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#and would sometimes run small errands for him like dropping by a store on my way to the class
reysdriver · 3 months
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His & Hers | S.B.
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part 2 of Wife; you and Sirius go on a bonding (and very flirtatious) shopping trip — sirius x fem!pureblood!reader fluff
warnings: reader has just recently escaped an abusive, pureblood family, sirius and reader were in a young arranged marriage
words: 1.1k
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It took a little bit of time, but once it really set in that you were going to be staying with the Potters for at least a little while, you were forced to think about what else you needed with you.  When leaving your own dreadful home, you had packed and taken off in quite a rush, neglecting many ordinary things. 
Euphemia promised to take you down for a shopping trip down at Diagon Alley. You really didn’t want to inconvenience anyone so you tried to tell her it wasn't necessary, but she insisted the family had been meaning to take a trip there anyways—even though you could tell she was just trying to make you feel better. 
You went along with it, so here you were now in Diagon Alley with a list of things you needed to get back on your feet. 
James went off to browse the newest Quidditch equipment in stores, his parents went to run a few errands around the alley, but Sirius insisted on staying back and shopping with you. 
You could feel him peering at the list over your shoulder, and your suspicions were confirmed when he started reading it aloud. “Quills, paper, toiletries— Love, I know the Potters have all of that and they’ll be more than willing to share.”
You had been getting closer over the last few days, but the nickname still sent a flock of butterflies loose in your stomach every single time. The both of you walked into the second hand store and the butterflies got worse when he opened the door for you. 
“I’m sure they do.” You responded. “But I don’t want to be dependent on them. No offence.” 
The last part was teasing, but he would never take the bait like that. 
“None taken, actually.” Sirius said proudly. “The Potters are all lovely people.”
“If you love them so much, why don’t you marry them?”
You were trying hard at this point to tease. At least it seemed like you were getting a reaction now. 
“Well, I don’t know.” He chuckled. “I mean, I could start with the fact that I’m already married.”
Your jaw dropped as you feigned shock. “You’ve been married this whole time? I can’t believe you, Sirius Black.”
You admired how he played along. He rolled his eyes and his mouth formed a small smirk. 
“I know, I can’t deny I can be a player sometimes, I’m sorry.” He ran his hands along a frilly dress beside you. “Actually, I don’t even know why I’m here with you because my wife is pretty great.”
You bit the inside of your cheek and pretended to look at some skirts so you wouldn’t fold immediately. “Yeah? Tell me about her.”
“Where do I even start? We were actually set up by our families, but it may be the only thing my parents ever did right. She was the fittest girl in school even though I would never admit it at the time, she’s way too good for me, she even ran away from her horrid family and came straight to find me. But there is something…” He sighed like there was something huge he needed to get off his chest. 
You tilted your head to the side and decided to travel down whatever road he was heading. “And what might that be?” 
“Well, a few things actually.” And your interest was piqued even further. He picked up a thin scarf and started waving it around dramatically as he spoke. “First is that I have no idea if she even likes me back, and second is that she’s only been living with me for a few days and she’s already made it abundantly clear she intends on getting her own place—”
You cut him off there, grabbing the scarf to stop its movement. You were both smiling at each other as he moved with the scarf when you pulled it closer. 
“You’re making this wonderful wife of yours seem like she hates you.” You softened, and your attention switched to the half-used rolls of fabric on the dusty shelves. “I already told you, I am getting my own place soon. And if we get closer and decide that our marriage was a good idea, then you’re absolutely free to move in with me.”
“Then that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
You’d be lying if you said you didn’t want that to happen, but there was no way you were going to tell him that right now. 
“Look!” Sirius got your attention, holding up a soft, barely-used roll of fabric. “We can even get some ‘his and hers’ robes made from this stuff!”
“I think matching housecoats is just a thing for couples.”
His eyebrow raised and he looked down at you like what you just said was completely ridiculous. “And what’s the problem?”
“You and I aren’t a couple.” Obviously. 
“Well, that can be changed easily. I think it’s about time we go house hunting together.”
You rolled your eyes, and started walking down the store’s aisle, away from Sirius. He was absolutely not going to see you blush as you told him this next bit. 
“You at least have to take me on a date if you want to buy a house with me.” 
He followed where you walked. Though you couldn’t see his face, you knew that stupid, annoying, super sexy smirk was back on him. 
“This isn’t a date?” He asked. 
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
No, not really. You supposed it sort of was a date. It was just the two of you here, and the way you talk isn’t quite how people talk to each other when they’re just friends. You could really only think of one defence in favour of it not being a date. 
“You never asked me out on this date. You have to ask someone to go on the date for it to be a real one.”
Sirius threw his head back dramatically, rolling his eyes and letting out a loud sigh. 
“Will you make this a date with me, love?” 
He held out his hand, asking you to take it and make this a real date like you had said. 
Putting an end to his anxious suffering, you placed your hand atop his and intertwined your fingers. 
“Yes, I’ll go on a date with you, Sirius.” You told him in mock defeat. “Now pick up that fabric you liked. If the date goes well, I’ll think about having those robes made.” 
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malfoys-demigod · 1 year
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Could you do some fluff with Johnny ? (But Cobra Kai Johnny)
Johnny’s love for you - Johnny Lawrence x Reader
A/N/: Hi, sorry it took me awhile!! I’ve been dealing with a lot lately but I’ve seen your request and I hope you enjoy! I also saw some good prompts around so shoutout to these fluff prompts!
Summary: Other ways Johnny shows his love for you
Johnny was always known to be the bad boy ever since. Mr. Badass, the one to kick ass all the time, and the very “stuck in the 80s” kind of guy.
It was kind of cute to see how he was very different when it came with you. Like completely different. He was sweet, sometimes shy, and gentle man with you.
Pulling you into random embraces
Every free time you had from work or busy schedules, you’d visit your friend’s up and coming dojo, which would him (and even his students’) a huge smile.
Your presence would light up the room.
As the door opened with a small bell ring to it, you entered the dojo, seeing Johnny highly focused as he was guiding the kids do their warmup.
“Alright, front kicks!” he yelled, “Hai!”
Right before everyone was about to start their front kicks, Miguel had spotted you, with a grin in his face.
“Ms. Y/L/N!” he greeted you, standing up properly, cheekily waving at you.
Johnny lost focus on his class, as his eyes travelled to you. From a confused face to a relieved face, Johnny showed you a gentle smile and walked towards you.
“Diaz, warm ‘em up, please,” Johnny requested. Miguel let out a small chuckle at his sensei’s “please” which was only done whenever he was flushed to see you.
“Got a break from work?” he asked you, pulling you into a small but sincere side hug as the two of you faced the kids, watching them warm up.
“Oh no,” you reply sarcastically, “I just walked out from my meeting mid-presentation and decided to see you.”
Johnny always loved your sarcastic remarks, which made him smile like a fool.
Luckily he didn’t see the small smirks some of his students were making since it was obvious how smitten he could be because of you.
“Well how damn sweet of you to do that, Y/N,” he joked.
“This reminded me of you.”
Small trinkets happened to be one of Johnny’s favorite things to give you.
Every girl absolutely loves big spontaneous gifts. You did too, but whenever Johnny found something small for you all the time, your heart would still melt.
There was one time when you and Johnny were out by the mall.
You two decided to split up for a while, with you by the food court and Johnny running some errands around the stores.
You were enjoying your favorite food and drink, savoring the taste until some beads of your favorite color flashed upon your face.
“Oh!” you say in surprise, leaning backwards to see clearly what you were looking at.
It was a shiny, adorable beaded bracelet of your favorite color, held by Johnny with a small smile on his face.
“This reminded me of you,” he spoke, “They’re your favorite color, right?”
You nodded with a ecstatic smile, “You didn’t have to do this Johnny!”
He shook his head, dropping his errand bags to place the bracelet on your wrist, “Nah, don’t sweat it, Y/N” he assured you, “It looks good on you.”
Looking at him with heart eyes, you stood up to hug him by the neck and whispered, “Thanks, Johnny.”
When you’re feeling under the weather
Today was totally not your day.
Your cycle had just arrived and it the pain was just intolerable and the absolute worst.
You already called in sick from work and have just been wrapped up in a blanket, lying down in your sofa, watching your favorite tv show.
Johnny, at the dojo, decided to send you a quick “Hey, whatcha up to?”, not knowing how your day has been.
As you were watching television, your screen lit up with a notification ring. You looked over to your phone and saw Johnny’s text.
“Not good. On the cycle,” you texted.
Johnny, confused over the last text, narrowed his eyebrows.
“What the heck is ‘on the cycle’?” he asked himself, “Is that some lady term?”
Tori, who was stretching on the mats, overheard Johnny’s silly question, chuckling to herself. “It’s her time of the month, sensei,” she spoke.
“Oh,” he said, “Is there anything I should be getting for her?”
“Hot compress, some of her favorite food, a hot drink, chocolates, and some pain killers if she needs any.”
“Uh-huh,” Johnny replied, attempting to recall everything mentioned, “Diaz is in charge of today’s session, I’ll be out for today now. I trust you guys.”
Johnny was now on his way to purchase some goods for you.
You were about to call it a day and just try to sleep the pain away even though it was only 6pm.
But there was a knock from your door. You wanted to pretend you weren’t there out of exhaustion, assuming you weren’t expecting anyone important. Could be just a delivery package.
But the next knock came with a voice.
“Hey, Y/N, it’s Johnny,” the voice said, “I got some stuff to help you with your cycle.”
You stood up, now eager to open the door since it was from your favorite person.
As you swung the door open, you met a concerned Johnny holding up a paper bag.
“Hey,” he said with a small smile, “Figured you needed this.”
He stepped inside your place placing the paper bag on your coffee table and checked out the television.
“Of course you’re watching that,” he joked, knowing what was on screen was your favorite thing to watch.
He unpacked the things from the paper bag, revealing a compress, your favorite snacks, some chocolates, some pain killers, and a steaming hot beverage from the coffee shop by your area.
You walked over, planting a small kiss on his cheek, “I was about to sleep the pain away actually,” you admitted shyly.
“And not continue watching your favorite on tv without some good old heated snacks and drink?”
You rolled your eyes with a playful smile, “Oops, my bad, Johnny. I suppose that’ll do too.”
“Great!” he sparked, “Ill go heat the compress and snacks and you sit tight here, alright?”
Johnny started picking up the snacks and compress and right before he was about to turn around to head over to the kitchen, you called.
“Hey Johnny?”
“Yeah?” he asked curiously.
“Thanks for being here for me,” you thanked him with a heartfelt smile.
His face warmed up with a sincere grin, nodding his head. “Anytime, Y/N.”
He turned around and made his way straight to the kitchen, unaware that you were still looking at him with admiration and love.
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Shino's day out.
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(cover art by the ever so perfect @kankuroplease)
@kankuroplease​ & @lemony-snickers​ & me have teamed up for offer you a fic + cover art in exchange for a donation to help the people in Ukraine!! More Info here. (ENDS AT THE END OF MAY!)
Another finished donation story, in time for mother's day! Thank you so much @qettleqorn for your donation! <3 I enjoyed writing this a lot.
Characters: Aburame Shibi & Aburame Shino & OC
Rating G
4190 words
It is finally time for little Shino to run his first errand alone. His mother has full faith in him, his father.... worries.
“I think it would be about time to send Shino on his first errand alone, don’t you agree?” Kintsugi asked one day to her husband's surprise. They were both sitting in the little workshop that was next to her jewellery shop and Kin had her hands full with shiny objects and metal. The store was closed for the day, usually once a week, so she could focus on preparations more than having to sell. On those days her husband sometimes came by when he had no shinobi business to take care of. Sometimes he brought their son, sometimes Shino was out playing with other children. Today Shibi was alone with her.
His head leaned against the wall behind the chair he was sitting on and his eyes were closed. He did not open them upon hearing his wife speak, instead he replied a tired: “Send Shino where?” To which she dropped the ring she had been working on to look at him directly: “The first errand.”
An old tradition, something that Kin and Shibi both had to do when they were younger. Once a child was old enough, usually between 3 and four, they got sent out by their parents to bring or fetch or buy something. It was seen as a rite of passage, a small move into adulthood. Now with Shino being almost four, Kin just felt it was time for him to do it.
Shibi hummed to indicate that he had now understood her point: “I’m not sure he is ready for that.” Kin laughed. He could be so worried if he wanted to, while always trying to sound unbothered. “Three and half is plenty old enough to go downtown and buy some fruit”, she said and put a hand to her husband's arm. 
He looked up over the edges of his shades into her face. They’d known each other for so many years that she could see his feelings through them, see the worry he always felt in regards to their son. These shinobi were so unbothered when it came to their own health, but as soon as it was a family member they all shook in their boots. 
Kin closed and opened her eyes and sighed: “You can put a tracking bug on him if that makes you feel better.” Shibi weighed his head and hummed in agreement. Never a man of many words he continued: “What items?” She rolled her eyes a little at the short question, but then she turned back to her work: “I thought a few wires for me, maybe some string, and a few fruits. Two stops: the market and the hardware shop.”  
Shibi let his head bump back into the wall and he sighed again. With that, the plan was set.
#
Shino blinked behind his tiny shades. It was generally an accessory that people in the clan wore and young Shino had soon caught on and wanted a pair of his own. Kin had complied, though she had liked her son’s natural dark eyes. Now they were usually hidden. She could still see his lids moving behind them though. 
“You want me to go buy you strings and wire?” Shino said, voice ever as dry as his father’s.
Kin nodded with a smile: “Yes, otherwise I can’t continue my work and you know how important my work is.”  Shino put his head to the side: “And oranges?” 
“You pass the market on your way to the shop, if you want juice when you come back you should buy oranges for it,” Kin explained for what felt like the third time. Shino pondered over this. She could basically see the wheels behind his eyes turning. “And you are not coming?” he asked. Kin nodded. A black bug ran from his collar over his cheek into his hair. He was puzzled by the request, not quite sure why his mother wasn’t just going himself. But such was the way of the first errand, that was why children were sent on them, so they learned to get by by themselves. 
“Papa is-?” Shino began but Kin preemptively shook her head: “No, no, sweetie, Papa is very busy today and I too am so busy that I can’t go out by myself.” Shino took this in and then finally with a long nod turned around, ready to march out. Kin pulled him by the collar to stop him: “Stop for one second my little bug, you need to have money first, don’t you?”
Shino put a finger to his chin. “Makes sense”, he concluded. His mother let a few Ryo fall into a small purse that he could carry over his shoulder and keep close to his body. In the purse was the agreed upon tracking bug that told Shibi where Shino was at any moment. Kin had to suppress a grind when she snuck it into the purse and thought about how worried her husband had been when she proposed the idea. 
So with putting his sandals on his feet and holding the purse close to his side Shino went off, none the wiser as to why he himself was sent on this important mission, but determined to get it done perfectly. His mother saw him off from a window, watching him leave their front yard to the street. It was just about one and half kilometres to go and back, a bit shorter on the way because he wouldn’t need to go to the market, this shouldn’t take too long. Plus, she had full confidence that her son could manage on his own and if not, the tracking bug would do its diligence. Kin sat back into her workshop and let her hands wander over crystals and gold plates again.
#
It wasn’t that Shibi meant to lie to his wife and it wasn’t like Shibi didn’t trust his son, frankly, there was no reason for him to hang here crouched in between two buildings walls other than his own overprotectiveness, but it was what it was. The tracking bug was happily sitting in the purse Shino was carrying around, the idea had been good, but Shibi found himself unable to keep his feet still. So now he was here, crouching, spying on his own son.
Shino was none the wiser, walking steadily forward with his hands pulled into fist. He did not know that the man he just passed, pressing his body flat against the wall, was his own father, because he did not expect his father to do something so silly. Shibi wouldn’t have expected himself to do something so silly, yet here he was. Shino had made it to the main road at this point all on his own, navigating the crowds of people without issue. Behind him, his father climbed up the wall to follow over the rooftops, his son always in his sight. 
The market appeared in view. Shibi could hear the voices of the crowd humming and the more concentrated chakra signatures. The tracking bug let him find Shino among the adults easily, turning his way to the right, among the fruit isles, like he was actually going to go for the oranges. Shibi slid down a wall, completely scaring a little girl who dropped her ice cream cone and, after apologising, he mingled into the crowd to follow his son.
Shino did not go to the fruit vendor. Completely missing it without even batting an eye. If Shibi could judge it right, the boy had even turned his head briefly to look at the fruits on display and then decided to move on. So either he had forgotten his task, or he had decided against it. Either way, he wasn’t doing what he had been sent to do and that made Shibi worry more than he’d ever admit.
Where the hell was Shino going? His father followed as invisible as his shinobi self could muster. The boy was ignoring all signs showing to the isle with the fruits, but also passed by sweets and sweet bread, dango and taiyaki, as if he wasn’t interested in anything. Had he by any chance gotten lost? 
“Excuse me”, the boy said, suddenly stopping in front of a little open window. He could barely look over the counter when he stood on his tiptoes so the vendor leaned far out of the window to see him. “Yes?” the worker asked, a nice young man, hair bound back by a white cloth. Shino put the purse on the counter: “How much ice-cream do I get for this, please?”
Just behind the booth his father pressed himself against the backside. Sweat dripped off his forehead, knuckles white from behind pressed together too hard. Shino wasn’t supposed to spend all his money on ice-cream! He was supposed to buy stuff. 
“Oh, honey, don’t worry, I don’t need all that money. Here, this much is enough”, the vendor said in a young, friendly voice. Shibi could hear coins ringing. “There is your scoop. I hope you enjoy your day.” 
Now armed with a sweet treat Shino moved on, turning on his heels to go back the way he came from. Shibi navigated the crowds, eyes on his son, sweat in his neck. Was Shino going home? He was supposed to be buying oranges and wire. Maybe he had been too young to be sent on such a mission anyway, but then again, in war time four year olds had needed to do much more dangerous things. He was lucky that he’d been born in this unprecedented time of peace where you could just ignore a task to go buy ice cream.
On his way back to the main street Shino passed the fruit vendor again, another look at the oranges on display, but then he turned his head back forward to take a lick off his ice cream. Shibi was already thinking of giving up and just returning back to the work he should actually be doing when Shino stopped in his tracks. He stopped so suddenly that the people behind him almost ran him over, standing like a frozen statue in the middle of the way. Shibi dove between two booths in case he was turning around and watched his son ponder about something. Then, slowly, as if it had suddenly dawned on him, he turned around and walked back into the direction of the fruit vendor.
Maybe he had just remembered, maybe the ice cream had made him thirsty and so he had thought about juice and hence about the oranges. Whatever it was, Shino passed his father again without seemingly noticing him. His little feet carried him forward with purpose, eyes now locked on the oranges put on display. The last bit of ice cream vanished in his mouth and to relieve himself from the stickiness he smeared his hands into his shirt. Well, he was a toddler.
“I want oranges”, Shino said, as soon as he made it to the vendor. The older man behind the cart looked curiously at the little boy and then moved his head to the side: “Can you repeat that?” Shino took a deep breath, maybe a little irritated by the question: “I want Oranges, please”. He pushed out the last word as if he was annoyed by having to say it. Shibi was relieved that his son at least still remembered his manners, if a little aggressive.
The old man got up and took a little plastic bag to fill it up with the round fruits. “How many do you need?” he asked in a friendly tone, crouching over a little so he could look at the boy. Shino put the finger to his cheek again the way he always did when he was thinking intensely. Then he nodded: “For juice. I need it for juice.” So he still did remember what the task had been, his father let out a breath.
“Oh you want to make some fresh juice with them? Very well, young man”, the vendor packed a few fat oranges into the little bag, not too many, mindful of the little boy’s little arms. “This should be enough”, he said, handing the plastic back over to Shino. The boy checked into the bag and then offered his purse in return: “Please and thank you.” Shibi could hear the sound of coins being counted again and then his son passed him once more, now with a heavy bag hanging over his arm. 
Even if he would return home right now that still meant he had finished half of the task and that was already something to be proud of. By all regards Shibi should be at ease now, maybe let the boy off to his own devices, but instead he kept trailing him out of the market and back onto the main street.
At least the way he went after he had left the market was the way to the hardware shop, which led Shibi to believe that Shino at least still remembered that he had promised to go there for something. The street was much more crowded now and the little boy slipped under arms and passed shopping bags to make his way forward. Shibi walked in close behind, face buried deep in his collar. 
There was a noise and Shino stumbled a little. An elbow had hit him by the side of the head and almost thrown him off his feet. Shibi had to use everything inside of him to hold himself back from jumping forward to catch the child, reminding himself that Shino was soon academy age and would have to be able to deal with such little pains without his father there. The boy swayed a little and then found his balance again, shaking his head to get rid of the pain and then he straightened his back out, which indicated that he was fine again, the plastic bag however, was not fine. One of the oranges had moved and Shibi could see clearly how loose it was now hanging at the top of the bag. 
Like in slow motion Shibi watched the bag move back and forth and the orange roll slowly, slowly, over the edge and onto the ground with a loud sound landing on the paved street. It rolled away almost instantly. Shino hadn’t noticed that his bag had lightened up, too busy brushing his head with the back of his hand. Probably he still could feel the aftermath of the impact. Shibi looked from the rolling fruit to his son and back and this time he couldn’t stop himself.
He dove forward, picking up the orange thing in a matter of seconds and with one swift motion he went up a wall, took a hat of a person passing by, pulled his collar as high as he could and the hat as low as he could and landed again in swift motion in front of his son. Behind him he could hear someone mouth “What the-” but he ignored it. 
“Young man”, he said, trying to make his voice even lower than it already was, “I think you might have dropped this.” He kept his head low, so that most of what Shino could see was the hat that he didn’t know. There was so much sweat in his neck now. “Oh”, Shino made and then took the orange out of his own fathers hand. “Thank you, sir,” the boy said. Shibi nodded and stepped back, hoping his son wasn’t looking too closely at the figure in front of him. His worries were entirely misplaced as Shino just put the fruit back into the bag and walked on, no second thought or look spared. 
Shibi took the hat off as soon as his son was out of visual range and then wondered for a second what to do with it now. He did not remember the person he took it from and nobody seemed to claim it. So he stuffed it into his side pocket. If anything he owned a hat now. Then he spun around and looked through the people ahead of him. His son had completely disappeared in the crowd, but just using chakras sensoring he could easily find the little bug situated in the purse Shino was still carrying. Soon his father was hot on his heels again.
Again Sino seemed to very much remember where exactly he had been sent. As far as his father could tell he was making his way more or less straight to the hardware shop, not stopping for another ice cream, dango or anything else he wasn’t supposed to buy. The shop was a small store right on the main street, they knew Shino and Shino knew them, considering how often Kin had to go there and order things. Konoha was one of the biggest of the hidden villages, but it was still a pretty tight knit community, at least among the civilian vendors. Shibi could already see the sign outside swaying in the breeze and Shino was still well on his way to get there.
When his son finally reached the shop and slowly opened the very heavy door, his father pressed himself against the side wall again, using flows of bugs to make a window open just enough so he could listen to what was happening inside. The store was surprisingly busy, with the sellers, an old lady, buzzing about between shelves and orders. Shino put himself behind the counter like he learned, and waited, but the lady had not noticed him coming in and wasn’t turning around. Shino was clearly too small to reach the bell on the counter, so he waited, rolling up and down on the back of his feet.
Five minutes passed and Shibi felt the sweat in his neck again. He could send a bug to the bell and have it ring, but then his son might know that he’d been followed the entire time and much worse, his wife might be disappointed - so that was a no-go. Instead he waited, just as Shino waited, until the lady had finished unpacking the stocks she was unpacking. Another five minutes passed. Maybe he should just ring the bell, Shibi thought, already mentally preparing for a lecture by his wife once he came home. But then his son spoke up: “Strings!” Shino said loudly: “And wires!”
The lady almost dropped what she’d been holding at the sudden loud child noise in her shop. She breathed in and out heavily and walked to the counter to look behind it. “Shino!” she said in surprise and pressed her flat hand against her heart. “How long have you been here?”
“A while”, the boy said mercilessly and frowned. Shibi wished he would mind his manners, but he could understand the boy’s impatience. The lady breathed again and then found her smile once more: “Apologies, Shino, my sweet, can you please repeat what you need?”
Shino pouted: “Wires and strings.” A very usual order that Kin often bought there, so the owner nodded knowingly: “Are you running an errand for your mom?” 
“It is very important, '' Shino explained. “Mom needs it for work.” Hios tone made it sound like the most important mission in the world. The lady couldn’t help but giggle: “Well, we better hurry then.” 
She walked to the back to bring two packages to the counter. Shibi knew that usually they bought these in massive boxes, with many of the packages inside. Kin needed string for jewellery a lot, especially for necklaces and bracelets, but wires were even more important for rings and earrings. But the lady knew as well as he did that Shino couldn’t carry that much. Maybe she had already figured out that he was out to do his first errand ever. So she brought only small ones.
She put them into a small bag and handed it down to the boy, who in turn handed his purse back up. Again the sounds of coins being counted. “Uhm,” the lady said suddenly, her fingers stopping to go through the money, “Shino, dear, do you know there is a bug in here?” Shibi held back a gasp. So much sweat on his fingers. His ears stealthed themselves to Shino’s response. A moment passed and then the boy said: “So what?” as if the question was redundant. Shibi let out the breath he was holding. Yes, they had bugs around them all the time. This wasn’t new.
 “This is enough, thank you, sorry again for the wait”, the lady said in a friendly tone and gave the purse back to the boy. “Give all your best to your mom. You are such a good boy for making sure that she can continue her important work.” Shino let out a sing-song “Thank you”, and then turned to leave the store, now with two arms weighted down by heavy plastic bags. 
Shibi hid in the shadows again as his son passed and then climbed up to a roof. There he just sat for a minute, eyes still following the little figure now on the way back home, and breathed in and out. For all his worrying and stressing, Shino had done his task and though he had strayed from the path early on, he had found it again and finished with ease. Maybe, Shibi thought, he had been too worried after all. Kin had been right, not that he could openly tell her that, since she’d never let him live it down.
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Kin paced in her shop up and down up and down, the tools long since laying around neglected. It was high time for Shino to come back, the way she’d picked for him was not that long, he’d walked it many times and he knew the items she’d asked him to get very well. By all accounts she’d prepared him as well as she could for this, so there was nothing to worry about. Why then was she so worried? Shino was old enough to do it on his own, and was an independent and clever little boy. Besides, if something had gone wrong the tracking bug had alerted her husband anyway. So really, rationally, there was nothing to be worried about.
The sun hung already low in the afternoon when Kin heard her son call that he made it home, shoes quickly being discarded in the entryway of their house. She hurried from her workshop to the front, trying very hard to look neutral upon seeing him there, arms loaded with two bags of items he needed to bring. “I am back”, he repeated and lifted the bags for visibility. All attempts at being neutral failed as she moved forward to pull her son into a big hug: “Little bug”, she said, hand moving through the hair on his head, her cheek almost knocking off the sunglasses, “You did that so well, Mama is so proud of you.” Shino said nothing, seemingly confused by her emotional response.
“And you got everything!” she continued, taking a look into both bags. Shino handed her the purse wordlessly and pushed her to go back into the house. Kin opened and counted the money inside, eyebrows slowly raising. “Shino, honey, did you buy anything else?” she asked. The money did not match up what she had calculated. Shino did not reply at first and instead waddled back to point at the purse: “Dad bugged me.” It was a fact and not a question. Kin blinked at her son, which he accepted with a stubborn shrug and a “I got Ice cream” before walking off again.
Kin stood there for a moment, purse half opened in front of her, then she heard footsteps not far out in the entryway, she turned and saw her husband there, sweat glistening on his forehead, hand deep in his pockets. She looked from him to the puse and back to him and laughed, a full blown belly laugh. Shibi looked up and in his confusion looked almost the same as his son had just ten minutes ago. 
“Are you okay?” he asked as he reached their door and Kin was still laughing. She put a flat hand against her husband’s chest. “He did it! He got everything we asked him to.” Shibi pulled a face that almost looked like he was surprised by this news. Almost. But Kin knew him well. “Plus he found your bug!” She took the tiny insect out of the purse that she was still holding.
“Oh”, he said and took the little thing off her. It ran over his fingers and disappeared in his sleeve. Inside they could hear their son press oranges out to get his juice reward. They listened to him for a moment, Kin’s hand still set on Shibi’s chest. Then she turned to him, one eyebrow raised in triumph: “You followed him, didn’t you?”
The pale in his face told her everything she needed to know, but she let it slide this time. After all, this was a day of celebration. Their little son really was growing up.
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pocket-luv101 · 1 year
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Summary: Kuro and Mahiru’s daughter goes on her first errand. She is only walking to the corner store but they decide to follow her and ensure she’s safe. (KuroMahi, Fem Mahiru)
“Is something wrong, Machi?” Kuro asked his daughter when he noticed the slight furrow between her brows. They planned to go to a cherry blossom viewing with their friends and he was helping Machi prepare for the outing. Over the past week, she had been excited to go on the picnic and she didn’t understand why she appeared sad now.
“I wanna take Neko-san with us so he can see the cherry blossoms. I’m just worried that I might drop him or leave him behind. If I carry him in my backpack, he will get squished and he won’t be able to see the petals from inside.” Machi told him and she held up the cat plushie. The stuffed animal was her favourite toy and she would carry it everywhere she went in the house. The ears and stitching were worn from the years she played with the black cat. Kuro was certain that it only lasted so long because Mahiru would mend it each month.
“It might be better if we let Neko-san stay home for today. He’ll get dirty. We can collect a few blossoms and bring them back to show Neko-san. Lucy and the others will be at the picnic so you’ll have a lot of people to play with.” He lifted the cat plushie from her hands and then he playfully tickled it against her cheek. The motion made her giggle and she hugged the cat. She held onto the cat protectively and she looked up at him with pleading eyes.
Kuro immediately understood that she still wanted to bring the stuffed animal with her. It would be simplest to tell her to leave the toy at home yet he couldn’t disappoint her. He patted her head and then stood. “I have an idea for how you can carry Neko-san. I’ll be right back.”
He walked to his room and he heard small footsteps follow him. He felt Machi’s curious eyes on his back and he could easily imagine the expression she had at the moment. She was like a cat sometimes. Kuro opened the closet and he took out a backpack with a small window in it. He knelt in front of her and showed her the bag. “You can put Neko-san in here and he will still be able to see everything.”
“It’s perfect!” She cheered and she immediately opened the bag to place her toy inside. Machi carefully tested to see whether Neko-san would be able to stay in the window seat. Once she was satisfied, she struggled to sling the bag onto her back. The backpack was slightly larger than she was accustomed to. Kuro helped her and he wondered if he should find something else for her.
His phone rang and he saw Gear’s name on the display. Kuro assumed that he was calling him to let him know that he had arrived in Tokyo. He was glad that his friend was able to join their cherry blossom viewing and they could see each other again. While Gear and Youtarou moved to his hometown, Nagano, they still lived a few hours away.
“Hey, Gear.” Kuro answered the phone. “Are you already at our apartment? I can buzz you in. I thought you would be here at three but Machi will be excited to see Youtarou. You, on the other hand, will make her cry with that glare of yours. She’s not scared of your wolf form so you’ll probably have to stay in that form so you won’t upset her.”
“You’re more of a scaredy cat than your own daughter, consider you would always run away from fights when I knew you.” Gear retorted and the two laughed. In the corner of his eyes, Kuro saw Machi wander away from him. He assumed that she was bored and went to find Mahiru. His attention was pulled back to Gear when he said, “I’m at the mall and I need you to pick me up. Youtarou said Mahiru planned to book a van for the viewing. That should be enough to carry everything.”
“Everything? That sounds like you bought a lot of electronics and want me to carry it for you.”
“There’s too much for me to carry alone and Youtarou already has his hands full with presents for Machi. I bought her something too.”
“Fine. Text me the address and I’ll pick you two up. I’ll see you guys in ten minutes.” Kuro didn’t mind helping his friend but he wished that he would’ve told him beforehand. While Mahiru was cooking food for the picnic, Kuro needed to keep their daughter distracted. Machi was a good child but she could also be a handful.
He walked into the kitchen where the two most important people in his life were. Machi stood in front of Mahiru and twirled in a slow circle to show her the backpack. The large backpack caused her stop to be a little ungraceful. Mahiru clapped and the encouragement made Machi beam with pride. “Papa gave me this backpack!”
“I’m surprised that he kept it all of these years. Your Papa bought it for me in high school and said that I could carry him— my very own cat in it because he was too lazy to walk. He would always end up sitting on my shoulder when we walk.” She said and the memory made Mahiru giggle. The bag was a small novelty item but it appeared to be a normal backpack on Machi. “I’m glad he kept it so you can use it.”
The sight caused Mahiru to imagine Machi’s first day of school and she realized that the milestone would be sooner than she thought. Machi was now five years old and that time passed so quickly. She could still remember the days she would rock her to sleep in her arms. She hoped they would remain close no matter how old she got. “So, what are you going to put in your bag? Papa will help you do that while I finish cooking.”
“Actually, Gear just called and he wants me to pick him up. Can’t deal.” Kuro hugged Mahiru from behind and kissed the top of her head. He leaned down and whispered into her ear. “That werewolf is going to make me carry a thousand boxes. At least that’s less troublesome than the time he saw a bird, transformed into a wolf and ran all around London.”
“Don’t say things like that in front of Machi.” Mahiru whispered back to him. They wanted to keep the complicated story of how they met a secret until Machi was older. She turned in his arms and she lightly tapped his bell once they were facing. “While you’re picking up Gear and Youtarou, can you buy some bread for me? We ran out.”
Machi answered before Kuro could. She hugged Mahiru’s leg and declared. “I can buy bread for Mama and carry it in my new bag.”
“I don’t think you can come with me, Machi. Gear said he bought a lot of things and there might not be room for your baby seat. You’ll have more fun at home with Mama and you can watch your shows.” Kuro said but her determination didn’t leave her chubby face.
“The convenience store is at the end of the street and Machi knows the way. Papa always takes me there when we run out of chips and snacks.” Machi told them confidently. She didn’t notice the way her mother briefly frowned at her father. She added: “This can be my first errand. I’m a big girl and I want to help Mama and Papa!”
Mahiru felt conflicted about how to answer her daughter. She was five years old now and she was old enough to go on simple errands. The store was at the end of the street and Japan was a safe country so she didn’t need to worry about her walking a block away. However, she couldn’t help but be a little hesitant to let her go into the world alone.
At her parent’s silence, Machi’s face fell. “Mama and Papa don’t trust me.”
“Of course, we trust you, Machi.” They both rushed to reassure her. Mahiru lifted her into her arms and she kissed her temple. Since her mother died when she was young, she was protective of the new family that she started with Kuro. She couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to Machi. She was the center of her world and warmed her heart each time she held her.
Kuro placed his hand on Machi’s head and tousled her hair in a fatherly gesture. Between them, happiness returned to Machi’s face and she started to smile again. He could see that there was still a lingering doubt in her brown eyes. He said, “Machi should be able to run to the store by herself.”
“She is responsible.” Mahiru agreed after a moment. As much as she wanted to keep Machi safe by her side, she knew that she couldn’t do so. She placed Machi on the ground and she walked to the kitchen table. She wrote a quick note on the paper and then she handed it to her. “This is Mama’s number. If anything happens, go to a worker for help and have them call me. I’ll run to meet you right away.”
“Okay, Mama!” Machi cheered with an eager smile. She was so excited that she barely finished putting on her shoes before she skipped out the door.
Mahiru walked to the doorway so she could watch over Machi as she walked down the hall. She felt Kuro’s presence behind her and she leaned back into his warmth to borrow his strength. As she did so, she realized that his body was tense and he likely felt uncertain too. “Do you think we should follow her just to make sure no one hurts her?”
“I’ll text Gear and tell him that I’ll be late.”
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“Do you see Machi?” Mahiru asked Kuro. They flew over the street on her broom and searched for their daughter among the crowd. She was grateful that she retained a few of her powers even after Kuro became human again so she could protect her family. Though, she needed to be cautious of someone seeing them flying in the sky and discovering that magic existed. Kuro sat behind her and he focused on watching their daughter while she steered her broom.
“She’s almost at the crosswalk.” Kuro said without taking his eyes off the street. Their daughter was shorter than others around her but he was able to find her instantly. He trusted Machi and he knew that this was a good chance to teach her responsibility. Yet, he couldn’t help worrying that she was still too young to walk to the store by herself. They had planned to let her go on her first errand in a year when she was in elementary school.
“It’s easy to spot her with that backpack.” Mahiru giggled when she found Machi. Even from a distance, she could see the subtle bounce in her steps as she made her way to the store. It was clear that she was excited and Mahiru found it adorable. She couldn’t help but feel proud to watch her daughter. “Machi was insistent on buying the bread for us. I understand that kids want to be treated like adults but I would prefer she enjoy her childhood.”
“I don’t think she wants to be an adult. Machi told me that she wants to be just like her Mama and help people.” Kuro lightly squeezed Mahiru in his arms and he rested his chin on her head. While Mahiru didn’t say anything further, he could easily guess what was going through her mind. She wasn’t able to have a normal childhood since her mother died. She taught herself housework and how to cook. He kissed her hair and reassured her. “Machi loves video games and afternoon naps so you don’t have to worry about her growing up too quickly.”
“Those things can’t be inherited but I think I should blame you for how much she likes video games.” He knew that she wasn’t truly complaining because her words were followed by a warm laugh. They sat close together so he could feel the way her laughter flowed through her. She leaned back against his chest and she smiled softly. “It looks like she inherited a love for cats from me.”
She looked back to where Machi had stopped in front of the convenience store. Next to the door, there was a box with a kitten inside. She played with the cat for a few minutes before she entered the store. Kuro said, “That’s strange. Machi usually plays with stray cats for a long time and it’s impossible to convince her that we can’t take it home.”
As if to answer him, Mahiru’s phone rang in her pocket. Kuro placed his hands on her hips to keep her balanced on the broom while she took out her phone. He could hear Machi’s voice when she answered the phone. “Mama, there is an emergency and you need to pick me up! I saw a lost kitty outside and we should help it back home. Oh, I bought the bread like you told me.”
“You’re such a good girl, Machi. I’ll be there in a minute to help the cat but you shouldn’t touch it. I need to make sure that it doesn’t have fleas or anything like that.” Mahiru told her and she lowered the broom into an empty alley. “You did a great job going to the store and buying bread too. I’m really proud of you.”
“I told you that I was responsible!”
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smoothbromes · 3 months
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My Boyfriend.
My Boyfriend.
I think about my boyfriend a lot because my boyfriend is often on my mind and I like to have him in there. There’s something really fun about focusing on my boyfriend I won’t allow myself to feel shame about it. My best friend Cornelia said it’s okay for me to do this so I think it’s okay, too. When I imagine my boyfriend he is looking over at me with just the most beautiful look of love. Sometimes he looks over at me with lust and that’s when things get extra exciting. My favorite way to think about my boyfriend is to do it when I’m alone. It’s sweet of him to give me my space. I understand now after years of self-improvement I would never dare to become a codependent lover again and he very much agrees.
I met my boyfriend in a great way. He was walking down one side of the street I was on the other we both crossed the street and knocked right into each other! If I was a stronger girl I would’ve been upset with him like hey watch where you’re going. Instead I said nothing, I felt dizzy. My boyfriend makes me dizzy. While I was standing there holding my dizzy head he picked up all the stuff I dropped, how considerate. Crouched down holding my things he kept apologizing. My boyfriend on his knees, looking up at me with worried brown eyes. That’s the way I love to see my boyfriend. At night when he gets off work, I walk around our beautiful apartment pushing things off the counter and such so he can pick them back up for me. It’s one of our many kinky little games.
Or actually, now that I’m thinking about it, I met my boyfriend at the pet food store. I don’t have a pet and neither does he, we were both in there buying gifts for friends. Isn’t that so darn cute? A talking parrot had captivated my attention when he saddled up right next to me. “Fucked up about its leg, huh?” he asked, referring to the parrot’s fucked up leg. I said something back along the lines of “Yeah, so fucked up,” then smiled my biggest smile at him because I like to smile for sexy boys. With all the animal pheromones bouncing around, I was overtaken with the urge to shove my nose into his armpits and lap up his smell. So I did, and he loved it. I love my boyfriend’s smell. We stood there in that pet food store, in front of the talking parrot and its fucked up leg, licking and sniffing each other for hours.
All my coworkers want to meet my boyfriend. I’d love to bridge this connection—my boyfriend makes big cement cube statues and I happen to work at a big cement cube store. That’s kind of how we met, it’s a sweet story. I was sent to pick up some cement (for the making of cement cubes), an errand I would usually take the Manhattan bound 4/5 train to accomplish. That fateful day, however, I hopped on the Manhattan bound 2 and found myself seated next to a boy with beautiful dark long hair. He was reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which is one of my all time favorite books. I didn’t say that though, as a girl should have her own identity and keep things mysterious. Feeling bold, I reached out and started to braid his hair, wanting to twist my fingers into his silky locks. My mom didn’t teach me how to braid and I didn’t go to camp or anything, so I only know how to do the one simple style. As I went about my braiding, he put down his book and closed his eyes. I think I heard him moaning a bit. The shuffling of the subway car made it difficult to maintain proper composure, but he was a good receptive model. When I finished, he turned towards me with tears welling in his eyes and said simply, “The feminine touch…”
I told him I usually take a different train, that our meeting was in fact kismet. He said he always takes the Manhattan bound 2 on his way to the cement factory. New York really is a small town I suppose; I run into my boyfriend everywhere.
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sublimecatgalaxy · 2 years
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Soft Place To Land- Part 5
Pairing: Fezco (Euphoria) x Reader
Summary: After a few weeks of getting closer, the reader and Lily decide to stay a weekend at Fez, the man clearing out his whole calendar to spend time with his girls. But after a bit too much to weed, the reader and Fez dive a bit too head first into their closeness.
Song: "Desperado" by Rihanna
Word Count: 3k
Warnings: Smut. Plain and simple. Drug use and swearing.
A/n: I've been FREAKING OUT about this part. I hope you all like it❤️ Thank @jeyramarie for validating me while I was writing this go give her a follow😂
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I didn’t think that he could keep surprising me.
I thought that, as a teen, men really didn’t change or grow that much throughout their lives. My grandmother would constantly tell me that ‘men only have enough blood to supply their brains or their dicks and that they could only think with one at a time’. I knew this applied to most men, even Fez sometimes, his hands unable to keep off of me, even in public. It was an aspect that I especially missed the more time that went by. We spent all the time in the world together recently, it just reminding me of how we used to be when we were younger.
Now we just had a built-in best friend, Lily.
She consumed his every breath and glance when I wasn’t in the room, or if I was out and about running errands. Even Ash stepped up to help watch her when Fez and I wanted to get out of the house for a bit, going out to dinner or the grocery store. We took all the time that we could get while she was sound asleep, Fez buying a little bed for her to go in the guest room. She fell in love with it almost immediately, begging me to bring toys over to Fez’s apartment, the stuffed animals and blocks soon littering the floors.
This weekend specifically, he invited the two of us over to stay for the whole two days. He had cleared his whole schedule, urging Ash to do the same so we could all just stay in and, how Ash liked to say it, ‘dick around’. I was excited to say the least, a whole two days in a row, sleeping over, waking up to my boys and my baby girl. Lily was excited too, pleading with me the last few days to go over there so she could hang out with Ash. She didn’t understand the whole ‘uncle’ concept so she gets silly and bashful around the young boy, following him around everywhere that he went. It was cute for Fez and I to watch from the couch, her little legs carrying her around the kitchen, chasing Ash as he would laugh. I could only pray that she would soften Ash to the point where he could calm down and appreciate the more important things in life.
“You guys good?” Fez asks, catching my attention as I look up from my phone, watching as he leans against the doorframe. Lily sits up on her bed, the toys in her hands dropping as she smiles at the man. He just sends her a grin right back, watching as she makes her way to her feet to rush over to him. She holds her arms up to him, his eyes rolling playfully as he scoops her up into his hold, Lily resting gently on his hip.
“Dada is stronger than you mama.” She snickers, pointing her finger in my direction as my jaw drops, my eyes fluttering up to Fez who just smiles smugly with a shrug.
“You right, peanut, dada is stronger.” He whispers to her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head as I toss my phone to the side, my whole body moving to get off the bed. “Let’s bounce before ma decides to hurt dada.” Fez chuckles, Lily giggling loudly in his holds as he leaves the room without a second thought, our child in his grasp. I just laugh, my head shaking as I fall back onto the bed.
The ‘dada’ title was new, it only started over the last week. He was shocked when she first said it, his eyes flickering to mine for clarification that I did indeed heard it too. He was still getting used to it, his cheeks blushing softly whenever the small, meaningful word would slip from her mouth. He loved it, telling me that it not only made him feel closer to her but it made him feel closer to me. That he finally felt like she was ours instead of just mine.
It’s late, inching closer to Lily’s bedtime as she avoids it. She liked staying up as late as we would allow her to, soaking up every moment of socialization that we had to offer. But it was getting closer to that time, and though I hated being the bad guy, it was time for sleep.
Stepping out into the living room, Ash tugs Lily around the kitchen in circles as Fez watches, a proud smile on his lips. His gaze flutters up to look at me briefly, his cheeks flushed and probably hurting from how much he’s smiled today. When Lily sees me, she frowns, knowing that it’s time for bed. Ash just stops his spinning, sitting down on the floor next to the small girl as she pouts.
“Bed time?” She asks quietly, reaching out to place a hand on Ash’s shoulder. I just give her a gentle nod as she huffs, turning to Ash who just shrugs at the girl. “Can Ash take me?” She asks excitedly, her eyes wide as I giggle, watching as Fezco scoops her up in his arms, tossing her right over his shoulder.
“Ash can come with. Come on.” I follow the two boys, Lily’s hand waving at me from over Fez’s shoulder. I chuckle as we enter the bedroom, immediately going to sit on the bed as Fez tosses Lily down onto her bed. She just shuffles under the covers, her hands grabbing at the tops of the blankets as Fez kneels down next to her. She smiles up at him and then shifts her gaze to me, her eyes shining with happiness. Standing up, I kneel down next to Fez, my fingers brushing through Lily’s hair as her eyelashes flutter against her cheeks.
“Goodnight, Lilybug.” I whisper, my lips pressing against her cheek as she slips off to sleep, a small sigh leaving my lips. Fez just pats my back, holding out a hand for me to hold as he leads us out of the room. I shut the door quietly behind me, the lock clicking shut as Ash turns to me, wrapping his arms around my waist tightly. “Night, kid.” I smile, pushing him towards his room as he nods silently to Fez. Once the kids are all safe and sound in their rooms, Fez and I share a look of relief, a blunt being pulled out from his pocket as I smirk.
He rests against the doorway of the kitchen, the joint between his lips as his eyes watch me, his gaze dark and daunting. I could tell that he wanted to ask me something, his eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks as his gaze flicker over my body. The room is quiet, Lily sounds asleep and Ash probably tucked at his desk, ready to play games for the next few hours. Fez had been stealing glances of me all day, his eyes lingering a bit longer than they should on my legs and lips, a small blush on his cheeks. My legs swing back and forth off of the side of the counter, my fingers tightly gripping the side.
“You want some?” He asks, the blunt resting between his nimble fingers as he stretches his arm out to me. I send him a quick nod, my cheeks warming as he steps up to me slowly, his gaze on the floor. His hips nudge my legs apart while my eyebrows pulls together in confusion at the move. My eyes flicker down to the joint that gets discarded onto the counter, his fingers reaching up to gently wrap around my chin, his thumb brushing against my bottom lip as my lips part. My eyes widen as he leans towards me, his lips brushing against mine as he exhales, the smoke invading my lungs through my parted lips. I gasp quietly, his eyes fluttering shut as I quickly scan over his face, my heart pounding violently against my ribs. His eyes open for a brief moment, his blood shot eyes flickering between mine and my lips, a look of realization passing over his face. “Can I-” Before he can go on, my hands slip up to rest on his face, pulling him to me as I capture his lips in mine. He hums quietly as his hands travel down to rest on my thighs, skimming against the trim of my sleep shorts. He pulls away from me with a soft groan, his forehead resting against mine as he catches his breath. “Fuck, was that alright?” He asks quietly, a small laugh leaving my lips as I reach up, placing my hands on his shoulders as he blushes bashfully.
“Long time comin’, buddy.” I giggle, his hands winding around my waist to pull me tightly against him. I just look up at him through my lashes, my head swimming with thoughts as I take a deep breath. He has a soft smile on his lips, his cheeks red and my thumbs rub gently against his shoulder blades as his body relaxes. “You can kiss me whenever you want.” I whisper, my ankles linking behind his back as I send him a reassuring smile. He just nods slowly, not expecting my openness as he leans forward, pressing a kiss to my cheek. “That’s code for kiss me now.” I chuckle, watching as he blows out a breath of air before his lips are on mine again. This kiss is much more heated, his hands slipping up the back of my shirt to rest on my bare skin. I shiver under his touch, my head tilting to deepen the kiss. He moans quietly, the feeling of my blunt nails dragging over his scalp driving him crazy. My lips travel from his own, down his neck as he grunts, his hands moving to cup my ass. “Please, I-” I mutter, leaning back to look at him but he just picks me up into his arms, a happy squeal leaving my lips as he carries me out of the living room.
Moments later, I’m dropped onto his mattress with a huff, a grin spread across my lips. His shirt is over his head in a second, his body sliding on top of me as he litters my neck with kisses, his soft sighs making my head spin. This had been more than a long time coming, the image of him on top of me invading all of my dreams and thoughts. Two days ago, I would’ve killed to feel his lips on mine and now I have them.
“Fez, I want you.” I whisper, his eyes finding mine as he smiles, his thumb rubbing circles on my hip.
“You have me.” He sighs, kissing my lips sweetly as he helps me lift my shirt over my head. My arms instinctively wrap around my bare chest, my nipples perking up immediately in the cold room. He just looks down at me with a soft laugh, knowing that after all this time, with all the experience we had, this somehow still felt new. “I’m all yours, ma.” He whispers, his fingers wrapping around my wrists to pull my hands away from myself. My cheeks heat up bashfully as he presses kisses to the sensitive skin of my breasts, his lips capturing my nipple gently as I moan out. He hums at the noise, continuing his actions and traveling further down my body. “Fuck, I missed you.” He mutters against my stomach, his nose dragging against the skin as I watch him. He just holds me, his cheek pressed against me as I rub a hand over the top of his head.
“Show me how much you missed me.” I offer, his gaze changing to something a bit more teasing. I just giggle, nodding my head as he scoffs, shrugging his shoulders.
“I mean, when you put it like that-” He starts but I cut him off with another kiss, our laughs mingling in the space between us. His hand travels between us, his fingers teasing under the material of my sleep shorts as I shutter, arching into him. It’s like no time went by, his knowledge of my body still present and up to date as his fingers brush carefully against my clit. I stutter a deep breath in, the air catching in my throat as my eyes flutter shut. My head falls back against the pillow with a moan, my hips jumping up into his light touch.
“Stop teasing.” I moan, a small laugh leaving his lips as he presses a kiss to my cheek.
“If you don’t like my teasin’ then why you moaning?” He asks playfully, my eyes rolling as I huff. “Hmm? You want me inside you?” He asks, a breathy whimper leaving my lips at his vulgar words, his tone dripping with lust. I nod simply, my words stuck on the tip of my tongue. He slips my shorts off of me, tossing them to the floor. “You gotta be quiet.” He whispers, his hands slipping his sweats off as he nudges his way between my legs. I just wrap my arms around his neck, my thighs spreading further to make room for him. “This gonna hurt for you? How long has it been-”
“Not since you.” I mutter sheepishly, his eyes widening as he looks down at me. A sly grin breaks out over his lips as he presses a kiss to my forehead, a laugh rumbling in his chest.
“You’re perfect.” I laugh at his words but the laughter turns into loud moans as he slips inside of me, the feeling of him filling me up making me see stars. By the time he bottoms out in me, his back is heaving in breaths as he adjusts. “Fuck, still get this wet, huh?” He asks, my head bobbing in a nod as I scoff, my legs moving to wrap around his waist. Leaning down, he presses heated, open mouthed kisses to my chest, waiting for me to adjust and to give him the go ahead. After a few moments, I pat his back gently, a thin layer of sweat on the heated skin as I gasp, the feeling of him thrust in and out of me for the first time in three years making tears spring to my eyes.
“Feels so good.” I whisper, my lips skimming against his neck as he groans, his forehead falling to rest on my shoulder. His hand slips down between us, teasing me before gently circling my clit. I gasp at the feeling, my hips moving to meet his thrusts as I wrap my arms tighter around his neck.
“Not gonna last long with you squeezing me and shit.” He laughs nervously, his face tucking into the crook of my neck to hide his embarrassment. I could probably say the same, I was done for, especially with him filling me up and his fingers teasing me to the edge. My whimpers turn into loud moans as I cling to him, my lips pressing thankful kisses to his cheek. “Never gon’ leave you. I’m here.” He reassures, his gentle kisses on my shoulder calming the tension. I knew that this changed things, solidified things almost, the new found intimacy leading us down a different path than just ‘co-parenting’. I tuck my lip between my teeth as his hips start moving faster, a loud groan rumbling in his chest as I claw his back. I reach down, cupping his cheeks to make him look at me, his eyes full of sincerity as he smiles, his forehead moving to rest against mine. His eyebrows are pulled together in pleasure, his swollen lips parting as he lets out quiet moans. I had forgotten how much I loved the view from down here, knowing that he felt safe and sound in my arms. Especially in this way.
My walls flutter around him without intention, dragging another deep moan from him. I grin wickedly at the noise, just loving that something so simple could drive him this crazy. He laughs breathlessly, knowing that I was quietly loving his blissed out expression.
“I’m close.” I whisper, his thrusts taking a different angle to go impossibly deeper, his arm wrapping around my body to get me closer to him. My breath gets caught in my throat as his fingers speed up their movement, now on a mission to draw an orgasm from me. I squeal, my hands fisting the sheets beneath us. He looks completely infatuated with my pleasure-filled expression, my whole body buzzing in arousal beneath him. His eyes travel down to where we meet, the image sending him over the edge as I follow, the rubberband in my belly snapping as I bite my lip. My whole body trembles against him as I clench tightly around him, the feeling making him wince from sensitivity. He presses a gentle kiss to my lips as his thrusts slow down, his fingers leaving my clit as he bottoms out. I cling onto him as my breathing slows, my body relaxing beneath him as he hums happily.
“Can I stay here for a sec?” He asks, softening inside of me as I nod, just wanting to feel him close to me. “‘lright.” He whispers, my hands reaching out to the blanket that I pull over us, my fingers scratching his back softly in the way that I know he loves.
The next morning, standing at the counter, my hips ache as I sip my coffee. Fez sits on the couch in the living room, his cheeks flushed every time he catches my gaze, bashful from our actions last night. We hadn’t discussed what it meant yet, if this meant anything regarding our relationship. It was possibly the most intimate time we’d ever had sex, the closeness and gentleness of his touch making my mind spin elsewhere.
Ash steps out of the hallway with a knowing look, his gaze flickering back and forth between Fez and I, noticing the great distance between us. “You guys look like you had a rough night.” He mutters, sending a wink my way as he moves on with his morning.
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shigarakis-cumdump · 3 years
Text
An Unhealthy Obsession- Shigaraki x reader
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https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shigarakiscumdump/works
(If you like what you read, consider supporting me on Ao3!)
Summary: Short yandere fic based off the song “An Unhealthy Obsession,” by The Blake Robinson Synth. Orchestra. 
Cw: yandere and stalker tendencies
Word count: 1.9k 
.✫*゚・゚。.☆.*。・゚✫*..✫*゚・゚。.★.*。・゚✫*..✫*゚・゚。.☆.*。・゚✫*..✫*゚・゚。.★.*。・゚✫*.
Many people would call Shigarki the creepy type if they saw him on the street. Slouched over, face always buried in his phone with his hoodie covering the rest. He looked like your local creep who hung around popular stores and malls by himself. He would go to one mall in particular, even more so after he realized they had a Game Stop there. He would frequently go in to browse, and while he was checking out one day, he met you behind the counter.
“Will this be all?” you ask in your sweet customer service voice, with your head slightly tilted. Shigaraki froze in place. No one this pretty has ever talked to him before.
“Um, yeah, that’s all.” he says quickly, looking down to the ground while you're bagging his games.
“This one’s my favorite; I’ve been playing non-stop since it came out, have fun with it!” you say as you hand the bag back. And you play games? Could it get any more perfect?!
“Thanks,” he managed before walking out of the store and finding the closest bathroom. He locked the stall door and sat down. With his heartbeat in his cock, he couldn’t stop thinking of how innocent your voice sounded, and how pretty you looked. He decided from then on you were his next obsession.
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Shigaraki visited the store so often he learned your schedule. He would watch others make small talk with you, and it made him want to steal you for himself. His blood boiled when someone else would make you laugh. Soon enough, seeing you at your work wasn’t enough. He wanted to know more about you. So he followed you home one day. He kept his distance, being too scared of appearing creepy to people around him. You lived a few blocks away from him, who knew!This made it very easy for Shigaraki to stake out across the street and just watch you for hours. You always kept your windows open, maybe for the natural light? He appreciated it though; in his eyes, you left your blinds open for him. So he could watch as you dance around your room with your dog, and then relax and watch tv, hugging a pillow as you accidentally fall asleep. You were precious, and he realized all you wanted, all you needed, was someone like him to cuddle up into, to make sure you were safe. After all, there were too many creeps who could hurt you- he was just making sure they didn't get to you.
Shigaraki made it back to his place, but you never left his head. He went from sitting in the bushes, to sitting hunched over his desk, looking up your name on every search engine imaginable. “Bingo!” he says once he finds your socials. He scrolls down your page, seeing your stories about going to conventions earlier in the summer, spending time with your friends and- oh? What’s this? You were hugging a boy in this picture. Shigaraki zoomed in to get a good look at his face. “Why would you want a bastard like him?” he grunted angrily. He clicked on his profile and saw a post of you two eating at “your favorite restaurant” together for his birthday. The post was from the beginning of this year, so maybe you weren’t still with the guy. I mean Shigaraki didn’t see anyone while he was stalking you, which was a good sign.
Over time, his camera roll would fill up with screenshots of you off of your profile, shaky pictures he snapped of you while you were working, etc. He was in the store just when you worked now, because any other time he was following paces behind you to wherever your pretty feet were taking you. Stepping up to the counter with a few games, you began checking him out. His voice low and quiet as he asked, “Do you play games often?”
“Oh sure! Whenever I have free time, really. But lately I’ve been too busy. We should totally play together sometime!” you beam. Play together? He wanted to do a lot more than that .
“C-Cool, then I’ll see you through a screen next time,” Shigaraki scratches his neck awkwardly. You give him that practiced smile you show to all the customers. “Oh, what time do you get out?” he asks, and you give him a confused look. “S-so I know when to hop on! Just in case..” he drifts off, trying to keep cool. You tell him around 8, and he leaves. That’s perfect. Gives him just enough time to run some errands.
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Shigaraki went to the hardware store and got the smallest cameras he would find. He hurried over to your place, and prayed the key was still under the rug where you left it. And it was! He unlocked your door, and your small dog ran up to him, jumping on his leg. “You’re a friendly little guy, aren’t you?” he says, leaning down to pet the dog. Don’t get distracted ! He reminded himself. He began by setting a few cameras up in your room, one facing each corner. This gave him a perfect view of your bed, desk, and closet. While he was in there, he picked up a piece of thin red fabric off the ground. He inhaled deeply, to smell a sweet and salty scent. He shoved them into his pockets for later, and finished placing the cameras.
Back out in the living room, your dog was following him around. Shigaraki knelt down and gave him a pat. He read the dog's collar; apparently his name was Shiro. Cute. “You want something, Shiro? You need some food?” he asked, looking around for his dog dish. He found it and filled it up and then sat on the couch. He took your panties out of his pocket, giving them another whiff. The smell shot straight down to his groin, heating him up. He pulled his phone out and went to his album just for you and scrolled through the pictures. He loved you so dearly, and one day you would know just how much he cherished you. He played back the small interactions the two of you had, and all the memories you’d have together in the future. He palmed his hardening cock, head leaning back on the couch.
It was 6:30, he still had a few more hours before you were back. He revealed his dick from his sweatpants, his tip leaking pre. He put your red panties in his hand, and started to jerk himself off- the soft lace brushing against the underside of his dick. His breathing became hitched and sporadic at the thought of you underneath him making the same noises. No, he wasn’t experienced, but you would teach him everything he needed to know!
“Y/N… god you’re so tight..” he groaned. His hips thrusting up into you as you let out lewd noises for him. He grabbed your face and whispered sweet nothings into your ear.
“God please- fuck, I’m close, Shiggy!” you whined under him, twitching with your back arched and a tit in his mouth. The thoughts that filled his mind went directly to his cock. Shigaraki humped his hand, wishing it could be you, waiting for when it was you. Maybe you’d even fuck on this couch, who knows. He quickly finished and made sure to leave nothing behind before heading out and staking out behind the bushes again.
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You throw yourself on the couch as always, sitting where he sat just an hour ago. You made yourself some tea as you turned the tv on. It wasn’t too late, meaning Shigaraki could watch you for a bit.
A little later, you make yourself dinner. You take the trash out and leave it by the road. Shigaraki, being the weirdo he is, makes his way across the street, dangerously close to your front window, to snoop through your trash. There had to be something good in there. . He rummaged through your trash to find empty take out containers, some paper, and- chapstick? He wasn’t big on using it himself, but if it was yours, it was automatically going on his lips. He thought of it like an indirect kiss from his one and only. It had a taste of sweet strawberries, probably what you would taste like if he ever had the chance to kiss you. One day, he keeps telling himself. He pulls out his phone to check your room cameras and he sees you starting up your pc. Right! You asked to game with him earlier!  Shigaraki raced back home to load his game, praying he would find you in one of the local servers. There was FlameThrower2050 , TheRadicalDude , SuckItRight , and Shiro’sCloud online. You had to be the last one. He shot you a direct message, asking if you were up for a game, and you said yes. You actually said yes! Of course, you didn’t know it was him. You went into a private lobby and you turned on your headset. “Hey, can you hear me?” you asked innocently. Your pure voice went right through his heart. “Uh yeah, you sound great,” he blurts out. “Oh, Shigaraki?” you remembered his name?! This left him ecstatic. The game starts and you play a few rounds, Shigaraki being in heaven. You ended up beating him. In every. Single. Round. A bit embarrassing for him, but you laughed it off and didn’t make fun of him for it. Oddly, that stuck with him. You were so nice the whole time- he couldn’t wait to talk to you at work tomorrow!
It was getting late, which is why you had to go, which also meant Shigaraki got to watch you on the cameras. He pulled out his phone, switching to the view of your bed. You crawled in with just panties and an oversized shirt on, how cute. You scrolled on your phone for a little, until it dropped on your chest and you fell asleep. Your phone battery is gunna die, silly… Shigaraki thinks to himself. He could always go over and plug it in for you. No! That was too dangerous!! What if you wake up when he’s standing over you? Certainly that’s not a good impression to leave. He argues with himself for a bit before he’s out of the house, running down the street. His feet carry him all the way back to your place. He grabs the key and goes for the door. It was unlocked. You left it unlocked for him? How nice of you! He sneaks in and Shiro is quick to jump on him. Shiro took quite a liking to him. He tiptoed over to your room, looking at your sleeping body through the door crack. He opened the door slightly, going in and looming over you. He pried the phone from out of your hands and plugged it in for you. You would thank him later; tomorrow! When you’d see him next. Shigaraki zoned out, watching you sleep soundly for a good hour, stealing pictures of you while you were snoring, and getting a quick sniff of your hair. He had stayed there a lot longer than intended, the sun starting to rise. He snuck out of your room and locked the door on his way out.
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“Oh, hey!” Shigaraki hears your pleasant voice call out to him from the counter. “Last night was a lot of fun; how about we play again tonight?” you ask him. He immediately says yes, his heart doing flips in his chest. This was the start of something good.
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vibraniumwing · 3 years
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soft.
a bucky barnes x fem!reader wherein the reader comes home to see the super soldier with a toddler tucked in his lap.
WARNING: none! (all mistakes within the story are mine)
A/N: soft and domestic (and clingy) bucky, anyone? i’ve written this with tfaws bucky in mind after episode five where he was on the couch and smiled after seeing sam’s nephews. so yes now i present to you bucky with a child bcs we need that content, ,, good bYe for i shall be drowning in my own feels.
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“Do you really have to go, doll?” Bucky asked, watching you by the frame of your shared bedroom door with his hands crossed against his chest. A heavy sigh heaving from his lips as his eyes observed you pick out a shirt to wear, hands grasping on his black shirt and opted to wear that; a small smile formed on his lips as you slipped into the clothing piece, adoring how big it looks on you.
You turned to him with your hand on your waist, an eyebrow raised, “Unless you want to starve for a whole month then fine I won’t go to the grocery” you say teasingly, checking yourself out in the mirror before walking up to him, arms linking around his neck loosely; his hands circling around your waist in a protective manner as he pulls you into him. “I won’t be gone for the whole day, James.”
He groaned softly, wanting nothing more than to accompany you but seeing that you were going with your mother, he opted out. “You always say that then be gone for the whole afternoon.” he grumbles in between the kisses he gives you. “You and your mom take so much time at the grocery store.”
You threw your head back and laughed, finding his small whiny state adorable. You retract your arms from behind his neck and cupped the sides of his face, squishing his cheeks gently. “You sound like a child, Buck. I promise I won’t be long. Besides, you have Alpine to keep you company.” you motion your head to the sleeping cat on the bed.
“Now please let me go so I can leave now and be back sooner.” you tell him, pressing one final kiss to his lips before ducking out of his embrace, making your way to the front door and grabbing your car keys before turning back to see him standing behind you with a small pout on his lips (albeit he would never admit to doing such an act),
You grinned and walked up to him, reaching up to press a small kiss on his lips. “Sometimes it's hard to believe you’re this big scary dude that can take twenty men down in a course of ten minutes when all I see is this big baby.” you tease, a hand snaking up to the back of his head to play with the ends of his hair softly.
“Doll wait before you go” Bucky starts off, holding onto you, cheeks lightly flushed as he hesitated with his words, clearing his throat lightly before looking away, “Can you set up that damn Netflix thing on the TV before you leave?”
Your gaze on him softened even more and nodded, leading him to the living room and set the whole thing up for him, handing him the remote right after. “I’m guessing you can manage now?” he smiled shyly, the area around his eyes crinkling as he nodded. “Yeah, I will. Thanks, doll.”
“I’ll be back later, I love you, Buck!” You bid him a goodbye, looking back at him from the door and gave him a small wave, the male waving back before focusing on the TV, searching for that one movie you suggested he watch.
“What was that movie called again? RIght, The Breakfast Club”
---
Not even half-way through the movie, Bucky had somehow fallen asleep on the couch, not finding the first few minutes of the film entertaining. He somehow fell deep into slumber that he didn’t even notice the front door of the house opening until he felt something being placed on his stomach.
He stirred awake and the first thing his blurry vision could make out is the outline of a toddler sitting on him. “Hey James, I’m leaving Hugo with you and Y/N for the weekend. Our babysitter cancelled out last minute and I’ve been trying to call my sister but she hasn’t picked up any calls.” Damian, your younger brother said in a rush, putting down your nephew’s baby bag on the coffee table. “Thanks James, we owe you one.”
But before Bucky could get a say in any of this, Damian was already out the door and the sound of a car pulling away was followed. Barely half-awake, he stared at the tyke who was staring right back at him with his innocent E/C doe eyes. “What do I do with you?”
He takes Hugo in his arms as he sits up, placing him on his lap, his metal arm reaching over to pause television. “Y/N’s better at this than I am.” he mumbles, watching the child look around the room before he started to fidget on the larger male’s lap, wanting to roam around.
Bucky sighs, “Now why won’t Y/N answer her calls?” he asks the tiny human who was still staring up at him. He reaches over to grab his phone and dials your number, only to hear it ring from the other side of the house, inside your room. He dropped the call and placed his phone inside his pocket, now wondering what he could do to keep the small person alive.
“Usually Y/N deals with you.” He says, watching the small child struggle on his lap, clearly wanting to get down. Bucky finally gets what Hugo wanted to do and sets him down on the carpeted floor, watching the toddler (wobbly) walk around the space freely.
Seeing that the child was doing alright after finding a small fixation with Alpine who was now resting near the couch, he returned his attention back to the TV to resume watching the movie. His attention split in half as he continued to glance back at the kid who was now playing with the toys you had brought him and kept at in a basket in the corner of the living room where you deemed it “Hugo’s Area”
Bucky was finally getting into the film, entertainment written all over his face at the sight of the students dancing around the library until it morphed into one of concern when a small bonk followed by a loud cry resonated the room making him look over at Hugo who was already flushed from crying.
He paused the movie again and rushed over to Hugo’s side, taking the small boy in his arms, cradling him on his lap as he tried to calm him down. “Now kid, don’t cry on me. C’mon” he mumbled, raising him up lightly to look at his forehead as he searched for any wounds, relieved to find none.
“C’mon James, what would Y/N do…” He said to himself, standing up as he moved around and cradled the crying child, trying to remember what you would do whenever he has meltdowns like this.
“Oh god, right!” Bucky exclaimed as he remembered, quickly going to the couch and sat down, placing Hugo on his lap as he gently placed his vibranium hand on the back of his head and his flesh one cupping the smaller one’s cheek, wiping the tears that glistened on his smooth skin.
Seeing how the toddler was starting to calm down, he carefully spoke, “Now you gotta work with me, little one.” Bucky then proceeded to blow softly on his face, remembering how you would do that when Hugo was having a fit. “Now can you do that for me as well?” He asked, encouraging the child with a small smile.
Once he felt the kid do the same thing, he repeated the steps a few more times until he was completely calm, letting the child snuggle up against his chest, feeling how he would occasionally let out a small shuddering sob from time to time, making Bucky laugh at the adorable action. “Now what do you want to do?” he gently asked, the cold surface of his metal hand that caressed the child’s back making small bubbles of laughter elicit from the baby.
“Bucky wead [ read ] pwease?” was all that left the two-year old’s mouth, causing a small surprise from the older. Hugo then pushed himself off from Bucky’s chest and turned to his small corner of the room, raising his small arm and pointing his even smaller finger towards the bookshelf that was filled to the brim with story books.
A chuckle left the soldier’s lips, “Alright then, little dude. Go take your pick.” he then proceeded to let him down and watch as the toddler walked his way towards the array of books and picked out one, running back towards him with a big smile.
“Alright big guy, what do you have for me?” Bucky asked, taking the tyke in his arms once again, taking the book from Hugo’s hands. He let out a (very) fake gasp of excitement which made the toddler laugh out loud as his reaction, making small little wiggles of his own eagerness for the book.
Bucky shifted in his seat a little to be more comfortable, letting Hugo snuggle up to him as he opened the book and started to read, “Llama Llama, red pajama, reads a story with his mama.”
---
You were elated to finally come back home and fall into your lover’s arms from a long day of errands with your mom. After the Target trip with your mom, you had to drive her back home and help her with her own groceries and pack up everything with her over at your childhood home一 with an addition of having a few serious talks with her about your future.
“Seriously, Y/N. When are you going to give me a grandchild?” Your mother poked your sides as you helped her bring in the bags filled with her stuff. Ever since Damian introduced Hugo to the family, she’d been on your heels about when you and Bucky would bring one to them as well; admittedly you and him had been in a much longer relationship than Damian and his wife which surprises everyone even more.
You shrugged, rolling your eyes in a playful manner. “I don’t know, mom. I think I’m content being with Bucky for now.” you answered truthfully, setting the items on the kitchen island and turned to her, “Besides, we have Alpine! Our cat!”
This made your mother sigh, laughing softly at your antics. “I know my sweet girl, but I’m just so excited to see a little you or James run around with Hugo.” Her answer causes your heart to swell at the thought of starting a family with him some day; conversations like this with him are normal but are always caught in a fleeting moment so you were never certain about his opinions on the matter.
“Well you just have to wait and see, ma.”
Taking the bags in your hand, you walked over to the door and opened it with ease, expecting to see Bucky waiting for you on the other side only to be greeted by none. Your eyebrows were furrowed as you carefully stepped inside, assuming he had fallen asleep as he waited for you until you heard his quiet voice resonating through the living room. “Little llama, don’t you know? Mama llama loves you so”
You peeked at the source of the sound and what you saw made you just melt on the spot. Bucky had Hugo on his lap, your nephew playing with the thumb of his artificial arm as he listened to the story that he was barely paying attention to as he was already falling asleep.
Not wanting to interrupt the moment, you graced on over to the kitchen in silence and arranged everything as quiet as you can. The smile on your face growing bigger at the thought of how much of a good father Bucky could be; the sight of him with your nephew caused a thousand butterflies to dance around in your stomach freely.
“You’re back, doll?” Bucky’s quiet voice made you jump, head whipping to his direction where he stood with Hugo fast asleep in his arms.
You nod and walk towards him, offering to take him from his arms and Bucky disagreed, pulling away from your attempts. “Hugo’s with me, I’ll take him to bed and I’ll help you finish out here, alright?”
Chuckling softly, you agree and reach up to place a quick kiss on your nephew’s forehead, moving aside so Bucky can place him down inside your room.
You were folding up the plastic bags when you felt a pair of arms sneak up and circle your waist, capturing you in a back hug. Your back was flat against his chest, the warmth from his body making you relax in his arms. Turning around, you let your arms snake up around his neck, your hands playing with the ends of his hair, his physique visibly loosening up. “So your brother came here earlier and said you weren’t picking up your calls.”
“I forgot my phone, i know.” you told him, throwing your head back slightly to let out a soft groan of annoyance at yourself before looking back at him. You met his gaze and his eyes were filled with adoration and love with a spark of something you can’t seem to pinpoint. “What’s going through that head of yours, James?”
He hummed softly, pressing a quick kiss to your lips, “I was just thinking of how I want to have a family of my own with you.” he answered truthfully, not finding anything shameful in admitting his thoughts. “The afternoon I spent with Hugo made me realize I want that for us as well.” his words were soft and dripping with enthusiasm at the thought of being with you for the rest of your days.
This made your cheeks flush lightly, a happy smile resting on your lips as you were already in agreement of his words, “I’ve been thinking the exact same thing, Bucky. I can’t wait to have our own little minion running around the house.” you admitted, this time making Bucky smile even wider than yours, happy that you had the same thought.
“Also, not to brag but I think I’m his favourite now.” Bucky said out of nowhere, grabbing the small carton of chocolate milk from behind you and letting you go, opening the drink and chugging it down in one go.
You rolled your eyes at his words, playfully flipping him off as you sauntered into the pantry where you were arranging your stock of goods. “I highly doubt that, he loves me way more.”
“That’s what you think but Hugo made me read his favourite book to him so now I’m his favourite. He even said it himself.”
“Oh no he didn’t!”
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darlingbudsofrae · 2 years
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andreil hc (3)
My first AFTG headcanon of the year where one of the things Andrew and Neil bought for the apartment were a box of toys. They were at the mall checking out some sheets and pillowcases when Andrew saw Neil glancing at the toy store next door and Andrew knew they had to go there even when Neil was trying to convince him otherwise. Neil ended up throwing a bunch of toys that looked interesting (andrew tried to return the kiddie exy kit on the shelf, he failed) and yeah, that's basically how they ended up having a box of toys in the living room.
It mostly goes unnoticed, but at the rare times they're bored and have nothing else to do, Neil plops down on the floor and opens the box and Andrew sits cross-legged next to him. The cats linger around them as Neil grabs a select few from the box. They play with toys they couldn't even touch when they were kids— and it's just so innocent and peaceful with Andrew dropping a dry, sarcastic remark that would never fail not to get Neil to laugh, and Neil creating this elaborate stories that gets Andrew amused, the cats nuzzling between their sided every now and then, sometimes coming to close to the toys that Andrew had to gruffly tell them that they have their own. It becomes a thing, though they didn't need to admit that out loud.
(extra: the first of the foxes to see the box was matt, who excitedly went thru it after neil explained what the box contains,, and showed a curious Neil and a reluctant andrew how to use most of the toys that they didn't know how to. when matt slipped this to dan who then proceeded to tell it to the others, nicky started sending so many toys from germany that andrew had to call him to stop cuz he wouldn't have the apartment crowded in it. allison and renee to sent stuffed animals which neil adored (andrew secretly did too) he puts one near their bed each night that andrew would sometimes complain about the lack of bed space (it was a large bed lol plus andrew usually ends up hogging the stuffed animal to himself anyway). kevin didn't really care until he visited the apartment himself and tripped over the unsuspecting box. andrew was out running an errand that day and was surprised to come home seeing these two exy junkies pros on the floor playing mini exy intensely,, with that small exy kiddie kit neil bought way back. andrew was called to play goalie and he didn't know but they ended up playing with the rest of the toys like the kids they never got to be.)
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izukus-sugar-baby · 3 years
Text
Checked out!
WARNINGS: fluff-ish, eventually will be smut, mentions of getting sick twice
word count: 2k
Heres my first writing for tumblr! Hope you all like it!
Part Two, Part Three.
"Hey Miss!!" You peered down at the smaller voice, simultaneously feeling a book slip from your hand and onto the ground. The bookshelf was at least 5 rows high, and you had been standing as far as you needed to reach the top. You were dusting off and replacing the books on the shelf, which... hadn’t been so pleasant with children running around before their daily read. Regardless, you had a job to do. It wasn't gonna stop for a ton of kids. You had been rearranging the books in alphabetical order before the kid startled you. Thank god it didn’t fall on their head.
"Are you gonna read to us today? Or is Miss Maggie?" The kid didn't look over six years old, blue eyes and long brown hair with freckles littering her face in a wonderful way. She wore a small dress full of sunflowers with bright pink shoes on her feet. She had been here before... Although, her name wasn’t ringing a bell.
"I wanted to read one of those pigeon stories you read us last time!" You let out a sigh of relief that the book didn't smack the kid on top of her head prior to climbing down to the ground and leaning down be eye-level with her.
"Pigeon stories?" You've read dozens of books about dozens of creatures and characters. What on earth would relate to a.. pigeon? Leaning down a bit farther to snatch up the book you had dropped, she pushed another book into your arms. The title read The Pigeon Needs A Bath!
"This book is pretty thin, You sure you want me to read just this one book, sweetheart?" You stood up straight, handing the girl the book back before cocking your hip to the side and placing your hand onto it.
"Me and Emmie can go find some more!" She hurried off to find her.. friend? Knowing it had been a child, it could be a stuffed animal! But she sure did leave too quickly to ask any questions about it. You sighed, climbing back up to finish your organizing. Thank goodness I’m already close to being done. You thought to yourself, dusting top to bottom and moving onto the 4th row. Their reading wasn't for another.. what? 20 minutes? You had time to knock out another shelf. Time flew by as you finished the 4th row. It was already time to read.
"I have to stop by Goodwill and get some more books. I also gotta stop at the post office and some.. other errands? You got this reading?" The owner of the store, Maggie, looked over to make sure she had gotten your attention before naming off a few things that needed done in the shop before you closed up shop.
"Yeah! What time will you be back?" You climbed down the last step of the ladder, patting off the dust from the bookcase that had gotten on your apron. It was some cutesy hello kitty apron you wore so the dust wouldn't ruin your clothing but it really just made it look like it was some mini cafe. None the less, you wore it.
"I'll be back in time for that uh, Pro hero guy. I don't know- my wife wrote him in. Ask and she'll tell you!" You weren't too involved with all that hero bullshit, the whole who can save more lives?! You get the most money AND an award. The system in itself was ass and it wouldn't make a difference in your everyday life for one of those snobby people to stop by. You walked around the shelves, watching Maggie leave as you sat down on a small rounded couch. A small chime rang through the shop as it called the children over for their reading, a few already sitting and ready to hear you.
It wasn't a big library, it seemed like a corner store had gotten torn down and then completely renovated into a library for children. The second floor had been where the owner and her wife stayed. It was a cozy little place where about 8-12 kiddos would visit for a read. There were bookshelves in the walls for more book space and 5 separate shelves more towards the middle of the place. They held less books than the ones on the wall. Only two of the five reached over 3ft. Parents would come in just to rent a few books. But more often than not, the owner would go out hunting for new books for everyone to enjoy. Along with cute little toys and those foam floor mats to sit on. All of the children in the shop had sat right in front of you, including the girl from earlier who held 4 books in her hands. A few other kids held thin picture books in their hands as well, but only having 15 minutes to read to them, it might be hard to get around to all of them.
“Alright, Who's first?" You asked, smiling down at them. Every single child raised their hand, some even raising both so your attention was on them. Of course this wasn't going to be easy. You thought to yourself as you put a hand over your eyes, pointing to some random kid. He held a small book, standing up slowly and handing it to you.
"My mom reads me this sometimes.." Poor boy was only about 5, and seemed pretty shy. You gave him a reassuring smile before he went back to his seat. You began to read and in no time at all you finished reading the few books children selected. Thank god it was a Friday, Most children would be picked up right after the reading for afternoon preschool etc. But it seemed like no one wanted to leave. Was it that hero Maggie had mentioned? You sighed, hopping up and heading to the check out desk where you saw a few children wanting to check out their books you previously read to them. You leaned down over the desk to reach for the book, scanning it and doing so for each person. The store bell jingled, as if the creak of the door didn't give away someone walking in.
"Welcome to 'Children's Magical Bookshop,' You paid the person no mind as you spoke, handing the last child their book and letting your gaze fall upon the... very tall man in front of you. Noise filled the small shop, children running up to him screaming-
"Deku!" As loud as their little lungs could. He gave a flashy smile, leaning down to hug the children that ran straight for his legs. He laughed and lifted a few of them in his.. very strong arms. Was it hot in the bookshop? Was the AC fucked up? You force your eyes from the tall man.. Was he looking at you too? Your mind screamed at you to introduce yourself, Quickly walking towards a shelf to do something. Anything bust stand there and gawk at him.
"Are you Maggie?" There were hopping children behind him, playing with his gloves and such as you turned to him.
"No- I'm y/n. Are you that.. pro? She had been talking about.?" You huffed through your nose, turning to him. He extended a hand, nodding with a cheesy grin on his face as soon as you had taken his hand into yours. It wasn’t like you never saw him on the news, but you sure did skip the channel as soon as it was some bullshit hero chart over who had been number one. He was so much hotter in person..
"Yes! I'm sorry I'm a bit early, I finished patrol sooner than I thought! I hope I'm not interrupting anything? The woman on the phone said before six, I told her I was sure I could make it around five!" His eyes traveled to your lips for a moment, listening to you speak back to him.
“You’re fine, There’s plenty of time for you to hang out and sign all of their t-shirts and such. Make yourself at home big man. You can sit in the reading area,” The kids dragged him to where you were just moments ago.. But he couldn't get you to leave his mind. You were beautiful. He needed to make you his.
The poor hero stayed until about six o’clock to talk to you, since all of the kids finally left to go do their summer homework or whatever they had to do. Deku had been leaning over the counter for almost an extra hour to make some conversation with you, he just couldn’t help himself. You cant blame him either! You had this smile that he couldn’t resist. And quite frankly, he wasn’t used to this feeling of butterflies in his stomach. He fought some shit villain every day! What's a few butterflies? Especially as pretty as you. Why wouldn't he want to stick around?
“I really didn’t think it would be so chill this week! It feels like I've done nothing but catch up on papers!” Izuku scratched his neck with his index finger, shaking his head lightly. “I guess I really am doing a good job!- Of course other pros are doing their jobs as well!” He let out a relieved chuckle, looking at you with a big, sincere, smile on his face. “How has work here been? It must be so nice working with so many children!”
You feel your eyes involuntarily roll, shaking your head and leaning against the wall behind you. “It’s nice until some kid gets sick on themselves and their mother isn’t here to help. We have extra clothing in the back because it’s happened more than once.” You groaned as your eyes trailed to the door leading to lost n found, clothes, and other things. You had an unamused look on your face talking about it. He noticed and let his eyes follow yours until feeling your eyes rest upon him once more. Maybe texting would let you come around to him a bit more? Were you bored?
“Yikes- I’ve seen adults get sick after villains show up. But I probably should head back to my agency.” He looked out of the store window before right back to those beautiful e/c eyes of yours. “Do you have a number I can text? I would love to talk to you more y/n..!” He was already prepared for rejection. It was kinda weird to be hitting on you after dealing with kids wasn’t it? Maybe he should take it back. Was he coming off as some sleazy ass hero?
Your eyes widened in the slightest- Enough for him to notice. “Sure, Let me see your phone,” You stepped closer to the counter, seeing him fumble on the pouch of his belt before unlocking and giving you his phone. You went to his contacts, making yourself one of them and handing it right back to him. He had an even bigger, cheesier, grin on his face after he took it back.
“Thank you, y/n!” He bowed his head before quickly leaving out to his agency. Finally, you could go home as well. Not that he was a problem, but that man sure could talk. It was endearing. Maybe I can put enough of those stutters in mind tonight. You joked to yourself, grabbing your keys and walking out to lock up the small bookshop. There was no doubt that you were attracted to him. Every woman in America and Japan was attracted to him in some way.
You let out a small sigh, driving home and turning your radio up until hearing your phone ding. You glanced over at the screen to see an unknown number texting. Assuming it was Deku, you waited until you were home to answer him. By the time you had texted him back, he was quick to reply. You two made plans to hang out soon and have dinner together. You talked for hours until one of you had fallen asleep. He was ecstatic. You really enjoyed his company.
taglist: @tenyaiidasslut @hi-rubi @devilsbooksworld @flamingpastapotatoes @arleneeene @blacklotussai @akam4recs @prinvilmain
a/n: I fucking hate tumblr KWJCHDH ive had to re-write this more than once because they changed the layout if the save and post. Its not my best work and was mostly edited on here instead of Google docs. Learn to edit the first version first i guess 💀 The second part will be much better!
Please Reblog!!!!
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migilini · 3 years
Note
Can I request an imagine with Charlie and like a typical day in their lives? Like they show their YouTube viewers their casual (Charlie chaos included) day? 💕
Typical - Charlie Gillespie
Tumblr media
a/n: Sorry it took me a bit, had to take my wisdom teeth out... Anyways, I hope you like it :)) - Momo
words: 1.3k
warnings: fluffy like the clouds
requests are open :)
My MASTERLIST
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“Hello hello and welcome back!” you told the camera propped up on one of your kitchen counters. The shot showing your tired face and loose pyjamas. A yawn escaped your slightly chapped lips as you tried to stretch the sleep away. Your eyes were heavy, your hair standing up in every possible direction, your body not fully awake yet.
“A lot of people asked for a little day to day vlog with the Gillespies,” you muttered as you made yourself a cup of coffee, the sparkling ring on your left ring finger very prominent in the shot.
“So we try to deliver! I just woke up a couple of minutes ago so excuse the light grogginess and don't know where my fiance is. Seems like you guys have to put up with only me for a bit.” you chuckled and poured milk into the steaming hot beverage.
“Sadly, we really don't have a lot to do today, well not much is planned…” you referred to the normal chaos a day with Charlie entailed. “We just need to run some errands, but I have a gut feeling that today will be a good one.”
You ended the clip and moved into your living room to turn up the radio. Ever since you were little, there was always some sort of music softly playing and therefore you hated a quiet house. It wasn't like you paid attention to the songs dancing through the air but the constant rumbling of background noise calms you down.
A little yellow piece of paper on the coffee table catches your eye. With furrowed eyebrows, you made your way over. Your eyes grew as you recognized Charlie's messy handwriting. Once again, you started a clip on your camera.
“I just found a secret message from Charlie on our coffee table.” you cleared your throat and started reading the note dramatically “‘Good morning Toots! I’m on a run and didn't want to wake you up. You looked so peaceful. I'll bring coffee from Allie’s. I love you, C Swizzle’” you grinned at the note, your heart beating faster with the love you have for him. “Hereby I declare the mystery where C Swizzle aka Char is as solved! I’m so hyped for the coffee. Allie’s is our favourite place in the whole city! Seriously if you're close by go and try it. So worth it. Now, until he’s back I’m gonna answer some emails and do our dishes from yesterday evening. You’re welcome to join me while I jam out to music.”
You propped the camera up on a shelf, filming yourself working for a bit. Then you went to the kitchen and turned up the music blaring out of the speakers you set up mere moments before. “Whenever I walk in the room. All the focus on me. The way I talk, the way I move. They all want on my team. Not tryin' to brag, brag, but I'm flawless.” screaming on the top of your lungs, you swayed your hips while the water from your tap filled the sink, the soap starting to bubble up.
“I'm taking over your playlist. Ain't perfect, but I can't miss, yeah. The party don't start 'til I walk in. I'm stealing all the attention. Don't get me started on mentions, yeah” A poor spoon had to be a placeholder microphone as you jumped through the small kitchen. Genuinely engulfed in the music, you didn't even hear the front door open and close. You didn't hear the footsteps walking towards you or the light chuckle that escaped the person's lips.
Sweaty arms wrapped themselves around your waist, making you scream and drop the cup you’ve been washing. The ceramic dish exploded on the floor, covering it in tiny splinters and shards. Charlie laughed at your reaction and pressed a loving kiss to your shoulder. “Sorry, Toots didn't want to scare you. I thought you heard me come in. Good morning by the way.” At the sound of his voice, you immediately relaxed. You weren't being murdered by an intruder. Turning around in his arms, you faced your boyfriend, your back pressed against the sink.
“I thought this was my last minute on earth. You really want to kill me before you even have the chance to marry me.” you chuckled and kissed his nose. “Where would be the fun in that? I do want to inherit some of your stuff.”
You lightly shoved him away but his arms stayed looking around your smaller frame. Looking down at the cup you frowned. “That was my favourite.”
“I'll get you another one. One that's even better than this one. Again I’m sorry.”
“I'll remember that. How was the run?” absentmindedly your hand brushed away some stray hairs that flew into Charlie's face. “Good.” he murmured “I don't like running with a mask on but it was all worth it because…” he turned around and got a little bag from the counter behind him. “I got us some coffee and that cream bagel you like so much.” you beamed up at him.
“Really?”
The next time you vlogged was at the grocery store several hours later. Charlie was pushing the shopping cart, while still holding your hand as you tried to deceiver your own grocery list. The camera sat comfortably at the front of the cart, framing you perfectly.
“Why did you think it was funny to write most of this in french?” you asked the boy next to you. He gave your hand a squeeze “Because you sometimes write stuff in german as well. It's only fair.”
You only rolled your eyes at that. “Yeah because I forgot the English word.” you huffed “Okay so we need d'oeufs. Eggs? And some milk. Right?”
“Mais oui mademoiselle.” He said amused.
“If you continue I will start to speak german,” you warned your boyfriend and you could bet that he was smiling under that mask.
“Threatening me in the grocery store? That's mean but the game is on honey.”
“You're gonna lose my dear. I had some french at school.” you let go of his hand and crossed your arms, raising one of your eyebrows at him while both of you grabbed some items you needed.
It wasn't the first time that the two of you suddenly challenged each other. One time, a couple of months ago, Charlie just randomly started to run and yelled back at you “Whoever is the last at the restaurant has to pay!” and with these words, he triggered your ambition. You struggled to get rid of your heels, hoping for the majority of the way as the two of you raced, reaching the restaurant sweaty and out of breath, earning some stares from other couples. Or another time where you suddenly claimed that you would be able to eat more pizza than him. A bet that you lost terribly.
Situations like this were normal for you, both really competitive and hardheaded. It was one of the things that spiced up daily life.
He raised both of his eyebrows, sparking a fire behind his eyes. “Essaie-moi, baby (Try me, baby)”
“In Ordnung, ab jetzt werde ich nur noch deutsch mit dir sprechen. (Alright, from now on I will only talk in german to you)”
Let’s just say the grocery shopping was a huge mess and took twice as long. You told Charlie to go and get the toothpaste and he came back with some pears which earned a laugh from you. Charlie tried to explain to you what he wanted to cook for you tomorrow evening, ingredients and everything but you only stared at him confused, occasionally nodding your head so he knew you were still listening. The dinner was gonna be a full surprise.
The two of you kept the act up all the way back to your apartment. You unpacked the food and had a camera recording somewhere. For the second time that day, arms wrapped around your waist, his head nuzzled in the crook of the neck.
“Do you have anything else planned for today?” he mumbled into your skin, his hot breath on your skin giving you goosebumps. A smile spread over your face. Wiggling out of his grip you sat on the tabletop and Charlie immediately stood between your legs, his arms around your neck. He leaned in to kiss you but before his lips touched yours you whispered “I won.”
His eyes grew wide and he pulled away slightly. He huffed and shook his head “Man I totally forgot about that. What is your prize, my lady?”
You traced his jaw with your index finger whilst your eyes never left his. “I demand… a thousand kisses!”
“A thousand?!” he exclaimed “My lady that's too many. You're going to starve the whole town.”
“Well then the town shouldn't have lost.” you teased back.
A smile was prominent on his face as he leaned in closer again “I must say you're a demanding ruler. But it seems like I must comply…”
The two of you stayed in bed for the rest of the day, only moving over to the couch to zap through Netflix. Naturally one of you already placed the camera on the shelf next to you.
Charlie tapped you on the shoulder, looking up from his spot half between your legs and on top of you.
“Yes, bubbs?”
“Play with my hair please.” he nearly whispered and made himself comfortable once again. Tiny hands finding their place in his dark hair.
At first, it was really weird to vlog all the time especially on a day where you and Charlie were just fooling around and being lovey-dovey. Luckily, you could still decide how much you wanted to cut out for the final video.
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Taglist: @alluringworld
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sisterspooky1013 · 3 years
Text
Only One Choice, Part 2, Chapter 14
Read it here on AO3 / Tagging @today-in-fic
“It was so good to see you, Will,” Valerie says in a muffled voice against his chest as he has her wrapped up tightly in a bear hug.
“I know, I’m so glad I ran into you,” Mulder replies, brushing his hands over her back. He pulls away and kisses her softly on the cheek.
“It makes me really happy to see you so happy,” she says with a smile, her long brunette hair lifting softly in the breeze, brown eyes holding affection that can only be held between two people who have the type of bond that can withstand a breakup and then a transition from lovers to friends.
“Likewise,” he says, nodding towards the small swell of her growing belly.
“I’d love to meet your girlfriend someday, if you think she’d be okay with that,” she says, collecting her purse.
“Yes, I’d really like that. I think you two would get along really well, actually,” he says, and she smirks at him.
“You’re not afraid we’ll bond over having to sit through your shitty movie collection?” she teases, and he laughs good-naturedly.
“Hey, Scully likes my shitty movies, that’s why we’re a perfect match,” he retorts.
She squeezes his arm.
“Call me sometime, okay?”
He nods and watches her walk away, feeling like he’s on cloud nine. A great friendship with his ex-girlfriend, a promising new love with the woman of his dreams; he can only imagine what lies in store next. He practically skips on the walk back to his car, wondering if Scully might let him come by tonight, hoping that he won’t have to wait until the weekend to see her again. He decides to call her as soon as he gets home.
The first few times he gets her machine, he assumes she must be at her mother’s. When she still hasn’t answered or called back by 9:00 pm, he’s confused. When he emails her the next morning and still hasn’t gotten a response at 10:00am, he’s officially worried.
Something is wrong.
———
She had eventually turned off the ringer on her phone and put the volume all the way down on her answering machine so she wouldn’t have to hear his increasingly obsessive attempts to get ahold of her, then slept fitfully all night.
She knows that she needs to give him some kind of response or he’ll show up on her doorstep, but she can’t bring herself to face him, even in voice. Every time the image of him with that woman pops back into her head, she feels a lump form in her throat immediately, a sick sadness welling in her belly. She’s pored over every memory in her mind, every interaction they’ve had, searching for signs. Signs that he was seeing someone else, that he wasn’t interested in anything other than getting in her pants, that he was lying to her. Her thorough inventory brings up next to nothing, which almost makes it worse; how adept he must have been at creating a false reality for her to exist in. Perhaps he’s garnered some tips from the sociopaths he studies, or maybe his background in psychology allowed him to manipulate her.
When she arrives at work, she is unsurprised though still dismayed to see an email waiting for her.
Sent: May 5, 1997 7:57 am
Subject: Where are you?
Scully, you’re freaking me out. Are you okay? Please respond.
She deletes it immediately and tries to focus on work. She performs an autopsy and teaches a class, both welcome distractions from her emotional torment. Just before 11:00 am, the phone rings.
“Autopsy bay, this is Trudy…yep, she’s here, one second.”
Trudy turns and opens her mouth to speak, but sees Dana waving her arms and shaking her head. She makes a confused face and puts the phone back to her ear.
“Oh, actually she just stepped out, sorry. Can I take a message?”
She watches as Trudy scribbles something on a piece of paper.
“Uh huh…yes. Okay, I’ll tell her…you have my word.”
She replaces the phone on the receiver and hands Dana the paper with a sympathetic frown.
“Trouble in paradise?” she asks rhetorically.
Dana looks down and deciphers Trudy’s messy scrawl.
Call Mulder immediately. Send a sign of life.
She crumples it up and tosses it into the trash can.
“You wanna talk about it?” Trudy asks.
“Nope,” Dana replies, turning back to the computer.
Sent: May 5th, 1997 11:03am
Subject: PLEASE RESPOND
Scully, I don’t know what the hell is going on, but if you don’t reply to this within an hour I’m driving down there.
Please respond
She feels fresh tears well in her eyes. Why is he trying so hard if he’s seeing someone else anyway? Why is he doing this to her? With a surge of anger, she hits reply.
Sent: May 5th, 1997 11:05am
Subject: RE:PLEASE RESPOND
I’m fine, Mulder. Please just give me some space.
With that she closes her email, begs someone to take her second class of the day, and goes home.
———
He feels like he’s stepped into an alternate universe. He’d left her happy and satisfied, and out of nowhere she’s shutting him out. What does she need space for? Space from him? Why? Did he come on too strong and freak her out? He thought they’d moved past that. He picks up the phone again.
“Autopsy bay, this is Trudy.”
“Trudy, it’s Agent Mulder again. Look, I don’t want to put you in an awkward position, but is Dana there?”
She pauses. “No, she went home for the day. She seemed pretty upset.”
“Do you have any idea why?” he implores.
“No, other than the fact that it seems to be directed at you.”
“Yeah, that much I gathered. Thanks, Trudy, sorry to bother you.”
“No worries, good luck.”
He slams the phone down, grabs his jacket off the back of his chair and leaves.
———
She is half expecting his knock, but it still makes her jump, nearly causing her to spill her wine. She wants to just ignore him until he goes away, but she knows his proclivity towards persistence won’t let him do that. Better to just get it over with, she thinks as she slumps towards the door.
The second she lays eyes on him in his slacks and dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his tie discarded, she feels her chin pucker and tears threaten her eyes. As angry as she is, she immediately wants to go to him, to curl up within his embrace so he can comfort her. The problem is, what she needs comforting from is him.
“What is going on?” he says with a mix of frustration and fear.
She stands in the open doorway, not making space for him to enter.
“I saw you,” she says, her voice strained with emotion.
“You saw me...what?” he asks, his face a mask of confusion.
She lifts her chin, clenching her jaw and summoning strength.
“I saw you with her. Yesterday, at the Bluebird Cafe. After I had lunch with my family.” her voice holds steady, anger carrying her through.
His face falls and her gut twists. She wishes she didn’t have to watch this.
“THAT is what this is about?” he asks, but there’s no shame or regret in his voice. If anything, he sounds a little mad.
She nods curtly.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he spits out, and she recoils a little at his vitriol. “Let me in, Scully. Right now,” he demands, and against her better judgement she moves aside.
He pushes past her into the apartment and she closes the door softly, leaving it unlocked in case either of them decides to make a hasty exit.
“Did you consider,” he begins, his back to her, “maybe, I don’t know, asking me about what you saw?” He turns to face her, one hand on his hip and his face contorted with anger. “Or were you just planning to avoid me until I gave up and went away again?”
She doesn’t know what to say. She’s confused about why he’s yelling at her when he’s the one who did something wrong. She just looks at him, expressionless.
He juts his chin out expectantly, waiting for an answer, but gets none. She averts her eyes.
“Is that all this is worth to you, Scully?” he continues, “you’re ready to throw this away over a simple misunderstanding, without even talking to me?”
She lifts her head and looks at him with a pained expression. “Okay then, talk,” she gets out.
He drops his head in frustration. “The woman you saw me with,” he says flatly, lifting his head to meet her eye, “was my ex-girlfriend, Valerie. I ran into her while I was running errands yesterday, and we had lunch. She has a boyfriend and is three months pregnant. We spent the majority of our meal together talking about you.”
She shakes her head gently, her throat closing as a tear rolls down her cheek. “I saw you kiss her,” she whispers, her jaw quivering.
“You saw me kiss her on the cheek? I also kiss my mother on the cheek, Scully, it’s hardly an intimate gesture.”
She feels a new wave of sickness pass over her, but this time it’s entirely different. This time it’s the sick feeling of realizing that she was very, very, wrong, and that she has, yet again, hurt the man who loves her. She opens her mouth to speak but she can’t find the right words.
He steps forward but doesn’t touch her. When he speaks, his voice is softer, more defeated than anything else.
“I’m sorry that you saw something that upset you. But if you actually thought for a single second that I want to be with anyone but you, you’re fucking insane. I meant what I said the day you left my apartment last year. I felt it then, and I feel it now. I want this to work more than anything, Scully, but for that to be possible you have to trust me. I can’t live with the knowledge that you might just shut me out at a moment’s notice when you get scared.”
She keeps her head down, overwhelmed by a combination of shame, embarrassment, and gratitude that he wouldn’t let her walk away. She does not deserve this man, but she wants to.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, still unable to meet his eye.
“I know you are,” he replies, moving towards the door. “Take the space you need, and let me know when you’re ready to trust me.”
When she hears the click of the door closing behind him, she collapses to the floor, sobbing for so many reasons she couldn’t possibly name them all. When it’s faded to snivels and hiccups, she stands and goes to the hallway, picking up the phone.
“Hello?”
“Missy,” she chokes out, “Can you come over?”
———
He’s not sure if leaving was the right thing to do. The risk that she might not come back around is one that sends his stomach into knots, but at the same time he finds it hard to accept that she wasn’t even going to give him the opportunity to explain. He’s been actively working to temper expressing his feelings so he doesn’t overwhelm her, but then she gets it in her head that he’s not invested. It feels like he can’t win.
He goes back to work and stops by Kirkbride’s office to apologize for disappearing. Kirkbride just gives him a quizzical look, clearly not having noticed he had left. The rest of the day he buckles down on his caseload, distracting himself from the catastrophic thoughts that dance through his head, and gets more work done than he has in quite a while. When he leaves the office just after 5:00 pm, he feels melancholy and grouchy, and annoyed that he left the ball in her court.
The elevator dings to announce his arrival on the fourth floor and he steps out with a takeout bag in his hand, eyes downcast. Halfway down the hall, he readies his key and looks up, startling when he sees Scully sitting on the floor against his door, knees tucked up against her chest and her forehead resting on her kneecaps. She’s very still, and as he gets closer he realizes that she’s asleep. His heart aches knowing that she’s been waiting that long, that she didn’t want to leave without talking to him.
He crouches down beside her, setting his dinner on the floor, and gently touches her shoulder. She jerks, her head snapping up and her eyes wild for a moment while she tries to orient herself. When she focuses on him, she immediately starts crying, reaching out to wrap her arms around his neck. He’s surprised by her uncharacteristically emotional response, but says nothing and just holds her until his knees start to ache, at which point he sits down on the floor and pulls her into his lap. They stay this way for several minutes, long enough for one of his neighbors to walk by and politely avert their eyes, entering their apartment as though there was nothing out of the ordinary happening in the hallway. When the crying seems to have subsided a bit, he gives her a little squeeze.
“Wanna go inside?” he asks, and she nods against his chest, his shirt damp from her tears.
She stands unsteadily and he follows her, grabbing the takeout bag off the floor. They enter the apartment and Priscilla plods up to them with an excited meow. Scully leans down and picks her up, tucking the cat against her neck as they nuzzle each other. Mulder smiles at them with a bemused expression.
“She was talking to me through the door,” Scully says with a small smile, “she heard me knocking and was meowing from the other side. We had a conversation.”
Affection swells in his chest and he steps forward to kiss her. Her shoulders drop and she lets Priscilla down so she can get closer, threading her arms around his waist and kissing him back in earnest. Desperate, thought I’d lost you again kisses that are as arousing as they are a relief, because he knows that they will be okay.
He pulls back a little and she makes a whimpering sound in protest.
“I’m gonna go change really quick, okay? Then can we talk?” he asks, and she sighs and nods. “You can have half my Chinese,” he adds, and she gives him a tight-lipped smile.
When he sits on the couch beside her five minutes later, she scoots closer so they are pressed against each other, and he gathers that she needs physical closeness right now. He loops an arm around her shoulder and she crawls right back into his lap, curled against him as though trying to fuse her body to his own. Her head tucked beneath his chin, she holds one of his hands in her lap, fingers laced tightly together, and begins to speak.
“After you left, Missy came over and we talked for a long time. I’ve come to realize how much I’m still affected by...what happened last year. I harbor a lot of guilt for being unfaithful to Ethan, and that’s actually largely why I married him even though I knew my heart wasn’t in it.” She pulls in a deep breath, pressing their joined hands tight against her belly, trying to get even closer. “When you and I reconnected, in a way it felt like a chance to validate it. As though things working out with us would mean that what I did wasn’t as bad, because there was something real between us. But at the same time, a big part of me doesn’t believe that I deserve to be happy.” Her voice remains steady, but he feels the wet drop of a tear on the back of his hand.
He tightens his arm around her waist. “I’ve always been a person who values doing the right thing, and integrity was something that was very important to my father. It was his measure of a person’s character, and that’s something he instilled in me as well.” She sits up a bit so she can look at him, and his heart breaks at her red-rimmed eyes, her icy irises so mournful. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Mulder. You haven’t given me any reason not to. It’s just that I don’t feel like I deserve this, especially with you, and I’m waiting for the moment it all comes crashing down. So when I saw you with that woman, it was almost like I’d been waiting for it, expecting it. Getting what I deserved.”
He brings his palms to her cheeks, brushing away the tears with his thumbs.
“Thank you for telling me that,” he says softly. “I wish I could change how you feel, but I know that I can’t. I do know how it feels to spend your life harboring guilt over something you could have done differently, and I can tell you that punishing yourself won’t make it any easier. It makes me really sad that you’ll always regret how we met.”
She closes her eyes and shakes her head gently. When she opens them, her expression is more tender than it is mournful.
“I don’t regret it, Mulder. I do feel guilt, and shame, for not ending it with Ethan so we could have done things the right way, but I could never regret meeting you.”
He pulls her back into an embrace, her arms wrapping around his ribcage, and plants a kiss to the top of her head.
“Are we okay?” he asks softly.
“I hope so,” she says hoarsely.
“Is this a bad time to tell you that Valerie wants to meet you sometime?” he asks, and she laughs.
“I don’t know, did you tell her that I freaked out on you because you had lunch with her?” she replies, and he can already hear her tone shifting back to their typical lighthearted banter.
“No, of course not. That’ll be our little secret. Well, plus Trudy. I think Trudy knows too much honestly.”
She laughs again, and god he could spend the rest of his life trying to make her laugh. In fact, that’s exactly what he hopes to do.
“Speaking of meeting people,” she continues, “Missy mentioned you to my mother yesterday and she wants to meet you.”
A grin stretches across his mouth, but he doesn’t say anything. She pulls back to look at his face, to gauge his reaction, and smiles softly in response.
“You want me to meet your mom?” he asks, the delight on his face carrying over to his voice.
Her mouth screws up shyly. “My little brother will probably be there too, and Missy. Is that too much?”
He shakes his head. “Sounds perfect. But, there are some friends I’d like you to meet too, if we’re meeting people.”
“The Lone Gunmen?” she asks with a skeptical lilt.
“Those are the ones. They’re my only friends, actually. Aside from Val.” Just then, Priscilla hops up onto the couch beside them. “Oh, and you Priscilla, sorry,” he adds.
Scully smiles at the cat, and then at him. “Can I bring Missy as a human buffer?” she asks hopefully.
“Of course. You may set a record for the highest number of female visitors to their lair in a day.”
“Lair?” she asks with wide eyes.
He chuckles. “They’ll grow on you, I promise.”
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Text
Trouble ~ J.V.
A/n: I see my Jerome peeps are HERE and I’m LOVING IT! Prompt list here so y’all don’t have to scroll ;) Feel free to request as many as you want for commission or when requests are open again. I LOVE using prompts!!
Request: “...6, 8 with Jerome Valeska” by anon
6: “You are actually Satan, oh my god.”
8: “Wow, I am so in love with you… just wow.”
MASTERLIST
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You know how you see someone, and it’s so obvious where they’ll end up that it’s like a scene in your head? It’s never good when this happens, so usually it’s a sad story and you kind of just frown and shake your head and pity the person, but you know that saying anything won’t do you any good so you just sit back and keep your mouth shut and wait for the inevitable end.
That’s how everyone saw Jerome Valeska.
People had never cared about Jerome, though. If they ever had, it was wiped away pretty quickly. Brutally murdering people with no care for who was on what side, who had helped or hurt, or without even a little remorse or pity or hesitation or regret... it was one of those things that most people found to be a bit of a turn off. Those who didn’t were seen to be just as unhinged as Jerome was, so they were dismissed as well.
The thing was, people HAD cared about Y/n. She was one of the most intellectually promising in her entire high school, maybe in all of Gotham. She was the kind of teenager that seemed so very adult. She was respectful and poised and very well controlled. She was pleasant to be around, and even much older people didn’t mind talking to her if they happened to be in the same place. She’d even made some pleasant relationships.
Like the friendship she had with Bruce Wayne.
Through him, she had come to learn about and meet and even get along with everyone Bruce knew. She could get along with anybody she wanted to, without threats or intimidation or groveling. She simply existed, and she had a sort of comforting, approachable presence about her. She wasn’t the least bit threatening, but she was... nice, I guess. Even dangerous people liked her, because she was the only person who didn’t seem to care about power or advantageous interactions or anything like that.
She was just nice to talk to.
This showed most prominently when she talked to people like Edward Nigma, or Oswald Cobblepott, or Silena Kyle. She’d even found herself in situations to talk to Barbara Gordan. Victor Zsasz.
People usually chalked it up to her being quite unlucky.
Because she was so unsuspecting and unproblematic and calm, she turned out to be a really good hostage. She didn’t talk back or lash out, she just sat and behaved and looked at you with a very calm, calculated expression.
Zsasz had run into her when he’d worked for Penguin and had been guarding her so that Oswald could make a deal without worrying about his bargaining chip being compromised. After a while, Y/n had asked how Zsasz’s day was going. They’d had a short, pleasant conversation, leaving the assassin intrigued by the girl when she’d been let go.
Barbara had a similar experience, except it had been when she was in Arkham of all places. Everyone had a weird thing, and very few if any people knew Y/n’s, but even she had one too. Her weird thing was visiting Arkham Asylum every once in a while visiting random people inside it, and then talking to them with the most easy normality. Like they’d been life long friends, or the person she was talking to was completely sane. She never judged or snapped, she just had a neutral expression with a sort of interest in her eyes. She was polite enough that Barbara had entertained the visit, and found herself not totally regretting it afterward.
Oswald had met her when he was mayor. She had dropped by as an errand for Jim Gordon, and had started a casual conversation when Oswald had expected her to leave when thing were handled. At first he’d been suspicious, and he still was if he was honest, but she hadn’t asked any prying questions or tried to get at him from any angle. If he drew a line, she respected it immediately and moved onto something else without missing a beat. When he got uncomfortable, she apologized and wished him a good day before excusing herself. After she’d show up several more times, sometimes sent by Jim, sometimes just to say hello, Oswald eventually relaxed. He didn’t trust her, and she didn’t expect him to, but when she stopped by to say hello he’d have someone bring them tea and they’d have a little chat. He was a little surprised when she didn’t visit him in Arkham, but when they ran into each other a little later, she nodded to him with a little smile and he got the impression she wasn’t angry with him.
As time passed, more and more people who were considered to be Gotham’s worst were coming up with more and more stories of Y/n. The girl who didn’t scream when she walked into a store and saw a dead body, but who’s neutrality wasn’t unsettling as much as it was kind of calming. She had all the makings of a twisted, demented villain, and yet she was the most normal person ever. It was confusing and intriguing, but never distinctly a bad thing. She was well known, and no one had anything bad to say about her. 
It was only a matter of time before Jerome found her.
Not long after he did, he was as taken with her as everyone else. She wasn’t annoying, or unnerved by him. She was in fact endlessly interesting. He thought eventually he would get bored of her complete lack of response to even the most terrible things he told her in an effort to get her going, but found instead that the sort of sparks of interest in her gaze and the small smile that sometimes almost touched her lips was enough to keep him engaged.
She was the exact opposite of him, but in a way that didn’t drive him to want her to be gone. He didn’t WANT to kill her. It was weird, and he was living for it.
Slowly, Y/n stopped showing up in public. She stopped visiting Arkham, and the police department. She stopped running into dangerous people who never seemed to mind seeing her around, even if they weren’t supposed to be seen by anyone. She graduated high school but never talked about college. She just... slowly started to disappear.
It wasn’t as suspicious as it was disappointing. No one could tell where she was going or why all the accidental bump ins were being so carefully removed, but it was leaving the idea in everyone’s head that they might not have been accidents to begin with. Not most of them at least. That was the only thing that it could be, after years and years of her being so very unlucky, only for her to quite suddenly not run into a single soul ever. Even when people sought her out, they couldn’t find her unless she wanted to be found.
She appeared rather suddenly at Jerome’s side one day out of the blue.
No one noticed her behind the line of people in chairs. They were distracted by Jerome talking about his terribly sad past, and the people with explosive collars locked around their necks. Most importantly noted: Bruce Wayne and Jerome’s twin brother, Jeremiah.
It wasn’t until Jerome drew attention to her that anyone even registered her at all. She was so still and quiet that behind all the chaos, she might as well have been invisible.
Jerome was only too enthused to rub it in everyone’s faces.
“You know you don’t like me, and that’s fair. I’m not like any of you, am I? I don’t smile right, and I act weird. Then there’s the whole killing people thing.” He giggled, but the crowd in front of him only looked disgusted. “But is that why you really hate me, Gotham? Because I’m a big ol mean bad guy? Do you hate me because I’m a little unhinged? Because I’m a little loud and hysterical and I scare you? Or do I scare you because I have no problem being very honest and very open with all of the things you people LOVE to push under the rug and hide away and pretend no one can see.” He shook his head. “Because I’ve come to realize there is someone who’s exactly like me, but so much better at playing all of you. So much better at playing innocent and harmless and friendly, and with no real intentions other than to prove how easy you all are. How transparent.” His eyes drifted toward Y/n, and he motioned her forward. Without hesitating, she did take a few steps forward, into the light and right behind Bruce Wayne.
Gasps echoed in the crowd. To everyone’s stunned silence, Y/n stood there with the same calm and reservation she always did. She seemed perfectly unbothered by the dead body inches from her, or the people she had always seemed so close to being in danger. She didn’t look around, trying to gauge a way out, and nothing held her in forced obedience. She just looked at Jerome, that same nice, almost-smile and curiosity dancing in her eyes.
“What-” Bruce looked around, mouth dropping open when he saw who was behind him. “Y/n?”
“Ah yes,” Jerome purred. “Gotham’s little angel. Friend to all. Unassuming and nice and calm and wonderful. Aren’t you just a pillar of perfection, Y/n?” He giggled again, and Y/n tilted her head, her smile growing a little,
For the first time ever, Y/n was unnerving. Seeing her of all people look dangerous was so upsetting that the crowd started to step down from their anger towards Jerome and were edging toward true fear. If she could end up being bad, who else could? If even the bets of them could be corrupted, and even the most deranged mind could act completely normal, how could anyone ever tell when people were dangerous anymore?
It could be anyone. Anyone they trusted. Anyone they knew. Anyone they’d talked to long enough to decide they were safe. Because Bruce Wayne had known Y/n best of anyone in Gotham, and even he looked as stunned as everyone felt. He had spent copious amounts of time with her, including for hours straight during school hours, and even he had not on any level or in any way seen anything like this coming.
“Y/n?” Bruce whispered.
Y/n met his gaze. “Yes?”
He wasn’t sure what to ask her. “What’s going on?” is what he settled on.
She shrugged, as if they were catching up after school. During tea time maybe, after having not seen each other recently. “Nothing much. I’m observing and learning. People are so intriguing Bruce, have you ever noticed? I’ve learned so much. All I ever had to do was be polite, and everyone would let me sit there as long as I wanted and observe them. You learn so much by watching people, but even more from talking to them. And they always let me. All I had to do was let them talk. I never lied. I never pushed. I was respectful and curious, and they responded so well. I’ve come to learn that even the most suspicious people feel the loneliness of humanity. They crave to be wanted. To looked at. All I had to do was show interest, and they thrived under that attention. You really have to do so little for people to like you. It’s so interesting.”
Bruce’s eyes had been widening as she spoke. She said it all like she was observing humanity in a way that she wasn’t apart of it. “You’re like us, aren’t you?”
“Oh of course,” she agreed. “That’s the thing. I wanted to understand myself, so I looked at those like me. And those unlike me. To see what was and wasn’t me. To see what was similar and what was so very completely different.” She chuckled softly and Bruce felt sick to his stomach. “I never expected to find someone so very similar to me to be someone seen the eyes of everyone else as exactly opposite. Jerome and I? Very much the same, except I’d rather learn than act. I never really cared about people’s opinions or if they didn’t like me or if they were mean. I was too unassuming for bullying or abuse. I didn’t care if people looked over me like Jerome does, and that’s really the only difference. I just wanted to learn, and people were always willing to let me.” She shrugged. “But people are so simple. So easy to understand. MUCH more straight forward than any of them would like to admit. I think I’m going to be staying with Jerome from now on. He’s interesting. He understands.”
Jeremiah knew who she was only by association, and even he was surprised, despite having known Jerome very close up for so long. He supposed it wasn’t fault, but watching Bruce, he wondered if he’d even been able to tell her true nature. Even now she looked completely normal and safe. Her eyes were full of life, and she was fairly attractive. The way she stood was relaxed and the way she talked was completely normal. What was upsetting about her was not that she was obviously messed up. It was that she was so painfully normal in even a situation that should have been quite upsetting.
“You’re a sociopath,” Jeremiah offered in a sort of leveled voice. Her eyes turned to him and he realized that her calmness was contagious. She had the look of someone you could just... fall into. So easy to trust. Even now he found himself a little lured by her. She was honest about who she was. She didn’t hide anything. She was just quiet, and people forgot to ask. That wasn’t her fault. Maybe she could still be saved from his deranged brother.
“Yes,” Y/n agreed, and her complete acceptance of that didn’t sit well with Jeremiah. “Would you like me to show you? I have come to learn that everyone wants some sort of proof of it. They have a hard time believing me.”
“No that’s okay,” Jeremiah rushed to reassure just as Jerome squealed, “Yes please!”
Between the two opposite reactions from the two very opposite twins, Bruce got the idea of what her kind of proof might mean. “Don’t worry Y/n, we believe you.”
She nodded, and the two boys thought that’d be the end of it. But then she pulled an actual gun out of seemingly nowhere, pointed it at the crowd, and shot without even hesitating. There went up a scream as people scattered, revealing the body of a woman bleeding out on the ground. The bullet had hit someone around her neck and no one could do anything other than give her and themselves plenty of room away from her.
Jerome squealed with excitement.
Bruce looked at Y/n with horror. “I said we believed you! You didn’t have to kill her!”
“But I did,” Y/n decided. “Because they didn’t believe me.” Her lips turned up into a stronger smile. There was no regret or hesitation in her eyes, and Bruce felt dread slowly settle throughout his body. She WAS exactly like Jerome and the only reason this was her first kill is because she’d decided to wait until now to kill someone. They’d all been at her mercy this entire time, like a mouse held down by a mouse trap. Except they’d been perfectly fine just sitting in her trap and letting her watch with mild interest as they died.
She was just like Jerome.
One of the other people in line spat, “You’re actually Satan, oh my god.” His eyes were wide and Bruce got the idea that if he hadn’t been held by the explosive collar, he might have bolted. “You let all of us trust you and welcome you and be around you. You gained our trust, and you don’t even care about us?”
Very calmly, Y/n simply shook her head. “We’re all just meat. Do you care about the animals scientists test on to give you your makeup products and medicine? Do you care about the pig killed for its meat, or the dogs that rip each other apart in the streets for entertainment and money? We’re just animals. You guys have just gotten the idea stuck in your head for some reason that we’re special animals. You won’t admit those animals will eat you just as quickly as you will them. Pigs have high intelligence. You think you’re gods because you have the highest intelligence and then ignore how you so easily ignore what you know and do what you want instead. You give into nature just like any predator. I have simply stopped being either. I’m not villain. I’m not a hero. And you think the people who watch the villain are a different category, but they’re not. They do nothing, and bad thing happen, and that’s it. A woman died, and people didn’t do anything to stop it. There’s a whole crowd of people not held here by anything other than a secret, sick fascination with the terrible things happening here. You are just as bad as Jerome. Just as bad as me. You just refuse to admit it. I don’t. That’s all.”
Grinning, Jerome sat forward in his chair. “Wow I am so in love with you.” He giggled and everyone in the area cringed. The idea of Jerome Valeska being involved like that with Y/n... And the way she seemed to not mind it either. On top of everything else that had happened here, it was so viscerally upsetting. Jerome stood, moving behind the people in chairs to gently grab Y/n’s face, pulling her lips against his. When he pulled away, everyone’s face had gone scaringly pale. “Just, wow,” the red head whispered. 
Y/n seemed to consider that. “You know, I think I have some sort of care for you. Like... like how someone explained a pet to me. Is that how affection feels?” She still looked only curious. It made sense that in a world who didn’t care to learn about people like her, and after a lifetime of holding back her questions and lack of understanding, even after all this time she still would be confused about the different way she experienced relationships with other people.
Jerome shrugged. “I think not, but I can be your pet if you want.”
Y/n smiled. “I think I do want that.”
A victorious smile adorned Jerome’s face. “That’s all I needed!” He turned to face his brother and Bruce Wayne again. “See, I was so stuck on you two. I died wanting to kill Brucie, and I’ve lived my entire life wanting to kill my dear brother, so I lived for nothing else. I thought of nothing else. I existed to end you two. But now, I have a different purpose. There is nothing like looking at someone you find so very interesting and them returning that back to you.” He giggled. “Mom always said I’d never find love. Aren’t you proud of me for proving her wrong?”
“This isn’t love,” Bruce snapped. “It’s demented. You can’t feel love. Neither of you can.”
“Maybe not,” Y/n agreed. “But it will be fun testing that.” She turned and walked off the stage, heading back and disappearing.
Jerome sighed. “And that’s my cue.” There was a gun shot and a sharp pain in his hand as the detonator fell out of his hands. He could no longer explode the necklaces. He made an ‘oopsie’ sort of expression before ducking away as another gunshot run out. “See you around, you two!” His laughter echoed as he disappeared after Y/n, fading away too quickly.
By the time Jim Gordon chased after Jerome, it was far passed too late. Whatever Y/n had done to ensure their escape, it had left no traces. They were gone.
Behind them, they left death and the lingering feeling in the air like this was only the beginning to a very, very terrible love story.
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disastermages · 3 years
Text
[read it on ao3]
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“A-Yao, do you know how to drive?” Jiang Yanli’s question is quiet and gentle, even as the tires leave a spray of mud behind them as the gates close, the keyfob still swaying and jingling where it hangs from the ignition.
“I’ve never had a reason to learn.” Meng Yao confesses, his hand already reaching for the inner handle of the car as Jiang Yanli’s hands tighten while they go down a hill that seems much steeper now than it had when he’d gone up it. The way Jiang Yanli had called his name hadn’t gone unnoticed, but Meng Yao won’t call her out for it, not while she’s driving them both to town, not while the rain is making the windshield wipers squeal.
She smiles at him then, leaning forward in her seat to peer out the windshield, “I could teach you. I taught A-Xian, and I’m teaching A-Cheng, it’ll be fun.” The road in front of them evens out, but Meng Yao knows it’s only temporary, soon enough they would run into a mud filled pothole, or find another hill Jiang Yanli would have to guide them up one hill and down another, dense trees lining them the whole way.
“Who taught you?” Meng Yao asks, so he neither has to accept nor decline Jiang Yanli’s offer, it’s the polite way of not answering, but the smile still falls from Jiang Yanli’s face for just a moment, one hand leaving the wheel to brush her own hair out of her face.
“Miss Mo did.” She answers finally, swerving hard to avoid a particularly deep pothole and sending Meng Yao’s shoulder and arm against the window. “She used to take me with her to run the errands, sometimes she even let me do the shopping myself so she could go visit with her son for a little while.” The smile hasn’t made it back onto Jiang Yanli’s face, but she’s more careful about the next rut filled with mud, even as her eyes cloud over with something Meng Yao thinks he knows.
“Your mother mentioned that she had a child.” Meng Yao says it softly, a chill wrapping around his arms like a lover and making him shiver. Yu Ziyuan had told him that Miss Mo’s child was like him, one of his father’s children who hadn’t been claimed, or who had been refused.
“Mo Xuanyu.” Jiang Yanli says, giving a name to someone who Meng Yao isn’t sure if he wants to know. They might be similar, they might be completely, irreparably different, he doesn’t know. “Sometimes, when Mother was away, she’d bring him with her to the house. He’d spend all day following A-Xian around and asking him questions, he was such a sweet boy.”
The car bounces over a rock, and Meng Yao bounces in his seat, the handlebar doing nothing to keep him steady now that he’s allowed himself to become limp. His younger brother was sweet, and he followed Wei Wuxian around like some lost puppy. He asked Wei Wuxian questions, and undoubtedly, Wei Wuxian had answered him.
“Mo Xuanyu, do you know…” Meng Yao doesn’t need to finish the question, Jiang Yanli is already shaking her head, her grip on the steering wheel tight enough to turn her knuckles bone white.
“Mother said that after Miss Mo did what she did, A-Yu was sent to live with his mother’s family. They tried to find his father, but when they did…” It’s now Jiang Yanli’s turn to avoid finishing what she was saying, thunder rolls above them, holding all the answers to questions that had sat on either of their lips.
When Meng Yao dares to glance at Jiang Yanli again, she offers him her worried smile, but says nothing else before she speeds up to pass another, slower car. The yellow of it fades quickly in the gray of the storm.
The grocery store and the post office aren’t far from the marina where Meng Yao had arrived, and Jiang Yanli points it out to him as they turn in, though the water looks far, far rougher than it had on the day he’d arrived. When he’d come, the water had been slate gray, now it’s got a green tinged black to it that nearly makes Meng Yao reach for his throat.
The ferry wouldn’t be running today.
“If it isn’t too much trouble, could you pick up the mail for the rest of the house, A-Yao? You’ll only have to tell them who you are, A-Die’s already made it clear that you’re allowed to take our mail out.” For a moment, Meng Yao wonders if Jiang Fengmian had done it himself, or if he’d sent Jiang Yanli to do it, but Meng Yao still agrees, and Jiang Yanli’s smile becomes real as she turns over the keys to two P.O. boxes. One for her mother’s business, she says, and the other for her father’s business, any other mail he’d have to ask the teller for.
Jiang Yanli tells him to meet her at the car once she’s done shopping, a smile on her face as she climbs out of the car, heedless and uncaring of the mud.
Meng Yao watches her go before he ducks into the post office, the letters in his hand feeling just a little damp, either from the humidity or from his own, sweating palms. The boxes are the easiest parts, he only needs the keys for them and a single finger to keep them separated, a voice inside him demanding that Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan’s mail not touch one another, it’s the rest of the mail that makes him feel as though something is climbing up his throat like a vine that wraps around his tongue and makes it too heavy to use.
He recognizes the teller at the mail counter, but he isn’t sure if she recognizes him, her eyes are dull and blank, but that means nothing. “I’ve come to pick up the mail for the Jiang family.” Meng Yao had rehearsed that phrase, but now he hopes it doesn’t sound as though he had, he hopes it sounds easy, but if it doesn’t, the teller betrays nothing.
“Your name?” The teller asks, and Meng Yao feels himself pale.
“Meng Yao, I’m the bookkeeper for the Jiangs.”
The teller only squints at him for a moment, trying and hopefully failing to place him in her memory, all while Meng Yao wants nothing more than to bolt back out into the humidity, “You’re shorter than I thought you’d be, wait here.” The teller disappears into a back room and Meng Yao nearly melts onto the counter, his spine and knees feeling like jelly until they reappear, a stack of white envelopes resting on top of a box, bound with tape, and then bound again, the stickers proclaiming it international mail. “You’ll have to sign for the package, is there anything else?”
Meng Yao busies himself with the slip for the package one moment, and holds Jiang Fengmian’s outgoing mail the next, “I’d like these sent out.”
It had been as simple as that, no moment had come when he’d been dressed down and made to feel small, but his shoulders are still tight as he backs out of the post office, envelopes held between his arm and the package. He wouldn’t drop anything, he wouldn’t make anything get wet or illegible in the rain.
Or at least he’d tried.
Meng Yao had tried to keep everything dry and safe, but someone had bumped into him from behind, and two others were closing in on him from either side, grins that he recognizes all too well on their faces.
“I heard you were back, but I didn’t believe it.” Meng Yao doesn’t look up as he gathers the mail he’d been forced to drop, his hands are too quick for the muddy shoe that tries to come down on them, he’d forgotten about this, but his body had remembered. His hands and his arms remember how to dodge shoes that would step on them or kick them.
“Daddy didn’t want you, so you came back home, and now you’re working for the spooky Jiangs?” It’s the faux friendly tone that makes Meng Yao’s stomach lurch, bile rising up as if he’d already been kicked in the stomach. Meng Yao stands up straight and looks away defiantly, even as one of them comes closer, pinning him against the wall, though they never touch.
“What’s YaoYao gonna do when we tell the Jiangs that-” Whatever threat that was about to be spoken, is cut off by a grunt of pain and a flash of red as Meng Yao finally looks up. Before anyone can speak again, another rock is being thrown, smaller this time, but no less sharp and rough at the edges.
“Leave him alone!” Jiang Yanli’s voice is sharp and clear from where she stands, her eyes dark and her hair gone frizzy with the rain and humidity. Her groceries sit on the sidewalk, but she’s got another handful of rocks held tight in her fists, ready to throw them.
She doesn’t have to throw any more rocks though, once the former bullies who’d surrounded him realize who’d been the one throwing the rocks, they turn tail and run, spewing curses at the both of them, even as Jiang Yanli lets her handful clatter back onto the gravel drive of the post office. Jiang Yanli had muddied her slacks for him, it’s all Meng Yao can notice as she comes closer, her hands gentle on his arms.
“Miss Jiang, you’re forgetting your groceries.” Meng Yao tries to say, but his voice comes out small, “The bags will rip if they get too wet.”
“Are you alright? You’re shivering.” Jiang Yanli’s voice is too gentle, too familiar, Meng Yao closes his eyes against it and forces himself to nod. He is fine, he would be fine, he would swallow down the lump forming in his throat, but for now, he allows himself to be led back to the car and sat down in it by Jiang Yanli, her mouth pressed into a fine line now. He buckles himself in as she runs back to get the groceries and put them in the back of the car.
They say nothing to each other as Jiang Yanli reverses out of the parking lot too quickly, her eyes are still angry, but Meng Yao knows that they aren’t angry at him.
“A-Yao, you know that you don’t deserve to hear what they were saying to you, don’t you?” Jiang Yanli is still driving too fast, but Meng Yao only rests his head against the window. He’s pleasantly surprised that the mail and the package haven’t fallen to the floor by now.
When he goes too long without answering, Jiang Yanli looks away from the road and at him, anger settling into something else. “The last time my family went to see your father’s family, A-Xian got into an argument with your cousin.” Jiang Yanli’s words are firm, but Meng Yao can only glance at her. “I wanted to break his nose for what he said to A-Xian, but instead, I made him feel just as low as he’d tried to make A-Xian feel. I can’t remember if he cried or not, but I hope he did, I hated him then and I hate him now.”
Coldness is creeping into Jiang Yanli’s words and her eyes now, making her look more and more like her mother until she slows enough to look at him without running the risk of crashing the car. “You’re my friend now, A-Yao, I’ll look after you just like I look after A-Xian.”
“Miss Jiang-”
“You should only call me Miss Jiang in front of my mother now, A-Yao, I won’t settle for anything else.” Jiang Yanli tries to sound stern, but there’s amusement in her voice. Meng Yao wants to curl into a ball.
“You’re being too nice to me.” Meng Yao doesn’t mean to say it aloud, but it still comes out, and he can’t take it back, even as Jiang Yanli shakes her head. He couldn’t allow Jiang Yanli to be as kind to him as she was trying to be, eventually the kindness would run out. It always did. It always would. That was how it worked, that was how it always worked with him.
“I’m not.” Jiang Yanli says, her hair is smoother now, though Meng Yao had never seen her reach up and pat it down.
The rain had only gotten heavier while they’d been driving, and Jiang Yanli had been forced into a crawl, the car loping up muddy hills and over water filled tire tracks. They wouldn’t be able to leave the manor again until it dried, Jiang Yanli tells him this, but then assures him that she’d bought extra because of it. Her mother had pressed one of her credit cards into her hand before they’d left.
Jiang Yanli had used it to buy treats for the lot of them, Meng Yao included.
“Miss-” Meng Yao stops himself, his grip on the mail in his lap tightening as Jiang Yanli argues with the last steep hill, his eyes falling onto an unfamiliar name, though the package is addressed to Wei Wuxian. It uses his birth name, “Yanli, who is Xiao Xingchen?”
Jiang Yanli turns to look at him, and perhaps for the first time, her eyes light upon the box in Meng Yao’s lap, a sweeter smile warming her face, “A-Xian’s uncle on his mother’s side. He’s traveling the world with his partner, and they’ve been sending A-Xian presents from most of the major cities, where’s the package from this time?”
Meng Yao can barely make it out without his glasses, but as the car crests the hill, he catches it, “Amsterdam.”
“A-Xian will be pleased, the last one came from London a few months ago.”
Another question burns on Meng Yao’s tongue, but he swallows it down, they’ve almost reached the manor now.
Just like they had been when he’d first arrived, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin are waiting to help Jiang Yanli carry in the groceries. Meng Yao is allowed to help this time.
Yu Ziyuan does not touch her husband’s mail, but she does lay claim to the gossip magazine that had been in one of the grocery bags, her eyes meeting Meng Yao’s for just a moment before she shrugs and walks away.
Meng Yao doesn’t know why he feels the need to tuck the information away for later.
It isn’t until after dinner that Wen Qing goes into the kitchen and walks right back out, her coat over her arm and her face white. “Mrs. Yu,” she calls, her voice sounding too normal to be normal, her nails digging into the doorway where she stands, “There’s a man walking around outside the house, trying all the doors and windows.”
“Who is it?” Yu Ziyuan asks, rising slowly and calmly from her place at the head of the table, all three Jiang children rising with her, but Wen Qing shakes her head.
“I don’t know, Ma’am, it was too dark to see.” Jiang Yanli is the one who breaks away from the table first, her hands reaching and grabbing onto Wen Qing to guide her back to the table, though she doesn’t come away, she drops down onto her knees and sets both of her hands onto Wen Qing’s thighs.
Meng Yao looks at Lan Xichen as he rounds the table, protective, but not touching him yet.
“A-Cheng, Wei Ying, stay with A-Li.” Yu Ziyuan gives her orders clearly, tossing her napkin down onto the table, ignoring the way Jiang Yanli calls for her to stay with them, where they can see her. Meng Yao feels Lan Xichen’s hand on the small of his back, he doesn’t take it away as Yu Ziyuan comes back into the room, a poker from the fireplace held in her hand. “A-Li, where did you hide your father’s hunting rifle? It wasn’t in the study.”
The fireplace poker may as well be a sword in Yu Ziyuan’s hand with the way she holds it, her shoulders squared and back, but it isn’t the fireplace poker that she wants.
“Mother! You can’t use that rifle!” Jiang Yanli’s voice is low, but the objection in it is clear as she rises from where she’d been kneeling next to Wen Qing.
“I can use it better than your father ever could, A-Li, now where is it?”
As if to emphasize Yu Ziyuan’s words, a pounding comes from the front door, and echoes all the way into the dining room, though the shouts that come with it get lost.
“I asked A-Xian to put it away at the end of the last season,” Jiang Yanli admits finally, her hand finding Wen Qing’s as she stumbles backwards and Wen Qing rises up to catch her. Another round of pounding comes, and Lan Xichen’s hand slips around to Meng Yao’s thigh, they’d be caught soon, but Meng Yao doesn’t have it in him to care now.
“Wei Ying? Where is it?”
Wei Wuxian licks his lips and shakes his head as he tries to think, but whoever it is at the door is rattling them now, and finally, “I don’t remember!”
Meng Yao watches as Yu Ziyuan’s grip tightens on the fireplace poker, her knuckles turning white. “Must I do everything in this house myself?” Yu Ziyuan asks finally, the words grinding out as she pushes past all of them, out into the hall, her heels clicking all the while.
They only look at each other for a second before the rush to follow her comes, though the door is already swinging wide in the wind. Lan Xichen takes the lead, Wei Wuxian and Jiang Wanyin following behind him, leaving Meng Yao, Jiang Yanli, and Wen Qing to trail behind.
Lightning flashes outside, but Jiang Fengmian stands before all of them, a puddle gathering at his feet while his coat and hat drip. Yu Ziyuan still holds the fireplace poker in her hands, though she now looks like a wet cat. “You’re early.” She states, frowning and looking at her husband.
“My flight left early to beat the rain.” Jiang Fengmian nods to all of them as they stand just behind Yu Ziyuan, their hands tragically empty of pokers, “The cab caught the worst of it on the drive home.”
Breathing in deep enough that her shoulders rise, Yu Ziyuan doesn’t turn to them as she speaks, “A-Cheng, put this away, A-Li, make sure your father eats something. I’m going to bed.”
Yu Ziyuan does not wait for any of them to wish her goodnight as she turns and stomps towards the stairs, her heels still clicking loudly.
They all watch her until they can see her no more, Jiang Wanyin holds the poker to his chest just the way his mother had shoved it at him.
“Mr. Meng,” Jiang Fengmian calls, and Jiang Yanli and Wen Qing step aside, “I hope you’ve made yourself at home.”
“Of course, sir.” Meng Yao says, ducking his head.
He has, hasn’t he?
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Text
Falling For You But You Are Worlds Away: Chapter 1
Summary: After a close call with a reporter that resulted in Simon getting hurt, Linda makes a difficult and heartbreaking decision. Meanwhile, Wilhelm returns to Hillerska, hoping to at least rekindle his friendship with Simon, only to find that even that was no longer possible.
Title inspired by Taylor Swift's "Come Back, Be Here."
Note: So... after several weeks of obsessing... I finally did it... I finally wrote Young Royals fanfic. And, I really shouldn't because I have Grad school and a part-time job and I barely have time to breathe.Speaking of that, I probably won't have a consistent update. There might be times when I disappear for several weeks. Please be patient and understanding with me, I'm still trying to balance school and work.
AO3 link
It was supposed to be a normal day of running errands – a trip to the grocery store, dropping off mail at the post office, and maybe getting ice creams as a treat on the way home. But, no, Simon should have known better than to think that his life would somehow go back to normal during Christmas. After all, the prince had denied his involvement in the viral video and Simon had broken up with him to give both of them some space. This all happened only a week ago.
But, even after all that trouble and heartbreak, here he and his family were, being chased down their own street by paparazzi with their stupid cameras and fake sympathy.
“Simon, won’t you tell us your side of the story?”
“Is Prince Wilhelm lying? Are you in a relationship?”
“Mrs. Erikkson, how did you react when you found out your son may have been involved with the prince?”
“Don’t say anything,” his mother hissed in Spanish, clutching Simon and Sara’s arms tighter against her side.
The plastic bag of groceries was digging into Simon’s skin and he wished he could adjust his grip but he didn’t dare slow down. Those hyenas at his heels could catch them and he didn’t want to give them that satisfaction.
But, then, Sara let out a startled scream. A reporter had grabbed her arm, making her drop the groceries. Clementines rolled out of the bag and onto the pavement.
And, just like that, Simon saw red.
“Let go of her!”
He ripped his arm from his mother’s hold and lunged at the reporter, pushing him away from his shaking sister. The reporter, a middle-aged man who had probably been doing this for a long time, released Sara. But, before Simon could pull her away to safety, searing pain exploded at his cheek. He tasted the blood before he even realized what had happened.
His mom and Sara screamed.
The other reporters began to yell at the first one. Things like “What is wrong with you?!” and “Fuck, you can’t touch our sources like that! We’re gonna get sued!”
His name was being called. It sounded like Sara.
But, Simon, feeling dazed and tired, just stared up at the bright blue sky. He didn't even realize he had fallen to the ground. It was a nice day, though.
It should have been an ordinary nice day.
 .....
“Thank you, officer, we really appreciate your help.”
“Just doing our job, ma’am. Please don’t hesitate to call us over if you see any more suspicious individuals around your home. We’ll send someone over, immediately.”
“Thank you.”
Linda bid the police officers a good day and shut the door. With them gone, she finally lowered her mask and allowed the weariness of the day to manifest in her bones. She leaned back against the closed door, letting out the breath she had been holding.
No matter how many times she had dealt with the police, it never failed to make her exhausted. She should be used to this by now.
When she and the kids still lived with Micke, it wasn’t uncommon for neighbors to call the cops to complain about her ex-husband disturbing the peace. Mostly because he was yelling at her and the children. Sometimes, even hurting her. (He never touched the children. Linda never let him. The one and only time he almost laid a hand on Sara was finally when Linda finally gathered her children, important documents, and a few meager possessions and fled into the night.)
Linda believed that they were past all that. That in this new life she built for herself and her children, they would never have to call the police to their home or worry about their safety ever again. But, after what happened to Simon today, she could no longer hold on to that dream. Not for the time being.
She knew what she had to do to keep her son safe, even if it hurt her. Even if Simon would resent her. She hoped he wouldn’t. That he would see that she was doing this for him.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Linda straightened her shoulders, lifted her head, and began to make her way back to the living room, where she could clearly hear her children bickering on the couch.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Sara asked her brother.
“I’m fine,” Simon answered, sounding annoyed. “He didn’t even hit me that hard.”
“You could have hit your head!”
“But, I didn’t.”
“You should have left him alone.”
“He touched you!”
Sara pressed her lips together and looked away as she dabbed ointment to her brother’s bruised lip. Simon flinched, which made his sister’s lips quirk to an amused smile.
But, despite her children looking seemingly okay, joking around and teasing each other the way they always did, Linda couldn't stop looking at that dark mark marring her son’s handsome face. 
Clearing her throat, she stepped into the living room.
“Mi amor, how are you feeling?” she asked, sitting on Simon’s other side.
“I’m fine, mama,” he replied, immediately. “It’s just a scratch, it will heal in a few days.” He grinned. “It makes me look badass though, right?”
Sara snorted. “More like reckless.”
“A reckless badass.”
“Mi amor,” Linda interrupted, gently, not wanting them to start bickering again. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
Simon straightened up, looking serious. Linda’s chest felt heavy as she took his hand in hers and stroked it. Sometimes, she wished her children were still small and had no other care in the world except for what candy they could get at the grocery store that week.
“It’s about school,” she began.
“I’ll transfer back to Marieberg,” Simon said, misunderstanding where the conversation was going. “I don’t mind. Sara can stay at Hillerska, she has friends there now, I’m sure she’ll be fine. Besides, Rosh and Ayub are excited to have me back.”
Linda shook her head. “I don’t think you should go back to Marieberg either.”
At that, Simon’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean? I should go to another school? There aren’t any others close by.”
Linda sighed as she looked her son in the eye. “When the… video… first came out...”
Simon flinched and looked down at his feet.
“... I thought about how to… protect you. Especially after what happened today-.”
“Mama, I can handle it,” he interrupted, still unable to look at her. “I was fine today.”
“No, you weren’t,” Sara interjected. “You got punched.”
Simon glared at her. “They’re just reporters, I can handle them.”
Linda squeezed his hand. “It’s not just the reporters, Simon. It’s also… the others. Remember that boy from the other day? He followed you home! He could have hurt you!”
Simon's eyes flashed in anger at the memory. “But, he didn’t, you drove him away. And I would have been fine, I could take him.”
“That doesn’t stop me from worrying!”
Linda ran a hand through her hair, frustrated and cursing her son’s stubbornness. Unfortunately, that was one thing he inherited from Micke.
“Anything could have happened and I can’t protect you! Not at school, not at the grocery store, not even here at home! And do you know what that does to me?! I worry about you every time you’re out of my sight, Simon!” 
Unbidden tears brimmed at Linda’s eyes but she refused to let them fall. She had to be strong. She was making the right decision.
“A few weeks ago, I called your Tia Elena. She already knew what happened, the news reached them...”
“Oh, God!” Closing his eyes, Simon groaned and fell back against the couch.
“… and she actually suggested that… you go to live with her for a while.”
Almost immediately, Simon’s eyes snapped open and he sat up. “What?”
“I wasn’t sure, before, because I don’t want you to be away from us. But, after what happened with that boy from the other day and the reporters today… I think this is the best thing for you.”
“To send me to America?! That’s the best thing for me?!”
Simon pulled his hand away from her hold and stood up, presumably to stalk off to his room.
Linda tried to blink away the tears. “Simon, mi amor, please! This is the only way to keep you safe!”
“You’re sending me away! From you and Sara and my friends! My whole life is here!”
“It’s only until this all dies down, I promise. You can transfer back to Marieberg next school year. But, just for this term. Please, Simon.”
She watched Simon’s stiff back as he processed her pleas.
“W-What about a visa?” he asked and the hope in it broke her heart. “Don’t I need one of those? And they take time, don’t they? By the time they process it, school’s gonna start and I still have to travel and-.”
“You have an appointment with the U.S. Embassy the day after tomorrow,” Linda interrupted. “Your Tia Elena took care of everything. She even sent some money along to help with the fees.”
“Oh.” Simon’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “W-Would they even have room for me?”
“There’s only her and Ana now ever since Ricardo left them. And she says you can work at her store to earn some extra money, if you want.”
From the corner of her eye, Linda spotted Sara, who was unusually quiet. Her daughter was staring at her brother, her face unreadable. It was difficult to read Sara these days. But, Linda hoped that her daughter understood why she was doing this.
Sara didn’t want to leave Hillerska and that was fine, she had gone ahead and applied for that Grant to be a resident. But, even if Simon applied for a Grant too and became a resident, he would still get chased by reporters. He would still get recognized and followed by creeps and people who wanted to do him harm in Bjarstard. But, in America, with Linda’s older sister, he could be safe from the scandal.  
“Is there really no other way?” Simon asked, softly.
Getting to her feet, Linda moved towards her son and wrapped him in her arms.
“Mi amor, I know this is difficult for you. It is for me, too. I want nothing more than for you to stay here in Sweden with me and your sister. But, I want you to be safe. I want people to stop stalking you and bothering you about something so… traumatic. You don’t deserve that. You deserve to go to school and live your life in peace. In America, no one knows who you are. You can live normally again, go to school, and even… date someone new.”
Simon flinched in her arms and she regretted her words.
What Simon had with Wilhelm was truly special, something for the books, the kind of love story you often watch on T.V. and read about in books. She had never seen Simon as happy as he had been when he was with the prince, even if they thought Linda didn’t know. (Of course, she knew! She was his mother!) It was only a shame that their story ended in a tragedy that not only broke her son’s heart but also brought negative and unwanted attention onto his life.
“Simon, please,” she begged. “Just for a few months, I promise, mi amor. And, then, you can come home and life will be back to normal, I’m sure. Please.”
Time felt like it was slowing down as they stood there in the middle of the living room, Simon slowly breaking in her arms and Sara only watching helplessly.
Finally, her son let out a breath. “Okay,” he said in a soft voice. “I’ll go.”
Linda burst into tears and buried her face against the fabric of Simon’s orange sweatshirt.
Despite her own heart breaking into pieces at the thought of being away from her son, she was also so incredibly relieved.
 ......... 
The Christmas break was too long, in Wilhelm’s opinion.
He spent most of it making required public appearances, sitting in on council meetings, and attending royal parties. He went about his duties like a robot, his emotions numb and something in him broken. His mother thought he would get over it if she threw enough things at him to keep him busy enough to not think of Simon. But, obviously, it didn’t work.
Simon was the first thing on his mind when he woke up in the mornings and the last thing he thought of before he slept at night. He had tried texting but his texts went unanswered. His calls would result in just ring after ring after ring until voicemail picked up. He spent many hours just scrolling through Simon’s Instagram, not seeing any new posts. Rosh, Ayub, and Sara had all blocked him so he couldn’t even see any posts of Simon, if there were any.
During the yearly Christmas party hosted by the Royal family, it was normally Erik who had to socialize and make nice with all the nobility and distant relatives who came. But, this year, Wilhelm had to do it. And it was fine, at first. He managed to remember some names and those he didn’t remember, he managed to sidestep with a polite “sir” or “ma’am.” But, then… But, then!
His mother introduced to him the daughter of a Duke whose name he couldn’t remember. With the way his mother smiled and practically pushed the girl to his side, Wilhelm knew exactly what she was doing. It ruined the rest of the party for him, as well as that poor girl’s Christmas. Wilhelm was so annoyed that he ignored her when she tried to make conversation. Eventually, he caused her to break into tears when he bluntly said that he didn’t care who designed her dress.
The Queen tried to scold him, called him a disgrace, and demanded that he get himself together. Wilhelm only shot her a blank look, excused himself, and left the party.
There were no more attempts at setting him up after that.
So, when Christmas break ended and it was time to return to Hillerska, he was relieved. He dutifully packed his things, including the small Christmas gift he got for Simon. He was hoping that even if they couldn’t restart their relationship, they could still be friends. Wilhelm would take anything Simon was able to offer him right now, even if it wasn’t what he wanted.
“Your Royal Highness,” Malin called through the door. “You’re supposed to be at the church in ten minutes.”
“Thanks, Malin!” Wilhelm called back to her.
The prince looked over his appearance in the mirror one last time, making sure his school tie was tied properly and his jacket free of lint. Not that Simon would care about those, but Wilhelm wanted to look his best, for once. He even got a haircut over break. He wondered if Simon did, too. He couldn’t wait to see him.
Feeling the anticipation brimming inside him, Wilhelm made his way out of his room. He joined the others in leaving Forest Ridge to head to the church. Ahead of him, Henry and Walter waved, pausing to let him catch up to them.
Despite their initial impression on Wilhelm, they really did mellow out the more he got to know them. And when the video came out, they were the only ones who didn’t look at him weirdly (at least, not blatantly to his face) and never once asked about the video. They even texted him a Merry Christmas over break. He would take their company over August’s.
And, speaking of the devil, there was his traitor of a cousin now, pushing through the other boys to get to him. Wilhelm quickened his steps, not wanting to get caught in a conversation. He had successfully avoided him during the Christmas party at the palace after giving firm instructions to Malin and Johan to ensure that he didn’t get close to Wilhelm.
Luckily, his bodyguards were most likely doing exactly that as Wilhelm made it to the church and slipped into a pew without August catching up to him. Henry and Walter slid in after him, chatting about their holidays.
“Wonder what they’re singing this time,” Walter wondered aloud.
“Hope it’s something good,” Henry added.
Wilhelm only smiled, his annoyance at August finally melting away and replaced by excitement to see Simon and hear him sing again. Christmas break was too long.
Finally, the whole church had filled up and the Headmaster signaled for everyone to be quiet.
The choir entered.
Wilhelm spotted Felice and gave her a small wave. She had remained a great friend to him throughout the break.
As the choir began their song, Wilhelm scanned the heads, looking for that familiar head of curls. Someone else was doing a solo this time, a girl he didn’t know and her voice was nice but it wasn’t Simon. Why wasn’t Simon doing the solo?
Wilhelm couldn’t even hear the song or decipher the lyrics. His eyes desperately scanned all three rows but he couldn’t spot Simon.
Where was Simon?!?! Did he miss the first day of school?!?!
But, Sara was just a few pews ahead. She wouldn’t leave home without her brother.
The excitement that had earlier filled him turned into fear.
Did Simon quit the choir?!
Not caring about how it looked, Wilhelm scanned the pews across from them and the pews behind him, trying to spot those curls. But… he couldn’t see them. Not one strand.
The choir had finished singing now and the Headmaster had stood up to welcome them to another semester, go over the rules of the dorms, and list the school administration’s expectations from their students.
All of it went over Wilhelm’s head.
And, finally, they were dismissed to go to their first class of the day.
Wilhelm shot up and, muttering apologies to Henry and Walter, made his way out of the pew. He ignored the “hello’s” sent his way and hurried to the front.
Sara and Maddie were chatting with each other as they made their way down the aisle, all excited smiles and talking about how wonderfully Felice sang.
“Sara!”
The girl slowed down and froze upon seeing him. He saw the anger flash in those normally calm eyes. Then, she turned her gaze away and walked past him.
Wilhelm was not giving up.
He turned around and gave chase. “Sara! Sara, wait! I just need to ask you something.”
“I have nothing to say to you, Prince,” she seethed, not stopping.
He hated to do it but he gently grasped the arm of her school jacket. “Please, I need to ask you. Where’s Simon?”
Sara pulled her arm away, glaring at him. “Why do you ask?”
Wilhelm swallowed. “He didn’t sing with the choir. And I can’t find him anywhere and I just-.”
“He doesn’t go to Hillerska anymore.”
Wilhelm’s heart stopped. “What?”
Sara shrugged, turned on her heels, and walked away. Maddie shot Wilhelm a pitying look before hurrying off after her.  
His chest felt tight. And it seemed like there wasn’t enough air for him to breathe.
Simon... left?
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razrbladekiss · 3 years
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Tyrants | Chapter Four - Peril
WORD COUNT: 5.1k
WARNINGS: Mentions of death, drug use, Tig being Tig. The usual SOA shit. Sorry Donna..
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She always saw the beauty in darkness. The lugubrious belle that came alongside the moon and stars and whatever else lurked amidst the murk of nighttime.
Isla was cliche in that sense.
She was cliche in the sense that she adored watching the sun set, swallowed by the mountains and high-rise buildings as the evening fell and Charming was painted black.
And maybe it was mostly melancholic because of the horrors that swathed that small town, but it was still beautiful nonetheless.
She still liked to bask in the scenery, to discern the marvel of her home, from the highest point she could access. And, sometimes, she liked to take somebody along with her so she wasn't completely alone.
"Why'd you still come up here?" Ope asked, pulling himself onto the roof as she sat with her back to the wall--puffing on a cigarette.
"Because it's quiet." She was content, comfortable with her response. "And whenever I'm looking for Jax, or Gem, or my dad--or they're looking for me--this is where we're almost always found. Just people watching, or reminiscing, or having a few minutes to ourselves away from the chaos downstairs."
It wasn't an unknown safe space--Gemma had told her that JT and Clay would climb up there during the earliest days of the club--but it was special.
Jax, Opie, and Isla spent time up there as kids, too. Because they were bastards and were always running from their fathers--and den mother--and the roof of the clubhouse was their go-to.
She never really got out of that habit. She'd spend hours up there if she could, just watching as Charming bustled beneath her. And she liked that it was separate to the garage, but everyone knew where to find her if they needed her.
"It clears your head, being up here." She added. "I have got so much shit going on right now--between work, and my personal life--but coming up here is like a refreshment, I guess."
Opie understood what she meant because he was also seeking comfort in the night. Riding through dusk, spending time alone on his bike as he cruised the streets of his quaint town, relishing in the darkness because it was strangely comforting to him.
He liked to be alone. His thoughts were brutal and they seared his brain left and fucking right, but he liked his own company.
"Wish I thought about comin' up here when I was released from holding." The man chuckled, balancing a cigarette between his lips. "Stahl grilled the fuck outta me."
"She did?"
"Yeah. She really fuckin' did." He added, grunting as smoke blew from his nostrils. "Did she get you? I know she got Gemma."
"Nope, she didn't. I don't know why, though. She interrogated everyone else. Starting to feel a little left out."
Opie chuckled, smiling a bit. "Be glad. It's obvious that she's used to getting what she wants."
"And did you give it to her?"
"Fuck no." Isla smiled. Proud. "She can cross-examine me all she fuckin' wants—I'll never sell the club out."
"They know that, Ope."
"I know." Half confidently, he nodded. "Just—Stahl made me second guess it all, y'know?"
Nobody in Charming--aside from the PD--knew where that despicable bitch came from, and nobody cared to ask.
What they did know, though, was that she had her heart set on making that town a living fucking hell as she strived to eradicate the Sons of Anarchy by getting to its members.
She'd grilled everyone she could've. She cornered Gemma when she was out running errands, leaving the grocery store with a sour taste in her mouth when Teller told her where to fucking shove it.
Same went for Jax, and Clay, and Chibs, and Tig, and...Well, all of them told her to get fucked, actually.
None of them caved. None of them wanted to sell the club out because there was no reason to.
Well, there was a reason to, but no desire to.
There'd been murders. Three, to be specific. And one of them just happened to be a police officer--which was quite unlucky, but it wasn't awful.
They hated cops.
What they hated more, however, was the idea of getting caught by them. And Clay was. Somehow, anyway.
Piney's old "friend"--Nate Meineke--needed quality, albeit illegal, guns with no traceability to attack the convoy that was transporting one of his friends from point A to point B. And it went as swimmingly as possible...
Until June Stahl was put on the case and found that idiot's phone at the scene after dropping it mid-ambush.
Clay just happened to be the last person he had called. Which then caused the investigation to point toward Charming.
They all knew the Sons were guilty of supplying those weapons. Who else would it have been? They were known for running illegal firearms without batch numbers from a quaint Californian town whose name didn't quite fit its image.
It was blatant, though nobody gave it up.
But Stahl tried her damndest to get answers. And when she didn't, she targeted the member that she saw to be the most vulnerable--after a hit went wrong and he failed to cover his tracks--and Opie just happened to be that guy.
She questioned him for hours. She practically held the man captive in that little cell until he caved. But he didn't--and he wasn't going to, either.
He was loyal. That's one of the reasons why Jax wanted to patch him back in.
"Yeah, I know." Isla got to her feet when she heard Tig yelling for her downstairs. "But you're the strongest guy I know, Ope. I don't think Stahl, of all people, is gonna get to you."
He shrugged her off, flicking the butt of his cigarette to the gravelly ground of the roof.
Opie had changed. Not much, and it wasn't very apparent, but he'd changed. Chino had changed him, she thought.
He was still dedicated to his club, still in love with the reaper and the responsibility that came with the patch--but Opie Winston lacked that flicker of enthusiasm now.
"How does your dad feel about you being back at the table?"
"Said he's proud of me."
He was a man of very, very few words. But the tone that he took--the sheer relief twined into contentment--spoke a greater volume.
Piney would always support his son, feel a sense of gratification from his involvement in the club. And, of course, Ope felt grateful to be back--but it was different now.
He'd served time for his club. Donna consistently argued that they sold him out and that he was fucking stupid for running back into the arms of SAMCRO.
But it was his brotherhood. The Sons of Anarchy were his family--his lifeline. He was nothing if not blessed to be patched back in.
"And I guess that wife of yours isn't too happy about it?"
"How'd you reach that conclusion?"
"Well," she ignored that Tig was waiting for her, standing directly in front of him. "If she was genuinely thrilled about you being back here, she'd have been coming to Gemma's dinners, and spending more time at the clubhouse with us. But she isn't, and I'm starting to realize that she probably hates me now."
His head shook. "She doesn't hate you. It's just...It's just raw. Weird being back, I think."
"She didn't even have to leave. She knows that."
Donna did know that. But there was always something about Gemma. About the way she let things slide so often, how she felt that she had Clay so pussy whipped that he'd be at her every beck and call--but, really, that was redundant. Because Gemma let him get away with fucking murder.
Literally.
"Is she gonna be there tonight?
"Of course. She wouldn't miss Jax's son coming home." He got up, reaching for her hands. "Sorry that she's been so distant with you, Isla. But she's just been stressed out--money worries and the kids and stuff, y'know?"
"Yeah, I know."
Donna wasn't traditionally a worrier. But five years worth of finances, being a single mom, and fretting over her husband potentially not making it out of prison alive, just did that to a woman.
"Anything I can do to help?"
"I don't think so." Grateful for her offering, though recognizing how damn stubborn his wife was, he conceded. "Thanks, though."
"Anytime. And if you change your mind, or need me, you know where I am--"
"Isla!"
"He is getting on my last fucking nerve today." She groaned, flipping Tig off as she looked over the ledge. "I'm coming! Give me a minute!"
"I've given you plenty of minutes! Just get your ass down here!"
"Just go," Ope chuckled, leaning down to peck her cheek. "We can have this talk another time."
Isla turned back to him, frowning. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. Go 'n talk to him--I'll see you tonight."
He was such a nice guy. So considerate, kind.
She loved him a lot.
The flouncy sundress rose to the middle of her thighs as she sauntered through the clubhouse, hearing Trager talking--rather conspicuously, though slightly muffled--to somebody on his cell.
"C'mon, Tiggy. Why'd you yell at me?"
He waved his hand to shut her up, gesturing for the blonde to follow him out of the clubhouse and toward his bike.
"Yeah, cool. K, brother--see 'ya later. Bye." He hung up and slid the phone into the pocket of his cut, swiveling to face Isla with a smile. "You ready?"
"For what?"
"The party?" Tig told her, watching confusion sweep over her face. "I'm taking you over 'cuz you want a drink and don't wanna drive home after? And that you're probably gonna end up heading home with Juice, or something--"
"Juice?"
"It always happens," he shrugged, pointing at the helmet he set out for her at the back of his bike. "We all head out, you get too drunk, you take a liking to Juicy, and you try to ride his dick."
"What?" Isla got herself situated behind him as he got on first, her arms wound around his waist. "That was one time. I've only slept with him once, and I told you it'd never happen again."
"And why is that?"
Her cheeks flushed red, the engine revving sending vibrations through her entire frame.
"Because he was too gentle." Tig's foot collided with the kickstand.
"And the little Catholic girl likes it rough."
She felt the solid gold crucifix burning a hole into her chest.
"Yes. I like it rough." He groaned, leaning into her. She swatted at his chest over his shoulder, laughing heartily. "Just take me to see the baby, dickhead."
The bike sped out of the lot and Isla was loving the thrill of being on two wheels. She'd always liked being stuck to the back of somebody's Harley--but she'd never own one herself.
Isla was like Gemma. She felt stable enough riding with somebody, but riding alone--being in control of the motorcycle--was fucking terrifying.
Jax and Opie had encouraged her to take a ride at one point, but it didn't end very well, and Chibs spent the best part of two hours trying to stitch his daughter back up whilst Gemma castigated the two imbeciles who thought it was even reminiscent of a good idea.
Weaving through traffic gracefully, freely, was appealing to her, however. But she wouldn't be caught dead--alone--on a fucking bike.
Plus, she quite enjoyed being taken places. Escorted by a member of the club. It was safe.
The wind whirred and whipped around them, and she wished she didn't make the effort with her hair tonight. It was ruined, tousled to within an inch of its life, and she dreaded the thought of having to brush the knots out in Jax's bathroom.
Still, commuting via Harley was a hell of a lot quicker and had a few more benefits than commuting via car.
But the looks that they got were piercing. Horrible. Mainly from Hale stationed beside his squad car, watching as Isla and Tig raced down the freeway.
"He likes you." He spoke over the roaring engine when he hit the first stop light all night. "He hates that you've never given him a chance--"
"He's a cop, and I'm the outlaw's daughter. I've been raised to hate his kind."
Tig nodded his approval, setting off once again when the light switched to green and all opposing traffic stood still.
At one strange point in time, David Hale had his sights set on Isla Telford. He was in love with her. Completely besotted.
And she never gave him a second glance because, for one, she wasn't interested. He hated that she was so close to Jax and Opie, but not him, and he wished that she'd push herself away from the bad guys to grow closer to the heroic law-enforcer.
But he was a control freak above everything else, and Isla was just a free-spirit. She was loyal to her friends and family but she didn't want to get tied down, and she didn't want to become friendly with a fucking cop.
The only cop she liked was crooked. And Unser was in a similar spot to her--a little too affiliated with SAMCRO, but not completely doted on. Though, they were both strangely essential fixtures, and Clay would've been lost without them.
"Juice is here." Tig taunted as he helped her off the bike, holding her hand when she stumbled over herself a little. "Try to keep those panties on."
"Can't make any promises, Tiger." Her growl was seductive, though he knew that she was fucking with him.
She'd given up rebuking his claims, instead feeding into them because, with Trager, she couldn't seem to win. He was sleazy, and she loved that back and forth.
What she loved more, though, was that he was comfortable. He was a strange man, and nobody really understood just where he came from, but Isla liked that she could make jokes of any kind around him. He was easy to get along with. Easy to love.
And, man, did she love Alex Trager.
"If you do fuck him, though, would you make a video?"
Isla stepped into Jax's front room, turning on her heels. "Who said that we haven't already got one?"
She chuckled and wandered into the party, leaving Tig with a few convoluted thoughts and even more raunchy questions.
"Fuck. Gemma taught her well." He grumbled under his breath, reaching for the beer in Half-Sack's hand.
He slumped on the couch, motioning for his usual lay to sit in his lap as he watched Juice fawn over his little blonde friend making conversation with some other random woman already.
"Yeah, totally..." she agreed with whatever the girl was saying, but her eyes were glued on Tara. Just floating around the party.
She felt bad that the doctor was alone. Despite all that she thought of her, being out of ones depth in such an intimidating setting wasn't very nice. And Isla was an empath.
"D'ya think anyone 'round here has any nail glue?"
"Gemma might." She smiled, pointing toward the kitchen.
Grateful that she managed to shake that one off, Isla weaved through the small conclave and sat beside Tara, offering a friendly face during a time of such discomfiture.
Her heart was aching, the sheer nervousness was palpable, and she knew that Tara felt the same way too.
But Isla just sucked it up. Because she wanted to talk to her, and had to be the one to initiate it.
"Thanks for coming." Her smile was wide, genuine.
She offered a beer to the brunette, hoping that she'd take it.
"Thanks for asking me here." Tara accepted it, glad that Isla remembered she wasn't particularly a wine girl like herself.
Christ. This is awkward.
"Trust me, you were the first person I asked to come tonight."
"How so?"
"Well," a little bit more comfortably, she faced her completely, "you've literally nursed Abel back to health. You've been there every step of the way. You've been the best surgeon. And, as much as I hate to say it, you helped Wendy so much, Tara. I'm really thankful for all that you've done for this family."
"It's my job." She tried to brush the comments off, but her heart definitely fluttered at the praise.
Isla never changed. She was still the sweetest soul, she thought.
"I know, but you've had it rough with this lot--with Gemma, I mean."
"She isn't anything I can't handle." Confidently, she asserted.
"I know, and I'm glad that you're able to stand your ground." Reluctant, a hand landed against Tara's palm.
She jolted a little bit, but softened into the embrace.
It was comfy, warm. Prosperous, perhaps, because it meant something. Tara not jerking away and leaving once Isla offered a friendly embrace, was promising.
They spoke about the baby for a little while, and shared a few laughs at Tig's expense. It was strange, really. To be talking to her ex-best friend was strange, but she'd missed it.
Donna joined the mix, too, and it was starting to feel like old times. Isla recognized that they'd never slip back into that routine, the dedication to one another that they'd known when they were kids--but it was nice.
The conversation stuttered and it wasn't able to flow as freely as what she might've liked, but it was a start.
To know that she had something resembling an acquaintanceship with two women she admired, was nice.
And Jax introducing his baby to his brand new home, to his extended family that were already so fucking dedicated to him, was just the most wonderful thing ever.
"What about a beer?" Clay joked, holding the bottle close to Abel. Jax laughed, though he shook his hand away. "What? Grandpa can't give him his first beer?"
"No, he can't."
"I'll take it, though. If you're offerin'." Chibs grabbed the Budweiser and twisted the cap with the leather grip of his glove.
He gestured to Isla, tipping it toward her. "Want some?"
"No, you're alright." She went back to her wine, smiling at that little bundle of happiness in Jax's arms, wondering how the hell he'd gotten to be in this position now.
But it was because of Tara. Her commitment, her talent, and sheer want to help that angel through the roughest patch that a baby could have possibly been thrust into.
How Gemma could still loathe that girl--after everything she did--was beyond her completely.
Tara was the unlikeliest hero in Abel's story.
"Why is it that every time I see you, your highlights get more chunky?" Gemma smiled at the comment, turning to see her favorite girl, flaunting the most beautiful smile.
She handed Isla the bottle of whatever wine Chibs could get this evening, unable to quit beaming at the thought of her grandson finally being at home. Where he belonged.
"I told you I'd do them for you, Gem."
"I know," she nodded, playing with a few strands of hair, "I was gonna ask you, but you've been a little distant this week--didn't wanna add to your workload, baby."
"That's super considerate of you. Are you alright?" Isla teased, holding a hand to Gemma's forehead.
She slapped it away with a laugh. "Fuck you. I'm always considerate."
"Sure you are. That's why Wendy is here, right?"
"No," her head shook, "she's here 'cuz this is her house. If I had it my way, she'd be out on her ass faster than what you could even say 'crank whore.'"
Isla wiped at her lips with the back of her hand, tipping her head toward the blonde in the living room.
"I thought you made sure she was gonna be here tonight?" Confused, she quizzed.
She was under the impression that Wendy was starting to grow on her. After she'd tried to kill her, of course.
"I did," Gem confirmed. "But only because I knew it'd be awkward between her and Tara."
Amazed, or maybe fucking horrified, Isla simply glared at her.
It should've been obvious to her--plain as day--that Gemma Teller doing a good thing was simply a bullshit facade, built in order to take away from the fact she wanted to do an inherently bad thing.
But Isla liked to see the good in people, so it wasn't. And that really was one of her mot fatal flaws.
"She thanked me for letting her stay, too."
"And what'd you say to her?" Almost as if she didn't want to know the answer, she asked.
Black nails danced along the rim of her wine glass as she leaned against the counter, watching everybody enjoy themselves as they bitched and moaned.
"That she's lucky to be alive."
"Jesus, Gem," her head shook disparagingly, disappointed perhaps.
But being surprised that the woman made a threatening comment toward Wendy, was just as stupid as being surprised at Tig for fucking another hooker during his free time.
"You've gotta keep her close, ma. She's the mother of your grandson, the woman your son did love at one point."
Ma. The word rolled off her tongue unintentionally most of the time, but she didn't hate it.
Gemma was the mother figure in her life--hell, she was the mother figure in a few of the Sons' lives--and it didn't feel weird using that around her. It was affectionate. She adored it.
"Jax never loved her," matter of fact, she retorted. "They got drunk together. They smoked dope together. They didn't love one another--"
"They got married." Isla reminded her. "They have a kid together. They have a lot of history."
"Just because they have history, doesn't mean they love one another. You've got history with him."
Her chuckle was throaty, almost a full-on splutter. "We have not got that same history--we're friends, Gem, you know that's different."
She supposed the blonde was right.
There was hell of a contrast between friends for life and friends with benefits--and Gemma knew that. She just didn't like that Jax gravitated toward Wendy when he'd always had Isla right there in front of him.
Though, she was more than aware that the pair didn't look at each other that way--she still lauded the thought of the two together.
"I still hate her."
"I know," Isla laughed at Gemma's irritability, sipping on her wine, enjoying the sight of everybody having a damn good time.
"She's checking into rehab, too."
"Really? Where?"
"Some place in Oakland, I think." Gemma added, smiling at Clay when he wandered over to the pair. "But you didn't hear that from me."
"You think she's gonna stick to it?"
"Couldn't tell 'ya." He answered for his wife, leaning in to press a chaste kiss to Isla's cheek. "She's determined though, I'll give her that."
"Yeah?" His nod was optimistic--strange for Clay Morrow. "Well, I'm glad she's working on herself, anyway. She's got potential."
"You hate her."
"I know." She didn't refute the assertion. "But I'm still happy for her."
At least somebody is.
She wasn't lying. Wendy was a good girl, a woman tortured for no good reason. And she felt for her, she really did.
It'd been a shock, finding out that she was pregnant. But it wasn't like they weren't expecting it--what with the rate she and Jax were going at it.
From the start, Isla and Gemma were worried. She was notorious for her crank habit and the girls thought she was going to kill herself before she had the chance to see her son into the world.
And that almost happened, didn't it?
The doctors at St. Thomas were fucking miracle workers--Isla was on pins and needles waiting for a call to say that Wendy and Abel were okay.
But she tried not to dwell on that, now. They were both as healthy and Abel was as happy as he could've been, so Isla was content. She wasn't pleased, but she was comfortable with the way that things were going.
Tara, however.
"No!" She yelled, backing out of the nursery. "No, fuck you, Jax."
Juice stumbled backward when she nudged him out of the way, pulling her purse from the kitchen counter.
Isla and Gemma couldn't not stare.
"Tara, c'mon!" Jax called after her, but it was too late.
The front door had been slammed shut and the party came to a complete standstill. A thickening tension was shrouding the group, and things were only just starting to simmer.
"What was that all about?" The blonde asked Juice, leaning against the island.
She didn't want to prove Tig to be right but, after a few glasses of wine, Juan Carlos Ortiz was starting to pique her interests.
He swallowed thickly, watching Clay leave the room. "He said something about Wendy--wanting to keep whatever it is that he and Tara have going on the down low so it doesn't set her off, or something."
Makes sense.
"He has a point. She's doing really well lately." He continued. "Jax would hate to stunt her progress by shoving his relationship with Tara in her face."
Isla was rattled.
Jax hadn't talked to her in days, and she wasn't aware that so much had changed. She wasn't aware that he had established a relationship with Tara Knowles.
Again.
You know what they're like--like two fucking magnets or something. They always find a way back to one another.
She was too irritated to reside in that same room as Gemma, now. Knowing the conversation she'd initiate the second that Juice left was too fucking much. So she left first, instead.
The living room was almost empty. Just Clay, Bobby, Tig, and Chibs sat around the couches as Donna, the kids, and Ope were preparing to set off.
Everything was annoying her, now. She hadn't made the effort with Donna all night, but she was pissed that she hadn't started to say goodbye to her yet.
Isla was so fucking irritated that she didn't even want to talk to Tig, or her father. So she didn't.
"Where're you going, petal?" Chibs asked, hindering her plan to keep her mouth shut for the rest of the night. He knew that she'd crack a smile at the nickname.
"I was just wandering. Not really sure what to do with myself."
"Come sit down," he gestured to the space between himself and Tig, and wound an arm around her when she met the leather. "I've missed 'ya."
"Tonight? Or just in general."
"In general. It's been a few days, love."
"I know, I'm sorry." Her head rested against his Sgt. At Arms patch, and she sighed. "Work has been so fucking busy and I feel like I haven't gotten a moment to myself this week."
Isla only worked a part-time gig at some shitty salon just on the outskirts of Charming--edging into Stockton--but she hated her job.
She hated driving into the city every morning and evening, wasting a fuck ton of her paycheck on gas when, really, there was no point.
She hated her cunt boss.
Hated her cunt clients.
She hated that nobody really spoke to her because of who her father was. And when they did speak to her, it was almost like they were scared. Of Isla.
Gemma had always promised her that there was a space at the auto shop for her had she needed it, but she couldn't think of anything worse than having to answer to Gemma and Clay every single day.
Well, more than what she already was, anyway.
"Who'd 'a thought that being a hairdresser was so demanding?"
"Me, apparently." She joked, watching Tig get up and leave the room.
It'd turned somber. A little too bleak for her liking, but she guessed that everyone felt a bit awkward after Tara stamped out and Jax sat on his porch. Alone. With a bottle of whiskey.
She hated the hold that woman had over him sometimes. The way he was so fucking devoted to Tara Knowles that she could literally slap him, scream in his face, and ruin his son's homecoming party--and he would still pine for her.
She'd never understand that.
And she didn't understand how such a lively bunch of individuals had mellowed out over the course of two hours, either.
The party had disappeared. Dissipated into nothing and the atmosphere she once lauded was completely dead in the water.
It was fucking grim, and she couldn't wait to head home.
"Can I come with you tonight?"
"Why'd you even ask? Y'know you're welcome to come home with your old man whenever you want." Chibs told her a little bit stern, though it was essentially full of love.
She just smiled up at him, a bit buzzed. But she was having a good-ish time and who was he to chastise her for drinking a little too much tonight?
"Wanna head off now?"
"Yeah--lemme just say 'bye' to Gemma."
"Alright, I'll be out front. Don't forget your purse." He reminded, knowing she was too ditsy for her own good.
Chibs helped her to her feet, letting go of her hand only to part ways for a few moments.
Her mood was perking up, now. The prospect of being able to spend a few hours with her dad after a long fucking day, was just the best.
And she'd really missed him. Missed the time they once had an abundance of. Missed the evenings that they'd spend talking, drinking, watching movies, doing the generic father daughter activities.
They hadn't had that for a while, and it was truly a blessing that it was within reach tonight.
Well. It was within reach for all of five minutes.
"Oh my God--" Gemma's cell slipped from between black nails and bounced across the table. Saturated hues were locked on Isla, and her head shook.
"What?"
"There's--there's been an accident." She managed to muster out. "Or, maybe a drive-by, I don't know, but Donna--"
"Donna?" Piney's attention was snatched at the mention of his daughter-in-law. He stood up. "What about her?"
Isla knew the answer. She knew what Gemma was going to say because it was just the usual now, wasn't it?
Being affiliated with SAMCRO just did that to somebody. Man, woman, child. They didn't fucking care.
"She's--Piney, she's dead."
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