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togrowoldinv · 6 months

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To Show Thanks

Milf!Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Wanda does all of the cooking for Thanksgiving and you help her see just how thankful you are for her

Warnings: Smut! 18+ please! Kissing, bathtub sex (W receiving), soft sex

Note: The most wonderful time of year indeed. Enjoy the milf!

Wanda Maximoff Masterlist, Main Masterlist

The house smells of turkey and the holiday season as Wanda stands by the stove. She’s been cooking since the crack of dawn, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

You’ve helped with a few things, but mostly it’s been Wanda who is putting in the work. The twins run around the house and play as they wait for the company to arrive.

“No! I’m running out of time!” Wanda’s voice breaks you from your thoughts.

“It’s only 5, baby. You still have about an hour until the guests arrive,” you say.

“That’s not long enough,” she says, a sigh falling from her perfect lips. They form into a pout as she observes the work she has ahead of her.

“Well, you could use your magic,” you say.

Wanda smiles but shakes her head.

“No magic today. Just me,” she says.

“You are magic no matter what, my love,” you tell her.

You stand up from your chair and hug Wanda from behind. She sinks into your touch. Dropping a kiss to her cheek, you make her feel relaxed even if for just a moment.

“Tell you what,” you begin. “I’ll get the rowdy boys to set the table and I’ll help you do anything you need. We can do this.”

“We can do this,” Wanda repeats though she’s not sure she believes it.

You kiss her cheek once more for good measure and then you go find the boys. They’re in their room playing Mario Kart.

“Hey guys,” you say. “How about we pause the game and go help Mom get ready for the guests?”

“Okay!” Billy answers easily. He’d do anything for his mom.

“Can we finish this level?” Tommy asks.

“Later, buddy,” you say.

“Okay,” he says, a slight sigh in his voice. He pouts like Wanda does.

“I have a super secret task for the two of you,” you tell them before you leave the bedroom.

“What is it?” Tommy asks.

“Today is Thanksgiving, which means that you tell people that you’re thankful for them. I got your mom a card and I was thinking you two could write a sweet note in it for her. What do you think?”

“Yes!” They both agree. Anything for Wanda.

You smile and lead them to the home office where they work on the card. You leave them to go back and help Wanda. Once they’re done, they come downstairs and set the table.

Wanda was right about timing being close, but you manage to have everything cooked and ready to serve at exactly 6 o’clock.

“We did it!” Wanda says excitedly.

“You did it, babe. All you,” you say.

Wanda smiles softly and places a soft kiss to your lips. The boys feign disgust. Soon, the doorbell rings.

She answers the door and lets guests inside one by one. Steve is first with Natasha, Maria, Tony, Sam, and Bucky not far behind. You remember meeting them all at the boys birthday party, but it’s so nice to see them again.

Everyone gathers around the table and begins to eat Wanda’s wonderful food.

“This is amazing, Wanda,” Steve compliments.

“Yeah, great job, Wanda. Reminds me of home,” Sam says.

Wanda smiles shyly and tries to share the credit.

“No, this is all her. I can cook, but not like this. She’s like professional level good,” you say. Everyone nods in agreement.

“So, how’s everything going?” Maria asks Wanda.

You know what she’s referring to. After Wanda and Vision split up, the woman has gone through a hard time with the divorce and now child custody hearings. You’ve been the bright spot in all of it.

“It’s good,” Wanda says. “I didn’t know going to court would be so expensive but it’s almost over.”

“I’d sue his ass for what he’s put you through,” Natasha jumps in. Maria nudges her shoulder but she only shrugs.

You shoot her a smile and she returns a smirk.

“How about we just talk about what we’re thankful for?” Steve, ever the peacemaker, tries to change the subject.

“Great idea,” you agree. “I’ll go first. I’m thankful for Wanda and her wonderful children and friends.”

Wanda smiles and kisses your cheek at your words. You hold her hand under the table. You’ve become her everything over these last few months.

Wanda speaks next. “I’m thankful for friends who have become family, for my precious babies, and for y/n who is truly my best friend.”

Everyone goes around and continues to share what they’re thankful for. Love and laughter fills the air as the hours pass by. After dessert and socializing, the guests go home.

Wanda is in the kitchen running a sink of dishes when you stop her.

“Come with me,” you say, pulling her softly.

“But the dishes, baby. They won’t do themselves,” she tries.

You keep walking and lead Wanda to the living room. The boys are there with Wanda’s card in hand.

“We got you this, Mommy,” Billy says, handing her the card.

“Oh, thank you, baby,” Wanda says. She sits between the two boys. She opens the card and tears fill her eyes.

“We all signed it to say we’re thankful for you,” Tommy explains.

“Wow,” Wanda says softly. “This is so sweet. I’m so thankful for you guys too.”

Wanda kisses them both on the forehead as they lean into her. She reaches out to you too and you join the snuggle pile.

“Can we finish our level before bedtime?” Tommy asks after a moment.

“Yeah go ahead boys. Mom and I will be up to tuck you in soon,” you tell them. They hug you both before running up the stairs.

Wanda tries to get up but you pull her gently back onto the couch. She lands on your lap and you grin at her.

“Thank you for the card,” Wanda says.

“That was from the boys,” you say.

“Mhm. I know you were the mastermind,” she says. “I should really clean up dinner.”

“Nope.”

“What do you mean nope?” Wanda asks.

“You, my dear, did all the cooking so I will do all of the cleaning,” you say. “I’ll pour you some wine and you just get to relax, okay?”

You don’t give her a chance to say no. Instead, you kiss her and get up to start cleaning. Wanda sits at the counter and watches you. After a bit, you tuck the boys into bed and finish up cleaning.

“How about a bath?” You ask Wanda, leaning over the counter in a way you know draws her eyes to your chest.

“Only if you’ll join me,” she replies, pressing a kiss to your lips.

“Yes please,” you say.

You go to the bathroom together and run the water. Wanda slips off her clothes first and slides into the warm water. You join her and settle in behind her.

She rests her head on your shoulder as you softly run your hands over her body.

“Thank you for today,” Wanda says.

“You did the hard part.”

“No, I mean- you didn’t have to clean up or give me a card or anything,” Wanda explains.

“Oh,” you say. “I just thought you’d like it.”

“I did. I loved it,” Wanda rushes to say. “It’s just- no one’s ever done that for me before. It’s new.”

“You deserve it, Wands. Everything doesn’t have to fall on you. And you deserve to hear how thankful we all are for you,” you say.

“Hmm,” Wanda hums. She turns her head to look into your eyes. “I really love you.”

“I really love you too, Wanda Maximoff.”

She leans up and kisses you. You deepen the kiss and let your hand slip between her legs. Wanda gasps at the feeling.

“Just relax, baby. I’ll take care of you,” you say.

She lets herself relax against you as you move your fingers through her folds. Wanda lets out the sweetest sounds with every stroke. You slip fully into her easily and make quick work of getting her to her high.

“That’s it, sweetheart. Let go,” you say softly as she comes against your fingers.

Wanda’s eyes remain closed in pleasure as you simply hold her against you. She stays there until the water gets too cold and you have to get out.

You get dressed in warm pajamas and snuggle into bed next to each other. Wanda clings to you.

“I’m so thankful for you,” Wanda says as her eyes droop closed from exhaustion and relaxation.

“I’m thankful for you too, Wanda. I always will be,” you tell her.

With one more shared kiss, you two fall into a deep slumber that lasts until morning.

Wanda has never been so happy and that’s all thanks to you.

#wanda maximoff x reader #milf!wanda #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff smut #wanda maximoff comfort #wanda maximoff fluff #milf!wanda x reader

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amjustagirl · 1 month

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title: to rebuild a home pairing: kuroo x f! reader genre: angst / fluff, post timeskip! wc: 6.8k m.list

a/n: companion piece to the original love knows not its depth, from kuroo's perspective.

Kuroo Tetsuro is doing alright.

He’s deftly juggling the roles life has handed him. His tenth wedding anniversary is coming up. He’s gotten a nice pair of earrings and a reservation at Tokyo’s hottest omakase for you to celebrate. The girls are doing nicely at school - Aiko’s grades are excellent, and Fumiko’s not gotten into any schoolyard fights unlike Bokuto’s trio of sons. His bosses seem happy with him too, paving the way for him to climb the corporate ladder rung by rung. He’s earned each promotion by burning days in the office, nights in the izakayas schmoozing with his bosses, but it’s worth it, even if it admittedly comes at the expense of being with you and the girls.

It’s a sacrifice he has to make so he can provide you with the fairytale life he’s always promised you. Not that you’ve ever complained about the trade-off.

“She’s the best wife and mom I could’ve asked for”, he tells Kenma, when the former setter asks about you. “I don’t know how she does it.”

Kenma frowns. “You make her sound like a video game character.”

“That’s cos she’s amazing -”

“Kinda sucks that she pretty much has to juggle a full time job and the kids on her own most of the time.”

“She manages perfectly well”, Kuroo enthuses, oblivious to the barb in his friend’s words. “By the time I get home, the girls are in bed, the house is clean, and there’s even a lunch box packed for me each day. She’s a rockstar at work too - should be up for a promotion next financial year.”

“Huh”, Kenma sniffs. “I wonder when she gets a break.”

Kuroo’s too distracted by the round of beers that’s delivered to his table to think deeply about his best friend’s apprehension. When he stumbles through the front door that night, he finds you crouched over the coffee table, frantically typing at your laptop. As expected, the girls are in bed, there’s nothing out of place.

“All good?” he asks you in passing, his mind already filing the tasks on his plate for tomorrow - organising a publicity event jointly held by the JVA and Bouncing Ball Corporation to introduce new national team members, reviewing the proposed budget for this year’s international competitions, popping by the under-19 team to see if there are indeed any promising candidates - he’s already one foot in the bedroom, ready to call it a night.

He doesn’t notice the violets blooming under your eyes.

“Mm.” You don’t look up. “Have a good night.”

Kruoo Tetsuro thinks he’s doing alright.

Bokuto Kotaro, for some reason, doesn’t think so. “Mitsuki said you’re lucky you’re not married to her cos she’ll skin you alive”, he informs him, as if Kuroo shares his love for women capable of chomping his head off in one bite.

Maybe the Bokutos operate on a different metric - because yes, they’re the model of egalitarianism with Mitsuki the high powered general counsel for Kenma’s Bouncing Ball Corporation (based on his referral, he likes to add, cos’ it’s funny to watch Mitsuki growl) and Kotaro the part time coach, full time stay at home dad to his wolfpack of sons, but that doesn’t mean his marriage is on the rocks.

As a child, he was the unwitting witness to his parents’ fights, which culminated in his mother walking out of the door, his father crying over a thick stack of divorce papers. His grandparents took him in, gave him stability and love and comfort but he swore to himself he’s never going to put his daughters through that.

Sure, it’s been a while since you’ve had a night to yourself. The last time he remembers you taking time away from the girls was to go out for dinner with him to celebrate his latest promotion - his conscience stings a little that he can’t remember the last time you’ve taken a break from everything you’ve been doing for him and the girls, but he’ll make it up to you once he has time. You always understand.

Still, just to be sure, he checks in on you again.

“You alright?”, he reaches for your hand, when he climbs into bed that night.

You’re lying in bed. He should find it odd that you’re still awake at this time of the night, staring up at the ceiling as if there’s something to be found there, but he falls asleep in the slow seconds, doesn't hear your response. When he wakes, you’ve already taken the girls to school. He gets himself ready for work, loops his tie around his neck, grabs his briefcase and the bento you’ve so lovingly packed for him, and hops on the train. He runs through his routine like clockwork, but there’s a niggling feeling that he’s missed something important, possibly something to do with you.

Did you say something to him last night?

It doesn’t matter. He makes a mental note to purchase a spa day for you - but that’s promptly forgotten when he’s greeted by a flood of emails and an invitation from his boss to go out for drinks that night.

Kuroo still thinks he’s doing alright.

“You’re lucky”, his boss toasts him. “Your wife doesn’t complain like mine when I go out drinking, even though I tell her I need to do it for work.”

“She’s an angel”, Kuroo replies, quietly bursting with pride. “Never complains.”

“Lucky man”, his boss says. “My wife is such a nag.”

He misses the last train home that night, drops you a text not to wait up and stumbles around Shibuya trying to find a cab. It must be a busy night because by the time he manages to flag down one, it’s three a.m. and his head is pounding from the excess of alcohol and lack of solid food and water. He fumbles with his keys, almost falls through his front door when the lock gives way. “Tadaima”, he says out of habit, too-loudly, before his stomach lurches and he has to make a mad dash for the kitchen sink.

“Tetsuro?”

He wants to respond, but he’s too busy emptying out the contents of his stomach. He shouldn’t have woken you up. He shouldn’t greet you with a mess for you to clean up. He shouldn’t lean so heavily on you that you stagger beneath his weight.

He shouldn’t do all of that yet he does so anyway. You tuck him, a grown man, into bed.

Tomorrow, he’ll apologise. Tomorrow, he’ll make it up to you.

Tomorrow comes. He wakes up.

You’re gone.

Kuroo Tetsuro is not alright.

He’s ashamed to admit that he doesn’t even notice you’ve taken off until it’s way past lunch when your mother drops him a text to ask if he’s picking up the girls or if he intends to leave them with her overnight.

“What d’you mean?” he texts her, confused.

His heart stops when your mother responds to say you dropped off the girls at her place without much of an explanation, an overnight bag slung over your shoulder. You don’t pick up your phones, his calls going straight to voicemail. For the first time in forever, he sheepishly asks his boss for urgent leave from work so he can rush home to figure out what’s going on.

You always take your laptop with you, but it’s sitting at home. He knows it’s an invasion of privacy, but he types in your password (his birthday), and your web browser reveals a booking for a ryokan in Hakone, where the both of you honeymooned almost a decade ago. It’s an hour away by train, far too much time for him to sit and stew in his thoughts. He wonders if you’ve become sick of your life with him, whether you’ve found someone new, and by the time he’s reached the ryokan and charmed the receptionist to let him into your room, he’s teetering on the edge of giving into his frustration, entertaining thoughts about yelling at you for being so goddamned irresponsible, cos how could you just walk out on him and the girls -

Until you walk in, thankfully alone.

It strikes him that it’s the most refreshed he’s seen you look in a very, very long time. Your cheeks are glowing, your eyes sparkle, and there’s a spring in your step that he hasn’t seen since you’ve had the girls.

Still, he can’t help but remain a little peeved. “I’ve been calling you all afternoon”, he informs you. “I was worried.”

He immediately regrets his words as he watches the light die in your eyes.

“Were you?”, you ask, as if you were addressing a stranger. “Really?”

“Of course”, he frowns, slowly getting up to approach you, concerned when you start to sway. “You’re my wife and the mother of our girls, of course I care.”

Laughter spills from your lips, an undercurrent of bitterness and contempt that’s threatening to drag you under before his very eyes. “If you really cared, you’d have noticed that your wife is broken”, you tell him between gasps, your shoulders caving in. “I tried fixing myself with a break, but you can’t even give me that.”

He’s starting to realise that things aren’t alright at all. You flinch when he takes a step towards you, an action which stabs him clean through his heart because he’s your husband, your Tetsuro, your person. Tea, then, a neutral offering that manages to calm you down enough to take a seat, even if you’re still shaking, falling to pieces while laughing, laughing -

“Tell me what’s wrong”, he begs. “Tell me what I can do to fix you.”

You take a sip of tea. It’s hot enough to burn you, but you don’t seem to notice.

“I can’t do this anymore, Tetsuro.”

“Don’t say that”, he snaps, his inner child recoiling because he can’t bear to have his girls go through what he went through, wondering if it was his fault, his very existence that caused his parents to split up. “The girls and I need you -”

You don’t seem to hear him.

“Princess”, he falls back on his pet name for you, rusty from lack of use. “Come back to me.”

You’re unmoved, your eyes unseeing, deaf to his pleas. Sip after sip, you gulp down scalding tea, each action jerky, mechanical. Frozen, in an impenetrable placidness that he can’t read. You’re sitting right in front of him but you’re not really there at all.

“Let’s talk when you’re back home”, he finally says. “Have a good break.”

The immature little boy that still lives in his psyche is still unconvinced that it’s a bad idea to drag you back home with him posthaste, but you asked for a break, and it’s the least he can give to you.

You allow him to roll out your futon for you, to swaddle you in layers of blankets as if that would keep you from falling apart any further. As he kisses your forehead to bid you goodnight and goodbye, he feels the brittleness of your bones, the thinness of your skin beneath his palms and he spends the hour-long train ride home wondering how he managed to look away long enough for you to turn into a shadow of your past self.

He goes straight to your mother’s house to retrieve the girls. As penance, he stands at the front door, head bowed, letting your mother yell at him in front of the neighbours for being a useless husband and an irresponsible father. After all, he deserves every word she flings in his face. He’s just thankful that she doesn’t ream him out in front of the girls.

“Where’s mama?” Fumiko mumbles half asleep into his neck. “Want mama.”

He cradles her closer. “She’ll be home tomorrow”, he tells her, hoping with every fibre of his being that that does not turn out to be a lie. Aiko, older and wiser, just stays quiet, so he forces a smile on his face for her sake.

Kuroo Tetsuro is far from okay.

The strain of the day wears on him and he’s sure there are burning emails in his inbox for him to firefight, but there’s a long list of chores to be done in your absence. The girls’ school bags need to be packed (in the case of five year old Fumiko) or checked (for ten year old Aiko), their uniforms to be laid out, the laundry sorted and folded. He barely gets any sleep before he has to hop out of bed to throw together a cold breakfast of milk and cereal that makes Fumiko burst into tears and Aiko’s face droops. By the time he shuffles his two cranky children out of the house and into their respective schools, he’s late for work.

He meets Bokuto and Kenma for lunch since there’s no lunch bento waiting for him in the fridge, though he regrets the decision to leave the refuge of his work desk for the boardroom of Bouncing Ball Corporation when Mitsuki joins them and, sharp-eyed as ever, sinks her talons into him.

“You look like shit”, she says to him as a greeting.

“Thanks”, he grounds out. The girls demanded he work their hair into the neat braids they insisted you always do, so bedhead would have to do for him today.

“I’ve never seen you without hair gel before”, Bokuto marvels. “You look weird.”

“I had a crap morning, okay”, he snaps, biting the head off the karaage fish in his store bought bento, which he resents for tasting worse than those you usually make for him. “So I’m sorry if I look slightly less than presentable -”

“You look like a man whose wife just left him - “

Mitsuki’s just stepped right on the wound he’s tried to keep hidden, festering and bleeding beneath his skin, so like an animal lashing out when it’s hurt, Kuroo slaps the table with both palms and snarls.

“Don’t - don’t fucking say that, okay? She’s just taking a break. She’ll come home.”

He can’t stand to see the shock and pity on his closest friends’ faces. “She’s coming home today”, he repeats softly, almost to himself, as if he’s little Fumiko in need of reassurance that the person she needs most in the world hasn’t just abandoned her. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Perhaps it’s the maturity that comes with fatherhood, because Bokuto is the first to react. “That’s right, you’re gonna be okay”, he soothes, pulling Kuroo into his seat. “Kenma’s gonna call your boss and tell him that you’re gonna spend the rest of the afternoon here to plan some event - “

“Sponsorship for the Under-19 team, done”, Kenma snaps his phone shut.

“Guys, I’m fine - ”

“Pretending everything’s okay isn’t going to help.”

Kuroo deflates. “Thanks, Kenma.”

Shelving his worthless pride to lay bare the situation he’s found himself in, that by neglecting his duties as a husband and father, he’s forced you to the brink of a mental breakdown, bad enough that you’ve left him - temporarily, he hopes. In the span of a few hours, he’s already found himself at his wit’s end, struggling to handle both the demands of the kids and his job, something that he realises he’s left you to bear, alone.

“But I can’t figure out why she didn’t just tell me she was feeling overwhelmed”, he says, pulling at a fraying thread in his shirt. “I would’ve listened. I would’ve done better.”

“She shouldn’t have to tell you to do your part”, Mitsuki waves away Bokuto’s desperate gesture for her not to kick a man when he’s already down.

“But I didn’t know -”

“Y’know, I really can’t stand men like you. You guys are amazing at work, able to anticipate your bosses’ and clients’ needs. At this point, you don’t even need to be told by your bosses to jump, you don’t even ask your clients ‘how high’ - yet, for some reason, you manage to turn off your brain the minute you walk in through the front door at home.”

“Maybe I should ask her for a list of things I can help her with -”

Bokuto claps his hand over Mitsuki’s mouth. “Ehhh..you might not wanna finish your sentence or Mitsuki might really bite your head off.”

Kuroo winces, snapping his mouth shut.

“Maybe you can think of it in a different way”, Bokuto says. “Instead of ‘helping’ her - cos that’s just placing the mental burden on her - at least, I think that’s the term Mitsuki-chan used when she explained it to me -” the affronted lawyer nods begrudgingly, and beaming, he continues - “you gotta do your half of the work!”

“Level up”, Kenma provides, rather unhelpfully.

“Open your eyes and use your brain”, Mitsuki says bluntly, rolling her eyes, though her tone is less sharp.

“Where do I start?” Kuroo asks.

Step one.

He picks the girls up from his mother in law’s place, bears with the lecture that’s awaiting him, and sheepishly asks them what their mama usually feeds them for dinner and breakfast, making a mental note of it. Tonight, he’ll cheat by feeding them gyudon at Sukiya, but he drops by the supermarket to procure the ingredients he needs for tomorrow’s breakfast and a bouquet of pink roses, even though he knows it’s probably too little, too late. He counts himself lucky that Fumiko loves bathtime, only needing supervision to wash and dry her hair, and Aiko’s responsible enough to work through her homework without prompting, but he’s still exhausted by the time they both head to bed.

His job doesn’t end there. Running through the checklist Mitsuki begrudgingly allowed Bokuto to give him, he surveys the apartment, comparing it against the mental image of how everything was before you left it. Toys scattered, to be put back in place. Dust on floor, to be vacuumed up. A heap of laundry in the basket, to be hung, dried, ironed.

Just as he finishes all these tasks, the front door swing opens.

“Tadaima”, you call out, voice hushed.

He nearly trips over his feet in his haste to relieve you of your luggage, usher you into a seat by the kitchen counter. “Okaerie”, he breathes,

“The girls?” you ask.

He’ll buy Bokuto lunch next time. “I picked them up from your mom”, he responds. “Don’t wake them up, I just put them to bed.”

You peek into their rooms nonetheless. “Thanks”, you say, heading next to the fridge. “By the way, I’ll pay you back for the hotel room from my own money, don’t worry.”

That’s the last thing on his mind. Besides, his sin is being a neglectful husband, not a miser. “It’s fine, I’ll cover it”, he scratches his head, embarrassed that you’re even bringing it up. “I should’ve realised you needed a break.”

That makes you frown, but you accept anyway. He watches you stack bread, eggs, ham, cheese, and it strikes him that you’re already worrying about the girls’ breakfast when you look as if you haven’t even had your own dinner.

“You haven’t had dinner?” he asks.

You reply carelessly that you’ve had a bento on the train back. You don’t even bother to look at him.

“I’ll take the girls in the mornings from now”, he tells you. “Sleep in and take a break.”

That gets your attention.

“Really?”

He plasters a confident smirk on his face to reassure you that he’s got it all in hand.

“Oh”, you’re adorable when you’re confused, but he hates that he’s given you reason to doubt him. “Wake me up if you need my help?”

“I won’t”, he promises.

It’s time for him to level up.

Step two.

He’s not going to lie to himself that he finds it difficult to do even half of what you used to do. Taking over the responsibility of wrangling the girls out of bed and into school, coming home early enough for dinner with you, that requires him to have hard conversations with his boss about not being able to go out for drinks or come in early anymore which probably hurts his chances for his next promotion, forces him to give up an hour or two of sleep, but it’s worth it if it allows you to heal.

“Don’t expect a gold star for your efforts”, Mitsuki warned him. “It’s just what you should’ve been doing before, so it’s time for you to go above and beyond.”

He takes her words to heart. You deserve to go to work well-rested, to wind down at night with a hot bath. He’ll buy a robot vacuum and pour over its manual that’s thicker than a textbook, do laundry loads while hopping on and off conference calls, wrestle the iron to press down his own shirts.

You seem baffled by the sudden shift in the winds, but he just pretends everything is normal. Business as usual. Things are just as they should’ve been.

In his next push to right his wrongs, he organises a Saturday dinner date with you. The girls are packed off with your mother, he makes the reservation, books the cab, compliments your dress. He asks you about your work (tiring), your boss (a micro-manager), the books you’ve read recently (nada, zilch). In the uphill battle to keep the conversation from being stilted, he makes a fatal mistake.

“We can make it work if you want to quit your job and stay home full time with the children.”

In his mind, that was a reasonable suggestion to make since you seem to hate your job and boss with a fiery passion. But you stare at him wide-eyed, your initial confusion hardening into anger.

“Did the guys at work tell you it’s easier to have a housewife instead of a working wife? Are you saying this because you don’t think I’m a good enough mother to our girls?”

You don’t give him a chance to backpedal, shooting a sarcastic apology for being selfish enough to refuse to be reliant on him, so he just slumps back in his chair in defeat.

“I just want you to be happy”, he murmurs. “Forget I ever said that.”

Step three.

To figure out step three, he schedules an emergency lunch meeting on Monday. The troops convene in Kenma’s boardroom to listen to his sorry tale with Mitsuki in charge of the post–battle analysis.

“And remind me again, where did you two meet?”

His face lights up at the memory of his first meeting with you. “Finance 102”, he replies. “We used to be academic rivals turned teammates after I convinced her I was smart enough for her to work with on projects.”

“What made you fall in love with her?”

“As much as I hate it, I have to admit she’s probably smarter than me”, he says, though the fond smile that creeps onto his face betrays the fact that he loves that about you. “She’s just - her, she’s headstrong and funny. Did I tell you how she tried to stab me with her fork when I stole food off her plate -”

“Only a million times”, Kenma interjects.

“She’s always been independent and ambitious, with big dreams and an even bigger heart.”

“Well”, Mitsuki says, adopting the mildest tone she’s used on him this month. “Does that sound like a woman who’d choose to stay home and depend on her husband? Not that there’s anything wrong with being a stay-at-home parent - Koutaro makes my career possible, and I’m the luckiest woman in the world to have him as my husband.”

“Babyyyyy.” Bokuto bawls, looking at MItsuki as if she hangs the moon in the sky.

Gross. Kenma seems to agree. “Let’s get back to Kuroo’s failing marriage”,

“So I shouldn’t bring up the suggestion that she quit her job again?”

His three person council shake their heads in unison. “Just keep what you’re doing”, Bokuto pipes up. “Sounds like you’re already doing the right things! Just gotta keep making sure she’s not holding up the sky herself.”

He can do that.

“And maybe talk to her?”, Kenma offers.

That’s the suggestion that he wants to dismiss right off the bat because he’s too much of a coward to even face the possibility that you might leave him. He doesn’t want to become his dad so he resolves to keep his head down and continue pushing ahead with his efforts to prove to you that he can be the husband you deserve, so you won’t wake up one day and decide to walk out on him again.

But his subconscious fears force his nightmares into overdrive. Dreams of packed bags and stacks of divorce papers makes him yelp loud enough for you to roll over and shake him awake. He’s a terrible husband for disturbing your sleep, but in his sleep-dazed state of confusion he just sinks back into the pillow, exhaling a sigh of relief.

“Thank the gods you haven’t left.”

“Why would I leave?”, you mumble, turning away again. “It’s my home, isn’t it.”

He sits up, rubs the nightmares away from his eyes. “I was afraid you left me.”

The silence nearly suffocates him. The sudden need to know exactly where you stand eats away at him and he crawls towards you. “Are you going to leave me”, he asks, praying to all the gods in the universe that you’ll reassure him otherwise.

His heart breaks anew when he hears a small sob, buried in the bedclothes. “I don’t know, Tetsuro”, you finally say. “I’m tired of being alone in a marriage when it’s supposed to be us working together.”

“I’m sorry.” There’s nothing much he can say.

A broken whisper. “I’m tired”, you exhale. “I think I deserve better.”

“I’ll make it better”, he promises.

He will. He will.

Kuroo Tetsuro is trying his best.

He takes a cooking class on the weekends to learn how to prepare bento boxes that are nutritious and easy on the wallet. He takes over the ferrying of Fumiko to her swimming lessons, work on Aiko’s art projects with her. He hires a part time cleaner to pick up the deep cleaning, so you and he have time to take the girls out on weekend outings instead of spending all day on a week’s worth of cumulated chores. A dishwasher appears in the house. He makes it a game for he and the girls to load and unload dishware each night.

“There’s a networking wine night for finance next Wednesday”, he tells you casually. “I’ll make sure to be home so you can go, if you want.”

You goggle at him.

“Go schmooze so the world knows you’re as amazing as I know you are.”

You trust him enough to leave the girls behind in his care and go. He counts that as a win.

Some nights he still can’t get home in time for dinner, but he always makes sure he’s home in time for a bedtime story and a goodnight kiss. Aiko avers that at the grand old age of ten, she doesn’t need her papa to tuck her to bed anymore, but she sidles into Fumiko’s room everynight and sits in the corner of her little sister’s bed as the littler girl listens to his tall tales.

“I met a princess when I was eighteen”, he says with a grin when he notices you listening in. “Instead of a crown, she armed herself with a fork, ready to cut down anyone who’d cross her.”

His heart skips a beat when he hears your voice from the doorway. “Don’t be dramatic”, you interrupt, a small smile growing on your face. “You were trying to steal my food and didn’t stop ‘til I stabbed you.”

Fumiko huffs, unhappy that her story’s being interrupted, but he can’t seem to tear his gaze away from you. “You left it on the table, princess. I consider that fair game.”

“Let ‘to-san tell the story, ka’san.” Aiko grumbles.

He savours your laughter. It tastes better than the finest wine.

“I can’t believe I have to fly all the way to Italy just to meet Kageyama-kun”, he huffs. “At least Hinata is meeting us there, I’ll revolt if I had to go up to Brazil as well.”

“You know it can’t be helped”, you reply. “The promotional activities planned need your presence, and it’s only for a week.”

“Will you be okay when I’m gone?”

His fears melt away when you hand him his suitcase, a flask of his favourite tea. “I’ve always managed fine. Nothing’s changed.”

His little monsters, realising that he’s about to leave, decide to launch a synchronised attack on him. Aiko throws herself at him in a bear hug. Fumiko yanks at his sleeve demanding a thousand kisses.

“Yes, well. I’ll be home soon. Please wait for me” he says to you when the girls finally release him. The expression on your face is unreadable, but you don’t pull away when he takes the liberty of taking your hand in his.

He feels your heartbeat accelerates. You glance up at him, almost shy. “I’ll see you soon.”

He’s so tempted to call his boss and pretend that he’s too ill to get on that damned flight, but he’s pretty sure that would get him fired. Instead, he calls you and the girls every day, and brings home a luggage full of presents for all of you.

When he’s home, he celebrates by putting on the frilliest pink apron he’s ever seen (courtesy of Yaku, who sent it to him all the way from Moscow as a joke) and throwing an elaborate takoyaki party, replete with customised toppings - octopus, cheese and shrimp, which the girls enjoyed even if he burnt the first batch and had to call Fukunaga frantically for tips to rescue the rest. It turns out to be such a success that he makes it a weekly event. Okonomiyaki is next, which he flips with expert confidence on a hot plate to the applause of you and the girls.

“Itadakimasu”, you clap your hands together. “It tastes good.”

He nearly melts into his pan. “Thank you”, he replies. “It means a lot, coming from you.”

His nights are still plagued by nightmares.

Things are better with you, he likes to think. The violets beneath your eyes are replaced by roses in your cheeks. He hears you humming about the house again. You pick up reading again, the shelves in the house start to groan under the weight of books belonging to the girls and you. You’re as eager as the girls to go on the next adventure, whether it be a summer night out in the park with sparklers, or a nerf gun battle at home on rainy days.

Still, he doesn’t know for sure what he’s doing is enough for you and he’s too much of a coward to check. So he’ll wake up almost every night, fumble in the dark just to make sure you’re there.

You’re there, until you aren’t.

It’s three in the morning. The space beside him is cold and empty.

He throws off the blankets, trips on his bed slippers. He crashes through into the living room and oh, there you are - sitting at the dining table, typing furiously at your laptop while mouthing off to yourself about the ridiculous demands your client makes.

“What’s wrong?” you frown.

He walks towards you, trying to discern that you’re real, you’re there, not some trick of the light..

“You’re - you’re still here.”

You nod slowly, eyeing him strangely. “My boss called and asked me to send out an urgent email. I was just about to go back to bed.”

He exhales, tries to force his trembling heart back into his chest. He thinks he’s doing a good job trying to act nonchalant, smoothing back his frazzled mane of hair, but you see right through him as you always do.

“Tetsuro”, you say slowly. “Is everything alright?

The truth tumbles out of his mouth. “I thought you were gone.”

Then he hangs his head, looks at his feet, afraid that he’ll only see rejection in your eyes. He’s a pathetic failure of a husband who has a decade’s worth of sins to make up for, and there’s no justification for him to selfishly to seek your absolution.

It comes anyway, in the form of soft hands pulling him forward.

“I’m here”, you say, pulling him into your embrace, letting him rest his heavy head in your lap.

He doesn’t allow himself to sink into your warmth. “Are you happier now? Are things better for you?”

“Yes”, he hears you say. The tension he’s been carrying around these few months lifts. “Thank you, Tetsuro. I appreciate it. I really do. You don’t have to work yourself to death - that’s never what I was asking for. If you’re tired -”

He shakes his head at your suggestion. He’s got a long way yet before he earns any reprieve.

“Tetsuro -”

He sits up abruptly, takes your hands in his.

“Promise you won’t leave me”, he pleads. “I know you’ve had to carry what must’ve felt like the weight of the entire world on your own, and I don’t have any excuse for that.”

“You don’t”, you agree.

He accepts the blow but he takes comfort that you don’t pull away. “I know that now. I know now how fucking hard it was to do it all alone.”

“It was hard. It was so, so hard, Tetsuro. I became numb to the pain. I don’t think I was functioning, I haven’t been for a while. For a long, long while.”

“I’m sorry”, his voice cracks.

“I know.” You cup his face in your hands, offers him comfort he doesn’t deserve. “That’s a chapter of our marriage that’s past, that can’t be unwritten. But the past few months have been different. You’ve shown me that you’ve changed.”

The first glimmer of sunlight after a long, dark winter. Hope blooms with your smile.

“I think”, you say. “I think we can make this work again.”

He stares at you, dumbstruck. Then the fact that you’re giving him another chance dawns upon him, and he crashes forward to rest his head on your shoulder, unashamed to cry tears of relief.

“Thank you”, he exhales brokenly. “I won’t fuck this up again, I promise.”

You press a kiss to his forehead, curl up trustingly in his arms. “Don’t thank me”, you laugh. “Thank yourself for making me believe in you.”

He drinks up each drop of your affection, falls asleep in the cradle of your arms.

“Is this what flirting is like?”

He wakes up to Aiko’s impertinent question, her hands on hips looking distinctly unimpressed at finding her parents asleep on the sofa, entwined together.

“Who taught you that word?” Kuroo asks, aghast that his ten year old daughter even recognises the existence of the opposite gender.

Aiko sticks her tongue at him, and he’s too distracted by Fumiko taking a flying leap onto the sofa with them, chattering a thousand miles an hour about what’s for breakfast and whether they can go to the zoo this afternoon - though he pins his suspicions on Bokuto’s trio of sons.

“Monsters”, he says. “Can’t even give your to-san a break to snuggle up to your pretty ka’san.”

The girls shriek in dismay - Aiko, at being a witness to further gross displays of affection between her parents, Fumiko, at being called a monster despite being a self-proclaimed princess. You prod at the soft flesh between his ribs.

“Don’t be mean”, you admonish him.

He sniffs, taking the chance to draw you closer. “I’m cranky in the mornings unless I get a morning kiss.”

You snort, swatting at him. “You make it sound as if kisses contain caffeine.”

The girls giggle, but he protests.

“Full of nonsense”, you tease, but you kiss him, again and again and again.

Things settle into a steady, sustainable pace.

You refuse to allow him to bear the weight of the household on his back alone. There are frank conversations to be had about what each of you can realistically handle without burning out. He leads the charge in the mornings, whipping up breakfast with the aid of his two sous chefs, building an expertise in braiding and french twists that could possibly allow him to moonlight as a hairstylist. You, on the other hand, take charge of evening pick-ups, cooking dinners, supervising homework and art projects until he comes home and tags you out.

Chores are evenly split. He doesn’t allow you to assume the mental load of organising the household by yourself. “We both have a degree in business management”, he likes to remind you, because he now knows that remembering to run errands, scheduling appointments - all of this is work too.

You force him to take breaks. If you get to relax with your friends, so should he. “If you get too stressed, you’ll lose your hair and we can’t have that.” He yelps when he imagines himself bald and obediently complies when you call Kenma up, talk him into getting him and Bokuto and Akaashi (when he’s feeling less morose about his singlehood) to go for a round of pick up volleyball. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself”, you note wryly when he returns home crowing about how he stuffed an Olympic player with a kill block.

“I did”, he replies, catching your hips to pull you in, cheekily ignoring your complaints that he’s sweaty. “But I enjoy coming home to you even more.”

“Gross”, you grumble, but you seem content to remain in his arms.

It’s another small moment he treasures. Life, he learns, is made of moments, both big and small. He’d made the mistake of only focusing on the big ones - graduation, playing at nationals, the day he was lucky enough to marry you, each of his daughter’s birthdays. Now, though, he cherishes each moment, each second he has with you and the girls, no matter how little, no matter how small.

He likes to come into the bathroom each night, leaning his elbow on the edge of the bathtub as you chat to him about your day, luxuriating in the bath he drew for you. You and he take turns to complain about life’s inconveniences as you clear emails once the girls have gone off to bed- colleagues who shirk their work, bosses who nitpick overmuch, washing everything down with steaming cups of herbal tea.

“Are you happy?”, he asks you, night after night.

“Mm”, you say with an impish grin. “I’d be happier if you let me put my toes on your calves.”

“They’re freezing”, he groans but scoots over anyway. “Better?”

“Much better”, you hum, content. “Life is good.”

He’s not remiss in planning the big moments too.

A year passes quickly to your wedding anniversary. He packs your suitcase, books the train tickets and whisks you back to the ryokan in Hakone, though this time he upgrades you both to their largest suite. “I feel like a princess!” you exclaim, twirling about the room.

Your happiness is worth every yen he spent.

You spend the day strolling down avenues lined with cherry blossoms, Mount Fuji looming in the backdrop, the evening exchanging heated kisses in the private onsen he booked. You’re older now, with laughter lines creased into your forehead, grey streaks in your hair, but you’re still the same girl he fell in love with all those years ago.

“And you couldn’t wait ‘til we got back to our room?” you smack him.

He also loves how there’s fire burning bright in your eyes, the way it always used to. “You kissed me first!”

“You kissed me second!”

“I don’t hear you complaining”, he cackles.

You try to shush him, to no avail, as he draws the attention of everyone around him.

“What a happy couple”, an obaa-san remarks out loud. “They must be newlyweds.”

Well, she’s not wrong. You’re as radiant as you were fifteen years ago, his spring bride, but he’s an old man doddering on, hopefully with his edges sanded off with time. “Just your regular old, married couple”, he chortles when you’re safely back in the room.

“A happily married couple”, you reply, serenely sipping your tea. “That obaa-san definitely got that part right.”

There’s a lump in his throat that he can’t swallow. “Are you happy?” he manages to ask anyway.

“With you?” Your smile is warm, bright. Always.”

Both of you are doing alright.

a/n: it's been a while, hasn't it. i've been alright - how are you guys doing?

#kuroo x you #kuroo x reader #kuroo testuro #haikyuu angst #haikyuu fluff

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eunoiaastralwings · 4 months

Text

The Marriage Certificate

featuring bucky x wife!reader with their son

fandom mcu- tfatws era

a/n read alone - follow the James Bucky Jr / James 'Jay' Steven Barnes tag if you like more : mini series masterlist

warnings crack fluff but I blame @incorrectmarvelquotesss for this - at is all am saying XD - and dont try this at home kids ;D Baby Jay being a cutie to melt your hearts is a warning too

You were currently organizing all your documents in order – it was something you were putting off for so long, but now you finally pulled out all of them to organize them into files and statements.

They were piled across yours and Bucky’s bed. There was every thing there – except for your marriage certificate.

“Bucky?”

You called for your husband – who was in the living room or out in the back yard with your 2-month son.

You got up looking for your husband and baby.

“Bucky, honey? Have you seen. . .our. . .marriage. . . certificate. . .?”

Your eyes widened and bewildered – seeing Bucky just casually burning their marriage certificate on the barbeque outside as their 2-month laid on the play mat.

“BUCKY!”

Bucky flinches at your sudden exclamation – and looks up with frown.

He looks at his wife and the baby, then looks back at the barbecue, then back to his wife.

“What? – What’s the big deal? A piece of paper?”

Bucky shrugs.

“THAT’S OUR MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE YOU DUMBO!”

“So? – It means nothing. It’s just a piece of paper saying that I’m ‘yours’ or whatever.”

Bucky looks up at you again – a bit amused now.

Your jaw dropped as you looked from Bucky to your 2-month son who was blissfully unaware of what was happening, as he just laid on the play mate cooing, seemingly happy for the time being.

You had named your son James Steven Barnes together, after Bucky’s first name of James and of course Steve, or Cap’s name for his middle name– but you took the liberty of nicknaming your son Jay – while you were at it too.

“And how are you doing to prove to others we are married!?"

You asked incredulously.

“Why do we need to prove it to other people?”

Bucky looks at his wife again, utterly mystified.

“Does it matter? We know that we’re married. What do other people have to do with it?”

He said to you.

You facepalmed.

“Good Lord. . .”

You said but then tries to grab the reminder of the certificate.

“Either you’re incredibly dumb or I married a child!”

You said – even though technically speaking he was about 106 years old.

Bucky steps closer to you and taking the smoking remnants of the marriage certificate out of your hands, throwing it into the flames.

“We know we’re married, that’s enough. And if it matters that much – we can go get another copy at the courthouse or something. But let’s face it. . .you’d never divorce me, so good luck trying to return me without the receipt.”

He shrugged – as if were that casual.

“I wasn’t trying to divorce you.”

You rolled her eyes

“We have a child.”

You added – going over to Jay, who started to cry for attention and picked the tiny 2-month baby up into her arms.

Bucky follows you – watching you hold his and your son, and smiles for a moment. The baby seems so tiny and happy your arms.

“And that means we need to keep this stupid piece of paper?”

You roll your eyes.

“It’s not a stupid piece of paper Bucky and yes we need.”

Well, whatever was left of it...

Bucky wanted to respond but he got soon was in just awe watching his son and wife interact.

He watches with a soft smile as she cooed and kissed Jay’s tiny little nose.

Bucky gave you a kiss on the cheek.

You giggled smiled up at your husband and pecked his lips – then giggling more as Jay coos and chortles a few giggles, as he tried to kiss your cheek.

Bucky laughs at Jay's cuteness.

“He’s trying to kiss you, doll.”

He says – gently scooping Jay into his arms then leaned his little face closer to your cheek.

“Hey is my baby trying to kiss mommy?”

You cooed to your little 2-month baby leaning your cheek towards him.

They baby cooed chortling a few giggles, his mouth pressed to your cheek, not quite learned how to pucker his lips for a kiss yet but it was more than enough.

“Oh, I love you – you little munchkin!”

You cooed and kisses Jay’s cheek.

Bucky smiles – watching them interact happily.

“Isn'’t he just the sweetest little boy you’ve ever seen? No wonder we named him after the best man in the world.”

Bucky smirks; at the mention of Jay’s namesake, Bucky gives his wife a more passionate kiss, trying to catch his wife off guard.

You let out a quiet surprised yelp – giggling as you kiss your husband back. Jay did the same – his face and lips pressed to your cheek – but as if trying to eat you more like it.

Bucky wraps his arms around you and pulls you close to him.

He gives Jay a little kiss on the head before turning his attention back to his wife – letting out a happy laughter and playfully biting her bottom lip.

“Did I finally manage to catch you off guard, love?”

“Bucky!”

You giggle blushing shaking her head and swatting his shoulder.

Bucky chuckles as he gets swatted.

“Worth a shot!”

He says to you with a smile – then looks over at Jay, who had stopped trying to kiss you and had gone back to babbling and squealing like a typical 2-month-old baby.

“Looks like someone is distracted from our romantic moment.”

Bucky says to you with a grin.

You smile at your baby.

Before soon, Jay tries to grab your hair and eat it.

“Oh no, you don't! Mommy’s hair is not for eating!”

You gently chide him.

Bucky laughs. He looks at Jay’s tiny little fingers wrapped around your hair.

“He sure likes that hair of yours, doll.”

He teases you.

“Can’t even leave you alone for one second. Just like me!”

Bucky smirks winking at his wife as you roll your eyes with a smile and gently tries to take your hair off his tiny hand.

Bucky let out a soft content sigh and presses another kiss Jay’s tiny head.

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dean-a-mean-tae · 4 months

Text

DTF? | Stray Kids Extra Member AU

Version 2 of Nicholas Ross in Stray Kids Family

WARNINGS: Fake cheating? Affection. Chan is a menace

Nicholas Ross Master List | Requested: Yes

Relation: Nicholas is the man Momma Hyunjin is having an affair with

Background: Momma Hyunjin finds out Jisung is cheating on her, so (she)he cheats back. Then (she)he keeps going back to Nick for more, and they develop somewhat of a "relationship." They love each other but are waiting for the divorce.

☾ When Hyunjin sits down, Nicholas sits beside him or pulls him on his lap. When Hyunjin stands, Nicholas will back hug him.

☾ Nick has a great relationship with Chan (who plays Jisung and Hyunjin's son)

☾ Nick is slightly jealous of Momma Hyunjin and Seungmin's fling.

☾ Changbin is secretly rooting for Momma Hyunjin and Nick's relationship

NOTABLE MOMENTS

Hyunjin and Jisung were arguing while everyone else sat in their seats. The members' eyes went to Hyunjin as (she)he shouted and then to Jisung when he yelled back. The cycle repeated.

And repeated.

Until Nicholas raised his hand as he sat forward in the chair. He tilted his head while shouting, "I have a statement!"

"Jeongin looks like someone from a show my sister used to watch as a child." Nicholas started. He waited for everyone to look at him before continuing, "Stay, I want you to look up Barbie's sister, Skipper, and then tell me if you see the resemblance."

The screen paused on Jeongin's face, and a photo of Skipper from Barbie Dreamhouse appeared beside him. The caption said, "This is Skipper next to Jeongin. We see the similarities."

Nicholas sits on the couch with Hyunjin on his lap. Chan sits in front of them against their legs. Next to them are Seungmin, Minho, and Felix. Seungmin and Minho sit on the couch while Felix plays with (her)his dress on the floor.

Jeongin and Changbin sit on barstools while JIsung stands between them and the couch with his arms crossed. He glares at Nicholas, who gives him a smug grin as he tightens his grip on Hyunjin's waist.

The camera zooms in on Nicholas, who is hugging Hyunjin from behind. The taller boy has his head on Hyunjin's shoulder with his face tucked into his neck. Occasionally, Hyunjin will start to smile or flinch away from him as Nick tickles his neck.

"What's going on here?" Jeongin asks, tilting his head as he waves his hand at the duo. They look like deer in headlights.

"I'm hugging him. What's it look like?" Nick huffs as he moves from one foot to the other. His movements rock Hyunjin side to side.

"Oh, you know. You two look real cozy," Jeongin shrugs while looking away from them. Felix and Chan laugh as Minho leans forward while cackling.

"Appa, my nose burns," Chan grumbles as he squints his eyes and scrunches his nose. Everyone cringes as Jisung hands him a tissue. Chan side-eyes him before going over to Nicholas and whining, "Appa, help!"

Cringes become smiles as everyone laughs at Jisung's face. He shouts while pointing at Nicholas, "He's not- He isn't- What just happened?!"

Nicholas rubs Chan's back as he guides him to sit beside him. They grin at Jisung as he continues to shout, with the members' laughter echoing throughout the building.

"You can't be with other people when you're in a relationship!" Jisung yelled, tossing his arms up. Hyunjin scoffed, rolling his eyes as he sat next to Nick.

"Of course, you run back to him!" Jisung huffed. Someone laughed at Hyunjin and Nicholas, glaring at the still-yelling man.

"You two have nothing to say?!"

"It's not my fault your woman let me hit from the back," Nick grumbled as he slumped in his spot. Everyone gasped before the room erupted in laughter.

"Can he say that?" Changbin asked, looking at someone off-camera.

"Eomma, what does that mean?" Chan asked as he struggled to keep a straight face.

Nicholas Ross Master List

©️DEANAMEANTAE2024

Tags list: @bada-lee-ily, @jinnie-ret, @hwxnghyynjin, @foxilsdenn, @rensahazard, @mynameisnotlaura , @lucianidealz , @ziipzeepzop-eez, You can be added by asking in the replies, sending me a message, or doing an ask thingy.

#deantae nicholas ross #skz 9th member #stray kids 9th member #skz x reader #stray kids x reader #skz x male reader #stray kids x male reader #skz x 9th member #stray kids extra member #stray kids with the 9th member #hyunjin x male reader #hwang hyunjin x male reader

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autisticburnham · 1 month

Text

It's admittedly been a year or two since I've watched Doctor Bashir, I Presume, so it's possible I'm forgetting something, but I don't understand why people act like Amsha Bashir is less guilty of genetically engineering and making Julian feel unwanted than Richard is. I mean, yes, the text does treat it that way with Richard going to prison and her not, but I tend to read that as a consequence of the gender politics of the 90s.

But I get the impression that people feel like Richard pressured and/or forced Amsha into going along with it. And I understand that people may be coming to that conclusion because Richard Yells. But the line that I find most upsetting in the entire episode is Amsha's line about how Julian understand how painful it is to have a disabled child and see them fall behind and how bad it makes you feel. Which is just so Autism Mom, and it very much reads to me like she was 100% on board with "fixing" him. And admittedly, I am clearly projecting my own issues onto that line, but I do nonetheless think that it is the intended reading that she was a fully consenting partner in genetically engineering him.

So am I missing something? Or am I just misreading the general consensus when I get the vibe that people think that if Amsha and Richard had gotten a divorce, it wouldn't have happened to Julian?

#this post brought to you by me putting a piece of fanart in my queue of a physically disabled julian #which was dope as hell #but was captioned as being an au where richard and amsha were divorced #julian bashir #amsha bashir #ds9

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 2 months

Note

WIBTA if I told my parents to get a divorce?

So, I (26M) live with my sister (19) and parents (67F and 63M) due to financial circumstances (that usamerican economy, eh?). The things described with my parents have been going on since I was in pampers.

My parents fight all the time. Over little things. In nasty, insulting the person and belittling them types of ways. Everything my mom does that my dad doesn't fully agree with or think she's doing exactly how it should be done, he yells at her for it and things become a screaming match. Sometimes my mom just stops talking, or just responds "Okay." until my dad tires himself out or gets so frustrated that he drops the argument. And she'll do similar things to him.

I've talked to them both one-on-one before about how aggressive and explosive they are during arguments. I've tried to impress upon both of them that personal insults don't make people change. Problems need cooperative solutions, where both parties are working towards the goal, whether that's dinner at a certain time or laundry at a certain frequency.

My dad justifies himself because my mom is just too difficult to deal with, and doesn't listen no matter how much he tries to tell her about an issue (his words. Not reality in my eyes, because he's never *telling* her an issue, he's *yelling* an issue at her). He's under the impression his demands for her to change are cooperative and equally-involved.

My mom doesn't tend to comment on her behavior beyond "I know. I get frustrated, but I know" or some excuse or another for my dad's behavior (her go to is "But I don't want to hurt the child in his heart anymore than his childhood has". In my eyes, not her responsibility to heal my grandma's neglectful, piss-poor parenting, especially when my dad has no interest in therapy of any kind). She doesn't think cooperation is possible with my dad, and doesn't want to start that conversation. In her words, it could end in a fight, or he just won't do his half of the work, so she might as well do the full task and save herself the frustration.

This, again, has been going on since before I could wobble on my own two feet. I don't think either are going to change. I hate seeing my mom roll over, especially because having grown up with this *I thought it was normal for a relationship to be so mean.* I had to put in a lot of work and experience a lot of difficult lessons to unlearn that. And I hate seeing my dad so frustrated to the point of blowing his fuse over mundane topics like dishes and parking spots. I worry about his health, and his happiness. I worry about both of their happinesses. I hate the pettiness. I hate the disrespect and the refusal to hear each other out.

The breaking point was today, when during an argument my dad started berating my mom over leaving the shower towels out too long. Yes, the towels were starting to ripen. But he started saying (yelling. I could hear him from upstairs, door closed) that as a mother she should know better than to let towels, especially towels that go on your face and hands and stuff, grow bacteria, and that she's disgraceful for not changing the towels daily. (Towels that, mind y'all, he ALSO could be changing daily, since one of those two towels is "his" shower towel).

I've been at the end of my rope for years. Yes one option is just beg a friend to let me rent a room off one of them and try to make ends meet, but that still leaves my sister stuck in this mess, and now stuck in it alone. I'm not keen on doing that. So. Would I be the asshole if I told my parents I think it's time to seriously consider divorce? Or hell, is there another option?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 1 year

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sooooooooooo for the NRC family day interactions, i'm curious to see what would happen if riddle and step-dad ashengrotto met in the wild, because riddle has expressed that recently he's gotten interested in law. it would b cool for him to chat with the canon lawyer who taught azul about laws n contracts.

plus the whole, riddle being unsure actually because his whole life his parents had plans for him and planned for him on becoming a healer like them, but now he's interested in something else. n while i kno he reads about law, it would give him a lot of insight to actually, speak to someone who does this for a living, who maybe even suggests ideas of finding a way to combine both medicine and law, like medical law (branch of law) or medical jurisprudence (branch of medicine).

and other stuff too.

idk i just think a conversation between the two could be interesting, even outside of like, riddle's own interest in law; like another interesting thing would b his whole, family/homelife situation & the fact that riddle hints that his parents don't really get along that well + knowing that step-dad ashengrotto met mama ashengrotto while she was filing for divorce... just lots of ideas in me brain i think.

idk hopefully this isn't unintelligible sdfjsdklfd thank youuuuuuu

Thank you for submitting this really interesting idea ^^ This one is really long compared to the others, so I slapped a cut in to make scrolling by easier. This fic borrows ideas from a theory that I talked about a few days ago?

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this before, but I think it's cool that Azul not only has a stepdad, but actually gets along with him. Rarely do I see divorce portrayed as a positive thing (I mean, how often do we see wicked stepparents or a child that refuses to accept the stepparent), so Azul's family was really refreshing to see.

Not me taking inspiration from the divorce lawyer in Enchanted and various characters from Ace Attorney for stepdaddy Ashengrotto—

Family means Nobody is Left Behind or Forgotten.

The cafeteria was packed, and the ghost chefs were working overtime to feed the influx of hungry guests. Staff, students, and their family members had been coming in and out throughout the day, leaving not many tables open and the food line long. Some had taken to sitting cross-legged on the floor or spilling out into the hallway to make space for new arrivals.

One look at the gaggle of people along the walls and on the ground, and Mrs. Rosehearts had turned up her nose. "I won't have you sitting like a barbarian, Riddle. We'll find you a proper seat. Look, there’s one now. You sit—I’ll see what they have available on the menu and fetch you an appropriate meal.”

“Yes, mother.”

Riddle shifted uncomfortably at a cramped table. He dared not falter in his posture. Back straight, head high, hands neatly folded in his lap. He was a rose among those deemed the weeds called riffraff.

… It’s noisy, Riddle noted.

Indeed, it was. The cafeteria buzzed with activity, students exchanging chatter and laughter with their loved ones. Sharing bites of food and stories, nourishing their bellies and their souls.

A memory clad in flowers filled his mind.

“Riddle!”

He was back in the Heartslabyul gardens, colorful decorations and card soldiers in every direction. Flamingos and hedgehogs at the ready, the roses painted red, a dormouse in the tea pot. Cakes, tarts, and finger sandwiches sliced up and served with tea.

Ace and Deuce were arguing over something silly again. By the sumptuous spread of snacks, Cater was snagging pictures before so much as a bite. In the memory, Riddle made to tell them off, only to be stopped by the vice dorm leader at his side.

“They have so much energy,” Trey had remarked. “It’s livelier than usual today.”

Yes, that was the right word for it. Not noisy, but lively.

How curious that dining at Night Raven College is like this. At home…

There was a lone platter set for him, a sad, limp little square of food in the center. His mother, arms folded, to the right. His father, trembling in his chair, to the lift. Raised voices and scathing remarks.

Some days the dining room was empty altogether, save for himself and stacks of textbooks. When he did crossword puzzles and sudoku, the vocabulary and the numbers kept him company.

His heart twinged. Riddle frowned and curled a hand over his chest, as if trying to soothe the pain.

What is this? Why… do I feel this way?

"Excuse me, young man."

He jolted upright.

An older gentleman in glasses was beside him. His hair, peppered with streaks of white, was neat, and he was dressed in an even neater suit. He smelled like salt wrapped in a sea breeze, faint citrus and sunshine.

The stranger gestured to the spot beside Riddle. “Pardon me if I disturbed your train of thought. I wanted to ask if this seat was taken. I need a quick place to rest my legs, then I’ll be out of your way.”

Riddle took a quick glance at the line—which still snaked around the room, but at least his mother had vanished from view. Relief. “It’s open. Please, sit.”

“Thank you.” The man slipped in next to Riddle. He sighed, just as relieved as the boy was. “Much appreciated. I hope I’m not stealing this seat from one of your parents.”

“Not to worry, sir. Only my mother is with me today, and it seems like it will be quite a while before she returns," Riddle reassured him. “My father is preoccupied with work, so he was unable to attend."

It was partially true. Whenever possible, his parents actively avoided each other. Strategically taking specific hospital shifts just so happened to be a means to that end.

"I'm here with my wife and son myself, they're perusing the food. A shame about your father. Really. Perhaps he'll be able to attend next year."

"Perhaps."

Riddle hoped not.

He looked away, dodging the man's eyes. Fearing that his own would betray him.

A glint of gold snagged his sight, and Riddle's heart leapt. Pinned to the stranger's lapel was a small pin depicting the scales of justice.

The man took notice. "I see you've spotted my bar association badge."

"You're a lawyer, sir?" Riddle's question came out small.

"That's right." He tilted his head to one side. His smile was slight, yet encouraging. "Might you have an interest in law, young man?"

"Ah, well..." Riddle instinctively looked to the line again before his gaze darted back to his conversational partner. "Y-Yes, I suppose you could say that. However, I'm aware that it is a big commitment, and I have already resolved to pursue magical medicine."

"A career like that can be fulfilling as well," the man said kindly. "I have colleagues that specialize in medical malpractice and negligence. We also sometimes work with forensic scientists for certain cases.

"There is most certainly crossover between the legal and healthcare sectors. You could consider looking into those fields as a middle ground between your two interests."

Riddle blinked.

"Did I overstep my bounds?"

"No, I just..." Hesitation. "I'm not used to speaking like this."

"About your future?"

No, Riddle wanted to correct him, it's being given advice and suggestions, rather than expectations and orders.

"About straying from the path," he said, a quick half-truth. "It's difficult to compromise, even if the options exist out there."

"Hmm." The man nodded understandingly. "Changing course can be scary, yes. I don't fault you for thinking that way. If it would help in any way, you are free to ask me questions about my own experience. I'm no medical lawyer, but hearing it from the horse's mouth has helped some of my clients before."

"You would offer such a thing...?"

The man's eyes shone with the trace of a contained laugh. "I don't charge for the first consultation," he joked.

"Then..." Hope crept into Riddle's voice. "Could you tell me about your own specialization?"

"My firm mainly deals with cases of divorce."

Divorce.

The word was bitter on Riddle's tongue as he swallowed it. But the lawyer spoke it with such ease, like it was nothing more than the weather forecast for the day.

Divorce, divorce.

It had always been an option for Riddle's parents since the first problems had started between them, but never seriously considered, never discussed. His mother would sooner die than confess she was anything but right, that she had made the mistake of choosing the wrong man. And what would the community think? What would they say?

As a child most foolish, Riddle had prayed to the Queen of Hearts to share her secret to a successful marriage. No answer ever came, and it was then that he realized: divorce was never in the cards for his parents.

The man carefully took in Riddle's frozen expression. "It happens. I see it a lot in my line of work—and it is one hundred percent normal. People are like castles in the sand, you see. They change, their feelings change. They fall out of love. Part of my job is to ensure that the separation occurs smoothly.

"There is stigma attached to the concept of divorce, that it ruins families and brings them great shame. But sometimes a family is better apart than together, and they can find new happiness once they've picked up the pieces. Cutting ties can be the most liberating feeling in the entire world.

"I speak from experience myself. I met a lovely, bright-minded woman while she was going through her own divorce proceedings. Now that woman is my wife, and her son, my own."

Riddle's brows knitted. Disbelief and confusion crowned his features. "It almost sounds like a fairy tale. Can such a drastic change truly lead to happiness?"

"For me, it did. It may not be the case for you, because you and I are different people."

"Th-Then tell me!!" Riddle stood, slamming his hands on the table. Food and silverware rattled, people stared. He didn't care, his volume spiking. "How? How do I do that...? Please tell me. I don't... I don't know how to do it myself."

"That, I cannot say."

"Why not?! You... You said you would help me!"

"I did say that, didn't I? I said I would help you by talking about my own experiences. Tricky thing, wording. It's easy to overlook the fine print." The man pointed at him. "The rest is in your hands."

"I can't do a single thing," Riddle protested. It felt like roses were choking him. "My hands are tied. My path was determined a long time ago. Change is absolutely unacceptable."

The lawyer regarded him coolly. "Let me tell you something, young man. The law is the law because there is a human element to it, no matter how impartial, how black and white, we try to be. We write the laws, act on them, and interpret them. Likewise, you, too, are responsible for that interpretation.

"What is right, what is wrong, and what role you must play therein... these are things you alone determine, whether that be in career, in love, or in life. You are your own judge, and the decider of your own destiny. It is something only you are capable of, and no one else but you."

Riddle reeled his head, reacting as though he'd just been decked.

Right and wrong... The role I must play... Something only I can do?

Someone had told him something similar not too long ago. The words harsher then, and paired with a sound punch to the face.

"Is that all you are?!" Ace had demanded, fist clenched, still raw from making contact with his dorm leader's cheek. "An extension of your mom? Can't you think for yourself?"

The twinge to his chest had returned. Stronger, sharper. Like thorns tearing into his skin.

"... I see," Riddle said slowly. "I think I understand it a little better now."

"I'm glad to hear it." The man's smile broadened. He looked at something beyond Riddle, then rose from his seat. "Well, if you'll excuse me... It seems my family has finished their business. We should get going now."

"Of course. Thank you very much for speaking with me, sir." He humbly lowered his head to the man,

A voice came from behind the redhead. "Oya, what a surprise. If it isn't Riddle-san."

He immediately bolted up in horror. The dorm leader of Octavinelle stood before him, lips cocked into a smirk. A woman with the same silvery hair was next to him, cut in a sleek black gown and with seashells in her jewelry.

"Wha--?! Azul...?! What are you..." Riddle faltered with both his words and his calm.

"Oh? Is it a crime to come collect one's stepfather?" The merman sighed dramatically. "I was going to come over sooner, you know—but it looked as though you two were having quite the engaging conversation. I thought it rude to interrupt and cut it short."

Riddle's head whipped back to the lawyer. "Th-This is your stepfather?!"

"Azul, I didn't realize this lad was your friend. We were just having a nice talk about career goals."

"Career goals, you say? My, that sounds so interesting." There was something unsavory, slimy even, about the way Azul emphasized his interest. "I'm jealous, Riddle-san. We've shared our dreams with one another before, but never on such an intimate level."

"And just who in their right mind do you think would willingly divulge that information to you? Don't act as though we're friends."

Azul smiled wryly. "Aren't we? After all, we've been through both hell and high water together."

"It sounds to me like you boys are good chums," Mr. Ashengrotto remarked, exchanging raised eyebrows with his wife, "though you certainly have a strange way of showing it."

"Why haven't you told us about him, Azul?" his mother asked. "I'd love to have him over for dinner."

"Riddle-san can be surprisingly shy. I wouldn't wish to cast a spotlight on him."

"Who's shy here?! All you've been doing since you showed up is put me on the spot!"

Mrs. Ashengrotto put a hand over her mouth, stifling a chuckle. “If you visit us, Azul could invite his other friends—do you know them? The Leech twins. You could all get to know each other, and that could help you get out of your shell.”

“N-No thank you, ma’am!!” Riddle said (perhaps a little too loudly, and too quickly). The farther away I stay from those sketchy brothers, the better!! I wouldn’t be caught dead trying to cozy up to them!

“No? Maybe another time then. The offer is always there. Come to us when you're comfortable with it, dear.

"I guarantee you won't regret it," Mr. Ashengrotto chimed in. "She makes the best food I've ever had under the sea. Azul could pack away an entire bucket of her fried..."

Azul loudly cleared his throat. "While this chat has been amusing, I believe it's time we stopped hounding the poor, unfortunate soul and moved to the next item on our itinerary. I'm sure that Riddle-san is busy with his own matters as well."

"Yes, my mother will be back soon with lunch."

"That so? We'll be on our way then. Wouldn't want to disrupt your time together." Mr. Ashengrotto tenderly squeezed his wife's arm. His other hand found its way onto Azul's shoulder. "Have a happy Family Day, Riddle."

"Happy family day to you too."

With that, Azul and his parents departed. Their mouths moved, their expressions changed, playing off of one another. Saying things Riddle couldn't hear, nor understand even if he could hear.

The rose-red ruler, entrenched in a sea of people, was left with many thoughts racing through his head. Those gathered in the cafeteria, Heartslabyul, the Ashengrottos...

One question lingered like the last vestiges of sunlight on a lazy summer day.

Are these... what families are meant to be like?

#Riddle Rosehearts #Azul Ashengrotto #twst #twisted wonderland #twst interactions #twisted wonderland interactions #twst imagines #twst scenarios #twisted wonderland scenarios #twisted wonderland imagines #NRC Family Day #disney twisted wonderland #Trey Clover #Ace Trappola #Cater Diamond #Deuce Spade #Heartslabyul #beyond the looking glass

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bisexuallsokka · 11 months

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ok hello i have found that i have no choice but to introduce you to my "divorced zukka but slightly to the left" headcanon for a modern au. basically, a pre-transitioned zuko and sokka have a one night stand at the end of their senior year of high school, and never speak again. roughly six years later, sokka is starting his job at an elementary school (not a classroom teacher, like technology or something) and meets izumi, who is so sweet and cute and i swear thats the face katara makes when she's annoyed, and one day happens to see her dad pick up and huh he looks and AWFUL lot like that person i went to high school with and OH GOD some quick math brings an idea to mind.

So sokka attempts to confront zuko who is very much NOPE DO NOT TALK TO ME, but finally breaks down after a series of shenanigans that def do not involve mild stalking. but only to admit that yes, izumi is sokka's biological daughter, and would like to leave their interactions at that, except sokka has NO interest in SIMPLY leaving it at that because!!! he has a kid!!! that he knew nothing about!!! for six years!!!

zuko very much would like to continue living his life without sokka bc being a single young parent is hard enough but he has a good routine and good relationship with his daughter and he doesnt need this, this, SPERM DONOR to just come in here and mess everything up! the guy hasnt been there the last six years, there is absolutely no reason for his to get involved now!! BUT sokka absolutely would have been there if zuko had only TOLD HIM, but how was ZUKO supposed to know that, and did zuko really think so little of him?? except it was a one night stand and zuko didnt even realize he was a boy until right after and he originally wasnt even planning to keep izumi, and HOW could he have just given up their CHILD without ever even telling sokka about her and given him a CHANCE to take her, and WE WERE JUST KIDS AND HE WAS SCARED-

its complicated. and involves a lot of trying not to shout around izumi, who is just over the moon that her dad and her favorite teacher know each other outside of school. and there's a lot of heartache over sokka having to come to terms with the fact that yeah, hes not izumis parent, and there's only so much he can do without stepping on zuko's toes, and he only wants what is best for izumi, and zuko seeing that maybe sokka really does want to be all in for izumi even if zuko thinks sokka really doesnt fully understand what that means, and would it be such a bad thing? not that either of them are going to admit this to the other.

so it starts with small things, like sokka being allowed to pay child support (which hes been begging to do since day one), and maybe it turns out that zukos new coworker is sokkas friend and they end up at the same party where they can really see each other interact with izumi, and a chunk zuko's summer child care plans for the summer fall apart so sokka offers to babysit since his summer job is remote which feels BIG but also reallyyyyy too convenient to reject,

and then something bigger happens where izumi gets hurt at school and while sokka is blaming himself he's also panicking bc the hospital wont let him stay with her bc hes not an emergency contact so he steels himself and later tells zuko he wants to make his relationship to izumi legal. hes not going to have a custody fight, he would never ask for that, but he wants his name on her birth certificate and wants his name on her list of emergency contacts, and its the first time zuko understand that sokka 100% knows what he's getting into here and is willing to be in this 100%.

So maybe sokka moves into this "uncle sokka" role, because zuko still refuses to tell izumi that sokka is her other dad, and yeah that hurts, but sokka would rather have part of izumi's life if he can't have all of it. and sokka gets a better look inside their lives and discovers that its HARD being a young single parent, why would zuko have risked everything he worked for to mix in some guy he barely knew who might decide that zuko wasn't good enough and take izumi away? and zuko sees the pain sokka has from missing out on so many key moments of izumi's young life, and the more sokka is proving himself as a second parent, the more guilty zuko feels. they go through some shit together and its more and more evident that sokka doesnt just want to be that fun uncle, but he's ready more than willing to be a PARENT even when it means being the bad guy.

and maybe they start falling for each other a little, because they are starting to have this LIFE together and its not just about izumi anymore its the way zuko rolls his eyes and gets the new fancy ice pack out of the freezer when a limping sokka brings izumi back from the park, and its the way sokka makes zuko genuinely laugh after a long day at work, and its like their lives are getting fully intertwined-

except that they arent. and they couldn't. because if sokka decides its too much. because if zukos good favor runs out. if it didnt work out between them. they couldnt do that to izumi. what they have is good, its fine, (even if its not enough) they dont want to risk anything that could disrupt izumi's life. shes the priority. and sure, she's already asking questions about the two of them, but what if they don't work right in a real relationship? the way things are now, either of them could back out, and everyone would eventually be ok. maybe. except every time they think about the possibility, it seems like they are already too intertwined, and either of them trying to untangle would just be a disaster, so imagine if they HAD to untangle, and-

so they just end up in an awkward stage of sad pining. because theres no way it would actually work out. because it would hurt all of them. and their life has never been better, but it's never hurt this much either.

ok so i didnt realize i could still write this long in an ask, but essentially i am not a masochist like you, and they do figure it out in the end. this could happen a number of ways, such as izumi just announcing that yeah this is my dad and his boyfriend, or zukka doing the "pining make outs that we never talk about until one of us snaps and we decide to let ourselves be fucking happy", or a very funny "we both snap and bone for one wonderful night to get it out of our system and then we dont talk about it" which leads to an accidental second baby where sokka and zuko both laugh and say whelp it must be fate lets do this the right way this time.

the most important thing is that they both forget to tell izumi that sokka is her biological father, so teenage izumi is very shocked and upset that shes just had to learn this from something totally mundane like applying for a passport, and sokka and zuko do the spider man finger pointing of "i thought you told her" "no, you were supposed to tell her" "did we really not tell her?" and its absolutely disgusting how cute they are

thanks for coming to my tedtalk

i love every single thing about this! sokka wanting to be a part of izumi's life and help zuko out....zuko being reluctant to accept but eventually seeing how sokka is proving himself.....the limbo period where they are both afraid it could end any moment....TOO GOOD! i love every single option for how they could get together for real like this is my favorite take on modern au divorced zukka by far!!!! <3 <3

#screaming over 'i am not a masochist like you' you got me #thank you SO MUCH for sharing this with me it is seriously amazing!!#i read it last night before going to sleep and then couldnt stop thinking about it for a while LMAO #divorced zukka #michkit #ask me stuff

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iris-sistibly · 1 month

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I know I need to calm the fuck down first but one word to describe episode 6: STRESS!!

📍I love seeing Hyun-woo and Hae-in having a...sort of second honeymoon in Germany but I couldn't really enjoy every scene because I'm stressing out at how fucking OBLIVIOUS the Hong family is like bitch y'all are surrounded by snakes and they're so complacent 😭😭😭 I mean it's not really their fault that there are opportunists who'd earn their trust first then slither their way to bite them in the ass, but I just find it ironic at how protective they are at their family business and wealth but they can't see through the REAL people who has every intention to bring them down.

📍Speaking of which, I have read a fan theory somewhere that Mo Seul-hee is the mom of Eun-seong and Da-hye. Could be, OR Grace could be Da-hye's mom considering how Grace acted towards her. But why are they so keen at bringing the Hong family down?

📍Maybe it's just me but I don't think Da-hye is that bad, I have a feeling that she'll eventually come to her senses and take Hyun-woo's side and expose Eun-seong and co.

📍My overthinker/delulu self thinks that Soo-cheol and Da-hye's baby is actually Hyun-woo and Hae-in's kid. I mean, it wasn't shown how they lost their baby...yet. So Hae-in either miscarried, or she gave birth to a still born child? But what if the child is actually alive and one of those evil bitches cooked up some shit to make it seem like Hyun-woo and Hae-in's baby died, and then that baby was registered as Soo-cheol and Da-hye's kid? I know it sounds insane, but we're only on episode 6 so more crazy shit could happen in the future episodes, you'll never know. But my normal self says I've watched too many Filipino dramas growing up (and yes, that shit happens a lot in Filo-dramas).

📍Speaking of that kid, another theory is...what if that kid is actually Eun-seong and Da-hye's? Soo-cheol is a dumbass, and again, those bitches could have manipulated that baby's DNA test result or something. Again, that's just me being an overthinker, also I hate my Filo-drama mindset.

📍Aunt Beom-ja being so concerned about Hae-in and her dad but I also appreciate the fact that she respected her niece's request to not tell anyone about her illness. I also hope that she'll be able to help Hyun-woo clear his name and uncover Seul-hee and gang's dirty little secret.

📍BUT Y'ALL KNOW WHO STRESSED THE SHIT OUT OF ME THIS EPISODE? BAEK FUCKING HYUN-WOO!!! I am so freaking annoyed that he didn't tell Hae-in about the divorce when he had the chance. He was probably worried at how Hae-in would react plus the latter was going through medical treatments so he probably didn't want to put too much stress on her, but Hae-in was bound to find out either way so...yeah I do get why he chose to keep the divorce to himself but he could have just told the truth and suck it up, and perhaps they could communicate better when it comes to issues like this.

📍One thing I noticed about Hyun-woo is that he's brave in so many ways but also a coward on one thing. I mean he talks with Hae-in about nice things and all, and he is his wife's confidante, but I don't think I've ever heard him talk the way Hae-in does, meaning he never had the balls to talk to his wife about the..."unpleasant" side of their marriage. Hae-in was able to talk to him about her illness, the last will and testament that her mom pressured her to write, and Hyun-woo didn't even think about bringing up the divorce papers.

Prior to episode 5, I really thought that Hae-in was the one who shut him out but it was actually the other way around. Wifey may seem cold and nonchalant but if there's one person she'd listen to, it's him. Perhaps he doesn't want to say something that would upset Hae-in but the point is...she's his wife, she's supposed to know what he thinks, how he feels about certain things, even the not-so-pleasant side of their relationship. I really hope that in the next episode or the episode after that he'll be able to communicate better.

📍Hae-in's mom is terrible af. Imagine blaming your own daughter for the death of your son. I mean she didn't deserve to lose a child, but it's unfair to put all the blame on Hae-in (like why?). It's not like she endangered herself on purpose, and she had the audacity to be upset when Hae-in did something nice to her in-laws? Like what is wrong with this woman? Why can't see realize her own mistakes?

📍I kind of teared up when Hae-in was telling Hyun-woo about the things the latter should do when she dies. She could die, and this show might give us a bittersweet ending but when that time comes I'd be really, really hurt. Also, Hae-in confessing that the only reason she wrote her will about Hyun-woo not getting anything should they divorce was so that she'll be allowed to marry him 😭 (just shows she fought hard for him and she'll do absolutely anything to be with him). God I hate her mom! And yes the epilogue was so cute, now we know that they have always been in-love with each other. But I guess...they need a time-out 🤷.

📍Hae-in called Hyun-woo "yeobo" 🥹🥹🥹

#kdrama #netflix series #tvn drama #my roman empire #queen of tears #kim ji won #kim soo hyun #park sunghoon #kwak dong yeon #lee joo bin #lee mi sook #na young hee #kim jung nam #hong hae in #baek hyun woo #yoon eun sung #hong soo cheol #cheon da hye #baekhong

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buckybarnesss · 6 months

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Something I think is interesting is how Stiles and Scott both have troubled childhoods but it's very under the radar. Almost invisible.

Physical abuse, like what we see with Isaac's dad, is very visible. Everyone sees it and says "yes that is abuse."

But Stiles being left alone at the hospital with his dying, delusion mother? Scott's dad being a drunken, violent mess?

It's hidden.

I think this is why the sheriff is so beloved: the trauma he caused Stiles isn't something easily recognizable unless you've had experiences with a parent who tells you to your face that you're a troublemaker. I think this is why Scott's instinctive reaction to Derek is so divisive: it's a trauma response that is going unrecognized because Scott and Stiles don't really talk about it.

it really does fly under the radar that each of the og main cast of teens are deeply troubled one way or another.

teen wolf gets dismissed so easily because it is a campy, silly show that isn't some high brow avant garde piece of television. people online only know it because of the shipping or because jeff davis isn't the best at understanding how time works.

it's also in turn dismissed because it's not buffy or angel and only see it as some emulation that only existed to try to cash in on the twilight craze.

which fair. i'm certainly not going to argue it's prestige television but teen wolf contains multitudes actually. it says something actually.

at it's very heart the show is about generational trauma and overcoming said trauma. it's about growing up. it's about grief. it's about loneliness.

teen wolf says "be your own anchor". teen wolf says the people you choose to have in your life -- your pack --they make you stronger. teen wolf says even when you are at your lowest you can still rise.

it's not perfect by any means but i think people dismiss it too easily.

it tried.

but no one wants my treatise on the underlying themes of silly ol' teen wolf.

scott and stiles resolutely do not talk about their respective issues. it's unspoken between them. they don't need to because they know.

stiles is actively and openly hostile to rafael mccall for a reason. scott is quietly radiating worry and concern when stiles appears to be losing it in riddled because he knows about claudia.

the parents aren't prefect in this show. they are various shades of bad parents.

knowing rafael mccall is an alcoholic that all but abandoned his family explains everything about scott's attitude and behavior towards derek in season 1 and 2.

(no really i need to know if rafael paid melissa child support because it doesn't seem like it. throw this whole man away.)

knowing stiles has unresolved grief about not just the death of his mother but from the trauma of her illness on the family explains why he is the way he is. (the stilinski's storyline is one of the best carried emotional beats of the show).

and it's not like it's just scott and stiles.

lydia's parents are in the middle of a divorce in s1, her father talks shit about her in the parent teacher conference in the tell. he's seen when she's in the hospital after being attacked by peter but he's never seen again after that. it's natalie we see tell lydia about her mother-in-law lorraine so it seems lydia's father had his own trauma and ditched his daughter. natalie is the only parent lydia has from s2 onwards and natalie is spotty at best.

i've gone over allison's abusive family. jackson has so many issues he became a kanima instead of a werewolf. kira has sooooo many issues with noshiko. malia's traumas have traumas. liam has IED and an unexplained absent biological parent.

even the parents have trauma. chris argent has gerard as a father. the man would sell him for a bugle chip. noah stilinski had an abusive father. melissa was in an abusive marriage with an alcoholic.

and of course the king of trauma on television himself -- derek hale.

not all trauma is seen and not all abuse leaves marks on your skin.

#my blog #thoughts on teen wolf #teen wolf

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bellaireland1981 · 1 year

Text

Starting Over | 3

Summary: You come home to work to find your husband of three years in bed with your supposed best friend. It’s the wake up call you finally needed to take your two year old daughter and get the hell out of Texas. With nowhere to go you head to your big brother in San Diego. The sagger squad takes you under their wings, and shows you what having a family means. You get a fresh start… will you find your happily ever after?

Characters: Jake “hangman” Seresin x Sister! Reader, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Seresin! Reader (Eventually), Hangman x Phoenix (eventually) , Adorable OC Gracie! The Dagger squad

Word Count: 5313

Warnings: Angst, cheating husband, emotional abuse, eventual fluff, smut in later chapters, Sweet uncle Jake, Adorable Rooster with a toddler… if I miss any please let me know.

A/N: I don’t own the characters or storyline for Top Gun Maverick. All OC’s are mine. I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR ANYONE TO COPY OR REPOST MY WORK TO ANY OTHER PLATFORM! DON’T STEAL! Reblogs, likes and comments ALWAYS welcomed. THANK YOU @waywardodysseys as always for reading over my work and helping me flush out ideas!!

Taglist is open! If I missed anyone who asked to be tagged, please let me know! I tried to keep track!

CH 1 CH 2

“You definitely have enough of a case with the text messages and voicemails alone to be given a fairly cut and dry divorce on grounds of emotional and mental abuse, Y/N.” Lauren Kennedy said, the next day. Jake had once again worked his brotherly magic and arranged for Penny to watch Gracie while you had the appointment. “I have to tell you, even given the fact that he is in Texas, the nature of these texts and voicemails becoming increasingly hostile and threatening, I would recommend requesting an order of protection as well for both you and Gracie. With that said, I’m assuming you want complete custody of the child?”

“If there is a way to make sure he has absolutely no rights to her, that is what I want.” You said. “I don’t want or need child support from him. He’s admitted to never wanting her, does that count in our favor?”

“It does.” She said, “Would the protection order be something you would be willing to pursue?”

“He’s never physically laid a hand on me. Would a judge even order it without him physically harming me?” You asked

“With the escalating calls and texts, I would say the probable cause for him to become physical is not too far fetched.” She said gently, “I’m assuming you haven’t listened to the more recent calls or the messages he has sent your brother?”

“No.” You admitted, “It became too much and Jake just got me a new phone and number so I wouldn’t have to. If you think it’s for the best and necessary then yes, I am willing to request the order of protection.”

“I think it’s always better to be safe than sorry,” She said, “especially when a child is involved.”

“I will do anything to protect Gracie.” You said. “I have to be honest with you Ms. Kennedy, I don’t have a lot of money. I have a credit card I was able to get without Trent knowing, but he never let me have access to our accounts.”

“I’m willing to take you on as a client at a very low rate.” She said, “I was you, Y/N. My story is almost identical to yours. I was able to get out because I had people helping me. Now, I get to do the same thing for other women. There is a whole amazing life waiting for you. I’m going to help you grab it with both hands.”

“I don’t even know what to say.” You said, wiping away the tears that were streaming down your face. “Thank you… It doesn’t seem like enough… but thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” She smiled, “I’ll get started on the paperwork and get it all filed ASAP. I’ll just need to know if there is any personal property you’re wanting me to include in the papers?”

“No, I got most of Gracie’s stuff before I left and I don’t care about any of my stuff.” You replied, “I’d honestly be shocked if any of it was still there anyway. I just want to be done with him and to move on…and I want my maiden name back.”

“That’s an easy enough fix once the divorce is finalized, I can walk you through that process.” She smiled, knowingly. “I’d say we should be able to petition the court for a name change for Gracie too.”

“That would be amazing.” You replied, “I want to cut him from my daughter’s life completely so she never knows the pain of a piece of shit father.”

“I will get this ball rolling and keep you in the loop on where things are at all times.” She promised, “I have to caution you that he may escalate in behavior once he’s served with papers. I urge you to keep up what you’ve been doing and not engage with communication. All communication can go through myself and a lawyer of his choosing if he hires one.”

“Trust me, I’m more than happy to not have to talk to him.” You answered, “It’ll make Jake happy too. He’s definitely not a fan of Trent’s.”

After leaving the lawyer’s office you sent a quick text to Jake to let him know it had gone well. You stopped off at the grocery store to pick up the stuff you’d need to make dinner. You decided to use your credit card instead of the card Jake had given you. You mentally added finding a job to your to do list though. Once you had everything you needed for the dinner you loaded the car with the groceries and headed back to the house.

“Thank you so much for watching her, Penny.” You said once you were inside and set the bags down on the counter. “I hope she was well behaved for you.”

“She was an absolute angel.” she replied, smiling, “It’s no trouble at all, Y/N. Honestly, I’m happy to help whenever I can.”

“I’m blown away by the amazing group of people my brother’s surrounded himself with.” You said, “It’s definitely not something we were used to having growing up.”

“I gathered as much.” She said, smiling gently. “I’ve had a soft spot for your brother since he first got to Top Gun as a new recruit. Saw right through the tough guy, cocky aviator act.”

“I’m glad he’s gotten better at letting people in.” You smiled, “He’s one of the best men I know. I might be biased because he’s my big brother and practically raised me himself, even though he was just a kid, but they don’t come better than Jakey.”

“You know,” Penny said, “I know you’re going through one hell of a tough spot right now, and it might seem a little hopeless, but as someone who’s been in your shoes, Sweetheart, I want you to know… you’ll find happiness after all of the dust settles.”

“I think one I’m free of Trent, I just want to focus on being a good mom to Gracie and building a new life for us here… one where Jake doesn’t have to support us, preferably.” You replied, “Maybe I’m just meant to be single. It’s not like men will be lining up at the door to date a single mom…an unemployed one at that.”

“Well the unemployment part I can help with.” Penny said, “I could use some help at the bar during the day. Keeping track of the ordering and the paperwork side of the bar is not my favorite. If you’re interested, I’d happily throw that stuff your way. It’s part time for now, but it might help get you back on your feet.”

“I don’t have anywhere for Gracie to go while I work right now.” You replied, “I’d love to accept the job…can I have a few days to try to find a sitter?”

“Of course.” Penny replied, “Let me know if you need any help. Once school is out for the summer, I’m sure Amelia would love to babysit too if you need it.”

“Thank you, Penny.” You said, “For everything.”

“Of course.” She replied, smiling, “You’re family now, Y/N. I know you’ve heard it a lot since getting here but it’s true.”

“I’m starting to think coming here was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” You smiled, tears once more forming in your eyes.

“It’s your fresh start.” She said, “Now’s your chance to make the life you want…for yourself and Gracie.”

“I was actually talking to Jake about maybe going back to school.” You admitted, “I need to get through the divorce first and find some semblance of a new ‘normal’ for Gracie and me, but then… maybe.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.” Penny said. “And don’t close yourself off to other possibilities either. You deserve a shot at happiness after this is over.”

“So I’ve heard.” You replied, “I just highly doubt men are lining up to take on a 26 year old divorcee with a toddler.”

“I can name one, that from what I saw when we were here helping get Gracie’s room set up, would be more than happy to be at the front of that line and be given a shot.” Penny said, “I don’t know how Jake would feel about it, but I for one can and will vouch for him.”

“Who?” You replied, shocked. You hadn’t noticed anyone paying any more attention than the others.

“Rooster.” She smiled, like the cat that caught the canary. “He was lookin’ pretty smitten with you and he definitely fell head over heels for that little girl.”

“Bradley?” You asked, eyes wide, still reeling from this tidbit of information. “I think he was just being nice. He’s really good with Gracie, but all of Jake’s friends were.”

“Just my observation.” She said, not wanting to spook you, “Just don’t count yourself out from finding a good man. Trent is the exception, not the norm. Real men, secure men…they don’t treat women like that.”

With those words of wisdom, Penny said goodbye and told you to call her about the job. Once she’d left you turned on music quietly in the kitchen and got to work preparing dinner for your brother. He had sent a text earlier to let you know the whole squad had jumped at the chance at a home cooked meal. You seasoned the pork roast and started it cooking so you could add the bbq and shred it later. The chicken you were frying so you needed to wait until closer to dinner. You got the ribs ready to start cooking before adding them to the oven. You planned on putting them out on the grill when it got closer. Once you had the meat sorted, you set to work whipping up a batch of the honey cornbread that Jake loved, opting to bake them into muffins for the safe of ease. Once those were in the oven baking, you set to work mixing up some bbq sauce. You hated to have to cheat and use store bought as your base, but you quickly added everything you needed to make it better. By the time you were cleaning the kitchen up from your first round of cooking, Gracie was waking up.

You wiped your hands to dry them and headed back to her room to change her diaper before bringing her out. She was starting to show signs of being ready to potty train so you made a mental note to pick up pull ups and a toddler potty next trip to the store.

“Hi, Gracie girl!” You said, walking into her room. She was sitting in the middle of the bed, surrounded by pillows, looking very much like the princess Jake called her. “Did you have a good nap?”

“Mommy!” She said, her little voice still sounding sleepy, “You back!”

“I’m back, Sweetheart.” You smiled, reaching out to pick her up. She happily stood and toddled to the edge for you to pick her up. “Let’s change your diaper then you can play while mommy makes you a snack ok?”

“Otay, Mommy.” She said, “Nanas?”

“Absolutely you can have a banana.” You agreed, “Did you have fun with Miss Penny?”

“Yes!” She exclaimed, happily, “Penny pway!”

“Penny played with you?” You asked as you changed her diaper.

“Yes!” She confirmed, “Mommy, Unko Jakey home?”

“Not yet, Sweetie but he’ll be home soon.” You assured her. “Uncle Jakey’s friends are coming over tonight too.”

“Woosta?” She asked, her eyes getting big. “Pwease, Mommy?”

“Rooster will be here too.” You promised, your mind quickly drifting to the last part of the conversation with Penny. You knew for certain that Gracie was taken with Bradley. She’d latched onto him almost from the instant they met. It made you wish her own father was as attentive and sweet with her as Bradley was.

You set Gracie down on the floor by her toys and went to cut up a banana for her. You put the banana into a bowl and then set it at the table by her Booster chair and got her a cup of milk in her sippy cup. Before you had a chance to go collect her though, the front door opened and you heard her squeal in delight.

You stepped into the living room in time to see Jake drop his flight bag and swoop Gracie into his arms, grinning ear to ear…both of them. He moved away from the door, kicking it closed with his foot, as he smothered Gracie with kisses, earning himself full on belly laughs from his niece.

“You’re home early.” You noticed, “I figured you’d be home closer to dinner time.”

“Mav had us knock off early.” Jake replied, laughing with Gracie. “We were in the air all morning and then went over next week’s plan for the new recruits. Wrapped up early so he dismissed us. Everyone was in a hurry to get out of there and get cleaned up. I think they’ll be descending on us here soon.”

“Home cooked food is really that much of a draw?” You asked, surprised, “Don’t any of them know how to cook?”

“Some better than others.” He replied, “But a home cooked meal they don’t have to prepare themselves is definitely a draw.”

“Well, then I guess we are going to make this a weekly event.” You declared, “I can’t have them starving from their own cooking. They’ll get at least one good meal a week.”

“I’m sure they won’t say ‘no’ to that, Tulip.” He grinned, “Thank you, by the way. I know your ulterior motives behind this dinner….and the weekly dinners you’re proposing.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, Bubs.” You winked, knowing he was right. You were doing this on purpose. You wanted to give his friends, Phoenix specifically, a chance to see the real Jake more often. “Go shower, you smell like jet fuel. Then you can help me by keeping Gracie occupied while I cook.”

“Deal!” He said, handing Gracie to you and picking up his bag from where he’d dropped it, “Be right back Princess G, then we’ll play! Uncle Jakey will take you outside.”

You managed to get Gracie strapped into her booster seat to eat her banana while you got out everything you needed to get the sides going for dinner. You checked the meat, pulling the ribs from the oven and letting the cornbread muffins continue to bake. By the time you were ready to start getting the ingredients out to coat the chicken with before frying, Jake was walking into the kitchen in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt.

“Brave to wear white when around Gracie.” You teased, “And barbecue sauce.”

“I love living on the edge,” He laughed, “What can I say?”

“While you’re outside, can you start the grill?” You asked, “The ribs need to go on to finish cooking.”

“Sure thing.” He replied, “Anything else I can do to help?”

“Just keeping Gracie entertained is a huge help.” You said, “Besides, this is your ‘thank you’ dinner. I’m not letting you help.”

He laughed, dropping a kiss on your head and getting Gracie from the booster. “Come on, Princess G. You can help me start the grill and we’ll play outside while Mommy works her magic in the kitchen.”

“Pway!!” She clapped, “Byebye Mommy!”

“Have fun, Sweetie.” You laughed, “Listen to Uncle Jakey.”

The two of them left the kitchen and you returned your attention to getting dinner ready. Once the muffins were done you set them to cool. You decided to add loaded smashed potatoes to the menu for the night, so you set potatoes on the stove to boil. Once they were done, you’d smash them onto a cooking sheet before loading them with cheese, bacon bits and chives and would bake them until the cheese melted. They were also one of Jake’s favorites. The two of you had done most of the cooking growing up. He’d loved it when you’d learned to cook, and had happily turned that task over to you.

“Hello?” You heard a voice from the front room.

“In here!” You called, continuing to move around the kitchen, preparing the dinner. You figured Jake’s friends knew to just come on in.

“Damn, it smells amazing in here.” Bradley said, stepping into the kitchen, holding a small bouquet of flowers. You felt warmth creep over your face and it had nothing to do with the stove being on.

“Hopefully it all tastes just as good.” You replied, smiling.

“I’m sure it will.” He said, then remembering the flowers, he blushed slightly, holding them out to you. “I brought these for you.”

“They’re beautiful, Bradley.” You replied, smiling as you gently took to flowers, “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome” He said, smiling back, “Didn’t want to come empty handed when you were gracious enough to invite us all for dinner. Thank you for saving me from my own cooking.”

“Jake said some of you cooked better than others.” You laughed, cutting the stems and placing the flowers into a pitcher as a makeshift vase. “I’m happy to cook for you all. You’ve been a huge help since I showed up on Jake’s doorstep, this is the least I can do. I also told him I’m making this a weekly thing, so whoever is available can come over and I’ll feed everyone.”

“You’re a goddess.” He declared, winking, “You should know that strays, when fed…keep coming back.”

“It’s a good thing then that I don’t mind picking up strays.” You laughed, opening the fridge. “Do you want a beer?”

“I’d love one, Y/N.” He replied, “Thank you.”

You handed him the beer, reaching back in to grab one for yourself. You popped the cap off the bottle and took a drink before setting it down on the counter.

“Can you do me a favor and run these out to Jake?” You asked, picking up the platter of ribs, “They need to go on the grill.”

“Absolutely.” He replied, taking the platter and his beer and heading out to the backyard.

You took a deep breath, finding yourself smiling as you continued to prepare dinner.

Everyone started arriving after Bradley got there, including Mav who had graciously accepted the offer to not eat his own cooking as well. You’d managed to get the rest of the food prepared and set out on the counter so they could come through buffet style and pile food on their plates. You plated some of the food you knew Gracie would like and be able to eat on her plate, getting her set up at the table. Bob, Phoenix, Bradley, Jake and Mav sat around the table. Coyote, Fanboy and Payback sitting at the kitchen island with their food.

You sat down between Gracie and Bradley once everyone had their food and were settled.

“This. is. AMAZING, Y/N.” Coyote groaned in delight, digging into his meal. “I’ve died and gone to Heaven.”

“I will definitely have to run extra miles tomorrow,” Fanboy added, “Extra time in the gym for sure once I fill up on all of this.”

“Thank you for feeding me.” Bob said, “This is the best meal I’ve had since I was home last year for Christmas.”

“I’m glad you like it.” You smiled, heat creeping over your face at the praise. You weren’t really used to people complimenting your cooking. Trent had always complained it wasn’t good enough.

“I told y’all you were in for a treat.” Jake said, beaming at you, “Y/N offered to feed you heathens once a week. Dagger squad weekly dinner?”

“I am so here.” Phoenix said, “But Y/N, you are not cooking every week. That’s not fair to you.”

“I honestly don’t mind.” You shrugged, “I like cooking.”

“Well, we’ll at least help.” Bradley added, “Or order takeout occasionally to give you a break.”

“Ordering takeout defeats the purpose of a home cooked dinner night.” You laughed.

“OK then occasionally you let us grill or something so you’re not doing it all.” Bradley suggested, “I mean, we can pretty much all grill at least.”

“I suppose,” You acquiesced, “But only occasionally.”

“We’ll negotiate the frequency later.” Jake added, knowing how stubborn his little sister was. “Who’s up for the zoo tomorrow?”

“Zoo!” Gracie cheered, “Aminals?”

“Princess G has spoken.” Jake laughed, “Yea, baby girl, we’ll go see animals!”

“I’m in!” Bradley said, winking at Gracie, “Wanna see some lions and tigers, Princess?”

“Wions! Woaw!” Gracie clapped, giggling.

Everyone laughed at her imitation of a lion. You brushed her hair back from her face, dropping a kiss on her head. It made you heart melt to see your little girl happy and surrounded by people who loved her. Jake, catching your gaze, offered a smile and a wink. He knew this was all still really new to you.

“I’d love to see some animals!” Bob added, “Can I come too, Gracie?”

“Yes!” Gracie said, causing everyone to laugh.

“Alright, then!” Jake said, “Dagger squad field trip to the zoo!”

After dinner you’re clearing away the leftovers, placing everything into containers and putting it in the fridge when Phoenix comes into the kitchen with Jake. You picked up a dishcloth and dunked it into the soapy dishwater to start the dishes.

“Put down the rag and step away from the dishes” Jake ordered, “Get yourself a drink and go sit down. Relax.”

“You cooked,” Phoenix said, “That means no kitchen clean up.”

“No arguments, Tulip.” Jake said, seeing you were about to protest. “Drink and go relax.”

“Yes, Sir.” You mock saluted him, then tossed a smile at Phoenix as you grabbed a beer and left the kitchen.

You walked into the living room to see Payback, Coyote, and Fanboy on the couch and floor playing a video game on the TV. Bradley, Mav and Bob were entertaining Gracie with all of her toys in the corner of the living room. You smiled as you watched the three grown men playing dolls with your toddler. You quickly pulled out your phone, snapping a picture before you made your way over to them.

“Mommy, pway too?” Gracie said, looking up from her toys. Bradley looked up, smiling at you, scotting over to give you room to join them all.

“Mommy would love to play, Gracie.” You replied, setting your beer down on the cabinet before dropping down to the floor to join the baby doll party. “In the interest of full disclosure, I definitely snapped a picture of you three playing dolls with Gracie. I fully plan to add it to a picture show at her wedding someday.”

“Wow.” Mav laughed, “She’s already getting blackmail photos.”

“I for one am happy to contribute to happy memories for this cute little Princess.” Bob said, handing Gracie a princess doll.

“I will happily embarrass myself if it makes the two of you smile.” Bradley agreed, reaching over to ruffle Gracie’s hair.

“She is an amazing little girl, Y/N.” Mav said, “You’ve done a wonderful job with her. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”

“Thank you.” You whispered, suddenly choked up. “You have no idea how much it means to hear that.”

Bradley reached over, gently squeezing your shoulder in comfort, offering a gentle smile.

You let Gracie continue to play for a few more minutes until Jake and Phoenix were done in the kitchen. You smiled watching them laugh together over something as they walked into the living room to join the rest of the rest of the group.

Bradley leaned over so he could whisper, “I see your game plan, Little Seresin. Count me in.” He winked when you shot him a guilty smirk.

“Gracie girl, it’s bath time!” You told your daughter. “Tell everyone thank you for playing with you.”

She toddled over, hugging them one by one. When she got to Bradley, flashed him a big toothy grin. Your daughter had good taste in men, you had to admit. She was clearly taken with him. He hugged her tightly and dropped a kiss on her head before releasing her.

“Have fun, Princess.” He said, “Get squeaky clean!”

“Otay, Woosta!” She agreed, letting you lead her away.

“I’ll tuck you in and read you a book when you’re all clean, Princess G!” Jake promised his niece.

“Otay, Unco Jakey!” She said happily.

You got her into the bath, washing her hair and body before letting her play for a bit. She loved the water and bath time so you always hated to rush her.

While watching her scoop water with her toys, someone knocked on the door.

“It’s open!” You called. Phoenix poked her head in, smiling.

“Mind if I come in?” She asked

“Join the party!” You invited her. She opened the door further, stepping in.

“Thanks again for having us all over for dinner.” She said, “And for offering to put up with us all once a week to feed us.”

“It’s really no trouble at all” You promised, “I’m happy to have you all here. So is Jake. He might not admit it often or freely, but you all mean the world to him. He loves having you all here.”

“It’s nice to see him with Gracie…and with you.” She said, “He’s softer.”

“I hate to ruin his street cred but Jake’s always been a softy” You said, “He just had to develop a harder shell because of our parents.”

“I like the softer Jake….” She admitted, “Maybe too much. It’ll only end up complicating things.”

“I have a feeling it’s a whole lot less complicated than you think.” You said, “And for the record, I’m pretty positive that Jake likes you too.”

“Mommy, me done.” Gracie said, standing up in the tub.

“Ok, Sweet girl,” You said, “Let’s get you out and ready for bed.”

“I’m gonna head out, but I’ll see you tomorrow for the zoo.” Phoenix said, “Goodnight, Sweetheart.”

“Night!” Gracie said, smiling at her.

“See you tomorrow, Y/N.” She said.

“Goodnight, Nat.” You smiled. You got Gracie out, wrapping her in a towel and carrying her to her room. You got her into her PJs and combed her hair, drying it as best you could with the towel. Tomorrow would be a pigtail day for sure.

You were getting her settled into her bed when Jake appeared in the room.

“My girl ready for me?” He asked.

“She’s all yours, Uncle Jakey.” You smiled. Before leaving the room you bent over and gave her baby girl a kiss, “Goodnight my little Angel. I love you. Sweet Dreams.”

“Wuv you Mommy.” She smiled back sweetly.

You picked up the wet towel and took it back to the bathroom, hanging it over the shower to dry before making your way back out the living room. Everyone had left except for Bradley who was picking up the toys and placing them all back into the toybox in the corner.

“You didn’t have to do that.” You said, smiling as you popped down onto the oversized stuffed chair next to the couch. “Thank you, though.”

“It’s not a problem at all.” He replied, “It was just a few dolls and their accessories.”

“For someone so small, Gracie is a single toddler tornado some days.” You laughed, “Keeping up with her is a full time job in and of itself.”

“I can only imagine.” He replied, offering a smile as he lowered himself down onto the couch. “She’s great though. She naturally pulls you in. I swear she can make anyone fall in love with her in 5 seconds flat.”

“Apparently not her father.” You replied, sighing, “But pretty much everyone else yeah. She’s my whole world.”

“He’s a worthless bastard with no spine.” Bradley said, his voice taking on an angry edge to it. “He doesn’t deserve Gracie. Or you for that matter. He sure as fuck doesn’t deserve the title of ‘father’.”

“You’re very sweet, Bradley.” You smiled, “I’m kinda hoping that soon, he won’t be anything to either of us.”

“I hope so too.” He agreed. “You both deserve so much more, Y/N.”

You felt butterflies take flight in your stomach at his words. It had been a long time since you’d felt those.

“Can I get you a drink?” You asked, trying to keep from being awkward, “There’s leftover dessert too if you would like some of that.”

“I should actually get going, but thank you.” He said, flashing a sincere smile your way, “Dinner really was amazing and I’m already looking forward to next week.”

“Let me know if you ever have any special requests.” You offered, “I’m always game to make new things.”

“I just might take you up on that.” He replied, “I’ll see you tomorrow for the zoo. Make sure to lock the door behind me, ok?”

“Be ready to chase after Gracie.” You teased, “She’s a handful. And I’ll lock it behind you.”

Jake came in shortly after Bradley had left. You were on the chair again, your head laid back on the cushion.

“She’s out.” He said, sitting on the end of the couch closest to you. “Thanks for tonight, Tulip. It was really nice having everyone over.”

“You’re welcome Jakey.” You replied, rolling your head to face him, too tired to pick it up off the back of the chair. “They’re a lot of fun. I like them.”

“You’ve definitely secured yourself a squad full of best friends now.” Jake chuckled, “How did it go with the lawyer? We haven’t had a chance to talk since I got home.”

“It went really well.” You reported, “She’s going to take the case and said she’d charge at a very discounted rate. She thinks I should file an order of protection too to be on the safe side and that any contact with him will go through her.”

“That’s amazing, Tulip!” He said , his whole face lighting up with a smile. “Did she give a timeline?”

“Not really. She’s going to get papers started to serve him.” You said, “She said he might start calling more or escalate once he’s served, which is also why she wants me to file an order of protection.”

“I fully support that.” Jake said, “I also wouldn’t put it past him to come out here, Tulip. We need to make sure you and Gracie are safe.”

“I don’t think he’d come all the way out here, Jakey.” You said, “His pride will be hurt but really I’m giving him what he wanted… to be free of my and Gracie.”

“Don’t underestimate him, Y/N.” Jake insisted, “I’ve heard the messages he’s left you and for me. I’ll feel better if we take precautions to keep you both safe.”

“I’ll be careful.” You promised, “I’m mostly with you anyway except for when you’re on base. Penny offered me a job today too. She said she needs someone to help with paperwork and the inventory side of things…I told her I need to work out childcare but I’d get back to her.”

“I can ask on base for recommendations for a sitter or daycare.” Jake offered, “Someone’s got to have good reliable sitters.”

“They can’t cost an arm and a leg though either.” You said, “Working just to pay daycare defeats the purpose.”

“I’ll ask around.” Jake said, “In the meantime, you are well past exhausted. Go get some sleep, Tulip. We’ve got a big day at the zoo ahead of us.”

“You’re right.” You replied, stretching as you got up. “Goodnight Jakey. I love you.”

“I love you too, Tulip.” He answered, “Sweet dreams.”

After you headed to your room, Jake checked all of the doors, making sure they were locked, before he turned out the lights and found his way to his own bed.

A/N: Hoping you all are liking this series so far! Please let me know your thoughts!

Taglist: @gracespicybradshaw @awesomebooklover17, @bethabear12, @krismdavis, @mygyn, @ayniebop, @hisredheadedgoddess28, @jstarr86, @cherrycola27, @harrysgothicbitch @caidi-paris

#bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw fic #top gun fanfiction #Miles Teller #starting over

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