am sorry for this. Should my lady allow it, I’d gladly join you for tea and keep you company.”
Donna cocked her head at this confused by Brianne’s words. 
“Whatcha gonna do about...hey what are you doing?” Angie asked when she saw the look in Brianne’s face.
“Fuck you crazy ass doll!” Brianne said frustratedly as she hiked up her skirt.
She gave a grunt as she gave Angie her best kick effectively sending the unsuspecting doll to the other side fo the church much to Donna’s dismay and Heisenberg and Alcina’s delight.
“About damn time someone shut that doll up,” Heisenberg said, “I have to say Alcina your girl does have some spunk.”
“I love you Donna,” Brianne said honestly, “But Angie has been grating at my nerves for months now. And this includes the errands I’ve run for my Lady.”
Donna nodded in understanding and quietly said, “Forgiven.”
Alcina had to grin at her pet, such spunk is truly a breath of fresh air. Luckily her human knew when to push and whom to push. 
Brianne heard the sound of heavy boots and knew Heisenberg was close.
Brianne turned to face him and though he is a handsome man, her interests lay else where as she is certain he can see from the fading bite marks on her neck.
“Must be nice to have a warm body to feast from Alcina,” Karl said teasingly.
Alcina was going to say something when Brianne said, “Better warm body than a cold shower...that is if you know what that even is.”
Alcina and Donna laughed at the dig.
Heisenberg reddened under the beard before chuckling, “Well played buttercup.”
“You my dear have earned yourself a treat when we return home,” Alcina said standing bidding Donna farewell and a “glare” at Heisenberg, “What do you say to a present tonight?”
Brianne’s face brightened at this causing Heisenberg to scoff but grin before nodding at them and leaving to his own home.
“Yes ma’am,” she said teasingly.
Alcina grinned at her, “Good girl.”
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The Love Cruise - by GleefullyCaptainSwan
Read on AO3: Chapter 1
Or on FF
Tagging: @kmomof4 @lfh1226-linda @teamhook
Summary:
When Emma Swan’s boss & co-workers decided they are tired of waiting for her to start dating again, they reluctantly convince her to join them on The Love Cruise, a new experience where singles go to meet and flirt their cares away in the middle of the ocean. Dragging her brother, David along for the ride, she embarked on a two-week adventure that was about to change her life.
Killian Jones, former Navy Lieutenant and widower, swore off dating for the rest of his life. Which is why when his best friend Robin convinced him to take a job as the Captain of the newest ship in the fleet, a floating dating cesspool of horny men and women, it seemed a cruel twist of fate. Little did he know, one of the guests about to board his ship, would alter his own course in life forever.
Chapter 1: The Adventure of a Lifetime
“First he runs off and gets married and then he goes and gets himself a promotion. I guess you would say the world is his oyster.”
“Or he’s having his cake and eating it to.” The man at the back of the bar shouts.
“Aye, so today as we celebrate, I want everyone to raise your glass to our newest Lieutenant, and my little brother, Killian Jones. I’m so proud of you.”
“To Killian Jones.” The crowd roared.
 5 years later
“That’s not how I remember it at all, I’m pretty sure you were the one who walked in on them.”
“I would have remembered that.”
“I doubt that, you were drunk as a skunk and before you left the room, you yelled to the poor girl, and I quote, I'm no weatherman but I know you're going to get 3 inches tonight.”
“God, I thought you said that.”
“That was all you man, I thought the Captain was gonna throw you in the brig.”
“I’m pretty sure Liam saved my ass that night.” Killian laughed, remembering how many times his brother kept him out of trouble in his years in the Navy.
“I think Liam saved your ass most nights.”
“Aye.” He nodded sadly and Robin held up his glass.
“To Liam, gone too soon.”
“To Liam.” He swallowed the warm liquid, gulping it down and putting his glass back on the table in front of him. “I can’t believe it’s been two years.” He added solemnly, memories of his brother’s urn as he was released out to sea, being presented with the flag, the sound of each pop of the as the rifles went off, staring out to sea to the sound of the bugle.
“Sometimes it feels like yesterday.” Robin responded and Killian closed his eyes, pinched his nose, before shaking off the memories and waiving the waitress over for another order. “So, what’s your next move?”
Killian sighed. “I don’t know yet, I’ve got a few interviews this week.”
Robin cut him off, “Cancel them.”
“I’m sorry, you want me to cancel all my interviews?”
“Yes, cancel them, I have a great opportunity for both of us.”
“Working together?”
“Yes, I told you that I got a job last week, right? Well, they need a Captain and I put in a good word for you.” Killian knew he had gotten some amazing opportunity the last time they spoke on the phone, but he didn’t provide many details on what exactly that opportunity was.
“What’s the catch?” Killian regarded him suspiciously.
“Why does there have to be a catch?” He smiled innocently.
“Because you would have told me about it sooner unless you’ve been trying to figure out the best way to bring it up. And you conveniently chose a night when we have been drinking heavily, so that tells me there is a catch, Rob. So, spit it out.”
“Ok, so there’s a catch, but hear me out first.” Killian groaned but put his hand to his lips with a locking motion and gestured for him to continue. “She’s the newest ship in the fleet, top of the line technology, she would be any Captain’s wet dream to sail.” Killian chuckled, sitting up on his stool. “3600 passengers, 1300 crew members, including the best purser any ship could ask for.” He grinned widely pointing to himself.
“Get to the part where you tell me this ship sails to the Underworld and has an excursion to visit Hades himself or some other ungodly reason to explain why you waited til I was piss drunk to ask me.”
“Ok, but I haven’t even told you about the size of the Captain’s quarters yet…” Robin frowned as he shifted impatiently in his seat. “Alright, it’s the maiden voyage of…” He covered his mouth, “The wurv ruse.”
“I’m sorry what?”
“Fine, it’s a Love Cruise.” He shouted louder than he meant to. “One of those singles cruises where people go to meet each other.”
He tossed a brochure down onto the table and Killian flipped through it, his groan vibrating as he read the tag line out loud. “The Love Cruise, where singles meet on the adventure of a lifetime. Don’t you deserve a little TLC.” He tossed the brochure onto the table. “Oh, bloody hell.” He cursed. “Ma’am…” He gestured for the waitress. “I’m not fucking drunk enough to listen to this man anymore, if you could please bring a few more of those shots as quick as possible and make them doubles.” He added before turning back to Robin. “Are you out of your mind? What would give you the foggiest reason to think I would be interested in this?”
“It’s not like you would be signing up to be part of the singles cruise, you would just Captain her.”
“Why are you doing this?” He asked suspiciously. “You and Marian have been divorced for years and it’s not like you’re desperate for women.” His friend glanced to the table and Killian knew there was more he wasn’t telling him. “Out with it.”
“You know that woman I met last year?”
Killian chuckled, “How long do I have to answer, mate. You’re going to have to be more specific than that?”
“You’re hilarious. No, remember that entertainer I met when we took that cruise to Mexico last year, Regina Mills.”
“The lass we met who threw her drink in your face and told you to get lost? How can I forget, she’s given me months of pleasure just thinking about that moment.”
“Anyway, they hired her as the Cruise Director for this sailing, and it’s my opportunity to actually get to know her. You know because she won’t have anywhere else to go to continue avoiding me.”
“So, your selling point is that if I Captain this ship, I might get to see this woman destroy you on a daily basis?”
“Would it convince you to say yes?”
“I don’t know.”
“Killian it’s been three years. If you want to be celibate for the rest of your life, that’s your business, but you’d be an idiot to pass up this opportunity.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket and slid it across the table. On it was a six-figure dollar amount, Killian grabbed the paper and pulled it closer to his face.
“How many years is the contract for this amount?”
“That’s per year, Killian.”
“Bloody hell.”
“It’s a lot more than the Navy paid us, and no one is going to be trying to sink our ship.”
He pushed the paper back across the table to Robin. “I just don’t know if this is a good idea, I have responsibilities here.”
“Brother, Milah wouldn’t want you hiding out on that damn houseboat, rotting away in your own depression. She’d kick you in the ass and tell you that you were being a bloody prat for walking away from this kind of opportunity.”
“Don’t invoke my dead wife, Mate.” He said angrily. Robin raised his hands in defeat and Killian knew he meant no harm. He sighed and looked over at the paper again. It was more money than he had seen in his entire life, and it was a real ship. He’d been working as Skipper on a fishing skiff for the last year, and while he enjoyed the security of being out on the water, it sure didn’t pay much.
“You know there’s no rule that says the Captain has to date the passengers, in fact, I’m pretty sure they frown on that type of behavior?”
“I get that, but I don’t particularly want to watch all the debauchery either.”
“I told you the Captain’s quarters are huge, right?”
“And they know about my hand?” He looked down at his scarred hand, he had lost the full use of it on one of the worst nights of his life, the night he lost his brother.
“They don’t care, you are a skilled Captain, trust me, they are very interested in you, Killian. All you have to do is be at the interview tomorrow, and the job is yours.”
Killian groaned, “I’ll sleep on it.” Judging by the smile his friend was displaying on the other end of the table, he already knew that Killian was going to show up to that interview.
~*~
“Have you seen that guy before?” Ruby walked over to Emma’s spot by the front door.
Emma glanced to the end of the bar. She hadn’t noticed the man until Ruby pointed him out. He wasn’t familiar to her, he was very nice looking, but also very intoxicated. “Don’t recognize him, but Will needs to cut him off.”
“That’s what you’re focused on, instead of how hot he is or the fact he’s new in town?”
“He’s ok, I guess. But honestly, I’m going to go tell Will to stop serving him. I don’t want to have to throw him out later.”
“Boo, you’re so boring, Emma.”
Emma turned and flashed her friend the middle finger before approaching the bar. “Hey, brown suede jacket.” She pointed to the man at the end of the bar. “How many has he had?”
“Oi, I was thinking of cutting him off. He’s been nursing that beer for an hour, but the three shots he drank with them seem to have accelerated his inebriation.”
“Yeah, cut him off, he’s swaying in his seat, let me know if he gives you any trouble.”
Emma walked back toward the door, surveying the tables as she walked past. She’d been working at The Wooden Nickle since moving back to Boston from New York almost seven years ago. Working nights as a bouncer wasn’t the most prestigious job in the world, but it allowed her to spend her days with her 6-year-old son, Henry.
“Everything good down here?”
Emma turned to see her boss; August Booth walking down the stairs from the above office. “Yeah, got a live one at the bar, Will’s already cut him off. I had to break up the two over at the pool table a few times.” She gestured to the man and woman currently making out against the wall. “I’m gonna head back there in a minute, before they start losing clothes.”
“I can always count on you, Emma.” August gave her a light tap on the shoulder and then headed back upstairs. “Tell everyone I want to talk to them before we shut down tonight.”
“Everything alright, boss?” He nodded with a mischievous smile and then bounded up the stairs.
She loved working for August. When she moved back to Boston, she hadn’t maintained a relationship with anyone except her brother, David, and her high school friends, Ruby and Will. Moving to a small town meant her skills as a bail bond agent wasn’t exactly needed, but August found room for her as a bouncer at his tiny but very busy bar. He’d treated her like family ever since.
She passed through the room, pausing at the couple in the back, to break up their make out session and then stopped at the bar. “Aug wants to talk to all of us after we close up.”
“Oi, did he seem upset? Shit, I bet he knows I was nipping at the whiskey last week.”
“What are we talking about?” Ruby approached and sat down her tray on the bar top. “Are we drinking whiskey?”
Emma laughed. “Aug wants to talk to all of us tonight, so I would probably say no, right?”
“That was a question, not a demand, so I say one shot can’t hurt us. If we’re all about to be canned, I want to take the news with some liquid courage.”
“You’ll use any excuse to drink whiskey.” Ruby mocked as he lined up the shots and poured. They each tossed back the glass and slammed it down on the bar.
“Ok get back to work.” She demanded with a smirk and headed back to the door to prepare for the close of shift. It was her favorite part of work, watching as the patrons exited the bar, some joyfully laughing, others grumbling with complaints of the upcoming next day, but mostly it was the time when they were alone, simply cleaning the bar and laughing together that she cherished the most. This was her family, and she loved them dearly.
“All clear.” She hollered an hour later as she finished helping the tipsy customer to a cab and reminded the overly zealous couple to remember condoms.
Ruby turned up the volume on the music and they spent the next hour cleaning the bar, Ruby dancing with her broomstick, Will singing loudly into the beer tap, and Emma watching them all with a smile as she wiped down the tables. She could hardly believe how much her life had changed in the last seven years. Ruby referred to these last few years as the years AN.
After Neal.
She had been devastated when Neal took off, draining their savings account of the money she had earned, leaving her alone and pregnant in New York City. Two months later, she came home with her tail between her legs, everything she owned in her tiny yellow beetle, and was left to explain to her brother David, that things with her and Neal had gone exactly how he had predicted they would.
She had been mortified to venture out of the home she shared with David for fear of judgement from their small town. Instead, she was embraced by old friends who came out of the woodwork to donate baby clothes, feed her, and offer emotional support.
“When did I start paying you lot to have a good time?” August boomed from across the room before breaking out into a smile and pulling Emma into his arms to dance across the room. He spun her around as they reached Ruby, switching to dance with the brunette until the song ended.
“The place looks great as usual.” He remarked to the three of them as he hopped onto one of the bar stools. “Come on, lets all chat.” Will gulped and August laughed. “This isn’t about the whiskey, Will.”
“What whiskey?” Will mimed. “I haven’t the foggiest idea…”
“I’m closing the bar.” Emma’s heart dropped. August sat solemnly looking down at his hands. He looked up peering around the room as a smile grew on his mouth. “For two weeks,” he added, “and before you all freak out on me, I’m still paying you.”
Emma breathed out a sigh of relief. Losing two weeks of pay would have killed her. She lived paycheck to paycheck trying to raise her son, missing a single day was enough to give her anxiety.
“On one condition.” He added and everyone in the group exchanged cautious glances. “We’ve all been working really hard and I wouldn’t have any of this if you all didn’t come to work every single day, even with William drinking my whiskey.” Will ducked his head. “However as much as I love you guys, I’m really tired of being alone.”
Emma was surprised to hear how sad August’s voice sounded; she knew he had been alone at home after his father Marco had passed. Emma had never heard of August going on any dates, or ever being involved with anyone romantically. But Emma wasn’t one to talk about putting yourself out there, she hadn’t dated or wanted to date anyone since Neal ran out on her.
“And let’s be honest,” August continued, “you lot don’t get out much either.”
“Hey, I’m just waiting until Ana comes around.” Will argued and she snorted to herself. Ana was Will’s ex-girlfriend. She had packed up and left town a year ago, leaving only a note stating it was over and she was moving to England with a guy she met online. Everyone knew it was over, except for Will. He still had his Facebook relationship status as “It’s complicated.”
“She’s gone man, it’s time to move on.” August said seriously. “And Ruby, I mean no offense when I say this, but you’ve practically dated everyone in town, present company excluded.”
“Speak for yourself, we went on a date once.” Will announced.
“That was a field trip you idiot, and the rest of the school was with us.”
“Ok but my point is, no one in town has been worthy of your affection.” August interrupted and then turned to her, “And Emma.”
“Don’t even go there, I have a six-year-old kid, I don’t have time for another child in my life.”
“Well, here it is, I’m going on a cruise for two weeks. And I’m willing to pay you each your two-week salary, as long as you come with me.”
“Oi, do you think you pay us enough money to afford to go on some fancy cruise ship?”
“Nope, that’s why I’m paying for that too.” He stared at Emma. “But it has to be all or nothing. Either you all come, or you all get a two-week unpaid vacation.”
“That’s hardly fair.” Emma complained. “I can’t just walk away for two weeks, Henry needs me.”
“First off, I already know that he’s about to head to summer camp for four weeks, so your excuse doesn’t exactly work.” Emma crossed her arms against her chest, she hadn’t expected him to know about that. “Ok, one excuse down, who’s next?”
“You aren’t going to get one from me. If you want to pay me to go on a cruise, I’m down.” Ruby hopped up on the bar.
“What’s the catch, Mate? Two weeks pay, a cruise vacation, something’s not adding up here.” Emma had to agree with Will, he wasn’t telling them the entire truth.
“Fine, it’s a singles cruise.”
“No way, I’m out.” Emma grunted, as she furiously wiped down the table in front of her for the second time that evening.
“Oh, come on Emma, who cares? There is nothing that says you have to hook up with anyone there.” Ruby pleaded, “I really want to try out my new bikini I bought last week. It would look so much better on a cruise ship than it would on our stupid beach.”
“I can’t go on a single’s cruise, I’m not single.” Will argued.
“She dumped you.” The three of them all shouted in unison.
“Come on you guys, we can all be there together, and just have fun.” Ruby continued to plead her case.
“Did I mention the alcohol is all paid for up front?” August announced with a wink.
“Bloody hell, I’m in.”
Suddenly all eyes were on here. “Please Emma.” Ruby whined.
“Free Alcohol, lass. We can just sit at the damn bar and drink all day. I’ll be your date.” Will flirted from the back of the bar.
“Brining a date would defeat the singles part, don’t you think?”
“Emma, you’re out of excuses.” August shrugged.
“Fine. But I have one condition.” She said angrily, coming up with a fool proof plan to get out of going. “If I’m going to be forced to go on this trip, then I’m not going without David.”
August laughed and surprisingly shook his head. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
Dammit.
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floral-and-fine · 4 years
Text
Mo Chuisle
Murphy MacManus x female reader
Connor MacManus x female reader
*Mo Chuisle- Irish Gaelic for My Pulse
Summary: The reader cares for the MacManus twins after they return to their apartment injured
A/n: Just thought this was a cute idea. Had a lot of fun writing this fic! Hope to write more soon! Thank you @ewokiee​ for all the help!
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Y/n bit her nail, watching the seconds slowly tick by as she waited for the MacManus brothers to return home. 
Sitting on the small table in front of her were bottles of rubbing alcohol, gauze, bandages, painkillers, needle, and thread, and in the freezer were several ice packs ready to go. 
Y/n never knew what kind of shape they’d be in once they were done working. So she was always prepared for the worst. She didn’t have any professional training by any means, but she had picked up some basics when she learned what the twins did. 
Since then, she had sort of taken it upon herself to watch over them, at least in her own small way, doing things like taking care of their injuries, bringing them home-cooked meals, and even covering for them by being their alibi on several occasions. 
Getting up, y/n started to pace, there wasn’t anything around to distract her. The brothers’ apartment was sparse, to say the least, not many belongings or furniture, just the bare minimum. 
Absentmindedly, her fingers began to play with the cross hanging from her necklace, sliding it back and forth against the thin chain. She rubbed her index finger and thumb along the center, feeling the grooves and edges of the engraving. 
The necklace had been a gift from the boys as a thank you after the first time she cared for them. 
She laughed lightly to herself, they had been so excited to give it to her, showing up at her door first thing in the morning. 
 “Mornin’ love,” Connor greeted, he was full of energy, practically bouncing with excitement. While y/n was still rubbing the sleep from eyes and wondering why the hell they were here so damn early. 
“We got you a little something,” Murphy explained, smiling proudly as he pulled a necklace out from his jacket pocket.  
She blinked in surprise looking at the sparkling gold chain that Murphy was dangling in front of her. He dropped it in her cupped hand. She took a moment to look at it, noticing the small engraving. 
Her brows furrowed, not recognizing the phrase. ‘mo chuisle’ 
“C’mon now,” Connor urged. “Try it on.”
Y/n struggled with the clasp, her fingers having trouble manipulating the tiny parts.
“Here, allow me,” Murphy offered. 
She turned around so her back was facing him, Murphy fingers tickled her neck as he took the two ends and securely clasped the necklace. 
“Looks good on ya,” Connor said approvingly as she turned and faced him. 
“Thank you,” y/n replied, getting teary-eyed. “I really appreciate it, but you guys didn’t have to get me anything.”
“It was nothin’,” Murphy shrugged, tucking his hands into his pockets. “You saved our asses the other night.”
“We’re just buttering you up, hoping you’ll stick around,” Connor winked. 
Since then y/n’s worn it every day. It was her connection to them, keeping them close to her heart and on her mind. 
Her eyes snapped to the door when she heard footsteps approaching. Rushing to it, y/n threw the door open and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw both Connor and Murphy standing there in one piece. 
Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around them but pulled back immediately when they both hissed in pain.
“Sorry,” she stammered, clutching her hands to her chest.
Getting a better look at them, y/n noticed that Murphy had a black eye that was already swelling and Connor’s lip was busted and bloody. Quickly, she ushered them inside, Murphy used Connor for support as he limped into the apartment. 
Y/n instructed them both to take their seats on the couch, and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and wrapped it in a soft hand towel. 
“Here,” she muttered, gently holding the ice pack against Murphy’s face. 
“Thanks, love,” Murphy smiled, his fingers grazing over the back of your hand, as he held the ice pack in place.
Snagging one of the pillows off the closest bed, y/n placed it on the edge of the coffee table. Kneeling down, she undid the laces of his boot and took it off. 
“Put your foot up,” she ordered him, before wandering over to the other side of the couch. 
“Yes, ma’am.”
Sitting on the table, y/n leaned forward and gently started to wipe the dry blood from Connor’s chin and bottom lip. His eyes studied her face, admiring her as she worked. She was always careful, each touch was delicate and gentle, working slowly to avoid causing them more pain. 
“This is going to sting,” y/n warned, wetting a clean washcloth with rubbing alcohol. He winced as she started to apply it to his cut. Leaning in, she gently blew air against the cut to help with the pain. 
“That’s better,” she murmured, now that his face wasn’t all bloodied anymore. 
Connor hummed closing his eyes, “you’re too good to us, lass.”
She shook her head, “I’m happy to do it, now let me see your hand.”
He chuckled, putting his hand in both of hers. Her thumb caressed his rough and bloody knuckles before she started to clean them off. 
Gently, she wrapped a bandage around Connor’s hand and replaced the cap on the rubbing alcohol, before getting up and going to the fridge. 
“So what exactly happened tonight?” She questioned, pulling out a couple of beers, removed the bottle caps.
The brothers gave each other a sideways glance.
“Why don’t you start it off,” Murphy smiled, patting Connor’s chest. 
Y/n handed them each a beer and gave Connor her full attention as she sat between them on the couch.
“Well…” he began, licking his lips and sighing. “It all started with us busting the door open to the warehouse. The poor fucks didn’t know what to do.”
“Yeah, Connor and I withdrew our guns, and started shooting up the place,” Murphy added, while he imitated how with both arms out as he pretended to fire imaginary guns.
“We thought we had taken care of them all,” Connor nodded, taking a sip of his beer. “until this beast of a man came hurling at us out of nowhere,” he explained. “He must’ve been at least 7 foot, a real gigantic bastard.”
“Tackled me down,” Murphy butted in. “Gave me this shiner.” He pointed to his bruised up eye.
“So that’s when I leapt onto the bastard’s back and just started wailing on him,” Connor continued. “But he wouldn’t let up. Got me good with his elbow, too.” He gestured to his lip. 
“Then, I reached out grabbing a brick, and I just bashed the fucker’s head in,” Murphy emphasized the point by reenacting how.
“Yeah and as we were trying to push the dead bastard off of him, this tiny man with crazy eyes sprung out from behind the crates,” Connor lifted up his shirt a bit, revealing the massive bruise on his side. “Whacked me a good one with a wood pallet.” 
Y/n winced looking at the red blotch that was already turning purple. 
“And while Connor was moaning on the floor,” Murphy recalled, nudging y/n. “I wrestled that little shit down-”
“Oh come off it,” Connor interrupted. “He tripped you and you fell on top of him… Wrestled my ass… pfft.”
“I’m just glad you're both alright,” she said, patting both of their knees. “Now let’s get you, boys, to bed.”
“You’re staying the night, right?” Murphy asked as he started limping over to his bed. 
“Of course I am,” she said smiling. “My work isn’t nearly done.”
Murphy smiled back, pleased that she was going to be sticking around. “We owe you one, love, drinks on us tomorrow at doc’s.” He suddenly lost his footing as the room started to spin, catching himself on the edge of the bed. 
“Murphy,” y/n rushed over to his side, and Connor right behind her. 
“Shit,” he muttered, rubbing his head. “My head is fucking killing me.”
Connor and y/n helped Murphy into his bed. Y/n sat next to him, gently stroking his hair back. 
“I think he might have a concussion,” she explained.
“What?” Connor’s face fell. “Really?”
Y/n looked at him and nodded. 
“Fuck,” he sighed, kneeling beside Murphy’s bed. “Sorry about that.”
Murphy snorted, “will you two get ahold of yourselves! I’m not dying!” He sat up a little. “Hell, you’re making a bigger deal of this than the time I was shot!”
“Hey, we both got shot that day,” Connor argued. 
Y/n laughed, “I recall being just as worried then as I am right now! I worry about the two of you every day.”
They both looked up at her with puppy dog eyes, “Sorry, we don’t mean to make you worry.”
“It’s alright,” she kissed Murphy on the forehead, then Connor. “At least I get to help.” Getting up, she wandered over to the table and started cleaning up.
Once she was out of earshot, Murphy leaned in closer to Connor. “I’ll be getting you back for this,” he whispered, looking Connor right in the eye. 
Connor rolled his eyes, “please, you’re loving all this attention.”
Earlier that night…
Once the dust had settled, both Connor and Murphy simultaneously started to check themselves for injuries. 
The scene around them looked as though a tornado made of bullets had swept through. Several Bodies were lying dead on the floor in puddles of their own blood. Guns were scattered on the ground along with empty bullet shells. 
“You alright?” Connor asked, patting his chest and arms checking for any wounds.
“Yeah, I think so,” Murphy replied, extending arms out and examining himself carefully. There wasn’t a single scratch anywhere. “You?”
“I’m… good,” Connor said clearly surprised but pleased.
Both of them were wondering the same thing, how the hell did they survive that mess? They both turned around and looked behind them, the wall was littered with bullet holes, probably about a hundred of them.
Connor started to laugh, causing Murphy to laugh as well. “How the fuck did we survive that?” He breathed gesturing to the wall. 
“Hell if I know,” Murphy sighed, crouching down and resting his elbows on his knees. “They must’ve unloaded every single round they had between them.”
“Even by chance one of us should’ve been hit,” Connor reasoned. Usually, by the end of the night, they’d both be a little scuffed up at least. 
Murphy shrugged, “Guess we oughta be leaving.”
Connor narrowed his eyes as something dawned on him, and grabbed his brother’s arm. “Hit me.”
“What?” Murphy asked, backing away. 
“Hit me,” Connor repeated. 
Murphy furrowed his brow, “What for?”
Connor smirked. “Would be a shame if y/n ended up leaving early for the night,” he explained. “Should at least make her feel like she’s needed.”
Neither brother would ever admit it out loud, but they were rather fond of y/n’s doting, like how she’d fuss over every little cut, and catered to them, not letting either brother lift a finger while she was around. Sometimes, she would even go as far as spending the night and even the next day with them, if necessary. Those were the best days, getting to have her all to themselves for the whole day.
Murphy chuckled, “Ah, I see now, so we’re doing this for her sake?”
“Exactly,” Connor winked, clapping his brother’s shoulder.
“We do owe it to her,” Murphy nodded. “Wouldn’t want her feeling like she’s wasted her time.”
Connor took a step back and braced himself. Without hesitation, Murphy’s fist connected to his jaw successfully busting his lip. Connor stumbled back, and shook his head, spitting out a bit of blood. 
“Alright,” Connor smiled, wiping his chin with his sleeve. “Your turn.”
151 notes · View notes
undercoverclover · 3 years
Text
Land Or Sea
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Part 2
Genre: Angst, Spice, Fluff...
Pairing: Lee x Ari
Word Count ≈ 6k total
Warnings: Mentions of Death
- My twist on The Little Mermaid for the Tell A Fairytale event hosted by @acewriters.
“Excuse me, miss?” I hear behind me. I scramble up, noticing a man standing on the beach.
“Yes?” I ask, fixing my dress so it lays properly at my knees.
“Who are you and how did you get here?” He asks, confused.
“I’m Ariel. I need to see Prince Lee at once!” I demand.
“I’m sorry ma’am but the Prince is deathly sick and unable to see anyone at this time.”
“I know he’s sick, that’s why I’ve come.”
“Oh. Right this way then.” He stutters, trying to make sure he’s doing the right thing.
I walk with him, stumbling over sand as I learn to navigate how legs are supposed to work.
“Are you okay?” He questions.
“Yes, it’s just a different feeling being on land than on the sea.”
“It is, and if you’ve not done it enough, it is difficult at first.” He smiles and I smile back.
We make it to the castle and I get an escort to the prince’s chambers. The butler, who was no older than Lee and almost as handsome with black hair and brown eyes but seemingly shy, opens the door. I see Lee laying in bed and he looks pale and very very sick. He manages to look at me and his eyes widen in surprise.
“Ari?” He gasps.
“You know her, sir?” He asks.
“Yes, yes of course. You may leave, Yoon.” He smiles and nods, lets me enter the room and closes the door.
I hurry to his side and sit on the bed, “Why didn’t you tell me you were sick the other night?” I say, sadly.
“I only felt a little bad. I’ve been sick for a while, Ari. It’s just gotten worse. Never mind about me, how are you here!?” He exclaims, looking down at my legs.
“Your fins are gone.” He says, touching my knee, before he realizes what he’s doing.
“You’re okay. I was shocked, too. My father helped me. I have two days to hopefully help you.” I smile, pushing some brown hair away from his eyes. I notice the stubble on his face and remember he’s always so clean shaven when I see him.
“This looks nice on you,” I smile, laying my hand on his cheek.
“Thank you, I’d have tried to shave if I’d have known you could get on land.” He chuckles, then coughs and coughs and coughs.
I start to feel worried and see a glass of water on his bedside table that I hand to him.
He takes a drink, “Thank you again. You know 2 days isn’t a very long time and I doubt there’s anything you could do to make me better. Though, I appreciate the thought.”
“Why do you think I can’t help you?”
“What’s wrong with me, it’s hard to fix and I’m okay, I’ve accepted what awaits me. I’d rather spend these 2 days talking to you.”
“Well, at least try something for me?” I ask, grabbing the bottle and handing it to him.
“Drink this, please?”
“What is it?” He asks.
“It’s a special medicine, even if it doesn’t cure you, it should make you feel better somewhat.” I smile. He takes it and drinks it all at once. The look on his face causes me to laugh.
“I never said it would taste good.”
“No, you did not and it tasted awful.” He grumbles.
I try to change topics, to allow the medicine time to take effect, “Mal has been a big help.”
“She has? I’m glad. Is she feeling better?” I know she’s been sick off and on as well.”
“She has. She found out the other day, they’re expecting a little one.” I smile, happily.
“No way! That’s awesome. I’m really happy for her.”
“I am too. River doesn’t know yet.” I chuckle and he smiles.
“That’s cute. I’d love to have kids one day. I fear that I won’t ever get to.” He says, frowning.
“You will. I know it.” I smile.
He chuckles, “Okay, I believe you.”
“Their love was forbidden at one time, you know?” I say.
“Who’s? River and Mal’s?” He asks and I nod.
“For one, the fact that Mal is older than River by a few years, they get looked down upon. Even though they pay their way on their own. But, River used to be a scientist at my father’s castle, he took an oath to serve him until he died. That meant no distractions. Once Mal had started and met him, he changed his mind. My father loves Mal, like a daughter, he always has. Even when we met, he took to her immediately. So when he found out that River had broken his oath and began to date Mal, he was furious. It was scary, to tell you the truth. I’d only seen him that mad a few times before.”
“So, what happened? I mean ultimately I know what happens...” He asks, looking slightly better from the medicine already.
“They kept seeing each other. My father saw how happy they were and eventually let River work for him but be with Mal as well. Then he got hurt and had to take time off, started to explore with me and here we are today. He’ll be able to start working again soon. My father won't allow him to do outside research until the doctor clears him” I smile.
“That’s great. I am so happy for them.” He smiles. I nod.
“What about you?” I ask, “Do you have anyone?”
“I only have the people here. I couldn’t ask for a better family, though it does get lonely.”
“I couldn’t imagine, I’m sorry.” I say, hugging him. He’s a little taken aback, but hugs me back.
There’s a knock at the door, “Sir, dinner is ready. Would you like me to bring it in here for you?” Yoon asks.
“No, I’ll come to the dining room. Come on, Ari.” He smiles, getting out of bed. Slowly standing, he grins and walks towards his friend and butler.
I follow behind him and make sure he’s not going to fall, though I probably couldn’t catch him.
We eat and continue talking like we had so many nights before. I start yawning and Lee realizes what time it is.
“It’s gotten late. We should head to bed.” He says, “I’ll show you to your room.”
He leads me to the other side of the castle and opens a door to a giant room that was full of fluffy pillows, white furniture and curtains and a giant king sized bed with blue satin sheets.
“You won’t be disturbed over here. All of the staff are on the other side of the house.” He states. It was beautiful, but my anxiety grew.
“This is great and absolutely stunning, but I don’t think I can sleep in here or at least by myself. This is my first time on land and at night. I’d be scared and nervous.”
“Okay,” he clears his throat, “Well- I mean- I could stay with you.”
“You would do that? I mean I know it would be odd, but I’ve never been on land before. I’m not used to it.”
“I would. It’s not like I don’t trust you. I do, you came here to help me.”
I smile and hug him, “Thank you.”
I was given some pajamas from one of the smaller staff and changed, happily. I wait for Lee to shower to freshen up and then he comes and lays next to me on the bed.
“Feel better?” I ask as he lays down.
“I do, thank you.” He smiles.
I place my hand on his cheek and smile at him.
He kisses my hand and I blush.
“Sorry.” He smiles, slightly embarrassed.
“No. It’s alright. I promise. It was nice.”
He smiles at me and I feel brave. I know I love him and I hope he feels the same.
I lean in and kiss his lips lightly. He freezes and I pull back.
“Sorry, I-” I begin, only to be met with his lips again. He pulls away only to bring them back almost immediately and smiling from ear to ear.
Everything happens fast and one thing leads to another. That’s not how I pictured my first time, but it will change my life forever.
I wake up early the next morning, light shining in from the window and my leg is draped over him. I cover up his body more than what it was and looking at his face, he looks pale again.
“Oh no.” I whisper.
“Oh no what?” he replies… I had no idea he could hear me.
“Nothing. Do you feel okay?” I ask, trying to hide the sadness.
“I feel about the same as before the medicine.”
“No, no, no. I have to go see my father.” I say getting up to find the right pajamas in the pile on the floor. I opt for my dress that had been washed last night.
“Ari, no. Come here.” He sighs.
“No, I can’t let you get sick.” I say, tears starting to form.
“Ariel.” He says my full name, grabbing my attention even more, “Come here, please.”
I slip the dress on and lay next to him again, curling into him.
“I will be okay. I’ve had this for years.”
“You promise?”
“I will try my best to get healthier.”
“Okay.” I pout, trying not to cry.
“Hey, hey don’t cry.”
I could only nod, but tears fell anyway.
“Hey, come on now. We only have until tomorrow night.” He smiles, sadness in his eyes, but brings his lips to mine once more. And once more it ends with him making love to me, which I never dreamed would happen once, let alone twice.
Spending the day between walking along the beach and in my bedroom talking about how things could be if I didn’t have to go home, we fall asleep before dinner.
I wake up in the middle of the night and walk down to the beach. To my surprise, Mal is there.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, surprised.
“Checking on you. I’ve been out here like an hour.”
“I’m fine. I promise. Kind of upset I have to go home today.” I complain.
“Really? Is he doing better?”
“He was… He woke up yesterday and looked really pale again.”
“Oh no.” She says, covering her mouth, “I’m so sorry, Ari. I hope it passes.”
“I hope so too. Now, you need to get home. River should be out here with you, it’s dark. Wait, did you tell him yet?”
“I did and he is. He’s scoping the area out, like a protective father to be.” She says sarcastically, I laugh.
“Okay, well get home. Tell dad I will see him soon.”
We wave goodbye and I wave to River as he pops his head up and we part ways.
I go back to the room and crawl up next to Lee.
When I wake up, I can tell he’s gotten worse again. He looks so much worse than yesterday or even when I got here. I don’t think he’s going to keep his promise, unless I go to the sea witch.
He wakes up and smiles at me, I kiss his lips and rest my forehead on his.
“I don’t want to leave.” I say.
“I know, but your family needs you.”
“But I need you.” I say, almost breaking.
“Don’t say that. You’re going to be just fine. I promise.”
“Can we stay here all day? Until it’s time for me to leave?” I ask.
“I couldn’t imagine a better day.”
I hug him tight and we spend the day being lazy until it was time for me to go.
Lee would not take no for an answer when it was time for me to meet my father, he walks down to the beach with me even though he is past the point of being weak.
“Ariel.” I hear from the water.
“Father!” I say, happy to see him.
“Hello my darling. And who is this?” He asks.
“I am Lee, sir.”
“Ah, you are the one who stole my daughters heart.” He says, smiling.
“I wish I could say that’s true, but I think she stole mine first.”
I blush and want to cry at the same time, “Sit down, Lee. You’re too weak to be out here.”
“I will go back in as soon as I know you’ve left safely.”
I begin to argue with him that he's still sick and won't get any healthier by thinking of me but I don't get very far. My father waits patiently until I give in and stop talking.
“Ariel, you may stay.” I whip my head around so fast.
“Wait, what?” I ask.
“I must tell you. He doesn’t have much time left. Maybe a year? But, his illness will take him sooner rather than later. I will come and get you both then.”
“Thank you father.” I say, going into the water, crying fountains but hugging him happily.
“My child, like I said before… You are very much like your mother. You’re strong and braver than even I. You risked it all for love and I cannot stand in the way of that. I will be back when you’re ready.”
“Sir?” I hear behind me. My father lifts his head to look at Lee.
“Yes, Lee?”
“Thank you for allowing this. I will forever be in your debt.”
“You take care of her and the rest of your family and we will call it even.” My father lifts his trident and swirls it, aiming it towards Lee.
After a moment, a light leaves the trident and makes its way towards Lee, “That gives you enough time.”
The change in Lee’s appearance was astounding. He stood up straighter and the paleness was gone. He smiles at me and nods at my father.
“Enough time for what?” I ask.
“You’ll know soon enough, my daughter. Be happy and I’ll see you soon. Mal and River can visit and change if they want to for 2 days at a time twice a month. At least up until she has the baby. So you may see them too.”
I smile, crying and hugging my father so tight, “You know about the baby?” I ask, realizing what he said.
“Dear, I’ve known from the very first week. That’s why she asked for days off lately. She’s a daughter to me, just as much as you are. I’d do anything for you 6.”
My father says goodbye and I watch him disappear under the water.
I turn and run to Lee, jumping into his arms, “Are you ready to go home?” He asks.
“Yes! A thousand times yes.” I smile.
---------------------------------
5 years later
“LeeHun! Come on! Your grandpa is waiting.” I yell up the stairs. Swimming into the kitchen, I place my 4 year old’s dinner on the table. Hearing tiny laughter coming from the stairs, the little brown haired, brown eyed boy appears in the kitchen a split second later.
“Mom! You fibbed! Grandpa isn’t here yet!” He grumbles, crossing his arms.
“No, but your aunt Mal and uncle Ri and Laynie will be soon. Grandpa will be here tonight, like always for movie night.” I smile, grabbing the little boy and holding him in my arms.
“Okay!” He smiles and claps.
“Now, go eat your dinner before Laynie gets here.” I smile and set him at his seat. He nods and digs in.
Lee gave me the greatest gift in the world before that year ended. He even got to name our son. I couldn’t deny him that. My father’s power had given us enough time to find out that one of those two times had resulted in LeeHun. Once Lee was gone, the staff all except Yoon, stayed in the castle and I brought Leehun back here. We go to visit them every month, have birthday parties there for him and here. They’re his family too. Yoon felt a responsibility, as he was the closest to Lee. He ended up meeting a really nice red head and got married about 2 years ago.
I will always love Lee and my heart still hurts after these years. The only thing I need is the memories and the family he had given to me. I couldn’t ask for a better life, except one where he is still here...
“Mommy, may I have mint chocolate ice cream after I finish my dinner?”
I smile and nod. Yeah, he’s just like his dad.
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kurt-nightcrawler · 4 years
Text
Fairytale
Warren Worthington III x Female Reader
Request 1: Omg I just read the I have a boyfriend and the opposites attract and I'm aksjksjeje. Idk if ur taking requests, but in case u are I need more on that mother nature reader and Warren pleaaaaseee!!! Maybe something with angst, like some conflict in their relationship, but with a happy would be greatttttt I absolutely love ur writing
Request 2: Hi love!:D idk if you’re taking requests or if you’re in the works of smth, but like, I’ve had this idea in my head about your fic of Mother Nature with what she said about the weather affecting her. Like it’s winter season or smth and the sun has not been out for days (and maybe Ororo is not around to help??) so she’s feeling weak and Warren is doing all he can so she can get better🥺 I reaally love your writing💕 💕
Warnings: swearing and angst
Word Count: 12.5k
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“How long will you be gone?”
“A few weeks. We should be back before December 21st.” 
(Y/N) huffed, that was almost two weeks, plus the holidays were coming up. “Stay safe, okay? All I want for Christmas is you.” 
Warren rolled his eyes and kissed her forehead, “I already got you a gift.” 
(Y/N) thanked him and he just held her tighter. 
-
Warren went on a mission with Raven, Alex, Kurt, Ororo, and Jean. They were going to Italy to stop some mafia mutant issue. “Which is stupid,” Scott retorted. “We live in New York. Surely the mafia isn’t only terrorizing mutants in Italy.” 
(Y/N) shrugged, “Probably.” 
Her mind wandered as Jubilee talked to Scott about their final for Dr. McCoy. I need to water the plants in the greenhouse. (Y/N) yawned, she felt a sudden wave of drowse come over herself. I’ve been so tired lately… 
It wasn’t a mystery why (Y/N) had been so tired lately. It was because of the weather. The earlier it got dark, the less energy she had— and with it getting colder, her abilities were limited. Most of the plants in her room had gone dormant. (Y/N) was worried she would too, but it hadn’t gotten cold enough. 
“I think we should go skating tomorrow,” Jubilee suggested. 
“Just the four of us?” Peter asked. 
“Do you see anyone else? They’re all in Italy.” Peter squinted his eyes at Jubilee as she was sarcastic. “The rink is open, it’s December, and I’m bored! I wanna pick up cute girls.” 
“Isn’t ice skating like a go-to in Hallmark Christmas movies?” Scott asked. 
“Why do you know that?” Jubilee asked. 
“We watch those all the time on nights with the boys,” Peter explained. “They’re awful and all the same. There was one where a girl was in love with a ghost and another where a girl texted her dead mom to grieve… I’m so lucky I don’t celebrate Christmas.” 
(Y/N) laughed, hallmark Christmas films were pretty cheesy and cliche. 
“I mean yeah, you’re right, but that doesn’t mean we can’t go skating, or do something. Everyone is gone and we need to stay active.” 
Peter and Scott both looked at Jubilee with confusion. “But we’re all in pretty good shape.”
“No, I mean (Y/N),” She whispered to the boys. 
“What’s wrong with her? She looks fine.” Scott said, quickly checking her out as she was preoccupied with her phone. 
“Around winter, she tends to get weaker cause it’s colder and the sun goes down earlier…”
“Yeah… We know…”
“No, you guys don’t get it. During the winter plants go into like, hibernation— and if it gets too cold and (Y/N) falls asleep she’ll go dormant. The only safe places are her room and an area set up in the lab.” 
“We have to keep her awake all winter?” Peter asked curiously.
“No, we just have to make sure she only falls asleep in her bedroom and stays there. It’s the only ace place because it’s like a greenhouse sort of…”
“What happens if we don’t?...”
“She could die!” 
“Who could die?” (Y/N) asked. 
“Scarlett Johanson’s stunt-double. I mean have you seen the new Black Widow trailer?” Jubilee asked without missing a beat.
“Eh, I dunno. She’s a professional, plus stunt-doubles are kind of expected to get hurt… while it’s not preferable an innocent gets hurt,... they did sign up for it.” 
“I never thought of it like that…” Scott said almost seeing off-handed while trying to noticeably glare at Jubilee. 
“Well, I’ve got to go. I promised Catherine I’d help make gingerbread cookies.” Everyone wished (Y/N) some form of goodbye, or have fun, leaving them alone.
“(Y/N) is going to die?!” Peter almost screamed. 
“No! No, no— (Y/N) is not going to die. She’s done this longer than I’ve known her. I think she was like, thirteen when these first started happening. I didn’t know (Y/N) until we were 15, but still.” Jubilee continued on,  “She’ll either pass out randomly in the middle of December or January and hibernate until March or April, or she won’t go dormant and just have to spend most of the spring outside, like soaking up the sunshine or whatever. “
“Oh, okay. So this is normal. Great. (Y/N) might fucking die every winter and we just have to act like children on thin ice? Deal with it somehow?” Peter looked like he was freaking out. 
“I said she’s been doing this for years, plus she hasn’t died yet. We’ll be fine.”
Scott’s gut was telling him something different, but he blamed that on his constant anxiety. 
-
Five days after Warren left
(Y/N), Scott, Peter, and Jubilee all went ice skating. Jubilee and Peter attempted to spy on cute girls, while Scott tried to act perfect, and (Y/N) tried her best to not lean against the wall too much. It was fun, but indoor rinks are as cold as the outside ones. (Y/N) bundled up enough, but she still got chills. 
Scott took everyone to some artsy coffee shop that Jean adored. He claimed they had a killer hot chocolate. Jubilee already tried it once before, being Jean’s best friend/roommate. Peter thought it was kind of watery and not that great, and (Y/N) didn’t think it was bad but… 
“You overhyped it. It’s good though.” Scott pouted, and Peter laughed through Twinkie bites and hot chocolate sips. (Y/N) felt warm and fuzzy inside. Almost… sleepy…
Her mind started to drift… Warren… everything they’d do when he got back from Italy… 
Their first winter holiday together… all the shitty hallmark movies we can watch with Scott and Peter… the—
“(Y/N)!”
“Huh?!” She rubbed her eyes and tried to seem awake. “What is it?”
“You were dozing off there,” Scott pointed out. 
“Oh.” She scratched her head. “Sorry. Haha,” Her laugh was somewhat sarcastic. “Just don’t let me, uh… Don’t let me pass out. Wouldn’t wanna get nicknamed Sleeping Beauty.” 
“Yes, ma’am.” Peter joked.
-
Nine days after Warren left
Peter taught everyone, or attempted to, teach everyone how to make a seven-layered cake. Jubilee and Scott kept sneaking batter, while (Y/N) was struggling to not use her powers. 
“Okay, but like, I could get sugar from a plant or—“
“No!” Jubilee protested, batter on the corner of her mouth. “We— we have all these ingredients here. Why waste them?” 
(Y/N) squinted her eyes, they were a bit purple, but she let it slide and grabbed sugar and other dry ingredients from the cabinets. 
“If she uses too much strength she could pass out. It’s been snowing hard for the past two days, and it’s been cloudy all week.” 
“Can’t she eat a protein bar or drink some coffee or something?” Peter whispered. 
Jubilee shook her head, “No, she needs vitamin D. Like, from the sun. More than a normal person does.” 
(Y/N) set the sugar on the counter and looked at the recipe from Peter’s mom, reading bits out loud, “We need 2 and 1⁄4 cups of sugar.” She looked at the measuring cups, trying to find the one she needed. 
“Hey, Scott! We agreed no phones out,” Jubilee scolded him. 
He rolled his eyes, “You sound like a teacher… I was just checking a package I ordered…”
“If you actually bought that $200 lightsaber you were telling me about,” (Y/N) joked, “I will scream.” 
Peter scoffed, “Please, Jean got him that for Christmas.” His face fell soon as the words left his mouth. “Shit…” 
“No, she didn’t. We had a budget and—“ Jubilee and Peter both looked at their feet, eyes wide and sheepish. “I am not worth $200.” 
“You sound like Warren,” Jubilee complained, cracking eggs into a separate bowl. 
“It’s true! I don’t want her to spend money on me.” He glanced at his phone again.
“She’s not going to text you. No one is allowed to bring phones on missions, because the government can like, track you and shit.” Peter reminded him. 
“I know, I know… but what if something happened? What if someone died or they got stuck and stranded and—“
(Y/N) put a hand on Scott’s shoulder, “Calm down Romeo. They’re going to be fine. If something happens, Xavier will let us know.” Scott nodded, trying to believe (Y/N) was right. 
-
Fifteen Days after Warren left
(Y/N) was getting sick and tired. Tired of her friends never leaving her alone, the panic on their faces if she so much as yawned or rubbed her eyes, she was sick of them being so nervous. More so Scott and Peter than Jubilee. 
Of course, they meant well, and just wanted to make sure she didn’t fall into a coma, but she didn’t need to be doted over like a tropical plant lost in the arctic. 
(Y/N) huffed as she messed with her hair in the bathroom mirror. Her leaves looked less colorful, more brown and dead, the vines around her legs were gone, and her eyes looked like she hadn’t been sleeping. She had, but it was hard, the sun went down at 5 PM, and it was cloudy and cold every day it seemed. 
I just want Warren here. He’d make everything better. We could cuddle and nap together…
(Y/N)’s turned blue and red as she stopped daydreaming and ran her toothbrush underwater. 
By nature, (Y/N) was not a gossip girl or a secret keeper— people saw her as a Disney princess, a few of the younger students even called her “Mother Nature”... but she had ruined her status by lying to the person she cared about most. 
She didn’t tell Warren about her dormant state, about how she could sleep until possibly March. She wanted to stay awake and active all winter. She wanted to spend her time with her angel. 
But he was in Italy fighting crime, and wouldn’t be back until mere days before Christmas. 
She had to be awake for Christmas and New Year’s. After that, it didn’t matter. 
Wait. Then she remembered Valentine’s Day. 
I have to be awake for that too. And Warren’s birthday… I can’t miss those… She made herself a promise she wouldn’t go dormant this winter. 
She glanced out the window as she scrubbed her teeth with the toothbrush. It was snowing again, thick heavy flakes came down almost in chunks. 
-
Twenty Days after Warren left
(Y/N) accidentally drank out of Peter’s cup without realizing it for about thirty minutes. Why did it matter?
Peter had caffeine in his soda, and (Y/N) did not. She was planning to go to bed in her room, and wake up when the sun rose to conserve energy. 
Now, she was staying up late with her friends, watching some crappy zombie movie on late-night TV.
“They could easily just move to an island. Use the old man’s boat. The zombies can’t swim!” (Y/N) argued during a commercial break. 
“Yeah, but there’s never any logic in these things.” Peter drowsed. 
“I guess so. It’s kind of dumb though…” 
Peter shrugged and took a sip of his drink, “Yeah, but it’s like Sharknado. They make money, it doesn’t matter if it’s bad or not.” 
(Y/N) didn’t retaliate, as the final commercial ended and the screen faded to black, signaling the movie was back on. 
-
Scott couldn’t remember when he fell asleep. He rubbed his eyes and tried to see who was all around him. 
Peter was passed out on the floor for some reason, Jubilee was asleep on one side of the couch… and Scott saw (Y/N), passed out with her head laying on a pillow. 
“Shit! (Y/N)!” He shook her, trying to get a reaction, but nothing happened. He repeated her name trying to undo her slumber until the other two woke. 
“What’s wrong?” Peter asked, hair tussled and eyes half-closed. 
“(Y/N) fell asleep on the couch!” Scott was panicking. He had one job— one job from Jubilee, “Make sure she only falls asleep in her bedroom or else she won’t wake up until March.”
 “Scott! Stop it!” Jubilee pulled him away from (Y/N)’s sleeping figure. “You could kill her!” 
“What—” He turned to Jubilee, “What do we do then?” 
“Peter, get Professor McCoy up here.” 
“But it’s 4 AM…” Jubilee gave him a deadly glare and he sped off. 
Scott was ordered to sit and be quiet while Peter got McCoy. 
“She fell asleep. She drank some of my soda earlier, causing her to not be tired. We thought we could get her sleepy by watching a movie, but we all fell asleep before she did…” Peter was giving Hank a 30-second recap, with 3000 words. 
“Peter, everything’s going to be fine.” Hank carefully scooped (Y/N) up in his arms, bridal style. He looked her over up close. Her skin looked pale, the leaves and flowers in her hair were gone, all that was left were dried twigs, and the vines usually wrapped around her legs were concealed by sweatpants, so he couldn’t take note on them. “I’m taking her to the medical bay. Everyone go to sleep, you can come back in the morning…” Hank glanced at the time, “You can come back later.” 
-
The three mutants walked to their rooms quietly. Jubilee made a stop at a bathroom to brush her teeth, while Peter and Scott went straight to their dorm. 
Peter used his speed to get changed and hop in bed. “I’ll leave the light on while you get changed.” Scott didn’t answer, he didn’t move. “Scott?”
“What if she dies?” His voice was barely above a whisper. 
“Jubilee said she’s been doing this for years, (Y/N)‘s not gonna die.” Scott still didn’t move, causing Peter to sit up and face his roommate better. “Everything will be okay. McCoy knows what to do, and this is no different than when bears go hibernate for the winter or when geese fly south. She’ll be fine.” 
“We don’t know that. If something interrupts her she could die—“ 
“She won’t.” Peter knew he knew, what Scott was thinking. Scott did what anyone would have done. Tried to jostle her awake, he didn’t know what else to do. 
“Do you know what it’s like?...” 
Peter hadn’t the slightest idea what Scott was referencing, he kept his mouth shut, trying to figure it out. 
“To have almost killed someone? Your parents arguing with theirs, lawsuits being threatened, your life could end before theirs and the doctors think they’re on borrowed time… How you know you deserve to be punished, and instead you’re just sent away, to be with more family and start new. You try to be better than you ever were, and people— they believe it. You deserve everything you’ve worked for… and then you go and fuck up! It’s one thing to have your mutation surface and have chunks of ceiling and a bathroom door put a school bully in a coma— but to hurt someone like (Y/N)?...” Scott’s voice trembled. His cheeks were covered in his tears. “If anything happens it’s going to be my fault. Warren’s going to blame me because everyone talks me up about how responsible I am and all these leadership qualities I have, that I actually don’t. Warren is going to kill me if she doesn’t wake up—“ He choked out a sob. 
Peter was quick to wrap the boy in his arms. “Hey, hey… shh… shh… You didn’t hurt her. She’s going to be fine. Hank picked her up and carried her to his lab and she did fine. You shaking her didn’t do anything.” Scott continued weeping. 
“How about you take a shower, and then we can go see her, okay?” Peter talked slower than ever before and with softness, enough to be gentle, but not so much you’d think Scott was a child. 
He nodded, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand. 
“Okay, come on buddy…” 
-
Hank had carefully dressed her in a hospital gown and hooked her up to various equipment. Everything seemed normal for her coma-like state. He didn’t wake her up carrying her downstairs. 
Hank sat down in a chair next to her. He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had no idea what to do. 
This had happened before, but Hank just kept her in his lab and he wouldn’t do anything until she woke up. Sometimes students would visit to see how she was doing… Most of the time they’d just whisper and watch her for a few minutes before leaving, some made jokes about how she needed Prince Charming to kiss and wake her up. 
Hank hesitated allowing Charles tell the team what happened. They wouldn’t be back for another week, and he didn’t want to cause a distraction for them. 
“Hey Doc,” Peter waved. Scott was standing next to him. 
Hank quickly put his glasses back on and stood up. “What are you doing awake? You should be asleep.” 
“Couldn’t sleep. Figured we could come by, see how (Y/N)’s doing.” 
“Yeah— she’s doing fine. Vitals are steady and her heartbeat is regular. All we have to do is wait.” Hank faked some optimism. He knew why they were there, and she was fine— except, Hank had no idea when she’d awake. 
“Did you tell Xavier what happened?” Scott asked. 
“Yeah, he knows. He said there’s nothing we can do until she wakes up. We have the option to wake her and keep her in the green room, but that’s easier said than done…” Scott looked pale. Hank cursed to himself for freaking the kid out. “Trust me, this is the best option for her.” Scott nodded. 
“Yeah… “ Peter tried to distract him. “Why don’t we eat some leftover cake?” 
“I’m not hungry Pete,” Scott answered.
“Well I am, and you’re not going to mope around down here. It’ll like, give (Y/N) a bad vibe. Come on.” Scott sighed and followed Peter out of the med bay. 
-
Twenty four days after Warren left
Warren was exhausted, Everyone was. The mission went smoothly, or smoothly as it could, considering the number of minor injuries everyone bore. 
“We’ve got a few more hours until we’re home,” Alex announced, checking in on the younger X-Men.
Ororo, Jean, and Kurt were playing go fish. Warren was watching, contributing nothing to the game but sarcastic comments and jokingly-judgemental looks. 
“Great, thanks,” They replied. 
Alex nodded and walked back to his seat in the cockpit. He pulled something small and rectangular out of his pocket. Warren carefully watched from the corner of his eye. 
Is that a cell phone? 
Cell phones weren’t allowed on missions. They were distractions, not to mention out of rage cellular fees were expensive— plus with modern technology comes tracking. Having something as minor as a cellphone on a mission could jeopardize the whole operation simply because someone wanted to use google maps and see where the nearest Starbucks was. 
“Alex?” 
“Yeah?” He stuck the object in his pocket. 
“What is that?” Warren kept his down, as to not alert the others.
“What?” 
“The thing in your pocket. What is it?” 
“Warren—“
Warren was pissed. “It’s a cellphone isn’t it?”
“It’s a burner phone. In case of an emergency—“
“Why’d you take it out?” 
“Hank texted me.” 
“Oh, great.” Warren spat, “You bring a phone on missions in case you miss your little boyfriend.” 
“Warren—“
“No!” He spoke out. At this point, everyone was watching. “You don’t get to break the rules and endanger the mission!”
“Warren, calm down.” 
“You can’t tell me—“ 
“Someone at the mansion got hurt, bird brain. That’s why Alex’s using the burner to text Hank.” Raven rolled her eyes. Dramatic much?
“What?”
No one knew this, not even Jean. They all tuned into the conversation. 
“Who did?”
“What happened?” 
“Everything’s fine.”Alex lied.
“No, it’s not. You wouldn’t be texting Hank if it was.”
Jean discreetly put two fingers to her temple, trying to figure out who got hurt. Raven saw her and glared, mentally telling her to stop.
“Sorry.”
“Everyone settle down. We have a few hours left until we’re back in Westchester. Just chill out until then.” 
Warren rolled his eyes and sat by himself, thinking Raven’s little distraction speech was stupid. 
He couldn’t help it— acting all childish— he missed (Y/N) and he really hated having to share a bed with Kurt on missions. Kurt’s tail got all tangled and Warren’s wings were cramped. 
It was different from when he’d cuddle with (Y/N). He’d wrap his wings around her, and she’d grow flowers in her sleep around them. It was soothing… He’d wake up refreshed, and looking at his wonderful girlfriend. Kurt was… a major downgrade… he was a decent roommate, but he couldn’t stand him as a bedmate. 
Warren yawned, making a note to sleep for ten years and hold (Y/N) while he did it, once he got back home. 
-
The basketball court came into view, and the ground caved in, letting Raven land the Jet in its hangar. Alex announced they were back and free to get off the ship. The rest of the team hastily grabbed their bags and ran out of the X-Jet. 
Outside waiting for them was Jubilee, Peter, and Scott. Hank wasn’t there.
“Where’s your boyfriend?” Warren teased Alex. 
He didn’t respond.
“Where’s your girlfriend?” Jean mocked Warren.
Warren did a double-take as Peter and Jubilee spoke to Raven and Ororo. (Y/N) wasn’t there. 
“Hey, guys.” The three that stayed behind looked up with guilty expressions on their face as soon as they looked at Warren. 
“Where’s (Y/N)?” He asked. 
No answer.
Warren asked again, but more concerned, “Guys, where’s (Y/N)?” 
“She’s not dead—“ Jubilee hit Peter and scolded him.
“What does that mean?” 
The group exchanged nervous eye contact. They weren’t sure how to explain it, but if they didn’t Warren was probably going to attempt murder. 
“She’s in what Hank calls a ‘dormant state’. Basically hibernation—“ Warren’s face visibly paled. “Except waking her up is way more complicated…” 
“So she’s in a coma?...” He asked.
“Yeah, basically…” Jubilee admitted.
“How did this happen?” 
“(Y/N)’s mutation, I thought she told you…”
“Told me what?” Jubilee didn’t answer him. “What, Jubilee?”
Alex put his hand on Warren’s shoulder. “Maybe Hank should explain it…”
-
“So she won’t wake up until March?” 
“April at the latest,” Hank answered. 
“And you let this happen?” He turned to Jubilee, Scott, and Peter. They were terrified of what Warren might do. 
“No, no, they didn’t,” Hank defended them. “Her body just does this. It’s no different than that time of month…” 
“A period isn’t four months long,” Warren mumbled. 
“Let’s give him a moment alone with her.” Hank ushered everyone out, shutting the door behind him. 
Warren sank in the chair next to (Y/N)’s body. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 
“Fuck,” He mumbled. “Fuck, fuck,” Tears welled in his eyes. “Fuck!” He screamed. He put his fist up to his mouth to muffle his sobs. 
“How could… Why didn’t she tell me?” Warren looked at (Y/N)’s figure. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?” 
Warren felt his heart breaking. She looked so… so dead. 
But she wasn’t. She wasn’t dead but she wouldn’t wake until March.
 It was December. 
“Hank said… he said, we could wake you up, but there’s a chance you’ll die. And I’d rather have you like this than dead…” He turned away and mouthed cursed under his breath. 
Warren didn’t know what to do. Sure, he wasn’t necessarily one of those clingy boyfriends, whose only life purpose is to serve his girlfriend… but he really liked her. 
He wanted to spend more time with her than he ever could. She understood when he had nightmares or needed space. They never fought— their biggest disagreement was on a stupid homework problem. 
She made earrings out of some of his metal feathers, he learned how to take care of all kinds of plants. She showed him how to be compassionate and kind, he showed her how to be assertive and throw a decent punch. 
Peter teased him all the time, saying he was “in loooove,” dragged out o and everything. He’d always tell him to shut up or piss off. 
Because maybe he was in love with her. 
“But I’m her first boyfriend.” 
“That doesn’t mean you can’t be her first love.” 
“That means I’ll hurt her…” Warren’s voice cracked. “I don’t wanna hurt her…” 
He didn’t know she’d hurt him.
-
Warren wasn’t allowed to sit at (Y/N)’s side all day, or even all week. He had work to make up for when he was in Italy— homework, mid-terms, laundry, post-mission exam— not to mention Christmas was in five days.
He tried to keep himself busy in the first two days, and he overachieved everything he had to do. Which inevitably, left him with nothing to do. 
“God, you look miserable,” Peter commented when Warren made his way into the kitchen, bags under his eyes, messy bed-head hair, sweatpants hung low, and a wrinkly t-shirt. 
“I stayed up, deep cleaning my closet. I’ve got some stuff I’m gonna donate.” 
“That’s nice.” Jean curtly commented. 
Nobody knew what to say. They weren’t sure what would trigger Warren. 
“We were all gonna see Knives Out,” Scott said. “A day off for everyone, chance to get last-minute gifts…” 
“Not interested.” Warren poured himself a bowl of cornflakes. 
“Come on,” Jubilee almost begged. “You haven’t left the mansion at all in the past few days.” 
“I have stuff to do.” He poured milk into his bowl. 
“Warren, you deep cleaned your closet at midnight. You have nothing to do and this will keep you occupied for a while.” Jubilee pointed out.
He was tired, “I don’t want to leave the mansion. What if something happens—“ 
“(Y/N)’s going to be fine.” 
Warren held his spoon tightly in his fist. “That’s what I thought before I went to Italy— Look at her now! She’s in a coma.”
“She’ll wake up in the spring,” Kurt offered up to calm Warren down. 
“This could have been prevented. I should have been here—“ Warren felt himself breakdown. He started crying, and no one knew what to do. Ororo got up from her seat and hugged him. He sobbed into her shoulder. 
Ororo gave him words of comfort, “It’s okay, this is normal for her. Distance will do you good. Everything’s going to be okay… You should get out, get fresh air.” 
Warren nodded and wiped his eyes with his sleeve, “Uh-huh.” 
“Come see the movie with us,” She suggested. 
“Okay, yeah… I’ll— I’ll go get ready.” He put his bowl in the sink and went out of the kitchen.
“Holy shit.” Peter’s eyes were wide with shock. “He’s a mess!” 
Jubilee swatted him with her hand, “Hush! He’s clearly upset… His girlfriend’s in hibernation until March.” 
“Yeah, but like, he just started crying,” Peter stated. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Warren cry before… He just looked so broken, like, holy shit. I don’t think I was that upset when I got cheated on by my girlfriend, junior year on prom night…”  The worst part is, we could have prevented this.” 
“I think I’m gonna puke,” Scott mumbled. 
“Hey!” Ororo chasted the two boys. “I don’t care what happened while we were gone, but you’re both acting pathetic. This is no one’s fault! Get your heads out of your asses and be there for Warren.” 
“We should wake her up…” Everyone looked at Scott like he was crazy. 
“And risk killing her?” Ororo asked. 
“Yeah, no,” Peter answered. “Romeo may follow suit.” 
-
Warren didn’t want to go outside, but he needed to keep busy, or else he’d start crying again. 
He was a mess— he knew Kurt was tired of him staying up all night, doing anything and everything to keep busy… but when he closed his eyes he was face to face with nightmares— (Y/N)’s practically lifeless body lying in the hospital bed, her never waking up, or if she did she’d have amnesia and not remember anyone. 
Warren couldn’t sleep, but staying up all night would eventually take its toll on him, or he’d run out of things to do. 
Warren got changed and quickly ran downstairs to the medical bay. He wanted to check on (Y/N) before he left. 
“How is she?” 
“Same as she has been for the past few days,” Hank answered. “Everything’s normal, and she’s doing fine— great actually.” 
Warren nodded, “Um, I just wanted to see how she was doing. I’m going out with the other X-Men… we’re seeing Knives Out… Ororo said it’d be a good idea for me to get out of the mansion.” 
Hank blinked and then frowned in thought. “Yeah, she’s right. However, you seem to be doing really well, considering the situation. You haven’t spent all your time down here, but you do visit. You haven’t acted out with a huge wave of impulse emotions, but getting out for a little bit would be great for you.” 
Warren bit his tongue, holding back from telling Hank the truth about how he was doing. “Yeah… I’ll um, see you later.” 
-
Warren zoned out in the middle of the movie for a few minutes and had to ask Kurt what happened. 
“Police chased them down.” 
“Ah, okay.” Warren nodded. He glanced at his other friends. Scott had an arm around Jean, and they were cuddling, practically on top of each other, in the big recliners. Jubilee bought sour patch kids and was sharing the bag with Ororo. Peter and Kurt were really engrossed in the movie, and Warren was just kind of there… 
He was lonely— The movie was good, and he was enjoying it— but Warren as a whole was lonely.
He put up the hard “I don’t need anybody,” exterior to protect himself from hurt. His poor relationship with his parents caused him to be cautious and made it hard for him to develop a steady healthy relationship with any authority figures in his life. His cage fighting days taught him, he was alone, and nobody was ever going to love him, and he’d have to fight to get anywhere in life. 
Obviously, that proved to be false— he found confinement in Alex, (and sometimes Hank), as the older brother he never had. The community in the mansion proved he didn’t have to be so alone, and (Y/N) made him realize love is not some made-up fantasy, concocted in Disney’s headquarters. 
(Y/N) felt like his best friend on most occasions, and while he had all his other friends, her being gone made him feel so empty inside. 
-
On Christmas Eve he moped around in Scott and Peter’s room, one earbud in listening to sad music.
Scott wasn’t even there— he was doing God knows what with Jean, and Peter was playing Pac-Man. 
“You can hang out with me tomorrow if you want. I don’t celebrate Christmas.” 
“I’m good.” Warren knew Peter would probably run home and mess around with his sisters and mom, or awkwardly hang around the mansion, trying to find Erik and tell him about their relationship. 
“Dude,” He awkwardly chuckled. “Okay, look— um, I know, nothing I say can fix the situation, but if you want to talk I’m here.” 
Warren paused his music. “What was the last thing she said?”
Peter was awestruck, “She’s not dead!” 
“I know—“
“She’s in a coma that she’s going to wake up from! She didn’t die.”
“I know that! I just want to know what she said before she went into the coma…” 
Peter felt guilty for jumping to conclusions. Warren seemed so defeated, like a kicked puppy. “We were watching a crappy zombie movie on tv… and it was like, really bad, and we were mostly complaining about how bad it was. The last thing I remember was she said something about how the prosthetics sucked and she could have done it better with some mint leaves and slime.” 
The corner of Warren’s lip rose up slightly. Typical (Y/N), but she was probably right. 
“Wanna play Pac-Man with me?” 
Warren sat up, “Sure.” 
-
“He just started crying, like— I’ve never seen anyone so upset, and I thought you were dead at one point!” Scott was frazzled in Hank’s lab with Alex, Jubilee, Jean, Ororo, and Kurt. 
“He seemed fine when he came down to visit her the other day.” Scott gave Hank a disbelieving look. “Well if he’s crying over little things, obviously he’s extremely stressed out and I’m not going to push him.” 
Scott glanced in the direction of (Y/N)’s area in the lab, “Maybe we should wake her up.”
“Are you crazy?!” Jubilee asked. “She could die from that—“
“She probably won’t though… (Y/N) being unconscious has made Warren, everyone on edge.”
“You want an easy way out of this,” Jubilee raised her voice as she kept speaking, “If you really cared about how Warren was, you’d be trying to comfort him best you can despite your half-assed friendship!”
“It’s our fault she’s like this, Jubes! We were supposed to make sure she didn’t fall asleep anywhere besides her room, and we couldn’t do it.” 
“Scott, she was getting weaker every day, this would have happened no matter what—“
His voice got louder, yet he was practically shaking, “No, we had the most simple task in the world! And we couldn’t do it! We’re the X-Men and we couldn’t even keep a girl from falling asleep!”
Jean hugged Scott, running her fingers through his hair. “It’s not your fault. She does this every year— and it’s not like you ignored her.”
“What if it was you instead? I’d be just like Warren…”
“Don’t say that—” She kissed the top of his head. “You’d be fine.” 
“I think we should discuss this with Warren and the Professor before we do anything, drastic.” Hank’s final words were clearly aimed at Scott. 
-
“We can wake her up…” 
Everyone was still in the lab, but this time Warren and Professor Xavier were present. Warren didn’t move, he was focused on what Hank was telling him and what it actually meant. 
“But… she could die if not done correctly. Waking up an animal early out of hibernation could kill it, but getting a plant out of its dormant season would just weaken it, if done too quickly though, it could kill the plant.” 
“Hank,” Charles rubbed the bridge of his nose, “I thought we agreed, when (Y/N) goes dormant, we do not disturb her. We agreed with her parents several years ago.” 
“Yeah, but that was when she was a kid. She’s older now, and everyone’s distraught. Her boyfriend—“
“Oh, please,” Charles scoffed. “If I got on my knees and tried to align the stars every time Erik got hurt, there wouldn’t even be a school.” 
“Cut the crap. You and Erik fight and make up like some divorced couple in a soap opera. When Erik gets hurt, you’re always the first to know.” 
Xavier didn’t say anything out loud, he just glared. 
“Um, personally, uh, sorry,” Warren awkwardly cut in. “I think if (Y/N) might die if we wake her up, then it’s not worth it. And if her parents agreed, letting her sleep is the best thing, then it probably is.” 
Warren didn’t even want to think about her folks. Could you imagine? Their daughter dies because some dumb goth boy couldn’t handle her taking a three-month-long nap without him. Yeah, that’d impress them.
Charles clapped his hands together, “Well, there! It’s settled then. (Y/N) is fine as she is. I know this is upsetting for her to not be present around the holidays, but we can all assume she would want us to have fun and be kind to others, showing compassion and always helping those in need.”
-
Warren couldn’t sleep. He was restless in bed— too hot, then too cold, he’d have the beginnings of a nightmare or no dream at all— he was sure Kurt would have kicked him out by now if he hadn’t made the decision to sleep in Peter and Scott’s room for the night. 
His tossing and turning made him have to pee. He got up and went over to the bathroom. 
Looking in the mirror as he dried his hands he sighed. Warren looked so tired, but he didn’t know what to do. 
For the first time since Germany, he truly felt alone. 
-
He grabbed the two gifts stored under his bed and he quietly walked down the halls. 
None of the doors were locked, it was almost too easy for him to get into Hank’s lab. 
He flicked on the light switch, even though he didn’t need to. Her sleeping figure made his heart almost burst out of his chest. Warren felt so awkward standing there. 
He set the gifts down on a chair and walked over to (Y/N). 
“Hi…” No response. “Um, I don’t know if you can hear me… but like, Jubilee and Kurt watch all those soaps and they always have characters talking to people in comas so I figured, maybe, just maybe, you could hear something… anyway, um… I miss you. I really miss you and I wish you’d said something about all this…” He sat on the edge of the bed. “I’ve been trying to keep myself busy, with homework and chores and training. It’s been driving Kurt crazy that I’m up all the time, but I can’t sleep most nights…”
He paused for a moment, for the thought of, Am I crazy? Flashed through his brain. 
“I got you that fancy water filtered you wanted for Christmas… along with some mollisol soil in a jar…” He huffed in amusement while glancing at the gifts. “Peter made fun of me. He said, “No girl wants a jar of dirt for Christmas.” But I know you’d be happy with it— trying to divide it equally among every plant in your room, your eyes lighting up when you see improvements in them…” Warren looked at (Y/N) and smiled sadly. 
“We haven’t even been dating for a whole year, but it feels like it’s been forever…” His eyes watered and his voice faltered, “And that’s love… Isn’t it?... Everyone tells me something different, but— I think I love you. No— I know I love you. I love you and, and, I don’t know… I don’t know what I’ll do while you’re here. I don’t want to wake up tomorrow and see everyone all happy like nothing’s wrong— or Scott kissing Jean when he thinks no one’s looking if I can’t put my arm around you and pull you closer and give him a look that states we’re a cuter couple…” Warren almost laughed at himself. His dumb competition with Scott. 
“I know you’d want me to pretend like nothing’s wrong because it isn’t— but it is… I don’t know what to do…”
-
Kurt knocked on the door of his room the next morning. “Warren! Merry Christmas!” No response. 
“I need to brush my teeth.” Still no answer. 
Kurt opened the door himself, “Warren?” The room was empty. “Where are you?” 
“Hey, Kurt,” Scott peaked in, still in pajamas. “Everything alright?”
“Warren’s gone.” 
“He’s probably downstairs already. Peter and Jubilee are, I bet he’s with them.” 
“Oh. You’re probably right.” Scott bid him goodbye and went to Jean’s room. Kurt still couldn’t get the feeling that Scott was wrong out of his system. 
-
Hank and Alex were headed down to the lab, giggling and acting like kids sneaking around. 
“Alex,” Hank breathed in between laughs, “I just wanna check on (Y/N).” 
“I know,” He managed between the kisses he left all over Hank’s neck. 
“Give me five minutes. Then we can join the others.” 
Alex frowned as Hank opened the door. “I want to be alone with you.” 
“Wasn’t this morning enough?” Hank joked. 
Alex rolled his eyes and hugged Hank from behind. 
Hank smiles and walked into the med Bay Area, where (Y/N) was put. 
He was shocked, to say the least. Alex too. 
“Did he wake her?” Alex whispered. 
“I don’t think so. Her heart rate hasn’t changed.”
Alex gently shook Warren’s shoulder, “Hey, kid, time to get up.” 
He groaned and slowly opened his eyes, squinting to adjust to the light. “Mmmmhmmmggg…” 
“Merry Christmas.” Hank teased as he looked over (Y/N)’s vitals. 
“Shit.” Warren rubbed his eyes, “Did I fall asleep?” 
“Yeah.” 
“When did you come down here? I went upstairs at around eleven.” Hank commented. 
“You got into our room at 11:37 PM.” Alex corrected him. 
“Uhh, I don’t remember…” Warren was too tired to think. He wanted to get something to eat and go back to bed. He didn’t want to see everyone messing around the tree Charles got the younger students to set up. He wanted to go back to sleep right in bed with (Y/N), but he knew Hank wouldn’t let him. 
“Everyone’s upstairs,” Hank said.
“I know,” Warren said back.
Alex was preoccupied with his phone. Scott kept texting him where he was— for being the younger brother, he acted like an older one.
“Look, uh, I don’t want to overstep anything—” Hank said somewhat quietly to Warren. “I know we’re not that close, but—“
Warren shot him down, “I don’t need to talk to anyone. But thanks for the offer, Hank.” 
Hank pushes his glasses up his nose, “No, it’s not that… When Alex was presumed dead, and we found his body and he was in a coma��� I was an emotional wreck. I spent all my time down here, worried he’d wake up any second, or never wake up, or wake up and not remember who I am… We weren’t even dating at the time. I was just so heartbroken because I wasted literal decades avoiding him and my feelings and— sorry. Sorry. I got off track… the point is, I get it. I’m not going to judge you for coming down at night to sleep with her.” 
“Just, just don’t tell anyone about this, okay?” 
Hank nodded understandingly. 
“Whatcha guys talking about?” Alex got up and wrapped an arm around Hank. 
“How much I love you,” Hank stated matter of factly. 
Alex chuckled and kissed Hank’s cheek. “Don’t bother him with that. I’m sure Warren doesn’t want to hear you talk about our relationship.” 
“I don’t care,” Warren told him. 
“Still— go upstairs. Scott and Kurt think you got kidnapped or something.” 
“Alright, alright,” Warren had to laugh, “I will.” 
“We’ll meet you up there.” 
Neither of the older men spoke until the door shut. 
“He loves her.” 
“Hmm?” Alex looked at Hank curiously. 
“Warren, he loves (Y/N).” Alex hummed in agreement.
“They’re good for each other.” 
-
Warren walked into the common room while chaos was in full motion. 
Kurt was teleporting from place to place in the room, Ororo was focusing on making it snow outside, surprisingly, Peter was asleep on the couch, and Jean and Scott were cuddled under a blanket by the fireplace, obviously feeling each other up.
“Warren!” Kurt jumped down and landed at his feet. “Where have you been?”
He shrugged, “Workout.” 
“Okay…” Kurt wasn’t convinced, but 
“Hey, Warren! I made these brownies, they’re really good—“ She handed him one. “Here!” 
“Uh, thanks.” He took a bite out of it. Gooey. Rich chocolate flavor. Yet, it also crumbled. Not half bad. 
Warren smiled and nodded, telling Jubilee it was delicious. She was thrilled. 
After a round of greetings to everyone, Warren sat on the couch next to Peter. “There’s a present for you…” He murmured, half asleep.
Warren furrowed his brows and looked at the tree. There was one gift left. The wrapping paper was black, with two silver bows on it. Warren smiled sadly at it, as he held it in his arms.
“Aww… It’s you!” Peter teased. Warren laughed a little, before opening it. 
It was a box. Obviously, not empty. Warren removed the lid and looked through it. Inside was a disposable camera, an empty photo book, and a letter. He grabbed the letter first and read it.
Warren, 
If you’re reading this, I’m either dormant or will be soon. I didn’t tell you anything about it because I’m scared. I’m scared you’d want to break up because I’m not conscious for part of the year. To most people, I’m sure it’d be a major turn off. But as Jubilee sometimes puts it, you’re ‘a little too attached’ to me to break up with me over a long nap. :) Or at least I hope so. 
Anyway, I don’t want you moping over me the whole time, because you’ll just be sad and closed off and lose a lot of progress in your mental health. And I worry about you. I’ll be worrying about you quite a bit while I’m hibernating. 
Uh, I can also hear everything you say to me. In case you wanna chat. I can’t say anything back, but it’s nice to listen. 
I got you the camera and photobook to give you something to do. When I wake up you can catch me up on everything I missed. Take some pictures, save some memes for me, make a playlist of songs you think I’d like, movies I need to watch— Jubilee did it my first year here, and I liked it. I didn’t feel like I was wasting my time sleeping… I sometimes feel that way— I could do schoolwork, or spend time with my plants that still trudge through winter, or hang out with my friends… don’t feel sad, this is a normal bodily function… for me… You’re gonna think it sucks, which is kind of does, but I’ll try to make up for lost time… I love you…
(Y/N)
Warren couldn’t read the last few words, they’d been scratched out. He rubbed his eye, trying not to cry. 
“What’d you get?” Peter asked. 
“Uh, camera… So (Y/N)’s got photos for when she wakes up…”
“Aww…” Peter cooed. “That’s so cute— Hey guys! Let’s get a group photo!”
“Peter, I don’t— I don’t think that’s necessary—” 
“Too bad!” Peter snatched the camera from Warren’s hands and started motioning and yelling at people to get in the frame. “I used to use these all the time as a kid— these little disposable cameras. I loved them!” Peter pressed the button, and a light flashed for a moment. He turned the dial on it and then handed it back to Warren. “You know how to use these, right?” 
“Uh…” 
“Great! You’ve totally got this.” 
Peter was gone in a flash, leaving Warren alone. 
He huffed, what was he really going to do with a camera? He didn’t want to bring his girlfriend up to speed with pop culture and all the drama she missed. He wanted to live through it all with her.
But he couldn’t… 
-
Warren went back downstairs to the lab. Nobody stopped him from leaving or even asked where he was going. It was like he had no value in the group without (Y/N), just someone they tolerated, if that even. 
He wanted to scream, knowing she could hear, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He couldn’t find his voice… no words came out… just tears… 
He fell down to the floor and cried. That’s all he could do. 
You’re so weak! Pathetic! You can’t spend a moment away from her and you cry like a fucking baby! You don’t deserve her… 
His sobs were the only things you could hear in the room.
-
New Year’s came and gone. The X-Men threw a party. Warren took a photo since he knew (Y/N) would have wanted to be there. 
He didn’t want to be there. Soon as he took his photo he wanted to leave. He never liked parties, not as a kid, not in Berlin, and not when he came to the mansion— until he started dating (Y/N). 
She got invited to several parties. Some were just dorm get-togethers with different groups of kids, others were house parties from the kids at the public school down the road, some were like this… real parties. She always wanted Warren with her when she went, and he never said no. He didn’t always enjoy them, but he didn’t mind. If (Y/N) had a good time, so did he. 
But here Warren was, moping in the corner of Xavier’s ballroom. 
-
He didn’t leave his room on Valentine’s day, despite still having classes. He trained for three hours a day, not including the group workouts and training required for all members of the X-Men. 
He volunteered to go on more missions. He didn’t want to be stuck in the mansion for more than two days at a time. No one objected, he was a valuable member of the team, and the more experience the better he would get. 
He was to go to London for three weeks with Ororo, Hank, Jean, and Scott.
Jean and Scott were excited because this just meant they’d somehow end up in a hotel room alone together at night, while everyone else was sleeping.
Warren was not too thrilled, as he was jealous. No need to sugarcoat it. Warren was jealous that Scott got Jean all 365 days of the year, that he never had to be away from her for more than a week, that they could flaunt their relationship and how happy they were together. 
It made his stomach churn, but there was nothing he could do. 
-
“I’m going to London for a few days… If I meet Harry Styles I’ll tell him you’re a fan…” (Y/N) laid in bed, lifeless. Warren tucked his hair behind his ears, making a note to get a haircut soon. “I’m going with Scott, Jean, and Ororo…” 
He hated this. He hated talking to her, knowing she could hear him but not say anything back. It was different the few days before Christmas, but now it was all just a mess. 
“Bye.” He threw his duffle bag over his shoulder and walked out. 
One week. 
One week with no cell phones, no homework, nothing. Sure, Warren would probably have to punch a few bad guys, but other than that he just wanted to sleep. He didn’t really care for much anymore. He tried his best to stay engaged and involved, keep himself busy, but it was extremely challenging.
A five-hour flight, with nothing to do.
“You guys excited?” Hank asked.
“Yeah!” 
“Definitely.” 
“I’m hoping I can use some new moves Mystquie’s been teaching me.”
“Mhmm…” Warren mumbled. 
Hank glanced at him. He looked depressing. 
“We’re in London for a week, I bet we’ll have some time to do sightseeing or go out.” 
“Ooo!” Jean nudged Scott. “That’ll be fun, right babe?”
He nodded, “Oh yeah.”
Warren brought Peter’s walkman with him, and put in his earbuds and closed his eyes, assumingly taking a nap.
-
Once they arrived and checked into their rooms, Warren was still tired. He wanted to take another nap. 
“So, I think we should go out tonight—” Hank handed everyone their room keys, “—You guys have been working really hard, and not much praise is given by Alex or Raven, or Erik when he occasionally shows up… but we’re proud of you.” 
“Aww…” “Thanks, Hank…” 
Warren just offered a smile.
“We can unpack and get changed if you guys want, we can go out and get some dinner?”
Everyone thought Hank’s plan was good, and they separated into their rooms.
“You doing okay?” Scott asked while unpacking his bag. 
“Yeah… Why?”
“You didn’t say anything the whole ride here.”
“I took a nap,” Warren unzipped his bag.
“Oh.” 
“I’m not going to unexpectedly burst into tears.” Warren snapped.
“I didn’t say you were—” 
“Everyone thinks I am, I’m not stupid. I know you think I’m emotionally unstable and Hank’s been acting all nice on this mission because of it.” 
“Are you?” 
“What?” 
Scott sat down on his bed, “Are you emotionally unstable?”
Warren glared at him, “I’ve been working my ass off for this mission. I’ve trained longer and harder than anybody else. Do I look unstable to you?” 
“No! I just thought—” 
“Doesn’t matter. I’m gonna shower and get dressed for dinner.” He walked into the bathroom and slammed the door.
-
Hank had asked the woman at the front desk a good place to eat. She recommended some local place down the road. He rounded up the kids, despite there only being four of them.
“A night out will do us good.” 
“You’ve been saying that,” Warren mumbled. 
“You didn’t have to come you know,” Ororo stated. 
“I have nothing better to do with my time.”
Ororo kept her mouth shut, knowing she could have said something back, but knowing Warren, it was better not to.
-
The restaurant was pretty crowded, despite it being the middle of the week, but the group still managed to get a table. 
Their server was friendly. They got drinks. They ordered their food. 
“You okay, Warren?” Hank noticed he hardly touched his food.
“Mhmm… Just not that hungry. I’ll probably get a box.” 
“Oh, okay,” Hank nodded, a little unsure. 
-
They left the restaurant and went back to the hotel. Warren took his shirt off and laid on his bed. 
“I’m gonna hang out with Jean… You gonna be okay?”
Warren let out a breathy laugh, “Yeah, yeah. Go have fun, Cyclops… I’m going to bed.” 
Warren couldn’t sleep. He didn’t really want to. He turned on the tv, trying to find something to watch. 
Someone knocked on the door while he was in the middle of some cooking show. Warren got up and opened his door. “Hey, Ro.” 
“Hey, Jean kicked me out. Wanna go for a swim in the pool?”
“Sure.”
He quickly got changed and followed Ororo downstairs.
The got into the elevator and were quiet at first.
“I think they have a hot tub.”
“Cool.” 
Ororo glanced at Warren and sighed. “I’m here for you if you want to talk.”
He nodded, “I know.” 
“For real. You’re allowed to talk about your feelings.”
“I don’t want to.”
Ororo sighed, “Warren…” 
 He looked back at her. “I want this all to be over.”  
“(Y/N)—”
“It’s not fair! Everyone in my life has left me or used me somehow— and I know she’s different, but it’s not fair! I was so happy with her and—” 
The elevator stopped. It wasn’t their floor. The doors opened the reveal a young woman. She had a familiar glow to her and leaves in her hair. 
Warren looked at her, feeling lightheaded at seeing her.
“(Y/N)?”
-
Warren woke up in his hotel bed. He wasn’t sure how he got there. He didn’t even remember going to the pool with Ororo. All he could remember was her. 
(Y/N).
He looked over to his left and saw Scott peacefully asleep in his bed, sleep mask on and everything. The TV was off, and so were all the lights. Warren couldn’t go back to bed, it wasn’t an option. 
He quietly got out of bed and slipped on his shoes, slowly opening the door, as to not wake Scott.
He went out to the halls. He had no plan, no idea where he was going, but he needed to get out. 
He walked around, lost in the halls late at night. He wasn’t tired, but he was upset. He didn’t want to keep crying, he didn’t want to be so dependent on (Y/N), but without her— 
The sound of thunder interrupted his thoughts. He looked outside and saw it was raining. It reminded him of (Y/N)— without her, all it did was rain and snow. 
-
Hank said they were looking for someone. Someone Xaiver wanted to bring back to the mansion. This type of mission was more stealth and would require little physical fighting. 
Hank got told from an anonymous source she’d be at some socialite gathering.
“Scott, Jean, you’re going to pretend to be some young, rich, American couple. Get in there, find our target, and get her alone. Convince her to come back with us if that doesn’t work let us know on the comms.” 
“What does she look like?” 
“Her name is Betsy Braddock—” Hank pulled up a file with all her information on his tablet. 
“What does Xavier want with her?” Warren asked, anger rising in his tone. 
Betsy… She left him to die in Egypt. She got him wrapped up in the Apocalypse cult nonsense. He didn’t want to see her again, he didn’t want to see her ever. 
“She knows something about the attacks in Italy we dealt with around Christmas, plus she’s somewhat telepathic… I know your past with her is messy, but—”
“It’s fine. I don’t care.” Everyone looked at Warren, surprised at his statement. 
“Alright. You guys know what to do— Jean, Scott, get dressed and ready for the party. I’ll get you an uber— Ororo, Warren, You guys are going to a hideout location not far from the location of the party, in case backup is needed. I’m going to stay and operate things here. 
-
The first few hours of the mission went as expected. Jean and Scott made small talk with people, trying to find Betsy. 
Warren didn’t want to see her, or more, he didn’t want her to see him in his current emotional state. But it didn’t matter what he wanted. He argued and insisted on joining this mission, and now he could see why Xavier was hesitant to let him go.
“I see her,” Jean said. “She’s not with anyone.” 
Jean’s earpiece was quiet after that. 
Warren and Ororo sat there for what felt like forever. Jean and Scott talked occasionally, but it was never directly to them. 
The young couple eventually lured Betsy into an empty room.
“You didn’t really bring me up here to sleep with me, did you?” She asked, messing with her hair in the slight reflection from a window. 
Jean shook her head, “No. But we want you to come back with us… You’ve heard of Charles Xavier…” 
Betsy nodded. 
“He wants you to help him with the attacks on the mutant community in southern Italy.” 
“What will he give me in return?” Scott and Jean exchanged a quick glance. They weren’t exactly sure. 
Scott’s voice faltered slightly, “You can…”
Jean finished his sentence. “—You can discuss that with him when we get to New York.” 
Betsy turned her head to look at them, “And what if I say no?”
“We’ll chase you down until you do,” Scott stated with more confidence than before.
“Alright. I’ll go with you.” 
-
Betsy had no idea Warren was in London, or even alive for that matter. Warren had no idea how she was going to react, and he didn’t really want to find out. 
But he didn’t really have an option. 
“Give us time to pack up and we can leave for Westchester,” Jean explained in the ride back to the hotel. 
“Who else is with you?” 
“Dr. McCoy is back at the hotel, and Ororo and Warren should be there too.” Betsy’s expression changed. “You probably know them as—”
“I know exactly who they are. I thought Warren died…”
Scott shook his head, “Nope. He’s doing great.” Scott blinked away the uncertainty hidden behind his words. 
Betsy nodded, unsure what to say. She thought about maybe jumping out of the car, and never seeing these people again. She knew Warren would be angry when he saw her. She couldn’t blame him. 
“He’s not upset with you…” Betsy looked at Jean, a bit shocked. “He’s hurting from something else… Don’t ask about it… just trust me...” 
“Easy for you to say.” Betsy scoffed.
Jean shook her head, “You’ll see…”
“We’re here.” The driver stopped the car and the three got out. 
Betsy looked up at the hotel the group was staying at, “Nice place.” 
They walked in and headed to the nearest elevator. Jean was fidgeting with the comm in her ear. 
“We got back about twenty minutes ago,” Ororo said.
“We’re on our way to our rooms,” Jean replied.
The elevator dinged, signaling it was at the destined floor.
-
They packed up quickly, and stood out in the hall, bags in hand. 
Hank introduced himself to Betsy. Her response was short, she was preoccupied with her ex-boyfriend standing less than five feet away from her. 
“Hi.”
He looked sad and more tired than usual. Seeing him sober was mind-blowing to Betsy, but people change. She hadn’t seen him in a few years— sure they saw each other during the Apocalypse incident, but that was a few days— she was really going to see him this time. 
He didn’t respond to her. She frowned. 
The plane ride was long and tedious. Betsy had nothing to do and wanted nothing more than to leave. So, she decided to try and talk to Warren again.
“Hey.” He turned his head around best he could and looked at Betsy questioningly. She nodded. “What’s up?”
“Not much.” Warren wasn’t exactly in the mood to talk.
“Cool… Cool…” 
There was a pause before Warren spoke up, “Do you need anything?” 
“Just wanted to talk…” 
“You have other options.” 
Betsy rolled her eyes. 
“I don’t really wanna talk to you right now… And I don’t need you poking around in my head either.” 
“I wasn’t going to,” She said calmly. 
Warren didn’t respond. Betsy sighed, he was useless. Warren wasn’t going to talk even if she forced him. And she couldn’t really blame him, but she had a lingering feeling in her stomach. 
Probably just my dinner digesting… 
-
At some point, Betsy fell asleep, for when the plane landed Hank had to wake her up. She rubbed her eyes and undid her seatbelt. 
“Do we have to go through security again?” Scott asked. 
“Yeah, we left the country,” Hank told him while glancing at his watch.
Scott was not too thrilled. Everyone was tired to some degree. It was extremely late, and they went back a few hours due to the time zone.
“It won’t be that long. There’s hardly anyone here.” 
Everyone went through security and headed to the baggage claim to get their stuff. 
Jean was the first to get her suitcase— a medium-sized, teal one— Warren was next, and his was all black, to no one’s surprise, but the nametag on it looked drastic tied to the handle. 
It was clear, with glitter and flowers trapped inside it. It didn’t seem like Warren at all to Betsy, but what did she know? 
-
Hank took Betsy to an empty room and told her she could sleep there for the time being. She set her bags on the floor and looked around. There was a dated-looking wallpaper upon the walls, and the bed took up a little under half of the room. 
It was alright. 
Betsy rummaged through her bag for some pajamas when she heard footsteps. 
Hank had left almost immediately after he showed her the room, so it couldn’t be him. She opened the door only to see Warren walking down the hall. She quietly followed him, staying several steps behind. 
He went down to the main floor, and even further down into the basement. 
This place is huge! Betsy said to herself. 
The basement looked different from the rest of the mansion, for the walls and floor were made of metal. 
Warren turned right, into a room within the basement. Betsy held her breath as she got closer. 
What is he doing down here?
Betsy caught sight of a girl laying in a hospital bed. Warren sat down next to her and started talking… 
That’s why he’s on edge…  Betsy had accidentally bumped into something, making a loud noise. 
Warren shot up, “Who’s there?” 
Betsy tried to sneak out, but Warren caught her.
“Betsy!” 
She froze. 
“Why were you following me?”
“Why are you visiting a coma patient at three in the morning?” She asked back.
“She’s my girlfriend.” 
“I mean I figured as much—”
“So leave.” He cut her off and was sharp. “Please…” He pleaded more in his last word.
She looked at her unconscious figure, “I could help…” 
“No,” He was stern.
“I could—” “—You’d kill her.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” She defended.
“Yeah, you would. Her mutation makes her basically hibernate until March, so she’s fine.”
“I could still help— I’ve helped you before…”
“No, you didn’t! You were constantly going in and out of my life whenever it was convenient for you and came back when I didn’t need you too! You— you ruined my life!”
Betsy felt a wave of guilt wash over her.
“Look…” Warren sighed.  “Betsy… I’m sorry. I don’t want your help… I don’t want you to hurt her.” 
Betsy nodded, she knew Warren wasn’t going to change his mind. 
“Okay.” 
“What?”
“I won’t help you.” She left the medical room, leaving Warren alone with his thoughts.
-
Over the next few days, Betsy accommodated herself to the mansion, giving Xavier the information he wanted, and exploring the grounds. 
She was almost always accompanied by Jubilee, per some people’s request, seeing as her past wasn’t spotless. 
Jubilee was full of energy, and always willing to tell Betsy whatever she asked about. 
“Who’s Warren’s girlfriend?”
“Her name is (Y/N). She controls plants. She can also grow them from her body. And her eyes change color based on her mood… She’s uh, she’s not around at the moment, but that’s not important.” 
Betsy nodded along as Jubilee spoke. “Is he happy?” 
“Do you miss him?” 
Betsy struggled to let out a straight answer, “No— ugh— I just— I ruined his life.” 
“You didn’t ruin his life!” Betsy glared at her. “Okay, okay, maybe you kind of did ruin his life, but he’s fine now. He’s just a little on edge you’re here and (Y/N) isn’t.” 
“I don’t need to stay here—” 
“Bullshit!” Jubilee exclaimed.  “You’ve got nowhere else to go, really.”
“It’s more complicated than that.”
-
Betsy was rarely ever alone. She was too busy helping the X-Men. 
She had a few moments to herself though. She was never sure what to do. She couldn’t just up and leave and go out to some bar and sulk in a corner and come back drunk and angry— that’d paint her as extremely irresponsible. She didn’t want to bore or impose on the X-Men if she didn’t have to. 
She wandered around the mansion. It was massive and somewhat old and stuffy looking, but also gave off those classic school vibes.
Betsy wandered into the basement at some point and quickly learned, that was where the X-Men trained, made battle and mission plans, stored their jet, Hank worked on costumes and more in his lab, and where their medical bay was kept. 
She knew she shouldn’t be down there alone. Betsy wasn’t going to do anything bad, but it felt wrong. 
She was watching a girl in a coma sleep. There were so many things wrong about that. 
Of course, no one would really care, except for maybe Warren— but he had every good reason to.
“You keep visiting me.” 
Betsy almost jumped. The voice had startled her. She thought she was alone. 
“Jean?” But didn’t sound like Jean. Betsy couldn’t decipher who it was. 
She sat there for another thirty minutes, hoping the voice would return, but it didn’t. 
So she got up and left. 
It was probably just a student. My telepathic abilities aren’t the strongest. It was probably just a student somewhere on the grounds…
She didn’t tell anyone about the voice. She didn’t want to seem crazy, because it probably didn’t mean anything. 
-
“Hey,  guys! I found this on my google drive! It’s a bunch of videos from Xavier’s fourth of July party!” Peter had his laptop open at a table, with a few papers spread about. 
Everyone, including Betsy, gathered around Peter as he played a few video clips.
It was Warren, Peter, Scott, and (Y/N) all together in the first one. They were walking in a parking lot with shopping bags in their hands. 
“We just spent—” Peter cut Warren off.
“We just spent $2,000 on fireworks! Holy fuck!” Everyone else is laughing at his enthusiasm. 
“Can’t Jubilee just produce fireworks? Why did we need this many anyway?” 
“It’s for the American aesthetic, (Y/N)!” 
They got into the car and Peter was still recording. 
“Weren’t you born in Poland or something?” 
“America was founded on immigration—”
The clip was cut off, and the next one played automatically. But Betsy remembered the voice. The female one. It was like the one she heard in the basement… was (Y/N) trying to contact her?
She tried to focus as the next few clips played, she needed to hear (Y/N)’s voice again.
“Kurt, look—” Peter was still recording with his smartphone, he had zoomed in on a darker part of Xavier’s. It was a tree, and two people were leaning up against it— clearly making out. 
“Jean told me she went to get more popsicles!” Kurt whined. 
Everyone watching was laughing, except for Scott and Jean, who were extremely embarrassed they got caught. 
“You ain’t slick, Summers.”
“Shut up.” 
Footsteps could be heard. “What are we doing?” (Y/N) asked.
“Look—” Kurt motioned to the couple at the tree. 
“Oh, gross. They don’t even know we’re watching! And to think… Warren went inside to see what Jean was doing…”
“Well, he won’t find out,” Kurt joked. 
Betsy knew she heard (Y/N) voice in the basement… but why? Was she a ghost? Did her unconscious state allow her to communicate telepathically? 
She needed to go back there, alone, but she knew that was almost impossible. Hank was almost always down in the lab, and Warren was almost always visiting (Y/N). 
-
That didn’t really matter to her. Betsy needed to talk to her or hear her voice again. She thought about asking Jean, but she thought that would be fruitless. 
She went to visit (Y/N) again, but this time she spoke to her. 
“Can you hear me?” 
No response. 
“My name is Betsy Braddock. I know who you are and I’m not going to hurt you.” 
Betsy huffed, “This is stupid!” She got up and began to walk out. 
“Wait!” Betsy froze. (Y/N) said something. “You keep visiting me…”
“I’m just curious about you,” Betsy responded.
“Why?” 
“I don’t know I—” 
“Betsy?” Warren’s voice was stern and almost angry. “What are you doing here?”
“I can hear her. Like, with my abilities… I know you didn’t really want me down here and I understand—”
“Then why are you here?” 
“I wanted to see if I could communicate with her telepathically…” She admitted.  “That’s all. I’m not trying to wake her or anything.” 
“I’m sorry… but I can hear people and it’s nice to have someone who can hear me back…” 
Betsy, plagued with guilt, looked over at (Y/N), whos lifeless form hadn’t changed a bit, despite the obvious sadness in her words.
“I just feel, so bad and I don’t know why and… I ruined your life. There’s no shortcut, without me you would have left the fighting ring in less than three weeks… You’d have your feathery wings still… but I loved you and I couldn’t let go, and I thought bringing Apocalypse to you would make up for all the shit I did…” 
“I was a kid. I didn’t even know what love meant! And I’m not avoiding you on purpose, I don’t resent you as much as I did when I first came here… but I don’t know what you want, okay? Our lives aren’t connected anymore, and I just want (Y/N) back...” Warren was biting down on his lip to keep himself from breaking down crying. 
“Tell him I’m sorry.” 
“(Y/N) said she’s sorry…” 
Warren’s gaze shifted between the two girls. 
“Why is she sorry?”
“All I’ve done since Christmas is make him unhappy and upset. He deserves someone who isn’t asleep for part of the year.”
“She said, you deserve someone who isn’t asleep for part of the year.” 
Warren walked over to (Y/N)’s body, he held her hand in his. “It’s not about what I may or may not deserve. It’s about what I want and love.” 
“I love him…” 
Betsy was about to repeat what she said, but Warren was crying. He had let a single tear drip down. 
It landed on (Y/N)’s hand. And soon as it did, her eyes flew open. 
-
She was gasping for air, eyes squinting up at the fluorescent lights. (Y/N) heard voices. 
“She’s awake…” 
“It’s almost March, that might be too early—“
“—I’ll be fine,” (Y/N) interrupted. She rubbed her eyes and turned her eyes away from the lights, looking over at Warren, who was at her side, tears in his eyes. 
“Betsy, go get Hank.” He instructed. Warren looked back at (Y/N), holding her hand in his, and his other cupping her cheek. 
“Hi.” She murmured in a groggy tone. 
“Hi.” He kissed her forehead. “I missed you.”
“I know… I’m sorry…”
“Sorry?” Warren was perplexed. “What for?” 
“I couldn’t stay awake, and I hurt you, Warren. I made you cry and think you weren’t good enough for me…” She snuffled her nose. 
“That’s bullshit. You could never hurt me. I was crying because I couldn’t do anything. The last time I saw you was before I went to Italy on some dumb mission— I missed you… I missed your smile, I missed how you’d make flower crowns and put them on my head, how I could go to you after a nightmare no matter what time of night it was, or how you told me I helped you become more assertive and learn it’s okay to say no, or you showing me the beauty in everything— I…” His voice was breaking, but all (Y/N) could see in his eyes was happiness.  “I can’t live without you… I love you.”
“Oh, Warren, baby…” She squeezed his hand. 
Warren cupped her face with his free hand and kissed her. 
That one kiss said everything he wanted to say. It let out his feelings. It had passion and swiftness backing it up, followed by his undying love for (Y/N). 
She kissed him back, trying to make up for the time they’ve lost. Her lips fit prefectures against his. 
It was like the first time they kissed, full of everything she wanted, except much longer, with more meaning to it. 
They broke apart slowly, almost as if they didn’t want to. 
“I love you too…” She murmured.
383 notes · View notes
dalamjisung · 4 years
Text
messing with my head ❀ im jaebeom
word count: 6515
genre: hospital!au, fluff
pairing: neurosurgeon!jaebeom x baker!reader
description: he always care for everyone, but no once cares for him. until you show up. 
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It’s a condition in which there is an over-accumulation of fluid in the brain… surgery for a shunt… potential brain damage… some complications can occur… if not, he’ll live a normal, happy life… timely surgery… fatal. 
                                                                ————————
The day your little brother was born was the happiest day of your life. Eight years ago, little Taehyung gave you a sense of purpose. You were now a big sister– you had someone to love and protect. You had someone to teach, and someone to learn from. As a daughter, you might not have been the best; you rebelled and partied for a while; insisted on bad decision; hung out with the wrong people. But that all changed once you turned 16, and Taehyung turned one. You still remember the moment that the change happened. It was his birthday, and he looked as tiny as ever in his little overalls and fuzzy socks. Just as you were about to blow out the candles for him, he giggles and points his chubby finger at you.
“Y/N!” He screeches, laughter following. “Y/N! Y/N!”
Your mother looks at you, eyes wide and tearful. “That’s right, Taehyung-ie, that’s your noona, Y/N.”
“Y/N!” He screams again and wiggles out of your father’s grasp, crawling to you. 
You pick him up, hugging your little brother close. Tears fall on his head and you let out a gurgled laugh, allowing your parents to hug their children. After that day– the day that Taehyung’s first word was you,– you promised to be better. For your parents, for Taehyung, for yourself. It was time for improvement. You started looking for part-time jobs, stopped hanging out with those bad people, and only attended parties every once in a while. You were lucky your grades never slipped, so you kept up with your studies easily. 
One day, after school, you were walking back home with a friend when you passed by a small, white bakery. No name, no advertisement, nothing but a small we sell delicious baked goods! on the window.
“You go ahead,” You tell your friend as you walk to the bakery. “I’m gonna check this out.”
“I’ll go with you,” Hyejin says, smiling. “Moral support and all.”
Out of all your friends, Hyejin is the only one you knew to be real– she was unforgivingly herself, and you admired that a lot. She’s always been by your side, supporting you and calling you out on your shit. Her friendship is one you’ll never give up on. 
You two walk in, arm in arm, and initially you see no one, but then you hear a pained grunting from behind the counter and you lean over, looking at an elderly woman trying to carry a box that was visibly too have for her. 
“Let me help you, ma’am,” You smile, walking around the counter and easily picking the box up. “Where shall I put this?”
“Ah, thank you so much,” She says smiling, and once you notice how her eyes almost disappear under such bright and wide smile, you feel something inside of you telling that you belong in that place. “I’m getting too old for this…”
“Not at all,” You joke. “I just eat a lot, so I’m freakishly strong.”
She laughs at that and you already feel oddly fond of that woman. 
“You remind me a lot of my grandson, young lady,” She says and start moving around, grabbing things; first a plate, then a cup. “Sit over there, sweetie, I’ll get you and your friend something to eat.”
“Oh, you don’t have to,” Hyejin says, smiling kindly. 
“Please, let me do at least that,” She says, and you two sit down, keeping an eye in case she needed any more help. She brings you two pieces of cake and iced tea, and you are sure you saw stars when you took the first bite, humming in appreciation. “Ah, I’m going to miss this– the look on your faces just made my day…”
“Are you leaving, ma’am?” You ask frowning in disappointment. You had just found out about this place…
“Unfortunately, I might have to close the bakery,” She sighs, looking down at her feet. “I’ve been running this place for almost forty years, with some help here and there, but now I’m old, and I can’t do the things as fast and efficiently as I used to.”
“Have you been working here by yourself, ma’am?” Hyejin frowns.
“My grandson used to help me when he was in high school,” She smiles proudly. “I had to practically kick him out of here so that he’d go to college… but ever since, it’s been just me.” “Let me work here.”
The request comes out fast and strong and you think that’s what makes the owner consider, looking you up and down.
“And why would a young, beautiful girl like you want to work with an old woman like me?” She laughs, dusting her hands in her dress. “You should be enjoying your youth, little girl.”
“Done that already,” You smile, following after her with your used plates and cups. “I want to help my parents. I want to be a good daughter. And I want to be happy while doing so. Let me work here… please.”
“What makes you think you’ll be happy here? Look around you, sweetheart; this place is run down. Customers barely come, anymore, and all I have left are my recipes and good memories. I can’t pay you much, and it’s a very time consuming job, I don’t thi–”
“I don’t care about the pay,” You smile, leaning over the counter. “Ma’am, this place is incredible. My mother’s been backing ever since I was born, so I know a thing or two. I see how happy she is when she’s baking and I see how happy you look in here… I’m sorry if I sound crazy, but please. Let me work here. I can come everyday after school, and even before if you need help prepping ingredients and–”
She raises her hand, silencing you in the process. She has a stern face, observing you. Your smile falters.
“I’m sorry,” You mumble, suddenly embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to press you or disrespect you.”
“Crazy,” She says, squinting. “Might just be what I need… can you start tomorrow?”
And that’s how it all begun. 
                                                               ————————
Seven years after that, you now manage Sweet Dreams alongside Ms. Im. At first, your parents were a little unsure about you working at the bakery, afraid that you’d not handle the weight of school and work very well, but you proved them wrong with each day that passed, improving not only your grades, but also helping out at the house. They refuse to let you help with expanses and told you to put all your paychecks in a saving account, so that you could go to college comfortably. You are now 23 and although you have plans for college one day, you just can’t seem to leave Ms. Im and the bakery behind. The amount of work you put into the place made it your home; you named it, painted it, fixed some of it. Ms. Im has been your mentor ever since you were sixteen and leaving her behind would be like leaving family– and you’d never leave your family. 
Especially not right now.
“How’s the little guy?” Ms. Im asks as you arrive, the sky outside still dark. You had to start prepping the ingredients and baked goods early in the morning, waking up before the sun and observing as it rises along with your cakes. 
“Sleeping a lot still,” You mumble, sounding as worried as you feel. “He complains about headaches all the time and he’s always sick… I’m really worried about him.”
“Are your parents working today?” Ms. Im asks just as you are about to put your apron on. 
“Yeah,” You sigh, suddenly getting a headache yourself. “He’s with grandpa right now, and we think that Advil has been helping, but we can’t keep pushing it much further… it’s been four days already.”
“Take that apron off,” Ms. Im demands and you do it without questioning. “We’re not opening the shop today.”
“What?” You shriek. “But Friday is one of our busiest days!”
“And one of the mellow days at the hospital,” She winks. “Let’s go, I’m driving you.”
“Ms. Im,” You follow her outside, shivering as you haven’t had the time to even put your jacket on. “I can take Taehyung myself, you don’t have to bother, really!”
“You walked into my shop seven years ago begging for a job,” Ms. Im says as she starts driving to your house. “Not only I gained a reliable worker, but I gained a daughter. Now stop complaining; Taehyung can’t see his sister freaking out like that.”
“Thank you,” You smile, wiping a few stray tears away. “Thank you so much.”
“No problem, dear,” She chuckles. “I promise it will be quick– if I’m not wrong, he’s still at the hospital doing an early shift.”
“Who?” You ask.
“My grandson.”
In seven years of working for Ms. Im, you are pretty sure you’ve heard about her grandson at least twice a day. She is incredibly proud of him; he went from a trouble maker to a very successful doctor, it’s all you remember. You are not sure what he does exactly, but you always noticed the tinge of sadness in her voice when she talked about him. In seven year, you heard about him everyday; but in seven years, you’ve never seen him at the shop. 
“Go get the kid,” Ms. Im says pulling up to your house. “I’ll wait here.”
You manage to not wake up you grandfather in the process, but you make sure to leave a note in the fridge telling him that you’re taking your brother to the hospital. 
“Where are we going?” Taehyung asks, groaning as you pick him up from his bed.
“Where going to the hospital, baby,” You say soothingly. “Remember how I went to see a nice doctor when I was in pain and then I felt good? I’m going to take you to see a nice doctor, too.”
“Okay,” Taehyung says and lays his head on your shoulder, drifting back to sleep. 
You text your parents from the car and you promise to keep them updated in case they have to go to the hospital too. Ms. Im parks the car and guides you through the maze that is the hospital, walking as if she owned the place. Some doctors stopped to say hello but she’d keep walking, marching with a purpose, almost. 
“Ms. Im,” You plead, looking around nervously. “We have to get in line, or maybe talk to a nurse, I don’t think we–“
“Ya!” She shouts, waving her small arms above her head and getting everyone’s attention. “Yugyeom!”
If you could hide, you would; but at the same time, you’d never been more thankful towards her, who’s done so much for you as it is. A tall doctor looks around, looking for the source of the ruckus, and he smiles widely when he sees her, jogging his way over. 
“Halmoni!” He shouts and hugs her tightly.
So this is him?, you think to yourself, holding Taehyung tightly against yourself. Is this the famous grandson?
“Y/N,” Ms. Im calls. “This is Yugyeom. Or Dr. Kim, as he is known around here. He is one of the best pediatricians in the city, so I am sure he can help. He’s friends with my boy.”
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” He smiles gently. “Who’s that little guy?”
“Oh!” As if you have just awaken from a trance, you bow to him as best as you can while holding your brother. “It’s nice to meet you too; I’m sorry for the sudden visit, Doctor, but–“
“Will the nice doctor help me?” Taehyung asks, looking at the tall man. 
“Yes, I will,” Yugyeom smiles. “What’s your name?”
“Taehyung,” He yawns, and then raises both his hands, putting down both his thumbs. “And I’m eight.”
“Ah, you’re a big guy already,” Dr. Kim says. “Follow me, please. We can talk better in my office.”
While Taehyung played with an alien stuffed doll, you explained the situation to Dr. Kim Yugyeom; your brother has been sleeping a lot these days, and complaining of headaches and dizziness. He’s been sick and crying and you are desperate. 
“Ah,” Dr. Kim’s face changes and he looks almost in pain. His brows are furrowed and he looks at Taehyung with worry. “Would you mind if I called a colleague here? I want a second opinion on something and he might have a better understanding of it than me…”
“Oh, yes, of course,” You mumble, hands fidgeting. 
Ms. Im stands by your side, and she puts a hand on top of yours, silently promising support. She’s been there for your first heartbreak; she’s been by your side through arguments, and fights, and birthdays, and celebrations. The fact that she is with you in that moment made things less hard; it made you believe that everything would be okay. 
“Excuse me,” Someone calls from the door. “Hello, I’m Dr. I–“
“Ya, Im Jaebeom, you ungrateful child!” Ms. Im shouts and you jump from your seat a little, surprised with the outburst. “Do I have to come all the way over here and bother your friends to finally see you?”
Ah, you think, holding a chuckle back. This is him. 
The man blinks, lost and confused, before smiling wide. That was the confirmation you needed– the way his eyes disappear under his wide smile was exactly the same as Ms. Im.
“Grandma!” He hugs her tight. “I’m sorry, halmoni, things have been crazy here in the hospital…”
“You could’ve called,” She pouts and hugs him back. “But we’ll talk about that another time. Dr. Kim called you here for another reason.”
“Is everything okay?” He asks, looking at his grandmother. “Are you eating properly? Do you have any joint pain? Backache?”
“I’m strong as a bull, child,” She laughs. “It’s Y/N that needs your help.”
You respectfully bow to him. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Im. I’m Y/N, and this is Taehyung.”
He looks at you and bows back. Dr. Im Jaebeom looks a little taken aback and you move uncomfortably under his gaze, bringing your brother closer. 
“So you are the crazy girl that my grandmother talks so much about,” He says, and there is a certain something in his voice that you just can’t seem to grasp– an edge that made you shiver. “What can I help you with?”
“It’s the boy,” Dr. Kim says in a soft voice. “He’s only eight and he’s been experiencing strong headaches. He sleeps a lot and is always dizzy and sick… all symptoms seem to add to hydrocephalus, but I wanted to consult with you before diagnosing him. Can you take a look?”
“Of course,” Dr. Im moves quickly and efficiently, crouching in front of Taehyung. “Hi there, buddy– would you mind if I touched your head really quick?”
The consultation goes by quick and you don’t understand any of it; they talk in medical terms and when they finally take the time to talk to you, your brother is already being admitted to the hospital. You numbly sign all the necessary paperwork and when you come back to your senses, you are standing outside of Taehyung’s room, and Dr. Im is moving his lips, but you can’t hear a thing.
“I’m sorry,” You sigh, frustrated. “Can you repeat that? I don’t know what happened, I just– I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
He frowns and you feel like hiding again. His gaze is burning on your skin and can only wonder how dumb he must think you are.
“Sure,” He clears hi throat. “Taehyung-ie has a condition called hydrocephalus, in which the over-accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid inside the skull causes pressure on the brain. This is why he is having headaches and dizziness. When did this start?”
“Around four days ago,” You choke on your words. “Is it dangerous? Can you treat him?”
“All conditions have potential to be dangerous, but you did good in bringing him here as early as you could,” Dr. Im says, nodding to himself. “Unfortunately, this is not something that just goes away with time, nor something that can be medicated. The only solution is surgery.”
“Surgery?” You whimper, letting your shoulders fall in defeat. “What is the success rates of this surgery, Doctor?”
“The shunt surgery has a higher success rate for children,” He explain carefully. “But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have risks. Because we will insert a shunt inside of him to help with the circulation of the fluid accumulated in his head, things like shunt failure or infection can happen, but that’s why we’ll keep him in the hospital for an observation period.”
You nod, processing everything he’s telling you. 
“Alright,” You whisper. “Okay. What are the next steps?”
“You’ll have to go to the Financial office to talk about the expenses,” As he talked, you could only fixate your eyes on the embroidery of his coat. Im Jaebeom. “We’ll schedule the surgery for tomorrow. The sooner we do this, the better. We only need his mother to sign the consent form.”
He extends some papers and a pen towards you and you look back at him, suddenly at a loss of words. 
“I… uh, I-I’m not his mother,” You smile tightly. “I’m him older sister.”
“Oh, I apologize, I assumed that–“
“Haven’t I raised you right, Im Jaebeom?” Ms. Im asks, coming with two cups of coffee in hand, and you frown alongside her grandson. “Never assume… tsk, for a doctor he is really stupid, isn’t he, Y/N?”
You chuckle. “You must think we’re all idiots here if you intend on drinking that coffee, Ms. Im. You know it’s not good for you!”
She laughs. “This is for you two,” She gives one to Jaebeom and the other to you. “To keep up the energy.”
“When my parents arrive I’ll ask my mother to sign the papers,” You turn to the doctor, still too intimidated to look him in the eyes. “They should be here soon, so you can schedule the surgery for tomorrow.”
You don’t even see him leaving, allowing your body to fall on a waiting chair. You are not sure if you fell asleep or simply gave up, but when you open your eyes again, you are on the couch inside your brother’s room.
                                                               ————————
Taehyung was prepped for surgery and you couldn’t even look. You held his tiny hand, but your eyes were fixated on Dr. Im Jaebeom’s. He looked at you as intensely as you looked at him, and although you had a weird feeling that this man hated you, his piercing eyes on yours were the only thing holding you together. You couldn’t cry in front of Taehyung, and you couldn’t cry in front of Dr. Im. Simple as that. 
“We’ll take him now,” One of the nurses tell you and you nod, walking behind them and behind Ms. Im and her grandson. You feel alone at that moment, with your parents supporting each other, with the Im’s chatting together, and with your little man going into surgery. He’s the one that walks with you, and you feel as if you failed him. 
Dr. Im turns around and looks at you. “The surgery will last from about an hour to two hours. If it takes a bit longer, don’t worry, it just means that we’re doing our best to make everything right. I prefer to take my time and have a successful surgery than to rush things. A nurse will keep you updated so that you are aware of everything that’s happening in there.”
“Take care of him,” You say, voice strong, surprising everyone. “Or I will kill you.”
And for the first time, you’ve seen Im Jaebeom smile at you. You mother slaps your shoulder, but you ignore the sting, maintaining eye contact.
“We’ll do our best,” He says chuckling. “That is all I can promise you.”
“That’s all I need,” You say and nod at him. “Thank you, Doctor.”
You are not sure what happens in between, but Dr. Im comes out through the doors and in your head only thirty minutes passed; instantly you are washed with dread. You try to stand up but your legs give out and you’d be on the floor if not for his reflexes.
“My brother,” You breath out, frantically looking into his eyes as he tries to talk to you. “Taehyung-ie– is he okay? That was too fast, it was too quick– what happened? Dr. Im–“
“The surgery took two hours and he’s perfectly fine,” Dr. Im says, frowning deeply. Is he always frowning?, you wonder as he drags you to the nearest chair. “Taehyung is doing fine; he’s still asleep because of the anesthesia, but he’s under observation and he’s safe.”
“Thank you,” You whisper, starting to cry. You slouch your shoulders forward and burry your face on your hands. “Thank you so much, oh my god, thank you Dr. Im.”
“Y/N,” He calls, pulling your face up. He looks at your eyes, puts a hand on your forehead, and frowns even more. “Are you feeling okay? You look like you’ve been in and out of reality for the past two days… you feel warm.”
“I’m good,” You smile. “Just haven’t eaten in a while. I’ll do it as soon as I see my brother.”
“No, stay here for a second,” He says and leaves with long strides.
He’s okay, you think to yourself, trying to stop the tears. Taehyung is okay. Pull yourself together, Y/N.
“Drink this,” Dr. Im puts a cup on your hand and gives you an energy bar. “And eat this.”
“What about you?” 
His eyes widened. “I-I’ll eat something later…”
Is he embarrassed?
“You have to eat, too, Doctor, you look worn out,” You smile. “You care about everyone, but yourself, huh?”
“Yah,” He laughs, and you chuckle with him, suddenly feeling your energy coming back although you didn’t eat yet. “You sound just like my grandmother.”
“Well, she did mentor me for seven years,” You shrug your shoulders, with a fond look on your face. “Your grandmother means a lot to me…”
“The fact that you took care of her all these years means a lot to me,” He admits, looking slightly guilty. “After I left to go to medical school, I couldn’t come back and check on her as often as I wanted. Then one day she called me, and she told me about this crazy, beautiful girl, who begged her for a job in her run down bakery and… well, I worried for a while, because she did say the girl was crazy, but then she tells me how good this girl is, how kind, and I know I can stop worrying all the time. I know she’s not alone… I might have been jealous, sometimes, I’ll admit, but thank you, Y/N. For everything you’ve done for my halmoni.”
You are at a loss of words. For someone who looks so cold and collected to sound so emotional and true was a shock. 
“I am the one that should be thanking you,” You chuckle incredulously. “You saved my brother’s live.”
“But that’s my job,” He smiles, looking to the floor and then looking back at you. It is almost as if all the air in your lungs disappeared, and you suddenly don’t know how to breath. “Taking care of my grandmother is not your job.”
Before you can say something his phone beeps and he gets up.
“Taehyung is awake,” He smiles and did he always have those moles under his eyebrow? “Let’s go.”
You let him guide you through the halls and you wonder if anyone cares for this doctor that cares for everyone else but him. 
                                                               ————————
“You should go home,” Dr. Im says. It’s been two days since the surgery and you were the only one that hasn’t left the hospital yet. One of the nurses was kind enough to let you shower in their bathroom, but had to admit, just showering wasn’t doing much. You’ve been wearing the same clothes and even your parents went home to sleep, but you refused to leave once they got back to the hospital. 
“I don’t want to leave without him,” You mumble, caressing Taehyung’s hand as he sleeps. “I promised I wouldn’t.”
He nods. “Follow me, then,” And leaves.
You have to jog a bit to catch up to him, but soon enough you are in his office, and from behind his desk, he produces a duffle bag. Grabbing a few things, he gives them to you and tells you to go take a long, relaxing shower. Doing as he says, you take your time, asking a few nurses if it’s okay to take a shower since they are only starting their shifts and won’t need the shower for a while. You’ve become acquainted with a few of them and they all give you the okay. The sweatpants and t-shirt he gave you are obviously too large for you, but you like the way it looks anyways. Smiling at yourself, and at how stupid you must look, you stop by the vending machine to get a snack. You get two energy bars, knowing that Dr. Im will be with Taehyung when you get back. Said and done; Jaebeom is laughing at something that your brother is doing and you wonder if one day you’ll get to call him Jaebeom out loud. 
“Hello there,” You say lightly, blushing a little at the way Jaebeom looks at you in his clothes. “Thank you for the clothes, doctor.”
“No problem, Y/N,” He smiles, and you don’t fail to notice the redness in his cheeks. 
“I got you this,” You say giving him one of the energy bars, and putting the other in his pocket. “You need to eat to take care of other people.”
He laughs and one of his hands fly to push his hair back and grab at the back of his neck, a habit you notice he does whenever he’s embarrassed. “Thank you.”
“Eat it,” You squint at him playfully. “Right now.”
“I have to check on a patient,” He says taking a huge bite, finishing it almost in one go. “I’ll be back to check on you, okay?”
“Alright,” You smile, and you don’t call attention to the fact that he said he’d be checking on you. You like it. “See you later."
You don’t– see him later, that is. You are not sure what happens but Dr. Im doesn’t come around anymore; another day goes by and even Taehyung notices the change, asking for his doctor to the nurses. She all just say he’s busy taking care of other people, but there’s something off about them, too. One of them, Nurse Lee, asks you to follow her to the counter where you can sign the discharge papers so that you can finally take your brother home, and you hear a couple of other doctors talking.
“…yeah, they died,” A shiver runs through your spine with those words and you take a deep breath and focus on reading the papers in your hand. “Jaebeom did his best, but not everyone can be saved.”
“You know how he is though,” The other doctor sighs. “Is he alright?”
“No,” They shake their heads. “Definitely not.”
Signing everything, you tell the nurses you’ll be right back, and you run to the office you’ve gotten to know so well. During your brother’s recovery, Dr. Im has been you friend, you dare to say. You’ve silently eaten with him in his office as he did some work and you read a book; you’ve talked to him about his grandmother; you’ve taken snacks to his office late at night. It was your way to repay him, after everything he’s done for you and your family. You went from thinking he hated you, to understanding how hard his job is on him. And right now, it was exactly one of those moments, in which the harshness of his reality is laid upon him, and you can’t do anything but knock on his door and pray that he’ll open. 
“Yes?” 
His voice sounds harsh and used out. His eyes find yours instantly and they turn back into those scrutinizing eyes you first met.
“Hi,” You say, suddenly uncomfortable. “You didn’t come by yesterday and today and I–“
“I am too busy to attend just to you and your brother,” He snaps. “I have a whole lot of people needing me, too, you know?”
The coldness from his voice reminds you of the first time you met him, when you stood under his scrutinizing gaze. 
“Or do you think I have nothing better to do than to have to waste all of my time–“
“With me?” You interrupt him. “Just so you know, you didn’t have to spend your time with me, but I guess I should thank you, since you did, right?”
“Wha-“
“You don’t have to worry anymore, doctor,” You sneer. “We leave tonight. Here, this is a small thank you gift for wasting time with me.”
You give him the plastic bag with all snacks from the vending machine– literally all of them. It wasn’t much, but it would last him a few shifts, at least. All you wanted was for him to get better too; you weren’t dumb, you could easily see the suffering in his eyes, even at that moment– specially at that moment,– but you couldn’t just let him walk all over you like that. You had to stand your ground, like you did ever since you met him. 
“Whatever happened,” You say through gritted teeth. “It’s not your fault. Nor mine. Remember that.”
You leave him and you go back to Taehyung. 
Fuck Dr. Im, you think, furiously wiping a tear. It seems as if all you do is cry, and you are tired of it. I have Taehyung, alive and well. That should be enough.
                                                               ————————
Your days are back to normal– you wake up, check on Taehyung, and go to work, where you’ll spend hours and hours until you don’t have to spend any more time in there but you do still, baking a fresh batch of a different good every night, before calling the delivery man to take it away. 
Today, you make chocolate scones, using Ms. Im’s recipe just how she taught you years ago.
“Still baking?” She asks. “Is something wrong?”
“Not at all,” You smile, and put a scone in a take away box. “Here, for the trip.”
“Thank you, dear,” She smiles. “These used to be Jaebeom’s favorite.”
You smile and wave her goodbye, promising to close the store and go home soon. You do whatever task you have to keep you busy– cleaning the tables, wiping the floor, washing the dishes, freezing the dough. Anything to keep you from thinking about him. But it’s impossible. You think about him even more now, having a face to the name. Im Jaebeom. Ms. Im still talks about him every day and there’s nothing you can say or do that would justify the reason you want her to stop. 
He saved my brother’s life, and in the process he saved mine, too. He is kind and selfless and honest, but he is also tired and confused and overwhelmed. I want to care for him like he cared for me. Is this love?
No, you couldn’t say that to her. Much less to him.
“Excuse me, are you still open? I heard you guys had chocolate scones and I just had to come get one.” 
You freeze, body already stiff from work now barely being able to move.
“We’re closed,” You mumble, not looking at him. “But I can get you some scones to go.”
“If I take them to go,” He asks and you can see his feet, clad in black sneakers and tapping nervously on the floor. “Will you come with me?”
“Is this a pick up line?” You scoff.
“No, I just want to have these with you,” He chuckles and you can’t help yourself, you look at him, craving to see his eyes disappear when he smiles. “A thank you for all the food you’ve been sending to the hospital every night…”
“I’m glad,” You smile tightly, taking the apron off and hanging it on the wall. You push the cardboard box towards him. “Here you go. Have a goodnight.”
His smile is gone in a second. “Y/N…”
“You were very clear, Jaebeom,” You say sternly. “I’ll call you Jaebeom now, since we’re not in the hospital– you were very clear, Jaebeom. You are wasting your time with me; patients are waiting for you, families, friends. I’m just the girl that works with your grandmother… You have nothing to worry about, I won’t tell her anything, but it’s best if we stop this here.”
“Stop?” He asks, eyes wide. “I don’t think it’s that easy, Y/N. I missed you– did you know that? Of course you didn’t, but I’m here telling you: I missed you, goddammit. I’m a doctor, and I’m always frustrated about something, and stressed, and tired, but for the week you spent there, I felt completely okay, because I knew that in the end of the day, I’d have a constant thing in my life; Taehyung-ie and you, waiting for me with snacks. Asking me about my day. Asking me if I’m okay. People don’t do that, in the hospital– they have their own problems, and every day is a different surprise, but it felt good to have a constant, even for a little while.”
You say nothing, taking your time to process everything he’s saying.
“I’m sorry for being an asshole,” He chuckle. “I had just lost a patient; there were complications with his condition before surgery but we couldn’t wait and I lost him… But you were right, it’s not my fault, and it’s not yours. You shouldn’t have to put up with my anger, but I really, really hope you chose to put up with me despite my anger. I won’t lie, this happens a lot– the angry part. It comes with the job, even though we try our hardest to hide, but I promise to try my best to never let it all out on you ever again… please forgive me.”
You sigh, walking to him. He was wearing casual clothes and he finally looked his age, the gray hoodie and blue jeans bringing out the youth in him.
“You haven’t been eating regularly, have you?” You frown, hands holding his face. Your thumb brushes his cheekbones and his eyes are shining with something unknown to you– want, maybe. “I send you freshly baked goods everyday and you still look like you’ve lost weight…”
“What are you doing to me?” He mumbles, nuzzling his face in your hand and pulling you closer by the waist, resting his forehead on yours. “You’re messing with my head, Y/N…”
“Nah,” You chuckle, kissing his nose. “That’s your job.”
“That is possibly the lamest joke someone ever made about my job,” He laughs, and ah! there it is– cute little slits. The reason you love that so much is that it makes you all warm inside to know you can make him smile so hard that his eyes disappear. “But I love it anyways.”
“Does that mean I can make more of those?” You ask animatedly, pulling away slightly. “Cause I have a bunch of neurosurgery jokes I can ma–“
He shuts you up with a kiss and you instantly know he ate your scones before coming over, tasting the sugar and the chocolate in his mouth. It lasts long, and you prefer it that way– you want to take your timing discovering everything about Jaebeom. From the way his mouth drags over yours, chapped lips kissing you softly, to the way his hands find their way to your hair, your jawline, your waist. He pulls you closer, hugging you to him, and just as he is pressing you against the counter, you feel a vibration coming from his pocket. 
“Please tell me that your phone,” You snort a little, trying to hold your laughter in.
“Hilarious,” He says, rolling his eyes but smiling nonetheless.
“Do you have to go back?”
He nods. “Yeah, one of the patients needs surgery sooner than we thought… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t ever apologize for saving lives,” You frown, pecking his lips. “Text me when you get home?”
“Absolutely,” He kisses you deeply. “I’ll see you soon.”
He sees you sooner than he thought he would. The next day, when he texts you his shift is over in thirty, you go over to the hospital, with croissants and tea. When he sees you waiting by the main entrance, he can’t help but laugh out loud.
“You said that having a constant was nice,” You shrug as he kisses your face allover. “I’ll be your constant from now on.”
“I’d love that,” He says. “Love you.”
“Love you, too,” You smile. “I think.”
“You think?” He shrieks, pulling you to his car by the hand. 
“Yeah… can you take a look inside and find out for me?” You say tapping your head. 
He just looks at you, no emotion.
“If I ever get a song stuck in my mind,” You say, buckling up when Jaebeom starts the car. “Can you get it out for me?”
“Oh my god,” He lets his head fall on the wheel. “Is this what I signed up for?”
“Absolutely,” You giggle, and he turns to look at you. “Regret it yet?”
“No, but I’m sure you’ll get me there by the end of the night.”
“Yah!”
“I told you,” He grabs your hand, laughing. “You mess with my head. Crazy girl… tsk, gonna me crazy too.”
“By the way,” You start. “How will we break it to your grandmother?”
“What do you mean,” Jaebeom laughs. “She knows. She’s known for about seven years, now.”
“What?” You shout, head turning to look at him. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know about you,” He shrugs. “But she’d talk about you a lot. Good things only– such a pretty girl, so kind, so nice. Ah, Jaebeom-ah, you remind me of Y/N… you two would get along so well. I’m pretty sure I fell in love with you before even knowing you.”
“Oh my god,” You gasp. “Ms. Im is a love genius.”
“I had to take after someone, you know?” Jaebeom brags.
For the rest of the night, you two bicker, laughing and kissing in between, and even though you promised to be his constant, barely did he know he’d be yours. 
---------------------
hello lovelies! I decided that I will now post a new part of the General Hospital series every weekend, so here it is Jaebeom’s story! He is my ult bias and I love him so much so i really hope you all enjoy it ❤️ please leave a comment and share it if you like the story! It really means the world for us writers when we get feedback :P Love you all and thank you for your endless support💕
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moldisgoodforyou · 4 years
Text
i’ll be waiting (part two)
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gif from @toesure​
yeah so let’s be honest, I started writing part two only a couple hours after I posted the first part because I made myself too sad. reminder: this is not canon because it hurts :-) but it is realistic to what would happen if there was a breakup. if you haven’t already, read part one here!
wordcount: 1.9k
Charlie lifted her head to meet his eyes, trying to take in his piercing look. “I can’t be here for you, J. This is it. You deserve better.” 
“Fuck that.” He shook his head insistently. “I hardly deserve you as it is.” He pressed a firm kiss to her lips, needy. “I love you, Charlie.” 
She barely puckered her lips back, trying to keep her resolve. “I love you too. Always.” With that, she stepped out of his grip, though JJ fought it. “I should go.” 
“I’ll be right here.” He promised. “When you change your mind, I’ll be waiting.” 
Charlie nodded, biting her lip as she took in the sight of him, illuminated by the moonlight. “I’m so sorry.” 
He shook his head, unwilling to hear it. “I’ll be waiting.” 
With that she walked away, leaving behind the better half of her heart - completely shattered. 
Charlie pulled her jacket tighter around herself as she walked away from JJ, for what she presumed was the last time. As she realized the jacket wasn’t hers - it was one of JJ’s that she had kept for forever - she let out a short sob, kicking the front door of her house. She swallowed hard and roughly swiped her sleeve across her cheeks, trying to hide all evidence before she walked past her parents. 
“Honey, is that JJ’s car outside?” Her mom questioned the second Charlie stepped inside. 
“Yeah.” Charlie took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry again. “We broke up.” 
Her mom’s eyes widened in shock, jaw dropping. “You did what?!” 
“Suzie, give her space -” Her dad interjected, trying to diffuse the situation right away. 
“Did you - did he -” She fumbled with her words, trying to understand. 
Charlie frowned. “I broke up with him. It’s for the best.” She then headed upstairs, ignoring her mom’s calls after her. It took everything in her willpower to not look out the window toward JJ, to not run back out there and take it all back. 
_________
Meanwhile, JJ was at a complete loss. He had spent the past hour sitting out on the dock, alone, waiting for Charlie to come back and apologize, say she had changed her mind, that she was wrong. But he watched her go inside, head up to her room, and the light flicked off after only ten minutes. With a huff, he laid back and laced his fingers behind his head, staring up at the dark starry sky. 
A half hour later, the sound of the calm water lulled him to sleep. He was exhausted, emotionally, and just gave in to his heavy eyelids. Not much longer, he was startled awake by the sound of footsteps echoing off the dock. He sat up quickly, assuming he was about to be kicked off of private property. He paused before getting up, confused by what he saw. 
“Get up, honey.” Charlie’s mom stood there with a blanket in her arms and two water bottles. 
JJ slowly rose, shoving his hands in his pockets. His voice was rough as he spoke. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Walker, I’ll just go.” 
“It’s late, JJ, where are you going?” 
“Um…” he rocked back on his heels, dejected. “Back to Columbia, I guess. I dunno.” 
She tutted. “You’re not driving all the way back to Columbia now, it’s too dark. You can stay here tonight.” 
He shook his head quickly, raising his hands. “I really can’t, Mrs. Walker. I don’t want to intrude, and I just - Charlie won’t -” he choked up a little. “I can’t.” 
Her mom just gestured for him to follow her, heading up toward the house. “Come on, JJ.” 
After a moment, JJ finally followed. He stopped just shy of the porch. “I can’t go in.” 
“I figured you’d say that. You can stay on the hammock out here with the blankets and in the morning, you can drive home. Alright?” Her mom set down the blankets and the water bottles for him. 
He almost teared up again from the kind gesture, hesitantly stepping up to the hammock suspended on the porch. Her mom gave him a warm smile. “If I hear your car starting up in the middle of the night, I’ll be mad at you. Got it?” JJ laughed softly, nodding. “Yes, ma’am. Thank you, Mrs. Walker. Really. For...for everything.” He frowned, just realizing that saying goodbye to Charlie would mean saying goodbye to her family too. 
“Oh, honey.” Her mom pulled him into a short hug, then patted his back. “It’ll be okay. Goodnight, JJ.” She ruffled his hair before letting go and going back inside, leaving the porch light on for him. 
__________
JJ left early in the morning, leaving the blankets neatly folded in the hammock. The drive gave him just enough time to dream up a plan on how to win Charlie back (from what, exactly, he still wasn’t sure). He texted her the second he arrived back in Columbia, like nothing had ever happened. 
JJ: Made it back safe
Charlie didn’t respond until the end of the day, just liking the message. A response. That was good enough for him. Over the next three days, he continued texting her updates of what he was doing, asking questions to try and get her to reply. She kept it short and to the point, trying to make it clear she was making space between them. After the fifth text of the day - at 11am - Charlie called him. 
“JJ, please.” She started the call once he picked up, sounding slightly exasperated. (Nothing he hadn’t dealt with before, he thought. He could work with that.) 
“Please what? Just needed to know if you liked the blue shirt or the black shirt better for my interview.” He kept his tone bright and cheery, although just hearing her voice made his heart start hammering against his chest. 
“Isn’t it a phone call?” 
“Well - yeah, but you know. In case they switch it to a video call last minute, you know.” 
She laughed quietly. “Alright. Blue. It makes your eyes brighter.” 
He smiled upon the sound of her laugh. “Okay. How’s your day been? You come back to Columbia tomorrow, right?” He persisted, trying to draw out the call.
“JJ…” she sighed, softly. “We need space if this is going to work.” 
“Well it’s not going to work.” He replied firmly. “You and I both know we’re better together than we are apart.” 
Charlie just sighed again. “I don’t want to distract you before your interview. Good luck, JJ.” 
He didn’t miss the purposeful lack of a nickname on her part. “Okay, I’ll let you know how it goes. Talk to you later.”  
“I’m sure you will.” She hung up before he could drag out the conversation any longer. 
______
JJ continued his constant check ins, wording his texts just so to get a reply from her. She could ignore him, of course, but her willpower wasn’t strong enough for that. She was stuck between frustrated that he wouldn’t just let her go and also appreciating how hard he was fighting to keep them together. By the end of the week, she cracked. JJ was staying at a friend’s house for the summer until he figured things out with a potential job opportunity, not wanting to go back to the OBX just yet, and it was her last week in Columbia before her lease ended. She knew she had to at least give him another chance while they were close enough to talk it over in person.  
She texted him, trying to keep it short and sweet. 
Charlie: Can you come over 
JJ responded in a split second with ‘be right there’, like he was just waiting by his phone for a text exactly like that. He was in the middle of replying to a email about another possible interview, but fuck it, there were more important things to do. He scrambled out of his bed when he got the text, shoved his feet into sneakers, grabbed his keys, and drove like a bat out of hell. 
He felt like he was going to throw up as he pulled into her driveway, the anxiety washing over him again. It was easy to have a bold confidence about their relationship when he was texting her, but seeing her in person was a whole different story. Charlie opened the door just as he stepped onto the porch and they just stood there for a moment, taking in each other’s appearance. JJ felt another wave of hurt wash over him as he was reminded of the first pain he felt when he heard her words only a week ago. 
Charlie broke the silence first, almost shy. “Will you come in?” 
He nodded quickly and jammed his hands in his pockets before following her into the house, willing himself to not just give in right away and throw his arms around her. He wanted nothing more than to make it work, but he was still upset, and she had hurt him with little more than a meager explanation. She sat on the couch, drawing her knees to her chest, and he followed, distancing himself with a seat on the opposite end. 
“Can I -” 
“I want to -” 
They spoke at the same time, then gave each other short smiles, tension broken a little bit. “You first.” JJ offered. 
“Okay. Right. I’m sorry.” She nodded, letting her eyes fall to the couch cushions as she spoke, almost all in one quick breath. “I was...no, I am scared. I’m going to be thousands of miles away and that’s not fair to you. And you’re going to find someone better than me, and I don’t want to hold you back.” She finally lifted her gaze. 
“What?” JJ replied dumbly, unsure if he heard her correctly. “You...you think I’ll find someone better?” 
“Well, yeah.” She shrugged, as if she had come to terms with a fact. “Someone that’s not so far away.” 
“Oh, Charlie.” He murmured, reaching out for her hand. “I don’t think I could find someone better if I tried. Is that really how you feel?” 
She softened, stretching out her arm just enough to lock her pinky with his. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to let you go, I just...I can’t hold you back.” 
JJ straightened slightly, cocking his head. “So you’re not breaking up with me?” 
“No, I -” She barely got the words out before he practically launched himself at her, tackling her into a tight hug. It took her a moment before she laughed and curled her arms around his waist, allowing a couple repressed tears to fall. “I’m sorry, I’m a fucking asshole, aren’t I?” 
“God, you scared the shit out of me.” JJ mumbled against her collarbone, not wanting to let her go for a second. “I’ve been crying myself to sleep the whole fucking week, Charlie.” He lifted his head just enough to catch her lips in a soft kiss and she responded quickly, taking a moment to kiss away a few tears of relief that rolled down his cheeks. 
“I know, I’m sorry. I fucked up, I really did.” She lifted a hand to comb her fingers through his hair, keeping him close. 
“You can’t do that again. You have to talk to me, sweetheart.” JJ implored, resting his head against her chest. 
“I know.” She repeated. “I love you. So, so much.” 
“I love you too. I told you I’m here for you, Charlie, I meant it. No matter how far apart we are.” 
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adiabolikpastel · 3 years
Text
Title: Lunar Eclipse Masquerade
Laito pt. 1
Rating: PG 13
Word Count: 1,576
Pairing: Laito x Yuki (m/m)
ღ Living with Laito has it's challenges, but Yuki just wants to try to make things right - but were they ever? ღ
Mun Yu: This is going to be presented a little different than my other written works. Since it is so long, I have decided to publish it in parts, rather than the novel that it is. Each boy will receive their own post, some getting more post than others. For each post, it will make a sort of time line of events - to help paint the entire story. All post will begin with the premise, and the continuation under the cut. Enjoy.
Additionally: I would love to thank @akai-anemone for their wonderful analysis on the affects of the Lunar Eclipse in DL
☆+ ゚ .+ .゚.゚。 ゚ 。. +゚ 。゚.゚。☆*。。 . 。 o .。゚。.o。* 。 .。
Despite what most people think, demonic beings are very social creatures. The elites hold countless balls and parties, celebrating their immortality together, and entertaining one another with stories. Typically, they are done in celebration for something – though this is not always the case. All types of beings from across the Demon Realm will come if the host is of high enough prestige.
There would be no such host if it was not for Karlheinz. Seated as the head of the Bat Clan (vampires), Karl’s reach spans far. Being the widow for the former Demon King’s daughter, and having children of the first blood, an invitation from the Vampire King is not one to refuse. Though why would you? In his immaculate castle within the Demon Realm, Eden Castle, it is always quite the spectacle. While the celebrations held in his Human World mansion are nice, nothing compares to a true night of pleasure within the true home of the King.
On this night, there was to be a Masquerade in honor of the first Lunar Eclipsed Moon in over two years. While this night may serve each species differently, the idea to celebrate its return was simply too tempting. For this reason, Karlheinz took it upon himself – or rather – his house, to host the event. This extended to his offspring as well, regardless of their personal agenda. Members of every social elite race accepted the offer, and gathered for a truly unforgettable evening.
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With Yuki still in school, there were large hours where he was unable to see Laito. He longed to simply quit, but his keeper wouldn’t allow that. Dr. Reinhart had been nothing but kind and accommodating to him. So there was no way he could disrespect him in that way. The doctor was already understanding of his desire to leave the Sakamaki’s manor with Laito.
It was under the condition that he be responsible, so Yuki got a job during the day. In the mornings he would work at a coffee shop. It was a miracle that he even got the job – but Yuki was fairly sure Laito secured it for him. Laito was so kind! There was no way he would have been able to do it on his own.
He was actually surprised that he wasn’t fired. Yuki was never loud enough for customers to hear, and people in the morning can be really angry! Yet here he was, at 7 am, working. He’d had this job for a couple of months now. On this particular morning, he would be there until noon, which wasn’t too bad.
“H-How can I help you?” Yuki asked, as the next guest came up to the register. They ordered very quickly, “Ua… I’m sorry… Could you say that one more time?” He was able to understand it a little better, “One… um… Do you want that with regular milk or-" The guest glares at him, “S-Sorry! My… I don’t work that fast so if you could…” They repeat to him once more, this time much slower. “Thank you… We’ll get that ready for you…” He offers them a smile and they go down to the other window.
The day continues like this, though most people are less patient. Finally his shift comes to an end, and the manager calls him into her office. “You… asked to see me?” She directs him to sit as she finishes sending a text. Yuki obeys, sitting in the small chair, fidgeting slightly.
It feels like forever before she finally acknowledges him. Telling him finally that his work ethic is there, but he has no talent for customer service. However, she would be willing to keep him on, if he gave her his ‘friends’ number. She goes on to say that after they hooked up a few times, he’s never given her a phone number to call him at.
Yuki sat motionless for a moment. It wasn’t as if the news was surprising. Laito had always slept around. However, this felt dirty. “… I’m sorry ma’am… Senpai doesn’t have a number to call. So… if that’s all…” He needed to get out of here. It was taking all of his strength not to throw up. The manager tries to start talking again, but Yuki excuses himself and rushes out of the shop.
He ran as far as he could, before his stomach couldn’t take it anymore. Moving away from others, he can’t help but lurch over and let his body cope. It felt awful. Not just the act of heaving, but the pain in his chest to go with it. Why was everything like this? Yuki could feel tears sting as he lowered himself into a crouch.
What was he lacking? Was it so bad that he was a man? Wasn’t it enough to love Laito more than anything? Why was this so hard? Yuki couldn’t even answer himself as the tears fell onto the ground. What was he doing all of this for? After allowing himself a moment to calm down, Yuki walked home. Normally, he would use this time to jog, but he didn’t think it was smart to do that today.
He and Laito were renting a luxurious apartment, which Laito mostly ‘paid’ for. Yuki wasn’t sure how he did, but decided it was a vampire thing. The little money that Yuki made himself, went to keeping food in the house. Even though Laito ate that too. As Yuki entered, all the lights were switched off. This was normal, as Laito was probably sleeping.
Yuki moved as quietly as possible, and walked over to his ‘room’. Laito didn’t want to get any more space than needed, so if Yuki was adamant on living with him – he would have to be on the coach. Today this all seemed to bother him. Perhaps it was because he never got to see Laito anymore, even though they lived together. With school, work, and who knows what Laito does – it was as if the two were strangers.
Perhaps that is what hurt the most? Why all these thoughts and worries ran through his head. Yuki decided that it was not the time to think too hard on it – as he was exhausted. So the small human used the restroom to change, get ready for bed, and tucked himself into bed. Determined that tomorrow night he would see Laito.
“Huh!? How did you find me?” Laito’s voice startled Yuki awake. Shooting up in worry he looks around to see Laito sitting at the breakfast counter. Nude it would seem, aside from his headband. Before him was a raven, but it wasn’t making any sounds. “I do not plan to ever go back there.” Laito affirms to the bird.
Yuki sits up and scuttles to the restroom while Laito finishes his conversation. When he comes out, the vampire is pouting while eating some cereal. “Even when I'm gone they expect me to do these things. I cannot believe this.” Yuki walks into the kitchen to prepare himself some food, but all the cereal is gone. “… Laito-senpai… are we all out of-?”
“Hm? Oh… I didn’t see you there.” Laito smirks at the human before him. “Sorry~ I was so hungry after… well… you get it. Ah, but you have no school tonight right~ Go to the store and buy some more.” He finishes the last bites of his own.
Yuki nods softly, deciding that he didn’t need breakfast anyway. “Senpai… I was… could we maybe… tonight…”
“Ehh? Laito-kun has plans tonight. Not to mention my glasses wearing older brother, has told me to come home.” He says, sighing and walking back to his room. In a bit of a panic, Yuki follows after him. Laito tries to shut his door, but Yuki gets in the way, squeaking in pain for a moment. “What is it, Stalker-kun?”
Yuki held onto Laito’s door, he wanted to ask him if he could go with him. Wanted to tell him about yesterday. He didn’t want to be left alone in this place. “C-Could I… we could go… together! That would be… better right… I mean…”
Laito looks down at the human trembling in the doorway. Then out into the living room. The place was well kept, but it had Yuki’s things everywhere. His school books, clothes, blankets. “When are you going to get it?” He finally says. Yuki looks up at him confused. “Don’t you think it’s been long enough? I am annoyed with seeing you all the time.”
Yuki's heart thumped in his ears. He could barely hear what Laito was saying. He was annoyed with him? They barely got to see one another, and he was annoyed. “M-Maybe if we… were actually able to… to sp-spend time together… l-like before…!” Yuki could feel his fist gripping tighter to Laito’s door. He didn’t know what to do or say.
Laito let out a tsk, “I am able to do as I please now – though clearly not as much as I had thought. Why would I need to keep you around? I do not need your blood. I do not need your body. Fufu…” Laito reaches down and takes a hold of Yuki’s chin, “You are an eyesore to me…. And I want you out.” Without another word, Laito effortlessly pulled Yuki from the door. Tossed him slightly out of the way, and closed the door behind him.
☆+ ゚ .+ .゚.゚。 ゚ 。. +゚ 。゚.゚。 TO BE CONTINUED ☆*。。 . 。 o .。゚。.o。* 。 .。
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