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newtthetranswriter · 9 months ago

Note

Hi there! Just read your Giulio Gandini x reader and I have to say it's just amazing! I've been inspired to send in a request, if that's okay.

Personally I love flustered men so... perhaps could you write, pretty please, something about him with a reader who's under his care (kind of like Anna was) that likes calling him sweet petnames and compliments him often? (you can use gender neutral terms, I don't mind, let it be for everyone to identify with hehe) One day they compliment his voice, the next is his eye, the next is his strength. And they call him not just Giulio, but also honey, or lovely, handsome, etc?

Sorry it's such a long request, I hope you make the idea come to life with your lovely writing!

Word Count: 3810

Paring: Giulio Gandini x Gn! Reader

Warnings: Mentions of reader being sick, Slight MHA Manga spoilers, MHA You’re Next spoilers, possibly Ooc Giulio

A/n: Hi, Thank you so much for requesting. I’m glad you enjoyed the last one enough to ask for more, and I hope this meets your expectations. Anyways enjoy, remember requests are open and as always remember to hydrate or diedrate.

After the fight with Dark Might, Giulio and Anna moved into the U.A. shelter. It was the safest place at the time and they had no way to get out of Japan even if they tried. So the two of them settled into one of the refugee dorms they were offered and waited out the war between Heroes and villains. At first they were happy to be free of Anna’s quirk and the stress it caused both of them, and they tried to enjoy a life with each other. But over the weeks spent in the shelter, they both realized that the feelings they thought they had for each other were nothing more than friendship. Yes, they loved each other but it was more in the ‘this is my best friend and I would die for them’ way than the ‘I want to spend the rest of my life with you kind of way’. So, they agreed to just be friends and support each other through whatever comes their way.

Eventually, the war came to an end with the Heroes standing victorious. With the restoration efforts underway, the Refugees were free to leave U.A. and flights out of Japan were finally available. With the ability to finally leave and get their lives back on track, Giulio and Anna discussed what it is they wanted to do moving forward.

Anna had suggested that they return to her home and rebuild it after the attack by the Gullini family left it in shambles. And as much as Giulio wanted to help his friend rebuild her family home, that place was now tainted with the reminders of the night she was taken and he was left for dead. He instead offered for them to stay in Japan and start over. They could find work and rent an apartment together until they both got on their feet.

After a lot of back and forth, Anna had decided to return to her family home on her own, and Giulio stayed in Japan to start over. They remained friends, just living in completely different parts of the world.

Though starting over in the wake of a war wasn’t the easiest thing ever, Giulio slowly began regretting his choice. It was impossible to find an apartment that was accepting new tenants, let alone one that wasn’t completely destroyed in the chaos. If it hadn’t been for the green haired hero student, who helped him out with the Dark Might situation, he would probably be living in some run down abandoned building since the kid was able to get Giulio permission to stay at U.A. until he was able to find an apartment and a job.

And don’t get Giulio started on the search for a job. He knew it would be a struggle, after all he was a foreigner, wore an eyepatch over his prosthetic eye, and his right arm doubled as a gun. It was never going to be easy to find work even if there was just a country wide fight against a lunatic super villain. But even with his regrets, he didn’t give up hope.

Roughly three months after the dust had settled and Anna had left, Giulio finally received a job offer. A small-time artist wanted to hire someone to help out around their house, as their work kept them busy. At first Giulio was hesitant at first, not wanting to just be some snobs maid, but when he saw that he would be allowed to stay in one of the spare rooms of their house free of charge, he accepted. After all, they were the first person to offer him a job, even with his looks, and it would eliminate the struggle of finding a place to stay.

Time Skip

It’s been just over four months since he took the job with the artist, and to say it was nothing like he accepted would be an understatement. You weren’t your average snobby artist who acts like they’re better than everyone else. You were just a normal person who happened to make high quality art that also happened to sell really well. You treated Giulio like you had known him for years, and didn’t care that he looked like he had been through hell and back.

But your kindness wasn’t the main thing that surprised him. It was the fact that you rarely called him Giulio. Anytime you needed anything, you would call him Honey or Love. Thanking him with a quick ‘thanks hun’ after he brought you lunch when they were busy. He couldn’t understand why you used pet names like that, he wasn’t mad about it, just confused. And not that he would admit it but every time one of the soft names of endearment would roll off your tongue in his direction, his heart would speed up for a second.

“Hey Love, what do you think of this color palette?” You called from where you sat looking at work in progress you had been trying to finish for a few days.

Snapping out of his train of thought Giulio walked over from his place by the door, looking over your shoulder. “I think that red with that green looks a little to christmassy but other than that it looks ok.” He answered, when he first started working for you he understood nothing about art but he was quickly picking up on what colors went well together and what clashed.

You sat for a second, tilting your head from side to side, thinking over the input he gave. “You’re so right hun.” You said reaching for a new bottle of paint. “I think I need to add a little bit more blue to this green, and maybe just a smidge of brown to the red.” You rambled as you began mixing the new colors. After a few seconds, you turned to look at Guilio, almost as if inspecting his features as he just looked back confused by your investigative stare.

“Is something wrong, Y/n?” He asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the art studio.

Shaking your head, you turned back to your paints before responding. “Nothing’s wrong, just kinda got lost in how beautiful your eye is.” You said as if it didn’t make Giulio’s heart speed up. “Anyways, how about now? Do the colors work well?” You asked, causing Giulio to look back at the paint in question.

Taking a moment to actually take in the changes that You had made to the paint, Giulio refocused his thoughts. “Yeah, I think that works better now.” He nodded, before standing up and checking the time on his phone. “Well, it’s about time for me to make lunch, is there anything specific you want?” He asked, getting ready to leave You to work on their painting while he got back to work.

“Nope, just make whatever you want hun.” You said with your usual smile before focusing back on your project.

Giulio nodded and left the room. Once he closed the door to the studio behind him, he couldn’t stop the flush that rushed over his cheeks. Sure Giulio had received compliments in the past but that was before everything happened. Since he lost his eye, no one has complimented his appearance. People have complimented how cool his prosthetic arm is, or how he’s a good shot for someone who is self taught, but no one has told him he’s beautiful in a long time.

Taking a moment to calm his thoughts and tell himself it meant nothing and was probably just the artist admiring the color of his eye and not himself. Giulio settled himself, and moved to the kitchen to prepare something for lunch.

Mini time skip

Other than the comment about his eye that day, nothing else out of the ordinary happened. After a couple days, Giulio even managed to convince himself that it didn’t happen. But he was once again doubting himself, as he found himself in a similar position a week later.

You had once again called him into your art studio, needing more input on some design you were working on. “Which of these techniques look more like hair?” You asked him once he approached where you sat at a small desk in the corner.

Giulio leaned over slightly to get a look at what you were referring to. On the desk sat three small canvases, all painted with the same reddish brown paint you had mixed the previous week. The only differences were the way they were shaded, each one having a slightly different pattern. Looking closely at each one Giulio couldn’t help but notice that the shade and pattern of each looked eerily similar to his own hair when it was down.

Brushing the thought off again he pointed to one that had the slightest wave in the shading. “That one looks more like hair. Even the straightest hair has waves and ripples depending on how it’s styled.” He answered, standing up. As he watched you take in his response, he subconsciously brushed his hand over his hair moving the pieces that came loose out of his face.

Just as he brought his hand away from his hair, You looked up at him. “You know, you should let your hair down more often. It looks nice when you do.” You said casually referring to the few times he had left his room with his hair not in its normal bun. “Anyways thank you for once again helping me out of this road block. It will really help with this piece.” You moved to organize more of your smaller canvases you used for swatching colors or techniques.

Nodding in response, Giulio then moved to exit the studio. He didn’t bother saying anything as he left knowing that you were busy and at the moment he didn’t trust his voice. He could feel a light blush creeping up his neck and he needed to be alone to calm his thoughts again.

Once he was in the hallway, Giulio began to work through his thoughts as moved to work on cleaning up the house for the day. This was the second time you had complimented his appearance, surely there had to be a reason. He wanted to tell himself that it was really just the artist finding inspiration in his looks because you see him every day, but then he remembered what people say about an artist’s muse. Giulio didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but what if you actually found him attractive.

Almost as soon as the thought appeared, Giulio shook it away. That was foolish, you were his boss and he was just there to help you keep your house in order while you worked. Sure, you guys would have long deep conversations over dinner or afternoon tea when you both felt like talking, but that's just what people do right. Giulio tried to once again convince himself that the compliments and pet names meant nothing and that you were just an affectionate person. You probably call all your friends Love or honey, while casually complimenting them.

Time Skip

It wasn’t until another month later that Giulio realized that there actually was more to it than he let himself believe. The compliments hadn’t stopped, every other day you would find something about him to comment on. Like how bright his smile is when he’s truly happy, or how he doesn’t let his past define him. And of course the pet names never stopped, every question was started with ‘hey love’ and every ‘thank you’ followed by hun.

But what ended up tipping the scale from ‘Oh they must be like this with all their friends’ to ‘Wait, do they really think all these things about’, was when one of your friends came over for a visit.

Giulio wasn’t paying much attention to the conversations you were having, believing that it was none of his business. He just focused on bringing the two of you tea and then going about his daily tasks, before slipping into his bedroom to get out of the way. But as much as he wanted to ignore what the close friends were talking about, he couldn’t help but notice one thing. You never called your friend any of the pet names you used for him. It was always ‘hey f/n’ or ‘thanks buddy’. Hearing how you talked with your friend, caused Giulio’s thoughts to run a mile a minute.

Later in the day not long before your friend left, Giulio was in the kitchen grabbing himself a snack when the final straw tipped the scale. Again he didn’t mean to listen in but he couldn’t help but eaves drop when he heard his name.

“Giulio seems really sweet, a little on the scary side but really sweet nonetheless.” Your friend said. He wasn’t sure why they were talking about him, but his interest was piqued so he stayed quite in the kitchen pausing his actions.

There was a pause before he heard you speak. “He’s not scary, just rough around the edges. He’s been through a lot these past couple years, it’s understandable for him to be cold.” You explained. “But you are right about him being sweet. He’s always checking in on me when I’m lost in the depths of a project, making sure I’m eating and getting enough water.” You said, complimenting Giulio as if it was second nature to you at this point.

He heard a laugh coming from your friend before they spoke again. “Well, yeah I hope he’s checking on you. Isn’t that why you hired him in the first place?.” Giulio agreed with them, you hired him to keep an eye on yourself because prior to him, you had gotten sick numerous times because you weren’t the best at self care. “Come one Y/n, I know there’s more to it than he does his job. Since I’ve been here I haven’t heard you call him by his name except for when you introduced us, every other time you’ve spoken to him it’s been ‘love’ or ‘hun’. What’s up with that?” So they noticed too. “And don’t try to say you’re just friends because you never call me that.” They finished with an accusatory tone.

Giulio anxiously waited for your response, hopefully with it being your long time friend asking, you would actually give a real response.

“Ugh you have always been able to read me.” You sighed, before continuing. “He just goes above any expectation I had. Like yeah I hired him to help make sure I take care of myself, but I didn’t expect for him to do things like carry me to my room when I pass out in the studio or replace my art supplies when they get low without being asked. Not to mention he’s not pushy, if I forget to eat he just brings the food in and lets me know it’s there and that I need to eat. He doesn’t get upset when he comes back later and it’s untouched, he just replaces it with a granola bar and bottle of water so I don’t have to take my mind off my work to eat.”

Giulio was amazed that you had noticed all of that in the few months he’d been working for you. He figured you just excused all the times he replaced your paints as you forgot that you already got them. Or that you forgot you actually went to bed on your own, but clearly you picked up on it at some point.

You sighed again before continuing, after taking a drink of your tea. “As for the pet names. It just feels natural with him. I never meant to start doing it, one day it just slipped and he never told me to stop so I didn’t. It honestly kinda feels wrong to just call him Giulio at this point, because he’s more than that to me. He means so much to me.” You finished, likely with a soft smile on your face. Giulio could tell you meant every word, but he also heard the slight pain in your voice as they spoke. It was almost like something about the topic hurt on a deep level.

“Why don’t you tell him that? Clearly he cares about you if he’s doing things like replacing your supplies or carrying you to bed so you don’t wake up in pain.” Your friend asked curiously.

There was another softer sigh before you spoke again. “I don’t want to scare him away. He just thinks of this as a job and a place to stay. I can’t just be like ‘Hey I know I’m technically your boss, but I have feelings for you and they won’t go away’. That could ruin everything. If it made him uncomfortable to work for me or stay here anymore, he wouldn’t have anywhere to go. His best friend is in another country and he has no family, he’d be forced to stay here until he found something else. I couldn’t bear to put him in that kind of position.”

Giulio was shocked. He never expected to hear any of that, and yet it made him both extremely happy and sad at the same time. Had he really given you the impression that he wouldn’t want to work for you anymore if he knew your true feelings for him. At that moment his body moved before he could think about what he was doing, and before he knew it he was standing in the living room.

His sudden appearance draws the attention of you and your friend to him. Before either of you could ask him why he was there he spoke. “You don’t have to worry about scaring me away with your feelings.” Giulio started, he noticed the surprised look on your face assumed it matched his. “I’m not sure how to describe what I feel, I’ve never been great with words. But I do know that every time you call me Love or say you like my smile, my heart races and I find it hard to speak.” As he told you all of this he moved so he was standing closer to where you sat.

There was a pause as his thoughts finally caught up with his words, and in that moment he decided that he was already this far so he might as well go for it. “And if you truly meant everything that you said, I would be happy to explore these feelings together.” He finished with a gentle smile.

You sat for a moment speechless. Your entail thought was that you were dreaming and in a minute you’ll wake up laying across the desk in your studio. But after blinking quickly and pinching your arm to wake yourself, you realized that this was happening. Giulio felt the same as you, even if he didn’t quite know the words to use. “Yeah, I meant every word. You are so much more than I expected when I started looking for someone to help out around here.” You said returning your own bright smile. “I’d love to explore these feelings with you, Love.” You finished, standing up and grabbing both of his hands running your thumbs across his knuckles.

He couldn’t help the blush that spread across his face at the act. Not only were you showing the same care to his robotic arm as his normal one, but you were looking him in the eyes. Rarely had anyone made eye contact in a way that included his support item, they always focused on his human eye as if they were uncomfortable with the tech that was now part of him. You looked at him as if you saw the real him, not the person everyone thought he was.

Giulio was truly at a loss for words at that moment. So instead of saying anything he leaned forward slowly, giving time for you to stop him, before placing a quick kiss on your cheek. As he pulled back he admired the slightly shocked expression on your face that quickly turned to a giddy smile. “I’m glad I took this job, nothing could have turned out better than this.” He said resting his forehead against yours, the smile never leaving his face.

“I’m glad you took the job as well, now I don’t have to worry about Y/n working themself to death because they forgot how to feed themself.” You couldn’t help but laugh as you pulled away from Giulio to look at your friend who was now standing by the front door. “Don’t stop being all lovey dovey on my account, I was gonna head out soon anyways. But congrats you two. And Giulio I don’t care if your arm doubles as a gun, if you hurt her you will wish you never came to Japan.” They finished, waving quickly before slipping out the front door.

The following silence was interrupted by your bright laugh once again. Giulio looked at you, still in shock from your friend's threat. “Don’t give me that look, we both know you would never hurt me. Anyways, do you want to see that project I’ve been working on?” You asked, stifling the giggles at the wide eyed stare he had been giving you.

Giulio took another moment to process everything before nodding gently. He once again didn’t trust his voice. He had completely forgotten your friend was there and let his feelings out, he couldn’t help but be a little embarrassed by the situation.

You smiled as you pulled him towards your studio. As you opened the door and ushered him in front of you, he couldn’t help but notice the giddy smile on your face. When he turned back to the room, he was not expecting this to be your project. Staring back at him was a hyper realistic portrait of himself. Every detail was clearly thought out from the shade of his hair to how it laid across his shoulders. He was shocked to see that not only had you chosen to paint him with his hair down but you also chose not to include his eye patch. Both his human and robotic eyes looked back at him.

Watching as he silently took in the painting you couldn’t help but become nervous. “Do you like it? I wanted to paint you in a way that shows how I see you.” You explained coming to stand next to him.

Instead of responding he turned to you, pulling you close and placing a quick kiss to your lips. “You're perfect.” Was all he said before pulling you back in. Conveying all his feelings through the kiss instead of trying to find the words to describe how perfect everything was.

(dividers by @/cafekitsune)

#x reader #my hero academia x reader #newt writes #mha giulio x reader #giulio gandini x reader #giulio gandini #mha x gn!reader #x gn! reader #x gn reader #my hero academia you're next x reader #my hero academia you're next #bnha x reader #boku no hero academia x reader

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obiwansito · 6 months ago

Text

spineless in my tomb of silence

the great war - chapter one

playlist 𐐒𐐚 taglist ʚĭɞ fic masterlist

pairing- obi wan kenobi x f!reader

word count- 5,02k

summary- after a few days of feeling bad, you discover something that will change your life forever. how will you explain it to obi-wan, if he is thousands of light years away?

tags for this chapter- angst, fluff, unplanned pregnancy, discussions about pregnancy, anxiety, minor discusions, intrusive thoughts.

a/n- welcome to the first chapter of tgw. buckle up, this will be a wild journey. this fic has been on my mind since march, and i have planned great things for it. enjoy <3

“Kriff.” You whispered, getting up from the refresher mat, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand. It was your second time vomiting so far this morning, and you had been like this for almost five days.

You had recently arrived from a long mission, and now you were on your break, stranded in the Jedi Temple teaching younglings.

Actually, you were grateful. You had spent nearly five months traveling across the Outer Rim to fight on the front lines, so finally getting back to your routine at home was a relief.

Of course, it had its cons. You had gotten used to seeing your partner, Obi-Wan, every day, as the council assigned you together on most missions because of your great teamwork. But unfortunately, he couldn't get a break, and was still in the Outer Rim with Anakin indefinitely.

Though deep down you were glad he wasn't here at the moment, as he constantly worried about you and you knew he would be worried if he knew you had caught an illness.

Or well, you wanted to think you were sick. But the timing of your period told you otherwise, and that had you quite worried. At first you thought you had eaten something bad, but you realized that your period was almost a month late. Maybe it was the stress of the war, or maybe....

You shook your head. No, it wasn't possible. That absolutely could not happen. It mustn't.

You decided to seek help from your closest friend outside the temple, the one you trusted the most and knew could help you with your little problem. Plus, as a bonus, she was the only one who knew about your relationship with Obi-wan.

The lift opened its doors, revealing a young woman sitting on the couch in her home. Her brown curls fell to the sides of her face, and a purple robe wrapped around her growing belly. It was Padme Amidala, senator of Naboo and your best friend.

Her face lit up when she saw you arrive, smiling at you and rising to give you a hug. “My dear! How have you been?”

“Padmé! Sorry for coming unannounced. To tell you the truth...I've been better. And you? How are you? And the baby?”

Your gaze lowered to your friend's baby bump.

When you arrived on Coruscant two weeks ago, you got the surprise of your life when you learned that your best friend was pregnant.

“ You're... what?!” Padmé laughed shyly, her hands caressing her swollen belly.

“It was a surprise to me, too. When I found out, I was alone and so scared. But now I'm more excited.”

“And Ani knows?”

Padmé exhaled, shaking her head. “No... How do you tell your secret Jedi husband that you're pregnant with his child by holo-call?”

You sighed. It was true, Anakin had also spent so much time away -even now- and hadn't seen his wife for nearly five months. Now you felt grateful that you had been able to spend so much time with Obi-wan. “If I've known Ani at all in the last thirteen years, I can assure you he'll go crazy. He loves you dearly, and I know he'll be very excited.”

Padmé looked at you with concern at what you said. “We're fine... But I'm beginning to wonder how much longer Ani will be out. I've had to live most of this pregnancy alone...” She complained, then looked at you, a little flushed. “Sorry, I'm just venting. Come, sit down. Would you like something to drink? I can tell Threepio to prepare something.”

You shook your head, sitting down next to her on the couch. “Oh no, dear, don't worry. I... well, I came to tell you something. Or rather, to ask you.”

“Sure, tell me.”

You gulped. Your heart was going a thousand miles a minute, this was about to become real. “How... how did you find out you're pregnant?”

She raised an eyebrow, hadn't expected that question. “Well... At first I was very queasy and throwing up, I also felt quite tired and my appetite had increased. I thought I was sick so I called a medical droid, and when he asked me the last date of my period I realized. Then he diagnosed me and well...here we are. why the question?”

You sighed, looking away. Apparently, your silence spoke for you, as Padmé gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth in surprise. “...You're joking, right?”

You shook your head, a knot in your throat. “I wish I was. But... I really don't know if I am... you know, or not.”

“What makes you think you are?

“For starters, I've been feeling exhausted these past few weeks. And a few days ago I started with nausea and throwing up. I thought I'd caught an illness or something, but today I checked my period calendar, and...”

“Kriff.”

“Yeah, kriff.’ You ran a hand through your hair, stressed. Now that you'd said it out loud, it was more real.

“All right, don't worry, I'm here to help you.” She rested her hand on your knee, with a reassuring look. “Here's what we'll do. I'll call a medical droid and he'll check you out. Don't worry, he's the one who attends to me, so none of this will leave from here.”

You nodded, your heart feeling warm from your friend's affection. “And whatever the result, you've got me. We're in this together, okay?”

You leaned in to hug her, whispering thanks. You felt tears threatening to come, you were so glad to have such an amazing friend like Padmé. Jedi were supposed to control their emotions, but right now you were failing a little bit at that. Maybe it was hormones... No. You had to think positive, it was probably something else, you weren't unlucky enough to get pregnant in the middle of a devastating war.

Half an hour later, you were lying on Padmé's bed, a medical droid examining you. “How long is your period overdue now?”

“Almost a month.” You mumbled. Padmé was sitting next to you, one hand on her belly and the other holding yours gently.

“Very well, I have your diagnosis.” Announced the droid after analyzing the results. “Miss... Naberrie?” you nodded. You had given Padmé's real last name so there would be no data of yours reaching the temple. “You are pregnant, approximately six weeks. Congratulations.”

Your heart dropped. You felt Padmé get up and escort the droid out, but your mind was elsewhere. This can't be happening. Your breathing was racing, your gaze fixed on one point in the room as your thoughts collapsed. What am I going to do? This is bad.

You were pale, an uncomfortable warmth running down your neck. Your eyes, wide open, couldn't focus on anything clearly. The air seemed to become thick, and it took you a second to breathe normally.

Padmé came back into the room and sat down across from you, but you didn't look at her. I'm going to be expelled from the Order... Obi-wan is going to leave me. I was so stupid. This can't be happening...

“Hey, hey. Look at me. It's going to be alright, okay?”

You didn't listen to her, you felt a storm in your head, messing up everything you had structured so perfectly. This isn't real. This can't be...

“Hey. Look at me, beautiful.” His hands were now on your cheeks, but you weren't reacting. You hadn't realized it, but you were crying.

Padmé called your name, and you finally snapped out of your thoughts. You looked at her, her eyes were wide and she was looking at you with concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yes... yes. I'm fine.” You wiped your tears away with the back of your hand, taking a deep breath. You were a Jedi, you couldn't let yourself get carried away with emotions like that. You had been raised not to.

“Alright...Listen to me.” She took your hands in hers. “It's going to be okay. You're going to tell Obi-wan?”

“Well...yes. But, I guess we're in the same boat now.” You let out a chuckle, even though you weren't having fun. “How the kriff do I tell my Jedi boyfriend that I'm pregnant when he's thousands of light years away?”

“Tell me.” Padmé sighed. “How do you think he'll react?”

“I don't know. I mean, it's not like we never brought it up.” Your mind wandered to a conversation they'd had months ago, in their quarters at the Negotiator. “We talked about our lives if we weren't... you know, Jedi Generals in a war that seems to have no end.”

“And what did you say?”

“We'd get married.” You smiled sadly. “We'd go to Naboo -sorry to steal your idea- and we'd have a cabin in Lake Country. Just us and nature.”

“That's beautiful. And the kids?”

“One or two.” You sighed, wiping away tears. “It was...a particularly difficult day, and we'd still be fighting the next day. We thought maybe, you know, it would be the end of us.” You shrugged. “So that's why we set about planning our life in an alternate universe.”

“Hey.” You looked at her. “It's still possible, you know, I've been planning... Maybe I shouldn't say this, but... Some senators and I want to end the war diplomatically. No more invasions, no more sieges. No more death. So our happy ending is still possible. Obi-wan and you, Ani and me. We can be free. Our children could be friends.” You both laughed. “It will be all right, you'll see.”

You nodded. Maybe you were indeed being pessimistic. It wasn't all over.

“There's something else.”

“Yes?”

“That day, Obi-wan told me something. He said that... If I wanted him to leave the Order, I just had to say the word. And he would do it.”

“That's good, isn't it? You can do that. I'll help you in any way I can.”

“No, no. It's just... I know he said it, and I know he means it. But he knows I would never ask him to do that.” You swallowed hard. “The Order is his life, Padmé. I've never seen a Jedi as dedicated as he is. I know, I know we break a thousand rules every day to be together, but besides that, he just... It's what he's made for. And I don't want to be the one to take that away from him.”

“Listen to me. Obi-wan loves you too much, my dear. I know you guys think you're better at hiding your relationship than we are, but it's the little details that make me realize how much he loves you. The way he looks at you, how he talks about you... Kriff, he doesn't know that I know, but when we're talking and he mentions you... I can tell he's deeply in love.”

You smiled, your heart felt warm. “You are more important than anything, more important than the Order, than everything. And he knows that. So you don't have to worry about that, okay?” she stroked your cheek. “It's going to be all right, dear.”

You sniffled, trying to hold back your tears. “Thank you, Padmé. Really. You're wonderful. You know how to comfort me so well, even though you're in the same situation.”

“You don't have to thank me, darling. You know I'm here for you. And I know you're here for me. We'll work it out. We don't need men if we have each other.”

You laughed, nodding and leaned in to hug her. She was right. No matter what happened, at least you'd always have your best friend by your side.

You stayed for another hour in Padmé's apartment, chatting and making plans for when her baby was born. She only had one more month to go, so she told you how she wanted to paint the baby's room at the Naberrie residence on Naboo.

It was past noon when you arrived at the temple. You had one more hour before your class with the younglings, so you would take advantage of it to go to the dining hall. Usually you would prepare something in your quarters, but you were tired. Hopefully, they would serve something good... Or at least something that tasted okay.

As you walked through the halls, you came across a couple of kids running around. Among them, was Kyla, a togruta from your class.

“Slow down, little ones. You might get hurt.”

“Sorry, master!”

The little girl came up to you. She was ten years old and one of the best in the class. “Master, you will teach us today, won't you?”

“That's right, dear.” You crouched down to be on her level. “Lightsaber training. Are you ready?”

“Yes!”

You laughed at her enthusiasm. “Good. I'll see you in class, okay?”

She nodded, and you patted her back, standing up as you watched her go.

You had met Kyla when she was still a little kid, about five years ago. At that time, the temple was a better place. Now everything felt dark, empty. The aftermath of such a terrible war.

"Fond of the little one, you have grown, hmm?" you jumped as you heard those words behind you. You turned around, finding the grand master of the Jedi.

“Master Yoda, you frightened me.”

“Distracted you are. Otherwise, with the force you would have detected me.”

“I'm sorry, Master. I was just watching the younglings... It grieves me to know that they are growing up in the midst of a war.”

“Worry, you must not. Our best effort, we give, so future generations suffer, they will not."

“You are right.”

“To the dining room, you were going?” He pointed down the hall.

“That's right, I'm going to get something to eat before my next class.”

"Leave you, I will, then. Good luck, Master."

You nodded, and gave a little bow to leave. But his voice calling your name stopped you again. "A Padawan, good for you, it would be."

Your eyes widened. “What do you mean, master?”

“If you wanted, Kyla your padawan could be. Small she is still, but in a couple of years she'll be ready.”

You smiled. Your own apprentice. “I would love that, master.”

"Settled, it is, then."

He walked away, leaving you alone. You thought for a moment about what having a Padawan involved. Of course, you would love it, and a Jedi had to have one sometime, yes or yes. You had been lucky enough to be promoted to Master for your front-line achievements, but that didn't mean you shouldn't have one anymore. And you adored Kyla, she was a very smart and strong kid. You would make a great team.

Your chest hurt. Although you were trying to avoid thinking about it, it was inevitable. You were pregnant. There was no way out of it, no easy solution. You couldn't stay in the Order once the Council found out.

But that was hurting you, because you wanted to train her. She had so much potential and you could help her reach her maximum.

You were going to have to abandon her and all your children, whom you adored as if they were your own.

You shook your head, dispelling those thoughts. You had to focus on the present, then you would figure out the rest.

As it turned out, you might have been better off preparing something yourself in your quarters. The food at the Temple was, as always, terrible.

You were about to finish your... whatever it was they had served you, when you were approached by a pink twi'lek. It was Sammi, one of your oldest temple friends. You had met when you were barely younglings, and though you had drifted apart when you became padawans, the friendship was still there.

She called your name, coming to sit next to you. “How have you been? I haven't seen you in a while.”

“I got back a couple of weeks ago, I was sent to be a part of the sieges in the Outer Rim.”

The twi'lek raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Wow. What's it like to be on the front lines?”

Sammi was a Jedi healer, and worked in the temple's medical center, assisting Head Medical Officer Vokara Che. Therefore, she hadn't been sent to fight in the war like you.

“It's... difficult. I know we've been at war for almost four years, but I'm still not used to it.”

“I understand. You're going to stay on Coruscant for a while?”

You sighed. “I hope so, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Council decides to send me back soon.” You glanced at the clock on the wall, you were already running late. “Kriff.”

You stood up, grabbing your tray. “I'd love to stay longer talking, but I have classes. We can meet some other time, catch up.”

She smiled at you, nodding. “Yes, please. We can hang out at 79s, I might run into that lieutenant from your battalion...what was his name, Bones?”

You laughed. Sammi had never been the type to follow the rules, but you couldn't judge her as you weren't innocent either. “Yes, Sams, it's Bones. I'll tell Forge to go with the boys. I heard around that he thought you were cute...”

You liked chatting with Sammi. You felt like a teenage Padawan again, not a Master Jedi General with a hidden pregnancy.

The temple was quiet when you left your last class. It was getting dark, the wind filtered through the wide windows and made you shiver. You had spent a good time with the younglings, those children were hungry for learning and you were more than happy to teach them everything you knew.

You were on your way to your room when you noticed someone approaching you. As you turned around, you found Plo Koon, your master. He called your name warmly.

“Master.”

“My dear. How have you been?”

“Very well, but a little busy. You know, teaching Younglings.”

He chuckled. “I can imagine. You have a gift with those little ones, you know?”

“I worry about them. And for their learning. I fear the war is diverting us from our beliefs as Jedi...”

“I understand why you think that. But don't torture yourself, it will all get better eventually.”

You smiled at him. You were grateful, you couldn't have had a better master. He had always supported you in everything, listened to you and gave you the best advice, even though you were no longer his apprentice.

“I was looking for you, actually.” You looked at him curiously. “I was sent to lead the battle in Cato Neimoidia. We leave in the morning.”

You nodded. In the last three years, you had grown used to farewells like that. “Give Wolffe my regards.”

“I will.” You had fought several times alongside your master and his battalion, so you had had the opportunity to get to know the commander. At first you didn't get along so well, but over time you had learned to deal with his strong personality.

You sighed. You could guess what would happen next. “Now, my child...” He took you by the shoulders affectionately. “As always, take care of yourself. Don't fight too much with the council, and be patient with the younglings.”

You felt like a Padawan again. “I will, Master.”

“And remember, don't let hard times detract from your peace. Emotions are part of you, but you must not let them control you.” You nodded, giving him a tight-lipped smile. He probably felt your stress in your bond. “I won't take up any more of your time, you must be tired.”

“You would never do that, master.” You both smiled at each other. “May the force be with you.”

“And with you, my old padawan.”

He watched you for a moment, his gaze transmitting a peace you had always admired. Then, with a final squeeze of your shoulders, he let you be on your way.

You closed the door to your quarters, you were finally home after a long day. After taking a long shower, and changing into your sleeping robes, you lay down on your bed with your datapad.

You had decided to do a few missing mission reports before going to sleep, but a message on your comlink distracted you. As you turned it on, Obi-wan's warm voice flooded your room.

“Hello, darling. Sorry I haven't checked in all day, I've been a little... busy. Anyway, I know it's already dark on Coruscant. If, hopefully, you're not asleep, give me a call. I have a lot to tell you.”

You smiled, dialing his contact. He answered immediately, looking very tired. His hair was slightly messy, he had dark circles under his eyes and a frown. But his gaze softened at the sight of you.

“Darling."

“Hey, love.” You nestled your holo-projector on top of some books. “Where are you?”

“In a utility closet on Yularen's ship.” You raised an eyebrow and he laughed a little. “ Apologies for making you call me so late. You must be busy.”

“Oh no, don't worry about it. I was going to try to report on some missions, but you know... it's really boring. I'd rather talk to you.”

“I'm glad to hear that.” He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. You could tell something was bothering him.

“Are you okay, how did the battle go?”

“It was quite alright. Anakin ended up saving us with a crazy strategy, as usual.”

“Sounds like something he would do.”

“Oh, you would have loved it. The 501st has some new jetpacks that... Sorry, I am rambling.”

“No, that's okay. Tell me about it.”

“No, it's just that...” He sighed. “Something happened, darling.”

Your chest sank. Those words could mean so many things, good or bad. You were mentally preparing yourself when Obi-wan spoke again. “Ahsoka called.”

Your eyes grew wide, staring at him in surprise. You hadn't heard from her since she left the Order, months ago. “What?”

“That's right.”

“And Ani... how is he?”

“In shock.”

“Maker.” You sighed. “And- What happened? Is she okay? In trouble?”

“She's fine. It's just...” He ruffled his hair, an action he did when he was stressed. “'Maul's been found.”

You looked at him silently for a few seconds. You sure looked a little dumb, your mouth hanging open in shock. It took you a while to find your voice again, muttering, “You must go get him.”

“We don't have any information yet. Right now, Ahsoka and Bo-Katan are coming, they'll give us all the information...”

“Wait. Bo-Katan? ...Kryze?”

He nodded. He didn't need to say anything else, for you knew very well who she was.

“Well then wait for them to arrive, and go with them. It's time to finish him off once and for all.”

“It's not that simple, love. And you know it.”

You frowned. “Maul has been causing damage for years. You have a chance to finally defeat him and... what are you waiting for, the council's approval?”

“From what they said, Maul is probably back on Mandalore. You know that because of its neutrality, the Republic can't interfere in the affairs of...”

“That's crap, and you know it, Obi-wan.” He looked at you, a mixture of confusion and surprise in his gaze. “Since the start of the war, we've interfered quite a few times in Mandalore's affairs. You've done it several times. Why not now?”

“It's different. We're talking about a possible siege and...”

“Then do it. I'll go help you myself, love. We're talking about Maul, the thing that has done you nothing but harm. He killed Qui-Gon, he killed Satine...”

From the way his expression changed, and even how he felt in the force, you realized you had come a bit far. You hadn't mentioned Satine since months ago, when Obi-wan had arrived from Mandalore, crying in your arms, for she had died while he was holding her.

“I'm so sorry, I got carried away, I...”

“It's alright.” He interrupted you. “You're right. I'll talk to the Council tomorrow, I'm sure we'll come to a conclusion.” He gave you a smile with his lips pressed together. “Now... can we change the subject?”

“Of course.” You nodded, and his gaze softened.

“How have you been, how's life on Coruscant?”

Your hand automatically rested on your belly. Shit, with so much that had happened, you had forgotten the small detail of your pregnancy. You were thankful Obi-wan could only see your face, otherwise he definitely would have noticed your action.

“Well... They put me back to teaching the little ones. Kyla's gotten a lot better with her lightsaber.”

“Oh yeah?” You had told him about the little one a while back. It was obvious she was one of your favorites.

“Yep. And... I talked to Master Yoda.” He raised an eyebrow. “She can probably be my Padawan. When she's older, in a year or two.”

Obi-wan smiled at you at what he said. “That's amazing, darling. You'll see, having a padawan isn't all it's cracked up to be...”

“Oh well, you say that because you taught Anakin. That's just bad luck, darling.”

They both laughed. “You say that like you weren't his adventure partner growing up. I swear, Plo Koon and I were seriously done.”

“Isn't that a little weird?”

He tilted his head. “What is?”

“That...well, you and I are dating. I mean...you could have been my master. I grew up next to your Padawan. Isn't that weird?”

“It's very different, darling.”

“Why?”

"Well, first of all, you could never have been my Padawan. You're older than Anakin, and I agreed to train him because... you know." No need to bring up past traumas here. "The relationship between a Master and his Padawan is an incredibly sacred thing, and it's nothing like the bond we have. Besides, we barely spoke back then. You were with your friends, with Anakin or with your Master. And we noticed each other when the war started. So no, I wouldn't say it's that weird." He paused. "Darling? Are you listening to me?"

You shook your head, snapping out of your mind. You were distracted by his beauty. It sounds cliché, yes, but you could listen to this man talk for hours and never get tired of it. Shit, you missed him so much.

"Oh, yes. But not everything you say is true."

"What do you mean?

"Mmm, well, maybe, and just maybe, I had a crush on you when I was a teenager."

Obi-Wan let out a surprised chuckle. "Really?

"Yes... But it was a platonic crush. I never thought anything would actually happen."

You were both silent, just admiring each other for a few seconds. You had been through so much, but yout love only felt stronger.

"I miss you." Obi-Wan whispered, looking tenderly at you.

Your chest filled with warmth. You had been stressed all day and hadn't thought about how much you missed your dear. "I miss you too."

And it dawned on you, you could tell him. It was Obi-Wan after all. Maybe it wasn't the best news to deliver through a holocall, but you knew you could work it out together. You trusted him more than anything.

You were about to say something to him when voices came out of the hologram.

"Kark. It's Anakin." He whispered. "He's going to find me with the Force, I have to get out of here."

But before he hung up, he looked into your eyes again. "Rest, my love. I love you."

You smiled at him and replied, "I love you too," before the hologram disappeared.

The sun was just rising when you woke up. It was still early, so you took your time to shower, get ready, and even make a small breakfast before heading out.

The morning was quiet, some Jedi were walking around with their datapads, Padawans and Younglings were rushing to their first classes of the day. You considered going out into the courtyard to meditate, as it helped clear your mind.

What you enjoyed most about being in the temple was the peace. With every step you took, you felt a deep calm, something that was characteristic of the Order.

But as you walked, something changed. At first it was so slight that you hardly noticed it. You felt it in the Force, a slight pulse, a dark echo. It was cold, something that barely touched the edges of your mind, but there it was.

The further you went, the more the perfect silence was broken. The lights seemed to dim and there was something heavy in the atmosphere. You noticed that your footsteps slowed a little, and a tension began to form in the back of your mind. It was as if the air was charged with something you couldn't see, but was ready to burst forth.

And then you heard it. A buzzing sound that grew louder as the seconds passed. It became a thunderous and intense sound. You looked up at the sky, and your gaze was filled with horror as you discovered the source of the sound.

Ships. Dozens of ships invading the planet.

The temple was tense. Jedi and Padawans stopped and looked at each other, all as confused as you were.

The buzzing became a roar. More ships, closer and closer.

A tremor shook the ground as the first explosion was heard in the distance. In a second, screams broke the silence and sirens began to wail.

Without thinking, you began running toward the center of the temple. You had barely processed the chaos when you saw Mace Windu, walking steadily, his face really serious. More than it had been since you had known him.

"Master Windu." You approached. You had barely noticed that you were trembling. "What is going on?"

He looked at you, his dark eyes telling you the gravity of the situation. "Grievous is here." He announced. "Coruscant is under attack."

And in that moment, you knew everything would change.

next chapter 𖥔 ͙ࣳ ⸰ֺ⭑

#dividers by @saradika graphics #obi wan x reader #the great war #star wars #obi wan kenobi #star wars fanfiction #the clone wars #fanfiction #x reader #obi wan kenobi x reader #writers on ao3 #writers on tumblr #star wars smut

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roseareeh · 5 months ago

Text

Rush Hour | Eddie x Bartender! Reader

Notes: This is lowkey a vent, enjoy!

Words: 764

Warnings: Drinking

You were beyond swamped with orders. The tickets kept coming in, no break in sight. With the additional customers asking you to "Hurry up my order, I've got to leave soon." you couldn't help but roll your eyes whenever your back was turned to the customers. Sam, otherwise known as Drunk Sam, was your only entertainment in the midst of this as he told anyone who'd listen about his divorce. That humoured you to an extend where it was bearable.

Graduation week just sucked. So many people came to Hawkins and wanted to catch up at your bar. Plus, two coworkers called in sick so there was barely any help behind the bar except one of the waitresses sometimes pouring a beer.

"Two Martinis.", you said to the two extremely drunk and extremely annoying women sitting at your bar. "Finally.", they commented without even looking at you. You would've loved to empty the glasses over their heads, but since this was service industry-you that wasn't an option.

While you were pouring two Lone Star cans into a glass each, a group sat down at your bar. Not any more, you thought. Regardless, you turned to them with your fake smile. Your boyfriend Eddie and his bandmates greeted you, although all of them were nothing less than tipsy already. "Hey, pretty bartender.", Eddie flirted with a grin. Going home with a drunk boyfriend after all this? Honestly, you didn't know if you could deal with that.

"Hey, pretty boyfriend.", you said back with a small smile. "The usual?" They all nodded in agreement. "Might take a bit, I'm slammed with orders." Regardless of how much they drank previously, they were all understanding.

To your luck, a waitress helped you to finish orders before taking them out. It eased the situation a lot, so much that you could finally go outside for a smoke. Like a puppy, your boyfriend followed behind you. "Hey, baby.", he mumbled while hugging you from behind. You leaned your head back against his chest while taking a drag of your cigarettes. "You smell like beer."

"You smell like smoke."

"Fair.", you chuckled. Eddie kissed the top of your head and squeezed you once. "You look stressed, baby." A small groan left your throat while you closed your eyes. "The rush is dying down, it'll be fine." His scent was so calming, despite the hints of alcohol in it. "I know something to make you feel better at home.", he mumbled into your ear before placing a kiss right behind it.

This wasn't the first time he suggested this after drinking, and it wouldn't be the last time either. But your reply would always remain the same: "I not gonna have sex with you when you're drunk, but we can make out and cuddle." That answer always pleased him, and you knew by the way he hummed into your neck.

When Eddie saw that your cigarette was burned down, so he took it from your hands and put it out for you. "I gotta get back in.", you said before leaning in for a kiss. "Love you lots." He kissed you back and grinned like an idiot afterwards. "Love you too."

As predicted, the rush died down and you were able to close at 3am. Eddie's bandmates were picked up by Jeff's boyfriend and he waited at a table while you were counting the money you made that night with Bev. At least he was sobering up with the pizza you made him and a glass of water. "That's 120$ in tips for you", Bev said as she handed you a wad of cash. "God, that's amazing!", you said with a wide grin while taking the money. "You were saving for Eddie's birthday anyways, weren't you? Seems like a good addition." You shushed her, not wanting Eddie to hear it. He's been talking about a certain guitar he wanted for a while now, and you were saving up to get it for his birthday. "I've pretty much got it all, but he can't know." She gave you an understanding nod before dismissing you.

You drove home with Eddie. Luckily, he was pretty sobered up by now and didn't need the usual guidance you gave when he was drunk.

All you did was strip your clothes off, except for your panties, and plop into bed. Your boyfriend followed soon after, cuddled up to you and started kissing your neck.

"What was that about making out?", he mumbled as his hands started squeezing your boobs.

"20 minutes.", you replied before your lips found his.

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson imagine

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merrybloomwrites · 7 months ago

Text

Little Things (Chapter 2)

Summary: It's time for you to leave the shelter to move into your new home with your doms, Harry and Louis. It's a tough transition, but the two of them are there to help you through it.

Word Count: 3.5K

CW: mentions of past abuse, dom/sub au dynamics, mentions of littlespace

Previous chapters: one

AN: Thank you to all who showed interest in the first chapter of this! I've had a lot of ideas in mind for this story and I'm happy to finally be sharing them.

This wasn't supposed to get posted until next Friday but I got impatient and I make the rules, so here it is now! Also I'm finishing the third chapter right now, which is finally all about reader going into little headpsace, and will probably post that tomorrow

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You sit in your room at the shelter, trying not to stress over what just happened. Ms. Emily had brought you to her office where you met two men, two doms named Harry and Louis who were married. She had explained they were looking to adopt a sub. More specifically, they wanted to adopt a little.

And while you technically fell into that category, you knew they wouldn’t want you. Doms looking for littles want someone who is in headspace a lot. And you never slip if you can help it.

You’ve only gone into your littlespace three times since you were rescued. Ms. Emily was there each time, and she took care of you and always reassured you once you came back up, but you still didn’t like it. You felt like a burden, and you were scared of how you acted. You don’t feel like yourself when you slip. It’s like this whole other person takes over and you just have to watch as she basically possesses your body.

So yea, there’s no way these doms will choose you. Years of abuse have broken you, made you into a bad sub who’s unworthy of love and care.

The afternoon passes with you dwelling on these thoughts.

Which is why you’re shocked to your core when Ms. Emily comes back and asks if you’d like to live with Louis and Harry.

“They don’t want me,” you answer.

“Now why would you say that?” she asks.

“I’m not good enough. I’ll never be what they’re looking for. I can’t be.”

Emily wraps her arms around you, and you lean into her. It had taken a while for you to get comfortable with hugs, but she’d worked with you for weeks and now it doesn’t feel so weird. It feels kind of nice to be held by her.

“Sweetheart,” she begins. “You are good enough. You are worthy of love, Y/N. And that’s what Harry and Louis want to give you.”

“Wait, what?” You pull back enough to look her in the eyes and say, “What do you mean?”

She smiles and says, “They’d like to adopt you.”

“No way. Why would they choose me?”

“Well they were moved by your story-”

You cut her off to say, “So they know. They know how messed up I am. Do they just feel bad for me? Pity me?”

“No, honey. It’s not that. First of all, you are not messed up. You had a lot of messed up stuff happen to you, but you survived that. And they don’t pity you. But they do see someone deserving of a loving home, and that is what they have to offer.”

“They really want me?” you ask, needing to hear it again.

“Yes, Y/N. They want you. Didn’t hesitate, didn’t need any time to think it over. They met you and knew you were the match for them.” Tears fill your eyes as you listen to Emily. Never before had you been wanted. Your family hadn’t wanted you, the one sub amongst all the older dom siblings. They didn’t love you, just used you to fulfill their sick fantasies.

But Louis and Harry. They want you. They’re choosing you. And though you’re scared, worried that you’ll disappoint them, hope begins to fill you. For the first time, you may have a true home. So when Ms. Emily asks you again if you want to live with them, you immediately say yes.

You don’t get to go with them right away though. They come back the next day to spend time with you and help you feel more comfortable with them. They’re kind, and gentle, and you like being with them.

On Friday they come again and this time you leave the shelter with them to go to lunch. It’s weird being out in public, especially when they explain who they are and that they’re famous. This makes you feel nervous, but they reassure you that your safety and privacy is a top priority for them.

One thing you notice is that they never tell you what to do. You’re always given choices, and they ask you questions, wanting to know your opinion. They let you choose the restaurant and allow you to pick anything off of the menu.

And while it’s nice that they’re giving you freedom, it makes you a bit uncomfortable. It’s not in your nature to make so many decisions, and truthfully, it has you feeling fatigued. You wish that they’d tell you what to do, make the decisions for you. That’s the way it should be. They’re the doms, and you’re the sub.

Back at the shelter that night you talk to Ms. Emily about those feelings. She says that you shouldn’t be afraid to tell them about your needs. That they’ll want to listen and do what is best for you.

You spend the weekend preparing to leave the shelter for good, as you’ll be leaving Monday afternoon to go to Harry and Louis’ home. It’s weird to leave here, as it’s the first place you’ve ever felt safe. But you know that this has always been the goal. To find a permanent home, a family of your own.

It’s sad saying goodbye to Ms. Emily, but she reassures you that she will keep in touch and you’ll still see her. She’s surprised when you go back for one more hug, but holds you tight for a moment and lets herself feel the pride at how far you’ve already come.

The boys lead you to the car, where two other people wait. Louis introduces them as a driver and a security guard. You’re wondering if this is normal, and like he can read your mind, Louis adds, “We’re just being extra cautious today. It’s our first time being responsible for someone else, I hope you don’t mind us going a bit overboard.”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind,” you reply.

“Well then, let’s get you home,” Harry says. The three of you slide in the backseat. You’re in the middle squished between the two. Before you can click in your seatbelt, you find Louis has grabbed it to do it for you. It’s a caregiver move for sure, and you once again hope they won’t be disappointed if you’re unable to be little in the way they want.

It’s a quiet drive, and you sit as still as possible to not bring any attention to yourself. It’s something you’d learned growing up and it’s a hard habit to break.

Finally the car pulls into a long, gated driveway. Based on that, you’re expecting a huge mansion, but you’re pleasantly surprised to see a nice, cute, albeit fairly large, house. Big enough to hold a fair number of people, but not so enormous as to be overwhelming or garish.

Harry leads you inside while Louis grabs your bag from the car. You stand just inside the doorway, looking around while waiting for instructions from your doms on what to do next, where you’re allowed to go.

It’s a relief when Louis says, “Let’s do a little tour, shall we?”

He and Harry lead you from room to room, starting with all the main spaces downstairs. There’s the living room, kitchen, dining room, library, den, laundry room, and two bathrooms. They also show you the door that leads out to the backyard, and they reassure you that it’s completely private. You peer at the high fence that surrounds the entire property, and for a second you feel uneasy. If something goes wrong, if they’re not as nice as they seem, you’ll be trapped. But you try to push those thoughts away. They’ve been nothing but kind. They’re nothing like your family. They won’t hurt you.

Next you’re led upstairs to be shown all the bedrooms. There’s two guest rooms, Harry and Louis’ room, and then they end with yours. It’s bigger than you’d expected, a large bed and a matching dresser and desk. There’s a bookshelf filled with a mix of novels and picture books. The more you look, the more you pick up on things that indicate this is a room for a little.

The dresser is low, and the top is soft, showing that it doubles as a changing table. There are toys suited for a young child. The bed has removable railings that can be put in place when you’re little to make sure you don’t fall out of bed. And then you notice the camera.

Harry sees you look at it with trepidation and says, “That will only be turned on when you’re little. The rest of the time we’ll keep it off so you can have privacy. It’s just to make sure you’re safe. Is that alright?”

“Yes, that’s fine,” you reply. It makes you more uncomfortable that he’s asking you for your opinion. He’s the dominant here, you’re the submissive. If they wanted to keep a camera on at all times that’s well within their right to do so. It’s strange to you that they keep giving you so many choices, and you wish they wouldn’t.

“What’s wrong?” Louis asks, picking up on your discomfort.

“Nothing,” you quickly reply, not wanting to seem ungrateful by complaining.

“Why don’t we all sit and chat for a bit?” Harry says.

“Okay,” you reply.

“Would you be more comfortable here or in the living room?” he asks.

Again with the choices. Even something as simple as that is weighing on you. Before you can control it you’re shouting out, “Please stop!”

Immediately you’re horrified by your outburst. You’d misbehaved, surely you’re going to be punished, or maybe even sent back. You couldn’t even last an hour without ruining it. You look up in horror and begin to apologize, saying, “I’m sorry. Sir, I am so, so sorry. I didn’t- I don’t know what that was. Please, don’t send me back, I’ll be better.”

The room is silent for a moment, no one knowing how to handle this situation.

“Y/N, sit down,” Louis finally says. You do as you’re told, sitting on the edge of the bed. There’s a rocking chair in the corner of the room you’re facing, and Louis sits there, leaning forward towards you. Harry stands between, letting Louis take control from the moment.

“First of all, we will not be sending you back,” Louis says. “You live here now, with us. And while in the future you may be punished for speaking to us like that, you won’t be this time. You’re learning, and this is an adjustment for everyone. Obviously something is bothering you, but we can’t fix that unless you communicate with us. Y/N, please tell us what is wrong.”

“You keep asking me questions. Wanting me to choose things,” you answer.

“And would you rather us make the decisions?” he asks and you nod yes.

Harry speaks next and asks, “Is it because you think we should be in charge and always tell you what to do?”

“Well, yeah. Subs aren’t supposed to have freedom. We’re supposed to do what doms tell us to do,” you explain.

Harry moves closer, crouching down right beside you. He looks up, starts to move his hand like he’s reaching for you but decides against it. “Sweetheart, of course you have freedom. We aren’t like other dominants. We don’t believe that you’re less than us. You get to have opinions, you get to have control over your life.”

You listen and think about what he’s saying. It scares you, the idea of running your own life. You imagine what that will be like, how loud and confusing your mind will be trying to figure out what to do, what you want.

“That’s too much,” you say. “Too much pressure. I could choose wrong. Please don’t make me do that.”

Louis speaks up again and says, “Would you feel better if we made the decisions? Set rules and routines for you to follow?”

You imagine that, simply fulfilling what they tell you to do, and everything goes calm, quiet. Peace washes over you at the thought, and so you answer, “Yes. I want to do as I’m told. It’s in my nature.”

They both smile as you say that. Because you’re right. And they’re proud of you for knowing that and having the courage to express your needs.

“Then we can do that,” Harry says. “Here’s what we’ll do for now. There’s about an hour until dinner. You stay here for half an hour to settle and then come down to the living room until the food is ready. That way you can get comfortable with both of those spaces. After dinner we’ll sit and go over rules and routines.”

“Yes sir,” you reply.

“Y/N, I’d like for you to call me Harry. Titles like sir will be reserved for punishments, and we can discuss what you’ll call us when you’re in littlespace. But for the most part, you’re to call me Harry.”

“Same goes for me. Well, no, I mean, call me Louis. It’d be a bit confusing if you were to call me Harry, huh?” Louis says, causing all of you to laugh. The tension breaks and Harry and Louis both stand to leave.

“We’ll be in the kitchen if you need us for anything. You may come find us at any time,” Harry says.

“I’ll drop off your bag in a minute,” Louis says and they both walk out of the room.

There’s a bathroom attached to your room so you first use that. When you walk back out, your bag is sitting on the bed. You neatly put away what little belongings you have, noticing the dresser and closet are filled with clothes for you. It doesn’t escape you that some are a much younger style, clearly meant for when you slip into headspace.

Sighing, you close up those drawers and lay on the bed. It’s comfy, soft with lots of pillows and a pretty floral comforter. And it’s a space all your own, something you’ve never had before. You stay there and relax until a timer goes off. You grab it from the bedside table and make your way down to the living room.

Louis is waiting there for you and seeing you enter right on time he says, “That’s a good girl, listening so well to directions. We’d like you to use this time to work on something, either read a book or do a puzzle. Something to keep your mind active. Would you like me to choose for you?”

You think for a minute and reply, “I’d like to do a puzzle. But can you please pick which one?”

“Of course, love,” he says as he walks over to one of the shelves. He looks for a moment then grabs a box and says, “Here, this one’s nice.”

“Thank you, Louis.”

“I’m going to see if Harry needs my help. You get started on this.”

You sit on the floor in front of the coffee table and begin to pull out the edge pieces. Getting lost in the task, you jump when Harry walks in saying, “Dinner’s ready.” Seeing that he’s startled you he then says, “Sorry, love, didn’t mean to scare you. Did you do all of that in just a few minutes? Good job!”

You’ve completed the entire outline and were starting to sort the inner pieces by shape, a trick one of the other subs at the shelter had taught you. And while you’d made progress, it was only a puzzle. Nothing really to be proud about, but there’s Harry, looking like you’ve solved world hunger. It makes you feel warm inside, this praise that they seem to give quite freely.

“C’mon, you can leave that here to work on again later. Go wash up and meet us in the dining room,” Harry says. You do as you’re told and the scent that hits you once you get to the table has your mouth watering.

Growing up you’d been fed enough to sustain you. Never anything fancy or particularly tasty. It was for survival, not enjoyment.

The food at the shelter was good, definitely tastier than you’d ever had before.

But this, whatever Harry has made, looks a thousand times better than even the best food at the shelter. The three of you sit and eat, Harry and Louis supplying most of the conversation, which you’re grateful for. When it’s done they tell you to head back to the living room and they’ll meet you after they clean up.

“Can I help clean?” you ask. You feel bad that you haven’t done anything to help so far, and you’re hoping to pitch in now so you feel less like a freeloader.

“Not tonight love. Later we’ll talk about the different jobs you’ll have around the house, but none of that will start until we’ve all discussed it,” Louis answers.

“I understand,” you say and turn to head to the living room as you were told. You work on the puzzle more until both Harry and Louis join you.

“Have a seat there,” Louis says, pointing to the armchair. They sit on the couch across from it, ensuring that you can see both of them clearly for this conversation.

“It’s become clear that you do well with set boundaries and routine, is that fair to say?” Harry asks.

You nod, and Harry adds, “First rule, always respond verbally unless you’re too young mentally to do so.”

“Yes, sir,” you answer quickly.

“Y/N, you’re not in trouble, you don’t have to call me sir. You’re still learning,” Harry says.

“Let’s go over the rules we have and the schedule we’ve made up for you,” Louis quickly says.

For the next half hour the three of you talk. They explain all of the expectations they have for you, and give you papers with your rule list and daily schedule so you can keep those in your room to refer to when needed.

“Of course, all of this will be changed and adjusted when you’re in littlespace, but if you’re old enough to follow a certain rule then you’ll still be expected to follow it,” Louis says after everything is discussed.

You don’t reply, looking down at the papers you’re holding instead.

“What is it, what’s wrong?” Harry asks.

You take a deep breath and begin to explain why that might not happen often. “I don’t go into headspace much. When I was with my family they would just leave me alone and I’d wake up starving and a mess, and well, you can imagine. Or they’d do things to me because I couldn’t fight back. So I trained myself not to slip. Even now I try not to. It scares me to be so vulnerable. So just, please don’t be disappointed if I’m not as much of a little as you were hoping for.”

Neither of them answer you so you finally look up. You’re not prepared to see tears streaming down Harry’s face or swimming in Louis' eyes. Their reactions have you wanting to break down, but you can’t. Not now. Not yet. You look back at the papers in your lap and distract yourself by studying the rules until both doms have stopped their tears.

Louis is the first to speak. “Y/N, we don’t have any sort of expectations for you. If you do slip, or you don’t slip, that’s fine with us. We’re prepared to take care of you no matter what. Your safety and happiness is what matters.” Harry nods along with him to show that he agrees with everything Louis is saying.

“Thank you,” is all you manage to say. For now, you hope that it’s enough.

“It’s been a long day,” Harry says. “And according to your schedule it’s time to get ready for bed. C’mon, we’ll head up with you.”

The three of you go upstairs, and the boys remain in your bedroom while you get ready in the bathroom. When you’re finished you see that they’ve pulled back the covers, and it looks so cozy and inviting.

“If you’re comfortable with it, we’d like to tuck you in each night,” Louis explains. “We feel it’s a good way for us to connect with you. Plus it just seems like a nice way to wind down at the end of the day.”

“I think I’d like that,” you answer. Sliding into bed, Harry tucks the blankets around you. There’s only a soft lamp on, casting a warm glow to the room. They tell you that you can come to their room if you need them, or you can press a button that’s on the bedside table that sends an alert to their phones. You feel so content and safe knowing that they’ll always be there if you need them.

Before they go, they each press a gentle kiss to the top of your head, wishing you a good night and sweet dreams. It doesn’t take long for you to fall into a peaceful sleep, so content, and for the first time ever, so hopeful for your future.

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

AN: Thank you for reading! Like I said, chapter 3 should be out tomorrow! I literally woke up this morning and decided to start it and now it's at 3.5K words and almost finished.

Next chapter here!

#harry styles x louis tomlinson x reader #louis tomlinson x reader #harry styles x reader #one direction fanfiction #one direction x reader

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stylesparker · 2 years ago

Text

together again

PAIRING: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

WORD COUNT: 2.1k

WARNINGS: ex-bestfriend!steve, bullying, panic attack, anxiety, mentioned parent death, angst, hurt/comfort, "i've got you"

A/N: sorry this request took so long, but I hope you enjoy anon! Thank you for checking with me first, and I hope this can offer you a little more comfort! <33

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Huh?" You knock yourself out of your stupor and look at Steve, his eyes gazing gravely at you. His arms are crossed, his hair is all styled up to perfection like always, and you think to yourself- how is it that you've been paired up with Steve Harrington, again, for another stupid project? Why you, of all people?

You definitely have to be cursed.

"You heard me, right?" He confirms. "My house after school?"

You nod, almost rolling your eyes a bit. "Yeah, totally." You huff before you ask, "since when have you been one to get a head start on school work?"

He chuckles, but it sounds more sarcastic than genuine, "Since I needed a good grade in this class to graduate, L/N. I'll see you later." He pushes off the wall, sauntering away in those stupid ass jeans that actually kind of make his ass look good. You shake your head, looking away from the boy and turn to face your locker once more.

As soon as you close it with your backpack over your shoulder, you hear familiar whistles coming towards you down the hallway.

Shit.

You start walking, hoping within an inch of your life these shitheads aren't coming to you, but you know better. A hand clamps over your shoulder, squeezing a little too hard for you to know exactly who it is.

Justin Andrews, the biggest dick in Hawkins.

"Heya, sweetheart, you miss me?" He laughs right into your ear.

"Not exactly."

"Oh, I know you did. Where ya' been? Haven't seen you around all week, was sorta starting to miss this pretty ass." His friends laugh beside him as his hand drifts down your shoulder and smacks your ass, catching you off guard and making you flinch farther from his hold.

"Been sick." That's all you answer, thinking maybe putting him off with short responses will get him to find somebody else, but again, you know better than to think this will be different than any other time before.

"Damn, that's a shame. I'm sure those kids of yours got a nice break from ya' then huh?" You glare at him as he offers a wide-grinned smile, winking at you before leaving you with another smack to the ass as a parting gift. As Justin and his pack of friends depart, you hurry away as fast as you can down the hall and out the doors before they can even think of coming back.

Once you finally get to your car and get inside, you throw your stuff to the passenger seat and take a deep breath to try and calm yourself down. There was no way you were going to last period after that, and besides, your youngest little brother needed to be picked up from daycare today anyway. Luckily your other four siblings are a bit older and take the bus now, otherwise you probably would have dropped out at this point. You take another deep breath and drive off in hopes of getting your brother quickly, and home on time so you don't show up late to Steve's.

You do not want to deal with an angry Steve.

...

As the universe would have it, everything was against you today.

First, you almost got hit by some drunk pulling out of the bar halfway to the daycare. Once you got to the daycare, you had to wait half an hour since your brother had a tantrum and didn't want to leave in the middle of snack time. By the time you got him out of there, and into your car in his blue booster seat, it had been another 20 minutes. Usually it's about a 15 minute drive home from the daycare, but it ended up being a half hour due to traffic. After you finally made it home, you got a call from your boss asking you to come in again later tonight to take another extra shift since your shitty co-worker hasn't been showing up for two weeks.

At that point, you were about to lose it. You'd just gotten home and now you had to miss another family dinner tonight, much to your brother's disappointment. You wish you had just a moment to breathe, but everything has been so... chaotic lately, it's like you've been running a marathon for a month straight.

You opened the cabinet to see what food was in there, but it was only half a bag of stale potato chips, and a couple boxes of your sisters' favorite cereal. You sighed, holding your empty stomach. Leftovers tonight would have to suffice.

You took a quick glance at the clock at the wall, but did the world's fastest double take when you saw the time 4:30.

SHIT. You think. Steve is going to murder me.

Thankfully, you hear your mom pull in the driveway so at least you're not leaving your brother home alone. You grab your backpack and bolt out the door with your keys in your hand. You scream a quick goodbye to your mom while she watches you pull out of the driveway like a madman, and take off in a rush.

Fifteen minutes later, you're pulling into Steve's huge driveway, slamming the door behind you, and running up to the door with big huffs to try and catch your breath. You knock on the door three times, and pull your hand back down when you see the door already opening in front of you. When the door is opened, you're confronted by the boy you were dreading to see.

"I'm sorry-" you begin to apologize, but Steve immediately cuts you off.

"Are you serious? I asked you if after school worked and you told me it was fine, and now you're an hour and a half late!"

"Steve-" you try again, but he continues. You stand there, taking in his anger and frustration, and all you can do is blankly stare and nod, not even knowing what you're agreeing with. You shut your eyes and look at the ground, willing the tears to stay back while you twist your fingers in your hands. You don't even know when his voice lost its edge or when it even stopped at all, or when you'd been pulled inside and asked if you were alright. Your eyes are still closed, but your head feels like it's going to explode and you can't hear what he's saying. The tears are streaming down your face before you can help it, and your hands start shaking from how hard you're trying to hold back.

Steve's so taken aback, he can't even speak. He hasn't seen you like this in a long time, not since your dad died and you practically became a parent to your siblings. His heart breaks a little bit at the sight of you, and he feels a part of his old self coming back, wanting to comfort you and protect you just like he did growing up. Just like he's done his whole life, apart from the entirety of this year. He doesn't even care he's supposed to hate you and you're supposed to hate him in this moment, all he knows is that he's the only person that can help you right now, and he's going to do just that.

Steve's face loses its concern and he jumps into protective mode, bringing his hands up to hold either side of your face to get you to look at him.

"Sweetheart, I need you to calm down for me, yeah? What's going on, talk to me."

You stubbornly shake your head and refuse to look up at him. Your chest is still heaving rapidly, and he can tell you can't catch your breath.

"Don't be stubborn right now, I can't help you if you don't let me and you need to let me help you. I can't have you passing out on my floor now can I?" He tries to joke, but you don't get distracted, you keep your eyes down even though they've opened. He sighs, dropping one of his hands to grab yours and place them over his chest. "Slow down, take a deep breath, love."

"I-I can't-" you sputter out to the best of your ability, letting your hand ball his shirt up into a fist.

"Yes, you can. Take a good deep breath," you listen to him momentarily, following what he's doing, and when you do he nods and gives you a nice, soft smile, "there ya go, love, you got it. Do it again."

Seeing him be like this for you again brings you back to all those times you've needed him before, the memories almost came flooding back when you heard his loud voice turn soothing in an instant, just for you. His touch had always been grounding, always took off the pressure and allowed you to come back down, and you hadn't expected it to be the same after so much time apart, but now, it's like nothing changed. He's still Steve- he's still your Steve.

That thought alone comforts you more than anything else.

"Steve-" you whisper softly, "I'm so- sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Sweetheart, don't-"

"No, I have to. I've been horrible to you, and now you're helping me- I just-" you drop your head on his chest, and finally tell him everything. "I feel like I've just been going and going non-stop, and today was it, it was my absolute breaking point. After you, and Justin-"

"Justin? Are you- Are you serious? Is he still giving you shit?"

You gulp, "yeah," but you shake your head quickly, "but he's not even the worst thing, I just... ugh," you stop yourself before you start crying again but Steve feels like he knows.

"When's the last time you got some sleep?"

"I don't know.. a couple days ago?"

"Oh my god," he drops his head back and groans, which actually makes you laugh a bit. He immediately looks down at you, realizing the talking stopped you from panicking, or at least distracted you from it. "Hey," he nudged you a bit, getting you to look up at him, "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't of yelled at you, and I definitely shouldn't have left you that night-"

"That's not your fault, Steve. I pushed you away."

"Yeah, and I shouldn't have let you."

You look at each other for a moment, like, really look at each other. It's been so long since you've been able to hold each other like this, it almost doesn't feel real.

"C'mon, let's get you something to eat."

"It's fine-" you start, before he cuts you off again.

"No, shut up. If you haven't been sleeping, you definitely haven't been eating either, so let's go." He left no room for debate, so you just took his hand and followed him, letting him lead you through his house.

He gives you a couple of your favorite snacks, since he didn't have any sort of meals yet, but you seemed very content, so he thought it was better than nothing. He let you take your time, rubbed your back while you told him about the rest of your shitty day, and grabbed your hand again when he started up the stairs to his room.

"What about the project?" You asked.

"That can wait. You need some sleep first."

"Steve-"

He shook his head, "Nope. Not happening."

At last, you gave up and followed his lead again, which, as much as you'd hate to admit it, it felt nice letting someone else lead you around for a change instead of the other way around. For so long, it's been you taking charge and always bossing your siblings around, but it feels relieving to have Steve with you again to remind you it didn't always have to be that way.

You pulled back the covers in his bed and laid down, not even having to ask for Steve to join you, him already doing the same on the other side. Almost as if no time had passed, you curled up against one another, resting your head on his chest, and his arms wrapping around you to pull you close.

"Go to sleep. I've got you."

His hands rub gentle circles on your back, soothing you and releasing the tension from your body as you slowly relax enough to fall asleep. You fight to keep your eyes open as long as you can, savoring this moment with him, almost as if he won't be here when you wake up.

"Don't worry, I'll be here."

Those words pull at your heartstrings, making you hold him tighter and bury yourself into him deeper, if you even can. Knowing that you're together again has you finally closing your eyes, and falling into a peaceful sleep.

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x you #steve harrington angst #steve harrington #stranger things

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fortisfilia · 1 year ago

Text

Promised - Tom Riddle x reader

Info: This is a rewrite of a story I've posted on my old account years ago. If it sounds familiar, that might be why :)

Summary: In this story, Tom didn't grow up as an orphan, but with his grandfather and uncle. Reader's sister got very sick and the Gaunts offer their help. But not without asking for something in return.

Warnings: Arranged marriage, sickness

Word count: 2.7k

Masterpost | Masterlist

Part 1 - Dinner Guests

The bathroom mirror was still fogged up, your blurry face looking back at you when you put on the earrings Mother had given you earlier.

“The Gaunts will be our guests tonight. And I expect you on your best behaviour,” Mother had said in the morning. What she hadn’t done though, was answering the questions you had met her with.

Why are they coming? Since when are they more than any other rich family, looking for peers? Since when are we interested in such peers? And why, oh why do they visit on the last evening of summer holiday, when you had planned to spend it with your little sister?

“You’ve got no business asking all those things,” she had said, flicking her wand to reposition the cushions on the sofa in the living room. “Now go to your room if you’re not going to help me tidy.”

A frustrated sigh soared through the bathroom as you fixed those damn wrinkles on your stupid dress, wondering when they would arrive. Your “best behaviour”. As if she ever had to remind you. Nothing was easier than behaving. Just keep your mouth shut and smile. Think of them what you want and maybe hex them later. You had done this for 18 years. Every dinner party had had its moments when you’d rather told the guests to finally shut up and go home, but you had never done it. Just nodded and agreed to whatever idiotic thing the person next to you had said. Tonight would be exactly the same. Smile, nod, wait for them to vanish. Easy.

On your way downstairs, you peeked into your little sister’s room. Elsie was sleeping, her heavy breaths a sharp reminder of her current state. She had been cursed about two weeks ago. Someone had sent a letter to Father that she had opened, not knowing what waited inside. An adult would have probably been able to get over it, the mediwizards had said, but her tiny body was doing so poorly, that they couldn’t tell when and if she would get better. So she stayed in bed, where a house elf was always with her to watch over her when you or your parents weren’t able to.

And there rang the doorbell. You took another look at Elsie before you made your way down as Father welcomed the three men entering. First in line was Marvolo Gaunt, roughly 60 years of age, with coarse skin and sparse grey hair beneath his bonnet. The man after introduced himself as Morfin Gaunt, a man in his forties, much better groomed than his father, yet he unmistakably wore the same slimy grin. The last was Tom Riddle, a boy from your school. Different last names and certainly a difference in appearance made his presence an unexpected one. But thinking back, there had been people in Hogwarts talking about Tom living with his grandfather and uncle. And with the student’s stories came many rumoured reasons as to why he did. Those rumours, whatever their veracity, hadn't piqued your interest, as Tom and you had never been in the same circles. He mostly kept to himself and when he wasn’t, a bunch of Slytherins were following him like a pack of guard dogs, vying for his attention.

Tom could easily pass for a gentleman if one didn't know any better. He carried himself with a certain sense of pride and elegance. Not too much, not too little. No slimy grin, yet more of an unreadable expression of indifference on his face. He didn’t shake your hand like the two men before but glanced curtly at you before he introduced himself to your parents. Prick.

Elsie’s seat at the dinner table stayed empty once more, even though the house elves had set the whole table, in case she wanted to join. The thought of checking up on her again surfaced. Later. Now it was time for your best behaviour.

“Thank you for having us tonight,” Marvolo Gaunt said when the first course arrived. “It’s a rare delight to see that there still are families with values.”

The way he had emphasised that last word felt like a punch to the gut.

Father nodded. “Rare indeed.”

Tom sat opposite of you and ate quietly. Never before had you seen someone making so little noise while cutting food. As if he was trying not to be noticed. And yet this very attempt made you look even closer. You weren’t even sure if he knew you. He must have, you shared classes at school after all. But he had completely ignored you since they had arrived.

Morfin Gaunt put on his, apparently, most sympathetic smile. “We heard about your other daughter. And her” -he paused for a second and looked toward the empty spot at the table- “condition.”

What was he implying? Rumours surely spread as quickly as dragon pox, but why bring it up during dinner? You bit your tongue to prevent yourself from asking.

“And we heard about you knowing how to cure it,” Father said.

He knew. He must have invited them for exactly that reason. Looking at Tom again, to see if he was privy as well, you waited for him to meet your eyes, but were left with more indifference as he kept on staring at his plate.

“Well, we have our ways,” Marvolo said as he cut a piece of meat. “Old magic. Curse breaking. Better than whatever humbug they’re doing in St. Mungos.”

“You’ve taken her to the hospital, I believe?” Morfin asked.

“We have,” Mother said. “We’ve been there for days. They ran every test, muggle or magic, that they could think of. But they couldn’t help her. Said they’ve never seen a case like it.”

“Humbug, as I said,” Marvolo chewed complacently. “Bunch of quacks.”

“How do you think you can help her?” Mother asked.

“We would have to take a look at her first. From what I’ve heard it’s a rare and complicated curse, but there hasn’t been a single one I haven’t broken,” Morfin told her. “I’d have to brew and test some potions. I know people who supply me with a lot of… uncommon ingredients. It could take a while and it’s not entirely legal. Risky business. But I can manage.”

Then it clicked. Of course. They wanted something in return. The Gaunts didn’t look like they would do such things out of the kindness of their hearts. But what was it? Money? Power? Loyalty?

“And how could we show our gratitude in return?” Father finally asked before taking a sip of wine like he always did to hide his face when he was nervous.

Tom shifted in his seat, while Marvolo and Morfin looked at each other.

“You see,” Marvolo began. “Our family is powerful. Our bloodline reaches back to Salazar Slytherin himself. And yet, as much as I’d like to hide it, there’s been a stain in this very bloodline, when my daughter had my grandson with this muggle bastard.”

All eyes were on Tom now, who observed his grandfather’s words merely with a vacant stare. Only you seemed to notice how white his knuckles had turned on the hand around his dinner knife.

“Tom is, against all expectations, very smart and an ingenious wizard,” Marvolo went on. “This can be traced back to the good genes of all the generations of Gaunts before him, and of that I am sure. Even though he can be trusted to find his way, I, as the head of the family, must make sure that there won’t be another incident that could further dilute our bloodline.”

Your parents sat there for a moment, not knowing what to say. Father, with his wine glass still in hand, asked, “So you want what, exactly?”

“Marriage,” Marvolo answered.

With a shrill clink, your fork fell out of your hand and onto your plate. Everyone, even Tom, looked at you now.

“I’m sorry. I mean… I’m sorry?” you asked and cleared your throat. “I must have misheard you, Mr Gaunt.”

Marvolo turned back to your parents. “It’s simple. You need someone to help your daughter, we need a decent woman, from a noble pureblood family, for my grandson to marry. Accept it, or don’t.”

“Excuse me. Do I have a say in this?” you asked, more towards your parents than to anyone else. The words came out flat, like you couldn’t find the strength to properly talk, even though a voice in your head was screaming.

Mother appeared equally as shocked, but only whispered, “They can help Elsie.”

“Well, if your older daughter objects, there’s still a second one, isn’t there?” Morfin asked incidentally.

“She’s ten!” you said, suddenly too loud.

“So? We’ve got time. I wouldn’t prefer it either, but if you’re not willing to help, we can make it work.”

“Uncle,” Tom spoke through gritted teeth. “Stop!”

“So, what do you say?” Marvolo asked your parents again.

Silence fell over the table as everyone exchanged bewildered looks. The Gaunts had not seriously proposed a marriage pact between two members of these families in exchange for curing a ten-year-old girl, had they? And if you declined? Would they simply leave her to fend for herself?

“Can we have time to think about it?” Father asked. “Let me talk to my daughter and -“

“No. Us Gaunts offer our help once and only once. Take it or leave it.”

Silence again. Father still hid behind his wine glass, while Mother’s lips parted. She looked at Marvolo, then at you. Her eyes glared into yours, pleading silently. The Gaunts smiled while Tom was looking down at the table again. Anywhere but back at you.

The only thing you could think of was your sister’s little face and how it scrunched up when she almost coughed her lungs out. Elsie was too young to suffer like this. She was too kind, too pure to live through the hell that this curse had put her in. She had asked you every day why this was happening to her. You never had an answer. She was the last person that deserved such a fate. Marvolo was right - the people at the hospital didn’t know how to help her. She had not gotten better, not even a bit, in the last week. It was a miracle that she was still alive. But how long can miracles last for?

“Well, no answer is an answer,” Marvolo said and pushed his chair back to get up.

“No,” you said quickly. “I’ll do it. For my sister.”

Mother uttered a low cry. Whether it was from relief or horror remained unclear.

“Excellent,” Marvolo said and shook Father’s hand, who had dropped the confident facade minutes ago.

“When?” Father asked.

“When they’ve finished their last year of school. No need to further distract them. Unless you want them to tie the knot sooner?”

“No, no. After this school year, it is, then.”

“Should we go and take a look at the little one now?” Morfin asked.

“Uh, yes. Of course,” Father said and everyone except Tom got up.

You followed the guests and your parents upstairs until Mother turned around. “You stay here, love. We can’t let you come. Look after the boy and make sure he doesn’t sneak around.” She put her hand on your shoulder and squeezed it hard, as if to say thank you, then turned back around and left.

Thank you would have been an understatement, you thought, while going back into the dining room. Tom was still sitting there, his back facing you. It looked like he hadn’t moved an inch. Your heart was still racing from the life-changing decision you had just made and he looked so apathetic. Was he right in the head?

You sat down opposite him and looked him straight in the eyes, waiting for a reaction. Anything. He stared back, not moving a single muscle in his face. Now that he finally looked at you, you wished he would ignore you again. His whole presence was intimidating. It took up the entire room now and made you reach for your wand in the pocket of your dress. The way he looked into your eyes, so piercingly, as if he was able to stare right into your soul, while not showing any emotion on his face was inhuman and eerie. It was impossible to tell if seconds or hours had passed, but he was still looking back at you and you weren’t sure if he had even blinked once.

“What?” you snapped.

Tom arched a brow. “What ‘what’?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You started it.” He leaned back slowly. “I’m just returning the favour.”

He seemed too pleased with himself and for that, anger coiled in your stomach. “Wipe that smug look off your face, will you? My sister’s life is on the line, I didn’t start anything.”

“Smug?” he asked in mock offence. “Do you think I like being here?”

“How am I supposed to know? Enlighten me.”

Tom scoffed and shook his head lightly. “Have I made the impression of enjoying myself tonight? If so, I apologise for misleading you.”

The room was quiet again. That was even worse than the staring. The clock on the wall ticked to the beat of your pulse as your breaths turned shallower.

“So you knew,” you finally said. “That Marvolo would ask for this marriage pact.”

He nodded, his eyes roaming the table once more.

“Is there nothing you want to say about that?” you asked in a hopeless attempt to fill the silence.

His eyes shot up and met yours. “What should I want to say?”

“I don’t know. Have you not tried preventing it?”

“I have.”

His short answers slowly but surely brought your blood to a boil. “And?”

He gestured with his hand and glared at you like you were stupid even to ask. “Obviously, it didn’t work.”

The clock’s bloody ticks got louder and louder as realisation hit. You had agreed to marry him. There was hope for Elsie but in exchange, you got yourself a future with someone you hadn’t planned for. Someone who couldn’t care less about her fate, or yours, or anyone’s, for all you knew.

“Why are you not upset?” you asked with a hand on your forehead as dizziness set in.

“What difference would it make? It’s done.”

“Done?” You shook your head. “This isn’t something that’s done and over with.”

Tom rolled his eyes and shrugged. “Being upset doesn’t change the situation we’re in.”

“Well, I can’t help it! It’s not something you can control.”

He blinked once, a hint of disgust written on his face. “You better learn to control it then. Because you just made sure this will happen by agreeing to it.”

“You make it sound like I wanted this to happen,” you said, all but laughing with fury. “When it was your family that proposed the idea.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” He slowly looked you up and down. “Rest assured, it was Marvolo’s idea, not mine.”

That somehow hurt more than anticipated. “How could you let this happen then? If you don’t want to do it.”

Tom exhaled sharply, clearly annoyed by the never-ending questions. He tapped his fingers on the dinner table and said, “As you can imagine, I have not been asked if I wanted to. You just experienced yourself how decisive my grandfather can be. How could you let this happen?”

“I had no other choice, had I?”

“Of course, you had a choice.”

“And let my sister die?”

“Then you made the decision to give her another chance to live and take both our chances away,” he said and got up. “You did that to yourself.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. And I’m done talking to you. I’ll wait for my family outside.”

Masterpost | Masterlist | Part 2

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hatchetfield-omegaverse · 5 months ago

Text

Hail Petey, Full of Grace Chapter 3

Chapter 3; The Good Shepherd

AO3 LINK

Summary:

“Who says Jerry doesn't know?”

“Come on.” He almost laughs at her weak defense. “We both know that if Boy Jerry found out that I was, in your own words, preaching to the campers he'd have me back in solitary for the rest of camp.”

They've reached the Gomorrah Cabin by now, and Pete doesn't bother waiting for her answer before going inside and plopping down onto his bed. He expects Jeri to leave him, she probably has a million things to do around camp, but she doesn't. Instead she walks in and sits on the bed beside him.

“He really does care about you, you know?” She says after a moment. Pete doesn't bother hiding the snort she illicit. “I mean it. He cares about all his campers.”

“Well he has a funny way of showing it.”

A/N: And after taking a short break for the holidays we are back! This was originally going to be just one chapter, but I went feral and wrote 17k words, so I decided to break it into two chapters for an easier reading experience. I hope you'll enjoy!

Ted,

It feels silly writing you this letter. Calling you would be so much easier, but of course the Jerries don't allow any phone calls unless they're for ‘an actual emergency’. I don't know how calling my brother could increase the urge to masturbate but they're pretty insistent that it would, so we're stuck writing letters. Steph keeps joking that it makes her feel Amish.

The baby is doing well so far, Steph and I've started calling them Bean until we have a name picked. They decided they want to take martial arts like their uncle, and they keep practicing on my liver. Apparently they're the size of a butternut squash now (at least that's what that book Emma got me on baby development says) but I swear they feel bigger. The morning sickness finally stopped, thank god, and now they're on a mission to get me to drink as much chocolate milk as possible. Steph says they take after me.

Camp has been okay. There were some hiccups settling in the first week, but everything seems to be settling down now. The Jerries are every bit of crazy as you said they were, especially Boy Jerry. You'd think that stick he has shoved up his ass would be counterproductive to the whole ‘abstinent for life thing’, but I doubt he'll remove it anytime soon.

Girl Jeri is slightly better, I suppose. She just pities me I think, which is better than acting like my very existence is offensive. And she lets me skip any camp activities that are too physical for someone in my condition so that's a plus.

The rest of the campers are nice at least. Alice is at camp this year- I guess her mom decided to send her cause she kept sneaking out- so I know two people here. Well, three if you count Grace Chasity. She's in her element at camp, since she's probably the only person who genuinely enjoys the whole abstinence thing. I thought she was a lot before, but her antics at school have nothing on the stunts she's pulled at camp.

She's gotten really overbearing excited to help with the pregnancy too. She's already claimed herself as the baby's godmother. I can't even tell you how many Bible stories she's read to Bean. At least she's friendly though. I'd rather have Grace as a friend than an enemy.

She's also really worried about Bean being born out of wedlock, so much so that she's convinced the Jerries to hold a wedding for Steph and I during parents weekend. She's sending out invites to all the parents as I write this, so I'm sure your invitation will get there shortly. Honestly we almost said no to the wedding, but the look on Boy Jerry's face when he realized he'd have to let us share a cabin convinced us. Besides, I already know I want to spend my life with Steph, so it's not that crazy.

I can't wait to see you at parents weekend. There's so much I want to tell you, but its better if we speak in person. I lov I'll be glad to see you again. And even gladder to come home with Bean and Steph. See you in two weeks.

-Peter Spankoffski

“Last call for mail!”

Pete jumps at the sound and hurriedly stuffs his letter into an envelope, placing one of the camp's custom Camp Idontwannabang stamps (complete with a cross and dove) in the corner before rushing to the main building where a line of campers is already forming. He groans at the sight, knowing Bean is going to Hate™ waiting in that line just to mail a letter.

Still, there's nothing he can do about it: his letter needs to get mailed this week so he can tell Ted about the wedding before the invitation comes. So, already dreading the ache in his back this will cause, Pete gets in the back of the line. Well he tries to at least. But, just as he's gotten in the line, Grace comes running to the building holding a sack, a literal sack, of letters.

“Make way, I need to mail these wedding invitations. We don't want any of our parents not to have a gift for the parents of Christ, do we?” She says, elbowing her way to the front of the line. The other campers, to Pete's shock, let her cut past them without a single complaint. Then again, he supposed it wasn't that shocking that they'd let her do that. It was becoming very clear that Grace Chastity held all the real power at Camp Idontwannabang.

“Pete!” She spots him and runs over. “Why are you waiting in line?”

“I want to mail a letter?” He states, as if it isn't obvious. “To my brother, just to tell him about the wedding.”

Grace sighs, shaking her head at him as if he was dumb. Then, in a swift motion, she's adjusted her sack and grabbing his hand. “You still don't have to wait in the line.” She says as she pulls him forward, “You're carrying the Messiah, you go first.”

“Grace I don't think that's a go-”

“It's fine. Look, you said that the baby gets fussy when you're stuck in long lines right?” He nods at the question. “Then this is for the good of the baby. Now come on. Okay everybody, out of the way, mother- sorry- father of christ coming through.”

They're at the front of the line before Pete can say another word. “Here we go. I made one for everyone on your list, and all the parents coming to camp.” Grace says as she places the sack on the table. Then she reaches into a pocket and pulls out a baby blue envelope. “And this is for my parents. They'll be so excited for you.”

Boy Jerry looks at the pile and grimaces. “Don't you think that's a lot of invitations Grace? I doubt every parent needs to know about the wedding, they're visiting to check on their children after all.”

“Pardon my French Jerry but pish posh applesauce. Who wouldn't want the opportunity to see the parents of Christ get married? It's historic. Why, if I thought it was a good idea, I'd contact the news so they could televise it.”

Pete pales at the mention of the news. The last thing he needed was Day Reynolds and Donna Daggit reporting on his wedding. “Please don't contact the news, Grace.” He blurts.

“You don't want the news here, Peter?” Boy Jerry turns on him, his ever present smile turning almost predatory. “Why on Earth not? Don't you want people to know you're carrying Christ, S-man?”

“I…”, Pete swallows, trying to come up with an answer. Fuck, he should have just kept his mouth shut.

“It's for their safety, Jerry.” Grace cuts in before Pete can come up with an excuse. “Look at how King Herod pursued Jesus. And now the world is so much more connected than it was when Jesus was born. Imagine how many awful people would try to hurt the little Messiah if they found out now. So it's safer if Peter pretends he's having a regular baby, isn't that right Peter?”

“Yeah.” Pete nods, ever thankful for Grace's ability to use the Bible to justify anything. Really, it should concern him how good she is at that, but that's a problem for another day. “I want Bean to have a normal childhood, not one where they're hunted by strangers for being the second coming.”

“Exactly. I didn't even put that on the invitations.” Grace nods. Pete quietly thanks whatever god is listening that she left that off the invitations. God knows what Ted would say if he saw that . It's better if only certain people know for now.”

“Then why, if I might ask,” Jerry starts through gritted teeth, “did you tell everyone at camp? That's a lot of people to trust with your secret.”

“Well this is a godly camp, isn't it?” Pete counters, thinking on his feet. “I knew that none of you would want to see my baby hurt. Especially you, Boy Jerry. I mean, what kind of godly man would want to see a baby harmed? Let alone a baby that's the Messiah.”

Jerry nods in response, looking like he sucked on a lemon. Pete has to stop himself from laughing as he puts his envelope in the mail bag. “There we go, I wanted to personally invite my brother to the wedding.”

“Right.” Jerry nods, the vein in his head bulging. “Well if that's all you should get back to your afternoon activities.”

“Of course.” Grace says, voice as chipper as always, and drags Pete away. “See you at the evening sermon Boy Jerry!”

Pete waits until they're just out of earshot before breaking down into laughter. “Did you see his face?” He says between bouts of laughing. “I thought his head was going to explode when you mentioned King Herod.”

Grace watches for a minute before she's infected with his laughter, tears welling up in her eyes and clutching her sides from the force of it. They stand there like that for a moment, laughing in the middle of the Witchwood like a couple of fools. Pete's sure that anyone who saw them would think they were insane, but he honestly can't bring himself to stop.

“Thank you.” He says when he's finally able to stop laughing. “For defending me all these times. You've been a good friend, Grace.” The most shocking part is that he means it. Prior to camp he never would have considered Grace Chasity a friend, she was an acquaintance at best, but now?

She'd stuck her neck out for him multiple times now, gone to solitary for him (a fate that Grace clearly considered worse than prison). Even now, with the Jerries too afraid of another mutiny to actually punish him, Grace protected him every time Boy Jerry so much as implied that he was lying.

That had to make them friends right? Even if it was all based on a lie.

“Of course, Peter. I can't let Boy Jerry besmirch your or the baby's reputation.” Grace shakes her head. She goes quiet for a moment. Then, so softly Pete almost doesn't hear her, she speaks. “You know, I've known the Jerries my whole life. I looked up to them for staying abstinent as adults despite the pressure from society. Boy Jerry was the one who taught me that I need to control how I behave so others don't have lustful thoughts. But what they did: calling you a liar, locking you up, denying your baby as their savior. I can't believe that they would do that. I never thought of them as Pharisees.”

“Well,” he swallows, looking for something to comfort her with, “they might come around. People didn't believe Jesus at first, did they? He had to prove himself as the savior before he gained followers.” He says hoping his (poor) knowledge of the Bible won't fail him.

“I guess you're right. It's just disappointing.” Grace maneuvers around his bump to hug Pete. He returns the gesture, clearly she needs the comfort. “Thank you for showing me the truth. I'm glad God picked you to bring Christ back to Earth.”

“You're welcome, Grace.” He says, thankful she can't see his wince at the lie.

Part of him wants to move on, to change the subject to something less uncomfortable, but the sound of her saying, ‘ control how I behave’ keeps playing on his head on repeat. Grace had been taught that since she was a kid. All the campers here had been taught that. It was no wonder she was like that .

Pete's parents, Anna and Buster Spankoffski, had died before they'd gotten to have the talk with him, but they'd always made sure that he knew that no meant no. And Ted… Ted had stressed the importance of consent from the moment he'd adopted Pete, in his own Ted way of course. He could still remember the talks. ‘ Okay Petey, if anyone ever touches you and you don't want that, you knee them right in the dick. Understood?’

Grace never learned any of that from the church. But maybe that could change. She certainly trusted him, and the others trusted Grace. Pete's not sure what to say to her, but he knows he can't let this slide, not when he might have the power to change it. So, before he's even realized what he's doing, Pete opens his mouth and-

“Grace? You know that stuff Boy Jerry told you about controlling how you behave is wrong, right?”

Grace stares at him like he's grown a second head. “No, it's true. If I act like a harlot I’ll lead men to sin. I’d be no better than Lilith.”

“But that's not true. It's their job to control how they react.” Pete thinks back to all the Bible stories she'd told him so far, looking for any evidence. He's not as good as Grace at twisting the Bible to suit his needs though, so he comes up empty. “Doesn't Jesus say to pluck your eyes out if they cause you to sin?”

Grace nods. “Yea in, Matthew 5:29.”

“There you go then! Even Jesus doesn't think that. If someone looks at you with lust, that's not your fault, it's theirs.”

“But the Jerries are pastors. Why would they get that wrong?”

“They think I'm lying don't they? Maybe they're wrong about other things.”

Grace blinks once. Then twice. Pete can almost see the gears turning in your head. “You're sure?”

Pete nods. Time to go in for the kill. “God picked me to carry the Messiah right? That must count for something.”

“I guess you're right.” Grace nods. Then she goes silent and stays that way as they walk. Pete is just beginning to question if he's done something wrong when she finally speaks again. “I need to go back to my cabin. I'll see you later, Peter.”

Then, without another word, she's gone. Pete sighs as he watches her walk away. He watches her until she reaches her cabin, disappearing from sight. It's only when she's gone does turn and heads towards the lake, hoping he can find Steph. He can only hope he did the right thing.

It isn't until after dinner that Pete sees her again: the evening sermon has just ended, Boy Jerry having spent it warning the camp of the danger of deceivers. He'd pivoted away from his usual talks on the importance of abstinence as of late, instead choosing to focus on false prophets. He's never too direct of course, not wanting to incur Grace's wrath once more, but it's still obvious who Jerry means when he speaks.

Pete, for his part, is picking and choosing his battles and this isn't worth the effort. Besides, it's funnier watching Jerry fume when he doesn't react. So he pretends not to notice how Jerry looks at him every time he mentions snakes in the grass, or how every day less and less people are paying attention.

Luckily, it was the last sermon of the day, and Pete can spend the rest of the evening enjoying himself. So he's with Steph, sitting under an old oak tree, coming up with baby names.

“I'm not naming our child Eleanor, Pete.” Or well, trying to come up with names. They'd mostly been shooting down suggestions. Not that Pete was complaining, of course. He was just happy to spend some time with her.

“What's wrong with Eleanor? It means shining light, which is pretty and we can call her Ellie for short. And she can have Eleanor Roosevelt as a role model.”

Steph snorts. “So, you don't think I'm enough of a role model, is that what you're saying?”

Pete blanches. “No, I didn't mean that at all. I just meant-”

Steph presses her lips to his in a quick kiss, effectively stopping all thoughts. She pulls away, giggling, and shoves his shoulder playfully. “Dude, I'm just messing with you.”

He sighs in relief. “Oh thank god. I don't want you to think that I think you're a bad role model or something. You're amazing. It's just good to have multiple role models, you know?”

Steph smiles at him. “You're such a nerd, Spankoffski.” She says in lieu of an answer.

Pete can't help but laugh at that. “Maybe. But I'm your nerd.” He retorts.

“Damn right, you're mine.” She says with such ferocity that Pete has to look away to keep from blushing. Honestly it was rude of her, teasing him like that in abstinence camp of all places. Especially when she knows how his hormones have been lately.

“Okay. Back to names before I do something that gets me thrown in solitary again.” He says, trying to think of anything to cool his racing heartbeat down. Eventually he settles on Boy Jerry naked, and that seems to do it.

Steph laughs again. “Fine, but I swear once we're married…” She doesn't finish her sentence and Pete can only imagine the things she has planned. “What about Alexis?”

“Ehh, it's okay. I like Alexandria better though.” He says then, after checking that the coast is clear, lays his head on her lap. The counselors had been more lenient about letting them be alone since their engagement, but Pete doubts they'd let something like this slide. He already knows they'd consider his head way too close to her crotch.

“We can put it in the maybe list for now.” Steph says, reaching down to pet his hair. Pete sighs at the touch: Steph had always been a fan of resting her head in his lap and letting him play with her hair. Of course, she hadn't been able to do that since he'd started showing, the bump taking up too much room on his lap for her to feel comfortable. Never one to give up, she'd taken to reversing their roles, pulling his head into her lap and playing with his hair instead. He'd been against before, feeling awkward with that level of intimacy, but the first touch of her hands against his scalp. Her touch always seemed to relax him, his stress melting away under her careful ministrations until all that was left was them. Pete definitely understood why Steph loved it so much.

“What about Amelia?” He asks, closing his eyes. He could definitely fall asleep like this if he wasn't careful.

“I like Amelia but I feel like everyone would call her Mia, which I don't like.”

“Fair.” Pete says. “Remind me again why we need a girl's name again? I'm positive we're having a boy.”

“Because the doctor couldn't tell us for certain, remember?”

“Oh, right.” He'd gone in for one last appointment the week before camp, knowing that he wouldn't be able to make any more appointments over the summer. After giving him plenty of pamphlets on the signs of pre-eclampsia and making him promise to call if he felt the slightest big off, the OBGYN had given him one last sonogram in hopes of finding out the gender. It was all for naught though: Bean had kept their legs fully crossed the entire appointment, and no amount of coaxing could convince them to move. Eventually Pete had resigned himself to not knowing, but every fiber of his being screamed that he was having a boy.

“Besides, with our luck we'll plan for a boy and have a girl. It's better to be prepared.”

“Alright, alright, I concede. You're right.” Pete snorts. He wants to say more but before he can, his attention is caught by the large group coming towards him. “What the hell?” He mumbles as he sits up.

There's at least 10 people in the group, all girls, probably 12-17 if Pete had to guess, but that's not what catches his attention. No, instead it's Grace who catches his attention, leading the group with her Bible pressed firmly to her chest. She walks right Pete, the rest of the group stopping a few feet away, and looks him dead in the eye before speaking. “Tell them what you told me earlier.”

“What?” Steph asks.

“Tell them what you told me earlier.” She repeats herself. “About plucking your eyes out.”

Pete winces. Fuck. He pushed it too far and Grace realized he's a fraud. She's going to denounce him in front of everyone and he's going back to solitary for the reminder of camp. “Grace-”

“Please.” She cuts him off. Pete wants to tell her to forget it, but then he looks Grace in the eye and sees it. She's not staring at him in anger, or hurt, or betrayal. No, she's looking at him in desperation. “They want to know.”

“Okay.” He swallows. “Well Jesus said to pluck your eyes out if it'll prevent you from sinning. So that means that it's not your fault if someone looks at you in lust.”

“But Boy Jerry says that we'll tempt the guys if we're not careful. That’s why we have to wear swimsuits in the bathroom.” One of the younger girls, Pete thinks her name is Rachel, says in confusion.

“If looking at you tempts them then that's something they need to deal with. You just focus on yourself.”

“So our job is just to focus on our own path of abstinence? Not theirs?” Another girl asks.

“Yeah. Something like that.” He nods.

“I told you.” Grace says, turning towards the group. “Peter is being blessed with the teachings of the baby savior. We need to listen to him.”

He blinks. “I don't know if I would say blessed.” He tries to explain.

“But you are blessed.” Grace insists. “The baby must be communicating with you in the womb so you can teach us their wisdom. Oh Peter, you're so lucky to have such a holy experience.”

Steph looks at him in confusion but Pete just nods at her to just go with it. The last thing they need is to get caught in a lie.

“I guess I am lucky. Okay then,” he gestures for the others to sit, “what do you want to know?”

There's a barrage of voices speaking all at once, some louder than the others. “Girls!” Grace shouts, watching as they all quiet at her command. “One at a time please.”

There's a raise of hands and Pete eventually settles on one. She's one of the younger girls, wearing yellow overalls over her pink camp shirt and flowers braided into her hair. She speaks in a soft voice, body trembling as she does. “I started bleeding today. From down there.” She points at her legs. “But I'm not hurt. Is that the devil trying to punish me?”

“Oh sweetie, no.” His heart aches at the fear in her voice. “That's not the devil. That's just your period.”

“What's a period?” She asks.

Pete blinks. Surely she was old enough to get the talk. Why wouldn't her parents teach her what a period was. God, it was probably another purity thing. He bristles at the realization. Those assholes.

“Well it's a sign you're growing up. When you get old enough you have periods to tell you that you can have babies. And once a month, you'll have a period to tell you that you're not pregnant.”

She gasps. “But I don't want to have a baby yet.”

“It's okay. You won't have any until you're married.” Pete says hurriedly, hoping it'll reassure her. “There's a lot to it and I can explain more later, but why don't you go with Grace to get cleaned up and get a pad to absorb the blood, okay?”

She nods and Grace stands up, taking her back to the cabins. Pete waits for them to leave before turning back to the group. “Okay who's next.”

He spends the next two hours answering question after question. Most of them are puberty related, their parents too scared of tainting their purity to actually teach them about their bodies. Some are about relationships, and Pete is sure to emphasize that they can love (or not love) whoever they want. From what he's seen the church is accepting of gay relationships, but he's not risking it. He doesn't actually mention the topic of abstinence, not wanting to poke that wasp's nest quite yet. Maybe one day he'll tell them that having premarital sex isn't evil, when they trust him more. But today is not that day.

The girls soak up what he says like sponges, he even sees some of them taking notes. They're clearly desperate for a role model that isn't Boy Jerry and Pete is happy to provide that, even if he's not sure if he's a good one. He cares about actually educating them though, and that's more than he can't say about Jerry.

The group only breaks when they're called to head back to their cabins for the night. “Can we ask your more questions tomorrow Peter?” Another girl, Sarah asks.

He nods. “Of course. Same time, same place.” He looks at the group when it hits him. “And don't tell the Jerries about this okay? We've seen that they don't believe the way we do.”

They nod and, satisfied that they won't get in trouble for daring to ask questions, Pete sends them on their way. Eventually, it's just him and Steph again under the tree. “Sorry about that.” He apologizes with a smile. “I didn't mean for our evening to get interrupted.”

“It's fine. You were spreading your teachings to the masses.” Steph snorts. She stands up, offering a hand to him to do the same. “Let me walk you back to your cabin?”

“Of course.” He says, taking her hand. They make their way back to the Gomorrah Cabin slowly, neither in any hurry to end their night together. “Thank you for rolling with it. For a second I thought Grace was going to say I was lying.”

“She's definitely a true believer.” Steph says with a grin. “Which is good for us.”

“Yeah. I can't believe one joke turned into all this.”

“It's a lot.” Steph sighs. “But it keeps you safe so I don't care. I hated seeing that dick try to humiliate you.”

“I knew he would do it. But it's nice being untouchable.”

“It is. And you were pretty good back there. You could start your own religion if you wanted to.” Steph smirks.

He laughs at the joke. “Think it's a little late for that. Petei-ism seems to be getting popular. Maybe we can buy a church.”

“Good idea. You can't tax churches.” They both break out in laughter at that. “I mean it though. You're good with kids.”

“I'd hope so, I don't think Bean is going wait for us to become good with kids to be born.” He reaches out to hold her hand.

“Probably not.” She shrugs. “But you're better than all of their parents at least.”

“I can't believe anyone could teach their child that.” Pete groans. “That little girl had no idea what a period is. She thought that she was being punished! Punished!”

“It's awful.” Steph agrees.

“As long as Bean doesn't end up like that I will consider it a success.” Pete stops as the Gomorrah Cabin comes into view. It's a completely different sight than when he'd arrived. Girl Jeri had taken it upon herself to do small repairs that the cabin needed: she's replaced the wobbly steps, oiled the creaky door, and even painted the spots where the paint was chipped or peeling. It almost looked like a normal cabin, save for the sign with Gomorrah painted on it in big letters.

“Here we are.” Steph sighed as they walked to the door. “Your cabin.”

“It'll be our cabin soon.” He smiles. “I've already pushed the beds together.”

“Our cabin.” Steph repeats with a smile. “I can't wait.”

“Did you tell your dad?” Pete asks. He can't imagine Solomon being supportive of the wedding, judging by his reaction to Bean's existence.

“No. I'm just going to let Grace's invitation tell him, he'll take it better from someone else. And I really don't care. We're only in this position because of his stupid campaign and if he doesn't like it then tough shit.”

Pete laughs at her blunt words, falling more in love with her as she speaks. “Fair enough. I told Ted. He'll freak out and think we're being pressured if I don't say something.”

“At least he's supportive.” Steph sighs. “I hate my dad for doing this to you.”

“He's not doing anything to me. I'm here willingly.” Pete promises

Steph gives him a look. “We both know you wouldn't be here if he hadn't forced me to go.”

“Maybe.” Pete shrugs. “That doesn't matter though.”

“I still hate him.”

“I know.” Pete sighs. “You know, we'll be married. You could always move in with me and Ted after camp.”

“I could. And it would be good for Bean.” Steph smiles at the idea. “You sure you won't get sick of me?”

“Positive.” He smiles. A single firefly flies between them and, soon enough, there's an entire swarm of them around the cabin, illuminating the night as they dance around them. It looks like something from a romcom. Getting an idea, Pete pulls her as close as physically possible before pressing a kiss to her lips. It's one of the few they've shared since arriving at camp, and he's sure to pour all his love for her into it, knowing he probably won't get another chance to kiss her until their wedding.

“Good.” Steph breathes when they finally pull apart. Pete can't help but smile at how breathless he's left her, knowing he feels the exact same. “You know, I'm liking this marriage thing more and more everyday. I'm kinda glad Grace suggested it.”

“So am I.” Pete nods. He turns to open his cabin then pauses, a thought hitting him. “What about Grace? For a girl.”

There's a beat of silence before they both exclaim, “Absolutely not!”, simultaneously. Pete laughs at their syncing before continuing. “You're right. It's a bad idea.”

“It is.” Steph says. “Can you imagine what she'd do if she thought we were naming the ‘second coming of Christ’ after her? It would go to her head.”

“You're right.” Pete smiles. It isn't until a counselor orders Steph to go to her cabin that they exchange goodnights, and it's not until he sees her safely go in her cabin that Pete goes inside his own. He smiles as he shuts the door. This wedding was the best thing to ever happen to him.

“Oh Peter! Not like that!” Grace scolds as she takes his latest flower from him. “You need to fold it like this, that way they seams aren't visible.”

Or maybe the wedding would be the death of him.

With Parents Weekend fast approaching, preparations for the wedding had gone into full swing. Grace had taken over most of it, and Pete was more than happy to give her control. So for the most part, Grace had made all the decisions, only occasionally asking him or Steph for their input. So far she'd planned the food, music, and even seating arrangements without any problems. It was when it came to decorations that they hit a snafu: Grace wanted the wedding to have real decorations, the kind that they didn't have access to while at camp. She'd agonized over it for days before Pete, taking pity, suggested that they reuse what was available at camp. Grace had taken to the idea like a house on fire: lanterns were made into centerpieces, the baskets they wove filled with wedding programs she'd managed to print out. She even wanted to use the wallets they made as wedding favors.

The only thing missing was flowers. Pete was fine doing without and he knew Steph felt the same, but Grace was determined to give this wedding flowers. She'd already found several patches of wildflowers around the forest and was monitoring them to ensure they would be perfect for the big day. Still, it wasn't enough for Grace. She was just short of trying to smuggle in a florist when Girl Jeri had an idea.

She showed all the girls (and Pete) how to make flowers out of tissue paper and string them into garland. Grace had loved the idea and immediately roped everyone into making them with her. “Many hands make light work.” She'd stated at the time.

Which is how he ended up here: in an assembly line making tissue paper flowers. He and Steph made flower after flower while Grace strung them into the garlands. It was fine at first. The flowers were easy enough to make and between all the volunteers he didn't have to make that many flowers. He thought it would be fine. Of course he forgot one thing.

Grace Chastity has control issues.

Pete has to bite his tongue to keep from groaning as she demonstrates how to correctly fold the flower. It was at least the tenth time she'd done something like this, despite the fact that the flowers looked exactly the same no matter which way you folded them. He wonders briefly if she's always had such bad control issues, or if her newfound power at camp had brought them to light, before she hands him the ‘fixed’ flower with a saccharine smile.

“See? Doesn't it look so much better this way?”

“Yeah, Grace. It really does.” Pete deadpans. “I'll be sure to fold them that way from now on.”

“Good! Your wedding has to be perfect.” She claps her hands together in excitement at the thought. The action is enough to make Steph snort, her dark eyes twinkling as she shoots Pete a bemused smile. His lips stretch to match instantly. “Now where was I?”

She turns back towards her Bible and begins reading again. She did this a lot lately: picking a story about Jesus’ life as they worked and reading it aloud for Steph and Pete (not that either of them ever really listened). Apparently she wanted to make them experts in the Bible before Pete gave birth, that way she could teach the baby their purpose. He had no intentions of forcing religion on any of his future children, but Pete figured it was easier to just let Grace read than argue with her about it.

Today's story was about Mary and Joseph losing Jesus while traveling and finding him at a temple in a discussion with religious scholars. “Even as a child Jesus knew that he was holy!” Grace had said when she'd picked out the story. She seemed to think it was a good thing, yet all Pete could think about was Mary. How'd she'd spent three days searching for her son before she'd found him. Three days where she didn't know if her child was safe. The mere idea turns his blood to ice. It isn't until he feels a hard kick against his ribs that Pete remembers his baby is safe inside him. He's never been more grateful for bruised ribs.

“MAIL CALL!” A voice on the announcement speakers cuts Grace off in her story, and Pete can't help but feel grateful at the distraction.

“Oooh! Mommy said she was sending a care package this week!” Grace jumps up into a standing posting, almost running to the door. Steph wasn't far behind. Pete however, takes considerably longer getting up- you try jumping to your feet when you're 7 months pregnant- and by the time they've made it to the door he's only to his knees.

“W-wait up!” He calls weakly after them. “You know, some of us are making a human here!”

“Oh shit!” Steph rushes back to him, placing her hands around his waist. “Here, lean on me.”

Eventually, with her help, Pete's able to struggle to his feet. “Thanks,” he pants once he's properly standing, “I swear it gets harder every time I do that.”

He adjusts his shirt and watches out the corner of his eye as Steph worries her bottom lip with her teeth. It's honestly adorable and if Grace weren’t watching he would kiss her. “Probably because the baby knows you should be resting. You should go back to your bunk, I'll get any mail you have.”

“Are you sure?”

She nods and places a hand on his bump. “I can carry an extra package. Besides, I promised your brother I'd take care of you.”

“Ok ok, I'll go rest. But I promise I'm fine. It's just getting harder to move now that I'm showing like this.” Pete promises. In lieu of a kiss, Pete chooses to tuck a lock of Steph's hair behind her ear. “See you soon?”

“I'll be as fast as I can.”

The walk back to his cabin is one of the first times Pete's been alone since his release from solitary, everyone being too busy reading letters from their parents to focus on him. He's glad for the silence it provides, it's like he can hear himself think for the first time in so long. Ever the introvert, Pete had always enjoyed his alone time, and it was something that he'd missed while at camp. Whether it be a sermon, concerts, camp activities, or answering questions for the other campers, Pete was always surrounded by other people these days. It was nice to just listen to the uninterrupted sounds of nature: the wind blowing, the birds chirping, and-

“Peter!”

And the call of an overly perky camp counselor.

He groans as Girl Jeri walks up to him, her ever present sunshiny smile plastered to her face. She's holding a checklist in her hand, probably some kind of itinerary but Pete honestly doesn't care enough to ask.

“Mail's here.” She says. “Aren't you going to see if you got anything?”

“Steph said she'd check for me. I was going to rest in my cabin. After all, it's hard work carrying the Messiah.” Pete answers, making sure to really drive home that last bit. Can't let her think he was lying about it being immaculate (he totally was).

Jeri nods. “Right. I suppose that makes sense. Can I walk you to your cabin?”

Every part of Pete wants to say no, but he just nods instead. Better to stay in her good graces for now. “Okay. If you're not busy.” He says, praying she'll back out.

She doesn't, and next thing Pete knows he's walking with Girl Jeri, neither of them saying a word. Pete's once beloved silence now thick heavy between them. He desperately searches for any shred of a conversation, but it's all in vain. All he can do is hope that she'll say something to break the tension between them.

His hopes are answered when she turns to him. “How has the pregnancy been treating you?” She asks. Pete winces. Not a conversation he particularly wants to have with Girl Jeri but beggars be choosers.

“It's been okay. The morning sickness was pretty bad at first, but that calmed down before camp started.”

Jeri nods, never making eye contact with him. “That's good to hear. And the baby? They seem healthy?”

“Oh, yeah.” He nods, not wanting to divulge any more information than he has to. Like hell he would willingly tell one of the Jerries about Bean. Even if Girl Jeri wasn't as extreme. “They're really active.”

“Good. That's a good sign that they're healthy.” She smiles again, that cloyingly sweet, fake smile that drives Pete insane. It was dangerous, like when Boy Jerry smiled at him, but it was just so vacant of any real emotion. It reminds him of his mom showing him ‘The Stepford Wives’ for the first time: all those poor women turned into robots, fake smiles on their faces to hide their real emotions. And yet this time it's different. Pete swears for just a millisecond he can see something that looks like longing in Girl Jeri's eyes. Then, just as quickly as it came, it's gone and that overly perky expression is back. “You know, I've heard from one of the counselors that you've been tutoring some of the other campers in religion, is that so?”

Some of the campers was putting it lightly. He'd continued to have talks with the others every night since that first night, answering whatever questions they had about puberty and the like, and every night their numbers had grown. It had started with just girls attending, but soon enough the guys had joined them. Now they had a pretty mixed group of 20 or so campers, and Pete was sure that there would be more tonight.

Pete sighs, having known this talk was coming for a while. Truthfully, he's shocked it took this long for it to come out. Sure he told his group to keep their meetings a secret from the Jerries, but with their numbers it had to be hard to miss. If anything, he's glad that it's Girl Jeri who found out first. Boy Jerry would probably call it mutiny if he knew.

“I've been talking to some of the campers, yes.” He answers carefully. The last thing he needs is for the rest of camp to get punished because of him. “But I don't know if I'd call it tutoring. I'm just answering questions.”

“Yes, questions that require your ‘heavenly wisdom’.” Jeri says and if not for the coy smile on her lips Pete would think he was in trouble.

“Well I am carrying the child of God, so I suppose I'm getting some kind of wisdom via osmosis. Like I said, I just answer their questions.”

“Well your answers are getting popular. You have a bright future as a pastor.” Pete can't keep the grimace off of his face at the idea of him as a pastor. This was one thing: Grace was the main force behind their movement, and if Pete went along with her ideas to survive camp, then that was nobody's business but his own.

But standing in front of a church week after week? Preaching beliefs he doesn't have based on something he knew was a lie? He couldn't imagine doing that.

Maybe that was the difference between him and Boy Jerry: Boy Jerry would do anything for control, Pete just wanted to be left alone.

“I don't want to be a pastor.” He says definitively.

Jeri blinks at him, like she never comprehended that he wouldn't want to go into religion. “Well it's still nice to see you getting along with the other campers.” She says in a chipper voice.

“Would your Co-head Pastor agree with you if he knew?” Pete can't keep the venom out of his voice as he speaks.

“Who says Jerry doesn't know?”

“He really does care about you, you know?” She says after a moment. Pete doesn't bother hiding the snort she illicit. “I mean it. He cares about all his campers.”

“Well he has a funny way of showing it.” He lies back on the bed.

“Peter, he's just trying to look out for everyone.”

Pete sits back upright at her words, albeit with a bit of a struggle. “Look out for everyone? From the moment I came here, Jerry has been on a mission to humiliate me. How on Earth is that looking out for everyone?”

“Well you haven't made it easy on him, claiming that you're having the second coming of Christ.”

“Who says I'm not?” Pete retorts, unwilling to drop the charade for even a second.

“Peter-”

“And none of this would have ever come about if he hadn't tried to label me as a whore to the entire camp!” Pete says in frustration. “Do you know how humiliating that is?”

At his words Jeri goes still, staring at him with an expression that Pete can't read. Tears well in her eyes, and he's sure he's pushed it too far. It’s only for a moment though but then she schools her features. Then she blinks them away and speaks once more.

“I know his methods might seem strange but he just wants to keep everyone safe and on the path of the Lord.” Jeri answers, her voice strangely calm.

“And looking at a teen that you think made a mistake and making an example out of them is Godly?” He can't believe what she's saying. “Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Jesus all about forgiving sinners? That doesn't seem very forgiving to me.”

“He just wanted to show that there are real world consequences to having sex. There are benefits to being abstinent, religion aside. Aids, herpes, countless other STDs, not to mention teen pregnancy.” Pete bristles at the comment and Jeri is quick to back track. “I know you love your child, but Be honest with me. Would you have chosen to have them right before your senior year?”

“I did choose to have them right before my senior year.” Pete says, remembering the hours of talks with Steph over what they wanted to do, and then again. He knew the task he was taking on and he was doing it anyway. “I chose to carry God's child even though I'm still in high school.”

“Furthermore, he doesn't care about keeping people safe. He just wants to control them.” He stands up from the bed and starts pacing, anger rushing through his veins. “Boy Jerry, a supposed godly man, saw me and decided that I deserved to be humiliated. He tried to make me into the laughing stock of camp. And when I defended myself, he locked me in solitary for undermining his authority. I would probably still be locked up if not for Grace Chastity. There's a lot of men like that in the Bible, Girl Jeri, and I wouldn't use godly to describe any of them.”

Pete is left panting in the center of the cabin, his outburst having sapped most of his energy. Angrily, he looks to Jeri for a response, expecting her to justify the actions of her coworker. But she doesn't. She doesn't say anything. She simply stands up and walks over to Pete, placing her hand on his shoulder, and looks him dead in the eyes.

“Since we clearly can't come to an agreement, I'll leave. It's not worth stressing you or the baby.” Jeri says when she finally finally speaks. Then her gaze flits away from Pete to around the cabin, taking in its contents, before landing on the back corner of the room. “But I hope you realize how privileged you are. You get to be so brazen in your opinions because you've got a lot of support. Most people in your position aren't so lucky.” And for a moment Pete thinks she’s speaking from personal experience.

She looks back to Pete, nods, and turns for the door. But, just as she reaches the cabin's door, Jeri turns back to him once more. “I won't tell Boy Jerry about your meetings with the other campers. I think you're doing a good thing, and what he doesn't know won't hurt him.”

Then without another word she's outside, probably headed to set up for the evening bonfire, leaving Pete alone in his cabin with only one question on his mind:

What the actual fuck was her deal?

He still doesn't have an answer for said question when Steph walks in not even 10 minutes later as promised she's carrying two care packages, balanced so precariously that Pete has to get the door for her so she doesn't fall.

“Jesus, I swear your brother packed an actual elephant in here or something.” She jokes once she's sat the packages on the bed with a dramatic sigh. “It weighs twice as much as whatever my dad sent me, lucky.”

Pete wants to joke back, and wants to say that it's fine because Solomon Lauter probably wouldn't know what was interesting to teens if it hit him in the head. But his brain is still stuck on his conversation with Girl Jeri, so he doesn't respond, only staring at the spot in the corner where the counselor had kept looking.

“If there's any candy in there you better share it with me.” Steph jokes as she sits down beside him, kissing his cheek as she does so. It's only then that she notices his demeanor, frowning as she squeezes his hand. “Hey, what's wrong? Are you in pain? Is it the baby? Should we call a doctor? It's too soon for you to go into labor yet right?”

She's starting to panic now, placing her hands on his cheeks as if to check for a fever. The motion is enough to startle Pete from his trance. “Sorry I spaced out there.”

Steph sighs in relief “Jesus Christ you scared me. I thought something was wrong with Bean.”

“Sorry.” Pete mumbles. He hadn't wanted to worry her. Not when she's so on edge already.

“It's fine, Pete.” Steph promises. “What's wrong?”

“It's nothing.”

Steph raises an eyebrow and Pete can feel the blood rushing to his cheeks. He's never been good at keeping secrets from her. Especially not since he realized he was pregnant. “You're a shitty liar, Spankoffski, you know that right? You were spaced out for like a solid 5 minutes. So spill. What's on your mind?”

“I don't want to worry you.” She's bound to freak out if she knows that he fought with Girl Jeri of all people. Everything is finally calming down now. The last thing he needs is to worry Steph.

“Well not knowing is worrying me.” She deadpans. “So talk or else I'll be forced to take drastic measures.”

He gasps in mock horror. “You wouldn't dare.”

“Oh I dare.” Steph grins. “Who would have thought the father of Christ would be so ticklish.”

Her hands reach ever so slowly towards him. “Talk, or else it's tickles for you.” She just reaches the hem of his shirt when he breaks.

“Okay okay, I give in.” Pete says, raising his hands in surrender.

“Good boy.” Steph says with a shit eating grin, and if those two words were enough to make Pete blush so heavily that his ears turned red, well that's a secret he'll take to his grave. “Now, spill, before the tickle monster comes back.”

“Okay. It's jus-” Pete takes a deep breath. Time to get it over with. Just rip it off like a bandaid. “Girl Jeri stopped by for a chat.”

“Girl Jeri?” Steph repeats incredulously. Yep, Pete can already hear the anger in her voice. “Shit, did she say something to you? I swear I'll-”

“It's fine.” He cuts her off. Better to finish his thoughts before she was too upset to hear him. “She asked me about our group talks every night and then we sorta argued about Boy Jerry.”

“She argued with you? That-”

“It's not like that. She just kept trying to say he just cares about everyone, which is a fucking lie.”

“Fuck, Pete.” Steph runs a hand through her hair. “What's her problem, arguing with a teenager when she's like what? 30? And waiting til you were alone to do it? I can't believe her.”

“It's fine. We kinda agreed to disagree in the end.”

“Agreed to disagree? Seriously? She picked a fight with you and she wants to agree to disagree?”

“Technically I think I picked the fight. I just kinda snapped.”

“Well she shouldn't have continued it. She's older, she's a counselor, not to mention you're pregnant and probably hormonal.”

“That's not even what's bothering me.” Pete sighs. “It's her whole… demeanor? I guess. One minute she's this ever chipper counselor and then she'll look at me and will almost cry. I don't get it.”

“Maybe she's just horrified to see a pregnant teen.” Steph jokes.

“Maybe.” Pete sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “It's just… Boy Jerry is a total dick, but at least I know where I stand with him. I never know what I'm getting with her.”

“Hey,” Steph says, lifting his chin so he's looking her in the eye, “you've got enough to worry about without adding in the problems of a random camp counselor. Just focus on you okay?”

Pete nods. “Yeah, you're right. It's not worth it.”

“It's not.” Steph agrees. Then she adds. “But if you want me to deal with her for arguing with you I will.”

“It's fine Steph. I'm over the fight already. Everything is going good right now, let's not push it.”

She eventually nods but, judging by her white knuckled grin on her shorts, Pete can tell she's still pissed. “You're right. It's not worth jeopardizing the wedding.”

“It's not.” Pete smiles at that. The pair sit there for a moment, content to enjoy the silence and each other's company.

“Speaking of weddings,” Steph says after a minute or two. She leans over and pushes the long forgotten package towards him. “There should be a letter from Ted in here.”

“Right. Hopefully he took the news well.” Pete nods as he struggles to open the package. Stupid camp and their stupid lack of scissors. Honestly, how did they expect anyone to cut through packing tape without scissors? The least they could do is open the tape ahead of time. Then again, Pete didn't trust the Jerries not to snoop through the mail, so maybe it was a blessing that it was still shut.

“How did your Dad react?” He asks as he struggles to peel the tape.

Steph shrugs. “About as expected. ‘I'll support the marriage since having a baby out of wedlock won't be good press but this changes nothing: you are still my daughter and I still expect you to act in a manner benefiting the mayor's daughter. Do not let this damage my campaign.’” She says in a bad imitation of Solomon's voice.

Pete laughs as he finally tears the last piece of tape off. “Sounds like your dad alright.”

“Tell me about it. I swear I think he forgot that children have their own personalities when he adopted me.”

Pete doesn't respond, too busy opening his own care package to do. Inside is a variety of items: clothes, candy, and bottle of lotion, but Pete ignores all of it for the yellow CRRP branded envelope. He snorts. Just like Ted to steal stationery from work rather than buy it himself. Without hesitation, he opens the letter and reads it aloud.

Pete

Paul says I should write a list of what's in the care package for you. Personally, I think it's a dumb idea, you can clearly see what I sent but this gets him off my back. There's some bigger clothes for you, a couple of new maternity bras (don't blame me if they don't fit it was already awkward trying to buy bras for my LITTLE BROTHER), some chocolate bars, a couple of your comic books, and a bottle of vitamin E lotion (Emma says it'll help with stretch marks).

I'm glad you and the baby are both okay. I was ready to wring Jerry's stupid neck with his own cross when he said I wasn't allowed to call you. He's still as much of a chode as he was when we were teenagers, I see. If you ever want to give him hell, just ask why he never pursued his rap career further. Or don't. He'll probably make you kneel on rice or something.

I heard they placed you in one of solitary cabin for privacy. Just like your brother. I spent the whole summer you were born in that room. If you look hard enough you'll probably find some of my old porn.

I got the wedding invitation from Grace. Almost had a heart attack when I opened it. I'd say next time warn me before you get engaged, but I'm guessing you don't want there to be a next time. I'll let you off the hook though since you technically tried to warn me. I bet Jerry almost had a stroke when he realized you getting married would mean you two could share a cabin. Would have fucking loved to see that.

Everyone back home misses you. Ruth and Max stop by all the time. Hell even Emma misses you. Apparently I've become her new least favorite customer now that you're gone so thanks for that. Think I'm getting extra spit in my chai now, not that I'm complaining.

Can't wait to see you for parents weekend. You better let me walk you down the aisle you little shit. And if you want to leave early just demand to call home. I'll come pick you up.

See you soon

Ted

PS Warning: Grandma Lorie is coming to the wedding. No, I couldn't stop her. Be prepared.

A/N: Next time, on Hail Petey, Full of Grace... will Ted punch Boy Jerry in the mouth, what is going on with Girl Jeri, and who is Grandma Lorie? Tune in next chapter to find out!

Seriously though, I hope you enjoyed this! I had way too much fun writing this chapter. Special shout out to my coauthors Pizza and Spoons for keeping me sane when I realized I hated the original draft and scrapped it. And shoutout to loveluck's hatchetfield server, without it this au wouldn't exist.

Taglist:

@daisyybellls

@iamnotyoshi

@lady-loveluck

@forever-forgotten-angel

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deathofacupid · 1 year ago

Text

we've still not come to a decision | peter parker

this post is a part of a series called "but you're the one i want"! click here to read parts one, two, three and four!

ask to be added to the taglist, and check out my full masterlist here...

reblog, like, and comment <3

summary: summary: you've fallen in love with peter, and the worst part? you can't. not when you know you must be with someone else.

warning: cursing, talk of character death, minor angst, this is mostly a filler chapter (lemme know if i missed any)

sorry for any typos!

pairing: peter parker x fem!reader (this is in 3rd person!)

word count: 2.5k+ words

y/n

y/n laid in her bed, right next to her was a tub of ice cream. well, half a tub of ice cream. mint chocolate was always the answer.

almost always the answer. just not today. not right now. she'd kissed peter. kind of. ish. did that even count as a kiss? a peck, maybe? it had been two days since she had seen peter, given it was monday. also because she was dead terrified of seeing him.

she had come to a conclusion.

she liked peter benjamin parker. loved?

no, no, no.

yes.

she was in so deep. so fast.

y/n rolled over on her stomach, letting out a groan of frustration, seeing that the ice cream was half melted.

and maybe, just maybe, because she didn't want to like him. peter was awesome, don't get her wrong. but she didn't want to mess up their relationship. y/n wasn't even sure if she was ready for something serious.

to be honest, she'd never been in something serious before. she had flings all the time. hookups were just hookups. well, she had stopped with that recently to focus on her job.

but... there was this one guy. her dad's best friend's son. y/n's father hadn't ever told her to do much. he was strict about grades, but that was all. he had let her do whatever she wanted, as long as she was on the right path.

whatever hobbies. whatever college. whatever job.

only one thing. only one thing he was rather adamant about. her father's dying wish. the first time he had told y/n, she had instantly refused, telling him she would do anything else. just not this. once he had gotten severely sick, it was clear that this was all he wanted. so, she finally agreed.

agreed to having an arranged marriage with spencer barcon.

they were childhood friends, and she doubted she would be able to see him as anything else. besides, peter probably didn't want to date someone who already had a finalized marriage.

more than anything, she didn't want to marry spencer. but how could she refuse her father?

she already knew that he liked her like that. in fact, she was almost positive that he had asked his father to ask her father to get married. and her father agreed. because spencer was rich. and he could "support" her.

y/n frowned. she could very much so support herself. she didn't need financial help. she knew what would happen if she got married to him. y/n would become a some housewife, stuck at home.

y/n would have to quit her job and she didn't want that. that wasn't freedom.

she was stuck. completely, utterly, stuck. and there wasn't a way out of this mess that her heart tangled itself in.

her phone buzzed and she flinched before picking it up to read the text.

please don't be peter. please don't be peter. please don't be peter.

it wasn't peter!

those bitches 🙄

cindy mindy moon i've literally been meaning to ask you all week

cindy mindy moon who tf is that boy and don't you dare say no one

cindy mindy moon i saw the way you were eye fcking him don't even with me rn

priyacorn boys?? there are boys now??

priyacorn and eye fcking?? no one told be about these events i demand answers right now

dumbassoncrack omg i'm not doing this

cindy mindy moon yes you are

priyacorn moon yes you are

dumbassoncrack there's nothing to say

dumbassoncrack ok maybe there is

dumbassoncrack but it doesn't matter anyways remember

dumbassoncrack if you've forgotten, there's this guy named spencer who i have to marry so

priyacorn ooh drama i like it

priyacorn wait who is it

cindy mindy moon it's this guy named peter who she's always shamelessly flirting with i mean u should've seen her

clairebear it doesn't matter u can still date him just don't tell abt spencer

cindy mindy moon that sounds badass but not in this context

cindy mindy moon don't do that y/n/n

priyacorn fr if u date him u gotta tell him

clairebear why's it matter

clairebear u play boys all the time this isn't any different

dumbassoncrack used to

clairebear but he's like dead so it doesn't matter

dumbassoncrack so is your mom but i see you following her footsteps

that’s what she wanted to say. but she said this instead;

dumbassoncrack claire, he’s my dad. and i made a promise.

claire bear so?

priyacorn stop claire

cindy mindy it was her dads dying wish she can't just forget abt that

clairebear idk what u want me to say then

cindy mindy meet me in the cafe in 15 we'll talk in person

priyacorn yea good chance to get the deets

dumbassoncrack ew did you just say deets

priyacorn yes I did and shamelessly so

priyacorn see u lovelies

dumbassoncrack fine read at 1:36pm

y/n sighed and turn off her phone with a click. she knew she was in a tough situation, but what was there to do? it's not like she had much of a choice. maybe her friends could give her some insight. plus, it was a nice excuse to meet up, she'd been so busy lately, and hadn't gotten much free time. well, she had some, but she was busy moping around during that time.

and spending it with peter.

she dragged herself out of bed, throwing the lid on the tub of ice cream. she trudged out to the kitchen and tossed the tub in the freezer. with a huff, she entered the bathroom, putting her hair up into a messy bun.

she washed her face and brushed her teeth, before venturing into the closet to find something to wear. of course she wanted to look nice, but she didn't really feel like putting that effort in. she settled on a sage green pullover and black jeans, adding a couple bracelets.

y/n did some winged eyeliner, mascara, and concealer before giving up on trying anything else. it didn't really matter, it was just her friends.

she swung a purse over her shoulder and slipped on some black doc martins. stretching once again, she left the apartment, locking the door behind her.

the walk there was only 10 minutes, so there wasn't any point in getting a cab. plus, with all the traffic, the car ride would probably extend the time.

stupid feelings. stupid spencer. stupid peter.

i've fallen in love with someone i can't.

but what if...? what if claire was right? maybe she could date peter, and then break up with him before she got married. that didn't seem like such a bad idea. but then she would have to come up with a good excuse, and she didn't think that there were any good excuses for something like that.

the entire walk she had been distracted. distracted with thoughts about peter. but she somehow managed to only get almost run over twice, and to her that was an accomplishment.

when she finally got there, her friends were sitting inside at a table, chatting their butts off. well, all of them except claire. she was awkwardly playing with her straw wrapper, as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. she mumbled a greeting and plopped down on an empty chair.

"i'm glad you took your time," cindy frowned, but there was a happy gleam in her eyes.

y/n shrugged.

priya smiled, "hey, y/n/n, we got your drink for you!"

"thanks."

"okay, now spill." pri demanded, and cindy nodded along.

"all the deets,” she added, making y/n roll her eyes lovingly.

claire paid literally no mind, scrolling through her phone.

"wait, wait! do you have a picture?" the indian squealed.

"i think so. i'm pretty we took a couple selfies," she remembered, pulling out her phone. the two girls squealed, and y/n rolled her eyes.

"hey, i gotta go. i'll see you."

"already?"

"but claire, you only just got here."

y/n didn't even bother, she wasn't even sure why the girls were surprised, she did this half the time anyways. she found a good picture and showed it to priya and cindy. claire glanced at it, pulling her jacket on.

claire had a certain look on her face.

"what's wrong?" she asked.

"i know him. he went to midtown with me. peter, right? yeah, peter parker. i think we had math together. i can't believe you like him."

"why?"

"...he's a freaking nerd. your standards have to be higher than that."

"maybe he's just my type. i dunno."

"your type? and what's that supposed to be? losers? honestly, just marry spencer. he's so much better. maybe he can keep your life together. that's probably why your dad set you up for him anyways."

y/n pushed her chair back, and got up quickly, slamming her drink down. "i'm sorry, keep my life together? i don't need someone to make those decisions for me. especially not you."

"guys? people are watching!" priya exclaimed, trying to get their attention.

"just some advice. you literally have a fucking millionaire in front of you."

"um- maybe-" cindy started, trying to calm them both down.

"are you serious? you want me to take advice from you? hilarious. get your love life together first. richard's going behind your back fucking a different girl everyday, and you're too desperate to even realize it, obviously you get the delusional genes from your mom."

all three girls shut up, surprised at what she had said. she'd always dealt with claire's backlash against her, even when she went too far, making remarks on her body, insecurities, and whatnot. no one was quite sure how to take it.

one of the waitresses walked up to them, "i'm gonna have to ask you to leave, you guys are being very loud."

"fucking fine by me," claire scoffed, visibly trying to push tears back.

"claire, i..." y/n started. wait, why was she apologizing? she had only stood up for herself. kind of. maybe she could have been less harsh. she shouldn't have brought up her mom. she watched as claire stormed out, but for the first time, no one went after her. the young l/n girl simply stood there in shock.

all through middle school they had been a group. and visibly, claire was always the leader. she might not have had her way with her looks, but her bold personality and confidence lead her to be popular. cindy was the quiet one, and priya had always been bubbly and bright. she was just... y/n. there wasn't anything special about her.

all three of them, bound so tight as best friends, maybe even as sisters because they could act the part. until the last two years of high school. claire had met this new boy named richard, and she was head over heels for him. she couldn't see that he was bad news. not in the way y/n was.

he only kept claire around for his disgusting fantasies, and the worst part? she was in denial. everyday her friends would tell her to stay away from him, and everyday she would yell at them, saying the two were in love. at one point, they just gave up. richard had changed her, in ways she couldn't have ever expected.

priya shook she lightly, snapping her back into reality. she hadn't even noticed the hot tears that were streaming down her face. she swiped them away, looking up to see the waitress glaring at the expectantly. she murmured a sorry and grabbed her empty cup, tossing it out, and walking away from the cafe.

"y/n! wait up!" priya yelled, running after her. it took cindy a moment, but she followed after.

y/n stopped by a lake, not quite yet frozen over. she sat down there, pulling her knees to her chest.

priya dropped down next to her, bringing her in for a hug. cindy did the same.

"she's never gonna talk to me ever again."

"hey, hey, you don't know that. maybe she needs time to cool down. but i'm proud of you, standing up for yourself like that. i know there were better ways to handle that, but i know she hasn't been treating you how you deserve," priya smiled.

"now that she's gone, we have some peace. wanna tell her about what i saw in the cafe?" cindy wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

she laughed, rolling her eyes playfully. cindy's phone rang, and she checked her smartwatch to see who it was. y/n got a glimpse of it and frowned a bit.

"you should take that."

"no, i'm here right now for you. you're more important."

"it's okay, moon. take it."

"you sure?"

"yes!"

cindy got up and took it. the two girls listened in on the one side that could hear.

"yes? ...what? ...i'm in the middle of-... oh god, of course he did. fine, fine! i'll be there- no, yes... no? we can talk about friday night later, mj. no... i'm not busy. d-da-... yes! of course! can't wait!" she ended the call and and back over.

"oh my god! date? with michelle? you go, girl!" y/n cheered hyping her friend.

cindy blushed and nodded. "yeah, but we deal with my love life after yours. okay? josh set the coffee machine on fire somehow, and now i have to go over and deal with it. but, but! i won't go unless you let me. you guys are much more important to me."

"go, cind, it's fine. really."

"you sure?"

"yes! go, love, jeez!”

she smiled and ran off, desperately waving down a cab and hopping in it. she smiled at her and faced priya. she had to admit, out of them all, she was the closest to priya, and she was glad that pri was there for her.

"tell me about peter. what's he like?" she inquired, in a sweet in loving voice. it felt warm, and it reminded her of her dad.

"he's really sweet. and funny. he works with me at the daily bugle. he's the head photographer which is awesome. i like working with him, it makes my job more exciting and fun. i never get bored with him. he's always trying to make me laugh or smile. remember the clock tower incident? about two or three years ago, i think. i'm not sure."

"yeah, i do. poor girl."

"that was peter's girlfriend." she spoke quietly, as those words held a gravity of sadness.

"really? i feel so bad. that must have been a lot."

"i know. it's hard, things like that. his uncle ben died, too. but i'm not sure how, i didn't want to pry or anything, you know?"

"you guys are really similar. i wish you didn't have to marry spencer."

"me too."

"cause i would have totally taken him," y/n turned to priya, giving her a look.

"what about luke? have you told him yet?"

"no! are you crazy?"

"you should tell him, before it's too late."

"but what if i mess everything up? i'd rather stay friends then take that risk."

"some things are worth risking, you know that. this is one of them, he deserves to know, and you deserve to tell him. and if he says no, he's a pretentious douchebag."

"i dunno. maybe, enough about me. are you sure you're marrying spencer?

she sighed, "it's a guilt thing. i kinda have to."

"it's completely your choice. i know it's a hard decision."

"yeah, it's okay though. i have time."

"okay."

she had time.

taglist @whatsupstark @ell0ra-br3kk3r @idli-dosa @susvale @kdbsr-h @littlemsbumblebee

#tom holland x reader #tom holland #spiderman #peter parker #peter parker x you #fluff #peter parker x reader #angst #tom holland x you #peter parker imagine #but you're the one i want #but you’re the one i want part five

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imfluentinfangirlandgay · 2 years ago

Text

Casting Pearls Before Time - Ch 1

Hi, yall. I know, I know, it's been forever since I last posted fic, why the hell am I doing it again? I thought you were slain finally? I thought you'd collapsed on your laptop and someone put an end to your reign of terror? Unfortunately for you, no, I came back. Enjoy this piece I've had sitting in my drafts for easily over a year and never finished.

-Fluent

------

Six months after suddenly reappearing, Ingo encounters someone he thinks he remembers. Only problem is, he can't remember anything before he returned to Unova, so it's hard to say

Word Count: 2200

Emmet walked in-step with Ingo as they traversed the empty streets of Nimbasa. Their day bags were slung across their shoulders, gently bumping against their sides with every step they took. All was quiet. The dark sky sprawled above them. Emmet fully believed stars were up there, he had seen them himself, though with the light pollution from Nimbasa City, it was hard to see them now. A stiff breeze blew down the long street, whipping his white coat and trying to nab his hat off his head, pinching at his ears and making them sting. Autumn was well on its way to Unova. The Deerling he and his brother had fought earlier was molting its summer green fur to make way for the denser, coarser orange.

Emmet glanced at his brother, still half-paranoid he would not be there. He was still right next to Emmet, his small, neatly trimmed beard and longer hair reflecting the streetlights. His eyes wandered from streetlamp to streetlamp, as though he were still enamored with electricity. He could be. Emmet did not know.

It had only been six months since his reappearance, that day ending the longest three years of Emmet's life.

Emmet had scoffed in annoyance when Elesa barged into his home yet again, tugging by the arm insistently. It was not the first time she'd done this. "Emmet, you have to come with me. Now."

"Elesa, I am busy." It was not incorrect. He was working through some reports from that week that he'd fallen behind on. It used to be Ingo's job but since he was absent, the duty fell to Emmet. He sat at the wooden desk with his hat off, his hair long and unkempt, his ungloved right hand resting on his forehead, the fingers intertwining with his silver hair as his left scribbled out some nonsense on the notebook paper. A couple Joltik that had been sleeping by the eraser jumped and skittered away in surprise, leaving sparks in their wakes.

"Emmet, seriously. You're coming." She continued to tug on him, effectively pulling him to the ground.

"Elesa," he snapped. "I am busy! I cannot get air right now-"

"Emmet. They found him." He stopped struggling immediately, staring blankly at her from the floor as she continued to speak. "He's in Sinnoh. They're flying him over here, I just got the call from Skyla. They're landing at her airport in two hours. He's coming home."

He laid still for another few moments as the information sank in, his eyes wider than saucers. Then he stood so suddenly, he nearly knocked Elesa over. "I am Emmet. I am prepared. Let us depart immediately." For once, she didn't tease him for leaving his paperwork behind as she hurriedly led him out the door and away from the apartment. He was so shocked, he’d forgotten his hat and shoes.

He spent an hour fretting in the lobby. What if they were wrong? What if it wasn't him? Why was he in Sinnoh to begin with? Had he left? Was he sick? Elesa hadn’t mentioned anything about that, and surely she would if he were, right? She had not said a word since she had fetched him from his home. What if she didn’t mention it just to make him feel better and not worry? She wouldn’t. Would she? What if he hadn’t wanted to come home? What if-

What if it was his body? What if he was dead-

“Em, talk to me.” Elesa had shaken him from his thoughts. Without him even speaking, she read him like a book. “He’s safe, Em. Doctors checked him over and said he's a little malnourished, but fine.” She had assessed him before continuing, watching the runway with him. “They did mention one thing, though.” He felt white-hot adrenaline spike through him. This was it, this was where the other shoe dropped. “He… he has severe amnesia. He can hardly remember anything about Unova, his pokemon, or anything else from before he disappeared. And while he was gone, he doesn’t remember much from that, either. The doctors said to be careful with him and-”

“He’s got amnesia?” He had turned to look up at her and listen to her response-

“Emmet? Are your systems operational?” Emmet blinked a couple times and refocused himself, looking at his brother. They had stopped walking at some point and Ingo was watching him with concern. It seemed he had been trying to get Emmet’s attention. He seemed to do that quite often.

“I am Emmet. I am alright. Destination: home.” He began to walk again as Ingo set his hand on Emmet’s shoulder.

“Do you hear that?” Ingo was watching something just past Emmet, not quite focusing on him.

Emmet knit his brow, but heard nothing. “I have hearing loss, Ingo. I cannot hear well.”

“Ah! My apologies.” Emmet had reminded Ingo of this fact many times before. He was still trying to remember many things about his life before Hisui, as well as his life while there. Emmet had never heard of a region called that before and neither had anyone else he’d talked to. Perhaps Ingo was mixing up a name he’d heard with the region? He had definitely been in Sinnoh. “I hear something like scuffling from over there.” Ingo nodded to the mouth of an empty alleyway. Emmet cocked his head, not able to hear anything. Ingo did have better hearing than him, though Emmet’s eyesight was better of the two of them.

“Toss out a pokemon, just in case,” Emmet advised. Ingo did, tossing out the large Gliscor he had carried home from Hisui. Ingo approached the alley, his body taut and ready to spring. Emmet hung back, as it was obvious that Emmet was much less prepared to deal with this than Ingo was.

Gliscor peeked into the alleyway first, screeching loudly after it saw something. It flew into the alley and a few small pokemon burst out. Trubbish. All were honking and gargling as they quickly took off, shuffling out of the alley and scattering into the night. Ingo plunged into the alley as soon as the last one left, leaving Emmet to scurry in after him. What was he doing?! Gliscor seemed to have it handled-

He saw a girl. She was wearing very little, only a pink and white dress with ostentatious tails and several bangles on her arm. A pink headpiece adorned her head. She was pressed against the wall, shaking horribly, her pale face almost ghostly in the low light. Her eyes were wide with fear. Gliscor was flitting around her, screeching in happiness. Her eyes followed the creature closely. She was hardly blinking. Did it know this girl? Emmet was unsure.

She knitted her brow as Ingo came into view. She watched Emmet’s brother verrry carefully, confusion in her gaze. Ingo had stopped too, watching the woman. He cocked his head.

“Hello. I… feel that I may recognize you. Might I ask your name, Miss?” Ingo’s voice was startlingly loud in the space around them. Emmet almost wanted to cover his own ears, though he knew his own reception of it was muted.

She continued to stare at him for some time. Emmet wondered if she could talk.

From her mouth tumbled a series of words that Emmet could not understand. She was still watching Ingo with wide eyes. Her body was beginning to shake like a leaf in the wind.

Emmet blanched. His mouth dropped open with Ingo’s response, in the same language she must have been speaking.

The girl breathed out a sigh of relief and nodded. Then she said something else Emmet could not begin to comprehend. Ingo’s posture relaxed some as the two spoke. This continued for a minute or two before Emmet grew bored. He stepped forward and placed a hand on Ingo’s shoulder. The girl’s attention flicked to him, making her tense up again even as her eyebrows knitted together again. “Brother, who is this? Do you know her? She speaks the same way you did when you reappeared.”

“Ah! Yes, I do believe I remember her… somehow. Not very well, mind you. She says she simply appeared here, she seems to have fallen. She hid in this alley because the cars and lights were confusing to her. I believe we met in my last terminal.” Ingo’s eyes flicked between Emmet and the woman.

“What is her name?” Emmet asked him, tilting his head. Ingo met his eyes but said nothing for a moment.

“She cannot remember.” He turned his attention back to the girl, who was looking between the two of them, her eyes wide. She spoke, asking a question, from the sound of it. Ingo responded in kind.

“What are you two saying? I cannot understand.” Emmet grinned a little in confusion as he said this. This was not how he expected his night to go.

“She is asking about you. I am explaining our relation, currently. I am concerned for her, though. I feel that she was rather close with me in my last terminal, but I cannot remember why…” He brought a hand to his chin as he thought.

“Like a girlfriend?”

“No!” His voice was louder than even he had intended, and the girl flinched. “You know that neither of us care for those kinds of connections! She is merely a friend… maybe even a close friend. Perhaps I will recall more as time goes on.”

“Hmm.” Emmet simply hummed his affirmation, smirking at Ingo’s outburst. “What is she going to do?” he asked.

Ingo shook his head. “I fear for her. It is clear she has nowhere to go. Perhaps… would it be alright if-”

“Yes. She can stay.” Emmet did not need to hear the rest of the question in order to understand what he was about to ask. Ingo relayed the information to the woman, whose posture began to relax slightly again. She said something in return. Ingo nodded and beckoned, whistling to Gliscor. It was still sticking close to the woman, though she did not seem to share the sentiment it had. She recoiled from it.

The girl followed the twins home, glancing feverishly at the buildings and the pokemon around. Thankfully, not many people were out anymore. It did not take long for the three of them to find their way to the twins’ apartment. Ingo led them inside as Emmet unlocked the door, swinging it open. Several Joltik met them at the door, sparking and buzzing in excitement. Emmet smiled brightly as he scooped them up. “Did you wait for us? Oh, look at you, guarding the house while we are gone! Come on, babies, I’ll feed you. I know you lot are hungry- Marvin, stop trying to get to the sockets! I told you no!” He scooped up all the Joltik he came across, sweeping them into the kitchen so that he could feed them properly. After he was finished and the spiders were all happily munching, Emmet went back to the main room to remove his uniform. Ingo already had.

“Emmet, take your shoes off.”

“My babies needed nourishment.”

“It is nearly time for this batch to go be released anyway-”

“Do not ruin this for me, Ingo.” Emmet grinned as he shrugged off his coat and neatly hung it up in the closet. Ingo rolled his eyes as he retreated to their bedroom, likely to change and prep things for their guest.

Speaking of which, she stood by the door, watching him intently. Emmet waved at her, still smiling. He might as well try to be cordial, he figured. “I am Emmet.” He pointed at himself. “Emmet.”

She tilted her head slightly. “Em-met?”

Emmet nodded vigorously. “Emmet! I am Emmet!” Then he pointed at her. “You?”

She shrugged her shoulders, casting her eyes down at the ground. Emmet noticed that her cuffs were adorned with light-colored stones, all cut perfectly circular. “Emmet?” Ingo emerged, his hair mussed from his hat, hauling a blanket. “We have no guest room, so I believe we may have to make do with the couch.”

“That sounds doable. If she does not remember her name, how should we address her?”

“Allow me to ask.” He turned and translated the question. She paused, not speaking, picking at her cuffs in embarrassment.

“What if we called her Pearl? She seems fond of them.” Emmet pointed at the stones in her cuffs and necklace, making her flinch. Ingo asked her a question again in the strange tongue, which she replied to eagerly.

“She likes that notion. She says that the word holds some sort of importance for her, though she cannot remember what it is. Regardless, it will suffice for now.” Ingo clapped twice. “Bravo! Now, Emmet, if you would like to shower first, I can show Pearl around a bit. Perhaps make sure our partners do not get too close. She seems rather frightened of pokemon.”

Emmet nodded and strolled from the room, grabbing a towel and a change of clothes as he marched into the bathroom. Afraid of pokemon? How unfortunate. What an odd night it had been, he marveled to himself.

[Next]

#submas #my writing #ingo #pokemon #emmet #subway boss emmet #subway boss ingo #subway bosses #pkmn #pokemon elesa #irida

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theallianceofcelestials · 3 months ago

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Heyyy early(?) Yap session because I haven’t slept in almost two days and I’m feeling impulsive :P

It’s Charlie this time tho. I hate to admit it, but I’m honestly kind of jealous of Vinnie when it comes to you two (or the discord server, but less so). I’ll never admit that again though. Ummm yeah anyways. Yap.

-Sigma Anon C

Hello Charlie! :D

First of all, please sleep more, sleep is important And second, jealous??? :0 Why be jealous? /gen You asked for yap, so I shall Yap.

So, since I haven't mentioned it you specifically yet, I've applied to a couple places for joby, and I've gotten accepted. I had my blood taken on Monday for bloodtests to see if I'm not sick and to see if I have immunity to some other diseases. So I woke up real early, had no breakfast, and drank a lot of water, because you have to have bloodtests be done on an empty stomach, otherwise the results won't be perfect. So that was fun. Had breakfast at my grandma's who lives like a street away from there (and the place is also where I'll be working at), played with her dog and then went home :}

But enough about boring stuff, I wanna ramble about Moongleam's work in progress TSAMS fic titled For You (we both have mentioned it a couple times in the past) So, quick rundown, there are a bunch of dimensions with a bunch of people in them. And obviously most of them are the same person's different dimensional variants with at least some differences. Like personality or design, or purpose. And the person who has the longest list of different variants(?) is funnily enough Killcode. He has the biggest range in heights going from like, doll sized to something so gigantic it dwarfs a regular Killcode who is already a giant! Like, over 12 meters (a bit under 40 feet) tall! So the heights of Killcodes in that fic go between like 20 centimiters (7.9 inches) to over 12 meters (39.37 feet), which if you ask me is hilarious. He also has a lot of, well, cursed variants. Like the doll sized one ( he still doesn't have a codename) cause he may be pocket-sized, but he still got that incredibly deep voice a regular Killcode has, then there's the Virus (I named one of my many minecraft axolotls after it :3) and that one is kind of disturbing, especially for a fix-it fic. It is from a dimension titled Survival Horror :) Also since Moongleam has been getting a lot of asks about baby Eclipses (well, SEA Eclipse to be specific) I'd like to mention that if For You there'll be 3 different baby Eclipses! And they're all different flavours of angry potatoes (and might I add, adorable) Enough rambling from me though, I'll be giving the mic to Moongleam now! Also do not forget to Yap back at us!! ^^

Hello Sugarcake! Good to hear from you! :)

It's Sunray's birthday as you know, and I'm woefully behind on their present xd I'm slowing down in my old age thanks to responsibilities and aching wrists and other stupid weakling stuff like that lol. I should just pop my wrists off and get new ones

At the very end of this month I'm finally graduating after six years in the same hellhole :D After this comes uni, which will mean I have spent 17 years of my life in the education system, and this is without counting kindergartedn, which is another extra 4 years, so 21 years (that-that's my current age help-!)

So I'm a bit anxious haha! But also so relieved! I have gotten so many major mental health issues from this blasted place! And the end is so close now! Next week spring break comes, and after that I won't have to go in! :D I will still have some real hard exams, so wish me luck lol

It kind of feels unreal you know? Never really expected to actually get to this point. My class still jokes with another extra year being added to ours like this 6th year was too (only went for a 5 year course, ended up staying 6 cuz of school changing variant midway through)

But yeah, I'm just sitting here, trying to process. Kinda hard going, but it's gonna happen

Now it's your turn to yap at us dear! Let us hear what's been happening with you! :) (Also don't think I forgot the whole I haven't slept in thing. I'm onto you! Sleep!)

Btw, I'm also wonderin why you're kinda jealous. Though that might just be because I don't know enough to analyise you yet. I'm coming for you too /silly

#OurEssays

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nathanielbuildsatesseract · 9 months ago

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It's that time again, and I don't know what to say.

I'm here because I'm here. As I wrote last time, it's clear that I'm on Tumblr to stay, even if I abandon other social media sites. I took a sorta hiatus from Xitter this last week, because I had my first meatspace social engagement in months and because I'd just gotten into a fight with one of the only people I actually interact with over there, and I really don't feel like I'm missing anything. I really might quit using it this year, but Tumblr is a different story.

But I don't know what to write about, even so.

When I wrote the last milestone, my dad had just crested the peak of his post-stroke health, and still doing well enough that I thought he might actually beat the cancer. It killed him, not two months later. Did I ever explicitly talk about that on here? I don't recall. I did, back on Xitter. I took a week off the site after that happened, too.

Then Mom got sick, right before the family reunion in May, and ended up in the hospital three separate times. She's still not well, now on second- and third-order consequences of the original thing. So I came back to Kansas City, and I've been here all summer, again.

All told, the last 18 months or so I've simply felt like I have no real control over my life. Using the singular feels wrong; I have two lives, the good one back home and the bad one here, and basically no control over which one I'll be living at any given time. Everything hinges upon the biology of another human being, both cases one which I have only the most limited power to influence to take the actions that maximize future utility for either of us.

It's soul-crushing precisely because it's nothing new. I consider my 20s a lost decade because almost all of it was spent on dealing with my family's irrationalities and incapacities, instead of building the career which they spent so many years encouraging me to pursue. The pandemic didn't help and inviting a literal Randian parasite into the house towards end definitely didn't help. Since this latest round kicked off right before my birthday, my 30s aren't exactly off to a great start, either.

The nine months or so between taking my current job and Dad's stroke were, in retrospect, probably the best of my adult life. I thought the bullshit was behind me, and we'd finally get to have the sort of relationship I always wanted with my parents, and which I figured they wanted with me. We never got to experience that. Everything reverted to the mean and now I just feel hopeless. Will I get to live while either of them still does? With every miserable month that passes it seems less and less likely.

Compare the 27,000 post to this one. So full of optimism by comparison. (Don't believe what anyone says: I'm an insufferable optimist by nature. I expect things to go right the first time. Then they don't. Expecting the worst is a strategy that leaves me less disappointed when the actual results are significantly worse than whatever I imagined the minimum could possibly be.) Not even two years ago, and despite recognizing my own hand it almost feels like a different person must have written it. As I keep having to tell people, when I took this job I had two healthy parents. Now I can barely contribute to my team, because I'm just...exhausted. There's nothing left in the tank.

Maybe it gets better. That's happened before. But it's never stayed better remotely long enough for me to recover. The tank is dry and there's no reason to expect it'll get to refill. Outside view is great and all, but after so much pointless pain I can't make myself believe it, not where it counts.

If that day does ever come, maybe then I'll finally leave Tumblr like I almost managed in late '22 and early '23. Until then, I'll be here, sharing my small scraps of sanity with this insane world. It's not like there's anything else to do while I'm waiting.

#milestone post #29000th post #posting this one late at night because i stayed up too late (one of many ways i haven't felt remotely in control) and so fewer people see i

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fallingdownhell · 2 years ago

Note

i love your writing so much i can't resist from requesting -

im an AS student and man these exams are not easy I've been pulling all nighters and its obviously effecting on me a lot and i don't have a thoma in my life T^T

can i request thoma x reader (modern AU) where she is pulling all nighters, skipping meals, etc while thoma is away on a buisness trip or something (with the Kamisato siblings) and when he gets back to home he sees her almost passed out with a fever and he takes care of her and helps her get back on her feet again ^^

feel free to ignore this <3

have a nice day/night and take care :D

Thanks, I'm glad to hear that<3

Ugh yeah, studying and exams are hard, but please do take care of yourself! That's still the most important thing to do.

But honestly, you're so right. Everyone should have a Thoma in their life. So, allow me to prepare something. Hope that it helps to relax you a bit as well<3

Pairing: Thoma x reader

Content: gender neutral reader; Modern AU; burnout; stress; exams suck; comfort; being taken care of when sick

Word count: 1,8k words

Enjoy the ride!

Studying was hard.

In fact, it was one of the worst things on this planet to ever exist. Why do people have to go through this for multiple years in their life?

It was already hard enough to stay focused and not get distracted by literally anything else. Even the most minute thing could normally easily steal your attention away.

Yet right now, you had to endure. A hard week was coming your way, two very important exams were approaching, with a third one being scheduled the week after.

You have been studying non stop for a few days now, but somehow, nothing seemed to stay in your head, every word you read seemed to be thrown out your head again at the next second.

So, instead of taking a break and just giving yourself even a few minutes of rest, you just studied even harder. Days became longer and longer and before you knew it, you were studying well into the night, but you couldn't help it.

Those exams were very important, it could possibly ruin your entire future if you were to fail even one of them. At least, that's what you're telling yourself.

To your (mis)fortune - however you wanna look at it now - your boyfriend Thoma, who usually would be pestering you by now to finally take a break, wasn't around for a few weeks, since he went on a trip with a few of his friends.

At first, he wanted to bail out of it, so he could stay with you and support you through these tough weeks. But you insisted that he went on the trip, said it would be good for him to get out and spend some quality time with his friends.

In the end, he reluctantly agreed to it, but he still made sure to text you every day, reminding you to take care of yourself and to not overwork yourself.

Each time you got a text like that from him, you felt guilt well up inside you, from how you so easily ignored his worries about you and your health. Yet, every time again, you pushed those feelings down again, telling you that you had no time for them right now.

...

You were currently deep into yet another study session again, your head already pounding from the constant stress and influx of information, when your phone gave off a text notification next to you.

The screen lit up once you looked at it, showing you a new message from Thoma and also told you that it was already almost midnight again.

'You still up?', was the message displayed on your screen. You hesitated on wether or not you should respond to him, knowing that he would most likely scold you for staying up so late again. But in the end, you decided on just answering him.

'Yeah, I am. What's up?', you replied back to him.

You waited a few seconds for his answer, but instead of a new message came the notification of an incoming video call. Confused but also pleasantly surprised, you accepted the call and were soon greeted with the handsome face of your boyfriend Thoma, which you haven't seen in quite some time. God, how did you only now realise how much you missed him?

"Hey", he said, his voice sounding a bit off thanks to the quality of the phone, but that's okay. At least you got to hear his voice again.

"Hey", you answered back with a soft smile, taking in his surroundings. He was laying on his stomach, holding his phone in front of him with one hand, while the other rested under his chin on a pillow. In the background, you could hear soft snoring.

"Is that Ayato snoring in the background?", you laughed, but Thoma seemed to be used to it at this point.

"Yeah. I'm actually not surprised you hear that, but trust me, it's so much louder when your in the same room as him. He sleeps like a stone and his snoring has kept me up so many times. Like today."

You nodded in understanding. While Thoma may not snore, your previous partner sure did, and it robbed you of your sleep more times than you could count.

"How are you, (name)? Taking enough breaks?", he asked, even managing to give you a pointed look through the camera of the phone. You briefly debated on just telling him yes so he would feel better, but you couldn't bring yourself to lie to Thoma. Not when he was so earnestly concerned about you.

"More or less..", you opted to respond, thinking it would not sound too bad. Yet, knowing you for this long, Thoma knew exactly what that meant.

"(Name)...", he sighed, pinching his nose with his free hands. But before he could go on a full blown rant, you tried changing the subject.

"Let's not talk about that, okay. I'll manage and I don't want to ruin the good mood of your trip. I hope you're having fun by the way."

Thoma looked at you for a few seconds, deciding on wether or not to just go with it. "I know what you're trying to do here. Just... promise me you won't take it too far, okay. Don't neglect yourself, take breaks and remember to eat something."

"Thoma.. I can't really promise you, but I'll try, okay?"

He sighed again, but agreed to that with a reluctant "Alright.", since he knew that this would probably be the best he would get out of you. He really hated how you had this habit to just not take care of yourself when you were stressed, which is why he didn't want to go on this trip in the first place.

But, you were right after all. He really needed this trip to get out for a bit and breath some fresh air, and he had a lot of fun with both Ayato and Ayaka. You were initially invited to join them as well, but sadly had to decline because it would overlap with your exams.

The two of you talked for quite a bit about all kinds of things. The stuff the three of them had been up to during their trip, where they went to (since it was a road trip) and stuff like that. Hearing about it, you were really sad you couldn't join them, but that's just how things are now.

Before ending the call, Thoma informed you that they probably would be back by the end of next week, which was also when you would finally be done with all your exams. Then, you could finally rest again and enjoy some much needed quality time with your boyfriend again.

"Good night, (name). I love you."

"I love you too, Thoma. Good night."

And after that, your screen went black again, and you were suddenly all alone again in your quiet room, with nothing to occupy your mind but the constant need to study and get better.

So, with a deep sigh, you got back to work.

...

It was finally done. The last test has been dealt with, it was over.

You arrived at your apartment, utterly exhausted. You had been ignoring the warning signs of your body for far too long, and yet you still insisted of pushing your own limits.

You started to develop a constant headache a few days ago, with the fever joining in two days ago. Yet you still pushed through, telling yourself that you were fine, that you were able to do this.

And you did do it, but now that you were falling onto your couch, finally able to relax for the first time in two weeks, you realized what you had done to yourself.

You had no strength left in you, no will to do anything at all. You were utterly exhausted and done, not being able to do anything but welcome the darkness that overcame you as you simply passed out on the spot.

...

"(Name)? I'm home!", Thoma yelled as he entered your apartment, using the spare key that you gave him. When no reply came back to him, worry began to rise even more. He had been texting you for the last three hours, telling you that he got back safely. But when you still didn't reply, his concern got the best of him, and he made his way over to your apartment.

"(Name)?", he tried again, while moving through the living space. Once he passed the living room, he saw you, laying on the couch, passed out. At first, thinking nothing of it, he smiled a little and made his way over to your side, crouching down next to you.

But when he saw the pained expression on your face and how sweaty you were, he instantly knew something was up. Without thinking, he gently picked you up into his arms to carry you to your bedroom, before he went to check on your temperature.

As he suspected, you had a fever.

"Damn it, (name).", he sighed. Seemed like he had to take care of you until you wake up again.

...

When you woke up again, you had no idea what time it was, but judging by the the lack of bright light coming form outside, it had to be either evening or night already.

Your head was still spinning a bit and when you went to touch your forehead, you noticed something cold and wet.

That's also when you realized that you weren't in the living room anymore, but actually your bedroom.

Still confused and trying to piece the missing information together, the door to your room swung open, revealing the form of your boyfriend Thoma to you.

"Thoma! You're back!", you exclaimed, trying to get out of the bed, but were quickly pushed back down again.

"Don't even think about getting up. Your fever is still way too high for you to be jumping around like that.", he scolded, which caused you to follow his instruction. Only now did you also notice that you were wearing your pyjama and not the things you collapsed in on the couch. He really took care of everything for you...

"I'm sorry..", you quietly mumbled, and you meant it. You felt bad and guilty for causing him to worry so much about you. Even worse that he had every right to do so, since you did work yourself sick.

Thoma sighed, sitting down on the bed, slowly extending a hand to stroke your hair a bit.

"Don't scare me like that again. You were passed out for hours. All I want is for you to be okay. I can only achieve that if you also start taking care of yourself."

"Okay.. I promise I'll take better care."

And he believed you. It was the only thing he could do, besides nursing you back to health right now. And you appreciated and loved him even more for putting up with you and still caring for you, despite all.

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #sickfic #genshin sickfic #genshin impact sickfic #genshin impact scenario #genshin scenario #genshin impact thoma #thoma x reader #thoma x you

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spidxysense · 4 years ago

Text

Back to You | 14

Summary: He broke your heart, but you’d always love him. Two souls that not even the universe could tear apart, even if you wanted it to at times.

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader x Timothee Chalamet

A/N: Yay I updated! I hope you guys like this one, I was stuck for a bit there but once I sat down and got to typing, I really finished it in one sitting. I was just planning on updating it bit by bit lol. Let me know what you guys think, Love you!!!!!!

Word count: 2,591

Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14

In a few short months of your movie premier with Timothee, you were finally able to release your double-release album, and the response was massive, to say the least. You'd been getting calls from different show hosts' upcoming awarding ceremonies. Still, you couldn't for life in you accept, all except for the Oscars, which your manager told you was a must since you'd be attending in the first place anyway and that performing at the Oscars was a big deal given that you also starred in films and shows.

You turned in bed, facing Timothee's sleeping face. He had been in town for a week now, back on a break from filming in Hungary. Then he'd be back to film in England in a couple of weeks. After your talk on your premiere night, it was to an agreement that whatever you had going on was just two people exploring and experiencing things with someone they had strong feelings for. There wasn't a need for a media circus to cover anything about you two except your movie.

You move his arm, placed it over your waist, and sit up slowly in bed, making sure not to stir Timothee. The jetlag must be shit. You stretched your arms in front of you, glancing at the clock that read 2:07 AM. You get up, grabbing Timothee's white shirt from the floor, and, putting it on, walking over to the bathroom. You looked at yourself in the mirror, touching some of the reddening parts of your neck courtesy of Timothee, and then you notice the toothbrushes… there were two. From this single thing alone, it had you catching everything about the bathroom, how there were two towels, one black, and one violet, which just so happened to be your favorite color.

You walked over to the nightstand beside the bed, putting on your skinny jeans, turning on the lamp, and noticing his wallet. Inside was a picture of you. Opening the closet doors, the ones hung up were various suits, jackets, and even dresses you've worn to events. Why didn't he just send these back? Why would he let you keep your stuff in his house?

You drag your feet downstairs, noticing small details you'd been blind to before, like the large dog bed positioned by the door despite Timothee telling you he could only ever get himself to take care of a tiny dog. You noticed the colored mugs and bowls, a deep dull navy blue color, the same as the ones in your house. Suddenly, everything feels as if it's moving too fast. You both agreed there was no relationship, and there was attraction, but why does his home feel like it's become yours as well?

You sit down, taking a few deep breaths before deciding to stand up and grab your cardigan from the coathanger, opening the front door and closing it behind you as you waited for a taxi to bring you to the more active part of the city at night.

You just couldn't deal with a relationship right now. You couldn't let your heart get broken again, so you have to find ways to distract yourself.

The car stops in front of you, driving off into the night and dropping you off by a club that Troye agreed to meet you at.

You and Timothee had an attraction, but you both agreed there was no label; ergo, there was no intimate relationship even though you both have done everything together. No boyfriend means you were free to do whatever you wanted without worrying about him. But if you were honest with yourself, this was more of you suggesting something you already knew Timothee wasn't too keen on agreeing with but would just because he thought that having something with you was better than absolutely nothing. You saw Troye waiting out by the back entrance for you when he spotted you and called you over. Almost like clockwork, every time you snuck out away from Timothee, everything in you screamed to turn back, to clear your head, and for the first time, you listened.

You motioned for Troye to go ahead and sent him a text that you'd probably just head home because you weren't feeling well. He gave you a knowing look before looking like he finally approved of your actions and sent you a quick and short 'Good." text, and headed inside.

You walked around for a while after that. Soon it was already just about 5 in the morning, and even though you wouldn't let yourself come to any conclusion as to what you even wanted out of this almost relationship with Timothee, you still found yourself back at his front door.

You took out the keys in your pocket, slowly opening the door only to find Timothee sat on the couch, his knees up to his chest as he stared off into space, either deep in thought or trying to keep himself awake… maybe even both.

When he saw you enter, a soft smile formed on his face, and for some reason, that made you smile too.

"Hey, you." He spoke softly.

You sat down quietly next to him, instantly he set his feet on the ground and reached over to embrace you in a hug, the familiar scent of Timothee that never left you that evening even more evident… It felt and smelled familiar, and right now, while your mind was a mess, familiarity was what you needed.

Timothee lifted his head, worried, "Hey, are you alright?"

You sighed, "I don't want to hurt you."

He murmured quietly into your neck as he peppered kisses, "You could never."

You pulled away, feeling guilt in your bones, "Aren't you even a little bit frustrated that we've been like this for months? That even in private, we can't even say that we're in a relationship?"

You gave you a reassuring look, "We both wanted this Y/N."

You sat up, "Except we didn't… You didn't." You corrected yourself, "You're bringing your mother to the fucking Oscars next month because I told you we couldn't be seen together at carpets for Pete's sake."

You stood up, starting to pace back and forth, "We have to coordinate outfits for the sake of not matching, and we never go out because I can't be seen with you in fear that we're going to get found out. I'm a terrible fucking person, and I don't understand how you're so okay with this."

Timothee was grinning, sleep still in his eyes, "I'm okay with it because I love you, Y/N."

You froze in your spot, "You what?"

He nodded and got up, walking over to you. The blue light of the early morning peaking through the curtain made this moment feel and look ethereal, "I said I love you, Y/N. I've known that I loved you from the moment I met you." He kissed the top of your head as he embraced you.

You shook your head, "No, no, no, you don't. I'll even list more shit I've done to you just so you understand how and why you don't love me."

Timothee chuckled, "And yet despite all this... all that's registering in my head is the fact that you've been thinking of me and only me this whole time. You've been worried about how you're hurting me because you don't want to."

And that's when you realized that Timothee was right. This whole time you've been thinking of Timothee and how much you wanted to protect him from you, but he never wanted to be protected from you because he knew that you could never hurt him. You rested your forehead against his.

"I-I need to go. I need to think."

He smiled sadly, "I'll be here when you're ready. I'll always be here Y/N until you don't want me to be here anymore."

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

You sat in your house, since leaving Timothee's earlier, you had been sat there lost in thought as you argued with yourself. It was true, the last thing you wanted was to hurt Timothee, but you were confused because it's like you couldn't understand your feelings. After all, a particular person still held a large part of it in his hands.

Timothee was there for you. Late night at the recording studio, whether through being there physically or even calling you or skyping you, he was always there. He was there with you when you bought all your albums from Target, and he was also the one who insisted you find another target that hasn't sold out your CDs so he could buy all of them too. Timothee was there with you when you had interviews that you almost felt like you could puke from nervousness backstage as he watched you talk about another celebrity you were getting linked to, and he was there with you to giggle about how stupid talk shows were. Timothee was always there. Whether it was dancing, kissing, or even fighting in the rain, he was always with you. He always wanted you around. Even when you rode the subway to get to a press conference of his or a promo for his upcoming movie, he always wanted you with him. He'd run with you in the rain, and he'd kiss away the sadness when you didn't want to speak with him. He was there with you when you get the sudden urge to buy all the popsicles from the nearest whole foods, and he was there with you when you got sick with the flu, which he also got from you. You'd spend afternoons walking around a far-off hill as you two put flowers in your hair despite knowing that you two probably had your busy schedules. Nothing mattered when you were with Timothee. Nothing mattered except each other. A part of you felt hurt that these memories you had kept of you and Tom were slowly being replaced by everything Timothee, but a large part of you also knew that the person you have now had no doubt that you couldn't ignore your feelings. You couldn't have to take Timothee out of your life.

Making up your mind, you got up, got dressed, and left for where you were sure you would find Tom.

He was in the middle of filming a new movie, but the second he saw you, he immediately asked to stop filming, a familiar, loving face plastered on as he walked over to you before being stopped by the director. They looked to be having a bit of a disagreement before he pointed you out, and the director looked at you in realization, patting him on the back and allowing him to jog over to you.

"Hey." You paused, your hand grasping your arm, and Tom took notice right away.

His eyebrows furrowed, "Hey, what's wrong?" He pulls you to sit by the curb as you two sat side by side, "You only do that when you're having a hard time saying something."

You gave him a look, "Well… I came here to ask you if it was alright if I try things out with Timothee."

He looked taken aback, "Oh, well, honestly, I thought you came by to sort things out between us…." He took notice of the way you looked down in guilt, "I don't think you could do anything with another guy that wouldn't upset me… but I don't really get that prerogative anymore, Y/N." He sighed, wrapping an arm around you to comfort you, "The fact is, you're trying to grow into who you've always wanted to be, and I'm trying to do that too for the sake of us and what we could be. If that means that you need or want to date someone again, I'll fully support you, but the most important thing is, does he make you happy?"

You sighed, looking out onto the filming lot, and nodded slowly, not noticing the slight upset look on Tom's face, "I catch myself sometimes smiling to myself when I think of him… But it's like I can't do anything because I don't want to let go of what we had."

Tom took a gulp, deciding that what was important right now was you, more than what he wanted, "What we had and what we were isn't important anymore Y/N. I'm working towards what we could become. What we had was co-dependency and a constant need to be in each other's presence to prove that what we had was perfect. I want us to find each other again in the future and know that no matter how far apart we are, if hopefully, we get together again, there is nobody in this world we'll love more… and that's what I'm encouraging you to do. I want to grow with you and grow for each other, and if that means you dating other people to understand yourself more, then I support you."

You looked at Tom for a second before hugging him and pecking him on the cheek, "I really needed that, Tom. Thank you."

He hugged you tighter, "Anytime. I'll always be here for you, Y/N."

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

You gripped your seat in the car in pure nerves. You were on your way to the Oscars with your assistant constantly telling you about your performance and what not to mess up and things to remember, especially about reporters who wanted an interview with you. To say you were all nerves today was an understatement. You hadn't spoken to Timothee ever since you told him you needed time to think, so today would be the first time you would ever come face to face with him. You thought long and hard about everything between the two of you. Still, you think you're finally ready to actually put some time and effort into this… and if that meant doing things that would significantly make Timothee happy, then you'd do it.

Your assistant watched a live feed from the Oscars as she gave you updates on how Armie was on the carpet. Saoirse was on the carpet, talking about how she hoped to make a movie with you and various other stars. You were a few minutes away from the carpet when she spoke up again.

"Timothee has just arrived." then she looked at her phone and back at you, doing a double-take as you gave her a sheepish smile, all she could do was smile approvingly at you before going back to giving you live updates.

A few minutes later, and your heart didn't feel like it was going to slow down anytime soon as your assistant gave you a pep talk, "Y/N. You are gonna rock that carpet, you'll turn heads, and most importantly, you're gonna be the talk of the night. There is nothing that could go wrong tonight. Just take deep breaths and don't trip."

Luckily you were still coherent enough to understand what she said as you took deep breaths to calm your nerves.

"Alright, three… two… one." The door flew open as one of the large men in suits grabbed your hand and helped you out. Your dress was not providing you much flexibility to move, and for almost 15 seconds, it felt like everything was moving in slow motion as everyone was quiet. You found Timothee busy with an interview as the crowd looked from you to him, the topic on everyone's minds for the past few months. As if this were the only proof they needed, they held their cameras in their hands as they snapped pictures of you and a commotion started as they started asking for Timothee.

You think you gave them a quick, charming grin as you told them he was in an interview before walking towards the interviewer and Timothee. She was the first to notice while Timothee talked about how his mom stood him up as his Oscars date, something you arranged a week earlier and something Timothee's mom was more than happy to comply to.

The interviewer looks ecstatic as the only one and the first one on this carpet to get whatever the scoop was here, as she wasted no time when you slowly approached them, "Timothee! You said you were stood up, but you never told us that your backup would be late!"

Timothee shot her a confused look before he felt your arm slowly snake around his arm, "Sorry I'm late." You quickly whispered to him.

His face looked shocked. Almost as if a reflex, he almost pulled away from you before getting a good look at what you were wearing. His jaw looked like it would drop to the floor as he looked utterly awestruck.

The interviewer giggled nervously, already knowing her interview time was slowly coming to an end without any payoff to the two of you, "Timothee, you look to be speechless at Y/N's dress tonight." She looked at you hopefully, "Could everyone here assume this is date night?"

You smiled shyly at the lady before giving her a tiny curt nod, "I know it's a bit cliche to match outfits, but when I saw that Timothee was going to wear a harness, I just couldn't let him take all the attention for tonight, so I apologize, but I've kept this secret from him too just to make sure he doesn't do anything to take the spotlight, that's why he looks like he's just had a heart attack." you giggled.

He gave a quick, playful tilted look to you before blinking multiple times, "In my defense, I didn't even know that this was a harness... They told me this was a bib."

"Bib or not, you two look like the sexiest couple on the carpet, and I just so happen to be the luckiest interviewer tonight." The interviewer looked ecstatic as can be as she jumps up, more energetic to interview the two of you, "And well, Y/N, one look at you, and it's hard to believe anyone would still have the ability to speak. You look gorgeous." She winked at the camera, "But I can't help but notice you just confirmed this is date night… Is it safe to assume what everyone has been wondering for the past few months? That you two are dating?"

Somehow, Timothee finally snaps out of it and looks at you, a questioning look before you leaned over and spoke into the mic, "Yeah. We're together. We have been for a while now." You smiled sheepishly as you saw Timothee's face glow as he wrapped his arm around your waist, "I apologize for keeping quiet for so long, but we think it's the right time to go public now that we've decided to take things to a more serious level."

The interviewer waves a hand in the air, "As long as you two let us in on the secret, there's no problem there." She faced the camera, "You heard it here first, folks. Hollywood's newest and hottest up and coming power couple. From both Y/N and Timothee themselves, now going public with their relationship."

As you two walked away from the interviewer for more pictures, Timothee embraced you, uncaring of the cameras flashing in your faces, "Are you serious?"

You nodded slowly, "I'm ready to be with you completely, Timothee. I'm sorry I took so long."

He shook his head like a puppy, "As long as you're here with me now, Y/N, I don't care."

He pulled away at the sound of your name and his in the same sentence as the photographers asked for your attention. He quickly kisses you on the cheek as you shut your eyes and grinned, cameras going off and commotion started up at you two, the young hot couple everyone had wanted more details on.

Timothee clutched your waist tightly, almost like he was afraid that if he let go, this would all go back to how everything was before.

Before entering the venue, he pulled you to the side, "Are you sure about this? I don't want you to force yourself."

You shook your head, guiding his head to yours, "I think I'm in love with you too, Timothee. I'm all in with you." And then you kissed him.

#Timothee Chalamet #timmy #selena gomez #tom holland #tom holland fanfic #tom x reader #timothee chalamet fanfic #timothee x reader #bty #back to you #i finally updated #im so sorry i took so long #thank you for being so patient and always supporting my page #spidxysense

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viking-raider · 4 years ago

Text

Southern Generation - Part VI

Summary: Sy officially moves in with Lily and they go on a road trip to make amends.

Pairing: Austin Syverson/OFC (Lily)

Word Count: 11,965

Warning: PG-13 - Language, Fluff, Angst, Smut, Oral - F Receiving, Drama, Pregnancy Cravings

Inspiration: Syverson is OP

Author's Note: Thanks to the wonderful @wondersofdreaming

Author's Note 2: Make sure to follow and turn on the notifications for my Tag List blog @viking-raider-taglist to stay up to date on this and all my other stories!

“That's the last of them.” Sy smiled, setting the last box of his stuff down.

With Lily pregnant and them making their relationship official, Sy moved all of his stuff from his Austin apartment into the farmhouse with Lily.

“Well, officially.” Lily replied, resting her hands on her hips and looking up at him. “Welcome home.” She smiled, giddy and proud.

“Thanks, Darling.” He grinned back, cupping her face and kissed her.

Lily smiled, as she woke up from her nap, feeling the warm and heavy weight of Sy's body in bed with her, his head in its customary place, on her chest. She usually woke up from her naps with Sy, whether or not he was with her, when she fell asleep or not. Sighing and moaning softly, she lifted her hand to twist the short, curling ends of his hair between her fingertips.

“Hm.” Sy hummed softly, rubbing his scruffy face against her chest and hugging his arms tighter around her middle, thumb stroking her tummy.

“I'm surprised at you.” Lily whispered, still playing with his hair.

“Why?” Sy moaned back, turning his head to look up at her.

“When I first met you, I half wondered what your hair would look like if you let it grow out.” She explained, running her fingers through it.

“Oh?” He chuckled, smirking at her.

“Yeah.” She blushed at him. “But, I just didn't expect the Bear, Austin Syverson, would have curls.” She grinned at him, twisting the ends of his hair between her fingers, she loved his developing curls.

“My hair hasn't been this long in ten years.” Sy laughed, blushing and biting his lip. “I've been thinking about cutting it again.”

“I will end you, Wyatt.” Lily threatened, touching the tip of her finger to his nose.

“Oh, busting out the middle name and everything.” He smirked, taking a playful snap at the tip of her finger. “Lily?” He whispered, biting the inside of his lip as he stared into her eyes.

“What?” She replied, tilting her head at him.

“Have you thought about going back?” Sy murmured, brow creasing. “Back to Middleburg, to see your grandparents. Jak isn't a threat anymore. I'm sure they would love to see you and I'd bet my life, you want to see them again. Especially now, with the baby on the way.”

Lily pressed her lips together, resting her hands on Sy's shoulders. “It would be nice to see them again.” She answered, after a long pause.

“But?” He pressed, sensing it coming next.

“What if they don't want to see me?” She asked, searching his eyes for comfort, and found it. “What if they don't want me in their life anymore?”

Sy took a deep breath, sitting up as he did, and brought Lily up with him. “Then, that's their loss.” He told her, folding her up in his arms and pressing his lips to her forehead. “If they don't want you in their life, then they are missing out on knowing one of the most amazing gals, who can light up a room, simply by walking into it.”

“You're just buttering me up, Austin.” Lily mumbled into his neck.

“Woman, have I ever lied to you?” Sy grinned into her hair.

“No.” She chuckled, blushing shyly.

“I don't intend to now, Angel.” He whispered, kissing her temple. “But, you won't know their reaction, unless you go and see them.” He added, softer.

“I know.” She whispered back, leaning against his chest. “You're right. I owe it to them and myself.”

“Whatever choice you make, I'll support you, every step of the way.” Sy told her, gently tipping her head back and tenderly kissed her.

“I think I want to go see them.” Lily said, later that night, while she and Sy sat at the dinner table.

Sy looked up from his plate of spaghetti and garlic bread, slowly lowering his fork. “All right.” He nodded, straightening his back and giving her his full attention. “When do you wanna go?”

“The sooner, the better, I think.” She mumbled, shifting in her seat, her own dinner mostly untouched.

Sy nodded his head again, quietly regarding Lily from across the table. He could see the worried and fearful anxiety on her face, still mulling over every worst case scenario about seeing her grandparents again, he could almost see every one of them tick by her eyes. Afraid that her grandparents would disown her, the moment they laid eyes on her. Blaming her for what transpired with Jak. Afraid of what their reaction would be, when she showed up at their door, after five years of silence, pregnant with the baby of man they had never heard of or met before, especially since they were incredibly religious.

He reached across the table, just in time to catch the tear that escaped and started to slip down her cheek, then rested his hand over hers. “No matter what happens, Lily. You still have me.” He told her, lovingly.

“You still have us.”

Lily grasped Sy's hand and tried to smile at him and not cry at the same time, which was hard with the way her hormones were starting to really get out of control. “I know.” She choked back.

“Let me finish painting the rest of the house and go to your twelve week baby appointment on Friday, then we'll pack a bag and ourselves into the car and drive out there.” He told her, making a game plan, so her frazzled and tired mind could relax.

“It's only a twenty-ish hour drive.”

“I think, that's a good idea.” Lily nodded, chewing on her lip, taking deep breaths.

Sy smiled and squeezed her hand. “Good.” He chuckled and let her hand go, before picking his fork back up and dug into his spaghetti.

Sy double checked his large, Army issued duffel bag, making sure he and Lily had enough clothing, he had her zofran, nausea medicine, and prenatal vitamin, along with everything else he, Lily and Aika would need for the almost nineteen hour drive from Celina to Middleburg, Virginia, having already put her pregnancy pillow in the car, before tugging the bag closed, slung it over his shoulder and went downstairs.

“Billie promised to keep an eye on the place and pick up the mail for us.” Lily said, meeting him in the entryway hall.

“Great.” He smiled. “Well, I got all our stuff packed.” He said, jostling the duffel bag.

“I already packed some snacks in the truck too.”

“Then, we're all set!”

“No, I have to pee, one more time.” Lily giggled, and rushed into the half bath.

Sy laughed, shaking his head and took the duffel bag out to the truck, dropping it in the back seat with Aika. “All set?” He asked as Lily came out of the house.

“I am now!” She nodded, crossing the yard to the truck and got into the passenger seat.

“Did you lock up?” He asked, getting in with her.

“Yep.”

“You good, Aika?” Sy asked, looking to the German Shepherd, who let out a loud bark. “All right, let's get this road trip underway!” He pulled up Google Maps on his phone and entered the address to Lily's grandparents' place, then set the device on its dock and started the truck.

Sy and Lily laughed, as they sang along to a song that came on Sy's playlist that they both liked, Enemies by Shinedown. But, Sy turned the song down, when Lily suddenly stopped singing and quickly identified the look she got just before she threw up. Quickly popping open the center console, Sy reached inside of it and pulled out a circular, blue and white object and opened it, holding it out to her. Lily took it from him, without question and threw up in it, once or twice.

“Where did you get this?” She asked, looking at it, realizing it was a hospital-grade nausea bag. “Did you rob a hospital?” She chuckled, looking over at him.

“No.” He laughed back at her. “I bought them off Amazon. I wasn't sure if you got car sick on long rides or not. But, I was sure the baby would make you nauseous, at least, once on the drive. So, I wanted to be prepared and make you as comfortable as possible in the process.”

Lily tied the used bag closed, then opened the center console and found another twenty-plus of the blue emesis bags inside. She smiled up at him, shaking her head in disbelief of his utter and complete thoughtful and preparedness.

“You never cease to amaze me, Austin.” She said, sitting back up. “You see how amazing your Daddy is.” Lily grinned, looking at her belly, and making Sy blush.

“Well, I gotta take care of ya, don't I?” He smirked, resting his hand on her thigh.

“Yeah, I suppose.” She sighed, smirking back at him.

“There's some Listerine strips in the center console, by the way.” Sy added, after a few quiet moments.

“I'm sorry, am I offending you?” Lily giggled, opening the console again and fished around for them, before finding the small blue case.

“No, no.” He grinned, chuckling. “Just figured you'd want to get the taste out of your mouth.” He explained, finally getting them on the interstate highway.

“Did you pack my nausea meds?” Lily asked, feeling another wave wash over her.

“Yeah. It's in our bag.” Sy nodded, brow creasing, as he tried to figure out what stupid shenanigans the car in front of them was up too.

Lily twisted in her seat and pulled the worn green bag between the front seats, tugging it open and riffled through it, until she found the little prescription bottle of tiny, white oval tablets, then turned back around. She removed one of the pills and cracked open one of the two bottles of Voss water in the cup holders and downed the pill.

“Why don't you rest?” Sy suggested, reaching behind her seat for her pregnancy pillow. “It's just going to be annoying highway stuff for a while.” He said, giving her the pillow.

“I don't want you to get lonely.” Lily protested, maneuvering and situating the U-shaped pillow into a comfortable position.

Sy smiled over at her. “I'll be fine, Angel.” He assured her. “If I get lonely, I'll talk to Aika and we'll play the quiet game.” He chuckled, looking at the dog from the rear view mirror. “I'll wake you up around one, and we'll find some little place to have lunch.”

“If you're sure.” Lily yawned, she was usually already in the middle of a nap by now.

“Positive, Sweetness.” He nodded, turning the heat on a bit to make sure she was kept warm.

Lily contorted her body in her seat, drawing up her legs and propping her head and the curve of her pillow against the window, wrapping her arms around it and hugging it against her body, before dozing off to sleep. Sy reached out and rested his hand on her leg, gently massaging it as he kept his eyes on the road, just listening to the hum of the tires on the worn asphalt of Interstate Forty fill the silent cabin of the truck; Aika curled up on the backseat. The quiet boredom of the road allowed the devil to whisper into Sy's ear.

He wasn't sure what to do, if Lily's grandparents, the people that raised her, rejected her, and not only her, but their great grand-baby, his child. He knew he had to be strong for Lily, it would crush her, if they wanted nothing to do with her and the baby, but Sy wasn't so sure he would be able to keep himself under control. He had a feeling he would end up giving the couple a very big piece of his mind, before bringing Lily back home to Celina.

“It'll be fine.” He said aloud, glancing over at Lily. “It'll be all right.” He assured her sleeping form, leaning over just enough to lay his hand on her belly.

Sy found a turn off into Memphis just before one in the afternoon, parking at a small riverfront park in downtown Memphis, giving Lily a quiet place to wake up and all three of them a place to stretch their legs, and Aika a place to pee.

“Hey.” Sy called, softly, shutting off the car and leaning across the console. “Lily. Wake up, baby.” He cooed at her, brushing his knuckles against her cheek and tucking her hair behind her ear, kissing the corner of her mouth. “Hey, sweet pea.” He grinned, watching her eyes slowly flutter open, blinking at the bright sunlight glittering off the murky river water.

“Where are we?” She asked in a sleepy voice, rubbing her cheek against the microfiber cover of her pillow.

“The home of the King, Memphis Tennessee.” Sy chuckled, teasingly, and kissed her again. “So, love me tender.”

“I'm all shook up.” Lily chuckled, unfolding herself and sitting up in her seat.

“Well, it's now or never, baby doll.” Sy roared, his head going back.

“Oh, don't be cruel.”

“But, I can't help fallin' in love.” He chimed back.

“What now, my love?” Lily asked, smirking at him.

“I knew there was a reason I loved you.” Sy commented, finding more and more of them every day. “But, I thought we'd get some fresh air and stretch our legs, I'm sure Aika has to pee. Then, we'll find some lunch.”

“I like that idea.” Lily nodded, pushing her pillow into the back seat, then climbed out of the truck, taking the used nausea bag with her to throw away, while Sy put Aika on her leash.

Sy took Lily by the hand and strolled down the little sidewalk along the riverside, watching the various types of boats go by them on the water. The weather was nice and warm with pleasant enough humidity, a few clouds floating in the baby blue sky.

“Are you craving anything specific?” Sy asked as they patiently waited for Aika to do her business in the grass beside them.

“Hmm.” Lily hummed, pressing her lips together and considering if there was something specific she wanted for lunch; she hadn't had any definitive cravings yet, other than the three days she really needed to eat Mac and Cheese.

But, something specific did strike Lily.

“A pretzel.” She purred, already licking her lips at the thought of the salty baked good.

Sy chuckled at her, amused at the expression on her face, eyes closed and dreamy. “All right. I'll get you a pretzel then.”

It was like a ding went off in Lily's soul. “I want a lot of Pretzels.” She said, eyes popping open and looked up Sy, almost manic and desperate.

“Okay.” He replied, brows raised and blinking at her. “I'll get you a pretzel for lunch, then some to munch on.”

“Yeah.” Lily nodded, staring down at their feet, eyes wide. “Pretzels are good.”

“That they are.” Sy agreed, snickering, unable to keep back his amusement.

Lily's eyes snapped up at him, watching him laugh at her, his eyes practically teasing and making fun of her. “Shut up.” She snapped, but started to laugh back at him. “I can't help it.”

“I know you can't.” He nodded, trying to stop, but it only made him laugh harder. “That's what makes it even better.”

“I hate you.” Lily giggled, playful punching him in the arm. “Now, I want my pretzel, Captain.”

“Yes, Major!” Sy replied, saluting her, then quickly cleaned up after Aika and took them back to the truck. “I just need to find a place to get you one.” He sighed, taking his phone off its dock and googled where to get a pretzel in Memphis, Tennessee.

“Okay, there's an Auntie Anne's not that far from us that does pretzels.” He said, saving the directions and setting them in that direction.

Leaving Aika in the car, Lily and Sy went into the shopping center the Auntie Anne's was in, navigating the crowd and line to the counter. Lily chewed on her lip for a moment, torn between getting a regular pretzel or the pretzel bites, before finally deciding on the bites with the nacho cheese dip. With her food, they navigated their way around again and Sy got himself something from the Wendy's the center had as well, before going back out to the truck to eat there; Lily stealing a couple of Sy's french fries and sharing a couple of her pretzel bites.

Once their lunch was finished and they tossed their empty containers away, Sy made a quick run into the Mega Wal-Mart across the street from the shopping center to buy a big bag of mini pretzels and a case of Voss water for Lily, knowing she was going to get very thirsting from devouring them.

“Thank you.” Lily said, when Sy gave her the bag as he got in the car, her eyes glued on the bag.

“Just don't turn into one.” He teased her, chuckling. “All right, let's get back on the road.”

“I don't want you driving all night, Austin.” Lily mumbled around a mouthful of pretzel.

“I know and I won't.” He replied, reaching a hand into the bag. “I'll go until sun down, then we'll find a place to sleep for the night.” He said, then crammed the four or five pretzels into his mouth.

“Good.” Lily smiled, passing back a pretzel to Aika, who quickly devoured it and came back for more.

Reaching Blacksburg, Virginia just after dark, Sy found a drive-thru to order them dinner and a motel for the night, parking out front of the motel's office. Sighing, he rested back in the driver's seat, scrubbing his palms over his tired face and lulled his head to the side to look over at Lily, who had fallen asleep again, twisted around her pillow and her half eaten bag of pretzels clutched to her chest. They were three hours away from her grandparents' orchard, three hours from finding out whether or not they would be in Lily and the baby's life.

“Watch her, girl.” Sy said to Aika, before slipping out of the truck, locking the doors for extra measure, and going inside the office to get a room.

Once he had the room, Sy got back into the truck and parked as close to the room as he could, before going around and opening Lily's door, careful not to let her slip out. Then, gently took the pretzel bag from her and set it aside, unbuckled her seat belt and tried to figure out for a moment how to untangle the mess of limbs and pregnancy pillow, but quickly gave up with an amused chuckle. He just picked up both her and the pillow to carry her into their room and laid her down on the bed, tugging the turned down blankets over her, then went out to get their bag, dinner and Aika.

“Hey, Angel.” Sy smiled, closing the room door with his foot as Lily sat up, rubbing at her face and pushing her hair out of her face. “I got us some food.” He said, holding up the bag.

“You hungry?”

Lily nodded, still sleepy. “Where are we now?” She asked, sitting cross legged on the bed, beside Sy as they ate their food.

“Blacksburg.” He replied, shoving fries in his mouth. “About three hours away from your grandparents' place.”

Lily bit her lip and nodded her head, staring at the half eaten, plain chicken sandwich in her hand, suddenly losing her appetite and set it down. “I'm gonna take a shower, I'm sore.” She mumbled, getting off the bed and headed into the tiny bathroom.

Turning on the light and closing the door, Lily let out a heavy breath and tugged her tank top off over her head, followed by her elephant patterned leggings and underwear, before turning towards the shower, the walls were dingy and discolored, but clean. Spinning the hot and cold taps, then stepping under the shoddy shower-head, she leaned her forehead against the cracked acrylic wall, letting the pleasantly warm water cascade down her back, like a waterfall, with a soft moan. She was starting to have second thoughts about going to see her grandparents. She wondered how upset or disappointed Sy would be, if she told him she wanted to go back home to Celina in the morning, instead of going the three hours to Middleburg to see them.

She wondered how disappointed in herself she would be later on, if she chickened out this close to their destination.

The bathroom door opened and closed, followed by the rustle of clothing, before Sy stepped into the shower behind Lily, resting one hand on her hip and brought the other one around to cup the gentle slope of Lily's belly, pressing his lips to the base of her neck. Gulping down a thicket of emotions in her throat, Lily turned in Sy's arms and pressed herself against his chest, nuzzling her face into his neck. He smiled against her wet hair, gently kneading her hips and lower back, knowing after so many hours in the car and the way she contorted her body to sleep, she must have been in pain.

“Let me take care of you.” He whispered, kissing her forehead.

Sy picked up the little bottle of travel sized, hotel shampoo, broke the seal on it and poured it into his broad palm, then gently massaged it into her hair, stealthily wiping away a line of soap that dripped down her forehead and almost in her eye. Lily closed her eyes, softly moaning at the gentle and pleasurable pressure of Sy's strong and blunt fingers working the scentless shampoo into her scalp, his thumbs moving out to methodically rub her temples, easing the edge off of the tension migraine she had all day. Sy tipped her head back into the spray of the shower, combing his fingers through her wet and soapy strands to rinse out the shampoo. With her hair washed, he found a small wash cloth and bar of soap, and started to wash her body, beginning with her shoulders and applying a little bit of pressure as he did to massage the cramped muscles there.

“God, that feels so good.” Lily sighed, melting under his tender affection, a smile twitching on her face as he rubbed the cloth over the ticklish spots of her sides.

Sy smiled, kissing the bridge of her nose. “Anything for you, Angel.” He cooed back, paying special attention to the beautifully growing bulge of her belly.

“Thank you.” She whispered, relaxed and sleepy, after they got out of the shower, letting Sy dry her off and secure the towel around her body.

“You're welcome, Sweetheart.” He replied, kissing her cheek.

Lily went back into the room and opened their duffel bag, just pulling out the first article of clothing that her hand came in contact with, which was Sy's worn, Jack Daniels, Tennessee Whiskey t-shirt and let the towel slip off her and pulled on his shirt. Sy stood in the bathroom doorway, still naked and dripping from the shower and smiled at her, loving how the black garment hung on her like a dress, her shoulder length hair dripping and making it wet as she brushed it.

He had never seen anyone so beautiful in his life.

Moving over to the full sized bed, Sy situated her pregnancy pillow, then turned towards Lily. “Lay down, Angel.” He cooed at her.

Frowning at him for a moment, but seeing the look in his blue eyes, Lily chuckled and laid down, situating herself with her head and neck propped up on the belly of the pillow and her body comfortably cradled in the middle of it. Sy picked up her discarded towel and used it to dry off some, before turning off the room lights, then crawled into bed with her. Moving between Lily's legs and gently bending up her knees and pushing them apart, Lily's startled gasp filled the dark room as Sy's warm breath wafted over her exposed folds, just before his wide tongue took one long and leisurely lick.

“Jesus H. Christ!” She cried out, gripping the arms of her pillow.

“Just me, Angel.” Sy chuckled, hooking his arms around her legs, so they rested on his shoulders, and pressed his palms down on top of her thighs, to keep her still, before dipping his head back down and pressing an open kiss to her clit, flicking the tip of his tongue against it, melting Lily into a sweet and needy whimper.

Sy licked and suckled at her delicate pussy, slipping his tongue between her folds to tease her entrance and get a deeper taste of her, lewd noises filled the room as neither of them hid the pleasure they were in and having. Lily rocked against his mouth, her hands pressed to the back of Sy's head to hold him in place, eyes rolled and fluttered, her anxiety of not wanting to go to her grandparents' in the morning completely forgotten in the heady peak of her orgasm.

“I love your mouth.” Lily sighed, out of breath, exhausted and pleasantly numb.

Sy roared with laughter, laying down beside her. “Good to know.” He grinned, pulling the blankets over them and draping his arm over her. “Good night, Angel.” He whispered, kissing her cheek.

“Night, Bear.” She mumbled back, starting to drift off.

Sy stayed awake for a little while, his hand slipping up inside the shirt she was wearing to gently caress her belly and stared at the back of her head. “God,” He whispered, careful not to wake or disturb her. “I don't ask much of you. But, for whatever my word is worth, please don't let these people hurt my girl. She needs and wants them in her life, so does our little one.” He said, lifting his hand to gently stroke her damp hair.

“Let this meeting tomorrow go well, for all of us.” He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut and hugging Lily back against him.

Lily took a deep breath and held it, as Sy turned the truck off the main road and onto the dirt road leading onto the Warren Orchard farm, seeing the tall apple tree shaped sign with Warren Apples carved elegantly in its trunk. It wasn't long before they came to the closed security gate, shutting them off from the rest of the farm. Sy rolled the truck to a stop and looked over to Lily, lifting a brow at her, waiting for her to tell him what they should do next, when a voice came to life next to him.

“Welcome to Warren Apple Orchards, what can I do for you?” A deep Southern drawl asked from a mounted intercom box outside the driver's side window.

Sy rolled down his window and leaned closer to the box, spotting the security camera mounted above the one side of the gate. “Yeah, we're here looking for the owners of the place.” He replied, glancing over at Lily again.

“Mr. and Mrs. Warren aren't taking visitors just now.”

Lily huffed through her nose and leaned over the center console and Sy. “Tell them, Liliana wants to see them, Judd.” She called out, biting and pressing her lips together.

There was a long pause with a bubble of tension, before an electric buzz filled the humid air around them and the metal gate rolled out of their way. Lily sat back in her seat and Sy gave her a concerned look, before driving though.

“You know him?”

“He's worked here as long as I can remember.” Lily replied, staring out her window to the immaculate lawn and row of trees beyond that. “Just keep following the road, you'll find the house at the end of it.” She added, picking at the hem of the shorts she was wearing.

True enough, a few minutes later, a massive colonial, plantation house appeared behind ancient weeping willows. Made mostly of white stone with two stories of wrap around porches and ornate black railings, tall marble columns, from the foundation to the roof; what looked like five chimneys, three turrets and an apple tree weathervane. The driveway looped around the front of the house, leading up the stairs onto the porch was double french, front doors.

Sy was in complete awe of it as he pulled around to the front of the driveway. “This place is amazing.”

“Yeah.” Lily gulped, biting her lip and stared up at the house. “Oh dear god.” She whimpered, shrinking her seat, trying to hide.

“What?” Sy frowned, then noticed a whited haired man step out of the house, wearing a pair of light brown khaki pants and a black pull over sweater with the Warren Orchard's logo on it, an apple with an arrow threw it, the front of the arrow's shaft bent in the shape of a W.

“I'm guess, that's--”

“My grandfather.” Lily nodded, peeking over the edge of the door to look up at him. “Yep.” She sighed, squeezing her eyes shut and pressed her forehead to the window.

“Well, you can't hide forever, Angel.” Sy told her, tilting his head at her. “He knows we're here and this is more than likely us, sitting here.”

“I know.” Lily huffed, chewing her lip. “I know.”

“You can do this, babe.” He encouraged her. “I'm right here, Angel.”

Lily looked over at him, looking at him like a lost puppy, before taking a deep breath and fortifying herself. “You're right.” She nodded, leaning over and kissed him.

Taking another deep breath, Lily opened her door and stepped out of the truck, gulping as she looked up the steps to her grandfather. Her heart felt like a war drum in her chest, she was excited to see him again, he didn't seem any different from the last time he had seen him, at least, not from the distance they were at.

But, she was also afraid of what was about to happen next.

“Paw-Paw.” She called out to him, softly, her voice shaky.

“Liliana.” He replied, lifting a snowy brow at her, his honey-brown eyes scrutinizing her.

“I've missed you.” Lily blurted out, sniffling, tears burning her eyes. “I'm sorry I disappeared. I'm sorry I just ran away and I didn't tell either of you where I was going or why. That I stayed away for so long without a word.”

“But, I thought about you all the time.”

He stared hard at her, crossing his arms over his chest. “You scared the daylights out of your grandmother and I, Liliana. We tried looking for you everywhere, but you just vanished into thin air, like you never existed.” He told her, his anger slowly showing on his face.

“We thought you were dead.”

Lily bowed her head, ashamed for what she had put her grandparents through. “I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention, Paw-Paw.” She choked, looking back up at him, breathing hard.

“Then, what was your intention, Liliana?” He barked at her, his eyes glowing with rage. “Who are you?” He hissed, as Sy came around the front of the truck to wrap an arm around Lily's waist, to comfort her.

Sy looked up at him for a moment, his eyes hard at the man. “Austin Syverson.” He replied, hugging Lily against his side and rubbing her back.

“Your relation to my granddaughter is what?”

“I'm her boyfriend.” He replied, narrowing his eyes at the other man. “Look, she's come here, because she misses you both, very much, and has regretted the way she left. But, she had to leave, she had a very valid reason in doing so. In reality, she's an adult, more than capable of making her own choices and doesn't have to answer to anyone as to why she's made them.” He told Lily's grandfather.

“That includes you.”

“But, she's gained the strength to come here to try and make amends with you both, for more than one reason. You can either accept that or you can not. What happens now, is up to you.”

“Davy, who is it?”

A voice called from the double doors behind Lily's grandfather, before it opened to a thin, elderly woman with a short, curly pixie cut, who struggled to wheel herself out of the house and onto the porch. Her dim and pale blue eyes almost instantly found Lily at the bottom of the porch stairs, her hands flew to the front of her flower pattern dress, mouth dropping open.

“Liliana!” She exclaimed, reaching out a hand to her husband.

“Mee-maw.” Lily sniffled back, smiling at her grandmother through her tears.

“Thank the Lord, you're all right, my sweet child.” She cried, pressing a hand to her mouth.

“I am.” Lily nodded, wiping at her eyes. “And, I wanna be part of your lives again. I want to make amends for what I did by running away and disappearing. I'm sorry, I hurt you and Paw-Paw.”

Lily's grandmother looked up at her husband, who was still glaring at Lily and Sy, pressed her lips together, then looked back at them. “Come inside.” She said, letting his hand go and turned her wheelchair around and headed back towards the door.

“Davy.” She called over her shoulder.

Sighing, he turned and pulled the door open for her, eyeing Lily and Sy as they mounted the porch stairs, then followed his wife inside the house, before doing the same. She rolled down the hallway and turned into the private study, motioning to the long leather couch and parked herself in front of it.

“Hello.” She said, looking at Sy as he sat down beside Lily on the couch.

“Ma'am.” He replied, politely nodding his head to her.

“Who might you be?”

“Austin Syverson, Ma'am.” Sy answered with a sweet smile. “I'm your granddaughter's boyfriend.”

“Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Syverson.” She replied, regarding him. “I'm Violet Warren, and this is my husband, Davis.” She said, motioning to him as he took a seat in a chair to Lily and Sy's left.

“Sir.” Sy said, nodding his head stiffly to him.

“You're looking well, Liliana.” Violet commented, turning her attention to her granddaughter.

“Thank you.” Lily whispered, licking her lips. “I just go by Lily now.”

Violet nodded her head. “Very well.” She acknowledged. “Where've you been, Lily?”

Lily drew a deep breath through her nose and slowly let it back out. “It's a long story.” She whimpered, gripping Sy's hand for support, chewing the inside of her cheek to bits.

Davis and Violet glanced at each other, before she leaned forward and took a small hand bell off the coffee table between them and rang it. A moment later, a young lady appeared in the doorway of the room and Violet asked her to serve them some tea. The tension was tight and thick in the room while the tea was being made for them, no one saying a word to each other. The servant returned, carrying in a highly polished tea tray and set it down on the coffee table, setting out teacups for the four of them and filled the cups, before leaving the room again.

“What is your story, Lily?”

Carefully drizzling a bit of honey into her tea with a honey dipper and taking a fortifying sip of it, Lily started her story. “You know that I had been seeing Jak.” She said, looking between her grandparents.

“We did.” Violet nodded, taking a sip of her own tea.

“Well, what you didn't know was Jak had been abusive to me.” She continued, staring into the rich and steamy liquid in the expensive china teacup. “He had been the entire time we were together. But, I was too naive and silly to break it off with him for the longest time. But, after a particularly bad incident, I decided I couldn't take it any longer. So, I packed a bag and went to live with Maggie. I didn't tell you-” She paused, brow creased, she had often thought about why she hadn't told them, but had never really pinned down a specific reason to why she hadn't.

But, she shook that thought off.

“I honestly don't know why I hadn't. All I knew was I was terrified of Jak finding me again and dragging me back into the life and situation I had been living in for so long with him. While I was with Maggie, I changed my name from Liliana Jade Warren to Lily Ana Moore, to make it harder for him to find me, which made it hard for the both of you to find me, and finished university.” She continued on. “After I did that, I moved to a very small town in Texas and started my own company for my Graphic Design and Photography.”

“It's how I've been supporting myself.”

“I was so consumed by my paranoia and fear of Jak finding me, that I never left the house I bought in Texas, five years ago, this is the farthest I've been from it, since I've moved there.” She confessed, looking to Sy, who smiled at her, supportive and proud.

“What's changed?” Her grandfather asked, his own teacup still where the servant set it, ignored and cold. “Why are you here now?”

Lily cleared her throat and set her tea aside. “I left and became reclusive, agoraphobic, because I felt unsafe and afraid. That Jak would end up finding me and hurting me. He did end up finding me, but Austin...” She looked to Sy, her eyes filled with appreciative love and pride. “Austin makes me feel safe again. He's protected me, in more than one way, and he's shown me what real love is. I owe him so much.”

Sy grinned brightly at her, gripping her hand, a bit choked up at her words.

“He's helped me get back to this place, a place I've held onto, wanting to be a productive member of society, to be back in your life and be your granddaughter again. I miss you and I love you both. That never changed and it will never change.”

“That never changed for us either, Lily.” Violet replied, resting her teacup back on its saucer. “You will always be our precious granddaughter and we have always loved you; from the moment you were born to this moment right now.”

“I hope you could find it in your heart, to have a little more love.” Lily whispered, biting the inside of her lip, gulping.

“For what?” Violet frowned, brows drawing together and head tilting at her.

Lily looked to Sy, who nodded his head at her. “Sy and I are expecting.” She mumbled, not meeting either of her grandparents' eyes.

“You're with child?” Violet asked, shocked disbelief in her voice.

“I am.” Lily nodded, whimpering.

“I hope you're not here, thinking this little reunion will get you money.” Her grandfather snapped, coldly.

Lily's eyes snapped over to him, a cold knot of shock, hurt and anger in her stomach, she could feel the tension stiffen Sy's body. “We don't need any of the family money.” She hissed, eyes hardening. “My business alone is quite well off, thank you; and I'm more than offended at the accusation.”

“That's putting it politely.” Sy chimed in, staring daggers into the old man.

“Davis.” Violet barked, offended at her husband's insult as well, she had no feeling that Lily and Sy were there looking for money or assistance with their lives or the baby.

“Excuse me, for the last time I recalled a couple sitting on that very same couch to tell us they were expecting a child, it was our sweet Daisy and that good for nothing, Palmer, and we all saw how that ended.” Davis replied, his voice cold and sharp.

“Austin isn't my father.” Lily barked, her voice mirroring her grandfather's.

Lily and her grandfather glared darkly at each other, before Violet grew annoyed with their childish behavior and clapped her bony hands together, catching the room's attention.

“That is quite enough.” She scolded them.

Sy hid his smirk around the rim of his teacup, already liking Lily's grandmother.

“How far along are you?” Violet asked, looking at Lily.

“Almost thirteen weeks.” She replied, unconsciously touching her belly.

“Do you know what you're having?”

“Not yet.” Lily grinned at Sy, giddy at the thought of finding out the gender of the baby, she didn't care if it was a boy or a girl, she was just excited in general. “We won't know for another five weeks.” She added, glancing over at her grandmother.

“Well,” Violet grinned, her eyes lighting up. “I can't wait to meet my great-grandbaby.” She said, sounding overjoyed at the prospect. “Davy?” She looked to her husband, her eyes still filled with excitement, but outlined with warning.

Davis looked at her for a moment, then over at Lily, before looking down at the watch on his right wrist, then stood. “I have to meet Mac in the south orchard.” He said, tonelessly, and left the room.

Lily let out an uneven breath and painful tears punched her in the chest, turning her face into Sy's collarbone as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her against his side, pressing his lips to her hair. Violet's mouth was pressed into a thin, angry, lipstick red line as she continued to stare out the study doorway after Davis, the rapturous event of finding out about their great-grandbaby being overshadowed by his stubborn pigheadedness.

“I think we should go.” Sy said to Lily, gently wiping away her tears.

“Please, do stay.” Violet chimed in, turning her attention back to them. “There's more than enough room right here.” She said, looking back and forth between Lily and Sy. “Please, it's been so long, Lily. You've been gone and so far away. Town is twenty minutes away and with you here now, two minutes is too far away.”

Lily looked up at Sy.

“It's up to you, Angel.” He whispered, brushing his thumb against her flushed cheek.

She looked over at her grandmother. “Of course, I would love that.” She whispered, wiping her nose on the back of her hand.

Violet smiled at her, relieved to have her granddaughter under the same roof again. “I'll have Clara set two extra places at the table.” She grinned, overjoyed. “I'll even have her make your favorites for lunch and dinner.”

Lily smiled at her, touched at her grandmother's sentiment. “Thank you.”

“You remember where your room is?” She replied, lifting a brow at her.

“I do.” Lily nodded her head.

“Then, I won't keep you any longer. I'm sure you must be tired with the baby and the long journey from Texas.”

“I am.” She agreed, sighing softly.

“Off you both go then, the bell will ring, when lunch is ready.”

“Thank you, Mee-Maw.” Lily said, nodding her head and stood up, Sy standing with her.

“Ma'am.” Sy nodded his head to Violet, then followed Lily out of the room and down the hall to a flight of stairs. “Well, that didn't go as badly as the two of us thought it would.” He commented, mounting the stairs behind her.

“No, it did not.” Lily replied over her shoulder, going up the three sets of stairs. “I just hope my grandfather comes around.” She added, coming to the second floor and going down to a door at the very end of the hall. “This is...was—my room.” She said, turning the vintage, metal and ceramic door knob that had a hand-painted gold floral design on it, and pushed the door open.

The bedroom was spacious and bright with the mid-morning sun shining in through four windows, between one set of windows sat a squat, five compartment, vintage chest of drawers, across from that was a full sized, poster bed, with the doorway to a bathroom to the left and a walk-in closet to the right. There was a bookcase and table against the wall by the door, mostly filled with church and home school related things.

“It's a nice room.” Sy commented, picking up one of the books on the table, a bible.

“Thanks.” Lily smiled, shyly, seeing that her grandparents had left her room the exact way she'd left it, when she moved out.

“Do you wanna rest for a little while?” He suggested, stepping up behind her and resting his hands on her hips, gently pressing his thumbs into the small of her back and massaging them.

“Yeah.” She moaned, her head dropping back against his chest, turning to kiss the underside of his bearded jaw.

“How about a nice warm bath first, maybe a cup of tea?”

Lily chuckled into his neck, grinning. “So dotting, Captain.” She teased him.

“I love you.” He cooed, kissing her forehead, then moved away from her and went into the bathroom, plugging the drain on the ancient claw-foot tub and turned the X-shaped tap handles.

Lily padded into the bathroom, sitting down on the closed toilet seat and pushed down the stress of her grandfather's behavior towards her, to watch Sy fill the bath for her, a soft smile on her face. She stood up for a moment and reached underneath the sink and removed a small bottle and handed it to him. Sy smiled at her and took it from her, uncapping it and getting the strong snap of eucalyptus and sprinkled the Epsom salt into the delicately warm water, before turning off the tap. He grabbed a towel and folded it, then situated it at one end of the tub, to pillow her head, when she started to soak.

“Now, where is the kitchen?” He asked, looking at her.

“Down the stairs, first door to your right.” Lily replied, getting out of her clothing.

“Cool, I'll be right back.” Sy told her, kissing her temple and stepped out of the room to go downstairs to get her tea.

Lily finished undressing and carefully stepped into the pleasantly warm water, leaning back with a soft and satisfied moan, focusing on the warm water enveloping her body easing away her aches and pains, melting away the anxieties that had accumulated during the drive over from Texas and the visit. While Sy found the kitchen and pushed open the swinging door, finding the cook, Clara, inside, who looked up as she heard him come in and wiped her hands on her apron.

“Can I help you?” She asked, lifting a brow at him.

“Um, just need a cup of tea.” He replied, licking his lips and glancing around the kitchen.

“Oh, of course, right away.”

“I'd hate to put you out.” Sy said, alarmed.

Clara chuckled at him, pulling down a cup from a high cabinet. “It's what the Warren's hired me for.” She assured him. “I'm guessing it's for Lily.” She added, moving about the kitchen as she put the things together to make the tea.

“Yeah.” He nodded, then patiently waited for her to finish and took the cup from her. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” Clara smiled, and returned to what she had been doing.

Sy carefully took the cup back upstairs to Lily, smiling as he stepped into the bathroom and saw her lounging comfortably in the tub. He was glad she could relax and let the stress go, even if it was for a little while. Lily stirred as he sat down beside her, smiling at him and taking the cup of tea from his outstretched hands and let out a pleased moan.

“Feels like a spa day.” She chuckled, handing her teacup back to Sy for him to hold, so she could relax back again.

“You deserve to relax.” Sy replied, softly. “You've got an important job to do.”

“Yeah, I'm growing a Syverson.” Lily chuckled, teasingly.

“Exactly.” He laughed back. “That's no easy feat to bring one of us into the world.”

“Bringing a Syverson into the world is just the start of it, then we have to raise them.”

“Oh, trouble, trouble, trouble.” Sy grinned at her. “Nothing, but trouble.”

“Toil and bubble.” Lily giggled, fully amused and lighthearted.

“Come on, sleepy, out with you.” Sy said, setting her empty teacup on the vanity counter and pulled the towel off the bar and held it open for her.

“Okay.” Lily replied, stifling a yawn with her hand.

Stepping out of the tub and into Sy's arms, she rested her forehead against his chest and let him dry her off. Sy had taken a liking to drying her off after she showered or bathed, since she'd become pregnant, none of which Lily protested to, she was usually very sleepy by the time she got out of them, so having him there to finish up was always nice.

“Oh, fuck.” He barked, after helping back into her clothing. “Your pillow is still in the truck.”

“It won't kill me to have one nap without it.” Lily said, through yet another yawn.

“You were a very cranky mama bear the last time you didn't have that thing to sleep with.” He reminded her. “I'll go down and get it, just sit tight.”

“I'd rather lay tight.” She huffed, starting to get cranky as she shuffled over to her bed and laid down.

Sy rushed back downstairs and nearly collided with Violet. “Oh my god, I am so sorry.” He panted, making sure she was all right. “ Are you okay?”

“I'm fine, where's the fire, Mr. Syverson?”

“Lily's laying down for her nap and I just realized she doesn't have her pregnancy pillow and she always wakes up very cranky, when she doesn't have it to sleep with.” He explained, calming down.

Violet smiled up at Sy, touched and pleased at the plain devotion he had for her granddaughter. “Well, we can't have that, now can we?” She chuckled, rolling back out of his way.

“No, ma'am.” Sy shook his head at her.

“Violet, Mr. Syverson. Just call me Violet.” She informed him as Sy reached the front door.

He paused, hand on the door and smiled at her, remembering when Lily told him to call her by her given name. “Of course, Ms. Violet.” He nodded at her, politely.

Violet smiled back at him and Sy went out to his truck.

“Hey, girl.” Sy said, opening the passenger door of the truck and only to get attacked by Aika's tongue. “I know, I know. I haven't forgotten about ya. I promise.” He chuckled, petting her. “I'll come back down in a couple minutes and take care of you. But first, I have to take care of your mama.” He said, reaching in the back seat for Lily's U-Shaped pillow, pushed Aika back and closed the door again, before rushing back upstairs.

“Okay, pillow.” Sy said, bursting into the room, only to find Lily curled into a ball and sound asleep, making him chuckling. He situated her pillow and gently unrolled Lily from her ball and slipped her between her pillow, before covering her up.

“Sleep sweet, Angel.” He whispered, kissing her cheek softly, then went back downstairs. “Um, do you know where Ms. Violet is?” He asked the servant that had served him and Lily tea when they had first arrived.

“Yes, she's in the private study, right through there.” She replied, pointing the way.

“Thank you.” He nodded, then went down, gently knocking on the door.

“Enter.”

“Ms. Violet?”

“Ah, Mr. Syverson, I'm trusting the pillow crisis was averted?” She asked, an amused glitter in her eyes.

Sy chuckled. “It was, thank you.”

“Then, what can I help you with?”

“I, uh, brought Lily and I's dog with us...” He said, sheepishly, though Lily's grandmother seemed like a very sweet woman, Sy got the vibe she was the authority in this household and crossing her wasn't the way to go. “She's in my truck and I didn't want to take her out without asking first, so I didn't step on any toes and cause any issues with you and your husband.”

“What kind of dog is she?”

“She's a German Shepherd.” Sy replied, licking his lips. “I found her in the war-zone on my last deployment.” He half explained to her.

Violet blinked several times at Sy. “You were in the military?”

“Yes, ma'am.” He nodded, with a deep sense of pride. “I was a Captain in the U.S Army, Special Forces, for more than ten years.”

“What's the pup's name?”

“Aika.”

“Well, Aika is more than welcome here.” She told him. “As long as she behaves herself.” She added, a soft smile on her face.

“She's a very well behaved dog, you have my word.” Sy replied, smiling back at her.

“Good.” Violet nodded. “Just make sure you keep her out of the orchards or Davis will have a never-ending fit.”

“Will do.”

Excusing himself, Sy went back out to the truck and put Aika on her leash, walking her around the front of the property and away from the orchards, making sure to clean up after her, then brought her inside, taking her upstairs to Lily's room, where she curled up on the bed with Lily, before he decided to do a little exploring himself before lunch.

He wandered into the orchards, seeing the short trunks, but wide crowns, light green and shiny apples weighing down its branches and a couple littered the ground. There easily had to be a hundred trees of the same sort for as far as Sy could see in the area he was in, before he moved on. Sy came to a small dirt lane and crossed it into a totally different portion of the orchard, these trees were still squat and wide, but the apples on their branches were medium sized and mostly two toned, a dull red that faded into a yellow-y green color.

He crossed another dirt road and found another orchard of another kind of apple, this one a light yellow color, when he heard voices and then his name and turned, seeing Lily's grandfather, realizing he had wandered into the south orchard.

“What are you doing out here?” Davis asked, approaching him.

“Just looking around.” Sy replied, keeping his tone guarded. “Lily's told me a lot about the place.”

“And where is she?”

“Back at the house, sleeping.” Sy told him, his shoulders stiff. “She gets tired a lot with the baby.”

“Hm.” Davis huffed and turned on his heels.

“What's your problem?” Sy barked after him, unable to hold his temper any longer. “She just wants her grandfather, the man that raised her, back in her life, in her child's life. Not your money or your business, just your love and affection.”

Davis spun around on his heels to face Sy. “I might have raised her, because my Daisy died, and her father was an unreliable scum, but she's making the same mistake her mother did. I won't be part of that again.”

“I won't be there when it kills her too.” He hissed, then stormed off.

Lily woke up to Sy's angry pacing at the foot of the bed and cursing under his breath, and sat up, rubbing at her eyes. “What's wrong, Bear?” She asked, frowning at him.

“Your grandfather is a pigheaded, son of a bitch.”

Her mouth fell open for a moment, then her brows drew together and her eyes narrowed. “Did the two of you get into an argument?”

“Sorta.” He huffed back.

“For the love of Jesus, Austin.” Lily barked at him, pressing her hands to her face. “Why?”

“I didn't go lookin' for it, Lily.” He retorted, stopping his pacing. “I was just checking out the orchards and ran into him. One thing came to another, I asked him what his problem was, all you want is his love and affection back, not his damned money or his orchard, and his reply was you're making the same mistake your mother made and you'll end up dying because of it too.”

“Which you will fucking not!” He added, a panicked fright breaking through his burst of anger.

“Of course, I'm not going too, Bear.”

Lily sighed, shaking her head and running her hand through her hair, before getting up out of bed. “I'll be more than all right. We have a great doctor and an amazing hospital back home. Plus, I have you to take care of and look after me, the whole time. I'll be perfectly safe and sound.” She told him, hugging her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his chest.

“Don't listen to him, Sy. He's just a grumpy old man, set in his ways.”

“What's that make me?” He asked, half jokingly.

“My boyfriend and Papa Bear.” She giggled, tilting her head back to look up at him.

“Good to know, Mama Bear.” He teased back, dipping his head to kiss her. “The fuck was that?” He asked as two loud dinging sounds filled the house.

“That is the lunch bell.” Lily replied, pulling away from him. “One ding is breakfast, two is lunch and three is dinner.” She explained to him, finding her shoes and slipping them back on. “Old Virginian hospitality, Syverson. I know you Texans aren't used to it.”

“Oh, you posh and polished Southerners.” He teased back, following her downstairs. “Give me the ringing of a triangle any day and this cowboy will know the way to the dinner table.”

“Remind me to buy one for our house, then.” Lily giggled, showing him into the family dinning room.

“Buy what for your house?” Violet asked, already seated at one end of the table.

“Oh, Sy was making fun of us for being—what did you call it?” She asked, looking at him as he vigorously shook his head at her. “Ah yes, posh and polished Southerners, for having a meal bell.” You grinned at him, impishly. “While, pointing out the Texas Cowboy in him could only find his way home, if he heard the call of a triangle bell.”

“I said, I would be able to find my way to the table. I know my way home, thank you very much.” He spoke up, his cheeks pink underneath the hairs of his beard.

Both Lily and Violet's laughter filled the dining room, but Sy soon joined them. But, the laughter died down as Davis entered the room, taking his place at the other end of the table, practically sucking the air out of the room as he took his seat.

“How is the south orchard doing?” Violet asked, as lunch was being served.

“One of the original York apple trees is starting to fail for some reason.” Davis replied, picking up the salt shaker. “Mac and I were running through a list of things we can do to save it.” He explained, paying closer attention to his food than to the others at the table with him.

“This looks really good.” Sy commented, licking his lips at his plate.

“It's one of Lily's favorites.” Violet smiled at him. “Creamy Shrimp pasta.”

“I used to try and bribe Clara into making it for every meal once for a whole summer.” Lily chuckled, twirling the angel hair pasta around her fork. “Never worked out.”

“Didn't deter you from trying though.” Violet chuckled, smiling fondly at her granddaughter. “I'm more than sure you'll love what Clara is making you for dinner.”

“I have no doubt.” She smiled back.

“Oh, Mr. Syverson, if you'd like a place to park your truck, I'm sure Davis could show you where the garage is.” Violet said, her eyes on her husband.

“Thank you, Ms. Violet.” Sy replied, smiling at her. “And, please, call me Sy or Austin, whichever you might prefer.” He told her, a bit shyly.

“Austin, it is.” Violet answered, giving him a sweet smile. “But, you can do that for him, can't you?” She said, lifting a brow at her husband, with an expression that dared him to object to her request.

Davis stared at his wife, his hard brown eyes holding Violet's stern blues, before his shoulders dropped slightly. “I'll show you after lunch.”

“Thank you.” Sy replied, stiffly.

Lily rested her hand on Sy's thigh, gently squeezing it, trying to keep him calm and relaxed. “How have the orchards been?” Lily asked her grandfather, trying to open any sort of connection with him. “I know picking season is coming up soon in the next few months.” She pointed out, gathering up a forkful of her shrimp pasta.

There was a long silence at the table, each second made Lily's heart clench tighter, fearing her grandfather would just continue to ignore her and pretend she didn't exist. She didn't know how much more of his coldness she could take, before it became too much to bear and she would just want to leave again.

No matter how much it would hurt.

“Other than the York tree showing signs of white rot, the orchards are as productive and fruitful as ever.” He finally spoke.

“What happens if you don't cure the white rot?” Lily frowned, concerned for the tree.

“We lose the tree.” Davis sighed, resting back in his chair and tossing his napkin onto the table beside his plate. “It'll only be the third originally planted tree on the farm we've ever lost. Well, with any luck the rot won't spread and it won't hit us too hard.” He explained, looking at her.

“Just because you lost one, don't mean you'll lose more.” Lily replied, holding his gaze.

Davis dropped his eyes and nodded his head, sighing, then looked up at Sy, noticing his empty plate. “You done?”

“I am.” Sy nodded, wiping his mouth.

“Come on, and I'll show you where the garage is and you can park your truck.” He said, standing up, leaving his half eaten lunch on the table.

“I'll be right back.” Sy whispered to Lily, kissing her cheek and stood, following her grandfather out of the house.

The walk from the house was silent as they stepped off the paved driveway and onto a pea gravel lane that led a little ways away from the house, through a small grove of very ancient looking weeping willows to a large building with several vehicles parked outside of it.

“You can park it here.” Davis said, motioning to the area in front of them.

“Thanks.” Sy nodded to him, then turned back to get his truck.

Bringing his truck around and finding a place to park it, Sy got out and and grabbed their duffel bag out of the back and locked up, heading back up to the house; when Davis stopped in his tracks, noticing the duffel bag slung over his shoulder; the worn military green and the faded, black U.S letters.

“Something the matter?” Sy frowned, turning back to him.

“That's a military bag.” Davis replied.

“Yes, it is.” He nodded, shifting it on his shoulder and tilting his head at the other man.

“It's yours?”

Sy's shoulders slumped and he stared at the old man. “I served more than ten years in the U.S Army as a Captain in the Special Forces.” He explained to him. “I retired almost a year ago.”

“How did you and Lily meet?”

“As I said, I retired almost a year ago and I returned home to Austin, Texas.” Sy replied, sighing. “Even though I could live quite well on my retirement, I don't like not having a job or being idle. So, I went about applying for jobs, mostly jobs I could do with my hands, construction jobs and such. A construction company told me about a contract that they had gotten from a young lady, who needed help fixing her place up in Celina, which is about three hours south of Austin. I called about it and got the job. I'm sure you guessed, it was Lily.” He smirked, chuckling to himself.

“I started fixing the place up for her and we grew close, especially after we helped each other through a few traumatic things.”

“Like, what?”

“I have pretty severe PTSD from my time in deployment and Lily's gotten me through more than one episode.” Sy smirked, blushing slightly and toeing the ground with the tip of his boot. “She's the guiding light to holding them back.” He whispered softly. “As for her, she's been through a lot in the last five years, especially the fear and turmoil caused by Jak.” He said. “There's nothing on this planet, there hasn't been anything on this planet, I wouldn't do to ensure her happiness and safety.”

Sy looked Davis dead in the eyes, a deep seriousness coming over him, even though he had a knot in his stomach. “Listen, your granddaughter isn't a little girl anymore. She's a grown woman, and a beautiful, loving and intelligent one, at that. She's so incredibly caring for the people around her, even when she's been so hurt and her trust in people has been cut deeply. Her work ethic is admirable, she built a company from the reclusion of her own home, that she hadn't left in more than three years, and it is thriving. She's even currently in the process of interviewing people to fill two positions, because she has so many clients, that she's in need of the extra help.”

“You're projecting the fear of your daughter’s mistakes and death on Lily and it isn't fair to her, or to you and your wife.”

“My Daisy Mae's misfortunes aren't the only failures that have me disappointed in the situation.” Davis said, rolling his jaw at Sy.

Sy huffed at him, biting his lip and nodding his head at him. “You think I'd be some, what was it, unreliable scum, like her father?” He asked, lifting a brow at him.

Davis sighed back at him, scrubbing a palm over his wrinkled forehead and lifted a brow at him. “Come with me.” He said, motioning him back towards the house.

Pressing his lips together, Sy followed him back up to the house and into Davis's private study, setting the duffel bag down by the door as Davis closed it behind him. Davis motioned to a leather and mahogany upholstered chair in front of a cold fireplace, then moved over to a small table of bottles and glasses, pouring them both a drink. He handed Sy a glass and took the seat across from him, taking a long sip.

“Smooth stuff.” Sy commented, licking his lips and admiring the rich, amber liquid.

“Maker's Mark, Kentucky bourbon whiskey.” Davis replied, smirking at his glass, appreciatively.

“Anyhow.” He cleared his throat, balancing his glass on the arm of his chair. “Palmer Hughes. He came to work here in the summer of 1985, he was twenty years old and Daisy was eighteen. I knew the boy was trouble the moment I set eyes on him and knew I should have sent him picking.”

“But, for whatever reason, and against my better judgment, I didn't.”

“He took an instant liking to our Daisy, who was ordinarily a good mannered, well behaved and proper girl. But, as soon as he set his eyes on her, he started corrupting her. He would stop coming to work in the fields to sneak himself and her off the property and go into town or wherever it was they would go to. Daisy started to become more defiant and rebellious. One of our church elders even spotted her and Palmer with a group of their lowlife friends in a questionable area of town, getting high, smoking and drinking.”

“It was such an embarrassment.” He sighed, taking a deep gulp of his drink. “When Daisy was twenty-one, she came to her mother and I and told us she was pregnant. Palmer had split the moment he found out about it. But, I tracked his no good ass down and dragged him back. He and Daisy got married just before Lily was born.”

“What happened?” Sy asked, frowning at him, the burn of the alcohol melting through the knot in his stomach as he thought about it. “How did her mother die?”

“She developed a hemorrhage that the doctor's couldn't get under control, so she ended up bleeding to death.” Davis explained, growing pale at the memory of the doctor's telling him and his wife the news of their daughter’s death, their only child. “For his part, Palmer did seem distraught over her death. But, he blamed Lily for it. So, he spent the rest of her life coming in and out of it, before Violet and I finally just adopted her and permanently took care of her.”

“It was Violet and I that ended up naming Lily, as well. Daisy hadn't picked one, that we were aware of, and Palmer wasn't being cooperative with anyone, us or the hospital staff.”

“Where is her father now?”

Davis sighed and carefully regarded Sy for a long moment, before replying. “He died, some years ago.”

Sy blinked at him, shocked. “You never told Lily this.”

“No.” He shook his head, guilty. “Vi and I thought it would be best that we didn't.”

“That's not really for either of you to decide.” Sy frowned at him, annoyed. “Lily deserves the truth.”

“I know she does.” Davis agreed. “I'll tell her, one day. As for you, Austin.” He met Sy's eyes. “I've unjustly projected my prejudices of Palmer onto you. You are, not even an ounce, the man he was. You are a man I wish my own daughter would have met and fallen in love with. But, I am glad my granddaughter met, fallen in love with and is having my great-grandbaby with you.”

“Thank you.” Sy answered, taking his compliment and finished off his drink.

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