#me; head on the table; sobbing; pounding my fist: when we were young! when love was new! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

babylooneytoonz · 3 years

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Curly Hair and Blue Eyes, Just like yours

Pairing: Clark Kent x Fem! Reader

Summary: You decide to tell Clark Kent about the daughter he never knew he had with you, and he only wishes he had found out about her in a better situation.

Warnings: Kidnapping , Violence, Angst

[My Masterlist]

"Baby, we gotta go, come on out now," You called from the kitchen, having stuffed Piper's lunchbox into her tiny little bag that you had now propped on your shoulder. Little feet raced down the staircase of your home and you smiled, when you saw the little blue eyed girl, her hair neatly settled into two pigtails on either sides of her head, poked her head in. You knelt down in front of her, helping her put her bag on.

"Mommy? I wanna have Uncle Jerry's apple pie— " You smiled as you stood back up, quickly kissing the top of her head, as you took her hand in yours, your fingers clasping against the five year old's tiny ones.

"Well, if you are a good girl at school today, mommy might think of baking you one instead for dessert," you smiled down at her as the two of you walked out of your tiny two bedroom apartment in a tiny, cramped street in Metropolis where you had lived for years. You buckled her into the passenger seat, laughing to yourself listening to her as she had decided that now was the time to speak to her doll.

Being a single mother, there was so much on your plate always. Your days started with leaving Piper at Kindergarten, heading straight to the grocery store where you worked after leaving her. Four hours later you drove back to her school, picked her up and brought her back to the store with you, where you fed her and let her play around at the back, until 4 pm when finally, you ended your shift and the two of you drove your way back home.

You straightened the crease on your shirt, leaning against the fence along with the other young mothers who were waiting to collect their wards from kindergarten, just like you were until the bell rang somewhere inside, and a flurry of kids arrived, like bees floundering in the air.

You knelt down, throwing your arms out at the sight of your daughter who pushed herself into you, and you kissed her on her nose, and she giggled.

"Mommy, guess who vi- vitit— " She stammered, trying to say the word but she couldn't.

"Visited?" You asked, smiling at her, and she nodded.

"Visi- ted today."

You pulled yourself up, taking her hand in yours as you began walking with her towards the car parking, glancing down at her every ten seconds or so.

"Superman!!" She excitedly screamed, clapping as you opened the car door for her. The smile that was earlier on your lips dropped at the mention of him, and instead, a hollow look now ghosted your eyes as you regarded her briefly, giving her a fake smile and nodded, buckling her into the passenger seat, "Hm, I see. Why was he there?"

The car ride back to the store was a quiet one from your end, where only Piper spoke telling you of how the Superman had visited the kindergarten today, spent time with the children, telling them how they all were strong enough to grow up and be Supermen and Superwomen themselves. There were times when you snorted, not win disbelief, quickly masking it with a fake laugh, listening to your daughter talk about him.

You hated him, atleast you thought you did. You realized, the more you listened to her describe, Clark Kent was just the same— just the way you remembered him to be six years ago, when you had last met him.

How were you supposed to tell the innocent little child what Superman used to be to you?

Six years back, he had left you, leaving you broken hearted, and had walked out of your life, without giving you a reason as to where had you gone wrong in your relationship with him. No matter how much you tried, pleading and begging him to reconsider, it appeared as though he had already made up his mind.

"[Y/N], this will hurt for a while, and then you will be okay, trust me."

How the hell were you supposed to trust him when he was the one responsible for the excruciatingly painful heartbreak that you had witnessed?

You watched him, followed the news, watching every single success that Superman attained, his face plastered to your television screen, his charming boyish smile tugging at your heartstrings but you still felt happy, knowing how he was saving the world. Although, ironically, he had done nothing to save your crumbling relationship.

You would have still forgiven him, had you not found out, just a month after he had left you, that you were pregnant.

At first, you thought that Clark deserved to know— after all, he had every right to be in his child's life, and you were no one to take that boon away from him, or your child. Sucking it up, you had forced yourself to go to the Daily Planet building, to talk to Clark, to tell him what you had found out.

You didn't. You couldn't. Because he looked happy with Lois Lane. So you left.

Your home smelt like a freshly baked apple pie, as you stood against the kitchen counter, the baked goodie laying in front of you just like you had promised your little girl. Outside, in the living room, you could hear the television on, as Piper watched her favourite cartoon, her chuckling audible to you, which made you smile. Your golden retriever, Berry, nudged her head against your leg, causing you to bend slightly so you could pet the top of her head before she scampered off to be with her best friend once more.

"Piper, baby. Berry wants to go out."

The little girl dashed into the kitchen upon hearing your words, her excited eyes glimmering with delight as she began looking up at you.

"Mommy, can I take her out?"

You thought for a minute, planning to refuse at first but then you gave up, because the two of you, your baby girl and your furry baby both looking at you with big, googly eyes that you couldn't resist.

"Fine but stay close to the front gate, and inside. There's a lot of traffic outside, love. Mommy's gonna be watching you from the window here, alright?" You gave her a smile, watching as the two of them walked off, the dog first, followed by the girl— smiling at how considerate the big dog was around her tiny form.

While you were readying the plates, setting the dinner table, you momentarily made sure to glance out of the window, from where you could see them both, running around, being the big goofballs the two of them were. What you failed to see, was a dark hooded man, standing by your fence, watching the girl carefully, observing.

A few minutes passed by, and you decided that it was time to go out and fetch the two back inside, when you heard Berry mediating between loud barks, and pained whines. Your eyes widened, as you ran out of the house, on bare foot, the pads of your feet grazing against the grass when you saw two men, throwing your daughter into the back of a car, Berry having tied ruthlessly by her neck to the tree, the hold so hard that she was almost suffocating. By the time you ran to the gate the car was already turning down the street, until it finally disappeared out of view and you fell to your knees, screaming, crying, your heart pounding inside your chest. Someone had taken your daughter.

Finally, after two minutes of screaming your heart out, you leapt to your feet freeing Berry from the leash that had her pinned to the tree, tears still streaming down your face as you ran inside, grabbing your phone and your car keys.

There was only one who could bring her back, and there was nothing stopping you from asking from his help, because only he could do it— find her from whichever corner of Metropolis they were hiding her and bring her back.

At some time between you driving recklessly through the streets of Metropolis to the time you finally reached the Daily Planet building once again, the sky started pouring, heavily. You parked your car in the parking lot opposite to the building and without caring, you stepped out into the rain, racing your way into the building.

"Clark Kent, please, it's urgent," you literally slammed your moist fists against the desk of the office receptionist, her eyes widening when she saw the condition you were in— your hair and your outfit drenched in the rain, sticking to you, your body trembling with cold.

"Uh, sure, but who do I say is asking for him?"

"[Y/N], and please, tell him it's urgent."

You began rubbing the side of your arms fervently, trying to keep yourself warm, as the receptionist pulled the receiver to her ears, and looked up at you briefly, "Mr. Kent, a Miss [Y/N] is here. She, uh, says it's urgent, and it does look like she is in a state of.. emergency."

The receptionist disconnected the phone, slowly placing the receiver back. She looked up at you, and informed you that Clark was on his way now to see you. You began biting the insides of your cheeks— a sudden nervousness killing you from the inside. How were you going to tell him? What if he refused to help you? Where was Piper? All kinds of depressive thoughts began to sneak into your head when his silhouette finally appeared, his eyes falling on you as he was walking towards you.

Clark Kent pushed his glasses nervously over the bridge of his nose, his heart racing. He wasn't sure, why after all those years you were here to see him, and that too, this urgently. He hoped you were okay. When he stepped out of his office, his eyes fell on you. His heart broke, yet again, on the sight of you— you were dripping from head to toe, your body shivering due to the cold. His pace increased, until he was literally running towards you, his eyes fixed on yours.

"Clark." You began, only to find yourself give in, to nerve wracking sobs as he pulled you into his embrace, letting his arm around your shoulder, pulling you into him, as he soothingly rubbed your back, thousands of memories flooding back into both your minds.

"Listen to me, there's something you should know," you hicupped, still crying hysterically. Clark slowly walked you away from the crowd that had now gathered around you and him until the two of you were in an empty cabin. He lowered you in a leather chair and pulled one in front of you, letting his palms rest on your knees, "Whats wrong?"

"I didn't know who else to go to, I -- Clark," you swallowed the lump forming in your throat, you didn't know how to begin. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, or tried to, but the heaviness of your chest couldn't let you breathe, "Someone took my daughter, right from in front of my eyes. Two men, dressed in black, they came and they took her, stuffed her into their car, Clark, I don't know where to find her, what to do."

Clark's face fell— it was as though someone had cut off his oxygen supply— what else was he expecting? That you would wait for him all your life? He looked at you in a strangled way, his eyes narrowed at you, but he wasn't angry. He just looked hurt. The hands that were resting on your knees slowly pulled away and you winced at the loss of the contact, looking up at him through your teary eyes. He pressed his lips together and parted his lips, "Do you have any idea who could have —"

"No, I— Who could mean harm to an innocent little five year old, Clark? She can't even hurt a fly." You cried.

"Five.. five year old?" Clark croak, as if something was lodged inside his throat.

"Five years, and a few months to be exact.." you whispered, as your fingers gently pulled out your wallet, and inside was a picture of your beautiful little girl, her long black hair, just like Clark's curled atop her matted head. She was a true replica of him, having his luscious curls, big blue eyes and the kindest of the smiles. You slowly extended the wallet towards him, your hand trembling as your heart beat like a supersonic train. "That's— that's her, Piper ..Kent?"

Clark stepped abruptly from the chair, his fingers clasping your wallet. Weakly, he looked down at the photo, the realization sinking into him. The eyes that looked back at him from the photo were the same eyes, he didn't need proof to believe that she was his.

"Clark, I know you have questions but this isn't the time, please help me, they took her! I — I need Superman.. she needs Superman.." You pleaded him, with your eyes, looking at him.

The next minute, Clark had his hand on your shoulder, as he was walking you out of the cabin, his eyes not meeting yours.

"Get back home, incase they call for ransom or something. I will get her back."

What you didn't see when you were on your way out, was the way Clark broke down after you left. He lowered himself to his knees, watching you walk off until he had both his hands pulling at his own hair, his eyes glowing with the heat vision, his body suddenly on fire.

Two days passed, and with these two days, whatever sanity that was left within you, drained out, anxiety taking over completely. You went to the Daily Planet, looking for Clark, but he wasn't there— of course he was out looking for her. But it still didn't let you rest any easier.

By the time it was nightfall, you were pacing around in your living room, your kitchen a mess, dirty utensils from two days back still soiling the sink. Your hair were a mess as you had not bothered even running a hand through them, for you were completely shaken and distraught.

Just when you thought that your mind will probably burst with the amount of worry that was eating at you, the doorbell rang. You ran— it was like running a life marathon— as you unlocked the door, finding Superman standing at your doorstep, holding Piper in his arms, the little girl having her arm locked around Superman's neck, her face glimmering with excitement.

"Oh my fucking—" you cursed under your breath, sniffling in retaliation to the sight and n front of you as you threw out your arms towards her, "Piper, baby! You're okay! Jesus, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I should have been careful— "

"Mommy, do you know that Superman saved me from the bad men?" You gasped, almost wide eyed as Piper leapt into your arms, and you buried your face into your daughter's hair, nuzzling your nose against her face, holding her tight, as though if you didn't, she would slip away. What suprised you, and sort of, made you smile was her innocence — she was kidnapped and probably locked up somewhere and yet all she could think of or talk about was how Superman had saved her life. Your eyes flew to his, meeting his halfway, you could see how exhausted he looked, and a look passed between the two of you— a look of love that had been buried years back— the two of you didn't need words, and the two of you could feel how the other one felt — probably a mix of relief, anger and a lot of questions.

"Yes, he did—" You smiled, "Are you okay, Piper? Love, are you hurt?"

"She's— " Superman began speaking, and you looked at him once again, "She's fine. She isn't hurt, I made sure."

You bit your lip, your fingers toying with your daughter's curls. Finally, you stepped inside, leaving the door wide open, glancing at Superman with the corner of your eyes, "I know you want to to talk. Please, come in."

"Mommy? Is Superman staying with us tonight?"

"Piper, darling, would you go and check on Berry? She's not feeling well ever since you left—" You placed her on the floor, carefully eyeing her for any injuries, but much to your relief, there were none.

"Alright, mommy."

"You should have told me, [Y/N]. She's mine too!"

You gasped, almost inaudible, trying to suck in a mouthful of air as you fixed yourself by the window, looking out, almost cautiously, your mind still in a state of alert. When Clark saw this, he walked up to where you were, staring out of the window, and you saw his reflection behind you, his hands on your shoulders as he turned you around, "they won't come back, [Y/N]. I made sure of it."

"Who were they? What did they want?" You frowned, his hands still on your shoulders but you didn't seem to mind.

"They weren't anyone of importance, they did it for ransom, having randomly decided to kidnap her and ask you for money. How were they supposed to know they kidnapped my daughter? Like hell, I didn't know I had a daughter," he almost froze, letting his hands drop, his eyes now looking at you for answers.

You took a deep breath, running your hands through your hair, almost pulling at them in an attempt to straighten them a little, but Clark grabbed your arm, his grip on your wrist as he lowered it, showing you how his patience was wearing thin.

"You left me, Clark. Just because I was pregnant, it didn't mean I was selfish to use her as a means to get you back, or to burden you with her responsibility." You hissed, trying to pull on your wrists, but of course, how were you to match the Kryptonian's strength?

"I would have never left if I knew—"

"And this, Clark, is exactly why I didn't want you to find out. I didn't want you to decide to stay with me because.. of a baby," you had begun pacing in the living room now and Clark just stood by the window, his arms crossed against his chest, "You would have hated me one day." Suddenly, you stopped speaking and your eyes widened, your head sharply turning towards him and a thin frown appearing on his sublime features. The next minute, you were glaring at him, poking him in the chest with your index finger, "Before accusing me of hiding this from you, how would you justify you leaving me without giving me the reason? You didn't care about me, you didn't care about the fact that I cried myself to sleep for weeks, inwardly tortured for months. How very hypocritical of you, Mr. Kent."

He grabbed your hand, however his hold remained gentle on you. Very slowly, he twisted your arm behind you, stepping closer, in a way pinning you to the wall behind, looking down at you. He then scoffed— a dry, sarcastic scoff.

"I left you because I had no choice. Luthor took Lois—"

"Oh, great, Lois, and that's why you left me—"

"He took Lois because he thought Lois is the woman I'm with. You realize what this means? If he knew or find out it was you, he would have thrown you off that building. I couldn't have lived with that. I did it for you!"

Tears streamed down your face, his words finally sinking in. You parted your lips and all that came out was a gush of air. Clark placed his hand on your cheek, reluctantly, half expecting for you to push it away, but you didn't. His fingers felt hot against your skin, like embers as he cupped your face, his fingers gently brushing against your cheek.

"I came..one month after you left me .. to your office ..when I found out.. wanted to tell you," He nodded, blinking as he waited for you to continue. "I saw you with Lois. You looked happy, the two of you."

"Lois is just a friend, I never—" he frowned, his hand dropping from your cheek as he ran his fingers through his own hair, his exasperation evident, "It was always you."

"I can't believe this, Clark. I fucking cried myself to sleep thinking you hated me," you sniffled, falling back against your couch like a lifeless corpse, bringing both your palms to your face as you buried yourself to those, hiding yourself from his intense eyes, "That girl—" You looked up, your cheeks now stained with your tears, "she is more you than she is me. In every single way. I needed you Clark Kent."

"I'm sorry, I should never have —"

"Six years, Clark. You missed her birth, you missed watching her grow up, she was without you, and we were okay, you know? And now this happens and my life is a mess once again—"

He looked at you, dejected, his glances mediating between the floor to you and then back down to his hands. Finally, he cleared his throat, and you looked up at him, looking at the beaten Superman in front of you. He was everything but the strong superhero you knew in that split second. He was a broken man— just a man— in a spandex costume.

"If I could go back and change what I did, I'd do it in a blink of my eye."

You smiled, and replied, "It's easy to say. It wasn't your fault, though. It was perhaps, we were never meant to be."

His face fell, and he didn't try to hide it from you. You bit your lip, tasting the metal on your tastebuds as he slowly took a step away, his eyes moving from you to the stairs, perhaps hoping that he could see Piper before he left.

"If something ever happens, if you need me, I'll be there, [Y/N]. I couldn't be there when you needed me, but I'll be there from now until you don't need me anymore."

Would it ever happen when you won't need him any more? You never truly moved on, no matter how hard you tried. The void remained, in your heart, in your life and in your cold bed. Six years , and you couldn't make yourself fall in love with anyone, because no one was Clark Kent, they could never be him.

"Leaving us again, are you?" You wiped your tears with the back of your palm, and he looked at you, suprised as though he had heard you wrong.

You smiled and you looked down at your hands, they were trembling as you rubbed them fervently against the fabric of your thigh, and stood up, hesitantly at first, before a little confidence built up inside you when you saw the softness in his eyes as you walked towards him. This time you pinned him to the wall, and the taller man let you, without even trying to attempt to escape or show you just strong he was. He let himself be entrapped as you grabbed his chin, rather unceremoniously, yanking his head so he was looking down.

"Don't you want me to—" he stopped talking, finally realizing what you were trying to say to him.

"Six years, I watched you on TV, and that's just it. That was the nearest I had to feeling anything. Is this what true love is? You know someone isn't coming back yet you can't stop loving em?"

He smiled, but didn't reply. He just kept gazing into your eyes.

"Go on, go. The world needs you, Superman."

You smacked him on his chest, watching his eyes to shift to confusion once again. Awkwardly, he tilted his head to his side and shook his head, only his chin moving.

"And you? You don't?" He asked.

"No." You smiled smugly, watching his face fall, so you hurriedly added, "I need Clark Kent, not Superman. He is very broody, and I am scared of him. I would rather have my Clark back."

He gave you a toothy smile, and in that minute, he wasn't Superman anymore. He was your Clark Kent, only in a spandex costume. He wrapped you in your arms , pulling you to him, bringing down his lips to the side of your jaw, as he kissed your chin at first, and then moved on to your lips. Your lips met his, after a long time, and your insides exploded, your hands flying to the back of his head.

"Mommy!"

Clark cleared his throat, and you immediately pulled away wiping your lips and the two of you looked at each other, both your cheeks a slight crimson. You two felt like a child again, having been caught stealing cookies and Clark smiled, sitting down until he was squatting on his heels. He threw out his hand towards Piper and she ran up to him, settling herself on his thigh.

Clark looked up at you, and so did she, and you couldn't help but give them a warm smile back, because the sight was melting your heart. It was like a mini me, Clark and his little female version, looking right at you with that big blue eyes.

"What?" You asked Clark.

"Shall we tell her? Shall I tell her?"

"No, Superman." You changed your voice, grabbing him by his Cape as you pulled him up, "I don't want targets on her back. Why don't you just go on out, change into some human clothes and then we can tell her who her father is."

"But sweetheart, it's a little too late for that don't you think?" He pointed towards Piper, and your head shot towards her, you jaw almost dropping when you saw her eyes turn orange due to the heat vision, just for a bit before they turned blue again, and Superman slid his arm through your waist.

"It's okay, let them find out, Superman has a family. They still can't touch a hair on your head, not until I'm around. And I'm not..going anywhere."

"No, sweety," you gave him an apologetic smile, "that's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried she's gonna go to school and boast around how her dad's Superman."

"Well, they are going to find out, one day or the other."

"You're right, Clark." You nodded, as the two of you watched her scamper off, chasing Berry, you leaning on to him.

A/N- Fuck, I realised I really got carried away with this one. I think this is the longest one shot I've ever written? I thought I'd break it into parts but oh well. I hope you guys liked it.

#clark kent x reader #superman x reader #superman #clark kent #kal-el x reader #clark kent x y/n #clark kent x you #henry cavill x y/n #henry cavill

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reidology · 3 years

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Dying in a bathtub - Hotchreid

Summary: Hotch gets nightmares and hides in the tub, so Spencer makes it comfy for him <3

Word count: 4.4k

Content warning: discussion and description of nightmares, smut, brief description of physical abuse, light angst, quite fluffy, happy ending <3

AO3

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The first time it happened Spencer woke up shivering, the cold of a missing body beside him seeped through the sheets chilled his bones. He braved a lazy glance to his bedside, squinting to see the alarm clock blinking big and aggressive red numbers. 05:25. Aaron must have gone out for a morning run, something Spencer never understood. In fact, his reasoning of ‘why run, when sleep?’ whenever Aaron attempted to get him to join always earned him an affectionate eye roll and kiss on the cheek, so why would he ever give that up? No promise of endless coffee can get Spencer Reid to wake up before 7am, much less for exercise.

Reluctantly the sleepy man made his way to the bathroom, knowing he might as well shower and get ready for work now, there’s no way he could get back to sleep without his human furnace of a boyfriend covering him completely. Only, through his grogginess he failed to notice the boyfriend-shaped body softly snoring in the tub.

So he padded over to the semi-closed shower curtain and blearily reached in to turn the water on for it to heat up while he got ready.

Almost as soon as the water turned on, a high-pitched shriek assaulted the young agent’s eardrums. Spencer did what, in his opinion, any caught-off-guard fully trained FBI agent would do— he squealed in shock and fell back on his ass. A moment later the shower curtain pulled back, revealing a very irritated -and very wet- Aaron Hotchner.

“Babe what the fuck,” the older man whined, wringing out his shirt and turning the freezing water off, “I was sleeping!”

“Oh this is my fault?!”

“Yes! Couldn’t you see me?!”

“I just woke up!”

“Me too!” Aaron pointed to his wet shirt as if to say you have no excuse for this.

Spencer let out a frustrated sigh and pushed himself up from the floor. Somehow he upset his boyfriend, he guesses apologies are on the table. He carefully stepped into the bathtub to face his dripping boyfriend and wrapped his arms around the soaking man’s neck, “I’m sorry,” he pouted quite prettily, “But honey, why were you sleeping in the tub?”

“I didn’t sleep in the tub. I went to sleep in our bed, then you woke me up in the tub.” Aaron grumbled.

Spencer thought Aaron looked positively insane. His eyes focused on the older man’s pupils as his hands checked for a fever.

“Do you have a concussion?” He couldn’t help but fret about the man who is usually so well put together. He was obviously in distress though what kind of distress completely eluded the dry man. Aaron waved Spencer’s worried hands away from his face, “No. Spence, I’m telling you, I didn’t sleep in the bathtub.”

“Then how did you get here?”

Aaron shrugged and swatted Spencer’s nosy hands away that were trying to inspect the grumpy man for any injuries, “Who knows? Let’s get some breakfast.” He calmly stepped out of the tub and headed out, leaving Spencer confused (for once).

“... But it’s 5 am.”

_____

Two nights later, it happened again. But this time Spencer awoke to the sound of sobbing. His heart just about broke in two at the sight of Aaron curled in on himself in the porcelain tub, shaking and covered in sweat.

The Unit Chief used to have terrors most nights. After Foyet, all of life’s problems seemed to unravel in his dreams. The sounds and images were so vivid that upon waking up he believed he had done what he’d dreamed. That he’d hurt his family or that Foyet had come back to finish the job.

During hard cases, Aaron would forgo sleep completely, knowing his mind would only haunt him with terror beyond his conscious capabilities. It left him exhausted and agitated for the rest of the investigation. The team and LEOs got frustrated but none had the guts to confront him, except for one young agent who took special notice of his boss.

So Spencer stepped in, and after weeks of getting closer and learning more about each other than they had in the past five years of working together, Aaron digressed and accepted the help that was offered. The following three months ensued so smoothly, the therapy was helping and Aaron couldn’t believe he was sleeping full nights again. He knew it was all thanks to Spencer, who had taken up a very special place in his heart. Aaron knew that Spencer would always be there when he woke up, like an anchor. Something real to hold on to and keep him in place.

It had been a while since Aaron had such a bad episode, luckily Spencer knew just what to do and jumped right into action. Without missing a beat, the younger man climbed into the tub and sat by Aaron’s head, taking hold of one of his white-knuckled fists and gently coaxing it open by rubbing his thumbs from the palm to the back of the hand. Constant pressure, soothing, real. With one hand he threaded his fingers through the brunette’s damp hair, stroking softly at his scalp, willing his nightmare mind to latch onto the familiar touch.

“It’s okay, you’re safe.” He murmured sweetly like a mantra.

Eventually Aaron’s panicked sobs dissolved into pained whimpers, his body lost some of its tension, allowing for Spencer to gently lift his boyfriend’s head into his lap and off the hard floor of the tub. The whimpers died down to light trembles and Spencer shushed him comfortingly, continuing to sooth him with gentle strokes to his head. Slowly Aaron’s eyes opened and Spencer felt the moment panic set in. The taller man’s breathing quickened and tension returned to his body, frozen in fear. God, Spencer should have turned the lights on.

“It’s just me, darling. You’re home, Aaron. This is home. You’re safe.”

Aaron trembled more, his eyes glazed over as if reliving the nightmare, “Shhh you’re safe.”

Spencer placed a feathery kiss on his boyfriend’s forehead that seemed to anchor him immediately. Tentatively, Aaron looked up at his rescuer, relieved to be in his lover's arms and away from the nightmare universe that had felt so real. He burrowed further into Spencer’s lap, wrapped his shaking arms around his boyfriend’s steady hips. He tried to focus on Spencer’s heartbeat in an attempt to regulate his own. Spencer was warm, Spencer was safe. Always safe.

“Foyet?” Spencer asked cautiously, breath fanning over the older’s forehead. Aaron stilled at the name then nodded. The younger man knows that Aaron needs to talk about it immediately, even if it’s terrifying. It allows him to discern dreams from reality, so that the events and sensations of the night terror don’t ingrain themselves into the man’s memories of reality .

“... and Scratch,” Aaron gulped, “They had Jack. I couldn’t... I didn’t know what was real. Couldn’t tell if it was really Jack. He made me hurt him. Oh god, Spence… I hurt him.” Sobs wracked the pained man’s body once again, unable to forget the horror of the dream. Spencer rocked them back and forth.

“Shh… Jack is fine, he’s at Jess’s. You would never hurt him, Aaron.”

Aaron was spent, he couldn’t muster up the energy to talk. He fell asleep once more in his partner’s comforting hold.

_____

The next morning they woke up with aching muscles from being in the bathtub for so long. Spencer couldn’t help but be worried about his boyfriend. There was definitely something going on, and though he respected Aaron’s privacy immensely, he was afraid of the older man getting into a dangerous situation. Was he sleepwalking to the bathroom? What if he tripped and hit his head on the edge of the tub? But most importantly, why were Aaron’s nightmares leading him to the bathtub?

Spencer nuzzled Aaron’s neck in an effort to wake him up a bit more. “Darling, we need to talk about this.” The worry in Spencer’s voice was audible and prompted Aaron to sit up and sigh deeply. He didn’t think this part of his life would ever come back up to the surface, he’d avoided thinking about it for decades and he didn’t know what triggered the habit to resurface. But now it’s affected Spencer, and he knew he couldn’t keep the love of his life in the dark, but some things were so hard to talk about.

Aaron found himself panicking again, flashes of Foyet and his father clouding his mind once more. Images of Sean taking cover in Aaron’s arms while their father pounds on the bathroom door-

“I know. I-” He was cut off with the sweetest kiss.

“You can take your time sweetheart. No rush.”

Even at this stage in their relationship, Aaron wasn’t used to being treated so well. The kindness that naturally radiated off his boyfriend was enough to make his insides melt, the understanding words never ceased to choke him up. But he knew Spencer would be there to put him back together once he gave him all his pieces. He buried his face in the younger’s neck, breathing in the scent of his shampoo, relaxing into his hold. Spencer wrapped his arms around Aaron’s lean form, offering a safe space. Aaron had never been this vulnerable with anyone before his relationship with Spencer.

After a moment of just holding each other, Aaron’s breathing mellowed out and his voice cracked as he explained everything.

“After Sean was born, my dad started drinking. He’d always been somewhat aggressive, scary even. He- he’d get angry and take it out on my mom… and if she wasn’t there... But when he started drinking it got a thousand times worse. I vowed to myself to protect Sean at all costs, I promised him I would never let our dad get to him. So I took the brunt of it when he was sober. But when he was drunk… he would chase us, try to get to Sean specifically. He was just a little kid 5 or 6, I was 15. He would scour the house to find Sean so I took him and locked us in the only room in the house with a lock… the bathroom. I’d carry Sean in my arms and make a run for it. I blocked off the door with a cabinet and we sat in the tub until he passed out.. My dad couldn’t get in but he would pound on the door so loudly, his voice was so angry-”

Aaron inhaled hard, the grip on the back of Spencer’s shirt tightened and his breathing shallowed. Spencer continued rubbing soothing circles on his back, allowing Aaron to take his time.

“The bathtub was the only safe space for Sean and I. We spent whole nights in there, waiting for my dad to pass out. Sometimes we’d tell stories, play games, but other times we cried and I covered his ears with my hands, not wanting him to hear the horrible things our dad was saying. This went on until I went to college, I tried to take Sean with me but my mother wouldn’t allow it. My dad died a year later, when Sean was 9.

“I- because of that, if any of us had nightmares we’d go into the bathroom and sleep in the tub, because no one could get to us in there.”

Aaron swallowed thickly and timidly looked up to the honey-haired man. Had he sounded pathetic?

But Spencer cupped his cheek once again and kissed him lovingly.

“Thank you for telling me. You’re the strongest person I know, Aaron. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that.”

Aaron’s heart skipped a beat, warmth spreading through his chest. He swallowed down all his uncertainties and let Spencer in, he was proud of himself. Both of them yawned in succession, still exhausted from last night and uncomfortable from sleeping in the bathtub.

With a cheeky grin the younger man announced, “Let’s go to bed, I’ll get us the day off.” Aaron was so grateful.

While he called in sick, Spencer had an idea, and he knew just who to call.

_____

“Boy Wonder! How wonderful to hear from you on this frabjous day! We miss you and the Bossman dearly. We are definitely… working. Work is happening, and we’re doing it, and it’s getting done. You can trust me on that. Definitely no piñatas in the break room, where would we even find one on such short notice? Emily doesn’t even know where to get balloons! Anyway, what magical service may I bestow upon thee today, my little lord?”

Spencer bit back a chuckle, “Hi Penelope. Listen I need some advice on… interior decorating-”

Immediately, he got cut off by a squeal, “I’m on my way!”

“No! Garcia- after work-”

The line goes flat.

“Dammit. I should’ve just texted JJ.”

_____

Despite her best efforts, the rest of the team did not let Penelope leave the BAU for a ‘design emergency’. Fortunately for Spencer, that gave him some time to plan what he wanted to do while cooking lunch for his sleeping beauty.

After a full meal of soup and grilled cheese, Hotch retreated to the living room hoping to watch some History Channel with Spencer. They love watching the conspiracy shows together and debunking the awful propositions. Though Hotch learned quite surprisingly that Spencer is very open to the idea of aliens on Earth. However, he has a suspicion that that’s mostly wishful thinking on the part of Spencer's inner child. Nevertheless, it’s adorable and Hotch was excited for it, and waiting patiently for Spencer to finish cleaning himself up.

Before he could question what was taking so long, their doorbell rang a sweet lullabye sound (they had to change it from the awful buzzing that it was- it was too overwhelming for Spencer). Not expecting any company, Hotch was puzzled as to who could be at their door.

“Who is it?” He spoke through the intercom.

“Bossman! Sorry to hear about your incurable case of Work Sickness! If you could let me up, I brought you some warm soup!-”

Spencer bounded through the foyer from the bedroom, practically hopping over furniture and knocking down a flower arrangement, “I got it! I got it!” he heaved frantically.

“Babe, what’s Garcia doing in front of our building on a weekday?”

“Nothing Aar don’t worry about it, Penelope and I are just going out for lunch, see you later!”

Spencer grabbed his satchel and was out the door.

“But- Spencer you just had lunch!” The curly haired man was already running down the steps, “Bye!”

It was Hotch’s turn to be left alone and confused.

_____

In Penelope’s car, Spencer explained his idea to Penelope, without going saying too much about Hotch’s nightmares. In true Penelope fashion, the bubbly bits-and-bobs connoisseur knew the perfect place to get what Spencer needed. Penelope dragged Spencer around the independently-owned home goods boutique like a lost puppy for about two hours. She ended up with more bags for herself and Sergio than what Spencer needed.

A few texts and one missed call from Hotch wondering what the hell was taking Spencer so long prompted them to leave. Spencer thanked Penelope in front of their apartment and air kissed her goodbye, promising to show up at girl’s night next week..

Spencer walks into the foyer as quietly as possible and hides the bags behind the living room’s entertainment center.

“Spencer?”

“Yeah! I’m home!”

Aaron walked out of their bedroom with a soft smile. His round glasses were on, meaning he’s been reading… or looking at case files.

“Are you going through the case?” Spencer scolded.

The bespectacled man didn’t waver. “There’s something the victim’s parents said that doesn’t add up, they said that every Thursday Mandy went to soccer practice after school and swim practice in the next town over in the evenings. She takes the bus so if the unsub was stalking her he’d either have to take the same bus and risk getting caught or have a car- which goes against our age profile- so that would mean there’s someone driving him. Spencer, there are TWO unsu-” He was cut off by being pulled into a kiss. He hummed into it and wrapped his arms around Spencer’s slender waist, pulling them closer together. When they pulled apart Spencer whispered “Two unsubs. The team knows, they’re working on it. You-” he tapped his finger on the older’s chin for emphasis, “need to relax today.”

The resulting pretty pout was swiftly kissed away. None of that now.

“But I don’t know how to relax. I’m Aaron Hotchner, stoic as a statue, stern glare extraordinaire, Mr. Emotionless…”

Spencer rolled his eyes and trailed his hands down Aaron’s hard chest, “I know how to make you relax…” The other man grinned “Oh is that right?” Spencer smirked and led his boyfriend to the couch.

_____

That night when Aaron was gone to bed, Spencer quietly retrieved the bags from behind the TV and set his plan in motion.

_____

He’s trembling. And he can’t recognize his own thoughts, he can’t think straight, all he can see is his son- and Haley with terror written all over their faces.

He barely registers the sound of Jack’s wailing because, as if from right behind his ear, he hears a voice that he interprets as his own thought ‘shoot him’.

‘What?’

‘Pull the trigger’

He looks back up to his sobbing, terrified son, and without hesitation- click- BOOM-

Aaron bolted up from the bed, gasping for breath. His eyes darted around the dark. Jack? Where is he- Jack ohmygod-

His vision landed on Spencer’s sleeping form, breathing shallowly and folded into himself like a pretzel, sleeping soundly like an angel. Spencer. Real. Safe. He took a deep breath to regulate his heart. In for 4, hold, out for 6, repeat. This was exhausting.

Groggily, Aaron slipped out from under the covers and headed to the bathroom to get a drink of water and maybe splash his face a little. He thought of getting into the bathtub for the comfort he desperately needed right now, but he’d be embarrassed if Spencer found him in there again. Who does that? But nothing could have prepared Aaron for the sight before him when he opened the door.

Lights. Yellow, green, purple electric lights on strings, illuminating the room in a beautiful calming glow. They were suspended from the curtain rod of the bathtub, taped to the walls. Gorgeously scented candles perched on the sink, some on the ground, a few tea lights lining the edge of the tub. It smelled glorious and comforting and Aaron couldn’t tell what it was. Pine? Sandalwood? Campfire?

The most breath-taking part was the inside of the bathtub. Patterned sheets hung from the walls and draped over to form a delicate roof. Fluffy pillows perfectly laid out to coat every inch of the porcelain interior, and soft blankets piled on top for added comfort. Lights lined the inside of the sheet tent as well, it looked fantastical. Like something out of a book.

Aaron was floored, to say the least. Was this what Spencer had been doing today? He was flooded by a new emotion, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Spencer had done all of this for him? To make him feel safe?

He was still standing just barely in the room, taking everything in and getting emotional when he heard soft footsteps behind him and felt Spencer’s long arms slink around his waist. A chin hooked over his shoulder and a kiss was pressed to his neck.

“Are you alright? Did you have a nightmare?”

Aaron nodded, “You did all this… for me?” A tinge of awe decorated his voice.

“Yeah,” his boyfriend whispered back, “So you don’t hurt yourself when you sleep in here.”

Aaron felt stupid for ever thinking his wonderful, thoughtful boyfriend would ever feel embarrassed by him. Of course Spencer took everything he admitted seriously, of course Spencer cared about what he’s been through, Spencer cares… that's what he’s been feeling. Taken care of. Important. For once in his life, he feels like he’s allowed to let himself be loved.

The stunned man seemed to be frozen in place, not knowing how to respond. His mind was overwhelmed with love for his boyfriend. Spencer pulled away and grabbed the older’s hands, Aaron let himself be led to the makeshift fort.

They climbed in together, careful not to knock over any of the burning candles. Spencer settled on one end of the tub and pulled Aaron into him before he could even think of not cuddling with him. He made space with his legs for his boyfriend to settle between, chest pressed to back, arms wrapped around his love. Safe, warm, and comfortable in a sea of cushions like twin yolks in a shell.

Laying here, in his lover's arms, surrounded by low tranquil lights, and the gentle rise and fall of Spencer’s chest, Aaron felt as serene as he’d ever been. Spencer slid warm hands under Aaron’s shirt, bringing one up to rest cozily on his heart. Aaron turned his head and nuzzled further into Spencer’s neck, feeling the familiar tingle of the man’s touch and murmured a low hum of approval.

Spencer’s other hand, that wasn’t on Aaron’s heart, was used to tip the taller man’s chin up to look at him.

“I know what it’s like to be afraid of your own mind,” he cooed, “sometimes it’s impossible to take yourself out of that world. But in our home, Aaron, I want you to feel safe and protected at all times. I want you to be vulnerable and unashamed. You’re free to be everything you are in here, and I hope that you feel you can be everything you are with me, too.”

Aaron lost himself in his partner’s deep gaze, glorious hazel eyes boring into him. Completely enamored by the words spoken to him, all he could do was nod and lick his lips, trying to regulate his heart rate for a completely different reason now. Spencer had never been so… authoritative before and his sincere but stern tone sent thrilling sparks down his spine. A blush rose up his neck.

Spencer tracked the slow movement of Aaron’s tongue sliding over his bottom lip, and didn’t fight the impulse to drag his thumb over it. “You’re always safe with me.” He barely whispered before angling his head down to catch those lips in a languid kiss. Aaron sighed into it, waiting a little while before pushing himself up to fix their awkward angle. He positioned them so that Spencer was laid down flat on his back, allowing Aaron to lay between his legs once more, chest to chest. They tangled themselves in each other, lips colliding again like a match to a box, igniting a fire in the both of them.

Both were still tired from waking up in the middle of the night, but the desire coursing through their bodies was a more pressing matter. Spencer lifted his hands to frame his lover’s neck and wrapped his legs loosely around his waist, inviting Aaron to grind down onto him, both already half hard from the anticipation. Spencer groaned into Aaron’s mouth. A sound that went right to Aaron’s dick.

They explored each other’s bodies with a youthful novelty, eager to feel more skin. Never once pulling their lips apart. Aaron slipped his hands under Spencer’s shirt and shoved it up under his arms, digging his fingers into those delicious hips. Finally he broke away from the kiss to pepper the younger’s face with sweet ones. Aaron’s heart grew three sizes at Spencer’s soft giggles and let out a low laugh of his own. How ridiculous were they, making out like teenagers in a bathtub fort? Neither much cared to answer that question though, because the impatient genius bucked his hips up to meet his boyfriend’s, who was still in his boxers, let’s get those off.

Spencer eagerly reached for Aaron’s underwear and palmed at his bulge just until he heard that impatient sound from him. He pulled the man’s cock out now fully hard and dripping with precum. A groan escaped the both of them at the sight and sensation. They wasted no time in getting Spencer out of his nerdy physics flannel pajama pants, and grinded their dicks together. Lighting sparked right through the both of them, Aaron balanced himself on one arm near Spencer’s head and took both of their lengths into his right hand.

The rub of their slick cocks together was spectacular as Aaron kept a slow and steady pace, making sure to draw out all the best sounds he knew Spencer could make by nipping at his neck, where he knew the younger man was ticklish. Spencer whined at the excruciating pace, turning into a desperate whimpering mess. Making Spencer wait was so fun.

Spencer’s hands find grip in Aaron’s short hair, keeping him close, feeling the pull of Aaron's big hand on his dick and grinding up to meet him. It’s intoxicating bliss, being taken over the edge by the man he loves.

Their worlds minimized to just the slide of their cocks and the lips on their skin. The whimpering man felt the familiar build up in his abdomen, moaning freely now as he chased his orgasm, guiding Aaron’s hand with his own to feel his touch everywhere.

“Yeah baby,” Aaron encouraged, his own orgasm coming on quickly, “Cum for me baby.”

Spencer sputtered his release over both of their hands and stomachs, momentarily suspended in the intense bliss of his orgasm. He laid there spent, feeling like putty in Aaron’s hands, and pulled him down for a passionate kiss. He took his lover’s cock in hand and pumped him quickly, thumbing the head of his dick on each upstroke. Aaron came with a groan and a shudder, his arms gave out. They laid there catching their breaths for a while, ignoring the drying stickiness between them and tracing slow patterns on each other’s skin. They were so lucky to have each other.

“How are we going to shower now?” Aaron looked up and pouted.

“There’s a perfectly good sink just 5 feet away.” They laughed, Aaron pulled a blanket over them.

------------------------------------------------------

Taglist: @foxtrot91 @physics-magic @ssa-sarahsunshine @hearteyedhotch

#hotchreid #spencer reid #aaron hotchner #spencer reid x aaron hotchner #spencer reid fic #aaron hotchner fic #criminal minds fic #my fic #bathtub au

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drarrily-we-row-along · 3 years

Text

Day 25: Hiraeth

Hiraeth (Welch): A kind of homesickness which is a combination of the homesickness, longing, nostalgia, and yearning, for a home that you cannot return to, no longer exists, or maybe never was.

Harry hated cleaning Grimmauld. And it always seemed that no matter how much cleaning he did, more junk (half of it cursed) appeared to replace it.

He forced himself to set aside two hours every Saturday morning, someday this house would be worth living in and having guests in.

This particular morning, Harry was working in the hideous study, cleaning out the desk and thinking that he really ought to tear out the carpet and take down the wall paper, when he accidentally knocked over a small bust of Merlin only knew which Black. A heartbeat after the bust was knocked over, a panel on the wall scraped open.

That was interesting.

With a bit of caution, which was warranted given how many things had attempted to kill and maim him in this house, Harry made his way over and peeked inside of what appeared to be a cupboard of some sort. Inside was a pensive with a shelf above with memories floating in vials. Many weren't labeled at all but there were some that were labeled in Sirius' familiar script.

One sitting right in the front, as though it had been placed there for him, was labeled Harry. There were several memories swirling together in this one and Harry found himself reaching out and pouring it into the pensive without really thinking about it.

A moment later he plunged his head into the pensive.

He looked around when he landed and saw that he was standing in his parents' home in Godric's Hollow. His mum was sitting on the couch with her feet propped on the coffee table rubbing at the side of her very pregnant belly.

Sirius was knelt on the floor next to her, rubbing his hand over the other side, "And I am going to be your favorite uncle," he promised. "I'm the cool one, I'll teach you how to ride my motorbike and help you with your boy trouble."

"His boy trouble?" his mum asked, obviously amused.

"Well, I can't very well help him with his girl trouble."

(Read more below the cut)

His mum laughed and brushed her fingers through Sirius' hair. "I suppose you're right about that.

"He's kicking," Sirius crowed, rubbing his thumb over his mum's belly. "Hi, Harry," he said. "It's your uncle Padfoot," he informed him, leaning closer and putting his mouth almost against her belly, "I love you and I cannot wait to meet you."

--------

The scene faded and was replaced by the next one.

"He's perfect, Prongs," Sirius murmured and Harry saw that he was standing in a hospital room. His mum was sitting up in a bed, looking tired but smiling so wide that Harry's mouth ached in sympathy. Sirius and his dad were standing close together, a baby held securely in Sirius' arms and his dad hovering near his head.

"Yeah," his dad whispered in reply, sounding genuinely choked up as he brushed his fingers over the baby's downy head.

"Look at his tiny fingers," Sirius said. "He's got your eyes, Lily," he added.

Harry watched as the baby wrapped Sirius forefinger in his little fist.

"Oh Godric," he murmured. "I'm gone on him," he said, looking up at James and Lily. "I love him more than life itself."

"We feel the same," his mum replied, smiling. "James, you should tell him."

His dad covered his mouth with his hand and shook his head as though he couldn't manage any words.

"Tell me what?"

"We want you to be Harry's Godfather," his mum said.

"Really?" Sirius whispered looking back and forth at his mum and dad like he could hardly believe they were serious.

"Yeah," his dad said, patting his shoulder, "Yeah, of course."

Sirius looked down at the baby in his arms and Harry watched a tear track down his cheek, "You hear that, Harry?" he murmured. "I'm your Godfather. I'll never let anything bad happen to you," he promised.

-------

Godric's Hollow came back into view and Sirius was sitting on the couch, his arm around Remus' shoulders while Remus fed Harry a bottle.

"You're just a little angel, aren't you?" Remus cooed at him. "Just the most perfect, beautiful baby anyone has ever seen."

The baby kicked his feet.

"We'll teach you how to get up to mischief," Sirius promised. "Don't you worry. You'll get to inherit everything we've learned, you're going to make the best prankster imaginable."

Remus huffed, "But you'll be good to Minerva, won't you? She had more than enough trouble with your dad and uncles."

The baby finished the bottle and Remus sat him up, holding him over his shoulder as he lightly patted the baby's back. "I know things are a little scary right now," Remus murmured and Harry for the first time wondered where his parents were, if they were on a mission for the order at the moment, "But everything's going to be okay. You'll see."

Sirius rubbed Remus' neck soothingly, "Everything's going to be okay," he repeated but his face looked as weary and worn as Remus' did.

--------

"Come on, Harry! You can do it!" Sirius cheered and Harry shaded his eyes to see the back garden better. Sirius was squatted a few feet away from his dad who was steadying the baby as he apparently thought about walking. "Come on," Sirius said again, holding out his arms.

With a little giggle, the baby started to toddle unsteadily across the distance to Sirius. Sirius caught him and scooped him up in his arms, swinging him as he stood before pulling him in to smother him with kisses.

The baby giggled and grabbed at Sirius sunglasses, pulling them off his face.

"Ah, here, allow me," Sirius said, as he put them on the baby instead with a big smile. "Already developing better taste than your dad, I see."

"Oy," his dad called from where he stood with his arm around his mum's waist, stealing her glass of iced tea.

"I can't believe how big you've grown," Sirius murmured.

"Us either," his mum replied. "It's all gone so quickly. At this rate we'll be watching him head off to Hogwarts tomorrow."

"We'll all be there," Sirius promised, pressing a kiss to the baby's chubby cheek.

--------

The baby was a bit older in the next memory, and Harry knew there wasn't much longer left before the inevitable.

"I don't know how to do this," Sirius said, he was holding the baby in his arms, swaying back and forth, and Harry could hear the unshed tears in his voice.

"Be our secret keeper," his dad insisted. "Sirius we trust you with our lives, we trust you more than anyone."

"I can't," he said, shaking his head. "Dumbledore said it himself, they'll know it's me."

"Then stay here," Lily pleaded. "Just stay with us. Help us keep Harry safe."

"I would," Sirius said, "You know I would if I could. The Order won't allow it, they need more people to be able to go out on missions."

His dad nodded, scuffing the toe of his trainer over the carpet and it struck Harry how young they were. Harry was older now than his parents had lived to be.

"How am I supposed to say goodbye?" Sirius asked, pressing his forehead into the baby's dark curls.

"It's not goodbye," his mum said fiercely. "We can't think like that. It's just for a little while. It's just a see you later."

Sirius nodded and pressed a long kiss to the baby's forehead, "See you later, love," he murmured. "I'll miss you every second."

------------

Harry was snapped out of the pensive and he stood still for a long moment, in what must have been shock, before he realized that he was crying. It took another second to realize that his entire body was shaking as he was overcome with a sense of grief that he thought he'd long since buried.

He was overwhelmed by the longing to have a home, to have a place where people loved him and cared about him, a home were people wanted to protect him and be sure he was safe. It was a longing that he'd felt from the core of his being for as long as he could remember. And in these memories he'd had that.

He'd had so many people who loved him, so many people desperate to keep him safe, desperate to watch him grow up, and he'd lost it before he'd ever really known it.

The injustice, the hurt, the loneliness, and every moment that he'd ever desperately wished to be loved welled up inside of him at once and he couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. It was like he was being pounded by waves in the ocean and he could make it up for air.

Harry couldn't stay here, he pulled out his wand and apparated.

He'd intended to go to Ron and Hermione's, or maybe even the Weasley's but that was not where he ended up. No, Harry ended up in the front yard at his auror partner's house, sobbing and gasping for air.

"What the-" he heard and looked over to see that Draco was out working in his Garden, "Potter? What-" he started as he got closer. "Are you alright?"

Harry shook his head but couldn't manage to get any words out.

"Are you hurt?"

He shook his head again, "I didn't mean-"

"Alright," Draco said softly, wrapping a protective arm around him before Harry could even finish his sentence, "Come on. Come inside."

Harry could only nod, trying to make his feet move in spite of their numbness.

"You're shaking," Draco murmured as he guided him inside of the cozy cottage, all full of sunlight and fresh air. "You're sure you're not hurt?"

"Yes," Harry whispered, voice still raw.

Draco nodded, "Let's have some tea, yes?" he asked, guiding Harry into the sunny yellow kitchen. "Here," he said, pulling out a chair and settling Harry into it before moving to prepare tea.

Harry took the few moments of relative privacy to try to get himself under control, to try to reign in all of the feelings. He was certain that he would feel embarrassed about this later; this wasn't a great look for someone you were a little bit in love with to see.

By the time Draco turned around and brought the mugs of tea over, his breathing had even out a bit and he wasn't sobbing anymore. Draco set a cup of tea in front of him, "Here you go," he murmured before sitting down in the chair next to Harry instead of across from him.

"Thank you," Harry managed as he took a sip of tea made just the way that he liked it.

"Don't mention it," he said, he reached over and rubbed soothing circles on the center of Harry's back as Harry drank his tea. He didn't push or ask any questions, he was just quiet, just there with him as Harry's heart slowly came down to a normal pace and he finally managed to stop crying. "There we are," he said.

"Sorry," Harry whispered, feeling embarrassed and foolish and raw. "I didn't even mean to come here," he confessed.

"Well, I'm glad you did," Draco told him and for some reason, Harry believed him. "I've got some ginger biscuits in, if you'd like?"

"I shouldn't impose-"

"It's no imposition," Draco said, standing up and reaching for the cookie jar. He set them out, offering it to Harry before taking a couple himself.

Harry nibbled at his biscuit, not really sure what to say.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Draco asked. "You don't have to, of course, but I can be quite a good listener."

They'd been partners for three years at this point, so Harry knew it was true that the other man was an excellent listener. After a moment debating where to start, Harry confessed, "I always felt like there was something wrong with me." He stared down at the biscuit in his hands for a moment, "When I was little," he swallowed and set down his half eaten biscuit. "My aunt and uncle didn't want me and they weren't shy about letting me know."

Draco frowned, "Then why did you live with them? Surely there were no shortage of wizarding families who-"

"I had to," Harry said. "In her death, my mother's magic protected me. It's why Voldemort couldn't kill me. Because my aunt Petunia shared my mother's blood, as long as I lived with them I was protected."

"Alright," Draco said, nodding once and apparently accepting that answer without any other questions, which Harry was grateful for.

"They didn't want me and they didn't love me," Harry continued, "and I just really wanted to be loved, you know?"

Draco nodded, "Yeah, of course," he said as though Harry was being totally reasonable right now.

"I always imagined that I'd had parents who loved me," he said. "Like I always imagined that Lily and James Potter were completely besotted with me; they literally died trying to protect me. And I've had it confirmed by people throughout my life in a casual sort of way."

Draco nodded again, "But you've just had it confirmed in a more tangible way?" he guessed.

Harry nodded and felt a tear slip down his cheek. "I found some of Sirius memories when I was cleaning today," he said.

"That's fascinating," Draco replied.

"Yes," Harry agreed, "And there was a vial with my name on it, so I poured them into the pensive and took a look." Draco waited patiently as Harry tried to calm himself enough to get the next words out. "They were all of me as a baby," he finally managed in a whisper. "Of him with me, of my mum and dad, and Remus. And they all-" he choked on the words. He could hardly get them out, "They all loved me so much," he managed.

Draco took his hand.

"And I can't even remember-" he couldn't manage another word before the waves of grief rolled through his soul once more.

"Oh, love," Draco murmured as he stood and moved to wrap his arms around Harry, holding him and letting him cry against his stomach.

"It's not fair," Harry finally managed.

"No, it's not," Draco agreed, one of his hands stroking through Harry's hair. "It's not fair at all."

When Harry finally got himself under control once more, Draco drew back and sat down in the chair beside him.

"Sorry," Harry said, feeling miserable, and drained, and exhausted.

"You've nothing to apologize for," Draco said as he took another biscuit.

Harry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, "I just thought that I'd stopped grieving this."

"Do we ever really stop grieving the people we love?"

"It's not just the people, though," Harry said, shaking his head. "It's that I had a home, I had a place where people loved me and cared about me. If I'd fallen and scraped a knee in that home, I would have had adults clambering over themselves to fix it. I would have been tucked in at night, and someone would have read me stories. I would have always had enough to eat and I would have had clothes that fit me and toys that weren't broken. There are a million things that could have been that I'll never know."

"I'm sorry," Draco said softly, "I can't imagine what that must feel like." He put his hand over Harry's, his thumb rubbing soothingly over Harry's knuckles.

Harry nodded once, trying very hard not to start crying again because three times felt like it might be a bit ridiculous for one day.

"There are people who love you now, though," Draco said gently. "And I know it doesn't change the past, and it doesn't make this hurt any less, but you have people who love you. And I'm sure that someday, you'll live with someone who loves you, someone who wants to protect you and comfort you when you're hurt, someone who wants to share their life with you."

Harry scoffed, "I have my friends but there's no one who would want that with me."

"There are loads of people who would want that with you," Draco said, rolling his eyes as if Harry was being ridiculous.

"Not people who actually know me," Harry argued. "Sure, there are people who want me because I'm Harry Potter but no one who wants me because I'm just Harry."

"That's not true," Draco replied.

"Name one person who wants that life with me because I'm just Harry and not the savior," he challenged. "One, single person and I will go out right now and move in with them. Tell me one name of someone who would want this," he said, gesturing at himself, "Who wants all of this mess, all of this baggage, and traum-"

"Me," Draco finally exploded. "I want that with you. I want to protect you and comfort you when you're hurt. I want to make you tea in the evening before bed and I want you to wake me up with coffee in the morning. I want to spend every moment with you, celebrating your successes and weeping with you about what makes you sad. I want that."

Harry blinked at him, a bit (alright, a lot) shocked.

"And I know that it's stupid and you don't want that with me, because, well," he shook his head. "There are a million reasons you shouldn't, but you said one person and I want you to know that it's more than possible for someone to know you and want that with you."

"You do?" Harry asked.

"Do you think I would have told you that I did if I didn't?"

Harry felt a little smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "I would like that with you, too."

"What?"

Harry shrugged one shoulder, "I've been a little in love with you for like a year," he confessed, feeling brave now that Draco had already told him how he felt.

Draco smiled a shy little smile at him, "Maybe we should go on a few dates before you move in, for appearance's sake," he joked.

He laughed, but then actually considered it, "Do you care about appearance's sake? We already know that we work together, we already know that we're good at spending time together," Harry replied. "I know more about you than I've ever known about anyone I've dated."

"Do you really want to move in with me? Already?"

Harry shrugged, "I mean, you've got a second bedroom, right? We wouldn't have to rush into anything. Just," he swallowed and he reached over and took Draco's hand, "Wouldn't it be nice to come home at night to someone who cares about you?"

"Yeah," the other man agreed with a smile, "Yes it would."

"Yeah?" Harry asked, feeling hopeful.

He nodded, "Yes, of course. Merlin, of course you can move in," he said with a laugh.

"I'd like very much to kiss you if you'd be amenable to that," Harry said.

"I'd like that, too," Draco said, with a breathless little smile.

Harry leaned across the corner of the table, cupped Draco's cheek in his palm, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

When he pulled back Draco's eyes were still closed and he murmured, "I'm going to need you to do that again."

Harry grinned and obliged him.

"Again," Draco breathed.

Harry leaned in and took Draco's bottom lip between his, sucking lightly before brushing his tongue over it. Draco let out a soft sigh and his fingers clenched in the fabric of Harry's t-shirt.

"Again," Draco whispered when Harry pulled back.

He smiled and let his finger's slide in Draco's hair, tilting his head slightly as he slotted their lips together. He slowly explored Draco's mouth and Draco explored his in turn, they kissed slowly, luxuriously. Hands brushed over necks, cheeks, shoulders, and backs as they carefully learned their way around each other.

Draco was the first to pull back this time and Harry's eyes fluttered open to look at him, his cheeks flushed and lips red. "You are so beautiful," Harry murmured.

He looked down at the table, smiling shyly, "We should start getting you moved in."

"I'd like nothing better," Harry replied with a big smile of his own.

And while moving in with Draco didn't give him back the home he'd lost, it did give him a place where he belonged. It gave him a place where he could receive the love he'd longed for and give all of the love he'd always wanted to. It wasn't perfect and it wasn't always easy, but it was home and Harry wouldn't have traded it for anything.

-------------

Thank you, @iamactuallya-cat for the prompt! I hope you enjoy it and that I didn't break your heart too much! <3

Day 24: Mafia Husband | Day 26: Broken Bone

#drarry #100 drarry drabbles in 100 days #drarry drabbles #drarry ficlets #oof this one definitely got away from me #and had me crying #happy ending #day 25 #thank you for the prompt!

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iliveiloveiwrite · 3 years

Text

Wait For Me // D.M.

Request: hi! can you do a request where draco performed the obliviate curse on his gf before the war, then met her again post war when he became a healer? the storyline is up to you! by the way, i really really like your fics 🥺 - anon

A/N: This request let me explore all the things I love: angst, healer!draco, and redemption. Thank you for trusting me with this request, I love it so much. This was not also on my WIP lost but I had an idea and I ran with it. With some hope, my next few fics will be from that list!!

Warnings: angst, mentions of nightmares and injuries, some anxiety, short words and tempers, swearing. A HAPPY ENDING or at least the start of one.

Word count: 5.2k

1996:

“You know why I have to do this, right?” Draco whispers: worried that if he were to speak any louder his voice would give away how close he is to breaking.

You nod once. A solemn nod that juxtaposes the tears falling freely down your face. How could you be agreeing to this when it made you feel like your heart was being ripped out?

“I’m sorry,” He whispers, arms reaching for you, the urge to touch too strong to resist. “If they used you against me or if you got hurt, I would never forgive myself.”

You hush him; not missing the irony of the situation. To be comforting him when you were going to have a large chunk of your memories taken from you, it was almost laughable.

The final few moments together are spent in silence, wrapped in each other’s arms, getting as much of the other as possible before inevitably having to let go. You bury your face in his chest, almost refusing to let go of him as he unhooks your hands from around his waist.

The time has come; it’s come too soon.

You barely register Draco’s tears mixing with yours as he hauls you in for one last desperate kiss. His forehead remains pressed to yours as he whispers three words.

“Wait for me.”

Then everything goes blank. A flash of white and your life begins anew.

No memories of the last year of your life; no thoughts about the blonde haired teenager that had occupied your mind and stolen your heart.

There’s nothing.

Five years later:

The strong antiseptic smell has your nose crinkling in distaste. The overhead lights buzz as the bright light bounces off the overly clean floor; it makes your head hurt more. You place a tentative hand to the side of your head, frowning further when you feel the large bump growing there. Removing your hand, you sigh, remembering the tears of the pupil that had done this.

Not long after the war, a new decree was issued setting up centres of education for young witches and wizards that showed magical promise. They operated extremely similar to a muggle primary school; however these followed the curriculum created by the Ministry of Magic.

It was in one of these schools that you worked, choosing to train as a teacher after finishing your education.

A rogue ball is what had landed you in the emergency room of the only magical hospital in Britain. It had come out of nowhere; the children playing happily as the weather had improved over the course of the day.

Tapping your foot impatiently off the tiled floor, you had to admit to yourself it had been partly your fault for not seeing the ball before it knocked you on the side of the head and subsequently knocked you to the floor. The child, a young Hugo Ward, had felt terrible – sobs wracking his body as he apologised to you over and over again to the point where you had to reassure him you were fine.

An hour after the accident, it became evident that you were not fine. The dizziness and double vision being symptoms of something worse, your boss had sent you off to St. Mungo’s without room for argument, promising you she would cover your class for the rest of the day.

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N),” calls the triage nurse. A blonde middle aged lady with bright eyes and a kind smile; she points in the direction of exam room two and you flash her a grateful smile.

The hospital bed is uncomfortable as you take a seat on top of the crinkly paper. The pounding in your head had not stopped since you arrived but the dizziness was calming somewhat, and for that, you were thankful. It happens as a flash; a memory washes over you of a large hospital wing, two rows of beds and an elderly lady with fierce determination written over her face.

A single blink and it disappears. The flashes hadn’t happened for a while; the aftermath of a memory charm inflicted upon in your Sixth Year at Hogwarts. It wasn’t known who had done it; they had found you wandering the halls of Hogwarts alone and confused before realising what had happened. You had recovered fairly quickly; the only aftermath being the flashes of what could be memories.

You sigh, sinking further into the gurney as you think of the pile of marking waiting for you at home. Even a sore head couldn’t put off the inevitable.

The Healer doesn’t look up as he enters, pulling the curtain closed behind him, “I’m Healer Malfoy, how can I help you today?”

You sit straighter as you take in the healer. Blonde hair down to the nape of his neck, tied back with what seems to be a leather cord. He hasn’t looked up at you yet, but from your spot, you could tell he was handsome. A strong jaw being home to a distracting mouth. You look away, admiring the rest of him before you could be caught staring at his lips.

Healer Malfoy’s face slackens for a second as his eyes rake over your face. He collects himself after a second, but still, you noticed. He clears his throat, looking down at the chart in his hand. “(Y/N) (Y/L/N)?”

You nod, “That’s me.”

“You hurt your head at work?”

Again, you nod, “Twice over. A pupil threw a ball at my head by accident, but I knocked my head on the playground as I fell.”

Healer Malfoy places your chart on a nearby table, pulling latex gloves out of his pocket as he does so. He smiles at you, but there’s something guarded about the expression on his face that has question after question springing up in your overworked and pained mind.

“Did you lose consciousness?” Healer Malfoy asks routinely, silently gesturing to your head, asking for permission to feel the injury.

“No,” You answer, turning your head for him to feel the bump on the side of your head.

You hear his sharp inhale as he examines the large bump there. As if seeing you hurt physically hurt him too, yet how was that possible? Thinking through your admittedly fragmented memories, you cannot find a whisper of what the blonde haired man could have looked like younger. Something niggled in the back of your mind, a feeling, a hunch. You didn’t know what, but it got stronger every time you met the grey eyes of the handsome Healer Malfoy.

“This is going to sound odd but go with me on it please?” You say, voice lilting into a question at the end. The idea of not giving this man in front of you a choice simply abhorrent to you.

Healer Malfoy smiles: it’s polite and doesn’t reach his eyes. He takes a step back from you, needing the distance but also done with the examination of your injury. “Okay, I’ll go with it,” He states warily.

Your hands clench into fists; overcome with the urge to try and coax a smile out of him. “I don’t know how else to say it. Do we know each other? You feel familiar to me, as if I know you from somewhere.”

Whatever smile was on Healer Malfoy’s face falls the instant the words leave your mouth. His entire demeanour changes – shoulders stiff, hands gripping your chart so tight it could snap in half. Unclenching his jaw, Healer Malfoy grits out, “No. We haven’t met before.”

“Are you sure?” You press, deciding desperately that you needed to know the man standing in front of you.

“Very sure,” He murmurs, scribbling your discharge notes and handing them to you. “I would remember you if we had met before.”

The blank confession leaves you speechless. Blinking in what could only be described as shock, you take the outstretched papers.

“Your prescription is there too. You show no major signs of a concussion, just rest for tonight at least and watch out for anymore footballs,” Healer Malfoy starts, “Should you have any more problems, you know where to find us.”

Taking the dismissal for what it was, you hurriedly grab your bag from the gurney and leave the exam room, taking extra care to hide the dejected look on your face as you pass the handsome healer.

Draco watches you go. You all but sprint out of the hospital, almost desperate in your escape to get away from him and his short words.

The threat has been gone for years; vanquished not too long after the night Draco had taken your memories, after the night that continues to haunt his nightmares.

Draco Malfoy had faced the Dark Lord and lived – he has stared death in its sallow face and was not the first to look away. Yet, Draco was ever more terrified of what you would do should your memories ever return. Your rage was entirely more terrifying than staring into the soulless eyes of the man his parents so blindly followed.

Draco releases a breath as he spies your figure finally leaving the hospital. The released breath does nothing to loosen the tightness in his chest; the tightness that had been there since that fateful night in the astronomy tower.

He’s had this argument with himself countless times, always the same words and the same fight. His own justification for why he did what he did; why he took your memories of your relationship and sent you away. Deep down, Draco knows that he should have communicated better. He knows that he should have sat you down and explained to you his worries and his fears. However, at barely seventeen years old, Draco was just getting used to the idea of love. He knew what was coming; he knew that there were dark times ahead and he was unfortunately aware of how you could be used against him should the time come.

He had a decision to make, so he did. Thinking back on it now, it had almost killed him. He had never experienced a pain like it. Draco had been hit with the Sectumsempra curse and the pain that followed was nothing compared to the pain he felt when erasing your memories.

Draco turns away from the door. You’ve disappeared around the corner; your head bowed, and shoulders hunched. He has no reason to watch you now. He turns away from the door, wondering whether it was fate that had brought you back into his life after such an absence.

An absence he caused.

-------

You return to work the day after; feeling fine enough to stand in front of your class and deliver your lessons of literacy and maths but also of spellcasting and magical control for infants. You followed your lesson plans to the letter; resolutely refusing to stray from them should they let your mind wander to the handsome healer and his cold words.

The healer continues to play on your mind for the rest of the week: at work, at home. You would go over the brief conversation you had with him; wondering at which point his demeanour changed, that he became closed off and cold. He hadn’t been welcoming from the beginning, but by the end of it he had downright cold. It should have warned you off; it should have been warning enough to keep your distance and to do your best to ensure you never needed to return to the emergency room, yet there was something about him. There was something hidden within his grey eyes, a dark secret ravaging him from the inside out and you felt desperate to know what it was.

-------

As much as you adore your vocation, as much as you love coming into work and greeting the children with a smile, there was something sweet about sending them home to their parents. A sweet relief that loosens the weight on your chest somewhat.

A shock of blonde hair has you turning back to the school gates. Your breath catches in your throat as you recognise the handsome face of the healer that had treated you only a week ago. His face not one you felt like you could forget.

“Healer Malfoy?” You call out, confused at his presence.

He smiles bashfully, “Draco, please.”

“Draco,” You greet. “Do you often make home visits?” You tease, a smile crossing your face.

“Technically, I’m at your place of work so this would be a work visit,” Draco comments, laughing lightly, seeming to be in a much better mood than the last time you had met him.

Your smile grows larger at the sound of his laughter. “Okay… do you often make work visits?”

He shakes his head, “No. I do not.”

“Why are you here?”

“Two reasons.”

“And they are.”

“One, and one I thought of just now – I wanted to apologise for my behaviour at the hospital the other day, I was rude, and it was out of line so I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologise for. I doubt that you get asked by many of your patients whether you know them.”

Draco smiles, “You’re right, I don’t, but nevertheless, I shouldn’t have been so rude, and I apologise.”

“Then I accept your apology, only if you accept mine.”

He goes to argue but stops himself at the last possible moment. You meet his gaze head on, watching the emotions pile up there. There’s something lingering in his grey eyes; something deeper as if he has more to apologise for but he isn’t ready to confess to what or why he even needs to say more.

“What was your second reason for being here?” You question, curiosity piqued but also wanting to move the conversation on, unable to look into his grey eyes any long for the fear that your heart may burst out of your chest.

Draco smiles, “I’m picking up my godson.”

“Your godson? Do I know who he is?”

“You might. Tobias Dawsey?”

Recognition flashes across your face as you picture the small brunette in your mind’s eye. “I do know him! I taught him last year,” You all but shout, “He’s your godson?”

Draco nods, “He is. I’ve worked with his mother from my very first day at St. Mungo’s, she asked me to be godfather when she found out she was pregnant with him.”

His words warm your heart; the care he has for his godson obvious in his voice. You go to say more, to try and coax more information out of him. Your need to know him almost choking you with its intensity, but for the life in you, you couldn’t figure out why you needed to know him. You move to speak, but you’re interrupted by the excited crow of a young child.

“Uncle Draco!” Tobias shouts, running up to his uncle on his little legs, his bookbag banging against them with every step.

“Hey kiddo,” Draco greets, picking up the child making grabby arms for him.

“Do you know Miss (Y/L/N)?”

Draco nods. “Miss (Y/L/N) came into work the other week,” He states, thankfully not exaggerating further.

Tobias frowns, turning his attention to you, concerned about his favourite teacher, “Are you okay though?”

You smile at the young brunette, “I’m all better. Your Uncle Draco fixed me up.”

Tobias nods seriously, “He’s the best Healer ever.”

You laugh; the love Tobias has for his godfather so clear within his voice, it only warms your heart further. “I have no doubt in that, Tobias. Off you go anyway, I wouldn’t want to keep you from getting home.”

Tobias and Draco wave at you as they leave the school grounds. The smile on your face doesn’t fade as you watch them walk away, the young boy chattering the ear off his devoted uncle.

Deep down, where you would only admit to yourself and no-one else, you hoped that you would get to see the handsome blonde healer again.

-------

Over the following weeks you spy Draco’s presence more by the school gates. Tobias clearly adores him, sprinting into his uncle’s arms the moment he sees him waiting for him. Crossing your arms across your chest, you comment, “You must be a very devoted godfather to volunteer to pick up Tobias this often.”

Draco shrugs nonchalantly as if the task of reorganising his shifts was nothing of a chore, “I enjoy spending time with him and…”

“And?”

Draco ducks his head, feeling the familiar heat of blush creep up his neck, “I like talking to you.”

He feels like it’s the wrong thing to say. He knows it’s the wrong thing to say. If he had an ounce of human decency within him, he would turn away from you the moment Tobias arrives. He would walk away from you, never to come back into your life again. What he did all those years ago was unforgivable despite having your permission. Draco knows he shouldn’t be back in your life, but now that he had seen you once or twice, he had to see you more.

He felt like an addict. He couldn’t leave you alone. Draco didn’t want to if he was honest with himself especially when you grin at him so widely his heart pounds in his chest.

You duck your head, your hair hiding your face. “I like talking to you too even if it is only at the school gate,” You shyly admit.

“Then we should change that,” Draco stutters out before he backs down. He wants to kick himself; he should turn away from you now and leave you alone for good, but that one selfish part of him that powers his heart tells him to stay put.

If possible, your smile grows larger, “Then we should change that.”

------

The friendship feels so natural once it starts; once the both of you get past the initial awkwardness that seemed to loiter from Draco’s cold words earlier in the year. It started with longer conversations at the school gate, but then he would come with Tobias’ mother and wait for you as Tobias would reluctantly leave with his mother. From there, it grew into a timid friendship that slowly grew more surer of itself as you invited Draco out for food or to museums or to spend the weekend with you, walking around the city when he wasn’t working.

However, as the friendship became more solid, you could not ignore the way your heart sped up with every smile and every laugh. You could not ignore the way your face heated each time he winked at you; a private joke shared between you. It didn’t feel like a passing fancy. It felt like something deeper, as if the feelings had been there before and had been dormant until now. You felt as if you were always meant to feel this way about Draco – the feelings tugging on memories you weren’t even sure were yours. Flashes of blonde hair and the powerful scent of jasmine all tied in with late nights in a tower you could barely recognise. Draco made you feel like the only person in the world; he was supportive and kind and funny. He was everything you could want and more – how could you not fall for him?

There was still the remaining secret though. It haunted him; his eyes clouded over whenever it was on his mind as if he was returning to the very memory itself. He would return shier, unsure of himself as if the friendship he had forged with you was about to implode and leave him shattered once more.

You ask him about it once. The two of you sat on your couch; you introducing Draco the wonders of muggle films and showing him your favourites when you catch him zone out. Your finger reaches out, pokes his cheek. “Where did you just go?” You question, a smile in your voice.

Draco reaches out, grabbing your finger, “Nowhere of importance.”

You frown, pulling your finger out of his grip, “You do that a lot.”

“Do what a lot?”

“Disappear on me. It’s like you have something big to tell me, but you just aren’t ready yet.”

Draco feels certain his heart stops in his chest. He tries to laugh but it comes out strangled; choked by the worry creeping up from his gut. Draco opens his mouth to reply but you beat him to it. “I’m not saying you have to tell me what it is now,” You start, “I just want you to know that I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

Draco closes his eyes, rests his head against the back of your couch. You had so graciously opened your home to him, opened your life and offered friendship to him, and he felt awful. As he should, he thinks to himself. He had taken memories of importance from you, and here you sat, unaware of the crime and sitting with the criminal himself.

It felt like there was a countdown ticking over his head. It felt like he only had a certain amount of time until he had to come clean and he had to tell you about that night in the astronomy tower.

Yet for all that was in him, for all that created his moral compass, he couldn’t bring himself to tell you and ruin whatever was blossoming between the two of you. Draco supposes he is a coward. He probably is, he tells himself, but he cannot bring himself to care about his cowardice when you smile at him like he holds the sun and stars for you.

Does he regret that night? With everything within him. Would he do it again knowing the outcome? Of course he would. He would sacrifice himself and his happiness a thousand times over to ensure your safety.

---------

Draco tells himself he’ll confess the next time he sees you which is both all too soon and not soon enough. His love for you had never faded; he hadn’t been the one to forget the short relationship you had. The intensity that accompanied teenage love and infatuation had never left the forefront of his mind. After all, how could they? Now that you were back in his life, he felt the teenager again – utterly drawn to you and unwilling to let you go.

He confesses late on a Tuesday night. The shift at St. Mungo’s had been long and arduous, but he got through it with the single thought of you. He knew that at the end of it, he would get to knock on your door. He only hoped that you wouldn’t turn him away once you found out the truth. Your hatred of him could never rival the hatred he feels for himself, but he finds himself hoping for your forgiveness.

“I have to tell you something,” Draco states, plain and simple.

You chew on the inside of your cheek before answering, “You can tell me anything.”

“You had a memory charm used on you in Sixth Year, didn’t you?”

“How did you know that?” You demand. Despite the friendship grown between the both of you, you hadn’t told him that. You had given him bits and pieces, alluded to the fact that there were gaps in your memories, but you hadn’t told him the truth. Just like he hadn’t told you what made him disappear inside his mind like he so often does.

“I took your memories. It was me.” Draco confesses, his voice clear in the quiet room.

“What?” You shout, anger shooting through you.

“I took your memories. I used a memory charm on you in the middle of Sixth Year when things started to take a turn for the worst.”

“What gave you the right?” You cry, tears building out of upset and anger.

“You did,” Draco states plainly, “You didn’t want to at first, but you came round to my way of thinking when you saw how bad things were getting at home.”

“Why would I agree to that?”

“Because once upon a time, you were in love with me.”

You shake your head, pacing back and forth in your living room, trying to get to grips with the piles of information only just dumped on you. Draco watches you pace; his grey eyes following each step intently as you work through everything in your head.

Worry shines bright in his eyes when you stop pacing. He goes to take a step towards you, but you step back. The small space between you feels like a great chasm, a gaping void that Draco is desperate to fill, to patch up.

“Tell me everything,” You state before adding on, “Please.”

Draco releases a shuddering breath before starting: “We were friends through school. I don’t remember how the friendship started, but it did and for years we were really good, close friends. Then along the way, the friendship changed. We fell in love, or whatever it is at sixteen/seventeen years old. We had less than a year together when things started to change; when whisperings of the Dark Lord’s return were strengthened by continued attacks on the Ministry.

“You argued with me for hours,” Draco pauses, laughing as he remembers what you clearly couldn’t, “I had never seen you so angry or so stubborn. You were adamant, you didn’t want to but then you went quiet and I knew you saw what I had seen. You agreed after a minutes silence; told me yes even though it broke the both of us to do so.

Draco’s grey eyes are lined with unshed tears as he murmurs, “I couldn’t let them have you. My family was working with the darkest wizard there had ever been in the last century, if he had gotten a whiff of what you meant to me, you would be used in ways that not even I could imagine. My aunt would have taken great pleasure in ensuring that you would be a bargaining chip for me to fulfil whatever mission they handed me. That was something I couldn’t allow.

“It broke me to do it. To watch your eyes go blank as the memories of what we shared disappeared. Selfishly, I asked you to wait for me, not knowing that they would be tied to you afterwards. I just… I couldn’t let you go. As a teenager and an adult. There’s no real excuse for what I did, but know it was out of love for you that I did it.”

Draco falls silent. His heavy words adding to the growing tension in the room. Draco’s mind runs a thousand miles a minute; his eyes don’t leave you as he watches you work through every emotion coursing through your body. He sees the anger, the sadness, the frustration, but he also sees the relief at having an answer for those gaps that you had only recently confessed to him.

You break the loaded silence, “I forgot the relationship, but on some level I don’t think I ever forgot you.”

“What?” Draco asks, the air rushing out of him in one fell swoop.

A smile creeps across your face; relishing somewhat at having caught him off-guard. “I have glimpses of what I always assumed was a past life. The memories were always fuzzy around the edges, but they were clear enough for me to catch glimpses of blonde hair or to spy the pattern of a ring much like the one on your signet ring.”

Draco remains silent; he doesn’t dare talk; he doesn’t dare breathe. Nothing prepares him for your next words.

“I waited for you… like you asked.”

Those words. Those foolish words that he had absolutely no right to whisper to you. Draco had been so overwhelmed in that moment, yet he couldn’t ignore the small kernel of hope that despite the strength of the memory charm, a part of you would remember him and would wait for him.

But you had.

You had waited for him. You barely knew who he was, but you had waited for him, hoping that one day he would cross your path.

“Fuck,” Draco whispers, running a hand through his growing hair, starting to pace the length of your living room.

“When I woke after my memories had been taken, I clearly didn’t remember a single thing, but I had the echoes of three words ringing in my ears. A beg, a plea of someone – a boy asking for me to wait for them. I didn’t know completely who I was waiting for, I didn’t know it was you until I saw you at the hospital that first time and then again so soon after leaving. My memories haven’t returned, and I doubt they will, but I just know that it was you who I was waiting for.”

Draco falls silent, letting your words fall over him and sink into his skin, settling deep within his bones.

Years. It had been years since that night in the astronomy tower where he took your memories. It had been years since he felt the longing and love; there had been no-one lese and there would be no-one else. For Draco, there was only ever you… and you had waited.

You had waited for him.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Draco repeats, hands continuing to run through his hair in frustration as he paces the room. He faces you; grey eyes wild with emotion, “How are you not angry with me?”

“I am angry with you! I’m furious with you, Draco! You took my memories, but if you say I agreed to it, I’m just as angry with myself for allowing myself to forget you.”

“What do we do?” He asks, a hand running down his face as he tries to figure out the next step.

“Forgiveness,” You state simply, “We try to move on.”

Draco’s hands drop limply at his side as he gasps, “Forgiveness?”

“What happened after you erased my memories, Draco?”

“There was a war. I was on the wrong side,” is all he says. He isn’t ready to go into too much detail. That’s another story for another day.

“Was that what you were trying to protect me from? The wrong side?”

Draco nods wordlessly. He saw things going south so quickly but his parents hadn’t. They pushed and they pushed; inducting him into the same pureblood fanaticism they relished. “How can you even think of forgiving me? I took your memories. I stole them from you, and you won’t ever get them back,” He argues, wanting to know whether you truly understood what you were doing by forgiving him.

“Let me ask you something, Draco.”

“What?”

“Do you plan on leaving again?”

He shakes his head immediately. He doesn’t think he could leave you even if he tried.

You shrug your shoulders, “That’s how I can think of forgiving you.”

“I don’t understand,” He whispers; his own self-hatred confused by your words.

“The wizarding war was about to descend into war. We were confused, scared teenagers who didn’t see another option. You asked my permission, Draco, and I granted it clearly.”

“But-”

You cut him off, “No buts. I said yes. I gave permission and we cannot change the past, Draco but we can control our future. It’s going to require work on both sides, but you can tell me about what I’m missing and at the same time we can forge something new.”

“What do you mean?”

You smile shyly, taking that all important step towards him, “Make some new memories with me, Draco.”

*****

General (HP) taglist: @chaotic-fae-queen @theweasleysredhair @harrypotter289 @kalimagik @heloisedaphnebrightmore @nebulablakemurphy @figlia--della--luna @idont-knowrn @liilyevanss @big-galaxy-chaos @black-lake-confessions @annasofiaearlobe @imboredandneedalife @levylovegood @mytreec @haphazardhufflepuff @teheharrypotter @chaoticgirl04 @accio-rogers @starlightweasley @dreaming-about-fanfictions @lestersglitterglue @msmimimerton @obx-beach @izzytheninja @slytherinprincess03 @bbeauttyybbx @breadqueen95 @acciotwinz @kashishwrites @slytherinsunrise @kylosleftbuttcheek @remmyswritings @they-write-once-in-a-blue-moon @ria-rests-here @superbturtlemakerathlete @inglourious-imagines @ithilwen-lionheart @now-its-time-for-a-breakdown @ilovejjmaybank

Draco Malfoy taglist: @the--queen-of-hell @obxmxybxnk @obx-beach @sycathorn-slush @dracomalfoyswifey @kashishwrites @justmesadgirl @detroitobsessed @reaganwonders @just-a-belgian-girl @aspiringsloth20 @lahoete @minty-malfoy @fallinallinmendes @ravenclawbitch426 @ochrythum @beiahadid @gryffindors-weasley

#draco malfoy x reader #draco x reader #Draco Malfoy #draco malfoy fanfiction #draco malfoy imagine

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wefoundloveunderthelight · 3 years

Text

Mystery Of Pixie Hollow by GleefullyCaptainSwan Chapter 2/11

Read on AO3: | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Or on FF

Stacy's Tortured Crew: @teamhook @kmomof4 @stahlop @lfh1226-linda @ilovemesomekillianjones @itsfabianadocarmo @mariakov81 @qualitycoffeethings @zaharadessert @jrob64 @jonesfandomfanatic @natascha-ronin @tiganasummertree @xarandomdreamx @therooksshiningknight @batana54 @superchocovian @onceratheart18 @ultraluckycatnd @snowbellewells @karlyfr13s @the-darkdragonfly @xsajx @deckerstarblanche @jonesfandomfanatic

Chapter 2: Shared Experience

“Mom.”

Emma ran through the halls, slamming her fists against the glass, breaking each mirror in front of her as she searched frantically.

“Mom.”

Her heart was pounding, each space behind the mirror was a deep black void.

“Mom.”

Arms were grabbing her, pulling her into the void, dragging her deep into the blackness.

“Emma.” She jerked awake, her eyes squinting against the light shining through the window. “Bloody hell, what are you doing sitting in front of an open window? Where’s Henry?”

Emma jumped up from her chair. “Henry.” She said frantically, staring out the window toward Pixie Hollow. Her mouth went dry at the empty lot staring back at her. It was all gone. Everything. He was gone.

“I got your texts this morning, my damn phone must have died while I was working, but they didn’t make any sense.”

“Henry, we were at the park, I couldn’t find him.”

“What do you mean, you couldn’t find him? Where’s he at?”

She sunk down on the floor below the window, sobbing. “Gone.” She cried, wrapping her arms around her knees, and rocking softly back and forth as her head made contact with the wall behind her.

“Gone where? Emma you aren’t making a lot of sense here.”

“We were in one of those fun houses, you know the kind with the mirrors. Henry loves those.” She started rambling. “He was playing, he always thinks its funny when I can’t find him. But then he was gone. I couldn’t find him anywhere. I heard him call for me, but he vanished, Will.”

“Vanished. Well surely they had a lost and found, or…”

“No, they didn’t care, they acted like he fucking ran away.” She shouted. “The police told me to come back in 24 hours, but they’re gone, the whole thing is fucking gone.” She screamed, pointing toward the parking lot where the fair used to be.

“Get up, we’re going to talk to the cops. This is bloody ridiculous. Henry isn’t a runaway. No one could believe that for a second. This doesn’t make any sense.”

Will was pacing the floor in front of her before he turned and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her to her feet. “Come on, let’s go find our boy.” He said softly, guiding her to the car as he drove them to the police station.

When they arrived at the busy precinct, the man at the front desk barely acknowledged them, waving them off to wait in the seats by the door. After twenty minutes, Will was tired of waiting, pushing past the front desk and demanding to talk to anyone who would listen to him.

“I want to talk to whoever is in charge, my boy is missing and I’m not going to stop until someone bloody listens to me.”

“Please have a seat.”

“How about you have a seat, Mate.” He said, squaring up to the officer who approached him. Emma stood from her chair, rushing to his side to stop him from doing something stupid.

“Will…”

“Ma’am, I’m going to need you both to step back behind the desk.” The man warned.

“Look mister, my little boy is missing.” She held up the photo of Henry to his face, “He’s all alone, and if you don’t find someone who gives a damn about that, I’m going to stand outside this station, talking to every news outlet that will hear me, until someone pays attention to me.”

“Emma Swan.”

She spun around to see the officer she had spoken to last night and she tugged on Will’s arm to follow her in the direction of the man. “Henry’s still missing. You told me to wait 24 hours, and I know it hasn’t been that long, but the carnival is gone. And he didn’t run away.”

“Someone better tell me they are looking for Henry, or I’m marching out of here to meet with Channel 3 and tell them the Storybrooke police department doesn’t care about the safety of our young citizens.” Will barked and the officer gestured the two of them toward a corner office.

“Wait in here, I’ll be there in a minute.”

“If one more person tells me I need to wait…” Will threatened.

“Sir, I promise you, I will be right there. I just want to get my partner.” Officer Nolan stated calmly.

“Fine.” Will relented, stepping into the office as Emma followed him.

Will sat at the steel table while Emma paced the back wall. “I can’t believe this is happening.” She said anxiously. “He’s never been away from me for this long. He must be terrified.”

“I had a bad feeling about this.” Will mumbled. “I told you not to go without me last night.”

“Don’t you blame me for this. You’re the one who bailed on Henry’s birthday last night.” She yelled angrily.

“Emma, I had to work.”

“You abandoned us. And now Henry is gone.” She screamed, and Will shrank against the table, hanging his head into the palms of his hands. She knew she had gone too far. This wasn’t Will’s fault, but she had to blame someone, Henry was gone. But she knew blaming Will was wrong. This was her fault. “Will, I’m…”

The two men walked into the room, interrupting their discussion. “Miss Swan?” Officer Locksley asked as he entered.

“Yes, that’s me.” She replied anxiously.

“Have you heard from Henry since last night.”

“Would I be here if I knew where my son was?” She quipped sarcastically.

“Ma’am, we’re just trying to help.”

“Sod that, if you were trying to help you would have done so last night.” Will stated emphatically. “From where I’m sitting, it appears you’ve done bloody nothing at all.”

“You must be the boy’s father.”

“Not in the biblical sense, but yes.”

“I’m sorry?” Officer Nolan asked in a confused tone.

“The boy isn’t biologically mine, but in the ways that matter, he’s my kid.” Will said almost proudly and Emma felt a pang of guilt for attacking him earlier.

“Have you been in touch with the boy’s actual father? Perhaps he’s with him.”

Will laughed ominously. “You think he ran off with Neal? Bloody idiot of the year! Not fucking likely.”

“Sir, I can sense some tension regarding the boys father. Do you talk that way in front of the boy about his father?”

Will stood angrily. “Are you serious right now?”

“Perhaps the boy took offense, we’ve seen it happen, home life isn’t always the greatest, kids venture out to find out about the other parent that their live-in parent admonishes.”

“This is ridiculous.” Emma suddenly spoke, she was tired of hearing this crap. They apparently had no interest in helping them find Henry. They were wasting valuable time.

“Does he have contact with his father?”

“I can assure you; it would be a cold day in hell for Henry to be anywhere near Neal Cassidy. He wants nothing to do with Henry.”

“Do you know where we can find him? Perhaps you’d let us do our job and confirm he doesn’t have the boy.”

“I haven’t a clue where he’s at. Why don’t you take care of that, you’re the police. In fact, if you find him, let him know he owes me about five years of back child support.”

Emma grabbed Will by the arm and yanked him out of the station, she wasn’t going to waste a single second more on people that were doing nothing more than judging her. She needed to find Henry.

~*~

“Who’s that?” Henry asked his new friend, Alice. The short haired woman who brought them lunch always seemed nice, if not a bit anxious. Something seemed off about her, but he wasn’t sure what it was.

“That’s Tinkerbell.” Alice said and Henry burst into laughter.

“Like the fairy from Neverland?”

“Yes. She helps Pan. She’s the one who brought you here. But I’m sure you don’t remember any of that. They always make sure the kids don’t remember.”

“You’re serious about all of this. Tinkerbell, Peter Pan. I must be dreaming.”

“I wish you were. I wish we all were.” She said sadly.

“How long have you been here?”

“I lost count years ago.”

“Years?” He said wide eyed. “You’ve been here years?”

“Has to be four or five years now. But I’m not really sure. It’s hard to keep track of the days when you don’t see the light all the time.”

Henry couldn’t imagine not seeing his mom in the next day, much less years. Suddenly he felt the tears start to fall as he thought about the possibility of never seeing her again.

“Please don’t cry, Henry.” She wrapped her arm around his back, pulling him into her side.

“I miss my mom.” He cried softly.

“I know. I miss my papa, but I know one day I’ll see him again, just like I know one day you’ll see your mom again.”

“You really think so?” He sniffled, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.

“All I have is hope, you can’t let go of that Henry. The moment you give up hope, Pan wins.”

He sighed, resigning himself to that fact that he was stuck here. But, he knew his mom would find him, he remembered the story his mother told him of when he was two years old and wandered off in the department store, his mother searched everywhere until she found him, crying in the middle of a clothes rack. If anyone could find him, it was his mom. She would never give up looking for him.

~*~

Emma sat in a darkened room, the only light coming from the screen of her laptop. She had spent the last few weeks researching the Pixie Hollow Amusement Park and the information she had found was creating even more of a mystery than she could have imagined. Since the inception of Pixie Hollow seven years ago, more than thirty children had gone missing during their stay in the towns they visited.

Based on the news articles, the children were usually from families of single parents, or children on field trips to the park. Most were chalked up to runaways, and the ones that were investigated were still open cases. A few showed that the parent was under investigation for the disappearance, but so far no one had been arrested in connection to any of the missing children.

Emma had collected names of various families she had found and was spending countless hours trying to track down the parents of the missing children. First she began calling the ones she was lucky enough to get information on, but she was always met by an angry voice on the other end of the line that told her to stay out of it and hung up on her.

Emma knew she needed to face these people, plead with them to talk to her about anything they knew. Maybe if they shared their stories, details would start to add up, it might give them a chance to solve the mystery if only she could get someone to listen to her.

The next morning, she woke up with a new determination, today she was going to get something, anything that she could to find her son. He had been missing for three weeks now, and Emma was going crazy.

The only thing the police had come up with was that they had located Neal Cassidy in Tallahassee Florida, but he had no interest in discussing Henry, nor did he seem to have any information on his whereabouts.

No shit Sherlock, she had basically relayed to the officers before hanging up on them.

She looked down at the paper in front of her. Three names were written from the night before. The family members who’s addresses she was able to find through a Google search. Parents with shared experience.

Ashley Boyd – Portland, Maine

Leroy Little – Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Killian Jones – Boston, Massachusetts

“Emma, you can’t just drive all over the coast grilling grieving parents about their missing kids.”

“Tell me something better I should be doing, William!” She yelled into the phone as she slammed the door of her yellow bug shut.

“All of this started because you went off on your own, nothing good will come of this.”

“Don’t you dare blame me for this.”

He sighed, “I’m not blaming you, Emma. I just…” He paused. “There’s nothing I’m going to say that’s going to stop you, is there?”

“No, I don’t need your advice Will, I just need you to support me until I find him.”

“Emma…I will always support you, no matter what you do. Just…” He sighed again and Emma could just see him now, running a hand through his hair. “Be careful and keep me updated today. Dammit, I wish you would have waited for me to come with you.”

“I’ll be fine, I’ll text you all day. I should be home tomorrow unless I find something.”

“Please be safe, we don’t know what’s going on here. Just…just be careful with how you approach these people.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

She hung up the phone and looked at her GPS, her first stop was nearby in the town of Portland. She set the GPS and began her drive to Ashley Boyd.

It was a long drive from her home, a few towns over and she reached the small white home of Ashley Boyd. She had read about her daughter Ella, disappearing from Pixie Hollow two years ago, the police determined that Ashley’s ex husband had taken the child and left the country. The man vehemently denied any involvement in the disappearance but refused to return to the United States for fear of being arrested.

Emma climbed the short stairs to the front door and knocked on the white wooden frame. She waited until she heard yelling on the other side of the door and a small child peered through a crack.

“Hewwo, who are you?”

Emma bent down to introduce herself when a woman appeared, yanking her child up from the ground and shielding her protectively.

“Chelsey, I told you never to talk to strangers.” She looked at Emma, “Who are you, what do you want?”

“Hi Ashley, my name’s Emma Swan.”

“How do you know my name?” She asked nervously.

“I wanted to talk to you about Ella.”

“Who sent you?” She responded anxiously. “Get out of here.”

“Wait, look my son, Henry…” She held up a photo of her son. “He went missing from Pixie Hollow a month ago.”

The girl’s face crumpled before she quickly returned the mask to her face. “I’m sorry for your loss, the sooner you get over it the better. He’s never coming back.”

The woman turned and slammed the door in her face. Emma sighed, writing her number on a piece of paper, and sticking it into the door before she returned to her car.

Emma looked at her GPS on her phone. It would take her an hour to get to Portsmouth. Her next stop on her trip. Her contact was the father, Leroy. His son Stewie had gone missing four years prior during a trip to the carnival. He had been under investigation for years until he was cleared six months ago.

The entire drive she thought about Ashely’s reaction to her. Seeing her with a young child, she could tell that the woman was overprotective, nervous around strangers, distrustful almost. She had given up hope of finding her daughter. Emma never wanted to get to the point that she gave up trying to find Henry. She couldn’t imagine the dark hole that would swallow her up if she allowed herself to get to that place.

She looked up at the tiny shack on the edge of the water that belonged to Leroy Little. It was run down, almost unsafe to live in. Definitely not the place you would ever have a child.

She walked across the uneven planks that lead to the front door, the porch creaked when she stepped foot on it. She heard a noise on the other side of the door.

“Don’t know who you are, lady, but I’ve got a shot gun pointed at you, so get out o’ here before I shoot.”

Emma froze, “My name is Emma Swan, I just want to talk to you about Pixie Hollow.” She put her hands in the air.

The door creaked to a crack. “You a cop?”

“No, I’m just a mom. My son went missing too.” She said pleading with him. “I just want to talk to you.”

He opened the door, the rifle in his hands. “Ain’t nothin to talk about, sister. The kid’s gone. You can stop looking, the more you look, the harder it’s gonna be for you in a few years.”

“You can’t really believe that.”

“Ain’t got no other choice, less I want to go back to jail.”

“Where do you think Stewie is?”

He looked to the ground, then back at her face. “Don’t matter what I think. Now get outta here, I got nothing to say to you.”

He slammed the door in her face, the second time in a few hours. Emma left her number, feeling disheartened and sat in her car and cried.

She was half tempted to just go home, but she needed to finish what she started out to do today. It would take her about an hour and a half to get to Boston, perhaps this Killian Jones would talk to her.

It was harder for her to get information on his case, his daughter was one of the ones who had been missing the longest. Alice Jones had disappeared five years ago. The information she had found only said that he was a single dad, he had taken his daughter to the carnival because of her love for fairytales. She had gone missing that night and Killian was the first person of interest on the case. He spent months in prison while they investigated the girl’s disappearance, only releasing him when they found no evidence that he had anything to do with his daughters’ case. The trail went cold after that. There had been no news at all about his daughter since.

When she got to the address, she looked up at the harbor, she must have typed the wrong information. There were no houses at this location, she was at a boat yard. She got out of her car and wandered to the pier, trying to figure out why her GPS took her here.

A man was standing at the end of the pier, tying a rope to a boat that was docked there. “Excuse me.” She flagged the man down and sped up her steps to get closer to him before he disappeared into the boat. “Sir, I just need to ask you a question.”

The man noticed her, and he tensed, standing still at the end of the pier. “How can I help you, lass?”

“I’m looking for an address, but I think I wrote it down wrong because there’s no house here.”

He laughed, “You are very perceptive, love.”

She handed the paper to him, and he scratched the back of his ear. “’Fraid you aren’t looking for a house, Ma’am. But you did find what you’re looking for.” He paused and stared her down, “Care to share why you were looking for this boat?”

“A boat? I don’t understand. I’m trying to find the man at this address, Killian Jones.”

His jaw tensed. “Is that so? And what business do you have with Mr. Jones.”

“I need to talk to him about his daughter, Alice.” Before she could react the man turned feral, reaching into his back pocket and with a flick of his wrist, brandishing a knife in one hand as he took a step forward and pressed it into her side, twisting her around until her back was to his chest.

“Who sent you? Was it Mills? Just who the bloody hell are you?”

#mystery of pixie hollow #stacy's fics #emma swan #killian jones #captain swan fics #captain swan au #captain swan #captain swan modern au

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seijorhi · 4 years

Text

Untouchable

TW: Kidnapping, implied/referenced abuse & non-con

“Would you like something to drink? Water maybe? We have tea or coffee, or I’m sure we have some hot cocoa somewhere, it might not be the world’s greatest stuff, but it’s war-”

You plaster a tight smile across your face. “I’m fine, really.”

It’s a lie, but he nods politely anyway, the faintest hint of a flush dusting across his cheeks. He’s young, older than you obviously, but he barely looks old enough to be wearing the uniform at all, and certainly not old enough to be a Sergeant, but he’s shown you his badge, and Sergeant he is.

Sergeant Shinji Tanaka of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

But of all the officers they could have passed you off to, they stuck you in here with him - that had to mean something right?

He smiles gently, easing back in his seat. “Alright. So why don’t you start at the beginning, hm?”

You swallow, dropping your gaze to focus instead on your hands, twisting uneasily in your lap. Maybe this was a mistake. You weren’t thinking straight when you’d run, this- this was the first place you’d thought of coming.

This was the only place you’d thought was safe from him, but what if this was a mistake? Would they even believe you? Hell, what proof did you have?

You’d seen news footage once of some poor woman being rescued from her abductor's basement. Her captor had kept her locked away for months, he’d hurt her - understandably she’d been a mess. The image of the poor woman had stuck in your head for a long, long time afterwards. Sallow skin stretched too tightly over bones, covered in bruises and cuts, hair wild and untamed, and there had been this look in her eyes - hollow and vacant and yet so, so terrified. Nobody looking at her would ever doubt that she’d been through something awful, something traumatic.

You on the other hand… he always took such good care of you. He kept you well fed and healthy, made sure you had plenty of pretty things to wear, that your hair was brushed until it shined. He showered you in gifts, treated you when you indulged him and played along.

There were bruises and bite marks that littered your body - your breasts, the insides of your thighs, the soft, sensitive skin of your neck, but those were easily explained away. Love marks, left in the heat of passion. Hardly a smoking gun.

“It’s okay, take your time. There’s no rush, you’re safe here,” he murmurs, and it’s oddly calming. Your heart’s still pounding in your chest, and you’re terrified that at any moment that doors gonna swing open and there he’ll be with his arms folded over and that cold, disapproving stare… but despite that fear, it’s a little easier to breathe. He gives you an encouraging nod, “You can start with your name, and we’ll go from there.”

Your voice is little more than a whisper as you talk. You give him your name, and you don’t miss the way that his eyes widen just a fraction and the blood drains from his face.

“That’s not possible,” he breathes. He’s staring at you like he’s seen a ghost, and you have to fight the urge to curl up in a ball and shy away from him. It’s not like the stares that you’re used to, but it makes you feel vulnerable all the same - as if he’s laying you down bare and peeling away whatever was left of your defences. “You-” he takes a sharp breath, shaking his head. “I thought you looked familiar when they brought you in, but I never…” he trails off, clearing his throat loudly. Your heart is pounding against your ribs, and you can’t bring yourself to speak, and you don’t know what you’d say even if you could. You can only sit in that uncomfortable plastic chair and watch as the Sergeant tries to process… whatever it is that’s going on in his head.

He seems to realise that you’re waiting on him to explain and he takes a deep breath, swallowing audibly. “September 27th two years back, we received a call from a young woman, hysterical, crying that her best friend had been kidnapped. Two officers were dispatched, and sure enough, the girl’s apartment was a mess. There was blood on the floor, furniture broken - signs of a struggle. Clothes were missing, some jewellery, a few pictures, but nothing of value. It wasn’t a burglary.”

You can barely breathe, you can hardly hear him over the pounding of your own pulse in your ears. You don’t remember much from the night you were taken, but you know that there wasn’t much of a struggle at all - not with his Quirk. You never stood a chance against a Pro Hero like him. The blood, the destroyed furniture, he must have done that later.

Yet it’s not the reminder of that night that you were stolen that makes your throat tighten uncomfortably, but the mention of your friend, your best friend -Riko.

Does she still live in the same apartment, not two blocks away from here? You’d thought about going to her first, she was the one person you knew would believe you, but the thought of him finding you there with her-

She was Quirkless. Innocent and sweet and you loved her more than anyone. You couldn’t bear the thought of putting her life in danger for the sake of protecting you - he wouldn’t hesitate, you knew it. Not if he thought she was standing between the two of you.

Sergeant Tanaka kept talking, his wide eyes fixed uncomfortably on yours, “They assigned me your case in my first few weeks here. A test, I suppose, or maybe just luck. Pretty young girl abducted from the ‘good’ side of town. They even had some heroes trying to find you, Hawks and Midnight… Eraser Head, I think-” He misses the way you flinch, your hands tightening into fists in your lap at the mention of your captor, too caught up in his recollection. You didn’t know that Aizawa had been a part of the search for you, but somehow it doesn’t surprise you in the least. “But you were just… gone. There was no DNA evidence, no trails or leads, nobody saw anything, nobody came forward and well, eventually the case went cold…” he trails off, awkwardly rubbing a hand against the back of his neck, but you know plenty well what he isn’t saying.

You were nobody important. People went missing all the time - nobody expected him to keep searching forever, especially not Pro Heroes. Still, you can’t deny that it hurts, that your life, your disappearance was just shoved away into some file in a box in a room full of dusty old records.

A sudden memory flashes to your mind - long fingers brushing through your hair, his lips trailing a loving path from your neck up along your jaw. ‘Nobody will ever love you or care for you as much as I do,” he murmurs. ‘You know that, don’t you, kitten?’

Something flickers in the Sergeant’s eyes and he sits up straighter in his chair, “I can’t help but remember the cases that I don’t solve, all the people I’ve let down, but I never thought I’d ever see the day that you would just walk through those doors. I-I,” he exhales harshly. “I am so sorry.”

And suddenly you’re crying, tears spilling down your cheeks as your shoulders tremble. If anything, the Sergeant only looks more alarmed at the sudden burst of emotion and he reaches for you only to pause with his hand hovering awkwardly a few inches off your shoulder. “Please, I- I need your help,” you manage to gasp between sobs. “I can’t let him- I can’t-” you can barely finish your sentence, but the Sergeant just nods.

He ends up going to fetch you that cocoa that he mentioned.

When he comes back it’s with your file, and a notepad and pen. “I want you to tell me everything, or as much as you can,” he amends when he notices the way you stiffen.

But there’s that nagging feeling in the back of your head that tells you he’s not going to believe a word of it, and what’s worse is that you can’t even blame him for it. Pro Heroes were supposed to be good, pillars of the community, role models for children everywhere.

Aizawa’s record is spotless. He might not have the rankings of Endeavor or Hawks, but he’s respected all the same, especially as one of the teachers at UA!

Your fingers play with the hem of your skirt, and you can’t bear to meet his gaze, so you just stare at the metal table instead, willing yourself not to cry again.

This time, the Sergeant doesn’t miss your discomfort. “Hey, look at me,” he says, and reluctantly you tear your gaze from the shining metal surface to meet his stare. “Whoever it is that did this to you - they’re not gonna get away with it. They can’t hurt you here, I swear it.”

But they don’t know Aizawa like you do - the lengths he’ll go to for you.

You take a deep, shaking breath, “... Even if the person who did this is a Pro Hero?”

Tanaka’s eyes widen for just a split second before he schools his face into a blank mask. The seconds that tick by as you wait for him to speak feel like a lifetime, and the silence is deafening.

You know the level of Hero worship that’s so prevalent in Tokyo, hell, you’d been guilty of it yourself before everything happened. They were your heroes too, they protected you, protected the City and they could do no wrong - at least, until Aizawa ripped that fantasy away from you.

You can’t read his face, you don’t know what he’s thinking and it’s awful. You have no reason to lie; you don’t want some big public spectacle or fame, you don’t even care if he gets punished, you just want to disappear somewhere and know that he can’t ever find you again.

You just want to go to sleep in your own bed without having his arms wrap around you and pull you close.

It’s an eternity before finally, the Sergeant’s impassive facade breaks and he huffs out a sigh and shakes his head. “Un-fucking-believeable.”

It hurts. You’d braced yourself for it - the disbelief, a scoff or a roll of his eyes, but somehow it’s worse than you expected. You feel a wave of nausea rise up and suddenly, it’s all too much. The room is too bright, too quiet, and you can’t bear the thought of spending another second in there with the Sergeant. Tears prick at your eyelids, stinging, and you have to blink them furiously back. Part of you just wants to disappear entirely, but mostly you just want to run and hide and cry your fucking heart out. “I-I shouldn’t have come here,” you mutter, forcing your shaking legs to stand. “I’m sorry-”

Sergeant Tanaka stands so abruptly that it startles you. “A name.”

You can only blink owlishly at him. “What?”

“Which Pro? I need his name. Or hers.”

The tension in the room is palpable. You can’t bring yourself to hope, but… “You believe me?”

The Sergeant’s eyebrow quirks, but his face is stony and impassive. “Are you lying to me?”

“No.” Your voice doesn’t waver this time.

He nods, slowly lowering himself back into his seat, “Good, then I need you to sit back down and tell me everything, starting with their name.” When you don’t move, he sighs, his expression softening, “Please. I failed you the first time, and it’s not often we get a second chance. I don’t give a flying fuck how powerful or popular the Hero who did this to you is, I promise you - for whatever they did, they will be punished and, more importantly, they will never, never lay another finger on you again.”

“S-shouta Aizawa,” you whisper, sinking back into the plastic seat. “Eraser Head.”

He leaves shortly afterwards promising to bring water and something to eat. You’re shaking and food is the last thing on your mind, but you nod anyway.

It could have been five minutes or twenty by the time he returns, there’s no clock in the interrogation room, and you don’t have any way of telling the time. When he does come back, he’s got a sandwich for you, and there’s another officer with him - older than Tanaka and judging from the pristine uniform, more senior. The Sergeant introduces him as Chief Inspector Ishizaki.

The two of them listen as you begin again, talking through the night of your abduction - or what you can remember of it at any rate. You tell them about waking up in Aizawa’s apartment, and the first few weeks there. They don’t interrupt when you describe the punishments - the degrading acts he so loved subjecting you to, or the first night that he fucked you, ignoring your desperate cries and pleading as he got himself off. You don’t have the courage to tell them that he forced you to enjoy it too - you can’t forget the feeling on his calloused fingers rubbing circles in your clit as he rocked into you, or the way that he’d eat you out for what felt like hours at a time, making you cum again and again until you begged him to stop.

They listen without judgement as you describe the first time you’d tried to escape, only making it to the end of the street - and the broken arm you’d earned for your efforts.

Shouta had been particularly cruel after that little incident, but there was a sick kind of satisfaction in his smile as he’d held you afterwards. He’d showered you in his kisses, tucking your sobbing form under his chin, murmuring threats so sweetly that you could have sworn they were soft declarations of love.

You can’t bear the thought of what he’d do to you if he ever got his hands on you again.

The Chief Inspector’s phone rings as you finish explaining how you’d finally managed to escape, and with an apologetic bow to you, he leaves you alone with the Sergeant.

The silence that fills the room isn’t exactly comfortable, but you just don’t know what to say. Your head is pounding, and you’re suddenly grateful for the water that they’d fetched earlier. There’s more you can tell them - you’ve barely scratched the surface of the eighteen or so months that Shouta kept you, but you’re exhausted and emotionally drained and it’s taking all the energy you have left just to keep yourself sitting upright.

Tanaka’s face has remained a carefully sculpted blank mask since his superior stepped into the room, but it softens now that it’s just the two of you. He offers a small smile, “You’re doing really well. I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for you.”

You don’t really know what to say to that, so you just nod.

“Is there somebody you’d like us to call, your family perhaps or-”

“Riko.” The words slip out of your mouth before you’re even aware of them, but Tanaka's smile widens just a fraction.

“Of course. I’ll see if we can’t-” but his sentence is cut off as the door opens again. You can’t help but jump as a burst of panic jolts through you, but you calm yourself when you realise it’s only the Chief Inspector.

Tanaka says something but his words are drowned out as Ishizaki looks at you. His face is grave and pale, and there’s this look in his eyes which makes your heart drop into your stomach. He ignores the Sergeant entirely, focusing instead on you. “I-I’m sorry, truly. It was above my head.”

With a bowed head, he steps aside and your heart seizes in your chest as another figure steps into the light.

Aizawa.

He’s not wearing his Hero costume, just a pair of dark grey sweats and an old black sweater of his. With his messy hair hanging loose and his eyes bloodshot and rimmed in red, he looks disarmingly non-threatening, but you know better.

The moment that your eyes meet his, your world implodes.

“Have you had fun, kitten?” he asks with a cold smile, his voice deadly soft.

He takes a single step inside and you jump to your feet, “No,” you breathe, shaking your head. “No, no, no-” Unbidden, tears spring to your eyes and you lurch back away from the table, away from him, until you hit the wall.

He can’t be here, he - you… no.

No.

You can’t comprehend the betrayal, the shame that burns on the Chief Inspector’s face, all you can focus on is the dark, possessive look in Aizawa’s eyes as he stares at you from across the room. It’s like a scene from your nightmares as he walks towards you, arms open as if he expects for you to just fall into him.

“What the fuck is this?!” Tanaka growls, all but throwing himself between the two of you. “Chief, you heard what she said, what this piece of shit did to her!” he spat, glaring up at the Hero as you cower away behind him. “Like fucking hell am I gonna let him lay another finger on her!”

Aizawa’s smile doesn’t waver, “Move.”

“Chief!” Tanaka snarls as you cling to his back and whimper, a detail that isn’t missed by the Erasure Hero.

The older man just sighs, “Stand down, Sergeant Tanaka. There is nothing we can do.”

His words drop like the executioner's blade, and what little was left of your resolve crumples. But Tanaka just shakes his head, “Like hell there isn’t. He kidnapped her, he raped her! Since when do we stand aside and let monsters like him walk free?!”

“Since we received orders to do so from the Commissioner to do just that. I won’t repeat myself, Tanaka. Stand. Down.”

The unspoken words ring loudly in the air. Aizawa’s a Pro Hero; he’s all but untouchable.

Aizawa watches Tanaka impassively, his dark eyes gleaming as the Sergeant spits on the ground in front of him and glares, but he complies - reluctantly tugging himself free of your grip to step aside.

With Tanaka out of the way, Shouta grins at you, though it’s a far cry from the soft, loving smiles you know he’s capable of. It’s a look that promises pain - punishment - and revels in it.

“Sweetheart?” he purrs, “It’s time to go home.”

You can barely force your legs to move as the tears spill silently down your face. You don’t want to go back to him, and every fibre of your being fights against it, but just like Tanaka, you know you don’t have a choice anymore. The longer you make him wait, the worse it’ll be.

Shouta lets out a barely perceptible sigh as you walk into his arms, and he wastes no time in tucking you against his shoulder and placing a surprisingly gentle kiss against the crown of your head. “There’s my girl, I’ve missed you,” he murmurs, nuzzling his face into your hair.

You don’t reply. It’s only been a few hours since you’d escaped him, but you were never really out of his reach at all, were you?

#my writing #yandere aizawa #yandere bnha #aizawa x reader #yandere shouta aizawa #shouta aizawa x reader #kidnapping #implied noncon #noncon tw #yandere #eraser head #bnha imagines #bnha x reader

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dccomicsimagines · 4 years

Text

What’s Lost is Found - Batfamily Imagine - Part Eight

Warning - Depressive Thoughts, Angst Content

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Six.Five Part Seven Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven

***

“So you knocked up Kori,” Jason said, taking a bite of his pizza. You snorted. Dick glared at Jason while Kori just shrugged. Jon bit his lip to keep from smiling.

“You really have class, don’t you, Jay?” Dick took a drink of his water. You had all sat down to dinner, and Jason decided to use this opportunity to piss off Dick. It was nice to see Dick annoyed with someone else for once.

Jason winked at you. “Of course, classy is my middle name.” You smiled back at him. Dick glanced over at you, frowning.

“So why are you here, Jason?” Dick asked sharply. Jon took your hand under the table, still trying to keep a smile off his face. He was still on thin ice with Dick and had to be on his best behavior.

“I told you. Jason is here for work,” Kori said, happily taking her fifth slice of pizza. You squeezed Jon’s hand.

Jason eyed Jon. “Has Dick given you the talk yet?” He laughed when Jon’s face turned bright red.

You smacked Jason’s arm. “Stop it.” Jon swallowed hard, turning away to cough into his arm.

Jason crossed his arms, clearly enjoying himself. “To answer your question, Dickieboy, I came to keep an eye on things.” He shared a long look with Dick. Dick bit his lip. You felt the heaviness of a secret in their gaze.

“Hey, if it’s about the bounty on my head, I want to know.” You narrowed your eyes as Dick gave you a pained look. “I can know. I won’t get sick.” Jason raised an eyebrow curiously. You wondered if he was informed about your setback at Thanksgiving.

“Let’s not talk about this at the table,” Kori said smoothly. She put her hand on Dick’s. Dick sighed, focusing on his slice of pizza.

Jon squeezed your hand tighter. You caught his eye, knowing he shared your frustration. Silence hovered around the table, bordering on awkward. You played with your half-eatened slice before slipping it onto Jon’s plate. He happily finished it for you. “Can Jon and I be excused?” you asked, glowering at Dick, daring him to say no.

“Of course,” Kori said before Dick could open his mouth. You quickly got up and headed up to your room. Jon followed once he downed his drink.

“Don’t do anything that Dick would do,” Jason called after you.

“Oh, give it a rest,” Dick snapped back at him. You and Jon shared amused looks before you both entered your bedroom and closed the door.

Jon sat down on your bed. “Jason likes to cause trouble, doesn’t he?”

You smiled, laying down beside him. “He likes to push buttons. Always did.” Jon took your hand again. His warmth soaked into you. “I hate that they won’t tell me.”

“They think they are protecting you.” Jon laid back beside you, kissing your cheek. “It’s frustrating, I know. My dad does the same thing.”

You hummed, staring up at the ceiling. “Maybe someone figured out where I was? That’s probably why Jason’s here. He’s here to provide more protection.”

Jon’s finger traced your brow. “I love it when you get that focused look on your face.” You eyed him only for him to give you a dopey smile. “So, I wanted to ask you something.”

You raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“I know you’re graduating this year, and that you don’t really care about high school experiences.” He kissed your nose. Suspicion filled you. “But my high school’s prom is coming up and I wanted to know if you would go with me?”

“Prom?” You sat up, shocked. “Like dress up and dance in a school gym?”

Jon chuckled. “Yeah, but our prom is more exciting than that. We do a walk so everyone can take pictures, then we have fancy dinner and dance. After that, we all change into our prom t-shirts and we get to see a hypnotist and hang out at the carnival they set up for us.”

You blinked. “Oh.” You pursed your lips. Even if it sounded painful, you realized you would get to share it with Jon. He looked at you with those hopeful, blue eyes and you could only give one answer. “Sure, I’ll go with you.”

Jon grinned before kissing you hard on the lips. You laughed, kissing him back. Your fingers ran though his hair. “Great.” Jon sighed as his phone rang. He pulled away with a groan, answering the phone. “Yes Mom?” He winked at you, listening. “Yeah, I’ll be home in ten minutes.” Jon chuckled. “They said yes.”

“Tell her not to tell Dick or Kori. I want to drop that on them,” you said, smirking as you thought of all the ways you could surprise Dick. Jason’s presence must have brought out the mischievous side of you.

“Mom said okay, but as long as you tell them soon, so they can work out plane tickets and everything,” Jon said after he hung up the phone. “Let me know how it goes.” He kissed you again before getting to his feet. You followed him downstairs. Dick, Kori, and Jason were whispering at the table. They stopped talking when you and Jon appeared. You frowned at them, but Jon took your hand and pulled you outside.

“You’ll text me when you get home?” You stayed on the front step, closing the door behind you for privacy.

“Always.” Jon kissed your lips quickly. “Love you.”

The blood rushed to your cheeks. “Love you too.” You waved as he jogged away toward the woods to fly home. Waiting until he was out of sight, you went back inside to find Jason at the window.

“Aren’t you a little young to be kissing and saying I love you?” Jason asked, glaring at the front step as if it was the cause.

You snorted. “Why do you care?” Frustration from being kept out of the loop made your mood sour.

Jason raised an eyebrow. “(Y/N), be nice,” Dick snapped as he started washing dishes.

“I don’t have to be nice if you don’t tell me what’s going on.” You crossed your arms, glaring at Dick and Jason.

“Well, we’re getting close to figuring out who placed the bounty on Robin’s head,” Jason explained.

“Jason.” Dick slammed one of the dishes down. It shattered in the sink. “I told you to keep them out of this.”

Your temper flared. “At least Jason is being honest with me.” Dick’s mouth twitched. Your heart skipped a beat, knowing you pushed him a tad too far.

“Calm down,” Kori said, getting up to take Dick’s arm. “You said yourself that you thought it would be good for (Y/N) to know what’s going on. That way they understand why we are taking the precautions.”

Jason eyed the two of them before looking back at you. He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms. “We had a few reports of assassins in Jacksonville where you were spotted.” You bit your lip, somewhat guiltily. “But since you are all lying low, it appears the one who placed the bounty is getting impatient.”

Your eyes widened. “What does that mean?”

“That’s enough.” Dick stepped in between you and Jason. “You don’t need to know more, honey. We’re taking care of it.” Kori came over to hug you as if you needed comforting.

“Why can’t I know? You always do this.” Your hand clenched into a fist, wishing you could punch Dick in his stupid, guilt-causing face. “You’re always hovering, always protecting. No wonder I want to go to college somewhere else. It’s like I can’t take a breath without you worrying about it.”

Kori flinched away from you, tears running down her cheeks. Jason blinked, taking it all in. “Go to bed, (Y/N),” Dick said sharply. His voice colder than you ever heard it before.

You rolled your eyes, ignoring the guilt that ate you up inside. “Right, send me to my room. Why don’t you follow me to lock me in?”

“You put a lock on their door?” Jason remarked. “What the fuck?”

“Shut up, Jason.” Dick turned to Kori and hugged her as she sobbed. You turned to go up to your room, knowing you had already done enough damage. The fact you still had to tell Kori and Dick about prom was the last thing on your mind as you felt rotten inside.

***

Early the next morning, you crept down the stairs in your running clothes. Jason was snoring on the couch. You eyed him for a moment before going to the door. Picking up your shoes, you stepped out to put them on only to find Dick outside stretching.

“Morning,” Dick said, not looking at you. You grumbled in response. After you and Jon’s patrols had been exposed, Dick insisted on coming with you on your morning runs. It was annoying. He never stopped talking. Hopefully, he would give you the silent treatment because of last night.

You did your own stretches once your shoes were on. Dick waited for you. He opened his mouth to speak, but you suddenly sprinted down the street. “(Y/N)!” You smiled, hearing him struggle to catch up to you. At least you could outrun him. Once you reached the woods Jon always took off from, you slowed to a steady jog.

“Okay, I know you’re upset, but you can’t run off like that.” Dick panted as he caught up to jog beside you. “It’s too dangerous.” You snorted, heading onto the jogging path in the woods.

“Why is it dangerous?” You jerked to a stop, spinning to face him. Ice cold rage in your gut. “Tell me. I deserve to know. I already know it’s bad because Jason’s here. Just tell me.”

Dick sighed, running a hand through his hair once he stopped beside you. “Honey, there are things that you don’t need to know. You don’t need to carry that burden, okay?”

“I killed Bane. It is my burden.” Your hand shook. You pressed it against your side to keep it still. Dick noticed however. His hand rested heavily on your shoulder.

“No, it’s not.” He looked you in the eye. You saw desperation that you didn’t understand. “Let us take care of it.”

Your heart threatened to pound of your chest. “I’m not some little kid who useless. I am Robin.” You narrowed your eyes, hoping you were giving him the same look you gave Green Lantern when he dared to say you were just a kid tagging along.

“Not anymore.” He cradled your cheek. “I know it’s hard. I know you feel like you don’t have control over anything.” You frowned, hating that the anger faded away. His concern and support was written all over his face. “I get it. I do. Your dad did the same to me when I was Robin. I hated it at the time, but I know he did it for my own good. There were things I didn’t need to be exposed to, and that goes for you too.”

“This isn’t the same thing.” Your heart sank. You knew you wouldn’t get any information out of him. It would be better to make peace. Life was easier when you weren’t fighting him.

“No, but I’m trying to protect you. You’re so young.” Dick kissed your forehead, smiling at you sadly. “Please just let it go, (Y/N).”

You sighed. “Fine.” You pulled away from him and jogged away. Dick paused, surprised before he caught back up with you. The two of you didn’t speak the rest of the jog. Your mind kept going around and around. Maybe you could get Jason to tell you more? He seemed eager enough. Besides, you always did have Jason wrapped around your finger so to speak, even though he let Dick take custody.

Kori was waiting for both of you at the front door. She sipped a cup of water, smiling as if you didn’t make her cry last night. “Good morning, loves.” She kissed Dick’s cheek then yours. Jason’s snores echoed from the living room.

A smirk pulled on your lips. “Hey Kori, can you take me shopping today after school?”

Dick raised an eyebrow while Kori practically glowed in delight. “Of course. Are we looking for anything special?”

You went over to the fridge to get a glass of orange juice. Keeping your back to them, you bit your lip to keep from laughing. “I just need something so I can go to prom with Jon.”

Silence followed. Suddenly, Kori swept you up into her arms. Orange juice almost splashed out of your glass. “Oh, that’s wonderful, (Y/N). The prom is an amazing tradition.” You peeked at Dick. His eyebrow was still raised, mouth twitching when you met his eye.

“Jon asked you to his prom?” Dick asked, needing to confirm.

“Yeah.” You pulled away from Kori who was already taking out her phone to look up stuff. “I didn’t really want to go, but he seemed excited, so why not?” You took a sip of your orange juice. Relief filled you as you noted the suspicion drained out of Dick.

“I’ll have to call Lois to get more information, but we’ll make it work.” Dick crossed his arms, glancing at the clock. “You should go shower. School’s in an hour.” You made a face, finishing your orange juice before tiptoeing past Jason and up the stairs. Kori was buzzing in the kitchen. You smiled, glad you made Kori happy at least. However, a nagging feeling nibbled away at you. What was happening to get everyone so worried?

***

You ducked just in time to avoid Jason’s foot from smashing your face. “Cutting it close, aren’t ya?” Jason chuckled as you rolled away.

“If it isn’t close, it isn’t fun.” You threw a punch to his cheek, knocking him away. “Wow, you cut it so close that you got hit.” You danced away before Jason could grab you.

The two of you were sparring in the gym at Haly’s Circus. “Little brat.” Jason smirked at you, rubbing his cheek. You smiled back at him sweetly before using the wall for momentum to send a kick to his head. Jason ducked this time, grabbing your leg and throwing you to the ground. You rolled into the fall and hopped to your feet.

Jason charged you. You easily flipped over him, wrapping your legs around his neck. Using all your weight, you slammed Jason into the ground. “Wow, you learned that from Dickieboy?” He grunted, laying on the ground. You got off him, peering down at him worriedly.

“Yeah.” Jason opened his eyes to look at you. “What? Did I break you?”

“No.” He groaned, trying to get up only to fall back down. “I think I busted my back.”

You bit your lip. “Do you want me to crack it for you? I used to do it for Dad all the time.”

Jason rolled onto his stomach. “If you could.” He sighed as you stepped onto his back. Feeling your way, you found the right pressure points and dug in your toes. Something snapped in Jason’s back. He moaned in relief. “You do this to Dick too? Or do you take it easy with him?”

“We don’t spar.” You stepped off, holding out a hand when Jason rolled onto his back. He took it and got to his feet with ease.

Jason hummed, going over to take a drink of water. “I’m going to see if Dickie needs anything and then we can head home, okay?”

You nodded, running over to the uneven bars and swinging yourself up gracefully. Jason paused to watch you, whistling his approval before he left. You made a couple of passes before flipping off and landing wrong. Your ankle twisted slightly, shooting sharp pain up your leg.

“Damn it.” You limped over to a bench and felt the sprain. It wasn’t bad, just enough to sting if you stepped wrong. You got up and gathered your things while keeping your full weight on your good foot.

Limping your way to Dick’s office, you jumped when you heard a crash. You followed the noise to the elephants’ pen. The elephants were in a panic, running around the pen. You peered inside to see part of the ceiling beam had fallen into their pen. Your blood ran ice cold when you saw a head of dark hair trapped under the beam.

Without thinking, you dropped your bag and climbed into the pen. The elephants saw you, almost stampeding toward you. You rolled out of the way, scrambling over to the person. Once you were next to them, you recognized her immediately.

“Lian, wake up.” You grunted, lifting the beam off her the best you could. The elephants stormed past, barely missing you and Lian. Dust filled the air. You coughed, pulling Lian onto your back. Slowly, you dragged Lian out of the pen. The elephants screamed again, racing toward you and Lian. Time slowly as you threw yourself and Lian with all your might under the fence and to safety.

You coughed, panting as you sat up to check Lian’s pulse. It was steady, but she was still unconscious. You checked her head to find a big lump on the side of her head. The breath rushed out of you. Suddenly, you saw your father in front of you with a similar lump on his head. You flinched.

“It’s not you.” You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. When you opened them, Lian was back.

“What the hell?” The elephant tamers ran up to calm the wild animals in the pen. You looked up to see Roy Harper running into the area with a few of his security guys behind him. He froze when he saw you over Lian. “Lian.” He sprinted over, kneeling down beside her. “What happened?” He demanded, shifting between glaring at you and checking over Lian.

“I don’t know.” You tensed, crawling away from him as another security guy showed up with the first aid kit. “I heard a crash only to find Lian under the beam in the middle of the pen.”

Roy gave you a curt nod. You relaxed, knowing he didn’t blame you. “(Y/N)!” Dick’s voice echoed from behind you and within moments Dick was on you. He checked you over, running his fingers through your hair. “You’re okay?”

“Yeah.” You looked over at Lian. “Lian’s hurt though.” Dick followed your gaze.

Jason appeared beside you. “Go help Roy. I’ll take (Y/N) home,” he said, helping you to your feet. You gasped, adrenaline fading enough for you to feel the pain back in your ankle. Dick hesitated. Jason supported you, scooping up your bag with his free hand. “Dick, go. (Y/N) will be fine.”

Dick left to kneel down next to Roy as they tended to Lian. Jason helped you walk to his motorcycle. “You realize he’s going to blow up when he finds out you ran into that pen with stampeding elephants?” Jason chuckled. He sat you down and stuffed a helmet on your head.

“He freaks out about everything.” You wrapped your arms around Jason’s waist once he settled in front of you. He started the cycle. You could feel him laughing some more.

“That’s because you’re his kid.” Jason’s voice came through the comlink in the helmet.

Your throat grew tight. “Is that why you didn’t fight him for custody?”

“Kiddo.” Jason sighed deeply. He drove off toward home. “I don’t even have a home, much less anything to offer you. Besides, no one would have let me unless I kidnapped you and that is just a lot.”

“You literally did that when I was seven. You picked me from school and took me to Brazil. Dad and Alfred freaked until Superman had to go get me,” you laughed, remembering it fondly.

Jason laughed. “Okay, well. It’s different now.” You tightened your arms around him as rain drops hit your helmet. Jason turned the corner and quickly zoomed into the driveway. “Can’t give Dick a heart attack. Bruce could handle it, Dick can’t.”

You snorted as Jason scooped you up and carried you inside. Just when he set you down inside, it started to downpour. You hissed, your ankle throbbing. “I should go shower. I got elephant dirt all over.”

“Yeah, you do.” Jason took off the helmet, frowning when he saw the dust and whatever else inside. “I’ll make dinner, so take your time. Can’t let Kori make that...whatever that was again.”

“I know. Neither of them knows how to cook anything.” You limped up the stairs. Halfway up, you stopped and peered over the railing at Jason who was watching you in a way that you didn’t understand. “What?”

Jason cleared his throat. “I didn’t realize how much you grew up.”

You wrinkled your nose. “Jay, now you sound like Dick.”

“Oh god! He’s rubbing off on me!” Jason groaned, running a hand through his hair.

“Dick does that too. It’s one of his moves.” You laughed when Jason balked, staring at his hand as if it betrayed him.

“Go take a shower.” Jason marched into the kitchen. “I need a drink.” You snorted before starting up the stairs again. Your ankle still throbbed, but the laughter spilling out of you kept the pain at bay.

***

“You ran into the elephant pen! What were you thinking?!” Dick exploded just as you knew he would once he was home. Dinner was on the table. You, Jason, and Kori were already eating when Dick stormed in, soaking wet from the downpour outside.

“I saw someone was in danger. I couldn’t just leave Lian in there. She would have been killed,” you said, wincing as you shifted your foot. You had it propped up on Dick’s seat with an ice pack around it.

“Is Lian okay?” Kori asked, getting to her feet. She rubbed her baby bump.

Dick sighed, calming down. “Yeah, she’s going to spend the next few days in the hospital to make sure her head is okay and everything, but she’s going to be okay.”

Kori, Jason, and you relaxed. You knew Lian would be okay, but it was good to know for sure. Even if she was rude to you, it didn’t mean you wished her dead. “Good. She had a big lump on her head,” you said.

All three adults went quiet. “Honey, are you okay?” Dick soothed. He picked up your foot and sat down in his chair. Your foot stayed in his lap. His fingers felt your ankle, making you grimace.

“Don’t do that. I’m fine.” You tried to pull your foot out of his grasp, but he didn’t let go. “Ouch.”

“Stop pulling. Let me look.” Dick frowned. “It doesn’t look like a bad sprain, but you should stay off it for a few days.”

“(Y/N), you weren’t...hurt by seeing Lian like that?” Kori reached over to take your hand.

“I’m fine!” You jerked away from Kori and Dick at the same time almost falling out of your chair at the movement. “It’s fine! Everything is fine!”

You got to your feet and limped out of the room. “Hey, kiddo, come back here.” Jason chased after you and wrapped an arm around your waist. He carried you back into the kitchen and sat you back in your chair. “You don’t have to storm off. Eat. I know you’re hungry.”

“I thought you were on my side,” you grumbled, picking at your food. Dick and Kori whispered to each other. You eyed them.

Kori met your eye, smiling and kissing your head. “You did a good job, (Y/N). Do not think we are not proud of you.”

“You scared me.” Dick dished up some food on his plate. “I kept thinking what could have happened.”

“So stop doing that.” You poked at your food.

Jason snorted. “Yeah, stop doing that.” Dick glared at him while Jason smirked. You pursed your lips to hold back a laugh.

Kori shook her head at them, getting another serving. Dinner continued somewhat normally.

***

A few days later, Dick and Kori were dragging you out the door. “But she’s not going to want to see me,” you protested. Kori was holding your hand, pulling you along.

“We’re going to visit because that’s what you do when someone is hurt,” Kori said firmly. Dick sighed, carrying the Tupperware full of the cookies you and Jason made the night before. You didn’t realize you had made them for Lian. Kori just claimed she had a craving.

You stumbled. A hiss escaped you, your ankle hurting in warning. It had healed mostly, but it was still not back to normal. You wished Jon was here. “But she’s not going to want to see me,” you repeated.

“Honey, Lian asked for you.” Dick wrapped an arm around your shoulders to keep you moving. Kori let go of your hand to hug Roy when he opened the door. “It’s going to be fine.”

“Fine.” You snorted. Dick gave you a funny look.

“Thanks for coming,” Roy said, hugging Kori back. He waved at you and Dick from over Kori’s shoulder. “Lian’s been bored. I honestly have no idea what to do with her.”

Dick squeezed your shoulder. “I can imagine. I never enjoyed staying in bed for a week either.” Kori let go of Roy to head inside. “(Y/N) and Jason made cookies. Jay had to go do something, but he said he’ll stop by to see Lian later.”

Roy nodded, taking the Tupperware and stealing a cookie. “Lian will love these. Thank you, (Y/N), for the cookies and for saving Lian.”

You froze. Dick had to pull you inside. Roy’s house was the same floor plan as Dick’s, except his furniture was more mismatched and messy. Dick pinched your arm. “You’re welcome,” you said, robotic.

“How’s your ankle?” Roy asked, leading you and Dick up to Lian’s room. She had the same bedroom you did. You eyed the family photos on the wall. Everyone was smiling, doing fun things. You tried to remember if you and your dad took a photo like that.

“It’s better, but they still have to take it easy.” Dick answered for you, noting how you were looking at the family photos. You found one with Lian and all the Titans. She was clearly loved by them, very different from how they all treated you.

Lian’s laughter echoed from her bedroom as Dick pulled you inside after Roy. Kori was sitting on Lian’s bed, rubbing her leg. “Oh hi Uncle Dick,” Lian said, some of the joy fading out of her face when she saw you. “Hi (Y/N).” She looked away from you.

“Hey kiddo.” Dick hugged her. “I heard you were driving your dad nuts.”

“When do I not?” Lian giggled. She was so childlike, relaxed. Maybe the bump on her head affected more than they all thought?

“They brought cookies, little monkey,” Roy chuckled, offering one to Lian. Lian took one and happily took a bite.

“(Y/N) and Jason made them,” Kori said. Lian almost choked on it. You turned away, feeling rotten inside. She had a bookshelf with knickknacks on it. You pretended to be focused on those.

Lian coughed a little. “They taste good.” The rest of them fell into a natural, comfortable conversation. You didn’t join in, wishing once again Jon was here. He was always better at this sort of thing.

About an hour passed before Roy and Dick went off to work, leaving you and Kori behind with Lian. “Kori, can you get me a glass of water?” Lian asked sweetly.

“Of course.” Kori got to her feet, kissing Lian’s then your head. She left the room, leaving the smell of her perfume in her wake.

An awkward silence filled the room. You didn’t look at Lian. However, you could feel her eyes on you. “So...” You peeked up at her. She wrung her hands somewhat nervously. “I...I wanted to say thank you for saving me.”

You blinked in surprise. “You’re welcome.”

Lian bit her lip. “And...I wanted to say sorry for how I treated you. I know I didn’t really apologize when my dad forced me to.” She sighed, studying you. You almost wanted to cry. This was something you never expected from Lian. The bump on her head must have changed her a lot.

“It’s okay.” You stared at her, unsure how to react. “I know I’m not easy to get along with. That I’m unfriendly.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Lian pursed her lips. “Jon wouldn’t be dating you if you weren’t a good person. I mean you’re already perfect.”

You flinched at the word ‘perfect’. “I’m not perfect.” You shook your head in disbelief. “No one is.”

“Yeah, you are. I mean Uncle Dick is always talking about how smart and talented you are. Kori talks about you like you are her kid.” Lian crossed her arms, pouting slightly. It hit you like a freight train. Lian was jealous of you. You ran your hand through your hair in shock. You always thought Lian hated you because you killed Bane.

“I’m not.” You realized you were running a hand through your hair like Dick did, and stopped yourself. “I tend to hurt people because I get angry and say things. I made Kori cry the other day. I make Dick worry enough to get gray hair. I make mistakes that put my life and other’s lives in danger. I disrespected my father’s legacy.” The blood drained out of your face.

Lian eyed you. “Are you okay?”

You took a shaky breath. “I’m working on it.” You shut your mouth when Kori came back with Lian’s glass of water. She handed it to Lian before focusing on you.

“(Y/N), you look unwell.” She laid her hand on your forehead. Her hand blazed against your skin. “Maybe you should head home and lie down? I’ll stay here with Lian.”

You nodded, quickly leaving the room with a small wave to Lian. Lian’s apology and confession left you reeling. She thought you were perfect. You shook your head as you hurried back home. Perfection was something you would never reach.

***

“So are you excited?” Jon asked. You imagined him bouncing around like a puppy on the other end of the phone.

“Sure. More to see you, but yeah.” You eyed your prom outfit hanging from your closet door, waiting to be packed into a suitcase.

Jon laughed. You smiled at the sound. “I’m glad to hear that.” He paused. “Is it okay that Dick and Kori aren’t coming with you?”

You pursed your lip, remembering when they sat you down to let you know they wouldn’t be there. Dick had to work on the circus’ summer tour, and he couldn’t afford the time off. Kori had a modeling gig she couldn’t get out of either. “It’s fine.” You shrugged. “Jason’s coming with me.”

“Jason?” Jon swallowed hard. You snorted. The fact Jason made him nervous was ridiculous to say the least. “Oh, I guess we’re not going to do what I thought we could.”

“What did you think we could do?” You laid down on your bed next to your half-packed suitcase.

Jon coughed. “I thought we could...maybe go flying again. I found this place that I thought you would like to see.”

“I’m sure we can go. Jason’s not as strict as you think he is.” You closed your eyes. “Jon, do you know what’s happening?”

“Uh, like in the world? Not much, but Mom makes me watch the news,” Jon said.

“No, I mean with the bounty on my head. It’s getting more serious. That’s why Jason’s here. He said whoever placed it on my head is getting impatient.” You froze when you heard Dick and Jason arguing downstairs. Jason must have pushed Dick too far again.

Jon was quiet. You started to wonder if you lost him when he finally spoke. “As far as I know, it’s taken care of. Dad said not to worry about it as long as we don’t go on patrol again.”

You sighed. “I miss it.”

“I do too.” Jon laughed. “We’ll get back to it someday, I’m sure.”

“(Y/N)!” Jason shouted up the stairs. “Get down here!”

“I got to go. Jason pissed Dick off again.” You got to your feet. “Love you.”

“Love you too. I’m counting the minutes until I see you tomorrow night.” Jon blew a kiss into the phone. You laughed, hanging up.

Slowly, you headed downstairs only to see Dick and Jason facing off across the kitchen table. “Jay, why do you keep setting him off?” you asked, eyeing the two men unimpressed.

However, Jason didn’t smirk, glaring over at Dick. Dick’s mouth twitched. You suddenly realized this wasn’t just Jason getting under Dick’s skin. “Don’t you dare,” Dick snarled in warning, jabbing a finger at Jason.

Jason eyed the finger before knocking Dick’s arm away. “You can’t keep them in the dark. They’re going to know. This is getting big.”

Dick turned to you. “(Y/N), go upstairs and finish packing. We’re fine here.”

“You don’t look fine,” you mumbled. Your stomach twisted to the point where you thought you might throw up. “What’s happening?”

“Honey, everything is okay. Just go pack.” Dick came over to run a hand through your hair. “You just stay excited for your trip.” He kissed your forehead and pushed you to leave. You wondered if Dick and Kori really couldn’t come because of work or if it because what they wouldn’t tell you.

“You’re such a piece of shit, Dick.” Jason exploded, slamming his fist on the table. “This is going to blow up in your fucking face if you don’t tell them.”

“Jason!” Kori burst through the door, wearing designer maternity clothes that she must have gotten from her photo shoot. “Calm down!” Her hand glowed with a starbolt. Jason’s eyes widened at the sight before he marched out the door. He got onto his motorcycle and drove off.

Dick pulled you into a hug. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart.” You stiffened in his arms.

“Whatever.” You torn yourself out of his arms and quickly hurried upstairs. Once your bedroom door was securely shut, you collapsed onto your bed. A mix of fear and frustration came over you followed by the pain of regret. If you hadn’t killed Bane, none of this would have been an problem.

***

You sipped on your soda, watching Jason from across the table. Both of you were at the airport. Since your flight got delayed an hour, you were eating at a cafe. Jason hadn’t spoken since Dick and him had words when he dropped you both off.

The food arrived. You smiled at the waiter, thanking him. Jason just grunted and dug into his burger.

“What can’t you tell me?” You asked after spending a few minutes picking at your salad.

Jason looked at you. He took his time to swallow. “I can’t, kiddo. It’s Dick’s choice and he made it clear he doesn’t want you to know.”

“Dick’s not here.” You smiled sweetly.

“Sneaky brat. No wonder Dick’s hair is starting to go gray,” Jason chuckled. He took a big gulp of his beer. “But I have to respect his choice. He’s in charge of you. Besides, he told me how sick you got just from reading about Gotham.”

“That was months ago. I’m better now.” You crossed your arms. “I deserve to know.”

Jason looked you in the eye seriously. “I know, but it’s not my call.”

You snorted, taking a bite of the salad with disinterest. “Why are you respecting Dick now? You never had before.”

“We all had to grow up when we lost Bruce.” Jason studied his beer, frowning. “Besides, we all made a promise that we’d get along.” You opened your mouth, but he held up at hand. “As well as we can at least.”

“I wasn’t in on that promise.” You finished your glass of soda. The waiter showed up with another glass a second later.

“No, Damian wasn’t either.” Jason finished his burger and sat back in his seat. “Just us old ones.”

“Old ones? Tim and Steph are twenty-five.” You smirked, nibbling on a piece of carrot.

Jason laughed hard. “Timbo’s been fifty since he was born and Steph is younger than you are. The other day she put waffles in the Blu-ray player.”

You blinked. “You got to be kidding?”

“Nope, apparently she was a little drunk from girls’ night. Tim had to go pick her up, and when he turned his back on her, she just put one right in there.” Jason finished his beer, and waved for the check.

“Wow.” You laughed harder than you had in a long time. Jason chuckled with you. Your worries went away for a while as Jason dished on more embarrassing things about Tim and Steph.

***

Your smile dropped when you only saw Clark waiting at baggage claim. “Where’s Jon?” you asked, looking around him as if Jon was hiding behind him.

“Jon’s at school. We’ll see him when we get home.” Clark chuckled, giving you a hug. “It’s nice to see you again, (Y/N). You’ve grown a few inches.”

You wrinkled your nose. Your heart ached, knowing that your Robin suit wouldn’t fit anymore. “Sure.”

Clark let go of you. “Hello, Jason. How was the flight?”

“Good, considering we were next to a crying baby the whole time.” Jason came over with all the bags. He bit his lip awkwardly.

Clark took a bag, clapping a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “It’s good to see you.” The two men led the way while you pouted. You were so excited to see Jon only to have your hopes dashed by stupid high school.

***

You endured the car ride and the two hours it took for Jon to get home. Eventually, you took to sitting on the front steps to avoid the small talk Jason and Clark slowly worked through. It was incredibly painful.

An old clunker turned down the driveway. You raised an eyebrow at it as it came to a stop next to the Kents’ car. “(Y/N)!” Jon stumbled out of car. “Look at this baby! Isn’t it amazing?! I wanted to surprise you!”

“Uh, why are you driving this?” You stood up, staring at the clunker. It backfired like a shotgun when he accidentally hit the gas as he leaned inside to turn the car off. He jumped in panic before killing the engine.

“I bought it last week.” Jon ran to you, grinning like a child in a candy store. He kissed you hard before wrapping an arm around you. “What do you think? Isn’t it a sweet ride?”

Your first thought was not very nice, and you had to suppress it. “What the hell?!” Jason came out the door behind you. “Why did you let him buy this piece of crap?”

“Be nice.” You shot him a warning look when you saw Jon’s face fall. Giving him a bright smile, you winked at him. “It’s great.” Jon cheered up instantly. It amazed you that you could make him feel better with just a smile. You only had that power over your father. Your eyes burned with tears. You forgot about that.

“I didn’t let him buy anything. This was all his idea,” Clark said, coming out after Jason. He crossed his arms. “Son, I told you to stop by the auto parts store to get that spark plug.”

Jon bit his lip. “I...I’m working on it.” He blushed.

Jason walked up and popped open the hood. “Wow, this really is a piece of crap.”

You pulled away from Jon and joined Jason. “You could fix it for him since you insulted it,” you whispered once saw Jon and Clark talking to each other. Jon looked uncomfortable. You sensed Jon was asking for money.

“I don’t know if I can fix this.” Jason whistled, poking around. “But anything to avoid small talk with Clark.” He made a face.

You snorted. “That was painful for everyone, trust me.”

“But Dad...I swear I’ll work it off,” Jon said loudly. Clark shook his head, frowning down at Jon. Jason and you glanced over at them.

“I’m triggered.” Jason chuckled, looking back at the car. “I’ll tinker around and see what I can do. You go have fun with your boy.”

“My boy? You make him sound like a dog.” You rolled your eyes, heading back over to Jon. Clark tilted his head, listening to something. Jon wrapped an arm around your shoulders and tucked you into his side.

Clark glanced between you and Jon, then over at Jason. “I have to go. Earthquake in Nepal. Stay here and out of trouble.” You closed your eyes as Clark zoomed off.

Jon sighed. “But you like the car, right?” He turned to you, kissing your temple.

“Yes, it’s great.” You patted his arm. “So why did you buy a car when you can fly?”

“Because Jon Kent can’t fly, only Superboy can. Mom and Dad won’t let me drive to school until I got a car, so I did.” Jon frowned when he saw Jason removing something from the engine. “What is he doing?”

“He’s fixing it.” You kissed his chin. “Jason needs something to do. You don’t know how much small talk we all went through before you got here.” Jon chuckled, nuzzling his nose into your hair. “So there was some place you wanted to take me, right?”

Jon bit his lip, avoiding your eye. “Yeah, but we should stay here for now.” He looked at the house. “Do you have your prom outfit here?”

You covered his eyes with your hand. “Yes, but no peeking.” Jon’s fingers tickled your side. A laugh escaped your lips, jumping away from him. “So what should we do?”

“Well, I got some homework I should finish.” He smirked with puppy dog eyes. “I need a tutor.”

“Oh you do?” You took Jon’s hand, intertwining your fingers with his. “I suppose I could try. Maybe something will get through that skull of steel.”

“Maybe?” Jon leaned down to kiss you sweetly.

“Get a room,” Jason shouted. You and Jon looked at him in surprise. Jason’s eyes widened, realizing what he said. “No, don’t do that.”

You laughed before turning back to kiss Jon again. Jon chuckled into the kiss, wrapping his arms around your waist to lift you up against him.

***

Later that evening, Jon picked you up in his arms and flew you into the sky. You glanced down over his shoulder to see Clark watching the two of you from a window. “Jon, your dad’s watching us.”

“I know. I can feel.” Jon chuckled somewhat nervously. “Don’t worry about it though.” He flew faster. You closed your eyes and hid your face in his neck to avoid wind burn.

Jon’s words didn’t sit right. “Do you know something about what’s happening?” you whispered against Jon’s skin. His arms tensed around you as he slowed down and landed. You kept your face in his neck, unable to look at him. He didn’t say anything for a long time. You felt the familiar weight of a secret coming from Jon, and you hated it. He used to be the one you could trust to be on your side. He had joined the others, protecting you by keeping you out of the loop.

“I can’t say...” Jon held you tighter when you didn’t move. “We’re here. Come on, take a look.”

Tears filled your eyes in frustration and betrayal. You jumped out of his arms without warning. He moved to catch you, but you hit the ground and rolled to your feet with the momentum. “I can’t believe you’re siding with them.”

“Woah.” Jon reached out to catch your arm, but you marched away from him. You noticed the beautiful meadow with all the wildflowers. The setting sun caught on all the different colors, making some muted and brilliant at the same time. It was magical, but you were too upset to be moved by it. “I’m not siding with anyone, (Y/N). I just can’t tell you.”

“Yeah, right.” You glared at him. Jon froze. Fear flashed on his face. You realized you gave him the batglare. Huh, you didn’t realize your glare had the same effect as your father’s. It never worked on Dick. “You’re with them. I never should have trusted you. You want to keep me in the dark while everyone else goes out and risks their lives because I killed Bane!”

“(Y/N), I’m on your side. Always.” Jon zoomed in front of you. You took a step back to stay away from him. Your heart broke into a thousand pieces when you found yourself aching to believe him. “This is for the best, I swear. Let’s not focus on that right now.”

Rage filled you. Your fist went flying and cracked against Jon’s jaw. Pain exploded in your hand, but you bit your lip to keep from crying out. Jon fell to the ground, not prepared for the hit. “I’m not weak! I’m not someone who can’t handle themselves! Stop treating me like I’m invalid!”

Jon rubbed his jaw. He looked at you worriedly. Your heart sank. He was looking at you like everyone else did. You walked away from him. Tears streamed down your face. You lost count on how many times he had seen you cry. “(Y/N).” Jon’s footsteps followed you. “Let me look at your hand.”

“Leave me alone. I thought you were different.” You wiped your eyes with your hand, wincing when you saw how it was already starting to swell. Punching Jon probably wasn’t a good idea.

“Please.” Jon grabbed your good hand. He brought it to his lips. “I’ll tell you what you want to know, okay? As long as you let me look at your hand and that you promise you won’t try anything crazy.”

Your hand throbbed. Adrenaline wore off. Guilt soured your stomach and you couldn’t say no. “Fine.” You turned to him, making the mistake of looking at his eyes. He studied you with worry and concern, but you could see the love he had for you. A fresh wave of guilt flooded through you again.

Jon sat you down on a nearby rock and knelt in front of you to study your injured hand. “Sorry,” he whispered when you winced from his touch. He turned to use his freeze breath to make a ball of ice and held it to your hand. “I don’t think you broke anything, but we should ice it before it swells too much.”

You bit your lip. “Tell me.”

“Okay, okay.” Jon sighed, keeping the ice on your hand. Your hand went numb from the cold. “Apparently, someone is planning a massive attack on Gotham. I don’t know the details, but everyone is on alert.”

Your eyes widened. “I should be there. It’s all my fault.” You tried to get to your feet, but Jon’s grip on your hand kept you on the rock.

“It’s not your fault, and it’s being taken care of. I promise if it gets bad or something, I’ll let you know, but we can’t interfere.” Jon leaned forward to kiss your cheek. “They didn’t even tell me everything. Probably because they know I’d tell you and we’ll both be inspired to help.”

You eyed the red spot on Jon’s jaw. “I’m sorry I hit you.”

Jon laughed. “It’s fine. You should be impressed. Not everyone can take me by surprise.” You raised an eyebrow as he leaned forward to kiss you. “I love you.”

“Are you sure? I just hit you.” You pulled away, not returning the kiss.

“(Y/N), sweetheart, you have a right to be upset. It sucks that no one will just tell you what’s going on.” Jon kissed you again. You smiled into it, kissing him back. “I forgive you.”

You found yourself getting excited, kissing Jon so hard that he toppled over with you on top of him. “Sorry,” you laughed. Your fingers ran through his hair.

“Never have to be sorry about that.” Jon tickled you. You screamed, rolling off him and away from his fingers. The pain in your hand disappeared from your thoughts. “What do you think of this place?”

You looked at the meadow again. This time you took in the beauty. “It’s wonderful.” You leaned down to kiss Jon again. Jon pulled you down on top of him as you two quickly lost track of time.

***

It was dark when you and Jon finally flew back to the farm. You rode on his back with your arms and legs stretched out, so you could feel like you were flying.

“We’re going to get yelled at when we get home. I was supposed to have you back before ten. It’s eleven now,” Jon said, looking at his watch.

“It’s fine. At least we’re in this together.” You wrapped your arms around him and buried your face into his hair.

Jon chuckled. “You’re not the one who’s gonna get his balls shot off.”

“Jason threatened you? Funny,” you laughed, kissing the back of Jon’s neck. “You know he won’t do that. He just likes to mess with people.” A smirk pulled at your lips. You couldn’t remember the last time you felt so relaxed. “Besides, he doesn’t have kryptonite bullets.”

“Didn’t your dad have a kryptonite ring? Dad said he punched him in the face with it years ago.” Jon dropped slowly, hooking your legs in his arms as he landed in the Kents’ yard.

Your arms wrapped around his neck to stay on his back. “Yeah, he did.” A shiver ran up your spine, aching for your dad. He would have flipped if he knew you were dating Jon Kent. Actually, he probably would have given you that ring just in case. You smiled sadly.

“Hey, don’t cry.” Jon turned his head to peek back at you. The blood ran to your face when you realized tears were running down your cheeks and dripping onto him.

“Sorry.” You slid off his back to stand. Someone cleared their throat from the porch. You and Jon jumped.

“Kinda late, aren’t you?” Jason said, stepping into the light. He rolled his eyes at Jon. “You should be embarrassed that you didn’t notice I was there. What’s the point of having supervision and superhearing and not use it?” He leaned against the porch post, frowning. “You okay, (Y/N)?”

You quickly wiped away your tears. “I’m fine.” You kissed Jon’s cheek. “I’m going to bed, but I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah, I’m finally going to see your prom outfit tomorrow.” Jon smirked, relaxing when he looked into your eyes.

“I hope so. I’m not going to go naked.” You brushed past Jason on your way inside the house. Jason made a face of disgust and disapproval. “Better stop or you’ll turn into Dick.”

“Like that would ever happen,” Jason retorted, narrowing his eyes at Jon.

Jon smiled, getting braver by the second. “I mean you already look alike anyway.”

You laughed, heading inside before you could hear Jason’s response. You said good night to Lois and Clark who were in the living room before you went to bed.

***

“You look wonderful, (Y/N),” Lois said, kissing your cheek as she helped you fix your hair. The outfit fit perfectly. You looked at yourself in the mirror, smiling at how grown up you looked. “Jon will have his socks knocked off for sure.”

“What if he knocks off mine?” You laughed. Lois finished with your hair, stepping back to look at you.

She smiled. “Well, then you both might be more serious than we thought.”

“Not too serious, I hope?” Jason asked, poking his head into the room. He froze when he saw you. “Look at you. Already a bombshell.”

“Shut up.” You went over to hug him. “But you think I look good? Not like I’m playing dress up or something?” You bit your lip. Even when you had to dress up for one of your dad’s galas or parties, you always felt like it was a game. This time it was real.

“Nah, you look great.” He kissed your forehead, hugging you carefully back. “Dick’s gonna be mad he wasn’t here.”

You hummed. “Is Jon downstairs? We want him to see (Y/N) as they come down the stairs,” Lois said. She pulled you away from Jason to adjust your hair one last time.

“Yeah, he’s down there. I think he might be pacing a hole into your floor.” Jason smirked, winking at you. “Knock him dead, kiddo.”

You laughed, giddy from excitement. Funny, how you didn’t want to go in the first place, but now you couldn’t imagine not going. Jason and Lois left the room. “Come down when you’re ready, honey,” Lois whispered before shutting the door. You sighed, turning to look at yourself in the mirror.

A shiver ran up your spine. You frowned, the joy draining from you. Did you have a right to be happy like this? You murdered a man. Even if he was a bad man, you deserved to be punished. Your hands started to shake as you thought about the danger the rest of the family must be in. It was all your fault.

“Little one, are you going to come down? Jon’s not going to be able to wait much longer,” Clark said through the door. You sank down on a chair. Your chest tightened, panting as if the air was being sucked out of the room. “What’s wrong?” Suddenly, Clark was beside you with his heavy hand on your shoulder. “Breathe with me. Calm down, little one.”

“I don’t deserve this. I killed Bane.” You pressed your hand to your chest as it threatened to explode. “I can’t be happy. I shouldn’t be happy.”

“You can be happy. Your father wanted you to be happy.” Clark soothed, resting his hand on your cheek. “One mistake doesn’t define your life. Now breathe with me, little one.”

Slowly, you copied him, catching your breath. You saw Clark listening to your heartbeat. It was rather like a dog listening for something. Jon did the same thing, which you realize is probably why you always associated with him a puppy.

“(Y/N)! Are you okay?!” Jon asked, bursting into the room. You cursed superhearing. You quickly turned your back toward the door.

“Jon, we’re fine. Go back downstairs.” Clark stood up, blocking Jon’s view of you. You were grateful for it.

“But I heard...Wow.” Jon moved around his father to look at you. “You look amazing.” You peeked up at him to see that dopey, puppy dog grin on his face. He dropped to one knee and took your hand. “You’re beautiful.”

A laugh cough sound came out of your mouth. The guilt faded away as it always did when Jon was around. “You don’t look bad yourself.” Jon kissed your palm. Clark watched you both, smiling softly. “I suppose they want us to take pictures downstairs before we go, right?”

“Yeah, they do, and we’ll have to take pictures at the prom and do this long walk thing,” Jon sighed tiredly. “Are you ready to do this together?” He looked you in the eye like he just asked you to go to war.

You bit your lip. Your face heated up. “As long as you’re there with me?”

“To the ends of the earth,” Jon swore, kissing your cheek before pulling you to your feet. Clark shook his head and led the way downstairs. You and Jon shared one last kiss on the lips and went once more unto the breach.

***

“Are you sure you can do it?” you teased, pulling on the end of Jon’s t-shirt.

Jon chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, I can. You’ll get that giant stuffed banana if it’s the last thing I do.”

You eyed the high striker game. “I appreciate the dedication, but I don’t think you need to put in so much that you’ll break the machine.” You glanced around the school gym, which had been converted from a dining room to a dance floor to a carnival in just a few hours. Jon and you had changed into your prom t-shirts to enjoy the games.

“I got this.” He winked at you. The last kid only got halfway up and walked away with a mini stuffed bear. Jon stepped up and picked up the hammer. You glanced around again, folding your hands together to hide your nerves. Your mind kept imagining Jon busting the game and exposing his secret identity just in impress you.

Jon slammed the hammer down hard. The lights flashed and the bell dinged at the top. “We have a winner,” the game operator said. People around clapped. Jon turned to look at you before he pointed at the giant banana. He received his prize and brought it over to you. You wanted to hide when you noticed people were watching you and Jon.

“Come on, I didn’t break it,” Jon soothed, handing you the banana. You took it uncertainly. “It’s not going to blow up, sweetheart.”

“Why a banana though?” You jumped when you heard some teens nearby laughing at your comment.

“Had to give them something to remember you by, right Jonno? Can’t measure up.” A boy clapped a hand on Jon’s shoulder. Jon laughed halfheartedly. You wrinkled your nose, glaring at the boy. He flinched and quickly left with his friends.

“So it’s a sex thing? Is that appropriate for a high school that has locked us in the school gym so we don’t leave to get into trouble?” You tucked the banana under your arm. Jon wrapped an arm around your shoulder, leading you toward the refreshment table.

Jon snorted. “I think they just got whatever they could.” He kissed your temple and got a soda. “Well, we got about two more hours until the hypnotist show.” He took a sip before offering it to you. You took it, enjoying the intimacy of it. “You want to see how many giant stuffed bananas we can win?”

“You realize I won’t be able to take them home. They will have to live with you.” You laughed at how wide Jon’s eyes got.

“Oh, right.” Jon took the soda back and finished it. “Well, we can get another one for Jason at least.”

“I’m sure he’d love it.” You imagined how Jason would react to it. Jon led you down to the basketball game. Your phone beeped while Jon mentally debated if he wanted to try it and how he would win the another giant banana. It was a text from Jason.

I got to go, kiddo. Stay with the Kents.

Your blood ran cold. You quickly texted him back.

What do you mean? What’s happening?

There was a long pause. Jon noticed you were on your phone and peeked over to read the text. “Oh no,” Jon sighed.

“He’s not texting me back, Jon,” you whispered after a long three minutes.

“I’m sure it’s fine. Maybe it’s not about...you know.” Jon took your arm and led you over to sit down on the bleachers. “Let’s just relax, huh?”

You glared at Jon. “Stop protecting me,” you hissed, the rage coming back to you.

Jon bit his lip nervously. “Okay, but we don’t know if it’s...what are you doing?” You ignored him, opening your web browser to find the Gotham Herald's webpage. “(Y/N)...” Your blood ran cold, heart skipping a beat when you saw the first news report.

“We have to go.” You showed Jon the news report about Gotham under siege from an army. The city had been evacuated. Police were the only ones there to keep the peace along with Batman and his allies. “How did we not know about this? Stupid Dick, blocked the news from my phone.” You got to your feet, leaving the giant banana behind.

Jon grabbed your arm and pulled you out to the hallway for more privacy. “(Y/N), there is a reason they didn’t want you to know.”

“Yeah, to protect me. Well, it’s time I stop being protected and face my crimes.” Tears of frustration filled your eyes. “Jon, I did this. I caused this.”

“Sweetheart, we can’t go.” Jon ran a hand through your hair. You flinched. It was too much like Dick. You didn’t want to think of him at the moment. You looked back at your phone to refresh to find a new video. Turning up the volume, you played the video. Jon watched, his eyes going wide with horror as it show Batman being overran by soldiers and being locked down inside Gotham General Hospital.

“Jon, this is Damian.” You bit your lip, dreading the idea that Damian would have another reason to despise you. Deep down, you know you caused this by killing Bane. “We can’t leave him.”

You saw Jon’s eyes flash. He and Damian might not have hung out since your father’s death, but he still cared. “Mom and Dad are going to kill me.” He picked you up in his arms. You barely got your arms around his neck before he zoomed out of the school through the woodshop door that apparently was always open.

“Thank you.” You kissed his cheek once you both were high in the sky, flying toward Gotham.

“Just promise to not leave my side, okay?” The fear on Jon’s face made you frown. You knew you couldn’t promise that.

“I’ll do my best.” You buried your face into his neck. “Take me to the cave.” Your heart fluttered at the idea of going home. Only your stomach sank, hating it had to be for a crisis you caused.

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cashmeremars · 3 years

Text

𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 || 𝐚.𝐚

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: archie andrews x fem!reader

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: reader gets attacked at Fred’s construction site and is severely hurt

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: angst, violence (you literally get jumped so..), fluff, set in season 1

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2.3k+

𝐚/𝐧: the way this was requested in 2017 oof

***

The crackling of the fireplace was subtle as the mellow flames dimly lit the room. The stars outside were almost completely visible through the slightly frosted windows of the warm building. Soft music played in the background as the sound of gentle chattering fluttered throughout the room. Off in their own corner of the room was a young couple exchanging whispers and gazes to one another. Anybody could tell they were in love with one another as their hearts melted like chocolate under the sun.

“Hey, thanks for helping out today. It really helped in moving things along. I think my dad likes you more than me now.” Archie laughed softly as he held your hand in his. Archie looked across the small brown table as he stared lovingly into your eyes. Two cups of warm coffee sat between the two as Archie wrapped your fingers around his.

“Thank you, Archie. You know I’d do anything to help you and your family out.” you smiled, steam blowing lightly away from your face as you spoke. You smiled up at Archie when he started to rub your fingers with his.

“I’m just glad it took a lot less time than it usually does. Things have gotten so stressful this year and it’s nice to have another pair of hands helping, especially if it means I get to spend more time with you” Archie spoke with a small smile. You felt your heart flutter lightly at the words.

“Easy win-win for you then. It’s getting pretty late isn’t it?” You asked as you turned to look at the old clock hanging on the wall

“Yeah. Do you wanna get a ride or something? I can drive you back to my house or you can stay at my place tonight?” Archie spoke

“Archie, I live like 3 seconds away from you, and I have my own car”

“Sorry, I guess I was being a bit of a clingy boyfriend” Archie nodded his head downwards with an awkward chuckle and what seemed to be a light blush.

“Don’t apologize. It’s cute that you care so much for me” you smiled as you got up and grabbed your things. As you were about to walk away, you felt a slight tug on your arm that forced you to avert your attention towards the boy

“Hey, be safe okay? I’ll see you tomorrow” Archie spoke softly. You turned towards him and gave him a quick peck and two gentle pats on his cheek before turning back towards the door as you gave your goodbyes to everyone else.

***

You shivered as a cold air lingered up your spine, rattling your bones one by one as you took your first step out of the cabin. You wrapped your jacket around yourself tightly as you looked around standing on the porch of the cabin. It was dark, which was expected as it was nearly midnight. The cold air had left signatures of your own breath fluttering around your head. Leaves scattered the ground as autumn was among them, along with something much darker.

You sighed once more as you made your way down the creaky cabin steps on the way to your car. Just as you were making your way to the parking lot, a twig snapped in the distance. You whipped your head towards the noise, squinting as you looked into the gathering of trees behind the cabin before turning around. You figured it was just another construction worker in the background. You continued to make your way to your car before stopping. It was almost as though an ominous silhouette had been shifting behind you on the path. You shuffled your feet slightly to turn once more before an abrupt rush of pain made its way to your forehead. It was as if 100 baseball bats had been battered against your head. You sharply cried as you fell to the ground. Blood started to rush down your forehead as you clutched your head in pain. Through the gloss of your eyes, you were able to make out multiple feet gathered around your body. A swift kick to your stomach stopped you from yelling for help. Then there was another kick, and then another, until it felt like the kicks would never stop. Your blood mixed with dirt as you could do nothing but cry.

“Help! Someone help me please!” You managed to croak.

“You’re on your own, darling” One of the attackers said before spitting on you and cackling along with the others.

Fists connected with bones as feet were rammed into flesh. You couldn’t move, and you certainly couldn’t fight back. One final kick to your face had sent you into the depths of unconsciousness, you could faintly hear the cabin door slam open before the voice of your boyfriend was heard.

It was funny how fast circumstances could change. One second you were surrounded by an atmosphere that screamed love, and safety. A place filled with comfort, a place that was warm, a place that was kind. But it was all just a blanket of security. A blanket that was ripped out from over your body, exposing you to the trouble that lurked just around the corner. Now you were on the ground in a puddle of your own blood. Nothing to protect you, forced to face the harsh realities of life on your own. The harowest of realities. You were in the dark.

***

Streams of harsh light filtered through your eyelids as you began to regain consciousness. The blood rushing rapidly to your head and the abrasive thumping of your brain had caused you to wince and shut your eyes once more. You let a quiet groan as you felt your eyes welling from the pain once again. The aching and pain prickling at your body had hit you all at once. Every bruise, scratch, and cut could be felt simultaneously, almost knocking the breath out of you. You flinched slightly as your tears slid down over the bruises on your face.

“Darling?” a soft voice spoke in the corner with a sniffle

“Archie?” you whispered as you attempted to turn your head towards the source of the voice

“Oh my god, you’re awake” Archie sighed as he frantically moved to your bedside, quickly placing your hand in his

“How did I get here?” You ask with a squint. The white lighting in the hospital room was not easing your pounding headache.

“Some guys almost beat you to death when you were walking to your car, when we finally got to you, you were passed out so we drove here as fast as we could”

“Right” you spoke, your eyes welling up with tears as you remembered the utter fear that submerged your body

“It’s my fault” Archie spoke quietly before turning his head away from you

“What are you talking about?” you ask, trying your best to get him to face you once again

“If I hadn’t let you stay with me that late at night, you would’ve been home. Safe. From whoever the hell was trying to hurt you” Archie explained as a tear fell silently from his face and onto the white blanket draped on your body

“Archie-” You whispered

“No. It is my fault. I should’ve walked you to your car, or taken you home myself. But all I did was tell you to be safe, and let you go. Then the exact opposite happened” From the corner of your eye you could see Archie’s fist turning pale as he tightly gripped the side of your hospital bed.

“Archie. Please don’t blame yourself. It really wasn’t your fault. I’m also not in the condition to comfort you anyways” You said as you weakly reached your hand out to him

“Right, sorry” he said before quickly wiping a tear and dragging his chair closer to your bed

“It’s fine” you said as your eyes began to flutter closed again

“Gosh, I just hope we find those assholes that did this to you so they can rot in prison” archie said as he roughly dragged his fingers through his hair

“It just happened so fast, Archie” you said after a beat of silence. The slight waver in your voice caused Archie to glance up at you immediately

“What?” He asked as he leaned in closer to you

“One second I was just walking out of the cabin, and then I got punched in the face. Then beat to the ground. I felt helpless, Arch. I couldn’t do anything, I could barely even yell for help. I’ve never felt so weak and useless in my life, Archie. At that moment, I felt like I was going to die, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I just had to hope that it would be over soon, or that someone would come and rescue me. I hate that I couldn’t defend myself, and I had to wait for someone to find me. What if it happens again, and I’m completely alone? I wouldn’t be able to do anything. Do you know how quickly they could just kill me, Archie? I wouldn’t have a choice but to accept it. I can’t do anything for myself. I’m hopeless.”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t say that. It’s okay, you’re not weak. Quite frankly, there isn’t much people can do when they’re literally being jumped by several strangers. Don’t feel bad because you couldn’t defend yourself, and please don’t feel bad that you “needed saving”. You’re not going to die, alright? The only thing that matters is that you’re alive, and I will do anything to make sure this doesn’t happen again, to you or anyone.” Archie said before planting a soft kiss on the back of your hand. At this point you were nearly sobbing as you couldn’t stop the tears from falling. You finally got to take a good look at Archie and saw that his eyes were a vicious red, indicating that he had been crying the past few hours. Archie gazed at you softly as tears of his own began to slip down his cheeks.

“Thank you, Archie. I love you” You whispered, continuing to gaze into his eyes.

“I love you too” Archie uttered back as he softly caressed the back of your hand, just as he had earlier today.

The door opened slightly before a concerned head peeked through.

“Is everything okay in here, Archie?” Fred asked before diverting his attention to you,“Oh, you’re awake?” He said before lightly slipping into the hospital room.

“Yeah, I was just asking how she was” Archie explained, looking back at his father quickly before returning his attention to you

“Do you mind if I have a minute with her, Archie?” Fred asked timidly as he shoved his hands into his pockets

“Yeah, sure” Archie replied hesitantly before getting up to leave.

Fred watched as Archie left the room, only turning his attention to you once the door had shut.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, taking a seat that Archie had just occupied

“Fine” You muttered before pursing your lips together and staring up at the ceiling

“Really?” He asked, raising an eyebrow in concern

“It hurts. A lot. That’s all I can really say about it.” You spoke once more

“Listen, darling, we’re gonna do everything in our power to find whoever did this to you, and make sure that they face the consequences they deserve. There will be no mercy for whoever harmed my future daughter in law” Fred said sternly, contrasting the worried look that engulfed his features.

There was a long pause of silence as you processed what he had just said to you.

“Daughter in law?” You asked meekly, finally turning to face him.

“Oh, right. Too soon?” He asked with a slight chuckle

“Not at all. It has a nice ring to it” You said with a fond smile

“Good. I’ll make sure you stay alive long enough to make it official” He said in an attempt to lighten the mood. You laughed softly before you spoke once again, “Thank you, Mr.Andrews”

“Anything for my future daughter in law” He replied with a wink before heading out of the hospital room.

***

Archie entered the room almost immediately and headed straight towards you.

“What did he say to you?” He asked as he noticed the warm smile adorning your bruised face

“Oh, uh, nothing” You said, trying and failing to hide your bliss.

“Really? He walked out of here with a weird smile on his face. Seemed a bit smug.” He explained with a brow raised in suspicion.

“It was nothing too important, Archie. At least not yet.” You said before turning your head to the ceiling once again and shutting your eyes.

For as long as you were in the dark, Archie would be the light that would guide you.

***

a/n: sorry if this was weird but i don’t even watch riverdale anymore lmaooo. i might have been a bit detached writing this lol.

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boasamishipper · 3 years

Note

Robisanya + "Are you trying to tell me something?" too please 💕

Dani was on edge. He'd been on edge since they'd visited Grace and Ben and Richie at the start of the month, through the first snowfall of the season and Christmas dinner at the Higgins' and their Boxing Day match and Coach Lasso and Ms. Welton's engagement party on New Year's Eve, but refused to elaborate whenever Sam asked. Sam was worried, but let Dani have his space; if it was serious, Dani would have told him, and even if it wasn't, Dani would tell him eventually. He just had to wait it out.

The hammer fell the first weekend of the New Year, which found them in the living room in their pajamas, eating Nando's out of the takeaway containers while Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban played on the television and their border collie, Padfoot, slept at their feet. Sam was so engrossed in the Hogsmeade scene that he didn't notice when Dani placed his half-empty container on the coffee table, but he definitely noticed when Dani kissed him, instantly and effectively diverting Sam's attention from the film.

After a while, he had to break away - if only to ask if Dani wanted to take things further. He was kissing Sam like he wanted to slow down time, like each kiss contained a thousand words that he didn't know how to say. “Are you trying to tell me something?” Sam teased, breathless, and then breathless twice over when Dani kissed him again.

“I just wanted a little courage to do what I am about to do.”

“Not in front of the dog, Dani Rojas. He is young and impressionable.”

“I would never, my love.” As if knowing he was being talked about, Padfoot snuffled in his sleep, his legs twitching. Sam smiled, and Dani bent down to stroke Padfoot’s back. His voice was strangely uneven when he spoke, which only increased Sam’s concern. “Will you close your eyes?”

“Dani, why - ”

“Sam. Please.”

Sam closed his eyes at once. He heard Dani get up off the couch, heard the creak of the floorboards beneath the rug, followed by a shaky breath and a heavy, almost interminable period of silence. He cleared his throat. “Can I open my eyes?”

The word was barely a croak. “Yes.”

When Sam did, Dani was kneeling in front of him, holding out a ring.

“Dani.” Sam could barely breathe, let alone speak around how hard his heart was pounding. There were tears in his eyes already. “God, Dani.”

Dani’s smile was watery. “Surprise.”

Sam pressed his fist to his mouth to hide how his lips were trembling. He had a hundred questions, each more pressing than the last - each one paling in importance to the answer he desperately wanted to give, as soon as Dani said what was on his mind.

“I know,” Dani said, before he cut himself off and he started again. “I know we said we would talk about this again when we both retired." Sam nodded, and Dani nodded as well. "But when Coach was buying a ring for Ms. Welton, and Coach Beard asked us to go with him for support…I saw this on one of the trays.” He lifted the ring between his thumb and index finger a little higher, so the gold of the wedding band glinted in the light. “And I could not think of anyone it suited better than you.” His voice was very thick. “The love of my life.”

Sam’s laugh came out like a sob. He managed to keep his voice steady long enough to say, “I think you are missing a question, Dani.”

“Give me a moment,” Dani protested, smiling even as a few tears trickled down his cheeks. He scrubbed his free hand down his face before running it through his hair, exhaling. “Sam.”

Sam’s smile was starting to hurt his face. “Go on.”

“Sam,” Dani said, but when their eyes met, they both burst into laughter. Dani moved closer and buried his face into Sam’s knees, and Sam leaned forward, pressing his forehead to Dani’s head. He sounded so petulant when he spoke that it made Sam dissolve into laughter again. “You are not making this easy for me.”

“When have I ever made anything easy for you?”

He felt rather than saw Dani’s nod. “Very true.”

“Hey.” Sam struggled to get himself back under control. He tapped Dani on the head, and when Dani drew back, he cupped Dani’s face with a trembling hand. “Ask me, Dani. Please.”

Dani nodded, and Sam watched as he moved backwards again, lifted the ring once more. “Samuel Adedayo Obisanya,” he said solemnly. “Light of my life, treasure of my heart. Bane of my existence.” He winked, and Sam bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling like a lovestruck teenager. “Will you marry me upon our retirement, mi vida?”

“Yes.”

Dani's smile nearly split his face in two, and Sam got off the couch and kissed him. Padfoot barked and wriggled his way between them, licking their faces, and a laughing Dani nearly fumbled the ring in his haste to scratch Padfoot behind the ears. “Let me,” he said, and Sam held out his left hand. Dani took it and slid the ring onto Sam's finger with enough careful precision to make Sam's heart soar, and for several seconds all they could do was smile stupidly at each other. “I was right. It suits you.”

“Yes,” Sam said, with another wet laugh. He took Dani's left hand in his own and kissed his knuckles, right where the matching ring would rest as soon as he got to the jewellery store. “I think so too.”

#thanks for asking!#ted lasso #robisanya #sam x dani #sam obisanya #dani rojas #series: you've got bantr #my writing #at some point sam will remember that ted took the team ring shopping for rebecca in august #and will fall in love with dani all over again #also not pictured: dani making it a point to walk by that same jewellery store literally every time they are in london #to the point where the jewellers are oh there goes that man again #and then dani FINALLY walks in and just. panics. and walks out.#on third attempt one of the sales associates is like '.....can we help you?' and he is like PLEASE #sunshine disasters whom i love #also for those who follow the bantrverse this is about five years post WISYLS

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gamergirl929 · 4 years

Text

A Life Lost (Christen Press x Reader)

Anonymous Request: one where reader is a surgeon and has had a kid patient for a couple years but they died on readers table and cp comforts the reader because reader feels guilty?

This one gets pretty angsty, I hope you guys enjoy itttttt!

Mentions of death

The constant beep of the machine made your heart ache, your hands moving rapidly as you try to save her, but the machine’s continue beeping loudly.

You're eventually pulled back when your colleagues bring in a crash cart, the rest a blur as you hear a sudden jolt, this happens another few times the countdown ended with the jolt, but after a few minutes the entire room stills.

“Time of death 4:32 PM.”

With that you drop to your knees, a lump forming in your throat.

She was gone and it was your fault.

A hand on your back is what makes the tears gathered in your eyes start to fall, you turn staring up into the blue orbs of your colleague.

“We have to inform the family.”

You nod, wiping your cheeks with your sleeve before moving to your feet, shedding your blood covered scrubs and gloves.

The second you step out into the hallway, the second your eyes lock with her parent’s tears again begin slipping down your cheeks.

Everything is a blur after her mother lets out a scream.

***

“PRESS!!” Vlatko waves the women over, who stares at him in confusion.

“Is something wrong?” Christen asks the second she reaches him.

He frowns.

“First I need you to know that your girlfriend is okay...” He starts and Christen’s green orbs widen as she covers her mouth, her heart stilling in her chest.

“She needs you right now Christen...” He places a hand on her shoulder and she nods.

“Tobin brought me today.” She motions over her should and he nods.

“Take her with you, I know she’s good friends with Y/N, and it sounds like she’s going to need all the support she can get right now.”

Christen jogs across field to Tobin who looks at her with a furrowed brow.

“What happened?” She asks and Christen shakes her head.

“Y/N, she needs me.”

Tobin nods, dropping the ball she was juggling in favor of following Christen.

“Do you know what happened?” Christen asks Vlatko as she and Tobin gather their things.

“Apparently she lost someone on the table today... She isn’t taking it well.”

Christen’s eyes widen, she’d remembered what you’d told her that morning before you left, that a long-time patient of yours was coming in for surgery, a little girl that you’d been treating since you’d first become a doctor.

A patient you’d grown to love over the years.

A little girl with an incurable heart disease who had less than a 50% chance to live.

***

You sit with your back against a nearby wall, staring blindly forward, tears still sliding down your cheeks.

You’d promised them you’d save her, it was a simple routine surgery, at least you thought it was until you got in and realized that the surgery was as far from routine as you could possibly get.

There was nothing you could do; you were powerless to stop what was going to happen, no matter how hard you tried.

You wrap your arms around your knees, pulling them against your chest as you hide your face in your knees, closing your eyes.

Your body shakes as you’re wracked with sobs, your body shaking and shuddering.

You clasp the top of your head with your hands, rocking slowly make and forth, wishing you could go back, wishing there was something you could do...

You inhale sharply, letting out a gut-wrenching sob.

There was more you could’ve done; she was your dead and it was all your fault.

***

“Where is she?” Christen asks as she and Tobin rush into the hospital, your colleagues immediately turning her way.

“Shit, there you are, she’s in her office... She won’t let us in... We lost her on the table today, there was nothing any of us could’ve done.” The woman shakes her head sadly and Christen nods.

“Thanks for getting a hold of me.” Christen smiles, earning a small sad smile in return.

“I think you’re the only one who can get through to her.”

The two forwards nod before heading down the hallway in the direction of your office.

“Who was she talking about?” Tobin asks, and Christen frowns, the two briskly walking side by side as they move towards your office.

“A little girl Y/N’s been treating from the start of her career... She had a heart disease, irreparable, but she’d lived passed her expected death date and Y/N was hoping for a miracle...”

Tobin frowns sadly, glancing down at her feet.

“She has to be heartbroken.”

Just as the words leave her mouth the pair hear a guttural sob, a sob that makes Christen’s heart break.

“She is.”

***

You throw your papers off the desk, searching wildly through your files.

“There has to be something, something I missed, something I was wrong about...” You mumble under your breath, a sudden knock on the door making your head pound.

“GO AWAY.” You yell, pounding your fists on the desk. “LET ME WORK.”

“Y/N.” You pick your head up at the sound of your girlfriend’s voice.

“Ch-Chris?” You call out, sighing when she replies.

“It’s me, open the door, please?” She asks and you run to the door, tears streaming down your face as you jerk it open to reveal not only Christen, but Tobin as well.

You throw your arms around Christen’s neck, the woman shushing you softly as she and Tobin guide you back into your office.

You babble incoherently against her neck, Christen only able to catch a few words.

“All my fault.”

“She was just so young...”

“I could’ve done something.”

“I had to have made a mistake...”

“She trusted me and I failed her...”

You continue to ramble until Christen sits down on the small couch in your office, pulling you into her lap as you blather on and on.

Tobin sits in the chair at your desk, watching with a frown as you cry into Christen’s chest.

“They thanked me...” You sob shaking your head. “For trying to save her, for being with her for so long, but I killed her, it’s my fault.”

Christen shakes her head, pulling back so she can cup your cheeks, her green orbs locking with your blood shot Y/E/C eyes.

“You listen to me right now.” Christen sniffles staring into your tear-filled eyes, tears gathering in her own green orbs.

“I love you Y/N, you did everything you could’ve.” She whispers and you shake your head, but Christen silences you with a fingertip, pressing it against your parted lips.

“There was nothing you could’ve done.” She whispers, caressing your cheek.

“You’re grieving...” She frowns. “It’s going to hurt, it’s going to cause you pain, but this was in no way your fault. She lived longer because of her doctor... Because of you... That’s why her parents thanked you... Because you did your best, hell more than your best.”

Your bottom lip trembles, your blood shot watery eyes disappearing behind your eyelids.

“It still wasn’t enough Chris.” You swallow hard, clenching your jaw to hold back tears, but it’s to no avail.

Christen pulls you back against her chest, glancing at Tobin who has tears gathered in her own brown orbs.

“It wasn’t enough.”

***

Needless to say, the nights that follow are restless, complete and utter sadness hitting you at all hours of the day and night, but Christen is there through each and every moment. The woman wiping your tears away as she coos softly in your ear, telling you over and over again that you couldn’t do anything more than you had done already.

It took some time for you to realize you’d done everything you could’ve, her heart condition was incurable, and it was with your treatment that she’d lived past her intended death date, but still you couldn’t save her in the end and that would haunt you always.

“I can hear you thinking.” Christen whispers into the darkness and you frown.

“So-Sorry Chris.” You mumble but the woman shakes her head, pulling you back against her chest.

“Don’t be sorry... What’s on your mind?” She nuzzles into the spot behind your ear and you smile.

“You’re right...” You whisper, swallowing hard.

Christen hums.

You turn around in her arms leaning in to press a tender, chaste kiss to her lips.

“Thank you.” You whisper, the brunette’s brows furrowing in confusion.

“For what?”

“For being there for me when I needed you most.”

Christen brushes her nose against yours.

“I love you, of course I’d be here for you.” She presses another kiss to your lips. “You’re an amazing doctor Y/N, you’re the reason she lived as long as she did.”

You swallow hard, nodding.

“I know... And I love you, so, so much.”

#uswnt x reader #uswnt imagine #christen press x reader #christen press imagine

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phantom-curve · 3 years

Text

did I shatter you? pt. 4

part one: you’re not my homeland anymore | part two: when a good man hurts you | part three: there’s an ache in you, put there by the ache in me | part four: my pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand | epilogue: what died didn’t stay dead

The tea in Julie’s mug had gone cold by the time Luke finally sat up properly. His body was hunched over, exhaustion and sadness etched in every line. When he looked up at her she could see the still drying saltwater stains on his cheeks. He reached up to scrub at his red rimmed eyes with the palm of his hand. Julie placed her full mug down on the table, slipping off the couch to sit on the floor in front of Luke.

The light from the fire cast shadows across his face. He looked so forlorn and broken andyoung. Like the Luke that had come running to her after the last big fight with his parents. Like the Luke that had coaxed her out of the darkness of losing her mom. Like the Luke she had fallen in love with when they were just teenagers with the entire world at their feet and stars in their eyes. Her entire being ached. She ached for Luke and herself. For the life they had lost and the pain they had both suffered in silence. If only they had been able to talk like this back then. They might have been able to avoid this past year of anguish. Instead they had hidden behind the band and their lyrics. Too many assumptions, too much hurt and blame, and not enough authentic communication had toppled them like a house of cards.

“Alex and Reggie told me I should call you. Told me I had to fix things, but I didn’t think anything was broken.”

His voice was hoarse, scratchy and raw with emotion. He didn’t reach for her. Just studied her face in the dim light like he was seeing her for the first time.

“God, Julie, what happened to me? How did I become that guy?”

Julie inhaled sharply. He wasn’t really asking her, she knew that. But she couldn’t help herself.

“I don’t know, Luke. It crept up on both of us. I didn’t even see it until it was already a part of our everyday normal. I didn’t know how to stop it by then, we had been living it for so long.”

“It wasn’t just Bobby or any other bullshit excuse though. You’re right, I was cruel to you, and I didn’t even see it. Even at the end, I thought you would come to me because that’s what you always did, and I never once thought that I should be the one going to you. Even though it was always me picking fights and...I just...how could I do that to you? How could I hurt someone I love so much like that?”

His voice was bleak, the expression in his eyes borderline hopeless. It almost sounded like he was begging her to give him the answers. She didn’t have any though. She hadn’t ever figured it out either, and it still stung when she thought about how he hadn’t ever turned that rage on Reggie or Alex. Only Julie got that kind of special treatment.

“I don’t know, Luke.” She repeated.

It was all she could offer him. Her hands flexed against her thighs, desperate to touch him.

“I ruined us, and it was for nothing. I ruined the best thing in my life for nothing.”

The last statement sounded like it was meant more for him than for her. It was filled with rage and guilt and shame. His head dropped. Her chest burned.

“It wasn’t just you.”

She had to be honest. He was opening himself fully. She had to do the same. He raised his head to look at her, confusion and self-loathing clear on his face.

“I was too quick to adapt. When you first started lashing out at me, I didn’t push back. I knew you were hurting, and I wanted to do anything I could to ease that heartache. At first, I let you treat me like that because I thought it was a way to take the pain away. And then I just got so used to it, and I kept taking it until we snapped. It’s not all on you.”

He was shaking his head, frowning and opening his mouth to argue, but this was something Julie was sure of. He was responsible for the brunt of the emotional pain endured during their relationship, but a relationship was more than one person. She had some amount of blame in this too. She cut him off before he could get the first denial out.

“No, Luke, I’m at least a little responsible for this too. I’m not some weak little damsel in distress. I knew what you were doing wasn’t okay, and I let you do it anyway. I changed myself to become a person who would accept that kind of treatment. I put our relationship over my own well-being, and it was wrong. I should have stood up for myself and I didn’t. And then I cut and ran instead of fighting for myself.”

“I shouldn’t have put you in the position to have to defend yourself against me! I should have been the one protecting you, not hurting you!”

Luke’s hands fisted in his hair, body folding over again. Julie couldn’t stop herself anymore. She closed the space between them in seconds, throwing her arms around his body. He didn’t hesitate to catch her, his own arms snaking around her waist as he buried his face in her neck. He sobbed into her skin, the muffled cry of “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry” repeating over and over again. She could feel his tears soaking into the collar of her shirt and her arms tightened. His hair still smelled like the peppermint shampoo she used to buy him. Her heart pounded out a familiar rhythm in her chest, the same word repeating in her mind in time with the beat: homehomehome.

They stayed in the embrace for a long moment. A river of comfort flowed back and forth between them. It felt like Luke’s soul was seeking out every frayed edge of her own, smoothing out and repairing the damage that had lingered for the last year. Their bodies shuddered in time, both of them pulling away at the same moment to look into each other’s eyes. Luke looked like a new man, determination shining from his pores.

“What happens now?”

He was asking her, but she already knew what he wanted. She just wasn’t sure she could give it to him. She gently disentangled herself, scooting back just a bit so there was enough space between them for her to breathe. Insecurity reared its ugly head, reminding her of all the reasons they had ended in the first place.

“I don’t know, Luke.”

She sounded like a broken record. Her fingers twitched restlessly. She reached up to tuck a curl behind her ear, forcing herself to take a deep breath and try again.

“I’ve never loved anyone the way that I love you.”

His eyes lit up, and she pushed on.

“But just loving you isn’t enough. What you did...the way you treated me...I can’t go through that again.”

The light was dimming the more she spoke, but she had to get it all out, even if what she was about to say would undoubtedly hurt him. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

“I can’t trust you like I used to. You broke something in me, and I still haven’t been able to fully fix it.”

He stared at her for a second before slowly reaching out with his palms up. He left them lingering in the space between them. Heart in her throat, Julie reached out to lay her own hands in his. She looked up from where his thumb rested gently on the back of her hand, eyes locking on his, drowning in the depths of emotion she found there.

“I love you more than anything else in this entire world. More than Sunset Curve and The Phantoms. More than my parents and Alex and Reggie, and I will even tell them that to their faces. There is no me in this world without you. No music worth making, no band worth having, without you by my side. I will spend the rest of my life proving that to you whether we’re together or not. You don’t have to forgive me now or ever. You don’t have to take me back. Just give me a chance. Let me earn back your trust. I want my best friend back, Jules. I’ll do anything, just...please, give me a chance?”

Julie’s head swam, pain and fear and hope and love all warring within her, fighting for dominance. It was so hard to think when he was staring at her with those puppy dog eyes, offering her the world. She wanted more than anything to believe him. Wanted to go back to the golden age of their relationship when everything had been so new and shiny and perfect. The memories of how it had ended haunted her. She didn’t think she would be able to repair herself from a second heartbreak at Luke’s hands. He could read the doubt on her face. His hands tightened around hers, pulling her attention back to his face.

“Just a chance, Jules. That’s all I’m asking for. You can give me rules to follow. You can sic Alex and Reggie on me if I start to fuck up again. Hell, I’ll ask them to do it myself. I’ve been a ghost this last year. I don’t exist without you in my life somehow.”

Her heart screamed at her to tell him yes. Her head begged her to be careful. Her soul yearned to be complete the way it had been when Luke was at her side. His eyes pleaded pleasepleaseplease.

“I’m not going to say yes right now...but...maybe...we can try.”

She was cut off by his loud whoop. Without warning, he launched himself at her. He tackled her to the ground, squeezing the air from her lungs, whispering thank you over and over again like a prayer. She wasn’t sure if he was thanking her or the universe.

“Luke!”

She pushed against his shoulders but couldn’t keep the smile from her voice. He pulled back just far enough to look her in the eyes, leaving the rest of his body on top of hers. Her skin burned under his touch. His eyes were shining brighter than she had ever seen them before. The smile on his lips nearly took her breath away. She forgot just how pretty he was. She stuttered for a second before forcing herself to close her eyes and take a deep breath. She kept her eyes closed, hoping it would help her keep her head.

“You have to be serious about this. I’m willing to try and be friends again, but I’m not making any promises. And I’m not promising that it will ever become anything more than that. I’m gone the second you pull anything similar to that shit.”

He didn’t respond. She slowly peeked her eyes open. His face was inches from hers, something she couldn’t quite identify coloring his features.

“Julie Molina.”

He said her name with a type of reverence that could only be called devotional. A wave of butterflies rioted in her stomach.

“There is nothing that matters more to me than loving you the way you deserve every day for the rest of forever. I know it’s just words now, but I swear, I will never hurt you like that again. If it takes me the rest of my life, I will prove to you that you can trust me.”

Julie felt stunned. She hadn’t ever heard that much sincerity in Luke’s tone before. Hadn’t ever heard him speak with such passion unless it was music related. He was serious. Her heart felt a little lighter, the hole shrinking ever so slightly. He was staring at her with so much love she had no choice to believe him.

“Okay.”

It was just one small whispered word, but they both knew it was more than that. It was an eternity, stretching out in front of them. A new beginning, like the dawning of a clear morning after a night of thunderstorms.

The exhaustion seemed to hit them at the same time. It had been a rollercoaster of a night, the emotional whiplash draining both of them. In another moment of unspoken agreement, Luke stood, offering his hand to Julie, pulling her tight to his side when she was on her feet. He held her for a minute, both of them secretly reveling in the fact that they could finally touch like that again. They moved together to dump their untouched tea in the sink and shuffle into the bedroom they had once shared. Both of them craved the kind of healing they could only find in the other’s arms, even without speaking of it. Julie didn’t let herself linger over the implications, too tired to fight the comfort Luke’s body offered. They fit together seamlessly, bodies relaxing at the homecoming. Julie never realized how big this bed had felt without Luke’s limbs wrapped around her own. For the first time in a year, sleep came easily.

When she woke up the next morning and found Luke in the kitchen making coffee with the sun streaming through the window behind him, it felt like the universe had finally been realigned. There were still wounds to stitch and trust to be earned. Julie didn’t know what would happen with her solo career or the band. Couldn’t be sure that Luke wouldn’t renege on his promises once they left their New York bubble and went back to the snake pit of LA. They weren’t magically back to what they had been, but where there had once only been a dead end, they now had a new path to try. What had once been shattered was now on the precipice of repair, the glue just starting to set. Luke turned to see Julie standing in the doorway and the smile on his face promised a lifetime of atonement and devotion. They had a chance again. Julie stepped into the sunny room, her footsteps marking the first page of their new story.

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ordonianhero · 3 years

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Dawn of a new Adventure

A Linked Universe fan fiction. No real warnings needed other then a bit of language. its 2,408 words. Angst/fluff. Little bit of everyone involved.

Synopsis: The weather get really bad and they just need to find shelter. However the more they journey the worst their moral and mood get. Things get testy. will they find shelter?

Authors note: this came about with our own stormy winter weather blasting through where I live. I hope you enjoy. feel free to create art from any of this or any of my other writings. I would love to see what stuck out to all you creators out there. I love the whole family platonic like bond like thing...so for the life of me don’t go turning this in to LINKCEST or anything NSFW. The Creator Jojo has requested so and I am with them on that. thank you. Now enjoy.

*******************************************************************

Wind: dang we missed the before the story stuff.

Hyrule: well someone had to take their time.

War: excuse me?! I can’t just go walking out in plublic in nothing but lounge wear.

Legend: SHHHHH shut up you three. the story is about the begin.

-silence-

loud popcorn crunching comes in the direction of Wild. Everyone angrily looks at him. Twilight take the bowl away.

story begins- loud sounds of Hyrule entertainment played by kudzus, by fairies. Time having to swat them away. “Enough!”

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"It's raining sideways!" grumbled the Veteran. The rain blasting at them all as they trudged through a storm. The hair dripping and sticking to their faces. "Surprised its you who is complaining and not our Captain." The smith stated, his hood over his head. The heroes all had experienced unwelcoming weather. However it never makes for an easy journey. The leader of the group was equally not in a pleasant mood with such weather. The cold temperature and soaked clothing seeped into his sore joints from old injuries. He kept his mood to himself, however I knew they best find some sort of shelter. Cloaks did nothing to protect them with the wind blowing harshly, and Rain blinding them with every step they took. Their boots muddy and soggy. If they didn't find shelter soon, they were bound to catch a cold from it.

They all halted under some Trees for some cover after some time. The rancher blew into his hands attempting warm part of himself up. The wind picked up again, the Trees creaked and moaned. The rain pounding ever hard. This was some storm that had happened. It being winter, that'd be expected. The leader of their group rubbed his sore joints. "So do any of you know which Hyrule we are in?" asked the captain, attempting to ring out his royal blue scarf. Pointless really. They all looked at each other. None of them knew. The young sailor seem to cling to Sky, as he shivered. "only if we had a map or something to show us a place for shelter." The smith stated shaking out his boot. Wild has been quiet, he had done on his warm doublet and his hood, however now even those were failing him. The rancher shook out, rain water getting ever, a useless thing to do. however it helped him at least be able to see things better. The water droplets had started to form on his eye lashes. "I am sure if we keep moving we will find something." He then suggested. Standing around getting more soaked wasn't going to fix their situation. They all nodded. "so would you like to take the lead then?" suggest the Leader. Rancher looked over at them and then over the rest. "I can take over." He replies, adjusting his sword and pelt. The leader came over and placed his hand on his shoulder. The rancher could tell the Old man was hurting bad. The rain was starting to slow down enough. "Okay, let's get going then." he states as he turned to lead them down the path more. He wasn't very comfortable taking lead. The captain stuck closer to the old leader then, while the wild one and traveler joined the rancher in the front. ******** They had wonder for hours it seemed, as the rancher lead them through the dense woods. It only provide them with some protection from the raging storm going on. The mood in the group had started to get very unpleasant. Some grumbled under their breaths, some whined, and some just stayed quiet. Their mind filled with images how much a warm bath would be nice or a warm fire, with a warm drink. A bed for comfort. It's amazing how weather can make one romanticize little things other's take for granted. Even Wild, who enjoyed the outdoors was thinking about the comfort of a good shelter. His Hyrule always being unpredictable with the weather. The rancher even was thinking how much he would give anything to have a bowl of warm soup. That also reminded him of the time he visited the yetis. Dunking warm baked bread in to a bowl of soup. All their minds were swimming with wishes and images of comforts. So much so that they were all so lost in thought. As the rain once more came down hard. Big, hard, Fat rain drops. "Okay, Could Hylia please let up on us for once." Grumbled the Veteran and in a what would of been comical moment, they all seem to slip and fall like dominoes in the mud. The young sailor sat up and slammed his fists into the puddle he fell in and sob, "I can't do this. This is fucking miserable. I would take being flung out of a canon then this." Sky came over and helped the young sailor up and held him. The captain helped the Older leader up. "probably best we find a cave or something." he tried gently suggesting. "too bad the wild child's stupid slate cant bother work or we wouldn't be this stuck." the veteran angrily says trying to get some of the mud off his tunic.

Wild looked down, his wet hair covering his face. Rancher turned and snapped, "Hey, that aint his fault. We're all in this. Sorry we don't have some 'magical' tool that will just go 'hey, there's a good shelter over there!' " his finger pointing out in some random spot. He bore a face which the veteran has never seen. the rancher rarely snaps and is often more comforting or stern. However never snippy or angry. If he was, he never let it on or turn on other. The veteran now felt guilty for lashing out. The rancher was often protective for sure. he knew he picked the wrong person to go after. "Okay let all take it easy." said the Older leader, rubbing his side he fell on. "Getting snappy won't get us anywhere. we got to just got to keep a look out." They all stood quiet for a bit, the young sailor was still buried into sky, softly sobbing and shivering.

The rancher turned and closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh. His breath could be seen in the cold that was creeping in more. He placed his hand on the back of wild and rubbed it gently before moving forward. The other's then followed in step. It was only when they walked a few more miles, they all saw in the distance, illuminated by light among the dark woods. "A CABIN!" Squealed the Traveler. "wonder if anyone live there?" questioned sky as they all made their way towards it. "who'd want to live way out in the middle of nowhere in thick forest?" stated the Captain. The older leader stayed quiet. "some just do." replied the rancher. The veteran snored, "right." As they approached there was a sign that sated, "Traveling camp cabin."

"oh! it like the cabin's I came across in my hyrule. It's a place for travelers of all sorts to take shelter in." wild explain. "Is that so?" said the smith. "Yeah. see- they have a place where you can even house your horses." they all looked. "well that mighty nice." the rancher said with a smile. They opened the cabin door. The room was semi large. a single bed, a old wooden table where a leather book laid open. A fire place with cooking pot and kettle hung. Wood off to the side of it. It looked unvisited for some time. the room floors creaked and the building smelt of smoke from previous visitors. A few spiders had made their home there in the odd corner of the building. Rancher tended to making sure Epona was set up in the side horse stall with fresh water and food. Dry bedding and a warm blanket over her back. After he dried her off. He then brought in everyone's packs. Wild had gotten a fire started.

The group respectfully left their muddy boots by the door. Then they each shed their soaked clothing and put on dry ones. Placing the soaked ones to hang on a well placed wire. One of them brought in some water from the nearby stream, placing some off for cooking and the rest was to wash the mud and grime. it wasn't a warm bath, but it would do in the mean time. They had all agreed the Older leader could take the bed. The rest placed their bedding off to the side for when they would go to sleep. Wild made work on making some hearty soup and Traveler went about making tea. They stayed quiet for some time. some took to doing a bit of work on their items. Such as patching up hole in their clothing, placing new chainmail links and removing damaged ones. Traveler came around handing them a nice herbal tea. To sip on while food was still being work on. The Moment the warm liquid touched their lips, there a unison sigh from everyone. The tea hit the spot in helping in warming their cold bodies up and the warm fire heating up the space.

The smell of the food wild was preparing was also welcomed. Just a simple soup of creamy meat soup. which consisted of whatever meat wild had on hand, milk, herbs and vegetables. There was a little rack above it for warming bread, which he did. The Rancher had his blanket over his head as he stared down at his chainmail and made work with getting all the broken rings off and putting in new one. The young sailor looked over his shoulder and watched in awe. The Veteran also doing so. The Captain, Old leader and Smith worked on their weapons. Sky stuck with Traveler and Wild, helping where he could. When the rancher spotted the little Sailor watching him, he motioned them to sit beside him. He asked if they wanted to learn how to work on chainmail. The sailor nodded. There was a soft chuckle that came from the Veteran. Rancher paid no attention be then gently started teaching the young one the trick. then hand his chainmail over to them. The nervously looked up at the rancher, who placed a hand on their shoulder. The sailor then fidgeted be felt unsuccessful, so the rancher shifted his sitting spot and placed his hand over the sailors and helped them till they finally were able to do it on their own. in which the rancher praised them. The room filled with warm laughter when the sailor enthusiastically whooped that he did it. The fact they were out of the rain, warm shelter, and food on the way improved everyone's moral.

Once food was ready, they each got a bowl with some honey wheat bread. "MMM. I am so going to food coma after this." Moaned the Veteran. "Oh please do. Think we had enough salt for the day." the Captain joked, with a mouth semi full of soup and bread. "Zing. One point for Captain. what you going to do about it Vet?" laughed Rancher. with a dead pan look at Captain and replied. "Throw salt at them."

"Oi, no thro-" The Old leader was about to say.

The Veteran placed his bowl of food down and leaped across to tackle the Captain, who had to quickly put his own food down before he was toppled over. "OOF." Everyone in the room chuckled. "Ah now I get it." said Sky, softly chuckling. "wait- were you like the old man and thought he was going to literally toss salt?" questioned Traveler. "well you never know in this group. Sometimes it takes a bit to realize things- like the Old man's horrible dad joke." chuckled the Smith. The room erupted in laughter. "I think my jokes are rather dadtastic." the old leader said with a gently laugh. "okay, say that when you're around your wife next time." The Vet teases as he was getting off the caption and returning to his own food. There was another roar of laughter from the group. Once after several helpings of soup and all of them had finished their food, a few helped with clean up.

Bed rolls were laid out ready for sleep. The old leader took to reading a few letter his wife sent. The more younger members took to watch as Captain was once again losing to Rancher in a game of poker. "I for the life of me have no idea how you do it." captain said smiling back at the Rancher. There was a smirk on the rancher's face as he shuffled the deck. "He just that good. You maybe a strategist in this group, but he is the one to read through you bullshit talk and look." Sky chuckled. "Oh is that so, country? predicting my moves are you?" the Captain smirked with a flashy smile. The Rancher didn't reply but handed out the cards again. Then he just smirked once more up at the Captain. The played at least one last round. Which resulted in the Captain fling his cards at Rancher and everyone chuckling.

Wild made some warm honey and cinnamon milk to help the younger ones to fall asleep easily. Which they drank and fell in to warm milk drunk sleep stage. Everyone else crawled into their bed roll and laid down to sleep. a few snuggled up with certain members. The rancher was last one up. He tossed in two more logs to keep the fire going a bit more before heading to his bed roll. He then caught the eye of the Older leader, who quietly motioned him over. He quietly made his way over. The old leader shifted and motioned for him to sleep beside him. Rancher joined him and curled up in their arms. Soon falling asleep in their arms. "I am so proud of you." whispered the old leader as looked over his blood. Then softly fell asleep himself. The only sound left, was the sound of the heavy rain falling, soft breathing of nine sleeping heroes and the crackling of the fire. Safe and Sound, snug and warm, and forgotten memory how the day first was. ***** When they woke, the warm sun streamed through the window. The fire was out, but the ambers still smoldering, and could be seen dancing in the light. The resident birds chirped. Only a few still not woke. Not shockingly sky being one, but the Old leader and Rancher. Who were known to be early birds in the group. by habit. The Captain suggested to let them sleep in a little more, while getting sky to wake, but grudgingly not ready to get up. Wild set to work making some breakfast. Veteran and Wind went about feeding Epona and giving her some attention. The Traveler Stretched and lout a yawn. "A Dawn of a new day. New adventure awaits us." -Fin.

#linked universe #linked universe au #Lu everyone #Legend of zelda #linked universe fanfic #Creator Content #fan content #loz #linked universe fandom

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noladyme · 4 years

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The Frog Princess. Chapter 7

She had no wish to be bound down to anyone, but Y/N none the less found herself being dragged across the continent; to marry King Foltest of Temeria. Instead of pomp and spectacle; she was accompanied by the witcher, Geralt of Rivia. Their travels would bring both monsters, lust, love; and heartache. All sound tracked by an endearing buffoon of a bard, named Jaskier.

TW: Violence, language, sexual themes. Rated M.

“You’re going to need some new clothes”, Geralt said, as we were packing up, a little after noon. “O’Dimm will have his men looking for a young woman in a blue dress”. I sighed. “I shouldn’t have told them my name was Zaba. They’ll know to be looking for someone with that name”. “I think it’ll be fine”, he said. “But the clothes have to go”. I put my hands on my hips and smirked at him. “If you wanted me naked, you could just say so”, I laughed.

He dropped the satchel he’d been carrying; and walked up to me – sliding his arms around me, and cupping my bottom. “I’ve already had you once today, but I could go again”, he said; and kissed the tender skin under my ear.

“Hello!”, a voice called from a distance.

“If that’s Jaskier, I’m going to kill him”, Geralt growled. “If I don’t get to him first”, I mumbled. He smiled; and kissed me softly.

“Hello?”, the voice called; closer this time. “Are you the witcher? Geralt of Rivia?”. A short fat man was running in our direction; wearing a white tunic covered in red stains. Geralt drew his sword, and pushed me to stand behind him.

The man – clearly not used to running – stopped for a second, putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He waddled up to us; and Geralt put away his sword, clearly not sensing any danger from him. “I’m Harken Danis”, the man coughed. “I come from Birxen. I need your help”. Geralt grunted. “I already have a contract”, he answered. I put a hand on his back, signaling for him to hear the man out. “Please, master witcher, I’m desperate”, Danis said. “It’s my son. He’s in grave danger!”.

I stepped towards the man. “Please, come sit by the fire. Have some water”.

Danis followed me back to the fire, and sat down; accepting the waterskin I offered him. “Thank you, young lady. You are very kind”. Geralt sat down opposite him. “Say your peace”, he demanded. I chided him with my eyes.

Danis sighed. “My son, Ajvin, he’s been hexed by a succubus”. I bit my cheek to avoid laughing – making Geralt lift his brows at me. The man continued. “He’s lost his mind! He won’t listen to us; and my wife is terribly distraught”, Danis said, tears welling up in his eyes. “She’s cast him under some spell!”.

Geralt stood up and began kicking dirt into the fire. “Succubi don’t do spells. She didn’t make him lose his mind; his cock did that all on its own”. Danis scoffed. “I beg your pardon?”. Geralt sighed. “They have sex with their victims. It’s good sex; but the…”, he was looking for the word, “… prey, can leave at any time. They won’t force themselves on someone; only take advantage of the ones that accept their offer of a good time. Your son can walk away any time he wants”.

Danis began bawling; tears running down his fat cheeks. “Please sir! I have coin. I’ll pay you handsomely!”. Geralt let out a long groan. “How far away is Birxen?”, he asked. “It’s not far. An hour on horseback; due south”, Danis sobbed.

Geralt turned towards me. “We’ll be going out of our way”, he muttered. “We still have a long way to Vizima. One hour south isn’t going to make much of a difference”, I smiled. “And I get to see you in action again”. He grunted. “Turn on?”, he asked. “A little”, I admitted with a smirk. He narrowed his eyes at me.

“25 crowns”, Geralt said to Danis over his shoulder. “I-i can pay 20”, Danis answered. Geralt turned around. “You’re a butcher, yes?”, he said, looking at the mans stained clothes. “Y-yes”, he answered. “20, and 4 pounds of good meat”. “Mutton?”, Danis asked. “Anything but”, Geralt answered; looking at me over his shoulder. I smiled at him.

“Go back to your wife. We’ll be there as soon as we can”, he said. Danis dried his eyes. “Thank you, good sir!”, he said; and waddled back in the direction he’d been coming from.

---

After having packed up, we got on our horses, and began moving south. The fall air was still chilly, but the sun and lack of wind made the trek bearable. I was still smiling to myself at our strange encounter.

“You had sex with a succubus?”, I asked Geralt. “It was a long winter”, he answered. I laughed out loud. “Come on, witcher”, I said. “There has to be more to the story”. “Not really”, he answered. “It’s like I told the butcher. They choose a victim, offer themselves up; and in my case, I said yes”. I considered his words for a moment. “But they… drain their lovers, don’t they?”, I asked. “Yes”, he answered. “Like I said, it was a long winter”. I chuckled. “But… it was good?”, I smirked. He looked out the corner of his eyes at me. “I’ve had better”, he grunted. I smirked in response.

We made it to Birxen not long after. Danis was there to great us outside his shop – which seemed to double as his home, I realized, when his wife invited us inside for a meal.

The dimly lit room had a rank smell of fresh and old blood, coming from a table in the corner – seemingly the butchers’ workstation. On the floor lay a dog, almost as fat as its master. I went to scratch it behind its ear; but felt Geralt tug at my dress. “Not the time to make new friends”, he said. “Let’s just get this over with”.

“It seems all I do on this journey is eat, sleep and watch you fight”, I said below my breath, as the woman was tending to her pots. “That, and have sex”, Geralt muttered with a smirk. “Well that part is new. And much more fun than being attacked by monsters”, I answered. He grunted in response.

“It’s so kind of you to come help us, master. I am very worried about my Ajvin”, the butchers wife said. In contrast to her husband, she was quite skinny – but must have been very good cook, as her husbands’ girth was evidence of. She’d prepared a small feast of fried potatoes, vegetables, and a roast of pork. The butcher dug right in, gobbling down immeasurable amounts of potatoes, and a chunk of meat as large as Geralts upper arm. The sight of it made my stomach churn.

“How did you know where to find me?”, Geralt asked. “Well…”, Danis said, sucking his fingers, “… a man came through town a few days back. Said he was on his way to meet with a witcher, named Geralt of Rivia. He wondered if you’d been through here already. Said you’d be coming from the western shore; Attre. I told him you might have passed Tigg on your way, that he should search there”. “His name?”, Geralt asked impatiently. I kicked his leg under the table. “He called himself Ermion”.

Mousesack!, I thought. Geralt noticed my face lighting up, and squeezed my knee in recognition.

“Did he say anything else?”, I asked. “Only that he’d be travelling with a woman; and that he had information she needed to hear”, the wife answered. “Was that you?”. “No”, Geralt answered brusquely. I clenched my jaw.

“Your boy”, Geralt said. “Tell me about him”. Danis’ wife began crying. “There, there, Mirtha”, Danis said, patting her head with his large hand. “The witcher is here to help us now”. “Yes”, she bawled. “Yes, good sir. Please save my boy”. “I need information”; Geralt grumbled.

I tried to eat some of the food on my plate, but quickly lost my appetite; when I saw Danis move his attention from his crying wife, and back to devouring another serving of meat. “He’s a good boy, my Ajvin”, Mirtha cried. “Always brought me flowers, and sang such lovely songs”. “He should be doing less singing, and more butchering”, Danis grumbled. Mirtha dabbed at a blot of stray meat-juice from his chin. “Now, Harkin; don’t you go speaking ill of our boys singing”, she said. “It’s lovely”. The butcher scoffed. “It’s useless is what it is”, he said.

Geralt was growing impatient. “So he sings. What else?”. I kicked his leg again.

Mirtha poured another serving of ale into her husbands’ mug. “A few months ago, Ajvin went to gather flowers and plants for pressing”, she said. “He makes lovely little frames to hang on the wall”. She gestured to a collection of pretty little frames with pictures made of pressed rose hip flowers and daisies. “He was gone such a long time, and when he came home, his cheeks were flush, and he wouldn’t speak to us”, the woman continued.

“And then?”, I asked; earning a look from Geralt. “Well”, she continued. “This kept happening, you see. He’d go out in the morning, and not come back ‘til late at night; looking tired and spent”. Danis nodded. “Sat him down, I did!”, he said, mouth full of green beans. “Told him that he wasn’t pulling his weight around here. That he was scaring his mother. I insisted he tell us what he was doing, when he left the house”.

Mirtha began bawling again. “Said he’d been meeting a girl”, she sobbed. “But no normal girl would make a good boy leave his mother so distraught!”. Danis slammed his fist into the table, making the plates and mugs jump. “She’s a succubus, I tell you”, he roared. “Draining Ajvin of his seed, to create young’uns. Little devils! I’ve heard the stories…”. Mirtha blew her nose in her apron. “Save my boy, witcher!”, she begged.

Geralt sighed. “Give us a place to sleep tonight, and I’ll follow your boy to the… succubus, tomorrow morning”, he said. Mirtha smiled widely. “You can have the hayloft in the barn”, she said.

“Thank you for doing this, master witcher”, Danis said. “Mirtha’s been so upset, I haven’t had a decent meal in weeks”. “That why you were crying, back at our camp?”, I asked. “Well, I’ve lost at least 5 pounds from it. It’s unbearable!”.

---

My stomach was growling from not having been able to eat in front of Danis.

“You should never waste an opportunity to eat”, Geralt chided, and pulled out a serving of vegetables he’d smuggled from the table. “The sight of the butcher made me feel sick to the stomach”, I mumbled. “Why?”, Geralt asked. “Because he’s fat?” “Fat has nothing to do with it. You can enjoy food without being a slop about it”, I answered, before chowing down on the meal in front of me. “Look who’s talking”, he chuckled. “Fuck off”, I retorted, mouth full. “So, we’re following the boy tomorrow?”.

“I’m following him”, Geralt said, while unstrapping his sword from his back. “You’re staying here”. “Geralt!”, I whined. “No”, he said. “Even if this isn’t a succubus, it might get dangerous”.

I put down the carrot I had been chewing on, and wiped my hands. Geralt had sat down next to me, leaning against a beam holding up the roof. “I’ve spent the last week traipsing through the country with you; meeting ghosts, wild animals and necrophages. Yesterday, I stabbed a man in the lung. Now you won’t let me see you follow a butcher’s son through the woods?”. “No”, he repeated. I sighed; and looked at him. He chuckled. “It’s not going to work”, he said.

I hitched up my skirts; and went to sit on his lap – straddling him. “Y/N…”, he began. “Geralt…”, I interrupted him. “You expect me to let you track down a succubus on you own? You might never come back. We know what happened last time…”. He grunted. “You could try to remind me what I have to come back to”, he breathed, and leant in to kiss me.

I pulled back. “No”, I said, shaking my head. “No?”, he asked, confused. “You have a contract”, I said. “You’re supposed to protect me, keep me close”. He let out a long groan, frowning at me. “Y/N…”, he said. “Besides; if I’m not with you, how do you know I won’t run away?”, I smirked.

“I could tie you down”, he growled, putting one hand on my back, and the other on my bottom; pulling me hard towards him. Our groins met, and my breath hitched. “Is that a promise?”, I breathed, and raised a brow at him, biting my lip. He groaned, and kissed me. I tried to pull away, but this time he moved his hand from my back, and held it to the back of my head, to keep it there.

I giggled against his lips. “This is fun to you?”, he growled. “Very”, I answered. “I think the only real succubus here is you”, he said. “Well…”, I said, nipping lightly at his lower lip, “… maybe you should take what’s offered”.

He let out a long groan; and pressed my hips closer to his, letting me feel his hardness. He leant in to kiss me again; but I put a finger to his lips. “Oh…”, I said, “… but I’m still coming with you”.

---

At dawn I woke from the sound of moving in the stable bellow the hayloft. Geralt was fully dressed, and sitting still as a statue; looking out the small glassless window at the gable. He turned his head to look at me, and put a finger to his lips. I nodded. The rustling downstairs ended with the closing of the stable doors. “Get dressed”, Geralt whispered, keeping his eyes on something moving outside.

Moments later we were walking through the woods behind the butcher’s house. Geralt wasn’t making a sound as he moved – I on the other hand was finding it difficult to avoid stepping on twigs and rustling leaves. Geralt looked back at me. “Try to step where I do”, he whispered.

I followed his moves; and soon we left the woods, moving into a meadow. About 100 yards away, I saw a scrawny young man, picking flowers. “Ajvin”, I whispered. Geralt nodded.

We crouched behind a large boulder. Suddenly, a pretty young woman came running into the meadow. Ajvin stood up, opened his arms, and she ran into his embrace, kissing him passionately. They sat down and began talking. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I saw Geralt smirking.

“What’s happening?”, I whispered. He chuckled. “Her name is Lysa”, he said. “He’s singing her a song he wrote about her”. “Aaww”, I smiled. “That’s sweet”. “It’s a terrible song”, he smiled. “Sing it to me”, I said. “I don’t sing”, he grunted. “Well, tell me the words, then”, I demanded. He sighed. “Lysa my dear. Your skin is so fine. Won’t you, oh won’t you, oh won’t you be mine”. I laughed. “You’re right. It’s a terrible song”.

Lysa leant against Ajvin, and he put his arm around her. I put my chin on Geralts shoulder. “They’re sweet”, I said. “They’re young and stupid”, he answered. “Maybe. But they’re happy. They chose each other”. Geralt looked at me, his eyes suddenly sad. “I’m sorry I can’t give you that”, he said. “I can’t give you flowers and songs in a meadow”.

I kissed his shoulder. “I don’t want flowers and meadows”, I said. “I just want a choice”. He let out a long breath; and then kissed my forehead.

Ajvin and Lysa began kissing and then quickly undressing each other. “Oh…”, I said. “Yes”, Geralt agreed. “We should probably…”. “Absolutely”, I said. He stood up, and took my hand to help me on my feet. Standing in front of him; he put his hand on my cheek, and softly kissed me.

We left the meadow as quickly as we had arrived.

---

Deciding Ajvide wasn’t in any danger, we had time to waste before returning to the butcher. Much to Geralts dismay, I decided to spend that time fully clothed; and working on the herbs and plants I’d gathered. I was standing over a makeshift worktable – an old tree that had fallen over – carefully making thin slices of the mandrake. “Thank you for this sacrifice”, I whispered to the almost humanoid-like root laying in front of me.

“You talking to the plants now?”, Geralt grumbled. He was standing leaning against a tree. “Mandrake. If it doesn’t kill you with its scream when you pull it from the ground; it might drive you to suicide when you ingest it”, I said. “I have to be respectful in the preparations of it. It didn’t choose its final purpose in this world; and it might take revenge on me”.

Geralt went to stand behind me; leaning over my shoulder to look. “Too thick”, he grunted. “I’m slicing it perfectly fine”, I said. He slid his arms around my waist, and pressed his hips towards my bottom; making clear his intention. “Not what I meant, little frog”, he breathed into my ear; and moved his hand towards the apex of my thighs. I gasped slightly. “Not in front of the mandrake”, I chuckled. “I’m sure it wouldn’t mind having it’s dying sight be of your perfect breasts bouncing”, he moaned; and let his other hand grab a hold of aforementioned part of my body.

Desperately trying to keep my head; I shrugged him off. Geralt looked at me with a frown. “I need to finish this”, I smiled. He groaned. “Besides, master witcher”, I smirked. “Don’t you have a contract to finish? The case of the non-existing succubus?”. He smiled wickedly. “I though we established last night, that you were the succubus”. I scoffed. “Oh, so now I’m draining the life out of you”. “Fuck”, he groaned. “Bad choice of words”. I smiled at him forgivingly. “Once I’m done here, we can go back to Danis and collect your pay”, I said. “Then, we can find a nice spot where you can fuck the living daylights out of me as much as you want”.

He looked at me with dark eyes. “Hurry”, he growled.

---

In the late afternoon we were back at the butcher’s house. He was waiting inside. “Well?”, he demanded. “Is it done? Is the demon dead?”.

Geralt sat down at the table, looking at him with hard eyes. “The demon is a young woman, who’s fallen in love with your son”, he said. “And he loves her”. My heart jumped a little at his words. “Love?”, Danis spattered; throwing what appeared to be a pigs-snout to the oversized dog on the floor. “Love has nothing to do with it. What love would have a boy ignore his parents plans for him?”.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”, I asked. “He’s supposed to take over the shop here. Find him a good wife that’ll fatten him up and bear him some children. Not run around in the fields with some… harlot!”. I was about to scream some choice words at him; when I felt Geralts hand on my knee under the table.

“Danis”, he said pointedly. “You brought me here to kill a succubus; even though I told you that such creatures carry no real danger. Now, you want me to… what, slit the throat of a girl; for no other reason than the fact that she makes your son happy?”. The butcher looked at Geralt with enraged eyes. “I’m not paying you anything until you get rid of that… that succubus!”, he snarled. “She must be a demon! Why else would Ajvin…”.

He was interrupted by Mirtha opening the door. “Harken, our boy is back!”, she beamed. We all went outside. “Witcher, you did it! Our son has come home!”, Mirtha sobbed through happy tears.

Ajvin was standing in front of us; his hair tussled, and it seemed he’d put on his shirt inside out. “It’s alright ma’. I’m here now”, he said; and hugged his crying mother. “Yes you are, son”, Danis smiled. “And now no more of that rubbish with that wench. You can get back to butchering with me”. Ajvin looked angrily at his father. “Don’t call her that!”, he said. “I love Lysa. We’re getting married!”. Danis gasped. “You, what?”, he snarled. “You’re mad, boy!”.

I felt Geralt tense up next to me. I grasped his hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze, which he returned after having relaxed his shoulders.

“She’s bewitched you, Ajvin”, Mirtha sobbed. “You have lost your mind; you must have!”. Ajvin smiled gently at her. “I haven’t, ma’”, he said. “I love Lysa, and she loves me. She makes me happy. She makes me dream up the most beautiful songs and poems; just from the way she looks at me”. I stifled a smile, remembering the beautiful song Geralt had recited to me in the meadow. They embraced; and Mirtha’s tears once again seemed to become happy ones.

“Rubbish!”, Danis cried out. “Get your head out of the clouds, Ajvin. You are meant to be a butcher – like me and your granda’ – not a singer”.

“But da’. I don’t want to be a butcher”, Ajvin said. “I want to be a poet. I don’t like killing animals”. “Rubbish”, Danis repeated. Ajvin shook his head. “It’s not rubbish. I’m going to Oxenfurt to train. Just like the great Jaskier. And Lysa’s coming with me”. Geralt raised an eyebrow.

Mirtha looked at her son with pleading eyes. “Is this what you want, son? Will this make you truly happy?”, she asked. He nodded. “It is, ma’”.

The butcher stormed towards Geralt; with a speed I didn’t know he had in him. “You!”, he yelled; pointing an angry finger at the witcher. “I’m not paying you as much as a rotten parsnip!”. Geralt looked ready to throttle the man, but before he could, Mirtha walked up behind him; and smacked him across the back of his head. “Shut up, Harkin!”, she growled. “You brought him here; you’ll pay him!”. “But…”, Danis tried. “No buts!”, Mirtha said. “Our boy has made up his mind. And you’ll support him”.

Danis muttered a curse; and then handed Geralt a small purse. “You’re not getting the meat!”, he snarled; and waddled back into his house.

Nodding at both Mirtha and Ajvin, we went to get the horses. The young man caught up to us at the stable doors.

“Are you Geralt of Rivia? The White Wolf?”, he asked. Geralt grunted. “That is…”, Ajvin looked flabbergasted. “You sir… you are so lucky to have been graced with the friendship of the great bard, Jaskier. Please tell me; what’s he like?”. Geralt seemed as if he was just about to say something rather unpleasant. “Very focused on his craft”, I said quickly. “His craft being women, drinking and laziness”, Geralt muttered below his breath. I bumped his arm with my shoulder, and smiled widely at Ajvin. “Good luck in Oxenfurt”, I said. “And good health on your marriage”. Ajvin beamed at me. “Thanks, my lady”.

He went to walk back to the house. “Oh!”, he said. “I nearly forgot”. He handed over some folded fabric and leather. “Ma’ said she’d noticed a patch on your dress; and seeing as you’re travelling what seems to be quite a way; it would be better for you to have something appropriate to wear”. I looked at the clothes I was holding. A mix of greys and browns; and what looked like a bright purple shirt. Ajvin half smiled at me. “I dyed it myself”, he said. I thanked him. “Safe journeys to you both”, he said, and left us.

I chuckled, and shook my head. “Are your contracts always like this?”, I asked Geralt. He grunted. “Not exactly”, he said. “But it’s not the first time someone mistook a pretty girl for a demon”. We got on our horses, and left Birxen behind.

---

At nightfall we came upon the ruins of an old cottage. “I wonder who lived here”, I said. “Tonight, we do”, Geralt grumbled; and began to tie the horses to a tree outside the ramshackle building. My stallion began making neighing sounds. “Don’t even think about it. I’ll make you a gelding”, Geralt growled at it; and led Roach to another tree, a few yards away. “Bayrd”, I said. “His name is Bayrd. The one who sings”. Geralt chuckled. “You’re mad, little frog”. I grinned at him.

That night; Geralt fucked the living daylights out of me; as I looked at the stars through the holes in the roof of the old cottage. Once he was finished – having made sure we both met a more than satisfying end – I fell asleep with my ear to his chest; lulled by the sound of his slow heartbeat.

---

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