#photobooth pictures together and i was standing outside of it and this woman asked me why i wasn't ''in there with my friends'' and i was

[wiypt-writes]

Rock ‘N’ Roll People In A Disco World

Part 3- Crying At The Disco

Intro: You keep vigil at Paul’s bedside, but there’s nothing to do but wait and hope he makes his way back to you.

Pairing: Paul Diskant x Reader

Warnings: Bad language, Smut (NSFW, 18+)

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar the reader and any other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

A/N: Not being a medical expert, I’ve tried to make this as accurate as possible (thank you google and various other people whose brains I picked) but if there are any inaccuracies please take them as creative license! As always, I’ve tried to make this reader as inclusive as always. Images etc in the moodboard are merely used for aesthetic purposes.

Rock ‘n’ Roll People Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Part 2

 It was like he was in a blacked out fog. Nothing felt the same, nothing could move, he couldn't open his eyes, nor could he speak. It was silent, bar the faint sound of the sweetest voice, but it was so very far away, almost like it weren't real. 

"Hey, Stud." 

The sound, soft and familiar, a blessing to his ears, brought his mind to a memory, now a dream, he relived.

The alarm was buzzing annoyingly and he felt the warm body that had been pressed up against his all night rustle and slam a heavy something over the badgering clock. Then he felt two soft lips ghost over his jaw, where the joint came together, before softly kissing near his chin, up to his cheek and over his lips. 

"Day shift awaits, Officer Disco."

A sleepy smile pulled at his lips as he felt the weight of the bed shift and he peeked an eye open long enough to see her arms slip into his shirt, the material covering her naked frame. He watched her sway out of the room and soon heard sounds from down the stairs. He stretched in bed, his body happily sore from the night spent with his girl. It had been one incredibly glorious night. First the anticipation of the whole upcoming week had him giddy and happy during his shift and when he'd arrived to pick up Y/N, he knew he was a gonner. From their little flirty game before dinner to the sweet glances and soft touches at the restaurant over their rich meal to the lightning speed return trip home to truly loving on her for the first time, Paul Diskant was in heaven. And, dare he say it, in love, hypothetically. 

He chuckled at himself for the way he was feeling but he wouldn't trade it for anything, bar a repeat of the night before and for nights to come. As he kicked his legs over the side of the bed to go freshen up, he plucked his glasses from his overnight bag that he'd collected from the bottom of the stairs sometime in the middle of the night and headed for the en suite. A smirk playing at his lips as he remembered the tilted and scratched lamp in the hall from the night before. He didn't hold back the grin that had splayed over his face when he'd passed it gathering his bag. He'd fix it later. 

The black frames formed a stark outline over his baby blues and he slipped them off briefly to rinse his face. He brushed his teeth and headed back for bed, checking his phone for texts or missed calls. As he sat back against the headboard, the sheet up to his naked waist, he took in the room around him for the first time, it was simply decorated, grey walls with dark furniture; the bed frame, the dresser with the television on top and two night stands. Various pictures set about depicting pieces and moments of Y/N's life. Of course this wasn't the first time he'd been in here, but it was the first morning after and he saw things in a new light. He tilted the corner of his mouth upward as he looked at the bedside table where she'd slept, finding a set of photobooth pictures, five to the strip, taken the night of their first date. His reverie was interrupted when the woman on his mind walked into the bedroom, still wearing only his shirt, her hair messed about from sex and sleep, in her hand two cups of coffee and slid under her arm what looked to be the morning newspaper. 

"I remembered you'd said that you'd read the paper... Wow," she stopped mid-sentence. 

"Wow what?" He asked, cocking his head a bit to the side. 

"I've just never seen you in your glasses, yet," she smirked. 

"Okay... so is it a good wow or a 'get the fuck outta my bed' wow?" He waited on baited breath, already knowing the answer. 

"Oh it's good." She replied and sauntered over to him, setting their mugs and the paper down on the nightstand.  "Like...very good," she seductively added as she straddled his hips, holding herself over him on her knees. 

She was gorgeous, eyes that always smiled around him, her pouty lips swollen from his kisses, her hair tousled and wild, a reminder of their night. 

"You know what else is 'wow'," he asked softly, his lips so close to hers, as her brow quirked up, "you in my shirt, looking like you do now," he stretched his body upward, close to her lips. 

"Oh, yeah?" She whispered, as he could feel her breath on his skin, the faint smell of minty toothpaste there, where she must have brushed her teeth downstairs. 

"Oh yeah," he sealed their lips in a sultry kiss.

He used his brute strength to toss Y/N on her back, his naked hips between her legs, his hands on her back against the bed. His lips lazily kissed at her neck. She reached up and plucked the glasses from his face. 

"Let's see how blind you really are," she grinned. 

“Well, you know, when one of your senses is impaired they say the others become more enhanced to compensate. I happen to have a very good sense of touch and taste.”

"Prove it."

"Oh, are you challenging me, Miss Y/L/N?"

"Yes," she deadpanned. 

His lips started again at her neck whilst a hand pulled from around her back and deftly began unbuttoning the few buttons done up on his shirt, exposing her tummy and breasts, the material falling away. 

Her skin turned to goose flesh as his fingers gently splayed over her tummy and then down her hip to her thigh, his fingertips ghosting her skin, tickling her so. 

She squirmed at his touch before she gave a soft snort of a giggle as his fingers trailed down the outside of her thigh and he paused, pulling his head up from where he’d been peppering soft kisses against her neck and he looked at her.

“Am I amusing you?”

“You know I’m ticklish there!” She grinned and Diskant gave a huff of a laugh, his mouth dropping back to her neck.

“I do but that’s not quite what I’m going for...”

“Well maybe my senses are heightened too, Disco.” She teased, her eye lashes fluttering against her cheeks as his affection moved to her collar bone.

Her giggles soon turned to soft, gentle sighs as his lips and mouth trailed a path down her sternum, strong hands sliding up her sides and coming to rest on her rib cage, thumbs brushing the underneath of her breasts. Her fingers scratched at the short buzzed cut hair behind his ears before scratching down to the nape of his neck. At the soft bite of her nails against his skin he gave a low groan of satisfaction, before he shifted slightly, his mouth finding hers again as his hands cupped her breasts, thumbs skating over the nipples.

She preened at his touch, his calloused thumb rubbing over that hardened spot and she arched her back, pushing up into his hands, a silent question for more. He obliged, gently tweaking her nipples between his thumb and finger, swallowing the filthy noises of delight she was making. 

His attention to her flesh grew as he moved his affections to her other nipple in the same way, then slowly dragging his mouth, hot and open across her sternum and down her tummy, his tongue dipping into her naval. Two strong, yet gentle hands reached down to the back of her knees, parting her legs wider as he slid down the bed, his body sliding against hers as he moved downwards. 

His lips pressed against her skin, just before her small patch of curls began. A nip to the inside of her thigh and then the other. A flat, long tongue slid across her wet folds.

"Jesus, fuck," Y/N cried out.

“No, just me.”

"You smug li..." she couldn't finish her sentence as he dove in for all of her, causing her to quite literally cry out at sweet combination of a gasp and an 'oh'. 

With each lap and lick of his tongue against her, she tasted sweeter and sweeter. He loved the sounds she made, the way her body was so quick to respond to his every touch. Just like the night before, his pride and ego grew, his chest swelling with it all. And as his tongue dipped deep inside her, he felt her walls begin to flutter against him. 

Her hands found the back of his head, fingers running along his scalp again, reaching for that spot that would make him growl. He felt her scratch at him and as he hummed in delight against her, she came with a force, trying with all she could to get him deeper. 

He relished in the way she cried out, the way his name sounded across her lips as she exploded within. As she rode that high, he continued to lick and suck at her, the right amount of pressure against her clit to make her shake. His strokes were slow and delicate, lazy, but none the less still highly pleasurable. 

Her palm pressed against his forehead as she pushed him away, clearly having become too sensitive and he moved, placing a kiss to her tummy as he crawled back over her, taking a moment to look at her face as she lay boneless beneath him, her features soft with bliss. 

His lips brushed hers again and her hand curled round his neck, pulling her in for a deeper kiss and the fact he knew she’d be able to taste herself turned him on even more. He was rock hard, and as he pressed against her, she smirked against his mouth.

“Something got you worked up, Officer?”

“Somethings gonna work up you in a minute.” He quipped back and she gave a snort, shaking her head.

With a strong arm he propped himself up and twisted towards the nightstand, grasping for the foil packet he’d tossed on there earlier after retrieving his glasses.

“Nice to see you were so confident how this morning was gonna go.” Y/N looked at him as he sat back on his heels, tearing at the packet with his teeth.

“Don’t kid yourself, babe. We both know this was nailed on.”

"I'm inclined to agree, Stud," Y/N reached out towards him as she sat up, gently touching his tip, collecting the precum on her finger and dipping it into her mouth, before she took him in her hand again.

"Fucking hell, baby," his voice was a growl as her hand began to pump up and down his dick and she leaned forward slightly, grabbing the half open foil packet from him.

“Fucking heaven more like.” She grinned before she tore open the packet and rolled the condom down his shaft, drawing a groan from his throat before she lay back down, her legs bent at the knee.

“Come at me, Disco.” She teased and she didn’t need to ask twice. 

As much as he was tempted to fuck her into the mattress he kept his movements slow and deep, rocking as opposed to thrusting. One hand curled around her knee, hooking her leg round his waist, the other held onto her hip as he leaned down, slanting his mouth over hers once again. Her hands slid round his back, fingers tracing the muscles of his shoulders as they flexed with each rut he made, his skin tingling to the touch. 

She felt so good, so damn good wrapped around him. He desperately fought the urge to just let go, instead building up toward that crash they both chased.

He pushed upwards, grinding his hips against her and she groaned into his mouth, nails digging into his back as his name slipped from her lips in a breathy pant.

"I'm so close, Y/N. I just need to...lo...more."

He felt her flutter around him, his name now flowing freely in a staccato chant, and her back arched, a loud cry bubbled from her throat as she trembled around him, her hands grabbing at his back as she clung to him, riding out her bliss.

His body caged her in, his forearms pressed into the mattress at her shoulders, his lips kissing whatever skin he could on her neck and face as his hips rolled and rolled into her, feeling the way she held him deep inside her and as her body shook, his own insides started to coil, knocking at the door of his own bliss.

"Oh, baby," he moaned in a guttural tone, his orgasm hitting him hard. He nuzzled at her neck as his hips steadied out, giving her soft kisses along the column of her neck and across her jaw.

“Hypothetically, I love you.” He muttered against her skin and she laughed, nudging at his forehead with her nose, causing him to look at her and she smiled. 

“Hypothetically, I love you too.”

You sat there holding his hand, just talking to him, reminding him you were there for him and that you loved him. But little were you aware of the readout happening in the corner of the room, where brain activity had spiked, causing an array of markers on the printout for the doctors to read. 

 ****

Four days, four days of endless commotion in and out of his room, from hospital staff to a changing of the guard between you and his parents, to Jimmy, Sam, and Steve, all taking turns in the room, waiting in the ICU lobby. By the fifth day, your parents had come down, Dotty calling them to come quickly as they'd been away and you had barely eaten let alone left his side. There was nothing you could do but sit there as he was in a deep sleep, medically sedated, so he could heal. 

"Y/N, you need to let your father and I get you home for a bit. You're not doing yourself any good sitting here when you could be refreshed for when they do start waking him up."

You sighed at your mother; Maria, your father; Nick, in turn sighing at you. Dotty was upstairs with Paul and Big Jim was sitting around waiting to go up for a bit. You didn't want to leave.

"Angel," your father spoke softly, your nickname causing a rush of emotion to wash over you as you turned to face him. "The doctors said they won't be waking up for at least another day or two, not until they’re certain he’s strong enough. Please, let me take you home so you can get a proper shower and a good, hot meal."

Big Jim stood now near your father, his eyes staring back at you, "Please, Y/N, if not for yourself, for him. You'll want to be here when he wakes up and you can't be run down for that. Your dad's right, Paul's not coming to any time soon, and it'll be at least a day or two after they turn him around before the sedatives wear off." He looked at your parents and then back to you, "besides, if I don't look after his girl, he's gonna be pissed at me and none of us want that. So, please... Go."

You weighed it out. Damn it, you knew they were right but you wanted... no, needed to stay. What if something happened and you weren't there what if.... 

"Come on, Y/N," Big Jim placed a gentle hand on your shoulder, pulling you in for a hug. 

Tearfully you sighed, "Please don't leave him alone."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Big Jim gave you a soft wink as you looked up at him. You nodded as you pulled away, and your father walked you out to their car and took you home. 

The ride was silent, the air heavy, your father knowing you needed the peace. The ride home took forever but nowhere near as long as the ride Weiss gave you the other night. With shaky hands, you unlocked the front door to your single bedroom apartment and your father instructed you to shower while he looked for something to make you. 

You moved silently down the hall your fingers ghosting along the pictures against the wall. Ones from each of your personal lives and others of your life together. You stepped into your room and realized it was the way you'd left it. Haphazard piles of clothes on the floor and in the bins, the sheets still a mess from when you'd made love that night.

Numbly, you sat on the edge of the bed on Paul's side and you laid against his pillow, inhaling the deepest breath you've probably ever taken. His scent was all around you, inside you, infiltrating every sense and nerve in your body and you finally let go of the saddest, most heart-breaking scream you could manage.

You didn't even register your dad entering the room but you felt the weight of the bed shift as he sat at the edge, near your curled up legs. You sat up and fell into his embrace, allowing him to cradle you like the little girl you used to be, rocking you back and forth, stroking your hair as your head rested against his chest. Your sobs soaked his shirt while he tried to whisper soft comforts to you, no doubt his own chin wobbling as he felt his little girl's heart break, her pain.

Eventually your sobs evened out and your dad pressed a kiss to the crown of your head. “I haven’t comforted you like this since your first boyfriend broke your heart.” There was a pause as you sniffed and pulled back to look at your dad. “God, he was an asshole.”

You gave a watery splutter as you tucked your head back under your dad's chin, his hand rubbing your back. “Paul isn’t.” You whispered and your dad shook his head.

“No... no, he’s not. He’s a good kid, treats you right. I’d never have agreed to let him ask you to marry him otherwise.”

"I'm so scared, Daddy," you cried. 

“Hey, Y/N," your father pulled away from you, "if there’s one thing I do know about Paul, he’s probably the only person on the planet that can rival you and your mother for stubbornness. He's not going anywhere, honey, he’s a fighter.”

You nod and give off a big yawn, exhaustion closing in on you.

"Sleep, Angel," he said softly. "I'll be right on the couch. Then after some rest you're going to take a hot shower and I'm going to get you a hot meal. So help me, or your mother is coming to do it and I don't think we want that."

“I dunno.” You sniff. “Mom's mac and cheese sounds pretty dammed good right now.”

"But it doesn't beat my grilled cheese."

“Nothing beats your grilled cheese, Pops.”

****

A hot shower and a real meal, outside what the vending machine near the elevator could provide, was what you needed. However, you didn't stay away long. You were there, bright and early the next morning, on the sixth day, highly anxious to get back to Paul. When you arrived, your own car taking you there this time, you noticed a familiar face talking to Steve and Sam.

Your blood boiled and bile threatened to escape your throat as you took note of Detective Tom Ludlow of Vice Special talking candidly with your captain and Paul's. In quick, long strides, you closed in on the trip and caught Ludlow with a nasty right hook. "Officer down with no suspects to pursue and you fucking book it. Look at where we are. Have you seen him? He is fighting for his life, and that's on you!"

Steve quickly pulled you back after the punch to Ludlow's jaw, "Hey, calm down."

"I am fucking calm!" 

Rogers growled as he held you back, "take a breath or talk a walk, Y/N."

But you were too angry to pay him any attention. Instead you ignored him, your glare remaining fixated on Ludlow. “How about I shoot you, and leave you for dead; find out how much your family like it, huh?”

"Y/N," he began, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? You're sorry? He trusted you! You were supposed to have his back!"

“Excuse me.” A stern voice cut over your rant and you blinked and turned away from the doctor who had just walked into the small family waiting area. “I appreciate that feelings and emotions are running high but if you keep this up, I'll have to call security. You’re not the only people with family here.”

"If he dies, you're next." You ran your hand down your face and turned to Steve, your voice painfully measured, “get rid of him, before I do.”

Sam escorted you to the elevator, and you went on up. And you didn't miss the hushed words of your captain to Ludlow as the elevator doors started to close. 

"I've never seen her like this, unnerving how broken she is. She's ace and one of my best," Steve sighed. "If he doesn't..."

"The kid has heart," you heard Ludlow reply before the doors closed completely. 

You huffed out a stressed breath, your right hand in a bit of a throb as you shook out the pain. But it was nothing compared to what your heart felt. Realistically, you knew the risks of both your job and Paul's, they were one in the same. And things like shootings and even albeit deaths occur with officers all the time, a sad consequence to wearing the badge. And, things could be even more scary if and when undercover, such as Paul had been. And while you didn't want to know details, you knew players, you knew this case, figuring out who exactly murdered Vice Special Washington had been in Paul's lap for a good week or two. But, right now you couldn't see through the red hot anger burning inside you at Ludlow for pulling Paul in so deep so fast. You couldn't see past the pain and anguish, the fear that was controlling you as he still lay motionless in bed.

****

Time seemed to creep by. There was no real sense of anything for you to set your watch by so to speak, day and night didn’t exist anymore, yet you knew exactly how long he’d been unconscious down to the last second. 

As he was in the ICU, visitors were strictly monitored and limited to close family only, but your friends were never far away and whilst they may not be allowed in to see him, there was a steady string of colleagues and people you knew arriving to show you their support. 

By the eighth day you had fallen into a routine. You and his parents took it in shifts to sit with him ensuring that the three of you all got time to head home for a shower, food and an attempted few hours of rest. You were loathe to leave his side, but whilst he was out of it there really was nothing you could do.

As you sat in the room by his bed, idly flicking through your text messages on your phone, stealing glances at him every so often just in case something had changed, there was a knock on the door to the room and you turned to see Dotty poking her head through the frame. 

“Hi, Sweetheart.” She gave you a tired smile as she stepped into the room and you sighed knowing that it was your time to leave.

“Hi,” you stood up, and stretched out your limbs. “He’s been the same so...”

You trailed off, what else was there to say? 

Leaning over you placed a gentle kiss to his temple and ran your hand over his short hair. “I’ll be back soon,” you promised, blinking back more tears as you straightened up.

You made to the door where Dotty gave you a hug before she stepped inside and you paused, watching as she dropped a kiss to his forehead.

"Hi, honey,” She sniffed, her hand stroking his hair. “Oh, my baby boy....you have to wake up. I already lost one son, I can't lose you too.”

**** “My baby boy…”

He knew that voice. His mom. His comfort blanket, the woman who’d patched up his various bumps and scrapes

“I can’t lose you too.”

But as his mom’s face swam in the fog of his brain, he saw another, not unlike his, but older….

James. James Junior.

He'd had a spectacular day at school, practice had gone well and now he was walking home with his best friends, listening to the razzing they were giving him about Ashley Calvin, the cheerleader sweet on him who couldn't stop making eyes at Paul during practice.

As the group of boys rounded the corner, a black and white was parked in front of his house. He hadn't thought much of it, his father having taken time sometimes on patrol to swoop in on his wife for a bit, but then it slightly registered that it was his dad's day off and this particular squad car wasn't familiar. 

A frown pressed his brow and Paul broke off from his friends, "hey, uh, I'll see you guys later."

The group waved him off and as Paul entered the front door, he knew something wasn't right as he heard his mother's heartbroken cries and his father's loud sobs coming from the kitchen. He practically dropped his backpack where he stood and pounded into the kitchen, seeing what he'd heard, his parents in grief.

"Mom... Dad..." he croaked, fearing the worst.

The officer in the room, Paul didn't recognize, but he welcomed him in and asked him to take a seat.

"What's going on?" Paul asked.

"It's Junior," his dad sniffed, a typically straight faced stoic man. "He's gone, son."

"No, I... I don't understand," Paul shook his head in disbelief. 

"I'm afraid so, we received a call earlier this morning of a young man unresponsive at a well-known address. When we arrived, that's when I was able to ID him," the officer explained. Then he sighed and turned his attention to the family themselves, "I’m sorry to ask, Jim but, you know the script. I need to know if any of you saw him at all recently, if there’s anything you know that can help us piece together what happened.”

Jim and Dotty both shook their heads.

“I’ve not seen him for months, we errr, I kicked him out a few months back..” Jim stammered, shaking his head. “I didn’t want that stuff in the house. I mean he’d been arrested, had no option-“ His guilty stammers continued and Paul swallowed as he looked down at the table.

“I saw him yesterday afternoon.” He all but whispered, blinking back the tears from his eyes.

Both of his parents looked at him as he stared at the table. He’d hidden it from them, their standing weekly meet ups. "I used to see him every Wednesday, we’d get a hotdog on the pier and catch up."

He heard his mom give a little cry as his dad groaned, his voice full of sorrow as he spoke.

"Why didn't you tell us, son?”

"Because I thought you’d be angry. Suppose it doesn’t really matter now.” Paul held back the emotions he had bubbling inside as he raised his head to look at his father who took a shaky breath as he wiped a hand over his face. 

"No," Dotty whispered. "It doesn't."

Big Jim stood and embraced his youngest and now only son. And as his arms wrapped around him, Paul allowed his emotions to escape, a loud cry and screwed up eyes giving way. 

Paul knew Junior had his fair share of problems. He'd idolized his brother all his life, their five year difference never an issue. But just as Paul was about to enter high school, and Junior was getting ready to leave, he'd fallen into the wrong crowd, continuously causing tension between himself and his parents. Paul could only watch from the side-lines as his parents tried and tried to right Junior's wrongs. After an arrest, and no bail out from his father, Junior was in something far deeper than hot water. But when Big Jim found the drugs in Junior's room, it was the last straw.

The notifying officer's voice broke through his thoughts and Paul focused on the conversation.

"Unfortunately, you're going to have to come down and make a positive ID."

Big Jim nodded, "I'll do it."

"No, Jim," Dotty reached for his hand. "I want to see him."

"So do I." Paul added.

"Paul, I don't think..." Jim started to object but his wife of twenty five years interjected.

"Let him," she said. "We'll all go."

The drive to the coroner was silent, the longest drive of Paul's life. The morgue wasn't far per say but the drive took forever. At least it felt like it did. Big Jim checked them in and they waited nearly ten minutes before the coroner collected them and took them to a cold, sterile room.

They gathered around a sheet covered body and waited. The coroner pulled the sheet back to reveal a face and Dotty quickly turned her head into Big Jim's chest. With a wobbling lip, a sob being held back, Big Jim looked at the coroner and nodded, confirming it was Junior.

Paul stood there, staring at his older brother's lifeless form. The first dead body he'd ever seen and it was his own brother's. He swallowed back the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He thought of all the fun he'd had with him, the times he'd come to him about crushes on girls and he thought about their standing Wednesdays at the pier.

As his parents finished paperwork with the coroner, he waited in the lobby and thought some more. At nearly sixteen, Paul Diskant had, in that moment of devastation and despair, decided his future. He would follow in his father's footsteps and carry the badge. He would work hard to prevent families like his own in experiencing this very tragedy. If he could help just one family, then it would all be worth it.

****

The floor of the ICU was quickly bustling, stirring you uncomfortably from your seat next to Big Jim, who'd dozed off for the last twenty minutes or so. The flurry of activity had you keening your head around the corner for a moment and you realized the flurry was coming to and from Paul's room.

"Oh my God," your heart jumped to your throat and your words startled Jim awake. The two of you quickly ran to Paul's room just as Dotty was being ushered out.

"Dot?" Big Jim said worried.

"I... I don't know, I was just there, talking to him, holding his hand and the nurse called for the doctor.”

"Is something wrong?" You asked a nurse coming out of the room, the doctor behind her.

"Not at all, in fact," the doctor began, "his heart rate has increased and his EEG is showing signs of a significant increase of brainwave activity."

Your hand flew to your mouth in shock and hope, your heart racing. "What..."

"That means that you keep talking to him, you keep telling him you're there. His brain is functioning, he's showing signs of emotions and clearly responding to stimuli."

You let out a small noise that was halfway between a sob and a gasp as behind you Dotty began to sob, and you felt Jim’s hand on your shoulder.

"We'll start gradually weaning off the sedation tonight, after we run some more tests and watch his results. But this is all very, very good news." The doctor smiled.

It was the best news you could have ever heard. There was hope, he was going to make it.

When the dust had settled and the nurses and staff cleared the room, you went back in, giving Dotty a break to sit with Big Jim in the ICU lobby. You pulled up your trusty chair and took a seat, facing Paul. You sat forward and took his hand in yours, your other hand cradling a book in your lap. Your lips pressed into the top of his hand and you smiled. 

"Come back to me," you willed. "Nap time is over, it's time to wake up."

****

It had been one of the best weeks of his life. He and Y/N tested their new relationship with a week of playing house and man did they play house! From their first night to their last, they were wrapped up in one another's arms, having at least one meal together or morning coffee before shifts. Despite the newness of it all, he was deep in love. And therefore ruined. But tonight that all would end, he'd have to go back to his parents and she'd be in her bed, alone, until... He could even think about it. Y/N was due home any minute, having picked up her parents at the airport when her shift ended. He was busy making sure he wasn't burning dinner, the chicken cordon bleu baking away in the oven whilst, mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans were hitting the stove top.  In the last week he had fast established that whilst Y/N might be good at a lot of things, cooking was not one of them. She was a disaster in the kitchen unless she was baking, and as such, given it was something he was good at, he’d taken over the meal making. The tell-tale sound of a car pulling into the long drive alerted his ears and he smirked to himself. He tossed the tea towel he had been holding onto the side counter and made his way out of the door, heading to the car where Y/N and her parents, Nick and Maria were climbing out. "Hey, guys, welcome home," he smiled, hugging Maria, shaking Nick's hand and grabbing a couple of the bags to help. He pressed a sweet kiss to Y/N cheek. “Good day?” He asked and she nodded.

“Yeah, couple of minor call outs but nothing heavy for once.”

He smiled before he turned to her parents. “How was New York?” He'd caught Y/N's eye as he listened to Maria talk about their trip. She cocked her head towards her shoulder and mouthed 'kiss ass' at him. He tried his best to stop the grin spreading across his face at the fact she had hit the nail on the head. He was turning on the charm, big time. It was important to him her parents liked him as much as his liked her. "Where do you want these?" He'd gestured to the bags in his hands.

"Just leave them at the foot of the stairs," Nick replied. "I'll take them up later."

"Sure, no problem." “Something smells good!” Maria gave an appreciative sniff as the four of them made their way into the kitchen. Nick snorted. “Makes a change from when Y/N cooks.” "Hey!" She snorted playfully.

"She's not wrong, Y/N/N," Nick laughed. "I could use a beer. Paul?"

"Sure, yeah, thank you. Let me just peek in on dinner." “How nice to have a man that can cook.” Maria sighed dramatically and Nick groaned.

“Cheers Paul, way to show me up.” "I'm going to go up and change, I'll be right back." Maria smiled at the people around her.

"I'll grab a few beers from the garage," Nick offered. "Y/N, beer or wine?"

"Uh...surprise me."

"You are your mother's daughter." When both of her parents were out of hearing range, Y/N turned to Paul with wide eyes. "Did you manage to fix the lamp bulb and hide the scratch?" “Lightbulb, yes. Scratch no. I didn’t want to make it worse.”

“And the rail for the shower curtain?”

“Back up.”

“Photo frame in the lounge?”

“Couldn't find the exact one. Had to buy another, but don’t worry I’ll take the flack. It was technically me that kicked it over after all.” "The ice cream stain on the couch?"

“I did as much as I could.” He scratched his neck. “And rearranged the scatter cushions.” "You're a life saver, I can't imagine what they'd think if they knew we fuc..." She couldn't finish her sentence as Maria had come back into the kitchen.

"Y/N, what happened to the lamp on the landing?" “Oh I errr, knocked it with the laundry basket. We changed the bulb but I couldn’t do anything about the scratch. I’m sorry, I’ll replace it.” “Yeah and erm before you spot the frame in the living room, that was my fault.” Paul spoke up. “I knocked it accidentally when I was running the vacuum round before. I replaced the frame and kept the old one just in case you wanted to see if it was repairable.” Maria shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, it wasn’t valuable. The photo is the most important thing.”

“Yeah it’s a good shot.” Paul grinned before he turned to Y/N. “You sure suited those little dungarees and pigtails, babe.” “Fuck off.” She shot back and Paul laughed as Nick walked back into the kitchen.

“Language, young lady.” He admonished, placing two beers down on the island counter along with two sparkling wines. "What broke?"

"Apparently, a frame in the living room, no big deal, we appreciate the effort to keep the place clean." Maria smiled.

"Ah, good, good.” Nick nodded, handing Paul his beer which he took with a thanks. “Did you notice the dent in the dryer, Y/N?"

The second he asked, both Paul and Y/N spit their drinks forward, making a mess of themselves and the island.  "Was it something I said?" Nick asked as he eyed his daughter and her boyfriend. “No, just...” Y/N shook her head, “I just, well, you know you go away and come back and there’s stuff broken, I honestly don’t know what happened to the dryer.” She finished lamely. “Oh I wouldn’t worry about it.” Maria shook her head. “You probably dropped something on it a little too forcefully.” Paul stifled a groan and as if it were a blessing, the oven timer dinged. "Right, so if you guys want to head into the dining room, I'll dish this up in a second." "I'll help," Y/N offered.

Nick and Maria headed out with their drinks in hand and took up their seats in the dining room. Paul careened his neck around the corner of the wall and looked back at Y/N. "You’re gonna get me murdered, baby." "I'm sorry, they put me on the spot," she whispered. "How'd you forget the dryer?!" “What the fuck do you expect me to do with a dent?” He scoffed. “Buy a new dryer?” "No, of course..."

"And in my defense, it was YOU who accosted me in the garage this morning, so that one, that's on you, sweetheart." “Whatever, Disco, just dish up the food.” Dinner carried on with simple chatter, Y/N's parents chattering away about their trip in detail.  Mid way through, Maria made a simple remark, "You two sure did a lot of cleaning while we were gone." “Well, I wanted to keep the place tidy.” Y/N shrugged. “No more than I usually do when you’re away.”

“Like my mom always says, tidy house, tidy mind.” Paul grinned and Y/N turned to look at him.

“Shut up.” She mouthed and he smirked as he reached for his beer, Nick mimicking him.

“Well...” the corner of Nick’s mouth curled upwards slightly as he took a pull before setting the bottle down, his eyebrow arched as he glanced at Y/N then to Paul, “if this is the type of thing we get to eat when we come home, maybe we should go away and let you come over and ‘clean up’ more often?"

They'd been outed. Their cover simply not good enough. Some cops they were. 

Paul's sip of his drink was caught between that ridiculous little flap in his throat that tells your brain to swallow verses breath and instead of swallowing, he inhaled and began choking, a fit of coughs exiting him.

***** Your head shot up from the book you had been reading as loud beeps starting ringing our around the room. To your utter horror, you saw Paul convulsing on the bed and you slapped your hand on the red call button before running out into the corridors and yelling for help. Almost immediately a nurse came sprinting round the corner and hurried into your room, as you hovered by the back, your arms wrapping around your chest as Dotty and Jim appeared in the doorway. “What’s going on?” Jim spoke as you struggled for words as a doctor pushed past you into the room. There was a second silence as the doctor moved over to the bed and the nurse stepped back, and strode towards you. But she was smiling. “its fine, he’s started to breath for himself that’s all.” She explained, “so the tube in his throat is irritating him. Don’t worry, it’s a natural reaction and to be expected as he comes round from the sedation.” “You mean he’s waking up?” You stuttered as Dotty reached up to grab your hand. “Looks that way.” The nurse smiled. “And it’s not even been a full twenty four hours since we started to withdraw the sedation.” You let out a sob as the nurse gently ushered you out of the room so they could sort Paul out and after a few more minutes of agonising waiting the doctor came out and headed towards you. “He’s responding very well. I’m extremely pleased with his progress. He’s breathing for himself, his vitals are strong so I’m happy to completely withdraw the sedation provided we carefully monitor him.” "How long before he actually wakes?" Dotty asked. “That I can’t say.” The doctor smiled. “That’s up to him and how quickly his body and system reboots so to speak. It could be hours, a day or so but I wouldn’t expect more than another twenty for hours given his current state.” It was news you'd waited to hear for a week. And suddenly, you found yourself anxious, thinking of the road ahead. But he was alive and for that you were thankful.

"Thank you," Big Jim smiled and shook the doctor's hand.

Dotty turned to you with a smile, "Jim and I are going to head home and take care of some things. Do you want me to bring you something to eat?" The last thing you were thinking of was your stomach, but knowing Dotty as you did, you fully understood this was her way of helping so to speak, making sure you were looked after. Because she also knew you well enough to know that now there was a chance he could come round in a matter of hours, there was no way you were going to leave the ward.

“Sure that sounds great.” You smiled. "We'll see you soon. You call if anything happens, we'll rush right back." Big Jim winked at you.

"Okay. I'm going to call my parents. Let Barnes know." After hugging his parents goodbye, you stepped off the ward and made your calls, your chest feeling lighter than it had in days. Once you’d explained and listened to everyone else sighing, or in your mom’s case crying, with relief you made your way back into his room and allowed yourself a little smile as now you could see his face fully, no longer obscured by the breathing apparatus. You leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, your hand running over his hair.

“See you soon, baby.” You whispered, a tear sliding down your cheek. “Real soon.”

*****

His mouth felt dry, his body weak, he felt sore and tired. He could hear the sound of her voice, but his ears couldn't process the clarity of it all. His heavy eyelids slowly became slits and he blinked, opening them up a little more with each blink. Then, his eyes, blue and clear as ever saw her.

She looked tired and weary, her eyes puffy and the tip of her nose swollen and iritated from crying. But despite all that, she was still absolutely the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. His weak fingers flinched in her hand and her eyes shot to his and he squeezed again.

The relief at seeing those beautiful blue eyes once more looking at you crashed over you like a wave. You opened your mouth to speak, but your voice choked in your throat and instead you simply squeezed your fingers around his as a fresh stream of tears spilled from your eyes. 

You quickly pressed the call button on Paul's bed, to alert the nurse something had changed. And while you waited, you pressed your lips to his hand and the tears poured over his fingers as his heavy, weak hand cupped your cheek.

“Welcome back, Stud.” You managed to whisper, eventually finding your voice. “You had me worried for a while.”

He tried to move his lips, wanting to say so much to her but he couldn't for his dry mouth and throat stung and he started to look nervous, agitated. 

"It's okay, you're okay." You spoke quickly, but assuringly. "You... You had to be intubated, so just relax. I'm right here. Sit still, just take it easy," you coax, all the while thinking where the hell was the nurse.

Almost as if by magic the door to his room opened and your head turned to see her breeze in.

“He’s awake.” You smiled as you said the words for the first time, hearing them out loud made it all the more real. “He’s awake.”

"Well, hello Mr. Diskant. Let's get you better settled." She turned to you and asked you to wait outside just so she could work to settle him more comfortably. As you nodded to go, he squeezed your hand tightly, his eyes piercing yours.

“I’m gonna be right outside, baby. I promise.”

You left the room and glanced back through the window to see Paul’s eyes following you and you gave him another encouraging smile as you waited in sight so he could see you, pulling out your phone to fire a quick, generic, simple text off to everyone you could think of telling them he was awake. As the various replies flooded back in, you read a few, smiling, before the nurse exited and you stuffed your phone back in your pocket and turned to her.

"Now that he's awake, we'll be moving him up to critical care. It's best he still tries to remain still and rest as best he can. You can expect some continued drowsiness and disorienting behavior." She gently took your hand in hers, "speaking is going to be hard at first, because he’s going to have tight and sore muscles and tendons in the neck. PT and Speech Therapy will probably come in once he's upstairs for an evaluation. But, personally speaking, I think he's a damn fighter and he's going to be just fine. I’ll go notify the doctors so they can come and speak to both him and you.”

"Thank you," you nodded. Your body suddenly felt so tired, your mind exhausted. A ding from the elevators brought his parents and yours forward, not giving a care that they were four over the one visitor rule in ICU.

“I didn’t see you.” The nurse tapped her nose before she bustled off up the corridor. 

Paul’s parents turned to you and you gave them an exhausted but happy smile. “She said he should be fine. He’s really groggy and drowsy but he’s back with us.”

"Oh my boy," Dotty clutched her hand to her chest. Big Jim and your parents nodding in understanding as you all stepped inside.

For the next thirty minutes, the five of you sat in his room, just assuring him you were there for him, encouraging him to just rest. He'd nodded off a time or two, the grip of his hand in yours never ceasing. Then, as he was coming to, his attending doctor strolled in to check on his patient.

“Erm...” he looked around, no doubt to point out the blatant disregard for the rule of one but one look from both your dad and Jim stopped him in his tracks and he merely shook his head. “If anyone asks I never saw you.”

A smirk slipped passed your lips and you nodded. You gave Paul's hand a squeeze and stepped aside so the doctor could have a look at him.

The assessment took no more than ten or fifteen minutes, as he'd checked over vitals, sutures, bandages and behaviors and made sure Paul understood him through what they’d done in the operating theatre, Paul’s eyes growing wide as he realised the gravity of his condition. The doctor then reiterated what the nurse had said about PT and Speech Therapy as well as Vocational Therapy will be by to see him if not tonight once he was moved but in the morning for sure. He bid everyone goodbye and left you all with him again.

With the doctor gone and just you and the family around him, Paul's head rolled back on the pillow and his eyes screwed shut as he blinked back tears.

“Hey,” You gave his hand a squeeze with one of your own the other reaching up to gently touch his face, your thumb wiping away a tear. The bristle of his sudden beard, or the start of one tickling your palm. “You’re gonna be fine.” It was lame, but at that moment it was the only thing you could think of to say. There were no words to express what you were feeling, the sheer relief and hope that now consumed you felt almost alien in comparison to the sheer dark despair you’d felt over the last seven days and fourteen hours.

There was a long way to go, and you knew from everything the doctors had told you that it wouldn’t be easy but now he was awake you knew he’d make it.

Because Paul Diskant was a fighter, the most stubborn asshole you knew. The man you loved with everything you had.

With a smile, you wiped your own face and leaned over, placing the gentlest of kisses to his lips and when you moved back you saw his eyes were now bright, creased in the corner as his mouth raised in a soft smile.

**** Part 4

#rock n roll people in a disco world #paul diskant x reader #paul diskant x you #Paul Diskant #paul diskant fan fiction #street kings #street kings fan fic #chris evans #chris evans characters

[fiercyy]

Once, I Knew A Girl

Read a post earlier about why the eff Mrs. Higurashi is super chill about Kagome’s entire time travelling situation. Super great 10/10 explanation, but it broke my damn heart. Here’s the original post.

But here’s my take.

Summary: Mama knew all along that her daughter would be fine because on Kagome’s 15th birthday, the Higurashi shrine had a visitor.

Fic under the cut.

Once, I Knew a Girl

Mrs. Higurashi stood over the sink, watching the water run down the drain. She was unaware of how long she’d been standing there, it might have been hours, it might have been minutes.

A knock at the door startled her out of her trance.

She shook herself. Everything was probably fine, Kagome would come home from school today and her worry will have all been for nothing. She trotted to the front door and was about to open it when she realized she’d left the tap running. She opened the door and all thoughts but one flew right out of her head.

Standing on her doorstep was a young woman. She had long black hair that curled at the ends and was kept off her face by hairpins. Her skin was dark and freckled from the sun. Her eyes were the only familiar thing. Until she smiled. And then Mrs. Higurashi was seized by a strange feeling of dread.

“Kagome?” she whispered.

“Hi Mama, I’ve missed you so much,” tears sprung to those familiar eyes and suddenly she found her arms full. The strange young woman wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close. Mrs. Higurashi found herself pressing her face into the woman’s neck and inhaling sharply. Her eyes and throat burned with unshed tears.

“I don’t understand,” her voice broke and her shoulders began to shake. “Where have you been?”

“That’s… a very long story. Are Souta and gramps home?”

“Did you skip school? Did something happen to you? You look…?”

Kagome, for that is who she must be, pulled away and tried to soothe her mother. “I promise I’ll explain. Are they home?”

“Souta’s at school. Your grandfather is by the tree, praying.”

Kagome seemed to come to life at that, she cringed and began to twiddle her thumbs. “That’s not good, he might run into him before I’ve had a change to explain.”

“Run into-?”

Mrs. Higurashi sat beside her father, grasping his hand tightly. She knew she was holding on too tight, but if it kept him from trying to slap another ofuda on Kagome’s forehead, then so be it. He could bear it for a while.

Kagome, for her part, primly sipped tea and didn’t seem the least bit out of place. She was humming, and the serene smile never left her face.

Not for the first time Mrs. Higurashi questioned if this was at all real. She wondered who this woman was, if not her daughter. Perhaps she’d been too hasty in preventing Dad from exorcising whatever malicious spirit had come to them in the form of their missing-

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” said the woman. She set down the teacup and folded her hands neatly in her lap. “I hope I can answer them all but if I miss something let me know okay?”

Mrs. Higurashi nodded mechanically.

“I am Kagome. This morning I fell down the well and was transported 500 years into the past.” She did not pause to let this factoid sink in, instead she barreled on, describing her first encounter with a giant centipede.It was at this point that Dad started yelling again.

“GRAMPS. PUT DOWN THE OFUDA, GEEZ!”

“KAGOME?” a new voice shouted amidst the clatter of the sliding door opening. “Everything okay?!”

Standing in their kitchen was a tall man with shoulder length white hair and two cute little dog ears perched atop his head. Mrs. Higurashi was arrested by the otherworldly eyes that glanced between the woman claiming to be her daughter and her father.

“Inuyasha!” Kagome exclaimed, angrily, “I haven’t gotten to you yet!”

“I heard yelling!”

“So what!”

“Well what am I supposed to do, just leave you alone when you could be in trouble?”

“In trouble? It’s just Gramps!”

“How am I supposed to tell the difference when you make me wait outside?!”

“I wanted to explain first, that way they don’t freak out!”

“They never freaked out before.”

“We don’t know that!”

“Well,” Mrs. Higurashi cleared her throat. “I’m freaking out a little right now.”

The bickering couple simultaneously deflated, sufficiently chastised. It was a fascinating effect.

“Sorry Mom, this is Inuyasha.”

“Hi.”

“…Hello.”

“He’s um… he’s my…”

Inuyasha’s ears twitched and he sighed, “I’m a friend of Kagome’s.”

“Pleasure to meet you.”

“Where was I in the story?”

“…Centipede demon,” supplied her grandfather.

“Right! So I was running from the centipede demon when I ran into Inuyasha-”

As her story continued, it became more and more unlikely that this woman was lying. It was so fantastical, so strange and the man she’d brought with her had dog ears.

“Kagome, why do you look… like you look?” Mrs. Higurashi asked carefully, when the story was through.

Kagome and Inuyasha shared a glance. “Do I look different?” she asked him.

Inuyasha shrugged, “I mean… I guess? I’ve been with you this whole time so it’s hard for me to tell. Oh. Wait-“ he dug a wallet out of his pocket and searched around for a moment. He pulled out a set of photobooth pictures. The paper was worn as if it had been handled a thousand times. He looked at it with a soft smile before tilting it towards Kagome so she could see.

“Oh wow, we look so young.”

“I never realized.” With reverence, he put the picture back, never letting Mrs. Higurashi or her father see it.

“Kagome-”

“Right! Sorry. I look different because I’ve been gone about 500 years.” Seeing that the shouting was about to begin, Kagome rushed to continue. “Don’t worry! I’ll be back. I promise. I mean, the past me will be back. You’ll see me again in a few days. But… I’ve been gone 496 years, I’ve missed you.”

“Oh Kagome,” Mrs. Higurashi could stand it no longer and held her daughter in her arms as she cried. “I am still so confused.”

Kagome laughed. “Right. I’ll explain better.”

Kagome went on to explain how the next few years of her life would play out. She told them about her quest, her life on the other side of the well. She told them about how it all ended and she was trapped in the modern world. She recounted her eventual reunification with her friends and how she’d been sorry to leave, but knew where her destiny lay.

“I’ve waited a long time to see you again,” Kagome whispered, “I want you to know that I’m safe there. I want you to know how I turn out. I hope… now that I’m here, that I can be here for you, Gramps and Souta, and for all the things I missed.”

And against all odds, Mrs. Higurashi understood perfectly.

“But Kagome,” she said, with one question heavy in her heart, “how can you still be here, after 500 years?”

A strange look crossed over Kagome’s face, she turned to look over her shoulder at the strange man she’d brought with her.

“Magic.”

Later, after Souta got home and it was all explained to him, then reexplained to her grandfather three more times, Mrs. Higurashi noticed that Inuyasha was nowhere to be found. She left the strange, warm reunion and ventured into the courtyard of the shrine.

“Inuyasha!” she called into the night.

He dropped down right in front of her, as if from the heavens, or more likely, the Sacred Tree. “Yo.”

“I feel like we should have a talk.”

Weird. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but Kagome’s mom had never treated him like this. She was standoffish and quiet. She kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes but didn’t say a thing.

It’s not that it bothered him. It didn’t. He was used to humans being uncomfortable and untrusting of him, 500 years with Kagome hadn’t changed that. They only occasionally curbed their impulses with her around, but mostly the cold treatment extended to her.

But Mrs. Higurashi had always been different. From the second he’d barged into her home she’d found him a curiosity, but a charming one. She’d touched his ears, greeted him warmly and had even been his biggest supporter in his relationship with Kagome, something he’d only realized in retrospect.

He and Kagome had centuries to prepare for this day, but the prospect of her mother’s rejection niggled at him. Had something changed? Was he supposed to do something about this or just let it play out? Time was weird and it made his head hurt just thinking about the implications.

So when everyone was distracted he slipped out the door and into the cool night air. He’d give Kagome time with her family. She’d pined for them for so long. It was so good to see the joy in her face. It was a good life they had together, but being among the Higurashis again felt like a missing piece snapping into place.

But he felt a little dislodged. It had been just him and Kagome for so long. Their life together was winding and wonderful, but it had been a long time since it had included a family. Standing in front of the woman who had believed in him, trusted him to take care of her daughter for a year in a distant, dangerous past, felt a little like being smothered.

“I need to understand,” she pleaded, familiar eyes shining up at him.

“I think Kagome could probably answer your questions better than me.”

“I don’t think so,” she replied, “You’ve been with her all this time. Has she been happy? Has she been safe? She edits out the bad parts because she doesn’t want me to worry, I can tell.”

“Mrs. Higurashi… take a seat.” Surprisingly she did. She led him to the porch and sat so that her legs dangled over the edge. For a moment she looked very young and just like her daughter. He sat beside her. “You don’t need to worry about Kagome. From now on that’s my job.”

“A mother can never stop worrying.”

“Fine,” Inuyasha paused and scratched his nose, unsure if he should let on to the exact nature of his and Kagome’s relationship. “But know that her bein’ here, with you now, is proof that it’s all gonna work out. I worry enough for the both of us, I promise. I did and I still do. You’re gonna meet me, the kid I was, and that might make you worry more, ‘cause I was an idiot and I… well I wasn’t always upfront about everything. Even if it doesn’t seem like it, I always looked out for her. What we did… It was important. Kagome helped a lot of people, she saved me. And she was only able to do that because you support her.”

“Is that what I’m supposed to do? Support her while she leaves us?”

“I know it’s hard.”

“How could you possibly know?”

Because I love her too. “There will come a time when we’re separated and the only thing I’ll know is that she’s here with you, safe. And that’ll keep me going until I get to see her again.”

“So that’s why you’re here now.”

“To make the separation a little easier. Kagome wasn’t sure if it would be okay for us to come now, or after everything’s said and done, but I thought… Kagome’s waited long enough. And you should never have to worry about how it’s all going to end.”

“Thank you.”

Together, Mrs. Higurashi and Inuyasha watched the stars in companionable silence and waited for morning.

The two years at the Higurashi Shrine are odd ones. The present Kagome and Inuyasha visit as often as they can. It makes waiting for her wayward daughter easier. Sometimes Kagome comes for tea, sometimes Inuyasha will join her. They’re always careful never to come when Kagome or Inuyasha are in the present.

Slowly, Mrs. Higurashi begins to notice some things. Like the way the strange boy from the past looks at her daughter. When they’re not screaming.

It beckons a question to the tip of her tongue with every lunch she shares with her present day daughter. What is he to you?

There is a tan line on Kagome’s left hand. Inuyasha wears a band around his second finger that he never takes off. Mrs. Higurashi wonders if Kagome thinks she’s stupid.

“I suppose I miss it,” she says one afternoon.

“What do you miss?” The woman that her daughter becomes is so poised, it’s hard not to be rattled.

“I miss your wedding, don’t I?”

Kagome startles and looks up from her cup, only so sigh and blush. “I’m sorry.”

“I suppose it couldn’t be helped. Why did you hide it?”

The blush deepens, “It’s a lot to handle all at once. I figured I’d ease you into it.” Her eye suddenly begins to twitch, “It would have worked a lot better if Inuyasha would have just cooperated.”

“He didn’t want to take his ring off.”

“He’s so stubborn!”

“Geez Woman, that’s a dumbass thing to be mad at me for.” Inuyasha is midway into climbing through the window and is glaring at his wife. “It’s my ring, I can do what I like.”

“I think it’s sweet.” Mrs. Higurashi smiles at Inuyasha and counts herself lucky that her daughter has found a man like this.

Later, when Kagome has gone to help Souta with something, Inuyasha confides in Mrs. Higurashi. “We do it again every so often. It’s a legal thing but it’s also… sometimes you need to reaffirm some shit after a hundred years or so. Next time… you could be there if you like.”

Mrs. Higurashi peers up at him as he struggles to avoid eye contact. She lays a hand on his shoulder and hopes that he knows it means as much to her as it does to him that he asked. “I would like that very much.”

Were there ever children? Mrs. Higurashi wonders sometimes. Was there hardship? What have they been up to? Did Kagome ever finish school?

Kagome does not share every aspect of her life with her mother. Curiosity itches at her mind in the late hours of the night, in the early mornings, in the quiet between chores. She seems happy and Mrs. Higurashi supposes that that’s good enough.

It isn’t easy watching her daughter come and go. She arrives with bruises and bloodied fingers more often than not. Occasionally she leaves before her bones have healed. Sometimes she doesn’t come home for weeks at a time.

It is during the long absences that Mrs. Higurashi is most thankful for the visits from her daughter’s future self. Having her here makes the waiting easier.

One day they arrive just after the young Kagome had been attacked. Inuyasha looks green the entire time. He keeps sniffing at the air then covering his nose. His eyes remain downcast for the entire visit.

After they leave, Mrs. Higurashi realizes that Kagome forgot her jacket. She runs after them to return it but stops in her tracks.

They are standing in the courtyard in front of the tree, Inuyasha has Kagome wrapped in his arms and his face pressed into her hair.

“It smells like your blood,” he says to her, sounding shattered.

“It’s ok Inuyasha, it’s okay. This passes, we go on, I’m fine. I’m here. It’s not me anymore.” Poor comfort for a man who has almost lost the woman he loves countless times. “Remember that you save me. Remember that I’m here because you win. That has to be enough.”

“I don’t like living alongside the past.”

“You won’t have to for much longer.”

Mrs. Higurashi feels sick.

When Kagome comes back through the well the next time, Mrs. Higurashi knows what it means.

She will not see her older daughter for a long, long time. She has long since started thinking of Kagome in those terms. Mrs. Higurashi has two daughters: a younger daughter who leaves and an older daughter who visits.

For now, she will relish the time she has with the girl, for however long she has her.

The day that one daughter leaves for good, the other returns.

#hello children it's tragic meta time #inukag #inyasha #inukag fanfiction #kagome #mrs. higurashi