#and i just kept apologising and asking if she was okay and my dad was mad at me

[drivemysoul]

i just had the worst nightmare i’ve had in a long fucking time and i feel like sobbing

[the-thing-inside-your-closet]

Danny and Ellie are forced to flee Amity Park. And find themselves in Coast City.

I started writing this with the intention of only writing a short prompt, but then I just kept going until I felt like I’d written enough.

Danny gets caught up in yet another fight with Skulker, only this time it wasn’t because Skulker had come for Danny. No. He’d come for Ellie. And she was already weak from fleeing the GIW who had shot at her the moment she arrived in Amity Park.

Whether Skulker is after Ellie for Vlad, or because he wants her pelt can be up to you.

Either way, he manages to beat Skulker and captures him in the thermos. Just as he lets out a long sigh of relief he hears the sound of an ecto-gun being fired and then his side is burning and he’s falling. He’s falling too fast and it hurts and he can’t stop-

Danny guys the ground hard. His head is spinning, his skin feels like it’s burning, and he can hear the stomping of feet as someone runs towards him.

He needs to get up. He needs to get away. Find Ellie and make sure she’s safe. He’s needs to MOVE- but he can’t. Black spots for his vision as he manages to stand up and his eyes meet the end of his mother’s gun.

Before anyone can speak, he’s falling again, handing face first in the dirt. And the familiar feeling of de-transforming washes over him.

The last thing he hears before loosing consciousness is the grief stricken sound of his parent’s voice as three voices shout in unison.

“OH MY GOD DANNY!”

“DANNY ARE YOU OKAY?!”

“NO, GET AWAY FROM HIM!”

When Danny wakes up again, he’s in his room, the curtains are drawn but he can see the sliver of sunlight pouring in through the gap underneath. He notes that his body aches, but not as much as usual after a fight like that. And there’s a warmth enveloping his hand. It’s soothing, and he almost considers going back to sleep when he notices that there’s a ghost in the room. And all too fast he’s sitting up and staring into the exhausted, red, puffy eyes of his mother looking back at him from where she’s sitting holding his hand in hers.

Just behind her he sees Ellie floating just above the ground talking quietly with his dad.

“Danny,” his mother’s voice draws his attention along with Jack and Ellie’s. “How are you feeling, sweetheart? Are you in any pain?”

He didn’t notice when she’d helped him to lay back down again. “Do you need anything? Ellie here was just telling us about how regular pain medication doesn’t work as well for the two of you. But I’m sure we could find something for you that might-”

“Mom,” Danny rasps. Man his throat was dry.

As if reading him mind Ellie appears by his mother’s side holding out a glass of water with a straw in it. Maddie helps Danny to sit up a little more so he can drink.

“Mom,” he tries again, sounding better this time, “I’m okay. I promise. It’s not that bad!” He starts to lie as the panic sets in. He de-transformed in front of them. He knows he did. And the fear shows on his face, it must, because before he can even begin trying to think up an excuse his mother is crying.

“Oh Danny, it’s okay. We know. And we’re not angry at you. We love you. So much.”

And Danny’s heart swells at hearing it. “You don’t hate me for being Phantom?” He asks quietly.

“No! We could never hate you Dann-o!” His dad’s cheery tone doesn’t disguise the sadness and guilt etched into his face. “We’re just…so sorry that we never noticed before. And that we…” he can’t finish his sentence but he doesn’t need to. Danny already knows what he’s apologise for.

“I’m okay. I promise. I heal fast!” Danny tied to reassure them.

It seems to help a little, though his parents still have a grim look in their eyes. As they make connections in just how Danny would know that about himself.

And Ellie, with perfect timing to cut the tension, announces happily, “Danny! Good news! Your parents said I could stay with you!”

Ellie had told his parents while Danny was unconscious about being his clone. She saw how they fretted over Danny, cleaning and dressing his injuries with the love and care she only imagined from a parent that truly loves you. And they had accepted her almost right away. Jack even crying as he proudly declared himself a father of three.

Jack soon excused himself, saying he’ll go see if Jazz needs any help with cooking lunch. Danny and his mother share a look, and with a final kiss to his head says she’ll go make sure nothing gets brought back to life. And she asks Ellie to please make sure Danny stays in bed and rests.

Danny and Ellie are left alone in his room, and it gives Danny the chance to really revel in everything. His parents accept him. They love him, both sides of him. And they accepted Ellie too! And said she can stay! She doesn’t have to be alone anymore.

Now, a lot can happen in the span of a few seconds, let alone minutes. In the time it took for Maddie to reach the kitchen, their front door was kicked down and a group of GIW agents had stormed in demanding they hand over the ectoplasmic scum they were harbouring.

Jack and Maddie drew their weapons and planted themselves directly in front of the GIW agents. The agents state that a ghost shield was put up around the house to prevent any ghosts from escaping, and by law any ghosts within the premises were ti be handed over for destruction immediately. Jazz runs upstairs to Danny’s room to warn them that the GIW were inside the house and that they needed to run. They need to get to the portal NOW.

With all the authority of an older sister Jazz tells Ellie to grab the go bag Danny had insisted on having prepared, and picks Danny up despite his protests that he could walk. Or well, fly. Ellie turns them all invisible and intangible and takes them down to the lab.

They can hear the sound of shouting, and something breaking and a gun being fired all coming from upstairs as Jazz opens the portal for Danny and Ellie.

Another shot rings out. And then another, and more shouting.

“Quickly you two need to go!”

Another shot.

“Aren’t you coming with us?” Danny, now Phantom, asks suddenly as he and Ellie are preparing to enter the Ghost Zone.

Two more shots.

“Someone needs to be here to deactivate the portal in case the guys in white make it down here. I’ll be fine. Mom and dad will be okay, they’re not here for us so you two need to go. Now!” There’s banging on the lab’s door and Jazz shoves both Danny and Ellie into the portal. The last thing Danny hears before the portal closes behind them is another shot being fired.

Danny is scared and angry as he and Ellie are forced to fly through the zone with no currently known way to get back to his family. He needs to make sure they’re okay. He needs to protect them.

But right now Danny is still hurt, and he needs to get himself and Ellie somewhere safe. They begin to slowly make their way through the zone, looking for somewhere to rest and avoiding any ghosts that might want to pick a fight.

Ellie isn’t sure how long she and Danny have been moving for. It feels like it could have been days, or hours, or even minutes. But Danny can’t fly as quickly right now. He’s trying to keep a brave face for Ellie’s sake but she can see the exhaustion beginning to take hold of him.

So Ellie makes the executive decision to touch down somewhere to rest. She tells Danny she’s tired. Danny knows she isn’t and it’s only because she’s worried and wants him to rest. So he goes along with it and they make their way to the next floating island they come across and thank the ancients it’s empty. The two halfas touch down and Danny slumps over as he sits against a nearby rock. Ellie pulls out some energy bars that were tucked away in the go bag and hands one over to Danny.

They do this a few times, stopping to rest, as they gradually make their way to the Far Frozen. Ellie had insisted on going there, Frostbite would know what to do, and he would be able to help Danny with his injuries that had started bleeding again in all the commotion of escaping, and then flying and hiding from ghosts known to attack Danny regularly.

But unfortunately luck is not on their side yet again as a natural portal rips open directly in front of them, and closes behind them after spitting them out in a city they didn’t recognise.

That’s how Danny and Ellie find themselves in Coast City, hiding out in an old warehouse by the docs while Danny heals and they figure out how they’re going to get back home.

That is, until now.

Danny stares up at his little sister and sighs with the resigned tone of an exasperated older sibling.

“Ellie,” he takes a breath, “what did you do?”

“I’m my defence,” Ellie glares up at Green Lantern, who has Ellie scruffed by the back of her hoodie, before looking back at Danny, “I simply do not vibe with the law.”

[caxde]

bright eyes | eddie munson x reader

summary you're a new neighbour in the trailer park, your's an Eddie's relationship takes a new turn, while navigating life with her little girl (4.3k)

warnings fem!reader, girl!dad Eddie!!!!, fluff, mutual pining, yearning etc, slowburn strangers to lovers, idiots in love!!!, , english is not my first language so I apologise if there’s some mistakes, not proof read! 

a/n: the support has been insane, so enjoy part2 <3 part 1 part 3 (they can be read seperatly)

“Munson! There’s a girl here asking for you.” 

The raspy voice of his college snapped him back to reality. He had been working on the same bike for a while now, and had become unaware of everything else that was happening around him. 

But if there was a girl to see him, it could only be you, or maybe Robin. 

He really hoped it’d be you. 

Heads followed him as he crossed the dusty garage floor as he found his way to the opened mechanical door. Lucky for him, you were anxiously waiting there, your hands playing with the hem of your sweater. 

You had been lucky, if you actually think about it. You had left the café you started working at a few weeks ago, so you could go to the trailer park and get some sleep. This last weekend the logistic center that was 30 minutes away had called you, begging you to take the night shift since some of their employees were on vacation. You accepted, since they offered to pay you extra, and in cash. The downside was that the sleep you had lost didn’t seem to come back, and your car had been making a strange sound since then. 

Now your car refused to turn right, and if it did it took way too much strength. 

You avoided spending more than you had to, but it looked like it was finally time. Thank god Eddie works here, you kept thinking as you found your way to the mechanic. 

“Hi.” Your voice was lower, barely holding yourself together. 

“Hi princess.” He tried to cheer you up, a big smile on his face and his affectionate pet name he had only for you. “What a nice surprise.” He kept walking towards you, cutting the distance until you were a step away from each other. 

“I wish it was a surprise.” The way your eyebrow furrowed let him know that you were a bit too anxious, a bit too nervous with the situation. “I need your help.” You added as your palm covered your face for a moment, trying to wipe away the panic. 

“Whatever you need, princess.” And maybe it was his sweet tone, maybe it was the nickname or maybe it was the way his hand held your arm, in a supportive and soft way, that let you finally relax. 

You walked with him to your car, while you told him what was going on. He just nodded and let you talk, knowing that that was just what you needed. 

“It just sucks, I don’t know how I’m gonna get to work now.” You kept speaking as he popped the hood up of your car, and he kept looking at the engine, and everything that crept deep into it, what everything did you had no idea. Eddie was used to people talking while he worked, but oddly enough it made him feel more important, when you were the one doing it. 

“I could drive you.” He replays. His body stood up from being bent over. He was tying his hair up, and you had lost any and every train of thought you had. You had never seen someone look as pretty with a ponytail, even when they were covered in car grease. Black stains in contrast with his white muscle top, decoration his arms in places tattoos didn’t. “I don’t mind, as long as you’re okay with carpooling with Lua.” Eddie’s nervous smile came back, an upside down grin while his eyebrows raised, eyes locked with yours. 

“I’d love that.” 

-

Breakfast was Lua’s favourite. 

A piece of toast with some sweet jam, a cup of warm milk, and some cut up fruit. 

Eddie let her eat it wherever she felt like, time proved that was the better option. She usually preferred to eat it sitting down on the kitchen counter, while Eddie sat on the stools, eyes on the same level. He usually ate the rest of the fruit that he didn’t give to her, while he downed his black coffee. Though if he was honest, he had never cracked how to brew a good cup. 

Lua would babble whatever she had on her mind, she was chattier in the mornings, unlucky for her, Eddie was not a morning person, his energy drained from another poor night’s sleep. 

Everytime he thought about it, it made him laugh. Before her little girl came into his life, he’d sleep until way past noon, usually skipping school, having a cigarette and a coffee -if anything- for breakfast, without a job - a legal one- and with no real reason to do anything with his life. 

Maybe that’s why he cares so much about her, her little light, his reason to keep going, and be better. 

While he looked at her, the world seemed to quiet down for a moment, and everything was fine. 

Three knocks at the door, and he already knew you were on the other side of it. 

“Morning.” Amusement in his voice, in a hush tone. His dippels appeared, as his smile grew wider, they way your hair fell, in a tangled mess, being the reason for it. He was just happy to see you, though he wasn’t going to admit it. Not yet. 

“Hi.” Your voice came out raspy and hoarse. You hadn’t talked to anyone yet, and it made him chuckle even more. He moved his body out of the door frame, letting you plenty of room to walk through. “Coffee?” 

“Already done.” He muttered back, pointing with his head where the mug in his kitchen was. 

You felt your face relax as soon as you saw Lua enjoying her breakfast, quietly. Your eyes closed when your earnest smile came, once her voice rang with excitement as she said your name, as her hands moved through the air. 

“Hi dude!” You matched her energy, the momentary excitement winning the battle for your remaining energy. 

Lua gave you a high five, which you celebrated with a funny face that made her laugh. She offered you a piece of fruit that you accepted in a way too exaggerated manner, that only made her giggles multiply. Unbenoughts to you, Eddie was watching attentively. 

He was memorizing the way your hair fell on your back, and the way it swayed everytime you moved. The way you fitted in your dark washed jeans, the little red shirt from the café hugged your waist and he suddenly had the wish to place his hand there. He didn’t do it. 

Instead he handed you a mug with watered down coffee, that you accepted. He grinned at  the way your nose scrunched once you took the first sip of it. 

“Yeah, I’m not the best coffee maker.” He confessed while he suppressed a laugh. 

“Clearly.” You answered in a joking manner, it wasn’t bad, you just weren’t used to black strong coffee,  not the way he was. “I’m making you breakfast tomorrow.” 

You meant it. He knew, so he accepted with a nod and another smile. 

“Wayne’s sleeping, so we try to not wake him up. It’s difficult when little miss sunshine has all the energy in the world.” He explained while looking at Lua, her beaming smile and giggles made him light up, his thumb cleaning her cheek that had some purple jam on it. 

“There’s no one else in my trailer, she can be as chatty as she wants there.” Lua understood that, as soon as she realised what you were talking about she started to clap and cheer, a soft chuckle escaping from your lips. 

Eddie could hear that symphony for the rest of his days, he thought. 

-

It became a new way to start your days. 

You’d brew some coffee, and prepare an extra mug for Wayne, that Eddie left on the counter of his kitchen before you left for work. 

You’d actually cook, eating something in the early hours for once, a new habit you never had before. 

Lua always knocked on your door whenever they were ready, the little sound on your door followed by her sweet hi, as her arms swanged up in the air. She was becoming more and more comfortable with you, letting you hold her. She even gave you a thank you kiss on the cheek once. 

Today you had some pancake batter sizzling in the pan, orange juice for her, milky tea for you. 

“Dada?”

“Yes?” Eddie raised his eyebrow as he took his first sip, his voice softening at her.

“Music?” She answered with another question. 

“Ah, yes. The beautiful melody that connects us all together.” He babeled, in that voice he used when he was talking as what he was saying was written in an antique book. He tended to do it more when he knew you would smile. 

He took two cassettes out of his back pocket, letting her choose. He wished she’d actually choose the mix he finished last night, but as always, she picked the one that had a drawing she did as a cover. 

He nodded and walked to your radio. 

It hit him in that moment, just how tangled your lives were becoming. He knew where (almost) everything in your home was, and the same was starting to happen for you. He knew that you kept honey in a reused jar, because Mr.Felix gave you local honey from a friend in the first cupboard to the right. He knew you had extra plasters in the second drawer of your bathroom because you had a tendency to cut yourself when you used a knife when you had to chop something up. He knew that the drawings on your wall were painted by you, but that the one that hung over the orange lamp was gifted to you by a kid you took care of when you worked in a hotel two years ago. He also knew that you knew where Lua likes to put her toys away, under the table of his living room. You knew that the only way she had to eat vegetables was if they couldn’t be seen. You knew that Eddie liked to have it all under his ‘controled mess’ as you called it. 

In just a few weeks you had become such an important person that he was scared of you leaving. Which people had a tendency to do in his life. 

Now he couldn’t only care about his life, he had to care about Lua’s too, and he had been trying to talk to you about it. But everytime he summoned up the courage to do so, you’d look at him with your pretty doe eyes and everything he had wanted to say left, he could only focus on how pretty you always look. 

You focused on other things. Silly, non important things. 

Like how his tongue went over his upper lip every time he concentrated to fasten Lua’s seatbelt. Or how he played with his rings when he was deep in thought, whatever it was, his thumb played with the middle one, while his left hand focused on the one in his index finger. Or how when he had a clear idea, and had to start working on something, he’d tie his hair up in a lazy ponytail, his thick neck exposed. Or how he rotated his shoulders when he sat down on the driver's seat at the end of the day, half exhausted, half excited to go back to his home. 

You walked to the car shop at around eight, as you always did. Knowing that he’d already be waiting for you outside. Since Lua was back in the house, Wayne coming to pick her up as soon as he wakes up, he always enjoyed that small frame of time to actually smoke a cigarette, his little moment, all for himself. 

Before he met you, he’d spend this moment thinking about what he needed to do, what he needed to buy, or what Lua wanted for dinner. Now, the only thought was you. You and your sweet voice, you and your angelic laughter, you and your soft skin. You, everytime you called his name. 

“Hey princess.” His pet name had also become a familiar sensation. Your heart still races a bit when it hears it, nevertheless. 

“Hey moon.” Eddie wasn’t sure if it was the earnestness of your tone, or the new nickname, but he felt his heart jump around his chest, and his cheeks changing colour, a pretty pink flush taking over them. 

“Should we go?” He added, happiness crystal clear, not only by his higher tone, but by his overall demeanor. 

“Please. I’m so tired, I think I’ll go straight to bed.” You let out in a whisper, rubbing your face in an attempt to wake up, so you wouldn’t fall asleep on the drive back to the trailer park. 

“You should eat something first.” It was his way of showing you he cared, making sure you were taking care of yourself half as well as you took care of others. 

“I know, I just really hate cooking for myself. It's boring, and then you have to clean it, and do it all again…”

“You make breakfast for us everyday,” He pointed out, his eyebrow raised in synchrony with his pitch, as he opened the passenger door so you’d climb in. 

“Yeah, but that’s different. It’s mostly for you.” You stop as you wait for him to sit on the driver sit, taking the time to make sure your seat belt is fastened. Looking at the backseat, a new habit you had developed thanks to him and his baby. “I didn’t eat breakfast before you guys came.” You admit, and he knows you’re not lying. You never do when your eyes shine that bright. You also know he is a bit worried, a frown appearing on his forehead. “I’m okay, moon.” 

“Hey, it’s not fair that you use the nickname to your advantage.” He points out, his index finger raising to the air as he speaks, his car engine starting, heading home. 

“Sorry?” You jokingly ask. Knowing that everything’s fine by the way he laughs it off. 

“Then, we’ll come over and cook you dinner.” 

“Tonight?”

“If that’s okay.” His tone showed a bit of concern now. Maybe he was pushing it a bit too much. He was just excited to spend time with you, so he tried to grab every opportunity he had to do so. 

“Yeah, I just… My fridge’s a bit empty. We should stop by the shop.” You were embarrassed. 

It was stupid. Or at least it felt stupid. Being embarrassed about it. But the only actual thing you had been buying was dedicated to the breakfast you shared together, once you were home by yourself, you usually had a soup, frozen pizza or a simple grilled cheese sandwich. You really didn't care that much, you just ate if and when you were actually hungry.

And it wasn’t that often, if you were honest. 

Eddie knew. He had a tendency to be over observant, and he had noticed, but never dared to say anything. Life was complicated enough, and that was a mantra he stood by. So he took the chance, and planned to cook you the meal he was actually proud of. 

-

The Never Ending Story played in the background. 

A familiar scene in your trailer. 

Eddie’s cooking filled the air with a delicious smell, he was concentrated in it, wanting to impress you while he cooked his ramen noodles with seared shredded chicken. 

Meanwhile, you and Lua layed on the rug in your living room, the T.V on a low volume. She had found your nail polish, and cheerfully asked if she could paint your nails. 

“What colour do you want to paint them?” You had asked, the calmest your voice has ever been, the tiniest trace of exhaustion in it. 

“Blue!” She beamed as she held the bottle. 

“Okay, careful though.” You opened the bottle for her, and looked at her as she looked at the puzzle before her. “Do you want me to do the first one?” You asked, knowing that she needed some sort of guide. You realised, she had the same face of concentration as her father, tongue out covering her upper lip. 

She started painting, the smell of polish annoying her a bit, you encourage her. Telling her in a kind voice how good of a job she was doing, even if she was getting more colour on your skin than in your nail. She giggled as she covered her face in a shy manner, proud of the job she had finished. 

“They look beautiful, bug” Eddie’s voice came right between both of you. As he sat down between you, she held your hand so he could look at them closer. “You did this all by yourself?” Even if he didn’t look at you, and even if his eyes were looking at the proud look on his daughter's face, you could feel the electricity travel from your body to his. And the warmth his touch leaves on your soft skin. 

“Yeah.” She whispers in a shy, proud giggle, nodding along, waiting patiently for his compliments. 

“She didn’t help you?” He asked again, this time his eyes were on yours. It had changed, you noticed. His eyes weren’t shining with a second intention, or a jokey flare. They were full of something else, if you had to put a name on it -without having to say it out loud- you’d say it was adoration, though you weren’t sure. You were right regardless. 

“It was all her.” You tell him. He nods, catching himself falling deeper into the abyss. 

“Dinner’s ready” He ended up saying that. He thought that saying what he was really thinking would have been too weird. Tough if he really thought about it, telling you that you had never been more beautiful wasn’t a total lie, or that out of character for him. 

Lua sat on his lap, knowing that she would be fed, since she couldn’t be trusted with noodles. Not since she had used a fork to catapult them into the wall a few months back. She was smarter than Eddie realised, and he loved her more for it. 

Eddie waited silently for your reaction, and was pleased with himself when you whispered an amazed my god once you took your first bite. He took his chance to look at you while you were eating, distracted by the food. While you took your chance to look at him when he fed Lua. 

This was something you could also get used to, you find yourself thinking. 

Having company. Having them as company.

It was complicated, and you knew that. 

And it was even harder when he acted as nice as he was doing. Even if he had cooked, he was still offering to clean up. It was also harder seeing how Lua wanted you to hold her, exhaustion after a nice meal, she was sleepy and needed comfort. You looked at Eddie, a question written over your face is this okay? He gave you his usual grin, the upside down smile that showed his dimple of course it is.

You held her, close to your chest, her little arms hanged by your side, her head resting between your shoulder and your breast. You were softer than the strong arms she was used to, and your swaying was more delicate -probably because you were afraid to do something that might upset her- you hummed along the final song of the movie that was still playing, and as she felt deeper and deeper into dreaming, Eddie finished cleaning up. 

“Is she…?” 

“I think so.” Your voice was so quiet he could barely even understand you. 

The image of you, holding her with such care, with such softness, with that much love… It became an image he would end up thinking in a recurring manner. 

“We could set her down in my room.” You point at the closer door that he had never walked through. He nodded, trying to mask his boyish excitement. 

He half expected your room to be as colourfull as the rest of your house, but your walls were white, decorated with just a couple pictures of a city he couldn’t name on the wall, your white sheets that had witnessed your meeting on your bed. 

He walked over to you, a bit closer than he had to be to hold Lua, so he could put her down. Enjoying the way his skin graced yours. 

He sat down on your mattress, and laid Lua in the middle of it, resting in deep sleep. You followed closely. Your body hitting the usual comfort that your mattress always seemed to have. He waited a second. Another image he wanted to remember happening right in front of him, your body laying down on a bed next to her baby. In another life… Maybe it could have also been yours. 

He laid down carefully, and you saw as both of you were lost. Not really sure where to look, but dying to just look at each other's eyes. As these things go, you could only avoid each other for so long. 

So you ended up lost into his gaze just as much as he was lost in yours. 

It was a bit too much. 

“Moon…” You whispered, trying to not wake her up. 

“Yeah?” 

“Is this weird?” Even if you tried not to, your words still came out as worried as you were. 

“Is it weird that it isn’t?” He asked back, the sincerity in his voice made your body relax, your eyebrows furrowed. 

“Maybe.” You admit, with a hopeful smile. You turned your focus on her for a moment. “She looks so peaceful.” 

“You should see her when she wakes up.” He adds with a smirk on his lips. His fingers pushing a hair out of her face. “She’s calmer when you’re around.” 

“We should be careful, then.” You were measuring your words now, not only speaking about her. He knew, so he just nodded. 

“You know…” He started speaking after a few minutes of comfortable silence, his body sinking deeper into the comfort of your bed, smelling your perfume in the pillows that hugged his head. “When I had her, it was only me and Wayne, her mother doesn’t want her in her life, and it was scary, and nauseating. I had no idea what I was doing.” His eyes flickered back to you. His shyness was gone, he was calmer with you near. You and the admiration in your eyes. “But I figured it out pretty quickly. She needed me just as much as I needed her. I had help, of course. But still, I wouldn’t change it for the world. She keeps me sane in a way… I know I’m a better person because of her. But I think I’m becoming an even greater person because of you, too.” 

You weren’t sure what you could say back. It was a warming feeling, having heard him say it, knowing that somehow you were in the same position as him. So you decided to be brave, to be honest for once. 

“I just worry Edds, that’s all.” You admit in a sincer whisper. He knows you’re not done talking, and he doesn’t rush you. He waits patiently, with an understanding nod and a smile on his face. “Meeting you, both of you, has been a blessing. Honestly. It’s been lonely, moving away, being here… And you guys have been so kind, and so welcoming… I really don’t wanna fuck it up.” 

“I know, princess.” 

“I just… I don’t know where’s the limit. I think… I think I kinnda like you, and if this complicates things I… I don’t know.” You were a bit embarrassed. having finally confessed what has been on your  mind for days. But seeing the beaming smile that escaped from Eddie’s lips was all the confirmation you needed. 

“I think I kinnda like you too. And I know it sucks. In another life, I would have asked you out, and we would have gone on dates, and we would spend days together but… All I can really think about, all I should think about…” He gestures to the little girl, sleeping soundly. “But we could still figure out a way…” 

“You think?” 

“Maybe.” He echoes your first maybe, the same tone, the same expression you had given him. “If you want to, we could try it out, go on a date, see if we…” 

“Work?”

“Yeah.” A lovesick grin was plastered in both of your faces. 

Hope could be felt in the room. Maybe it could work out, maybe you could have something, even if you weren’t sure what that was. Normally the uncertainty would make you nauseous, and anxious. Not this time, it actually made you excited, the promise of a something with them. With him. 

“You’d go out with me? An actual date?” He finally asks you. His soft spoken words can’t really hide the excitement that laid deep in his question. And you weren’t that good at lying, and he could read you like a book. 

“I’d love to, Moon.” It had been easier than you had anticipated. Complicated and easier seemed to go hand in hand when he came into the picture. “As soon as you fix my car.” You add in a joking tone, sticking your tongue out. 

“Oh, your car’s been done for a couple days.” He said in a sirius yet humorous tone, he covered his mouth with his index fingers as soon as a chuckle escaped your lips. 

“Asshole.” You whispered in disbelief. 

“I just liked having an excuse to hang out with you.”

Just like that, your heart was warmer once again. And soft giggles and conversation followed all the way through the night. 

Until the exhaustion caught up with you.

 You fell asleep right there. A picture that both of you wanted to remember, the little promise of something more. 

-

there might be a part 3 if you guys would like it ! xx

if you enjoyed it please leave a comment or reblog. i promise it makes a huge difference &lt;3

requests! are open

@took-me-hours-to-steal-those @edens-vices-art @micheledawn1975 @peachystenbrough @mewchiili @bylermaxmayfield @yujyujj @honeymoonmunsonn @paleidiot @ali-r3n

part 2 is up, thank for the support dudes <3

[dragonbarbie]

𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑 | Part 1

aegon x best friend!reader ; modern!au

summary: this fic is snippets of aegon and reader's relationship as they grow up and discover new feelings. but to let himself be loved, aegon has to first do some growing up.

rating: 18+, minors dni.

tags: alcohol, substance abuse.

word count: 4.2k

series masterlist

next part

A/N: i'm so excited to share my first full fic! this series is very very lowkey inspired by one day and highkey inspired by peter by taylor swift. comment if you'd like to be on the taglist for this! hope you guys like it :)

divider credit @ cafekitsune!

Age 10

“I still don't see why we had to move here." a sullen, 10 year old Y/N replied, pouting as she stared out the window from the backseat. her father couldn't help an amused smile at the little girl as he drove towards her new school. "i told you darling, daddy’s got a very important new job here in king’s landing." "yes but why did I have to move here." the older man let out a patient sigh. this had been going on weeks leading to their move. "you haven't even given the city a chance yet, kiddo. why do you hate it already?" "because..." the little girl started with an exasperated whine. ".... i don't have any friends here!" "you have me." her father offered with an assuring grin. the unamused look he got in return was not grateful in the least. "you're dad. i want friends." the seriousness with which Y/N declared her dilemma earned her a laugh from the front seat.

her father pulled into the curb by the grand iron gates of Red Keep Academy, the best private school in the city. as Y/N hopped out the backseat, looking deflated, he lowered the car window, "hey c'mon now, you can't start your first day all sad. who knows, maybe you'll come back with a hoard of friends, even more than you had back home." Y/N only looked ahead at him, unconvinced. "bye, dad."

as she made her way towards the main archway to the school, she thought of all the things she was missing about home. not the new townhouse they had in the city, her real home, back in the reach. she thought of the swing behind her house, the smell from the bakery next door, the big oak tree she saw on the way to school every morning, the fountain in the park – when suddenly someone ran past her, fast enough to knock her down.

"ouch!" she cried out from the floor, rubbing her shoulder where she had been hit. "aegon!" a woman suddenly rushed to her side, glowering at the little boy who had pushed past her. "are you okay, honey? were you hurt?" the first thing Y/N noticed was how kind the woman looked with her big brown eyes, and so very pretty. "i'm okay." she reassured in a small voice, before turning to give this 'Aegon', the dirtiest look she could muster.

the boy had to be her age, pale blonde hair that looked like someone had tried to comb it but had not been given enough time to finish the job. he wore a matching school uniform to Y/N, navy blue blazer, white shirt and dark green pants. his shirt though was untucked and seemed to already have mud stains.

she thought he seemed mostly unbothered by his own actions, but stood there attempting to look sheepish nonetheless for his mother.

"apologise to this young lady." his mother demanded. "sorry..." he mumbled almost incomprehensibly. already upset and now physically hurt, Y/N wordlessly got up and hurried away, trying to stop hot tears from spilling out.

as she walked away she heard the boy's mother scold him, "that was not an apology, Aegon. go say sorry, properly this time." she heard a childish groan in response, "do I have to?".  his mother must have given him one hell of a look, Y/N thought because she heard her say nothing else but small footsteps came jogging up to her.

as the blonde boy walked next to her, she waited for him to say something while she kept walking ahead, but he seemed to just wordlessly fall in stride with her. After a minute he suddenly asked, “do you even know where you’re going?”

now that he mentioned it, she didn’t.

she suddenly stopped and looked around herself, confused. He stopped with her and studied her for a second. “I don’t know you.” He observed. “are you new?”. She decided to stay silent, hoping he would go away if she ignored him but she was wrong. When she didn’t respond, he continued, “you’re going in the wrong direction, new girl. That way –” he pointed to where she had been headed “—is the middle school building. Primary school is this way.” He started walking down a hallway, and Y/N took hurried steps to follow him.

He gave her a sideway glance, “what grade are you in anyway? Third?” he smugly asked, proudly looking down at her as a mature fifth-grader. “fifth.” She snapped at him. “oh”, he responded, surprised. “who’s class?” “Miss Reyne.” “no kidding!” he gave her a toothy grin. “so am I.”

Y/N didn’t like this Aegon, she decided. As he kept chatting away about how boring Miss Reyne was, she gave him no replies and generally walked as if she were alone and had no association with the silver haired boy beside her. As they settled into class, she was determined to avoid him for the rest of her day. Aegon though, was determined for quiet the opposite.

He took a seat next to hers, kept making comments, providing her a running, private commentary about each teacher and student. He wasn’t affected by Y/N’s lack of a response, or if he was, he didn’t let it show. Y/N had to admit though, he was funny. she couldn’t help but crack a smile when he told her about the time Jason Lannister got gum stuck in his hair, and had to suppress a giggle when Aegon impersonated Mr. Bolton falling asleep mid-way through teaching a class. At these small instances of Y/N’s guard breaking, he flashed her a bright smile, pleased with himself.

Y/N though, didn’t utter a word to him. Until Art class that was.

They had been asked to paint an animal, and when Y/N looked up from the goldfish she had been painting, she saw Aegon’s work. “a dragon isn’t a real animal.” She disproved. The boy merely shrugged, “that’s not an animal either, it’s a fish.”

“a fish is an animal.” She frowned at her work. “it’s just an animal under water.”

“oh well, let’s add some of its natural habitat then.” He smirked, grabbing the bowl of water they’d been sharing to clean their brushes. “NO! stop!” in an attempt to block him from pouring water on her work, the brush in her hand smeared some of the yellow paint on his face.

He froze in his action immediately, bringing up his fingers to feel the paint streak running down from his brow to across his nose. This time Y/N couldn’t suppress her laughter at the sight, his blinking expression making it all the more funnier. “well, if that’s how you want to do this!” he declared as he scooped some of the red paint on his two fingers before smearing it on her cheek.

Within five minutes, their respective art works had been abandoned and both sets of uniform utterly ruined. The two had to be separated by their teacher, then ordered to walk down to the washrooms and clean themselves right up.

The second she left the girls washroom though, Y/N found the silver haired boy waiting for her by the door, some green paint still visibly stuck in his pale locks. “race you to class?” he mischievously suggested. “Hmm” Y/N pretended to think about the challenge for a second, before saying “okay” and dashing towards their class.

With a self-satisfied smile at having beaten Aegon, she took her seat. Sulking at his defeat, Aegon slinked back in his chair, “you cheated, didn’t wait for the ‘go’…”

“win’s a win.” Y/N declared, grabbing golden glitter for her fish. 

He didn’t stay grumpy for long though, before she knew it he was back to his talkative self, this time with Y/N chiming in with her own comments. The hours flew by with Aegon by her side, and as the day came to an end Y/N realised she’d enjoyed herself after all.

As they walked towards the school gate to leave, Aegon suddenly changed the topic. “you like video games?” “yeah…?” she hesitantly replied. “great, you’re coming over tomorrow to play some.” He beamed. At the end of the sentence Y/N observed he hadn’t actually asked her a question. “okay.” She found herself agreeing.

“cool, see you tomorrow.” Aegon had started running in the direction of one of the cars, when he suddenly stopped and turned around. “never asked your name.” he sheepishly realised.

 “Y/N!” she distractedly answered as she sped up, having found her mom’s car in the parking lot.

“Y/N…” Aegon muttered to himself as he walked away, liking the way the name rolled of his tongue.

Age 15

“You’re late.” Y/N didn’t even bother to look up when she heard the window to her bedroom open, but did glance at the subsequent sound of someone falling face first onto her carpet. “have you been drinking? Its 2pm.”

Down on the ground laid her best friend of five years, with his messy platinum hair and stick-thin lanky limbs, carrying in the distinct smell of smoke when he entered her room. Though they were the same age, aegon looked more boyish still even as he had started to race towards every vice of the adult world he could get his hands on.

Aegon merely rubbed his now injured nose, as he lifted his head off the ground. “No I haven’t been drinking… still drunk from last night. Big difference.” Y/N sighed and shook her head in vexation before returning to her homework.  Aegon had recently taken up drinking and despite Y/N’s repeated rebukes, he seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much to stop. He continued to wave off her concern and she was starting to tire of voicing it.

“Let’s say I believed you… you wanna tell me what made you so late, then? I do have other things to do with my day than wait around to teach you biology, y’know.” Aegon grabbed a chair and dragged it to sit next to her at her desk. “I was actually busy being taught biology as it happens… albeit of a different kind.” His smug, self-satisfied grin as he pulled a cigarette from his front pocket  and placed it between his teeth, told Y/N all she needed to know. “Elinda Massey was the most enthusiastic of teachers.” Y/N couldn’t help but grit her teeth at the mention of Aegon’s latest distraction.

With a swift motion she grabbed the cigarette and threw it in the bin, ignoring his protests. “you know you’re not allowed to smoke in here, my parents would kill me if they smelled it.” Aegon snorted at the statement, “yeah but, that’s never stopped me before.” The casualness with which Aegon dismissed her, pinched Y/N. It was certainly true that Y/N usually found it hard to say no to Aegon, no matter how the consequences might harm her; but she didn’t like how he took the same for granted, as if it was a given.

“What’s got you all prissy today?”

“you. You wanna pass biology this year or not?” Y/N replied, visibly irritated. “yeah like there’s a chance in hell they’ll actually fail me. Grandfather would have the place shut within the week.” “then why do you even need a tutor? Go off with Elinda or whoever.” Y/N huffed, her eyes remaining trained so hard on her textbook that she was half certain she was going to burn holes into it, her hand clutching around the pencil in her hand.

“Elinda? That’s what you’re so annoyed about?” aegon snickered. Y/N turned to now glare directly into his blue eyes, a blush creeping up her cheeks and her nostrils flaring. In that moment she wanted nothing more than to push aegon right out the window he came from so she could be alone instead of having to deal with this. “No, I just think you’re wasting your time here right now, when you could be doing…. Biology with Elinda instead.” Aegon brow furrowed at her reaction, but instead of another retort his hand reached out to gently grab her arm. “hey…” his features softened from their usual impish nature to highlight his concern “…what’s actually up with you?” in the face of such kindliness from him, she couldn’t muster any more scathing replies.

He’d seen right through her, like only he could. For weeks now she’d been stressed, but found the topic too awkward to discuss with Aegon. But she knew she’d have to open up to him sooner or later about her problem. Keeping secrets from Aegon was simply not something she did. Or even possibly could if she tried, she thought.

“promise you won’t laugh.” She first demanded in a nervous tone. Raising his three fingers, her best friend solemnly confirmed, “scouts honour.” She swallowed, her eyes looking beyond Aegon’s shoulder rather than at him as she slowly admitted. “I’ve not had my first kiss.”

Aegon merely blinked back at her, “what, is there supposed to be more to that or…?” “I’ve not had my first kiss.” She repeated as if those words were supposed to be self-explanatory. “yeah and I’ve never been to the Summer Isles, what’re you on about?” Y/N couldn’t help a groan as she momentarily hid her face behind her hands, thinking the more she would explain herself the more embarrassed she would get.

“It’s just, I’m 15, and I should have had it by now, I’ve never even been on a date.. and… and… and you’ve got Elinda and Maria before that, and Jeyne and, and…. I just can’t believe you’ve gone to third base before I’ve even had my first kiss!” her words came out rushed in the end, out of frustration and a need to just get the shameful confession over with.

She had expected Aegon to laugh it off, or worse, agree that her situation was absolutely the height of shame. Instead, he looked confused that such a thing was bothering her in the first place “what, that’s it? why didn’t you just say so before?”

nonchalantly, aegon put an arm behind Y/N’s chair. Eyes closed, he suddenly leaned in towards her, lips puckered, causing her eyes to go wide. “what the –” as a reflex response she pushed back at his shoulders, making him fall of the chair.

“the fuck was that for!” he shouted from the floor, his ego and back bruised.  “why did you try to kiss me?” Y/N was shocked, horrified even, at the prospect. Aegon was her best friend, she couldn’t even imagine looking at him in that light. it was Aegon, he was simply too familiar for her.

Aegon raised his hands out as if the answer was obvious. “you said it yourself you wanted to have your first kiss!”. Y/N’s nose scrunched up, “not with you!”.

“well how was I supposed to get that! Fuck me, I’ll never understand you women”

“‘you women?’” at that, Y/N couldn’t help but laugh. This scene before her, this response by her best friend was too ridiculous. Yet, she noted as she offered a hand to help him back up which he grumblingly took, this was very much in character for Aegon. She knew he always wanted to help her, he might not have always understood how to go about it, but his heart was in the right place.

“I don’t need you to fix it, aegon.” She affably told him, a faint grateful smile on her face for her friend’s valiant effort nonetheless. “yeah, no-shit, because there’s nothing to fix. You’re not broken, Y/N.” Y/N didn’t know that she needed to hear those words until Aegon said it and it felt as if a burden was lifted off her shoulders.

“Don’t get me wrong. Doing all this, the kissing and the more-than-kissing, it’s fun. Honestly it’s so, so much fun, like I can’t even—” “you wanna get to your point?” “–so it’s great and all but, not doing it doesn’t mean you’re any less for it. You’re still Y/N, you’ll always still be Y/N to me.”

The anxiety she had been feeling, the fear of being left behind and the worry about other’s judgement, even her own – it all started to look so small and insignificant when Aegon told her she was still the same to him. This was her only constant in life, this bond between her and Aegon, the one person she couldn’t hide who she was from. In that moment, she felt glad to have him by her side.

“Besides if you were ever truly that desperate, you could always just try Jace. he’s had a thing for you like forever” Aegon revealed, rolling his eyes in apparent annoyance of the fact. Y/N though, couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Jace… has a thing for me?” The thought of it seemed to please her, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as a red blush started to creep onto her cheeks once more.

Aegon looked disgusted at her response, and grimaced, “yeah okay, no need to flatter yourself too much …. It’s Jace.” He stuck his tongue out at the distaste of the thought of his best friend with his nephew. Y/N didn’t pay him any attention, having taken to doodling hearts in the margins of her notebook while engrossed in thought. Aegon immediately regretted having said anything, snatching the notebook from under her hand, “alright are we going to do some biology or what?”

Age 17

Y/N had been fast asleep when the familiar sound of pebbles against her window awoke her. she looked at the time on the watch as it read 2:17 am, quickly rising from her bed. there was only one person who had to be out there, and she knew why too. her heart sank, knowing already that aegon must have had another fight with his father. she opened the window and as expected, aegon targaryen precariously balanced his steps on the tree branch just outside.

"aegon, what are you doing? It's late," she whispered-shouted, trying not to wake her parents but already held out a hand to help him in. "Needed to see you," he slurred, his breath reeking of alcohol. She wanted to chide him for endangering himself by climbing up so high when he’d drunk so much, but looking at his condition she decided to stay quiet. He climbed into her room, stumbling slightly as he landed. Y/N caught his arm, steadying him. "You've been drinking again," she said, more as a statement than a question.

aegon’s normally sparkling blue eyes were unfocused, his silver hair dishevelled. He'd grown taller of late, she missed the days when she could stand shoulder to shoulder with him. she now had to look up at him, as she put one of his arms around her shoulder to guide him towards the bed as his own steps fumbled.

“He doesn’t get it, Y/N. None of them do. To him, nothing i've done or will do matters for shit. i'm just not the son he wanted. he regrets me, i can see it in his eyes, I—”  a sob escaped his throat, cutting him off mid-sentence.

She gently sat him down on the edge of her bed, his weight pressing down on the soft mattress.  As she looked into his sad, bloodshot eyes, she harboured such hatred for Viserys as she thought impossible for anyone else to hold. she kneeled down in front of him, her heart breaking to see him so.

"I know, i know. But you can’t keep doing this, aegon. If you keep drinking like this, you could seriously hurt yourself one of these days." and she didn't think she could survive that.

she reached out to hold his hands in her own. "You don't have to do this alone. I'm here for you. Always." if aegon heard her, he gave no indication, instead staring at their intertwined hands.

"can I crash here tonight?" he suddenly asked, looking more innocent than she'd ever seen him as he lifted his eyes to look up at her. Gone was the bravado and arrogance that was usual of him, even expected. In that moment he looked more lost than ever, and was looking to her as if she was his only hope for shelter.

she knew her parents wouldn't be thrilled about this impromptu sleepover, but then again she'd never had the ability to deny him anything. "of course," she tenderly smiled.

he kicked off his shoes and moved back up the bed, still holding onto her hand, pulling her with him. he lied down on her pillow, refusing to let go of her hand as he closed his eyes to fall asleep. he looked so peaceful, Y/N couldn’t help but reach out her free hand to run it through his hair in admiration. She wasn’t blind, she knew how handsome he looked, causing the girls to flock to him like moths to a flame. But his looks were just an objective fact to her, she never found herself attracted to him in the same way as the girl at school. But somehow in the pale moonlight, he looked more beautiful than she’d ever seen him, and it caused her chest to swell overwhelmingly.

she looked down to notice he'd opened his eyes again. "Don't leave," he mumbled, his voice thick with exhaustion.

"I won't" she promised, pulling the blanket over them both. he nodded in satisfaction of her reply, nestling against the crook of her neck, his breathing evening out as he drifted into a fitful sleep.

Sleep evaded Y/N though, on the one hand she was wracked with worry over Aegon and his drinking habits, on the other.... she could feel his breath tickling her neck, as his one hand held her own while his other wrapped around her waist, his feet entangled with hers. his body pressed to her own under the covers, making the cramped space on her single bed too hot. Aegon had never been this physically close to her, this vulnerable. she thought how his safe space, the place he ran to when he wanted an escape was her, same as he was for her. it had always been this way, yet, in the darkness of the night she sensed something had shifted between them. she couldn't name it yet, though.

The next morning, when the first light of dawn seeped through the curtains, aegon stirred. He blinked, confusion clouding his eyes at his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the familiar face inches from his own "Y/N?" Y/N merely hummed in response, only now starting to stir awake. "what... how did i get here?" he asked looking around the room, startled. He lifted his head as he realised he was all but laid out on top of her, before moving away to lay on his back. He looked down to find his hand had cramped from holding onto hers all night, immediately releasing it. Y/N rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she responded, "what d'you mean?"

"i mean what am i doing in your bed at the crack of dawn." aegon looked earnestly confused, Y/N realised, which worried her.  "You came here last night," she slowly replied, watching his face carefully. "You were drunk. Do you remember?"

aegon frowned, rubbing his temples. "No... I don't." he suddenly looked at Y/N, "Did I do something... did we...?" he motioned to the space between them, his brow raised. Y/N sat up from her bed in alarm, "oh, no, nothing. of course not." she reassured him. she tried not to look too wounded at his relieved expression "good, good." he nodded, staring up at the ceiling.

"you had a fight with your dad and wanted to crash here. do you not remember coming up here last night?" "I don't remember anything really. last thing I do remember is opening one of the bottles from the wine cellar and then" he shrugged. Y/N frowned at his response, "Aegon, have you started blacking out?” her stomach tied itself in knots, feeling anxiety over this new development. But she felt as if she was the only one who understood the gravity of the situation.

she searched for any fear in aegon’s eyes, but only found apathy and disinterest. he seemed unconcerned, merely rolling onto his side and closing his eyes, lazily stretching himself out to get comfortable to fall back asleep.

“do you understand what that means? it means this is getting dangerous. This is no longer all for a good time, Egg.” She attempted again, this time raising her voice to catch his attention. It seemed to fall on deaf ears.

"wake me up for lunch, yeah?" he yawned, drifting back to slumber within minutes.

A wave of anger washed over her, she wanted to knock him off her bed or  hit him with a pillow in frustration over his own self-destructive ways. Did he not understand the ending he was currently headed towards? Did he not care how this going to affect him, affect her? She was tired of being the only safety harness keeping him held back when all he seemed to want to do was jump into the abyss.

“fucking… suit yourself.” She stormed off the bed to head out of her room, shutting the door behind her loudly.

[astars-things]

Pls can I request for lukey: reader gets overwhelmed after meeting Luke’s family with “ you never need to apologise to me. ever. and certainly not for crying… ” 🙏

(I can relate to this)

I stood in the mirror, double-checking my outfit, hair and makeup. "Honey you look perfect" Luke said wrapping his arms around me,

“Are you sure?” I asked, tugging on the fabric again. “I just want everything to go well.”

Luke chuckled gently pulling my hands away from the dress and holding them in his. “Y/N, they’re going to love you. I love you, and trust me, they’ll see everything I see.”

His words made me feel a little better, and I squeezed his hand. “Okay,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”

The drive to the Hughes’ family home was short but felt like it stretched on for hours. My mind kept spinning with all the things that could go wrong. What if I said something stupid? What if they didn’t like me? What if I just didn’t fit in?

When we arrived, Luke squeezed my hand one more time before leading me inside. The warmth of the house hit me immediately. It smelled like home, a mix of cooking and something sweet, maybe cookies.

“Luke!” a familiar voice called from the kitchen. His mom, Ellen, emerged, wiping her hands on a towel, her face lighting up when she saw him. She immediately enveloped him in a hug before turning to me.

“You must be Y/N,” she said warmly, pulling me into a hug too, catching me off guard. “We’ve heard so much about you!”

“Good things, I hope,” I said, trying to make my voice sound steady.

“The best things,” she assured me, her smile kind. “Come on, everyone’s in the living room. We’re just about to start dinner.”

We followed her into the living room where Luke’s dad, Jim, and his brothers, Jack and Quinn, were lounging on the couches. Jack immediately sat up, grinning widely.

“So, this is the famous Y/N, huh?” Jack teased, his playful tone instantly putting me at ease. Quinn gave me a nod and a soft smile from his spot, quieter but no less welcoming.

Dinner started out well. Luke’s family was just as close and loving as he’d described. The conversation flowed, filled with teasing, laughter, and stories about the boys’ childhoods. I tried my best to relax, but I could feel my nerves creeping back in, especially when the conversation shifted toward me.

The questions started coming, all of them well-meaning but overwhelming. They asked about my family, my job, my relationship with Luke, and I suddenly felt like I was under a spotlight.

I tried to keep up, answering politely, but my chest felt tight. I could feel the weight of their attention pressing down on me. The noise of the conversation, the clinking of silverware, and the warmth of the room suddenly felt too much.

My breath hitched, and I excused myself as casually as I could, slipping out of the room and heading for the front porch. The cool night air hit my face as I stepped outside, and I let out a shaky breath, trying to calm myself down.

A few minutes later, I heard the door open behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to know it was Luke. He came up beside me, leaning against the porch railing in silence for a moment.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice cracking as I wiped a tear that had slipped down my cheek. “I just… I got overwhelmed.”

“Hey, look at me,” Luke said softly, turning to face me. When I met his eyes, they were full of understanding, no judgment. “You never need to apologize to me. Ever. And certainly not for crying.”

I let out a shaky laugh. “But I wanted everything to go well. I wanted them to like me.”

“They do like you,” Luke reassured me, stepping closer and gently pulling me into his arms. “You don’t have to be perfect, Y/N. You just have to be yourself. And trust me, that’s more than enough.”

I buried my face into his chest, his warmth and the steady sound of his heartbeat calming me. “Thank you,” I whispered.

[maxillness]

If Daddy Knew || T.W x Horner!Reader

Warnings: 18+, hair pulling, oral (M&F reviving), handjob, fingering, degrading kink, praise kink

Wordcount: 2.1k

Part 2

If she knew how this would end up in the long term, she would had agreed to go with her father a lot sooner

She would always say no if she was invited to a Grand Prix and to come to the paddock

She hadn’t always been the most social person, and she was scared she would mess up her words or don’t talk at all

This time was different

She felt confident that day. She has been invited again, and she said yes. It surprised her father. He couldn’t understand why she said yes

She couldn’t either, but she’s glad she did

As she stood in the Red Bull garage, she kept feeling like she was stared down by people outside of the garage

And she was right. When she got to the paddock afterwards, people still kept staring her down as she walked with her father. He wanted to introduce her to all the drivers and team principals

It all went good, until they reached Mercedes

Don’t take it the wrong way, they were all very nice, but after she had greeted the drivers, she had to meet the team principal

Toto Wolff

She had heard about him through her father, now, of course she didn’t take his word for it. They were rivals after all, they’re bound to say bad stuff about each other that weren’t true

“Darling, this is Toto Wolff” He said his name through gritted teeth

“Hi. I’ve heard so much about you” He didn’t answer her, he just looked her up and down and went back to what he was doing

She would have said something about his rudeness, only if he hadn’t been so handsome

Maybe he was all those things her dad said

The rest of the day, she thought about Toto and if it was something she did or said to make him rude, or if it was just how he was

It finally became Sunday and she stood in the garage. She knew it was bad, but she kept starting at Toto from the distance

“You okay, dear?” Christian asked her as he walked over to her “You’ve been kinda starting out in the abyss” He chuckled

“Yeah, I’m fine, dad. Thank you” She nodded up at him

The race went well. Max won, no surprise there. We all knew he was gonna win. Even the opposite teams knew he was gonna win

That night, they all went out celebrating the win, even though it was routine that he won by now

She drank to keep the thoughts away. She really wanted to be on his good side, but how could she do that?

The next morning she woke up with a slight headache, but nothing a few painkillers couldn’t take away

Just as she was about to brush her teeth, her phone started ringing. It was an unknown number

“Y/N Horner” She answered the phone

“Hi, Y/N, it’s Toto Wolff” His accent was thick through the phone “I just wanted to apologise my behaviour when we met. I’m sure you’re aware that me and your father don’t have the bestest of friendship, that was the only reason why I didn’t say anything, and that’s no reason, I know, but I just wanted to apologise. Can I buy you some coffee to make up for it?”

She stood and thought about her answer a while “Yeah, that sounds nice. When?” She finally answered and she heard him sigh on the other end

“Great. Shall we say 12 o’clock at the Café across the street?” God, his accent was to swoon over

“Yeah. That’s perfect” A smirk drew on her lips. They hung up and she looked at the time. It was currently 10. She had two hours

Two hours would have been fine if she had anything to wear. She tried to look through her clothes. She tried all the combinations of clothing that was clean

She finally settled for an outfit after 45 minutes and some going back and forth trough clothes

Before she put on her clothes, she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She stood there for what felt like hours, but was actually only 10 minutes

She looked back at the clock after she got dressed and put on her shoes. 11:30. She debated if she should go now and be early, or if she should wait and be on time

She has only now realised she had forgotten her perfume. She founded and sprayed it lightly on the skin on her neck

She now decided to go out, but she should probably had waited. She bumped into her father in the hallway

“Where you going in such a hurry?” He chuckled as he looked her up and down

“I was just going out, checking the city out” She smiled innocently

“Okay. Have fun, don’t be out too late” He said to her before he continued to walk away

She continued to walk over to the elevator. The ride down to the lobby seemed like it took ages. She got to the lobby and walked out and across the street

She walked into the Café. She looked around to see if she could see Toto. She found him sitting at a booth up against the far wall. She sat down across him

“Hello, can I get you anything?” The waiter asked as she walked over to them

“I would like a coffee, black and a chocolate scone” Toto said as he looked from her to the waiter

“Can I get a hot chocolate and a croissant?” She asked as she looked up at her

“Of course. I’ll bring it down for you” She smiled and walked over to the counter

“I’m sorry for how I reacted, Y/N, I really am” He rambled and she just stared at him

“Toto, it’s fine. It’s no problem. I know how your relationship is with my dad, I totally understand” She smiled at him, trying to reassure him

“Yeah, I’m not friends with your dad, but I shouldn’t take that out on you” He sighed as he placed his hand on top of hers

“Toto, don’t worry about it, okay?” She smiled at him, looking him in his eyes through his glasses

All he did was nod before the waitress came over with their order. As they sat and drank their coffee and ate their food, they made small talk

The only annoying thing about this whole conversation was his smile. He would smile every so often, and it made her legs week

Everything that happened between that time and when they were in the elevator was a blur for her. All she knew was that she was pressed up against the elevators wall, her hands intertwined in his hair while his lips was on hers as his hands roamed her hips and waist

The ding of the elevator startled them. They hurried out into the hall and over to her room. She struggled a bit when she opened the door, but managed fine

As they got into the room, he pushed her up against the door. Her hands went to his waist, and in one swift motion, she had them turned around

Her hands went up his torso to unbutton his shirt. When she got the last button unbuttoned, she discarded the shirt on the ground

Her hand went to his hair to pull his head back so she could start attacking his necks with kisses and bites. He groaned at the sudden dominance from her. Her other hand went to unbuckle his belt

Toto covered his mouth with his hand to minimise the sounds that came out of him. She took her hand away from his belt and up to his hand to remove it from his mouth

“I want to hear your sounds, Toto” She said as she drew away from his neck, which drew out a groan from him “Fuck, you sounds so pretty” He could feel her smirk on his neck

She turned them around again, but this time, she guided him towards the bed, their shoes getting kicked off in the process

When the back off Toto’s legs hit the bed, she pushed him down to sit. She got on her knees and zipped down his pants

He bucked his up from the bed so she could pull down his pants and boxers. When she had gotten them off, she threw them beside her

She licked a stripe up his shaft before spitting into her hand, and started stroking him slowly. He started moaning low, almost silently

“Keep up those sounds, I wanna hear you, baby” She told him as she looked up at him from between his knees

Her words could make him undone right then and there “Fuck, I want your mouth around me, please” His voice was getting desperate and his accent was getting heavier

She removed her hand, but quickly replaced it with her mouth. His moans got louder as she started moving her head up and down

He started bucking his hips up, trying to fuck her mouth, but her hands came up to push him back down to stop his movements, which makes him groan in annoyance

“Fucking shit, Ah…” He wasn’t making any effort to swallow his moans “Fuck, I’m gonna cum. Fuck, please. I’m so-Ah. I’m so close” His head leaned back and his eyes rolled to the back of his head

His hand was shaking when he drew it up to his face to take off his glasses as they started fogging up. He got them off and threw them on the ground, not caring if they broke or not

“I can’t- Ah. Fuck, please, I can’t take it anymore” His words didn’t stop her actions, if it did anything, it made her faster

A few seconds later and he came down her throat. She held her head down as he finished. She got off of him and swallowed his loath

He was panting hard when she stood up. She took his chin between her fingers making him look at her. She kissed him deeply, making him taste himself on her tongue

“Think you can return the favour?” She asked seductively. With closed eyes, he nodded “Good. Get on your knees” He quickly got on his knees where she once sat as she herself sat on the bed

She leaned back, her weight resting on her hands. She watched as his trembling hands tried opening the button on her jeans

She chuckled seeing him struggling “God you’re pathetic” She pushed his hands away to do it herself. She lifted her hips so he could pull down her pants and panties throwing them away with the rest of the clothes on the floor

He pulled her close to the edge of the bed, and therefore closer to his mouth. He drew his tongue through her soaking folds

“What wouldn’t my father say, hm?” She drew one of her hands through his soft, brown locks when he started attacking her clit

“His biggest rival eating out his daughter” He groaned into her cunt from her degrading, making her moan “What don’t you think he will do? Most likely kill you, or maybe, he would never invite me again to keep me as far away from you as possible so this could never happen again”

He groaned again, making her grip his hair tight and moan louder than before “Fuck, you’re so beautiful from here” She chuckled mixed with a moan

He drew one of his hands towards her cunt. One of his fingers drew through her folds, stopping at her entrance. She moaned as he entered her slowly

He started going in and out of her, drawing loud moans from her. He added another finger as he started curling his fingers up and hitting the spot inside her that made her see stars

Her moans got louder and heavier as she was pulled closer to the edge of her orgasm “Fuck, you’re doing so good for me, Toto” She moaned pulling his hair so his face got showed into her cunt

“Fuck, I’m so close. Fucking keep going. Ah” Her head rolled back while she bucked her hips up and into his mouth “You’re doing so fucking good” He groaned which send her over the edge. Her legs shakes as she came down from her high

“Fuck, you did so good for me” She smiled down at him as she drew his face up to look at her “So fucking good” She leaned down to kiss him

[pandora-writes-one-piece]

I think this is where we ask for requests? but if it is shanks x reader fanfic ( fluffy pls! and SFW! ) if ur not uncomfortable with it!🤍

Hiii @iloveyoushanks Thank you so much for your ask (and for all your support on my stories! ❤️ I appreciate it very much!)

This was my first time writting for Shanks (excluding his appearance in the meet-cute series, but he's just a dad there, not a daddy 😏) so I hopeeeeee you like this! Totally SFW! Also, you didn't specify gender, so I kept it gender neutral, hope it's okay! Let me know if you liked it! 🙏 Thank you!

Source for pic

Chasing Constellations

Word Count: 2490

Tags: SFW; gn! x Shanks; Fluff; Comfort; Camaraderie; Acting on crushes;

Special Warning: English is not my first language, I apologise for any possible spelling or grammar mistakes.

Summary: You are done dating boys, you want men. Your Captain claims to be man enough for you. But is he? And are you about to find out?

Notes: Be sure to check out my 100 followers event, as I will close requests on Sunday! Full disclosure, answers to requests may take a while! Thank you for reading this! I do hope you enjoyed it!❤️

Tag List: @rosidaze @beachaddict48 @armiliadawn

Masterlist

“Want to come home with me?”

“Sorry, not today.” You answered with a warm, apologetic smile. 

The man who had been leaning at the counter next to you, all smiles and smooth words, cursed loudly as he turned away, slamming his glass on the wooden counter along with a few coins.

The barmaid sighed as she collected them. “Shame, he was sweet and easy on the eyes. Why didn’t you say yes?”

“I don’t know why, really. I guess I am done with boys. They don’t have the emotional maturity of a man.” You said with a scoff.

“Honey, when you’re dating pirates you can’t help but deal with boys. The only maturity they achieve is in size, not in behaviour.” The barmaid let out a hearty laugh while she poured another drink into your empty glass. “If you ask me, you’re much better off just hooking up randomly. Take ‘em, leave ‘em and be done with it!”

You laughed alongside her, her contagious laugh infecting you and your tipsy state allowing you to behave more freely than you normally would.

“That’s some sound advice there.” Shanks, your captain, clinked his glass with yours before downing it in one gulp. “Or just follow mine: date a real man!” He grinned, his smile creasing the corners of his eyes and forming a charming dimple on the right side of his cheek. 

The barmaid left you two alone as she tended to other patrons and you eyed your captain from top to bottom, humming in what seemed like an appreciative manner, leaving him to puff his chest at you like a bird attempting to mate. “A real man, you say?” He nodded and winked. “Well, when you find one, send him my way, please.”

Beckman, who was next to Shanks, snorted his drink through his nose as he banged his fists against the wooden counter in pure mirth. Shanks’s grin turned into a pout, his hand against his chest in mock hurt. “Ouch.”

“Yeah, you’ll get over it, aren’t you a real man?” And with that, you let a few coins drop onto the counter and turned to return to the ship. Your captain was funny, handsome, strong, intimidating and he could be very protective of you, even if you rarely needed him to help you. You got along great and had both been spending more and more time together, lately, but, even if you harboured the hardest of crushes on him, you would never consider dating him.

He was too much of a flirt, too much of a manwhore, too much of a player…

He was too much. 

Period.

Besides, he would never really be interested in you, right? 

-*-

Tossing and turning in bed, sleep kept eluding you. The cabin was too damn stuffy and your crewmates’ snoring - though normally nothing that bothered you - were driving you insane. If only they could all snore at the same rhythm instead of this dissonant cacophony! 

Huffing, you threw the sheets back and slid on some slippers on your bare feet, grabbing a light blanket to drape over your shoulders because the night and the sea breeze could be unforgiving. 

You found a cosy - secluded - spot by the deck, and sat down, leaning against the balustrade to gaze at the stars. They looked especially bright tonight and the sky was clear of clouds, leaving you with a beautiful painting-like picture to admire. 

Just as you were starting to relax, a deep sigh escaping your lips, you heard a roguish voice near you. “Couldn’t sleep? Or are you searching for your perfect man among the stars?”

You immediately smiled at his words as your eyes met his. A mischievous smirk painted his lips as he pointed up. “How about Orion? A legendary hunter, strong, skilled, muscular?”

You scoffed, your fingers entwining as you hugged your knees and Shanks sat beside you, still looking up. “Orion? The stalker?”

Shanks chuckled, making himself comfortable near you and you didn’t miss the way his leg brushed against yours. “You know your myths?”

“Please! I know myths and constellations! Orion pursued the Pleiades sisters who, in exasperation and desire to escape his endless pursuit, sought the help of Zeus, who placed them in the sky as stars so they could be free.” Shaking your head, you huffed in annoyance. “I don’t know what’s worse, running from someone who can’t take ‘no’ for an answer, or having it be written into a love story by someone who clearly doesn’t understand the concept of boundaries and personal space.”

“Message received!” Shanks chuckled as he scooted his leg away from you and you bit your lip. That’s not what you meant, his touch was quite welcome. If you ignored the fact that this was how he flirted with everyone!

Sensing the slight change in atmosphere, you decided to lighten the mood. 

“Besides, Orion is clearly fictional. If I'm trying to find a man, I need him to be real. Let's see, he was a giant, handsome, with great strength and hunting skills.” You cheekily stared at Shanks, your legs falling to the side in an effort to close the distance he had created when you spoke about personal space. 

Visibly relaxing with the return of your touch, Shanks winked, raising his hand and counting on his fingers. “Giant?” His laugh was cocky and filled with innuendo. “Check! Handsome and strong? Check and check again! Hunting skills? Baby, I'll hunt you down blindfolded in a forest. Try me.”

The huskiness of his voice caught you by surprise, holding your breath prisoner in your throat for a split-second before you both burst into laughter. 

“Well, he was also arrogant, boastful and prideful so that's another three checks for you, Captain.” You nudged him playfully with your leg and he laughed, holding his hand in the air. 

“Aye, aye, guilty as charged.” A moment passed as he scratched his chin, eyes fixed on the sky. “How about that one?” He pointed at another constellation, clearly challenging your previous claim of knowing your way around the stars. 

“Hercules?” He nodded. “Another strong handsome man?”

“I think you might have a type.” He laughed, letting his arm fall on the balustrade behind your head. The heat from his body made you aware of his proximity. “He was brave-...”

“Reckless!”

“He held a strong sense of justice and duty.” 

“Impulsive, short-tempered with anger issues…”

“A hero!” He finished proudly. 

“An idiot.” You replied with a smirk. “They might have been branded as heroes, but they were still boys, flawed, full of themselves, with almost no regard for others, let alone for a loved one.” Sighing you fixed your eyes back on the sky. “Not even heroes and myths are perfect men, Captain. This is an impossible task.”

This all started out as a joke. A simple answer to a question a barmaid - you'd most likely never see again - asked you. And now it has turned into a real dilemma. You were sick and tired of being toyed with. You did want a real relationship, but none of the men - boys! - you'd dated had been ready to commit. 

Shanks was older than you, supposedly wiser and more mature. But he was not boyfriend material, even if he was the perfect man. So he needed to stop this useless flirting if he wasn't going to follow through because your heart wouldn't take it. 

“Well, you've left out a perfect specimen.” He pointed up and you followed, a frown on your features, already regretting having indulged your captain in this banter. 

“Perseus?”

“Yes.” He answered, pride evident in his features for your correct answer. At least you managed to impress him with your knowledge of the stars. “He had no faults. Come on, I dare you to say something bad about him.”

You pondered, your chest rising and falling with a deep inhale, but Shanks didn’t let you speak. 

“He was brave, loyal, honourable, ingenious and resourceful! Plus, he saved his beloved from being eaten alive by a sea beast!” Shanks looked you straight in the eyes and moved his stump, trying to make you laugh again. “Luffy was not my beloved in that sense, but he was still a loved one. I'd say I check all the boxes!”

That did make you laugh, and the two of you shared a fit of giggles, lightening the mood. You could always count on your captain to make you laugh. As you both regained your composure, Shanks let the arm that was on the balustrade fall and land onto your shoulders, pulling you closer to his body, muttering that the night was quite cold and he didn’t want you to catch a chill.  

You didn't object, your head fell against his chest as you tried to blame the unexpected gesture on your slight tipsiness - though by now you were more than sober. 

“There's one fault I can think of about Perseus.” You whispered as a sigh escaped your lips when you realised how well your head fit against him. 

“Really?” Shanks sounded doubtful. His fingers dug into your arm, pulling you even closer, as if there couldn't be any gap between your bodies. 

“Perseus was described as youthful. Some legends say he was around fifteen when he slew Medusa. Others say that he was in his early twenties. A boy. Not a man.” Lifting your face slightly, you let your eyes meet his, a slight sadness pressed into them. “Forget it, Cap. I’m fine on my own. Even if they were perfect,” you pointed your finger at the sky, “they would still be out of reach.”

Shanks’ goofy grin, one he had been sporting since he began speaking to you, fell off his lips as his gaze locked onto yours, his pupils darkening and something else hidden, glimmering and pulling you in like a magnet. 

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m right here, then.” The hand on your shoulders travelled to your nape, fingers slipping under your hair, heat permeating your entire being. “And an even better one, I’m definitely not a boy.”

His eyes never left yours as he slowly leaned down. Your heart pounded incessantly against your chest and every fibre of your being told you to pull away, to flee, to run. This was Shanks! Your Captain! The eternal flirt!

“You’re not a boy, you’re right here… but you’re also a manwhore, Captain.” The soft chuckle that left his lips ghosted over yours, leaving a promise of what could be, if only you let it happen. 

“You know, some things are just myths… I bet Orion wasn't even a giant at all! Perseus courageously defeating a sea beast? I guarantee he was scared shitless! Me being a manwhore - as you so eloquently put it.” His lips brushed yours ever so slightly, an invitation, the opening of a door, leaving you to decide if you wanted to enter or not. “Most definitely a myth.”

“But you are as unattainable as one.” All you had to do was lean in. Just a little adjustment of your mouth. He was right there. 

“Not for you.” Somehow, his words rang true. You hadn't seen him bring anyone to his cabin in ages. Granted, he could still be seeing someone outside of the ship and then returning, but if you thought hard enough, he had barely been flirting with anyone. 

Except you. 

Breathing was hard. He was right there. Thinking was harder. His scent was intoxicating. Hearing was impossible. Your heartbeat pounded so loudly that there was nothing else to hear. 

“You’ll just break my heart.” You couldn’t find the strength to pull away, even though your words might say otherwise. 

“Try me.” It almost sounded like a plea, but it couldn’t be, because Captain Shanks didn’t beg. His fingers pressed into your hair, as if grounding himself and staving off the urge to pull you against his lips. “Please.”

Oh… 

Apparently he did beg after all. 

Shoving all doubts, insecurities and fears down to the pit of your stomach, you pressed your lips against his. Just a taste. A small peck. You were going to pull back, you really were, but Shanks’ hand spread across your nape as he pulled you against him with the hunger of a starving man. 

He tasted slightly of sake, the alcohol lingering on his tongue, making it slightly bitter. But mostly… he mostly tasted of excitement and adventure, of a blissful future and sweet moments. 

Suddenly, the stars were no longer in the sky, they were shining within your closed eyelids, supernovas exploding inside your chest, your head swirling at the speed of light. 

It was… 

“Perfect…” You muttered against his lips as he pulled back a little to let you breathe. Your foreheads pressed together, his hand moving to caress and cup your cheek. Why had you doubted this? 

Why had you doubted him? 

“Gods, I've been craving that kiss forever.” There was still hunger in his voice, but something else, something far sweeter. 

“What do you mean?” Your hands reached in as you pressed your fingers tentatively against his chest, pondering whether you should pull him closer, considering the implications of a second kiss. 

“I thought you were the unattainable myth. Not the other way around. You never gave two shits about me.” He made that familiar whine that told you he was playfully hurt. 

Your chuckle caught you by surprise, so much so that you let your head fall forward, nuzzling the crook of his neck and breathing in the tanginess of his skin, sea salt and sweat mingling into a dizzying aroma. 

“Maybe you should've asked sooner.” You spoke into his skin, holding back the urge to press your lips against it and test how soft it was. 

“Asked what?”

“What that guy asked me at the bar.”

“Oh…” You felt as he took a deep inhale against your head, his hand now placing soft circles against your back. “About wanting to come home with me?”

You hum softly. 

“Aye, aye.” He chuckled as his fingers travelled up to your chin to tilt it, allowing him to stare into your eyes. “So, do you?”

You weren’t about to make this easy on him. “Do I what?”

“Want to come home with me?” He kissed you between words, his lips pressing against your flushing cheekbones, then your closed eyelids, and finally your nose. A softness to his touch you didn't know he possessed. 

The warmth filling your cheeks could have answered for you, but you still nodded, arms circling around his neck, pulling him down toward you, lips merely a breath away. 

“Is that a yes?” He didn’t hide the giddiness in his voice, the slight joviality that your wordless agreement brought. The boyish grin on his face. 

And you didn’t reprimand him for that. Because for all the youthful attitudes your captain had, he truly was a real man.

And one you wanted to date.

[bella-rose29]

The Greatest Thing - Lockwood x fem!reader

requested by anon: Hi, I love the way you write! I was wondering (if requests are still open) if you could write a Lockwood x reader where reader's mother died when she was little for some reason, and by taking on a case reader and Lockwood find themselves having to fight the ghost of reader's mother ? And maybe even Lockwood calming Reader down after the mission? Feel free to change parts. (btw: sorry if English is terrible, I'm Italian, English is not my native language)

my lovely you don't need to apologise for your English, it's better than a lot of actual English people I know (myself included) <333

sorry this took me so long, but hopefully you enjoy!!

for reference, the song that's mentioned is specifically Nat King Cole's version of Nature Boy from 1948 <3

Word count: 4.2k

Warnings: swearing (only a lil), brief mentions of cancer (not explicit though), idk if there's anything else

I did just copy and paste the tag list from DTH part 9 so feel free to not read this if you don't want to! <3

It was nearly one in the morning when the telephone rang. 

This was odd, because the phone had been broken for a little over twenty years. 

It was more sentimental than anything else, and it was kept as a reminder of someone long gone, as was the typewriter that sat on the shelves next to the telephone, on top of the case it came in so that it could be admired. There was a record player too, although that was in perfect working condition, unlike the other two objects. 

The ringing of the telephone woke up the inhabitant of the bedroom, and he groggily rubbed at his eyes as he sat up and turned the light on. The glare made him wince, but when he realised the broken telephone on his shelf was ringing, his eyes shot wide open. He scrambled for the working phone on his bedside table, trying not to panic too much and failing as he punched in the numbers. The line rang three times before someone picked up, and his breathing was shaky. 

“Hello? I think there’s a ghost in my bedroom.”

~~~

“Lockwood? You awake?” Y/n pushed open the door to the library, making note of the dim light that shone under the door. Her voice was quiet, just in case he’d actually managed to fall asleep, but as soon as she stepped inside she saw him sat in his usual armchair with a book.

“Everything alright?” he asked. 

“Not really. Dad’s just phoned me.” She took the chair next to him, watching as he put a bookmark in place and held the book closed on his lap. 

“Ah, that’s who was calling.” He frowned. “You don’t sound too happy about it.”

“He thinks there’s a ghost in his room. Said the old telephone that Mum bought ages ago started ringing just now. He wants us to come and check it out as soon as we can.”

“How do we know it’s not just… someone calling?”

“It’s broken, Lockwood. Has been for ages. Pretty sure it was broken when Mum got it, but she thought it looked nice.”

“Right. Well… you know the house layout, and where things are. And if you’re not too tired… I suppose we could head over now? Only if you wanted. Your father is welcome to stay here if he wants, too.”

“Thank you, Lockwood. I don’t know that I’ll be able to sleep, not knowing Dad’s in danger. And he won’t want to go outside at this time of night anyway, not without a safe route to somewhere else. You sure you’re alright with going on a case now?”

“Of course I am, Y/n. Especially for you.” She tried not to flush too much at how sincerely he had said it and pushed out of the chair. 

“Okay then. I’ll just… go and get changed.” She was still in her pyjamas from earlier. Lockwood was, predictably, in a suit, just without the jacket and tie. She was certain they were a second skin on him now. 

“Meet me by the front door in ten? I’ll get the kit ready.”

“Sure. Don’t forget the biscuits like you did last time.”

~~~

It took five minutes of quietly moving around the attic so as not to wake Lucy for Y/n to get changed. She wasn’t entirely successful in being silent, since the floorboards creaked every two seconds and she fell over trying to get her jumper on because she got stuck inside it and didn’t see the corner of her bed, but somehow Lucy slept through it all. Y/n headed downstairs, wincing when the steps groaned under her weight, and went to find Lockwood in the basement. He was nearly done packing up the bags, and when he caught sight of her his smile was blinding. 

“You all ready to go?”

“Yeah, think so. I’ve been thinking, about what the Source could be?” she said, although her voice lifted at the end to make it sound more like she was asking him a question. Lockwood nodded, zipping up the second kit bag and handing it to her when she reached for it. “I feel like the phone is too obvious, but if it’s some sort of Poltergeist it might be a good idea to check anyway. There’s quite a lot of things that could be a Source, actually. Mum loved collecting old stuff, said it reminded her of her childhood.”

“She wasn’t an agent, was she?”

“No. No Talent. Not with a capital ‘t’ anyway. She was amazing at loads of other things though.” They were in the hallway now, grabbing their rapiers out of the stand. Lockwood shrugged on his coat. 

“What do you know about the history of the house? Any murders or deaths that could result in a Visitor?”

“No. There was Mum’s, but Dad got the place sorted out as soon as he could. DEPRAC came in and cleared the room.”

“Well, we’ll see what we can find, yeah?”

“Yeah. Thanks,” she said when he opened the front door and gestured for her to go first. Lockwood must have called a cab, because now there sat one just in front of the gate. “I told Dad to get into the kitchen and turn the table lamp on, ‘cause a couple years ago he got iron strips put in the floor, so he should be alright in there. We can get this taxi to wait for him and bring him here, right?”

“Of course. That was a smart move, both the iron strips and your suggestion. We’ll make the kitchen our main retreat, then.”

Ten minutes later they were pulling up outside her childhood home, and as soon as the taxi stopped Y/n was opening the door and rushing to greet her dad. Lockwood was talking to the driver, paying him for the journey they’d just taken and asking if he might stay a little longer to take a passenger back to 35 Portland Row. 

“Hi, Dad, you alright?” Y/n breathed, wrapping her arms around her father. 

“Been better, love. I’m glad you and your boyfriend are here though.”

“He’s not my boyfriend, Dad,” she said, feeling heat creep up her neck. “Lockwood’s my boss.”

“I just thought that since you talk about him all the time, y’know? Lockwood this and Lockwood that.”

“I’m gonna walk away now, I think. Have fun with the ghost!” she joked, knowing that she would never leave her father in a house where there was a possible haunting. “We, uh… we thought it might be best if you went to Portland Row for tonight while we work here. It’s a standard procedure to not have the clients in the house, but normally they’ve got somewhere to go and a bit more notice, and Lockwood said you can take his bed if you wanted. We have also got a sofa, but it’s not nearly as comfortable as a bed.”

“Alright, love. You’ll be alright, just the two of you?”

“Yeah.”

“I take it he’s keeping that cab for me?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay then. I’ll see you in the morning, love.” He must have known that she would ask him to leave the house because he reached behind him and picked up a bag, hoisting it over his shoulder and planting a quick kiss on her cheek. 

“Bye, Dad!”

She watched as he sent a small wave over his shoulder, shaking Lockwood by the hand and thanking him for the offer of a place to stay, and then he was getting in the taxi and going back the way that she and Lockwood had come from. 

Lockwood had the keys to the house in his hand, and before he unlocked the front door (her father had locked it when he’d seen the taxi approach) he turned back. “Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“I can do this, Lockwood. For my Dad. Besides, if something’s only just surfacing now from one of the antiques, it can’t be too bad can it? I mean, it didn’t hurt my dad.”

~~~

As it turned out, it was quite bad. 

Not in a holy-shit-this-ghost-will-kill-us way, but more in a holy-shit-why-does-this-house-feel-worse-than-a-graveyard-at-night? way. 

Y/n had grown up in this house, had only really moved out two years ago, and she had never once felt unsafe or uneasy. Walking around it now, though, doing initial readings of sensations and temperature, she wondered how her father had managed to stay positive. Most things she just got echoes of her own childhood, her laughter as she ran through the halls while her parents chased her when she was three, baking in the kitchen and licking the bowl when she was five, crying when she tripped and slid down the last couple of steps on the stairs and grazed her knee at the bottom, and her mother pressing kisses to her hair and a plaster to her tiny injury when she was six. But underneath it all there was a malaise, something unsettling that seeped into Y/n and Lockwood’s bones and made them cautious. 

“Does it normally feel like this?” he asked when they made it to the top of the stairs and around most of the rooms, one hand on his rapier hilt. They hadn’t drawn their weapons yet, but they knew it was only a matter of time. 

“No. Dad would have said something.” The thermometer beeped, alerting them of a drop in temperature. Lockwood checked it where it sat attached to his belt. 

“Minus two. It was three degrees just now.” They stood in silence on the landing, both looking at the thermometer. “Well, only one door left, I suppose. Do you want to do it or should I?”

“I’ll do it.” She made her way to the door of her parents’ bedroom and took a shaky breath before placing her hand on the doorknob. Immediately a rush of memories hit her, from when her parents first moved in after their marriage, to the day she was born in that room, to the countless times Y/n had crept in in the night because she’d had a bad dream, up to the point when her mother had last touched the handle. It went further, but the force of the memory of her mother made her push the door open and step over the threshold. 

Lockwood was right behind her, and she heard him draw in a breath and reach into his coat for his sunglasses. Y/n whipped around to look at him just as he pushed them over his eyes, catching the last of his squint while he warily studied the bed. “Why are you putting those on?”  she asked, not liking the wobble that accompanied it. 

“Death glow on the bed. Are…” he hesitated for a moment, and she imagined his eyes darting between her and the bed behind her. “Are you absolutely sure that your father got the house cleaned out?” His voice was soft, like he was trying to not agitate her too much, but she got defensive anyway. 

“Yes. He wouldn’t lie about something like that, not when he had a six year old living in a possibly haunted house!”

“But… and I’m not doubting you, or your father, I just need to know, were you here when the house got cleaned out after your mother passed?”

“No, Dad sent me to my friend’s house. He said it wouldn’t be good for us to be in the house while they were working.”

“So you never actually saw people cleaning out this place?” She froze, catching on to what Lockwood was getting at. 

“No,” she whispered, turning to look back at the bed. Her mother had died in it over ten years ago from untreated cancer, completely unexpectedly. She’d gone peacefully at least, in her sleep, but it had broken the two members of the family that had been left behind. Her father had told her that he’d call DEPRAC and get the house cleaned out, to keep the two of them safe, but now as she grabbed a hold of the doorknob again she realised there was no memory of people coming in to do that job. “Shit. Shit shit shit shit.”

“Hey,” Lockwood said, sunglasses still perched on his nose. “It’s alright. We’re agents, and we’re Lockwood and Co. I know… I know this won’t be easy, Y/n/n, but we can do this. You can do this. Just breathe in, and back out. Good. Right. Have a think: what in here could be the Source? Hey, focus, Y/n.” His tone grew a little harsher as he grabbed her shoulders, pulling her away from the door. 

“Why wouldn’t he clean the house?” Her breath was coming too quickly now, and her eyes couldn’t settle on any one thing. “Why, Lockwood? Why wouldn’t he do it?”

“Because sometimes we love someone too much to have them gone forever.” Her eyes finally stopped moving around, instead meeting his and making her draw in a breath at the vulnerability in his eyes. His voice had been rough with emotion, and immediately she thought of the door on the landing back at 35 Portland Row. As quickly as he had opened up, his walls had snapped back into place, and he was leaning back and smiling softly at her. “Let’s try not to focus on that too much, yeah? Maybe the phone?” As though he had summoned it, the old telephone on the shelf started ringing as soon as he finished talking. “Okay… that was weird.”

“It’s not even got wires attached to it,” Y/n breathed. 

“Visitor is definitely a Poltergeist then. There’s no apparition which is good, because no ghost-touch. That’s also bad though. No way of really knowing what the Source could be.” She tuned Lockwood out, knowing that he would just be talking himself through the situation they were in, and kept on staring at the telephone. It hadn’t stopped ringing. 

Music suddenly started blaring out of the record player, despite there not being any record to play. It was a song that Y/n recognised, although she couldn’t remember where from. 

“Is that… is that ‘Nature Boy’?” Lockwood asked, glancing incredulously at the record player. 

“Oh my god. Yeah. It was Mum’s favourite song, specifically this version.” Her mother would often be found with it playing on the record player in the study downstairs, and she’d told Y/n the story behind it a million times. She’d been adamant that Y/n never forget the words, and now as it played she knew it was her mother haunting this room. 

“I think it’s broken,” Lockwood said when the song skipped back to repeat the last section of the song. 

“The greatest thing…”

“No, it’s not. Maybe it’s the record player? Maybe that’s the Source?” The music stopped, and she knew she was wrong. “Okay… so the telephone is the Source?” At once the music started again, but from a different point. 

“But very wise…”

“Is… is your mother helping us?” 

“I think so.” 

“… Why?”

“Maybe she just wants to move on?”

“But very wise…”

“Okay this is freaking me out a little bit now,” she said, moving over to the telephone. It stopped ringing when she got close enough to reach out and touch it, and she glanced at Lockwood. “Silver net?” He wordlessly passed her one, his sunglasses still obscuring his eyes. His face was impassive and she couldn’t figure out what he was thinking, but he was focused on the record player. It had continued playing from where her mother’s ghost had skipped back to help them, and was finishing up the last lines of the song. 

“The greatest thing… you’ll ever learn… is just to love… and be loved… in return…”

The room became silent after that, and both Lockwood and Y/n stood staring at the record player. Nothing moved until Y/n finally broke out of whatever world she had disappeared into, slowly placing the silver net over the telephone and wrapping it carefully. At once the temperature lifted, and just before she had finished containing the Source of her mother’s ghost she heard a sigh in the air, as though someone was finally being allowed some peace. 

“We should head over to the furnaces,” Lockwood finally said. “Unless you wanted to put it in a silver glass case?”

“I’ll talk to Dad about it in the morning.”

“Alright. Here, let me…” he stepped over and gently removed the telephone from her hands. “Why don’t you go and sort out the kitchen, get all our things together? I’ll get a taxi for us.” Y/n nodded, not taking her eyes off of the bundle in his arms. “Y/n?”

“Hmm?” She was unfocused, untethered to this world, and his voice was muffled. She vaguely noted Lockwood putting the Source down and coming closer to her, and then he was hugging her tightly, pressing her into his chest and his lips to her head when she drew in a shaky breath and sobbed. 

“It’s alright. It’s alright.”

She wasn’t sure how long they were there for, her crying into his dress shirt and him rubbing her back and whispering softly to her, but by the time she pulled back, her sobs reduced to slight hitches in her breath, her throat was sore and her eyes puffy. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, Y/n.”

~~~

It was nearly three in the morning when the telephone rang. 

This wasn’t odd, because this time it was Lockwood phoning Portland Row to let them know that the ghost had been dealt with, and he and Y/n were coming back. 

Y/n had remained silent for the duration of the taxi ride back to 35 Portland Row, staring out the window with her eyes looking at something that Lockwood couldn’t see. He knew what it was like, to be in her position, but he had no idea how to comfort her other than just being here. She’d gripped him earlier, when they were hugging, like she thought he might be the next one to leave. It had broken his heart and made it swell at the same time that she had held him so tightly, but now he was left to wonder how else he might help. 

She was still silent when they walked through the front door. 

Her father came out of the living room to greet them, and Y/n had frozen, rapier mid-air while she went to put it away in the umbrella stand. Lockwood had put his own rapier away, and the sound made her snap out of whatever trance she had been in and finish her previous action before taking one last look at her father and running upstairs. Lockwood shrugged off his long coat, hanging it on the stand. 

“It was her mother,” he said, looking at the stairs instead of at the man he was talking to. “I think she’s upset that you lied to her, about clearing out the house.”

“I couldn’t-” he broke off, coughing slightly to clear his throat when emotion clogged it up. “I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

“I know.” He could barely look at that door on the landing most of the time. He turned to face Y/n’s father. “But you made that house unsafe. You got lucky. She was a Poltergeist, but completely unaggressive like they normally are. Very lucky, in fact, because there was no chance of you being ghost-touched. But still, you should have told her.” The man nodded, tears starting to fall on his cheeks. 

“I suppose you put the Source in the furnaces then?”

“No, actually. I asked Y/n what she wanted to do, and she said she’d talk to you. You could keep it, so long as it was in a sealed silver glass box. You wouldn’t have to lose her again.”

“That would be great, thank you. Is it safe here overnight?”

“I’ll put it in the storeroom downstairs,” Lockwood smiled, one of his classic customer service smiles, and moved towards the kitchen. “Whereabouts did you decide to sleep in the end? The living room?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright. Well, goodnight, sir.”

“You’re a good lad, Mr. Lockwood. I can see why my Y/n likes you so much. Goodnight,” he waved, disappearing into the living room and closing the door behind him. Lockwood stood in the hallway, Source still wrapped in the silver net, and tried not to blush too much at the way those words had been said. 

~~~

“What are you doing in here?”

Y/n jumped at the sound of Lockwood’s voice, and immediately felt a little guilty for intruding on his personal space. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I didn’t want to wake Lucy up, ‘cause she hasn’t been sleeping well recently, so I came in here. Sorry.”

“That’s alright.” He went to grab his pyjamas, then did a double-take. “Is that my shirt?”

“Oh.” She looked down and flushed. “I didn’t… I forgot that by not going up to the attic I wouldn’t have anything to sleep in, so… yeah.”

“Oh.” 

She wished he would say more, because his gaze was as heavy as the silence that settled over them after that single syllable. 

“Lockwood?”

A pause. “Yeah?”

“I can leave-”

“No!” He swallowed thickly, then repeated himself. “No. I mean, no point waking Lucy up, is there? I’ll be back in a bit, just… going to go get changed.” She watched him leave, and then five minutes later she watched him come back. 

“You alright?”

“Yeah,” he answered, sounding anything but. He looked… nervous? Why the hell was he nervous? “You?”

“I’m alright.” She tried not to laugh, settling for an amused smile instead, and waited for him to get into bed next to her and turn off the light. Once it was dark (or as dark as it could be with the ghost lamp outside the window), she heard him shuffle around in his bed so that he was facing her. The outline of his face was barely visible, but it was enough that she could make out where his eyes were, and where his faint smile was. “Lockwood?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. For earlier.”

“I already told you, anytime.” They went quiet, just enjoying the comfort of Lockwood’s bedroom. “I talked to your dad, by the way. He said he didn’t want to lose her again, so I’ve offered to sort out a case for the phone in the morning. I also told him off for lying to you, which terrified me, because your dad is not a small man.” Y/n let out a snort at the last part, and she saw the faint light from outside light up Lockwood’s teeth as he grinned. 

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I did. Back at the house, you were… well, I’m not really sure what you were. But you weren’t you, and it scared me. It’s like you went somewhere else, Y/n. I just can’t lose you, is all.”

“Oh.” Now it was her turn to not say much, and she could feel him fidgeting. 

“Your dad said something. About you.”

“What? What did he say?” Her heart was beating faster, not knowing if he’d said something good or bad. 

“He said that you like me a lot.” Now her heart was thumping for a different reason. 

“Well, yeah. It’s difficult not to like you, Lockwood, you’re a very likeable person, you know? Very-”

“Why are you nervous?”

“What?”

“You’re talking really fast. You do that when you’re nervous. Why are you nervous?” Damn him for knowing her so well. 

“Uh… I just… I don’t know.” She did know, but how could she admit to her boss that she had the biggest crush on him while they were lying in his bed together?

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have- it just sounded like he meant it in a… in a like like way.” She took a deep breath, and decided to bite the bullet. At least if it was dark she couldn’t see his face when he rejected her. 

“He did. I… I’ve liked you for a while, actually.” There was no response, and suddenly it all seemed like a terrible idea. “Lockwood?”

“How long?” There was no discernible emotion in his voice. 

“About two years?”

“So… since you got here?”

“Yeah, basically.”

“You’re telling me,” he started, frustration seeping through, and she shrunk in on herself a little. “You’re telling me that we could have been together this entire time?!”

“Yeah, I guess so. Wait,” she frowned, “wait what did you just say?”

“It took us removing your mother’s Source from your childhood home and your father telling me that you really like me for this to happen?!”

“… Yeah?” She heard him bring his hands up to his face and groan, and then heard him shuffle around again. A moment later his hand was touching hers, tentatively at first, then lacing his fingers through hers and tugging her closer to him when he realised he’d found her. She ended up curled into his side, her head in the crook of his neck, and his arms wrapped around her torso under the duvet. 

“Well I know you’re free after we wake up, so right after we get the glass case sorted out I’m taking you out for food.”

“Like a date?”

“Exactly like that.”

It wasn’t long after that that the pair of them fell asleep, and before she drifted off in Lockwood’s arms, she couldn’t help but think how her mother had been right about loving and being loved, and how it was the greatest thing in the world. 

tag list: @ahead-fullofdreams, @aislinrayne, @anathemaloren, @anthgoldenhrry, @augustisintheair, @avdiobliss, @aysha4life, @bobbys-not-that-small, @briar-rose23, @curseofhecate, @dangelnleif, @edible-rat-vomit, @el-de-phi, @ell0ra-br3kk3r, @ettadear, @fearlessmoony, @fudosl, @idkbubs, @imaginebeingmentallystable, @informedimagining, @karensirkobabes, @lady-ashfade, @light-23, @locklyebrainrot, @locklyle1kanij, @locknco, @magicandrosewaters, @mentallyillsodapop, @mischivana, @mitskiswift99, @mrsklockwood, @mrsyixingunicorn10, @newbooksmell777, @no-morning-glories, @novelizt, @phlooper, @ran23sblog, @reggiepeterss, @simrah1012, @somethingrandomwatzit, @star-of-velaris, @superpositvecloudshipper, @t2sh0, @taygrls, @tournesol77, @whistle1whistle, @whenselenefallsinlove, @wordsarelife, @y0urm0m12, @zoom1374, @asyouwish-fromcabin3, @magicandrosewaters

[crushingonevery1]

Im okay (part 1)

Warning: nothing really, slight mention of anxiety, reader has a chip in her body, i think that's it

Pairings: Peter Parker x girlfriend reader

School just ended and Peter and you were sitting in detention after being caught talking in class. You were both guilty of getting detention on purpose more times than you would like to admit. Your uncle and aunt were never home during this time so you got the most freedom to spend time with Peter. And currently, they were both on a business trip and had locked the mansion basically leaving you on the streets to fend for yourself for the week. You weren't complaining tho May and Peter had very generously offered for you to live with them whenever that happened, cause it happened way too much. Your uncle would come to find you through the tracker installed in your shoulder once they were back. You were sure he knew about Peter but just didn't care or didn't find a 17-year-old too dangerous for his "asset".

You were both just exiting school and going back home when Peter got a call from Mr Stark of course you knew about him being Spiderman so after reassuring him that you will be fine and that he should hurry up, you made your way towards Peter's while he left for the avengers tower.

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

At the tower, it had been a few minutes since the quinjet had landed and everyone was scattered in the living room and kitchen filling up. Peter was texting you every detail of his mission and happily smiling when you told him you were proud of him. Obviously everyone noticed that the usually talkative teen boy was smiling and blushing towards his phone and not talking to anyone or even replying when Tony called out to him. so Tony after getting ignored for the second time finally pulled out Peter's phone out of his hand looking at who he was texting.

"TONY!!" Pepper shouted clearly unimpressed.

"Relax pep I'm basically his dad" he replied very confidently looking through the texts before finally clicking on your pic. All the while Peter just sat quietly trusting Mr Stark with anything and deciding it was about time he told them about you despite you saying no.

"Who you texting kid??" asked Sam all the way from the kitchen clearly entertained knowing Tony was in for an ass-whooping later.

"umm... my girlfriend..." that got everyone's attention. It was TOO quiet for a good 2 mins before Tony finally pitched in.

"She's cute. Although I'm not sure telling her every detail of our mission to impress her is a good idea, you are not THAT ugly kid."

"WAIT WHAT!!!"spoke the one and only captain america " Peter how could you be so reckless!!". He was clearly disappointed and usually peter would instantly apologise when he saw someone upset. not this time tho, he felt the need to defend you.

"no shes not like that i swear, she would never... She's already got so much of her own stuff going on she can't and she won't."

Seeing the usually too obedient kid argue against cap everyone understand whoever you were, you were important to Peter and they will figure out whether you were a danger or not before passing anymore comments to hurt the kid. They all kept quiet and Peter was about to apologise for being rude when Scott spoke up from the couch next to him. "so hey, when do we get to meet her?? How long has it been? How'd you meet? Give us the deets kid."

Seeing all of them waiting impatiently for his answer made him a lot more calmer before he decided to answer a few questions they might have.

"Her name's y/n. She's in my maths class, and she's like super smart, like more than me. We started officially dating like a month back but we were best friends before that too. She's really close with Ned and MJ too!!" He was practically shouting out of excitement by the time he finished. They smiled widely at the whipped teenager remembering their own first loves and congratulating the spider. When everyone was done sharing their first love experiences Tony finally spoke "As much as I loved hearing about Manchurian candidate being a complete chick magnet, circling back to the exciting part of today, Underoos,when do we get to meet the spider girl?" This made Peter blush profusely before he finally spoke

"Mr stark, you know how my birthday is next week ??" At this tiny doubtfully nods, clearly dissatisfied that his question was ignored. Ignoring the expression on the older man's face Peter continues "Do you think you could throw me an early birthday party...like today?"

Completely forgetting everything at the name of a party Tony very happily replied "You got it Underoos, EVERYONE!! TONIGHT AT 8!! MY KID'S TURNING LEGAL!!"

"next week stark, the kid turns legal next week, you're not letting him drink today"

Ignoring the fight in the background between Tony and Steve everyone went back to whatever they were doing while Peter made his way to the kitchen where Sam, Bucky, Pepper and thor and loki sat. He quickly took a seat at the table dialing your number extremely excited to hear your voice.

"hey honey, did you reach home safe??" "Yes I did Pete I texted you remember?"

"Right!Is may home?" "No she went to help aunt Betty she told us yesterday at dinner"

"oh that's even better! Hey Mr stark is throwing me a birthday party tonight can you please join us it would mean the world to me" "ofc Pete anything. But...your birthday's next week isn't it ?"

By now the convo between Bucky and thor had calmed down and they were all very much listening to your conversation with zero shame.

"Yea! Yea ikr! I told Mr stark but you know him, he's so ...extravagant!!so he just wanted to have a early celebration" the lie made everyone hearing cringe very evidently but they awaited your reply not expecting you to buy that.

"right... I'll be there ofc but umm...you think u could meet me at the gate...I don't want to have to walk in among all the supers completely alone... actually nevermind I'm being a baby I'll be there, you enjoy with your frien-" "hey relax, breathe for me, I'll be coming home in a bit we'll get ready together and come to the party together don't worry, okay ? Rest well honey I'll be home in an hour"

They were superheros for godsake your unusual anxiety instead of excitement over your boyfriend's birthday was wayyyy too obvious in your voice, but there was currently a bigger issue at hand...

"YOU'RE LIVING TOGETHER?!?"

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

[yourimagines]

Can you do a baysangur chamsoudinov (baki) or khamzat chimaev a cute headcanons or one shot without smut or just light smut ?? Thank youu 🩵

Hi, thank you for your request, I hope you like this one

Biggest fan

* English is not my first language I apologise

* Gif is not mine

* Triggers: Swearing, Soft, Fluff

Y/N POV

My younger brother is a mega fan of the UFc and our parents made me to go with him to a UFC fight, they didn't want him to go alone so here we are....searching for our seats in a stadium full of people ready to see some fights.

"Please stay close to me, mom would kill me if I lose you in these crowds." I grabbed his shoulder to slow him down a bit. "I'm sorry, I'm just so hyped for this night." I nodded but kept him close to me. "I know buddy but you can freak out when we are at our seats."

We both found our seats, close by the octagon and he freaked out a little bit. "oh my god, this is awsome." I smiled and sat down. "Mom and dad are so awsome for this." he sat down and grabbed his phone, Filming around him. A guy sat down next to me, smiling at my brother. "Sorry, It's his first time." I said to the guy. "It's fine, he looks very happy." I nodded and looked back at my brother. "I'm sending this one to dad." He looked at me and smiled. "Okay cool buddy."

The first fight just ended and he was thrilled. "this is so much cooler than watching it at home from the tv." He clapped in his hands and grabbed his soda. "I'm happy that your having fun." i grabbed my phone and send our mom a text that he was having fun. "Oh my god." He whispers as the guy that sat next to me stands up to greet someone. "What?" He was looking at him in awe. "That is Khamzat Chimaev." He tapped on my knee in excitement. “Please don’t do anything embarrassing….”

Khamzat POV

I sat back down and looked to my right, the kid was looking at me but soon as he saw I was looking at him he looked away. “Sorry, he’s a big fan of you.” She says with a light blush on her cheeks. “It’s okay, hey kid do you want a picture?” He looked back at me with a grin on his face, nodding in excitement. “Come here then.” He rushed over and gave his phone to her, to snap a picture of us. “Thank you so much mr Chimaev.” He says to me. “No problem kid, I hope you have a good time tonight.” He nods and sits back in his chair. “It’s my best day ever.” I smiled and he looks down at his phone. “I hope you’re not bothered by that, he’s just very excited to be here today.” I shook my head and smiled at her. “I understand, I was just like him when I was his age.”

She stood up to get something to drink and pointed at him. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.” He nods and looks around. “Is that your mother or something?” I asked him, he looks at me and shakes his head. “No, that’s my sister.” I nodded slowly. “She’s a good sister then, tagging along with you.” He smiles and nods. “Yeah she’s the best.” He looks back at the octagon and snaps a picture of it. “I’m updating my parents, they didn’t want me to go but my sister talked to them about it. They even got us these seats…” “Do you fight?” He nods slowly. “Yeah…but I’m not that good, they don’t really like it but my dad says it’s better than tennis or anything like that.” I chuckled and nodded. His sister came back and gave him his drink and snacks. “There you go.” “Thanks.”

Y/N POV

He was looking at me with a small smile on his face. “I hope he didn’t bothered you when I was gone” he shook his head. “No…I was bothering him, can I say that you are a good sister to him.” That took me a bit back and emotional to hear it. “Oh, t-thank you.” He immediately say it and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry I didn’t mean to upset you, I was just trying to be nice.” I shook my head at him. "It's fine, I'm just a bit taken back by it." He smiled and leaned a bit closer to me. "I take it as a compliment then." he gave me a wink and moved back into his seat again. I bite down on my lip and looked away from him as I felt my cheeks warm up again.

The fights were over and we were getting ready to leave the stadium. "Stay close to me please." I said as I grabbed him by his shoulders. "I will." Everyone was trying to get back to their car or to catch a bus/taxi. "Let me guide you guys safe to your ride." Khamzat said as people were trying to push through. "Thanks but we don't want to be a burden to you." He waved his hands and gently grabbed my hand. "Don't be stubborn now, Let me help you guys." I nodded and let him guide us through the crowd as my brother was smiling like a crazy madman.

"Thank you so much." He led us safely through the building back to the parking lot. "No problem, do you guys have a ride back?" I nodded and fiddled with my zipper from my jacket. "yes we do, our dad is picking us up." My brother quickly answerd him. He nods and smiles. "Well it was nice meeting both of you." "It was nice meeting you too mr Chimaev." He chirped in before I could say anything. He chuckles and ruffels through his hair. "Be a nice brother to your sister, she's a special one." I started to blush and looked shy at him. "Oh I will mr Chimaev." I rolled my eyes at him. "Look y/n, dad is here." He points at the car and runs to it. "Well that was it, Thank you again you defently made his day." He shrugs and smiles. "I hope I made your day aswell." I shyly nodded at him. "Here, just in case you need a guide again." He gave me a paper with his number on it and walks away. "Thanks, I think I will need it again very soon!" I quickly ran to the car and got in.

"And are you dating him already?" My brother asks me. "Who?" My father asks surprised. "No one." "Khamzat Chimaev." we said at the same time. Our father rolled his eyes at us as we started to argue. “Stop lying.” I slightly pushed his against his shoulder. “You stop lying, you have his number.” He pushed me back. “Hey! come on be nice to each other….” Our father shot us a glare and we both stopped and kept quiet for the whole ride.

I was looking down at the folded paper in my hands, smiling at the thought of him. “You are so in love with him.” He whispered to me. I playfully pushed him and smiled. “I think I am in love with him…”

[ahockeywrites]

the service

pairing: aurelia mcavoy x trent frederic word count: 2.5k warnings: swearing, it’s my fic, there’s always swearing authors note: hello and welcome to another series that I hope I can finish (lol). hope you all enjoy! masterlist

Trent pushed open the door to the garage, feeling as though he was somewhere that he shouldn’t be. Charlie had recommended this garage as it had the best reviews for Porsche maintenance and was where he took his car. But it didn’t seem right. All he had to do was see if ‘Peanut’ worked here and if he did, then he would know if he was in the right place.

A gruff looking man with white hair and a long beard sat behind the counter and now Trent felt as though he really shouldn’t be here.

“Charlie McAvoy said I should come here for my car’s service?” He weakly asked, really feeling as though he was in the complete wrong part of town.

“Freddy with a Porsche?” He man behind the desk asked, after flicking through a few pages of the large diary that sat in front of him.

Trent nodded, feeling slightly more relaxed that be was definitely in the right place and that Charlie hadn’t sent him on a wild goose chase around the city. That wouldn’t be the craziest thing to happen to him. 

When he was a rookie in Providence, the older players told him that they were having after game drinks at a bar. A bar that didn’t exist in Rhode Island. It was in California. Trent was pissed but ended up channeling his anger into a fight in the following game.

“Peanut will be with you in a moment, they’re just finishing up on a vintage 911,” the man explained.

Fuck, a vintage 911. How Trent wished he could own one of them but the upkeep on it would be more than he could handle. Especially when he had no clue about cars. But fuck, if he knew someone who knew their way around a car, his first purchase would be a vintage 911.

“Okay,” Trent replied, swinging his car keys around his finger as he wandered over to the notice board on the other side of the reception. The Bruins key ring hit against the plastic of his car key as he kept himself distracted waiting for Peanut.

“Freddy with a Porsche Cayenne?” A distinctly feminine voice with a strong Boston accent called out into the reception. Trent looked around, realised he was the only person in the room and then figured out that it was for him. 

“That’s me,” he replied, spinning around to be greeted with a short woman with an imposing stature. Her dark hair was tied up in a ponytail behind her and Trent had no inclination of who she was except for the name Peanut. That surely couldn’t have been her name. But it was the name that was stitched into her dark blue overalls. 

“I’m Aurelia but everyone here calls me Peanut. You met Gramps,” she pointed at the older man sat behind the counter, who offered Trent a wave. “It’s dad and I who are working today but occasionally you’ll get Adam who’s my brother working when he’s not at collage.”

Trent just nodded, that was more of an info dump that he expected from his mechanic but it really did feel like a family run business the way they treated him.

“Sorry for the run down,” Peanut apologised,  most people here are regulars and know all of us. But you’re new, so you get the speed rundown. So, your Cayenne, what we needing for it?”

The hockey player thought for a moment. Why did he actually come here again? Oh crap yeah.

“Just a yearly service,” Trent got out, slightly in awe of the pretty girl standing in front of him. She was beautiful, he hoped that Charlie hadn’t mentioned this garage to any of the other players as he wanted to call dibs on her. Well, if that was still a thing that people did.

“I can’t sweet talk you into an engine upgrade, car wrap or new rims?” Peanut giggled as she headed out to the front where Trent had parked his car.  

You could sweet talk me into anything, he thought but did say that. He just apologised and reaffirmed his need for a service and nothing else. 

Peanut shook her head in mock disgust. “Damn, I always try that with the cute ones and it never works,” she laughed once more as she squatted down to look at the brake discs and callipers for a quick first inspection. “Left hand side looks good, from first glance but let me check the right.” 

Peanut zipped around to the other side and did the same tyre and brake check confirming her initial thoughts that there probably wouldn’t be anything wrong with them. 

“Looks like you don’t need new tyres but I can’t confirm that until I properly check them,” Peanut smiled. “So I’ll just need your keys and it should be a few hours.”

“Sounds good, do you need my number?” Trent asked, not realising how it sounded.

“Well,” Peanut raised an eyebrow, “my personal phone is missing the number of an attractive Porsche driver.” 

A faint blush tinted the hockey player’s cheeks as it clicked in his head what he said and how it could be interpreted.

“Not like that,” he quickly backtracked, not wanting to make it seem as though he wasn’t interested but he was. He had placed himself in a sticky situation.

“Don’t worry,” Peanut explained. “Gramps will take your details before I drive it around the back. He’ll also explain how much it’ll cost. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to move my car out of the way.”

Peanut skipped back to the garage and opened the roller shutter doors. A white Porsche 911 Carrera from 1973 backed out of the opening and the same person who he was envious of earlier happened to be Peanut as she reversed out of the garage and into a spot on the side of the road.

She jumped out of the driver’s side door and invited Trent back inside to fill in all the paperwork that they needed before they could get started on servicing the car. 

“Right, I’ll leave you with Gramps to get all the boring stuff sorted and I’ll be in the back, see you later!” Peanut waved and stormed through the door at a speed that had Trent concerned for the door.

“Don’t worry about my granddaughter, she’s always had this sort of energy,” the man that Peanut called Gramps explained. “That will be 300 dollars for the service and if Peanut finds anything else, it’s labour hours plus parts. All good?”

Trent nodded again before handing his keys over to Gramps and calling an Uber to take him back.

“You’ll call me when it’s good to pick up, yeah?” Trent asked, just making sure that he knew what was going on.

“Sure thing,” Gramps replied. “Should be done sometime this afternoon, provided no hiccups.” Trent nodded in appreciation before making his way outside to jump in the Uber to head back to his place.

Trent sat in front of his monitor, playing a solo game. He didn’t want to risk being involved in an online game with some of his teammates when he got the call to pick up his car. He felt limited in what he could do as Tuesday afternoons were usually the days he went food shopping, as long as he was in the city and not on a road trip. It was a slight change to his routine.

The doorbell went and Trent paused. He wasn’t expecting anyone or any deliveries so it must have been one of the guys. But why would any of them be visiting him on a random Tuesday afternoon?

He stood up and walked across to look through the peephole. Charlie was stood outside his door, hands in his pockets looking awkward. Trent had no idea why the defenceman was at his apartment when he knew Trent’s car was at the shop.

Trent opened the door and Charlie barrelled his way into the Boston apartment. He walked straight over to the kitchen, grabbed a glass for himself, filled it with water and drank the whole thing in one go. Water dripped from Charlie’s mouth but he quickly used his sleeve to wipe it away.

“You okay?” Trent asked, very confused as to what had just happened.

“Please tell me why my cousin just called me to say that Fit Freddy’s car is ready and that I should bring him to the garage?” Charlie growled, slightly concerned at what Aurelia had said on the phone. “And why she really wants your number?”

“It might help if I knew who your cousin is?” Trent replied, trying to make sense of the situation. He was racking his head to see if he knew an Aurelia. 

“Aurelia McAvoy, short, dark hair, sounds like she was raised in a barn?” Charlie explained, hands flailing around as though he couldn’t keep control of them. “You know, the cousin I consider a younger sister?”

Trent still looked confused. He didn’t know any Aurelia McAvoy… wait…

“You mean the mechanic?” Trent questioned. “Your cousin is Peanut?”

“Yes!” Charlie exclaimed. “My cousin is Aurelia. You went to my grandfather’s garage and my cousin is the one who has fixed up your car and supposedly given you the friends and family discount that no one outside of the actual family gets?”

Trent could see steam coming out of his teammates ears as he tried to make sense of the situation and also diffuse it. Playing mediator wasn’t his usual role on the team but he needed to today.

“Charlie,” Trent started, “I don’t know why she said that but if my car is ready to pick up. Maybe we should go and grab that.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Charlie responded before grabbing his keys from his pocket. “Let’s head out, see if Gramps can explain what’s going on. Fucking hope he can.”

The drive to the suburbs was painful for both hockey players. Charlie was still fuming that Trent had been flirting with his cousin, he couldn’t have Aurelia dating one of his teammates. As much as he loved his teammates, he did not want any of them dating someone he considered a second sister. Aurelia could absolutely deal with one of the Bruins, but she deserved better in his head. 

Trent was slightly annoyed that Charlie thought he was flirting with his cousin. He didn’t intend to flirt with her and if he did, he was only responding to her flirting. Maybe she flirted with all the customers to try and get as many extras sorted as possible. That had to be it. She must also have been riling up Charlie. This could be one of the things they did growing up and Trent was now just a pawn in their game. 

The drive was quiet, just the sounds of a local radio station in the background. But Trent could see that Charlie’s ears were still red so he was still angry. 

Charlie turned the steering wheel and parked up outside the garage. He had tried to use the drive to calm down but it really didn’t help. It didn’t help when the recipient of his anger was in the enclosed space with him.

“Let’s get this shit over with,” he muttered under his breath before opening his door and then slamming it shut. Trent followed suit but didn’t use the same amount of force as his counterpart. 

Charlie stormed his way into the reception area of the garage and Trent was hot on his heels. He just wanted his car back, he didn’t want to get in the middle of a McAvoy family argument, but it seemed like he would.

Aurelia looked up from over the counter to see her cousin looking at her with angry looking eyes. Crap, she thought, have I gone too far with this one? It was no secret that she fancied Trent, but it was something she didn’t want to share with Charlie as his rule since he started playing hockey was that she couldn’t date any of his teammates or opponents. Which she understood at the start when they were all teenagers. 

But then he started playing in the big leagues. And he was playing against Mat Barzal, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby. The latter was the first player that Aurelia had on her wall when she used to play hockey, before she moved onto racing cars. 

But Trent was Charlie’s teammate. One of Charlie’s friends. Charlie was the one who took Trent under his wing and showed him around the city. Trent was also the only teammate who Charlie had sent to her garage. Well, Patrice Bergeron had also been there, but he was no longer a teammate to her cousin.

“What can I do for you, dear Charles?” Aurelia asked as she stood up, spinning Trent’s car keys on her index finger, just to provoke her cousin slightly more. 

“Trent is here for his car,” Charlie pointed to the forward standing next to him. “Gramps can show him the car. You and I need a little chat.” Aurelia rolled her eyes but handed the keys across to Gramps who took Trent out to the back to explain the costs and how much he owed.

It was silent and the tension between Charlie and Aurelia was high.

“Peanut,” Charlie groaned as he ran a hand through his locks. “Please tell me you didn’t give him a friends and family discount?”

“What if I did?” She retaliated before popping a piece of chewing gum into her mouth. “He’s a friend of yours, so he’s a friend of mine. You didn’t get like this when I gave the discount to Bergy?”

“You gave the discount to Bergy?” Charlie questioned. “That’s the first I’ve heard of this.”

“Whoops,” Aurelia shrugged. “So what, I’ve had a crush on Freddy since he fought Tanev. Makes sense I’d give the guy I fancy a discount, right?”

“Fucks sake,” Charlie had to sit down to control himself. “You fancy Freddy? That’s breaking rule one.”

“No,” countered Aurelia. “Breaking rule one would be if I started dating him.” She blew a large bubble with the gum in her mouth. “Today is the first time I’ve met him. Did I flirt with him? Yes, I mean who wouldn’t. Would I date him? If you let me get to know him, yes.”

Charlie opened his mouth to speak but Aurelia raised his hand to shut him up.

“But do I trust your opinion and reasoning as to why you don’t want me dating your teammates? Yeah, I do.” 

Charlie understood where Aurelia was coming from. She wasn’t the young girl he remembered. She was 25 now. Ran the family business and had a successful racing career on the side. 

“Peanut,” Charlie started. “I just wanna protect you. I won’t give you Freddy’s number just yet.” To that she rolled her eyes. “But if a load of us are hanging out with our partners and you’re free, I’ll invite you. How does that sound?”

“Significantly better than keeping me in my own bubble,” she replied. “Can I go and get Freddy sorted now? And can you fuck off until family dinner.”

“You got it peanut, just don’t make too many mistakes.”

Aurelia saluted before tacking her cousin before he was ready and took him down to the ground.

“Pfft,” she exclaimed. “NHL defender my ass.”

[armins-main-hoe]

Todoroki’s twin au

Part 4

Previous | Next 

You had woken up from the sunlight hitting your eyes from your bedroom and you could smell breakfast cooking downstairs. On cue, your stomach growled and you got up to go eat. As you left your room and walked down the hallway, you bumped into your brother who had just stepped out of his room.

“Oh sorry Shoto.” You apologised, sleep still blinding your vision.

“It’s okay.” He replied. The two of you were the same height at the age of 8. Now you walked downstairs to eat together.

“What did dad teach you yesterday?” You asked him.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He always said that whenever you asked him. You wanted to know what his training was like, what it was like to have dad, a pro hero, train you. He was able to control his quirk much better than you could, there would be times where you would get too excited and let out small squirts of water from your hands.

You often felt as if Shoto was trying to keep you away from his training, as if he wanted to keep it a secret so that only he could improve and you couldn’t. Though you would then think that he would never think about excluding you like that. He was your brother and your friend. He wouldn’t want you to fail but then why would he not tell you about training?

You weren’t blind, you could see how tired he would be after training, how exhausted he would be that sometimes he could not even walk but you were told that your brother was fine. He was okay and you did not have to worry. So you didn’t. If everyone around you kept telling you that “Shoto is fine.”, “He is just tired” and, “Go play outside and let him rest” then why would you? You were a kid. A kid who did not know any better. A kid whose older siblings shielded from the harsh truth of their family.

The two of you had made it downstairs and saw your older sister cooking.

“Morning!” She greeted the two of you.

“Fuyumi!” You went up to her and gave her a hug while Shoto sat himself down on a chair. Your sister returned the hug and you then wen to join shoto by the table. You both ate your breakfast while talking about your day, well, it was mostly you rambling on about what you did at school yesterday while Shoto hummed and nodded.

“I wish you could come to school with me Shoto, then I could introduce you to my friends!”

“Dad wouldn’t like that.” Shoto mumbled.

“Yeah that’s true.” You looked down at your plate and then back up at your brother. His cheeks and forehead had gone a slight blush pink and his eyes were dopey. It was now that you noticed that he had not touched much of his food on his plate.

“Are you feeling okay shoto?” You asked him.

“Hmm…”

You looked back at your older sister who looked back at Shoto with concern. She made her way over to you both and she put her hand against his forehead.

“You’re burning up Shoto.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t go to train today.” You tell him. At your words his eyes widened and he shook his head.

“No. Can’t do that!”

“But why? You aren’t feeling well you know.”

“I can’t do that.” He repeated himself. His grip on his chopsticks tightened.

Fuyumi shook her head. “I’ve had enough. I’ll talk to dad and I’ll tell him to give you a day off.” 

“Tell me what?” 

The three of you turned around to look at the towering figure of your father. He looked down at all three of you with a dark scowl on his face. From just hearing his voice alone made you shiver. You were so pumped up to fight your dad alongside your older sister to get him to let Shoto off for one day but upon hearing him your resolve was already shaken. 

Though your older siblings did try their best to keep you from the horrid truth of your family, they could not shield you from everything. They could only make up so many excuses. This meant that even you have witnessed your father’s range. You’ve seen him abuse your mother, you’ve even seen him abuse your own brother. However, your mind seemed to block out those memories, so if anyone from outside the family were to ask you questions, you would simply answer as anyone would expect a normal kid from a normal family to answer. Yet there would be times like this were you would suddenly be reminded that you aren’t a normal kid from a normal family. 

Maybe this will become a blocked a memory too.

“Dad, Shoto isn’t feeling well, he really isn’t in any condition to train-”

“Are you not feeling well?” He asked Shoto. His voice lacked sympathy that a concerned father would have, instead it sounded like a threat. A threat with the underlying words ‘say the answer I want to hear or else’. 

“n-no, I’m fine.” Shoto muttered out. 

“No he is not!” Fuyumi spoke out. You didn’t dare look at your father the entire time, keeping your eyes down on your plate but you did see when your older sister slammed her hands down onto the table to show that she is right. Though you had always admired her for being able to protest against your father, you could see her hands shake as she struggled to not back out and let your father have his way. 

“He said he is. Shoto, hurry up and get to training.” Enji looked down at his son who nodded his head. He was about to turn around walk away when his youngest daughter caught his eye. He looked at her as she sat completely still, not having said a word since he walked into the room. He scoffed at her and walked away. 

Even as he left the room, Y/n didn’t say anything and the twins ate their breakfast in silence. When Shoto left to go train, Y/n didn’t say anything. Instead she quietly went to get ready to go to school and by the time she came back from school she had forgotten everything that had happened in the morning. 

---

This game of pretend that you played where you had pretended that everything at home was fine ended a year before you joined UA. That was when you had began to accept the fact that you aren’t okay and neither is your family. However, by then you and Shoto had already became so distant with each other that you did not know how to get closer to him again. 

But ever since that night when you went down to the kitchen to get milk, you and Shoto were back on good terms. You’ll admit, it did get awkward between you both sometimes, after all it had been so long since you both bothered to learn more about each other’s likes and dislikes so most of your information about each other was outdated. 

However, it is not like you both weren’t putting in any effort to get to know each other again. Soon enough you both had become someone you both could lean back on when you weren’t mentally feeling all that great. You were each other’s vent buddies and though you both always were siblings you were now friends too. 

Your classmates could see the difference between you both as well, you had began acting like your usual loud, bubbly self and Shoto was now not ‘half assing’ his training.  

Weeks passed and along with your classmates, you were able to take on the adventurous life of being a teenager. 

When work experience came around again, you opted to not stay with Endeavour and you applied to go intern with another agency. Which was the agency with Kamui Wood, he was a relatively new pro hero and he wasn’t exactly looking for an intern but you both had natural elemental quirks so he agreed to have you as his intern. Shoto understood your decision but told you that he would be staying there since he could still get valuable training there and he said that father is a bit more tolerable now. It was a day later that he told you that Midoriya and Bakugo would be joining him to intern at Endeavour’s agency. 

There was a time where them four were on patrol and their route overlapped with the patrol route that you and the pro hero you interned with, Kamui Wood, took. You gave the boys a wave and avoided eye contact with your father so you didn’t have to talk or wave at him. Kamui Wood did try to pry and ask why you didn’t want to intern with your father when he was the number 1 hero. 

“Heck, even your classmates are interning with him.” 

“I don’t want to overuse his name to get what I need.” You lied. 

The pro hero sighed, he could tell that wasn’t the real reason but if you didn’t want to tell him then he respected that.

“Whatever it is, don’t let it get in the way of what is best for you.” He advised. 

You just nodded your head and continued on with patrol. 

Later in the afternoon you got a text message from your sister saying that she wanted you to come over and have dinner at home. You were about to turn her down before she said that Shoto and his friends were coming over and she needed the whole family there. You love her, you really do but she can be dramatic at times. 

So you ended up showing up after your day with Kamui Wood ended. When you got to the door, you saw Midoriya’s red shoes along with your brother’s, father’s and Bakugo’s. Great so when you walk in, you’ll be the centre of attention. Bakugo and Midoriya had only ever seen you as a cheerful and bubbly person. You can’t ever bring yourself to act like that when your father is there. You just hope that those two would be so distracted by the food or another conversation to even notice you being so quiet. 

You took a deep sigh before walking in. As you got closer to the living room you could hear your sister and your classmates talking. 

“I’m sure Y/n will be here soon. She had texted me a few minutes ago saying she will be here soon.”

“Well she sure is taking her sweet time.”

“Kacchan!” 

You mentally prepared yourself and slid the door open.

“I’m here.” You put on a small smile. 

“Y/n!” Your sister walked over to you and gave you a hug. You smiled fully and hugged her back. “Come sit down with us.” 

You greeted everyone and you smiled at your older brother Natsuo who was also there. It had been a while since you saw him. You simply gave your father a nod and looked down at the table in front of you. 

It didn’t take long before everyone sat in an awkward silence. 

God you really don’t want to be here. You just which you could teleport to your dorm room immediately or if the ground could just swallow you whole. 

[dilemmaontwolegs]

Running from the Flames {4}

Pairing: Pierre Gasly x OFC Summary: Brianna Vowles grew up on the paddock. It was what filled every weekend. There were endless trips around the globe with her father and Uncle Otmar in Formula One, until she went to college. Suddenly her life revolved around studying and boys, one of whom wasn't as nice as he had appeared. Five long years later, with a hiatus in between, she graduated with her engineering degree and had decided to use her VIP pass to see if life in the fast lane had changed. Warnings: 18+ only, domestic violence survivor, lots of drama and fluff, this is a work of fiction and the events are not based on reality. Chapter: One || Two || Three || Four || Five || Six || Seven || Eight || Nine || under construction

The playground was a wonderfully terrible idea. She had an absolute blast racing about with Pierre in tow but trying to get Addie to leave gave him a baptism by fire to the maelstrom of a tantrum a two year old can have and he looked a little frazzled when we finally got her strapped into her seat again.

“I’m sorry,” I apologised for the umpteenth time as I pulled a baby wipe from my handbag and wiped away the smear of dirt on his sleeve from the bark Addie had tossed into the air like confetti.

“Don’t be, I had fun,” he assured me again and reached for a bottle of water he kept in the car. “I reckon she would give Pyry a run for his money, that’s a full on cardio workout.”

“Next time I’ll wear something a little more suitable so I can help.”

He held out his hand and waggled his pinky finger. “Promise?”

I quirked an eyebrow at him. “That I’ll wear more clothes?”

He rolled his eyes playful. “No, there will be a next time!” He wiggled his finger again impatiently and I curled my pinky around his, shaking on it with a grin.

He drove back to the heart of the city that reached the water's edge and parked at the docks where the boat was waiting for all the Alpine crew to embark. I had only just managed to remember to message Otmar to cancel the taxi he had ordered and regretted it when he quizzed me over how I was going to get there. Finally, I admitted who I was with and the lingering three dots suggested I was going to receive a long reply.

Locking the phone, I shoved it into my handbag and figured I would hear about it when I saw him soon.

It was only when I stepped out of the car and the flash of a camera blinded me that reality came crashing down. The bright light triggered memories I had suppressed and I was once again helpless in that ambulance as it was swamped by paparazzi eager to get the images that would make them the most money.

“Pierre, how are you feeling about the race tomorrow?” one reporter asked and I turned away, pressing my clammy hands to the cold metal of the door and reminding myself they weren’t here for me. “Who is your companion? Is she a model? Which agency does she work for?”

The questions came rapidly but he just smiled and waved as he made his way around the car to my side. He placed his hand on the small of my back and grounded me as he used his body to hide mine. “Let’s get Addie and go,” he whispered, opening the back door with his free hand and reaching inside to unstrap her. “Come here, princesse,” he said gently as he picked her up and ushered us away from the swarming mass that pressed against the metal barricade that had been set up. “I didn’t know it was going to be like this. Reporters are usually banned from these private events.”

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” I breathed as the distance grew and we reached the ramp to the luxury boat moored to the dock.

“Bri!” Otmar called out from the top of the ramp and reached for me as I stepped off. “I tried calling when I saw you get here.”

I looked at my phone and sure enough there were half a dozen missed calls and a text message saying to wait in the car.

Tugging me away from Pierre, who was still holding Addie, Otmar groaned and looked back at the reporters still taking photos. “Your dad’s going to throttle me.”

Addie began to wriggle in Pierre’s arms and reached for Poppa Otty until he relented and placed her down on the deck. She bolted between us and Otmar picked her up before herding us inside the shelter of the yacht and out of sight from the reporters.

“We are just waiting for Esteban and Matt, you can wait in here until we are offshore,” Otmar said before stepping closer and lowering his voice. “I’ll make some calls but I don’t think there’s much chance of stopping them from releasing the photos, kiddo. Just lay low for a bit and stay off social media.”

Pierre’s frown deepened and he shook his head when Otmar went to the deck with Addie and gestured for him to follow. It wasn’t good to go against the principal but that was exactly what he did by staying behind.

Small tremors shook my hands as I unlocked my phone and deleted all the social media apps from it. As much as I loved following influencers and keeping up with the Formula One news it wasn’t worth the damage it did to my mental health whenever I reappeared on them. It wasn’t anything new but it never got any easier, and the internet trolls never got any nicer.

“What’s going on, Brianna?” Pierre asked quietly. I had always thought my name was boring but hearing it on his lips sounded exotic and intoxicating. “I know the reporters can be a shock but…this seems like something more.”

I reached past him and closed the glass door before rubbing my temples as a headache began to form. When I had opened up to him earlier I thought that would be the most I could give but the same comfort I felt on the hotel balcony remained and I dropped heavily into a leather seat.

He lowered himself down beside me and seemed to sense I needed a moment to collate my thoughts as he sat silently, resting his elbows on his knees.

“The night Erik was arrested I almost died,” I whispered to my lap as I stared at my palms resting there, my eyes fixed on the small pale scars that still remained almost three years later. “I couldn’t tell you what happened that night. I can’t remember, and I like to think that is a blessing. When I woke up I was strapped to a stretcher and being wheeled to an ambulance.”

My voice was beginning to shake and I stopped to regain my composure, nearly losing the battle when Pierre took my hand in his. “Paparazzi in England have no boundaries, they don’t stay behind the barriers, fences don’t keep them out. Trent Gordon, an independent photographer and asshole to boot, heard the 999 call on a police scanner and was there when they brought me out.

“He sold the pictures of me to every major outlet. He didn’t care if I lived or died, that my arm hung out its socket or that I was bleeding out on the pavement, as long as he got paid.”

“Nom de dieu de merde,” he choked as he ran a hand through his hair before shaking it wildly. “I remember hearing about that in my debut season when the FIA brought in new regulations for the media crews, new clearances and signoffs needed to release images.”

I cleared my throat of the lump that had formed and nodded. “Up until then the media could capture footage of a fatal crash and sell them to the tabloids. I guess dad was trying to do the best he could with what he could control and didn’t want anyone else to go through what we did. Or maybe it was to keep him distracted because he felt guilty for missing the signs that something was wrong. I don’t know, we haven’t really spoken about it.”

“Thank you, for telling me. For what it’s worth, the changes your dad made because of you made a difference for the better. I don’t know what I would have done if I saw Anthoine’s crash in the papers, and I’m sorry you had to go through all that.” Pierre raised my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles twice before resting his forehead against them. “You are…I can’t even describe it, strong doesn’t begin to cover it.”

“You have Otmar to thank. Every day I got a new card with one of his inspiring quotes to keep my spirits up,” I said with a small laugh before sighing as I felt the boat pull away from the dock. “I’m sorry for ruining your evening, you should be out there enjoying the night with your team.”

He shook his head and pulled me closer so he could tuck me into his side. “I’m right where I want to be.”

Click here for chapter five.

Taglist: @my-only-way-tocooperatewithlife

[the-wales-5]

"Miscommunication"

15th December 2022.

It was supposed to be a nice day for Catherine and her family but instead of feeling happy, she was frustrated more than ever. Her brother-in-law, someone who a few years before considered her to be his "sister he never had" was now criticising her official role and personality in a Netflix documentary.

In different circumstances, she would not let it affect her. Now though she spent the morning sipping coffee and trying not to show her real emotions to William. Her husband felt similar emotions and was irritated & angry. Despite that, he knew that releasing official statements would not be useful, especially right before Christmas time.

"Papa, is everything okay?" George asked as he entered the kitchen and noticed his father's facial expression

"Yes, I am fine. Do you have everything ready for today's lessons?"

"Yes and Charlotte is ready too. I was helping her with homework yesterday when mummy was decorating Christmas trees at Westminster Abbey"

"I cannot wait to see these Christmas trees!" Charlotte said when she joined her dad and brother

"Only a few hours left, Lottie" Catherine kissed her daughter on the cheek "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. Although I couldn't sleep for long because of my excitement, you know? I am counting down the hours even!"

Louis joined his family and was rather confused by his sister's words.

"Where are you going, Charlotte? Are you counting down the hours to what?"

"Mummy's concert. Together At Christmas"

"May I go there too?" Louis pouted

"No, LouLou. Maybe next year. Not now yet"

Catherine fixed his hair and forced herself to smile.

/

After the children left for school, William wanted to talk with his wife about that Netflix documentary and their thoughts. He could read her mind and see that she, just like he, undoubtedly was fed up with that constant drama coming from the pair of Montecito

"Let me prepare clothes for myself for this evening" were the only words he heard back from her after he attempted to start a conversation.

"You are doing that again. You are avoiding me, neglecting our chance to talk things through. We shouldn't be doing that, it only damages our relationship, Catherine".

Her eyes were focused on clothes she kept in a wardrobe. At last, her husband shouted without holding himself back:

"STOP THIS IDIOTIC SITUATION, FOR GOD'S SAKE!"

Catherine barely looked at him and chuckled with sorrow before turning away her head once again.

/

His wife was finishing the last makeup lines on her face. William wanted to apologise, to reconcile with her before the Christmas concert.

"Stop it. I'll be late" she said after he touched her arm

"We need to talk"

"Not now" she rolled her eyes "I have to go to Westminster Abbey, to greet everyone there"

"We could go all together

"George and Charlotte might get bored soon"

"They were attending this kind of engagements before, weren't they?"

"Indeed, but--..' she stopped and looked at her reflection in the mirror

"But what? Tell me, Catherine"

"I'd rather go there alone first" she said as she looked at him with sharp eyes "Are you satisfied with the answer?'

"So now you are ignoring not only me but George and Lottie too?"

"It doesn't mean I ignore them. They still need to finish their homework. After all, it's a school day tomorrow. Remember about the most simple things before making such big and unreasonable statements. One thing you've done today is unreasonable enough".

Those were Catherine's last words before leaving the bathroom and he knew what she meant. His and his father's equerries were to accompany her this evening. Similar situation to the one after 'that' interview, for Prince Philip's funeral when William's equerry accompanied his wife. For her, those decisions were unnecessary.

He heard her saying 'see you later' to their older children and 'warning' Charlotte so as to not let Orla jump at her after she wore her red coat. And she left. He watched through the window as she greeted her official assistant with a warm smile and got up into the car.

She indeed was happy. Happy to be back at Westminster Abbey in such beautiful circumstances, with the snow covering the trees around it. There she met her husband's and father in law's equaries. At that moment she thought that, perhaps, it was not a bad decision on her husband's part anymore. She went inside the Abbey to greet the guests and could notice the Middleton family too.

William, George and his sister arrived there less than an hour later. Catherine decided to go outside to see them. Shortly afterwards, they were sitting inside and Princess Charlotte was excited to hear a mention of Paddington Bear. During this evening Catherine looked in her husband's direction only once. When they were back home, she was the one to try to talk again but now it was William who seemed to feel irritated and avoided her completely. She tried once more, after their children were asleep.

"Don't you think a conversation between us is necessary?" Catherine said in a cold voice

"I have been trying to begin it earlier. You refused. Now if you'll excuse me, I will go to the bathroom. It's been a long, tiring day" .

"Yes. You are right" Catherine murmured and closed her eyes.

They fell asleep without saying "good night" to one another. Unusual and hurtful situation.

/

"We can't go on like this forever" Catherine said finally, in the afternoon, hours after their last conversation.

"What do you mean?' William scoffed

"Your stubbornness to communicate with me"

"You have started it yourself"

"Yes, and I regret it" Catherine sighed and looked at him. "I'm sorry. We should have had a conversation about everything yesterday, about that documentary and our feelings"

'We should have but you rejected my attempt to do that, Catherine"

"I know but it's Christmas time soon and it's unnecessary to fight over these things"

"Are we fighting? Am I fighting with you?" William asked and chuckled with sorrow just like his wife did the day before. "They did it again. Again, they insulted your role in that shitty documentary and yet there's nothing I can do. It's okay though" he scoffed "Really. It's fine, I am used to doing nothing to protect you"

"You do everything you can, and besides, I don't care about their words or what videos they use to push their narrative"

"I know you do care. You're just hiding your feelings to protect me, aren't you?"

Catherine was silent now.

"See? I am right" he said and got up from the sofa

"Where are you going?" His wife asked

"My therapy session will start in 20 minutes, I better go there now"

"I'm going with you. We have to talk about it together. You cannot avoid me. We're a team, remember?"

William looked at her and left the room. She followed him, grabbed his arm and looked into his eyes, her husband shrugged off and wanted to say something but right then they noticed George and pretended to behave as if nothing happened. Catherine went to the garden to play with Orla, and her husband to his office where he waited for his therapist.

/

Despite her hopes, The Princess of Wales was not able to focus on playing with her dog. After less than 30 minutes, she threw a ball for Orla for the last time and went back to the house, wanting to interrupt her husband's therapy session, to join him there and listen to his words and to try to solve their problems with sincere conversations later in the day.

/

"And she is stubborn. She does not understand that I want to do something else to protect her, not only sending my equerry to accompany her when there's danger around us. She is worrying about everything that happens. I could see yesterday how annoyed and frustrated she felt. This year we suffered enough and yet instead of supporting each other, we're arguing now at the end of it"

"Why are you arguing?" His therapist asked

"I guess we both are tired of all those changes that happened. In the summer, we both were fine when it comes to official and private lives, to our mental health too. My wife was the happiest when I surprised her with our move to Adelaide cottage. You see, it was her dream to live in a place like this, close to Berkshire and her parents' house.

Our children have started a new school. And right when we thought that everything was going to be fine, one phone call on the following day ruined it…"

"You mean the death of.."

"Yes, the death of my grandmother. The change of titles, of our lives forever. I've always been frightened at the thought of that moment. For years. I know it would've been easier without the constant drama within my family. I am pretty sure this book aims to attack my wife. I am simply failing to protect her. Again..".

/

Right when she heard those words, Catherine decided to leave the house. She was running. Almost fell down the stairs but she didn't pay attention to that. All she could feel was hurt. Her heart was breaking to know that her husband was once again blaming himself over something that was not his fault. There also was frustration in her caused by the fact that William didn't want to share anything and was avoiding her instead.

As she sat down on the sofa in the living room, Orla joined her again. The Princess petted her fur and asked through tears:

"Do you want to go on a trip somewhere?".

Orla looked at her and whimpered.

She travelled to the Adelaide cottage. When she finally stood in one of the rooms, she shouted: "I NEVER NEEDED THIS HOUSE! I NEVER NEEDED YOUR SACRIFICE! WHY ARE YOU TORTURING YOURSELF FOR MY SAKE?!" .

She broke down crying as she sat down on the floor.

/

Her husband was still at Kensington Palace, he left his office and said goodbye to his therapist. After he entered the living room and did not see his wife there, the prince of Wales started to feel concerned.

He tried to phone her four times but she declined those attempts. The fifth time was successful, Catherine picked up but only to tell him "I am staying at Adelaide cottage. Do not come here. Tell the children not to worry. I'll be back home by the morning". She did not want to hear what he had to say or to questions full of confusion and simply ended the call which was followed by switching the phone off.

Her eyes were puffy and red now. She hated that she rejected her husband. All she needed were his strong arms around her waist and his words full of support she knew she would receive in every possible situation. Yet, she decided to stay only with her dog at her, once, 'dream house'.

/

William was obliged to tell George, Charlotte and Louis about their mother's "urgent visit" in Berkshire so as to relieve their anxiety over not seeing their mum upon their return from school that afternoon and for the rest of the day. In the evening, the kids were talking with her over the phone. Catherine, surprisingly for herself, lied to them about the reason for her 'escape' very well.

"Won’t you talk with me as well? This is ridiculous and you know that, Kate"

"You know what else is ridiculous?" She asked but stopped herself at the last moment and hung up again. Then, filled the bowl with food for her dog and went to bed. She correctly assumed that William didn't sleep throughout the night, just like she did not.

He knew every thought she had on her mind, so now he was aware that she in fact lied about coming home the next morning.

/

In the very early morning, William along with his three kids, travelled to see his wife in Adelaide cottage.

She opened the door when it was 7 AM.

"What--.. what are you doing here?" She murmured

"Surprise, mummy!" Charlotte screamed happily and hugged Catherine. Then the 7-year old frowned though "You told us you were in Berkshire".

"That's because I was there to help your grandmother before Christmas. But I came here later, you know?"

Charlotte nodded and with Louis they slowly went towards her room in Adelaide cottage. The younger siblings still felt really sleepy because their father woke them all up an hour before.

"George, join them please" William told his son and then looked at Catherine. She asked with narrowed eyes:

"What's that supposed to mean? You brought kids here in the morning without a phone call earlier?

"You wouldn't pick up the call from me, Catherine"

"Of course, I would! What are you even talking about? By the way, can't you see they are sleep-deprived and most likely think I lied about the destination where I am!"

"This is because you are stubborn and you escaped"

"I escaped? Seriously?" She scoffed and added: "William, you are the one who is escaping from me, pretending to protect me. I can see it and yesterday I could hear you telling that to your therapist"

"You--.. you've heard everything?" William was speechless now and just stared at his wife's face. She nodded and looked away.

"Kate.. I am sorry for saying that you are stubborn and for what they continue to do"

"You are sorry only for this? Not for avoiding me? Not for this fatal miscommunication between us which you caused? Do you really think I care about them so much? I already told you I don't but still you think I am stubborn. I would do everything to make you feel better, just like you would do for me!" She said louder and tried not to show her real feelings again.

"Hsshh.." William said as he approached her

"Yes, I know. The kids are sleeping. I should've not shouting like this in the morning"

"No" William said and put his index finger on her lips, caressing them "Don't say anything now. I was stubborn and stupid and I regret it like never before. Believe me that I just want to make you feel better and--"

"Stop. You're blaming yourself again, and you are again forgetting about yourself, your own feelings" she said in a cold voice and stepped back "Go to sleep just like our kids. You must feel sleepy too"

"Catherine.."

"No. Let's not talk about it now"

"So when?"

"I do not know. Go to sleep" Catherine murmured

"Fine.." her husband nodded and looked at her face once again, he hoped she would change her behaviour after a few seconds but that did not happen. Instead, Kate passed him by and walked to the room where Louis was sleeping.

The Prince of Wales went to the bedroom where Orla was. He weakly smiled and lay down next to his dog. "Good morning, Orla" he said and petted his dog "I hope your mummy was sleeping throughout the night. I hope you looked after her well. Continue, until she lets me do that".

/

William, Catherine and their three children left Adelaide cottage in the afternoon. All this time the prince tried to talk with his wife. She was resistant though and ignored him again.

Upon coming back home, she kissed him on the cheek and quietly said "I forgive you. Just don't hide anything from me anymore". Cold in comparison to their other reconciliations. He didn't know if reconciliation was actually Catherine's aim or if she just wanted to show children that their relationship is fine again because they all seemed to worry about it earlier.

He wanted to ask why her reaction was so weird but she quickly followed Louis who wanted to go play in his room.

"Are we reconciled?" He asked when they were both in the bathroom and Catherine was combing her hair

"Yes, why wouldn't we? I told you I forgive you"

"Yes, indeed but we did not talk about it further and-"

"Do we need to? We are both 40 years old"

"This is odd behaviour still, Catherine. Normally, we would have a sincere conversation after your apology" He gently grabbed her hand "We are a team, remember?" .

Catherine shivered. Those were the same words she spoke to him a few days before.

She opened her mouth so as to say something but looked away once again. William caressed her back and whispered her name. "We both made mistakes. A sincere conversation is needed".

"What about reconciling with a kiss?" Catherine whispered and put her lips close to her husband's but he held her arms, stopping her.

"No, Kate" he sighed

"Why?" She murmured and looked at him with sharp eyes

"You know why" .

Catherine nodded and lay down on the bed, away from her husband.

/

Almost all of their conversations until Christmas were either full of tension or Catherine's neglect. On December 24th, they arrived at Sandringham and, once again, were pretending to behave as if their situation was normal. They usually were doing that for Charlotte, Louis and George, but now also for the rest of the family members. To show unity during the first Christmas after William's grandmother's death.

In their room, after The Princess of Wales took a shower and checked if her and children's clothes for the following day were ready, she covered herself with a duvet.

"Kate.. Look at me. Let us talk finally, it's Christmas" William said

"Does it change something?" She scoffed.

William sighed and went to the other side of the room. His frustration was very visible.

"This is getting more than stupid, Catherine!

You ignore me for no reason now. Is it just because I rejected your kiss and wanted a sincere conversation?!"

'What if I am not ready for that conversation?!" She asked "What if I am tired of everything just like you are, as you admitted to your therapist and not to me?!"

"This is reasonably clear to me that we both are tired. What I don't understand is your…" he sighed

"Stubbornness?" Catherine chuckled with sorrow "Say it. Say that word that links each of our conversations recently! SAY IT!"

William looked at his wife's reflection in the mirror in front of him and shook his head.

"I am not going to say it. You said it yourself".

/

25th December 2022.

"Happy Christmas" were words that echoed around Sandringham in the morning. Two people, though, did not say that to one another. They simply focused on their children and preparations to leave for the church.

"Have you exchanged gifts with papa, mummy?" Louis asked when they were on the way out of the castle.

"We have exchanged gifts" William replied instead, looked at Catherine and at last spotted that she was wearing those new earrings he gifted her.

She indeed wore new earrings that she earlier found on the table next to the bed with a card: "Merry Xmas. W". Simple short note, not the little bit longer that would end with "I love you, W". She didn't deserve to get one like that after all.

Not after all those circumstances that occurred between them beforehand. And she knew that. She knew that no matter what her husband was hiding, it was her fault they were having constant arguments. He was right from the very beginning. One sincere conversation on December 15th would, at least partly, solve their problems. There was no need for frequent fights. She rejected his request to talk ten days before, then she escaped and distanced herself, putting blame onto everyone else, but herself. Now she has realised it all. This and one more thing - that made her feel embarrassed like never before. There was no gift for him. She hasn't bought him anything for Christmas, for the time he loved the most in the entire year.

Those were the only thoughts inside her mind while attending the Church service, and after it. She controlled it upon meeting well-wishers with her children but once she returned to her room in the afternoon minutes before watching the first official Christmas speech from King Charles III, she sat down on the bed and cursed "I'm such an idiot. Who cares if I was angry or was completely ignoring him? On no account, I should not have forgotten about a Christmas gift!" . As quick as she could, she had written a text message to Pippa.

"Everyone got their presents from me but not him. You know we were fighting but don't you think I should've put that aside and buy him something? He had done that. I failed. What should I do? Squeak".

George knocked on the door, interrupting her process of writing and overthinking.

"Mum, are you going downstairs? It's time to watch the annual message" he said and approached his mum

"Yes, give me a second" she nodded and fixed her hair a little bit

"You look beautiful, come on" .

Catherine smiled at her 'little man' and together they walked to the living room where all the family members, including her husband, waited. She sat down between her children but still she looked at William from a distance, not sure if he would notice that.

Silence filled the room when Charles's speech broadcast had finished. Everyone was rather speechless and lost in thoughts how many things changed in this family over the last year, especially William though.

/

His wife, under the pretext of going to the bathroom, decided to check her phone, to see if her sister responded to her text message: "A conversation, one to talk things through finally. Other gifts, in your current situation, seem pointless."

Catherine sighed, lots of new doubts covered her mind.

"I cannot. It is too difficult. What if it will only make our situation worse?"

"It is better to try, don't you think?" was her sister's new reply.

"Okay. Thank you. Happy X-mas. C ♡" .

After seeing her sister's advice but knowing the outcome of other conversations with William, the princess of Wales could think of only one possible solution.

/

She came back to the living room as if nothing happened a few minutes later and continued to have fun with her children, and after tucking them in bed, also had discussion with her in-laws about past Christmases at Sandringham of which she was not a part yet. It was past 11 PM when everyone left the living room.

Everyone apart from one person. The Prince of Wales was still sitting on the sofa, staring at an envelope that his wife 'accidentally' put in front of him upon leaving the room.

He didn't know what to expect from it, yet he opened it, and read:

_

"William,

I realise now that we should've talked, and explain many things to one another. Not today, not yesterday but ten days ago. On December 15th. You wanted it. Deep inside, so did I. Yet, I decided to neglect you and make you feel miserable for 10 days straight. Moreover, you did not get a real Christmas gift from me because of that. I would say 'I'm sorry', or many other things, but it is not enough. And it is too late for conversation, at least for me it is late. I came way too far with my 'stubbornness', you must admit. This is why I was afraid that having a conversation would only make things worse. For the first time, I was afraid of a conversation with you, and this is the exact reason why you are reading this letter. You wanted to know what I felt right after 'their' Netflix documentary was released - I was frustrated, hence why I reacted the way I did before the "Together At Christmas'' concert. What were my feelings? Frustration and sadness. I still could not believe that he has changed so much, but mostly I felt heartbroken for you. I could see in your eyes that you were angry. I let my own feelings overshadow yours. A day later - I heard your conversation with your therapist - it had broken my heart into pieces that you feel like you're failing me. You never did that. Believe me. How could you even think that? Let alone telling that to someone? It is strange to know that you think of me as a, (well, we adore this word recently don't we?) stubborn person. I admit - I can be that at times but only if you are overprotective towards me OR if you are avoiding your own feelings, hiding from me even though "we are a team" and this is exactly what you've been doing for the last ten days, William. But I made you do that. It is only my fault and my mistake. Just one mistake of many I made over the last two weeks.I escaped and that only worsened our situation as we were separated even if I have 'forgiven' you, or I wanted to but couldn't do it properly. Together, we can fight against everyone and everything that comes at us, including 'their' comments and all kinds of changes that come with your life. Eleven years ago, I vowed to be by your side through it all, and I meant it. Do not let my frustration / 'stubbornness' lead you into thinking that something in me changed. I will never let those bad things take control of my mind ever again. I will simply support you through everything, as much as I can. I love you, William. Please, remember that you are the most important person in my life. Happy Christmas♡

Catherine .

_

William read this letter two times before putting it back into its envelope and came to his and Catherine's room.

/

She was sitting on the bed, watching one of Christmas movies on the TV & trying not to show signs of anxiety she felt.

Her husband came closer to her and put that envelope in her cold hands

"I forgive you everything. Everything that happened is only my fault and MY stubbornness, not yours. You wrote that your feelings overshadowed mine, but the truth is that we both made too many mistakes within those ten days, but it is enough of that. And your letter, in fact, is enough of an apology for me. You do not need to say anything else now, my wife. For the last 11 years you proved to me that you are ready for everything, you know that it still amazes me though?" He smiled and finally looked into her green, now tearful, eyes.

She wanted to say something but was not able to do that. Her voice was cracking. William pulled her closer, into a warm hug and again kept the envelope with her letter in one hand while holding Catherine's small & cold hand in the other.

"Do not say that you haven't given me any Christmas gift if you've taken time to write this"

"But this is just a piece of paper" Catherine shook her head and closed her eyes, trying to calm down and breathe in her husband's scent.

"You have said exactly the same thing about your sketch of St. Andrews. Yet, I still keep it.

'Meaningful' is what I call everything you write or create, my wife. So this letter you've written is also meaningful, but now it also becomes my Christmas gift of 2022".

"Are you kidding me?" Catherine whispered and smiled a little at last

"No. Tell me something now: did you like your Christmas gift?"

"Yes, I did. But now that we reconciled I want to have something else as a Christmas gift" she smiled through tears.

William stared at her for a second before softly kissing her on the lips. "Is that what you mean as 'something else', my wife?"

"Yes and no" she teased.

He sighed and was about to giggle when his wife pressed her lips on his and said "Happy Christmas, my William" between their kisses.

After a few more kisses, he held her into his arms and was looking deeply into her eyes "I love you. Happy Christmas, my wife".

< THE END > 🎄

Special thanks: @royalknightwalker :)

[lejindaryikiki]

Chapter 4

Next day

Peng woke up at the sound of a violin and a flute being played. He saw that Leena, Jin, Yi and Everest disappeared, means that they have woken up earlier than him. He followed his cousin, who was distracted at looking at the trio. Mostly, at Leena.

"Are those Yi and Leena?" Peng asked, to which the latter nodded at his question. They followed them close to witness the two girls playing their instruments together after so many years. Such a melody was played that Peng wanted to go close towards them. But the sound of a twig being broken, the melody was abruptly stopped. The trio looked to see Peng and Jin looking at them, Leena making a high-pitched noise from the flute.

"Wait, don't stop. It's really good. Your Nai nai said that you guys stopped playing when your dad died," Peng said but Jin stopped him.

"It's ok," Yi consoled.

"Is this your dad's violin?"

Yi nodded at Peng's question.

"You know, I really liked your dad," Peng looked at Leena and Yi.

"Thanks Peng."

Jin looked at them with a hint of sympathy.

"Well, we better head out if we're gonna make it to the Yangtze river," Jin added.

"Wait, you're coming?" Yi asked him.

"I checked and Dahe village has boats leaving for the city every hour."

"Okay, well, when we get there, you and Peng can take a boat back, but me and Leena are gonna take Everest home."

Leena smiled and looked at Jin whose face was filled with worry for the former.

"Leena, are you sure you're gonna take Everest home?" Jin asked her.

"Uh...yes."

Since when do you care about me, Jin? Leena thought.

"But won't it be dangerous?"

"Hey, I'll be fine."

Jin paused for a while, thinking that he should talk about what happened between the both of them, and spoke up, "So, do you want to talk--"

"Nope, buh-bye," she left him, dumbfounded.

What a bipolar girl, Jin thought.

Jin wanted to talk about her life ever since her father died and why she shut everyone out. But before, they were best friends who would help each other.

Flashback:

A young Leena was seen playing a flute to her 2-year-old sister. She was 4 at that time. But all of a sudden, she halted knowing that there was someone who was listening to her music. She held her flute like she wanted to beat the person with it.

"Who's there?" She screamed, holding Yi into her arms.

Suddenly it was revealed that it was a boy, a little boy around Leena's age. Her grip on the flute loosened.

"Why did you stop?" that was his first question.

"What?"

"Why'd you stop? It was nice."

"Oh, thank you. Usually, I don't play in front of others, except my sister."

"I see that you're a shy type. I am Jin."

"Leena."

2 years later

Leena and Jin had been best friends, but the when they made an eye contact, when they held hands, when they hugged, made him skip a heart beat.

Jin wanted to confess but they were just kids. He knew his parents won't like it that much and his best friend would reject his feelings. So, he kept mumb about his feelings.

One day, when playing basketball with Jin, Leena collided with him which resulted in the breakage of his arm. Leena avoided him, fearing that he would hate her. Her father came and consoled her that everything would be alright. She was determined to apologise to him.

Fiddling with her hands, she felt wrecked. Walking towards the boy with hands shaking, Leena spoke up.

"Jin?"

Her angelic voice made his heart beat very fast.

"Leena, hi."

She didn't say anything but bursted into tears.

"I am so sorry that I hurt your arm. I didn't mean to... I am sorry it's all my fault."

He swore he saw roses bloom around him and rose petals being thrown at him. But it's just a hallucination. He hugged her.

"It's okay. There's no need to apologise. It's not your fault."

"But you broke your arm because I collided with you."

"Hey, we make mistakes. It's alright to make mistakes sometimes."

"So, does that mean you're not mad at me?" Leena stopped crying.

"Why would I be mad at you? You're my friend after all," he patted Leena's head.

His parents were looking at them secretly. "One day, he'll fall in love with her and marry her. Who knows? It might happen," his mother said.

11 years later,

Leena was about to have the worst day ever. One day, she came to her house and saw her family sitting on the sofa, their heads sulking.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

Nobody spoke up, but Yi shook her head which meant that her father passed away. She sulked, went to her bedroom, took out a photo of her family and cried silently. She did not want to go to his funeral as it would give her a panic attack.

She decided to stop hanging out with Peng. She stopped hanging out with Yi and avoided her friends. Her bestfriend became popular and left her. He still had feelings for her but he left her, because he was insecure that he will loose his popularity.

Leena lost everyone.

Her father.

Her best friend.

Her sister.

Everyone.

Because she started drifting apart and being invisible.

Flashback ends:

"Now, on the map, the village is like a centimetre away. That can't be that far," said Jin.

"It must just be on the other side of the..." Yi stopped mid-sentence when she saw the Yellow mountains.

"The Yellow mountains," Leena said.

"Wait, wait, we are not going over that."

After seeing Peng and Everest racing towards the Yellow mountains, Leena and Yi shrugged and went, leaving him grumpy.

Peng picked up a dandelion and said, "Everest look. Make a wish."

Instead Everest ate it.

"No no, they are for wishing."

Jin, Leena and Yi halted. Mostly, because Jin was tired of walking.

"I wish I was a basketball superstar," he blew the dandelion and screamed, "Starting in the championship game, the mighty Peng."

Soon, a drone appeared in front of him. "A drone?" Peng wondered. "Cool!" But more drones came and the quartet were stuck. Guards were everywhere.

"Oh, the guys from the city. Yep, we know what they want," Leena said, sarcastically.

"I wish there was a way outta here," Yi cried and Everest hummed, which made the dandelion carried by Yi grow big.

"Everest, are you sure about this ?"

Yi hung onto the enlarged dandelion. Everest took Peng, which left Leena and Jin running after the trio. Jin grabbed her hand and ran towards them.

"Jin, jump!" Peng shouted. Jin only caught his cousin's hand but stopped as the dandelion flew beyond the dead end. 

"Meet us at the village, by the river," Jin shouted.

"We'll be there."

"And take care of Peng!"

After the dandelion carrying the trio disappeared out of sight, a drone appeared. Jin ran down the stairs, holding Leena's hand but the drone stopped them from running which resulted in tripping and Leena fell on top of Jin.

"Leena," Jin groaned.

"Oh, sorry," Leena got up from him.

They approached to a red-haired woman, who was revealed to be Dr. Zara.  

" I hope you both are not hurt. Let me introduce myself. I am Dr. Zara--"

"I know who you are," Jin started.

"You do?"

"Yeah," he chuckled "you're the bad guys," he shreiked when a jerboa appeared and sat on her shoulder. "You're jerboa is freaking me out."

"Listen, you've got this all wrong. That wild beast is unpredictable. Even dangerous. We were trying to rescue your friend when the yeti kidnapped her."

Hearing this, Leena found a red flag. 'That yeti' didn't try to kidnap them and he was scared. He didn't know what to do. He wasn't dangerous; he was friendly.

"Yeah, he did kidnap her."

Wait, what, Leena thought, glaring at Jin angrily.

Mr. Burnish was complaining him and why he needed that yeti, whilst Leena didn't mind what he said. Soon Dr. Zara convinced Jin to help him find the yeti and the latter agreed, which surprised Leena.

꧁༺༻꧂

Mr. Burnish told them a story about how he caught a yeti but it disappeared. Leena found it interesting since she had found a yeti and it didn't harm her.

"I'm so used to looking down on the world. It's so amazing how small one feels just by looking up," Mr. Burnish concluded.

"Mhm, and the world is small too," said Leena.

"Yes, little one."

Jin smiled at her, noticing her facial features from her side view. He wanted to apologise to her but something bothered him.

"Mr. Burnish, we need to get an early start. Thanks to Jin, we've learned the yeti's whereabouts," Dr. Zara told him.

Jin and Leena went inside and laid themselves on separate beds.

꧁༺༻꧂

Leena couldn't sleep as she was thinking about the trio. She tried, but she couldn't help worrying about them. This was the first time after so many years that she started to worry about Yi.

"Hey," Jin spoke, "you up?"

Leena pretended to sleep.

"I know you're not exactly sleeping."

She groaned. "What do you want?"

"We need to get out of here," Jin tugged on her hand.

"A moment ago you told Zara everything, calling Everest a threat," Leena got up of her bed and spoke softly, "and now you want us to get out of here?"

Jin couldn't say anything more. He knew he said that but who was he to trust them? He made a promise to protect the trio, especially Leena.

"I know that, but we need to get to the river," he kneeled down beside her and pleaded, "Leena, after your father passed away, you disappeared. You never hung out with anyone. You and Yi got busy with your lives. I know I am a jerk and I am sorry for that. But please, you have to trust me on this."

Leena looked at him with dull eyes. She was feeling sleepy but she knew she had to get there for her sister. Only for her sister.

"I'll go," Leena got up from her seat and went away, Jin following her.

꧁༺༻꧂

A/N: This girl is in her Tenzing Trainor era and she can't help but daydream about him 💕

Can you not love him? 🥺

He voices Jin.

Also, there's a Damianya reference. I love Spy x Family.

[percervall]

what if I love you?

Player: Jordan henderson Words: 870 Warnings: Fluff Request: Receiving flowers - Maybe one where the Reader is a younger physio who doesn't think he notices her until he sends her flowers on Valentine's day? A/N: Asndsd i love this idea so much??? hope I did it justice!

title from Gatlin's What If I Love You?

---

Seeing the vase on top of her desk made her stop in her tracks. She quickly looked around to see if the person who left them was still around, but the corridor leading to her office was empty. Dropping her keys and tablet onto her desk, she took in the bouquet. The majority of the flowers were in similar shades of pink, very close to her favourite hue, mixed with a few white and cream ones. She ran a finger over the petals of one of the peonies and felt her lips tug up in a smile. Turning the vase around she looked for a card, finding it tucked away between two roses.

“Someone’s got a secret admirer,” a voice came from the open door. She felt her cheeks heat up as her best friend and colleague Jess stood in the doorway.

“I’m sure it’s just someone being nice, I did just get my Masters in Sports Medicine,” she replied, not fully believing her own explanation. Jess hummed in a way as if to say yeah, sure. Even though they’d only been working together for six months, she and Jess had hit it off from the moment she became part of the medical staff at Liverpool. 

“I doubt Klopp would send you pink flowers to congratulate you, babe. What does the card say?” She had to admit Jess had a point there. Although the Liverpool manager sometimes acted like a dad for everyone he employed, she too doubted he’d send her this type of bouquet. She slid the envelope open and pulled out the thick cardstock. 

Happy Valentine’s Day! I didn’t know how to tell you in person without losing my nerve, but I’ve had a crush on you from the moment we met that day in the foyer of the AXA. Been trying to ask you out for months, but instead I’d end up making up some vague injury that needed looking at because the moment you look at me, I’m gone. So here goes: Can I take you out for dinner? Tonight maybe?

xJ

She read the card and then re-read it a second and third time, just to make sure it actually said what it said. She felt her cheeks heat up at the memory of the first time she met him. She had just joined the club and was still trying to find her way around the training grounds. Her arms had been full with supplies for the treatment room and she didn’t notice she still had one more step to go coming down the stairs. “Careful!” someone had said, as she collided against him with a tiny shriek. The boxes had fallen, but luckily he had caught her. 

“S-so sorry!” she had tried to apologise, momentarily forgetting what else she was going to say when she looked in those bright blue eyes. Jordan had chuckled, making sure she was okay as his hands lingered a little longer than perhaps necessary on her waist. When his fingers brushed against hers as he handed her the fallen boxes, she could’ve sworn she felt a spark of something pass between them. And this remained in the weeks and months that followed. They’d steal glances at one another when they thought the other wasn’t looking, hands would linger a little longer than needed when hugging or when she treated his injuries. She thought it had all been in her head, but now to see it written quite literally in black and white, it took her a while to let it sink in that all this time he had felt the same way. 

“You okay?” Jess asked, pulling her from her thoughts. She blinked, trying to clear the fog of memories.

“Y-yeah. Sorry, I have to go,” she mumbled and left her office, still clutching the note to her chest. She made her way down the corridor and saw the team was wrapping up training. Pulling on her puffer coat, she walked outside. Nervous butterflies settled in the hollow of her chest as she spotted the Liverpool captain. She swallowed hard and kept walking until she was almost in front of him.

“Hey,” she said, fidgeting with the note.

“Hey,” Jordan echoed, cheeks flushed. She wondered whether that was just because of the cold. 

“I-.. Thank you. F-for the flowers I mean. How did you know peonies are my favourite?” Jordan shrugged. “I might’ve overheard you mention it to Jess once,” he said quietly, not quite meeting her eyes now. She was quiet for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. She had not thought this through when she left her office. 

“Also found your note,” she all but whispered, looking down at her hands that were fidgeting with the folded piece of cardstock. 

“You did?” She nodded, meeting his eyes.  He looked at her, eyes full of hope.

“To answer your question, yes. Yes, I’d like that very much.” The smile that tugged at his lips squeezed her heart. He brushed his lips against her cheek, making her stomach fill with butterflies. 

“Pick you up at 7?” he asked. She nodded, skin burning where his lips had touched.

“Great,” Jordan said, grinning now, “It’s a date.” 

She couldn’t wait. 

Tags @football-and-fanfics @kostasstsimikass @lfc21

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