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joannaliceevans-fanficblog · 1 year

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You Will Find Me: Chapter. 8

A/N: Oh my word. is this an update? Sorry everyone! It took me this long with this chapter. I couldnt get where I wanted to go. But here we are! Hope ya’ll enjoy this chapter, as much as I enjoyed writing it!

I would also like to thank my three ladies here: @adulting-sucks @hollybee8917 @princessofdarkwinter ! thank you ladies again for the beta!

The door burst open as Sarah barged in with Frank hot on her heels right behind her. Both stood and looked at each other as Frank closed the door. Sarah turned to face him, angry tears pouring down her face as she looked at him.

“Sarah-“

“Frank- I just-“ Sarah started and turned her back towards him.

“Honey, look, I know there are a lot of things. But-“

“But what?” Sarah interrupted. Frank sighed, trying to find the right words to avoid her getting angry.

“I did this because I love you.”

Sarah frowned and glared at him.

“By lying to me?!”

Frank sighed again, placed his hands on his hips, and bit his bottom lip.

“I didn’t lie to you, sweetheart, and I just didn’t want to-”

Sarah stared at him with confusion. Why would he lie? To keep her when she was supposedly living another life with another man who kept showing up in her dreams?

“You didn’t want any of this, so you lied to me?!”

Before Frank could reply, his phone rang. Rolling his eyes, he ignored the call. His phone kept ringing and ringing until he could no longer ignore it. He took his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen to see his mother’s name. Sarah looked at his screen and saw that it was his mother and her future mother-in-law.

“Frank, I suggest you answer your mother. She’s going to call me if you don’t pick up,” Sarah said as she made her way back to the bedroom and closed the door. Frank stared after her for a moment before he picked up the phone.

As Sarah stood in the bedroom, something told her to look, to search through his belongings for an answer, and that is just what she did.

Sarah turned on the lights and began to dig through Frank’s side of the closet. Pulling his hanged clothes to the side, she found unmarked boxes. She grabbed one of them and opened it, horrified to see her suspicions were correct. Sarah dropped the box as more confusion washed over her.

There were more papers of her missing case. She kept telling herself to stop looking, that it would confuse her more. But she couldn’t—paper after paper, newspaper articles, dates on the news broadcast about her whereabouts.

The door to the bedroom burst open, and Frank appeared in front of her at the closet entrance, a look of sadness and concern written on his face.

“I have to leave for a few weeks. My dad is in the hospital, and I need to help my mom with the legal- ". Frank said.

Usually, when it came to Frank’s family, Sarah would have jumped up and asked if there was anything she could do. But this time, she felt like she didn’t care. The only thing on her mind now was his lies and why he did that. And really, who she was.

Sarah stared at him, not knowing what else to say, and walked out of the closet.

“Sarah babe, I know you're mad at me. You have every right to be. But I can’t leave like this.” Frank told her. Sarah turned and faced him.

“You’re right, and I have every right to be mad. I have the right to stay mad at you for lying to me.” Sarah said as she went to get her bag to pack some overnight clothes.

“You can stay here. I’ll be at the inn sleeping in one of the extra rooms.” Sarah said and walked out. Frank called out to her, but she ignored him and continued walking away when she felt his hand on hers as he spun her around, making her face him.

“Sarah, please? Not like this.” Frank said as he placed his forehead against hers. The mix of his citrus shampoo filled her nose and would often drive Sarah crazy. But she couldn’t let him get away with it. Pulling away from him, Sarah let go of his hand and backed away from Frank.

It broke her heart to see Frank look sad and upset, but he had brought this upon himself, and he should have known.

“NO, please? Just for tonight- don’t. I-I need you.” Frank begged.

Sarah wiped her fresh tears and sighed.

“I’m sorry, Frank.”

Nat and Steve

Evening rolled around, and dinner time was quickly approaching. According to Andy and the website, the restaurant was one of the top-notch restaurants in Massachusetts. The lines were all out the door, and the reservations were about a month in advance. Lucky for both of them, they were able to secure a seat that was facing the bay. As they headed to the lobby, Nat paused and looked towards the front desk, where a woman was heard talking to a middle-aged lady.

“Beth, is there a room available?”

“Yes, there is, honey. Is there something wrong? You look upset.”

“It's-it's just a lot of things happening, and I don’t want to get into it right now. I want to lay down and take a break.”

“Okay, I’ll have Marcus get your things. The room is 417.”

“Thank you, Beth, and I’ll be back for dinner service. I can help out at the bakery.”

“Honey?” Nat heard Steve say. Nat turned to her husband and gave a smile.

“Sorry, I thought I saw something,” Nat said, giving her husband another smile. Steve looked at her as he took her hand into his.

“Alright, let’s go,” Steve said and led the way to the restaurant. As the hostess sat them at their table, Nat picked up the menu and began to browse.

“The filet mignon looks good.” Steve mentioned, making Nat giggle.

“Yea, it’s the only thing you like to eat besides my cooking,” Nat said, still giggling.

“Hey, you’re the best, okay?” Steve said as he leaned back into his chair. Nat sighed as she, too, leaned back into her chair.

The waiter came by and took their orders. Steve ordered his Filet mignon with steamed veggies, mashed potatoes, and Red Wine Mushroom Gravy. Something caught her eye just as Nat was about to order the pasta.

A dish that Sarah first taught her.

"I'll have the Baked Salmon in Filo Dough, with Pesto Sauce, lemon pepper grilled asparagus, and Lemon Pilaf Rice."

The waitress nodded and left to place their order in.

“Sarah was the one that taught me to cook that dish, too," Nat mentioned. Steve placed his glass of whisky down and sighed.

“Was that why you looked a bit lost earlier?” Steve asked. Nat sighed and leaned back into her chair.

“I thought I heard and saw her, or I don’t know. I feel this might be a mistake.” Nat said.

Steve sighed. “Natasha, we wouldn’t be here if I thought it was all wrong. When have I ever been wrong with the things I found?”

Nat looked at her husband and smiled. “Never. That’s why you and Andy work well together. By the way, does Andy know we are here?”

Steve leaned back into his chair and sighed.

“He knows, but I told him not to come unless we are sure she’s the one,” Steve said. Nat took a sip of her water.

“Okay, so what do we have so far?” Nat asked. Steve ran his hands through his hair.

“Well, we know that this place is co-owned by Frank Adler. And that his fiancé’s name is Sarah,” Steve paused.

“How they met is a mystery. But Frank comes from a wealthy prestigious family in Boston, ” Steve said, leaning back in his chair. Nat sighed and took a sip of her wine.

“Did you find anything else?” Nat asked.

Steve looked at his wife for a moment and sighed. When he read about Frank, he knew there was something off about him, and he needed to do some research, but much stuff didn’t add up due to his family status.

“What’s on your mind?” Nat asked. Steve sighed once more and ran his hands over his head.

“I saw a picture of the two on his Instagram. There’s something off about him that I can’t pinpoint what it is,” Steve said as he ran a hand across his face.

“For you not to figure it out is something new,” Nat said as she picked up her glass of wine and took a sip.

“Exactly. Something doesn't add up with him nor this relationship.”

“Okay, I’ll stay behind and keep an eye on Sarah,” Nat said. Steve looked at his wife and took her hand into his.

“You have a hunch, don't you?” Steve replied. Nat smiled, “I do. But I need more information, and I feel this might be her.”

Before Steve could say anything, the waiter came by with their orders.

Sarah sat in the spare bedroom on the top floor, looking down at her left arm, a deep scar that she didn’t remember how it got there. She would often ask Frank if he knew how she got it, but he would usually change the subject to that it was the past and that she should move on.

Tears came down as the feeling of pain and sadness washed over her. Like before, the pain in Sarah's heart intensified, and her hand went to her chest.

Visions of a man with a beard came to her. The sunny beach as he held her hand. His face was a blur, but everything about this seemed familiar and calm.

The pain in her heart subsided, and Sarah regained her breathing. As she sat, the images still stayed with her. Usually, they would fade away, but this time was different—just like last time, it happened in the kitchen downstairs.

Sarah heard a faint buzz interrupting her thoughts. Sarah made her way over to the dresser and looked at Frank’s name as it flashed across the screen. He called a few more times, each time unanswered. Sarah sighed as a text from Frank popped up.

Hey honey, I know you're mad at me. But please, call me. If you choose not to, wait for me to come home, and we can discuss it. I love you, Sarah; please know that I love you with all my heart, and everything I did was to protect you.

For some reason, Sarah placed her phone down and rolled her eyes. She wanted to believe him, but Sarah felt he didn’t mean it. Her stomach started growing as she realized she hadn’t eaten since lunchtime. Putting her phone in her back pocket, Sarah walked out of her room and locked it behind her.

She started down the stairs and hit what felt like a brick wall, causing her to fall to the ground as she took the last step when she turned. Sarah heard voices around her as she tried to regain her vision. A redhead and a dark brown-haired man stood in front of her as they looked at her with their eyes wide open.

#frank adler fanfiction #frank adler x reader #frank adler x female reader #steve rogers x reader #Steve Rogers x Female Reader #joann's you will find me #chris evans character fanfiction

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luxwritesfanfic · 3 years

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Don’t Take The Money

Poor reader thought it would end up being a normal Sunday but that must’ve been the mix of bleach and Pinesol fumes getting to their head. Or, the one where reader finds out they have more in common with the other woman in Sherlock’s life than they thought and Sherlock has an aneurysm at the revelation. Thanks for reading!

Sherlock Holmes/Reader

You were just waking up when Sherlock was moving around the bedroom trying to pack his overnight bag. You groaned at the noise of drawers being opened and hangers jostled and rolled over onto your stomach, propping yourself up on your elbows. “Sherlock? You’re leaving?”

He stopped in his tracks back towards the closet and moved to sit on the edge of the bed next to you. He looked down at you with fondness that so many people thought he was incapable of feeling and as always, it made your heart swell. Brushing a lock of hair behind your ear, you relished in his undivided attention.

“A case was brought to my attention. I won’t be gone for long, it’s a few towns over.” He insists, trying to ease your worries before they arise.

Although you’d miss him, it never did anyone any good when Sherlock was bored. He needed something to keep him occupied and you needed time to clean up the drywall shrapnel that constantly covered the couch due to the boredness. It would give you the opportunity to deep clean the flat and the idea wasn’t so bad.

“Is John going too?” Sherlock nodded. You don’t know why you asked, they always worked together.

You turned your head to kiss his palm and sat up to get out of bed. “Okay. I’ll make you breakfast before you guys leave. Nobody likes train food anyway.”

Sherlock moved to help you stand, one of the smiles he reserved just for you gracing his lips. “You take excellent care of me. But you should know, you don’t have to be useful for this to mean something to me.”

He caught you off guard, but he usually did when he read you like a book. Your whole life you’d made yourself useful and you weren’t sure if people liked you for you or for the fact that there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for them. You would do anything and everything for Sherlock and it didn’t have anything to do with being useful, honestly. You loved him dearly and you couldn’t imagine treating him like you felt anything less than that. You couldn’t help but kiss him.

“Omelettes or pancakes?”

—

Your shirt was soaked from washing the dishes and you smelled like a mixture of bleach and formaldehyde from scrubbing the fridge clean and removing the severed head that took up the space where your coffee creamer should be. You had done more loads of laundry than you could count, bleached the bloodstained tub from Sherlock’s latest pig quest, the entire flat smelled like Bahama breeze and you couldn’t be more content. The boys weren’t due back for a day or two so you figured you’d spend some time with Mrs. Hudson when you were done and see if you could meet up with Bucky and Greg for lunch. When you passed the kitchen on your way to your bedroom to change, you decided that this may be the only chance you ever get to clear off the dining room table. Sherlock’s science equipment had overrun it and you figured it wouldn’t hurt if you straightened it up just a bit.

You were in the midst of cleaning out Sherlock’s beakers when you heard the knock on the door. Figuring that John would have posted on his blog that they weren’t currently taking clients because they were on a case, you expected to see Mrs. Hudson and the mop she was letting you borrow. You cracked the door just enough to see who was on the other side and was surprised to see an older woman holding a plate of baked goods who wasn’t Mrs. Hudson.

“Hi... how can I help you?”

The woman in question’s eyes lit up at the sight of you and you weren’t sure why. She smiled and gestured to the platter in her hands. “Is Sherlock Holmes here?”

She must be a client, you thought. Shaking your head, you responded, “No, sorry! The boys off on a case. I’m a friend of theirs. Is there something I can help you with?”

She was looking past you into the flat and you weren’t sure what she was looking for. “Do you mind if I come in? I could really use a cup of tea. And I wanted to drop these cookies I made for Sherlock off.”

You looked at what she was holding and decided it wouldn’t really hurt to let her in, and the cookies looked amazing. Sherlock must have helped her in some way.

“Sure, come on in. Sorry about my clothes... I’ve been doing some spring cleaning.” You stepped aside and let her in. “So, are you a client of his?”

She went to place the platter on the table and you were excited that it was already worth cleaning off the table. “Not quite. I’ve known him his whole life and have loved him even longer.” She turned and smiled at you, seeing through you in a way that seemed eerily close to Sherlock.

You hummed, taking in her answer. Sherlock didn’t talk much about his friends, so you weren’t surprised that you never heard of her.

“Just a minute, I’m gonna change.”

You excused yourself to the bedroom where your phone was charging on the bed. After sending Sherlock a quick text that someone who wasn’t a client was here for him, you dug around in the closet for something clean and more appropriate.

The lady didn’t really seem like a threat and you were sure if it came down to it, you’d be able to protect yourself. You could chuck the skull on the mantle if need be, it was a hard hitter.

When you returned, she was wandering around the flat and looking at all of the pictures of you, Sherlock, and John that you’d recently framed and put out.

“You and Sherlock, you’re close, yes? Tell me about him. It’s been so long.” She was holding a picture that you took of you two in the back of a taxi. Sherlock was on his phone but you thought his hair looked extra good and the golden hour light made him look like an angel so you had to take the picture.

“Yeah, I mean. He’s a seriously great person. A brilliant detective, he’s so smart. He helps all these people for free, and he never complains if they don’t offer him anything. He hates when I tell him he’s a godsend but who else would do that? Um... he’s really funny, probably one of the funniest people I know. You just have to keep up with his humor. It can be kind of dry, but it’s there. He’s one of the most loyal people there is and he’d do anything for the people he cares about.”

It was so easy for you to speak so highly of him. It was like second nature.

“He can be stubborn sometimes, and he can be a little more blunt than he needs to be but... he’s amazing. There’s no other way to explain him, really. He’s got a light that comes from him that rivals the sun and I don’t think it could ever be dimmed.”

She turned back to you and slowly broke out into one of the biggest grins you’d ever seen someone wear. “You really love my son.”

“Your son?” You blinked, unsure of what was going on. You really started to look at the woman in front of you and you realized Sherlock had her eyes. A complete copy and paste. “Oh my God, you’re Sherlock’s mom. I never even introduced myself. I’m Y/N, a friend of-”

“You’re not his friend, dear, and I’m not blind. Old age takes a lot from you, but I could never miss the way my son shines. And you... you see it too.” She walked up to you, still holding the picture frame in her hands. “You love my son in a way that no one else has. Let me tell you all about him.”

—

You couldn’t stop laughing.

Sherlock’s mom had brought over tons of scrapbooks and old pictures that she had acquired over the years, and you had a feeling she knew you were here alone before she even knocked on the door. Mycroft, probably. You spent the whole day getting to know each other and taking a stroll down memory lane with her telling you all about Sherlock as a kid and how it was growing up with two geniuses as sons. She even gave you a copy of one of Sherlock’s high school pictures that you were going to cherish forever. She seemed so happy to have someone to talk to and assured you that spending time with you was the closest she had felt to Sherlock in a long time.

You insisted that she stay and let you make dinner, but she was as equally stubborn as Sherlock and ordered you takeaway as her treat. You tried to argue but she was having none of it. “My God, you scrubbed this whole flat clean. I’m not going to let you dirty your dishes. How does Chinese sound?”

—

Sherlock barreled up the steps with all the force he could muster in his legs and rushed in to see you, perfectly fine and all in one piece, having dinner with his mother.

“Sherlock!” You both exclaimed, his mother full of excitement and you full of worry.

“What’s wrong?” You ask, standing up from your end of the couch. “I thought you were on a case? Is everything okay?”

“I’ve been texting and calling you all day! You’re that daft that you couldn’t text back once all this time?” He’s still out of breath and he can feel his heartbeat in his ears. His tone is exasperated and you could hear the mix of anxiety and relief in his voice as he’d yet to acknowledge his mother. She seemed perfectly content to sit back and watch the situation unfold, amusement at her son’s unusual outburst gracing her features.

“My phone was dead! And then I put it on the charger and I forgot about it once your mom came, by the way!” You went to the bedroom and retrieved your phone to find a dozen missed texts and calls.

Probably just a client. SH

11:07 AM

Are you sure it’s not a client? SH

11:43 AM

Are they still there? SH

1:00 PM

Missed Call

1:17 PM

Missed Call

2:03 PM

Call me back. SH

3:26 PM

Y/N, I’m on a case. Call me back. SH

3:44 PM

Missed Call

4:13 PM

Is everything alright? SH

4:52 PM

Missed Call

5:08 PM

Missed Call

5:10 PM

Missed Call

5:12 PM

I’m boarding the train now and I’ll be there soon. Don’t worry. SH

5:21 PM

Sherlock followed after you, still without ever acknowledging his mother, and shut the door after himself. With his palms braced against the wooden door, he tried to ease the tension out of his bones through a deep breath as he watched you check your phone. He wasn’t worried about the case at all. It was mostly solved and what little was left John could do with ease. He felt the weight of the missed calls in his stomach like lead and the three hour train ride that he couldn’t curse to defy time any quicker. He had plenty of enemies and you had virtually none, so there would be no reason to think you’d hesitate to assist anyone who came to his door, especially if it was in the name of helping him. He thought he’d walk into a crime scene and he couldn’t shake those images out of his head.

You got up from the bed and walked over to him, reaching to wrap one arm around his neck and to take his hand in yours in the other. You pressed a kiss to his jaw, and then to his chin, over his eyelids, his nose, and then lastly you met his lips, murmuring “I’m sorry” in between every kiss. He didn’t usually voice it, but you had known him long enough to know when he was upset. He relaxed into your touch as he always did and you pulled away from him long enough to pull on the ends of his scarf. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Let me help. We got takeaway for your mom and I but we can share mine. I got what you like anyway.”

He let you pull his scarf and jacket off and you were delighted to see he wasn’t really mad with you. You hang his jacket on the closet door and by the time you turn back to face him, he’s already making his way back out to the living room. Following after him, you see his mother gesturing him to come over.

“What are you doing here? I thought I told Mycroft to tell you I was away on business.” He was messing with the cuffs on his sleeves but his question was directed at his mother with unmistakable intent. She tsked at him, and you began to see even more similarities in their mannerisms.

“That’s no way to talk to your mother, William. I was spending some time with your darling partner here and I don’t even get a kiss or a hug?” She began gathering her belongings and threw her purse over her shoulder. You weren’t happy to see her go.

You did peak up at the name. “William? Your name is William?”

Sherlock groaned, ignoring you completely. You swore you could see a blush dusting his cheeks. In no time he was at the door, holding it open for his mother. “It’s getting rather late, don’t you agree? Father must be wondering where you are. Be sure to pay Mycroft a visit the next time you’re in town. I assure you, he always has time for family.”

She turned to you and blew you a kiss. “I had a great time with you today, I hope you’ll manage to bring Sherlock home more.”

Walking over to Sherlock, she paused to kiss his cheek and whisper in his ear, “I know you know what you could lose here. So be sure you don’t, Sherlock.”

Before she totally stepped out of the flat, she turned around one last time. “Promise me you’ll come home soon. Your father and I miss you dearly.”

“I heard you the first ten times. Goodnight and safe travels, mother.” Sherlock shut the door before his mother could get another word and your shoulders slumped.

“Hey, that was your mom! She’s really nice. We had a good day.” You started to clean up the coffee table and take the dishes into the kitchen. You couldn’t understand Sherlock’s relationship with his family but you were sure there was a lot of things you didn’t know. Still, it was nice to have a chance to bond with your (maybe one day) future family. It was then that you realized that Sherlock never said anything when his mother mentioned you being his partner. You two never really officially defined what you were, so to see him not object to an actual title made you feel all warm inside.

“No, you had a good day. I was trying to work a case and clear a man’s name while trying to figure out if I’d come home to you kidnapped or dead.” Sherlock rolled his eyes, watching you from the doorway. You looked back at him as you dropped the dishes into the sink and let out a sigh. You hated the fact that you let him down.

“I have to go back tomorrow to tie some loose ends with John. If you come with me, I have a feeling I’ll get over it a lot quicker.” His voice was quiet but full of mirth. He won’t hold this over your head, and you both know this, but if it makes him feel better you’ll follow him. You’d follow him to the ends of the Earth and off the edge if he lead you.

Sherlock pushed himself off of the doorway and walked towards the bedroom, unbuttoning his shirt as he went.

“So, you’re staying home tonight?” You swung around the kitchen doorway and called out to the hall. You hadn’t even thought about Sherlock having to go back, and you couldn’t help but be excited that he would be there for you to fall asleep next to tonight.

“You didn’t expect me to make the trip back at this hour, did you? Besides, I sleep better with you and it’s obvious that I don’t focus well if you’re not around, Which is why I need you to come with me tomorrow. It seems you owe me, anyway.” Sherlock takes a step back so you can see him in the bedroom doorway, and you can feel your heart in your throat.

He’s so beautiful, you think, all alabaster skin and lean muscle. He’s pulling a t-shirt over his head and you wonder if you could manifest a photographic memory long enough to commit him to memory. Of course he notices you staring, and you almost want to mention all the times you catch him staring at you but he changes the subject and opens the blankets for you and you shut up and follow him. You follow him and you love him and you wake up in the morning at the crack of dawn to run downstairs and order coffee from the shop next door before your train leaves, being sure to get them to write “William” on the cup. Sherlock doesn’t find this funny at all, but he still lets you fall asleep on his arm on the train ride there and doesn’t complain when his arm falls asleep right along with you.

He thinks that if this is the life his mother wished for him as a child, that would be one thing he could take off of his list of things she eventually needs to answer for. Because mothers know best, and when it came to you, she could have never been more right.

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cathrrrine · 3 years

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The Devil's In The Details

Originally from my AO3

SPN X MCU - Steve Rogers x Winchester!Reader

Chapter 3 - Little Angel

The sound of rain pattering against the roof of the car almost lulled you to sleep, so you turned up the music, hoping to wake yourself up a little with the upbeat tune playing on the radio. Your fingers tapped against the wheel, enjoying the rhythm of the song.

In front of you was the sleek, black 67’ Chevy Impala that you knew like the back of your hand. How could you not? You basically lived in it for more than half of your life—it was a home for you and your brothers because it was the one constant you had in your lives. You still remembered it’s every nook and cranny and the way the leather seat felt under your skin. If you closed your eyes you could still hear the hum of its engine.

You were following them from behind to drive to their bunker. A day ago you never even thought you’d say that you were going to meet your mom for the first time since you were two years old.

Steve knew about your past. You’ve laid all the cards on the table somewhere along your relationship. He knew about your brothers, your hunting life, the kind of monsters you’ve encountered. He was no stranger to the life you lived before you were an Avenger, so when you told him that your mother was brought back to life, he wasn’t that surprised.

Although he was shocked and in disbelief for a moment, it didn’t take too much to convince him that what you were saying was true. So, here you were with a bag packed if you had to stay overnight, on your way to meet Mary Winchester.

“Be careful, angel face. Call me as soon as you get there and call me if anything happens.” He had told you before you opened the door of your car. “Promise?”

“I promise, babe. Don’t worry about me.” You smiled as he kissed the top of your head. “I’m the one who should be worried. What if James gets his nightmares again?”

“Hey, hey. It’ll be fine. It’s not like this is the first time it will be just the two of us.” He chuckled, looking down to James who was hugging your leg tightly. “Right bud?”

“I’m gonna miss mommy.” He pouted, and you couldn’t resist the urge to bend down and pick him up, setting him on your hip.

“Mommy’s gonna miss you too, pumpkin.” You planted a kiss on his cheek. “Take care of daddy for me, okay?”

“Will you be gone a long time again?”

“No, it won’t be long, baby.” You assured him, but a small part of you wondered if that was going to be the case. You hoped what you said to him was true. Spending a long time away from your baby seemed like a nightmare. “Before you know it, I’ll be here to plant kisses on your cheeks again.”

He giggled, “Okay, mommy.” He grabbed your hair in his tiny fists, making you scrunch your nose up in fondness. After handing him to Steve, Tony and Natasha went over to hug you, knowing that what you were about to face was anything but easy.

“Take care of yourself, kiddo.”

“You know the drill. Call me if you need me.”

Their support meant everything to you. In the whole six years of knowing them, you’ve begun to think of them as family.

You slowed the car down as you turned to a narrow intersection, and you hit the brakes as soon as the Impala in front of you came to a stop.

The place you were parked in front of fit the word ‘bunker’ perfectly. It wasn’t anything flashy or shiny, just a concrete building on a small hill that was covered with patches of dry grass and soil.

You pressed the button that stopped the car engine—thanks to Tony, everyone on the team was suited with high-tech equipment—and stepped out of the car, walking towards your brothers who had done the same.

“This is the bunker, huh?” You shoved your hands in the pockets of your leather jacket, already feeling the chilly breeze.

“Yeah, it’s nothing fancy like your tower. But we make do.” Dean replied with a sharpness to his tone, not even bothering to make eye contact. He strolled off to the entrance and you followed behind, keeping your distance.

When you stepped in, you took in all of it with a wave of an emotion that you couldn’t decipher. You observed the layout of the building; the metal railings in front of you, the high ceilings and the tiled walls. There was a octagon-shaped table with a built-in map on the glass surface, a number of cushioned chairs surrounding it.

You gawked in awe, it wasn’t anything you had expected. Part of you was jealous that your brothers had found the bunker after you had left, but there was a bigger part of you that was elated that your brothers had made it into a home of their own.

You could tell they did so. You recognised a few of their own stuff scattered here and there throughout the room; Sam’s jacket draped over a chair, a coffee mug on the table, a pair Dean’s sunglasses that he had worn since he was 20 near it. It was all just little things, but they were personal items that made it obvious that the space belonged to them.

The three of you had spent so many years living from motel to motel that having a consistent place to go back to every time seemed like heaven. You already knew how that felt like, and you were glad they did too.

“Yeah.” Sam whispered from behind you. “I know.” He saw the glint in your eye when you looked around the room.

You pursed your lips, not knowing what to say.

“Mom’s in there.” Dean pointed through an archway, you looked through it and saw a row of tables lined up. “She knows we brought you.”

You gulped, nervous and excited at the same time. You could feel your heart throbbing in your chest. I’m not ready for this.

“She’s waiting, Y/N.” Sam put a hand on your shoulder, albeit a little reluctantly. “It’s okay.”

Your feet dragged itself to walk down the stairs and through the archway, finding that it was a library room as soon as you saw the bookracks that lined the walls. It was a well-lit space, with a number of magnificent pillars standing in between the bookracks and the tables.

“Y/N.”

You whipped your head around to see a blonde woman with familiar gray-blue eyes, the same ones you’ve seen in your reflection. Your heart almost stopped at the sight of her. It seemed like a dream to see someone you’ve only ever seen in pictures in the flesh.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Her lips curled up into a small smile as she tried to make light of the situation. Mary took one step towards you. She wasn’t sure what was going through your head, she didn’t want to overstep any boundaries, but all she wanted to do was scoop you up into her arms and embrace you in a bone-crushing hug.

“M-mom.” You stuttered, tears welling up in your eyes. You were at a loss for words. “Hi.”

“Oh, my little angel.” She ran to you, unable to contain it anymore. You let her wrap her arms around you as you nuzzled your face in the crook of her neck. “You’ve gotten so big. Look at you!”

Mary missed her daughter. She wasn’t too glad to hear that you had broken off from the family and didn’t stay in contact with Sam and Dean. Even though she was more than happy to be with her sons, her heart ached at the absence of her only daughter at their reunion, not knowing if she’ll ever get to see you at all.

“I missed you, mom.” You exhaled a shaky breath into her shoulder, arms still wrapped around her like you were clinging on for dear life. She was well aware how meaningful this was for you. For her, it felt like it was just yesterday that she was tucking all of you in bed, but it had been more than thirty years since you last saw her, and that hurt her very deeply. It was emotional for her too, and a little bit strange, but she couldn’t deny that what you were going through was different from what she was feeling.

“God, you’re not so little anymore. I can’t believe it.” She pulled away, wiping the tears off your cheeks with her hands and kissing the top of your head. “I missed you too.”

“I don’t think you know this yet,” you beamed when a thought popped into your head. “I’m a mom now, too.”

“Y/N! That’s amazing.” Her eyebrows shot up, a big grin starting to grow on her face. “You know, I’ve always wanted a grandchild, but this feels weird considering the fact that I still think you’re two years old.”

You laughed, tears still flowing greatly down your cheeks. “Do you want to meet him?”

“Of course, honey. More than anything.” Then she started to wonder, “Do I...get to meet the father too?”

“Yeah, yes please.” Another breathy laugh escaped your lips again, the joy bubbling in your chest was too much to be contained. “His name is Steve Rogers. He’s a great guy, mom. You’ll love him.”

“What about your baby?

“James. He’s three!” You chortled, face beaming with pride. “I have so much to tell you, Mom. You have no idea.”

She brushed a piece of hair out of your face. “I’m here, Y/N. You can tell me all about it.”

Unbeknownst to the both of you, the two men seated on the chairs in the room next to you had been listening quietly to your conversation. Sam threw a look at Dean, a stern gaze that was so bone-chilling, it even made Dean shift in his seat.

“He’s three Dean. She has a three year old son.”

“So?” He tried to look unbothered.

“Don’t you feel any remorse? Regret? She’s been alone all these years without us and we never even sent her a text.”

“She hasn’t been alone, Sammy. She’s obviously had that Captain America dude around for a while, not to mention that she’s friends with the literal Avengers.”

“You know that is not what I mean.” Sam scowled. “We’re her brothers, Dean. We should’ve been there nonetheless.”

Dean rolled his eyes, returning the same dirty look to him before standing up and heading to the kitchen. “I’m not talking about this now.”

Sam sighed, leaning back on his chair as he watched his brother walk away helplessly. He knew pushing him further would do no good.

This was hard for him. Y/N had been there for all his life, before they separated. She always had his back. When he got in trouble, she defended him. When Dean was a bit too annoying, she defended him. And when he wanted to go to Stanford, she defended him. She had been his biggest supporter and was nothing but a good sister to him. He wished he realised that before it was too late.

No matter the hardships he had been through all his life, he knew one thing for sure; his biggest mistake was abandoning Y/N all those years ago.

Would she forgive him for a sin so cruel?

#dean winchester #dean winchester x reader #sam winchester #sam winchester x reader #steve rogers #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x winchester! reader #the devil's in the details spn x mcu #marvel reader insert #avengers reader insert #spn x mcu #supernatural x marvel #mary winchester

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kindnessisweakness · 3 years

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YOU WERE A BET -- Part 2!!

I had a lovely person message me and ask for a part 2 so here it is! Hope you enjoy!

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Tears burned behind my eyes as I tried to hold them in. Rushing around what was mine and Angels shared room I tried to pack 2 years worth of belongings into my suitcase. Quickly ripping my clothes from the hangers in the wardrobe, I could care less if they broke, I needed to get out of here. A small thud made me stop in my tracks. Turning to throw the clothes in my hands on to the bed I reached down to pick up the small box. I couldn't stop the sob that wracked through me as I opened the lid. Photos stared up at me, almost mocking me with their happy smiles. 2 years worth of momentos filled this box. Cinema tickets, concert passes and funfair wristbands littered the top of the red felt lining. She kept all of them as a keepsake. Memories were important. Something to remember her and Angels time together. This box used to make her smile fondly when she opened it. Made her fill with love and think how lucky she was to have a boyfriend like Angel. Now all it did was fill her heart with pain and her eyes with tears. How could it have all been fake? How could he do this to her? Everyone told her she was foolish for believing he would want her. She felt foolish now. Embarrassed even. She let her heart rule her head. Let Angel fill it with hope and sweet nothing's. And here she was left holding the baby, just like her mother said she would be. Pulling a photo from the box she couldn't help the faint smile that spread over her lips. It was one of her favourite memories of their relationship. Bonfire night at the clubhouse. The first one Angel convinced her to attend. She could hear his voice now. "Come on, Mi Dulce. You'll love it." Glancing at there shared bed she remembered just how easy it was for him to convince her. To make her weak and pull her under. He was right, she did love it. Wrapped in a blanket sat in Angels lap, mug of hot coco warming her hands has they laughed watching coco and Gilly argue over who was going to set the first firework off. EZ Worriedly shouting about safety precautions as they fought over the lighter. That was the first time Angel told her he loved her, surrounded by the club and family as the fireworks went off. Letty captured the meaningful moment of them kissing as blue and green fireworks exploded in the background. And to think, all that happiness was a lie. It's all over.

Angel quickly paced back and forth in front of the clubhouse bar. "What am I gonna do?" Ez shook his head as he looked at his brother in disgust. "I knew you were fucked up, but not this bad". Angel sneered at him "Sorry Ezekeiel not all of us can be the favourite. You don't know what it's like to always be second choice. To have nobody be proud of you-" Ez cut him off fire in his eyes as he slammed Angel back in to the bar, Y/Ns cake falling to the floor. "You fucking had that! Y/N always chose you! You fucked up and threw away the best thing that ever happened to you! Stop the self pity and grow the fuck up Angel. All this shit about me being mom and dad's favourite, you can't keep using it as an excuse to justify your shitty behaviour". Bending down Ez picked up the scan photo that lay on the floor among the crushed chocolate cake. Handing the photo to Angel he looked sadly at his brother. "You're gonna be a good dad Angel, a family of your own is all you've ever wanted. Go and grovel and get your girl back. You can fix this." Smiling at his brother Angel held the scan photo tight and headed towards the door. Felipe's voice made Angel Pause. "Don't fuck it up Angel. You'll regret it for the rest of your life"

Pulling the zip of the suitcase shut I tried to lift it from the bed. After a few minutes of struggling I managed to get the case on the floor. Quickly pulling the uncomfortable dress off i changed into a pair of grey sweats and a baggy hoodie. I had a long drive ahead of me and needed to be comfy. Placing the memory box on the bed I grabbed the suitcase and headed for the door. Pulling it closed behind me I headed towards my car. My heart felt heavy. I remember when Angel asked me to move in. He was so nervous it was adorable.

{Flashback}

Laying on my side I sighed as I watched Angel sleep peacefully. I hated when I stayed over when I had work the next morning. I had to get up 2 hours earlier so I could drive home shower and pick up my work things. Groaning quietly I pulled myself from the warm bed, grabbing my clothes from the floor. A squeal left my lips in Suprise as a hand shot out pulling me back on the bed. Laughter left my lips as Angels form appeared above me. He looked so good, even when he's just woken up. How is that possible? I'm pretty sure I look like a homeless woman right now. "Don't go baby. Stay in bed with me. Call in sick" he begged as he pressed kisses to my neck. "As tempting as that is I have to go home to get ready for work." Sighing he lay back on the bed as he watched me get ready to leave in silence. "Will I see you tonight? Your gonna stay over again yeah?" He broke the silence. I shook my head disappointed. " No sorry baby I have a meeting to prep for tomorrow. Plus I have an even earlier start so id have to leave early hours of the morning so I could go home and get ready." Angel fell silent again as I packed my overnight bag back up. I could feel him watching me as I moved around the room. Zipping the bag closed I turned to Angel. Leaning over him I placed a kiss on his forehead "bye baby I'll see you in a couple of days". Angel wrapped his arms around me tightly. "Stay. Move in with me." Pulling back to look him in the eyes I was suprised. "Seriously?" Smiling wide Angel nodded. "I want you here with me baby. All the time. I hate it when you leave and I have to come home to an empty bed. I hate going days without seeing you. Please baby. I want nothing more than to have you live with me. I want to come home to you every day." Nervousness crossed his face as I stayed silent. "Y-you don't have to decide n-now. I-i-it was j-just an idea. F-forget I said anythi-" I've never seen angel so worried before. I cut him off a smile spreading over my lips. "Ofcourse baby. I'd love to take that next step with you!" Grinning Angel opened his bedside draw. "I already got you a key cut" his cheeks tinged pink as I giggled.

The sound of an engine cut the happy memory short. Unlocking my car I opened the boot just as Angel pulled into the driveway. My chest constricted painfully as I made eye contact with him. God, i dread to think what I look like from all the crying. "Wait Y/N don't leave! Talk to me!" Scoffing as I tried to lift the heavy suitcase into the boot of my car. The heavy bag fell to the floor as I failed. Angel was quick to grab the handle of the case, stopping me from leaving. "Talk to you? Why would I want to talk to you? You and me are done Angel. You won your bet. Games over!" Shaking his head Angel broke down. " No, No you have to listen! Yes it all started as a bet. But I love you! You have to believe me. You were always too good for me. Youre fucking amazing and so smart. I was fucking terrified to admit I liked you. Coco and Gilly could see through me. That's why they bet me, they knew I hate to turn down a challenge. Fuck I've never looked at another girl twice since I took you on that first date. Ask Vikki I've not been anywhere near her house of whores since we got together. You're it for me Y/N" his eyes were rimmed red from all the crying and Y/Ns heart broke seeing him like this. "Don't leave me. please. Your the best thing that ever happened to me" pulling the scan photo from his pocket he have Y/N a teary smile. "And this is the second best thing. You're my world Y/N. I want nothing more than to be a family. I'll spend the rest of my life making up for this. Just give me a chance." Angel was all but on his knees begging. "This isn't how I expected this reveal party to go. I feel like everything has been a lie. How do I know this isn't another game? How do I know your telling the truth?" Shaking her head y/N rubbed the falling tears from her cheeks . "I think it's best if we give eachother some space. I'll be in touch about doctors appointments and checkups. I won't keep you from your child Angel." Lifting her case into the boot successfully this time y/N made her way to the drivers side. With one Last look towards a broken Angel she climbed in and drove away. Angel sobbed like a child as he watched the love of his life and unborn child drive away. With one Last look towards the dark sky Angel did the one thing be hasn't done in years. Putting his hands together he fell to his knees.

"Please mum. I need to make it right. Give me another opportunity to hold her and I'll never mess it up again" Angel prayed hard to his mum for forgiveness, guidance and hope for his little family to be together again.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Well guys there it is! I have an idea for part 3! Let me know what you think. Hope you liked it!

#angel reyes x reader #fanfiction #mayans mc imagine #angel reyes #mayans imagine

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page-doctor-bekker · 3 years

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Exposé - msbp!au

(A/N) So this is like, an exposition I guess. It’s necessary for the rest of the story. Ginormous trigger warning for allusions to child abuse, gaslighting + manipulation.

Sarah's vision blurred, as she faded in and out of consciousness. The pain is intense, and she feels like she might die. This isn't survivable. The worst of the pain hits her all at once, and she lets out a blood-curdling scream into her gag. After that pain, nothing.

"Oh Sarie, I have some bad news," His voice cut through the pain, like a scalpel in her lower back, "You're going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life..."

"Good morning Sarie," Sarah's dad sung, turning on the overhead lights as he walked into her room. He was holding a medium-sized pink bin, lined with a sterile sheet to create a sterile field, with a few syringes and medications, as well as sterile gloves, alcohol swabs, and a few other supplies. Sarah was scared awake, letting out a short groan. Her dad pulled a chair up, before pulling on a pair of gloves and disconnecting Sarah's PICC line from her overnight infusion.

He opened up a 10mL saline flush, screwed it onto the end of her line, and slowly pushed the plunger, drained the syringe into the line. Next, he pulled out another syringe, this time a 3mL syringe, half-full with clear liquid. He connected the syringe to the line, and administered the medication. She almost instantaneously felt calmer and sedated, as the Ativan coursed through her system. He proceeded to flush the line with more saline, then a syringe of Heparin. After that flush, he finished off the line by screwing on a swab cap. He tucked the line under the PICC cover, and pulled off and disposed of his gloves. Lastly, he helped Sarah sit up, and guided a small cup of pills into her shaky hand. He gave her a water cup with a straw, and helped her take her pills.

Sarah's dad moved her wheelchair closer to the bed and locked the wheels. He gently took the blankets off of her body, and threaded his left arm under her knees, and his right arm under her armpits around her body. He lifted her into her wheelchair, and buckled up her seatbelt. He hummed to her as he put her minimalist neck brace on to keep her head from flopping forward. The brace had a strap around the back of her neck, with two hard plastic pieces at the sides of her neck. The top of those plastic pieces split off onto a chin pad to hold her chin in place, and the bottoms of the plastic pieces split off into two rods that joined in a v-shape at her sternum.

Sarah’s dad turned off her overnight oxygen concentrator, and started peeling the cannula tape off of her prominent cheekbones. Sarah coughed a few times as the oxygen stopped.

“Today is tube change day,” Her dad announced, and Sarah was wheeled into the kitchen where she was sat at the table. Her dad started rummaging through the formula cabinet, "Do you want something to eat before we leave for the hospital?"

Sarah was quiet for a moment, trying to process those words through her Ativan-jumbled brain, "...Yes..." She finally decided, speaking slowly, "Can... I have... a..." She paused, thinking of what she wanted, "Cereal..."

"Yes," Sarah's dad confirmed, moving to fix her a bowl of cereal. A few quiet, zoned-out minutes later she was presented with a bowl of fruit loops. Her dad fitted the rings of her adaptive spoon onto her pointer finger and her thumb, and she started to spoon her cereal into her mouth. Her dad sat down to supervise as always, to make sure she didn't aspirate.

He multi-tasked, filling her feed bag with four cartons of formula and 8 ounces of Miralax mixed into water. He closed up the bag, and fitted the tubing into the Infinity pump. He flipped the bag upside down, and pushed the button to prime the tube. Once formula started dripping out of the end of the tube, he stopped.

Sarah's dad lifted her shirt, gently pulled the split gauze off from around her tube, and cleaned the area, "Today we have..." He grabbed the small fabric circle from the table, "Purple and pink stripes!" He fitted the tubie pad around her tube and clipped it together, and let her shirt fall.

Sarah finished her cereal, and watched as her dad tucked the bag of formula and the pump into one of Sarah’s various backpacks, and hung it on the back of her wheelchair. This particular backpack was a pale pink, with a panda on the front. On the lower right side of the backpack there was a plastic port where the tubing came out of. On the right side of Sarah’s wheelchair, between the back of the chair and the armrest was a velcro strap that held the tube out of the way of the wheel. He left her for a moment, grabbing an ice pack to tuck into the bag with the formula.

Sarah watched him, puzzled and confused, “Why aren’t you starting feeds?”

“Yes, we are going to the hospital today, you are due to have your tube replaced,” He started a sterile field, and started to draw up the day’s medications, five IV syringes and one G-tube syringe. He capped the syringes and tossed them into a plastic bag. He put her nighttime pills into a small pill container, and put it in the bag as well, “Just in case we aren’t home in time,” He put the bag into her backpack, “

Sarah started coughing a dry, rough cough. Her dad rubbed her back with one hand, and reaching over onto the table for her portable oxygen concentrator. He tucked the cannula into her nose and turned it on. She started to breathe easier, and her dad smiled.

Once she started to feel better, he spoke up, “I need to stop the machine so I can put this in your backpack and organize the tubing, okay?”

She nodded, and he turned the machine off and unplugged the tubing from the machine. Working quickly, he looped the excess tubing up and secured it with a tubie clip that he clipped to her shirt. He fed the tubing through the the velcro port in the back of her wheelchair, then through the port in her backpack. The oxygen concentrator went into the backpack, and he turned in back on once it was set up.

Once she was all set up, her dad looked at his watch, “I think it’s time to get this show on the road!”

Sarah nodded, and leaned against her headrest while her dad pushed her through the house, then out the door.

Sarah dozed all the way to the hospital, barely lucid enough to realize when she was being taken out of the car, and into the hospital.

“Let’s take a look at the ol’ g-tube then, ready?” Sarah was woken from her daze by the doctor, a brunette woman that Sarah had seen multiple times before, Dr. Manning.

Sarah nodded at the doctor, leaning back and lifting her shirt up to the underwire of her bra, exposing the tube.

“Mind if I give her her 11:00 meds?” Her dad inquired, looking at his watch. The doctor nodded and Sarah’s dad stole a pair of gloves from the wall and started fiddling with her PICC line. He pushed her morphine first, which immediately started to chill her out even more than the Ativan. The next medication was Benadryl, which was followed by saline and Heparin.

As the Benadryl kicked in, Sarah dozed off just in time for Dr. Manning to pull the tube out for the change.

An indiscernable amount of time later, Sarah woke up in a hospital bed, a different room from the procedure room she had been in before.

“Sarah?” Her dad whispered, looking up from his phone. Sarah made a noise in the back of her throat, feeling a thin tube down her throat, and rubbed her eyes, before looking at her dad.

“Dad?” She croaked, “Where... Why are we here? Why do I have a nose tube?”

“You have an infection,” He explained, scooting closer to her bed and grabbing her right hand, “In your tube. They want to keep you here because of your immunodeficiency, they want to be a little more aggressive this ti-”

There was a knock at the door, and a doctor and a nurse walked in. They both helped themselves to some hand sanitizer off of the wall, and greeted her dad. Sarah settled back down, staying quiet.

“Whenever ANYONE in the hospital comes to talk to us, you stay QUIET. Do you hear me? Sarah, look at me. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? You are to remain absolutely silent. Do not tell them anything, you don’t understand what you’re talking about anyways. I’m the only one that can advocate for you. You’re only going to make things worse.”

“Do you have any idea how this infection might have started? Any other signs of illness, maybe another infection that spread? Have you travelled recently?”

“No, none of that.”

“And you’re always touching the tube with clean hands, cleaning it twice a day, using clean gauze, clean supplies, bathing often?”

“Yes, very clean. I’m very careful. She’s immunocompromised, and I would never do anything that could put her in danger.”

Sarah’s stomach churned. No, not clean.

“And you’re the only one who handles her tube? Is mom involved? Home healthcare nurses, babysitters?”

“Nope, it’s just me,” Sarah’s dad laughed, “Her mother took off, left me in the dust. No help I ever see! And I don’t let anyone else handle her tube.”

“Well, I think we’re going to go in for endoscopy to see what’s going on inside, see if the infection is in her stomach as well, maybe bacterial gastroenteritis, ulcers, buried bumper syndrome. We’ll see what we can find and take some more cultures.”

“Dirty tube...”

Sarah’s dad looked at her with a wrath hotter than a thousands suns, and then chuckled at the doctors, “Sorry, she just woke up. Sometimes she echoes what she hears from others, it doesn’t mean anything.”

“My tube is dirty,” She asserted groggily.

“Sweetheart, they just cleaned it an hour ago, it’s not dirty,” Sarah’s dad reassured, squeezing her hand. She sighed, and laid back.

The doctor left, and Sarah’s dad dropped her hand aggressively, “What do you think you’re doing?” He hissed, “They will take you away from me and hurt you. Is that what you want?”

Sarah shook her head.

“You will die without me. Do you understand? I do everything for you. I care for you, I do everything with no help. God forbid I make mistakes. God forbid I forget things sometimes.”

She looked away.

He grabbed the tube and pulled her to face him, which yanked the tape off of her cheek. She coughed as the tubing shifted in her throat.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you,” He scowled at her, before putting on a worried face, “Nurse!” He flagged down a nurse walking by their door, “She pulled the tape off. Poor thing, she doesn’t understand.”

(A/N) anyways sorry ava wasn’t in this one, i just needed to set the scene lol. hope you enjoyed!

#msbp!au #child abuse tw #abuse tw #reesker #well it will be at some point #sarah reese #robert haywood #chicago med #chicago med au #reesker au #crockettstiddies

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jessefandomunited · 4 years

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Secrets

Spencer Reid X Reader

You and Spencer were nervous about getting into a relationship so you decide to hide it from the team.

Me and Spencer had been dating in secret for a while now and we liked it that way. We knew how much everyone would tease us if they knew so we kept quiet. We were also both very nervous about getting things right so we wanted this relationship to be as straight forward , fun and painless as possible. We wanted to be friends first and lovers second and it had been a blast. I think the sneaking around made it a bit more exciting too. I would always smile a bit when someone commented on how happy Reid had been lately. We had always been close at work so our casual debates on the best companion in doctor who and me leaving him random riddles on his desk flew below everyone's radar. None were the wiser, till one day.

“ OMG GUESS WHAT,” Garcia whispered in excitement as I entered into our tech cave. I set my coffee down and asked, “ what what is it?” “ Spencer has a girlfriend,” She almost squealed. My stomach dropped and I stuttered, “ o..oh?” “ YES, so he told Derek he was too busy to go out to dinner with us, well you didn’t know you had probably fallen asleep by the time you got my text if you wanted to go, but while we were there, we saw him in a restaurant with another girl. He was wearing this almost Victorian looking outfit, I've never seen him wear it before and he met this girl who had this long black hair all put up in a bun and this fancy looking dress.” I shook my head trying to look surprised, “ wow I...i never thought this day would come.” I blushed a bit thinking about that night. We liked planning themed nights, for this one I suggested Sherlock as the theme knowing how much he loved the books and I loved the show. Of course I suggested we dressed as Sherlock and Irene Adler. “ You know,” Garcia said cutting into my thoughts, “ I always thought you two would be cute together.” I smiled, “ ehhh we’re buddies, I don’t mind.” “ OMGGGGG I just want to know who she is,” Garcia huffed, “ is she nice is she cool does she make him happy, is she cute?” I chuckled ,” well he has seemed to be in a nicer mood that normal.” “ I know but… oh hello Doctor,” Garcia said making me almost fall out of my chair . Spencer stood there looking a bit nervous and blushing, he looked a me and gently tilted his head out the door, “ a moment .” I nodded and whispered to Garcia as I left, “ ill see if I can get anything out of him.” She gave me a sly smile and a thumbs up.

“ We’ve been compromised,” He said when we were out of earshot. I made a big show of straightening my collar in mock superiority ,” excuse me YOU’VE been compromised, Garcia only noticed you .” His eyes narrowed trying to look angry but I saw a slight smile at his lips, “ oh okay you think that you’re more stealthy than me.” “ No! I know I am, I’m the master of disguise,” I said seriously before bursting out laughing, “ we should lay low tonight, The Good the Bad and the Ugly , my house tonight bring your guns.” I whipped my fingers out of my pockets and fake fired them. He blushed , “ alright.” We quickly hugged and I walked back to the room.

I was setting everything out for movie night when I heard a quick three knocks on my door. I jogged over and opened it to Reid with a bottle of wine and his overnight bag. “ That better have PJ’s in it because I can’t be the only one in them,” I spun around to reveal my doctor who shirt that I stole from him and my plaid pj shorts. “ Don’t worry I did,” He reassured kissing my forehead, “you know I believe I've seen that shirt somewhere before.” I smirked mischievously, “ I cant help what my hand finds when i’m packing my things.” He shook his head fondly and said, “ did you make popcorn?” “ OBVIOUSLY,” I said running into the kitchen to get the popcorn and a couple of wine glasses. I set them on the table as Reid went into my room to change, he was so shy , My phone rang and I picked it up, “ hello.” “ Hey so I have an update on Reid’s mystery girl,” Garcia rambled . “Oh have you,” I said looking out on of my windows. “ YES, so at the restaurant that Reid went to I asked for any reservations for that specific time and I cross checked all the names but one stuck out the name was Irene Adler, can you believe it, they’re using code names, i’m getting so close I can feel it in my bones,” Garcia sighed. I noticed Reid had emerged in a black shirt , Tardis pj pants and his glasses, I put a finger to my lips and smiled knowingly, “ code names wow she must be one smart cookie.” Spencer rolled his eyes and I playfully punched him in the shoulder. “ Yes, i’ll let you know when I get more ,” She said thoughtfully. “ Alright great because I have a bottle of wine with my name on it,” I chuckled. “ Ohhh can I come over,” She begged. My eyes went wide and I bit my lip before saying, “ listen Penelope, you know I love you but remember what I told you about me needing alone time, I don’t get energy from people like you do and these cases have really been wearing me out, but maybe on the weekend okay?” She sighed loudly, “ fine FINE go enjoy yourself, I will do more digging.” I laughed, “ thank you , see you tomorrow, love you.” “ Yeah yeah,” she said then hung up. “ When did you become so masterful at lying,” Spencer asked as I hopped onto the couch next to him. “ Years of pretending my mom said no when I got invited to parties,” I said with a smile, “ now, do you want to know how cleaver she thinks Dr Reid’s new girlfriend is.” “ Oh I already know,” He said pulling me into a hug, “ I know how cleaver and beautiful and cute she is.” He always did this to make me all flustered. I pressed my face into his shirt so I didn’t have to look at him,” no fair, that’s cheating.” “ I am just stating facts it is my favorite thing to do, now are we going to watch the movie,” he asked . “ Obviously,” I said gently sitting myself up so I could grab the remote and hit play then I snuggled back into his arms.

When we started dating he was so nervous, he always was scared of doing the wrong thing, he apologized a lot. Luckily for him I was just as nervous and now look at us! Pros who talk during the entire movie either about random facts or making stupid jokes and have competitions on who can throw more popcorn in their mouth.

We stayed up later than we should have last night, it could have been the wine, it could have been me refusing to let Spencer win against me, but either way we were both at the coffee maker at work. “ Wohh, long night,” Derek asked me. Spencer seemed to naturally look tired all the time so I guess it was more obvious with me. I shrugged, “ I thought wine on a Wednesday was a good idea.” Derek laughed, “ no it is not, so Reid, any update on that girl of yours , when are we going to meet her?” “ Yeah come on,” I chimed in just to see him get a little flustered. He blushed ,grabbed his coffee then just walked out. I shrugged, “ oh well we tried.” Derek sighed, “ I thought you guys were close , you haven't heard anything.” I rolled my eyes, “ you know Spencer, he is a pretty tightly closed book.” He nodded and waved as I walked back to the tech corner. Garcia was typing a bit intensely on her computer. “ Good morning,” I said carefully. She didn’t turn around she simply said, “ I have an update on the mystery girl, it’s in a file on your desk.” I looked over and sure enough there was a case file that said “ Reid’s girlfriend” . I opened up to see my face, I bit my lip, “ how?” “ How, how,” She huffed, “ I decided to track Reid’s phone which is know isn’t necessarily fair but I was curious, and you know what it led to , your apartment complex. So I did some investigating and went to your apartment and I hear two voices in your living room and one sounded oddly like one Doctor Reid.” I sighed, “ we just wanted to make sure it was real before we said anything and Reid didn’t want to be teased by Derek.” “ Well,” She asked. I blushed a little and looked down, “ three months.” “WHAT, HOW how , I don’t understand how you have been keeping this from me for so long,” She gasped, “ I’m enraged you just lied to me!” “ Please it wasn’t anything personal we just didn’t want the extra pressure it’s kind of both of our first real relationship,” I mumbled. “ Noooooo really,” She said shocked. “ Penelope I was in MARCHING BAND in highschool, no one was lining up to date me,” I laughed, “ and in college I was more focused on getting out of college.” She nodded, “ fine….does he make you happy? Is he different outside work?” I smiled, “ I can only give away so many secrets in one day, but yes he makes me very happy hes smart and incredibly handsome, what is there more to ask for.” “ Awww i’m so happy for you two, but mad you hid it, but so happy,” She sighed then hugged me tightly, “ When can I tell everyone.” I rubbed my neck, “ not yet, please.” I knew that wouldn’t last but I wanted to give it a go. “ My lips are so sealed,” Penelope promised. I gave her a side glance then went back to my computer. I texted Spencer, “we have 12 hours of secrecy left Penelope tracked you last night.” “Are you nervous,” he replied. “ A little but , actually meet me in the hall 2 minuets,” I said, I couldn’t text this out.

I leaned on the wall tapping my fingers nervously. “ What is it ,” Spencer asked looking a bit worried. I smiled , “ Spencer I love you, from the moment I joined the BAU, from the moment we became friends, I loved you.” His eyes welled up with tears and his face was bright red , “ I, love you too.” He leaned over and kissed me I wrapped my arms around his neck and then we heard a light cough. We quickly separated and saw Penelope looking sheepish with Hotch, Rossi, Derek , Emily, and JJ all gathered around we were going to say something but they all just smiled, “ congratulations.” We let out a sigh of relief, guess the secrets out.

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #criminal minds

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bbyboybrock--archived · 4 years

Text

You’re Home (Colby Brock Imagine)

Summary: Sequel to To Pluto and Back. After months back home in Bar Harbor, Maine during quarantine, you have had enough of the being away from Colby. You spend the next few driving across the country just to go home to him.

Written: 2020

Word Count: 2,754

Warnings: A lot of fluff, swearing (minor)

Masterlist

“Call me every day while you’re on the road.” My mother says as she squeezes me tight.

“I will, I promise. I should be back in La in five days, a week if I decided to take in the sights while I’m driving. Are you sure you don’t need me to stay? I can cancel everything right now.” I place my hands on either side of my mom’s face.

“I’m positive. Your brother and sister are nearby if your dad and I need help. Besides, I don’t think I can take any more of you moping around the house. Go home to your boyfriend and friends.” My mom kisses my forehead and goes to stand on the porch so my dad and I can talk in private.

“Got everything you need? Your clothes, GPS, snacks, full tank of gas?” My dad asks with his arms crossed over his chest.

“I packed up my bedroom. I have the ice chest in my car, I’m going to get snacks, gas, and ice right now. Mom packed me to lunch and a few snacks. I have all of my chargers, my spare tires, my overnight bags for when I have to spend the night in a motel. My location is on for you, mom, and my friend in LA. My wallet, phone, and all my little necessities are in the front seat along with chargers. I have the number for a tow company just in case. I also have my mace and whistle. I’m going to be okay.”

“I’m just making sure. I’m your dad, I’m allowed to worry. Here, take this.” My dad hands me a folded up bill.

“Dad, I don’t need money. Keep it.” I try to push his hand away, but he’s insistent.

“Just take it to ease an old man’s heart.” I hesitantly take the money and put it in my pocket.

“Fine. I love you guys and I’ll call you when I’m home.” I wrap my arms around my dad and kiss his cheek. He gives me a soft, yet tight hug back and kisses the top of my head. He lets go and my mom joins him as I grab my filming camera off of the top of my trunk and hop into my car.

****

I’ve been down in the dumps since I sent Colby that care package. He sent me one back after and I filmed that video last week. I’ve been moping around the house since then with the new stuffed animal he gave me. I knew that going back home to Maine to help my parents out with the quarantine would be hard, but it’s taking longer than I thought and it’s been taking a serious toll on my mental health. I only came home because my brother and sister are older with their own families, I knew they would help out our parents when they could, but I knew that they needed me to help too. The three hour time difference doesn’t help either. I’m just so used to being with Colby since I moved in with him two years ago. Being away from him truly feels like I’m missing a part of myself. My mom finally saw how sad I was being away and basically kicked me out of the house. After a few days of thinking, I finally packed all of my stuff to head home.

“Hey, guys, Y/N here! Today, I’m taking you guys with me on a road trip. To make a long story short, I’m going home to LA to surprise Colby and finally move into the house. The only one who knows is Sam, who is helping me make sure Colby doesn’t do anything rash like fly over to surprise me. Because of the virus and all, I’m trying my best to limit my human contact. Unfortunately for me, that means taking a 50-hour road trip across the country by myself. But it’ll be worth it in the end. I’m at the gas station to fill up my tank and get some provisions for the next few hours. When I get back I’ll give you guys a little car tour!” I turn off my camera and grab my bag before heading into the convince store.

I only told Sam because I figured he could be the only one to keep Colby in line while I drove. He’s been talking about coming down to Maine to stay with me for a bit, and knowing him he would actually do it. I would have told Jake and Corey, but I feel like they would let it slip that I’m coming. I told Sam that he could tell them when I’m 5 minutes from the house. I’ve worked really hard planning this perfectly so that Colby won’t suspect a thing. I pre-filmed and edited this week’s YouTube video. I made a whole bunch of TikToks all over my parent’s house so I could post a few while I’m on the road and he would think I’m still there. I took a lot of selfies and boomerangs to post Instagram and to send to Colby. I even drafted tweets in case I got too tired to think of something after a long day of driving.

The only issue is when Colby wants to FaceTime; which is every day. I could probably get away with texting and calling him for the next few days. Despite the time difference, we like to fall asleep and wake up together. Well, I’m always asleep and awake first because of the time, but you get the point. We were THAT couple for the past four months.

I get some shots of me getting gas and filling the ice chest with snacks. This is going to be a long trip, but I made sure to only get a few snacks. I did get a lot of iced coffees just in case the gas station I stop at every morning doesn’t have the brand or flavor I like. You only make that mistake once.

“Okay guys, It’s 8:30 in the morning on a Monday, and in all honesty, my goal is to be in LA by Friday. Unless I drive for 5 days straight, that’s not going to happen. I think I’ll barely make it out of Maine today. Realistically, I probably won’t be home until next Monday, maybe even later. I do want you to know that I’m going to try to be safe and smart. All of my travel clothes are light and comfortable. I’m not going to be driving more than 8 hours a day. I’m going to get to the motels around 5 pm so I can get dinner and relax. I’m going to take a break every two hours to stretch my legs, eat, go to the bathroom, etc. I have compression socks to prevent blood clots. I have no real plans for this trip. Honestly, I don’t care how this goes. All I care about is getting home to Colby. I know that I’ve been talking about how depressed and lonely I’ve been without him, but I know that he feels the same way, maybe even worse. So I’m mainly doing this for him. And bub, if you’re watching this, I love you.” I close the camera again and turn on my GoPros to get some shots of my driving.

****

“Did you hear they might extend the quarantine again?” Colby says on the other line. I’m eating breakfast in my car. I spent the night in Denver. I have two more states to drive through before I’m finally in California. The trip is taking a bit longer than I anticipated. It’s Friday and I’m a quarter of the way home. I’ve already driven through ten states, but the fact that I have about three to four more days until I can be in Colby’s arms again is what’s keeping me going.

“I didn’t hear about that. I’ve been trying to spend less time on the internet lately. That sucks. That means we’re not going to be able to see each other until like next year or something.” I can’t help by smile. Sometimes when I lie I have the urge to laugh. I’m generally good at hiding it, but I keep thinking about the look I’m going to see on Colby’s face when I see him.

“Don’t say that. This is the longest we’ve been apart since we started hanging out. It’s already been killing me the past few months. Maybe I could come down to visit you for a few weeks.” He’s been saying that so often, I’m afraid he’s going to sneak out of the house to surprise me in Maine.

“I would love that, babe, but we talked about this. I don’t want to risk you getting sick. I know it’s hard, but we need to wait this out, I promise everything will change soon. Very soon. Oh shoot, I got to get my laundry before my mom gets upset. I’ll call you tonight. I love you.”

“I love you too, princess.” I hang up and just stare at my phone for a bit. A picture of Colby that I took before I left is my lock screen. I didn’t technically lie about the laundry. I brought only a few days worth of clothes and I needed to wash them. So I grabbed breakfast near a laundry mat so I could kill two birds with one stone. I’ve also been texting Sam to keep him updated. We still don’t know how I’m going to surprise Colby. We agreed to talk about it when I’m closer to California so we don’t jinx anything. He’s had to stop Colby from buying a plane ticket a couple of times. I’m so glad that I told him or else this whole trip would have been for nothing.

By the time I get to a motel every night, I get so anxious that I want to start driving again. The only thing keeping me sane is editing parts of the video and stopping at gift shops in every state I drive through to get souvenirs for everyone. I get something specific for Colby and me and then a bunch of cute $1 items for everyone else so they can choose what they want. Our friend group is too big for me to buy bigger things for each of my friends. I’ve already spent close to $300 on gas on this trip so far.

****

“Hey, is anyone near you?” I ask Sam as I pack my stuff back into my overnight bag.

“I’m in my room and everyone is either asleep or getting breakfast, what’s up?” I hear Sam moving in the background.

“I’m definitely going to be in Los Angles today. I have four and a half hours left, give or take, until I’m at the house. Are the plans for today set?” I double-check that I have everything before heading out to my car. I load my stuff into my car and head to the front desk to check out. I pay and return my key before finally heading back to my car.

“Yeah, I mean there isn’t much we can do. Thank God the shops are finally, open. I can distract Colby by going to the mall or something. Jake and Corey are going to be home to let you in and help you get your stuff. I’m going to see where Colby is and tell them right now. Hopefully, they don’t let anything slip.” I hear a door open in the background.

“Yeah, I would definitely kill them myself if they did. Anyway, I have to start driving. I’ll text you when I’m about halfway there and then call you when I get there. Keep me updated on your end please!” I start the car and plug in the address into my GPS app.

“Will do. Drive safe and talk to you later.” Sam hangs up the phone as I readjust everything. I turn on my road trip music and get ready to get breakfast.

Last night when I was talking to Colby, I was texting Sam. We finally settled on how I was going to surprise Colby. Sam is going to get Colby out of the house while Jake and Corey sneak me into the house. They’re going to also help get my stuff out of my car. While Sam and Colby are out, I’m going to get a quick tour of the house and change out of my gross road trip clothes so I can look like a decent human. The three of us are going to hang out downstairs. When they get home we’re going to call them into whatever room we’re hanging out in and boom, surprised boyfriend.

****

Jake and Corey help me set up the last few cameras so I can get Colby’s reaction. They also helped me hide my car. Not that Colby would notice, but I didn’t want to take any chances. They showed me around the house a bit, and honestly, I almost didn’t recognize it from when I was looking at the house with them months ago. Seeing the house in person feels so different than seeing it in videos and FaceTime chats with Colby. Being here makes it real. Sam texted us saying that they were around the corner. That’s when we turned on the camera. I brought lunch for everyone so the three of us are just eating in the kitchen and catching up.

My heart is racing. I don’t even know why I’m so nervous to see my own boyfriend. Maybe it’s because I have no idea how he’ll react. I’ve been kind of giving him the cold shoulder the past few days because I’ve been driving. We haven’t talked as much as we have been for the past four months while I was in Maine. I don’t why, but part of me feels like he’ll be a different person.

“We’re home!” I hear Sam call out from the front of the house. My heart immediately drops to my stomach from nerves. I tightly grip the counter that I’m sitting on to keep myself from falling off.

“We’re in the kitchen. We have lunch for you guys.” Jake responds. I stop breathing for a second.

“I’ll be there in a second. I have to go put my things down.” Colby calls out. I’m so glad that we hid my stuff. I had a feeling Colby would go to his room first. Maybe he’s still the same Colby I left here four months ago.

Sam walks into the kitchen while putting his phone away. He walks over to me and gives me a quick hug. We all wait, whispering, for Colby to join us in the kitchen. The nerves don’t leave my body as he takes longer to come back. Eventually, we hear his footsteps on the stairs.

“Sorry I was… Y/N?” Colby stops dead in his tracks when he sees me. He blinks a few times before a huge grin creeps on his face.

“Hi,” is all I can manage to squeak out. I managed to lose my voice at the sight of Colby.

“Y/N, is that really you? What are you doing here?” Colby starts walking towards me. I hop off the counter and meet his halfway.

“I’m home,” I whisper as I hug Colby, “I missed you so I came home.”

Colby hugs me back for a second before letting go and placing both hands on either side of my face. He looks deep into my eyes and I can’t help but start to cry. I haven’t seen Colby in so long, I can’t believe that I’m standing right in front of him. He kisses my forehead and engulfs me in a hug. I squeeze him tight like he’ll disappear if I let go. I’ve been gone for so long that I forgot what it felt like to hold Colby in my arms.

“I can’t believe you’re here right now. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Colbs. I missed you so fucking much it hurt. I finally feel whole again.” For the first time in months, Colby leans in and kisses me softly. Everything feels right in my world again now that I’m here. Even though I’ve been back in LA for at least 20 minutes, I didn’t feel like I was home until this very second: in Colby’s arms.

#Colby brock #colby brock imagine #colby brock imagines #imagine #imagines #traphouse #traphouse imagine #traphouse imagines #trap house #trap house imagine #trap house imagines #sam and colby #sam and colby imagine #sam and colby imagines #fluff #fluff imagine #fluff imagines #colby x reader #colby brock x reader

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winterscaptain · 4 years

Note

directors commentary on absence plzzz

what an excellent choice!!

commentary in bold italics

So the BH arc was chopped to shit while I was working on it, because I couldn’t decide what Mom got REALLY mad about. Because Derek really had the corner on being mad at Aaron over Emily and I wanted to push it into the personal a little more.

Plus, I sometimes think the “let’s get mad at Aaron and JJ for Emily” is a touch overplayed and definitely would have been that way in this story.

You let yourself into his apartment, slamming the door behind you. He’s been waiting for you, leaning against the windowsill across from the door.

“How dare you.”

He sighs and presses a hand to his forehead. “You have to understand that I -”

“Bullshit, Aaron. I don’t have to understand a goddamn thing. What are you thinking? We need you.”

His head tips up, and he looks through you. The haunted look in his eyes almost makes you falter - it so acutely reminds you of the days following Haley’s death - but you keep your resolve. You know what that is? Growth! Mom is REFUSING to cave to his inner demons bullshit. He doesn’t say anything, just lets you yell at him until it’s out of your system. You could never actually hate him and he knows that, which makes some of it easier, but not all of it.

This was also the fight that was originally written for Mean It, but I spliced different beats in based on what the story called for. This one fit much better here, and increases the stakes because he’s about to leave.

The tears start and pick up speed as you continue, nearly at a shout. “You’ve known for seven months that you were going to leave for Pakistan. I read the brief. Seven. Fucking. Months, Aaron. You didn’t tell us when the task force assignment came through. Emily died, and you’re still leaving?” He flinches. And they’re so worked up they don’t even notice the magnitude or depth of the flinch like they usually would. “You’re leaving me and Jack. You’re leaving our team. I never thought you could do something like that to us. Maybe them, but not me. Never to me. I mean, after everything we’ve -” You cut yourself off and raise the back of your hand to your mouth, unable to finish the unbearably painful thought.

I had a ridiculous amount of fun writing this fight. I LOVE writing fights.

And “wet anger” as @ssaic-jareau put it, is so much more interesting and damning than dry anger for situations like this, especially in opposition to Aaron.

He’s not sure which part is the most painful - the fact that you list yourself with Jack instead of with the team, the fact that you say ‘our team,’ or the tone that drips with hurt. The sob that rips through your chest breaks his heart. Remember in enough when he was thinking about the horror of causing them pain? Yeah me too. He leans heavily against the arm of his couch, knocked down by the weight of your tears.

No - the hardest part is knowing he deserves it, that you aren’t saying anything that isn’t unfair or untrue.

Mom’s anger and hurt feeds right into his insecurities. This is quite literally his worst fear come to life, and as confident as he is in the strength of their relationship, he is terrified that he wont come back from this one.

“I can’t even look at you right now.”

He can only watch you as you walk back out, leaving the door open behind you.

There’s something so satisfying about leaving the door open after a fight. Like the drama of a slammed door is one thing, but I’ve always preferred creating a situation in which the other person has to get up and close the door behind you.

From experience, it’s incredibly satisfying.

About twenty minutes later, he receives a text.

9:34pm I’ll be there tomorrow at 12:30 to take you to base. Be ready when I get there.

He crawls into bed about a half an hour later, and receives another text.

10:05pm Goodnight.

The period at the end of that text is like the death knell for Aaron.

Fuck.

OOOOOOOH Aaron you done fucked up, kiddo. Good thing you’re self aware and have literal MONTHS without Mom to figure it out :)

(God he’s an idiot)

+++

The ride to base ride is mostly silent, and you know something’s wrong. It’s nothing you can articulate or even really put your finger on, but it’s something bigger than just his imminent absence.

As much as they know about each other, their emotional tuning forks can’t get past what they won’t share with the other. In this instance, Mom has not the first clue about what he’s hiding from her. How could she know?

He’s boarding a C-130 supply transport to Pakistan, and it will no doubt be a long and deeply uncomfortable flight. His go bag, packed with desert fatigues and a couple of creature comforts, looks smaller than usual at his feet.

“How long?”

He sighs and shakes his head. “Taskforce operations are need-to-know.” There’s so much he can’t tell you, and it eats at him. Because it’s you, and he’s been an ass, he concedes a little. And also he can only keep so many secrets from them. “Probably a couple of months.”

“We’ll be okay, Aaron.” A little laugh leaves him, and it pulls a smile from you. “What?”

“Remember when you chased me down last night to tell me the team couldn’t do this without me?”

This is a dialogue motif for sure - it shows up all over the place in this series.

Remember all those other times you chased him down to yell at him about something? Yeah, those too.

You roll your eyes. “It’s still true, but we’ll manage. We always do.” There’s a moment of silence, and you continue. “And you’re going where you’re needed - that helps.”

It’s true. Your anger had cooled (just a little) overnight, and you decided you didn’t want him to leave while you were still upset with each other.

You already miss him.

Yes, that’s a motif and the reference in fear itself, with Haley.

“Don’t think I’m not still mad at you.”

He looks out the window, and you can hear the wheels turning in his head. Jack is on his mind, and so are you. There’s nothing more nauseating than the thought of leaving you while you’re still hurting from Emily’s loss. “I know.”

Why are you going through with this, Hotchner?

Oh, right. You’re a coward.

“I just don’t want our last conversation before you leave to be a fight.” You sniff, but don’t look at him as you continue driving down the highway.

I think this is their version of not “going to bed angry” as the saying goes. There was this fear I tried to convey that if they fought before he left and something happened to him, your last words to each other would be angry ones.

I am perhaps the most undeserving man on the planet.

You’re also an idiot, Aaron.

He says, “Thank you. I don’t want that either,” but he hopes you can hear what else he can’t say.

He has the same fear - of something happening to them (because he’s never worried about himself) while he’s gone, coming home to another funeral.

I love you. I’m sorry.

+++

“Alright, you’ve got everything you need?” You stand next to him on the tarmac, shading your eyes from the sun.

Aaron hikes his bag higher on his shoulder. “Think so. You gonna be alright?”

This was the first scene I saw. I so clearly envisioned the blinding sunlight in the middle of the afternoon during a Virginia spring with the two of them standing out there in a kind of isolated no-mans-land out on the tarmac.

You nod and reach for him. He embraces you, tucking his head into your shoulder. “You be safe, Aaron Hotchner. If you die out there I’ll kill you myself.”

He chuckles, and you hope the sound is enough to keep your heart from breaking too much over the next couple of months. Your eyes close as he presses a kiss to your cheek. This image made my heart hurt. “I’ll check in when I can.”

Shoving against his chest, you turn him around and push him toward the plane. “Get outta here.” And that, kids, is what we call emotional redirection and a repressive coping strategy!

He takes one last look over his shoulder when he reaches the ramp and offers you a wave. You return it.

+++

You manage to get to the highway before the tears start. The only person you want to talk to is Emily. She’d know exactly what to say, and she’d make sure your days off were full of fun and good company. You pull off on the side of the road, your head falling into your hands, sobs wracking through you.

When you’re able to keep driving, your chest hurts beyond belief.

Without her, these months seem to stretch before you forever.

+++

“Ready or not, here I come!” You call across the apartment, sneaking through the familiar rooms with practiced ease.

This was another one of those very clear scenes that just popped into my head.

Aaron’s been away for close to a month, and you’ve settled into a routine. Cases, of course, keep you busy. Derek’s rather good at playing Unit Chief - decisive and collaborative - but you miss Aaron’s steady, even hand.

Really, you miss everything about him. You try not to think about him too much.

You fail, often.

Avoiding thoughts of Aaron gets even harder as you creep into the master bedroom. The smell of him hasn’t left. Smell is such a strong link to memory and I just had to include that as something in this chapter of their lives. Like it’s so weird going into someone’s room, no matter how many times you’ve been there, and there’s no evidence that they’ve been there since the last time you saw them. Past the doorway, the air is spicy, masculine, and warm. You squint at the bed. One of the pillows moves, just a little, and you pounce, pulling the covers back and grabbing the wiggling pillow.

Jack screeches and throws himself at you. You catch him and fall back on the bed, laughing. “I found you!”

Jess is off running errands for the afternoon, taking some well-earned time off. You’ll more than likely spend the night over here tonight to give her more of her weekend. It’s never any trouble to stay with Jack. You adore each other.

I am so soft for Mom and Jack y’all.

Usually, Jack leaps right to his feet for another round, but he stays put after his fit of mirth passes, sprawling across your chest.

“What are you thinking about over there?”

He sighs, and brings his little hands under his chin, propping his head up so he can look at you. He’s six, now - still very much a boy - but the pensive look on his face starkly reminds you of his father. Oh, don’t worry. He’ll keep doing that well into adulthood but the resemblance will only get scarier. “When’s dad going to be home?”

You push some hair off his forehead. “I’m not sure, my love. I’m hoping it’s only a couple more weeks, but it could be a little longer than that.”

He sighs, and it breaks your heart a little. You turn on your side, and he curls into you, resting his head on your arm and tucking under your chin. Don’t worry. He’ll keep doing that, too. “Are you and my dad best friends?”

You laugh a little. “Yeah, I think so. Your dad and I have known each other for a long time.” His little hands play with the collar of your shirt. There’s more to his question. Jack’s just like his dad and takes a bit of ferreting out. Luckily, you’ve had plenty of practice. “What are you curious about, little bug?”

“Do you miss Dad?”

I always want to show that Jack feels safe with them, and can ask them harder questions without fear of judgment.

A track of Aaron’s laugh, his smile, the way his arms feel around you flies through your head. “Yeah, I miss him a lot.”

“I’m happy you’re here so we can miss him together.” You can almost hear Aaron’s voice in Jack’s. It sounds just like something he would say, and probably has said, talking to his son about Haley.

I love the things that kids kind of implicitly understand.

“Me too, buddy.” You kiss the top of his head. “Me too.”

Jess returns about an hour later, groceries in-hand, to find you and Jack curled together in Aaron’s bed, snoozing the afternoon away. She snaps a picture with her phone, saving it in an album she keeps for Aaron. After she puts the groceries away, she escapes, leaving a note.

I LOVE THESE little tableaus. And y'all know how much I like pictures.

Did you notice that this picture comes up in mistletoe??

You’re on your own tonight and tomorrow. Have a good time with breakfast - he’s been picky lately.

XO, Jess

+++

Back to back cases - five of them, to be exact, pull you through the next two months by the ear. Formal leadership wears on Derek more and more by the day, and you find yourself making just as many decisions as he does. That’s a fun parallel to season five!! You’re immensely proud of him, but the whole thing is exhausting. Most days feel held together by duct tape, with you and Rossi acting as the adhesive.

Thus, your evening with Jess is both well-earned and much needed.

“Wanna crash here tonight?” She sets a mug of tea down on the coffee table in front of you and sits heavily back on the couch. “It’s pretty late.”

You check your watch and find it is indeed late. Before you can answer, your phone rings, and you answer it with an apologetic glance toward Jess. “Hey, Morgan. What’s up?”

“We have sat call notification from Hotch. Can you come in?” He sounds exhausted.

In real life, you don’t just get to carry sat phones around willy nilly. Satellite time is EXPENSIVE and the US Govt is FRUGAL in the extreme (when it comes to minor DoJ teams and stuff - don’t get me started on being a global police force because that’s a RABBIT HOLE)

“Yeah, I can be there in twenty. Is everything okay?”

He sighs. “Yeah, looks like a routine check-in.”

Jess sighs, knowing the drill. She goes to the kitchen and pours your tea into a travel mug.

Have I mentioned yet today that I LOVE Jess Brooks??

“Are you calling anyone else in?”

“Nope. Just you. See you when you get here.” He hangs up.

You stare at your phone as Jess sits next to you again. “We have a call from Aaron coming in, and I have to head to the office.” She hands you your travel mug, and you take it gratefully.

“You’re welcome back here - I can set up Aaron’s room for you. We’re a lot closer to the office than your place, and I don’t want you to drive if you’re too tired.” She sets a hand on your knee, and you reach over to embrace her.

“Thanks, Jess.”

+++

When you arrive, Derek’s already on the phone. “… So, no leads?… Right.” He looks up and catches your eye. “Here, Hotch.”

You take the phone. “Hey.”

“Hi.” He sounds relieved. “Are you doing okay? How’s Jack?”

I love this moment, and I could so clearly picture some of the tension leaving his shoulders on the other end of the phone.

His questions make you smile. “We’re good. He’s good. I just left the apartment - Jess and I were having some grown-up movie time.”

You’re warmed by his laugh. “Good. Glad to hear it. I was just telling Derek that the leads out here have gone cold, but we’re still working.”

“Ah. Any chance you’ll be home soon?” You avoid Derek’s searching gaze.

Derek always knows something, doesn’t he?

“It doesn’t look that way, no. We’re picking up on some chatter out there, but nothing firm. We’ll have to keep out for a couple more weeks at least.”

Your heart drops, but you hide it as best you can. “Alright. Anything you need from us back here?”

“Just keep doing good work.” You know he can’t say much more than that, with more than a couple of NSA guys in between you on the line, not to mention the archival recording of the call. Both of those things actually happen, too. You can’t just say shit about shit over a sat phone. Even then, you know he means looking for Doyle. “That’s all I need from you.”

“We can do that.” You give him a quick rundown of some recent cases, all surface-level. You’re mostly stalling, using up incredibly expensive satellite time just to hear his voice.

You hear him sigh. “Alright, I gotta get back. Tell Jack and Jess I love them.”

There’s also something unspoken here!! But we all knew that.

“Of course.” You hand the phone back to Derek and wait while they finish up. Your eyes wander over the volumes of law books in Aaron’s bookshelf, the pictures of Jack and Haley and Jess behind his desk. Wandering over to his chair, you sit down and rest your head on your arms.

Your eyes wander to a photo taken a year and a half ago at Haley’s service. You’re not sure who took it, but you’re crouched on the ground talking to Jack, while Aaron stands behind him with a hand on his head. Jack’s little hands are in yours, and he’s smiling a little.

I am just a sucker for pictures. I know I’ve said this before, but they are such a wonderful vehicle for implicit characterization. I think, in some ways, he keeps this picture because in a kind of abstract, mournful way, it’s a photo of all four of them.

Of all the photos to keep on his desk…

Derek hangs up the sat phone and puts it back in the lockbox. He crosses the office and leans against the desk beside you, placing a hand on your shoulder.

PHYSICAL CONTACT

+++

When you get back to the apartment (indeed much closer than your home), Jess is asleep in the guest room, and Jack’s still out like a light.

Aaron’s bed feels far too big and far too cold without him.

+++

The next time a sat call comes in, you can’t go into the office. Jack has the flu and is absolutely miserable. You can’t, in good conscience, leave Jess to her own devices. Between the vomit and the sleeplessness and the tears, four sets of hands are absolutely necessary.

I think this is really one of those moments where they step into the parent role for Jack. I didn’t feel the need to explicitly note it in here, but that’s the way I approached this scene.

“Derek, I can’t leave. Jack is literally puking his guts out as we speak, and I don’t have any new intel for Hotch.”

Morgan huffs into the phone. “Come on. You know you’re the only one he actually wants to talk to and the only one who has any actual updates about Jack.”

“You just have to tell him that I’m with Jack tonight because he’s got the flu. Isn’t that enough of an update?” You don’t really mean to snap at him, but the lack of sleep has made you a little punchy.

“Fine. If he -”

“Yeah, I know. If he gets upset, just blame me. He can deal with me when he’s not in Pakistan. As long as there are twelve time zones between us, I’ll take my chances.”

“Fair enough.”

Even though he’s Acting Unit Chief, they’re still best friends and you can tell lmao.

He hangs up, and you return to the hall bathroom, where Jack’s cheek is pressed against the toilet seat, his forehead damp and face pale. Jess is taking her turn to sleep - you’ll switch off in an hour.

“Hey, bubba.”

He mumbles something that sounds like, “Hi.”

“Can I get you some crackers?”

Jack shakes his head and lifts himself up, holding his arms out. The risk of illness far from your mind, you gather him up and lean against the cabinets, rubbing his back.

“Can you try to close your eyes for me?”

“I don’t feel good.” There are a few tears in his voice, and it breaks your heart a little. You’ve so been there.

“I know, baby. I know. Just close your eyes for a minute, okay?”

He does, and his breathing evens out eventually. He’s still feverish, but you’re happy he’s sweating, at least. It could break by morning at this rate.

The makeshift towel-bed on the bathroom floor looks more than inviting. You gingerly shuffle over and lay down, keeping Jack flat against your chest.

This was such a hallmark of my childhood - the sleeping on towels if you had a stomach bug. I remember being so exhausted that the towels were suddenly the best thing in the whole wide world. Like....mattress who??

It’s the best sleep you’ve had in weeks.

+++

The hardest days are the ones where you end up by yourself. Derek’s picked up kickboxing with Penelope, JJ has her family, and Rossi retreats to the cabin by the lake with an alarming degree of regularity.

Thank God he’s not as cranky as Gideon.

That would be too spooky.

Any excuse to get a lil jab at Gideon in, it’s one I’m going to capitalize on.

Everyone is out of the office, scattered to their respective distractions. You sit on the floor of Aaron’s office, leaning against his desk. Your laptop sits open in front of you, playing a movie you’re only half paying attention to.

I like this image of them just...going to the office to hang out, even on a day off. I used to do that in the theatre when I was in college. I had no reason whatsoever for being there, but it wasn’t my house so it was a nice change.

It was only this afternoon you realized his office smelled more like Morgan’s Tiger Balm than Aaron, and it broke your heart a little. Your only solace was his apartment - the evidence of his existence was inescapable there. With Emily gone for good, you often needed the reminder.

His office phone rings. You pause the movie, stand, and answer it.

“Agent Hotchner’s office.”

NSA is on the other side, dry and professional. “We have an incoming call from Agent Hotchner. Is Agent Morgan available?”

You tell him he’s not, but that you’re the next in line to receive task force updates. In an equally dry and professional tone, you relay your credentials and your unique intel code.

“Thank you. Please stand by.” Click.

You roll your eyes.

God, they’re boring.

Sitting down at Aaron’s desk, you wait for the armed guard to arrive with the phone. As per protocol, you’ll sign for the call and remove it from the lockbox yourself. You’ll return it for pickup when the call is completed.

The guard shows up and you step through the motions, finally getting the phone to your ear.

“Hey.”

“Oh, it’s you.” He sounds surprised, but not displeased.

You laugh a little. “Yeah, it’s me. Morgan’s unavailable at the moment.”

“I see. Is Jack feeling any better?”

Another thing I wanted to lean into in this part was the anguish Aaron must feel being so far away from Jack for so long.

“Yeah. He’s been alright for about a week now. It was a pretty nasty bug, but he’s a trooper. Any new chatter down your way?” You trace the wood grain of his desk with your finger, only a little absent-minded.

“There’s a little bit of activity on the border. We’re monitoring the situation. Is everything going okay over there?”

“Yeah, for the most part. We’ve been feeling the heat a little since Seaver transferred to Andy’s unit, but we’re managing alright. Dave’s called JJ back in to lend a hand, and she’s doing really well.”

That was such a tiny detail in the show, but i realized how rough it must have been to be down like three people by the end of it.

He hums. “That was a smart idea.”

“I’ll tell him you said so.”

“Oh, please don’t. It’ll go straight to his head.”

You smile. “Fair point. Any updates on the timetable?”

When are you coming home? Please make it soon.

“Not at the moment. I think we’re getting closer. Few more weeks.” There’s something behind his voice you can’t quite grasp, but you let it go. Again, not a singular clue means that the emotional tuning fork is broken.

“Alright. Keep us posted.”

“Will do. You know the drill.”

“I sure do. I’ll relay the information to the team, tell your son you love him, and talk to you in a couple of weeks.”

You can almost hear his smile. “Exactly. Talk soon.”

“Be safe, Aaron.”

+++

You’re all gathered at the roundtable when Aaron walks in, looking all the worse for wear and -

Is that a beard?

Did I make myself myself laugh with that first observation? Yes. Was it my first thought even before I could process the delight that we wouldn’t have any episodes without him the first time I saw 7x01? Yes.

Wait. He’s back.

You just spoke to him on Monday, with news of a “few more weeks.”

Fucking bastard knew he was coming home, didn’t he?

All of your joy in seeing him evaporates, and you narrow your eyes at him. This was that moment where I had that AHA! thing. I realized that THIS was the thing they were going to get upset about. And it’s not just the anger from right now, the anger from before comes rushing back too. Basically - he’s safe, so they can get really mad and the fear goes away. Just like the last time you were in this room together, there’s an apology in his gaze.

“Welcome back.” Derek doesn’t sound surprised, and your head whips toward him. He doesn’t look at you.

Unbelievable.

“Thanks. Everyone, have a seat.” You follow Aaron’s instructions, and sit, crossing your arms. It’s childish, sure, but the balance of personal and professional life has flown out the window. Okay serious question. Was it ever in the room with y’all?

The next part here comes straight out of the show but it was SO fun to reframe.

Collecting the dialogue and who says what is often the most tedious part of the process for the episode-linked fics, but once that’s done I have a lot of fun putting it together and linking things into the rest of the universe - pointing things out and the like.

I always feel like y’all know so much about how I watch the show and my perspective on it with the episode fics. It’s kind of an interesting picture to me, like y’all are looking at it the way I see it. I dunno. That was a random thought.

This feels like a personal slight, rather than a professional one. You try to push it away, but it lingers in your sternum like a lit flare. It’s uncomfortable, and you hate it.

I’ve always found it’s really unpleasant to be mad at someone you really love. I always hate it because I don’t usually want to be mad. I wanted to lean into that feeling here.

“Why?” Derek sounds a little concerned, and you can’t blame him. “What’s going on? Is everything alright?”

“Seven months ago I made a decision that affected this team.” You notice, brow furrowed, that JJ stands beside Hotch like an ally. They both have odd looks on their faces. “As you all know, Emily had lost a lot of blood after her fight with Doyle.”

No.

Reader doesn’t know what they don’t know, but they know something in their gut. I don’t think it would be too off-base to attribute it to their connection to Aaron.

“The doctors were able to stabilize her. She was airlifted from Boston to Bethesda under a covert exfiltration.”

No.

“Her identity was strictly need-to-know. She stayed there until she was well enough to travel. She was reassigned to Paris, where she was given several identities, none of which we had access to for her security.”

No.

There’s silence, and you can’t tear your eyes from Aaron.

“She’s alive?”

“We buried her.”

Penelope and Spencer’s comments rush past you and you feel much like you did in the waiting room on that horrible, horrible night seven months ago.

“As I said, I take full responsibility for the decision. If anyone has any issues, they should be directed toward me.”

His eyes finally meet yours, and you find your vision blurred. You blink away your tears.

It was a necessary lie.

You go into this business expecting to be lied to.

Not by Aaron.

That’s not the issue and you know it. He left.

He left us.

THIS is exactly the conflict and why Reader can’t fully trust him. It’s very normal to have these kinds of covert operations in agencies, though they seem jarring in the context of a team that’s so close.

It’s a weird reminder that this is still the FBI, and even though they’re family, they are colleagues and agents first. That’s an uncomfortable realization and part of me thinks that’s why Derek got so mad.

He was so ready for the BAU to be different, to be his family. We know that Derek has HUGE issues with trust, so evidence that his family isn’t as “safe” as he thought would be have been so difficult to process.

“Any issues?” Derek’s disbelief is marred by hurt, but you can’t reassure him through your own shock. “Yeah, I got issues.”

He’s cut off by Penelope’s glance toward the doorway.

The team, save for JJ and Hotch, rush toward her. You’re stuck to your seat until she approaches you. At her touch, you come back to life, throwing yourself into her arms. “Emily.”

“I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry.” Her grip on you is tight, but your arms, looped around her shoulders, don’t feel like they’re attached to your body.

Y’all ever felt that buzzing feeling when there’s so much happening and everything feels like radio static? Yeah.

She lets you go and continues to speak. Derek’s frozen, and you can’t imagine for a minute what’s going on in his head. Emily wraps around him. He’s stock still, his eyes misty. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding when he brings his hand to her shoulder, his cheek falling onto the side of her head.

It’s back to business faster than you can blink, and now you’re sure you’re not the only one ready to kill Aaron where he stands. Derek is livid.

They stare at each other while Spencer starts asking questions. Eventually, they focus back. Aaron crosses to you, contributing where necessary. He just wants to be close because he missed them :’) Nice try, buddy. You’re in deep shit. You don’t acknowledge him. It’s horrible. You hate being so angry with him, but there’s nothing to be done.

You can’t be upset at him about Emily. There’s too much to understand, and yet the initial shock of it is like a never-ending bucket of cold water poured over your body.

Selfishly, you realize you’re upset with him because he didn’t tell you he was coming home. It’s so small when there are other, much bigger, issues to address.

I also loved the opportunity to lean into such a small issue??? It was a challenge to make it big enough to be a believable blowout in mean it, but it got easier once I realized that their anger wasn’t really about Pakistan. It’s more of an activating excuse that brings all of their feelings up to the surface and it’s overwhelming!

Emily’s lie is professional. Just part of the job. This one feels personal.

You’re a child. Let it go.

He knew and he left.

He didn’t tell you he was coming home.

Whew. That was fun. Stay tuned!

#anon reply #tali answers stuff #a joyful future #tali talks cm #tali provides commentary

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crossroadsfossil · 3 years

Note

Fake titles!!!

"Giving matches to paper dolls"

"Making wishes out of Airplanes"

"For wheat is still wheat when mistaken for grass at a distance."

" you've got time to grow"

"Letters to myself"

"I begged god to spare you, 10yrs later he got the memo and knocked my front teeth."

-im sorry this^ title is so long-

"You and have a long walk home."

"We decided not to cry."

send me a made-up fic title and i'll tell you what i would write to go with it

"Giving matches to paper dolls"

OTGW fic.

When Wirt was finished with high school, he decided to take a gap year, encouraged by his stepdad, who also offered to help fix up an old car. Wirt chose a moped.

His stepfather held up a hand when Wirt wheeled the moped into the garage. Wirt stopped and waited, his stepfather massaging the bridge of his nose before turning around and entering the house. Less than three minutes later he returned with a photo album, an almost manic grin on his face. Wirt ended up learning a lot about his stepfather’s own gap year, and his moped. His stepfather suggested he go south.

Looking back on it, Wirt realized that was probably not a great choice. He might not have ended up going through the kudzu covered wall in the rain and ending up nursing what he hoped wasn’t a broken ankle.

The woods were dark, and oh so familiar.

plot: return to The Beyond. World hopping Wirt and Greg. Eventual Beast Wirt.

"Making wishes out of Airplanes"

Plot: The thing about living in large cities was that light pollution drowned out all stars. The heavens could be raining down wish bearing stars and no one in the city or its suburbs would be able to see them.

That’s alright. Izuku was used to taking terrible situations and transmuting them into success like an alchemist of old. He did it when he was young, he would do it again.

He just hadn’t counted on Tomura being sent back in time with him.

"For wheat is still wheat when mistaken for grass at a distance."

Inko Midoriya could once move mountains. If you gave her enough time and a spoon, she would show you a new valley where it used to be. Marriage and the birth of her son had provided her the opportunity to retire - something she took with both hands and would refuse to give up.

Or it had been until she had seen what Izuku was being sent into, what even the top ten couldn’t prevent from happening to her son. She was... disappointed. She had expected more of them and, well. There were few things that could prompt her into leaving retirement. Izuku was always one of them, and when he asked how to save a person, well.

She pulled out the small black book with her cyphered contact list and began to call in favors and upon old friends.

" you've got time to grow"

One of the first things he was told after being taken in by the commission was that he was to be called Hawks. Which was fine. He liked it. It sounded cool. It sounded badass.

The second thing he was told was that he was being placed in a home. A pair of foster parents, carefully vetted. His mom had always told him to slow down, to not go as fast. Clearly, he didn’t listen to her. He didn’t regret it. Now, now he was forced to slow down. Bandages pulling at his back and shoulders, the echoing pain dulled by creams and medication. That wouldn’t stop him normally but the driveway that was half a kilometer to the road hindered him. The fact that the nearest town was an hour's drive beyond that was another factor. Until his wings grew back, if they grew back, he was stuck at his parent’s retirement home.

“Hawks, honey, the farmhands are almost here.” His mother said, phone in hand. “Your mom says they picked up lunch on the way back. From the glee in her voice, I think she got several buckets. I swear.” She sighed fondly and left. Minutes later he heard the front door open, and the tromping in of several sets of feet. With a sigh, he got up and limped down to the dining area.

At the threshold, he froze, seeing people he didn’t want to ever see again, and especially not with his mothers in the same room.

“Hawks.” Spinner said, surprise written over his face. The heads of the rest of the league snapped hard toward him, surprise and creeping dread over everyone’s face.

"Letters to myself"

If Phalnex could have written a letter to his past self, he would have encouraged another post. Any post. Any position would have been better than where he was currently. Yes, there were benefits but he would not consider this one of them.

A large feline purred as he entered the hanger. It was the largest of the lions- that was what the humans were calling them. He wasn’t sure what their fascination with comparing wildlife to creatures they had on their homeworld. He saw where they drew the comparisons, but still.

“Oh thank fuck.” A familiar voice said. His ears swiveled to pinpoint where the holder of the voice was and he spotted her held between the lion’s front two paws.

“Vin.” He greeted. The Midoan smacked the paws until they loosened enough for her to wiggle out from between them. She offered him a sympathetic look as she sped by him. As soon as she cleared the door, he was being picked up, scruffed as if he was a kit.

Gods, he couldn’t wait until that pilot returned. This lion was ungodly clingy without him.

"I begged god to spare you, 10yrs later he got the memo and knocked my front teeth."-im sorry this^ title is so long-

This would actually be a series, a trilogy to be exact. Age/roleswap.

I begged god to spare you, -

If there was one thing Izuka was worried about, it was this year’s UA internships. Tokoyami was doing his best to reassure him, but even the antics of darkshadow (who was doing her best to imitate an overly fluffy utahraptor) weren’t easing the twisting in his stomach. Something felt wrong. He wasn’t sure what it was, but when the interns had left with his sidekicks, something trilled at him to go with them, even though Recovery Girl had assured him that between herself, Apex and Ravine, they would be fine. There was a knock and then Ochako stuck her head in. She had that look she got when dealing with Bakugo and paperwork in the same room- a mix of exhausted and simmering annoyance.

“Guess who found trouble?” She said. Izuku groaned and let his head thump the table.

10yrs later he got the memo -

The two children before him were pale-haired, short, and one of them was looking at Izuku like he dared the hero to come closer. Toshi was letting Recovery Girl look over his arm, inspecting her work before moving on to Enji. The fire-user was giving a glare towards Toshi that, were his flames capable of shooting from his eyes, his classmate would be ash already.

The smaller of the two children clung to, what Izuku assumed was his older brother. Both were too skinny, and the smaller (younger?) of the two looked several minutes away from toppling over.

“I’m Izuku.” Midoriya greeted. The kid that bit Toshi snarled and reached out a hand, only for it to be grabbed and pulled away.

“Shigaraki.” The smaller sibling interrupted, shooting his brother a look. A silent conversation passed between them, and Izuku let them. No one knew what their quirks were, but judging by the fact that the yakuza had them, he was sure it was powerful and dangerous. Worst case scenario, he asked for Miss Eri and got Tenko in here to provide a pep-talk.

and knocked my front teeth. -

“Babysitting?” Touya asked, dropping his bag and removing his shoes. Tenko nodded. Around him, there was what appeared to be the entirety of Tenko’s comic collection. One child was eagerly engrossed, chattering excitedly at his brother. The brother glared at everyone, tracking their movements. He hoped Tenko had told his boss that he wasn’t keeping the brats overnight. Being roommates with a hero-ling was one thing. Being dragged into a literary trope was another, and as much as he enjoyed his college courses on such books, he didn’t want to live one.

Tenko got up and pulled Touya into the hallway, just far enough that they could talk but not far enough that Tenko couldn’t lean back and keep an eye on them.

“Midoriya-san is working on placement, but well. He was of the opinion that our apartment was the safest place for him. The yakuza are after them.”

Touya snorted. Of course Tenko got dragged into this.

“Well, Deku isn’t wrong. We’ve got what, four heroes and an almost doctor here? If Himiko can make it, we can add one spy to the list.”

“She’s not a spy.”

“Uh-huh. And Iguchi hasn’t adopted half his class.” Tenko opened his mouth to negate that statement but a pale-haired child peered around the corner.

“Who’s a spy?” of course that was what interested the angry child.

"You and I have a long walk home."

This would be a FMA fic, mostly because I want to just have shenanigans as Ed and Al get kicked off a train and have to walk back. Post the end of the series and they go through a town they’ve been through before. Very soft and very sweet. Some Teacher!Edward and alphonse getting to do a lot of things he couldn’t the first time around, like pet all the barn cats and fondle the freshly washed wool and being buried in cuddly sheep.

"We decided not to cry."

"The tears of a mermaid.” Ginko set the small bottle on the witch’s desk. She picked it up, tilting it before leveling a skeptical glare at him.

“These certainly aren’t.” She set the bottle down, but stopped him as he went to put them back in his pack.

“It doesn’t mean I don’t want them. I do want the story. What happened to the real tears?”

Ginko smiled, sitting down. The witch leaned over and lit another stick of incense. He voiced his thanks before launching into the story.

plot: mushishi episode basically. Will contain mermaids, mer-other things, and some potential murder.

#dashboard games #Vin Robles #BNHA fic #FMA fic #Well ideas at least.#dadzawa adopt dabi #Mailbox

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thecandywrites · 3 years

Text

Jewel Of The North Part 10

Ahhhhh. Ok. So I had to stop and rewrite this three times and it did not go how I originally envisioned. IT TURNED OUT BETTER. Because my original idea of how this was gonna go, was a little lack luster by the time I fleshed it out and put it into the story.

Then I took a step back and was deep cleaning my fridge and BOOM, how this NEEDED to go bloomed and when I wrote it, it worked out so much better than my original idea. And I hope you guys like it.

Always, thank to SO MUCH to @monstersandmaw for sharing ice orcs with me.

Enjoy!

Jewel Of The North

Part 10

Meanwhile Noah was crying so hard he could barely see the road through his tears.

“Gods damn you Zara!” Noah yelled as he threw his sunglasses at the passenger window before the sunglasses shattered from the impact and the glass of the window cracked a little. He had been hiding behind them this whole time and he was so angry and hurt he could barely see straight as he wiped his angry tears with his sleeves.

“Why didn’t you fight?! Why didn’t you fight for me?! For Sakura?! I thought you loved us?! You always fight for what you care about! Do you not care about us at all?!” He yelled from inside the truck.

“All the way home last night I was fantasizing about selling everything I own and packing Sakura up and following you home because home wasn’t home without you and the clans can keep their stupid land. We don’t need it, we don’t even want it if you can't enjoy it with us! But you don’t even want us! One push from Alorna and you collapsed, you folded and withdrew and you were out of the game, out of the fight. Both at the dinner and at the solstice. Why did you just take it? Why didn’t you fight back? I know you can do better! I know you can fight better and meaner than Alorna ever could and I have seen you talk your way out of more with less. You could have told everyone you read for about it and they all would have been on your side and all the people of the clans would have stood up for you. But you just rolled over like a bitch! You broke my heart, you broke Sakura’s heart! How could you do this to me? How could you do this to us?! Fuck you Zara! Never again! Never again will I be fooled by a pretty face and a weak heart!” Noah ranted as he drove back to the control tower office and barely had the truck parked before he did his best to get himself together. And the whole time, he fought not to just turn around and going back to the ship terminal and getting the answers to those questions. But he was too stubborn, and too wounded to do so and it was like fighting a bear- wrestling with his emotions and regaining his composure.

“So what other loads do you have for me today?” Noah asked as he came into the office, regretting that he didn’t have another pair of sunglasses to hide his red, tear stained eyes behind.

“Uh, you just got the payday of a lifetime, you don’t need any other loads, at least not today.” Nancy informed him.

“What?” He asked.

“It’s already scanned and deposited, although all the writing on the back kind of made it a little hard.” She said as she slid your check to him from across the countertop as he stared in disgust at it, he wanted to burn it. Just because you had big pockets, meant you could buy your way back into his good graces? Fuck that and fuck you and your stupid money.

“What writing on the...oh.” He frowned deeply as he flipped it over and read it, his face changing from one of disgust, anger and resentment to one of dawning understanding as Nancy tugged on the sleeve of her fellow secretary Andrea and lowkey held out five fingers and counted down from 5...4...3....2...1….

“Oh... shit.” Noah breathed just before he got a call from his mom.

“Yeah?” Noah answered.

“Where are you?” Summer questioned.

“I’m at the airstrip in Skag Way.” Noah answered.

“Have you dropped Zara off at the ship yet?” She asked.

“Yeah and I’m already back.” He answered.

“And you’re reconciled?” She prompted.

“...no.” Noah regrettably admitted.

“You mean to tell me that the second and greatest love of your life is about to get on a cruise ship without you?! You’re going to be sending her all on her own on a cruise ship full of thousands of horney and half drunk vacationers who would do unspeakable horrors to her in an effort to bang the sadness out of her? She’ll get eaten alive! You can’t leave her with heartbreak in her heart. No matter how much you think you hate her right now, she doesn’t deserve that and she deserves better from you. Have you no heart? No courage? No sense? Did you give her a chance to explain herself at all or did you just assume that your own conclusion that you jumped to all on your own is right? Did you not even talk to her at all on the way there?” Summer pressed.

“...no.” Noah answered, feeling the deepest and meanest shame and regret start to eat him alive as the very idea of any of that happening made him nauseated.

“Noah, look at Nancy’s monitor and read the code of conduct for all priestesses of Aura and see all the very valid reasons she didn’t put up a fight with the council last night and get your head out of your ass, go back to your plane and get your overnight bag, because I know for a fact that you keep one in the plane and get back in a vehicle and drive like the wind back to that port and do whatever it takes to get on that ship. It can not leave without you and do everything you can to search that ship for her and make this right between you like your life depends on it because it does. Your life and your happiness depends on it. Because Sakura’s sure as hell does and don’t do Sakura the dishonor and the disservice of leaving things broken like this, she deserves better too. But otherwise don’t worry about Sakura, I got her and she’s staying with me and with Isla while you’re gone and don’t come back home until you and Zara are reconciled.” Summer ordered him.

“I think it’s this one that your mom is talking about.” Nancy cut in as she pointed to the bullet point on the code of conduct that simply read. ‘Priestesses of Aura will maintain a calm and peaceful demeanor while wearing official priestess attire and will not engage in any public fighting and shall remain graceful in all things.’ and another further down that said ‘If a priestess is traveling to a local event, she will refrain from engaging in local politics as a guest of that event’ and Noah felt like an idiot. Why hadn’t he given you a chance toy explain that to him? Oh he was a stupid bastard, he hadn’t even considered any of that. He misunderstood your behavior as you as a person but not you as a priestess.

“I gotta go.” Noah told his mom.

“Can I keep the check?” Noah asked Nancy.

“Absolutely, it’s just a love note at this point, besides, here’s an advance on the check itself because we’re pretty sure it’ll clear.” Nancy smiled victoriously as she slid him five grand.

“Go get her tiger.” Andrea, urged him.

“I’ll have Tim drive you so that the truck isn’t marooned there.” Nancy added.

“Thank you.” Noah thanked her as he took the money and the check and slipped them into his pocket and left the office and ran to his plane to taxi it to the hanger while Tim drove the truck over to the hanger too.

Noah grabbed his overnight bag and other essentials and quickly got into the truck as Tim floored it to the port and he completely ignored everyone as he ran into the ship terminal.

“Zara! Zara Kingsley!” He yelled desperately at the top of his lungs.

“Zarasashasabine Zahnochka Volchitsa Kingsley!” He hollered again as everyone stopped what they were doing and staring at him like he had gone mad.

“Can I help you?” A security agent asked him.

“Yeah, I need to know if a passenger has boarded, I’m her pilot and she forgot something on my plane.” Noah answered.

“Ok, well lets get to registration and see.” The security guard offered as he pulled Noah to the check in desk.

“How can I help you?” Maggie, the clerk asked.

“Hey, I’m a pilot and my fare left something on my plane and I need to return it to her.” Noah repeated.

“Which Agency?” She asked.

“What?” Noah asked.

“What Agency do you fly with?” She asked.

“Oh, no, I’m a private pilot, Noatak Kintuk.” He answered.

“But the passenger’s name is Zara Kingsley? Or rather her full legal name is Zarasahsasabine Kingsley.” He told her.

“Well let me see if she’s boarded yet.” She offered as she looked it up on the computer.

“Ok, well she has already boarded, and we can try paging her or if there’s other appointments you need to keep, we can simply give it to her for you.” She offered.

“Oh, no thanks, it needs to be given in person.” He gently countered.

“I can assure you that whatever it is, we will keep it secured until she picks it up.” She reassured him.

“I’m sure that’s the case. But uh, I really need to see her face to face.” Noah insisted.

“Can you just tell me which cabin she is in and I could deliver it to her myself?” Noah asked.

“I’m afraid not, that information is protected by our privacy policy and the only ones allowed past the gate are passengers and staff,” Maggie shook her head no and Noah’s shoulders sagged just a little.

“Ok, is there, by any chance, any available cabins left for this cruise?” He asked.

“Sir, this cruise was already pretty full when we left port and we’ve had a lot of last minute passengers and we’re all full except for our elite suites and there’s only two left.” She tried to gently break it to him.

“How much are they?” He asked.

“Well the cheapest of the two, is the garden suite and it’s 2700 or there’s the king’s suite, and it’s 4 thousand.” She informed him.

“I’ll take the garden suite then.” Noah decided as he pulled out the advance he had gotten from Nancy from his pocket and started counting it out.

“Ok, can I interest you in any drink packages…” She began her spiel.

“I’ll take it all, just get me on that boat.” Noah cut her off as respectfully as he could despite the rush he felt in his being and panic whirling in his chest.

“Will do.” She nodded as she continued to click and type in her computer before she got his ID and payment before she got him squared away and after forfeiting all of his weapons from his overnight bag because his overnight bag was equipped with all the items needed for being stranded in the Frozen Tundra overnight or even a few days, he finally got through security and very, very briskly walked through to get on the ship and throw the remainder of his belongings in his room before he went hunting for you.

Meanwhile you were in your own suite, on your balcony because you had gotten a free upgrade to an elite room yourself and crying into a bucket of booze from the comfort of your own private hot tub on the spacious balcony. You had literally just dropped your stuff on, gone to the closest bar and gotten a bucket drink that was supposed to be big enough for four and you paid the bartender a hundred dollars to make it wicked strong and went back to your room, slipped into a bikini and slipped into your hot tub.

You felt used, abandoned and devastated and regretting ever coming up here to the Frozen Tundra, even as beautiful as it was. Why would the gods do all the work of bringing you Noah only for him to break your heart like this? If he had only given you a chance to explain yourself, all of this might have been completely different. But to have him react so strongly and ruthlessly, made you wonder if you actually dodged a bullet. If this was a preview of things to come...your confidence in him and in the relationship began to wane and you feel like this falter happened at the worst possible time, at the most pivotal moment.

You wondered if he would ever see your checks. Ever see the notes on them. Ever even reconcile with you? Or if his pride would forbid it?

But the problem was, was that you were outside in your hot tub and didn’t hear your room phone ring because the balcony sliding glass doors were slid shut and your phone was face down on the bed, charging. Both were out of sight and out of hearing range.

“She’s not picking up.” The receptionist at the customer help desk informed Noah as he was texting your phone, having already tried calling it but sadly could only get your voicemail. But at least it rang several times, instead of going straight to voicemail. That meant that you weren’t actively holding your phone and rejecting his calls.

“Can you page her again please?” He asked.

“I can try.” She said as she paged you again over the intercom. But your room was too far away from all the public areas to hear it.

“Has her key card been used anywhere?” He asked.

“Yes, but only at the poolside bar and her room before and after the bar. So if she’s anywhere else in the ship, she either isn’t buying anything or she’s with someone else who’s using the their key card.” She answered as Summer’s words of warning swam in his head and his imagination tortured him of others trying to charm their way into your pants and especially your heart had him feeling so anxious and sick, he was ready to throw up right there at the customer service desk.

Meanwhile-

Alorna and Doug were enjoying champagne on their own balcony of the same cruise ship, but their room was on the other side of the ship and much lower down.

“This was such a great idea.” Alorna praised in a giggle.

“It sure was.” Doug grinned proudly.

Right after they had met with the council. Alorna had left her kids with John’s parents for a week so she could ‘get away with the girls’. When in reality, she and Doug decided to get away from the shit-show they caused in style. Doug had gotten them a veranda room and were enjoying a spontaneous vacation that turned into an affair once they came aboard the ship.

John had come home to an empty house and a note, telling him that his wife was going away with the girls on a trip and that his kids were at his moms and when he got an alert to his phone saying that his credit card had reached its limit from a casino charge on a cruise line that John knew she had gone on a cruise and had apparently been gambling.

But when he had gone to town to go shopping the next day, he ran into her friends and when he mentioned that he thought they would have been on the cruise with Alorna they revealed they knew nothing about it. And through contacting all of Alorna’s female friends and checked her social media feeds, which were surprisingly very quiet- John realized she had left him to go on a cruise, apparently all by herself because no one else seemed to go with her but he doubted she would keep celibate while on that cruise because she had had a habit of maxing out all hid credit cards and having affairs whenever she was really, truly pissed at him. To the point he didn’t quite know if his kids were actually his kids or not. But he hadn’t wanted to divorce her for the sake of their kids because even if they weren’t biologically his. They were still his kids in his heart.

But with what went down at the summer solstice, John suddenly realized why she had left and knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Alorna had something to do with it and this was the last straw. All that law was going to do is push you and all your millions and Noah and Sakura and all the opportunities to get into your good graces through them- away. The next day he had gotten in touch with a divorce attorney and canceled all his credit cards and even reported the ones that she wasn’t on- stolen and had gone to the bank to take her off his checking account and had tracked down which cruise ship had that casino and it’s current location and had told his in-laws and his own family exactly where she had gone and was currently in the process of packing up everything that was hers in his house because she was no longer going to be living there when she got back and hoped that she had won some money at that casino because he wasn’t going to give her another dime. She was officially cut off and he had even called and left a voicemail telling her as much. But she would not answer his calls or his texts.

Meanwhile Doug’s ex-wife, Sarah- realized his child support payment was late and had tried hounding him for it. But couldn’t get ahold of him and even his own boys couldn’t get ahold of him and when Sarah went looking for him, it was like he dropped off the face of the planet. And when Doug didn’t show up at the solstice celebration to enjoy it with his sons, she knew something was up but couldn’t figure out what. But when the announcement had happened, she also felt sure that Doug had something to do with it and couldn't wait for him to reappear because she was going to beat his ass into the dirt.

Meanwhile back on the cruise ship, Noah went to the closest bar that had a view of the customer service desk and sat on a bar stool and called and talked with Sakura and apologized to her profusely for what he had done that morning and patched things up with her while he waited. And once he got off the phone with Sakura, he got a drink at the bar and waited, and waited, and waited some more- for hours and the whole time he used a pad of paper to write down all the things he wanted to tell you and wrote down his apology in between looking for any signs of you and even after all that time there was still no sign of you, he had the bar get him lunch so he wouldn’t have to move. He was adamant he was not going to move until you came.

But by dinner time, he caved and he went and got dinner at one of the restaurants on the ship and stopped by the poolside bar where you had gotten that drink and unfortunately, the bar staff had changed over the course of the day so none of them had seen you at all before he went to the spa to see if you had been there and they had told him that you had not and he had came back to the customer help desk only to find that you had not answered any calls or texts or anything.

Meanwhile, after a few hours in the hot tub and effectively turned into a prune, you pulled yourself from the hot tub and wrapped yourself up like a burrito in towels and a blanket on the deck chair and had fallen asleep and had slept most of the day away to try to recover. When you woke up, it was late and you had gone inside and ordered room service for a very late dinner because you didn’t want to leave the sanctum of your suite and it wasn’t until Noah felt incredibly exhausted and needed sleep that he finally went back to his own room to get some sleep, only to find you putting your now empty food tray out into the hallway, only a few rooms down from his own.

“Zara?” He called, hoping he didn’t see a mirage.

Hearing your name, you lifted and turned your head only to see Noah standing there, staring at you in hope that bordered on disbelief.

“Noah?” You asked as you slowly stood up.

“Oh thank the gods I found you. I’ve been looking for you all day!” He exclaimed as you came closer before you hid your mostly naked body behind the door and stared at him wearily as you tied your bathrobe around you tightly behind the door.

“What are you doing here?” You demanded angrily.

“I came to apologize and beg for forgiveness. Look, I’m sorry I was an asshole earlier and I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions about last night and deeply regret I ever told Sakura not to call you Mama, I never should have involved her at all and I’m so sorry I didn’t give you a chance to explain yourself or anything and that was the worst move I could have made and I’m so sorry I hurt you. I should have asked you why you didn’t fight the council last night and I know now, after doing some digging that as a priestess of Aura that there’s a code you need to live by while in the regalia and I completely mistook your flawless and impeccable grace in concession as you personally giving up which is the worst mistake I could have made and I didn’t take the priestess thing into account at all. I’m so sorry. And I have since called Sakura and apologized profusely to her. And I will never forgive myself if I don’t at least try to make amends, because besides Sakura, you are the greatest thing in my life and I was so stupid for trying to walk away from you and assuming that because you bowed out gracefully that you were bowing out all together and that was very wrong of me and I’m so sorry and I swear I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you.” Noah apologized profusely as he came closer so he didn’t have to yell his apology down the hallway.

“But if you could completely tear down everything we built together so quickly, in just one night- how do I know you won’t repeat this in the future? From now on every fight we have Sakura and I will both think that you’ll just up and leave and rip us apart right after? How can I trust you with my heart when you’ll just fly away at the first bump in the road? Sakura has no choice but to endure that because she’s your daughter but I and especially my children deserve better than that. They need a rock to rely on and depend on and they need so much more stability. And they need patience and mildness and they need to know that no matter what happens and whatever leaps they decide to make, that they’ll be caught. And after last night, I’m not sure you’re what they need, or even anything they would want, regardless of whatever I feel because they come first for me. They’ve been through enough. I won’t subject them to any more turmoil, especially on my behalf.” You vowed and Noah was on his knees in front of the door.

“I know. You’re absolutely right. You deserve better and you should get better and the last thing I want is to hurt you any more than I already have and I never want to hurt your kids or my own. It was wrong and selfish of me and I can not apologize enough for it. I was so angry at Alorna and the council and I took it out on you and Sakura and that was absolutely unacceptable. I had every intention of trying to talk to you last night and I’m sorry I was so weak to fall asleep on you and I would rather lose every wink of sleep from now on if it means we can talk and work things out. When I woke up in the middle of the night last night and found the bedroom dark and you all the way on the other side of the bed turned away from me, I assumed you were withdrawing from me because you had given up on me and that hurt worse than any other wound I’ve ever sustained and I didn’t want to push it and plead and beg for you to reconsider because my pride had already taken the beating of it’s life at the announcement and I was at my breaking point and I didn’t think about, I just reacted. And I should have waited and tried to give you a chance to talk and I realize you were hurting too and I should have tried to heal your own wounds instead of adding my own to your already heavy heart. And it wasn’t fair because your hands were tied and I didn’t see it and I should have. And I’m sorry, I’m just so sorry for all of it. The clans can keep their stupid land because Sakura and I are in agreement that home isn’t home without you in it and they can keep the stupid land, you and your love are worth more than any property anywhere in the world. I know you think her inheritance is precious and I agree with you but not more precious than you. Land is just land. But you and your love are priceless and a treasure we can’t afford to lose. Just tell me what I can do to make it right. Please.” Noah begged as tears fell from his eyes and down his cheeks as he clasped his hands together like he was praying. And as much as you wanted to swing the door open and accept him and his apology with open arms, you were too weary of the pain right now.

“For starters you can go to bed Noah, it’s been a long, hard day for both of us. Let me sleep on it ok? What room are you in?” You asked.

“1207.” Noah answered.

“Well, obviously you found mine. I have an interview with the spa in the morning. So I need to get some sleep. But I can meet for breakfast after.” You proposed.

“That’s fair.” Noah agreed as he nodded and slowly found his feet.

“Good night Noah.” You told him before you shut the door and locked it before you slid down the door as you sat on the floor and contemplated what he had said. This morning or even this afternoon you would have taken his apology readily and accepted him back into your arms but the more time went on, the more embittered you felt and you felt the door push back slightly as you both felt and heard- Noah slide his broad back down the other side of it and you couldn’t help but smile through your tears to feel that he was sitting on the other side of it and wasn’t leaving, at least any time soon before your room phone rang.

Intrigued- you got up and went over to it and picked it up.

“Hello?” You answered.

“Hi, this is Emanuel with customer service. We just had a shift change and I got briefed by the day crew, your pilot while in the Arctic Tundra became a last minute guest just so he could return something you left with him. Once he came aboard this morning, he stayed with customer service all day, asking them to call your room every hour to try to contact you and we’ve been paging you all day throughout the ship. He only left once to get dinner and even then he only left the desk about half an hour ago to return to his own room. He is insistent that you know that he’s staying in room 1207.” Emanuel informed you and you almost felt foolish for not staying in that terminal longer and had waited for him to come back, he wouldn’t have had to get a room, he could have roomed with you for free.

“He just found me and returned it to me. Thank you so much for all your help. Sorry I was on my balcony the whole time, taking a nap most of the day.” You explained.

“Well, we are happy you’re ok and have what belongs to you. Enjoy your voyage Ms. Kingsley.” Emanuel wished you.

“Thank you, good night.” You bid him before you hung up and even though your vindictive side told you to make Noah suffer till morning. Your heart cried out and begged for you to get him in your room so you could reconcile...all night long.

Your heart won.

You went back to your door and no sooner had you unlocked the door before you heard Noah shuffle to get up and by the time you opened the door Noah was in the process of finding his feet.

“You spent all day with customer service?” You posed as you leaned against the door frame.

“Yup. All day.” Noah nodded in confirmation.

“So what did I forget?” You asked.

“My heart. I forgot to give it to you fully before you left.” Noah answered which made you snicker a laugh which made him crack a grin.

“That has to be the cheesiest line I’ve ever heard.” You appraised.

“I’m a cheesy corny guy.” Noah shrugged his shoulders.

“That you are.” You nodded.

“Have you moved into your room?” You asked him.

“I literally just through my overnight bag into it, that’s it, I haven’t even unpacked.” Noah professed.

“So, if I were to take a leap of faith and invite you to stay in my room with me, would you catch me by staying with me?” You asked.

“Absolutely. I’ll be right back.” He readily agreed before he practically ran down the hallway and got into his room a few rooms down and got his bag and came right back to yours and all he did was drop his bag down on the floor before he was hugging and holding you and crying even more tears, this time of relief and happiness that he had a chance to prove himself to you.

“Thank you Baby, thank you, thank you, thank you for a chance to make this right.” He thanked you as you clung together and you couldn’t attach your mouth to his fast enough. You were desperate for the taste of his mouth in yours and the second you found your prize, you were suddenly being lifted up and carried as your legs wrapped around his waist and Noah peeked to see where the bed was and once his knees found it, he very carefully lowered you down on the bed and eased onto you as you kissed each other desperately and the flurry of hands to get undressed and under the covers was what you both needed as badly as the air in your lungs and finally being rejoined was like coming back to life.

And it was the best makeup sex of your lives.

#Ahhhh #Ok now the revenge #Jewel Of The North #Jewel Of The North Part 10 #ice orcs #jewel orcs #orc love story #modern orc love story #tada #we are back baby

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sprnklersplashes · 4 years

Text

heart of stone (5/?)

AO3

Janis will always remember this morning.

The sun is just about up as she stands in her bedroom, fighting for dominance with grey clouds that promise a shower later on. Across the city, kids are groaning and pressing the snooze buttons, getting dressed and brushing their teeth, packing their bags and making sure they have everything for the day ahead. Janis is doing the almost same thing, but instead of packing for school, she’s squashing as much as she can into her bag, trying to take as much of home with her as she possibly can. They’re all headed off to school and will see their homes again tonight, she won’t see this bedroom for another two weeks.

Her teeth dig into her lip and she pushes another sweater into the bag. It’s a little like going on vacation; she has no idea what’s enough pairs of underwear and if she’ll need a sweater and if she really needs this t-shirt she hasn’t worn in two years. Maybe if she pretends it’s a vacation she can get through it.

She picks up the small stuffed kitten that lay across her pillows. He’s been her constant companion since she was five, accompanying her to sleepovers and overnight field trips and Girl Scout retreats. Wherever she slept, he slept. Which is why she doesn’t hesitate in putting him in her bag. She drops a little kiss to his forehead before she packs him, though, and decides to put him in the side of her backpack instead. To let him look out at everything. And so she can grab him if she needs him.

She hasn’t eaten anything. Her stomach has twisted itself into knots and tied those knots together and folded in on itself. She picked at oatmeal downstairs but despite her parents insistence, she couldn’t eat any of it. Her dad had reminded her that she’d need her strength for the day ahead and Janis had stifled a laugh. She doesn’t feel strong at all right now and doubts oatmeal could help. Her parents had only allowed her to go upstairs to finish packing when she agreed to take her breakfast with her.

To kill time, and to avoid the cold oatmeal glaring at her from her nightstand, she looks through the open drawers, trying to find something to add to the mass in her bag. Her doctor had advised her to pack what she’d be most comfortable in. He of course meant PJs and sweatpants and stuff Janis can lounge in during her treatment, but the two of them seem to have different versions of ‘comfortable’. For Janis, comfort means being happy with herself, and what she wears is sort of like a manifestation of her own soul. After all, it did take longer than she thought to find out what she likes wearing. So in that vein, her bag is filled with fishnet tights and graphic tees and shorts and denim skirts. And a few pairs of leggings, just to keep her mom happy.

As she looks through the drawers and tries to block out her parents’ muffled conversations, she pulls out a hoodie that’s far too big to be hers. She pulls it out, falling back against her bed as she does so. She knows who owns it before she opens it up, and her breath catches in her throat. It’s Damian’s; originally plain white but she had tie-dyed it for him and sewn little a little rainbow under the hood as a birthday present last year. He must have left it here and a while ago and she had always intended to give it back. But now…

She holds it against her body, burying her face in the soft fabric inside the hood. She knows how it sounds, but having this sweater is the next best thing to having Damian with her. It feels like him, his big teddy bear body pulling her into a hug that lasts for ages, making her feel more safe than she does anywhere else.

Hopefully, he’ll understand.

“Janis?” She jumps a bit before turning around, her dad having caught her off guard. He stands awkwardly in the doorway, his shoulders hunched over and his hips moving back and forth like someone is pulling strings on both sides. “You okay?”

“Fine,” she replies, thankful that her eyes are dry. She pushes herself up and heads to the bed, wringing the sweater in her hands. “Just went to get this.” She manages to squish it into the bag and zip it up, catching on clothes along the way. Her dad does offer to help but she shakes him off and manages to get the thing closed, even if it is straining and reminds her vaguely of an overstuffed Christmas turkey.

“That’s everything,” she says. “Right?”

“Is it? You got the essentials?”

“Yeah,” she nods. “Um, underwear, PJs, clothes, laptop, notebook, pencils, chargers, phone, toothbrush, hairbrush…” She rattles them off on her fingers, the monotony of it somehow calming her.

“I see your little kitty’s coming too,” her dad points out, tapping under the toy’s chin. “Didn’t want to miss out, did he?” Janis chuckles at that. Despite her having grown out of that phase, her dad has kept on treating Purrlock like he’s real. She loves him for that.

“He said two weeks without me was too long,” she replies. Two weeks of sleeping in a different bed and eating food that wasn’t cooked in their kitchen, not seeing her friends and instead getting medicines pumped into her body because her body is being wrecked from the inside.

She comes back to herself just in time to see her hand reaching to grab Purrlock out of her bag.

“Hey.” Her dad takes the toy and gently presses it into her hand, his free hand rubbing up and down her arm. She can’t be imagining him trembling. Even so, she rests her head on his shoulder and lets him hold her tight. They stand in silence for a while before her dad whispers “Come on, it’s time to go,” in her ear. He has to pull her out of her room and takes both her bags with him. In the back of her mind, she wishes she could help, but she feels a little like her brain is on standby.

Her mom is already waiting in the car, her own bag packed. Her parents agreed that her mom would stay in the hospital with Janis while her dad stays at work, promising to visit her every night. ‘They’re going to have to extend visiting hours just for me’ he had promised. She slides into the backseat and places her backpack on her lap for something to hold on to.

“Everybody say ‘bye bye house’,” she says. It’s barely a joke, just something her parents liked to say when they would go on road trips when she was little, but it gets a laugh out of both of them.

As the car pulls out of the drive, she gives a minute wave goodbye to her house. Suddenly two weeks seems a lot longer than it had.

*****

Janis will never understand how people who work in hospitals are so damn cheerful. The receptionist who greets them, the nurses who guide her to her new room and give her a medical bracelet, they all have such a peppy, wholesome demeanour that makes them feel unsuited for the job they have. Like they should be on the side-lines of a football game instead,

Her room is identical to the other ones they passed; pale blue walls and a large window, in her case overlooking the parking lot, and a bathroom attached. Little Janis is jumping up and down with glee. She always wanted an en suite. Then there’s the bed, the one thing she doesn’t want to look at. With its sturdy grey frame and spotless, perfectly made white sheets it looks even more impersonal than the rest of the room. The worst part by far is the white bar above it which has outlets and hooks along it. All to house her various medicines and drugs.

Ward 3, Room 21. Her new home.

“Okay, let’s get you settled in,” the nurse begins. She did introduce herself, something beginning with an L, but it didn’t stick. “And then Doctor Wiley will be down to see you in a few minutes.” Again, the all-too-happy manners feel more like they belong in a hotel lobby. Like she’s just gone on vacation for a week. So, as though she’s on vacation, she wanders over and sits on the mattress, pushing herself up and down.

“Not very bouncy,” she concludes.

“I’ll put in a complaint with the manager,” her dad replies and she laughs, really laughs.

“You’re such a Karen,” she chuckles. “Not my Karen. Just you know… the species Karen.”

“I’ll get a bob and amber highlights,” he goes on and she leans back on the bed, still laughing. “Start ordering ice Frappuccino’s at Starbucks. Those are what Karens drink, right?”

“No, that’s what Regina George drinks,” her mom corrects him. “A Karen would have a latte, skim milk, no cream, half a pack of sweetener and then bring her own organic chocolate.” Janis’ cheeks almost hurt from smiling and laughing, but it fades almost instantly when she sees the doctor appearing behind them, the same one they spoke to before. Doctor Wiley, she assumes, but she’ll almost always be calling him Mr Doctor Man in the future.

Her parents take notice of him and in one motion, move away from the door and next to her, flanking her on either side.

“Well, I wish I was seeing you under different circumstances, Janis,” he says, a grim edge to his voice.

“The feeling’s mutual,” she replies. The corners of his mouth turn up at that. For her, the air turns chilly and she pulls her cardigan tighter around her.

“First thing’s first, we’re going to take a little blood test-”

“I already did one,” she interrupts. “Isn’t that the whole reason I’m here?”

“Well, yes, but this is a different one,” he explains. “That was to determine the type of cancer you have; this will be so we know how best to administer the chemo. We’ll also need to do a quick physical exam, check your height, weight, breathing, all so we know how to tailor your treatment to you.”

“Treatment that’s personally tailored to me,” she says. “What a dream.” Mr Doctor nods, a knowing smirk on his face that lifts Janis’ head. They lock eyes for a fraction of a second before he looks at her parents, as though he knows something they don’t.

“She’s going to be a fighter, I can tell,” he says. At that, her dad squeezes her hand and for a second, she wonders if she might actually make it through this.

Doctor Man’s comment and her parents’ pride both give her the strength to make it through the physical exam at least. It’s all quick and easy, even when he gets the needle out to draw her blood. Unlike Karen, who balks at the mere mention of one, she’s not particularly frightened of needles. She doesn’t love the idea either, but the only reaction she gives is her hand tightening on the arm of the chair.

So before homeroom ends for her friends, she’s standing with a cookie in one hand, juice box in the other and a tiny bandage on her arm.

“We’ll hope to get you started as quickly as possible,” her nurse explains. “In the meantime, why don’t you go check the place out? There’s a good teen lounge down the hall. There’s TV, games, movies. The whole shebang.”

“The whole shebang,” Janis echoes, a faint smile on her face.

“Do the kids not say ‘shebang’ anymore?” the nurse asks innocently.

“Not since the 90s, I think,” she replies. She kicks the ground with the toe of her boot, her hands plunged into her pockets. When she takes a tiny look up, she sees her parents deep in conversation with the doctor. If she doesn’t go to the lounge, it’s back to her room and that isn’t appealing to her. Besides, been there, seen that. “Sounds cool. Where do I find it?”

She probably could have found it without the nurse’s directions, but the sunny smile she delivers them with does something to calm Janis’ nerves. It’s a bit down past her room, honey-coloured double doors open revealing a bigger area with three baby blue walls and one white and covered in pencil doodles. They’ve clearly gone all out to make it cheerful and inviting, from the yellow sunshine rug on the floor to the overstuffed bookshelves and equally overstuffed DVD and game cabinet, to the large plush armchairs, each one with a brightly coloured cushion on it that looks like it was brought in a thrift store. A cool thrift store, though. One of the chairs is occupied now by what appears to be the only person in the room besides Janis.

“Wow.” Janis jumps, and then surprisingly, she supresses a sigh. She simply assumed her parents were still talking to the doctors, but that was probably a stupid assumption. Of course they’d be on her heels. Why would they let their illness-stricken daughter out of their sight? “Well this is cool.”

“Yeah,” she mumbles in reply. As her parents take in the room, the other kid looks up at her. She can’t be more than fourteen, legs folded beneath her on the chair, clad in rainbow-stripped leggings and a pink hoodie with who she recognises to be Princess Aurora on the front. And a beanie on her head, made from purple wool. Janis’ hand clenches in her pocket, her mouth running dry.

“Hey, sweetie,” her mom says, appearing at her side. “Do you need anything? There was a little store downstairs and the doctors said you might want to eat or drink something before your treatment starts.”

Relief hits her like a water balloon being thrown and guilt quickly follows. Not enough to make her refuse, but enough to make her notice and hope this doesn’t become common.

“That’d be great, Mom,” she replies. “I didn’t really eat breakfast.”

“That’s fine, we’ll get you something. Anything in particular you want? I can get you some candy if you want, or some-”

“It’s fine,” she says, plastering a smile on her face and patting her mom’s hand. “I trust your judgement. I’ll be here.”

Her mom cups her face before she finally leaves and Janis lets out a sigh before she can stop herself. Her eyes move to the other girl out on instinct and she finds her giggling. Should she be annoyed by that? If so, she’s doing the opposite. She pauses for a second before moving towards her and sitting on the arm of the chair next to her.

“Hey,” she greets. “I’m Janis.”

Damian’s voice whispers ‘and je m’appelle Sasha Fierce’ in her ear. She shakes her head to get it out.

“Hey,” she replies, putting her tablet by her side. “I’m Maddie.” Her eyes are green and there are braces on her teeth and dimples in her cheeks and as cute as Janis finds it, there’s an air of discomfort that she hopes Maddie doesn’t pick up on. She doesn’t appear to, instead looking at her with inquisitive eyes. “You’re new here, aren’t you?”

“How can you tell?”

“Well, first off, I’ve never seen you. And I know everything that goes on in here.” Janis chuckles.

“So you’re the all-seeing eye,” she states and Maddie nods excitedly. “No one gets in or out without you noticing.”

“Nope.” The smile on Maddie’s face falters and her fingers fidget in her lap. “And you look… well…” As her voice trails off, the pieces click together in Janis’ mind. Even despite the height difference, there’s a visible contrast between her and Maddie that she can’t ignore. Her hand twitches to touch her hair.

“Scary? Yeah, well, I’m 5”9’,” she responds, bringing the grin back. “Plus the dye job makes me look tougher than I actually am.” She leans back so that she sits on the seat, her feet dangling over the arm.

“Oh, I love your boots!” Maddie squeaks, her eyes going wide.

“Yeah?” There’s a rush of protective affection in her chest, slightly similar to when she saw Cady looking helpless and hopeless in health class, but she’s certain it won’t develop the way those feelings did. She wiggles her legs, letting the light catch her boots. “$15 at a thrift store.”

“Woah,” she breathes. A sheepish look crosses her face, a question on her mind that may as well be written across her forehead.

“You want to try them on?”

“Can I?” Maddie’s mouth has fallen open and her eyes bulge in a perfect picture of delight that warms Janis’ heart. That feeling doesn’t go away when she toes off her boots and only swells when Maddie steps into them. Even in those boots, she barely comes up to Janis’ chest. She looks up at her with so much giddy excitement that Janis wouldn’t be surprised if she started singing.

“Oh they suit you,” she says.

“Thanks.” She looks down at them, clumsily tapping the heels together like Dorothy. “I’ve always wanted a pair of shoes like these but my mom always said they’re too adult for me. Though she has been whittled down from ‘not until your 18’ to ‘maybe for your birthday’.”

“You must be quite the negotiator.”

“Well, I guess. But she finds it hard to say no to me these days,” she shrugs.

“Ah.” Suddenly the light in Janis’ chest begins to dim and she finds herself cold again. “Well that’s fun.”

“Yeah…” Maddie must have picked up on the mood change because she sits back down and Janis follows her, once again picking at her nails. “So… what are you in for?”

“You sound like we’re in prison,” she jokes. She puts on a gruff voice and a stern expression and says “I’ve killed a man. I killed a man for a jar of pickles. And I’d do it again.” Maddie chuckles again, the sound sweet and light and well… happier than Janis thought possible given the circumstances. She picks at her fishnets, her chest heavily. “I’m in for leukaemia.”

“Oh,” is Maddie’s response, as well as a nod. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, it sucks,” she sighs. She considers what she wants to say carefully, reasoning that Maddie asked her the same. Maybe boundaries don’t exist here, or at least they’re different. Maybe discussing your cancer here is like discussing your test scores at school. “What about you?”

“My stomach,” she replies. “I started feeling weird two months ago, went to a doctor and I’ve been here ever since.”

“Two months?” Janis asks, astonished. She can barely imagine being here for a week, let alone two months. Her heart aches for herself and for Maddie, but there’s also a small spark of hope. Maddie’s been here two months and she seems strong enough. Who says she can’t?

“Yeah. I’m scheduled to finish soon though.” Maddie ducks her head, but it doesn’t stop Janis from seeing the sad expression on her little face. As she shakes her head and gives her a false-looking smile, Janis feels like she’s watching a replay of her own life.

“You’re incredibly tough,” she tells her and she watches the smile become real. She looks around the room, noticing things she hadn’t picked up on like the pile of board games in the corner and the flatscreen TV mounted on the wall. “So this is where you guys hang out?”

“Yeah. It’s usually more crowded than this,” she explains. “But you know… teenagers.”

“Hey, miss,” she says. “I’m a teenager too. And so are you.”

“Fair.” She taps her fingers on her knee in a rhythm Janis can’t quite place. “So your parents are with you?”

“Yeah,” she answers. “They just went to get me some food.”

“They seem cool.”

“I guess,” she says with a shrug. “You know. For parents. Speaking of, where are yours? Or do they just let a little kid like you sit alone in here with all the valuables.”

“I’m not a kid. I’ll be 13 in six weeks,” she tells her rather sternly. “I told my mom my feet were cold, so I asked her to go get me my fuzzy socks.” Janis nods, but quickly catches on to the flaw in Maddie’s idea.

“Those wouldn’t be the red fuzzy socks that you’re wearing underneath those boots, would it?” she asks.

“Shh,” she commands, finger to her lips. “She doesn’t need to know that!”

Janis throws her head back laughing at that. It’s like God took everything she could like about a human and condensed it into one little kid.

“Sneaky little brat,” she says approvingly. She’s keeping this one.

“Janis.” She turns and finds her parents right behind her chair, both with their hands full of goodies from the store. Definitely more than she can stomach now.

“Wow,” she says. “Did you leave any for anyone else?”

“Well we didn’t know exactly what you wanted,” her mom admits, flustered. “We did text you but you didn’t respond.”

“Sorry,” she shrugs. Her phone is both off and in her bag. There’s probably a lot she’s missed by now.

“It’s okay hon.” The three (four, including Maddie) sit in a tense, awkward silence in which everyone’s eyes avoid everyone else’s. Embarrassment flurries in Janis’ chest and she squirms in the chair, grappling in the empty air for a conversation topic.

“So what did you get?” she asks and everything comes back to normal again.

“Well, I got you… rice cakes, chips, candy bars… oh and we got you some water as well.” Janis stifles a laugh. Her parents are more than well-intentioned and her heart is warmed, but they’ve never gone this far before.

“Thanks,” she says, pulling a rice cake out of her mom’s arms. Out of the corner of her eye she notices Maddie shifting in her chair and she shares look with her mom, who drops another candy bar into her hand.

“Hey.” She barely has to stretch to poke Maddie in the arm with the candy. Her mouth falls open, the most sweet-sounding gasp that’s ever existed emitting from it and her eyes lighting up. Janis had no idea there was a way for a gasp to sound cute, but there is apparently. “Here. Take some sugar, kid.”

“Thanks!” she says. She takes the bar and weighs it in her hand, a decisive smile on her face for just a second before she slips the bar into her pocket. “For later,” she says.

Janis’ parents ask Maddie stuff Janis wouldn’t care for, about her school (as it happens, North Shore Middle School) and where she lives (again, as if happens, Edgewood Drive). All the while skirting around the obvious.

“Oh, my girlfriend lives there,” Janis remarks, breaking a rice cake in half. An empty packet is already sitting her lap; she hadn’t realised exactly how hungry skipping breakfast had made her. “Caddy Heron, you know her?”

“Heron? Is she the girl whose parents are zoologists?” she asks.

“The very one.”

“Oh yeah, I met them!” she answers brightly. “After they moved in my parents brought them a pie. You know, the neighbourly thing…” She leans on the chair, her eyes wide and glittering as though she’s about to drop a huge secret. “You know they used to live in Kenya?”

“Yeah,” Janis chuckles. “Yeah I knew that.”

“Oh right.” That doesn’t deter Maddie though. Quite the opposite, she shuffles closer to her, eagerness written all over her little face. When she speaks, it’s in a hushed, low voice that trembles with excitement. “She’s your girlfriend?”

“Yep. I got lucky, didn’t I?”

“Yeah. She’s really pretty. Well, she was the last time I saw her.”

“Oh she’s very pretty,” she says matter-of-factly. She reaches for her phone to show Maddie all the photos of her, but the thought of turning her phone on freezes it in its path. Turning her phone on means anyone in the world can contact her…

“I thought her name was Cady though,” she goes on, oblivious to Janis’ conflict. She shoves the phone behind her and turns to Maddie, finding it easy to get lost in conversation with her. “Not Caddy.”

“It’s Caddy in my world,” she replies, making Maddie giggle.

“So how long have you two been together?”

“Since the end of school.” There’s a blush creeping across her face that’s warm and no doubt pink coloured and her insides feel warm and gooey like a melted brownie, the way she always feels when she talks about Cady. “I asked her out and then we got dinner and saw a movie and then… you know…” She wiggles her eyebrows, Maddie’s laughing face half hidden between her hands. “Okay actually it wasn’t like that. But our first date was dinner and a movie.”

“Cool,” Maddie breathes. “I can’t wait to get my first girlfriend. Which might not happen for a while…” Oh no Janis thinks. “I mean, I don’t know how to talk to girls.”

“Neither do I,” she tells her, letting out a breath. “My friend had to push me to go talk to her. If it weren’t for him we’d probably still be friends right now.” She reaches out and playfully punches Maddie’s shoulder, the pull in her gut too big to ignore. She can almost hear Damian telling her not to meddle. To which she would reply ‘how is this meddling?’. “Tell you what, kid. If you ever need a wing woman or a gay guru, you come straight to me.”

“You mean that?” Her eyes grow ever wider, to the point where Janis starts wondering if they have limits. Just like with Cady’s equations, the limit does not exist.

“Of course. Us gays have to stick together. Like Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

“Who are those guys?” she asks, wrinkling her nose and confusion clouding her eyes. Janis opens her mouth to explain that it’s from some old (and not that good but still culturally relevant) movie, but her dad lets out an offended gasp before she can.

“I’m sorry,” he says when he’s met with one confused face and two amused ones. “I just can’t believe kids these days have never heard of Star Wars.”

“Oh, Star Wars,” Maddie says, as though it should have been obvious. “My brother loves them. Especially the old ones.”

“Which old ones?” he asks. “The old ones or the old-old ones?”

“There’s a difference?” she mumbles, looking over to Janis with an expression that says, ‘help me’.

“It’s not that important,” Janis tells her. When she sees her dad’s face, she can tell that to him it very much is. As they keep talking, they compare each other’s favourite Disney movies, finding they both have a deep love for Tangled and Frozen, but Maddie’s love for the mouse seems to far outweigh Janis as she lists off her favourite Princesses, which one she thinks she’s most like, which one she thinks Janis is most like (“you give off kind of an Elsa-Belle vibe” she tells her, which Janis is more than happy with). She also enthusiastically tells her about her plans to visit Disney World soon and Janis tells her the one in Paris is way better.

“You’ve been to Paris?”

“A few times,” she replies, nodding towards her dad. “You probably can’t tell, but he’s French. I have a whole army of cousins out there. You seen the Hunchback of Notre Dame?”

“Of course.”

“I’ve seen Notre Dame. Before it caught fire, obviously.” She blesses herself and presses a quick kiss to her fingertips. “May she RIP in peace.”

“Cool,” Maddie says. “The coolest vacation I had before this was New York.”

“Oh, I love New York,” Janis nods. “My aunt lives out there. Ever seen Broadway?”

“Yeah, we saw Lion King!” she replies. “I was like nine years old and my dad got them-”

“Janis?” Their conversation is interrupted by her nurse, who hovers in the doorway holding a clipboard and of course, a smile. “Your doctor’s ready for you.”

“Hi Nurse Lucy!” Maddie pipes up, leaning forwards in her chair.

Lucy. That was her name. Really, how could it have been anything else?

“Hi Maddie,” she says warmly, looking at the pair of them. “Making new friends?”

“Apparently, she’s the eyes and ears around here,” Janis says as she gets up. She turns back to Maddie, giving a quick wave. “See you around, kid.”

“Bye Janis.”

She stretches her legs out and hops as they walk, her body stiff from having folded itself into a chair for that long. She finishes off the rice cake and saves the other one in her pocket for later and is reminded how much she loves these little guys. Low calories (not that she cares about that), covered in chocolate and deliciously delicate. She needs to get back into these bad boys.

She also slips a bit on the floor and realises that she left her boots back with Maddie. She shrugs and makes a mental note to get them later as she steps into her room.

Her eyes land on the IV next to her bed immediately, barely acknowledging Doctor Wiley next to it. All at once, every good feeling she had built up with Maddie, every ounce of comfort and happiness is abruptly and cruelly yanked from her and she’s reminded why she’s actually here. She’s left feeling cold and winded and frozen.

Back there she could almost have tricked herself into believing she was here for a fun little vacation. So much for that.

“Janis.” She hadn’t noticed, but she’s stepped back. Where’s she going? Back to the lounge with Maddie? To the school, where Damian and Cady are? Back home?

Her mom’s hand wraps around hers and the other rubs her shoulder.

“It’s okay baby.”

“No, I know,” she says. “I know.” She forces her feet forwards, over to where the IV is. She feels her sleeves wrapping around her arms and sticking to her skin. Her arm is encased by her hand. “Okay so what’s the drill, doc?”

“Well, we’re planning to have you get a few sessions each day,” he explains. “Between two and four really. Now that we know the type of leukaemia you have and where it’s at, this is the best place to start.”

“Sounds like fun,” she mumbles. She lowers herself on to the bed, her hand still around her arm.

“Unfortunately, it’s going to make you feel pretty bad most days,” he confesses. “But it’s going to kill the leukaemia cells as well.” She nods minutely, passively listening to him explaining the process to both her and her parents. She’s not scared of needles. At all. And she thinks that she shouldn’t be scared of this, since it’s the good thing. So why is her heart pounding so fast?

She takes off her cardigan, exposing the white t-shirt and its skull print and most importantly, her bare arms. Beneath the lights they look almost translucent. At least Nurse Lucy doesn’t have any issue finding the vein. They could be seen on Google maps like blue rivers running through a snowy mountain.

“You ready?” the nurse asks. She’s not and she never will be. But the world won’t wait for her to be ready. Nor will the cancer in her body. She twists one of the rings on her hand, a little plastic thing Cady won in an arcade game. Her fearless girl. Wouldn’t Cady want her to be fearless too?

It takes a while, but the words “I’m ready” fall from her lips and the needle goes into her vein.

“You probably know all about the sound effects by now,” Lucy explains. “Might make you a little tired, might make you feel nauseous. Or it could go the other way and make you feel stronger than normal.”

“I hope it’s the other one,” she remarks as tape is secured over her arm. “I want superpowers.”

“Wouldn’t it be lovely if it worked that way?” she replies as she straightens up. “Okay. This is going to take around two hours to-”

“Two hours?” she echoes in disbelief. She looks up at the little bag at the top of her IV. There’s no way there’s two hours’ worth of medicine in there.

“Afraid so,” she says sympathetically, patting Janis’ shoulder.

“What am I meant to do for the next two hours?”

“There’s a TV,” the nurse reminds her. “Normally we’d let you do this in the lounge, but since it’s your first go we want to monitor you.”

“Consider me monitored,” she replies dryly, sneaking a glance up at the bag. Absolutely no change.

“You’ve got your TV in here,” her nurse reminds her. “And I’m sure there’s loads of gadgets in your bag to keep you occupied while you wait.” She turns more to her parents than to Janis, no doubt trying to ease their worries. “I’ve got a sixteen year old. She’s never off that phone.”

She leaves with the instruction that Janis keep hydrated throughout and a promise to call back in later. Her mom turns on the TV and flicks through channels even though it doesn’t have half the channels it does at home. She settles on some cute home renovation show that should normally get her creative buzz going and lead to hours on Pinterest, but instead she only half pays attention to it, the rest of her mind jumping from the IV above her head to the flowers she’s doodling in her sketchbook to her still-off phone that sits coldly in her lap.

“How’s everyone in school?” her dad asks, likely aware of what he’s doing. She taps her fingers on the screen as though it were on and takes a swing of water.

“I’m sure they’re all fine,” she says, adding another flower to her doodle. “Damian can keep me updated with the tea tonight.”

Janis never thought she’d miss school. Even disregarding the ugly history that’s followed her around the halls, she just never grew attached to it. She’d rolled her eyes at people who told her she’d cry on her last day and swore up and down to Damian, and later Cady, that they’d be the only things she’s miss. It wasn’t like she was counting down the days to graduation, but at the same time, she wasn’t going to lose any sleep over moving on.

But now North Shore is the only place she wants to be. For the first time she wishes she were in physics writing about gravity and mass or in history learning the severely edited version of the Civil War. She’d take the cafeteria food and its health violations over corner store rice cakes any day and at least at school there’s a change of scenery every forty minutes or so. And more than anything, she misses her friends. Going this long without Damian’s warm hearted words of wisdom or Cady’s soft spoken support has been physically painful, but she’s even found herself missing Karen and Gretchen too. Who knows, maybe if this year was going normally, they’d have even become friends. She could never imagine not being in North Shore would hurt as much as it does, but here she is, sitting in near-silence with a deep, harrowing ache in her chest that’s not from the cancer nor the medicine. Like a lot of stuff she’s come across today, it’s something she’ll have to get used it.

Even with that agony it takes almost an hour for her to work up the courage to open her phone, just as the medicine is beginning to cloud her head. She presses the screen into the bed until the buzzing and pinging and ringing stop, the corner of her mouth twitching up. She’s never been so popular.

On Facebook and in all her DMs are messages from people from every cafeteria table; the band geeks, the debate team, the dance team and both sets of jocks all send her good wishes. The messages range from the stilted and awkward to the over-emotional; some offer her two to three lines hoping she’s okay and some give her miniature essays telling her how horrible it yes (tell me something I don’t know she thinks) and how brave she is and if she needs anything, anything at all, they’re here for her. Even the Christian believers have sent her little prayers, despite the clashes she’s had with them over the years. She guesses she appreciates it, despite what her inner atheist-slash-witch thinks. Isn’t it nice to have people thinking of you?

When she goes back to her feed, her face is the first thing she sees. Not her own post and not one of her friend’s either, but one put up by the North Shore account. It’s her standing in the art room holding the prize she got from the art expo, grinning at the camera so proudly you wouldn’t guess she’d just fought with someone the night before.

‘Shout out to our brave student Janis Sarkisian, who is battling leukaemia this year. Janis is a bright star in our art program and co-founder of our new LGBT+ society. The North Shore Lions are roaring with you every step of the way, Janis!!’

Well that’s almost sweet, she thinks. Even if the idea of lions roaring at her is a little off-putting. What’s even more off-putting is the comments on it, all sobbing about how awful it is for her, people she’s never met preaching about how brave she is and how they know she’ll fight like hell. Even though she’s alone in this room, she feels hundreds of eyes on her, none of them familiar, and the attention makes her squirm.

Biting her nail, she clicks out of Instagram and takes in a breath before checking her texts instead. She hopes to find some sanity and order in there and she almost does… until she finds a text from someone. The contact isn’t saved in her phone, but she knows who it is, and it sparks fury and disgust in her gut.

“Hey Janis. Hope you’re doing okay. We all got told about it in school. We’re all thinking of you. -Regina xx.”

“Seriously?” Janis sighs, not realising she’s spoken out loud.

“Seriously what?” her mom asks with poorly masked concern. Her cheeks grow warm as she shows her mom the text and an uncertain look spreads across her mother’s face.

“Well that’s nice, isn’t it?” she says. Asks, more like.

“Not at all.” Regina George isn’t nice, ever. “And does she need to sign off her texts like that. This isn’t Gossip Girl.”

Thankfully, there are texts rom Cady and Damian to restore balance to the universe. At some point last night, she and Damian stopped using words and started using GIFs. The last thing in their chat is her sending him one of two kittens cuddling, obviously meant to be them. And after she fell asleep, Cad had texted her a sweet good night she managed to miss. Followed by a voice message, one that’s earnest and quiet and sent at 2:31am. She pops her headphones in, a myriad of emotions stirring in her foggy brain, and presses play.

“Hey. It’s me. Of course it’s me who else would it be? I just um…. This is scary. I don’t know why I’m telling you that, you know. You know more than anyone. Anyway I just wanted to let you know that I’m not going anywhere. I meant it. And whenever you get scared or it gets intense… just call me. Or text me. Or even think of me, okay? Just think of me. I miss you. A lot. I know I saw you today but I miss you. I… you mean a lot to me, Janis. And I know you’re going to kick this thing’s butt. I know you will and I hope you know that you know you will. I also really hope you’re asleep right now instead of listening to this because if you’re not asleep I’m coming over there. I wish I could come over there. I wish I could come with you… Okay, okay, I’m getting too sappy here, so I’m going to go to sleep now. Bye, Janis. I’ll see you as soon as I can.”

Janis lets out something that’s halfway between a laugh and a sob. It reflects what’s going on in her head perfectly; all those bubbling and complex feelings boiled down to ‘half happy, half sad’. She’s fairly confident that’s the way she’ll go on for the next few weeks, and some days will have more sad than others. And she bets that the happiness is going to be harder to come by and harder to fight for on those days. So she makes a start. She sends Cady a quick ‘lol that’s gay’ message, followed up by a thank you and a little gay message of her own. Then she replays the message and feels the smile on her face grow a bit wider each time she does.

#cadnis #cady x janis #janis sarkisian #cady heron #mean girls fanfic #mean girls broadway #mean girls the musical

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yamayamawrites · 4 years

Text

Pickle - A Switched Prequel

A/N: Hello hello! In my recent fic “Switched”, I mentioned that Tsukkishima and Yamaguchi had a cat named “Pickle”. I got the brilliant idea to write a one-shot about how they got Pickle, and also, how they got together. They can be read alone but technically they take place in the same universe! You don’t need to read one to understand the other - they just share a headcanon of mine that Tsukki and Yamaguchi have a pet together!

You can find this on my AO3 page here or you can read below! Either way, as always thanks for reading and I really hope you enjoy!

Tsukkishima stood outside Yamaguchi’s door, shifting a bit uncomfortably in the cool fall air. They had the day off from practice, and Yamaguchi hadn’t come to school, which was unusual. Normally Tsukkishima would play like he didn’t care and go home, but his feet dragged him here without his consent. He’d gone home and at first, he thought he’d stay there, but without even realizing it he’d packed an overnight bag and was out the door with a quick goodbye to his mother. Said overnight bag sat by his feet as he debated whether he should knock.

He didn’t need to, as it turned out. Yamaguchi swung the door open, jumping a bit in surprise and almost dropping the potted plant in his hand. “Oh, hey Tsukki!” he chirped in his normal way, despite the fact that his eyes were very clearly saying “asshole, you nearly gave me a heart attack”.

“Mind if I come in?” Tsukki asked, his usual droning tone having vanished. Yamaguchi wordlessly stepped aside.

“I’ll be in in a minute, this pot just needs more dirt.”

“Okay,” Tsukki called over his shoulder, already welcoming himself into the western-style home. He looked around at the dozens of potted plants, breathing in the air which smelled mostly like Yamaguchi with a hint of dirt. This was probably the most bizarre part of Yamaguchi’s personality, and the one that surprised him the most when he first came over. Both Yamaguchi and his mother (who Tsukki rarely saw anymore) had such natural green thumbs that half the time when Tsukki came over it was because his mother asked him to go get some fresh vegetables from their garden. Now, though, with the onslaught of winter just a few weeks away, all the outdoor vegetables migrated inside.

Tsukki spent his time trying to find a surface that didn’t contain a plant. That was how he usually spent his time when Yamaguchi wandered the house, watering plants while he watched. Sometimes they moved; Tsukki made note that the tall tree-like plant that had been in the corner by the television had now made its way to the dining area.

Though it was bizarre, it was never anything Tsukki really paid much mind to outside of Yamaguchi’s home. The smell of dirt didn’t follow Yamaguchi the way Tsukki might have expected it to, and aside from the occasional dirt stain on Yamaguchi’s uniform he gave no hints to his hobby. Tsukki almost wondered if Yamaguchi felt embarrassed of it, but no, that couldn’t be it, because on occasion he brought fresh pies and such for the team members using the fruits and vegetables grown at home.

Yamaguchi toed his shoes off at the front door as he returned inside, setting down a relatively large strawberry plant on the table in the front window – which was now so overcrowded with plants that Tsukki worried one might topple. Judging by the smear of dirt on the rug, that’s what had happened that required Yamaguchi to refill the pot in the first place.

“I’m really glad you’re here, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi commented offhandedly as he readjusted the pots on the table so they were at least a little less likely to fall. “I was actually going to call and ask you to come over.”

“Oh yeah?” Tsukki droned back, but his heart skipped a bit. He and Yamaguchi were in a weird sort of limbo with their relationship; he had no better way to describe it than a weird game where they tried to act like everything was normal between them, when it most certainly wasn’t. Not after Tsukki last spent the night.

In fact, that was mostly why he ended up here – to clear the air. He wondered if Yamaguchi had stayed home to avoid him, but as his eager friend ushered him down the hall towards his bedroom, he panicked and thought maybe Yamaguchi was done pretending.

When Yamaguchi pushed open the door, Tsukkishima realized, oh, we’re not going to talk about it.

Sitting on the bed with a piece of ribbon around its neck as a makeshift collar was an orange kitten, maybe not even eight weeks old, playing with a ping pong ball. “So,” Yamaguchi cleared his throat, grabbing Tsukki’s wrist and pulling him into the room before closing the door behind them, “this is…a cat.”

“I can see that,” Tsukki replied. “Mind explaining a little more?”

“Well,” Yamaguchi rubbed his neck sheepishly, teetering back and forth on the balls of his feet. “See, when I woke up I put my cucumber plants out on my windowsill so they could get some extra sun while I took a shower. And well, when I came back…he was here. Gnawing away on my cucumber plant.”

“What happened to the plant?”

“Who cares, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi replied with a stifled giggle. “What do you think we should name him?”

“’We’?” Tsukki questioned, the smallest hint of a blush touching his cheeks. “I’m not taking joint custody of a rat.”

“First of all, it’s a kitten,” Yamaguchi pouted, “and second, I can’t really…afford to take care of it on my own.”

“Then let it go,” Tsukki droned.

“No, it’ll die!” Yamaguchi huffed. “I think it’s one of the strays around here’s kitten. Haven’t seen her around in weeks, and I even asked a few of the neighbors if their kitten got out.”

“Is this why you weren’t at school today?” Tsukki asked finally.

“Does it matter? Okay, yes, I wasn’t at school. You’re changing the topic,” Yamaguchi whined in a way that made Tsukki want to bite his tongue and never annoy Yamaguchi again.

“What do you want from me?” Tsukkishima asked cautiously. This all crept towards ‘couple’ territory – owning a pet together was the first step in having kids together, and Tsukki’s face turned a sickly green. Oh god, we can’t have kids, we barely even kissed and we can’t even talk to each other about that and a cat is super close to raising a kid…

“I’m not going to ask for much,” Yamaguchi replied just as cautiously. He could tell Tsukki’s mind had already reeled itself into a knot by the way his face turned green. “You don’t even have to act like it’s yours. I was just wondering if you could lend me some supplies.”

Tsukki’s childhood cat had passed away when he was ten, and both boys knew well that instead of donate the food bowl and litter box, his mother had stored them away in case they ever decided to get another cat. Nearly six years later and there was no cat to show for it. Tsukki’s shoulders relaxed; he was sure his mother would rather give the supplies to someone she knew, anyway. Plus, this meant that his earlier conclusion of joint custody could have been off.

“Also will you help pick a name?” Yamaguchi spat quickly, his cheeks flushing as he snapped his head to the floor to avoid looking at Tsukki.

“Ah, yes to the supplies. No to the name.”

“Tsukki,” Yamaguchi whined.

“Fine. How about ‘Tadashi’?”

“Tsukki!”

Tsukkishima huffed, running a hand through his hair. “Alright, alright…you’re sure you want to keep it, though?”

“Yeah! He’ll keep me company when mom’s not home.”

That statement in itself probably would have had Tsukki in tears (internally; he didn’t cry on the outside) had they not been in such a weird place with their relationship and his mind not been taken up trying to unfurl that mess.

Yamaguchi scratched the cat behind the ears, eliciting a purr from him. “What do you think of ‘Pickle’?”

“Why Pickle?” Tsukki asked, cautiously stepping forward to pet the cat as well.

“Because he was eating my cucumber plant,” Yamaguchi shrugged. “And ‘Cucumber’ isn’t as cute.”

“I like it,” Tsukki murmured, voice ever so soft as his knuckles bumped against Yamaguchi’s. Neither of them looked at each other, blushing furiously; instead, they stared down at the cat, which was tilting its head this way and that to encourage more head pats.

After a few moments, Yamaguchi cleared his throat. “U-um,” he broke the silence, “I hate to ask you to do this, since you came all the way here and all, but could you—”

“You want me to go get the stuff, huh?” Tsukki droned. Yamaguchi flushed and nodded quickly.

Tsukki finally sighed and got up, rifling through Yamaguchi’s closet.

“H-hey!” Yamaguchi cried. “What are you doing?”

“It’s cold and I left my jacket at home,” Tsukkishima replied with a slight shrug. In all honesty, it had been something of a ploy to encourage them to talk about what happened between them. Still, without that conversation happening, Tsukki felt an odd satisfaction in making Yamaguchi so embarrassed. “I figured it’s only fair, since you want me to go back out in the cold.”

“I-I’ll have hot cocoa waiting for you when you get back.”

***

Yamaguchi wasn’t lying. As Tsukkishima trudged back up to his door nearly an hour later, food bowl and litterbox awkwardly in his hands, Yamaguchi swung it open for him, already holding two steaming mugs. “Tsukki!” he said excitedly. “I almost thought you wouldn’t come back.”

“Sorry it took so long,” he said in a condescending tone. That shut Yamaguchi up. “It’s a little hard to carry this stuff such a long way.”

“Right!” Yamaguchi set the mugs down on the dining table and grabbed the litterbox from him. “I don’t suppose you’d want to go to the store with me to buy litter and food, would you?” he asked hopefully.

“Yamaguchi,” Tsukki replied in a warning tone.

“You’re right, you’re right!” he squeaked. “I’ll, um, I’ll go tomorrow morning.”

“If you want to go tonight, I can stay here and watch…the cat,” he mumbled, a little embarrassed that he would even suggest watching the thing.

Yamaguchi perked up. “You would?! Oh, that would be great!”

“Only if you’re quick,” Tsukki snapped uncharacteristically. He supposed it was mostly due to the tension that revolved around the two of them. “Sorry,” he supplied shortly after.

“I’ll be quick,” Yamaguchi agreed. “I just need a few things. Like a collar and stuff!”

The two flopped down onto the couch side by side, watching the curious kitten stumble his way out of Yamaguchi’s bedroom. He was cautious, sniffing everything in sight, stilling when he saw Tsukki and Yamaguchi watching him. “He’s a little skittish,” Yamaguchi murmured. “Please don’t scare him.”

“I won’t do anything on purpose,” Tsukki supplied, and though it was genuine, Yamaguchi laughed at the implication that Tsukkishima was intimidating even to cats.

By the time they had finished their hot cocoa, Pickle had decided the couch was a safe bet and settled onto it, still eyeing the two of them curiously. Yamaguchi carefully took the mug from Tsukki’s hands, making sure not to touch him (which frustrated Tsukki much more than it should have). He said little more than what was necessary to Tsukki before he gathered his things and left, and then it was just Tsukki and Pickle, who had taken to digging his paws into the couch.

Tsukkishima tried to redirect his attention with the strap of his overnight bag, which worked for approximately five minutes until the cat became bored again. He half-debated letting the cat run rampant and just playing on his phone, but he knew Yamaguchi would probably lose his mind if the cat knocked over one of the plants. So, every time the cat got even close to doing so, Tsukki would pluck him from his spot and move him somewhere else.

He chased the cat around the house for about an hour before Yamaguchi finally returned, carrying a few grocery bags. “I had to get the small bags because I don’t think I’d be able to carry it all the way,” he huffed, setting the bags aside while he took his shoes off. Tsukki grabbed the food out of the bag and took it along with the food dish to the sink.

“What’re you doing?” Yamaguchi asked quizzically.

“It’s a kitten,” Tsukki replied with a shrug. “It probably can’t eat super hard food. I’m going to mix it with some water.”

Tsukki missed the way Yamaguchi gazed at him like he was some sort of angel, and he certainly missed the way Yamaguchi blushed and wrapped his arms around himself defensively. Before long, he heard Yamaguchi pouring kitty litter into the litterbox, and while he mixed the food he could hear Yamaguchi chasing the kitten around the living room, trying to put its new collar on it.

Tsukki set the food dish near the front door, and immediately Pickle trotted over to him, making a happy noise before digging into the dish of mushy cat food. Yamaguchi watched him, a bit breathless from chasing the cat around. “You know a lot about animals, don’t you?” he asked.

“No,” Tsukkishima countered. “My childhood cat just had kittens one time, and I remember that’s how we fed the babies when they were old enough to eat.”

“Oh,” Yamaguchi mumbled. He slumped onto the couch, Tsukki by his side, and they watched the cat eat.

Every time their shoulders blushed Tsukkishima could feel Yamaguchi shy away, and it upset him to the point that he decided he was sick of playing this game of acting like everything was normal. “Can we please talk, Yama?” he asked softly, despite his anger.

“About?” Yamaguchi countered, but the way his body stiffened, Tsukki was sure Yamaguchi knew exactly what about.

“Last time I spent the night.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

A silence fell over them, save for the noises of Pickle eating in the background. “I’m not mad,” Tsukkishima said finally, hoping maybe it would encourage Yamaguchi to explain why he kissed him.

He watched Yamaguchi’s shoulders slump. “I can’t apologize enough for that, huh?” Yamaguchi asked, almost a bit bitterly. “Look, I get it if you don’t have feelings for me or—”

“Who said that?” Tsukki countered, taking on a bitter tone himself. “You can’t make decisions like that for me and then lead me to believe something when—”

Tsukkishima stopped talking then, as Yamaguchi’s shoulders began to tremble. Tsukki dropped a gentle hand to Yamaguchi’s thigh, and the boy didn’t pull away. Instead, he glanced up, a few tears trickling down his cheeks. Tsukki used his other hand to wipe them away wordlessly, and before either of them could restrain themselves, their lips were brushing on each other’s again.

It was different this time. For one, Tsukkishima hadn’t been in the middle of talking and interrupted by an eager Yamaguchi stealing the words from his mouth. No, this one felt more longing, a bit more understanding of each other. Hearing Tsukkishima deny him an apology, even if that didn’t mean he also had feelings for him, felt like the most wonderful moment in the world. Tsukki himself had been toying with the idea of attraction towards Yamaguchi long before the kiss, and when Yamaguchi forced an apology and begged them to pretend nothing happened after the first kiss, it had broken his heart. But now, now he felt like he could finally repay Yamaguchi how he should have in the first place; he returned the kiss, or perhaps he initiated it. Neither of them knew who moved first, nor would they bother to pin that blame.

Their lips met with more intensity the second they parted to breathe. Having known Yamaguchi so long, Tsukki wondered idly (between the near-constant thoughts of wow, this feels nice) if that’s how their lips moved together so wonderfully. Any clumsiness his classmates had talked about when they had their first kisses hadn’t presented itself. Tsukki’s hand that had been on Yamaguchi’s thigh moved to grab his waist, his body turning to face Yamaguchi more.

The feeling of Yamaguchi’s arms winding their way around Tsukki’s neck was shocking enough itself, were it not for the ease with which Yamaguchi pressed their bodies together, resulting in Tsukki laying on the couch with a surprisingly dominant Yamaguchi on top.

A soft ‘meow’ across the room had them pulling apart just as quickly as they’d connected, faces flushed and breath labored. They refused to look at each other. Pickle the kitten was proudly sitting in the mush of food, cleaning his paws with his tongue.

“Such an efficient way to eat food,” Tsukki droned sarcastically, and Yamaguchi laughed.

Maybe nothing really had changed; maybe this was how it was meant to be. Tsukkishima couldn’t help but hope so.

#tsukkiyama #tsukkishima kei #yamaguchi tadashi #haikyuu!!#switched universe #headcanon #yamamamawrites

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adolanables · 4 years

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Flame-Finale

Masterlist

The next morning was filled with room-service waffles and orange juice and endless Grayson kisses. Watching you walk out of the bathroom in just a small white towel and dripping wet hair made him lose his mind. Soon enough, the two of you were going at it again on the bed - rushing through to be able to check out by 11. If he was being honest, Grayson didn’t want to leave - he wanted to pay for another night here with you. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.

Ethan and Grayson had to be home Sunday evening for a family dinner welcoming them home for the holidays. So, as the two of them slid their overnight bags into Grayson’s car, he paused for a moment.

“Are you going home?” He questioned his beautiful girl who was about to slide into the passenger seat.

“Yea, eventually.” You nodded, biting your lower lip. “My parents are out of town for the next two weeks, so I’m not leaving until the actual week of Christmas.”

Grayson got into the car, turning the heat on full blast as you joined him. “You’re gonna be here all alone?” He stuck his lower lip out in a pout and slowly took off back to campus. “That’s no good.”

“It’s really okay, Gray.” You shrugged, reaching over to rest your hand on his thigh. No, being in the dorms alone for two weeks wasn’t necessarily ideal, but neither was going home to an empty house - or going home at all.

“I don’t think so.” He rolled his eyes, letting you know it really wasn’t okay with him. The last thing he wanted was to drive home, knowing he wouldn’t be able to see you for an entire month, and know you were here all alone. “What if you came home with me… just until you have to leave?”

“Seriously?” With wide eyes, you turned your body to face him. Grayson had a small smile tugging on his lips as he thought about bringing you home to meet his family.

“I mean - why not?” He chewed on his inner cheek for a moment, “I need to call my mom and see what Ethan thinks, but I don’t see why it would be a problem.”

“Wow… yeah… that would be great.” Squeezing his hand for a second before settling back into your seet, you let out a puff of air. In your past relationships, meeting the parents was something you aggressively avoided. In fact, you often broke off relationships if someone tried to bring you into their family. With Grayson, you desperately wanted to meet his family.

“You’re really going to bring her home after just a few days of being back together?” Ethan gawked at his younger brother who had just gotten off the phone with their mom.

“Mom seems pretty excited, Ethan.” Stuffing some socks into the top of his suitcase, Grayson felt himself getting angry. Things felt so good with you that he almost forgot about his relationship with Ethan. “I don’t see why it’s such a big deal.”

“Of course mom’s excited, she was worried you’d never find a girl.” Ethan scoffed, zipping up his suitcase and getting started on his toiletry bag. He was trying to find a way to see he didn't want you to come without actually saying it. “It’s just - our traditions have never included her… so why should we change everything now?”

“Because I love her?” Grayson questioned as if Ethan was a complete idiot. “That’s what happens with families, dude - they grow because you add more people you love.” Shaking his head in disbelief. “She’s coming - I’m not leaving her here alone. If you’re going to be a fucking dick, you can pretend I don’t exist for the next two weeks.”

“Fine - sheesh.” Ethan held up his hands in defense, knowing his brother was still on the edge of hating him. The last thing he wanted to do was cause more discourse between the two of them. “I’ll play nice.”

While the boys were arguing, you were nervously packing nearly your entire closet. You weren’t sure what to bring to a boyfriend’s house and you really weren’t sure what you would even need. So, in that case - you just decided to bring as much as you could. You were going to be gone from school for an entire month.

Sure, the thought of being in a house with Ethan and Grayson for two weeks did make you nervous, but you hoped the three of you had gotten over the issues.

Five hours and a dozen pit stops later, the three of you were finally pulling into the Dolan’s childhood home. Right away, you noticed how much more welcoming the place was than your house - things were decorated personally, not like every other house in the neighborhood. Grayson turned around to say something to you, but before he could, his mom was throwing open your door with a big smile on her face.

“You must be Logan!” Soft blonde hair and warm eyes instantly soothed your nerves - she was clearly happy to see you.

“Hi - yes!” You nodded, smiling widely. “It’s so good to meet you.” She let you get out of the car before engulfing you in a hug that was quickly interrupted by Grayson clearing his throat.

“Nice to see you too, mom.” He laughed teasingly, pulling his mom away from you into his arms for a second.

“Oh, shh…” She shoved her son playfully, quickly moving to give Ethan a kiss on the cheek. “You know I love you boys, but I just couldn’t wait to see the woman who captured Grayson’s heart!”

For the first time in a while, you felt your cheeks heat up - you felt so happy to be here and welcomed immediately.

“I trust the two of you to behave in here since Ethan will be sleeping in here too.” Lisa winked playfully as she helped the two of you into the twins’ shared bedroom. “Cameron - my daughter - is also bringing a friend home so we can’t spare the guest bedroom this time.”

“Oh, that’s okay - I don’t mind.” You smiled softly, sitting down on the edge of Grayson’s bed as Lisa quietly headed back downstairs. Ethan was nowhere to be found.

“I get to share a normal sized bed with you for two whole weeks?” You giggled, reaching for your boyfriend who willingly came to stand between your legs before leaning down to capture your lips in his.

“Aw, come on!” Ethan gagged as he entered his bedroom, he knew you’d be sleeping in here, but he really hoped he didn’t have to watch you two suck face for fourteen days.

“Sorry, E.” Grayson laughed, pulling away from you slightly before unzipping his suitcase and starting to unpack.

The next two weeks honestly flew by - spending every night pressed tightly up against your man was a dream come true. Every meal was phenomenal and you truly felt like family here. You, Cameron, and her friend from college had gotten along so well, Grayson was kind of jealous. Not to mention how much Lisa adored you - she constantly told Grayson how proud she was of him for getting someone like you. It was all driving Ethan nuts. He’d be lying if he said the thought of telling everyone what the two of you had done hadn’t crossed his mine. Unfortunately, he knew it wouldn’t end the way he wanted it to.

There was no denying that Ethan was 80% in the wrong in the situation and you the other 20%. He didn’t want to risk his entire family hating him just so he could have a few minutes of satisfaction. So he withheld, keeping his comments in for two entire weeks, just silently counting down the days until you flew home.

“We are so sad to see you go.” Lisa sighed before hugging you to her tightly, Cameron did the same before she helped you load your suitcase into the twins’ car. “I hope you come back sooner than later..”

“I hope so too - thank you all so much for welcoming me.” You smiled softly, a bit of a gasp leaving your mouth as Ethan side hugged you - mainly for show. “Have a merry Christmas you all!” As you slipped into the car with Grayson, you let out a shaky sigh. There was about a thirty minute drive to the airport, but you wished it was never ending.

“You ok?” Grayson turned his head to you as he pulled out of the driveway. He could hear your shaky breathing from his seat.

“I’m okay.” Nodding and swallowing the lump in your throat. “Just really don’t want to leave, if I’m being honest.”

“I don’t want you to either.” Grayson sighed, reaching a hand over to lace into yours. “You know your parents will be excited to see you.”

Simply nodding, knowing he was right - at least about your mom. She had called as soon as they had gotten back from their vacation, asking when you’d be coming home. You didn’t mention where you were, knowing it would upset your very conservative parents. IF you were being honest, you weren’t all that excited for Christmas, Grayson and you had decided to exchange gifts when you got back to school so you didn’t have to travel with something on a plane.

“Here we are…” Grayson muttered, letting out a puff of air as he looked over at you. He didn’t want to see you go… he wasn’t sure he could handle not seeing you for two weeks.

“I am going to miss you like a bitch.” You laughed, reaching over the console to hug him to you tightly. “Thank you so much for the last two weeks… I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Log.” He whispered, pulling your face to his and kissing you passionately. “Text me every day and I will see you in just a few short weeks.”

He kissed you again before you got out of the car, his hand waving somberly as you finally drug your feet into the airport. Grayson Dolan had changed your entire world in just one semester - you couldn’t wait to see what happened in the next one.

#ethan dolan #grayson dolan #the dolan twins #dolan twin fanfic #grayson dolan fluff #grayson dolan smut #grayson dolan fanfic #adolanables #nerd!grayson #flame

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the-sweetest-dragon · 4 years

Text

A Summer Like Never Before

- A Summer Job AU - No Pennywise - Georgie is still alive - Mostly tomfoolery -

Fandom: It

Characters: Eddie, Richie, Bev, Ben, Bill, Mike, Stan

Word Count: 1309

Ships: Eventual Benverly, Reddie, and Stan x Patty

Warnings: Out of character behavior

AN: I listened to an Reddie playlist on Spotify while writing this, so if it’s overly mushy, thats why. I’m really happy so many of you are enjoying this story! Your approval makes this so fun to write. Thank you to everyone who reads this <3

Tags: @nerdsarebetter @audder17 @just-another-shipper-01 @sapphic-bottlexap

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five

_________________________________________

Eddie Kaspbrak rarely has free time. Between his job and his insane mother, he doesn’t have time to think about much of anything. But does that stop him from thinking about his best friend in ways that he shouldn’t? No, not at all.

Now is one of those times. Eddie is at work, hasn’t had a customer since one and is wondering if his manager would get mad if he closed twenty minutes early. But, instead of texting her, Eddie decides that he should give the pets their evening meal so he can get out of here quicker and head to Richie’s a bit early. The thought filled him with adrenaline.

Eddie was the type of person to be obnoxiously early to any and every event. He and Stan both have anxiety, which is something they bonded over in middle school. His mother had put him on medications that made it worse and Eddie had finally weaned himself off enough so he could be a somewhat functioning human. Every morning he’d switch his pills with multivitamin gummies and just swallow them whole so his mother would think he was taking them. Most of Eddie’s prescriptions were bullshit his mother made him take and he’d luckily found out before he became addicted to anything too serious.

While Eddie is feeding the lizards, he lets his mind wander to Richie and what their evening was going to be like. Richie had texted to tell him earlier that his mom was making pizza instead of ordering it because she had heard that the pizza place was going out of business.

Eddie dreamed about curling up close to Richie and sharing a bowl of popcorn when their hands brush past each other and they look into each other's eyes, lean in and…. Ding! Eddie’s daydream is ruined by Bill texting the group chat details of their summer meet up. While he’s distracted by his phone, Eddie doesn’t realize that a lizard from the habitat is crawling into his sweatshirt pocket.

Now, you may be wondering how Eddie doesn’t feel extra weight in the pouch of his sweatshirt. Well, theres’ two things to take note of when thinking of this situation. The first is that the lizard is not very large, tiny even. The second is that Eddie keeps a lot of stuff in that pouch. His keys, his phone, his wallet, extra change, a phone cord; it’s like Mary Poppins’ magic bag with no bottom. What’s the little bit of extra weight to him?

After answering Bill’s text with an enthusiastic yes, Eddie goes back to the task at hand. Focusing was proving to be quite difficult and by the time he finished feeding all the animals, Eddie was nearly late for… whatever it is he was doing at Richie’s house that night. Eddie’s mind had gone completely blank trying to remember the details of what was supposed to happen tonight. And he still needed to pick up snacks!

Eddie hurriedly clocks out and sprints to the Pop Stop to grab snacks and a few sodas. Bill and Mike aren’t working today, so Eddie pays and leaves quickly. He goes over his mental checklist of things he had needed: Twizzlers and gummy sharks for Richie, peach rings and gummy bears for himself, and a six pack of sodas they had yet to try. Eddie had packed an overnight bag, you know just in case, and had extra blankets in the back of his car. Mrs. Tozier used a clothing softener that made Eddie break out in hives, so he had to bring his own blankets.

After checking off everything on his checklist, Eddie booked it to his car and nearly sped to the Tozier house. He was going to be barely five minutes late, but Eddie could feel the panic rising in his throat. Eddie took some deep breaths to combat the anxious feeling, finding things to focus on that weren’t the clock in his dash. The trees were really green and there was a blonde girl skating with a little boy in her driveway. His airways finally open up, and Eddie is able to take another deep breath to steady himself further.

Once at Richie’s, Eddie bounces out of the car, the feeling of panic nearly gone completely. Grabbing all of his supplies, he feels something move in his pouch. Eddie puts everything down, reaches in, and pulls out the lizard.

Eddie, of course, screams his head off. Richie sprints out of his house, thinking that Eddie was being ax murdered in his driveway.

“What?! What is going on?!” Richie has to yell over Eddie’s panicked screams. He spots the small lizard grasped in Eddie’s hand and carefully pries it out, holding it gently in one hand. With his other hand, Richie grabs Eddie by the shirt and brings him in close. “You have to calm down Eddie. People will think you’re being hurt. Close your eyes, take some deep breaths, and tell me what’s happening.”

Eddie nods and does as he’s told, breaths ragged and shallow at first but slowly deepens. Richie smiles, happy his advice worked. Eddie finally realizes the position that they’re and freezes. Richie’s hand is on his shirt, they’re very close together, foreheads nearly touching. Eddie can smell Richie’s cologne, that’s how close they are. Richie is the first to move away, looking down at the lizard in his hand and raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

“He must have slipped into my pocket when I was feeding the rest of them…” Eddie sounds breathless to his own ears and he curses his fake asthma.

“Well what should we-” Richie stops mid-sentence and grins almost evilly at Eddie.

“What?” Eddie is beyond suspicious at this point. Richie grinning means that someone is going to get into trouble or maybe roasted. You can never be sure.

“You’ve brought us a lizard child!” Richie yells. Eddie just frowns.

“No, I should really take it back to the shop. Mandy will get worried when she opens if a lizard is missing.” Eddie makes to take the lizard back from Richie but he darts away. Eddie gives chase, racing around the front yard until they’re both out of breath. “Trashmouth, give me the damn lizard!”

“No! I will not have you forsake our son!” Richie clutches the lizard to his chest. Eddie just rolls his eyes and gives up. What use is it to keep chasing him around the yard if he wasn’t going to give the stupid thing up?

“Fine! We can keep the fucking lizard! But it’s staying at your house! Mom’ll have a fit if I bring home an animal.” Richie nods, as if this whole situation makes total sense. “Do you have the stuff for a lizard?” The Tozier’s had had several different pets over the years, but Eddie couldn’t recall a lizard of any sort. Richie nods, confirming Eddie’s doubts.

“We’ll have to go pick up supplies,” he says. Eddie nods, thoughtful. “And we should go, like, now.”

“But…” Eddie pouts. He was really looking forward to having Mrs. Tozier’s pizza and watching some movies.

“Aww don’t pout Eds! I’ll get Mom to save us a pie.” Richie winks and hurries inside. Eddie’s eyebrows shoot into his hairline. Oh no, he winked. That’s outright flirting right there. But did Richie mean it as flirting or as a friendly wink, like ‘we’re in on a joke together’ kind of wink? Questions fly through Eddie’s mind at breakneck speed, nearly giving him mental whiplash.

Richie comes back a moment later, the lizard safe in an old fish tank his dad found in the garage. It wasn’t much, but it would do until they could find a proper tank for the little guy. He heads to Eddie’s car and looks back at Eddie’s unmoving form.

“You coming or what Eduardo?”

#eddie kaspbrak #richie tozier #reddie #beverly marsh #ben hanscom #benverly #stanley uris #bill denbrough #mike hanlon #it #it chapter 2 #it chapter one #losers club #it losers #losers #a summer like never before

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billyhargrovesbabe · 5 years

Text

when words don’t hit | billy hargrove

This was one of those ideas that just wouldn’t stop nagging me until I wrote it. It’s my own little take on a Byers!Reader. I really had fun writing it. It starts out super dramatic, but turns fluffy quickly (or at least as fluffy as it can get). Honestly, it’s got a healthy dose of angst and fluff. Also please excuse any mistakes as I wrote this at like two am. Once again, I have an idea for a continuation of this piece. If there’s enough interest, I’ll post it!

Word Count: 2,325

Warnings: Mentions of abuse, mentions of racism, violence, and lots of swearing but it’s Billy so what else is new

Let me know if you want to be tagged in this or any other writing!

You weren’t thinking when you threw the punch. Fuck, you don’t even know if you were breathing or in full control of yourself when it happened. All you knew was that the asshole who had been bullying your twin brother was here, in your house, threatening one of your younger brother’s best friends for his fucking skin color, and you were done with it. Distant memories of your own father shoving your mother into that very wall whilst screaming at her, just like the blond teenager was, flashed before your eyes. So you just reacted. And the world sort of blurred together as your fist connected right below his ribs, next to his spine, and in a perfect kidney shot. You knew it hurt too. You had a mean punch. Between protecting Jonathan from bullies growing up and teaching yourself how to fight just in case Lonnie decided any of you looked like a good target, you could hold your own. You knew when it landed, it fucking landed. But you added a “get the hell away from him, Hargrove,” just for good measure.

So when Billy dropped Lucas, you weren’t surprised. When he grabbed his side in pain, you weren’t surprised. And when he turned to you with a sort of manic look in his eyes, you weren’t surprised. It was when he laughed (and not that fake barking-laugh shit he got away with at school, but full-on chortled), that you were finally surprised. Nobody dared to move or breathe— everyone was just a little too afraid of what the unstable maniac you had just fucking kidney punched was going to do. He held onto his tender right side as he sent you the most lecherous look you had ever received. It was a look he usually reserved for girls like Tina Carpenter or Nicole Harland. Never you, the weird-Byers-kid’s twin. But the smirk he threw your way sent thrills down your spine and in a way that wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

“Well, well, well,” the Hargrove boy drawled. “Look who can pack a fucking punch. I never would’ve thought you were such a little spitfire, Byers. I mean, both your brothers are such pussies.” You felt the heat rise to your cheeks, your temper flaring and just rising as you realized he knew exactly what he was doing. He was enjoying getting you all riled up. His eyes narrowed as he delivered what he clearly thought was a devastating final blow. “Tell me, are you this much of a spitfire in bed?”

It was Billy’s turn to be surprised when it wasn’t you who launched themselves at him, but Steve Harrington instead. The fight happened so fast, no one could quite keep up but the two boys in the middle of it all. Somewhere between the posturing, the taunting, and the chaos, it started to go downhill. It wasn’t until Billy was wailing away on poor Steve that someone finally managed to intervene again. Max grabbed the syringe full of sedative and drove it into her step-brother’s neck. You didn’t dare intervene as she finally stood up to the jackass, but you immediately rushed to his side to check on him after if only to make sure he wasn’t dead from that much tranquilizer. You had essentially become the Party’s medic after everything last year (their healer, if you wanted to get nerdy about it like the kids often did). You immediately checked for Billy’s pulse and found it, a little fluttery but definitely there. You glanced at the syringe where it had landed, knowing it had been filled, and seeing it completely empty.

“He’ll be out until tomorrow morning, easy. Maybe even later.” You sighed, turning to look at the mess that was the living room. Your poor mom would understand, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t suck any less when she came home to this disaster. Out of the corner of your eye, you caught an unconscious Steve on the floor. You had a feeling you wouldn’t be making it back to the lab with overnight bags for everyone like you’d promised. There were more important things to handle here. You turned your gaze to the rest of the teenagers in front of you.

“Right. So. We can go kill the demo-dogs, but you little shitheads listen to me. When I say mission over, it’s over. Got it?” They all nodded eagerly, clearly desperate to do something to help. You searched around for Billy’s keys, only to see them in Max’s hands. She sent you a guilty— but very hopeful— grin, and you couldn’t help the slight smirk that crossed your face. You both knew how much it would piss Billy off that his kid step-sister drove his car—and right now, you were all for a little bit of petty revenge. Still, you had to at least pretend to be responsible.

“Alright,” you mock sighed. “But only because I need to tend to Steve and make sure he’s eventually conscious enough to help. Help me get him in the back, and then we can roll.”

——————————————————————

Billy woke up feeling like he had the hangover to kill all hangovers. He laid on his back, not understanding why the middle-right-side was so sore and why he was in an unfamiliar room. As he shifted to the side, he saw you laying there on the other side of the bed and on top of the covers that he was so meticulously tucked under. He tried to sit up and find some water, but a loud grunt of pain tore out of his throat as the ache in his right kidney intensified.

You shot up, locked eyes with the heartthrob bully in your bed, and immediately scrambled over the edge. He would have laughed at your lack of grace if his head hadn’t been killing him. Instead, Billy opted for a glare. A really mean glare. (At least he hoped it was.)

Without a word, you handed him the glass of water you had grabbed for him the night before. After a few seconds of thinking, you handed him some Advil too. Apparently incapable of actual words, Billy merely grunted in appreciation as he downed the water and the pills. You two sat in uncomfortable silence, waiting for the Advil to (hopefully) ease his headache. He was the first to break it. “So. What the hell happened?”

“Well...” You weren’t quite sure how to go about answering. Direct was best, right? Better start somewhere simple... “You’re in my room.” You saw his eyebrows shoot up at that, an excited and smug grin stretching across his face. You rushed to correct him. “Not because of that, jackass. Will’s friends, your step-sister included, were worried about going home last night. By the time they managed to... clean everything up, you were still out cold. Mom decided to let them stay the night, call it an impromptu sleepover, and phoned everyone’s parents this morning to let them know where their kids were. And we couldn’t exactly have you taking up the couch and the living room, so...” You trailed off, refusing to look at the still-too-smug teenage boy in your bed. Neither Jonathan nor your mom had really been all too happy about it (or Steve, for that matter). You calmly reminded everyone that not only were you the most suited to treat his injuries, but you were also fully capable of defending yourself. The kidney punch you had landed was your key piece of evidence. They couldn’t exactly argue with you there, but they made you promise to call them at the first sign of trouble. So what if they didn’t know you had let him stay in your bed? As far as they were concerned, Billy had slept on the cold, hard ground...

As you spoke and the pain began to subside, Billy suddenly realized he wasn’t wearing a shirt. He leered over at you, a very hot despicable smirk slowly stretching from one cheek to another. You saw that detached glaze settle over his eyes again, locking the confusion and discomfort (and was that embarrassment?) away as his typical jackass mask slid into place.

“You know, kitten, if you had wanted me shirtless that badly, you could’ve just asked.” He drawled it so lazily, like the crass words meant nothing to him, as he practically posed on your bed. You bit back the blush snippy remark that was just itching to fly free as you grabbed his shirt off the ground.

“I wanted to check on your back,” you ever-so-calmly replied, chucking his shirt at his face and hoping to cover the alluring stupid smirk he still had plastered on. “You know, from where I punched you. I wanted to make sure the bruising wasn’t too bad. And I wanted to check if Steve had done any awful damage to you.” The unspoken like you did to him hung in the air between you two. You saw the carefully detached gleam in his eye give way to some indecipherable emotion. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say it was regret. But the violent teen quickly scoffed, and you were sure you had imagined it.

“Guess I’m just built to last, sweet-cheeks,” he lazily threw the innuendo your way as he pulled the shirt back on. He doesn’t even have to try with these, you thought. You refrained from the eye-roll a comment like that usually would have elicited as you realized he was trying to keep his back out of your sight. He was even shifting so you couldn’t see it as he pulled the shirt over his head. But you had already seen everything. And from your own experience with an abusive asshole of a father and a teary mother who needed patching up (which was left to you since she refused to call the hospital and Jonathan used to get squeamish at the sight of blood), you knew what it meant.

“Billy,” you started quietly. The air in the room suddenly seemed thick with the tension of the situation. “I saw the other bruises on your back. And sides. And the really faded one on your stomach.” The boy in front of you froze, looking like a lion with his curly mane of bedhead that had just been backed into a corner. He carefully watched you, only half-finished with pulling his shirt down over his toned stomach. The detached facade was entirely dropped now as a sheer fight or flight response seemed to kick in. You jumped to beat him to (what could literally be) the punch.

“I’m not going to pry. I’m not going to ask questions.” You rushed to reassure him. After all, you didn’t need to. In your few conversations with Max, you had managed to chat with her enough to recognize a girl dancing around talking about her broken home. You had a hunch where those older bruises had come from. “I’m just going to say this: I know those bruises didn’t come from a fight. You’re too good at fighting for anyone to land a hit that smarts like that. But. Anytime you need to get away from the person who did that, you can come here.”

The offer seemed to sit in the air between the two of you with a huge, weighted presence. You saw the suspicion immediately set in as his jaw set and his eyes started to harden again. How could a guy who had said so little so far communicate so much? You were starting to think he was easier to read than you realized...

“I’m not trying to dig up some dirt on you or gain any kind of upper hand here,” you said, slowly approaching the bed. “And I can guarantee Jonathan won’t try to use it against you. I love him, but he’s too fucking scared of you to even breathe when you’re around.” You tried to joke with him. It didn’t quite land. Joking had never really been your strong suit though— helping was. “But if there’s any household that might know what it’s like to deal with abuse, it’s ours. My dad was a jackass. And while Jonathan tried to protect Will, I was left to help my mom clean up and face him again afterward. And now I want to help you.” You were sitting on your bed by this point, careful not to get too close to Billy. You wanted to leave him with his personal space, in case he needed to run. Instead, he looked you over with an assessing (and dare you say hopeful?) gaze.

“I’m not some fucking charity case, you know,” he practically hissed at you.

“I know,” was your calm response.

“I’ve been managing just fine on my own. Why would I need your fucking help?”

“You don’t. But I want to offer it anyway.”

He sat back at that, seemingly turning the words over in his head. You watched him slowly pull down the first of the many, many walls up in his eyes. “You’re pretty alright, you know that Byers? Nothing like that pussy brother of yours.” You rolled your eyes at the dig and playfully huffed. If this was the game he was gonna play, you could keep up. But you weren’t going to let him get away with being a total dick.

“Jonathan has a lot more going for him than you give him credit for. But thanks.” You sent him a small smile. “And please, call me (Y/N).”

“(Y/N), then.” He wasn’t quite ready to return your gentle, friendly smile. You hoped he would be soon though. In the meantime, you’d settle for the charming smirk that quickly stretched across his face.

“Why haven’t I taken you for a drive yet, huh (Y/N)?” He put an emphasis on your name like he might any of the ridiculous pet names he insisted on calling girls. Billy playfully wiggled his eyebrows at you, blurring the lines between flirting and being friendly. You laughed at him, sending a smirk right back. He didn’t offer you an apology for the night before (of course, there were others who deserved to hear it way more), and he wasn’t trying to fix the damage he had done. It didn’t even come close to patching up the issues his anger and his ego caused. And it didn’t explain or excuse any of it. But it was a start.

“Please, Hargrove. You couldn’t handle me. You said it yourself, I’m a spitfire. And I’m not as easy as the other girls you... drive with. You wouldn’t know what to do with me.”

“Maybe not,” Billy admitted. His smirk lessened slightly, but his eyes maintained that playful glint. “But I’d sure like to try.”

#Billy Hargrove #billy hargrove fluff #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove headcanon #stranger things #stranger things reader insert #stranger things fluff #stranger things angst #billy hargrove angst #billy hargrove x you #violent!billy #angry!billy #stranger things season 2 reader insert #byers!reader #babe's writings #reader insert #billy reader insert #billysbabe #it's got a lil bit of everything

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