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#after his wife’s death he probably already jumped off the deep end
wellthebardsdead · 1 month
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Isobel: that- Glaive… I… I remember it- I remember… *looks from the sorrow glaive to Halsin, remembering a crown of madness overtaking her mind and her charging to attack the druid, leading him no choice but to wield his weapon up in self defence* how I died…
Tav: I… are you saying- Halsin killed you?
Halsin: I did… and for it ketheric unleashed the shadow curse as per Shars wish… it is a guilt I have harboured for a century…
Isobel: it- wasn’t his fault. I attacked him first but- I can’t remember why- one moment we were on each others side against my fathers army and then… it was like my mind wasn’t my own. *smiles up at him* there are no hard feelings on my end.
Halsin: but there is a heavy grief left in my heart… my actions lead to ketheric unleashing that unspeakable curse. And with it thaniel was torn from Oliver, countless lives taken… and all from blood spilled by my hand.
Isobel: … *reaches up and hugs him tight* you aren’t responsible for my fathers madness.
Halsin: … *sighs and hugs her back* and get forgiveness does little to ease the ache in my heart… but I thank you for it, Isobel.
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softhairedhotch · 6 months
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another hotchgan fic, this time they've been married for some time. rest of the fics for this month will go back to being aaron x reader fics so keep an eye out for those :)
comfortember day eight: grief/mourning
aaron hotchner x derek morgan
derek visits the graveyard and aaron finds him there.
word count: 1k
content/warnings: mentions of death, insecurities, doubts, but there's comfort at the end <3 established relationship
comfortember masterlist here!
also on ao3!
visitor
Derek finds himself at the graveyard. He's not sure why he's there, it just feels right at that moment. It takes him a few minutes to gain the confidence to leave his car, drowning out the calling of birds and wind alike with music to calm his nerves. Finally, though, after he tells himself that there's nothing wrong with what he's about to do, he switches off the music, grabs the flower from atop of the dashboard, and jumps out before he can talk himself out of it again.
Finding the grave is simple enough, remembering the route from the funeral as if it happened yesterday even when it's been years. The hard part is getting himself within ten feet of it without feeling guilt claw viciously at his chest. Deciding that he's close enough for now, he stares at the headstone with a heavy heart. 
"I'm gonna talk to you from here, if that's okay," he says out loud, feeling embarrassed. "I just wanted to… thank you. Not for dying or anything, no, but for giving me the chance to get to where I am now. With Aaron." He huffs out a laugh, fiddling with the stem of the flower. "That's basically just me telling you I'm glad you're dead, isn't it? Well, I'm not."
There's no reply, although that's no surprise. 
"Aaron still talks about you all the time. And Jack. He misses you; they both do. I'm not sure why I'm here, to be completely honest with you, I just… I needed… I don't know." 
Derek takes a few tentative steps toward the grave, anxiety bubbling low in his gut. He doesn't like feeling this way. Like there's a weight on his chest that may never go away. 
"I think I'm here to see if, well, if what I did was okay. Dammit, that makes it sound like I killed you or something. That's not what I mean. It's…" He shakes his head in anger. 
Birds fly overhead, singing a tune he's heard countless of times. His mind wanders to Gideon and he smiles solemnly when he imagines the man telling him the species and what their cries really mean. Probably something along the lines of you're not alone or everything's gonna be alright, he thinks, although he's sure the man would have made that up just to ease his mind. 
Taking another few steps forwards, he finds himself parallel with the bench in front of the headstone. He figures that, since he's already made it so close, he may as well sit down, too. Taking a deep breath, he leans forward and gently places the flower down onto the ground. 
"I just hope you're okay with this," he whispers after sitting there in silence for a few minutes. "I mean, your sister is, but she's not you, and I feel like I need your permission. I don't know. Aaron and Jack are happy, I think, with me. In their lives. But… it's not you, I can't be… you." 
"And I'm not asking you to be her." 
Derek jumps, turning around on the bench so fast he gets whiplash, and he chokes on air. "Jesus, Aaron," he almost yells, hand moving to hold in his beating heart. "Warn a man next time!" 
"Warn a man when I'm coming to visit my ex-wife's grave?" He asks, a small smirk on his lips. 
"Well, no, I, no, I mean, dammit, sorry." 
Aaron smiles, sitting beside him. He reaches out for Derek's hand, bringing it to his lips and pressing a kiss to his knuckles before dropping their joined hands over his own thigh. "You don't have to be sorry, Der." 
"You're not mad at me for being here?" 
He hums in response, eyes reading over the text written on the headstone before him as if he hasn't already read it a million times over the past ten years. "'Course not. Why would I be? Haley would be happy to have visitors."
"I'm not sure she'd like her ex-husbands new husband visiting her, though. Practically stole you from her." 
"Now we both know that's not true," Aaron sighs, squeezing his hand. Derek avoids his eyes. "Hey, look at me. Please?" Derek hesitates before looking up at him. "She died before we even so much as acknowledged we had feelings for each other, and even if she hadn't, we'd still have been divorced. She'd be happy for us." 
"But… yeah, she would." 
"Then why are you here?" 
Derek shrugs. "Guess I've been having doubts lately." 
"About us?" Aaron asks, unable to hide his hurt. 
"What? No, no!" Derek turns in his seat, a panicked look on his face. "That's not what I mean at all. I mean… I don't know what I mean." 
Aaron sighs and nods, wrapping his arm around Derek and tugging him into his side. Derek hums and rests his head on his shoulder, looking at the grave. "You feel like you've forced your way into a family that already existed."
"How do I stop feeling guilty about that?" 
"I don't know what to tell you, Derek. But just know that I love you, and Jack loves you, and whether you feel like it or not, you are a part of this family. You didn't force your way in, we let you in. We allowed you into our lives because you make us happy. You have a place here. With us."
Derek's chest feels tight and it takes him a few moments to collect himself enough to speak. "You really mean that?" 
"Of course I do. Wouldn't say it if I didn't." Aaron presses a kiss to the top of his head. "You know I love you, right?" 
"Mhm. I love you, too."
"I'm glad. Now let's go pick up Jack from school, okay? He has a big project he needs help with." Aaron stands up and gently tugs Derek up by his hand. He presses a kiss to his index and middle finger before lightly pressing the on top of the gravestone for a few moments. "Hope you're okay," he whispers. "Miss you." 
Derek watches sadly, an ache in his heart. 
"So," Aaron says, turning back to him and beginning the walk to the car. "How do you feel about making a fake volcano?"
tag list: @hotchs-big-hands @criminalskies
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SPOILER ALERT: if you have not seen ANY of Barry season 4 yet...
Okay, so I'm just sitting here waiting for the next episode of anxiety (I.E Barry) to premiere and I started thinking some stuff...I would like you all to read this fully and leave any/all comments for the end. I am about to say some really crazy shit and it might not make sense, but trust me, it does.
There is very little known about Barry's mother. I mean when he was in jail, we got a flashback of Barry as child, and his dad (John) is introducing him to Fuchs. His mother is not in anyone of those flashbacks by the way. Ergo, I started thinking: what if Fuchs and John were working together as in John was Fuchs' hitman before Barry? Makes sense, wouldn't it? I mean, Fuchs didn't just wake up one day and say he wanted to start a hitman venture. It had to be something he was already doing before, right? Also he sort of mentioned that he would look after Barry since John saved his ass during Vietnam. But instead what if it was because John wanted to help Fuchs out by giving him a "new blood" knowing that his son had violent tendencies, which would make him a great hitman? Also do we know if Barry's dad is even alive anymore? what if he was killed during a hit? (yeah I realize I have fallen deep into the abyss. I am so deep in fact that there is no sunlight down here and I can't find my way back out)
Anyway, don't jump in yet, just hear my out. So, Barry's mom finds out that John is a hitman and/or they don't have a great relationship, so she medicates with alcohol and goes into a deep depression resulting in her self-assassination. I mean it is a common theme in the show. This leaves Barry in the care of his father, who let's face it, if he is a hitman, he's not going to be very loving towards his son. This results in Barry looking for other male role models to fill that void as he gets older (Fuchs...then Gene). So, moving forward, Barry joins the marines to try and validate his life. Spoiler alert, its only temporary. Now who does he see when he comes home? Fuchs. He comes in like an angel of death dressed in black, ready to help Barry and give him a purpose. (Also I wonder if it is Fuchs who got him out of the Marines in the first place?) He knows Barry has these violent tendencies (so does Barry's son, John).
I say all that for context. In the last episode of Barry, we see him and Sally have created some sort of "Family" as they play the roles of parents to an 8 year old child, named...John (after Barry's father). I hope you all are still with me because what I'm about to say next will BLOW your minds, and probably piss off some of you.
Sally is depressed, clearly. She is self medicating with alcohol and trying to hold up this "role" of being a wife/mother. She sucks at it by the way. If we were to say that Barry is sort of mimicking/or maybe trying to recreate his childhood (because let's face it, he is as the flashbacks are strangely similar to his "current" life). I can see Sally taking a trip down self-assassination boulevard leaving Barry to raise his son on his own. How will he do that? I can see him becoming a hitman again. Why you may ask, because Barry is a violent person and he is irredeemable. (He tries to bury these urges, however he is showing his son videos of a kid getting killed with a baseball bat and dying; those feelings are still very much present in Barry). Now becoming a hitman will cause him to grow distance towards his son until one day he introduces John to a man who will give him the paternal needs he has been looking for...and that man is...wait for it...HANK!! Then Hank grooms John into becoming the perfect hitman...BOOM full circle!! The cycle of violence continues!!
I see you Bill Hader and if you end the series like this, you'd be a fucking genius!! This would be an interesting twist, if I'm being honest.
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blood-starved-beast · 7 months
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im soo glad i found u because i rly do love acxa, zethrid and ezor and their dynamic and speaking of which....zethrid being too rageful to the point she pushed ezor away kinda threw me off considering that ezor had shown multiple times that shes very okay with being sadistic/torturing ppl and stuff? idk maybe near death situation messed with her head oh well 😭zethacxa dynamic is so silly zethrid is a bottom fr and acxa doesnt know how to deal with wanting to be someones meow meow she rly puts her all into correcting zethrid and ordering her around i love her for that <3 anyways imagine ezor witnessing acxa hitting on zethrid i wonder how she'd react lmao. personally i never rly felt any chemistry in the little screentime ezor n acxa had together but hey im open to it. anyways i guess this is it for now 😭🙏 have a nice day captain
Ezor has always been survival focused and anxious, this is something we've seen since the Lotor days. Even in s7ep3 she needed reassurance from Zethrid with what they're doing, which is something she and Zethrid have been doing for years at that point. The whole conquering territories for their own gain has been and was Zethrid's original plan, and Ezor went along with it cause Zethrid is her wife and Ezor does get a kick out of hurting others.
That kick I always suspected, is something akin to how bullies with bad pasts bully other kids cause they need to feel something and cope (poorly) with their own experiences. Ezor likes hurting people cause it makes her feel she's got power and it's a way of sublimating her anxiety - see how both her "date" with Zethrid in s5ep6(? bear with me it's been a while) and in s7ep3 she jumps to hurt people after she's been through these moments of deep stuff.
So when that backfired on them - Ezor nearly dying, Zethrid being grievously injured, Ezor likely recoiled from it, and left. Remember she already lost a leg independently to what happened in s7ep3. So the whole voltron thing is likely more of a "straw that broke the camel's back" situtation. Zethrid, in typical Zethrid fashion, likely was pushing for more attack against Voltron, Ezor had enough, leads to an argument - probably not the first they've had on similar topics - Ezor leaves.
Zethrid looses her mind and blames Keith (cause of course it's his fault, cause he's already roped Acxa who's very much like Zethrid herself in that regard: if she's got a goal in mind, the ends justify the means. Either way she can drag Acxa out if she gets him, cause it's always been her vs. Acxa. from the beginning).
I don't think Acxa hits on people. Acxa is so cognitively unemphathetic that I doubt flirting is something that crosses her mind. What I think happened was that since she and Zethrid are so similar in the regards that their goals aligned that they hit it off - but of course a relationship built without love like that between people who're filled with rage the way they were wasn't a sustainable one so it collapses. Acxa definitely commanded Zethrid the way she did cause she knew no other way to do things. She's not used to people genuinely caring for her - hence her initial hostility towards Veronica in the Grudge and why it touched her so deeply. Keith being distant and business-like is likely the nicest she's ever dealt with without it being underhanded in some way - case in point, Lotor. So Ezor seeing Acxa like That is likely just the norm and imho, Ezor's the most emotionally intelligent of the generals so she likely knows when Acxa is having a Genuine Feeling so she probably picked up on that but I think it's a matter of them all having messy af feelings from not growing up in a proper setting.
Imho I never got that Ezor and Acxa had a thing either. I think they were at best friends (or more accurately, Ezor made herself a friend, or the closest approximation of one given their pasts since having friends is foreign to both), who annoyed each other. Or more accurately, Ezor annoyed Acxa with her flippant disregard for science, and Acxa has zero sense of humor or ability to pick up on nuance. And Acxa exasperates Ezor cause of that. Acxa having a crush on Zethrid specifically comes from those Freudian slips in the Grudge like I'm 🤨 at her for that. Acxa likely doesn't know she still feels that way for Zethrid, if she ever knew to begin with.
I love the generals. They're such a fun and messy and chaotic dynamic that despite how vld is horrible at writing group dynamics they managed to trip up the stairs and write something interesting and good with them. The fact Acxa, Ezor, and Zethrid still hang out despite it all speaks volumes ngl. I want a friendship who sticks together despite all that. Messy, complicated dynamics between female characters. My absolute favorite thing in the world.
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a-mended-pact · 3 years
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Let the Right One In
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A/N: So this is for @boldlyvoid 's challenge. I had so much fun writing this. Even though I'm still super anxious about posting my stories. It's been a pleasure and an honor getting to know you Em. Congratulations on reaching 2k! 🖤
Warning: Mentions of insecurities. Maeve Donovan. Faking a death.
Word count: 2,082
It was midday when I heard knocking on the front door. I was half tempted not to answer. Spencer was away on a case and neither him nor I were expecting anyone. Anyone that would come over at all was away on the case with him or states over. So who could be coming over unannounced? I clumsily headed towards the door. My fuzzy socks are making it difficult to stay balanced on the hardwood floor. A knock came again. It was gentler this time. 
I looked through the peephole and saw a small woman looking around nervously leaning from foot to foot. “Who is it?” I wondered if I could at least get a name. 
“I’m here to see Doctor Spencer Reid. I got his address from Aaron Hotchner.”
  My face blanched at the sound of Hotch’s name. It had been quite some time since anyone had mentioned him. After he went into protective custody with Jack even though the reaper was dead he still chose to stay away. Contact with him was rare and slim. I quickly opened the door and watched her jump back slightly. 
“Who are you?” she asked. She looked around the same age as him. She is actually quite beautiful. I wonder how Spencer knows her? 
“ I’m Y/n Reid.” She tilted her head to the side as she studied me.
 “I didn’t realize Spencer had a sister.” She finally met my gaze and smiled.
 “Is he here or do I need to come back at another time?” A small laugh escaped me 
“No, I am not his sister. I am his wife.” I crossed my arms over my chest and locked my foot in place behind the door keeping it only slightly ajar not letting her see into our home. 
Her face shifted to one of slight surprise. “Oh well I better just go then.” She went to turn away. When a thought crossed my mind.
 “Wait, I can call him if you’d like and let him know you are looking for him. What’s your name?” I was wondering whether this was a good idea or not to even call him but i had already offered and i am already in far too deep to turn back now. 
She stopped not turning to face me again. “My name is Maeve. Maeve Donovan.” 
Maeve. Why did I know that name? Why is my brain going off with alarm bells? But why do I know that name? I watched as she vanished from the hallway down the flight of stairs never turning back around to look at me. 
I slammed the door shut as I racked my brain on if I should mention this to Spencer at all. Especially while he is away on a case. Maybe I should wait until he gets home. He should be home later tonight. At least if the weather was alright over in New Hampshire. He had left me a message earlier this morning to let me know the case was solved and it had started snowing there but their flight wouldn’t be ready till a little later. 
He should be home in about an hour now. I will wait. I’ll definitely wait.
 
~
When Spencer walked through the door he looked sluggish and about ready to just collapse. The exhaustion clearly got to him from not getting enough sleep while he was away. He took off his satchel and his suit jacket. He began undoing his tie as he walked his way into our bedroom. Not even making eye contact with me. 
He came back out moments later in nothing but his flannel sweatpants. “Sorry I know I should have said hello to you. I just felt like I was suffocating in my clothes today.” As he spoke he made his way to the couch where I sat at one end.
 Once he sat down he leaned down and put his head in my lap. I gently started running my fingers through his hair while scratching his head. 
“That feels really nice.” His voice was soft and he let out a quiet sigh as he relaxed into the couch and my lap.
 If I wasn’t petting his head I was gently caressing his back with my fingertips. I know I needed to tell him. I was just so nervous. I knew somewhere deep down this would be stressful to him. The day already has worn him out so completely. It was like he needed my touch to recharge himself. I began biting my lip as my hand stopped on his lower back. 
“Hey, Spence, A woman came by to see you today. She said she got your address from Aaron.” He made a humming noise to let me know that he heard me. “Her name was Maeve Donovan.” I felt his back muscles tense at the sound of her name. He sat up immediately. 
“Wh- what did you say?” He looked at me as if I had just grown an extra head or as if I had just spoken another language.  “Mae-” He cut me off. “No, I heard what you said. I don’t need you to repeat yourself. It’s not possible she was at the door. She is dead. She’s been dead for years.” 
He pushed himself up off the couch, the muscles in his arms flexing more than usual. He was more tense than I have seen him in a long time. The last time I saw him this upset or stressed was when he first came back from prison. We were just dating back then.
“I am going to go call Hotch.” he moved quickly to grab his phone when he finally reached it. It began to ring. He looked at it for a couple of seconds before he answered.
“Hello?” His eyes widened slightly. I watched as he clenched his jaw and tears brimmed his eyes. 
“M-m-maeve?” He leaned himself back against the wall. His breathing became irregular as he slid himself down the cold panel. At the same time I saw a couple of tears leave his eyes.
I sucked in a breath and sighed. Was this going to be the end of us? Now that all the stories Spencer told me of her came back once he said that she was dead.
She was his first love after all. It would only make sense right?
====Spencer’s Pov=====
My vision was blurred beyond recognition. I could hear my blood pumping in my ears as the sound of her voice drifted in and out. This isn’t real. It’s not possible. I watched her die. I saw her. She was pronounced dead at the scene. I mourned her. It’s been years. Nearly a decade.
“Spencer? Can you hear me?” I felt my tears stream down my face, nodding as if she could see me. 
“Yeah, Yeah I can hear you.” My voice cracked as I answered her. 
“Just like old times huh? It’s so nice to hear your voice. I’ve missed you.” My breath hitched at her words. 
I felt my heart hammer in my chest. I glanced up to see if I could find my wife. She was watching me with concern but otherwise she hadn’t moved not yet. All the guards Y/n had torn down throughout the years started building themselves up higher and higher. 
"H-how are you alive? I watched you die." The horrible memories of that fatal day still haunted me. What am I supposed to do now?
Do I still have feelings for her? Is it wrong if I do? I don't know how to handle this. What should I do?
"That's why I came to see you earlier.  It was an idea that I came up with at the last minute.  So I faked my death." Her voice was calmer than my breathing.  I felt the walls Barricading around me to keep me safe. I was suffocating.
I wasn't sure I had heard her right. I could feel my ears ringing as the blood in me ran cold.
"You faked your death and made me believe for a decade that the first person I ever loved died a brutal death because you wanted a new life?" My tone was harsher than I anticipated.
I felt my wife's hands run through my hair in a comforting manner as she lowered herself to the floor with me.
I glanced at Y/n as tears streamed down my face. The memories of Maeve and my feelings for her wreaking havoc on my heart.
"Darling, I think you should hang up. For now anyway." She whispered it as her hand lowered to the back of my neck giving me a gentle message. 
My back stiffened. I was so caught up in my own nightmare I hadn't realized that this is probably a living one for her.
"Spencer. I can expla-" I cut off the call before she could even finish her sentence.  Y/n was right.
"You have a lot you need to process and I'm sure you didn't want to say anything you would regret. I'm sorry if I've overstepped." She looked a little nervous as if I was gonna snap at her the way I had Maeve 
I gently grabbed the hand that was touching me and brought it up to my lips placing a kiss on it.
"Nonsense. You are my wife. You were right. I should have hung up. I just. I don't know how to explain what I was feeling." I could feel my breathing begin to slow slightly as I tried to match her breathing to get mine back to normal.
It was like my world paused for a moment and began to spiral faster than I could catch my balance. I felt air fill my lungs when I heard her voice but yet I was left gasping for oxygen. 
The very thought of Maeve brought back so many things I thought I had dealt with prior to now.  I leaned my head against my wife's shoulder as I just let the tears fall.
I felt awful having her comfort me over another woman. Yet I couldn't bring myself to completely care. She was the one offering me comfort.  
She held me in her arms. Whispering to me that things will be okay. That we'd figure things out.
I truly didn't deserve her. She loves me so unconditionally it's unnerving. That's when my phone went off again.
It was the same number Maeve had called me from.
I glanced at my wife. Who just watched me. That's when I fully knew and decided something that had been bothering me for over the past hour or so.
I let my phone continue to ring as I cupped her face. 
"You...you make me feel special and good and all these things that I still don't have the words for yet— good things… things I never thought I deserved to feel.” I pulled her in closer letting our lips caress one another.
"I love you Spencer.  You don't need to say all of this right now. I know you are still-" She tilted her head to the side as if she were trying to figure me out.  "Cluttered and that's okay."
I kissed her harder than I've ever kissed anyone before.
"I’m not in love with her, I’m in love with you”
I have no real idea on if she needed this reassurance all I knew is that I did. I wanted her to know out loud what she meant to me. I couldn't imagine a better partner. A better lover or a better best friend than her.
 I wasn't going to have her doubt everything about us. Not for anything.
I stayed close to her as my phone kept repeatedly going off until eventually it stopped. I was still figuring things out. 
Knowing that Maeve was alive before I met Y/n would have changed my life completely but now? I didn't want anything to change.  For once I was happy. I had someone in my life who put me first. Who cared about me. Who wasn't afraid to hurt my feelings as long as it kept me safe. She loved me for me and all the mess in between who I have yet to become.
She saw me for me. I wasn't Doctor Spencer Reid.  I wasn't a federal agent or a professor to her. I was just Spencer.  The man for some ungodly reason she chose to love. 
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ellana-ravenwood · 4 years
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“Mom got lost again” - Batfam x Fem!Reader
Synopsis : Little snippets about how “Batmom” (reader) will never find her way in the Mansion. But it’s fine, really, because she can always count on her husband and children to “save” her.  //DRABBLE
So. I was watching one of those “Architect’s digest” video on YouTube where they visit houses that are millions and millions of dollars worth, and besides the fact that I was thinking “wow look at all those beautiful things I’ll never be able to afford”, I couldn’t shake another thought off…and that was that I would totally get lost in many of those houses. Like, the way some are designed, they’re literally Dedalus’ labyrinth my dudes. So anyway, here’s not-really-a-fic-nor-a-drabble for you, a sort of snippet kind of thing, about this. Hope you’ll like it : 
My masterlist blog : @ella-ravenwood-archives
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Before the kids
“Hey Alfred, where’s (Y/N) ?”
He asks, one early evening as he just got home from work and knows you were going to meet up with him at his place.
“Oh Lady (Y/L/N) wanted to go see the library, so I took her there.”
“Thank you.”
Bruce arrives in the library, but you’re nowhere to be found. Wondering where you went he calls you but it seems like your cell don’t have any battery anymore. He starts to walk around the West Wing, looking in every room and…Finally, he finds you.
You’re sitting down against a wall in the corridor, looking discouraged, staring at your dead phone. You spot him and jump to your feet, looking very relieved. You then rush in Bruce’s arms, he catches you in extremis and you exclaims :
“Oh my god ! Bruce ! I love you !”
Insert a lot of kisses on his cheeks a really huge hug, as if you haven’t seen him in ages. But I mean, getting lost any place is sort of distressing, and you looooove that man. So much.
A little confuse, although always happy to have your affection, he asks : 
“What…is going on ?”
“I got lost…”
“You got lost ?”
"You have a very big house.”
Highly amused, Bruce responds : “I do.”
“So I got lost.”
“Ah. And what were you doing sitting there ?”
“Well…My parents always taught me to stay where I was, if I ever got lost somewhere, so when they’d came to look for me we’d be sure to see each others instead of passing right next to each others a thousand times…”
Bruce can’t help but burst out in laughter. Even more so that you genuinely looks like a kid that got separated from her parents. And oh, oh you love his laughter. 
It’s always a feat, when you can hear it. Especially when it comes from the heart like right now, when he genuinely laughs this deep beautiful laugh, because he’s happy. Because you make him happy. 
He’s not laughing at you, he just laughs because...You’re too much sometimes. 
And exactly what he needs. Too much is good, for a man like him.
He takes your hand and shows you around one more time. 
But he can see that even so, you can’t seem to remember the layout of the house, and you getting lost will happen again for sure. 
And he’s right. He showed you around his manor so many times, yet it seems you just can’t remember certain places. Like you memorized the places you go the most, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, access to the Batcave...and most of the time you find your way around easily (albeit sometimes still a little lost). 
But there’s entire areas of the house you try not to venture in or...it ends with Bruce coming to your rescue. Or Alfred. But he usually leaves Bruce to do it, as the man just...loves the way you two love each others. 
It’s always rather cute. And it warms the butler’s heart. 
Never in his wildest dream would he ever have thought that his Master Bruce would find someone like you. Someone accepting and understanding, and loving him unconditionally. And someone that Bruce loved fully in return, and whom he cherished above all. 
Yes. Alfred often let Bruce go on the hunt for you across the Manor, simply because he shipped you both since the very first time he saw you together, and he thoroughly enjoyed when his Master Bruce was acting like a lovesick puppy around you. When he was acting like a “normal” man, just hopelessly in love with his wife. 
And it was so pure, and beautiful.
So what if sometimes you’d wait a little long, lost in those endless corridors ? Alfred knew that Bruce would find you. Always. And that when he did, as usual, you would make Bruce’s heart melt, and he’d feel happy just by seeing you and...honestly it was all wort it. 
Bruce sometimes suspect you do it on purpose. That you get lost just so he can find you. And honestly ? He really doesn’t mind... 
Saved by the little bird
"Over a year of living here, I swear I still can’t...where...wait, didn’t I just pass this damn yet-again-another-living room ?! Aaaah what the fuck why is everything looking the same. Fucking shit. What a shitastrophy. Fucking cockburger son of a bitchtits little f-”
“Um...Are you ok, mom ?”
Oh sssshhhh...Alfred wouldn’t be happy with you for swearing around your young son. Dick was only eight, after all. 
He had started to call you “mom” since very recently, and it always made your heart skip a beat. Made you feel utterly happy. 
As the boy came in behind you from the corridor, you were about to kick a potted plant out of frustration (another thing that Alfred wouldn’t be very happy about). You turn around, slowly get your foot back on the floor, and say : 
“Um. I got um...Lost...” 
“Lost ?” 
“Yes...I just...can’t get used to the size of this house. I wanted to get something that Alfred said was in the East wing, which is somewhere I never really go. And um...”
“You got lost.”
“Yes. Don’t make fun of me ok, your dad is already enough.” 
“I wasn’t going to make fun of you !” 
Your son says, a little virulently, as if offended you’d ever think such a thing ! You smile at him, because how sweet could this kid get really ? 
“Alright little buddy, sorry I ever made such an assumption. So, if you’re not gonna mock me...maybe you can save me then ?”
“Save you ?” 
“Well, I’m lost. And you don’t seem lost.” 
“That’s because I’m not, I always found my way out of the labyrinths in fun fairs very easily !” 
He tells you, smiling widely, excited at the prospect of helping you. 
“Where do you need to go ?” 
“Let’s try to get to the kitchen.” 
“I know the way ! Come on !” 
He takes your hand in his little one, and drags you behind him, leading you across corridors and rooms up until...
“Here !” 
He tells you, smiling widely. And it’s so cute, because he’s missing a few teeth and his smile is just so pure...You just want to squish his little face and hug him to death. 
“Ah my savior ! What can I ever repay you with ?” 
You ask, taking an overdramatic tone of voice, knowing little Dickie always loved when you two played pretend and such. He takes the gruffest voice he can and says : 
“Well, my lady can repay me with...um...Cookies, yes I think cookies will do !” 
“Cookies ? Well this sounds fair, for this dashing saving you just did ! Macadamia or chocolate chip ?” 
“Both ?” 
“Both it is !” 
It happened many times, that you paid your oldest son with cookies, after he saved you from getting lost in your own house...Even as an adult, he’d demand payment of fresh cookies, and then would go show them off to his siblings, refusing to share, as the “good” older brother he was haha. 
Lost together
You find Jason in one of the many gaming room, while you were trying to get to the kitchen. You know for a fact that there are no gaming rooms on the way to the kitchen, but you can’t really figure out where you messed up...Was it when you went left after the third bathroom ? Or when you took the stairs down right before one of the mezzanine ? Wait, did that mezzanine have a piano ? Because if it did then it was the right way, if it didn’t, then you were on the other side of the damn house. Or maybe just right next to...Yeah ok. Lost again. 
But you found Jason. 
Maybe he could help ? 
The boy was sitting in a huge comfortable leather armchair, reading a book. When he heard you come in the room, he snapped his head up and a huge smile illuminated his cute little face. 
“Finally ! Mom !” 
He jumps off the armchair, putting down his books, and goes to jump in your arms. Then he says : 
“I was trying to go to the arcade room ! Because I wanted to beat your high score on Tekken, but I always only followed someone there, and I can’t find it anymore...” 
Ah. The arcade. One of the only room you sort of knew where to find...If you started from the front door. Or your bedroom. Not from a random room god knew where in the mansion. 
Why was this house so big ??? 
“I’m sorry to bother you with this, I know I should’ve paid more attention when Alfred showed me, but it’s just-”
Oh no. Oh no the little one was looking at you worryingly, probably because you weren’t responding, and he thought he was being a pain. 
Little Buddy always thought he was bothering people...So hurriedly, you said : 
“Oh no no Jason, you’re not bothering me at all ! It’s just um..I’m um...I’m sort of lost too.” 
“You are ?”
“I am.” 
“Really ?” 
“Really.” 
“Well damn.” 
“Haha right ? Usually your father or Dick would save me. Or Alfred.”
“Yeah same.”
“I actually rarely walk around alone now that I think about it.” 
“Yeah same !”
There’s a short pause, where you look at each others and smile at this little moment. And then, as you slowly both realize that you’re lost, IN YOUR OWN HOME, and the ridiculousness of the situation down on you, you explode in laughter. 
You end up getting back to the armchair, and Jason settles comfortably in your lap as you continue to read the book he was reading, out loud, and he listens to you happily. Nobody ever really read him stories before you and Bruce... 
Bruce finds the both of you later in the day, fast asleep in the armchair, Jason latched on your arm as you hug him to you. 
He finds the sight so adorably charming. He sits down next to the two of you, enjoying this moment of quiet and peace. And then he picks up the book you were reading, reading it himself...Ah. It’s one of his favorite childhood book. 
He reads it, waiting for you two to wake up, not wanting to disturb your sleep. 
It’s rare, that he has some free time. And he really doesn’t mind spending it watching over his sleeping wife and son, waiting for them to wake up and guide their way back to the part of the house they know...
Damn. Damn he loves them so much. 
"I memorized the blueprints” 
“And see, here’s a secret passage !” 
The boy says excitedly, as he shows you and Bruce a hidden door in one of the wall, behind a heavy tapestry. 
“...Wait...I didn’t even know that was there...How did...What ?” 
Your husband asks, half-confused, half-impressed, with maybe a little hint of hurt pride in there as well...it’s his house after all. 
“I memorized the blueprints of the house that are in the library.” 
The little one says, smiling widely at his new father. Bruce responds : 
“I have those blueprints, I never saw this secret passage ever in my life.” 
“You must have the “official” blueprints, the one Allan Wayne gave to others. The blueprints in the library, the ones I found, were tucked away inside one of the book and showed more than the “official” ones. Your great-great-great-great-great grandfather was a very paranoid man, I assume he pulled a Madame Winchester on the builders.” 
“Madame Win...Huh ?” 
“You know, famous Winchester mansion ? Super haunted ? She gave instructions to many different people to build certain things and there isn’t really blueprints that shows a correct layout of everything ?”
“Right...Sure...” 
“I assume you were too busy building the bat cave to really pay attention to the house. But it’s quite a wonder ! There’s so many new secrets I haven’t discovered yet !” 
A soft, tender smile spreads on your husband’s face as he looks down at Tim. Bruce says : 
“That’s quite a discovery you found there my boy, and you say you memorized it already ?” 
“It was easy, I just had to keep in mind the-”
And then Tim started to get lost in long complicated explanation that you didn’t understand, while your husband seemed very interested. 
You couldn’t help but smile. How cute...
Today, you were sort of glad, that you got very lost in your own home again, and got saved by little Timmy. He hadn’t lived in the house for very long by that time, but already knew it even better than Bruce, apparently. 
It was so nice, to have such a sweet little on in your life again...Dick hadn’t been by in a while, busy with the titans. And Jason...
You didn’t want to think about Jason. 
Or at least, not in the way you would end up thinking about him. You wanted to remember his smiles, and how he always got lost too in this house. Not...Not...the broken body Bruce brought back...You...
You shooed the memory away, and focused on your son. 
Tim was now going on and on about how he found really cool places that weren’t on the normal blueprints, and how he wanted to show Bruce and you. 
And Bruce was smiling. For the first time in ages. Your husband was smiling, faced with such an excited little one. 
So yes. Yes, today you were glad you got lost in your own home, and that your tiny son found you and showed you the way. That it lead you to ask him how the hell was he that fast in memorizing the house’s layout, and then him explaining things about the blueprints. 
And consequently, how Bruce and him started to truly bond, started to talk about the house and about the Wayne legacy...
It was nice. To finally see your husband smile again. Propelled by a sudden surge of motherly love, you hugged Tim tight, and the boy, a bit confused at first, hugged you back without much questions. 
And this sight. 
His wife and his son hugging. 
It warmed Bruce’s heart in a way his heart hadn’t been warmed since he lost Jason. 
Yes. It was good, that sometimes you’d get lost in your own damn house. 
This is a fun game
By the time Cassandra came into your life, this “mom got lost again” thing became sort of a game. It was about who would find you first, when they realized you were lost. 
You’d be gone a little too long after saying : “I’m gonna go get the ice cream in the freezer”, and they knew. It was time to set a party to find you. 
“3, 2, 1...GO !” And they’d run in each different direction, searching for you. 
The winner gets cookies. Baked by you... 
Cass liked that game. 
Because even if she lost, she would’ve spend quality times with her family. Fun times. Looking for her beloved mother. 
Mother. 
The only mother she ever had. 
Mom. 
It’s a word that always easily rolled off her tongue. 
Mom. 
“Found, mom.” 
You jumped a little in the air, as your only daughter suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She was looking at you upside down, and it took you a little bit to realize she was actually dangling off in a very spider-man way off of the floor just above. She must’ve heard your footsteps (or more likely, your growls about being lost again). 
She jumped off, and you felt your heart stop, suddenly fearing she would fall down but..Not, she agilely jumps over the rail, and is in front of you, smiling. 
Finding you was Cass’ favorite game. Because when she did, you’d always look at her fondly, give her a hug, and praise her for being the best.
And for someone like Cassandra, who grew up treated like an emotionless machine by a man who never viewed her as more than a weapon...it felt nice, to have such a loving person in her life. 
When Cass thought of you, her mind filled with bright colors, and her heart with warmth. Because she grew up never learning how to speak, her thoughts didn’t quite work in words like most people, but in colors and temperatures. 
And you, you were reassuring colors and soothing warmth. 
Mom. 
Such a simple word. Yet it took her a while to be able to even say it. 
Now she could speak, in big thanks to you. And her father.
She loved you guys so much. So much. 
She loved you. 
“Mom.” 
She says, reaching a hand for yours. And you take it, smiling once more, shaking your head and apologizing that you made her look for you...Oh. 
Oh but she doesn’t mind. None of them do. 
Because when they find you. When they “save you”, you always look at them with such unconditional love. No matter what. 
Finding you is Cass’ favorite game. 
It always leaves her feeling nice and warm, loved and safe. 
Finding you is Cass’ favorite game. 
And one day, she’ll be able to tell you all of that. One day, she’ll be able to tell you to never apologize, because she loves to look for you. She loves you. 
One day. One day she’ll talk to you about all of this. 
But for now, it was fine for both of you that her feelings translated in only smiles, affectionate touch, and one very important word...
“Mom”. 
“I won’t let you get lost !” 
Damian hated the mere idea of you being in any kind of distress. 
ANY kind. 
So when he learned that you would often get lost in the Manor, and even as everyone assured him it just sort of became an inside joke within the family, your youngest son took it upon himself to make sure you’d never get lost again. 
He started to put up signs everywhere in the house, giving indications as to where you were and where was what. Detailed little maps, arrows and such. Drawn by himself. It took him WEEKS to finally cover the entire Manor. 
It’s something no one ever thought of before because...Although you often got lost, it was always nice to try and find you, and well, you would still know your way around the part of the house you’d most go to. 
In fact, when you got lost, it was often because you’d go in a wing you didn’t know much for whatever reason, and they’d know where to look for you. 
So they never really saw a reason to make signs telling you the right way. Or yeah, they never really thought about it. 
But Damian...Damian was set to make the house “lost proof”.
As a result, you definitely didn’t get lost as many times. Which was...nice ? 
But once, at dinner, Dick was reminiscing of that one time you got lost in the attic for some reason, and couldn’t find your way out, and him and Jason had to get you, and how they laughed a lot and you praised them for saving you...
And Damian grew quiet. And upset. When you asked him why, he refused to answer, but the next day, you ventured in a part of the house you rarely went to so you could go fetch something and...
All the signs telling you which way to go were gone. Which didn’t worry you much, you knew you’d be found by one of your family member before long, or would just find your own way out after a while. 
But it was odd nonetheless. 
It’s only when Damian found you, and “saved” you that you understood why the signs weren’t on anymore. 
Damian too, wanted to “save” you from getting lost. Wanted to laugh with you because it was silly that you got lost in your own house. Wanted you to bake him cookies as a reward for saving him. Wanted to share those bonding moments with you...
It was so cute, and showed how far Damian really went since Talia first dropped him on your door, that you couldn’t help but hug the hell out of your baby. 
He was a little embarrassed, but hugged you back nonetheless. 
Yes. Yes Damian had come along way, since he first came into your life. He learned how to love, how it felt to be loved, and how...how sometimes he would crave for your attention. 
And so he took down the signs. So he could save you. So he could share this with you, just like you did share those moments with all his other siblings. 
He took down the signs, because you getting lost was an important inside joke of this family...And because he was, now, part of this family. 
What even is this place...
Duke thought he would never EVER find his way back in this new house. 
His bedroom was in...east wing ? West wing ? ...SOMEWHERE. 
The first few days of living there were overwhelming, and he constantly had to make sure he wasn’t far from one of the other family member because he was so afraid to get lost. 
He couldn’t remember the right way to anywhere. This was all too big. 
He grew up in a small two bedrooms apartment, in the heart of Gotham’s sludge. He could find his way in this gigantic city easily, knew the place like the back of his hand but...
The Manor ? 
It was uncharted territory. In every sense of the term. 
First it was on the outskirt of Gotham, in the hills, a place he never set foot in.
And then the house, but also the land around it was bigger than his neighborhood ! It was so foreign for him... 
But he hid this well. He hid the fact he was overwhelmed well. And just made sure he’d always be with someone when walking around the manor. 
He tried to remember the way they took, he really did. But every time he thought he got it, they’d use another way and he was totally lost again. 
Alfred showed him around the first day, but it was too many informations at the same time. Him and his ADHD couldn’t process it.  
What would you guys say, if he mentioned he was getting lost in the house ? Surely, you’d mock him. Or just feel sorry for him ? 
He wasn’t sure, and he didn’t want to know. Acclimating to this new life was already hard enough, what with discovering his meta-powers, having to deal with what happened to his parents, and living in this all new environment. 
You made it comfortable and easy for him. You were just so welcoming and loving. But it was still hard...he was only a boy. 
And so he said nothing. And now...now, lost and walking through corridors that all looked the same, he dearly regretted it. 
He turned a corner, and...there you were. 
“Oh, hey Dukie”. 
He smiled shyly, afraid you would know he was lost, and said : 
“Hi.” 
“What’s up ?” 
“Nothing, I was going to- I was exploring the house.” 
He was about to say he was trying to get to the movie theater, where Damian  and Cass were surely waiting for him by that time, so they could watch a movie. But what if he was totally off ? Far from where the home cinema was supposed to be ? 
“Exploring the house” sounded like a safe thing to say. 
“Oh, careful not to get lost haha. Happens to me all the time...” 
Wait...What ? Were you joking ? He wasn’t sure. 
“Actually, I’m lost right now. I wanted to take a shortcut from the kitchen to the bat cave to see Bruce -I miss him- -Yeah I know only saw him couple of hours ago-, but I must’ve taken a wrong turn...Somewhere...”
You were holding your chin in your hand now, trying to remember where you could possibly have taken the wrong turn. And Duke realized you were serious.
“You’re lost ?” 
“Yeaaaah. Go ahead, you can laugh. I know I’d laugh at myself too haha. I just could...never quite figure out how this house worked ? I grew up in a one bedroom apartment, sleeping in the living room with my brothers. And then when I moved in on my own I had an even smaller place. So. It’s a change. Even after all those years I’m still not quite used to it.”
“Ah me too ! I mean, I just can’t figure out the layout of this place !”
“Ah ? Hey, for you too, sometimes you think you definitely know where you’re going and then you find yourself outside in the garden and you just have no idea how you got there ?”
“Yes !!!! I was sure of my way so many times but then one wrong turn and...here I am.” 
“Well Duke, believe me I get it. I get it haha.” 
You then proceeded to tell him all the most embarrassing stories of you getting lost, including that one time at a charity event held in your house, someone asked you to take them to a certain place, and your asshole of a husband let you do it just because he knew you wouldn’t find the way, and because you getting lost with their guest was the only fun entertainment of the night. 
And this. 
This simple shared thing, of you two getting lost...
It was amongst the first time Duke really felt home. Really felt like he wasn’t alone. 
Those past few days had been difficult for him. This was all so new. 
And yet, with a few smiles, silly stories and support..You made him feel like he was truly home. And he didn’t even notice the hours you two passed, sat on the floor in that corridor, before Bruce found you and took you back to where you initially wanted to go...   
Saved by the littlest bird
Thomas is about eight, and you’re about to have a heart pinching flashback as he’s going to remind you of your first baby...
Dick was going to be almost thirty, by then. He was married, and with a kid on the way (I’m not here for ship wars, you chose with who he is, wether it’s Babs or Kori, or whoever else). Oh, how long ago it was, that his little eight years old hand would hold yours to guide you across the manor...
Too bad. Because right now, you definitely needed some help navigating around. Lost again. Ugh. T’was getting old. 
“Mommy...You’ve been living in this house for over 15 years now, how can you still get lost ?” 
Your littlest baby. Thomas. Appearing from around the corner, and as he saw you, rolling his eyes like never before. Yet smirking, in a very “Bruce” way. Ah. Like father, like son. 
“...”
Is your only answer. 
You avoid his judging gaze, but did it in a way that was overdoing it, so he knew you were just pretending to be embarrassed haha. He rolled his eyes, and then takes out a walkie talkie and says : 
“I found her Damdam, she’s in the West Wing near one of the drawing room. Over.” 
“Ok, thanks little buddy, let’s meet up in the kitchen, over.” 
“Ok cool, be right there, over.” 
This little exchange made you smile, oh those two were very close. Well, all your children were close. But Damian and Thomas had a little something, because they were the youngest, and because Damian took to heart his big brother role. He was also the only one still living in the manor by that time, all your other children having their own place in Gotham, going to college or already working...a wave of nostalgia threatened to take over you, and you quickly thought of something else. 
“Little buddy”, Damian called Thomas. Copying you for sure. How cute.  
“Come on mommy, I’ll take you back to the kitchen. You can make us cookies then, yes ?” 
“Of course my baby, any flavor you want.” 
“Well Damian will surely want the white chocolate chip ones, so I’m good with those too.” 
Thomas was such a sweet consilient boy. He didn’t really mind anything, and would follow you guys anywhere...as long as he could be with his family, and enjoy their presence, he just never minded. 
He definitely had a stubborn and strong personality, but he was still oh so sweet. And nice. Even if he did mock you a lot for getting lost in your own home...
“Where did you get the walkies ?” 
“Dick gave it to me last time he came, so we could cheat at hide and seek. Don’t tell Tim.” 
You chuckle, imagining how nuts your kids would get because Dick always goddamn won...
Ah and of course Dick would give a talkie to his littlest brother. To be honest, Thomas reminded you of Dick in lots of ways. 
They were both gentle, funny, sweet and nice...with outburst of anger and pride sometimes. Ah quite like Bruce too. You loved them all so damn much. 
“Now come mom, I think dad will be home soon too ! We can watch a movie before the patrol ! With cookies !!” 
You smile, and you take your son’s hand. Your youngest boy. Reminiscent of when Dick used to do this. All those years ago. 
Reminiscent of a time you didn’t feel so weak... 
(I’M SORRY I HAD TO ADD THIS LAST LINE FOR IT TO FIT IN THE WORLD I SORT OF MADE !! If you know you know). 
And if you’re wondering who the hell Thomas is : Polichinelle, “Go away, you’re confusing my baby”, Shaky steps and bad teaching, Master of Diaper, How do you make babies ?, What it means to be a big brother - By Damian Wayne and After Batmom’s death)
Bonus : There’s a moment, in one of the video I watched, where the guy showing the house off is basically like : “You might think this is a beautiful dining room…but it’s not, it’s a breakfast room”, and I had random flashes of Alfred showing the manor to one of the kids, or even to Batmom as she first comes to the house, and him talking about the “breakfast room”, and the boys/Batmom just not being able to get over the fact there’s a room that exist just to eat breakfast in…(wait till they see the personal SPA floor uh). Only Damian would be like : “Tt. Only one breakfast room ?” XD. Anyway. I thought I shared, because it made me laugh to imagine how ridiculous Wayne Manor is. Wait worst, in one of the video the people living in it had a room bigger than my entire apartment that existed for the SOLE PURPOSE OF CUTTING BOUQUETS OF FRESH FLOWERS ??????? That I’m sure they wouldn’t have. I mean, a garden that Alfred would cherish, for sure. But...an entire room just to cut FRESH (the dude really put an emphasis on that) flowers...My guy...what...
_________________________________________________
Ok the end. Hope you liked whatever my thoughts were on this Saturday night. I didn't put as much effort in this as I usually do and wrote it rather fast, hope it’s still ok, I just wanted to share a little something that wouldn't leave my head up until I finally wrote about it :). 
PS : Also it’s all sort of a joke I thought about, I know most people would probably find their way after living for ages in the same place, but ah you get what I meant haha. Also I get lost in my own basement sometimes because of how the layout is, so ya know...hahaha. 
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darling-i-read-it · 3 years
Text
Leaving the Baker's
Part 5 (Final Part)
RE7 Rewrite Masterlist
Ethan Winters x fem!reader
Word Count: 2.4k
Warnings: spoilers for re7, violence, guns, mold, death
Author’s Note: It’s over! I like how this ended up going. I know not a lot of people read it but I hope those who did likes it! Ethan supremacy besties
Summary: The end of the game.
I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator. Some of these lines are directly from the game so they may sound familiar.
(not my gif)
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You carefully floated down through the water, Ethan driving the boat through the obstacles. You sat beside each other sheepishly, Zoe across from you. She looked uncomfortable. She rubbed her arms, nervously looking around.
“You chose me over your wife,” she said to Ethan.
“You knew the way out,” Ethan said slowly. You nodded. That was what you had agreed on. Well you were pretty sure that was what you agreed on. There was no actual chat. You looked over at Ethan who had a fairly neutral look on his face.
“Yeah,” Zoe muttered.
You soon came up on a large ship. Your eyes went wide and you almost stood up to get a better look but you thought better of it. Ethan and Zoe’s gaze followed yours. They looked at the looming ship, wondering how it had gotten all the way out here onto the bayou.
“What is-” Zoe started and then something came out of the water, cutting her head off. You screeched, grabbing Ethan who was already in the process of grabbing you. You shook a bit as her body went limp in front of you.
“What was that?” you whispered but Ethan didn’t even get the chance to register the question because something came up from under the boat, grabbing you both before you could even properly scream.
====
You woke up slowly. You looked up at the boat above you, looming in the dark weather. It had to have been the boat that Mia came on. She had told you about how she was watching a girl named Eveline. That the girl had special properties. You wondered what that was.
You rubbed your head and started to sit up when you saw Mia walking by. How did she get here? You knelt behind some of the wreckage, watching as she passed you. She stopped a few feet away and knelt down.
“Ethan?” she said. You peeked over the edge and saw him on the ground. You wanted to go to him but you wouldn’t risk a fight with her mad. You gasped as the dark mold came out and grabbed onto him, engulfing him whole and dragged him away. You reached out, wishing you had done something to stop it. Mia did the same thing, reaching for him but he was gone. You leaned back a bit and took a deep breath.
You had to get him before she did. You weren’t sure how that was going to happen but it was going to happen.
====
You entered the boat a couple of minutes after her. You still had your guns and weapons on you so you held them close as you made your way through the boat. Now that you were alone it was a little more daunting. You had been able to crack jokes with Ethan this whole time, have someone to back you up but now you were completely on your own.
The ship was dark. You kept checking the corner for more of the mold monsters and Mia. Every once in a while you could hear her walking around, her voice in the distance. You were right on her tail when she got to Ethan.
You raised your gun to her as she approached Ethan.
“Don’t fucking touch him,” you muttered. She whipped around, face sunken.
“You don’t understand,” she said.
“No you don’t understand. We came here to save your ass Mia and now you’ve gone and gotten us both in trouble. Step aside. Ethan and I are leaving.”
“He won’t leave without me.”
“Oh?” You jabbed your gun at her. “Let’s find out.”
Suddenly a little girl materialized beside her. Your eyes went wide and your aim went to the child. Eveline.
“Don’t hurt him,” Mia pleaded.
“I already told you I wouldn’t mommy.”
“I’m not your mother!” she protested. Eveline went to grab her and while she did so you passed behind Mia, digging through the mold on the wall for Ethan. You moved it aside so you could see his face. You brushed the goop off his cheek and his eyes opened, looking at you confusingly.
“What..wh-”
“You need to leave!” Mia said. “I can’t...I can’t…” When you looked around the little girl was gone. You furrowed your brows, putting yourself between her and Ethan who was still gaining consciousness. You held up your gun and Mia shoved you over, grabbing Ethan’s arm. “You shouldn’t have chosen her!” she yelled. “Either of them!”
You shot her before she could claw at him. Here was another fight. They seemed to be never ending.
You shot at her and Ethan did as well after a moment. It took a couple of minutes but you saw her wearing down. She grabbed Ethan’s arm, stopping. You reloaded your gun and held it up to her but you didn’t need it anymore.
She stared into Ethan’s eyes and then fell over, turning to dust. He held his hands out as though to grab her but she was gone. You slowly put your gun down.
“Mia,” he whispered. You closed your eyes. You didn’t want her dead. You were hoping to come back for her. You were hoping you would all be alright. Ethan turned to you, his face cracked a bit. He was bleeding. “Eveline is turning them that way,” he explained. “All of them. They didn’t have a choice,” he whispered. “Mia didn’t have a choice.” You felt a sting in your heart. You hoped that was true. You didn’t like to believe she would have hurt either of you willingly. Now she was dead.
Ethan took a deep breath, shaking his head as he processed the death of his wife. He turned to you and before you knew what was happening, he hugged you tightly. You buried your head in his shirt, not caring how dirty it was. You breathed him in and then pulled away.
“We have to get out of here,” you whispered. He nodded curtly.
“Let’s go.”
=====
The two of you dug through grime and dirty water before coming to a small house. There were some things in it that looked like they had been used recently. Ethan picked up a pack of bullets. You messed with the radio. It came to life.
“Alpha 1 this is Bravo 1 do you read?” it said. Ethans head cocked over. He walked to you.
“This is Alpha 1. Report. Did you find anything?”
“A thorough search of the Bakers found no survivors. Repeat, no survivors. We did find evidence of a skirmich.”
“Eveline?” “Negative. However we did find several encrypted messages from the Baker’s son, Lucas, to an unknown third party. You can probably guess who that was.” “That’s just great.”
“We’ve had reports he’s in the abandoned mines south of the property.”
“I’m gonna go have a look.”
“Roger that. We’ll meet you at those coordinates.”
“If you encounter Eveline your orders are to shoot to kill. Repeat - shoot to kill.” The transmission went out. You looked over at Ethan, shaking a bit from the cold and from the situation.
“What the fuck did we step into?” he asked.
“Damn if I know.”
=====
You continued to trek through waters and some cave systems. You arrived back in the guest house, where all of the terrors had started. At least you knew you were somewhat close to your car. You kept close to each other, watching the corners, guns up.
Eveline appeared, a wicked smile on her face.
She used her powers to make you see what had happened in that house. Mia attacking you. Ethan’s hand being cut off.
“If you don’t wanna be my family, you die,” she whispered. Then she was gone again.
“Screw her,” you muttered.
You followed along the house. It shook underneath you, making you both jump. Evnline was screaming before you even gotta see her. The room erupted in light blue lights. She stood at the end of the room and as you approached even more lights came out from her, making you and Ethan fall over.
You had to hide behind the wall though no doubt she would break through that as well. You and Ethan shared a look.
“You shoot her, I'll grab her,” he yelled over the wind. You nodded stiffly and came out from behind the wall, shooting her with your handgun as many times as you could manage. While she was startled Ethan ran up against the wind.
Ethan grabbed her and it all stopped.
You looked up and saw that little girl Eveline had turned into the grandmother from dinner. You had seen her countless times around the house. You should have known. She was bleeding black mold from her eyes.
Ethan ran into you as he backed up. You grabbed his arm and watched as Eveline turned the whole room into a large black moldy mess. She was breaking apart, screaming.
“It hurts, it hurts!” she said in a distorted voice. She turned into the mold.
One more fight. One more.
Ethan and you used the last of what you had on her. You shot and threw everything that you had ever been able to carry. You grunted, dodged and got hit more times than you could count.
By the time you were tossed out of the house, you had lost almost all feeling in your body. Everything ached.
It was amazing to feel something other than numbing pain. The ground underneath you was cold. You felt the grass underneath you. It was cold. The sun was on your face. It felt like it had been years since you felt the sun. You took a deep breath but it ended up being a wheeze.
“Y/N?” You sat up. There was a man in your face you didn’t know. “I’m Chris Redfield. I’m here to get you out of here.” You sat up and nodded, taking his hand to help you up. You looked around.
“Where...where’s Ethan?” you asked urgently once you came too. Then you saw him. About as banged up as you felt, he was standing with some other people in the same outfit as Chris. He was arguing with someone and then he walked forward. You reached forward desperately and grabbed his arm, holding him tightly to you. You stayed glued together until you got up onto the helicopter.
You looked down at the mold infested farm. It made you feel bad for the Bakers. They were probably nice people, before it all. You closed your eyes and leaned your head back on the seat. Ethan was looking at something on his phone as you took off. A video of Mia. You had gotten one too but you didn’t want to look at it right now.
He watched it for a second and then tossed his phone off the side.
“You’re going to have to buy a new one,” you told him. “Hey, Ethan.” He had a death grip on your leg. He finally noticed it and loosened up.
“Sorry. I guess I’m just going to be extra protective now. Can’t have you slipping away from me,” he said over the noises of the helicopter.
“Glad we’re on the same page.” You put your head on his shoulder and tried to come down from the events of the past 48 hours.
====
You sat on your bed, looking through an article on your laptop. You ran a hand through your hair. There were countless articles about the Baker house. People were misquoting you and Ethan left and right but you didn’t mind. Neither of you wanted to be interviewed.
A small picture of Mia was bunched in with a family picture of the Bakers. You rubbed the bandage on your collarbone that went up to your shoulder.
It had only been a week since you got back. Everything was still healing.
“That’s gonna scar,” Ethan said as he walked into the room. You nodded, putting your hand down.
“Then your staples are gonna scar too.” “No doubt.” He sat down on the bed beside you. He looked over your shoulder at what you were looking at. “You should probably stop looking at the articles,” he muttered. You leaned back on the bed frame. He put his arms around you, shutting the laptop closed. You let out a breath.
You and Ethan hadn’t lived together before the Baker’s but you were having a hard time being away from each other. So he moved into your place for the meantime. He was liking it more than he cared to admit. People were still giving their thanks about Mia and he was already in your bed.
But he couldn’t bring himself to leave. Everytime he left you alone he would get stressed out. He meant it when he said he wasn’t going to leave you alone. Maybe one day but...not yet.
“Are you going to bed?” you muttered.
“Yeah.” You put your head on his chest.
“Alright you’ve convinced me to go to bed with you.” He chuckled and let you go so that you could both lay down. You looked at him as you both laid on your pillows, after turning the lamps out. He moved a piece of hair out of your face and calmly let out a sigh.
“Goodnight Ethan. I hope the sleeps better than the trailer.” He smiled, closing his eyes.
“We should have asked them to save that trailer. I kinda miss it.” You scoffed. He laughed a bit and put his arms around you. You fell asleep beside each other, dreaming of something better than the Bakers.
154 notes · View notes
blessednereid · 3 years
Text
Pity the Living
Daniel Sharman x Reader Series
A/N: The Much Requested, and By Requested, I mean @rogershoe wanted me to write this, MY DANIEL SHARMAN FANFICTION!!!!!! The character that Y/N plays is based on my OC for FTWD and is not an actual character in FTWD. Basic Premise of the setting for this chapter is that they're in high-school/ secondary school. But for the majority of the story(minus flashbacks) it's set in 2016/17 when s3 of FTWD was filmed.
Story Summary: When (Y/N) (L/N) reunites with a high-school friend on the set of the job she's been working on for the past 2-3 years, not only is she excited to work with the guy who inspired her to go into acting, but to hear about what he's done since she's seen him. But the more they talk, the more she realizes, this reunion is not going the way she had planned.
CW: Cursing? brief mention of alcohol, anxiety, mentions of food, fake dagger, fake blood, bets,
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Career Day
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Most of the students around you were chorusing to the tune of your school anthem, but not you. You had heard the melody and sung it almost a million times. Whether you were exaggerating or not, not even you knew. Instead, you were whispering and laughing with one of your best friends, Daniel Sharman.
You met Daniel when you first came to the school. You didn't know many people. You didn't even know yourself in this place. It was a completely foreign experience, but he stuck by your side and showed you around.
Since then, you had made friends, joined the swim team, learned your way around the school without ending up in the boys' restrooms instead of the girls' ones. Despite not needing Daniel to show you around anymore, he still provided plenty of comedic support and pick-me-ups and was a great mate all around.
Your teacher had just finished introducing all the parents who were presenting at career day. The assignment being after the presentations were finished, you were supposed to think about what you wanted to be in the future. You had no idea what you wanted to be. But of course… Daniel did.
"An actor."
"An actor?" he nodded. "Like Macbeth?"
"No, Macbeth is a character. An actor is a person who plays the character."
"Why an actor?"
"Dunno. Just seems right."
You frowned. "Huh, that's nice. Knowing what you want to be."
"You could always try acting. It's worth a shot."
"Hah, if I ever tried acting, it would probably be when I'm old, senile, and look like Betty White."
"Oh, come on. You're a great actress!"
"What's that supposed to mean, Sharman?" you gasped.
"Just that you tell fibs and stories as if they were the truth. That's all acting is."
"I DO NOT!"
"How did you convince your mum that your dog jumped onto the table and ate the cake without making any noise last weekend, then?" You opened your mouth to speak before closing it.
"Cat got your tongue?" he teased.
"Shut up, Sharman."
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L/N Residence
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You and Daniel were both swimming in the pool in your backyard when Daniel asked you the question.
"Did you think about it?"
Still floating, you asked, "About what?"
"Acting."
You laughed incredulously. "You were serious?"
"Of course I was." He swam closer to you and pulled your leg down, making you flop around and splash water.
"WHAT THE HELL!"
"Was just trying to get your attention," he remarked innocently.
You coughed. "You had it."
"Picture this," he waved you off. "Us, on the red carpet-"
"Who's red carpet?"
"Does it matter? We'll be each other's dates anyways."
"Why is that?" you asked.
"Because we're best friends."
"What if one of us has a boyfriend or girlfriend?"
He shrugged. "Ok, whatever. We're on the red carpet separately. It's both of ours red carpet-"
"So, does that mean we're in a movie together?"
"Yes, Y/N," he muttered exasperatedly.
"But that's impossible?"
"Why do you say that?"
You leaned closer to his ear. "BECAUSE I'M NOT BECOMING AN ACTOR."
He jumped away from you, proceeding to splash you with water.
"Mark my words. I know talent when I see it."
You sighed. "Could this just be you not wanting to be lonely in the acting world?"
He jutted his lip and spoke in a whiny voice. "Maybe…"
You laughed before splashing a giant wave of water at him. While he still had water in his eyes, you dove under and pulled him down.
He flailed around before his head popped up, and he calmed down.
"WHAT THE HELL!"
"PAYBACK, SHARMAN!"
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Announcement
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The intercom gave a heavy buzz, and static-y noises ran amok over the building before a voice actually came through the speakers.
"Hello, Teachers, Students, and Faculty. Welcome back to school. We hope that you all enjoyed your holidays and got the rest you needed to pay attention in class today," the last part was passive. Your principal gave more announcements for clubs and sports around the school, such as upcoming games or reminders for students to buy the school yearbook.
You were nodding along interested, or looking for interest really when something caught your best friend's attention.
"The school will also be hosting its first-ever play, Romeo and Juliet. Interested people should report to the music room before the end of the week to receive information."
You saw Daniel's eyes widen only moments before he spoke up. "Hey," he waved at you. "You should audition!"
"Daniel, are you insane?"
He chuckled, "No, but I think you'd like it."
You tried arguing, but he wasn't taking no for an answer. "You're the one who said you didn't know what you wanted to do after you graduated. Doing this cannot hurt."
"Yeah, it can't hurt until I trip on my costumes and break my neck!"
"That rarely ever happens," he said exasperatedly. "Ok, how about this? You audition, and if you end up getting a role and actually doing the play, I'll give you fifty pounds."
You squinted. "Do you even have fifty pounds to give me?"
"Do you even have to ask," he feigned shock in the accusation? You gave a sour face before he truthfully answered. "Fine, I don't have it now. But I will by the time the play comes around."
"What do I get just for auditioning?"
"I'll convince my mum to make that cake you like."
"Fine."
"BUT!" he exclaimed. "You have to audition for Juliet."
"You're kidding?"
He laughed. "No, I'm not. You have to audition for Juliet."
"I hate you," you mumbled before sighing a whispered 'fine.'
He gave a toothy smile. "Then we have a deal."
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Auditions
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You reluctantly walked onto the stage, Daniel's widening grin so visible in the audience. He said that he only put his name on the audition sheet so he could watch the auditions. He would've already been gone by the time it was his turn.
"Hello, My name is Y/n L/n, and I am auditioning for Juliet," your lips pressing into a straight line after saying the sentence.
You stammered through your first few lines. "Sh-Shall I speak ill of him— that is my husband?" You said with a laugh.
"Ah," you paused and clicked your tongue. "Poor my lord, what tongue shall smooth thy name… When I, thy three-hours wife, have mangled it?"
You said your following line in an accusatory manner. "But wherefore, villain... didst thou kill my cousin?" you said, though your voice squealed trying to pronounce 'didst.' "That villain cousin would have killed my husband."
"Back, foolish tears, back to your native spring!" Your voice rose and fell several octaves. "Your tributary drops belong to woe, Which you, mistaking, offer up to joy." Fake tears spring to your eyes, your voice cracked, and you began slowly falling against an invisible wall.
You looked down at your paper for what to say next. "My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain; And Tybalt's dead, that would have slain my husband. All this is comfort; wherefore weep I then?" You wiped your cheeks dramatically.
"Some word there was, worser than Tybalt's death, That murd'red me. I would forget it fain;" your lips quivered, and you sucked in deep, heaving breaths before speaking your line.
"But O, it presses to my memory. Like damnèd guilty deeds to sinners' minds! 'Tybalt is dead, and Romeo--banishèd!" You shouted.
You stood back up in a startling jump, and with a proud smile, you said triumphantly, "And Scene!"
The directors and some students in the audience, especially Daniel, gave a round of applause before the director dismissed you.
You took the steps to the stage and sat next to Daniel as the director called the next student to audition.
"You were amazing! The director might as well have given you the role right then and there."
You laughed, "Hang on, charmer. There were a bunch of Juliet's who literally said that entire thing so… fluently. I stammered through the whole thing."
"But you showed more emotion than anyone else. You only had a week to prepare. The actual show will be like child's play."
"They want people who can memorize and recite. The emotion can be added later, but it's worth nothing if they forget their lines."
"There is such a thing called improvising for a reason," he reassured.
"Who in their right, bloody minds wants to improvise Shakespeare?"
He turned his head and chuckled before waving a five-pound note in front of your face. "Here, I got to go before they call me, but you earned this at least."
"Five pounds for being forced to audition for a stupid play so you can prove a point? Wow, you must really fancy me, huh, Sharman?" you said sarcastically.
"Goodbye, L/n," he whispered before sneaking out the back door of the auditorium.
"Alright, next up. Daniel Sharman!" The director shouted your friend's name a few more times before giving up.
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Headmasters Office
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A week after your audition, you were called to the headmasters' office. Thus is the cause of the curious looks from your classmates. Oohs and Aahs flooded your ears as you grabbed your bag and headed out the door to the front of the school.
When you got to the front of the building and went into the headmasters' office, you saw the Theatre director, Ms Parker, standing behind the desk. "Headmaster Leo allowed me to use his office to do this. Isn't that cool?"
Ms Parker was one of the younger teachers in school. She was twenty-four, and this was her first year teaching after receiving her bachelor's degree in education and a master's degree in music production. A fact she could astoundingly ramble about for fifteen minutes. As proven at the auditions.
"I didn't want to call you to the theatre room. That would be too predictable, correct?" You'd come to realize she was a very eccentric woman. "I have called you in here to inform you that you have been selected to perform in this year's play of Romeo and Juliet."
A wave of shock coursed through your body, and you were sure it reflected on your face. "Are you sure?"
"Darling, I'm positive!- your audition was totally spectacular! So brilliant-in fact- that I am completely sure in my choice to make you our female lead- Juliet!"
"What!" Your eyes widened into a blank stare. Your thoughts were running rampant in your mind. You thought that performing on the stage would be a breeze when you weren't the lead.
"Ms Parker, I didn't actually want the part of Juliet! It's just that my friend dared me to audition for Juliet! Is there no way I can get a smaller part? I'm no Juliet. The show would be ruined," you rambled.
The directors' facial expressions softened, "Darling, you are the only choice. None of the other people who auditioned can even compare to the amount of passion you produced in that audition. I am determined to have you as our Juliet."
You whimpered out an "Ok." Professors had a strange way of convincing you to do extra credit assignments or things that aren't necessary.
"We have a chemistry read for you and a few of our other choices for Romeo after school today. Do you need to contact a parent to let them know where you'll be?"
"Uh, yes, please."
After you made your call, you walked back to your classroom with shaky hands. The class period was almost over, but you had to tell Daniel that you had gotten a part in the show. Not just any part- THE PART!
You shuffled into the classroom reluctantly. All eyes were on you as every student had assumed you'd been in trouble. Either suspended, expelled, or told your parents were going to have a sit-down with the headmaster.
You took your seat next to Daniel before taking out a piece of paper and writing out a note, encompassing the words, "I got the part!"
You slid the sheet discreetly onto his desk. When he read it, his eyes widened, and he quietly moved his hands toward yours, beckoning for a high five.
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First Rehearsal
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After the chemistry read, the role of Romeo was given to a kid named James Mercer-Allen got the part. Though it was more because the directors were starting to become tired.
The next day was the first rehearsal. Swimming season was last semester, so there was no clash in schedules with the play.
"Alright, this rehearsal is to get acquainted with the stage, your fellow actors, and directors," she insisted. "Now, let's introduce ourselves. Can our Romeo please stand up?"
James stood up and gave a brief introduction. You were called on next. You stated your name, "I was on the swim team last semester, and I'm in my thirteenth year. I hope I can do this role justice."
More students stood up to introduce themselves. The entire process took more than thirty minutes.
The next thing to happen was that the rest of the students were called to recite lines for various roles. The only parts that had been cast preliminarily were Romeo and Juliet.
You and James had sat on the wooden stools unless there was a scene going on that needed Romeo and/or Juliet.
By the end of the first rehearsal, the majority of the speaking roles were cast. You went home exhausted but not expecting the conversation that waited for you.
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The Talk
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"We're moving?" you shouted at your parents from your seat across from them in the sitting room. "What do you mean we're moving."
"Honey, your dad got a job in the states, so we have to move," your mother argued.
"But what about school? No school will take me in the middle of the year, and it's my last year of secondary school. I don't want to spend the rest of my last year knowing nobody."
Your dad, the man of the hour, spoke up. "Dear, we're moving at the end of the year. After school ends."
"But- What about Uni?"
"You said you were taking a sabbatical year!"
"Yes, so I could intern in London!"
"Can't you intern in California?" Your mother whined.
"We're going to California? It's the furthest state?"
Your dad attempted to reassure you but failed. "Darling, it won't be that bad. Maybe you'll like it there more than you like it here!"
"I could never like anywhere more than I like it here!"
You agreed to go to your room and spent the rest of the day there. Later on, after you finished moping, you ringed up your closest friends to tell them you were moving. You did that until you were so tired you fell asleep on the phone with Sarah before you even called Daniel.
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Confrontation
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"Why am I hearing from everyone besides you that you're moving?" Daniel appeared out of thin air behind you, and the accusation was an assault on your conscience.
You could lie and tell him that you wanted to reveal that to him in person, or you could just tell him the truth- say you fell asleep. Mix-and-Match? You ended up just telling the truth. "I fell asleep when I was making some of my other calls. I was going to tell you, I swear!"
"Why didn't you call me first. I'm your best friend?"
"That's why! It was too hard. I kept putting it off and putting it off and putting it off because I didn't want to tell you, I don't want it to be true, and telling you of all people would make it feel real."
"Why can't you stay for Uni?"
"I already told my parents I was taking a gap year. I didn't apply to any colleges."
"Crap!" he sighed. "Ok, well, we're going to have to make the most of it. And! You're getting a going away party!"
"Daniel, I don't need-"
"No debate! You are getting a going away party!"
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Opening Night
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Four months later, after all the rehearsals and memorizations of lines. After much running around the entire film department, it was finally opening night, and your nerves were shot.
You were scrambling all morning to find everything you needed. All your costumes were at the school, but you still needed to bring your black leotard, skin-coloured tights, and wear your hair in an up-do style.
You decided to do your skincare routine, but your panic got the best of you, and you forgot what every single product was used for.
Daniel came over and helped you get ready but found you practically hyperventilating.
Your parents drove you both to the theatre, and when Ms Parker told you that Daniel couldn't be backstage, you promptly told her that he was your emotional support. After much arguing, she finally let him backstage.
Around an hour before showtime, the director told Daniel that he had to go wait in the audience if he already bought his ticket or that he had to go do it now.
Before he left, he gave you a pep-talk. "Hey, so one time, I was in this play, and the idea was that I was expelled, and there was a piece of paper I had to give my 'mother,' but I lost it. So we had to improvise, but I couldn't find the paper, and I felt horrible. So just know, even if you forget your lines, you must improvise, and remember, it still probably won't compare to the embarrassment I felt that day. So you can laugh at my humiliation. "
You chuckled, "I will. Ok, go before you get in trouble."
"Ok, me, our parents and all your friends will be in the front row. I've already reserved the entire row. I brought a whole bag of jackets just for that reason!"
"You can't do that," you said in between cackles.
"For you, I'll do anything," he grinned.
A few hours later and the show was almost done. "What's here? A cup, closed in my true love's hand? Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end," you wept.
"O, churl! Drunk all and left no friendly drop to help me after? I will kiss thy lips; Haply some poison yet doth hang on them, to die with thine restorative." You leaned over James and let your hair fall to the side of your head to cover your face. You pulled back without actually kissing James.
"Thy lips are warm."
A whispery voice came from offstage, "Which way?" The cue for you to take the poison, which was actually cranberry juice.
"Yea, noise? Then I'll be brief. O happy dagger!" You grabbed the dagger and brought it near your chest. "This is thy sheath;" you drew the fake knife back three inches from your chest and stabbed it to where the bag of more cranberry juice was and punctured the bag. 'Blood' soaked through your dress. "There rust, and let me die." You fell dramatically onto the altar and waited for the scene to end as the crowd cheered.
After the show, you dashed into the crowd where your friends and family waited for you. Ovations and Applauses were passed, lauded boxes of chocolates and gorgeous roses were given.
When you got to Daniel, he practically tackled you with a hug. "I actually thought you died for a split second. The blood looked so real."
"Daniel, most people don't bleed that fast, do they?"
"I don't know but fear kicked in, and I couldn't make sense of anything."
You grinned and almost went to your parents before Daniel grabbed your arm. "You don't have a date to the Leavers ball, do you?"
"No, I don't. Why?"
He sighed. "Well, I was thinking that you could go with me. I don't have a date either."
You squinted, thinking there was some ulterior motive behind his actions. "Ok, I'll go with you if you give me the money you owe me before then."
"It's right here," he smiled.
Your face scrunched up, but you reluctantly agreed. You only had a month of school left, and you might as well spend it having fun with your friends.
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The Leavers Ball and the Getaway Party
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You were dressed in a light blue, pleated, Mikado prom dress that cut off at mid-thigh. You had black wedges on your feet and a black pearl-beaded bracelet on your arm.
You were wearing a half-up, half-down style that framed your face and a silver necklace with a circle-shaped diamond.
You were sitting in the parlour when Daniel rang the doorbell. He was ten minutes late.
"Sorry," he said when your dad answered it. "I know I'm late. I was picking up Kat and James."
Kat and James were your and Daniel's respective friends who'd started last year after you and Daniel introduced them.
"Hi," you popped out of the shadows. "Alright, Mom, Dad, we're late, so we're just going to get goi-"
"Wait! I have to take pictures! Go get Kat and James."
"No, Mom. No pictures!"
"It's only right. I just want a few. We can take it outside."
You sighed but reluctantly caved into your mother's will.
The four of you took pictures outside of Daniel's Jeep Wrangler. You took ones with silly faces, just girls, just boys, and ones with all four of you before your parents allowed you to leave.
You were forty minutes late, and the ball was already in full swing by the time you got there.
You got on the dance floor immediately because one of your favourite songs was playing, but the DJ switched the song as soon as you found a decent spot. It was a slow song. You chuckled, and Daniel put his hands on your waist.
"Well, this is awkward."
A few minutes later, Daniel posed an interesting question.
"Did you know that I had a crush on you when you first came to school?"
"Uh, you stammered. "No, I didn't know that."
"Yeah, I did. It was short, though. Surface-level."
"Oh," you said. "Should I take offence to that?"
"What?" His eyes widened in realization with what he said. "No, that's not what I meant. You have an amazing personality. I just meant that… I just meant I like you more as a friend than to ruin that with any of those feelings."
"Oh, ok. You wouldn't have, though."
"I wouldn't?"
"No, everyone needs an ego boost every once in a while."
"Haha!"
"And besides, I've had feelings for you at one point too. But it was very cliche, so I tried to shake it as hard as I could."
"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows. "And did you?"
"Like I said, as hard as I could. If it's still there somewhere, it's buried very deep, so much so that I was embarrassed."
"Embarrassed to like me?"
"I mean embarrassed to try and make my life seem like some movie."
"Oh, well, if you did, it would've just made you that much better as an actress. Speaking of that, would you consider acting in the least?"
"Maybe, now that I'm leaving, it's basically the last thing I have to connect me to you."
"No," he said, pointing to your bracelet. "You have that."
You had forgotten that it was Daniel who gave it to you, but the realization brought a smile to your face. "Oh yeah, I'll never take it off."
Later on, long before the ball ended, you saw many of your friends leaving.
"Hey, are you ready to go?" Daniel approached you.
"Where is everyone going?"
He wriggled his eyebrows. "Afterparty!"
"But it's not over?"
"Quit being a party popper and just come with us, L/N!"
You gave in, something you did a lot, and you all started driving. When you got there, you realized you were at Daniel's house.
"The afterparty is at your house?" you asked.
"Well…" James answered.
Kat joined in. "It's really an afterparty!"
"This is your going away party!" Daniel finished.
"But I'm not going away for another month."
"Well, now you have an entire month for people to give you gifts and stuff, and you don't have to worry about the party!" He reasoned.
"But why did it have to be after the Leavers ball?"
"Because you're already in a dress, and it has to be a surprise! Surprise!" Kat exclaimed.
"Alright, fine!"
The entire night you partied and danced, and though you didn't drink alcohol, plentiful amounts of pop and mocktails were passed around. The music was a delight to your ears with all your favourite songs. There were chips and pizza with all your favourite toppings.
"This party is awesome!"
Daniel grinned. "Well, I am an amazing party planner if I do say so myself."
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Airport
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Daniel's parents drove your family to the airport. Your parents had sold the car. Your dad would return in a week to close a deal on the house. Everything was official, and now you were leaving.
You got out of the car, and the tears forcefully began to fall.
"I'm really gonna miss you, jerk," you said disdainfully to Daniel.
He chuckled. "I'm going to miss you more."
"Impossible!"
He wiped the fallen tear from your eye, and for a moment, you could see every single multi-coloured speck in his eyes and noticed how sometimes they looked blue, and at others, they looked grey or green.
You noticed the curvature of his smile and the chisel of his jawline.You saw the hurt in his eyes that said, 'why do you have to go? You're killing me,' and wanted to never move from that position.
He continued to rub the tears that fell onto your cheek, and the sad moment was as sheltered as it could be. You felt safe with him, in his arms, just looking at his face and being reminded of how he comforted you in a place that felt as familiar as Oz felt to Dorothy.
"What am I gonna do without you?" you whispered.
"Get at least one acting job, get an assistant and an agent, I'll do the same thing, and then either one of us has our assistants reach out to our agents, so we get back in touch in case we ever lose touch."
He sounded so grave that you couldn't help but laugh. "That's assuming I do become an actress, Daniel."
"You're right," he whined. "But don't forget me."
"I promise."
And you tried to keep that promise. Throughout your first year, you interned at UCLA, working in the lab. You then applied to go to school there, and you still tried to keep Daniel in your mind. Maintaining a social life on campus combined with schoolwork already wasn't easy. However, you still wouldn't let yourself forget your best friend.
It wasn't until you entered your senior year and you were about to graduate that he started to wane in your memories. The things you did together became obsolete as new friends and memories replaced the old. The things he taught you were thrown out to make space for the new lessons you learned each day.
Even when you did become an actress, you never really remembered why you decided to. You remembered that your friend pushed you to do that play, but it was almost ten years ago, and for the life of you, you couldn't remember his name.
But you did do it, first as an extra, then a body double, and then you started getting l roles on smaller shows. But your big break was getting a quasi-lead role on the spin-off of a big television show, The Walking Dead. For two years, you enjoyed going to conventions and playing the complex character, Valeria Bishop, and you thought you had it all figured out.
But life has a funny way of coming full circle and throwing you a curveball that knows you off course and changes your life.
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dameronology · 3 years
Text
love in the time of p.t.a meetings {marcus moreno} - 2/5
summary: your kid has taken a liking to marcus moreno - and frankly, so have you {series masterlist}
warnings: swearing, mentions of divorce & very brief mentions of his wife’s death 
i don’t normally update series this quickly but this was originally one imagine that reached about 11k words lmao so it’s all written, just being split up. i’ve also decided it’s gonna be 5 parts instead of 3, cos i reread the ending and realised i was not done by a longshot. enjoy!
- jazz
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Mondays. You hated ‘em.
Everything just seemed so...amplified. The peace and relaxation of the weekend was over and everyone had to go back on the grind. The traffic always seemed worst, the clock seemed to tick backwards and you just wanted to be at home, in bed. After an incident involving the dog, a toaster and a small pan fire, you were already running twenty minutes late and you knew in your soul that your child’s shoes weren’t on the right feet. That, and also he was wearing a Chewbacca onesie to school. It had been a compromise. As in, he was refusing to go to school unless you let him wear the damn thing. It was a compromise. You’d lost. 
On the bright side, the past weekend had been the best you’d had in a long time. Jack had spent all of Saturday afternoon at the Heroics headquarters and he was so worn out, he’d slept through all of Sunday. Marcus Moreno must have a been a fucking wizard, because you’d been trying to tire the kid out for five years. You made a mental note to do something in return, though you sensed there was nothing on God’s green earth that could possibly amount to babysitting the world’s most exhausting child for six hours. You were allowed to say that, because Jack was your world’s most exhausting child and you wouldn’t have changed him for anything. 
‘New week, huh buddy?’ You glanced at Jack in your rear view mirror. He was sat on his booster seat, legs dangling back and forth and a power ranger action figure in his hand. ‘A fresh start.’
‘Can we listen to the song from Cars?’ Jack ignored your comment.
‘You gotta try and behave yourself this week. You’ve seen what happens to people who do follow the rules, right? They get to go work at the Heroics-’
‘- I wanna listen to the song from Cars!’
You wanted to have a deep conversation. Jack wanted to listen to Life Is A Highway. That was...actually, it was exactly how you’d expected that to go. It wasn’t that off of the time you were trying to explain your divorce to him and he’d interrupted you to demand that you put Toy Story on. 
‘Sure thing, kid.’ You rolled your eyes, reaching across to hand him on your phone. ‘D’you know how to spell it-’
Your sentence was cut off by the sound of guitars blaring from the speakers. At least he could work out Spotify.
By some miracle, you managed to make it the school with a few minutes to spare. Because most people had dropped their kids off earlier (see: on time), the lot was pretty empty. That meant you could once again dump your car without regard for the painted white lines -- who had time to park properly on a Monday morning? That was for people who had their shit together.
Leaping out the car, you almost cursed when you tripped over your heels. You didn’t have to wear them, but since you’d started working in a managerial role at your office, you figured it made you look a little more professional. And what was the harm in being a few inches taller? It made you feel powerful.
‘C’mon, J.’ You pulled open the back door, helping Jack leap out the car. 
‘You know, I’m starting to think you can’t park your car at all.’
‘Marcus!’ Jack practically flew out the car, his tiny body suddenly jolting with excitement. 
‘Morning, buddy.’ He replied; he then moved his brown eyes to gaze at you, offering a smile. ‘Hey.’
‘Hey, how you doing?’ You greeted him. ‘I don’t normally see you here in the mornings.’
‘Yeah, I normally drop Missy off at the front but it was one of those mornings, you know? She was taking a little more convincing than usual to go in.’
‘My kid is in a Wookiee onesie and backwards Thomas the Tank Engine shoes and you have the audacity to ask me if I know those mornings? I am those mornings.’ You replied.
Marcus chuckled. ‘I think it’s a look. I especially like the Lightning McQueen sunglasses.’
‘Do you have a super suit?’ Jack asked. ‘Can I try it on?’
‘C’mon, Jack. You’ve already managed to get a tour of the HQ.’ You ruffled his hair. ‘And we gotta get going to school.’
‘But I wanna ask more questions.’ He muttered. ‘I have over a hundred.’
‘Don’t I know it.’ You murmured under your breath. ‘But school is more important.’
‘I don’t wanna go anymore.’
‘I let you wear the onesie. That was our agreement, remember?’
‘All good superheroes have to get an education.’ Marcus reasoned. ‘And if you go in, maybe I can show you my suit at some point?’
'Okay!’ Jack grinned. He wrapped his arms around your waist in a quick hug, before peering up at you with a toothy smile. ‘See ya later!’
He turned on his heel and ripped his backpack from your hand, suddenly speeding up the path and towards school. Had...had that just happened? For once in your life, had you not had to wrench him from the car and wrestle him through the school gates? Move aside, Harry Potter, because Marcus Moreno was the new wizard in town. You might have been a little jealous that he was so good with your son but at the same time, it made you like him even more. He was the first parent at the school that had leant into Jack’s wild tendencies. And, whilst you tried not to think too much about it, even his own dad had struggled to do that. It made your heart warm a little. 
‘You are seriously my favourite person.’ You chimed, leaning back against your car. 
‘Kids with character are way more fun than kids who are well-behaved.’ Marcus replied.
‘I spent forty-five minutes scraping string cheese out the USB port of my computer yesterday, but sure.’ 
He chuckled. ‘No, I’m serious. I don’t encourage Missy to misbehave but she does get herself into some situations. I choose to see it as a testament to her intelligence rather than disobedience.’
‘I refuse to believe for a second that Missy ever misbehaves.’ You shot back back. ‘She seems so well-behaved.’
‘What you see in the parking lot is not a reflection of our whole lives.’ He reminded you.
‘Right, because despite appearances, I’m actually a very put together parent.’ You snorted. ‘But I get what you mean.’
‘I gotta get to work now, but it was good to see you.’ Marcus pulled his car keys out his pocket. ‘I was serious about that suit thing, by the way. He saw my katanas on Saturday.’
‘Katanas?’ You spluttered. ‘My kid managed to start a fire last week out of nothing and you want to give him katanas?!’
‘Maybe I can show you how to use them.’ He flashed you a smile. ‘And then you can pass on the knowledge.’ 
‘That’s probably an even worse idea.’ You shook your head with a laugh, pulling open your car door. ‘I’ll see you around.’
‘You as well. Have a good day, pretty lady.’
--
Did you stop thinking about your exchange at any point during the day? Absolutely not. In fact, you’d already written an email to the local deed poll office to change your legal name to Pretty Lady. 
No, but in all seriousness, you’d been a little giddy about it. Had he been flirting? That didn’t seem like a long shot. You got on well, you’d hung out a bit over the weekend and not to toot your own horn, but you were by no means bad looking. Tired and a little frazzled, sometimes? Yeah. But anyone would have been lucky to have you and you were doing a better job at recognising that, especially since your divorce. 
You were almost ecstatic when it got to 4PM and you hadn’t received a single call from Jack’s teachers. That meant that he had behaved, and what Marcus had said had worked. Because you worked past his finishing time, he usually went to the after-school club till you could come to collect him - it had been a lifesaver, especially since you couldn’t always leave early. He usually came home with some kind of weird arts and crafts. Last week, it had been an unidentifiable item made of dried macaroni and glitter. He’d placed it pridefully on the old fireplace in your lounge. 
After saying goodbye to your co-workers, you headed out the building. Your office was right in the city centre and not too far out from the school. It was a nice place to be; your lunch hour, when you could head out to a street cart and eat your food in the local park, was usually the highlight of your day. It was when you could exist just as you. When you were at work, you were in charge on your entire department. When you were home, you were a parent 24/7. That time to yourself was vital.
As you were heading to your car, your phone began to ring. Your heart almost jumped out your chest when you saw Marcus’ name - he hadn’t called you before, only texted to sort out the previous weekend’s plans with Jack. You quickly organised yourself (he couldn’t see you, dumb ass) and cleared your throat.
‘Hey, everything alright?’ You brightly greeted him.
‘Hey! Are you out of work now?’
‘Yeah, I’m literally just leaving. What’s up?’
‘Look, I hate to do this but I’ve had an emergency at work - superhero related, you don’t wanna know - and I’m not gonna be out for hours.’ Marcus sounded stressed. Yeah, I feel that you thought. ‘Would you be able to pick up Missy and possibly have her for a few hours? If not, that’s totally-’
‘- I’d be glad too!’ You interrupted him. ‘I owe you one anyways for the weekend. And this morning, actually.’
‘You don’t owe me anything.’ He sounded surprised that you’d even imply it. ‘But I will definitely owe you for having Missy.’
‘Hey, it’s cool!’ You insisted. ‘Do you want me to drop her off at yours later?’
‘I can come and collect her if you text me your address?’
‘Perfect.’ You smiled. ‘I’ll see you later then?’
‘You’re a lifesaver.’ Marcus said. ‘I’ll text Missy to let her know to find your car instead of mine. I would ask for your plate number, but your car is...’
‘...bright red, covered in dents and hard to miss?’ You finished his sentence.
‘Exactly.’
You’d been in the same situation before; pulled between work and parenting, with Jack stuck at school and an important meeting that felt like it was never ending. It was hard to get a sitter on such short notice - or afford one, sometimes - and it was just another one of the million, stressful situations that single parenting could get you into. If you could help Marcus even a little bit, of course you were going to. You knew he’d do the same for you. Heck, he had done the same for you.
Jack and Missy were both chatty on the way home. Given that she was a little older than him, her conversational skills were strikingly better. It was nice to ask someone about their day and not get where are my Cheetos? as an answer. From what you gathered, she hated science class, enjoyed gym, and her favourite subject was lunch. That didn’t come as a surprise to you - her dad was a literal superhero and probably encouraged physical activity.
(You’d seen his arms, okay? They were more than enough to go on. I digress).
The only thing that made you wish you’d had a little more notice on having her for the evening was the state of your apartment. The place wasn’t bad; you’d lived there for the better part of eight years, and it was crammed with soft furniture and millions of blankets, as well as photos of you and Jack and his questionable art projects. It was just that you hadn’t done the dishes that morning, there was a mountain of shoes by the door and the pancakes from the previous night were still stuck on the roof.
Missy barely blinked an eye; the minute she saw your dog, she’d abandoned her bag and was playing with him. 
‘Hey buddy!’ She grinned. ‘What’s he called?’
‘That’s Oppy.’ You replied, hanging your jacket up. She didn’t need to know that it was short for Optimus Prime. No guesses on whose idea that had been. 
‘He’s so cute!’ Missy continued. ‘I’ve been asking dad for a dog for ages but he won’t budge.’
For some reason, that surprised you a little. Marcus might have been the leader of a super-hero team and a public figure, but you could tell he would do anything for his daughter. You knew because it was the same for you with Jack. He might have ruled your whole life but you would have hung the damn stars in the sky for him if he asked 
‘They’re a lot of work.’ You reasoned. ‘I have to wake up every morning at 6AM to make sure he gets a walk. Then there’s the matter of-’
‘- mum! Optimus Prime pooped in the bathroom!’
‘The matter of that.’ You murmured under your breath.
The rest of the evening went pretty smoothly. You fed the kids some leftover takeaway and between the dog and Netflix, they were easily entertained. Jack seemed to take a liking to Missy, which was good because it meant he wanted to sit with her the entire time instead of bouncing off the walls. She had the same patience as her dad, especially when he asked her a million questions about superheroes. It took her twenty minutes to convince him that Batman wasn’t her uncle, and a further fifteen to make him believe that she hadn’t met Captain America. 
Jack had asked you a few times about whether or not he would get siblings. Of course, it would be different to any interactions with Missy because he would have been the oldest, but it did get you thinking. You were finally in a place where you were moving past your former relationship and healing from the wounds. Time wasn’t much of an issue either - you’d had Jack when you were young and barely out of college. You couldn’t possibly imagine having any more kids right now, not when it was just the two of you, but in the future? You’d never rule out meeting somebody new. If anything, you were hopeful. Your first relationship had been your only one, and it had ended badly. You wanted to experience love for what it actually was, and not what you thought it was supposed to be. 
Not long after 7PM, there was a knock on your door. By that point, both Missy and Jack had passed out on the sofa with Star Wars playing quietly in the background. It had been her idea to watch it - she had good taste. Marcus had clearly done a good job.
‘Hey!’ You greeted him as you pulled open the front door. ‘Come in quick, it’s fucking freezing out there.’
‘Thank you.’ Marcus came inside, dusting a few snow flakes out his hair. ‘Seriously, I can’t say it enough-’
‘- it’s fine!’ You shook your head, offering him a smile. ‘Missy’s been great. She’s really chatty and it was nice to have a coherent conversation with someone that isn’t about Paw Patrol. But was everything at the office okay?’
He was quiet for a minute. ‘Yeah. We uh, we lost someone. A hero.’
‘Shit, man. I’m sorry.’ Your voice fell quiet. ‘You wanna come in? You look like you could probably take a moment.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course! Missy and Jack are both asleep on the couch anyways.’ You pointed through to the living room. Marcus leant over to have a look, smiling slightly at the sight. 
‘Thank you. I’d appreciate that.’
He took a seat at the kitchen counter. Your old bar stools were a little old and wobbly, but Marcus didn’t seem to notice. If anything, he admired the place. It was cluttered as hell and filled with useless, old items - cook books you didn’t use, random magnets, assorted toys - but it was nice. His house always felt a little cold and clinical. He’d moved a lot over the course of Missy’s life and now that he was retired from the field, he’d sworn to her that their current house was going to be permanent. Whether or not it felt like home was another question entirely. 
‘I would offer you a drink but all I have is..’ you paused, opening the fridge. ‘Nesquik, vodka or apple juice.’
‘You know what? A Nesquik doesn’t sound too bad.’
‘I like your thinking, Moreno.’
After quickly fixing up the two drinks, you slid into the seat beside him and handed him one. You had never in a million years imagined a situation where Marcus Moreno would be in your kitchen drinking chocolate milk, but here we were. It had clearly been a long day for him and you had enough of those to last a lifetime, so you knew how it felt. Coming home after a day that had beat your ass into the ground and having to put on a brave face for your kids was difficult at best. 
‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ You gently asked.
‘Yeah, I’ll be okay - it just always fucks me up a bit.’ Marcus murmured quietly. ‘Hits a little too close to home.’
He wasn’t an idiot. He knew that you knew what had happened to his wife. You knew why he’d retired, and why he and Missy had moved away from their original city six years ago.
‘Sorry, that was too deep-’
‘- it wasn’t!’ You quickly cut him off. ‘I’ve had random women come up to me at pick up time and say they’re sorry to hear about my divorce. People I don’t even know. So really, after that, nothing is too much.’ 
He smiled slightly. ‘They always say they’re sorry but why would you bring up a subject if you have to apologise for it?’
‘Exactly!’ You replied. ‘Especially when I’ve moved on. It’s been a year.’
‘It’s the same with me. Missy and I miss her everyday but we don’t mope about it. We just...we look back with fondness on the good memories we have. You can’t move forward if you’re stuck in the past, no matter how much it sucks.’
‘That’s...that’s wise.’ You blinked in surprise. ‘S’pose that means I should take down the dartboard I have with my ex’s face on.’
‘From what I’ve heard, he seems like he should have more than a dart board.’ Marcus snorted - then he froze. ‘Wait, not that I’ve heard stuff, I mean...I don’t listen-’
‘- Marcus!’ You whacked his arm. ‘It’s fine. One of the other kid’s mums started telling me about the terrible divorce someone was going through but she realised she was gossiping to the one who was going through it.’
‘I don’t know how much of what I’ve been told is true, but it sounds like it was bad.’ His hand hovered over where yours was rested on the counter. 
‘The rumours pretty much get the gist of it.’ You replied. ‘But we were talking about your thing, so I don’t wanna take away from that.’
‘Hey, it’s okay.’ He finally moved his hand, fingers gently curling underneath yours to intertwine them. ‘If even half of the whispers are true, he sounds like an asshole. You and Jack both deserve better than that.’
Whatever people had said, it had sort of covered the gist of it. You’d married too young and had a kid too young - your ex had been a terrible husband and an even worst husband. He’d chastised Jack for being...well, being Jack. He’d stay out late with his friends, spend money on things neither of you needed and tried to make you take the blame for it all. After giving him a few too many chances, you’d finally reached breaking point and kicked him out. Filing for divorce and taking on being a single parent was single-handedly the hardest and bravest thing you’d ever had to do. In a way, you were glad you’d done it when Jack was still so young - he didn’t really understand any of it, even when you’d try to explain it in child friendly terms.
‘I think people judge me for it a little sometimes.’ You confessed. ‘They see me struggling but they know I made the choice to separate from him, like I brought it all on myself.’
‘That’s bullshit.’ Marcus plainly stated. ‘Parenthood isn’t a dependent thing based on whether or not you’re still married to the other parent. It’s unconditional and permanent.’
‘I should tell him that, but I also don’t want him back in our lives.’
‘I know it’s none of my business, but he doesn’t deserve Jack. He’s one of the best and brightest kids I’ve ever met.’
‘Thank you. I’m glad he doesn’t seem like a complete lunatic.’
‘He doesn’t deserve you either.’ Marcus continued. ‘Again, I might be out of place saying this but you are...you’re amazing. I was a wreck when I was suddenly on my own and you’re still holding everything together and working your ass off.’ 
‘You’ve noticed?’ You quirked an eyebrow.
‘Yeah, in passing.’ He admitted. ‘I remember I once saw you carrying three separate science projects at once and then Carol made a passing comment that you were on your own and...I just kinda admired you from afar.’
‘You, Marcus Moreno, admired me?’ You blinked at him in disbelief. ‘I find that hard to believe.’
‘I wish I’d had my shit together half as much as you did when I lost Missy’s mum.’ 
‘But the difference is you didn’t have a choice in your situation. I chose to boot his dad out-’
‘- you gotta stop discrediting yourself.’ He shook his head. ‘And stop blaming yourself. You did what was right for your kid and that is the most admirable thing of all.’
‘You really think so?’
‘I know so.’
The conversation slowly drizzled away, leaving you two to just look at each other. It was hard to tear yourself away from his brown eyes - there was a lot going on behind them. Fear, pain, anguish, admiration. He was one of the most mind-blowingly impressive people you’d ever met; single dad, superhero, electric car owner. He probably didn’t have a mortgage too and that was kinda hot. You were none of those things and yet, here he was, with you, managing to connect on a level that you never had with anyone. Both of your situations were tough, but they’d brought you together. 
Marcus Moreno was pretty fucking fearless (came with the job, you figured), and he wasn’t afraid to make the first move. He slowly inched his head forward and in return, you gravitated towards him. Your lips met halfway in a soft kiss, his hands moving to firmly hold your waist as he pulled you closer.
You almost stumbled out your chair with the movement, but his grip on your hips meant you didn’t slip. Instead, he placed you up on the counter, standing up as he did. It took you a moment to adjust to the position, but with your legs resting on either side of his, you could reach forward and lean on him. You had one hand tangled in his hair and the other on the back of his neck -  you’d surprised yourself with that. It had been months since you’d kissed anyone, but you weren’t as rusty as you thought. 
‘Oh my god, is the superhero gonna be my new dad?!’
Marcus suddenly jumped backwards at the sound of Jack’s voice. He was stood in the doorway, post-nap hair covered by a lopsided Chewbacca hood. His eyes were like dinner plates, even though he was grinning from ear to ear. 
‘Uh...’ you glanced between him and Marcus. ‘We were just...we were...’
‘I had something in my eye.’
‘He had something in his eye.’ You quickly agreed. ‘But now it’s out, so Marcus is gonna go home.’
He knew you didn’t mean it rudely - it was more of a desperation thing. The longer he stayed, the more questions Jack would come out with. Missy could have overheard too and that would have been twice as much to explain. So really, the sooner he got out, the better.
‘Yeah. I’ll uh, I’ll grab Missy.’ Marcus said, scratching the back of his head. ‘Thank you again for looking after her.’
‘You don’t need to keep thanking me.’ You shot back. 
He disappeared into the living room for a moment, reemerging with a sleeping Missy in his arms a moment later. Your eyes met again, and he gave you a soft smile.
‘I’ll call you.’
‘Yeah, sure.’  You nodded. ‘See you, Marcus.’
--
True to character, the next hour was spent being pelted with questions from your over-curious son. He didn’t shut up once when you were bathing him and he got even louder when you were reading him his best time story. On the bright side, you’d managed to get him to change out of his slightly manky Wookiee onesie and into a clean Buzz Lightyear one. Normally, you would have argued that he couldn’t live in pyjamas, but if it kept him quiet? It was a price you were willing to pay. 
‘Night, kiddo.’ You pressed a kiss to his forehead, switching on his nightlight. ‘Remember our deal, yeah? If I buy you a Happy Meal tomorrow, you won’t mention what you saw to any of your friends?’
‘You said library was bad.’
‘No, it’s bribery.’ You corrected him. ‘And do as I say, not as I do.’
‘Sounds bad, but okay.’ He sleepily murmured. ‘Night.’
‘Night.’ You stood up, flicking out his bedroom lights.
‘Wait, mum!’ Jack suddenly sat up, as though he’d remembered something. ‘You never said no.’
‘No to what, buddy?’
‘When I asked if the superhero was my new dad.’
Well, fuck. 
taglist: @naivara-duneimith @1-2-3-4-5metalfingers @likeshootingstarsinthenightsky @lyanna-the-giantsbane @phoenixhalliwell @crazycookiecrumbles​ @bitchin-beskar​ @comphersjost​ {message me to be added!}
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captain039 · 3 years
Text
The lioness PT 2
Logan x reader (wolverine)
Warnings: Gore, sweating, placed in Logan, character deaths, intimacy, angst, age gap, anxiety, anxiety attacks, mentions of needles
18+
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Prev ious chapter
You sighed rolling out the bed and heading to the shower. You forgot you were with people and jumped when goo saw a rather naked Logan in front of you.
“I'm so sorry!” you yelped and closed the door. You went to the table and sat down wishing the world would swallow you up. Charles was laughing on the bed and you glared before hiding your face in your towel.
You were on the road again pretty quickly, you didn't say anything nor did you dare look Logan in the eye.
“We need to find new clothes or something,” you said eyeing your bloodied pants and shirt. Despite a hand scrub they still looked horrible.
“Fine” Logan grumbled and you huffed at his attitude.
You went with Luara to the kid's area she was rather forceful. You had to keep her from tearing the clothes apart. You eventually got her a few clothing items before heading to the adult clothes area. You grabbed some shirts, a jumper and a new pair of jeans before going to the checkout.
“Hey you want ice cream?” you asked Laura as she held your hand. She looked at you and you realised she may have not had ice cream.
“I'll get you some ice cream,” you said heading to the shop. You talked her through the flavours, she ended up with chocolate while you had your favourite. You saw Logan waiting outside with Charles a stern look on his face as always.
“Come on” you held Laura's hand and headed to them.
“Ice cream?” Logan questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“She's a kid!” you snapped glaring at him. He flinched a little and Charles smirked at you.
You headed back to the highway again. Stupid auto trucks beeping and causing too much stress. They caused Logan to lose control along with another car. You gripped the door and the dash your claws digging in. After the car stopped you took a breath and looked to the other car.
“Crap” you got out quickly and avoided any trucks as you helped them with their horses. They all went back on their own though and you frowned glancing to Charles. Logan drove over and helped you.
“Thank you both so much” the woman said.
“That’s ok” you smiled.
“Damned trucks” Logan sighed and she chuckled.
“Yeah” she agreed.
“Would you let us repay you by offering you a warm meal?” She asked.
“Ah no-“ Logan began but Charles cut him off.
“We’d be delighted” he said and you saw Logan’s pissed face.
“Awesome” the woman said.
You sat a little uncomfortably at the house, it was strange to be in this setting again. You stared at your food before trying to control your urge to devour it all.
“Is this your daughter?” Kathryn asked you.
“What? Oh- no Laura’s his” you said.
“Oh- are you together?” She asked and you froze and Logan cleared his throat.
“Yes they are” Charles said and you blinked.
“We are?” You said more of a question.
“Sorry you’re very young is all” Kathryn said.
“I’m yeah” you flushed a bit heart pounding as your leg also jogged.
“He’s unwell, he um, isn’t as old as he looks” you said trying to keep in the act. A hand fell on your bounding leg though, forcing you to stop. You stared at Logan who was keeping a silent rage in.
“Please stop” he said very hushed.
“Im sorry to make you uncomfortable” she chuckled nervously and you shook your head.
“I’ll help with the dishes” you said and stood his hand falling off. You started to fill the sink till the whole house grumbled about it.
“Damn it!” Bill said. He began muttering to his wife who tried to calm him.
“Damn bastards” he sighed grabbing his torch.
“You mind helping Logan?” He asked and Logan just followed silently.
“After new owners came in on the near property they’ve been messing with our water” Kathryn sighed.
“I’m sorry” you said and she sighed.
“The last owners were real nice now Mr Hones and his sons are messing with our supply” she huffed.
“Y/n dear would you mind taking me to bed?” Charles asked and you nodded. You lifted the man up, he was frail in your arms, though with your strength most did. You laid him down like glass and watched Laura go into Nates room.
You went back downstairs to Kathryn and the water turned on.
“Nice job hun” she whispered and you couldn’t help but smile softly. You did the dishes but something kept you on guard. A bad feeling in your gut, you hoped it was wrong, but the sound of vehicles approaching made it to real.
“You need to get your son and hide” you said and she frowned.
“What’s going on?” She said rushed as you urged her upstairs.
“Stay in here, lock yourself in don’t come out until you hear me ok?” You said entering the room and closing the curtains.
“Y/n-!” She called but you pulled the door closed and broke the handle.
“Laura” you nudged her and she turned to you.
“Stay here with Charles, scream of anything goes wrong” she went on edge and stood up immediately.
“No- no stay” you said as she went to follow you. You closed the door and listened in. Only one set of footsteps. You frowned going downstairs and seeing a large figure. You froze at the face of Wolverine, but it wasn’t him.
You switched to your night vision, listened in deeper trying to figure out far the cars were. The fake Wolverine wasn’t stopping, you went outside and readied your claws. His claws came out too and you frowned as he charged. You were quick to dodge but broke a case in the process. You kept dodging his attacks before striking your own. More men came in and shots were fired into you. You winced before healing and focused on the big guy. You heard screams inside and froze your worried gaze going to the house. You sprinted to the house, jumped up to the second floor and broke through the window. You killed the men but it was took late. Kathryn had bullets in her and Nate was dead. You went to Kathryn who sobbed.
“I’m so sorry” you whispered as she her eyes closed. You heard Laura cry and you kicked the door down. The fake Wolverine had gotten in quickly, she was fighting him.
“Hey!” You snarled jumping on him and pulling him down with you. You grunted are the pain of being squashed as he thrashed. You were knocked pretty easily as he stood. You got up to glancing to the bed and freezing. Charles was gasping for breath, blood on his white singlet. You cried tears in your eyes as you swiped and fought. The house was trashed as you were thrown about and finally thrown outside. You groaned feeling weak and limp.
“Y/n!” You heard Logan this time, the real one and groaned in response. He helped you up before he was punched away and you were punched back down. A car came in and ran the fake one down and into spikes of the house.
“Bill-“ you muttered as he shot the thing in the face multiple times before falling down himself. You groaned again hearing an explosion going off before you heard Laura struggle. You looked over, saw her lying on the head cuffed.
“Laura” you mumbled getting up on weak legs.
“Come on” Logan helped you along the way as he picked up Laura and went into the car. Charles was already in the back in the tray as you sped off. You slowly healed and helped Laura out of her cage.
“He’ll be fine” you said to her as she looked at Charles worried. He wasn’t fine at all, struggling for breath.
“Logan-“ you said.
“Yeah-yeah let me think!” He snarled and you gulped.
Charles didn’t make it. He died with the last thoughts of a boat on the ocean. You buried him by some water, like that would fix anything. You didn’t know the man very long but he understood you, went in your head a few times too many but you were thankful he did. It was hard on Logan he was trembling slightly as he looked over Charles grave. Laura tried to hold his hand but he stormed off.
“Come here” you said and beckoned her over. She wrapped her arms around your stomach and you sighed patting her back.
“He’s a man and doesn’t deal very well with his emotions ok?” You said and she nodded slightly. You heard crashing and yelling as Logan broke things on the truck with the shovel.
“Just- wait here” you said going to him. You stopped his swing, grabbing it mid air as he stared you down. You stared back his strength much stronger than yours apparently as your arms struggled. He gave up though and you laid the shovel back in the tray as he leant against the car.
“I’m sorry for what happened-“ you began and he glared.
“Ok” you whispered stopping. He hadn’t healed properly, hadn’t slept properly, just lost his friend and now has to deal with the kid and you. He stumbled and you frowned as he fell to the ground.
“Woah hey!” You yelled but he was passed out.
“Damn it” you muttered.
“Laura!” You called but saw no figure.
“Goddamnit!” You yelled as a car slowly approached.
“Oh” you said seeing her in the drivers seat.
“You can’t just take peoples cars-“ you sighed lifting Logan up and dragging him to the old Ford. You drove to the hospital though he wouldn’t like it that much.
“Will he wake up?” You asked the doctor quietly.
“Yes, are you also a mutant?” He said hushed.
“I guess” you sighed.
“Your blood could heal him” you frowned at the doctors words.
“I’d need a sample but it may work” he said and you stared at the old man.
“He’s killing himself slowly” you said and the doctor nodded sadly.
“Charles told me not to let him, probably also told Laura-“ you stopped at his confused face.
“I’m terrified of needles I’m sorry if I- attack?” You said and he gulped.
“Ok” he agreed.
He strapped your arms down just in case and you looked away. You took deep breaths, heart pounding and head spinning as he took some blood.
“All done” he said and you sighed in relief as you healed quickly.
“Ah geez” you felt like puking and passing out.
“Lie on the floor” he said and you did just that. You closed your eyes and sighed shakily. Laura came in and you looked to her.
“I’m scared of needles” you chuckled as she sat by your head and handed you an ear piece.
“Thanks” you whispered putting it in and listening to the music.
“It’s working” you frowned as the doctor rushed in. You slowly stood trying to ignore the feeling in your stomach. You watched his wounds heal quickly and watched his face change.
“Very well apparently” the doctor said. He looked less withered down, more like a matured man with grey hair.
“What the hell” you whispered.
Next Chapter
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messrmoonyy · 3 years
Note
number 3 from the physical touch list (hiding face in neck) for remadora please :)) (no pressure)
Not me neglecting previous prompts/requests because this one the one I got motivation for.
Prompt from this list.
I used this to do my spin on the aftermath of the Battle of the Seven Potters, Cause I like anxious overprotective Remus🙃😗✌🏻( I also changed like. The entire dialogue from the original scenes because why not ). Think battle of seven potters but add a little ✨spice and drama✨. I went off on a total tangent on this tbh. As I do with every prompt it seems. Anyway. Hope you like it my dear anon.
Pairing: Remus lupin x Nymphadora Tonks
Warnings: none
Check my masterlist for all my other writing!
She was late. Incredibly so. Her and Ron should have been one of the first pairs to arrive at The Burrow, he’d arranged for her to have one of the shortest routes. He’d not told her that of course but he was quite sure she’d known he’d gotten a little too tetchy and secretly spoken to Alastor. But he had a right to be over protective didn’t he? This was was his wife. The woman he had literally, and in every sense of the word, sworn his life to. Sworn his dying breath to protect her, care for her.
Yet he’d let her put herself in danger. He could have tried to persuade Alastor to let him and George go the same route as Dora and Ron, or at least in the similar direction. He knew he had to be focussed on the war effort, knew he had a duty to protect the children. But… he also had a duty to protect her. His wife. His Dora. And now for all he knew Bellatrix could have struck her down, her body lying lifeless in a field somewhere.
He wasn’t a particular calm man at the best of times, his stress had its own stress, but he had never felt worse than he did in that moment. He’d already practically attacked Harry, was in no way of any comfort to George and Molly. Or anyone else.
So he was waiting out of the way by the window, constantly looking up at the sky through the glass and waiting for her to materialise through the burrows guards, come skidding over and laugh at him for being anxious over nothing. But the sky remained clear of her vibrant hair and her joyful laugh. The stars practically mocking him as he waited.
“ she’s a tough one. She’ll be okay “ Kingsley had appeared at his side “ Bill and Fleur, Ron and Tonks. They’ll all be here soon. Stop fretting Remus “ Remus almost laughed at the sheer stupidity of telling him not to fret over her. As if he ever did anything else. He always worried for her safety, had done long before they had even become a couple. Waiting up for her to come home from late shifts at the ministry in the days she’d stay at Grimmauld, worrying about her when she’d turn up with a new bruise or gash from something. Marrying her had simply made him fret more.
He’d never felt so protective of anyone in his life, never thinking he ever would either. Yet here he was, constantly putting her first and wanting to do nothing but take care of her. She never left his mind, was his first priority forever and always. He didn’t even want to think about what he’d do if he ever lost her, if he ever failed to protect her.
“ Bill and Fleur were scheduled to arrive as one of the last. Dora and Ron should have been one of the first pairs here “ he said it slightly more harshly than intended and turned to apologise to his friend immediately after, but as he did there was the sound of something passing through the guards outside.
Remus charged outside, almost tripping over his own gangly limbs as he went. He froze to the spot in a mixture of shock and relief as Doras broom appeared in the sky, the bristles smoking and charred as she made an unsteady decent to the ground. She landed in a long skid,stumbling from the broom and directly into Remus’ arms. She practically fell into him and would have knocked him to the floor if he hadn’t been stiff as a board.
“ Remus “ she gasped, hugging him so tightly it took the air from his lungs. But he didn’t even care, he’d give his last breath if it meant dying with her there in his arms. Because she was alright. She was right. There “ was so worried about you. The death eaters and- fuck I know you’re really no good on a broom and you bloody hate flying at the best of times. Merlins balls I was so scared “ she rambled so fast Remus barely understood what she was saying to him.
His hand slipped into her hair in some attempt to hold her as close as he could, still trying to accept that she was really there. Safe. Alive. He had worried for nothing of course. He should have known. She was tough. So much tougher than he gave her credit for it seemed.
He gently pried her out of his grip slightly, needing to see her face just to make sure it really was her. That he wasn’t dreaming it.
“ where were you “ as had most of his words that evening, it came out a little harsh but she didn’t seem to care. She reached up to cup his face in a soothing manner that was the complete opposite of his previous words to her.
“ Bellatrix. Wants me dead just about as much as Voldy wants Harry. Missed our port key. But I’m fine. Ron’s fine. We’re fine. You’re fine? “ he could feel tears welling in his eyes and he felt a bit stupid, but he couldn’t help it. Words failed him and he simply just nodded and pulled her back into his arms “ fucking deatheaters “ she grumbled.
He pressed his face into the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent and letting it calm him. She smelt like the fresh air, her hair all wind tousled and the slightest hint of smoke. Probably from her charred broom. Her hand rubbed gentle circles into his back and it made him feel… small. Which was funny with how much smaller she actually was compared to him.
“ sweetheart… I’m fine “ she said softly, clearly reading his fear still evident on him “ Remus “
He lifted his head as her hand patted him lightly, but he couldn’t bare to part from her again just yet and his forehead dropped to hers.
“ I’m afraid I underestimated you once again, darling. I knew deep down you’d make it back to me, I’m getting far too old to be worrying like this “ he said with a hint of a smile.
“ oh don’t worry, you won’t get rid of me that easily. Take more than a few of old Voldys mental lackeys to take me out. You’re stuck with me now. Im going no where “ their faces were so close he could feel her cheeks shift as she smiled with her words. Her nose brushed against his before she pressed a kiss to his lips. He usually was rather strict on his avoidance of showing affection to his wife in front of well… anyone really. But he happily kissed her back, even if he did cut it off a little shorter than he truly wanted. Still wondering at the back of his mind if any of the order were secretly judging him. It’d never escape him no matter how hard he tried not to care about it.
As they pulled apart she then only seemed to notice that there was blood on his hands and his jacket. She took a step back, her hands suddenly searching for an injury.
" blood? Remus? " her hands were frantic as she yanked at his collar, pushed up his sleeves, searching for anywhere she could find an injury. He grabbed ahold of her hands and shook her slightly so that she would look at him, it was clearly her time to fret and not his.
" Dora. Dora relax. It's not mine. It's not my blood. George was hit.. don't worry he's alive. He's lost an ear but he's okay. So am I. Not my blood love, it's not mine " she couldn't seem to help herself then and dived for lips again, holding his face in her hands and kissing him harder than before. He still couldn’t help but be a little reluctant but kissed her back, his embarrassment of kissing her in front of others not mattering when they were both just thankful to be alive and with each other.
" I'm just so happy you're alive " she whispered when she pulled back, resting her forehead to his. He opened his mouth to say something else but suddenly she was yanked out of Remus' embrace and shoved away, her clumsy legs stumbling in the gravel and she fell quite ungraciously onto her ass with a grunt of pain. Remus immediately rushed to her side in confusion.
" what the fuck! " she shouted and Remus looked up to see that Kingsley had been the one to pull her away, his wand now pointed at her face.
" Kingsley! Lower your wand! " Remus immediately jumped to her defence, crouching beside her and placing a hand to her shoulder  " Dora are you okay? Dora? "
" someone betrayed us we have to check everyone. You didn't even confirm her identity Lupin, she could have killed you. Look I didn’t mean to knock you down- we have to be certain you understand? "
" are you bloody mental?! " Dora yelled again, rubbing at her elbow that she’d clearly hurt on the way down.
" Kingsley... lower your wand she got Ron back safetly it's quite clearly- "
" we have to check " Kingsley said cutting off Molly, who had come outside with the commotion. Remus helped her back to her feet and then grabbed her hand, stepping in between her and kingsleys raised wand.
" lower. Your. wand. " his voice was commanding as he could muster, Kingsley was his friend. But Dora was his wife. And she came first. And he would put himself between her and a raised wand any and every time. No matter who was on the other end of it.
" Nymphadora Tonks gave me a present for my birthday last year. What was it?" Kingsley asked, ignoring Remus entirely, his wand still pointed at her as she was half hid behind Remus’ body.
" this is ridiculous! We're all turning on each other now? "
" answer the question " Kingsley ignored Remus again, which only made his blood boil more. He was already on edge that evening with the fear of losing his wife. This wasn’t helping to lower his stress levels.
" I know my own damned wife- "
" what was it! " Remus drew his own wand then at the increase in Kingsleys anger, pointing it in Kingsleys direction.
" Remus! "
" lower. Your wand. And step away from my wife " he demanded, not wanting to hurt Kingsley… but willing to if he had to.
" you don't even know if that is your wife"
" please! Stop the both of you! " Molly shouted.
" fucking hell " Dora said and held onto Remus hand harder, stepping better into view " I gave you a new set of quills because I charmed your last lot to throw them self out the window whenever you touched them. Happy? " Kingsley was quiet for a moment longer " now drop your wands. Both of you " Kingsley looked to Remus before finally lowering his wand. But Remus couldn’t. He felt betrayed almost, that someone he thought as a friend would do something like threaten the woman he loved.
Dora pressed gently on Remus' wrist to make him too lower his wand when he didn’t do it if his accord immediately " Remus. Lower your wand...Remus “
" this is exactly what Voldemort would want. To see us all turning on each other. We cannot let ourselves get paranoid like this " Remus said bitterly, wrapping an arm around his wife protectively and finally dropping his wand arm. He knew that Kingsley has been right to check in a way. He had needed to check. Though there were much better ways to go about it rather than pointing a wand at her head. To hold a wand to a witch or wizard was one of the most disrespectful things you could do.
" someone betrayed us "
" Dora and I are never out of each other's sight long enough for anyone to have made a switch or have her as their spy. And you know that. How dare you hold a wand to her head. How dare you " Remus was itching for an argument. And Dora could sense it, also so incredibly good at reading his emotions and thoughts before even he was.
" Remus " she said softly, lifting a hand to gently turn his face to look at her instead of glaring at Kingsley " Remus look at me " she ran her hand gently through his hair and he instantly seemed to relax. His own muscles losing tension without his consent at her touch. She had a knack at being one of the only people to get him to the calm down in almost an instant. Sirius and James had been the only other people he knew that could " relax. It's okay " she transported them into their own little bubble. As if the others were no longer in the burrow too and she kept him there, gently rubbing at his hand until his first unclenched and angry breaths returned to normal.
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Laid out cold, now we're both alone (part 2)
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A/N: Hello, this fic is very important to me because I tried my best to give justice to such a cool idea and I hope I did a good job. Plus I don't do multichapter ofter, so this was a challenge. 
I wanna thank the lovely @livdonna for proofreading my work, you're literally the best <3. 
P.S. If you want to get tagged in the next chapters, let me know.
Summary: Nikki visits Mick to give him a very important task.
Warnings: Major Character Death,Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Drug Use, Angst, Overdose.
Pairing: Nikki Sixx x Tommy Lee
Chapter 1
Taglist: @slashscowboyboots @witchytombstonesmile @arnold-layne @emometalhead​ @i-dont-like-rice​ @nikki-sexx​ @smokeandmirrorz​
Mick was supposed to not give a shit about Nikki. He and the stupid drummer had tormented him and his wife for months on ends, making the whole tour a living hell and he didn’t need to have even more things to worry about. So what if his bassist decided to get addicted to heroin? He was a fucking dumbass but it wasn’t his problem.  He would end up killing himself and it wasn’t like Mick could have done something, not when his whole body was torturing him.
The only problem was that he cared, deep down. He cared about the fucker and hearing the news that he was gone forever hit him.  He lost one of his friends and the band all together in a day, what would have happened? He hated to admit he was scared about the future, it was hard to imagine Motley Crue without Nikki.
He sighed, turning off yet another discussion about his death. They didn’t call him yet but something was telling him that they had to release a statement soon.  Doc was probably freaking out somewhere crying for all his millions of dollars lost.
“Fucking Nikki, you had to die at the worst moment, didn’t you?”
“Yeah… sorry about that, man” A voice incredibly similar to Nikki said, making Mick jump up.
Nikki didn’t feel anything, one moment they were in the ambulance and the other they were on the beach.  He was confused for a moment before he remembered that Mick had a beach house, and stared at it for a bit. He didn’t know much about the guitarist, maybe almost nothing but he respected him so much.  He was one of the strongest dudes he had ever met.
The weirdest thing about all of this was probably how he was only able to feel certain things, no cravings or sand under his feet as he was walking, yet he would still feel guilt, fear, love, worry… it didn’t make sense but he wasn’t in the mood to question the universe’s rules.
People can’t see you until you decide to show yourself. You have to remember or otherwise they can’t hear or see you.
The voice still freaked him out, but at the same time he was grateful for it to be there… it made him feel less alone, which was great considering how he felt lonely for his entire life.
“You’re not alone Nikki, I’ll always be there with you, through highs and lows”
“God it sounds like a marriage vow, T-Bone”
“Well if I could I’d marry now…”
He shook his head, trying to get the memory out.  It wasn’t the time to be sentimental and risk fucking everything up, so he walked ( more like flew) through the front door and found Mick sitting on the couch.
“Fucking Nikki, you had to die at the worst moment, didn’t you?”
“Yeah… sorry about that, man”. The bassist hoped that he was heard, otherwise it would have been pretty embarrassing.
Mick visibly jumped at hearing Nikki’s voice and quickly turned around to look at him.  From his widened eyes and confused expression, he knew he probably looked fucking transparent.
“Okay first of all why the hell are you here talking to me if you’re dead? Then why the fuck can I see myself through you ?”
The black haired man just realized that he had no idea how to explain everything and be believed, he just went along with whatever the voice in his head was saying, but now it was different. He fumbled with his hand and realized he couldn’t feel them, while he tried to come up with the best way to explain to his friend how he was a ghost and why he was there.
“I died… I have no idea how I came back but I have unfinished business and I need to talk to you!”
The guitarist looked at him up and down, clearly skeptical.  However, there wasn’t much arguing… Nikki’s ghost was literally standing in front of him.
“Okay I have no idea if this is a dream, I’m dead or in a coma, or simply I drank too much but now I’ll grab some vodka and you’ll spill your little secrets as you like”.
Nikki smiled a bit… He honestly felt normal for the first time since he was brought back.  Having Mick joking was so familiar, usually Tommy was the aim of his jokes and they all laughed because they were all so unexpected…
Tommy. Thinking about him still hurt, again he wondered if he was okay and how much he missed him… but it wasn’t his time now.  He had other things to talk about as Mick came back into the living room with his glass.
“Mick… you gotta promise me that you won’t let Motley Crue die, that you will fight to keep the band’s legacy.”
The older man looked at him surprised, rolling his eyes.
“Well that’s a bit hard when our bassist and songwriter died!”
Rage and resentment were heavy in his voice but there was more : fear and sadness. Nikki felt guilty and he fucking hated it, it was so unlike him but he couldn’t help it… Mick cared about the band as much as he did.  He always said the band was his life, before heroin came into the picture, but it was also Mick’s and he probably destroyed everything.
“You will find another one, another bassist who is also a songwriter…” The words felt so foreign coming from his mouth.  They even hurt a bit but they were necessary.
“I know you care about this band as much as I do, Mick. I know how much you’ve worked your ass off in shitty bands, trying to find the one that was going to break… I might be dead but Crue can’t have the same fate”.
Mick scoffed, taking a long sip of his vodka.
“It’s not easy, it’s not like we can find the perfect match like we did. Plus, everyone will probably hate him for replacing you!”
The frustration was almost tangible, but there was something else… Mick was scared, he knew everything was about to fade away because of Nikki’s actions, he was already looking at the boat sinking. Nikki started to panic because his band had to live, even in his death! It was pointless and selfish but that was the only thing people could remind him of.
“If you give up, then Vince and Tommy will do the same! I know that you think no one will take you, but the truth is they will. Crue is what it is because of our vision, you are part of it and I’m asking you to keep it going. Think of this as my dying man’s wish… even if I’m already dead”
The older man’s grip on his glass got tighter, his eyes lost in thought as he was pondering Nikki’s words. It was hard to take in, hell that was an understatement, it was fucking insane and probably wouldn’t work but the bassist needed to have this false hope.
“It’s so fucking weird, you know? To realize you’re fucking dead yet here talking to me.”
He was deflecting, Nikki knew it, but didn’t want to push it too far. He learned to know Mick, he kept his promises and he was a hard worker and with a good dose of luck and jokes, you got him to your side.
“Yeah, do you remember how I said you weren’t going to make it in that interview? Well, karma hits like a bitch!”
“Mick might not make it , he drinks a little too much and it looks rough” Mick quoted, trying to imitate Nikki’s voice.
“Yeah and then you said something like I heard what you said and you’re dead, fuck I guess you were right” He laughed but Mick didn’t.
Oh c’mon so what if he was joking about his death? It’s not like anyone really cared about him.  They just saw him as a burden, which he was. Not his mom, nor his band or his Tommy would have really missed him… they would eventually move on.
“You’re a fucking idiot.” He said annoyed but his lips formed a small smile.
“I know, I know. Mick… please promise me that. If Crue is going to end, then my whole life didn’t mean anything! Ple…” He stopped himself, he was so fucking close to begging but he couldn’t. Nikki Sixx didn’t fucking beg, not in life or death.
“I’m thinking about it!”
He really meant the first part. He spent all his teenage and adult years creating the band of his dreams and making sure they conquered the world.  This band was his escape; his attempt at redemption after his shitty childhood. Nobody loved Frank Feranna but he didn’t care, he would become Nikki Sixx and be super fucking famous!
He didn’t need anyone’s love, except that he did.
“ I love you, Nikki.”
“ No you don’t, nobody does, T-Bone”
“Well I fucking do. You gotta pass on my dead body before you’ll hear me not saying it over and over”
His heart might have stopped, but he still felt the big wave of nostalgia hitting him. He couldn’t do it, he would have never been ready to see him again.
“Okay, I will. But listen to me, it won’t be easy and I’m an old man with a fucked up back, so don’t send demons against me if I fail!” The little spark of determination in his eyes relaxed Nikki, he was on board.
“I fucking knew you were the best, Mars! If I wasn’t dead I’d probably tattoo your face on me as a thank you!”
“Oh gross, never say that again!” He pretended to be disgusted but his eyes betrayed him, the small softness in them told Nikki he felt touched.
“Who knows, maybe in hell they have tattoos for the ghosts. God we used to hate each other and now we are two peas in a pod.”
“I still hate you.”
“Ugh, you crushed my heart Mick”
The guitarist flipped him off, rolling his eyes. Nikki desperately wanted to keep talking, if he did then he could have pretended nothing changed, right? He didn’t have to face Vince and Tommy and go through the light… everything would have stayed the same or he could fool himself that it would.
I think it’s time to go to the next person.
The voice was demanding yet still calm. Nikki knew that he couldn’t stay forever, they had to prevent spirits from just lingering into the real world like that, it made him a bit angry but he understood it. It wasn’t like he could have done much anyway…He was just a shell of what he used to be.
“I gotta go Mick…” He wanted to punch himself because he sounded so fucking pathetic, but the other man gave him a compassionate smile.
What he fuck are you, a little small puppy? Oh look Frankie is scared to leave his illusion of a family.
Mick walked him to the other without saying anything, but before turning the handle, which was pointless because Nikki could have just passed through the door, he broke the silence.
“Try to give us some signs, okay? Show us that you’re there… but don’t you fucking dare spill my vodka or I’ll make you two times dead!”
“Oh that’s exactly what I’ll do, thanks for the suggestion!”
He stepped outside and looked at Mick one last time.
“You promised, alien. You gotta do it!”
“Yeah yeah, you better repay me when I come to join you there…” And with one last look, Mick closed the door.
Nikki felt all of the weight crushing down on his body, even if it was made of air. He simply stood still, his mind racing like a freight train, trying to take everything in but also getting ready for his next move… being overwhelmed was an understatement, he felt peeled down like an orange and this was only the beginning. He felt like a fucking coward but he just wanted to get over it, was it that bad to accept his fate and disappear without facing anyone?
You are going to abandon him again? You know why you need to talk to Vince, and you know this will be your last chance to see him, asshole!
He went to kick the sand, but he couldn’t touch it. God, how frustrating was that!
So where are we going next?
Nikki would have wanted to scream at him, give him the middle finger and just run away but it wouldn’t have been helpful, would it? So he forced himself to be as neutral as possible.
“Vince Neil. Take me to his house.”
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the trouble with wanting (is i want you) - part two
Friends!!!!! I’m here! I’m back! 
I can’t apologize enough for the long wait! It certainly wasn’t intentional, but alas that is the life of a college student and unfortunately school comes before upstead as much as I wish it didn’t!
I hope part two gives you all the feels and makes up for the long absence, however, I do have something to share with you that may make you want to kill.
Part two turned into part three...
So, SURPRISE! This isn’t a two-shot; it will definitely be a three part story and I am happy to say that part three is written (mostly, I have to tweak a few things) so that will be up sometime next week depending on my school schedule.
Thank you again for your patience and I sincerely hope that you enjoy this chapter that contains no real plot, a lot of fluff and mutual pining!
As always, let me know what you think in the comments!
Tagging: @imjustwritingg, @anniesardors, @thetwit, @angelsjedi, @chichichicken, @carissalizz, @maya-asturias
Let me know if you want to be added to this list for part three!
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The next few days are filled with mandatory walking sessions, pain meds every four to six hours and Jay’s smiling face. He was the only reason why she wasn’t absolutely losing it because while she despised hospital stays in general, hospital stays in another city filled with people she didn’t know were downright insufferable.
But he’d made it go from something akin to glorified torture to slightly tolerable.
The bullet wound was starting to heal and the incision from where they’d had to remove her spleen was looking great according to the nurses and everything seemed to be on the right track healing wise, but anything regarding this thing that she and Jay had going on? She had no idea.
One would think getting shot in a different city, causing one partner to literally drop everything and come rushing to the other partner’s side would end in heartfelt confessions and relationships born at hospital bedsides.
But that’s not what happened, and Hailey was seriously starting to wonder if she and Jay were ever going to be on the same page. Or at least read the page aloud because she was fairly certain he felt the same way about her that she felt about him.
Because just partners don’t fly eight-hundred miles to be by your side even if you are hurt.
Right?
And it didn’t help that he was there with her almost twenty-four seven, giving her no time alone to process what he was telling her without words because before this, it had just been subtle glances and warm smiles, teasing words and affectionate eyes.
But this. Flying eight-hundred miles. It was tangible and real, and she couldn’t quite believe it was really actually happening, but then he was there, bringing her her favorite foods from restaurants she’d found during her time in New York and barely going back to her hotel room for sleep, staying by her side to keep her company and catch her up on five weeks’ worth of Intelligence news.
He was there for every lap around the hospital floor and every dressing change. He was there to shoo out the nurses when they were starting to get on her nerves and he was there, rubbing her hand softly when the pain of her bruised ribs made it hard to breathe.
And then there was the way she was constantly being referred to as ‘Jay’s wife’ instead of her own name much like when she was back in grade school and her teachers would call her ‘Sam’s little sister’.
He’d made quite the impression on the nurses and for some reason neither she nor Jay had set the record straight on the actual status of their relationship since that first day when he was mistaken as her husband.
(It was probably the same reason that they hadn’t talked about what Jay flying to New York meant. And to be honest, Hailey was sort of hoping that Jay would set the record straight on their relationship, if only to let her know where they stood.)
And she definitely wasn’t going to acknowledge the dangerous little thrill she got from hearing herself referenced that way or think about what it would be like for real. Nope, not a chance or she might never come back down to reality after having narcotic-induced dreams of three little words, ‘I do’s’, freckled little faces and laughing green eyes.
But then it’s so close, she can almost taste it and it should scare her, but it doesn’t.
Because she can feel it in the way he grins at her and in the way he tells her goodnight at the end of a long day of keeping her company. It’s in the way his arm brushes hers when he’s helping her sit or stand and it’s in the way his eyes hold hers for far longer than he should; his green eyes swimming with hints of the things she dreams.
But until she hears it. Until one of them gathers the courage to actually say the words and put a name to what they already know and feel, then she’s going to wait and guard those dreams carefully because she knows deep in her heart that when they return to Chicago, it will have either worked out or it won’t at all.
She’s not sure exactly when the pieces will fall into place or if they’ll even fit together but she knows they are at the point of no return. And honestly, that scares her the most because no matter what happens, it will always be Jay for her.
Because he was her home, and he had a place in her heart no one else could ever have and that terrified her because she knows that she’ll never get over him if for some reason it doesn’t work out between them.
She tries not to think like that because she’s pretty sure what she’s seen in his eyes is something that looks a lot like love, but it’s hard to be totally optimistic when it seems like the universe is always keeping them not necessarily apart, but not really together. At least not in the way she’s pretty sure both of them want.
So, she sits in her hospital bed, watching him laugh at her attempts to renegotiate her discharge date with the nurses and listens to him chatter about what Will’s been up to and how much he hated being tossed between Kevin, Kim, Adam and Vanessa while she’d been gone even if he liked working with each of them.
They’d been flying crooked he told her and that her not being there threw them all off so he’d be happy when he could take her back home and so would everyone else. In fact, they’d told her as much when Kim had facetimed Jay the day after he’d arrived in New York to get proof of life and see for themselves that she was truly going to be okay.
It was sweet and nice, and it made her realize how much she really did miss her team turned family even if she already felt like she was home just because Jay was beside her.
He was beside her and he was there with her and every time he looked at her over the beeping of the heart monitor she was hooked up to, everything else faded from view. The facetime calls with their friends, the friendly nurses checking up on her every few hours, the general hustle and bustle of hospital life happening outside her room.
It was just them and she’d be lying if she wasn’t looking forward to her discharge date for reasons other than just being out of the hospital because she knew then, she and Jay would truly be alone stuck in a hotel room in a city that neither one of them knew.
And that, she knew, would be the true test.
*
On the morning of the third day she’d been in the hospital, Hailey was given the news that she’d be released by that afternoon. If she was physically capable, she’d be jumping for joy but because of the dozen stitches in her side, she’d had to settle for celebrating internally.
Moving was still slow-going and she still felt overly tired far too early in the day, but she was confident that a night in her own bed (or at least the bed she’d been sleeping in for the past several weeks) would do her a world of good.
And she wasn’t going to think about how Jay being potentially next to her would probably make her sleep better than she’d ever had.
She didn’t know exactly where Jay had been disappearing to when he’d left the hospital at night, but she’d given him the key to her hotel room and he always came back looking well-rested so she felt safe assuming he was sleeping in the same queen bed she’d been occupying for the past five weeks.
Hailey wasn’t quite sure what would happen tonight when it was time for him to go to bed, but she wondered if this was the day they were going to finally get it right, nestled under the bed covers, whispering dreams and promises, her side aching but her heart so full.
“Here, let me help you with that,” Her gaze flicked up to Jay who had entered the room and was walking towards her, his hands already reaching out to help her pull on her coat. Hailey looked up at him as he focused his gaze on putting her left arm carefully through the sleeve of her jacket.
She wasn’t sure if a person could have reversed déjà vu, but the action brought her right back to another hospital room in a different city when she was still reeling from the panic she’d felt surrounding Jay’s terrifying brush with death.
When she’d helped him pull his familiar, worn black jacket over his sling right before she almost told him she loved him.
And now here they were again, except this time it was him helping her and this time she knew they weren’t going home without having the conversation they should have had then.
“Thanks,” She murmured softly, trying to ignore the way her heart raced when he briefly squeezed her hand.
Hailey gingerly sat down on the side of the bed, already worn out and sore from the morning’s activities of getting ready to leave.
“I called a taxi. It should be here any minute,” He grabbed her duffle and sat it beside her, “You sign the discharge papers?”
“Yes, thank God,” She muttered accepting the pair of Sperry’s Jay was handing her.
He chuckled softly, “You are so impatient.”
She shot him a look, “I’m sorry. And who was the one practically begging me to spring him from the hospital the minute he was awake and talking?”
He had the wisdom to look sheepish, but he couldn’t hide the wide smile threatening to take over. Clearly, they were both happy to be leaving the hospital room behind.
As Jay busied himself with packing the last few items into the duffle he’d brought Hailey the day he’d arrived in New York, he can’t help but watch her. She’s moving slowly, but she seems pretty alert for someone who got shot and had relatively serious surgery only four days ago.
Her eyes are bright if not tired and her hair is haphazardly thrown up in her signature high pony, but Jay still thinks she’s the most beautiful girl in the world and he almost tells her just that.
His mouth is open, forming the words when she turns to him after sliding on her shoes, catching his gaze with eyes narrowed in suspicion, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
And he thinks this is why he can never tell her how he feels. She’s always taking the words away with a flash of blue and a dash of blonde because he wants his future to look like her so badly, it terrifies him. And even when he does finally find the words, he knows he will never be able to tell her with words just how much she means to him.
His lips quirk and he shakes his head, turning his attention back to the duffle to zip it up before nodding towards the open door of her hospital room, “No reason. You ready to go?”
For a second, he thinks she’s going to push, and they are going to have the conversation they need to have right here and now, but then she doesn’t and some part of him feels disappointed that they are making themselves wait once again.
He’s not even entirely sure why because nothing is holding them back now. Not really. They are finally both in the same city with no kidnappings, rigged elections or anything else threatening to tear them apart and yet, they are still walking that very fine line of partners and best friends to something openly affectionate and loving and real.
It’s almost too perfect because while he rushed here in a state of panic, not knowing what he would find, Hailey, for the most part was okay and now they were stuck here with basically nothing to do but wait till she could fly without risk of infection or complications from surgery.
He’s not sure if he should be worried, waiting for the other shoe to drop or thrilled that the universe seems to be giving them a hint that it was finally time to take that leap of faith from partners and best friends to something more.
*
“Hailey, you are clearly in pain.”
After the short taxi ride from the hospital, they were finally in the hotel room and now firmly engaged in a battle of wills.
Hailey was currently giving him a glare that reminded him of the way she would silently warn him from across the bullpen to not do something he might regret or when they were down to the last couple of fries during a long stakeout and he was reaching for them.
Generally, he didn’t win the fights when she wore that look but today, he was determined to stand his ground.
“Jay,” It was practically whined and while he understood her reluctance to take the pain meds she’d been prescribed, he couldn’t stand watching her in pain.
In the few times that Hailey’s been injured during their partnership, it hadn’t been too serious, and she usually had a good attitude about doing what she needed to do to recover. So, seeing her like this, pale and tired and just not her normal, spunky self, broke his heart and he wanted to do everything in his power to fix it.
Starting with the meds she’s determined not to take.
He was happy to at least see the trait that was so undeniably Hailey in her eyes because otherwise, she looked like a lifeless shell of the badass detective he knows she is. The oversized pillows she was propped against makes her seem so tiny and she almost blended in with the sheets she was so white.
If he was being honest, she was starting to look worse than she did when she was in the hospital and that definitely concerned him enough to possibly make him take her right back there or at least call Will for his opinion.
Sighing, he uncrosses his arms to move from where he’s been standing a few feet away from the end of the bed holding the prescription bag in a clenched fist.
Her eyes track his movements as he comes to gingerly sit down at the edge of the bed, leaning over on his forearm to look at her closely, “Hailey,” He shakes his head, “Please just take them. At least so you can get some sleep. You look exhausted.”
For a second, he thinks that she’s going to keep fighting him, but then he sees the weak mask she’d had in place slip, the dull look of pain and exhaustion becoming clearly present in her eyes.
“Okay, fine,” She sighs out wearily, and he’s a little surprised that she conceded that quickly even if he knew he’d already won, but then she cocks her head slightly, “What do I get in return?”
Yeah, he didn’t think he’d won that easily.
Jay pushes the flirty and slightly suggestive response that instantly pops into his head to the back of his mind. There would be plenty of time for that later, or at least he desperately hopes so because he knows that now is not the time to start anything of that nature.
When he tells Hailey what she deserves to hear, he wants her feeling halfway decent and looking healthier than she does right now.
If they were in Chicago, he would bribe her with Bartoli’s, but they weren’t. They are in New York and she’s already made it quite clear that the pizza here is a tragedy, so he doesn’t think she’d want that particular food even if he could find a copy-cat deep-dish place.
So, he goes for the next best thing, “What about some Greek? It probably won’t be anything like Greek Islands, but I’m sure I can find a decent place. I could grab you some Pastichio. What do you say?”
The way her eyebrows furrow and her bottom lip sticks out adorably makes him want to kiss the pout away, but he doesn’t.
She shakes her head, “I don’t want Greek.”
Jay bites his lip briefly and refrains from making a comment on the childish tone of her voice as he regards her carefully for a quiet second.
He would never admit it, but he knows he’s a much worse patient when their positions are reversed so he’s more than willing to put up with her stubbornness because he knows it’s just a way to cope with the pain.
And besides, he loves her. He would do whatever he could to make her feel better.
“I’ll get you whatever you want as long as you take your medicine, so why don’t you tell me what it is you’d like to have,” He pushes himself up off his forearm to sit upright, but he still holds her gaze.
She sighs carefully, picking at the covers before answering him, “A Snickers bar.”
Jay raises his brows.
In the years he has known her, he doesn’t think he’s ever seen her eat a candy bar. She could down a piece of chocolate cake at an event, or the random chip bag she’d found during a stakeout, but he doesn’t think he’s ever seen her eat the overly processed candy bar before.
“You like Snickers bars?” He can’t help the slightly disgusted tone of his words.
Hailey’s expression instantly morphs into a defensive one, “A girl can have guilty pleasures, and this just so happens to be mine. Now, you said you’ll get me anything if I take my medicine, so you’re lucky it’s not something like a new gun. Or a car.”
Jay rolls his eyes and Hailey desperately wants to swat him but she’s already in a significant amount of pain so she doesn’t think that would be the wisest decision.
“Relax, I will get you your Snickers bar. I promised, didn’t I?” He smirks a little as he moves off the bed to grab his coat that’s thrown over the back of the desk chair, “I just can’t believe I didn’t know you liked candy bars.”
Shrugging a little, she tries not to wince at the pain that small movement caused her, “I don’t indulge in them much; only when I’m not feeling good or if there’s literally nothing else to eat.”
After gathering up his wallet and phone, Jay stops in the middle of the room to regard her for another moment. He shakes his head, “What else don’t I know about you, Hailey Upton?”
She gives him a little smirk of her own, “Lots of things, I’m sure. I was once told I was aloof about my personal life.”
“And just when I thought I was getting to know the person under that tough exterior,” He feels the smile creep over his face, and he doesn’t care that he probably looks like a man hopelessly in love because he is.
He watches as her own expression softens and for just a moment, their eyes meet. A thousand words of unspoken love pass between them and he can see his entire universe in those captivating, blue orbs just as she can see a million promises in his.
Hailey shifts and winces at the sharp pain it causes her, cursing herself for ruining the moment. Those pain pills she’d tried refusing were looking pretty good right about now as the throbbing intensified around her still tender ribs.
Jay noticed her discomfort. He always does, and she could see the concern so clearly on his face it made her heart swell in love. He’s the most caring man she’s ever met, and it’s one of the things she loves most about him.
“As soon as I get back, you’re taking your meds,” Jay frowns, rubbing his thumb briefly along his hairline before dropping his arm, “I’d give them to you now, but I’m not sure I should leave you alone with narcotics in your system just in case. And besides, you need to take the antibiotics with food, so I’ll pick up something while I’m out.”
She just nods, picking up the remote for the television, “Sounds good. I’ll be here watching whatever trash I can find on TV, so hurry back.”
Jay gives her one last smile that warms her from head to toe before he opens the door and walks out.
*
When Jay walks through the hotel door about an hour later, he has the overwhelming urge to call out a ‘Honey, I’m home’, but he doesn’t want to wake Hailey if she’s sleeping and he’s not sure how she would respond to the term of endearment even if it is said teasingly.
It’s funny how that is the thing he feels would be crossing the practically non-existent line they have towing for the past several days. Or weeks really if he’s honest with himself.
As it turns out, she’s not sleeping but still in very much the same position he’d left her in. The TV was on, a rerun of ‘Happy Days’ playing quietly but she doesn’t seem to be paying much attention. Instead, she’s looking down at the phone in her hand, clearly scrolling through something before glancing up at him.
Her eyebrows rise as she takes in the various Target bags he’s carrying in both hands. Hailey let her phone drop in her lap, more interested in what Jay had bought because all she’d sent him out for were Snickers Bars, “Did you buy the whole store?”
He frowns at her as he finds the bag of take-out Chinese he’d ended up getting for their late lunch-early supper to set on the nightstand, “No, I did not, but I did get real food and,” He holds up the other bags he was carrying, “I got you your Snickers.”
Whatever else he’d bought was forgotten as she beamed up at him, already reaching for the candy bar he was digging for throughout his purchases. When he finally found what he was looking for, he tossed it to her, and she immediately ripped open the wrapper.
He makes a face as she bites into the sugary chocolate, “I still don’t know how you eat that crap.”
She responds with an eyeroll because her mouth was too full to make a witty comeback.
“You could at least wait till you ate actual food first,” Jay arched a disapproving eyebrow, his nose wrinkling as he watched her make an obvious display of enjoying her treat. He shakes his head and deposits the Target bags on the lower end of the bed to pull out the bottles of vitamin water he’d bought for her.
“Here, I got your favorite and a couple of new ones for you to try,” He handed her the blackberry flavored one before retrieving the pill bottles that were sitting on the nightstand beside their bag of food.
He read the instructions on each bottle then opened the oxycodone to dump one out, “Okay, you can have one right now and,” He checked his watch, “One at around seven then another at eleven.”
Hailey frowns, but takes the pill out of his outstretched palm anyway, “I hate the way these make me feel. My head feels fuzzy, and I can’t think clearly.”
Jay gives her a sympathetic smile and offers a simple, “I know” because he does know, but he also knows that if she has any hope of getting rest tonight, she needed to be well medicated.
“Maybe tomorrow we’ll try going all day without pain meds, okay? I just want to make sure you have a good night’s rest tonight since it’s your first night out of the hospital,” He tells her as he shakes out an antibiotic pill and then the iron supplement the doctor had prescribed her with for the next few days to hand to her.
Nodding, she knocks the three pills back and takes a swig of her vitamin water. Meeting his gaze, she reaches out to grab his hand and gives it a tight squeeze, “Thank you, Jay.”
The heavy tension that settles over them is now a familiar one and it’s almost comforting in a way as she tells him with her eyes how grateful she is for him.
After a few moments of silence, she clears her throat and withdraws her hand, turning her attention to the bags of stuff piled on the bed, “So, what’d you get?”
Jay blinks, shaking himself out of the trance they’d just been in as he rifled through the things he’d bought, pulling them out to show Hailey, “Well, I did some research and according to WebMD which was confirmed by my brother, weighted blankets can help with muscle soreness and speed up the recovery process.”
“I also got some ice packs,” He dumps out about a dozen before reaching in yet another bag, “And I picked up some of your favorite movies as well as a couple of pairs of fuzzy socks because I know you didn’t pack any and the hospital socks are terrible.”
The tears that spring to her eyes aren’t unexpected because the fact that he knows and remembers how much she loves wearing fuzzy socks when she’s at home decompressing tells her how much he cares even if he hasn’t really said it out loud yet.
The research, the weighted blanket, the movies, the treats, the socks; it’s slightly overbearing, but it’s sweet and it’s so undeniably him that it makes her heart hurt with the love she has for him.
She gives him a soft smile, “For someone who claims to not know me, he sure does take care of me and brings me all of my favorite things.”
“Well, after four years I would hope to know some things,” Jay smirks at her before moving to put the ice packs in the small fridge/freezer combo they had in the room.
He looks back at her over his shoulder, “But, I somehow missed your Snickers habit and it makes me wonder what else I should probably know, but don’t.”
Rolling her eyes, she watches as Jay moves back over to the bed, going for the food he’d sat on the nightstand.
“You know you’re not exactly an open book,” She points out with a wry smile.
He’s not an open book, it’s true, and even though she’s teasing him about it, she knows him better than anyone. Maybe better than even Will knows him. Maybe better than he even knows himself, and it’s ironic because the way she knows him better than anyone is more so through his actions and not his words.
She knows his heart through his acts of compassion. She knows his mind through his steady emotions. And she knows him because he lets her see the deepest parts of himself, unspoken secrets swimming in his eyes and dark memories whispered over drinks.
She knows the things that matter and the same could be said about the things he knows about her, but now that it’s being brought up, she does wonder if there are any meaningless habits she hasn’t bared witness to.
If her mind goes straight to those of a personal nature such as nighttime routines and shower preferences, then she’d never admit it.
“Well,” He handed her a container of Shrimp Lo Mein, “We’re stuck in this hotel room with basically nothing to do so,” Jay sat down on the bed, facing her with his own container of Chinese, “Let’s play a game.”
Hailey arches a skeptical eyebrow, “A game?”
“Yeah,” Jay nods as he takes a bite of his own Lo Mein, “Like one of those ‘get to know you’ games since we apparently don’t know much about each other.”
She frowns, a little unconvinced at this plan and what it could entail, but she’s curious and the slight woozy feeling she feels from the pain meds makes her ask, “What kind of ‘get to know you’ game? Like truth or dare?”
Smirking, he shakes his head, “No. Although, that could be extremely entertaining.”
“Uh-uh. No way am I drinking a bottle of hot sauce or jumping off the balcony or some other insanely difficult thing that you would think was easy,” She takes a bite of her food, trying to shake back the loose hair that keeps falling into her face, “I just had surgery.”
He’s full-on grinning now, chuckling at her impassioned response, “Nothing like that. I was thinking more along the lines of 21 Questions.”
Hailey tries to take another bite of her food, but her hair gets in the way again. She’s starting to get frustrated at the locks that keep falling into her eyes and mouth, making it hard to eat.
Sticking her chopsticks into the take-out container, she uses the now free hand to push her hair behind her ears as she shrugs, “Alright then. We don’t really have anything better to do other than watch movies and eat takeout anyways.”
The way his eyes sparkle at her answer is worth all the cheesy questions she’s sure he’s going to ask.
He stands up, shoving a used napkin into his now empty takeout container and she’s always amazed at how quickly he can down food when he wants to, “We can alternate asking questions and we don’t have to ask exactly 21 questions. It can be more, or it can be less.”
He throws his trash away and starts cleaning up the bed, moving all of the empty Target bags and the stuff he bought off to one side, “Is there anything off limits?”
She hesitates before saying no, shaking her head because while her natural inclination is to keep everything close to the vest, she knows there is nothing that she wouldn’t share with Jay if he asked her.
He makes her feel safe, and she’s constantly finding herself telling him things that she’d never said out loud before anyway, so she already knows that he will guard her secrets and feelings and thoughts deep in his own heart as if they were his own.
It’s like he knows what she’s thinking because the way he smiles at her is so gentle and the secretive sparkle in his eyes is what tells her that the same goes for him.
“You wanna go first or do you want me to?” Jay cocks his head, looking at her as he tears into the weighted blanket.
“You can go first,” She goes to take another bite of food when her hair falls into her face for what feels like the hundredth time.
She sighs internally, her frustration going unnoticed by Jay who had turned back towards the movies he’d bought, opening each of them as he tells her he has to make this first question a good one.
Pretty quickly after waking up from surgery, Hailey had found putting her hair up in its typical ponytail an almost impossible task because every time she raised her arms to gather her hair up, her stitches would pull, and her ribs protested loudly.
After several failed attempts that left her eyes watering, she ended up having a nurse put it up for her and she continued to ask for it done in the mornings before Jay arrived at the hospital to keep her company.
But now, there was no nurse to gather up her long, annoying hair when it keeps falling in her face and even though she’s stubborn enough to try it, Hailey knows if she pulls on her stitches or possibly breaks one, then she’s going to be paying for it tomorrow all because she wanted to put her hair up herself.
She sighs again, this one audible as she sets her Chinese container on the nightstand, “Jay?”
“Yeah?” He turns to look at her, his brows furrowed in concern.
Hailey bites her lip sheepishly as she snaps the elastic band around her wrist against her skin, “Can you put my hair up?”
He looks surprised for a moment before he smirks at the slight blush dusting her cheeks at having to ask for help with a task this simple, “Of course I can, Hailey.”
She hands him the ponytail holder as he walks over to the side of the bed, “But I will warn you. I’ve never done this before.”
She wants to tease him. Maybe tell him he’d better start practicing now if he ever hopes for a daughter one day, but it feels too on the nose when she wants that daughter to be hers too.
So instead, she smirks at him as he moves behind her to start gathering her hair up in awkward chunks. Hailey glances at him out of the corner of her eye, fake gasping, “Don’t tell me that the brave and noble Detective Jay Halstead, the man who jumps over moving cars and shoots sniper rifles doesn’t know how to put hair up in a ponytail.”
“Oh, shut up,” He grumbles good-naturedly, still trying to smooth her blonde hair into his loosely closed fist on top of her head, “It’s not like I’ve really had the opportunity or need to practice.”
Chuckling, she lets him concentrate on pulling her hair through the elastic and tries not to get lost in the feeling of his fingers in her hair and the warmth radiating off him. Her eyes flutter close and she marvels at how gentle he is even with the strength of his hands, well-conditioned in the act of squeezing a trigger.
And just like when making those shots, the precision in which he does everything is still there as he carefully tightens the elastic, securing her hair into place.
Hot breath hit the back of her now exposed neck and she can’t help but shiver. Before he’s stepping away, she swears she feels his hands brush her skin and she wonders if he’s equally as affected as she was by his closeness.
But before it can turn into anything, he’s smiling and settling back into his spot at the foot of the bed, gesturing to the ponytail he’d just completed, “It’s not as good as you do it, but I think it’ll pass.”
“I’m sure it’s fine, Jay. It’s out of my face and it’s not like anyone will see it,” She grins at him as she picks up her food, intending to finish it off now that her hair won’t get in her way.
Jay frowns teasingly, “Hey, and what about me? Am I not someone?”
She smiles softly in amusement, “You’ve seen me in worse states and you’re not just anyone, you know that. You’re my best friend, Jay,” She hesitates because she knows that’s not strictly true. He is her best friend and he’s her partner but he’s also the man she loves, and it would be so easy to let the truth slip out.
Looking at him, she sees something in his eyes that looks like hope or maybe anticipation and she wonders if he thinks she’s going to tell him the one secrete she just can’t seem to get out. Maybe she would have told him if they sat there for a few seconds longer, but his phone buzzes and the moment is gone before it really even began.
Hailey wonders if phones are going to be their downfall.
She thinks she sees disappointment flash across his face, but she blinks and he’s looking at his phone with a serious expression.
“Is everything okay?” Her brow furrows as she watches him type out a quick response and put the device back into his pocket.
He shakes his head, sighing, “That was Kev. The Latin Players are on the verge of waging war against a new up and coming gang called The Jets.”
Interjecting, Hailey raises a brow, “As in West Side Story?”
“Yep,” Jay lets out a wry chuckle, “Anyway, the team flipped someone on The Jets’ side, and it looks like they are possibly willing to play ball so Kev was asking for some background info on my Latin Player connect because Intelligence is going to attempt to negotiate a truce before it can escalate to a full-blown gang war.”
She groans quietly, all too aware of the potential complications and ramifications that come from this type of violence, “That’s just what the city needs. A gang war.”
He huffs in agreement, dropping his head in disgust and she can see the tension in his shoulders. Even eight-hundred miles away, the crime and the innocent people that inevitably gets tangled up in it affects him.
Hailey frowns, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. She reaches out a hand to lightly touch his bent knee, “Jay.”
He looks up at her and the empathy she sees in his eyes makes her heart swell in what’s becoming a familiar sensation. Love and pride and admiration and respect for this man she has the privilege to know.
Her eyes soften and she smiles gently at him, an earnest look on her face, “If you need to go home, go home Jay. I’ll be alright here by myself. I don’t need you to take care of me.”
If the situation wasn’t so serious, she might have laughed at the way his eyebrows shoot up in surprise, clearly not expecting those words to come out of her mouth.
Recovering, his eyebrows furrow and he shakes his head adamantly, “No way. They can get along without me. I’m not leaving here without you and I don’t care if you think you can take care of yourself because who’s going to help you change your bandages or make you take your medicine or keep you company?”
He challenges in a slightly playful manner, but the eyebrow he raises dares her to contradict him and she knows he is serious, “Besides, I need to be here if I want to keep my own peace of mind. I don’t work well without you, so I’m not sure how much help I’d be anyway.”
She knows that no matter the circumstance, Jay would always perform above and beyond the call of duty, but she also knows that this is his way of telling her that he needs her and the way he was willing to stay with her in New York makes her heart stutter in yet another way.
Before she can dwell on the feeling any further, he’s smiling again, his eyes crinkling with mischief, “Now back to the game. I think I have the perfect question for you.”
Sorry it ended in a bit of an awkward spot, but I decided to split it into two parts when I hit 10,000 words and I still wasn’t done yet lol so I didn’t know this was going to be the ending of a chapter.
I’d love to hear what you thought and stay tuned for part three!
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movieexpert1978 · 3 years
Note
Oooh if you’re still doing fanfic prompts, would you write anything for Doc Ock? Cause I would like to request the hurt/comfort part 2 either 4 or 8 with him
Hello anon !!! I finally got a story written for you!!! I hope you enjoy it. I went with #4 "You don't have to be so brave when you're with me." The list is posted by @creativepromptsforwriting
There is some angst here, mention of character death, violence, blood and swearing. The perfect Doc Ock fic, lol. I hope you enjoy it.
Different Stages
She had met him more by accident when she had just finished a job. She was tucking her rifle away when she heard a constant thudding. It reminded her of the T-rex arrival in Jurassic Park. She kept her gun out as he arrived. She had seen the papers and he was the infamous Doctor Octopus as they had labeled him. Two mechanical arms were on the ground while the other two hung around his shoulders protectively.
“Are you going to shoot me?” He asked curiously.
“No, I don’t kill people for free.” She shrugged, lowering the rifle. He took off his sunglasses to look at her.
“You don’t look like an assassin.” He said.
“I know Doctor. That’s why I do it.” She smiled. An eyebrow arched curiously at her comment. “So just passing through?” She asked.
“Actually yes.”
“Well Doctor I won’t keep you. Have a nice day.” She said before leaving.
“Yes that was weird.” Otto said to the arms. There a few more encounters like that until he finally got her one quiet night.
“Are you stalking me Doctor?” She teased.
“Call me Otto.” He answered. “And…yes I supposed I am because I would like to know your name.”
“Call me Evee.” She answered.
“Like the Pokémon?” He asked surprised.
“Oh nice…you’re a bigger nerd than I thought.” She smirked.
“I’ve got a lot more time on my hands.” He shrugged.
“My full name is Evelyn, but I prefer Evee since I always have to change my look at times for a job.” She said, showing a wig. Her hair was short but had some dark orange highlights in it.
“Why the orange?”
“Fall is my favorite season.”
“It’s September.”
“What? Don’t tell me you’re a Christmas person?” She huffed.
“No I prefer summer.” He stated.
“Hey if they can do fucking Christmas in July and have Christmas trees out at the end of September then I sure as hell can do my Halloween at the start of August.” She said defensively. Otto let out a genuine good belly laugh.
“Fair enough. That’s true.” He chuckled as he walked closer to her on his own legs.
“Why the sunglasses?”
“My eyes were damaged in an accident.”
“Oh that failed energy fusion thing?” She asked.
“Yes.” He nodded quietly. He noticed her eyes were an interesting shade of green. The arms stared at her curiously as well. One inched up to her and she held out her hand. It nudged it and she traced her fingertips along the metal.
“Are they alive?” She asked.
“In a sense yes, artificial intelligence.” He explained. “They’re surprised you’re not scared of them.” He added.
“I’ve seen people do a lot worse.” She shrugged.
“Is this your style, hanging on roof tops and shooting people?”
“It’s the most effective method.” She answered. “And I’m quite good at it.” She winked. “Can they come off?” She asked pointing to the arms.
“No.” He turned around and showed her the outer spinal column that had been fused into his spine. “That happened during the accident too.” He said before he turned around.
“Ouch, I’m sorry.” She said with sympathy, but he only shrugged.
“I can do a lot more now.” He said. “So Evee, do you live in the city?” He asked.
“Why ? You want a date?” She teased. He actually blushed.
“No, I just wanted to ask since we keep running into each other.” He said quickly.
“Well yes I do.” She smirked. She took out a notepad and wrote something on it. She walked over and put it in his coat pocket. “If you ever want to drop by.” She winked before she left.
Xxxxxxx
The October chill was starting to come and things were getting wet with the rain as well. Evee had finished another job and she started to walk home. Her rifle concealed in it’s long back pack. She stopped and sniffed the air. “Mmmm…rain is coming.” She said. She also noticed the smell of bad after shave as she started walking again. She knew she was being followed as the rain started to fall. She walked down a few back alleys she knew and tucked her rifle in a corner she knew wouldn’t be disturbed. She walked calmly as her other two guns hung on her hips under her long jacket. It wasn’t long before she heard footsteps. She wouldn’t be surprised if more people pooped out so she had to keep her eyes open.
“Fuck it.” She whispered to herself. She spun around with her guns and started shooting. She took out two before more men charged at her from the sides. She ducked and spun around one guy, using him as a shield as his companions still fired and killed him. Evee got off a few more shots before she was punched at from behind. She growled as she grabbed his arms and elbowed him right in the face and broke his nose. He shouted in pain as she shot him in the head. Evee shouted when one man plunged a knife deep in her hip and dragged it to make her bleed.
“Fucker!” She shouted and punched him right in the throat. He started gasping for breath as she shot him. A few more shots and the group was finally down, leaving her breathing hard. “Fuck!” She gritted as she stared at the infernal knife. She couldn’t take it out until she got to her apartment because that’s where her medical kit was. She was limping badly as she made her way back home and finally closed the door behind her. She stumbled into her bedroom and yanked the comforter off. It wasn’t the first time she had nights like this and it made her invest in black bed sheets to help deal with the blood. She got into a tang top and cut her pants off before grabbing the medical kit.
“What happened?” Someone spoke. Evee grabbed the knife at her nightstand and threw it. It was easily knocked out of the way by one of the arms.
“Otto…fuck…sorry…act first…think later.” She sighed.
“No hard feelings.” He said as he came over to her. “What happened?” He asked again.
“Got jumped by a few pros. They didn’t make it.” She smiled.
“Is this normal for you?” He asked.
“Happens at least once a year. People do it to cover their tracks or just want to get rid of the completion.” She shrugged. He couldn’t believe she was so casual about the whole thing, not to mention the knife still in her. “You wouldn’t happen to be a medical doctor too?” She asked with a smirk.
“I have picked up a few more medical skills. Could I tell you if you hit a vein? No. Could I stitch that up if you asked me…yes.” He stated.
“Thank you.” She sighed. He took his coat and gloves off, along with his sunglasses and rolled up his sleeves. “I’m not going to talk you through it.” She said.
“I don’t need you too.” He replied.
“Good, because I’m taking a shot of morphine.” She said as she dug through the bag.
“You’ve got morphine in there?” He gasped.
“Yeah, never leave home without it.” She grinned.
“Easy.” He said taking her hand. She looked at him and for the first time since they fight was she able to finally catch her breath. “You don’t have to be so brave when you’re with me.” He said gently.
“Thank you Otto.” She rasped quietly. After a few moments he helped her take her shot and laid her down on the bed. “Next time we have to have dinner first.” She mumbled before she fell asleep.
Xxxxxxx
She woke up with a hiss of throbbing pain in her leg. She looked down and saw a blanket on her. She pulled it off a bit and saw her wound all bandaged up. She looked at it puzzled for a moment as she started to remember last night.
“Thank you Otto.” She sighed.
“You’re welcome.” He answered as he came into the room. She looked up to see him holding a plate of breakfast for her. While one the arms held a gall of orange juice for her.
“Awww.” She smiled weakly as he came over to her. “Hey can you hand me that aspirin bottle please?” She said pointing. Another arm handed it to her and she couldn’t help but giggle. “They’re so cute once you get used to them.” She said.
“They say thank you.” He said. She took her pills and started eating.
“Thank you for your help last night Otto.” She said quietly.
“You’re welcome Evee.” He smiled.
“Can you…can you stay with me for a little bit…please?” She asked almost like a frightened child.
“Of course.” He nods and sits next to her. After she finished her food she snuggles up to him and he doesn’t question it.
“Did you eat already?” She mumbled.
“Yes. Your apartment is very nice. I’m guessing you own it?”
“Yup.” He started rubbing her back and she hummed softly. The aspirin helped with her throbbing leg. She felt warm and safe in his arms. She couldn’t help but cling to him a bit more tightly.
“Are you ok? You’re tense.” Otto said.
“I can’t remember the last time I felt safe with someone.” She answered honestly. She looks up at him again as he gazes at her. “I know that probably sounds weird coming from me right?” She laughed weakly.
“No.” He said shaking his head. “I’m glad you feel safe with me.” He smiles. She leans in a little closer and so does he. She’s hesitant to go further, but he does it for her. He gently kisses her and she eagerly responds to his touch. She moans softly against his mouth as he lays her back down while his hands cup her face. When he finally pulls away her vision is blurry as she tries to catch her breath. “Evee what’s wrong? You’re crying. Did I hurt you?” He asks concerned.
“N-no.” She says, surprised that’s she’s crying. “It’s just…it’s been a while since I’ve felt a connection with someone.” She admits.
“I understand.” He nods. “I lost my wife, Rosie, in the accident. I thought it was all over…but they…talked to me.” He said pointing to the arms. “And then I kept running into this assassin who named herself after a Pokémon.” He laughed. She couldn’t help but join in.
“I hope I get to meet her sometime.” Evee teased. Otto leaned into her again and gave her another tender kiss.
“Can I stay here for a little bit…please?” Otto whispered. She could hear the pleading in his voice.
“Of course you can.” She smiled. Otto pulled her back into his embrace gently. The arms wrapped around Evee carefully and protectively. She felt him kiss the top of her head before she fell back to sleep to the hum of the metal and the beating of his strong heart.
AN: Just in case, Pokémon isn't mine along with Doc Ock.
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thornfield13713 · 3 years
Note
So, if you haven't played the later games yet, guessing that a Trucy-is-there-for-the-trilogy AU isn't something I can ask for?
Yeah, that is a bit of an issue. As is the fact that The Family Turnabout has already pretty solidly sewn up that market. It's the only fic I've been able to find where Trucy is around for the events of the first three games, and I can really see why, since it now lives in my brain rent-free, which would make it a bit hard for me not to rip it off even if I was trying not to, just because so much about this story makes sense to me as what would happen in this scenario (such as Trucy bullying Gumshoe, not being at all impressed by Max Galactica and being kidnapped by Shelly de Killer - seriously, go read this series, it's a hell of a lot of fun). If anyone has any other recs, though, I’d be delighted to read them.
However. Let it never be said I backed down from a challenge. Here goes:
Aaaand...I really am going to have to apologise to the author of The Family Turnabout, because the only way I can see to give Phoenix custody of Trucy starting in 2016 is to use Thalassa Gramarye’s ‘death’ in an accident that year as a jumping-off point for canon divergence. Which they already did. Probably better than I did. So. Thalassa has her accident, but Magnifi’s cover-up doesn’t quite work. That is to say - the faking her death bit went just fine. It was just the ‘covering up that someone had been shot’ part that was an issue. So, with two men who might’ve shot Thalassa Gramarye, plus one who definitely tried to cover up the murder, that’s three people in need of a defence attorney, and Zak Gramarye is the one who goes for the law offices of Fey & Co.
At this point, Phoenix is twenty-three or twenty-four. More probably twenty-three, since I’m setting Thalassa’s death in spring or early summer of 2016, and according to the calculations made in this post, Phoenix was most likely born in early October. He’s been interning with Mia Fey for a while now, and is also deep in preparations for taking the bar exam. And he’s also a proven soft touch for kids, which means that when he learns that five-year-old Trucy Enigmar has nowhere to go with her entire family in the detention centre for their involvement with her mother’s death, naturally he offers to look after her for the duration of the trial, just until Mia proves her father innocent and Trucy can go home.
Unfortunately...that is not the way it goes. Mia does her best, but someone shot Thalassa Gramarye, it was either her husband or Valant, and the rumours of a love triangle between the three of them make it horribly plausible for the prosecutor to paint a picture of this as a premeditated murder committed out of jealousy of his wife’s suspected affair, rather than the simple case of manslaughter the defence is arguing for. And while not having the body is an issue, that just adds to how incriminating things are for Magnifi, who is lying his head off about where his daughter is and why he chose to cover up the accident. He’s found guilty on the second day of his trial, and sentenced to ten years in prison for evidence-tampering and attempting to cover up the murder of his own daughter in order to preserve the troupe’s reputation.
Zak is understandably spooked by this, and by the fact that his own situation is starting to look increasingly hairy, and decides to make his own escape on the third and final day of his trial. Trucy is, at this point, too young to have really mastered the ‘Mr Hat’ trick, being only five and, no matter how much of a prodigy she is, probably not big enough to operate the puppet yet, so Zak is obliged to come up with a solo escape plan, but he still ends up leaving his daughter behind to secure his own freedom. And, after Valant is convicted of his own role in the evidence-tampering - having plea-bargained down to a much shorter sentence than his mentor’s - Trucy is left entirely alone.
In a sane world, it would be difficult for a twenty-three-year-old law student to adopt a small child. Then again, in a sane world it would be difficult for a twenty-six-year-old former lawyer who had just been disgraced, disbarred and would probably be lucky not to be facing actual criminal charges, as well as having no remaining source of income, to adopt a child. By comparison, a twenty-three-year-old who is about to take the Bar exam, has a steady job waiting for him with a reputable law firm and has Mia Fey there to vouch for him is a much easier custody case to argue for. Which is how Phoenix becomes a single dad to a five-year-old child prodigy before he’s technically out of law school.
So. There’s the set-up. I’m going to have to think a bit more, and also try and distance myself more from the existing fic on the subject, to do the follow-through.
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ssa-pretty-boy · 4 years
Text
Fika
Fika: (Swedish origin) a moment to slow down and appreciate the good things in life
Summary: When Spencer Reid works a rough case there’s only two people in the whole world that can make him feel better.
Word Count: 3.3k
Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader
Warnings: brief mention of case details (the usually criminal minds type stuff), implied death of a child (not Spencer and reader’s), other than that its fluffy 
——
The case had been brutal, a grueling two weeks only made worse by the scorching heat of the Arizona sun. To be fair, all cases involving children weighed heavily on the team’s shoulders and hearts. But when presented with a mop of curls and pair of big brown eyes so breathtakingly similar to the ones he held so dear to his heart, it was safe to say Spencer Reid was unraveling at the seams. When he closed his eyes all he could see was that little girl’s face. All he could hear was her mother’s sobbing, a heartbreaking wail that rattled through his very soul, as J.J. delivered the horrendous news that they had been too late. They had caught the sick bastard and he would never see the light of day again but that didn’t erase the fact that their baby wasn’t coming home. 
Later that night they had stumbled on to the jet, all bleary eyes and bruised bodies. ‘Exhausted’ didn’t even begin to cover they way they all felt. Rossi and Emily were asleep before take off and Morgan was nearly there ten minutes into the flight. Hotch was quietly doing paper work specifically to avoid sleep and the horrible dreams he knew this case was going to bring him. J.J. was FaceTiming Will and their boys, assuring them she would be home soon with new a baseball cap for each of them. 
All the while Spencer didn’t know what to do with himself. He tried to read first but when the words of his favorite book failed to bring him any solace he tried to sleep. When he proved too fitful and the leather seat too stiff, he decided to try watching a film on his iPad. After a solid twenty minutes of not even hearing what the actors were saying he gave up on the film too, shucking his headphones off and stuffing them back into his satchel. Knowing full well he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the board and it’s pieces, he didn’t even bother pulling the tiny chess board out of his bag. With a defeated groan he leaned his head against the seat and tried to go to sleep for the second time. Just as the cool tendrils of unconsciousness started weaving around him, he felt more than heard someone settle into the seat next to him.
“How are you holding up?” J.J.’s voice was soft and tender, a tone she probably used to sooth Henry and Micheal when they were upset. Normally the motherly tone would grate on Spencer’s nerves but truth be told, at the moment he welcomed its comforting cadence. She watched as he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in this throat and he was quiet long enough that she thought he was attempting to ignore her. After a few heartbeats, his eyes opened and his head lulled to the side so that he could look at her. 
“They just looked so much alike J.J.,” similar to her own, his words were quiet but his voice wavered and cracked like all the grief and anxiety from the past two weeks were just now starting to bubble to the surface. J.J. attempted, and failed, to keep her face poised and collected. They all noticed the uncanny resemblance between Julia Hodges and Amelia Reid almost as quickly as Spencer did himself. He had managed to keep a calm front for the sake of the parents but he felt like there was something burrowing in his chest and attempting to rip him apart. He just simply could not stop imagining his family in place of their’s.
“There was this one case we worked a few years ago in Milwaukee,” she paused, trying to collect her racing thoughts before continuing, “It was a trafficking ring that we stumbled on. We thought it was just a kidnapping until we got there. The little boy looked so much like Henry; they even sounded the same.”
“I remember him,” Spencer’s voice was still a quiet rasp, “His name was Oliver Moore and he was five years old. Like Henry.”
His friend nodded slowly, her focus had turned to the table in front of them, her fingers absentmindedly tracing patterns onto its wooden surface. Even with that case being far behind them, it had been almost ten years ago now she realized, she still had nightmares about it. Unlike Julia Hodges though, they had gotten to Oliver Moore just in the nick of time it had seemed. But the conditions they had found him in... J.J. didn’t even know how to put it into words. 
She nodded her head, blonde hair sliding over her shoulders and shrouding her face. “I kept in touch with his mother for a while. I just couldn’t let it go. How much he reminded me of Henry, I mean. I still have nightmares sometimes that it was Henry in his place.” Brushing her hair back behind her ears, she turned her attention back to Spencer then with eyes glassy but a small smile on her lips. “There are just some cases that you can’t shake. They feel sticky and slimy and even though we catch the bad guys and sometimes we’re able to save the people they were trying to hurt, it still feels like there’s this stain on your heart. And after a while its like all you can see in the world is the darkness and death. You just need to go home and hold her, Spencer. Love on her and kiss her and hug her. It will remind you that there are still good things in life, that there is still some innocence out there.” 
He tried to smile but he knew it looked more like a grimace twisted on his face. J.J. gave his hand a sympathetic squeeze before standing and going back to her original seat beside Derek. This time when Spencer tried to fall asleep he succeeded. 
——
Six hours and forty seven minutes later, he was pulling into his driveway with the nagging thought that sometimes he hated his job. He loathed having to be away this long. Truly, he really did. It made him feel like he never saw his family anymore, like he was missing all the important milestones in his daughter’s life. Like her fourth birthday party for example. There were still some balloons tied the the mailbox at the end of the drive and what looked like confetti and streamers all over the porch. He had called that morning to wish her a happy birthday and assured her he was going to bring a special surprise home for her but it did nothing to combat the guilt eating at his stomach for not actually being there.  
He tugged a hand through his already unruly hair and let out a deep sigh as he climbed out of the car. As quietly as he could, he unlocked the door and walked inside the dark house, quick to disarm the alarm as to not wake his sleeping wife and daughter with its insistent beeping. With a somewhat renewed energy at the thought of seeing his favorite girls, he bounded up the stairs two at a time, carefully minding the extra creaky ones, then padding down the hall to his daughter’s bedroom. Eternally grateful for the well oiled hinges of the door, Spencer pushed on the white wood and Amelia’s bedroom door swung open silently. The covers were rumpled and pushed back but there was no curly headed little girl amongst them. For a harrowing second, Spencer felt his heart seize in his chest, his grip on the doorknob turning his knuckles bone white. But then he saw her slumped into her beanbag chair beside the tall white bookshelf, her favorite book opened on her lap. He couldn’t help the smile that split his face as he entered the room and scooped her up into his arms, the book falling to the carpeted floor with a soft ‘thud’. 
He hugged her tightly to his chest, swaying back and forth ever so slightly. When everyone found out that Y/N was pregnant, the other parents on his team had told him that there was nothing compared to the love he would feel for his child. Spencer never doubted that he would love his children, not even for a fraction of a second. But what he felt on the day Amelia was born, and every day after, was like nothing he had ever experienced before. A tiny hand came up to rest on his cheek, pulling him away from this thoughts, and he turned his head to find a pair of sleepy brown eyes looking up at him. “Missed you daddy,” she yawned, her eyes already fluttering shut again. 
He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and whispered against her hair, “I missed you too angel. So much.” She smelt like her mother’s shampoo he noted with a smile. He carried her back to her bed and tucked her in the way she liked before placing another kiss on her forehead. 
Just down the hall his own bedroom door was already opened, a soft yellow light spilling out into the hallway. Y/N must have waited up for him. Or tried to he realized with a small laugh as he saw her sitting almost exactly like their daughter had been just moments ago. With a book splayed open in her lap and her reading glasses slipping down her nose as her head lulled to the side, she was slumped against the headboard fast asleep. Spencer sat down at the foot of their bed and took his shoes off, tossing them in the general direction of their shared closet. Deciding to forego showering and brushing his teeth, he dressed for bed quickly and moved to turn off Y/N’s bedside lamp. Careful to note what page she was on, he slipped the book from her hands and moved it to the nightstand before reaching for her glasses. 
She stirred then at the feeling of his hands near her face, she jumped slightly as her eyes slowly blinked open and a drowsy grin pulling at her lips when she realized it was him. “You’re home,” she rasped, her voice raw from sleep and the day of wrangling a house full of four year olds. Cupping her cheeks in his hands, he leaned down to press a soft kiss to her mouth. “I’m home,” he repeated with a smile, feeling the weight of anxiety slowly start ease from his chest. “How was the ballerina dinosaur party?” He didn’t even try to ask that with a straight face, every time he even thought ‘ballerina dinosaur party’ he practically erupted into a fit of giggles. But his daughter had gotten her stubbornness honestly and was determined that was to be the theme of her birthday party.
——
“Mia, have you thought about what kind of birthday party you would like to have?” He asked her as he flipped her pancakes on the hot griddle. When he didn’t get a response, he turned to look her to see she was staring rather intensely at the stack of coloring books in front of her on the kitchen table. She mumbled something then shook her head, curls bouncing at her shoulders and her little eyebrows drawing together in what her mother called her ‘baby genius face’. Spencer couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of him, “What are you thinking so hard about, baby?”
Amelia turned that precious little pout towards him then. “Don’t laugh at me, daddy. S’not nice.”
Spencer clamped his mouth shut, having to bite down on the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing again. Y/N strolled into the kitchen then with a brush, some hair ties and a spray bottle in her hands. “Yeah, daddy. S’not nice,” she echoed, turning to stick her tongue out at at Spencer before she set to work pulling Amelia’s hair into two little buns on the top of her head.
“Thank you, mama,” Mia said, flashing her mother a toothy grin. 
“You’re welcome, sweet girl.” Y/N squished Mia’s cheeks and kissed her nose, earning a sweet peel of laughter. Spencer smiled at his girls as he plated the last of the pancakes and covered them in syrup. Y/N gaped at the plate when he set it in front of their daughter. Amelia, the resident sugar addict, on the other hand was practically drooling over it. “You,” she said, poking Spencer’s chest with her pointer finger, “are handling the sugar rush that’s going to give her.”
Spencer gave her a bashful smile and raised his hands in front of him, “You know all she has to do is look at me and I give her anything she wants. She could have asked for ice cream and I probably would have agreed. So really its your fault for asking me to make breakfast.”
With a playful slap to his chest she pushed past him to grab the other two plates sitting on the counter behind him. “For the love of god, Spencer Reid please do not give our daughter ice cream for breakfast. Ever.”
He laughed as he sat down in his designated seat across from his wife, and dug into his own stack of pancakes. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Amelia gasped, her fork clanging against her plate as she dropped it into the sticky sweet syrup. She was practically bouncing in her seat as she looked at her parents with wide, excited eyes. “I know what kind of birthday I wanna have!”
Clearly amused, Spencer set his own fork down and smiled at his mini me. “And what have you come up with, Mia?”
Her smile widened as she looked between her mother and father. “A ballerina dinosaur party!” The pure glee and excitement was practically radiating from her as she started clapping her sticky hands together, thrilled to no end with her clever solution to the ballerina versus dinosaur party dilemma. 
“Well then, daddy and I will make that happen for you.” Y/N laughed and extended her hand out for Amelia to high five, she was clearly just as excited. Amelia slapped her mother’s hand before jumping out of her chair and running excitedly into her play room. Seconds later she came back into the kitchen, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “May I be excused, please?” 
Immensely proud that the manners they were drilling into her were clearly sticking, Y/N beamed at Amelia before throwing her a wink. “Nice manners, sister! And yes you may. Go wash your hands before you play though.”
Amelia was racing off again then, calling out a muffled “thank you for breakfast!” as she washed her hands. Spencer was silent while Y/N stacked their plates and carried them to the sink. “What’s going on in that head of your’s, doc?”
“Ballerina dinosaurs-” was all he could say before Y/N cut him off.
“Are you really about to go tell that excited little girl that she can’t have a ballerina dinosaur birthday party for some scientific reason you’re about to pull out of your ass?” Knowing damn well that he wasn’t going to tell that sweet little face ‘no’ for anything in the world, she was smirking and leaning against the kitchen counter with her arms crossed over her chest.
Sliding down in his chair, he crossed his own arms and huffed out ‘no’. Y/N laughed and came around the table to sit in his lap, his arms instinctively wrapping around her waist and her’s going around his neck. 
“How did she come up with that?” he wondered aloud. She might have only been three but they could already tell that she was following in her father’s footsteps, well on her way to becoming a child protege much like he was. But every ounce of her creativity came from her mother.
 ——
That earned him a soft laugh and a even softer, “It was really fun. We missed you though.” She took his hand in her’s and brought it up to press kisses against his knuckles. “How bad was it, Spence?”
He had spared her most of the nitty gritty details but for the most part she knew what happened. Talking it out with a third party frequently helped him, so her lending a listening ear wasn’t anything new to their relationship. The smile instantly dropped from his face and his shoulders sagged again. “Bad. Really bad,” he whispered as he stood and made his way around to his side of the bed. Y/N settled down into the covers and held her arms open to him. Spencer all but dove into her, burying his head into the crook of her neck and wrapping his arms around her as best he could given the way there were laying. They were quiet for a moment, the only sounds were the white noise maker that could just barely be heard from Amelia’s room and Spencer’s sniffles. Soft lips pressed a kiss to his temple and her hands started running through his hair, making sure to scratch his scalp the way she knew he found soothing. “Do you want to tell me about it, baby?” 
He tensed in her arms but relaxed again after a heartbeat, breathing deeply against her neck. It poured out of him in a rush, in all the nasty detail he’d spared her from over the phone. Y/N’s breath hitched and her arms tightened around him when he told her how much Amelia resembled Julia Hodges, and she was immensely grateful he hadn’t told her about that part until now. “I just,” he started again after a long pause, “I couldn’t stop thinking about you and Mia.”
“Oh, Spence,” she cooed, trying desperately not to let her voice crack. “We’re okay, baby. We’re okay.”
“Can we throw her another birthday party? Just something small with the team maybe? I really hate that I missed it,” his voice was small, almost as if he was afraid she’d say no.
“Of course we can,” she laughed softly, “I’ll call everyone tomorrow and set something up.”
He smiled and lifted his head to press a sweet kiss to her mouth. A sweet kiss that quickly melted into something more as he settled between her thighs and his hands slowly slipped under the sweatshirt she was wearing. The pair were so caught up in each other that they failed to hear the soft patter of tiny feet running down the hall. The door slowly creaked open and a tiny little girl appeared, her pajamas rumpled and eyes wide. They jerked apart as Amelia called out to them. “Mama? Daddy?”
Y/N was shoving Spencer’s hands away, trying not to laugh as his fingers ghosted against her sides. “What’s wrong baby?”
“I had a bad dream,” she mumbled softly, looking down at her bare feet. “Can I sleep in your bed?”
Spencer smiled at her as he patted the space between him and his wife. Quick little feet made a mad dash for the bed and she pulled herself up with a quiet ‘umph’. Amelia burrowed under the covers, snuggled comfortably between her two favorite people in the whole world. Y/N wrapped Amelia up in her arms and Spencer turned toward them and threw his arm over them, his hand a comforting weight on his wife’s hip. Just as sleep had started to claim him, he felt Amelia start to squirm.
“Daddy?” she whispered softly into the dark room.
“Yes princess?” His voice already turning gravelly, his tired eyes opening to see his wife smiling at him over the top of Mia’s head. Both of them already knew what she wanted before she even voiced her request. And she sounded so hopeful that he didn’t dare deny her when she asked softly, “Will you tell me a story?”
He smiled and pulled his girls closer to him. “A long time ago,” Spencer started, his voice soft, “there was a dinosaur who loved to dance…”
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