#...because you are treating them like the back-up child. the spare tire. the third wheel. the one who is only cherished when they are Of Us

[uncanny-tranny]

A really sinister aspect into how people view children and parents is the idea of children being a replaceable commodity.

I've seen this in the way people talk about parents who have lost children but have surviving children... "Oh, at least you have other children," as though a child is just an interchangeable tool, a machine that dispenses what you want from it without it being sentient, whole, and feeling. The fact that people say that in order to comfort somebody shows, to me, how deep this mindset is engraved in people's brains: children are interchangeable items, and they do not fundamentally matter.

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

The Farmhouse

Summary: The reader has been quietly dating the Ackles for close to two years now. When a bad day gets even worse, she questions what she’s doing running around with a married couple when she can’t even say who she’s dating…

Pairing: Jensen x reader x Danneel

Word Count: 5,500ish

Warnings: language, angst, eventual fluff

You were fuming by the time you finally, finally got home. Your car got a flat tire on the highway, about ten minutes from the brewery and you’d figured the roadside assistance guy would be there in twenty minutes tops. An hour later he called to say he was going to be another hour. You’d tried to call anyone left at the brewery but there was no answer, not that you were expecting anyone to be there after the brew had finished.

Jensen was flying back into town today, Danneel wasn’t answering your calls and your phone had to go and die on you. Eventually the road guy got there, only to tell you he didn’t have a spare in that size. You were pretty sure you growled as he called for backup, another guy arriving half an hour later. Finally, you were back on the road, pulling into the driveway close to eight.

“Where were you?” said Danneel when you stepped inside, wearing a nice dress, Jensen in a dress shirt and jeans. “You know Jay and I were having a date night.”

“Well excuse me,” you snapped, Jensen pouting at you.

“Hey, it’s been like a month since just De and I went out,” he said.

“Just go on your date,” you grumbled, walking past them for the bedroom.

“What’s got you in such a bad mood?” said Danneel back, a little too sharply for your taste.

“Answer your freaking phone next time,” you said, Danneel frowning at you.

“Girls,” said Jensen, holding up his hands. “Just take a breather. Y/N, there’s no need to come in with an attitude.”

“Go on your date,” you snapped, narrowing your eyes.

“Well the kids are over the Padalecki’s since you weren’t home,” she said. You kept on walking for the bathroom, slamming the bedroom door shut after you. “You’re such a child sometimes, Y/N!”

“Don’t talk to me anymore!” you shouted back, locking the door after you. You heard the front door shut after a moment and the car pull out.

You hopped in the shower to try to cool off but your anger only turned to being upset.

Neither one of them brought up the fact that you weren’t home. You could have been dead in a ditch and they hadn’t as so much bothered to ask why you were so late. They were just upset they were late for their date because you weren’t home to babysit.

Again.

They were the one’s that were married after all. They were the one’s that’d been together for years and years and years, the ones that had kids together.

You’d met them helping them set up the brewery and that’s how you got involved. Two years later though and you’d never even been on a real date with the two of them. No, out in public you were the third wheel, a super close friend. If you and Danneel went out, you were friends grabbing a bite. There was no holding hands ever, no kisses. Nothing beyond fast hugs which even then were mostly reserved for the two of them.

You understood, you really did. This was not a normal situation and you didn’t want them to get any crap for it.

But they got to actually show that they were in love and talk about each other openly and you were just there in the shadows.

The babysitter for date night. The one that’d never once gone out with Jensen just the two of you. The one that was treated almost like you were a nanny when other people were around.

Their parents didn’t even know. They didn’t even know you lived with them.

What the hell were you doing dating two people that would never love you the way you wanted to be? Maybe it was selfish but you just wanted so badly not to be the one that was brushed off or forgotten or hidden away for once.

It would always be that way too.

You got out of the shower and dried off, changing into jeans and a shirt, going to the closet and grabbing your suitcases and a duffel from the bottom. You slid all of your bathroom stuff into one, your clothes fitting in the rest. Everything else was theirs. Nothing in the house even really belonged to you. It was all the Ackles’.

You’d never be one of them, even if you’d fallen for them both.

You packed up your car and wrote a fast note, saying you were leaving and asking them not to contact you.

Ten minutes later you were on the highway, determined to get the hell out of Austin.

You pulled into the driveway about 2am, after driving aimlessly for a few hours, ignoring the phone calls and texts you kept getting alerted to. You left all but one of your bags in your car, knocking on the door quietly.

“Y/N?” yawned Nate as he pulled open the front door. “Sis, what-”

“Can I crash here tonight?” you asked. He nodded and let you inside, stumbling back up the stairs with you on his heels.

“Uh, there might be some boxes and crap in your old room,” he said.

“That’s okay. Thanks for letting me stay,” you said.

“This used to be your house too,” he said. “We’ll talk in the morning.”

You woke up groggy, Nate already up and about from the sounds of it. You padded downstairs, Nate sliding a dish of bacon and eggs in front of you.

“Mmm, thanks,” you said, grabbing a fork from the drawer and diving in.

“So...what brings my kid sister all the way up to the old family farm in the middle of the night?” he said with a smirk, taking a seat across from you.

“I quit my job,” you said, shoveling some food in your mouth. “I’m done with Austin. I was thinking of working the farm. You could use the help and I could split bills with you.”

“That does sound appealing but why’s smartie pants who couldn’t wait to get out of here want to suddenly come back?” he asked. “You were making good money at that brewery place.”

“Issue with the owners,” you said, chewing on some bacon.

“Big brother gotta kick some ass kind of issue?” he asked.

“No, Nathan,” you said with a smirk. “I don’t want to work there or be around them anymore is all.”

“So you quit your job and are moving because you don’t want to work with your boyfriend and girlfriend anymore...the whole coming here in the middle of the night thing is making a bit more sense now,” he said.

“You always thought I was a freak for dating two people at once anyways. What’s it matter to you?” you said.

“I was surprised when you told me, yes, but I never thought you were a freak. Everything you ever told me about them...you always lit up. You were in love. Of course I want you to be happy, whoever it’s with,” he said. “Hey, I knew you were into boys and girls before you did. I’m the one that helped you talk to mom and dad about it you were so scared.”

“Nate,” you said, squeezing your eyes shut. “I just wasted two years of my life on people that will never be able to love me the way they love each other. The worst part is I still love them. I feel like a little kid throwing a tantrum.”

“I don’t think the fact that you want to have an open relationship with your partners is a crime, Y/N. I think you should be a little selfish when it comes to love. Mom and dad showed us what a good relationship is. Your partners aren’t taking care of you like they should be,” he said.

“Sometimes I would get scared that I’m just...something fun to them. Something new and exciting. They asked me to never tell anyone about them. Anyone, Nate,” you said.

“I know. So do mom and dad,” he said with a smirk.

“Because I didn’t want to hide that from you guys. But they hide me and-”

“I know your relationship is different than what people are used to but there’s a difference between not broadcasting something to the world and hiding it,” he said. “And you know what one was going on here.”

“Mom and dad never even met them. You never even met them,” you said.

“Well, mom and dad are in Florida and you’ve never even been invited to these guys Christmas and you know what? Fuck those guys. This relationship has too many conditions on it and that’s not what you want,” said Nate. “You can crash here and help out around the farm for a while but I do think you should try to get back into brewery work, maybe something around here.”

“Thanks, Nate.”

Two Days Later

You were setting down a fresh bag of feed in the chicken coup when you heard a car door open and shut out front. About ten seconds later a body walked around the farmhouse, stilling as he spotted you. He walked over quickly, slowing as he came to a stop a few feet away.

“You shouldn’t have come to your brother’s if you didn’t want to be found,” said Jensen.

“Surprised you remember I have a brother. You better get out of here before another human being sees you talking to me alone,” you said, cutting open the bag and filling up the trench for the chickens.

“What the hell is this?” said Jensen, pulling out the note you’d left. “You don’t call or answer any of our messages. What the hell is going on?”

“Excuse me,” said Nate, patting his gloves together, heading over from the other end of the barn. “I believe you’re on private property mister.”

“You must be Nate,” said Jensen.

“You must be the dick,” said Nate. Jensen’s face flashed with hurt for a moment, his gaze back on you. “I think you should go.”

“Not until I know what happened,” said Jensen. “Sweetie-”

“She ain’t your sweetie anymore, princess,” said Nate, stepping in front of Jensen, letting the few inches and pounds he had on him show off. Jensen scowled up at him but Nate shoved Jensen’s arm. “Leave before I call the cops.”

“I just-”

Nate shoved on Jensen again, Jensen glaring at Nate but all you saw was the sad look in his eyes.

“Y/N. What-”

Nate grabbed Jensen’s arm and yanked him forward, Jensen shrugging out of it.

“What is your fucking problem?” snapped Jensen.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m only treating you the way you treat her. Unwanted and there as a convenience, something pretty to look at it. Why don’t you get your pretty boy Hollywood ass out of here before I knock some sense into you,” said Nate.

“What the fuck are you talking about!” said Jensen. Nate laughed and you went wide eyed, remembering him doing that when he was a teenager about to get in a fight. About two seconds later, Jensen was a few feet back, his hand on his cheek. “Did you punch me?”

“Must not have took,” said Nate, raising up his fist and swinging again, Jensen dodging most of it this time. Nathan kicked out his feet though and Jensen fell flat on his back, Nathan glaring down at him.

“Nathan!” you shouted, shoving him away. “What the fuck are you doing! You’re an adult. Act like one.”

“I politely asked this mister to get off my property and when he declined, I exercised my right-”

“Go away. Now,” you barked. Nate stared at you a moment before he headed back for the barn. Jensen got up to his feet, brushing himself off. “Are you-”

“Do we make you feel unwanted?” he asked quietly.

“My brother starts to kick your ass and that’s what you focus on?” you asked.

“Do you?” he asked. You sighed and grabbed his arm, leading him up to the farmhouse and into the kitchen. You sat him down at the table, finding a first aid kit and cleaning up his cheek while he watched you. “Why’d you break up with us? Was it your fight with De? She’s a wreck. I mean, we sent the kids to my parents and she’s been out to your friends in Austin. We were both trying to look for you and-”

“I don’t fit with the two of you,” you said. He nodded and you turned away to get a small bandage, Jensen hard faced when you turned back but you saw his eyes were wet and verging on tears. “Don’t cry.”

“Why don’t you get your brother to hit me again then,” he said, swallowing thickly.

“I did not ask him to do that,” you said. Jensen bit his bottom lip and stood up, out your back door and marching towards the barn before you could stop him. “Jensen!”

“Nate!” shouted Jensen. “Your sister ain’t talking so maybe you will.”

“Jensen!” you shouted, jogging over as Nate was on Jensen like that, grabbing his shirt collar. “Nate, do not-”

“Do you love my sister?” asked Nate.

“Yes,” said Jensen.

“Love her as much as your wife?” he asked.

“Yes,” said Jensen.

“Then why the fuck does she not know that? Why don’t you take her out on a date? Why don’t you treat her like a partner? I had a partner, asshole, and she got sick and I’d do anything to get her back. So what the fuck would you do to get her back? How far would you go to prove that to her?” said Nate.

“You really haven’t looked at your phone in two days, huh,” said Jensen, giving you a sad smile. You cocked your head and grabbed it from your back pocket. “When you were gone like that...De and I got a little scared and you weren’t technically missing so we made a post.”

You opened up instagram, jaw dropping when you saw the post they’d both put up. There was a picture of the three of you. The one with them both kissing you from New Year’s last year.

“This is Y/N. She’s our girlfriend and she’s missing,” you said, scanning over the rest of the post. “We miss her. Please come home.”

“We were never hiding you on purpose. We were only doing what you asked us at the start of all of this. Keep you out of the limelight. Keep it away from our families like you said. You’re the one that came up with the rules for dates out at first and we always thought you’d tell us if you were ready for more and...” said Jensen. “Honey-”

“That was two years ago. You never even told your family about me and you told me I wasn't supposed to tell anyone either. You aren’t innocent in this.”

“We never said this would be easy. I screwed up. De screwed up. We talked everything out at the start and never talked about it again. We should have kept talking about it, Y/N. Please, just give us another chance,” he said.

“Nate, hold on to him for a second,” you said. Jensen glanced back at Nate and then you, watching you type away on your phone for a moment. “You can let him go now.”

“What’d you do?” asked Jensen.

“I responded to your instagram post. I was your girlfriend as in ‘friend’ and that was all,” you said. Jensen shook his head and you made your face hard. “We’re done.”

“Y/N,” said Jensen, stepping towards you but Nate grabbed him. Jensen didn’t hold back this time and swung hard, Nate pushing it aside and pinning his arm behind his back. “Y/N.”

“Time for you to go, Romeo,” said Nate, Jensen trying to break out of the hold as Nate started to pull him back towards his car. “Stop. She said no.”

The fight went out of Jensen at that, Nate guiding him back to the car and sitting him down behind the wheel.

“Listen. I know you want to make things right but I know my little sister. She’s been too hurt by all this and whatever happened a few nights ago was the last straw. Something beyond a lack of date nights caused this. She always felt second class to you and your wife. Don’t get me wrong, I understand loving your wife but you two never made her feel like she was loved the same, even if you felt it,” said Nate.

“I’m not giving up,” said Jensen, Nate closing his car door on him. “Not ever.”

“She said she’s done,” said Nate. “Respect that.”

“I’m not leaving this town until she knows how much we love her,” said Jensen.

“You just don’t get it buddy, do you? I see you on my property again, I’m calling the cops,” said Nate.

“I’m not throwing away someone I love just because you threaten me. I got my own kid sister so I fucking get what you’re doing but you could beat the hell out of me every single day and it still ain’t going to stop me until she knows that we love her,” said Jensen.

“That can be arranged,” he said.

“Next time I’m back, my wife will be with me. If you even think-”

“I wouldn’t touch a lady. I’ll tell her off but won’t touch,” he said.

“Good,” said Jensen.

“Now get.”

“I know you’re going to ignore this but tell her I’ll be back tonight with De. We need to talk,” said Jensen, closing his eyes.

“No, you won’t,” he said.

“Yes, I will.”

“Boys,” you snapped, both of them turning to face in front of them. “Get out of the car and if anyone throws another fucking punch, somebody’s getting kicked in the nuts, got it?”

Nate held up his hands and moved away, giving Jensen enough space to slip out of his car.

“Nate. I don’t care where you go but give us some privacy,” you said. Nate grumbled but walked around the other side of the house, Jensen just staring at you. “I didn’t make a post.”

“Why-”

“I wanted to see your reaction,” you said. “To thinking you’d really lost me.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Because I needed to know if you really wanted to try again. I wasn’t expecting you to get dragged out of here by Nate,” you said.

“I will do whatever the fuck you want me to. De and I both will. Just don’t tell us we lost you,” he said.

“Have I ever been a game to the two of you? Just something fun to play with and spice things up?” you asked.

“No. Never,” he said softly.

“You love me?” you asked.

“Just as much as De. You’re both my girls,” he said, glancing down at his feet. “Do you love us?”

“Of course,” you said, Jensen lifting his head up.

“Friday when you were gone so long...you weren’t on a date?” he asked.

“What?” you asked.

“You know those little tile things with the gps we all stuck on our phones in case we lost them? When De got out of the dentist-”

“De was at the dentist?” you asked.

“Yeah. Her appointment got bumped back a few hours,” said Jensen, shaking his head. “When we saw all the missed calls, we looked up the gps since you weren’t answering your phone. It showed you were at that restaurant just off the highway by the brewery for like...hours. We thought maybe the calls were to break up and you were on a date with someone else. When you got home, we were too scared to bring it up and that’s why De was so on edge and...”

“I got a flat tire,” you said.

“I believe you,” he said.

“You thought I was going to break up with you?” you asked.

“Technically I think you still did,” he said. “We thought you were unhappy with us. Everything was so hush hush...we thought you were embarrassed of us.”

“Jensen-”

“You’re beautiful, Y/N. You could snag a guy, a girl, ten years younger than me easily. You could get married properly that way, have someone that was always home and not off in another country working...you can have better than us. We thought...”

“We all need to stop thinking and just start talking,” you said. “We just need to sit down and talk this through, alright?”

“I’ll call De. She’ll be here in a few hours.”

“Nathan,” you said, narrowing your eyes at your brother in the house, Jensen sitting awkwardly on the end of the couch. “Would it kill you to apologize to Jensen for hitting him?”

“What’d he do? Put on puppy dog eyes and suddenly the sun shines out his ass again?” asked Nate.

“We talked. De’s going to be here soon and we’ll talk some more and then I’m probably going to head home in the morning,” you said.

“She’s not a toy to play with you know,” growled Nate.

“Why do you hate me so much?” asked Jensen calmly. “I never asked to fall in love with two women at the same time. I kept it to myself, I felt like an awful person for even thinking it until my wife brought up Y/N one night and we realized we both felt the same about her. Maybe I can’t be what you envisioned for her but I will be kind and good and isn’t that what you want?”

“I want you to shut-”

A knock came at the door, Nate standing and stepping over to it, ripping it open fast.

“Hi,” said Danneel quietly.

“Oh great. Another one,” he said, rolling his eyes. He opened the door and Danneel slipped past him, pausing when she saw Jensen’s face and then you.

“What...” she said.

“De, this is Nate. He sort of fucking hates us so don’t take offense,” said Jensen. Danneel took two large steps away from Nate, your brother scoffing as he went past.

“Don’t worry. Punching is reserved for pretty boy,” said Nate.

“What is your problem?” you shot at him, Nate’s face scrunching up. “You’ve been terribly rude, violent, De’s scared to be near you. I know you aren’t happy with them and we got some stuff to work out but you’re going to respect my partners, dammit. Now apologize for the pretty boy crack or I’ll whoop your ass myself.”

“Whatever,” said Nate, quickly leaving the house, the sound of one of the machines going outside telling you at least you’d have some privacy.

“Sorry about...” you said. Danneel stared at you and quickly rushed over, wrapping her arms around you. “De. De, too tight.”

“I’m so sorry,” she mumbled, Jensen standing up and peeling her off of you.

“De, honey, relax. I already did the groveling part,” said Jensen. “Let’s sit down and figure out what went wrong and how we’re going to change all of those things in the future, alright?”

You were sandwiched between both of them on the couch, Jensen playing with your hair, Danneel making shapes on one of your arms. A bit of calm and quiet after all the talking had been nice. Things felt good again and the heavy weight you’d been carrying around with you was gone, hopefully for good.

Nate gave you a quick goodbye but didn’t say a word to either one of them when you headed out.

Back at home, you had a few days of just the three of you, of playing together without all the rules this time, of going out to dates. Jensen wasn’t overly affectionate in public in general but he liked to hold your hand now when you walked or give a quick peck on the lips. Date nights were always for everyone from then on out and Danneel said they’d get someone over to watch the kids since you were their mom too and more than entitled to a night off.

Once the kids were back home, you settled into a routine with everyone that left everyone feeling like they belonged again.

Two Months Later

“I’ll get it,” said Jensen, padding out of the kitchen and to the front door.

“I thought everyone we were expecting was here already,” said Danneel, counting off people in the living room again.

“Maybe we got a rebel who didn’t rsvp,” teased Jensen. You saw his smile drop when he pulled the door open, Danneel walking over with a big smile until hers too faded away.

“Hey,” said Nate by the time you got over there, in a pair of nice jeans and a button down, holding a small bag. “You uh, having that engagement party thing for Y/N tonight?”

“Yeah,” you said, stepping in front of them. “I thought you said you were busy.”

“Well, hopefully you only get sort of engaged and sort of married only once,” he said with a shrug. “Here.”

He held out the bag, the top of your favorite local brew back home sticking out.

“So you gonna let me see this fancy house or what? I just drove three hours after all,” he said.

“Nate,” you said.

“You look a lot happier than last time I saw you,” he said softly. “I’ll be on my best behavior. I promise.”

“We’re more than glad to have some of Y/N’s family here,” said Danneel, waving Nate in.

“She really is cute,” said Nate.

“She’s taken,” you and Jensen said, Nate chuckling.

“I guess you could have gotten an uglier mug for pretty boy over here, too,” he said.

“I still owe you one, farm boy,” said Jensen.

“Think you could take me shortie?” said Nate.

“I got the boxing gloves in the gym,” he said.

“I’ll have to take you up on that sometime,” said Nate.

“Boys,” you grumbled, rolling your eyes. “Nate, go meet the rest of the family and be nice, please?”

“Alright, alright. Like I said, best behavior,” he said. Danneel led him over to the kitchen, the room quiet for a moment before you heard the sound pick up again.

“Hey,” said Jensen, tugging you away to the bedroom, giving you a cautious smile. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Just wasn’t expecting Nate to show,” you said, shrugging as you looked at the floor. “I don’t know. I thought...things were weird between us once I went home with you guys. I think he thought you guys were manipulating me or something.”

“He loves his kid sister. I get that he wants you to be in a good relationship,” he said. “De and I may have lied about one thing to you since we’ve been back together but we did it for good reasons.”

“What was that?” you asked.

“That day we said we had brewery business, that trade show. We didn’t go. We drove up to your brother’s house and had a talk, the three of us,” he said.

“I see you two lived,” you said. Jensen laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“We explained the situation to him. He still thought we were assholes which we were,” he said.

“It was all our faults. Everyone forgot to talk when that’s the most important thing there is to this thing,” you said.

“I know. But still. It went longer than expected and we were going to drive home but he offered to let us stay the night, said something like you’d never speak to him again if we got in an accident on the way home,” said Jensen. “De got a bit scared later that night. Some stuff he said got to her and she didn’t know how to prove to you that what she felt and what I felt was real and she started thinking we were going to lose you again. I didn’t have an answer. I don’t have an answer. I-”

“Don’t be scared,” you said softly. He smiled, nodding his head. “I know it’s real.”

“We’re not afraid anymore,” he said. “But the walls are a little thin in that old farmhouse and then there was Nate, poking his head in your old room and saying what is it about that bedroom that makes girls cry. I think he meant it as a joke but it pissed me off and I told him to stop and it set him off and then we were outside in the barn and I swear, I thought we were going to duke it out.”

“My brother thinks with his heart instead of his head a lot,” you said.

“I realize that so I started to speak his language,” said Jensen. “I told him we didn’t need him to remind us of our mistakes.”

“So I told this shrimpy little asshole to leave my sister alone,” said Nate, finding his way into the bedroom. “Guy wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“Don’t harass people I love, Nathan,” you said.

“Well Jensen here spun it around on me and asked me to stop being selfish because it wasn’t about him or that cute redhead or even me. It was about you. All three of us wanted the same thing. You to be happy. Whatever your decision was, the three of us should respect it, whether that was you staying or leaving. He had a point,” said Nate.

“He ended up apologizing to De and me and we worked things out,” said Jensen.

“Good. I really want you guys to get along. I’d like my big brother to come visit more often too,” you said. “I know you get lonely in that house.”

“Yeah. I’ll be sure to be around more than I have in recent history,” he said. You saw JJ wander into the room, stopping in front of him. “Hi.”

“Are you mom’s brother?” she asked, looking back at you. “He’s bigger than Uncle Jared!”

“Mom?” he asked. She looked back at you again and then at him, like he didn’t get it. “Sorry, sweetie. I forgot you got two mom’s.”

“Can we play?” she asked.

“Yeah, kiddo,” said Nate, smiling as she took his hand. “I can tell you a whole bunch of stories about your mom I bet you never heard. She grew up on a farm you know.”

“Really?” she said. You laughed as they walked off together, you and Jensen heading back to the party.

“I knew sicking the kids on him would be a good move,” said De. “He’s a big softie under it all, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. Sarah was good at bringing that out in him. He didn’t want to get hurt again after she got sick,” you said.

“Why don’t we invite him to spend the next few days with us?” she said, Jensen nodding his agreement. “Let him get to know the kids, know us a bit better.”

“It is the slow season around the farm. I’m sure he could swing it,” you said.

“Great. We really want our brother in law to be a part of our family too,” said Jensen. You saw Nate’s ear twitch up, probably subtle enough that they wouldn’t notice but Nate was used to quiet and alone and he’d always been a good eavesdropper. You smiled and looked over at him, getting a nod and smile in return before JJ was handing him a toy.

“I’m pretty sure he wants to be part of it too.”

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day One Hundred Thirty-Two: Wonder Woman ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: A Light Amongst Shadows ] [ AO3 Link ]

To him, she’s like a real life superhero. It doesn’t matter that - in terms of brute strength - he’s leaps and bounds above her. It’s hardly a fair comparison, anyway. The only one who can hold a candle to him now is Naruto. No, what matters to Sasuke is all his wife is capable of beyond the typical shinobi concern of “how many faces can you beat in before you get tired?”.

While Hinata isn’t a pushover - she has the largest Byakugan range of current Hyūga, and created her own jutsu when only sixteen - Sasuke considers her real strengths to be of her character. Her actions.  Especially considering how...lacking he himself can be in those same regards.

When he first returned, she was kind and courteous. Nothing like how pretty much everyone (beyond his family, at least) treated him. Even his teammates were more standoffish than her...though, they also had reason to be.

Hinata didn’t shy from his reputation. She knew it, and his reasons. Instead, she - more boldly than the rest - stepped up and tried to offer him friendship. Help him settle back into Konoha after all that had happened.

And in tandem, she was one of those who first offered her aid. Granted, it was also part of the Hyūga alliance orchestrated by Hanabi (though there were certainly other hands at play in the background). But Hinata made it abundantly clear she was personally involved as well. The friendship she’d developed while under the care of who would become Itachi’s wife after her chūnin exams (and Neji’s beatdown) meant becoming involved earlier than most...whether she wanted it or not.

But she handled it all gracefully. Was dutifully secretive, and unerringly supportive as the Uchiha tried to pick up their pieces.

...it helped she was the only Hyūga that, in Sasuke’s eyes, wasn’t stuck up and snobbish. But he got that impression mostly from Neji. Maybe a bit from Hiashi. And just a smidge from Hanabi, but...that was mostly because of her puppeteering behind the scenes of the elders. In reality, he likes her spunk...even if she can be a bit coy for his tastes.

From there, he got to know her kindness. She wasn’t much like the other girls from their class. Ino was always so forward and...obnoxious. Sakura too pushy and aggressive...and affectionate in shallow ways. But Hinata was quiet. Unobtrusive. Polite, kind, and yet not without her limits.

It made him wonder if, back then, they would have been friends. She wasn’t the sort that would have annoyed him...but between his narrow focus, and her own gaze being so locked on Naruto (let alone her wallflower nature), they just...never converged.

Unfortunate.

Then Naruto and Sakura got together. Which left the pair of them as rather awkward third and fourth wheels. Even more pushed together, Sasuke just...found himself getting closer to her. Sure, it was unavoidable given their circles and the alliance, but...he started seeking her out. Missing her company. No one had ever really...done that before.

Consider him impressed.

When he brought forth his plan to create a new police force, she was among the fore to support the idea...and one of the first to volunteer. Her path, she told him, was diverging. She’d given up on being heiress long before then. She’d decided to become strong for herself. No one else. Not Hanabi, not Hiashi, not even Naruto. Just for young Hinata: the one who needed someone to lean on...and had only herself.

...he’d admired that, and accepted.

She was a natural. Her patience meant dealing with people was far easier than if he’d gone it alone. After all, he hadn’t been known for his well-kept temper or willingness to wait. But in the same breath, she was firm when necessary, and a worthy opponent for anyone they had to get rough with. Her balance of justice, kindness, and tough morals was perfect for her new line of work, and she blossomed.

...and he noticed.

Between their alliance, their friendship, and then their partnership...it was all but assured that things would progress further...despite Sasuke’s misgivings. Uchiha were still mistrusted, and in some cases still hated. He didn’t want to bring her into that by involving himself romantically. And yet...he also knew what diamond in the rough he’d found in her. After so long of being alone - after pushing so many people away, and putting up walls - he’d found someone that fit to his edges: was firm where he needed it, but...soft when necessary too.

In his mind...she was his only chance. At love, at a family, at happiness.

And she wasn’t about to let his reservations stand in her way. When they talked it over, she insisted: she loved him, and wouldn’t be put aside so easily. If it was what he truly wanted, she’d oblige...but she’d know he felt for her just as ardently.

Her bravery in the face of taking on their enemies was humbling.

Things weren’t easy at first. She was mocked. Publicly harassed. Even pushed at times. But she handled it all with grace...and with force, when necessary.

...of course, it only got worse from there.

But so too did their lives move forward. A few years after they married, they had their first child: a boy, Tenkai. Their earth. Hinata was a perfect mother from the get go. Patient as always, soft, doting...but not a pushover, either. And when their daughter Chikyū - their heavens - joined their little family, she managed it like a champion.

He could hardly fathom how she kept it all straight. The house, the children, and eventually her job once she was able. Sure, their lives weren’t perfect, and nor were her days. But Sasuke was nevertheless always blown away at how well she handled it all.

Especially as the threats and violence mounted.

Sasuke, Itachi, and Shisui wasted no time in investigating and confronting whatever threat they could find...but it was always just out of reach. Tricky and conniving, they were being prodded from deep shadows even their eyes couldn’t see through. Between the two families, the five children were kept safe by not only protective uncles and fathers...but by fearless, fear-inspiring mothers. Both of them had moments of maternal ferocity and action, as much as their husbands clearly hated the idea.

But Sasuke couldn’t help but be proud of her when they passed.

Even now, everything about her is awe-inspiring. A true wonder woman in her own right.

“Kāchan, look! I drew you something!”

“You did? Let me see, Tenkai.”

The family is gathered in the living room of their home, Hinata surrounded on both sides by her children. Sasuke sits in an armchair nearby, arms loosely crossed as he lounges and watches with a soft smile. It’s Mother’s Day, after all - this is more about her, and the kids.

...they’ll celebrate their own way later.

For now, she’s being showered with gifts mostly made by the pair. Drawings, some origami, and a bouquet of flowers (picked from her own garden, but it’s the thought that counts). The trio even worked together (rather messily) to craft a cake for her.

She beams in the attention, clearly overjoyed at simply being with her kids and seeing their creations for her. No enthusiasm is spared as she reacts to each gift, setting them all in plain sight to be enjoyed. And the cake is received with the biggest grin on her face.

“Thank you, my dears - everything is perfect. I’m the luckiest mom in the world…!”

Come evening, with the kids in bed and the parents cleaning up the festivities’ aftermath, Sasuke offers, “So, how does the luckiest mom in the world want to celebrate now that it’s just the two of us?”

Glancing to him from the sink, she gives a modest smile, head ducking shyly. “Oh, I’m sure you’ve got ideas.”

He just smiles at her. “Well...you might be the luckiest mom...but I’m the luckiest husband.”

“Oh, are you?”

“Well yeah - have you seen my wife?” he can’t help but tease.

“Mm...I know her.”

“And?”

“And she better count herself just as lucky.”

     Well, it's not Mother's Day here anymore, given the hour...but I tried xD Today was our own celebration in my family, as well as just a day to...decompress, aha~      Just some Sasuke appreciating his wonderful waifu alongside their adorable kiddos. Not much more a mama can ask for on such a day! Hinata's got it made, lol      Anywhooo, I'm...v tired and it's late, so I'll stop there - thanks for reading n_n

[dontshootmespence]

Becoming Real: Rich in Family

A/N: I can’t believe I had an anon request for an update to Becoming Real! I nearly cried! I loved this story so much so to have the chance to go back to it is awesome :D The anon requested an older Spencer and Luke (in their 70s) spending a holiday (Halloween) with grown-up Diana and Michael (in their mid-30s), their babies and Henry’s kids, all of which are between five and 10 :D

Luke overacted, huffing and puffing as he passed the couch on his third run around the house - keeping up with the energy of a 10-year-old Molly and 5-year-old Ezra was quite possibly more difficult than chasing an unsub. Maybe not, but almost. “Your turn, babe,” he said, collapsing onto the couch theatrically much to the delight of their grandkids. “I’m so tired.”

“You’re getting old,” Spencer laughed. He leaned over and kissed Luke’s temple before getting up to run after the kids. Diana and Michael came out of from their bedroom having changed into their “costumes,” which consisted of a board covered in tan-colored foam - they were graham crackers. Ezra was a marshmallow and Molly was a chocolate bar.

Diana sauntered down the hallway, practically modeling. Michael looked on, eyes soft and more in love than ever. 

“You definitely are my child,” Spencer laughed, walking up to kiss her forehead. “A complete and total dork.”

Michael snorted, looking both of his fathers-in-law up and down. “What about you?”

Having recovered from running around after the kids, Luke stood up and glanced down at his costume. Both he and Spencer were wearing their regular clothes with pieces of paper taped to them. The paper had a big letter “C” on it with two numbers on the left side - 14 on the top and 6 on the bottom. “What?” Luke shrugged. “It’s awesome.”

JJ and Will had just entered the Alvez-LaMontagne home along with Henry, Alaina and their son, William LaMontagne II. “Spence, what are the two of you even supposed to be?” She asked.

Henry, Michael and Diana spoke at the same time. “Carbon dating.”

“Oh, wow, you two really are nerds,” Will laughed as he picked up his 6-year-old namesake. “Your Uncles Spencer and Luke are dorks.”

Little Will laughed and reached out for his cousins, following in their footsteps. The adults had stopped running after the kids, but they were still going like the energizer bunnies. 

Luke held his hands up like Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune. “What about this, you nerds?”

Feigning hurt, JJ punched him in the shoulder. “Excuse you, we are adorable. We are milk and cookies.”

“You’re dorks too,” Michael and Henry said at the same time.

“We’re all dorks,” Spencer replied, snickering as his “little chocolate bar” pulled on his pant leg. Molly was ready to go. “Dorks are where it’s at.”

Coming up to his side, Luke wrapped his arm around his husband’s shoulder and kissed his cheek. “Only old people use the phrase, ‘where it’s at.’”

“What? We’re old.”

Little Will, Molly and Ezra were waiting patiently at the door, bouncing up and down on their toes in anticipation for all the candy they were going to bring home. “Ready to go?” Alaina asked her son.

“Yes! I want MnMs!” 

Tangled was a favorite Disney movie of little Will’s, so it seemed fitting that Flynn Rider and Rapunzel would take their little Pascale trick-or-treating. 

“Alright!” Diana exclaimed. “Let’s go!”

Immediately, the kids ran out the door with Michael, Henry and Alaina running after them. “Dad?” Diana asked. “Daddy? You two gonna have enough energy to go out?”

Luke grabbed Spencer’s hand and dragged him out the door. “Yup, we’re good. Although how the hell did we do this? Running after kids? A kid! We had one! You have two!”

“You get used to it, right?” Diana laughed.

After two hours that felt like fifteen minutes, Molly, Ezra and William seemed to be winding down, fixating on when they’d be able to eat their candy. “You can have a couple pieces when we get back to the house, okay?” Michael said. 

Despite his work with the Bureau and Diana’s work in the medical field, they endeavored to be as present as they could be when they were home with the children. Diana and Michael looked exactly like Luke and Spencer had when they’d first had Diana, permanently tired but unable to trade years of uninterrupted sleep for the joy on their children’s faces. “Only if you give Pop Pop a reese’s cup!” Luke cried.

“And Mommy!” Diana added. 

“Do I get to eat any of my own reese’s?” Molly cried.

“Never.”

At home, all three kids dumped their treasure trove of candy onto the floor, checking out their haul. There were definitely plenty of Reese’s Cups, Mini Snickers and Twix to be had - and a lot of cavities if they weren’t careful. Luke and Diana deducted the Reese’s tax from Molly and Ezra and then allowed them to choose three pieces of their own to have now, saving the rest for later.

Henry and Alaina allowed little Will to have four pieces because most of them were on the smaller side. Finally the parents and grandparents all had a little bit of time to rest - that is until the sugar rush hit. “Poppy!” Ezra yelled, running full steam at Spencer and jumping into his lap.

Spencer let out a loud grunt and laughed as he fell to the floor with his grandson. “Careful! Poppy’s old!”

“No, you’re not!”

“How old do you think I am?”

Ezra looked at him quizzically. “Forty.”

“I wish!” That would have just a little older than Diana was now. He had a daughter in her 30s - man, time had flown. “But thank you.” He stole another tootsie roll much to Ezra’s dismay and then got pulled upstairs to read him a bedtime story.

“Can you tell the one about The Knights of Kwantiko again? That’s my favorite.”

“Of course.”

Molly started playing a video game with little Will. Michael, Diana, Luke, JJ, Will Henry and Alaina sat on the couches behind them, talking about work and retirement and everything in between for about an hour until they all noticed that Spencer was back from reading to Ezra and Molly and Will had fallen asleep in front of the TV. 

“We should go,” Henry yawned, leaning against Alaina’s head. 

Michael pointed toward the couch, which was a pullout bed. “You look exhausted. You can crash on the couch and Junior and Molly can share her bed for the night. We have our bedroom and Dad and Pop have the spare.”

“What about Mom and Dad?” Henry asked, barely opening his eyes. “They going home?”

Michael snickered and picked up a couple of blankets, placing them over his parents who’d passed out cold. “It doesn’t look like they’re moving from here. I think everyone’s covered. Then maybe we can go get pancakes in the morning?”

“Mmmm,” Diana hummed. “Pancakes. You good for pancakes tomorrow Daddy? Dad?”

Spencer was nearly passed out on Luke’s shoulder but managed to give them a thumbs up. “Sounds good,” Luke replied. “But for now I think we all need sleep.” He grabbed Spencer’s hand and pulled him, placing his arm around him as they walked to the bedroom. “You alive in there?”

“Barely. Very sleepy,” he mumbled. Luke couldn’t help but laugh. Even after 40 years together, Spencer still managed to be cute. “How did we do it? Raise a kid? A good one, even. It’s so tiring.”

“We feed off the energy of our kids, I suppose.”

Spencer nodded as they locked the bedroom door and collapsed into bed. “Can we bottle that?”

“Energy?”

“Yea. I could use a tenth of that.”

“I wish,” Luke said, yawning as his eyes closed. “We’d be rich.”

As they drifted off to sleep, Spencer thought about the gang of people in the house - JJ, Will, Henry, Alaina, Junior, Diana, Michael, Molly and Ezra; they were already pretty rich.

End note: The linked piece The Knights of Kwantiko was written by my beautiful wifey and you should all read it because it’s fucking magical.

@coveofmemories @kalie-bee @jamiemelyn @unstoppableangel8 @iammostdefinitelyonfire26 @ubdq-not-mxolh @ultrarebelheart @remember-me-forever-silent-angel @tinyplanet-explorers @burnbrightdoll @veroinnumera @lookwhatyoumademequeue @rmmalta