#damn when eddie wakes up he's not even gonna get to address it | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

roguish-gallery · 3 years

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Reader has just been captured by Arkham Riddler's goons! They're gonna be used in Nygma's next plan to beat the Bat! They must've been captured after failing one of his traps. Except they didn't. Just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Actually reader LIKES riddles and puzzles. They test out and play Nygma's traps for fun and survive. Looks like Eddie's new victim is smarter than they look. And it looks like they may actually have a fondness for him. After all, they DO admit to admiring him.

Arkham!Edward + Reader That Refuses to Die

Oughhhh anon,,, I had so much fun writing this and it kinda sorta turned into a giant experimental shitpost I’m so sorry,,, I hope u enjoy it in spite of this. Everything is under the readmore because this thing is massive. Slight warning for light ns/fw mentions

He’ll entertain your survival for maybe an hour, maybe two, before he realizes that he probably won’t be able to kill them through his puzzles. His mild bemusement is turning into annoyance. God damn it, these traps are supposed to fucking kill Batman, and some rando he picked off the street is solving them with ease? Is he off his game? Are his games not as clever as they’re supposed to be? Jesus Fucking Christ, now he’s got a migraine on top of everything else.

“Okay, that’s it!” Deathtrap turns off. Lights turn on, and a goon shuffles into the hallway to escort you out of the building. Edward’s voice crackles over the intercom- he’s not even going to give you the decency of showing his face over the video monitors. “Game’s over. Get out.”

“This is about stroking my ego," He says. "not about you having fun. You’re probably cheating anyway.”

You try and reason with him, mentioning that you've admired his past works.

“Okay??? I like me too. So does everyone else. What does that have to do with anything???”

This bickering goes on for a surprisingly long time. You obviously cannot see it from where you are, but Edward is like this *this* close to having a tantrum and needing to furiously jack off to get rid of this pent-up energy.

“Here’s a riddle for you, jackass- what refuses to die, unchubs my dick, and is a pain in my ass?”

“An STD?”

“Wha-?! N-no!! Shut up!!! Shut up shut up shut up!! I was talking about YOU, you- you troglodyte! Get off of my property.”

You hear the victim in the adjacent room ask if they can leave too.

“No, I need you to get your dick chewed off by those feral eels to make me feel better. If anything, the fact that I’m giving you an extension to solve that 17X17 Rubik’s cube is more than generous. If you somehow still fail to solve it and fall into my pit filled with dick-eating feral eels, well, that’s on you.”

You wake up on the floor of a Waffle House with a splitting headache. The goons must have given you chloroform so you wouldn’t be able to find the hideout. The employees and the other patrons take no notice of you because they are too preoccupied with their own headaches. Checking your pockets, you realize that Edward had given you some change to order some hashbrowns- that’s the closest you’ll get to him begrudgingly recognizing your ability to solve his puzzles.

Meanwhile, Ed is beside himself in anguish. How could he ever hope to outwit Batman now? He needs to lick his wounds and take time off to bounce back to his usual self.

_____________________

Okay! It’s a new day, and Edward has refitted his hideout with a ton of new, zesty deathtraps! These will surely kill Batman!!!

….. Right?

Well…

Hmm… there’s only one true way to know if these will work or not.

You wake up on a platform suspended above a pit filled with twice the amount of dick-eating feral eels. There is an 18X18 Rubik’s cube at your feet. Edward is polite enough to turn his video monitor on when he’s addressing you this time.

“Okay! I have kidnapped you to run through my gauntlet of genius to see if my traps are of any actual value. Your compensation will come in the form of your survival, this bottle of half-used ringworm mediation that I don’t need anymore, and a pack of peanut M&Ms.”

When you beat them again, Edward doesn’t throw a tantrum, he just slouches in his chair. He’s not mad, just disappointed in himself.

Should you say something? You apologize, just to be safe.

“No, no. You didn’t do anything wrong, it was foolish of me to assume that these traps were actually worthwhile.” He sighs, and rubs his temples in frustration. “You can go home. I’ll find you when I’ve made more traps, okay?”

You suggest going out to get something to eat and to blow off some steam- a Waffle House, perhaps.

He lifts his head from his hands, and slowly nods his head. “... Yeah. I guess I could go for some hashbrowns. Okay, I’ll get my wallet.”

Eventually, this turns into a regular thing- Edward kidnaps you, you solve his puzzles, and you go out for hashbrowns after. Kidnapping is kind of a loose term at this point, too- Edward eventually gives you his address (in riddles, obviously) because it saves him money on chloroform, and he didn't want anything in your system that could potentially hinder your performance in his death maze.

After a while... the death traps just kinda stop altogether, and he just invites you over to play touhou or to vape- Edward even apologizes for calling you a troglodyte the first time he met you, and admits that of all the people he's ever met, you come pretty close to his own intelligence. You're also... kind of his type. He's uhhhh... free for dinner next Saturday if you wanna talk about setting up traps for Batman or if you just wanna talk about your interests btw...

#edward nygma #the riddler #headcanons #dc headcanon

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kafka-ish · 4 years

Text

brother | r.t.

can boys and girls be friends without attached feelings?

word count: 2.1k

warnings/included: angst(?), college AU, fem!reader

a/n: based off of this song

Richie Tozier sat in the parking lot of USC’s Law Department. Become a Lawyer his mom said. You’ll make a lot of money his dad said. It only took two weeks into his freshman year of college for Richie to figure out that he actually hated the judicial system and to hell with it. He was about to light a cigarette even though he pledged to quit months ago: the last day of senior year.

He and the rest of the Losers were hanging by the quarry. Beverly was sitting on the hood of Bill’s car, slathering sunscreen on her sensitive skin because she burns easily. Ben sat with her, his arm itching to wrap itself around her pale shoulder. Bill, Eddie, and Stan were playing cards and Mike had to monitor them for cheating. Richie would’ve joined, but he didn’t want to get up from his position that overlooked the quarry’s water hole. He was laying down on the rocks, eyes closed and shades on, in place of his usual glasses.

“I think I’m gonna quit smokin’,” he announced with a certain proudness that his voice normally did not hold.

“O-oh yeah? How l-long’s that gonna luh-last?” Bill looked up from his cards, giving Eddie a chance to sneak a peak.

“I saw that, Eddie!” Mike Hanlon called from above and Eddie flinched.

“Cripes. Warn a guy before you yell first.”

Four months. It lasted four months, Big Bill, as Richie took out his BIC. He had to mess with it a few times to get the flame to startup. He always preferred matches, but the black lighter with flame stickers he kept in his shirt pocker was cooler.

A yellow-orange heat finally flicked the contraption to life when, at the same time, his Nokia 232 buzzed against the gearshift.

Four months and one day.

The small flame died in Richie’s hand that was now pressing his phone to his ear with no hesitation.

“Rich the Dick Tozier speaking, how can I help you?” Sure, it wasn’t the most professional way to answer a phone call, but who was anyone to call Richie Tozier a professional guy?”

“Hey, Richie!” It was y/n. y/n the girl who sat in front of him in his English class. y/n the girl who wore parkas in fucking California because it’s for the fashion and you wouldn’t understand. y/n the girl who got drunk off her ass at the first party of the year—which, ironically, was where they met.

The parties in college were spectacularly different from the parties Richie would go to in high school. More so, the parties in California were more… insane. Wild. The booze was exponentially more expensive—nothing that Bill would ever think of getting at his own. And the girls could closely be mistaken for a Hollywood child star.

Nothing like the parties in Derry Richie thought to himself as he drunkenly swept through the halls of a fucking Mansion. He didn’t realize his feet were working properly until he looked down, seeing as he was standing on all fours—all twos. How he was still standing up remained a mystery to him because he must’ve had ten shots of vodka that was worth more than his entire being and future.

Before him, when he entered the billiard room, stood a girl even drunker than him (somehow). She stood on the pool table, laughing above the crowd of frat boys who were yelling to take your damn shirt off already! And c’mon don’t be a prude. They surrounded her like dogs fighting for the last strip of steak until Richie stepped in.

“A little drunk to be standing on the edge like that.” He took a swig from his red solo cup. “Here, sweetheart, lemme help you down.” He offered her an unsteady hand only to be brushed away like a speck of dust on a grandfather clock.

“I can help myself,” y/n said. She got down from the pool table by sitting on the ledge first, then letting each foot touch the ground one at a time. “See?” She steadied herself using his shoulder and looked up at him with a smirk that let him know they were going to be friends.

And they were friends.

y/n was overjoyed when she found out Richie was in one out of her five classes and Richie was just happy to be able to talk someone’s ear off without them rolling their eyes or giving him the side-eye.

“Hey, y/n/n,” Richie said, mimicking the same enthusiasm from across the speaker. “What’re you up to?”

“Besides calling you?” Richie felt himself beginning to laugh but it felt wrong to do so. As cheery as y/n sounded, there was something off.

“Are you okay?” Richie blurted out, but he couldn’t help himself. It was in his nature; always looking out for y/n; always taking care of her.

“I’m fine, Tozier.” She laughed but he could tell it was fake. The way her voice was still summer in the crisp of fall was fake. The whole call was fake. “You just love checking in on me don’t ya.” Another giggle left the speaker—covering the cracks in her voice, or a sob.

“No, really.” His hand left the phone—his shoulder and cheek propping the device up against his ear—and reached for the gearshift. “How are you?”

Static. But Richie had been over at her place thousands of times before—not needing to ask for her address or pull out a map for directions. And Richie was right (he was always right) when he burst through the wooden door of y/n’s small, but somehow spacious, Los Angeles apartment.

“y/n, I know you’re in there,” Richie said, followed by three curt knocks. His shoulder slumped against the door and he sighed. “y/n, don’t make me go all big bad wolf on your little ol’ door.” He looked down to see the welcoming mat where guests were supposed to wipe their shoes off.

There’s No Place Like Home

A short laugh bounced off the walls from inside and Richie took that as his queue. His hand had a firm grasp around the bronze doorknob, refreshing from the California air. He jangled it, only for the structure to not budge, like it didn’t give a damn that he had to get inside.

“Dammit, y/n/n, get off your goddamned high horse and open the door.”

Richie was never one for words, but at these, the lock broke in and in slipped Richie. It was as if the door had heard his cries and complied—feeling sorry for the boy. But the mysteriousness of y/n’s apartment door didn’t matter when Richie’s eyes caught y/n’s figure—or lack of one. She sat on the leather couch which was a moving present from her parents (“We know how expensive it can be; being a young adult with college expenses. Wow, to think, my baby’s all grown up.”), wrapped in a blanket, burrito style. Even fro six feet away (approximately), Richie could see the tears welling in her eyes and the snot spilling from her nose.

“Richie Tozier, can you ever learn to take a goddamn hint?” y/n’s voice was far too weak to show any sign of malicious intent. He stood in front of her, tentative but also caring. He wanted to help. He just didn’t know how.

“I am taking the hint.” Richie sat down next to the bundle of blankets. He sat close, so close that if y/n’s feet were on the floor, his knees would’ve touched hers. She could smell his mint deodorant and cheap cologne; or maybe she was just so used to having him next to her, that was what she knew he smelled like. y/n smelled like this month’s body wash. Orange blossom. She must’ve taken an extra-long soak today. She always did when something was wrong. “I know you want me here, toots. Otherwise, you wouldn’t’ve called.”

Richie was right and at the moment y/n hated him for being able to read her mind.

She was about to tell him off but a strangled cry left her lips instead. Richie didn’t need to ask what was wrong to know what was wrong. Besides, it would be cruel—condescending—to put a filter over his voice the way you’d talk to a terrier or a baby and ask what’s wrong?

It was clear what was wrong. Judging by the two-hour-long bath she had taken beforehand and off-brand, empty Ben & Jerry’s container on her coffee table: her piece of shit boyfriend had just dumped her. Richie never liked Brandon, y/n’s so-called (now ex) boyfriend. But it could’ve been the other way around, too. His over-gelled head was always stuck in his Levi 512’s and the only time Richie saw that pompous smirk leave his lips was when he walked in on him and y/n kissing. Gag. But y/n had the right to be upset about getting dumped—even if it was by a perpetual twerp who never passed up the chance to brag about his perfect SAT score (wake up, buddy, we all got into the same college).

Richie sat waiting for a reply he was never going to get because y/n was too busy blowing her nose into the sleeve of her robe.

“C’mon, sweetheart.” Carefully, Richie unwrapped y/n from the cocoon, similarly to how a cautious child unwraps their presents. “You don’t need Brandon. You don’t need anyone.” It was true. She didn’t need anyone, and if anything people needed her. “You’re y/n.” He spoke the two words with such sureness—confidence. She was y/n, and if that’s not enough for them to see, then they’re delusional.

“How do you know?” She asked. Even if it was just a college boyfriend—her first college boyfriend—it still hurt like hell. The thought of being not wanted. Knowing it was her; that she couldn’t just fix whatever her lover didn’t like that ended up pushing him off the edge. He just didn’t like her.

Of course, she didn’t love Brandon. She didn’t love the way his hair was always stiff and she couldn’t comb her fingers through it the way she did Richie’s. She didn’t love him finding an excuse to say hello to the next blonde he saw whenever they went to parties together. She didn’t love Brandon, and Brandon apparently didn’t love her. But if Brandon didn’t love her, then who would?

Maybe the answer was staring her down right in front of her, or pressing against her shoulder as Richie bent down to pick up the empty ice cream carton. “You are y/n, right?” Richie asked in attempts to bring her spirits up.

And he did.

y/n’s eyes crinkled as she smiled and she chocked on her breath at the laugh she tried to hold in. “Do you think I’m an impostor?”

“Who knows?” Richie sat back down. His shoulder brushed her covered one and his head fell back to look at the ceiling. “Plastic surgery is pretty popular these days. Especially in La City of Angels.” He turned to face her now—a tear-free y/n that stared back at him. Her eyes were much lighter than before and her skin looked like it had just been kissed. By who?

“You’re an angel,” y/n said unexpectedly. Well, this was a turn of events. Richie managed to suppress his cough—a usual reaction that’d take place when he was surprised.

He pulled on the collar of his band-tee (Rock On, AC/DC!) because it was all of the sudden hard to breathe in this small LA apartment of y/n’s. He felt his pulse quicken under the skin of his wrist and neck. A line of sweat was forming beneath his browbone. Oftentimes, it was hard to differentiate if California was undergoing an unforeseen heatwave or if Richie was just drawing a fever. But summer had passed and Richie hand’t gotten sick in years, even if it was just a head cold.

Richie sat there, speechless, and wondered. He wondered why, out of all the nicknames in the world, he hasn’t called y/n baby yet. It was always babe or honey, but never baby. Why was that? Hypothetically, he could call her that. He could call her a lot of things—like his. So why didn’t he? Why had he never asked y/n out?

But it occurred to him, as y/n tucked a loose strand of his hair behind his ear, that y/n was hurting. She needed a friend and nothing more. A brother, per se. He could sense her lean in. For a kiss, perhaps? But Richie was quick to dodge and cup her face in his large palm. An intimate action, sure, but their relationship was far from it.

“Look, y/n/n.” His breath hit her face. It was warm and felt like home. “You’re hurting right now.” His thumb rubbed along her jawline. “We’re just friends, right?”

“Friends,” y/n echoed back to him. And while she wasn’t completely convinced with the words coming from Richie Tozier’s mouth, she’d agree with him for his sake.

#richie tozier #richie tozier x reader #richie tozier x reader fluff #richie tozier x reader angst #richie tozier x reader fanfiction #richie tozier fluff #richie tozier angst #it 2017 #it 2019 #it chapter 1 #it chapter 2 #richie tozier imagine

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blondekasp · 5 years

Text

I Will Rearrange the Stars, Pull Them Down To Where You Are

read on ao3

word count: 3351

pairing: reddie

* * * * *

When the constant, erratic buzzing of a phone against the nightstand woke Richie up at six in the morning, he knew it wasn't good. "Ugh, fuck." He groaned, rubbing his eyes and feeling around for his glasses on the nightstand. Once he could actually see, he swiftly grabbed the phone so that the loud vibrations of it against wood wouldn't also wake Eddie, who was starting to stir a little. "Shh." He passed his fingers through Eddie's hair, to settle him again, and stood up with a sigh of relief, leaving the room to go downstairs to the kitchen.

He sat down at the kitchen island, dialing his agent's number and holding the phone to his ear. The call was picked up almost immediately. "Hey, Matthew. What's going on? My phone's blowing up like crazy." There were a few moments of silence on the other end, and then,

"You haven't seen?"

"No, I just woke up. What do you mean?"

"I think you should probably check twitter."

Richie went to grab his laptop from the coffee table in the living room and brought it back to the kitchen island, opening it up and going straight to twitter. His stomach swooped when he arrived at the issue, which happened to be a very big one. His timeline was plastered with a picture of him and Eddie standing in the street outside a club the night before. Whatever member of the paparazzi took the picture seemed to have caught them at the right time, because under any other circumstance, Richie would appreciate how happy they looked.

In it, Richie's hands were tucked into Eddie's back pockets, and Eddie was standing on his tiptoes, so that he could press their foreheads together. His hands were around the back of Richie's neck, holding him close. It was a bit hard to tell because the photo was taken with only the help of a street lamp near them as lighting, but they were both smiling, perhaps in the middle of drunken laughing.

Damn it, how had the paparazzi found them? They had decided they'd go to a secluded part of Los Angeles, where there was a little nightclub Richie had been going to for years to let loose and stay out of the press at the same time. Perhaps, one of the staff members had tipped the paparazzi off? He supposed it didn't really matter anymore, it was out.

"Rich? You there?" Matthew's voice came through the receiver and reminded Richie that he was still on a call. He set his phone down on the counter, putting it onto loud speaker so that he could take his glasses off and run his hands over his face.

"Yeah, I'm here." He mumbled, scrolling down his timeline, full of fans discussing the picture and what it meant. "I just don't understand how this happened, we were careful."

"We can track down the person that took the picture, press charges if you want. This is an invasion of your privacy. We can make the picture go away." Matthew told him, he sounded sympathetic, and while Richie appreciated it, he knew that nothing could be done at this point.

He shook his head, forgetting that Matthew couldn't see him, "No, it doesn't matter now. It's too late, it's trending, everyone's seen it." He felt horrible, Eddie was going to be so upset.

"I'm so sorry, Rich." There was silence on both ends for maybe half a minute, and then Matthew spoke up, "Is it serious? You and the guy in the picture?" Richie was surprised that he didn't bring up the fact that it wasn't a woman he was with in the picture, and he was grateful that he wasn't making a big deal out of his undisclosed sexuality.

Richie couldn't help but smile, thinking of the man asleep upstairs in their bedroom. "Uh, yeah, it is. His name's Eddie. See, the thing is, um, we're married."

"Wait... what? Holy shit, Rich! You got married? When?" He expected Matthew to be annoyed at him for keeping something like that from him, because in retrospect maybe it would've been a good idea to tell him, but he just sounded bewildered, even excited at this new information.

"Yeah, we got married... four months ago."

"Is that why you took a break and disappeared back in June?"

"Well, partly, I guess —I didn't leave with the intention of getting married. I had to go back to my home town in Maine, to um, take care of some stuff there. I met with my group of childhood friends, one of them being Eddie, and I guess it just brought up old feelings that I realised had actually always been there, even when we lost touch. A lot of stuff happened, and it lead to me telling Eddie how I feel, and it turned out that he feels the same.

We talked about it, and realised that we'd already lost so much time that we could've spent together over the years, so we just decided to get married right then to make up for the lost time. I took him to Vegas so we didn't have to get married in our shitty home town." Richie laughed, "Not even sure they'd have allowed us to get married there. But yeah, anyway, we got married and he moved in with me here once my break was over."

He heard Matthew exhale on the other end of the line, chuckling softly out of what he assumed was astonishment. "Woah, Rich, that's amazing. Congratulations, I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks, Matthew, that means a lot to me." The great thing about Matthew was that when Richie was talking to him, it didn't feel like he was talking to his agent, it felt like he was just talking to a friend —a really good one. "So, do you think I should address it? The picture? What's the best thing to do in this circumstance?"

"I know I'm your agent and I'm meant to tell you what to do in situations like this, but honestly? I think it's up to you this time. This is something really important to you, not one of the many ludicrous rumours the press are always ready to start. I'm sure you'll want to talk to Eddie about it, and you guys can decide yourself. Whatever you decide to do, I'm here for you no matter what the result of your choice is."

At the mention of Eddie's name, Richie began to hear movement from upstairs, and he took the phone off speaker, picking it up to hold it against his ear. "Okay, I'll discuss it with Eddie and figure out what to do. And don't worry, I'll let you know what's happening before I do anything." The bedroom door opens upstairs, "Hey, I think Eddie just woke up upstairs, is it okay if I call you back later?"

"Of course, Richie. Good luck, bye."

"Thanks, talk to you later."

Richie shut the laptop when he heard footsteps descending the stairs, and then the soft padding of bare feet approaching the kitchen. He swivelled around in the kitchen island seat to be met with the site of Eddie in a large sweater of Richie's that almost swallowed him whole. His bare legs were on show, and his hair was a little tousled from sleep and curling at the tips. "You're up early." Eddie remarked, walking up to stand between Richie's legs. He slipped Richie's glasses from his nose and placed them on the counter, before cupping his face, pressing softhearted kisses to his cheeks, and then one to his mouth.

For a few moments, Richie completely forgot about the issue at hand. Eddie usually had that effect on him, he made everything feel like it was okay. He hummed quietly, and when Eddie pulled away, he chased his lips, bringing him back in by the careful grip he had on the back of Eddie's neck. "Mm, love you, Eds." He murmured when their lips departed with a soft pop, and Eddie opened his eyes, simpering down at him.

"I love you too, Rich." Eddie slipped his hands under Richie's t-shirt, his hands coming to rest on the taller man's love handles, his thumbs rubbing his skin sweet-temperedly. "So, what are you doing up at this time? You're usually asleep for a few more hours, are you writing new material?"

Suddenly Richie was back in reality and he frowned, reaching for his glasses and putting them back on. "Eds, I need to talk to you about something. Come sit with me." Richie picked up his laptop, and took Eddie's hand into his own, leading him to the sofa. He left the laptop on the coffee table and guided Eddie into his lap, curling his arms around his waist. "Just before I tell you, I want to make sure that you know you don't have to worry about anything, okay?" Eddie looked confused, but nodded slowly anyway. Richie sighed, "Last night, some paparazzi saw us outside the club, took a photo of us and leaked it."

Eddie's eyes widened, and his breath seemed to leave for a second, "Wait, what? What picture? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Eds, I'm sure. I have no idea how this happened. This isn't the way I wanted to tell people."

Eddie leaped up from Richie's lap and opened the laptop which was already opened on twitter, and he almost completely froze up at the sight of the offending picture all over the screen. "Oh, God." He turned back to look at Richie, a panicked look in his eyes, "What are we gonna do, Richie?"

"Hey, hey, come here, baby. It's okay," Richie grabbed his hand, the other on his cheek. "We can handle this in whatever way you want to, I know this isn't what you wanted, it's not what I wanted either, and I'm so sorry that it happened." Eddie didn't say anything for a few minutes, Richie had to assume he was just processing.

"It's not your fault, Rich, I just, um, it feels really... alien? In just a few minutes I went from having seven people in my life knowing I'm gay to having millions knowing I'm in a relationship with you. I've kept it hidden for so long, what do I do now that everyone knows?" Eddie pressed his forehead to Richie's chest, and soon enough he felt lithe fingers stroking his hair.

Richie kissed the crown of his head, "Well, Eds, I talked to my agent and he says that it's up to us in this situation. We've just been outed to the world, I don't think there's just one way to deal with this. We can ignore it or address it, whatever you want. I'll be happy with whatever you're comfortable with."

"Really? Are you sure? Because if you—"

"Really, I mean it. We've got each other, I know that we can work through whatever comes next, alright?" Richie tilted Eddie's chin up so that their eyes met, to make sure Eddie was listening to him, "I love you, and that's more important than anything."

Eddie rubbed his nose against Richie's, kissing him on the mouth, over and over. "I love you, too." He climbed onto Richie, wrapping one arm around Richie's back and his legs around his torso, his other hand cupping the back of Richie's neck, pulling him in closer, "Now, kiss me, please. I wanna forget this for a few minutes."

Two days later, a new picture was trending, yet another of Richie and Eddie. Only this time, it was one they'd wanted people to see. Richie had posted it to both instagram and twitter, captioning it both times with 'ain't he cute? ;)' and tagged Eddie in it.

Richie took the picture the morning after the paparazzi incident, when they were still lying in bed. It was taken in the middle of a pleasant moment, Richie grinning at the camera as Eddie laughed into his neck, clearly amused at whatever he had said. Eddie's hand laying on Richie's chest, his silver wedding band visible on his ring finger and it was a little harder to tell, but just off to the right of the picture, barely in the frame, was Richie's hand around Eddie's shoulder, and a wedding band was just noticeable there, too. He decided to wait until the next day when they were sure they wanted to post it.

The replies to the posts were overwhelmingly positive, congratulating them and questioning the wedding rings, and even though there were a few homophobes lurking, Richie nor Eddie could bring themselves to care. The whole situation felt too freeing for them to let some bigot drag them down.

"Hey Mike, hey Bill, how are you guys?" Richie grinned once he answered the Skype call, the faces of two of his best friends appearing on the screen. "Eds, come downstairs! Mike and Bill are calling!" He shouted upstairs, and almost immediately heard quick footsteps on the stairs.

"Oh! Hey guys, I'm so glad to see your faces! How are you?" Eddie gushed as he came to sit next to Richie at the counter, pushing his chair closer to Richie's so that they would both be in the frame. Richie slipped his hand into Eddie's and leaned his cheek against his husband's shoulder.

"We're really good, thanks. We're in Florida, right now, just landed yesterday." Mike told them, and Bill nodded next to him, they both looked so excited, so content. It was comforting to see them like that, to see that they were both finally happy after all this time.

Eddie gasped, "God, that's great! I remember you always wanted to go there. Is it what you hoped it would be?"

"It is, it's better than I thought it would be. Bill's here, too, which is a bonus." Mike glanced to Bill, seeming satisfied with the blush blooming across his skin. Bill chuckled softly, looking away but still holding his hand out for Mike to take.

"Wow, guys, didn't pin you as the sappy type," Richie remarked, causing Bill to scoff.

"A-As if you can talk, Rich! I have l-like an e-e-entire lifetime of memories to show that n-no one is more sappy than you!" The author retorted, and Richie just shrugged, tilting his head up just slightly to repeatedly peck Eddie's cheek with his lips, wrapping his arms around his waist. "Speaking of, how are you two doing? You know, with everything that's happened in the past few days."

"Actually, we're really great, right, Eds?"

"Yeah! Obviously, I was horrified when the paparazzi posted that picture everywhere, but it feels kind of nice to not have to put in so much effort to hide such a big part of my life from people. Not exactly the way I wanted to tell people, same with Rich, but I guess, on the bright side, I don't have to overthink how I'm gonna come out." Richie loved how Eddie always looked for a silver lining, always made everything seem better. "And it seems like the majority of people are really supportive, so it's a bit easier to ignore any negative reaction because of that."

"I'm so happy for you two, you deserve to be happy." Mike sighed, "It's satisfying to see you guys like this after watching you flirt and dance around each other for our entire childhood. I think we can speak for Bev, Ben, and Stan too when I say that we were all waiting for it." Bill nodded in agreement.

"Thank you so much, guys, and the same to you, you deserve to be happy together."

The rest of the call passed smoothly, the couples telling each other about what they'd been up to in the months since they'd been together. Mike and Bill promised to come and visit Richie and Eddie in Los Angeles when their travelling brought them to California. They then all said their goodbyes and hung up.

"You know, I'm really proud of you." Richie murmured into Eddie's ear once they were on the sofa, Richie lying back against the arm of the sofa with Eddie between his legs, resting back on him. "You've been really optimistic about everything and it's honestly fucking impressive, Eds, I wouldn't be finding it this easy if you weren't with me."

"Yeah?" Eddie's lips curved up into a smile and Richie nodded, brushing his nose against Eddie's, "I'm proud of you too. We've both come a really long way from Derry, and I think it's kind of amazing that we've found acceptance with everything, given the type of place we grew up in. It's strange to look back and remember how hard I was trying to hide that I was gay, and my big fat crush on you."

Richie's eyes lit up and for a moment, Eddie saw the child in him —the fourteen year old, buck-toothed lively child who pinched Eddie's cheek and lifted him up and spun him around just for a reaction. "A big fat crush, huh?" Eddie nodded, humming to confirm. "Well, I had a big fat crush on you, too, Eds. Your little red shorts drove fifteen year old me crazy." He booped Eddie's nose, watching his face bloom scarlet like the eventide of a night in California, before he lightly swatted at Richie's arm, immediately rubbing his hand over the area he'd hit.

"I did only wear them for so long to get your attention, it was subconscious at the time." Eddie admitted, "Nice to know that it worked, though."

"I bet you could still pull them off, I could buy you a pair, perhaps?" Richie teased, slipping his hands under Eddie's shirt, running his fingers up the small of his back, eliciting a shiver from him —getting a reaction from Eddie was always satisfying.

To his surprise, Eddie didn't scoff or push him away, he pressed a long kiss to Richie's jaw, and smirked against his skin, "Hm, maybe." Then he tittered softly, shaking his head, "The things I do for you."

"It's because you love me!" Richie singsonged, dragging out the last syllable and gently pressing his fingers into Eddie's sides, pinning him to the sofa by perching on his thighs as he tickled him. Eddie was beautiful like this, he thought —face erubescent with merriment, dewdrops in his waterline, graceful hands pushing at Richie's as he tried to shout at Richie through his laughter. "Say it, Eds! If you admit you love me most in the whole world, I'll stop!" He grinned cheekily.

"Okay, okay! I love you most in the world! Truce, truce!" Eddie gasped out, coming down from his constant giggling and deflating back into the couch, bringing Richie with him. "You're absolutely insufferable sometimes." He shook his head up at Richie, but the empty words didn't seem to have any effect on him.

"Well, I'm very sorry, Spaghetti, but we're married, you're stuck with me now. No returns or exchanges." When Richie murmured it to him, Eddie realized that it was true. They were together now, they could be with each other forever, they would be. Never in his life had he ever thought he would get to this point. After his mother had guilted him into marrying Myra, it looked like he was destined to spend the rest of his life an unhappy, closeted man, never able to live his truth or be with whoever his heart desired. Eddie looks at Mike's phonecall as the single best thing to have happened to him, it was the start of freeing him from the chains of his past, his abuse, his deep repression. It led him back to Richie, the one his heart had yearned for, even when his name was always just on the tip of his tongue and all he could remember was knobbly hands and a pair of cracked glasses. Nothing could come between them now, not the clown, not his mother, not the press. Richie made him feel like he could take on anything.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Rich."

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motherfuckinglosersclub · 6 years

Text

Chapter One: Boys’ Club

Warnings: None

Word count: 1,700+

Dudes being dudes, taking shit and hanging out

It was the afternoon before the first day of junior year. In an effort to escape the dreadful summer heat of Derry, the boys were lounging in Bill’s house with the A/C cranked up.

“So Billy Boy, how’s life for ya?” Richie asked, leaning back into the old couch. Stains dotted its fabric from unknown substances and years of regrets.

“Puh-Pretty good,” Bill said, trying to shake off the laid back and cozy atmosphere surrounding him. He was currently sandwiched between his two boyfriends trying his best not to fall asleep but quickly losing the battle. “How are you, R-Richie?”

“His name is trashmouth, not Richie.” Stan said, not taking his eyes off his phone.

“Damn right!” Richie beamed, reaching over to ruffle Stan’s hair.

Stan made a disgusted face and leaned out of Richies reach, this caused him to wake up Eddie in the process.

“WHAT THE FUCK RICH!” Even though Stan woke him up, Eddie tended to blame things like this on Richie because more often than not Richie was at the source. Eddie grabbed a pillow off the couch and chucked it at Richie’s face.

Mike grumbled from beside Bill, “Knock it off, you little kids. The adults are sleeping.”

In an effort to try to break up the fight brewing between Eddie and Richie, Ben scrambled toward his bag and pulled out his school schedule for the year. “Hey guys maybe since we’re all kind of waking up we could compare schedules maybe?”

“Sounds fun to me.” Mike said, also grabbing his schedule.

“Ugh fine.” Richie said, trying to find his own schedule in his backpack, which he had shoved to the bottom as soon as he got it. He hadn’t even bothered to clean it out from sophomore year.

“Hey I’m j-just gonna keep napping,” Bill said burying his face into Stan’s shoulder.

Stan laid his head onto Bills, sighing, “Mikey, will you hand me mine?”

“Sure thing.”

“Aw you guys are too cute.” Richie gushed, resting his chin on his hand.

“That could be you and Eddie but you guys are playin’” Stan said, giving Richie a blank stare.

“Stan, I will cut you,” Eddie deadpanned in efforts to hide how much he was blushing.

Stan just shrugged, not putting up a fight in this conversation.

“C’mon Eds, you know you wanna piece of this.” Richie stood up, wiggling his eyebrows and doing a full turn for the losers to admire.

Mike wolf whistled, playing into Richie's little game. Richie shot finger guns and clicked his tongue at him, all of which caused Ben to laugh his ass off.

Eddie glared at Richie, “In your dreams, trashmouth.”

“Every night babe.” Richie winked, sitting down on the floor by Eddie.

“Anyways, Ben. What do you have first period?” Stan addressed Ben, leaning towards the boy and ignoring the antics of his friends.

“I have trig first, what about you?” Ben offered his schedule to Stan to compare. Richie nodded at Ben, indicating he also had that class for first.

“I have English. Bummer, I don't like Berkeley.” Stan said, slightly frowning and grabbing the paper.

Mike rubbed Stan’s back, to comfort him. “Hey, so do I. At least you won't be alone in that class. Anyone else have English first?”

Eddie pushed Richie off and pulled his schedule out of his pocket, “I’m pretty sure I do,” he checked his schedule, “Yeah, I do, it’ll be pretty fun if we all have it together.”

Stan rubbed his temples, looking stressed out. “This year is going to kick my ass, I can already tell. Ben, it looks like your tutoring is gonna come in handy.” He then handed Ben his schedule back and laid his head back down onto Bill’s.

Ben smiled, “Thanks Stan, but my tutoring isn’t helpful unless the people there really care about school so I’m sure you’ll be fine this year!”

Mike smiled at Ben’s encouragement, “Yeah he's right babe, you're gonna kill this year. Not the other way around. And if you need help, all of us are more than willing to help.”

All the losers, minus Bill who was still napping, nodded in agreement.

“Okay, so who has US Gov. for fifth?” Richie asked, looking around. He did not want that teacher by himself.

“I do,” Mike said, nodding at Richie. “Good thing too, because that Johnson does not like you.”

“I really don’t see why he doesn’t like me. I’m the funniest and smartest kid in that class.” Richie shrugged, shaking his head.

“I'll give you funniest, but I think I earned the title of smartest last year, buddy.” Mike laughed loudly.

“Bullshit!” Richie yelled back, sitting up.

“Beep beep, Richie, you're going to wake up Bill. I don't care who is smarter or who is dumber, we all have our own opinions.” Stan whispered yelled, making a hitting motion at Richie, though his eyes showed amusement.

Richie laid down, pushing his glasses onto the top of his head and rubbing his eyes. Sleep is for the weak he said, he doesn’t need sleep he had said. Now that was biting him in the ass.

“You okay, Rich?” Eddie asked genuinely concerned for Richie’s well-being. He knows that he’s harsh on Richie a lot but he actually does care and right now he can tell that something is wrong.

“I’m fine spaghetti man.” Richie smiled at him. He was practically blind, but could still see Eddie’s frown, which he thought was adorable.

There was a loud knock on the door, it was Georgie Denbrough, Bill’s thirteen year old younger brother. The noise woke up Bill.

Georgie came into the room, “Bill! Mom said your friends have to go soon. It's a school night, Asswipe.”

“J-Jesus Christ Georgie, I was trying to suh-sleep!” Bill said getting up and closing the door leaving Georgie in the hallway.

“Don't shoot the messenger, Mom wanted me to tell you. This is why I'm the favorite!” The young boy screamed, making his way back down stairs and signaling the end of the conversation.

“S-Sorry about Georgie guh-guys, he can be ob-nuh-n-noxious sometimes.” Bill made his way back to the losers.

“Your brother is my son, and I love him.” Richie said, chuckling at his own joke.

“You’re Bill’s dad?” Eddie smirked.

“Nah, Bill’s daddy is either Stan or Mike, but nobody really knows which one.” Richie replied, nudging Ben with his elbow.

Bill blushed, “I’m luh-leaving.”

“Ah yes, Georgie. My favorite Denbrough.” Mike said, looking at Bill, waiting for his reaction to the obvious joke.

Richie laughed at Mike, causing the whole club to laugh at the blushing Billiam.

Stan smiled at his boyfriend's red cheeks and cooed, “Baby, your brother is more loved than you.”

Bill tugged his sleeves down and tried to hide his face in the neck of his flannel to pout, “Well I g-guh-guess you shuh-should just go date Georgie instuh-stead.”

“I never said I loved him more than you. Because that would be a lie. Right, Mike?” Stan said, turning towards Mike.

“I'm not gonna be apart of this.” Mike said laughing.

Ben’s face scrunched up, “I just pictured Stan dating Georgie and I think I’m ready to leave this world.”

“Oh my fucking god no no no no,” Eddie covered his face like that would help.

“Well I would hate to break up this party but I gotta go. Mom will kill me if I’m late. See ya guys.” Richie laughed, standing up and grabbing his backpack. He waved and walked out the door, and the losers could hear him scream goodbye to his son, Georgie.

Eddie gathered his stuff and yelled down the hall, “Wait Rich, I’ll go with you!” He turned back to the others, “Bye guys, good luck with whatever this is,” before running outside to meet Richie.

“That's our cue to leave,” Mike said, offering a hand to Stan, “Need a ride?”

“You know I do, stop bragging about your new car. Ben, do you need a ride home?” Stan asked kindly to the still sitting boy.

“Yeah, that’d be great, if you guys don’t mind of course,” Ben said with a smile.

“No, not at all, buddy.” Mike told his friend. “Just give us a minute to say goodbye to Bill and we'll meet you out there.”

Ben gathered up his stuff, “Sounds good, Mike,” and ran out the door to give the boys some privacy.

Bill glared at his boyfriends, “You suh-sure you don’t wanna go say buh-bye to Georgie?”

“He's not really my type,” Stan deadpanned. “I'm into older boys. And boys that are actually taller than me.”

“And we love you romantically, he's technically our brother in law.” Mike grimaced, slightly laughing.

“Wait we’re getting m-married?” Bill looked up, blushing about ten times harder than before.

“When it's legal, I guess. Not really allowed for three people to get hitched” Stan shrugged, blushing also.

Bill smiled, “Okay so muh-maybe we don’t get married but I f-forgive my amazing b-boyfriends for loving my brother more than me?”

“We love him in a different way,” Mike laughed.

“Yeah, I k-know,” Bill agreed. He gave them each a quick kiss, “Okay you guys m-might really have to leave now t-though.”

They then said their goodbyes and Mike and Stan met Ben at the car.

“Sorry we took long,” Mike said, sliding into the driver's seat. Stan got into the back since his stop was first.

Stan tuned out the other boys conversation and thought about how the next day would go. He wanted it to be calm and relaxing, like any another day of school, but he had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy. His stomach was in knots about it so he rubbed it, trying to get the feeling to go away.

Besides the lingering anxiety, he felt pretty good. The summer went amazingly, besides a few bumps in the road. He had two good boyfriends and lots of great best friends. Overall he felt peaceful. Sitting in the back of car, listening to him and Ben ramble about a book they were reading. Something about gods and monsters, and some huge quest with a time limit.

Stan tried to refocus and join the conversation, but it was no use. He was to caught up in his own head. Instead he just sat with his back against the door and watch Mike speak passionately with his hands about his favorite character and some symbolism about the characters green eyes. The sight alone relaxed the tumbling, rumbling anxiety and Stan felt better until he laid in bed for the night and spent hours thinking of how the next day could go wrong or perfect.

#motherfuckinglosersclub #ben hanscom #bill denbrough #eddie kaspbrak #mike hanlon #richie tozier #stan uris #the losers club rp

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mascaracoffee · 7 years

Text

Attacked ~Rafael Barba Imagine~

Rafael Barba X OC (Kelly)

Summary: Rafael Barba believes he is keeping his family safe by keeping the threats a secret. However, Barba is shaken when the threats materialize too close to home and suddenly everything Barba holds dear is Attacked.

Warnings: Assault, Anxiety attack, cursing

A Baby Changes Everything

She was perfect. Her thick dark hair was full of body and was already beginning to show signs of curls that tickled her small, delicate ears. She had inherited my blue eyes encased in long, dark lashes and Rafael’s mouth and a small, button nose was nestled between her full, round cheeks. She was a blessing, our little miracle.

Gabriella Lucia Barba

I smiled softly before finally pushing myself away from her crib. I stopped to switch on the monitor on the dresser before gently closing the door. Sighing, my bare feet carried me to the living room where I fell into the couch with a content sigh. I smiled pulling a plush stuffed bunny into my lap from behind my back and smiling softly.

It was unbelievable what a small little girl could change in just two months of life. I especially loved the change I saw in Rafael. His normal stoic disposition had crumbled once he laid eyes on his little girl, he was completely and utterly wrapped around her little finger. Let Gabby even whimper and Rafi was there checking on her with a kiss and a song. I had even become a morning person when my mornings consisted of waking up to Rafael singing to Gabby as he made the first round of his morning coffee. Our normally orderly, clean, quiet apartment was now filled with 3 am feedings and diaper changes stuffed animals and pacifiers. I don’t know how we ever survived without her.

A knock on the door broke my train of thought and my brows furrowed in confusion glancing at the clock. It was 10:45, Rafi said he would swing by for a quick lunch around 1. A habit he had formed when he returned back to work. ‘That’s odd’ I thought. Our usual visitors were all at work, my parents had flown back home weeks ago and Rafael and Lucia had a key.

I stood up and walked to the door before opening it enough to stick my head out.

“Can I help you?”

The question rolled off my tongue as I examined the stranger. He was taller than me around 5’6 with a stocky build. His hair was buzzed and faded down the sides into a beard. He was dressed in all black and his tan skin and dark eyes made me think Latino.

“Yeah, is this the Barba residence?”

“Yes.” I quirked an eyebrow questioningly, keeping my grip on the door handle firm.

He smirked. “My name is Manny. I,uh, I know Rafael we went to school together in the Bronx. I ran in to him on the street a couple weeks ago and he gave me his card” he stopped momentarily to fish the card out of his pocket “said I could drop by and we could catch up on old times.”

I took the card from him and examined it.

Rafael Barba ADA

Along with his contact information, his office address and suite number, on the back of the card I recognized Rafael’s messy scrawl that spelled out our home address.

“Oh” I opened the door a little more for proper conversation. “Well Rafi isn’t home right now but he should be in soon for lunch.” I chewed on my lip softly “ Would you like to come in?”

“Thank you.” Manny smiled accepting my offer and following me into the living room. He shed his jacket and took a seat on the couch as I took a seat on the couch opposite of him.

“So you must be Kelly. Rafael couldn’t stop talking about you when I ran in to him.”

I blushed deeply absentmindedly twisting my wedding ring in place.

“That would be me.” I smiled. “We’ve been married almost two years now.”

“That’s great. Seems ole Rafi is doing good for himself.” Manny nodded his eyes inspecting the apartment. “Did you two meet at Harvard?”

“I was actually an ADA with him here in New York. I had just moved up here from New Orleans so the DA put me with Rafi until I got adjusted. Just helping him with big cases and such so we spent many a sleepless nights together going over case notes and testimonies over Chinese takeout and scotch.” I chuckled. The conversation continued to flow casually about mine and Rafi’s life for a few minutes.

“I always looked up to Rafael growing up. He was older than me but I admired him ya know?”

“I know exactly what you mean. Rafael just seems to have that spark that naturally pulls people to him. He’s so dedicated to his work and he’s so goal driven. Or it could just be his snark.”I laughed.

I smiled at Manny. It was so nice to have someone to talk to that knew Rafi from when he was younger. Since the incident with Alex and Eddie, Rafael didn’t talk much about his past before Harvard. I believed he blamed himself in some ways for going to Harvard and leaving Eddie to be manipulated by Alex. It was nice to have someone shed some light on Rafael from his younger years.

“He gets that from his dad.” I froze. “I remember wishing how my dad would be more like him take me to baseball games and go with the family to church. I know he’s proud of Rafael.”

That wasn’t right. Rafael’s father was a terrible, abusive drunk who never made time for Rafael. His father had hurt him so terribly we as a couple still had to find ways to maneuver around the obstacles. Not to mention his dad died while he was away at college. He seemed to know so much the Bronx and Harvard surely he would know about Rafael’s father? This was all beginning to feel very wrong and Manny seemed to notice my change in disposition.

“Why don’t I just call Rafael? That way he’ll know you’re here.” I went to stand up when Manny shot up quicker, pulling something from his pocket.

“Don’t. Move.”

I froze seeing the knife glimmer in the light before I met his eyes.

“Yeah seems ole Barba’s doing well for himself. Upscale apartment in Manhattan,” Manny walked around tossing over an end table. I jumped as the table collided nosily with the hardwood the contents it held shattering to the ground. He rounded the coffee table and came closer to me lifting the knife to my chest “gorgeous wife” He gripped my sweater in one hand use the knife to slice through the material before it ripping it the rest of the way off me. A whimper falling from my lips as the sweater was ripped away, I cringed and shut my eyes. “beautiful baby girl.”

My head snapped toward him, ice running through my veins, as he mentioned Gabby.

“P-Please! Please don’t hurt my baby!” I begged. My heart was thudding in my ears seeming to cloud over my senses. “The-there’s a safe in Rafael’s office I’ll give you the combination I’ll give you my jewelry. Anything you want just please don’t hurt her!”

Fear was coursing through my veins mixed with the adrenaline and the nerve to fight. But fighting wasn’t that easy, not this time. It wasn’t just my life on the line here. He knew about Gabby, I had my daughter to think about. I had to make sure she was safe.

Manny chuckled before pushing me down onto my knees roughly, his hand gripping my shoulder tightly.

“Oh you’re gonna do what I want Mama. That’s for damn sure.”

I felt the bile rise in my throat as he used one hand to unclasp his belt buckle that was before my face. The other hand holding the knife loosely to my face. How could I trust If I did what he wanted he wouldn’t hurt Gabby? I couldn’t give him the upper-hand with my cooperation. As he shoved his dark jeans down his thighs I took the distraction and pushed my body weight into his causing him to lose his balance. From there it was strictly a fight response.

Rafael Barba had always considered himself a levelheaded man, able to think through rationally before jumping to fear, but that wasn’t the case today. Rafael had never felt so terrified in his entire life. When Rollins and Finn had met him outside his office he expected them to talk about their upcoming case, perhaps new evidence or a new witness, never would he have guessed they were coming to tell him that his wife had been attacked in their home. Once Rollins had pulled in front of the apartment building the fear intensified seeing the numerous patrol cars and the ambulance. Rafael raced up to his apartment, pushing and shoving others out of the way.

“That’s my wife” Rafael growled as a rookie attempted to stop him from entering the living room. He quickly threw the officer’s arms away from him and pushed by.

Rafael felt as if the world had crashed down around him. Liv sat beside Kelly, holding one of her hands, as her statement was being taken, an EMT applying butterfly sutures to her cut cheek. Her right eye was swollen shut and turning a nasty purple hue, her lip busted. Rafael’s observant eyes could make out the faint, purple outline of handprints around her slim throat.

“Oh Carino” Rafael whispered pushing himself closer to her.

“Rafi” Kelly said, her voice breaking and tears filling her eyes as she reached out toward him. The EMT stepped back having finished his job as Rafael gently embraced his wife holding her head to his chest as he felt tears wet the front of his suit. He closed his eyes and muttered prayers, thanking God that she was alive.

“Where’s Gabby?” Rafael asked his head turning from side to side looking for his daughter, a new course of fear beginning to pump through him.

“Sonny has her.” Olivia nodded to the tall, blonde Staten islander who held his small daughter in his lanky arms.

After taking a quick sweep of the room, Rafael felt his knees weaken as he saw Kelly’s sweater that she had been wearing earlier that morning, torn on the floor being tagged and photographed as evidence. It was then that the ADA noticed his wife wearing one of his old tattered Harvard tshirts.

“Oh God, ” Rafael started with a raspy breath “Did he..

“No” Kelly whimpered into his chest shaking her head. “He tried, but he didn’t.”

“Oh mi amor” Rafael whispered solemnly placing kisses into her hair “lo siento, lo siento”

“He said he knew you Rafi” Kelly hiccupped as she pulled away to look up at him. “He said he went to school with you and he had your card with our address on the back and I-I…let him in.” Kelly wailed falling into a fit of tears again clutching on to Rafael desperate for his forgiveness.

From the moment her neighbor, Mr. Atkinson, had arrived at her apartment hearing the commotion to the second of relief she felt when the assault had stopped, Kelly had been flooding herself with regret and self-loathing. Why had she let that man into her home?

Once Manny had fled, startled by Mr. Atkinson’s presence, Kelly rushed to her wailing daughter’s nursery. She had held her daughter tightly to her chest before the EMT’s begged her to be evaluated in which Sonny offered to take the little girl. Kelly was sick to her stomach at the thought of the danger she had put not only herself, but her daughter in.

Rafael’s heart felt as if it had solidified into stone and dropped into his gut when Kelly mentioned the business card. The one that he had filled out for the man that threatened his life on the courthouse steps, the man was smart, using the card to his advantage and turning the tables on Rafael. Barba felt the color drain from his face, he took a shaky breath as Kelly buried her face into the crook of his neck her hand playing with the hair on the nape of Rafael’s neck, a tick she had developed subconsciously over the years.

“Barba” Liv looked at Rafael after scribbling something on her notepad. “Could this be the man who’s been threatening you?”

Rafael’s body stiffened solid. Kelly’s cries ceased for a moment before she sniffed and pulled away from her husband slowly.

“Wh-What?” Kelly looked between Rafael and Liv, her blue eyes settling on Rafael’s desperate for an answer. “What is she talking about Rafael?”

Barba visibly gulped, his mouth drying as he searched for the right words to explain himself. Liv’s face had blanched considerably seeing the fire she had created. Rafael closed his eyes and took a breath.

“Its been going on about a year” He began “just ridiculous phone calls but a few months ago a man showed up outside the courthouse threatened to bust my head open on the steps. I told him if he really wanted to kill me he should have to come to my house. I never thought he would actually do it so I-I gave him our address.”

A look of horror marred Kelly’s face. Tears spilled over her blue eyes as Rafael tightened his grip on his wife’s wrist desperate for her to stay close to him, a sign that he would read as she forgave him. He could see the distance growing between them just from the look in her eyes.

“Let go of me” she spat forcing her arms out of Barba’s grip.”Estas pero si bien pendejo! (You’re a fucking idiot)” She moved away from him, gathered Gabriella from Sonny’s arms and proceeded through the door to Gabriella’s nursery, the door slamming shut in her wake.

Barba sighed dragging his hands over his face repeatedly, he was emotionally drained. Liv stood from her seat, fumbling with her notepad.

“Barba, I’m sorry I didn’t realize Kelly didn’t know about the threats.”

“No, its my fault.” Barba sighed. “I should have told her. Keep me updated on this?”

Kelly choked back the sobs as she moved back and forth between Gabriella’s dresser and an open bag, she stuffed more clothing and toys into the bag. She held the small child close to her heaving chest as the door opened. Rafael entered the pastel colored room and closed the door before his gaze landed on the partially full bag of clothes and diapers. His shoulders visibly slumped and his eyes widened and clouded over in terror.

“Please don’t leave” he whispered, his voice soft, vulnerable trembling with emotion. “Please don’t take Gabby from me either.”

Kelly didn’t respond, a tearful sob emitting from her mouth. Her chest was heaving, her head swimming a thousand miles a minute. Kelly’s breaths were coming in short, unsuccessful gasps her body began shaking. Rafael recognized the signs and gently approached her and coaxed Gabriella from her arms, placing the baby in her crib. Kelly sat on the sofa futon across from the crib and brought her head to her knees. She buried her face in her hands as she sobbed, her shoulders shaking. Rafael felt his heart clench as he took a seat beside his wife. He gently grasped her wrists and whispered encouraging words.

“Look at me, focus on me carino por favor. Deep breaths.”

Barba chalked it up as a victory when he finally saw her blue eyes. Her chest still shook in uneven sputters but the shaking had lessened.

“How could you keep this from me Rafi? How could you give him our address?” the questions flew from her mouth in a painful spiral. Each question bringing forth more emotion, as Kelly struggled to keep herself from falling back into another attack.

“I didn’t want to worry you.” Rafael confessed. “When it first started I didn’t take it seriously. I had been threatened before and nothing ever came of it I figured why would it now? I had more important things to worry about like preparing for Gabriella to be born.” Rafael paused nodding his head toward the crib. His voice trailed off as he seemed to be lost in thought before he took a ragged breath. “Then at the courthouse we had just had Gabby and I didn’t think he would actually do it.” He turned to face Kelly gently reaching her hands as he spoke “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.”

“How could you think I’m so weak?” Kelly looked at him properly for the first time. The tears making her blue eyes glisten. “I’m not breakable Rafi! How could you keep this from me? When we got married we said we would never keep things from each other! When are you going to realize its not just you anymore, its not just us, we have a daughter to worry about!”

For once the Harvard educated lawyer was speechless. What could he say to justify an action that didn’t even deserve justifying?

“I would never intentionally put you or Gabby in danger” Rafael said his eyes pleading. “You know that don’t you?”

“I don’t know what to think Rafi.” She whimpered. “I knew you wouldn’t give our address to someone who was threatening you, especially knowing Gabby and I are here alone, but you did. If you’re not going to think about us then I have to. God, Rafael what if he had done something to Gabby?” the mere thought was sickening to her stomach as she clasped a hand over her mouth. Her head was beginning to pound along with her erratic heartbeat.

“Carino please” Rafael pleaded, dropping to his knees before her “You and Gabby are my world! I would do anything for you two. Giving him our address was the biggest mistake of my life; putting you two in danger like this will haunt me until my dying day. I-I thought I was being brave, standing up to him. Please, I know I can’t fix this but please don’t leave. Let me get you and Gabby a protective detail, I have to know the two of you are safe. Por favor, don’t just leave.”

“And what about you?” Kelly asked more calmly staring straight ahead, wiping at her wet cheeks before pushing herself to a standing position pulling her hand from Rafael’s grasp. She walked to the full window and stared down at the busy street below.

“Don’t worry about me” Rafael said softly. “Keeping you two safe is all that matters.”

“Bullshit Rafael!” She snapped turning toward her kneeling husband anger and fire burning in her eyes. “You’re not getting it! Don’t worry about you when there’s someone threatening your life? And you say you don’t want to hurt your family? What if something happened to you? That would destroy us!”

Her sadness and shock was fueling her anger.

“My little girl won’t grow up without a father” She said her face stoic and strong. Determined as the tears continued to slip down her face “and you can’t leave me here alone.” Her voice cracked. “You just can’t do that to us.”

Her voice dropped, emotion thickening her voice as she covered her face again.

Rafael stood and gently pulled her hands away from her face. She whimpered, burying her face into his neck. Rafael wrapped a hand into her lose curls and closed his eyes as he inhaled her scent. How close had he come to losing her, to losing Gabby? The thought made his knees weak and his stomach churn uncomfortably, tears brimming his eyes as he placed kisses into her curls.

“I’m gonna make this right carino” he whispered into her hair.

Kelly pulled back slightly her fingers playing the lapels of his suit jacket before whispering.

“Then come with us. The DA will provide you a security detail too. Gabby and I need you with us. Please Rafael I don’t think I could do this on my own, not knowing what is happening with you. Always worrying..”

“Shhh” Rafael cooed brining Kelly’s face to his and gently pecking her lips, being careful not to disturb the tear in her lip. She dropped her head back to his chest and sighed deeply.

“I’ll go wherever you want me to carino”

An hour later, the small family was packed and dressed surrounded by men in dark suites as the Barba family exited their apartment complex. Rafael secured Gabriela’s car seat as the sleeping baby suckled on her pacifier peacefully. His green eyes looked up at his wife. Kelly’s head rested against the head rest as she stared down at their daughter. Her locks were damp and curling around her face and her skin dewy and rosy from the shower. The bruising was settling in around her eye making the hue darker.

Barba reached across Gabby’s sleeping form and interlocked his hands with Kelly’s. Their eyes met and Kelly offered up the smallest of smiles as she leaned in closer. Rafael met her halfway and connected their lips chastely. As they pulled apart Kelly rested her forehead against his.

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