#two it’ll be a good way to shut my family the fuck up when they ask about me having kids

[lesbiansanemi]

Being brave and trying to set up appointment with gynecologist today. Hell on planet earth

#the irrational fear of them going ‘no fuck u we won’t see you ever’ lmao #idk my fingers are crossed that I’m infertile lmao #(which now that this issue has become so much more intense and have I spoken to both sides of the family about medical history #I think it might actually be a really high possibility lmfao because apparently my aunt struggled with conceiving on my dad’s side #and my mom’s doctors were shocked she was able to have kids and she eventually had to get a hysterectomy her issues were so bad) #so pls pls pls pls pls pls PLS let me be infertile #for one I think it would be funny #two it’ll be a good way to shut my family the fuck up when they ask about me having kids #and three I’m hoping that will making easier for ME to pursue a hysterectomy #I want that bitch GONE I want it YANKED OUT I need it so very far away from me and then destroyed #but regardless first step towards any kind of treatment for this is calling the fucking doctor today so el oh el #kaz rambles

[uluvjay]

Fall in love with you- T. Zegras

Trevor Zegras x Best friend! Reader (feat. Quinn Hughes)

Summary: you knew Better than to fall in love with Trevor

Warnings?; angst, self-doubt, crying, asshole Trevor, cursing, Quinn comes to the rescue, this is extremely old and hardly proofread so I apologize for any errors!

Next part

—

You were Trevor’s best friend, your moms were best friends in collage leading to the life long friendship of you two.

You two had always been close even when he moved to Michigan for hockey you never drifted. He begged you to come to Boston with him for collage even though he only stayed a year and your had gotten into your dream school.

It was Trevor how could you say no?

That was a problem of yours never being able to tell him no. He wanted to go to a party even though you hated them? You went, wanted you to stay up late with him despite you having a big test the next day? You did it.

You always blamed it on the fact he was your best friend but everyone besides Trevor knew you were lying, they could all see how in love you were with him they just never brought it up.

The first person to call you out on those feelings was Quinn Hughes. Trevor had invited you to the Hughes lake house two summers ago where he constantly left you and was hardly even home most nights, usually with some random girl he met that day.

There had been an argument between you and Trevor, you blew up on him after he came home from another one night stand telling him if you knew you would be spending more time with the Hughes family and their other friends then him you wouldn’t have come in the first place.

He got offended saying he was allowed to have fun to even though that had nothing to do with what you were saying, after he stormed out of the room you were staying in you made the impulse decision to book a flight back to New York, and get the hell out of there but Quinn had caught you packing.

—-

“Hey you okay we heard you two yell- woah what’re you packing for?” He asked stopping himself mid sentence

“Im going home Quinn, thank you for opening your home to me I really appreciate it and you guys have all been so nice spending time with me while Trevor’s off with random girls every night”

“Wait, why are you leaving though? Did Trevor say something? I’ll go kick his ass right now if he hurt your feelings”

“No he didn’t I-I just can’t do this anymore, he begged me to come and of course I said yes like always just for him to pretty much say fuck me and leave me to be with some random girls who probably took pictures of him sleeping so they can post them an-“

“Your in love with him” he said cutting you off

“What? No Quinn, I’m not” you replied with a defensive laugh

“Don’t lie to me”

“Quinn I’m not”

“Cut the bullshit” he told you more stern shutting the door

“I’m not lying”

“Yes you are, I see the way you look at your phone when he lets you know he won’t be coming back, how you stare at the marks on his neck and back, how you stare daggers into all the girls that talk to him, the way your face lights up when he walks into a room, your in love”

“He can’t know Quinn, it’ll ruin everything” you told him looking down at your hands

“Hey, your secrets safe with me, but you can’t do this to yourself forever kid”

And that’s how You and Quinn also became best friends

—-

Fast forward two years and here you are back at the same Lake house in the same predicament. However over last summer you became good friends with most of the guys including Jamie and Mason who came with from Anaheim.

You Graduated from collage in May and got your degree in interior design, tonight Quinn and Jack were hosting you a small graduation dinner as they wasn’t able to attend your graduation along with some of the other guys.

You were standing in the Kitchen with Cole, Quinn, Jack, Trevor and Jamie who had all just come back from a workout.

“So Y/n you gonna come to Montreal and help me make my house look nice? I need some help decorating my shelves they don’t look good” Cole asked

“You can reach your shelves?” Jack asked causing everyone to laugh

“Shut up asshole” Cole replied

“Yeah Coley I’ll come help but I won’t be needing your stepladder I should be good” you said adding in to the joking

“You know what fuck all of you” he said walking off laughing

“Love you!” You called out laughing as well

“When he murders us all in our sleep I won’t be surprised” Quinn said causing everyone to let out light giggles

“Y/n what color you wearing tonight? I don’t wanna clash” Jack asked you

“You act like you won’t be wearing shorts and a random shirt ” you replied “but probably this white dress I bought a little while ago, I’m finally tan enough to wear it”

“You can’t wear white, the girl I invited is” Trevor blurted out looking at his phone

“Dude what the hell? I told you this was a lake house thing only, only the people staying here are allowed at the dinner, no extra invites” Quinn said getting a little pissed

“Aren’t your parents coming? Along with Luke, some of his friends, and y/n’s one friend? Why can’t my friend come”

“That’s our Family Z, they have a relationship with y/n and she knows Luke’s friends from them hanging around they’re like all madly in love with her” Jack said joining in

“Y/n’s fine with it right?” He said giving you the look he always did when he wanted something from you

“I’m not paying, it’s up to Quinn and Jack they organized the dinner” you said looking away

“Yeah so she’s not coming and if she for some reason does show up, she better not be in white, it’s Y/n’s night” Quinn said ending the conversation and walking out everyone else following besides you and Trevor.

“What the hell was that?” Trevor scoffed

“What?”

“You totally taking Quinn’s side!? Are you in a mood with me or something? Why can’t my friend come”

“Because I’m not paying Z, it’s not something i organized Quinn and Jack did, if I had it up to me we’d being having pizza and sitting around a fire not going to a fancy restaurant.” you told him growing a bit annoyed.

“Whatever” he mumbled stomping off.

—

Four hours later everyone was in a private room at some fancy restaurant in Michigan, in all it had ended up being You, The Hughes family, Cole, Mason, Jamie, Trevor, Dylan and Luca.

Trevor hadn’t spoken to you since earlier in the kitchen and hadn’t gotten off his phone since you guys had gotten to the restaurant.

Jamie and Mason had both said something to him multiple times but it just ended with Trevor giving both of them attitude.

You were talking with Ellen about the new things she had planted in their home garden when Trevor stood up and pocketed his phone walking out of the private room.

“Okay can I ask what the hell his problem is?” Ellen had asked loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I didn’t let him invite one of his little hookups and he got mad because Y/n took my side instead of giving in” Quinn explained.

“He hasn’t said a word to me since like noon either” Jack added.

“Okay this isn’t about him and let’s not make it about him, tonight is about Y/n and her achievements” Jim said shutting everyone up just in time as the food was being served.

Ten minutes later the door opened back up and in walked Trevor with a blonde girl.

You froze, was he serious right now? For one night he couldn’t listen and not go off and do what he wanted. You looked around and seen Jamie and Cole both rubbing their foreheads and looked next to you at Quinn who had his head titled back, then to your right to your best friend who looked like she was about to murder both Trevor and the blonde girl.

You returned to eating until you heard someone scoff and a chair scoot out, as you looked up you seen Jamie pulling Trevor out the room, leaving the girl in the room.

“And you are?” Ellen asked causing Luke and Jack to both let out slight laughs at how straightforward their mom was.

“Emma” she replied

“Mm” was all Ellen replied, she also knew about your feelings for Trevor

The door opened back up and in walked a pissed off Jamie which was a rare sight to see, and an annoyed Trevor.

“Everyone this is my girlfriend Emma” he announced and it got so quiet you could hear a pin drop as everyone looked from them to you.

Did everyone know about your feelings? Were you truly that noticeable when it came to how you acted around Trevor?

“Since when?” Mason asked

“Three months” Emma answered

Everyone just stayed quite, the tension could be cut with a knife and the amount of awkwardness was uncomfortable.

“I think it’s time to head home” you whispered in Quinn’s ear

“Yeah, I’ll go grab the check” he said getting up and walking out

“Where’s he going?” Trevor asked

“To get the Check” you replied

“Already? Is that what you whispered in his ear about? I’m not ready to leave you can’t just decide when we all leave Y/n”

“Well I’m ready to head home Trevor and it was my graduation dinner but you of course found a way to make the night about you” you snapped standing up and leaving.

—

Once everyone got home you went straight to your room and got changed into comfortable clothes, went down stairs, made a drink and went outback.

You were feeling a rollercoaster of emotions, you loved Trevor and he constantly hurt you but honestly it was your fault, you were the one that never told him how you feel how’s he supposed to know you wanna be the one in his bed every night?

You were also angry at him, how dare he pull the shit he did tonight at your graduation dinner of all things. You celebrated multiple achievements of his with him and never once made it about you, it just wasn’t fair.

You didn’t even realize someone had come outside or that you were crying until you heard someone ask you something.

“Huh?” You asked as you came back to your surroundings to see Jack sitting next to you.

“I asked why your crying”

“Oh it’s nothing” you rushed out wiping your tears

“Non of that Bullshit what’s up” he asked

“I love Trevor, no I’m in love with him, have been since I was 17”

“I know” he replied nonchalantly

“What?!”

“It’s not hard to notice y/n, your pretty bad at hiding it” he said with a laugh

“You don’t think he noticed do you..”

“No he’s to stupid” he told you laughing again

“Good, I just don’t know what I’d do if he found out I was in love with him, we’ve been best friends since we were born it would ruin everything.”

“You’re in love with me?” You heard the person that shouldn’t be asking that question ask it.

“Shit” you mumbled closing your eyes

“I’m gonna head back inside” Jack said getting up and patting your shoulder

“I asked you a question Y/n, please tell me you’re talking about someone else you’ve been friends with since kids.”Trevor said

“No it’s you, I love you” you said in a low voice

“What the Fuck” he said with a laugh

“I know, I know I’m sorr-“

“Sorry doesn’t cut it Y/n! Do you know what this is going to change? Everything! Our whole lives, every moment we’ve ever shared, it’s all different now”

“I know that’s why I never said anything, I knew you wouldn’t feel the same” you mumbled

“Damn right I don’t feel that way”

“Can you not be rude right now?, you listened in on a conversation you had no business hearing and now you know information that just ruined our friendship, I don’t need you being an ass”

“Why? Why me y/n?”

“I don’t know Trevor! I ask myself that every single day, why you, why my best friend? And I don’t have an answer ” you told him.

“You should have known better”

“It not like I wanted to fall for you Trevor, it’s not like I hoped and wished that I’d fall in love with you and ruin a 22 year long friendship.”

“We need space, I need space y/n I don’t know how to feel about this.” he told you

“I’ll find the next flight to New York tomorrow and be gone” you told him walking past him and into the house.

—

As you were laying in bed you heard someone knock on your door, “come in” you said with a hoarse voice from crying

“Hey I just wanted to check in, Jack told me what happened” Quinn said walking in

“It was so bad Quinny” you said breaking down again.

“No, don’t cry, it’ll be okay y/n” he said sitting next to you and rubbing your back

“I’m leaving tomorrow” you told him

“Why?”

“He said he wants space so I’m gonna go home, I think it’s for the better you know getting away from him”

“Don’t go home, let’s go somewhere”

“Where?” You asked with curiosity

“A beach?”

“That sounds nice”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah” you said looking up at him with a smile

—-

Next part

#nhl #trevor zegras #nhl fanfiction #hockey imagine #nhl imagine #trevor zegras blurb #trevor zegras x reader #trevor zegras imagine #trevor zegras x y/n #trevor zegras x you #quinn hughes x reader #quinn hughes

[wardenparker]

First Christmas

Marcus Pike x female reader Co-written with @absurdthirst

Rating: E for Explicit! 18+ Word Count: 10.6k Warnings: Established relationship, mentions of sex toys/gagging, fingering, vaginal sex, unprotected sex, cuddling, fluff, picturesque family stuff everywhere. Summary: A whirlwind relationship has led you to marrying Marcus before a lot of traditional landmarks in the dating realm. Now it's time to meet the Pikes, and you'll be doing it on their absolute favorite holiday. Notes: Please enjoy some seasonal fluff! While Marcus and the Pikes are obviously depicted as celebrating Christmas (duh, that's the plot) there aren't any references to the family being Christian, or to reader's religious identity. This is just some good old fashioned all-American Marcus fluff for the holiday 🧡🎄❄

“I talked to my Mom this morning.” Marcus shucks his jacket, buoyed by his news, although he’s had every reason to grin when he’s coming home to you every night. “And I managed to book the last two tickets. Had to get first class, but I used miles, so it wasn’t that bad.” He leans in and drops a kiss on your lips before he turns to hang his coat on the rack. “Figure we fly out a couple of days before Christmas and we can fly home the day after. We only end up needing to take a day or two maximum out of work that way. What do you think?”

“What do I think about three days with your entire extended family when it will be the very first time I’m meeting them all?” Marrying Marcus had been a whirlwind, and while you’re immensely happy together and have no regrets for the situation— it is a little intimidating. Marcus is incredibly close to his family and you are the exact opposite. “Honestly, babe? I’m intimidated. But I’m all in. I’ll do whatever I have to do to make sure they like me.”

“It’ll be great. They will love you.” Of course there had been a million and one questions when Marcus had called with the news that he was married. That he couldn’t wait to plan a wedding, and that you and he had just decided to go to the court house. “Get the embarrassing stories and baby pics out of the way before the rest of the family descends on the house.”

“Cramming into that twin bed in your Mom’s house is going to be fun,” you tease, a slight snort following your grin as you start taking leftovers out of the fridge to warm up for dinner. Last night’s Chinese take out order was more than a little over the top.

“Just means we get to snuggle really close.” He hums, sliding up behind you and wrapping his arms around your middle as he presses close. The honeymoon phase hasn’t even begun to fade, and he hopes it never does. “But I think she did trade it for a queen.”

“We’ll still cuddle.” That’s a promise, and you lean back against his chest with a comforted hum that’s so blissful you just let your eyes fall shut and enjoy it. “Though it might be good if she did trade up. A new bed will squeak a hell of a lot less than an old one.”

His cock twitches, but he’s pretty sure that was the entire point of your comment. You love to see how easily you turn him on. “But then we still have to keep you quiet, baby.” He ducks his head and nips at your neck. “Can’t be screaming my name for the entire house to hear.”

Turning your head, you bat your eyelashes at him innocently and make your eyes extra wide. “Should we pack my gag, then?”

“Fuck.” He hisses quietly, twitching against your ass again. “You want to be gagged and fucked hard in my childhood bedroom?” He rasps out.

“Only if there’s really embarrassing posters on the walls.” The evil little teasing giggle that bubbles out of you comes with a full-on grind of your ass against his rapidly hardening cock. It’s not hard to rile each other up, but it is so much fun.

“Want me to show you how hard I would fuck you?” His hands slide under your shirt and cup your tits through the bra you loath and he loves to take off of you.

“Hmmm.” Even pretending to think about it makes you grin harder and you turn around in his arms to wrap your arms around his neck. “The egg rolls take five minutes to warm up in the oven. Think we can get off that fast?”

“You doubt my abilities?” He pouts at you playfully, even as he moves to start unbuttoning your pants. “Baby, I’m hurt.”

“Maybe I just know giving you a challenge always gets results.” Your hands move to his belt as he starts to pull your own pants open.

“Brat.” His grin is infectious as he pushes your pants and panties down over your hips.

“Yeah, and you love it.” You shove the tray in the oven and practically smack the timer in your haste to set it, ready to hop up on the kitchen counter in the idyllic little house you share with your husband and let him fuck the life out of you.

His chuckle is warm and his hands don’t pause as he slides his hand between your thighs to touch you as his other works his belt buckle. “I do love it.” He admits easily.

Whatever clever comeback you have dies on your lips, too focused on your husband’s large hand and quick fingers at the apex of your thighs to do anything but quickly kick off your pants and panties so you can slide back onto the kitchen counter with your legs open.

“Fuck, I love the way you are so eager.” Marcus is always just as eager, but he doesn’t focus on his wants. Having you in front of him demands that you be pleasured and that’s what he’s going to do.

“For you? Always.” It’s been this way between you since the beginning. Since the day he waltzed into your undercover operation posing as your husband who could forge any painting. The spark was immediate and mutual, and soon the lines between role and real life were blurring for both of you. Now, of course, things are less complicated. But the want is no less real.

Marcus hums, leaning in to kiss along your neck like he had quickly discovered you love. Lips and teeth working together to make you moan while his fingers slide inside you.

“Baby.” Managing to moan anything coherent while he’s touching you is a miracle, but you gasp out when he starts to crook his fingers inside the tight walls of your pussy. “Need you, baby. Need you to fill me up.”

“I’m gonna fill you up.” He promises, grinning at the way your jaw is slack when he pulls back to look at you, “just as soon as you cream all over my fingers, baby.”

A whine seems to seep out of your throat unbidden and you glance over at the kitchen timer as your hips rock against his hand. “Four minutes and thirty-two seconds,” you warn with a grin.

“So we have time to have a drink.” He chuckles as he increases the tempo of his fingers as he works them in and out of you.

“Fuck, baby.” Marcus knows exactly how to work you into a frenzy with seemingly zero effort, and he delights in putting that ability on display just as much as he loves taking you apart extra slowly to make you beg. The man is devastatingly talented and you are the happy beneficiary of all that laser focus.

“That’s what I’m gonna do.” He teases. “Fuck you. Been thinking about it all day while working on paperwork.”

Being on your best behaviour at work does mean that you haven’t had him fuck you on his desk yet, but you’ve been craving it. The kitchen counter will have to serve as a substitute for just a little longer, it seems. “Yeah?” You pant, feeling yourself get closer and closer under his expert touch. “Bet you had to stay hidden behind that desk all day so no one would see how hard I make you.”

“Soooo fucking hard.” He agrees, reaching up and squeezing your tit through your shirt and bra. “Just have to think about how I woke you up sliding inside you this morning.”

“Best way to wake up.” Your head falls back, thumping against the kitchen cabinet but you barely notice.

“And I love to see your eyes turn glassy before you even wipe the sleep away.” Marcus curls his fingers up and leans in to press his lips to yours. “Cum for me baby.”

It should be impossible for him to command it like that and yet as soon as the words are out of his mouth you are gasping in pleasure and feeling the coil at the base of your spine pull tight right before the stars explode behind your eyes. Marcus groans as he watches your eyes flutter closed, your head tilting back against the cabinet and your sweet little pussy just soaking his fingers with the slickest, hottest cum he’s ever had the pleasure of feeling. “That’s it, baby, shake for me.”

“So fucking good.” Drawing in that first deep breath after cumming is always like the first breath of fresh air in the morning. As soon as the heaviness lifts from your limbs you’re surging forward to kiss him, wrapping one hand around his cock to draw him in closer and beg silently for him to fuck you.

It’s Marcus’s turn to groan and his hips rock forward, chasing your grip as you pump his cock. “Fuck baby, need you so bad.” He moans into your mouth and shuffles closer, his fingers digging into your hips to drag you closer to the edge of the counter.

No one could ever doubt the passion in your marriage, that is for damn sure, and you lean back on the counter so Marcus can line himself up at your entrance – moaning softly when he starts to push inside. "Fuck I love you so much."

“I love you too.” An undercover op that had meant to be a means to getting Teresa Lisbon – now Jane – off his mind, had ended up being the best thing that ever happened to him. You are the best thing that ever happened. “So fucking much.” He pushes until he’s buried to the hilt and immediately pulling back to rock into you again.

When the two of you are worked up like this it never takes long. For a couple who routinely fuck an average of twice a day, anyone would think that it would be taking longer by now. It's not like you're pent up after a week of not seeing each other or anything. In fact, you see each other constantly —  always doing your best to even line up your lunch breaks whenever you possibly can. No, it's just passion. Plain and simple. Top of FormHe has zero problem slapping his thighs against the counter as he works into you. Panting out your name breathlessly as you clench down on him. “Fuck.”

“That’s it, baby.” With one arm twined around his shoulders and the other holding blindly to the counter, your legs have wrapped around Marcus’s trim waist to encourage every thrust. “Feels so fucking amazing.”

“You—your pussy.” He grunts out, biting his lip and then rocking his hips forward with a particularly harsh thrust.

“It’s all yours.” And with as fiercely as his hips slam into yours, it’s a wonder that your pussy doesn’t ache more than she does. But the only aching you ever seem to feel is from wanting him as close as possible. Like right now.

Every push of his hips is complete bliss, groaning as he leans in and presses his lips to yours. “Love you.”

“Love you.” Even mumbled against his lips it’s so true that it makes your heart swell, and you tilt your hips so he can thrust a little deeper each time. He won’t last much longer and the timer must be almost up anyway. “Cum for me, baby. Fill me up.”

“Rub your clit.” He orders. “Cum for me again. Want you to cum again.”

There is nothing you want more in the world right now than to obey, and in barely a Moment more the two of you are panting and moaning into each other’s kiss, careening toward the edge of pleasure. It’s like magic, the way your fingers immediately make your core seize up around him. That little bit of pressure ripping you over the edge and making you cry out his name.

He tumbles over the edge second later, your shaking legs wrapped tight around his waist and keep him deep inside you while he paints your walls with hot cum. It's the perfect way to unwind after a long day at the office, and you groan without restraint. The kisses you press all over his lips and jaw and neck are instantly giddy, the adrenaline rush of cumming taking over the second the crashing orgasm subsides. Marcus groans, tucking his head into your neck the second he can and chuckling as the timer for the oven starts to buzz. “Perfect timing.”

******

“This is it.” The Pike house is on the corner of two main streets in his Nebraska hometown, where the old Victorian rises up from the sidewalk like a proud pillar of the old community and you can perfectly see Marcus growing up here as a little boy. His wholesome, corn-fed, all-American childhood is perfectly framed here. “Right here.” The warmth in his voice is unmistakable, matching the grin that is on his face as he looks up at the house. “Home sweet home. Mom should be here, waiting to pounce on us.”

“You’re excited.” It’s sweet, and you know he’s missed his family something terrible. “Let’s go inside, baby. Time to introduce your wife to your mother.” His second wife, technically, but that’s neither here nor there. His divorce was years and years ago now, even though she is very much still part of the family.

“She’s going to love you.” The fact that he hasn’t had you two on the phone together is just a matter of scheduling but it will quickly be corrected. “Let’s go.” The engine is cut and he opens the driver door to the rental car that was crazy expensive but worth the autonomy of being able to take you around the town.

Like any son, Marcus doesn’t bother to knock at the door but pushes inside, calling out to his mother as soon as it is half open. The first thing that catches your eye is the line of photos down the staircase to your right, and you shift to look at them all right away. Marcus’s two siblings’ wedding photos. A collage frame of each family featuring their children at different ages. Marcus’s graduation photo from the Academy. And his parents’ wedding photo that is now some forty years old.

“Marc?” The voice rings out from the kitchen and there’s the general clanging of pots and pans as she hustles out the doorway, wiping her hands in the dishrag. “Oh Marc, you made it!”

Julia Pike is a tall and fairly slender woman with grays streaked heavily through her dirty blonde hair and laugh lines that speak to a lifetime of joy with her family. But more than all of those things, she is a hugger. Her arms envelope both you and Marcus as soon as you’re within reach and she hums so happily that anyone could be easily forgiven for confusing her with the family cat. “How was your flight, sweetie? The food was probably terrible, right? Airline food always is. Come in, come in! Leave your things here and I’ll get you some lunch.”

“Hey Mom,” his arms are just as tight around his mother as they are when he hugs you. “We didn’t even risk the airport food, so we are starving.” He pulls back and gives her his best puppy dog eyes. “Please tell me you are making my favorite?”

“Do you think I would just skip out on your first meal home in more than a year and not make you chowder?” She tuts as if she’s insulted and turned to you conspiratorially. “Of all the things in the world, it’s always been corn and potato chowder. Who knows where he picked that up from but the first time I put bacon in it he started begging for it constantly.”

“Because bacon is probably the only thing that beats pancakes.” Marcus leans in and kisses his mother’s cheek. “And Mom makes the best corn and potato chowder you will ever have.” He promises you, letting go of her so he can wrap his arm around your waist. “Why don’t you two go into the kitchen and I’ll bring in the bags?”

“Thanks, honey.” It’s just a squeeze of his hand in yours before he slips back out the door, but you already feel more at ease. His mother is so incredibly sweet.

“Don’t worry a bit, I won’t bite.” Julia promises, wrapping her arm around your shoulder and giggling quietly as she guides you to the kitchen. “I’ll quickly fill you in on his most embarrassing stories.”

“I’m sorry we haven’t been able to meet or talk before.” That’s really the first thing you want to say, knowing how much Marcus loves his family. “It’s all happened very fast, and we’re still wrapping up this case that our departments are working on together.”

“Don’t worry.” She smiles indulgently. If she had been a lesser woman, she would have been upset or insulted by the quick wedding and no communication, but she was secure in her youngest child’s affection. “You’re in the honeymoon phase and who wants to talk to your mother-in-law when you can be cuddling your new spouse?”

"Unfortunately, work doesn't give us a lot of downtime. Even getting a few days off for Christmas was something of a coup d’état." Following her into the kitchen, you look around the well-appointed space and note buttery looking rolls sitting on a baking tray nearby and the whole place smells like absolute heaven. "I really can't thank you enough for having us here a few days early. He's been so excited to come home and see everyone again."

“I have so looked forward to meeting you.” She waves away your thanks. “The way Marcus has talked about you when we chat, I just knew that we would be good friends.”

"He is...completely remarkable." The warmth that rushes to your cheeks at that admission is immediate, but it's honest. You won't shrug it away or apologize for it. "I know our meeting was pretty unconventional, but it was like we knew each other instantly. He's really...he's my best friend, on top of everything else. So I've really been looking forward to meeting all of you. To see how he got to be the amazing man I married." It sounds cheesy, like you're sucking up or something, but it's all so true. And since you are every bit as sentimental as your husband, you don't mind saying it out loud.

“Marcus has always led with his heart.” Julia acknowledges and turns back towards the stove to start dishing up large bowls of the chowder. “It has sometimes led him to heartbreak,” she tells you, turning around with the first bowl. “But somehow I think he’s got it right.”

"I love him so much." And you won't hesitate to shout it from the rooftops, either, which has a smile spreading over his mother's face as she works. Immediately jumping in, you pick up the empty basket beside the tray of rolls and stack them inside. She's set the little kitchen table for the three of you to eat at, so that is where the basket will end up. "I already can't imagine how I ever kept my head on without him, and I can't imagine a single day of my future without him in it."

“The perfect thing about it, is that I think you mean it.” She tells you, handing you a bowl of chowder. “In fact, I would bet money on it. I have a feeling about these things.”

"You're the one he gets it from." Accepting the bowl and setting it down, you take the next from her as well and make sure everything is set out. The opening and closing of the front door says that Marcus has returned and that makes your smile brighten reflexively. "He has a reputation for it at work. His sixth sense."

“Of course he does. He’s a hard worker and he follows his feelings.” She shrugs slightly. “Sometimes it is faulty, but I blame that on the other people involved.”

"People largely follow patterns, but the human ability to be unpredictable really does throw a monkey wrench in case work sometimes," you acknowledge. Of course, it can also be what makes your job so interesting at times. When Marcus comes down the hall to the kitchen you can't help the way you beam, leaning back for a second so he can help his Mom with the last bowl and get a pitcher of something to drink from the refrigerator. "It smells amazing, Mrs. Pike." Until she's given you explicit permission, you're not presuming to call her by her first name. You've known too many friends who got on their mother-in-law's bad side off the bat for being considered too informal or disrespectful because they tried to be friendly.

“That is just the best compliment I’ve ever had.” Julia can’t help but melt slightly as she pulls out a chair and motions for you to sit down. “Now, I won’t insist that you call me ‘Mom’, but I also don’t want you to call me ‘Mrs. Pike’. That’s your name too now. So, please call me Julia?”

"Julia, then." Sitting down at the table with Marcus and his mother feels a hell of a lot more comfortable than you had worried it might be. But so far? So far, so good. "Although, since you mention it, having two Special Agent Pikes at work has been fairly entertaining. We keep accidentally getting each other's deliveries from the mailroom."

She laughs, well aware of the confusion and commotion it would cause. “You might have to start adding your first initial to your mail.” She snorts, shaking her head. “Or…do nothing and use the mail mix up as a good excuse to steal a kiss on the government’s time.”

"That's..." You glance at Marcus and you both grin unapologetically before everyone digs into their lunch. "What we've been doing so far. But once Marcus gets his promotion it won't be a worry anymore. His title will change and the mix-ups will be over."

“I still cannot believe that they have not moved you into the role you went to D.C. for.” Julia huffs, frowning fiercely. It seems like that is just wrong to her and it is. Her baby was supposed to be the head of his department by now, but something about delaying retirement on the outgoing head had pushed back Marcus taking over the role.

“Technically, they have,” you assure her, not wanting his mother to think that Marcus isn’t being fully respected at work. “He is running the task force that he was promised. The decision to move him up to head of the department came after he had already accepted the transfer, so it’s on a different timeline. But it’s all on track. The current department head just wanted to finish out the calendar year and he’ll retire at the end of the month. It’s just a matter of weeks now.”

“Well…that’s good, I suppose.” Like any mother she knows, she’s protective over her children and their lives, even when they’ve long left her nest. “And Marc tells me that you work in another department? How are you enjoying it?”

“I work in the white collar crimes division,” you nod, managing not to moan out loud at your first taste of the soup. No wonder this is Marcus’s favorite, it’s like a giant hug. “Mostly I work on fraud cases. Forgeries are my specialty. Which…is how Marcus and I met. I needed an art consultant on a case I was working on, and he’s the best of the best.”

"He is the best." She beams as only a mother can and grins. "Although, at one point, he wanted nothing more than the be a rock star with his band."

“I keep telling him he should start up again.” The grin you throw your husband is nearly victorious. You just know his mother is going to take your side. “A couple of guys in my department need a new bassist for their band and he would be perfect.”

"If he would enjoy it, I have his old bass in the attic." She supplies immediately. "There is no reason you shouldn't take it back with you. I know it's in good condition, I have to keep Kelly's oldest from sneaking it out of the house every time he comes over."

“What do you think, babe?” It’s entirely up to him, even if he never wants to join another band you still want him to have music in his life. “We can absolutely bring your bass home with us if you want to.”

"If you don't mind." His eyes slide towards his mother again, While it was his bass, it had been a last gift from his father and it was something that he could not take with him when he moved out for good. All of the kids had left the last gifts that he had given them in the house they had lived in with him. A kind of living memorial to a man who could never be replaced.

“It’s totally up to you, honey.” His mother promises. “Your brother has been hinting about his little girl being interested in Grandpa’s baseball gear when she’s old enough, so I think it’s time.”

He mulls it over, taking another spoonful of the chowder as he thinks. "I will take it home." He decides after a Moment. "It would be good to start playing again and one day—" His eyes slide warmly over to you. "Maybe it will be passed down to the next generation of Pike."

Julia raises one manicured eyebrow at that and gladly notes the way your expression turns a little dreamy at the idea. “I take it that topic has been bandied around a little at home?”

"We've talked about it." Marcus admits, setting down his spoon and picking up your hand. "We want to spend a little time together first, and figured that we would return to the conversation when I've settled into my new role." That’s what you agreed upon together, but Marcus won’t deny that if it happens sooner rather than later, he’ll be over the moon.

“I have to say.” The smile she aims at both of you is proud and bright. “It sounds like you’re enjoying being married, and that is half the battle in the beginning.”

"We are, Mom." Marcus agrees easily, squeezing your hand and looking over her with pure adoration in his warm brown eyes. "I had one hell of an example with you and Dad, and I think that we would make both of your proud."

******

Celebrating his long-overdue return to his hometown means that Marcus takes you to his favorite little family restaurant for dinner that night and by the time you’re falling into his bed, you’re both feeling relaxed and incredibly sleepy. Getting to see parts of his past is a window into his soul that you’ve never gotten before, and you curl around him in your pjs with a contended sigh.

Marcus has a habit of stroking your bare back until you fall asleep. Since you’re not sleeping nude tonight, his hand slides under your pajama shirt to touch you. “So what do you think?” He asks softly, wanting to know how you feel about his town where he spent his formative years.

“It’s the perfect little slice of Americana,” you tell him with a grin. “I can absolutely see you running around here as the happiest little kid in the world.”

“I had my teenage angst.” He admits with a chuckle, thinking back to how naive he had been about what was truly heartbreaking. “Like most kids do. Rebelled a little.”

"Grew your hair and became a little rock star?" The pictures of teenage Marcus with long curls and shredded t-shirts didn't last for a very long period of his teenage years, but they definitely seem to be among his most treasured memories.

Marcus huffs out a laugh. “Yeah.” He admits. “Almost got a tattoo. Although I’m lucky I didn’t have a scar when my nose ring came out.”

"I'm sooo bummed I missed that entire phase," you giggle into his side, having now seen a plethora of photos from Marcus's younger years. "I would've been all over you in high school."

“Yeah?” He hums, grinning into the darkness. “You would have been my little groupie?”

“Oh totally.” He sounds so utterly pleased that you giggle. “I would’ve been swooning at your feet.”

“I would have let you.” He admits, his fingers trailing up and down your spine. “Given you a private performance.”

Another giggle becomes a snort, and you rest your chin on Marcus’s chest to look up at him. “Your mother might not have liked me so much as a sixteen-year-old groupie, but I woulda been stuck to you like glue.”

“She was actually pretty cool with boyfriends and girlfriends.” He tells you. “She would have just made sure we were being safe.”

“Mmkay,” you hum and laugh. “So it would have been finding refuge here after my parents forbade me from seeing you anymore. Got it.”

He hums. “I could still impress the parents with my manners.” He promises. “No forbidding going on.”

“I just would have snuck out to see you.” It’s a fun little game of pretend to play, and you press a kiss to his chest. “Nothing could keep me from you, babe. We’re stuck like glue.”

“We are stuck like glue.” He smiles at you, ecstatic about that fact, that he’s gotten it right. “Me and you babe.”

******

On Sunday morning, his siblings and their families descend on the house early. All the Pike kids are morning people, apparently, and even more so when mornings include Christmas movies. The clattering downstairs is what wakes you, and you huff a groan into your husband’s side when you realize he’s silently stroking your back in your sleep. “Early.” You mumble, knowing it’s later than the time you get up for work but early for vacation wake up time.

“I know.” He’s eager to get downstairs, but he’s also eager to stay by your side. “But I know Mom will have coffee and fruit strudels downstairs.”

“Tempting.” But it’s not nearly as tempting as morning kisses, and you shift up the bed to snag some.

Marcus hums, smiling against your lips as he holds you close. “Morning.” He whispers between soft and sweet kisses. Enjoying the intimacy of the moment with you before the chaos begins.

“Morning, my love.” There are few things better than these quiet morning moments, and you savor them when you can. Work days are far too busy for cuddling so weekends are precious and holidays? Even more so.

“I’m so glad you agreed to come.” He admits quietly. “They are crazy and loud, but they are my family and I love them.” He grins. “Almost as much as I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Being held against his chest and wrapped up in bed with him is your safe place, but the morning is calling with loud voices so you place a kiss over his heart and stretch. “So exactly how many of your million cousins are coming today?”

“All of them?” He poses it as question and then laughs. “I think after the news I was bringing my new wife leaked, everyone decided to turn it into a family reunion.”

“Ahhh.” That makes you nod in understanding. “So it’s a really good thing that I packed nice clothes for this trip. Got it.” You had prepared for it, expecting to be a little bit on display, but you know how excited he is to be home. It made you want to work extra hard to make a good impression on his family.

“Don’t worry, they will absolutely love you.” He promises. His hand slides down and he pats your ass. “We need to get up and get the day started though.”

“Come on, handsome.” You haul yourself up with a groan after one more kiss. “Let’s get dressed.”

He chuckles as he watches you grumpily get up. You never like to leave a bed without a few good groans and it’s positively endearing to him.

“My body knows it’s a holiday,” you grumble good naturedly, as if you don’t groan about getting up for about three or four sentences every morning regardless. “It’s protesting.”

“Of course it’s protesting.” He shakes his head, climbing out of the bed with far more enthusiasm and starting to make the bed. “You would sleep for twenty-three hours out of the day if you could.”

“Only since adulthood.” Getting ready together is a nice, soothing little ritual and you pull your clothes out of your suitcase with precision. “When I was younger I could just go, go, go. But now?” You shrug and offer him a smile. “Why wouldn’t I want to be in bed these days? You’re there, too.”

He grins and winks at you. “You know, I think I like your thinking.” He flirts shamelessly with you, enjoying how easy it is.

“My logic is unflappable.” You boast, grinning at him and giggling, mood lifted immensely just by his smile. “But we need to get dressed, sir. You have a football game to play, if I remember my Pike family traditions correctly.”

“That’s true. It’s always best to come to the table with black eyes and bloody noses.” He chuckles and strips off his sleep shirt to pull on a sweatshirt.

“How do you expect me to function properly with the mental image of you being rugged and athletic and then the real image of you shirtless? It’s just unfair.”

He hums, smirking at the pouting tone of your voice and he bites his lip. “You’ll have a good view from the kitchen window.”

“Kitchen window?” Even though you know that’s where you’ll be most of the time — what with his mother loving to cook and his sister Kelly running a restaurant in the nearest city with two of their cousins — you still make noises. “My ass is going to be on that porch with a mug of something warm for a front row view.”

He snorts and walks back over to kiss you before he changes from comfortable boxers to more secure boxer briefs. Less chance of his brother ‘accidentally’ hitting him in the groin again this year. “Don’t worry, I’m sure all of you will be out there at some point.”

"I will be sure to spearhead that viewing party." You promise him before patting his ass with a smirk. "I will be watching very disrespectfully."

"What will I get when I score a touchdown?" He waggles his brows at you suggestively.

"Something that is not family friendly." And that is an absolute promise. "Now come on, handsome. I have a whole lot of Pikes to meet."

"Damnit." Marcus hisses quietly, reaching down to readjust himself in those boxer briefs before he slides on his sweats. "Now I want to go back to bed."

"Love youuuu," you sing-song, sashaying back across the room to your stack of clothes.

******

Downstairs is the general chaos that Marcus had expected and he's halfway down the stairs when he hears his brother Alex shouting. "SHUT UP, stop talking about them! They're coming!"

It throws you into an unexpected fit of giggles, and you have to pause mid-stair to compose yourself before hitting the ground floor just behind Marcus. "Nothing bad, I hope?" You ask, coming around the corner to where the living room, hallway, and kitchen are overflowing with your husband's extended family.

Alex, an older, slightly more rugged version of his younger brother with their mother's nose, grins at you. "Oh, just taking bets on if you were making a baby or freaking out about meeting this nut house of family members." He admits shamelessly.

"I am that dreaded thing known as a Night Owl," you admit with your hand on your heart, as if you were admitting to some dreadful sin. "It takes me a couple of extra minutes to get going in the morning. Nothing nefarious, I am sorry to report."

"Ohhhhh nooooooo, Marc – say it isn't so?" Clutching his hand to his chest, he looks at his brother in horror. Always the comically dramatic one of the bunch, he plays it up for all he's worth considering that the entire family is focused on all of you right now. He grins and winks at you just in case you aren't aware that he's not serious. "Take her back! Take her back to the wife store!"

"No returns." With a smirk and a smothered laugh, you wave your ring in the air —  earning you some whoops and hollers from the assembled women of the Pike family. "Now I'm gonna get some tea, you boys play nice."

"Damn, she's way too good looking for your ugly ass." As soon as you sail by him, Alex grabs Marcus and pulls him in for a bone crushing hug that only brothers can give. "Fuck, it's good to see you."

"We all missed you." His sister Kelly is on the other side of him immediately, smacking Alex's arm away so she can hug their baby brother.

"Miss you too." He laughs, looking over her shoulder as he hugs his favorite sibling. "You, not Alex." He clarifies and grins when his older brother shoots him a bird.

"No one misses Alex," she laughs, sticking her tongue out at the oldest of the Pike siblings with glee. In typical middle child fashion, Kelly had become loud and active and attention-grabbing in her own right. All of which might have also been a survival tactic for having two very individual brothers. "You're good, Marc? Not working too hard? Mom said they still haven't given you your damn promotion."

"It's coming." He promises with a nod of his head. "Right now, I'm just riding out my time as a flunkie so I can spend more time with my gorgeous wife instead of balancing department budgets late into the night." He tells her with a grin as his eyes slide over the kitchen, hoping for a glance of you.

"Ugh," his sister groans, fully teasing. "He's still in the honeymoon period."

"Hope it never ends." Marcus rolls his eyes when he looks back at her, but he's not lying. He hopes your marriage is just as strong as his parents’. They were in love until the day his father passed and still his mother will happily say that he is the love of her life.

"Gross." Alex chimes in, grimacing at his brother for full effect. It doesn't matter that he and Kelly are both happily married to supportive spouses that they love with all their hearts. They have to tease Marcus.

"Yep." Marcus smirks at his older brother. "She gave me cooties." He warns childishly.

"It's supposed to be the other way around, ya know." Alex ruffles Marcus's short hair and needles his younger brother with glee. "You're supposed to give her cooties. Or did you not pay attention in sex ed?"

He takes the ruffling of his hair with only a small groan and chuckles as he dodges another swipe. "Oh, I paid attention." He promises. "I'm a Boy Scout, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," Alex rolls his eyes. "You never let us forget. Perfect youngest child with his perfect extracurriculars and now his perfect job." Though the older brother might gripe, they're all very proud of Marcus. It's just more fun to make fun.

"Don't forget, perfect wife." Marcus adds. As much shit as they give him, they were also his biggest support system when he was going through his divorce. They had kept him sane and he loves them for it.

"Do we call this 'the third time's the charm'?" Kelly asks, lightly teasing but so incredibly glad to see their little brother happy again. And happier, if this morning is any indication, than they've seen him with any partner before. "I'm gonna tell her all your most embarrassing stories while you guys are playing football. The ones that Mom doesn't know."

"I've already told her." He lies through his teeth, aware that he's not come close to telling you all his embarrassing stories, but he has to put on a brave front. Any and all fear will be utilized against him if he doesn't stand strong. Shrugging, he pretends to be unconcerned. "So go ahead."

"Gonna call your bluff, little brother," she announces before hustling off to find you in the kitchen.

"Shit." He hisses under his breath, dreading what stories she will spread. Alex chuckles and shakes his head. "You're in for it now, little brother."

The kitchen is a different sort of chaos on this Christmas Eve morning, but the sound of the kids watching A Muppet Christmas Carol in the living room is a welcome soundtrack to all the fuss. "It's their tradition," Julia is explaining to you, talking about the next generation of young cousins and their movie choice. "Their parents and some of the older siblings get in on the lawn football game, but they like to watch Christmas movies all morning until we're ready to break out the stuff to make gingerbread houses after lunch."

“Ohhhhh wifey.” Kelly trills as she floats into the kitchen, stopping by the fridge to pull out the bottles of Prosecco she had put in there when she arrived. “It is my duty as your sister-in-law – the best one – to ply you with alcohol and tell you embarrassing stories about my baby brother.” She grins as she holds up the bottle. “Now, OJ or cranberry juice?”

The laugh that bubbles out of you with Kelly's appearance is honest and light, and you finish your last sip of tea before attempting to speak. "It’s a little too early for alcohol for me, but makes yours with a little bit of both." The suggestion is full of absolute certainty and you add, "Trust me," when she tilts her head at you with curiosity. "One part OJ, one part cranberry, two parts bubbly. It's perfect. I’ll just have equal parts orange juice and cranberry juice for now. That’s also absolutely delicious."

“Alright…sounds pretty good. I’ll give it a try.” Her eyes slide over to Julia and she raises a brow. “Mom? Are you in?” She asks mischievously.

"You two have fun." Julia shakes her head, bowing out in favour of letting her middle child and the family's newest member have some one-on-one time. "I'm going to get lunch in the oven early, I think. So we can all relax a little."

“Of course.” Kelly rolls her eyes and looks at you with a grin. “You’ll love Mom’s lasagna. It’s a tradition.”

"I've heard nothing but amazing things." In fact, Marcus has been raving about his mother's cooking. "I hear it's on the menu at your restaurant, too? The famous family recipe."

Kelly nods and shrugs slightly as she snags two champagne flutes from the cabinet. “Still can’t make it as good as Mom can.” She admits shamelessly.

"That's Mom Magic," you hum, not quite admitting out loud that it's the type of magic you want to have one day.

“Also probably the secret ingredient that she’s not telling me about.” Kelly teases her Mom, knowing there’s no ingredient, but loving to rag on her.

"Patience," Julia tells her definitively as she starts to bustle around the kitchen again. "It's patience. And my kids all love instant gratification."

Kelly snorts as she pours the juices into the glasses. “Of course we do, Mom. Why do you think you have grandkids?”

"Could always use some more!" She sing-songs, glancing in your direction with a smirk before turning back to her task at hand.

“Mom, don’t scare her off by being greedy.” Kelly scolds her mother playfully. “If they want to give you more grandkids, they will do it on their schedule.” It’s important that you understand that they will tease and play but they will never be those obnoxious in-laws that demand you do things their way or give them what they want for your life. It was always what Marcus’s ex-fiancée had claimed, that they were too pushy, when they had just been asking questions about their future.

“It’s okay,” you assure both women, not scared off in the least. “We do want kids, just not quite yet. We’re enjoying the honeymoon period a little too much to want to change anything just yet.”

Even though you’re talking about her brother, Kelly grins and winks at you as she picks up her mimosa and hands you your juice. “Practice makes perfect, right?” She jokes.

It’s not even worth hiding your smirk or the mild embarrassment in your face, since she’s absolutely right. “Something like that,” you agree with burning hot cheeks.

“See? You’ll have more grandbabies in no time, Mom.” Kelly taps her glad to yours. “Welcome to the nut house.” She welcomes you. “We don’t bite…hard.”

If it was his friends instead of his family, you might tease that Marcus does bite hard, but his mother and sister don’t need to know about the tender marks on your inner thighs. “Thank you for having me,” you joke instead. “I’m very glad to join this particular nut house.”

“We are happy to have you.” Julia promises as she carefully covers the massive lasagna in multiple layers of aluminum foil. Not wanting the top to burn. Luckily, she had already put it together the day before so it’s ready to go.

******

You were warned about the football game. You really were. Marcus had tried to impress upon you how over-the-top he gets with his brother and brother-in-law and cousins. You had thought touch football on the front lawn was a sort of cute, insanely all-American tradition to have. Even in the snow it had sounded quaint. Now that they’re halfway through the game, though? You can see the people who really have fun with this tradition are the wives and girlfriends. The group of you are up on the porch with mugs of wassail either shouting encouragements or giggling to yourselves in appreciation of attractive men tackling each other (partially) for your amusement.

Even though it’s colder than hell, the men have nearly all removed their shirts. Panting and sweating as they try to their hardest to beat the shit out of each other for sport.

“I love football.” Alex’s wife chuckles when she comes up beside you and Kelly and hands you both iced gingerbread cookies.

“Pass interference!” Marcus shouts, shaking his head and huffing after his cousin shoved him out of the way. “That’s bullshit!”

“Forgot how to play dirty, Fed?” His cousin laughs it off, having discarded his Omaha Fire Department sweatshirt on the porch railing. “Fight back, Marcus!”

“Aren’t you the one who had to have a pack of peas on your nuts last year?” Marcus taunts back. “Thought you were gonna use those tiny peanuts to make a baby?”

“Twins on the way, baby!” The cousin – Ryan – cheers back, like somehow he was extra virile enough to cause twins, rather than it being entirely up to his wife’s anatomy.

“Alright, alright, focus up assholes.” Alex calls, bringing the two men back into the fold of the game. Good natured smack talk is all part of the fun, of course.

“He’s just mad he can’t throw.” Ryan shouts from the other side, grinning when Alex shoots him a bird. “Most interceptions of all the QBs.”

Shaking off the heckling with a laugh, Marcus waves at you and blows a kiss up to the porch as he jogs by to retake his position. “So you’re Marcus’s new…fiancée?”

You hear the question from elsewhere on the porch and you turn to face the speaker. “Wife.” It’s his cousin Ryan’s pregnant wife, of course, and you steel yourself with a forced smile. Marcus’s cousin Ryan had married his ex-wife years after the divorce. Honestly you can’t quite figure out how the whole family seems okay with it, but they are. “I’m his wife.”

“Oh?” Her eyes widen and her hand stops rubbing her rounded stomach. “That’s— I hadn’t heard! Congratulations are in order.”

“Thank you.” She actually seems to mean it instead of having some underlying sarcasm, and that soothes you right away. “It was recent. I guess word is still getting around.”

“I’m sure Julia wanted to make a big toast tonight.” She bites her lip and sighs. “I’m Vanessa. I hope you don’t hold it against me.”

“Honestly?” A small laugh bubbles out of you, surprising you both. “I ought to thank you. If you hadn’t divorced him, then I could never have married him.”

Staring at you for a second, she grins back at you. “You’re welcome, then. Part of the cousin-in-law package.” She snorts. “Free of charge, of course.”

While you don’t think Marcus ever would have lied to you about what happened, it seemed a little too straight forward to you. Like maybe he was leaving something out to spare feelings, which is definitely something your sweet and generally gentle husband would do. “I hope it really was as painless as Marcus says.”

“Oh, Marcus was – is – amazing.” Vanessa insists immediately, having enough affection for Marcus that she is still willing and able to come to his defense. “We met freshman year of college, decided it was love, and didn’t have a clue what love really was.” She shakes her head. “We adore each other, just— as friends and not partners.”

“I admit, I couldn’t really understand why the whole family seemed totally fine with everything.” Deciding to be honest, you just shrug and take a sip of wassail. “But it only takes thirty seconds to realize that there’s no ill will, and that’s…it’s a big comfort.”

“I met Ryan when I was working on my masters.” Vanessa admits with a sheepish grin. “He had been in the military and deployed when I was with Marcus. I didn’t even know until we were talking about meeting the folks.”

“It would have been a very awkward surprise.” Being able to laugh together is a relief, one that you’re not going to take for granted at all. “I’m glad to see that everyone has ended up happy. That’s so rarely the way, and it’s a shame.”

“It is a shame and I hated that Marcus was having a rough go for a while.” She frowns fiercely and shakes her head. “I don’t know what that Lisbon lady was thinking but she could have done so much better breaking things off with him.”

“She doesn’t have the greatest reputation around the office.” You admit, though the whispers have gotten to you through backways, and only since you started seeing Marcus so you’re sure you only hear the bad stuff. “Either way, everyone is happy. That’s what matters.”

Vanessa nods after a moment, her frown turning into a smile. “I understand if you find it odd, or don’t like me on the principle that I’ve slept with your husband, but I hope we can be friends.”

"It doesn't make any sense to be upset with you over something that happened years before Marcus and I ever even met." Putting your hand out to her, the offer of a handshake is your formal show of a truce. No hard feelings. Not from your end. "I'm happy to be friends."

“Well, that went better than I ever hoped.” Amy admits, coming out of the kitchen with a fresh bottle of Prosecco. “Top off on mimosas, anyone? The juice content is getting a little high.”

A few people around the porch take her up on the offer, but you politely shake your head and decide to stick with wassail. The game seems to be wrapping up as well, which means it will soon be time to do the traditional Pike family Christmas Eve gift exchange before dinner. At some point Marcus's mother had read about the Icelandic tradition of receiving a book to read on Christmas Eve and loved it so much that it has become tradition.

“Whoever gets ’Beautiful Secret’….” Vanessa hums, waggling her eyebrows. “You’re welcome.”

"Welcome to the real tradition," Kelly jokes, looping her arm through yours as the group from the porch starts to pour back into the house in advance of the football players. "Most of the books exchanged between the adult members of the family are a little...saucy."

“Mom pretends she doesn’t know any of them.” Amy snorts, grinning knowingly. “But that woman has a stash of trashy romance novels from the seventies in the attics and somehow, those boxes are multiplying.”

"Marcus clued me in," you promise, following your two sisters-in-law inside. "I brought my best offering, I promise." The choice you made was very specific, and really has one recipient in mind. Even thinking about it just makes you nervous for what’s to come.

“Of course he did.” There’s a grin tossed your way. “Marcus was the one who was always reading Mom’s books when she wasn’t looking.”

"I'm not even mad about it." A laugh bubbles out of you that you don't bother to stifle, and you shrug. "It's purely educational for him, I swear."

“Ugh, I don’t want to know about my brother’s bedroom habits.” His sister shudders playfully before she points her finger at you. “As long as he’s taking care of you.”

“Oh, I promise.” He’s more than taking care of you. Marcus treats you like a queen. But Kelly doesn’t want to know that so you just smile and let the happy, hazy expression on your face do the talking for you.

“Ohhhhhhh.” All the women in the kitchen making a knowing noise and grin at you. “That answers that.”

“Answers what?” The oldest Pike sibling is the one to lead the charge into the kitchen and Alex makes his way over to his wife to kiss her before going for a bottle of Gatorade from the refrigerator.

“If your brother is taking care of his responsibilities.” The kiss is accompanied by a cheeky grin.

“I thought you couldn’t talk about the case yet?” Alex looks back at Marcus, who comes into the kitchen behind him.

Marcus frowns in confusion and props his hands on his hips as he catches his breath. “Huh?”

“Not that,” you laugh, reaching to give your sweaty husband a hug. “We were just talking about the book exchange and got a little off-topic.”

“Oh?” He eyes his sister and sister-in-law with playful suspicion. “Don’t believe a word they say.” He jokes.

“Sure, honey.” You snicker lightly. “But they should believe me.”

“Of course.” He scoffs, leaning in and dropping a soft kiss on your lips with a grin. “Federal agents are held up to a high standard.”

“Yes, we absolutely are.” It earns him another kiss, and those familiar butterflies in your belly that have been so active lately swell up again at just how much you love him.

“I’m gonna jump in the shower.” Marcus tells you. “Kicking ass made me sweaty.” He grins again.

“Hurry back.” Partly because you miss having him at your side, but also because it’s almost time for the book exchange, and you’re just as excited as you after nervous for that.

Marcus winks. “Of course, sweetheart. Ten minutes, tops.”

“Then we’ll start the book exchange in ten minutes.” His mother decides. And the kids can go first, just in case he takes a few extra minutes.”

“And so they are reading.” Vanessa snorts. “Less likely to pay attention to our books.”

“Probably better for everyone,” you agree, offering a smile and a knowing laugh.

******

Marcus is true to his word, bouncing down the stairs with wet hair and fresh clothes nine minutes later. The spicy, musky cologne he’s wearing is one that you picked for him and he loves it. “I’m back. So stop talking about me.”

“It’s only good things, babe.” When he plops down beside you in the living room window seat, he has a wrapped gift in his hand that looks like the size of a standard novel and it makes the thick volume in your lap feel even heavier. No turning back now…you remind yourself silently.

Mistaking your slightly tighter grip on the book as nerves, Marcus reaches over and takes your hand. “They love you, babe.” He whispers confidently. “My brother was already telling me he likes you more than he likes me.” It was a joke, but it makes him happy that you are so easily accepted into the fold.

“Alex seems easily swayed,” you tease, leaning into Marcus’s side. “All I had to do was promise to listen to all of his favorite embarrassing stories about you.”

“Thanks, creep.” Marcus scowls at Alex, pretending to be mad while his brother hams it up. “Anytime man!”

“Alright, alright.” Julia comes back into the living room with her own parcel in her hands. “Kiddos first. Everybody circle up!” The grandkids and cousins scramble to comply, all sitting around together knee to knee after strategically choosing who to sit next to like their lives depend on it. When Grandma Julia gives the word, everyone passes the book in their hands to the person to their left.

“Now. Exchange the book with the person across from you.” Julia grins as the shuffle starts.The kids eagerly comply, giggling gleefully, and then again when Julia tells them to pass their books two people to the right this time. Around and around, the books pass, each kid squealing when the brightly colored package they want gets closer. “Alright just two more moves.” She warns. The books get passed across the circle diagonally and then once more three people to the left before Julia says to go ahead and open their gifts, and then she turns to the adults with a grin. “Ours is less complicated,” she promises. She likes to get the kids riled up but the adults are always already so tired that she just turns on a Christmas song and announces that the game is ‘musical books’. “Just pass it to the right until I tell you to stop or the song ends.” White Christmas begins to play and you anxiously hand your wrapped book over to Marcus as they begin to go around the circle.

Marcus grins as the groaning from the adults starts. The jokes and the laughter as they try to shove the books into the person next them as fast as they can. “It’s fun!” He promises you.

It is fun. Or it would be, if you weren’t praying that his mother remembered her end of the deal that you made last night after Marcus had shooed you both out of the kitchen to wash up after dinner. You had admitted that your book gift was specifically for your husband and she had assured you that she would make sure it ended up in his hands. You just hope she sticks to that.

“Okaaaaaaaay.” Julia is watching the book like a hawk. Making sure that it’s close. “Aaaand…stop!” She orders.

Your heart leaps when the large book ends up in Marcus’s hands, and you breathe a deep sigh of relief. “Everybody open up!” Kelly laughs excitedly, but you can’t. Frozen in your seat beside your husband, you watch as he peels the carefully folded and taped wrapping paper to expose the bright yellow cover of the book you selected for him. At this point you’re just holding your breath, not realizing the entire room is watching you.

Marcus reads the book’s title and frowns for a moment. This was your gift. “I— babe?” He sputters, looking up at you with the most hopeful expression on his face.

“Open it,” you murmur softly, already starting to tear up at the light in his eyes.

“But you said—” he doesn’t want to admit how he had wished you had said you were ready when you kept saying it wasn’t the right time, but he wasn’t going to push you. “Okay.” Opening the book, he finally looks away from you.

The dated sonogram is staring him in the face when he pulls open the cover of We’re Pregnant! The First Time Dad’s Pregnancy Handbook accompanied by a handwritten note in the deep blue ink of your favourite pen.

“Meeting you was a surprise, falling in love with you was as easy as breathing. Marrying you came like wildfire, and now being parents is our next great adventure. The tiniest Agent Pike is expected in July.”

“Oh my God.” Marcus chokes out, barely able to breathe as he stares at the tiny little nugget on the picture. “Babe…we’re gonna be parents.” It hits him and the book is dropped into his lap as he surges forward to kiss you.

The entire crowd of Marcus’s family around you have exploded into a ruckus of gasps and shouts and cheering, but your world has narrowed down only to him. You’ve been sitting on this secret for two while weeks and barely managed to contain your own excitement. Sure, you had said you wanted to wait. To enjoy being married first. But that baby was having none of it. It bypassed your birth control like a champ, and from the moment your doctor told you it wasn’t stress or a seasonal flu running you down, you’ve been ecstatic.

“Baby, baby.” Marcus can’t help but giggle and grin against your lips as he kisses you over and over again. “I love you. So much. I can’t—”

“Breathe, baby.” And yet you can’t help giggling, breathless right along with him. “Can’t have you hyperventilating on me. We’re gonna have to get through a whole lot in the next seven months.”

“I— I thought you wanted to wait.” He shakes his head, trying to understand when this happened, how. Even if he logistically knows how.

“I thought I wanted to wait, too.” You shrug, though, laughing through giddy tears. “But I’m so excited, honey. I can’t believe I actually managed to keep it a secret.”

“Oh my God.” Marcus pulls you close, everyone around him fading to the background as he focuses on you. “I can’t believe you did either.” He admits, unable to stop beaming at you. “This is— you can’t ever top this Christmas present.” He decides with a laugh.

“Nope. Never.” Wrapped up in him is exactly where you want to be, but first you wipe the tears from under his eyes and press kisses to his cheeks. “But I have no problem with our first Christmas being our best.”

“I love you so much.” Marcus can’t even stop himself from caressing your stomach, in awe of the knowledge there’s your baby inside.

“I love you, too.” You’ve already lost track of how many times you’ve had your hand on your unchanged stomach since you found out about the baby, and you know that that’s only going to increase now that you can do it together. “And I love this little peanut so damn much.”

“You’re gonna be a Mom.” He chuckles. “And I’m gonna be a Dad.” He’s always wanted to be the father that his own was. Continuing the legacy of Pike dads.

“Merry Christmas, love.” Murmured against his lips, you kiss him one more time before his whole family descends on you with shrieked glee and hugs and a deluge of congratulations. Your first Christmas with the Pikes will probably never be topped, but that’s okay. It’s the perfect next step in your perfectly imperfect life.

______

Master Tags: @pixiedurango @chattychell @winter-fox-queen @lady-himbo @artsymaddie @princess76179 @paintballkid711 @missminkylove @pedrosbrat @ew-erin @sarahjkl82-blog @sharkbait77 @justanotherblonde23 @lv7867 @recklesswit @mylittlesenaar @f0rever15elf @gallowsjoker @steeevienicks @athalien @sherala007 @skvatnavle @thatpinkshirt @jaime1110 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @goodgriefitsawildworld @greeneyedblondie44 @katheriner1999 @littlemousedroid @harriedandharassed @churchill356 @ajathegreats-blog @haylzcyon @beardsanddetectives @kirsteng42 @ladykatakuri @adancedivasmom @madiebear @tanzthompson @emilianamason @bigsdinger @xocalliexo @pedr0swh0r3 @avaleineandafryingpan @charlyrmv @avidreader73 @iceclaw101 @loveslide @elegantduckturtle @becsworld @julesonrecord @its-nebuleuse @itsrubberbisquit @mikeyswifie @guelyury @lizzie-cakes @for-a-longlongtime @vabeachazn @purplerain04

#Pedro Pascal #Pedro Pascal character fanfiction #Pedro Pascal fanfic #Marcus Pike #Marcus Pike x reader #Marcus Pike x you #Marcus Pike x female reader #Marcus Pike x f!reader #pure fluff #Christmas fic #all-American softie #The Mentalist #Mentalist fanfic

[the-common-cowgirl]

Greater of Two Evils -Part 3

Summary: When you’re unable to share your brother’s happiness, you end up in the hospital. All hope is lost when the greater of the two evils in your life comes to your “rescue.”

Rating: Explicit

Pairings: Aemond Targaryen/Reader

Warnings: DD;DNE, Modern AU, Non-Con/Dub-Con (heavier on non-con), Physical Violence to Reader (choking, manhandling), Mentions of injuries to reader, Feelings of hopelessness, Elitism, Forced Pregnancy, Forced Proximity, Breeding/Pregnancy Kink, Non-Consensual Arranged/Fabricated Relationship, Dom vibes, Rough/Painful sex, Unprotected sex

Word Count: 5K

A/N: Quick reminder that this is a dark fic! Reading dark fics in a modern setting can feel more real so please, read the warnings carefully before reading further!

Masterlist

A week passed with no so little as a text from Aemond. With your current condition, you weren’t sure if the silence on his end was a good thing or not. Sure, you looked up other options. A way out. A way to terminate the pregnancy… but then Aemond’s words loomed over you like a dark cloud. Coming back to you all at once, the second you even thought about escaping him.

“-your entire family and most of all, your brother is ruined. I have my finger on the trigger right now.”

What could you do? What should you do? Aemond hadn’t contacted you in over a week. Maybe he just wanted to scare you and leave? Forget about you. Oh Gods, you hoped he had forgotten about you.

Your brother nearly pranced into the kitchen, opening the fridge to grab a drink. From your  vantage point on the couch, he looked happy, giddy. You tried to hide further behind your laptop, pretending to be busy with the schoolwork you should be doing and not stressing over anything. 

Don’t give him a reason to be suspicious of you.

“Hey! Wanna hear some great news?” He interrupted your act at homework.

You sighed and shut your laptop on your lap, looking up to your brother with thinly veiled disdain. “Sure.”

If he noticed your discontent, he did not speak on it. “That trade deal, last week, remember? I was trying to get through parliament? It passed!” He smiled widely toward you, as if that was a reason you should be ecstatic too.

Your lips formed a crooked smile, trying to hide the fact that you did not care nor did you see the reason you should. “Huh, that’s great.” Then you remembered, a week expired memory of Aemond telling you that he blocked the trade deal flashed in your memory and your blood ran cold. 

Why did it pass? What did he want now? Was I wishfully thinking this was over?

Your brother’s smile faltered, “Shouldn’t you be excited? That’s a win for us.”

He snapped you out of your spiraling dread. “Us?” You looked up to your brother, slight anger rising in your heart though you were too afraid to show it.

He nodded, moving closer to you, towering over you on the couch. “Look at what I’m doing for this family. Be grateful for my sacrifices. Do you know how many nights I stayed up past midnight trying to speak to my connections in parliament to get the trade deal to pass? Do you know what this means for us? For me?”

He speaks of sacrifices as if he was the sacrificial lamb I am.

You narrowed your eyes up at him, feeling emboldened by the anger bubbling up inside you. Your brother had no clue what it was like to sacrifice…anything. So he lost sleep? So what. You lost your sense of self, your dignity, your freedom. And again, all he lost was sleep.

“Honestly, I don’t care what a trade deal means for you. I don’t care how it’ll boost your standing in the company.” Your brother looked shocked at your words, you continued to glare up at him. “Because you don’t give a shit about me. I lost all respect for you when I realized you had none for me.”

Your brother stuttered, looking shocked. “I’ve given you everything. I love you.”

You scoffed, shaking your head. “You have a fucked up way of showing it-”

Before you could realize what had happened, your brother grabbed your wrist and painfully jerked you up to your feet, although, you were not prepared to stand and lost your footing once he let you go, falling to the group, hitting your head on the glass coffee table and shattering it underneath you. Your laptop that was on your lap fell amidst the shuffle and your weight landed on the top of it. 

Once you realized what happened, you felt blood trickling down your head, wrist, forearm. Your brother paid no attention, leaning over you, so close to your face as he spat angrily, “You are nothing without me.” He grabbed the already bruising wrist and jerked your body closer, scraping along the glass. “No one in this family is anything without me. Never forget that.” His voice was low, possessive, demonic. He shoved your wrist away and walked from the scene he had caused. 

You were left in the living room, trying to make sense of what happened and what you should do. You looked at the wrist he had grabbed, now turning purple and swollen. You felt the blood falling from your head to the white, fur rug that was underneath the shattered coffee table’s frame. You went through the motions numbly, standing up, grabbing your phone, laptop, walking into your bedroom and grabbing your wallet, stuffing those three belongings in your school bag and walked out the door. 

You knew you needed to seek medical attention, feeling the faint sting of your wrist breaking the absolute numbness you felt, and alongside that stinging, you began to feel dizzy. You called an Uber, thankful the driver didn’t ask questions or speak as you stared ahead after directing him to Sunspear Foundation Hospital. You only answered the questions they needed to know, the nurses, remaining quiet when three nurses came in and asked you if you were in a domestic abuse situation, asking if you knew you were pregnant from the mandatory pregnancy test you had to take upon arrival. When the social worker came in, she asked if you were safe at home.

Were you? No. Did you tell them the truth? No.

A nurse knocked on the door, the sting in your wrist still painful as you were denied all pain killers due to your condition, instead, you moved to sit up, using the non-swollen wrist. “Come in,” you said meekly.

She stepped in, just barely, trepidation in her proximity. “Uh miss? I have a visitor here for you-”

You furrowed your brows at her, wondering who would even know you’re here-

Aemond appeared from behind the nurse and moved to thank her before shutting the door to your room and looking down at your bandaged self lying in a hospital gown. His remaining eye was hard to read, he was hard to read. He set you on edge and given what had just happened, you knew the monitor connected to your finger sensed your pulse quicken. 

He glanced up to the rising numbers and decided then, to sit down next to you. Eye raking over your bandages without even a hint to what he was thinking, feeling. Being near him set you on edge. And the question you didn’t need answering popped in your mind.

How did he know I was here.

In theory, you knew. You knew he was well connected. You knew he had eyes on you. You knew that he always knew what you were up to. But here? Even at a hospital you couldn’t escape his eye.

“Who did this to you?” His voice was even, cold, deep. It terrified you.

“Um-” You began, for some reason wanting to protect your brother. It was unfortunately second-nature for you at this point.

“Don’t fucking ‘um’ me. Was it that wastrel you consider a sibling?” His voice was no longer even, it had an edge to it. It reminded you of the movies, when the man who loved the woman saw her hurt and was ready to kill for her given the word. It would have been romantic….if it wasn’t Aemond. 

“Yeah,” you croaked, moving your uninjured hand to your bandaged wrist to play with the bindings. “He- He didn’t mean-”

“I don’t fucking care if he meant to or not, you’re not allowed there again.” 

You looked at him, truly looked at him for the first time in a week. He was still in his suit. It looked like he had just come out of a parliament session. His hair was pulled into a low ponytail behind his head, only a few strands had been pulled out. His tie looked like it had been previously tight, now loose. He looked like he was slightly disheveled, not a usual look for him.

Did he drive all the way from King’s Landing once he found out I was in the hospital? Did he care about me? Was he worried?

You shook those ideas from your head as quickly as they came. Aemond was not a man to care about anything.

He’s worse than your brother. He’s another shark. You’re just another small fish in his pond.

“Do you hear me?” His voice cut through your thoughts, you hadn’t realized he had been talking. Blame it on blood loss or sleep deprivation at this point. Blame your attention span and your wild thoughts on both please. Blame both on anything but a sound mind. “You’re staying at my flat in Dorne until the wedding.”

You furrowed your brows, “No I’m not. I’m going home.” Blame your boldness on both too. Your heart sank as you realized what you had said, now growing anxious at the reparations you would pay for speaking back.

His eye remained neutral. “I’m not letting you go back there. Not after what he did to you.”

Why do you even care?

“Besides, It’ll give me more time to see you-” He tried to reach his hand up to grasp your uninjured one but there was another knock at the door. You told whomever it was to come in and Aemond’s embrace left your hand thankful as the doctor stepped into the room. She explained you had a sprained wrist, along with other minor cuts that would heal hopefully without scars thankfully to her using medical glue instead of stitches.

Finally, she smiled at the two of you as if you were a happy couple, giddy with joy at the prospect of a child. Maybe Aemond was…. But she told you that she went ahead and scheduled your follow up with a midwife in three days from now. “I know it’s a bit early for you to see them, but given the events of today, I’d like you to get started on your appointments with the prenatal care providers to ensure that both you and baby,” she pointed to your flat stomach underneath the hospital gown, it made you want to hurl, “are alright.”

She stood and shook your uninjured hand, then Aemond’s as he thanked her happily. She informed you both that the discharge nurse would be around quickly and you could leave then get some “much needed rest.” Dread pooled in your stomach as you realized you wouldn’t be able to rest where you were going, into the jowls of the beast.

The discharge nurse was quick, Aemond was quicker to help you out of your hospital gown (thankfully not bare to him as you kept your underwear and bra on), and he diligently, like an obedient and sweet partner, led you through the hospital, out into the warm night to where his black sports car sat parked. Even like a gentleman, he opened the door for you to sit. His engine roared to life, you glanced into the backseat, remembering the position he had you in a week ago on that leather fabric. 

On top, pretending I was in charge, much like right now. Though, I’m never in charge right? It’s only the facade.

His flat was fifteen or so minutes from the hospital, maybe five from your brother's. It was big and spacious, much like your brother’s expensive flat. But where your brother had the flat furnished bright and modern, Aemond had his furnished dark, old academia style. It screamed “Old Money” and you nearly laughed at how drastically different Aemond and your brother were while also sharing a single central attribute; they were both terrible people.

“You are sleeping in here tonight,” Aemond walked through a doorway to a bedroom, assuming you would follow… and you did. You looked around the dark bedroom, a King sized bed in the middle topped with dark coverings. There was a bathroom and walk-in closet off of it. It was a master suite. It was Aemond’s room. He deposited your school bag beside the bed. “I see you didn’t bring anything but a broken laptop and your wallet. You’ll need clothes.”

You fidgeted with your clothes you had on now. They were comfortable, you could sleep in them but Aemond walked into the closet, turning on the light and stifled through his clothes. You knew he wasn’t going to give you space. He’d force you to sleep in the same bed with him in his own clothes. He owned you. He knew you were too scared to say one simple word: ‘no.’ 

He walked out of the closet with a large T-shirt. It had a band’s name on it. “Here,” he offered and you took it. 

That was it… a t-shirt.

“In the morning, we can order you more clothes for here but for now, you can sleep in this.”

“Clothes for here.” He’s serious about me staying.

A chill ran up your spine, uneasiness rose in your throat.

Just for tonight, you told yourself. He can’t hold me captive. 

You looked over at Aemond who disappeared into the bathroom. From your vantage point, you could see him stripping his fine clothes in the wall length mirror and folding his clothes and setting them atop the hamper. You thanked the Gods he kept his dark boxers on.

Or can he? Fuck. What will he do if I don’t stay?

The word stay echoed in your mind, remembering the time in your childhood where you were teaching your Northern Riverlands Waterdog to stay. He was one, you were nine. He’s dead now… he stayed, obediently; as you commanded… in the Riverlands until his death. Was that your fate with Aemond? Pliant? Agreeable? Quiet? Like an obedient hound?

As Aemond emerged back into the bedroom, towering over you, you gulped your fear down and the truth of it all came bubbling up.

If I don’t change, if I dont stick up for myself… that answer is yes. 

“Are you going to change?” Aemond asked, breaking you from your haze. You looked up to him, briefly wondering if he heard your thoughts until you remembered the t-shirt you were grasping for dear life in your uninjured hand. 

“Uh…yeah.” You stepped past him, making your way to the bathroom. You shut the door behind you, breathing a sigh of relief that Aemond allowed you to have privacy to change. You pulled your shirt off as quickly as you could with a sprained wrist, wincing slightly as the soft fabric of your shirt drug along some of the wounds that were bandaged. Your shorts came off easier. You kept your underwear and bra on and managed to get into his shirt. The shirt was large, you swam in it, however, it barely reached past your bottom and anxiety crept up your neck as you realized  how much skin you were going to bare to his prying eye. 

Slowly unlocking the door and stepping out of the bathroom, Aemond was already sitting in the bed, his legs hidden underneath the dark covers as his back rested against the headboard. He looked over to you, eye raking up and down your body as you stared ahead to the place next to him where he intended you to sleep. Your words to yourself came flooding back into your mind.

If I don’t change, nothing will.

“I don’t feel comfortable sleeping in your bed tonight.” You mustered up all the courage you could possess, forcing yourself to make eye contact with him. He only scoffed and threw the coverings over his legs off. Standing up and striding toward you like a predator and you, prey. You felt the urge to cower given the happenings of today but you fought the urge. Before you knew what was happening though, Aemond grabbed around your waist, hoisting you over his shoulder. You kicked against his stomach to no avail, tried hitting his back until you remembered your wrist was sprained and sharp jolts of pain shot up your arm. You croaked in pain, trying to grab your wrist instinctively but before you could grasp it, Aemond threw you into the soft plushness of the bed: where he intended you to sleep. 

He moved to hover over you but you kicked up at him angrily. He dodged your foot, grabbing it mid-kick and gripped your ankle tightly, mirroring your brother several hours ago, yet not as harsh. He glared down at you, and you up at him. Emboldened by your fear, fueled by courage you were forcing. You wanted to spit in his face; you had half a mind to do it. Aemond glanced down, an idea flashing across his features and before you could act to defend yourself he reached down and ripped your lacy bikini bottom underwear from your core, exposing you now that the shirt was bunched up around your waist. He let go of your leg and stepped two paces backward, eye still drawn on you as he held your torn underwear in one hand. “Consider that your punishment for thinking, even for a second, I’d let you out of my sight.” Making you sleep without underwear as a punishment; what did that mean for you?

You scoffed and pulled the dark comforter over your lower half to cover yourself and Aemond started walking around the bed toward his side. “Seems like an easy thing to do considering you’re lacking half,” you mumble as you turn on your side, back to Aemond and pull the covers all the way to your neck.

“What did you say?”

Your blood runs cold, you hadn’t realized he had heard your snark but he did…and his tone was dangerous.

You feel the bed dip a split second before you feel his hand roughly grab your shoulder to pull you onto your back and face him. All your courage and anger wiped from you as you stare up, wide-eyed at his expression; one akin to hatred. 

“What. Did. You. Just. Say.” He grits out between clenched teeth. You think momentarily that he might slap or punch you as a hand behind his head slowly raises but that notion in your head dissipates as the hand closes around your neck; constricting oxygen and blood flow. You reach up to remove his hand with your injured and uninjured hands, clawing at him but he does not move. Your head starts becoming light. 

“I was going to be a gentleman tonight, give you the rest you so deserve… but it seems you’re in need of a lesson.”

You can barely register the words as your vision starts to become blurry. Just as you’re certain you’re about to pass out, Aemond releases your throat. You cough, sputtering up and drooling as your eyes glaze over in tears. You run a hand along your throat and the skin is painful to the touch. You’re unaware of Aemond as you try to recover your body from the blood and oxygen loss to your brain. You feel dizzy still, the feeling is not ebbing. Absent-mindedly, you try to sit up in search of a deeper breath and Aemond takes advantage of your upright position to rip his shirt off you, unclasping your bra and throwing it behind him, into the void of the room. 

You feel his hands on your breasts and realize he’s still kneeling on the bed in front of you, slotted between your legs covered by the comforter still. You move to push his hands away from you but he grabs your wrists in one hand and pushes you against the bed. 

“Be a good girl and take your punishment willingly. I might even give you some rest tonight if you’re good.” His fiery breath is on the shell of your ear and your eyes are screwed shut in pain as his grip on your sprained wrist sends jolts of torture through your body. You squeal hoarsely at it and he takes notice, releasing your wrists. “Keep your wrists above your head and that won’t happen again.” You nod without hesitation, thankful for the pain to begin to fade. 

Aemond’s hand engulfs your right breast. You feel him kneading it in his large palm, then flicking his tongue against your nipple until it stiffens to a peak. His tongue is nice, soft and warm. Maybe if you thought about that, softness, you’d enjoy it - what’s to come. He moves to the other breast, repeating the action until both of your breasts appear to his liking. He sits back, marveling at your bare chest. “Open your eyes.”

You can’t do it, can’t obey. Your eyes remain screwed shut.

You hear him scoff, most likely rolling his eye as you feel him move just beneath the covers to the apex of your thighs and slapping you harshly on your bare center. You whimper and give in, opening your eyes. He’s clad only in his boxers, just as he was before he choked you but for some reason, seeing Aemond towering over you in only his boxers makes fear gnaw on your nerves. You look up from the tent in his boxers to his face. His remaining pupil is black now; he looks like a demon, here to steal your soul.

“I am going to fuck you,” he says simply, slipping out of his boxers and discharding them beside the bed. “You’re going to thank me for servicing you so well, understood?” You look down to the ruddy tip, leaking of precum, straining hard against his own skin; like a caged beast.

“Understood?” His tone was one of a teacher or a parent after scolding a child. You looked up to him and nodded; unsure if you didn’t want it at all or wanted him to shove that glorious cock into you. 

No, no you definitely don’t want that. 

“You’ll also thank me for giving you my lineage.” He moved the comforter from your lower half, exposing your entire body to him. “Not every woman gets to carry a Targaryen in their womb. You should be honored.” He slotted himself between your legs, bending them at the knee and spitting down to your core. This would have been a hot, passionate coupling if he hadn’t been Aemond and if he hadn’t just said what he did. 

You pushed the back of your head deeper into the pillows, wanting to escape this hellscape as you slowly came to your senses. Everything came back to that fucking thing.

He ran the rigid edges of his cock along your pussy, up to your clit. It sent sparks along your belly but died before they could ignite anywhere else. Your fire was burnt out, any semblance of arousal died the second he reminded you that he put his semen inside of you and that it unfortunately took root. 

His aching cock caught along your entrance and he pushed against your rejecting walls. You knew he was well endowed, the biggest you’d ever taken, but gods, you hadn’t realized just how large his cock was until you didn’t want it. Maybe the fact your walls tried to push him out made him seem larger than he was but you nearly screamed when the head of him pressed harshly against the wall of your cervix. 

“Fuck,” he muttered, pulling out slightly, only to push into your refusing cunt again. You whimpered against his second push. His body fell to encompass your own, burying his head into the skin of your neck, breathing his flames against your artery. 

“You should really give in to me. It’ll make it a lot easier for you-”

“Why,” you bit out against his ear without much breath, “you’re going to fuck me anyways. Why do you care?”

Aemond raised, just enough for you to see his smirk and eye over your pained expression. “You’re absolutely right.”

His hips snapped harshly against you, stealing the breath from your lungs. You felt cramping begin in your abdomen from how harshly he had begun to take you. “Gentle-” you pleaded as you screwed your eyes shut and pushed his chest with your uninjured hand. “Please.”

You heard him huff above you, “Why? Like you said, I’m going to fuck you anyway. Why should I be gentle for you when this,” He accentuated that word with a thrust that made your whole body freeze in pain. Your muscles when taut and he half-moaned. “This is what I want. How I need it. How I like it.”

You pushed harder against the smooth, solid planes of his chest, “I- I’m carrying your child-” It was the first time you said it out loud, first time you admitted to yourself the truth you couldn’t bear. Now, more than ever, felt like a great time to make it an excuse. “Please- be gentle with me.” 

Your voice was so small, cracked with emotion as tears began to form in your scrunched waterline… but it got the message across.

Aemond stopped completely, still nestled inside of you. He felt your walls ease as he ran a hand up the curves of your body, stopping with his hand cradled along your ribcage. Your eyes softened until you felt the urge to look up at him through your tears. His expression was soft, contemplating over your nude figure.

He leaned down, taking your breast in his mouth, groping at the base near your sternum gently. You felt another hand more to your clit, gentle pressure moving along the pearl. 

His sudden change surprised you but nothing caught you off guard more when his head moved up from your breast to your face and kissed your parted lips hungrily. Tongue slipping past your lips. It was awkward, you didn’t kiss him back, still shocked at his sudden change. 

He pulled from your mouth, rutting gently now into your walls that had begun accepting him with his ministrations. “I’m sorry,” he kissed your neck, “you’re my delicate river. I do need to be careful with you.”

You furrowed your brows, looking sideways at him. Scared to speak but also so confused, “I’m not yours, Aemond.”

He smiled and kissed you again, hand moving down to your stomach. “You’re carrying a part of me inside of you. I’m with you, always. How are you not mine?”

You turned your head away, trying to escape the gnawing pleasure that was now betraying your body. Aemond moved his head to your hair; silver locks intertwining with the falsely dark locks of your own dyed head. “You’re so perfect. You always have been, haven't you?”

He angled his hips to brush against your spot, you felt your body betraying you, allowing him into your most intimate part now with grace and fever. Your walls relaxed completely, growing wetter and wetter. You felt your heartbeat quicken, perspiration began to pool on your forehead. 

“C’mon sweet girl,” he tweaked with your nipple, “give in to me.”

“You’re a monster,” you breathed quickly between the pants you were trying to conceal.

“Y’know you love it. Even if I am.”

“You are.”

He hummed to himself, rising up and hitching one of your legs over his shoulder, reaching deeper than before. Still playing with your clit as his thrusts became quicker but still gentle. “Then what does that make you then, huh?” He smirked from above you, “Because gods- the way your cunt is starting to clench around me, I know you’re liking my cock, loving it. You love this extension of me, you wanton whore.” His words were brash, harsh…but he spoke in reverence. “Gods-” he moaned, “and I’ll teach you to not just love this extension of me, but all of me.”

You felt your peak nearing but not being able to reach the summit as his bed-room talk was absolutely insane. “I’ll never love you.” 

Your breasts bounced along with his thrusts, he smiled down at them in reverie before his lone eye met yours. “Keep telling yourself that, my beautiful river. See who wins.”

He pinched your clit harshly and thrusted up into you with a gentle fever that had you tumbling over the edge. You saw stars as your back arched off of the bed. Body and mind betraying you as you gave in to him. Your cunt clamping down on his member and your blissed out expression, along with a half-scream you weren’t aware you made had him toppling over the edge, hips faltering in their pistoning as he shot his load against your already seeded womb.

Panting, he laid gently atop you, caging you in with his sweaty body as he came down from his high. His hand came up to caress your hair. He began planting sweet, chaste kisses on the side of your face. No, no they would have been sweet if they weren’t from Aemond but your mind dissociated as his softening cock still laid within you, his lips on your face, his hand in your hair…his child in your womb. 

You kept thinking about what he called you, during the act.

“My beautiful river.”

At least he saw you for what you were. Your roots, your homeland, your personality.

A river flows, leaves where and who it once was, changes course, cuts through the land unapologetically. 

You took a deep breath, staring into the abyss of Aemond’s dark room.

Be a river.

Let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist! As always, comments, reblogs and likes are appreciated but not necessary!

Taglist: @croatianprincess @toodlesxcuddles @drwstarkeyy @gemini-mama @iloveallmyboys s @boofy1998 @ammo23 @zenka69 @lokiofasgard12

#fanfic #house of the dragon #a song of ice and fire #gameofthrones #aemond targaryen #smut #game of thrones #dark aemond targaryen #aemond fanfiction #aemond x you #aemond smut #house of the dragon aemond #aemond one eye #aemond #hotd aemond #aemond the kinslayer #aemond x reader #dark smut #dark fic

[gay4abby]

Scents Shared !!

or in which you and jordan walk around the candle store smelling candles.

warnings, nooone, just holiday fluff. pairings, jordan li x reader. something very short n sweet while i try to finish my other requests lol i hope u like it :)

The holiday season was something every obtuse bastard was anticipating as soon as a new year starts. Decorations littered from doorstep to doorstep, street after street (causing even more pollution than it already fucking is, like am I right?) that would have undoubtedly fed an entire town. However, the holidays aren’t the same for Supes. Many of them are either estranged from their families, killed them, or are in constant arguments so celebrating it wouldn’t even make sense. There’s many more things at play, but you get the gist.

Regardless of how it goes for other Supes, Jordan’s family never fails to make it a big ass deal. You have already met Jordan’s parents and although you were very skeptical, they warmed up to you rather quickly. Jordan themself was even surprised at how much they liked, no loved you. Always asking about your wellbeing whenever they call Jordan. “You might as well replace me for their eldest child, honestly.” They once told you when you both were visiting their parents for spring break. You told them to shut up.

With Christmas being around the corner, you both found yourselves roped into a family holiday. You didn’t mind tagging along as you didn’t really celebrate Christmas with your own folks and Jordan’s family always made it feel like a fucking Hallmark movie. I mean, come on who wouldn’t want to experience a Christmas like that? What made spending Christmas with their family better than their siblings. You knew Jordan was the oldest and you always watched him interact with his siblings in the most loving way. It always made your heart warm.

You both were walking around aimlessly hand in hand and in one of the shops at the resort Jordan’s family and you are staying at. After being with them for a total of 48 hours, you both needed some reprieve and alone time. As nice as it was a break was desperately needed. “Look at this. Snow scented candle?” You reached your hand out to waft the smell up Jordan’s nose, expression neutral. “It actually smells like snow, holy shit. How the fuck?”

“I know!” You were in disbelief at the way they managed to capture the smell into a candle. A fucking candle. You shook your head setting it down with a wide grin. It was exciting for the both of you to have this time together, it was so simple yet the intensity of the intimacy was incredible. You felt them swing your intertwined hands as they stood off to the other side picking up another candle for you to smell. “This is snickerdoodle scented,” they raised the candle to your nose after smelling it. Your eyes grew wide as you looked at them, biting your bottom lip to contain your excitement. “We have to get that. Do you know how good it’ll smell in your dorm? Jordy, I’d never leave. Do you understand me?”

Jordan looked at you with love filling their eyes, their free hand reaching out to pinch your cheek. They chuckled slightly placing the candle in the basket that was settled on the ground between the two of you. “Like I’d ever want you to leave. Is it okay if I keep you hostage when we get back to campus?”

“Oh, absolutely. I am as willing as Homelander was when he dated that nazi,” you paused looking at Jordan for a second before you both busted out laughing. “Was he willing, though?” They asked you as they pulled your arm through theirs to continue walking after picking up the basket. “I mean, they kinda had the same idealism? Right?”

“He’s a prick, I wouldn’t be surprised.” You laughed, shaking your head slightly. “Prick is nicely putting it for him.”

“Why are we talking about Homeasshole, we have to focus on the candles!”

“You’re the one that fucking brought him up!”

“As a simile! Granted a terrible one, but similar.” Jordan, completely disregarding what you say, pulls you over to the fruity scented candles, “You know how much I love mango.”

“I don’t think that’s a very Christmas-y scent,” you were sent a deadly glare, “but what do I know, right?” You said with a nervous laughter as you grabbed it from their hand to smell it. It was pleasant on your nose, rendering you to take another sniff. Without saying anything, you take the candle and place it into the basket. Jordan only eyed you with those big brown chocolate drops before pulling you along again. “What about plug ins? We can get the same scents and it’ll be like an inception.”

“I like the way you think. We’ll get those after the candles.”

“Can we get peppermint? I think I’d really like some peppermint candles.” You inquired as Jordan pulled three candles from the shelf, one being peppermint, another being sandalwood and the last being nutmeg with apple. “Hm, this one smells good.” They hold out for you to smell the nutmeg with apple, you immediately nodding. “We should get all of those and let’s add vanilla for the cliché.”

Jordan picked up a vanilla scented candle quickly depositing it into the basket before linking arms with you again. They felt their pocket vibrate, a loud groan emitting from their mouth. Pulling it out, they checked to see who it was that was cutting into their alone time, annoying them even more when they saw it was their mom. “My mom’s calling.”

“Tell her I said hello!”

“Babe, you saw her not five fucking hours ago?”

“So what! Just tell her I said fucking hi, jeez!” You both huffed, you immediately walking away to find other candles while Jordan spoke with their mom. Your heart filled with such joy at the moment. It was like having an out of body experience where you’re watching a very nostalgic moment happen before you, it feels right to be there and there’s been a longing for it to happen. You didn’t know what to name it, but you don’t think you have to.

The moment continued even when Jordan came up to you and said you guys have to hurry up since the annual hockey game was beginning and even if you’re sitting out, Jordan wanted you to be there to be their little cheerleader. “What other scents did you get?”

“Oh! This one’s called moonstruck, which is like a combo of like burning wood and cranberry. Then I found coconut and orange. I’m pretty excited about this one. Next is sugar cookies! I know you’ll love this one.”

“Oh my fucking god, give me!”

“It’s yours, baby. Don’t worry I picked up two for you.”

“Did I ever mention how much I love you today?”

“No, but make it more poetic.”

“You are the blood that runs through my veins, the compound v that keeps me going and my safe haven when all is lost in the world.”

“I love you.”

You both giggled like school girls before walking off to the plug in’s section to get matching scents for your candles before paying then heading on home.

#jordan li #jordan li x you #jordan li x reader #jordan li x gn!reader #gen v x reader #gen v

[justanothercmblog]

Why didn't you try?

Summary: Matilda doesn't understand why her dad never seemed to put his family first.

genre: angst

pairing: Spencer Reid & teen!daughter

___

“You never had a problem with staying here after school Tills, it’ll only be for a couple of hours.”, Spencer said as he and his daughter entered the bullpen. Matilda trudged behind him, backpack shouldered and an attitude clearly visible on her face of resentment.

“Sure, always loved spending all of my free time at an office building, the dream," she said sarcastically and headed straight to the roundtable room, bringing distance between her father and her and ignoring the team that were much more than just her father’s coworkers to her.

“What’s up with her?”, Morgan was the first to ask, following his niece with his eyes. Spencer just shrugged, not feeling like getting into his daughter’s teenage attitude hat had only gotten worse towards him since her mom and he had split. They had decided that Matilda would stay with each of them for a week whenever Spencer wasn’t on a case and this was the first week that they had gone through with the arrangement.

Matilda had made it known that she didn’t want to spend time with him, it had broken his heart in a way he had never experienced, but her mother was not having it. As much as the separation had hurt, Spencer was a good dad and she wouldn’t let her daughter shut him out like that. Day two and Spencer was beginning to question if that really was the way to go. Tilly had barely spoken a word to him and had clearly shown her disdain for him and as much as he loved having her with him, he knew that this hurt more than having her be with her mother.  

They had been at the BAU for an hour when all of the team had noticed the obvious tension between their resident genius and his daughter and most of them had been victims to their first BAU kid’s temper and mood. Matilda Reid knew she was being insufferable, but she couldn’t but blame every person in this building for her parent’s separation. Especially her father. His job had finally messed it all up beyond repair. She now started to question if her mom had actually just stayed with him because she had been a kid and used to adore her dad. She scoffed at that. Why did she ever adore the man that was barely present? She was almost sure that he had spent more time with the members of the BAU than with her and her mom and it made her even angrier at them all. 

“Ohhh my favourite person in the whole world is here!”, Garcia’s cheery voice snapped her attention away from her thoughts and onto the colourful woman that was her godmother. Even she couldn’t change her mood though and none of the team members had been able to warn the woman either so Matilda’s attitude came as an even bigger shock. The teen scoffed at the woman and rolled her eyes.

“Please why do you all feel like you can just march in here and annoy the fuck out of me!”, she snapped loudly and Garcia froze at the door, eyes wide. That was it for Spencer. the whole bullpen had heard his daughter snap and swear and he wasn’t having it. Before Garcia could snap out of her shock Spencer had strode up the stairs and come up behind the woman, glaring down at his daughter.

“That’s it, Matilda! Do you hear yourself? Take your teenage attitude out on me but swearing at your godmother? Absolutely not! Phone!”, he boomed and held out his hand expectantly. “What?”, she questioned in shock. “You heard me, hand over your phone, you’re not talking to anyone like that, especially not the people that love you.” She scoffed. “Fuck off I’m not giving you my phone.”

Garcia’s eyes only grew bigger at the language the teen used and the tension in the room. She really didn’t want to be in the room with both of them and witness this first hand but here she was. “What did you just say to me?”, Spencer's voice had gotten dangerously quiet and his daughter got up from her chair and stood up to face him. “I said: FUCK… OFF!”, she snarled and stared into his angry eyes with the equally angry ones of her mom.

Before Spencer could say anything else she grabbed her phone and turned around to leave, though he was faster, snapping out his hand to grab her wrist tightly. “You are not leaving right now!”, he boomed and she flinched as she turned back around, looking up at him with wide eyes and at her wrist in his strong hands. He had never been so loud with her, but then again she had never been so loud with him either.

“Spencer!”, Garcia squeaked and suddenly Morgan appeared behind Matilda in the door she was trying to exit through. “Reid you better let go of her NOW!”, he ordered and it was only then that he noticed how tightly he was gripping his daughter’s wrist. As if it was on fire he let it go and watched his daughter tumble back into Derek’s chest, still staring up at her dad. Before he could say anything more though she backed off of Derek too and turned to rush out of the room and down the stairs, the team and Spencer following her with their eyes. 

It was Emily who jumped up and followed her out, while the rest of them was still frozen in place. “Oh god!”, Spencer snapped out first, clutching his hands in front of his face. “Oh god, I grabbed her… I hurt her! Oh god," he uttered, a wild stare looking after his daughter and tears prickling in his eyes. He ran his hand through his hair messily and then moved to follow her, though Morgan didn’t let him past. “Reid stop.” “I need to apologise! I need to make sure she’s okay! Morgan let me through!” “Emily’s got her! You won’t be much help right now!”, he told him sternly. “I didn’t mean to.. I didn’t mean to grab her that tight! I didn’t… Fuck!”, he exclaimed as he kicked one of the chairs. 

---

“Tilly?”, Emily asked softly as she entered the women’s bathroom of the floor. The room was empty but one cubicle was occupied. The woman could hear soft sniffles coming from it and knew who they stemmed from. “Leave me alone!”, the girl snapped trying to sound self-assured but failing miserably. “I’ll give you a minute but I’m not leaving,” Emily announced and leaned against the wall opposite the cubicle. Nothing was heard apart from the soft sniffles. “Are you hurt?”, Emily asked after a while and Matilda looked down at the wrist her dad had grabbed. It was a little red but didn’t really hurt. “No”, she said. “I’m calling my mom.”, she added and Emily sighed. 

“Don’t you think you and your dad should talk about what’s going on?” “No I don’t, he can go fuck himself.”, the teen snapped and Emily closed her eyes in defeat. “Tilly. What’s really going on here? I don’t even recognise you.” The teen scoffed. “Well, how would you.” “What do you mean?” “As if you guys cared about anything else but your stupid jobs", she said and this time Emily could hear the hurt sifting through the teen’s words. “That’s not true Tills. We all care about you, especially your dad.”

Matilda shook her head and finally opened up the door, looking up at Emily’s worried eyes. “If he cared he wouldn’t have let it come to this,” she said numbly and shook her head before stepping to the sink and washing her face, in an attempt to hide that she had been crying. Emily just stood by her side and watched her. “Matilda. If anyone knows what neglectful parents look like it's me. And I promise you. Your dad is not one. He loves you more than he loves life itself, you know that.”

Matilda didn’t want to hear that. Deep down she knew Emily was right, but she was still hurt. She was hurt and what made it worse was knowing how much her mom was hurt. “He hurt my mom. Badly,” she said and Emily was beginning to understand what this was. “And now you made it your mission to hurt him too?” Matilda stopped and glared at Emily. it sounded dumb when she said it like that and it hadn’t really been her mission, so she thought at least.

“Come on Matilda, you’re smarter than that.”, Emily said as the teen dried her hands. “He hurt me.” “We both know he never meant to. And may I remind you that you said some pretty hurtful things too?”. “And that gives him the right to hurt me physically? Wow great lesson you're teaching me here Emily.” Matilda snapped back and Emily bit down on her lip. “No I didn’t mean it like that. You’re right, no one has the right to touch you like that honey.”, Emily quickly admitted hearing how that had sounded. “

I just meant.. You snapped at Garcia Tilly.” Matilda’s heart sunk to the pit of her stomach thinking back and she looked down at the floor in shame. “Listen. I know life sucks for you right now and you blame your dad. I don’t know what exactly caused your parents to separate but he loves you, Matilda, I think you should talk about this. Tell him how you feel.” “He’s mad at me.” “Come on now, Spencer is probably being eaten alive by guilt right now, you can bet on Derek giving him a piece of his mind too.” “I don’t want to go back out there.” “Just go straight into my office okay? I’ll get your dad and tell him to be calm if he isn’t okay?”

Matilda nodded and Emily wrapped her arms around her, embracing her for a minute. “I know this is all a lot right now but you’ll be fine.”, she whispered into the girl's ears. “Thank you aunt Emmy”, the girl responded and held on tightly to her. “Let’s get you out of here, hm?”, she said encouragingly and wrapped an arm around the girl's side as they left the bathroom and entered the bullpen again.

All of the other’s gazes followed the two of them and Spencer immediately wanted to rush after them, though Morgan held him back again. “Wait for Emily to talk to us.”, he said to him and he watched his friend lead his daughter into her office before coming over to him. “How is she? I need to apologise, what’s going on?”, he bombarded the woman with questions. “She wants to talk to you, but Spencer you better be calm with her, even if she snaps, she’s angry and hurt, okay? Mentally I mean, her wrist is fine, but if I ever catch you being rough with her again, believe me when I tell you that I will snap you in half Reid.”, she told him and he nodded eagerly. “I’d never hurt her! You know that!”  Emily nodded. “Okay, then go make things right with your daughter. She wanted to call Julia but I convinced her to talk to you first.” The mention of his wife made his heart squeeze with hurt. He still loved her, so much, but it wasn’t working out anymore and he knew she deserved better. 

------

a/n: I would love to hear your thoughts!

Part 2

#spencer reid #spencerreid x teen!daughter #criminal minds #spencer reid angst #teen!daughter #dad!spencer #spencer reid x reader #dad!spencer & teen!daughter #dr spencer reid #cm #criminal minds parents #emily prentiss

[leclsrc]

keep a place for me – cl16

Charles has been single all his life, and you know the reason why.

auds here... title from this, the song that inspired me to write. u can Never go wrong w frank ocean (facts) one of my top artists of allll time!

Will Charles Leclerc Ever Stop Being a Bachelor?

“This is fucking bullshit.” He shuts the phone off, but the headline’s font has branded itself even behind his eyelids. Irritation simmers just beneath them, his hands gesturing wildly to convey his annoyance to you and Pierre, as you watch with mild concern. He eyes you both. “Bullshit!”

“Not—mate, I love you—but it’s not really.” Pierre eases into it slowly, sheepishly almost. “You’ve been single forever. And the headline is just pointing that… out.”

Charles huffs a little, crosses his arms, gives a half-hearted shrug. “Fine. So what, what do—do they wish for me to get married and have kids within the year?!”

“I don’t think your bachelor status is really a cause of complaint for these fans,” you point out. “I’d think they’re happy. Charles, tabloids spin this bullshit all the time for their benefit and clout.”

“Yeah.” Pierre nods along. “Fans know not to feed into it, so relax. Believe us—your two closest friends. And hey, the fans, they’re actually making a pretty good point, if you think about it.”

Pierre! You yell in unison, heads whipping in his direction.

He throws two arms up, eyes widening at the sudden display of aggression from his two friends, fans the both of you off. “Oi, I’m being honest. Charles has been single since forever. Seriously, forever.” Your eyes refuse to meet Charles’ now that the topic has fully focused on his being single; you gulp instead, crossing your arms. Pierre is a little shit though, and pushes further: “What, did thirteen-year-old Charles get his heart broken, or something?”

“Try seventeen,” sighs Charles, defeated almost. Your eyes flicker to him, his sitting figure, then back to Pierre, whose eyes are bright with curiosity. 

Pierre almost can’t believe it. “Mate?! Why’ve you never mentioned this?”

“Because it wasn’t relevant,” he clarifies firmly. “At the time. But it’s been so long, I guess. With somebody from Monaco. We’d been proper close then, but I’d always liked her. Maybe love, it was, at that point.”

“Aha, now we’re talking, chat!” Pierre pulls a seat out from the counter you’re all sitting at—your kitchen counter—and leans forward, interested. You remain standing, leaning against the counter, eyes on the tile, breathing slow and heavy. “Then what?”

“Nothing, I just—I told her I liked her on a trip to Paris.”

He lies. Even now, in the clouds of age and patched-up relationships and work and new lives, you can recount the night from memory, a cold chilly one in Monaco on the eve of his eighteenth, on the roof of your family home. He let it all out in one breath, a rushed I love you, and then garbled additions to his confession followed.

I’ve always loved you, he said, pressed when you shook your head no. You kept shaking your head and he kept going. You know I’ve always loved you, je ne cesserai jamais de t’aimer. But even with your hands clasped in his you said no, no, this is wrong, it’ll end badly, don’t want this, please. For us, don’t. For me. 

Because even then Charles had the light of a world champion, the drive of one, and you saw it in him so early. You saw with it the doom of a potential relationship, and resolved to end things before they even started. It wouldn’t happen without it being ruined, you figured, so why let it happen at all? 

“Proper romantic, Charles!” Pierre hollers. “What’d she say?”

You loved Charles so much it was almost painful.

Rejecting him, feigning indifference, pretending you only thought of him platonically felt alien. You played the part well, thought—this is Charles with the funny voice impressions. Charles with a habit of biting his nails. But the truth was, you cared. You cared so deeply, and you were so in love, in the way all seventeen-year-olds are, a childish thing.

You might dismiss the love to be childish, just to ignore how real it was, but it really was real. The love really was something. You’d have done anything for him, and you can place for a fact he would’ve said the same for you. The problem is you’re still in love, living out the stretch of the last few years in silent torture, silent suffering.

And you wish sometimes to be childish again, to be seventeen and say yes, I do love you, ignore the consequences that might come with it. You long so desperately for his love, and the fact that he’s willing to give it makes it more painful, the way you know you will never allow yourself to receive it. The fans, the fame, the danger. Was it worth it? To be wanted, needed by him?

“She said she…” Finally, finally your eyes meet, in a way so different from the usual. With this comes the rush of nostalgia, of hurt, of pain. Of love, unrequited and unconfessed, left abandoned in childhood rooftops. “…just wanted to stay friends.”

#f1 #charles leclerc #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc imagines #charles leclerc drabble #charles leclerc smut #f1 x reader

[hopelessrromantix]

content: mutual masturbation, sub!steve, switch!eddie, dom!reader, modern au, steve has a daddy kink

join my gay ass server

The second you’d announced you were going on vacation, Eddie and Steve knew they were in for a painful week.

Steve was already away, visiting family members a state over. Though he hardly interacted with them, he’d still been required to come.

Now you were leaving Indiana, headed to California for a week-long vacation. You could even spend time away from the rest of your family since they’d be out on their own activities.

“I hate this, it’s so boring without people to piss off,” Eddie grumbled, slumping against his pillows. His laptop was on his bed, lazily positioned so you and Steve could see him sitting down.

"Don't you have plenty of preteens to spend time with?" You questioned, chuckling at the half hearted glare Eddie gave you.

“I’ll be back in two days! You can live that long,” Steve reminded.

“Yeah, but Y/n will still be in Cali. I want both of you.” With the low tone of his voice, the implication was obvious. He had less than innocent plans for when you and Steve both got home.

“I want both of you too, but it’ll be better than being alone until we can all get back together,” Steve reassured, brushing Eddie off. The metalhead groaned, head tilting back as he did so. You chuckled at him.

“Y’know, we could always have fun now if you don’t feel like waiting?” You offered, smirking at the camera. There was a nice desk at your hotel, making for a good place to talk to Steve and Eddie. Steve was seated on a bed as well, laying down on his stomach.

“Now?” Steve’s eyes widened. He looked around the room, making sure his headphones were plugged in.

“You’re alone, right?” You questioned both of them. Your family was out doing whatever at the beach, they wouldn’t be back until that night.

Both boys nodded at your question.

“Then why wait?” You unzipped your pants, the action barely audible to the men on the call with you. You pulled your cock out of your pants, with the desk in the way only the tip was visible from your camera. You heard Eddie groan and saw his hands dip into his boxers.

He slid them down his legs, stroking his half-hard cock idly.

“Can’t wait ‘til you can come back and fuck me,” He started, eyes glued to you on the screen. Steve had taken his pants off as well, now in a sitting position on his bed. His hand moving up and down his cock slowly. “Wanna ride you when you get back. Stuff myself with your cock until you fill me up.”

You groaned at his admission. “Miss your tight ass,” You admitted, stroking faster, “You both feel so good around me.”

“God I want you to fuck me so bad, Daddy,” Steve whined. He was kneeling now, two fingers sliding in and out of his ass. “Can’t reach as far as your cock does. Want you to fuckin’ ruin me.”

Eddie moaned louder, drawing the attention of both you and Steve. “Fuck I’m gonna cum. Tell me what you want from us, Stevie.”

Steve whined, fingers moving faster. You could feel your end approaching as well, your eyes shifted between the two boys.

“Want one of you to fuck my ass and the other in my throat,” Steve confessed, slipping a third finger in his hole. You and Eddie both groaned at the admission, your cocks twitching as you did so. “Want you guys to fill me up, can’t wait for you to use me like your fucktoy.”

That pushed Eddie over the edge, cum landing on the old band-tee he was wearing. “Such a good cumdump, Steve,” He moaned. “We’re gonna fill you up nice when you get back.”

Steve came a second later, grinding down on his own fingers as he desperately chased his high. “Gonna fuck me so good,” He muttered, eyes screwed shut as he tried to imagine the both of your hands as his own.

The sight was enough for you as well, cum dripping down your cock as you came down from your high.

At least you had something to look forward to.

#letters to stranger things #kinktober 2022 #x reader #top male reader #dom male reader #male reader #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve harrington x male reader #steve harrington x eddie munson #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington smut #steddie x reader #steddie x male reader #steddie #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x male reader #eddie munson x top male reader #eddie munson x reader #stranger things 4 #stranger things x male reader #stranger things x reader #stranger things

[rangerdoubt]

WIP WEDNESDAY

@glitchy-npc and me sneaking in on PST… brother. i haven’t done anything in a while. SO:

tagging @redwayfarers @thenightdayblogger @emeraldgreaves and like, anyone else who also wants to do it! it’ll be a wip whenever though bc it’s like six to midnight for me 🥲

miscellaneous stepverse/crime family au, because i like making my steps argue:

“I thought you didn’t drink,” you say when he raises a lazy hand in greeting.

“I don’t. But you do.” A flat little smile, all dimples and no teeth. He narrows his eyes at you and folds his hands around–

“Is that a Shirley Temple? Are you six?”

“Seven, actually. Order what you want. I’ll get the tab.”

You point an accusing finger in his direction and he raises his eyebrows in mock-surprise. “Don’t think you can start being nice to me now,” you grouch, but he waits until you sidle back from the bar and take a sip of your vodka Diet Coke before making his reply.

“Better?” You keep your grunt noncommittal and he wrinkles his nose. “I worry for you, that’s all.”

“How sweet. Wh–” You take another long sip. He manages to keep the benign little smile, but the furrow between Miguel’s eyebrows gets a little deeper as he waits for you to come up for air. Whatever. Good. You’re feeling a little better already. Calmer. Braver. Maybe this won’t go as badly as you suspect it might. “What’s wrong this time?”

the migjulia that i forgot about!

Julia traces a finger over the bare skin of your back. You swallow hard, and keep your eyes on your phone to keep from shivering.

“You know,” she says wonderingly, “I never—are you playing sudoku?”

You do your best to squint back at her but it cricks the hell out of your neck. “It’s a crossword. They’re completely different grids?”

“Oh, because that’s so much better. Is this, like, your equivalent of a cigarette or something?”

“Fuck o—kay.” You take a deep breath, stuck somewhere between an argument and laughter. “And if it is?”

“Then you’re a bigger nerd than I thought you were. Which says a lot.” Julia tucks herself tighter against your back, sticking her chin into the crook of your neck.

“You weren’t supposed to be in a position to find out,” you say dryly.

“Mmm,” you can hear the smile in her voice, smug and fond at once, “But I am.”

a bit of original fic that i’m still trying to wrangle:

It is—suffocatingly awkward, now that there is only two of them. And the angel. Always the angel.

“Will—how is he going to go—“

“Shut up,” says Tam stiffly. The leather of the steering wheel is squeaking in her hands, she’s squeezing it so tight. Max sinks deeper into her seat.

“Okay.”

It doesn’t sit right to have just—left Gavin there. He’d been—kind, almost. Sad in his own way. It made something turn in Max’s stomach to watch him just recede into the distance, like he’d given up as they pulled out of the gas station.

ALL IS AS IT SHOULD BE, MAGDALENE, says Melpomene in the rearview mirror. It’s humming again, blindfolded eyes turned toward the window. Its pair of lion’s claws are folded over each other, like any kind of house cat.

“Right,” says Max. She’s given up on correcting it. A name for a name, she supposes. “If you say so.”

#auden writes

[weirdlypersonalrpmemes]

»        as dusk falls sentence starters           tw: alcohol, mental health.             feel free to change pronouns and/or phrasing to suit your muse!

❝ not so long ago, i wanted to be a journalist. ❞

❝ i tell ya, the only thing worse than feeding a dog fast food is smelling it again on the way out. ❞

❝ that’s a lot of stuff for just two men. ❞

❝ what do bank robbers eat for dessert? heist cream. you get it? ❞

❝ you lost the — no you didn't. ❞

❝ take a minute. get your shit together. ❞

❝ country kids. or the desert version. lucky we’re still in one piece. ❞

❝ this your work? you've done a good job fuckin' it up i see. ❞

❝ why weren't you keepin' an eye out, huh? ❞

❝ all right, big-man, you've got until seven to get this apartment ship-shape and ready to go. ❞

❝ learn how to drive, asshole! ❞

❝ don’t talk about him. this is all his dumb fault anyway. ❞

❝ jesus christ. i swear i never come so close to shittin' myself. ❞

❝ [NAME], no. we can't go from strangers to roommates. ❞

❝ you're trying to kidnap my WIFE, man. you think i'm gonna stand here and let that happen?. ❞

❝ so what’s next? license plate game? another round of row-row-row your boat? ❞

❝ i hope he didn’t see our license plate. ❞

❝ relax! it ain’t personal. ❞

❝ family? we’re just your fucking babysitters. ❞

❝ police, open up! ❞

❝ police, open up! or maybe... it's the big bad wolf. ❞

❝ jesus, [NAME], this isn't die hard. ❞

❝ you think you're bruce willis, huh? undercover, fighting off bad guys? ❞

❝ maybe you need a cold shower. ❞

❝ eyyy, let’s party. ❞

❝ shut the fuck up. ❞

❝ girls, booze, that fancy purple car of yours... i don't know, it doesn't sound like the worst. ❞

❝ gonna miss your sweet little smile, cupcake. one last drink? ❞

❝ you wanna hear my pitch? i say we rob the bank. ❞

❝ no offense... but i think you're just hot wind. ❞

❝ well you got a better plan? cause i don't. ❞

❝ these houses all look the same to me. ❞

❝ you're always out skulkin' in the woods, climbin' trees and all that. we all know you're good at it. ❞

❝ don't screw this up, kid. ❞

❝ i need you focused, or none of us are getting out of here. ❞

❝ no — no — STOP. YOU listen to ME. ❞

❝ you and i are goin' for a stroll. ❞

❝ she's tough. she'll make it. ❞

❝ it's not the walls. it's what happened within them. ❞

❝ you touch my things again, you won’t be happy. ❞

❝ he came back early, i don’t know what happened! ❞

❝ s'alright. i put my big boy pants on today. ❞

❝ get rid of the cop. you hear me? ❞

❝ you know what this means? shooting a hostage? ❞

❝ all i asked, was that you not do anything stupid. but stupid is all you do, isn’t it? ❞

❝ are you about to give me marriage advice? because if i recall, you walked out on yours. ❞

❝ take that stupid smirk off your face. you look like a fuckin' halfwit. ❞

❝ look, you got away. can you let me go now? ❞

❝ you’re coming with me. ❞

❝ you know you're going to jail after this, and when you finally die there, you're going straight to fuckin' hell. ❞

❝ newsflash — THIS is hell. and we've been here a lot longer than you have. ❞

❝ this is a toughie... ❞

❝ you know something? i don’t like you. ❞

❝ knew we shouldn’t have brung him. ❞

❝ you do that, i promise you’ll regret it. ❞

❝ wanna get high? ❞

❝ i'm scared, [NAME]. i don't want to be alone. ❞

❝ hey, my heart's practically thumping out of my chest. but at least it's still 

beating, right? ❞

❝ i'm sorry about what i did. i was selfish, and i hurt you... ❞

❝ easy now, let’s just — ❞

❝ wait. you need a hostage? take me. ❞

❝ sorry to lock you up like this. ❞

❝ ON THE GROUND! NOW! ❞

❝ i think it’s time to put this whole thing behind us. ❞

❝ you joke when you're hurt, you always have. but i can see through it. ❞

❝ don't speak. don't make a sound. ❞

❝ it'll be over when we win. ❞

❝ i shot him! we gotta run! ❞

❝ now, i can help ya, but you gotta relax those nerves first, all right? ❞

❝ we all have things that scare us — like the dark, and that's okay. i guess we just learn to live with it until maybe one day we won't be afraid anymore. ❞

❝ it was a mistake. i'm sorry. i'm sorry. ❞

❝ oh god, i was right? ❞

❝ was he good in bed? was it worth it? ❞

❝ i'll always be here for you. that won't change. ❞

❝ come on, man. just share the food. ❞

❝ you are testing my patience here, man. ❞

❝ how the hell do you climb so fast? ❞

❝ please write back, [NAME]. i need to hear from you. ❞

❝ do you think i'm bad? am i... am i broken? ❞

❝ you know the world thought you were dead. after you jumped off that cliff. ❞

❝ you'll be fine. you have my word. ❞

❝ aw, fuck! ❞

❝ spare me the lecture. can you do it? ❞

❝ i think the only real job i ever had was convincing people i was someone else. ❞

❝ wasn’t taking the scenic route your idea? i wanted to do this trip at 30,000 feet. ❞

❝ look, this is our only chance. we have a kid in the back of the car, ain’t no way the cops’ll shoot. ❞

❝ i got your back, you know that, right? ❞

❝ i'll always look out for this family. no matter what. ❞

❝ come on now. you're just being dramatic. ❞

❝ look, forget what i said, okay? of course i'm your brother. ❞

❝ it isn't working. it never does. ❞

❝ i don't remember you having a scar before. ❞

❝ family means sacrifice. ❞

❝ we don’t know that for sure. it’s a huge risk. ❞

❝ hop that fence and find a way in. ❞

❝ be there tomorrow. please. let me die looking at someone who knows me. ❞

❝ look, you said you see my face in your dreams? well, i see your face too. i can't explain why. ❞

❝ you deserve a friend, you really do. it just isn't me. ❞

❝ i hope you’re happy. ❞

❝ let me just have one last look around. ❞

#sentence starters #ask meme #ask memes #rp meme #rp memes #inbox meme #inbox memes #mine #adf anniversary second post! #there are a whole ton of really good quotes in this game so i might make a part 2 one day. we'll see!

[quietwingsinthesky]

In your opinion, is it worth watching Supernatural if you missed the superwholock craze and your only exposure has been meta posts

my darling anon, i’m a supernatural fan, i’m going to say yes. BUT. with caveats. one; depends on the meta you’ve been exposed to, because if you’ve been told by tumblr gifs it’ll be an epic love story between that dude and his angel, i’m so sorry to disappoint you but that’s not what the show is about. but if the meta you’ve gotten is about the actual themes of the show, go right ahead.

(to be clear, like, there’s still stuff to dig into for destiel. i just wouldn’t want you to go in expecting a romcom in a horror story.)

CAVEAT TWO: you gotta understand that supernatural is really like 5 or 6 shows in a trenchcoat building on top of one another. like s1-3 are pretty solidly their own show, cut down early by the writer’s strike and even delineated nicely by being filmed on. film. rather than digitally. s4-5 are their own thing. s1-5 are their own complete arc, and honestly, you can just watch that and have a pretty good time with some genuinely fantastically put together television. and then after that s6 is kinda its own thing, 7-8 too, 9-11, and then 12-15 i just lump together as Bad but im sure someone else would actually classify them by arc or whatever.

okay god we’re putting a cut now im not gonna shut up im sorry

i think more people should watch s1-5 of supernatural. it’s silly, it’s scary, it’s full of fucked up shit and things that will mess you up for life (affectionate). and then i say watch the rest until you don’t enjoy it and then drop it. don’t feel obligated to watch all 15 cause it loses the plot Fast and it also. gets bad. like if you want my rec, i say stick it out till s11 and then if you can stand it, s12 for [SPOILER] coming back to life. but i would never in my life tell anyone to watch s13-15 unless they had literally nothing left to do and a gun to their head. i watched it but im not a good role model.

uhhh what else should you know. oh, yeah, there’s a lot of references to non-con/rape in it, some of them the show takes seriously and some it’ll play for laughs with some 2010s era misogyny. there’s also a lot of moments that, depending on how charitable you feel like being, are either poorly thought out or straight out racist or homophobic. the show does very little to address its misogyny, homophobia, or racism until it gets put down like a dog behind a shed. i’m telling you this to prepare you for it, because i think engaging with the show is still worth something, especially if you take the time to entangle those elements and examine how the writers have used them to justify a world in which two white guys roll into town, kill a scary monster with extrajudicial justice to save the suburban families, and leave.

and then, of course, if u watch it you can also come yell at me about it :3

uhm. but seriously. supernatural is a complicated show. but it’s worth watching. there’s a lot of good in there with the bad. the way it approaches angels and heaven in the early seasons especially is so fucking fascinating, so if you like religious stuff at all, i’d say go in for it. the acting can be. well. the main guys range from ‘holy shit this is stressing me out to watch it’s so good’ to ‘okay’ to ‘jesus fucking christ please get the camera off of him.’ (and if you watch the show, i’ll let you guess which is which lmao.) but a lot of the people who come in to play side characters kill it in their roles. shout out to jdm. there for like 3 episodes purely to fuck me up forever. lifechanging performance, i’m so serious.

tldr: supernatural is genuinely a good show, for a while, and when it ain’t, it’s still fun, and when it stops being that, just put the show down. just keep your expectations in check regarding what the show is telling you it’s about and don’t expect it to be more. (like. feel free to fantasize about what if it Was more, i sure do, but don’t let that cloud your vision on what the show, as it stands, really is about and is trying to say.) and be prepared for the messy shit it’ll hit you with along the way.

and the fandom is pretty neat too, so long as you use the block button liberally <3

#anon if u watch supernatural tell me im so curious what that experience is like in 2024 #ive been lost in the sauce since i was like 7 or 8 im never escaping #ask #and not to shill but :3 you know i have written something like 300 spn fics so. if you watch it you get to read those aksjfjglfj

[thedeathlysallows]

Roseanna

Summary: No one teaches you what to do when a good man hurts you, but fleeing to Volterra, Italy probably isn’t a good idea.  

Pairing:  Roseanna Swan x Felix Volturi; Roseanna Swan x Paul Lahote

Ch. 5

               Roseanna feels her blood go cold in her veins as panic sits heavy in her stomach. “What are you talking about?”

               “It started when the blood-“ Paul stumbles over his own words, interrupting himself with a cough. “The Cullens. It started when the Cullens came back.”

               Roseanna scoffs. “Oh, you’re so full of shit, Paul. You blame them for everything and half the time they aren’t even involved. Remember that really bad storm we got a year ago? Whose fault was that again? Oh, right, it was the Cullens’ for having the nerve to live a town over from you.”

               “But Bella is in trouble. Maybe not in this exact moment, but-”

               “What?!” Roseanna tries her best to keep her voice from turning to a shriek. “You call me and tell me my sister is in danger after everything that just happened with her and Edward, only to backtrack two sentences later?! Un-fucking-believable. God, I can’t believe I was ever stupid enough to be with you!”

               Paul is silent for a few seconds before speaking, his voice dangerously low, almost nearing a growl. “How would you know if I’m lying or not? You aren’t even here. You ran away like a little girl after I broke your heart, didn’t you? Poor little Rosie. The big bad wolf was mean to her. News flash, princess, we never would’ve lasted anyway.” The smirk in his voice is undeniable when he says, “fooling around with the Sheriff’s perfect oldest daughter was pretty fun, though.”

               “You’re a bastard.”

               “What’s new there?”

               Quiet settles over the line as Paul and Roseanna wait to see who draws blood next. Both of them were always more than a bit temperamental, Roseanna inheriting the worst traits of her mother, and Paul inheriting the worst traits of his own family. Both of them were always more than a bit temperamental, but they always kept each other out of the crossfire.

               Out of the corner of her eye, Roseanna can see Felix staring at her unblinking. It’s unnerving, something she still hasn’t grown accustomed to. She’s about to end the conversation with Paul and go back to Felix when Paul asks the one thing she’s been wondering herself:

               “What happened to us Rosie?”

               “I don’t know. Maybe… maybe we just grew up?” All the bitterness Roseanna had been holding rushes out of her in one breath. “You’re right. We never would’ve lasted.”

               “You really think that?”

               “Do you?” Roseanna waits for Paul to answer, sighing when he never does. “I’ll take that as a yes. Paul, look, we broke up. You don’t have to worry about me anymore and I don’t really want you to. It’ll only lead us down a dark road. I’m not really into the lovers to enemies trope.”

               “Then which trope are you into?”

               “Lovers to strangers, preferably.”

“I can’t do that. You’re my best friend even if you aren’t my girlfriend.”

Roseanna’s throat constricts and she has to blink back tears. “I can’t be your best friend. Not after all this. I’m moving on like you are.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Just like that Paul’s anger returns full force. “There’s no way you’ve already met someone else.”

“And why is that so unbelievable?”

“Bella said you were going to work on yourself, not hop on another dick.”

“I’ll hop on whatever dick I want to.” Her cheeks flair red when she hears Felix chuckle happily. “Shut up, Paul!”

“Oh, that’s real mature. We were too close to having a real conversation, huh?”

Rather than answer and keep going in circles, Roseanna hangs up her phone, resisting the urge to smash it into the nearest object. Was he always such an asshole? Did she just miss all the signs? Is this what their relationship is going to be? Hitting each other where it hurts every single time they interact?

“That went as well as it could have, I think,” Felix says as Roseanna moves robotically to the bookshelf on the other side of the bedroom. He watches her carefully, noticing the way her eyes are glazed over and how shallow her breathing is. “Roseanna?”

“Hm?” She looks at him in surprise. Like she’s just noticing him. “Oh, uh, yeah.”

Felix taps the arm of the couch with one long pointer finger, his others curling tightly into the fabric. “I see it’s up to me to state the obvious: his attempt to manipulate you was lazy at best, narcissistic at worst, yes?”

“Yes.” But still… “Maybe I should call Bella.”

“No.”

Roseanna looks at Felix. Really looks at him. He answered very quickly and with none of his usual playfulness or flirtation. “Why? Felix, what do you know?”

He pinches the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes tightly. The day had been so nice up until now. “It’s nothing to worry about, I promise.”

“But there is something?”

“It’s nothing to do with your sister.”

Roseanna walks back over to the couch and lowers herself to sit beside him. His eyes are bright from a recent feed, he never leaves himself alone with her unless his hunger is mostly satisfied, and he doesn’t flinch away from her gaze. Eyes are the window to the soul and he’s never bothered to hide from her. So…

“Why don’t I believe you?” Her voice is barely above a whisper. “What are you hiding from me?”

Felix isn’t pleased with the unspoken accusation. “I’m many things, my love- a soldier first and foremost. I can’t betray Aro.”

Roseanna scoffs, looking away to hide the hurt. “So this is the life I’m destined for, I guess. Every man in my life answers to some higher power that I’ll always play second fiddle to. Do you understand how frustrating it is? To be a secondary character in my own life? Always left behind in the dark because someone else has something more important going on?”

Felix slides closer to her, putting one hand on her shoulder and letting the other rest on her thigh. “It’s only while you remain human.”

And there it is.

Roseanna always prided herself on her adaptability. Mostly because she could just pretend whatever situation she was in wasn’t real. Like this entire situation with the Volturi. It just isn’t real. She’s on vacation in Italy, sure, but she wasn’t kidnapped. Felix isn’t real either. No matter how badly she wants him to be real, he just isn’t. Vampires aren’t real. None of it is real, just a passing dream she’ll wake up from any minute now. The last two weeks of her life have only been a dream.

“You’re panicking.” Felix looks at her worriedly. He can hear her heartbeat speeding up erratically and all the color is quickly fading from her face.

“This isn’t real,” she chants as the room spins around her. “You aren’t real. Vampires aren’t real.”            

Felix is taken aback when Roseanna shoves at him, crying hysterically. He tries to calm her, but no amount of sweet names or reassuring whispers helps. Eventually, the darkness comes, though. It always comes. Roseanna collapses in his arms, but it’s okay. She’s okay. This is just a dream.

#felix volturi #felix volturi imagine #paul lahote #paul lahote imagine #volturi fanfiction

[theres-a-tvjoe]

do I write the ‘Steve and Eddie take the kids on a graduation camping road trip’ fic with the found family happy ending vibes we all deserve

UPDATED TODAY: ITS DONE. IVE MADE IT. FIND IT HERE AND ITS GONNA BE A SERIES. part two is in progress rn.

I’ll leave this chaotic post as is so you can experience the wild ride of my losing my mind writing this.

Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, canon divergent, homophobia doesn’t exist and everyone is happy, this fic will heavily feature nape of the neck messy bun Eddie and no one can change my mind

Eddie’s ringed hand is suddenly waving in front of his face. “Earth to Steve, come in Steve,” he says into his cupped hand, a shitty approximation of a crackling spaceship radio. “Bad news Houston, looks like there’s no sign of intelligent life here -“

Steve laughs, grabbing Eddie around the waist and pulling him in, tickling his ribs and the sensitive dips of his hips. “Asshole,” he pants, trying to pin the squirming and shouting man against the car to exact his revenge.

“Help!” Eddie shouts between breathless giggles. He tries to twist away, but only winds up with his back against Steve’s chest. “I’m being accosted by a - fuck, haha, stop! - local hottie!”

A horn honks, startling a few birds on a nearby fence.

“Get a room!”

Both of their heads snap up, Eddie’s hands resting over Steve’s on his stomach.

“Robin fucking Buckley,” Steve breathes, grinning. She’s half leaning out the car window as Vicki parks it in the lot, grinning widely and hair everywhere. Steve kisses Eddie’s cheek messily before letting him go, the other man’s laugh only buoying him as he runs towards the car. Robin is barely out of it before Steve has her in his arms, swinging her around.

“Fuck,” she laughs, and if it sounds a little watery that’s no one’s business. “I missed your stupid face.”

Steve can’t even bring himself to say anything, throat tight with emotion as he hugs her. He can hear Eddie greeting Vicki enthusiastically, giving her a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“Guess you and I will be third wheeling it,” Eddie says to Vicki as they watch Steve and Robin release each other.

“Shut it,” Robin sniffs, smiling as she wipes her eyes before reaching for Eddie. He wraps her in a big hug, kissing the side of her head and winking at Steve over her shoulder and fuck, if that doesn’t make Steve’s heart grow three sizes.

“Domestic life suits you, Steve,” Vicki smiles, pulling him into a hug. “Robin told me about the big move - you two haven’t told the kids yet?”

Steve squeezes her tight, heart already brimming just having these two back.

“Not yet,” he shakes his head, hands on his hips as he watches Eddie help Robin load more things into the van. “We’ll tell them this week, while we’re camping. It’ll be easier that way, I think.”

She gives him a skeptical look, but nods. “Speaking of, when are they all getting here?”

He checks his watch, nodding to himself.

“Everyone should be rolling in soon,” he looks out at the road, the early morning sun starting to warm the air. “Between the van and Jonathan’s wheels, we should have space for everyone.”

They busy themselves organizing the rest of the groceries and packing gear into the van, Eddie eventually tying Steve’s sweater around his waist in favour of his well loved iron maiden baseball shirt underneath.

“I’ll make some coffee for the road,” he says, clapping his hands on Steve’s shoulders before bringing one hand up to briefly cup his jaw. “Let me know if there’s anything else from upstairs we need when the shitheads get here, otherwise I’ll lock up.”

“Thanks,” Steve nods, turning his head to kiss Eddie’s palm. The grin he gets in return never fails to make his stomach swoop.

It’s not long after Eddie heads up into the apartment that the rest of the troops start arriving, all early morning enthusiasm and far too much energy for 8am.

“Be good!” Joyce yells from the car as El, Mike, and Will pile out, arms filled with sleeping bags and pillows and snacks. “Steve, give Eddie a squeeze for me! Jonathan and Nancy were just stopping at the gas station and then they’ll be right here!”

Steve lifts his hand, smiling. “Will do, Joyce! Enjoy the peace and quiet.”

She gives him a thumbs up before pulling away, shouting once more for the kids to behave.

Nancy and Jonathan roll into the parking lot as predicted only a few minutes later, with Mrs. Henderson dropping off Dustin, Max, and Lucas only a few minutes after that.

It takes absolutely no time for the kids to start arguing about who is going in who’s car and who will be in charge of music.

“Where’s Eddie?” Nancy asks, smiling breathlessly up at Steve after hugs are exchanged.

“Wow,” Steve presses a hand to his chest. “Not good enough for you, Wheeler? That hurts, it stings -“

Eddie appears with a grin and a large thermos of coffee, wrapping his arms around Nancy from behind and smacking a loud kiss to her cheek.

“She wants the real deal, Stevie, what can I say?” He laughs, turning her in his arms and giving her a proper hug. He moves to Jonathan after, giving him a tight squeeze. “So glad to have you two home, you look great.”

“Eddie,” Dustin yells from the van. “Tell Max that if she wants to listen to her shitty mixtape she has to do it in the other car and not in the van.”

Eddie points his finger at the two of them, blowing an errant curl from his face. “If you two don’t get it together, I’ll duct tape you both to the roof of the car and we’ll see who falls off on the highway first.”

Dustin and Max both roll their eyes.

Eddie walks past Steve, giving him a kiss and shoving the thermos against his chest. “Before 10, they’re your kids.”

Steve sighs and looks up at the sky, pointedly ignoring Nancy’s laughter.

“Alright,” he shouts. “Everyone load up, let’s get this show on the road!”

-

UPDATE AGAIN: this is the fluffiest silliest shit I’ve ever written and I love these assholes so much????? Here’s another little snippet for you

“We should get started on some dinner,” Robin suggests. “And we need to fill up our water tub for dishes and stuff, there’s a water pump not far down.”

“We’ll get the water,” Eddie volunteers, stepping out of their tent and tugging Steve’s basketball sweater over his head. He’s wearing his ripped jeans, and his hair is soft and loose. “Two strapping young men will be needed to lift heavy water jugs.”

“Huh,” Max says, pretending to look around. “I don’t think I see any strapping young men.”

Eddie mimes taking a sword to the stomach, falling to his knees with a thud and making a truly gross dying noise before collapsing on the ground.

“Alright, come on,” Steve says, shaking his head as he huffs a laugh. He tries to gather Eddie up, but the other man is doing his best to play dead and goes completely limp in Steve’s arms.

“The only cure,” Eddie says dramatically, eyes closed and voice wobbling like he’s speaking from beyond the grave. “Is for Max to admit that I’m very cool and strong.”

Max snorts, but she’s smiling. Dustin is taking a photo on his camera, the crunch of him winding the film barely audible over the giggles from around the fire.

“He’s not light, Max, let’s get this show on the road or you’ll all die of dehydration,” Steve says, grunting as he adjusts his grip under Eddie’s armpits as the other man hangs limply on the ground.

She laughs, rolling her eyes. “Fine,” she says. “Eddie is very cool and strong.”

Eddie springs up instantly, so full of life and the desire to make everyone laugh that Steve nearly aches with it.

“I’m cured,” he says, taking a bow. “And as someone who is very cool and strong, I will now assist my much less cool and strong boyfriend with fetching water.”

“Wow,” Steve says.

-

ANOTHER UPDATE:

I’ve added a little angst and a little steve defending his manssss

you know, as a treat

FINAL UPDATE????

This monstrosity is 11k words. I need to see if it makes any sense and if it’s does I’ll post it so buckle the fuck up

#steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #joseph quinn #joe keery #steddiedaily #steddie fic #steddie fanfic

[darkherolovercroissant]

You Can’t Kill A Ghost

Library

Simon Ghost Riley, Templar, GN Reader

Warnings: Angst, Mature Themes and Language. Betrayal and death

This follows the Cod Mobile lore so once again unless you play CODM, you may not know Templar. Also fuck canon, I’m making Templar anti’s mad with the ending.

———————————————————————

You watched as Simon fiddled with one of his many knives after Shepard left the room. The atmosphere has completely changed in the room and you were feeling the sick feeling bubble up in your gut.

“You better tie your loose ends, or I will.”

That was the last thing Shepard said before he stormed out. You sat as Price lit a cigar and stormed off after him, trying to get him to see reason on why Ghost was in the right.

“You better not be planning what I think. You’re planning.” Your timid voice comes out

“It has to be done. No more loose ends, y/n” Simon replies

“Look, I know Templar shouldn’t be a free man, but for fucks sake Riley, he’s got a daughter that he’s trying to rescue and give a better life to.”

“You think I haven’t thought about that? After everything I went through, I’d hate to be the reason a child looses their family, but Templar has got to go. He’s a terrorist and you can’t expect him to just disappear.” he challenges

“You’ve underestimated Templar before and look what happened. Simon I care about you, you are more than my superior, you’re my friend, but this is too far.”

He storms out and you release a heavy sigh before storming out after him. This wasn’t going to be the ending either party was going to enjoy.

————

As you walked across the tarmac, you saw Ghost ahead of you. He was walking with Templar and the two were going over the mission details. Soon enough he was joined by a few of his old friends as was Ghost when Soap and others joined. You were about to board when Price grabbed your arm.

“Listen, I was told about you bunting heads with Simon. You in any way interfere with what needs to be done, it’ll come back to bite you in the ass.”

“I wasn’t bunting heads with that bastard, his ego wouldn’t allow for someone to challenge him. I just was trying to get him to see the reasoning I had, but he shut it down.” You hiss

“Remember what I said.” Price says before he walks away.

As you board the plane, Templar looks over and greets you, while Ghost stares holes right through Templar’s head.

“He’s got quite the staring problem, yes?” His French accent as deep as ever

“Just means he likes you.” You snicker as Templar shares a laugh with you.

“If only that was the case, chérie”

“So tell me about your daughter, she’s got to be the biggest thing in your life from the bits and pieces I’ve heard”

“ma fille, Sophia. One of the only good things in my life, her mom sadly passed in birth. Im all she has left and she’s all I have left. I want a better life for her and I, but the covenant is dead set on keeping her from me.” He sighs

“Don’t worry. We’re going to get her back, that life is just moments away” you smile

“Merci. I know it’s a lot to ask, especially since we aren’t well acquainted, but if anything should happen to me. Well just make sure Sophia gets out safely, this isn’t the life I want for my daughter.” Templar sighs

“You have my word.” You smile

Ghosts glare got more aggressive upon hearing your promise.

“You better tie your loose ends, or I will.”

More than one loose end to tie… Simon didn’t want to believe you’d betray him, after all, you two had major history. However he wouldn’t put it past you to sympathize with the enemy as Templar hasn’t had to do much to win you over in the past even though he and Ghost weren’t on the same team.

“You think he’s seducing them?” Soap chuckles

“I highly doubt it. Besides, he can try, but it’s me that they are under almost every night.” Ghost huffs

“Has anyone ever told you that you over share?” Soap asks genuinely

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a bitch?” Ghost replied

“Oh ok. You know, I hope Templar seduces them. You’ve lost y/n privileges.” Soap groans

—————

“Im going after Stansfield” Ghost says

“Im going after Sophia” Templar replies

“And the DSM” he calls after him

“I know my job!” Templars voice echoes

“It all ends here” Ghost mutters

He was unaware that you had followed him into the building and heard him. The bastard really was going to tie up some loose ends. Poor Sophia had no idea what awaited her father.

————

You hear frantic footsteps and spotted Templar and a young girl, so that’s his little girl. You lead them out of the building and across the battlefield that was covered in blood and bullet casings.

“You need to get out of here now.” You rush as you push both Templar and Sophia to the helicopter.

The pilot was urging him to board, but Templar was scanning the battlefield for his friends and was about to go and save them before you pointed out the helicopters and jets that carried Shepards reinforcements and the final nail in the coffin for Templar.

“You need to leave, Templar! You will be killed and I’m not letting Sophia become an orphan. Go live that life you promised her!” You beg

He nods and boards the helicopter, you back up and it takes off and you sigh in relief. You knew that even though Templar would get away, you wouldn’t, but you saved a little girl the grief of loosing her last bit of family. That was all that mattered to you.

As the helicopter was out of sight, Ghost had came to the surface and looked around frantically.

“I got the DSM.” You said handing the piece to Ghost who just nods his head before leading you towards where Shepard was waiting.

Your stomach was turning and you were aware that it’s the end of the line for traitors.

Shepard looks at you in the eyes and growls before turning to Ghost.

“You still have some loose ends to tie up. I suggest you do it because if I do it, you won’t like how I do it.” He says

Ghost hands over the DSM before looking at Price with tired yet angry eyes. Price nods before rounding Soap and the rest up and sends them away. Ghost leads you away and his right hand rests on the one pistol that sits on his hip, while his left dangles over your shoulders.

“I don’t want to do this, but you’ve betrayed us by letting him live. Templar had to be killed, but you let him escape, so you can see why I’m upset.” He sighs

“I want you to understand that I was looking out for Sophia. Had Templar died, Sophia would’ve been made an orphan. I did it cause I know what’s it’s like to watch those betray the one who just wanted better for their children. I wasn’t letting that happen to Sophia.” You explain

He leads you inside the building that Templar and Sophia had fled from and grabbed his mask and pulled it off.

“I care about you y/n. You were one of my favourite soldiers, but you betrayed us. We can’t have traitors in the ranks, I’m sorry” he says

You nod and he pulls you closer to plant a kiss on your lips before pulling away and putting his mask back on.

“Turn around” he says

Nodding your head, you turned to face the wall as he brought his gun up to the back of your head.

“Any last words?”

“I hope the nightmares are worth it.” You reply

—————

He sat up one night and watched as the snow fell. It was December 24th, Christmas Eve and the Taskforce party for the year, but Ghost didn’t attend.

Ever since that day, he’s had trouble interacting with others. Not like he was much better before, but now he was even more difficult to get along with. His already short fuse was shorter if it was even possible. People walked on eggshells around him after someone made a “joke” about how everyone that Ghost cares about dies. Yeah that guy got sent to god, with same day shipping.

No one really knew much about their superior officer or his soldier, but they knew that it affected his sleep and his mental health. Now that the cold came, there was no one to warm him up and he’d be plagued with the same images in his head.

Watching as your body fell to the ground as blood rushed out of your head. He wouldn’t lie, he was ready to kill everyone when Shepard ordered your body to be burnt along with all the others that had fallen on that day. The original plan was to pretend he killed you and let you flee to a new place and lay low, but that went out the door when Shepard came in.

He muttered that he was sorry once again as he shot and killed the traitor.,You now became a ghost in his life. And anyone that’s ever attempted to kill him knows that you can’t kill a ghost. You’d haunt him and that’s how that will be until the devil desires him in the underworld.

Templar and Sophia were gone and safe somewhere, but he lost someone that he tried to protect all throughout the years of service. He should’ve known that not everyone gets their happily ever after.

#simon ghost riley #Templar #gender neutral character #cod mobile #betrayal #angst #no happy ending #darkherolovercroissant #no I will never shut up about how Templar deserved better even though he was a bad guy #fanfic #oneshot #based on call of duty mobile lore

[klutzykozume]

just a prank

featuring: bokuto x gn!reader, iwaizumi x gn!reader

warnings: language (in bokuto’s), hurt/comfort(?), boys are mad at reader for a little, happy ending, mention of break-up in iwa’s, pet names (baby in bokuto’s, babe and baby in iwaizumi’s)

length: ~1100 words

playlist

bokuto koutarou (448)

“you should totally do this,” bokuto’s oldest sister, hikari, turns her phone to to you and her mother. the video was of a girl who was pranking her boyfriend’s mom.

“me? are you crazy? kou would actually kill me!” [f/n] frowns at hikari. bokuto’s mother rests a gentle hand on [f/n]’s shoulder.

“we won’t let that happen, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she smiles at [f/n].

they ponder over the idea for a moment, and then a little longer after that. the prank did seem amusing, and this seemed like a good opportunity to bond with their boyfriend’s family.

“i’ll do it,” [f/n] smiles at the two other woman.

later that evening kou had finally made it home from practice. he greets his mother and sister before scooping [f/n] up into his arms.

“i’m so glad you’re here! i missed you so much!” kou spins [f/n] around, causing them to giggle.

“you see me every friday kou, it can’t be that hard to miss me,” [f/n] smiles at their lover.

koutarou rolls his eyes playfully before placing them down, “i’m not allowed to miss my beautiful partner? fine then, since i’m not wanted here, i’m going upstairs.”

kou grabs his bag and heads upstairs, taking it to his room. seeing as this was the perfect opportunity to start the prank, kou’s mother speaks up a bit louder than she neeeded to, “[f/n], sweetie, can you help me with dinner?”

“shut the fuck up and leave me alone! get your daughter to do it!” [f/n] shouts, making sure they could be heard from upstairs.

no sooner than they finish their sentence do they hear quick footsteps coming down the steps, “what did you say to my mom?!”

hikari shoots up, quickly making her way over to the steps to stop her brother, “calm down, it’s a prank.”

[f/n] steps behind koutarou’s mother, “it was just a prank! it was just a prank kou!”

koutarou looks between [f/n], his mother and his sister, “mom?”

his mother chuckles, “it’s okay kou, it was me and hikari’s idea. [f/n] wasn’t on board at first, but they came around.”

koutarou, after taking a few seconds to calm down, huffs. “that was a dangerous game to play baby, you know i don’t like when anyone disrespects my family.”

[f/n] walks up to bokuto, and he instinctively wraps his arms around them, “i’m sorry kou, i thought it would be funny. no more pranks from here on out will include your family, i promise.”

bokuto kisses the top of [f/n]’s head, “thank you baby.”

iwaizumi hajime (668)

[f/n] was walking home from practice with thier boyfriend and his best friend. all three of them were headed to the iwaizumi residence to unwind for the day. when the group makes it to hajime’s place, they kick off their shoes and hajime explains that he’s going to go take a shower while [f/n] and oikawa stay in the living room.

“have you ever seen an angry iwazumi?”

[f/n] looks up over their phone at to oikawa, “yeah, whenever you’re involved i’m almost garunteed to see an angry iwaizumi.”

oikawa rolls his eyes, “let me rephrase that, have you ever seen an angry iwaizumi, directed at you?”

[f/n] ponders the idea for a moment, “no, i don’t think so.”

oikawa nods and goes back to aimlessly scrolling through his phone. after a few moments, iwazumi’s mother walks through the door.

[f/n] and oikawa greet iwa’s mom before oikawa waves her over. he shows her a video on his phone, “you should talk [f/n] into doing this.”

iwaizumi’s mother smiles and glances at [f/n] before turning her attention back to oikawa, “are you trying to kill hajime’s partner? you know he’s going to lose it.”

[f/n] grabs oikawa’s phone and watches the video. they look up at oikawa in horror once the video finishes, “what have i ever done to you?!”

oikawa chuckles, “i think it’ll be fun. i genuinely want to see how iwa-chan will react.”

“i’m haunting you and only you after he kills me,” [f/n] huffs.

the click of the door, followed by footsteps coming down the stairs catches all three people’s attention.

“the sun is starting to go down,” iwazumi’s mother starts, “don’t stay too much longer, or else you’ll have a hard time getting home.”

“are you sure we can’t spend the night?” oikawa feigns hurt and nudges you slight. you take a deep breath

“i’m staying here with hajime, whether you want me to or not,” you give an apologetic look to iwazumi’s mother and she sends you a warm smile in return.

“no, you both need to go home. you can stay another night”

“i’m staying here whether you like it or not. so how about you shut up and go do something else rather than bothering us,” you take another deep breath.

“apologize and then get out.” hajime is standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at [f/n].

“haji-“ you start.

“apologize. then get out!” hajime steps closer, rasing his voice at [f/n].

“i’m sorry,” [f/n] looks over at iwaizumi’s mom.

“now leave.” hajime gestures towards the door.

“c’mon haji, i-“ [f/n] gets cut off again.

“[f/n], i told you to leave. while you’re at it, don’t come back. we’re done,” hajime turns on his heel, starting to head back to his room.

“wait!” oikawa finally speaks up, getting up to follow his best friend, “iwa-chan don’t be mad at them. it was a prank and it was all my idea! i saw this video on tik tok and-“

oikawa cuts of his rambling when he hears a noise coming from iwa. he was… laughing?

“man i wish i could have seen your face,” iwaizumi turns to face oikawa.

“…what?” the setter looks at iwaizumi in confusion.

“i have tik tok too you know. i’ve seen plenty of these videos by now,” iwa turns to look at [f/n] and his mother. “i know [f/n] wouldn’t speak to my mom like that and with you being involved, i knew this was something you talked them into.”

oikawa pout, crossing his arms over his chest, “that’s mean of you iwa-chan.”

“haji?” [f/n] steps towards the boy.

“come here babe,” iwaizumi smiles at his partner, bringing them in for a hug. “so what did we learn?”

“to not go through with loserkawa’s plans because they’ll get me broken up with,” they stick their tongue out at the aforementioned boy.

“that’s my baby”

a/n: let me know if you want to see something like this with any other characters! i’ve always seen these two as momma’s boys so i just knew i had to write it!

#bokuto x reader #iwaizumi x reader #haikyuu #bokuto x gn!reader #iwaizumi x gn!reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x gn!reader #hq #.fukorodani #.seijoh

[draggeddowntothedark]

Happy Father's Day

How hard can it be to work a grill?

Answer: When you haven’t done it before… very, very hard. Ick glared at the grill in front of him. At least with the old charcoal grill his dad had years ago seemed to make sense, just light the charcoal on fire. This was brand spanking new, it ran on gas, and Ick had no idea how to even turn it on.

“I guess I just start by… opening the lid?” Ick pulled it open… or tried to, he’d only gotten it about an inch when he caught his thumb on some odd piece.

“Owfuck!” Ick snatched his hand back and shook his hand out, glaring at the clearly evil cookery device. “You will not beat me today, you hellmachine-”

“What the fuck are you doing.”

Dammit. I was caught.

Smiling sheepishly, Ick turned to see his dad, coffee in hand, one eyebrow just ever so slightly raised.

“… Uh…” Ick felt stupid. He shouldn’t have even tried to do this. “Just… I remember… when I was a kid, we’d always be grilling on…. Nevermind, I think I have a deadline coming up on one of my websites, I should-”

“You want help getting the grill going?”

His father seemed genuinely surprised, which made sense. Father’s Day hadn’t been celebrated by either of them for about two decades give or take. Ick’s face felt hot, but he nodded.

There was several seconds of quiet before Anderson set his coffee down and ambled on over.

“Well, you had the right idea. Get the lid on open, watch your hand on the side, I catch my hand on there too.” Anderson levered it open before he gestured to the valve. “Turn this counter clockwise until it stops. Well, go ahead. It’s not gonna bite you.”

… He… wants me to do it?

Ick smiled, ignoring that little pinprick in his eyeballs that meant tears. Granted, these were happy tears, but it was still embarrassing. He followed the order and his father… smiled. Genuinely, truly smiled.

“Right, I have an igniter button. Turn it all the way up before you push it, then let’s shut the lid so it gets heated up. You know what you want to make?”

“Uhhh…” Ick smiled sheepishly. “Nooott a clue. I was just figuring this out as I went along.”

Anderson snorted. “You gotta think ahead, Ickarus. But that’s fine, we got some ground beef in the fridge, I can show you how to make some hamburgers… or you can go back to work, if you really need to get something done. I can take over from here.”

Ick swallowed, dammit he was not going to cry.

“Uh, it can wait till tomorrow. I don’t think I’ve made burgers at home before, I think… I think it’ll be fun to try.”

~*~

“How’s your hand feeling?”

“Aloe helped, it’s fine now. At least I didn’t burn the burgers?”

“I’d prefer you burn the burgers over your skin, Ickarus.”

Ick laughed and waved it off. “It could’ve been worse, it could’ve been like that time I burned my chin on the cookie sheet.”

“You remember that?” Anderson lowered his second burger, looking impressed. “You weren’t much older than five.”

“I remember it hurting like hell.” Ick rubbed his chin and winced. “I just wanted to look at the cookies…”

“You should’ve waited. Your mam found you trying not to cry on the basement stairs, you thought you were in trouble if I remember right.” Anderson shook his head, but there was a gentle smile still present. One Ick hadn’t remembered seeing since he was very little. “You just got an extra cookie with your milk.”

“Now that I didn’t remember.” Ick wiped his mouth off with his napkin as he dug into those old memories… they’d really felt like a happy family back then. Ick was surprised how much good there was now that he thought about it. “… Do you remember… that day you were fixing the shutters after the thunderstorm?”

Anderson paused. “… Gonna have to be a touch more specific. I fixed them a few times,” he said.

Ick really hoped he wasn’t about to make things awkward. “… I uh, came out of my room after I chopped my pigtails off. I was only wearing a pair of jeans, and I wanted to be your helper that day.” He gulped. “If you don’t remember, it’s fine, it was a long time ago-”

“Andy Junior.”

Huh? Ick blinked a few times as Anderson went through his wallet. “You were calling yourself Andy Junior. You’d also taken a Crayola marker to your face, drew on a beard and mustache. One of the cutest things I ever did see.”

Anderson pulled the photo out of his wallet and scooted it across the table.

There was his dad, twenty years prior, no gray streak in his hair, a bit more fit. And there was Ick, fake beard drawn on his face, little pudgy belly hanging out, hair a choppy mess, and a big smile on his face. There was one on Anderson’s face too as they worked side by side, fixing the shudders. Well, his dad was fixing the shudders, Ick was just ‘supervising’.

Ick couldn’t stop a tear from escaping, even if he hurriedly wiped it away one or two more fell free. But he was smiling. “… I didn’t think… I…”

“Edie- she was freaking out a bit, mostly because your shirt was off. I didn’t see the harm, you were little enough, and I figured you were just playing. Course, after you came out, and after I got over the shock, I remembered this day.” Anderson took the picture back. “It was a good day… me and my son.”

Ick’s breath caught.

He… he called me his son.

“I…” Ick swallowed, stupid lump in his throat. “Thanks… Dad.”

Anderson cleared his throat a few times and turned away, but Ick could’ve sworn his father’s eyes were a little bit wet too.

“… Nothing a good father wouldn't do for his kid."

#drabble #;the father in the book #;mixed up ick