#how to transition baby to crib

[4linos]

already gone pt. 2

kim seungmin x f!reader

synopsis: to the world, you’re the perfect couple: the rising athlete and the woman who stood by him. but behind closed doors, something is shattering. the MLB offer. the agent. the betrayal you never saw coming. now your home is no longer a refuge, but the battleground where truth and love fight for survival.

warnings: angst, emotional distress, implied infidelity, trust issues, miscommunication.

wc: 8086

[already gone part 1]

The ache in your head was the first thing you noticed when you opened your eyes. A deep, dull pounding, as if your thoughts from the night before had hardened into something physical, a weight pressing against the inside of your skull. You winced, pulling the blankets tighter around you, wishing for a moment that you could sink into the mattress and disappear.

But reality wouldn’t let you.

You didn’t know how long you’d been awake, just that the light creeping in through the window was gray and cold, that strange shade that comes just before sunrise. It felt too early, and yet too late. Sleep hadn’t come easily the night before. You remembered lying there, turning from one side to the other, tangled in sheets soaked with quiet, bitter tears.

The confrontation with Seungmin kept playing in your head over and over, like a broken reel. His voice, raised. Yours, breaking. His lies, half-formed and crumbling the moment they left his lips. And then the door, slamming shut behind him. The silence afterward had been deafening.

You sat up slowly, careful not to make too much noise. The last thing you wanted was to wake Minjoon or Iseul, not yet. You needed a moment. Just one moment to yourself. Some air, some quiet. Some clarity.

Your feet hit the cold floor, grounding you instantly. You moved on instinct brushing your teeth, washing your face, tying your hair back. Each motion was mechanical, like your body remembered how to go through the motions even when your mind didn’t. You tugged a hoodie over your tank top, one of Seungmin’s old ones that still smelled faintly like his cologne, and padded softly toward the nursery.

First Iseul.

You peeked into her room, and there she was, your baby girl a bundle of calm in her crib, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Her tiny fists twitched now and then, as if she were dreaming. You stepped in just long enough to check her temperature with your palm, to make sure she hadn’t kicked her blanket off. Satisfied, you backed out slowly.

Then Minjoon’s room.

He was on his side, one leg flopped over his stuffed tiger, his chubby cheek pressed into the pillow. The nightlight cast a faint orange glow across his small face, and you felt your chest twist in that quiet, aching way it always did when you looked at him. So small. So unknowing.

So safe, for now.

You shut his door with the care of someone handling glass, and only when you were back in the kitchen did you finally exhale.

You brewed your coffee in silence. No background noise. No morning show, no baby monitor, no cartoons. Just the drip, drip, drip of the machine and your breath, slow and steady. You sat down at the kitchen table, wrapping both hands around the mug like it was the only warmth left in the world.

Then you opened your phone.

You didn’t plan to. At least, you told yourself that. But your fingers moved like they already knew where to go. The browser opened. You typed in her name.

Madison Lee.

You stared at the results, heart thudding a little too hard, a little too fast. The headache throbbed behind your eyes, but you ignored it.

Her LinkedIn was the first link. Clean, professional. UCLA graduate. Top-tier agency in L.A. Negotiated major sports contracts, specifically with international athletes looking to transition to the MLB. All of it lined up.

You moved to her Instagram next. Public profile.

Your breath caught the moment her photos loaded. She was beautiful sharp-jawed, clean lines, bright white teeth. She wore heels and tailored blazers like armor. Her captions were neat, professional. “Proud to represent some of the best in the game.” “Another day, another diamond.” Posing with athletes. Posing at dinners. Posing at events.

You scrolled faster.

The deeper you went, the more your stomach curled in on itself. There was one photo, taken two months ago that made your blood run cold. It was from a private dinner, tagged in Busan. Madison was smiling, wine glass in hand. The caption was simple: “Celebrating hard work paying off.” The comments were vague. But one of them… one of them was from Seungmin’s teammate.

“You two make a good team.”

Your throat went dry.

You stared at the comment for far too long, your mind rushing to connect dots that weren’t supposed to be connected. You remembered Seungmin’s deflections. The way he tripped over his words. The quiet “it wasn’t like that” before you’d even asked him what “that” was.

You hadn’t accused him of cheating, not then. Not even now. Not really. But somehow, he had still gotten defensive. Still shaken. Still ready to deny something before you could name it.

And now this.

The way he never told you about her. The way he downplayed everything. The way he didn’t mention the U.S. deal until it was practically out in the open, a secret dragged into the light by a journalist.

And this woman. This sleek, powerful, picture-perfect agent. She was everything Seungmin never mentioned.

Your thumb hovered over the screen. You told yourself to stop. Told yourself to close the app. To let it go. But your heart had a different plan. Your fear did. Your instinct, the one you had learned not to ignore since becoming a mother.

You clicked on Madison’s tagged photos.

One showed her seated next to Seungmin at a conference panel, his body angled slightly toward her. Another, taken from behind, showed them walking together through an airport terminal, not holding hands, but close enough. Too close, maybe.

You didn’t realize you were holding your breath until your vision blurred and you blinked, chest tight.

Your phone nearly slipped from your hands when a tiny voice broke the silence.

“…Mommy?”

You froze.

Minjoon.

You turned slowly, eyes finding his small figure at the edge of the hallway. He stood there in his blue dinosaur pajamas, rubbing one eye with his fist, his hair a messy puff. His voice was barely louder than a whisper.

“What you doin’?”

You blinked again, your phone dropping face down onto the table with a soft thud. The sudden reality of his voice so innocent, so real was like cold water down your back.

You swallowed the lump in your throat and stood, wiping your face quickly with your sleeve, hoping he hadn’t noticed your red eyes.

“I’m just… having coffee, baby,” you said softly, crouching down to his level. “Did I wake you up?”

He shook his head. You nodded, reaching out to cup his cheek. His skin was warm. Solid. Comforting.

He looked at you for a moment longer, his eyes filled with a curiosity you didn’t know how to protect him from.

“You sad?”

Your heart splintered.

You didn’t answer him. You just pulled him into your arms and held him close, your chin resting on the top of his head.

“I’m okay,” you whispered, your voice thick. “Mommy’s just tired.”

He didn’t respond. He just curled into you the way he always did when he knew something was wrong silent, present, offering comfort in the only way a two-year-old could.

You held him like that for a long time, your coffee growing cold on the table behind you. Madison’s face still staring out from behind the locked screen of your phone.

But in that moment, none of that mattered.

Because your little boy was watching.

And you didn’t want him to learn what it looked like to fall apart.

Not yet.

The knock-off hotel alarm clock glowed dim red in the half-dark, the numbers shifting sluggishly from 5:41 to 5:42 while drops of water slid from Seungmin’s hair and pattered onto the threadbare carpet.
He had taken a five-minute shower on the coldest setting the rusty pipes could manage, hoping the bite of frigid water would shock the exhaustion and the shame, out of him. It hadn’t. His head still throbbed, his eyes still burned, and every breath still tasted like the silence that had filled the house after he slammed the door.

He toweled off in jerky, impatient motions, the towel snagging on the thin chain of the wedding band he’d looped around his neck at some foolish hour of the night. Too raw to keep it on his finger, too terrified to take it off completely.

The room smelled like industrial soap and last night’s cheap coffee. His duffel bag lay open on the bed, half-packed: a spare pair of jeans, two t-shirts, a hoodie that still smelled faintly of your laundry detergent. He shoved his travel-size toiletries kit on top, then hesitated, palms braced on the mattress, head hanging.

Go home, he told himself.
Say you’re sorry, really sorry, no excuses, no half-truths. Just beg her to let you talk.

But every time he tried to picture the conversation, Madison’s name pushed in like static.

Three months of avoiding her calls, her emails, her marketing decks promising “seamless transitions” and “lifetime earning potential.” Three months of pretending he could outrun that night in the Los Angeles hotel bar, pretending the almost-kiss hadn’t happened at all.

It had happened. Quick, sloppy, drunk on victory and adrenaline after scouts bought a round of champagne. She’d leaned in, laughing at something he barely remembered saying, and before he could dodge, her lips grazed the corner of his mouth. He’d flinched back so fast he nearly toppled his chair. She’d apologized smooth, professional, but the gleam in her eyes told him she wasn’t sorry at all.

He should’ve fired her on the spot.
He should’ve called you from the lobby, confessed everything.
Instead he buried it because you were six weeks postpartum, surviving on ninety-minute sleep cycles and sheer determination. He told himself you didn’t need another worry. He told himself it was one slip. It would blow over. He could fix it later.

Only later never came. And the silence turned into omission, and the omission into a lie so sprawling he’d lost track of all its edges.

Seungmin scrubbed both hands over his face, then yanked the zipper of the duffel shut. He slung the strap over his shoulder, grabbed his phone and room key, and headed for the door.

The screen lit up just as his fingers closed around the handle.

Madison Lee – Incoming Call

The name glared at him like a warning flare.

His thumb hovered over Decline.
Then stupid, reckless curiosity he hit Accept and lifted the phone halfway, not bothering with the speaker.

“Seung? You finally picked up.” Madison’s voice was syrup-smooth, a practiced mix of concern and authority. “I was starting to think you’d ghosted me for good.”

“It’s six in the morning,” he said, voice rough.

“In L.A. it’s one p.m.,” she answered breezily. “Look, I know things exploded online yesterday. I wanted to check in, see how you’re handling the press.”

Press. As if the fallout were a headline problem and not a marriage imploding.

“I’m fine,” he lied. He rubbed the knot forming at the base of his skull. “Nothing to talk about.”

“Seungmin.” The shift in her tone was almost imperceptible, businesslike turning coaxing, coaxing turning possessive. “We had momentum before you went dark. The Padres and the LA Dodgers both asked for new videos. If we get them preseason tapes this week, your offer numbers stay strong.”

“It’s over, Madison.”

A pause, a single beat where he could almost hear her recalibrating.

“Over?” she echoed, polite disbelief layered over steel. “The KBO is wrapping. You’re twenty-six, you’ve got prime velocity, and you’re about to start losing leverage. Over is not a strategic—”

“My marriage might be,” he snapped. “The contract can wait.”

Another pause, this one brittle.

“You told me she supports your career.”

“She does.” His throat closed. She did. Before I broke it. “But she also deserves the truth, and I haven’t given her that. I’m not signing anything until I fix what I can at home.”

“Seung—”

“She’s more important than baseball,” he said, and the second the words left his mouth he realized how painfully, perfectly true they were. “And she’s definitely more important than a contract built on secrets.”

Madison exhaled, an annoyed puff disguised as a sigh. “I understand you’re emotional right now. But you need to think long-term. Opportunities like this don’t sit on shelves.”

That familiar, silky persuasion the same tone she’d used that night in L.A. before leaning in. Guilt flared hot in his chest.

“This call is over,” he said, and hit End before she could respond.

For a moment he stood motionless, phone slack in his hand, heart hammering. Then he shoved the device into his back pocket, yanked the door open, and stepped into the hallway.

6:07 a.m.

The corridor smelled of disinfectant and stale cigarettes. His sneakers squeaked on the cheap vinyl tiles as he jogged toward the elevator, duffel thumping against his hip. In the chrome doors he caught his reflection, hair still damp, eyes rimmed red, hoodie askew. He looked like a man who’d spent the night running from ghosts and found them all waiting in the morning.

No more running.

He thumbed a rideshare request with shaking fingers. Twenty-four minutes to the house. Long enough to practice the apology again and again until the words stopped sounding useless.

But words, he knew, wouldn’t be enough. He would have to show you, prove with every action that the silence was finished, that the truth, unvarnished and ugly, was finally on the table.

The elevator dinged. He stepped inside, pressing L, knuckles white around the strap of the duffel.

As the doors slid shut, he whispered into the empty space, half-prayer, half-promise:

“Please let me still be her home.”

He rehearsed the truths, over and over, until the rideshare pulled to the curb in front of the house quiet, blue-gray in the dawn. Lights were off except one faint glow in the kitchen window. He imagined you there, a mug between your palms, the kids still asleep upstairs.

Please open the door, he prayed silently, stepping onto the walk.
Please let me tell you everything.

The sun hadn’t fully risen when Seungmin stepped inside your home.

The door creaked slightly as he opened it, just enough for the morning light to creep over the threshold and land across the living room floor in narrow slants. He held his breath for a beat as he closed the door behind him, the silence of the early hour wrapping tightly around him like gauze. There was no welcome. No warm light. No scent of breakfast or soft hum of music like there used to be when things were okay.

But the house wasn’t silent.

The first sound that hit him was the tiny, sharp cry of Iseul raw and distressed, unmistakably the kind of cry that had lasted more than a few minutes. It had that edge to it, the exhausted kind that said she had been fighting sleep for a while now. The second sound, softer, more familiar, was the rustle of Minjoon on the couch, feet kicking at the blanket around him as his favorite cartoon played on low volume. The third sound unspoken, invisible was the throb of emotion in his own chest.

Seungmin set his duffel bag quietly by the door, his movements slow, deliberate, like approaching a wound he wasn’t sure how to treat. His eyes found you immediately.

You were pacing the living room, hair pulled back hastily, dark circles beneath your eyes, one hand clutching Iseul against your chest while your other rubbed her back in practiced, instinctual circles. Your lips moved every now and then hushed words, gentle reassurances, but your eyes looked blank. Not empty. Just… spent. Like a body operating entirely on instinct. On routine. On the kind of fatigue only a mother running on fragments of sleep could understand.

He wanted to crumble then and there. He didn’t deserve to walk into this into you, carrying the weight of everything on your own again. And still, you did. You always did.

“Hey,” he said softly, his voice breaking the stillness.

You didn’t flinch. You didn’t even look up right away.

But when you finally did, your eyes flicked to him in a way that made his heart ache. Not startled. Not angry.

Just… tired.

“Iseul’s been crying for over an hour,” you said, your voice thin. “She keeps waking herself up.”

He nodded, already moving toward you, his arms out. “Let me.”

You hesitated, gaze locking with his for a fraction of a second longer than he expected. Not because you didn’t trust him with her. But because this was the first time he was this close to you in days physically, emotionally. After everything. And he knew you were wondering whether you’d even be able to stand it.

But finally, wordlessly, you passed Iseul into his arms.

The baby girl fussed as the transfer happened, her cry catching in her throat, but the moment she settled into his chest, the crying slowed. His hand cradled the back of her tiny head, and he swayed slightly on instinct, rocking side to side in that barely-there rhythm she liked. Her hiccuping breaths began to slow.

“She missed you,” you whispered, voice fraying around the edges.

Seungmin pressed a kiss into Iseul’s forehead and closed his eyes.

“I missed her more,” he whispered back.

He glanced at Minjoon, who hadn’t moved from the couch but had clearly noticed his dad’s arrival. The little boy looked over with sleepy, cautious eyes, milk bottle in hand, stuffed tiger tucked into his lap. His cartoon was still playing in the background, but Seungmin could see the tension in his small shoulders.

Guilt rose again like a wave.

“Hey, Min,” he said gently.

Minjoon gave him a half-hearted smile but didn’t speak. Seungmin wanted to go to him, to kneel down and wrap his boy up in his arms too, but this moment wasn’t about repair with the kids, not yet. First, he needed to repair what had been broken with you. The children needed stability. Trust. They would get that once he gave it to you again first.

“Can we talk?” he asked quietly, finally looking at you again. “Please?”

You looked at him then, really looked. The dark shadows under your eyes, the exhaustion carved deep into your features, the subtle bite of suspicion still lingering behind your gaze, it all told him exactly what kind of damage he had done. You didn’t nod right away.

You looked back at Minjoon. At the clock.

Then back at him.

Finally, you said, “Okay.”

-

He followed you to the bedroom after he handed Iseul back to you, now dozing lightly against your chest, still sniffling now and then. You laid her down carefully in her bassinet by the window and checked twice to make sure her pacifier was in place before turning back to him. You sat down on the edge of the bed, your hands resting in your lap, unmoving.

He stood for a long moment, unsure where to begin. The truth was ugly. The silence, worse. But nothing could be worse than watching the way your fingers were trembling now as you waited.

So he sat, hands resting on his knees, and breathed once before diving in.

“I didn’t cheat on you.”

You didn’t move. Didn’t even blink. But he saw your shoulders tense.

“I know,” you said after a pause. “I never said you did.”

“I know,” he said back, guilt crawling into his voice. “But I acted like someone who did. And I need to tell you why.”

You looked away, staring out the window.

He continued.

“Three months ago… after a showcase game, Madison tried to kiss me.”

You flinched this time subtle, but real.

“I didn’t let her,” he said quickly. “I swear. I pulled away, told her it was inappropriate. But I didn’t fire her. I didn’t tell you. I didn’t come clean, and that’s where I screwed everything up.”

You inhaled sharply, but still said nothing. Your silence screamed louder than anything.

“I didn’t say anything because I thought I was protecting you. You were still recovering, you weren’t sleeping, the kids were barely giving you a moment to breathe—”

“And you thought I couldn’t handle the truth?” you interrupted quietly, looking at him now, eyes sharp. “You thought I’d break?”

“No,” he whispered. “No, I just… I thought if I told you, you’d see me differently. Like I’d let it happen. Like I’d opened that door. And I didn’t. But I—, I still didn’t tell you. And that’s just as bad.”

The words hung in the air between you, thick and heavy.

“I felt like I was being pulled in two,” he went on. “One side of me wanted that contract—so badly. I wanted to prove I was good enough. That I could play with the best. But the other side of me…”

He trailed off, voice cracking.

“The other side of me didn’t know how to chase that dream without hurting you. And instead of being honest, I started lying by omission. I thought I could balance both. But the second I hid Madison’s attempt to cross a line, I was already letting it fall apart.”

You looked at him then, really looked at him, and he could see the pain etched deep into your features.

“She wasn’t just your agent, Seungmin,” you said, voice shaking. “She was part of a secret you were keeping. That’s what hurts. Not the kiss that didn’t happen. Not the job offer. It’s that you made choices without me when we promised to do this—life—together.”

His eyes welled up. “I know.”

“Do you?” you asked. “Because you left. You didn’t talk. You didn’t fight for us last night.”

“I didn’t know how,” he admitted. “I was ashamed. I kept thinking… if I didn’t say anything, maybe it would fix itself. But I’ve been lying to myself too. And I can’t anymore. If you hate me, if you don’t forgive me, I’ll accept that. But I had to tell you. I have to be the man you and the kids deserve.”

You didn’t respond right away.

You stood up slowly, walked over to the window, and wrapped your arms around yourself as you looked out at the pale morning sky. He didn’t follow. He just waited.

Finally, you said, “I don’t know what this means yet. I don’t know what comes next.”

Seungmin nodded slowly, his voice almost a whisper. “Whatever you need. However long it takes.”

He stood, stepping closer, slowly, like you were a cliff edge he was terrified to fall from.

“Let me help again,” he said, gently. “With the kids. With the house. With you. I don’t want to be a visitor in this family. I want to come home.”

Your breath hitched.

You turned toward him, tears brimming now, but still not falling.

“I want that too,” you whispered, voice cracking, “but I need to believe you again. That’s going to take time.”

He nodded, one tear finally slipping down his cheek.

“I’ll wait,” he said, softly but with conviction. “I’ll wait for as long as it takes.”

And for the first time in days, maybe longer, you nodded back.

The off-season came with quieter mornings, slower afternoons, and a noticeable shift in the atmosphere of the house. Not peaceful, exactly because healing wasn’t immediate, and the weight of everything that had happened still lingered in the walls like a draft you couldn’t quite seal up, but there was space now. Space to breathe. Space to try again.

And for Seungmin, that space meant relearning his role in his own home.

He was always a good father. Attentive when he was around, gentle, patient. But “when he was around” had become a luxury during the season. Days blurred into flights, games, hotel beds, away stadiums, and practice fields. FaceTime calls with Minjoon that ended with the toddler smashing the screen in frustration because it wasn’t the same as a hug. Missed milestones, first steps, first words that you had recorded and sent to him with a bittersweet caption and a quiet ache behind your smile.

But now, the Lotte Giants were done for the year. The glove had been hung up. And for the first time in months, he wasn’t just a guest who dropped by with gifts and apologies. He was home.

And he was trying.

You noticed it right away. The way he hovered behind you during breakfast, watching how you made Minjoon’s pancakes into small shapes to make eating fun. The way he squinted when you measured out Iseul’s formula and checked the temperature of her bottle on your wrist. The questions that followed you around the kitchen like a soft echo:

“Do we cut the apple slices like that so he doesn’t choke?”
“How many ounces is she drinking now?”
“Does Minjoon still hate that one blue cup?”

There was hesitation behind all of it, a nervous energy that said he didn’t want to screw anything else up. Not even the smallest task. And even when you didn’t answer too tired, too wary, too heart-heavy, he found ways to try.

It was endearing, if not occasionally clumsy.

One particular night, you had just put Iseul down in her crib after a feeding, and the house was finally quiet except for the faint sound of Minjoon’s toothbrush scraping across his tiny baby teeth. You leaned against the hallway wall outside the bathroom, arms crossed loosely, head tilted as you listened.

Inside, Seungmin was kneeling on the bath mat in his hoodie and sweatpants, sleeves pushed up to his elbows, watching Minjoon brush his teeth with great concentration.

“Okay, buddy,” he said gently. “That’s good! You got the top teeth. Now get the bottoms. Can you say bottoms?”

Minjoon garbled a half-word around the toothbrush and grinned.

“Yeah? Okay! Cool. Um—after this, what do we do next?” Seungmin asked, clearly unsure but trying to make it sound fun. “Do we put your pajamas on now?”

Minjoon frowned like Seungmin had asked if he wanted to eat spinach for dessert.

“No,” the toddler mumbled, pulling the toothbrush out dramatically. “Mommy do face.”

Seungmin blinked. “Mommy… what?”

“Mommy,” Minjoon repeated very seriously, pointing to the towel hanging on the hook. “Mommy wash face. First. After brush. Then jammies.”

You bit back a laugh and pressed a hand to your mouth.

Inside the bathroom, Seungmin stared at the towel like it was a final exam question in a language he didn’t study.

“She washes your face?” he repeated. “After brushing?”

“Yah,” Minjoon replied, nodding with the unwavering confidence of a two-year-old whose world made perfect sense.

Seungmin let out a soft, amused huff and reached for the towel. “Okay, okay, little boss. Face wash it is.”

You heard the soft sound of water running, then a wet towel being wrung out. A moment later, the giggle of Minjoon as Seungmin dabbed the warm cloth over his cheeks.

“Is this how Mommy does it?”

Minjoon nodded again. “Warm, warm.”

“Warm. Got it. Anything else, Mr. Routine Expert?”

“No soap,” Minjoon added decisively.

“Noted,” Seungmin said, and your heart ached just a little. He really was trying.

The small exchange warmed something in your chest that had long been locked in ice. It didn’t erase the tension. It didn’t undo the past few weeks. But it added a softness to the air. A reminder of who Seungmin used to be and who he was still trying to become again.

He carried Minjoon out of the bathroom a few minutes later, the toddler now wrapped in spaceship-themed pajamas, holding tightly to his little stuffed tiger. When he saw you standing by the wall, Seungmin gave a sheepish shrug, like he’d been caught cheating on the test by asking the kid for the answers.

You smirked, arms still folded. “You let him boss you around?”

Seungmin met your eyes, and for the first time in days, his smile came with no walls. “If it means doing it right… yeah. I’ll take the help.”

Your smirk faltered slightly as your gaze lingered on him holding your son with such care, with such openness. You nodded, voice quiet. “That’s good. He’s… routine-oriented. He likes things a certain way.”

Seungmin shifted Minjoon in his arms and gave you a slow nod. “Just like his mom.”

And the look you gave him in return wasn’t soft, exactly. But it wasn’t cold either.

Progress, in its rawest form.

He carried Minjoon off toward the toddler bed without another word, and you heard him whispering a story about a dinosaur who played baseball and forgot his bat. It was silly and charming and full of nonsense, but Minjoon was giggling by the end of it. It filled the quiet of the house in a way that you had missed more than you’d realized.

You stayed leaning against the wall long after the house had gone quiet again. Long after Seungmin had tiptoed back down the hallway and passed you with a tentative glance. Neither of you said anything. He didn’t try to reach for your hand. He didn’t try to fix everything all at once.

But that night, he didn’t sleep on the couch.

Not because everything had been healed.

But because you’d left the bedroom door open.

-

The room was dim, bathed in the soft, amber glow of the bedside lamp. Outside, the early winter wind tapped against the windows rhythmically, brushing dried leaves along the glass like it was trying to soothe the tension inside.

You were propped up against the headboard, knees tucked under the blanket, phone in hand but not really reading anything just scrolling through article titles, social posts, bits of news that couldn’t quite penetrate the fog in your head. Your mind was elsewhere. Stuck somewhere between the memory of Madison’s name on that leaked article, Seungmin’s broken explanations, and the sharp echo of your daughter’s cry the morning after it all came crashing down.

Beside you, Seungmin sat on his side of the bed, legs stretched out under the covers, a respectable distance between your bodies as if he was afraid even the smallest touch might rupture the fragile stillness you’d managed to build over the last few days. He’d just come out of the bathroom in his familiar gray cotton pajamas, towel drying his damp hair like he always did before bed. It used to be a comforting routine, watching him pull the towel away from his head, ruffle his still-wet hair, and crawl into bed beside you with a sigh of relief and whispered complaints about practice. But now, even that normalcy felt like borrowed nostalgia.

He hadn't said anything yet, and neither had you.

But he was watching you.

Not the way he used to, when he'd sneak glances because he couldn’t help it, because loving you had always come as naturally as breathing, but in the way someone watches a candle flicker in the wind, terrified of the moment it might go out.

And when he finally spoke, his voice was low. Raw. The weight behind it made you stop scrolling before he even finished the sentence.

“What happens next… with us?”

You didn't move. Not right away. Your thumb hovered over your phone screen before you let the device slowly drop to your lap, its glow disappearing into the folds of the blanket.

He turned more toward you, though he didn’t close the space between you. His gaze dropped briefly to his hands fingers fidgeting, like he needed to do something with the nervous energy. When he looked back up, he exhaled through his nose and said, “Because I can’t keep pretending like we’re okay when we’re not. And I know it’s my fault that we’re not.”

You swallowed, jaw tightening.

“I was wrong not to tell you,” he continued, his voice thick. “About the MLB talks. About Madison. About… everything. I just—” He paused, eyes glossing over for a second before he caught himself. “You’d just had Iseul. You were barely sleeping. You were already carrying everything. I didn’t want to add more weight to your shoulders.”

“That’s not your decision to make,” you finally said, voice hoarse and sharp around the edges.

He nodded quickly. “I know. I know that now. I was trying to protect you, but I wasn’t honest, and I made it worse. And when everything blew up, I—” His voice cracked slightly. “I didn’t know how to fix it. I’ve never been this scared before. Not even when I tore my shoulder. Not even when I thought I’d never pitch again. This… you and me… the kids… this is what matters.”

Silence stretched, thick and heavy between you. His words hung in the air like a trembling branch.

“I don’t want Minjoon and Iseul to grow up in a broken home,” he added softly. “I know I’ve already cracked the foundation, and maybe you’ll never be able to forgive me for lying, but if there’s any way to fix what I’ve broken, I want to try. I need to try. Because I don’t want to lose this.”

Your chest ached at his words. There was desperation in them, but there was something else, too earnestness. A sincerity that you recognized. A part of the man you married that had been buried beneath months of silence, distance, and secrecy.

You pulled your knees closer to your chest, the blanket sliding with you, and looked at him for a long time.

“You weren’t just protecting me,” you said, voice quieter now. “You were protecting yourself. You were afraid I’d leave you if I knew what she did. You were afraid to look like the bad guy, even if it was just a kiss that she tried. You didn’t cheat, Seungmin, but you lied. You let that woman stay in our life after she crossed the line, and then you covered it up like it wouldn’t matter.”

He winced at your words. But he didn’t deny them.

“And what hurt the most,” you continued, blinking back the sting behind your eyes, “was that you made that decision alone. You stopped trusting me to handle the hard things with you. That’s what broke me.”

The room went silent again.

You looked down at your hands, turning your wedding ring absentmindedly on your finger.

“I don’t know what happens next,” you whispered. “I don’t have the answer. I know I love you. I know I don’t want to lose what we built. I don’t want our kids to feel this tension either. But I can’t just… go back to normal like it didn’t happen.”

“I’m not asking you to,” Seungmin said, voice low and steady. “I just want a chance to rebuild. Even if it takes time. Even if it’s slow. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

For a moment, you didn’t say anything. Then, after a long pause, you slowly shifted your weight and lay back against the pillow, turning to your side to face away from him.

“Then don’t leave again,” you murmured. “Even when it’s hard. Even when I’m angry. You stay.”

He nodded, even though you couldn’t see it.

And after a minute or two, the bed shifted gently as he lay down too. Still not touching you. Still giving you space. But he was there. In the dark. Quiet and present.

It started with a note.

Folded twice, written in Seungmin’s tidy handwriting, and left by your favorite mug on the kitchen counter one early, quiet morning. You found it while reaching for your coffee, your eyes still heavy from sleep and your arms sore from holding Iseul during one of her longer crying spells the night before.

You stared at it for a long second, cautious.

Then you opened it.

“Take the morning off. Dress warm. No kids. I’ll handle breakfast, diapers, tantrums, and all. Please. just trust me.
– S.”

You blinked at the page. Once. Twice. Your first instinct was suspicion, what was he doing? What did he plan? Could you trust it?

But it was followed, surprisingly, by a quiet sigh of curiosity.

It had been weeks since he started rebuilding slowly, like a man afraid of stepping on glass. Weeks of learning the kids' routines, of showing up even when you were too angry to acknowledge him, of sleeping on the edge of your shared bed and never asking for more than what you were willing to give. You saw it in the way he watched you with exhausted, apologetic eyes. You saw it in how he parented: fully, wholly, learning how to care for Minjoon and Iseul like he should have all along.

Maybe… maybe he was ready now to do more than apologize.

You moved through the motions of the morning cautiously, your heart beating too loudly for the silence of the house. The kids were already downstairs with him, Minjoon’s giggle echoing faintly from the living room, Iseul’s soft baby babble cooing in between. You trusted him with them, of course you did. It had never been about the kids.

It was about you.

You took a shower. Got dressed in something warm, a long wool coat, scarf, your gloves tucked in your pockets. Then, stepping carefully through the kitchen, you spotted another note next to your keys.

“There’s a driver waiting. Just follow the instructions. I’ll see you soon.”

You raised an eyebrow, but curiosity won out.

The driver was polite, quiet, and refused to tell you where you were headed. You stared out the window as the city passed you by, watching the buildings give way to open spaces, the grey of winter brushing along every surface like a forgotten memory. Thirty minutes later, you pulled up to an empty baseball field.

A public park, technically, but the field was immaculately maintained. You stepped out of the car slowly, hesitant, confused.

And there he was.

Standing near the pitcher’s mound, bundled up in his hoodie and warmup jacket, hair ruffled by the wind. A single bench sat nearby with a small thermos of coffee on it. Yours. The same hazelnut syrup you loved. The same milk-to-coffee ratio he had memorized long ago.

He waved when he saw you, and you didn’t wave back. But your feet moved anyway.

“What is this?” you asked, as you came to a stop a few feet away.

Seungmin’s breath fogged in the cold morning air. “A place I come to when I need to remember who I am. And… who I could’ve lost.”

You stared at him, unsure what to say.

He took a deep breath. “This is the first field I ever threw a ball on. Before the scouts. Before the league. Before the Giants. My dad used to bring me here. Just me and a bucket of balls. He’d stand where you’re standing now and say, ‘Show me who you are, Seungmin.’” He chuckled softly. “I never knew what he meant back then.”

Your lips parted slightly, but the words still wouldn't come.

“I lost myself this season,” he said quietly. “In the pressure. In the silence. In trying to be everything for everyone except the people who matter most. I thought I could control it all what to hide, what to protect you from. But the truth is, I was afraid. Of failing. Of losing you. Of not being enough for the kids.”

The wind blew gently, carrying the soft scent of pine and earth.

“I’ve been talking with the MLB agent,” he said, not flinching this time. “Madison was out of the picture the moment she crossed that line. But I should’ve told you. I should’ve come to you first. I didn't, and I will always regret that. I’ve declined their offer. Formally. I told them I wouldn’t uproot our life, not without your trust. Not without your voice in the choice.”

Your eyes widened. “You… declined it?”

“I did,” he nodded. “Not because I’m giving up on my dream. But because I forgot the first dream I ever had, us. This family. You and me. Minjoon, Iseul. I don’t want to go anywhere they can’t follow.”

You felt your hands tremble slightly in your pockets.

“I’m not trying to win you back with some big gesture,” he continued, stepping a little closer. “I’m showing you that I meant it. When I said I’d do anything to rebuild this. I’ll work as hard as I did to become a pro. Every single day. I’ll be here. Not just for the kids. For you. Because I love you.”

Tears welled up behind your lashes before you could stop them.

The wind, the cold, the weight of everything, it all collapsed into that one still moment. And you realized: he meant it.

Not just the words.

The action.

The choice.

For so long, you had been the one to make the sacrifices. You had been the one to carry the weight of parenthood, of loyalty, of silence. And here he was finally choosing you, even if it meant risking his own legacy.

“I hate that it took this for you to get it,” you whispered, voice shaking. “But I believe you.”

He didn’t move. He didn’t touch you. He waited.

And then you took a step closer. Just one. But it was enough. Enough for him to know he was forgiven, if not fully, then at least with the promise that one day, you would be.

And for the first time in a long time, you saw your future again.

Together.

-

The house was still when you both got home. Not quiet in the lonely way it had been in the days after the team dinner no, this was a different stillness. The kind that settled after a storm had passed. The kind that let you breathe again without choking on the silence.

Minjoon was fast asleep in his little bed, the soft hum of his nightlight casting gentle blue shadows on his blanket. Iseul had tired herself out after a long afternoon with Seungmin’s mom, and she lay curled in her crib, the tiniest fist tucked against her cheek, her chest rising and falling peacefully. You stood for a long time in the doorway of her room, your arms folded against your chest, watching the little miracle you had brought into the world, twice now and wondering how your life had shifted so drastically in such a short time.

Seungmin stepped behind you, careful not to make a sound. He didn’t touch you, but his presence was warm, grounding. When you turned your head just slightly and caught his eyes in the soft light, something unspoken passed between you mutual exhaustion, yes, but also something tender. Fragile. Real.

When you both made your way to the bedroom, neither of you turned on the main light. Just the small lamp on the nightstand, bathing the room in amber glow. You took off your coat slowly, the weight of it replaced by something heavier in your chest. You felt raw. Exposed.

Seungmin changed quietly into a plain white T-shirt and sweats, moving through the room with an uncertain hesitance, like he didn’t want to do anything to break the calm that had settled between you.

You slid under the covers, and after a moment, so did he. For the first time in weeks, the distance between you was gone. Your bodies weren’t pressed together, not yet, but there wasn’t that cautious gap anymore. You were facing each other. Close enough to feel each other’s breath.

Seungmin looked at you the way he had when you were young and newly in love like you were both everything and the thing he could never quite believe he deserved.

“I meant what I said,” he whispered. “About rebuilding. About choosing us.”

You nodded, your fingers curling into the blanket. “I know.”

He reached for your hand beneath the sheets, and this time, you didn’t pull away. Your fingers threaded together with his slowly, and a soft breath left him relief, maybe. Or hope.

“I don’t deserve how much you’re still willing to give,” he murmured.

“You broke my heart, Seungmin,” you said softly, your voice shaking despite your best efforts to hold it steady. “But you’ve always held it, even when I didn’t know you were.”

His eyes welled, and before either of you could say another word, you leaned in and pressed your lips to his.

It wasn’t desperate. It wasn’t perfect.

It was real.

Warm and aching and full of tears that escaped down both your cheeks. His hand cradled your face gently, like he was afraid you'd disappear if he held too tightly, and you kissed him like the ache in your chest could be healed by the shape of his mouth. It was the kind of kiss you give when words have run out, when all you have left is the truth inside your chest and the hope that the other person still wants it.

And then, suddenly, you broke away sniffling, crying harder now and smacked his chest with the side of your fist.

He blinked. “W-What—?”

You hit him again, softer this time, frustration and heartbreak rolling off you like a wave.

“You gave it up,” you cried, your voice cracking. “Your dream. You gave it up, Seungmin. For me.”

His brow furrowed in confusion, mouth parting in protest. “But I thought—”

“I never asked you to do that!” you snapped, even as more tears ran down your face. “I was mad you didn’t tell me, I was hurt, but that doesn’t mean I wanted you to give up everything you’ve worked for. You love baseball more than anything, and you were finally about to reach that next level. And you just—” Your voice faltered. “You gave it up like it didn’t matter.”

He sat up, slightly, hand still gripping yours as he searched your eyes. “It does matter,” he said, his voice soft but firm. “But you and the kids… you matter more.”

“I don’t want to be the reason you let go of that dream,” you whispered, tears falling silently now. “You’ll regret it. One day, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually you’ll look at me and wonder what could’ve been. And I can’t live with that. I won’t.”

For a moment, the room was silent. Just the sound of both your uneven breaths, the way your hands trembled together.

Then he reached for your other hand and held both in his, warm and steady.

“If I call them,” he asked gently, “if I tell them I made a mistake, if I take the offer… would you come with me? Would you follow me?”

The question hung in the air like a single note.

You stared at him, wide-eyed, your heart pounding with something new and terrifying. You opened your mouth and closed it again, trying to form the words. You imagined the move. The packing. The loss of familiarity. The kids adjusting to a new world. You imagined yourself in a place where you knew no one, far from your support system, away from the life you built together.

But then you imagined him on the mound, beneath the bright lights of a stadium you’d only ever seen on TV. His name on a jersey that echoed the legacy he’d worked so hard for. And you standing in the stands with Iseul in your arms, Minjoon bouncing on your hip, cheering for their father.

You saw it.

You saw him.

You saw you, a different you, maybe, but a braver one.

And you nodded.

“Not at first,” you said, voice soft and sure. “I’d stay here with the kids while you got settled. But I would come. Once we’re ready… I would follow you.”

Seungmin stared at you for a long moment, something deep in his chest breaking open with relief, with emotion, with love that hadn’t diminished despite all the cracks.

He leaned forward slowly, brushing his forehead against yours. “That’s all I need.”

And in that quiet, broken, slowly-mending space, the two of you sat, still holding hands, tears still drying on your cheeks and for the first time in weeks, you felt something other than fear.

You felt hope.

//

masterlist.

❌proofread

[already gone. taglist: @piscesrising01 @troublemaker02 @bearseuming @hanniebunch @ready2readnwrite @mbioooo0000 @puppymsworld @linosgrape @devoured3him @chaosandcandies @itvenorica124 @bonesawce @maddy24207 @vixensss]

[official taglist: @alisonyus @lenfilms ..]

[puckingeccedentesiast]

Cradle Me

Father!Quinn x Son & Wife!Reader. Word Count: 1,1k Authorial Note: My next voted WIP! I hope you enjoy this fic as much as I did while writing it! Don’t know if it’s my best piece then. Warnings: Swearing, mentions of birth.

Elliot Samuel Hughes came screaming into the world at 4:12 p.m., Quinn only knew his son for a matter of awed, breathless moments before the world sharpened—and chaos erupted.

Nurses swarmed you, dabbing and cleaning with sodden warm towels. A warm, slimy bundle of swaddle-blanket and baby reached your chest as the obstetrician stepped back from your glistening body. Quinn's reddened hand slipped from your grip, instinctively cradling the baby to your chest. His other hand, shaking slightly, gripped the bed's plastic rail. Leaning forward, he rested his right arm limply across your shoulder, his forehead gently touching yours as the two of you gazed down at your son.

"How’re you doing, Dad?" the obstetrician asked from the sink as he scrubbed his hands clean.

Quinn blinked, a goofy grin spreading across his face. "I feel sick... but in a good way." He laughed softly, joy plastered permanently on his face. "We created a human... that's fucking scary but awesome at the same time."

Even in your post-birth haze, a smile graced your lips. It was an awesome thing indeed. This was your person now, a culmination of Quinn and your love. Despite this baby being considered a gift, he clearly was sent to test you and Quinn’s love for each other. No parenting class could have prepared you for the unfolding chaos that was leaving the hospital and heading home. The first day at the hospital was incredible, the nurses gently guided you and Quinn in the ways of parenting. But once you left and arrived home, the learning curve turned into an aggressive crash course.

Emotions ran high for every family member. Every nap missed, messy feed, spit-up, or nappy mess that needed cleaning up frayed the string further. Quinn and you had been remarkably naïve to think that this journey would be easy, even though you’d been dreaming collectively of this moment for years.

Quinn, along with self-proclaimed uncles Elias, Brock, and JT, spent hours working on the perfect nursery for baby boy Hughes. From wall decorations to the crib and changing table—which you insisted had to be powder blue with clouds and a grassy field with cows in it—the boys poured their hearts into it. Once they had finished assembling the room and you'd let it air out due to your hatred of the smell of fresh paint, you added the final details: books, blankets, nappies, and wipes, along with baby clothes hanging neatly on tiny coat hangers.

The first night home from the hospital was powered purely by adrenaline. You and Quinn took shifts with baby boy—changing, feeding, and sometimes just comforting him to sleep. By the second and third nights, the exhaustion set in. Leaving the warmth of the bed became a Herculean effort, especially for you. The physical toll of birth weighed heavily on your body, and sustaining new life felt overwhelming.

Quinn tried his hardest to take the load off, seeing how hard you were working to make the transition smooth, though it felt futile. His patience held up remarkably well for the first four days, but by the fourth night, tension crept in. Snappish words replaced your usual playful banter, and the distance between you felt like a growing chasm. Quinn’s touch, once so comforting, now felt foreign. Exhaustion tangled both your nerves, and intimacy between the two of you became a distant memory.

That night, an abrupt “goodnight” was shared, accompanied by a peck on the cheek. You both lay there in the dark, separated by a wall of fatigue, each praying for sleep that never came, as baby boy woke again at distasteful hours of the night.

Night five was the killer. Some ungodly hour like 1:03 a.m. glared back at you from the microwave as you ambled around the kitchen for the second time that night. You’d fed him twice now, but much of the milk had come back up in spit-up. Quinn had changed baby once and had checked on him again 45 minutes earlier.

There was one distinct problem: the baby only slept when he was held. You could do as many laps around the kitchen as you wanted, Quinn could rock him for hours, but as soon as baby landed on the bassinet’s mattress, it was like laying him on lava.

"Still no luck, darlin’?" Quinn’s voice came quietly from the doorway, his tired form silhouetted by the dim light of the stairs. He met you halfway, his brow furrowed with concern.

You let out a soft, frustrated sigh. "Every time I put him down, he cries," you whispered, blinking back tears. "I’m so tired, Quinn."

He stepped closer, reaching for your hand and pressing a kiss to your knuckles. "C’mon, let’s go back to bed," he murmured, leading you gently up the stairs. Exhaustion had blurred the edges of your world, and you forced a tired smile as he kissed your hand again.

"He’s just going to cry when I put him down, Quinn," you stated tiredly as he threw back the covers for you. The softness of the bed felt like heaven against your aching body, and you settled in without a second thought.

Quinn, now shirtless, pulled baby from your arms and nestled him gently on his chest, holding him snugly as he propped himself up with pillows. He tucked you in under his arm, pulling the blankets over both of you.

"Sleep now, darlin’," he whispered, kissing the top of your head. Baby wriggled slightly in his swaddle but quickly relaxed against Quinn's warmth. "If this is how we have to do it from now on, fine."

Quinn sighed, his grip tightening around both of you. "At least we have good chiros at the rink."

[woso-dreamzzz]

Miracle II

Aitana Bonmatí x Baby!Reader

Summary: Aitana babyproofs

The first night you are with her...

Well, the first night you are with her as a Bonmatí, is a stressful one.

You cry.

And then you stop.

Then you cry again when she sets you down for bed.

It's still early by Atiana's standards but it's gone seven and all the baby books say it's perfect bedtime for little babies.

But you just don't seem to want to settle and Aitana can't think of what she's done wrong. She's moved you into your own room now with little glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling to occupy you. You're newly washed and warm in your fluffy onesie and you're holding the little pegasus plushie Aitana bought you when you were born.

She's followed the books to a tee and yet you still cried.

You cried and cried and whined for your Ta-Ta until Aitana picked you up and you settled again.

She has no choice but to drag your crib straight back into her room because you refuse to settle anywhere else.

But, apart from that small hiccup, you are a golden baby.

You are soft and sweet and make little happy gurgling sounds whenever you see your Mama Ta-Ta.

It all goes so well and Aitana doesn't know what she was worrying about until you learn how to walk. She was impressed at first, you were on the younger end when you learnt and she's very impressed when you just got up one day from where you're playing on your mat to walk over to the kitchen where Aitana is making dinner.

You raise your arms for her and she instantly picks you up.

All you wanted was your Mama Ta-Ta.

The issue comes when Aitana realises just how many sharp corners are in her house and just how quickly you have transitioned from wobbly steps to proper walking.

"Sorry, Tana," Marta says when Aitana asks about babyproofing during a break in practice. She's talking to her Aitana but her eyes are focused on where her Conejita and Caro are making flower crowns together. "I never had to do that for Conejita. She didn't walk until quite late and she never really strayed far."

Aitana can believe that. Even now Conejita is a careful child. She doesn't run and doesn't play rough. She just chooses a space and sits and weaves flowers together.

So, Aitana turns to Mapi and Ingrid.

They're sitting a bit further away as little Skatt is letting a beetle climb all over her fingers.

Ingrid has a similar response.

"Skatt never moved very fast," Ingrid says," It was easy to occupy her."

"I think you can order these foam things that clip onto corners," Mapi offers, hooking her hand around the inside of Skatt's collar to pull her closer when she tries to wander after where the beetle has flown off to," You could try those."

And Aitana does. She orders them as soon as she gets home while occupying you with a sensory programme about space.

You like that kind of thing, Aitana has learnt and your room (which you now more frequently sleep in) is full of stars and planets and the mobile that hangs above your crib is a replica of the solar system and sings a silly song about how to name each planet.

Her corner guards come within the hour after Aitana pays an extortionate price for sameday delivery. The ring of the doorbell makes you turn your head but your interest is captured once again by the spinning stars and comets so Aitana feels safe babyproofing the apartment while you watch your video.

She's just clipping on the last of the guards when there's a tug on her shorts. She's not surprised to see you standing there. Your video finished a few minutes ago and the soft pad of your socked feet were ones Aitana was used to now.

"Hola, estrella," She coos at you.

You babble nonsense for a while before lifting up your arms. "Ta-Ta."

"Alright," Aitana says," Uppies, it is." She lifts you up onto her hip and you take the time to poke at the new corner guards.

Your little brows furrow and Aitana can't help but think about how much you look like her when you do that.

"It's to protect your head," She explains to you," So you can go running around and not hurt yourself."

You poke it again in confusion, legs kicking out before you huff and rest your head against Aitana's chest.

"Tar," You whine and Aitana knows that word in your language too.

She laughs. "Alright, we can watch the dancing stars again."

You must know she's agreed because you burst into ecstatic giggles as she walks you back to the sofa.

Both Marta and Ingrid had warned her about the mindless, boring videos she would now have to watch as your mother but Aitana finds that she doesn't quite mind.

She'll sit through mindless kid's shows forever if it means keeping you in her arms.

But, it seems that you don't want to be in her arms right now as you spot your stuffed pegasus lying by the corner from earlier.

Aitana lets you go, watching as you pad very carefully over to your toy. She sucks in a breath as you approach the corner. You stop just in front of it, staring.

You wrap your little hand around the corner and duck down with your other to grab your plushie. You pull yourself back up, patting the corner happily before wandering back to Aitana.

You show her your toy.

"Ta-Ta, peg-sus."

She laughs. "That's right. Your pegasus. There's a constellation called pegasus. Is that why you like it so much?"

You giggle and gnaw on a wing.

She hefts you up onto her lap again and you rest your ear against her chest.

"Tar," You point at the tv.

"Alright, let me put on your stars."

[leahsgf]

THE BIG BED – leah williamson

leah williamson x child!reader

you were beyond restless and had been for the past few days - struggling to settle regardless of how exhausted you were, and it was showing.

only a few hours, which felt like minutes after leah had put you down to bed, you awoke, fussing and crying out for her, which alone was a signal of how out of character you were being, not usually being a massive cryer.

“mama” you whined as she entered your bedroom, throwing your arms in the air and sitting up the best you could in your sleep sack, wanting her to pick you up.

“i’m here my girl, what’s the matter hm?” she scooped you up out of your crib - which any day now would be being transitioned into a toddler ‘big girl’ bed (when you actually slept) and bounced you slightly on her hip, yawning as she ruffled your tufts of hair.

“big bed” you mumbled, a mirror image of your mother’s signature frown splayed across your tiny features.

in any other circumstance, and if she wasn’t so tired herself - leah would’ve chuckled. you hadn’t mastered many words just yet, but of course your beloved ‘big bed’, which was really just her bed, was one of them.

you were her baby through and through, wanting nothing more than to be close to her at all times - something that she usually adored, but you had gradually stopped sleeping unless she was there, which meant she wasn’t sleeping, and the collective exhaustion was really hitting the both of you.

her own mother had always warned her to steer clear of letting you in the bed with her, telling her to let you essentially cry it out - claiming that you’d eventually have no other choice but to fall asleep. leah took almost all of her mum’s advice, but this was one that she struggled to get on board with.

“but your bed is so comfy!” she encouraged you gently, voice no more than a whisper - ignoring the image of your auntie keira laughing at her for her word choice in her head and slipping a dummy into your mouth in a last ditch attempt to settle you in your room.

you began to tear up almost instantly, knowing this routine too well by now, and that you were about to be placed back into your bed and left.

“no wanna s’eep with you, please” you blubbered, words almost entirely muffled by your dummy.

and at that, leah’s heart melted - her boundaries that weren’t really there in the first place cracking. you were still a baby, her baby, and she was prepared to do just about anything to get you both a good night’s sleep. she could handle her mum’s inevitable questions.

“it’s okay, bubba. come on then, i’m not going anywhere, let’s go to bed. you can come sleep with mama” she cooed, relenting. anyone who knew leah as a player wouldn’t believe how unbelievably soft she truly was. she herself from a few years ago wouldn’t of believed it either - but you brought a new, completely overwhelming but beautiful kind of love into her life, and changed her.

when she had said that the euros were her proudest achievement and always would be until she had children, she had meant it.

having you cleared every other moment in her life, even when you refused to sleep.

and as she padded back across the hallway to her own bedroom, for the first time in what felt like weeks, you settled, completely.

she tucked the pair of you underneath the duvet, wrapping her arms around you and pulling you into her chest, soothing you even further with the touch of her bare skin.

“time to go to sleep now sweetheart, kay? its bedtime.” she whispered, pressing a kiss to your head as her fingers danced across your back, drawing little shapes and sending you off into a long awaited slumber - her touch working like magic.

and after shooting a text off to lia, celebrating the fact that you’d finally gone to sleep, leah allowed herself to drift off, cherishing both the closeness with you and the incoming well deserved and needed sleep.

[the-froschamethyst4]

Mommy needs her rest

𖤐Pairing: Husband! König x Wife! Reader

𖤐Pronouns: She/Her

𖤐Warnings: EXTERME fluffy, language, König being a helpful husband, children, mention of some insecurities, L word, kissing

𖤐Summary: Y/n just gave birth to hers and König’s baby boy and she needs the most rest she can get

————

————

Y/n waddled around the house still in pain after giving birth to hers and König baby boy Leon.

Leon laid in his crib for his nap. He didn’t sleep at all last night König and Y/n both were constantly getting up every 10 minutes because he didn’t want to sleep.

Their daughter Heidi would call Leon an annoying baby because of his crying and screaming.

Y/n leaned against the kitchen sink splashing water onto some dirty plates before loading them into the dishwasher. She’s done so much for the past 9 months but she still can’t seem to relax, she feels like she needs to be up and moving around constantly.

Heidi came downstairs holding a coloring book and markers before sitting at the counter and dumping the markers all out on the counter top.

Y/n looks behind her shoulder to see Heidi coloring and humming a soft tune, well at least she seemed like she slept well.

Y/n faced the sink again and her eye lids became heavy. She forced them back open quickly and saw that some of the water from sink was on the floor.

“Dammit,” Y/n mumbles as Heidi giggles to herself.

“Mommy, you spilled water.”

“I know baby, I see that,” Y/n was trying to not sound annoyed or anything.

Y/n placed the dirty rag in the laundry room and came back to the kitchen leaning on the sink again, taking some deep breaths and holding her stomach.

Her stomach has gone down just a little big but she wants to completely gone.

“Mama, why isn’t Leon sleeping at nights?”

“I’m not sure, Heidi. He might not be use to the transition from hospital to home just yet.” Y/n says pouring herself a glass of water and chugging it.

Y/n has also been a bit stressed because of Heidi's school, since Y/n had Leon (which was a week ago), Heidi has been staying home a bit more often than usual. So, she has a meeting with her teacher and the schools principal at the end of the week.

König says he'll do it but the school simply requested for Y/n. The school is a little terrified of König.

Y/n placed her hands on her forehead as Heidi looked at her mom a bit worried now.

"Mama?"

"I'm home!" König's voice boomed through the house. Heidi got off the bar stool and ran to König pulling his hand into the kitchen, he thought it was cute how Heidi was pulling on him, but his smiling face dropped when seeing his wife on her knees crying.

"Liebe! What's wrong?" König asked, getting on his knees next to her, holding her hand and helping her up off the kitchen tile.

"I...I feel weak," she says, it's hard for Y/n to say that because she was strong she carried a baby in her stomach for 9 months for Pete's sake.

"Liebe...maybe you should rest."

"But I want to help."

"I know you do, but you need your rest, you just had a child a week ago, you need to be in bed resting..." König's hand went to the back of her head pulling her close and kissing her forehead as Y/n cries into her husband's chest.

"If I go to bed...do you have everything under control?" She looks up at him.

"Of course. I'm a parent as well, I got everything under control, go take a rest." He kisses her forehead again.

"Okay," she looks at Heidi and bends down kissing her forehead and heading upstairs.

"Daddy, is mama okay?" Heidi asked, looking up at her father who removed his black mask showing off his scarred face.

"Yeah, yeah, she just needs some rest," he says, bending down to her level. "Now, what are we going to play?"

---------

As Y/n made it upstairs, she gently pushes open Leon's nursery door seeing him peacefully sleeping. She smiles to herself before closing the door and heading down the hall to hers and König's shared bedroom.

She pulls the covers back and rests her head on her pillow.

--------

König smiles at his daughter as she was telling him stories between her Barbies.

"This is Stephanie and she is married to Henry, but Henry is cheating on her with Martha."

"The one married to the baker or the one married to the Stock Broker?" Konig asked his daughter.

"The Stock Broker."

"Ah! Okay, got it." König was a little concerned on how Heidi knew about cheating or what a Stock Broker was.

"Daddy, is mama really okay?" Heidi asked him one more time as she drops her Barbies.

"Yes, baby, you know how we went to the hospital and she gave birth to Leon?" She nods in response. "Well, she became...not weak but tired all the time, she carried Leon around in her belly for 9 months, she was so strong during that time, but she just grew so tired," he tells her.

"But when she is asleep, she'll be okay?"

"Yes, baby. When she sleeps, she'll be strong again and will feel so much better," he smiles. "She just needs to heal, and she'll be just fine."

Soon loud cries filled the household, König shot up like a meerkat coming out of his home. Heidi watched her father run up the stairs and saw Leon's nursery door opened.

"No, no, no," König says as he opens it and he knew it. "Liebe-"

"I'm sorry...it was like an instinct to come and get him," she says, walking to him and giving Leon over to his father.

"Liebe, go rest, I got this okay?"

"Okay...he's hungry by the way."

"Okay," he chuckles at her. He puts his hand on the back of her head and pulled her closer to his and kissed her forehead.

König goes back downstairs and opens the freezer and saw packs of frozen breast milk. He grabs the oldest one and putting it in the microwave for some quick seconds.

"Leon, is so annoying," Heidi says.

"Heidi," he gave her a warning tone.

The microwave beeps and he pulls the pack out pouring the milk into a bottle and placing the bottle into the little bottle warmer machine. He bounces up and down and gently patting Leon's back making his cries soften.

Soon the machine beeped and he takes the bottle upside down and lets the milk drip on his skin to see if it was too hot for his son, but it was just fine.

He takes Leon to the couch, he sits back and lays Leon on his back in his arms and brings the bottle to his lips. Leon soon attached himself to the nipple of the bottle and starts drinking it.

Heidi get off the floor and comes over to her father and baby brother. She leans over König's arm to look at Leon suckling on the bottle. His tiny hands holding onto König's big fingers.

"You want to hold him, baby?" He asks his daughter.

"Not really...what if he poops on me?"

"He has a diaper on," König chuckles.

"What if he throws up?"

"We have a washer."

"No, I don't want to hold him," Heidi says shaking her head and backing up from her father.

----------

Y/n laid on her back looking up at the ceiling, she feels like 30 minutes have passed but truly it was an hour and she hasn't slept. She just wants to hold her baby boy, spend time with her daughter and love on her husband.

She moves the covers off her body and gathers her thoughts and bearings before walking to the master bedroom door. She opens the door and hears giggling from Heidi, König's voice and hearing Leon soft giggles which makes her heart clench in her chest.

She comes around the corner and saw her husband holding her daughter by the ankles upside down hearing her joyous laughter and sees Leon on his back on his playmat Heidi above him.

"Rawww~" König yells. His daughter laughing and his son giggling kicking his feet.

"I'm Spider-Man!" Heidi yells.

Y/n leans on the doorframe and smiles at her husband and children. She took the courage and went back upstairs, she tries to be quiet and heads to bed, she gets under the covers and closes her eyes.

-----------

8:00PM

Y/n yawns and sat up in the bed. She rubs her tired eyes and looked outside, it was night time. She smiles knowing she was finally able to get some sleep without getting interrupted.

She moves the covers off her body and walks downstairs, she sees König asleep on the couch, Heidi on his left side, her head on his lap and Leon was being held in his right arm as the TV was on playing a cartoon called Bluey.

Y/n turns off the TV and Picks up Leon from König's arms. She gently shakes König, his eyes fluttered open.

"Liebe."

"Good morning, handsome," she says, kissing his lips. König stretches up and picks up his sleeping daughter. "How long was I asleep?" She asked him.

König looks at the clock. "I guess about 5 hours." He smiles.

"Wow." She says. "I need to sleep more often."

"Well, when's the last time we both got some good sleep?"

"When we didn't have kids," Y/n says.

"True," he says, leaning down and kissing her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too...thank you for being a good husband and father."

"Of course, liebe," he smiles down at her, kissing her again.

[thicctails]

△Early Morning Comfort△

Get Better Children won the poll (I'm not surprised, y'all love those tragic triangles, huh?) so here's a little piece about one of the times Scalene and Euclid had to take care of Dipper and Mabel!

The babies were crying again.

Scalene watched the doorway even as she glided across the walls of the nursery, listening for the sound of footsteps. They almost never came, especially not lately, but she had to be sure before she decided to pull herself into the 3D plane. It was something she'd like to avoid, if she could.

Unfortunately, the hallway remained silent, and little Mabel and Mason continued to wail, their pudgy faces scrunched up in discontent. Scalene looked over at her husband and found that he was looking right back at her. They shared a knowing look, and Scalene took a deep breath.

The transition from the second dimension to the third was anything but fun. The red triangle couldn't help but wince as she felt her flesh and exoskeleton rush to adapt to the sudden change, muscles and bones knitting together to keep her organs from spilling out onto the floor. Her injuries screamed and flickered rapidly, small droplets of blood welling up around the edges. Then, without any fanfare, it was over, and the pain was replaced by a sense of vertigo that almost sent her toppling over.

After a few moments of breathing and readjusting to the feeling of being three dimensional, Scalene floated towards the twins, peering down into the crib. Euclid was already trying to soothe Mabel, so she focused her attention on Mason, her little Dipper. Using her one remaining hand, she gently ran her fingers through his wispy hair, shushing him softly. She was beginning to wonder if this would be another night where their more human forms were needed, but the little boy began to settle when he cracked a sleepy eye open and saw the loving face of his caregiver.

His twin wasn't far behind, content to simply gnaw on Euclid's hat, which she had somehow managed to grab. Her husband merely crinkled his eyes in affectionate amusement, happy to have appeased the infant.

"They're so easy to settle." Scalene mused aloud as she gently traced the constellation birthmark beneath her thumb. She looked towards the door again, a glowing pulse of angry crimson flashing across her form for a moment, "I don't know why they even bothered to have offspring if they didn't want to care for them. They were blessed with twins, yet you would think them childless."

"I'm not sure they meant to reproduce, my darling. They seem to be rather young compared to the other parental humans we've seen." Euclid replied, gently tucking a soft blanket around Mabel, who wrapped a wrinkly fist around his hand. Euclid's eyes sparkled, and he let out a quiet hum, "Still, that's no excuse to neglect these two little stars. I wish they would find someone more suited to care for them."

"As do I." Scalene sighed, "They deserve much more than what they've got, more than we can give them."

A comfortable silence settled over the nursery, broken occasionally by the twins' babbling. As the clock ticked quietly in the corner, Mabel and Mason settled back down to sleep, leaving the two Euclideans as the only awake beings in the house.

"Do you think Bill would have liked them?"

Scalene startled slightly at the question and turned towards Euclid, who was gently petting Mabel's head as he eased his hat free from her grasp, unused to hearing her husband bring up their son. It was a painful topic for both of them, and it was rare for his name to be spoken aloud.

Scalene pondered the question, thinking about how her little stargazer had been in his youth, and how he'd been before... The accident. He'd been bright, curious, creative and more than a little mischievous. He'd been different, special, though not many had seen it that way. All he'd wanted was to show them the stars.

She looked down at Mason's birthmark and remembered the awe she'd felt when she realized that the boy had been marked by the stars.

"Yeah," she managed to rasp out, "I think he would have."

[fashionteahouse]

out of your league alt version- paul lahote x reader

in order: - one - two - three <<prev part >>next part

You blink your eyes open and unclench your hands from the covers. You slowly move your sore body out of the bed as you quickly realized that you were alone.

You panicked internally and rushed through the home until you found Edward placing your sleeping child back into their crib.

He heard your frantic heart beating from the doorway and made his way towards you as you hugged your waist as you were in nothing but a robe.

“You left me alone. You know I don’t like sleeping alone.” You whisper to him emotionally and he guided you out with an arm around your shoulders.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart…The baby woke up and I had to change them before putting them back to sleep. I didn’t want to disturb you.” He cradled your face as you two were alone in the dark bedroom that you two shared.

“Sorry…I’m on edge.” You whispered. He kissed your forehead.

“I'm here now. Here, let’s go back sleep. I’ll stay with you.” He says as he lifted you back into bed.

“No, it’s okay….I thought I was alone by myself.” You whispered.

You both just lay there until you eventually fall asleep, you clung to him like your life depended on it.

It was evident that Paul received the news the hard way.

You played the angry voicemails. Lots of threats. Lots of reasons to avoid him. Long paragraphs and angry texts kept dinging your way.

Edward had enough of your distress and slid the phone out of your hand and shut it off. It was the early afternoon and you were already deeply anxious.

“I feel like a terrible person.” You tear up.

"You’re not…That child deserves more than inconsistency.” Edward supports.

You sigh with anxiety and he kneeled down as you peered at him while sitting on the couch. He cupped your face as you blinked the tears away, even placing a heartfelt kiss on your mouth.

“Want to help me cook lunch?”

You nod a bit and he holds out his hands and you’re to your feet.

The child bounced their legs in the playpen as they seen you two walk past and their wide eyes made you pick them up.

You walk them around the kitchen a bit and they took a whisk out of the utensil holder.

They’ve become attached to the whisk as they waved it around a bit, holding it tightly. You try to gently pry it from their hands but they start to whine a bit before you let go.

“It’s not a toy.” You coo to them as you laugh a bit.

“They only want to help.” Edward chuckled as he tickled their small foot that made them laugh loud at him.

You smile a bit before you set them in the high chair. They continue to play with the whisk, tapping it a bit on their tray and even putting it in their mouth.

Taking a stab at the food, your cheeks were full.

“You both are quiet. It must be good.”

You look up at Edward’s statement and your child was too busy eating, the silence made you match his chuckle.

Your stomach was in tight knots as the court setting made you be on pins and needles. Your bouncing leg was cut off by Edward’s hand as adoption papers was slid in his direction.

The quiet rustle of papers made your mind race as you heard the soft click of an ink pen, at that moment you were glad that he couldn’t read your thoughts.

The transition was clean. Smooth. The family lawyer’s words were not registering to your ears because all you kept thinking about was Paul finding out.

You swallow as Edward’s perfect handwriting wrote on your kid’s new birth certificate as their father. Emotion washed over you as Cullen was after their first name. No longer Lahote.

Joy was trying to burst through but uneasiness had lingered.

The child was oblivious to what was going on in the backseat as you all were in the car riding back home. You were so quiet, your lips stuck together.

“You okay?” Edward asked with a glance over as he worked the steering wheel.

“It’s just a lot to process.”

“It is. You can talk to me about how you’re feeling….Are you having second thoughts?”

You breathe in shakily, “No…I’m petrified. He will know it’s not Lahote anymore…Maybe the last name, we should’ve left it alone.”

“You have nothing to fear. I will protect you, Y/N. I will protect them. You know this.” He gently reassured, placing one hand on your kneecap.

You look back to see your kid looking out of the window at the fleeting trees.

“Y/N,” he murmured, you look over, “Nothing’s going to change my love for the both of you. I have no regrets.”

The child fell asleep on the ride home and you walked them through the home. You watch their sleeping figure as their small chest breathed up and down.

You grip the wooden crib a bit as you overlooked them, you just really wanted them to have a good upbringing. A good life without chaos. You smile a bit as they looked comfortable and snug.

A cool hand touched your shoulder before interlacing it with your own hand. A warm smile beamed your way. You’re gently tugged out of the room.

You both lounged outside on the outdoor daybed, staring up at the lit up sky.

“I’m just curious,” you start. He looked at you as he continued to hold your hand.

“Did you ever think about..My reaction if you succeeded in getting yourself killed in Italy?” You ask.

“I didn’t think you would ever find out…I never was out of the loop with the art that you put out…You were blowing them out of the water and you were secure..I spent my days in your vacant apartment in New York. I lied in your bed until I couldn’t smell your scent anymore. That’s when I found the motivation to try to do..It.”

You look down as a pit in your stomach settled deep.

“Did Alice tell you that she saw me in New York after a show?”

“No. I figured it out. She’s never quiet about a fashion show.” He recalled with a light chuckle. You join in as you thought back on it.

“That was a really fun show…I want to do something like that again.”

“You did a really nice job.”

You warmly smile at the sincere compliment.

“I figured you would hate me though.”

“Me? Hate you?” He smiled a bit in disbelief.

“Yeah. I told Paul your ability, he tore your arm off. I led him to your house.”

“I knew that he told you to take him there. You were loyal to him at the time, so I get why you told him in a dire situation. I was just more frustrated than anything that it happened, but it was a quick fix.”

You look at his perfect arm and use your other hand to caress it. He watched your hand.

“So, how do you do it? You guys can heal broken limbs like that?”

“Only if we attach it with venom. It can’t be attached if it’s burned.”

“Oh…So, that’s why fire is important to kill one?”

“Yes. Otherwise, they can reconstruct themselves. Vampires carry grudges forever. If you fight one, make sure to waste no time to set them to flames.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” You say jokingly and he matched your humorous smile.

Life kept rolling.

The child was getting bigger, walking on their feet with more confidence.

“Guess what I found this one doing?” Edward asked as the giggling child squirmed in his arms.

“What?” You chuckle.

“Trying to climb out of their crib.” He reveals and tickles their side as they scrunch and giggle.

They squealed as they were playing in their ball pit.

You watch as Edward sat them in his lap as they looked at his hands while he played the piano. He played an upbeat version of their lullaby. Fascination was all over their face.

They had a drool filled grin as Edward held them up as he stood in a mirror in the room.

“Baby.” Edward pointed at them in the reflection.

You watched them smile a bit with their finger in their mouth. They had a couple of teeth that grew in.

They looked at the reflection before they slowly took their finger out with a point at the mirror.

“Baby.” Edward pointed.

“Baby.” They softly cooed from their small lips.

“Baby.” Edward smiled as he repeated encouragingly.

They look to him and watch his mouth and Edward smiled at them.

Things were different. It was like the bond between you and Edward grew overwhelmingly stronger.

You felt clingy. You paid extra attention to Edward’s movements. He didn’t mind the extra caresses, the extra kisses and the fact that you were in his face more.

He liked how you did it even without thinking. You two moved like magnets.

He noticed you ate more often through the past few days. He then figured out why on one particular day.

It was a lazy afternoon. The rain beat down thickly on the house and windows. It darkened the natural day light.

The child napped in their room as you were being held while lying in the inside of the couch.

“I can smell you…Ovulating.” He quietly observed.

You nod as you felt that in your body.

“I think I’m about to come on.” You say quietly.

The entire backside of your body was pressed against the couch cushions right along with his body weight. Your hand slid up to rest on his cheek.

“Do you feel okay?”

“I’m okay…I’m just feeling really…Horny.” You shyly replied to his worried face. He visibly relaxed as his hand slid up your shirt and rested on your bare chest. He gave you a heart stopping affectionate gaze.

He slowly waved forward and your pants that escaped from your lips were audible. You felt embarrassed but he pressed his lips sweetly to yours.

Dry jumping alone literally had you two feeling desperate and hungry for each other. You felt feral.

He broke away from the heated and tongue filled kiss as you pull at his shirt to make him keep going but he wouldn’t budge. Making you go on your back, he was still settled between your open legs as he peered down at you. Your shirt was risen and wrinkled as your bare chest rose up and down from your heavy breathing.

“I have to be extra careful.” He murmured to you as you looked up to him.

“Afraid you won’t pull out in time?” You whisper.

He nods.

“You usually do a good job.” You compliment as you slowly help him out of his own clothes. The praise touched him but his own self wouldn’t relish in it for too long.

“Should we get condoms?”

“No. You’re perfect the way you are.” You say and it only dramatically increased his intense gaze at you that shot to your core and he took a small inhale.

“Your smell is driving me crazy but I still get scared.” He admits quietly. You felt his hands dip in your underwear and your eyes squeezed shut.

“I thought you can’t make babies?”

“I can’t but…It’s still venom. I don’t even know what will happen if I ejaculate in you.”

You blink your eyes open as he pulled his hand out of your underwear.

“Would you ever…Try?”

“No. Absolutely not. What if you convulse or something?”

“What would you do if…I actually became pregnant by you?”

He briefly lit up but pushed his feelings down as you watch as his expression morphed into numbness.

“If,” he pressed the if, “You were to…Then, it would almost top the wedding gift…But, unfortunately we can’t reproduce.” He sounded extremely depressed while saying so.

“I was only thinking since I’m human, my bodily functions run normal, that’s all you would need. I can still reproduce. You were celibate before your transformation..” You say but you accepted that another child is out of the question. He looked to be in thought.

“Would you actually want that?” He asked tenderly.

“Want what?” You ask.

“A child. With me. If it were possible?” His breathtaking smile made your heart stutter.

You shyly smile a bit as you lift one shoulder up to your ear before bringing it back down, “That would be..Nice.”

“Really?”

You nodded, “Yeah.”

The kiss was sweet.

His smile was still stretched on his face as your legs gracefully moved out of your underwear. He placed himself against your moist center, he felt you twitch a bit as he had his hands on your knees that were to your chest.

“What if you’re called dad?” You whisper, almost moaning as you peaked up at him. You didn’t know why you asked but it felt so right to speak those words. They had his last name now, it gnawed at your brain. Your body was aching for him and he wasn’t helping any better by his teasing. It seemed like you ignited something within him as he couldn’t contain his enjoyment at the thought of that. His eyes were like honey.

“Would you let them? I might sound selfish, but I would let them. I love them like they're my own anyway…” He admitted softly with a tender grin and no ounce of regret had traced his words.

Your heart thudded at his boldness as he looked at you, expecting an answer. You wanted to say yes at that instant but you settled for a safe answer.

“I might.” It was the last thing you said before his lips suffocated yours.

He hooked your leg over his hip before firmly gripping your bottom, you both moan out as he moved his hips, gliding easily into you. Your hands were on his chest as your vision went in and out, a shudder was violent as each stroke was deep. His hips continued to snapped into yours as you sigh out in enjoyment.

His hand stroked himself as he spilled out with a grunt, his eyes squeezed shut a bit. You kept your legs open as it landed on both your lower stomach and your private area.

You encouraged him to come closer, his stiff flesh brushed against your entrance as he leaned to kiss you.

You squirm your hips as you felt it glide between your center. He broke away from the kiss with a low groan. He sat up and you couldn’t help but feel your aching nub as he was still jetted out. He clamped your wrist.

“I don’t want it to get inside of you.” He speaks out.

“I-I want to go again.” You replied. It didn’t feel like you got your lust all out.

He wiped his fluid off of you with your bawled up shirt that he had in his hand. He sits up on the couch and pulls you on him. He looked like a Greek sculpture, naked. He looked at you as if you were the Greek sculpture.

Both of your hands cup his face as the erotic kiss made you hot and bothered. You moan out in his mouth as he lifted you with one hand and guided himself in you with the other hand.

A breathy whine escaped from you while you slowly sunk down on his length as his hands were firmly on your bottom. You felt so connected to him as he scraped your sugary walls. Your hips bucked up and forward in desperation. Your hands move from his face and went to grip on the sofa that was beside his neck.

His hand move down from your bottom and down to your legs, bringing your feet on his thighs, it made you sink deeper onto him. A shaky groan escaped from you. He kept his hands firmly on your ankles as you wrap your arms around his neck.

Your head tilt back a bit as his open mouth kisses were placed on your throat and neck. Your hips waved in a rhythm that assaulted your vision was stars as you felt so full.

“Do you feel good?” He asked in a seductive tone.

“Yes…Yes..I feel..So good.” You moan out submissively and he softly hummed out a response. His lips rest on your jaw as he moved his hips a bit deeper. You immediately shudder out with pleasure from the continued friction.

“I love you, Y/N.” He declared in a groan.

“I love..You so much, Edward.” You stutter out.

You wince a bit as you sat up in bed, late night. The sun didn’t come up yet. You move into the bathroom before tugging your underwear down a bit.

Blood.

You sighed as you cleaned yourself up. That’s when cramps came.

Cramps wasn’t something that happened often when you usually had your period but this cycle made them hurt bad.

“Are you okay?” Edward says as he saw you pluck pills into your hand before putting them in your mouth.

You cup some water with your hand as the faucet ran and swallow the handful of water before nodding shakily.

“It’s okay. I’m okay. It’s just that time of the month.” You say before he relaxed.

“I was a bit afraid..” he says with both relief and concern, referencing to the previous activities.

“Don’t be.” You replied warmly.

He touched your cheek before carrying you to bed.

“That feels nice. I run so hot during.” You admit.

“So..I can hold you still?”

“Yes.” You permit.

He did hold you while you both were still deep under covers.

You didn’t want to eat when you woke up. You instead watch your kid snarf down the food that Edward made, instead.

He kept a close eye on you as he pleaded you to just take small bites.

“I know that you haven’t eaten in days.” You tell him as he was always there. Just like now as he handed you two pain reliever pills.

“I will.”

“Now?”

He stuck his lips out a bit as he thinks, “Just when you’re feeling better.”

You smile a bit, “I’ve literally been dealing with this since puberty. Just go eat.”

He still didn’t budge.

You both were in the bright and large bathroom with the door shut. The child was napping and you were about to take a shower.

“You would?” You ask barely above a whisper. You couldn’t believe the offer he had laid out as you two were intensely staring at each other in the bathroom.

“I read it…I read it helped with cramps..And headaches.”

You were silent as you both continued to intensely look at each other. The nakedness made you two vulnerable with each other. His darkened eyes that raked your face alone made your center start to throb.

“Do you want to?” He asked. It sent a delicious chill down your body by the way he asked.

“I haven’t done that before…But..Isn’t that..A bit gross?” You whispered with a nervous chuckle as you looked down a bit. A dark beach towel was underneath you two.

He huffed a quiet and quick chuckle under his breath, “I don’t find you going through something natural, gross.”

“I don’t know.” You whispered, “It’s blood, wouldn’t it trigger you?”

He shook his head in reply.

“It’s..How do I say this?….It’s not fresh like as if you were to bleed out of a cut from your arm. It’s dead blood. It’s only broken down uterine lining and vaginal fluid.”

“..O-okay.” You say as he cupped your face. Lightly brushing his thumbs on your cheeks.

“It’s only me.” He tenderly whispered and you nod before he slowly leaned forward and laid a breathtaking kiss to you. The somewhat tender but swollen breasts that was on your body, was underneath his cool touch that felt nice as he cupped them.

Your hand traveled up his neck as the kiss was deeper and more passionate. His hands never paused. His touches made you weak.

He felt you in between your folds, not caring his finger painted a light red. The chill of his fingers made you shudder but it seemed like the dull throbbing sensation was fading as pleasure replaced it. A soft moan broke out of your mouth as he continued to kiss you but you clutch onto his upper arm. Your legs was shaky as he hooked his two fingers inside of you, making a come here motion as you uncontrollably moan out his name. Your legs couldn’t hold you up anymore.

You felt the warm floor underneath your back as he slowly spread you open. His hands slid up your breasts and back down to your stomach as your body arched into his touch. Goosebumps rose as you heard his tender whispers for you to relax and that he will take care of you.

The back of your head was pressed to the floor as you gripped at the arm that had one hand, flat on your stomach and the other continuing to stoke and stimulate you with his fingers.

You pant as you couldn’t keep your eyes open. Legs had a hard time being still.

An orgasm rippled through your body easily, it felt like your heart stopped, Edward leaned and placed a sweet kiss on your throat.

You slowly open your eyes up and you find yourself being put onto your hands and knees. You were still panting as he continued to kiss your cheek from over your shoulder. Your whine grew as he slowly slid in.

His hands never left your hips. He straightened up as he fluidly moved his hips. His fingers dug deep as you both whisper out each other’s names. Your fingers slowly clutched the towel on the floor as Moans echoed off of the bathroom walls.

“Do you feel good?”

Your body rhythmically rocked back and forth as you whispered out a shaky yes to his question.

“Do you like this?” He then asked tenderly.

“Yes…Yes, I do….Oh my god-” You slurred out.

You didn’t know what to grab at. You moaned continuously as he continued to stroke in you. The tingles that accumulated in your center made it pulsate with every single stroke. Your hot body was cooled down and you felt his deep movements. It felt like you stop breathing as your body rocked back and forth.

You crumble and lay forward with your cheek on the towel in front of you, and you almost vocally thank him for not stopping his deep thrusts in this new position.

His hand slipped in front of you and the circles made you twitch and desperately pant out his name and use the words oh my god. His steady rhythm came from the ability of not ever being tired. You were a shivering mess as you didn’t recognize the erotic voice that begged and pleaded for him.

You felt tired but it did work. Your eyes drooped while you two were in the bath.

You felt more relaxed. No cramps. No headache.

Your eyes were heavy. On the couch, you fell asleep trying to watch a movie as he gently rubbed your legs that rested on his lap.

That night, you whimpered and whined as the dark towel was on the bed, under your body. The bottom half of your body hung off of the bed a bit as Edward held onto your ankles, snapping his hips into yours.

A flood of tingles assaulted your body. It was hard to breathe due to the overwhelming pleasure as you clenched the towel and sheets next to you in your fists. Your body was hungry for him. You felt your body swallowing him as kept his rhythm.

Your period week was up before you knew it. You felt light. Surprisingly refreshed.

But, the sexual tension only rose.

Lazy afternoons and late nights throughout the week were filled with you whimpering out his name.

You pant in the sheets to calm down after crawling away from him, to come down from your high before you leaned into his tender touches. He pulled you into a cuddle.

“I think you’re turning me into a nymphomaniac.” You whisper as you both were pressed against each other in the dark. He let out a deep and sensuous chuckle.

His eyes were actually closed as he listened to the soft thump of your heart underneath your skin and your words. It was the best thing that you had ever suggest to him. Being skin to skin as you go to sleep. He didn’t want to go back to regular cuddling.

“What’s wrong with that?” He whispered as he shifted his body to press more onto yours. His lips rest in the crook of your neck. A soft but content smile graced your lips.

“I think it just scares me by how much…I don’t mind.” You watch as his smile was faint, it was as if he was actually dreaming, had you not known any better.

“I can only imagine what I would be then. I love tasting you more than blood.”

“Edward, I don’t want you to go into a frenzy because you’ve been deprived of blood.” You softly crooned.

He chuckled under his breath, still matching the quiet environment, it almost sounded childlike, “I won’t go into a frenzy.”

“You’re driving me crazy…But in a cool way.” you say as you turn your head a bit and planted a lingering kiss on his lips.

“We’re lovers. We just can’t stop loving, that’s all.” He whispered against your lips.

Before you could blink, he shifts your body, you’re now straddling him. The small bedside lamp was now lit on. You sit up and you both sigh out together as you ride your clit against him sensually. His hands felt on you as he looked up at you. You softly whine as his hands softly gripped your puffy breasts, making your hips move a bit faster to reach that high you were chasing.

“My beautiful wife.” He observed in a velvet whisper.

The climax was small but you still shivered with a sappy smile as you lean to kiss him.

You slowly detach your lips from his as he tries to chase them.

Sliding down, you blindly kiss down his chest as he watched you before his head slammed back against the pillow.

He didn’t know whether to grip or fling you off but he gripped the sheets with a deep groan before the nape of your neck was in his grip as he fell out of your mouth with a soft pop. That sight alone made him squeeze his eyes shut briefly. He shook his head.

“It’s too risky.” He says roughly. He was holding a lot back and your hands were on his chest.

“You do it to me.” You point out as you’re to your knees and your hands slide and caress his thighs and he was in a deep state of conflicting thought.

“I can’t handle it. I will go overboard.”

“Just relax. You’re not going to hurt me.” You say quietly as a hand was flat on his stomach.

“I won’t.”

“I haven’t done this with anyone before.”

He opened his mouth to say something but he didn’t.

You nod and whisper, “It’s okay. I want to thank you for taking care of me.” He leaned up and you both press a kiss to each other, your hand was still wrapped around him as you gently stroke him. One hand couldn’t wrap around him completely, so you used both hands.

He roughly moaned in your mouth before you pull away. You continue to stroke him before going down and sensually coating him a bit with your mouth. You felt him actually twitch against your tongue. You took your time as you’ve never given head before.

It looked as though he spilled milk on himself, you saw first hand how you had him stuck as his dazed expression burst with lust.

Feathers floated around as a deflated pillow was clenched in his hands.

You held up the semen coated hand and held it near your mouth before it started to dry. It reminded you of varnish. It smelled deliciously sweet.

His hand clamped down your wrist and your eyes fly to look up at his. He felt like he was supervising a toddler to keep them from putting something dangerous in their mouth.

“No.” He says sternly.

“I just want to taste.” You whisper at his sobered state.

“No.” He says harshly as you could tell the words affected him as his eyes darkened a bit.

“Why?” You softly chuckled.

“It’s venom, Y/N. I don’t know what will happen if you decide to…” he softened.

“But we kiss.” You timidly point out.

“That’s different.”

You stare at him.

“It smells good. You smell good.” You tell him. He hovered over you and it was your turn to let out a deep groan. His entire hand cupped your mound possessively as he circled your sensitive pearl. The heaviness of his hand made you grip the sheet as his mouth was too busy pleasuring the soft tissue on your chest.

The overstimulation on your nub seemed like a punishment for how much you made him come. Your voice was hoarse from pleading but his talented hand and tongue on your hardened nipple was driving you crazy.

The morning light broke through the windows as he walked in a human pace. You bit back your chuckle while following him as your kid yawned on your hip and wiped their sleepy eye with their hand. They gripped onto the robe that you had slipped on with their other hand.

Edward kissed you as if he was going away for war.

“I can go up to two weeks without feeding.” He reminded you but you shake your head as you remember how he almost pushed without feeding for three weeks during the honeymoon. He was on his way to that.

You pluck a feather out of his hair before you both warmly giggled at each other.

“If this was me telling you this, you wouldn’t want to hear it.” You replied and you both chuckle at this.

“Okay. You caught me.”

“Just hurry back. I love you.”

“I love you both more.”

The kiss resumed and it took you to be the stronger one and break away. He sighed sadly but and you couldn’t help but chuckle quietly. He caressed the child’s cheek with his finger before placing a delicate kiss on the side of their head. They smiled a bit in response. You both watched as he slipped out of the sliding door, disappearing into the backyard vegetation.

It seemed like he was going away for a long time because you kept looking at doorways to see if he was coming back, even though he had left not too long ago.

After eating breakfast and dressing, you and your kid eventually lounged outside in the backyard as they watched you blow bubbles. They clapped their hands to pop them as their eyes lit up at this.

You put the stick back in the bubble mix and blow out again as they gurgle and smile. You saw some of their teeth that was growing in. Some bubbles popped in their face.

A hand held a bubble as if it was a piece of grass.

It held perfectly steadily on Edward’s finger as he showed the child and you both were in awe. It never popped. You just didn’t understand how someone could have the strength to easily crush a lion with one hand but, could delicately hold a bubble that had no weight.

Your kid had their hand in their mouth as they smiled up at Edward.

“Whoa.” You whispered. He glanced over at you with his crooked smile that made your heart stutter.

Your phone buzzed as you were cleaning up the backyard as Edward carried them back into the home. Paul’s father was the contact.

“Y/N, can we talk?”

You type back a response.

“Yes. You can call me.”

“In person. I need to see if you’re okay.”

You look up from your phone as you thought for a second. You heard Edward softly count how many blocks he stacked and you move towards the sounds.

Hanging out in the doorway after a while, made Edward finally stand as the child slowly move the blocks around the same way Edward did when he counted them.

He peers down at you as you were in deep thought. You told him that you needed to leave out for a minute.

“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

“He says it’s important.” You answer.

He didn’t look convinced.

“Let me see the messages.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“I didn’t say that.”

You held the phone in your hand.

He clasped his hand on the top of the device, slowly sliding it out of your hand.

Silently, he swiftly read the screen.

He immediately shook his head.

“A set up, Y/N.”

You furrow your eyebrows in confusion.

“Why would he need to see you in person to see if you’re okay? Any other time he would just call over the phone.”

“I think you’re thinking too deeply about this.” You say quietly.

“If you don’t trust my judgement, then I don’t know what to tell you.”

“I will be fine. You even trust his dad.” You say as he let you take your phone back.

“You’re walking into danger. It came from Paul’s father’s phone but it’s clear he didn’t type that. It clearly a front.” He acknowledged.

You swallow hard.

You didn’t go.

It didn’t stop you from wondering if Edward was right.

You spent your idle time painting out your thoughts. They weren’t big projects but they were safely in your sketchbook.

Blinking your eyes open from being gently shaken awake, you realized you had fallen asleep at your desk.

You rise from your stool with a yawn but have a hand on your back. Your back was sore from the stiff and prolonged position.

“That was a bad idea.” You croak out and Edward picks you up into his arms.

“I can massage your back.” He tells you as your arms kept a tight grip around his neck and your legs kept a tight grip around his waist. His hands slid under your shirt as he continued to walk.

“Is it really massaging or just code for something else.” You tease as he placed open mouth kisses on the crook of your neck.

“I can really massage you.” He says after a perfect but breathy chuckle.

He was on his knees while you were on your stomach on the living room floor. Each rub eased your back as you then felt that his hands were godsend. You fell asleep as he did so.

In the morning light, you inspect the paintbrush. You were so tired, you never even took your paint brush out of the water.

“Aw, man.” You whispered.

“What’s wrong?” His voice rang out.

You show him the frayed brush with a face that showed inconvenience.

“I need a new one. You mind if I go get one really quick?” You ask. It was one of the brushes you used frequently for details.

“You should hurry back. It’s going to storm soon.”

You nod as you both walk towards the front door.

As you walked out of the store, you got a new brush. It wasn’t as good as the one you had, but you knew that something was going to call you to start painting again.

Thick drops thudded one by one on your windshield and you turned on the windshield wipers. Something walked and stood in the middle of the road as you start your journey back.

You gasp loudly as a shirtless Paul came into view instead.

You stomp on the brake and it screeched loudly as he stood motionless in the middle of the street. You softly jerk back in the seat from the force and he was so close, any inch further would’ve made the car tap him. You were relieved that no traffic was around.

He stared at you with dirty look before you stick your head out of the rolled down window.

He slowly walked towards the woods and you call to him but he doesn’t answer. You get out but thunder rumbles. The wind blows, making you shiver out.

“P-Paul?”

“I can’t fucking believe you. You ignoring my warnings? You ruined my fucking life and I can’t even get a response?”

“It’s only temporary-“

“It’s not fucking temporary and you know it!”

“Just calm down. Look, if you just calm down we can talk-“ you try to rush out because he was moving into your direction.

You back away but he turned to face you and continued to step forward. His eyes were dangerously barbarous.

"So...You let the leech really take over." he darkly says. The hairs on your neck raised up.

He slowly walks towards you and you take steps back.

"They're mine, Y/N. Not Cullen’s. Remember that!" he roared out.

You pant as youre frightened.

“His dead dick can’t pump out kids so he goes and steals mine?! And your stupid ass let him?!”

"I'm gonna go." you stuttered.

He blocked your path. There was no way that you were going to leave because you both were pressed against the car. He purposely trapped you.

"Go? What the fuck do you mean you'll just go? Fuck my life up, take my kid from me, and then you just..Go? You’re a fucking horrible mother. A terrible one. You want to sell your dignity to a fucking bloodsucker that’s on you, but my kid, Y/N! You sold your own kid’s soul!” His eyes were so live with viciousness as he dropped every word from his lips.

You close your eyes a bit before blinking them back open and you try to level your breathing, "Paul. You did heinous shit with the cop. Pulling the cop's gun too. Really, Paul? Then, your dad told me how you've just been leaving them with him."

He doesn't say anything but stare at you with a death glare.

“They said you’re unfit.” You add in.

“It’s bullshit and you know it! You think I don’t know what the fuck is going on?” He gripped your trembling face with one hand, “He’s pushing me more and more out of the picture. He’s then going to tell people that’s his child if he hasn’t so already. You don’t fucking get it, do you? He’s got you so tightly wrapped around his finger, it’s fucking crazy.”

“He cares about them, truly. They enjoy Edward. You shouldn’t have been so wild, Paul. They were going to send you to prison. You want this or prison?” You ask. He stared at you for a moment before slowly shaking his head.

"Fuck this." he whispered desperately. You were confused until he reached and grabbed you harshly, pulling you into the neck of the woods.

"Stop! STOP!" you beg as his strong grip on your arm became tighter. You wanted to pull harder but his strength would make you pull your own arm out of socket.

“Let me go, Paul. Please?” You try again in a sweet tone, hoping he would let up. He didn’t.

“You’ll hate me now but you’ll thank me later. I have to do this, Y/N. I’m saving your soul.” He says in a desperate tone that you didn’t recognize.

You try to drag your weight as he pulled you through the woods. He started carrying you and you kicked and protested.

Thick raindrops splat down as thunder rumbled. You were cold, wet and uncomfortable.

You're down on the wet forest ground, he hovered over you as his hand kept both of your hands together above your head as you shake your head, telling him to get off of you. He was too strong and heavy for you to move.

He reached and ripped the ribbon off of your neck, his fingers trailed the mark as his eyes keen in on it.

You saw his eyes darken before a yellow tint was glossing in his eyes and you panic even more. You knew that it was his wolf coming to the surface.

"Oh fuck. Oh fuck." you whispered in panic as you tried to calm yourself down.

"Paul."

You both froze at the familiar voice. It had a deep rumble that fell heavy in the air.

"Get off of Y/N."

Paul tried to fight it with a deep inhumane growl but one word made him oblige.

“Stop. Now.”

His grip on your hands lessened and you’re able to wiggle your hands free.

“Now, let Y/N, go.”

He defeatedly sat back, you’re able to be on your feet.

“Y/N, are you alright?”

“I-I’m okay.” You say obediently to the familiar face.

“Go home.”

Jacob didn’t have to tell you twice as you nodded before you beelined for your car. Had it been other circumstances, you would’ve hugged him and told him how much you missed him but you just wanted to get away. You just wanted to go home.

Your clothes sagged as they soaked in the rain water.

Seats were wet as you drove home in almost a trance like state. You just couldn’t believe what just happened. What could’ve happened had it been too late.

The rain was more heavy now as you parked sloppily in the driveway.

You slam the door but you didn’t mean to, it echoed through the home and Edward's jaw was clenched as he walked towards you. Your teeth chattered uncontrollably. The bag with the brush was forgotten in your car.

"Y/N, unbelievable. You went out with no coat, no umbrella and you're soaked. You're going to get sick. What were you thinking?" he sternly pressed.

"I...I don't know what…I’m thinking." you trail off in a daze and walk away.

“Hang on a second.” He starts to follow you.

He sees your state and goes to touch your arm, but you shy away, flinching at him.

He flinched at the action. Your eyes soften. He was worried.

“You haven’t answered my calls. I was worried, Y/N. What happened to your clothes?”

You just stood there shivering as water dripped onto the polished floor.

“Y/N. What. Happened.” He was slightly frustrated that you wouldn’t speak.

You were in a daze as you just simply couldn’t find a way to tell him what happened.

“Now, I’m talking to a brick wall.” He says with a frustrated tone as he threw his arms up a bit.

“You have to get these wet clothes off of you-“

You started to walk away before he could finish speaking and the bathroom door closed. You pressed two hands against the door with your eyes closed to take a slow breath.

Taking your time in the shower, you thought about what would happen if Paul didn't get stopped. If he marked you again.

An uneasy feeling overwhelmed you as you couldn't help but cry out silently. In the fogged mirror, you look at your neck, the mark that wasn’t fresh but wasn’t faded either. You look to your hip and you just wondered how Edward could stand to look, let alone touch you with them.

Lying in fetal position in bed, you clenched the covers to you as you had on just underwear and a t shirt. You heard his slow and careful footsteps. The cover from your head was abruptly pulled down to reveal an observing Edward.

Edward sat on the bed, placing a hand on your shoulder. “Talk to me, Y/N.”

Your face crumbled.

"You're crying and you wont even talk to me. This doesn't even make any sense." he softly spoke out.

You pull the covers back to your face.

"You don’t understand….You just don’t understand..." you sob out.

He had a pained look on his face as he pulled you to his chest.

“Y/N..I’m sorry for grilling you…Please don’t cry.” He whispered as he rubbed your back.

“I just want you here, with me…You don’t care but I don’t blame you. I’m forever mutilated with this mark on my neck and my hip. I don’t even know how you can stand me. To touch me.” You hiccuped.

“That’s not true…That’s not true.” He shook his head as he had your face in his hands. He felt it was important for you to look at him while he says this.

“Why would you say something like that? I care deeply and you know this. What do you want me to do? I know something happened. I don’t like seeing you worked up like this.” He continued.

“I just want you to love me. It feels better when you’re around and you touch me. I shouldn’t have left.” You whispered.

He pressed his lips to yours. You leaned into the kiss.

His golden eyes were still filled with such worry.

“I love you so much…What happened out there? You're shaken up. Just tell me what really happened. Please.” He whispered.

Your body tried to sob out but you suppressed it.

"I saw him, Edward….I saw him as I was driving home...He stopped in the middle of the road..He tried to force me to submit. He was…He was going to mark me again…In the woods." you whispered.

You saw his emotions change. He was stunned. He slid his hands slowly down your arms as he paused. It was as if he was trying to figure something out. His eyes went dead.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Edward. I’m sorry.” You blubbered out.

“I’m sorry too.” He whispered conversationally to you and laid down a kiss that made you lose your breath.

He then stands. His eyes went dark.

“I haven’t protected you enough…Enough is enough.”

“Edward, don’t!” You sit up with your heart thudding.

“How long are we going to keep this going Y/N?He’s destroyed his own life so now, he’s trying to destroy us. I won’t let him. I promised to always protect you and this is me doing so.” He says in extreme frustration.

You think desperately, “Please…Just please don’t. Please? For me?”

He stared at you as if he was in pain.

“We can..We can go away for a while…Away from here.” You whispered.

“Go where?” He finally whispered back after long silence.

“Um…” you mused as you tried to think.

You sneezed.

His eyes softened.

“I told you.” He whispered in a gentle tone.

“I know.”

“I don’t know how much longer I can go with him harming you,” he kneeled as his face was close to yours, “I love you more than life itself. Anything happens to you, I’ll burn this city to the ground.”

“Had another shifter came too late, he would’ve remarked me…”

His face was painted with slight horror.

“You don’t want me to touch him, but you’re getting a protection order against him.” He decided once and for all.

“Edward-“

“No more. You don’t understand, he tried to mark you in the woods because it’s where his wolf is the most primal.”

You couldn’t say anything as you remember how his eyes were. You still shuddered at the thought.

You woke up sick.

You sneezed harshly. You blow your nose and throw the tissue in the small garbage can that was next to you on the floor.

Edward placed a hand on your forehead and you close your eyes as your fever made your body hot. His hand felt really nice.

“How do you feel?”

“Like crap.” You whisper. He moved his hand to rest under your jaw and you soaked in him cooling you down.

He then held the spoon out and you take it in your mouth, the broth soothes you.

"Wow, this is really good." you whisper.

You earn a smile and another spoonful.

“Edward?”

“Yes, darling.”

“Does the baby-“ you accept the spoon full of soup and swallow, “Does the baby in a sense know that you aren’t human?”

“Besides sometimes thinking that my hands are cold, I don’t think so….I feel special when they see me, they get excited. They know that they’re safe with me and that’s the main thing that matters the most to me.”

You weakly match his smile before you swallow more broth.

“When…Alice saw them in their vision…Did you two have a good relationship?”

It was like you had reignited something inside of him.

“Yes..We will..I only saw bit and pieces but we were close…They’re a beautiful person and they will grow up into it.”

“Did I age?”

“Y/N, even if you were a hundred years old, I’m not leaving your side.”

“That’s gross. You’ll be changing my pampers.” You say and you both burst into a laugh, yours was cut short as you covered your mouth with your elbow as you coughed a mucus filled cough.

He held the cup and had a hand on your back as you slowly drank some warm tea that he brought.

You look to him and he warmly looks back.

“You look the exact same, Y/N…Even when they’re older.”

“See? You didn’t have to change me to be like you.” You say with a smile. You felt deep relief.

“Changing you is the last resort. The very last resort.”

“Like, if I’m dying or something?

He nods.

“Why building blocks? They’ll want to build things?” You try to squeeze out but he shook his head and you weakly chuckled a bit.

“Nice try. I’m not telling you.” He smiled.

“Fine..But, the important question is…Will they draw like me?” You ask.

And Paul? Even though he didn’t do it often, he was still good.

He sighed lightly as he thought about it before answering, “All kids like to color.”

“You’re boring.” You playfully say.

He chuckled with amusement.

“So…Why Esme? She’s great and all, but I’m just curious of how come it’s her that they will be the closest to, out of the whole family?”

He gave a nonchalant shrug, “Her motherly instincts that never went away, I guess. She had a child but they died really young…She fell from a cliff…It’s how she met Carlisle. They thought she was dead when she had arrived at the morgue he was working at.”

“That’s..I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. A curse had turned into a blessing in the end.”

Your sickness went away rather quickly to your surprise. You kept your distance during to make sure the child didn't catch the germ.

He followed what you said, however, he told you where you two were going was a surprise.

You blink your eyes open as a secluded area surrounded the car that Edward was driving.

“Whose house is this?” You ask as he put it in park. He didn’t have to say anything because you saw the figures emerge from the secluded home.

You got out of the car after Edward opened your car door for you.

“Tanya?” You smile.

Alaska.

“Y/N!” Tanya exclaimed and zipped to you and picked you up in a hug. You hug her back. You chuckle at her excitement. Her eyes flicker to Edward before she gasped.

“The cute little baby!” She cooed as she held her hands out and the child just stared at her. Edward stifled back a chuckle as the child scrunched more into Edward’s hold.

“Hey, Y/N. Edward.” Kate says as she hugged you. Irina gave you a friendly smile. You smile back.

“Come in, we’re all just standing outside.” Irina says and you all enter the home.

The two sisters tried their best to persuade the child into their arms.

They chose to be in Irina’s arms instead.

She smiled at them, feeling special and honored that they were comfortable. They played with a strand of her hair as they sat on her hip.

“Not that we enjoy you lovely Cullens, what do we owe this surprise visit?” Kate says.

“We needed a breather. The city life has been…Stressful.” You say.

Just then, Eleazar and Carmen hugged you both.

“It’s nice to see you again.” Carmen smiled.

“You as well.” You reply.

Eleazar eventually pulled you alone to talk, you both walked with no lingering ears as you both looked at the Denali mountain that was visible from their home.

“They’re going to have amazing memory if they don’t already…” Eleazar spoke out.

“Oh.” you smile a bit.

“They like observing their surroundings. Observing people…A very smart baby.”

“Thanks.” you smile.

His golden eyes flickered down and he smiled a bit.

“Nice necklace.”

“Thanks. Edward gave this to me….He calls me his angel.” you admit shyly.

“There’s a reason why. You’re an angel to him because you’ve healed him.” he nods and spoke with wisdom.

You don’t take it seriously.

“He’s the one who healed me. I’m the one with the messy divorce.” You sighed.

“He only returned the favor…Just think about it. You already take our pain away from being thirsty. It’s easy to forget that we need blood at all when we’re around you.”

“Hence the morphine reference.”

He nods.

“That’s a great way to put it, morphine.”

“Does the baby’s blood smell to any of you?” You ask.

“Nope. That natural baby smell is such a relief to all of us.”

You nod with a smile.

You both walk and entered back in the home and all you heard was the three sisters baby talking to your kid. Fighting for their attention.

A plate of food was served to you as Edward pulled out your chair. You sat down and start eating, the sisters are in your face, which makes Edward leave after taking the child from Irina’s arms.

“When is he changing you?” Kate asks in a hushed tone.

“Never.” You admitted.

You looked back up and they were frozen.

“What?” You ask swallowing your food.

“Are you..Kidding. You’re kidding. Right?” Tanya whispered shouted.

“No..I’m not kidding.” You chuckled.

They all looked at each other.

“The mark..From the shifter keeps me from aging…” you say.

“Well…That’s not a guarantee.” Irina spoke.

You shrug.

“We’re your family now. Not the shifters…They killed my Laurent.” she says with loathing.

“I’m sorry about your mate.” You replied and she seemed appreciative of your support.

“Y/N, are you finished?” Edward asks and you whip your head around to see him in the doorway with an annoyed expression.

“Yeah.” You say.

He takes your plate as you get up from the table.

“Edward, it only makes sense to change your wife.” Tanya spoke with a playful grin.

“It makes more sense for you to be quiet.” He says back without hesitation.

Kate snickered.

“Anyway. We’re stealing you today.” Tanya declares with a point at you, even ignoring Edward’s looks of protest.

“Sorry, Edward. You’re on daddy duty today.” Kate says.

A quick but shared look passed between you and Edward.

They took you to see the glaciers. They were beautiful as massive tidewater glaciers calved into the ocean. You immediately itched to paint.

You laughed a lot.

They took turns stealing your digital camera and lots of pictures with them showed that you all were having a great time. It looked as if they were your best friends since forever by the way you all posed and interacted together.

Coming home, you weren’t looking forward to it.

Edward kissed your troubled face before you both entered the judge’s home.

“He won’t hurt you. I promise. He won’t get anywhere near you. I promise.”

You look and then nod. He pressed a lingering kiss on your forehead.

“A protection order against Paul Lahote, is granted. You don’t have to go to court, Y/N. He will be served. I already grant it.” The judge says with a friendly smile. Edward nods in satisfaction as he gently squeezed your hand.

As your child was sleeping through the night, your fingers plucked at the clay. Your fingers swiftly smoothed out the surface of the clay sculpted face. As you smoothed the cheekbones of the sculpture, you felt Edward’s lips press on your neck.

“What do you want?” You tease in a whisper.

“Nothing.” He says innocently as his hands slithered around your waist from behind.

“Yeah, right.” You snort and you feel his chin rest on your shoulder.

He stays like that for a while, you almost forgot he was over your shoulder until he spoke close to a lulling voice.

“Come to bed.”

“Let me finish.”

“It’s lonely in bed.” He says.

“Okay, once I finish.”

You try to finish but he was antsy even though he tried to be discreet about it. You set the materials down once he started to mess around with your things. You wash your hands at the sink. You couldn’t even reach to dry your hands because your feet was already off of the ground from him carrying you.

You threw your head back as you whined as you bucked your hips. He interlaced his fingers with yours as you rode out your high. He was so strong, you were able to easily use his hands to help you bounce upon his stiff flesh before you violently shuddered.

The laptop glowed as someone liked your finished clay sculpture that you took a photo of. They asked if you could sculpt one for their fashion show in New York.

Looking through their own profile, they were a respected designer. Not as big or mainstream but it was clear that they were talented. You agree.

You told Edward as you both let your kid try frozen yogurt in the afternoon.

“This is the start.” He comments.

“Yeah. I want to take both of you. I can’t imagine leaving without you two.” You say as you reach and wiped a creamy smear from their cheek.

“Esme will watch them.” He smiled a bit.

“Okay.” You smile softly.

You called her on the phone when you all got home and she answered after the first ring. You tell her and she’s happy for you of course.

“We’re taking the baby this time. Esme, would you like to accompany?” You ask.

Her tone lights up.

“I would love to go.” She says and you could hear the smile over the phone.

“You’re so good with them.” You compliment and she seemed touched as you both lounged in the hotel room. The child climbed into her arms. Edward was away hunting.

“Well, I never could get over my mothering instincts…Did Edward tell you I had lost a child?”

“Yeah…He did.” You say as you tried to be sympathetic but she didn’t bring pity upon herself. It was as if she told a story. Her story.

“Yes, my first and only baby. He died just a few days after he was born, the poor tiny thing.” She sighed.

“I couldn’t even imagine…” you shake your head slightly.

“It broke my heart. That’s why I jumped off the cliff, you know.” She added, it was in a matter of factly tone.

“Wait..Jumped?….Edward said you fell.” You furrowed your eyebrows. She smiled a bit.

“Always the gentleman.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at that.

“I’m so happy he’s found you, dear.” She says dripping with endearment.

“It took a long way to get to this point, I’ll tell you.”

“It worked out well in the end. It’s a great shame that it had to happen through heartache but…You both found the light from each other. He was the first to be our son and it hurt me to see him by himself. You’re what he wants.”

You nod.

A small yawn broke into the air.

“They’re falling asleep.” Esme says as she rubbed their back. Their head rested on her shoulder. They were having a hard time keeping their eyes open before finally giving up and letting their heavy eyelids cover their eyes.

“I’m going to go downstairs and get something to drink. I’ll be quick.”

“Take your time.” She encouraged.

You look over and see someone staring at you.

“I’ve seen your face before.” The person staring says.

“I haven’t seen yours before.” You say.

He grinned and after words flowed, you find out that he’s an artist too. He invited you out for a party with other artists. He claimed he wanted to introduce you to people.

“Can’t. Have an early morning tomorrow.” You say.

“So do I but it isn’t stopping me.” He says.

Edward slowly made his way over as you two chuckled. He doesn’t say hello, blatantly ignoring him and doesn’t give space for you to introduce each other.

“Y/N..Esme is waiting for us.”

“You got a bedtime at your big age?” The other artist jokes with an elbow nudge on your arm.

“Walk away.” Edward spoke rudely.

“What?” The guy blinked.

“I said walk away.” Edward hissed with impatience, almost a snarl.

“Jeez…Learn to take a joke man.” He says but it was evident that he was frightened by whatever look Edward had on his face. His hand even shook as he picked up his phone.

Edward’s glare lasted until he was walking away.

Once he was out of earshot, you turn to him.

“Rude, much?” You glowered at him. He wasn’t fazed and did not care.

“I don’t trust him.” He spoke out nonchalantly.

“Why?”

“Because, I don’t like his thoughts.”

“He makes brilliant art.”

“It’s what made him cocky.”

“This could be a good opportunity. He wants to introduce me to some people.”

“Y/N, you’ll have more. And way better than that.”

“Not if you take them away first.” You muttered. He gave you a blank look.

“Why are you fighting with me?” He asked with a blink.

“Because you’re being annoying.” You quietly whined a bit.

“Y/N, just listen to me.” He says.

“What?”

“Just please trust my judgment.”

“I’m not going to cheat on you.”

He smiled a bit.

“I know you won’t. Other people having different intentions than you, is what I’m worried about.”

“You don’t trust me?” You look at him offended.

He closed his eyes as he furrowed his eyebrows as he carefully spoke out.

“I do trust you, Y/N. That’s why I’m frightened. You will do the right thing in front of someone bad.”

You both rode up the elevator.

Esme opened the door as she grinned a bit with a finger to her lips. You then become relaxed at the mellow environment.

“It’s my turn.” She says softly to Edward.

“Sorry to keep you.” You tell her but she waved you off.

“Thanks Esme." he told her quietly and she gently touched his arm with a soft smile.

You lay on your side in bed as you felt his kisses on your face. They didn’t let up and you stay frozen. They never went away as his hand slightly brushed the skin that was under your shirt.

“I want to sleep.” You whisper to him and he paused.

You felt bad.

You turn over and still give him a proper kiss. He then made sure the covers reached your shoulders before you decided to close your eyes.

You gasped awake.

Edward was on high alert but you held a hand to your rapidly beating heart.

“I’m sorry Edward. I should’ve listened to you-“ you deliriously ramble but it’s muffled as he pulled you to him. You catch your breath into his shirt.

He patiently waits until you’re calmed down.

“It’s just a dream.”

“A vivid one. Oh my god…” you say through uneven breaths.

“It’s okay. It’s not real.”

“It felt real.”

“It’s not.” He rubbed your shoulder. You couldn’t go back to sleep.

“How long was I asleep?” You say as the room was still dark.

“Twenty minutes tops.”

You groan slightly as you lay back on your pillow.

“Would you like me to sing you to sleep?" he asked gently.

"I'm not tired...Do you want to draw with me?" You whispered.

"Yeah." you heard the smile in his voice.

He turned the lamp on and you both warmly look at each other with a soft chuckle.

"You're going to be tired in the morning." He teases you with a soft poke.

"I don't care. I'd rather do this instead of sleeping anyway." You tell him as you both started doodling on the same large page.

"You like drawing with me?” He asks gently.

“Yeah. I like drawing with you.” You tell him softly as you both drew close together.

Two figures looked to be in a dream. They lied on their backs staring at each other on the page. There was a sense of tranquility as you looked at it. It made you want to experience what the two people were experiencing. Soaking in each other’s existence.

The styles were vastly different but worked so great together. You couldn’t stop staring at it.

“Okay. Get some sleep.” He says as he puts the sketchbook and pencils away.

“Still not tired.” You frown but he kissed it away.

He placed a hand on your thigh.

“I can tire you out.” He smiled a bit.

You peak up at him with a shy chuckle, “But, Esme.”

“She won’t be back until the morning.” He reassured you.

Clothes were shed as you softly moaned in the dark. Your legs were over his shoulders as his hands never left from massaging your naked breasts. All you felt was the flick and dig of his cool tongue as you shuddered out uncontrollably. He ate you like you were his favorite meal. You quietly cried out as you blindly combed your fingers through his hair.

In the morning, you didn’t want to wake up. You ignore his sniggers at your tired state, you focused on finishing up the last touches to a colorful and avant-garde coded clay sculpture.

The designer loved it and insisted you come to the show.

You and Edward sat close but you felt bad that you didn’t pay much attention to anything else after your sculpture was shown at the show.

You both were too busy whispering affectionate words to stroke each other’s egos. You both were too busy giggling quietly with each other as you two whispered conversation.

It was unknown.

“It’s J. Answer.”

“Um I’m just going to take this really quick.” You say and leave back out when you and Edward came back from the show.

“Okay.” Edward says and he watched as you walk further down the hall as you looked at your phone.

The unknown number calls again.

You answer once you saw him enter the hotel room.

“Are you by yourself?”

“Yes.” You replied quietly.

“You’re a Cullen now, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Just tell me, Y/N….What was it about him?”

You took in a breath and spoke, “Love is unexplainable, Jake…It’s just a feeling…He treats me and my kid so well. He’s a good person.”

“You gonna let Paul still see them, right?”

“I don’t know…What he did was dangerous, someone could’ve gotten hurt and it was either prison time or this. I at least fought to keep him out of jail.”

“Y/N. Did you ever think about what would happen if they think Edward is their dad? You’re letting them carry his last name. It will get tricky if things get rough and you decide to divorce him.”

“You know that I’m married?”

“Come on, I could see that diamond ring from a mile away.”

“I doubt that will happen. They know that Paul is their father…They just know that Edward cares for them as his own.”

“Did you have them around the others?”

“Yes.”

“They most likely will phase before puberty. That’s a lot of vampire funk.”

You didn’t mean to breathe out a soft laugh but the ice was broken as you both took that moment to chuckle together. You both deeply missed the friendship.

“But, seriously. Alice, who sees the future, can see that they won’t shift. They’ll be human.”

“Is she usually accurate?”

“Yes but when decisions change, futures change.”

“Make wise decisions then.”

“I’ll try.”

“I took Paul in. He’s apart of my pack now. He hates that I tell him what to do but…He’s grateful to be able to be back on La Push land.”

“So, he’s not in Tacoma anymore?”

“Nope.”

“I’m working again.”

“That’s good….Y/N, now that you picked your side, you know you can’t step foot into La Push anymore.”

“Yeah.” You say quietly.

“Who was that?” Edward asks as you came back in.

“An old friend of me and Paul’s. I can’t step foot into La Push anymore.”

“Well, let’s not let that conversation distract you.”

A knock rang out in cue. He hugged you tight and breathing in his smell calmed you down from your nervousness.

It looked as you two were kissing each other farewell but his lips were pressed on the side of your mouth.

“Artnews. It’s a quick interview. Don’t look down when you talk. Just be yourself. Just talk passionately about your art.” He whispered and you nod.

You smile politely as they ask you questions in the hotel room. You both sat in the art space that you were occupied with. It was a laid back moment.

They compliment your sculpture from the show.

“Thanks. Sorry about the mess.” You say as your art space was a bit scattered.

“No need to apologize, I feel like I have an exclusive sneak peak of your next project. Your art challenges the viewer. Why do you think people are afraid of pull out the deep feelings that you do?” the interviewer asks.

“Well, art has no obligation to be comforting. It has no obligation to be controlled…I want to show a different side to people’s neural pathways.”

“Sounds invasive.”

You shrug with a shy smile, “That’s the point.”

“You’ve rejected the traditional approach to art. Why?”

“Tradition is just dead people that’s still trying to boss the living around.”

They softly chuckle with a nod.

“Do you have new inspiration? If so, is it easy to get?”

“Yeah...My inspiration comes from moments in my life...People in my life. My husband. My kid. They’re important figures and a lot of my feelings come from moments with them.”

“That is right, you did have a family. Do you feel that your art has changed since your baby?”

You nod, “Yeah. It’s more lucid. In my opinion, it’s more creative and I find myself playing around with nostalgia.”

“We can’t wait to see the terrible two’s stage and what art you will come up with.”

You both chuckle a bit.

“I’m sure it will be okay.” You say.

“Yeah, it’s great that you have your husband who helps out.”

“Yes. He’s been a big help. He’s the one who supports me the most since I’ve been working again.”

“That’s awesome…Okay now, which are they the closest to? Mom or dad?” They ask humorously.

You nervously chuckle a bit, “They love both parents the same.”

“Oh, that’s what all parents say. But, speaking of love, do you love parenthood? Also, what was it like when you two found out that you two were having a bundle of joy?”

“Parenthood is fun..And expecting them was life changing. At least for me.” You nervously whispered.

“Yeah, I can imagine. Was dad excited?”

You nod at this and they ask more questions before wrapping it up. You breathe out a sigh of relief when they leave.

You rested your forearms on your knees while slumped over. You heard the door shut and you look up to Edward and Esme holding your kid.

“How was it?” Esme smiled.

“It was good.” You lightly say but Edward blankly stared at you.

“There’s a children’s museum not too far from here. I think the baby will enjoy that.” Edward says as he continued to try to figure you out.

“Y/N, do you mind if I take them?” Esme asks.

“No..Not at all.” You answer quietly.

Esme then waved the finger they were holding onto and cooed at them at what they were going to see as she was walking out.

He walked over as the door closed, he sits down close to you and used a hand to cup your chin. You softly yank your chin out of his grasp.

“What’s wrong?” He murmured.

“I'm not in a mood. I'm going to end up taking things out on you.” You grumbled.

“You should feel really good about today, Y/N.”

You inhale sharply before facing him.

“The whole world is going to think I had a kid with you, Edward. This makes things worse. For me.”

“It won’t. Look, I can see if I can get them to change the statements you don’t like-“

You shake your head.

“It’s too late….This is bad. He’s going to see.” You mutter as you rise up and walk aiming towards your workspace. He follows right behind you.

"It's not bad, Y/N. It’s not bad at all."

"Paul is going to see or read this interview-” you shook your head, “You don’t even care.” You get up to go into the bedroom.

“I do-”

“You don’t. The things that actually matter, you don’t care about. You only care about what you want to care about.”

“I think you’re going a bit too far because you and I both know that’s not true at all.”

You sigh a bit and you try to close the door to the room but his foot blocks it. You give him a slight glare.

“I’m not budging.” He tells you. You slump your shoulders and he makes his way further into the room.

He sits down near you and pry your hands from your face, revealing the moisture in your eyes that didn’t fall just yet.

“Hey, things are good, Y/N.”

“For you or for me?”

He wasn’t fazed by your statement, “For us.”

“You know what he told me? He told me I was-”

“Why are you worried about what he told you? What he says is to simply hurt you because he’s bitter. It shouldn’t matter.”

“I want to go home.” You reply quietly in defeat.

"Why?”

“Because I want to go home.” You repeat.

“I thought you wanted to work again.” He furrowed his eyebrows.

“Well, I want to go home.”

He quietly sighed as he shook his head.

“What, Edward, what?” You say dripping with annoyance. He had an annoyed expression.

“It’s foolish, Y/N. Especially now out of all times. You’re doing what you’ve been wanting to do again.”

“Why do you really want me to stay?”

“I want you to stay because you wanted to work again and now that you’re working again, I see how you light up when you make things. We can work it out without you running into danger. He doesn’t even know that you’re here. What happens if you run into him again? You were so shaken up and I just hate seeing you like that.”

“Whatever.” You mutter. He shrugged as he continued to look out of the window.

You both didn’t speak because you both knew it would be forced conversation but he stared. A lot. Esme eventually came back with them and she gave them a bath.

In a way, you were extra glad she helped keep the environment light and upbeat.

“Oh my god!” You smile as you finally rush to Edward the next morning.

Edward was on high alert but you turn your laptop around. An email.

“Sorry to scare you.” You chuckled nervously a bit and the relaxed, small smile that you missed, cracked on his face. You set the laptop down where he was sitting as you bend a bit, his hand was on your lower back.

“What did you read?” He asked quietly.

“You read it.” You encouraged with an excited tone and open the same email.

It was a collab with a household name fashion brand. They saw your article in ArtNews and wanted to play into the world of nostalgia that you were talking about.

He read it over. He looks up and before he opened his mouth, you speak first.

“And I don’t want to hear I told you so.”

He grinned to himself.

“I’m proud of you, sweetheart.”

You smile a bit before standing straight. You weren’t standing for long until you’re lifted into his lap.

“Look.” He says and his hand moves on your mousepad and pulls up the published article.

You silently read it, trying to find anything wrong.

“They released it fast..It’s not as bad as I thought it would be.” You whisper.

“I told you that you shouldn’t worry.”

“I hate being stressed out.” You whispered as you slump against him.

“This will be a good day. A good couple of weeks. You should be excited.”

“I’m a little excited.” You admit with a shy smile.

He laced a kiss on your eyelid before guiding your face to his lips.

You stayed an extra week in the city.

Constellations was a major theme that you settled on designing. It also reminded you of your kid. They had star pajamas and a stuffed star from Edward that they enjoyed.

Edward traced the temporary facial tattoos that were on your face after a long day. The brand thought it would be a cool idea to use you as a teaser of something coming, it was outside of the box as they shot your Polaroids.

Your face wasn’t familiar to many but your art was. The public just thought you were just another face for their brand. Just like the brand had wanted before they were to drop the big but secret announcement.

“What if these were real?” You ask him and he smiles. He kissed each star.

“How was it?” He asked in a gentle tone.

“Great.” You say as you felt tickled by his affection.

You talked his head off while you cleaned your face off as he listened and asked questions that made your answers deeper.

For dinner, he took you out to a nice restaurant.

“We’re all packed up. We don’t have to leave yet.” You note with confusion as you eagerly dig into your dinner.

“I’ve been speaking with Esme. Her and Carlisle are thinking about coming back to Ithaca. Settling.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” He nods.

“Oh. What about the others? They’ll stay in Spokane?”

“That’s the other thing. They want to move closer. They’re coming here as well. It won’t be under the same roof but..” he shrugged.

“I like our space. I’m sure they like their own as well.” You chuckled and he nods, matching yours.

“Anyway…” he starts as he gently tapped one finger gently on the table, “I’ve been thinking….We can stay too and make this home. I can get us put up of course.”

Your fork clinked on the plate.

“Stay?” You whispered. He stared at you. You leaned back in your seat.

“As in like…Stay, stay?” You asked.

“Our home away from home. You’re going to be working here a lot now. There’s no sense of us flying back forth.”

“Seattle has been good to us.” You say as you blinked rapidly to get an understanding.

“It has.”

“So, let’s not leave, Edward.” You nervously chuckled.

“I mean..Y/N…You have to think realistically here. After this collab, there’s no where else but to go up. You’re on the incline. Things aren’t going to be mellow for a while.” He says.

“I know…”

“We will still have our home in Seattle to come to back to, Y/N, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Edward.” You whispered as you chuckled a bit. He chuckled slightly too.

“What?” He asked.

You just shake your head as he repeats another what.

“You’re something else.” You tell him.

“Do you like it here? If the city noise gets too loud, for you from time to time, I know my way around.” He reminded.

“This city doesn’t bring back painful memories for you?” You asked curiously.

He shook his head, “It brings the best memories…You got your first representative here. You made the marvelous piece that I love, here. I drew you here. I realized I’ve fallen in love with you here…Washington brings back painful memories. The only good part about it was that I met you there.”

“Is this like home to you?” You whispered. He nodded.

“You’re the most important thing in my world. I only want the best for you and this city just brings out the best in you, a different type of glow, even if you can’t see it. Just trust me.”

“I do trust you.” You say softly as you look from his intense eye contact.

“We can finally get out of this hotel. Be more comfortable. I know you want more room to do your work.” He gestured as he waved his hand a bit.

You think for a moment, “I like Washington’s trees…It’s peaceful there. I like our home that you set up for us. It’s going to be a lot of hustle and bustle here.”

Deep down you wanted to stay. But, you didn’t know what it meant for the future.

“I love our home together…It’s just..With everything going on, you don’t have to look over your shoulder here. You’re at ease here. When you want nature, we can always have the choice to break away for a breather. I want us to really be at peace.”

“Knowing you, you already have something together…Do you?” you replied with a knowing tone and he looked as if he got caught with his hand in a cookie jar. He nods.

“I don’t want us to make decisions out of fear.” You said.

“We’re not. It’s realistic decisions. Each week is going to keep getting extended. This hotel is cramped and we deserve to stretch out. Plus, I’m not gambling with safety anyway. Not yours. Not the baby’s.”

“So…New York..We stay here until I get washed up?”

He shook his head a bit, “Y/N, stop it. Your art is timeless.”

“Look, that’s great that you think that and all but..What happens when they…You know…Start school? We will still be here?”

He sat back in his chair a bit, “Which place do you think will allow them to grow with opportunity for their future the most? Here or Washington?”

“I’m…Not in the mood tonight.” You mumble with closed eyes into your pillow that night. The kisses on your neck paused and so did his hand that graced your lower stomach.

“Are you mad at me?”

“No..Im just tired…It’s a hefty transition. I need to just think about things. I love you Edward, but I don’t know how this will all play out.”

“Okay.” He whispered and kissed your cheek, “I love you forever. I just want you to be happy.”

As you and the creative director drew up rough drafts for the designs the next morning, you ask them.

“Do you like living in New York?”

“Yes, I’m a native so I’m biased,” you both chuckle, “But, it’s nice to get around without a car, that’s my favorite part. There’s always something to do.”

“Well, my husband and I were thinking about living here, leaving Washington.” You say and they visibly looked excited which shocked you in a way.

“In that case, let me enjoy every moment of this because once you move here, people are going to be fighting over you, girl.” They teased with a poke.

You were in the middle of closing your laptop after arriving home when you saw Edward standing in the doorway. Esme took the child to the park, it was a cloudy but warm day.

“Take a walk with me?”

You both walked through the streets, he made sure to link your arm tightly with his.

The walk was about ten minutes but nothing was said during. The honking and the loud talking around you filled the silence.

It was a very tall building, so tall that it hurt to try to tilt your neck to look up. The doorman smiled brightly, mostly at Edward.

“Hello, Mr and Mrs. Cullen.”

You wave as Edward gave them a quick nod.

You both silently step out of the highly secured private elevator and the private hallway was silent. Almost as silent as Washington as you stood there, watching him then unlock the door with a keycard.

He stood to the side as he pushed the door open, he gestured for you to go in first. The dramatic entrance hall with high ceilings and rich finishes almost knocked you off of your feet.

If he hadn’t had his hand in yours, you would’ve still stood at the door. Your jaw slightly dropped and your eyes stared in awe.

The tall ceilings made you feel small. The triple height glasses in the living room showed the sun that was setting, showing off the orange in the sky.

Multiple seating areas took up the living room with a grand piano, and gallery scale art. Your piece that he bought from you was on display in a glass box.

The dining room had a shiny table, big enough to entertain guests, with Central Park and city skyline views. Lavish couldn’t even explain.

The kitchen had marble countertops with a massive island, custom cabinetry, and dual subzero fridges. La Cornoue range and Gaggenau appliances was accompanied with an adjoined breakfast room.

Discreetly close to the living room, was the home library that had warm wood finishes, windows showing the park views. Workspace was also in the library. Quiet reading was doable as the smell of books vacationed in your nostrils.

Coming out, you saw that there was half baths for guests with designer stone and fixtures.

A private elevator bank and grand staircase was the architectural focal point, they connected all levels with sculptural grace.

Herringbone floors covered the steps that you were taking, museum quality lighting shone throughout the home. Venetian plaster and lacquered paneling all throughout.

Smart home integration was an additional feature with security fully automated.

You both walked up the sublime spiral staircase. He was behind you as you walked up the stairs slowly. It was a lot to take in.

The second floor included a private sitting lounge with a fireplace, a midnight kitchen, and a spa inspired bathroom with soaking tub, rain shower, dual vanities, and skyline views. Two walk in closets were the size of small apartments, you knew that Alice would have fun filling such closets.

The additional bedrooms had en-suite marble bathrooms, custom closets, and views in every direction.

The media room and game room was equipped for private screenings, entertaining, or recreation.

You both walked in the glass enclosed aerie at the highest elevation, it was easy to watch the sunrise with the private lounge in the sky lounge. You didn’t meditate but it made you want to start.

There even an indoor pool that glowed with lights all around.

Your child’s room in Washington was laughable as you circled around the grand bedroom. Nothing but entertainment for them, even a moving train track that hooted in occasion. They had a closed off balcony in their room, with a telescope sitting tall.

The multiple wraparound terraces in the home was occupied with seating and gardens.

You looked at the skyline with your arms crossed after you took a look at the room that you were going to share with Edward. It had the best view as you could see the unparalleled view of the entire city and water. There was no denying the feeling of ease as you knew you wouldn’t have to worry. There was no anxiety. You genuinely felt that you were on top of the world. Overlooking everything, close to the clouds, the pinnacle of your life was screaming in your face. You were going to be living on the top floor of the tallest penthouse in New York.

“Penthouse princess.” He quietly says with a mature chuckle that reminded you of his years of living. His hands rest on your shoulders.

After a rain like shower and putting on something comfortable, you stood as you looked at the closet in the bedroom. It still looked scarce with the things that you brought from the hotel.

Edward wrapped up his lullaby that he was humming as he laid the sleeping child down to rest. You turn and walk away and you still were in shock that you had a private elevator in your home.

Sitting quietly in the home’s art studio, you felt so small in the opulent room. The stale smell of paint that you told him you loved, was strong in the room as the mechanical pencil was gripped in your hand.

You flipped through your sketchbook for an empty page and an unfamiliar but beautiful drawing was left behind. You knew you didn’t draw it. You couldn’t stop staring. It looked as though the drawing had taken weeks to draw but the freshness told you otherwise.

It was a portrait of you. Your heart thudded as you looked so ethereal and so angelic.

A note in cursive handwriting that only you knew, was underneath the portrait on the bottom of the page.

“Idoru my divine wife

- your husband ”

His play on words to say he adored you made you melt and grow a sappy smile.

You found him in the home library, nose deep in a book.

“It’s not fair.” You say as you raise your sketchbook. He looked up from his book that he was reading, you move closer to show him. He didn’t mark his place in his book as he closed it and set it to the side. You saw that the cover read ‘Idoru’ as he took your sketchbook and lifted you into his lap in one swift move.

He held the drawn out portrait of you as you both looked down at it.

“Nice to know the reference: I adore you.”

“I adore you too.” He smiled.

You playfully roll your eyes a bit at this but you noticed how light and content he was. His spirit was different, yet filled with serene.

“I…I still doubted this move…And I’ve come to realize that I could be happy here. Not because it’s all..Extravagant,” you both share a heartfelt chuckle, “But, I see the effort you put in to make it comfortable and homey. I don’t mean to worry but I just want to make the right decision.”

“You were just nervous and that’s normal,” he says as he caressed the outside of your thigh, “I just refuse to hold you back from your potential.”

“Thank you, honey.”

“Let’s get you to bed.” He says and he’s up and moving before you could hear the full sentence.

He lays you down and he lays down next to you with a happy expression.

“Oh, how I missed a sturdy bed.” He says as he nuzzled your neck.

You burst out a chuckle, “Shut up.”

But deep down, you did too.

The side of your head was pressed against the matrress while you were on your stomach as your fist clenched the pillow right next to you, your face scrunched as your hooded eyes had a clear view of New York at night. The city that never sleeps. The sight almost made you cry, but you didn't know if it was really Edward's moans in your ear. Eventually, it sounded like a harmonic duet as his flesh was pumping rhythmically as his body weight crushed down on you.

His hand snaked on your body until he intertwined his hand with yours. The wedding rings that stood on you and his finger, crushed against each others. His hips waved forward in a delicious rhythm as your legs uncontrollably trembled. He took his time as his legs were tangled with yours.

In the morning, as the sun was rising, you woke up moaning as his head full of hair was in between your legs when you looked down.

You groaned and moaned as he kept your legs wide open for him while you blindly buck your hips at the sensation of his mouth eating at you. A tear snaked out of your eye as you came very hard, you thought you were going to die from your heart stopping.

“I have an off day today. You don’t have to cook for me though.” You whispered after you calm your breathing down. He pulled you into a tight cuddle after a sweet kiss that he laid on your lips.

“I like cooking for you.” He whispered.

“I just want some cereal.” You admit with a tired shrug.

You set the empty bowl of cereal that Edward insisted on pouring for you, in the sink. The daylight lit up the eating room beautifully. It felt like you were floating in a dream. You walk over to the child’s abandoned high chair to clean up as Edward blew gentle raspberries on their stomach and their loud laughter rang out from the other room.

You were rinsing off the soap suds that was on their tray. You heard the soft sounds of their small footsteps. The child was gripped the side of your loose sweatpants that was on your leg to steady themselves.

“Hi.”

You look over and down, you give them a brilliant smile in response to their soft voice. They smile back up at you with shyness as you bend down and hug their small waist.

“Hi, my cute baby. Now gimme kisses.” you coo to them.

They babble as you kiss their cheeks until they get tired of you, they then let go and their small feet started slowly walking away with their arms up walking towards Edward who entered the room.

You turn back around to finish cleaning as you heard their titters.

It was a soft but cute sound, completely taking you off guard.

“Ded-dy.”

The word hit the floor like glass and you immediately whip around. Edward looked at you like a deer in headlights. Your heart thudded out of your chest.

“They’re not supposed to-” You choke out. You take them out of his arms, wet hands and all, and take them up into their room. You softly bounce them in your arms as they continued to be innocently oblivious.

“Y/N.” You heard Edward’s whisper as he entered.

They look at him with an enthused smile and they jerked their body in your arms towards his figure with their arms out.

“Edward, please.” You whispered back with squeezed shut eyes. You held them tighter as they tried to slide out of your arms.

“Eleazar isn’t wrong. They have good memory…Y/N, we can talk. Please? Let’s talk.”

You look at the child who seemed to sense your uneasiness as they curiously furrowed their eyebrows as they looked at you. They were pushing against you as they want to be put down. They started to whine a bit.

You slowly set them down and they began to walk towards the toy that they wanted before picking it up and gripped Edward’s pant leg. Edward looked down at them.

Confliction was pressed on his face as he wanted to pick up the child but he didn’t feel it was appropriate with this moment.

“They know that Paul is their father.” He tells you, “They remember him well.”

“So, why call you that too?” You ask as you shook with anxiousness.

“They think they have two fathers.”

“Well they don’t!” You point out your hand.

“They’re only one. They don’t know any better. It’s like how kids think they have two birthdays.”

“Edward, this is serious. I don’t want them to be confused.” You say on the brink of tears. Your heart was beating out of your chest.

“Eleazar knows the gifts that one possesses. It’s his own gift. He told me that they have good memory. Y/N, they think about Paul too. They just…They know that I take care of them too with you.”

You continued to stare at them as they pick up certain toys.

“They hold strong memory and that strong memory let’s them always see the truth.” Edward adds in.

The bond that you and Edward shared showed you that he was telling the truth. The child just simply thought that they had two fathers in their life.

“Are you sure?” You still whisper as you pulled your bottom lip in your mouth.

“They know Paul’s name,” You look as Edward points and your kid looked up at the sound of Paul’s name, “When we speak of him. They’re a lot smarter than what anyone could give them credit for. I love them so much.”

You dryly chuckle as you stare at the ground.

It kept you up at night but Edward didn’t pester. You had to tell him to don’t leave the bedroom because he was so adamant about giving you space.

The next morning, you woke up to an empty bed and to Alice in your living room playing peak a boo with your giggling kid.

“Hey, Alice. Where’s Edward?”

“He left out when I came….He told me what happened.”

You nod as you look down. She follows you into the kitchen with the child on her hip as something to eat was stamped in your mind.

“I already fed them.” She says as she beamed at them.

“Thanks. Did you get called dad?” You ask her.

She chuckled a bit before shaking her head.

“It’s true, Y/N. They think they have two dads. In their future when they’re a little bit older, they even say ‘other dad’, when referring to Paul. It’s not out of rejection but it will be with clarity.”

“This is going to be a long journey.” You say as you grab the cereal box but Alice was already setting a plate down with cooked food on the table.

“I don’t know why you would think Edward would just leave without making sure you had a meal.”

You shrugged with a small but nervous expression and sit down as you picked up your eating utensil.

You sat on the bench in a grassy park as the wind blew. The pages moved but still enough for you to draw intently in your sketchbook. It was the most you’ve drawn in one sitting in a long time.

You didn’t even have to look up.

You smelled him.

He still reached out to touch your cheek and that’s when you finally looked.

“I’m sorry I left this morning.”

“Thanks for the breakfast.” You say but you didn’t hear yourself say it as your heart thudded heavily in your ears. His liquid gold eyes swam in your eyes.

“Are you okay?” Two hands covered your hands as you now were looking at him on eye level as he crouched in front of you.,

You both stand up in sync and it startled you internally.

“Do you want me to hold this?” He asks as his hand was on your pencil and sketchbook.

His touch made you very dizzy.

You let him take your things without you saying anything.

You start walking, he follows. It’s not in the direction of home but your legs continued to move. You walk until you raise your hand and you hail a cab and pull on the door.

“Y/N.” His hand was on your arm just as your hand touched the handle.

“I need to think. Without you. I can’t think with you.” You speak out without thinking.

It was as if you slapped him. You actually had a deep wave of concern as your own statement even hurt your own feelings.

“Okay…I just…Just know that you can talk to me. Okay?” He says quietly and sadly holds out your sketchbook and pencil.

You couldn’t help but stare at his sad expression as he placed a swift kiss on your cheekbone before walking away with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

Each step away was another crack formed in your heart. You actually abandon the car as a quick jog made you catch up with him.

Placing everything in one hand, you slip your arm around his waist and he slows his walk. The way he immediately melted in your touch made you sad.

“Edward, don’t go. I’m sorry.” You softly say.

“I’m sorry too. I don’t want to make things harder.”

“You’re not…It’s just…” you shake your head as you trail off, “This is all new to me….I didn’t expect things to turn out this way.”

“Neither did I. We’re experiencing something like this for the first time at the same time.”

“I hate my parents for saying parenthood is fun.”

He slipped his own hand comfortably around your waist, he then took his other hand out of his pocket, reached over and gently took your sketchbook and pencil.

Being pressing against him as you both walked side by side, felt nice.

“I love them so much….I feel guilty that I enjoyed the sound….A sound I will never hear from a kid of my own... If you want me to, Y/N, I will correct them. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” He murmurs.

“…I don’t want them to feel like they’re being rejected if you just…I don’t know.” You mused as you felt frustrated that easy wasn’t a correct word to describe this situation.

“But they’re not.”

“I just don’t want them to feel awkward with their parents like I do. Alice says that they will refer to Paul as their other dad…”

He looks down and for the first time ever, he looked insecure.

“What are you thinking?” You softly nudge him with your hip affectionately.

“That’s usually what I ask.” He whispered with a sad smile.

“I know that you love them…”

“I do..They’re a great kid…”

“Is that what you saw in Alice’s vision? When we were talking in Spokane and she told us for the first time that she can see their future?”

He didn’t answer right away and you would’ve repeated his name if he took an extra minute longer.

“Yes.”

“W-why didn’t you tell me?” You stutter out.

“How would that conversation even go? They were a bit older when they said it but still, you had no problem with it. It’s not an excuse, but…I really do love them. They have my heart.”

You didn’t say anything else.

When you both entered in, the child made their way to you both.

They smiled up at you, you and Edward both bend down at the same time.

You place a kiss on their cheek and Edward gave them a hug.

“Alright, I’m off.” Alice says cheerfully.

“See ya. Thanks, Alice.” You say quietly and stand up to give her a hug.

You turn around from closing the door and you see that your kid was tugging on Edward’s finger. He picked them up and you follow them. He sets them down in their room. They guided him to their blocks, they let go and bend down and hand him one.

Edward looked over at you with such tenderness. You move closer to the scene.

You both sat on the floor with the child. Your mind raced and it was evident on your face that you were thinking hard. It was even hard to read his face but he still kept a hand on your knee as his thumb softly brushed your kneecap. A cool pair of lips graced your cheek before you started to hear the number of blocks be counted from those same cool lips.

[shakespeareanwannabe]

As You Wish, Chapter 8

Summary: When arriving at Camp Silver Star, Abby Floyd was anticipating a summer of adventure with an ocean separating her from the three people she loved most: her mom, her Uncle Bob and her Aunt Natasha. But after a run in with Charlie Seresin, an extremely familiar looking and irritating camper in a different cabin, her summer plans take a turn that neither girl ever could have expected.

Trigger Warnings/Disclaimers: reader's children are described as being blond with green eyes because genetics are wild and Jake's genes are strong, reader is canonically Bob's sister (but biological relation is never discussed), reader goes by Buttercup and is tattooed, breastfeeding, swearing, angst, tears, references to drinking, sadness, references to divorce, kids doing sneaky things, adults doing sneaky things, references to babies

San Diego, California, almost 12 years ago

Buttercup slowly rocked in her chair, the slight breeze from the open window fluttering the pale-yellow curtains that she had hung so carefully while Jake had been deployed. Of course, he had lost his ever-loving shit when he had come home to find the nursery half decorated and the furniture half built, but the hour-long lecture about taking it easy during pregnancy and not doing any heavy lifting had been worth it.

The nursery was exactly as she had pictured it, once Jake had finished building the furniture and Javy and Bob had finished painting the walls the pale-yellow she had chosen. The mural of pink and purple butterflies she had painted on the wall looked so perfect behind the dark cherry wood cribs, and the colours perfectly matched the crib bedding she had ordered.

She had poured her heart and soul into decorating the nursery, their forever home…and now she was leaving it. Her bags were packed and stacked by the door. She was just waiting for Jake to return with Abby so they could go their separate ways.

Buttercup sniffled as she looked down at the tiny baby suckling on her breast. “I hope you know that I would take you both with me in a heartbeat if I could,” she whispered down to her sweet Charlie. “But we have to be fair. And…” she choked back a sob. “Your sister needs me more than you do right now.”

Abby’s weight had been dropping steadily in the weeks since the divorce had been finalized, and Buttercup’s doctor thought that the stress of it all had been affecting her milk supply, and so had recommended switching Charlie to formula so that Abby could absorb all the extra nutrients she needed. Therefore, when the judge had agreed to their abnormal custody arrangement, Buttercup had made the difficult decision to take Abby, leaving Jake with all the pumped breastmilk she had stored so that Charlie wouldn’t have to transition to formula right away.

Still, the decision had nearly broken her, as much as the decision to divorce her husband had.

“I’ll see you again soon,” she whispered as Charlie released her. Buttercup lifted her daughter onto her shoulder and patted her back. “As soon as your dad’s schedule calms down a little and I get settled in my new home, we’ll start figuring out how to share custody, okay? But I promise you, Charlie. I love you and I will miss you so much.” Buttercup’s shoulders heaved with the effort it took not to break down into sobs. “I’m so sorry, baby girl. You don’t deserve any of this happening to you. I’m sorry we couldn’t make it work. I’m sorry I can’t take both of you. I…I’m so sorry.”

Buttercup snuggled Charlie closer and gently rocked, willing time to either slow down or just stop. It was moments like this that made her second guess every decision she had made in her life. Feelings of failure and shame washed over her as easily as the ocean washed over the sand in the distance. She had failed the sweet little girl in her arms and her sister. They both had.

Buttercup didn’t know how much time had passed before a low cough broke her concentrated view on the ocean in the distance.

Jake stood with a sleeping Abby in his arms, shadows of grief and longing painting his face. “Hey…”

All the words she wanted to say pressed against lips, but she was able to squeeze out a small, “Hey,” in reply without breaking down.

“She…she’s all ready,” Jake murmured, his falling to the infant in his arms.

“So is she,” Buttercup whispered. “All the milk I pumped is in the fridge, and…and her favourite blanket is in her crib. She…” Buttercup bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. She couldn’t cry in front of him. She wouldn’t let herself cry in front of him, not again. Not ever again.

“I know,” Jake saved her, nodding at the list pinned to the corkboard. “You wrote it all down for me.”

As though moving through quicksand, Buttercup stood and waded towards him. With practiced, ease they switched babies, Abby now content in her mother’s arms and Charlie in her father’s.

“Hey…maybe we could—”

Buttercup shook her head, her eyes trained on Charlie’s sleeping face. If she met those green eyes of his, she’d fall apart for sure.

“No…we can’t.”

Somehow, she knew Jake was nodding. “Right…we can’t.”

Buttercup’s lips trembled but she refused to break. “I guess we’ll be in touch about custody…”

Jake sighed. “Yeah. I’ll be in touch.”

“O-okay…goodbye, Jake.”

Heaviness hung over both of them, the weight of everything they were leaving unsaid sitting like a leaden cloud. “Goodbye, Buttercup.”

London, England, Now

When Charlie awoke the next morning, it was to a growing sense of relief mixed with absolute dread. Relief because she wasn’t holding onto this huge dark secret that had been taking up the majority of her brain power. Uncle Bob knew. He knew and he wasn’t upset. He loved her despite her not being Abby. He loved her despite not seeing her for almost 12 years. He held her and let her cry, then ate ice cream with her and talked about her life in Texas, all the questions she’d been wanting to ask pouring from her lips like some sort of waterfall. Bob knew her secret and still loved her. In fact, he’d known the whole time, but Mom didn’t know. And he wasn’t going to tell her.

That’s where the dread came in. Telling mom. She wasn’t worried that Mom wouldn’t love her once she found out that she wasn’t Charlie, but she was worried about her reaction. Would she cry? How would she react if her Mom started crying right in front of her? What if she was angry at them for doing something so reckless? Charlie didn’t know if she could handle her mom being angry with her. What if she blamed her father? Dad hadn’t known anything about this plan and, according to Abby at least, he was completely clueless about the switch, but if their divorce had been so bad that they had to put an ocean between them, who could say if Mom would get irrationally angry at Dad for letting this happen? Even though Charlie had mixed feelings about her dad and uncles lately, she wouldn’t be able to sit there and listen to her Dad be dragged through the dirt by her Mom. However, she had promised Bob that she would tell her, and she always kept her promises.

Charlie yawned and stretched and rolled out of bed, stopping to get dressed and grab her phone, where a notification from Abby was waiting.

A: Rooster knows.

Charlie’s heart stuttered in her chest.

C: WHAT? HOW?

A: Your stupid horse gave me away. You didn’t tell me she was so skittish.

Crap. She’d known she’d forgotten something, but there wasn’t exactly anything she could do about Lovebug being bonded to her and only her. Dad and Javy had a hard time getting close to her sometimes.

C: Crap. Sorry!

A: It’s okay. He said my lack of football knowledge and my vocabulary gave me away too. But he’s not going to tell Dad.

C: He’s not?

A: Yeah, he said it would be more fun for him to mess with Dad.

Charlie took a deep breath. At least there was that. Javy might have been willing to tell Dad because the two had been best friends since they were kids, so Rooster was the better person to find out anyway.

C: Okay…well, Bob found out too.

A: Oh no!

C: Turns out I’m not very convincing. He figured me out at the airport…in Buffalo.

A: What’s he going to do?

C: He said he wasn’t going to tell Mom…but that I have to.

A: Okay. When are you going to?

C: Today

A: So soon? What if she wants us to switch back?

Charlie frowned, a plan slowly taking form in her mind.

C: That wouldn’t be so bad. We could meet at a hotel in Texas and have them fall back in love with each other there?

A: And Savannah?

Charlie rolled her eyes.

C: I don’t know. But Dad can’t possibly be happy with her. Once he sees Mom again, the engagement will be off, and we’ll get to be a family again.

A: And if that doesn’t work?

C: We’ll figure it out. Together.

That’s what Uncle Bob had said. That they’d figure everything out together. Whether or not their parents fell back in love with each other, they wouldn’t be on their own to figure out a solution to their problems.

A: Okay. Tell me if Mum wants to talk to me?

C: I will…love you

A: Love you too

Charlie tucked her phone away and went downstairs, finding Bob drinking his coffee, dressed in an old Top Gun t-shirt and sweatpants, and Natasha, lounging on the couch, still in her pajamas.

“Good morning, everyone,” the slight British lilt that she had been practicing quavered as Bob met her eyes over the rim of his mug.

“Hey kid,” Nat greeted, shoveling another spoonful of cereal into her mouth.

Bob gently placed his mug down and came over to greet her with a hug. “Sleep well?” he whispered into her hair.

“Better. A lot better after talking to you,” she admitted, relaxing into the hug. “Are you not working today?”

He shook his head, straightening to his full height. “It’s my day off anyway, but I cancelled my plans. Figured you might want some emotional support, so I’ll be here if you need me.”

Charlie squeezed her arms around him, the same way she did with her dad or uncles whenever she was overwhelmed by the way they always had her back.

“Thanks, Uncle Bob,” she whispered, the lilted accent in her voice dropping away for a moment.

“What the hell are you two talking about?” Nat sat up and stared at them over the back of the couch.

Charlie’s eyes shot to Bob’s, but he nodded reassuringly. “Nat should probably know, right? And you can see it as a sort of…rehearsal for telling your mom.”

Gulping, Charlie nodded and turned, squaring her shoulders.

“You two are acting so weird. Is someone dying?” Nat placed her bowl down and stood, coming around to stand in front of her. “Abby, doll, you know you can tell me anything. What is with all the whispering?”

Charlie took a deep breath and looked into her aunt’s eyes, ignoring the clouding and the scar that had stolen her aunt’s career and part of her vision.

“…I’m not,” she replied in a shaky breath.

“You’re not what? Dying? That’s good to know, kid, but I kinda figured.”

“No…I’m not A-Abby,” Charlie swallowed hard.

Nat’s brows furrowed, the silvery scar jumping slightly. “Of course you are,” Nat shook her head. “You’re not making any sense. You’re Abby. You have to be Abby. If you’re not Abby, then you’re…”

Bob stepped closer and put his hand on Natasha’s shoulder.

“I’m what?” Charlie’s throat felt like it was closing up as Nat knelt down so they were eye to eye, her good eye furiously racing over her features as though trying to detect the truth.

“Charlie?” her aunt whispered, looking up to Bob for confirmation as Charlie nodded hesitantly. “Holy shit…Charlie?”

“Language, Nat,” Bob admonished with a chuckle as Charlie was swept off her feet into a bear hug that left her ribs aching and her heart singing.

“Oh, fuck off!” Nat placed Charlie on her feet and whirled around to meet her former partner. “You knew and you didn’t tell me? How long have you known? How long has he known?”

“I always knew,” Bob said with a shrug, retreating behind the kitchen counter as Nat advanced on him.

“Always…always knew? You mean you’ve known this entire freaking time? And you didn’t tell me? What the hell, Robert?”

Bob winced slightly. “I figured it wasn’t my secret to tell. And could you keep your voice down, please? My sister doesn’t know yet.”

“Your sist…Buttercup doesn’t know?” Nat gaped at them both. “Okay, we are sitting down right now, and you are telling me the whole story. Now.”

“Yes, ma’am,” uncle and niece sat on the couch, their proverbial tails tucked between their legs.

Nat sat in the armchair across from them and folded her arms. “Speak.”

“Before I do,” blurted Charlie. “Where’s mom?”

Nat rolled her eyes. “Apparently, she dreamt up a solution to her plot problem and just had to write it down while it was fresh. She’s been at it since 4 a.m., and I don’t see her coming down any time soon.”

“Okay…” Charlie took a deep breath and launched into the story: being sent to Penny’s camp, meeting Abby and immediately disliking her, the shoving match that led to them being sent to the brig, finding the photos from Las Vegas, Amelia telling them about their parents’ marriage, and, finally, their brilliant idea to switch places so they could meet their missing parent. “We plan on telling them the truth at the end of the week and refusing to switch back unless they meet in person.”

Nat studied her, brow furrowed and eyes never leaving her face. “What are you two hoping to achieve with this?”

Charlie bit her thumb nail and shrugged. “Best case scenario? They figure out a better custody arrangement so I’ll still get to see mom and Abby can still see dad. Dream scenario?” Charlie blushed. “Mom and dad fall back in love and we won’t need a custody arrangement at all.”

Natasha shook her head. “Sorry to burst your bubble, kid, but I don’t think that dream is gonna come true. Even getting a better custody arrangement would be really difficult. Sure, there’s no global pandemic to contend with now, but trying to line up visitation while your dad runs the risk of getting deployed would make it—”

“Dad’s not getting deployed anymore,” Charlie interrupted. “He—”

“Okay, so he got promoted enough so that he’s not going to be called away from home to deal with a crisis. And trust me, there’s always some crisis or another that’ll keep your dad away from San Diego.”

“We don’t live in San Diego, Auntie Nat.”

Nat stopped rambling and looked at her. “Okay then, where do you live?”

“On the ranch in Texas with Uncle Rooster and Uncle Javy.”

Bob leaned forward. “Javy and Rooster live with you too?”

“Yeah, they retired from the Navy the same day you did. How do you guys not know this? Didn’t you keep in touch with anyone from the Dagger Squad? Mickey or Reuben or Kally?” Charlie stared at them, aghast. She’d always assumed that the members of the Dagger Squad had kept in touch with each other, even if Uncle Bob and Natasha had become mom’s support system after the divorce, same as Javy and Rooster had become dad’s.

They both slowly shook their heads. “We, uh…we kind of lost contact with everyone after we left the Navy,” Bob replied. “It all happened so fast, Charlie. We were given the option of retiring or moving on to a different unit, and that was that.”

“But why? I thought you guys were a team? A family? That’s what Aunt Penny always says! How could you just lose touch with them?”

“Because it was too damn hard, that’s why,” Natasha bit out, an unreadable look in her eyes. “Because I didn’t want to hear about them flying missions and hitting me with the “Sorry, Phoenix, but it’s classified” line whenever I ask about their work, if I ever asked about their work. Because I didn’t want their damn pity. Because it was hard enough being a female pilot, but almost losing my eye and being grounded? That was damn near unbearable.”

Charlie shrank back in her seat and nodded. “Oh…sorry.”

Bob placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Charlie. It’s not your fault. It’s nobody’s fault, really. Sometimes it’s just easier to say goodbye and let everyone go their separate ways instead of trying to hang onto something that’s not there anymore. I tried to reach out to a few people on the team, including your dad, but they were either always deployed or their numbers weren’t reachable or their numbers had changed. That’s what happens sometimes, kiddo. That’s just life.”

Charlie bit her lip, the question she had been longing to ask pushing against her lips until she finally asked, “So…that’s what happened? It’s not that you didn’t want me? It’s that you couldn’t reach my dad?”

Bob wrapped an arm around her shoulders as Nat slid onto the couch cushion next to her, the two of them pulling her into a hug.

“Of course we wanted you, Charlie,” Nat whispered. “We missed you like crazy, kid.”

Bob pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Your mom wanted you too. And she’s going to be so happy when she finds out you’re here.”

Charlie pulled away and chanced a glance over the back of the couch towards the stairs. “I…I should go tell her.”

Bob nodded. “Yeah, kiddo. You should. I’ll be right here if you need me.”

Charlie stood and Natasha jabbed an elbow into Bob’s gut. “You mean, we’ll be right here if you need us.”

Charlie grinned as Bob rubbed his stomach. “Thanks guys.”

She turned and faced the stairs, feeling like her stomach was somewhere near her feet. Then, she started to climb.

Charlie stood outside her mother’s bedroom, hand poised to knock, but her stomach was still living somewhere near her feet and her hand was shaking so badly that she was afraid that she would miss the door completely when she tried to knock.

Everything was happening so quickly. Just last month, she had been an only child on a ranch full of men. Now, she was a twin with three uncles and an aunt and, most importantly, two parents who loved and wanted her. Or so Bob and Natasha had said. She knew that they loved her, but the fear that her mother would end up rejecting her was so strong that it made her want to run out of the house and hide somewhere. But she couldn’t. She had promised Bob and Natasha and besides that, she didn’t want to live somewhere she wasn’t accepted for who she was. So, if mom rejected her, she would happily go back to Texas and live a happy ever after life with her family, who was clearly trying to protect her.

Nodding determinedly at the solution she had formulated in her head, she knocked quickly on the door and stuck her head in, spotting her mother folded into her writing chair.

“Hey babe,” Buttercup yawned, tilting her computer screen down. “Sorry I didn’t come down for breakfast. I thought I solved my issues; I had this whole dream about the solution. But the characters don’t want to listen to me. I swear, Abby, it makes me want to throw in the towel.”

Charlie fiddled with her fingers as she listened. The past few days, she had loved listening to her mother talk about her stories and how she teased out the plot points, but now she felt guilt and anxiety weigh on her heart. As much as she wanted to act tough, she desperately wanted her mother to love her for her, not because she thought she was Abby.

“Mom? Can we talk about something?”

In less than a second, she watched Buttercup go from author mode to mom mode. She stood, pulled her light cotton robe over her pajamas and stretched, putting a gentle hand between her shoulder blades and steering her towards the bed.

“Of course, Abby. Hop on up and we can talk about whatever you want.”

Buttercup propped herself up against the pillows and turned her body towards Charlie, who crawled into the left side of the bed and hugged a pillow to her chest.

“I…” To her horror, Charlie felt tears well up in her eyes. She slammed them shut before any could escape and felt her hands tremble.

The mattress shifted and warm arms encircled her before Buttercup spoke. “Abby, sweetheart, what’s wrong? You know you can tell me anything.”

“I…I don’t want you to get mad,” Charlie whimpered into her mother’s shoulder.

“Sweetheart, I don’t think it’s possible for me to get mad at you,” Buttercup hummed, pulling her close and rocking her gently side to side. “Remember when you accidentally kidnapped Mr. Tomkit’s cat? You were holding poor Shadow hostage in your closet and dressing him up for tea for three days before we found out. Did I get mad then?”

Charlie’s tears streamed down her face. “I…I don’t know,” she murmured truthfully. Abby had never shared that story with her.

“Of course I didn’t,” Buttercup replied in a soft voice. “You were only six. The point is, whatever happened, an accident or a mistake, we’ll figure it out like we always do, yeah? It’s you and me, sweetheart. It always has been, and we’ve managed well so far, haven’t we?”

“B-but what if this time makes you not love me anymore?” The question leapt forth before she could stop it, the question she had been both dying to ask and too afraid of hearing the answer.

Buttercup’s hands found Charlie’s shoulders and eased her away just enough to look in her eyes. “Abigail Juliet Floyd, nothing could ever make me not love you anymore. Nothing in this whole universe. You hear me?”

“But I’m not Abby! I’m Charlie!” she sobbed, her hands raising to cover her face. “Abby and I met at camp, and she really wanted to meet dad and I really wanted to meet you, so we swapped places!” To Charlie, it was as though everything had been frozen in time. She couldn’t hear the birds chirping outside her mother’s window or Auntie Nat’s trashy tv shows playing on the tv downstairs. Nothing moved and nothing sounded in the longest minute of Charlotte Delta Seresin’s life.

And then, those warm arms wrapped around her tightly and held her close. “My baby…my sweet Charlotte…”

Charlie flung her arms around her mother and buried her head in her neck, breathing in the hibiscus and jasmine perfume and feeling the soft silk of her mother’s pajamas under her cheek. “You’re not m-mad?” Charlie whispered.

She fought her hands not to cling to her mother as she pulled away, just far enough to look at her. “How could I be mad?” Charlie’s heart clenched at the sight of the pearly tears clinging to her mother’s cheeks. “It’s really you, Charlie?”

Charlie nodded meekly, tucking her feet up underneath her. “Abby taught me everything about her life while we were at camp. She wanted to meet dad so badly, and I always dreamed of meeting you. I was so scared to tell you because I was afraid you left me because you didn’t want me…”

Buttercup’s gentle fingers traced over her daughter’s features, sadness filling her eyes. “I’ve loved you and wanted you since before you were even born, Charlie,” she whispered. “I…I’m so sorry we failed you, love. It’s no excuse, but this was never supposed to be permanent. We just let time get away from us, I suppose. But please…you need to know that I missed you every single day, sweetpea. I love you so much.”

Charlie let herself relax into Buttercup’s arms, her tears slowing and her breathing steadying. “I love you too, mom.”

A few hours later, the three Floyds and their honorary fourth member sat clustered around Buttercup’s computer, a Zoom call open in front of them as they waited for the call to be answered.

“I still can’t believe you knew before I did. A mother is supposed to know her own children,” Buttercup worried her lower lip as she stared at Bob, on the other side of Charlie.

“In Charlie’s defence, she really pulled the act together once she got to the house,” Bob replied. “And in your defence, you do know your children. It might have just been too difficult for you to even try to rationalize that the girl in front of you might not be Abby.” Bob shot Buttercup a meaningful look as the dark screen in front of them suddenly filled with colour.

“Uncle Roo, you need to back up,” they heard Abby gripe. “They can only see your shirt right now.”

Rooster backed up and sat in a chair behind a desk, Abby perched next to him.

“Hey, old man,” Natasha teased.

Bradley huffed slightly, a light smile dancing across his face. “Hey yourself, Phoenix. Hey Buttercup.”

Buttercup’s face filled with fondness. “Hey Bradley, how are you?”

He shrugged as the pixels danced across the screen. “Can’t complain. How’s my girl? Ow! Sorry, Jesus. I mean, how’s my other girl?” he shot a glare at Abby, who grinned back at him.

“Hey Uncle Roo,” Charlie beamed at him through the camera. “Hey Abby!”

“Hey Charlie, hey Auntie Nat! Hey Uncle Bob, Charlie told me you figured it out right away!”

Bob nodded once and pushed his glasses up. “You’re one of a kind, Abby. No emulating it.”

“Damn, you figured it out right away?” Rooster whistled through his teeth. “It took me a couple of days to figure it out. You two never thought to teach your girl about American football? Javy thought she got a brain transplant at camp.”

Buttercup and Bob chuckled but Natasha remained suspiciously silent as Charlie filled them in on how life was in England and Abby filled them in on all the Texas goings on.

“…and dad’s engaged to this dreadful woman who wants to go wedding venue shopping on Saturday!” Abby groaned.

“Abby,” Buttercup admonished. “You just met this woman. Give her time to adjust. I’m sure it was quiet something when your father told her that his daughters had switched places.”

“Oh, well, actually…” Abby started.

“Yeah, she didn’t take it that great, Buttercup,” Bradley cut in, giving Abby a little nudge with his elbow. “Remember, kid?”

“Oh…uh…yeah. She didn’t take it that well at all.”

Charlie would blame the emotional day for the fact that her mother didn’t pick up on the strange behaviour behind the screen at all.

“So, give her some time, and she’ll…she’ll come around,” Buttercup gulped slightly and reached for her bottle of water.

“Yeah, I’m sure she will,” Rooster rolled his eyes. “Why don’t y’all come to Texas for the weekend? We’re stayin’ at some fancy hotel in Austin for the weekend while Savannah looks around at different venues. She wanted to make it a weekend getaway. But you guys should come so you and Hangman can figure out an arrangement that keeps these two from pulling a Trading Places again.”

Buttercup was chewing on her bottom lip again. “I…I don’t know. It’s supposed to be a wedding related trip. I wouldn’t feel comfortable crashing it.”

“You wouldn’t be crashing it,” Rooster replied. “Jake invited you. He wants to figure out a solution too, before the wedding.”

Buttercup sighed heavily, the breath tinged with sadness. “Yeah…yeah, that makes sense. Bob, can you—”

“I’ll clear my schedule so I can go with you, and I’ll book our flights there,” Bob replied, his phone already in his hand.

Buttercup smiled gratefully. “Natasha—”

“I’ll keep in contact with the old man and make sure we book the right hotel,” Natasha replied, fixing Rooster with a glare that would have paralyzed him if they were in the same time zone.

Buttercup sighed resignedly. “Okay, then. I guess we’ll all see you on Saturday.”

“See you then, Buttercup,” Rooster winked.

“Bye mum! I love you!”

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

Rooster whipped around as a voice rang out behind them. “Mum? Buttercup? Dude, what the hell is—”

“Gotta go, mum! Bye!” Abby shouted as she slammed the laptop screen down, cutting off the call.

“Well, that wasn’t ominous at all,” Natasha muttered.

Buttercup’s worried face reflected back at her on the darkened screen. “Oh god…what have I gotten myself into?”

Rooster glared at Javy. “Nice going, dipshit.”

“What? Me? Who the hell were you talking to on that call, man? Because I only know one Buttercup and—”

“And what, Uncle Javy?” Abby blinked up at him innocently. “Who is Buttercup?”

Javy gaped at her. “She…uh…she’s, um…”

Rooster rolled his eyes. “Cut the guy some slack, would ya, Abby?”

Abby’s grin widened as Javy’s mouth dropped even further. “Nah…man, there ain’t no way…”

“You didn’t think it was suspicious that Penny wouldn’t quit pesterin’ us both until we got Hangman to agree to send Charlie to camp on that specific day? You don’t think it’s weird that Lovebug treats her like she’s a stranger? You never noticed that your favourite assistant coach knows jack all about football now?”

Javy crouched down in front of her. “You’re not Charlie, are you?” Abby shook her head and Javy’s eyes welled with tears. “C-can I hug you, darlin’?” Abby nodded with a smile, and she was suddenly scooped up into a massive hug. “Oh my god, man…this is unbelievable!”

“What’s unbelievable?”

The three turned to see Jake standing behind them in the doorway of the office, his arms folded across his chest.

“Hey, man,” Rooster greeted. “What’s up?”

“Was just coming to try to find my daughter.”

Abby gulped. She hadn’t really spoken to her father since her blow up at the news of his engagement. The news still weighed heavily on her, but Rooster’s plan would work, she just knew it. Plus, she would get to see her mum soon, and that always made her feel better.

“H-hey, dad.”

Jake’s face softened. “Hey Charlie, I was hoping we could have a chat before dinner. Just you and me.”

Javy opened his mouth and Abby pinched him hard on the shoulder blade, out of view of her father.

“Sure, dad. I think that’s a good idea. Can you put me down, Uncle Javy?” Javy hesitated but Abby begged him with her eyes not to blow this for them, and he conceded.

“Sure…Charlie.”

Abby smiled at him as she went to her father’s side.

“We’ll see y’all at dinner, alright?” Jake nodded at them as he let the office door close behind him.

“Alright, dude, you’re gonna tell me what’s goin’ on right now, or I swear to god, I’m telling Jake why that pair of men’s boxer shorts were hanging outside his window.”

“Relax, Coyote,” Rooster sat back in his chair and kicked his feet up on the desk. “You and me are gonna have a lot of fun with Hangman this weekend.”

Tags List: @mamachasesmayhem @mamamaystbr @jessicab1991 @waltermis @buckysteveloki-me @allepaula @yuckosworld @bradshawssugarbaby @ahopelessromanticwritersworld @kim-stark @cierra715 @high-speed-r @helpmepleasethanks @starsrfun @tomanyfandomstrash @averyhotchner @the-blueatlas @princessliz86 @dashes-dizzydisaster @a-girl-who-loves-disney @boiolay @djs8891 @torimcc @tgmreader @kmc1989 @landpiranha-blog @sydthekid1518 @lynnevanss @hello7442 @mackenzieblair @minejungwoo @starset21 @ssa-sadboi @tgmavericklover @dempy @rockbottomphilosophies-blog @lovemarvelousfics @starkleila @magical-spit @whatislovevavy @simplyreading96 @vivalas-vega @itsdesiree86 @inky-sun @books-are-escapes @abaker74 @devil-angel-winchester @mrs-perfectly-fine @inthestars-underthesun

[sailingfireshipz]

What’s your expectation for season 14 when it comes to Stellaride like what you would hope to see

Ok, Anon, so I'm honestly going to be very biased here but idc because I don't know (or care) what else the rest of the ensemble is bringing to the season from a storyline perspective...

I need S14 to be a Stellaride season. Point. Blank. Period! 😫

14a is dedicated to the pregnancy, stella navigating working & the challenges that come with being pregnant working ff. I want to see the dynamics between her & Kelly & ho they navigate him being more protective.

I want fluff & domestic stellaride scenes of them going to the ultrasound appt, hearing the heartbeat, finding out the gender, talking about baby names & what's needed for the nursery. I need stella in those overalls from S4 over her bump as she "helps." Kelly put together the crib or rocking chair.

I want craving, hormones, Braxton hicks, labor & delivery. Kelly holding her hand like Stella held Jades hands. Kelly rubbing her forehead & telling her she did so good 🥹😭

I want to see the dynamics of the house change once they know stellas pregnant. I'm curious if the guys on Squad & engine will become super protective of Stella, especially when Kellys not there because they know thats their ass if something happens to her.

I want to see them hiding their snacks from Stella because they know she's going to come collect but not for her but for the baaaaby.

I want her transition to non active duty to be one of substance & not just her pushing paper!! REALLY WANT PEOPLE TO STOP TREATING PREGNANT WOMEN LIKE THEY'RE ON THE SICK & SHUT IN LIST.... It's 2025 PLEASE

Miranda hits 200 episodes this season, so Stella Kidd bottle episode, please? For real this time

14b is dedicated to them navigating parenthood. I want to see Stella anxious about leaving her baby girl to return to work. I need her harassing the babysitter for pictures & updates every hour on the hour & Kelly has to ground her from spinning out.

I want to see the dynamics of what Kelly decides to sacrifice versus Stella because I'm tired of the narrative always being the woman has to give up everything & the man nothing.

I want to see a close call that shakes them to their core and forces a very RAW/VULNERABLE conversation about what happens next.

I want to see some cutsey scenes at the loft & firehouse with baby girl.

They can go either PPD, mom guilt, or anxious mom route for Stella. Tie in the fact that she's an orphan & how now that she's a mom, the thought of not being there for their baby girl is making it hard for her to do her job effectively. I'd love for her to find support for those thoughts within & outside of Kelly. A working mom support group or her befriending another female ff that has kids. Talking it out & through.

If I think about it some more, then I can double this list, but ultimately, I need S14 to be dedicated to Stellaride because, let's be honest with ourselves here. They've been teasing this family arc for a while now & the fact that Stellaride may very will be the FIRST MAIN CHARACTER SHIP OF ONECHICAGO to have a pregnancy/birth is enough for them to dedicate the time & resources to get it RIGHT! Like this is history making & deserves to be executed at the highest level. I mean, just loooook at them! They deserve this.

[drewsbuzzcut]

New Chapter

Mat Barzal x model!fem!reader

A visceral in doses fic

Warnings: mentions pregnancy and includes smut

Takes place: Dec 2024/Jan 2025

You toss your brand new keys up in the air only to catch them and clutch them tightly to your chest. The piece of metal means the world to you. It’s the symbol of the newest chapter in your life- your life with your boyfriend and unborn baby.

“Baby, I’m so happy,” you squeal and throw your arms around Mat’s neck.

His hands wrap around your back, keeping you pressed to him. You’re only 3 months pregnant at the moment, but he can’t wait until he feels your bump pressed against his stomach.

“I love you,” he mutters against your lips.

The kiss only lasts for a fraction of a second- much to Mat’s dismay. You’re too excited to stay in one area of your new home. You prance around the empty house, filling each bare spot with potential furniture. Mat doesn’t chime in much, unless it has to do with color scheme, but it’s because he’s too enamored by your sheer excitement. Your hormones have been a roller coaster the past few months due to your pregnancy, so Mat’s glad that your happiness seems to be a constant at the moment.

“Mat, this room is so perfect for the nursery,” you cheer, turning around in his arms to wrap them around his neck.

You stare at him with sparkling eyes, heart thundering in your chest and love spreading through your veins. You nuzzle your nose into his neck, needing your man wrapped around you.

“I think so too. The crib would look perfect against that wall, and the sunlight would perfectly stream through that window. Plus, the closet is a good size for all the clothes we will be buying,” he adds in softly, lips pressed to your temple. You let out an elated laugh, a sound that will soon fill every corner of your new home.

You walk through the rest of the house, Mat wrapped around you from behind. He pecks and nips at your flustered skin, his hands steady on yours hips to keep you flush against him.

“This place is so beautiful, Maty. It’s perfect for us as we transition into being a family. I mean just look at this backyard! Our baby will be so lucky to be able to have this,” you sigh contently, leading your boyfriend into the backyard.

Mat’s fingers interlock with yours, spinning you back into his chest because he really wants to look at your beautiful face.

“You’re beautiful and perfect,” he whispers back, his nose nudging into yours and his lips ghosting the corner of your infectious smile.

“Just kiss me already,” you demand, a gasp dying on your tongue when Mat pulls your face to his.

The keys on the key ring, looped around his finger, smack against his knuckle, making a smile form on his face and interrupt the lip lock. You pull away briefly for air, and to stare into Mat’s eyes. He stares at you with such tenderness that always makes your heart race and breathing faint. How can someone make you feel so alive while simultaneously taking your breath away?

Before you can even mutter a word, your boyfriend is hauling you up his body and carrying you over to the grass. His knees hit the ground and your back gets tickled by each bristle of green. Leaning down with both hands planted on the ground on either side of your head, he kisses along your jaw and down to your neck.

His hands move around your body from your thighs to your breasts, igniting the fire within you. His touch is sweet, but you can feel the lust building up in his palms. They bring a savory heat to your body, one that you know too well.

“Stop staring and just do something already,” you whine and toss your legs over his hips.

Your boyfriend grins down at you, thick fingers unbuttoning your jeans. He watches your reaction with darkened eyes as he pulls your pants down, licking his lips every time your hips jut up in search of him. And without warning, he rips your pinstripe blouse open, making a gasp fall from your mouth and buttons fly everywhere. To his desire, you’re wearing a lacy bra that leaves nothing to the imagination, but to your annoyance, you’re now left without a functioning top.

“You do realize you just ruined my blouse and now I’ll have nothing to wear when we leave,” you sass with an eyebrow cocked up.

“I’ll give you the shirt off my back anytime you need me to,” he hums, nose and lips trailing down the valley of your breasts.

You huff out a little whine and push your chest up into his, almost speechless but needy for his greedy hands on you again.

“Fuck that’s so hot.”

With a smirk, you draw his lips back to yours. A hand cards through his hair, fisting the strands as his tongue explores your mouth. Your other hand ventures underneath his shirt, giving some attention to his spectacular abs. If it weren’t for the way his mouth dominates yours in the most heated make-out, you’d be dying to lick down his abdomen.

“Maty, take off your clothes,” you instruct through heavy breaths and give him a hand with losing his wardrobe.

The minute he lines himself up with your core, thunder cracks through the sky. You startle a bit, leaning more into his touch. For a second Mat looks hesitant, like maybe he shouldn’t risk your wellbeing. Too bad you’re too far gone down the lustrous rabbit hole to care.

“It’s just a little rain. We won’t melt,” you say, getting him back on track. A raindrop of two won’t dare to ruin the mood.

“Are you sure?” He checks in, because the last thing he wants is for his pregnant girlfriend to be uncomfortable.

“Positive. Love me, baby,” you sigh and press a kiss into his jaw.

Mat lowers his body down onto yours, his bottom half in the cradle of your thighs. He pushes into you slowly and stills his body until you give him the green light to move again. Ever since you’ve become pregnant, Mat has had to learn a new version of your body-something he’s more than okay with. You get so sensitive and aroused by the thought alone of Mat. Your body practically bursts into flames when he’s actually having sex with you, so he knows to take it slow.

“You’re always so wet for me. You love the fact that I’m about to fuck you at our new house, huh?” The hockey player says so sweetly, you feel your pussy close around him.

“Yes. Please move, baby. I want to be full of you.” You press the heels of your feet into the small of his back, making him sink all the way into you.

A moan escapes from the both of you and dances with the whip of lightning. Mat’s hips swivel and pull you under a state of pleasure. His mushroomed tip glides along your walls and you think you might faint with how you can feel every inch of him. Your wetness can be felt making a mess between your thighs, and it’s surely dripping down his cock.

Deep in the throes of passion, you surrender yourself to your favorite Canadian. He fills you up, fighting his way out of you as your heat desperately tries to suck him back in, and then slams into you once more. His mouth finds one of your pert nipples, sucking on it through the material of your bra. He hums around the peak, sending a flurry of butterflies to your already wonton core.

After he’s had enough of being separated by the flimsy fabric covering your chest, he pulls away. His length is still sheathed inside of you as he unsnaps the clips of your bra. You find it incredibly sexy that he can do it with one hand.

Sitting back on his knees, he can’t even stop himself from watching the way your tight pussy swallows him. It should be a sin, the way he stretches you open, but still take him so well.

“You’re so sexy. I can look at you forever and never grow bored,” his compliment pricks at your skin in a way that can only be described as heavenly.

Hoisting your hips up in his hands, the tip of his cock hits your sweet spot. It sends you spiraling and has your hips matching each of his thrusts. You grip tightly onto his forearms and bear down as the knot in your stomach forms.

As intensity beats down on the both of you, Mat pins your hands into the ground. His eyes bore into your own. You fall in love with the way they’re blown wide with love and lust.

“You feel so good, pretty girl. Your pussy was made just for me. No one can fuck you the way I can,” he groans into your ear, grinning devilishly at the way you pulse around him. Your release is so close and Mat knows all your tells. You start to wither around and your noises get more high pitched.

“Fuck! I love you so much,” you heave out. Your heart beats out of your chest with each kiss that’s placed on your throat and each time he touches your clit.

After a louder clap of thunder, the one or two raindrops turn into a full torrential downpour. The mood is temporarily dampened as you shriek and Mat crowds you into his body.

A moment of silence follows before you both burst out in laughter.

Gently you wrap your arms around him, nails softly scratching at his back, and press a kiss to his lips. It’s all that needs to be done for him to know to continue.

“I love you,” he whispers into your mouth.

Your body arches into his as he pushes back into you. Your slick walls start to collapse around his length as the knot in your stomach tightens. That’s the thing about Mat, he can spark up your fire within a second if it’s ever extinguished.

“More,” you gasp out, nails digging into his skin.

He drives his hips as he holds onto yours, angling them up so he can hit deeper. You start to shake the moment he throbs inside of you. His salacious groans reach your ears and you clench down on him as your high vibrates through your body.

“Cum all over my cock, baby.”

You cry out, vision going white behind your closed lids and your toes curling. Mat doesn’t stop thrusting into you as he waits for your orgasm to completely work its way through you. Plus, the way he circles your clit makes you suck him deeper if it’s even possible. The sensation brings Mat’s release to the surface.

“Cum inside of me. Fill me up, hotshot. I want you to see the way you drip from my pussy. The way you fucked me so good, I couldn’t get enough of you,” you rasp, nibbling on his neck.

He plunges into your sensitive core, the sounds of wet skin slapping against each other fade into his moans of pleasure. You let out a whimper as he shoots his load inside of you. Your lips attach to his earlobe, sucking it into your mouth. You thrive in the feeling of satisfaction as you witness his eyes roll back and harsh shivers wrack his body.

“Well that’s one hell of a way to christen our new home,” Mat hums, eyes half lidded in sheer euphoria. His lips go back to kissing on your chest. It’s his own saying of grounding himself after experiencing such a high.

You giggle and welcome his body heat to warm you up from the cold droplets of water that grace your body. A soft feeling blooms in your heart, confirming just how wonderful your life is at the moment. You nose at his broad chest and move his arms so that they wrap around you.

“Just think about all the other rooms we can still christen,” you muse, a cackle spilling from your mouth when you feel Mat’s cock stir against your thigh.

a/n: I hope you all enjoy! I loved writing this one (even though I’m not crazy about the smut part)

[wutheringcaterpillar]

Transition & Compromise

Summary: With enough money saved up for her transition, your wife Kitten comes home anxious. Worried you won’t love her anymore, while you’re wanting another child with her.

Warnings: established marriage, fluff, you share a child with Kitten currently but want another one, tremendous reassurance, marriage goals, mention of breastfeeding, talk of transition

Life with Kitten was the most happiest you’d ever been. She was charismatic, optimistic, caring, everything you’ve always looked for in a partner. There were hardly ever any arguments but when they did happen they never last long, each of you both hating being upset with one another. After getting to know one another and dating for quite some time, you’d finally asked her to marry you. Now here you were two stay at home moms who worked remotely with a beautiful baby girl, working on your second. There had been many moments where Kitten expressed she wanted to start taking hormone pills, and eventually fully transition into a woman. There was never any problem or concern there, you loved her for her heart and soul nothing less, nothing more.

“Honey, I’m home! Where’s my little dove?”

“In here sweetheart!” She had become cooped up in the house, needing to get out and have a little her time. After getting her nails done, she ran some errands and got lost in her little, imaginative mind. When she walked into the nursery, seeing you cradling your daughter against your chest, cooing her to sleep, Kitten’s heart wanted to melt from the loving scene, but also shatter worried with what she was about to say.

“How was your day love?” Walking over to her, you pecked her on the lips, she tasted of vanilla coffee with a hint of chocolate syrup. 

“It was refreshing, maybe we should take her for a walk soon, after all it should be a beautiful night, but can I talk to you about something first? It will only take but a minute.” Nodding for her to continue, she began to fiddle with inanimate objects, struggling to make eye contact as she spoke, her voice shaking from being nervous.

“I-we’ve been saving up quite a bit of money and- and I think we have enough for me to transition, only if you’re still okay with it of course.” Stopping mid stride, you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. The goal was always one boy, and one girl, an agreement you’d both made, and after Lilac was born, you world changed forever, the bond you shared intensifying, the sex more intimate, emotions more easier to express until now.

“But I thought we wanted more kids?” You pouted, concern evident on your face as you placed your newborn down in the crib to sleep. This wouldn’t have come to a surprise had it come later on down the road and you respected Kitten’s decisions, always but the thought of not having anymore children saddened you deeply. Yes there were other options, adoption, surrogates, but you wanted to be the one to give birth, to carry Kitten’s offspring. There was an emotional and physical connection, an experience that was so profound and deep you and Kitten didn’t wish to share your love with anyone.

Kitten motioned to the bed, taking a seat next to you her shaking hands in yours.

“I know, and I do I just-It’s not that I don’t want more kids. I still wish to have a boy but- Oh it’s just no use!” Her eyes began to tear up, unable to avoid the thought of you leaving her because of what’s in between her legs. Even after a year of marriage she still struggled to express her emotions after so many people had left her behind in the past.

Pulling her into your arms as she wept, you worried you had said something wrong. She was always just a fragile little thing, but it was one of the reasons you fell in love with her.

You carressed her cheek, wiping away the stray tears. You had a feeling what this upset was about, it wasn’t that she didn’t want to keep trying for a boy, she was struggling with her body image.

“Kitten, darling, my love?” She hummed, fists clenching into the fabric of your pajama pants as she tried to calm down, breathing in your subtle, comforting aroma, clinging to the raspberry scent.

“I want you to transition. You know I’d never leave you right? I love you, and believe me when I say your pussy is going to be beautiful, your tits wonderous, and I’m going to devour every part of you like a three course meal. Who you are isn’t going to change, my love for you will not diminish. Our marriage will remain strong and powerful, okay?” Her sniffles came to a hault but she still hadn’t spoken. Instead, sitting up and nuzzling her head into the crook of your neck, needing to hear more, needing the reassurance. You held her tight and close to your heart, running your hands down the small of her back, rubbing soothing circles into her soft skin.

“Will our sex life change, of course, but there’s so many options my little kitten. We can still pleasure each other, we already have a bunch of toys but I’m moreso looking forward to being suffocated between your thighs as you sit that pretty pussy on my face.” Kitten’s cock twitched against your stomach, the thought of your sweet, dove like face buried in her sex, breathing in her faint aroma, and lapping her lips and clit like she does to you now. Coming up for air, her angelic, glossy blue eyes gleamed in the sunlight while her tears slowly dissipated. She looked down at with a gentle, adoring smile, playing with the buttons on your shirt only partially anxious now.

“You really mean that? You’d still love me?” You brushed her stray curls from her face, fingers twirling in her silk like hair while watching her with sincere, yet completely truthful eyes.

“Kitten I will love you for eternity and I will always be attracted to you. Please don’t ever think I’d leave, not after everything we’ve been through. Besides I can’t wait to suck on your blooming nipples more than I already do, jiggling your breasts, seeing them bounce for me. I want all of you, all of the time. Make the appointment, please.” Kitten fanned her face, feeling like she was on the verge of tears once more, meanwhile her erection not going away thinking back to how you glowed when you were pregnant. She needed to get a move on before scheduling an appointment. She had heard everything she needed to. There was a playful twinkle in her baby blues. She pulled your shirt over your head, exposing your bare, sensitive breasts, so full of milk from breast feeding.

“Let’s make a baby, then. No time to waste.” Smirking and giggling, Kitten clung to you, wrapping her legs around your back as she smashed her lips against yours with a passionate fire. 

Smiling into the heated kiss, you walked out of the nursery, carrying her into the bedroom while butterflies still remained fluttering around your tummy just like the first time. There was always an agreement made, an effort put in, that’s what kept your marriage strong, and different from anyone else’s.

[meabh-mcinness]

Chronicles of a Second Chance

Chapter One: Chance Meetings

Theia Novae Wilson.

A new name for a new life.

The name felt foreign on your tongue, like trying on a suit that didn’t quite fit yet. It had taken weeks to fully comprehend. To accept that the searing pain and chaos of your death had somehow transitioned into this strange, unnerving new existence. Whoever—or whatever—that voice had been, it hadn’t been lying. You weren’t just alive; you were somewhere else entirely. Carrying knowledge that no newborn infant should know.

You had never considered how humiliating it might be to exist as an infant again.

Everything was too bright, too loud, and far too wet. The moment you’d been wrenched into this world—kicking and screaming because, well, what else could you do? —you knew something was deeply, cosmically wrong.

You were supposed to be dead.

The last thing you remembered was fire and metal, explosions that shook the earth, and the terrible sound of Optimus Prime and Megatron locked in combat as the theatre collapsed around you for whatever reason. Then there was the voice—that voice—and a promise.

‘Rise, bearer of knowledge. Rise, and change the course of the stars.’

Except you hadn’t risen. You’d been shoved down into something soft and squishy and disturbingly fragile.

And now you were here, cradled in the arms of a woman with long, unkempt hair, wide eyes brimming with tears, and a flowy gown that reeked of lavender. Her voice was soft and gentle as she cooed at you.

“Oh, look at her, Rowan! She’s absolutely perfect,” she said, her voice trembling with joy.

You wanted to argue, but your mouth betrayed you. Instead of words, all that came out was a gurgle and a pitiful cry.

Rowan, a wiry man with a beard tangled with gems and clasps that sparkled, leaned over and grinned down at you. “She’s got such a strong aura. You can tell she’s destined for something great.”

Strong aura? You almost laughed. Instead, you wailed again, partly out of frustration and partly because you were hungry, tired, and furious at the universe for doing this to you.

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

It didn’t take long to piece together what had happened.

You were alive—again. Or, rather, you had been reborn, plopped into the body of a helpless, squirming baby to start over from scratch.

Your new parents, Rowan and Sage Wilson (because of course that was their names), were self-described free spirits who believed in energy healing, star alignments, and the power of homemade kombucha. They lived on a sprawling plot of land somewhere in rural California, surrounded by wildflowers, crystals, and enough incense to make your new lungs wheeze. You were just happy they didn’t add weed to the already dizzying number of herbal scents that surrounded you on a daily basis.

And they had named you Theia Novae Wilson after a “vision” Sage had during her labour.

The irony wasn’t lost on you. A celestial name for someone who had once dreamed of reaching for the stars but now couldn’t even hold up their own head.

Adjusting to your new reality was... difficult.

For one, your body was an uncoordinated mess. Your limbs flailed uselessly, and your tiny hands couldn’t even grasp properly. The simplest tasks—like turning your head—felt monumental. And don’t get started on the crying. You hated how instinctive it was, how your body betrayed you with every tiny discomfort.

Worse still was the sheer boredom. Days blurred together in a haze of naps, feedings, and diaper changes. You couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t do anything but wait and watch.

But you could think.

And that’s what kept you sane.

Your mind, at least, was still your own, sharp and overflowing with knowledge. You spent hours lying in your crib, staring at the ceiling and replaying scenes from different movies and shows to entertain yourself.

The first real breakthrough came when you were six months old.

By then, you’d learned to sit up, and your parents were thrilled. Sage clapped her hands, declaring it a sign of your “indigo child” status, while Rowan recorded the moment on a camcorder. You, meanwhile, had your eyes on a different prize.

During one of their outdoor meditation sessions in a park—where they left you on the grass in the middle of a ring of crystals “to align your energies with Mother Earth”—you heard a familiar voice.

Big eyes widening further, your head whipped around towards the female who was cooing loudly, near tears, over her own baby a bit away. Your eyes darted over their form quickly, taking them in to confirm your thoughts. Pale skin and frazzled light brown hair that fell around but not quite touching her shoulders. Tilting your head you tried to focus in on her voice, so different from your current parents’ soft ones, carried easily even towards your distant state in a loud confirmation of who she was.

Judy Witwicky.

Wife to Ron Witwicky, mother of Samuel Witwicky, who himself was the main human character of the Bayverse Transformers franchise.

Your heart leapt. It was real.

They were real.

The realization hit you like a lightning bolt. You weren’t just reborn into some random place -- you were reborn into their world. The Transformers world.

And Judy Witwicky, the mother of the franchise’s central human character, was right there, less than fifty feet away.

A surge of panic mixed with excitement shot through you. Your mind raced, recalling every detail about her and her son, Sam. Judy was kind-hearted, nosy, and fiercely protective of her family. But more importantly, she was the mother of the boy who would stumble upon Bumblebee and set off a chain of events that would determine the fate of Earth and Cybertron alike.

This was your chance—a chance to make a connection, to lay the groundwork for the future. Except... you were six months old.

What could you possibly do? Wave your chubby arms and hope she noticed? Gurgle out something profound? It was absurd.

Still, you had to try.

You clumsily turned your body towards her and let out a loud, insistent wail. Your parents, who were mid-chant in their meditation, immediately broke their focus.

“Oh, what’s wrong, my little starbeam?” Sage crooned, scooping you up in her arms.

You cried louder, flailing your tiny arms in Judy’s direction.

“Maybe she’s sensing something,” Rowan said, standing and peering around the park. “You know how babies are—so connected to the spiritual plane.”

Connected to the spiritual plane? No, Rowan, you were trying to connect to the Transformers plane.

Sage rocked you gently, shushing you in that calming voice. “Let’s walk her around a bit. The energy in this spot might be too intense for her little aura today.”

Rowan nodded, and the two of them began strolling through the park, carrying you closer to where Judy sat. Your heart pounded with each step. This was your moment.

Judy was fussing over her baby—Sam, no doubt—adjusting his blanket and cooing at him in that loud, loving way of hers. You let out another wail, desperate to draw her attention.

It worked.

Judy glanced up, her face lighting up with a warm smile. “Oh, what a little cutie pie!” she exclaimed, waving at you. “Is she fussy? My Sammy here’s been the same way all day.”

“Oh, she’s probably just overwhelmed by all the energy,” Sage replied, her voice calm and serene.

Judy raised an eyebrow, clearly uncertain how to respond to that. “Well, babies are sensitive, I guess,” she said diplomatically.

Sage smiled, her grip on you tightening protectively. “Exactly. It’s why we bring her to places like this. Nature helps balance her energy fields.”

Judy gave a polite nod, though her expression said she wasn’t quite sure what to make of your parents.

You, on the other hand, were staring at Sam. The little bundle in Judy’s arms was squirming, oblivious to the storm of thoughts racing through your mind even as he tried to escape his mother. That tiny, helpless baby would one day fight Decepticons, would hold and destroy the All-Spark. And become one of the most important human figures in this universe.

And you? You were stuck in the body of an infant, with what you had thought was no real way to influence the future yet.

But this was a start. Because if you played your cards right you could influence one of the most important characters in the story.

You cooed softly, trying to appear as adorable and non-threatening as possible. If you could just make a positive impression now, maybe—just maybe—it would open doors later.

Judy chuckled, her gaze softening as she looked at you. “She’s got such big, curious eyes,” she said. “I bet she’s going to be a smart one.”

Rowan beamed. “Oh, she’s already so in tune with everything around her. You wouldn’t believe it.”

Judy smiled politely, but her focus quickly returned to Sam as he squealed in her arms. She adjusted his blanket, humming softly to soothe him. He ignored the attempts and continued to squirm, kick, and wail in her arms. As your parents went to turn on their way to give her space, you let out a panicked chirp, desperate to make more contact than this.

Sam paused in his movements, blinking up at you with deep blue eyes that were clearly already darkening to their future hazel colour. You blinked back and let out another, softer chirp and received one in return. His own chubby arms reached out to you accompanied by a flutter of coos and gurgles. You responded in kind, for once glad that you couldn’t get your body to do anything beyond normal infant things.

It was surreal. You and Sam—babies who would one day play vastly different roles in the grand drama of the universe—gurgling at each other like two pigeons on a park bench. Your tiny hearts beat in tandem, and in that moment, you felt a strange kind of kinship. A connection forged not from your shared future, but from the simple, primal understanding of infants reaching out in curiosity.

“Oh, look at that,” Judy said with a laugh, her face lighting up as she watched the interaction. “They’re already making friends.”

Sage smiled, her expression as dreamy as ever. “How wonderful! Their auras must be in harmony.”

Rowan stroked his beard, his eyes twinkling. “A meeting of souls, perhaps? Who knows what destinies might intertwine from this?”

If only they knew.

Your parents, bless their well-meaning hearts, clearly believed this was some cosmic event of spiritual significance. Judy, on the other hand, seemed more focused on how adorable the whole scene was, her scepticism toward their beliefs hidden behind a polite smile.

Sam let out another squeal and kicked his legs excitedly. You responded with your best effort at a laugh—a weird, hiccupping sound that made Sage coo over you like you’d just performed a miracle. Judy chuckled, too, bouncing Sam lightly in her arms.

“Well,” Judy said, “it looks like these two are going to be quite the pair if this keeps up.”

You wanted to scream Yes, we are! but all that came out was another gurgle. Still, you were determined. This was your chance to plant the seeds of a bond that could matter in the future. You had to make the most of it.

Sage leaned closer to Judy, cradling you as if presenting you to the world. “You know, we’re always open to playdates,” she said. “It’s so important for little ones to connect with like-minded souls.”

Judy hesitated, glancing down at Sam, who had calmed and was now staring at you with rapt attention. “That’s… sweet of you,” she said, clearly unsure how to navigate the conversation. “We’ll see how things go.”

Sage beamed, clearly taking that as a yes. “Wonderful! The stars must have aligned for us to meet today. We come out here every day now that our little starbeam is old enough. I look forward to meeting again.”

You couldn’t believe it. Was this really happening? Were you actually getting a foothold into Sam Witwicky’s life—however small—through a chance encounter in a park? It wasn’t much, but it was something. A start.

Your heart raced with anticipation. The voice that had brought you here had said you were to change the course of the stars. Maybe, just maybe, this was the first step.

As your parents began to stroll away, you caught one last glance at Judy and Sam. Judy was smiling, her attention divided between her son and the retreating form of your family. Sam was still staring at you, his tiny face alight with curiosity.

You chirped one last time, and Sam responded in kind. A small sound, almost imperceptible, but it carried a weight you couldn’t quite explain.

This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

Somehow, you would find your way back to them. You would make sure of it.

Prev Next

[merrybloomwrites]

Through the Dark - Choose Your Own 1D x Reader

Summary: A summer thunderstorm has your anxiety spiking, but your husband knows just how to care for you and your baby daughter.

AN: This popped into my mind during a storm earlier. First I thought of writing it for Harry, then wanted to switch to Louis, and finally realized it could work for any of the boys. I've seen stories before written so that you can choose the protagonist, so I decided to try that! No names are used so you can choose which of the boys star in this imagine!

Word Count: 715

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You pace around your living room, baby monitor in hand, as you watch the summer thunderstorm rage outside. You’d been woken up fifteen minutes prior by a loud clap of thunder. After five minutes of tossing and turning, you knew that falling back asleep was not going to happen. Rather than wake your husband, you snuck out of the bedroom and began your patrol across the plush carpet of the main living space. 

The room normally feels cozy, a place decorated just perfect for your family. But now it feels dark, and eerie, lit only by flashes of lightning that cast shadows across the walls. 

Another streak of lighting flashes and you nearly scream as it brightens the space enough for you to see another person. Before you can panic, you hear your husband’s voice say, “What are you doing out of bed, love?”

After taking a deep breath you reply, “The thunder. It woke me up.”

“Pretty intense storm isn’t it? Can’t remember the last time I’ve seen one like this. Oh, remember our honeymoon? We got caught just as it started to rain and ended up absolutely drenched,” he says. He chuckles at the memory, then notices you’re quiet next to him, rather than laughing along.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, finally picking up on your current disposition. 

“I don’t know what it is, but this storm has me feeling really anxious. I used to love watching them, but now I can’t stop thinking about worst case scenarios,” you explain.

“You’re a mum now. There’s a tiny human that depends on you. That changes your perspective on a lot of things. I know it did for me. Are there any particular worries you have right now?”

“What if a tree falls and we can’t get to her?” you say, voicing your concern even though it feels ridiculous and far fetched. But your daughter’s just five months old, and she moved into the crib in her own room a few days prior. It’s already been a hard transition for you and the storm is just adding to your feelings that maybe it’s too soon. 

Without any judgment, he replies, “Her bassinet is still in our room. We could bring her back for the night, that way if something happens she’s right there.”

“Yea, that’s a good idea, let’s do that,” you reply. “But what if lightning strikes the house and it catches on fire?”

“How about you go grab our little girl and set her up in our room, and I’ll get a bag together with anything we’ll need if we have to make a quick escape, alright?”

“Okay. I like that plan. Just, don’t be gone too long.”

“I’ll join you in just a couple of minutes,” he assures you, pressing a kiss to your temple before setting out to complete his task. 

You go and gently pick up your daughter, and as you walk into your bedroom she starts to stir. It’s around the normal time she wakes up to eat, so you settle in the rocking chair to feed her. Having her in your arms instantly soothes you, and you're calm as you finish up and move to change her diaper. Just as you’re settling her back into the bassinet, your husband walks into the room and places a bag next to the door.

With your baby sleeping soundly, the two of you climb back into bed. You listen closely, and it’s quiet. The storm has ended.

Suddenly you feel embarrassed for your overreaction to a typical summer storm, and say, “I’m sorry for being so crazy tonight.”

“No, baby, you’re not crazy. You’re an absolute momma bear, thinking ahead and making sure we’re prepared.”

“I just want her to be safe. I need to protect her.”

“She is safe. And you do protect her. And you’re not alone. I’m right here. I am always going to do everything in my power to keep you and her away from any harm. I promise.”

“I love you,” you say with a shy smile.

“I love you too. C’mere, let’s get some rest,” he says as he opens his arms. You cuddle into him, and are lulled to sleep by the soft sounds from your sleeping daughter, and the beating of your husband's heart.

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Thanks for reading! If you liked this choose your own type of story let me know and I'll see about doing more in the future!

[woso-fan13]

Sicktember 2023: 8

Persistent Fever

Kiera wakes up to a cold bed, which is unusual when she can’t see any sun seeping through the shades yet. It wasn’t uncommon for Lucy to awake before her, but she was never up this early, especially not on an off day. 

The only times she was up this early was when you had regressed, and slept over in your nursery. You would usually wake up and begin babbling, and if they didn’t wake up with that sound from the baby monitor, your babbles would turn to cries. Whichever woman heard you first would be in charge of scooping you out of the crib and changing you before they settled you in between them in the big bed. There, your makeshift little family would snuggle and sleep for another hour or so. 

But the bed was cold enough that Kiera knew Lucy had been gone longer than a few minutes. She also noticed that the baby monitor was missing from the nightstand, which gave her a hint as to where everyone else may be. 

Taking a last minute in the comfortable bed, Kiera eventually slid out and walked to the nursery. She didn’t bother knocking on the half-shut door, pushing it open to see a half asleep Lucy rocking you in the chair. You seemed to be asleep, but Kiera could tell by looking at you that it wasn’t a deep, peaceful sleep. 

“Luce,” she says, walking over to stand near you, “is Y/N still not feeling well?”

You had had a bit of a fever the afternoon before, but your moms had hoped that an early night to bed would knock it out. Clearly, it had not. 

“She’s definitely sick,” Lucy says, “I heard her around three this morning, a fussy little thing. I checked her temp, and she was up at 39.2. I’ve given her medicine, a cool bath, a fever patch, but nothing even touched it. She’s still holding steady.”

“Poor thing,” Kiera coos quietly, using a finger to gently trace your lips, pouting even in your sleep, “she wouldn’t go back to sleep?”

“I don’t think she could get comfortable enough to sleep. She had a bottle, I bounced her, we read stories and sang lullabies. Little love was so knackered but she just couldn’t get to sleep. It was heartbreaking.”

Kiera simply frowns, wordlessly replying. The two women watch you for just a few moments before you start shifting, whimpering in your sleep. 

Your eyes flutter open, fever glazed and filled with tears. You shift to move closer to Lucy, becoming upset when you realize the only way you could possibly get closer was to crawl inside her skin. Sensing your distress, Kiera quickly grabs your attention. 

“Mummy,” you whimper pitifully, reaching out slightly to her. 

Kiera shushes you, pulling you up and into her arms. She rocks slightly, holding your fever warmed body close. 

“Shh, darling, Mummy’s got you. You’ll be alright.”

Lucy watches as Kiera whispers to you, rocking as she paces the nursery floor. She smoothly passes the changing table, not even pausing as she swipes the pacifier off of the top and slips it into your mouth. You suckle slightly, clearly miserable. 

“You try wrapping her yet?” Kiera asks. 

“Do you think it would be okay? Wouldn’t raise her temperature?”

Kiera barely pauses to consider before she shakes her head. Pulling open the top drawer in your changing unit, she pulls out a large, thin muslin blanket. She tosses that on top of the table before handing you to Lucy as she walks over. 

She prepares the blanket, making sure it’s flat. She takes you back into her arms, laying you in the correct position. Kiera takes the opportunity to change your diaper, admiring how Lucy goes to comfort you without thought. She leaves your pants off, beginning to tug at your shirt. Eventually, the two women have your pajamas removed and Kiera gets to work swaddling you in only your diaper. 

You calm relatively quickly once your limbs are restrained, your fussing transitioning into a quiet mixture of gurgles and babbles. Lucy ensures that your soother is still in place, using one of her pointer fingers to trace gently down the bridge of your nose. Your eyelids are getting heavier and take longer to open after each blink. 

The two women almost die of cuteness when you yawn slightly, your eyes pressing closed and your mouth opening around your pacifier. You make a sweet, sleepy sound when your roaming eyes land on your mums. 

“mamamam,” you mumble, seeing Lucy near your face. Your Mama picks you up and cradles you, settling in the rocking chair. One arm holds you close, that hand gently patting your thigh. The other hand continues tracing the bridge of your nose, lulling you closer to sleep. 

Your body hurt and you were somehow both hot and cold, but your Mama was hugging you tight as Mummy picked up the small mess that had been made overnight. You could barely lift your head because it was so heavy and you were so weak and tired, but your mums had been doing it for you. 

But still, the heat running through your body didn’t allow you to settle fully. It’s only when you feel yourself moving before being laid down that a restful sleep takes over. 

Right in the middle of Mummy and Mama’s big bed, you tried to sleep your fever off. 

[justanotherboringwriter]

something something trans!jimmy trying to baby trap curly to ruin his life but it doesn’t work.

ᯓ★ Jimmy, who’d been born a woman, always jealous of Curly growing up. Damn bastard didn’t realize how lucky he was to be born a man–In a body that fitted the inside, unlike Jimmy, who was stuck in this stupid girl body.

ᯓ★ Jimmy, who got on t and got it all; body hair, facial hair, a deeper voice. Jimmy, who got the surgery he always wanted. But not bottom surgery–He hadn’t had enough money for that since his parents had kicked him out. Curly and his parents had funded the mastectomy and Jimmy just couldn’t bring himself to ask for even more of their pity money.

ᯓ★ Jimmy, who, from the start, knew Curly was in love with him. It’s why their toxic, codependent relationship had been so easy to begin. Fortunately for him, Curly had always been attracted to the always masculine ‘girl’ he’d grown up with, so the transition was better for them both

ᯓ★ Jimmy, who, in an attempt to finally ruin that perfect blonde cunt’s life, had wrapped his legs around his hips while Curly was fucking him, making sure to lock the man in place and making sure Jimmy was left full of him.

ᯓ★ Jimmy, who, weeks later, after the morning sickness, cravings, and 4 pregnancy tests, told Curly he was pregnant and it was his.

ᯓ★ Jimmy, who, upon seeing Curly’s shocked expression, was triumphant. He’d ruined the man’s life.

ᯓ★ Jimmy, who, upon progressing in the pregnancy, realized it was a mistake. The sore ankles, the burden of the growing fetus within him, the hormonal imbalances, the neediness.

ᯓ★ Jimmy, who, after being told Curly was going on a month’s long mission late into the third trimester, realized he fucked up.

ᯓ★ Jimmy, who, one day, while laying in bed with a hand on the stomach that was weighing him down, felt weird. Then felt a splash between his legs.

ᯓ★ Jimmy, who, sitting alone in a hospital bed, bit his lip to the point of going through the skin, held back tears and screams as he birthed their son.

ᯓ★ Jimmy, who, after being discharged from the hospital, sat in his apartment, the baby laying in a mobile crib beside him, sleeping soundly as the door unlocked and then closed again, locking. The sound of a duffle bag being placed on the table and the rustling of a plastic bag being heard before footsteps approached him.

ᯓ★ Jimmy, who, stared blankly and absentmindedly at the TV, spaced out, still dealing with some post–birth pains, barely registered Curly picking up the baby.

ᯓ★ Jimmy, who, after coming out of his thoughts and finally looking at the man, finally broke down.

“Oh, you’re beautiful..” Curly whispered to the newborn boy, swaddled in the softest white blanket with stripes of blue and red at the bottom. The boy gurgled, his eyes fluttering open as he was taken out of his slumber by the sound of his father’s voice.

“Hi, honey.” His father made sure to speak softly as his large finger gently rubbed against the boy’s rosy and cherubic cheek in a soothing manner. “‘s nice tae meet ya.” Curly added, speaking in his naturally Scottish accent. The boy giggled and reached a tiny, chubby hand up to try and grab at his father’s face.

Curly allowed him, enjoying the feeling of the boy’s hand gently tugging at his stubble in a curious manner.

“Not too hard, ye might hurt daddy..” Curly chuckled.

He was so distracted by the sight of his new son, he didn’t even notice Jimmy staring at him with crossed arms. He looked over, finally noticing him. “What’s wrong? Ye look mad..” Curly asked nervously. “Is this because I wasn’t there for the birth? Ye know I wanted tae be there but I was stuck in space..” He added.

Jimmy’s bottom lip trembled as tears welled up in his eyes. Curly quickly walked around the couch and sat beside Jimmy, the baby boy still in his arms. Curly gently settled the boy into his cradle to focus on his unofficial partner. “Jimmy, baby, what’s wrong?” He cooed softly. Jimmy, without another word, shoved himself into Curly’s arms, breaking down sobbing. Curly wrapped his arms around him, rubbing a hand up and down his back in a melodic manner, comforted the other man. “Shh, shh..” He whispered. “I know, I know; the birth was rough. Wish I could’ve been there tae help ye through it...” He hugged Jimmy closer.

Jimmy’s fists clenched, wrinkling fistfuls of Curly’s Pony Express uniform. “‘s over now, okay? I’ll be here with ye as much as possible–I’ll fight Pony Express for the chance to spend as much time as possible with ye and the baby, alright?” Curly said.

Jimmy nodded, his face nuzzled into the other man’s shoulder, staining the uniform with damp and hot tears.

ᯓ★ Jimmy, who, after accepting his situation, finally decided to man and mother up.

ᯓ★ Jimmy, who, with the help of Curly, named their new baby boy ‘Benny’.

[bitchinbarzal]

Home Is Us | Mini Mintens

Mama Mints doesn’t know how long she’s been sitting on the couch, staring at nothing.

She’s so tired. Not just in the way that a good night’s sleep could fix, but exhausted in a way that settles in her bones. The kind of exhaustion that comes from feeling like you’ve lost yourself, like you don’t know where you fit anymore.

She loves her family. God, she loves them so much. But she still feels adrift, unanchored in this new city.

Fraser is trying. He’s doing everything he can to make the transition easier for her, for the kids. But he can’t fix what’s broken inside of her, and that might be the worst part.

Because what if this feeling doesn’t go away?

What if she stays lost?

The kids are already in their pajamas when she finally moves, dragging herself up the stairs to check on them.

Felix is curled up in bed, his stuffed bear tucked under his chin. Fallon is in her crib, Ducky clutched tightly in her chubby hands.

And Flynn—Flynn is awake.

He’s sitting up in bed, staring at the ceiling, his little hands fidgeting with the hem of his blanket.

She sits beside him, pulling the covers up to his chin. “Can’t sleep, lovebug?”

Flynn shakes his head. “You’re sad.”

She freezes. “What?”

He finally looks at her, his face serious in the way that makes her heart ache. “You’re sad,” he repeats. “I can tell.”

Mama Mints swallows, smoothing a hand over his curls. “I’m just tired, baby.”

Flynn doesn’t look convinced. “Are you sad because of Boston?”

She exhales. “A little.”

He hesitates, then shifts closer, pressing his face into her side. “I don’t like it here,” he whispers.

Her throat tightens. “I know, baby.”

“But we’re still together,” he murmurs. “So that’s okay.”

The words hit her like a punch to the gut.

Flynn has hated this move. He’s struggled the most, missing his routines, his best friend, his comfort zone. But even through all of that, he still believes that as long as they’re a family, they’ll be okay.

She blinks hard, wrapping her arms around him. “Yeah, lovebug,” she whispers. “It is.”

Flynn hums sleepily against her chest. “I love you, Mama.”

Her heart aches as she presses a kiss to his curls. “I love you too, Bunny.”

She stays there, holding him long after he falls asleep.

And for the first time since they moved, she finally feels something settle inside of her.

Fraser finds her in their room later, sitting at the edge of the bed, her hands folded in her lap.

He hesitates before stepping closer, voice soft. “Hey.”

She looks up, and he must see something different in her face, because his shoulders ease slightly. “Hey.”

He sits beside her, reaching out instinctively, thumb brushing over the back of her hand. “You okay?”

She exhales slowly. “I talked to Flynn.”

Fraser frowns. “What happened?”

She swallows, blinking up at him. “He told me that even though he doesn’t like it here, it’s okay, because we’re still together.”

Fraser’s brows furrow. “Babe…”

Her voice cracks. “I think I forgot that.”

He doesn’t say anything at first, just pulls her into his arms, holding her against his chest. “You haven’t lost us,” he murmurs into her hair. “I promise.”

She lets herself believe him.

She lets herself sink into his touch, lets him kiss the side of her head, lets the weight she’s been carrying feel just a little lighter.

“I don’t know how to fix everything yet,” she admits, voice quiet.

Fraser tucks his chin over her head. “You don’t have to fix it alone.”

She exhales shakily. “I don’t want to leave.”

Fraser presses his lips to her forehead. “Then we figure it out. Together.”

She nods, closing her eyes.

Because he’s right.

They don’t have to have all the answers right now.

As long as they’re together, they’ll find their way into making this feel like home.