#and now she came into the room saw me still sobbing took her stuff and left without a word

[lxkeee]

Hi! Is it okay if I ask for Lucifer seeing female sinner!reader when she is breaking down, panicking from both insecurity and overthinking (generally having trouble breathing and not being able to stop herself from crying at all) and being there with her in general?

Like, what would he say, how would he react, how would he comfort her, stuff like that!

notes: I was debating whether this should be platonic or romantic lmao.

warnings: panic attack.

edit: I fucked up, it said sinner and I accidentally made reader a fallen angel here lmfao omgg 😭

Lucifer is trying his best, even though he dissociates a lot and doesn't realize how much time has passed, he spends most of his time in his room just making rubber ducks or doing paperworks. After he and Lilith split, he had fallen more into depression and began to slowly lose his will to do his duties, hell would've crumbled apart if it weren't for his closest friend who decided to help him run his kingdom. [Y/n] fell from grace at the same time as him as she was an accomplice, Lucifer begged for her forgiveness years ago—apologizing for bringing her to this mess but the woman just chuckled and told him it was fine, she believed in his intentions and it was her decision to follow him.

Thinking about her, he realizes he barely saw her, let alone he forgot when was the last time he saw her. A couple of months ago? He barely saw her as she took it upon herself to lead as he isn't fit to lead as of lately, she is his right hand man afterall.

On top of that, with her taking on his duties, she also made sure to check up on him occasionally to make sure he is still functioning.

“I really need to show her my appreciation... She's doing so much for me...” Lucifer mutters as he lies on his bed, a few rubber ducks on his mattress. His recent memory of her is when she came back to check up on him and he noticed how tired she looked.

“Luci, how are you doing these days? Do you feel slightly better?” the door in his bedroom opened as she entered his room, he was making a new rubber duck and her voice cut off his concentration. He turned around to face her and gave her a grin, “I have been feeling slightly better, [n/n]! Time off seems to be doing me some good.” he says with a smile but his smile faded a little as he noticed how her eyes looked so... Tired... The usual sparkle gone and her once vibrant orbs now dull. Worry fills his chest as he hesitantly asks her, “Are you okay...?” he spoke softly and her eyes widened before giving him a closed eyed smile and when she opened her eyes again, that sparkle was there once more.

“Of course, don't worry too much about me. You should worry about yourself first.” [y/n] says softly with a smile and he just nodded, deciding not to push her boundaries. “If you say so...” he says softly and the two hanged out that afternoon before she decided to take a rest in her room—as she had a room in the palace as she did help in making it.

Lucifer sighs once more, he's worried for her. She's always working so hard. He grabbed a nearby rubber duck and held it near his face, “Mr. Waddles, I'm such a bad friend... She keeps on checking up on me but I forget to check up on her...” he says softly. He's afraid to admit it out loud, but he always loves her. Sure, he loves Lilith with all his heart but it was [y/n] who's his first love but he was too scared to confess and then he met Lilith and he fell inlove with her. Though, after his separation with Lilith, it feels like his love for [y/n] is returning but he doesn't want to think too much about it and wants it to develop properly. After all, he doesn't want to make her a rebound. That's why he wanted to fix himself first and give himself time.

He sighs to himself once more before eventually getting out of bed, he needs to get a drink. He got out of his room, passing by many rooms. He passes by [y/n]'s room. His body stopped as he heard soft sobs. It was coming from [y/n]'s room.

A few moments ago.

[y/n] angrily storms back into the castle, tears running down her cheeks. She just finished a meeting with Adam at the heaven's embassy building. It was just a meeting about hell's population. The meeting would've been bearable if it weren't for Adam's misogynistic attitude towards her. How she isn't fit to lead and how egoistical she is for putting herself in Lucifer's shoes. The major stabbing words she received is when Adam told her how pathetic she is for doing this to a man who doesn't even bat an eye on her. “You're really doing all of this for a dick you can't suck.” is what Adam said to her condescendingly with a mocking laughter. She doesn't even think of Lucifer in lustful thoughts, she only sees him in romantic scenarios, going on dates, holding hands, being there for each other.

It truly reminded her that Lucifer wouldn't be hers.

She's grateful that she was able to keep it together for the rest of the meeting but when she left, she couldn't hold back anymore and quickly teleported to her room.

She couldn't think properly. Chest heaving up and down irregularly. Barely catching her breath as she covers her mouth with her hands to muffle her cries so that Lucifer won't hear her. Though, a few sobs escaped here and there.

She felt so pathetic, so tired. Voices of other demon's comments on her work are starting to repeat in her head. She was only upset by the comments made by Adam but now, she's crying for everything as all the pain and exhaustion she was bottling up has now exploded.

She curls up in her bed, wanting to be as small as possible. Hair messy, dark circles around her eyes. Dull [e/c] orbs. Shining no more as she was exposed more and more to the cruelty of mankind.

She can only have herself to blame, she wanted to be here with him. A speck of light in darkness, slowly getting dull.

Lucifer hesitantly holds his hand towards the door handle to [y/n]'s room, he knows she's crying in there and each second his heart slowly breaks for her. He is debating whether to leave her alone or go inside and comfort her.

“For fucks sake, I need to go there and be there for her.” he mutters before sighing and then taking a deep breath. Curling up his fingers and then knocked on her door.

“[y/n]? It's me... Can I come in...?” He asked softly and he could hear the hitch of her voice when she heard him.

A brief moment, silence.

“Yes... You can... Come in...” she said behind the door, her voice audibly breaking and Lucifer was close to crying just by hearing how broken she sounded. But this isn't about him, so he composed himself and opened the door.

A truly heartbreaking sight to see, his best friend sitting at the corner of her bed and room, knees pressed against her chest as she tries to look as composed while her breathing is uneven. Eyes red and puffy, dark circles surrounding it. “Oh... [N/n], What's wrong...?” he asked softly and that question alone was enough to make her burst into tears. Lucifer panicked and quickly closed the door and then went to her side. Putting an arm around her. “Sshh... It's okay, I'm here... You can talk to me...” he says softly and [y/n] just sobbed and continues to hyperventilate. He remembers how she used to calm him down when he was in this position. “[y/n]... Look at me...” he says, voice gentle and [y/n] hiccups but hesitantly looked at him. “Can you try to focus on your breathing for me? Follow my breathing... Can you do that...?” he asked softly and she weakly nodded. “Okay... Take a deep breath and inhale...” he says, doing the action and gently urging her to follow. [Y/n] trying her best to match his slow and deep breathing. “Now... Exhale...” he says softly and exhaled, [y/n] following shortly after him. “You're doing great sweetheart. Now inhale...” he says, “Exhale...”

Once Lucifer notices she's beginning to calm down, he needs to move into the next step. “Focus on your breathing sweetheart, can you identify five things you can see for me...?” he asked softly and she nodded weakly, still trying to focus on her breathing while looking at her surroundings.

“The desk...”

“The window...”

“My pillows...”

“The hanged picture of us...”

“You...”

Lucifer smiled, his other hand gently playing with her hair, “You're doing so good sweetheart, now.. Can you tell me four things you can touch for me please?” he asked softly and she nodded.

“Your suit...”

“My blanket...”

“My pillows...”

“Your hand...”

She says softly, her breathing slowly going back to normal and he nodded, proud of her. “Very good, now, can you name me three things you can hear?” he asked softly and she nodded.

“Your heartbeat...”

“Your voice...”

“And your hand rubbing against my arm...”

Lucifer was trying hard not to blush and quickly calmed himself, “You're doing so well, can you tell me two things you can smell...? Can you do it for me?” he asked softly, grabbing a nearby tissue and gently wiped the tears off her cheeks, “Your perfume... And the smell of apples...” she answers.

“Now... Can you answer one more question for me?” he asked her softly and she nodded, “Can you name me one thing you can taste...?” he asked softly and she nodded, “my... Tears...” she answers, letting out a small chuckle... Occasionally hiccuping but she significantly calmed down. “Now there's my girl, are you feeling better now...?” he asked softly and she nodded, feeling exhausted after crying so much. “Do you want to talk about it...?” he asked and she shook her head and he nodded, “Alright, how about we rest for a bit? I am sure you have been very tired.” he says and allows [y/n] to get into a comfortable position to lie down on her bed. He was surprised when she held his hand, looking at him as if asking him to join her. He sighs before smiling softly and decided to take the extra space of her bed and cuddled her with her the little spoon. Both of them could feel their hearts beating erratically but decided to calm down as this isn't the time and this isn't the first time they cuddled in bed. [Y/n] was so tired that after calming herself, she quickly fell asleep on his arms.

Lucifer noticed her to have fallen asleep so quickly and he just smiled and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Sleep well, [y/n]. You deserve it.”

#lxkeee hazbin hotel masterlist #lucifer morningstar x reader #hazbin hotel x reader #lucifer hazbin hotel #lucifer magne #lucifer

[kazbrekkerscrutches]

Xavier Thorpe - Hurt

Warnings: Mention of gore, b!ood, and violence. Wednesday hurting reader. PTSD. Xavier being the best bf and doctor on Earth.

Words: 1.5 k

SHE/HER PRONOUNS

Context/Trope: Reader is Xavier’s girlfriend, Wednesday is torturing her in the Nightshade library, he finds her and helps her

“Why are you doing this to me, Wednesday?” I almost screamed. Blood was coming out of every orifice in my body.

She had punched me in the head with a hammer, dragged me into the Nightshade library; where Xavier used to bring me, and tied me up to a chair.

“This isn’t personal, dear Y/N. I know what you are and you need to tell me who is your master.” She whispered so tonally and coldly.

“I have no idea what you are talking about!” I screamed now, she had brought out two tasers from her jacket, and tortured me over and over again.

“The Nightshades will make you pay, Wednesday. You can’t do whatever you wish in here!” I yelled now, the pain surrounding my body and my mind.

I heard two snaps, indicating that a fellow Nightshade member would soon be coming in. A small yet reassuring smile appeared on my face, bringing me some type of comfort.

I saw Wednesday panic as she approached me. “You say a word and I will carve your eyes out.” She threatened.

I saw her go up the stairs to block whoever was trying to come in.

I heard a quiet yet stern voice of a boy talking to her.

Xavier.

They were mumbling and he rose his voice, trying to get pass her.

“Help! Xavier!” I yelled, Wednesday saw me. That’s when I saw him. He was faster to come down then her as he took my face in his hands.

“What have you done to her, you psychopath!” He yelled. He untied me from my chair and pulled me into his arms.

Wednesday froze. She didn’t know that Xavier and I were together. At this point, I was full on sobbing into his chest, but he kept his embrace just as tight around me.

“Wednesday, you should go.” She just stood there, watching us, watching me. I was completely and utterly afraid of her. She terrified me and Xavier knew that. He could feel the way my whole body shook, the heavy tears wetting his shirt, my needy embrace around his chest.

He didn’t let go.

We both watched her walk up the stairs with all her torturing tools. I felt safe when I heard the statue shut the door.

Tears flooded out of my eyes once more. Sobs racked through my body as if a drill was going through my heart. No words came out of my mouth. No words came out of his. He simply held me. He checked my body for any major injuries which was mostly my head.

“I’m gonna bring you to my room, okay? You’ll be safe there.” He softly kissed my forehead, trying not to hurt me.

“I’m not sure I can walk, Xav.” I whispered, which was the only voice left in my body after all that screaming.

“That’s okay, princess. Hang on tight, we’ll be there in a minute.” He loosened his grip on my upper body only to pass one of my arms over his shoulder, taking my legs on his arms and carrying me out of that place.

“My head hurts.” I whispered as I passed out in his embrace.

[Xavier’s POV]

She passed out in my arms.

I looked at her for a minute, making sure she was still breathing. I know I should be taking her to the infirmary but it was too dangerous. Wednesday could do something again and I cannot risk that. Not for me, and especially not for Y/N.

I would never forgive myself if she got hurt because of me.

I carried her all the way back to my room, opening the door carefully; making sure nothing hit her by accident, and shut the door behind us.

I carefully placed her on my bed, placing her in one of her favorite zip-ups which was mine. She said it reminded her of me; of how comforting I smelled and I felt when I was around. That’s one of the most adorable thing she has said to me.

When I got scratched by my painting, I had gone into town to go buy some first aid stuff to heal my scars; hopefully that would be enough to help her.

I took the kit out of my drawer, taking out things I thought I may need.

Her head twitched slightly when I lifted my hand to clean up the cut on her eyebrow. She woke up, almost jumping off from the bed, but I cached her in time.

“Hey, hey it’s okay Y/N. It’s just me. Xavier. I’m not going to hurt you.” I felt her calm down by my touch, she leaned into my shoulder, breathing me in softly.

I guided her to lie down again, calming her down.

“Thank you, Xav. Thank you for saving me.” A few tears shed from the corner of her eyes. I wiped them away with my thumb.

“You don’t have to thank me, I’m your boyfriend. I’m always going to be here for you, no matter what.” I smiled softly as she watched me closely with her beautiful eyes.

I showed her the cleaning supplies, she shook her head softly, telling me it was okay for me to take care of her.

[Y/N’s POV]

Xavier was always soft with me. He would be the kind of guy to always act like a gentleman even if he had a bad day. He always made me his top priority.

I sharply exhaled when he passed the cotton pads around my head. That bitch did not miss, I thought.

I probably did have a concussion but Xavier has had plenty; he told me he’d take good care of me.

He put all the stuff away, telling me he was done cleaning me up. I had noticed that he had put one of my favorite zip-ups on me; one of his. I smiled slightly as the sight of that. Genuinely kind and cute move. God, I love this boy.

“All done, do you want one of my pants to be more comfortable in? You can sleep here.” He put the kit away; that he probably used for his scars on his neck. I nodded. He smiled slightly and handed one of his pair meanwhile he was helping me sit up.

My head did hurt; not a question, but it hurt way more than it did before.

“It’s the adrenaline. Same thing happened to me when I broke my nose. I received the soccer ball with my face and let me tell you that I laughed, and the teacher made me move my nose. It was ridiculous. Next thing I was aware was an X-Ray of my broken nose and a concussion for a while. Not fun, my mom had to wake me up every three hours only to check if I hadn’t died.” He confessed.

I laughed a little at the story, and it made me feel better.

He placed a soft kiss on the top of my head and helped me out of my bloodied clothes, having me lean on him for support.

“You need rest, love. I’ll be right here when you wake up.” He whispered, kissed me softly and sat down at his desk besides the bed.

He took his sketch book in his lap and scrambled endlessly at one of his masterpiece. I watched him softly for a couple of minutes.

“Xavier?” I asked quietly.

“Yes, princess?” He looked up from his book.

“Can you stay with me?” I knew he was right in front of me but I don’t think I would’ve been able to sleep without him.

He nodded, lifted up that blankets he had placed on my fragile body and wrapped me up in his embrace. My face was hitting the hard muscle of his chest, filling me up with a calm and quiet energy of the prodigy.

“Am I hurting you?” He whispered slowly, not wanting to startle me.

“No, you’re not. I’m okay.” I responded back, holding him tighter against me.

“Are you okay?” He placed again. He rearranged his head against mine, holding one of his hands to brush his hand in my hair.

“She may have tortured me, for her stupid accusation but I am okay. She hit me a couple of times, tazed me a couple of times but that was never enough to make me break. I had nothing to hide. I know it sounds terrible, but I will heal. I have you. I will always be more than okay if I have you by my side.” I rambled in his chest.

He placed a soft and loving kiss on the top of my head.

“I will care for you everyday. I always will and I swear on it. Get some rest, now. I’m not letting you out of my sight, princess.” He whispered lovingly.

“Creep.” I called out softly.

“I love you, too.”

#xavier thorpe x you #xavier thorpe #xavier thorpe x reader #wednesday series #wednesday netflix #wednesday 2022

[jacksdinonuggets]

Chaggie agere fic!

Charlie stayed up all night again and needs a break. Sorry if it's too short.

It was about noon when Vaggie really started to get worried. Charlie had stayed up all night, trying to figure out a way to stop extermination and make the hotel work. The girl had eye bags under her eye bags and refused to sleep. The whole Hazbin squad was worried. As vaggie tried to hold an intervention, the rest stood back and watched.

“Come on, Hun, you need a break,” Vaggie said trying to steer Charlie away from her notes. She was currently sitting on the couch in the common area, a bunch of papers with notes on them covered the coffee table and there was a thumb-tack board that was covered with red thread connecting news articles and ideas and more random stuff.

“Extermination is in 4 months, Vaggie! If i can’t find a way to stop it, then everyone will die, and it's all my fault!” She cried. Everything seemed to be her fault. Why couldn't she just be helpful for once?!

“Hey, its not your fault. And not everyone will die. We still have some time. But i think you deserve a much-needed break,” Vaggie rubbed her shoulder from behind the couch. It was a nice massage since she was very tense from the horrible posture she maintained throughout the night.

“No, I don’t. Theres not much time left and I can’t waste it on resting.” Charlie continued to hunch over her work.

“Come on, Princess, ya need a break,” Angel interrupted from the back of the room.

“No, I Don’t! I’m perfectly fine without one!” She snapped at him. He kind of sunk down in defeat, making Charlie worry that she just ruined everything again.

“I- I’m sorry i snapped, but I’m still not gonna put this city’s life at risk because i decided to take a nap,” She apologized. Vaggie looked so done with her girlfriend. They both worried and cared for each other a lot. So, sensing that Charlie was being like this because she didn’t have a break yet, she picked her up from under her armpits like a cat and then cradled her to her chest.

“No! Put me down! I am the princess of hell!” She tried to squirm out of Vaggies hands.

“Sweetie, you need a break,” Vaggie said once again.

“I-.I-” Charlie’s voice cracked before she broke out into sobs. God, she was so exhausted but she couldn’t rest. Sleep was for the weak and she had to prove to heaven how very big and strong she was.

“Shh, Shh, Its okay,” Vaggie whispered in a soothing tone. Charlie curled up even more as she sobbed, giving away a hint that she had now slipped. 

Charlie sometimes would use age regression to cope with extermination or just stressful situations. Vaggie first brought it up to her since she also used it and wanted to give Charlie a healthy coping mechanism to try. The two mostly took care of each other or regressed alone.

Sir pentious wanted to help since he really admired Charlie and her efforts. He slithered his over to them and looked at her.

“Hey, Everything’s ok-” Even louder wails erupted from Charlie as soon as she saw him. Everyone seemed so scary right now besides Vaggie, her caregiver. She just wanted to curl up in bed and cuddle with her stuffies.

“Come on, sweetie, You’re gonna be okay, We’re heading up to our room, alright?” Vaggie comforted her while walking a way. She muttered a ‘sorry’ at Sir Pentious.

Once they reached their master bedroom, Vaggie laid her crying princess on the bed before going into the closet to grab a couple of things. She came out with a beach bag that had rainbows and a sun on it. Inside were her Little Items. She had multiple pacifiers, a few sippy cups and one bottle. She also had a bunch of coloring books and bedtime stories in there. On the bed, currently, was her duck stuffed animal that Lucifier had given to her when she was very young.

Vaggie quickly filled the bottle up with water and gave Charlie her ducky. She sat on the bed and pulled her into her lap to begin rocking her. She started to sing a spanish lullaby, hoping it would help calm her baby down. Luckily it did and her cries were now quiet but she was still very small. So Vaggie held the bottle up to Charlies mouth and she began to suckle on it. All of the crying made her really thirsty.

“I think this little one needs a nap,” Vaggie said once Charlie finished the bottle.

“Bu’ I wanna play,” Charlie pouted.

“You can play when you wake up, but for now, its Night-Nigh time.” Vaggie helped change her little one out of her suspenders and suit and into pajamas before tucking her in.

“Sleep well, Charlie,” Vaggie said before kissing her forehead goodnight.

#age regression #sfw agere #agere fanfic #fandom agere #hazbin hotel agere #hazbin hotel #charlie morningstar #vaggie #agere charlie morningstar #little charlie #age regression fanfic #fanfiction #hazbin hotel fanfiction

[starfirewildheart]

Chapter 3

Scars and Souvenirs 

Summary: Sy and his lady both retire from the army but not before tragedy befalls Sy. He slowly tries to adjust to life again on their ranch.

Pairing: Sy / OFC

Word count: 2,492

Rating: PTSD episode. No graphic details but be warned. 

Debbie was on her hands and knees trying to pick up all the paper clips she'd managed to knock off the desk when a boom of thunder rang out so loud it shook the windows in the house causing her to yelp and jump smacking her head on the desk. "Fuck!" She rubbed at the knot already forming as she got back to her feet.

Glancing out the window and seeing the dark storm clouds already on top of them and the rain coming down in buckets she texted Sy.

Deb: Be careful on the way home sweetheart. It's already bad out. Let me know when you're leaving. Love you.

Putting a fresh pot of coffee on and getting a couple towels from the linen closet she tossed them on the arm of the couch for when he came in because she knew he'd be soaked to the bone. It'd been forty-five minutes and still no word from Sy and the storm was in full force now. She called his phone a few times and got no answer so she called Sara.

"Hello" Sara managed to make it to the phone on the last ring.

"Is Sy still there? He's not answering his phone."

"Yea he's, um," She couldn't hide the panic in her voice. "Something happened and.."

"What happened?  Is he ok?"

"He started screaming and acting weird. He's huddled in the corner in the laundry room and he starts thrashing and yelling everytime I try to get close."

"How long?" She asked, already gathering stuff she knew she would need.

"About an hour," Sara admitted reluctantly. 

"Unbelievable!" She growled. "I'm on my way."

It took another forty minutes to make what should have been a fifteen minute drive because of the storm. Trees were down over the roads, some streets completely underwater but she finally pulled into the drive and wasted no time running inside. "Where?"

Sara jumped when the door burst open and Debbie came in, dripping wet and tossed a bag on the floor.  Sara pointed the way to the laundry room and watched because Sy wouldn't let anyone approach.

Debbie saw Aika laying on the floor whining and whimpering looking toward the back wall. She got down on her hands and knees crawling into the room slowly, remaining low and unthreatening. She gave the dog a pat before moving forward until she caught Sy's attention. He was sweating and trembling like a leaf. His eyes were searching for something but not seeing anything. He had the thousand yard stare and it broke her heart. It was the same look he had the day she got to him in Germany. 

"Captain Syverson, it's Lieutenant Calaway. We're here sir, you're safe now. May I approach to treat you?" Debbie said.

"Boz, get Boz," he rasped. "The others are dead, all of em," he sobbed.

She moved close enough to touch him. "Boz is being taken care of. Can you tell me what hurts?"

"Everything," his teeth were chattering. 

He'd hit his head on something because it was bleeding sluggishly still. She grabbed a washcloth out of a clean laundry basket pressing it against the wound. "Can you stand? Let's get you to bed and get you treated ok?"

He grunted and curled up tighter, hiding his face from her. "Hey," she lightly scraped her nails over his scalp on instinct. "You're safe sweetheart. No one's gonna hurt you any more."

He caught her scent as she moved around him and pressed his cheek to  her palm. "D..Deb?"

She looked into his eyes finally seeing some recognition. "There's my sweet boy," She smiled. 

He curled around her body, torso in her lap, his head resting on her arm holding on like his life depended on it. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," sobbing. 

"Austin, you have nothing to be sorry for love. Did the loud thunder trigger you?" She kept her voice soft and soothing. He nodded and she rubbed his back still hearing Aika's whimpers. "Aika is worried about you. Can she come and give you some love?"

Sy turned his head so he could see her. "Come girl." 

"Not in your mom's laundry room floor baby," She joked as Aika came over and laid her head on Sy. It worked because Sy looked up at her with a half smile and shook his head. "Oh, you meant Aika."

"Is he ok?" Sara asked from the doorway.

Sy tensed at her voice and trembled again, his senses too overwhelmed to process his mom being there. In his mind he was still in Iraq. "He's starting to calm down a bit. We just need some more time." 

"I'll be in the den if he needs anything." 

The storm was still raging outside and every clap of thunder and flash of lightning made Sy jerk and cringed because it reminded him of bombs and rpgs exploding. She had to get him somewhere else to try and get him back to now. "Do you think you can stand for me?"

Sy's cheeks burned hot and he tried to hide his face again. "I….I had … um..I"

She listened trying to make out what was wrong. It took a few minutes of looking him over the best she could in the position they were in before she saw the dark stain on his cargo pants and realized he'd wet himself. "We'll get you all cleaned up ok? Just me and you. No one else will see."

He looked in her blue eyes and knew she was telling him the truth and not trying to trick him. "Ok."

They stood up and slowly started toward the bathroom. He was leaning heavily on her because he was still reliving his injuries and the anxiety and physical shaking had made his muscles weak. She helped him sit down on the toilet. "I brought you some clothes and your meds but I need to go to the den and grab the bag ok? I'll be right back."

"No!" He grabbed her around the waist and held her. "Don't leave!"

"Ok, OK, Shh," She hugged him with one arm and rubbed his head and shoulders with the other hand. "I'm going to call for your mom to bring me the bag. I gotta be loud for her to hear me though, ok?"

He nodded but didn’t loosen his grip on her. "Sara!"

Sara stepped up to the bathroom door. "What do you need?"

"The bag I brought with me, a bottle of water, a couple of towels and a washcloth please."

Sara quickly gathered the stuff she asked for, stopping just outside the door again. "May I open the door? "

"Slowly, please and try not to make any loud noises," Deb told her.

Sara opened the door and stepped inside getting a closer look at her son for the first time since his episode started. It broke her heart seeing his entire body shaking, sweating through his shirt and clinging to Debbie like he's drowning in the ocean and she's the only life preserver. Tears fill her eyes and she chokes back a sob not wanting to add to his stress. "How can I help?"

"We are going to get him cleaned up and then we are going to join you in the den until this storm passes. When we come in there we are gonna need a pillow from the bed and something sweet to drink. Juice, sweet tea or soda."

Sara nodded, "Food?" 

"Cookies, candy and fruit would be good but if you don't mind, cut them up in bite-sized pieces. It makes it easier for him."

Sara stepped closer to Sy and reached out to touch him while he wasn’t looking and Debbie grabbed her hand before she made contact. "There are a few things to know about being around Sy when he's having PTSD issues. We will go into more details later but for now no loud, sudden movements or sounds. Alway tell him what you're doing before you touch  him so that he knows it's coming." She put her hand under Sy's chin lifting his head and smiled. "Sweetheart, your Ma is going to touch you and talk to you a second before your bath." Sy took a couple of calming breaths, trying to steal himself for the touch.

Sara put her hand on Sy's shoulder and pressed a kiss to the side of his head that wasn't covered in blood. "I love you Austin." She left the room so they could continue.

Deb told Sy everything she was going to do before she did it and with time and patience she got him stripped and in the warm bath and gave him his anxiety and PTSD meds. She scrubbed him clean, treating his head wound, taking care to be soft and comforting. After about fifteen minutes of the warmess of the water and her soothing touch, her voice constantly praising and encouraging him, he started to relax and nodded off. 

Sy shivered as she helped him out of the water, wrapped him in the big fluffy towel and dried him off with another. When she reached up to dry his head he pulled her against him and kissed her. "I'm sorry, sugar. I hate that you have to go through this. I'm just broken and I should have died in that hell hole like everyone else."

"Don't you ever say that again, Austin" she growled. "You Have no reason to apologize." She cupped his face in her hands as she pushed him to sit on ťhe vanity before his legs gave out. "You went through literal hell sweetheart. Your job was about as stressful as they come. You tracked down WMD's and terrorists. You were tortured and tormented and I don't know anyone who wouldn't have trauma from that. Baby you are doing amazing and I'm so proud of you."

He didn't even try to wipe the tears away as he wrapped her in his arms. "I don't deserve you but I'm so damn glad I found you."

She softly rocked him. "I'm damn glad you found me too sweetheart. I never felt complete until you." She kissed him then stepped back a bit. "You're exhausted. Let's get you dressed and you can lay down so you can rest."

Sara stood up when they came into the den. Sy looked so weak and exhausted it scared her. She'd never seen him like this. Apparently she wasn't as good at schooling her expressions as she'd hoped because Sy noticed. "I'll be ok Ma. I just need some time." He gave her a small smile as Deb helped him down on the couch.

There was a position that helped Say when he was having an episode and it was just natural for them to get into it. Deb sat on the end of the sofa, pillow under her arm and Sy's upper body in her lap facing her. Deb pulled their blanket from her bag. It was soft and comforting and smelled like her so it helped. Once he was settled she picked up the glass of sweet tea. "Drink some of this for me?"

He shook his head , "don't want it."

"I know you don't, sweetheart but you need the sugar. Drink, please." She held the glass to his lips and he took a few sips before pushing it away. "Think you can eat a bite for me?"

"No," he turned his head and hid his face in her neck. She couldn't help but smile because he sounded like a petulant child. She cuddled and rocked him softly stroking his head, back and arm. He was so exhausted mentally and physically it wasn't long before he was asleep. 

Sara watched them. She was in awe of how Debbie was able to comfort him and jealous that she couldn't do it herself. "You're good with him." She reluctantly admitted.

"It didn't come easy, not for this anyway.  There were many times of trial and error while he was recovering. We just finally found things that helped ground him."

"I never got that chance," She said bitterly.

Debbie's eyes shot over to Sara when she realized what was going on. "That’s what all this has been about? The way you've treated me and how you've guilted him because he hasn't spent time with you alone? You're jealous?" She was dumbfounded. 

"I didn't get the chance to go to him in Germany and he didn't want me around him for eight months after he was back in the country. The only difference in that time was you. He had you."

Deb counted to ten, twice, trying not to snap. "Or it was the fact that the man was tortured and had to have surgeries to reset his bones and rehab and therapy and months of night terrors, flashbacks and no sleep. We weren't playing house and hiding trying to hurt your feelings. "

"He's my son! His family should take care of him, people who don't push him to get out in the world and be in crowds or work himself to the bone."

"That’s exactly why you aren't the right one to care for him. He has to get back to life. He can't dwell and live in the memories." She stops herself not wanting to wake Sy or say something she'll regret. "Did you ever stop and think that he distanced himself during his recovery because he wanted his relationship with you to stay pure? That he doesn't want to recount what happened to you because he knows it would permanently change your relationship. The disappointment and resentment would be to much"

"I would never be disappointed in him or resent him because of what happened," She growled. 

"You wouldn't  but he does. He blames himself, Sara. He's plagued with guilt, the feeling of failure and worthlessness about himself because of it and he thinks everyone else sees him the same." She sighed, "he wants to be able to visit and talk with you and not have to worry about that baggage, to not feel like that with you."

The words hit her like a bullet and it all started to make sense. How he'd talk to her every day and always check on her. He'd talk about anything except his time in the desert. She'd blamed Debbie because that's where they’d met but in reality he wanted his mother to keep her pride in him and he thought if she knew his trauma she'd lose respect for him. She'd been so busy being jealous of the woman he'd brought home, thinking she'd stolen him, that she didn't see what was right in front of her. She was pulled from her thoughts when Sy woke up screaming.

"Easy baby," Deb said, placing her hand on his chest. "You're safe love, I've got ya."

Aika jumped up on the couch and laid on Sy's legs resting her head on his hip as he drifted back to sleep. It was going to be a long night.

@shellyshellshell

@enchantedbytomandhenry

@mrsevans90

#henry cavill #syverson fluff #syverson x you #henry cavill fanfiction #henry cavill x reader #henry cavill smut

[yallfavblkgirl]

𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒, 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐱𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫!

𝐬𝐮𝗺𝗺𝐚𝐫𝐲 ➜ jack and you had something going on before he got fame and had to leave you because you just couldn’t leave your family and life in louisville kentucky.

𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 ➜ none but just a bit of smut.

𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒, jack was coming back to his home town for his new music video, they don’t love it. you didn’t know that he was but you been listening to his music, you kinda hated the way you listen to his music because he left you and you really didn’t know why but all you know is that you guys got into a fight before he left.

you walked around your house as you picked up your brothers and mother stuff they left behind since you were the youngest, you always had shit to do around the house. you heard a loud ass knock at the door that made you jump, you rushed over to the door only to see it was your bestie val, “why the fuck are you banging on this door!?” you yelled in whisper because your mom was sleeping.

you would have left but your dad died and now your mom is acting weird and can’t take of the kids by herself anymore. “bitch! did you hear??” she pushed you out the doorway and walked inside your house. “i’m guessing not.” you spoke as you rolled your eyes and closed the door. “jack harlow is coming back!!!!” she yelled and jumped up and down, immediately you felt your heart dropping as you took your hands off her. “you good?” she asked as she noticed your state, you just nodded.

“yeah i’m good.” you said in a soft tone, you walked val to the door and waved her goodbye. you rushed your room and you felt this lump in your throat and your vision got blurry, water drops rushed down your face. you gripped onto your shirt and hold on tight because you felt yourself getting over worked with the thought of him coming back.

‘what if he forgot me?’ you thought, your light crying turned into a big sob.

𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕, i stepped out the car as i breathed the air of my home town. “what you wanna do before the video?” urban asked him, “let’s go get something to eat!” i said as a big smile wiped on my face.

when we walked in, we immediately walked up to the counter but i wasn’t focus on the food because i was looking at this girl who was just looking at me so i smiled and waved. “jack you gone act like you don’t remember me?” the girl said and i just looked at her with a confused look. “it’s me!! val!” then it hit me and my smile grew bigger as i ran up to hug her.

“VAAAAALLL!!! girl you look goooddd!!” jack said with a little bit of sass. everyone in the restaurant knew who he was so everyone was talking pictures of him and he started taking pictures with people.

but the only thought that was in his head was…where were you?

𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐏

you were sleeping when you heard a knock at your window, you opened your eyes. “val! i swear to go-” you stopped when you saw jack in some pajamas pants with a black t-shirt, “not val but i did see her earlier today.” jack said with his winning smile, you kinda just froze because it one thing to see him on instagram and it’s another to see him in person.

“you really grown.” he said as he looked at your body, you quickly covered yourself with your blanket. you weren’t naked but all you were wearing was a bra and pajama shorts, “i’m so glad you still live at the old crib because it would have been hard to find you.” jack said and sat by you in your bed. you rolled your eyes and smirked, “so mr. harlow what are you doing out of your bed it’s 1:00.” you said in a cocky tone.

“well your majesty, i came to see you.” he said and you made a fake shock face. “and what is the reason behind this…visit?” you said in a fake british accent, he smirked and pulled you closer to him. “i was missin my favorite lady.” jack spoke and for a hot minute you almost forgot that he left you then your smile faded.

you pushed him off you, you got up from the bed and walked over to your little vanity. “yeah.” you let out as you cleared your throat, jack walked up and hugged you from behind as he looked at your reflection in the mirror as you looked at his reflection. “baby i’m sorry. do you hear me? i’m sorry.” jack said but the 2nd time he got closer to your ear.

he pushed your hair back a little and kissed your temple. “jack why did you leave me? i needed you.” you said and turned to him so that you were facing him. he put your hands around your waist, “bae i’m sorry, that night i never wanted to hurt you. i wanted nothing more than to be with you but i had to leave…i wanted you to be here with me but you had shit going on and i hate the fact that i even asked you to pack your stuff and come with me.” he said as you wrapped your arms around his neck.

you started playing with his curls, “i forgive you j.” you whispered in his ear. you and jack held eye contact for a while before jack looked down at your lips, you smirked and pushed his head closer to you as he smashed his lips to yours. jack picked you up and walked over to the bed with your lips still touching his, jack softly placed you onto the bed as he took off your shorts.

he slowly kissed down your tummy to your pussy, you moaned as he sucked on your clit. you pushed his head down to make him go deeper in your pussy, making you moan even louder and eventually you came all over his beautiful face and curls.

𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒, i rushed that smut part 😭

#black reader #jack harlow #bwwm love #jack harlow x black reader #jack harlow x reader

[sl33py-day]

Natsu Tenokami- Emperors Daughter

Nastu | Emperors Daughter | 24 years old | Manipulative + Clingy

There's a few things you need to know before we talk about Natsu in general. In 1635, Japan made a law called the Sakoku decree which limited foreign trade from other regions. Sakoku translated into English is ‘country in chains’ which basically means what it means. No Japanese citizen could leave the country without a really good reason to do so and even then it was hella difficult and expensive. The same restrictions have been happening way before 1635 but the sakoku decree made it impossible to even go anywhere near or anywhere out of japan.

If you're one of the traders you could only go to China and China only. This goes with foreigners as well, Nagasaki was the only port of which trade would be conducted and even then royal guards would watch over and make sure nothing of christian variety would go through trade. During this time southern Japan (Mainly Kyushu) has seen an increase of catholic converters which the imperial emperor found as a threat. Many catholic citizens were killed due to them not converting back or were killed if they didn’t agree to move to a small island off the coast of Japan.

Now that is done and explained in the best way possible let's move on to the main reason we are here.

Nastu was born before the sakoku decree, in the winter of 1611, where everything was still a bit strict with trading but wasn’t to an extent of murder on site. At a young age she would play with the children from the nearby village that laid at the bottom of her imperial fortress. The only issue with this is that her father, Kibishi Tenokami, saw this activity as horrifying and brought dishonesty to the imperial family. ‘No daughter of mine should play with that of commoners’ her father would say on the daily once he found out she went to play in the village. However she would still go down to play since her father wouldn’t dare hurt her in any physical way and only kept her in the fortress for a week max as punishment.

She had 1 older brother, Nobaru, who would be the heir of the throne once he came of age and a younger brother, Kibo, who would be the second heir to the throne if the original heir were to unexpectedly die. Her mother passed away after childbirth due to complications and blood loss. Her father as mentioned earlier is strict with who she talks with others and definitely controls what she does on occasions which is probably why she becomes manipulative towards her lover.

Here's a little side note about Natsu, while yes she did grow up without a mother doesn’t mean she didn’t have a mother figure in her life. That's where her personal assistant Aio comes into play. Aio was 20 when she took care of baby Natsu and was about 36 when Natsu had her first crush. To keep it simple, Aio wasn’t much help and probably didn’t tell her that she was doing something wrong.

At 16 Natsu fell in love with a boy in the village she used to go to as a child. At that time she hasn’t gotten much attention or affection from her father so she quickly became attached to this village boy. Her father heavily disapproved of this and banned Natsu from visiting him, going as far as threatening Aio into locking Natsu in her room at night as well as locking the windows.

Aio, feeling bad for having to do this to a child, she let Natsu visit the boy in the village every week for one night. This kept happening as the months went by and only did it stop when Natsu found out that the village boy she once loved didn’t love her back in the same way. She ended up telling Aio in broken sobs that her lover truly didn’t love her back.

“What am I supposed to do Aio? I-I thought he loved me! H-How could he just fall for some…some ragged village girl! I could’ve given him anything he wanted!”

She spent hours in her room heartbroken, her brothers didn’t know what was going on and tried to help but she refused saying stuff along the lines of ‘I hate this family, if i wasn’t his daughter I could’ve had him!’ which confused the two brothers since they didn’t know who this unknown man was that their sister had unknowingly fallen in love with.

It was only when Natsu came up with the idea to just get rid of the boy who was causing her so much stress and pain in her heart. So after a few days, the village boy disappeared and was never seen again by anyone. Aio helped hide any evidence in fear she would get caught letting Natsu out at night.

Years have passed since that fateful day, rumors came and gone like the morning breeze, none really stayed put into the solid ground in fear the Emperor would cause all hell to break loose. Natsu realized her mistake, even though she doesn’t really feel any guilt. It was the boy's fault for not loving her back.

In my view of the AU I have created I would imagine something like this to happen for Natsu to meet her Darling (Aka male reader)

It was early in the morning with just enough light to pass crates to one another and for the guards to watch everything. She didn’t really want to be there watching the transaction happen but she couldn’t stand Nobaru’s whines and begs for her to at least watch what happens behind the scenes. This was the fourth time he asked and ,to her very reluctant pleasure, she agreed. Which is why she sits alone in the cold morning air at this very moment.

She sat on one of the stone stairs with her elbow on her knee, her gray blue eyes lazily glossing over all the traders one by one with not a single ounce of interest. A slight frown stood on her face, showing how unhappy she was to be here in the exact moment. The chitter chats of the traders talking with the imperial guards filled Natsu’s ears. She couldn’t even pick out what even one trader was saying due to how hushed they talked. That was until something caught her eye. A small group of traders huddled around one of the crates in a bout of confusion. A small cloud of air showed right in front of the blackette’s lips as she sighed. Slowly standing up from the cold pebble stairs the soft clicks of her heels as she walked down the steps quickly quieted everyone near.

“What’s going on here? This isn’t a small party, we should be hurrying the produce onto land.” Her voice was strict but had the flow of sweet honey as she talked, all of the traders stuttered out a response only for one of the guards to walk over and randomly grab down into the crate and pulled out a H/c boy who seemed quite afraid.

Natsu’s eyes widen in shock, she hasn’t seen a foreigner in years if not decades since her father put the Sakoku decree in place. She was quite mezmorized at the exotic features of the man. Even though he was covered in dirt that soiled his commoner clothes his eyes were such a pretty e/c that Natsu couldn’t look away. His hair was covered in dirt and knots probably formed from the rough journey but Natsu didn’t care.

“Let me go!” The unknown boy yelled in both fear and anger as the royal guards held his forearms in a bone crushing grip so he wouldn’t escape. It was chaos as some guards ran to get the emperor while others stood their ground and watched the boy. Natsu knew what was gonna happen next, they would take the boy near the water and slice his head clean off with one of the sharp swords they had. She can’t have that, for some reason she felt compelled to do something to save this boys life.

“Hold your ground!” Natsu yelled above the roaring chaos making everyone stop and turn towards her in confusion and slight annoyance. Her brother Nobaru was even more confused as she walked her way to the unknown boy and ripped him from the guards grip.

“He’s the servant I have requested not to long ago, I wasn’t aware of when he would come. So I’m sorry for not informing you earlier.” Natsu’s grip on the boy loosened quite a bit as he stood confused but happy as he was dragged without further instructions towards the Imperial fortress.

If only he knew that life would’ve been much better if his head was chopped off then.

-Hello! How was the first Oc introduction? Some feedback would be appreciated as well as reposting! Have a good day/night-

#Natsu-Emperors Daughter #Yandere Female #Yandere x reader #yandere oc x you #yandere imagines #Yandere girl #mediveal #Mediveal times #Oc #Oc x reader #Horror

[h4rring1on]

hi!! could you do something where vecna has kinda brainwashed eddie after he comes back as kas and kinda makes eddie break up with reader? but eddie doesn’t wanna say that (obviously) so he says the most heartbreaking stuff on earth, saying he never loved her at all and she’s just like standing there listening to her eddie tell her their relationship was a bet to him? (sorry, that’s a lot to take in)

ty!!

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

pt.2

four days. it’s been four days since you’d last seen eddie, it wasn’t even a pretty scene. his head was on your lap, blood all over his body as he smiled at you

“i love you”

those were the last words he said before leaving you, once and forever. you hadn’t left your house ever since. you couldn’t handle it. eddie loved you, you loved him, he was your world

sure, he was an outcast, a freak. but that’s what made him, well—him. he was special. he was himself, and you loved that about him. you loved that even though he was made fun of, called names, and more, it didn’t bother him

it didn’t stop him from being him. the eddie you loved, the eddie you will never ever forget. you laid in bed all day everyday, crying. the entire room was just him. his pictures, mixtapes, gifts, and the most special thing, the hellfire shirt he had made just for you. with your name in the back, it was your favorite

but the person who gave you all these things is gone now. he wasn’t coming back. you were in your room as always, you took your first shower ever since it happened. that was a good first step, and your mental health had gotten a bit better because you’re sure eddie would be proud of you for finally taking the step forward.

you put your towel away and froze, your window was open, the moonlight shining in, with a silhouette of a person. you were scared, terrified even. you stayed in place, not making a move, not making a sound.

the silhouette was getting closer, and just as it got close enough, you tried to attack it but got slammed against the wall, you didn’t even have time to react, because the second you looked up, you saw him

him.

“e—eddie?” you breathed out, you were shocked, you felt it in your heart that was alive, that he was still in the upside down. but you knew it was just the denial talking, so how could he be right here in your room?

“i knew it—i…i knew you’d come back” you said, happiness fueling your heart as you came to hug him, his touch never even left.

that was until he pushed you back against the wall, with his hand wrapped around your throat, when you got a good look at him, you knew. you just knew

this wasn’t the eddie you loved. his eyes were dark and broody, they had no love in them. no humanity. he opened his mouth to speak, and you could see his teeth weren’t right. they were the teeth of a vampire.

“i came here because i’m sick of it. i’m sick of all this belief you have in me it’s pathetic.” he seethed, and his words stung right through your heart, “it’s funny how you think i’d ever come back here, and love you or whatever it is you think i do. it was all a bet to me. i hate you. i hate you with all my being, i want you to cry everyday. i want you to give up on life. i want you to be in pain every second of your day. you deserve it. you deserve every bad thing that’s happened. i would never love someone as lame and stupid as you. besides, i have a new life now. without you. without your annoying voice, annoying face, annoying personality, without you. i want you to suffer. and you will.”

his voice didn’t even sound like himself, tears streamed down your cheeks, eddie would never say this and you knew this wasn’t him. but why did it hurt so much?

“you don’t mean—that.” you said, “you love me, you love me, eddie”

“shut up!” he yelled and put his hand around your mouth, before you knew it. excruciating pain was consuming you as he dug his fangs into your flesh, loud screams came out of you as he kept sucking, your whole body shook in agony

you suddenly fell to the ground, sobbing loudly as you gripped your throat, feeling the blood sliding across the rest of your neck. you looked around to see him gone.

you thought eddie was gone, and he is. at least your eddie is, because this person wasn’t eddie. eddie loved you and cherished you. this eddie had something dark inside him. and it was clear the eddie you once loved, was never coming back.

#stranger things 4 #eddie munson #stranger things x reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x plus size reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie my love <3 #eddie my beloved #eddie munson angst #eddie munson x reader angst #eddie munson fanfic #eddie angst

[danny-likes-sharks]

Age what? pt. 5

it was saturday and the girls had made plans to have mina over in the afternoon but honestly, they were so busy that week they totally forgot, and they didn't have anything to eat at their place, that's what adult life does to someone.

so, a bit after mina arrived, sana excused herself to go to the supermarket nearby and although it could seem unpolite, mina was a part of their home already; there was a table, a couch, a tv, mina, a microwave and all that fun stuff. that's also why momo was still asleep when her friend arrived.

to that day, momo had only ever regressed around her girlfriend who's still the only one to know about it.

she woke up with tears rolling down her face she'd wet the bed in her sleep and as one could expect, it wasn't comfortable at all. mina heard the cries and worriedly walked to the room where she knew her best friend was sleeping.

it was difficult to know which one was the most surprised one, to the point where if it were a competition, they'd probably tie in the first place.

momo quieted down for a second as she spotted mina at the door and burst out crying even louder out of fear and embarrassment. at this point the non-regressed girl main worry was to make the crying girl feel better, therefore, she decided to approach slowly as to not startle her friend.

"hey momoring, are you okay? what happened?" she asked ever so softly. "m-mama" momo sobbed, heartbreakingly. "i'm sorry tiny, your mama is not here right now but let me take care of you while we wait for her, okay?" she guessed the little one was referring to sana so she offered to help while the older girl got back from shopping. the baby calmed down slowly as she sensed the safety mina offered.

deciding to trust her, momo stretches her arms as she made grabby hands, asking to get picked up which was complied, in that moment mina realized what was bothering the girl at first, she asked the little for permission to change her clothing and asked whether she had diapers. getting a nod as an answer, she noticed as momo sort of pointed the drawer at their left.

once they got done with that, mina took the girl back into her arms and took her to the couch to turn the tv on and look for something appropriate for the regressed girl to watch.

for the next hour or so, mina cuddled and played with momo, waiting for sana to arrive. to be honest, she didn't really want to text or call her to let her know as it seemed as she had the situation under control and didn't want to worry the older girl.

once sana got back, she was surprised by the scene unfolding in front of her, momo was giggling cutely as mina blew a raspberry on her neck. "mina? uh, what's going on here?" she made her presence known, surprising the other girls. "mamaaa" momo squealed happily, already asking to be held. the caregiver obliged and received a sloppy kiss on her cheek as a greeting and a thanks. "hey princess, did you have fun with mina while i was gone?" she cooed " 'ina" the little replied happily, quickly changing her expression into a pout "mama yum yums" she said. "why don't you wait here with mina for a bit while i grab something to put in that tummy of yours".

said and done; the eldest came back quickly with a 'frozen' bowl with applesauce, a spoon and a couple of napkins. "i'm thankful you took care of her but i still kind of need an explanation." sana said as she fed momo.

"well, a bit after you left i just heard her crying in the other room and i got worried so i went to check on her and after calming her a bit she asked me to hold her and that's when i realized she'd wetted herself so i asked if i could change her and when she said yes, i mean not say because it seems like she doesn't speak a lot but she kind of made me understand that it was a yes, well you know, that, and i did it and i took her to watch tv while we waited for you because she asked for you as soon as she saw me you know? i mean, she said mama but i just guessed she meant you, not YOU you, but like you as in you, sana" mina rambled nervously as she didn't want to mess up or make it sound like she took advantage from her friend because at least she didn't mean to.

"i can understand that. by the way, how did you know what to do? at lot of people would freak out or be assholes about it" sana asked curiously "mama no-no word" momo reprimanded.

"uhm actually i'm a flip but usually tzuyu takes care of me since she's a caregiver" mina blushed at her own revelation as well as talking about her girlfriend. it's not the very first time she confessed that out loud but due to her personality she still got shy every time she said it.

sana was kind of surprised but still nodded "i can't believe you still find ways to surprise me even after all these years. as expected of our minari" sana chuckled. "you know it's cool with me, right? probably momoring thinks the same" they both looked at the little who was way too focused on blue's clues and smiled softly.

"i know, thanks sattang" mina said honestly.

#agere #age regression #twice agere #mina #momo #sana #samo #twice #little!momo au

[dlea203]

5 years - Hannix AU

A/N: Here's part two of chapter 10 of 5 years☺️!

AGAIN - all minors and people who get triggered by these themes, please DO NOT READ the part until the reader-safe section separator comes! Please, scroll past it and read from there!

Enjoy🥰!

Taglist: @callsignstingray @sweetwhispersofchaos

Previous part

Chapter Ten - part two

As promised, he told her everything when the visits of their respective parents were over. They sat down on their couch on a Friday night, after Lynn had fallen asleep and they’d made sure that the door to her bedroom was closed. Two wine glasses sat half-empty on the living room table. Natasha’s legs were curled up underneath her. Her left arm was propped up on the back of the couch, holding her head that grew heavier with each passing second. He hadn’t exaggerated when he’d told her that he would dump heavy stuff on her. Jake sat close to her, his legs crossed at the knees and his hands in his lap, kneading his fingers. He met her gaze multiple times, but most of the time, it darted all across the room, focusing on different things.

When he was finished, his feelings overtook him. Jake felt the tears on his cheeks before he even realized that he was going to cry. The images inside his head took up all his focus, which is why a surprised sob escaped him when he felt the wetness on his cheeks. Through his tears he saw Zahra’s body again, lying on the threshold. Her blank face, her eyes that stared ahead at the door frame, ridden of all color and sparks. The blood spilling from the wound in the back of her head, the bloody cloth of her hijab around it, the wooden threshold that got soaked. Her ebony hair that peaked out from underneath her hijab… he remembered it as if his brain had snapped a picture of the scene. It was frightening and made his blood run cold. 

“Jake?!”, Natasha tried to cut through the haze, but she saw that he was lost in his head.

The picture changed to Amira, the shadow of her figure that he’d been able to peak at from the corner of his eyes. Her hijab, that was soaked from her blood loss due to her head injury she sustained when one of the bastards had smashed her head onto the stove. With her back to the wall, she lay curled in on herself, unconscious. He saw the moment all her strength vanished from her body when the same man executed her with his last gun shot of the day.

“Jake! Honey, look at me, please!”

He heard her and shuddered, but his thoughts didn’t give him a moment of peace. Edris and Ava came up next. Edris lay protectively over his little sister. The 15-year-old boy was a hero. He’d thrown himself in front of and over his sister, taking most of the bullets that were fired at them. But unfortunately, he wasn’t a shield. The bullets ran through him and killed Ava while she must’ve cried and hidden underneath him. Jake saw the huge amount of blood on Edris’ shirt, the big round stains that indicated where the bullets had hit him. He felt like vomiting all over again.

“Jake”, Natasha whispered now, framing his face with her hands, and making him look at her.

She had tears of her own in her eyes but slowly wiped his away with her thumbs. He tugged her towards him, lying down on his back and pulling her on top of him. He needed to feel her warmth, her steady heartbeat, her breathing. She buried her face in his neck and lay her hand over his heart, while he closed his arms tight around her back.

“I’m so sorry”, Natasha mumbled against his skin.

“I know. Thank you”, he whispered back, brushing one hand up her back to her left shoulder and down again.

They stayed like that in silence for quite a few minutes, the only sounds their breathing and Jake’s occasional sobs that still shook his body. Natasha tried to keep her breathing in a steady rhythm, actively pressing her ribcage to Jake’s when she breathed out. This tactic had worked in the past whenever he’d had a nightmare or went too deep inside his head because of his kills. Which happened quite often, surprisingly, considering Jake’s confident nature. And although she’d been concerned each time he’d had one of his episodes, it has never been this bad before. To see her husband so upset and traumatized was almost unbearable.

She rose her arms onto his chest, laying her head on top of them and looked at him with so much compassion and love in her eyes that he felt his heart flutter and clench at the same time. How on earth did he deserve her?

“I can’t imagine what it felt like witnessing all that”, she started hesitantly, “but I hope so dearly that, just because I can’t relate, you know that all your feelings are valid, nonetheless. You don’t need to explain yourself to me. And you don’t have to justify anything! I’m not here to judge or to evaluate your feelings. I’m here to listen and to help you - to my best abilities - to work through healing.”

He nodded, pushing a lock of hair out of her face.

“But there are two things I’d like to ask for”, she continued, eyeing him seriously.

He looked at her expectantly. It didn’t even matter to him what she would ask him to do. He would give her anything, that he was sure off.

“One, please talk to me. Whatever it is. Don’t shut me out.”

He hummed affirmatively.

“Two, I want you to look for professional help. What you witnessed will surely cause PTSD, if that didn’t happen already… and I don’t want you to suffer from that. Lynn and I need you healthy and well. I know you swore to yourself that you would never see a therapist again when you got through your grief and guilt over Caroline. I know I’m asking you to do something in spite of yourself… Will you do it anyway for me? For us?”

He didn’t answer as fast this time. He understood her motives, obviously. And he knew that he would need help, that he would once again have to ask for it. He needed to be a role model for his daughter, showing her that it wasn’t a weakness – but rather a great strength – to know when it was mandatory to ask for help and to actually do it eventually. But he had in fact sworn to himself that he would never see a therapist again after Caroline. The sessions helped, but they weren’t something he liked to think about. They were connected to a lot of pain, and not just the one he felt because he lost his sister to her depression. The sessions put more pain on top of that. He remembered exactly how humiliated he'd felt every time that his therapist motioned for him to take a seat. Despite that his therapist, Dr. Carlisle, had assured him that his office was a safe space and that no one would ever know what they talked about, Jake had felt like he had to undress in front of the whole world. He’d started hallucinating. Thought that the receptionist’s eyes followed him out the door when she’d done nothing but stare at her computer and being busy doing her job. Feared that the portier downstairs judged him for having regular appointments. Assumed that the market owner from across the street thought of him as a loser because he couldn’t get over this like an adult should. All these ugly thoughts had plagued him at night, keeping him awake, making him question himself and his life from A to Z. He never wanted to feel that way again, or to fall back into that habit.

But his wife’s hopeful gaze that rested on him right now practically made this decision for him.

“Yes”, he answered quietly.

They settled quickly into their family life, as if it has never been different. Time flew by and suddenly, the week of Thanksgiving came around. Jake had found a job at a security company with – thank God – regular working hours. He was able to bring Lynn to kindergarten every morning and he was home for dinner. Natasha was able to go back to work and her workload stayed the same too. And then it was time to pack their bags to go to the Trace’s. To have enough time with their family, they decided to fly to San Francisco on Wednesday already, which was luckily permitted by Lynn’s kindergarten as well as Natasha’s school and Jake’s boss. Wednesday morning – the packing process - was a little bit of chaos though.

“Do you have Lynn’s pyjamas?”, Natasha yelled from downstairs, as she packed her handbag.

“Yes! And her toothbrush and all the other one hundred of her things you asked me to pack!”, Jake yelled back, completely joking.

“Haha, very funny”, Natasha deadpanned, shaking her head, and setting her handbag down next to her suitcase.

Jake came down the stairs with Lynn’s suitcase in hand and his daughter hot on his tail. Lynn babbled non-stop about how she was excited to fly again, that she already loved it so much when they flew to Texas for the first time.

“It was so great, daddy! First it was boring, when the plane was slow, but then it went so fast! It when whoosh and then high up in the sky!”, she explained and demonstrated with her arms held out wide.

She ran through the living room in circles, making plane noises. Jake and Natasha laughed and shook their heads, watching.

“Alright baby, come on. We gotta get in the car or else we’ll miss our flight. Do you have everything you need?”

“Yes mommy.”

“Do you have your sheep?”

“Yes, it’s… oh no!”

Her eyes widened when she looked into her backpack and realized that her sheep wasn’t in there. 

“It’s still upstairs on my bed”, she whimpered, looking at her mother with puppy dog eyes.

Natasha clicked her tongue, her hands on her hips.

“I told you to pack everything into your backpack that you want to take to abuela and abuelo!”

“I know mommy, I’m sorry”, Lynn cried and bowed her head, sniffling slightly.

Jake crouched down in front of her, gently tipping her head up with his thumb and forefinger. She looked at him, still with her puppy dog eyes, her hands clasped tightly behind her back.

“Shall I run upstairs and get it for you, princess?”, he asked softly.

Her face lit up and she nodded. Natasha raised her eyebrows.

“What’s the magic word, Lynn?”

“Please?”, the little girl asked, looking from her mother to her father.

Jake ruffled her hair and kissed the top of her head, before he headed upstairs. Natasha took Lynn by her shoulders and pushed her towards the door.

“Common you little rascal, we’re getting in the car already. Daddy will come in a minute.”

Lynn had her backpack in hand, Natasha her suitcase and her handbag. They walked out onto the driveway. After stowing the bags away in the back of the car, Natasha opened the car door on the left back, helped Lynn climb into her car seat, and strapped her in. Then, she turned towards the front door just in time to catch her husband walking out of the house with the last two suitcases and Lynn’s sheep in hand. Jake locked the house and came onto the driveway. He threw Natasha the sheep with a wink before disappearing behind the car. Natasha shook her head, smiling, before handing the sheep to Lynn who reached for it with greedy hands. Then, after one last scrutinizing look, she climbed into the driver seat. Jake jumped into the passenger seat, looking at her with that certain sparkle in his eyes that made her fall in love with him.

“Ready?”, he asked, intertwining their fingers over the console.

“Ready”, she answered with as much sincerity as she could, smiling at him when he lifted their hands and pressed a gentle kiss to hers.

*-*

They landed in San Francisco around lunch time. Once they had all their baggage, they walked to the arrival hall, looking out for their ride to the Trace’s.

“Tasha, darling!”, came Harry’s voice from somewhere in the crowd.

They whipped their heads around, looking for him. He elbowed his way through the massive amount of people waiting in front of the glass doors. Lynn squealed when she spotted her abuelo, letting go of her mother’s hand and disappearing in the crowd.

“Lynn?!”

Natasha immediately felt panic rising within her chest. She couldn’t see her anymore.

“Lynn?! Lynn, where are you?!”

Jake grabbed Natasha’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly and pointed towards the back row of the crowd where Harry had picked Lynn up and swung her around. Natasha breathed a sigh of relief, took Lynn’s suitcase and marched towards her father. Harry waved at them, with Lynn on his hips.

“Hi Tasha”, he greeted his daughter, kissing her on her cheek.

“Hi dad”, she replied, fixing Lynn with a glare.

“Lynn Helen Seresin, you can’t just run off in midst of a crowd! Someone could have grabbed your hand and taken you away! How many times did I tell you that already?”

Lynn lowered her head, hiding her face away in her abuelo’s neck.

“Hey, look at me!”

“Tasha, not here”, Harry scolded softly, setting Lynn down.

“I will moderate my daughter's behavior where I want to”, she countered, roughly grabbing Lynn’s arm and tugging her a little to the side.

She crouched down in front of her, still holding onto her arm. Lynn winced, trying to pry her mother’s fingers away from her arm.

“Ow, mommy! Stop, you’re hurting me! Mommy, let go!”

“You will listen to me, young lady!”

“Mommy, please”, Lynn whined, wiggling around.

“Look at me, Lynn. You will never do that again, do you understand?”

Lynn still tried to free her arm, not answering.

“You will never run away in a crowd again, is that understood? Lynn – hey, hey, eyes here – do you know why I’m so strict about this?”

Natasha loosened her grip, which made Lynn stop fussing around. She looked at her mother, with her brows slightly furrowed.

“Lynn, I’m–“, she started, suddenly overwhelmed by her emotions, her voice laced with unshed tears, “I just want to protect you. I can’t lose you, Lynn.”

She cupped her daughter’s cheeks, a tear escaping her eyes, before she pulled Lynn tight against her chest.

“You’re my everything, baby, and I can’t lose you too. Not after your daddy, do you understand that?”

Lynn nodded, looking at her mother with wonder in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, mommy. I won’t run away again, I promise.”

“Good. That’s my girl”, Natasha sniffled, smiling through her tears.

“You girls okay?”, Harry asked cautiously, stepping closer to them.

“Yes”, Natasha answered hastily, wiping her cheeks and eyes dry and straightening back up.

She reached out for Lynn to take her hand, which her daughter dutifully did. Jake carried his and Natasha’s suitcases while Harry took Lynn’s little suitcase and shouldered her backpack. 

“Come on, my jeep’s not far away. Let’s get you home.”

*-*

The two-hour-drive to Natasha’s hometown flew by in the blink of an eye. Harry asked them about their flight and how they’re doing. But after ten minutes, the only participants of the conversation were Harry and his granddaughter, immersed in a heady debate about the best Disney films and other fairytales.

Natasha and Jake shared a look, Natasha smiling at him over her shoulder from the passenger seat. He grinned right back at her, before turning his gaze out the window to watch the countless fields and houses fly by. He remembered some of the houses from all the times they’d been to the Trace’s before, but most of the time, he felt like seeing it for the first time.

“Alright, here we are”, Harry announced as they pulled up into the driveway of the Trace-house. 

When Jake climbed out of the car, he felt like coming home all over again. The façade of the house, still as navy blue as he remembered it, reminded him of all the good things that had happened here. His proposal to Natasha in front of her family, all the pregnancy announcements they’d celebrated, Carlos’ and Leah’s engagement, the countless holidays like easter and Christmas, the birthdays… you name it. He breathed deeply, closed his eyes for a moment and thanked God that he was allowed to experience this feeling of being home again.

“Daddy?”

Lynn’s curious voice ripped him out of his thoughts. He whirled around to her and smiled at her.

“Yes princess?”

“Can you help me out?”, she asked, reaching for him with her arms and wiggling her legs.

Jake bopped her nose lovingly, before he loosened the straps of the child seat she sat in. With as many grandkids as Harry and Valeria had, they’d long since bought a child seat that was permanently installed in the family jeep. He lifted her out of the car and handed her the sheep from the middle seat. Harry had already unloaded the suitcases from the trunk and slammed it shut. Natasha carried her handbag and Lynn’s backpack and walked up to the front porch. Lynn dashed past her mother and eagerly pressed the doorbell. 

“Tranquilo, ya voy”, Valeria’s voice sounded from the hallway through the door.

“Abuela!”, Lynn squealed and jumped up.

“Mi niña!”

Valeria picked her up and smothered her cheeks in kisses. 

“My sweet little girl, I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, abuela”, Lynn giggled, pressing a smooch on Valeria’s cheek.

“How are you? Did you have a good flight?”

“Yes! It was awesome! But it was too short!”

“Oh, you wanted to fly longer, hmm? Do you like it that much?”

“Yes, I love it!”

Valeria chuckled, squeezing her cheek before she set her back down. Then, she turned to Natasha and enveloped her daughter into a tight hug.

“Hi, mija. How are you?”

“I’m good, mamá, thank you. How’s it going here?”

“Oh, the preparations are in full swing, I guarantee. Sonja and Ashley are lending me all their hands.”

“I bet you have them tied to the kitchen”, Natasha laughed.

“You know, if I didn't know better, I'd make your brothers do it. But if I did that, we'd all end up in hospital with food poisoning.”

“What are you two laughing about?”, Harry asked as he walked up the stairs.

“Nothing, mi amór. Come on in, there’s some coffee ready.”

Valeria stepped aside to let her husband carry the bags inside.

“Harry?”, she called after him, “Put the bags right into the guest room!”

Natasha chuckled at the grumbling noises coming from her father as he hauled their bags down the hallway. Jake chuckled too, before stepping into Valeria's outstretched arms and returning her warm embrace.

“My beloved son-in-law. It’s so good to see you”, Valeria sighed, tightening her grip a bit.

“Careful Valeria, otherwise I start believing you and then my wife will never hear the end of it”, Jake joked.

Valeria pulled back and patted his cheek.

“My house, my rules and rule number one is – I do whatever I want”, Valeria countered, before turning on her heels and dashing back inside.

Natasha glared at Jake playfully before following her mother. Jake shook his head and entered the house, closing the door behind him.

Inside, it was louder than in New York City during rush hour. And when Jake stepped into the large eat-in kitchen, it got even louder. Nina and Ernesto squeaked, ran at Jake with full speed and almost tackled him to the ground.

“Uncle Jake!”

Within seconds he was surrounded by the rest of the family. He shared quick hugs with Miro, Julio and Leandro, and ruffled each of their heads. Lucia hugged him tight, and he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. Camila, who’d been in the bathroom up to now, sprinted at him when she spotted him, flying into his arms and squeezing him tight enough to bruise his neck. When he turned to his sisters-in-law, he was greeted with teary eyes and the same warm smiles he’d been greeted with the first time they met. Sonja stretched her arms out as wide as Valeria had and he gladly stepped into her embrace.

“Oh Jake”, she murmured against his ear, lovingly brushing her hand up his back, “you can’t imagine how happy I am that we have you back. I know I already said that when you and Nat called us, but–“

“It’s so good to see you in person, Sonja”, he interrupted quietly.

She sniffled slightly when she pulled back, wiping at her nose, but still smiling. Then, Ashley stepped forward and pulled him tight against her.

“Welcome back, Jake”, was the only thing she was able to get out before the first sobs wracked through her body.

Jake brushed the back of her head, shushing her.

“Sh, don’t cry, Ashley. It’s okay, I’m here.”

She nodded when she pulled back, drying her cheeks with her sleeves. Jake noticed the loving smile Natasha shot his way from her place at the kitchen counter. He smiled back at her for a short moment, before greeting Ricardo and Armando. They shared quick but hearty hugs, laughing at the little jabs the brothers sent Jake’s way. But they didn’t have much time together as the kids surrounded Jake and bombarded him with questions about pretty much everything. Jake patiently explained to them that the grown-ups needed some time to chat first but promised that he would then devote all his attention to the children. Much to everyone’s surprise, the kids were okay with that, running off to play with their toys or controllers. Lynn was right in the midst of them, excitedly chatting with her cousins. Jake was amazed, even though he shouldn’t be, because that was the Trace-family-spirit. And he was once again reminded of how that spirit was woven into his and Natasha’s own family via their motto - That's what you do in a herd (yes, this quote is directly from Ice Age – that was the favorite movie of my family when I was a little girl, and it has ever since been our motto too😊).

“Where are Carlos and Leah?”, Natasha asked to fill the momentary silence.

“Carlos is on his way, he should be here within the next hour”, Valeria answered and busied herself in the kitchen.

Natasha eyed her mother, raising one eyebrow.

“And Leah?”

Valeria stayed silent. Harry sneaked off to his grandkids, Ricardo and Armando turned their heads and started a conversation, Ashley and Sonja retook their spots and continued their tasks in the kitchen. Natasha crossed her arms over her chest, frowning.

“Mom, what about Leah? She comes, right?”

Still no answer.

“Hello?! Can someone answer me, please? I’m talking about Leah – Carlos’ fiancée – who’s part of this family since more than ten years. Well?”

Valeria snorted, exasperated, turning around to face her daughter with a serious expression.

“We don’t know if she makes it.”

“And why was it so hard to formulate that answer?”

Ashley halted the motions of her hands, sharing a confused look with Valeria. Sonja dropped the mug she was rinsing into the sink and turned to Natasha too, a strange expression on her face.

“Carlos and Leah are on the verge of breaking up.”

Suddenly, it was dead silent in the kitchen. Ricardo and Armando halted their conversation, observing the scene in front of them. Jake stared at Sonja in shock, as well as Natasha. Ashley sighed and leaned against the counter in the same position as Natasha. Sonja resumed her task, swearing when she accidentally splashed some soapy water onto the floor. Valeria wiped her hands on the dish towel.

“They’re breaking up?”, Natasha whispered disbelievingly.

“No, wait a minute, that’s not entirely true”, Ashley jumped in, “they haven’t made a decision yet. But it’s true, they have some problems at the moment.”

She tugged on Natasha’s arm, walking to the hallway that led to the guest room. Jake followed them when she tapped his arm as they walked past him. In the guest room, she closed the door and leaned on the dresser, looking at the ground.

“These problems have started a while ago… Before you came back, Jake. Leah and Carlos are both working long hours and their jobs demand a lot of focus. They barely have time for each other, let alone to plan their wedding. There’s a lot of frustration brewing between them–“

“But they’re made for each other”, Natasha interjected.

“Let me continue!”, Ashley scolded, crossing her arms over her chest, “When Jake came back and we found out about it, the problems got worse. Leah was beyond skeptical. She still doesn’t believe that it’s true and that’s one reason why she probably won’t celebrate Thanksgiving with us this year. I think with everything going on, she just doesn’t have the headspace to deal with that too…”

Jake and Natasha shared a look.

“Listen, before you go down the rabbit hole about it, I can assure you that you aren’t the problem, Jake”, Ashley continued quickly, “their problems are theirs and theirs alone. We just won’t see them happily together for a while. But they’re not enemies. I talked to Leah a few days ago. Maybe she comes after all, we’ll see.”

“Why didn’t they tell us?”, Natasha asked.

“Because Carlos didn’t want that you’re worried about that. You have enough going on, you had to settle into a rhythm, get used to each other again. And they’re adults, they’ll sort this out on their own.”

“Thank you for telling us, Ashley”, Jake said as he got up from the edge of the bed.

“You’re welcome.”

Ashley left the room. Jake walked up to the window, staring into the garden that was marked by autumn. Natasha stared into space.

“I really thought he wouldn't screw it up with Leah. Carlos messed up so much in his youth, he made it through school with difficulty. It was at university, after he met Leah, that he turned the corner. She spurred him on, taught him to focus and always supported him when he was in danger of falling into temptation when it came to partying. I mean, she was the epitome of being his better half! But now... I don't know, I feel like I'm twelve years old again, sitting here at the kitchen table doing my homework and having to listen to my mother scolding my brother with every conceivable Spanish expression because he's messed up another exam.”

Natasha shook her head. Jake gathered her in his arms.

“They’re gonna work it out.”

“I’ll kill him if he lets her go”, she whispered into his shirt.

“And you know I’ll help you bury him”, Jake answered playfully.

Natasha looked up at him, propping her chin on his chest.

“You believe Ashley, don't you, that you're not the problem?”

Jake nodded.

“My brother has been running after trouble since he was born… luck has been on his side just as long, and I hope this time the situation works out in his favor too. Hopefully he’ll get it together. I’ll talk to him when he gets here.”

Jake brushed over her forehead, looking down at her with a sympathetic smile.

“I love you, my fearless Phoenix.”

“And I love you more, my sappy Bagman.”

*-*

Natasha stayed true to her word and had a pep talk with her brother almost as soon as he got to the family home. They disappeared upstairs into their old childhood rooms, while the rest anxiously awaited the conclusion downstairs. But when they came back, neither Natasha nor Carlos acted like they’d had a fight.

“What did you tell him?”, Valeria asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

“That I’ll kill him if he fucks it up with Leah.”

Valeria’s eyes widened. To soothe her mother, Natasha added with a grin: “And that he’s a lucky man. I know first-hand how challenging it is to find the one in this whole world, and he has found her. I just reminded him of that… He promised to call Leah and to work these problems out.”

“Is she coming here tomorrow?”

“He’ll try to convince her, but no promises.”

“That’s good”, Valeria nodded, patting her daughter’s cheek, “well done, mija.”

*-*

On Thanksgiving Day, they enjoyed the festivities to its fullest, watching the parade on TV, drinking, chatting and playing all sorts of games to keep the kids entertained. *Doorbell rings*

“I’ll get it”, Natasha called, as she was closest to the door.

A few minutes later, she appeared in the doorway of the living room again.

“Look who’s here!”, she announced and stepped aside to let Leah come into view.

“Surprise!”, Leah laughed, raising her hands over her head.

“Auntie Leah!”, Nina shrieked and jumped at her bonus-auntie.

Leah caught her midway and lifted her up, cuddling her close to her chest. The rest of the kids gathered around them too, hugging Leah as good as they were able to. Lynn jumped around on her short legs, tugging on Leah’s sweater and begging for her attention. Eventually, Leah turned to her and scooped her up too, pressing a loud kiss to her cheek.

“Hello, little angel! How’s my favorite blondie, hmm?”

“I’m good!”

“Aww, that’s good to hear. I missed you, Linnie girl”, Leah cooed and patted her cheek before setting Lynn down again.

Leah was smothered in kisses by Valeria and hugged raw by the rest of the family. Jake stood a little off to the side, waiting and giving her space to arrive properly. When it was Carlos’ turn to greet his fiancée, he walked up to her and hesitantly offered his arms for a hug. But Leah’s eyes sparkled when she laid eyes on him, and she immediately went in for a deep kiss. That earned them cheers and wolf whistles by the grown-ups and a lot of eww-noises by the kids. Then, Leah looked up and saw Jake leaning against the far wall, smiling timidly at her. She stared a few seconds, looking him up and down, before she covered the distance in a few strides and crushed him in a bear hug.

“You little shit, Seresin”, she whispered against his ear, well aware that they were surrounded by kids’ ears.

“Good to see you, Leah.”

“I wanted to kill you for leaving Nat and Lynn behind, you know? I was plotting it in my head”, she quipped, poking his shoulder.

“Then I’ll keep my doors and windows locked extra tight, I guess?”, Jake countered, grinning like a Cheshire cat. 

“God, I’m so glad you’re home, Jake.”

He kissed her cheek and put his arm around her shoulders, guiding her towards the couch and sitting her down.

“I’ll get you something to drink. What do you want?”

She smiled thankfully at him and ordered a beer, already falling into a chat with her brothers-in-law and her father-in-law. Natasha and Sonja lent Valeria their hands, while Ashley ushered the kids back in front of the TV to watch the game that was about to start. The hours passed by, and soon enough, the whole family was gathered around the big table, listening to the speech Harry had prepared and giddily awaiting the turkey that Valeria had been preparing all day. During dinner, easy chatter flowed over the table, the kids as equally involved as the grown-ups.

Around dessert time, Natasha stood up and waited patiently for everyone to calm down. She cleared her throat before she spoke up.

“Alright everyone, I have a few words to say too. Dad already said a lot of good things, but I want to use this opportunity to add a few points… Number one is gonna be the main reason why I’m extra thankful this year. No surprise, it’s the return of my beloved husband and partner in crime.”

She looked at him with nothing but love in her eyes. He winked at her, with just as much love in his eyes.

“I don’t know how I could ever thank God and every other involved force enough for your return, but I have a lifetime to figure it out, so I’m looking forward to that. Number two why I’m so thankful this year is my family. You have supported me more than I could ever have asked for, and I cannot be thankful enough for that. You’re the best! Thank you, you're my biggest blessing”, she continued, but her feelings got the better of her and she had to stop for a moment, swallowing down her tears.

Leah, who sat right next to her, gently squeezed her hand.

“And then, there’s something else I want to share with you all… I’m happy to tell you that Jake and I are expecting our second miracle in a few months.”

Silence. Absolute ghost-like silence. Jake and Natasha beamed at each other, as they were the only two in the room that knew before. But then, the rest of the family seemed to come to life again. Suddenly, as if she’d finally realized what Natasha had said, Ashley shrieked and jumped up from her chair.

“Oh my god! Are you serious?!”

Natasha was barely able to nod before her sister-in-law tackled her in a massive hug. And after Ashley followed the rest of the family, including Leandro, Lucia, Miro and Camila who were the only ones old enough to understand what was going on. The younger kids, including Lynn, just watched rather cluelessly.

“Mommy?”, Lynn asked, when the crowd around her parents loosened up a bit.

Jake crouched down in front of her, gently touching her cheek.

“We’re gonna explain it to you in a few minutes, okay?”

They took her away to the guest room. Jake lifted her onto the bed and they both crouched down in front of her.

“We have to tell you something really important, Lynn, so you gotta listen carefully, okay?”

“Mhmm.”

“We want you to know that mommy and daddy will always love you, not matter what happens, do you understand that?”, Jake asked insistently.

“Yes, I know!”

“Good. Lynn… Mommy and daddy are expecting a baby”, Natasha announced, carefully observing her daughter’s face to anticipate her reaction.

Lynn’s eyes jumped from her mother’s to her father’s.

“A baby?”

“Yes, there’s a baby in mommy’s belly.”

Natasha placed a hand on her abdomen to undermine her answer. Lynn looked at that hand curiously.

“In there?”

“Yeah. It’s gonna stay in there for a little while longer before it comes out. And then you’re gonna be a big sister.”

Lynn’s eyes started to glow.

“I’ll be a big sister?”

“Yes. You think you can do that, princess?”, Jake asked, grinning widely.

“Yes!”

The little girl clapped her hands excitedly. Natasha pulled her into a hug and Jake wrapped his arms around them as well. When they pulled back, Lynn cautiously placed a hand on Natasha’s belly.

“It’s in there?”, she whispered, as if she were afraid, it could hear them.

“Yes”, Natasha whispered right back, poking Lynn’s nose.

“When will it come out?”

“Oh, not for a few months. It has to grow a little bit before it comes into the world. Otherwise, it’s not strong enough.”

“Mommy’s gonna get a big round belly”, Jake laughed, ruffling Lynn’s hair affectionately.

“Are you excited?”, Natasha asked Lynn.

Lynn nodded, smiling from ear to ear.

“We love you, princess. And we’re not gonna love you any less just because we get another baby. We’re gonna love you two equally, okay?”, Jake affirmed.

Lynn nodded again.

“Come here, baby”, Natasha whispered, and they lost themselves in another family hug, basking in their luck and happiness.

*-*

About two weeks later, Natasha and Jake were invited to dinner at Penny’s and Maverick’s. It was sort of an early Christmas dinner, as Penny and Maverick will visit Amelia and her husband in New York and therefore won’t be able to attend the annual Christmas dinner of the Dagger squad, which would be hosted by the Fitch’s this year. The Seresin’s announced their happy news to Penny and Mav as soon as Natasha declined a glass of champagne for starters. After the “celebrations”, they ate dinner and chatted in small talk fashion about everything that came to mind. The Seresin’s asked about Amelia, the Hard Deck, the Mitchell’s asked about Lynn, how they settled into their family life so far, and so on. It was easy going, and interestingly so, didn’t change when they came to the topic “Afghanistan”. But that probably came from the fact that it wasn't primarily about Jake, but about Maverick's involvement in the story.

“I’m not letting you off the hook this time, Mav”, Natasha threatened jokingly.

“I feared you wouldn’t, Phoenix”, Maverick laughed, “but it’s time to talk about this anyway. I promised you a long time ago that I would tell you all I know.”

“We’re all ears”, Jake commented, curious himself as he had no clear idea either how his former instructor was involved in his return.

Maverick started out hesitantly, but when all the others urged him to get started already, he jumped right in.

“After I flew to Afghanistan the first time and returned without any results, Cyclone summoned me to his office. He scolded me for flying there at the Navy's expense to look for a dead man. I told him that we had every reason to believe that Jake was still alive and that we had to look for him. And that we also had to tell his family. But Cyclone refused. He said that the chances of Jake being dead, even if he survived the crash, are still greater than him being alive. He said we can't use Navy resources to look for a dead man. And he didn't want to talk about the family at all. He just said that was already handled.”

“And what did you say?”

“I told him it was madness. The family deserves to know the truth and they deserve to believe that there is still hope. But Cyclone wouldn't accept that. He said that giving the family hope for the impossible was much worse than giving them a chance to move on and forward... Two days later, I went back to see him. I went over the conversation hundreds of times and the way he had spoken to me finally made me wonder. I confronted him with the fact that I didn't believe it was his own opinion. He then admitted that the order not to look for you came from above. From Washington.”

“And then?”

“He said his hands were tied if he wanted to keep his job. I couldn't blame him for that. But he said that if I could cover all the travel expenses myself, Washington couldn't forbid me to do it. So, I spoke to Penny and took out a second mortgage on our house. I've used it to pay for all my trips to Afghanistan in the last five years.”

“You went into debt because of me?! Are you out of your mind?”

“Jake, I-“

“You must be out of your mind!”

“Jesus Jake, I didn't just do this for you! I did it for Natasha and Lynn too!”, Maverick exclaimed.

“Yeah, but-“

“I was a little boy when I lost my dad. And I wasn't even quite finished with my education when I lost my best friend - my brother. I know what it feels like to lose someone you love with all your heart.”

“Now don't tell me that I mean so much to you.”

“No, maybe not quite, but you mean so much to Natasha and Lynn. The only difference between them and me, was that I had definite and absolute closure. In both cases. In both cases, death was a certainty. Not for them. With them, there would have been hope until the moment we found you alive or dead. And that is much crueler than having certainty. I don't want to imagine how I would have fared if I hadn't known for certain that my father was dead...”

Maverick put a hand on his arm.

“I was happy to do it. And I'm damn glad I was right. That the search was worth it.”

Later, as they sat on the sofa, Maverick told the whole story. Captain Mercer had been one of his first students in TopGun, that's how they knew each other so well. Maverick had kept in touch with him after TopGun and followed Mercer's career closely. When he learned that Jake would be under Mercer's command for the mission in Afghanistan, Maverick immediately contacted Mercer and extracted the promise from him that Mercer would take good care of Jake. When Jake crashed, Mercer immediately called Maverick and told him that they had reason to believe Jake survived the crash. Maverick then flew to Afghanistan for the first time and, together with Mercer and a special reconnaissance team, tried to find Jake. But Cyclone got wind of this and brought Maverick back into line. After that, unbeknownst to the upper echelons, Mercer helped Maverick enter Afghanistan again and again and continue to search for Jake. After five years, they were about to give up when the soldiers who had stormed Herat rescued a blond American soldier and brought him to the base where Mercer was still stationed. Again, he immediately called Maverick and told him they were flying Jake out to Landstuhl right away so they could operate on him.

“So, you and Captain Mercer saved my life?”, Jake asked incredulously.

He would forever and ever be in Captain Mercer's debt. And he didn’t even want to get started on Maverick…

“No, you saved your life all by yourself, Jake”, objected Maverick, “We brought you home, but you saved yourself when you escaped to this village. And when you held out in prison. You ran the marathon all by yourself. We just helped you across the finish line.”

Jake pressed his lips together in a thin smile. Penny stroked his arm, and he squeezed her hand when he got hold of it. Natasha jumped up from the sofa and threw her arms around Maverick's neck.

“Thank you for not giving up on him”, she whispered in his ear.

Maverick hugged her tightly.

“Thanks anyway, Mav. Seriously, thank you for everything you've done for me - for us”, Jake managed to get out before the emotion almost got the better of him.

Maverick broke away from his embrace with Natasha and walked over to the sofa, where Jake had stood up in the meantime. He hugged Jake and stroked the back of his head.

“I hope you make the most of this second chance you've earned. If you do, it'll be thanks enough for me.”

Jake nodded, assuring him that he intended to do just that.

*-*

The following spring, they celebrated the birth of their second daughter, Nathalie Rose Seresin. After a few hard years, on both ends, this was – aside from Jake’s return, obviously – the best thing that has happened to them. Lynn adapted easily into the role of big sister, and was – surprisingly so, considering her age – very understanding when it came down to take care of the baby. She was very supportive too, wanting to help as often as she could. But her positive attitude and the easy adaption was surely a result of Natasha’s and Jake’s decisions they made from the beginning. Which was primarily, that Lynn still got her one-on-one time with her parents. Sometimes, Jake would take her to the pool on his own, sharing a bit of daddy-daughter-time and Natasha stayed home with Nathalie to take care of her.

They kept their word – they loved both of their girls equally. And their love for the girls multiplied the love between Jake and Natasha. Jake’s crash and its consequences were devastating and most definitely the biggest challenge for the young family, but they fought their way through it and are now rewarded with the life they wished for when they spoke their vows all these years ago.

“I love you, Jake Seresin”, Natasha said, brimming with love and happiness, Lynn’s head in her lap as they sat cuddled up on the couch.

“I love you, Natasha Seresin”, Jake answered, cradling Nathalie’s newborn head in his big hands, and looking at his whole world that sat with him on their couch.Life had blessed him, and despite all the challenges they had to face and will face in the future, he’d never before been more grateful that he was alive.

#5 years #hannix au #hannix #hangman x phoenix #top gun: maverick #fanfiction #writing

[l-e-morgan-author]

wounded

For the thirteenth time since she'd left the light of the smeared lantern, Patience stumbled and nearly fell. She was growing lightheaded; good sense would have dictated that she rang triple zero, got them to look at her arm and stop the bleeding. But all she could think of was Nathan. Nathan would help her.

It was already growing hazy in her mind: the sudden violence, the flash of the knife, the yelling. The blinding pain as she turned and ran. The running that had slowed down to a stumbling walk. She pressed her other hand against the wound, but it was still bleeding.

She wasn't far away from Nathan's house, though. Again she stumbled, took a deep breath, went on again. She'd get there, though it might take a while.

Some length of time later, she was staring up at his house and realising she actually had no idea how to do this. Eventually Patience rang the doorbell, watching blood drip slowly to the ground. She thought it was slowing, maybe.

To her relief, he answered it, whitening as he saw her. "Patience? What on earth—dear heart, what's happened to you?" Putting his arm around her, guiding her inside. "What happened? You're hurt. Do you need an ambulance? You're shaking." The barrage of questions was overwhelming, and she was silent.

When they got inside, and he had guided her to a chair at the dining room table, she leaned back in relief. After a brief, hard glance he pulled her sleeve back; Patience did not look. It was a mess.

"Who did this to you?" His voice was warm and comforting, and pulled her back to reality. "What happened, Patience?"

She tried to breathe, and instead sobbed. Nathan put an arm around her. "Hey, you don't have to answer anytime soon," he said gently. "I can take care of this and you can tell me later."

"No," she got out, "it was Chloe, Nathan—she—she—" Again her voice stuck. She couldn't revisit it: not right now.

"I see," he breathed, and his shoulders loosened a little. Only then did Patience realise what it might have looked like to him.

"I—"

"It wasn't your fault," he assured her gently. "It wasn't. Is Chloe okay?"

"I—I think so? I don't know." She sobbed again. "I ran, Nathan. I don't know if she's okay."

He was putting pressure on the wound now; Patience hissed. "Sorry...." he murmured in her ear. "It's okay, though. You don't have to feel guilty."

"I argued with her," she said, flinching again and glancing down at her arm. He was using the sleeve of his own jumper on it. "I shouldn't have riled her up."

"It's still not your fault," repeated Nathan. "Now, look—I'm going to get my parents, if that's okay with you, and we'll call an ambulance. It's pretty deep—I don't like it."

She nodded. "I'm sorry I came to you. I just couldn't think of anything else."

"It's okay," he said again. "I'm glad you came, Patience. I'm glad you thought of me for safety."

"'Course I did," she mumbled, and closed her eyes. "Nathan, I'm really sleepy—"

"I know you are," he said, shifting one hand. A moment later she heard him on the phone, sharp and clinical and worried; nothing like the gentle, beloved boy he had been a moment before. "—Yes, she absolutely needs an ambulance. Look, it's deep, and it's bleeding despite the pressure I'm putting on it—"

She laid her head on the table and sobbed again, covering her face with her free hand.

"I'd get you a hot drink," he said, after, caressing her hair, "but I think the ambulance is going to be here too soon for you to enjoy it. When they've fixed you up, I'll make you one, okay?"

"Love it," said Patience, and leaned against him. "Looking forward to it."

~

(A/N: I love these two so much. They appear in the novella I posted on my website (lemorganauthor.wordpress.com) over Christmas; this is set obviously later, not necessarily fitting with the rest of the stuff I write about them, but I had fun. It's inspired by a scene in The Creeping Shadow (Lockwood and Co); if you've read it, you'll know. Please tell me what you think about it!)

[Crossposted to that page on my website where I keep free stories and also AO3]

tagging @pilgrimsofworship @stealingmyplaceinthesun @graycedelfin

#free stories #writers on tumblr #my writing #patience shepherd #nathan #I appear incapable of writing characters who do not turn clinical when they're helping others in a situation like this lol #a quiet patience

[threadandlace]

Lay Me Down in Sheets of Linen- Seamstress for the Band series, part nine (9.4k)

Mature themes, minors DNI

Masterlist- to start at the beginning

You jumped as the lights cut off; the sudden darkness eerie. Everyone was still leaning forward, looking at the radar displayed on Jake’s phone. Josh was sitting in front of you from when he had moved onto the floor and had scooted forward to look at Jake’s phone. Sam cursed, voicing what you all were feeling. “Everyone okay?” Emily said frantically as she came into the room. You could just make out her shape as she moved towards the group from the doorway, moving slowly and cautiously. Shit, she should not have to be dealing with this bullshit. Not after today.

You thought back to earlier when she had pulled you aside, overcome with emotion. “I need your help,” she had said through tears. She pulled something out of her pocket and held it out to you. “Does this look positive to you?” she’d asked as you slowly took the pregnancy test out of her hand. 

The two solid lines in the test window confirmed what she already probably knew but was having trouble realizing. “Yes, that’s definitely positive. Is it your test?” you asked quietly. Emily slowly nodded, looking up at you as tears welled in her eyes. “We’ve been trying for over a year, I didn’t think it was going to happen,” Emily said quietly, her hands shaking as they took the test back from you. 

You pulled her in for a hug and she sobbed quietly against you. “I didn’t know who else to ask for help. I’m really sorry if I put you in a weird spot. I couldn’t find Ava and there aren’t many other women along with us and…” Emily started, rambling with nerves, exhaustion, and excitement. You cut her off with a gentle squeeze as you pulled back. “You need to call Jared. Let him know the good news,” you prodded, knowing her husband would be ecstatic. “We will be home tomorrow, I’m just going to tell him in person,” Emily responded as you both turned to head back towards the green room. “Please don’t tell anyone yet,” Emily said before you walked back into the room. “I got you,” you had replied with a smile, “I’m really happy for you, Emily.”

——————————————————————

“I’m thinking we are going to be stuck here for a bit,” Jake said quietly, bringing you back to the present. You heard Danny and Sam groan. Slowly, you became more aware of your surroundings, especially the pressure of someone pressing themselves against your legs. You focused on the shape and saw the telltale loose curls that signaled Josh was the one attached to you. You reached out slowly and touched his shoulder. He tensed as you had startled him, but he quickly relaxed into your touch. You felt his hand reach back to run along the side of your calf- a likely innocent and comforting gesture, but it sent shockwaves up your leg and to your stomach, which was doing flips.

The lights began to flicker as the fluorescent bulbs came back to life. Josh quickly shifted away from you. When the lights were back to their full capacity, he was now about a foot in front of you, leaned over against the coffee table. “I guess those generators kicked in,” Danny noted with a grin. “I swear, if this tour ends up being cursed like that damn Dreams in Gold circus,” you heard Josh say as he shook his fist comically. Sam joined in, his goofy personality now in full swing. Everyone continued to hang out, telling jokes and stories as you all waited for word on when you’d get to leave.

It had been two hours by the time you saw Emily again. You’d finished your beading project and had been sitting back in your chair, listening to the stories being shared. “Okay guys, Albert and Dean said it’s now or never. There’s a slight break in the storm as it starts to shift East, so now’s our chance to head back home without getting caught in another wave,” Emily said, everyone letting her finish before jumping up and collecting all their stuff. 

Emily and a few staff members came to help you grab the wardrobe, putting large plastic bags over everything to keep it safe from any rain you might encounter.

“Can I ride with you?” Jake asked as you headed towards the buses. “For sure!” you had responded, wondering if Josh would also be joining you. You turned to watch Josh board the other bus, answering your question for you. “Can I ride with you guys?” Danny asked you and Jake. “For sure!” you responded as you climbed the steps. 

After hanging up the clothes and ensuring everything had made it back onto the bus in one piece, you headed up front to check on Albert.

“It’s nasty out, Albert. You really want to drive in this?” you asked, looking out the front windshield. “Oh, it’s not so bad. The roads will be clear! We should make it home in record time!” he said, giving you a bright smile. “Do you want your coffee warmed up?” you asked, gesturing to the paper cup he had in his cup holder. “Actually, I’d quite like that if it’s not too much of a hassle,” he replied as he fiddled with the GPS. “No hassle at all,” you responded as you took the cup and headed towards the microwave.

You watched Danny and Jake play a few chords back and forth on their guitars, strings of technical commentary flowing between them. The microwave beeped and you returned to Albert, ensuring he was ready for the drive ahead. “I’m all good, sweet girl. We will probably be back in about three hours, so don’t get too comfy!” he said with a sly smile. You patted his shoulder before heading back to your workstation.

“Albert says it’s looking like a three-hour ride, so we should be home by 8:00,” you updated Jake and Danny. They both nodded before returning to whatever they were working on.

You’d have two full days off at home, so you didn’t feel a rush to work on any more outfits. You updated your checklist before relaxing, noting that you had pretty much everything ready for the North Carolina show, the first one back after the short break. 

You took a seat at your desk and pulled your second sketch book down from the shelf you kept it on. You had always kept separate sketch books- one for projects, another for creativity and non-work-related ideas. You flipped through the pages, the book naturally opening to the page you had shown Josh previously- a portrait of Jen with streaks of color based on the energies you saw surrounding her. What I wouldn’t give to have a look in his sketchbook. Or journal, whatever it is. You texted Jen and let her know when you’d be home before opening the book to a new page and started doodling.

It was just after 10:00 when the bus pulled into the parking lot. Jen hadn’t answered your text, and it would be your luck that she was already asleep. You started to gather your stuff and texted Jen a few more times before calling. Your call went straight to voicemail- her phone was either dead or off. Fuck. 

Everyone made their way off the bus. You opened the Uber app as you followed Jake and Danny off, hoping you’d be able to find a ride. “Is your friend coming to get you?” Danny asked as he grabbed a few instrument cases from underneath the bus, handing them to Sam. “She was supposed to, but she’s not answering,” you replied as you continued to search for a ride. “Where do you live? One of us can give you a ride,” Danny replied, coming over to you after shutting the compartment. 

You gave him the general area and he nodded, “I forgot, you live in your studio, right? Well, above it. Jake and Josh live over on that side of town,” Danny said before calling Jake over. He had been loading his suitcase into the back of a white Wrangler, but jogged over. “Her ride bailed,” Danny started before he was interrupted by Jake. “Say less, we can take you home!” Jake said with a smile. He grabbed your suitcase from you and started off back towards the Jeep. “Okay, well, crisis averted! Thanks Danny! See you in a couple days!” you said as you started after Jake. Danny stepped towards you, arms slightly open. You took the hint and gave him a quick hug. “Get some rest, okay?” Danny whispered against your hair as he gave you a final squeeze before letting go. You agreed and headed after Jake. You waved good-bye to Albert as you rushed to catch up.

“Ladies get the front seat,” Jake said, opening the door for you. You climbed into the car, Josh turning to look at you as you got in. He turned to look at Jake, slightly confused. “Her ride bailed. I figured the least we could do was give her a ride home, right dear brother? You know how to get to her studio, right” Jake checked. Josh nodded and put the car in gear, pulling out of the quiet parking lot.

Somehow, even though they'd only been to your studio three times, Josh pulled into the drive of your studio in record time and without a single direction. The drive had been quiet aside from the quiet music that had started playing after Josh’s phone automatically connected to the car’s Bluetooth. “Alright, let’s help get you in and make sure that roommate of yours is alive and well,” Jake said as he hopped out of the car, you and Josh following suit.

You put the code into the doorknob and slowly pushed open the door. Nothing could have prepared the three of you for the sight you saw as soon as the door opened fully.

Jen was laying in the middle of the floor with Peter, one of the guys she’d been seeing lately, completely naked. Jake’s mouth dropped open and Josh quickly turned around as you began laughing, completely and utterly horrified, yet tickled. Jen, never one to be awkward, simply waved to you and your guests as Peter moved to grab a blanket off the nearby couch. “Welcome home!” Jen shouted as Peter pulled her into him and wrapped the blanket around both of them, pulling Jen behind him as he took off towards the bathroom.

Once they were behind closed doors, you laughed even harder, doubling over. You couldn’t help it- something about walking through your front door with the man you were falling head over heels for and his twin brother, to see your roommate and dearest friend having sex in the middle of your studio was just comical. Tears were flowing down your face as you continued to laugh, Josh joining in as he slowly turned around and saw you doubled over. He moved closer to you and you grabbed at him to steady yourself as you continued to shake with laughter, him mirroring you. “What the fuck were they doing…” Josh said, pausing to gasp for breath, “in the middle of the floor?” You straightened and tried to compose yourself before doubling over again. “Well… at least we know why her phone was off,” Jake said with a chuckle as he watched you and Josh continue to laugh.

You and Josh slowly came back to Earth, wiping tears from your faces. “God, that was so funny for no reason,” Josh said finally. Jake had closed the door and was watching the two of you, off in your own world. 

Jen emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a bathrobe. “Good to see you made it home, sorry about that everyone,” she said nonchalantly, in a way that was so Jen. Jen watched as you and Josh finally moved apart, finally composed. “Have you been drinking?” Jen asked you before pulling you in for a hug. “Nope, completely sober,” you replied. 

Jake chimed in “she’s slept maybe 10 hours total over the past two weeks. I think these two,” he gestured to you and Josh, “are quite slap happy. So I’m gonna take him home and assume you’ve got her under control.” Jen did a salute and Josh giggled as Jake pulled him towards the door. Josh turned to look at you before they left. “See you soon,” was all he managed to say before Jake pulled him out the door.

“Well, that was a hell of a welcome home,” you said as you sat on the couch a little while later. You and Jen were both laid out on the couch facing each other as you sipped some wine. Jen had ordered pizza and told Peter to get lost, citing the need to catch up. 

“My timing was off, I’ll give you that,” Jen noted with a chuckle as she took another sip of her wine. “So…” she said, looking up at you over her glass, “you and the curly headed one. What’s going on there?” You shook your head and took another sip, her eyes never leaving you. “Oh… it’s that serious?” she questioned. “No, it’s nothing. There was a little bit of a drunken moment where we kissed but that was it,” you said, feigning nonchalance. “Oh? So you just had a single little kiss and that was it?” Jen poked. “I mean… basically,” you replied, taking a bite of your pizza. 

“Be honest with me. You definitely fucked him. I approve, he’s a cutie, even though I think the drummer is a little cuter. The one he came here with tonight is so fine, he’d be my pick…” Jen carried on. “We did NOT have sex! Why would you even say that? We KISSED. That was IT. He stopped it as soon as our shirts came off, okay? And we were both pretty wasted,” you shot back. 

Jen gave you a look before continuing. “Drunk actions are what the sober mind wants to do. And I saw the way you guys acted, like you were the only ones in the room, totally in your own little world. It was cute! The connection is there, that’s for sure.” You shook your head, “no. He was not into it. It was just a one-time, drunken thing. That’s it. And he’s technically my boss.” 

Jen rolled her eyes dramatically. “Yeah, and Peter oversees the line I design for. Doesn’t stop us from having good, nay, great sex,” she shot back. “Yeah… in the middle of the damn studio space, I know,” you grumbled, and she laughed, her head resting back against the couch. “I can’t fight him. He wanted me right then and there! Who am I to say no to that face? I mean? You saw the man,” she countered, both of you laughing.  

It had been around 1:00 in the morning when you finally headed to bed. You wrestled with your suitcase but didn’t even open it before you stripped to your bralette and underwear and climbed into bed, the smell of home and your soft linen sheets comforting you as you drifted to sleep

The next day went by slowly. The world moved at a much more leisurely pace when you weren’t living on a bus and random hotels or constantly working on outfits in arenas. You instantly missed the chaos, constant chatter and, most of all, the guys. You hadn’t realized how much you’d been around each other as you had all become constant fixtures in each other’s lives while touring.

Jen had helped you work on the next few show’s outfits, ensuring you were ready for North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, the shows you’d have before your next break. It was a lot of work to create all the various pieces, especially from nothing but basic patterns, measurements, and fabric. Jen was able to crank out the main parts of the outfits, especially the jumpsuits, as you focused on the detail work. You had added some of the band’s songs to the playlist you and Jen played while you worked together in the studio. Jen had really liked the sound and you intermediately added random facts and memories from the tour when you heard associated songs.

By day two, you were ready to get back on the road. You’d saved some of the detail work of the outfits for the bus ride and downtime at the venues, but the main parts of the outfits were complete. The day was spent finding the last few pairs of shoes you needed for Danny and Jake as you went from store to store to find the exact pairs you needed. When you had gotten home, you snapped a picture of the completed outfits on the rack and sent it to the group chat Jake had made.

Jake: Looks great- can’t wait to see them in person

Sam: those red pants better be MINE!!! if they’re not I’m trading!!

Danny: Can’t wait to try them on! Now go take a break!

You were puzzled at the lack of response from Josh, who always seemed to be so excited about the clothes you created for him. He’s probably taking his break time seriously, as he should. You heard Jen shout your name from the kitchen and you headed in to see what she was going on about.

“You’re like… kinda famous,” Jen said as you walked into the kitchen, grabbing a soda from the fridge before sitting down next to her. “Yeah, I know. We both are ‘kinda famous.’ That’s what happens when you work in fashion,” you replied as you took a sip of your soda. “No… like their fans know who you are. And most of them, I say this with the most love, are fucking insane. Like, completely delusional. And mean as hell,” Jen said, pointing to the screen of her laptop. 

You leaned forward and read a few of the tweets Jen had pulled up. “Oh god, Jen, don’t show me that garbage,” you said as you sat back, taking another sip. “You didn’t tell me you had beer thrown at you? Like? FULL cans?” Jen yelped, her finger tapping the screen of her laptop so hard you feared it would crack. 

You watched the video version of the horrifying event of the other night. “And he ran back out to pull you inside? I change my mind girl, fuck this one. The curly-headed short one,” Jen said as you both watched Josh run out and pull you inside as the beer continued to explode. “He actually let me shower first too. And use his stuff,” you added coolly. “Oh, so he’s down bad. As he should be. Because I know you are too,” Jen added as she stood, snapping her laptop closed. “I am not,” you countered weakly. “Keep telling yourself that,” Jen said with a chuckle.

A second later, you heard the doorbell ring, the deep melodic chime that Jen had picked out rang through the studio. “Are you expecting clients?” you asked, and Jen shook her head. “I told everyone we were closed while you were home. I wanted to preserve your space and energy. And I selfishly wanted you all to myself.” You and Jen made your way to the front door, checking out the window before laughing. “What are they doing here?” she asked. “I have no idea,” you replied as you went to open the door.

“Hey, if you don’t want to see us, you can say that. Because you still have,” Jake paused as he checked his phone, “18 hours before you have to actually be stuck with us again.” You laughed but motioned to allow Jake and Josh inside. Josh gave you a smile before heading directly to the rack where the new outfits were. 

“He wanted to come over and look at everything as soon as you sent the picture. He was so excited, and I can’t say no to him,” Jake said. “I’m also really excited about them. But some of us,” Jake raised his voice, “can respect people’s privacy and down time.” Josh shot him a middle finger before motioning for you to come over next to him. “Down bad,” Jen whispered in your ear and you swatted at her quickly before going over to join Josh.

You spent the next two hours showing Josh each new outfit you’d created for him. He had been absolutely enthralled, his eyes shining with excitement each time you pulled out another jumpsuit. He was so gentle with each piece as he carefully inspected every element, asking questions as he moved. “What else has to be done for this one?” he asked as you reached the final new piece, a red jumpsuit for the Florida shows. 

“Beading. I’m going to add lines of rhinestones to the legs for each additional show. I may rework the neckline too, depending on how much time I have,” you explained, showing him your sketchbook to help bring your abstract idea to light. Jake and Jen had been sitting at the table closest to where you and Josh stood, talking non-stop. They had both been watching you and Josh interact, much more aware of what the two of you were feeling than you were. 

“Well, as great as this has been,” Jake said as he stood, “we will leave you guys to your day. We have some packing to finish up.” Josh nodded, his curiosity satiated. “Thanks for letting me come and see everything. I don’t know if I could’ve waited until the morning,” Josh said, giving you a wide smile. You and Jen walked them to the door. “We will see you guys in the morning,” you said as the two men headed out the door and into the small courtyard. “Can’t wait to get back to it,” Josh had said quietly, giving you a grin before heading back to the car.

As soon as the door closed, Jen was all over you. “He LIKES you! He’s down BAD! He dragged Jake all the way here because he was excited about clothes YOU made! You guys talked for TWO hours! That’s huge!” Jen carried on. 

You brushed her off as you finished putting away the outfits you’d gotten out. “Jake hinted that he thinks something is going on too,” Jen added as she handed you the final jumpsuit that had been laid out on one of the open tables. “Well, again, he’s technically my boss, so nothing is going to happen,” you replied, maintaining your indifference. “Stop playing coy, you like him. Boss or not, something’s there,” Jen said, throwing in a last dig before she pulled her phone out. 

“Can we go to that Indian place we used to always go to? I’ve been craving paneer tikka masala like crazy,” Jen asked as she stretched her back out, bending backwards. “Only if you drive,” you countered. “Bet,” she replied with a smile as she headed for the door, grabbing her keys on her way.

As soon as you walked into the hole-in-the-wall restaurant, you heard your name being called from across the small dining room. You turned to see Sam waving to you from a corner table, Danny and a few other guys sitting with him. You and Jen walked over to greet them and were introduced to the people sitting around the table. 

They were all friends of Danny and Sam’s that were part of some other band, the name you didn’t quite catch. “I’m glad we aren’t the only ones who enjoy this place,” the one guy with dark hair and striking good looks, Dave, had said after the introductions. “Oh, we grew to love this place. Back when we were still broke, starving artists living in one of the apartments down the street. Best Indian food in all of Nashville, if not Tennessee,” Jen said, giving him a smile. The group was finishing their meal, so you told Sam and Danny you’d see them in the morning before heading over to the hostess stand to get your own table.

You already knew what Jen was going to say before you even made it to the table. She slid into the booth across from you, leaning in to not-so-quietly whisper to you. “Where are all these fine ass musical men coming from? And why did you let me choose to do high fashion instead of costuming? I could be touching and fitting men like THAT,” she said as she gestured to the table. 

You shot her a look. “You’re a designer too, you know. You know what we do is not sexy or glamourous with passionate glances back and forth. A body is a body,” you replied as you took a sip of the water the waitress had brought you. Both of you ordered, handing the waitress your menus, always slightly sticky, before returning to your conversation.

“A body is a body, sure, but those,” Jen shot her eyes in the direction of their table, “are some fine bodies. I still can’t believe you haven’t made a move on the tall curly-haired one. Something about a man that knows how to do his hair is just…” Jen trailed off, lost in thought as she turned to watch him talking to his friends. “You’re down bad. Like, bad bad,” you joked, returning her earlier sentiment and she turned to nod. “Yeah but, unlike you, I’m willing to admit it.”

The group of musicians was getting up to leave when your food appeared. They stopped by your table on their way out, Danny leaning down to give you a quick squeeze around your shoulders. “See you in the morning,” he said with a smile before turning to give Jen a grin. “Great seeing you again,” he said quietly as he patted Jen’s shoulder.

After they had left, you realized Jen was speechless. “What?” you asked as you took your first bite. “He’s fine as hell. That’s all. And I get the vibes he may be into you too,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows as she unrolled her silverware. “If you don’t shut up with your weird speculation. They’re not into me. Be for real. They’re nice guys and we’ve gotten a lot closer since we’ve been together basically 24/7 for the past two weeks.” Jen rolled her eyes, clearly not buying it.

You and Jen stopped for ice cream on your way home, making a date out of the evening. You had really missed her- texting and calling didn’t give you the feeling her presence did, even if she embarrassed you whenever you finally saw her again. “I’m never letting you live down the other night,” you said as you took a bite of your soft serve. “And I’m never letting you live down liking mint chip ice cream. Shit tastes like toothpaste,” Jen shot back as she sipped her strawberry milkshake. You bumped her with your hip as you walked back to her car, enjoying every moment.

 “Get your ass to sleep- if I have to wake you up in the morning, it’s going to be with a bucket of water,” Jen poked as she walked over to inspect what you were working on. You pushed the sketch towards her as she came up beside you, leaning over the barstool next to you to get a better look. You’d been sketching up a new jumpsuit idea for Josh, just doodling really. 

“And that,” Jen said as she pointed to the top of the drawing, “is all the confirmation I need that you like him too.” You looked to the area where she was pointing, to the roughly sketched features of Josh’s face. “You never draw out your figures’ faces like that. Never,” Jen pointed out. She placed both hands on the back of your barstool to spin you around before taking your hands and pulling you behind her. “Time for bed! We have to be up at 8:00 am to make sure everything is loaded and ready so we can get there by 9:00. And get you coffee,” Jen said as she led you upstairs, not taking no for an answer. “You can sketch lover boy tomorrow. Do some still life portraits live on the drive there,” she joked, and you kicked out at her, lightly kicking her in the side of the leg. She held her arms up in defeat but still was laughing as she headed towards her room. “Good night, Jen. Even if you’re an idiot,” you replied with a smile. Jen responded with a salute before disappearing behind her door.

Your phone buzzed at 7:45 am, waking you up before your alarm did. You rolled over and pulled your phone off the charger to see the message.

Danny: Good morning! Do you and Jen need any help getting stuff to the bus?

Doesn’t he have his own gear to worry about?

We should be good! Just bringing a couple more outfits and we should be set! Thanks for checking in!

You answered a few work emails, letting clients know you’d be available for consultations and designs, but wouldn’t be taking on any major projects for the next five months. Five months. This is my life for five more months. Your door opened and Jen peeked around it, making sure you were awake. “Thank god, I was a little worried you’d be up all night tossing and turning over lover boy and would still be out cold,” she joked. “You’re lucky I just made my bed, otherwise you’d be getting hit with a pillow,” you warned. She stuck her tongue out in response before heading downstairs, leaving you to finish packing and get ready to go.

Jen had a cup of coffee in your travel mug and a muffin waiting for you when you came down the stairs. “Did you bake?” you asked as you took a bite. “Yeah, this morning. I woke up really early and was working on this project for this new brand. Anyways, something about this made me think of blueberry muffins and I just had to make them,” Jen replied, showing you her sketch. 

“Definitely blueberry,” you replied, pointing to the blue and purple circle patterns. She reached over and grabbed your checklist from the other side of the table, letting you look over it. You called out outfit parts and she checked them, showing you each piece as you called it out. “Perfect, I think we are good to go,” you said as you finished your muffin, walking to the kitchen to put the plate in the dishwasher.

When you emerged from the kitchen, Jen was already taking things out to the car. “For once we may actually be really early,” you added as you slid a few more things into the trunk of her car. “Never say the e word before you’re actually at your destination,” Jen groaned. “There’s no way I just jinxed us with that,” you replied as you slid your suitcase into the back before climbing into the front seat. “Never say never,” Jen said as she shot you a look. “Are you going to need another coffee?” she asked as she backed out of the drive. As if on cue, your phone buzzed.

Josh: Jake and I are stopping to get drinks, would you like anything?

“No, Josh just asked if I wanted anything. I’ll have him get it and put it on the card,” you said.

I’d love a chai latte! Thanks!

“The card?” Jen asked. “Yeah, anything we need while on tour is covered on like, a company card. I don’t know, but it’s pretty nice.” Jen shook her head “I got into the wrong side of the business, that’s for sure.”

When you pulled into the parking lot, you realized you were the first ones there. “It’s 9:30, you’d think other people would be here,” Jen said after double checking the time. Another car pulled into the parking lot and parked in a shaded spot. You both watched to see who got out. As soon as the door opened, you saw Albert, who turned to you and waved. 

“That’s the driver, right?” Jen asked and you nodded. “Albert! He’s my friend,” you replied as you went to get out of the car. “You’re friends with an old man?” Jen said, shooting you a questioning glance. You put your hands on your hips as you turned to face her. “I sure am! And you’re going to be friends with him too, come on.”

Sure enough, Jen warmed up to Albert almost immediately. He had been enthralled with her tattoos, taking time to ask her about the ones on her hands and arms. “Now that,” he pointed gently to one of the more detailed pieces on her hand, “must have hurt a bushel.” Jen chuckled at the strange phrasing but shook her head. “It really wasn’t bad! The feeling against the bone here,” she pointed to a specific portion on the bony part of her hand, “was a little uncomfortable, but not bad.” Albert nodded as he listened. “And now you’re walking artwork!” he said with a grin as he turned to get his lunch box out of the passenger side of his car. 

Jen turned to give you a grin, a sure sign she had been won over. “I’m going to open up the bus for you ladies and get started on my checks before those boys get here,” Albert said as he started towards the bus. “I’ll get it cooled off for you,” he said with a smile. “Thanks! We are going to start the process of switching out the clothes,” you explained, and he nodded.

You and Jen were able to switch out the closet by the time anyone else showed up. Emily was the first one there, pulling up in the van she and some of the other team members rode in. You waved to each other before she started going through her own checklist. Everyone started to trickle in as it hit the top of the hour. Danny and Sam were the first ones to arrive from the band. They waved to you before loading their stuff onto their bus.

You were spending a few final minutes with Jen, checking everything over, when you heard Josh get on your bus. He greeted Albert, his chuckle preceding his body. “Good morning!” he said cheerfully as he walked past the open table to set your drink down in front of you. “Hello again, dear Jen,” he greeted Jen, giving her a toothy smile. 

“Well, now that the front man is here, I feel like it’s my time to head out,” Jen replied, leaning over to pull you into a hug. “I’m going to miss you so much,” you whispered and felt Jen nod. She pulled back to give you a smile before looking over to see Josh peeking in the closet, carefully flipping through the outfits. Jen leaned in to whisper in your ear. “Make your move, that’s your lover boy,” she muttered, and you smacked her arm gently. She wiggled her eyebrows before turning to Josh. “Bye Josh! Take care of her for me, okay?” He turned to acknowledge her and gave her a smile, “of course. We will see you in a few days!” he replied. Jen gave you both a goofy salute before heading off the bus, being sure to tell Albert good-bye as she left.

“Can I ride with you?” Josh asked as you sat down to check over your list again. “Of course, Josh. You’re always welcome. I may have you try on your jumpsuits though, so I can’t say it’ll be a completely restful trip,” you joked. Danny walked down the aisle, giving you and Josh a bright smile. “Good morning! Are you guys ready to hit the road?” Danny asked as he leaned against the table. “Always!” you responded as you took another sip of your drink, Josh agreeing. “Do you mind if Josh and I work on some stuff here while we get rolling? I don’t know why but your bus just has the best creative energy,” Danny asked, and you nodded. “Go for it,” you replied, truly glad to have them along for the ride.

Albert checked in with the group before starting the bus and getting you on the way to North Carolina. Danny and Josh sat across from you at the table, bent over a notebook as they discussed lyrics for new music. They spoke quietly as they both took turns striking things out and rewriting various parts. You watched them for a few minutes, your own sketchbook laid out in front of you. They both looked up at you, realizing you were watching them. 

“I feel like I’m watching history,” you said quietly and they both chuckled. “More like watching the very first version of what, right now, looks and will sound like a mess,” Danny joked. “Well, I feel like the first stage of anything can be messy,” you replied, realizing how true that statement was as you flipped through your work sketchbook. Looking back up, you noticed Josh staring at you, as if he was trying to send you a message telepathically. You thought back to the other night in the hotel, the way he felt pressed up against you, hungry for more. You could feel your face flush, so you shifted your attention back down to your sketchbook, working on a new idea for a suit for Jake.

By the time the bus stopped for lunch, Josh and Danny had a few lines of lyrics down and you had the plans for an additional two suits for Jake. The thought of piecing together so many additional outfits had you feeling sick, but also excited. As exhausting as it was to create everything these men wore with painstaking detail and precision, it was all worth it when you saw the finished project. Seeing your hard work on a stage with thousands of people enjoying it made you happier than you ever thought you could be.

“Did your wife pack you something Albert or would you like for me to get you something?” you asked the elderly gentleman as everyone filed off the bus. He smiled and held up his answer, a sandwich carefully folded in saran wrap. 

“Five Guys?” you asked as you all walked towards the restaurant. “Jake wanted a burger. The only thing we can eat here is basically a grilled cheese,” Sam pouted, and you laughed in response. “You like their fries Sam, don’t even lie,” Jake shot back, Sam sticking out his tongue in response. 

You ended up ordering the same thing Sam did- some sort of grilled cheese with grilled veggies, and a side of fries. Everyone waited for their food, Danny and Josh updating Jake and Sam on the song they were working on. “It’s kind of… a little more rock? I know we did a more psychedelic angle, and then more folk, and now I want to do some more rock stuff again,” Josh said as he cracked open a peanut shell and flipped the peanuts into his mouth. The restaurant had big containers of peanuts stacked around the store as some sort of appetizer- weird, but also an interesting marketing move as it was something you’d never seen.  

Everyone filed back onto the buses with their meals. Danny traded spots with Jake- Sam had been driving him a little crazy. “He’s very hyper today. I just need some peace,” Jake had quietly told Danny when Sam went to the bathroom. “More than usual?” Danny joked, swiping a peanut from Josh’s tray before Josh could smack his hand. Josh had offered you a peanut, which you had declined. “Very. So, you have fun with that,” Jake joked as he patted Danny on the back.

You had offered Albert some fries as you climbed back onto the bus, which he declined. “If I don’t eat healthy, my wife will kill me. That or the ole ticker,” he had replied as he gently patted his chest. The twins had taken their regular spots at the table, so you took yours. Josh was going over what he and Danny had written, gesturing with his burger in his hand. 

“And then, for the bridge,” Josh started, reaching to grab for a pencil, “I thought it could be kinda slowed?” Jake replied with a beat before hitting a few notes, Josh nodding and vocalizing along with him. You watched in awe as they rode the same wavelength, completely on the same page. Josh took another bite of his burger, ending the moment. 

They both became aware of you staring at them, your mouth slightly open. “That bad?” Jake joked and you snapped your mouth closed, shaking your head. “You guys just…” you paused, trying to find the right words. “It’s just impressive. Very impressive” you finished, unable to find a more eloquent way to express your amazement. Jake chuckled as he took the pencil from Josh and wrote some notes down, Josh giving you a grin, his eyes sparkling like it was the best compliment he’d ever received.

After you’d finished your grilled cheese monstrosity (which was actually really good), you retired to the bench to sketch out a few of the final outfits. The tour consisted of 23 American tour dates, followed by a month break before hitting Canada for 5 shows followed directly by 10 European shows, another month break, and then 5 South American shows. Overall, with the reuse of outfits for the shows in the same state, you needed to create outfits for 36 shows, or 144 sets of clothes total. It was a task of mammoth proportions, but one you were qualified for and had readily accepted. You’d be using the breaks between shows and continents to create outfits for the next leg of the tour. Putting the clothes together was the easy part- you moved quickly and had earned the nickname “Bolt” in school for a reason. It was coming up with ideas that was the difficult part.

“Can I pick your brains for a minute,” you asked. Both Jake and Josh immediately stopped what they were doing, giving you their full attention. “I need some ideas for Europe,” you said. “Like… ideas for what?” Jake asked. 

Josh rolled his eyes, “wardrobe, duh you idiot.” Jake snapped his fingers, “I want lighter colored suits. Something about being in Europe just makes me think… lighter.” Josh chuckled, “you’re going to get more sugar daddy comments.” Jake grinned, “good.” You nearly choked on your drink and they both turned to laugh with you. 

“Sugar daddy?” you asked, and Jake nodded with pride. “Europe ‘sugar daddy’ Jake was a thing for a while. All because he wore that dorky suit vest and people LOST it,” Josh said, holding back his laughter. Jake pulled up a picture on his Instagram and you looked at it before reading through some of the comments.

“Okay, so you weren’t lying. Are those the kind of vibes you want? Because I can do that. Even though I feel like that’s more of your vibes off-stage,” you responded as you handed him his phone back. “So, you think I have sugar daddy vibes?” Jake joked and you rolled your eyes. “Whatever pleases you. If those are the vibes you want, I can roll with it. Maybe a little more elaborate, but still in the lighter color scheme?” you asked. You gestured to Josh. “For you I can play up some darker colors. Do a switch for you guys.” They both nodded. “The fans will get a kick. They won’t see it coming, which I love,” Josh added. You returned to your spot on the bench with renewed creativity.

By the time you’d made it to Raleigh, you had a solid idea about most of the outfits for Europe. You’d shown Jake and Josh, both making minor tweaks and adjustments, but really loving the ideas overall. Jen had given some of her input too, offering up a few pieces she’d made to help you along with the process. She had called you during the last hour of the drive, ecstatic about Jake being in lighter colors. “I think some of the stuff I did for King & Tuckfield that didn’t end up getting taken up might work. A lot of the 50’s kinda stuff that we could mix with some ‘rich bourbon uncle’ vibes. I think it’d work. Add some sparkle and pizzaz and boom, we got it,” Jen said, clearly excited about the possibility of collaborating with you. You’d talked for a few more minutes before hanging up. Jake had looked at you expectantly. “Jen has some ideas. I may do more collaboration with her if that’s okay with you,” you asked. “Absolutely. We can get her on the payroll easily,” Jake had responded, not even questioning it as Josh nodded in agreement. 

The bus came to a stop in the hotel parking lot, all of you staying seated for another few minutes as you finished up the creative processes- Josh and Jake finishing an idea for a different song, you finalizing the ideas you’d had for an outfit for Danny to wear in Germany.

“Is everyone awake back here?” Sam called out, disrupting the Zen of creativity that had been created.  “Well, we certainly would be now,” Josh shot back. “Well, I want sushi. There’s a place right across the street. And there’s also a Ben and Jerry’s, so we should go there afterwards,” Sam stated, clearly already having made dinner plans for the group. 

Sam looked to you for confirmation, and you shrugged before nodding. “Perfect! We are going. The lady spoke for you all,” Sam said as he headed back off the bus, not waiting for anyone’s responses. You shrugged and followed behind him, making sure to tell Albert good night and thank him for getting you to North Carolina safely. Josh followed behind you, and the three of you waited for Jake and Danny. Once everyone was off, you followed Sam in what you hoped was the direction of the restaurant.

Sam proved to be a good navigator once again and you all were seated at the fusion sushi and burger place within fifteen minutes. “What an interesting combination,” you mused as you viewed the menu. “A little out of the box. I kind of dig it though,” Josh replied from his spot next to you. 

The waitress came and took everyone’s drink orders as you glanced over the menu. “You guys wanna do sake samplers?” Jake asked and everyone agreed. “I’ve never had sake, is it good?” you asked once the drink order was placed. “It’s kinda fruity, usually pretty good,” Josh answered. “I have a feeling you’ll like it better than bourbon,” Sam added with a laugh.

You did, in fact, like sake better than bourbon. You still ordered a local cider though, deciding you’d play it safe for the night. Everyone ordered sushi, except for Jake who ended up getting a burger. “I could’ve made bets for how predictable you are,” Josh huffed, giving his twin a hard time. “It’s a burger place too! It’s not weird to get a burger at a burger place!” Jake shot back, Sam rolling his eyes. “At least I didn’t get seaweed salad,” Jake joked, giving you a look. “It’s actually really good! I’ve loved seaweed salad ever since I was a kid, okay? And it goes well with cider, believe it or not,” you defended, Jake making a face.

Josh had his leg pressed against yours and you could feel the warmth of him through your clothes. The feeling was electric, and the drinks you’d downed were making you brave as you pushed back against him. 

The waitress brought out chopsticks and everyone laughed at Josh as he practiced using them. “I’ve always sucked at these,” he said quietly. “He lacks the dexterity,” Sam said with a laugh. “Yeah, well, where I lack with chopsticks, I make up for in other areas,” Josh grumbled as he looked up at his younger brother through his furrowed brow. Sam just laughed harder, “yeah, whatever you say.” You felt Josh tense- clearly Sam had struck a nerve. 

You pointed to Danny’s middle finger, which had a hair tie wrapped around it. “Can I use that?” you asked and he nodded, handing it over. Gently taking the chopsticks from Josh’s hands, you folded a chopstick wrapper and placed it between the two sticks before looping the hair tie above the wrapper. You demonstrated the modified chopsticks before handing them to Josh. He looked at you with amazement, “where’d you learn that?” You chuckled, “my mom used to do it for me. They’re called ‘training chopsticks.’ They’ll help you get the hang of it.” Josh grinned at you as he practiced, picking up random things on the table. “Not only are you an excellent designer, you’re also a great babysitter!” Sam laughed. Jake joined in and Josh rolled his eyes.

The waitress brought out your food and another round of drinks. “Can I try that?” Josh asked, pointing to your seaweed salad. “For sure! It’s pretty salty, just be aware,” you warned. He took a bite and made a face, his lips puckering as he chewed and swallowed. “I didn’t realize it’d be that slimy. The taste is good though,” he added. “For someone who likes oysters as much as you do, you shouldn’t be phased by slimy,” Danny said and Josh held his hands up, “It’s a different kind of slimy, okay?” Josh replied and you all laughed.

The bill came and you all finished your drinks. “Ice cream?” Sam proposed as he stood. “Are they even still open?” Danny asked as he signed the receipt. Sam checked the hours before replying. “We have thirty minutes!” Sam said, leading the group out of the restaurant and towards the Ben and Jerry’s. You hung back and walked with Josh, who threaded his arm through yours.

You giggled as you and Josh walked, both of you a little tipsy from the drinks at dinner. You bumped him with your hip and he gripped your arm tighter as he pulled you closer. “Let’s not get ourselves in trouble again,” he whispered in your ear, your face flushing instantly. Your stomach knotted at the way his voice hit a lower register than you were used to hearing. You turned to respond, but were interrupted by Sam who had found his way back to you and was trying to hurry you both up. “If you guys don’t walk faster, they’re gonna be closed!” he exclaimed, taking your hand and pulling you behind him, away from Josh. Josh gave you an apologetic glance as his brother pulled you behind him.

 “I’ll do a double scoop in a cup, one of cherry Garcia and one of mint chip please,” you told the teenager working at the counter. The group had made it with ten minutes to spare before the store closed. You watched Sam take a large bite out of the ice cream sitting on top of his waffle cone. Of course he bites his ice cream like that. The worker handed you the ice cream and you grabbed a spoon from the dispenser. Jake paid for everyone’s order before the group shuffled outside to sit and eat.

“What did you get?” Josh asked as he took a seat next to you. “Cherry Garcia,” you pointed to the first scoop with your spoon before gesturing to the second, “and then mint chip.” He nodded as he took a bite off of his cone. “Can I try the cherry one? I’ve always heard it’s really good,” he asked. 

You nodded and held your spoon out for him. He took a small bite, slowly removing the spoon from his mouth as he looked at you, watching your reaction. You took a deep breath, clearing your mind as he handed the spoon back to you. “That’s pretty good. Mine’s better though,” Josh said with a grin. “What did you get?” you asked as nonchalantly as possible. “The banana one, I don’t remember what it’s called,” he replied, holding his cone out to you, “want to try it?” You nodded and raised your spoon up but he shook his head. “You can just bite it, I don’t care,” he said, a sparkle in his eye. You nodded and leaned forward to take a bite, your eyes meeting his.

“Josh got chunky monkey. He knows the name, he just thinks it’s stupid,” Sam announced loudly, bringing you back to reality. You laughed, breaking the obvious tension between you and Josh. “That is a pretty stupid name,” you agreed. “Phish food is the best name and flavor,” Danny added, holding up his cup as a testament to his statement. You took another bite of your ice cream, still tasting him on your spoon. You were instantly taken back to that night in the hotel- Josh pressed against you as he pushed you against the wall, both of you panting as you grabbed at each other.

You stood up, suddenly feeling very claustrophobic. “Are we ready to head back?” you asked, and the group agreed, everyone standing and pushing their chairs back under the tables on the patio. The walk back went slowly, Josh giving you some space as you walked with Sam and Danny. Both of them were in good spirits, laughing and joking the entire walk.

Everyone grabbed their things off of the buses before meeting in the lobby. Emily had left your key cards at the front desk, the clerk checking your ID’s before handing them over. “We appreciate you being thorough,” Jake had told him before you all headed to the elevator. “I hope nobody has been giving them trouble,” Jake huffed as everyone piled into the elevator, bags in tow. “What floor?” Danny asked and everyone checked their cards. “We are on the fifth floor,” Sam told Danny. “I’m on the seventh floor” you replied, Jake and Josh agreeing. “I guess we get to party by ourselves,” Sam told Danny with a grin as Danny pressed the buttons for the fourth and fifth floors.

The elevator doors slid open at the fifth floor and Danny and Sam got off, waving you all good night. “Be good,” Josh warned, and Sam turned to give him a crooked grin. “Never,” was all Sam could get out before the doors closed and the elevator continued upwards. Josh rolled his eyes and sighed before the doors opened once again. Jake and Josh let you off first and the three of you made your way down the hall, searching for your rooms.

“This is us,” Jake said, gesturing to room number 713. “I guess I’m around the corner,” you replied as you checked your key card as Jake opened the door. Jake reached for Josh’s suitcase, “Josh why don’t you walk her down. I’ll get your suitcase set up.” Josh swallowed but nodded and turned to walk with you down the hall.

You both walked in silence as you read off the numbers, looking for 752. “Got it,” you said as you put your key card into the lock, the light flashing green as the lock slid open. You propped the door open with your foot as you turned to him. He watched as you moved, his eyes floating up your body. “Well, uh…. Good night. We will see you in the morning,” he said, forcing a grin before turning to head back down the hall. “Good night,” you softly called out after him, watching as he turned to give you one last smile before disappearing around the corner. You felt your heart tug you in his direction, telling you to follow him, reach out and pull him back into your room with you. This is not going to end well.

taglist: @eyelinerjake @radmads-gvf @gretavansara @everyglowinthetwilightknows @joshs-jonch

#seamstressfortheband #greta van fleet #greta van fic #gvf

[canonically-a-genloser]

don't be afraid to fall (cause i won't let you)

a/n hieeee again two am unedited angst writing :'D

-

Paislie didn't remember how they'd gotten to the bathroom or how long they'd been leaning over it, wave after overwhelming wave of nausea washing over them even though nothing came of it.

There was blood on their hands. Blood that wouldn't come off. The blood of thousands of nameless babies, the blood of their sisters, their brother, the twins.

And the last show back in Showfall added so many more names to that list. People who had taught them trust and given Paislie their trust in return, only to have it end the only way it ever could have.

They looked down at their hands, stained red with Ranboo's blood from the bandages being changed, and Paislie couldn't help but wish what she saw were anyone's hands but hers.

The blood wouldn't come off, it never would, there was no point in trying, those babies are dead because of you, your siblings might still be in that death hole knowing you never looked for them if they're not already dead too because of you-

Paislie broke down in sobs, all but falling to the floor in front of the sink.

Their thoughts were like screams as they leaned against the rickety cabinets. They couldn't think, they couldn't move, the blood wouldn't come off their hands no matter how hard they scrubbed-

Hands gripped their wrists, pulling their hands apart, and Paislie realized they'd been scratching at blood that was no longer Ranboo's, but Paislie's own.

Paislie let their hands go limp. They turned their face down as another sob escaped their aching body.

"Hey, hey," Charlie said, gently leaning down to try to see their face. "It's okay-"

"No- no, it's not, I- stop it, don't you remember what I-"

"If this is about those kids, then no. It wasn't your fault, okay? None of them could have survived. You've already made stuff- way beyond the technology there is outside- here," he interrupted them.

Paislie couldn't bring themselves to look at him. They'd hurt him, he was avoiding it, what if he was only doing this until Randy and Sneeg got back from the food drive, what if Randy was already back and didn't want to talk to them-

"Paislie, Paislie, stop," Charlie said, sounding scared himself.

"Let me."

Paislie grasped at Charlie's hands as he slowly untangled them, a throat-scraping sob making their entire body shudder.

Smaller, though still firm hands replaced Charlie's touch.

"Hal."

They looked up at the nickname, only to make eye contact with Niki.

"I've got you, shh," Niki told Paislie softly. "Just breathe, okay?"

Paislie leaned into Niki. Their chest hurt but what was new about that, they thought automatically. You should be dead.

"Niki," Paislie sobbed out, grasping at the older's sweatshirt in an attempt to ground themselves.

Niki's hand slipped behind their head, cradling them gently. "I know. I know."

They were quiet for a moment. It took everything they had in them not to curl up as close to Niki as they could and give up fighting to breathe.

Little by little, they tried to block out the words that were already on repeat in the back of their mind. Little by little, it became instead reminders of Sneeg's existence. And Charlie's. And Randy's. Henrik's. Niki's. Ranboo's. And maybe somehow Hadlee's, though Paislie hardly dared to hope for that now.

Even with Niki's guidance, it felt like hours later when he finally stopped shaking long enough to walk back out and to the corner of the floor he shared with Ranboo. Charlie was already there on top of his own sleeping bag, playing what looked like some kind of old handheld game that must have been in the RV for a while.

"Hey," Paislie managed out. "Sorry. About- all that."

Charlie only looked up for a few seconds. "It's okay." He paused to consider his next words. "Probably not the first time that's happened to someone anyway, given the fact we're all.. us."

"Fair point," they offered halfheartedly in response. "Still."

The room was silent for another moment while Paislie glanced over at Ranboo, who had slept through the ordeal- which Paislie couldn't have been more grateful for. They needed the rest anyway.

Paislie looked up after seeing Charlie's handheld in their peripherals.

"Wanna try?" he offered, holding the small device out to them.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Paislie could've sworn he saw the faintest hint of a smile on Charlie's face.

They nodded with a tentative smile of their own as they accepted the offered device and scooted closer to Charlie to let him explain the controls.

By the time Sneeg and Randy got a glimpse of the two next, they were dead to the world around them, having quietly but energetically invested themselves in the game.

Randy could have sworn that despite the exhaustion lingering in their eyes, it was the happiest Paislie had looked since before they'd escaped.

#why do i apologize for my writing looking rushed every time it never gets better :'DDDDDDDD #tw everything. i talk about horrible fucked up things and i dont know what to even call this #aimsey writes about genloss #this has been in the drafts for a month along with ten other short things like it so im releasing one into the wild #this is trash but . its okay i like throwing words at people so its fine

[helpimhyperfixating]

(1K event?) I just got a haircut, but the hairstylist cut it too short and I'm sobbing :( my hair was supposed to be like a male kpop idols hair, but its wayyy to short...

Is it possible to get soft joot with an insecure reader? Maybe he pets their hair?

Please 😭

I swear to god, now I HAVE stuff written and ready to be posted, and then I proceed to forget to post it -_- (Would you look at that though, a drabble actually drabble sized)

Follower Event - Requests closed

Word Count: 517

Walking back into the house, you let out a shuddering sigh, not looking forward to spending the Saturday together with your boyfriend anymore.

“Y/N?” Calling out from the living room you heard Jotaro. He was probably wondering why you didn’t call out that you were home, like usual.

“Yeah, it’s me!” You called back dejectedly as you took off your jacket and shoes before walking further into the apartment.

Turning to look at you as you came into the living room, Jotaro instantly noticed your depressed look and he furrowed his brows.

You stopped in front of him and you saw his eyes travel up to your hair, looking at it and analysing it, making you want to cry.

“Sit down.” Jotaro grabbed your wrist and gently pulled, urging you to sit down beside him. And having no other choice, you did so. “Talk to me.”

Shuddering out a breath, you brought one knee up on the couch and started picking at the fabric of your pants. “It’s awful, Jotaro. The hairdresser did it wrong and now what am I supposed to do?” Your voice was small as you spoke, barely short of a mumble.

There was a brief silence in which you could feel Jotaro’s eyes on you, until he suddenly sighed to break it and you felt his hand running through your hair on the side of your head where it was still slightly wet and straightened. “It’s not at all as bad as you think. But even so, we can change it.”

“Huh?” Your voice was a little small and you looked at him to see one corner of his mouth tilt up into the tiniest of smirks.

“This haircut might not work but that doesn’t mean others don’t. You can buzz the sides and make it sweep over the top, or buzz the entire underside and make it hang.” Jotaro’s hand in your hair moved around to show what he meant, running along the side of your head or folding the hair over top.

All the while you just sat a little in a stunned silence, looking at him so concentrated, not even noticing you. Not until you spoke at least. “I never expected you to talk hair like that. How’d you-?”

Realising, his eyes widened a bit and he looked down. “I-“ Stopping himself, Jotaro then shook his head, throwing his own trepidations out the window. “I can see if you don’t want to go back there. So we can go to my mom. She used to cut my hair growing up. Until I moved out even. That’s why I know.” There was the slightest hint of a blush on his face as he admitted this, his hand now lightly scratching your scalp.

“She did?” You asked quietly, looking up at his hair hidden behind his hat, remembering all the times you’d seen it.

“Yeah. She knows what she’s doing. So if you want I can call her.”

Looking into his eyes, he was fully sincere and your face broke out into a smile, your heart swelling. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

#hih follower event #hih drabbles #sorry if this is a bit iffy #jotaro x reader #jotaro kujo #jotaro kujo x reader #jotaro kujo x you #jjba #hih answers

[cryopathiic-a]

CONTINUATION of this for @astra-stellaris

The parking lot is quiet. It's a moonless night, ideal for stake out. So they took their chance to track down a lead and the guy apparently goes home early and locks the door. That leaves the two of them in silence, in the car, with Dōma putting out one cigarette after the other — a habit he's picked up shortly after their recent fallout. But now he has finally stopped overseasoning her dinner.

Astra's gloved fingers were still hovering over the radio's buttons when the silence broke.

❝ You had guessed it right. I was more of a prophet growing up. ❞ A drag. It's some heavy brand that's almost a one way ticket to rotting lungs. He flicks his nail over the stem to dust it in the car tray. ❝ I would give readings and omens and stuff like that. ❞ His hand motions in a circle. She would know that there is more, from the somber tone. Even if he was looking ahead, at that guy's living room lights. He'd been in that room for so long doing god knows what. He doesn't care if Astra would rather keep doing her job in silence.

❝ Sometimes it was scripted. Most of the time it wasn't. Not a lot of people know about it but I know it wasn't something normal. I saw other kids that came to me with their parents, and that's how I knew. But I just didn't care after a while. I mean, these people were telling a crying child their life stories and crimes and troubles. I doubt I was the one in need of help back there. ❞ The contemptuous tone would not be lost on her. But he still holds on to his defenses. She should allow him that, at least. Much as he is finally offering that olive branch and giving her something real; not about that time though. He might not be ready to talk about it or view the topic as important; and from their previous talks she would be able to figure out which one of these things was happening.

❝ And then he came along. ❞ Pause. The lighter flicks. He sinks back into his seat and his gaze fixes ahead. His eyes glimmer. ❝ I will never forget that night. I had never seen a man carry himself like that before, just, walking in the room and all the monks stepped aside without him saying anything. And then he spoke to me, only. His voice was like silk. And his face was so beautiful. He had this... ❞ He motions around his own shoulders, the cigarette wedged between two fingers.

❝ Long dark mane and he was so pale like an Inari fox and his eyes had this deep red color, like plums. I was so mesmerized by how beautiful he was that I did not even hear what he was saying. You have to understand, I was raised with the expectation I would at some point connect with something celestial. An actual God. And, you know, obviously I had lost my faith over the years of listening to people's boring sob-stories but then this man... he really looked the part. And then he touched me. ❞ He licks his bottom lip then, and bites it. It's oddly sensual, but not at all sexual. It's clear that he's reminiscing the sensation.

❝ The pain... no— ❞ A finger stops her before she can interrupt him - as she often likes to undermine anything related to Kibutsuji, because she hates him so much. Don't most humans? But Dōma looks pretty set on narrating the entire encounter to her. His hand finds his own throat and runs down its length to rest over his clavicle. ❝ The pain. It was like... like every fiber in my body had been sleeping before that, and I had not known it. And I knew it then, in that moment, they all jolted awake and I— I had all the answers. ❞ He smiles. His eyes are glassy. It's a very bittersweet smile. ❝ Every explanation I needed, it was right there before me.❞

He's speaking of mind control. But he talks about it as if it was an enlightening experience. And what he is expressing may look like ecstasy but it sounds like relief. Then, he sobers up.

❝ And so I became a priest in his name. And for one hundred years I preached to others about this man and I put him at the centerfront of my new religion. I don't regret any of that. All of it, I would have done it again. I mean, I don't know about the others but I was awfully bored with my life before that and that's why I took the deal. But there's just this one thing that bothers me sometimes, when I think about it. ❞ He lights up another cigarette. The tray is already full.

❝ I know; I mean, I realized it quickly, that Muzan-sama is not God. That, I could deal with. He might not be anything supernatural because clearly he is explaining himself with science and all that. But he was still God in my eyes, because of his impossible power. And feats. So, I didn't care that he wasn't a God I had seen in some books but — then... he was defeated. By a child and some swordsmen. A human child. Do you have any idea how embarassing that is for a demon to hear? ❞ He seems genuinely distressed about that. ❝ I founded an entire faith around this guy. And then he goes and loses in such a miserable and pathetic way and—- and where does that leave me, you know? I look like an idiot now. ❞ He huffs. His leg shakes as he blows some smoke and turns to look outside the window with a petulant expression.

#♥ ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴀ ʙɪɢ ɢᴏᴅ ᶠᵗ. ᴬˢᵗʳᵃ | astra stellaris ♥ #astra stellaris #(( wakes up every day with one (1) goal to pester this enby ))

[heyimroe]

Bullies

Kisaki x reader

Content: you have a child (d/n - daughter), name calling, bullies, blackmail

~••~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

"Thanks baby, d/n should be home soon," Kisaki said while you poured him some tea. You smiled and pecked his lips gently. He signaled you to sit on his lap and you did. Kisaki wrapped his arm around your waist and kissed your forehead.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and d/n burst into the room sobbing on the floor. You quickly got off his lap and hugged your daughter. Kisaki stood up and a concerned look quickly took over his face. "D/n, what's wrong? Are you okay?" you ask.

She could barely form any words from the tears pouring down her cheeks. He squated on the floor with you and stroked d/n's hair. He noticed a bruise on your thigh and arm. "Who did this to you, darling? I want a name right now!" he yelled. "Tetta!" You whispered angrily.

"I-it's one of the g-girls in school." D/n stutters, "She p-pushed me in her locker." Your eyes widened, "Darling, let me see your face." Kisaki said as he took her chin softly, checking for any scars or more bruises. And a large scar presented itself.

"Is school still on, D/n?" You asked gently, putting hair behind her ear when you saw her hair wasn't the same length. "Darling, did someone cut your hair?" You hissed angrily. "Y-yeah," she whimpered softly, not crying anymore. "School is still open for an hour."

"Let's get in the car, we have some stuff to do." kisaki said, you held D/n's arm and got in the car while he started the engine. When you all arrived to the school, kisaki got out of the car and opened the door for both of you. You led D/n to her father while you followed behind her.

People made way for your family as you darted to the office. Kisaki slammed open the door and yelled, "I WANT TO SEE THE PRINCIPAL, NOW!" The office clerk quickly called for the principal as she was being watched by your husband's cold eyes.

He burst the door open, "Sir, what a surprise! How good to see-" he was quickly cut off. "Cut the crap! Do you have security cameras?" He yelled. "U-uhm, yes, I do," the headmaster replied, shaking. "Can you check the security footage in, D/n, which corridor?" You ask.

"Corridor 3, between 1:30 to 1:40 pm," she replied. He did as told and watched the footage along with your family.

FOOTAGE

"Veronica, p-please. No!" D/n pleaded. Some girls cornered her and one of them came close to her. "D/n, you sit on my chair, I MAKE YOU SIT ON YOURS!" She shouted, pushing D/n into her locker and slamming the door. They all cackled loudly and locked it.

"I'll let you out at the end of the school day, no earlier." She giggled devilishly. "Mrs. Dilly! What do you think you're doing?" A teacher yelled. "I'm just putting my stuff into the locker, Ms Davis! Give me a break." She said. "I've got my eye on you," Ms Davis replied.

FOOTAGE ENDS

"U-uhm, I'm so sorry D/n. I'll call her to the office now." He apologized. "Veronica Dilly, to the office. Veronica Dilly, to the office, NOW!" The principal said into the loud speaker and almost immediately she entered through the door.

"What do you want, daddy? I was-" she looked from her phone and was stunned to see Kisaki and you. "You need to apologize, right NOW!" He yelled. "Okay, I'm sorry." Veronica said insincerely. "No, not me.To her!" He yelled angrily. "I'm sorry, D/N!" Veronica apologized.

"How long has this been going on?" He asked D/n. She looked at you and Kisaki as you both give her a nod. "A month and 1/2," D/n said. The headmaster quickly became furious and started yelling at his daughter. "B-but daddy!" She cried.

"NO! I DON'T WANT ANYMORE EXCUSES! YOU'RE SUSPENDED FOR 3 MONTHS AND NO PHONES, LAPTOPS AND TV FOR 2 WEEKS! GIVE ME YOUR PHONE!" He grabbed he phone and put it in his drawer

"I'm sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Tetta. I assure you this won't happen again." The principal apologized as you all walked out.

#tokyo revengers #kisaki x reader #kisaki tetta #tr kisaki #kisaki x you #kisaki imagines #scenario #tokyorev x yn #tokyo rev x you

[companionjones]

Loneliness

Pairings: Platonic!Robin Buckley x Reader x Steve Harrington + The Kids, Slight!Byler

Fandom: Stranger Things

Summary: You’re feeling lonely. Like all your friends don’t care about you anymore. That may not be true.

Warnings: It’s in the title

*******

    Really, you felt like an idiot. You were 17 years old. You shouldn’t have been walking around the house with sobs that shook your whole body, let alone just because you felt lonely.

    You had made some friends in high school. Courtney McCullen, Robin Buckley, and Steve Harrington. But alas, almost all of your friends were busy with work. You had managed to get a hold of Courtney, who had promised to come over around 7, but it was then nearing 9.

    You hated the thoughts that crept in. You hated that your brain told you that no one liked you, that despite all your efforts to make friends, it was still severely common that they would cut you off because they had apparently found you ‘too annoying’. Maybe it was happening again.

    Despite your thinking you were texting him too much, you decided to ask Steve if he’d like to hang out after he got off work. You received no response. That only added to your downward spiral.

    What interrupted your dizzying thoughts was a knock at the door.

    Who could that be?

    If you were completely honest with yourself, you’d had your hopes about who was behind the door, but your heart still leapt into your throat when you saw that you were right.

    Steve and Robin marched through your door. Steve began, “We have what I’m sure is every movie you’ve ever seen, four different flavors of popcorn, two soda bottles, a partridge in a pear tree, yada, yada...”

    You laughed, but you did see that Steve and Robin were only holding some movies. Where was--

    “We could use some help out here!” came an annoyed voice from outside. It was Dustin. He, along with Max, Lucas, and Eleven were grabbing everything else out of Steve’s car.

    “Hi, Y/n!” El happily yelled and waved.

    Max exclaimed after her, “Sorry Mike and Will aren’t with us. They’re on a date!” She sang the last word.

    “Oo! A date!” Lucas made kissing sounds, and the girls joined him.

    Dustin cut short their fun. “Guys, seriously. I’m not sharing if you aren’t going to help.”

    You, Steve, and Robin came out of the house to join the kids in following Dustin’s orders.

    “Why are you guys here?” you questioned Steve, “I thought you guys didn’t get off work ‘til later.”

    He confirmed, “We don’t. But I saw you were texting both me and Robin. I figured you really needed some company. So, we knocked off early, grabbed the kids, and came to you--Are you okay?”

    Tears were brimming your eyes again, only now it was for a completely different reason. You pulled Robin and Steve in for a hug. “Kids, drop the stuff. Get in here.”

    Dustin sighed, “Yeah, might as well,” and he followed your orders.

    Later, everyone was gathered around the TV in your living room, watching your favorite movie. The kids took the floor while you, Steve, and Robin lounged on the couch.

    “Thank you so much for this,” you told your friends. “I really, really needed it.”

    Robin shrugged, “No problem, but why didn’t you call any of the kids yourself? They could’ve biked over.”

    “I know. I just felt weird calling them as a high-schooler.”

    “I feel like that is a direct call out on me.” Steve took fake offense to your words.

    While Robin full out laughed, you couldn’t stop a small chuckle from slipping out. “Sorry, Steve. That’s not what I meant.”

    “Yeah, I know,” Steve put an arm around your shoulder and pulled you in to lean on him. “But it-it still hurt.” Steve feigned tears.

    “Shut up.” You laughed and pushed away from Steve, opting instead to lay on Robin’s shoulder. She brushed your hair back and started playing with his strands.

    “Thanks again, you guys,” you whispered.

    Robin smiled, “Absolutely positively no problem, Y/n.”

    “Yeah,” Steve joined in, “No problem at all.”

*******

Author’s Note: Thank you so much for reading! Fill up that heart and reblog if you liked it. I would also really appreciate a comment, if you have the time. If you would like to read more, check out my masterlist. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you! <3 <3 <3

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #robin buckley #robin buckley x reader #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #max mayfield #eleven hopper #stranger things #stranger things x reader #joe keery #maya hawke #companion jones #loneliness